“Lia, tell the Director General I never once considered that he had anything to do with Yorga’s call. I consider him a class act and know he would never have authorized such an action. I see no need for him or anyone at the ESO to apologize for the actions of one person. I valued every minute there and am grateful of the opportunity to have seen such a magnificent site,” she replied.
“Abby I am so sorry that happened.”
“Don’t be. You have nothing to be sorry about. It was out of your hands.”
“But he asked me if you were in there and I told him that we had toured the entire facility. I didn’t know he was going to use that as a means of accusing you.”
“What choice did you have? He is your boss. He asked and you had to tell the truth. You did the exact same thing I would have done if I were in your position.”
“I still feel bad,” she replied.
“Then get over it girl. I totally enjoyed our time together and it takes more than a jerk like Yorga to get to me. Did they ever find the pad of paper?”
“Yes. The police took it when they came back to gather up other items for their investigation.”
“I’m just glad they found it.”
“Oh, by the way, Yorga is no longer here. They named the new director; Amiée Laurent is now in charge. Yorga quit when he found he had been passed over. Everyone is very happy about how it turned out.”
“My, my. What a small world. Amiée Laurent and I took classes together when we were working on our Ph.D. We actually spent a good deal of time together. I think she is terrific. I am so happy to find out she has done so well. She was always a very hard worker,” Abby told her.
“I’ll be sure and tell her we spoke and that you are happy for her success.”
“I would appreciate that very much. Thank you for calling Lia,”
“Hope to see you again Abby.”
That was certainly a much better call than the last one. And Amiée being the head honcho was indeed good news. She would certainly be someone she could call if they needed verification. Now she was glad she had listened to James about waiting.
“There,” Abby said pointing to the object.
“What the heck is it?”
“I’m not totally sure but it’s pretty darn big. Why it keeps popping up and disappearing is what I can’t understand. Does that mean the rest of it is hidden behind Neptune? That is the only thing that makes sense at the moment,” Abby said.
“You mean like a piece of something that is rotating?”
“Or an appendage of some kind that sticks out, comes into view, and then is gone until it comes around again. We need to determine how far away it is and at what speed it is traveling. That’s what we have to concentrate on. Once we get that we can determine the mass and then the composition. We need to know if it is an asteroid or planetoid. Is it coming toward us or going away? Once we determine that, we can call the JPL and have them start tracking it. I’ll get other stations to verify what we have found. We have a ton of work to do. I want to get everyone here for tonight’s session. I want everyone on the same page on this,” she said.
She had a sparkle in her eyes that James had never seen before. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was her social life.
There was no kidding around or jokes cracked as Abby told them of the parameters of their new mission. She was convinced that they had found either another planet, possibly the tenth or an enormous object someplace in space.
She outlined how they were going to proceed and decided that they would only work from 7:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m. The day shift was suspended until further notice.
It was impossible not to catch her enthusiasm for what they were about to undertake. This was true for James most of all. When the meeting was over Abby ordered pizza for everyone and they just sat and talked for the next two hours. Discussions of possibilities ranged from quasars to alternate universes. Abby had been the one to bring up the theory that our universe may not be the only one. What if there were billions and billions of universes just like there were stars and galaxies.
By the time they all left, they were not only motivated but ready to think outside the box which was exactly Abby’s intent.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Oh my God,” Abby said.
Everyone stopped and looked at her. She was looking through the telescope with her mouth open.
“What?” James asked.
“We need to get the JPL on the line. I know what we have been seeing,”
“What?” they all said in unison.
“The largest planetoid ever recorded. I don’t know how big but we are going to do that as soon as I notify them. I’m almost positive that it is just beyond our solar system and incoming in our general direction. It will intersect it at some point. Where and when is the important thing.”
“Shouldn’t you get confirmation first? What if the JPL just blows you off?” James asked.
“James is right. Don’t you know someone who can confirm your hypothesis?” Ruth asked.
“Okay. I’ll do that. I know just the person I can trust and who will help us verify our findings.
“Amiée Laurent, it's Abby Montgomery.”
“Abby. Yes, Yes. Lia was just talking about you last week. She said you had actually been here. I wish I could have seen you. I was back in France delivering a paper. Isn't it terrible about poor Louis? He was such a great man. He helped us both. I didn’t even have the maturity to thank him before the accident,” Amiée said.
“I know. I have the same guilt. I was so caught up in my own world that I forgot how I even got here.”
“You are not alone in that regard. I am just as guilty.”
“Oh, that reminds me, congratulations on your new position. You must be thrilled.”
“Yes and no. Yes I am happy to get the position but not so happy how it came about. It is a bittersweet blessing,” Amiée replied.
“I can certainly understand that. Amiée, I need to ask a favor of you. I know it is rude to call and just drop this on you but I really would like your help.”
“Abby, anything I can do, you know I will be glad to help. Tell me what you have in mind?”
“Okay. What I’m about to tell you is unconfirmed at this point. That is why I am calling. My team has located what we believe to be a giant planetoid or asteroid. We think it is not far from our solar system and it appears, and I want to stress, appears, to be heading in our general direction,” Abby told her.
“Abby, how sure are you of this data?”
“Pretty darn sure Amiée or I wouldn’t bother you with this. We have been trying to prove or disprove the tenth planet theory and settle it once and for all but this was discovered while we were working on it.”
“I see.”
“I know how it sounds. I’m sure I would think much the same thing but Amiée it is there. I have seen it. We have been tracking it and logging the data for three weeks now. It exists,” Abby told her.
“No, no. It’s not that. I am just thinking of how we can help. Of course you already have some ideas of what we can do here. Actually there isn’t much we can’t do. The problem is slotting it in. Time here is fought for tooth and nail down to the minute. I have found that much of my time is spent serving as a referee between nations. Poor Yorga wouldn’t have lasted an hour,” Amiée replied.
“I see,” Abby said, obviously disappointed.
“Abby, I’m not saying I can’t make something happen, it will just take some negotiating. I know this is monumental to you and maybe even the rest of the world but I will only be able to move so fast. Let me see what I can do and I will call you back.”