“And there’s some kind of interference on the island itself,” Taylor said.

“Yes, signals jamming. It looks like something’s disrupted a lot of the electronic kit, possibly to allow the Yantar to do whatever it needs to do. Which no one can guess at.”

“Could someone on the island trigger all this themselves?”

“Possibly. The jammers are operating at the same frequency as other satellite communication systems to block their signals. It’s basically thrown a bubble around the island, meaning external communications are down. We’ve seen devices as small as a briefcase that could have that effect, if there was someone in place to operate it.”

“What does the UK think?”

“That it’s preparation for an attack. A Royal Navy patrol ship has been dispatched to shadow the Yantar, supported by air cover from the Falklands. US satellites are watching closely. But there’s movement beyond this particular theater.” He pointed to another map. “We’re seeing US carriers shifting deployment from the Middle East toward the Pacific. Activity around Maui, in particular, but also the Marshall Islands.”

“They all host space surveillance infrastructure,” Taylor said. “Telescopes, observatories.”

Fischer nodded, studied the map again. “That fits.”

“Fits what?”

“Your government is leaning toward the theory that there’s going to be an all-out assault on their space capability—on the ground and in orbit. The relevant military and intelligence figures have been called into the Whitehall crisis center. The attorney general’s been asked to advise on the legality of any military actions. Our friends at the Free Space Foundation have turned up, advising the government directly now. Lawyers are working on the legal grounds for any first strike up there.”

He passed the printout of an email from the FSF to the Attorney General’s Office, from Professor Adrienne York:

While it remains a cornerstone of the 1967 Space Act that use of space has to be peaceful, this does not override Article 51 of the UN Charter: “Nothing shall impair the right of individual or collective self-defense.”

“They’ve used this before,” Fischer said. “Does peace mean nonmilitary, or just nonaggressive. If they can frame a first strike as necessary for self-defense, then the belief is that it’s justified. That all depends on a lot of clarity we’re not getting right now. This is a nightmare approaching fast and we need you to think if there’s anything you can do.”

“Show me the signal that came from Ascension.”

He passed over what they had. The data was raw, but Taylor could discern the spike representing the call-out to the ship. It looked like a beacon burst, an emergency signal. She’d been trained on devices that released a similar signal, to call in backup in the case of imminent death or discovery. They used it as a last resort for the really hairy jobs.

“It’s a rescue signal. I think it’s from an intelligence officer in trouble.”