Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space (The Henry Gallant Saga) (26 page)

Gallant concluded that these cunning politicians were using the current crisis to aggrandize themselves while diminishing their opposition.

After the hearing, Gallant was surprised when he was asked to visit Gerald Neumann in his suite at the New Annapolis, Hilton Hotel. A limousine was waiting for him. This was the last thing Gallant wanted to do after his hours of “inquisition” by the senatorial committee, but he couldn’t think of a way to refuse the request of one of his shipmates’ parents.

Maybe he just wants to ask about his son,
thought Gallant.

Gallant arrived at the hotel, and a doorman dressed in a custom uniform with many buttons and flourishes greeted him and handed him off to a tuxedoed butler, who escorted him to the hotel’s premiere suite. As he entered, he could only stand and stare. The suite was luxurious beyond anything Gallant had ever imagined. Paintings by old masters hung on the walls; oriental carpets of ancient weave covered expertly laid rare tile. Furniture of centuries long past adorned the rooms. All the furnishings were imported from Earth. The windows revealed stunning views of the Mars landscape. The indulgent opulence was so excessive that Gallant was embarrassed that such extravagance could exist in a universe were ordinary people still scraped by for a living.

Another butler led Gallant inside and showed him to a chair. He offered him dessert and refreshments. Gallant sat in uncomfortable silence for nearly half an hour before Neumann arrived.

Gerald Neumann was tall and fit. He was strikingly handsome and still looked young for his fifty-five years. He walked up to Gallant with his hand extended.

“Let me tell you how impressed I was with your heroic journey, as well as your exceptional talents.”

Gallant said, “Thank you, sir.”

“I hope this visit isn’t inconvenient. My son has spoken of you several times. He is doing fine, by the way. I just received the latest update about his recovery from his wounds.”

Gallant said, “I’m glad to hear that, sir. He’s an outstanding pilot and respected by all aboard
Repulse
.”

“That’s fine. Now, I’d like to tell you a little about myself,” said Neumann with a smile, a smile that looked unpleasantly familiar to Gallant. It reminded him of the mask-like smile that the senators had worn.

“Sir?”

“I was born on April 17, 2115 in New York City. After working for my father who was a very successful shipping and mining businessman, I started my own company in 2138. In my early years, I learned much from my father that proved vital to my later success. My father was a leading industrialist who took me under his wing and mentored me. I learned about management and cost control during those years. I learned to reorganize enterprises into conventional joint stock corporations. I envisioned an integrated industry that would cut costs, lower prices to consumers, and produce in greater quantities. It helped me with my first investments. When I consolidated the mining business, accusations were made by the newspapers about my tactics. But I have always endeavored to maintain excellent relations with politicians who helped me resolve those public issues. The company I built was the first major business on Mars, and NNR remains the largest, today. I have always been sharp in realizing an advantage, when there was one. I often sought out distinct technologies that gave me leverage over my competition.”

Neumann seemed to enjoy talking about himself. He snapped his fingers and a butler appeared with a cigar. He placed it in his mouth while the butler offered a light. He puffed on the cigar as he continued, “During my career, I’ve accrued wealth, power, and influence, but I’ve also attracted a lot of media scrutiny. In the late 2100s, much of the UP industries are now in the hands of a few powerful business leaders, including myself. I was criticized for creating monopolies by making it difficult for other businesses to compete against me. Needless to say, I am never bothered about such accusations.” Neumann patted himself on the chest as he spoke, “Sometimes one individual can change the order and structure of an otherwise chaotic situation. Such a person rises above the common man.”

He shifted to a more personal topic. “My first marriage to Amelia Theodore was brief. She died a few months after our son, Anton, was born. Five years later, I remarried.” He cleared his throat and continued, “I have many interests beyond the world of shipping, however. I enjoy sailing and I won the Earth's Cup yacht races. As you can see, I am an ardent art collector and have an extensive collection.” He waved his hand at some of the examples before them.

Then he started to get down to business, “Today, I dominate two industries. I did that by consolidating space shipping and mining. I am now interested in anti-proton fuel production, a crucial material in our future growth within the solar system. So, you can see my interests are extensive.”

Gallant remained silent. Neumann said, “My son sent me information about you. That, plus everything I’ve learned from the hearing concerning your unique abilities, leads me to an inescapable conclusion. You have significant potential, and therefore you interest me.”

“I’ve explained all this to you because I want you to be impressed with what I am willing to offer you to work for me. You will be invaluable to me in directing commercial shipping safely and efficiently on optimal routes avoiding asteroids and aliens. I will make it well worth your while financially. In addition, you needn’t concern yourself, any further, about court martial charges, or investigations. It will be no trouble getting you reassigned to me, or even released from service, if you prefer.”

He waited, and then added, “In every crisis, there is an opportunity. This is yours.”

Gallant knew he should find a diplomatic and polite way to turn down his powerful man, but when he found his voice, he couldn’t restrain his outpouring, “We have very different opinions of what is valuable in this world. I’m very proud of my service. There is nothing you can offer me to make me abandon my shipmates, or my duty. They depend on me and I will not desert them.” Gallant stood up, and with his jaw clenched, he said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Without waiting for an acknowledgment, he turned and walked out.

Neumann seemed stunned by the blatant refusal to yield to his wishes. He remained in a rigid posture in the center of his lavish suite watching Gallant leave the room.

Gallant stood at attention in Admiral Collingsworth’s office in New Annapolis. The room was slightly old fashioned, even Old World. Gallant would not have been surprised to see it at the Naval College on Earth. In fact, it was a near replica of the office of the Commandant of the Space Academy, which Gallant had visited once. Nonetheless, it was also equipped with the latest communication and computer technology required for conducting detailed military assessments with subordinates.

The admiral, himself, also appeared Old World. He was a rather short wizened old man. His uniform was immaculately tailored to enhance his stature despite his height. He glanced at Gallant, attempting to size him up, comparing the information he was reading with the individual standing before him. He frowned repeatedly and asked questions of his chief of staff; things that Gallant couldn’t hear.

The admiral's chief of staff, Captain William Pierce, hovered around the admiral, whispering in his ear giving him last minute information. He presented virtual screen readouts and updates on fleet activities and a comparison of strength against the Titans. SAI input adjustments based upon Gallant’s debriefing were shown in red on the screen. After several minutes, he nodded toward Gallant and started talking fast in the admiral's ear once again.
The admiral stood up and began pacing, lost in thought, but clearly troubled.

“When I was asked to make you available for a briefing to the Senate’s Armed Services Oversight Committee, I was not informed of the nature of the format, or the process,” said the commander-in-chief of the Mars Fleet. He voice was harsh and strained. He paused and then added, almost under his breath, “It’s unfortunate, but the field of battle isn’t the only place, you’ll face enemies.”

While the admiral didn’t openly express his opinion of the committee’s behavior, Gallant judged that he was seething to say more, but found it inappropriate to say it, to an officer as junior as Gallant.

Collingsworth walked to the far wall and looked out the window. After a minute, he had visibly regained his equanimity. “You may rest assured, however, there will be no further action taken against you. Your record will properly reflect your honored service and valor.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Gallant, feeling both grateful and relieved.

Collingsworth returned to his ornate chair and sat down, “You may have wondered why the SAI spent so much time questioning you about your personal background at the academy and on the
Repulse
. I ordered that. I’ve found over the years that written words are too sterile to take the measure of a man. Your recent performance and accomplishments were unique and I needed as complete a picture of you, as possible, in order to form my own opinion.” He smiled slightly. “I like officers who were bright and inventive, and willing to fight against the odds.”

He leaned forward and looked carefully at Gallant, “You’ve managed to have quite an adventure. I'm not sure, exactly what to make of it. But I’m particularly impressed with your special neural interface abilities. This unique ability to understand so much of the battlefield may be of significant importance.” He paused and then said, “I have plans for you.”

He hesitated before adding, “That is all for now. See Lieutenant McCall as you leave.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Gallant, wondering just what plans the admiral had in mind.

After he left the admiral’s office, Gallant found Lieutenant McCall waiting for him.

“Please follow me,” she said and led him to the second floor of the building and into the Mars Fleet Command’s CIC.

McCall said, “The news you brought to Mars has been electric. It has changed the outlook of the people and the fleet. In fact, we’ve been more than a little overwhelmed in the intelligence community. Things can’t stay static much longer. Nevertheless, Admiral Collingsworth hasn't released his final decision on fleet plans.”

Gallant frowned.

“We’ve just received a data dump from a drone we recently sent to Ceres,” said McCall. “I’d like you to compare its information against the data you collected. In addition, your mental image of the Titan base could prove helpful.”

Gallant nodded in agreement, as he took a seat at a computer station. He began a painstaking comparison of his collected data against the new information. What he found was that the Titan disposition hadn’t changed significantly from the time he was at Ceres.

He said, “I imagine that the Titan leadership must be confused about UP intentions. They must be wondering why the Mars Fleet is taking so long to come to the aid of Jupiter.”

“Admiral Collingsworth has received reinforcements from Earth. He has calculated what minimal strength must remain to safeguard Mars and how many ships he can safely take into battle. First, he’s going to establish a line of communications to support his fleet’s movements. Then, he expects to move deep into the asteroid field before he turns toward Ceres in order to minimize any warning to the Titans,” said McCall.

She added, “He wants you to verify the battle cruisers, fortresses, and supply stations within the asteroid cluster. How sure are you of the plots and details that you provided about methane production?"

Gallant said, "Midshipman Mitchell and I were careful to get an exact account of the deposition and numbers of enemy ships, as well as positions of fortresses and support facilities."

McCall said, “That’s still not a guarantee that you saw the entire base. The tempo of war is quickening. We are preparing to facilitate fleet movements including our fuel and supplies. No detail is too minor for evaluation. Thanks to you, we may be able to exploit the vulnerability in the Titan deployment.”

Gallant worked hard to analyze the data.

McCall added, “The biological cells that you collected from the crippled Titan destroyer are also proving invaluable information about the biology of this methane-based life-form. All in all, the collected information is proving a treasure trove to SAI.”

After a while she was satisfied, so they moved on to consider the AI CPU device that Gallant had recovered from the Titan destroyer.

McCall explained, “The human brain is composed of billions of tiny interconnected neurons. The average human can think up to eighty thousand thoughts a day. Each thought creates a miniscule electrical discharge that can be measured by EEG (electroencephalogram) machines. Each math calculation, or word, forms a unique wave pattern. The brain state produced by each thought results in different patterns of neural interaction. These patterns of waves are characterized by different amplitudes and frequencies. Neurons constantly create new connections between each other and sever old ones. When humans learn to associate things, it causes neurons to fire together in a pattern. They produce a brainwave that with the help of a neural interface can control a device. This makes it easier to reproduce the mental state at will.”

Gallant waited patiently as McCall continued, “As you’re aware, your neural interface allows the AI to read your thought patterns and make your fighter perform actions accordingly. Each order you give to the Eagle’s controls is a unique wave pattern for the AI to interpret. The result is that the neural interface interprets your brain waves and controls the ships systems.”

Gallant said, “Midshipman Mitchel thought that the Titan device showed telepathic capabilities not found in our neural interface.”

McCall said, “She was right. I’ve reviewed the preliminary analysis of the alien AI CPU that you captured. It indicates that the aliens have a rudimentary form of telepathy. It’s a combination of telepathic communication and collective pattern recognition. This allows many individual Titans to create a single combined wave pattern for the AI to interpret. Their limited telepathy means that they normally act individually, but their thought processes can also be collective. The result is very different behavior than humans. Their approach to problems and strategies should also be very different.”