America One: War of the Worlds by T. I. Wade Page A

month earlier. Ryan stated that he needed 80,000 gallons within 60 days, and for three tons of gold the new Premier was happy to shake Ryan’s hand.”
    “But that is a quarter of the gold we are returning from Mars with,” stated Saturn.
    “They get some of the gold, we, and the other countries get the Rare Earth metals,” stated Lunar half asleep. “A pretty good deal, and we won’t need to bargain so hard on the next flight. But Maggie, go on. Saturn you haven’t heard the best part yet.”
    “It seemed that a large reserve of liquid hydrogen had slipped the Premier’s mind,” continued Maggie. Saturn looked at her mother inquisitively. “Several minutes later a light bulb went on inside his head, and he told us about the reserves of the hydrogen fuel in South Korea very few knew about. Another 40,000 gallons.”
    “That is why we are heading there, to discuss getting that fuel as well?” Jonesy asked, and the two girls sitting in the rear cockpit jump seats both nodded.
    It was twelve hours later when the same group sat in the shuttle’s cockpit, this time on the way to the Australian island. They had landed in Seoul, also unannounced as that country still hadn’t communications with the West.
    Martin Brusk offered, as he had done so in Beijing, to build South Korea a space shuttle, like the one that had landed. For a new space shuttle the Chinese Premier had quickly forgotten the three tons of gold, and the same happened in Seoul. Martin Brusk would take the five tons of gold as payment for building the two space shuttle bodies, much like the two shuttles he had built for Astermine.
    Martin Brusk was as good a businessman as he ever was, and it saved an extra ton of the returning gold from Mars for more Rare earth metals that he needed.
    Martin and Ryan were working out the payments and who got what as Jonesy flew them onto Australia. Ryan still had the other countries to pay for the loans of fuel, but Canada had already put the repayment off until the second Opposition in less than three years’ time.
    By the time they reached the island, it looked like Ryan Richmond could have enough cash from the first mission to complete the build of America Three .
    “Looks like a large reception down there?” smiled Jonesy to Saturn as he brought SB-IV in directly above the island’s airfield. They could see a group of four people outside in the morning’s light of the rising sun outside the main hangar where the shuttles always parked.
    SB-V was already re-entering earth atmosphere high above the United States and was due to land next to SB-IV in about 30 minutes.
    “Don’t mention Bob’s or Beth or Monica’s white hair,” stated Saturn to her father, who’s greying hair had been halted for 14 years.
    “Yes, don’t insult your friends by telling them how old they look,” added Maggie knowing that it was certain that her husband would open his mouth in greeting and say the wrong things. That was why he hadn’t been at the lunch in Beijing, and the dinner in Seoul. Now it was breakfast in Australia, and it was time for Jonesy to see his old flying buddies, and the word “old” was very important. What Maggie told him didn’t really help.
    Saturn took over and landed SB-IV from 5,000 feet altitude as her father ordered her to do so as he wanted to get out fast and greet his old flying mates.
    Seeing the age of his old flying buddies did give Jonesy a shock. Seeing the younger age of their old flying buddies certainly gave Bob Mathews, Beth and Monica a shock. They hadn’t realized that the time out in space for the “OldGeners” was actually an age-saving device.
    Jonesy had always considered Bob Mathews to be one of his special friends. They had often flown together throughout their lives, and always seemed to be as one with flying as each other.
    One knew what the other was always thinking and the reactions times due to suggestions was always rapid. They had flown Transports together, C-17s, and