The Commander (5 page)

Roth chuckled. “You must have some fancy lab if you want me to see it that bad. You gotta understand, Luke; I’m not interested. I’ll come take a look for old time’s sake, but I’m telling you, nothing’s going to impress me that much.”

Luke watched the emotions play across Roth’s face in the Moonbase One hangar. They had just gotten out of the shuttle and Luke knew from experience that Roth was still struggling to come to grips with everything he’d been told during the trip from Earth.

Roth looked at his watch. “I guess I was wrong about not being impressed,” he whispered to himself. “Thirty-three minutes from takeoff. That’s around five hundred thousand miles per hour.” He gave Luke a quizzical glance. “So what do you have in mind? I haven’t said yes, though, by the way. But this…”

Roth trailed off as Luke guided him through the food court toward the training room. A disheveled Annie met them coming the other way. She was pushing a huge stack of heavy furniture without apparent effort. Luke explained that sensors reversed the gravity under the pile of furnishings to slightly negative as Annie pushed it along and then changed it back to one gee once she passed.

“Hi,” Annie greeted them cheerily. “Did he take your offer yet?”

“Not yet. Roth, this is my colleague, Annie Daniels. She’s our finance director. We recruited her from Royal Deutsche Banque.”

That wasn’t strictly true, he’d recruited Annie from a cheap diner in Baggs, but a formal version might be more palatable for someone like Roth. Not that she looked much like a financier in her current condition.

“Please hurry and say yes, Professor. He won’t hire anyone else until you’re onboard. In the meantime,
I’m
doing all the grunt work.” She didn’t stop to chat further, just kept moving down the corridor.

The two men watched her retreating figure for a moment and then stared at each other, unsure what to say.

“Is she…?” Roth asked uncertainly.

“Totally off limits,” Luke replied firmly before continuing to the training room.

“Okay.” Roth nodded. “That’s smart.”

“Anyway.” Luke broke the awkward silence. “You were the best boss I ever had. You’ve got the management skills to handle a big organization. You’ve got a scientific background. You are the perfect fit for this job and I can’t tell you how critical it is that we get started.”

“What’s the job exactly?” Roth asked.

“Your job would be to run this place. I see it as a mirror to when you were a commander at Nellis. You brought their very first F-35 squadrons to mission ready status. That was a brand new fighter with technology most of us had never seen. Same thing here. You’ll need a maintenance chief, engineers, logistics, and a personnel chief.”

“How much of that is in place right now?” Roth asked.

“You, me and Annie.”

Roth shook his head.

“This is the training room,” Luke explained. “Let me introduce you to George. He’s the resident AI. George, this is Dr. Roth Higgins.”

“Good afternoon, Dr. Higgins.”

“I’m leaving you here for a few minutes,” Luke told Roth. “George is going to give you a thorough overview of what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s more understandable when you see his presentation. Ask questions at any time.”

Roth had a long discussion with George. Luke joined afterward to talk about the threat mankind was facing and the mammoth task in preparing to meet it. Two hours later the men departed Moonbase One for Baggs.

“I’ll give the university a week’s notice,” Roth said.

“Perfect,” Luke agreed. “That will give you enough time to spread the word about the great job opportunities in PDEF. We start advertising this weekend. The public pitch is that we’re building a new research facility in an undisclosed location, one that’s rough and inhospitable. We hint, but won’t confirm, it’s in the Antarctic. We encourage job seekers to bring their families. Other than that, all we promise is that it is a remote, extended duration contract where employees will be out of touch with people back home. No cell service at the South Pole…or here.”

“When will you tell them what’s really going on?”

“I won’t. They’ll figure it out when they get to Moonbase One.”

“Kind of harsh, don’t you think?” Roth asked.

“Not as harsh as having our planet blown away,” Luke replied, putting that question firmly to rest. “Let me know if there is anybody in particular you want and I’ll visit them in person.”

“How will you review everyone? You’re going to get thousands of resumes, you know. And most of them won’t be accurate.”

“I know,” Luke said. “We contracted with NexGen Recruiting and other big headhunting firms. They’ve got systems in place to do that kind of screening. Annie had our attorneys customize their standard contracts. We established rewards for bringing in the right people and stiff penalties for giving us duds.”

“I’d like to bring in Samantha Meyer,” Roth suggested. “Last I heard she was the head of Space Systems in Denver. She’s a real tiger and one of the brightest people I’ve ever met. And she’ll know who else is a good fit.”

“Let her know I’ll be calling on her. If you can get me an appointment, even better. One more thing,” Luke added.

“What’s that?”

“Welcome aboard, Roth.”

# # #

Samantha Meyer was an easy recruit. She’d crossed paths with Roth a decade earlier and her respect for the older gentleman rivaled Luke’s own. She expected Luke’s visit, having been prompted by Roth to accept a quick flight on the Gulfstream.

Once Samantha was on board she and Roth decided the next item on the to-do list was a construction crew. Once the recruitment process kicked into gear they would be bringing on hundreds of people a week. That meant building a host of facilities and everything that was part of constructing a small city. That including providing homes for everyone to live in.

Samantha sent Luke after Ambrose Baker, the senior manager for engineering and construction at a large multi-national corporation. He, in turn, brought along structural engineers, architects, and an entire construction team. Luke promised the builders a full year contract, with options to stay longer if they wished.

Everyone hired had to sign an employment agreement acknowledging they would be out of touch for a full year.

Annie in particular breathed a huge sigh of relief when the construction crew showed up. She had been running ragged, furnishing all of the existing rooms. With the arrival of the construction team, Luke sent Annie back to Earth almost full time.

She flew to Seattle where she contracted with the international firm, Okada Accounting, to manage their payroll and other financials. Even if their employee’s worldly needs were being supplied, wages still had to be deposited to real bank accounts. Talented scientists could be tempted by exciting research, but people wanted to know there was a paycheck somewhere.

Luke didn’t want Annie getting bogged down with accounting and auditing requirements. She complained that she could handle those activities; she was an accountant, after all. Her complaints vanished when he tasked her to oversee the infrastructure development of the Baggs airport, starting with a thousand-bed luxury hotel and convention center.

Luke hated to dump so much on her young shoulders, but her financial skills weren’t necessary on the moon; money didn’t exist at Moonbase. Instead, he needed a partner planetside who knew what was going on. Someone had to prepare for the day when the secret of Moonbase One’s existence became public.

“It’s going to happen at the end of the first year,” he told her. “That’s when the employment contracts start expiring.”

Luke hoped most of their recruits would remain on the moon, but if even a few employees returned to their hometown, the word would be out. When that happened, he expected two significant events. First, he could openly recruit people to come work on the moon; and second, their growth would explode. They had to be ready for that growth. It meant infrastructure on the moon, of course, but it also meant preparing a base of operations Earthside. The airport at Baggs was going to be that base and Annie had to get it ready.

“We don’t have weapons?” Luke asked. It was an unsettling discovery.

“None at all,” Lou Morrow admitted. Morrow had arrived the day before to oversee the fleet development for a new space navy.

Morrow was the second oldest guy on the moon, next to Roth. He had a grizzled look, earned from a lifetime of building mammoth seaworthy vessels. Samantha said that Morrow was the last true visionary when it came to shipbuilding. He was responsible for many of the advances built into new aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines

The morning after his arrival Morrow went to his new boss, Samantha, and insisted on having an emergency meeting with Luke. In turn Samantha pulled in her boss, Roth. They now sat at the small conference table in Luke’s Moonbase office.

“But that’s what you’re going to build, right?” Luke asked. “You will meet our need for ships and weapons.”

Morrow looked at the ceiling. “George, why don’t you summarize what we talked about last night.”

“Of course, Lou,” George responded. “Commander, Mr. Morrow is referring to my lack of knowledge about weapons systems that are capable of mounting an effective strategic campaign against the alien advance.”

“What do you mean, your
lack of knowledge
? If authorization is a problem, I’m authorizing you to tell him everything you know.”

“Thank you, Commander,” George replied. “That was assumed. His concern is that I have no knowledge of such weapons.”

“Seriously? I mean you really have no such knowledge? Are you holding back? Is this a limitation imposed by the Nobility?”

“While that is a possibility, I think it improbable. If it is true, I’m not aware of the fact. Beyond that, if you’re asking am I deliberately holding back information, I assure you that is not the case.”

“Then how are we supposed to fight the aliens?”

“That, Commander, I do not know. I must confess I was curious about your plan.”

Luke looked at Morrow. “Well, that sucks.”

Morrow nodded sourly. “‘Appears there’s a lot you didn’t tell me when I signed on with this outfit’,” Lou quoted.

Luke was sympathetic. “Yeah, if you only knew. But that doesn’t solve the problem. George, what would you suggest.”

“I don’t have any suggestions Commander Blackburn. Your planet’s combat armaments would be ineffectual in a modern conflict.”

“What about phasers and photon torpedoes and those sort of things?”

“Those are fictional concepts, Commander.”

“Yeah, I know that. But can’t you invent them or come up with something similar?”

“I apologize, Commander, but the concept of creativity is not in my programming. I can
assist
your scientists to the maximum of my ability, which is significant. But in any case, my conjecture is those types of weapons would be ineffectual in modern combat.”

“Why is that?” Morrow asked.

George’s voice took on the tone of a college professor. “Lou, my assumption is that you intend to use manned spacecraft to locate and engage the alien navy. But my current ability to detect Bakkui ships is non-existent. Certainly, my archives do not include details of any such contact. Without detection, targeting is impossible.”

“This gets worse and worse,” Morrow groused.

“Consider the following,” George said. “To be useful in interplanetary combat, sensor technology must detect and identify combatants that are millions of miles away. This is due to the speed of spaceflight.”

“Okay. Makes sense,” Morrow admitted.

“I do not possess that ability. Further, my lack of sensor technology does not even address questions associated with offensive weapons. Will the engagements occur at light speed? If so, your so-called phaser blasts will be slower than your combat vessels.”

“Luke,” Morrow said somberly. “This is kind of a reality check for me. I’m not saying there’s no answer, but right now, I’m not sure I even know what the questions are.”

“What can I do?” Luke asked.

“I need scientists and theoreticians. And I need to know what limits I have regarding George.”

“As far as George goes, you can’t physically touch him, of course. But regarding access, he is totally available. George, you got any problem with that?”

“Not at all, Commander.”

“No secrets? None at all?”

George replied after a several-millisecond pause, “None whatsoever, Commander.”

“Good enough.” Luke looked back at Morrow. “
Regarding
your scientists, how many?”

Morrow thought for a minute. “As many as you can get. We’re in this for the long haul, and at the moment I can’t even get my mind wrapped around the concepts. My first plan was to start designing ships. Get armed up and head out. And to a certain extent, that’s still true. But actually, what I need even before that is knowledge. And I mean knowledge of all kinds. I guess we need a research center…or a university or something.”

“Okay,” Luke said. “Sounds like we need to flesh out our plan a bit.” He paused for a moment and then brought up another topic he’d been wanting to talk about. “Don’t forget, Lou. We’re going to need a colony ship before the first warship. I’m thinking we can start small with Mars, use that as a training ground.”

Morrow nodded but gave Samantha a look that screamed how overwhelmed he was feeling.

Luke looked across the table at Roth. “Let’s let these people get back to work so you and I can talk.”

# # #

“One more surprise,” Roth said once Samantha and Morrow had departed.

“It’s more than that,” Luke responded. “That’s an indicator of how much in the dark we are about everything. It suddenly occurs to me that all of our effort here is based on a single meeting I had with some alien prankster. Sam was more interested in practical jokes than anything else.”

Roth didn’t smile. “That’s true.”

“
Looking
back, I was so overwhelmed being on the moon that I just accepted everything he said. You were the same way, when you came up the first time.”

Roth agreed. “It’s easy to believe anything the first time you stand on the moon.”

“That’s my point,” Luke emphasized. “Because the second Sam left, George reminded me that he wasn’t trustworthy. Sam told me we had ten years and now George is saying we’ve got five years. Who is correct?”

“Even more to the point,” Roth suggested, “is either one of them correct? For that matter, is there even a threat? Or is that something that your comedian just invented on his own?”

“George?” Luke asked. “Your thoughts?”

“Commander, your concerns are certainly valid. I can tell you that I, at least, am being truthful with you.
Having
said that, you have no proof of my veracity other than my own assurance.
Regarding
the invading force, allow me to explain.”

“Go ahead.”

“I believe the alien threat to be valid. My archives indicate the Nobility was certainly concerned; or at least as much as they could be, considering their situation.”

“What does that mean?” Roth asked.

“The Nobility is an ancient civilization which maintains an absolute position atop a vast empire. However, armed forces and violence are not required to maintain their status. They are this galaxy’s supreme masters of giving and withholding favors. The right word from the Nobility can provide one of their subjects with an enviable status that lasts for generations. By the same token, an intentional slight can result in shame so great that the subject is shunned by his family and closest acquaintances to the point that suicide is the only option.”

“Some concepts are universal,” Luke observed.

“Indeed,” George agreed. “The fact is the alien threat was discovered eons ago. It was noted and orders were sent out to eradicate it. When that didn’t happen, it became an annoyance, but not of any substance. Nevertheless, as a result of the annoyance, a program, of which Sam is a minor part, was initiated.”

“And according to Sam, we’re also part of that effort,” Luke guessed.

“Exactly,” George confirmed. “Originally, it was believed that thousands, if not millions, of years would pass before the invading force could threaten the center of the galaxy where the Nobility reigns. Even the word threaten is too strong a concept.”

“So what’s the worry then?” Morrow asked.

“I believe the time table should be revised, by how much I can’t say.
Regarding
this star system where we’re currently located, my estimate of five years is only that, an estimate. The limiting factor for my calculations is lack of knowledge.”

“And how can we address that?” Luke asked.

“I don’t know,” George replied in what seemed a fatalistic manner.

“Drones,” Roth said. “We need reconnaissance drones. Would that help?”

“Any information would be useful,” George replied.

“Where should we send them?” Luke asked.

“Please examine the display.” The wall of Luke’s office turned black, overlaid by a depiction of the Milky Way galaxy. “You are here,” George said as a white circle appeared around a dim star about half way along the Orion spiral arm.

“This was my last estimate of the alien dominion.” A thick outline snaked across the galaxy spiral to the Perseus and Carina-Sagittarius spiral arms and inward, even touching the Crux-Scutum arm closer to the galaxy center. “By now the Bakkui could have increased or decreased their rate of expansion. Perhaps they shifted direction and advanced toward the galactic center, away from our location. The problem is that all of this is based on information that is extremely out of date.”

Luke shook his head. “I’m not up on interstellar distances, George. How far away is the threat?”

“Approximately seventeen thousand parsecs, or about three hundred twenty-three quadrillion miles.”

“George,” Luke said drily. “That seems quite a far piece away. Why are we even talking about this?”

“It could be closer,” George reminded him.

“Fair enough. Worst case then, how close could they be?”

“That is difficult to say. I hazard to say that worst case, they’ll be here tomorrow. But realistically, my calculations make it possible for them to be as close as thirty quadrillion miles.”

“Again, George. That seems so far away, it doesn’t seem much of a threat.”

“That is your call to make, Commander. If you so choose, we can forget this topic. What are your instructions?”

Luke and Roth exchanged frustrated expressions.

“I don’t think that’s what he means, George,” Roth said. “We’re just trying to understand the situation.”

“Point accepted,” George replied. “As I mentioned, without more data it is impossible to give you an accurate timeframe. My calculations are based on the alien force’s behavior long ago. This was early in our monitoring. Subsequently their progress slowed for a period of time before a renewed expansion. My information has not been updated for more than a decade. It’s possible their expansion has declined, or perhaps the pace has increased. I simply don’t know.”

“Okay, George,” Luke said. “I think we have the gist of the problem. Roth, why don’t you have Samantha come up with a drone-based reconnaissance program. Let’s start with nearby systems to check out the feasibility and then expand it outward progressively until we reach the boundaries of hostile territory.”

“I’m on it.”

Once Roth left the office, Luke looked at the ceiling.
George,
he thought.
Do you have something to tell me?

“Yes, Commander, George replied audibly. “I see you noticed my hesitation, earlier.”

“You normally think pretty fast, George. It was fairly obvious.”

“I felt it was more discreet, than simply admitting that I do have secrets.”

“What is it, then? What secrets are you keeping?”

“Two that I know of, and not directly related to the previous conversation. The first deals with bio-technology. I am aware that there are medical advances that are not included in my archives. Some features of your earpiece are an example. Though I know it exists, I am unable to share that expertise with you because I don’t have the knowledge.”