You are wandering through the hallway on your way to talk to the head of the constellation mission about the person you've chosen to sponsor. You are lost in your thoughts and you fail to notice the woman heading towards you. Crash. The coffee lands squarely on your chest.
"I am so sorry Neil," She is clearly embarrassed. It could be worse for both of you.
"It will be alright Lilly," you respond as you assess the damage. You start to try and clean it off but your efforts didn't get you anywhere.
"Let me take your shirt," she refers to your uniform shirt that is drenched in coffee. You swiftly undo the buttons. You pass the shirt to her. This is going to be tricky to explain to the head of the constellation mission but you hope he doesn't ask. "I'm screwed, why did I ruin it," you hear Lilly utter. You remember she put her application in for the constellation mission. You understand her position but you know that she will get in.
"You will be fine. You're one of the best engineers in the running," you assure her and besides you've decided to give her a good word.
"Look I am really sorry," She flashes you an embarrassed smile as she bends down to pick up the pieces of the mugs. You bend down to help her. At least most of the coffee ended on your uniform.
"Like I said before it could have been worse," you respond. Thirty seconds later you've finished. Lilly walks off. Another two minutes later you have made it to the office of Danny Winchester, the head of the constellation mission. You are going to talk to him about the person you sponsored.
"Welcome," He greets you with an odd look. You know what he is thinking.
"Sorry, sir I had a run-in with one of the interns," you explain as you sit down. You decide not to tell him about the fact that it was Lilly that you bumped into. Danny opens a file.
"So you have sponsored Lily Collins is that right?" He asks getting this meeting underway. You hope he doesn't think it is a favour for Micheal even though it is. You will have to let her know later.
"Yes that's right," you reply. Danny starts reading. He mumbles something about the fact that you have sponsored one of the interns. There is a timid knock on the door. "Come in," Danny calls out. Lilly walks in. She is holding a fresh cup of coffee. You can tell she is still a little embarrassed. She places the cup on the desk and she is about to leave but she is stopped.
"So Neil tells me he has sponsored you," You glance at her because you haven't told her yet. She returns the favour with a surprised look. You probably should have told her when you walking into her.
"I hadn't told her yet," you respond. Danny gives you an understanding look.
"You will start the training program tomorrow," Danny announces.
"Thank you, Sir," Lilly responds sincerely. Her day has just gotten a whole lot better.
"That's all for today," Danny ends the meeting and you both leave. You are walking in uncomfortable silence. You assume that's because Lilly is unsure of how to thank you.
"Thank you," Lilly speaks up.
"Don't worry about it," you respond. You are glad you could help in some way. The next day you've decided to watch some of the training to see if it's like the Apollo missions. It probably will be given the fact that the method has been proven. If it is you know you will be able to help.
"Our goal for the constellation mission is to get a base set up on the moon as a pit stop on the way to Mars," Danny announces as he scribbled something on the whiteboard. It's defiantly going to end up like the Apollo missions with more experience as well. "To achieve this goal we will be taking an approach similar to the Apollo missions," Danny gestures towards you. All of the cadets glance at you and it makes you feel uncomfortable. You still hate the attention you get for being the first person to step on the moon. Some of the cadets start talking amongst themselves.
"Sir would we be getting back to earth or will we head to Mars?" Lily asks, causing the cadets to go silent. A good question.
"That will be the most likely outcome," Danny confirms. An hour later you are at the local bar with Micheal Collins and Buzz Aldrin. You are filling then in as to what has happened.
"So how is the constellation mission coming along?" Buzz asks. A good question with an easy answer.
"Well, I think the cadets are the best since Apollo," you respond with a hint of pride.
"So who did you sponsor?" Micheal is curious. You decide to let Lilly tell him because it is only fair.
"I think she will want to tell you herself," He smiles because he knows who you are talking about. Some of the cadets including Lilly walk in.
"Jay I will be back," she splits from the group. She approaches your table. You can tell that she is proud of her achievement. "Dad I have something to tell you," She has a hit of joy in her voice. she also sounds a little triumphant.
"What is it, Lilly?" Micheal asks as Lily sits next to him. She has a proud smile on her face.
"You know how I applied for the constellation mission?" she is not sure if she told her dad that she told her dad or not. You have a sip of your drink while you wait for Micheal's answer.
"Yes, you did. Did you get into the program?" He is not surprised. At least he seems happy that she got in. You have decided to do some private lessons with Lilly.
"I did," Lilly declares.
"Congratulations," Buzz beats Micheal to it. Lilly gets up.
"Thank you. I'll be going back to the other cadets," Lilly excuses herself. You can see the pride build in Micheal.
"Thank you for sponsoring Lilly," He is almost overcome with fatherly pride. He is clearly surprised that you actually did. At least your unspoken favour was worth it.
"No worries," you are glad that you could do something meaningful. At least your goal is now achieved.
YOU ARE READING
Constellations
Fanfiction"I am so sorry Neil" "It will be alright Lily," he responds. Lily Collins yearned to follow in her father Micheal Collins' footsteps but there was one problem. She was stuck serving coffee to people at NASA. One fateful day she ends up spilling cof...
