Chapter 7
Teric had visited the new Complex on SatSix quite a few times during its construction phase. This was the first time she had seen it fully operational. Gorsh had seen video of it and knew it inside and out before he set foot in it because he had been involved and consulted in nearly every aspect of its design. This was, however, quite different; actually being in the completed structure for the first time.
When they arrived they took an inspection tour. The complex was a marvel of the latest in structural, medical and quarantine technology. Even though both of them were completely familiar with it ‘on paper’ (as engineers still liked to say) to walk through it was a rare treat in novelty. They felt somehow like young newlyweds that knew their dream house was being built, but it wasn’t entirely real to them until now.
After the tour they settled into their rooms. It was understood that Teric was in charge of the entire project and Gorsh was head of the medical research teams. Therefore having private quarter next to one another was planned for maximum efficiency in communication between the two most important people on staff. To their amusement, there was also a door with a lock that separated their adjoining rooms. When they had settled in they opened this door and left it open.
After breakfast the next morning they observed final testing of the equipment in all sections of the complex. They were done by dinnertime. After a quick meal in the galley they went to their first meeting with leader and representative of the infected SatEleven people.
They had heard of Kittamm and he them. Neither had pictures or video of the others; only a short, formal, official bio sheet.
The meeting was held in the third section of the complex; where a form of sealed interaction could occur. The ceiling, floor and three of the room’s walls were a grayish-white in which the entire complex was decorated. The fourth wall was a transparent sheet of high-density polycarbon. Teric, Gorsh and five other staff members seated themselves around what appeared to be a circular table that was cut in half by the transparent wall. On the other side of the wall the table continued its circle making the contaminated side of the room look like a mirror image.
Kittamm, Feyhoth and five other members of their group soon entered into the mirror image room and sat at the table. Formal introductions were made.
Immediately after which, Kittamm said, “Please allow me to thank you and your people for being so generous and benevolent. My people are suffering greatly and if you didn’t help us we would all surely perish. At first, I feared you wouldn’t help us because of our different beliefs.”
Teric replied, “The communications that you sent and the fact that you allowed yourself to be brought here led me to think you had renounced your irrational beliefs. If this is true, then how are our thoughts different?”
“No, no, Administrator Jonsen. You misunderstand. Or, perhaps I did not make myself clearly understood. I refer to our beliefs in the past. The way we used to think.”
This time Gorsh gave an amused grin and interjected, “Before the virus.”
“Yes, Doctor Dakjium, that is true,” Kittamm smiled graciously and briefly bowed his head toward Gorsh; “The Sickness has changed many things for us.”
Teric made a mental note to tell Gorsh not to antagonize this man in the future and brought the conversation back to productive terms, “I assume you have settled in. I want you to look over the testing schedule and have your people organized and ready. If there is anything you require that you do not have, please, contact the appropriate member of my staff. Do you have any questions? No? Good. Thank you for your time Mr. Kittamm. We will see you tomorrow morning. You are excused.”
Kittamm sat motionless for a moment looking like he was about to speak. He was very annoyed with Administrator Teric Jonsen. All his life he was used to dealing with people by mezmerizingly talking to them. Slowly, surely and carefully prying them open like shellfish to scoop out or leave implanted whatever he wanted. “This person, a female leader no less!” he thought to himself, gave him no opportunity to speak on any other subject than the task at hand. He considered, for this brief moment, to attempt to continue the conversation. Then, thought more wisely of it, merely bowed and smiled without another word, got up and left. His people followed him likewise.
After they left Teric asked her key staff members if there was any other business to be discussed. Everyone clearly wanted everything to go perfectly smooth from day one. Among many small, trivial problems and questions that Teric easily and immediately solved or delegated, there was a puzzling minor oddity.
Maintenance Crew Forman Mita Wilens said, “It seems as if there are some missing supplies: some clothing, food, a little water. Nothing serious, no medical equipment. It might just be a glitch in the records. Or that the wrong numbers got loaded in during supply delivery or stocktaking. Either way, I like to run a tight ship and I’ll straighten it out. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of it if you were going through the logs.”
Teric replied, “Thanks, Mita. I’m sure you’ll run it down. Anybody else run across any info relevant to this issue pass it along to Mita and myself. Anything else? Good.”
She paused briefly as people where making their final notes, then spoke again.
“Tomorrow’s the first day of testing. I know everyone may be a little nervous or anxious. But we have done our jobs effectively. So don’t stay up all damn night retesting your equipment, worry about our ability to cure these people or just being impatient to get started. Get a good night’s sleep and we’ll get the best possible start in the morning. Thank you all for your time. Have a good evening. Meeting adjourned.”
They all filed out with a friendly word or two to Teric and Gorsh who remained seated at the table. In a few moments they were alone.
She looked through the transparent wall at the seat that Kittamm used a short time ago, “I don’t trust that one at all.”
Gorsh laughed, “Being the Administrator, you should be on your guard. And he hasn’t had a chance yet to earn your trust. But, Teric! I mean, really, he’s just a harmless little man that imagines himself to be the great and noble leader of his primitive tribe. I know it was unprofessional to insult him the way I did. But you offended him even worse.”
“Me? How?”
“As I said, he considers himself to be a very important person. You treated him like just one more patient in the busy schedule of a doctor’s daily rounds.” Teric opened her mouth to speak, to defend herself. Gorsh held up his hands in a surrendering manner and continued, “I know, darling. That’s all he is in reality. But just like I shouldn’t have insulted him, you shouldn’t either. In any way. He is respected by his people, if not by us. And that makes him very useful to us in getting them to cooperate with us. In the long run, things will run much more smoothly and productively.”
Teric considered this for a moment, “All right. That may prove to be true. But, still, after this first impression, I don’t trust him.”
“Fair enough. What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing yet. But, if it become necessary … have you familiarized yourself with the security device.”
“Read about it in some of the confidential briefs.”
“I’m the only one with access to it and I’m the only one that is supposed to know the code to activate it. But I think it would be wise if you knew these things as well.”
“That could be a wise precaution. But just how much trouble can Kittamm cause? Here we are on the top of an airless mountain, miles from the nearest habitation. What’s he going to do? Where’s he going to go if he manages to escape?”
“If I knew what he was thinking, or what he might do, I wouldn’t need that thing.”
The thing she referred to was the complex’s master remote security device. It was designed to enforce a complete lockdown. The complex had regular safety measures built in: locks and seals on doors that connected the sections to one another and to the outside perimeter walls and ship docking ports. The device Teric had could with one brief code (known only to her) override every door, lock and seal in the place. And more than that: once activated it could divert all computer control of the complex to the device. It was the ultimate failsafe.
Gorsh said, “Teric, I’m following your thoughts on this and it makes sense. But, the original plan was for only you to have access to it.”
“And hopefully even I won’t ever have to use it. If that’s what it comes to, I will be the one to assume control. I just want you to learn how to use it in case of an emergency. The thing is supposed be a backup plan after all. I’m just planning for you to be my backup.”
Gorsh replied, “All right. When I have a few minutes I’ll familiarize myself with its operation. Where is it stored?”
“In my quarters, in a hidden compartment, in the wall by the door.”
She gave him the code to open the compartment. She also gave him the code to activate the security device and briefly told him how it worked. All of it was information that no one, except she, was supposed to know.