by P F Walsh
The President with raised eyebrows said,
“Well, I’ve known for a long time that they don’t tell me everything. But it seems we are all in good hands then.” The President paused,
“Sean, I have to agree with Allister that you will give it your best shot, and you can count on me to make sure whatever you need will happen. Let’s get back before they put out another alarm about a top White House official missing.” The President got up from the couch and put his now empty glass on the nearby table.
Allister did a brief bow, and began to lead them back to the cargo bay for the shuttle.
The trip back was mostly a quiet one except for Doris who kept saying “I’m hungry.” The shuttle landed in its prior spot on the lawn. Eddie had called ahead on his cell phone to alert the Agents and Secretary’s staff they were about to return. The Secret Service Agents just shook their heads as the group seemed to walk out of thin air and proceed toward the house as though this was an ordinary behavior, and where the Secretary waited.
The Secretary spoke as they neared the steps,
“Are you people ready for dinner yet? The chef is ready if you are.” Doris raised her hand as the group climbed the stairs and headed into the house for the dining room.
After dinner and one more libation, the group broke up for the night with the President being hustled away in his entourage. Sean and Doris chatted with the Secretary about setting up the next step in his plan. The Secretary thought it would take about four days to get it all together including funding commitments. Sean and Doris thanked the Secretary and went back to the shuttle. Once they boarded, Sean used his cell phone and made a call to Artie and was gratified that it went to voice mail. This way he wouldn’t be exposed to questions from Artie, and he could leave a message that they had hiked into a spot where the phone worked, they were absolutely having a wonderful time, and all was well. He told Artie that it would be another long interval before he could call again. The shuttle lifted off heading back to the ship.
Sean had learned the terminal in his room could send emails as long as the ship was connected to a World net. Allister was handling protocol conversions depending on which world they were near.
He received a cryptic email from the Secretary that read.
“Mama agreed to pay for the surprise party and as soon as you get back in town, I can share the location, but the date will be in two days at 8 PM, bring your costume.”
Sean smiled realizing that the Secretary’s email was being monitored by NSA, the CIA, and foreign powers. He told Doris they would be heading back to earth in two days for the big meet. As usual, she wanted to know if there would be food there. He said he didn’t think so, so he told her to fill up, before they went down.
Sean thought,
“I think she’s putting on weight, maybe we should hit the gym more often.”
Two days later, after landing on the lawn again, Sean and Doris were transported in Diplomatic cars to the hall in which they were going to meet an organization Sean hoped deeply to recruit. He knew this was going to be very difficult, not only for acquiring agreement, but for the mere acceptance of the need and the containment of security issues. The Secretary had hand pickled a few from his diplomatic security force and the President had lent Sean 20 of the Secret Service including Eddie who was in charge. No one knew the need better than Eddie among the Security force. Sean was very pleased to know he would be there and would be in charge of all the Agents.
Sean and Doris entered the hall in which every single inch of it had been checked and investigated by the Secret service for uninvited persons, and listening devices. He watched the Security staff carefully check the ID of every single person showing up for this meeting. Two were turned away with inadequate identification, not being on the list, and no one to attest who they were. Sean suspected some local media hawks. Many of the invited were ruffled at the inspections, but all put up with it, some thinking this must be for a White House performance. This was a meeting with a well-known Symphony Orchestra of about one hundred players, and some musicians had brought their instruments with them like a small child that cannot be left alone, but they did not take them out to play. Rather, they all chose seats and began a noisy chatting that echoed throughout the hall until Eddie caught Sean’s eye and nodded everyone on the list who showed up was in the room. Sean nodded back and the Secret Service Agents all began leaving the room except for Eddie. The doors were all secured outside the hall with two Agents at every exit and entrance.
Sean walked out to the center of the stage where there was a single chair and sat down. At first, they did not notice him sitting there, but little by little they realized someone was on stage and waiting for silence which finally came. Sean just sat there looking at each one of them while nodding as though he knew each one, which, of course in their vanity, they expected he did.
Sean began,
“You are here today because you are supposed to be the best at what you do. That isn’t flattery, but rather a clinical replay of what I have been told, otherwise you wouldn’t be in this room. Let’s start with the important points right away.”
“First, you will be offered today an engagement that will be the extreme highlight of your entire career. No Orchestra in world history has had an audience like the one you are going to play for.”
“Second, that offer must be accepted today while you are here in this room. I know that is unusual and demanding, but later you will see why, if you accept.”
“Third, this engagement may run as long as six months and will all be out of town, there will be no trips home during the engagement.” Some musicians started to get up to leave and Sean interrupted them by saying,
“You may leave now, but it doesn’t make sense not hear what you will be paid for this extraordinary engagement.” Those who started to rise out of their chairs sat back down.
“With regard to payment, all your meals, expenses, and accommodations will be entirely paid for, you will not be asked for any out of pocket expenses unless you wish to buy some personal memento or souvenir. Accommodation will be first class. Upon completion of the engagement, each of you equally will be paid three and one half million dollars!”
At that, the hall got really quiet as the musicians looked at each other to see if they heard it right. One stood up and asked,
“How will we be paid?”
Sean replied,
“By U.S. Government check. I assure you it will cash.”
Another one stood up and asked,
“What if we can’t do the whole six months?”
Sean answered that one too,
“Then you will not be able to come. There is a long list of stand-by musicians who will fill out the seats of those who decline or cannot meet the requirements of this engagement. You are in for the whole trip or you are out. I understand there may be some who have dependents they cannot leave unattended and will not be able to commit to this trip. If that is the case for anyone here, please leave now.” Sean said, and waited while two got up and reluctantly left the room.
Sean waited for a minute or two, and two other stand-by musicians for the same instrument came into the room and found seats. Sean reviewed the points he covered for those new musicians and then continued.
“Fourth, and most important, this engagement will be the most important thing you will ever do for your career and your country, but it will be, and is, top secret. Because of that, if you accept, you will be asked today to sign an iron-clad non-disclosure agreement that if breeched, will put you alone in the darkest prison cell you can imagine.”
He paused to let this part sink in.
“There’s more. If you accept, you will all be bused to a five-star hotel right after this meeting where an entire floor has been set aside for you. The TV’s do not work and the phones do not work. All cell phones will be surrendered, ALL.”
Sean told them once they are in the hotel, an individual Federal Agent will be assigned to meet with
you to get access to whatever you need to bring with you from your homes. You will be sequestered. Your assigned aid will contact those persons you wish to inform of your urgent engagement and that you will be gone for a long time. The aid will arrange for care of your home’s lawns, upkeep, pets, and plants. Utilities, rents and household expenses will all be paid for you. None of this will be subtracted from your gross payment of three and one half million.
“Now, once again,” Sean said, “those of you who cannot do all this for three and one half million dollars for six continuous month’s work may leave now please.” Interestingly, no one got up to leave, impressing Sean with how thorough the State department (or the FBI?) had vetted this particular Orchestra.
Sean went on,
“This is crunch time. A Federal Agent will pass out the non-disclosure forms and a pen for you to sign. Once those are signed and verified, you are in and will be told what the engagement is, there is no backing out. If you do so, you will be sequestered without communication for the entire time the rest of the group is filling this engagement, and not in your own home. So, there is no false signing to find out what the gig is and then dropping out.”
Agents began handing out forms and pens as the musicians looked at each other. Some signed immediately, realizing, that they would not have to work much anymore if they received such a lump payment for six months work. Others were reflective and wanted to talk it over with their seat mates, but little by little, all the forms were signed and handed back to the Agents who then left the room.
One musician stood up and asked,
” Looks like we’re all in, but who is the Conductor?”
“We have not yet signed that person, that will be done tomorrow, and we will let you know as soon as we get an agreement. I assure you they are competent and very well known.”
Then, Sean stood up and approached the front of the stage and took out a packet of one hundred-dollar bills amounting to $1,000. “For one thousand dollars, who can guess where we’re going?” One by one they jumped up with destinations,
“Toledo,” one said, “Nobody goes there.”
“Gary or Hammond Indiana is worse, is that it?” Another shouted.
“Siberia?” Asked another. Sean laughed and said,
“Thank God, NO!”
And on it went for about ten minutes.
“None of you are correct,” Said Sean,
“How come no one picked 27 light years away on a Starship?”
They all laughed as Sean stood there straight faced. After a while, the laughing died out as Sean said,
“I wasn’t kidding! That is our destination and that is how we are going to get there. Here’s the news that is so classified only the people in this room, The President, The Secretary of State, a few selected Security people, myself and Doris over there know. We are not alone in the Galaxy. Granted that we are on the periphery of the other worlds, but there is a Council of Worlds, and we are making an application to join. You will be part of that presentation. For those of you who are troubled by your belief that space travel is physically beyond you, rest easy, the ship we will be traveling on is very comfortable with deluxe accommodation and of no challenge to your physical strengths at all.”
One musician jumped up and shouted,
“I’m not an astronaut, I’m not going.”
Sean calmly replied,
“That’s fine, you will be sequestered for the entire time we are away, there will be no work for you, and there will be no three and one half million dollars, you will receive a stipend for food and utilities, but that’s all. Take your things and leave the room. You will be escorted to your sequester location which is a military base.” At that, the person sat down and glowered at Sean but said no more.
Sean continued,
“There is even more to the story. After our world was discovered by a starship called a Seeker, I was informed that we were required to apply for membership or we would be inducted into ‘vassal’ servitude, where all our armaments are removed, armies, police, governments, all disbanded. Every person alive will be assigned to a work detail for the rest of their lives, supervised by an alien administration who will begin to strip our planet of its wealth and minerals. There is no escaping once our planet is declared a vassal world. So, you see, we don’t have very much choice but to apply for membership since their technology and weapons make ours look quite primitive. If we are not accepted into membership, we will suffer vassal status.”
“We didn’t ask for this, but it is real and everything you now know about Earth is up for grabs by an alien power we know little about. I have been to their home planet. It is called Hhearn and you will be able to learn a lot about it on the way. All information is available and nothing is withheld from any investigation of their history or capabilities, including their social structures”
“Our team represents the best we have in creative art, something they don’t have, and in my opinion, need. I didn’t ask for this either. I was picked randomly by the ship which has a very sophisticated artificial intelligence you will meet later. We don’t have a lot of time; I have used some of it up coming back to Earth to bring some resources like your Orchestra back with me for the presentation. We are all in a very tough spot with only one alternative and that is to win membership or slip into being a slave world. A great deal of this is hard for you to believe, but once we get up to the Starship, you will believe it all, because it is all true.”
“Now, I will take as many questions as you want me to answer on anything.” Sean invited. There were dozens, Sean handled them one at a time with as much information as he knew. Just as the questions seemed to die out, the doors at the back opened and a man came in.
Chapter Fourteen
Book One
It took everyone in the Hall a minute or so before they realized it was the President of the United States. He strode across the room and climbed up the stairs to the stage.
He walked over to Sean and said,
“Hello Sean, I thought it would help if I came by to support what you have just told all these exceptional people who are going to be part of saving our planet.”
“Thank you, Mr. President, it’s good to see you again, and welcome, the floor is yours, most questions have been answered so far.”
The President looked out at the musicians seated below and said,
“I can’t stress enough how important this trip and this application for membership is. I would also like to stress how critical that this is all kept classified, and there are no leaks on what we are trying to do. We are extraordinarily fortunate that the Seeker’s artificial intelligence picked our nation to select a representative to apply for membership. Sean has done a great job so far and is the right man for the job. I wish I was going with you, I have been up to the ship, and it is truly the most amazing thing you have ever seen, and by the way, the food and drink are excellent, well, at least the bourbon is.” The President smiled and many in the orchestra did as well.
“There is nothing to be afraid of, if an old man like me can jump up to see the ship where it’s parked, 257 million miles away, and be back down in time for dinner, you can do it too.” He paused and looked out over the group of faces,
“I have to get back to work now, there is a lot of planning that has to be done since we don’t know which way this will go. We are all depending on you, Sean, and Doris to bring us back the prize, full membership. Thank you all for being part of the team and Godspeed.”
The President shook Sean’s hand, went down to the floor, and as he headed back to the doors, shook every hand that was offered while he passed by. The doors closed behind him. The room was silent as all the musicians reflected on what was happening. It was real.
Sean concluded the meeting and told everyone to proceed to the doors for the waiting busses and Federal escort. They will take you to the hotels to meet with your Federal aids.
“As you pass out the door, you are required to surrender your cel
l phones. If you claim you do not have one, you will be thoroughly searched. A numbered tag will be stuck onto each phone and assigned to you. You will be offered an opportunity while in your hotel room to leave a voice message on that phone for incoming calls describing a very long trip out of the country. A script will be provided. After that, the battery will be removed from your phone and it will be stored. Upon your return, you may have the old phone back, or opt for the latest model from either of two manufacturers, your choice at no charge. The phone bill will be up to date, and paid. Your phone numbers will all be monitored for urgent family calls, and those needs will be handled with whatever they need by a Federal Agent, cost free. That Agent will advise them that you have arranged the assistance but are unable to return.”
“Let’s now all go through the doors to the buses.” He said.
The next few days were a whirlwind for the Orchestra members as they arranged what they wished to take with them. Each person was helped and supervised by an aid. Most were impressed at how much easier it was to get ready for a tour with a personal assistant. The aid made a file on what had to be taken care of while they were gone, and also put together personal notes for friends and family to assuage any concerns.
Sean spent some time with the whole group in a Hotel conference room isolated from the other Hotel guests while they were served dinner telling them what to expect on the trip to the ship. He described the harmless transition effects, and jokingly advised all to empty their bladders before getting on the shuttle.
The day and time of departure came late in the afternoon, once again the buses rolled up alongside the side door of the Hotel to load up passengers, luggage, and instruments. Because of the number of passengers and sizable luggage to lift up to the ship, it would be in three groups. The first group assembled and began boarding the buses. The roster count was double verified by Federal Agents as they boarded, then the buses traveled out at sundown to an empty, secured football stadium where no one could observe the loading and departure operation, a little more than an hour’s drive away. The Second group would depart as the shuttles came back for a second run.
