President Camari stonily contemplated the
incomplete communication and turned to Intelligence
Director Dynal. Ram sat immobile, nearby.
"Allen?" Camari's raised brows posed his question.
"We couldn't get through directly to Hanno to find
out why the message was cut short. So we went
spunnel to the Terminals and patched in to the
Depot on coded conventional. Hanno reports his
spunnel transmitter was destroyed. He was certain
he was hoodwinked into permitting a saboteur aboard
and screamed about a security breach on the Sentinel
Support Plan. He said the 'saboteur' escaped before
the alarm could be acted on. A damned lucky delay,
I think."
"Did you enlighten Hanno?"
"No, sir. Too risky for Sentinel, and he has no
need-to-know. I did tell him to run deep background
checks and truth verification tests on all Depot
personnel. He objected, thinking he had already
pinpointed the culprit. I told him to do it anyhow,
slap into the brig anyone who didn't pass,
and report the results to me under highest
classification through the construction site's
spunnel center."
"Good. No question they've been infiltrated. We
must consider the depot compromised for classified
until Hanno assures us he's cleared the problem
from his facility."
The President touched a button on his desk,
running the message through again in its entirety.
He switched the screen dark.
"The Outer Region's target might be the depot,
but I wonder." Ram said. "Perhaps destroying
the depot's spunnel transmitter is prelude to
an attack. If it is, they must realize that the
incident set off alarms throughout our defenses.
They'll also know we can maintain spunnel contact
and relay messages to and from our patrollers
and other craft through the construction site."
"Considering Hanno's report on what happened,
the attack on his spunnel transmitter focused on
keeping this message from getting through, not to
merely destroy the machine. That alone would not
have been worth the effort."
"We're down to one comm spunnel link in the Special
Zone," Dynal added. "The one we built on Planet
Pluto is controlled by Narval's people."
"Does Sentinel have access to the transmitter at
the Terminals?"
"The sender would need to personally key in
the clearances as well as the text," said Ram,
"otherwise the message would be compromised.
Sentinel would be compromised. We do have the
last resort."
"Have you checked it lately?"
"We run random tests from this end to be certain
that it's ready to function. As you know, sir, it
has its uncertainties and imposes a high price."
"Back to the message," Camari sighed and rubbed
his temple gently as he pondered. "Their combined
forces, and the distances involved, place us at an
enormous disadvantage."
"Without question."
"Ram, what's your estimate concerning the missing
piece?" Camari pointed to the message in his hand.
"The missing piece," Ram replied, "the one we need
most is Sentinel's assessment on where and when
we can strike at INOR's fleet with maximum effect."
"Depends entirely on Sentinel? No other sources?"
"At this stage, none, sir."
Camari lowered his head, lost in thought. After
a moment he raised his eyes to Ram and said,
"We've got to get our thinking through to the Outer
Region, to all citizens as well as Heads of State.
"I want you to get out there, Ram. Be my emissary.
Impress on whoever will listen the disaster
that all of us face, and why we must arrive at a
peaceful solution. Concentrate on the leaders of
major nations; whichever way they go, others will
follow."
"I'll need the formal weight of our government,"
Ram said.
"Of course. I'll notify them all that you are my
Ambassador Plenipotentiary, and that you carry
a personal message from me. Use the spunnel
and send me reports as you go along."
"Narval, too?"
"Of course. And while you're in his area, learn all
you can from whatever sources; but watch yourself
with that bastard. He'd as soon cut your throat as
look at you."
##
"Category one message, spunnel-comm to Earth via
Guardian Station 4. Personal to President Camari
from Ram Xindral. President Gelliman, Callisto,
unchanged in his conviction that Slingshot
will benefit only the highly industrialized inner
planets. He repeated charges that the UIPS
non-renewables deficits resulted from poor control
and excessive consumption of raw materials, plus
breakdown in recycling and conservation policies.
He concluded that Slingshot is our internal problem
and that it's being forced on INOR. Demands UIPS
halt Slingshot construction, withdraw from the
Special Zone, and resolve UIPS resource crises
internally."
##
"Category one message, spunnel to Earth via
Guardian Station 4. Personal to President Camari
from Ram Xindral. Prime Minister Manra, Io, says he
wishes us well in building a bridge to another star.
He makes an issue that transportation, construction
and operations for all phases of Slingshot,
including ultimate storage of incoming raw matter
will be inside INOR jurisdictions; therefore, the
INOR governments have a legitimate right to
participate in apportioning Slingshot's benefits.
Refuses to negotiate this point."
##
"Category one message, spunnel to Earth via
Guardian Station 7. Personal to President Camari
from Ram Xindral. Foreign Ministers Roab of
Ganymede and Slega of Europa represented their
governments. At conclusion of meeting they issued
a joint communique. Quote: it is only reasonable and
proper that the governments of the Outer Region not
be excluded from an equitable share of the enormous
financial and material resources being lavished
on the Interstellar Matter Teleport System
(Slingshot). The UIPS can begin to remedy this
injustice by agreeing to pay a transshipment tax
on all materials, manufactured parts, tools and
equipment, and personnel passing through the
separate INOR jurisdictions, space-ways, and
contiguous space generally. Passage fees
for individual vessels in transit also must be
negotiated and included in the agreement. Unquote.
"It is my opinion that the positions taken by
the governments of the Jovian Federation
are orchestrated. I suspect that reports on
my discussions with Heads of State or their
representatives are being passed among them.
I am departing for Titan to meet with Chairman
Stabar. The Chiefs of Staff of the other Saturnian
governments and the governments of the Uranus
and Neptune satellite unions have notified me that
their views are consistent with those of Chairman
Straber. They state nothing is to be gained by
pressing for separate meetings with them."
##
"Category one message, spunnel to Earth via
Guardian Station 9. Personal to President Camari
from Ram Xindral. Chairman Staber's position is the
same as those summarized in my previous reports.
Staber openly proclaims that INOR's intent is to
control the terminal that will receive and store
incoming substance and oversee its distribution.
Insists a formal treaty be negotiated now,
otherwise, the entire Slingshot Program will
be viewed as a threat to the integrity of INOR's
legitimate jurisdictions. I am proceeding to the
Planet Pluto Special Zone and will contact Narval
from inside the Logistics Depot's protective
force field. I will insist on President Narval's
guarantee of safe conduct prior to departing
the depot for Coldfield."