“I don’t do space flights. That was made clear when I signed on to this project.” Silence hung icily over the open line. Finally, she spoke. “You do realize what this will do to you? To your career?” “I’ll have to find another job. Maybe I’ll teach, this time,” he replied. “You won’t, you know. You’ll be blacklisted from every major research facility, shunned from reputable universities. Is that what you want?” “He wouldn’t do that,” Charlie said, only half believing himself. “He wants this badly, Charles, so yes, he would.”