Every thinker in every point of history rightfully claimed to be in a quandary over which direction we should go to maintain what is good about the state of humanity. Sometimes the considerations are spiritual, sometimes aspirational, sometimes inspirational, sometimes about local survival, and sometimes about acquiring more territory. But we, particularly our leaders, should not discard or separate these things in the mind except to know when to apply each most effectively and beneficially to all. I often address this thought in short essays, bumper sticker quips, or fashionable memes. In this space, I will attempt to write a fictional short story that addresses some of these issues. Beware! What I write here is a first draft, complete with grammatical mistakes, plot holes, and poor syntax; if there is one, the final product, while with a similar message will likely be considerably different from the initial draft plotline. My challenge is to finish this before Elon Musk lands a human on Mars.

PROLOGUE

The mood in the Coeus/Neptune control room was unusually tense for a routine, but critical course correction. The team had rehearsed daily for the past six months. Gabrielle Sinclair checked the communication links. All was nominal for a slight course correction, then activating the autonomous mode, but she had to wait 9 minutes 31 seconds…30…29. She knew they were coming to shut down the operation. She had to wait; the officials would not need to intervene if the timing were not precise. They were determined. Did she have time? Frantically tapping the console with her fingers, she whispered, “Wait…Wait…Wait.”

Eventually, she turned to see the six men led by a determined woman*, heels clicking, approaching quickly down the hallway. Time left: 4:12…11…10

“Lock the door,” yelled Gabrielle to her co-worker**. “Stall!”

The woman official banged on the glass door. “Let us in. Now!” She locked eyes with Gabrielle.

They stared at each other, then Gabrielle looked back at the console. Time left: 3:25…24…23.

*Cinnamon Taylor’s daughter? If so, Cinnamon’s story must be embedded in the story line.

**Newton Feynman—develop character and indicate why the countdown is important.