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13

Judith was spending a year at Protonix to gain commercial experience before going back to university to continue her postdoctoral work. She confounded all the jokes and stereotypes by being blond, pretty, busty, and leggy, and modeled for girly magazines when she wasn't computing reactor thermal dynamics or charge distributions in ionized gas flows. Her fiancé was from a family that owned a chain of Texas automobile dealerships, but he had passed on his share of the fortune to study and compose music. Keene had never found life to be short on incongruities.

"We need to modify some orbital mechanics programs that Jerry's people downloaded," she told Keene when he stuck his head in her office to ask about progress on his return to Corpus Christi. "I talked to Neuzender at Princeton and he said he'll help out, but can't until something he's working on is done. He asked me to say hi, by the way."

"Okay."

"I'd say, maybe a week or two."

"Um." Keene pulled a face. "I was hoping we'd have it before the Kronians get down to serious business. Is that the best we can do?"

"I'll keep pushing. Maybe we can shave it down a bit."

"Whatever you can do. How was the computer thing in Dallas on Saturday?"

"Not bad. I found the perfect replacement for this machine. It's just what we need: image-tank driver, voice directable, and with math-pro conditioning."

"Sounds great, but I'm up to my ears saving the world right now."

"Vicki has the brochures, specs, and prices."

"Okay, I'll take a look. How's everything else?"

"Celia's moving along with the Karisaki thing. We should get the draft done by tomorrow."

"Great stuff. Catch you later."

Back in his own office, he reviewed his messages. A note from Karen confirmed a meeting the next morning with Curtiss and other senior Amspace management to update them after his talk with Salio. Wally had called to say that Harry Halloran's proposal was now officially accepted, and the tentative date set for the hybrid shuttle trial out of San Saucillo, followed by a landing at Montemorelos, was in two weeks. Pretty quick. Keene nodded in silent approval. Then a header lower down caught his eye, saying that a recording from Gallian had been filed around midday. Keene activated it, and a moment later the familiar white-haired features were addressing him from the screen.

"Hello, Landen Keene. You're probably busy, so I'll just leave this for when you get back and not chase you around on your personal number. We're leaving Washington for the tour, finally, and looking forward to it—surely the whole planet can't be as hectic as this city. But I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten my promise on Monday to arrange for you to see the Osiris. In fact, I have talked to Captain Idorf and asked him to get in touch with you. It is his ship, after all, and he should be the one issuing invitations." Gallian looked away for a moment. "Well, they're hounding me again. Got to go. Be our guest, as we are yours. Sariena sends regards. More when we've a moment. Bye."

And, indeed, the message from Idorf up in the Osiris, inviting Keene to visit the ship, was four items farther down. Idorf regretted that he would have to leave it to Keene to get himself up there, however. Any others that Keene might wish to bring too would also be welcome, since right now there was plenty of space aboard. Keene killed the screen, leaned back, and thought it over. No doubt there would be official vessels shuttling up and down between the ship and the surface for one reason or another that he could probably get a place on, but if his experience was anything to go by it would be a tedious and officious business. The Amspace trial that Wally had said was scheduled to take place in two weeks offered an obvious alternative possibility. Keene warmed to the idea as he mulled over it. If they could kill two birds with one stone, then why not three? He wasn't listed to go on the trial as things stood, since it involved simply a conventional type of engine that didn't involved him, but that could be changed. They were using a minishuttle; there would be plenty of spare room. . . .

He sat forward to the screen again and called Wally Lomack at Kingsville.

"Lan, say, what's up? How'd it all go in Washington?"

"Pretty good, Wally. There's been more since, too. I'll be over at Kingsville tomorrow after I talk to Marvin and his people in town in the morning, so I'll fill you in then. Right now, I wanted to talk about the hybrid and Montemorelos mission."

"It's going ahead—targeted for two weeks from now. I sent you a note."

"I know. I've seen it. I don't suppose you were planning on flying yourself, right?"

Lomack looked surprised. "Why, no. It's just a regular trial. Why would I want to go? I've done enough of all that in my time. That's what we have crew for."

"But you're CDE. You could change the flight roster if you had a good reason."

"Lan, quit playing games. What's this about?"

"How would you like to see the inside of the Kronians' ship?"

"The Osiris?"

"Right. I've got us an invitation. The fee is that you provide the transport up there."

It took Lomack several seconds to satisfy himself that Keene was serious. He shook his head in amazement. "Hell, you were only with them one evening. What did you do, offer them some free consulting?"

Keene grinned. "As if they needed any. . . . Oh, come on, you know me, Wally. Smooth operator when the occasion calls. So what do you think? Can do?"

Lomack thought, inclined his head, and pursed his lips. "It's a tempting thought, all right. . . ."

"We can offer other places too," Keene said. "Any number up to what a minishuttle can carry. That should help make it more popular."

"That's true enough." Lomack chewed his lip for a moment longer, and then nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. No promises, mind, but I'll put it to Harry. Good enough?"

"Good enough. Take care, Wally."

"You too."

Keene cleared down and sat staring at the blank screen, savoring for a few moments the rare feeling of everything in life going right for a change. Murphy's Law also operated on itself, which meant that it didn't always work . . . which meant that it did work. He'd never quite been able to figure out the logic. He got up and sauntered into Vicki's office, where she was busy over pages of program code that she had been working on with Judith. "How's life on the lower decks?" he inquired, scanning casually over the sheets.

"It's going to be tight, but with Neuzender's input from Princeton I think we'll make it."

"Good." Keene let it hang for a second. "Maybe we've a cause for celebration, then. Never say that the firm doesn't appreciate the galley slaves."

Vicki glanced up. "What does that mean, Lan? Another happy hour at the Bandana?"

"Well, it would give you a chance to tell me about Robin's mammoths, which you were going to send and never did," Keene said.

"That's right, I never got around to it. Well, we have had this little thing to work on while you've been seeing the sights around Washington, you know."

Keene grinned and studied her curiously for a few seconds. "Suppose I said I can fix that trip into space for you that you've been waiting for? Would that beat a beer at the Bandana?"

Vicki stopped and looked at him as if she couldn't have heard him right. Her eyes interrogated him silently. They had worked together long enough that Keene had the feeling she could bypass sensory intermediaries and verify directly what was going through his mind. "You're serious, aren't you," she pronounced finally.

Keene made a gesture that was at the same time both nonchalant and expansive. "Even better. How about seeing the Osiris as well?" This time Vicki did come close to looking as if she thought this might be a sick joke after all.

Keene nodded, his face splitting into a wide grin. "It's real. So do you feel like celebrating? . . . Oh, and one more thing to add to your list. I want us to order a mixed crate of the best Californian wines to take up as a present to Gallian for organizing it. Did you know he's partial to wines? They don't make any of the real stuff on Kronia yet."

 

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Framed


Title: Cradle of Saturn
Author: James P. Hogan
ISBN: 0-671-57813-8 0-671-57866-9
Copyright: © 1999 by James P. Hogan
Publisher: Baen Books