by Paul Phipps
“I see, so what you do say is the truth. What if a lie were to serve your purpose better?” She pressed.
Ansel reached into his special pocket again and set the truth verifier between them. “We will not lie, our technology prevents that. So it’s best to not answer a question if we either can’t or if the truth is too damaging to someone.” The truth verifier pulsed blue in time with his words.
She sat there for a minute or so and then said, “You really mean that don’t you? No, no need to answer than one, I know the answer. Can you answer this question then, how serious is the danger to the World right now from ‘Shaitan’s Breath’?”
Ansel grinned at her, “Good question, and it’s potentially very serious. But with that being said, I’m hoping that we have it contained. Although it was close, very, very close. A vehicle carrying a vial of the weapon crashed into the Blockade Shield as it materialized across the road leading out of the IUR in front of it.
We also think that all of the other samples are contained inside the IUR. We are still trying to find and capture them so for now the danger is still there but with the grace of God it’s localized to the IUR only.”
“What if it isn’t? Localized I mean.” She pressed.
“Then Mary, we will have to impose the same restrictions on the area where the outbreak occurs” Ansel told her seriously.
She nodded as she heard what he was saying and then her head jerked a bit. “You know who I am?”
“Certainly, you are Mary Roberts, formerly the top News Analyst for FOX before its merger with CNN and you were named News Director of the North American division last year by the combined board of directors after your predecessor was busted for Child Pornography.” Ansel told her matter-of-factly.
“Hmmph!” She snorted in a most unladylike way. “You got me; may I ask some more questions until you are summoned back into Sean’s Den of Horrors?”
“Sure, now that we know the ground rules.” Ansel said with a grin.
“Right! Alright then, During the President’s presentation he mentioned that there were twenty worlds just like this one that the TSN was offering up for Colonization. Correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.” Ansel replied
“Who gets to go first?” Ms. Roberts said pointedly.
“Probably those who want to go. It is a volunteer program you know.”
“Do you know anything about these worlds?” Ms. Roberts pressed.
“I haven’t been to any of them personally, so I only have the records that the Gho L’Gamesh passed on to Seeker before she came here. With that being said, I do know something about them.” Ansel said carefully.
“Are any of them Worlds you want to go to or visit?”
“Oh yes, I want to see them all eventually. There is one though I want to go to first. We haven’t named any of them officially, they just have numbers. In my mind though I like one I call Pangaea. There is only one large super Continent. The rest of it is a world ocean dotted everywhere with Islands.
My own analysis is that there isn’t as much water on that one as there is on this version of Earth. That’s also evidenced through a shallower ocean. It does have a nice weather pattern that minimizes dangerous weather like Hurricanes and Tornado forming Thunderstorms.
One of the things I find fascinating though is that it appears that some of the dinosaurs survived through the mass extinction event that occurred on this version of Earth.” Ansel said in delight.
“Really?! Dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex?” She said in wonder.
“There are no records of him but it’s still possible that some did make it.” Ansel told her.
Ansel heard voices coming down the hallway asking if anyone had seen Commander Webster. A moment later a head peeked around the corner of the door and pulled back saying. “He’s in here talking to Ms. Roberts!”
* * *
John Sparks was dressed in his trademark button down collar shirt and Blue with red stripe tie. He had the look of a predator with his prey in his sights.
“Commander Webster have you had the opportunity to listen to anything I have said about your organization? The so-called Terran Space Navy?” He started off with.
“No, not at all Mr. Sparks.’ Ansel told him with a disarming smile.
The feisty John Sparks sat back a bit and looked Non-plussed. ‘So he wasn’t even on the TSN’s Radar Screen.’ He thought to himself. ‘Ok, Zinger number one away.’ “Very well then, who in the world gave you the authority and power to be a world policeman?” He almost snarled at Ansel.
Ansel sat there calmly and smiled a bit at the question. “Nobody did, Mr. Sparks and for the very simple reason that we are not a police force, nor very much concerned about your charge of us being one. The Terran Space Navy is a Navy, an armed force capable of dealing out massive damage to any enemy in the defense of this Solar System and Earth.”
Mr. Sparks was silent as he listened to Ansel. “What about your demands and placing the nation of the Iranian Unified Republic under blockade? Isn’t that the action of a world policeman?”
“No, it’s the action of a Navy holding a very dangerous enemy in a position of its choosing.”
“Very well then, I can see I am not going to get anywhere with that line of questions.” Mr. Sparks said finally. “Who does the Terran Space Navy hold as its ultimate authority? With the Nations of Earth the various armed forces are responsible to a civilian leadership who are mostly elected by the peoples of the Nations.”
“Ourselves and our Prime Directive; To Nurture and Protect the Human Race. Everything flows from that.” Ansel told him.
“Who Funds you? In other words who are the taxpayers that buy your fancy spaceships and pay your crews?”
“It’s obvious to me that you have no clue who or what the Terran Space Navy is or does, Mr. Sparks. It’s also now obvious why my staff never brought your name up to me before, but to answer your questions in order. The Terran Space Navy is entirely self-supporting. We build our own Ships and our own bases. All we have asked for is the opportunity to have more humans join us in our mission to defend the Human race.” Ansel told the man with absolutely truth.
“Will you share your technology?” John Sparks continued.
“Selected pieces yes, but all of it? No.” Ansel told him.
“What would be a piece you would share?” he asked.
“We will give certain law enforcement and other related groups the use of these Truth Verifiers.” Ansel said as he held up the one that had been on the arm of his chair. “Also the Epiphany contains many items of our advanced technology intended to demonstrate our capabilities to the U.S. Navy.”
“What about your advanced medical technology?”
“The Louis Pasteur has already healed several U.S. Army personnel who were severely injured. So that demonstrates to me that we are willing to provide healing on a humanitarian basis, but to give away our technology, no once again.” Ansel told him.
“But… Why Not?” John Sparks said almost in disbelief.
“Mr. Sparks, please think about it.” Ansel said gently, “Our prime directive is to NURTURE and protect the Human Race. If we just give you this technology, that very action will destroy the race. It is human nature to be grateful for charity when we are at our lowest point and worst condition. But continued charity destroys the human spirit and humans will eventually lash out at the person or organization giving them that charity.
Our technology is truly amazing and I speak as one born in the United States and having been introduced to it as an adult. But that same technology renders obsolete EVERY single job and industry. No one ever needs to work again; no new industries, no new science, no new technology, the loss of all of that will make humans feel worthless and they WILL die out. No there won’t be direct racial suicide there just won’t be the need or desire to continue.” Ansel told him somberly.
Then he continued, “That is why the twenty worlds that we have found are vital to the
survival of the human race.
Down deep, each one of us wants or needs an adventure. Think of it! The ultimate adventure is to discover and colonize a new place, a place to call our own and to raise a family.” He finished up on a triumphant note.
Mr. Sparks was surprised at Ansel’s words; he looked dubiously at Ansel. “Commander Webster, I can see by your own truth verifier that you are telling me the truth. But I have a hard time believing it. Can you give me something concrete I can wrap my mind around?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I can. Do you know how long it takes to make a Nimitz or a Ford Class Aircraft carrier, let alone how much it costs the American Taxpayer?”
“No, but I can find out from the FOX/CNN Research Department.” He told Ansel.
“Please do so. Now have you ever seen a picture of the Epiphany? Ansel probed.
“Yes I have, the Navy released a bunch of them last week.”
“Good, then you know that the Epiphany is twice as large as a Nimitz class Carrier. Compare how long it took to design a Nimitz and how many man-years went into designing and building one and the expense to build and operate one. The Epiphany was built in two hours on board the TSN Lucky. That also includes all of her aircraft and munitions.
The Epiphany NEVER needs to come in to port, it can sail for centuries. Please think on that and compare the two projects. One employed thousands of men and women to build it and still more thousands to operate it. The other was designed and built with no human labor what-so-ever.
Consider what that sort of technology would do to the economy of the United States let alone the rest of the world’s economy.”
Sean Davis interrupted at that point. “I have to know something, your vessel, the one that is hovering over New York Harbor. How long did it take to build it?”
Ansel said to Sean, “To my knowledge it took around forty-seven to forty-nine hours to build it. And to add on to that, If the Government of the United States were to build one with the technology you currently have would take over fifty years and would have bankrupted it in the first two.”
“How many like it do you have in your Terran Space Navy?” Asked Mr. Sparks.
“I don’t have the exact numbers but it’s between two-hundred and two-hundred twenty-five vessels of that class.” Ansel told him candidly.
“Why so many ships, Commander?” Mr. Davis asked.
“Outer space is so big, so vast that it’s truly impossible for the human mind to comprehend it. And that’s just the volume of the Solar System within the Heliopause. We don’t have enough ships now to patrol all of it adequately and we need more people to go out there and be a part of those ships.”
John Sparks, was quiet as he tried to absorb what he had been told, then he said, “I’m having a hard time getting my head wrapped around this Commander Webster. What I will say is this; from what you’ve told me my original thoughts and feelings really don’t have much to do with the reality.
I’ve been thinking of your organization like I do any other military or for that matter, government organization. And I am beginning to see that it isn’t. Oh yes, you call yourselves a Navy. Ok fine, you’re a Navy, but from what I hear you telling me and your truth verifier has never blinked or even approached a red color once. Your organization is much bigger than anything we’ve ever seen.
And Sir, that makes me very uneasy. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that stuff.”
“Yes, Mr. Sparks you are quite correct to be uneasy. So are we, so are we. It’s because of that very thing that our standards for joining the Terran Space Navy are so high. It’s because of that, that there are so many restrictions placed on our personnel.
But we do have one ace in the hole; The Artificial Intelligences that are the heart and continuity of the Fleet are also our consciences.
Another thing for you to think of before Mr. Davis’s program ends. We intend on having no input into the way the nations and peoples of this Earth conduct your affairs. The IUR was only blockaded because they were intending on using their Bio-Weapon, not just holding on to it as a bargaining chip.
We plan on having as small an interaction as we can. We’ll help out in humanitarian ways, we’ll provide the new worlds and transportation to them. But governing or telling you what to do, forget it!” Ansel finished with heat in his voice.
TSN Auxiliary Louis Pasteur, Ramsheh, Iran Province IUR, 0900L, Wednesday November 25, 2026
Evana has landed in the usual location, in a few minutes the people of the town were starting to gather. There was a great buzz of curiosity and anticipation building up. They knew that Hameed was supposed to be punished for his rape of his Cousin Gelya and for the beating he had given her.
Also the Ayatollah Ruhallah Abdul Mohammed was to be returned. It would be most interesting to see how he was and if he was a changed man.
Evana was standing in front of the crowd next to a beautiful woman dressed in the traditional garb of the area and wearing a Hijab scarf around her head was hanging her head down in shame. A swarthy man was beside her but not within touching distance.
“People of Ramsheh, I have done as I promised. Hameed has been returned. She has been punished for her deeds. You MAY not do any more to her. No Man or Woman’s hand is to be raised against her lest they suffer in the same way. Give her now the chance to contemplate who she is to be from this day forward.” Evana spoke and everyone within a mile of her heard her, it wasn’t loud it was just right there in their ears.
She turned to face the Ayatollah, “Remember what you have seen and heard Abdul Mohammed. I will be watching you.”
Turning back to the crowd she scanned it quickly and caught the eye of the Mayor of Ramsheh, ‘Strange,’ she thought to herself, ‘I still don’t know his name.’
As the Mayor pushed his way forward, Evana kept a sharp eye out for anyone that looked suspicious. In a couple of minutes he was close enough to talk to. She greeted him in the approved manner and they danced the verbal dance of greeting and propriety.
“I leave these two persons in your care, Mayor of Ramsheh. Punishment has been made and healing has been made also.”
“So I see Captain Thomas, so I see.” The Mayor said warily.
“Before I go, are the arrangements we made last time I was here still satisfactory?” Evan asked him.
“Yes, they are, the water and electricity flow, the food that is brought in is good and we can talk to those outside of the Shield. Everyone including the babies goes through the machines you left here every day and all is in order.” He replied to her.
“Excellent! Unless you have something else you want to talk about I will leave you in peace as you requested before.” Evana told him with a smile.
“No, nothing at this time, go in peace Captain Thomas.”
* * *
“Good Afternoon, Colonel Hernwell, have your efforts been fruitful so far this week?” Evana said from her place at the head of the Conference Table.
“Yes, Captain Thomas it has been fruitful, we tested out five different ‘guns’ your fabricator’s came up with on the DE1T8 spores inside the Containment shield. All of them work well to one degree or another. Two are considered excellent for their targeting and adjustable beam width.
The best part about them is that they do destroy the spores with little to no ancillary damage to the surrounding environment.”
“That’s excellent news Colonel. Alessandra said that the mathematics were correct, however it’s great that the field testing confirmed that premise. Anything else?”
“No, not at this time Captain.” Colonel Hernwell told her.
“All right then. I propose that we go back to Fort Detrick for the Thanksgiving Holiday. In the meantime I will detail TSN forces to deploy the DE1T8 sterilizers at this contamination site and the area within the outer Blockade Shields.
Now onto a more pleasant topic, before we left on Monday I had a nice discussion with General Duval and Lt. Colonel Conyers o
f the Army Public Affairs Office. I made an offer to host a Thanksgiving Day Meal and general celebration for all U.S. Service Members and their families including Civil Service and Contractor Personnel no matter what the service to come aboard and join us. I hope that you and your personnel will also decide to come.”
“Uh, Captain Thomas, that could be an awful lot of people. As big as the Louis Pasteur is, he might not be big enough.” Major Phong pointed out gently.
“You are probably correct Major Phong; I have been informed though that Construction of my new command is far enough along that the accommodation for up to Seventy-Five Thousand guests is doable. I’ll have the Comfort go and park herself in Geo-Synchronous Orbit and we will use various other vessels to shuttle our guests up. In fact to make it quicker we are offering to use multiple pick-up sites at the request of the various commands that decide to participate.” Evana said serenely.
