The Titan Probe

by Morris, Brandon Q.

  We did not make the same mistake, Shixin thought, but that will not help us now. Thirty years from now we would have been able to manage the expedition on our own. He was feeling excited just thinking about the People’s Republic of China owning this enormous treasure trove of knowledge. Then their leading scientists could slowly and methodically investigate it! A hundred years from now, by the very latest, we would have finally broken the dominance of the West.

  “It is not too late to intervene… yet,” the presumed NSA analyst now said, her voice getting louder.

  If we cannot have it by ourselves, no one should get it. That’s my motto, Shixin thought. And for once, the conservative forces sending him here were in agreement.

  “That was her suggestion. She’ll go far,” Mike whispered to him.

  “We talked to some of our researchers engaged in the field of biological warfare. Of course, in a purely defensive way, just as a precaution.” The woman scrutinized the small Chinese delegation, and Shixin nodded condescendingly. The entire world knew the Americans were secretly researching bio-weapons, even though that was strictly prohibited by international treaties. The Russians were no different in that respect, and of course the People’s Republic could not afford to fall behind either of them.

  “Scientists modeled the cell structures based on our current data. They cannot recreate them, let alone make them come alive. But they are certain they could create a virus to completely destroy Hydra.”

  Shixin was not surprised, but still the idea of eliminating the alien being gave him pause. It would not be the first species mankind had killed off, but it would certainly be the first extraterrestrial one. Ah, well. It had to happen sometime, he thought philosophically. “What do you mean by ‘could?’”

  “Well, Major Tang, the virus is actually already finished—at least inside a computer. And it is working.”

  “Inside a computer,” he repeated. The analyst smiled. He even thought he could detect some pity in her smile. Shixin knew all about this type. He had dealt with such women at the beginning of his career, shortly before the Second Korean War. At first they had been tough, but the tiniest hint of the pain awaiting made each betray her entire family. Americans were spoiled and soft.

  “Of course, in a computer,” the analyst said, “but we have run very good simulations. Biologists give us a 95 percent chance of implementing it. Hydra makes it very easy for us. It has not experienced any competition for billions of years. You all know how bad the absence of competition can be.”

  Shixin almost laughed out loud. If the woman only knew... She might be a brilliant NSA analyst, but she did not seem to know anything at all about China. There had always been competition in his country. Even inside the Party there were always at least two factions struggling for dominance.

  “This being appears to have no defenses,” the analyst continued, “no immune system such as every species on Earth has. The creature would be completely helpless against any attacker.”

  “It ‘appears?’” Shixin queried. The Chinese experts had said the same thing, but he did not want the NSA woman to get away so easily.

  “We can only be sure once we’ve tried it.”

  “And how is this supposed to work?” asked Shixin.

  “Thanks, Alice,” Mike Butterfield interrupted. “That was an impressive presentation. Now it’s my turn.” He stood up and restarted the screen on the wall. For the past few minutes it had only been showing the agency logo. A diagram of the ILSE spaceship now appeared.

  “We are going to synthesize the virus on board ILSE, fly back to Enceladus, and insert it into the ocean. The rest will happen automatically. Of course, it means sacrificing the entire crew. We cannot risk this ever coming to light.”

  “You keep saying ‘we,’” Shixin said.

  “We—you and I—will do this together. Did you bring the collateral we asked for?” asked Mike.

  “Yes.” Shixin nodded. “And who will be responsible on your side? In China, as I can guarantee, the leadership of Party and country stand behind the project. Of course only a small circle has been informed.”

  “I want to be completely open with you,” Mike replied. “The Pentagon approved Project AntiHydra. That has to be enough. There is disagreement on whether the President should be informed.”

  “That part is your problem,” Shixin said. “My colleague and I are looking forward to leading this joint project to a successful conclusion.”

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