by Bobby Akart
Of course, Artie heard him. “A kinetic energy of ten to the power of five, Major. A much larger object.”
“Artie, what is its speed?” asked Gunner as he looked at his console. He was now tracking the asteroid on a parallel path towards the Earth. The good news was that the constant rolling motion of the asteroid alleviated the necessity for him to circumnavigate it for artificial intelligence to get an accurate picture of its surface.
“Major, the velocity has remained steady at fifty-two thousand four hundred miles per hour.”
Gunner glanced at the console and confirmed the information. It was moving slower than the scientists on Earth estimated. That worked in his favor, but only by a few hours. He was feeling the pressure of the delayed launches, both at Boca Chica and from Artemis. He was urged to strike quickly so the debris field was largest on the opposite side of the Northern Hemisphere from the U.S., namely in Russia and China.
“Got it. Artie, have you identified the weakest points in the asteroid’s structure?”
“Yes, Major. There are nine points of attack identified in order to destroy 2029 IM86.”
Gunner glanced over at Chief Rawlings, who was still asleep. He leaned across the center console and felt his mentor’s wrist. His pulse was weak, but there.
“Artie, I only have four nukes. We can’t hit nine bull’s-eyes.”
“Major, it requires nine points of attack to destroy 2029 IM86.”
Gunner took a deep breath and exhaled. “Artie, have you ranked these nine points of attack by order of priority?”
“Yes, Major.”
“And, Artie, after the initial strike, are you able to analyze the damage inflicted upon the asteroid?”
“Yes, Major. The asteroid has three distinct layers. The outer layer of silicate minerals produces the stony appearance. The intermediate zone consists of cellular nickel-iron and silicate minerals. The dense nickel-iron core cannot be destroyed without nine points of impact.”
“Artie, after the first strike breaches the outer layer, can you then reprioritize the remaining points of attack?”
“Yes, Major. The list may increase, or decrease, depending on the accuracy of the first strike.”
Gunner laughed. “Nice CYA, Artie.”
“I’m sorry, Major. I do not understand.”
“Your ass, Artie. You just covered your ass.”
“I do not have an ass, Major.”
Gunner chuckled and checked the time. He was past the window of opportunity to begin the attack that minimized the number of remnants hitting North America. However, with the asteroid travelling slightly slower than predicted, he might still have some success. The bottom line was just to kill it, or in the absence of total obliteration, break it up into many pieces so that the impact event on Earth was survivable.
He reached for the nuclear launch control panel and manually activated all four missiles. Protocol required him to set them to ready on an as-needed basis. He’d scoffed at that statement during his training.
First, did they really expect him to haul ass home with a nuke still strapped to the Starhopper’s belly? Second, were they on a budget? Gunner had already decided he was gonna fire off the entire load just to make sure. It appeared, per Artie, four of the most powerful nuclear missiles ever assembled still might not be enough.
Gunner rolled his head around his shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension. One at a time, he removed his hands from the console and wiped his sweaty palms on his khakis. This mission was affecting him like no other. In a combat aircraft, he was completely at ease, one hundred percent confident in his abilities. Flying the Starhopper, with the fate of the world in his hands, caused him quite a bit of apprehension. He hoped it would dissipate once he began the attack.
“Game on, Artie!” he shouted as he took over the controls, manually flying the spaceship from this point forward.
He brought up the mapping coordinates on the large navigational panel in front of him. He also continuously looked through the windows that provided him a limited view of the asteroid, except where the nose of the spacecraft was pointed.
Gunner turned toward the asteroid and immediately picked up speed. The gravitational pull of IM86 had a greater effect on his approach than he expected.
His pulse raced as the planet killer grew larger, filling the one-hundred-eighty-degree view afforded by the Starhopper’s windows.
He slowed the spacecraft, focusing on his first mark. Then he glanced at the asteroid and caught a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. It was the Russian space vehicle on the surface of the asteroid.
Gunner grimaced and gritted his teeth in anger. He pulled up and away from the asteroid, causing the g-force on his body to push him back against the seat. The sudden maneuver also jostled Chief Rawlings awake, who let out a groan.
“Sorry, Chief. We had to abort the first run.”
“Um, Gunner. I can’t see. My eyes are swollen so bad I can’t open them.”
“You rest, Chief. I’ve got this.”
“I wanna know what’s happening in case I can help. Is Artie online?”
“Yes, Commander Chief Rawlings, I am online.”
Gunner reached over and felt the battered astronaut’s pulse again. It had increased somewhat, not necessarily a bad sign.
“Gunner, can you describe your actions so I can follow along?”
Gunner circled the asteroid and brought the Starhopper back into position for another run at the first target.
“Chief, the Russians did land on the asteroid, and they are within a tenth of a mile of our primary target. When the nuke hits, they’ll be turned to dust.”
Chief Rawlings managed a chuckle and then winced in pain. “That’s not our problem, son. Do what you have to do.”
Gunner hesitated. “I thought I’d do a flyby. You know, give them a heads-up as to what’s about to come their way.”
“There’s no time, Gunner. Even if they heeded your warning, their delay in evacuating the asteroid will put us and the planet in danger.”
After a moment, Gunner agreed. “We can’t help them. I’m going in.”
Gunner focused on the target a second time and navigated directly for it, watching his speed more carefully during his approach. The trial run had given him confidence, and he noticed his palms were no longer sweating.
He squinted his eyes and focused his concentration on the asteroid’s surface and his control of the Starhopper. Hitting a moving, spinning target required coordination and proper timing. Gunner took a deep breath and held it. He slid his hands onto the launch controls.
His mind wandered, ever so briefly, to his days as a combat pilot. The code word Fox was used by NATO pilots to signal the release of air-to-air missiles during combat. Gunner always appreciated the irony that his last name represented the destruction of another aircraft, or in this case, a planet killer flying toward Earth.
He depressed the first button and announced, “Fox 1 is away.”
Chapter 52
Wednesday, April 25
On Board the Starhopper
Gunner pulled up and away from IM86, using every aspect of the technologically advanced maneuverability to clear the impact of the nuclear missile on the surface. Had circumstances been different, Gunner would have programmed the nuclear missile to detonate just a few hundred yards above the surface. The irradiation of the surface of the asteroid would undergo a superheating effect, altering the composition and causing it to move off its trajectory.
The time had passed for alternative means besides brute force.
“Artie, provide me the results of the first strike.”
“Major, the first strike missed the target by approximately nineteen meters. I am analyzing new data.”
Gunner shrugged and brought the Starhopper back into a parallel trajectory with IM86. The impact of the nuclear missile had a profound effect on his visibility. A combination of dirt and boulders had erupted from the surface, flying in all directions as th
e blast wave of the nuclear missile spread.
He anxiously awaited Artie’s analysis. He turned to his commander. “Chief, I missed by sixty feet or so.”
He smiled and coughed his response. “I heard. Pretty good shooting under these conditions. You gotta keep pounding away, Gunner. Don’t give the gravitational pull time to draw the debris back in.”
“Major Fox, I have my results and revised coordinates for the second strike. It requires a repositioning of the Starhopper to the far side of 2029 IM86.”
Gunner didn’t hesitate as he pulled the Spaceship higher and farther away from the asteroid’s surface to avoid the continuously spewing debris.
“The Russians?” asked Chief Rawlings.
“We can’t see the surface, but they never knew what hit ’em. It was probably better that way.”
Gunner established his flight trajectory in preparation for the next strike. The other side of the asteroid was experiencing some large debris orbiting the surface as IM86 continued to tumble.
“Remember, Gunner. Jackhammer. You have to keep pounding away until you chisel the core.”
“Roger that, Chief,” said Gunner, who then turned his attention back to Artie and the navigational panel. “Show me the new coordinates, Artie.”
“Yes, Major.”
Gunner studied the information provided by the computer’s analysis and then began his rapid descent toward the surface. He used visual navigation more this time in order to avoid any ejected materials resulting from the first detonation. With each missile launch, his task would become more difficult, requiring more reliance on his senses of sight and touch, and a hint of luck.
“Fox 2 is away!” Gunner exclaimed as he continued to get caught up in the excitement of the mission. His first strike hadn’t been delivered with pinpoint accuracy, but he learned from it. He began to apply his experience of being in dogfights with other aircraft to the hunting of IM86.
As before, he pulled the Starhopper upward, using all of his effort and the spacecraft’s capabilities to avoid being caught up in the nuclear explosion on the surface. He was a lot closer to the asteroid on this missile launch, and the shock wave was felt as he retreated into space. The last two missiles would require him to push the limits of the Starhopper—and his anxiety threshold.
“Talk to me, Artie. Provide me a status of the second strike.”
“Major, the second strike missed the target by approximately fifteen meters. I am analyzing new data.”
Chief Rawlings slurred his words this time as if he was sleepy or slightly intoxicated. “Well done, Gunner. You’re getting better.”
“Thanks, Chief. It appeared that Artie directed me to a point immediately opposite the first strike.”
Gunner held his breath, hoping that Artie would tell him that the core of the asteroid was exposed, its weak underbelly ready for a decisive blow and the end to this mission.
“Artie?” asked Gunner impatiently.
The AI responded, “Major Fox, I have my results and revised coordinates for the third strike. It requires a repositioning of the Starhopper to the third side of 2029 IM86.”
Gunner had noticed that the irregular-shaped asteroid had features that rendered it somewhat triangular in appearance. It was logical that Artie would focus on cracking the asteroid all the way around before giving it a final, hopefully decisive blow.
He glanced over at Chief Rawlings, who was fading in and out of consciousness. He resisted the urge to pause the mission and attend to his mentor and now close friend. Time was crucial during this juncture of the attack, and the repeated warnings from the space geologists about the asteroid reconstituting itself rang through his head.
“Artie, show me the coordinates,” instructed Gunner as he turned the spacecraft upside down relative to IM86 and looked upward toward the dark side that was hidden by the rays of the Sun.
As he navigated into position, he got a visual of the debris field that had formed around the asteroid. IM86 had appeared to grow exponentially. It now had a tail that was longer than its original mile and three-quarter length.
A large chunk had split off and was racing ahead of the much bulkier remains. Gunner considered that this piece was of sufficient mass to have a devastating impact on the planet by itself. He could only hope that it sailed off the current trajectory, which, according to the onboard telemetry, indicated a direct hit for an area just above the Tropic of Cancer to near the Equator.
Gunner set his jaw, clenched his fists around the Starhopper’s manual navigational yoke, and dove toward the surface, not bothering to slow his speed on this run. His confidence had grown and he was ready to end this fight.
“Fox 3, away!”
This time, rather than pull up, which would have led him into the path of the asteroid, Gunner banked hard right, taking him a greater distance away from the asteroid’s path towards Earth. As Artie analyzed the results of this third strike, he wanted to get a visual of the total picture—the asteroid, its debris field, and home.
Chapter 53
Wednesday, April 25
On Board the Starhopper
Gunner forgot about what had brought him to this critical moment in his life. He stared past the enormous asteroid that was now broken into many thousands of pieces of varying sizes. He saw Earth ahead. Large, blue, and peaceful. He was awestruck by the realization that humanity, and everything that he’d ever known, existed on a fragile blue orb surrounded by vast darkness. It caused him to reflect on how he felt about life. He wanted to live—for himself, for Pop, and for Heather. She was proud of him and was standing behind him now. He could feel it in his soul.
“Major Fox, I have the updated coordinates for the final strike. The dual cores of 2029 IM86 are not exposed. I have determined that it does not have a homogeneous structure.”
“Wait. Artie, are you saying it’s been fused or spliced together?” asked Gunner.
“It is a possibility, Major Fox. It is possible that 2029 IM86 was formed by the collision of two bodies that bumped together and merged into one many millions of years ago.”
“Artie, have you found its structural weakness so that I can strike the core with the final missile.”
Artie hesitated. “Major, 2029 IM86 does not have a homogeneous structure; therefore it does not have a single core. It has two separate and distinct cores, neither of which are exposed.”
Gunner tensed up at this new revelation. He wanted to know why this couldn’t have been determined in advance, but perhaps he had to chip away at the surface in order to provide artificial intelligence a better look.
“Well, shit. It is what it is.” He lamented the newfound information. He thought for a moment and then addressed Artie. “Artie, can you identify a point that is most vulnerable to attack that will yield a division of the two fused asteroids?”
“Yes, Major. I can.”
“Artie, please do that. I can see the asteroid attempting to pull itself back together.”
“Yes, Major Fox. I have compared 2029 IM86 to my knowledge database of other binary asteroids. I have identified a point of impact that could result in a splitting of the asteroid into two separate, homogenous bodies.”
Gunner looked over toward Chief Rawlings. “Chief, are you awake. Whadya think?”
Chief Rawlings didn’t respond. His breathing was slow and shallow. Gunner elected not to wake him. He was prepared to go it alone, as always.
“Give me the coordinates, Artie.”
Artie complied and Gunner adjusted his orbit. He got a visual of the rubble pile that had formed around the entire asteroid. It wasn’t disintegrating, and Gunner didn’t expect that it would. But it was expelling debris in all directions as it seemed to be flying apart. His best result at this point was to split it in two, with one or both parts sailing off in different directions.
“I’m going in,” announced Gunner. On this final run toward the surface and the last target, he’d fly completely using his visual acuity. The first thr
ee approaches to the surface of the asteroid had taught him about the movement of the rubble. All speeds are relative to one’s surroundings, so he put out of his mind that the debris was flying all around him at fifty thousand miles per hour. He’d dodge it as if it were standing still.
He was speeding toward the surface when warning lights and alarms sounded on the console. They were the kind of ground proximity warnings employed in aircraft. Whenever an airplane was functioning properly, but nonetheless flew into a side of a mountain, it was because the plane was off course or the pilot had lost track of its position. The technical term was controlled flight into terrain, or CFIT. Artificial intelligence had been employed to avoid CFIT accidents.
The Starhopper’s AI was programmed to include a version of the GPWS—ground proximity warning system. In the event of a potential impact with the ground based upon the spacecraft’s speed and angle of descent, artificial intelligence would assume the pilot had been incapacitated.
Artie’s warning was more than that. It was a signal of AI’s intention to take over the controls of the Starhopper. Artie’s robotic voice blared through the flight deck speakers.
“Terrain. Pull up. Terrain. Pull up.”
“No, Artie. I’ve got this.” Gunner continued his speed and current course toward the target’s coordinates, flying the Starhopper closer to the surface like a Japanese kamikaze pilot attacking Pearl Harbor.
“Terrain. Pull up. Prepare for automatic control override. Automatic control override in five seconds. Four. Three.”
“No, Artie. Stand down! Stand down!”
“Three seconds and holding.”
Gunner continued to head toward the surface. “Artie, stand down.”
“I am not programmed or authorized to self-destruct.”
Closer.
“Stand down.”
Gunner swerved between debris the size of skyscrapers, and he could now see the surface without the aid of the external video cameras. A distinct fissure had formed, and Gunner knew he had the target in sight.