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Admiral Hagerly took a moment to look out of his window on the top floor of the Pentagon. It was a pleasant scene overlooking Boundary Channel Drive and watching the boats moored at the Columbia Island Marina. Nial Hagerly was a full admiral for three years. At the two-year point in the president's term, the president promoted Admiral Hagerly to the position Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs. He was proud of his position, he was proud of each of the services but he was most proud of the Navy. He knew the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs was a very influential position and, in it, he could help the services. Serving the president and military was the high point in his career and he was relishing it. He had known the president since his early days in Congress. Senator Arnold Patterson served on the Armed Services Committee; he worked closely with Admiral Hagerly, who was the chief of naval operations. Over time, they built a mutual respect for each other and spent many evenings bullshitting about the ways of the world over a cold beer.
Admiral Hagerly secretly wished he could work directly with the president. However, the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, answered to the secretary of defense Bruce Madsen. From day one, the appointment of the secretary of defense was a political maneuver. Secretary Madsen was the chair of the Armed Services Committee. The president knew that he needed to build bridges with Congress, and it was a logical choice to use one of them in the cabinet. Unfortunately, Madsen was more of a politician than a military leader. Nial was afraid that in a pinch, Madsen couldn't tell the difference between a ship and a plane, but perhaps he was too hard on him. Madsen was a master at maneuvering Congress to get what the Admiral and the military needed. Therefore, Hagerly was willing to accept the man's limitations.
"Admiral, if you're ready we need to go over the issues for the president's stand-up in the morning. Mark from the SECDEF's office is on speaker," said Commander Enrique Ott, who was his chief of staff.
"Are you online, Mark?"
"Yes, Admiral."
"Yes, Enrique let's get to it," the admiral said as he redirected his attention from the boats on the Potomac to the briefing.
"Sir tomorrow the presentation will cover the deteriorating situation in the Indian Ocean. Nothing major has changed since your status meeting this morning. Not all of their ships have left port, but the ones that are en route, are continuing to the rendezvous area. We expect them to be in fleet alignment in about 24 hours."
”Second on the agenda is the First Ladies trip to Europe. Our military attaches are traveling with her and they have some background meetings set up separate from her trip. Each of them has the summary of major points published by your office three days ago. If anything unusual comes up, they will contact your office, per their standard procedure. Secretary Madsen and his people are making considerable progress in their meetings with the Australian government. As they get closer to an agreement, you'll be briefed on the major points."
"The last item on the agenda is a last minute addition. There has been a very suspicious viral outbreak in the Caucasus area of southern Russia. The outbreak is suspicious because it appears to be occurring spontaneously in multiple areas instead of a typical viral spread. We are concerned if it might be biological warfare, but we have been unable to find a source or reason for it. The 6th fleet in the Med is aware along with the 5th. We hope to have more information prior to the president's brief but if we don't, we suggest that we give him a heads up if you agree?"
"Have you checked with anyone at State to see if they have people in the area?"
"Yes, we've asked but they're getting confusing information, they're following it up and they'll pass anything they find to us. They put it on our radar because they're concerned that it might have military implications in the area."
"Have Intel check all of the normal trap lines and see if they can get a reading. Regardless of what we know by tomorrow let's give the president what we have."
"Yes, Sir."
"Mark do you have anything to add?"
"No Admiral, while we continue our fact finding in the Middle East, we'll check with the local health ministries and see if they have anything."
"Thanks, Mark."
"If that is all, then thank you."
At the end of the meeting, something about the virus bothered the Admiral. It popped up suddenly and no one had heard of it before. There hadn't been any rumors in the area of a warlord or terrorist groups having any bio capabilities. Having it pop up in separate areas at the same time was scary; it was very unusual. The Admiral stood and looked out of the window. He stretched the full 6'2" frame of his body, hoping he was being concerned with nothing and the virus would fall off the briefing agenda in a couple of days.
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Eddy Purser, who was the president's chief of staff, was giving the president his daily update on congressional progress. Eddy was somewhat of an opposite of the president. Instead of being a communicator, Eddy was a doer. Eddy had a short and broad physique, with tight curly black hair. He moved fast and always left a trail behind him. He was a great chief of staff. He had been part of the president's team since his single term as governor. Eddy had never married; he was always dedicated to his job and getting things done.
"Mr. President House Bill 80407 is still having problems; I suggest you call a couple of the Representatives who want that farm legislation to pass. If you can give a little on the Farm Bill, I suspect we can swing them to our side. If it's ok, I'll set up some calls and put them on your schedule,"
"Yes, Eddy set something up, but don't offer up anything for the farm bill, until after I work on them. I don't want to give up anything I don't have to. After I talk to them, we'll solidify our position on the farm package and tailor it to the key votes we want to sway."
"Yes, sir."
Just about then, the President heard some faint knocking on his private entrance door and he and his chief of staff smiled knowing who was trying to get in.
"Sir, I think you have another important meeting, I'll show myself out and set-up those calls."
"Thanks, Eddy," the president said as he turned and moved to his private door leading to his study. He hesitated for a moment then pulled the door open and his five-year-old daughter, Beth fell into his arms giggling.
"Hey, funny face, were you listening to my door again?"
"Daddy, you know I don't listen to your door," she said with a grin.
The president scooped her up into his arms as her mother Abby walked into the room. The president's son Dave, being a typical teenager, slipped in after his mother. He didn't want to be eager about anything. Being the president's son was a pain, going to Europe was not worthy of his enthusiasm. Therefore, he tried to maintain his detached attitude.
Abby was a little taller than the president, which drove the press office crazy. They hated to have pictures of the two of them together, so they always tried to have their tall teenage son between them. She was a warm person, like Arnold and once you talked with her you felt like she was your favorite aunt or mother.
Beth was a tiny five-year-old. She had tight brown curls on her head; just like her Mother. Her personality was a beautiful blend of both parents. Her smile was infectious and her giggle would draw a full laugh out of the hardest politicians.
"Honey, I'm glad we can say good-bye before we head off for Europe," Abby said as she took Beth from his arms and they moved to the two couches in front of the fireplace.
"So am I, I'm going to miss you guys. I'm stuck here doing all of the boring stuff and you're getting another grand tour of all of the fun places in Europe. You know I'll be miserable until you get back."
"Fun places?" his son asked. "We'll be stuck going on tours with the big shots and eating with all of the weird people and their kids. I don't want to go, I want to stay here and go to Donny's party this weekend."
"Sorry champ, but your mother needs you to help with Beth and, please be nice to all of those weird kids you mention." Dave kept his arms crossed and st
ood beside the fireplace.
"Daddy, I don't want him taking care of me, I'm a big girl," said Beth as she glared at her brother.
"Honey, we know you're our big girl and we know that you can take care of yourself," Abby reassured her daughter with a hug.
"I'm going to miss you the most," Arnold whispered in his wife's ear.
"You better be good...and needy when I get back," she whispered.
A louder knock on the other door got their attention. "Come in, Judy," the president said knowing it was his secretary knocking.
The door swung open and Judy said in her gentle but forceful voice," I'm sorry sir, but the press are waiting for the first lady's departure. Her motorcade is all set to go to Andrews."
"Thanks, Judy; tell everyone she's on her way."
"Yes, sir."
"I love you, fly safe."
Arnold and Abby smiled at each other. They looked closely in each other's eyes, knowing that they would miss each other and the days would be long.
"I love you too; don't do anything to congress you'll regret."
"Don't worry, if I do; I'll try to leave no evidence."
They smiled and hugged and the president gave his daughter a big hug and kiss. When he put her on the ground, he feigned a quick tickle, which caused Beth to laugh while trying to get away. As Dave walked by, the president grabbed him and gave him a hug, even though he didn't attempt a hug back.
Abby and Arnold had been married just over 28 years. They met while in college and the attraction was immediate and long lasting. They were married within six months and finished college, both of them working and helping each other. After college, they wanted children, but the demands of careers took them in different directions. Arnold started up a small computer software company, Abby focused on corporate law, and both careers grew rapidly. After the company was successful and Arnold had won his first term in the Senate, they realized they weren't getting any younger. If they wanted children, 'the clock' was ticking. Abby gave birth to Dave the next year. Five years later, Beth was born.
The president walked beside his wife, Beth ran ahead and they knew Dave was dragging behind them. They walked out of the office to the lawn and stood where their social secretary positioned them. Pictures of the first lady's European trip were a painful necessity. The session was brief except for the effort getting Beth to stand still and forcing Dave not to look like he was in pain. President Arnold gave his family another quick farewell. He watched Abby, and the kids escorted to the limo and they left for Andrews AFB. The limousine was driven by one of the few mobile units serving the White House. Security didn't like the fully automated cars because they always wanted a computer under their control driving the limousines. The auto-cars were controlled by programming from the car manufacturer, but the mobile units were controlled by software security had control over. Besides, security could put a hat on the mobile unit and it looked like there was another agent driving the car. It didn't fool many people, but impressions in Washington were important.
Mobile automated units had become pervasive throughout society; they were very useful in jobs, which were monotonous, or in hazardous environments. Many homes had a selection of units performing household chores, gardening, etc. The more sophisticated units drove the vehicles. The use of automatic cars was useful but not very functional on all roads. The technology for the auto cars, to operate, worked best on the main roads and freeways. The GPS maps had to be accurate and the sensors on the roads maintained before the mobile units could drive on any surface.
In some homes, the mobile units monitored and even taught the children. This was acceptable at all levels of society, but their use in government had remained low key. No one thought hordes of automatic robots working around the government gave the right impression. Some of the press kidded that if there were too many mobile units around Congress the voters would think they could do the job better. Most government officials had them in their homes for the tasks stated above. They were used in places out of sight from the public. Driving the official cars was an exception, over-time they were shown to be more efficient and safer. Therefore, for the sake of the safety of the leadership the mobile units drove their cars.
Some of the mobile units were human like, walked and performed their tasks like a human. Specific jobs required mobile units specially designed. Automated units that mowed the grass didn't need to look like a human; they were built like a lawnmower. Mobile units which didn't resemble humans were common everywhere and even around the capital, they were seen in significant numbers performing the day-to-day jobs. As long as they didn't look like people then the impression didn't offend anyone.
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Commander Joan Herl rolled over in her bed and checked her clock. It was 7:03AM consortium time. It was easier to keep the space station Oasis on the same time as the Space Consortium launch facility in Florida than to use UTC or Uniform Time Clock. After all, it was easier to be on the same clock as your support staff. She rolled to the side of her bed and whispered, "View Screen Open." The room gradually filled with bright light as the screen opened to her view of the Earth. She rolled onto her back and looked through her window at what appeared to be the southern Indian Ocean. It was always nice to open your eyes and enjoy the Earth rotating below you. Instead of the morning sunrise, the brightness of the sunlight reflecting off the Earth had the same effect.
That day was just another day on the space station Oasis. Get up, check on the night's comm traffic, check out the manufacturing and chemical process labs, and check-in with Space Consortium and see what crisis they had for her. She just had to find a way to live through another boring day in space. Ya right, she had the best job in the world or in space and she knew it.
She heard a moan, looked to her side and saw her husband Tom roll over and put his hand over his eyes to shield his eyes from the sunlight. "I wish you'd warn me before you do that."
"Sorry, but who can think of a better way to wake up."
"I can," he said as he pulled her on top of him and lifted her T-shirt over her head.
Commander Herl was the Oasis commander and her husband Tom was the Senior Staff Engineer as well as the Chief Pilot. They had been on the space station for a little over 6 months, so they were about half way through the one-year assignment. It was their second time on the station and it was their first in command positions. It was their station, and they intended to enjoy their assignments while they lasted.
Joan Herl was at a high point in her career and those people who worked with her and were impressed by her looks soon realized her skills and knowledge were far more impressive. Her two Ph.D.'s in space propulsion and electronics immediately set her aside as more than just an expert. She kept her dark brown hair in a ponytail, which worked best in space, and her 5'8" frame had some impressive shapes to it.
Tom was only one inch taller than Joan was. He was a healthy astronaut; he never walked away from time in the gym or playing on any sports team. He didn't have any Ph.D.'s, but he did have over 8,000 hours of atmospheric flight and 12 missions in space with hundreds of hours piloting spacecraft.
Tom and Joan had been married for 15 years. Although they never had children, their careers and dedication to each other was their passion. Each had made compromises in their career assignments so they could be together, but to their credit, they were so good at what they did, any compromise didn't hurt them.
Their space quarters were small by Earth standards, but for space, they were nice. They had a bedroom, bathroom, small kitchenette and a sitting or meeting room. Living quarters, that size was for the commander of the station, which was Joan's assignment. Having her husband with her was the added benefit. Being the senior staff engineer, he would have had nice quarters but not as nice as hers.
The periphery of the rotating space station had crew member rooms. The deck angle changed a little from one room to the other and over time, crewmembers became accustomed to the slight differences. The
windows looked to the outside of the station. Many mornings they woke up to amazing views of the Earth.
After Tom and Joan had finished their morning exercise, they passed through the bathroom and dressing area into their kitchen. It wasn't a gourmet kitchen by any standards, but it covered the basics. The commander's briefing room was just beyond the kitchen and could hold 12-15 people depending on how chummy they were willing to get.
A quick cup of coffee and some cereal and they were ready for their day. Tom was heading off to check on his tugs and the other pilot while Joan headed off to the control room to see what was going on.
The space station Oasis was a rotating ring of habitable space 750 ft. in diameter and a 25-foot cross section. Walking around the station was a nice 2,450-foot hike around its circumference. In order to simulate the Earth's gravity, the entire station rotated a little less than three revolutions per minute. Oasis had been in orbit for 5 years and was still 6 months from completion. The main ring was complete, but the second ring was just starting construction.
The station had 20 robotic mobile units assigned to construction and maintenance. They remained in space most of the time and worked on the structure and systems. When periodic maintenance was required, were the only times the mobile units were brought into the station. Generally, each task in the station was too complex or too important for a mobile unit. Within the station, the jobs changed every day, so a redundant task outside the station was ideally suited for the mobile units. The primary purpose of the SMU's was constructing the outer hull of the station. The hull was composite and each of the sheets were attached to graphite composite substructure. After the structure was complete and the skin attached, the mobile units installed the support systems and laboratory equipment.
The Space Mobil Units or SMU's looked like washing machines and had six arms with three-fingered hands. They were 8'6" tall and 3' in diameter. Aside from six arms, which had most of the tools they needed, they had a couple of storage compartments for replacement parts and other tools. On the bottom of the SMU, was the coupling port where they would plug into the space station to recharge their batteries and replenish the propellants.
Virus-72 Hours to Live Page 3
