The Wind From a Burning Woman: Six Stories of Science Fiction (3 page)

The team leader stood and stretched his arms.

Youre doing quite well so far, Ser Kollert, he said. Its best to ease into these things.

Im Advisor Kollert to you, and I dont see how we have much time to take it easy.

Yes, sir. Sorry.

* * * *

She needed the rest, but there was far too much to do. She pushed off from the seat and floated gently for a few moments before drifting down. The relaxation of weightlessness would have been welcome, and Psyches pull was very weak, but just enough to remind her there was no time for rest.

One of the things she had hoped she could dochecking the charges deep inside the asteroid to see if they were armed was impossible. The main computer and the systems board indicated the transport system through the boreholes was no longer operative. It would take her days to crawl or float the distance down the shafts, and she wasnt about to take the small tug through a tunnel barely fifty meters wide. She wasnt that well-trained a pilot.

So she had a weak spot. The bombs couldnt be disarmed from where she was. They could be set off by a ship positioned along the axis of the tunnels, but so far none had shown up. That would take another twelve hours or so, and by then time would be running out. She hoped that all negotiations would be completed.

The woman desperately wanted out of the suit. The catheters and cups were itching fiercely; she felt like a ball of tacky glue wrapped in wool. Her eyes were stinging from strain and sweat buildup on the lids. If she had a moment of irritation when something crucial was happening, she could be in trouble. One way or another, she had to clean up a bitand there was no way to do that unless she risked exposure to the residue of drugs. She stood unsteadily for several minutes, vacillating, and finally groaned, slapping her thigh with a gloved palm. Im tired, she said. Not thinking straight.

She looked at the computer. There was a solution, but she couldnt see clearly. Come on, girl. So simple. But what?

The drug would probably have a limited life, in case the Nexus wanted to do something with Psyche later. But how limited? Ten years? She chuckled grimly. She had the ampoule and its cryptic chemical label. Would a Physicians Desk Reference be programmed into the computers?

She hooked herself into the console again. PDR, she said. The screen was blank for a few seconds. Then it said, Ready.

Iropentaphonate, she said. Two-seven diboltene.

The screen printed out the relevant data. She searched through the technical maze for a full minute before finding what she wanted. Effective shelf life, four months two days from date of manufacture.

She tested the air againit was stale but breathableand unhooked her helmet. It was worth any risk. A bare knuckle against her eye felt so good.

* * * *

The small lounge in the Baja Station was well-furnished and comfortable, but suited more for Geshels than Naderites bright rather than natural colors, abstract paintings of a mechanistic tendency, modernist furniture. To Kollert it was faintly oppressive. The man sitting across from him had been silent for the past five minutes, reading through a sheaf of papers.

Who authorized this? the man asked.

Hexamon Nexus, Mr. President.

But who proposed it?

Kollert hesitated. The advisory committee.

Who proposed it to the committee?

I did.

Under what authority?

It was strictly legal, Kollert said defensively. Such activities have been covered under the emergency code, classified section fourteen.

The president nodded. She came to the right man when she asked for you, then. I wonder where she got her information. None of this can be broadcastwhy was it done?

There were a number of reasons, among them financial

The project was mostly financed by lunar agencies. Earth had perhaps a five percent share, so no controlling interest and there was no connection with radical Geshel groups, therefore no need to invoke section fourteen on revolutionary deterrence. I read the codes, too, Farmer.

Yes, sir.

What were you afraid of? Some irrational desire to pin the butterflies down? Jesus God, Parmer, the Naderite beliefs dont allow anything like this. But you and your committee took it upon yourselves to covertly destroy the biggest project in the history of mankind. You think this follows in the tracks of the Good Man?

Youre aware of lunar plans to build particle guidance guns. Theyre canceled now because Psyche is dead. They were to be used to push asteroids like Psyche into deep space, so advanced Beckmann drives could be used.

Im not technically minded, Farmer.

Nor am I. But such particle guns could have been used as weaponsconsidering lunar sympathies, probably would have been used. They could cook whole cities on Earth. The development of potential weapons is a matter of concern for Naderites, sir. And there are many studies showing that human behavior changes in space. It becomes less Earth-centered, less communal. Man cant live in space and remain human. We were trying to preserve humanitys right to a secure future. Even now the Moon is a potent political force, and war has been suggested by our strategists... its a dire possibility. All this because of the separation of a group of humans from the parent body, from wise government and safe creed.

The president shook his head and looked away. I am ashamed such a thing could happen in my government. Very well, Kollert, this remains your ball game until she asks to speak to someone else. But my advisors are going to go over everything you say. I doubt youll have the chance to botch anything. Were already acting with the Moon to stop this before it gets any worse. And you can thank Godfor your life, not your career, which is already deadthat our Geshels have come up with a way out.

Kollert was outwardly submissive, but inside he was fuming. Not even the President of the Hexamon had the right to treat him like a child or, worse, a criminal. He was an independent advisor, of a separate desk, elected by Naderites of high standing. The ecumentalist creed was apparently much tighter than the presidents. I acted in the best interests of my constituency, he said.

You no longer have a constituency, you no longer have a career. Nor do any of the people who planned this operation with you, or those who carried it out. Up and down the line. A purge.

* * * *

Turco woke up before the blinking light and moved her lips in a silent curse. How long had she been asleep? She panicked brieflya dozen hours would be crucialbut then saw the digital clock. Two hours. The light was directing her attention to an incoming radio signal.

There was no video image. Kollerts voice returned, less certain, almost cowed. Im here, she said, switching off her camera as well. The delay was a fraction shorter than when theyd first started talking.

Have you made any decisions? Kollert asked.

I should be asking that question. My course is fixed. When are you and your people going to admit to sabotage?

WedId almost be willing to admit, just to He stopped. She was about to speak when he continued. We could do that, you know. Broadcast a worldwide admission of guilt. A cheap price to pay for saving all life on Earth. Do you really understand what youre up to? What satisfaction, what revenge, could you possibly get out of this? My God, Turco, you There was a burst of static. It sounded suspiciously like the burst she had heard some time ago.

Youre editing him, she said. Her voice was level and calm. I dont want anyone editing anything between us, whoever you are. Is that understood? One more burst of static like that, and Ill... She had already threatened the ultimate. Ill be less tractable. RememberIm already a fanatic. Want me to be a hardened fanatic? Repeat what you were saying, Ser Kollert.

The digital readout indicated one-way delay time of 1.496 seconds. She would soon be closer to the Earth than the Moon was.

I was saying, Kollert repeated, something like triumph in his tone, that you are a very young woman, with very young ideaslike a child leveling a loaded pistol at her parents. You may not be a fanatic. But you arent seeing things clearly. We have no evidence here on Earth that youve found anything, and we wont have evidencenothing will be solvedif the asteroid collides with us. Thats obvious. But if it veers aside, goes into an Earth orbit perhaps, then an

Thats not one of my options, Turco said.

investigating team could reexamine the crew quarters, Kollert continued, not to be interrupted for a few seconds, do a more detailed search. Your charges could be verified.

I cant go into Earth orbit without turning around, and this is a one-way rock, remember that. My only other option is to swing around the Earth, be deflected a couple of degrees, and go into a solar orbit. By the time any investigating team reached me, Id be on the other side of the sun, and dead. Im the daughter of a Geshel, Ser Kollertdont forget that. I have a good technical education, and my training under Hexamon auspices makes me a competent pilot and spacefarer. Too bad theres so little long-range work for my typejust Earth-Moon runs. But dont try to fool me or kid me. Im far more expert than you are. Though Im sure you have Geshel people on your staff. She paused. Geshels! I cant call you traitorsyou in the backgroundbecause you might be thinking Im crazy, out to destroy all of you. But do you understand what these men have done to our hopes and dreams? Ive never seen a finished asteroid starship, of coursePsyche was to have been the first. But Ive seen good simulations. It would have been like seven Shangrilas inside, hollowed out of solid rock and metal, seven valleys separated by walls four kilometers high, each self-contained, connected with the others by tube trains. The valley floors reach up to the sky, like magic, everything wonderfully topsy-turvy. And quietso much insulation none of the engine sounds reach inside. She was crying again.

Psyche would consume herself on the way to the stars. By the time she arrived, thered be little left besides a cylinder thirty kilometers wide, and two hundred ninety long. Like the core of an apple, and the passengers would be luxurious worms star travelers. Now ask why, why did these men sabotage such a marvelous thing? Because they are blind unto pure evil blind, ugly-minded, weak men who hate big ideas... She paused. I dont know what you think of all this, but remember, they took something away from you. I know. Ive seen the evidence here. Sabotage and murder. She pressed the button and waited wearily for a reply.

Ser Turco, Kollert said, you have ten hours to make an effective course correction. We estimate you have enough reaction mass left to extend your orbit and miss the Earth by about four thousand kilometers. There is nothing we can do here but try to convince you

She stopped listening, trying to figure out what was happening behind the scenes. Earth wouldnt take such a threat without exploring a large number of alternatives. Kollerts voice droned on as she tired to think of the most likely action, and the most effective.

She picked up her helmet and placed a short message, paying no attention to the transmission from Earth. Im going outside for a few minutes.

* * * *

The acceleration had been steady for two hours, but now the weightlessness was just as oppressive. The large cargo hauler was fully loaded with extra fuel and a bulk William Porter was reluctant to think about. With the ship turned around for course correction, he could see the Moon glowing with Earthshine, and a bright crescent so thin it was almost a hair.

He had about half an hour to relax before the real work began, and he was using it to read an excerpt from a novel by Anthony Burgess. Hed been a heavy reader all his memorable life, and now he allowed himself a possible last taste of pleasure.

Like most inhabitants of the Moon, Porter was a Geshel, with a physicist father and a geneticist mother. Hed chosen a career as a pilot rather than a researcher out of romantic predilections established long before he was ten years old. There was something immediately effective and satisfying about piloting, and hed turned out to be well suited to the work. Hed never expected to take on a mission like this. But then, hed never paid much attention to politics, either. Even if he had, the disputes between Geshels and Naderites would have been hard to spottheyd been settled, most experts believed, fifty years before, with the Naderites emerging as a ruling class. Outside of grumbling at restrictions, few Geshels complained. Responsibility had been lifted from their shoulders. Most of the population of both Earth and Moon was now involved in technical and scientific work, yet the mistakes they made would be blamed on Naderite policiesand the disasters would likewise be absorbed by the leadership. It wasnt a hard situation to get used to.

William Porter wasnt so sure, now, that it was the ideal. He had two options to save Earth, and one of them meant he would die.

Hed listened to the Psyche-Earth transmissions during acceleration, trying to make sense out of Turcos position, to form an opinion of her character and sanity, but he was more confused than ever. If she was rightand not a raving lunatic, which didnt seem to fit the factsthen the Hexamon Nexus had a lot of explaining to do and probably wouldnt do it under the gun. The size of Turcos gun was far too imposing to be rationalthe destruction of the human race, the wiping of a planets surface.

He played back the computer diagram of what would happen if Psyche hit the Earth. At the angle it would strike, it would speed the rotation of the Earths crust and mantle by an appreciable fraction. The asteroid would cut a gouge from Maine to England, several thousand kilometers long and at least a hundred kilometers deep. The impact would vault hundreds of millions of tons of surface material into space, and that would partially counteract the speedup of rotation. The effect would be a monumental jerk, with the energy finally being released as heat. The continents would fracture in several directions, forming new faults, even new plate orientations, which would generate earthquakes on a scale never before seen. The impact basin would be a hell of molten crust and mantle, with water on the perimeter bursting violently into steam, altering weather patterns around the world. It would take decades to cool and achieve some sort of stability.