Defiant (an Ell Donsaii story #9) (6 page)

A murmur of surprise rose in the room. Ell said, “Earth?”

“Yeah. It’s easier to separate the various metals from one another here on earth where we have gravity to help with gradient separation. We just contract it out. Then we port some of the iron, as steel, back up to our orbital factory at the habitat. Out there we’re rolling steel plates to build stuff out of. We’re also experimenting with foamed metals in our space manufacturing.”

“Foamed metals?”

Braun grinned, “We blow air bubbles into molten metal to make light but strong honeycombed material. Here on earth the bubbles tend to rise to the upper side but that isn’t a problem in the weightless conditions out at the habitat.”

“Any problems with these new methods?”

“Breaking or cutting reasonably sized pieces off the asteroid is the biggest one. It takes a pretty skilled operator running the waldo that points the beam. But also, the fragments can jam up at various stages. Right now we have to send in a waldo to unjam them. Since the centrifugal forces on them are very low they aren’t hard to unjam, but we’re hoping to figure out a way around those man hours. This AJ guy is pretty damn smart. Or maybe ‘smart’ isn’t the best word for it; he just has a knack for seeing simple solutions to complex problems. Anyway, I’m confident he’ll have a solution pretty soon. Earth crushers have a kind of funnel with walls that squeeze inward every so often to smash the fragments. That’d work with rocky asteroids, but not so well with this metallic asteroid material which deforms instead of breaking.”

Vivian frowned, “Why not just melt it completely and let the molten metal pour through a port?”

“We tried that on a small scale. It’s pretty hard to keep the molten metal from splattering on the port and ruining it. If you protect the port with ceramic it reduces the size of the port. Even if you use a big port, out there in deep space enough of the heat radiates off a narrow stream of molten metal that it hardens and we kept getting clogs. We’re doing better using the beam to melt chunks loose. They’re hot in places on their surface when they come loose, but they cool as they slowly fall toward the port. Cutting them up into little chunks with hollow ports works amazingly well.”

Brian said, “Maybe you could put a helical stirring device in the cone to loosen the jams?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s one of the ideas AJ’s working on.”

Ell looked around the table, “I know you guys are in the red on the asteroid operations, but it sounds like you should be on your way into the black pretty soon?”

Rob grinned, “Yeah, early results with the new method suggest we’ll be processing hundreds of tons a day pretty soon. And, the overall ET Resource division is in the black already. Rent on microgravity space in the habitat is pretty lucrative.
Someone
also had this crazy idea that we could harvest natural gas out of the methane lakes on Titan. The price of natural gas isn’t all that high since more and more power generation is coming from the heat differential out in space, but our costs for harvest and delivery are really low. At the very least it’s been lowering our own rocket launching costs when we use our own hydrocarbons.” He shrugged, “Even with prices low we’re making some money selling them too… and you know it also feels really great providing the world with hydrocarbons for manufacturing. Hydrocarbons that
don’t
come from our own environment.”

Ell lifted an eyebrow, “And, how
are
you guys doing financially on the aforesaid space heating, cooling and electrical generation division?”

“Oh yeah, we’re
way
in the black there too. We can’t build hookups fast enough to meet demand for new connections. The D5R investors that gave us our startup are going to be very, very happy.”

Ell grinned, “That makes it easier for me to meet with them. Can you send me a financial summary?”

Rob nodded and Ell turned to the Portal Tech group, “How are things going with you guys?”

Fred spoke for them. “We continue ramping up production according to our negotiations with the President. They’ve liberalized our output again from the original restrictions.” He grinned, “The administration is caught between the people who think we’re unspeakable and appalling because we disturbed the status quo and those who can’t wait to get more portals for this or that wonderful new device. The progressives have been barking the loudest lately...”

***

Kant Fladwami met Ell at the entrance to the White House and guided her to a photo op with President Flood. Ellen Denis, the presidential press secretary met them and her eyes widened. Ell wore a bold blue blouse and black slacks with low heels. Though simple, on her slender frame it looked stunning. “Uh, you brought your medals?”

“I brought one. I thought wearing all eleven sounded gauche.”

“Oh, OK,” Denis’ mind stumbled over the fact that wearing all eleven was exactly what she had had in mind. “Can we just slip it on then?”

Ell lifted her hand, revealing the medal with its red ribbon wrapped around it. She unwound the ribbon and draped it around her neck. Moments later the president arrived. Several photographers and videographers accompanied President Flood in order to record his congratulations. Denis couldn’t help but feel that the young woman had upstaged her president with her bold color choice and stunning good looks.

Nothing could be done about that though.

When the photos were done, Fladwami guided Ell to the Oval Office. President Flood beat them there, having exited while a few additional photos of Ell were obtained.

Once in his office Fladwami introduced her to Attorney General Blythe. “I believe you’ve already met Secretary Amundsen?”

“Yes sir,” Ell said, nodding to the Secretary then turning her attention to the President, eyebrows slightly lifted to indicate she was at his disposal.

Flood glanced at Blythe, then back to Ell. “As I’m sure you’re aware, Blaustein and Ementhal have brought a bill before Congress demanding access to the technology you’ve used to reach the stars, as well as control over the methods in that tech.”

“Yes sir,” she said appearing attentive but otherwise unreactive.

“Dr. Fladwami,” the president said, waving a hand in Kant’s direction, “tells me you do not approve of the concept of placing a committee in charge of this technology.”

“No sir.”

“I’m hoping you’ll tell me why?”

“I don’t believe it would be safe.”

“That’s the same argument they make. They don’t believe that one person can be trusted with such delicate negotiations.”

“I understand sir.”

Flood snorted at the short answers she’d been giving. “Can you explain the dangers that you believe would be imposed by turning this over to a committee. Do you believe there truly are dangers to the human race out there?”

Ell blinked, then began, “There are two dangers in turning control of contact and the apparatus over to a committee. First, the one ended ports represent an incredibly dangerous technology. With a one ended port I could deliver toxins into your body from across the room—despite intervening barriers. I could deliver an atomic weapon instantly across an ocean. This technology must be kept secret because it isn’t safe in the hands of the public. I don’t trust
any
committee to keep a secret. Second, I have no doubt that Dr. Ementhal intends to be on the committee, if not its leader. He is a pompous buffoon, a bully and lacks credibility.”

“Wait
just
a minute!” Blythe interjected. “Ementhal has a
PhD
in Astrophysics.”

Donsaii simply and quietly said, “Undeserved.”

“What!?”

“I’ve reviewed his work. Some of his data is inconsistent, suggesting it may have been fabricated. Several of his most important works have failed replication by others. Personally, I believe that, rather than earning it, he has ‘politicked’ his way to the upper ranks of the scientific establishment.”

Fladwami stared at her, “You’re confident of these accusations? Are you going to file a complaint?”

“Yes, and, no. But
that
man should not be placed in charge of
anything
of importance.”

Blythe had opened his mouth to interrupt again, but Donsaii put up her hand to halt him, “Please let me respond to the second part of President Flood’s question.” She turned to Flood, “There are definitely dangers ‘out there,’ Mr. President. Around Sigma Draconis…”

The eyes of all four men widened and Blythe interrupted again, “Do you mean to tell me you’ve reached another star without telling us?!”

Ell sighed and turned to Blythe, “We have missions that have reached Alpha Centauri, Barnard’s Star, Epsilon Eridani and 40 Eridani A. We found primitive life at Alpha Centauri, probably not multicellular. Dead worlds at Epsilon Eridani and 40 Eridani A and only asteroids at Barnard’s star.” She turned to the President, “As I was about to explain, we’ve also reached Sigma Draconis …”

The President waved to her to proceed.

“At Sigma Draconis we found a “ringworld.’ A ringworld is a ring shaped megastructure which spins to provide simulated gravity on the inner surface of the ring. This particular ring had a diameter of 20,000 kilometers and a width of 5,000. Its sole purpose seems to be to act as a farm to supply their grossly overpopulated homeworld. This, gentlemen, was an engineering program of unbelievable magnitude. To give perspective,
our
largest engineering project is the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System and its total roadway of 76,000 kilometers would only take you around the ringworld’s circumference 1.2 times.”

The men in the Oval Office glanced at one another in dismay. The President asked, “And are they inimical?”

“Perhaps not through intent, however they are
desperate
to get to the stars because they have run out of resources with which to continue expanding their population in the Sigma Draconis system. If they could get here, I believe that they would immediately set out to extract the carbon dioxide from Venus’ atmosphere and hydrocarbons from the Jovian moons. They need such resources in order to build themselves another ringworld farm.”

Flood frowned, “CO
₂
?” 

“Essentially anything with carbon. That’s what they built the ringworld out of.”

Blythe said, “Wouldn’t they rather have asteroids or planets with metal cores to make steel out of?”

“Carbon nanotubes or graphene are hundreds of times stronger than steel.”

Blythe looked doubtful, but rather than arguing the point asked, “Why wouldn’t they just invade Earth?”

“Our gravity is too high and our atmosphere is too thin. They couldn’t live or farm here so they wouldn’t be interested in our real estate. However, I don’t believe that they could essentially dismantle major portions of the planets of our solar system without causing us significant harm.”

“What’s to keep them from coming here?” Blythe asked.

“They don’t know how to build single-ended ports.”

“They
can
build standard double-ended ports?”

Donsaii nodded, “That’s how they’ve plundered their own system.”

Blythe blinked, “But even
I
can figure out that they
could
just send a regular rocket here carrying one end of a two-ended port! Once it got here they’d be able to port whatever they wanted back and forth.”

Ell started at him a moment as if nonplussed, then said patiently, “Interstellar distances are immense beyond all reckoning. Standard ports are limited to a speed of twenty two kilometers per second. At that speed it would take 245,000 years to get here from Sigma Draconis. The Sigmas might be able to find a way to get their ports to go faster or could use staged ports to go faster, but traveling through space at high speeds over such an enormous distance, eventually they’d hit some debris or just wear away the outer skin of their ship on space dust. Even if we discount the extremely long time frame over which such a mission must be supported, traveling that far at those speeds is essentially physically impossible. They would certainly sustain an expedition destroying meteor puncture or encounter some other failure point. We really don’t have to worry about them arriving here—
unless
they figure out how to make single-ended ports.” She shrugged, “Or some other method to travel without crossing the intervening space.”

Flood laughed, “So, a quarter of a million years huh? I guess you’re saying that that would be after the end of my term?”

“Yes sir,” she said seriously, then grinned, “barring some shenanigans on your part of course.”

He shook his head, “If you believe the polls, I’m going to have a hard enough time just getting re-elected to a second term.” He winked at her, “You should consider endorsing me. My opponent, the redoubtable Senator Stockton from California, is a vocal supporter of Blaustein and Ementhal’s bill.”

“Perhaps I should,” she said expressionlessly, “However, I prefer not to get involved in politics.”

The President shrugged, “OK, back to business, tell us about the aliens you found at Sigma Draconis.”

Ell described Sigwald’s excursions on the ringworld, the flying aliens, their ability to join their minds to increase their intelligence, and Sigwald’s destruction at the end to prevent accession of his ports by the sigmas. By the time she described the flight past their homeworld with its wall to wall population, the president had been forced to reschedule the meeting following theirs. Her audience looked like they’d been subjected to sensory overload.

President Flood pinched his nose wearily, “But you feel like we’re safe from them at present?”

Ell grimaced, “I wish I could tell you I’m sure. I’m very disturbed by their apparent ability to generate a genius level intellect by combining large numbers of individuals’ minds in their clades. They now
know
that interstellar travel is possible, we have to hope that they do not consider that it might be achieved through single-ended ports. If they trip to that concept, I have to believe that one of their genius-level clade assemblies
could
figure out how to do it, though it does involve an enormous intuitive leap.”