Easing forward and matching the rotation of the ring, Adam made contact, confirmed the lock and let the array slide free of its bounds. “I’ve got a good extraction,” he announced.
“Very good. I’ll need you to drop it on the planet-facing side of Ring Two, within range of the primary arm.”
“Copy that.” Adam pushed the ship upward and disconnected the array, backing off carefully so as not to introduce additional spin, and watched from a distance as the arm took hold of the device before depositing it in place on the side of the hydrogen draw.
“Like a true professional,” Draco said as the arm cycled about.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to butter me up,” Adam replied. He watched as the array unfolded like a tightly-packed sheet of paper, easily growing to thirty feet per side. “And that will have the power to reach the Hydra?”
“Yes, through every step of its journey. However, it’s more important function is to receive the information they transmit back to us. As they’re flying into the unknown, I may need to give them updated instructions along the way, as well as re-transmit their broadcasts to Earth.”
Adam nodded to himself as he watched the dark shadow of the array pass between his screen on the lander and the glowing mass of Saturn in the distance. Draco Station was slowly developing into a veritable city of its own right.
***
Back inside, Adam held a final conference with the team on the Hydra before they filed off to be suspended for the next leg of their journey. As before, he felt a bittersweet remorse for their departure but was relieved for their successful burn and escape from the planet’s crushing gravity well. Cooper signed off with a casual salute, which Adam returned before the screen went black.
“We’ve got a good lock on the Hydra,” Draco announced. “I’ll monitor as allowed by the movement of the station and alert you before performing any changes to their flight path.”
“Thank you,” Adam said, running over the long list of parameters built into the massive transceiver. The numbers lined up and the beginning of a cohesive plan began to formulate itself in his mind. “Now, I’ve got some ideas. I’ll need the lander.”
***
Adam had given Dr. Moroder a day’s heads-up that he was on approach so as to minimize the effect on her data collection. She met him at Gemini’s main airlock as she had before, this time with a smile and a hug.
“You look older than I remember,” she said, studying his face. “It doesn’t show over the video feed.”
“That’s funny; I was about to say you look like you’ve lost a few years along the way.”
Erin laughed. “Just the stress or lack thereof.” She led him from the hatch to the control room. “So what is the meaning for your visit today? You kept it awfully cryptic on the call.”
“I had an epiphany, an idea for an experiment.”
“Aww, I thought you were about to admit that you just couldn’t keep away from me; that you were lost without my wisdom and charming personality.”
Adam shook his head with a laugh. “Some days, maybe, but not for this. I’ve got an idea, but I need your help.”
“Sad, but this I’ve got to hear,” Erin said. “Tell me.”
“Well, my first idea for a real experiment when I woke up on the station was to send a dropsonde into Saturn itself to take measurements all the way down to the core. I’d have to burn a probe to do it, but in doing so, we’d get a high-fidelity measurement of the entire structure of the planet.”
“Okay, I’m tracking on you so far,” Erin said with a nod. “But the AI nixed that idea, right?”
“Yes, and it was just as well,” Adam admitted. “I would have needed to vacuum up a ton of data in order to make the loss of a probe worth it, and my programming knowledge wasn’t even close at the time to get me there. This week we received a new package from Earth; they sent us a long-range phased array so that we can track and communicate with the Hydra on their way to explore Uranus, so to speak.”
“I’d say they did a good job of rubbing off on you after all.”
“Dammit, I know. Shameful.” Adam rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I still want to get a look inside the planet. Do you think we could set the two stations up like a bi-static radar?”
Erin’s face was blank.
“I mean, I’ve got a massive transmitter, and Gemini is loaded with the biggest radio telescope we’ve ever constructed. If you aim it at Saturn at the apex of my orbit, I should be able to put a signal straight through the atmosphere and clear whatever solid core might be in the way, and have enough random refractions throughout the trip to have a cohesive image on the other side.” Adam finally stopped and studied Erin’s expression. “So, what do you think?”
Erin shook her head. “I think you might finally have lost your mind in its entirety,” she admitted. “But as long as the commitment would be limited to our open window, once every few weeks when you’ve got a clear line of sight in the right geometry, then I don’t have any major objections.”
Adam smiled. “That’s a surprise.”
“…although you’re asking to dump a major load of work on me to reprogram the array, turn the station, and run a data collection scheme for another of your private experiments.”
“Don’t even try.” Adam raised a cynical eyebrow. “We both know damn well your AI will do ninety-five percent of the work. All you’ll need to do is look at the pictures at the end.”
“How dare you call into question the integrity of my operations?” Erin said with faux outrage building in her voice. “I’ve never been so insulted!”
Adam tried to keep a straight face despite the banter. “That’s a new one; we have a conversation and you are the one who ends up getting insulted. Did we just get stuck in another warp and wake up at Neptune? Did you get the vapors? Do you need to go fan yourself on the veranda to calm down?”
“See, that’s better,” Erin said with a chuckle. “You’re finally fighting back. Now tell me more about why you need to tap my wealth of personal experience and how you can’t go on without me. Who knows, maybe I’ll take mercy on you and give you some help along the way.”
“Sure,” Adam replied as he got up from the workstation seat and went to the wide display on the far wall. He began to draw out the primary laydown of his experiment along with the preliminary equations and assumptions he’d need to get any sort of return. As he went along, Adam could sense Erin’s gaze through the back of his head. She was leaning forward on her seat, evidently engaged in the topic, her analytical brain fully hooked on the idea.
“You see, we have a working model for the general layers of particle density going through the planet, but by taking snapshots at varying frequencies going down through the layers, we should be able to create a composite of the entire span from the surface to the core, much like we would create a mosaic of the lunar landscape.” He looked back, taking in Erin’s expression. “So what do you think? I have to admit, I’m enjoying your company as a partner in crime.”
“I’m impressed,” Erin slyly replied. “Keep it up and you’ll have me for much more than that.” She watched as Adam froze, his face turning red, before she burst out laughing.
Sub-Surface Exam
Gemini Station was not equipped for the generalized mission of Draco, and as such did not have the luxury of an expansive prototyping and servicing facility. Everything the pair attempted was rendered in software in the command center and assisted by the Gemini AI as they took on faith that the operation would function as they had planned. Adam took a final look between his logic sketched by hand on the board and the program he had built for the transmitter and receiver.
“As far as I can tell, this should be what we’re looking for. If not, it’s close.”
“Gemini, please check the captain’s math,” Erin said, correcting her guest.
“Captain Montgomery has provided a correct interpretation based on our current knowledge of the interior of Saturn’s structure. If t
his is a correct assumption, we will get a more accurate return; if not, we will simply get noise.”
Erin looked to her companion. “Sounds like he’s giving you the stick. Just say ‘go.’”
“It’s not that simple. I’ll need to get back to Draco, flash the system, and get it up and running before we can transmit.”
“Not quite, Captain,” Gemini broke in. “I can forward the parameters to your station from here during the next day’s transmission window. From there, we have three days until the first window opens and we have a chance to have a clear line of sight over the core.”
The comment caught Adam off guard and he returned to his notes. “I hadn’t thought of that. We’ll have four to five days of clearance during each of Draco’s orbits to get a different line of sight. If we can get a set of returns in one window, we could make changes before the next day and have them implemented instantly.”
“Handy,” Erin said. “I like how you keep saying ‘we.’ Yes, please give me more credit for all of this.”
“You know me; I’m always looking out for you,” Adam replied, not looking up from his notes. “I’d say for the first shift we line up as wide a range of parameters as we can sustain, that way we can gauge where we are with the estimate and fine-tune it before tomorrow.” He paused, turning to Erin. “Gemini, do you concur?”
“Yes, Captain, your suggestion is optimal. I will update your program to step through the full range of coefficients. We will have a short window to receive, due to the lag in waking Draco Station, sending the program and waiting for the transmitting array to deploy and begin operations.”
The pair continued their refinements, until the clock ticked down and Gemini opened the communication channel through Adam’s experimental satellite. The opening transmission took only minutes, and Adam felt their gravity shift as their station tilted hard to the side to capture any available data. Sitting on the edge of his seat, Adam nervously waited the opening response from his home station.
“We have a successful deployment. Awaiting response,” Gemini’s voice echoed through the space.
Adam continued to stare at the screen with Erin at his left, until the display flickered on and revealed a gray smear. He blinked and stared again. “Is that it?” he asked.
“Correct. Although you should remember this is at the edge of the range of coefficients you requested,” Gemini added. “As each return comes in, they should steadily gain in focus until they hit a maximum and retreat.”
“It’s not all bad,” Erin confirmed. “I can definitely see a radial distribution starting from the bottom right. I think you’re seeing the solid core giving way to the lowest layers of the atmosphere.”
Holding his breath, lest he miss the next return, Adam sat motionless before the screen. He’d heard Erin’s suggestion, and to be honest, he could just barely see the gradient she had suggested. Ten seconds passed and the image flickered away, replaced by a more pronounced shift from light to dark. “Looking promising,” he mumbled to himself. “I think you’re right; that’s got to be the shadow of the core.”
Erin tilted her head at the sight, lining up the pattern with her field of view. “No kidding; you’re already getting more than I was expecting to see,” she said as the screen refreshed once more. She gasped at the sight as Adam froze, dumbstruck. The lowest layer of Saturn’s atmosphere was dark, but still translucent, unlike the solid core which showed up as nearly black. Where the two areas met rested a meticulous pattern of jagged, raised, and disrupted edges. “Those are features on the core,” Erin whispered, “beneath the sea of metallic hydrogen. There shouldn’t be anything discernable down that far.”
The fact struck Adam just as deeply as he watched the next image come into view. It again refined the edge of the core’s surface and brought a hint of blotchiness to the lower layer of the atmosphere. “This is incredible. We could literally map the interior structure of the entire planet!”
“That would be huge. We could learn so much about how gas giants form, their early life, how they survive,” Erin said in a hushed tone. “I don’t think the command team ever thought to leverage the hardware like this. It’s all you.”
Adam hopped to his feet. “You think? No one has seen or thought of this before?” he panted, zooming in on the refined edge. “We’re directly observing the volume of a planet.” His voice quickened, raising in octave as his mind ran away with his normally restrained focus. “Gemini, is this the best return? I think we have a starting point for the rest of the survey.”
“Possibly. Standby while the rest of the atmosphere is mapped.”
“This is about the damnedest thing I’ve seen in a long time,” Erin admitted. “If you keep this up, we can connect the points on the surface and start to build a map of the core’s structure. There’s no telling what you’ll find.”
Another return built and flashed onto the screen, showing a greater degree of definition in the middle layers of the gaseous atmosphere. Adam saw the tendrils of wispy clouds flow through the mixture of hydrogen ions and heavier elements. He blinked, pulling himself out of the world on the screen, and realized his heart was pounding.
Each successive image brought with it a higher-resolution glimpse into a different layer of the cloud bank, not always in the same order, but always bringing a new perspective on what they had seen. “Each frequency is picking up a separate density,” Adam whispered, as if his mere voice would cause the data to vanish.
“Gemini, can you stack the full return together, only keeping the in-focus areas?” Erin asked the AI.
“Certainly. Standby for the transmission to complete,” Gemini said. “Processing will complete in thirty seconds.”
The returns became more vaporous the higher they went in the atmosphere, with the uppermost layer being only a minimal haze over the black space above. The display went blank for several moments before the fully-assembled composite populated the screen.
“That’s incredible,” Adam said again, tracing his eyes from the black and jagged surface all the way to the inner extent of space, taking in the spots of higher density, the barely-discernable swirls of the atmospheric churning, and the sharp intermixed pinpricks of darkness indicating free-floating debris.
“If we take measurements over a few days, we’ll catch different areas of the surface,” Erin suggested. “By interpolating between the points on the surface, we could have the beginnings of a map.” She waited on Adam to respond, but he remained partially catatonic. “You are going to need to tell Mission Control, you know that, right?” she added.
“I know,” he said. “Don’t remind me. This will be just the thing to set them off.”
“You don’t know that. They might be impressed,” Erin said with a wide grin. “But more importantly, I need my station back, time to take real data and all of that.”
“Oh, of course.” Adam snapped out of his data-induced trance. “Back to you, doctor.”
“Hey now, I’m not kicking you out. Start working with Gemini to decide how you want to run tomorrow’s data collection. I know you can come up with some better ideas.”
“That’s true,” Adam said. “We didn’t even touch on anything related to shaping the waveforms.”
***
“Sergey, you’re going to want to see this and get the word out,” Adam said into the camera on his workstation. He was in his familiar seat in Draco Station’s command center, looking over the first block of data he hoped would change the world. It was a delusion, he knew, to think such things, but it was of non-zero worth in the field of astronomy. “I put together a test experiment using the hardware for communicating with the Hydra along with the receivers on the Gemini. We were able to take direct measurements of the atmospheric structure within Saturn itself, all the way down to the core. I’m forwarding you the first set of composite returns.”
“We’ve got conclusive evidence of the movement within the layers of gas, but more than that, we’ve started to build a profile fo
r the surface. Not just the external surface, that is, but the core of hardened metal. If the data is to be believed, the core has a far greater amount of variability than we ever would have suspected.” Adam paused. “Gravity should have crushed it to an oblate spheroid, right? And ground every impact to dust? That’s not what we’re seeing. Over seven passes, we have the start of a map—the start of a couple ridge lines, craters, planes. They’re there and completely hidden from us.”
He stopped again to consider his request. “I’d like for the collection to proceed and continue building a cohesive map of the core, as well as the layers up through the atmosphere. Dr. Moroder has already agreed to assist, as long as it doesn’t impact her primary mission, which I have already deconflicted. The Hydra crew is safely asleep and on a non-divergent flight path, so the impact on Draco Station should likewise be minimal. So, what say you? Shall we proceed?”
Adam cut the feed and switched channels. “Well, doc, I sent it to them. Let’s see what they have to say.”
“Good for you.” Erin beamed. “I’m impressed; you’re genuinely a different person than the one who showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep last year.”
“I don’t know. Those were some small shoes I needed to fill.”
“Whatever you call it, you’ve excelled. Trust me, this will be a turning point for Draco Station.”
“It’s incredible,” Adam admitted, letting his mind wander. “Not only the collection, but the act of going through with it.”
“Do tell.”
Adam’s face twisted. “It’s…” He thought. “It’s just fulfilling beyond anything I had expected. After feeling empty in my last life, wanting to get away from everything I knew, then the endless training on this side, moving out on my own has given me what had been missing. I felt shreds of it throughout my time here, coming and going with each probe that I sent out, whether it came back or not. Somehow, just executing what I had imagined gave me everything I wanted.”
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