HULK
Operation Pegasus was proceeding at a rapid rate. With priority manufacturing and materials, construction of the HULK was moving along. The first several modules had been completed, and the front half of the ship was starting to take shape. The men and women who would be piloting the craft were currently in training at the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers in Florida and Texas. A second group of volunteers was also in training for the second HULK that would be completed approximately twelve months after the first one.
Dozens of new manufacturing plants were under construction that would support both the construction of the HULK and the habitation modules that would be continually built and sent to the lunar surface. Space X’s new transport craft was nearly fifty percent complete; they were also going to build a second transport, so at least two of them would be in service. That way they could continually bring modules and required materials to the lunar surface for those who would be living there, and return Tritium4 back to Earth, which was critical to the war effort.
The space port itself was turning into a magnificent structure; it had a landing and launch pad for the HULK and the transport craft that would be moving between the Earth and the Moon, along with several loading and unloading docking stations. Everything was being built to move the ships through a very efficient assembly line like process to minimize the amount of time the crafts would be required to stay on Earth before returning back to the stars. There was also a massive maintenance bay that was under construction. There was a terminal with a beautiful control tower being built as well. In time, people would be able to move to the lunar surface and live there full-time. Right now, the only people who would be allowed to live on the lunar surface would be those working on the mining operation and about 100 scientists of various disciplines who would be studying the effects of humans living in space and terraforming.
President Stein already had his eyes set on Mars; once the war on Earth had been won then he would focus the country’s efforts on not just establishing a permanent colony on the lunar surface, but also on Mars. There were also designs for several deep space reconnaissance ships as well. These explorer ships would be sent to find other habitable planets and moons that could support life, and send the data back to earth. There were separate initiatives underway to explore some of the asteroid belts in the solar system to determine if they might contain any valuable minerals as well. It was highly suspected that these asteroids could be mined and reduce the need for mining activities on Earth. This could only have been made possible through the development of the EmDrive system and the improved Ion engine. The Angelic power system (which was essentially cold fusion) was also the core enabler for these technologies. For the first time in history, man was finally in the position to expand beyond earth.
Dr. Weisz was just finishing her tour of the White House; she had to admit that she found herself in awe when she was actually able to step into the Oval Office. So much history had happened here. It was something she had never dreamed she would ever be able to do in her lifetime. She certainly had never expected to meet directly with the President of the United States. However much she disagreed with him, she could not turn down the opportunity to talk to him face-to-face.
The young female tour guide (who reminded Dr. Weisz of her students) brought her to some of the back rooms that were a bit more non-descript. “This is where you will wait for the President. Is there anything that I can get for you? A coffee perhaps?”
“Well, I certainly won’t turn down coffee,” Rosanna replied.
She looked around the room nervously, trying to go over her game plan in her head. The seconds seemed like hours, but really it was only a few minutes before President Stein walked into the room, larger than life, and shook her hand.
“Mr. President,” she said, “It is a great honor to meet you.”
“I am likewise honored to meet you, Dr. Weisz,” replied the President. She certainly hadn’t been expecting that response. A look of credulity was not very well-concealed on her face. The President smiled in response. “You see, I’ve listened to your speeches. While I fundamentally disagree with you on a few factual points, it is very clear that you do love this country, and you are a patriotic American. That is someone I can respect, even when we don’t think all of the same things.”
“Mr. President, I am humbled that you would ask to meet with me in person. However, this nice tour and your kind words aren’t going to change my opinions of the world and the horrible things that have happened.”
“Nor would I expect them to, Dr. Weisz. What I hope it does convey is that I am taking you seriously,” responded the President. Then he turned to open a folder in front of him.
“You have a PhD in humanities, correct?”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“And you also teach a number of history classes, as I understand it.”
“Yes Sir.”
“So tell me, what is your understanding of why President Truman chose to use atomic weapons in World War II?”
She felt like a student defending her thesis again. “Well, the answer to that question is complex. There were a number of issues at play. Some feel that nuclear weapons were used as a show of force to deter the Soviet Union, who were becoming increasingly threatening. Others feel that the public mood in the United States had shifted away from supporting the war, so Truman was looking for a way to end the war quickly… there are various factors.”
The President nodded. “Those answers are not entirely inaccurate, and may have contributed to the decision, but I would like to submit a piece of history to you.” He handed her an old type-written document on yellowing paper.
She wasn’t sure what she was looking at. The President explained, “This is the estimate from General MacArthur of how many casualties there would be in a continued ground war against Japan.”
Then she could see various military groups identified and the number of men anticipated lost on the right. The total at the bottom was over one million possible lives lost.
The President continued. “What you don’t see here is that the anticipated loss of life for the Japanese was over seven million. I do not take the use of nuclear bombs lightly; however, at the end of the day, there were about 200,000 deaths compared to about eight million casualties.”
Those words sunk in… there was a moment of solemn silence. “Sir, I can appreciate that. However, the response from the IR’s attack on our cities was so asymmetrical-surely you must feel some sympathy for the human toll of this tragedy…” Dr. Weisz was hoping for even just an inkling of acknowledgement of her point of view.
“I do. It keeps me up at night, many nights. Honestly, I keep playing it over, wishing the circumstances were different, but when I do, I ultimately come to the same conclusion. You see, there is another picture that keeps haunting me.” He pulled another photograph out of his folder; it was a horrific scene of mass carnage on the battlefield. Bodies were literally in heaps on top of each other. “What you are looking at here is a scene from the battle in Israel. These images were never made public in interest of human decency, but the Islamic Republic sent wave after wave of soldiers to attack us. Many of them were not well trained, and some were not well armed. Caliph Abbas simply has no regard for human life whatsoever. He had his political objective, and he did not care how many pawns were sacrificed on the altar of his success. I know so many died in nuclear explosions, but at the end of the day, I feel that I prevented further carnage, not just of our people, but of theirs.”