“Hi, Patricia. Okay, I guess.” He switched off the link and got up.
Patricia signaled her secretary. “No calls, Gina.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He followed her into the office. Pictures of early interstellar ships circling alien worlds covered the walls. There were space stations and Moonbase and shots of Patricia welcoming President Norman to the space station. And, on her desk, he saw photos of her husband and two kids. “Good to see you again, Jake.” She closed the door. “It’s been a while.”
“A couple of years,” he said.
Three armchairs faced her desk. She settled into one and invited Jake to sit beside her. “You have no idea how scared we were that some of those kids wouldn’t come back. Before I say anything else, I want you to understand that we are in your debt.”
“Thank you,” he said. “It’s a good thing Drake and Joshua were there, or it would have been a disaster.”
“Well, you and Priscilla what’s-her-name, Hutchins, got them off the Gremlin. Thank God for that.”
“It was touch-and-go for a while. What the hell happened out there? How did a bomb get planted on the Gremlin?”
“The official story is that we don’t know.”
“What’s the unofficial one?”
She chewed on her lip. “We’re getting a lot of threats lately.”
“Because of the terraforming.”
“Right. We’ve got people telling us they are going to blow up the Wheel. Take us all out. Usually, we have no way of knowing where they’re coming from. But in this case, yes, we know who bombed the Gremlin.”
Jake leaned forward. Waited.
“It goes no further.”
“I won’t say anything.”
“He’s an old friend of yours, Jake. Leon Carlson.”
He stared at her. “That’s not possible. Leon wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
“Well, apparently that’s not so.”
Jake had known Leon for the better part of twenty years. “What makes you think it’s him?”
“When he found out that the Gremlin’s assignment had been changed, that instead of carrying supplies out to Selika, it was taking a bunch of high-school kids on a tour, he called in to warn us.”
“Who talked to him?”
“I did. He called me. He said he wanted to be certain we got the message. He was trying to disguise his voice, but it was him.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes, Jake. No question about it.”
“My God. Where is he now?”
“We don’t know. He’s gone.” She took a deep breath. “He thinks we’re monsters, Jake. That we’re aiding and abetting. Anyhow, we were able to warn Joshua. He found it and began trying to dismantle it. That’s what set it off. The thing warned him first, told him if he touched it again, it would explode, and that in any case it would go off in two minutes or something like that. It gave him time to get out of the way. And, fortunately, to get the kids clear.”
“The Thompson was originally scheduled to go to Selika, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. We think the bomb was intended to wait until he docked out there and explode at the station. We got a break when Kosmik donated the ship for the awards flight, and Carlson called in.”
Jake shook his head. “Better not let Kosmik do any more favors for anyone.”
“I guess not. Anyhow, the Feds are looking for him.” She leaned back in her chair. “You don’t have any idea where he might be, do you?”
“No. I haven’t actually seen much of him this last year or so.”
“Pity,” she said. “Well, it was a shot.”
“Sorry.”
“If you think of anything, let us know.”
“Sure.”
Her expression changed. Became even more somber. “There’s something else.”
“Okay.”
“Tell me what happened out there.”
Jake described it, how they’d brought everyone over to the Copperhead and the Gremlin had ripped into the atmosphere, how they’d rotated the kids in and out of the lander so they got some decent air periodically, how it had seemed as if the Thompson would never arrive. And, finally, how Joshua had walked into the cargo bay and drained all the air out of it.
When he finished, she sat unmoving, eyes closed. “That must have been horrifying,” she said. “When we first got the report, I couldn’t believe it. Joshua seemed like one of those guys who—” She hesitated.
“—Were immortal,” said Jake.
“Yeah.” She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Looked out a window into the night sky. “I’m reluctant to broach the next question—”
“You want to know how the decision was made.”
“Yes. Sorry, but I need to complete a report. That’s one of the questions that will come up.”
Jake replayed the scene in his mind. He remembered the moment when he understood that there wasn’t enough oxygen to allow everyone to survive. And that it would come down to the two captains. One or the other. And with the impact had come the numbing reality that it had to be done quickly. There’d been no time to waste. “Joshua said he had an idea,” he told Patricia. “That maybe we could still keep everyone alive. He said he was going down to the cargo bay, and I should meet him there ten minutes later.”
The look in her eyes wasn’t even skeptical. She knew he’d understood what Joshua intended to do.
“Okay,” she said. “And then what happened?”
“A little while later, maybe ten minutes, we got a call from Shahlah. She’s the daughter of the guy who sponsored the awards. She had no way of knowing what Joshua was going to do. She was worried, so she went down to the cargo bay. But he’d already drained the air, and she couldn’t get the hatch open.”
“Okay.”
“By the time we were able to get to him, he was dead.”
Neither of them moved. At last, Jake asked if she needed anything else.
“No.” She managed a weak smile. “We’ll want you to complete a written report for us by the end of the day.”
“All right.” He got to his feet.
“So we’re clear, nobody’s blaming you for what happened.”
He nodded. Said nothing.
“One other thing, Jake. Talios.”
“Yes?”
“Forget it, okay? We’ve recovered Simmons’s body. And the official story will be that you found the lander adrift. That’s it. Decisions will be made at a higher level. Okay?”
“Sure. Whatever you want.”
“Look, Jake, this has been a stressful experience for you. Why don’t you take some time off? I’ll fix it so it doesn’t cost you anything. But you’ve been through a lot.”
“No,” he said. “I’m fine, Patricia. But thanks. I appreciate the offer.”
“All right. Have it your own way. Let me know if you change your mind.” She got up. “How about Hutchins?”
Jake got to his feet. “I’ve already filed my report on the qualification flight. It was cut short, but Priscilla passed easily. She’s good. She knows what she’s doing. In case you’re asking a different question: During the emergency, she did everything we could have asked of her.”
“Okay. I’m glad to hear it. Thanks, Jake.”
* * *
LIBRARY ENTRY
Why would we shed tears that death is inevitable? For if life has been good, and filled with joy, and if all these happy memories have passed through our mind, leaving an awareness of constant good fortune, why then would we not, like a welcomed guest, rise cheerfully when our time has come, and with a sense of gratitude go quietly to our rest?