Suddenly, I threw the parka aside and sat up. All right, I said to the silence and the emptiness, you won. I won’t be the next Gorbovsky. And I’ll survive it. So here’s the plan. Tonight, I will tell Vanderhuse everything, and tomorrow, quite possibly, my replacement will arrive. Damn, look at the mess on my site! Tom is decommissioned, the schedule is blown, the stupid pit next to the landing strip, too… I suddenly remembered why I came here, pulled out a desk drawer, found a crystal player with a recording of Irukan battle marching music, and stuck it into my right ear. Acoustic curtain, I said to myself one last time. I picked up the parka, went to the airlock, took a few deep breaths to calm down, turned on the crystal and stepped outside.
Now I felt good. Around me and ins
