Mario and I had discussed the post at Goonhilly fully, but secrecy prevented me telling him why I’d been selected as the preferred candidate for such a prestigious position. It was making life difficult.
'I know you have your astronomy background, darling, but to be parachuted in as director of this huge establishment seems unbelievable,' he said.
The Mullion Cove Hotel was spectacularly situated, and I turned my gaze to the rolling Atlantic breakers crashing against the cliffs. I was a little miffed over his lack of confidence in my abilities.
'They’ve decided an astronaut would add a unique perspective to the post and if I get the post – a big if – I'll be working with the ISS from Earth. I have done rather well during my seven-month mission, you know,' I said, adding an element of disappointment to my voice.
His hand descended upon mine. 'Sorry, Eve. I realise you must have impressed. I'm just gobsmacked, that's all.'
Fortunately, his graphics business could be run from anywhere, owing to the Internet. It meant he was happy to relocate to Cornwall if I obtained the post. The biggest problem for him was getting a residency permit. Now England was no longer in the EU, it no longer had open borders.
In the morning, Mario booked a nine o'clock car to take him to Helston to get an idea of property prices and local services, while I waited in reception, in my finest suit, for my vehicle. It was due to collect me at nine forty-five.
My watch vibrated when the small vehicle pulled up outside the hotel. I punched my booking code into the door lock, climbed into the rear, told it the twelve-character location code for the reception door from my interview letter and the car pulled smoothly away towards the Goonhilly Earth Station.
The Lizard peninsula is one of the most ruggedly beautiful locations in the British Isles with amazing coastal scenery and quaint villages. The road from Mullion is single-track and it was fascinating to experience my vehicle negotiating with other autonomous road users to travel the road. The only delays were caused when avoiding manual-driven cars at passing places. I noticed how they always forced my vehicle to reverse to the previous space even when their passing place was closer, so the system wasn't perfect. Really, they were abusing the submissive nature of autonomous software. Once clear of the single-track roads, the car drove me across windswept moorland and, eventually, the radio telescopes came into view. We skirted the site perimeter and I got a good idea of the size and layout of the complex. It was huge, the size of a small airport.
Goonhilly was instrumental in the first ever live transatlantic television broadcast through a famous satellite called Telstar. That was back in 1962. Today it is owned on a thousand-year lease by the Goonhilly Earth Station company.
If I was the successful candidate, I'd be working in the new government UKSA base at the site. It has a lease through to 2045.
The car stopped at the security barriers and I showed my appointment letter. The guard tapped a code into his terminal and the car was released, passing through the gate and arriving at a clutch of single-storey buildings. I told the car to park itself and wait for me. I looked around at the open moorland and the incongruous satellite dishes. What a wonderful place to work. I entered the main glass-fronted building.
Reception was clean, shiny, and spacious, with a long curved desk. A smartly dressed, short, stocky young woman was standing on my side of the reception desk and walked towards me as I entered.
She smiled genuinely and offered her hand, 'Welcome to Goonhilly, Doctor Slater. I'm Janet de Vries. Can I take your coat?'
I supposed, as a returning astronaut, I should get used to being recognised. 'Nice to meet you, Janet,' I said as I handed over the garment. Another woman behind the desk took it from her.
'This way, please,' she said, and we headed towards a secure door to the right of the building. She punched in a code and we emerged into a long corridor. The first door on the right was open and I was ushered in.
Facing me were three people behind a long conference table butted on to a desk, so forming a letter T. They stood as I entered, introduced themselves, and invited me to sit opposite them. Janet de Vries closed the door as she exited.
One was a senior civil servant, another was Mrs Bray, the science minister whom I recognised from news pictures, and the third was the director of Jodrell Bank, Sir Henry Edwards, with whom I had spoken occasionally during my month-long project at Jodrell Bank as part of my degree course. A prestigious interview panel indeed.
The interview went well. I wondered how many others were on the shortlist. I'd been told I was the preferred candidate so just needed to avoid any pitfalls.
Although the dishes and the commercial operation were still to be operated by GES Ltd, the post I was being considered for was Chief Executive for the United Kingdom and European Space Agencies' Anomalies Commission. GES Ltd's director, a man called Michael Brown, would be autonomous, but my role would take ultimate responsibility for day to day operations. It had to be organised in this way to explain why my role would be in regular communication with the Cabinet and, potentially, with heads of state of the USA, European countries, Russia, Canada, and Japan. Such contact would be incongruous for a lesser post than the chief executive.
The way the interview progressed, it was a questioning of my commitment to the secrecy of what was now known simply as "The Cluster Project". I had no problem convincing them, even though I felt guilty for still having the incriminating microSDXS card concealed in the leather skin of my personal diary. Perhaps I should destroy it. They certainly made a lot of fuss about maintaining confidentiality. A surprising amount, actually. It was almost as if they knew I had in mind to blow security if the project was permanently hushed-up, but only Yuri had heard me say that. Perhaps I was just paranoid. My confidence was rattled.
After about an hour, Ms de Vries was called back into the room and she took me to the reception area where I was asked to wait.
The wait was only fifteen minutes before I was taken back into the conference room and told the job was mine. I was offered a surprisingly large salary and various other benefits. I would also have an exclusive autonomous Jaguar for my personal use. I was having a real struggle controlling my smile.
Then Sir Henry said, ‘Now we’ve got the appointment finalised, please tell us about the discovery. We’re all bursting to know all about it.’
I was surprised. These prestigious individuals wanted me to tell them about the artefact. I suppose it was at that point that I realised that I would forever be a celebrity to those who knew about the secret.
I delighted in recounting the story and they kept me there for a further forty-five minutes with their questions and speculation. I wished I could also be telling Mario. Nevertheless, I left Goonhilly brimming with confidence.
The start date was the eighth of January 2036, just three weeks hence but I was to be given encrypted access to Goonhilly's UKSA computer network to get up to speed on its operations. My deputy would be Tim Riley who had previously been Mr Brown's second-in-command and he would help me understand the complex over the coming months.
The discovery of the alien craft had begun to change my life. My new post offered me the chance to make a real difference to the investigation of AD1. I was determined to make the most of the opportunity.