Exodus (The Exodus Trilogy) by Andreas Christensen Page A

it’s not something that would have been considered under normal circumstances. But this is hardly a normal circumstance now, is it?”
    “ I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have some serious doubts that such a project could be finished on time.” That was Eric Sloan, also of JPL, speaking. Throughout the previous meetings, he’d continuously referred to the engineering issues, and while admitting that solar sails seemed the best option when speed was concerned, his insight into low earth orbit engineering and its difficulties led him to oppose the addition of a high-energy laser lens.
    “ I just don’t see how we’re going to have the manpower for two immense construction projects at the same time. Remember, we only have about five to seven years to do this. A smaller laser, yes, that could be possible, but the sheer size we’re talking about here simply demands more time. And that’s time we don’t have. If we had enough qualified construction personnel, it would be possible, but we don’t have the time to train these people, and the energy still has to be produced, which is an immense challenge. And let’s not forget the solar sails themselves. The construction of such micro-thin materials would also have to be done in space, and that’s after we develop a new way of constructing them. The European model would be useless for interstellar travel, and again the scarce resource is time. So in my view, we should go for simpler, meaning a slower starship and longer transit time.”
    “ So what do you think we should do?” the president asked. Sloan thought for a moment before he replied.
    “ I believe fusion is our best option, since the technology is already in place, or close enough. The Deuterium and Helium-3 fusion rocket will give us 10 percent of light speed, and I simply cannot see any other option that will be possible, given the time at our disposal. The solar sail option has the upside of giving us great speed, if it could be finished in time, if all R&D is successful, and if we can get the power needed. That’s a lot of ifs, and the consequences of even a small setback could topple the entire project. So if I’m to have a say in this, I’d go for fusion.” Several of the others nodded, and even Dr. Shearing seemed to agree. Ramon could certainly see the advantages of solar sails, but Dr. Sloan did have a point. There were too many what-ifs. He’d rather place his bet on a starship that would be using a simpler technology, even though it meant sacrificing speed. It was then that Dr. Grant, having said nothing since the meeting started, decided to join in the conversation. He leaned forward and spoke, while at the same time checking something on his tablet.
    “ I might have something here, just a second … Damn, there’s too little openness in the world …” he muttered to himself, earning sideways glances from some of the others.
    “ It seems there was an interesting discovery by ESA a while back … It’s been kept secret, probably due to some scientists wanting to make sure they’ve got the facts straight. Damn fools, still more concerned about their publications than sharing knowledge … It’s a friend of mine at ESA, saying that some of his colleagues found something about 0.3 light years out. Wait …” He then typed something on his tablet, waited for a few seconds, eyes widening when he got the reply. A wide grin spread across his face.
    “ He says that they finally found definite proof of the existence of Nemesis.”
    “ What’s Nemesis?” the president asked, furrowing his brows, and tightening his lips at the new information that seemed to come out of nowhere.
    “ Well, it’s a star, sort of,” Grant replied, smiling as he laid his tablet down on the table. “There is a theory that the mass extinctions we’ve seen in the past, such as the dinosaurs, were caused by comets released from their relatively stable orbits out in the Oort Cloud by the gravitational influence of