Descent 1] Descent by Peter Telep

Author:Peter Telep [Telep, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

15

Containment Problems

Not a particularly religious man, Samuel Dravis yearned for three things on his side of the solar system that, if acquired, would make him fall to his knees and thank all gods: a fiscal budget that included a 30 percent raise for him, a week without a single crisis to manage, and a private chef with the talent and desire to cook what he ordered to perfection.

As he sat in his office and looked at the budget that didn’t include his raise, listened to Ms. Bartonovich report to him on the status of the MN0012 situation, and chewed on a poor excuse for homemade ravioli with pesto sauce, he knew he would not be getting to his knees this day. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, then clicked off the data slate. The budget figures faded.

“So, do you want to see him now, sir? Or when you’re finished?” Ms. Bartonovich asked.

“My apologies,” he told her. “You’ve been making your report, and my mind has been elsewhere.”

Her eyes lit in surprise. “Where, exactly?”

“I’ve been thinking about what makes me happy.” He glanced at his plate. “There has to be something more out there than ill-prepared food.”

“Take a vacation. Maybe you’ll find it.”

And that raised a smile. “Your advice and timing are most ironic. Most ironic, indeed. Drones at our flagship operation have been contaminated by a virus, and you want me to jet off on holiday?”

She narrowed her gaze as a lioness does when hunting her prey. “The moon is mine. I can handle it. But I guess you’re right. I need help addressing the problems with the other mines.”

He reached for his drink, brought the glass toward his lips, then froze. “What did you say?”

“I guess I’ll explain it all again.” She glanced at her own data slate. “Supervisors on Venus Orbital Station McQuarrie report several mechs have contracted the virus. They’ve managed to contain them for study. We’ve lost contact with the Mercury Solar Research Mine, but that could be due to flare activity. Mars Processing Station Eta Sigma reports limited outbreaks of the virus. Ms. Sargena’s office confirms that containment is in progress. Material Defenders of my hire are en route to all three operations. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the IPC is demanding that President Suzuki make a statement. They’ve already reported that we’ve refused to comment on these new mining problems.”

“They haven’t given us a chance,” Dravis said, fighting to contain himself. He did not want his blood pressure to rise; perhaps that would be inevitable. “Did they use the word problems in their report.”

She winced and nodded.

Unnerved, he unconsciously forked another piece of ravioli into his mouth, then realized what he had done. His wince matched hers. He rose, moved around his black-marble desk, and went to the ladder of the floor-to-ceiling bookcase running the length of the office’s north wall. He paused there, gripping a bronze rung, staring through dozens of rare and expensive titles. “Set up another meeting with Suzuki.

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