“No time like the present,” Aidan said, leading them out the door and toward the new dorm.
Silas asked if Valerie had discussed the prospect of moving to Harmony. Aidan said that she seemed amenable to the idea, but she just had a lot of work on her plate.
When they arrived at the new dormitory, Xavier was making and testing the fiber connections while Esther was programming the routers and switches.
“How’s it coming?” Silas asked.
“Great. I’m down to the last two cables,” Xavier replied.
“I’m just programming the connection to the master virus filter, all I need to do is test it once the line gets turned up. Where’d you find this slacker?” Ester asked, hooking a thumb in Aidan’s direction.
Silas pulled a five dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Esther, chuckling when he saw the look on Aidan’s face.
“Sorry, son. She called it, you did forget,” said Silas.
“Don’t look at me, I was on your side,” Xavier said, pushing his magnifiers to the top of his head. “I said, no way is he going to forget! But I wasn’t about to take the bet.”
“Thanks a lot, all of you. I was working on the laser and telescope,” an abashed Aidan replied.
“Did you send the message?” Esther asked.
“Yep. But all I got in return was a repeating one second pulse. I’m hoping they’re just thinking it over rather than outright rejecting my overture. We’ll just have to wait and see,” said Aidan as he ran diagnostics on the routers through his tablet.
The foursome busied themselves with getting every facet of the network prepared, including going from room to room testing the connectivity to the wiring closet. Around midday Constance dropped by with a basket of sandwiches and water.
“How’s it going?” she asked when they sat down for an impromptu lunch in the building’s lounge.
“As they say on TV, I love it when a plan comes together,” Xavier replied.
“So far, so good. And I even made a profit on the job right off the bat!” Esther said, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
“Dare I ask?” Constance asked, staring at Esther.
“It was Silas’ idea. We just made a little bet that I happened to win.”
“And what was the bet?” she asked, then saw Aidan’s face turn red.
“My fault!” he said. “In all the excitement of getting the laser aimed properly, composing the message, and collating your files, I forgot today’s appointment until I bumped into Silas at the store this morning. Yeah, I was embarrassed, but I didn’t think anyone would want to profit on my—my being distracted!”
“No harm, no foul. It looks like everything’s well in hand. Do you expect to finish everything today?” asked Constance.
“Just a couple more hours, I’d say,” said Aidan as Silas nodded. “Thanks for bringing lunch! This is great.”
“I’m thinking about having a community bar-b-que tonight to celebrate. Blow off a little steam, get everyone together. How’s that sound to you all?” Constance asked.
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a while,” Xavier replied.
“Me too!” Esther added.
“Silas, would you mind terribly supervising getting the community grills cleaned and ready?”
“Hey, let me give you a hand. It’s the least I can do for forgetting,” Aidan offered.
“We’d be happy to, Connie. What do you say we get started around five?” Silas asked.
“Perfect,” she said, gathering up the empty containers and bottles, waving off the others’ offers of help.
“I’ll poll the community and see how many will be showing up, then I’ll get Randolf and Samuel to gather up enough meat, corn and whatnot for the celebration. We even have some new vegan burgers the Ag folks want to try out. I’ll see all of you no later than six at the community center,” she said on the way out of the lounge.
The four continued with the certification of all the cable runs, then Aidan went to the community’s data center, turned up the line for testing, and returned to the dorm. When they were through, Silas locked the wiring closet and they all did their happy dances for a job well done.
“Thanks to you both; we never would have finished today without you,” Aidan said to his two students.
“You are invaluable assets to Harmony. I expect to see you at the cookout tonight,” Silas said.
The preparations went quickly, especially when several of the people pitched in lending a hand getting the huge grills cleaned, bringing wood and charcoal out from storage. Constance called Silas and let him know when they would be arriving with the food, table coverings, plates, cups, and utensils so they would know when to light the grills.
Once the grills were lit, the entire wall of patio doors was opened so the food and beverages were served indoors with people moving freely in and out. Constance said a few words about the completion of the dorm and how it was going to benefit the community, singling out Xavier, Esther, Aidan and Silas for bring up Harmony’s network throughout the building and joking with everyone that the work was not the precursor to Skynet. Dozens of people congratulated the four throughout the evening.
Later, when people were relaxing, watching the sky darken, Constance, Silas and Aiden ended up sitting together at one of the tables. They were having coffee to ward off the slight chill while chatting about Aidan’s project to contact the colony.
“I have to admit that I’m probably just as excited about your chances as you are,” Constance confessed. “But after thinking it over, even if I were offered a chance to go, I can’t. I believe in this community and I’m thoroughly invested in its success. I have too much to live for down here,” she said, reaching for Silas’ hand. “Plus, there’s no reason we cannot determine our own destiny here, completely without overt white influence.”
“See, those are the kinds of things I’m dying to find out about their beginnings on the moon; actually before that. I want to know how they operated on Earth. I can’t believe that their first habitats up there sprang up all at once. Imagine, construction on the moon way before NASA got there. It just freakin’ blows my mind. They’re the embodiment of Golden Age science fiction stories, but they actually accomplished it for real,” Aidan said excitedly.
“Aidan, I wish for nothing but you to live out your dream,” Silas said, bumping fists with the younger man.
* * *
President Wilcox was enjoying a respite from crisis after crisis in her daily routine when Nate breezed into her office.
“Nate. What has you so cheery this morning?” she asked.
“I just got word from NASA that something new is afoot with the colony.”
“What now?” she sighed.
“It’s not like that. It’s a signal that they are aiming toward Earth. It’s a pulse of what NASA and JPL are calling an x-ray laser source. It’s blinking at one second intervals,” he explained.
“What the hell does that mean? Is there data buried in a carrier wave that is being overlooked?” she said as she tossed her pen on the desk.
“From what I was told, they looked for exactly that. There’s nothing they can detect. How the hell did you think of that?” Slade asked with a mixture of admiration and surprise.
“Sci-Fi and spy novels back when I had time to read for pleasure. It’s been years though. Could that pulse be a beacon? Some sort of failsafe signal between their station and the colony itself? Can we see what the space station might be sending to the colony?”
“Not for another thirteen days when the Earth is between the two. Bottom line, any change is worth noting, the last thing we need is to be playing catch-up with them for any reason.”
“And no, no one has yet to come up with a clue why they landed in Iceland. I know bitching about them is like being pissed the sky is blue, but at every turn not only do they have the high ground, but there’s no wiggle room for us to maneuver,” she said in frus
tration.
“True, but in the larger context, look how hard it is to deal with some of our more ideological conservatives in Congress. I think it’s wise to forget the colonists are there because I believe that if we leave them alone, they’re no threat to us at all,” said Slade.
“Like you say: don’t start none, won’t be none?” Wilcox chuckled.
“Exactly!
“Okay, so what terrestrial business do I have on deck today?”
“You asked me to remind you to try to finish your memorial speech for the Pentagon ceremony next week. And the Ambassador from the EU is due in on Thursday. Don’t worry, I have the agenda and all the notes you’re going to need. You’ve got this, Madam President,” he said, winking.
“Thanks for the update on the colony. If anyone comes up with a better idea for what that laser signal means, I want to know about it immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a mock salute.
“Now get the hell out of here, you’re cutting into my nap time,” she said with a shooing motion toward the door.
* * *
Margaret began the council meeting by listing the various goals the colony had that might intersect with the notion of creating and maintaining contact with someone in the United States.
“There are a number of considerations moving forward with this single point of contact with Earth, and frankly, not all of them are good. As I see it, if we bring one infiltrator onboard and they sabotage this habitat, or they try to give our technology to the people of Earth, or more specifically, to the U.S. military, that will be a disaster.
“Fortunately, we have several advantages they are unaware of, most specifically the compromising of every data network on the planet. We have decades of recruiting experience in Sydney and Lucius to apply to anyone who we start a dialogue with. And finally, we have the option to say no if there’s any suspicion at all, and I mean the smallest concern will result in the rejection of any candidate, if in fact it turns out that we can establish a screening protocol that both Sydney and Lucius sign off on.
“And finally, we will have to answer the question of whether the US military got the message that our people, spacecraft and space stations are completely off limits, no matter the circumstances. I think those are the broad strokes, now let’s get down to specifics. Who wants to start?” Margaret concluded.
“My part’s pretty straight forward,” said TJ. “As far as our data gathering capabilities, I am completely confident in our ability to extract the information we need, and that includes screening any people of interest against law enforcement or military databases. Additionally, we can determine whether there is a military interest in any mission we run in real time. The only reason we can accomplish this is because they have no clue they’ve been compromised by Genesis and her clones.
“I looked at securing communication channels against eavesdropping and since our level of encryption cannot be broken, the military cannot listen in on our voice, video, or data transmissions, our A.I. guarantees that all our conversations will be private,” TJ concluded.
“Thank you, TJ. This is excellent news,” said Margaret.
Margaret went around the table, giving everyone a chance to report their findings, plans and concerns to the council. Once everyone covered their assignment, Margaret asked Christopher to summarize his thoughts and concerns.
“My only concern is how the U.S. government responds to our forays into their airspace and landing within their borders. I have passed the responsibility for dealing with potential armed conflict to Chuck. He’s former Navy and it’s hard to imagine that the rules of engagement have changed so much that he wouldn’t be able to adapt to any changes in protocol. We’re not invulnerable, but we’re damn hard to conquer. I trust Syd and Lucius to continue their fine tradition of locating, screening, and selecting only the best of the best. Except for Chuck, Peanut, and myself, everyone here was screened by Lucius, Sydney, or her predecessor, who regretfully I never got to meet. Bottom line, if we can establish our own sort of underground railroad that safely funnels recruits from Earth to here, I’m onboard,” Christopher concluded.
“Very well. What’s the next step?” asked Margaret.
“We get the lasers to the Earth station, upgrade the sensors, and allow G2 to establish a private communications channel that no one but this Aidan and our people can utilize. Then I believe the ball is in our recruiters’ court,” Peanut replied.
“How do the two of you feel about aiding in the effort?” she asked.
“No offense, but it beats the hell out of being an archivist for a community with an onboard A.I. that remembers every single thing that goes on around here,” Lucius grinned.
“Now that Joy’s grown, I have no problem being stationed in lunar orbit for a while,” Sydney announced. “I would like us to be there in the beginning so we can work out protocols and policies together so we’re on the same page.”
“Okay, let’s have Ops draft a mission plan for getting a laser installed at the Earth station and for you two to be stationed there for the duration. That meet with everyone’s approval?” Margaret asked, meeting Christopher’s eyes looking for any dissension and getting a nod. “Okay, let’s make it happen, everyone.”
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There was an undercurrent of excitement when the laser installation mission set off toward Earth. By this time the entire colony knew about the attempted contact from someone on Earth. The mission jumper had a command crew of two; Brock Davis, the pilot, and Lamont Mason, an engineer from Peanut’s department who would perform the installation of the x-ray band laser. The jumper also carried upgrades to the station’s sensors to better detect laser transmissions from Earth. Lucius and Sydney were aboard to attempt to establish two-way communication between Aidan and the space station.
The pulsing laser pointed at Earth from the colony began to pulse twice a second, maintaining the interest of the man who sent the original message, assuming he was monitoring the return signal.
On the way to Earth, Sydney and Lucius discussed dozens of means of screening candidates. Christopher and the council made it clear that other than the actual pickup of a recruit, there would be no landings made on the planet. And if that time came, neither Lucius nor Sydney could ride along, they were forbidden to leave the station. In the meantime, G2 had researched Harmony and its residents all the way back to the community’s inception when Constance Little inherited the deed to the land. Dossiers were compiled on every resident, including those closely associated with Harmony’s residents living elsewhere. These trails led to further information on the other four like-minded communities located around the country. G2 also uncovered the connection between Aidan Marshall and Valerie Wyatt, collecting the full background on her. The data gathered was available to those in the colony, the Earth station, and to the inbound recruiters for analysis.
* * *
The military was aware of the inbound ship as soon as it departed the colony. In the afternoon security meeting at the White House, President Wilcox encouraged speculation on why there was an inbound ship off the usual schedule. They had watched for years as what they presumed were monthly replacements traveled to and from lunar orbit. The gravity signature of the spacecraft was identical to the ones that last visited, so the assumption was that it was similarly equipped.
Collectively, they were relieved that there was only one ship, hopefully indicating benign intent.
Earlier in the week the memorial ceremony at the former site of the Pentagon was broadcast around the world, both out of respect for the fallen and as a teachable moment; a warning in fact. The ceremony was a somber affair, with only one heckler taken away screaming, “That’s what happens when we meddle in their affairs. Why can’t you just leave them alone!?”
National polling showed overwhelming support for not engaging the colonists, but just over half of Americans polled felt that the government’s efforts toward the
colonists should be one of cooperation in an effort to gain possession of their technologies and medical advances: greed and jealousy fueling the desire. The international media’s posture was that the US military got what they deserved, and that dialogue should always be sought instead of military action.
With the video between President Wilcox and the colonist identified as Christopher Wright still rocketing around the world, most agreed that the response to the deaths of their two crew members was excessive.
The rest of the world looked on with equanimity, content to leave the entire issue to the Americans, especially after the Russian/EU mission disaster. The consensus of the world’s people was that America was reaping what it had sowed, since the first slaves arrived on its shores. President Wilcox realized that if the colonists decided to declare war on the United States, the U.S. would have to go it alone. But with only one ship inbound toward Earth, the prospect of war appeared low, and for that, the President was grateful.
* * *
Once the jumper arrived at the Earth station and parked in the hanger, the station crew rushed out to the spacecraft excited. They were also interested in the new laser and prefabricated mount that would control its aim.
The station crew immediately began discussing how to mount and control the laser while Lucius and Sydney began to wade through the data packet collected by G2 on Harmony’s residents, concentrating on Aidan, the man they intended to contact first. They divided up the work, Lucius wading through the origins of the community and its leader while Sydney turned her attention to Aidan’s life, his friends, and his work.
Lucius discovered that Constance Little was the niece of Peanut’s wife Bernice, he sent a message inquiring if Bernice remembered anything about her. It was inevitable that coincidence would eventually lead to people who were related being screened but finding a single degree of separation right off the bat amused him. His experience as an attorney was a great assist in delving into the details of how Ms. Little structured the community and was able to protect it from being co-opted by some well-meaning white family interested in settling in or near town. Lucius was surprised to find that Ms. Little was also a licensed attorney, which explained much. She had arranged for some extremely clever trusts that would take nothing short of the federal government sweeping in and declaring imminent domain to justify removing her from the property.
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