Lieutenant (An Ell Donsaii story #3) (21 page)

The secretary frowned and put a finger to his lips, then waved to Ell to proceed.

She said, “You are correct Admiral, that they don’t solve the loss of satellite observation. However, the loss of our satellites will also hamstring our battlefield communications, and unfortunately, even our aerial observation platforms currently use satellites to transmit their imagery back to us. We already have PGR chips in a few RQ-7 UAVs, but could install them in all UAVs in order to provide uninterrupted realtime battlefield observation. PGR chips would also allow our aircraft stay in communication with command far beyond line of sight and our aircraft carriers to serve as battle direction centers because of the ability to obtain data from our aircraft and send direction to them without satellite linkage. Perhaps most importantly, if the PRC were to cut our undersea fiberoptic lines to Okinawa and to the ROC on Taiwan, PGR chips could substitute for those cables as well.”

“What! What’s their range?!”

“Unlimited.”

“What do you mean ‘unlimited,’ I want a ‘range.’”

“Theoretically, an unlimited numbers of light years. Practically, I have tested a chip pair which successfully communicated from North Carolina to Australia.”

“With what kind of repeater stations?”

“None.”

“How much power does
that
take!?”

“Five volts.”

After a disbelieving silence, “How hard is it to ‘jam’ or intercept their messages?”

“Jamming or intercepting them is not possible.”

“Oh, come on. Everything can be jammed or intercepted somehow!”

“
These
cannot be. The message passing from one quantum entangled molecule to the other member of a pair is uninterruptible, uninterceptable and undetectable. This has been tested by numerous individuals and is predicted by the math and theory that made it possible.” Ell found herself bemused to not only be standing up to, but to be lecturing the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The officers were sitting back in their chairs and looking at one another as if wondering if any of the others were being taken in by this “unbelievable line of crap.” Ell continued. “The chips will not replace satellites, but
will
replace satellite communications. It is important to recognize also that they
improve
on satellite communications in two fashions. First, satellite comm is limited in bandwidth because it is essentially radio, whereas the chips transfer data at much higher data rates that are on par with optical transmission bandwidths. Therefore, for example, the UAVs that I fly normally satellite transfer data at low rates allowing steady transfer of low resolution video with occasional high megapixel images. The high quality video and the rest of the images must await downloading of the UAV’s memory after the UAV has landed. Then that detailed imagery is transmitted by undersea fiberoptic cable. However, PGR chips allow continuous transmission of 200 megapixel video directly back to Nellis. Also, the data transmission is instantaneous, thus allowing much improved realtime control of remote aircraft such as the UAVs due to the lack of satellite transmission latency.”

Ell saw patent disbelief on the faces in the room but didn’t really know how to convince them without a demonstration of some type which she was not set up for. After a brief pause, Admiral Larsson said, “Just how old are you Lieutenant?”

“I’m nineteen sir.”

She turned to the Secretary who had seen their doubt as well. He grinned at her a moment then turned to the assembled officers with a grin that had turned shark-like. “
Believe
it. How old she is
doesn’t
matter. I’ve seen the data coming from her UAV and it is delivered realtime at rates over a terabyte per second. A couple of reports from her superior officers confirm that it is either instantaneous, or close enough to it that they can’t measure the delay. The PRC is going to be stunned at our ability to circumvent their strategy, but
only
if we get on it right away.

“Now, we need to figure out how to implement delivery of our limited number of chips over great distances to many force elements in the face of this crisis. I expect that we need to send a few chips with Admiral Larsson back to PACOM in Hawaii. Some need to go to each aircraft carrier to be distributed to their aircraft, ship to ship comm within battle groups can continue by radio for the time being. Some chips need to be sent to Okinawa to outfit all our UAVs. And some need to be sent to Taiwan. Let’s work out a plan to divvy them up and then get about our regular business. Lieutenant, how many chips do we have to work with exactly?”

Despite the dubious expressions on the faces of many officers they fell to arguing, each demanding large shares of the available chips for their particular commands. Ell interrupted once to suggest that each designated asset get one of a pair of the USB chips and the other member of each pair of chips be placed in a safe location with one of the “servers” that PGR Comm was developing to handle signal routing from chip to chip. This would be much more flexible than a lot of point to point connections, at least until a lot more chips were available. Thus communication could go to the central server and be routed back out to whichever chip the communications needed to be sent to, like with a telephone exchange, allowing rerouting as necessary. She also suggested that a chip be delivered to each of the submarines in the area to allow them to have high speed realtime communications while submerged for the first time in the history of submarine warfare. The Naval officers present raised their eyebrows at this striking notion.

Over the next hour supersonic aircraft were dispatched to PACOM in Hawaii, to each of the aircraft carriers, to Okinawa and to Taiwan. Midair refueling was arranged for the aircraft and an initial plan to send all the chips on one plane most of the way was nixed on the basis of not “putting all our eggs in one basket.” From the aircraft carriers, chips would be dropped by aerial assets to submarines and other naval elements.

At 10PM the Secretary had PGR Comm rousted out to deliver the new PGR chip servers as well as personnel expert in their use via several different military planes to a secure underground location. PGR Comm had already delivered all of their available USB chips to the Pentagon that afternoon per President Teller’s request.

Secretary Amundsen sent Ell to the secure location as well, “To make sure it all works!” As he left he said, “Having seen the trouble the Chiefs gave you, I realize a Lieutenant might need some ‘punch’ to get your job done. Your AI hereby has permission to contact mine at any time if you meet resistance to setting things up as needed and need command authority from me. Good luck.” He turned and walked away.

Ell desperately hoped that the PRC would give them enough time to distribute the chips and get the servers functioning.

Chapter Nine

Ell arrived at the “secure location” an hour later. It turned out to be one of a number of buried and hardened facilities near D.C., this one belonging to the military. She’d scanned the chips sent to each of the locations in the Pacific and had their paired counterparts with her. A Major Geller from PACOM was with her but when they arrived they were held at the gate while the Colonel in command of the facility was rousted.

He peered up at his HUD, “I’m to give you access to space to set up a communication facility?”

“Yes sir.”

“We don’t have rooms with hook ups for communications.” He said, somewhat petulantly.

Ell interjected, “Sir, we just need a secure room with power outlets.”

The Colonel turned on her. “Lieutenant, when I want to hear from you, I’ll ask you to speak up!” He turned back to the Major, “We only have one room, the command facility, with connection to the secure military fiberoptic network. I’m not sure that I should turn that facility over to you. Whoever wrote these orders probably doesn’t know what’s available here.”

The Major said, “I’m told the Lieutenant here is the expert. If she says we just need power outlets, I’d go with a room having lots of power outlets.”

The Colonel rolled his eyes, then glanced up and speaking to his AI, said, “Put me in touch with whoever originated these orders. We need to get this snafu straightened out.”

They waited a few tense moments, then the Colonel looked up again, “Yes sir! But the Lieutenant doesn’t even know what she needs sir. She’s trying to set up communications without access to the fiberoptic…” the Colonel blanched. “Yes sir… Yes sir… Yes sir.”

Suddenly, Ell was connected to the conversation also. “Lieutenant Donsaii, are you on the line now?” she heard the Secretary of Defense say.

“Yes sir.” She saw that Major Geller must be connected too from the way he looked up and unconsciously straightened his spine.

Secretary Amundsen said, “Lieutenant, I have explained to Colonel Whitt that you are the
absolute
expert on this issue and that it is a matter of utmost National Security that he cooperate and provide you
every
assistance for your needs. Colonel, she has authorization to contact me directly if she meets any more obstruction, but it is your job to make sure she doesn’t meet any obstruction, from you or anyone else. If she does, it will mean your career, understand?”

“Yes sir!”

The Secretary said, “I have other matters to attend to.” and signed off.

As they rode down an elevator into the depths of the earth Ell turned to Colonel Whitt and said, “Sir, I’ve realized that you are correct. We will need a connection to the secure military fiberoptic network, I thank you for pointing that out. However, we will be able to just attach one chip to a fiberoptic terminal in your command center though. All the rest of our equipment can be in a separate room.”

“There aren’t any decent rooms close to the Command Center!”

“Sir, we don’t have to be close to it.”

“You’re going to run fiberoptic line down hundreds of yards of hallway?”

“No sir,” Ell thought about explaining it all to him, but thought he’d argue about that also, “We just need to put a chip in the Command Center, everything else can be wherever you want to put us. Also, please let the gate guards know that we expect a delivery and personnel from PGR Comm in the next thirty minutes?”

“We can’t allow commercial personnel into
this
base!”

“Sir, I need you to make that happen?” Ell raised her eyebrows.

The Colonel stared at her, thunderstruck, looked for a moment as if he would protest, then said dangerously, “OK Lieutenant, but I’ll file a complaint after the fact.”

“Yes sir.”

Ell and the Major were assigned a large multipurpose room and personnel to dust it out. Folding tables were brought in and placed along the walls. Ell went over to the command center and attached a linking chip to the secure military fiberoptic network.

While she was in there Allan said, “Amy’s calling.”

“Put her on.”

“Ell, where are you?”

“Hmmm, not supposed to say, but I’m on a military base in a safe location. Might not be home for a while though.”

“OK. I disconnected the power and then disassembled the chamber on your small lab table like you asked. It was full of water? I’m not sure if that’s good or bad?”

Ell pumped her fist, then realized that Amy couldn’t see it. “Great! That means we’ve successfully moved liquid from one chamber to another!”

As Ell arrived back in the multipurpose room a couple of Noncoms showed up with some civilians and pallets loaded with equipment.

Ell said, “Sorry Amy, gotta go.”

Ell turned to the civilians and said, “Set them up on these tables,” she looked the pallets speculatively, “or are they designed to sit on the floor?”

The oldest of the civilians scratched his balding pate, “Lady, we’ve been shanghaied away from our jobs and sent down here to D.C. without any explanations and we’re tired. We’ve worked well beyond our normal hours and our contracts don’t specify time and a half or anything. It’s time we got a little rest. We’ll help you set up in the morning but for now we’re taking some down time.”

Ell tilted her head as she eyed them, “We need your help now, minutes could count in lives. What would it take to get your cooperation?”

He barked a little laugh, “Lady, I mean Lieutenant, I spent some time in the military myself with the old ‘hurry up and wait,’ I doubt very, very seriously that anything will change if we sleep through the night and start fresh on this setup in the morning.”

For a moment Ell wondered if she could brief them on the situation? She decided not. Working for PGR Comm they likely all had PGR connected AIs and could readily connect to the outside world and she doubted any of them had security clearance. If they spread word on what was happening to the world in general… Ell’s thoughts paused momentarily,
Would that be so bad? If the world in general knew what China was doing? Maybe not,
she decided, but she didn’t have authority to disclose that information. She glanced up, “Allan, forward 5K to each of these men’s personal accounts.” She looked at the six men, “Please check your accounts, you should find a deposit of $5,000. If you help me unstintingly tonight, I’ll make another deposit of 10K in the morning.”

They looked at her in startlement, then up at their HUDs, then back at her, then almost as one, they nodded. The older one said, “Unstintingly it is!”

Another one stepped forward, “Are you
Ell
Donsaii, Lieutenant?”

Ell nodded.

“Oh my God,” he beamed, “I am
so
proud to meet you. What do you want us to do?”

“Start setting up the servers while I get you some food and coffee.”

The men looked around, argued briefly and then started uncrating a pallet over by the far wall. Ell turned to the Sergeant assigned to help them set up the room. “We need food and coffee for these men.”

He gave her a worried look. “Kitchen’s closed this hour of the evening.”

“It needs to be opened.”

He slowly shook his head, “I can’t make that happen.”