Fed by a series of softball questions from Ewing, Collins continued his diatribe, picking apart the qualifications of the rest of the crew. As he laid into Kiera and Ajay, Pebbles muted the television.
“What is it with Nigel? Everyone he interviews about the crew bashes them.”
“A lot of people think they’re unqualified,” Anlon said.
“You don’t think that, do you?”
Anlon shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think I would have picked them, but I understand why Augie did.”
Pebbles folded her arms across her stomach. “Well, I think Augie made great choices.”
Anlon slid his arm around her shoulder. “Now don’t get all irritated. I’m not on Nigel’s side. I think highly of the crew.”
A photograph of Rorschach’s last crewmember, Dr. Robert Shilling, appeared on screen. According to the bullet points next to his picture, the trim neurobiologist had been born and raised in Hong Kong by his Chinese mother and British father, and he was an accomplished triathlete and honeybee ethologist.
Pebbles unmuted the broadcast. “What the heck is a honeybee ethologist?”
“They train honeybees, teach them new behaviors,” Anlon said.
“Why not call him a honeybee trainer?”
“Ethologist sounds more impressive. Now, shhh. I want to hear what Collins has to say about Shilling.”
“…if he’s such an expert, where is his research? He’s published no peer-reviewed articles on his work with UMOs, and his early honeybee papers were inconsequential. For all we know, he’s more quack than crack scientist.”
“His experiments on XTC have been pretty impressive,” Ewing said.
Collins scoffed. “Parlor tricks compared to cutting-edge ethology. Face it, Nigel, Shilling is no different than the rest of Amato’s crew. They’re nothing but lightweights and has-beens. Add to that an untested spacecraft, a mission director still wet behind the ears, and Amato’s inexplicable rush to launch a deep-space mission, it’s no wonder they’re now facing a disaster.”
“What kind of disaster?”
“A major problem with the ship. Something the crew can’t handle.”
“You know this for a fact?”
“What else could it be? If it were something minor, I’m sure we would have heard something from Amato by now. I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating under the current circumstances. He really should have sent another probe fleet to Callisto before sending a manned mission. He should have sought the guidance and participation of the aerospace community instead of going off on his own.”
“Well-made points, Dr. Collins. Thank you. And on that note, we’ll take a break. When In the Spotlight returns, we welcome Dr. Antonio Wallace for his take on Augustus Amato, the Rorschach Explorer and the rumors of an unfolding disaster aboard the ship. Stay tuned.”
Pebbles hopped out of bed. “Time to make some popcorn!”
Antonio Wallace joined Ewing live on set in BCON’s New York studio. Seated next to the pudgy show host with the bad toupee and rumpled suit, the tall, elegantly dressed billionaire looked like the television star with Ewing as his guest, not the other way around.
Of course, Antonio was a star. As the founder of Whave Technologies, owner of the Bay Area’s professional basketball team and one of the most accomplished black entrepreneurs in the world, he appeared frequently on television. He also had quite a media following on the Internet, and a horde of paparazzi were always anxious to snap the billionaire bachelor out on the town with one starlet or another.
He was also a close friend of Anlon and Pebbles — hence Pebbles’ popcorn-accompanied enthusiasm for his appearance on the show. As she snagged a fistful, she said, “Come on, Antonio. Show everyone what a phony Nigel is.”
“He’s got to be careful,” Anlon said. “Nigel’s good at getting under people’s skin.”
Ewing played nice for the first few exchanges of the interview, buttering Antonio up with compliments and benign questions about his basketball team and personal life. And then the moment came when it was clear that the fawning was complete.
“Dr. Wallace, you’re an engineer by training. Am I right?”
“That’s right, Nigel.”
“And you’ve used your engineering talent to invent a host of new technologies.”
“Not so much my talent, Nigel. I’m not the mad scientist behind most of our inventions. Our team of engineers and scientists are the real geniuses.”
“Oh, come now. You’re being too modest.”
“No, truly. I’m more of a facilitator than inventor.”
“I see. Just like Augustus Amato?”
“We are alike in many ways.”
“He’s a friend of yours?”
“He is.”
Ewing paused, waiting for his guest to elaborate. But Antonio merely sat with his hands resting atop his crossed knee, gazing back at the host with a friendly smile.
Ewing tapped a notepad on his lap with a pen. “In fact, Amato’s much more than a friend, isn’t he, Dr. Wallace? You own quite a bit of A3rospace Industries’ stock, don’t you?”
“Gah, what a slimeball!” Pebbles said.
Antonio smoothed his necktie. “My company does, yes. And A3I owns shares of Whave Technologies as well.”
“You’ve profited handsomely from your A3I investment over the last year, have you not? Since the Callisto discoveries, A3I’s shares have tripled in value.”
“Anyone who’s been a long-term investor with Augie has done well, Nigel. Even before Callisto.”
“Yes, but other investors don’t have the same vested interest in the current Callisto mission as you do.”
Putting the popcorn bowl aside, Pebbles said, “Can you believe this horse crap?”
Anlon spoke to his friend on screen. “Careful, Skipper, don’t let him back you in a corner.”
Antonio uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “You’re referring to our drone-landers, I assume.”
“That and other technology you sold to Amato for the Rorschach Explorer.” Ewing ticked his pen on the notepad as he listed the various Whave Technologies components aboard the spacecraft — the probe docking system, the ship’s landing struts, and modules incorporated into the GEFF forcefield.
“Don’t forget the CubeSat thrusters, Nigel,” Antonio said. “We supplied those, too.”
Ewing frowned as he jotted down the missed component. He looked at the revised list and shook his head. “You have a lot to lose if the mission fails, don’t you, Dr. Wallace? Billions. Tens of billions. Maybe more.”
“Who said anything about the mission failing?”
“You were with Amato at his home for dinner last night when Dr. Fulton dashed off the XTC set in a panic, were you not?”
The camera zoomed in on Antonio’s face. His face held a neutral expression, but there was a noticeable twitch below his right eye. “I’m not sure how you know that, but yes, I did dine at Augie’s…and I don’t agree with your characterization of Dr. Fulton’s actions.”
“The camera doesn’t lie, Dr. Wallace.” Before Antonio could retort, Ewing charged ahead. “You are privy to the crisis facing the crew, are you not?”
Anlon squeezed the remote. “God, I’d like to knock the smirk right off his ugly mug.”
Pebbles massaged her wrists. “You’ll have to get in line.”
The camera was still trained on Antonio’s face, showing beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. “Nigel,” he said, “it’s not my place to speak for Dr. Fulton or Augustus Amato, so I won’t. But I will say this: despite the opinions of your previous guest, I have the utmost confidence in the abilities of Dr. Fulton, Augie, the Rorschach crew and everyone at A3I.”
“Is that your way of confirming there is a crisis?”
“No. I didn’t say that.”
The screen switched to a close-up of Ewing. “Then how do you explain Dr. Fulton’s actions? Amato’s cryptic statement?”
“As I said, it’s
not my place —”
Ewing interrupted. “I have to tell you, Dr. Wallace, we’ve heard shocking accusations from sources in a position to know what’s behind Amato’s sudden lack of transparency.”
Though he was off camera, Antonio’s booming voice was loud and clear. “Bullshit.”
That spurred a fist pump from Anlon. “Let him have it, Skipper!”
A new camera angle showed the back of Ewing’s head in the foreground and Antonio’s snarling face in the background. “Dr. Wallace, there’s no need to be so defensive.”
“Really, Nigel? You toss a turd on the table like that and expect me to let you get away with it? You don’t have any inside information. You have no idea what’s going on at A3I, good or bad.” Antonio stood and began to remove the mini-microphone pinned to his lapel. “You’re just trying to stir the pot, scare people and ruin the reputations of some fine individuals.”
Ewing, still seated, glanced up at Antonio and then back at his notes. In a calm tone, he said, “I’m just asking questions, Dr. Wallace. Questions that need to be asked.”
“Well, you can ask ’em of an empty chair.”
Antonio dropped the microphone on the floor and walked off the set. A camera followed him as he brushed past a member of the broadcast crew.
The view then switched back to a close-up of Ewing. He looked into the camera and shrugged. “I guess Dr. Wallace is afraid to answer tough questions…”
As the camera began to zoom out, Ewing balanced his notepad and pen on the armrest of his chair and stood. He walked to the center of the set and stared into the camera. “When we return to In the Spotlight, we’ll hear from correspondent Rita Haynes, who will share the chilling details of her talk with an insider who claims the Rorschach Explorer faces a dire situation.”
CHAPTER 5: POSTMORTEM
Augustus Amato’s office
A3rospace Industries Command and Control Center
Mayaguana Island, The Bahamas
September 3, 2019
Amato exited his office by the back door and stepped onto the catwalk above a cavernous hangar. Gripping the handrails on both sides, he slowly walked to the center of the room and gazed down at dozens of technicians in the process of installing compartment upgrades into a second Rorschach Explorer. The work-in-progress ship didn’t have its own name yet, so for now Amato referred to it as RE2.
Most of RE2’s upgraded compartments had been built to address design flaws that had emerged during the first two months of Rorschach’s journey to Callisto, including the balky GEFF system. Other compartments were mere duplicates of those aboard the in-flight spaceship. When Rorschach returned to Earth, its out-of-date compartments would be swapped out with upgrades similar to those now incorporated into RE2, and of course any compartments damaged during the UMO attacks would be replaced as well.
Whether those upgrades would occur sooner or later remained an open question.
Amato’s knee-jerk thought after the first attack had been to scrub the mission and order the Rorschach Explorer to return to Earth immediately. While the abort would be embarrassing to Amato and everyone else involved in the mission, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. After licking their wounds, they would try again in a year or two.
But then Kiera had reestablished communications with two of the Recons and two of the Cargos, kindling hope of a resumption of Rorschach’s flight to Callisto. But for now, only hope. There was still much to do. Kiera first had to guide the damaged spacecrafts back to Rorschach for repairs and retrofitting, and then she, Dante, and his team of Mayaguana engineers would have to stitch together a makeshift fleet capable of giving the ship adequate radiation protection and enough probes to scan for the perpetrator of the gamma burst that had ended Juno’s mission.
And even if those efforts proved successful, the decision to resume Rorschach’s mission would still hinge on estimates of their ability to avoid another UMO attack. To that end, Amato had ordered Pritchard to form a working group to examine the data from the recent attacks and put forth recommendations to help Rorschach steer clear of the aliens. Pritchard had been given a mere twenty-four hours to complete the analysis and present their findings. Amato couldn’t let Morgan and his shipmates hang in limbo any longer than that. Every minute Rorschach drifted above the ecliptic waiting for a go/no-go decision risked another attack by the blue UMO colony.
Amato also owed the crew’s families, the media and those who had been following Rorschach’s mission a fuller explanation about what had transpired over the preceding two days. And he wanted to be transparent — but early on he’d concluded he couldn’t stand at a podium full of microphones until a decision to proceed to Callisto or return to Earth had been made. In his mind, half-answers would only make matters worse.
Now, however, he’d come to realize he was wrong. Silence was far worse than half-answers, for it allowed rumors and speculation to stir up a frenzy. And that, in turn, set the stage for leaks and hysteria. It frayed long-standing relationships and sowed distrust. It pummeled A3I’s share price and angered investors.
There was no better example of this than Antonio Wallace’s appearance on Nigel Ewing’s program yesterday. Amato hadn’t asked his friend to appear, and if Antonio had checked in with Amato before accepting Ewing’s invitation, Amato would have suggested he decline. The outcome of the interview was entirely foreseeable: Antonio had refused to divulge any details, and Ewing had spun that in order to create suspicion of a conspiracy.
As soon as Amato finished meeting with Pritchard and Dante, he decided, he would jump on a conference call with the Rorschach Explorer families. Then he would call Jenna Toffy, mend fences with WNN, and provide her the opportunity to conduct an on-the-record interview.
And then he would get down on his knees and pray nothing else went wrong.
Engine control room — the Rorschach Explorer
Drifting at all-stop above ecliptic in the asteroid belt
Flexing her shaking hands, Kiera closed her eyes and whispered, “Keep it together, girl. Focus…focus.”
It was taking too long, way too long, to guide the hobbled probes back to Rorschach — a fact drummed into Kiera by Shilling during his hourly visits to the engine room to check on her progress. The last of those visits had led to another shouting match but, this time, instead of detaining Kiera for a lecture, Morgan grabbed Shilling by the arm and hauled him away.
That had been satisfying.
But the feeling hadn’t lasted for more than a few minutes before Kiera’s thoughts once again returned to the slow pace of the probes. If only they hadn’t flown quite so far away before Kiera reconnected with them, they might have already rendezvoused with Rorschach. But Morgan, fearful of attracting the attention of the blue UMOs, had not only ordered her to shut down the probes’ VLF engines, he’d insisted she slow their momentum by firing their forward thrusters. The resulting snail’s pace was agonizing.
Kiera looked up to see Carillo standing in the engine room doorway.
“Hey,” Carillo said. “How’s it going?”
Kiera unclenched her fists and forced a smile. “Hey there.”
“You okay?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Scared shitless,” Carillo said with a smile of her own. “I know it’s a loaded question, but how long before they’re all back?”
Kiera pointed at the estimated arrival times on the monitor in front of her. “Looks like the Cargos will be back within two hours. The Recons closer to four.”
“Gotcha. Do you have the component list for the Recon swap-out yet?”
“Yep, I’ll move it to your folder right now.” Kiera selected the file from her folder on the shared drive and pasted it into Carillo’s folder. “Okay, it’s all yours.”
“Great, thanks.” Carillo patted Kiera on the shoulder. “You’re still up to assist me with the swap-outs?”
“Roger that,” Kiera said.
As soon as the Cargos arrived, they would be dock
ed at an airlock connected to Rorschach’s primary storage room on the starboard side of the ship. Their supplies would be unloaded and the necessary CubeSat components retrieved, then Carillo would perform an EVA to dock the damaged Recons on platforms in the cargo bay. Once they were secured to the platforms and the cargo bay was closed and repressurized, Kiera and Carillo would take the probes apart and install new components to convert the probes to serve as Shields. Morgan would perform another EVA to undock the probes and guide them out of the bay. Finally, once they were clear of the ship, Kiera would activate their fleet management programs and the probes would take their assigned positions around Rorschach.
“Let’s just hope we get it all done before…you know…”
Carillo wagged a finger at her. “Uh, uh, uh. Positive thoughts only.”
“You’re right. My bad,” Kiera said.
“We can’t afford two doom-and-glooms around here. Whether we scrub or continue to Callisto, we’ve got a long way to go.”
“Yeah, I know. I hear ya. Speaking of our ass-hat biologist, why do you think he’s upped his pucker factor?”
“He’s under a lot of pressure. Everyone’s looking to him for answers, but he doesn’t have ’em. Not yet.”
“Yeah, I get that, but he’s making things worse by being such a prick.”
“I know, but calling him names to his face isn’t helping.”
Kiera frowned. “Should I take that to mean you think I’m being an a-hole, too?”
Carillo sat down next to her. “Look, long missions are super stressful, even for the most experienced astronauts. We’re cooped up together, nowhere else to go. We miss home, we get frustrated when things go wrong, we get on each other’s nerves. But each of us has to work through it and remember we’re a team.”
Kiera felt heat rise on her neck and chest. “So I’m not being a team player. Is that it?”
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