The Final Sunset

by Trevor Herron

  The eyes bored into Denice who stared implacably back but nothing was said.

  “No sir, Lord Moncrief, we have a hell of a lot more pressure on us than we have led you to believe. We have actually been playing the situation down so as not to create panic in the population but here in the Security Council nothing short of the full situation report must be placed on the table.”

  “But you’ve just told us that we have a thousand to three thousand year’s grace.”

  “I did not tell you anything of the kind. What I did tell was that the sun could last as long as that but that we could not. We could get a rogue radiant at any time that would wipe us and Mars out in an instant and leave the population of Titan to die of starvation.

  At this point I will suggest that we seriously give some thought to the annexation of Titan and Uranus but we will deal with that at a later date.”

  Another voice broke in, “That begs the question then of the reflector mentioned earlier. Is it worth the trouble of constructing it if we might get wiped out at any moment anyway?”

  “I don’t know about you, madam but I have no intention of going down without a fight. A rogue flare could have wiped us out at any time in history but it did not. A rogue flare could wipe us out right now but then again the next rogue flare might occur when we have all the protection we need to cower and plan and work behind. The only thing that’s changed madam is the mathematics of probability.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “It means that the chance of a random occurrence will be processed more often taking the chance of a certain occurrence further from incalculable and closer to the predictable. I believe we still have the time to save humanity but not time that will be free of incident.”

  “How long will it take to construct this reflector? To my mind that is the critical question,” The delegate from the China region asked.

  “Well sir it is already more than half built.”

  “What? Have you been operating without reference to the Security Council?”

  “No sir. Remember the International Space Station that carried most of our research projects throughout the 21st Century? It had grown to a huge construction almost the size of Saturn by the time it was decommissioned. It still has some reasonably sophisticated control equipment aboard to allow it to manoeuvre and prevent collisions. For the last two hundred years or so it’s been used as an orbiting museum stationed at the edge of the Asteroid belt begging to be better utilised.

  Old Folks knew how to build ’em in those days. That’s a construction that will suit us down to the ground, no flippancy intended, with only a few additions and modifications. It already carries a number of shields in place. We need take samples of various bits and pieces for compatibility testing.

  I have taken the liberty of doing drawings for the proposed modifications. If we co-opt labour and management from Mars and Titan we could have our reflector in position and doing duty within five years. In the meantime, we can set about deciding the best way of assuring our continued existence.”

  “Your eagerness is commendable but it’s no good rushing off to get started on saving humanity only to find we’ve run out of humanity to save. The population still needs feeding and shelter. Much of Africa, Europe, Central and South America has suffered a crippling combination of blows including heat waves, ground fires and freezing cold that has destroyed crop lands, grazing fields, rainforests and grasslands.”

  ###

  It was being left to a triumvirate of brilliant young scientists, Hola Amandla, Jean-Paul Perdue and Denice Harding to carry a program the size of which Earth had never needed nor seen before. It was not popular among many of the politicians, simply because it was not their idea.

  ###

  “Rothman can I have a word with you?”

  “Certainly Lord Moncrief,” they walked out into the humid air and almost immediately began perspiring.

  “I’ll make this quick so we can get back inside. I saw by your expression that you’re no more keen on those young whipper-snappers having so much authority than I am.”

  “No your Lordship can you imagine one or even both of those girls trying to take control of a construction crew from Titan or even the downy cheeked….”

  “Quite – quite. They might be marvellous at solving mathematical equations and that’s where they should stay but they don’t have the life experience to run something of this magnitude. I believe you and I would be best suited for that. We’ll need to get together to evict those children before they hasten the end of the world as we know it.

  For the time being let us go inside and put our minds to this challenge.”

  ###

  Earth had devised a situation where people were placed where they fitted best. Farmers farmed and tradesmen worked within their fields. In most cases it was almost medieval since one’s occupation was usually determined by what one’s parents did for a living.

  Allowance was made for advancement either within the familiar disciplines or if aptitudely tested into another field altogether. The flow chart as drawn up by Hola and a team of experts determined that in order of importance the first three projects attacked on Earth would be; the Solar Shield to be done by the Uranians, by far the best engineers and technologists. Their first problem was land recovery and water reestablishment

  Next would be just getting crops to grow on land that would have a high saline content that would probably take the three generations plus to perfect. Ferrying workmen from earth to the worksite and material to site not to mention on site storage. A whole unheard of infrastructure would have to be set up.

  The best farmers on Earth were brought together and an operating committee elected. For the most part all farming would be done under controlled conditions as many of the chemicals used in farming could be unstable. For direction on chemical storage they turned to the Martians who with their extensive mining knowledge knew all about unstable chemicals.

  As the various action committees gained confidence they were left to carry on and as their programs became better established they appointed leaders for each section and location from among the young well-known agricultural personalities. Moncrief and Rothman were not among them.

  “You see their naivety; Rothman they have two of Europe’s best beef farmers in you and me yet they don’t offer us a position.”

  What he didn’t say was that their farms, where they still existed were run by managers. Two of Moncrieff’s farms were currently under three fathoms of the North Sea and the last thing Solaria needed was a pair of gentlemen farmers who got their hands dirty by proxy.

  “I say, Miss Amandla may I ask why we were not asked to run one of the committee’s. After all Lord Moncrieff and myself are both farmers of many years standing.”

  “I appreciate that Mr Rothman but the job of a committee CEO is a highly strenuous one and it needs a young hand at the helm.”

  “I see.”

  ###

  “I tell you, your Lordship despite her protestations to the contrary she has no intention of using us at all. We’re just wasting our time coming to these meetings.

  In us she has two of the finest administrators on Earth yet she passes us over for youngsters still wet behind the ears. Even if the committee work is too much for men our age she didn’t even mention an administrative job. It’s as if we don’t exist. I think it’s time we went to work on the Security Council and got ourselves appointed as Commissioners of Standards or something like that to ensure honesty in the operations.”

  “Careful, avoid getting called to appear before any litigation committees. You never know how those infernal toys of theirs will interpret our intentions.”

  “Of course your Lordship. The way things are going it’s almost as if the monkeys are taking over the zoo,” he shook his head despairingly as they went back in.

  ###r />
  Three long years went into ensuring that food would continue to be put on the tables of Solaria when they took to space. Land lost to rising ocean levels had to be recovered and farming operations carried out, “Thank God for the Dutch.” Denise told a meeting of the agriculturists in The Hague. She received a resounding ovation.

  ###

  “Design work on the deflector is complete and we’re ready to start putting the first screen in position and do the in-situ skeleton work prior to moving it closer to Venus for trials.

  “We will need a ratio of approximately ninety percent humanoids to ten per cent humans for a labour force situated in the Kuiper vacuum. That means nine thousand Uranians to one thousand Earthlings plus we’ll need to second a hundred or two Titan Humanoids to liaise on chemical and liquid flow problems.

  The Uranians will prepare a flow chart to help keep the work up to date and for changing labour and material requirements.

  ###

  They have studied the drawings and they feel they can start preparation work for laying the keel as soon as the steel arrives from Mars. They reckon forty-two years to completion of the keels but are not prepared to give even estimated time for other work.” “Ladies and gentlemen,” Hola addressed the planning committee “From tomorrow you will move into a more demanding part of your work. Up to now you have worked on planning; as from tomorrow you will be checking the application of your planning. From tomorrow you travel and examine ways to better your planning, to cut time even if it’s only a minute here or a minute there. There will be no thinking it’s only a minute it won’t make a difference, every second makes a difference.”

  Labour was becoming in short supply had to be found for construction work. The Security council were happy with the proto tests to the screen and insisted that the three young scientists progress that part of the program faster.

  “But Secretary General we’re right on schedule with the screens.”

  “That’s not good enough, get ahead with them.”

  “That means a training scheme and training facilities. That’s going to impact on costs.”

  “Don’t tell me your troubles. Just get on with it. I’ll handle the finances.”

  ###

  Mars had barely felt the effects of the big flare up only losing a bit of precious water but this was enough for them to consult with Earth for trade and labour agreements. Critical materials were identified and Mars went to work. Prospectors and speculators took to the Asteroids looking for ores and minerals as stipulated by the red men.

  At least four foundries were opened to produce old fashioned steel to the same quality as that made for the International Space Station. Using more modern metals could compromise the material and structural strength of existing frame and strut.

  The carbon that went into the steel manufacture came from Titan as did the fuel that ferried the manufactured steel to Uranus and the gas that fired the boilers. Manganese, Valspar, vanadium and other materials that went into the manufacture of different steel grades also came from Mars, a very rich planet.

  Other materials and metals required for engineering the space station into a heat deflector, gold, silver, platinum, tungsten, nickel, zinc, titanium and various ceramic clays all came from Earth. Also a very rich planet but one that preferred to keep its beauty instead of submerging it under unsightly mine dumps.

  ###

  The first of the construction gangs arrived from Mars and Uranus to build the huge orbiting stores and magazines and the process of ferrying them out to their work stations began.

  “We’ve under-estimated the quantity of work the Martians and Uranian workmen can put out,” Hola told the other two, “They’re using up the materials faster than we can supply them and they’re crying for oxygen for the plasma cutters and titanium and tungsten.

  “Okay we have no option but to re-open some of the older mines but be selective, very selective.”

  “That will alleviate only part of the problem most of all we need oxygen proper O2 not combination oxygen and some other atomic combination unless its water.”

  “Good then I have some work that should keep the Uranians busy for some time,” Jean-Paul said and both Hola and Denise smiled expectantly.

  “Well are you going to spill it or do we play twenty questions?”

  “Okay we’re using four of Jupiter’s abundant moons; first of all, Europa has an icy surface which when exposed to sunlight and charged dust particles releases water vapour as well as gaseous fragments of water molecules. From there, recovery of oxygen is a minor process.”

  “That’s all very well but what are we going to do with this recovered oxygen?”

  “Why; I thought it was for the Martians to make steel.”

  “But can we start recovery before all reserves of oxygen runs out.”

  “Where do they use all this oxygen?”

  “In the BOF, of course.”

  “The what O - F?”

  “The Basic Oxygen Furnace; the final stage of converting pig iron to steel.”

  “But that is exactly where we run into problems every time. The oxygen process is not renewable and the reheat process at the BOF cannot supply enough heat to keep the pig iron at optimum temperature if the pig iron in even one tundish sets it will be a heavy price to pay.

  Oxygen, dammit the most important element in the universe yet one of the scarcest and we’ve examined all possible local sources of supply including what you’ve suggested. There’s enough available for the injection but not enough for the reheat and if our material temperature drops below 2.320K degrees we have to dump the lot.”

  ###

  “I see where you’re heading but surely that would work only if we had another source of heat other than a fire-furnace to maintain basic temperature plus 25%.”

  “That’s just it, we do have another type of heat source available,” Denise answered excitedly.

  “Come on, either you’re delusional or you or you’re in a different galaxy to the rest of us,” Hola said, “Where are you going to conjure this magical heat source from?”

  “I’ve been researching Jupiter going right back to the Hubble Telescope days and I found some very interesting things. Jupiter has an atmosphere made up of a good per centage of hydrogen peroxide which we could use to augment the oxygen we recover from Europa’s vapour.”

  “But no matter what direction we go we run up against the need for an oxygen consuming heat source. Even now you hint at another heat source but keep coming back to extracted oxygen.”

  “We don’t need an oxygen consuming heat source; don’t you see it? Jupiter and its moons can supply everything we need including electricity.”

  “Electricity?” the others said in unison, “For a furnace the size we would need a number of Alternators running into gigawatts and huge prime movers consuming vast amounts of fossil fuel that would have to be ferried in from Titan. Fossil fuels equal oxygen consumption. It can’t be done.”

  “You’re thinking like a dinosaur, stop and think outside the square. The core of this planet is a powerful magnet, that holds true for all gas planets. It’s the mortar that keeps the planet together and it probably sets up a magnetic flux denser than any magnetic field in the Galaxy.

  Europa, Io and Calisto are in orbital resonance with each other but 120 degrees out of phase with each other. Familiar, not so? Cast your mind back to domestic power supplies of a past era. The standard Alternating Current, remember the initials AC well that’s what we have here and the joy of AC is that it can be used as a way of inducing voltage into unconnected circuits and transforming its values up and down quite simply.

  Now, if we construct large enough copper coils on the surfaces of each of those moons we can generate enough heat by using induction furnaces to smelt the constituents without the need of oxygen to sustain the heat.”

 
“Induction furnaces?”

  “Yes you know, when a conductor cuts magnetic lines of force a voltage is set up across the ends of that conductor. The oxygen not being used to heat furnaces can now be recovered and used to inject the constituents and convert them to steel.”

  “You know what,” Jean-Paul smiled, “It could just work.”

  “I don’t quite follow,” said Hola.

  “Well there’s Faraday’s law- you remember that from Elect Eng. 101- don’t you?

  “Of course, how stupid of me to forget,” Hola slapped her forehead with her palm.

  “Voila!” laughed Jean-Paul, “The penny she has succumbed to gravity. We have a heat source that does not require oxygen, the oxygen we don’t require now can be diverted to the BOF. The electricity from the moons is used to heat the blast furnaces by inducing high amperages into the iron ore which causes high heat without the need of oxygen fed fires.”

  “That is a marvellous example of thinking outside the cubic container, Denise Congratulations.”

  Hola was impressed, “Put the best teams we have on it right away.”

  ###

  “Rothman, we’ve got to do something, these young whelps are beginning to look too good.”

  “Ah Moncrief! Good day to you too. Don’t worry I have everything in hand. I’ve already started a process going.”

  His Lordship noticed the address without a title. The fellow was getting above himself.

  “You have? Why didn’t you say something?”

  “You’ve got your hands full at the moment and I’m sure you could do without aggravations of the sort I’m planning. Well for the moment anyway.”

  “Come on spill it what are these aggravations I can do without.”

  “A strike.”

  “A strike! Don’t be a damned fool. What’s there to strike for everybody has exactly the same pay and as near as can be organized the same working conditions.”

  “That’s the very reason you need me,” His voice was smug and his expression supercilious, “I get out and about; speak to people who count.”