Rocket! An Ell Donsaii story #4) by Laurence Dahners

buster’ challenges team ‘Ringa ding’ to a game of darts! You guys up to the challenge?”
    Fred Marsden raised his glass, “You bet!”
    As the two teams wandered over to the dart board Ell scooted down to sit with the admin folks who’d conglomerated at the other end from the science team. They were a pleasant group, several of them becoming happily inebriated. The woman next to Ell asked if Ben Stavos was married. She grinned when Ell said he wasn’t and got up to walk unsteadily over to “watch the dart game.”
    Their machinist, Brian Short, moved over to sit next to Ell. “Uh, Ms. Donsaii?”
    Ell turned to him and raised an eyebrow, “I thought we were informal Mr. Short?”
    He grinned sheepishly, “Uh, ‘Ell’ then. I’ve got a crazy idea that I’m too embarrassed to bring up in the group meetings.”
    “Why not?”
    “Well… you know… I only finished high school. So I don’t want to suggest stuff to you big brains.”
    Ell raised an eyebrow, “Smart doesn’t have to go to school. I’m amazed by the way you make those machines sit up and roll over! Anyhow, what’s your idea?”
    “Well I’ve been wondering if the entangled buckyballs really have to be precisely placed? You can make ‘em by the millions right? What if you just made huge quantities of them and ‘sprayed’ them into a circle, like with an inkjet printer or 3D fabricator? Could they work even if they weren’t ‘precisely’ arranged into a circ…” He paused as Ell’s eyes widened.
    Prickles ran over Ell’s scalp as she said, “Oh, my, God!” Her eyes focused off into the distance. “That might work.” she mumbled.
     
    ***
     
    Ell arrived early at Falcon stadium for the Academy graduation. The rental car deposited her near the gate and then took itself off to park in the big lots nearby. The code that Phil had given her got her through the gate and she walked out into the stadium reminiscing about the two years she’d spent at the Air Force Academy. She made her way to the reviewing stand. As she approached a 3rd class cadet saluted and said, “I’m sorry Captain, this area is reserved for graduation officials.”
    Ell returned the salute and said, “I’m told that I’m supposed to be one of those ‘officials.’”
    The cadet’s eyes widened and darted down to Ell’s nametag. She drew herself up and saluted again. “Excuse me! Captain Donsaii, it will be my honor to escort you.”
    The cadet conducted Ell up the stairs. As they approached the podium area Lt. General Ammonds, the commandant of the Academy saw Ell and interrupted his conversation to salute her.
    The colonel who had been speaking to the Commandant turned to see whom he could be saluting. There weren’t supposed to be any officers senior to a Lieutenant General at the graduation. His eyes widened as he saw a cadet and a slender female captain approaching and just dropping their own salutes. The colonel began his own salute after his eyes dropped to her left breast and recognized the Medal of Honor ribbon.
    The Commandant grinned at Ell and said, “I assume you still have some friends in the graduating class. If you’ll step to the podium with me, I’d like you to mark which of the cadets you’d like to present with their diplomas?”
    Ell raised her eyebrows, “Really sir? I’d greatly appreciate that.”
    He lowered his voice, “I heard what you did for us in the recent China debacle and wanted to let you know how proud it made me. I’ve often thought back to the day you were brought to my office to determine whether or not we would let you try out for the Olympics.”
    “Yes sir?”
    “And I wonder how there could ever have been any doubt. Of course, then we didn’t know you…like we know you now.”
    “Well, I appreciate your providing me that opportunity, sir.”
    He looked at her a moment musing, “Actually, would you mind handing out all the diplomas?”
    “I’d be honored, sir.”
    When Ell turned she found