In Re: Crew of Spaceship ZPX47
by Mark Reasoner
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Table of Contents parts: 1, 2, 3 |
part 1
Elkhart, Kansas
For the Honorable Sam Hawthorne of Morton County, Kansas, things were going to be very different today. The slightly bald and paunchy jurist was currently in his fifteenth year on the bench, with few years left before time and politics caught up.
He didn’t really mind. There were fish to catch, and his wife had a very long honey-do list waiting for him at home.
Before that happened, though, there was today’s immigration case.
And what a way to be remembered, he thought. A real legacy case. First known case of true alien asylum.
Today’s hearing was the most exciting thing to happen in Elkhart and Morton County since... Well, who knew when? The area was not known for anything remarkable in its more than one hundred year history.
Even the national media was out in force. Hawthorne had to force his way through the gauntlet of cameras and reporters to get into the building earlier, issuing his standard “No Comment” to every question. He’d finally told a reporter, “Outta m’way, boy,” at the top of the steps.
Wish I could’ve put a lid on things like the Air Force did,” he thought to himself later. At least he was able to ban cameras from the courtroom.
Occupying the absolute southwest corner of the state, Morton County, Kansas consisted mostly of wheat farms and grasslands, including some federally protected ones. Its seat and largest city, Elkhart, sat within hollering distance of the Oklahoma line. Judge Hawthorne presided over the court and indirectly supervised everything in the county government.
While getting ready in his chambers, Hawthorne turned on the TV. CNN was broadcasting live from the courthouse sidewalk.
We’re live here in Elkhart, Kansas, where — in just a few minutes — a judge will decide a very different kind of asylum case. Three days ago, spaceships from what we understand is the Ulnarian system, crash-landed just outside the town. While the Air Force has confirmed the crash, we haven’t been given any more details.
But here in the county seat, Judge Samuel Hawthorne will preside over a hearing today to decide whether at least one of the aliens who landed will be granted asylum in the United States and allowed to stay. It’s expected that whatever decision the judge reaches will have far-ranging impact on future decisions in cases like this.
We will bring you updates as they occur.
Be careful what you wish for, Hawthorne thought.
As Hawthorne left his chambers and walked across the hall to the courtroom, he thought about everything that had happened over the last three days. It began over in Wyoming at Space Command when all hell broke loose.
Wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that.
Cheyenne Mountain, Wyoming, Three Days Earlier
At 0338 Mountain Standard Time, every display lit up at Cheyenne Mountain’s Space Command.
“I have incoming over the pole. Two tracks.”
“Confirmed. Canadian North Station also tracking.”
“Designate Alpha and Bravo.”
“Origin?”
“Unknown... Threat board is clear... No launches from any usual suspects.”
“Altitude and Speed?”
“Currently at level sixty... Speed in excess of... Off my scale.”
“Can you get a track? What’s the target?”
“Again, unknown. The mothers are changing directions and moving too fast to project.”
General Simon Gregory, the head of US Space Command, came on the net. “Go to full alert. Scramble all ready squadrons. Stay in contact with the Canadians,” he said firmly. He took his station in the command center. “Set condition DefCon-One this theatre. My authority,” he continued. “And get me the President.”
President Frieda Waring joined the conversation from the White House Situation Room. All departments were represented around the table, though mostly by night-duty officers and personnel.
“What do we have?” President Waring asked.
“Madam President,” Gregory replied, “At approximately zero-three-thirty-eight local time, Space Command began tracking two inbound targets entering North American airspace. The two are currently moving south by southwest at extreme speed.”
“Do you know where they came from? Who launched them?”
“No, ma’am. As far as we can tell, they were not launched from anywhere on the planet.”
“Good God!” an Air Force colonel said. “That means they’re from—”
“We know what it means, Colonel,” said the Navy Commander sitting across the table from him.
“Where are they now, General?” the President asked. “Show us what you are seeing.”
“Hudson Bay. We picked them up before they crossed Ellsmere Island and they’ve crossed Baffin and are over the bay.”
The screen changed to two views. The President on the right side and the main tracking screen on the left.
“Stand by, Madam President.”
Various stations around the large room called out updates.
“Now tracking level fifty. They are closing on each other.”
“Alpha just broke up... No, wait! It just launched multiple smaller targets...”
“Bravo is also launching smaller targets. I count two... No, three.”
“Confirmed. Designate Alpha One through Four and Bravo One, Two, and Three.”
“Smaller Alphas splitting up and heading different directions. Bravos are pairing up on them.”
The General resumed his conversation with the President. “Ma’am, as you see, it appears the main targets have launched smaller vehicles.”
“Are they warheads?’ the President asked.
“Unknown, but unlikely,” the General answered. “It looks like the smaller targets are under some kind of control. And they’ve paired off with each other. It looks like a pursuit.”
He listened to more chatter.
“Alpha is gaining altitude... Bravo is pursuing. Switching the track to low space orbit. Canadians confirm new track.”
“I’ve got them. Altitude now over two hundred kilometers and rising.”
In the Situation Room, an aide interrupted. “Russian Foreign Minister on the line, Madam President.”
“Sorry, General, I have to take this,” Waring said. “Put him on speaker. Good morning, Mr. Zerkov,”
“Madam President, what have you done?” Dmitri Zerkov asked. “Why are you threatening Mother Russia?”
“We are doing no such thing, sir,” Waring answered. “And how did you know about this so quickly?”
“Do you not think we monitor your activity in the skies? Do you not monitor ours?”
“Whatever,” Waring said. “But look at the data carefully. You’ll see these things do not come from us. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m rather busy.”
“How dare you dismiss our concerns!” Zerkov continued. “What’s next? Will you blame this on us? I assure you, we did not launch these missiles.”
“We know that,” Waring said.
“Chinese Foreign Minister on line two,” the same aide interrupted.
“Conference her in,” the Secretary of State said. “The more the merrier.”
“Good day, Madame Leung,” Waring said. “We’re on with your Russian counterpart and Cheyenne Mountain.”
“Good day, comrade,” Peng Leung said. Zerkov grunted in reply.
“Madam President,” Leung continued, “The Peoples’ Republic of China is outraged by this deliberate act of aggression perpetrated by the United States. Your launching of these unidentified missile vehicles is tantamount to a declaration of war. We demand you immediately desist and destroy these things.”
“Good God!” the Secretary of Defense muttered. “Is everyone watching us?”
“Madame Leung,” Waring said, when the Chinese official took a breath, “I was just explaining to our Russian friend that, number one, we did not launch these... whatever they are, and that two, we know you didn’t either. And, three, as far as we can tell, neither did Pyongyang.”
“Are you saying this threat comes from somewhere out of this world?” Zerkov asked.
“That is exactly what I am saying,” Waring replied. “And if you’ll excuse me, I am trying to deal with it.” She disconnected the calls.
“Update, General,” the President said.
“Ma’am, it looks like we have three pursuits in progress. Alpha One and Bravo One are headed west. They will leave Canadian air-space within two minutes. After that, we may lose them over the North Pacific.”
“I guess we’d better call the Russians and Chinese back and let them know,” the Secretary of Defense said.
“What about the others?” Waring asked.
“Alpha Two and Bravo Two are moving southwest. They will cross into American air-space within the next thirty seconds. However, they are currently at level fifty and are making no moves to descend. We’ve scrambled three squadrons to intercept if possible and alerted every base between Montana and California.”
The operator tracking the main ships exploded over the net. “Holy Sweet Mother of Jesus! What the HELL just happened?!”
“Stand by, Madam President,” the General said. “Report!”
“Alpha is gone!”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that. I was tracking the two targets when I saw a discharge from Bravo and then Alpha blossomed and disappeared.”
“Status of Bravo?”
“Holding station at level two five zero.”
The General turned back to his camera. “Ma’am, one of the main targets just destroyed the other in low orbit.”
“Okay, one less problem,” Vice-President George Carey said, coming into view.
“Nice of you to join us,” the Secretary of State said. “What did you do, ride the Metro again?”
“Probably would have been quicker, Al,” Carey said. “Traffic on Connecticut is lousy even this early in the morning.”
“Alright, boys, settle down,” Waring chided. “General, continue with the update on the remaining targets.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the General reported. “Alpha Four is moving southeast with no pursuit. We don’t know where it’s headed, but unless it changes course, we will simply keep tracking it. Once it heads over the Atlantic, we will alert NATO and the African Countries.”
“Alright, what about the last two?”
“Alpha Three and Bravo Three are headed south. They will cross into U.S. air space at any time. These are our main concerns, and we have scrambled every available intercept. But they are still moving at extreme speed, and we don’t have any idea where they are headed.”
“Alright,” Waring said, “let’s stay on alert and keep tracking all targets. But let’s stand down from DefCon One, General. We can probably go to Defcon Three.”
“Yes, Ma’am, anything else?”
“Yes. Inform all the local authorities in the target path. Beyond that, I think you have things well in hand, General.”
“Thank you, Madam President.”
“We’re adjourned,” Waring said, ending the call.
Copyright © 2022 by Mark Reasoner
