Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan Page 3

  France devised an Orbital Mass Projector comprised of three large iron balls filled with liquid mercury. The mercury was spun inside at high speed, simulating a planet's core, while the iron created electricity and produced an electromagnetic shield around the balls, giving each one a small amount of gravitational pull. The three devices were set to orbit the comet at high speeds, producing a gravitational effect. Each was programmed to emit its strongest point of gravity at a certain region on Nomad to nudge it just a degree or two at a time. The science was exact and it might have worked if Iran hadn’t launched its whole nuclear arsenal at Nomad, destroying two of the OMPs and knocking the third out of orbit, frying its electronic circuitry.

  Two shuttles were equipped with 64-megajoule rail guns. These electromagnetic guns could shoot non-explosive shells at a speed of Mach 8—eight times the speed of sound, or about six thousand miles per hour. No explosives were required; the kinetic energy alone was enough to vaporize most objects. The plan was to position the two shuttles and pummel the comet, attempting to blow off huge pieces and affect its spin. On the day they were to launch, Al Qaeda suicide bombers attacked the installation, destroying the facility and the two shuttles.

  The next idea was to use titanium tethers attached to gigantic Mylar parachutes. They were put into spacecraft that would self-drill into the back end of the comet and auto-deploy. Theoretically, they would slow down the comet enough to allow Jupiter’s massive gravity to pull it off course. Ten gargantuan spaceships were quickly built by the Russians to carry out the plan. It worked. The comet’s speed decelerated slightly; then, the Mylar chutes froze and cracked into thousands of pieces. The Russian citizens went mad at this failed attempt, protesting that several more evacuation ships should have been built rather than wasting precious resources on a crackpot idea. Riots erupted and thousands died as the Russian military enforced a shoot-to-kill strategy to restore order.

  Mexico built a thermonuclear laser fashioned after one at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California. At the time, it was the largest laser in the world. Mexico’s mega-laser combined six hundred lasers, all focused at the same spot on the comet and designed to dump one hundred megajoules of energy into a narrow beam in nanosecond bursts. It was hoped that generating temperatures of two hundred million Celsius would induce nuclear fusion in the comet's core and cause it to blow up. It was spectacular and might have worked if Mexican cartels hadn’t taken over the facility and seized the weapon in a daring raid. They turned it on a military installation in the U.S. and destroyed it, roasting thousands in the underground bunkers in seconds. The brazen attack was launched to prove that the cartels would use the weapon on the moon bases if their demands that cartel leaders be included in the evacuation plans were not met. When the UN refused and they turned the weapon on the moon bases, the U.S. and Russia nuked the facility. They had no choice.

  By that time, the world’s super powers were working on desperate, last-ditch efforts to stop the juggernaut of death. Everyone who could be evacuated off the planet’s surface or housed in bunkers was already there. The Saviors had been built and flown several trips to the moon. The domes were operational, and six additional domes had been constructed, prompting another lottery. Those who occupied the underground bunkers were relocated to the moon, and the new lottery winners were admitted to the underground bunkers. The rest of the world’s inhabitants had one month before Nomad’s impact. Based on its current trajectory, scientists predicted it would smash into Antarctica at incredible speed, melting the southern ice cap instantly and flash boiling the planet in seconds. But that was just one theory. So many other theories had been advanced, no one knew who or what to believe anymore.

  Charlie Richards had become the go-to guy for the government agencies, scientists, and citizen groups tasked with preserving humanity in its darkest hours. Earlier that morning, he had received a call from Dr. Cynthia Mason. He had heard about this woman for the last few years but never had the chance to meet her. What he did know was that she was young, beautiful, and extraordinarily brilliant. According to her personnel records, her IQ was off the charts, and her inventions were responsible for the domes on the moon, the Savior engines, and a new computer software prototype with incredibly advanced, artificial intelligence capabilities. When she called and asked him to set up a meeting with the world’s top scientific minds, he readily agreed.

  Dozens of scientists gathered in a conference hall in the newly christened Moon Base Resurrection, or MBR as it was called by those who occupied it. Many were angry about being required to attend this meeting on short notice. They were engrossed in their own pet projects and believed every possible strategy to stop Nomad had been tried. Arguments erupted and tempers flared as the scientists debated when and where Nomad would strike and the mundane question of why they had been summoned to this meeting.

  The grumbling stopped and the scientists took their seats when a woman in her early thirties stepped up to the elevated podium. She tapped the microphone several times and then announced, “Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention? I’m Doctor Cynthia Mason, and I want to thank you all for attending this meeting.” The woman seemed shy and nervous as she explained, “Earth is lost. When Nomad hits, the planet will be devastated for hundreds of years. We will not be able to reclaim the earth in our lifetimes. Our leaders have chosen Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, as our new home. It will take the Saviors a year to make the journey, and then we will work to make it habitable.”

  Dr. Mason paused, looking out over the gathering of scientists, and then she continued. “You are all aware that we have been landing habitat ships and offloading building materials on Enceladus. Soon, we will commence our new lives there as apocalyptic orphans. However, living on an inhospitable ice planet with cryovolcanoes is a short-term fix. It is possible humans won’t be able to acclimate, and we don’t know if it will even be feasible. If it doesn’t work, we need a backup plan. That plan should not exclude creating a new earth.”

  Laughter erupted. One scientist yelled, “You’re crazy!” Another muttered, “Stupid idea!” A renowned astrophysicist from Russia argued, “In less than a month, Nomad will turn the earth into dust. You want to make a ‘new earth’ to replace it? Waste of time!”

  Dr. Mason looked down at her notes and bit a fingernail, waiting for the laughter and insults to subside. When a researcher in the back of the room shouted, “All beauty, no brains,” she glared at the audience and exclaimed, “Fools! Do you think I would present a concept without scientific evidence? What I have discovered may save the human race from extinction.”

  “Let her finish,” Charlie Richards admonished. “Show Doctor Mason the respect she deserves. The MBR dome you now live in is the product of her intellect. Please, Doctor Mason, tell us what you are proposing.”

  “Our research shows that most large celestial bodies are endowed with a certain magnetic resonance. In theory, everything that generates a magnetic field can be repulsed or attracted to a certain fixed point. The strongest force in the universe is the strong nuclear force, which holds the particles in an atom's nucleus together. If I told you I could safely break—or create—the bonds of the force that holds that nucleus together and control it, what would you say?” Dr. Mason asked the crowd. Without waiting for an answer, she added, “Recently, I was able to develop a Meson Field Disrupter. My device will allow a planet’s magnetic field to be neutralized. The gravity that holds it to its orbit can be temporarily interrupted. We can then move the planet into a different orbit. In essence, we can make it go ‘rogue’ and control its path and destination.”

  The gathering sat in stunned silence, digesting Dr. Mason’s words. Finally, Charlie asked the question on everyone’s mind: “How can you accomplish that? Enormous power would be required, and the inherent risks in what you suggest could end all life in the galaxy. Besides, the technology currently doesn’t exist to create what you propose.”

  Dr. Mason gestured to severa
l assistants who began handing out a document package with the details of her research and accompanying schematics.

  “When France used its Orbital Mass Projectors, or OMPs, on Nomad, and Iran detonated its nukes destroying them, I discovered a new type of radiation had been created. I was calculating Nomad’s speed at the time, and for a few seconds, the comet lost its magnetic pull. It slowed down measurably. I replayed the video feeds many times, studying the effect, and I concluded that the nuclear radiation had released a new type of anti-matter. I was able to recreate the effect in my lab. My Meson Field Disrupter creates a polarity wave. My calculations show we can use this wave to move any celestial body with a magnetic field. I can reverse the planet’s polarity and break it free of its orbit. Using the Meson Field Disrupter, I can steer it wherever I want it to go.”

  “So why not use this wave to stop Nomad?” several researchers asked in unison as they began to grasp the concept.

  “That was my initial thought, but I believe Nomad is moving too fast,” said Dr. Mason. “By the time we deploy satellites around it and initialize the anti-matter wave, it will be too close to Earth for us to control. My concern is that our deep-range scans show micro-fractures along Nomad’s x-axis. My device could split Nomad into several smaller comets that would impact different areas on the planet and cause even greater devastation instead of just hitting the South Pole. The only way to confirm whether these fractures exist is to send a shuttle mission to survey and map the comet. That will confirm whether OPM deployment would work. If this is going to happen, the mission needs to commence immediately—within the next few hours.”

  “We’ll need to send an ace pilot who is fully aware of the mission’s risks,” Charlie interjected. “I have two pilots on the ISS with shuttle clearance. Commander Joshua Randle just landed to replace Commander Orlando Wolf.

  “Isn’t Commander Wolf the fellow who discovered Nomad? Perfect!" Dr. Mason gushed.

  “Why is he perfect?” Charlie asked.

  “He’s already on the ISS, his replacement has taken over his duties, and he’s the best, isn’t he? If I’m not mistaken, he’s multi-lingual and can communicate complex data to our international scientists in their own languages so they can double-check my theories and confirm my calculations.” A dreamy look came over Dr. Mason’s face for an instant, and then she was back to business.

  “I agree. Commander Wolf is an excellent choice,” Charlie said. “The problem I have is that the ISS needs to have one command person assigned at all times, so we don’t have the manpower to fly a full shuttle mission. Protocol requires that two pilots be on board the shuttle for extended space travel.”

  “It won’t require a full crew…and you have already violated protocol once by allowing Commander Wolf to reposition the WISE. The shuttle Commander Randle used to reach the ISS is equipped with my latest artificial intelligence programming. Only one human is required to initiate its neural network.”

  “Relocating the WISE was an urgent priority. We are short on qualified pilots presently,” Charlie replied, looking embarrassed at being called out. “But if you are certain your AI will give Commander Wolf the support he needs, I’ll make it happen.”

  “Believe me, my AI will support Commander Wolf better than any human crew possibly could,” Dr. Mason said with another dreamy smile that caught Charlie’s attention and provoked a curious frown.

  “Excuse me,” another researcher interrupted. “Why not just move the earth? Wouldn’t that be a better solution?”

  “The earth is too large and we can’t construct a sufficient number of emitters in time,” Dr. Mason replied. “Another risk is that we might alter the earth’s axis or send it careening into the sun. Remember, this science is experimental, and if it does go awry, I want it as far away from us as possible. If we had the time, we might be able to accomplish it safely, but not in one month—our time has run out.”

  Charlie was intrigued by the idea of moving a planet. He thumbed through the documents and studied the schematics, marveling at the complexity of the data Dr. Mason had compiled in just a few weeks. He glanced up at the woman who stood at the podium, admiring her beauty and brains, and then asked, “Since we can’t move Earth, what planet do you propose to move, and where do you plan to put it?”

  Not a planet, actually,” Dr. Mason replied. “I intend to capture Jupiter's moon Ganymede and move it into orbit around the earth.”

  The room exploded in noisy conversation and Charlie bellowed, “Quiet! I want to know her plan.”

  “Thank you, Charlie. In sixty days, Ganymede will be the closest it has been to Earth in several hundred years, and it will be the farthest from Jupiter’s gravitational pull. My plan is to initiate the Meson Field Disrupter at that time. If we work with the French, I can have the OMPs ready in two weeks.”

  A Pakistani scientist with coal black eyes and a condescending sneer waved a hand in the air and said in a thick accent, “Young lady, everyone knows that the nucleons must be extremely close together for this meson exchange to happen. That distance is about the diameter of a proton or a neutron. Now, only if a proton or neutron can get closer than that will the exchange of the mesons occur, allowing the particles to stick to each other. If they can't get that close, the strong force is too weak and other competing forces, like electromagnetic force, will influence the particles and make them move apart. How are you compensating for this?”

  Dr. Mason bristled at being called “young lady,” and her anger emboldened her. “Sir,” she replied, “I don’t have the time to educate you, so I’ll explain it with these five words: speed, extreme heat, and pressure.”

  The scientist threw Dr. Mason’s documents into the air, sending papers raining down on his head as he glared at her with displeasure.

  “How can you create OMPs that quickly?” asked another researcher with thick bifocals and unruly, snow-white hair who was seated in the front row.

  “It’s just a vimana. The science is very old. Sanskrit texts hint at them as ancient UFOs. France’s OMPs gave me an idea, and I took the science to the next level. America has had Vimana models for years. Using the OMP science, I can retool them to carry out our plan.”

  “Why Ganymede?” the same researcher asked, squinting through his coke-bottle glasses.

  “It’s the only moon in our solar system that generates its own magnetic field. It has a liquid iron core that will allow it to generate its version of the Van Allen belt. Simply put, it will hold an atmosphere and shield itself from the solar winds and the sun’s radiation. Its icy crust will melt and form fresh water oceans once we heat it up by bringing it closer to the sun. It has the chemistry we need to sustain life and create a new home for humans until the earth can be repopulated. It’s not much bigger than our moon, and I’ve run the numbers—we can bring it into orbit around Earth and leave two hundred thousand miles between it and our moon.”

  “Placing another moon so close to Earth will throw its tidal forces into overdrive. It will cause a new degree of wobble in Earth’s axial tilt,” the man in the front row persisted. “Won’t this cause a further extinction event?”

  “Earth will already be in an extinction event. It will undergo planetary chaos on a level unimaginable. With the new moon orbiting just outside the old one, we may be able to stabilize the Earth’s wobble. It is speculation, of course, but I’m convinced we can do this. We should get the OMPs ready and on their way.”

  “How long will it take to break Ganymede loose from Jupiter’s influence, and how long until it is placed in its new orbit around the earth?” Charlie asked.

  “Once the satellites are deployed, it will require seventy-two hours to create enough matter to initiate the anti-matter wave. Ganymede will slowly move out of its orbit. The OMPs will fire occasionally and emit their strongest point of gravity at certain regions on Ganymede to nudge it a few degrees at a time and keep it on target. The process will take about a year. Once it is in orbit around the earth, the planetary ice
will melt, and Ganymede will be geologically unstable for several years. The OMPs will remain in orbit, continuing to fire until Ganymede accepts its new orbit. If my calculations are correct, we should be on its surface building a new world within a decade.”

  Chapter 3

  Less than an hour later, Charlie had received the go-ahead to conduct the mission. Wolf had agreed to pilot the shuttle alone and carry out the tests. He went looking for Ron to inform him of the change in his assignment and found him watching a live feed of earth. Wolf observed the images of civilization disintegrating in famine and despair with profound sadness and he remarked, “We’ll have a front row seat to watch the planet die.”

  “It could be worse. We could be down there on Earth watching the world die,” Ron said stoically. “It’s strange they ordered the ISS moved into orbit around the moon…really strange.”

  “Yes, it is,” Wolf agreed. “I have a new assignment, Ron, and I need to brief you and get going. Mission Control wants me to take the old shuttle that was mothballed at Kennedy Space Center out to survey the comet.” Wolf didn’t go into the details Charlie had shared about the shuttle. NASA had equipped the antiquated craft with an experimental nuclear engine and a supercomputer. It also had been re-skinned with a material harder than diamonds that would not rust or deteriorate. The engineers claimed it was practically impenetrable.

  “The Atlantis? Lucky you…another solo shuttle mission. What’s up?”

  “Some lady scientist on the moon wants me to survey Nomad and take pictures from all angles. Then I have to set up a satellite to record the impact and do a Doppler mass calculation to determine the composition of the comet’s core. I’ll be gone about two weeks. NASA wants the rest of the team to ride out the impact on the space station. We are to record the strike for posterity, so get her locked down,” Wolf said as he fastened his boots.