Combat

by Stephen Coonts

  He came to one box, labeled FABRICATE LASER PROPELLANT TANKS. “It’s the one thing we couldn’t plan for. Palmdale only had two fabrication units, and one has gone down. The parts to fix it will take two weeks to obtain and install.”

  McConnell nodded in the direction of Hugh Dawson, who had become a de facto department head at Space Forces HQ. “Lockheed Martin has moved heaven and earth, but we’ve only got one fabricator and two tanks to make. This is what happens to the plan.”

  He tapped the data pad and the boxes on the wall shifted. Lines stretched. One line, darker and thicker than the others, the critical path, changed to run through the Propellant box.

  “At least the heat’s off the software,” someone muttered.

  The new schedule added three weeks to the construction schedule. Luckily, Ray didn’t have to say anything, because he couldn’t think of anything to say. They’d struggled to cut corners, blown through bureaucratic roadblocks, invented new procedures. They’d carried positive attitudes around like armor against the difficulty of their task. Suddenly, he didn’t feel very positive.

  Schultz stared at the diagram, then used his own data pad to select the Propellant Tank task. It opened up, filling the screen with tables of data and a three-dimensional rendering of the two tanks in the cargo bay of Defender.

  Defender’s laser needed fuel to fire, hypergolic chemicals stored as liquids and mixed to “pump” the weapon. The ABL-1 aircraft carried fuel for fifty shots, an extended battle. Defender would carry thirty, enough for three or four engagements.

  While the laser and its mirror could be taken out of its 747 carrier aircraft and used almost as it was, the laser’s fuel tanks had been built into the aircraft’s structure. They were also the wrong size and shape for the bay. New ones had to be made.

  Schultz grunted and selected the 3-D diagram. It was replaced by a schematic of the cylindrical tank, not as neat and showing signs of being hurriedly drawn. The date on the drawing showed it was a month old. The multilayered tanks were built up in sections, then the end caps were attached.

  “Reduce the number of sections in each tank,” remarked the admiral. “That reduces the number of welds to be made.”

  “We can’t make the sections larger,” answered Dawson. “They come prefabricated from the subcontractor, and they’re limited by the size of the jig.”

  “Then we reduce the number of shots,” Schultz replied. “What if we cut the number of shots in half, six sections per tank instead of three?”

  Ray heard an inrush of breath in the room. The laser was Defender’s main battery. Halving its firepower was a drastic step.

  Schultz said, “Better any laser on time than a laser too late. We can replace the small tanks with larger as soon as they’ve been built.”

  McConnell nodded and started working. He ticked off points as he worked. “We’ll save weight by carrying less laser fuel, but we’ll need more structure surrounding the tanks. It’s less weight overall, but it throws off all the center-of-gravity calculations.” He paused. “And we only get enough ammunition for two engagements.”

  While Ray worked on the design, he saw Dawson recalculating the fabrication times. The executive finished first, and Ray watched him send the figures to the main display.

  The chart shifted again, shrinking, but not enough. They were still a week late.

  Ray spoke up this time. “We need more time. If we can’t raise the dam, let’s lower the water. Launch another satellite. That gets us a week.” That was the decision he couldn’t make. Would Admiral Schultz?

  “At $300 million a bird, that’s a pretty expensive week,” Biff Barnes remarked.

  Schultz nodded, agreeing with Barnes. “There are political costs as well. The public won’t know why. Even the people launching the satellite won’t know they’re buying time for us.”

  Ray persisted. “There aren’t any more corners to cut.”

  The admiral sat silently for a minute. Ray prayed for everyone to be silent. Schultz knew the situation as well as anyone in the room. He didn’t look pleased, but it wasn’t a pleasant situation.

  “This is where I start earning my pay, I guess,” Schultz announced.

  “All right. I’ll pass this up the line.” He looked over the assembled group. “And I’ll make it happen. But you should all understand the political capital that will be spent here. We can’t do this twice.

  “You’ve got another week. Don’t waste it.”

  INN News November 11

  “The addition of a name, one word, has caused the security dam around Defender to burst.”

  Holly Moore, INN’s White House correspondent, reported this piece, rather than Markin, since it covered the political implications more than the military ones. She stood on the wind-whipped U.S. Capitol steps. The image lasted only seconds, though, before being replaced by the cover of the Defender design document.

  “INN has obtained a copy of this detailed design for an armed spacecraft designed to attack targets in space and on the ground. According to our source, it was widely distributed in classified defense circles.

  “Based on the civilian VentureStar spacecraft, soon to be entering commercial service, the design equips it with radar and laser sensors, guided ground-attack weapons, and a laser from the Air Force’s Airborne Laser program.

  “No one in the Defense Department would comment on the document, and everyone referred us to the Aerospace Defense Organization. We also tried to contact Mr. Ray McConnell, listed on the cover as the designer, but attempts to locate him have failed. There is another list of names on the inside, all described as contributors to the document. The few INN have located have either denied knowledge of Defender or refused to comment.

  “Sources have linked Defender with the mysterious activity at Miramar. Since the initial reports about this Marine air base, security has been tightened to extraordinary lengths, with a recent notice banning all flights within ten miles of the base.

  “Opposition to Defender has appeared just since reports of its existence were aired earlier today. Some are opposed to the militarization of space. Others don’t believe the spaceship can be built in time to do any good, and are asking for an accounting of the cost. Links to websites opposing Defender, as well as the original document, are available on our website.

  “Tom Rutledge, Democratic Senator from Kentucky, spoke on the Capitol steps moments ago.”

  The image changed to show a tall, photogenic man with a cloud of salt-and-pepper hair fluttering in the fall wind. “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I intend to find out why we were not consulted on this wasteful and extremely risky project. The investigation will also deal with the administration’s continued inability to cope with this crisis. In less than three weeks, our expensive and valuable GPS satellites will be unable to provide even a basic fix.”

  Moore reappeared. “Here, with a related piece, is INN’s defense correspondent, Mark Markin.”

  Markin appeared in front of the animated Dragon Gun again. “I interviewed Mr. Michael Baldwin, a well-known expert on the NAVSTAR GPS system. I asked him how long the system would be able to function under continued Chinese attacks.”

  Baldwin was a slim, long-faced man in his fifties with a short gray haircut. He sat against a backdrop of jumbled electronic equipment and computer screens. He spoke with ease, secure in his knowledge. “The constellation’s been severely affected. There are few places on earth now where the military can get the kind of accurate fix it needs for missile guidance or precision navigation. There are a lot of places worldwide where civilian users can’t get a basic fix. This has affected not only airline travel, but also more basic functions like rail and truck shipping. We’ve come to expect that GPS will always be there, like the telephone or electricity.”

  “How long before it ceases to be any use at all?”

  “If the Chinese continue shooting down satellites at the rate of one a week, on November 25 it will be completely unusabl
e.”

  The reporter asked, “Some people are saying that if we can’t destroy the gun with Tomahawk missiles or air strikes, we should use nuclear weapons. What do you think of that?”

  Baldwin seemed surprised by the question, but answered it quickly. “Nobody’s died yet, but they’re hurting the economy, and the military’s ability to fight. It’s too deep inside Chinese territory for anything but a ballistic missile, but I don’t want us to use nuclear weapons. I don’t know anyone who does.” He grinned. “I’m hoping this Defender is real.”

  Markin asked, “Can we do anything to repair the constellation?”

  Baldwin shook his head. “Not until they can protect the satellites somehow.”

  “So we shouldn’t launch any replacement satellites right now?”

  The expert shook his head. “That would be lunacy.”

  Space Force Headquarters, Miramar November 15

  “Be glad you’re such a bad typist.” The Security director’s face was grim, but his tone was triumphant. He stood before McConnell’s wall display, which held a diagram. It repeated the same symbol, an icon-sized image of the Defender document file. Starting at the left, it was labeled McCONNELL. Line segments connected it to other nodes, each labeled with a name and sometimes a date.

  “INN took off the version number, trying to hide the source, but each version of your design had different typographical errors. We were able to determine the version number and its creation date in a half a day.”

  “Checking the e-mail records you gave us, we found out who received this version of the design. We also could make a good guess as to when INN got their hooks on it. We got a lot of cooperation from some of the addresses, and not much from others, which in itself helped us focus our search.”

  Ray had listened to the presentation with both anger and fear. INN’s scoop had devastated morale. Secrecy had been part of their strength. It allowed them to move quickly, unhindered. Now friend and enemy alike could interfere with a timetable that had no room for delay.

  He knew Defender was a long shot. The Chinese now knew where they were. Could they take some sort of counteraction? Even wellmeaning friends could derail the project.

  The Army colonel handed Ray his data pad. “Here’s the report. I’ve found two individuals, one at SPAWAR and the other at NASA. Both received copies of this version, third-or fourth-or fifth-hand, and according to investigators I sent out, both have openly criticized Defender. One, at NASA, was quoted saying that, ‘Defender had to be stopped. It could interfere with NASA’s plans for developing spacecraft technology.’”

  Ray nodded, acknowledging the information, but not responding immediately. The colonel respected his silence, but obviously waited for a reply. McConnell wanted to strike out at these people, but there was little he could do.

  Ray stated flatly, “The Defender document was never classified, so it’s not a crime to release it.”

  “The ones who gave it to the press certainly weren’t our friends,” countered the colonel. “And by exposing us, they’ve hurt our chances of stopping the Chinese. I’d say that’s acting against the interests of national security.”

  “By the time we indicted them, it would be moot. Our best revenge will be to succeed.” Part of Ray didn’t agree with what he was saying, but he was trying to think with his head, not his emotions.

  “I could give it to the press. Fight one leak with another,” suggested the colonel.

  McConnell shook his head slowly. “Tempting, but that would open the door to more accusations and counteraccusations. I need you for other things, now. All our energy has to go toward finishing Defender. We don’t have to provide a cover story anymore, but we have to assume they’ll try to attack us at this location. Increase our defenses accordingly. If we need to bring in a Patriot battery or a division of paratroopers, that’s what we’ll do.”

  “Meanwhile, I’ll report to Schultz.” Ray knew Schulz wouldn’t enjoy his decision, but he knew it was the right one.

  The colonel left, and Ray started to get up, to go report to his boss. But Schultz would want to know what they were doing about the exposure, and Ray knew that just increasing security wasn’t the full answer.

  Opposition to Defender was forming fast. Ray had assumed that there would be opposition, but he’d been so behind the idea he couldn’t look at it objectively. Web pages already? Congressmen could order the program stopped or delayed for review.

  The war in space had turned into an information war. Anyone who’d seen the news knew the media would pick up and report anything that was fed to them. Well, it was time for him to do some of the feeding.

  He opened the address book on his data pad. He had contacts all over the defense and space and computer industries. They’d helped him get Defender started. Now he needed them again.

  He started typing. “Defender needs your help …”

  Six

  Assembly

  Gongga Shan Launch Site November 17

  Shen had insisted on having the meeting here, in the shadow of the mountain. Ignoring the recall order to Beijing had seemed suicidal, but the general knew that once away from the mountain, any flaw or error here could be blamed on his neglect. So far, the gun had worked perfectly, but that had just made him a more important target.

  Friends in Beijing kept him informed. There were those who resented his success, even if it helped China against the U.S. There were those who wanted to weaken him, then take over the gun for their own political empires. Some simply thought he had too much power.

  He’d been able to fabricate some sort of excuse for remaining on the mountain, and to his relief Dong Zhi had backed him up. He’d expected the scientist to do so, but the first rule of Chinese politics was that trust was like smoke. When it was there, it blocked your vision. And it would disappear with the first puff of wind.

  Instead, Dong and what seemed like half the Politburo now sat in the observation gallery, while an intelligence officer briefed them on the new American warcraft.

  The Army colonel had passed out edited copies of the original design, annotated in Chinese with an engineering analysis attached. He’d reviewed the systems—the laser, the projectiles, the radar and laser sensors. The general, Dong, and the other technical people present had been fascinated. It was a dangerous craft. Shen noticed that the politicians had spent more time gazing out the window. Had they already heard it? Or were the exact details unimportant? Maybe they’d already decided.

  The colonel finished his briefing, but the Politburo members wanted definite answers. When would it be ready? Would it interfere with the Dragon campaign? How could it be countered?

  The colonel refused to make any conclusions. “We’re still gathering information, Comrade Secretary. We have no information on how much they’ve actually accomplished. We’re moving agents into place, but it takes time to infiltrate even with normal security, and the safeguards around the Miramar base are extremely tight.”

  Shen spoke up for him. There was no risk in stating the obvious. “If their design works as shown, it can interfere with our satellite attacks.”

  “And the chance of that happening?” Pan Yunfeng demanded. The First Secretary had headed the delegation himself.

  “Impossible to say, Comrade Secretary. However, this is not something they can build in just a few months. While the VentureStar space vehicle is complete, it had not yet been fully certified for service. It will have to be adapted to the new role, and many of the systems he describes do not exist.”

  “Is it possible that this is a disinformation campaign?” Pan asked the briefer.

  The colonel looked at Shen, who nodded. “Unlikely, sir,” the intelligence officer assured them. “The American administration is suffering intense criticism because of this now-exposed secret project. They’ve gained nothing from the revelation.”

  “Then what is its purpose?” Pan asked.

  Shen replied again, his tone carefully chosen, almost casual. “Oh, th
ey’re building it, all right, but there will be very little to defend once it is operational. By that time, the new T’ien Lung II will also be ready. It has stealth features, more energy, armor, and it’s semiautonomous. And we have designs for our own armed spacecraft.” Shen smiled, imagining Chinese ships orbiting the earth, shattering America’s military hegemony.

  “We’ll use the Dragon’s Mother to keep them on the ground. We can destroy anything they launch.”

  Kunming Air Base, Xichuan Province November 18

  The aging Il-76 transport lumbered off the taxiway and stopped. A cluster of uniformed Chinese and Russian military personnel waited on the tarmac. The instant the rear ramp touched the surface, they ran aboard, and only a few minutes later, the huge GAZ missile launcher rolled out of the aircraft.

  The forty-five-foot wheeled eight-by-eight truck inched out of the transport and down the ramp. Four canisters took up two-thirds the length of the vehicle, overhanging the end of the chassis.

  The command and radar vehicles were already on the ground and had moved off to a clear area to one side of the hangars. Technicians swarmed over the two vehicles, checking them quickly before letting them proceed. Rail cars and loading equipment stood ready.

  The first battery, consisting of the command and radar vehicle and eight launcher vehicles, was already emplaced around the base. It would protect the airfield while the rest of the equipment arrived.

  National Military Command Center, The Pentagon November 19

  “At least three batteries of S-400s have arrived so far. One was used to cover the airfield, while one was sent by rail to the Gongga Shan launch site. We believe the other will be used to cover the Xichuan control center.”

  None of this was good news, but Admiral Overton had more to tell. He displayed a list of Russian military units, along with their strength and their location.

  “Additional Russian forces, including aircraft and more SAM units, are heading for the Chinese border. These are not weapons sold to China, but active Russian units stationed in the Far Eastern Theatre. I believe that these units are going to deploy to Chinese bases.