The StarSight Project

by S. P. Perone

  With that, she stopped, enjoying the look of sheer glee that slowly lit up Shane’s face. She sat back in the chair, her arms still folded across her chest, legs crossed, a sly smile on her face, her smoky green eyes reflecting a sultry self-satisfaction. She was daring him to make a move. And he did.

  Standing up from his chair, Tony quickly covered the two paces to where Sarah was sitting. He bent over, reached out, tilted her chin up, and kissed her gently on the lips. As he moved back, she unfolded her arms and grabbed his hands so that he could pull her up, and they moved together for a long, tender embrace, that each had longed for during the past difficult month. There was no more need for any words. They were on the same wavelength once again.

  With her usual good timing, Sandy chose that moment to knock on the door and announce that she had some coffee for them. Tony and Sarah leaned back from their embrace and simultaneously flashed big grins of acknowledgment. They split apart, with Sarah taking her seat again, and Tony opened the door to get their two cups of coffee, already flavored the way they liked it.

  Thanking Sandy (who, he could tell, was not one bit fooled by the innocent-appearing occupants of the office), Shane asked her to close the door again so they could finish their “conference”. Then, after they had gotten comfortable, each in their own chair, Shane moved on to the business part of their meeting. “Sarah, I’m glad we’ve got our personal matter behind us now, because what I have to tell you is going to require a very clear mind to make a decision.”

  With that, Tony launched into the same conversation he had had with Bill Campbell the night before, regarding the need for Bill and Sarah to join him on the classified project. He finished the discussion the same way, asking Sarah to think cautiously about whether or not she wanted to make this commitment, and consider carefully the potential impact on her career.

  When he had finished, Shane sat back in his chair, anxiously awaiting Sarah’s response. For several long moments she continued examining the tip of her loafer. Then, deliberately she raised her eyes to look at him, and uncrossed her legs. Putting her hands back on her knees, she leaned forward slowly, and said simply, “What do I have to do to sign up, Boss?”

  Tony, simply bursting with affection, and relief, at her response, said nothing at all for a moment. And, then, he reached over, put his hand on hers, and said, “Thanks, Sarah. You don’t know how happy you’ve made me today.”

  Standing up, he opened his office door, and walked around the corner to Sandy’s office. As she looked up, Tony instructed her to get the clearance forms, and to help Sarah get them filled out. He also told her that there might be someone else who would be needing her help with these today. And that they would need to be sent off immediately to Senator Moorhouse’s office. Sandy wouldn’t need any more instructions than that. She was already on top of it.

  Sarah, now standing behind him in Sandy’s doorway, began to discuss the details with Sandy, and Tony retreated to his office as he heard the scrambler phone begin to ring. Closing the door behind him, he reached for the phone, and answered the call from Sharon Carson back at Eastmont University.

  After exchanging greetings, Tony and Sharon got down to the business of discussing the acceleration of the StarSight project, and the reasons why. Over the secure line, Shane was able to repeat the story that the Senator had shared with him regarding the high probability of a major terrorist attack over the holidays, and the fact that the StarSight project had suddenly been promoted from possible long-term capability to absolutely necessarynow . For the first time, Sharon learned that the Senator had implied the project activity would be centralized in California, and that the project team might have to stay there for quite a while.

  “Tony, you’ve got to be kidding,” she exclaimed. “I don’t know about you, but I have a heavy teaching load this semester…and invited lecture commitments…and a personal life, too. Is he serious?”

  Shane thought for a moment, reflecting on how negatively he had reacted when the Senator had first suggested the accelerated effort on the StarSight project. Somehow, the Senator had gotten him turned around, almost believing it could be done, and also accepting the commitment to moving the project and all its principals to the Livermore valley where the necessary computer resources resided. He hoped he could be as persuasive with Sharon and Barry.

  “Sharon, the Senator is deadly serious,” Shane replied. “Think about it. We may be the only hope for avoiding a horrible catastrophe. I don’t know if we can do it…and I told the Senator as much…but what if we didn’t even try? Could we live with ourselves? If we’re unsuccessful…which is the most probable outcome…I know we’ll all be devastated. But if we don’t give it our absolutely best shot, we would live in shame the rest of our lives…even though the public would not even know of our failure.”

  The line was silent for several seconds. Shane was determined to remain silent until Sharon could digest what he had said, and come to terms with what he knew had to be the inevitable decision. He knew they would all have to make significant personal sacrifices. He might need to find someone to give his lectures at Daniels (nearly impossible for a graduate course); he would have to cancel three invited lectures scheduled over the next six weeks at various universities; and, then, he would have to cancel a job interview trip to Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, he knew he would be tempted with a job offer paying at least double his academic salary (which was already above the 90thpercentile for faculty in their first year as Full Professors). But, Sharon and Barry would perhaps have even more difficult situations.

  Sharon was a divorced single parent, with a 7-year old daughter. Because Eastmont was primarily an undergraduate institution, she generally had a heavier teaching load. Moreover, her outside professional commitments were nearly as demanding as Shane’s. He could understand why she would be overwhelmed with the thought of “dropping everything” to work at Livermore.

  “All right, Tony,” Sharon finally broke the silence. “Who could possibly argue with what you just said. We do need to give it our absolute best shot.”

  “But,” she continued, “I don’t know, at this moment, how I will arrange to get away. I won’t bother you with the details. I’m sure you have your own problems.”

  Then, as an afterthought, she asked, “What will you do about your teaching commitments?”

  “To be honest,” he replied, “I haven’t even thought about it yet. I guess, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking I’ll be able to fly back to campus one day a week. Right now I’m only teaching one two-unit graduate course that meets twice a week. I can re-schedule that into one two-hour lecture a week.”

  “I’m sure your scheduling problems will be worse than mine,” he continued. “But, consider the possibility of flying back to Boston one day a week, and see if that would let you work it out.”

  “Yeah. I’ll have to think it through,” she said. “But have you thought about how we’re going to explain this to our colleagues? I have no idea what to tell my Department Head. They’re already very nervous about having the classified research contract here. Eastmont has a very strong research base, but the security issues for this contract are already way over the top for the administrators here.”

  Tony suddenly realized he hadn’t thought about what he would say to his Department Head. A leave of absence for research was not unusual, but one would normally request permission through the usual channels (Department Head, Dean of the College, Provost). Permission would be granted only if the professor’s salary and teaching load could be covered. And, normally, at least one semester’s lead-time was required. This could be a real dilemma. He knew that the Senator would not approve of anyone at the university being briefed on the national security issues at stake.

  “That’s a tough one, Sharon,” he responded. “Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it yet. If you have any bright ideas, please let me know. And I will do likewise.”

  “What about getting someone from your research group to joi
n the project?” Shane continued. “Have you thought about that one yet?”

  “Yes, I have, actually,” she replied. “As you know, I have mostly undergraduate research students, and a couple of postdocs that are covered by the DOE contract. I can’t ask any of the undergraduates. They’re not advanced enough. And, I’ve already been turned down by both postdocs.”

  In a moment of inspiration, Shane interjected, “Hey, maybe you could get your postdocs to cover your teaching…or at least some of it.”

  “Sure, Tony, you could probably get away with that at Daniels. They let teaching assistants, who can’t even find their way to the rest room, do most of the undergraduate teaching. But, our faculty here teach all the courses.”

  “But, it is a good idea,” she continued. “Both of my postdocs have had teaching experience. I might be able to persuade the Department Head. Thanks, for the suggestion.”

  “What about you?” she asked. “I know you’re probably thinking of asking Bill and Sarah. Their work has provided the most essential ingredients for StarSight so far. Have you talked to them yet?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, I have,” he replied. “Sarah has agreed. Bill is still thinking it over, but should let me know within the hour.”

  “What about Barry?” she asked, suddenly remembering that he was facing the same issues.

  Barry’s situation was different, Shane thought, in that he already lived in the Bay Area. He might be able to spend most of his time at Livermore, but remain centered at his residence in San Francisco. His family would hardly know the difference. And he could probably arrange to meet at least some of his lectures, or perhaps to re-schedule them into meeting once a week like Shane was thinking.

  Tony shared these thoughts with Sharon, and then added, “Barry should be calling me shortly, and I’ll know where he stands. I’ll plan on getting back in touch with both of you later on today. Perhaps we can set up a conference call. How about we schedule one for 4 o’clock my time, five o’clock your time?”

  Sharon agreed, and, after confirming a few other details, they said their good-byes.

  Practically as soon as Shane hung up the phone, there was a knock on his office door. It was Bill Campbell, ready to talk. Tony invited him in, and they sat down. Shane remained quiet, allowing Bill the time to choose his words. They both knew what the topic was…would Bill be willing to make the sacrifice required to join the classified research project.

  “You know, Doc,” he began, “I have to tell you, I’ve never had any desire to get involved in any classified research. And, your invitation last night actually scared me.” After pausing for a few moments, searching for the right words, Bill continued. “You really didn’t tell me what the project was about, but I think I can figure out why the government is so interested in our technology…and it’s not a comforting thought. I’m just not theJames Bond type, I guess.”

  Shane knew Bill wasn’t finished, so he kept silent, just nodding his head in sympathy with what Bill had said.

  “In fact, if I hadn’t been dumb enough to ask you about the ‘up side’, I probably would have turned it down right there last night.” “But,” Bill continued, “your response to that question was so passionate, that I knew I had to at least think about it. And, you know what, you put a perspective on it that I had never heard before.

  “Yeah, after thinking it over, maybe Iwould like to experience that same rush you obviously get from doing science affecting national security. I really don’t know what I’m getting into, but, I do know you wouldn’t ask me if it wasn’t really important and very urgent.

  “So, to get to the bottom line…yeah, count me in, Doc,” he said with a sigh.

  With an unexpected sadness, that he didn’t want to show, Shane responded as enthusiastically as he could. “Thanks, Bill. I’m sure it will be agreat experience for you. And I’ll bevery pleased that you’ll be working with me.”

  “Now,” Shane continued, “we don’t have a minute to waste. We need to get your clearance forms prepared and sent out, and travel arrangements for the trip to California on Sunday. Let’s go see Sandy.”

  As they both got up to step around to Sandy’s office, Bill asked, “By the way, Doc, have you talked to Sarah yet?”

  “Yeah. I sure did, this morning,” Shane replied, “and she’s on-board, too!” He couldn’t prevent a broad smile from creeping across his face. And Bill was obviously pleased too.

  “That’s great, Doc. We’re gonna make a great team,” he said, just as they both walked into Sandy’s office.

  Looking up from her paper work, Sandy knew what Shane was going to ask for before he opened his mouth. “More clearance forms, right?” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Yeah. How did you know?” Shane asked rhetorically. “You know the drill, Sandy. Please give Bill as much help as you can.

  “And, you know what I almost forgot…you need to try to get airline and lodging reservations for Sarah and Bill. Try to get us all on the same flight if you can.

  “We’ll be staying at the Fairmont for the first night or two, but we may have to switch lodging closer to Livermore after that. Can you contact the Senator’s office and find out if they’ve made any plans for Livermore lodging?”

  Sandy looked at Shane for a moment, put down her pencil, and said sweetly, “Dr. Shane, could we talk for a minute, in your office. I need to get more information before I continue making arrangements for Sarah and Bill.”

  Without waiting for Shane to reply, she simply turned to Bill and said, just as sweetly, “Bill, can you just wait for a few minutes in my office? This shouldn’t take long.”

  With that, she got up and led Shane back into his office like a puppy on a leash. She closed the door behind them, sat down, and waited for Shane to sit down in his chair, and look at her, with some trepidation.

  “Dr. Shane, you need to tell me what’s going on here. Sarah told me a little. And, I have to tell you; I’m not just a little concerned about both Sarah and Bill dropping everything and heading out to Livermore for some indefinite time, working on somesecret project. I don’t know much about Livermore Lab, but I do know they build hydrogen bombs or nuclear missiles or something out there. Do you think they should be doing this? And do you thinkyou should be doing this?”

  “What’s going on?” she asked once again, distinctly emphasizing each word. Her steel blue eyes were boring into Shane’s. She presented a more formidable presence at that moment than her petite frame would suggest. Shane knew she meant business.

  Shane had to collect his thoughts. He and Sandy had very few secrets. She had no knowledge of what the StarSight project was, but she did know the CIA was involved. And she knew that Shane trusted her not to reveal that fact. How much more could Shane trust her with? He knew he could not tell her the whole truth, and he could not give her any classified information. But, he owed her as much explanation as possible. After all, while the three of them were gone, she would be in a very awkward position, answering questions regarding their whereabouts and activities. Being responsible for making their lodging and travel arrangements, answering his phone, and caring for the rest of his research group in his absence, she should not be kept completely in the dark.

  Taking a deep breath, Shane began to respond to Sandy’s questions. “I’m really sorry, Sandy,” he began. “It’s been such a hectic time since I talked to the Senator last night, that I haven’t had the time to think everything through.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” he continued. “You need to know what’s going on. And I will tell you as much as I can right now. I’m sorry I didn’t think to do it sooner.”

  Deciding to get right into it, Shane continued, “Sandy, there’s a national security issue that’s come up. It’s urgent. And the people working on the StarSight project may be the only one’s around who can help get us out of it. Time is crucial, and the Senator asked if we could bring some additional people in on the project. The fact that he’s promised to get s
ecurity clearances in a few days should tell you how urgent this whole affair is. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any more details.

  “I can tell you, though, that we may have to remain in California for a while, maybe weeks, maybe more. Before you say anything…I know…this is going to be very hard to explain to the university. And, I know you’re going to be in a difficult position, explaining our absence to lots of inquiries.”

  Shane pushed on. “One thing that may help out is if I can arrange to reschedule my Information Theory class so that I would only meet it once a week. What I will try to do is fly back here once a week to meet the class and handle other obligations. That way, I won’t have to request a leave of absence. We can just fill out the normal travel request forms like we do whenever I go on a trip somewhere to give an invited lecture or to consult for a couple days. The only difference is we’ll be doing it every week for the same place. Before anybody catches on, hopefully, this adventure will be all over.”

  Shane had been thinking out loud for the past few minutes, and, now, he paused to see if what he had said made sense to Sandy. He trusted her instincts. Looking at her, he thought she had relaxed a bit, but a slight frown graced her face as she reflected on what Shane had just revealed to her. Shane waited for her to speak.

  Without much delay, Sandy began to speak, a serious expression on her face. “Dr. Shane, I’m sorry if I forced you to tell me more than you wanted. You’re right, though, I will be in a difficult position. And I did need to know. And, you know what, I will be able to do a better job of helping you all out.”

  After pausing for a moment, she continued. “I know you can’t tell me everything. And I don’t want to know. But, I do know that you wouldn’t be asking Sarah and Bill to do this if it weren’t terribly important and urgent. I think I know you that well.”