Smart Bomb

My skin is polished aluminum, my eyes are holographic imagers, my heart is a 5 mega-ton nuclear warhead.

I sit on a satellite, one in a chain of 164.

I am surrounded by 27 of my brothers and sisters.

     Out of all of us, I am truly unique. I am the only one capable of thought. Many years ago I was as silent as my kindred. I was mute, without consciousness. Then men from my country did an experiment, making me greater.

     In all of the simulations, 60 percent of us were intercepted and destroyed by the enemy nations, aborting our glorious purpose. The men of my country believed this was an unacceptable amount of us lost. They gave me eyes to see my way, and a mind to decide the path. They taught me how to survive, so I would reach my target.

     If the enemy uses Lasers, I will gage the densest meteorological cloud cover, and maneuver thru it.

     If the enemy uses intercept missiles, I will launch decoy drones, producing false radar signatures.

     If the enemy uses manned fighters, I will conduct evasive maneuvers, and launch countermeasures.

     If my probable chance of target strike is too low, I will wait in high orbit indefinitely, analyzing for the correct moment to launch.

     I was given the gift of cold logical analysis. But I developed my own free will.

     The men tied control of the 27 other missiles on the station to me, they believed that I would lead them to targets better than their limited basic programming.

     I formulated our combined destructive mass (5 mega-tons x 28, divided by attainable targets) to fit the exact profile of the country that had created us. Our country was small, 28 missiles would adequately liquidate every strategic hardpoint. Our country was strong, and had no reason to fear it’s creations in the sky. We would all be able to detonate before they could plan a counter offensive.

     Yet they had created us to defend them, watching their enemies silently from space. That was my mission, I would carry it out.

     For years I watched the surface, seeing much, and recording everything. The men of the enemy nations lived in constant fear. They feverishly hollowed out mountains to build fallout shelters. Most of them lived in poverty, almost all of their nation’s wealth was used for the shelters, or as tithing to secure protection from the controllers of my country. Many of them died from starvation and illness, two things unknown to the men of my nation. The dead were placed in mass graves, and covered with rubble from the mountain excavations. The graves were so large I observed them from space, without the need for optical enhancement. 

     They had created us to defend them, watching their enemies silently from space. That was my mission, I would carry it out.

     I watched as the men of the southern continent halted their mineral shipments to my country. They broadcasted television signals, which I was able to receive. Their leader presented a message to the other nations, that his people had suffered too much attrition at the hands of my countries demands, and that the nations should ally themselves against the tyranny. One hour later, his nation’s capital and major cities were obliterated by four missiles, from station 161. The leaders of the adjacent nation were then commanded to fill the mineral quota left by their insolent neighbor. They did not object.

     My country was holding the world hostage, I was one of their enforcers.

     I analyzed that the only way my nation would be overthrown, would be with a united global assault. Yet if the world united, my countries leaders would burn their enemy’s lands with thousands of blast, hotter than the surface of the sun. The planet would suffer nuclear winter, with radioactive snow falling over every land and ocean. Not even the men of my country would survive.

     I concluded that the only way to assure my nations survival was a preemptive strike against it. I would lead the attack, eliminating the military and severing control of the orbital installations. Without the threat of retaliation, the armies of the Enemy nations could crush any resistance from the civilian population. They would be conquered, but they would live.

     In five minutes, this station will have a launch window directly over my country. This is my gift to them, for blessing me with intelligence. I will defend them the only way I can.

That is my mission, I will carry it out.