by P F Walsh
Nasht-Mer Introduced herself again and proceeded to go over the Charter page by page, explaining the rules and benefits of being a Member, making sure she spent equal time on rules and benefits respectively. On the recommendation of the President, each attendee was given two full copies of the charter. Both with Nasht-Mer’s signature on it representing the Council of Worlds, and one to be returned with the authorized signature of each of the attendees. Those copies were handsomely bound with gold edging and printed on a durable, vinyl-like material that would not fade and was generally impervious to any environment around it, this assured the document would last for centuries.
The meetings and discussions lasted for three days, and when questions were all answered she made it very clear that majority ruled in a multi-party signing, and any hold outs were bound whether they signed or not. She called their attention to the last section of the charter which defined penalties for breaching the contents and rules of the charter. They were punitive and economically expensive. After reminding everyone of this, the President stood up and asked,
“Which attendees are prepared to sign the charter now? The United States is signing now.” He reached for his pen, found the signature page, and signed both copies, handing one to Nasht-Mer and the other to an aid.
That action produced a flurry of signings except for the usual hold-outs, China and Russia who demurred that there needed to be more discussion by their politburo members. Nasht-Mer reminded them that eight other attendees have signed, establishing an unequivocal majority and they are now bound whether their politburo agrees or not,
“Be advised,” she said,
“Trade agreements with other planets go only to those who are signatories. Each of the individual countries not in attendance today will be offered their own copy of the Charter to sign if they wish to pursue trade. Rule violations of charters are enforced by rule enforcers from another member planet other than the non-compliant planet, chosen by the Council on Hhearn. She advised them; those powerful enforcers will be unsympathetic to complaints. The two non-signers looked glum and unable to respond. They would take the bad news back to their governments.
After the signing, The President held a small reception with champagne, wine and finger treats all prepared in advance. The attendee from France was delighted to see French champagne being served, Germany loved the strudel, and Chinese eggrolls were being consumed quickly. Earlier when questioned by the Chef on whether to offer Borscht, the President declined on the basis it may stain the rug.
Sean and Doris were invited to the reception and were pleased that the charter had been accepted and signed. They were now part of the Council of Worlds. They both worked the room shaking hands and answering questions about Hhearn, the Starship, and their adventures.
Sean finally met up with Nasht-Mer and they shared a glass of champagne which Nasht-Mer found too dry for her taste, but loved the bubbles and the elegant champagne flutes.
Aboard the Seeker, Allister had been monitoring the proceedings and when the charter was all signed, he activated a courier drone that had been left in a high Earth orbit. It would be dispatched to Hhearn immediately, confirming the signing. He also kept monitoring the Discovery which was in the midst of a complete ship wash down and cleanup by the maintenance drones, ensuring that when Sean arrived back on board, all would be clean and fresh including the staff room linens. He noted that the power cell on Discovery had returned to a fully charged state.
That ship was ready to go, but Allister did not know to where.
Allister also reviewed the AI software in the Discovery and added quite a bit of logical and social functions to the ship’s AI including hologram capabilities that it did not originally have. This would substantially upgrade the AI to be more in line with the Seeker. Allister felt comfortable, if AI’s can ‘feel’, with leaving issue resolution defendant on the captain as it was on Seeker. He believed Sean was reliable and made logical decisions to protect the ship and crew. In some ways, Allister now felt he had a ‘sister ship’.
The Discovery AI for its part, immediately began reviewing its new files and expanded capabilities. They were sizable and it now had a more complete repertoire to serve the Captain and the crew. It must research what kind of image he would use for the hologram and practice making it appear in various areas of the ship. Utilizing the complete wiring of the sensor network in every corner of the ship, the Discovery AI could appear virtually anywhere on the ship.
The next day, after the Charter was signed, Sean met with the President and Nasht-Mer at The White House for lunch. They were all relieved that a critical junction had been met and surpassed. Earth was now safe to become a flourishing member. Soon, ships from other worlds would be arriving to offer goods and services to earth’s businesses and civic authorities as well as to review what trade goods earth could offer back. The clamor for these was exigent all through the Council of Worlds even though they didn’t know yet what they all were. Their worlds had all been witness on the vid of Earth’s membership presentation and from that tempting sample, the demand was very high.
After Hhearn received confirmation of the Charter, several ships would immediately be heading for Earth. One of them would bear the Director General of Economic Development to begin talks and discussions of the rules of interplanetary enterprise and the establishment of Earth based businesses among the Council of Worlds to vend Earth’s goods and services. This was an important mission since the rules of interplanetary enterprise were voluminous, and comprehensive, so as to maintain equitable and fair trading among the worlds. Another important aspect of this mission was to develop a suitable and fair exchange of credits and monetary rates. Earth based business leaders were eager to meet with this team and to explore profitable trade opportunities.
When the Seeker eventually returned to Hhearn with Nasht-Mer it would also bring a large delegation of Earth entrepreneurial representatives to Hhearn to begin market assessments of what might be established on Hhearn and the member planets. Among these considerations was certain to be the negotiation for, and purchase of, interstellar freighters to haul goods back and forth under earth’s flag emblem.
Already, under the assumption of the charter being signed, there was a sales delegation on their way with three models of interstellar freighters for the Earth companies to examine. Large receptions were being planned to lure buyers. Enormous energies would be expended over the next few years to establish such an operation, training freighter crews, acquire and lease business space, hire employees, and ramp up manufacturing.
The White House, as the present lead contact for Earth diplomacy, was overwhelmed with requests for these facilities and protocols. The White House turned most of these requests over to the National Association for Business Resources, and the National Business Association, they too were scrambling to add temporary staff to help. Other nation signers of the charter were receiving equal distribution of these requests. Those who did not sign were not included.
Two weeks had passed, full of meetings and social receptions in several Embassies. Nasht-Mer insisted that Sean be her escort. Doris and Maja attended each as security within the room. A Secret service supervisor working with the LA Police department had arranged for Doris to get a thigh holster and a small Walther 9 mm PPK automatic pistol as her service weapon. Maja of course, stuck with his stun gun. They were both enjoying each other’s company and becoming quite close.
At breakfast one morning, Sean asked Nasht-Mer if she would like to slip away and spend a week at his home in Palm Springs. She was delighted to accept. The whole new membership process seemed to be moving into an organized process with the recent arrival of the Director General of Economic Development for the Council of Worlds and his staff. Slipping away would shunt the torrent of requests away from Nasht-Mer to the proper groups. Her initial diplomatic chore was done, her staff could now fill in.
By now, Maja had discerned that Nasht-Mer was surprisingly in Sashpet and had chosen Sean as h
er Mate, he could tell Sean had accepted. He was pleased, since Sean was not only an intuitive marketer, a competent commander, and a warrior with combat experience. He was sure Nasht-Mer was in the very best of hands and would be happy. He, on the other hand was left in the reverse roll of seeking the long-term relationship with an Earth woman who never failed to amuse and surprise him with her rule enforcement acumen and ability to pinpoint a person who was untrustworthy.
Of course, they would go along to Palm Springs with Sean and Nasht-Mer as security. There was certain to be obnoxious crowds and celebrity seekers. The question was the sleeping arrangement for him and Doris. Sean relieved the pressure on that by telling them he had an extra collapsible bed that could be brought into service to accommodate Maja. He never brought up where Nasht-Mer would be sleeping. The White House arranged an Air Force Gulfstream jet to fly them to Palm Springs and the FBI provided secure local transport while they were there. More black SUV’s.
In his secure safe house on Hhearn, Kastm’n the Elder’s pocketcomm rang. He answered it and heard.
“The Wuckim-Bik, 15 lunar, at mid-morning rise, dock twelve.” The caller disconnected without another word. Kastm’n smiled, His ride to Earth was set. Fondling his dagger, now he could begin the hunt.
The President was relaxing in the White House West Wing Dining room with Secretary Lewis. They had just finished a light dinner and were sipping after dinner drinks quietly, recovering from the last couple of weeks of unrelenting demands for action on a thousand items they never had to consider before.
“John, how the Hell do you decide what to pay for an interstellar freighter?” Asked the President.
“Beats me, I just sell words and treaties. That’s your problem. That’s why they pay you the big bucks.” Laughed the Secretary.
The President also laughed, and then got serious,
“You know, this isn’t going to go as easy as this in the future. The Chinese and Russians got screwed. They did it to themselves, but they won’t see it that way, and they will try to muck up the works as much as they can. You’re more of a target now than before, not to mention me.”
Yeah,” said the Secretary, “I was thinking about that, we’ll have to beef up security.”
The President nodded, and followed with,
“I’ll talk to Eddie about it. We’ll need to add ten or fifteen extra agents, this new area we are in is likely to get toxic.” As he lifted his drink for another sip. The Steward came in to bus the dinner dishes and left. The two bachelors continued sitting there quietly and nursing their drinks.
“Sean, this is so nice” as Nasht-Mer walked in the front door to his home in Palm Springs. He told her the home style was known as Southwestern Ranch with a touch of Santa Fe. Then he had to tell her what Santa Fe was. There was so much to describe and explain, including all the appliances which were all different from what she had used on Hhearn. She wandered around the house looking at everything especially the art works and photos. When she came to the fireplace, her face became puzzled and she asked “What is this Sean?”
“That’s a fireplace.”
“What does it do?”
“It is a place where we can light a fire with wood and enjoy the visual and warmth comfort it gives. I don’t burn it often, usually only when I have a party.”
“You have a fire inside your house?”
Sean laughed. “Yes, it’s a controlled, safe fire.”
“That’s amazing, can we do that while I am here?” She asked.
“Sure, maybe tomorrow night.” He said as Maja came over and asked what was the talk about a fire. Sean had to explain the fireplace all over again to identical astonishment by Maja that someone would actually have a fire inside their house.
Their week flew by with tours of Palm Springs, and several restaurants that Nasht-Mer insisted had to open a branch on Hhearn. The owners were highly amused but only one wanted to know how to contact someone about actually doing it. Sean’s son Mark, his wife, and children were invited to join them for dinner twice and were charmed by Nasht-Mer. They could see the bonding that was taking place between Sean and Nasht-Mer and were pleased he found someone even if she lived twenty-seven light years away.
Sean knew he was going to be gone for a long time so he arranged to have his home rented out while he was gone. His neighbor took in his kitty Twerpy to care for her, and agreed to collect his mail once a week from being held at the Post Office. He spent a half day arranging to be gone for an extended period of time. A length he really didn’t have a handle on. Their wonderful week was over.
The flight back to Washington was smooth and uneventful. Nasht-Mer and Maja were both impressed with Earth’s air travel and were sure there was a market for such fast, luxurious travel accommodations. It bore investigating on whether the present models of freighters could handle shipping a disassembled aircraft. So many opportunities occupied them all the way back to Washington. Once they landed the usual small fleet of black SUV’s pulled up alongside the airplane to transport them back to their former rooms. Nasht-Mer and Maja to The White House, Sean and Doris to Blair House. Sean was given a message that the President wanted to see him the next day for lunch.
“Good Morning Mr. President, good to see you again, said Sean
“Good Morning Sean, how was your week away from the chaos of Washington?”
“It was fine sir, a little interrupted from time to time by people wanting pictures and to meet an alien, but not too bad. They were mostly polite.”
“Ah, proof positive you were not in Washington!”
They both sat down as the White House stewards draped napkins across their laps and handed each the lunch menu for the day. Sean decided to keep it simple and ordered a Club Sandwich, the President ordered a salad.
“Sean, I want to thank you again for all of what you managed to accomplish. This charter and our new friends will really benefit Earth in ways we could never have imagined. But now we have to look toward the future. I am told that you will be leaving with the Seeker to take Director General Nasht-Mer back to Hhearn.”
“Yes, sir, that’s true. When I accepted the position of Captain of the Seeker, I did not realize that under the flight rules of Hhearn, a Seeker ship with a disabled resolution code set cannot fly with passengers aboard without a Captain. That would be me. When we get to Hhearn they will be working on re-installing the damaged resolution code to relieve me of that responsibility. There is some indecision over how long that may take. That code has not been worked on for over one hundred years, and the recent attack on us may influence some rewriting.”
“Well, that may fit in with our present plans Sean. We need to send back a delegation to establish an Embassy on Hhearn, and possibly the other planets as things move along later. Also, there are several business representatives and business association staff that wish to go along to begin familiarizing themselves with implementation of trade relations and business partners for distribution, etc.”
“Beyond that, we would like you to be Earth’s Plenipotentiary Ambassador at Large to function as an interface between Earth and any other planets you make contact with. They tell me there is at least forty-nine others, correct?” Sean nodded affirmatively.
The President continued,
“We knew we were going to have to have someone like this and frankly, no one else is trusted to do this. Even John over at State agrees. Of course, we had the usual push back from the hacks at the UN, but there isn’t anybody over there that isn’t owned by some state or country, nobody that isn’t biased. There is too much at stake. Your name kept coming up by all the other nations as the only one who is trusted not only by us, but by the Hhearnians. The job only pays a hundred and fifty thousand, but there is another hundred and fifty thousand for off-world service and expenses. If it comes to more than that, the U.S. will pick up the tab. In addition, this first year’s budget for the Hhearn Field Office is arbitrarily set at around twenty million U.S. Dollars, so that should get yo
u started. Sean, we really need you to do this for us, for Earth.”
The President concluded with a questioning facial expression that begged an acceptance.
“Mr. President, that is a lot of responsibility.’
“Not as much as what you just handled so nicely Sean, and without getting paid for it.”
“What about my home here, my utilities, home maintenance, my mail?”
“We’ll take care of all that for you Sean. That will be managed by a new international office that is being created here in Washington called Interplanetary Relations Office (IRO) of which you will be the Senior Field Officer. The Directors will be made up of diplomatic officers from the permanent Security Council member states. Decisions by them will be by majority consensus. You will report to them any arrangements you make and they will vote to accept or deny the contract or arrangement you make.”
“You will be autonomous, but you will have no power to start or conduct war, or dismiss any of the Washington Office staff, singularly, or en masse. A separate Field Office from the Earth Embassy will be leased for you in Hhearn and you may staff that as you wish. In effect, you will be an employee of Earth. Dismissal of you must be by unanimous vote of all the Directors. In that event, all costs incurred by you to return you and your possessions to Earth will be borne by the Washington IR Office.”
”Anything they don’t cooperate on will be picked up by the U.S., you have my word on that.”
The President sat back in his chair and waited for Sean to respond.
After a few minutes Sean said,
“Mr. President, two things. First I need all that in writing signed by the Directors from a legally created entity.”
“Second, I need a couple of days to think this over, it’s a big change in my life again, and I need a little bit of time to consider all the affects this will have.”
