Flight Of The Old Dog pm-1

by Dale Brown

  He turned again to Karmarov and raised his voice. "We give the Soviet Union three days to dismantle or render inoperative the Salyut Nineteen spacecraft. If it is not proved to our satisfaction that the Salyut Nineteen's mirror is incapable of steering a laser beam projected from Kavaznya to an atmosheric or ballistic vehicle anywhere on the globe, we will Passume that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the 1986

  Iceland Summit Arms Reduction Treaty are null and void and take appropriate steps to insure our national security."

  "And what steps are those?" Karmarov asked. "Will you go to war to back up your silly rhetoric, Mr. Secretary?Will you destroy civilization because of a baseless, insignificant, pie-inthe-sky threat?"

  Brent turned to the Russian ambassador, planting his hands firmly on Karmarov's desk. In a voice so low few could hear except Karmarov himself, Brent said, "Why, Dmitri?Why?

  We suspected almost from the beginning, and I took a tremendous risk and told you of our suspicions. Yet your government continued to use that laser device. Why? It doesn't make sense.

  "You were foolish to expose your so-called evidence like this, Brent," Kannarov said softly. "I need not try to explain. But forcing my government into a corner with outlandish grandstanding will not yield the results you want."

  "I asked you why, Dmitri," Brent asked. "Dammit, I-" "The device is an instrument of defense, of territorial security," Karmarov said between clenched teeth. "It is years ahead of its time, a device that even the most optimistic in your country would not have expected to become operational in another ten years, It violates no existing treaty. It affords a J defensive umbrella, its existence cannot merely be shouted away with threats."

  "You've got a choice," Brent said in a normal voice, stepping away from the Russian ambassador so the rest of the delegates could hear. "Start with the Salyut Nineteen aircraft.

  Disarm it, go up there and dismantle the mirror, burn it up in the atmosphere-I don't care. But prove to the United States that you will pledge to use the laser as a defensive device only.

  Right now it's an offensive weapon, and it's already been used to murder innocent American lives. The other choice is to prepare to accept the consequences of your actions. "Brent returned to his seat and slid into it slowly, studying the faces of those around him.

  "And what would those consequences be, Mr. Brent?"

  Karmarov said quietly in English. "Global war?Global death?" He was taunting his American colleague, but Brent folded his hands serenely and returned Karmarov's gaze in silence. Then the memory of their private meeting returned to him. Brent saw that Karmarov had remembered, too. Brent gathered his notes together and nodded to Adams, preparing to leave.

  "Zal Lyot, " Kartnarov said, almost in a whisper. Delegates scrambled for translation earpieces. Brent's gaze narrowed, as if in pain.

  "You cannot," Karmarov asked. "It will mean the end. You cannot-" "We can, we will," Marshall Brent said, hoping he sounded more convincing than he felt. He stood, nodded to Ian McCaan, and left the Security Council chambers.

  The scene in the hushed, dimly-fit blast-proof chamber beneath the White House known as the Situation Room could best be described as funereal-and, at that point, the atmosphere exactly matched Secretary of State Marshall Brent's mood.

  Brent waited for the President to signal that he was ready, then picked up the sheet of paper that lay in front of him and began: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have received the reply from the Soviet Premier to our charges concerning the use of the avaznya laser installation and the Salyut Nineteen orbiting mirror on the RC- 135 aircraft, the Alpha Omega Nine satellite, and the Javelin small I.C.B.M. It reads as follows-Quote:

  THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS CATEGORICALLY DENIES THE CHARGES LEVELED AGAINST IT IN CLOSED SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL.THE USSR REJECTS THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN CLOSED SESSION AS FABRICATION AND INADMISSIBLE.THE USSR DENIES ANY CULPABILITY IN THE ALLEGED LOSS OF ANY AIRCRAFT ON OR ABOUT THE THIRTEENTH OF NOVEMBER, NINETEEN EIGHTY-SEVEN, OR THE ALLEGED LOSS OF AN ILLEGAL SPY SATELLITE ON OR ABOUT THE SAME DATE.WE WILL NOT DIGNIFY THE BASELESS AND LUDICROUS CLAIM OF SHOOTING DOWN A MISSILE OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN WITH A DENIAL."

  "Those sonsofbitches," Curtis muttered.

  Brent went on,

  THE SOVIET UNION MAINTAINS THAT ANY GROUND-BASED LASER DEVICE IN EXISTENCE IS NOT A VIOLATION OF THE 1972 ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY, SINCE SUCH WEAPONS WERE NEVER ADDRESSED BY THAT TREATY, NOR IS THE PRESENCE OF A SPACE VEHICLE WITH A MIRROR ATTACHED TO IT IN ANY WAY IN VIOLATION OF ANY TREATY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT" S PROVOCATIVE ULTIMATUM DELIVERED BY THE AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE TO THE SOVIET UNITED NATIONS DELEGATION IS GROUNDLESS AND AGGRESSIVE, AND IT IS HEREBY REJECTED.THE UNITED STATES MUST OFFER PROOF, REAL PROOF, THAT THE ALLEGED LOSS OF THEIR EQUIPMENT WAS NOT CAUSED BY THEIR OWN INCOMPETENCE OR MALFUNCTION BEFORE THEY CAN BEGIN TO REQUEST ANYTHING FROM THIS SOVEREIGN NATION.

  WE FURTHER REJECT THE ATTEMPTS BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO COERCE THE SOVIET UNION BY THREATENING UNILATERALLY TO DISOBEY THE 1972

  ANTIBALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY AND THE UNRATIFIED 1986

  ARMS REDUCTION TREATY.A RESPONSIBLE NATION WOULD MAINTAIN THE PATH OF FAIR AND OPEN NEGOTIATIONS TO SOLVE A DISPUTE, AND NOT IMMEDIATELY JEOPARDIZE WORLD PEACE BY OPENLY THREATENING TO CANCEL AND VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL TREATIES.

  THE SOVIET UNION, AS ALWAYS, STANDS READY TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE LOSS OF AN AMERICAN AIRCRAFT OFF OUR SHORES, AND TO ENTER INTO TALKS ON ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR POSSIBLE TREATY VIOLATIONS THAT MAY BE CONNECTED WITH RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED IN EASTERN SIBERIA.WE PLEDGE OUR FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL COOPERATION IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACE.

  "So they've denied everything," Brent summarized.

  "They're willing to start talks on whether or not the radar violates the ABM treaty, but that's all."v'o We're back to where we started," Curtis said. He turned to the President. "Sir, with all due respect, I recommend immediate deployment of Ice Fortress.

  Brent shook his head. "And trigger World War Three?The solution would be worse than the problem."

  "Mr. Brent, we've had this argument before," Curtis said.

  "It's time to act. "He turned to the President. "Mr. President, if you prefer, we can launch the station itself in two consecutive Shuttle launches, one from Canaveral, one from Vandenburg, in one month. We can delay arming the station until all possible diplomatic avenues are exhausted. If we have no other choice, two follow-on launches can make the Fortress fully armed and ready two weeks later."

  There was a murmur of assent that filled the White House Situation Room. Brent looked around at the assembled advisors.

  "We'd be stooping to their level," Brent asked. "It would mean an escalation that we might not be able to control."

  "Why are they doing this?" the President asked rhetorically, massaging his temples. "Why?They can't be trying to provoke US."

  "They've achieved their goal of crippling our strategic warning and surveillance capabilities," Curtis asked. "That's why.

  Brent sighed. "Dammit, General, you see Russian invasions at every turn. We could launch another spy satellite-we could launch ten of them-and I believe they'd be safe because the Russians' objective has already been met. They've disorganized, confused, and scared this government. Don't you see, General?They want us to launch Ice Fortress. They want us to try to bomb Kavaznya or start a fight somewhere else in the world. No matter what they have already done, our response will be seen as much more aggressive in the eyes of the world.

  "So what you're saying," Curtis shot back, "is that our best move is to do nothing at all. Make big threats and then wait and wait after they've thumbed their noses at us. "He ran fingers through his hair, then slammed down his fist. "No. It's not a matter of being macho.

  I'm not convinced that the Russians don't have an attack plan behind this."

  Brent said nothing.

  "I'm sorry, Marshall," the President asked. "I know you tried. I'm thankful to you fo
r your efforts. But it doesn't seem to have worked.

  "No, but-" "We gave them exactly what they needed-more time. They rejected it. Its implication is clear. They'll feel emboldened to do more The President turned to Curtis.

  "general, I want a detailed briefing on Ice Fortress this aftermoon.

  "Yes, sir.

  "It makes no sense to launch Ice Fortress, " Brent continued to argue.

  The members of the President's Cabinet shifted uncomfortably.

  "We've heard all your arguments, Marshall "The Ice Fortress would be just as vulnerable as the Alpha Omega satellite, wouldn't it, General Curtis?Why launch a seven hundred million dollar target for the Soviets to beat on?"

  "Marshall," Ken Mitchell said, "in the case of Omega and the Javelin, both vehicles were destroyed by us, not by the laser. "The President looked surprised. "What?"

  "Remember, sir, I briefed you on this shortly after the attack on the Midgetman. "Mitchell had the look of an impatient schoolmaster. "The Omega was blinded and damaged, but not destroyed-we lost it when we tried to steer it through the atmosphere in an attempt to recover it intact. The Javelin apparently had sustained enough damage to prematurely ignite the third stage booster, but we don't know exactly how much damage was done-it was automatically destroyed when it flew off course.

  Brent slapped the table with his hand. "That doesn't answer my-" "In no case," Curtis cut him off, "was either vehicle shielded against a laser attack. A space station the size of Ice Fortress, assembled in space, can be armored to withstand as much direct energy as that nuclear power plant can put out. A beam of laser light, no matter how powerful, is still a beam of light-it can be reflected. I can have the researchers at Wright Patterson present a more detailed analysis, sir, but Ice Fortress can be protected."

  "We're betting a lot of money on your analysis, General," Brent said, shaking his head.

  "You're worried about the money, Mr. Brent-?"

  "No, dammit," Brent said, exploding. "Mr. President, it's not only the risk of losing the hardware, sir-Ice Fortress represents the worst fears about the militarization of space.

  Can we stand the pressure of world opinion if we launch that thing?"

  "I'm more concerned about losing the ability to maintain deterrence," Curtis said. Perhaps you don't understand we have lost a good percentage of our strategic nuclear deterrent power. Right now, right this minute, Mr. Brent, we can't detect a missile launch from eastern Asia. There are twelve submarines docked at Petropavlovsk, each with an average of fifteen sea-launched ballistic missiles. Each of those carry three warheads, maybe more. Mr. Brent, we can't tell if the Russians launch those missiles until they are ten minutes from impact.

  That's not speculative-that's fact. And the Soviets have demonstrated a capability of destroying our missiles in the boost phase. So, if they did launch those missiles, and we retaliated, a good percentage of our missiles wouldn't reach their targets.

  Curtis had everyone's attention.

  "It may be everyone's image of Armageddon," Curtis concluded, "but we need Ice Fortress. The risk of losing it is far outweighed by our need for a bargaining chip."

  Brent offered no further argument.

  "Marshall, draft a statement of protest to the Kremlin for my signature," the President asked. "Get with Karrnarov at the U.N. and ask him what the hell is going on. I want the Soviets to know they've committed an act of war and that we intend to respond.

  "I'd advise against using such language, sir," Brent said.

  The President glanced around the Situation Room chamber at the shaking heads. He too shook his head.

  "An act of war, Marshall. That's what it is.that's what I said.

  THE UNITED NATIONS, SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

  "It is an act of war!"

  Marshall Brent sat back in his seat, turning down the volume of Dmitri Karmarov's tirade on the floor of the United Nations Security Council.

  Beside him, Gregory Adams took careful notes, penciling in occasional comments.

  Karmarov held aloft five books in his hands and waved them in the air for the rest of the Security Council to see. "Five treaties, fellow delegates. The United States has wantonly violated five important treaties with the Soviet Union and with this body. They have wrecked years of vital negotiations that have sought to bring a lasting peace to the world. "He threw the books into the aisle in front of him, and the delegate from Rumania quickly reached back to pick them up.

  "They are useless. Wasted. Dust. "Karmarov waved away the five volumes, pointed a finger at the American delegation.

  "The militarization of space is not merely a threat to the Soviet Union, fellow representatives. It is a threat to us all. The United States will now continue to build vast machines of destruction orbiting over our heads, over our homes, over our seats of government. This Ice Fortress of theirs may now be orbiting over the North Pole, as the Americans claim, but it has the capability to be instantly steered and repositioned anywhere over the Earth. Anywhere. Don't be fooled by comforting assurances. No one is safe.

  "They say it has no nuclear weapons on board-they even offer to have observers come aboard and examine it, as if it took only a short boat ride to get to it. But don't be fooled.

  They also say their carriers and warships that dock in Japanese ports carry no nuclear weapons, and they are technically correct-until all the critical components are assembled and the weapon is prearmed, no nuclear weapons exist. It is a sham."

  Karmarov turned toward the American delegation. "I don't care," he said, "what possible reasons the United States could have for launching their Ice Fortress. Doubtless, they will blame it on the Soviet Union, as they have blamed so many incidents on us in the past. Doubtless, they will invent another tale of disaster. But there exists no possible reason on this earth for the United States to violate five international agreements and jeopardize the peace and well-being of not only the Soviet Union but of the rest of the world by launching this doomsday device.

  "I call upon the United States to immediately deactivate their illegal Ice Fortress. Because it appears they cannot be trusted to abide by any agreements between nations, I call upon an independent United Nations team of observers to examine all future Space Shuttle launches to guarantee that they are carrying no weapons of any kind to be used aboard their space platform. I further demand that no corrections be made to the existing platform's orbit so that it may be allowed to reenter the atmosphere and be destroyed. "When Gregory Adams straightened to address the Council, Marshall Brent held his arm.

  Keeping his hands folded before him on the long, curved table, he glanced around at the assembled delegates and began: "There comes a time," Brent said, "when international agreements lose meaning. There was a time when the government of the United States felt secure negotiating a lasting peace and true disarmament. Our respective governments hoped against hope that our talks would eventually lead to the elimination of all nuclear weapons from the face of the earth by the year two thousand. I assure you, our government is still willing to continue those negotiations… even though we have evidence that the Soviet Union has wantonly attacked American space vehicles, including a satellite, a missile testfiring, and a reconnaissance aircraft with the resultant loss of twelve innocent lives and a billion dollars worth of valuable equipment. We regretfully conclude that the Soviet Union will continue on its reckless course. The evidence is overwhelming, incontrovertible. No treaty of agreement, past, present or future, can oblige us to give up our ability to defend ourselves.

  "Our original charges and the evidence we presented to support those charges stand. Absent the desired approval of this body, we must use our own resources to protect ourselves.

  "The antiballistic missile space platform will remain until it is demonstrated to our satisfaction that.the Soviet Union will tellites and cease all attacks against our reconnaissance sa aircraft. We ask again that the Soviet Union show its good will by deactivating the Salyut Nineteen orbiting mirror spacecraft immedi
ately We can wait no longer. "He bowed his head, "I am very sorry, we can trying to summon additional strength.

  wait no longer."

  He then stood and quickly left the Security Council, with Gregory Adams following close behind.

  THE SPACE SHUTTLE, ATLANTIS

  They were in business again.

  Navy Commander Richard Seedeck prepared his spacesuit for his upcoming EVA, extravehicular activity-his space walk. The forty-two-year-old veteran astronaut, now on his second Shuttle mission, was having the time of his life.

  Seedeck had just returned from Atlantis' flight deck, where he had been pre-breathing pure oxygen for the past hour. He was now in the airlock, smoothly but quickly putting on his equipment. Jerrod Bates, a civilian defense contractor on board Atlantis as an expert advisor and engineer, watched Seedeck put on his suit, marveling at the speed with which he dressed.

  It always took Bates twice as long to accomplish the same task.

  There was nothing like being in space, Seedeck thought, and nothing like being on board the Space Shuttle. No one on board was a passenger-everyone was a crewman, a necessity. Each was busy seventeen hours a day.

  And there were fewer "mice and monkey" research flights, too. Like this one. This one was top secret all the way, all heavy-duty military hardware. Even the usual press speculation about the payload was nonexistent-or it had been effectively quashed.

  "What are you smiling about, Commander?" Bates finally asked.

  "I'm smiling at how good this feels, Bates," Seedeck said, talking through the clear plastic facemask he was wearing. He finished donning the lower torso part of his spacesuit and unbuckled the upper part from a holder in the airlock. Bates reached out to hold the bulky suit for Seedeck to climb into, but that was unnecessary-Seedeck merely let go and weightlessness held the suit exactly where Seedeck had left it.