“Green on silo,” Aspasia’s Shadow confirmed, reading the checklist. He thought it very nice of the United States Air Force to have a step-by-step list of actions to be taken to launch the missile. It always made him feel superior to use humans’ own inventions against them.
The tower at Barksdale Air Force Base served two functions. In the top, air traffic controllers ran the day-to-day operation of the airfield itself. On the floor below the top, the duty staff for the 341st Missile Wing ran the day-to-day operation of the LCCs and missiles under their control.
The opening of a single silo door was indicated by a lone red light going on among a cluster of green ones. The duty officer immediately picked up the phone and punched in the number for the Final Option Missile LCC. When the other end rang ten times with no answer, the duty officer put the phone down and hit the large red alarm button. A Klaxon wailed from the top of the tower as the duty officer picked up a different phone that had a direct line to the wing commander.
“What’s the targeting matrix for Final Option Missile?” Aspasia’s Shadow asked.
Thayer had already checked that information. Since the end of the Cold War the United States and Russia had reached an agreement where all ICBMs would no longer rest in their silos targeted at each other’s countries. Instead, the standing targeting information programmed in each warhead was for a site in the middle of an ocean, called a Broad Ocean Area. Its purpose was to prevent disaster in case of accidental launch. In the event that a launch was actually desired and the missiles used in a conflict, a target matrix would be fed by computer into each missile, and they would be quickly reprogrammed with the new destinations for the warheads.
“Resting matrix is the Broad Ocean Area. However, a broad range of firing options was programmed in at the start of recent hostilities,” Thayer said. “Primary standby matrix is against mainland China. Secondary matrix is for North Korea. Third priority is the Middle East.” “We can reprogram, correct?”
Thayer nodded. “After we launch the FOM, we can access it through MILSTAR. You can then program the targeting matrix once the missile is up.” He tapped a laptop computer that had wires running from the back into the main console. “I’ve got this on-line and we can use it from a mobile spot as long as we can access MILSTAR.” He held up a small green box with a small dish on top. “This is a secure SATCOM link.”
Aspasia’s Shadow smiled. “Oh, where I have in mind, we most definitely can access MILSTAR.” He pulled the red key from under his shirt and inserted it into the appropriate slot. “Insert key.” Thayer did the same.
“On my three,” Aspasia’s Shadow said, staring through the glass at Thayer. “One. Two. Three.” They turned their keys at the same time.
The solid rocket first stage of the LGM-118 A ignited. Umbilicals fell away and the rocket slowly began lifting on a tail of flame, clearing the silo.
Thayer was already moving before the rocket emerged from the silo. He disconnected the laptop computer from its port and slid it into a briefcase. Aspasia’s Shadow led the way to the elevator and they headed for the surface.
The wing commander stared in disbelief at the flashing red lights indicating a missile launch. He looked out the tower window and saw a plume of smoke heading up into the morning sky.
“What launched?” he demanded.
The answer was the worst one he could have received. “Final Option Missile silo is empty, sir.” “Get me the LCC,” he ordered the duty officer.
“Our link with the Final Option Missile LCC is down. Everything else shows secure.” The duty officer reported.
The wing commander turned to the duty officer. “Get me Final Option Missile command computer on MILSTAR.”
“I’m not getting an answer, sir.”
“Status on Final Option Missile LCC other silos?” “All other missile silos are still secure and in place.”
The first stage of the Peacekeeper finished its sixty-second burn and separated, the second stage immediately taking over. The missile had been going straight up, simply absorbing the upward thrust of the first stage, but the second stage had some thrust vector and the rocket turned slightly to the north and west, ascending at over a thousand miles an hour and still accelerating.
The second stage burned out and explosive bolts fired, causing its large metal casing to fall away. The Peacekeeper was now almost out of the atmosphere as the third stage fired cleanly.
The third stage stopped firing but did not separate. There was still fuel left, enough for the payload to be further maneuvered if needed. The Peacekeeper was in space, at a point above the middle of Kansas. Small thruster rockets fired as the onboard computer checked its position with various satellites to settle the rocket into a geosynchronous orbit.
After a few moments of firing they too fell silent and the Peacekeeper was in position.
Aspasia’s Shadow’s Talon lifted off and headed directly upward, moving even faster than the missle that had just been launched.
The wing commander grabbed the red phone. “Space Command, are you tracking an ICBM launch from out site?”
“Roger that. We also have another controlled craft heading upward at escape velocity.” “What kind of craft?”
“Profile fits with an alien ship.”
“Oh my God,” the wing commander muttered. He clicked the phone off, then dialed the war room.
The capsule on the end of the Peacekeeper rocket split in two, both shells falling away. Bolted inside, the Final Option Missile payload activated itself. It was not a warhead. Instead, solar panels slowly unfolded, gathering the energy of the sun to complete the boot-up of the computer and communications system. A boom mast extended, a half dozen satellite dishes attached to it.
One of the satellite dishes twisted and turned, seeking out the closest MILSTAR satellite. It found one that was in its own geosynchronous orbit two hundred miles away. An inquiry burst was transmitted from Final Option Missile to the MILSTAR satellite on a secure link. A positive link burst was sent back by the MILSTAR computer, indicating that Final Option Missile was now on-line with MILSTAR. The other satellite dishes were oriented toward Earth and they sent out their own checks, linking with submarines, bombers, and launch control centers.
Inside, the master computer checked itself and found all systems to be functioning. Final Option Missile was ready.
CHAPTER 14: THE PRESENT
Turcotte returned Captain Manning’s salute. The Space Command team had loaded all their gear in one of the cargo bays near the front of the mothership. The dozen men were stowing equipment and performing last-minute checks to make sure they had everything they would need. There were numerous pallets of equipment scattered throughout the bay.
“Are you ready?” Turcotte asked Manning.
“Yes, sir. We had everything packaged on pallets. We flew it here on a C-17 and just rolled it all in here.”
Turcotte noted several containers marked with an atomic symbol. “Nuclear warheads?” Manning nodded. “Yes, sir. Ten tac nukes loaded into Tomahawk cruise missiles.” “What if the target is shielded?” Yakov asked.