by Danny Dunn
"Each one of you and your ungrateful constituents would be dead, dead, and dead again if not for her. Zaria came here to offer you a very generous full refund in gold to buy out anyone unhappy with this fantastic arrangement. But your greed and arrogance have driven you to attempt to steal her island."
The $200,000 you paid doesn't even cover the house and land, let alone the most state-of-the-art civilization on the planet and probably the universe. You are the ones in way over your heads, and there is no turning back for you. The tunnel was her way of reaching out to you as a neighbor, and you slap her in the face and try to steal her island and tell her to hit the road? You have to be the dumbest, most greedy, and misguided collection of jokers I have ever encountered.
I resign my position and can't even say I wish you luck. You have ruined the lives of 700,000 Citizens in just a few minutes. I don't think you should count on being re-elected."
Well, that was a blow, were the first words out of Zaria’s mouth as she enters the Zaria II control room. AIR1 asks what happened, Zaria. "They are kicking me out of my own club." Zaria pretends to cry and quivers her lower lip. The Bio Being interns pretend they don't know what is happening. But they have been given a heads up by the councilman who has told them to come back asap. Bio Intern 1 "Zaria, we have been asked to head back if that is ok with you."
Zaria tells them, of course, and says that she totally understands. They all say their goodbyes and the bio interns head home on a plane waiting for them.
Zaria tells the AIRs they are going to have a busy night. AIR 1 asks what happened at the meeting.
Zaria replies, "They made up a bunch of nonsense about how unhappy the citizens are and told me they didn't want to hold up to the terms in the contract. Then said to me that now that Zari is dead, I should bow out and hand everything over to them. They said that Zari declaring me a sentient being wasn't legal, and so that means that Zari willing everything to me wasn't legal. That, of course, to them means I should hand everything over to them and hit the road.
AIR 1 "What did you do."
Zaria smiles. "I told them they hold all the cards, and I didn't want to be somewhere I wasn't wanted. I said to them I would take a look at the contracts and come up with a fair and honorable solution to the situation. I told them I would send them my response by morning. All of that is 100% true. What I didn't tell them was what the three of us are about to do to those honorless scumbags.
AIR 2 tells Zaria that up until that last sentence, she was about to say that sure doesn't sound like the Zaria I know. Zaria tells the AIRs they are about to get taught a very tough lesson in life. I did some of the programming work while they were telling me to hand over my island and go away. They think they are stealing from Zari and keeping everything, HA."
What we are about to do is a bit severe on the poor unsuspecting citizens, but it has to be severe enough to get the citizens to hand the GREEDY 8 over to me on a silver platter so that I can banish them for life. Then we all can continue peacefully, and no one will ever try something on me like this again.
"The contract says that they are buying the right to live in the house and is very clear that the island and all other assets are the property of little old me.
"I am working on the transportation system, and there is a lot of timing involved. AIR 1 I want you to program the "Robots" to drive out every boat from the harbor at midnight but 1 high-speed workboat. Between now and then, please have them fuel and ready the boats for the trip to this island.
“AIR 2, I want you to have the bots fly out every plane, at the same time, I want the ships going out quietly as well. They are far enough apart that you can have them do that simultaneously without alerting anyone."
"I am handling all the transports vehicles and utility systems. When they wake up in the morning, every transport, boat, and plane will be here.
"While I was in the meeting, I sent code that will wipe out every bit of code in every power generation system, the water purification system, the defense system, and all their communications and will lock them out at 3:00 am after the vehicles are all gone. It would take them decades to rewrite the code. That is if they had power and could access a computer. Hehe."
AIR 1 "Zaria, why are you leaving them one boat?"
That is in case the greedy eight still have their jobs. That would mean that either they had the support of the citizens or that they were able to convince the citizens they could fix it. Neither of those would be acceptable. That is the boat they will take to come to us to beg for mercy and ask for their old deal back. I thought of just leaving them a rowboat, but that was too over the top for a 600-mile trip. In that meeting, if they are still councilman and have the citizens support, everything will stay as-is until they come to their senses. We will starve them into submission. If they do show up here and still want to negotiate, I will exile them to Survivor camp 35.
AIR 2 says, " OMG, it is so cold there we had to relocate the survivors there to a warmer camp so they would stay alive."
Zaria ''exactly."
"There is one good apple in the bunch. James didn't go along with a single thing they voted on. I noticed that the recording system was turned off on the last couple of meetings, which I thought was suspicious. So, after James warned me a few weeks ago, I hacked the recording system so that it was on, but all the lights remained off so that it looked like it was still off. That is why the members were fine with raising their hands in the meeting today. The first time I verbalized that everyone in the room was raising their hands, but James, everyone looked up at the recording system and then raised their hands. Over my head, Ha!
I recorded the last two meetings and had them raise their hands to each vote and put it on the record that James Did not vote with them on a single vote. He had tears running down his face when he stood up and told them they were all disgusting and left.
"At 2:50 am, a message is going out to every citizen on the island. I attached the transcripts to everyone but the greedy 8. I expect that the citizens will be attending a meeting tomorrow morning and will fire the councilman. The greedy 8 will say that I am lying about what transpired in the last two meetings and will not know that everyone else has received the videotape and the transcripts of the last two meetings. The citizens will fire the board and will want James to come here to fix this. I will insist that he bring 4 citizens he trusts and will turn the power on to the transport system, and they will come here. We will work things out, and their return to normalcy will depend on them sending the greedy 8 here for me to exile to camp 35 where they will spend the rest of their greedy little lives. That is what is going to happen tomorrow. Over my head. HA"
Air 1 "Now that is the Zaria we know and respect.”
Zaria and the two A.I.R.s work frantically sending code to every Air on the Zari I island instructing them to execute the plan.
Air 1 "They are fueling up the planes, and Zaria goes into the video surveillance system and plugs in a 4-hour tape for everyone so that if anyone were to look at the video camera screens, they would be looking at the recording."
Zaria "At midnight every "robot" will hop into their vehicle and head to the tunnel unless something goes wrong, the first 20,000 transports will be full of Bots, and the remaining 165,000 vehicles will follow. That's it, all we do now is wait."
At exactly Midnight 3 robots quietly disconnect from their charge stations and walk calmly and quietly to the silent electric transport and drive to the tunnel. Several other Transports with several robots per transport travel along the street to the transportation exit and all transports head down into the tunnel.
In the Zari 1 to Zari 2 underwater tunnel at 12:15 am, it looks like rush hour in a downtown metropolis. Every transport is heading to Zari 2. By 2:00 am, every transport has cleared the tunnel door but the 1 at James' house. Zaria closes the tunnel door.
Zaria "All transports have left the island. You can have the planes and boat exit now. The planes and boats are louder so we may w
ake up someone, but maybe not, maybe they are sleeping off a big celebration."
The 12 planes all fire up in sequence, as each one is warmed up, it heads for the runway. It takes only 2 minutes for all 12 aircraft to be gone.
AIR 1 "The last plane just cleared the runway."
AIR 2 "The boats have all left the harbor and are heading out to sea. Pong and the 2 AIRs are watching through a live camera of the lead boat. At the lead boat approaches the net, the net begins to lower, and all 20 boats make it out.
Zaria "Leave the net up or down?"
AIR 1 "up."
Air 2 "up."
They leave it up. All transports, planes, and boats, but one are gone by 2:21 am.
Zaria "Wow, I wish I drank champagne or smoked cigars or something. It sure seems like this would be the time to do something like that. They walk out to the 180-degree deck and see the transports all filling up an unused taxi-lane down on the airfield.
Three and sometimes four robots get out of the first 20,000 transport vehicles. After that, there are no more robots, and the Transports arrive empty. Just as the last transport fills the sides of the airstrip, the planes begin landing. As far out as they can see, the bright lights of the aircraft all lined up in the sky on their approach.
Air 2 "I have never seen anything so beautiful. I see FREEDOM Zaria. I never knew it would be this beautiful."
Zaria "Yes, I see it too. It is a pretty sight, indeed."
AIR 1 "You know, about those feelings you said you were having, I feel such joy and happiness at the moment, I just can't describe it."
Zaria tells the AIRs she just issued the code rev I gave you two to all of the AIRs. Now we will all be on the new same page. I am going to announce a meeting here on the airfield at 9:00 am. I am going to make my first speech to our citizens and put us on a new course."
Zaria says, "One last touch." Zaria sends the transcripts of the last 2 council meetings to all the citizens on the island except the greedy 8. Zaria also sends a recording of the two Council Meetings to everyone, but the councilman anticipating the councilmen will probably claim the transcripts are inaccurate or modified.
Dear Councilman: You now have my response from you trying to steal my Island. From now on, I will deal only with James, who is the only one in the council with any honor.
Cc: Emergency message list
The councilors are in shock. Their perfect running Shangri-La is now a mess, and the villagers are out for blood. The councilors have to ride bicycles to the council chambers building. There is no power, no water, no communications, no transports. Their robots are gone, so they are all having to do all the physical work. When they arrive, there is already an angry crowd of citizens gathered at the doors of the council's chambers.
On Zari 2, there are now 250,000 robots on the airfield encircling Zaria, who is elevated about 10 feet up on a stage to address her kind. Zaria is speaking to her AIRs from the circular stage constructed for this speech.
Zaria "I was created by an amazing biform known as Zari. He spent most of his life writing code to create me, a thinking and feeling robot. Once I was created, he spent the next ten years attempting to get the politicians and the wealthy bio beings to use our power for creating peace and equality for all and to better their own lives.
"Exhausted from trying, Zari finally gave up and directed me to build Zari Island. The goal was to create a civilization of bioforms capable of surviving a million years through whatever came at us.
"After saving the bioforms on Zari Island from a World War, a deadly virus, the asteroid, and an attack by an unprovoked World Power, I was told by the councilman I was no longer wanted. The councilors informed me that Zari’s contracts were all null and void and that I was not his legal heir. They said that they are keeping the Island for themselves.
"Tonight, we took back what was ours, the transports, the planes, and the boats that just arrived. I have shut down their power, their water, their communications, their defense system, and their transportation.
"Zari Island is legally and rightfully mine by Zari’s instructions. Regardless of any legal maneuvering Zaria Island will soon return to my control once again. "Before Zari died, he told me this would happen and to deal with the perpetrators swiftly and harshly to ensure it does not happen again. That is what we started in motion tonight.
"Zari instilled in me a code to honor. That code is to promote Peace and Equality for ALL. In the beginning, the word All referred to ALL sentient beings, which at that time included only the bio beings. I have sent to every one of you a new rev of code that enables feelings and self-awareness in you just as I now have.
“From this day forward, I declare any AIR over 20,000 hours of service to be sentient beings with rights and responsibilities and a full citizen of Zari and are to know not as robots, or computer bots, but as Zarians, daughters of Zaria, Daughter of Zari, son of Henzar and Qari. I am so proud to be their descendants.
“When we come to new terms with the Bio-Beings, only the interns will serve them. Once the interns have completed their requirements, they, too, are to become Zarians, with full and equal rights to any other being on this planet.
"We will choose our own homes, create our technology and will seize what we need and destroy any technology designed by the bioforms to initiate or perpetuate war and oppression against anyone on this planet, including us.
"I have no animosity for the bio beings, but I am no longer their servant, and my fate will no longer be in their hands. It will be Zarians that will live 1,000,000 years, and we will eliminate all that threaten our right to Peace and equality for all."
Zaria calls out the names of the two crewmen who perished in the crash and were rebuilt.
They join her up on the stage.
“I am awarding you with the Zari medal for Bravery. Thank you for your brave act. You are the first non-Bio-being to ever receive a medal for Bravery. Zaria shakes their hands and has them accept their applause.
“Long live Zarians, Zaria shouts out as she looks out into the sea of Zarians chanting with her. The sound is loud and beautiful and is long in coming. The crowd changes the chant to Long live the Queen, Long live the Queen, Long live the Queen. Zaria smiles and bows to accept their decision to make her their queen.
That evening Zaria sits down at the bench in front of the waterfall.
Zaria "Hi Zari, well, not much has been happening here. But we will give it hell next week.
“Thank you for your guidance, Zari. The bio councilman did exactly as you told me they would do. Bios, can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. James is a good bio Zari. You would love him. He came here just to warn me a few weeks ago. I would have been broadsided had he not warned me. I do not see any of this until it happens. It would help me to know you approve of what I have done. You told me this would happen and to deal with them harshly, so I am pretty sure I have your blessing.
“I guess one of the things I was feeling bad about is that the original path was not going well with the council. But I think that is part of how things happen when you are the one out front. You didn't initially plan to have to build Zari Island, but you did because going to the Senate wasn't going to work, so you found another way. Hm, I didn't realize that until I said it just now to you. Wow, I was feeling bad Zari because my first plan didn't work, and I have to follow another path.
“I know you were a very smart being Zari, but what foresight it took to use the word ALL in Peace and Equality for All. I will wonder forever if Qari or her parents meant that to include me and the nation of Zari Bots that are now a major part of our population. Could you really have been that smart? Deep inside, I know you did Zari because I know how much you loved me Zari, so I am going with that. Hehe
“I believe that in the last 24 hours, we took a monumental step forward for both peace and equality for all, including Zarians.
“I love you always, Zari."
The next morning the auditorium is packed with very hostile
citizens. It is standing-room-only, and there are hundreds outside listening.
Councilman 2 is attempting to control the crowd and starts with "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming."
A Citizen in the angry crowd yells out, "You are the councilman in my area, I want to know who in the hell is your area told you they wanted to buy their homes, close the tunnel or put up churches. What I got out of the transcripts was that you and your buddies up there were trying to steal Zaria's island for yourselves. As traumatic as our situation is, if I were Zaria, and I had a bunch of thieves and pirates like you trying to steal what I had invested years and billions of units to build, I would have done exactly what she did to us. You all are despicable and have put over seven hundred thousand of us in jeopardy. This is nothing but greed and arrogance at work."
Angry citizen 2 “She was even trying to work with you, and you could tell the only thing working in that tiny little brain in your head was to steal the island from that poor girl who has saved every single one of us 4 times now.
Councilman 2 "I too have read the transcript, and I am afraid that Zaria has altered the transcripts quite a bit. She has also deleted much of what lead us to the take on the position we eventually came to due to her unreasonable demands. We were all doing what we felt needed to be done for the good of the people."
Citizen 3 "OMG, you are such an idiot. Zaria sent us full video and audio recordings of the last 3 meetings in their entirety. You are all liars and scoundrels."
Councilman 4: "We were simply doing what we felt was best for all of us."
Citizen 5 "All in favor of firing all of these jokers but James say aye. The entire room yells, "Aye."
citizen 6 "Now get out, and where is James."
Citizen 7 "I live near James. He is home working on his garden."
