Saturn Run by Stanley Salmons

Author:Stanley Salmons [Salmons, Stanley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-08T22:00:00+00:00

31

As part of his package, the probationary sentence Dan had been given for his involvement in the Rostov business was considered served. It was a technicality – he had no intention of reoffending – but it felt good just the same. His debts were paid off, so Virgilius’s enforcers would no longer be pursuing him. He was also assigned temporary accommodation in the SpaceFreight headquarters building, where they had some guest rooms. This was a huge benefit: the headquarters building was secure, so he was safe here from the attentions of Rostov’s gang. He recognized it was not pure largesse on the company’s part; if he was living on site he would be able to put in more hours every day making the preparations before final loading started in orbit. But even if that was their motivation it didn’t matter to him. He was so happy to have the challenge of using his professional skills once more that he positively welcomed the prospect of long hours. He buried himself in the work.

He spent most of his time in the Mission Overview Office. This was a large, plain room, the floor covered with a grey cushioned composite. Both of the longer walls were occupied entirely by touch screens. One carried the project management chart for the entire mission. The other called up information needed for immediate reference. There was a desk at one end, coffee-making equipment in a corner, and a long table, on which he spread large-scale plans, lists and schedules. The key ones were printed on smart paper, and would update together with the screens whenever Dan or another authorized member of the Mission Planning Team made or altered an entry in the secure databank. He preferred this way of working; it gave him a broader view of the project’s progress and he could always use the screens to bring up any detail he needed.

From time to time he’d sit back and his eyes would rove to the communicator on the desk. It was on an internal network, so it would be much easier to contact Neraya from here than from the outside world. In a manner of speaking he’d been legitimized by these recent developments, so he should no longer be an embarrassment to her. All the same he felt a resistance, a kind of ill-defined threshold he’d have to surmount before he could take that crucial step. After a few days a small surge of resolve made him get up and go over to the desk. He sat down and reached for the communicator but his hand shrank back at the last moment. He closed his eyes and his chin dropped to his chest. His body was suffused with a deep ache. He’d been low when she’d visited him in prison but he’d sunk a lot lower since then. Even if she was prepared to see him it would be some time before he had the confidence and self-esteem to face her.

*

There was one thing he did promise himself he’d do: he requested an advance of salary and took it round to Ralph.

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