by Ben Bova
"Did he give any indication at all as to which pressure taps are involved?" Woorunmarra asked, catching her attention.
"That's just it; he's told us every one of them, as well as detailing their locations." Montero shook his head in frustration. "I suppose he could be lying about some of them, but most match up with the surface scanning we've done. The troop movements and power routing we've been able to detect coincide with the information he's given us."
"I'd be willing to bet he's telling the truth," Adela put in. "It's clear he doesn't want to use force, and he's hoping that by letting us know just how firmly in place he is, we'll avoid a confrontation in those key areas."
"Speaker?" asked one of the uniformed men. His rank insignia identified him as a General. He waited until Niles nodded for him to continue before addressing Montero. "Commander, can you download that information to us? We've received a similar communique from Eastland regarding the locations and would like to run a cross-check on them."
"Of course."
The General spoke briefly to the officer seated next to him and waited while he keyed several commands into a portable keypad. In the lower right corner of the flatscreen the words "receive mode ready" appeared.
Montero's image faded, replaced by that of a wide-scale map of the planet's near hemisphere. The image zoomed in on Pallatin's major continent, centering on the entire length of the Arroyo fault. With the fault itself running from the top to the bottom of the screen, it was easy to see several hundred kilometers to either side of the fault line. The map had obviously been extracted from somewhere in the middle of Salera's communication with Montero, and his voice was running beneath the visual.
"… understand that none of this pleases me. We had hoped that Westland would support us and saved this as a last resort. Please note that in addition to the eighty-six tap stations directly adjacent to Arroyo, we…" There was a pause as Salera lowered his voice, taking on an almost apologetic tone. "We also hold five control stations on Westland soil." Niles was on his feet at this, as was the General and one of the other representatives—Carolane Pence, Adela remembered from the introductions—although whether they had risen in shock or merely to get a closer look at the map, Adela couldn't tell. Their faces remained impassive.
Five dots on the western side came suddenly to life at the far northern end of the fault, their orange glow matching those scattered along the length of the eastern side. The five were located almost directly on the fault line itself and were grouped so close together that at first glance they appeared to be a single station.
"Commander, can you freeze the image?" Niles asked, then turned to the General. "Can we get an identification on these stations?" The General started to ask the officer with the keypad to cross-reference the location, but was interrupted by Representative Pence.
"We don't need to," she said, retaking her seat. "It's the Leeper grouping, extreme northeast corner of my district."
Niles smiled a thank-you and asked Montero to resume the playback. The map zoomed in on the five stations, showing the area in greater detail. They were arranged in a nearly perfect line running parallel to the edge of the fault, the scale indicator at the top edge of the map showing them to be just under a kilometer apart from each other.
"Please believe me," Salera's voice went on, "when I say that we aim to keep control of these stations; do not force our hand on this. And please, Commander—understand that, while we would be hesitant to use them, we are prepared to do just that."
The playback of the segment stopped and faded, and Montero once more stared out from the screen, the look of troubled frustration on his face no less apparent than before. "Speaker, may I ask the significance of the, uh, 'Leeper grouping,' as you referred to it?"
Niles hesitated. He had been most cooperative since the dissolution vote at Dominion, but it seemed that he was still not entirely comfortable with this new alliance with the Imperial Commander.
"Speaker Niles," Adela said calmly, "we can't help you if we're not fully informed."
He shot a sidelong glance at her, concern showing in his eyes, then softened as he smiled, nodding in acceptance. "You're right, I know that, but… understand that it was not all that many years ago that I, too, would have considered you an invader to our world."
"And what changed your mind?"
Niles shook his head. "It's not important right now." He opened a desk drawer and removed a light pen, then approached the screen, saying, "Commander, can you put the map back up, please?" In a matter of seconds the map returned, still at the zoomed-in shot where it had cut off before. "Pull back, please, to show the full length of Arroyo. Thank you." He activated the light pen and circled the Leeper grouping, then drew a line to another set of similarly arranged orange dots that appeared on the opposite side of the fault, slightly south of the first, and encircled them as well.
"Commander, the isolated stations that you see highlighted along the length of Arroyo and throughout both sides of the continent act as individual pressure taps, bleeding off tectonic stresses as they occur in the areas in which they're located. They operate independently of one another, but act to reinforce the main controls we have over plate activity along Arroyo itself. But the Leeper grouping, unlike the individual stations, functions as a single control station, a combination pressure-tap and monitor/relay station specifically designed to work in concert with a matched control grouping on the opposite side. Look here." He drew circles around a dozen more such groupings on the eastern side. "These are all tied in to matching stations on this side," he went on, extending lines across the fault to the corresponding groupings. "We've heard from most of them and, as you might expect, they've been disconnected from their counterparts on the eastern side. If you could give me the close-up of Leeper again?"
The scene zoomed in, close enough that surface details and the actual fault could be discerned in the overhead view. Using the light pen, he traced a series of concentric circles around the Leeper grouping, then another series around its counterpart on the eastern side, giving the appearance of ripples spreading away from two stones dropped a few meters apart into a still lake. "Each of these groupings is connected to a network of smaller, unmanned taps located along these lines." Niles marked several X's on each of the rings as he spoke. "Responding to whatever tectonic activity occurs in the region of a control grouping, signals are sent to these unmanned taps—and, if needed, to the larger isolated pressure stations—to relieve or apply stress, effectively controlling major earthquake activity." He returned to his desk, dropping the light pen on the desktop as he sat, adding, "This latest information explains why we haven't been able to contact Leeper."
Montero appeared on the screen. He sat in silent thought for several moments, pulling absently at one corner of his moustache, then leaned aside and said something to Nelon. The First Officer in turn spoke to the Weapons Master, and the two of them left the room.
"I'll be blunt, Speaker," he finally offered, "and I'll be thankful for your candid response. Just how much control do they have at this point?"
Adela was surprised to see the hint of a smile appear briefly on Niles' lips. "I appreciate your straightforward manner, Commander." He leaned forward on the desk, steepling his hands in front of his face in a gesture Adela had come to recognize as one of his mannerisms. "If Salera controls the Leeper grouping, and there's no reason at this time to assume he does not, then Westland is in serious danger. Very serious danger." Niles picked up a handset from the comm terminal on the desk and spoke briefly into it, then set it back in its holder before going on. "Understand that the pressure-tap system is designed to work on a continentwide basis to control fault activity. There are constant tremors, especially in the interior regions nearest Arroyo, but there has not been a major earthquake in more than a decade because of the success of the tap system."
There was an insistent beeping from the comm terminal, and Niles picked up the handset once more, telling whoever was on the other end, "St
and by," loudly enough that he could be heard by everyone in the room. "I'm going to have a playback put up showing how the system works from a recording made two years ago." He spoke into the handset and a different overhead view of Pallatin appeared on the flatscreen. This one was similar to the other, but an overlay clearly showed the entire system of pressure-tap stations in both halves of the continent. "The unmanned taps are highlighted in blue, the individual manned stations in green, and the control groupings are in yellow. That's Leeper there at the top left of Arroyo. When I start playback, the tectonic pressure forces will appear as a growing red area on the overlay." Then, into the handset: "Go ahead."
Nothing seemed to happen at first, but as they looked, a red stain widened and spread out from the upper half of the fault, extending several hundred kilometers in the most actively affected portions of the fault. Parts of the fault itself where the stain spread out the farthest glowed so brightly that it looked like a river of fire bisecting the continent.
"Does this show the extent of the earthquake itself?" Adela asked.
"No, Dr. Montgarde. This is the pressure building up over several months that you're seeing right now. You're correct, however, in assuming that the red area shows the pattern of tremors that would occur if the process played itself out. Watch, though, as the tap stations come on-line."
The red glow spread farther, extending more to the western side of the fault. The groupings visibly activated first, glowing intensely in the worst areas of the pressure buildup. As they watched, spiderweb lines traced out from the groupings to the concentric rings of unmanned stations surrounding them. From a pairing of control stations located not quite a third of the way from the top of the fault, a series of bolder yellow lines snaked out to larger, manned stations centered in a particularly bright red area on the Westland side, and from these more threadlike circles expanded around them. Another set of yellow lines shot out to a second manned station in Westland, slightly above and to the right of the first, and repeated the series of expanding rings around it. A control pairing three down from the other that had activated suddenly glowed. As before, the yellow lines traced a delicate pattern of circles and lines leading to yet another spot on the Westland side, then again to one on the eastern edge of the fault.
Adela almost thought the lacy patterns beautiful, but found it necessary to remind herself of the amount of destructive fury she was looking at. She watched in awestruck fascination as more control pairings activated and lines arced out again and again across the landmass, until finally it became clear that the red glow had begun to diminish in several spots on the overlay.
The glowing area faded, the circles dimming in a backward-leading dance to their originating stations. As if draining water from a basin, the red disappeared along the direction of the stations that had activated until at last only the control groupings themselves still remained lighted. The overlay darkened, the line of control groupings tracing the length of the fault like a brilliant chain of diamonds. Finally even they winked out one by one. Speaker Niles spoke briefly into the handset, and the map and overlay disappeared, showing Montero and the others aboard Levant. Sometime during the playback, or perhaps just before it started, First Officer Nelon and the Weapons Master had returned.
"Impressive." The Commander was clearly affected by what he had just seen, and sat straighter in his chair as he soberly addressed Niles. "Shall I assume that now that Eastland has taken full control of all stations on the eastern side of the fault, these would be inaccessible to you should further tectonic activity occur?"
Niles nodded silently.
"But you would still have some control over pressure buildups, wouldn't you?"
Niles sighed heavily and rubbed his face with both hands. "That's true; but it wouldn't be enough in the event of a major movement like the one on the recording. That would require the combined efforts of stations on both sides of the fault to equalize pressure."
"But that's crazy!" Adela interrupted, barely able to believe what she was hearing. "If another earthquake like that occurred they'd be putting themselves in danger."
"My thought exactly," Woorunmarra agreed.
"Not entirely." Niles shrugged unhappily, turning his attention away from the flatscreen. "They have the entire system east of Arroyo, intact. And they control Leeper. Through Leeper, they can link into the control groupings on our side."
Woorunmarra nodded slowly in understanding. "I think I see now. If a pressure buildup threatens them, through the Leeper grouping they can override into your system and use it in tandem to bleed off the pressures that affect the area east of Arroyo much the same way as in the recording we just saw." He paused, lowering his eyes. "On the other hand, if they monitor a pressure buildup that looks like it'll have the greatest impact on the west…"
"They activate the eastern taps to minimize damage to themselves," Montero picked up, "and effectively shunt the worst of the movements to the other side of the fault—then they just sit back and watch as Westland crumbles."
Adela stared at Montero, her mouth open in shocked disbelief.
"It's worse than that, I'm afraid." Niles pivoted the small screen of the comm terminal so he could more easily read the information displayed there. "The tap stations equalize pressure buildups; that means additional pressure is applied to parts of the underlying structure at the same time it's being bled off others. Utilizing the control stations on the eastern edge of Arroyo in concert with Leeper, they can initialize tectonic activity as well as dampen it."
Everyone in the room sat in stunned silence; aboard Levant, no one spoke. Only the General seemed unsurprised by what Niles had just said.
"We'll begin severing the Leeper grouping from the control network immediately. There are…" Niles quickly checked the terminal, cursing softly under his breath when the figures came up on the tiny screen. "I'm afraid that when they chose Leeper, they chose well. There are forty-seven manned stations directly controlled by Leeper, but they should present little trouble. However, there are thousands of unmanned taps linked into them, and once the manned stations are taken off-line they'll have to be shut down, individually, on site."
"How dangerous will that be," Adela asked, "as far as current seismic activity is concerned? Will you be able to handle it?"
The Speaker shrugged worriedly. "We're not sure. There's no doubt that there will be an increase in minor tremors, mostly in the interior sections, but there shouldn't be any major threat. No major pressure buildups have been recorded for nearly two years, and we should be able to reroute a number of the stations to working control groupings to handle the minor ones, but…" He paused. "In any event, it'll take a long time to get them all." He looked up from the terminal and into the screen. "We could use help."
"You'll have it," Montero replied. "Just let me know what you need."
"Are you sure, Speaker?" The officer looked Kip Salera over with eyes that glowed with—what? The other officer seated next to him, a Major, mirrored the expression of his superior. There were others in Salera's office at the former Dominion Capitol, most of them military personnel. The only exception was Representative Blakert.
There is excitement in your face, young soldier, Salera thought, studying the man's face. You fear the battle you know is coming, and yet you rush headlong to join it. The man stood stiffly before his desk, his breathing fast with anticipation even though he was trying hard to keep his emotions hidden. How long had it been since he'd felt that intoxicating mix of foreboding combined with an undeniable longing that drove you on despite your best efforts at self-reason? He'd felt something similar at the final Joint Dominion, but even that could not compare with what he knew—from remembrances long past—was flowing through the man's body right now. The officer fidgeted slightly as he awaited the Speaker's reply.
"Yes, I'm certain of it, Colonel Harston. They would be stupid to attack with anything that might damage the stations themselves. If they mount an offensive at all, it will be with light
weaponry. As for the starship…" Salera paused, gnawing momentarily on a lower lip. "I'm told that Commander Montero is sending armed personnel and equipment to help them with their efforts to take Leeper off-line, for all the good that'll do them, but the good Commander himself will take a hands-off attitude until things are settled here, one way or another."
"And after?" Blakert asked.
Salera glared once at Blakert, then regarded the Colonel, still standing before him. "You're dismissed." Harston snapped to attention, his officers following suit, and exited Salera's office immediately.
"And what about after, Speaker?"
Salera rose, crossing slowly to the large window overlooking the front of the building. Hundreds of troops were gathered on the long tree-lined parkade, awaiting their turn for the transport shuttles to take them to their assignments. As he watched, a steady stream of twenty-man shuttles landed in a cleared area on the far end of the parkade and almost immediately took off again as they filled up. "The deployment is going smoothly," he said without turning. "The shuttles are barely on the ground more than a few moments before returning to the air. They're well trained, all of them. Oh, did you know that I have a daughter in the Guard?"
Blakert went to the window and, ignoring the bustle of activity going on just a few hundred meters below them, asked again, "What about after?"
Speaker Salera didn't answer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The man is crazy, Adela said to herself, dragging the back of an arm across her dripping forehead. Only a few hours past dawn, and already it's unbearable out here. The lightweight hot-weather uniform consisting of roomy khaki shorts and matching shirt helped somewhat, but she was constantly grateful that the humidity was as low as it was. She glanced at her watch and tapped at its diminutive screen, cycling through the various functions until finding the one she wanted. Thirty-nine degrees, and it's not even local noon yet. He really has lost it. Louder, she called, "Hey! You're crazy, you know that?"