its merry course it will get here December of next year. Maybe its Santas sleigh.
She frowned. Twenty-one months. Thats not much time.
That it aint.
If the alert had been raised when this thing passed Saturn, and, you say, it actually destroyed a probe, wed have had years warning.
He shrugged. You have to set your threat levels somewhere. I always argued we werent suspicious enough. I had this out with your predecessor on a number of occasions. Looks like I was right, dont it? If we survive this we can review protocol.
If we survive this. His language chilled her. You think this is some kind of artifact, Admiral? Couldnt say. But you do believe its a threat? Have to assume so. Wouldnt you say?
She could hardly gainsay that. The question was what to do about it.
The World Space Council had only a tenuous relationship with the old UN, which since the sunstorm had focused its efforts on recovery on Earth. The Councils brief was to coordinate the worlds preparedness for any more threats from the unseen enemy behind the sunstorm, an enemy whose very existence had not in fact yet been officially admitted. Its principal asset was the navy, which nominally reported to the Council. But the Council itself was funded by and ultimately controlled by an uneasy alliance of the worlds four great powersespecially the United States, Eurasia, and China, who hoped to use space to gain some political ground back from the fourth, Africa.
And at the apex of this rickety structure of power and control was Bella, a compromise candidate in a compromised position.
In the short term, she thought, the three spacegoing powers might try to leverage the sudden irruption of an actual threat into some kind of advantage over Africa, which had become prominent since being relatively spared by the sunstorm. The tectonic plates that underpinned the Council might start to shift, she thought uneasily, just at the very moment it was being called upon to act.
Youre thinking politics, Paxton growled.
Yes, she admitted. As if this anomaly, whatever it was, was just a new item on the agenda of the worlds business. But if this was another threat like the sunstorm, it could render all that business irrelevant at a stroke.
Suddenly she felt weary. Old, worn-out. She found she resented that this crisis should be landed on her plate so soon into her chairmanship.
And, looking at Paxtons intent face, she wondered how much control she would have over events.
All right, Admiral, you have my attention. What do you recommend?
He stepped back. Ill gather more data, and set up a briefing on options. Best to do that back in Washington, I guess. Soon as we can manage.
All right. But well have to look at the wider implications. What to tell the people, or not. How to prepare for the incoming anomaly, whatever it is.
Well need more data before we can do that.
And what do we tell those we report to?
Paxton said, As far as the politics go its essential we make sure our mandate and capability arent diluted by politico bull. And, Chair, if youre agreeable, for the briefing Ill incorporate material gathered by the Committee.
She felt the hairs on her neck prickle a warning; after most of a lifetime at the upper levels of large organizations she knew when a trap was being set. You mean your Committee of Patriots.
He smiled, sharklike. You should come visit us sometime, Madam Chair. We work out of the old Navy Special Projects Office in DC; a lot of us are old navy fliers of one stripe or another. Our mission, grant you its self-appointed, is to monitor the responses of our governments and super-government agencies to the alien intervention that led to the sunstorm, and the ongoing emergency since. Once again your predecessor didnt want to know about this. I believe he thought dabbling with the wacko fringe would damage his fine career. But now we really do have something out there, Madam Chair, a genuine anomaly. Nows the time to listen to us, if youre ever going to.
Again it was hard to gainsay that. I feel youre drawing me into an argument, Bob. Okay, subject to my veto.
Thank you. Theres one specific.
Go on.
One beef the Committee has always had has been with the almost willful way the authorities have never followed up the hints of the alien. Developing our own weaponry and armor is one thing, but to ignore the enemys capability is criminal. However we do know of someone who