Parting Gifts

by gerald hall

  “We are clear of the Martian gravity well now. It is safe now to activate the warp drive.” Arthur informed the handful of people in the warp ship’s command center.

  “Let’s go to the stars.” Sandy announced.

  A few seconds later, the Endeavor’s Alcubierre drive activated, warping space-time around the hollowed out asteroid and pushing it beyond the speed of light in normal space. While all of this happened, Deborah, her family and more than thirty thousand other human beings peacefully slept. No one knew just how long that they would continue to sleep.

  Chapter Forty Eight:

  Caliphate Capital Building.

  New Mecca (Formerly Houston, Texas)

  September 13, 2064

  “What is this Project Orion that our people discovered in the American nuclear laboratories?” Emir Suparman Asegaff asked the middle-aged Iraqi engineer that had just returned from a survey of the nuclear facilities at Los Alamos, New Mexico.

  “Excellency, it is our means of reaching out and beginning to bring all humanity under the rule of sharia. We have accomplished this on this world now. But surely Allah did not mean for any man or woman to be able to escape his law. Besides, as long as these people still live as infidels outside of our reach, they could grow in numbers and develop the means to come back to threaten our Caliphate.” Ahmed Qusay Hussain al Tikriti explained.

  Ahmed had studied engineering in Europe in the hopes of benefiting his people and exacting revenge for members of his family that had died decades earlier during the American invasion. Now, he was in a position to finally help in his goal.

  “No. I’m sure that he did not. You are also right about the threat that even the handful of people living on the Moon and Mars pose to us. Please tell me more.”

  “When I was searching through the American data archives, I learned of a pair of projects that the Americans had developed over one hundred years ago to use nuclear power for long-distance space travel.

  One of the technologies; nuclear-thermal drives which the Americans referred to as NERVA, has been used by the Americans and then the Martians to power their spacecraft ever since the First Event. It basically uses a nuclear fission reactor to heat a fluid to a very high temperature and eject it as reaction mass at very high velocities. It is relatively easy to do although we will have to replicate some of the high-temperature materials used inside of the reactor.

  The second technology was called Project Orion. It was far more highly classified than the NERVA designs because of its applications to small nuclear weapons. The Orion concept was literally to detonate a series of very small nuclear devices underneath a spacecraft to propel it.”

  “These devices did not also destroy the spacecraft at the same time?”

  “No, Your Excellency. The device was a very low yield fission device that had a yield of less than one kilotonne. It was ejected underneath a large steel plate that was able to survive many detonations. This was because the nuclear explosions was far enough away from the plate when they were initiated. This thick steel plate was connected to the main body of the spacecraft by a series of massive shock absorber struts and also served to shield the main body from the radiation of the explosions. The shock absorbers kept the impact of the explosive shock waves from damaging the ship’s systems and injuring the crew.

  The nuclear devices used to propel the spacecraft were very small in size, only about one liter in volume. The spacecraft could carry many hundreds of these devices to propel itself for an extended flight.

  “”It sounds like a spacecraft built to employ this technology would be truly massive as well.”

  “Yes, Your Excellency. These spacecraft could be many thousands of tons in mass. We found that the Americans even had designs drawn up over one hundred years ago for armed military spacecraft using these Orion drives.”

  “Why did the Americans abandon this technology? They could have used it to dominate the entire world and bring every nation to its knees. We certainly would have this if we had possessed this technology earlier.”

  “”The Americans had made peace treaties with the old Soviet Union to forbid the detonation of nuclear devices in the atmosphere or in space for testing or any other purposes. There were groups in the United States that feared that the radiation from these tests would cause their people to fall ill.”

  “The Americans were fools to not develop this weapon when they had the chance. To possess this kind of power, it would be well worth the price of a few people becoming ill. Can a warship using this type of propulsion be launched directly into space?”

  “Yes, Your Excellency. I have been looking into preliminary designs already. They would be modernized versions of the original American space warship designs. This would make them far more capable than anything that the Americans had even dreamed of one hundred years ago. Some of our weapons like guided missiles would have to be modified however to operate in space. That will probably be the greater challenge in the long run. But many weapons like those used on naval ships can be easily adapted for operations in space. This warship can also be used to drop high-explosive bombs onto planetary surface targets from orbit and transport troops to occupy enemy bases.”

  “But the creation of a viable warship using available technologies can be done?”

  “Yes, Your Excellency. I am sure that it can be done. I believe that it would be best to build the warship at a shipyard. They are already accustomed to constructing steel vessels of that size. Steel is also far less expensive that the composite materials that were developed later on to reduce weight. We would finish outfitting the spacecraft at a shipyard pier before towing the vessel out to sea. Using an ocean launch would minimize the impact of the first few nuclear detonations on surrounding populations and would be easier to set up.

  Once, the warship is in orbit, there would be no restrictions at all in the use of the Orion drive.”

  “How, long would it take to build one of these space warships?”

  “If we started immediately and devoted all available resources to the program, I believe that we can launch the first ship in just over five years. We have identified many infidel engineers and scientists who could help us design and build this craft. If they will not help us willingly, we are prepared to find ways to ‘convince them’ to help us regardless.”

  “Very impressive. But we still have many things to do here on this world. If we are patient, the infidels living on the Moon will come to us begging for assistance. This will eliminate the need for us to devote so many resources to this program so soon after our victory on this world.

  However, this does not mean that your work here is going to be ignored. You will proceed to design and build several of these warships. But we are in no rush to send them into space just yet. By going at a slower pace, we can keep your work secret for a longer period of time. You will also be able to build better weapons to put on these ships, yes?”

  “Of course, Your Excellency. I have already seen many promising technologies that I may be able to use.”

  “Very good. This is because our ultimate objective is not merely to reclaim the Moon. It is to neutralize the threat from Mars. For this purpose, we must be ready to confront the infidels on Mars with overwhelming force as well as considerable guile. For this purpose, I also want you to build craft with the other nuclear propulsion system. They will eventually power our first emissaries to Mars. It is important for the Martians to believe that we come to them in peace first, while we build our means to successfully wage war against them later.”

  Just that moment, an aide came rushing in with a message for the Emir. His expression tense but thoughtful as he silently read the information.

  “What is the matter, Your Excellency?”

  “I have been serving Allah for many years now. We have managed to conquer all of Earth and force all of humanity on this world. Yet, there are such mysteries that Allah has yet to reveal to me. I ordered that Mars be watched with some of the infidel’s m
ost powerful telescopes so that we would not be surprised. You know that we have always been worried that they would return with their advanced technology and wage war upon us. Even more so, we worried that the djinn that performed the event upon Mars would come here as well.

  Several days ago, our observers saw something very strange happen in the vicinity of Mars. We had known that infidels living on Mars had somehow brought several large asteroids and put them into orbit around their planet. It took until just a few hours ago that our observers confirmed that they thought that they had seen.”

  “What was that, Your Excellency?”

  “One of the artificial moons orbiting Mars has disappeared completely. We do not know where it has gone but there is no sign of an explosion or any debris. There are really only two possibilities. One is that they have changed its trajectory towards here to strike us down without warning. The other is that the djinn has caused this artificial moon to disappear for some other evil purpose. Who knows what that djinn will make disappear next?

  We no longer have any choice now. We must build ships to go into space as soon as possible. First, we will go to the Moon and bring those people under our control. Then we will harness their knowledge and strength to help larger ships, including vessels powered by these nuclear Orion and NERVA engines. These ships will be used to take the Faithful, including many of our mujahedeen warriors, to Mars so that we may end that threat to Allah’s will that all humanity be made to follow sharia law.

  We will pay any price and shoulder any burden to make this happen. Our dhimmi on this world will be made to work with their full strength to help us accomplish our mission from Allah. That is the price that they must pay for their lack of faith and their unwillingness to defend it.”

  Epilogue:

  Colonial Headquarters

  Hebes Chasma, Mars

  September 11, 2069

  “Colonel Marx, we have just received a report from our observation sites on the Moon. They have observed a series of low-yield nuclear explosions in the Pacific Ocean about one hundred kilometers southwest of Baja California. The explosions appear to be climbing in altitude and are only a few seconds apart.” Curtis Beauchamp explained after the commander of the Marine detachment at Hebes Chasma arrived. Curtis’ father Mitchell had been one of the first colonists to settle on Mars at Hebes Chasma.

  “We had heard rumors that the Caliphate was exploring the use of an Orion nuclear pulse drive. This appears to be a confirmation of that. I suppose that means that the Caliphate is coming for us, doesn’t it?” Sheila replied. She had taken over command of the Marine detachment and also the Martian militia after Colonel Walker’s departure aboard Endeavor five years earlier.

  “Unfortunately, I would have to agree. The Caliphate will be going for the Moon first, of course. The lunar colony has a lot of advanced technology available there still that the Caliphate would love to possess. But it is clear that the Caliphate is taking the first steps towards extending their reach towards us as well.”

  “The Caliphate’s new ability for space flight going to make a lot of people here very nervous for sure. We know that the lunar colony has constructed some defensive installations there already. But we do not know how effective those defenses will be. Some of our people weren’t overly happy when the polymaths decided to suddenly pack their bags and leave. But we were able to put up the pieces pretty quickly afterwards.”

  “You have to admit that the polymaths did leave us with a very extensive technological base. They could have just taken all of their ‘toys’ and technical data with them. Granted, they did take a lot of their most advanced technology with them. But we are still decades ahead of the Caliphate with what we still have at our disposal. Even now, we aren’t exactly defenseless by any means.”

  “You are right. But I wish that we had the polymaths still with us though. I’m sure that they could have come up with something to stop the Caliphate from reaching us at all.”

  “Perhaps so. But even without the polymaths, we still have some of the finest minds from the entire Western World here. We also have some very powerful defenses already in place here on Mars and in orbit. Do you really think that the Caliphate is going to show up on our doorstep next week and demand our surrender?” Curt asked.

  Sheila quietly pondered the question for a few moments before shaking her head.

  “Of course, not. Traveling out to Mars is not an easy task, even with nuclear propulsion. It would probably take them at least another ten to twenty years to build a ship capable of reaching Mars with more than a handful of crew. One of the first things that the Western Republic did after taking over was to scrap every single bit of SpaceX’s hardware and infrastructure. In this case, political correctness will have worked to our advantage in a backhanded sort of way. The rest of the Eastern Alliance’s space technology was either brought with us to the Moon and especially to Mars or was destroyed during the conflict with the Caliphate.”

  “So we have at least ten more years to upgrade our defenses to defeat any threat by the Islamists. In addition, the polymaths left us with the technology to build more gravity shuttles and ships with the warp drive. We will be able to launch additional expeditions of our own to colonize worlds far away from the Caliphate.”

  “It is possible that the Caliphate does have access to some of the Chinese, Russian and European space technology. But those paled in comparison to the North American space program.”

  “I really wish that they would just leave us alone, Colonel. They have an entire world now. I’m sure that they can afford to let us live in peace. We have no interest in waging war against them, now that we have a world of our own.”

  “But in their minds, they can’t afford to let even one human being live free of their rule. Their damned religion won’t let them. They also know that as long as a free Mars exists, there is always a chance that we are going to launch a new technologically-advanced Crusade towards Earth someday and crush their Caliphate once and for all. That possibility has to give their Emir and his people nightmares.”

  “I would much rather that the nightmares be experienced by those butchers in the Caliphate than by our friends here at Hebes Chasma though, Colonel. Just wait until they see that we have two more warp ships almost complete and three others under construction, not to mention our newly constructed gravity drive shuttles. The barbarians are never going to take us down now.”

  “My marines will do their best to make sure of it too. Mars is a lot less red now with all of the blue and green spots springing up all over this world. We want to keep it that way too for the free people of Mars.”

  Characters for Parting Gifts:

  Sandy Merriweather-Clarborne – Polymath, scientist, engineer and wife of Timothy Clarborne

  Timothy Clarborne – Polymath and agricultural engineer

  Melody Atherton – Polymath and former child actress

  Anthony Billings - Polymath originally from Boston

  Julia Cannon – Polymath at Hebes Chasma

  Angela Hopkins – Polymath, geneticist, biomechanical engineer and horticultural specialist at Hebes Chasma but originally from Baltimore.

  Leila Koulaei-Soroush – Persian Air Force Pilot and first Persian colonist on Mars, mother of Maryam.

  Yousef Soroush – Engineer, Mars colonist and husband to Leila Koulaei-Soroush

  Alice Foster – Polymath at Hebes Chasma

  Deborah (Marcum) Sorenson – Naval Aviator, engineer and the only child of Stewart and Sarah Williams who disappeared during the Second Event. Mother to James Timothy Sorenson and Mary Sarah Sorenson.

  Peter Sorenson – Husband to Deborah (Marcum) Sorenson.

  Arthur Wheeler – Scientist, engineer and longtime friend to Deborah

  Andrea Wheeler – Engineer and wife of Arthur Wheeler

  Cynthia Marcum – Deborah’s adoptive mother

  Marilyn Barnes – Longtime friend to Deborah Marcum, mother to Benjamin and Lisette

  Reveren
d Doctor Joshua Marcum – Deborah’s adoptive father.

  Cyrus Baraghani – Persian Minister for Space Operations

  Captain Sheila ‘Harpo’ Marx – F/AV-21A pilot, Deputy Commander of the USMC Security Detachment to Mars.

  Lieutenant Colonel Matt Walker – F/AV-21A fighter pilot, commander of the USMC Security Detachment to Mars and also Commander of the Martian Security Militia.

  Doctor Karen Pruitt – NASA administrator after the attack on the Kennedy Space Center

  Ryan Adams – Director of Central Intelligence

  Lisa Astor – Systems Engineer at Hebes Chasma

  Charles Winniford – First Officer of the Martian Colony Ship Courageous

  President Roger Blackmon – President of the Eastern Alliance of States

  General Gordon Schweitzer (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

  General Mohammad Tonga (former Indonesia Air Force Commander, current Commander of Pacific Caliphate Military)

  National Security Advisor Neil Johnson

  Admiral Carl Lindsey – Senior naval officer and advisor to President Blackmon.

  Secretary of State Gale Forster

  Mohammed al Hussain Sultani – Leader of the Arab Brotherhood

  Ahmed al Mahdi – Sultani’s assistant

  Terrence Howell – Secretary of Commerce

  Dr. Russell Elkhart – NASA Administrator

  Joseph Canton - Secretary of the Interior

  Douglas Atherton – FBI Director

  David Shepherd - Cabinet secretary in the Blackmon Administration

  Kirk Waterford – Polymath, mechanical engineer, MIT graduate with multiple doctorates

  Corrine Blackmon – President Roger Blackmon’s wife and First Lady

  Jeremy Trimble – President Roger Blackmon’s Chief of Staff

  Anton Merriweather – Sandy Merriweather-Clarborne’s older brother.

  Captain Dawn Cordray – Captain of the nuclear-powered strike cruiser USS Fort Pulaski.

  Catherine Walker – electronics engineer going to Space Station Freedom, also Matthew Walker’s wife.