Super World Two by Lawrence Ambrose

Author:Lawrence Ambrose [Ambrose, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-09-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

"CAP, ARE YOU FUCKING kidding me?" Lieutenant David Mallory demanded. "Are they seriously saying that on some damn alien's say-so we should kill someone who put her life on the line for all of us?"

"That's what they're seriously saying." Captain Zane Cameron stared at the holograph of the Grand Forks area from a perspective of about three miles up. The clouds had generously parted, allowing a clear view of the city and surrounding countryside. He imagined what a 12 gigaton MAME would do if it struck the hospital. If he wanted, he could ask PAT for a precise simulation of the effects. He didn't want to give the possibility that much weight.

"It might not come to that," Cameron said quietly. "They've got some other 'assets' in the area they plan to use against her."

"What would they expect us to do?" asked Keira, the Chief Medical Officer. "Surely not use antimatter weapons?"

"I'm not sure. We could use SHEs, though I doubt she'd have any trouble dodging them. But the same applies to our Proteus missiles or railguns. She's too damn fast. That leaves the particle beams and lasers."

"Not stating this as a suggestion," said Chief Engineer Dan Mueller, "but in point of fact she's inside a hospital right now in no position to spot an incoming missile."

"How do you know she wouldn't spot it?" Mallory growled.

"We don't know her abilities with any precision, true, but from what we know she lacks any dedicated detection or surveillance system – or 'Xray vision.' She relies on good old-fashioned vigilance. I'd say that's her Achilles heel."

"A MAME would destroy most of the state of North Dakota, wouldn't it?" asked Keira.

"Pat," Cameron sighed. "Give us an approximate estimate of the damage a Proteus striking Grand Forks, North Dakota would cause, including human causalities."

A diagram consisting of multiple circles filled with shades red that grew lighter as they expanded outward from the point of impact.

"Overpressures ranging from 5000 to 3 PSI would destroy most structures out to 240 kilometers from a surface detonation," said Pat, with her usual neutrality. "Fireball radius: 32 kilometers. First degree burns occurring up to 670 kilometers. Major cities significantly impacted: Minneapolis-St.Paul, St. Cloud, Winnipeg, Brandon, Fargo, Watertown, Brookings, Sioux Falls, Duluth, Bismarck, and Minot. Estimated casualties: 1.742 million immediate fatalities, 2.433 million injuries."

No one spoke. Pat's mellifluous gender-neutral voice faded gently, but her words did not. A half-minute passed.

"Would you like further details, Captain Cameron?"

"No. That will do, Pat." Cameron sagged in his chair. "Well, that obviously is not going to happen."

"Akron did say by 'all necessary force,'" said their navigator, Andrea Wilkins.

A pulsing blue light indicated an incoming communication.

"Image on," said Cameron.

A split-screen image of the Fleet's three other starship commanders appeared: Captains Horace Lindley of the starship cruiser Peacemaker, Martin Armstrong of the starship cruiser John F. Kennedy, and Gary Bascombe of the Cheyenne's twin, the smaller Interstellar Fighter Class Ardent. Everyone, even Cameron's friend and mentor, the normally smirking Horace Lindley, looked like they were attending an unexpected and tragic funeral.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.