As expected there was a huge firestorm over the discovery. Not only the structure itself and what it implied, but the fact that it was so very far away. It seemed impossible that any kind of life could exist at temperatures that would freeze methane. What kind of creature could exist in a place like this?
Not surprisingly, Victor found that he had a new boss once things had calmed down a little. NASA apparently didn't appreciate Spain taking over the limelight, and sadly they had a lot more influence in the scientific community. The images flashed around the globe at the speed of light and everyone from military officials to UFO believers became an instant reporter with opinions, blogs, podcasts, and youtube videos.
The images overshadowed everything else at the time, and theories were as widespread as the people who developed them. He would turn on the news one day to hear some scientist claim that the Neanderthals had developed space travel. Or someone would send him a link from a blogger who believed that aliens built an outpost to monitor the Earth.
Needless to say, his fame (not to mention his paycheck) grew noticeably. Maria's fiery career plunge, had only fueled the intrigue of the news itself. Victor found himself catapulted to celebrity status as the first human to witness irrefutable proof of extraterrestrial life. And in our own astronomical backyard, so to speak. There were book deals, interviews, promotions, even a cameo on Hollywood's latest Star Wars sequel.
Thus he found himself at a social hosted by some rich Cantelonean businessman. Victor felt enormously out of place in his rented tuxedo and spent more time then he would've liked to admit admiring the rich wall tapestries and avoid trying to fit in with such an alien crowd. As the wine began flowing more liberally and tongues were loosened, people peppered him with many of the same outrageous theories that he was hearing on the internet.
Finally near the balcony, he spotted Natasha, a colleague who did contract work for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She was about a decade younger then his mom, and one of the brightest people he knew (at least personally).
“You'd be amazed at some of the crackpot theories floating around over there.” He watched her balancing a plate of cheese and pecking at it absentmindedly.
“Oh I believe it” she said after a bite. “Some of those eggheads are actually trying to devise a way to land the probe.” She laughed genially. “Maybe shoot it straight down that chimney.”
Victor thought about that for a moment. “Well, of course it would be a suicide fall, but the gravity is miniscule...”
“Yes but Victor my dear boy. You realize that thing is speeding along at over 50,000 kilometers per hour. There's no way in the world, any world for that matter, you could slow it enough to descend as anything short of a missile.”
He struggled to not feel embaressed by her comment. “Of course I do realize that, but JPL has designed spacecraft to do the impossible before. I mean just think of the old Voyager probe, and the...”
“I'm sorry Victor. I don't mean to make you feel bad. But those probes had much more powerful engines. They had the fuel to slow down, plus they were going about half the speed of New Horizons.” She paused while taking a small bite of cheese. “I mean, it's just so far out. Over 5
billion kilometers, that they had to push it as fast as possible.”
“Yes of course.”
“Victor. I realize that you got lucky, being the first person to see this...chimney thing. And you really do have a good head on your shoulders....” She glanced over at someone walking towards them and lowered her voice. “Certainly more so then many of these yokels.”
The man smiled widely as he approached. He was shorter and very well dressed, probably a bureaucrat. “Ah Natasha and Senor Robles.” He shook hands with both of them. “I don't mean to interrupt. I just want to thank you both for being here. Natasha, we truly lost a brilliant comrade to the capitalists. And Senor Robles, if you ever tire of the bickering in the Iberian Space Agency, you can be sure that the Russian Space Agency would be happy to take you.”
Victor took half a second to choose a tactful reply. “Thank you. I am honored. But I must say that I seem to have an allergy to sub-arctic temperatures.”
The man chuckled. “And yet you study the coldest spot in the solar system.”
“Well at least he knows basic astronomy.” he thought to himself.