“God damn it! You know that’s not the point. Oh hell, what’s the use. Returning to Ops freq,” and then she was gone from Tac-Two.
“Flying echelon right, fifty meters off your starboard side, Jumper Twelve,” she radioed to Chuck as he turned to head toward the asteroid belt.
“I think everyone’s pissed at us,” Peanut said.
“I know. I can’t blame them. We knew what we doing when we decided to sneak off. Now we have to pay the piper when we get back,” Christopher said.
“At least Ops let us go. Had the council or our wives put their foot down, we’d be getting the lecture of our lives,” Chuck added.
“Well then, I suggest we enjoy the mission, for tomorrow we may die!” Peanut said chuckling.
Chuck nudged the speed up, wanting to reach the edge of the belt in a couple of hours. He could go much faster, but even at the very edge of the belt there were countless rocks and debris. None of them wanted to rely only on the shields to keep them from having a collision with something with enough mass to possibly do them damage.
The couple times Chuck tried casual conversation with Angela were met with terse, one-word answers so he gave it up.
“She’s royally pissed off, Chuck. Let her be. Peanut, just keep your eyes peeled for a rock at least as big as the jumper,” Christopher requested.
“Already scanning. But we’ve got a couple of hours before we reach where the belt gets thick enough to catch anything that size,” Peanut replied.
“Angela, let’s kick it up a notch. The shields should be fine, and we’ll cut some time off the mission,” Chuck radioed.
“Roger, Twelve.”
“Shit, she’s really pissed,” Peanut exclaimed.
“She’ll get over it,” Christopher shot back.
“Oh yeah? How long was it before she spoke to you after that whole pissing in the President’s eye thing?” asked Chuck.
“Okay, okay. I’ll have a few fences to mend when we get back. But I’m damn sick and tired of being treated like some God damned delicate porcelain figure. But it’s been too damn constricting for too damn long. The only reason the community let me go to Earth to rescue Lucius and Julius was because most of them couldn’t stomach the idea of personally having to do violence in the name of our people, even when they attacked our home,” Christopher spat.
“Easy, Chris. We all know how you feel and why. Remember, we decided to make our own place away from Whitey back in high school. This was our dream, and thanks to Lucius we were joined by some extraordinary, like minded people. But not everyone is a warlord, or a foot soldier here or in society back in America. You and I are probably the colony’s warlords, and we’re probably always going to have to do the heavy lifting on defense, with Peanut as our evil genius, present company excepted,” said Chuck setting off Peanut and Christopher’s laughter.
The three reminisced about the early days for the rest of the trip, with Chuck checking in periodically with Angela and Ops. Meanwhile, Damien was letting Angela vent her frustration over the colony’s “originals” deciding to take off on a mission that could have very well been conducted by Ops or engineering personnel, was praying that Jumper Twelve encountered absolutely no difficulties on this mission, and that mercifully, it would end as soon as possible.
General Archer was making small, barely noticeable moves to put his plan to capture a colonial spacecraft into play. None of the orders were related to the weather satellite’s launch, which was the linchpin of the entire operation. Several of the railgun-equipped destroyers were redeployed to Norfolk for retooling and upgrading by GST technicians. The land-based units deployed on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. were also scheduled for upgrades at the same time.
It wasn’t difficult to privately enlist several other shakers and movers in the scientific and military communities to advocate for the launch to originate at Edwards Air Force Base, citing the possibility of attack or retaliation by the colonists stationed in lunar orbit, leaving Archer’s hands completely clean in the advocacy for a military launch.
The launch was scheduled in five weeks and it was no exaggeration to state that the whole world would be watching.
* * *
“I’ve got a big-ass rock on radar. Chuck. Come twenty degrees to port and down forty degrees,” Peanut directed, with Angela following.
“Got it. Damn, that thing is huge. Okay, how far from it should we park?” Chuck asked.
“The effect should work up to five kilometers from the nose of the jumper,” replied Peanut. “Okay, come to stop here.”
Both jumpers came to a halt, then Angela moved off to the side, five kilometers away for safety and to directly observe the other jumper and the target asteroid.
“So what’s the procedure? Gradually powering up or does it just destroy the molecular bonds of whatever it’s focused on?” asked Christopher.
“It’s one burst of continuous energy,” explained Peanut.
“Stand by. How is it focused?” Angela radioed.
“Right now, it’s a fixed focus at five kilometers. Two—well, beams for a lack of better explanation—beams of the effect converge five K’s out, with a combined field of energy that triggers the effect. We tested the emitters and there’s no residual radiation or spillage of the effect except where the beams converge.”
“Roger that. You’re free to proceed,” Angela radioed.
“Firing, in five, four, three, two, one,” Chuck said, then triggered the fire control.
The asteroid appeared to shrink into itself for a split second, then it exploded into millions of pieces with no visual effect; no flash of light, no external sign of explosion.
“Holy fuck!” Chuck exclaimed, flipping the safety cover over the fire control.
“Jesus, Peanut. You have just invented the first death ray in the history of man,” Christopher said in awe.
“Chuck, any effect on your jumper?” asked Angela.
Chuck checked over the readouts finding nothing amiss. “Everything looks okay, I’m running the diagnostic suite now. Stand by.”
Peanut was checking on the readouts from the matter disruptor and saw nothing unexpected.
“All systems read normal,” Chuck reported.
“Roger that,” Angela replied.
“How’s it look?” Christopher asked Peanut.
“Everything’s fine. Let’s find another rock and do it again,” Peanut said eagerly.
Chuck looked back at Christopher, rolling his eyes.
“Roger that. Check the radar and find a rock you like,” Chuck directed Peanut.
“Is the focal point of the effect fixed at five kilometers?” Christopher asked.
“Right now it is. I can design a much better system that can adjust distance and even aim in any direction, but I just ran out of time. My team is working on it right now, but the biggest consideration is power; this thing is like a black hole! Any farther than it’s focused, and I’ll have to design a new kind of power supply. Several of my guys are working on the concept of zero-point energy, but it’s only theoretical at this point,” Peanut explained.
“You’re just a science fiction workshop!” Chuck exclaimed.
“Just building on the work Chris did in the beginning. Hey, come right fifty degrees and up about twenty.”
“Got it. Jesus, it’s even bigger than the first one!”
“Okay, easy, we’re closing kind of fast,” cautioned Peanut.
“Got it,” Chuck said, slowing their forward velocity.
“Thirty seconds and we’ll be in range,” Peanut announced.
Chuck slowed down until the jumper was stationary just inside five kilometers away from the huge rock.
“Everybody ready?” asked Chuck as Angela again swung wide to safely observe. “In five, four, three, two, one, firing!”
Again, the center of the rock appeared to slightly draw into itself before flying apart in spectacular fashion.
Christopher was lost in thought about possible retaliation in the event the Navy’s railguns were used against them. And knowing he was going to have a shit storm on his hands when it came out about the matter disruptor. No amount of his claiming it was specifically for the exploration of the deeply buried oceans on the moons of Jupiter was going to fly. The colony’s proscription on developing weapons was clearly broken by its construction, no matter what he, Chuck, and Peanut claimed. But how should they meet the challenges that a greedy, racist, and rightfully angry Earth will throw at the colony and its people once they’re back in space?
Chuck was right. As it stood, he, Christopher and Peanut were the colony’s Defacto warlords and they took their responsibilities protecting their home very seriously. The council was going to have to get serious about security if they let those on Earth back into space. Much of their community distrusted those living on Earth. Once those on Earth made their way back into space, the colony could look forward to an unending assault on their home by those bent on taking what wasn’t theirs. That’s why Christopher originally formulated the quarantine plan, putting off dealing with the rest of humanity well into the future.
“Okay, Peanut. You have officially built a Death Ray! When does interplanetary domination begin, Chris?” Chuck asked.
“If the three of you are done killing asteroids, may we head back home?” Angela interrupted over the open radio channel.
“Shit!” Chuck whispered.
“We’re ready to head back, Angela. Why don’t you take the lead and kick in the afterburners, please,” Christopher radioed.
“It will be my pleasure,” she replied sourly. “Do try to keep up, Chuck.”
The two jumpers began their return trip with Angela leading, traveling at well over the speed they took coming to the belt.
They traveled in silence for the better part of an hour when Christopher reached past Chuck to cut the open channel to the other jumper.
“What’s on your mind, Chris?” Peanut asked.
“The disruptor goes against everything we stand for and I can’t see a single reason not to have it in our toolbox for the future. Angela’s going to blab when she gets back, Damien too if I don’t miss a guess. I’m going to have to pay some heavy shit for it.”
“But, Chris! I built the damn thing to dig down to the oceans on those moons,” Peanut interrupted.
“That’s not going to make a damn bit of difference, they’re going to blame me no matter what, Peanut.”
“I’m backing you up on this one, Chris. Those railguns are no joke. We must be prepared for defense and offense. We thought taking our home out to the belt would be far enough away, but then they built not one, but two ships to come visit us, what happened? One of the ships fired rockets at us. Shields are not enough,” said Chuck.
“That’s what I’m going to have to make plain to everyone, starting with the council,” Christopher said.
“You’d better start with Pat,” Peanut said ominously.
“Before she starts with you,” Chuck added, sending the other two into peels of laughter.
“When we get back, I want the two of you to help me figure out some long-term strategies for dealing with Earth; they’re not going to be stuck on the ground forever. Picket duty should not be an endless responsibility for our people. Frankly, with those railguns deployed, I’m more than a little concerned for our people stationed there,” Christopher confessed.
“What would you do if something happened to them? I mean if people on Earth were responsible?” asked Peanut.
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about these last few weeks. Maybe force the evacuation of the ships and installations, then destroy them?”
“But will that work, or just push them to try something even worse?” asked Chuck.
“That’s the damn question,” Christopher said, rubbing his face in frustration. “I want to do whatever it takes to make them leave us alone, but I’m afraid that there’s nothing I can do short of destroying the space capabilities of every nation on the planet. That would definitely be a declaration of war.”
“Chris, white folks cannot tolerate not being able to take away what a black man owns. American whites are also a particularly stupid bunch, so full of themselves, so invested in their superiority over anyone colored. They’re never going to leave us alone until they have either discovered how we control gravity, or they have wrung the secrets out of us. Doesn’t the council realize that?” asked Chuck.
“I’m sure they do. But they’re determined to kick the can down the road for as long as they can,” Christopher ruefully replied.
“Then it’s up to us,” said Peanut “I will help you build whatever weapons we need. Know that.”
“When we get back, I’m thinking of calling the question on whether we need to formally create a department of defense. But whatever the outcome, the three of us will never give up our work protecting our home, nor will we give up developing the tools needed to prosecute a war with Earth.”
“Which way do you think the council will fall on this one?” Chuck asked, nudging up the jumper’s velocity to keep up with Angela.
“I don’t know. But we have enough ex-military in the community to put together the strong nucleus of a defense team. And as pissed as Angela is at us—at me, she can lead a strike force unmatched by any Earth military. I’m hoping I don’t have too hard a job convincing people like her that we need to be prepared for any contingency.”
“You know we got your back, brother,” Chuck assured him.
During the remainder of the trip, they discussed all manner of military and nonmilitary options, including having Genesis completely take down the world’s global data networks to throw everyone in a panic.
They colony was a small community, but it had technological advantages completely unknown to those on Earth. But once the embargo was lifted, there would be numerous military and corporate concerns flocking into space, all wanting the technology their community possessed.
* * *
President Wilcox was celebrating the Fourth of July with the families of veterans out on the White House lawn, able to push the responsibilities of being president away for a few brief hours. She was sitting at one of the tables watching the children play when a nondescript man sat across from her, his back to her as he also watched the children play.
He turned to take a paper plate containing a small piece of cake, nodding at the President.
“How’s the cake, Madam President?” he asked, checking to ensure no one was within easy earshot.
“A little sweet for my taste. And you are?” she asked.
He stood and replied, “Cooper, Midshipman Cooper, ma’am,” as he reached to shake her hand.
“Pleased to meet you, Midshipman Cooper,” she replied.
In a much quieter voice, he said, “Former Naval Intelligence, ma’am. Nate said you might be needing some help digging into a few things?”
Wilcox glanced around, making sure no one was near enough, then asked, “How much did Nate tell you?”
“Enough. He said you need as much intel on General Archer as humanly possible. Here’s a clean phone number that can’t be traced to me,” he said, sliding a card under a pile of napkins. “I just wanted to confirm this was what you wanted. I will get started right away.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch,” she said softly, picking up the pile of napkins along with the card. She then got up and circulated, handing out napkins to children with sticky hands and dirty faces and in the process, slipped the card in her pocket.
When she passed Slade, who was talking to several veterans, she gave a slight nod to let him know she had spoken with Cooper. Once the picnic was over, the two took a walk in the Rose Garden as Slade brought the President up to speed on Cooper’s credentials and the expected scope of his investigations into Archer. Most of the contact between the White House and Cooper was going to take place throu
gh Slade unless there was compelling reason otherwise.
* * *
The newly arrived interdiction crew stationed in lunar orbit happened to be an all military, female compliment. Two formally of the US Navy, one from the Marines and one from the Army. All were trained in jumper combat maneuvers and rocket intercepts by Angela, as well as all manner of defensive procedures for the space station. The four, Dorothy, Alice, Zelda, and Clarice, were friends, sharing the commonality of having served in the military before recruited on Earth by Sydney.
This was Dorothy and Zelda’s second tour. Both were looking forward to a nice, quiet time in orbit around Earth. Dorothy was already surveying the entertainment channels lining up music, television shows, and movies to download, while Zelda was augmenting her continuing education in stem cell research. She was interested in surveying the advances being made around the world.
The four were hanging out in the station’s lounge after the evening meal, talking about the launch scheduled during their tour, putting off unpacking for the moment.
“Last I heard, the council has not changed the mandate. Nothing gets launched into orbit, no matter the cargo,” said Clarice.
“It’s been a minute since anyone down there sent anything up. Why now?” Zelda asked.
“Supposedly it’s for humanitarian purposes. They claim it’s needed for better predictive weather surveys. Ops said they’ve been beaming radio transmissions to the space station and home, begging for us to allow the launch. I say screw them. They fired nuclear missiles at Christopher’s jumper after he rescued Lucius and Julius. To hell with them,” Alice said derisively. “What do you think, Dot?”
Dorothy was silent for a moment, “We’re here to carry out Christopher’s mandate. Unless we get orders that say otherwise, nothing gets into orbit on our watch.”
“I wouldn’t mind mixing it up with fighters in atmo,” Zelda said with a feral grin.
“Me too!” Alice agreed.
“With just shields and no weapons, they’re still no match for the jumpers. If we didn’t have a hard deck of a hundred miles, we could easily mix it up with them and still escape out of the atmosphere before they ever knew what happened,” said Zelda, relishing the idea.
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