Free Under Vanishing Skies by G.S. Fields

did not need to. You see, most satellites have back doors, communication paths that use radio frequencies.”
    “ Jin, I worked in the satellite communications software business for twenty-three years and I never heard of any back door RF channels.” From what I remembered, the last RF satellites were decommissioned around 2030.
    He looked down at his feet. “These were not...official communication capabilities. My government had some of our manufacturers surreptitiously install this capability in the satellite components. It enabled our military to keep track of certain information.”
    “ So wait...you’re serious. You actually communicated with a satellite.”
    He nodded.
    I walked a few feet away and stepped onto one of the massive concrete rocks that served as a breakwater for the harbor. Closing my eyes, I let the ocean breeze fill my lungs. I needed to let this sink in.
    Jin stepped onto a rock next to me. I opened my eyes and looked at him. “What was the point of building the transmitter?”
    He shook his head. “After we completed the IICN, I needed something to keep my mind occupied, so I built the transmitter. Each night I would point it at a different part of the sky and try to connect to a satellite. I never really expected to find one, but it helped me pass the time. Then, a few weeks ago, I received a signal from a satellite.”
    “ So what kind of satellite? A communications satellite? A weather satellite?”
    “ No. It is a military reconnaissance satellite, an Indian reconnaissance satellite. It is in orbit over Pakistan. It sustained some damage from the storm, but I was able to hack in and assume control.”
     “ So you’re in control of a reconnaissance satellite? This is big, Jin. Really big. The MDF could use it to—”
    “ No! Nobody must know about this.”
    I flinched and took a step back.
    “ I am sorry,” he said in his usual quiet tone. “Please…let me explain. The guidance system was broken, but I managed to fix it. Before trying to reposition the satellite, I needed to calibrate it. So I took a photograph of something that was within range of its current orbit. It had to be something that I was familiar with so I could calculate the distance between a series of geographical points.”
    “ So what did you take a picture of? China? The Great Wall?”
    He shook his head. “No, I pointed the camera at the Maldives. I knew that I could measure the distance between some of the communications towers we built.”
    Jesus Christ, he was smart. I never would have thought of that.
     “ It was when I studied the image that I saw it.”
    “ Saw what?”
    “ I saw an MDF boat docked alongside a supertanker positioned about a hundred nautical miles south of the Maldives. When I zoomed in, I saw the symbol of Jamal painted on the hull of the tanker. It must be their mother ship. The MDF boat was docked alongside a pirate fast attack boat and they appeared to be transferring crates between the ships.”
    “ Are you sure it was an MDF boat? Maybe they painted one of their boats to look like an MDF patrol boat.”
    Shaking his head, he said, “I am absolutely sure. The clarity of the image was very good; good enough for me read the numbers on the hull and identify some unique characteristics of the boat. Before I came to see you, I went to the harbor.” He pointed over to where the MDF boats were usually docked. “I confirmed the identity of the boat in the photograph.”
    I turned, stepped off the rock, and walked back to the base of the tsunami tower. Jin followed.
    “ Why are you telling me all of this?”
     “ Because it is evidence that Ahmed is involved.”
    I shot him a look and said, “No it’s not. It’s circumstantial evidence at best. Look, I hate the bastard as much as the next guy, but you can’t accuse him of cozying up to the pirates unless you have ironclad proof. He’s a dangerous son of a bitch.”
    Jin walked next to me and said, “You are the only person I