Leaving Earth Vol. 1 (Leaving Earth Omnibus)

by Kaal Alexander Rosser

  'Then, I have no choice. You are ordered not to bring the final collider into operation. The two you have will have to be enough. Will they be enough?'

  'No, sir. They will not. Both Space and Medical have orders outstanding which will only be filled in any reasonable time-frame by have full production capacity up and running.'

  'Then Medical R&D will have to go unfulfilled. Unfortunately, that will almost certainly cost you the support of the director responsible.'

  'I am aware of that, sir. That is why I wanted to have both sets of orders filled as quickly as possible.'

  'I expect that this is what some people want, I'm afraid to say.'

  'I gathered as much.'

  'Indeed. It cannot be helped, now. In it's current composition, I cannot influence the board any more than I already have.'

  Kelvin's eyes flicked again to where Grum assumed Mr Grey must be standing. What on earth was that about? he wondered. 'Is there anything I can do to improve the situation?'

  'The situation is not being driven by knowledge, Grum. But by fear. The people standing in your way are not truly against any of the technology coming out of your Division, nor — I suspect — are they truly against any of the resourcing innovations. They are scared because you are climbing fast and they see themselves losing influence to you. It is personal. I detest personality politics in the boardroom, and would be happier if the main culprits were no longer there… But, as it stands, we must both suffer from this unhappy situation.'

  Grum wrestled with the thought which Steve Branch had brought up. He probably could stick his neck out and force a boardroom showdown between Kelvin and the HR director. That would probably end in Grum's favour, but it would be very messy, and ultimately damaging to the company as a whole. He decided against it.

  'Yes, sir, I think we do.' Grum became aware that Kelvin had been watching him intently again, and now relaxed.

  'Yes. It's still Kelvin, by the way, Grum. I appreciate that you have dropped into a formal mode as this is a serious discussion, but I trust your judgement. Nothing I have seen from you leads me to believe that you are doing anything which is against the interests of the company. Quite the opposite.'

  'Thank you, Kelvin.'

  'It's a storm, Grum. USSMC has had a few. Likely there will be a few more. I am convinced, though, that the future well-being of the company lies with people like you and those with whom you have chosen to associate. Frankly, I trust you, Grum. Not many are given that particular accolade.'

  'I'm honoured, Kelvin. I am pleased to say that I trust you as well.'

  'That is excellent. OK. The order still stands, I'm afraid. I cannot overrule the board on this. Well, that's not true. I can. But I'm not going to. The situation will have to be resolved in another manner.'

  'I agree.'

  'Good. Now, please go back to running your Division, and see if you can't find some way to turn this around. I will work on it, as well.'

  Grum stood to leave and Mr Grey moved to open the office door. Kelvin had already started working on something, so Grum did not bother with any farewells. He walked out of the office and wondered what avenues of resolution were left open to him.

  The call to Frank Mullins was short and somewhat bitter. Frank told him that he had been expecting the call as his director had dropped a heavy hint on him about being careful with the few antimatter generators they were likely to get.

  Few was being a bit harsh, thought Grum. Even the testing runs had produced several million devices which could be used. In one way that was the joy and the bane of the pico-scale generators. They could be produced in huge quantities, but the flip side of that was that they had to be produced in huge quantities. That required storage and shipping. Medical would have enough of the smallest types to keep testing for years, if not of the exact sizes Frank wanted.

  He also had to tell Hank that his schedule would be reduced from the planned rate. Hank, as a member of the board, already knew that, but he sympathised when Grum called to let him know officially.

  Stew came to see Grum later in the week. There was nothing playful or cheery in his attitude. The political situation had become a little nastier since the announcement of a delay in bringing the third collider online at Nevada. Although there was nothing official said to the effect, there were nevertheless rumour going round that there were safety concerns.

  'It's ridiculous, of course. The only safety concern would have been with trying to bring "A" back online without a shutdown. The rumours are persisting, though,' said Stew as he slumped into a chair in Grum's office.

  'I know. Is there no way we can nix this crap?'

  'Not that either I or Steve can think of. The worst part is that we're now getting the no-smoke-without-fire being applied to us.'

  Grum sighed. That was inevitable. If there is something highly technical or scientific, and political pressure is brought to bear to slow it, or label it, or demand additional testing for no scientifically sound reason, the upshot was always that the same people who brought the pressure would point at the result and say: "Look! They are doing the-thing-we-forced-them-to-do, there must be a reason for it!". Well, yes. Of course there was a reason, thought Grum, sourly. The reason is you idiots forced it to happen, unnecessarily.

  'And that's not all,' continued Stew, his tone even more defeated than it had been.

  'What?'

  'HabSatTwo lost power last night.'

  'What?! How? Is anybody… Did anybody..?'

  'No-one died, no. It actually happened during the power up sequence after the power transfer from the shuttle's battery banks. Grum… Did you know that the entire battery bank supply grid goes offline while the transfer happens?'

  'What bloody use is that to anyone? No, I did not know that.'

  'Me either, but that's what happens. Can you guess where our generators derive their minimum current needed to supply the superconducting magnets?'

  Grum stuck his face in both palms and in a muffled voice asked Stew: 'How many quenched?'

  'Just the one, and dissipating that energy into open space is about as efficient as it gets, but it did cause a surge which briefly took the solar collectors offline.'

  'How on earth — or off it — did it do that?'

  'Vann's investigating. Although she's technically involved with the orbitals, she didn't get involved in the connection design for this habitat. It was one of the previous Chief's last solo projects.'

  'Crap. So politically…'

  'It's going to be stuck on our doorstep unless we get Hank to own up.'

  'That's a tough ask. Even if no-one was hurt, they could've been.'

  'Agreed. I wanted to come and tell you in person. Steve's in overdrive trying to find the least harmful spin, but I don't see it, myself.'

  'OK. Thank you, Stew. I need to get my head round this.'

  'I'll leave you to it.'

  Chapter 14

  BY the time he entered into Space Division's territory, Grum had worked up a good head of steam. Real righteous wrath was pouring off him in waves. It was unfortunate, therefore that the first person he ran into when he arrived there, was Vann.

  'Don't you start!' she said as soon as she saw him.

  'I'll bloody start! Bloody quench protection?! Bloody start?!'

  'It wasn't m-'

  'I know! It was whatsizface! The old chief wotsit!'

  'Want to take a guess what genius scrawled a design for the tech centre generator installation on the back of a napkin for your old VP?'

  Grum did not explode, but it looked like his blood was only just contained by arterial musculature. 'I am going to have some serious words with Hank, right now!'

  'I just found that out myself, I was on my way for the same thing.'

  Grum knew the expression set onto Vann features. He had witnessed it from the wrong angle twice too often. He was not going to just let a loaded Vann with the safety off go and do his dirty work, though. 'Together then.'

  'Together,'
she agreed.

  Grum opened the door to Hank's office without knocking, but Vann ducked under his arm to enter first.

  Hank looked up. 'Oh, this cannot be good.' His normally healthy colour was already slightly ashen and paled further as he looked at them. 'Let me guess. You've heard about HabSatTwo, found out who designed the installation and distribution grid, and have come to exact bloody vengeance?'

  'Vengeance would be appropriate, given that he also put the lives of everyone here at risk,' said Grum, icily.

  'Oh. You found out about that as well, have you?'

  'Yer damned straight!' said Vann.

  'OK. But what can I do, now? You fixed the installation, here, and the problem on the habitat has been contained for now. Do you want me to pull support for anything he did?'

  'For the last five years, yes,' said Grum, leaning forward. 'That's exactly what I want you to do. This is deadly, Hank. You know the situation with the board, and part of the pressure is because all your projects are ready to go bar the power. Well, I reckon that isn't the case. I reckon every single last bloody one of them needs going over.'

  'Who by?'

  'Vann. She knows the kit we're supplying inside and out. She's the one who designed the bodge job on the generators down stairs, though, now I know who was in charge of the actual installation, I'm going to have to ask you for some of her time back to go over it again.' Grum did not relent, and Vann nodded sharply in agreement.

  Hank look directly at Grum. 'You know what you're asking. He'll be dishonoured. Shamed. He's still a friend. I see him occasionally. And my standing on the board will take a hit.'

  That was too much for Grum. 'Fuck the board! We're talking about people living or dying, here!'

  'You're right. I'll make the calls. You know they might give me my walking papers for this, too?' Hank had hung his head, but his voice was clear.

  'Hank. Kelvin will only allow that if you try to hush this up. You're old chief engineer was not up to scratch, clearly, at least in the last couple of years. I don't think that part needs to go outside this room and the board, but it does have to go at least that far.'

  'I'll do it. I'll do it. Vann, would you do as Grum asks and look at the generator installation downstairs, again?'

  Vann nodded and walked out, giving Grum a squeeze on rump when her hand was hidden from Hank's view. Grum pretended not to notice.

  'How did your old chief get involved with the tech centre installation, Hank?'

  'Oh, he and your old VP were buds from the days of the old company. I never got on with him, myself'

  So that's where the old VP had got the dumb idea about sticking two lots of antimatter in the same containment shell, thought Grum. 'Look, not just because she's my wife, but Vann is really top notch. Give her the room and she'll run with any size job. Plus she really does know all the Nevada tech stuff.'

  'It's a good suggestion. I'll have a talk with the department heads. There will be one or two who might kick up a fuss, but after this… It's needed.'

  'Yes. It is. I'm going to send Steve Branch over here. He's a genius at political spin. Damnit, I want you to lose as little face as possible from this. You and Kelvin are my only support on the board, as it stands.'

  'Pulling all those projects is going to hurt my standing no matter what. He was on all the high-profile projects.'

  'What about the Mars shuttle?'

  'What? That's not even off the drawing board!'

  'Even better. Before you reorganise the entire Division, give it to Vann. We can supply enough generators over the next year to power one of those, like we talked about. Divert the resources from the stalled projects and get the shuttle going. That will bring your profile back up.'

  'Yessir!'

  'I don't mean to give you orders, Hank, but right now I'm angry and trying to see a way out.'

  'My friend. You're doing the job even if you don't have the papers yet. I swear you're COO material.'

  'Then take my suggestion and run with it, OK? I'll talk to Kelvin.'

  That made Hank's eyebrows go up. 'You will, will you? Without being called?'

  'Yes. I'll go to him. And I will send Steve Branch your way while I'm going.'

  'OK. Thank you, Grum. I don't know why after the reaming you just gave me, but I actually feel better about the situation.'

  'Don't get too comfortable about it. We're both going to catch seven shades of shit from the board over this.'

  'I know. But still. Thanks.'

  'You're welcome. Now. I'm off to see the wizard.' With that Grum walked out of Hank's office and towards the lion's den, pausing only to send a quick message to Stew and Steve.

  Kelvin had welcomed Grum into his office and had listened patiently while Grum outlined events and his plan of attack. Genuine mirth seemed to sparkle in Kelvin's eyes when Grum reached the part about moving the Mars shuttle up the schedule. Grum had his agreement and support. Kelvin would also support Hank in the boardroom on this matter.

  That was what Grum had wanted. He had also asked for an extraordinary consideration regarding a situation Stew — by return message — had alerted him to, and again Kelvin had agreed.

  There was a knock at his door, but the person, unusually, was standing away from the little window. If he had been wearing a throat microphone it might have picked up the little rhyme he was muttering to himself. The knock came again.

  '…Seven, eight – always pays to make 'em wait. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. COME!' He spoke the last word loudly enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear. It was Amy, and Grum felt a little chagrined.

  'Sorry to disturb you, Grum,' she said.

  'No worries, just finishing off the notes from the budget meeting. What can I do for you, Amy?' he asked, though he already knew.

  'I've come to hand in my resignation notice,' she said, handing over said letter.

  'No, you haven't.' Grum shook his head, gravely.

  'Er.' Amy was momentarily flummoxed and stayed standing. 'Yes, I have.'

  'No, sorry. You see, I understand you intend to go to MIT and convert your Masters to a PhD. To use what you've worked on with us as a basis for new and original research and finish out your doctorate in a year! You must see how that doesn't suit us at all.'

  Grum could see that Amy could not believe what he was saying. She might expect some coercion from another person in the company, but she would have expected better of him.

  'Grum, I wouldn't tell them anything! I signed the NDA and I'd honour it, of course! I'm only taking stuff I've worked on, and even then I'm leaving out anything relating to the Nevada generators. I'm not even using it in a speculative sense. Come on!'

  'Sorry, Amy, you misunderstand me. It's just not in our best interests that you leave our employ at this time.'

  'I can't believe you! I'll sue, I'll… What are you laughing at? Oh you sod!'

  'I'm sorry, Amy. Please sit down.'

  'So you aren't going to try and stop me from resigning? You do know I wouldn't give anything away.'

  'That's not even a question, Amy, but no, I was actually serious when I said it doesn't suit us to have you resign. It doesn't suit you either, for that matter.' He held a hand up as she looked about to interrupt. 'Please, Amy. It does suit all concerned, however, for you to complete your doctorate. With a PhD to your name, like Vann, I'd have much less resistance to moving you on to one of the other active programmes which could use you.'

  'I don't understand.'

  'I've been given the discretionary power to enter into an arrangement with MIT, starting in September, for a one-year research grant into extending the usefulness of antimatter production. I'll draw up a list of what you can disclose to them. The plan is that you can take with you some of the refinements used at Nevada and the first-draft generator plans. You will be credited for the work you've done here and the work you extend at MIT. In turn, MIT will supply a mentor so you can close out your research in the first six months, write-up for six month
s, then sit your viva. You'll still be on staff as a liaison, but you'll only be getting an hourly rate based on your submitted timesheets. In all other respects you'll be a full-time PhD student again and USSMC is sponsoring you as such. I will be listed as an external supervisor.'

  Amy was sitting, open-mouthed, as Grum held out his hand. She ignored his hand, ran round the desk and gave him a big hug.

  'Thank you. I completely forgive you for being cruel earlier. How did you kno- Stew!'

  'He told me you were going back to school. I had a similar game with him after my meeting with Kelvin. You should have heard the mouthful he gave me!' Grum grinned. 'But it allowed me to work something out. Good luck. You still have four months of slog before you get back into academia.'

  'Thank you again.'

  'No worries. No go on, back to work, and, er… Take this with you please.' He held out the resignation letter she had thrown on the desk during her fit of anger. She grinned at him, took the letter, and headed out the door.

  Grum sat back down in his chair. What is Kelvin giving me? Support or rope, I wonder.

  Chapter 15

  WITH the activation of the third collider put on hold, and nothing else actually pressing, Grum was prepared to put some serious thought into the recombination research.

  'As we said before: in-flight recombination is the only way to scale,' Stew was saying. 'But we have to collect the yield in the 'bottle' and make sure that it's sealed before removing it from the containment rig. You can't just stick it back in and open it up again! Sure way to catastrophic annihilation that. Which means the recombination — or more properly just combination at that point — has to happen before the containment stage. Right now, though, there is nothing between the creation and containment stages except whizzing round in circles between serious magnets at ever decreasing fractions of the speed of light.'

  So far, Stew had said nothing new. He was just covering old ground, organising his thoughts so Grum did not feel moved to comment. He had been half-listening, however, and something Stew had said struck him as important. Trouble was that he could not be sure what it was that Stew had said that struck a chord.