April 5: A Depth of Understanding (20 page)

We previously declared our resolution in Assembly that no armed Earth ships would be tolerated past L1. Now you declare your authority extends over the whole solar system, that you may depose us from our chosen location, not even pretending a need for our position beyond a desire to exercise your power.

Understand this clearly. Earth law, Earth custom and Earth power do not extend beyond L1. If you cross that line it will be seen as aggression and met with force. If you cause us harm in blood or treasure we will retaliate against any Earth governments voting to join this subterfuge to hide behind the shield of the UN. We will act against the UN and it's instruments and personnel as if it is a sovereign nation wherever we can find them.

Economic sanctions work both ways. Many space made products have become necessities. Cutting us off would hamper modern communications, computer resources and deprive the sick of needed medication. Peaceful outposts of Earth governments are welcome beyond L1. Any that support efforts to harm us are subject to reprisal and removal. Economic harm is subject to the issue of letters of marque and seizure of Earth assets anywhere to right the wrong.

To repeat for clarity. A state of war will exist with no further warning or consultation between the Home and the UN and their supporters, if you breach the L1 line with arms.

Consider the dangers carefully if you wish to pursue this unjust action further.

The people of Home in their eleventh Assembly, have voted and adapted this statement as their law on March 31, 2087.

Muños gave a slash sign that the feed was cut to the news services. There was a quiet round of applause from those present in the cafeteria. "Short and sweet. You have a talent for not babbling on endlessly so the point of the whole thing is lost," Muños complimented him and offered his hand. Lindsey sketched furiously. Capturing the moment they clasped while it was fresh in her mind.

April was exhausted from the emotions of the Assembly when she went home, but not too tired to lay a moment in her bed realizing it was her last night in her childhood room. She'd move her things to her new cubic tomorrow and gunny would probably get his things transferred too. It was nice, but it was bitter sweet too. The room held a lot of memories, most good. But she drifted off thinking about it.

* * *

Barak was sitting waiting for her with the older guys in the coffee group when she went to breakfast. He stood as soon as he saw her. Amos was there too, although they were not sitting together, but he hesitated when he started to get up and lifted an inquiring eyebrow to April. She waved at both of them to come join her.

Amos took a moment to say his good-byes to Ruby and say how he enjoyed jamming with her. Barak loaded up pretty heavily. Amos kept it light.

"I'm taking the shuttle to ISSII and down," he explained when they sat. "I'll take the pill and it never bothered me, but eating light is always a good idea traveling."

"Are you glad you came, instead of some Earth vacation?" April asked.

"Yes, it wasn't at all what I expected. Which is good. Do you know, I only signed four autographs the whole time I was here? It was refreshing not to be mobbed. I had a few people pass me in the corridor and just wave and smile, or call out stuff like, 'Hey Amos. Prickly Prancing! Good song man'."

"Do you listen to our stuff?" Amos asked Barak, interested.

"Well yeah, I have four or five of your songs in my pad. I always listen to your new stuff. But I'm picky. I have maybe a couple hundred songs in a searchable file. Not like some kids that have ten thousand and can't remember what it sounds like when they see it in their list."

Amos smiled. "Then I'm glad you have any at all if you are a connoisseur. Your age is our target market. Should I send you a concert t-shirt or something?"

"Please, that would be nice. I'll never get down to see one and a shirt I'd use. I'm going to be taking a long trip soon and I can only take fifty kilo of mass, so it'll have to be all stuff I
use
."

"Where are you going? Mars? He quipped with a smile.

"Jupiter, we won't be anywhere near Mars when we go past its orbit."

Amos had that vacant look of waiting for a punch line. Then he realized...

"Nope, I'm still not acclimated," he admitted.

"Your mom decided to let you go?" April asked.

"Yeah, I think maybe she decided Jupiter is safer, if we have another war here."

"And she's probably right, if Mr. Singh gets involved," Amos said drolly. "Though I don't doubt you'll see the flash from there."

"Ah, I see you're getting to know Jeff," Barak surmised.

"Have you looked at the Earth news this morning?" Amos asked them.

"No, I wanted to enjoy my breakfast," April admitted.

"I  don't waste much time on stuff I can't trust," Barak explained.

"The European news just reported the Assembly resolution factually. Although a lot of them didn't include the UN ultimatum letter. But in North America they got snarky. The Truth Information Network ran a headline, "Home resolution – April Fools Edition," he growled.

"That's cute you get indignant for us, but if you do ever immigrate you'll have to get used to being mocked. But thank you,
really
," April added.

"It's criminal stupidity to make people think it's a joke. It's going to be hard keeping my mouth shut when I go back."

"I think we'll see you back up here. Maybe sooner than you think," April predicted. "Where are your guards by the way?"

"I told them to meet me at the shuttle. I won't bother with them again for Home. Now when I went to New Las Vegas I was happy to have them, but they were a waste here. I have to catch that shuttle," he said getting up. Thank you for your company and many lessons."

"He seems a decent enough fellow," Barak allowed, watching him take his tray to dump. "What was he talking about with Ruby, about jamming with her?"

April described their visit to the Fox and Hare and their improvision together.

"I'll ask Ruby for a copy of that. I think that would be a keeper on my play list. Where is Gunny today?" He said, like he'd suddenly missed him.

"We're moving from my parent's cubic to my new place today. He's making sure the guys have finished the wall panels around his room correctly and they latch and go up and down like they're supposed to. He was going to take the last of his things over too. I had to promise I'd be extra alert to come here alone," she smiled.

"Do you need a hand with your things?" Barak offered.

"I've been moving things little bit at a time. I have a robo-cart to take the last today and I'll be moved."

"Let me walk with you anyway," Barak insisted. "Gunny would approve."

"Indeed he would," April agreed.

* * *

"Go home," April said, enunciating carefully. The rental cart eased out the door, a small light on the push bar flashing yellow to show it was in self guiding mode, not under human control. April closed the door and shoved the boxes out of the way with her foot. She didn't want to deal with them right now.

"This is all temporary, well most of it. I hadn't planned on having people in yet. The carpet and walls stay for awhile until I have some other projects paid," she said waving at them. "They're not that bad really. I kind of like them. Especially the end bulkhead that has the bamboo leaf pattern."

Barak planted himself on the couch as soon as the boxes were unloaded and was staring at Lindsey's drawing of Hu's near execution of the Lieutenant. April's words finally filtered through. He looked a little hurt.

"April, I'm not
people
. Do you really think I care about the carpet? I don't care if you
have
carpet. Just let me sit and look at this drawing a bit," he asked.

April sat on the other end of the couch and looked too. She still wasn't tired of it. She tried to imagine if people could get tired of a Picasso or a Rembrandt and put it away in storage or moved it to the guest bedroom.

"I'll take that off your hands, if it doesn't go with the new carpet," he offered.

"Thank you, sometimes I need to be reminded what's important."

"So the Santos are in their new place OK?"

"Yes, they had another couple, with kids no less, living here with them. I got the impression I wasn't supposed to know, so I have no idea if the renters got a place of their own or are still with the Santos. I could probably find out, but I'm reluctant to spy on a master spy. He might find out and resent I didn't just ask him." Barak just nodded.

"I haven't seen the new place. Mama-San is probably as obsessive as me and will want it perfect before she has company. Gunny suggested we send them a housewarming gift together, an Earth custom I wasn't familiar with, but it seems nice. When I looked on the web it was common to a lot of cultures."

"What could you get them, never having seen their place?"

"Well, Gunny doesn't have as much extra money free as me and I didn't want to stick them with something permanent they'd feel obligated to store and rush out to display if I came to visit. We sent them a fancy basket of fruit and cheese and candies and stuff. It'll get used up and likely everybody will find something they like in it. It beats a vase or hand towels. Zack's Chandlery put it together."

"I think that's a sweet custom. Will you be home this evening? I'd like to bring you a house warming gift."

"Yes, Gunny will be at the construction worker's cafeteria until late and I'd welcome the company, but don't you dare bring me some hideous big sculpture or something for a joke. If you do I'll re-gift it to your mom."

"I wouldn't think of it," he said, getting up to leave. "Maybe a puppy," he threatened over his shoulder with a devilish look. April just gave him a 'go on' wave.

* * *

"Did you have anything to do with this?" The General asked Col. Allister. He was pointing to the ITU notice to Home on the screen.

"Only in the most remote and untraceable way," he admitted. "We have some of the Chinese command circuits compromised and I sent orders to a European Chinese operative inside the ITU to initiate such a demand. It looked to him as if it came straight from Beijing, with every proper authentication. I didn't involve us, remembering your counsel that we are better off not engaging Home at this time. But isn't it sweet, having someone else keep the pressure on them?"

"And you feel this fell within my orders and see no possibility the Chinese will figure out something is amiss when orders start appearing on their system they didn't write?"

"They may know it happened, but they won't know
how
. Just to make sure, the agent who received the order and followed procedures perfectly by destroying all physical traces of his order, had an unfortunate accident. His car was run over by a commercial truck when the guidance computer in the truck took it across the center line while it was on the auto-drive net. It happened so suddenly the driver wasn't able to grab the wheel and steer it back into his lane."

"Where did this happen?"

"Germany. Nothing from the USNA touched the operation anywhere."

"Did you run a check on the German system and see how many of their heavy trucks have careened out of control lately?"

Col. Allister looked uncomfortable. "Yes, there have been six accidents involving heavy transport running on auto in the last seven years. One of them was fatal to the driver. He lost his front steering tire to delamination on a mountain road and it plunged through the guard rail and down a long drop. There were two other tire failures that resulted in the trucks leaving the road, but without injury, another truck crashed when the load was not secured properly and shifted. Of the remaining two crashes one involved snow on the road and the other was from another vehicle losing a load of laundry detergent on the highway. Both loss of traction accidents."

"How do you think they will explain this incident?"

"It will likely be thought a case of electronic interference. It
was
actually. We had a mobile unit briefly transmit a more powerful signal and override the net control. We've had another mobile unit driving around the area for a month, intermittently operating a spark gap transmitter, so there have been numerous reports of interference in that area, of radio and video transmission. The local police were well aware of it from their own radios, so it was certain to be noted in the investigation. The activity continued for a couple weeks and then stopped. So whatever was causing it will not have a time line that changed at the time of the wreck. It would appear some failing piece of equipment probably was repaired or failed finally and was finally replaced."

"Let us hope they believe so," the General prayed. "We were fortunate they moved away from earth after our satellite fired on them. They never made any kind of official acknowledgement it was our action, just shipped that idiot Lieutenant back to us to see if we'd embarrass ourselves with a public spectacle involving him. I'd have
loved
to see him crucified instead of a quiet unsatisfactory discharge. How would you like it if instead they had dropped a dozen weapons on us of the sort they used on Jiuquan?

"We have no indication they have a dozen of them."

"Do you have any positive indication they don't have a
hundred
?" the General asked sharply.

"No, the shops that fabricate their weapons and components are all small privately held businesses. Most deal with spacecraft and are much harder to penetrate than a corporate structure. The only agent we managed to get inside was killed in lunar orbit when the Lewis boy brought a ship over to us with Singh technology."

"Yes and he was so over confident he didn't even have our ship that rendezvoused with them stand off a couple kilometers while he cracked the case open on the fusion device."

"That was a shame. At least we have the video since it was relayed to Armstrong."

"I saw it. The Lewis kid's last words were: "You're going to kill us all," as I remember. This touching Home. It's
dangerous
," the General counseled.