“And if I’m wrong?”
“I won’t judge you for keeping the safety of this facility foremost. Everyone makes mistakes. However, whatever the outcome, I will be demanding explanations of why you came to have access to these systems. From both of you.” He pointed his finger at Blake.
Blake shot a glance at his wife. Whatever happened next, they were both in trouble for breaking the rules.
* * *
Lysa donned the oversized work suit with unbridled excitement. She put aside worries about consequences of her covert studies and decided to enjoy her first experience underground. Blake moved around her, checking her equipment several times. She appreciated his conscientious preparations, it made her buzz inside to see him fret about her personal safety.
When she exited the elevator, breathing through the mask, the heat struck her. She expected the air to be icy cold, but heating fans, which melted the ice providing the habitat with water, didn’t produce a vast excess of heat. Something else was keeping the tunnels oppressively hot.
By the time they reached the critical control panels near the reservoir, she’d sweated what felt like a bucket load into her suit. How did Blake cope for twelve hours underground?
“It’s hotter than usual,” Blake remarked through the suit’s communication system. She heard his comment and it perhaps explained the unbearable temperature. Water dripped down from the tunnel roofs, condensing on her sleeves.
She watched, her heart racing, as the team Ridley had assembled dismantled panels, checking the circuits. She could do nothing but wait with Blake and Ridley while the gathered experts investigated her suspicions. Numerous safety engineers trotted up and down the gloomy tunnels, which the miners had carved into the bedrock of the moon. Finally, one came bounding up to Ridley.
“Sir. We’ve replaced the sensors that detect the emissions build up in the reservoir and the pressure is off the scale. We need to override the venting protocols.”
“Do it, now,” barked Ridley. “Shut down everything, all the drills, anything which contributes to the exhaust gases. Nothing more must get into that reservoir until the excess is vented to the surface.” He turned to Lysa. “You were right. Fortunately for you, however, unfortunately for the mine, we’ll have to shut down production, recalibrate all the systems and retest everything.”
She understood the implication. Quotas would be missed and the executives running the Corporation on Earth would want to know why. “What will you tell them?” she asked.
“I don’t know. First, let’s get this under control. Then you and Blake can tell me the truth of what you’re doing on Callisto.”
She swallowed back a mouthful of bile. The excitement of being underground replaced by the implication of breaking the law.
* * *
Back on the surface Lysa faced Ridley across his desk once more. She, Blake and the boss remained red faced and grimy from their trip below the surface. The only comfort offered was a drink of water, otherwise she stood before his desk and her legs shook. Confident though she might have been in her calculations, but not in her status as a wife of a miner whose sole purpose should be to pleasure her husband for the duration of his contract.
“Explain,” initiated Ridley, his features unfathomable.
She told him of her parents, their life on Europa and their death, her decision to study covertly and her marriage to Blake. She left out, as Blake suggested, the acts of bribery.
Ridley listened in silence until she finished. “You married to get access to the mine system?” He summarised.
“That was my plan, but then I met Blake and things changed. I fell in love with him.” A rush of warmth filled her face as she admitted her feelings towards Blake. She daren’t look at Ridley, she stared at her feet instead.
Blake came to stand behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. “I’m very proud of my wife, sir. She and I came to an agreement, and I promised I would do whatever I could to help her succeed. I’m asking that you turn a blind eye to her gender. She deserves the chance to work as an engineer. If you send her back to Earth, I request I go with her. I love her and would not be parted from her.”
Tears pricked into Lysa’s eyes as Blake spoke.
“You planned to take the engineering exams?” asked Ridley.
“Yes,” said Lysa. “By pretending to be a man. I would rather take them under my real name.”
Silence filled the room as she waited for his verdict.
“You saved this mine today and all the inhabitants. You, a woman with no formal training, spotted what men with years of experience failed to notice. I’m impressed. I can’t begin to express my gratitude f
or your diligence and determination. You risked much, coming here, both of you, and speaking out. I will not report you to the authorities back on Earth. I will ask that you be allowed to complete your studies under your own name. I’ve long believed this place would be better served if the women were properly employed in useful jobs. We have need of people in the processing plant and the medical facility needs female workers.”
“I agree, sir,” she looked up and he smiled at her.
“However, for now, I’d rather you didn’t proclaim you exploitation of our mining system. I shall do what I can to help you, but I can’t make promises, not like your husband.”
“Thank you, that is all I ask,” she soared with new purpose. She wouldn’t be banished or arrested, the relief made her giddy.