by Jack L Knapp
“He says just float in the upper atmosphere, suck in carbon dioxide and compress it, chill it, and we’ve got all the dry ice we’ll ever need. He thinks we should terraform Venus.”
“And how does he propose to do that?”
“Well, he’s a physicist primarily, so he’s not absolutely sure. But he thinks biologists might be able to cross single-celled plants with seaweed, the kind with air pods?”
“I think that’s what they call giant kelp. Go on.”
“Anyway, he thinks the solution is simple plants with air pods, maybe with their own supply of water in a bladder. He thinks it could be done. The idea is to seed these in the upper atmosphere to float around and reproduce. They’ll start converting at least some of the carbon dioxide to oxygen.”
“How long does he think this will take?” Will’s sarcastic tone showed his doubts.
“Maybe a thousand years. Maybe even longer, although he pointed out that biologics can multiply like crazy when they get started.”
“He doesn’t think small, does he?” remarked Frenchy. “But there’s something more important to consider. What about that press conference? Did you hear it?”
“I did. Can’t say I liked it,” said Chuck.
“I’m worried. Do you think they can actually prevent us from landing on Earth? The spokesman said it was only fair, we were keeping them out of space, they were entitled to keep us from Earth.”
“They can’t do it, Frenchy.” Chuck’s tone was positive. “We choose where we land. Japan, Australia, Indonesia, India, South Korea...those are all friendly countries. The northern Europeans too. They can’t patrol the entire world, they don’t have that many planes.”
“What if they do manage to shoot a ship down? Say one of the Giants or Cigars? They’re reactor powered now, all of them. It’s more than just losing impellers, a crash could spread radiation.”
“Like I said, they can’t do it, but they can try. I’m getting tired of this. They can’t build their own ships, so they intend to steal ours. We’re not stopping them for going to space, they’ve been there before. Our ships are just better. Piss on the lot of them. If they do manage to hit one of our ships, I’ll respond. They’re not nearly as powerful as they think they are.”
Chapter Thirty-one
The president was in a pensive mood. Whatever had troubled him yesterday appeared to be in the past.
“So what am I doing wrong, Mark? I’ve tried everything I can think of. Nothing has worked, not really. Oh, we’ll get our own impellers, maybe even better ones. We’ll get our own antigravity too, but it won’t happen during my presidency. I’ll be the guy who couldn’t get things done. So what do I do now?”
Mark hesitated. “Mister President, I don’t know if you want to hear this.”
“Go on,” the president was impatient.
“I’m reminded of what a politician said, a long time ago. ’Change sides.’
“What? Change what sides?”
“Maybe yours, but definitely pull back from the Chinese and the Russians. They have their own agenda, and bluntly, it’s not at all what you intend. You see NFI’s space operations as a strategic advantage, and maybe it is. But any advantage that’s built on technology spawns an arms race, and sooner or later the other side catches up. You gain a temporary step, but it comes with a cost. The Chinese...they hit that NFI spaceship, but that wasn’t the real target. They wanted to knock the Japanese back on their heels. Japan got rid of something dangerous, and they got rich by allying with New Frontiers. NFI hauled some of our spent fuel rods too, but only because we paid France to be the middle man. The French made money too, count on it. Anyway, the Chinese wanted to cut Japan off from support, that’s why they were willing to go along with you, and meantime they’re pushing ahead to claim the entire South China Sea as sovereign territory. That’s what’s really going on. They want those artificial islands as a stepping stone, Japan was suddenly getting rich, their economy was booming...those reactors they’re selling us? Europe is buying them too. Not everywhere, but most places. Even Germany...they still had coal fired plants, as well as wind and solar power, so after they shut down the big fission generating plants, switching to a distributed system using the small reactors allowed them to get rid of the last coal-fired generators. So Japan is getting rich, China has economic problems, it’s a no-brainer. I don’t think they figured on those old men moving in so quick to clean up the contamination, they certainly had no idea NFI would help, but even so, the raid was a partial success.”
The president looked at Mark, open mouthed. “Why am I not hearing this from the CIA? Shit, even the State Department...if you knew this, why wasn’t I told?”
“Mister President, you never asked.”
“So what about the Russians? What are they after?”
“Best guess, Europe. They want to revive the old USSR. The only real obstacle is us, the USA. They have a commodities economy that’s getting weaker, so getting a leg into space will allow them to keep their economy going. Iron, copper, iridium, a whole bunch of metals are out there, just waiting for someone to claim them. They don’t really have a choice; their manufacturing sector turns out cheap weapons, but as for an auto industry, heavy machinery, exports...Europe has better manufacturing, so does Asia. The Russians can’t compete, and they know it. So they bust their butts, trying to steal NFI’s space drive. If they can get it, they automatically get a giant leap forward over the rockets they’re using now. Even those, they’re antiquated. The Russians are also losing their best brains. Put it all together, they’re facing regime collapse and they’re desperate. You’ve played into their hands. Oh, you didn’t start this Grand Alliance, but you didn’t stop it either.
Mark paused while he marshaled his thoughts.
“We had NFI, but we shut them down. It happened during your predecessor’s term, but it really doesn’t matter who did it. We blew that one, big time. The way I see it, the only way to get back on track is to make peace with NFI. Whatever it takes, get them back on our side. Did you know their CEO was once a Marine? The guy who invented that space drive was a soldier? We should have done everything possible to encourage them, tax breaks, federal security instead of shutting them down, whatever. Now you’re thinking of declaring war on the biggest, richest, corporation in the world. You’re going up against a hero, a guy that people can’t forget lost his hair while he was trying to help people he had no need to. A man who’s richer than anyone in history, but who’s got a conscience and a sense of noblesse oblige.”
He took a deep breath. “I should have realized this, but I didn’t. I went along, and I made things worse. Oh, we got wrecked impellers out of it, but if anything, I probably made things worse in the long run.”
Mark looked up. “Mister President, I’ll have my resignation on your desk within the hour. You need someone better in the job. I’m sorry.”
The door closing made the only sound. The president had been paralyzed by surprise. Mark was quitting? Surprise gave way to fury. Was this the first rat, leaving the sinking ship?
He got up and paced; anger wouldn’t help. He needed a plan.
How much did his secretary know? Had Mark told her he was quitting? The president looked closely at the woman, but could see no outward sign. Was she squinting a bit, maybe trying not to smile?
“Get me the Secretary of State. Not a phone call, I need her to come here.”
#
“Gentlemen.” Chuck glanced around the room, but the watching group were indeed all men. “Congratulations to all of you. Please hold the applause until everyone has been called. When your name is read, come up to the stage and receive your certificate.”
Chuck paused while the shuffling of feet died down. As soon as it was quiet, he resumed, “Your country needs you. At the conclusion of this ceremony, you’ll board the appropriate ships. The honor graduate from each nation will fly as copilot; your commander is employed by NFI, and until we release the ships to your nations, the
y’re still company property, so be patient. By this time tomorrow, some of you will command spaceships that wear your country’s colors. Others will be copilots, and in time I expect you’ll get your own commands. Each nation will want to honor her first astronaut-commanders and pilots, so we’ll keep this one as brief as possible. Martha?”
Half an hour later it was done. The newly-fledged astronauts, all pilots who had gained additional certifications to operate Farside-class spacecraft, were on their way. Newly-designed wings graced their dress uniforms as they marched out the door. Chuck watched, and sighed. They were going where he could no longer go. The risk was not great, but then, he had a family to think of. Lina and the twins needed him.
Chuck was still depressed when he arrived back at Base Australia.
“Glad you’re back, Chuck.” Will had been waiting when Lina landed. “I’ve met with a delegation from the Commonwealth government. Short story, they want their own space station. I’m inclined to help them. Frenchy knows about it, and he thinks it’s the smart thing to do. This is our only operational base dirtside, so we need their federal government as much as they need us.”
Chuck thought it over. “Are there any drawbacks? Any downside? Tell them I’ll have a decision by tomorrow. Work out the logistics, and if you don’t see problems, you can make the announcement. Alert Martha, tell her to get ready for the next class. Put the Aussies in with our people when the next class starts.”
“Neither of us thinks there’s a problem. You’ve already handed over impeller-powered ships. Handing over a couple more of them...well, it’s like pregnancy, you can’t get more pregnant. Speaking of which, Lina wants to know when you’re coming home.”
#
The ambassador listened to the conversation, told the Secretary of State that he’d do his best, then broke the connection. What to do, that was clear, and the former general, now retired, knew an order when he heard one. But how? He couldn’t just go up and knock on their door! Well, that was where a staff came in; the thing to do was see what they thought. There wasn’t a lot of time; he was due at a cocktail party in less than an hour.
“Use a couple of local hires, general.” The ambassador preferred his aides use that title for any except formal occasions. He had been a general for a long time, an ambassador for less than three years, thanks to a talent for fundraising. The president had been grateful, and when asked, the general had decided that being Ambassador to Australia suited him just fine. Why, he might even learn to water-ski!
“Why local hires?” asked the general.
“Shouldn’t we see how it goes before we commit the embassy, sir? If we send one of our accredited people, there’ll be no hiding it from the Aussies. Our local people are discreet, they know to keep things to themselves. Give them a note, a business card, ask them to deliver it. Nothing elaborate, just a simple note asking Fuqua or Crane to call us. I don’t think Sneyd stays there, there might have been some sort of rift. Maybe it’s just business keeping him away. Still, he’s got a villa at their desert base.”
“How will our people recognize them? I doubt they know Fuqua, for that matter any of them. I’ve never met them, they don’t attend diplomatic functions. This would be a lot simpler if they did.”
“We must have photos. I know what Sneyd looks like, that poster is in half the houses around the world. Every teenager has one. I think Fuqua was in some of the pictures too. Crane, he’s been here in Australia for a while, so I’m sure some of our Australian contacts have pictures. Collect as many pictures as we can, make them into a kind of flash card, then give our people a set.”
“You think that would work?” asked the general.
“We can always try using one of the diplomatic staff later. For that matter, as soon as we know for sure who’s there, you could go yourself.”
“That’s what the secretary suggested, but I don’t like being used as an errand boy. Go ahead, draft a note for my signature and see about having those photo cards made up. Two should do it, I think. There’s no need for a twenty-four hour watch, if they report to Fuqua’s house at nine o’clock, they can stay until five. With two of them, they can take separate breaks for lunch or bathroom calls.”
“I’ll see to it, general.”
#
Chuck sighed, laid the last report down, and rubbed tired eyes. Finally there was good news. The first contingent of settlers had moved onto the Martian surface. The steady flow of Giant and Cigar class ships had built huge open-air stockpiles of supplies. Great domes protected them from the distant sun, heavily staked to prevent the domes from flying away during the occasional Martian sandstorm. The Chinese-made habitats had been dug in until only the upper portion of the dome projected above the ground. The entrance was igloo-like, in that it was protected from the gusts when they came. It only remained to be seen if the soil remained fertile after it was thawed out. Still, as John had pointed out, bacteria survived for thousands of years in the permafrost, ready to resume life after the ice melted. If necessary, earthworms could always be shipped up. How long would it take before the Martian dirt became host to the soil microorganisms?
If there was a disappointment in the report, it was Disco. One glitch after another plagued the ship. Would she ever join the others? In any case, she would be the last Saucer-class ship to be built on Luna. There would be others, but they would be true Mars ships, Mars-built, and used by the brand-new citizens of Mars. Frisbee would remain in orbit for now; Saucer and Stogie were on their way out. They would stop long enough to examine the Trojan Asteroids that orbited eccentrically between Mars and Jupiter. Would they prove useful? Mars could certainly use a cheap supply of raw materials.
After radioing the results of the survey, the two ships would go on. The Asteroid Belt itself was a relatively short distance, and some of the larger asteroids were minor planets in all but name. Ceres might serve as a distant base, even if the drills brought up no usable material. Eventually, supplies used up and her cargo bay empty, Stogie would attempt to capture ice blocks from Jupiter’s thin rings, perhaps even go on to Saturn. Would the Jovian or Saturnian moons be usable? The two ships were provisioned to remain away for as long as six months.
Humanity was in space, and this time they would stay.
Chapter Thirty-two
Major Katsuro Genda picked up his helmet and took the shuttle vehicle to the flight line. The planes glistened in the dim light of dawn. Katsuro felt the same small thrill the sight always gave him. On the fuselage gleamed Japan’s bold red circle. Men, some of them Katsuro’s ancestors, had looked on that same insignia before climbing into the cockpit. For some, it had been the symbol of willing sacrifice.
Airplanes had come a long way since warriors guided their Type O Mitsubishi fighters down the decks of proud aircraft carriers. But while planes now were new and different, they were still flown by warriors. Even on a day like this, when the mission wasn’t combat but a routine patrol over the South China Sea, he resolved to remain alert. Major Genda glanced at the other fighters that would accompany him today. Crews helped pilots settle into cockpits, then waited for the signal to start the twin jet engines. Major Genda nodded satisfaction, then signaled readiness to his own ground crew. Fumes, then a burst of smoke signaled that engines were starting. Katsuro ran his finger down his own checklist, dutifully insuring that each step was completed before moving to the next. Moments later, the big fighter shook as the twin engines rumbled to life. Crews completed the arming process and pulled the chocks from the wheels.
Major Genda smiled, satisfied. It was time to fly.
#
The big ship hovered, then eased onto the skids. Hornet had brought Dolph and his research team to Base Australia, along with the results of their latest experiment. Chuck welcomed a smiling Dolph, while his team supervised unloading a large wooden box.
“So what’s so urgent that you had to bring these guys to Australia? Were you getting tired of winter?”
“I’m loving the warmt
h, that’s no secret, but I’ve got a recommendation and something you should see. It will take time to set up, so maybe we can talk about my recommendation first?”
“Sure, come on in.” The two were shortly occupying chairs in Chuck’s office, coffee in hand and snacks on the low table between them.
“I’ll get right to it. You told me to ready the patent applications and I’ve done that. I don’t know if it will keep anyone from using impellers, but if nothing else we can demand royalties. I think it’s time to go ahead and file the applications.”
Dolph chased a bite of doughnut with a swallow of coffee, then continued. “I’ve got two reasons for suggesting this. The first is that if the secret is not out by now, it soon will be. The US government salvaged at least one impeller from Tesla, maybe more, and they’ve got a very competent team working to reverse-engineer it. I know, because I was offered a job. The guy...he’s a friend, by the way...didn’t say doing what, not exactly, but I picked up enough to know what they’re up to. He told me who I’d be working with, that got my attention, then he mentioned space and told me it was only a matter of time before they had working ships. That means impellers, so telling me what they wanted me to do clinched the idea. They found Tesla.”
Dolph finished his doughnut and reached for another, this one an old-fashioned cake doughnut. He took a bite, then continued.
“You’ve also turned ships over to three tech-savvy nations; I’ll give odds they know what’s inside those impeller housings by now, so the secret isn’t, and it’s time to protect NFI’s investment.”
“Point taken, Dolph. You said there were two reasons?”
“The impellers will be useful, but not for spaceships. We’ve developed a better impulse system. It’s all electronic, so it’s more dependable than impellers, plus the big unit will use less power than the array of impellers in the Saucer class ships. We don’t have a name for it yet, but it interfaces directly with space-time’s electromagnetic and gravitational fields. Maybe we should call it the matrix drive, but whatever you call it, we’ve got a working model. Expanding it until it’s big enough to power an interstellar ship is not going to be easy; the field generator doesn’t naturally sync with any other generator. It not only syncs with space time, it changes the relationship, at least locally. So we either find a way to work around that or use one huge driver to propel the ship. One of those small modular reactors puts out enough power to run this drive unit, but maybe not the interstellar version. It may not be a problem; we think we’re close to sustained nuclear fusion.”
