（外文电子版资料）TITAN-JohnVarley_ch02_ch.docVIP

CHAPTER TWO INFORMATIONAL DISPATCH #0931 (REPLY TO HOUSTON TRANSMISSION #5455,5-20-25) 5-21-25 DSV RINGMASTER (NASA 447D, L5/1, HOUSTON-COPER- NICUS GCR BASELINE) JONFS, CIROCCO, MISCOM SECURITY INTERLOCK *ON* CODE PREFIX DELTADELTA BEGINS. 1. Concur your analysis of Themis as interstellar space vehicle of the generation type. Dont forget we suggested it first. 2. Latest photo follows. Note increased resolution of bright areas. Still no luck finding docking facilities at hub; will keep looking. 3. Concur your mid-course scheduled 5122. 4. Request updated tracking as new orbital insertion is approached, beginning 5125 and continuing until insertion commences, then upgraded. I dont care if this means shifting in another computer 1 dont think our on-board will handle this volume. 5. Turnaround 5122,0400 UT, after the mid-course bum. 22 WORMAEONALENDS PERSONAL (CIRCULATION LIMITED TO RINGMASTER MISSION CONTROL COMMN-TEE) BEGINS: Re the Contact Committee which has been bending my car: buzz off! I dont care WHOS on the damn thing. Ive been get- ting contradictory instructions that sound like they have the force of direct orders. Maybe you dont like my ideas of how to handle this, maybe you do. The fact is its going to have to be my show. Time-lag alone is enough to make that necessary. You gave me the ship and the responsibility, so GET OFF MY BACK!* ENDS Cirocco hit the ENCODE button, then TRANSMIT, and leaned back in her chair. She rubbed her eyes. A few days ago there had been too little to do. Now she was snowed under with the status cheek to ready Ringmaster for orbital insertion. Everything was changed, and all by those six tiny points of light in Gabys telescope. There seemed little sense in exploring the other Saturnian moons now. They were committed to an early rendezvous with Themis. She called up the schedule of things still to be done, then the duty roster, saw it had been rearranged again. She was to join April and Calvin outside. She hurried