The Centauri Conspiracy

Chapter Thirty-six

  Saboteurs

  Breen the chief of security walks into Bakman’s office unannounced with Emmert for their daily ten-thirty briefing.

  "Any word yet," Breen asks.

  "Which do you mean ... about Dee, the vote, an inside man, or the spaceship?" Bakman answers as he has every morning for a week, waits a moment, and watches both of their faces brighten expecting good news. Before answering their daily question differently this morning he grinned. "Doctor Tjercks has been telling us ‘any day now.’ But yesterday he changed that to ‘maybe tomorrow.’"

  Both men smile at the news about the possible arrival of Dee's baby. They have waited for news about the spaceship still in Lunar Orbit and waited for a positive U.N. vote to start it toward earth. With a spacecraft in endless lunar orbits they had all worked for months to get OpDyke cases to the launch sites. They had celebrated each launch, and now all of their cases were stacked on the space-dock above earth just waiting to be loaded.

  Bakman gave a short report of the situation to the incoming pair. "Our sources tell us that nothing will happen on schedule. The vote on the U.N. calendar for August 21st, 3230 did not have enough votes to pass. The January 10th, 3231 date to take the spaceship out of Lunar Orbit and back to Earth Orbiting Docking Station Number Two is expected to fail too and put all that on hold. Permission to launch nuclear fuel rods and other technical equipment to Docking Station Two does not have enough votes to pass.”

  In fact, it needed nineteen more votes.

  The only thing that passed on January 10th is a name for the ship. The name "New Horizons" easily received a majority vote, but the new named spaceship will not move out of Lunar Orbit until it gets the votes to launch nuclear rods.

  Continuing to try help gain a majority vote Bakman informs Emmert and Breen, “I've sent Traud and his crew with two boxes of books to U.N. City, and we may have to send more. I want your people to think of ways we might get more votes. No traceable bribes back to us or blackmail. I want arguments we can get people to make, hire people to make, and buy time on Information Screens. Buy arguments that might persuade people. Buy a talking head, an Informationalist or a frequent guest scientist to spread our arguments around."

  As Bakman speaks to them they can see that he is frustrated by the delays.

  Breen made his usual report. “The new crew and shuttle-up dates have not been announced. No inside Docking Station man yet.”

  The rest of the meeting was an informal discussion that they would repeat for many more days. Each new day the briefing starts with the same question, "Any word yet," and with the same answer, "Maybe tomorrow."

  Tomorrow happened three days later. Dee's water broke. Sixteen hours later, she gave birth to a seven-pound thirteen-ounce daughter. When Duffy held his daughter for the first time with misty eyes, an exhausted and pleased Dee whispered up at them from her bed, "I want to name her Mary Dae Bakman."

  Bakman nods and whispers down at the child in his arms, "Hello, Mary Dae."

  Mary, the mechanical Mary, beamed; she would have cried too if her programming had included tears of joy. Mary, the mechanical, gently touched a new set of little fingers she would protect with her life.

  Dee whispered. "So, we don't get confused we say Baby Mary, Mary Dae, and Grandma Mary, but never say just Mary."

  "Good idea." The proud father agrees as his fingertips gently brush his firstborn child's silky brown hair aside on her high forehead. “Daddy loves you Baby Mary,” he whispers and kisses the child’s fuzzy head.

  Later that same day while reading Traud’s report on the latest failing U.N. vote Emmert, Breen, and Bakman came to understand something new about the U.N. as it debated about sending nuclear fuel rods into space. The rods were not the main objection. The objection from members was not to the rods or use of nuclear power. Local government units near the launch sites objected because if an accident happened they would be the ones most affected. The U.N. had tried moving the launch sites for the rods around but still the issue failed votes. The no votes were new and some old ones that had opposed it now voted yes. Studying this shifting pattern for weeks finally they realized the most effected in case of an accident voted no and shifting the launch anywhere would not change that. Now, no one expected anything to pass. One vote after another through the summer and into autumn fails.

  Another of those endless failing vote dates was set for October 27, 3232. To everyone's surprise on this vote the U.N. Assembly passed it with one vote to spare. Bakman was sure it was a new rider attached to the bill. The rider stated that an emergency fund of eight billion was started to help with any launch disaster. Bakman donated the eight billion.

  Little did anyone know that the vote also cost Bakman one hundred and nine books, one hundred and nine million besides the eight billion, for a positive public discussion about the launch. Another element of the vote was to have a separate vote for the launch date of colonists. The argument was that first the rods and other technical equipment needed to be installed in the New Horizons.

  Breen in New Dallas and Emmert in Cincinnati on the Ohio working through Traud in New Louisville were glad for all the months of delays. It took longer to find people and school them than they had thought. Traud needed the time to find and recruit Audrey Enbow, an unhappy employee not cleared for space duty due to a childhood heart murmur long since surgically corrected. Enbow installed Maag's over-ride program safely in the automatic pilot's main computer program at the assembly area. Working carefully and telling half truths they got permission for this program by selling its merits as a safety program. They said that if for some reason the ramp-locks failed thrusters would push the ship away to safety. What the rest of Maag’s program would do was left untold and undiscovered. Also, they had time to talk Syntha Etoile Vilsaul-Weiss, twice given a temporary appointment to a higher grade only to three months later revert back to her old pay grade, into making sure that their new automatic pilot program was installed in New Horizon’s main computer operating system and that the new program was sent up to the docking station. At the docking station the main computer operating system was installed by Lan Parr Vogel, who had been denied a leave to be with his young wife’s dying mother, all according to normal standby for launch procedure the authorities told him. At a total computer program cost of eight books that part of the project was completed. Everyone concerned felt that it was a cheap price.

  During all this time Traud also looked for and could not find a Space Dock installer. Finally, Traud had a lead passed along by one of Woll’s men, Ejoe Algerine. Woll’s agent reported that Manyard Flint Colvin, Assistant Docking Specialist and a qualified Electromechanical Repairman, had just been denied a promotion for the fourth time. It was the same reasons as before. There were no openings above him. Traud reassigned all of his people to finding and shadowing Colvin. Eight days later, Traud just happened to accidentally bump into Mister Manyard out walking.

  The man seemed out of sorts and in the middle of his apology Traud asked, “Just going in for a hot orange tea . . . Will you join me?”

  Surprised by an invitation Colvin nodded and followed. Inside seated at the Fair Wind Juice Bar waiting to be served Colvin to be polite introduced himself, “Manyard Colvin . . . Docking assistant.”

  Traud introduced himself as well, “Micah Ross late of government supply service and now employed part-time by the Huntley and Myrick Hover Bus Company.”

  “You seem bitter Micah,” Manyard Colvin observed.

  “Five times they refused to promote me. Each time it was a different reason. Fed-up I took to selling things I found just lying around, not taking things out of boxes for that would be stealing, and selling them. I did a lot of work, had a lot of responsibility, and I believed that I was entitled to more money. They proved I was the last one in a room when a missing three-hundred-dollar sensor disappeared, but could not prove I had it or had sold it. So, instead of a trial they just terminated my service, claiming that I was late to
work too many times, and showed me the gate.”

  “Sounds like my situation. My eight-year-younger wife is spending more and more money. Four times now, they have refused to promote me saying there are no openings above me. In other words, the pipeline is full. I’m to patiently wait until higher-ups die or retire, but my wife will not wait. That woman will put me in Bankruptcy Court long before that. With a bankruptcy on my record they will ground me and that’s lower pay.”

  Traud, posing as Micah Ross, held up two fingers, pointed at Colvin and himself, and ran his card through the payment slot. Two green plastic cups of steaming orange juice and tea mixed slid to a stop in front of them. Traud put his fingers around a small 7-ounce plastic cup and told Colvin, “I’ve been there too … been in Divorce Court … and been in Adoption Court. There I lost the parenting rights to my daughter when my wife remarried a welder and I couldn’t pay support. My little girl, Tyna, now has a new last name. After the court hearing they flew off to resettle in New Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. Now, I have no family, work three days a week, and live in a men’s shelter.”

  Both men were silent for a few minutes and sip their warm drink. Half of the cup was gone before Colvin muttered, “Sorry.”

  “Thanks Manyard.”

  In the discussions that followed on that day and other days that week, with Traud keeping his Micah Ross cover, he found out more about Colvin. The man was worried about paying all his bills, worried about his wife divorcing him, and worried about loosing his daughter. He and his wife were starting to argue and that worried him. Traud carefully led the man to the subject of earning some money to make all of his trouble go away. When Colvin seemed interested, Traud paid him a thousand for a classified service chart showing the main wiring of the spaceship. A dozen other things, small things they did not need at good prices, larger things and larger amounts gave Colvin barely enough money to keep things together until the time was right. Finally, Traud showed him a book, showed him the number, and told him the value of those numbers. Only then, did Traud still posing as Micah Ross ask Colvin to do the real job for them.

  “Colvin . . . when you go back up to the docking station will you be willing to hook-up a device to the electro-magnetic locking mechanism’s main control unit and disable the backup system.”

  “That could be done,” Colvin answers not feeling very loyal to the service that had denied him promotion after he had studied and passed all of their six hours of testing four times. In that dark mood Colvin offers information.

  “The backup system is the easiest—a ten second operation to unplug it. And, I’m the inspector of the system. All I have to do is to pull the hot cable, push it under the lip of the case so it looks plugged in, but is not. When it’s not connected it won’t work. If pressed, I’ll claim it was unplugged sometime after my last inspection; they will think they have a saboteur. That system is without any power anyway until the main computer routes power to the backup after less than a millisecond or two if the main junction box malfunctions. If I get time, I’ll plug it back or . . . just leave it.”

  Then, Traud, still posing as Micah Ross, asks the final question, “How much for you to do both?”

  After staring at Traud for a long awkward moment that stretched into the second half of a minute, Manyard Colvin answered giving a number so large that he was sure that Micah Ross would cancel the whole deal. His mind thought why not a book for each. Glad to make one of his many problems go away Colvin finally replied, “Two million,”

  Micah Ross’ answer surprised Colvin more than the original question. “Okay four million it is,” and without any hesitation pulls three more books out of his bag. Traud’s finger opens each book to page 233 to shows Colvin that each one’s last number is different. He also points out next that each last number was in order: four, five, six, and seven. That made it easier to remember.

  “Each set of numbers is worth one million. It’s in a numbered Alps Banking account.” Then, Micah Ross shows Colvin again that each book has a different last sequential number.

  Clutching his four books as if they were his salvation, Colvin nods his agreement. They shake hands and part after promising to meet tomorrow. On the way home, Colvin stopped at the First Safety Box and Trust Office to rent a box for his four books.

  In the days that follow, at a special safe place Traud’s men train Colvin in what to do and how to do it. It surprises Colvin that Ross’ friends have an exact copy of the main and backup systems setup in a small warehouse.

  In addition to installation lessons, each day Clovin is instructed in how to make sure the government does not take his money if he happens to be discovered and arrested. For hours, Colvin is kept busy memorizing book numbers. Traud, still posing as Micah Ross, even helps him construct a silly little mnemonic story using those numbers. To keep Colvin’s mind off his money troubles Micah slips into his pocket twelve thousand in old wrinkled twenty and fifty dollar bills to pay on his wife’s unpaid bills.

  On the last session before his launch orders arrive, Colvin tears out the numbered pages, burns them, and tosses all four books in the trash. Now, those numbers are only in Colvin’s head where the government cannot find them, and a smiling Colvin shows Micah Ross his orders to take a shuttle up in three days. A smiling Micah Ross provides Colvin with eight thousand four hundred dollars to pay off all of his outstanding accounts up to that date.

  That same afternoon Bakman gave Morgana the order to close West Club, to sell all equipment and inventory, and orders her to put all monies from this sale in a special fund. All of this money he told her is to be donated to Morgana’s favorite charity in her name. Giving a happy shout Morgana almost broke Bakman’s neck when she pulled his face down to kiss him full on the mouth and hug him.

  Two days later New Horizons finally docked above the earth, just as Harry had predicted it would. It docked in the early morning hours on December 29, 3232 and that afternoon Dee gave birth to a second seven-pound five-ounce daughter down in the secret basement cloning lab. When Duffy held his new bald daughter for the first time, Dee whispered, "I want to name her Zee Vae Bakman."

  Smiling and nodding Bakman whispers, "Hello, Zee Vae."

  Mary, the mechanical Mary, beamed from a screen as she looks after Baby Mary in their twenty-sixth floor apartment. “Hi Zee Vae,” a proud grandmother whispers so as not to wake the sleeping child in her strong protective arms.

  The launch date for the colonists waits until all cargo is loaded and all new systems installed, checked, and rechecked. Only then was the first launch date of colonists set by vote for February 11, 3233. Invitations were sent to all dignitaries for a round of speeches before the first launch on a date to be announced. So sure was everyone that the vote would pass this time that the launch vote was moved up to February 1st. It passed and the announcement made. The first two day of ceremonies before loading was set for March 3rd and 4th. The first launch date of colonists was moved up March 7th.

  The day Bakman received his invitation and tickets he paid for eight parties in their building. The next day after the celebration, they began the process of sending people away. Termination of employment with an excellent rating and a book bonus were handed out to every employee. Bakman kept eight books and handed out extra books to each employee as long as they lasted. From the top rating down through the 7th level, everyone got a second book. The last fourteen books Bakman raffled in a drawing to rating levels six and below. Everyone received a red plastic strip with his or her name on it to place in one of fourteen containers. Then, after each one had chosen their container each worker was handed a second green plastic strip with his or her name on it. They could drop this second strip in the same container, have two chances, or put it in a different container. But, a single worker could only win one extra book. Bakman himself drew all fourteen names and handed out those last books before the last big night of more parties, families included, that he paid for on every even numbered floor from the 24th down.

&nbsp
; The next mid-morning Doctor Tjercks moved his cloning lab equipment and clone personnel to the Clone Colony, and other clones working in the building traveled with him. Doctor Tjercks carried a packet from Bakman to Lamborn Fam. Inside the packet was a complete set of disks about the project and Duncan Bakman’s book worth five billion to donate to the Clone Colony in return for his family having the right to live there. The OpDyke building group going to the Clone Colony included ninety-seven people and that surprised Bakman. Two days later, he got a call from Lamborn Fam thanking him for the gift and agreeing to his conditions.

  Before the others left, a work crew built a normal door and stairway besides the seventh level basement floor elevator, and all evidence of the project including computer hard drives and other memory devices by the cargo transport load were buried at night in a landfill in the south. Bakman and others gave thanks for urban renewal. All Combustible items such as paper and plastics were baled and five cargo transport loads were fed into the local New Dallas power plant incinerators. Three cases of disks, eight books, and two signed confessions were the only things remaining in the building. Those items were locked in the main building safe. The rest of the building was empty except for seven rented causeway stores. Even the furniture and computers with new hard drives and screens had already sold in lots of twenty-five at low prices for quick sales. His people changed records in the city property offices before they left so the OpDyke building did include a seventh floor basement in its floor plans. When ready, Bakman listed the building with agencies as being for sale at a price fifteen percent below appraised market value for a quick sale.

  A week before the transport date for Bakman to leave for the dedication ceremonies the only people living in the building were Breen, two security officers, Mary, Baby Mary running all over and getting dusty and dirty sliding around on an un-vacuumed terrazzo floor, and nearly three-month-old Zee Vae cooing through it all at smiling Dee and Duffy. All the other people were gone except for a few new renters in stores, one new long term contracted hardware corporation warehouse, and nine newly occupied and leased apartments on the ground floor.

  Before Maag left for his new job at Cornwallis Computer Development Corporation, he programmed the elevator to stop on the 25th floor. It would only go higher if a person above entered a special code, 7234B.

  The original plan was for only Bakman and Breen to attend the ceremonies. They argued at this time that he was too high a profile person for an assassin to strike. During this time of waiting Breen left to help Traud’s crew finish up off site. Posing as Manchester Katch, Traud arranged with Glenn Wilks, for the price of two books, to add “the go code” at the bottom of the third page of the government's daily briefing report on the 2nd of March. Wilks added the coded phrase in italics “and three” instead of the words “page three” and an untold number of minds hoped everything worked.

  This phrase with one letter of each word underlined was the signal for Operation DNA to start on the third year, third month, third day, third hour, third minute, and the third second. Now, after each of them finally read the signal, all hoped for a flawless planned sequence of events. Each one searches their minds for any possible areas where mistakes might have been made. Many former workers around the planet in newly rented apartments will not go to sleep until after midnight and will stare at watches or clocks hoping for perfect results.

  They expect on that exact second Traud in a secret city known only to Breen, Bakman, and Woll will remotely start equipment in a third secret city known only to Traud and Bakman to send a coded signal upward from a rooftop transmitter for less than two minutes—no more than 80 seconds. Many dozens of minds that worked on the project imagine that moments later on Earth Docking Station Number Two a sudden explosion in the five ramp airlock’s Master Control Box. The Computer systems try to activate the backup and fail. All five electromagnetic locks on the five connecting tube-ramps release New Horizons. Unlocked, the connecting tubes separate from New Horizon, and the spaceship drifts a few feet or yards away. Ten seconds later while docking personnel try frantically to repair the locking system, New Horizons' safety program fires small booster steering rockets for thirty seconds to push the ship a safe distance away, approximately a mile.

  If all worked as planned, it would continuing drifting further away without power. Minutes after release the automatic pilot mysteriously engage the side thrusters again. Two minutes later, New Horizons would mysteriously start her main engines and fly away. None of these hopeful minds can think of any mistakes they might have made. And now, it was too late to make changes or adjustments. All that was left was hope.

  Everything was ready for the third, guests and colonists were in area hotels, and ceremonial speech planned and practiced. New Horizons was loaded and waiting a flight crew and passengers. Colonists and dignitaries arrived at their hotel rooms on the first and second. Supplies were on board.

  True to the plan Taud with last week’s termination letter and an offer of a new salesman job with Daggett Main Frames in Zea City on the island of New Zealand in his pocket, two books in his packed bags beside him, waited in an empty third level basement conference room in a secret city to do one last job.

  While Bakman’s party waited until early morning on March first to leave for New Louisville to listen to speeches and witness one of the first launches of colonists, Dee argued that the assassins might attack the New Dallas building. She argued that if she and the children stayed with two guards and Mary, they might be attacked from below and above at the same time. Dee always ended her argument the same way.

  "We'll be safer together."

  Bakman always ended their argument by saying, "Baby Zee's too young to travel."

  Four days before they were to leave, Dee had the last word. After Duffy’s usual last word Dee added, "No, she's not!"

  It was settled. They all would go.

  The trip to New Louisville in the Appalachian Mountains through an almost cloudless early morning sky was pleasant. They were interviewed a dozen times and scores of smiling people came to shake their hands. In New Louisville at the Cumberland Hotel Breen was surprised that their accommodations were as good as they were. Their thirtieth floor set of rooms even had a locked compartment that only held his last five books and one case of disks.

  Dee joked that it was a 262 billion dollar hotel bill for one week's stay, and that she believed was excessively expensive. Duffy Bakman just smiled at his wife and did not tell her about the other secret billions and millions Dee did not need to know about. That night in bed cuddled up close Dee whispered.

  "I think . . . I'm expecting again."