* * *
“Commander?”
Commander Lansing turned towards the young woman. “Yes Ms. Treller?
“The weekly status meeting has gathered and is awaiting you sir.”
Commander Lansing nodded. “Thank you Ms. Treller.” He turned towards the passageway that led to the meeting room. He used the short walk to draw serenity around him like a cloak. He paused outside the closed door to allow himself one additional moment of peace before facing the inevitable excuses and pleas for understanding. The recent solar event had added further to the delays his command was facing.
Palming the plate, the door slid aside, allowing a tidal wave of sound to wash over him. He stood there, waiting for the occupants to recognize his entry. The sudden hush almost caused him to stumble; as if a wind he had been leaning into had been blocked. He paced quietly to the head of the table.
Those in attendance knew that the meeting would have to be conducted in an orderly fashion or they would be ejected from the meeting and lose their chance to present their reports and requests. They all waited until the Commander was seated and then the lead contractor leaned in and thanked the Commander for his time.
He nodded at the group around the table and said “I appreciate you all sparing the time to meet with me today.” He looked at each person at the table, gauging their attitudes. “I realize that the recent solar event has even further delayed our progress, so, what I want to hear today is what you are planning to do to get us back on schedule.” He held up a hand to forestall the inevitable protests and pleadings. “Your various companies were informed when they signed on to this little adventure, that there were many possible events that would delay progress, and, they were asked to take such delays into their calculations.”
“We also understand that what we are trying to accomplish here has never been done before, so provisions were made on our part to work with you to overcome every obstacle we face.”
“That said, I fully expect to hear some very imaginative and creative stories.” He paused to give weight to his next statement. “If you offer a reason for delays beyond the recent solar event, I also want to hear what you plan on doing to overcome the accumulated delays to-date. Clear?”
He nodded at woman on his right, clearing her to speak. She nodded shortly and used the brief delay to glance at her notes. Her company ran the shuttle flights from the Orbital Tether and they had been delayed just over two days.
“Shuttle flights have resumed. Passengers and cargo have been re-ordered to bring in supplies first, then critical personnel. We anticipate that we will be back on-schedule in 5 days, four if we can restore one shuttle that has a damaged engine.”
She glanced around the table as she completed her report and was secretly pleased that her report had apparently put some of the other contractors off, since they could not now blame her company for shipping delays.
The Commander nodded and made a quick note on the pad in front of him and then nodded to the next representative seated to her right. It took nearly an hour but the meeting was rather subdued and surprisingly productive.
“Thank you all for the rather encouraging reports. I know we’ve all suffered setbacks but I need to remind all of you that we are not in competition here; we are trying to ensure Humanity’s survival. I’m glad to see that most of you and your companies have stopped stabbing each other in the back or trying to shift blame around. The more we work together to complete this project, the faster our children will be able to flee this solar system and carry the hope for our future out among the stars. Are there any other items to discuss? No? Then thank you all. This meeting is adjourned.”
Everyone waited until the Commander had departed before leaving. Some people stopped to negotiate with their counter-parts for favors or to offer help if a department had been especially hard-hit by the radiation storm. Others quietly observed the growing cooperative spirit with pleasure.
Escape to the Stars! Page 7