Confrontation

by William Hayashi

  “Now that’s bullshit!” Laughlin rebutted, nearly shouting into the phone.

  “Is it, Stuart? We go back a lot of years. You tell me when you’ve ever seen that level of achievement in this country other than the development of the atomic bomb or maybe NASA’s race to the moon. What have we done since? Nothing. It took a half a trillion dollars to send Jove to the colony and we have no idea if they’re going to make it back. We can’t control gravity, we can’t double our life span, we can’t build a habitat on the moon and they did all of that half a century ago.

  “And now we have trailer trash in this country persecuting blacks at an unprecedented level because whites aren’t at the top of the technological or sociological food chain anymore. And what have we done about it, what have you done, Stu? Hate crimes are up, harassment of blacks is up, violence against nonwhites is up and what do we do? Nothing. You think that goes unnoticed by those colonists? Do you? I sure in hell don’t think so,” Milton said with considerable heat.

  “Calm down, Paul. I can’t just wave a wand and make everything right, make it so rednecks leave everyone else alone.” Laughlin sighed. “I suppose there’s little reason for assembling a commission like Bender did, is there?”

  “I don’t see the point. We know who they are. We know why they’re living out there. And the last time we sent ambassadors to meet them they were fully armed soldiers. I’ll tell you right now, I’m praying that the Svoboda mission is on the up-and-up, because if it’s not, and the ship that’s on its way here has offensive weapons, we’re screwed.”

  “In your opinion, is there any reason whatsoever for trying to shoot it down?” Laughlin asked, playing devil’s advocate.

  “You’d better be joking. They could have whipped our ass ten years ago. I can only imagine what their capabilities are today.”

  “How much did you get to discuss with Dr. Harris?”

  “Not much, why? What have you learned?”

  “That they sent a ship deep into Jupiter’s gravity well and came back out, slick as you please. Now a couple of the military guys think it may have been an unmanned probe, but personally, I doubt it. If you can control gravity, you can pretty much go anywhere. I’m also convinced they can build a ship that can withstand the pressure of that atmosphere,” said Laughlin.

  “That’s what I’m talking about. Remember, they grabbed the Apollo 13 command and lunar lander modules right out from under our noses! No one saw a damned thing! You have to believe that they could have scooped our guys up at any time during that disastrous mission. I just don’t think we can put any limits on what they can do,” Milton said soberly.

  “Then I guess in your expert opinion we should just leave their spacecraft alone?”

  “Unless you want a crapload of trouble. I think it would be like poking a shark in the nose with a sharp stick. We have time to see what they do, and the world’s going to be consumed with what happens with Jove and the European missions, so no one might notice they’re here. Stuart, I know you have to be vigilant, and that protecting this country is of paramount importance, but with these people, there likely isn’t any way you can protect the country if they’re bent on destruction. Tread lightly.” Milton advised.

  “Thank you, Paul. If you think of anything else that I need to know, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “I won’t.”

  President Laughlin disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair, fatigue and frustration overcoming him. He sat motionless for a full five minutes before he pressed the intercom button for the chief of staff.

  “Yes, Mr. President?”

  “Debra, would you come to my office, please?”

  “On my away,” she answered.

  Moments later there was a quick knock on the door and Dawkins entered.

  “Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair across the desk.

  “What’s up, boss? You look awful,” she said, concerned.

  “Just got off the phone with Dr. Milton.”

  “Something with the mission?” she asked with concern.

  “No, everything’s just fine as far as I know. It’s that inbound ship from the colony. Paul found out about it from Dr. Harris at Shelter 14, the guy who invented the gravity detector. Paul thinks that if they’re bent on destruction, we don’t stand a chance against them,” Laughlin explained.

  “He’s undoubtedly right. But them getting here when Jove arrives there sends a clear message, doesn’t it? And isn’t it getting a little old responding to everything that happens in this country with the threat of violence?”

  “I’m tempted to ask who you are when you say that, part of this administration, as an American citizen, or maybe as a black woman? But I don’t need you to tear my head off when all I want is someone with whom to toss some ideas back and forth.”

  Dawkins’ laugh drained the tension out of the room.

  Laughlin chuckled along with her, then asked, “Want something to drink?”

  “I’m good. So what’s really on your mind, Stuart?” she asked quietly.

  “This is the first time that I can truly appreciate what President Bender had to deal with after they received those pictures from the back side of the moon. There’s just too many ways everything can go off the rails from here on out. That ship’s due here in just a few weeks. Jove is due there at the exact same time. Why do you think the separatists are sending a ship here, Deb?”

  “I think it’s one of two reasons, or maybe even both. The first is insurance in the event either or both missions do something stupid. The second is that maybe they’re picking up more recruits or needed materials and want to do it when our attention is split. There’s no way that I can imagine that they’re coming here for some sort of first strike against this country,” she concluded.

  “How do you figure?”

  “It’s simple. What can we have that they would want? Maybe some resources, natural, medical, whatever. But flip that around and ask for what reason would they be coming to attack this country after ten years? Ten years? Why the delay? The only logical answer has to lie in our missions to their colony. If there’s going to be any kind of attack, it’s going to be because it was provoked. Jove’s not armed, and according to everything we’ve been able to ascertain, neither is Svoboda. But they may not know that. And the last time we sent someone to meet with them, it was an armed SEAL team. This country will never learn,” she concluded.

  “That’s rather insulting, isn’t it?”

  “Are you prepared to go against the military, who I’m willing to bet are gearing up for war, a war they can’t possibly win?” Dawkins asked pointedly. “President Bender told the chairman of the joint chiefs to stand down and look what that got us, eight, now seven, men stranded on the moon. What makes you think your orders will be followed any more successfully than his?”

  “Good point. But what if that ship does represent an attack? What then?”

  “We’re fucked.”

  “What?” Laughlin was shocked.

  “You heard me, we’re fucked, we’re screwed, we’re shit out of luck. How else can I say it so you understand?” she asked.

  “I know what you said, but what do you mean, fucked?”

  “Because if they’re here to attack, anything you do is only going to make it worse. It’s only going to put more people, military and civilians, at risk. I can’t, by any stretch of my imagination, not believe that the colonists are capable of having the most horrific weapons ever conceived by man.

  “Is it such a stretch to imagine that they have conquered anti-matter explosives? What if they can push Earth out of its orbit to fall into the sun or drift off into the interstellar cold? Remember how they were discovered pushing an asteroid to soft-land on the moon? Frankly, Stuart, you should be relieved, there’s a certain relief in being completely screwed. And there’s literally nothing you
can do about the incoming ship. What you should be concerning yourself with is what happens at the colony. What happens if the EU/Russian mission is armed and tries something stupid? Although there’s really nothing you can do about it—possibly threaten a harsh response here at home. But their mission is a collective; are you going to threaten the whole European Union? No, you’re fucked,” Dawkins said with certainty.

  Laughlin was silent, thinking. Then after a few moments he said, “So! How’s your day going?” causing Dawkins to burst out into uncontrolled laughter.

  “Fucked is fucked, no two ways about it. I’m going to call in the chairman of the joint chiefs and direct him to observe, but not do anything as stupid as General Kaminski.”

  “Good enough. Is there anything else we need to go over? I have a meeting with the Secret Service about your trip to Asia.”

  “No, but if you come up with any ideas on how to unfuck this whole situation, don’t hesitate to let me know,” Laughlin said, grinning.

  “Will do.”

  Dawkins left the office feeling ambivalent about the meeting. She had the utmost confidence that should the military attack the inbound colonist spacecraft, the United States was going to come in a distant second in the fight. She also knew that President Laughlin was a truly decent man. She knew there were forces so much bigger than a single man at play, even the President of the United States. She was convinced that whatever was coming would change the world for years to come. The uncertainty of the likely result completely frustrated her.

  Chapter 23

  IT’S TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW

  Nearly the entire colony was watching a live feed of Jove in the final stages of its matching orbit with their habitat. The scene was being captured by high-resolution telescope while Genesis monitored the entire radio spectrum for transmissions. The introductory message which had been cycling since the spacecraft had left Earth orbit was still being sent. Peanut’s team had deployed satellites equipped with cameras and located them miles from the habitat so the incoming ships could be visually monitored from every direction.

  The council was watching from its conference room. Christopher and Sydney were also in attendance, prepared to offer guidance, opinions or strategy should they be consulted. The bottom line was that Christopher was going to be there whether invited or not. He wasn’t about to let anything happen, or any decisions be made, without being in the thick of it.

  “The Jove spacecraft has shut down engines. It has matched orbit with this habitat and is holding stationary one hundred miles from this location,” Genesis announced to the council, simultaneously posting to the data crawl displayed throughout the colony.

  “Well, at least they’re polite,” Maxwell said, drawing chuckles from a few of the others.

  “Has their ship transmitted any new message yet, Genesis?” Christopher inquired.

  “It has not,” the A.I. replied, as it opened a small window onscreen playing the video of mission commander Susan Roscoe in the lower right-hand corner of the display.

  “She doesn’t look much different than she did eleven years ago when I visited M.I.T. for a conference,” Sydney observed.

  “I never met her myself. Did you get to talk much to her?” Phillip asked.

  “No. Maybe I said hello, but not anything I remember. We didn’t attend any breakout sessions together, I remember that much,” Sydney replied.

  “We’re all here, and they’re there, shall we get started?” Maxwell suggested. He had been head of the council for less than three years, replacing Franklin Davis, who had had an unprecedented decade-and-a-half run before he decided to retire. Maxwell, an engineer by training, was a popular leader, always seeking consensus for the decisions made that impacted their community. He was shorter than average, wore glasses instead of having corrective surgery for his vision, and had an almost comically round head of which he was strangely proud. His demeanor was quite calm, enabling him to handle Christopher’s more agitated moods unusually well.

  “You all know how I feel. I say we let them hang out there until they have to leave to keep from starving to death,” Christopher said. “Genesis, can you detect any hostile weaponry or scans being directed in our direction?”

  “There are no weapons onboard the Jove spacecraft as far as I have been able to determine, Christopher,” Genesis replied.

  “What about something hidden? Something they deliberately left off the drawings?”

  “I can report with absolute certainty that there are no weapons built into that spacecraft, Christopher. There are no control systems for any such, nor is there any programming in their computer for active scanning, ranging, targeting or the firing of weapons,” Genesis answered with utter finality.

  “How can you be so sure?” June asked.

  “Because I have downloaded and analyzed their entire operating system and found no programming to facilitate any such systems. I can also state that the Jove spacecraft has no shields other than a very strong external magnetic field to redirect radiation away from the living quarters and storage areas of the ship.”

  “You what?!” June exclaimed, nearly shouting.

  “You can do that?” William said at the same time.

  “I have been passively resident in the Jove computer network since it was originally booted up while under construction in Earth orbit,” Genesis explained.

  “Why didn’t you say anything before now?” William asked.

  “Because Christopher has instructed me on several occasions to not disclose my ability to access any computer via network connection on Earth, or in this case, off planet as well.”

  Everyone looked over at Christopher as he shrugged his shoulders, looking chagrined.

  “I had no idea Genesis had accessed the Jove network, let alone dropped any programming into the system. And yes, I probably knew is was possible, but I never really gave it any thought until just now,” Christopher said defensively.

  “Why didn’t the council know this, Chris? I would think it was a rather important capability of the colony. By the way, who else knows about this ability of our A.I.?” asked Maxwell.

  “Obviously TJ knows, and Chuck and Peanut, maybe Lucius—I’m not really sure,” Christopher replied.

  “I knew,” Sydney chimed in.

  “How did you find out, Sydney?” Margaret asked.

  Sydney looked over at Christopher, questioning with her eyes whether or not she should tell. He raised his eyebrows, then said, “If you want to tell, go right ahead.”

  “Genesis was able to determine that Joy’s father is a crew member of the Jove mission, and is traveling under an assumed name,” she said.

  Everyone but Christopher and Maxwell was stunned, and the room remained silent as each council member took in and evaluated the shocking information just revealed.

  “I don’t mean to pry, but what the hell is going on?” William blurted out.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve been wondering that same thing ever since Genesis informed me John was on the mission. I was shocked. I have no idea why they sent him. The only thing I can think of is that they must believe that the mission will have a better chance of making contact because of our relationship,” Sydney explained. “But I still don’t know if I’m going to tell Joy her father is on that ship, and I for damn sure don’t think I’ll be making any introductions,” she concluded

  “Excuse me for asking, but was he abusive to you? Is that why you didn’t bring him along?” Margaret asked, with Christopher snorting at the question. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked, looking from Christopher to Sydney, not understanding what was going on, why her question elicited such a response from him.

  Sydney cut Christopher a glance, clearly indicating that he should shut up. She then looked around the table, trying to decide how to answer.

  Taking a deep breath, Sydney said, “H
e didn’t come with me because he’s white.”

  The words hung in the air, with no one able to think of an appropriate response.

  “So, no, he wasn’t abusive. And no, I had no idea I was pregnant, or at least going to be,” Sydney said quietly.

  “Oh—Oh my!” Margaret declared. “You mean … ?”

  “That’s right. I spent my last night on Earth with him. I loved him, he obviously loved me, but he was no more welcome here than I would be at a Klan picnic.”

  “Did he know you were coming here?” Margaret asked quietly.

  “He did. He was the Atlanta detective investigating Jaylynn Williams’ disappearance from Steddman. He was assigned the case by the FBI. John discovered my role as recruiter for the colony just before I was called to come here. He’s smart, and he was fun. He treated me well. And if there was any way for it to happen, I would have been quite happy to spend the rest of my life with him. But the FBI was closing in on me and he couldn’t come here. So here we are, and for some damn reason, now he’s sitting out there a hundred miles away!”

  She looked at Christopher and opened her mouth to say something, then snapped her teeth shut.

  “What?” Christopher asked.

  “Nothing. There’s no way John can live here, and I want everyone here to know that I know it’s never going to happen. So I would ask that no one mention this in front of Joy, ever.”

  Maxwell spoke up, saying, “I think that goes without saying, Sydney. No one wants to hurt anyone deliberately, especially a child. But I think we should discuss what having this detective on the mission means. Why they sent him is a very good question. And you say he’s there under an assumed name? Who on the mission knows who he is?” Maxwell asked.

  “I have no idea. Let’s find out. Genesis?”

  “Yes, Sydney. How may I be of assistance?”