Below Mercury Read Online Free PDF

relatives, even some of the SAIB staff. He moved and spoke in a daze, and could only smile and say how pleased he was with the outcome.
    The investigation board was giving a press conference inside the vacated committee room; through the open doors, Matt could see Trent standing up, answering questions, while a TV camera crew moved to get a better shot of him. Outside the doors, SAIB staff were giving out copies of the interim report, and the lawyers were devouring these, riffling through the pages until they found the full text of the conclusion.
    Smiling broadly, John Laker came up to Matt, holding open a copy of the report.
    ‘Look, you’re even in the report, they can’t change their mind now!’ Laker pointed to the section, where it repeated the chairman’s words, and Matt’s name. Laker was still talking as Matt took the report and tried to read it, still unable to accept that he would be going back, and as part of an official mission.
    There was more detail about the investigative mission in the written report. PMI, the SAIB and the FSAA had clearly been doing some concerted behind-the-scenes bargaining.
    The FSAA were going to requisition a suitable deep space tug from the current movement schedule, to take the mission to Mercury ‘at the earliest practicable date’. The Astronautics Corps would be providing a spacecraft and flight crew for the mission, and would assume responsibility for transporting a four-person team to Mercury and back again. The team would be four, rather than five, as the SAIB team member would also represent the interests of the Space Graves Commission.
    ‘I don’t understand; it seems such a small team,’ Matt said, frowning. ‘Surely they need more experts from the SAIB for something this big?’
    ‘Matt, that’s exactly the point.’ Laker clapped Matt on the back. The lawyer was exuberant, smiling. ‘They don’t need a big team – the whole case centres on the main airlock doors. If we can find evidence that the internal pressure doors failed to operate, or that the main doors failed below their design limits, then that will open up all the compensation claims.’
    Matt shook his head, then realised he should have been nodding. It was all happening too fast for him to take in.
    ‘Matt, congratulations!’ Rebecca Short appeared from out of the crowd of people. ‘After all your work, what a tremendous outcome. You must be delighted.’ Her eyes were shining.
    ‘Delighted? I’m a bit shocked, actually. Did you know about the relatives proposing me as their representative?’
    ‘John and I knew, but we didn’t want to tell you, in case it came to nothing. We’re so pleased,’ she added, smiling.
    ‘Oh, Matt, before I forget,’ Laker said, ‘some of the relatives are here downstairs. They’ve asked if we could join them for dinner tonight. It seems we have something to celebrate.’
    Matt was on the verge of declining, but then he changed his mind.
    ‘Sure. Yes, I’d like that. I’d like that very much.’
    ‘Excellent. I’ll get some of the other guys together. Say, I’ve got to get some more copies of this report before they run out. I’ll pick you up at seven for drinks, okay?’ With a wave, Laker hurried off, followed by Short, who said she had to go and speak to the relatives.
    Matt watched them disappear past the scrum of people around the beleaguered SAIB staff. For the first time in a long while he found himself smiling, from the heart, and it felt good.
    The relatives had given him a chance to live again, he realised. They had trusted him with all their hopes and fears by putting him forward for the mission, and that made him feel a whole lot better about some things that had been eating away at his self-esteem. He couldn’t let them down. That meant dealing with something that he knew he should have dealt with some time ago, but had lacked the willpower.
    Well, if he didn’t have it now, he never would.
    He skirted the crowd that were still