Kosoff assigned one of the smaller offices to Brad, three doors down the passageway from his own office. Brad plunged into detailed studies of the physical conditions on the surface of planet Gamma.
“The air is breathable, then?” he asked Emcee’s holographic image, on the wall display.
“The oxygen content is three percent lower than Earth’s,” Emcee replied, “and the trace constituents are slightly different: four-tenths of a percent more argon, six-tenths of a percent less neon.”
Brad nodded and pushed back a stubborn lock of hair from his eyes as he peered at the graph on his desk screen.
“More water vapor,” he noted.
“Yes, and two percent more carbon dioxide than Earth normal.”
“So it’s breathable.”
“It appears so. Standard procedure calls for testing samples of the atmosphere on laboratory animals before allowing any humans to breathe it.”
Brad said, “We’ve already brought up enough samples for that. And we have plenty of lab mice.”
Emcee’s normally impassive face tightened slightly, like the beginning of a frown. “Curious thing: the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere seems to be falling.”
With a flick of his fingers, Brad called up the CO2 details. “It’s only a tenth of a percent drop.”
“Over the short time we’ve been making observations, that could be a significant change.”
Brad leaned back in his padded chair. “The planet’s nearing its perihelion; in a few months it will start heading outward from Mithra, heading into their long winter.”
“Which will be made more severe if the CO2 content continues to diminish.”
“And its rendezvous with planet Beta is coming up soon, too,” Brad noted.
“Within two months, the two planets will be nearest to each other.”
“Will that have any affects on Gamma’s surface conditions?”
“Certainly. The Predecessors reported serious variances from normal.”
Working his desktop screen again, Brad called up the orbital data on the two rocky planets. “Whew! They pass each other closer than the Moon is to Earth.”
“There should be significant tidal effects,” said Emcee.
“I ought to check with the astronomers.”
“Indeed.”
Returning to their original subject, Brad said, “But the atmosphere is breathable.”
“It appears to be, but we should test it on lab animals before sending people to land on Gamma.”
“That’s the sensible thing to do.”
“Trust the observational data,” said Emcee, “but check its validity with controlled experiments whenever you can.”
Brad grinned. “Like sending scouts out ahead of the main body.”
“Like sending a probe before risking your own life,” said Emcee.
“You think the conditions on Gamma could be dangerous?”
“Any time you go into a new and untried environment there are dangers,” Emcee said. “There are always unknowns, and unknowns are dangerous.”
Brad remembered a quotation from centuries earlier: “It’s easy to see the things you’re looking for. The trick is to see the things you’re not looking for.”
What is it that I’m not looking for? he asked himself.
As if in answer, his phone buzzed. Latifa Valente’s name was spelled out on its screen.
Brad told the phone to connect. Tifa was smiling happily. “Good news, Brad! Professor Kosoff has agreed to let me join your team. I’ll be your geophysics specialist.”
“Team? I don’t have a team. There’s just Emcee and me.”
“Oh no, no,” she contradicted. “Professor Kosoff was quite clear. He’s putting together a team to assist you, and I’m the first person he’s named to it!”
“But—”
Her expression sobering slightly, she said, “I must admit that I asked him to be on your team. I think it’s very exciting, don’t you?”
“Uh, yes. I guess so.”
“Well, you could be more enthusiastic. After all, I’m trying to help you.”
“I appreciate it.” Even in his own ears, Brad’s words sounded weak, unenthusiastic.
And he was thinking, I don’t want a team. I have Emcee, why do I need a team?
He decided that he’d have to talk to Kosoff about it.