Rescue Branch (Kinsella Universe)

by Gina Marie Wylie

  “Please, think for a moment. I've seen one group that looks like puppies. Perhaps I’m being anthropocentric, but it looks to me that their eyes say that they are aware and thinking. We can't measure the intelligence of dolphins, whales, apes or chimps... what we are going to face here is going to be a tremendous challenge and may take years to sort out.

  “There are groups that look like chimps and apes. There is a half dozen groups of felines, including lion and tiger cubs. Would you like to contemplate a top-of-the-food-chain predator like a lion who is as smart as you? There are fish tanks. There are terrariums...

  “I've seen three groups; I'll have nightmares the rest of my life.”

  Someone else rose. “Rob Roy, VH-1. Admiral, any word on the plotters?”

  “We have determined that about thirty-six hours ago the starship City of Kursk was hijacked by persons unknown. The passenger manifest they supplied is false; none of the listed individuals appear to exist. Further, the listed crew was found last night on a shuttle that squawked an emergency. They had been sedated. They reported that individuals had taken them prisoner, drugged them and left them behind.

  “Where that ship is bound, there is no way to determine. I think we can safely rule out their scheduled destination, but a Fleet frigate is already en route, just on the off chance.”

  “Can you give us any more information?”

  “In the briefing papers we gave you earlier there is a list of about a thousand names -- those are the individuals that we have, so far, connected to this crime and for whom Federation arrest warrants have been issued. City of Kursk was configured to carry fifty thousand passengers twenty-two light years.

  “My personal belief is that some two thousand to five thousand individuals have fled our jurisdiction, but there is absolutely no confirmed proof of that as yet. A flight of twenty-two light years would take about five or six weeks. There would, of course, have been additional supplies that a new colony population would require in the first year or so. If I was one of these plotters, I would have been overgenerous with my first year supplies -- and if I had only two thousand passengers instead of twenty-five times that many, it would mean I could travel much further, with even more supplies and equipment.

  “We are working to determine cargo manifests of ships and shuttles that docked with City of Kursk. Like as not, they have ten times what they would need for a normal colony's first year.

  “The Federation has been adamant about securing new settlements. They are required to have equipment and supplies that mean that, when the rules are followed that there will be no technological 'dip' at the destination. These people are, I'm sure, cognizant of those considerations and are planning no loss of technology, no matter how small their population base.

  “With a three percent population growth, they will double their population every twenty-five years or so. A century from now they will be in good shape.” Stephanie chuckled. “And of course, if they can maintain a three percent population growth, doubling every twenty-five years, that's 40 doublings over the next thousand years. Their population would exceed ours now by a truly vast margin.”

  “Are you saying we can't catch them?” a reporter asked.

  “Not unless they are dunces -- and we've seen no sign of that. If they stop a year from now, we'll need to search a volume of space that we can barely conceive. A sphere with a radius of 300 light years encloses more than a hundred million cubic light years. At 400 light years, a truly awe-inspiring third of a trillion cubic light years. We currently survey little more than a thousand cubic light years every year. At that rate it would take upwards of a quarter million years to explore that volume. We'll pick up the pace as time goes on... my estimate is a thousand years before we can reasonably except to see them.”

  Another reporter bobbed up. “It is my understanding that such experiments weren't illegal.”

  “Your understanding is wrong,” Stephanie told the woman. “The experiments included humans -- that requires a permit from the various governments involved. None of the labs had such permits. While some of the other experiments might be technically legal, they were certainly immoral. I assure you, a week from now, such experiments will be illegal everywhere on the planet.”

  “In the US, ex-post facto laws don't count.”

  Stephanie laughed. “It depends on the whim of the courts. If the US Congress passes a tax hike today, and if they make it retroactive to the first of the year, the courts just nod and say, 'Okay!' Because, of course, if you take away the power to tax retroactively, you take away the power to give tax breaks retroactively.

  “Please, I'm simply trying to explain what has happened here. If you want to know about the political fallout, you'll need to inquire of your sovereignties.”

  Another reporter was up. “You and President Campbell keep referring to 'sovereignties' instead of nations.”

  “Because, under the Federation that's what nations have become. They are sovereign under the Federation charter. Many sovereignties on Earth now have daughter sovereignties on other planets -- in contrast with the term that was used in prior times -- 'colonies.'

  “It is an important distinction to remember -- and it’s not just some PC attempt to redefine words. Sons and daughters mature and determine for themselves how they will live their lives. Sovereignties, because of the numbers involved, develop much faster than children. The new ones of today aren’t nations in the traditional sense -- they are not people tied together by history or geography.

  “All of that discussion, however, is secondary to the issue today. Conspirators have sought to violate national laws in regards to genetic manipulation of the human genome. While some of the manipulations appear to be legal, that's only a technical thing. The law never considered someone creating anatomically correct centaurs two-thirds of a meter tall. So, while it might be legal this week -- by next week it won't be.

  “For the most part, however, the manipulations violated almost all laws concerning experimentation on the human genome in most sovereignties. It certainly violates the ethics rules for all nations and the relevant professional societies.”

  An Indian woman rose up. “Why? Why would someone do such a terrible thing?”

  “We are still early days in the investigation and while we've searched for clues concerning motivation, they are no more obvious than any other clues.

  “All I have right now is an educated guess, and it is almost certainly not completely correct.”

  “What is your guess?”

  “Occam's Razor says the simplest explanation of complex events is usually the correct explanation. The simplest explanation that comes to mind is that they found out they could -- so they did. I expect they started off in small ways, not violating ethical rules, even. But they were seduced by the ease and scope of what they discovered. Before they knew it, they were like children in a candy store -- they found that they'd bitten off very much more than they could chew. The plague probably came as a wake-up call. They realized that if people were upset about the bio-war technology that had killed so many, they were going to be even less amenable to wholesale changing of what 'human' means.

  “I think they realized that they had only a limited number of options open to them at that point. Almost all of the options involving 'staying and facing the music' and would have certainly meant prison and very possibly death. Flight probably seemed like the best option. Of course, it means no one will ever be able to speak up for them, and give them their day in court.”

  “They are monsters who should be hounded to the ends of the universe!” the reporter said heatedly.

  “As I told President Campbell yesterday, the volume of space they could be in is immense... a sphere with a diameter of about 700 light years. There are millions of stars in that volume and it will certainly take many centuries to explore it.

  “And, given the facts of the case, they could genetically modify themselves so that they might not even be recognizably human. Forty or f
ifty generations from now -- if they survive -- we might meet them and not know their origin... even with DNA testing.

  “That said, we will be looking for them -- and I assure you -- we'll never stop looking for them.”

  There weren't many more questions, and those mainly dealt with how the Federation was justifying taking charge. Since the major sovereignties of the world had signed off on it, it was hard to make the case that the Federation had usurped power.

  Later, President Campbell reviewed with them the questions and answers; he found no fault with what Stephanie had said. Finally his press secretary was dismissed and the two of them were left alone.

  “Admiral, I have to admit to being awed. You told us, a long time ago, back at the convening conference, that the Federation would act as a lightning rod, absolving local governments of the worst of the responsibility -- by assuming it ourselves. You never mentioned that you designed the Federation's shoulders to be broad enough to bear the load.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “Sir, I said it then, and I've said it ever since. The plague -- even this -- are minor crises. The employment of nuclear weapons is what stood to cause the most trouble. Except the Iranians conveniently made our case for us, and ever since the only doubt has been whether or not the Fleet would shoot in time -- not if we should shoot at all.

  “There was no way to tell in advance what issues the Federation would have to deal with -- only their magnitude.”

  “I've never wavered in my awe, Admiral. Never. I thought adaptation of the Federation Charter would doom my party to years in the woods. I was so sure, I handed over our nuclear weapons to the Federation, knowing it would cause a domestic firestorm. I thought my party would be out of it for a generation.

  “Instead, five years later a fellow I thought of as a political pipsqueak leads our party and our government. You told us that the Federation would prove to be a lightning rod for the criticism. I was hoping it would serve to blunt the worst of it; I never imagined you were understating what would happen.

  “And the Federation! What an elegant design! The EU was fraught from the beginning with concerns about this and that; there were questions about legitimacy and representation. Those never happened with the Federation. Everybody pretty much got to roll their own government, and those governments were only too happy to shift 'blame' for events to the Federation.

  “Americans were fixated on preventing a loss of sovereignty, whatever that means. When they found that the only sovereign ‘rights’ they’d lose was the ability to formally claim colonies, they fell into line.

  “The Federation is a union of the whole... it's impossible to criticize it to any degree because it's everyone. Moreover, you have far more fans than detractors. One of those fans, one of your major fans, I helped you create. I watched you create him.”

  Stephanie smiled and said, “Before you get too carried away, realize that I created the means whereby these things could happen, if rational people did their best. We've had some very competent people who have done their very best.”

  “Admiral, politicians can do things because we make friends and contacts. We network together. In the last few hours I've talked with the President pro-tem of the Federation Senate, a half dozen Federation Council members, and a large chunk of the Federation Supreme Court.

  “There is no public way we can thank you; and, I'm certain, you'd just as soon we didn't.”

  Stephanie smiled thinly. “So! Success at last!”

  “That said, the Federation owes you a debt of undying gratitude. Anything you want, you can have.”

  She slapped her thigh. “I hope you don't actually believe that!”

  “We will do our level best.”

  “Admiral Castleman told me a short while ago that he wants to see a more senior admiral in charge of this.”

  “And I told him to go suck up a rope!” President Campbell exclaimed.

  “Except, sir, much as I appreciate the support, Admiral Castleman has the backing of two-thirds of the flag officers in the Fleet. They've thought I've been too uppity since I was appointed to the Fleet in the first place. Everything since then just makes them more angry.

  “By taking my side all you did was confirm their worst fears -- not to mention Admiral Castleman’s. He thinks I want his job.”

  “You'd do it far better!”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not. The fact is though, I don't want his job. I want space, sir. That's what I wanted from the moment I first saw Benko and Chang's experiment.

  “And, as much as I wanted space, I wanted the human race out there ten thousand times more. All this time, whenever it came to a choice between space and my personal ambition, I chose space.”

  “We know that, Admiral. That's what I'm trying to say.”

  “Then I hope you’ll understand that what I’d like the most at this point in time is to be continued in my current job. It will leave me enough time to raise my daughter, sir. In fifteen or twenty years, I’ll be ready to move up.”

  “If you wait that long, people will have forgotten you.”

  Stephanie smiled broadly. “Sir, if I can do that, I can do anything. It’s my fondest hope and dream.

  “Sir, we stand on the threshold of great things as a people. I think you can take it as a given that every few years for the foreseeable future, momentous events are going to occur. I do believe, sir, that at this point I can keep my name before the public to the extent I wish it. And I don’t think someone approaching fifty is going to be out of the running to command the Fleet if it turns out that’s what I want.”

  Chapter 7 -- A Body of Work

  Six weeks later Stephanie signed the check-in sheet at the Maunalua Fleet base pediatric clinic and took her seat with the other mothers, her daughter clutched tightly to her.

  The clerk hadn’t looked up; she’d been busy on the phone.

  The mother next to Stephanie looked at Stephanie’s daughter. “Oh! I like it when they are closing in on two! They start having real personalities! My latest is only six weeks! I just have to be patient!”

  Stephanie made a non-committal answer.

  “What’s her name? Mine is Reggie; I named her after a cartoon character.”

  Stephanie considered what the IQ of someone who’d do that might be... she had trouble envisioning it to be in more than single digits.

  “Charlotte,” Stephanie told her. She’d named her daughter after Charley; it seemed like the least she could do. She’d added a middle initial of R. with no name; it wouldn’t have been right to saddle a girl with a middle name of “Richard.”

  One of the Fleet doctors appeared in the reception area, talking to one of the nurses. After a second, he noticed Stephanie.

  “Admiral! What are you doing there? You don’t have to wait!”

  “If the others have to wait, then so do I.”

  “Sir, please come this way.”

  Whether or not Stephanie wanted it, she found herself being ushered into an examination room. She was morally sure that the doctor hadn’t rushed the appointment; she was okay with that.

  The doctor was brisk. “Admiral, we’ve run a number of gene assays on your daughter. I’m sorry to say, there’s not much we can tell you.

  “Admiral, your daughter does not have the biological age she should have, given her birthday. It’s clear from her genome that she was one of the last generations of experiments -- when they were doing whatever they pleased.

  “We can identify less than 80% of her genes; if she was a primate we could have done better. I’m sorry, Admiral, but she’s going to remain terra incognita for years.”

  Stephanie nodded. It wasn’t that much of a surprise. “You said she is relatively young, but experiencing accelerated maturation?”

  “That’s our belief. We believe her birth was about three months ago, even though she looks more like she is fast approaching a biological age of two.” He sighed. “Honestly, Admiral, if I was rating her as a human child I’d peg her intellectual
maturity, as three or four. You might want to try reading to her.”

  Stephanie sighed. “I’ve read to her since the day I brought her home. I asked my mother what her advice was on how to raise a baby. She said to read to her and play music. If nothing else, I just talk to her.”

  “What sorts of sounds does she make?”

  “Coos, I guess. There are times where I think she is humming something, but I don’t recognize the tune, if there is a tune.” She stopped, fighting back unexpected tears. “If I could kill the bastards who did this, I would. I love my daughter with all my heart and soul -- but I still want the people who did whatever they did to her, dead and buried.”

  The doctor hefted a huge sigh. “We tracked the other parents down; all were sperm and egg donors from the Fleet; we’re looking for who violated security. You, Admiral, are the only parent who was willing to do the right thing and adopt the baby.”

  She met his eyes. “I’ll never fault someone for that, Doctor. What was done was unconscionable; leaving the children for others to take care of was as unconscionable as the rest of their deeds.

  “This is like the worst case of a special-needs infant that needs adoption -- except we don’t know what those needs are,” Stephanie told him.

  He nodded.

  She turned brisk. “Do what you can, as soon as you can. In the meantime, I have a daughter to raise.”

  * * *

  A year later Stephanie looked Admiral Castleman in the eye. “Sir, I’ve been thinking about my next assignment.”

  The admiral actually blinked. “I thought... well, you’ve accomplished a great deal in your career. You could retire.”

  Stephanie smiled coldly. “Admiral, I’m barely thirty. How would other admirals feel if someone was allowed to retire after only eight years service? It would be a bad precedent.”

  “What were you thinking about then, Admiral Kinsella?”

  “Well, the Fleet is still suffering a hangover from the NASA and Air Force days. While we’ve adopted a great many officers from countries that didn’t have those institutions directing them, they seem easy to infect with the virus.