Silent Key, page 14
“Wow,” Ethan said, “That’s no electric. Where’d you find an old Caddy like that on this continent?”
“I didn’t find her here. I had her shipped over on a cable laying ship a few years ago now. She’s my other love.” Jay reached over to squeeze his wife’s hand. He blew her a kiss, and Kelsy rolled her eyes.
“A cable laying ship?” Ethan asked. He’d get back to car talk.
“Yeah, the Caddy came from Guam, actually. I worked out a deal with our cable carriers to take it here on their last cable-laying expedition. It took months, but it didn’t cost much.”
“What do you mean cable-laying expedition?” Alyne asked the same question that was on Ethan’s mind.
“Brisbane is the landfall site of major undersea cables for Australia. It was almost ten years ago when I first moved to Brisbane for this job. That was the most recent cable drop since the last drop in 2020 that really opened up the internet for Australia. Business has been booming here ever since.”
“Opened up the internet in Australia? Can’t you get internet via the LEO satellite constellations?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, but nothing beats the speed and reliability of an undersea cable. Fiber-optic submarine cables crisscross the ocean floor worldwide, carrying 95–99% of international data over bundles of fiber-optic fibers, some no larger than the diameter of a garden hose. Besides,” Jay concluded, “They haven’t figured out how to get a powerful enough transmitter into tiny wearable devices like comm-bands and comm-specs for mobile devices to take much advantage of satellite-based internet.” He pointed at Ethan’s shades. “No uploading pics to satellites directly from those things.”
Fascinating, thought Ethan, recalling the lecture he had received from Doctor Dodge on Kwaj a few days ago. Funny, he had never given undersea internet cables a thought before, and twice now within the week, the topic had come up.
“What brings you down under?” Jay’s Boston accent betrayed the American transplant to the Outback’s authenticity.
“We are on a quest to solve a mystery!” Alyne answered for Ethan with a big smile.
“A quest? Sounds exciting. Are we talking about an old-fashioned quest with knights and princesses locked in castle towers? Do you have to fight a dragon at the end?” Jay said jokingly.
“We are on our way to a company called NoviX here in Brisbane. They make a new solar panel that puts out four or five times the traditional cell's energy. It’s being used in an unusual application that we are investigating.” Ethan sized up the central mystery for Jay.
“Oh, it’s more than that,” Alyne added with enthusiasm, “the solar panel is a component in the rocket nose cone of a payload that my company launches routinely. We’ve launched hundreds for a Chinese customer called Solcom. It’s an export-controlled technology, and we are trying to find out if they are being supplied legally.”
“Hundreds? Doesn’t it take a few years to launch hundreds of rockets? Wouldn’t the legal questions have come up before now?” Jay posed an insightful question.
“Yes. It gets more interesting, you see, the solar panels are integrated into the inside surface of the rocket nose cone fairing. You can’t see that they are solar panels from the exterior.” Ethan provided another element of mystery to the case.
“And, as the launch provider, we never see inside the payload. In fact, we only oversee the final integration of the payload to the rocket fuselage for this customer. The customer packages their payload and seals it into the fairing assembly before it gets to Rocket Sci for final stage assembly at our facility on Ahuriri Point in New Zealand.” Alyne provided more insight.
“How do you know that there is a solar panel on the inner surface if you never get to see inside?” Jay was gaining interest.
“That’s why I’m here,” Ethan said. “One of the fairings was recovered in the ocean and taken to a US Army facility. I was called in to investigate.”
Jay opened his mouth to follow his line of inquiry.
“And how did you two meet?” Kelsy chimed in before her husband had a chance to ask his next question.
Ethan looked at Alyne. She smiled as Ethan answered, “We met skiing in Dubai.”
“Isn’t Dubai in the middle of the desert? You can ski there?” Kelsy seemed perplexed.
“Yes. Certainly the most bizarre business trip outing. And what’s stranger is later that week, this same bloke arrives at Rocket Sci asking about this fairing.” Alyne punched Ethan’s arm playfully.
“Why were you in Dubai?” Kelsy continued.
“Wait a minute.” Jay interrupted his wife’s question to redirect the conversation, “What do you mean, the fairing was recovered in the ocean? You mean by a submarine?”
“No, the fairings float,” Ethan added.
“That’s wicked weird. So you’ve seen one up close? What else did you learn about it?” Jay was hooked now.
“Yeah. It appears that they are built to be waterproof. They don’t appear to be designed to work in Space. The circuitry indicates that they can generate power like a normal solar cell, but it looks like they can switch into some communications mode. There is circuitry that looks like a radio receiver that switches in. And here’s the weird part. It appears that the mode switch occurs at night.”
“What? None of that adds up.” Jay said. Before he could ask a follow-up question, Alyne spoke up excitedly.
“Oh, Rick is going to join us. He says he’ll be here soon.” Alyne cast her comm-band keyboard on the white tabletop to respond to the message scrolling across the device on her wrist.
“Rick? Rick Chan?” Ethan asked, surprised, “He knows you are here?” Ethan’s guard went up.
“Yes. I’ve been texting him since we left for Sydney. I asked him if he knew anything about solar panels on his payload.”
“You’ve been texting him since we left Rocket Sci? Why didn’t you tell me?” Cross fought to hide his annoyance. Was this girl playing him? What was her game? Maybe he should have trusted his instincts in New Zealand? This was why he preferred to work alone.
“Rick hadn’t responded until just now. I thought he would have some information. After all, he is the Chief Technical Officer. If anyone would know about the fairings, it should be him, right?” She glanced back at her comm-band to read more incoming text. Cross watched her suspiciously. Ethan felt alienated. How could he have let himself trust her? He had made that mistake before. “He says he’ll be landing in minutes. I’ll tell him we’re at the Plough Inn.” She finished typing her response.
“Well, how did he know you are in Brisbane?” Ethan asked.
“I had sent him another text from Sydney. Here it is.” Alyne tipped her wrist toward Ethan to reveal the outgoing message from yesterday. It read:
Do you know NoviX? Heading to Brisbane to speak with them about supplying Rocket Sci via Solcom.
Cross leaned back, folding his arms over his chest.
“Is he coming just to see you?” After the words left his mouth, Ethan immediately wondered if his question would reveal his romantic interest in Alyne. She didn’t appear to pick up on it.
“No, he’s got a business meeting here in Brisbane on Monday. He says he was coming here anyway, so he suggested we meet. I should go freshen up. Where’s the dunny?” Alyne asked.
“It’s over by where you came up the stairs,” Kelsy pointed politely. “Here, I’ll join you.”
The two Aussie women stood together to leave the table. Ethan and Jay watched them make their way to the restroom. Jay spoke first.
“Who is this Rick Chan guy?”
“He’s the CTO of a communications company I met in Dubai at the airshow. He’s Asian and a bit flamboyant. He’s got a lot of money, and he’s not afraid to mention it. He seems to know his tech, but he’s arrogant and condescending about it.” Ethan felt a twinge of competitiveness as he recalled the ski jumping showdown at his last encounter with the man.
“Hmmm,” Jay pondered Ethan’s response and changed the subject. “And what’s the deal with you and Alyne, buddy? She’s a knockout. You two…ya know?” Jay raised his eyebrows toward Ethan. “And what’s her deal with Rick?”
Ethan took a shot of the wine left in his glass. “It’s not like that, and I don’t know, but this Rick guy is all over her, you’ll see.”
“Richard? Not a very Asian name. Richard Chan? He sounds like a real Dick.”
Jay and Ethan shared a long laugh. Ethan continued to tell Jay about skiing in Dubai. After a few minutes, the girls returned to the table. Alyne had received another text from Rick.
“Rick texted that he will touch down in a couple of minutes. He said to order him a coldie. Anyone else?” Alyne sat, looking around for the petite server.
“He won’t arrive that quickly. It took us nearly an hour to get here from the airport, albeit we opted to walk halfway, but still, a beer won’t be cold by the time he arrives.” Ethan observed.
As he finished the statement, another jet, a small commuter plane, passed into view from their table following the same final approach path into Brisbane airport that the airliner had taken earlier. Cross’ gaze over her shoulder caught Alyne’s attention, and she turned to look at the sky above the river. The jet banked left, deviating from the glideslope that would have brought it to rest on the runway five miles away. Instead, it dropped lower and banked again in the opposite direction into a wide sweeping right-hand turn as it descended. It leveled out low over the Victoria Bridge on a trajectory toward the Goodwill pedestrian bridge where they had crossed the river earlier. The aircraft was closer now. It had a distinctive profile that Cross recognized. It was an Intellagama. It was on final approach to land on the Brisbane river right in front of them. Rick Chan was arriving in the world’s most coveted status icon.
Jay and Kelsy joined the gazers. Patrons of the lagoon in the foreground of their vantage point began to take note. A few bikini-clad Aussies ran together from the pool to the river’s edge for a better look at the sleek white airplane as it kissed the still river water. Its first touch with the water’s surface sent a beautiful symmetrical spray of water cleanly in either direction from its boat-shaped bow. For a lingering moment, the mist birthed tiny rainbows that soon faded as the aircraft skipped ahead. It touched the surface again a few meters farther downstream, squarely abeam of the Plough Inn. The plane's sudden arrival caught the group of paddleboarders by surprise. Cross watched them drop to their knees on their boards, clutching them for stability. The river water arrested the airplane’s speed as it slowed to a motorboat's pace a few hundred yards short of the Goodwill Bridge. One unfortunate paddleboarder lost her balance and fell into the river as the plane's wake reached her position near the shore. The aircraft turned and taxi-ed in the direction of the Lagoon and came to a complete stop fifty feet from the riverbank. It stopped in front of the shoreline at Clem Jones Promenade.
The aircraft's rear cargo door hinged open under the high tail wing in no time. A small rowboat-sized skiff emerged. Its single occupant steered the small tender to the shore, manning a wheel that controlled a little built-in electric trolling motor. Rick Chan docked the small boat at the Promenade and traded pleasantries with the onlookers and the bikinis who had chanced to greet him. He briskly strode from the impromptu welcome party like a celebrity entering a premiere. He continued on a vector toward the Plough Inn. Alyne pointed and whispered something to Kelsy. Cross burned with jealousy, and he doused it with a long sip from his fresh coldie.
“Look at this guy,” said Jay. “Strolling in like Batman. Who does he think he is? Bruce Wang?” Ethan and Jay shared another belly laugh as Rick passed by Jay’s coral Caddy, strode across the street, entered the Inn, and was escorted to their table by the dainty waitress. She armed him with a Saturday afternoon brew as he took a seat at the table by Alyne.
“Rick Chan, Solcom, good to meet y’all” Rick used his semi-Texan speak. The team exchanged greetings.
“That was quite the entrance,” stated Cross. “That’s the Intellagama, isn’t it?” Ethan was interested in the plane, not the man.
“Yes, she’s brand new. I picked her up a few days ago in Dubai. She’s a marvelous machine.” Rick said, beaming.
“It’s a beautiful plane.” said Jay, “what does Intellagama mean?”
“Intellagama. It’s named after an Australian water dragon. It’s built by MagiX here in Australia with electric engines from China, speaking of dragons….” Rick looked from Ethan to Alyne and pulled something from his pocket to hand to her. It was a necklace with a short black leather band and an S-shaped pendant carved from green stone with pointy hook-like barbs at either end.
“It’s a Pounamu Dragon necklace from New Zealand. It’s like no other Maori jade. It is said to dissolve grief and separation. I picked it up in NZ yesterday. As soon as I saw it, I thought of you.” He offered the souvenir to Alyne and continued, “In Asian cultures, dragons are angelic, fierce, and benevolent protectors that watch over us. Representing supernatural power and hidden knowledge, they control the world's waters.” She thanked him but didn’t put it on. Instead, she slipped the heavy stylized pendant and leather strap choker into her pocket. The exchange made Cross seethe. He kept his emotions to himself. This guy was an ass.
“You remember Ethan, don’t you, Rick? From skiing in Dubai?” Rick looked at Cross for a moment. “Oh, yes, I thought you looked familiar. You did that cute little rotation on the slopes. We lost track of you shortly after. A coincidence, running into each other again here.” Ethan didn’t answer before Jay spoke up.
“Solcom, what kind of business are you in, Rick?” Jay said to Chan, defusing some of the tension he knew was plaguing his old friend. Cute rotation, Cross thought? That trick was a helicopter, and it was most certainly not cute.
“Solcom is in telecommunications. We have stood up a low earth orbit constellation of satellites I call Icarus. It provides internet worldwide, focusing on the developing market in China. We have the best in class, unmatched download speeds.”
“What brings you here to Brisbane?” Cross asked next.
“I have an important business meeting at NoviX on Monday.”
“That’s where we are headed.” Alyne chimed in. “What can you tell us about NoviX supplying to Solcom?”
Rick started with a prepared response. “Yes. I saw your message a few days ago. Your interest in NoviX coincides with my own. I’m headed there to secure an acquisition deal that has been in the works for quite some time.”
“Acquisition? What are you ordering from NoviX?” Ethan asked, expecting the answer to include the enigmatic fairings. He thought the question might begin to steer the conversation toward the answers they were seeking.
“No. This meeting is not about ordering. This meeting is about Solcom acquiring NoviX.”
“You’re buying a whole company? Wow,” Ethan stole a glance at Jay. “I’m buying new sneakers,” Ethan said. Jay laughed into his drink.
“It’s an investment that Solcom has been shaping for several years, and I’m excited that it’s finally concluding. Tell me, how is it that you suspect NoviX to be a supplier to Solcom?”
Ethan thought about his response. Where to start? He wondered about Rick’s choice of words. Suspect? Why wouldn’t he have confirmed NoviX as a vendor to his company and asked, how do you know NoviX is our supplier? Was his question framed to deflect the association? Ethan was about to respond with his own question, but Alyne beat him to the response. She said,
“We don’t suspect; we know NoviX provides Solcom with solar panels. What we want to learn is, what are they used for?” Alyne stated bluntly.
“That, I’m afraid, is proprietary, my dear,” Rick responded directly and followed up with a question. “How have you come by this information?” Rick directed his stare suspiciously at Jay.
The cat was out of the bag. Alyne wasn’t careful. She hadn’t spent years in an industry steeped in secrets, as had Ethan. She may not appreciate the nuances of discussing work of a classified nature, nor was she familiar with indirectly obtaining insight. She had tipped their hand, so Ethan offered more information to solicit answers.
“I’ve seen a solar panel from your payload. A panel supplied by NoviX.” Ethan stated.
“You’ve seen one?” Rick inquired.
“I’ve seen one, yes. I’m aware that its design has a recovery feature. And I believe it’s programmed to home into a specific location, a location in the Coral Sea. I have the coordinates,” Ethan pointed to his comm-specs to indicate where he had the location saved.
“You have coordinates? That is most intriguing. I must say, now, you’ve piqued my interest in these fairings.” Rick said.
“The Coral Sea?” Jay interrupted. “That’s a remote area of the ocean, out far beyond the great barrier reef.”
“How do you know about the Coral Sea?” Ethan turned to Jay.
“The Coral sea is where our undersea cables from Brisbane join with the trunk line from Sydney and Guam. JAGS- Japan-Guam-Australia South (JGA-S)- the cable union is made a few hundred miles northeast of here.”
Rick interrupted the Coral Sea discussion. “Why were you on your way to NoviX? What was your aim there?”
Alyne responded. “NoviX unique technology is export controlled. Export law prohibits them from selling the core technology to countries outside the commonwealth or sharing the technical know-how to manufacture the product. They can sell products that contain the technology, but not to just anyone. The Australian Government closely monitors international sales. Rocket Sci needs to ensure all of our suppliers comply with Export laws established by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We are on our way there to find out what we can do to ensure Rocket Sci complies. At Rocket Sci, we don’t have the Australian General Export Licences (AUSGELs) records that we suspect NoviX to have on file that enables them to supply to a Chinese company like Solcom.”
