OORT STATION PRIME—CHAIRMAN JOHN BUTLER’S OFFICERunning out of room had occupied Chairman John Butler’s mind since that eventful meeting with the original crew. He knew this was not an immediate concern, but he also knew that when it became a concern, if he had not prepared, it would be a much larger problem. He glanced at eMax, seemingly curled up on a pile of working papers.
“Isidor Orlov just made an urgent request to meet with you, Sir,” his secretary said over his Link, “face-to-face.”
“Do you know why?”
“No, Sir, but he insists that it’s urgent.”
“Okay. Set the meeting for an hour from now.”
Butler spent the hour educating himself on everything he could about Orlov and Udachny. He felt he had only scratched the surface when his Link announced Orlov’s arrival.
Butler was standin
