by Ken Pence
"I've personally checked all crew and workers with access to any sensitive information. My guess is that somebody bugged some of the workers’ rooms and doesn't want this thing to leave the ground. We must have been letting out information for God knows how long," Brad said.
"How could they get one of those missiles close enough to hurt us here? How much time do we have and what did the ultimatum state that we were supposed to do?" Andrew questioned.
"First of all, two of the unaligned countries are what used to be called Cuba and Argentina. Though there is still too much distance, they each have a freighter twenty miles offshore at the point closest to the coast from us. We are supposed to send them documented proof via satellite that we have destroyed the ship or we are to evacuate the area and they will do the work for us," Brad said. "We've got three hours and none of the defenses at my disposal could stop those missiles."
"But can't you just board and destroy those ships?" Andrew questioned.
"We could if those were the only two missiles, but the Coalition has given proof of dozens of other missiles that they will loose on their neighboring countries all over the world. Special teams can go into those countries and destroy those other missiles. But we couldn't destroy all those missiles in three hours even knowing where they are, Brad admitted.
"But you do know all the locations?" Andrew asked.
"Yes, but we better evacuate all personnel from the university and the surrounding area now," Brad said.
"I agree but I'll need your help to get everyone together. We'll evacuate all but crew personnel and we'll give this ship a test flight like no other test flight was ever given. Get me all the coordinates you have on those missile sites and send them to me in the control room of the ship. Here's what I plan to do," Andrew began to explain.
Brad listened with barely concealed anxiety at the plan but set out to do Andrew's bidding even though it ran contrary to all training. Sometimes you have to put your faith in some idea or someone and stick to it, Brad thought. There isn't time to consult any of my superiors in time for them to do anything and if it doesn't work, it will be the end of any World Government for the next few generations anyway.
Brad contacted Tod and Steve and sent them to the control room as directed while Andrew sat in the command chair and prepared some complex formulas with the aid of his Mem-Dex. Andrew was finishing a discussion in point with the Mem-Dex when the two came in.
"There is a ninety per cent probability of success if you destroy the first two in mid-trajectory allowing for no alternate factors," said the Mem-Dex on Andrew's wrist.
Andrew briefed them on the plan as Brad came in with a small stack of paper. Finding that there were twenty locations other than the ships was not a great relief.
Tod finally said -- out loud -- what all of them had been thinking. "This ultimatum, it's insane. It isn't even rational. This is an act of war. How can all those countries believe that this will be tolerated?" Tod asked.
"Fear can make any action seem justified," Andrew replied. "To them this is simply an act of self-defense, though they use extortion as a tool. Believe it or not -- the Coalition said they would settle any claims made against them due to the destruction of the ship and its technology. I believe they think of this as a surgical procedure to remove a tumor. The US has used preemptive strikes on known threats in its history too. If they’re successful -- then they’re acceptable. We don't have much time. You two had better get those coordinates into the ship's computer and set up the basic data for the fire control while I round up the rest of the crew."
"Brad, you get those medical supplies and our three new crew-mates strapped down," Andrew said and forced himself to relax by breathing deeply and letting the air out slowly. He then forced himself to think objectively about taking an untried ship on a shakedown cruise with an untrained crew on board. I'm scared but I'm not going to let my adrenaline rule my actions, Andrew thought. There had been short tests to see if the ship would take off at least. Thank goodness for small mercies.
Andrew began to usher in the other group members and help them stow their gear and strap down until a short time after launch.
"What do I do now?" Ling asked.
"Nothing. Just lie there until I come to unstrap you. You might play some games on the visiscreen until we take off and then you can lay back and watch the show from your couch," Andrew informed the crewmate.
When he got to Susan's quarters, she had just finished stowing her personal effects and turned to walk out when Andrew blocked her way.
"I want you to stay here," he said.
"Now is no time for male chauvinism to rear its head. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself out there," she reported.
"Having my second-in-command in her cabin is not simply being protective. I want you here for another reason I can't explain now. Strap in until after launch," Andrew said.
"But I don't want to miss anything," she plied.
"It's not a matter of want. Strap in," he said harshly. His voice softened and he said, "Just watch on the screen and you'll see everything we see. Be patient."
Andrew went to each cabin and made sure the crewmembers were secure and then he returned to the control room.
Sitting down in the command seat, he asked Tod, "Is everything programmed?"
Tod looked at Steve and said, "Everything is in it that we could think of."
"It's pretty capable all by itself," Steve said describing his precious ship's computer.
"You've a strong faith in automation. I hope you're right. But if you're not..." he turned to Brad. "Who did the best in gunnery trials?" Andrew asked.
"I did the best but Desiree was a close second. That gal has some fantastic reflexes for fighting," Brad answered.
Andrew agreed, thinking about the incident in Tod's lab with the two assailants she handled. That seemed so long ago.
"You go get Desiree right after launch and one of you take laser turret #1 and the other take turret #2. Then, stand by set on manual and wait my orders," Andrew said.
"What did you two come up with for the best time for launch in case they have a satellite watching this site? I strongly suspect that they have," Andrew said.
"About thirty seconds before deadline we should go up to twenty five kilometers and just wait on manual until we key the program," Tod replied. “That will take us out of most of the atmosphere without being too far from the targets.”
"Sounds good to me," Andrew said.
The wait was nerve wracking. The twenty minutes remaining crept by with agonizing slowness. Finally, it was time.
"It's all yours Tod," Andrew said.
Tod moved the controls but the ship didn't lift. He moved the control some more and then was startled by the view from the screen as it went dark.
"Oops," Tod said. "I took some of the loading platform with us that time. Seems the ship's field is still larger than I anticipated. I went up a little too far."
Even as Tod spoke, the ship moved to the prescribed twenty-five kilometers. Though they had jumped back from the screen when they launched, the ship's field transmitted no acceleration effects to the occupants other than a momentary discomfort.
"Well, they certainly don't wish to negotiate some reasonable settlement, do they? Here comes a missile from each ship. I'm engaging the program. Is everyone strapped in? Desiree and Brad… be ready at your turrets. Here goes," Tod said and engaged the program even as Brad and Desiree acknowledged their readiness.
The two missiles sped toward the university site and were being tracked by the computer operated, ship's sensors. As the first missile neared mid-trajectory, a loud hum filled the ship and the missile exploded. The explosion was chemical, due to the explosives that were used to unite the Uranium 235 in the warhead's core. Another hum, and another missile vanished is a spectacular but non-nuclear flash. The Focused Burst Fast-Neutron Projector that the ship had used against the missiles had damaged their sensitive guidance systems and caused pre-i
nitiation of the strategic nuclear material in the warhead. This caused the uranium to become critical, but not explosive, so as to force the sub-critical parts of the warhead apart as the explosive around them became hot enough to explode.
The ship, following its program, made a trek through the Earth's atmosphere that set many radar operators on edge. The ship, protected by its drive field, was not streamlined and did not need to be since no atmosphere struck the hull, but only the drive field. The ship was going to its first rendezvous over Argentina. Using the Fast-Neutron Projector, the ship destroyed three missiles on the ground where Brad's information had pinpointed them though each shot made the ship dance a bit as the field was weakened so they could fire through it without overheating.
There was no conversation from the crew who sat with faces and bodies rigid as they watched the ship carry out its mission on the view-screen. The ship then traversed the Earth and destroyed missiles at two sites in Africa while still on their launchers.
The ship was on pattern above the Middle East when the first hitch in the plans reared its head. "There's no missile at the coordinates that we were given," Tod said grimly.
"Ah, here it comes," Steve announced and the ship destroyed it before it traveled much distance. "The ship can detect them in the air much easier then when they are on the ground even with the sensor confusing mechanisms they carry."
"I had hoped the communication lag between the Coalition would be greater but it's a symptom of their paranoia that they would actually launch nuclear missiles at their neighbors," Andrew stated.
The ship was over Eastern Europe when the crew's plans went astray again.
"Hey, here come two missiles aimed at us," Steve cried.
"They're coming from a friendly power. At least, I thought that country was on our side," Tod said.
The whine-crack of the lasers contrasted with the hum of the Fast Neutron projector as the missiles were destroyed though both gunners had to fire twice to hit each one. The ship continued its preprogrammed course but it seemed the more the ship did, the more complicated the situation became.
"Why did they shoot at us? We're on their side," Steve asked Andrew.
"We didn't really notify them of our plans, did we? Some of them may not even know about that insane ultimatum. I'm worried about concentrated retaliatory strikes against other countries and us," Andrew answered.
"There go some more missiles toward our next site. Looks like somebody is trying to put us out of a job," Steve said;
"Tod, Cut off the program. There's no way Brad and Desiree can handle all of those with just the lasers. Get us closer and then set the ship's fire control to destroy anything it recognizes as a missile. Make sure you two get any of those low-flying cruise missiles that you detect," Andrew said speaking into the intercom.
"Looks like we precipitate launches now. Whenever we get to an area, everybody gets nervous and starts blasting," Tod said.
The ship handled superbly as a fighting craft though it had never been designed for that purpose. The hum of the ship's projector was almost constant and the whine-crack of the lasers permeated the ship. Suddenly, as the projector fired again, the hum ceased and warning indicators lighted on the control board.
Steve turned to Andrew and said, "The projector is burnt out. It was never designed for this much use. The heat buildup even firing through a weakened field burnt it out. Nothing we can fix fast."
The whine-crack of the laser turrets was unceasing for another few moments and then as the ship darted to its last set of coordinates, the lasers were used twice more to destroy missiles on their camouflaged launch pads.
As the ship fell silent, Andrew thumbed the intercom and spoke over all the ship, "All crewmembers report to the control room. Those on post… Stand down and report."
"Tod, put us in orbit around the Moon, will you? Turn on all the screens here in the control room," Andrew ordered.
Since Brad and Desiree were among the first of the crew to enter, they saw Andrew turn to the computer console and inquire about the outcome of their little jaunt. After a brief pause, the computer answered in a baritone voice.
"There were two missiles which penetrated to ground and exploded. One was a fission warhead about five kilotons -- a tactical missile that was damaged but not destroyed by our fire. It exploded in a non-populated area. The second missile was approximately a one-kiloton class warhead which destroyed a Coalition military installation in the Middle East. Both missiles were launched from countries designated as friendly," the computer said.
"Is that all?" Andrew asked.
"I am monitoring military communications on all frequencies. All decipherable signals indicate that there have been several small border clashes. The question may be premature since only fifty minutes has gone by since the deadline," the computer stated.
"God! Who programmed this thing? I'll just put it in command," Andrew whispered to Susan who had heard the last exchange of conversation.
"Thank you, no," said the computer who had picked up Andrew's whisper. "I am here only to serve."
ULTIMATUM
As the crew gathered in the ship's large, control room, the questions and debates were intense. Andrew permitted the healthy dialogue since it helped relieve tensions as he quietly worked with his Mem-Dex and the ship's computer on a problem that had been plaguing him since takeoff. Rett brushed off all questions and worked quietly by himself until he was able to define the information he wanted. Andrew turned to the assembled crew and when they noticed he was ready to address them, a hush fell on the group.
"Please have a seat," Andrew said and walked up and sat back against the main control board. "So far the ship has performed excellently; well beyond my expectations. We are provisioned for a long voyage and now is an excellent time to leave. I doubt that our intervention was to everyone's liking and our show of military potential may have turned some of our friends into suspicious neutrals, at best. I feel that we should ignore our part in the insane attacks and instead, focus world attention on our courageous and dangerous mission."
"Maybe this would be a good time to show you this message I received right after the ultimatum before takeoff." Brad said as he came forward and handed it to Andrew.
Andrew skipped the preliminary part and read the meat of the paragraph -- out loud.
"Take no precipitous or inflammatory action. Evacuate all personnel including crewmembers from university. Evacuation is simply a precaution since all data leads to conclusion that Coalition will not, repeat, will not use force but plans only to use threat of weapons to force concessions from World Government."
"Well, that supports how well everyone understands the situation and why our action was so unexpected," Andrew said sarcastically. “Now we can use their confusion to our advantage. Ling, I want you to prepare a message as strongly emotional as possible, to announce our departure into the unknown. We can play on the fact that our little announced takeoff was to keep down crowds of spectators and all the World Government countries and even the Unaligned Nations gave us a spectacular send off. Play up the spectacular send-off and add hope for world unity and peace since this is the first Earth starship," Andrew said.
"Steve. Do you think we could beam our messages down to Earth through some of the communication satellites?" Andrew asked.
"I guess so. Sure. I'll set up some equipment," Steve answered.
"Can you handle the message, Ling? You are our resident psychologist," Andrew said, turning to Ling.
"Yes. I'll have to prepare separate messages for the different continents since culture and values vary so much. This is going to be fun," Ling said and left to go to her compartment.
"Tod, put us in an elliptical orbit that will bring us close to the communication satellites in about twenty hours; then put the sensors on automatic," Andrew ordered. "Desiree, you and Joel help the medical staff finish setting up their equipment. After that, everybody just try to relax until we can start the show. I think antici
pation of our action or fear of mutual retaliation will keep them from further aggression toward each other. Fear will force them together."
"What are you talking about? What fear?" Susan asked, a forgotten second until that moment.
"They fear us. We are an entirely unknown factor. No nation or group of nations knows if we are to be allies or foes but all fear the fact that no nation actually controls us. Brad is the only control on us that they could apply and he sided for us when he accepted my plan and disregarded his orders. Now they wait and make contingency plans against us. Coalition nations will now probably join the World Government since we have already defeated their largest mobile weapons. Now we have only to let them stew in their own juices for a short time and then beam our broadcast and leave."
"Everyone will be relieved by our departure and will expect us to be unsuccessful in any purposeful mission. They'll try to consolidate their positions as soon as possible," Andrew turned from the remainder of the group and put his hands on Susan's shoulders. "I want you to pick some star, not too many parsecs away that might have some potential for life and we'll go there after we send these messages. We might as well go parsecs since no one could help us one way or another. Desiree and Tod's mathematical model of the ship's operation has been near exact and they showed where we can travel subjectively faster-than-light by altering space,” Andrew said with growing enthusiasm. "See me when you've got the choices," he added.
As the group separated to see to their separate tasks Andrew felt the reaction setting in after a sustained rush of adrenalin these last few hours and suddenly felt very shaky and sleepy. Brad, who saw Andrew stagger and grasp the console rushed up to support Andrew and escort him back to his cabin.
"Do you think I'm right Brad? Are you committed to this?" Andrew asked wearily.
"I resigned my commission when I ignored my last set of orders," Brad said as he took Andrew to his cabin and strapped him in his bunk. "Any further orders, Captain?" Brad asked.
