Teddy said, “if Watney really is alive, we don’t want the Ares 3 crew to know.”
“What!?” Annie said. “How can you not tell them?”
“They have another ten months on their trip home,” Teddy explained. “Space travel is dangerous. They need to be alert and undistracted. They’re sad that they lost a crewmate, but they’d be devastated if they found out they’d abandoned him alive.”
Annie looked to Venkat. “You’re on board with this?”
“It’s a no-brainer,” Venkat said. “Let ’em deal with that emotional trauma when they’re not flying a spaceship around.”
“This’ll be the most talked-about event since Apollo 11,” Annie said. “How will you keep it from them?”
Teddy shrugged. “Easy. We control all communication with them.”
“Fuck,” Annie said, opening her laptop. “When do you want to go public?”
“What’s your take?” he asked.
“Mmm,” Annie said. “We can hold the pics for twenty-four hours before we’re required to release them. We’ll need to send out a statement along with them. We don’t want people working it out on their own. We’d look like assholes.”
“Okay,” Teddy agreed, “put together a statement.”
“That’ll be fun,” she grumbled.
“Where do we go from here?” Teddy asked Venkat.
“Step one is communication,” Venkat said. “From the pics, it’s clear the comm array is ruined. We need another way to talk. Once we can talk, we can assess and make plans.”
“All right,” Teddy said. “Get on it. Take anyone you want from any department. Use as much overtime as you want. Find a way to talk to him. That’s your only job right now.”
“Got it.”
“Annie, make sure nobody gets wind of this till we announce.”
“Right,” Annie said. “Who else knows?”
“Just the three of us and Mindy Park in SatCon,” Venkat said.
“I’ll have a word with her,” Annie said.
Teddy stood and opened his cell phone. “I’m going to Chicago. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Why?” Annie asked.
“That’s where Watney’s parents live,” Teddy said. “I owe them a personal explanation before it breaks on the news.”
“They’ll be happy to hear their son’s alive,” Annie said.
“Yes, he’s alive,” Teddy said. “But if my math is right, he’s doomed to starve to death before we can possibly help him. I’m not looking forward to the conversation.”
“Fuck,” Annie said, thoughtfully.
•••
“NOTHING? Nothing at all?” Venkat groaned. “Are you kidding me? You had twenty experts working for twelve hours on this. We have a multibillion-dollar communications network. You can’t figure out
any
way to talk to him?”
The two men in Venkat’s office fidgeted in their chairs.
“He’s got no radio,” said Chuck.
“Actually,” said Morris, “he’s got a radio, but he doesn’t have a dish.”
“Thing is,” Chuck continued, “without the dish, a signal would have to be really strong—”
“Like, melting-the-pigeons strong,” Morris supplied.
“—for him to get it,” Chuck finished.
“We considered Martian satellites,” Morris said. “They’re way closer. But the math doesn’t work out. Even SuperSurveyor 3, which has the strongest transmitter, would need to be fourteen times more powerful—”
“Seventeen times,” Chuck said.
“Fourteen times,” Morris asserted.
“No, it’s seventeen. You forgot the amperage minimum for the heaters to keep the—”
“Guys,” Venkat interrupted, “I get the idea.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry if I’m grumpy,” Venkat said. “I got like two hours sleep last night.”
“No problem,” Morris said.
“Totally understandable,” Chuck said.
“Okay,” Venkat said. “Explain to me how a single windstorm removed our ability to talk to Ares 3.”
“Failure of imagination,” Chuck said.
“Totally didn’t see it coming,” Morris agreed.
“How many backup communications systems does an Ares mission have?”
“What!?” Annie said. “How can you not tell them?”
“They have another ten months on their trip home,” Teddy explained. “Space travel is dangerous. They need to be alert and undistracted. They’re sad that they lost a crewmate, but they’d be devastated if they found out they’d abandoned him alive.”
Annie looked to Venkat. “You’re on board with this?”
“It’s a no-brainer,” Venkat said. “Let ’em deal with that emotional trauma when they’re not flying a spaceship around.”
“This’ll be the most talked-about event since Apollo 11,” Annie said. “How will you keep it from them?”
Teddy shrugged. “Easy. We control all communication with them.”
“Fuck,” Annie said, opening her laptop. “When do you want to go public?”
“What’s your take?” he asked.
“Mmm,” Annie said. “We can hold the pics for twenty-four hours before we’re required to release them. We’ll need to send out a statement along with them. We don’t want people working it out on their own. We’d look like assholes.”
“Okay,” Teddy agreed, “put together a statement.”
“That’ll be fun,” she grumbled.
“Where do we go from here?” Teddy asked Venkat.
“Step one is communication,” Venkat said. “From the pics, it’s clear the comm array is ruined. We need another way to talk. Once we can talk, we can assess and make plans.”
“All right,” Teddy said. “Get on it. Take anyone you want from any department. Use as much overtime as you want. Find a way to talk to him. That’s your only job right now.”
“Got it.”
“Annie, make sure nobody gets wind of this till we announce.”
“Right,” Annie said. “Who else knows?”
“Just the three of us and Mindy Park in SatCon,” Venkat said.
“I’ll have a word with her,” Annie said.
Teddy stood and opened his cell phone. “I’m going to Chicago. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Why?” Annie asked.
“That’s where Watney’s parents live,” Teddy said. “I owe them a personal explanation before it breaks on the news.”
“They’ll be happy to hear their son’s alive,” Annie said.
“Yes, he’s alive,” Teddy said. “But if my math is right, he’s doomed to starve to death before we can possibly help him. I’m not looking forward to the conversation.”
“Fuck,” Annie said, thoughtfully.
•••
“NOTHING? Nothing at all?” Venkat groaned. “Are you kidding me? You had twenty experts working for twelve hours on this. We have a multibillion-dollar communications network. You can’t figure out
any
way to talk to him?”
The two men in Venkat’s office fidgeted in their chairs.
“He’s got no radio,” said Chuck.
“Actually,” said Morris, “he’s got a radio, but he doesn’t have a dish.”
“Thing is,” Chuck continued, “without the dish, a signal would have to be really strong—”
“Like, melting-the-pigeons strong,” Morris supplied.
“—for him to get it,” Chuck finished.
“We considered Martian satellites,” Morris said. “They’re way closer. But the math doesn’t work out. Even SuperSurveyor 3, which has the strongest transmitter, would need to be fourteen times more powerful—”
“Seventeen times,” Chuck said.
“Fourteen times,” Morris asserted.
“No, it’s seventeen. You forgot the amperage minimum for the heaters to keep the—”
“Guys,” Venkat interrupted, “I get the idea.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry if I’m grumpy,” Venkat said. “I got like two hours sleep last night.”
“No problem,” Morris said.
“Totally understandable,” Chuck said.
“Okay,” Venkat said. “Explain to me how a single windstorm removed our ability to talk to Ares 3.”
“Failure of imagination,” Chuck said.
“Totally didn’t see it coming,” Morris agreed.
“How many backup communications systems does an Ares mission have?”
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