IGNITION

Chapter Twelve

Sometime later Doctor Assam Eniah of Luna’s CDC sat slumped at his desk. “Less than nine days after the event. Three hundred forty seven thousand dead, nearly three hundred and forty million may be infected. Damn, what sick mind could think of that kind of madness. What’s your prognosis?”

“Better than it should be” came his answer. Staring out of a desk terminal in front of the good doctor was a face older than his, America’s Science Advisor to their President and an old friend, one Jacob Vandell, PHd. White hair framed a face badly in need of shaving. “The Chinese government has sealed off all infected areas. Anyone trying to enter or leave is shot, no exceptions. Not even the Premiers daughter has been allowed to leave. Another two months, three on the outside and it’ll burn itself out.”

“After how many dead?” Assam asked. “Two million? Three? And what of Japan and Mongolia?”

“Never made it to Mongolia. It wasn’t that resistant to ultraviolet after all and the storm turned inland. Japan sealed their area, then sent in their best medical people. That kept the infection down to less than ten percent. It’s airborne, more so than that old Tom Clancy book but its no influenza. China’s gonna be big though, sixty percent infection rate at least. Maybe sixty-five, that’s as many as twenty-six million deaths so it’s bad enough. Think what would have happened if they’d managed their plan.”

“Seven point nine billion people?” Assam asked. “Nearly five billion dead? It’s unthinkable.”

“Agreed. Look I have another video conference with the President in twelve minutes and there’s seven plus billion people who suddenly want to become space cadets. What should I tell him?”

“Rot’s oh Ruk” Assam answered. “Luna, her best... We can support maybe another hundred twenty people. That’s pushing life support way into the redline. Your stations maybe another thirty at best, but that’s with constant resupply. You know how it is up here.”

“What about Mars?” Vandell asked, suddenly serious.

“They just landed two weeks ago for Allah’s sake. I understand that they have been efficient in locating an underground location. Still it will be months before that outpost is stable, years before its large enough to consider self-sufficient. Impossible. Simply impossible.”

“I see. You do realize that China has declared war upon the Moslem religion. Japan arrested every Red Guard member they can find, then China has demanded they be turned over or they will invade Japan to get them. The Japanese answered that demand by simply shooting every prisoner in the back of the head. That settled that argument, but its started riots in Japan. Its dangerous down there now. Very dangerous. Our cute little hero has been given every possible award from every country while her surviving family has been threatened by idiots who think she had something to do with it. It has become impossible for her to return home. Your so called Battlestar, you still intend to transport to Mars aboard that?”

“I’m not involved in the Phoenix Project Jacob” Assam admitted. “I’ve heard there have been problems. Lack of materials, some sabotage. Completion date has been pushed back months, perhaps years. Let us be honest my friend. Even if we could build that ship it would be years before Mars would be able to accept us. Mars team may be a mix of Industrial, Governmental and starry eyed fanatics money, but until they do their job we’d simply be killing ourselves. We haven’t resources to carry enough food water and supplies to survive until everything ready. No, that dog simply cannot hunt, two years beyond schedule, more like three. At best.”

“And if I could arrange unlimited supplies? For a Generation class starship perhaps? With enough overflow to allow Luna to finish her ship undetected.”

Assam swallowed. What was his friend up to? He hadn’t lied, Earth’s spies would have given the same information if asked. “Why?”

“Certain people want out” Vandell admitted. “At to least get their children out. Not just the United States, every country. Weapons have simply become too damned efficient in this age. That attack would have destroyed civilization, ALL civilization. Lets be honest Assam, that young lady was simply very very lucky but without her we probably wouldn’t be talking to Earth right now. It’s only a matter of time before Earth falls, either to a religious war, civil wars, racism... Hell... All ‘isms... There are simply too many people in too little space and has been for way too long. Once the technology was proven its only a matter of time before it was used. There’s already panic, even in Scotland. So can you do it? Yes or no.”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask the right people.”

“Assam! Dammit man you’re the right people. There’s what? Less than a thousand on Luna? Anyone with a half decent delivery system can knock you out in three days. Two if its certain launch vehicles and no one can guarantee your safety. On Mars its different, now tell me. Yes or no.”

“Yes” Assam whispered. “Given resources... A year. How many people are you talking about?”

“No more than two thousand. Most will be launched within hours of each other. A few hundred will be dribbled up early for various reasons. No families, no one over sixteen today, no mental or physical defective’s, no terminal illness or drug addicts. I’ll have the list for you on our next courier. We’ll be announcing the starship as ‘Mankind’s reach to the Stars.’ It will be designed to carry ten thousand though we both know that it will never be finished. If someone doesn’t blow it up first Earth will probably die anyway, in any case we simply don’t have the technology to successfully build something that big in the first place even using Lunar raw materials. Few will understand that, those that do will be dealt with if we have too.”

“Your talking madness my friend” Assam advised.

“Earth is madness my friend. Good luck. Until tomorrow.”

“Same Bat time. Same Bat station” Assam agreed. He reached over, cutting off the luna built scrambler. Everything fit, according to sociologists findings. With aggressive technology Earth could support ten billion people, but sociologists had proven that at nine billion people would be at each others throats in seconds. Seven billion were simply sharpening their knives. It would be another Dark Age, another mindless age when Hate ruled while Mercy bled slowly from her wounds. If what had just been discussed became real Mars would become the new Ireland. The few keeping civilization alive while the majority busied themselves with murdering everyone else. He sighed in defeat, then began composing a secure message to the Expedition leader. Basically... ‘Screw Science, someone lit the fuze.’