“That will have to wait, I’m afraid,” June said with a shrug. “Let me call the guard. I do hope you agree to perform the mission; we need you.” She paused in thought and then shrugged again. “I could talk to Commander Herrick and try to have you assigned as… I guess Mr. Keating’s assistant. He’s somewhat aged; I’d suspect he would appreciate some assistance.”
“He’s been working as a day laborer, remember?” Linda said, shaking her head. “He can probably break me in half. But if he agrees to do the mission and if you can get me assigned as his assistant… I’ll go. I don’t know what help I can be to him, but he’s an important man, a genius. And, okay, absentminded. Maybe I can be of use.”
“I’ll make a note of that,” June said. “Now, let me get you an escort.”
“I think I can find the quarters if you just give me directions,” Linda said.
“If you’re wandering around without a badge, you’re likely to get killed by one of the guards. And we wouldn’t want that.”
“I can tell I’m going to love it here.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Well, twelve of the thirteen techs and pilots are present,” June said. She was meeting over dinner with Herzer, Megan and Evan to discuss the personnel situation. “Only five, six with Mrs. Boehlke, have volunteered. One, a computer tech, has most pointedly and emphatically declined. The others are ‘thinking about it.’ The thirteenth, one of the pilots, appears to be among the missing; the Rangers can’t find him anyway.”
“Joie’s here?” Megan asked.
“Yes,” June said, smiling and shaking her head. “She is most spectacular is she not? She is ‘thinking about it.’ Herzer, I have a question?”
“Yeah?” Herzer said, taking a bite of steak. It was military steak, thin and tough. He’d already made a mental note to see about the quality of the food available for the mission. He didn’t care one way or another, but it was going to be important to morale.
“What is your history with Linda Donohue?”
Herzer looked puzzled and shrugged. “Don’t recognize the name. None that I know of.”
“She apparently recalls you,” June said, primly. “And she is quite afraid of you and Megan. Megan in particular.”
“Describe her,” Megan said, just as puzzled.
“Twenty-five,” June said. “Got that from her records; could be anything from seventeen to seventy. Redhead. Good looking. Slim. She works in Duke Dehnavi’s office.”
“Oh, crap!” Herzer said, blanching.
“The doxie?” Megan quipped, raising an eyebrow. “Whatever is she here for?”
“Engineering,” June replied. “She’s got background in particle field generation. She’s said that she’ll go on the mission, but only if she’s assigned as an assistant to Geo Keating, who is listed as an Engineering Tech Three on the basis of his background.”
“Geo Keating?” Evan snapped. “You found Geo Keating? Good God!”
“Okay, who is Geo Keating?” Megan said, smiling.
“He’s a brilliant field theorist,” Evan said, shaking his head. “He was offered a Key and turned it down! Said it would interfere with his work! An amazing mind, a true genius.”
“He’s been working as a day laborer in Raven’s Mill,” June said, shaking her head. “Quite philosophical about it. Rather absentminded. He volunteered. No particular interest in the money, he just wants to examine the equipment on the ship. Something about radiation effects and shielding. I couldn’t follow it.”
“Where is he?” Evan asked, standing up.
“Permanent quarters,” June said.
“Evan, we’re not done here,” Herzer pointed out.
“We’re close,” Megan said. “I’ll go talk to the males about the importance of the mission, you go talk to the females. Then we’ll switch, tomorrow, for the holdouts. See how many we can get.”
“The only female holdout is Miss Donohue,” June said. “And she’s willing to go if she can be Mr. Keating’s assistant.”
“I wonder what she thinks she can get from that?” Herzer mused. “I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”
“Like Evan, she seems to be very impressed by Mr. Keating,” June said with a shrug.
“We’ll see,” Herzer said. “I think I need to talk to her, first.”
“Okay,” Megan said, nodding at Evan. “Now we’re done. Have fun talking to Mr. Keating. Don’t stay up all night.”
“I won’t,” Evan said with a grin.
“You,” Linda said, bitterly, when she saw who was at her door. “Come on in,” she added, waving at the sparse quarters.
“Let’s head down to the rec room instead,” Herzer said, grinning faintly. “Not only is it more comfortable but it’s less likely to cause comment.”
The rec room in the transient quarters was almost identical to the one where she’d awaited her interview, with the exception of its being devoid of reading material. There was a sink with hot and cold water, some stuffed chairs grouped around a coffee table and a pool table.
“To clear the air,” Herzer said, sitting down by the coffee table. “I didn’t know you were one of the techs until this evening. So I didn’t drag you into this intentionally.”
“I’d half wondered,” Linda admitted. “But I couldn’t figure out what was in it for you except simple malice, and you’re not the malicious type. Now, Megan…”
“What happened wasn’t a blip on her horizon,” Herzer said. “Especially with all of this going on. She hadn’t known, either. And we both would have been completely surprised if June hadn’t brought you up. So. And so. But what’s this with you and Geo Keating? Evan, who’s the chief engineering officer, went into spasms when he heard he was here. And apparently you want to be his assistant. Why?”
Linda paused and thought about that and then shrugged.
“Did you have any heroes, you know, Before?”
“Sure,” Herzer admitted. “The guy I work for, now. I’ve discovered he puts his pants on one leg at a time. And they’re ugly legs.”
“It’s like that,” Linda admitted with a chuckle. “I’d thought about contacting him, Before, you know? But I just felt like a… a…”
“The term is ‘fan girl’ or ‘groupie,’ ” Herzer interjected. “I actually knew Edmund’s daughter. I was getting ready to meet him when the Fall hit.”
“My parents were the kind that made me study,” Linda said, shrugging. “It’s why I can read and write, but they pushed me more than just that. Mom had me do a presentation on particles when I was about… oh, nine or so. So I found this primer by a guy named Keating to study. And it was just… amazing. The enormously complex made clear and simple. I fell in love with the way particles work and focused after that on that, particle physics and field interactions. Hell, your girlfriend can make a portal, I know how one works and I bet she doesn’t!”
“You might be surprised,” Herzer said. “She’s more than just a pretty face. And so, apparently, are you. Go on.”
“So about half the modern studies on field interaction are by Keating. I was a hopeless fan girl of his work. And now, I’ve got a chance to work with him. That’s it, really.” She paused and thought about it and shrugged. “The chance to work with him is worth the chance of getting my ass blown up or decompressed or whatever. And he’s physically fine, he’s been working as a laborer if that’s not stupid enough! But he’s sort of absentminded. I think I can help. Help him. I don’t care if we get the ship or not, frankly.”