Read Dark Star Rising Second Edition (Pebbles in The Sky) for Free Online Page A

quiet for a few days.  I will see if I can pull some strings to try and confirm his data.  If this all pans out, our field of study just got a lot more interesting.  I will call you as soon as I know anything.”
    Eric nodded, “Thanks Mike, I will speak to Peter.”
    Mike gestured toward the USB drive sticking in the side of the laptop. “I assume you have all this data on the thumb drive, can I borrow it?”
    “Sure,” said Eric, “Peter and I both have other copies.”
    “I will be in contact as soon as I know something, Eric.”  Mike turned and quickly walked out to his car, pulling up contacts on his cell phone as he went.
    Mike made his way to his blue government issued sedan and started back to his office at the JPL complex.  Fumbling with his cell phone while driving was not something he was very good at but he gave it his best attempt as he had several phone calls to make.  He dialed his first number and reached Mattie, the secretary he shared with several other researchers at JPL.  “Mattie, this is Dr. Banscott, I need you to do two things for me ASAP.  Get hold of Dr. David Honstein’s secretary in Washington, find out his itinerary for the next couple of days, then get me a plane flight to wherever that is and reserve me a car and lodging nearby. Tell his secretary to inform Dr. Honstein that I am coming and need to meet with him urgently.  Damn it.” Mike dropped his phone as he had to take the steering wheel with both hands to dodge some crazy old granny driving about twenty five mph on the highway in a fifty five mph zone.  He grabbed the phone again after getting back in his own lane.  “Mattie, you still there, did you get all of that?  Yes, I know it is Friday afternoon Mattie, and you have plans this weekend.  Yes, Mattie, this is very urgent.  Please do this for me and I will arrange for you to have enough comp time to take all of next Friday off, is that fair enough?  Ok, thanks Mattie, you’re an angel!  I should be back at the office within fifteen minutes or so.”
    Having set that wheel in motion, Mike dialed the next contact he needed, his wife Patricia.  “Hey honey, I am on my way back to the office on some urgent business.  I wanted to let you know not to make any dinner plans for us tonight.  I just found out I have to go out of town on urgent business to meet with Dr. Honstein from NASA.  I hope to be back home in a couple of days.  Yes, I know this is sort of short notice, but it cannot be helped.  We have had a problem come up and I have to go talk to some people to get it resolved quickly.  I need you to do me a favor honey. Will you please throw me some clothes together for say, three days, and put them in my travel bag?  I will swing by to pick them up before I go to the airport. I am sorry honey, I love you too.” Mike broke the connection just as he was pulling into the parking lot at JPL. 
    After parking, Mike sat in his car and went over his mental to do list.  “One more phone call to make, this will be the tough one,” he thought to himself.  He hit the contact number for Dr. Mary Beth Davis, director of Hubble Space Telescope operations at JPL. “Hey Mary Beth, this is Mike Banscott. Yep, just getting ready to bug out for the weekend, but I have to go to Washington to try and meet with David Holstein at NASA.  No, I know that does not sound like a fun weekend. No, Patricia is not going with me.  Yes, it is related to funding issues.  But listen, that is not the reason I called.  I need a really, really big favor.  Mary Beth, we have known each other a long time or I would not ask this of you.  I need you to arrange me some priority time on the Hubble.  Yes, I know that is asking the impossible.  No, Mary Beth, I have not filled out the study requests, but if you insist I will get them submitted as soon as I can.  No Mary Beth, this definitely cannot wait about four to five months for a time slot.  I need you to do a priority