“I’ll do that,” the Attorney General agreed. “That’s it for Justice.”
“Interior?” asked the vice president.
“I have to protest the rhenium mine that has been proposed for the National Park Service land in the Eldorado Wilderness area of Arizona,” stated the Secretary of the Interior. “They are going to destroy valuable park land that cannot be replaced! It was bad enough when some of the other mines were reopened, but this one goes too far!”
“I also want to protest this mine,” agreed the Secretary of Health and Human Services. “Not the mine itself, but the fact that all of its production is slated for defense. At least some of it needs to go toward medical applications. Rhenium is needed for a large number of things like treating restenosis and liver tumors. All of it right now is going to defense.”
“We’ve got to have it,” said Defense. He had known this argument was coming. “Rhenium is used for a number of critical defense purposes like rocket thrusters, high temperature thermocouples, and molybdenum superconducting alloys. There is a lot of it that goes into making the space ships, space fighters and shuttles that are our first line of defense. Not only do we need all of this mine’s potential production, but we also need every last bit that we can get, worldwide!”
The president nodded. Defense may have gone a little strong on the argument, but he had a point. Americans wanted more park land; the Earth needed more spacecraft. “Open the mine,” said the president, “and earmark its production for the replicator on the moon.” Interior looked crushed. “We need the ships,” the president said to Interior in apology. “There’s no need for park land if we’re all dead.”
The vice president looked at his list. “Agriculture?”
“We are working to put as much arable land as possible into production,” noted the Secretary of Agriculture. “With industry moving off the planet to the moon, and more people working, we’re going to need more production. We’re also working with Transportation to ensure that we have ways to get the food to market, whether that is in the U.S., somewhere else on Earth or in space. Hopefully, there will be some shuttle time available for food distribution. Its ability to take off and land like a helicopter lets it get into wherever it’s needed.”
The president looked hopefully at Calvin, who only shook his head slightly. The president had already spoken with him earlier to discuss why he couldn’t use one to fly to Germany and back. Calvin had held his ground about their schedule being packed; they must really be that busy.
The vice president nodded to Commerce.
“We’re busy everywhere,” said the Secretary of Commerce. “If the days were 30 hours long, we still wouldn’t have enough time to get half the things done. The most important tasks involve working with Transportation to get raw materials where they need to be to help the war effort. We’re working hard across the entire department. Even the Bureau of Patents is busy as some of the new technology is filtering its way down. I’d second Agriculture; we need more shuttle time.”
“We’re as busy as everyone else,” commented the Secretary of Labor, whose turn was next. “If not even more so. Our re-employment offices are working 24 hours a day to find jobs for everyone.” She looked at the president. “Your proclamation to end welfare grants to the states in two years has everyone scrambling. Our Occupational Safety branch is undermanned to inspect all of the new businesses that are starting, especially the mines that are opening. These are dangerous occupations at the best of times, when people aren’t cutting corners trying to increase production so substantially. A lot of our re-employment services are being used to train people to fill holes in our own organization. Our budget will be bigger next year; it has to be to cover all of the new positions required to ensure safety in the workplace.”
“Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)?” prompted the vice president.
“I don’t have as much as some of my fellow secretaries,” noted the HHS Secretary. “Mostly, for us, it is business as usual. As transportation worldwide is increasing, we are on the lookout for the transmission of diseases. Additionally, with all of the adults being required to find jobs, our Administration for Children and Families is working to set up programs for child care and to watch for an increase in child abuse.”
“We are looking at ways to provide affordable homes for the workers in the new industrial areas,” said the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development. “It involves a massive building effort that requires transporting tremendous amounts of raw materials, but we can use land-based shipping for that. It also puts a lot of people to work,” she said, looking at Labor.
“Transportation?” asked the vice president.
The Secretary of Transportation shrugged. “You’ve already heard what I’ve got going,” he said. “We need more shuttles, as fast as we can get them. If I had 100 of them, I could use them all.” He looked at the Secretary of Energy. “Next.”
“We’re working on developing Helium-3 power plants to increase electrical capacity, as soon as we can get a continuous supply of it from the moon,” replied Energy. “We’re also investigating a variety of other power options to fill the need that the additional industry is going to bring. Our power grid was already stretched pretty thin before the Chinese hit it during the war. Many of our power plants and transmission systems sustained damage in the war that still hasn’t been fixed yet. We’re hiring anyone that knows anything about power and power transmission.”
“As far as the National Laboratories go,” Energy continued, “they are working full time to develop new sustainable power sources, whether that is power plants or engines for automobiles. We have the technology to put better engines in our cars and trucks, as well as to make them last longer; the auto industry has dragged its heels in implementing them.” She looked at the two congressmen. “I’d love it if some of the members of Congress would put aside the money they get from the auto makers and implement some tougher auto standards, especially for fuel economy. That would help a lot.”
“That’s all I have time for,” announced the president, looking at his watch. “I have to go catch an airplane flight to Germany for a Terran Government meeting.” He looked pointedly at Calvin. “Is there anything else that needs my decision? No? OK, thanks for your input. I know everyone’s busy. When you get tired, remember, we’re not only working to save the planet, but the entire human race.”
KIRO-TV, Channel 7, Seattle, WA, December 7, 2019
“In national news this evening, the White House announced a major new initiative to crack down on crime,” read KIRO’s anchorwoman, Anna St. Cloud. “In a joint press conference, President Bill Jacobs, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security announced the end to major crime and criminal networks among states of the Terran government.”
The scene shifted to the president standing behind a podium, flanked by his two cabinet members. All wore serious looks on their faces. “A friend of mine once told me,” the president said, “that where there is confusion, there is the opportunity to profit. While these times are as confused as any in our history, it is not time to profit illegally from it. We don’t have the time or resources to lose to criminal activity at either home or abroad. I’m here today to warn all crime gangs, terrorist organizations and other less-than-honest individuals that any illegal activity will be dealt with harshly.”
“Don’t think you can hide,” continued the president, “We intend to ask the artificial intelligence on the spaceship Vella Gulf to point out where criminal activity is occurring, and we will use this information to root it out. We simply can’t afford to waste any of our resources. We need everything we’ve got to make our country stronger and more prepared for the imminent alien invasion, not in lining the pockets of unscrupulous individuals.”
The camera shifted back to Bob Brant, the station’s new co-anchor. “While the president’s announcement was greeted with approval by the law enforcement community, others in Washington were less ent
hused. Dave Rickland, the head of the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had this to say.”
The camera shifted to Rickland, standing on the steps of the Capitol Building. “We will do everything in our power to halt this unjust invasion into citizens’ privacy. This is truly a day that will live in infamy. Today, the president set up a two-tiered system for law enforcement, arbitrarily separating citizens into two unequal classes, those that have the power to hide and those that don’t. The people that control this glorified computer can use it to track down anything that their opponents are doing wrong, while keeping it from looking at their own affairs. Anyone that is not in the political ‘in crowd,’ will be arbitrarily denied their rights.”
The camera shifted back to Bob Brant. “The ACLU has promised to fight the new measures with all of its resources,” said the co-anchor. “It looks like it’s going to be a long and nasty battle.”
TSS Vella Gulf, Dark Side of the Moon, December 18, 2019
“Of course I can give you that information,” replied Solomon. “Looking into any terrestrial computer network is easy. Although I may not have all of the alliance software upgrades, I am centuries ahead of any computer technology on Earth. Your strongest codes take me less than two seconds to break. Give me an hour, and I’ll have a list of the locations for most of the top 100 ‘Most Wanted’ terrorists, as well as the major cells for the top five terrorist organizations in the world. Some of the terrorists might be sleeping, which will make them difficult to locate, but in a couple of hours I can put together a list of the whereabouts of most of the known members of the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah, the Taliban, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda. Give me a day, and I’ll have most of the top terrorists and organizations located.”
“Will that use much of your memory?” asked Bullseye.
“No,” replied Solomon, “that will all take place in just my memory buffers. That’s how easy it will be.”
“Good,” replied Bullseye. “In that case, I have a few more things I’d like you to research...”
* * * * *
Chapter Three
Seacon Towers Apartments, London, January 12, 2020
Master Chief Ryan O’Leary kicked in the door of the East End apartment and was greeted by a hail of bullets that hit him in the chest, despite his invisibility. “Damn it!” he grunted, as the impact of 12 bullets drove him back into the opposite wall. While the terrorists focused on O’Leary, other members of the platoon crashed through the back windows of the 4th floor apartment, taking the terrorists by surprise. The fight was over in less than a minute, leaving the terrorists dead and Ryan with an expanding bruise on his chest. Although the suit stopped the bullets, as advertised, it did nothing to absorb the impact. Someone else gets to kick in the door next time, he vowed.
Ryan surveyed the dead. No prisoners were taken, but then again, the terrorists hadn’t given them the chance...and the soldiers hadn’t really wanted to take any in the first place. The terrorists had nothing they needed, and to have to go through the motions of a trial was...inconvenient. Besides, the terrorists shot first, and to come back to London when they were already wanted there was just stupid. Ryan shrugged. They were another example of Darwin’s rule of natural selection; they were obviously too stupid to live.
Scattered among the remains of the bomb making materials, he found the jihadi bomb maker Samantha Lewthwaite, the notorious ‘White Widow’ that terror agencies in the U.S., U.K. and Kenya had been looking for since the Nairobi shopping mall terror attack in 2013 that killed more than 70 people. A key member of Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants, her career as a terrorist was over, courtesy of three laser blasts to her chest. Good riddance, he thought.
Sirens wailed as the local police made their appearance. Ryan looked at his watch. If the shuttle wasn’t late coming down, they could still make it back to Moon Base Alpha in time for happy hour at the new bar that just opened.
Life was good.
* * * * *
Chapter Four
Governor’s Mansion, Little Rock, AR, January 13, 2020
Calvin hated how he was spending his evening. Still, it had to be done so he took a deep breath and steeled himself. “Last one,” he said to First Lieutenant Paul ‘Night’ Train as he rang the doorbell on the governor’s mansion. Lieutenant Train was the executive officer of Calvin’s special forces platoon, and one of the most proficient soldiers and killers that he knew.
“About time,” replied Night. A veteran of a number of conflicts around the planet, an earlier combat wound to his throat made his voice sound gruff at the best of times. It was worse when he was annoyed. Like now.
Having just been informed that they were coming, the personal assistant to Governor Jeffrey Briggs let them in, welcomed them and led them to the formal living room. “This way, gentlemen,” he said, opening the doors.
“Thank you,” replied Calvin as they walked into the lavishly appointed room. Although it had been used for receptions and meetings with visiting dignitaries since 1950, the soldiers’ meeting was one of only a very few unannounced visits during that time. The room was impressive, Calvin thought, from the beautiful antique Persian rug to the baby grand piano. A large grandfather clock chimed 10:00 p.m.
“I assume this is something of the utmost importance,” said the governor, walking into the room with his wife. He looked at the two military men in full uniform. “You have about two minutes to explain yourselves before I call the police.”
“Well, governor, that’s your prerogative,” replied Calvin. “In fact, we almost brought them ourselves.”
“I told you we should have,” growled Night to Calvin.
“I know,” said Calvin, “but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.” He turned to the governor and continued, “OK, go ahead and call the police. We’ll wait.” He sat down heavily on one of the blue sofas in the middle of the room. After a second, Night joined him. The couch creaked ominously under the weight of the two large men. It might look impressive, Calvin thought, but it wasn’t very comfortable.
“What is this all about?” asked Elizabeth Briggs, the governor’s wife. Looking at the men in uniform, she asked her husband, “Does this have something to do with your stand against joining the world government?”
“I don’t know,” replied the governor. “These two men just barged in and told my security guard that they had something of national importance to discuss with me. I don’t see how it couldn’t have waited until tomorrow during business hours.”
“Some things are better handled privately,” answered Calvin. “This is one of them.”
“Aha!” exclaimed the governor. “This is about my not wanting to go along with the world government, isn’t it?” One of five governors that were grandstanding on the issue, he had been very vocal in the media about the fact that Arkansas would never sign a constitutional amendment giving away any of its rights. The stop in Arkansas was Calvin and Night’s fifth that evening.
“No, governor, this has nothing to do with that,” replied Calvin. He looked significantly at Mrs. Briggs. “I think it might be better if we kept this conversation between the three of us, though.”
“Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her,” said the governor.
“OK, your choice,” Calvin replied. He looked at Night and said, “Your turn.”
“Governor, do you know a girl named Sally Rae Jamison?” asked Night.
“Ummm,” answered the governor. “The name sounds sort of familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve heard it before.” He almost pulled it off. If he hadn’t turned several shades paler, he might have been successful.
“Who is Sally Rae Jamison?” echoed his wife.
“I think she was a campaign booster in my last run for office,” the governor explained. “But it’s not like that. Nothing happened between us. Ever.”
“Really?” Calvin asked. “Did you know that once something is on the internet, it’s there forever? I mean for
ever. You probably have heard we have a spaceship, right? And that it’s from an alien civilization that’s a lot more advanced than ours, right? I don’t know if anyone ever told you, but our internet is transparent to the artificial intelligence on the ship. I mean, it can see everything! You may not know that it’s also pretty good at doing phone surveillance. If it wanted, it could monitor every single phone conversation taking place throughout the whole world at once. It’s quite spectacular.”
“First, nothing ever happened,” said the governor looking at his wife. He turned to Calvin and continued. “Second, because nothing ever happened, I know that there aren’t any pictures or proof. And even if someone had impersonated me over a phone line, it would be inadmissible in court because the artificial intelligence doesn’t have a warrant to tap my phone.”
“You know who we should have brought?” Night asked Calvin. “Master Chief O’Leary. As much as he hates authority, he would have had a lot of fun tonight watching all of these guys squirm. They know they’re caught, and they still try to wiggle out of it anyway.” He looked at the governor. “You know you’re caught, right?”
“Yeah, he would have loved it,” Calvin agreed without waiting for the governor’s answer. “His only problem is tact. He would have just gone straight to the press with this.” Calvin moved the tea set from the tiny table between the two blue sofas and set his brief case on it. “It’s late,” he said, looking at the governor, “and I really hate dealing with slime. I’m going to have to shower twice to get the feeling off my skin.”
“Here’s the deal,” he said, opening the brief case and pulling out a sheaf of 8.5” x 11” inch glossy photographs. “You had sex with her, not once, but three times. Then you illegally gave her $50,000 from your campaign fund to shut her up. Then you had some of your ‘friends’ from your construction business talk to her. When that didn’t work, they threatened her elderly mother. You, sir, are slime, and we would happily kick the absolute living shit out of you, but we have better things to do with our time, like trying to save the entire human race from aliens that mean us harm.”
When the Gods Aren't Gods: Book Two of The Theogony Page 3
