Family Law

by Mackey Chandler

  Luna did not reply. No point in it, when the news would be hours long arriving at Titan. Thor imagined they were much too busy to talk right now. There was Luna now, a second small crescent near Earth visible to the naked eye. They swelled visibly. Planets never looked like that on approach. They grew too slowly to perceive if you watched them. This was like some sped up video. Thor was frankly terrified.

  "Tanks empty, switching to internal," he said calmly.

  "Traffic Hazard! Collision Alert! All near Earth traffic, this is Lunar Control. We have a high speed inbound to Earth side lunar surface. Expect debris and ejection of Lunar material to all Earth orbits."

  "This is USNA Orbital Fort Four. Our plot from Fort Two shows a near miss. We are engaging him as a hostile. All traffic is warned to clear, we are launching live fire."

  That was cover your butt Earthie stupidity. Nobody could stand clear in the few minutes in which they were going to cross into and back out of the Moon's orbit.

  * * *

  "This is the Nation of Red Tree Destroyer Sharp Claws," Thor spoke calmly into the mic. "We suggest you look to your night sky, North America. We are providing some fireworks."

  * * *

  "Engage him with X-heads at a million Kilometers," the Commander of the fort ordered.

  "We're past the release point for that range," Combat Control replied.

  "A half million then, dog-leg it around the moon."

  "My computer refuses to accept his velocity as a valid datum."

  "Go to manual release. Command steer them."

  "Four away. Adding up all the lag times is going to be hell on manual."

  * * *

  "In the groove. Letting the computer do the run," Thor told the bridge crew. At their velocity anything else would be insanity.

  The ship rotated nose toward the Moon. It rushed by in a blur thirty kilometers away. So close nobody on the bridge had a drop of spit to spare, as it did a short burn and rolled back.

  "Missiles inbound, Earth side turning in. Anti… crap, never mind, we're past them!"

  Four warheads detonated astern, but it was futile.

  "Kinetic release in 5,4,3,2,1," >THUD< . The recoil was like a heavy brief burn that threw them against their restraints and ship rolled and burned again, to line up on the naval yard.

  The rattle and clacks of the peashooter locking back down sounded through the hull. "Kinetic impact in seven, tank release coming…" The familiar deep clunk of plain grapples rang through the ship. The ship burned at angles to its path, cutting under the fort. There was suddenly an intense white point of light where the fort should be.

  A low rumble passed through the ship as it caught a bit of atmosphere. For just a couple seconds a pale lavender halo of ionized air flashed into existence outside the view ports.

  The dark Earth filled one whole side of the sky, laced with a spider web of lights outlining the continents. As they climbed away the terminator flowed over the horizon at them, surprisingly sharp. Collision alerts filled the entire screen line by line as they shot through the densest population of low orbit Earth satellites. Thor shut the warnings off. If they hit one they'd never know and they were going way too fast to dodge.

  "Damage in section seven. Pressure lost," McKenzie warned. "We burned off some antennas there. She's not a landing shuttle you know, Thor. You cut it damn close."

  "Two away," Thor said, as a double bump marked the departure of two missiles. "Hold fire on the fort. Radar indicates it is breaking up. Drop tanks demo has detonated. Well, one failed, not so bad for jury rigged. Man that is a big assed cloud of crap, radar can't see through it. Observing with telescope."

  The cloud of debris and chaff lit up with a thousand scintillating points of light as it impacted the construction yard. It just started to fade and two nukes made white hot balls inside it that merged and faded quickly through yellow and orange and red. That made sure of the DSBP.

  "Burning for transition point vector. All system go. Gods be, we're alive! Can you believe that? Do you see anything that can intercept us?"

  "Not a chance in hell," McKenzie told him. "We'll be able to clear the next system before they can even get in to see which way we went."

  * * *

  "Thank you for the ride," Lee said to the Fargone Ambassador. "I'm not sure what the situation is on Derfhome. It appears they are still dispersed away from the Hold. I can't see any advantage to going there yet. Gordon is doing so much business here I suspect he's as likely to show up here as at home. I believe I shall visit here a bit and see what happens, if I am not a problem to have around."

  "If you were a problem I'd never have given you passage. Please, stay and enjoy our planet a bit. Ms. McDonald is a Fargone citizen, perhaps you can persuade her to play the tour guide. There are some very pretty wild areas to be seen on the planet,"

  "Maybe after I stay in a really nice hotel for a week or two. I need to get my head straight and allow myself to feel free and calm down. I wasn't strapped down and actively tortured, but it sure wasn't the vacation we'd planned either."

  * * *

  "We have an election in ninety-seven days," the President reminded them. "The public can forgive a great deal, but not looking weak. I need a really forceful response to the Derf threat. Don't exclude anything, planetary bombardment, action against the other conspiring Derf clans. What is it Harry?" he looked really irritated at the interruption as his lawyer came in.

  "The Congress has voted to impeach you, Mr. President," his Chief Counsel said. " There were three abstentions and no nays. It would appear they have an overwhelming majority disposed to convict. There are Capitol police outside and they said very plainly the Congress is in session and if you want to have a say you better go over there right now."

  "You don't tell a sitting President to jump up and trot over at their command, like some lackey. They can speak with my staff and arrange a time at my convenience if they want testimony. I'll then mull over whether to invoke executive privilege, or speak to them, or just send somebody."

  Harry read the man's angry face. It was pointless to say anything to him. He hadn't even told him they were determined to remove the Vice President too. Well it was a nice gig while it lasted. He turned and left, to inform them of the President's response. That would be his last act for the man and he'd leave his resignation with staff. He wasn't going to touch this impeachment hearing with a ten foot pole. Some of it had to splatter off and stick to him. Time to call Martha and tell her they'd be moving back home to Alberta. God knows that wouldn't make her sad at all. She despised Vancouver.

  * * *

  "Sir," the frightened looking radio man, of the only remaining North American DSBP, approached Admiral Vicks with a message flimsy. "We have orders transmitted in the clear, directly from the president, to break orbit with all possible speed and proceed to Derfhome, where we shall bombard the territory of the Nation of Red Tree and any other clans that offer resistance. The identification codes verify."

  "Really?" He looked over at his flagship captain with a thoughtful expression. "How many injectors do we have on the reactors of this tub?" he asked the fellow casually, as if inquiring what was to be for dinner this evening.

  "Eight per reactor. We have two spares, but I have never known one to go bad. They don't have any moving parts, there just isn't much to go wrong," he said keeping a straight face.

  "Mr. Muldoon, my compliments to the First Engineer and I desire to see all eighteen injector assemblies on the bridge at his earliest convenience. Tell him I also require the service of a ball-peen hammer. Something in the neighborhood of a half kilo will do."

  "Sir!, Aye sir!" he said big eyed. They didn't salute on ship, but he did anyway. The Admiral graciously didn't comment on the salute, or how deeply the man was rattled.

  "The civilians complain about extravagant waste in the military," the Admiral noted a half hour later. "I hate to think what these cost." Each of the precision Beryllium-Copper alloy housings had a n
asty hammer ding on the mirror bright seating surfaces.

  "However, I think in the long run there will be a significant savings. Captain, I'd like you to make sure the Secretary of the Navy has copies of those orders, just in case they by-passed him and inform him we are unable to break orbit due to maintenance issues. Tell him we are on auxiliary power and have major problems with our reactors."

  "I'd like you to order replacements for these defective parts, but put a safety hold on them, so they have a design review before being let to fabrication. That applies to any of this design lot in stock naturally. They seem to go bad much too easily," he said, offering the hammer back to the Chief Engineer, who privately determined he would preserve it as a historic object.

  "Tell Captains Salley and Eisenstein of our two Heavy Cruiser escorts, that they are to assume opposing surveillance orbits and pursue and fire on any vessel of our command leaving Earth orbit without my order. Transmit that in the clear also, just so everybody knows where we stand. I'd hate to destroy the injectors of every vessel in the fleet and leave us defenseless, but I'll do that before I take orders to conduct a planetary bombardment of civilians."

  * * *

  "It's been forty- eight hours. I can't believe they have not sent a response in force, back through where the Sharp Claws emerged," Gordon said. "They have to know we have something here. No way they entered so fast without some sort of assist. Thor couldn't have hurt them so badly they can't respond."

  "Grapple the Red Metal up and we'll jump to Survey System 893. It's an easy transition and they have fuel for sale because it is a mining system. Then it's two jumps to Bountiful and three to Fargone. We'll probably beat Sharp Claws back to Fargone because they are going to have to take the long way back around the Sol system. With a little bit of luck maybe we'll find a USNA flagged vessel along the way."

  Chapter 48

  Media Headlines:

  Lunar Daily/web - Naval Yard a Complete Loss - Terror in the Night

  Insider/web – Senate Convicts Pres. And Vice

  Human Interests/web - Mars Invites Removed President and Vice Pres. To Emigrate

  Space Safety/web – Orbital Battle Debris a Huge Problem

  * * *

  The Mothers were uneasy in this new place. Mostly they feared for their dignity. The Enemy was not to be met in one's home though. That was unseemly. Yet cities were for trade and this was much more serious. An enemy clan they would meet on their common border. Well, this was on the edge of Derf space. It would serve.

  The station was bigger than they imagined. Everything was labeled. Was nothing obvious? The people all seemed busy, but what they were doing was far from apparent, it all happened out of sight. The light and smell were odd, but strangest of all their weight and tread in this artificial place felt right. The Hilton sent a guide to their shuttle, who turned out to be human and she was respectful and competent as well as fluent in Derf. When she offered a cart they'd asked how far it was. The young human woman read Derf faces well enough she could tell it amused them to be offered transport for 400 meters. They didn't introduce their room servant or their Champion, as was proper.

  They chatted with her as they strolled at a sedate pace and were mildly surprised she was well aware of the issues they were meeting with the Earthmen about. But they were deeply surprised when she delivered them to the hotel desk and before leaving she sternly said, "Don't let the Earth scum pull anything on us," and walked away.

  "Us?" they all said with one voice when she was away.

  "I'm telling you right now. We better understand that," the First Mum told them. We are missing something. And it may be important."

  "She has no clan. How can she identify with us?" the Second Mother asked.

  "Plenty of town Derf have no clan," the First reflected. "Some have been unattached traders for generations. Yet it's their world too, isn't it?"

  "They live on it, but we have made sure they have no say in our law," the Third Mum pointed out. She scrunched her nose thinking. "We are surprised this woman can identify with us. Perhaps a better question is - Why do we expect a town Derf to have any more of an attachment to us, than she would?" Neither had any answer to that.

  They took their pass card and followed more signs to their suite in troubled silence.

  "I did not mean to be offensive," the Third apologized.

  "I am upset dear," the First told her, "but because you are right, not rude. We will talk on this from time to time. But it needs some thought and much more information."

  * * *

  The data dump coming into Fargone was huge, but two priority items popped up to Gordon's screen.

  "Lee safely extracted. Gone to Fargone via diplomatic courier." - Blackwater EPS. That skipped over a few details, like the Lunar Republic incensed and the Hinth aroused to rebellion.

  "USNA State Dept. sending representative to "affirm Treaty of Man" according to drone message. Red Tree Mothers have decided to meet him at Derfhome Station. Hostilities not ended. Remain cautious." – Nation of Red Tree.

  That jolted him. He never expected them to leave the Hold much less the planet. He forwarded the message about Lee to the Mothers. "Have no idea if USNA officials know she is off planet. Remaining very cautious," he assured them. "Ruddy Rustic resuming station."

  "Fargone station this is Nation of Red Tree vessel Retribution. We request long term docking and provisioning. We request landing rights for our two shuttles and if you have a double slot open we'd like an adjoining dock for the Nation of Red Tree Sharp Claws to follow." He did not wait for confirmation to come back, given the lag and sent ahead - To: Blackwater EPS: "Docking Fargone Station. Desire escort to meet daughter in safe location." – Gordon of Red Tree.

  * * *

  Earl and his family were smuggled across the border into Guatemala. By stages they traveled by coastal vessel to Argentina. They obtained new papers and identities and worked their way to Spain, then France and finally Monaco. It was not fast, but they had time and it was a very secure and well know series of handlers to Blackwater.

  Legal residence and housing in Monaco was simply a matter of enough money, but it had a political flexibility their guardians appreciated. Money was something Lee had in plenty, so they settled in and waited to see how the Derf war and Lee would settle out. Colonization of Providence was not yet at a level they could travel there. That was several years away, but that was likely the ultimate goal Earl wanted for his family.

  In the mean time, they were in a safe location with a culture that was not totally alien and from which they could travel to the Lunar Republic or Ceres easily. When they could meet Lee again, they hoped to ask rights to settle not just on Providence, but on her land. Until that happened they were a mysterious and quietly genteel wealthy family, who their business agents described as Argentines, with a wink. They hired private tutors and lived a very low key life, outside what Europeans considered society.

  They were somewhat disposed to doing unsuitable things. They wanted to learn how to cook in their own kitchen, instead of a proper cooking school and among their tutors was not only a speaker of French, but also a teacher of Derf. But then the rich may be a bit eccentric. They paid well to do things their way, which smoothes over much worse eccentricities.

  * * *

  "We shall need a suitable conference room," the Mothers informed the hotel manager. His name tag said Estes Martin. "We need one that is for our exclusive use for the duration of our negotiations and we intend to take possession of it now before the Earth delegation arrives and keep it under the guard and maintenance of our own clan. We shall need to rent any adjoining cubic also for security reasons."

  "The Grand Ballroom is in huge demand, but for such an historic occasion we would be happy to make it available and explain to those scheduled to use it that matters of state required its availability," the human manager offered.

  "How many does that hold comfortably?" the first mum inquired.

  "The Grand Ballroom
can seat up to eight hundred, configured for a presentation with a stage. We have furniture modules to configure a table in several shapes and sizes. For a banquet, we have seated two-hundred humans comfortably, with no crowding to serve it and an area to the side with comfortable furnishings, to mingle before or after as you feel the need."

  "Why would we need such a large facility?" the first asked amazed. The two other Mothers looked at each other behind her, quizzically.

  "I'm familiar with high level conferences from my training in the hospitality industry on Earth. I'd expect the Earth negotiators will have all sorts of under secretaries and assistants and clerks. Then they will have their private security and spouses of the higher level executives, as well as the usual hangers on, who are never officially acknowledged, but still get dragged along, even if they are little more than camp followers," he said, showing how distasteful all that was to him by his expression.

  "There are usually a few official photographers and stenographers and writers. Some of them may plan to entertain and for security they will have their own chefs, kitchen staff and servers. The press will follow along and various less savory entertainers who attend any large gathering of the rich. Once I helped prepare for a meeting of economists in Toronto, Canada and we had to accommodate close to fifteen thousand people when you counted the extra police and security brought in. This of course will be smaller and I thought you very wise to bring it to the station to force it to be a smaller more intimate meeting. Nevertheless, I expect they will fill a liner and perhaps have a couple smaller charters for the press and such."

  "We really have no need of all these, uh," she searched her English for a polite expression, several less polite occurred much too easily, "extraneous things. A room with a straight plain table that can seat the three of us along one side with elbow room. Sufficiently roomy not to feel claustrophobic and space for our Champion to stand well back against a wall. We don't want him looming over us from behind. That will give them room for five or six humans opposite us. That is plenty. The more people involved, the less the chance anyone will come to an agreement."