“For all we know,” she continued, “they may be aware of it right now, especially since some of you logged your observations with the IAU.”
Doug realized the subject of natural satellites hadn’t been addressed. “Have any moons been detected orbiting the planet?”
Stacey hesitated. “We haven’t considered that yet. Nothing appears in the images so far, but I wouldn’t discount it. Are there any ramifications if there are moons?”
“Our own moon is large enough to provide a stabilizing effect on our axial tilt to the sun,” Doug said. “Some theories hold that without it, the Earth’s axis would vary wildly over time, for example shifting so the North Pole faces the sun, playing havoc with the climate, making it very difficult for any life present. Some more recent theories postulate that the rest of the planets in the solar system and the Sun itself lend stability to the axis, so it would only vary by a few degrees.”
“Over what time frame would the tilt be affected, Doug?”
“Thousands of years.”
“There is another, more immediate consideration,” Janet said. “The religious side. Some groups are going to say that the planet is a gift from God, or it is Purgatory, or it is the new promised land.”
“Of course,” Wilson said. “Cults. The government should be prepared for this, even riots.”
“Or holy war between nations, if they think this is some kind of sign from above,” Doug added. They all spoke the words uncomfortably, obviously unsophisticated about religious precepts and the sorts of ideas which motivated fanatical groups. Minds immersed in science were sometimes poorly equipped to discuss the extremes of religion and non-scientific belief systems.
“Those are all important concerns, but not for this group,” Stacey said. “For now the pressing issue is the existence of the planet itself. We need to consider all theories on how it arrived, no matter how fantastic.” She rose from her seat. “I’m scheduled to meet with the President and the Joint Chiefs for the next hour. Ladies and gentlemen, please use this time to analyze what we’ve discussed. I’d like you to come up with a plausible explanation.”
And with that Stacey and Leach left the room. The agent remained behind, taking notes. The room was silent again as they left.
“Who knows what could happen,” Singh said after the door closed. “Between the uncertainties of the planet’s orbit and the likely political upheaval, I wonder if our own civilization will survive the decade.”
Or the year, Doug thought. Nobody said anything for a moment, but they were all in agreement. The situation was potentially dangerous, politically in the short term, and cosmologically in the long term.
– 9 –
The group spent the first forty minutes throwing ideas about, and discussing the political ramifications of FLO. The agent in the room had to twice remind them that they should confine the discussion to the origin of the planet itself, not its potential cultural or political effects. They largely ignored him.
Stacey Lau didn’t return after an hour, so the agent showed them the restrooms and a small commissary nearby in case they wanted anything. He also told them that more sandwiches and fresh coffee would soon be delivered to the conference room. Other agents stood watch at various positions in the hallways. Doug noticed that Bishop and his team were nowhere to be seen.
Doug headed straight for the commissary and loaded up on coffee in a large mug, then sat down at one of the tables. Aside from a woman taking care of things behind the commissary counter, there was nobody else in the place except the scientific team. Jack Wilson walked over and set his mug down.
“I hardly slept last night so I need as much caffeine as I can get before the meeting resumes.”
“Me too,” Doug said, yawning. “So what are your thoughts on the likelihood of plant life on FLO?”
“That’s what shakes me up, because as we’ve seen it appears to have liquid water and some sort of atmosphere. It’s within the sun’s habitable zone like us, so plant life is likely, more so than on any super earth-type exoplanets we’ve charted around nearby stars over the last decade. If there is liquid water then there’s an atmosphere with enough pressure. The question is whether there is enough carbon dioxide to support photosynthesis.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Doug said as he savored his coffee. “More and better images are coming, and a spectrograph of the atmosphere’s composition. A few years ago we were talking about terraforming Mars for colonization. This planet might be habitable right now. Unbelievable. It’s like a gift, and I think Dr. Blair was right. This is going to fire up every religious group on Earth.”
“Which means its existence could be a curse rather than a blessing,” said Wilson. “And if governments think a new untapped Earth is there to be exploited, there will be a new space race to get there.”
“Maybe. That conclusion is a bit premature,” Doug said as he drank his coffee. “It could be a toxic mess. We don’t have enough information yet.”
“I know,” said Wilson, “but even if the atmosphere is not breathable, if there’s water we can make oxygen for long-term settlement in pressurized structures. The U.S., China, Russia and the EU each have an interest. They might cooperate at first, but then would try to stake a claim on as much as they could. With so much at stake I doubt a collaboration would last long. They might develop and launch military platforms orbiting the planet to protect their interests. A new Earth for us to plunder and ruin.”
Dr. Blair had walked in a moment earlier and was getting something at the counter. She glanced over at Doug and Jack, then walked over and joined the conversation.
“But surely we would learn from our past mistakes. Perhaps there would be worldwide cooperation for the responsible stewardship of FLO.” Both men turned to look incredulously at Janet.
“I hope you’re right,” Wilson said. “Can you imagine the tourism angle? Eventually, billionaires would pay handsomely to visit or even live there. It could be technically feasible and even profitable at some point.”
“You can stake out a vacation property when we get there, Jack,” Doug said. “And if its orbit suddenly destabilizes as quickly as the planet appeared in the first place, you’ll get an up close look sooner than any of us would like.”
Janet looked at Doug, frowning as she did so.
“So you buy my theory?” she asked.
“The potential for this type of theoretical physics to come to life right in our own stellar backyard? I don’t think we’re there yet. But I read the paper you published last year on quantum matter tracking, and that moved me to re-read Everett, and then more of what you and your partners published previously. I’m not convinced one way or the other about many-worlds theory, make no mistake about that, but we need to consider it. That planet out there in exact counter orbit to Earth is scaring the hell out of me, and Foley as well.”
“Thank you for the support,” Janet said looking right into his eyes. “I’m a pure theoretician plunked down into a sea of practical application. I know why I’m here. Leach and Stacey Lau are trying to cover all the bases, so I’m here as a courtesy in case the fantastic becomes the reality.” She took his free hand in both of hers and squeezed it in thanks. Doug thought she held on a bit longer than she had to. Wilson looked at the two of them and just shook his head.
The three returned to the conference room. Stacey Lau and Arthur Leach were nowhere to be found so the group continued its discussion. As the afternoon wore on and they were given no new information, the talk sometimes wandered into other areas. Most had families and they wondered when they’d be permitted to go home. Others were thankful for the change in the routine of their daily lives.
Someone showed up with the promised sandwiches, juice, water, lots more coffee and curiously, a huge stack of assorted and apparently freshly baked cookies. The group was getting to know each other, even sharing a few laughs. But the conversation inevitably returned to FLO. Its importance was monumental, and its existence still unexpla
ined.
At 1620 hours Leach walked in and informed them that they would be residing and working at the Pentagon, but might return to the White House periodically for meetings and to make presentations to the President and his staff. Agents escorted everyone to some waiting SUVs and they were driven the short distance to the Pentagon.
After being expedited through security and walked down what seemed like endless corridors, the scientists were shown to a large room with several workstations. In addition to the usual computer monitors there were even larger flat-screen monitors affixed to each wall. Leach explained they were configured to receive up-to-the-minute data from military satellites and from several high-security installations scattered throughout the world. There were several secure telephones which had been configured for direct access to every major observatory on Earth. Directly across the hall was a small lounge where the group could confer or take breaks.
Everybody settled into their workstations and familiarized themselves with the systems as two security experts assigned each scientist a locked mobile phone which would also serve as a pager. Stan Foley had finally arrived from Chile. He had immediately configured his workstation to monitor data from several radio and optical telescopes around the world. Two Pentagon IT specialists moved from workstation to workstation helping each scientist familiarize themselves with the system.
The equipment in the room was configured so that information could be viewed as soon as it was available, with numerous warning klaxons that activated whenever triggered by new data. At first there were alarms going off every few minutes as the automated satellites regularly transmitted information on FLO’s position, but since they showed nothing unexpected they became annoying. The IT people had to turn down the volume and then eventually disabled them completely. If the computer detected any radio signals from the general direction of the Sun that stood out from normal background noise, the warning klaxon would still sound at standard high volume. It was a weird setup, more military than academic science and research.
Doug and Foley concentrated on plotting FLO’s orbit. Because other massive objects in the solar system tended to minutely affect the orbit of Earth, they would also affect that of FLO. So Doug and Foley continued to worry that the orbit of Earth or FLO might show signs of destabilizing, leading to an oscillating effect that would eventually cause the two planets to close in on one another.
Foley raised the possibility of a natural orbit exchange, made possible because the orbits of Earth and FLO were not perfectly circular.
“There is the chance that rather than eventually colliding the two bodies will swap orbit eccentricities, leading to a stable co-orbit, even though they may eventually pass relatively close to one another. It could happen. The Saturnian moons Janus and Epimetheus swap orbits, co-existing indefinitely without colliding.”
“It would influence and drastically change our seasons at the very least. But that would be preferable to the alternative,” Doug said, smiling wanly as he thought about the catastrophic implications of a planetary impact or a near miss. “The Saturnian moons are not of equal mass which may make the swaps possible. Fortunately at this point we don’t have any signs of orbital oscillation.”
“Thank God for that,” replied Foley. “We’ll keep a close eye on it, but I’ve programmed the computer to give a warning if the slightest oscillation occurs. By the way, my wife will call me an egomaniac when the name Foley-Lockwood Object becomes public.”
“Thank the IAU for the aggravation,” Doug laughed, “and enjoy your newfound immortality in silence when your wife is around.”
For the next few hours the scientists worked without a break, a sign of things to come. Time was spent monitoring FLO and discussing origin theories, and watching for any orbit deviations. Despite the short time frame there was no sign of orbit change, something that both relieved and puzzled Doug. The inherent instability of a counter orbit should have produced minute yet measurable changes over the two days since discovery.
Leach produced a work schedule for the scientists. They would be operating in six hour shifts with rest and meeting periods in between. For every twenty-four hours, they would work sixteen, with the longest rest period being six hours for sleep. Doug, Janet, Wilson and Singh had identical schedules, while Foley and another group were eight hours behind. The two schedules overlapped to allow consultation time.
Halfway through the next shift Doug had enough positional data taken from the STEREO satellites to get an accurate fix on the orbital position of FLO.
“This verifies it. The planet is 147 million kilometers from the Sun. Precisely one AU. From its apparent size versus the known distance, it has a diameter equal to ours at 12,750 kilometers, plus or minus 200.”
Foley looked up. So did everyone else after Doug fed the results into the system and it hit their screens. After a moment Foley just shook his head.
“I don’t even want to think about calculating the odds of an identically-sized planet being captured in a perfect counter orbit.”
Doug nodded. The odds against it were almost incalculable.
– 10 –
At the first rest break Doug’s group was taken down a maze of corridors to an area that looked decidedly utilitarian. Each scientist was given a key to a private bedroom, or rather something that more closely resembled a college dorm room. Each room had a single bed, a desk and a small closet. Toilets and showers were down the hall.
A small toiletry and shaving kit was provided, as was a bathrobe, some packaged underwear, socks, slippers, pajamas, shorts and t-shirts. He changed into the pajamas, and gave his clothes to an attendant who was going door-to-door collecting everyone’s laundry to be cleaned, pressed and returned to them in time for their next shift. Each scientist gave their sizes on an information sheet so new clothes could be provided. After brushing his teeth Doug returned to his room and got into bed. He was grateful for the solitude. After the stresses of the day the last thing he wanted was to share a room with somebody else.
The adrenalin of the day was long gone. He was exhausted, and could feel himself drifting. He thought of Cheryl, and how excited she would have been at the discovery of FLO. “I wish you were here,” he said quietly, and closed his eyes.
He couldn’t sleep. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. He kept checking his watch on the night stand. At some point he could feel himself starting to drift off, but FLO kept intruding. He started hearing a tapping sound. It seemed to be coming from somewhere close by. Doug was deeply tired, it took a moment for him to realize that someone was knocking at his door. He rolled out of bed prepared to shoo away an agent or some Pentagon staffer come to brief him on who-knew-what.
He yanked his door open, but found Janet standing there.
“Janet!” he said, surprised. “don’t tell me. Your mind is racing and you can’t sleep.”
“That's about right Doug,” she replied. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I tried to lie down and at least rest my eyes but I’m so wound up I can’t calm down. Do you mind if we just talk a while?”
Doug laughed lightly. “Talking is good,” he said to her gently. “No worries. Come on in.”
For the next hour or so, Doug and Janet talked about everything and nothing in particular. Life, family, vacations, music, movies. Everything but FLO. Janet gave Doug a brief hug when they finally realized they were both a lot calmer. Doug hugged back, briefly too, and whatever tension remained in them seemed to just vanish as she left. Sleep came quickly for both of them.
– 11 –
For most of the scientists, the escorted trip to the Pentagon and the subsequent orientation had been uneventful. For one of them it was anything but pleasant.
The scientist was escorted into a large unmarked building at Edwards Air Force Base, down a long corridor, and finally into a very plain room with a desk and three chairs. Two expressionless men were sitting at the desk. The scientist was directed to sit opposite them in the remaining chair. The escorts left, leaving him a
lone with the two men.
One man was busy examining papers in a folder. The other stared at the scientist, who was becoming increasingly nervous and uncomfortable. “Can you tell me what this is about?”
The men did not react. One continued staring at him, the other continued to leaf through the folder. The scientist began to perspire.
“You have been leading a double life, Professor,” the man reading the folder finally said. He looked up bleakly. “I don’t think you can be trusted.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the scientist said, shifting nervously on his chair.
“Every month you hit the casinos, gamble away at least a thousand dollars, and spend another five hundred or more on prostitutes and cocaine!” the man yelled in a sudden rage, standing up and leaning over the table. He was glaring at down at the scientist. “You are in deep trouble. A routine security clearance update exposed you.”
The scientist sank down in his chair, shaking. The man continued to stare at him disgustedly. The man with the folder leaned back, taking off his glasses as he spoke in a normal tone. “So here we are. Your poor, unassuming wife will not be happy about this. Your peers in the scientific community will not be even happy about your drug use. They’ll question everything you’ve ever published. We’ll make sure of that. Here’s why, and we’ve got a lot more.”
The man slid a photograph over to the scientist, who picked it up with a trembling hand. It was a photo of him with a woman he’d met at a casino bar a few weeks earlier. He put the photo down.
“What do you . . .” the scientist began.
“You are going to work undercover for the government,” the calm man said, interrupting. “You will do your patriotic duty to ensure the government’s interests are not compromised because of this extraordinary event. You’ll also do it to save your marriage and your professional career.”
Dark Nights Page 4