Colonel Allen came through with a meeting date and Donner, and his dad were on their way to the nearest airport a couple of counties over. Jack had already had his plane readied for the trip. Six hundred miles to Joplin, Missouri; refuel, and another six hundred miles to Colorado Springs Airport. The trip should take about eight hours in flight.
Donner was still too young for his student flight certificate, but he knew his dad would let him do some of the flying. The flight was without incident with Donner flying while his dad navigated. Jack was old enough that he could still use the VOR stations (a type of radio ranging system used for aircraft navigation) that remained in operation to check their course. Donner thought that was pretty antiquated since their plane and each of their Annies had a GPS. Jack brought them into Colorado Springs with plenty of daylight left. They checked in to a motel and after a pizza for dinner, they turned in to get an early start the following morning.
The meeting with Colonel Allen and the others was scheduled for zero eight hundred. Jack and Donner were up by seven and had breakfast at a restaurant off Space Center Drive. They arrived at North American Aerospace Defense several minutes before their scheduled meeting.
They were shown to Colonel Allen's office where they waited. Reg Allen soon arrived and led them to a nearby conference room. There they were introduced to the other participants of the meeting.
Colonel Allen began, “Jack and Donner, I would like you to meet my operations officer, Captain Deek Lang, our intelligence liaison, Captain Joyce Sargent, and my IT officer, Lieutenant Jim Mason. This will just be a low-key inquiry. If we all agree that the information Donner has discovered warrants it, I plan to take it up with my boss Major General Longsteen. But for right now this is just an informal fact-finding discussion.
“I've explained to everyone some of what Donner has discovered. But I wonder Donner if you would like to give some background into how you made the discovery, and the details of what you've learned?”
“Okay,” said Donner somewhat nervously. “As far as the background to my discovery I was attempting to establish a reliable internet connection after my family moved to a rural location.”
Donner then described his antenna setup and the mechanism he designed to achieve and maintain satellite lock which interested the operations officer quite a bit and he asked a few questions.
Next, he turned to the signal he found and how he had set up the wide-area network that decrypted it. The IT officer then became curious. Finally, Donner told them about how he had discovered the Japanese dialect the messages used. The intelligence officer nodded approvingly.
Donner finished his review in about ten minutes and then passed out copies of the decrypted and translated messages he had intercepted. The three officers and Colonel Allen seemed to be suitably impressed. Jack was smiling.
Colonel Allen spoke up, “Thank you Donner. I think I speak for all of us when I say that your work is quite impressive. Now, I’ve arranged for you and your dad to tour our facilities as well as the airbase and the Space Museum. My staff and I will discuss your findings, and I will meet with you and your father for dinner at seven tonight. Okay with you Donner?”
“Sure Colonel Allen and thank you for arranging all this.”
“Your welcome Donner.”
Colonel Allen’s adjutant came into escort Donner and his dad on the tour.
After a long day of touring the facilities and the museums, Donner and his dad met Colonel Allen at the Peterson AFB Club for dinner. Colonel Allen ordered a drink for Jack and himself and a soft drink for Donner before beginning the discussion.
“Well Donner,” said the Colonel. “How was the tour?”
“Excellent sir. The facilities and space museum tours were awesome. And I really liked eating lunch in the airplane restaurant, the old KC-135 fuselage.”
“I’m glad to hear it Donner, it is quite an antique. Now I want to talk to you and your dad about the meetings I’ve had today. I have to say again that everyone was very impressed with your work. I think that some of my staff would like for you to instruct them in some of your techniques.”
Donner smiled from behind his soft drink.
“Jack what I would like to do is place a mobile listening post on your property. Would that be okay?”
“Of course, Reg, if you think that is for the best.”
“I think so. Donner, once we get the mobile post setup, I’m going to ask you to shut down your operation. I don’t want you involved in what could be an international incident. I’m afraid we are going to keep your work top secret for now.”
“I understand sir.”
“Good, then let’s eat,” said the Colonel. “The meal is on Space Command.”
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