Dark Star Rising Second Edition (Pebbles in The Sky) (18 page)

“It seems like we have escaped,” sighed Susan.

Peter noticed that the driver, an elderly man probably in his sixties, also had a JPL badge on.  “Where are you taking us?” asked Peter.

The driver looked in his mirror and said, “One of your buddies is going to meet us near the beach and take you to their house for a couple of days until all this fuss dies down.”

“What about my work?” exclaimed Peter.

“And my classes?” pitched in Susan.

The driver just looked in the mirror and grinned. “I was once your age.  I know you can find something to do together for a few days while you are laying low.”

Susan blushed and giggled.  Peter just sat back and wondered what the hell had he gotten himself into just by studying some old satellite photographs.  It occurred to him that he had definitely stirred up a hornet’s nest. 

They pulled up to a fairly deserted section of a beach road.  There was a Lexus with dark tinted windows waiting for them.  “Here is your ride,” the van driver told them.  Susan jumped out and climbed into the back seat and Peter hurriedly slid in right behind her.

Peter looked up at the driver of the car and found himself staring in the mirror at Mary Beth Davis, director of the Hubble project.  She grinned at him and said, “Welcome home schoolboy.”

Peter was in shock.  “Doctor Davis, what are you doing here?”

“Well schoolboy, seems you and your girlfriend are going to be the guests of my partner and I until all this hoopla dies off some. Hope you guys brought your swimsuits. Mary Beth turned and looked Susan up and down. “Although in your case honey, they are totally optional.”  Susan turned beet red.

“Hell, I was just kidding honey.  Don’t worry, I am already spoken for.”  She looked into her mirrors and then accelerated the Lexus onto the highway.   As she merged into the traffic, the classics radio station she was listening to started playing the old Eagles song “Hotel California.”  Peter just sat there, too tired to speak.  Susan laid her head on his shoulder and hummed along with the music in contentment.

Chapter 18

April 28
th
, 2016

Washington, DC

President Montgomery walked into the secret service anteroom outside the oval office.  The two agents there immediately jumped to their feet.  She motioned them to sit back down and asked, “Do you guys have some fresh coffee?”  She knew they did, they always had a pot going.  As President she knew she could always just take a cup, but she felt it was more civil and polite to ask.  One of them jumped up to pour her a cup.  They knew she liked it black and hot, just as she knew they always had a fresh pot brewed that she could raid.  Nodding her appreciation, she took her mug and went back into the oval office to get her notes before joining the National Security council meeting in the situation room.

Her chief of staff, Elliott Dewey, was there watching CNN on the large television monitor that was used to monitor the public news.  At the moment, it was showing the apparent escape of Peter Rockwell and his girlfriend at the airport on the west coast as they ran out a side door with some security guards and climbed into a SUV.  “You know the press is not going to let up until they interview him a dozen times or so,” Elliott said.  “The poor kid doesn’t know what he got himself into. The press is like a blood thirsty pack of hyenas.  Once they get the scent they are not going to let go.”

President Montgomery wrinkled her nose up at the mention of reporters. “Why don’t you have Doctor Honstein over at NASA set up a couple of controlled press interviews with him?  That way the kid does not get mauled and maybe he can get a little peace afterwards.  God knows that soon we all will have little enough of that.  Let’s get this over with,” she said as she turned toward the briefing room.

The members of the National Security Council stood as she entered.  “Be seated ladies and gentlemen, we have a lot to discuss.  By now all of you should have read your briefing on current events as well as the most recent information available on the Brown Dwarf, or as is now being commonly called by all the TV stations “Peter’s Star.”  You should know that our administration is probably facing a greater challenge than anyone who has ever sat in this office before.  Our country, as well as the whole world, stands on the brink of falling into utter chaos and anarchy that could well cause the collapse of civilization as we know it.”

“The issues that must be resolved are overwhelming, but what we do now in the next few years could very well ensure the survival of this county as well as the whole planet. I have outlined the problems we face with the input of a few advisors.  I will ask Mr. Dewey to briefly describe those, and then we will open the discussion.  Remember, that these plans are a rough outline only, and not set in stone by any means.  Detailed plans will take considerably longer to work out and implement. Mr. Elliot, please proceed.”

Elliott Dewey stood and looked at his notes.  “You may all follow along in the handout you were given when you arrived this evening.  These items have been delegated to the heads of certain departments and they will each give a quick briefing on steps to achieve these goals.”

Item One…Maintaining law and order leading up to the encounter as well as after the encounter.  This will fall under the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security Advisor with legal backup from the Attorney General’s office.  Mr. Isaacs of Homeland Security will now brief us.”

Mr. Isaacs stood and acknowledged the room.  “In order to maintain some semblance of normalcy, we wish to minimize the use of any military or National Guard units in this endeavor until about six months before the encounter.  At that time, the long range plan is to impose martial law while the populous is moved from imperiled areas to areas of relative safety that have been prepared.  To do this without a heavy military presence will require doubling the size of most major police forces.  New, stricter laws involving violent crime, looting, and rioting will be implemented upon the advice of the Attorney General.  Martial law is only being considered being imposed from six months before the encounter until after the population has been relocated post encounter.  It will be relaxed as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Mr. Isaacs,” Elliott said.

“Item two…Evacuating, housing, and feeding millions of people from the coastal areas and earthquake prone regions during the closest approach of the Brown Dwarf.  This will fall under the Jurisdiction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Mr. Alexander, a quick brief please.”

The head of FEMA stood.  “This effort will make the efforts of past hurricane and national emergency efforts in the past pale in comparison.  We are talking about moving approximately one hundred and eighty million people away from coastal cities and from areas along major fault lines.  Then, we will have to house, feed, and provide
security for those people and relocate them to areas in the southern states where they will be able to survive the colder climates that are expected to develop after the encounter.  This is not going to be like providing for a few hundred thousand after a major Hurricane for six months or so.  We are talking about providing shelter and food for approximately two thirds the population of the country for several years.  It will take us all of the twenty seven years we have before the event to prepare for the magnitude of this operation.”  He sat down.

“Item three…Preparing new infrastructure in preparation for the moving millions of people to the southern regions prior to the onset of heavy snows and the icing in of northern latitudes,” continued Elliott.  “Until the President and Congress appoint special commissions, this has not been placed under any particular agency.  It will require the moving of vital industry, factories, and manufacturing capability to the southern states prior to the coastal, earthquake prone, and northern areas becoming un-inhabitable.  New power plants, new cities, hospitals, schools and housing developments will have to be built. Vast new tracts of new farmland will have to be prepared.  It will be a very costly and critical undertaking.  The President feels that private industry should take a lead role in this endeavor.”

“Item four… Maintaining the health of the population and preventing the outbreak of epidemics as a result of the floods, earthquakes and the close living quarters necessitated by the above.  Doctor Basjani of the National Institute of Health will briefly discuss this.”

“Thank you Mr. Elliott,” Dr. Basjani said as he stood.  “
Think of all the diseases that afflict man now under fairly good habitation and hygiene controls.  Then, crowd approximately three hundred million people into about half the land space we now have.  After that, throw in all the coastal flooding, ruptures in sewage lines and contaminated water supplies, and finally add all the mosquitoes that will flourish after the floods. We will have Diphtheria, Yellow Fever, Malaria, Plague, Tuberculosis, and every other disease spreading like never before.  Without proper medical treatment, probably thirty percent of our population would die during the first winter after the encounter.  Luckily, there has been a very recent breakthrough in the design and preparation of vaccines that holds great promise.  A drastically accelerated clinical trial has been started using this new process for several vaccines.  If this pans out as we hope we should have a vaccine for almost all of these diseases that I have mentioned available for mass vaccinations in the next ten years.  If it does not, then many of all these new housing projects would be half empty in less than a year after the encounter.”  He sat back down and Elliott stood again.

“Item Six…maintaining national security and the national defense leading up to, during and after the encounter.  General Makavich, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will brief us,” said Elliott as he introduced the General.

The General stood and addressed the council. “Be prepared, there is going to be some wars and they are going to be some bad ones.”  Everyone looked shocked and the President was frowning. “Let me explain.  Nearly all of Russia, a third of China, all of the Scandinavian Countries, large portions of England, France, Germany, Poland etc. are going to be all but uninhabitable come the first winter after the encounter.  Where are all those people going to go?  All of Canada to our North is going to be uninhabitable.  Where will their citizens go?  Many of these countries do not have warmer regions to move their populace to like we do.”

“Already many of these northern lying countries are realizing this and eyeing their neighbors to the south.  Places like Africa, India, and South America.  These warmer regions have land and smaller populations, with the exception of India of course.  They also have much weaker military forces.  You can guess what is going to happen.  The United States does not have the strength to protect all of these smaller countries.  Some quick scenarios have been run and we have made some predictions, these are rough, but are the most logical outcomes.”

“China will probably launch an invasion of the Philippines and other islands such as Papua and New Guinea.  It is also likely that they will invade Southeast Asia.  India, if it can deter China, will probably survive and due to its warmer climate it will remain highly desirable real estate.  We predict that Russia in cooperation with its various breakaway republics will launch a large scale invasion of the Middle East sweeping down into Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.  Israel’s nuclear arsenal will probably be deterrent enough to protect their small territory.  France will most likely try and move into some of its old colonies in Africa, using force if necessary.  Germany will probably sweep down into the Balkans and into Greece, trying to avoid an open conflict with Russia in those areas.  We believe that Britain and Canada can probably peacefully relocate large portions of their population to Australia and most of the previous British Commonwealth will stick together for mutual protection.  Here in the states, we should be spared from much of this conflict unless one of the other major players decides to go nuclear. 

“The Joint Chiefs are going to advise the President to withdraw all of our overseas forces immediately.  Otherwise, we will get dragged into one of these conflicts and we do not have the forces to intervene in them all and still protect our own country. We are going to need all of our own resources here at home.  We are also recommending the drawdown of certain portions of our military, particularly the navy, into a coastal defense and deterrent type role.  This would be in contrast to the present policy of maintaining a blue water force that projects force and acts as peacemakers all over the world.  The money saved will be diverted with part of the general military budget into a new Space and Earth Defense Command.  I believe Doctor Honstein will touch on that.  That is all I have,” he said as he sat and gestured to David Honstein of NASA.

Since NASA was not a regular member of the Security Council Elliott Dewey stood and introduced him.  “Doctor Honstein, Director of NASA will discuss item seven.”

David Honstein stood and began. “Item seven…preparation of a space defense network to protect not only the United States, but the entire planet from incoming asteroids and debris caused from the Brown Dwarfs passage through the solar system. Every one of these tasks that has been discussed is a monumental undertaking by itself.  I believe none will come close to the task of protecting our planet from errant space objects after our encounter with the Brown Dwarf.  Yes, we will have flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, disease, and starvation during and after the encounter.  There is going to be wars, violence, and chaos.  Mankind has weathered all these before and recovered.”