The Magic Wakes (5 page)

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” She grabbed the pass, and bolted for the security gate. She didn’t stop until she reached Cahal’s office.

The open door revealed books and file boxes forming a high wall around his desk. Cahal jumped when she said hello and knocked over some books as he turned toward the door. He beckoned her to come in as he stooped to pick up the mess.

“Sorry, Mr. Cahal, I didn’t want to interrupt you, but I don’t know where my office is.” Talia bent to help.

“Don’t worry about it. You look much better than when I left you an hour ago.” He nodded his head as if she passed inspection.

“I just needed to eat. The apartment is great.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re glad you’re finally here.” He waved to a chair under a pile of papers and books. “I didn’t expect you in here until tomorrow. Are you sure you don’t want to take it easy and get settled before you start working?”

“I’m fine and would prefer to get started with my work.”

“If you insist. How about a tour as we head to your office?” Cahal rose from his desk and they stepped into the hall.

“Thanks. When do we meet with the Royalists?” Talia asked as they rode the elevator down to the basement.

“They have men scattered around the building now, but you have three days before your presentation.”

The door opened and they stepped into an entryway leading to a large glass door with lockers on either side.

“Here’s the clean room and workshop. I believe your satellite arrived a few hours ago.”

Talia covered her shoes and put on a lab coat before stepping through the air filter and into a room filled with rows of computers. The large warehouse contained several other work areas as well.

Talia counted the boxes. She pried one open and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. It appeared to have made the trip without any damage.

“I promise not to neglect the moon project by working in here too often,” she said.

“I’m not worried about you neglecting your work. You have the best record I’ve ever seen for completing projects on time. Let me show you your office.”

Talia dragged herself away from the satellite and followed Cahal back to the doors.

“What kind of time line do the Royalists expect on the simulations?” She hung the lab coat up and put the slippers in the bin.

“They’re military, who knows what they understand beyond guns and bombs and threats of treason around every corner.” Cahal shrugged and smiled.

Talia wasn’t sure if he was serious, joking, or evading the question. “Other than the transport leak, I’m not clear on what they want from us,” she said. “Are they serious about funding a colony project?”

“They say they want to know which moon would be best for settlement and how we can make that happen.”

“They should know the answer to both of those questions,” Talia said, shaking her head.

As Cahal pointed out offices and labs, Talia was glad the Royalists were finally thinking outward. With their backing, the SEF would have the funds to put their colonization theories to the test. Once they had settled close to home it would be easier to expand outward to the stars. Or at least that’s what she hoped.

“I think they’re more interested in your Space Life Search program,” Cahal said. “You and your team have looked farther into space than anyone else. Colonel Rankin is interested in improving his men’s communications technology.”

“I see,” she said coolly.

The thought of her satellite in the hands of the military made her cringe. She had built it to search the galaxy, not to spy on the few pockets of civilization outside the Algodova Empire.

Cahal led Talia down another hall to her office. It was small, with just enough room for one person to walk around the furniture, and a large window looking out onto a courtyard. This was the first window Talia had seen during the tour. She smiled at the gesture.

The fading afternoon light made the room feel warmer and appear larger than it was. A desk and chair faced the window; three filing cabinets lined the back wall and two worn leather chairs faced the desk. The wall with the doorway was floor to ceiling plexi-glass looking into the hall.

“Everything you need to know about the moons is easily accessed through your computer; the cabinets contain oversized maps, rocks, and soil samples from each moon.” Cahal pushed a button in the bottom left corner of the desk. A computer terminal opened up.

“Thank you, sir.”

Talia opened the top drawer of one of the filing cabinets and glanced at the contents. She pulled out a file attached to a dense black rock. The file contained the chemical analysis of Atreus.

With a look of concern, Cahlil said, “Don’t stay too late. You’ll need time to prepare for the presentation.” He turned and walked out.

She felt the same raised lines on the side of her neck. Those would be harder to hide. A scarf would do the trick, but better if she could heal it.

Talia reached out for the suns. They were close. Maybe another fifteen minutes until they rose. It was worth the risk. Keeta watched her from the foot of the bed with his head cocked to the side.

“I have to try,” she told him, before dressing quickly and rushing out the door.

The morning was cool, with no breeze on the roof. Talia walked through the planters full of flowers, inhaling their scents. The scent of dirt and damp leaves was one of her favorite smells. She reached out and touched a drooping blue flower. A puff of energy zinged her fingers. The flower perked up. It was Dichelostemma. White tipped bell-like petals, deep yellow stamen, and a smell like honey.

With a tug in the pit of her stomach, she hurried toward the end of the garden and the building edge. Her fingers tingled. It was time.

“Can I help you?”

Talia jumped and spun around. A man lay in a lounge chair to her left. How had she missed him?

“Sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here.”

“You must be new. I’m Kendel, thirty-fifth floor.” He stood and held out his hand.

A twinge ran through Talia. The first sun was up and reaching out for her. She couldn’t see it, but it called to her.

The man’s hand hung in the air. Talia hugged herself tight as she resisted the power of the second sun clearing the horizon. Her breathing grew shallow.

“Are you all right?” The man moved closer.

“Yes, sorry.” Talia fled. She bumped into a planter on the way out. Pain shot through her thigh. She limped down the stairs until she could get to the elevator.

What was I thinking? What if he had seen me drink the sunsrise?

Talia returned to her bed where Keeta waited. She curled up on the blanket and let him lick the blood off her neck. The stinging lessened with each touch of his tongue.

Perfectly proportioned, built of lean muscles, Major Sutton’s eyes roamed over Talia and then returned to her face. His eyebrows arched upward and a small smile teased the corner of his mouth, almost a sneer.

Once again, an uneasy sensation hit her. It seemed that not only could he read her like a book, but he disliked what he saw.

“Prodigy, you say?” That knowing smile never faded.

Talia wanted to remove that sneer, and it surprised her. Normally she could remain emotionally distant when necessary, but in a few short moments, Major Landry Sutton had managed to unbalance her. Why?

Something in his demeanor frightened Talia, and her hand squeezed the necklace that she had been holding. She dropped her hand to her side.

“Oh, yes, she’s been with the Foundation since her teens and solved more problems than most of us have in our entire careers. Many of us follow her research and progress like proud parents.” Cahal beamed at Talia, unaware of her discomfort.

Talia tried to cool her irrational agitation with the Major.

“I’ve heard she raises more problems than she solves.” He smirked.

Talia bristled. “Some say I have a talent for recognizing what others miss. Anyone with a working mind should see that more problems for discussion are a good thing.”

She threw her best smile in his direction while thinking dark thoughts about ignorant people. The Major’s eyes widened and a broad grin lit his face.

“I don’t give a damn about your problems. Let’s get to my problems,” Colonel Rankin interrupted. His face and balding head turned pink under the sheen of sweat. “I need to know if you’re qualified to resolve my questions. Is it feasible to settle on the moons?”

“Colonel, let me assure you, Miss Zaryn is more than qualified.” Cahal turned a little pink himself and waved her toward the front of the room.

She went to the head of the table.

“Lights fifty percent.” The lights dimmed as Talia turned on the display wall behind her. “I’ve worked up simulations for colonizing Sendek’s three moons, Atreus, Cadmus, and Daedalus. It’s possible to colonize two of the three. Briefly, here are the hurdles that we must overcome.

“First, we need rockets powerful enough to escape Sendek’s gravity. This is not a problem.” The screen showed a simulation of rockets launching supplies and shuttles into orbit. Talia paused a moment until the scene finished.

“Choosing a landing site is another important factor to consider. Every file contains detailed high-resolution images from the surface of each moon to help with this task.”

She displayed several black and white images on the screen.

The Colonel peered at Talia over old fashioned eye-glasses that had appeared out of nowhere. “These pictures look blurry, and one smudge looks like all the others to me. How can you be sure you’re landing safely?”

“Our lunar reconnaissance satellite is equipped with a laser altimeter that provides
3-D
maps of the surface. It enables us to choose a flat area for the lander. The satellite will be deployed once the shuttles are in orbit around the moon.”

Talia appreciated hearing the Colonel ask semi-intelligent questions, since the Major’s intense stare continued to make her uneasy.

“Wouldn’t it save time to send the satellites now so you can choose the landing site before leaving Sendek?” Major Sutton’s voice contained a small touch of teasing.

“Yes, it would. Are the Royalists offering to fund a launch?” Talia kept her voice calm and even.

“Not at this moment,” the Colonel interrupted. “Let’s move on to the lander itself.”

“Yes, sir. The lander must be maneuverable and capable of housing the crew for as long as it takes to set up long-term habitats.”

Talia typed on the computer console and the moon lander filled the display wall.

“Here are the lander design schematics and renderings. I have forwarded all of these files to your research team.”

“Very good, we can move on then.” The Colonel waved absently in her direction, and Talia wondered how closely he was listening.

She continued. “Let’s talk about habitat design. Our current module will work for all three simulations.”

The screen changed to show a three dimensional model of the inflatable habitat. It inflated as Talia talked about the process.

“It will take several hours for the Kevlar to inflate around the central core, but once inflated it will be fully functional. As you can see, it will be a simple matter to connect other pods to the first one, increasing working and living area over time as needed.”

“It’s a balloon? Won’t it rip?” The Colonel looked skeptical.

“We have one of the habitats set up in the warehouse. Would you care to see it?”

The Major stood. The Colonel put the glasses into his shirt pocket and slowly raised himself from his chair.

“It will be the best way to show you how sturdy Kevlar is, sir.” Talia turned off the wall screen and headed for the door.

Following her, the group walked in silence to B Warehouse. Once inside, they headed for the habitat that had been set up on a patch of sand and rock. Talia stopped in front of the main hatch.

“As you can see, the habitat is fairly large. This model will house ten crew members. In a moment we will go inside; but for now, Colonel, feel free to touch the sides.”

The Colonel and Major ran their hands over the smooth surface. The Major poked and pushed at it but the Colonel seemed disinterested.

Talia shook off irritation at their hot and cold approach to her presentation and said, “Kevlar is light, takes up little room when deflated and stored, reducing the cost of putting it in space, and yet when fully inflated it is rigid, as you can see, and stronger than aluminum. For added protection, you can cover the habitat with regolith. Around back we have a simulation of how that would look. Would you like to see?”