by J. Benjamin
“Keep looking into that,” Isla said. “This is not the time for secrets under our own roof. I want full transparency across all departments.”
“Affirmative,” the commander replied.
“Good. Meanwhile, I am declaring martial law for Sally Ride City. Nobody enters the island without the highest levels of clearance. Put troops on full patrol. I want full biometric scans on every passenger that tries to enter the island through the express from San Francisco. If anything looks suspicious, orders are to treat as suspicious.”
“Madam Secretary-General, I don’t think that will go over well with the Californian Federal Council,” another admiral said.
“Your concerns are duly noted,” Isla said to him. “I know all seven members of the collective executive personally. United California greatly benefits from close access to GSF and our spaceport. They are not in any danger of withdrawing from the General Assembly. We provide far more to their economy than they provide to us in the form of membership fees. They will comply.”
“Affirmative,” the admiral replied.
Isla stopped talking, stood up, and put her hands on the table in an imposing manner. She scanned their faces.
“I realize that this is all happening rather fast. It feels like Johannesburg happened just yesterday, and now something many times worse is here, intended to shake us to our cores. But we cannot afford to let the perpetrators win. We will not rest until Terra Rebirth is completely annihilated.”
23
Deck #50 Mess Hall
“I still can’t believe it. Both of them dead!” Kiara said to Matt in disbelief. It had been five hours since the sequence failure. Matt had woken up three hours after the sequence and then was quickly briefed on the events that had unfolded. Kiara woke up an hour later and had undergone a similar briefing with GSF Intelligence. Both gammanauts were unscathed and not harmed during the aborted sequence. However, both gammanauts were also starving and decided to grab breakfast.
“I know. I am still wrapping my own head around it. Definitely not how I imagined this day turning out,” Matt said, stating the obvious. “Lew is dead. Adler is dead. More than two-hundred innocent civilians are dead. In all of the short history of the Federation, this is without a doubt the worst day.”
“So, what now?” Kiara asked.
“Secretary-General Perez has issued an indefinite freeze on all spacetime sequences until further notice.”
“She what?” Kiara stammered. She heard the volume of her own voice and spoke in a quieter tone. “How can she do that? We were so close.”
“Leon’s heart attack changed everything,” Matt replied. “I really don’t get it, either. I mean, he passed every health examination. Srivastava and his team were fully aware of his heart condition. Hell, we all were. We are completely unconscious when we go into the sequence. The only part of the body that is affected is our brains.”
“The brain is a big fucking part, Matt,” Kiara said as she scooped a spoonful of berry porridge from the platter before her.
“I get that, but my point is that it makes no sense for Leon to have a heart attack while he is sedated and unconscious.”
“Is it possible his body was having a reaction to the neuroserum?” Kiara asked. “That or do you think the neuroserum had a crossover effect with the nanites in his heart? I mean, he had two nano-systems operating within him at once.”
“I am no doctor, but I know for certain that the neuroserum nanites had been tested several times with people who had heart filtration systems. Every single time, there was no issue. The neuronanites are highly advanced. They know how to operate harmoniously with other systems,” Matt explained.
“So, his nano-filtration system completely fails on him, and he just gets a heart attack right before we cross the bridge?”
“For now, that seems to be the case.”
“Matt, if Leon had that heart attack just one minute later, we could all be dead.”
“I know,” Matt replied. “Thank the stars we’re all still alive and in one piece, well, sorta.”
“So, where is Leon?” Kiara asked.
“Leon is currently in a medically-induced coma on deck fifty-nine. Thankfully there was no permanent brain damage. Still, they have no idea when he is going to recover. It could be hours. Could be days.”
“Jeez,” Kiara replied. “Poor guy. His family must be distraught right now.”
“Leon will stay here till he recovers. I imagine the doctors will want to examine his cardiac nanites.”
Kiara paused.
“How are you holding up?” Matt asked. “Looks like you have something on your mind.” Kiara turned to look him directly in the eyes.
“Do you think it is just a bit odd that Leon’s heart attack and the strike on Shanghai both happened at the same time? Not to mention just moments before we crossed the bridge? A wee bit coincidental. No?”
Matt paused. He turned to make sure that nobody was in earshot. The hall was mostly empty except for a dozen soldiers sitting at a table that was too far away to hear any conversation. Matt leaned in toward Kiara and spoke in a whisper.
“Speaking as a captain of the GSF Earth Forces, the answers to those questions are way above my pay-grade,” Matt said. “But we are not on Earth right now. So, speaking to you as Matt Ashford, fellow gammanaut who almost died a few hours ago, this entire situation is fubar.”
“Fubar?”
“Hell, yes. This is way too coincidental. The elected leadership assassinated. Leon’s heart attack. None of it makes any sense, and it only presents more questions than answers.”
“So, you do think the events are connected?” Kiara asked.
“How could they not be? In the world of Intelligence, there is no such thing as a coincidence. There is no way Leon just randomly had a heart attack. Those cardiovascular nannies have one-in-ten-million fail rates. You have better odds of winning the lottery,” Matt said.
“That’s because it wasn’t a heart attack,” Kiara replied. “It was sabotage. That’s the only logical conclusion. Someone wanted to stop the sequence from happening, so they hacked Leon’s heart nanites and programmed them to malfunction and give Leon a heart attack.”
“That is one theory,” Matt said.
“Oh? You think it was something else?” Kiara asked before taking a sip of coffee. She promptly put it down in revulsion from the taste.
“I think you’re absolutely right about the sabotage part. Here’s where it gets tricky. Terra Rebirth, insofar as we know, is an Earth-based entity. The connection lag to and from the station would make system penetration all but impossible. Let’s also not forget that the Sagan’s mainframes are incredibly effective at swatting down any and all suspicious login attempts from outside the station. So, in other words, attempting to hack the Sagan from the outside is like trying to break into Ancient Troy armed with a toothpick,” Matt explained.
“Unless those outside forces had an operator working from the inside,” Kiara replied.
“Exactly!” Matt said. “Which means my worst fears are true. Terra Rebirth successfully infiltrated Space Station Sagan with a mole who is probably on the station as we speak.”
“That narrows it down to about two thousand people,” Kiara said.
“It gets more complicated,” Matt replied. “The gammanaut staging area is a cocoon in and of itself. The entire room is ruggedized. Impossible to penetrate. That is how it was designed. Which means…”
“Leon’s heart attack came from inside the room? That means it could have only been one of the two of us. I was unconscious the majority of the time I was in there, and I don’t know about you, but clandestine terrorist activities aren’t exactly my thing,” Kiara said.
“Kiara, I believe you,” Matt replied. “A cyberattack with that precision would require planning and constant proximity to Leon that neither you nor I had during our time in training.”
“Perhaps it was somebody on the medical staff,” Kiara suggested.
“That is possible, but I have a different theory,” Matt said. “Why did Leon disappear during cocktails at the Ivanov? The same reason he disappeared during Perez’s tour of the observatory. Leon has a habit of vanishing at inopportune moments. Strange, don’t you think?”
“Are you saying that Leon initiated his own heart attack?” Kiara asked.
“Nobody knew more about our mission than Leon himself. He was best-prepared to execute such a plan.”
“Matt, think about what you’re saying for a moment,” Kiara said. “You’re suggesting that the chief exobiologist, a Cabinet-level position, is acting as a mole? That he’s working with terrorists and assassins? Do you realize the weight of those charges? This is a guy who has given his life to the GSF.”
“Kiara, he is the only person who could have set in motion the abort-sequence.”
“What about Dr. Srivastava? He also had access to the room,” Kiara asked.
“The gammanaut staging room is loaded with nano-cams and bug detectors that can detect the fur on an ant’s back. Those cameras are monitored by a twelve-person team, and several AI controls. Even if Srivastava had snuck in before and planted the most highly-advanced bugging device to hack Leon’s impenetrable heart system, he would have been caught. You know what that surveillance can’t detect, though? Whether or not Leon’s heart nanites were pre-programmed to self-sabotage and clog his arteries. Trust me, Kiara, this was Leon’s design. He blew up the sequence and nearly killed all three of us.”
For a minute, Kiara said nothing. She carefully contemplated what Matt had to say and collected her thoughts.
“So, what happens from here?” she asked.
“Intelligence is handling this now. They’ll run a thorough investigation and get to the bottom of what Leon knows and who he may be working with,” Matt said. “Not going to lie, was really looking forward to this mission. Kinda sucks we won’t get to be the first humans to cross spacetime.”
“Right now, I am just happy to be alive. Mind you, I am also a little disappointed that we won’t get to be the first ambassadors to meet an alien civilization.” Kiara said. “So, is this it? All that training, down the drain?”
“Not all down the drain. We will get paid for our time on the mission as well as a bonus for almost getting killed. Meanwhile, I have spoken to my superiors. There is a Sidewinder waiting for us at one of the trusses,” Matt said.
“Wonderful. When do we leave?”
“In forty-five minutes. Go gather your belongings.”
24
On the most volatile day of her life, Isla found herself head-down in piles of paperwork inside her new office, the commander-in-chief suite on Sagan Deck 40. Circle-shaped and one door away from the situation room, it was designed to evoke a sense of command and control.
Isla knew it would be a long time before she got to meditate on deck 36 again. Being the new secretary-general meant a lot of paperwork. Facing Isla, were several executive orders waiting for her validation.
Authorizing enhanced-interrogation techniques against suspected Terra Rebirth terrorists.
Signed. Isla looked to the second order.
Suspending all official spacetime sequences until further notice.
Signed. Isla then picked up the third.
Authorizes funding for Intelligence to launch a sweeping investigation into the events of December 16th, including the attack against Leon Esposito, which occurred during an official spacetime sequence.
Isla hesitated as she read this order. Signed. With the few strokes of a pen, Isla ensured she would receive united support from the General Assembly. The scientists would be mad. The civil-libertarians would be outraged. Their opinions did not concern Isla. Five hours prior, the Global Space Federation’s blissful period of peacetime ended in violence and bloodshed. Isla firmly believed that Katelyn Lew’s failure to be bold is why she was dead, and Isla now sat in her chair.
To Isla’s left, a flexible holo-screen curved along the wall. It was showing ongoing news clips of the aftermath in Shanghai. On occasion, Isla would turn her attention to the news out of curiosity. She knew everything that would be said before it was known but nevertheless was curious to see it through the public’s perspective.
Four hours ago, the Nebula departed from China. The executive spaceplane has left the stratosphere and is now en route to Earth orbit, where it will meet with Space Station Sagan. From there, the new secretary-general will board the Nebula and head to Sally Ride City to oversee the funerals for her predecessor, as well as the former secretary of defense.
Isla looked up the station’s flight manifest on her smart lens. As expected, the Nebula was due to arrive at the Sagan in an hour. Suddenly and unexpectedly, one of the two doors leading into her office slid open. Captain Starling burst into the room.
“Madam Secretary-General,” he said while clearly short of breath.
“Cade?” She stood up. “What’s going on?”
“You need to come to the Sit immediately. The chiefs are already gathered. We have a problem.
“Let’s go,” Isla replied. She stood up and made her way into the same door Cade came through. Once again, she was back in the Sagan situation room. As Isla approached, the military leaders clearly had their attention diverted toward the holograms surrounding the table. They didn’t notice their commander in chief.
“How did intelligence miss this?” Commander Gwen Jackson angrily asked a younger male Intelligence officer.
“Commander. I swear. I don’t know how this slipped through the cracks,” the nervous officer told her.
“Yeah, now that damn thing is coming in fast,” Jackson replied.
“What’s going on? What’s coming in fast?” Isla asked. Suddenly, a white-haired admiral immediately turned around.
“Madam Secretary-General,” he said. The entire room stopped what they were doing and turned around to salute Isla.
“At ease. What the hell is going on here? Commander Jackson, take it from the top,” Isla said.
“Madam Secretary-General. An unidentified vessel is rapidly approaching Space Station Sagan at a dangerous velocity. Its origins are unknown,” the Commander said. “There are no insignias. It appears to have taken off from… Miami.”
“Miami?” Isla asked.
“Correct,” Gwen replied.
“And do we have visuals on this craft?” Isla asked.
“A wing of GSF Lancers are approaching it. I have Neptune 1 confirming visual. Sharing now,” the white-haired admiral replied. Moments later, a massive hologram of the mystery vessel illuminated the center table.
“Whoa,” Isla said. She stared closely at it. The ship was an elongated craft covered in a dark, onyx material and with a diamond-shaped tip. “It looks like a skyscraper.”
“I think that’s because it is a skyscraper,” Gwen replied.
“What?” Captain Starling asked in disbelief.
“Neptune 1’s scan confirms it,” the white-haired admiral said again. “It’s not just a skyscraper. It is the former Diamondhead Resort from the ruins of Miami.”
“But… how?” the captain asked. “How the hell did somebody manage to take a dead skyscraper, dredge it, and transform it into a rocket, capable of withstanding three Gs and manage to get it all the way into space without killing everyone onboard?”
“Encased in reinforced graphene, and they probably gutted the insides. It’s had so much work done that at this point it’s a shell of its former self. The skyscraper is just a facade to hide the real ship inside.”
“I don’t care,” Isla replied. “I want to know why it is heading here. Is there anybody onboard? Has it attempted contact with the Sagan?”
“At this current time, we cannot ascertain whether or not there are lives aboard this vessel,” Commander Jackson replied.
“I see. Can we destroy it?”
“Not without endangering every life aboard the Sagan,” she replied. “At its current velocity, destroying it would
ensure that the Sagan is showered in a wave of debris. One that would result in several hull breaches and potentially killing all two thousand people onboard.”
“Can we use the Sagan’s thrusters to shift our own orbit and divert from the unidentified ship’s path?” Isla asked.
“We could, but the velocity required would knock the Sagan out of stable orbit into a spiral that would bring us crashing down to Earth,” Gwen said.
Isla took a deep breath. She took a few moments to pause.
“So, if I have this right. We have an unidentified vessel, likely hostile, on a direct Kamikaze course with the Sagan. If we don’t destroy it, it will destroy us. If we do destroy it, it will likely still destroy us. We obviously can’t utilize the Sagan’s thrusters in time to dodge it, or we risk jeopardizing our orbit.”
“Surely they have demands,” Gwen said.
As she spoke, a loud, beeping noise filled the room. A red light flickered on the table.
“It’s the unidentified vessel. Isn’t it?” Isla guessed. Commander Jackson held her right hand up to her face to pull up information on her smart lens.
“Confirmed,” Gwen replied. “Not sure how they located this secure channel.”
“Patch them in,” the secretary-general requested.
“Madam Secretary-General, I would highly advise against that,” the white-haired admiral said. “The Global Space Federation does not negotiate under coercion.”
“Your concerns are noted, Admiral Heller,” Isla said. “And right now, if we don’t answer this, we are all dead anyway. So please, Commander Jackson, patch through the communication.”
“Right away,” Gwen replied. “Okay. Connected.” She gave a thumbs-up to Isla.
“This is Isla Perez, Secretary-General of the Global Space Federation. Unidentified vessel, you are on a dangerous, suicidal course that will result in certain death for the crews of both our ships. If your goal was to get the attention of GSF High Command, congratulations, you have succeeded. Please identify yourself or prepare to be fired upon.”
