by Ted Halstead
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Gobi Desert, China
General Yang Mingren had mixed feelings as he watched the hum of activity all around him at the Mission Command and Control Center. The last time, he had been eager to score a victory over the American billionaire Wade that would save his career.
And it had come, a success that had cost him years of effort to achieve.
But now, it left him with a single missile and no backup. Worse, Yang feared he had used up his store of luck on the last mission.
So now Yang was hoping he had been right to tell President Lin the Spaceship that Wade was launching today from Florida would contain a test cargo of ballast and monitoring instruments, not satellites.
Wade had been saying for months that his new rocket could deliver cargo anywhere on Earth on a same day basis. The American military was one of the few organizations, though, requiring such a capability that could afford to pay the price Wade needed to make delivery profitable.
The American billionaire would never risk the money to be made from this new business.
Or would he?
Yang shook his head with irritation. Pointless to speculate when in a few minutes, he would know.
As before, the massive display screen in front of the Mission Command and Control Center split into two side-by-side images. On the right, the American news network's real-time image of Wade's Spaceship sitting on its Florida launch pad.
On the left, the display that would track the rocket's progress towards its landing point in Afghanistan.
Assuming it went where it was supposed to go.
Mercifully, there were no last-minute delays to the countdown. And it took only moments for the track on the display showing the rocket's progress to illuminate, indicating that China's newly enhanced capability to detect and track foreign missile launches was working correctly.
A few minutes later, a beaming man reported to Yang.
"General, I am Lead Technician Jiandan. Our analysis of the rocket's trajectory shows it is on a flight path to land cargo in Afghanistan, exactly as the Americans had announced," he said.
At nearly the same moment, a harsh klaxon sounded. Jiandan paled and ran to his terminal.
Rapid typing followed.
Now the display screen dominating the front of the Mission Command and Control Center split into three side-by-side images.
The third showed a second rocket's ascent being tracked from California.
"General, the Americans have launched another rocket from Vandenberg Air Base in California. We're analyzing its trajectory now," Jiandan said, as the activity around him increased to nearly frantic.
Yang sat rooted in his chair. What was happening?
"Is it another Starship?" Yang asked.
"No, General. It is one of their old Eagle rockets, with a much smaller payload. The American media reports that no one, including their government, anticipated this launch," Jiandan replied.
The image on the screen that had been occupied by the American news network's coverage of the Florida launch had now switched to California.
A twisting trail of smoke and vapor was on the screen that looked as though it had been captured from a distance.
The news anchor's voice said, "We've still been unable to get any comment from either NASA or the FAA about today's rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Base. The Pentagon has confirmed that it's not a launch conducted by the US military. We'll bring you more details as soon as they become available…"
Yang turned away from the display and asked Jiandan, "Do we know where this second rocket is headed?"
Jiandan nodded nervously and said, "Yes, sir. It's on track to the same satellite deployment point as the last rocket we destroyed. However, its possible payload is much less, sixty or so instead of four hundred satellites."
Yang wasted no time replying. Instead, he typed the command in his keyboard for the SU-34 to launch from Qingshui Air Base with their last modified Kinzhal missile.
When he looked up, Jiandan was still standing there, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
"Something else?" Yang growled.
Jiandan nodded miserably. "The first rocket, the Spaceship, has changed course. We're not sure yet, but it looks like it might land within China."
Yang stared speechlessly at Jiandan for a moment. Then he asked, "How long before you know for sure?"
"Assuming it doesn't change course again, just a few minutes," Jiandan replied and hurried off to his console.
Within China? Not even Wade would dare. And what could he hope to accomplish?
The answer came to him immediately.
The Spaceship was a distraction, meant to draw him away from the Eagle rocket that would deploy more satellites.
Well, it wasn't going to work.
No sooner had Yang made his decision than Jiandan announced, "The Spaceship's course has been fully plotted. If it makes no additional change in direction, it will land in northern Myanmar, not repeat, not China."
Of course, Yang said to himself with a nod. Myanmar, which many in the West still called Burma, was a poor country with no ability to impose any real penalty for Wade's "accidental landing" on their territory.
Bordering China.
But by making it look like the Spaceship might land in China, Wade had hoped to draw attention away from whatever had destroyed his last rocket.
Yang quickly typed in the orders directing the SU-34 to fire its modified Kinzhal missile at the Eagle rocket's payload as soon as a lock had been achieved.
Nice try, Mr. Wade, Yang thought with a sardonic smile.
Against a more gullible opponent, it might have worked.
Yang sat back to wait for the announcement that a lock against the Eagle rocket's satellite payload had been achieved.
And waited.
Yang frowned and looked up at the main display, where the Eagle rocket's progress was being tracked.
The satellite payload had separated from the rocket.
"Why has no lock been transmitted to the SU-34?" Yang asked with a cold fury that made everyone near him duck.
Except, to his credit, Jiandan.
Jiandan kept his eyes focused on his monitor and maintained his rapid typing as he replied.
"The Eagle's payload is much smaller than the Spaceship's. So it is harder to track. But our ground stations are doing all they can. I am almost ready to transmit our best guess as a lock to the attack plane unless you object," Jiandan said evenly.
"Has the payload begun deployment?" Yang asked.
"As far as we can tell so far, no. But if we wait, yes," Jiandan replied.
"Transmit the lock as soon as you are ready," Yang ordered.
Jiandan didn't bother acknowledging the order and kept typing.
Moments later, Jiandan sat back and nodded, rubbing his hands together as though his fingers were sore.
Well, Yang thought, maybe they were.
At almost the same instant, the message came to Yang's terminal that the SU-34 had fired.
Yang leaned forward and fixed his gaze on the small dot on the main display representing the satellite payload. With an intensity that looked to everyone nearby capable of destroying the payload on its own.
Seemingly endless moments passed as Yang felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach. A missile launched on Jiandan's "best guess" against a target in the vastness of space? What had he been thinking?
The voice in his head answered promptly. If he'd waited for a better lock, satellites might have started deploying. And then he'd be fired at best.
Prison was only the beginning of a long list headed "at worst."
The small dot on the display wavered and then disappeared.
Jiandan shouted, "Target destroyed!"
Everyone present cheered and clapped. Just like the last time, Yang was one of them.
This time, though, there was one difference.
Still smiling and cheering
, Yang walked up to Jiandan and put his arm around his shoulders.
"Congratulations to you and your team!" Yang said in a loud voice as he led Jiandan away from the happy, cheering crowd.
Once he thought they were safe from being overheard, Yang asked in a low, intense voice, "Did any of the satellites deploy?"
Jiandan immediately shook his head. "I don't think so, General."
Yang's smile disappeared, and he asked even more quietly, "When will you know for sure?"
"Let's go to my office, General. I have a monitor there that will let us see if any deployments have been detected," Jiandan said.
Yang nodded, and moments later, they were in an office that reminded him of one he had been assigned as a Lieutenant. Enough room for Jiandan, a desk, and a monitor.
And, barely, one very impatient General.
Yang hadn't imagined it possible to type more rapidly than Jiandan had before. Well, Yang mused, I suppose having someone standing behind you with the power to have you arrested on the spot is a superior motivator.
A black screen with numbers marching across the bottom appeared on the monitor.
Jiandan tapped the numbers at the bottom of the monitor's screen. Yang realized with a start that they were all the same number.
Zero.
"This display shows tracking station data from the area of space where the payload was destroyed. I directed them to look for any signals being broadcast in the area. As you can see from the zeros on the screen, none have been found so far," Jiandan said.
Yang looked at the screen intently. "Couldn't surviving satellites be waiting unpowered, in case we launch another attack? And can't we see them whether they're powered or not?"
Jiandan shook his head. "SpaceLink has had many complaints from astronomers about their satellites interfering with astronomical observations. So, they have done everything possible to reduce their brightness. To the point where seeing them from the ground is now impossible. But I doubt very much that any surviving satellites are deliberately waiting unpowered."
"Why?" Yang snapped, his temper starting to fray.
"Because of how satellites work," Jiandan replied. "They need to remain in contact with a ground station to function properly, especially just after deployment. In short, if you lose contact with a satellite, there's no guarantee you'll ever get it back."
Yang felt the sick feeling in his stomach that had never really gone away, starting to ease.
"How long before we know for sure?" Yang asked.
Jiandan shrugged. "Unless some number other than zero shows up on my monitor while we're sitting here, I'm ready to call it now. Remember, General, our primary job at this launch center is satellite deployment. If this long had passed since deployment with no signal transmission sent by a satellite launched from here, we'd consider it lost. I'm going to draft a report to my headquarters in Beijing for your approval right now. Unless we intercept a satellite transmission before I'm done, it's going to declare the Eagle's satellite payload confirmed destroyed."
The icy hand that had been massaging Yang's stomach now released its grip almost entirely.
Yang nodded brusquely and hurried back to his terminal, ignoring the curious looks from the staff who had been cheering with him moments before.
As promised, it only took a few minutes before a soft chime announced the arrival of Jiandan's report.
Which said the satellites carried by the Eagle rocket had been completely destroyed.
A wave of relief passed through Yang as he added his authentication code to the report and pressed the button that would send it on to several destinations in Beijing.
Including the Office of the President.
Now Yang focused on those faces all around him, clearly wondering what was happening. And for once, satisfying the curiosity of people he didn't know was no trouble.
"We have just informed the President of our success!" Yang called out in a voice loud enough for all to hear.
Yang had thought the massed technicians were loud before. Now they threatened to damage his hearing.
Yang smiled, relaxed, and let their cheers and raucous laughter wash over him.
He didn't mind the din. Not at all.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Myanmar-China Border
Near Ruili, China
The Forward agent driving the semitrailer had picked the pseudonym "Lishi" when he joined. Both because the name was uncommon and since he liked its meaning. After all, anyone taking the risks involved with Forward membership had to be hoping to make "history."
So far, everything had gone as well as he could have hoped. The Spaceship's cargo module had floated to a nearly perfect landing in a clearing just out of sight of the nearby road. A road just twenty kilometers away from this border crossing point.
Smuggling had been the lifeblood of this region for centuries. Hiring a team of men to move the cargo using small four-wheel-drive vehicles to the semitrailers had been both easy and cheap. Particularly after Lishi had repeated several times that, no, he wasn't smuggling drugs.
Apparently, anything to do with drugs was much riskier. And so more expensive.
In the dead of night, Lishi hadn't been expecting much traffic on the road. And indeed, only a few cars had passed by as his team loaded the cargo module's boxes from their 4x4 vehicles into the two standard forty-foot containers he was hauling.
Lishi had driven a "B-double" before, but this time was happy he wouldn't have to do so for long. The B-double combined the prime mover where he was sitting attached to two semitrailers, linked together by an additional wheel. The additional wheel provided a level of extra stability, though that was a relative term.
Fortunately, none of the passing vehicles had contained police. But Lishi had wondered whether any drivers from the passing cars would call the police. After all, the scene they were passing could fairly be described as suspicious.
Apparently, nobody cared. Or wanted to risk becoming involved. After all, cell phone numbers might be traced back to their owner.
Because Lishi had driven without incident right across the Ruili Jiegao bridge, marking the border between Myanmar and China. A new border crossing point had been built specifically for the transport route Lishi planned to use.
Lishi eased his semitrailer into the designated lane, leading to the right as soon as he crossed the bridge into the Chinese city of Ruili.
Lishi could also see the flashing lights of a checkpoint directly ahead for any vehicle not making the turn.
At this hour, there were only a few vehicles ahead of Lishi, all semitrailers, but none B-doubles. It didn't take long for his turn to arrive.
"Papers," the armed border guard said impatiently as soon as Lishi brought his semitrailer next to the inspection station.
Lishi mutely handed a thick sheaf of documents through the vehicle's window to the scowling guard.
The guard's scowl deepened as he flipped through the documents.
"These documents don't make any sense! They say no customs duty is due because everything you're shipping was made in China! So, then, why are you bringing them from Myanmar into China?" the guard asked.
Lishi shrugged. "If you look through all the documents, you'll see these are wireless routers that were made in China and then shipped to Europe for sale there. The European wholesaler who bought the routers stopped distributing them after the first ones sent to retailers were rejected by consumers, who said they didn't work. The wholesaler has paid to return them to the manufacturer in Dali and is demanding a refund."
Then Lishi grinned. "My boss told me they plan to sue the manufacturer in our courts."
The guard's expression cleared as he took in Lishi's explanation. Finally, he laughed.
"They must be idiots," the guard said. "Still, I need you to open up for inspection."
"Of course, officer," Lishi said politely and hurried to open the doors to both containers. As they swung wide, he added, "If you wish to confiscate the shipm
ent, you are more than welcome. I get paid either way."
The guard said nothing in response, and for a moment, Lishi thought he might have overplayed his hand.
With an agility that surprised Lishi, the guard clambered into the back of each container. Ignoring the cargo stacked in the front, he methodically moved boxes around until he had nearly reached the far end of the first container.
Then, he reached out and picked up a box. It took him only moments to repeat the procedure with the second container.
Moments later, the guard was back at Lishi's side. Then, he snapped a command in a loud voice.
Out of the darkness, two uniformed soldiers were suddenly on both sides of Lishi, guns drawn.
"This is your last chance to admit you have been attempting to smuggle prohibited items and perhaps obtain a reduced sentence. Do you wish to confess?" the border guard asked, fixing Lishi with a piercing stare.
Lishi shrugged. "No. The boxes contain exactly what I said."
The guard grunted and took a knife from his belt, and with a single deft stroke, opened first one box and then the other.
Then, he lifted out one of the Gateways and looked at it curiously.
"I have a wireless router at home. This one looks different. It's a little smaller. And the antenna is odd," the guard said.
Lishi shrugged again. "I asked the friend who got me this job whether he'd taken any for himself, knowing the answer. He told me the Europeans weren't lying. They don't work. The antenna is supposed to distribute the wireless signal around the home more efficiently, but it doesn't. You and your men are welcome to take as many as you like to try them for yourself. Maybe you'll have more luck."
"What's this?" the guard said with a frown as he looked intently at the Gateway's underside.
Then he scraped at it with a fingernail.
Lishi felt as though his heart had stopped.
A tiny rectangular piece of paper fluttered to the ground.
The guard cursed and pulled a small flashlight from his belt. Then he trained it on the ground.
Lishi tried to look unconcerned. He doubted very much that he was succeeding.
Fortunately, the guard's attention was entirely focused on his search for the small slip of paper.