Starfire

by B. V. Larson

  The ship didn’t have a bridge, but it did have a cockpit. This had been outfitted with instrumentation that resembled what one would find inside a shuttlecraft.

  The team immediately sat in their spots and began going over the instrumentation.

  “This is very familiar,” Dyson admitted. “You did a good job here. But are these gauges hooked up? Some of these controls are unfamiliar, and a lot of them are missing.”

  “Yes, well, we’re not actually flying a shuttle. It was calculated that a familiar interface would work best. The control system is quite a bit like a shuttle’s but there are differences. Note that there are no flap controls, because there are no flaps. Overall, the ship should be easier to fly than a shuttle.”

  The crew immediately set to work going over every control and system. Sandeep provided them with a tech who could answer their questions. They had suggestions and demands. He offered to consider these after the briefing at dinner, then quietly slipped away.

  Chapter 48

  Nevada, Area 51

  Day

  A few days after the flight crew had arrived and begun to settle in, pressures grew to launch the mission immediately. Sandeep found this very upsetting, as they were far from ready for such drastic action.

  Sandeep personally contacted Clayworth, but before he could stipulate his complaints, she gave him startling news. Major Clark wasn’t recovering from his injuries fast enough. He had to be replaced. The obvious choice had been made. No, she would not reconsider her options.

  “Sandeep, every ship needs a captain. You’re my man on the spot. I don’t trust Dyson, she’s a Pentagon mole as far as I’m concerned. I need one of my own on the bridge, calling the shots.”

  “You mean you want Homeland to get the credit—not the Air Force.”

  “Crudely put. But the fact remains that with Clark out of the picture—well, it’s got to be you.”

  Sandeep was stunned. He knew what this was really all about: control. Homeland had gained control of Area 51 and all its secrets, and Clayworth didn’t want to give up one iota of her turf—especially not to the military. NASA didn’t own it either, as the find and the base predated NASA’s creation. The base and the Artifact underneath it were Cold War relics, blacked out projects of the most secret nature.

  “But Clark is military,” he pointed out. “The Air Force has always had—”

  “No, not really,” Clayworth corrected him. “Clark had a uniform and a rank, but that was window dressing. In fact, he retired from the military and joined Homeland years ago. I insisted on it.”

  “I see,” he said, his mind whirling. That sort of thing happened with CIA and other secretive institutions all the time. Many of their personnel were ex-military. “Still, I cannot recommend this action, Madam Secretary.”

  “Are you refusing the appointment?”

  He hesitated. He knew that if he did refuse, his life would be easier, but he’d lose favor. Hopes of advancement within Homeland would evaporate forever. Besides, she’d just find another crony to replace him.

  “I accept the appointment, Madam Secretary,” he said with a heavy heart.

  He ended the call and stared in shock at his phone. He could not fathom his misfortune. He’d been given the job of leading a mission into space—guiding a flight crew and a team of twitchy scientists on a project he barely understood.

  How could this have happened to him? Yes, he’d been involved with the project for a long time. He’d run other operations for this Secretary, and her predecessors, issuing commands to agents under a variety of circumstances. But this assignment was on an entirely new order of magnitude.

  Sandeep headed to the vacuum suit training facility they’d set up in one of the larger storage areas. The senior scientists were all there, performing exercises clumsily with bulky suits and their own out-of-shape bodies. They were less than enthusiastic.

  They weren’t all that thrilled with the news of his advancement, either. They’d found Clark disturbing, but at least he was a known animal and a medical doctor. Sandeep was neither of these things, and they immediately resented him.

  “Let me make a few things clear,” he told the assembled group, who fumbled to open their visors and turn off their hissing oxygen recyclers. “I’m not an astronaut. I’m not a scientist—”

  “But yet they made you the ship’s captain, anyway?” demanded an elderly staffer.

  “This isn’t a military mission,” Sandeep said, raising his voice a fraction. “This is a scientific expedition. Colonel Dyson, the NASA team leader, is going to fly the ship. She’ll be the flight commander. Her team will navigate and pilot the vessel. She’s flown shuttles and trained for space flight for years in simulators.”

  “What’s your role then, Sandeep?” Dr. Linscott asked.

  He looked at her. “I’m to be your mission manager. That job can’t be done from the ground, as we’ll be too far away for immediate communications. A radioed query and response from Earth would take nearly an hour to complete. This mission has to be autonomous, at least to some degree.”

  “I take it your name is definitely on the roster, then?” Dr. Linscott asked.

  “Yes, definitely.”

  “I’m surprised by all this,” she said. “I didn’t think you were the space-exploration type.”

  Sandeep smiled. “I can be surprising.” Inwardly, he agreed with her. He didn’t feel at all comfortable with this job. He was acutely aware that his appointment was purely political. He hadn’t wanted any of this. He’d stepped in here for Clark, and he’d hoped that once the mission launched, his responsibilities would come to an end. Things hadn’t worked out that way.

  “Let me get this straight,” Jackie said, “you’re in charge of which names are going onto the mission roster? Who goes and who stays?”

  “Yes.”

  The group muttered and moved restlessly.

  “Listen,” he said, sensing he was losing them, “this change in leadership comes as a surprise to me as well as to you. But Major Clark has blessed the move, so—”

  “It was Clayworth’s idea, wasn’t it?” Perez asked suddenly. This was his first shout-out, and it startled everyone. The man was usually quiet.

  “Does it matter?” Sandeep demanded, beginning to sweat. His new status was indeed Clayworth’s idea. She’d told him that Clark was behind it as well, but Sandeep had never met with the Major since his injury and had no idea if that was true or not. For all he knew, the man was dead.

  “If you’re in charge of the roster, cross me off,” Edwin said suddenly. “I’m security, anyway. Why would you need security on Jupiter?”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Goody,” Sandeep said quickly. “You’re most definitely on my list. Your cross-section of skills checks off too many mission-critical boxes.”

  “Crap. And I suppose you clowns have already exercised the hazardous deployment option in my contract?”

  Sandeep smiled. “Naturally.”

  “I knew that would get me in trouble someday.”

  Sandeep raised both hands high to stop a flood of statements as several others declared themselves on or off the roster. He sensed he was losing control—if he’d ever had it. He decided to make things personal.

  “Listen to me,” he said plaintively, “I’m in charge now, but I’d expected that would be seen as a good thing. I’m not Major Clark. I won’t second-guess your pet project, as I have no way to measure its relative worth.” He smiled at them, and his quip got a few of them to chuckle. He went on in this vein, sensing that using humor and emphasizing his unobtrusive management style was working. “Imagine: there will be no denials based on budget. I don’t have a budget!”

  After another ten minutes of grumbling and objections, Sandeep managed to win most of them over. Major Clark had been a manipulative micro-manager. In comparison, Sandeep was easy-going and as pleasant as a summer breeze. By the end of the session he was shaking hands.

  The last person who came up to greet hi
m was Dr. Linscott.

  “Well done,” she said. “It’s hard to believe I had you pegged as some kind of a spy when I first met you.”

  “I’m very glad you’re supporting my new role, Dr. Linscott. Now, if you would excuse me—”

  “Hold on,” she said, putting up her hand. “I’ve seen the roster you posted online. Am I correct in assuming I’m supposed to go on this mission with the rest of the team?”

  “Absolutely. You’ll be our chief engineer in charge of propulsion. How else will we get the engine going again if it decides to quit on us?”

  She gave him a thoughtful look. “I see. I was under the impression my role would be finished once I got the ship off the ground. But I can see now that you need me. You need me badly.”

  Sandeep didn’t like where her line of reasoning was going.

  “Sandeep, I have two conditions,” she said, standing taller.

  Sandeep let his breath out slowly. It was akin to a sigh, but he did it almost silently. Everyone wanted something special. “Please go on, Dr. Linscott.”

  “First, I want Perez here put on the roster.”

  Sandeep flicked his eyes to the watchful Perez, who stood just behind the woman. Perez met his gaze expressionlessly.

  “You must understand,” Sandeep began, “there’s only so much room aboard. The ship is spacious, and we have about a thousand square meters of flat decking, but we also have a lot of supplies and equipment to carry. May I ask why Perez is mission-critical?”

  “Because he’s good in a crisis. You know that. But it’s more than that—he might be able to contain that animal Brandt if he loses it again.”

  Sandeep thought that one over. He doubted if Perez could do more than slow Brandt down. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  “Think hard,” she said. “My second demand is for a few honest answers. I have concerns about our past history. I want to talk about it. I want some closure.”

  “Closure?”

  “Yes. Can we go somewhere private to talk?”

  “By all means.” Sandeep led them to his office. It had been Clark’s, and there were pictures of wide open horizons and pink dawn landscapes on every wall. Sandeep could only imagine that Clark believed these images relieved some of the burden of spending most of one’s time deep underground. But the effect they had on Sandeep was to make him more wistful than ever to leave this place and never return.

  Dr. Linscott sat across the desk from Sandeep, while Perez relaxed in a chair as far away as he could get.

  “What seems to be the nature of this ‘closure’ you’re seeking?” Sandeep asked. “I truly wish Clark was here, as he’d know better than I how to council you upon any personal problems.”

  Jackie shook her head. “No. Not Clark. He’d try to sidetrack us with some kind of verbal judo. I’m glad it’s you I’m talking with. I think you might be more honest with me.”

  “Well then?”

  “It’s about my house. About the package that came to my door and nearly blew me up. Did you ever discover who sent it?”

  Sandeep fidgeted. “That’s not entirely clear. The investigation—”

  “Is nonexistent,” Perez interrupted. “I checked. I still have connections with the local cops, and emails done right can still get past the censor. My former colleagues are wondering about it, too. Why have your people buried this event, Sandeep?”

  “Well, you have to understand that we’ve been rather busy saving the country. We don’t have the resources to—”

  “You had the resources to order my former colleagues to cease and desist,” Perez said. “Mackle’s house—the one that blew up—is still wrapped in yellow tape.”

  Sandeep had thought his problems were over when the group of surly scientists had come around and accepted him as an unlikely but harmless leader. Now, he was beginning to wonder if there would ever be an end to matters like this. Little messes left behind by Clark and Clayworth. Messes he had the singular joy of covering up.

  He felt a surge of anger in this instance. He thought it over, and decided to take a rare form of action. He wouldn’t hold the party line. He wouldn’t dodge and smile until the questioner gave up and wandered off in frustration. Today, he’d give truth a try.

  “All right,” he said, leaning back in his chair until it creaked. “If knowing the truth will help you achieve this mission, I’ll explain what happened.”

  They looked both startled and expectant.

  “We sent the bomb. Not me personally, but my department. Someone ordered it, and in the end, you have to admit it was quite effective.”

  They stared at him. Perez slowly nodded and relaxed again. Linscott, however, was beside herself.

  “You tried to blow me up?” she demanded. “Why would that make me want to fly this ship for you? I should never—”

  “No, no,” Sandeep said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, you misunderstand. You were never in any danger. The package went to your house, and you naturally took it over to the correct address next door. Then—well, an unpleasant person was removed from the world, and you were recruited in the same moment.”

  Perez shook his head incredulously. “That’s crazy. You guys take the prize. Everything points to that answer, but I just didn’t think you would go so far.”

  “We’re in a new era,” Sandeep said. “The stakes are unbelievably high. Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis have we come closer to direct conflict with Russia. This is a new Cold War. We’re not going to see an easy end to this one, either. America must have her technology, we’re all addicted to it. If the ship outside this office had crashed in another country, imagine how different the world would be today. Can you?”

  Sandeep was speaking from the heart, but he was embarrassed by his organization's actions in this instance. Homeland Security had been assembled hastily in the aftermath of a crisis, and since that time, its power and influence had grown. Old boundaries had been erased.

  “You killed my neighbor?” Dr. Linscott said in a shocked tone. “On purpose?”

  “I did not kill him,” Sandeep said. “Nor did I order him killed. I’ll admit that they may have gone too far in your case, but if this mission is a success, I’ll guarantee you that the people of this nation will not question it. They want their affluence, and they don’t mind paying such prices.”

  “Government assassinations?” she asked.

  “When drones fall from the sky in distant countries, what do you call that? The people no longer bat an eye about these things. They only want them done. Historically, it’s always this way. We had concentration camps in World War II, for example.”

  “But that doesn’t make it right,” she insisted.

  “No,” Sandeep admitted. “I don’t suppose it does. You wanted me to answer you honestly. I’ve done so. Perhaps I made a mistake.”

  Dr. Linscott looked seriously upset. Sandeep knew he was in over his head. Clark would have known just what to say. He felt like he was standing in the man’s shadow—and failing.

  “Let me see if I understand,” she said, staring at the desk between them. “Homeland Security blew up my neighbor to scare me. To make me think I was in danger, and to get the police to suspect me. Then, you ride in to the rescue, and I fall into your arms.”

  “Something like that,” Sandeep said.

  “What about the rest of my coworkers at Blue-Sky Labs? You blew them up too, didn’t you? Why?”

  “What?” asked Sandeep in alarm. “No, no. That’s not right. They were attacked by Russian agents, just as I said. The bomb ploy with you was a follow-up to that. You see, it was far more believable since the rest of your coworkers had suffered a similar fate. You never suspected it.”

  “Diabolical,” Perez said appreciatively. “Not even I thought the web was this insanely woven.”

  Sandeep was sure Perez’s statement didn’t help his case, so he focused on Dr. Linscott. “Let me be the first—probably the only—person from Homeland to apologize for scarin
g you.”

  “You did more than that. You killed a man.”

  “Two men,” said Perez suddenly. “That guy in the woods, the one that rammed us up on highway 17. He was yours, wasn’t he?”

  Sandeep looked troubled. “He wasn’t supposed to do anything other than to nudge you on your way. He became too overzealous and—and you intervened.”

  Perez and Sandeep met eyes.

  “You made me kill one of our own. I’ve never done that, you know. I’ve killed men before, but never anyone who was supposed to be on my side.”

  “Yes, it was a tragedy all around.”

  “That’s why he shot my computer,” Jackie said suddenly. “I never did figure that out. I had that disk all this time—and he didn’t care about it. He just wanted to scare me.”

  “Yes,” Sandeep said. “As I said, he played it badly. Way too direct. I would never have ordered such an action.”

  “You knew about it though, didn’t you?” Perez said, leaning forward. Sandeep could tell he was putting all the pieces together. The man was actually a good detective. Quiet, perceptive and coldly logical.

  “I…I recognized the agent.” replied Sandeep.

  Perez nodded, remembering. “You did your best to send us off on our way. You put us in his truck, too. Let me guess, it had a GPS?”

  Sandeep sighed. “Of course.”

  “You knew you weren’t in any kind of danger—for that matter, neither were we.”

  “We didn’t know that. Your labs had been bombed. We had to bring you in.”

  “Why not just come to my door, tap politely, and ask?” Jackie demanded.

  “Your profile—they didn’t think you would help your government. Your past, well, it wasn’t encouraging.”

  “You’re just as bad as my father always said you were. I used to think his stories about the last century were half made-up.”

  “Dr. Linscott,” Sandeep said, “your anger is understandable. I beseech you to think of the seriousness of this matter, and to help your country achieve what must be done.”

  She chewed her lower lip. “All right,” she said. “I’ll play engineer on your ship. I’ll keep it flying, too, if I’m able. You were honest with me, as painful as it must have been. I can’t see any reason why you would make up a story like that—it certainly doesn’t put you or Homeland in the best light.”