"The Soviet Foreign Ministry advises me that the transcripts were turned over to your United Nations delegation. "Karmarov again was about to reply, but Brent held up a hand.
understand the situation, Mr. Ambassador," Brent said in a forgiving tone. "The Foreign Ministry did advise me that your office has not had time to fully study the transcripts.
Turning the transcript over to us before looking at them yourself wouldn't make sense, I agree."
"I beg the Council's indulgence," Karmarov asked. "Pressing matters in my delegation and the last-minute flurry of activity prior to the New Year's recess have delayed my study of those documents."
"Of course, Mr. Ambassador," Brent asked. "The Foreign Ministry was kind enough to answer a few questions, though. I hope you at least have had an opportunity to glance at the transcripts so as to enlighten the Security Council on a few points.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary, I-" "The Foreign Ministry assures me that, although three launched from Ossora MiG-29 fighter-interceptor aircraft were Airfield on the northern Kamchatka peninsula near Kavaznya, they never closed with the so-called intruder aircraft. The RC-135 aircraft was allowed to fly toward the coast without being challenged. Mr. Ambassador, why in the world would the Soviets allow an unidentified aircraft to fly to within thirty-five miles of the coastline, within thirty-five miles of a top secret research installation, without being challenged by three interceptors assigned to pursue it?"
Heads turned toward Karmarov. "Mr. Secretary," Karmarov said through tight lips. "I cannot at this time answer-" "The Foreign Ministry also reports that no efforts were made to reach the RC-135 on normal, internat a y recognized emergency channels. Now, Mr. Ambassador, the Soviet Union launched three advanced interceptors out after an American aircraft it says was intruding into highly sensitive Russian airspace, yet never closed on the intruder. They obviously saw the aircraft-yet never tried to raise the aircraft by radio, never tried to warn it away. Why?Perhaps I can offer a reason," Brent hurried on. At his signal, a rear-projection screen began to descend over the mural of "The Rise of the Phoenix" at the head of the Security Council chamber.
Ambassador Adams pushed an electronic pointer into his hands and Brent stepped quickly toward the head of the circular Council table.
Flaring to life as Brent stepped up to a small podium at the head of the table, the screen showed several rows of words and numbers on the left and several bar graphs on the right.
"I will show the Council exactly what took place aboard that unarmed reconnaissance plane," Brent began. "This is the exact, unedited position and status data transmitted from the RC-135 aircraft as it approached Kavaznya. It shows summaries of the aircraft's performance and summaries of what the aircraft's sensors were receiving."
Brent hit a button on the console. A second slide appeared beneath the first, this one a map of eastern Asia centered on Kavaznya.
"To better understand the data presented on the left," Brent said, "we will plot the location of the RC-135 aircraft on the map below. The bar graphs are readouts of electromagnetic energy levels outside the RC-135 aircraft. The graphs show levels of heat, visible light, radiation, transmitted energy, and polarized single-frequency light.
All of the presentations have been time-synced to show exactly what was happening at each moment. "The screens went into motion. "The RC-135 is one hundred and forty miles from Kavaznya when surveillance radars from Ossora Airfield north of Kavaznya begin to track it. "A circle appeared on the chart. "The circle represents the computer's estimate of the range of the surveillance radar scanning the RC-135the plane is well within that range. "The transmitted energy bar moved upward-all of the other graphs were motionless.
Brent motioned to the scrolling printout. "The RC-135 is now ninety miles from Kavaznya. It is still being tracked by surveillance radar, as shown by this line on the printoutstandard India-band surveillance radar. I assume air defense forces have been alerted, but only the missing controller's transcript can tell us this. Here Brent pointed to the transmitted energy bar graph, "is where a new radar comes on.
The plane is still over ten minutes from reaching land.
"See how much the energy level has increased?The printout confirms it… here. Frequency, carrier power, modulation-all significantly different, thousands of times more powerful than the ordinary surveillance radars. "A new circle appeared on the map, this one several times larger than the first.
"Mr. Secretary-General, I must protest this," Kannarov said.
Brent stopped the scrolling display. "Mr, Karen, arov, this presentation has been approved by the Steering Committee for presentation," McCaan asked. "What are the grounds for your objections" "This appears to be what Mr. Brent says it is," Karmarov said, "but it can also be a clever forgery. Why, I can create such a grand display on my own computer."
"If you are challenging the Steering Committee's judgment," McCaan said, "you must enter a protest with the Steering Committee-" "But I have not yet had an opportunity to examine any of the evidence being presented.
The Steering Committee-" "I know about the Steering Committee. But such a…
jumble of information cannot be brought before the Security Council without-" "It seems your objection is a procedural one, Mr. Karmarov," McCaan said, "and as such I must overrule it. The admissibility of this data and the manner of its presentation have already been approved by the Steering Committee as per this body's regulations. Mr. Brent, proceed.
The screen went into motion once again. "The RC-135 is now forty-two miles from shore. "Brent pointed at the readout on the left. The map magnified into a much larger scale of the Kavaznya area itself. The red line plotting the course of the RC-135 began to change. "It is here that the plane begins a right turn away from the coastline. As you can see, the transmitted energy scale has greatly increased. At the same time, all other radars in the area have been turned off-all but One. No India-band radars, only the much more powerful Lima-band radar at Kavaznya."
Brent turned to Kan-narov. "Why, Mr. Ambassador, would your air defense operators turn off their radars with an intruder in the area?
With three fighters airborne that rely on that radar deactivated?
Where are for vectors to the intruder, why was it the fighters?"
Karmarov decided his only response was silence.
The screen froze. The bar graphs had all suddenly pegged at the top of their scales.
"Suddenly, here," Brent said, "there is a massive explosion visible light, radiation, and polarized of transmitted energy, light."
The display began to move slowly. "The blast lasts for almost a full second. Gentlemen, the readout for polarized light is a readout of levels of visible light that meets very strict the wavelength, one parameters. The light must be pure-o frequency, one direction.
Polarized light. "He turned and Laser light. A laser on the order of two looked at Karmarov.
hundred megawatts has Just been fired from Kavaznya."
The scrolling continued, but the printout display on the left and the movement of the bar graphs halted for several minutes.
"The data transmission was interrupted after the laser blast," Brent asked. "The tremendous amount of energy disrupts electronic circuits for hundreds of miles. Is that why there are Mr. Karmarov?A fighter near that laser no fighters in the area, blast would fall into the ocean."
No reply from Karmarov.
A few moments later the stream of data returned. "As you can see," Brent went on, "the levels of radiation and transmitted energy are still high. The bar graphs for polarized light and thermal energy have been removed. That is because that data was obtained from an Alpha Omega Nine reconnaissance satellite over Kavaznya. That satellite was destroyed by the laser blast."