by Doug Farren
The conversation came to an abrupt end when Jay’s phone beeped. The tone indicated it was an emergency call. “Jay Kauffman…What!…When and where?…I’m on my way.”
Jay’s face had gone ashen. “I’ve just been called to an emergency meeting. The EDM has crossed over into Pakistan and the UAN has launched intercept fighters.”
“You had better go then.”
Jay quickly exited the building and boarded a small high-speed craft waiting for him on the building’s helipad. As soon as he seated himself, the ship made a quick suborbital hop to Washington DC. It never occurred to Jay that CAIN may already have known about the reason for his sudden departure. CAIN was left to himself to contemplate the meaning of his existence, the possibility of his having a soul, and the ultimate purpose for which he had been created.
29
Attempted Recovery
Four armored troop transports sat poised on the deck of the USS Blackmoore as it floated peacefully in the calm waters of the Arabian Sea. Eighty marines milled about the flight deck smoking, playing cards, and reading. The Blackmoore was a pre-stardrive aircraft carrier that had been outfitted to serve as a mobile base.
A marine major ascended the steps of a small podium, turned on the microphone, tapped on it a few times to ensure it was working, then in a clear voice said, “Assemble by squad for mission briefing!”
There was a brief flurry of activity while the marines formed up into four groups. As soon as each squad had assembled, the squad leader barked, “Atten-hut!”
After the last squad had come to attention the major said, “At ease!” The major looked over his troops for a moment and consulted the notes in front of him. “You all know why we are here. Based upon the maximum possible atmospheric speed of the missing fighter, its last known location, and the length of time the jamming was active, command has come up with a list of possible locations where the fighter may now be located. Our search area covers every possible structure and location within 500 kilometers of the ship’s last known position.
“In order to conduct this search as quickly as possible, one troop carrier will be assigned to each target. Transports from the Stanford, the Bradford, and the Hamilton are joining the search. Each transport will be accompanied by two Defender class fighters as well as three F-122’s. Squad leaders are to meet with me in the briefing room in five minutes to receive your targets. Squad leaders, take charge of your men.”
Four voices in unison shouted, “Atten-hut!” There was a dull thud as eighty boots hit the deck. Four versions of the same orders then went out. “Gather your gear and assemble on the transport. Dismissed!”
Twenty minutes later, the transports were airborne. They were joined by their air cover and headed inland. The UAN reacted by scrambling a large number of fighters. “Attention approaching fighters,” the lead EDM flight commander transmitted. “We are on an authorized search mission. Our actions will remain non-hostile unless we are fired upon. Interference or hostile action on your part will result in immediate defensive actions.”
When it became clear that the approaching UAN fighters had no intention of aborting their attack, the flight commander issued his orders. “I read 31 incoming fighters. Transports, power up your shields, drop to one hundred meters and hold your current position. Defenders, hold position at one thousand meters altitude, five klics inbound from the transports. All air wing fighters form up into assigned attack positions. Nobody is to fire unless we are fired upon first.”
Following their orders, the troop transports slowed to a halt and dropped down to hover just above the ocean’s surface. The gleaming, reflective bubbles of their shields appeared. The Defender class fighters powered up their own shields and settled into their assigned positions providing high altitude cover for the vulnerable transports. The twelve F-122 advanced tactical combat fighters continued to advance toward the incoming wave of UAN fighters.
The F-122 was an American-built fighter aircraft based on pre-stardrive technology. It was stealthy, fast, highly maneuverable, and packed full of sophisticated electronics. The approaching UAN fighters were of a similar vintage although not as advanced as the F-122.
As the two opposing groups of fighters closed in on each other, the lead EDM pilot kept up a steady monolog to his own group. “Distance five zero kilometers…Remember, do not fire unless fired upon. We are not going to be responsible for starting a war…Three zero kilometers and approaching. Hold your course and speed. Let them make the first move…One zero kilometers. Hold your fire. Maintain course and speed.”
The UAN fighters approached and then continued on past the EDM fighters without incident. They hadn’t even bothered to lock their fire control systems. “Alter course and pursue. Maintain weapons safe.”
As the EDM jets performed a tight turn one of the pilots said, “Group leader, hound dog. Did you happen to catch sight of what’s mounted on the UAM hard points?”
“Negative hound dog. What did you see?”
“Not sure. I got just a glance, but I think I saw some sort of bulky object on at least one bird. It didn’t look like any kind of missile I’ve ever seen before.”
“Roger that. Anyone else catch sight of something different?” Nobody answered. “Okay then. It might not be anything but then again it might be something to watch out for. Be on your toes.”
Moments later, the UAN jets approached the hovering Defenders. Their actions at this point were markedly different. As if triggered by a single switch, 31 beams of coherent death lept toward a single Defender. The shield was instantly overwhelmed and a second later the stricken ship tilted forward and went careening down toward the ocean. Simultaneous with the firing of the lasers, 31 missiles roared to life, performed a quick one-eighty, and sped toward the incoming EDM fighter jets.
The attack on the first Defender had taken just over two seconds. Under the control of a central weapons control computer, the UAM fighters took a half second to target a second vessel and it too began the long fall to earth. This one exploded before it hit the ocean.
“Engage! Engage! Engage!” the flight leader yelled.
Weapons went from safe to armed. Missiles erupted from some of the EDM fighters before they were blown out of the sky by the UAN air-to-air missiles. Before the EDM missiles struck home, the combined firepower of the UAN lasers managed to take out two more Defenders. Fireballs erupted among the UAN jets as missiles found their targets.
The remaining space fighters joined the battle with their own lasers slicing off wings and burning through fuel tanks. In a little over ten seconds, 31 UAN fighters had been reduced to melted, twisted, burning, debris.
The USS Bradford was stationed in the Persian Gulf. Their search groups were in Iranian airspace at the time the Blackmoore’s search groups had come under attack. There was no indication at all that the Bradford’s forces were being targeted.
A second before the UAN fighter jets had opened fire on the Blackmoore’s ships, the troop transports and fighter escort from the Bradford came under attack from an unexpected direction—space. An orbiting UAN battleship let loose with a devastating barrage of missiles and laser fire. None of the Bradford’s ships survived the attack.
The EDM cruiser which had been shadowing the UAN battleship that had launched the attacked against the Bradford raised its shield and prepared to fire on the battleship. The captain of the cruiser was ordered to stand down by his group commander who did not want to be responsible for starting a war. The group commander sent a message to fleet requesting permission to fire. Since nobody had anticipated an attack from space, permission was denied pending clarification of the situation on the surface.
All of the attacks had been monitored by the mission commander stationed in the USS Blackmoore’s CIC. A large display of Pakistan and the surrounding area showed the tactical situation. The USS Stanford and the USS Hamilton were both stationed in the Indian Ocean. Their search groups were still well out in international waters when the attacks on the
other two groups had begun. The UAN’s response to the incursion into their airspace had been swift.
Admiral Worthington assessed the situation, picked up a microphone from his command desk, keyed it, and said, “Command to all search units. This is Admiral Worthington. Abort. I repeat—the mission is aborted. All search groups return to base immediately.”
The admiral had been given orders to defend his men and equipment with all necessary force. But, the UAN attacks had been so swift and devastating that he had made a field decision to recall his men and refer the problem up the chain of command. He also did not have the resources at his disposal to attack an orbiting battleship. The admiral donned a headset, made a connection to EDM headquarters, and briefed his superior of the situation.
Before Admiral Worthington had finished his report, the UAN representative to the World Council had also been in touch with the EDM and had called for an immediate emergency session of the World Council. The United Arab Nations argued that they had been defending themselves against an armed invasion of their sovereign territory and any further aggression by the Earth Defense Ministry would be considered as an act of war.
Moments after detecting the battles between the EDM and the UAN, the Chinese had placed their entire military on alert. They had also declared their neutrality in any hostilities that might break out but warned that under no circumstances would they allow hostile forces from either side to traverse their airspace. The UAN destroyer which had obliterated the Bradford’s ships remained in orbit seemingly daring anyone to attack it.
It didn’t take long before the press picked up on the hostilities and in a matter of minutes all the world knew that a war could break out at any time. The press indicated that tension was so prevalent that all it would take would be for a nervous captain or gunnery officer to lose his composure and open fire in order to trigger a war.
Business productivity plummeted as workers flocked to their televisions to keep abreast of the situation. The World’s stock markets dropped like a stone until they all closed as automatic protection measures kicked in. The World held its breath while the World Council debated behind closed doors.
The Army of Humanity realized, with their own brand of twisted logic, that if the Earth was at war, then non-Humans would no longer do business with Earth. Realizing the ease at which war might be triggered, they decided to take action. Several missiles that had originally been planned to be launched against non-Human targets were quickly reprogrammed. The towable launchers had been hidden in an abandoned oil rig on the coast of Yemen. As soon as they were ready, the missiles were launched.
Aboard the USS Blackmoore a warning tone sounded and three red points appeared on the situation map. The computers quickly analyzed the new contacts and classified them as medium range missiles. The trajectory indicated that they were the target. “Multiple missile launch!” one of the radar operators announced. “Launch site—fifteen degrees forty-one point three seven North—fifty-one degrees seven point five one East—Southern coast of Yemen. Impact in four minutes twelve seconds.”
The watch commander glanced at the situation map and ordered, “Sound general quarters. Radar—how many incoming do you detect?”
The general quarters klaxon began sounding as the radar operator rechecked his screens. “I show three incoming. No other hostiles on the screen.”
“That’s odd,” the watch commander said aloud to himself. “Why would they launch only three missiles?”
“Another launch detected!” Three more dots had suddenly appeared on the display as the operator called out the origin’s coordinates. The launch point was located South-West of the first. “Computer classifies the second wave as short-range interceptors. The targets appear to be the first missiles. Intercept in one minute nineteen seconds.”
“What the hell is going on?” the watch commander muttered.
“Sir!” the communications operator spoke up. “I’ve got a Lieutenant Abdullah Saleh on the line demanding to speak to you immediately.”
The watch commander picked up a headset, punched a button on his console and said, “This is Lieutenant Commander Osborne of the USS Blackmoore, I hope you have an explanation for all this missile activity.”
The man on the other end of the line spoke good English but with a very strong Eastern accent. “We detected a missile launch from a desolate area of our country. These missiles were not launched by us. We have launched interceptors. If our interceptors miss can you defend yourselves?”
“We can easily defend ourselves. Three missiles are hardly enough to overwhelm our defenses. But I would like to know who the hell fired those missiles.”
“Commander, I may be reprimanded for making this call, given the current state of affairs between my government and yours. But I felt it was my duty to prevent an unfortunate misinterpretation of an action that was not undertaken by my government. I can assure you that we did not launch those missiles. I can also assure you that we are investigating the launch site as we speak. I cannot remain on the line any longer.”
“I understand. Thank you.” The line went dead with a sharp click.
On the situation map the two sets of dots converged and merged into one. It took the computer two seconds to decide that the threat had been neutralized and the situation map was once again clear. “Anyone have any ideas as to what the hell that was all about?” the commander queried.
“If I didn’t know any better,” the radar operator spun in his chair as he replied. “I would guess that someone was trying to start a war.”
“That’s insane,” the second radar operator replied. “Why would anyone want to start a war?”
* * * * *
The debate in World Council, was extremely heated. Veiled threats of war were spoken and countered. Normally calm representatives stood up and yelled at each other. For four hours the representatives of the Western nations and the representatives of the Arab nations fought a verbal war with each other.
After patiently listening to the accusations, threats, and counter-threats, the Consortium representative asked permission to address the assembly. Shortly after the signing of the Consortium treaty, a non-voting seat for a Consortium representative had been provided in the World Governing Council. Normally, this individual sat and calmly observed as Earth governed itself. It was rare that the Consortium ever concerned itself with the internal affairs of Earth.
After being recognized, the Shandarian representative stood up and addressed a hushed assembly. “Esteemed representatives of the individual nations of Earth. As an appointed representative of the Consortium I am compelled to point out the consequences of the actions you have been debating during this session.
“The Consortium views Earth as a single planet operating under the government of a single body. If war breaks out, or individual nations do not act in accordance with the directives handed down by this assembly, then the Consortium would have no choice but to declare Earth a divided planet. This could result in the nullification of the Consortium treaty.”
There was a murmur of voices as representatives made hushed comments to their immediate neighbors. “I do not believe I need to point out the consequences to Earth if the treaty with the Consortium is nullified. If permitted, I would like permission to interject some comments concerning the recent debate.”
The President of the World Council (an Australian), leaned forward, activated his microphone, and said, “I believe the opinions of a non-Human might be helpful at this point. Please proceed Mr. Ambassador.”
“Thank you Mr. President. First, allow me to point out the fact that it has now been six days since the theft of the spacecraft. Does it not seem logical that the perpetrators of this act would now have had time to disassemble the ship and disperse the components to other locations for analysis? In this event, a detailed search of any possible hiding place for the missing fighter would be fruitless.
“A second point, and one that the Consortium has had concerns about for some
time, is the distribution of technology among the nations of your world. The Consortium does not get involved in the governing of any world. However, we have been concerned about the fact that certain nations of Earth have benefited more from certain technological advances than other nations. This unbalance of technology, especially military technology, seems to be the cause of much of this planet’s division between nations.”
There was a loud applause from several ambassadors at this last remark. The Consortium ambassador paused to allow the applause to end. “My government, and many other members of the Consortium are concerned about Earth’s future as a unified world. The continued distrust between nations must come to an end. The open sharing of technology and resources is a characteristic of all advanced cultures and is a necessary prerequisite for the complete unification of any world.
“Shandar does not and will not deal with individual nations; neither will any of the other members of the Consortium. If Earth cannot remain united then the treaty with my government may be nullified and Earth will become isolated from the galactic community.”
The Shandarian ambassador stood in silence and allowed his gaze to pass by each and every ambassador in the room. He then carefully took his seat. The World President had a hurried, whispered conversation with one of his aids then turned to his microphone. “The opinions of the Consortium have enlightening. It is agreed that a search for the missing spacecraft would now be a pointless adventure. I motion for a vote to order the Earth Defense Ministry to abandon its search for the missing fighter.”
The motion was quickly seconded and just as quickly approved by an overwhelming vote. Only the United States and Great Britain voted against the motion. After a brief discussion, the issue regarding the open sharing of technology, especially military technology, was tabled until next Thursday.