“So now Chen can visit each site, know just where to look,” Marc said. “Just great.”
“We have a hole card, though,” Julia said. “The vent life.”
“Thank God we kept it secret,” Marc said.
Raoul brightened. “The Mars Accord panel—right. When we get back, even if we come in second—”
“Then we spring our surprise—real life-forms,” Julia said eagerly. “We say that to come back with a bunch of rock cores and miss the Marsmat is unacceptable. That Airbus did a smash-and-grab operation, not a scientific exploration at all.”
Marc said happily, “Yeah, that’s in the formal wording of the Accords; ‘Carry out a thorough scientific exploration of a landing site of relevance to important issues, especially the past or present existence of life there.’ Airbus sure isn’t gonna do that.”
Julia smiled. “You memorized it.”
“Thirty billion riding on that wording,” Marc said. “You bet your ass I did.”
Viktor nodded soberly. “Good argument. No lawyers here, however. We do not know how will play to the Accords Board.”
“I’m betting they’ll buy it,” Marc said.
Viktor said, “I like to think so.”
Raoul said, “We have to keep it secret, though. Not give Airbus a chance to find the vent and go down it.”
Julia said, “Absolutely.” At Viktor’s surprised look she added, “And I wouldn’t have said that until about an hour ago.”
“That’ll fix the bastards,” said Raoul gleefully.
Viktor said bitterly, “They melt pingo ice while they collect samples at our already explored sites.”
Raoul said, “The nuke gives them all the energy they need to drill the ice, heat it up, drive pumps.”
“Nice touch, to deliver to us the repair kit,” said Julia.
“Why not?” growled Marc. “We found their fuel for them. And I thought I was so damned smart, getting into the pingos.”
“Or another idea…” Raoul stared into space.
“Where else is fuel?” Viktor asked.
“Suppose they bet we would fail. The ERV wouldn’t fly. Then they could use the ERV’s methane,” Raoul said bitterly.
“Very neat,” Julia said ruefully. “They had backup strategies, and one of them paid off.”
“Only if they can get back first,” Raoul said vehemently.
Silence. Then, “Can we beat them?” he asked Viktor.
“Possible. We think so much in terms of Hohmann orbits, I must check with Earthside to judge non-Hohmann.”
“There are a lot of choices of liftoff dates, plus added delta vee needed?” Raoul asked. “I remember some 3-D plot.”
“Infinity of choices,” Viktor said. “Maybe double infinity, I am not mathematician.”
“They have to load a lot of melted ice,” Raoul said. “Can’t get that done and do much sample collecting.”
Marc said, “They had half a year to sit in their little can and think how to do it.”
“Will be great opportunity for gamble,” Viktor said. “Old technology of chemical rocket, race against new nuke.”
“Chemical rockets are tried and true,” Raoul said. “They’re more reliable.”
“But in long run,” Viktor said mildly, “nukes are the way to explore and develop the solar system. Mine asteroids, move things.”
Raoul frowned. “Yeah, I guess. But the old tech had better come out ahead, this one last time.”
They all nodded and munched their bars.
As Zubrin Base came into sight, they struggled into their helmets and gloves and prepared to disembark. Marc dropped Viktor and Raoul by the dune buggy, and with Julia continued around to the hab’s airlock.
Viktor and Raoul took off for the ERV in a cloud of dust, the rusty fines falling with a leisurely reluctance.
To Marc fell the prickly task of informing Axelrod about Airbus’s plans. “Although he won’t be surprised,” Marc predicted.
As he packed up his geology cores for transfer to the ERV, he would be on open comm with Julia. This informal kind of backup was a system they had worked out over the long months when any two of them were working close by.
“Okay, I’m off for Frankenstein’s greenhouse,” she said as she prepared to leave the hab in skinsuited garb.
As she entered her inflatable castle, Julia was surprised to see the clarity of the greenhouse walls obscured by a light coating of condensation. Puzzled, she walked the length of the greenhouse to check the controls. The heaters were set on high. Of course! She popped her helmet and felt warm air. She’d been keeping the heaters on high so she could work without getting cold. Guess I forgot to turn them down when I left yesterday. Good thing we’re not paying any electric bills. Still, I’d better remember today. She gratefully removed her parka and outer gloves and left them and her helmet on the greenhouse bench next to the controls. That way, I’ll have to come back to retrieve them and I’ll remember to reset the controls.