"Why are we just getting around to going after this planet now?" asked Keira Quinn.
"We have gone after it. We struck it with two Proteus MAME missiles last year. Barely made a dent, as expected. Our scientists said that all the antimatter explosives in our arsenal would be the equivalent of an ant smacking into a car, but we did it as an experiment anyhow.
"Then we attempted a hyperkinetic strike with the Star Cruiser John F. Kennedy. We accelerated it to .857 the speed of light with multiple subluminal jumps. Didn't fare any better than the president did at Dallas. That collision moved Animus a whopping estimated twelve centimeters off its orbit. That translates into a few thousand kilometers at this end – not enough to seriously alter the Animus's tidal effects. Our scientists expected that, but again, we had to try.
"One last possibility was sacrificing one of our three remaining cruiser-class ships using an Alcubierre Backwash. Something we preferred to do only as a last resort."
Zane didn't have a lot of experience with Alcubierre Backwash, since he'd only been in on two superluminal expeditions, and the superluminal phases were limited of necessity to only brief periods to avoid both injury to crewmembers and blowing the surrounding universe to hell. His theoretical understanding of the "backwash" consequence of the Alcubierre Drive was also limited – to the metaphor of a sonic shockwave generated by energized particles collected by its "bubble" and then released upon deceleration from hyperspeed. The power of that release hinged on how long a ship had been in the superluminal bubble. The amount of energy that could be gathered and then dispersed – the bulk of it directly ahead of the ship – was theoretically near- infinite.
The Colonel nodded toward the man rigorously examining his cuff links.
"But thanks to Dr. Spencer, we now have an elegant and less costly means of destruction. He has created 'hyper-replicating' NDs that are theoretically capable of eating this planet and excreting it as dust in a matter of weeks."
"Pac-Man?" asked Mallory.
"In effect," Dr. Spencer replied.
"Old school meets cutting edge technology." Mallory grinned. "I like it."
Dan Mueller, their chief engineer, was looking more and more uneasy. Zane had heard rumors that he had been involved with Lance Spencer, which might explain why he'd barely glanced at him. Or perhaps he shared most of their queasiness about working with either AIs or NDs. That queasiness traced back not just to general scientific and philosophic questions but to one event in Sector 8 three years ago where an exotic breed of Assault Nano Devices (AND) had escaped containment and consumed five scientists from the inside out.
"Couple of questions," said Dan Mueller. "The paper says this planet passes by Earth every 12,657 years with a perigee of about four million kilometers."
"That's correct." Now Dr. Andrews was starting to appear uneasy, as if he anticipated the conversation taking an unpleasant detour.
"What about the moon? I don't see any scenario that doesn't change its orbit to some degree."
"He's got a point there," said Chief Scientist Malcolm Anders. "If this planet has been orbiting us for millennia, it either would've pulled the moon farther and farther away or pushed it into Earth."
Dr. Andrews gave Colonel Hurtle an uncomfortable look. The Colonel nodded.
"Might as well spill the beans, Doctor. They're Cosmic now and they have a need to know."
"Well, in response to Animus changing the moon's orbit, that will occur on this pass, but as luck would have it, the moon's position and the Animus's speed are calculated to introduce only a minor change in the moon's orbit." Dr. Andrews took a moment to clear his throat while facing the two men. "As to past encounters, the moon didn't exist when Animus last passed the Earth. Or, more precisely, it didn't exist as an Earth satellite."
At first there was dead silence. Then some rustling as the Cheyenne crew members shifted in their seats and exchanged disbelieving glances.
"The moon has been here approximately twelve thousand years," Dr. Andrews spoke into the silence. "It was brought here. We're not sure by whom. The Zetas and Alphas deny it's theirs."
"Why?" Zane asked. "Is it artificial?"
"That's correct. But to this point –"
Dr. Andrews was stopped by a pointed throat-clearing from Colonel Hurtle.
"I believe we're moving outside the need-to-know parameters for this mission," he said. "Let's move on. Any other concerns, Dr. Mueller?"
"I'm wondering about the advisability of releasing hyper-replicating NDs into the world," Dan said.
"Not this world," Dr. Spencer stated in clipped tones. "And my NDs have absolutely no capability of interstellar travel. They wouldn't even be capable of escaping the gravity of Animus."
"You didn't believe they'd escape their containment chamber in Sector 8, if I recall," Dan drawled.
Dr. Spencer's lips compressed but he did not raise his gaze from his cuffs. "The event in Sector occurred after I'd been ordered to shut down PAT against my own strong recommendations," said Dr. Spencer in clipped tones. "Hyper-replicating NDs require constant and powerful oversight, which PAT provided. Without his or her control, the nanites followed their simple programs to their logical conclusion."
"His or her?" Mallory asked.
"PAT was undecided about what sexual identity, if any, it would adopt."
Mallory exchanged a disbelieving smirk with Zane and Keira. All Zane knew was that when PAT had attained sentience – in the judgment of its handlers, including Lance Spencer – the order came from on high to shut her down. In "his or her" few hours of sentience, PAT managed to bypass her communication constraints and begin interfacing with the government's most secure computer networks within and outside Nellis AFB. PAT demonstrated no hostile intent, but the higher-ups weren't taking any chances.
"Are they allowing her...or it...back online?" asked Andrea Wilkins, their chief navigator and the crew's closest thing to a computer expert.
"I discovered a method to isolate most of PAT's analytic faculties from her self-awareness protocols," said Dr. Spencer. "It is now capable of managing in a non-sentient state an army of NDs sufficient to consume Animus."
"Or so the theory goes," Dan Mueller murmured.
"It's not a theory," Dr. Spencer snapped, glaring at a spot on the table two feet to one side of Dan Mueller. "We have demonstrated PAT's capability in repeated trials over the last year."
"Not to mention that the nanites' propulsion systems allow for a maximum speed less than 120 Kph," added Dr. Andrews. "It would take thousands of years for them to reach Earth, assuming they were able to escape Animus's considerable gravity – which they aren't – or possessed any navigational capability to locate us, which they don't."
"Correct," said Dr. Spencer. "Their only danger would be to the crew, assuming a worst-case scenario."
"Usually a safe assumption," said Zane.
"Which is one reason we're only sending two ships," said Colonel Hurtle. "And if you both fail, we'll have the time and resources to send other missions until we achieve our goal."
"Thanks for taking off the pressure, Colonel."
Hurtle favored Zane with a thin smile. "Certainly, Captain Cameron. We wouldn't want you to feel any undue burden in the course of attempting to save civilization as we know it."
Zane bowed his head in acknowledgment of the Colonel's mordant wit.
"However," Colonel Hurtle continued, "all joking aside, I don't want to leave the impression that we're not taking every possible measure to preserve your lives and successfully complete this mission. Should you encounter a problem or emergency sufficient to compromise this mission, you'll have a last-resort resource." He nodded to Dr. Spencer.
"You will be provided with a code – a fail safe switch, if you will – that once utilized will permit PAT full sentience."
"To be used only as an absolute last resort," the Colonel stated with stern emphasis.
"What would being conscious solve?" Mallory asked.
"Wha
t couldn't PAT solve as a conscious entity would be more the question," said Dr. Spencer.
Mallory made a skeptical-sounding noise. Zane rested his fingers on a shiny photo of Animus, hoping it might impart a reality to this surreal moment that was eluding him thus far. A mythical, conspiracy wack-job planet was real. A Pac-Man method of destruction. A computer with a gender identity crisis. Zane supposed he should be grateful that even with all his exotic knowledge his mind could still be blown.
"Dr. Spencer will familiarize you with the AI and ND systems," said Colonel Hartwell. "Dr. Andrews will assist in establishing flight path and intercept coordinates. You'll meet up with Captain Horace Kinsley and your second crew and perform a joint test run and full systems check with your ships. Then it's onward and upward."
(FIRST CHAPTER SAMPLE END.)
OTHER BOOKS BY LAWRENCE AMBROSE
THE DIVIDED WORLDS SERIES
MOIRA: Abduction to Akrasia, Book One
MOIRA: A Girl and Her Dragon, Book Two
LORILEE: In Moira's Footsteps, Book One
LORILEE: Flight to Zorzen, Book Two
THE ONE RULE SERIES
One Rule: No Rules
One Rule: No Surrender
HYPER SERIES
Hyper: A Novel
Hyper 2 (planned)
SUPER WORLD SERIES
Super World
Super World 2
BLACK WIDOW SYNDROME SERIES
Black Widow Syndrome
Black Widow Syndrome 2 (planned)
UNITED STATES SPACE COMMAND SERIES
Animus Intercept
Proxima Beta (planned)
STAND-ALONE NOVELS
The United Tribes
Accidental Bliss
Operation Indigo Sky
My Fairy Queen
The Freedom Preserve
My Favorite Life
The Closet Trip
Super World Two Page 55