Murder at Mission Control

Dale Banks, Director of the Manned Mars Exploration Mission for NASA is using this evening's dinner banquet to make a big announcement: the Captain of the first manned mission to Mars. There are two candidates, Michael Kirk and Elizabeth Lester. The competition for the job has been fierce with these two taking the last two spots on the short list in just the past couple of weeks. Dale, who is Elizabeth's ex-husband and one of Michael's former rivals, has had to make the most difficult decision of his life. He has made his decision and will announce it this evening.

Dale announces that Elizabeth will be named Captain of the first manned space mission to Mars making her the first female captain of a manned space exploration mission to another planet. This angers Michael who threatens to get Dale's superior to overturn the decision.

Also in attendance tonight is Dr. Terry Valentine, Dale's former lover whom he beat out for his current position. Terry now works for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and wrangled an invitation through her old NASA connections to tonight's event. She is actively working very hard to recruit disaffected NASA employees to come work for the private organization that is working on its own manned Mars mission.

Tensions run high all night long. All characters argue over old and new relationships and jockey for position. Eventually, things get so bad that Michael threatens Dale with bodily harm and Dale takes him up on the challenge. They scuffle and Terry and Elizabeth intervene. Someone doesn't make it out alive, and it's the audience's responsibility to figure out whodunit?