The World Game

by Allen Charles

  The public restaurant was serviced by slower, more luxuriously appointed internal tram cars that ran up and down the inside of the great tube. Paying passengers would lie back in their seats and enjoy the 4 hour ride each way at 0.1 g. Unlike the space force transport, the public tram turned about 180 degrees at the half way point. The carbon fibre mono layer was totally transparent and as clear as diamond, affording the clientele a perfect view of the Earth receding or approaching, and the panorama of space all around with little distortion. The tram windows were anti glare and the tube material itself protection from cosmic rays and solar radiation. Opaque blinds were available for sufferers of vertigo or other phobias and cocktails in squeeze bottles were served in first class.

  Fuller herded his cadets across the walkway and into the transport at an entrance just behind the control cabin. He looked to see who was driving and was pleased to see the blond curls of Janine Carver spilling out under her commander’s cap as she concentrated on pre launch checks, even though there was no trip scheduled. The old days of bulky flight suits and pressurization were long gone since the advent of youniforms and buddies.

  A few years younger than Fuller, Janine was a career astronaut and transport pilot with the experience of dozens of trips behind her. She was also stunningly attractive, lively and available. He smiled to himself, looking forward to a great day and maybe an interesting evening.

  “Cadets, find a seat, strap in and listen.” The group sat themselves in the center seating area and buckled the safety webbing, as if the transport was really going to move off. Tendrils from each buddy extruded and penetrated small punctures in the webbing, drawing water and nourishment from capillaries integrated in the weave. At the same time, each youniform, sensing the environmental change and the new location, grew a protective helmet, including a faceplate and anti glare shield. Unlike the luxurious internal trams, the transport was spartan and functional, designed as a workhorse and temporary survival platform for space city staff.

  The final jump to space city, a mere 500 miles from the Skyhook terminus, was by reaction mass thrusters as the transport left the tube rails behind. That last 500 miles was Janine’s real task.

  Fuller surveyed his charges carefully, ensuring that no safety detail was overlooked while Janine checked the passenger fault display panel.

  “We are not going anywhere today.” he announced. “This is purely an orientation session. Look around you and touch nothing. In the event of any emergency your familiarity with equipment, emergency escape exits and first aid equipment could save a life. Even your own. Look towards the...” Fuller’s lecture was interrupted by a heavy bump to the transport accompanied by a loud thump as something heavy made contact. Fuller looked to Janine who signalled secure Buddy communication.

  “That was the next supply upload being secured in the cargo bay at back.” She thought to Fuller buddypathically. “The next run takes general supplies and four of the new Dinkshif drives up to the City. As soon as you guys have finished here I’m scheduled to deliver this lot. Wanna come for a ride?” Out of sight of the cadets, Janine winked at Fuller. He controlled a smile and turned back to his charges.

  “Cadets, Commander Carver informs me that the noises we just heard are from loading the supplies for space city. In this payload are four Dinkshif drives that will be used on the new deep space explorer being built on a captured asteroid at Space City. Now back to basics. Please activate the safety view-card on the seat back in front of you and we will review evacuation procedures.

  CHAPTER 11

  Somewhere in Iran - Secret Nuclear Facility. 25th June

  After a four hour flight, Zardooz and Arjmand stood small as ants next to a huge missile. This was something far larger than any intercontinental ballistic missile in the secret arsenal. The rest were less than one quarter the size of this monster.

  “This my President, is the Jack Hammer missile. Something that not even you knew existed. This is the missile that will destroy the Great Satan, America.”

  “What is it? How?” Arjmand had his head back, slack jawed at the sight, peering into the gloom of the silo to see the top of the missile.

  “Let’s go back to my office and I will explain.” Zardooz turned about and led the way up the mesh walkway through steel blast doors, to the office complex. It was a fair distance away as all the infrastructure around the missile would be vaporized at launch.

  “Please take a seat President. I will call for coffee.”

  While Zardooz went out, Arjmand looked around the large office. The walls were covered with schematics of missiles, with one standing out, labelled clearly “Jack Hammer”. On another wall were full projections of maps of the world and a single, detailed map of North America. There was a yellow dot on the map right on Yellowstone National Park, with Global Positioning coordinates written on the dot. Arjmand returned his attention at Zardooz came back in.

  “We are going to destroy the Great Satan by blowing up some bears in a national park Zardooz?”

  Zardooz smiled and laughed. “Something like that Mr. President. Let’s start with that map then.

  Zardooz went over to the map and lifted it, revealing a geological cutaway schematic. “This is a diagram of one of the world’s largest magma plumes, Mr. President. It lies beneath Yellowstone National Park. If this plume were to erupt to the surface it would cause the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history. It would be so big that it would blanket North America in ash and make it uninhabitable for years to come. It would destroy the Great Satan and much of the rest of the world.” Zardooz paused and flipped back to the world map. He walked over to the Jack Hammer schematic and continued.

  “We are not capable of taking out the Great Satan without help. We need leverage. Certainly we can take care of North Korea, but once we launch against the Hegemony, the US will come down on us with everything she has and we will be obliterated. If we strike the US first, at the exact same time as North Korea, we will stop the retaliation. In any case the US will not react immediately as the Korean Hegemony is not their ally. They will react against a threat that may turn on them and only slowly at that. It is their way to absorb the first blows and then hit back. Our strategy depends upon this weakness of their leadership.

  By the time the US reacts we will have nothing left of our thirty missiles, so Jack Hammer has to launch against the US at the same time as the Korean strike and blow out Yellowstone.”

  “Surely the US will destroy our missile in flight?” Arjmand asked.

  “It is possible Mr. President, however we have devised a strategy that should fool the US defense systems and delay their presidential decision long enough for Jack Hammer to do its job. Look at this diagram.”

  The pored over the schematic that Zardooz had rolled flat and Zardooz continued his explanation.

  “Jack Hammer is not a sub orbital ballistic missile. It is an orbit capable launch vehicle and will put our payload into an apparently benign low earth orbit. The US would be aggressors to shoot it down. They cannot afford that tag. So they will wait for absolute certainty.

  The first section of the payload is a replica of a Space City supply transport. We have obtained genuine transponder codes from a NASA employed American Iranian whose parents are in our tender care, and to all intents, this will appear to be a Space Transport in distress. The rest of the payload are ten fifty megaton nuclear devices each mounted on its own missile.”

  Arjmand was entranced by what he was seeing, coffee by his hand untouched.

  “We launch the Jack Hammer 90 minutes before the attack on the Korean Hegemony. This puts Jack Hammer into a computed orbit over Yellowstone at the exact moment of the launch against the Korean Hegemony. Jack Hammer releases the Transport replica which is sending out emergency signals and may-days. The US focusses all its attention on this situation as the transport appears to be crashing into Yellowstone National Park, directly over the magma plume. As soon as the transport drops to atmospheric level and begin
s to heat up, it will appear that a tragedy is unfolding as pieces break away. The nuclear tipped missiles will then be launched straight down the throat of the magma plume at fifteen second intervals. The missiles themselves are hardened against the blast of the previous warheads and each one is programmed to penetrate deeper into the earth’s mantle. By the eighth blast there should be a volcanic release as never before, with one or two more missiles left to make sure the egg is well and truly cracked. This emergency will overwhelm the Great Satan.”

  Zardooz stopped and looked at Arjmand expectantly. The questions came.

  “How sure are you that this will work Zardooz? We are risking everything on this.”

  “What does it matter Mr. President? Until a few minutes ago you were going to launch twenty conventional missiles at the Korean Hegemony and hope that there would be no world power retaliation. If this plan works our great nation has a chance of surviving. It is the will of Allah.”

  Arjmand stared hard at Zardooz and then slowly nodded his head. “You are right my friend. You are right. Maybe those 72 virgins will have to wait a little longer for me. I am here to make this happen. Show me the launch sequence. It is time.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The Situation Room, the White House 25th June, 8 am

  “Mr. President, it is Rafi Ben-Gurion for you. He says it is urgent, life and death.”

  The President snatched up the phone, “Rafi, it is Tom. What is the problem?”

  “We have lost track of Arjmand and Zardooz. We suspected and have confirmed a secret facility that we were unable to penetrate. Our analysis suggests they have around 20 secret nukes and they are about to launch against the Korean Hegemony. We stopped the 200 known missiles. The two of them just vanished off the map about half an hour ago. We are sending you their last known coordinates.”

  “What can the US do Rafi? What evidence do we have that they will launch?”

  “Watch this recording Tom. You will have no doubts after that. I see you disabled the Korean missile launch Tom. Nice paint job. Our desk varnish is on Arjmand’s shoe but unable to penetrate the rock overhead. They are deep. Very deep.”

  The President watched the meeting between Zardooz and Arjmand recorded by the Israeli desk varnish nanobots a few hours earlier. He needed no further convincing.

  “Immediate meeting, all Chiefs of Staff still present. Situation room. Ten minutes.” he rattled off to his secret service liaison. He picked up his communicator and pressed for the Secretary of State and Chuck Hanes to join him immediately.

  A siren screamed, scaring an adrenaline jolt and making the President’s heart race. Without ceremony the secret service grabbed the President and began rushing him out to the lawn where Marine One was just landing. Trained to obey without question, the President moved with his protectors, all the while frantically plugging at his communicator to find out what the threat was. The director of the NSA came on line.

  “Mr. President, we have detected a missile launch from Iran.”

  “How many missiles?”

  “Just the one at this time sir. It is not following a logical missile trajectory sir and appears to be an orbital launch of a multi stage vehicle.”

  “Is it a definite threat to us”

  “It is too early to say sir. We must get you airborne in Airforce One now sir as we will not have time to respond if indeed this is a threat.”

  “OK NSA. This is POTUS transferring to Airforce One. I want SecState and Director Hanes on board with me.”

  “We will do our best to comply sir.”

  The helicopter had landed and the President was rushed forward by the guard detail. Strapped in tight, Marine One took off with two identical ships nearby and headed for Andrews Air Force Base where Airforce One and Two were ready to go.

  With padded earphones stopping the engine noise, the President regained communications with his chiefs of staff who now awaited him in the situation room.

  “I will not be joining you gentlemen but we will proceed as if I was present.” He heard some responsive grumbles of acknowledgement and then went on. “In the past few minutes I received a warning call from the President of Israel, Rafi Ben-Gurion, that a secret Iranian nuclear facility and launch base has been identified. Arjmand and Zardooz both went deep underground and off the map suddenly. I have incontrovertible evidence that Iran is about to launch against the Korean Hegemony. We have physically disabled Korean missile capability and they are unable to initiate, nor retaliate to, an attack. Israel disabled the primary Iranian missile arsenal but was completely unaware of the secret Iranian base until a couple of hours ago.

  The launch we have just witnessed from Iran appears to be an orbital vehicle. We have no evidence that this is a weapon platform. The recorded conversation of the Arjmand and Zardooz makes it abundantly clear that this must be taken as a weapon. We have the launch location and assume that the remaining estimated 20 missiles are in close proximity. Gentlemen, as commander in chief I must be the one to authorize hostilities against Iran that may plunge our planet into a world war from which no one will emerge. Advise me wisely. Advise me now. You have ten minutes.”

  The helicopter had closed on Andrews and Airforce One and Two, Boeing 888 flying wing space planes, which could be seen like two tiny corporal chevrons on a field of gray concrete, growing larger and larger. Their immense size now became apparent as human figures awaited the President’s arrival by a portable escalator.

  CHAPTER 13

  Iran - Secret Launch Facility Bunker. June 25, afternoon

  “You see Mr. President! I told you they would be paralyzed. The Great Satan has not reacted and soon it will be too late regardless.”

  “Zardooz - I never doubted you.” Arjmand clapped Zardooz on the shoulder as they stood together alone in the launch control room. The countdown sequence on the twenty conventional nuclear missiles was ticking down the ninety minutes Jack Hammer needed to achieve orbit and position.

  “Now Mr. President, allow me to show you the safest place on Allah’s Earth while all this is happening. Deep below us is the command bunker capsule, a fully self contained survival shelter that can sustain a small group almost indefinitely.”

  A small section of the varnish patch on Arjmand’s Gucci shoes had flowed off and up to the desk corner. There was not a lot of varnish and the weak signal this small patch could put out was not getting through to the satellite. As the two men left, the patch autonomously spread itself to achieve a longer wavelength of signal that would penetrate the rock. It was at capacity for such a small patch, but the satellite came on line with a weak signal and it sent the recorded session via micro burst. The men were gone now. No motion or body heat detected. Shut down.

  Zardooz led Arjmand to a narrow elevator door, just wide enough for one person at a time to enter and room for maybe four adults in the car. Zardooz pressed the lower button. There were only two buttons.

  “We are going down just one level?” Arjmand asked in an unbelieving tone.

  Once again, Zardooz laughed. “Yes my friend, but what a level. One thousand feet down to the first and only floor.”

  After a ride of perhaps 45 seconds, the car decelerated and stopped. The door slid open to reveal a brightly lit white corridor that disappeared into a perspective dot far away. Zardooz pulled up a roller cover to reveal an electric 4 man cart. He turned a switch and a green active light came on. Maneuvering the cart into the walkway, he beckoned Arjmand to get on.

  “It is a long way to the capsule. One mile with seven blast doors in between the elevator and the capsule, just in case someone decides to drop a nuke on us.”

  “Won’t we be buried down here forever if that happens?”

  “Mr. President, we have tried to cover every contingency. Even if we are buried, we have a rock borer in our inventory and unlimited nuclear power. We can survive here for years.”

  Arjmand shrugged his shoulders. “And what of the 72 virgins. How many of those are there down here?”
>
  Zardooz smiled coldly once again. “Mr. President. Every contingency. Every.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Goddard Skyhook Space Transport. 25th June, 8.15 am

  Janine whipped around in her seat, a look of alarm on her face. “John! John! DefCon 1 There is some emergency. I have instructions for immediate launch. No delays. Make sure your babies are strapped in good because we are going right now.”

  Fuller, also in the DefCon loop, reacted immediately, eyeballing every seat belt and making sure nothing loose was going to become a missile during the run. He strapped himself into the nearest seat and gave Janine the OK to launch.