“Seems to me you have no choice-it’s probably costing a ton of money to repair those things,” Phoenix said. “What about the Chinese?”
“We believe the cause of the explosion of the Kingfisher-Eight garage was the result of a successful Chinese DF-21 antisatellite-missile attack,” Raydon said.
“I’ll ask it again: Can you verify that?” the vice president asked after a stunned pause.
“No, sir, we can’t,” Ann Page said. “The satellite that could have done so, Kingfisher-Eight, was already damaged-due to the data attack by the Russians, we believe-and shut down when the missile was launched.”
“But we can detect missile launches with other satellites, right?”
“We believe the launch was hidden from heat sensors by a decoy: A large fire near the launch site obliterated the rocket launch.”
“So you’re not sure there was a DF-21 launch.”
“It could have been launched from there, but no, sir, we didn’t actually see it,” Ann admitted.
“But we did learn that the weapon garage hadn’t malfunctioned-it actually detected the incoming ASAT missile and tried to launch an interceptor,” Kai said. “We interpreted the sudden, uncommanded arming as a fault causing an explosion, but it was actually the garage detecting the attack and maneuvering to try to defeat it.”
“Unbelievable,” Phoenix said, shaking his head. “But you have no proof of any of the attacks, right?”
“The signal gatherer will tell us if the Russians are trying their own version of netrusion on our garages, and we’ll have to shut down the AESA radars until we find a way to block the harmful data,” Kai said. “As far as the Chinese DF-21s are concerned: Every malfunctioning weapon garage and every unprotected satellite in low Earth orbit is a target, and the more sites the Chinese build, the more satellites will be at risk.”
“So you’re saying we’re completely on the defensive here?” the vice president asked. “We can’t stop the Russians from injecting viruses into our satellites, and we can’t stop the Chinese from building ASATs all over the world? I don’t buy any of that for a second. The president is going to need more options, gentlemen. Let’s start putting some plans together.” He picked up a telephone on the conference table as the others left the Situation Room, leaving the vice president with Dobson and the images of Raydon and Page still connected on the secure videoconference line. “Get me the president, please.”
A few moments later: “Hi, Ken,” President Gardner said. “Did you get the briefing?”
“I did, sir. It’s staggering. None of our satellites are safe.”
“I wanted you to get that info to show you how important my proposed global ban on antisatellite weapons is, Ken,” the president said. “The arms race in space is on. And as soon as we figure out a way to stop one form of attack, another one will pop up, and then we have to pay to find a way to defeat it. It’s nothing but a treadmill, Ken, and I want to get off. The revised National Space Policy is the first step. If we have to do a unilateral antisatellite-weapon ban to show the world how serious we are, then so be it.”
“But what are we going to do now, sir?” Phoenix asked. “ Russia and China didn’t just demonstrate their antisatellite capabilities-they actually attacked our satellites!”
“And they got our attention, too, which I believe was their intention all along,” the president said. “But we don’t have real proof they did anything, do we? We have a lot of circumstantial evidence, but nothing definite. There’s nothing we can do.”
“An American airman died in space because of what the Russians and Chinese did, sir.”
“And as an attorney, you know that you need a lot more than circumstantial evidence to prove murder beyond a shadow of a doubt. I’m just as angry as you over the death of that officer, and it probably would not have happened if the attacks hadn’t happened-”
“‘Probably,’ sir?”
“-but in the absence of concrete proof,” the president went on, apparently ignoring Phoenix’s remark, “there’s nothing we can do except work to make sure such weapons are banned forever. We’d look foolish confronting the Russians or Chinese with unprovable accusations.” The president paused, but Phoenix said nothing. “Am I correct, Ken? Or do you have some suggestions?”
“I like the idea of dropping a CID onto one of those Russian space surveillance sites or Chinese DF-21 missile sites and seeing how much damage it could do,” Phoenix said. A CID, or Cybernetic Infantry Device, was a ten-foot-tall piloted composite-shelled robot with superhuman strength, greatly enhanced speed, and self-protection features, and which carried advanced sensors and weapons-it was, in essence, a one-man infantry platoon. Although still experimental and not produced in great numbers, it had proven itself in battles ranging from America ’s borders to Iraq and Persia, once known as Iran. “Maybe they’ll think twice about test-firing one of their weapons at an American satellite.”
“Been talking with McLanahan again, have you?” the president asked.
“No, sir, that was my idea. I’ve seen those things in action.”
There was a long pause from the president’s side of the connection- Phoenix did not know that the president, too, had seen McLanahan’s futuristic infantry weapons systems in action, up close and personal, and not in a good way. Finally: “Listen, Ken, I know those manned robots are cool and tough, and it would be fun to see one use a DF-21 missile like a punching bag, but it’s not going to happen,” the president said. “The days of Patrick McLanahan sending these high-tech toys around the world in search of self-aggrandizing retribution are over. Hell, where do you think Russia and China got the idea of the so-called operational test? McLanahan did it all the time.”
“I don’t like the idea of accepting these attacks as part of the new status quo.”
“I told you what we’re going to do, Ken: We’re going to rewrite the National Space Policy to make it more inclusive and less hostile, and we’re going to work to ban antisatellite weapons around the world,” the president said. “I need your help on this. Am I going to get it?”
Phoenix hesitated as long as he dared, then replied, “Of course, Mr. President.”
“Good. Looking forward to reading that draft. Oh, I ran the idea of sending some long-range bomber muscle in and around the Chinese and Russian fleets, and the staff seemed to like the idea. Stacy spoke with the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers, and-”
“You told the Russians and Chinese we were going to shadow their fleets with a bomber, sir?”
“You didn’t think I was going to send a bomber out there without telling them?” the president asked. “This is peacetime, Ken, remember? Everyone agreed to be cool. We maintain radio contact, we don’t spook anyone, we go in unarmed, we take a few pictures, that’s it. A show of force, but no pressure.”
“Doesn’t sound like a show of force, sir. More like a photo op.”
“No use in stirring the pot any more out there. Gotta go, Ken.” And the line went dead.
Phoenix hung up the phone, then turned to face the videoconference screen and Dobson. “The president sees this as all the more reason to rewrite the National Space Policy and negotiate a ban on antisatellite weapons,” he said heavily. “He doesn’t want to do anything else.”
“But if we get positive proof…?” Ann Page asked.
“I don’t think he’d authorize any direct action,” Phoenix said. “I think that’s that.”
“I’m all in favor of the CID idea, sir,” Kai said.
“Are those the manned robots I saw on television, the ones that fought in Persia with the Iraqi army?” Dobson asked. The vice president nodded. “Those things are cool. But I thought we didn’t have any of them, that they were all destroyed in Iraq?”
“As far as I know, that’s the case,” Phoenix said. “Patrick McLanahan used them in Iraq -he’d know.”