Titan

2 January 2096: Morning

To Urbain, Eberly’s office looked ascetic, almost sterile. The walls were bare, not a picture or decoration anywhere—although, of course, they were smart walls, Urbain thought, and could be programmed to show anything. But Eberly had them totally blank. His desk was bare also, except for the phone console and a stylus resting with geometrical precision beside the desktop touchpad. The man must be pathological, Urbain told himself.

Eberly himself was neatly dressed in charcoal gray slacks and a lighter gray tunic that disguised his bulging belly. He stood behind his utterly cleared desk, smiling handsomely as he gestured Urbain to one of the chrome and leather visitor’s chairs. Supplicant’s chairs, Urbain said to himself.

“I’m terribly sorry that we couldn’t meet yesterday, as you asked,” Eberly said, as Urbain sat in the slightly yielding leather seat.

“It was the holiday,” said Urbain, as he sat down. “I understand.”

With a shake of his head, Eberly replied, “It wasn’t merely the holiday. Believe it or not, my calendar was just impossible. In fact, I had to move several appointments around to make room for you this morning.”

His voice was soft, ostensibly friendly. His smile looked unforced, although Urbain was certain that the man had practiced it for many years. His eyes, though, were hard as a glacier’s ice.

“I appreciate your taking the time to see me,” Urbain replied stiffly, as they both sat down, the desk between them.

“So,” Eberly said, steepling his fingers and tapping the fingertips ever so gently, “what can I do for you?”

“For the scientific research team, not for myself alone,” Urbain said.

“Of course.”

Feeling edgy, uncertain, Urbain said, “You know that we have lost contact with Titan Alpha.”

“I heard that the rover has gone off on its own, yes.”

“We will shortly be placing a dozen observation satellites in orbit around Titan.”

“To find your wandering probe. I understand.”

Urbain could see the light of suppressed laughter in Eberly’s eyes. It amuses him that I must come crawling. He bristled at the man’s insolent attitude. “This is a very serious matter.”

“I understand that.”

“It is necessary that we build more spacecraft platforms and instrument them.”

“To restock your stores,” Eberly said.

“To do so, we will require materials, equipment and trained personnel.”

“And to obtain them you need the approval of my department heads in logistics, supplies and human resources.”

“Yes.”

Eberly’s cold blue eyes shifted away from Urbain for a moment. “I haven’t received any such requests from those department heads.”

“I have not spoken to them,” Urbain said. “I came directly to you. Time is of the essence, and I—”

With a slight sigh, Eberly said, “The correct protocol is to make your requests to the proper department heads.” Before Urbain could sputter a protest, he raised a hand and went on, “However, in your case I’m more than willing to cut through as much of the red tape as I can.”

“You will help us?”

“I’ll do everything I can,” Eberly said, with apparent sincerity.

“I … I am grateful. Very grateful.”

“You must realize, though, that it will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to abruptly shift personnel and material priorities to accommodate your request.”

“But it must be done!” Urbain insisted. “You don’t understand how important this is. What does it matter if a few dozen technicians are moved from their ordinary jobs? This is for science! For knowledge!”

“Dr. Urbain, you may not believe that I fully support your scientific work. But I do. I truly do. Please believe me.”

Urbain bobbed his head up and down. “I would hope so. I would appreciate your complete support.”

“As I said, I’ll do what I can.”

Urbain tried to hold on to his swooping temper. I am in need, and he plays cat-and-mouse with me. Aloud, he said to Eberly, “We must have those replacement spacecraft. It is vital.”

Eberly’s placid smile waned. “When we ran against each other for this post of chief administrator,” he said, his tone hardening slightly, “I campaigned on the position that this habitat should not be governed by a scientist.”

“Yes, I well recall.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean that I’m against science. I’m all in favor of your work.”

“Perhaps so.” Grudgingly.

“As I said, I’ll do what I can for you,” Eberly went on smoothly, “but you can’t expect me to turn this habitat upside down for you. I’m responsible for the well-being of all ten thousand of our inhabitants, not merely the scientists.”

In a cold fury Urbain replied, “Science is not merely one of the pursuits of this habitat. I remind you, sir, that the reason this habitat exists, the reason we have come to Saturn, is for scientific research and study.”

They both knew that was not exactly true. The reason that habitat Goddard existed was to serve as a place of exile for thousands of dissidents and malcontents. The scientific exploration of ringed Saturn and its moons was an excuse, a rationale, and little more. Urbain hoped to turn that rationale into a triumph of discovery, to make the habitat truly a center of scientific triumph.

“Yes, of course,” Eberly agreed easily. “But let me remind you that more than ninety-five percent of our inhabitants are not scientists, and I must think of them, too.”

Too enraged to say what he truly felt, Urbain muttered, “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Good. I’m glad we had this chance to talk.” Eberly got to his feet.

Urbain realized he was being dismissed. He rose slowly from his chair. “Then you will give the necessary orders to the department heads?”

Eberly pursed his lips, as if thinking it over. “I’ll set up a meeting for you. It would be best if you sat down with the department heads and talked this through with them face-to-face.”

Understanding that this was the best Eberly was willing to do for him, Urbain said, “Very well, if you think so. But it must be done quickly.”

“I’ll get them together this afternoon. Tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Today,” Urbain urged. “It must be done today.”

“If it’s humanly possible.”

Standing uncertainly before Eberly’s desk, Urbain could think of nothing more to say. He turned and headed for the door.

As Eberly watched the scientist, he thought, He wants a favor. All right, but he’ll have to give me a favor in return. How can I use this situation to my benefit?

The answer came to him before Urbain reached the door.

“By the way, Dr. Urbain,” he called, “are you planning to run against me in the elections coming up?”

Urbain stopped and turned back toward him, brows knitted. “Run in another election? No. Impossible. I have far too much work to do.”

Eberly nodded. Then I’ll have to figure out some other way for you to pay me back for helping you, he said to himself.

They look like two little porcelain dolls, Holly thought, as she sat behind her desk. Sitting before her, Hideki and Tamiko Mishima looked tiny, almost delicate, dressed in identical tunics of dark blue with lighter slacks. They also looked—not worried, but terribly concerned. And determined.

“Mr. Eberly promised us, when he held the post you now have,” said Mrs. Mishima in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

“Chief of human resources,” her husband added.

“I remember your conversation with him,” said Holly. “At least the last part of it.”

“Yes, you were there,” Tamiko said.

“Nearly two years ago, right here in this office.” Mishima nodded for emphasis.

The office had been Eberly’s when habitat Goddard began its long flight to Saturn. Once Holly had become chief of human resources she had brightened the ascetically bare walls with holoviews of flowers and reproductions of famous paintings. The smart wall behind her displayed a real-time view of Saturn, its glittering rings framing her head neatly.

“We have waited long enough,” Mishima said. “We want to bring our baby into the world.”

“We want our child,” said Tamiko.

She was a technician in the electrical maintenance section, Holly knew from a quick scan of their dossiers; he was a chef for the cafeteria. Both from California, they had voluntarily joined the Saturn mission to get married because neither of their families approved of their union. The ultimate elopement, Holly thought, jumping all the way out to Saturn to get out from under their families. Now they’re bumping up against the protocols of the habitat and trying to fight their way through our rules.

Holly tried to make a pleasant, placating smile for them as she mentally reviewed their case. Tamiko Mishima had become pregnant almost as soon as Goddard had left the Earth/Moon system, despite the agreement about zero population growth that all the habitat’s personnel had signed. The habitat’s protocols called for terminating the pregnancy, but Eberly had allowed them to cryonically freeze the fetus in the expectation of thawing it one day and bringing the baby to term.

One day is now, Holly realized. Malcolm’s little bird has come to roost—on my shoulders.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mishima,” she heard herself saying gently, “you understand that we’re still under the ZPG protocol.”

“But Mr. Eberly said that once we had established the new government such restrictions would be removed,” said Mishima.

“Reviewed,” Holly corrected. “Not necessarily removed.”

Mishima’s face settled into a scowl. “That was not our understanding.”

“The habitat is so large,” said his wife. “Much of it is empty. There are entire villages that are unoccupied by anyone at all. Surely there is room for a few children now that we are firmly established in our final orbit.”

“There should be,” Holly agreed. “But we have to proceed carefully.”

“I want my baby,” Tamiko said firmly.

“You can’t keep the fetus frozen indefinitely,” Mishima said. “Cryonic preservation isn’t perpetual. There are long-term risks.”

“I know,” said Holly. “I’m a reborn myself.”

Their eyes widened and they both sucked in air.

“I understand how you feel,” Holly went on. “I truly do. I’ll do my best to help you.”

Once they left her office, practically bowing as they backed to the door, Holly understood that it really was time to take up this entire ZPG protocol. With something of a shock she realized that some day she’d want to have a baby herself.