by Hylton Smith
“I cannot follow you, maybe it is my English?”
“No, your English is fine, Alexei. It’s Kolorov, he’s the only person who knows the launch and detonation codes for the missiles.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t joke about something like that.”
Bondarenko laughed out loud.
“Relax, Julien. Remember, I am an IT expert. I know how these codes are constructed and how they can be cracked. But in this case maybe we do not need to do that. We can just replace the hardware and embed our own codes. When are the missiles supposed to be ready?”
“They already are, according to Kaputin.”
“What? Oh, well that is a pisser. It means we have to be extremely careful when disconnecting the engineering interfaces. When did you want to launch them?”
“Pretty much as soon as we can. I want to keep our own fleet as a second strike force. In any case, we can’t wait too long because we have to get them to confront the rock just inside the asteroid belt. You can do the maths once Kaputin gives us the data on the velocity capability of this new propulsion system.”
“What new propulsion system?”
“No idea, he just said that Kolorov took care of that, supposedly because that’s his speciality.”
“I find that hard to believe. He is a propulsion guru, but simply a theorist, not a hands on guy. I should speak with Kaputin in Russian, there must have been an army of technicians who know how the propulsion system works. Ivan could never have kept this a secret. Let us get Kaputin in here immediately.”
“But, both you and Kolorov wanted to avoid having to meet with him.”
“I know, any contact with Russia is risky, Soyuz in particular, but this is really important. Kaputin has never met me, he was recruited after I tried to disappear. Just introduce me as your interpreter, to make sure there is no semantic misunderstanding when we ask him to get the drawings sent here by his chief technician. I do not want to go there, but I still have contacts who can comment on the design, and the propulsion system drawings, unless you want your own people to look them over. How do you want to play this?”
“Well, at this stage, I’d prefer to keep any revolutionary propulsion technology in house. Ok, let’s get Kaputin in here.”
Chapter 34
Out in the echoless vastness, the world of the unknown carried on with supreme indifference. Cataclysmic events were the stuff of both destruction and creation. Cosmic equations and their relevance or invalidity were of no consequence to the asteroid, or any other form of matter in the universe. But that did not rule out change, whether or not they were predicted by the very same equations.
The Chilean probe forwarded one such change, one of immense interest. A clear pattern had emerged. The invisible umbilical between the asteroid and the detached cometary body was lengthening. The reason was not obvious at first, but further filtration of the images indicated that the cracks in the parent were ever so slightly wider. It was therefore postulated that the matter which was pouring out from the cracks, whether gaseous or granular, was conferring power to the tail. Even minute alterations of this nature would make it increasingly difficult for the infant to keep up. There was apparently no divergence of course of the struggling fragment; it was simply undergoing diminishing gravity from its mother. Enter the cosmologists. A whole new set of equations were required to predict if and when the parent would orphan the child. Such estimates were felt to be important, even if the purveyors were denuded of some of the variables, such as very accurate but uneven composition. Handicaps of this nature had never deterred the self-proclaimed experts, they would have to work out all combinations and permutations. Another complexity for VB Aerospace to digest.
*
As Sophie strolled through the grounds of their estate, she caught sight of her mum and Geraldine beavering away with garden implements. When she was within earshot of their conversation, she began to wonder if she should retreat. Elise caught sight of her and beckoned her to come closer.
“Hello, darling. Maybe you can settle this little disagreement we’re having. Geraldine favours stone planters to define this section of the shrubbery, but I was leaning more towards box hedging. What do you think?”
“Actually, Mum, I was about to ask you and Geraldine about an idea I had. I’d temporarily forgotten about the passion you both have for landscaping. Anyway, as a sculptor of no repute, I suppose I would go with the stone planters.”
“You would? Well, perhaps you’re right. So, what is this idea you wanted to tell us about?”
“Perhaps it’s a bit premature, and you’ve got your hands full with horticulture. It would be selfish of me to try to rope you both into some fanciful project of mine. Another time might be better.”
“Well, you can at least tell us what it is,” said Geraldine, “we do this landscaping as therapy really. It helps to keep us fit, and make a difference. Your dad and your brother work so hard, and so have you on the building projects, which are for the benefit of all of us. I’m all ears.”
When Sophie had explained her intention to ask her father to approve her new aftercare medical centre, there was silence for a few seconds and the two sisters stared at one another. Then Elise spoke.
“You mean you want us to help by working there?”
“Like I said, I had forgotten you already had more than enough to do without me roping you into what could be an emotionally difficult role of putting up with people’s tantrums of the kind I used to have. I just wanted sufferers with similar problems to have the same chance Eugene has given me.”
Elise and Geraldine reacted as one, throwing down their weeding forks and rushed to Sophie’s side. Untypically, Geraldine got in first.
“I’ve always wanted to do something to help people less fortunate than myself, but I’ve never had the confidence to do anything about it. If you are serious about wanting me to do this, it would make whatever time we have left much more worthwhile. Count me in.”
Elise’s eyes filled up. “If it hadn’t been for you, I might not have been here, never mind to have a perfect means to say thank you, in a way which isn’t just about words. I never thought I’d have the chance to do it for such a good cause. Come here, Sophie. We’ll make a great team, but we’ll need to enrol for proper training. Have you thought about that?”
“I have asked Dr Villeneuve for her advice, and she has recommended a colleague from France to get us up to speed. She said this man could be open to managing the unit and designing our training regime. He specialises in personality disorder analysis and treatment, and this kind of expertise could also be useful for Eugene’s research. I’m so excited, and now I feel ready to pester dad.”
*
Julien looked up from his tablet. He’d been studying the latest Chilean images of the asteroid’s tail. The expression on Bondarenko’s face was not one of unbridled joy.
“Ivan’s condition is unchanged, but the doctors cannot agree on what to do next. The brain specialist wants to wait another couple of days to see if the pressure begins to recede further. Dr Villeneuve, I am told she is his boss, says he should operate now to relieve the pressure before it is too late. Do you think it is worth the risk to operate now, Julien? We need him to wake up, even if it is just to tell us the codes for the missiles. Can we tell the doctors how important this is for the entire world?”
“I don’t think that’s wise. I wouldn’t put it past that bastard Kolorov to give us any old data, insisting they are the codes. Even that would assume he can remember them. Surely they aren’t just in his head and nowhere else, he must have made a copy.”
“Well, Kaputin is not aware of any copy. I spoke to him about the new propulsion system and he has asked the chief technician to transmit drawings of everything. We should receive them on our system within one hour.”
“So, even in his mother tongue, Kaputin doesn’t know how to describe the principle of the propulsion system? How can that be?”
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“That I can answer. He was appointed by Kolorov as nothing more than a slave-driver. His remit was to keep everything on schedule, and rule by fear. Typical of Ivan, he never allowed any of his subordinates to know the whole story. But this is a step too far, Kaputin is technically illiterate, yet completely intolerant of excuses for failing to be on schedule. This makes me suspicious, the factory is in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, and still the workers have been prepared to work there without a break for almost two years. Is this really just a second shot at the asteroid? We really need the brain specialist to wake Ivan.”
*
Eugene couldn’t quite believe what he was being told. One of most promising researchers was almost incoherent with excitement.
“Just back up and slow down,” urged Eugene, “you think we can learn from a naturally occurring virus in terms of copying its mechanism, and then steering it in another direction?”
“Yes sir, the inclusion of this approach was a bit of a stab in the dark, but it looks as if we may be able to harness the ability of this virus to trick our immune system. It’s only a first step on the road to success, but it gets us past the first hurdle. If we can alter the virus while it is ‘undercover’ so to speak, we can possibly install attributes into an organism which is capable of multiple ways of affecting human behaviour, through our own metabolism and DNA.”
“And precisely how did you stumble on this?”
“Well, it was a random thought at first. I was reading about the Zika virus epidemic way back in 2015. The peculiar way in which it affected the unborn foetus fascinated me. It was a tragedy, causing monstrous physical deformation amongst other problems. I wondered if I could engineer helpful tasks for the virus to take on. The initial step was to follow up on the methodology of those who worked on treatment of the condition, and then the virus mutation, which in some cases still managed to eradicate the patients. So far, I can only claim that I have produced several specimens in which the virus can be rendered neutral, but remains within the host like a man on the run from the law-enforcing cells of the patient. I hope this is sufficiently interesting to attract more investment. I’m relatively confident I can now redirect this virus.”
“I see, well, in that case I need you to write this up immediately, don’t miss out any detail, but let’s cut back a little on the enthusiastic projections. I will have a lot of questions, so make sure you can replicate what you have already found. You’ve got my attention. Well, get back to the lab and tell your people I’m quietly impressed. Let me have a copy as soon as possible.”
*
Bondarenko, Julien, and VB Aerospace’s chief propulsion technologist pored over the Soyuz drawings. The latter nodded his head but scratched his bearded chin at the same time.
“This is based on a well-accepted ratio of power to weight when calculating maximum velocity capability of propulsion systems in space. For example, in theory at least, a one-to-one ratio - 1 KW of power delivered by a propulsion device weighing 1 KG, could get a craft to Mars in little over a month.”
The other two gestured that they knew this.
“But that has never been done,” said Julien, “in fact the nearest I can recollect is a minimum of 3 KG being required for a unit to deliver for 1 KW of power, am I right?”
The chief propulsion technologist agreed.
“Indeed, that is the best ever produced until now. However, that was targeted to get humans to Mars. Missiles are different insofar as the weight can be trimmed by omitting any requirements for humans. They only need to be as heavy as the actual power source plus carcass and systems control equipment. In the case of missiles, there is no need for observational and scientific apparatus. I’m looking here at a VASIMR concept. You know what that is, right?”
“I think so, but remind me in layman’s terms,” said Julien.
“Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rockets are designed to create and push plasma out of the rear of the craft. The variable-specific part means alteration of thrust can be controlled to allow very small changes when necessary, albeit with some penalty in overall efficiency. Anyway, just to compare this Soyuz design with the needs of a manned craft, 200 Megawatt power sources would be the order of things to carry humans, but for ‘missile only’ systems such as these, only a fraction of that power is required. I was scratching my chin because I hadn’t yet seen the way the power was shared. Most of the experimental work on this principle has been with chemical propellants. This concept, by definition, required a nuclear capability for the warheads, so power could be siphoned off to propel the craft, and then switched to the warheads immediately prior to detonation time. Obvious in hindsight, but quite ingenious in a way. It looks like a complex coupling system, but at least in theory I believe it could work. The other comment I’d make, if I can anticipate your next question, is that nuclear propulsion of manned craft has never really been a front runner because of unforeseen risks of radiation leakage. This could be caused by all manner of events outside the influence of the crew or mission control. Chemically propelled rockets have always carried a small risk of explosion, but no radiation threat. Real life rescue missions of a crew with severe radiation exposure makes the politicians accountable, and although they were elected on that premise, they avoid it wherever possible. I know it sounds disrespectful, but there are no corpses or living dead with a chemical explosion, so the engineers pick up the flak, others simply move on. Sorry about my jaundiced view of these people but you did ask for my opinion. Finally, I’d say that if the coupling and decoupling of power from propulsion to detonation has been proven, it should be feasible to get these missiles to Mars in about 40 days.”
Chapter 35
During the continuing impassioned disagreement between Dr Villeneuve and the brain consultant, the issue was resolved. A senior nurse knocked timidly on the office door.
“I am very sorry to report that although Mr Kolorov is still hooked up to life support equipment, he is now cerebrally defunct. Would you please come and confirm what I have just said?”
Villeneuve uncharacteristically banged her fist on the desk. There was no mistake, Ivan Kolorov was effectively dead. Julien Delacroix was summoned to the ward. Someone had to give authorisation for life support to be terminated. After discussing every possibility of a miraculous reversal of Kolorov’s status of being ‘undead’, Julien astonished the others by declaring that he should remain on life support. He waived away all protest and said he would explain his decision at a later date.
Bondarenko was apprised of the situation. He reacted by kicking a chair over and issued a bevy of Russian profanities. Julien asked his advice on how to treat Kaputin before he was sent back to Siberia.
“Even in death, Ivan seems to be able to shit on my table just as I am about to eat. Listen, Julien. We need to get Kaputin out of here. I should go back to Siberia with him and your propulsion technician. Kaputin must not know Ivan is gone. With the guidance of your propulsion man, I should be able to pull out the interface protocols and reinstall new ones in which I embed the codes. It will be an around the clock activity and take at least a month, but with the help of Kaputin’s workers, it can be done. They will need someone who can instruct them in Russian. We should leave now.”
Julien accepted this proposal with one caveat.
“When you’ve completed the task, I want you to stay there until I give you the signal to launch those missiles to the coordinates which I’ll give you at the time. And you’ll then have to lock-in detonation protocols which can only be altered or overridden from here. I want absolute certainty on this point.”
“That would take more time than I outlined a few minutes ago. Perhaps six weeks.”
“That’s acceptable. I’ll need you back here as soon as possible after the launch.”
“Fine, I will explain nothing to Kaputin, other than there is a potential error in the control software. I can blind him with science and insist on him keeping it under wraps if he
wants to earn his project bonus.”
*
Sophie nervously approached her father, expecting to be challenged on many fronts regarding her aftercare medical facility proposal. Previous experience taught her that he always exercised a thorough analytical response to change, especially if it was likely to suck in liquidity running into millions.
What she could not have known was Julien’s level of preoccupation with other issues, such as – what would develop in Siberia and Jupiter space. Then there was the final scheduling of the VB Aerospace asteroid diversion fleet. His concerns were heightened by the ‘death status’ of one Russian maverick and what effect that might have on the two on their way back to Soyuz. What was pretty certain was that any change in any of these scenarios would generate the need for literally hundreds of thousands of further calculations at a time when the number-crunching system was already overloaded with demand and overclocked in capacity. If it broke down his recourse to influencing anything could evaporate. He had to be sensitive to balance as well as urgency. He simply said yes to his daughter.
“You mean, yes there are no questions? Or, yes we’ll talk about it some other time?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea, Sophie. If both of my kids think it has merit, Dr Villeneuve is supportive, your mother and aunt are going to work in this facility, what is there to question? I’m interested to see more detail, but that can wait until you have planning approval and costs to show me. I’m really proud of you, Sophie. I just know you’ll be good at something like this.”
She threw her arms around him and almost lifted him off his feet. She scampered out of his office and phoned her brother.
“He said yes, Eugene. Didn’t ask me any awkward questions or pull any funny facial expressions. Do you think he’s feeling unwell or something? He seemed enthusiastic but distant, if that makes sense.”
“Sis, he’s trying to save the planet, let’s get it into perspective. I also think he sees what I see – a shift in your view of life in general, so don’t overthink this, your self-confidence will grow with each achievement. Not so much from appreciation of others in your creative side, but the feeling of making a difference to those whom you help. Get started, no more questions right now, but as you know, I’m always here.”