It was a hot day in California. Everyone in the lab was sweating like if they were in a sauna and Kalle was no exception. It was about 32 degrees Celsius outside and the air conditioning was struggling to keep the room at a bearable temperature.
"Bearable my ass," muttered Kalle while looking at Matt. This guy was transferred to be the the head of research on various propulsion technologies for space-faring vessels from Miami where the humid made the heat hellish. At least here in Los Angeles the heat was dry. But Matt was a little homesick so he insisted the thermostat should be at a brisk 25 degrees Celsius making the working conditions "just perfect" as Matt liked to say.
While Matt loved the heat and the sweat running down the crack of his ass, Kalle was not a fan. He came to study engineering to America as a postdoc at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in LA from Denmark, where it was considered hot when it was 20 degrees Celsius outside.
Thinking about his home made him remember about a sweet girl which he met during his Ph. D. in København. He was studying what she called "rocket science" and she studied philosophy . She used the term in a mocking manner but to him it was so much more than just "rocket science". The Electro-Magnetic drive he was developing was a chance for humanity to reach out to the stars in generation ships. These would be vast colony ships that would venture to habitable worlds beyond our Solar system for hundreds of years to spread the seed of humanity making human extinction from our own stupidity a far less likely event.
After the end of his Ph. D. he was contacted by NASA. They wished to continue with the EM drive research and right now he was bolting on the final cooling elements. He guessed the partnership was fruitful despite his doubts at the start. NASA was not really renowned for getting things done after the Moon landings in 1960s and 70s.
"Everyone clear! EM drive first test commencing in 5 minutes." spoke Matt despite Kalle telling him the drive was not ready for a test run yet. Matt insisted and because he was head of operation, Kalle had to listen to him... A birocrat who knew nothing of EM drives.
"Quickly Kalle, and wipe that look from your face before Matt sees it. You know the motivational talk we had to endure the last time he had a feeling we were not engaged enough!" said Raj with a smirk on his face. Kalle remembered to rid his face of any expressions that would displease the Florida dictator as he left the room elbowing with Raj for who would be the first to leave the room. His friend finished studying the Super-symmetric particle model in India and came to LA with two of his children and a wife, but all these facts do not make a man mature enough to go out of a room like an adult.
"Are we ready for the test?" asked Matt speaking to the two friends with an anticipation that he could not hide. This will be a day to remember. This will be the day of the invention of the Matt Gearing EM drive. He was sure this will be what people would call it. It was clear to him all the credit went to him and him alone.
"No... I mean... Of course, Matt" spoke Kalle rubbing the sore place, where Raj elbowed him in between his ribs.
"Finally! This has been taking to long as is. Proceed with the countdown!" Matt’s last words were directed to the computer which started a minute long countdown.
As the timer neared zero, Kalle’s nerves began to fray. Were his calculations for the conduits correct? Did he install the processor correctly? Fuck! He forgot to tighten the valve of the feeding line. Quickly starting toward the door of the test room, Raj stopped him, waving a wrench in front of his face, pointing to the valve.
"Thank god!" exclaimed Kalle realizing Raj noticed and fixed his mistake.
"You excited, aren’t you kiddo?" spoke Matt with a condescending tone. God he hated the man.
"Of course Matt. This will be your crowning achievement!" Kalle did not want to start another war on who has the credit for the EM drives potential success.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Ignition!" Everyone was looking excitedly at the meter by meter by meter cube box that they called the EM drive. Nothing happened. A year of development right down the toilet, flushing Kalle’s career with it. Just as he was about to go on a rant the likes of which the world has never seen before, directing all his anger towards Matt, the voice of the computer could be heard: "Force detected. kN of force generated!"
Kalle could see the disappointment in Matt’s face. The fool expected the whole room to detach from the JPL building and fly to the Moon. Feeling dejected, Matt said with a sigh: "Go home guys. I will talk to the board and maybe we will prolong this project for a couple of months. I hope we can keep working on this."
"Holy shit this guy is dumb," whispered Kalle to Raj. They both knew the project was a resounding success and they also knew the board would also see it as such. This was only a prototype of microscopic proportions when comparing to a real engine one would find in the next generation of spaceships. The era of liquid propellant rockets was over. Of this Kalle was completely convinced.
"I am sure we can get an extension, Matt. Don’t worry. See you tomorrow." spoke both of the scientists. They will celebrate long into the night, but first Kalle was buying hamburgers, his favorite American food. He knew they just made history.
<hr>
Find the previous published parts here:
<center> **Sol**
**< [Chapter I](https://steemit.com/writing/@maticpecovnik/chapter-1) | [Chapter II](https://steemit.com/writing/@maticpecovnik/a-sci-fi-space-opera-sol-chapter-ii) >** </center>