Saturn

“It won’t go against me.”

“How can you be sure?”

“The rally tonight. I’ll win them over. I’ll split Timoshenko’s supporters away from Urbain’s.”

“How?”

“You’ll see.”

Despite the fear that constantly gnawed at her, Holly was almost enjoying her exile. It’s like camping out, she thought. Not that she could remember camping out from her first life, back on Earth. Yet she felt strangely free, unattached to anyone or any duties except what she felt like doing. There were plenty of unoccupied areas up topside in the habitat, she knew; two whole villages had been set aside for population growth. And when she got tired of prowling through the tu

As far as she could tell, no one was watching her, no one was tracking her. She had made that one call to Kris from the cafeteria’s storeroom, and sure enough, a squad of Kananga’s security goons had converged on the wall phone within minutes. Holly had watched them from the nearly shut trapdoor in the storeroom’s rear. Flatlanders, she thought. They haven’t tumbled to the idea that somebody could live beneath the ground, in the tu

But always the realization that Kananga had murdered Don Diego stuck in her memory like a cold knife. And Malcolm’s in on it, somehow. How and why she didn’t know, but she knew she couldn’t trust Malcolm or anyone else. Well, you can trust Kris, she thought. But that would bring trouble down on Kris’s head. They murdered Don Diego and Kananga tried to kill me. Would they try to murder Kris if they thought she was helping me? Flaming yes, she decided swiftly.

As the days spun along, though, Holly realized she was accomplishing nothing. Kay, it’s fun hiding out in the tu

You’ve got to find some way to nail them, she kept thinking. Kananga and fat Morgenthau and the little snake Vyborg. Yes, and Malcolm, too. But how? You can’t do it by yourself. You need somebody … but who?

At last it came to her. Of course! Professor Wilmot. He’s in charge of everything. At least, until the election is over. Once I tell him what it’s all about, he’ll know what to do.

Jeeps! she realized. The election’s tomorrow! I’ve got to visit the professor tonight.

PLANNING SESSION

Gaeta sat flanked by Kris Cardenas on one side and Fritz von Helmholtz on the other. Berkowitz sat on Fritz’s left. Nadia Wunderly stood before them, waving a laser pointer in one hand. We should’ve worn safety glasses, Gaeta thought. She’s go

Wunderly was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Here’s the real-time position of the iceball,” she said, pointing at the computer display with the laser. “Right on track for capture.”

Gaeta saw Saturn floating lazily in the dark infinity of space, its rings bright and splendid. A greenish oval marked the habitat’s current position, heading toward an orbit outside the rings. The tiny red dot of the laser pointer was on a speck of light that was farther from the planet than their own habitat.

“And here’s what’s going to happen over the next four days,” Wunderly said.

They saw the habitat moving slowly into orbit, as pla

“Here we go,” Wunderly said breathlessly.

The iceball entered the wide, bright B ring from the top, popped through to the other side, circled behind Saturn’s massive bulk once more. When it reappeared it was noticeably slower. Gaeta saw it settle into the B ring almost like a duck landing gently on a pond.

“And that’s it,” Wunderly said, freezing the image. “Saturn acquires a new moon smack in the middle of the B ring. Nobody’s ever seen anything like this before.”

Berkowitz breathed an awed, “Wow. Every network will carry the capture event.” Leaning past Fritz slightly, he said to Gaeta, “What a terrific setup for your gig!”

Gaeta gri

“How will it affect the rings?” Cardenas asked.

Wunderly shrugged. “It’s too small to have any major effect. It’s only eight klicks across. Tiny, really.”

“But it will jostle the particles that are already in the ring, will it not?” asked Fritz.

She nodded. “Ay-yup, but it won’t affect the ring dynamics much. No changes in the Cassini division or anything like that. I’ve done the sims, the only strong effects will be very local.”

“So that’s where we want to be when it happens,” said Gaeta.

“No!” Wunderly and Cardenas said in unison.

“It’s too dangerous,” Cardenas added.

“I agree,” Wunderly said. “You should wait a day or two, give everything a chance to settle down.”

“Won’t hurt to wait a little,” Berkowitz agreed. “But not more than a day or two. We want to go while people are still focused on Saturn and the rings.”

Gaeta looked at Fritz, who was intently studying the three-dimensional image hanging before them.

“What do you think, Fritz?”

“It would be dangerous, but I think within our capabilities. The suit should hold up sufficiently. And it would give us spectacular foot-age.”

Wunderly said, “I don’t think—”

“Wouldn’t it be a help to you,” Gaeta interrupted her, “to get realtime footage of the capture from inside the ring itself?”

“I can do that with a few remotes,” she said. “You don’t have to risk your neck for the sake of science.”

“Still…”

“No, Ma

Fritz agreed with a glum, “I suppose they are right.”

“You really want to wait?” Gaeta asked his chief technician.

“No sense destroying the suit.”

Gaeta gri

“Will that be time enough for the ring to settle down?” Cardenas asked.

Wunderly said, “Two days would be safer.”

“One day would be better,” said Berkowitz, “publicity-wise.”

“The next day,” Gaeta said, thinking, I can’t let Kris run this stunt. I can’t let her worries control my work.

“The next day, then,” Cardenas agreed reluctantly. She got up from her chair. “I’m going to the big rally. Anybody else want to see the fireworks?”

“I’ve got too much work to do,” said Wunderly.

Gaeta stayed in his seat as he said gently, “Nadia, if you’re finished with the pointer, would you mind turning it off?”

Only after she did so did Gaeta get up and head for the door with Cardenas.

Gaeta walked with Cardenas up the village street.

“Are you sure you’re not taking too big a chance by going the day after the new moon’s captured?” she asked.

He saw the concern on her face. “Kris, I don’t take risks I can’t handle.”

“That’s how you broke your nose.”

“The ice sled hit a rock and I banged my beak on the helmet faceplate,” he said, with a grin. “Could’ve happened in my bathroom, for God’s sake.”

“Your bathroom is on Mars?”

His grin faded. “You know what I mean.”

“And you know what I mean,” she replied, utterly serious.

“I’ll be okay, Kris. I’ll be fine. Fritz won’t let me take chances with the suit.”