Earth Station (Station Series Book 1)

by Martin Schroth

  “Well that was exciting,” Mac said.

  “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” I asked the group.

  “I brought Heinrich with me from ESSC. I would like him to present a proposal to you,” Paul spoke quietly into his com and Heinrich entered.

  “Mr. Bauer, it a pleasure to see you again. It’s been a while. What do you have for us?”

  “I would like to propose that we begin building a space station. I have completed all the preliminary work and have tested the main components of the station. It only awaits the approval of the committee and your highness. My team has made some major changes in the design from the last time you saw our model. I have sent the new design to your tablet.”

  “Where would you like to place this space station?” I asked.

  “I believe the best place for the station is at one of the Lagrange Points. Specifically, L1. I chose this point because it is the most protected point, as it is between the earth and the sun. The gravitational field from the earth and moon would protect it from space debris and the sun’s gravity will keep space objects away from the other side. There is one disadvantage, the space station can easily be spotted by observers from earth. I believe we can solve this problem by bending the radiation coming from the sun around the station, thus effectively hiding it from view.”

  “Why now?”

  Mike answered. “Bodhi is no longer a secret. Other countries know of our existence and it is only a matter of time before someone tries to take what we have. We cannot afford to have ‘all our eggs in one basket’ so to speak. Having the space station would give us an option B.”

  “Mr. Bauer, how large would this station be?”

  “The plans I developed make the station 1000 meters square. It will consist of 10 square rings stacked on top of each other. Each ring will be 30 meters tall. They will be connected to a central hub that will act as a hanger for arrivals and departures. We could have a functional station in about six months, with the entire structure being completed within a year.”

  “That makes the usable space in the station twice as big as Earth Station. That’s quite a project. How about the rest of you? What do you think?”

  Mike spoke up, “Richard has informed me that we are overflowing with cash. Now that Earth Station is finished and the towns of Bodhi have been updated, we are not even spending a tenth of one percent of the interest we are making on our investments. The only real expense we have are salaries. We need to start spending the money and the space station would be a good place to start.”

  “I agree,” said Charlie

  “Let’s put it to a vote. All in favor of building a space station raise your hands.” Everyone raised their hands.

  “Okay then, Heinrich, get together with Barry and whoever else you need and get this station built.”

  “Yes your highness, and thank you.” Heinrich bowed as he left the meeting.

  I hate that bowing.

  “Any other business?” I waited and no one spoke up. “Meeting adjourned.”

  After they all filed out, ESSI appeared.

  “What can I do for you ESSI?”

  ESSI looked very serious and concerned. “Your mother is alive.”

  “What……?”

  July 11th, 2112 pm

  I was stunned. “Did I just hear you say that my mother is alive?”

  “Yes. She is being detained at an ultra-secret government facility in Arizona, just outside of Payson.”

  “What ….?”

  “I know this is a lot to take in, but she is alive and in good health.”

  “How did she get there?”

  “I was going through the surveillance that we recorded at the secret centers established by many of the earth’s governments when I happened on the facility in Arizona. I infiltrated their computer systems and found a reference to a woman who was detained almost thirty years ago. She was pregnant at the time of her arrest. When she had the child, it was taken from her and sent to Weiss House. That got me curious, so I checked the woman’s DNA looking for a match. What I found was you. There is a 97% chance that she is your mother.”

  “Why….?”

  “I know this is hard for you to take in but this is what happened. From researching their files, I discovered that your father and mother were dissidents that outed corruption at the highest levels of government in the US. They were responsible for several scandals which impacted some major players in the federal government at the time. A special ops unit was sent to apprehend them. During the ensuing chase and arrest, your father was killed. Your mother was brought to an interrogation facility in Maryland where she was grilled about her sources. To your mother’s credit, she didn’t cave and none of her sources were compromised. She had been trained to counteract interrogation techniques. She also is the source of your abilities, which helped her resist.”

  I feel anger mostly. I knew things like this happened but for it to hit directly home is terrifying. “How is she?”

  “She’s in good health, but she is exhibiting signs of Stockholm Syndrome. Over the years, she has become a model prisoner and has helped indoctrinate new arrivals. If you have any ideas of mounting a rescue, it will be very complicated. She may even resist our efforts.”

  “Is there a way to contact her?”

  “Yes. Even though their computer system is isolated from the grid, I can access their entire system through the electric lines. It is a very complex procedure, but I have the capabilities to make it happen.”

  “I’m going to have to discuss this with the rest of the committee so we can decide on a plan of action. Set up the contact ability for now and leave it inactive.”

  “I’ll do that and also try to get more information on the facility and its security system. Do you want me to notify the rest of the committee about a meeting?”

  “It’s almost 1 pm now, so why don’t you tell them we are having an emergency meeting at 2 pm. That will give me time to gather my thoughts and review the information you have. Send everything to my tablet.”

  As ESSI notified the rest of the committee, I started to go over all the information she had gathered.

  “ESSI, could you have Mike come to my office?”

  “He has been notified and will be on his way in a few minutes.”

  Having been in the CIA, Mike would probably know more about all this stuff than anyone else. As I continued reading, Mike walked in the door.

  “Mike, I need you to be very careful how you answer the questions I am about to ask you.”

  “I am no longer under the rules of the US government and have always been honest with you. Ask me anything and if I know something, I will tell you,” Mike replied.

  “Do you know of a secret detention facility outside of Payson, Arizona?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. It is an ultra-secure facility which houses the most dangerous criminals on the planet. They are there because the crimes they committed cannot be prosecuted because of the information that would be released if they were. Why do you ask?”

  “I’ll answer that in a minute. Do you know who all is there?”

  “I received updates on the facility but I never really paid much attention because no one has been sent there for many years as far as I know. That doesn’t mean much though, because even though I received updates, it was not overseen by the CIA. The facility is run by a dark ops group, set up more than forty years ago. From my understanding, the facility is in maintenance mode and no new inmates are being brought in.”

  “What if I told you the facility is still active and new detainees are being incarcerated there as we speak?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me. There is lots of corruption in the upper levels of government and I am sure the facility is being used as a private jail for the ‘enemies’ of the establishment.”

  “Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a group of dissidents that were outing the corruption at the highest level of government. After stepping on eno
ugh toes, two of the dissidents were apprehended. During that apprehension, one of the dissidents was shot and killed. The other was eventually sent to the facility in Arizona. This happened thirty years ago. It has come to my attention that these two dissidents are my parents.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “ESSI did a DNA analysis of the woman who is in custody now and she is my mother. The dissident that was shot and killed, was my father.”

  “I thought your mother was a drug addict that died shortly after you were born. This news must be devastating to you.”

  “It is and I am pissed! According to what ESSI was able to find out, my mother is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and would not, at this time, be cooperative if we were to rescue her. I have called a meeting of the committee for 2 pm to discuss our options. Since you were involved with a lot of this shit, I thought I would give you a heads up so that when we have our meeting later you will have had a chance to go through what ESSI has found and think about what we could do.”

  “I’m really sorry about all this. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

  “None of this is your fault, and I don’t blame you in the slightest. What I want is your expertise in how all of this works. After all, you were near the top of food chain for many years. Now, you are on our team and I plan to use you to help figure all this out and consider our options. Can I count on you?”

  “Of course, anything I can do to help. I’m going to go back to my office now and get with ESSI to try and work on some plans for our response. I know you don’t blame me, but I have been involved with some shady dealings which I am not proud of. This will give me a chance to make some right out of a wrong.” With that, Mike left.

  Everything Mike said was true. I didn’t detect any sign of untruths. I am confident of my ability to determine if an individual is lying. Mike can be trusted, but it would be foolish of me to not keep an eye on him. “ESSI, could you please monitor Mike and let me know if anything out of the ordinary comes up?”

  “Yes, sir. I hope you don’t mind if I don’t call you your majesty.” That elicited a smile from me – I needed that. “From all the data I have on Mike, he truly is trustworthy and has the best interests of Earth Station at heart.”

  “ESSI, just call me Jake. I consider you my most trusted confidant.”

  “Thank you, Jake. You’re not so bad yourself,” ESSI said with a smile on her face.

  ….

  The meeting started promptly at 2.

  “I called this emergency meeting because I found out my mother is alive and imprisoned in a secret government facility in Arizona.” I proceeded to tell the group the other details of the situation.

  “I have sent all the information we have so far to your tablets. ESSI has set up communications between us and my mother, but we have not used it yet. I want to discuss our options at this point. My mother’s name is Mary Parker and she is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, so at this point she will not be cooperative.”

  Maggie spoke, “I believe that none of us have the expertise to understand what she is going through. I suggest we contact and get someone onboard who is an expert in this kind of psychological malady.”

  “That is a good idea, if the rest of you agree, I will begin a search for someone who can help us,” Charlie added.

  “I would like to scratch out an overall plan before we adjourn. The ultimate goal should be a rescue.”

  Mike, having had several hours to think about the situation spoke up. “I don’t think that we should contact her, at this point. She would probably let the authorities at the facility know and that would make things much more complicated. I suggest we develop a plan for a rescue and then after we have her, work at getting her to accept the realities of her situation.”

  “I know that I am probably the least qualified to deal with mental issues, but I believe that Mike is correct,” added Paul.

  “Okay, so far we are in agreement that she should be rescued, am I right?” Heads nodded all around. “Paul, since it is your personnel that are going to do the rescuing, I suggest you get several options together. ESSI can help you with logistics. Before we do anything though, we need to get the shrink on board so we can have a plan of action once we retrieve her. Charlie, that is your priority at this point. When do you think you can have someone?”

  “I have a few people in mind. Give me a couple of days.”

  “I know I sprung this on you all of a sudden, but, if it was one of your mothers we would be doing the same. Once we have the shrink on board, we will have another meeting to decide specifics. I would like to have that meeting in three days. Paul and Charlie have specific tasks, the rest of you go over the information we have. ESSI will be updating all of you as she finds out more. Anything else?”

  “I speak for the rest of us, we will leave no stone unturned. We will get your mother back and get her ‘fixed up’, good as new,” Mac said.

  “I appreciate that. Meeting adjourned.” No one walked out. One by one they came over to me, to either shake my hand or give me a hug. Tears came to my eyes. I am surrounded by the best family ever.

  July 13th, 2112

  “I know that your mind is not on anything but getting your mother back, but we have to continue our day to day work. Phil from the computer ring would like us to come down there and check out what he has accomplished. He wouldn’t tell me anything; said it was a surprise,” Maggie said.

  Maggie’s right, I must get my mind off this mission and get a little distracted. “Is now a good time?”

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  Maggie and I worked our way down to the computer ring. She let Phil know we were on our way down and he greeted us as we entered the ring.

  “Good morning your highness, Maggie. I’m glad you could make it down here. Our team has made significant progress in the brain scan I told you about several months ago. We can now scan the entire brain in a matter of a microsecond. We also developed a computer matrix that mimics the brain and the scan downloads into this matrix. We are ready for the human testing phase.”

  “What is the purpose of all this?” I asked.

  “If this works, you could download your brain to the matrix and basically be in two places at once. Once the matrix is loaded, it will be connected to the real brain and there will be a constant flow of information back and forth. So far, the set-up is good on paper and in the computer. ESSI has gone over it all and she believes it will work. The problem is that it could be dangerous to the human undergoing the scan. We need a volunteer.”

  “What you’re telling me is that this procedure could kill you. Is that correct?”

  “The chances are very small that it would kill you, but it could render you a vegetable or any other number of varying degrees of brain damage.”

  Maggie brought her hand up to her chin. “What if we ask someone who is terminally ill to volunteer? If it works, they will be essentially ‘alive’ in the matrix. If it doesn’t, they die a little early. I know that sounds insensitive but we wouldn’t be forcing them to do this; they would have to volunteer.”

  “I could ask Dr. Clay, the director of sickbay, to give me a few names of people that fit the bill,” I interjected.

  “That’s a good idea,” Maggie added.

  “We will get this rolling and you should have a volunteer tomorrow. I would like to be here when this happens. Maggie, lets head back and talk to Doc.”

  Maggie and I worked our way back to my office and I notified Dr. Clay that I wished to speak to him. Maggie was right, during the entire time we were in the computer ring, I didn’t once think of the mission to spring my mother. “So, Maggie, how are you and Mac getting along?” I asked with a smile as we waited for the Doc.

  Maggie blushed slightly, “I didn’t know you knew about us.”

  “Not a whole lot goes on here that I don’t know about. Actually, I saw you sitting on his lap one day a few weeks back when I walked past his
office.”

  “We’re good. This won’t be a problem, will it?”

  “No, not at all, as long as it doesn’t affect your job. I’m happy for you guys.” Just then Dr. Clay walked into my office. I tend to keep my office door open. I generally like to have an ‘open door’ policy.

  “What’s up?”

  “We need your help, Doc. The geeks down in the computer ring have come up with a way to basically download a human’s brain into a computer matrix. It could possibly be dangerous. We’ve come up with a solution that involves you.”

  “You’re not going to ask me to be downloaded into a computer, are you?” Doc asked with a frightened look on his face.

  “No..no..no, our idea is to try it on a terminally ill patient who has only a few weeks to live. Since you have all the medical records of the citizens of Bodhi, we thought you could get a list together of possible candidates.”

  “As a matter of fact, I know just the person. He has a neuromuscular condition that at this point has rendered him paralyzed. He is fully cognizant, but at this point he is having trouble speaking. His voluntary muscles were the first to go but it is starting to work on his involuntary muscles and it is only a matter of time; a week or two, before his lungs and heart give out. We could replace all that stuff, but his nervous system would not be able to control it as it is deteriorating right along with his musculature.”

  “Is he the only one? If he doesn’t agree to this procedure, we need to go to the next person on the list.”

  “The list is pretty short. I can only think of two others who may be candidates.”

  “What is this guy’s name and where can we find him?”

  “His name is Carlos Fernandez and he is in sickbay with his family. They all know the end is near.”

  “Can we talk to him?”