The World Game (4 page)

CHAPTER 9

Teheran. Presidential bunker. 24th June, late night.

President Arjmand sat scowling at the end of the conference table. His thinning hair was slicked back with craggy eyebrows accentuating a straight, pointy nose. His eyes were black and smoldering with anger.

“Who did this? Again! Our systems were supposed to be completely isolated and foolproof! The Israelis got us once with a computer virus back in 2010. Didn’t we learn anything from that? It set us back years, and now it has happened again?” He stood up, glaring at his security council. The ayatollahs who sat there did not flinch under his angry gaze, but the military staff were all gut churning and trying to look away. Only one man stared Arjmand back, eye to eye.

Arash Zardooz was the head of nuclear development, known as Iranatom. On the surface, developing nuclear energy resources for domestic use. In fact, as the whole world knew, developing weapons of mass destruction, and some of not so mass destruction. Zardooz was a scientist with an unusual secondary function. He was also a Colonel in the state secret police. The fact that security had failed did not seem to bother him even though it was apparent that his own neck was on the line.

Arjmand walked around the table and got into the face of Zardooz. He spat out one word.

“Explain!”

A cold smile crept across the face of Zardooz and he snorted a laugh.

“Potemkin!” He calmly uttered this one word. Potemkin Village. A legendary place that looked prosperous but was an empty shell.

Arjmand froze. His eyes widened and his head slowly tilted.

“Yes?”

Zardooz shook his head slightly, indicating “not here.”

Arjmand nodded agreement and pushed back from Zardooz. He looked up and surveyed the council members, noting expressions and reactions.

Wondering if one was a traitor.

He looked back to Zardooz and indicated his private office with a slight move of his head.

“No one is to leave this room. There will be no calls made. Just sit and wait. Do not talk.” Arjmand led Zardooz into the small office and shut the door. The facility was swept for listening devices daily. It was as secure as possible. They leaned towards each other over the deep walnut finish of the freshly varnished desk and Zardooz began explaining.

“After the Israeli virus attack on our installations in 2010 we realized that nothing was safe. We needed the internet, and our computer systems are Western technology. There is always room for an enemy to insert a passive “back door” access that is undetectable, so my deceased predecessor devised a plan that has worked. There are only ten people today, now with you, eleven, who know of this plan.

From 2021 onwards I took my most trusted technicians and scientists and created an inner circle and a second, secret production stream. This team meticulously copied every step of the “real” production but manually, using over ordering and insisting on warranty parts with the main equipment orders. There was no internet connection, ever. We reasoned that even if there was a back door built into the secret production facility computers, it would not matter. You need a path outside the door to go somewhere. There was nowhere to go. We have a secret facility, one tenth the capacity of the compromised facilities, but we built a stock of fissionable material, currently enough for around thirty war heads, and
our
computers are uncompromised.”

Zardooz leaned back in his chair, a smile across his face, as he watched Arjmand contemplate this news. After a few moments Arjmand looked up at him.

“So we sacrificed the Potemkin many for the sake of the few. As Allah wills it. An expensive decoy. We have strike capacity. Limited but sufficient to knock out the Korean threat. With such a small number of warheads we must strike first and hard. We will have no room for error and no defence if we fail.” Arjmand paused and squinted at Zardooz.

“So how did this new virus attack get in? Do you know?”

Zardooz shrugged.

“No idea. But that is why we set up the secret facility.”

Arjmand rubbed his hand over an edge of the desk, polishing a spot on the varnish.

“Keep looking. There is a traitor here somewhere!” The varnish shined and appeared to ripple in the reflected light from above. “OK let’s go back in. We say nothing.”

A patch of the varnish raced down the inside of the desk leg and onto Arjmand’s highly polished black shoe.

Zardooz rose and touched the desk top. “Nice job.”

They went back to the conference room, Arjmand hard pressed not to show his elation at Zardooz’s revelation.

He would launch against the Korean Hegemony immediately. Council and traitor be damned.

The varnish remaining on the recently vacated desk coalesced into a distinctly dish shaped disc. A micro burst nanowave communication flashed through concrete, rock and soil towards a satellite far overhead.

CHAPTER 10

Goddard, 25th June, 6 am

“ All cadets present, Sir.” Felicity Hannaford announced in her new role as squad leader.

“Cadets.” Fuller surveyed the squad, all in a perfect line and all dress in order. “We are going to do a dry run of our Space City launch today. We will be boarding a Skyhook transport shuttle emulating exactly the same ground stages and preparation as the actual launch day. Except that today we will not be going anywhere.

Today you need to look and listen so you understand all launch safety protocols and evacuation procedures. After that we will learn the procedures for emergency post launch atmospheric and vacuum survival.

Cadets, I stress to you that at all times, you remember that your buddy will take care of you and your youniform will protect you. Never panic. In the unlikely event that an emergency situation should arise, you will be able to follow the steps you learn in the coming days. Cadets! Learn and live! Live and learn. Any questions?”

Fuller waited a few seconds. No one stepped forward. “Cadets, follow squad leader Hannaford and board the shuttle.

At that point the semblance of military discipline evaporated and the group moved off towards the shuttle launch bay as if to a picnic, Felicity Hannaford leading. Fuller called out to the group, stopping it in its tracks.

“Cadets, your performance today will determine promotions within your group. I will be watching you closely. Carry on.” The group immediately smartened up.

They reached the Skyhook transport bay where a sleek, round nosed tube awaited, straddling the horizontal approach rail of the sky tram. Fuller always stopped for a moment whenever he saw this. He likened it to a giant toothpaste tube. But what the heck, it got the job done.

Unlike the earlier generation of Space Shuttles that had flown their last mission way back in 2011, this new mode of orbital entry did not use huge reaction mass rockets and boosters. It was simply a tram-car into space, and used the Skyhook project as it’s final launch platform, incorporating small, but effective, reaction mass engines, for free space flight.

The 27,000 mile long, or high as you look at it, Skyhook is a mono layer, mono filament, constant diameter carbon fiber tube extended from the Goddard Space Center to a gravity neutral point 27,000 miles in orbit, a geo-stationary point where major gravitational influences of sun, moon and planets cancel each other out, leaving only the gravitational pull of Earth itself to overcome. A counter mass, actually a tourist space restaurant, attached to the space end of the Skyhook keeps the tube taut and extended, just like a child whirling a weighted string around its head. Thrusters on the counterweight make constant minor adjustments allowing for spurious gravitational effects on the imperfect physicality of the structure. The forces involved in this edifice were so great that the added stresses of a space transport propelling itself up the apparently solid tube made little difference to the structural integrity of the Skyhook. Take away the counter weight and the structure would collapse like a nylon stocking without a leg in it. Once deployed and firmly extended, induction magnet cabling was attached to the inside of the tube without compromising the mono layer. A monatomic bond glue was used for this purpose, with constant vigilance and maintenance the order of the day. A controlled magnetic induction sequence would then propel the permanent rare earth transport magnets to the 27,000 mile destination in around one and a quarter hours of one gee acceleration/deceleration. The return simply used earth gravity and regenerative induction braking, returning some of the energy back to the system.

The public restaurant was serviced by slower, more luxuriously appointed internal tram cars that ran up and down the inside of the great tube. Paying passengers would lie back in their seats and enjoy the 4 hour ride each way at 0.1 g. Unlike the space force transport, the public tram turned about 180 degrees at the half way point. The carbon fibre mono layer was totally transparent and as clear as diamond, affording the clientele a perfect view of the Earth receding or approaching, and the panorama of space all around with little distortion. The tram windows were anti glare and the tube material itself protection from cosmic rays and solar radiation. Opaque blinds were available for sufferers of vertigo or other phobias and cocktails in squeeze bottles were served in first class.

Fuller herded his cadets across the walkway and into the transport at an entrance just behind the control cabin. He looked to see who was driving and was pleased to see the blond curls of Janine Carver spilling out under her commander’s cap as she concentrated on pre launch checks, even though there was no trip scheduled. The old days of bulky flight suits and pressurization were long gone since the advent of youniforms and buddies.

A few years younger than Fuller, Janine was a career astronaut and transport pilot with the experience of dozens of trips behind her. She was also stunningly attractive, lively and available. He smiled to himself, looking forward to a great day and maybe an interesting evening.

“Cadets, find a seat, strap in and listen.” The group sat themselves in the center seating area and buckled the safety webbing, as if the transport was really going to move off. Tendrils from each buddy extruded and penetrated small punctures in the webbing, drawing water and nourishment from capillaries integrated in the weave. At the same time, each youniform, sensing the environmental change and the new location, grew a protective helmet, including a faceplate and anti glare shield. Unlike the luxurious internal trams, the transport was spartan and functional, designed as a workhorse and temporary survival platform for space city staff.

The final jump to space city, a mere 500 miles from the Skyhook terminus, was by reaction mass thrusters as the transport left the tube rails behind. That last 500 miles was Janine’s real task.

Fuller surveyed his charges carefully, ensuring that no safety detail was overlooked while Janine checked the passenger fault display panel.

“We are not going anywhere today.” he announced. “This is purely an orientation session. Look around you and touch nothing. In the event of any emergency your familiarity with equipment, emergency escape exits and first aid equipment could save a life. Even your own. Look towards the...” Fuller’s lecture was interrupted by a heavy bump to the transport accompanied by a loud thump as something heavy made contact. Fuller looked to Janine who signalled secure Buddy communication.

“That was the next supply upload being secured in the cargo bay at back.” She thought to Fuller buddypathically. “The next run takes general supplies and four of the new Dinkshif drives up to the City. As soon as you guys have finished here I’m scheduled to deliver this lot. Wanna come for a ride?” Out of sight of the cadets, Janine winked at Fuller. He controlled a smile and turned back to his charges.

“Cadets, Commander Carver informs me that the noises we just heard are from loading the supplies for space city. In this payload are four Dinkshif drives that will be used on the new deep space explorer being built on a captured asteroid at Space City. Now back to basics. Please activate the safety view-card on the seat back in front of you and we will review evacuation procedures.