by Bob Mauldin
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Almost six weeks went by before the huge construction vessel came to rest relative to Heinlein at Gamma. Shuttles and Mambas began to emerge from her dark hull almost immediately. The larger ship had spent two weeks in Earth orbit, picking and choosing from an overabundance of volunteers and letting some of those who had been gone for almost a year have some leave time.
The third reappearance of so many missing persons added a new dimension to the pressure various government officials were beginning to feel from their constituents. The ramifications of such a monumental discovery were finally beginning to find their ways into the mass media as well. Late night radio talk shows and supermarket tabloids only added fuel to rumors that were flying through the intelligence agencies of the world like wildfire. Simon smiled at the thought of what those groups were going to do when so many more people disappeared again.
Overcrowding was the name of the game for the week that it took Galileo to get back to Gemini Base. Finally, nearly a third of the volunteers were off-loaded at the base. Simon kept his word, investing Lucy as Captain, and she immediately named her vessel the Anne McCaffrey. Galileo remained in the area while the crew rosters of the base and ships sorted themselves out. It was necessary for dozens of veteran crew-members of both Gemini and Galileo to be moved to the new ship where they would function as instructors for the newbies that got assigned. This left the remainder of the new volunteers to be doled out into the more innocuous positions aboard the three vessels.
Simon, missing his wife more as time passed, ordered Galileo to move out to rendezvous with the Heinlein and Kitty.
Kitty beamed over from Heinlein, briefcase in hand to spend some well-deserved time alone with her husband. I wonder how much longer this is going to go on, she thought. I remember something about hunter packs ... two ships and a carrier. If Simon will just hurry up and take command of a ship, we can form the first pack and spend more time together. This Captain business is really putting a cramp in my love-life.
She walked into the Captain’s quarters, let her uniform drop to the deck, and headed for the shower. If he isn’t here by the time I get good and wet, then I don’t know Simon, she told herself. As if on cue, she heard the outer door open just as she was getting the temperature up to blister-the-skin-off-your-body. Turning around, she was just in time to get hugged long and passionately by the man she hadn’t seen in so long.
Afterglow gone, faded away into one of those memories that last forever, Kitty let her satisfied smile turn into an achingly pleasant, joint popping stretch. She sat up, leaned over and kissed Simon, an unspoken promise implicit in the way her tongue flicked between his teeth and back out again. Turning her back to her husband, she stirred through the pile of clothes beside the bed until she felt the weight of her briefcase.
Aware of the sight she presented, Kitty leaned over and picked the briefcase up. Sitting back up, she felt Simon’s hands sliding around her sides to caress her breasts. She set the case aside, turned in his arms and kissed him again. Breaking free, she gently grabbed his wrists and moved his hands down to his thighs. “Take a break, Dear. We just had dessert, now we need to talk business.”
She pulled the briefcase into her lap and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “Before I left Orion, I sat down with Daniel and told him about an idea I had. He thinks that it’s something we need to implement as soon as we can.” She handed the papers to Simon and launched into a description of Project Vesta.
Simon, quickly flipping through the report, for that’s what it turned out to be, did his best to keep up with the details of materiel allocation and production, transport of same to Vesta, and oversight of the project in its early phases. She ended with, “And we only have to have someone stop by every month or so to check that things are on track,” leaning back to let the idea sink in.
Encouraged by Daniel’s enthusiasm, she spoke firmly and was pleased with the occasional question. And gratified at his acceptance. “A base like that is just what we need. It can serve as a symbol as well as an R & R spot, too. As ideas go, this even tops Z-tag, as far as I’m concerned. But if something can serve two purposes, and one of them just happens to be a PR bonanza, then, why not take advantage of it?
“The reasons you gave in the first place are enough, of course, but look at it from the position of those on Earth. A place no government can reach and a permanent base in deep space where you can walk around in shirtsleeves and have room to ... what? Play ball? Run races? Anything you can dream up. I don’t know. But it will certainly stir up more interest. I had one idea and look where it led. This was your idea. Why not watch over it until the time comes to start making it habitable?”
Simon leaned away from Kitty for a second, reaching into the pocket of his own jacket. Pulling out an envelope, he handed it to her saying, “I’ve got a surprise for you, too. Read this, Kittyn.”
She pulled a single sheet of paper out of the envelope, barely noticing the Presidential seal on the corner as she set it aside. She shook the paper open, read it once, then again, more slowly. And then a third time. “Have you confirmed this?” she asked incredulously. “You’re going to meet with the Vice-President? We’re going to get the bases?” Kitty’s imagination went into overdrive. “What do we have to give them initially? I assume there has to be some kind of good faith gesture. And it should come from us. I also think that it should be a public meeting. Camp David is where they go to do things quietly. As much media attention as possible is what we need to have.”
“Whoa! Slow down, Honey. Right now, the only thing on the table is the idea of a meeting. And, yes, with the Vice-President. Possibly with senior officials from some of the other countries we could get bases in, too. An Asian representative and someone from somewhere in Europe. According to Galway, through Lucy, we get the bases, then discuss technology trades. And as I understand it, those were the conditions. As for media attention that’s going to be a given. But none of it will happen until we get Libra finished and go back for more volunteers.”
Kitty stared at Simon so long he finally had to ask, “What? That’s what we wanted. Bases and at least tacit acceptance by the governments of the world. So why the face?”
“Why? Because something doesn’t smell right, husband-mine.” She rolled out of the bed and began to pace the room. Coming to a stop beside the bed, she looked down at Simon. “I know I didn’t marry a total idiot. Since when did any government give away anything without some guarantees first? And they specifically requested our commanding officer? Tell me this isn’t a set-up, Simon. Make me believe it if you can. Listen, we’ve been married for ... what ... over sixteen years, now. You aren’t going down there alone. And definitely not without back-up. Do you understand? If I have to get every single soul off-planet in on that, I can. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
Simon finally got a chance to get a word in edge-wise. “Lighten up! Nothing has been decided, yet.” He sat up and pulled Kitty down beside him. “That piece of paper is just an invitation to meet to discuss the details of a meeting. I haven’t answered it yet. The only answer that went back was that I’d think about it. Give me some credit, okay? If it happens, back-up is a given. And I won’t go alone. Also, what can happen in front of live cameras? And they will be live. We’ll be able to monitor that from several directions. At the first sign of trouble, the whole team beams out. And that can be done from any of four wristbands or from Galileo. Not to mention any other security precautions we can come up with between now and then. Just remember, they will have to be invisible precautions. We can’t afford to insult any of the people we want to get something from any more than they can afford to insult us.”
Kitty stirred her piled up clothes with a bare foot then turned to face Simon. “You’ll take care, or else. And here’s a guarantee for you: when you go down, I will be leading the back-up detail. Five Mambas flying overhead will give anyone pause. Not to mention the PR it will generate on world-wide
television, since you like to have things serve dual purposes.” Interpreting the expression on Simon’s face as a prelude to denying her the right to fly, Kitty plowed on. “And don’t you dare try to tell me ‘No,’ dammit! If you do, I quit and get off the next time this boat gets back to Earth. I’m not one to deliver ultimatums, and you know it. But, I mean this! For once, there will be no discussion. If it’s safe enough for you, it’s safe enough for me.”
Changing the subject, leaving Simon with no option but to accept her final statement, Kitty threw another thing at him. “And you should know, Dear, that we certainly do have company out here.” She handed him another printout from her briefcase. This one had come about on the way to Gamma just before they had reached Vesta. “There seems to be an abnormal amount of material in this area trailing Vesta,” she commented. “And while we were scanning, Gayle found a heat source in the area somewhere. We didn’t let on that we had seen anything, either. I wanted to, believe me! But with Lucy on the way here, I figure we can drop off any mining equipment at Vesta, get the project under way, and then go deal with the problem together. If we work it right, we can trap whoever it is between us and leave no witnesses.”
Simon slowly shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by making women my first two captains. And here I am considering Gayle for the third.” He saw Kitty start to cloud up and hurried on. “I’m not putting you down, Hon. You just seem more aggressive than I would have figured a year ago. Hell, it was just weeks ago that you said you shouldn’t be in command because you didn’t have the killer instinct. I’m not saying that’s bad. And I’m certainly not saying that I wouldn’t do the same thing in your place. You know, if you hadn’t suggested it, I probably would have ordered it myself. I’ve wondered if they could be possible allies, hiding out until they’ve evaluated us. But if they were, I think they would have been more open. Or should have been. Who can say how aliens think? At any rate, if they are hiding, they’re up to no good, so go get ‘em.
“Hey! Let’s go get something to eat,” Simon said, changing the subject. “You can meet Victor McCord. He’s a friend of Stephen’s and he’s going to be our new Base Commander when Libra goes on-line. He brought his new wife Casey and their two kids with him.” At Kitty’s shocked look, he went on, “They’re seventeen and eighteen. Both finished with high school and both eager to get into the Mambas. Of course. And that’s all your fault for making those videos. Stephen had to show them to Victor to convince him and he made copies. Showed ‘em to his wife and when she wanted in and he said ‘No,’ she showed them to the kids and then they triple-teamed him. He brought a list of people with skills, too.”
When Kitty inquired as to the skills Victor mentioned, Simon rattled off a list that included theoretical physics, molecular biology, and games theory among others. Kitty jumped on the last one. “That might be a good place to look for strategists and tacticians.”
“I know,” Simon replied. “Stephen said the same thing. Once we get back to Earth, we can look some more of these people up and see if we can recruit them.”
By the time Lucy arrived with McCaffrey, most of the equipment needed for Kitty’s Project Vesta was already set up. The power broadcaster only needed an internal power source of its own and the computer needed to run the initial interior excavation was being programmed. Kitty called Lucy and invited her to attend a Captains Call aboard Galileo.
As the three captains settled into chairs in Simon’s ready-room, Kitty congratulated Lucy on her command. “And I like your choice of a name, too,” she said. After a quick discussion of McCaffrey’s trials and Kitty’s mention of the red-headed twins, they got down to business.
Kitty called up a display on the wall monitor. “This is where Gayle found a heat-source. I want to go investigate and, if necessary, destroy whoever or whatever is out there. I want you along for the ride, Lucy. What I want is as much advantage as possible. We have no idea what kind of tactics these people will use, or what kind of weapons they have.” She went on in a much more subdued voice, “I really don’t want to be the aggressor here, but I see no alternative. Whoever is out there is watching and evaluating us. Learning our weaknesses. Making plans to take us out.
“I don’t think any report has been sent. No transmissions on any wavelength we can monitor, and no ships leaving the system since Orion was attacked. The need to prevent any more reports from leaving this system is urgent. And if we sneak up, so to speak, on this spot, I’ll bet anything you want to name that we flush something out. I said destroy if necessary. Let’s let the bogey make the first move. Powering up weapons and firing is one response. Powering down and waiting to be boarded is another.”
Lucy stared at the display hoping it would give up secrets she hadn’t yet divined. “And how do we sneak up on something that, if it’s actually there, is surely watching each move we make very carefully? So carefully, in fact, that it decided you were no threat and didn’t budge when you passed within less than half a million miles of it. If someone is out there, he, or she, is very good at what they do.”
“Something like submarine warfare during World War II,” Simon interjected. “I’ve been thinking that we may need to start thinking along those lines. Right now, that captain is just lying there, using passive sensors, and gathering data on our progress. By now, they’ve seen new types of missiles, at the least, and probably the new and improved beam weapons. Oh, yeah. Let me tell you both. Some of the guys down in R & D think that real, honest to Pete, tractor beams are possible. Not just capture field seams were a walk in the park in comparison that operate within a few hundred yards of a field generator, but something we can use to reach out and touch something with from two to five thousand miles away. They say to give them a year or two. I hope we have the time.
“That’s another reason I want to see Project Vesta started, Kitty. That much room would give those guys a lot of workspace. And, so far, the free hand they’ve had has been very profitable. I think that would be a very useful trade technology once it’s perfected.” The mention of Project Vesta meant that Lucy needed to be brought up to speed on it, so Kitty took the time to fill her in.
“And that’s how we’ll sneak up on our pigeon. After we set up the equipment and get the power and computer on-line, one of us heads back to Orion following almost exactly the same course we were on to get here. The other heads for Earth on a slightly diverging course.” She walked over to the display and marked out courses with a finger. “When we reach here and here,” she looked at the two captains following her finger, “we launch all Mambas and change course directly for the hot-spot.”
“Whatever is there will have to respond. One way or another. I’m guessing that some of their first moves will be pre-programmed. They could possibly have some passive systems deployed like mines or buoys. But, in any event, the ship itself will have to power up and move, or stand down. Splitting each ships’ Mambas into two groups will give us four groups of five. If they come in from four different directions and we come in from two others, we’ll have them effectively boxed. And if you aren’t willing to fire on them, I am.” She sat back down and let the ghost of Toni Putnam watch as she planned the revenge that was so long overdue.
Lucy looked at Simon and Kitty. “Okay, look. You two are the bosses. None of us would be here without you, and I, personally, am delighted to live out a dream that no sane person could possibly have expected even two years ago. But I won’t fire without a reason that is better than just because they are there. If that’s what you are asking me to do, even after what happened to Orion, I quit right here and now. If they fire first, no problem. All bets are off and I’ll do whatever it takes to prevent them from hurting any more of our people or leaving our space alive. I’ll follow that plan all the way up to ordering my people to fire, but I won’t give that order without good reason.”
“If I believed you were the sort of person to act that way, you wouldn’t be sitting here making that
ultimatum,” Simon asserted. “So, why don’t you two work out more specific plans between you, and let your crews get some rest. Overworked people don’t perform well in a crisis, and you’ll need all the cool heads you’ve got if Gayle’s sensor readings are accurate. Now, if we don’t have anything else to discuss, let’s go get dinner. I’m starved.”
Five days of R & R saw both Heinlein and McCaffrey ready to move out to implement Project Vesta. Carried in their small, over-stuffed cargo holds were the machines to begin the excavation, and what would not fit inside was carried along in the capture fields of the two warships. That particular method of transport kept both ships moving at minimum speeds, and as had been discussed, the only messages to pass between ships were about Project Vesta itself. Simon figured that if Galileo’s computer could decode Earth languages, then this bogey could, too, so no reference to Project Intercept was to go out over the radio.
All the two ships had to do was stop the tumble of the asteroid. No one really had any idea how to do that until a junior engineer suggested the use of the capture fields. Place one ship on either side of the asteroid and slowly increase the strength of their fields. Very slowly, as the enormous mass of Vesta could wreck both ships if they engaged too quickly. The idea was to have the fields act as brakes on the spin and tumble.
The machinery carried along was parked nearby and the ships took up their positions. Several attempts were made before any effect showed. Two days of nit-picking, mind-numbing work with the two capture fields finally brought the large rock into a stable position relative to the two ships.
Then the crews detailed to the initiation of the project began to move their equipment into position. Shuttles moved an active power core and transmitter near the end of the asteroid where they planned the main airlock to go. The simple computer, programmed with all the information possible, began to route beamed power to the excavating machines that would go first and do most of the work carving out the various rooms and open spaces. Engineering predicted at least a year to get that done.
