Titan

13 April 2096: Urbain’s office

As he walked reluctantly along the hallway that led to Urbain’s office, Habib wondered how he could possibly convince the chief scientist to allow him to work with Timoshenko.

He won’t do it, Habib told himself. He will refuse. The only thing he cares about is his Titan Alpha. He’ll say Timoshenko is an alarmist, an engineer who doesn’t understand how important it is to bring Alpha back to life.

Habib dreaded asking Urbain’s permission. He knew he could not stand up to his chief’s wrath. Why has Timoshenko put me in this position? he asked himself. He should go to Urbain himself. Why is he making me do it? Why did I agree to do it?

Urbain’s office door was less than twenty meters away and Habib slowed his pace, approaching it. Then he saw Negroponte leaving Urbain’s office and stepping out into the hallway. She looked shaken, white-faced.

“What’s wrong, Yollie?” he asked.

Looking as if she were about to cry, the biologist replied, “I asked permission to work with Wunderly on her samples from the ring. He went hyperbolic. I thought he’d have a stroke.”

“He denied you permission?”

“He screamed at me. He threatened to send me back to Earth with a reprimand and a negative recommendation.”

Habib had never seen Negroponte appear cowed or frightened. It surprised him. Something stirred inside him. He felt his cheeks flush.

“He can’t do that.”

“Can’t he?” she said, tears brimming in her eyes.

Anger! Habib realized it was the heat of anger rising inside him. Urbain has hurt her, humiliated her, made her cry. For one of the rare times in his life, Habib acted impulsively. He seized Negroponte’s wrist with one hand and slid open the door to Urbain’s office with the other. Practically dragging the biologist after him, he stormed into Urbain’s office.

“What is this?” Urbain demanded, looking up.

“You have no right to threaten members of your staff,” Habib said, wagging an accusing finger at his chief. Marching up to Urbain’s desk, he released Negroponte’s wrist. “You must apologize to Dr. Negroponte.”

“Apologize? I—”

“Dr. Negroponte is a capable biologist, so capable that Dr. Wunderly is seeking her help in analyzing her samples from the rings. And you threaten her? You scream at her?”

Visibly trembling, Urbain got to his feet. “I am the director of this scientific staff and I will not tolerate such insolence!”

Habib did not back off one millimeter. “You will apologize to Dr. Negroponte. Now!”

“What’s going on here?” Urbain shouted. “Have you both gone insane? Has everyone gone mad?”

“Dr. Negroponte is needed to analyze the ring samples. It is wrong for you to deny her permission to do so.”

“Titan Alpha is the first priority here.”

“Titan Alpha is dead or asleep. You don’t need your best biologist to stare at blank data screens.”

“You …” Urbain seemed to totter momentarily. He sank back into his chair.

Suddenly Habib realized the enormity of what he was doing. Yet the anger was still simmering inside him.

“Let her work with Wunderly,” he said, more reasonably. “If they find living organisms in the ring particles it will be to your credit. It will take some of the sting out of Alpha’s failure.”

“Failure?” Urbain’s eyes flashed. “Alpha is not a failure! I am not a failure!”

“No one has said that you are. But it’s nonproductive to keep your biologists twiddling their thumbs until you make contact with the machine again.”

“I will decide what is productive and what is not,” Urbain said sharply.

Habib took a breath. The blazing anger he had felt when he’d seen Negroponte close to tears had abated. But now that he had taken a stand he could not back down.

“Dr. Urbain,” he said slowly, “if you do not allow Dr. Negroponte to work temporarily with Dr. Wunderly, I will get the entire scientific staff to stop work.”

He heard Yolanda’s sudden gasp of surprise, but he didn’t take his eyes off Urbain.

The chief scientist sputtered, “A work stoppage? A strike? You can’t … it would be illegal … unjustified …”

“Most of your staff is doing nothing of importance now, anyway. They’ll refuse to work for you if you continue acting like a dictator instead of a colleague.”

“Dictator? Me?”

“Allow her to work with Wunderly,” Habib said, almost placatingly. “It will be to your credit, I assure you.”

Urbain opened his mouth, closed it again. His eyes moved from Habib to Negroponte.

“I really have nothing to do,” she said softly, almost whispering, “as long as Alpha is silent.”

“Go,” Urbain snapped. “Go work with Wunderly.”

“Thank you, sir!” she said.

“Keep me informed of your progress. I want daily reports.”

“Yes, of course.”

She reached out and took Habib’s hand. Together they walked back to the still-open door, leaving Urbain sitting at his desk looking shocked, bewildered.

Habib stopped at the door and turned back toward Urbain. “Oh, I should tell you, the chief of maintenance needs me to help him on the problem of the electrical outages we’ve been suffering.”

Urbain said nothing. He simply stared as the two of them left his office hand in hand.

Sinking his head to the desktop, Urbain wanted to weep. It’s all falling apart, he thought miserably. They are leaving me, leaving Alpha to remain mute and inert on Titan. I’ve lost control of my creation and now I’m starting to lose control of my staff.

What can I do? What can I do?