A Sword Into Darkness (23 page)

“The international community will be angry we didn’t involve them or the UN.  Every preacher of every faith on the planet will wonder what this means in terms of our place with the Almighty, what it means about our souls, or about the aliens’ souls.  The stock markets will experience an upheaval that no one can predict.  Other emerging superpowers will try to beat us to the punch with their own first contact efforts, which means they’ll either go up with existing tech, try to develop their own, or try to steal ours—and there’s a lot to be stolen besides just the warheads.  The structural materials like chromatic plate and allocarbium will spawn new industries and wreck the existing steel and composites economies.  The laser and railgun tech will revolutionize the defense and power industries.  Our computing tech is a good five to ten years ahead of what’s commercially available.

“But the big upset is the drive tech.  Orbit is no longer difficult to achieve.  The solar system is now days or weeks away, not months or years.  There are mountains of ore just waiting to be smelted and processed out there in the asteroid belt.  And don’t discount the tourist industry!  Everybody is going to want to see Saturn’s rings for themselves.

“No, this ship could have deployed armed with nothing but sticks and stones, and it still would have turned the world upside down.  Worry about the warheads if you like, but this august assembly had better worry about the other aspects of this situation a hell of a lot more.  The good thing is that our beloved US of A is starting out at the top of the heap.  You gentlemen and ladies have to figure out how this country’s going to capitalize on the opportunity before it blows up in your faces.”

Lydia sat to renewed murmurs and excited, concerned discussion.  She turned to Nathan and whispered to him, “That’s got ‘em buzzing.  Good god, Gordon would’ve gotten a kick out of this.”

Nathan nodded.  “He’d eat it up, but he’s not as smooth as you are.  He probably would’ve had a tantrum and attacked a senator by this point.  Of course, we haven’t dropped the big question yet.  You could still pull a Gordon.”

She feigned an expression of exaggerated shock.  “Me?  I thought you were the one who would make the Grand Request.”  She smiled, looked over the room and then locked in on Sykes again.  “He’s been too quiet.  After sticking him in the eye on the whole warhead thing, I figured he would have to be dragged out of here.”

“Maybe it wasn’t as much of a shock as you thought it was.  Gordon warned me about him.  He’s supposed to be pretty shrewd.”

“Mmm hmmm.  Shrewd and not the biggest supporter of what we’re trying to do here.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “He’s up to something.  There’s a reason he hasn’t protested much yet.”

Before Nathan could respond, Senator James took advantage of a lull in the room’s chatter and stood.  From his position on the third tier of elevated seats, his tall frame towered over the chamber, causing all eyes to go toward him.  “Excuse me!  Excuse me.  My dear Ms. Russ, your little presentation has us all atwitter, which I’m sure must be exciting for you, however what do you really need from us?  You’ve got your ship, your crew, and your smug sense of duty.  Why bother informing such an insignificant body as the United States Congress?  Why not just go on your mission and write yourselves into the history books without us?”

Lydia stood, smoothing her outfit.  “Members of Congress, Secretaries, the
Sword of Liberty
is only the start, but it’s all that Windward Tech could hope to accomplish with its own budget and the black funding from the DOD.  As of this last quarter, the company I now head is in the toilet.  Windward has to turn away from exterior concerns and focus on the business of business, or else we’ll be gobbled up and cast to oblivion.

“The reason we’re briefing you, aside from your simple need to know, is that DA-1 is not enough.  The
Sword
will make first contact, and hopefully that contact will prove the aliens benign.  Should it prove otherwise, it will then attempt to find out what, if any, of our tactical preparations are actually effective.  Should it become necessary, DA-1 will engage the enemy, determine its tactical capabilities, transmit that data to Earth, and, God willing, withdraw.  But it is not the final defense of Earth, only the first sally.

“You all have to make sure that’s not in vain.  While DA-1 is in transit, you must begin construction on DA-2, and then DA-3, and 4, and 5, and more and more until we have a fleet of
Sword
-class destroyers.  You must build them, outfit them, and crew them.  You must start thinking about the defense of our planet.  You have to start thinking about orbital mine fields, asteroid laser and missile emplacements, sensor nets, electronic warfare stations, supply depots.  Frankly, you have to authorize and shepherd our way to a space-based defense right out of Star Wars or Star Trek within the next 13 years, because that’s the world we’re in now, and we’re starting this game already behind.”

Senator James sneered at all the reps who nodded their heads at her request.  “You’re talking about putting us on a war footing!  We don’t know that such a thing is even necessary, or how it might color our first negotiations with these aliens!  And how do we know that your destroyer will be effective in the least?”

“We don’t know, but that question is almost useless.  If we prepare and they prove friendly, what we gain in terms of technological distribution and new tech will make the expense and effort almost minor.  If our preps make them uncomfortable, well, we’re human, and such a step is only supported by our history as a species.  If they know anything about us, they should know it’s the sort of thing we’re apt to do.  Hell, it’s a moderately friendly action compared to some of the things we’ve done right here on Earth when faced with the unknown.  Of course, if we prepare and the
Sword
is totally outclassed, there’s always a chance we can adjust our defense in time, but more likely they’ll just wipe us off the face of the planet.  Then no one will be left to complain about how much we’ve spent.

“And certainly, there’s the distinct possibility our preps will be completely justified.  If the
Sword
is moderately successful, then building a defense at home might very well save all our lives.  Of course, then there’s the worst case scenario:  you don’t allow us to prepare as we’re urging, the aliens prove to be the nasty sort, and we all end up dead.  Then you can try to balance the cost of these defenses against the price of everyone’s lives, all the way to your grave.”

Senator Yardley stood as James carefully returned to his seat, his face troubled.  Yardley appeared thoughtful though.  “Ms. Russ, that all sounds quite a bit like Pascal’s challenge concerning the existence of God.  But, let’s move away from the philosophical and narrow down on the practical.  How much would the defensive measures you’re advocating end up costing us? Can we even afford what you’re asking of us?  Are you asking us to start issuing war bonds?  Are you asking us to do this in collaboration with other nations?”

Nathan took over from Lydia.  “Those questions are the meat of the matter, Senator, and that’s what you folks have to determine.  We’ve done what little we could to aid your deliberations, though.  If you’ll all turn to section four of your briefs, you’ll see a Defensive Cost Analysis—”

“Wait one moment, Mr. Kelley!”  Sykes stood with the briefing package open in his hands.  He smiled in an unpleasant way.  “I’m not quite done with section three yet, on your ship and mission.”

“Here it comes,” Lydia said softly from her seat, where only Nathan could hear her.

Nathan nodded.  “Very well, Mr. Secretary.  Go ahead.”

“I just have a few questions regarding your crew selection.”

“Ask away.”

“A few of your choices seem … unusual.  With a crew totaling just 35 people on a potentially tactical mission, only fifteen of them have any military experience at all.”

Nathan smiled.  Something was building here.  “Well, of those 35, thirty are identified, with the remainder to be decided upon by the DOD and the State Department.  Half of my portion of the crew have extensive military experience, primarily in the Navy and the Air Force.  We also have one Marine thrown in for good measure.  That’s not too bad a ratio, in my opinion.  Of the remaining fifteen, seven have private pilot’s licenses, two are former Merchant Marines, one’s a trauma surgeon, another’s a general practitioner, and the others are the primary designers for several of our most complex systems.

“All of our identified crew has trained for over a year on operating and developing the combat and engineering systems aboard the
Sword
, and each crewmember has undergone extensive cross-training so they each know the others’ jobs.  The whole crew has been through a private version of NASA’s astronaut training program, and they’ve gone through the full space station psychological battery.  When it comes to having an expert crew able to handle any eventuality or casualty, I’d go with this one over any other.”

“One of your veterans is a double amputee, Mr. Kelley.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed.  “That particular gentleman has gotten by quite ably for the last thirteen years on prosthetics, and in microgravity that handicap should be a moot issue.  In addition, he’s a tactical and technical wizard, a decorated former Senior Chief in the US Navy, and I’d trust him with my life anytime, anywhere.”

Sykes shook his head.  “Would you trust him with every life on this planet?”

“Yes.”

Sykes grunted and looked back down at his briefing.  “And who is the commanding officer of this ‘expert’ crew?”

Nathan said nothing and looked down.  He sighed and scanned the crowd.  A few followed along in their briefs, but most simply stared at him and Sykes.

He turned back to the antagonistic Secretary of Defense.  “I’m the captain of this mission.  I had a major hand in designing the ship, in determining the tactical mission parameters, and in assembling the crew.  My past naval experience and my skill-set in particular were sought out by Mr. Lee.  I was his first and last choice to lead this mission.  There may be someone out there with more battle experience than I, or more sea time in command, but no one has more experience aboard this type of ship on this sort of mission.  Gordon Lee wanted me to be the CO, and I plan to carry out his wish.”

Sykes nodded and looked around at the audience.  Now all eyes were on them.  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t your last seagoing assignment as a mere lieutenant department head, an assignment that ended with your ship sunk and half your crew killed?”

Lydia shot to her feet.  “That’s a damned low blow, Carl!”

Sykes raised placating hands.  “I’m not disputing the valor with which you served, nor the medals you justly received for your actions off the coast of North Korea.  I merely want everyone here to realize to whom they’re entrusting the wellbeing of our nation and the entire human race.”

He turned completely around, looking up from his seat in the first tier to address the joint House and Senate committees.  “I would be the last person to disparage a seasoned, bloodied hero of our Navy, but I also won’t allow them to capitalize on my honor and respect in order to steer this body onto a dangerous course.  What LT Kelley did in 2031 is far removed from what he’s proposing to do now.  Years can change a man.

“See it this way, if you will.  Do you feel safe entrusting first contact to a man who has already lied to our government?  Who lied for the purpose of building his own nuclear arsenal for use against an alien presence that has not definitively proven itself hostile?  Who will be far beyond the systems of checks and balances and controls that our own trained, vetted ballistic missile sub captains operate under?  Who may, possibly, be suffering from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or who may have something to prove for past blood and lost glory?”

Lydia began to step out from the table, held back only by Nathan’s firm grip on her wrist.  “God damn you, Carl!  There’s not one bit of truth to anything you just said!  You’re twisting things!”

Nathan surveyed the room, purposely avoiding Sykes’ eyes.  To their credit, several senators and representatives looked appropriately shamed, unable to lock gazes with him.  Eventually, Nathan forced himself to focus upon Sykes.  “I suppose you have an alternative plan, Mr. Secretary?

Sykes smiled slightly.  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

February 24, 2045; Kelley residence, Vista Del Mar Condominium Village; Santa Cruz, California

Nathan slammed the door on his car and looked toward his front door with a mix of dread and relief.  At this, the tail end of the longest, toughest day he had ever endured, all he wanted was to lay down, shut his eyes, and sleep.  But surrendering to sleep also meant giving up the fight, even though he had already lost before he even knew he should be fighting.

Gordon predicted this, he thought.  He saw this coming, he warned me with his dying words, and I still failed him.

Nathan shouldered his overnight luggage and trudged up the path to his first-floor condo.  Looking at the cement walk, fumbling for the key on his key-ring, he failed to notice Kristene sitting on his porch until he almost fell over her.