Allen Dynal, Minister for Intelligence, nodded in
agreement, but did not speak. His turn was coming.
Selvin leaned back, turned his head to scowl at the
view tank. Together, they contemplated the forming
scene.
The Admiral's outburst had given subject matter
guidance to the computer. The display shifted to
the Planet Pluto Special Zone. Two tiny red lights
flashed rapidly at the coordinates where the
attacks had occurred. A steady blue light tracked
the hijacked stores.
Selvin continued. "The entire sector from which
this attack was launched is honeycombed with
utility passages and subsurface supply and
maintenance shops," he said. "They date back to
when our earliest construction cadres went in.
The subsurface should have been returned to its
original state when we had no further use for the
tunnels and galleries. We did start to collapse the
ice walls and overheads; obviously, we didn't get
very far."
Selvin sighed, heavily.
"Understandable," he went on. "Hundreds of
junctions and cutouts were dug to serve one-time
needs. They were never mapped. The same can be
said for subsurface technical facilities. No question
that many are still usable."
The view tank's image blurred, then cleared to show
a broad expanse of Pluto's barren surface out to
the planet's horizon. A white, steady glow identified
Coldfield, the surrounding red and blue lines
identified scores of subsurface passageways and
rutted trails that curved away from the domed city
in all directions.
"There's no doubt that the underground passages
and caverns are being used by Narval as maintenance
and operations hangars for his fleet," Selvin said
returning his eyes to Camari. "Many have enough
room to accommodate nuclear energy capsules, ship
and equipment repair shops, and catapult launchers.
Pseudo-gravity enhancers during construction
stabilized the floors. Foundations are secured deep
in the frozen surfaces, and bonded well enough,
so that even under the planet's low density, they'll
take the weight of battle wagons."
The silence hung heavily as Selvin glared at the
view tank. His voice rasped. "They must have
installed heavy screens in the overheads. Many
of our penetration readings are dim, even with
our most advanced sensors."
"That's all I have for now, Mr. President," he
said, leaning back. Absently, his stubby fingers
drummed the tabletop. He caught himself and
glanced about guiltily as he drew his hands back
to the edge of the table.
Camari's eyes moved on to a somber-faced ancient
who gravely returned his stare. "Let's hear the
intelligence review, Allen," the President said.
The Minister for Intelligence placed his clasped
hands before him on the table and spoke. His voice
was hoarse, low and intense, and his eyes moved
from the President to Jim Selvin, who faced him
grimly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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