Dan found Fabio Bianco waiting for him in the command module. The old scientist looked as shriveled as a dried pepper as he hung in a micro-gee crouch outside the door to Dan’s office. He smoothed his hairnet over his wispy tonsure.
“May I have a word with you, Commander?”
“I was hoping for the same with you.”
“I suppose we have an even exchange,” said Bianco.
Dan anchored himself in front of the communications console, realizing even as his feet slipped into the loops that the desire to attach himself to something solid was becoming a habit. He wondered what the psych-types on the ground would think.
“Okay, Professor, who should begin?” he said.
“I defer to you,” said Bianco. “In this realm, you outrank me.”
Dan grunted in cautious agreement. “You probably gathered that I am holding Hugh O’Donnell under suspicion of murdering Aaron Weiss.”
“I had assumed as much.”
“I also suspect that O’Donnell’s work was the reason. That is, Weiss wanted to investigate it and O’Donnell wouldn’t let him.” Dan paused to gauge Bianco’s reaction to his words. He saw nothing. The old man was as blank-faced as a Mafia don in front of a Senate investigating committee.
Tighe continued, “No one seems to know exactly what he’s doing here: not me, not Dr. Renoir, not the American scientists, not the ground. Do you know?”
“I regret that I do not.”
“You’re the Trikon CEO and you don’t know what O’Donnell’s doing here?”
“I am CEO, not Il Duce,” said Bianco. “There are things that pass under even this nose.”
“I suspect he is working on an experiment to test how people in orbit react to certain drugs.”
“Trikon is conducting no such work,” said Bianco. “That I can say with confidence.”
“I didn’t say Trikon, Professor.”
Bianco shrugged. “I am very saddened about Mr. Weiss. He was a good man. Had you ever seen him on television?”
“A long time ago,” said Dan, sensing that Bianco had dug in his heels.
“He struck me as someone who could be very diligent in his pursuit of the truth, though not always well advised in his actions. He was learning something up here. I could see it in his eyes when we spoke. They started out as laughing eyes, as if nothing we did here could impress him. But he was impressed, Commander. He was in awe of our work.”
Dan mumbled noncommittally.
“You do not seem overly concerned with our work here, Commander Tighe.”
“I didn’t sign on to conduct experiments, Professor.”
“What did you sign on for?”
“Uh-uh, Professor. You’re not going to get me to say that this is the last frontier. The last perfect environment where man still can dream and all that crap.”
“Isn’t it?”
“It is and it isn’t.”
“I agree with you, Commander. Our work is what it is and Aaron Weiss’s untimely end is what it isn’t.” Bianco smiled. “I did not come here to trade philosophies with you. There is concern among our coordinating scientists. I told them I would request a meeting with you.”
“Is that why you wanted to see me?”
Bianco nodded.
“No need to be so formal, Professor. I’m at your disposal.”
The meeting took place in the area outside Dan’s office and included the three coordinating scientists, Bianco, and Kurt Jaeckle. There was some discussion among the scientists about whether Jaeckle should be allowed to participate since he technically was not a Trikon employee. Bianco pointed out that Jaeckle’s presence could be helpful because he had been on the station longer than any of the other scientists. So Jaeckle remained.
As the meeting was about to begin, Freddy Aviles poked out of the utilities section. Dan motioned for him to stick around. Thora Skillen was the first to speak.
“We have requests and recommendations regarding this newest development.” She had been the most strident in her dislike of O’Donnell, and she fairly quivered as she fought to contain her I-told-you-so grin. “We had to rearrange The Bakery to accommodate O’Donnell’s lab. And as you know, space is at a premium.”
“His lab is not to be disturbed in any way until the investigators arrive on Constellation.” Dan nodded toward Freddy. “My crew will enforce that order. Anyone violating it will be sent down on Constellation. I don’t care who it is.”