April 5: A Depth of Understanding (19 page)

"I thought this a better solution than trying to cut off all diversion of the products, because when demand gets high enough it is almost impossible to do. With drugs for example, if enough people with high income need them, the supply line starts leaking below the distributor. Hospitals and doctors divert. People even start paying for false prescriptions to resell as individuals. I felt that it was not only an opportunity to make money from them over their poor choice, but build resentment against those governments when people were forced to spend exorbitant amounts to acquire what people in other countries buy freely. In some cases people actually flew to other countries to get treated since it was cheaper than buying the drug at home. I don't know if this satisfies you, but it has been working and I think it hurts them worse than an official prohibition that would be more symbolic than effective."

Loretta clapped her hands together once in delight. "I'm entirely satisfied you have the situation well in hand. Get them for every buck the market will bear!" she said, with a laugh and sat. An echoing wave of laughter rolled through the audience.

"Mr. Patsitsas. What is your take on this, sir?" Mr. Muños inquired.

"I'm of a mind that there is no need to identify which Earth nation or nations acts to supply the military force to back this order to act. If the UN acts as a state we can treat them as a state. If the USNA acts against us we don't care if the strike comes from Kentucky or California. There are a number of administrative centers for the UN, one of which is the old site for the failed League of Nations. Six or seven are important enough their removal would hurt the organization badly. Even if we never know who is a in a ship sent against us we can act against the UN. It's time it be relegated to the footnotes of history anyway, just like the League. I'd just ask restraint, that for example in removing the UN we don't leave all of Geneva a smoking crater surrounded by a thousand square kilometers of newly cleared parking lot." He might be addressing Muños and the Assembly, but he was looking at Jeff.

Jeff looked at Muños questioningly. He got the nod and stood again.

"I feel that was addressed to me. I just received your gaze, though I was not addressed directly. Is that the case, before I answer a question that isn't mine in error?"

"Yes, we all know what happened to Jiuquan," Ben said.

"Very well. Although I doubt you fully know
why
Jiuquan happened. I guess the first thing I'd say, is I'm not a monster. Or more technically, I'm not a sociopath. If anyone has real concerns about that I'll submit to an examination and questions by Jon under drugged brain scan, as long as I have an advocate to limit the range of questions." There was a murmur from the crowd. Most people did not volunteer for that sort of an invasion of their privacy.

"Jiuquan was necessary not just to protect my business interests and my mother's business and professional secrets and intellectual property, but for the survival of home. Please feel free to analyze this statement and others I make with veracity gauging software  I know you all carry on your pads. It is my firm opinion that if I had not destroyed
Eddie's Rascal
once it was captured, Home as a free political entity would have ceased to exist by now." He pause to let them see the results which usually lagged a bit running on a pad's limited capacity.

"The other weapons and options I had were not certain to ensure the complete destruction of our stolen vessel. When it is a matter of national and personal survival, eighty or ninety percent certainty is not sufficient. A ten kiloton weapon might not have gotten through, might not have been accurate enough or large enough to be certain of complete destruction. It is true the device I used was untested. I'd planned a test which was going to be both expensive and a delay of months to ensure privacy. However the press of events forced me to act without this information. The yield was approximately five times the energy expected. I don't wish to discuss technical details, because I hope to keep these devices proprietary for a long time. Suffice it to say I now know how to reduce the yield somewhat to the originally planned fifty megaton range, or improve it slightly to about three hundred and fifty megaton. Building a smaller device isn't economically feasible as we can get the lower yield cheaper in other mechanisms. So this particular weapons system would not be usable against a limited target like the campus of the UN at Geneva."

"You also seem to forget I am not part of the militia. I may coordinate with the militia voluntarily, but neither of us share weapons systems nor can demand the other act. My family owns lesser systems we could use, but I see no need to address that, because the challenge from the UN is against Home. We are quite happy to allow the militia to address any action against the UN or Earth powers before any of the Singh corporations or family. I simply reserve the right to act. I'd do so if the militia proves unable to adequately respond to these threats, but I may be willing to wait patiently on them dealing with Earth. I should add, the militia doesn't control our weapons, but others besides me have the ability to command the systems I built. Assassinating me will not remove it from play. Does this speak to your concerns, Ben? Or anyone else for that matter."

"It does, but if you don't mind confirming plainly, just so we know what we are dealing with here. You
do
still have the same sort of capacity to make a strike like you used on Jiuquan?"

"
We
," he emphasized the plural. "Have the ability to direct multiples of that sort of weapon, with enhanced penetration aids and decoys, sufficient to remove either China or North America from being a significant player in Earth affairs for many years and retain sufficient capacity
after
that act to do the same to the other. We could easily remove a much smaller country from the map entirely, such that it simply ceases to exist. I have no idea how many centuries it would require to return such a vast area to a natural environment and ecology from outside sources. I hope we never have to find out. If that scares you, let me assure you it scares me down to my toes and I hope word leaks out and it absolutely
terrifies
any Earthies who happen to be sane, assuming such a personality exists in their politics."

There were a lot of heads looking down, faces grim, reading their private pads. Amos among them. Even if such capacity was on their side and not the enemies', they still weren't happy with the mental picture of what its use would mean.

"Thank you. That covers everything and more." Ben said sitting.

"Ms. Horton," Muños invited.

"Does the
militia
, not Mr. Singh, have sufficient arms to address the sort of action we may require?"

Muños looked to Jon again.

"We are volunteers, he said, staying seated this time. "Most ship owners have armed their own vessels, given the uncertain safety of picking up or dropping off freight or passengers at other habitats. Or even making transit unmolested. Some few of them have weapons beyond ship to ship missiles or lasers. We have a few who own ten, five and two kiloton, or five hundred ton missiles which can be used ship to ship
or
in a ground attack mode through atmosphere. Some ships or owners have just
one
. Yet they are all willing to bear the expense if they have to expend them. If they are needed the militia has a number of kinetic weapons held in common to soften up a target's ballistic defenses before any warhead is used. If the assembly wishes to authorize additional monies to increase the number of loitering kinetic weapons or offer a ground attack weapon to owners who can't afford one that is your choice. I don't favor imposing restrictions or control on the owners or ship captains favored with such gifts. We all have access to the entire system, so even in the event of a massive devastating attack, someone, somewhere, will retain the ability to extract retribution. If you add permissions and consultation you invite a first strike attempting decapitation."

"I'll think on such a motion," she promised.

Jon raised his hand to Muños again and got the nod. "Tax increases tend to become permanent, my lady. We are not so far off what we need. Rather let me suggest those who find themselves with a surplus contribute for this specific need, if they are concerned about our equipment and ability. Anything I get I'll husband carefully," he promised.

"Mr. Tindal," Mr. Muños said with a slight hesitation, perhaps checking the voter list.

"It seems like we've covered all we really know," Gunny said. Until we see some action or receive further communications we are just waiting for the ninety days to run out. I move we formulate what our response should be and if we should put them on notice our exclusion zone is much wider than they seem to think. I got the sense that is what Jon wants." He sat down though, leaving the details to others.

"Miss Lewis," Muños recognized her.

"Say
plainly
, Earth law, Earth custom and Earth power are unwelcome and will be excluded outside L1. Armed forces will be assumed actively hostile and engaged without warning. Responsible parties who join such forces will be subject to retribution inside L1 and on their planetary territory. Damages will be subject to recovery by force. Do not exclude the possibility there may be
two
or more Earth powers conspiring."

"Mr. Davis,"

"Make clear, the UN will be held responsible like a sovereign state. A force sent outside L1 will be a declaration of war. Their facilities and people will all subject to attack anywhere."

"Mr. Dixon, by com," Muños added.

"If the ITU asks for enforcement of their ruling there will be a meeting of the General Assembly in Brussels. I suggest you make them aware any voting 'aye' to send an expedition to force our removal or punish us will all be considered either part of the UN or an ally at war with us. Give them ample reason to vote no."

"Mr. Michelson," Muños called on a man in work clothes seated near April. His name tag just said Dave, but he was the owner of Advanced Spacecraft Services.

"They moved the UN headquarters to Brussels, but the old building, the second one they built on the site in New York still sits mostly empty. They still own it. If you act against them, remove that building or damage it beyond use so they can't switch back and use it again. That and the IMF in Washington, so North America gets the message they are not exempt. I wish there was a significant UN office in China, they need a message too."

The man seated beside him said something quietly to Dave.

"Ah, the UN has a big campus in Nairobi," he added with some satisfaction. "That's good, so it isn't seen as a European action."

Jon, as militia coordinator nodded his acceptance of the advice.

"Mrs. Hu," Muños said, in a little softer voice.

"I'm not sure I want my children to be here if people are shooting at us again." She looked upset. "I lost my husband last time. This is my home and I have no love of North America or any of the rest of them, but I can't take chances with what I have left."

"Dear Lady, Nancy if I may, nobody would take it as a sign of disloyalty at all if you send your children to safety." Muños assured her. "There were lots of people who went to other habitats or Earth when we were threatened before. There isn't any reason you shouldn't join them along with your children. It's not like you have a militia job or are an emergency responder needed for pressure watch and medical emergencies. If we slow spin down and lots of people are off Home, then business will be slow and lots of business owners will be happy to grant time off. What you are suggesting is just good sense. I hope a lot of people do it. There will be that many less to worry about."

"Thank you. I care what you people think of me," she said, waving an encompassing hand.

"Is there any alternate view, or reservations? Are we agreed we must act to oppose these orders laid upon us? Or does anyone wish our response to be milder than what the speakers have suggested? Speak freely, numbers do not make things
right
and we will weigh other views."

There was a conspicuous lack of dissent.

"May I suggest, as we have successfully done in the past, we assign Jon Davis to compose all the main elements of these thoughts presented as compactly as possible, because too many words lessens their impact. Then for him to present it as our Spox to the Earth news services at the same time tomorrow?" Muños looked around. Dave held up two fingers to say he seconded it. Ben held his hand up and made a shooing motion to so move.

"How do you people say?" he asked officially. The vote was eighteen hundred and forty three yea, four hundred eleven nay and an unusual number of abstentions.

April avoided the press of people trying to have a last word with Jon and lobbying Muños. She went to Lindsey before she finished and packed up to leave. She was adding to a sketch of when Jon was speaking. Most faces were turned to him and the expressions ranged from serious to grim. When she looked at Jeff and herself and the oddest thing was that Barak was looking at her, not Jon. He didn't look grim at all and looking at them beside each other, Barak was as tall as her now. She didn't disbelieve it. Lindsey had a very accurate eye, but he used to snuggle
under
her arm sitting on his mom Sylvia's couch not so very long ago. When had this happened?

Chapter 14

The next day the Assembly listened to Jon's proposed release. When asked by Muños if they would accept it as read it passed with a respectable margin. Muños had several news services waiting for a live reading and as soon as Jon was ready he checked the live feeds.

Jon Davis as Spox for the Assembly of Home in public press release:

People of Earth, those in close habitats and the moon. The nation of Home recently removed themselves from orbiting too close to you in the interests of peace.

Now we find ourselves threatened by the United Nations agency the ITU. Enclosed is a copy of their threats. The UN and the agency are being used by some unnamed cowardly bureaucrat ashamed to sign his name and take responsibility.