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Authors: Allen Steele
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nodded his head. ‘Okay, then, get Boggs to take the Burroughs up and out of here—way out of here, at least twenty klicks—and to make sure Cassidy’s on it when he leaves.’
Johnson stared at Jessup for a moment, then nodded his head. ‘Aye-aye, sir,’ he muttered. ‘You’re in charge. Right, Miho?’
‘Does this mean there’s going to be a military strike?’ Sasaki asked.
Jessup looked at her but said nothing. The slender young woman stepped closer to him. ‘Who do you think you are, Jessup? Japan and the ESA are neutral parties to this mission. What gives you the right to attack without our permission?’
‘Miho, your government and the Europeans have been consulted at the highest levels.’ Jessup met her gaze and forced himself to remain calm. ‘You may think you’re uninvolved, but you know as well as I do that those weapons can be used against anyone and everyone here. Paul, Shin-ichi, Art, yourself…you’re all potential hostages. Your government recognizes this as well. That’s why the Shinseiki is being used as the staging vessel.’
‘For what ?’ she demanded. ‘Is it a tactical nuclear strike?’
Jessup hesitated. It worked to his advantage to hold his cards close to the vest, but if Miho Sasaki erroneously believed that a nuke strike was in play, this could work against him. Sasaki’s great-grandparents had been hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II; distrust of American nuclear forces was traditional, but it ran deep in her family. If she spread word that the Shinseiki had a warhead aboard, it would not only spread unfounded hysteria, but could also prompt Oeljanov to take hostages.
‘No nukes,’ he said. ‘I won’t tell you what’s up there, but I will promise you, a nuclear strike isn’t being planned. You’ve got to trust me on this.’
‘Miho,’ Johnson said. Sasaki looked at the American scientist, and Johnson solemnly nodded his head. She took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head as well.
Johnson looked at Jessup. ‘Okay, what’s next?’
Jessup unclipped the beltphone from his jumpsuit and passed it to Johnson. ‘Call Sasha and Major Oeljanov and ask them to come here.’
Johnson took the phone, switched to Channel Two and tapped in a couple of numbers. ‘Dr. Kulejan, Major Oeljanov, please report to Module Nine at once.’ He gave the phone back to Jessup. ‘You know, Dick, Sasha hasn’t been crazy about this situation either. It’s been Oeljanov’s doing all along. He’s been caught in the middle.’
Jessup nodded. ‘I’ll try to remember that. Thanks for telling me.’
A few minutes later, Sasha Kulejan and Major Maksim Oeljanov arrived together at the laboratory. The module had been crowded with only three people inside: now, with two more people present, the meeting was almost literally face to face. Kulejan had not been at the pad when the lander had arrived; the slender, bearded Russian grinned and seized Jessup’s outstretched hand between both of his and squeezed it warmly.
‘Richard!’ he exclaimed. ‘So good to see you once again! Welcome to Mars!’
Jessup forced an uncomfortable smile. ‘It’s good to see you again, too, Sasha. I wish it could be under happier circumstances.’
Kulejan’s face changed from warmth to puzzlement, and Jessup once more felt vague, condescending amusement for his old acquaintance. Sasha was an excellent scientist, one of the very best in the Russian space community—but he could also be incredibly naive, deliberately isolating himself within an eggshell-thin sphere of theory and investigation, rarely peeking out at the harsh realities surrounding him. Wake up, Sasha, Jessup wanted to snap at his friend. You’ve been surrounded by your own country’s armor…don’t you want to ask why?
No. Sasha knew, all right. He was just unwilling to admit the facts to himself. Before the Glavkosmos astrophysicist could say anything more, Jessup turned his attention
Johnson stared at Jessup for a moment, then nodded his head. ‘Aye-aye, sir,’ he muttered. ‘You’re in charge. Right, Miho?’
‘Does this mean there’s going to be a military strike?’ Sasaki asked.
Jessup looked at her but said nothing. The slender young woman stepped closer to him. ‘Who do you think you are, Jessup? Japan and the ESA are neutral parties to this mission. What gives you the right to attack without our permission?’
‘Miho, your government and the Europeans have been consulted at the highest levels.’ Jessup met her gaze and forced himself to remain calm. ‘You may think you’re uninvolved, but you know as well as I do that those weapons can be used against anyone and everyone here. Paul, Shin-ichi, Art, yourself…you’re all potential hostages. Your government recognizes this as well. That’s why the Shinseiki is being used as the staging vessel.’
‘For what ?’ she demanded. ‘Is it a tactical nuclear strike?’
Jessup hesitated. It worked to his advantage to hold his cards close to the vest, but if Miho Sasaki erroneously believed that a nuke strike was in play, this could work against him. Sasaki’s great-grandparents had been hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II; distrust of American nuclear forces was traditional, but it ran deep in her family. If she spread word that the Shinseiki had a warhead aboard, it would not only spread unfounded hysteria, but could also prompt Oeljanov to take hostages.
‘No nukes,’ he said. ‘I won’t tell you what’s up there, but I will promise you, a nuclear strike isn’t being planned. You’ve got to trust me on this.’
‘Miho,’ Johnson said. Sasaki looked at the American scientist, and Johnson solemnly nodded his head. She took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head as well.
Johnson looked at Jessup. ‘Okay, what’s next?’
Jessup unclipped the beltphone from his jumpsuit and passed it to Johnson. ‘Call Sasha and Major Oeljanov and ask them to come here.’
Johnson took the phone, switched to Channel Two and tapped in a couple of numbers. ‘Dr. Kulejan, Major Oeljanov, please report to Module Nine at once.’ He gave the phone back to Jessup. ‘You know, Dick, Sasha hasn’t been crazy about this situation either. It’s been Oeljanov’s doing all along. He’s been caught in the middle.’
Jessup nodded. ‘I’ll try to remember that. Thanks for telling me.’
A few minutes later, Sasha Kulejan and Major Maksim Oeljanov arrived together at the laboratory. The module had been crowded with only three people inside: now, with two more people present, the meeting was almost literally face to face. Kulejan had not been at the pad when the lander had arrived; the slender, bearded Russian grinned and seized Jessup’s outstretched hand between both of his and squeezed it warmly.
‘Richard!’ he exclaimed. ‘So good to see you once again! Welcome to Mars!’
Jessup forced an uncomfortable smile. ‘It’s good to see you again, too, Sasha. I wish it could be under happier circumstances.’
Kulejan’s face changed from warmth to puzzlement, and Jessup once more felt vague, condescending amusement for his old acquaintance. Sasha was an excellent scientist, one of the very best in the Russian space community—but he could also be incredibly naive, deliberately isolating himself within an eggshell-thin sphere of theory and investigation, rarely peeking out at the harsh realities surrounding him. Wake up, Sasha, Jessup wanted to snap at his friend. You’ve been surrounded by your own country’s armor…don’t you want to ask why?
No. Sasha knew, all right. He was just unwilling to admit the facts to himself. Before the Glavkosmos astrophysicist could say anything more, Jessup turned his attention
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