59 Takeoff 3..2..1

[Date: June 2023]

The Earth, a shining blue pearl in a sea of darkness, a breath taking image I don't think I will ever be tired of seeing.

The oceans blue feeding this otherwise unassuming rock with life giving water, the continents with their vast grassy planes transforming into protruding mountains where frozen snow colored the tops white, the green forests dotting the lands evoking a fresh feel, the rivers that snaked through in every direction and even the light up grey concrete spots where mankind gathered all moved, shifted and connected gently forming a cacophony of lights and colors to my eye as if part of a greater magical whole.

There was a sense of admiration and amazement of this living, breathing planet of ours coupled with a sense of sadness and dread when thinking that the whole human race and sapient life in our known universe was here and only here.

And it was all MINE!

All mine for the taking!

All mine to shape, mold and change in my image.

I was burdened with glorious purpose to lead mankind, conquer the star themselves and usher in a new golden age!

But first I needed to make sure V-Light was a success which is why I was floating more than six hundred kilometers over the earth in low orbit.

"Homelander you've reached correct orbit parameters. Capsule is ready to deploy cargo." Spoke the radio in my helmet.

I quickly double-checked the display in my helmet to make sure it was all right.

"Roger that, maintaining orbit." I answered back.

"Undergoing pre-deployment checks." Ground control answered. "And…all clear. Cargo ready to deploy in 3, 2, 1."

I watched in silence as the satellites deployed one by one, unfurling their panels and jettisoning into correct orbital positions.

Sixty Byron-3, often referred to as B-3, satellites were being deployed in this first launch.

The B-3 satellite model was not the most up to date technology available being already half a decade old however most of the operational kinks had been worked out and it had become the workhorse telecommunication satellite of Byron SatCom.

Additionally the materials, parts and chips to manufacture the satellites were more readily available on the market than newer more competitive models.

In summary it was a tried and true tested technology that we were able to manufacture easily enough. If all goes well then in a month we will be able to double production capacity and then double it again in the next month.

By the end of the year we'll have an array of over thirteen hundred satellites and triple that by the end of the second year.

If things go really well then in a year we'll be able to launch the first proprietary V-Light Satellite which is really just going to be an upgraded version of the Bryron-6 satellite.

Once the engineering teams realized they don't need to worry about weight anymore they kind of went…well crazy.

The requirements were still being finalized so I wasn't putting too much hope in it. I knew the more capabilities were integrated the more complex the design had to be and the more time it took to troubleshoot everything.

So for now the B-3 will have to do.

"Deployment complete. Homelander confirm visual?"

I know the cameras transmitting to ground control already confirmed visual but since this is the first mission I use my super vision the check the capsule and scan the satellites as they all were moving into orbital positions.

"Confirmed. I can't see anything wrong with the cargo."

"Glad to hear that. All our instruments confirm cargo is in working condition. You are clear for descent."

"Roger that. Beginning descent." I confirm and begin my practiced descent at a leisurely five hundred clicks an hour.

I was rushing V-Light internet to market not only to beat the competition but also because I needed to look successful.

When you are operating at my level appearances were everything and I needed to be seen as more than just the celebrity Boy Scout hero, the Strongest Man in the world, the Number 1 hero, the Savior of New York.

I wanted to build a different kind of trust with America.

I wanted them to see me as someone that can lead, that can enact change that can get things done.

I wanted to create a different kind of mythos around me one of intelligence, capability and business sense.

I would soon come to lean on that trust and reputation probably more than anything else.

I was going to ask a lot of America in the next two decades, specifically a lot of money and power.

You don't start a whole new space race with just the wallet and influence of one company.

No, no, no. You need massive government support, the backing of a whole nation. Billions and billions will be needed for R&D alone to have better well…everything for colonizing space.

Of course the fact that all of this new spending will make me one of the richest man in the solar systems is only an added benefit.

All of that was in the long term in the short term it also looked incredibly good for the 'Street'.

Even though we were on the road to recovery after the stock took a nosedive from the initial announcement last year spending forecasted spending was increasing and we would have a pretty turbulent second half of the year.

New training and re-training for the heroes, wage increases all across the board, better benefits and health insurance, more training for managers and front line staff, the ever expanding R&D did not come cheap.

Hell our new maternity policy was going to cost tens of millions.

Vought was now the leader in maternity benefits in the country.

Amazing for employees, fantastic for my and Vought's reputation but terrible for keeping costs down.

Keeping the stock price up was integral not only to ensure I kept my position as Chairman of the Board but also because a large part of my wealth was a tied to Vought stock and most of my 'space' investments won't really pay off for another five years assuming everything goes well.

Which it never does.

But nevertheless I was willing to risk all the extra spending at the worst case scenario I would have bought the hearts, minds and loyalties of at least two hundred thousand Americans.

Besides I always figured that LexCorp must have had kickass benefits too…otherwise why would people continue to work there?