The Centauri Conspiracy

by G Russell Peterman

Chapter Thirty-five

  Planning for separation

  In the secret conference room in the basement, Woll the Clone with two books in front of him reports that sixteen more people, two families, were sent to the Silo. Woll requests two more books for bribe money for a new route out of the city and new access codes to police systems.

  Bakman slides three across the table saying, "One extra for a just encase need."

  Woll sets the new books on top of the others.

  Bakman points at M.

  Emmert Barbre tells the group, "The police are looking around the basement floors of this building and several others in this area. I checked the bank records of all the people in the building and my team found two people, a married childless couple, with unusual deposits of cash. The amounts are not large, but these deposits came in the middle of the month the last two months. We pay monthly on the twenty-eight direct to the bank of their choice. Regular cash deposits seem strange and suspicious to me."

  Breen tells the others more information about the suspicious couple, "I've ordered my men to shadow these two people. One, the husband, works on the fourth floor and his wife, works on the 19th floor. They live within their means on the west side and neither has access to sensitive material. I've listed our information for Woll,” and his hand slides across a sheet of paper.

  “In addition, we have another older couple that both work here below the fourteenth but live on the east side. Last week they moved into a more expensive apartment, lavish would describe this one. We have no evidence they’re talking, but can’t find evidence of a rich inheritance or any record of a large saving account or interest paid. I believe they took cash and plan to pay it out a little at time each month in rent, because only half of the rent is being deducted from their account.

  Neither couple has any children. From police activities we believe both must have told the police we make an unusual large number of trips down to the sixth level basement." Breen slides a second piece of paper across to Woll.

  "I want all members of both families taken and transported to the Silo. It is better to be safe than sorry later," Bakman orders sliding four more books toward Woll.

  "We can do both of these best at night this week," Woll reports as he stacks the books placed in front of him. His hand slides the stack of books to his left for his bodyguard to carry.

  "When," Breen asks?

  "Tomorrow night at the earliest," Woll replies and all nod.

  "Good. After this shipment, I want Traud and two of Breen's men to take two cases of books, some of our disks, and make some new contacts at Earth Docking Station Two assembly area near New Louisville. Woll, do you have a team of three that you could send along."

  "For what purpose," Woll asks.

  "We need to recruit people on the inside of that new equipment installation launch and at least one that will work up on the newly expanded Earth Orbiting Docking Station Number Two. We will have to bribe people, buy people, or get at least one of our people up there. If we get someone outside this building, someone already on the U.N. payroll, it would be more difficult to connect this to us. We buy a little time, maybe several days or as long as a week and slow down the trace back to us. All they will have if that person talks is a contact person with a fake name. It's important first to find a safe transfer of equipment and money place without recorders."

  As Bakman explains, Woll nods his head understanding a little but still has a puzzled frown on his face.

  So, Bakman explains more fully their need. "The spaceship will connect to the Space Dock. Flexible tubes, walkway ramps, extend out to the ship and are fastened to it with electric magnetic locks. Small booster rockets guide it into place and a switch closes the magnetic locks holding the ship fast. We want a device planted in the system to cut the power to all five of those electro-magnetic locks at once and disable the backup system. If we don't, the system’s backup will automatically in less than four milliseconds route power back to those electro-magnetic locks. If that happens . . . nothing happens. The spaceship doesn't go anywhere. We wasted a lot of time and money. We must short-out the entire system, including disabling the backup, to let the spacecraft float away. Our people paid to have added to the guidance system here on earth a feature that automatically fires the dockside thrusters to push the ship away when this happens. They called it a safety feature."

  A still frowning Woll asks, "What good does that do. Afterward they will just go out with power packs on a sled, hook on cables, pull it back, and re-dock the ship manually."

  "Our feature has a two minute delay and then it turns on the automatic pilot which starts warming the main engine core. At first only the rear-thrusters and dockside thrusters start again at minimum power pushing it further away while the engine core warms. The rear and side thrusters firing will slowly push the ship forward and away, a mile or two at the most, before they quit. We don't want to damage the space station. When the thrusters suddenly start again two minutes later standard procedure tells the ground controllers and the orbiting station crew to try to turn thruster off though signals to the ship first. That gives us time. Only after the ship responds and turns off all thrusters will the officer-in-charge allow a crew to suit up and ride the cable sleds out. In less than six minutes from ramp-lock release at the dock, the main engines will be hot enough to fire at low minimum. That will push the ship away a safe distance of about a hundred miles before main engines fire at maximum. It flies away at full speed. The flight path will start toward Mars before arcing toward the sun and away from Mars. It will take time to get pursuit vehicles launched from Earth or Mars. On this path neither can catch it. Controllers will report the runaway craft headed for the sun and lost. When it is out of danger the automatic pilot is programmed to arc away from the sun and put it on a programmed course out into deep space."

  Finally, Woll’s head nods his understanding and Bakman continues. "Our entire plan rests on that device shorting out all five electro-magnetic locks at once and being able to disable somehow the backup. Maag has studied the locking system. We can use one of two types of devices: set off on site or remotely. The best would be an explosive device in the Main Controls we can set off remotely. An agent on the Space Station would not know the exact day or time it will be needed so it has to be set off with a signal from below. The remote type Maag’s crew says is less risky. The second, a short or gap wired into the backup system will shut down all lines. This should take longer for them to find us. At the end of next month, a crew is going up to install the new larger magnetic lock’s electrical system. A remotely activated small explosive charge will be wired into the system, and we hope to have a disconnected backup. M will give you the names of that crew when we know it. We need at least one willing person or two on Earth Orbiting Docking Station Number Two to install our device and disable the backup. We cannot use a remote on the backup because the case has lead shielding to protect it against sun flare radiation. Our signal will not penetrate lead. On the ground we need another agent to pack the device in an identifiable equipment case."

  Woll nods he understands and speaks. "If you can wait a day, I'll go along to collect our shipment tonight and then join your sabotage group with two good men from that area. We can talk to people your man could never find or get to see."

  "Good. Traud will take along three full boxes of books and a box of disks about people. Send back names if more information needs to be collected about others. If you need more books or information send word. This job is critical. Cost is not an option. M will move a small communications team to a nearby city, its name is to remain secret except to those on the ground in the first city, and you can contact us through them. M’s team has portable encryption devices. Everything must be in the launch city and be ready before the U.N. votes in fifty-six days and their teams are scheduled to leave for space nine days after that. Woll will contact Breen for location, signs, and codes."

  “Everyone, talk this thing through again, I have to go up
stairs for a meeting," Bakman tells them as he moves toward the door. When he opened it, for a moment he was surprised again that Zee his bodyguard was not waiting. Then, he smiled warmly at Mary, who is his bodyguard now, and she takes his arm. Harry wanted him to look after her but Mary protected him. Bakman smiles and Mary smiles back.

  In the hallway a view-screen beside the elevator door lights up with Breen’s face. “Call for you came requesting Mister Duncan G. Bakman at the warehouse on sixth level. A transport driver from Mid-Mississippi Valley Agricultural Authority has a full cargo transport load he is trying to deliver. The load was ordered by Mister Harry OpDyke to be delivered to a Mister Duncan G. Bakman. The driver says that there are three more loads are in route behind him less than a half hour.” After a moment’s pause Breen asks, “You know anything about that.”

  “I know about it. Tell the attendant that Mary and I’ll be there in about three or four minutes to sign for it . . . Bakman out.” The screen blinks out.

  Inside the elevator Bakman hugs Mary and whispers in her ear, “Mary . . . your Harry was a wonder.”

  “Yes, my Harry was.”