Ishtar Rising Book 1 - Michael A. Martin [6]
“The Central Processor Pair remains—”
“—waiting on the open channel. We surmised—”
“—that you might wish—”
“—to speak to them—”
“—in the privacy—”
“—of your personal workspace.”
Saadya thanked the diminutive computer experts and motioned for Paulos to accompany him inside the small, cluttered room. The office was dominated by a small viewport that faced Venus, several shelves sagging beneath the weight of dozens of ancient-looking hardbound books, and a battered desk topped with a veneer of half-billion-year-old Venusian igneous rock.
Two aged Bynars glowered at Saadya from the computer terminal sitting at the desk’s center. “Your latest report contained little of use to us,” said the Bynars, who spoke in an impatient tandem.
Saadya sat before the monitor and silently counted to five before responding. “Terraforming is often not subject to exact timetables, Honored Processors. There are always unknowns that require time to iron out.”
The elderly Bynars nodded, though their expressions did not soften.
“That is as may be. However, time—”
“—has been at a premium for us—”
“—ever since our primary star—”
“—went nova.”
Saadya was well acquainted with the 2364 Beta Magellan supernova. It had threatened not only the planetary computer network upon which the entire Bynar civilization depended, but had also nearly extinguished all life in their solar system. During the latter phases of the Dominion War—when Project Ishtar hadn’t been able to count on the unwavering support of either Starfleet or an understandably preoccupied Federation Council—Saadya had turned to the planetary government of Bynaus for help. Still recovering from the decade-old Beta Magellan disaster, the Bynars had been happy to lend their computational personnel to Saadya’s Venusian terraforming effort—so long as the data it yielded proved useful in their own long-term ecological recovery efforts.
“Please be patient,” Saadya said. “I’ve only been working with the Venusian environment for six years, after all. That’s hardly a drop in the ocean, so to speak, of the planet’s four-billion-year history. Nevertheless, we are very close to being able to implement an accelerated terraforming program. It will be only a matter of a few weeks before we can begin making permanent physical changes to the planet.”
The Bynars appeared unmoved by Saadya’s entreaty.
“You have promised imminent success before—”
“—but it seems that you are also—”
“—on the verge of disaster. Need we remind you—”
“—that the Bynar pair we lent you—”
“—could easily have perished when the shielding—”
“—collapsed in your surface facility?”
Saadya ground his teeth together involuntarily. He and Paulos had both nearly died that day as well. “That’s why I had Ishtar Station maintain a constant transporter lock on all of us. 1011 and 1110 were in no more danger than I was myself. Ask them yourself.”
The Central Processor Pair sniffed as one.
“We do not wish to continue—”
“—placing them at risk—”
“—indefinitely. Not in the furtherance—”
“—of a project that appears rapidly—”
“—to be approaching a rather hazardous—”
“—dead end.”
“What are you saying?” Saadya said, a foul taste appearing in his mouth.
The Pair’s black eyes flashed.
“We will recall our Calculation Team—”
“—in another two of your weeks. Unless—”
“—you can give us a tangible reason—”
“—to refrain from doing so.”
A black hole yawned open in the pit of Saadya’s stomach. “You know I can’t guarantee—”
“We have never asked you—”
“—for guarantees, Dr. Saadya. However—”
“—our resources are limited—”
“—and our world’s ecological problems—”
“—remain vast. If—”
“—you are indeed as close—”
“—to a breakthrough as you say, then—”
“—two more weeks should afford you—”
“—ample time.”
The screen abruptly went blank.
The office remained silent until Paulos cleared her throat and said, “That certainly went well. There’s only one problem.”
Saadya nodded. “A two-week deadline will put us on a completely impossible schedule. We’d never have enough time to finish the