by Clyde Key
* * *
President Litton spent the next few minutes composing messages for heads of state around the world to inform them about the encounter. She sent the messages and then she called her entire cabinet into emergency session.
28
Aug. 1, 2112
“Negotiate, hell! What’s to negotiate?” said Ed Halloran. “Are you sure that’s what it said? Here—let me see that!” Marilee Sharp surrendered the piece of paper to Ed, who stared at it in disbelief. “This can’t be something off the secure channel? This looks more like what Arlene would come up with than an order from the president!”
“Yes, Ed. It seems crazy but I took it myself. Why don’t you call the White House and verify it?”
Ed stomped back to his desk and jabbed at buttons on his com-panel. The first presidential aide transferred his call to a second aide who reluctantly agreed to summon President Litton. And Ed fumed for several minutes before the president’s likeness finally appeared on the wallscreen. Then he listened incredulously as she explained why she had written the directive.
“The country is split into two camps,” said Litton. “First, there are those who fear and loathe the aliens. That’s you and me and everybody like us. But on the other hand, there are those people who have heard cockamamie theories about the peace-loving Visitors for so long that they believe all that manure.”
“We have Arlene to thank for that.”
“Primarily. But she is not alone. Did you realize that about a third of the Senate and almost half the House members are advocating complete accommodation with the aliens?”
“No, Ms. President, I didn’t know it was that bad. But even that’s not a majority in Congress, and you set administration policies.”
“It’s worse than that, actually,” said Litton. “Our majority is crumbling. Even the cabinet voted 27-22 in favor of exploring ways to accommodate an alien presence. So that’s what your job is: to find out what it takes for us to coexist with aliens, even if it means giving them some room. Please give it a good shot, Colonel. The only other choice I have is to let Ms. Sisk’s group handle it.”
“No, Ma’am. We couldn’t let that happen. I’ll try my very best,” said Ed.
