On the morning of day 1138, the fitting Mara had brought to the meeting began to whistle when she poured hot water through it.
She held it over a basin in the waystation yard. The crushed metal collar directed the water through a narrow gap, making a high, thin sound. People at the neighboring tables turned to look. Mara waited until the basin was full, then set the fitting down.
“That sound came from a heat line in Caldrin before the new mixed returns went into duty,” she said. “The crew heard it for three shifts. They asked to shut the line. The supervisor said the gauge was within range.”
“What happened?” Hara asked.
“The collar split. Two workers were burned. A third got the gate closed before the room filled.”
Iven examined the fitting. The metal had failed at a point where a remote control linkage joined the local pipe. A warning could have told the crew that the linkage was moving. It would not have repaired the collar or made the supervisor listen.
“You asked what our warning would have done,” he said. “It might have told them the remote gate was changing position. It wouldn’t have replaced a right to stop the line.”
