I had been left completely out of the loop, despite being in charge of the entire project. I didn’t know whether I felt resentment, or relief, that Ti Sandra had shouldered all of this particular burden.
“She was in pain,” Charles said, as if reading my thoughts. “I don’t think she had time to tell you what was planned. When she first gave us the instructions, we didn’t know we could do it. It was all very confused.”
“I understand. You went to Earth. What was it like?”
“The stars changed,” Charles said. “We felt something shift inside of us — very minor. We’re still not sure what it was — gravitation, psychological response, we don’t know.”
“Everything combined, probably,” Leander said.
“We looked through the shuttle ports, saw a sunrise limb, the sun much brighter and larger… Earth. We scrambled to check our distance and orbital path. We were right on the money, effectively, but about a hundred kilometers behind the projected orbital insertion point.”
“We’re still working on that,” Leander said,
“We listened but broadcast nothing. About fifteen minutes passed before someone sent us a signal. It was from a private analog radio operator in Mexico . He spoke to us in Spanish. He said, ‘Hello, new moon. Where are you from?’ ”
We laughed. Charles smiled. “Our pilot said, ‘Don’t ask. You won’t believe us.’ ”
“We started getting official signals a few minutes after that,” Leander said. “We had instructions from Ti Sandra what to say. We broadcast the same words — over and over again.”
“We were waiting to be annihilated,” Charles said. “But that was pretty silly, I suppose. Some of the officials sounded terrified. Some behaved as if nothing at all had happened, the most routine diplomatic communications. We spoke to government negotiators and diplomats from the Eurocon, GEWA, GSHA, and half a dozen others. We told them all the same thing.”
“What was that?”
“ ‘Mars is under attack by unknown governments on the Earth. You have ten hours to pull back and remove the threat, or there will be a retaliatory response.’ ” Charles’s voice sounded hollow as he repeated the statement, burned into memory.
“What response? What retaliation?”
“Ti Sandra told us to remotely convert the White House in Washington into mirror matter,” Charles said. “A symbolic gesture.”
Silence around the room.
“Could you have done that?” I asked.
Charles nodded. “Without very much precision. She did not tell us to have it evacuated first, but I was going to give some warning. A half hour or so.”
I covered my mouth with my hand, suddenly nauseated. The sensation passed. I closed my eyes and dropped my hand slowly. “You have all been exceptionally courageous,” I said.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Charles said, with a flippant salute that jarred me. I looked up at him, shocked and puzzled. Charles leaned forward, eyes narrowed as if in pain.
“We have followed our instructions. We’ve done everything we’ve been told, at the expense… almost… of our souls. We’ve understood the strategic necessity, and we believe enough to give ourselves to this cause, but, Casseia, I could not give a flying fuck about medals or patriotism now. I am scared to death of what is going to happen next. We’ve had our fun, we’ve made a flying circus run with Phobos and given nightmares to children and adults all over Earth. Do you think it’s going to end there? Do you think we have any time left at all?”
“No,” I said.
“Good,” Charles said, biting the word off and leaning back, his face red with emotion. “God damned good. Because I’m half convinced this is going to be the end of the human race. Impart some of your thinking to us, oh master of politics. We are children lost in the woods.”
“So am I, Charles,” I said quietly. “We all know what’s going to happen now. Ti Sandra knows. They saw you move Phobos. They have the resources, in people and machines and laboratories, to duplicate your discoveries, given this clue. And as soon as they can do what we can do, it’s just a matter of time before somebody strikes somebody else.“
“It’s too damned convenient,” Leander said.
Charles agreed. “They may discover things we don’t know yet.”
“A strike can be fast, it can be total,” I said, “and it can guarantee survival in an otherwise dicey situation.”
“Survival for how long?” Amy Vico-Persoff asked. “How long until we divide right down to region against region, or us against Cailetet? GEWA against GSHA?”
“Let’s not be so pessimistic,” Charles said, holding up a hand. “This is never going to be household kitchen-sink type science. There might be four or five places on Earth that have the resources and the theoreticians necessary to duplicate our work. Don’t be fooled by the tweaker’s small size. It’s as sophisticated a piece of equipment as any human being has ever made. Bit-player warfare isn’t our real problem right now, and may never be.
“But you’re right — they’ll do it, and soon — two weeks, a month, two months. We have to find a political solution very soon.”
“Politics, hell,” Leander said. “Look what politics has accomplished this far. We have to leave.” He looked around the room guiltily, a child who’d spoken a naughty word.
“Evacuate Mars?” Royce asked, face wreathed in puzzlement.
None of them had given this a lot of thought, I could tell — except Charles and Leander. Brooding in their little ship, fastened to a peregrinating moon…
“No,” I said. “Move it.”
“Jesus!” Lieh cried, jumping from her chair. She left the room, shaking her head and swearing.
Nobody spoke for long seconds. Charles stared at me, then folded his hands together. “We have no right to make these decisions ourselves, alone. Scientists and politicians have no such right.“
“There isn’t the time or the means for a plebiscite. Earth has guaranteed that,” I said. “Our choices are very limited. Ti Sandra said the Solar System would become too dangerous. It would kill us.”
The equipment in the chamber seemed innocent and even crude. “How far have we come, Casseia?” Charles asked.
‘Too far. A long time ago, I remember cursing you for the troubles you caused. We’ve come a long way since.“
“I have never felt in control,” Charles said. Royce and Vico-Persoff seemed content to let us talk for the moment. Dandy stood a few paces behind me, stiff as a statue. Charles and I were being given a wide space in which to make decisions, as much out of fear as respect.
“Nobody has died yet,” I said. “I mean, we haven’t killed anybody. Earth has. We’re still getting reports — but there are entire stations cut off.”
“I know,” Charles said.
“We did not strike the first blow. We will not use this as a weapon.”
“Bullshit,” Charles said, stinging me again. “I had orders to cause damage if necessary. When you and Ti Sandra are worn out and thrown away, someone else will step in and desperation and fear will…” He swallowed and pulled his hands apart, rubbing them on his knees. “Believe it. What we’ve made will kill people, lots of people.”
“We keep coming back to it, then,” I said.
“You’ll talk with Ti Sandra, soon?” Charles asked.
“Yes. I don’t think any of this will surprise her.”
Lieh had returned, face flushed, expression sheepish, and stood beside Dandy. I got up, nodded to Charles, to Leander, to Royce and Vico-Persoff, thanked them for the tea, and left with my bodyguard and communications advisor.
I looked forward to a Spartan bunk and few amenities. Lieh used an electronic key to unlock the door to my room.