“Good day, Your Holinesses. Please, excuse my clumsiness in addressing men of your stature, but I hope we will able to come to an understanding.” Steersman smiled and sat slowly down.
“We felt that informality would aid us in our discussions, so please, call me Yeshe, and His Holiness, Julius,” said the Dalai Lama.
“Thank you, please, call me Sean.”
“May I offer you a glass of chhang, our Tibetan barley beer?”
“That would be most welcome, thank you.”
“How are you feeling?” the Dalai Lama asked, as he poured out the fermented beverage.
“I feel better than ever.” Steersman paused and considered for a moment, then continued, “the spiritual power when I entered was almost tangible. The proximity in which people live here with the essence of life is remarkable, and … I like it,” he said simply.
“I'm glad you find it pleasant. Unfortunately, I rarely have the opportunity to come here,” confessed the Dalai Lama.
“In desperate times, people are far more likely to return to their roots,” interjected the Pope quietly.
“Yes, what happened recently was a terrible sin against life,” the Dalai Lama began to explain in his warm baritone.
“I have also often pondered on how people are capable of living, behaving and treating each other so badly, and moreover, how people are capable of wantonly destroying their own surroundings just for a little fleeting success.”
“Fortunately, many support good, which we may take as a sign that not everything is lost.”
“I know,” said Steersman quietly.
“Tell us a little about yourself,” said the Dalai Lama smiling. “What worldview do you proscribe to? What you believe in? What is it, Sean, that drives you on?”
His voice held no hint of interrogation, ulterior motives or judgment. He asked openly and without guile, as if merely curious and wanting to learn.
“That is a rather long story … certainly difficult to condense.”
“Take your time, Sean. We are not impatient men.”
“All right, I will do my best to explain. Basically, I am drawn to and intrigued by the diversity that we can find on our planet: the cultures, traditions, human creation, these all generate a richness and vibrancy that can not be artificially manufactured. These are the products of our existence. Because of this, I feel like it's worth fighting for our future,” Steersman stopped, then taking a deep breath. “Strange as it may sound, especially coming from me, I believe that technological development has not elevated humankind. Rather, it has lowered us to the level of the greediest, most selfish, and most insensitive beasts. It has transformed those values that have enabled diversity to come into being and has kept it growing for thousands of years, and yet now it humiliates us and degrades our very civilization. The problem lies in the fact that our technology has been diverted in the wrong direction. We have not used it as we should to make life better for ourselves and our environment. We have used it to possess and to create personal gain in order to stand above others. Meanwhile, few have paid attention to, or really even cared about what we've been doing around us. It's not only about polluting our own home, but rather, this attitude has developed into a behavioral pattern that's being followed by subsequent generations. It has triggered an avalanche that we are unable to escape from. The result of this is that any further development of culture and traditions will end. They will fade away sooner or later, as will our planet!” Steersman stopped, the tension around his mouth betraying the anger he felt.
“I was sure that your inner strength is nourished by human feelings,” said the Dalai Lama.
“You are angry,” the Pope added.
“Sometimes I feel anger,” acknowledged Steersman.
“Many do not see that the essence of life and happiness can occur in one single thing,” the Dalai Lama began. “We could all easily understand it if, now and again, we returned to our ancient roots, to a time when everything was made by hand, when food was not taken from supermarket shelves, but people grew it for themselves. If they would try it just once; try the feeling of raising a tomato plant, in a simple wooden box hammered together from wooden boards with our own hands, plant a small seedling into rich loam and then, a few months later, sense the fresh smell of earth, pick fresh vegetables and experience the magic of their sour aromatic taste.”
“This experience is freely available to anyone. The best things in life require little,” said Steersman.
“If you have a place to call home, someone to love, the means to relieve thirst and hunger and always have something to think about, to contemplate as it were, then we have already covered the majority of human needs. This would be a good start as it is how life should be looked at,” explained the Dalai Lama, and the three of them drank at the same time from their respective wooden cups.
“Do you have family?” the Pope asked suddenly.
“No,” replied Steersman. “All my time has been devoted to managing the organization.”
“You do, however, feel that you may want a family later?”
“Maybe.”
“What do you think of young people?”
Steersman smiled involuntarily. He hadn't thought too much about them and was therefore a little vague in his answer.
“There's obviously a great need for them, but I sometimes feel that their upbringing is misguided.”
The two looked at him intently, a hint of agreement on their faces.
“What do you mean?” said the Pope, sitting forward a little.
“Something has really gone wrong in the family mind. People have begun to confuse or intertwine the orders of priority and the hierarchy that, in reality, have existed explicitly or implicitly for thousands of years.”
“Interesting,” interjected the Pope, “go on.”
Steersman continued to detail his hypothesis. “They're not the same thing, and abstract concepts are involved, which means that the correct interpretation is the responsibility of the adult members of the family. In a family, the most important or central value, the priority, is the child and the needs and safety of the child. Nothing may take precedent. Hierarchy, on the other hand, is different. Within a hierarchy the child is at the bottom for obvious reasons. It would be both silly and counterproductive for a child to direct an adult. The two concepts should coexist in parallel, but not cross one another.”
“Interesting indeed,” said the Dalai Lama.
Steersman continued. “This confusion is what makes it possible for world leaders to see themselves as the most important individuals, because they are at the top of the organizational hierarchy. This is wrong. Although it's them who tell others what to do, it doesn't make them the most important element in a society.”
A meditative silence descended.
Steersman deliberately broke the silence and tried to lead the conversation in a new direction. He had no real desire to go into a subject in which he had no practical experience. “Would you mind giving me your thoughts on our activities at ASEC. How do they appear to you from the outside?”
The Dalai Lama pressed his fingertips together and looked at Steersman shrewdly.
“The path you have chosen leaves no room for stopping or turning back. If you display weakness at any point you will be set aside forever. This means that you must go through to the very end and fulfill your destiny. Only if your will remains stronger than that of your enemies will you find success.”
“You have chosen a dangerous mission, but your actions demonstrate that you're righteous. We support you and stand with you on this road, but never forget this: great empires have never crumbled from the outside in. Just as with your body, you must pay particular attention the health of your organization,” said the Pope.
“I understand what you're saying, Julius. I do not see a real danger of betrayal. I work with intelligent people who have all been selected because they possess rare human qualities. Every one of them is willing to risk their own well-be
ing and are vehemently opposed to any action that may cause collateral damage, and also any action where the detrimental affects outweigh the benefits. Many people may feel that this is not the right way, but it doesn't matter who or what they are because it is likely to be someone who has already raised the question of whether they could get away with what they have done. I can say that, sooner or later, we'll be there with the response, but if there is any dissent amongst us, it will very soon become apparent and will be dealt with.”
“Very well, Sean. You know what you are doing. I'm pleased.” Julius smiled.
“I am assured that your mind and your heart are both in the right place, even thought it seems that you do things that others do not understand. Your intentions go far beyond the present, and I feel that the day quickly approaches when all will become clear, enlightenment will reign and the world will wake up to a new and better dawn.” As he spoke, the Dalai Lama smiled warmly.
“Thank you for sharing your thought and plans with us, Sean. This insight has been most valuable,” said the Pope.
“The purpose of this meeting has been fulfilled then?” asked Steersman, cautiously.
“To be sure, Sean, yes,” the Dalai Lama assured him. “May good spirits guide you on your way.”
Steersman stood. “It has been an honor to meet you both, thank you,” he said with a smile and turned to follow the guide in the crimson robe, who had appeared silently next to the door through which they had entered.
“Sean!” called the Dalai Lama softly. “Please, tell us something. Where do you come from?”
Steersman turned and paused. He appeared to consider the question for longer than might have been expected, seemingly reluctant to tell them.
“I don't know. I can't remember my first thirty years,” he said with a shrug.
The two old men looked at each other blankly. This hadn't been the answer they had expected.
By the time they'd pondered his answer, Steersman had already disappeared into the narrow corridor.
***
Chapter 15
Initiation
Steersman had been in constant consultation with managers at ASEC headquarters since the attack. At this particular meeting, only the leaders of the organization had been permitted to hear Commander Murinko's report on the establishment of a new defense corps.
Murinko stood up and began his presentation with cold military detachment. “We must take into consideration the five zones that we have delineated in each hemisphere. These zones will each be placed under the control of a separate defensive division, each of commensurate strength. There must be a base established in each zone, where the divisions will be staged. These bases will act as Poles of Enforcement. These poles will allow us to ensure the security of each zone, and fast access to any point within the zone.”
“Will these zones cover the entire planet, even unpopulated areas?” asked Karen.
“Yes! The defense system will cover non-populated areas in the same way. This defense system has also been designed to serve as a disaster management agent, acting to protect the environment. Each division will consist of two core parts. One will comprise specialized execution units, and the other composed of specialized service units.”
“What's the difference?”
“The service units are purpose-specific vehicles and robots that will mainly perform transport and logistics, but will also be equipped for rescue operations. In the case of a fire, for example, they will have the capability to transport water to any area.”
“Then the execution units will be armed?”
“Yes, the G-radius cannons will be utilized as relief and deterrent tools and will also be used for threat neutralization. The weapons we used on the thirteenth of November will be more than enough against the current range of weaponry that nations have at their disposal. The key to how effective this will be is in the numbers, superiority of numbers which will be multiplied by good organization and management. G-radius weapons can also be used in two modes: attraction or repulsion. As far as the principle goes, it is an extremely simple one, making it very suitable for our needs.” Murinko broke off for a moment.
“How many units are required to make up one division, and what staffing will be needed?” asked Steersman.
“The two types of units will require two different sets of devices with separate characteristics according to their specialized task. Service units will be larger and made up of fewer assets, whereas executive units will have large numbers of smaller assets in mobile swarms. I estimate that if a swarm consists of eight demon fighters, then each zone can be adequately protected by two thousand such swarms, enough that it will never cross anyone's mind to try anything stupid.”
“Jesus!” said Karen, impressed.
“Quite. In addition, as a demonstration of power, it would be useful to build larger central vessels. One for every forty swarms.”
“That would mean fifty larger vessels per zone, 500 in total, worldwide.”
“Roughly, yes. Only, in reality, one swarm will act on one instruction which means that a swarm will be thought of as one unit, no matter whether it consists of eight hunters or not,” said Murinko.
“And the service units?”
“For the service units, it won't be necessary to show any demonstration of strength, but size matters. Medium and large transport vessels will be equipped as necessary, but a human presence will be required, human commanders supplied either with LRT robots or with soldiers.”
“Machines!” exclaimed Steersman.
“What does LRT stand for?” asked Karen.
“Long reaction targetware. This refers to the long term nature of their operations as opposed to SRT units,” explained Steersman. “Each division will be pre-programmed with fundamental commands to ensure their continual readiness to automatically intervene when necessary. I think it's already clear, though, that an enforcement system on such a global scale can't exist without a surveillance network that mediates communication all over the planet.”
“Satellites?” asked Murinko.
“Yes, partly,” Steersman began to explain, “though satellite probes will only be the points of the network. It'll be the network as a whole that counts, and not a single device; a grid network in space that covers the entire globe. Through a system like this, any subversive or detrimental activity will be manageable, and immediate instructions can be delivered to the appropriate divisions or concerned units.”
“That will mean a huge number of satellites will need to be deployed,” observed Murinko.
“They will be classified as military assets,” said Karen.
“Military communications devices would be a better description, and it's true that they will have their own security system, but only for self protection. They will need to be able to maneuver in space to avoid potential collisions.”
“How far will they be positioned from the Earth?” asked Karen.
“I would say around sixty thousand kilometers from the Earth's surface so that none of the existing satellites are disturbed, but we will need to address the issue of maintaining orbit. For the DCG drives, different rules apply in space,” outlined Steersman.
“They will be covering more than fifty-five billion square kilometers,” said Karen, having done a quick calculation in her head.
“The network grid will be comprised of points, one thousand kilometers apart, which really will mean having a huge number of devices. Reports will be coming directly from the satellite probes into the center via those currently in orbit above ASEC. As I said, the main problem we have is that the DCG units can not maneuver in space, hence we are as yet unable to deploy the satellite probes. The solution is, of course, a new drive that does work in space, and Gibbs has a special team working on it.” Steersman looked over to Gibbs.
“The principle of conventional rockets is to generate propulsion by expelling a reaction mass. The DCG drive units, as we know, work against a gravitational field to generate propu
lsion, which means that we're not talking about the simple expulsion of a reaction mass. The DCG drive is, therefore, useless in a low gravity environment. It simply loses power. Were it to be hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the Earth, we would need to construct a sphere a quarter the size of the Moon, something that is unrealistic, to say the least,” said Gibbs.
“Can you give us a summary of the solutions you are working on?”
“Yes, of course. Gravity is the most significant formative force in the universe. That we were able to create anti-gravity gives us a number of options. The point is that, in space where there is no resistance, a moving body must be propelled in relation to a fixed environment that is created by us, which means that the drive principle we use in space will remain standard. The difference is that we will accelerate in this environment with some of the new properties of DCG technology we have discovered,” Gibbs finish his succinct summary.
“And where are we with this in practice?” asked Karen.
“We are at quite an advanced stage,” said Gibbs, bringing a smile to many of the faces at the meeting for a moment. “We can't work with the current design, but the principle is correct. First, we need to create a more powerful anti-gravity field with a more powerful drive, and on the other hand, we need a better managed timing mechanism.”
“Then the goal is to have a much stronger DCG sphere?”
“Partially yes,” cut in Steersman, “there are several solutions that address that issue, but we have our limitations. That's why we are looking into other options. The angular acceleration of the core is not sufficient anymore, that is why an increase in core density will probably be the best choice.”
“And the timing? Why is it important?”
“Besides power, the timing scheme is just as important. We will replace a continuous power delivery system with a pulse system, that will be timed to expel material at a greater speed,” Gibbs explained patiently. “A space vehicle will have to be equipped with several types of mobile drives that provide reserve capabilities for a variety of situations. Being based on anti-gravity technology, the ships surrounding environment is important. It is not all the same whether the vessel is in a strong, weak, or almost zero gravitational field.”
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