Read Online The Unearthing by Steve Karmazenuk, Christine Williston - Free Book Online
Authors: Steve Karmazenuk, Christine Williston
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blue sphere. The station stared forever down upon the eerie luminescence of the night time oceans bordering the continent and the brilliant web of diamonds that were its many cities. Toward the station flew with pointed precision and cold determination a white jump plane inscribed with the insignia of the Defence Intelligence Agency. The triangular, wingless wedge of metal shone from its own running lights as it made the approach. Capable of orbital insertion and return under their own power, jump planes had replaced the ageing space shuttle fleet early in the twenty-first century. Successive generations of jump planes helped lessen the expense of both air travel and space travel, making even lunar voyages accessible to the average citizen. But the plane approaching Concord 3 was hardly an innocuous tourist flight. General Roy Harrod was aboard and he brought with him an entire battalion of troops.
Armed with the news that Harrod’s plane was less than an hour away, Bloom once more stood before her senior staff.
“Donnelly and I have analyzed the telemetry from the New Mexico scan,” She explained to them, “There’s an object buried down there, composition unknown, origin unknown. Everything points to it having been there for the last sixty-five million years, maybe longer. The size and shape of the object as well as its composition seem indicative of it not being of Earth origin. The DIA has sent troops in to occupy the dig site. And as we already know General Harrod himself is coming here to seize all evidence of the scan on our end. This is what they’re trying to hide.” Bloom hit a switch on her desk’s keypad and the wall to their left lit up with a three dimensional computer rendition of the object.
“Oh God,” Cohen said, her breath catching in her throat.
“My guess is it’s a ship,” Bloom said, “And my second guess is that the US government is trying to keep its existence a secret so they can keep everything they find for themselves. They’re violating both the North American Aboriginal Charter regarding the sovereignty of the Protectorate territories and the World Space Accords to make sure they have exclusive control of the information.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Benedict asked. Bloom smiled.
“We’re going to do just what the DIA doesn’t want us to do Exo,” Bloom said, “We’re going to broadcast the information out onto the World Grid. Any objections?” There were none.
“Fine. And thank you one and all. Captain Donnelly, I’ll need you to put a team together for an EVA. Because our Grid link has been cut we need to aim at another satellite. Then we have to hack in and send our signal. That’s where you’ll come in, Captain Boucher. I understand your skills as a hacker are what landed you in military security to begin with.” Boucher nodded.
“All that’s going to take some serious time Lieutenant Colonel,” Benedict said.
“Correct Exo: time we’ll buy for ourselves by shutting down automated docking control. If Harrod’s boys have to dock with the station without our help, it’ll take them at least another forty minutes. That gives us time to aim a dish, hack a satellite and transmit the information we have.”
“Where are we transmitting to?” Donnelly asked.
“I think there’s only one place to send the signal,” Bloom replied, “Where the world gets its news: INN.”
♦♦♦
The jump plane neared the space station. Concord Three grew steadily larger out the cockpit window, from a speck of light reflecting against the sky to an indistinct shape, finally to a series of segmented columns joined together in tight parallel. The columns were bisected by massive solar sails, designed to collect most of Concord Three’s power from the sun. At the upper end the columns met together in one junction, joined to the gently rotating barrel-shaped habitat carousel. The carousel spun clockwise and
Armed with the news that Harrod’s plane was less than an hour away, Bloom once more stood before her senior staff.
“Donnelly and I have analyzed the telemetry from the New Mexico scan,” She explained to them, “There’s an object buried down there, composition unknown, origin unknown. Everything points to it having been there for the last sixty-five million years, maybe longer. The size and shape of the object as well as its composition seem indicative of it not being of Earth origin. The DIA has sent troops in to occupy the dig site. And as we already know General Harrod himself is coming here to seize all evidence of the scan on our end. This is what they’re trying to hide.” Bloom hit a switch on her desk’s keypad and the wall to their left lit up with a three dimensional computer rendition of the object.
“Oh God,” Cohen said, her breath catching in her throat.
“My guess is it’s a ship,” Bloom said, “And my second guess is that the US government is trying to keep its existence a secret so they can keep everything they find for themselves. They’re violating both the North American Aboriginal Charter regarding the sovereignty of the Protectorate territories and the World Space Accords to make sure they have exclusive control of the information.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Benedict asked. Bloom smiled.
“We’re going to do just what the DIA doesn’t want us to do Exo,” Bloom said, “We’re going to broadcast the information out onto the World Grid. Any objections?” There were none.
“Fine. And thank you one and all. Captain Donnelly, I’ll need you to put a team together for an EVA. Because our Grid link has been cut we need to aim at another satellite. Then we have to hack in and send our signal. That’s where you’ll come in, Captain Boucher. I understand your skills as a hacker are what landed you in military security to begin with.” Boucher nodded.
“All that’s going to take some serious time Lieutenant Colonel,” Benedict said.
“Correct Exo: time we’ll buy for ourselves by shutting down automated docking control. If Harrod’s boys have to dock with the station without our help, it’ll take them at least another forty minutes. That gives us time to aim a dish, hack a satellite and transmit the information we have.”
“Where are we transmitting to?” Donnelly asked.
“I think there’s only one place to send the signal,” Bloom replied, “Where the world gets its news: INN.”
♦♦♦
The jump plane neared the space station. Concord Three grew steadily larger out the cockpit window, from a speck of light reflecting against the sky to an indistinct shape, finally to a series of segmented columns joined together in tight parallel. The columns were bisected by massive solar sails, designed to collect most of Concord Three’s power from the sun. At the upper end the columns met together in one junction, joined to the gently rotating barrel-shaped habitat carousel. The carousel spun clockwise and
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