The Laboratorians

"The Laboratorians" by Edward Peattie is a science fiction story set in a lunar research lab, where a clash unfolds between the educated scientists and the Laboratorians, assistants critical to the lab's function but often overlooked. Dr. Frank Whitemarsh, an ambitious scientist, struggles with the lab's disarray and the Laboratorians' methods, which leads him to enforce stricter regulations, angering his coworkers, particularly the skilled Dr. Sally Chester. His investigation uncovers that the Laboratorians have made errors in their data because they lack science knowledge. Whitemarsh must learn that his ambition came at an emotional cost, and that collaboration and empathy and key to success.