The Disruption of Thomas Read online

nearly drained to his feet.

  'Whoa! Don't do that.'

  Rajeev stopped,

  'I'm just wanting to make a final check of the SCRs.'

  He waited for word to proceed.

  'Everything works fine; don't touch anything.'

  'I want to just test to be sure.'

  'How well do you know the model of instrument you want to connect? Are you sure it's isolated from the line?'

  Those words were equivalent to a cat jumping out of the bag. Engineer Sanji was an engineer too. He understood perfectly well the significance of what he'd just heard. Rajeev inadvertently damaged the SCRs every time he changed them.

  Engineer Sanji said nothing. His epiphany though embarrassing to Thomas and Rajeev likely helped reassure him. Human error when the equipment was commissioned likely caused the trouble; not faulty design workmanship or installation.

  The DC power system was up-and-running. The SCRs purred like a baby asleep in its crib without a care in the world; all was well. Thomas relaxed. Rajeev was befuddled. Engineer Sanji was cautious with nascent optimism. Mr. Rodrigo hoped nothing would spoil the moment.

  The substation battery voltage increased gradually. The large CEMF cell contactor within the equipment cubicle opened with a sudden loud bang made even louder by the steel cubicle's vibration in the quiet reverberant room. Engineer Sanji stiffened and shivered like a human tuning fork—with eyes bulged and teeth clenched.

  Thomas quickly reassured everyone,

  'That's normal. The CEMF system put the voltage droppers in the circuit to keep the bus voltage from exceeding the downstream equipment’s upper limit.'

  Engineer Sanji had momentarily lost his cool allowing a peek behind his curtain of dignity. He looked mildly irritated and embarrassed. Mr. Rodrigo feared he might have to wait until Eng. Sanji regained his dignity by some other random occurrence to retrieve his passport and resume his life.

  Thomas said,

  'OK! The power system is working as specified designed and built; all readings are normal and the batteries are charging up nicely'.

  Dogged by this problem for a couple of months Rajeev stood bewildered. Mister Rodrigo came to life as if spurred by an adrenaline rush. Thomas saw the man standing for the first time. Mr. Rodrigo was actually taller than he'd supposed. With a barely perceptible jig in his moment of euphoria Mr. Rodrigo said,

  'Engineer Sanji you can accep de substation as complete and operatin.'

  He was a different man; he could speak in sentences.

  Engineer Sanji's nascent optimism had not fully blossomed yet. He looked as if he'd just seen a rabbit lifted out of a hat. What he witnessed seemed too simple to have taken so many weeks to effect; he ruminated on the situation.

  Thomas sensed he remained doubtful about signing-off on the substation. Mr. Rodrigo's representations began to sound like pleadings and weren't helping.

  Engineer Sanji paced slowly staring at the floor with hands clasped behind his back. He hoped at least as much as everyone else the equipment was finally fixed so he too could leave the desert. He wondered if the DC system might not fail again after everyone left; only he and a document with his signature of acceptance on it would remain behind. Prolonged desert life would not agree with him.

  Engineer Sanji's long ill-omened pause was unbearable. Thomas feared his next words would almost certainly impose new more difficult conditions to accept the substation. Mister Rodrigo's sporadic desperate representations annoyed Tom and Eng. Sanji.

  Thomas pre-emptively broke Eng. Sanji's silence,

  'Not so fast Mr. Rodrigo; Engineer Sanji hasn't said he's satisfied yet.'

  Rajeev and Mr. Rodrigo nearly fainted at the words.

  It was on Eng. Sanji's mind that Areltrade got the DC Power contract because the equipment of a larger European manufacturer started a fire that burned the previous substation to the ground. He wasn't about to face another such calamity alone if he could avoid it. He was determined to keep the contractor and suppliers on the hook.

  'Mister Thomas I want to see a complete operations test; would you kindly do the needful?'

  For over an hour Thomas guided Rajeev through the various sequences of operation; all were successful.

  'You tell and show me Mister Thomas that all is fixed. How do I know that something will not break down again in a few days or weeks?'

  'No one can know that.'

  Rajeev and Mr. Rodrigo looked on the verge of apoplexy.

  'But if the equipment works for twenty-four hours it will likely work for twenty-four years and more if no one unqualified tampers with it. Oops! Sorry Rajeev.'

  After a shorter pause, with hands still clasped behind his back and chin stuck out Eng. Sanji stared up into Thomas's face,

  'And how do I know if the incomprehensible does happen that we are getting the needful technical support?'

  'Areltrade are technically capable agents and we have renowned experts in the field of power electronics at our shop. Also I'm here personally as someone else would be if needed to support the equipment.'

  Thomas carefully avoided drawing more attention to Rajeev just then.

  That he went Saudi to support the equipment was in fact an off-white lie. He went on a promotional tour that so far was not going at all as expected; he desperately wanted to shake free of this service call so he could get back to business.

  Engineer Sanji stood with hands still clasped behind his back staring into Thomas's face. In the end he said,

  'Fine; I'm satisfied.'

  Rajeev and Mr. Rodrigo barely stifle shouts of joy. Engineer Sanji stepped over to the equipment; he looked it over a few moments and turned to Thomas.

  'But the system will have to operate correctly without any failure of any kind during one month; then I will sign-off.'

  He turned back towards the equipment again, shook his head and walked out.

  Mister Rodrigo's moment of joy vanished. He never saw the equipment get past Rajeev's test. He had little faith it would work for an hour let alone a month.

  The next morning Thomas made sure they called on Eng. Kumar first at the Utility Company before they could be entangled in another service call. As Chief Engineer of his department Eng. Kumar oversaw the specification and procurement of equipment. They had planned to meet with him the previous day.

  After a polite and inexplicably cool chat about the hectic pace of the trip Eng. Kumar took Thomas to meet Mr. Tawfik while Rajeev waited in the hall. Mister Tawfik was General Manager and final arbiter of everything to do with the department. He and Eng. Kumar were exactly the sort of people Thomas came to see in Arabia.

  Mister Tawfik was yet another pleasant smiling executive dressed in traditional Arabian attire. He occupied a large office as well and sparingly appointed as Gunther's. It too was devoid of any hint someone actually engaged in work there.

  'This is Mister Thomas the president of the company that built the power equipment that failed in two repeater sites. We are going to the sites today to see if they can be made to work again.'

  Thomas could not for the moment remember a worse introduction; he bristled at the embarrassing slight.

  Mister Tawfik displayed a genial smile; he stood and shook hands with Thomas over his desk.

  'Welcome Mister Thomas. I trust Engineer Kumars difficulties will soon be resolved to his satisfaction' thus establishing indisputably any problems were entirely Eng. Kumar's, none of his. He expected Eng. Kumar to resolve the repeater sites situation before it began to reflect on him. That would not do.

  After the genial smile and hand shake Mr. Tawfik was done with the interview. He had nothing more to say; he wondered why Thomas wasn't leaving. Thomas thought it had been tacitly understood earlier in the hall that Eng. Kumar would at some point initiate a discussion of the department's power systems requirements. He detected not even the glimmer of an attempt by the man to do so.

  After an uncomfortable pause Mr. Tawfik sa
id,

  'It's a pleasure to have met you Mister Thomas; but I must not keep you; you have an arduous trip ahead.'

  He sat down and with an impeccably manicured hand reached for his gold pen and resumed staring at the single sheet on his otherwise bare glossy desk. A classic Tussauds wax exhibit.

  The scene had the merit of being unequivocal: That was that; the interview was over. Thomas had graciously been granted the introduction he wished and Eng. Kumar had demonstrated to his boss he had taken steps to resolve the repeater sites problem.

  Engineer Kumar swivelled around and walked towards the door. Thomas followed. As if the defamatory flash introduction weren't enough Thomas learned he would be favoured with a second guided tour of another part of scenic Arabia; this time up into the spectacular Sarawat Mountains.

  'Nuts!'

  He wondered if Rajeev had advance knowledge of this second service call. He thought he might be overly suspicious and dismissed the idea.

  Engineer Kumar, Rajeev and Thomas left for the two repeater sites in Eng. Kumar’s car. They drove west down the mountains into the desert then North with the mountain range on their right.

  During the long drive Thomas tried to extract useful commercial information from Eng. Kumar. He thought he might even develop support for future business.

  'Are you currently planning new networks or maybe to upgrade or extend existing ones?'

  Engineer Kumar needed to keep a reserved, distant demeanour until problems with the two sites were resolved to Mr. Tawfik's satisfaction. It would not do if Mr. Tawfik were to lose face