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MasterBuilder and I decided to try a new PBEM, one that is distinctly unfriendly. It assumes that all but 2 of the human pods broke up upon re-entry into Chiron’s atmosphere. The other ‘slots’ are five feuding alien civilizations. As a result, the non-militaristic Peacekeeper and Gaian survivors need to band together to beat off the inhuman onslaught.
*~*~*~*
Alien Dreams
Colony pod # 7 on orbital approach path for landing on Chiron, PEACEKEEPER 2101
Pravin watched in horror as the first colony pod began to break up into thousands of pieces as it began it entry into the atmosphere.
“What is going wrong!” Pravin screamed at the pilot sitting in front of him.
“High Commissioner I do not know. I am trying to check the navigation systems now but I suspect the problem is that the first pods did not get a complete navigation dump due to our quick departure from the Unity. I am trying now to manually reconfigure the approach path to make sure we do not suffer the same fate as pod one.” The helmsman began to punch in new landing vectors into the computer.
Pravin looked up again and out the view port as another pod began to hit the atmosphere and within seconds it burst into a giant fireball. Pravin averted his gaze for second or two due to the intense flash. When he looked about again the pod was gone.
“My God!” Pravin croaked. “Please work faster helmsman for the sake of humanity we can not go out like this.”
“Sir I am doing the best I can but these pods were not designed for what I am trying to do. I can only do my best.”
Pravin laid his hand on the navigators shoulder. “I know you are, sorry.”
“Commissioner pods #3 and #4 are starting re-entry!” Pravin’s aide reported in a loud voice of anguish and despair.
Pravin looked up again and saw the two pods begin to shimmer from the heat and then sparks began to fly off of the pods.
“Sir I think I have it now!” Screamed the navigator. “I will try to uplink the information with the new re-entry and landing protocols now!”
“DO IT!” Pravin screamed as he watched pods #3 and #4 explode into fiery balls.
Pravin slammed his fist against the wall and cursed silently again the traitors that had caused this disaster. The chaos they had caused had resulted in the loss of half of the colonists and perhaps the last hope of humanity. Pravin’s last image of Earth swelled up in his brain and it nearly made him collapse from fear and desperation. The view of Earth burned out scorched from thousands of nuclear weapon explosions had left it nearly devoid of life with the possible exception of insects and rats.
“High Commissioner! Pod# 6 is responding and it is making the required course change now but Pod# 5 is not responding at all and is continuing on the same flight path. I suspect that the communication frequency with Pod#5 is out of synch with us. I am trying now to scan all bands.” The navigator reported as he began to frantically flip switches and punch in commands into the computer to contact Pod# 5.
Pravin reached down with both hands and gripped the back of the chair of the navigator with all of his strength praying as the seconds then the minutes ticked by that Pod# 5 would respond.
“Sir we are now entering the outer atmosphere and our path has been corrected along with Pod# 6 but Pod# 5 is still on the old course and it is beginning to superheat.” The navigator reported.
Pravin looked out the window and watched as Pod# 5 began to bounce as it hit the atmosphere. Just like the other four before sparks began the outer skin began to glow white hot and then it exploded. Pravin felt his shoulders sag and his heart stopped again for a second or two. Tears began to fill his eyes as his hand reached up to wipe them away.
“As soon as we land contact the pod commander of # 6 and get a position check.” Pravin croaked.
“I will inform Dr. Skye.” Reported the navigator.
“WHO?” Pravin asked
*~*~*~*
Landing Pod 6, MY 2101
Deirdre Skye braced herself against the partially crumpled deck of Pod 6. The floor tilted at an unnatural and difficult 15 degrees from horizontal. In her other hand she clutched a handful of filter masks that were hastily configured to scrub nitrogen out of the toxic atmosphere that leaked into the passenger compartment in hundreds of places along the ruptured hull.
Dee stooped down and placed a mask on a motionless woman. She seemed to be resting peacefully in one of the few stable portions of the pod, where the floor met the downslope wall. As she leaned down she smiled to reassure her, and then drew the woman’s head forward to put a restraining strap in back of her head to hold the mask.
Then she stopped and she put the woman’s head back on the deck. Dee’s jaw clenched in helpless rage. She was cold - another unexplained death. There was no time to waste, but Deirdre did take a moment to close her sightless eyes.
Every person lost was a tragedy, and that thought propelled her and the rest of the crew, some of them command staff but most crewman and sleepers. The poor sleepers – they expected to be awakened to a fully functioning colony as promised, not during the death throws of Unity and a horrific and almost uncontrolled descent through the atmosphere. Her pod’s navigator had received the squirt from Pravin’s just in time to correct. Chiron’s atmosphere was much thicker than the automatic descent programming anticipated, an unbelievable 70 percent more than earth. The angle of descent was too steep, and most of the pods had plunged into the ionosphere and had begun to superheat when their onboard computers told them they were still well into space. There was only a tiny fraction of a percent of the total atmospheric pressure in the ionosphere but it had been more than enough. She had personally seen Pod 3 break up and it would bring nightmares the reset of her life.
That one stupid error had cost 10,000 lives! And it wouldn’t have happened if the disaster on Unity hadn’t forced a premature pod release.
Dwelling on the past wouldn’t save those in the present. As she had done a thousand times she forced those thoughts back into the dark recesses of her mind. She had a job to do.
*~*~*~*
Central Communications Department, Planning Authority and General Administration Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2102
Dr. Skye and the valiant members of colony pod# 6,
I would have hoped our circumstances would have been better but due to the treachery on board the Unity and the resulting disasters from it we have to work even harder to rebuild our fortunes and that of humanity. I have issued instructions to my staff to attach our latest map surveys so that you are aware of our location. I await with great anticipation your map files as well so that we can fully analyze the current situation and prepare long-term plans. I have also instructed my staff to send you plans and schematics to build recycling processing stations that will increase your colonies resources. If you have any technical files that survived the landing I would require that you send them to us as well. I cannot stress enough the importance of working together to build up our resources, technology and population so that we can build a better future for us all and humanity.
I feel it is very important to provide strong leadership to our people so that they do not despair and loose hope during these bleak times. It is very unfortunate that your pod did not land closer to us but we need to deal with the situation as best we can. Since you are the most senior staff member I would like to appoint you as the official representative for your colony team. Your new position as Senior Deputy Commissioner and Security Council member will hold a great many challenges for you and a great deal of responsibility as my direct representative to your conclave. You must always use our United Nations Charter as a guide for all of your decisions and policies. You will be required to consult with the Security Council and myself as time permits but I am relying on you to run your colonies as independently as possible since aside from the advice we can give you there will be little else we can do to assist you at this time. You must serve as a beacon to your people to inspire them to work hard and to forge a new society for them.
We should work together as much as possible and I hope that you will encourage your people to have faith in the United Nations government and the leadership I provide. It is with great hope that I view our new relationship and the work we can do. My staff will send you guidelines and instructions to aid you in your administration in the implementation of U.N. directives.
Once again I cannot stress the importance of sharing information between out two administrations. If we do not work together we will doom all of humanity to extinction. However, I feel you will not let me or humanity down in this regard so I only expect that our new Earth our new humanity will prosper and grow.
Pravin Lal
U.N. High Commissioner for Planetary Administration and Government
General Secretary of the U.N. General Assembly and Chairman of the
U.N. Security Council.
*~*~*~
Gaia’s Landing, MY 2102
Pravin,
When your offer to share information and resources came the Council was taken aback. Why hadn’t we thought of this, we asked ourselves. Perhaps we can be forgiven since we were too busy just trying to survive. That tiny task obscured the obvious.
We are only too happy to share our resources with you. Our files on Ecology are attached, and I think you’ll find them to be useful. Even though the basis for this information is from earth I was heartened that it is directly applicable to Planet, alien though it may be. Our latest observations on the native ecology have also been uploaded into this model.
Speaking of ecology, we have made a few stupendous finds. First, the abundant native ecology is an intricate biome of flora and fauna like nothing else on earth. It obeys none of the ‘laws’ we are familiar with, and it continues to surprise as some of us can spare a moment to study it. Most of the survivors from Pod 6 were from the Life Sciences pod, so we may have an advantage that you do not have. Be assured that any advances we find will be shared – together we are stronger.
With that in mind I have a revelation for you – there is intelligent life on Planet. Our scout team encountered one of the denizens of the xenofungus, and they were surprised that it ‘talked’ to them. Now, before you jump to conclusions, the communication was not what you or I would understand. It was more of a type of empathy, or a feeling that transmitted a certain understanding. This is what I mean about breaking known laws of nature. Such communication has been debunked for centuries, but this appears to be real. I have no explanation, only an intelligent mindworm that has befriended us. At this point the communication is rather rudimentary, but it is my hope that it can be refined as time continues.
I wish you and those from your pod well, Pravin. I don’t think any of us truly understand what is arrayed against us. Truthfully I was worried that the scope of the original Unity mission was too thin and that more resources would be needed. Now we have less than 30% of those scant resources. Life is going to be hard, I fear.
Deirdre
*~*~*~*
Situation room, UN Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2103
“Where is it?” Pravin asked looking at the map.
“Here High Commissioner.” Gerhard leaned over and pointed at the spot three sectors north of their current position.
“Is it one of these creatures that Dr. Skye mentioned in her communication?” Pravin picked up the photo that was taken by the scout team escorting the colony pod.
“It would seem so and it also seems to be belligerent as well. We can not make contact with it and I have told the scouts to defend themselves if required.” Gerhard replied.
Pravin continued to look at the photo for several minutes while the other senior deputies watched in silence.
“Father, I am not sure how Dr. Skye and her colonists were able to communicate with these creatures since none of our people seem to have the ability to do so. So we have to assume a defensive stance and protect our people at all costs. That colony pod holds one-quarter of the remnants of humanity. We can not risk the loss of those people for the sake of our gene pool we have to destroy this creature.” John Lal took the picture from his father’s hand and put it on the table. “These creatures can not be allowed to threaten our position on Chiron.”
“I understand my son but if we attack the creature what then? Will this trigger even more attacks? We just do not know.” Pravin replied.
“Exactly Father, we just do not know, so we have to assume the worst case scenario and plan from there. I recommend we radio the scout team to assume a defensive posture and protect the pod.”
Pravin looked around the small cramped room that served as the main meeting area for the Security Council and his bedroom. Each of the five other Senior Deputy High Commissioners nodded their heads in agreement.
“I see we have a consensus and this time I see no reason to dispute your vote so I will not exercise my veto. John,” Pravin turned to his son. “Issue the orders to the scouts. Have the colony pod continue on to the colony site as quickly as possible.”
John Lal quickly left the room to issue the orders.
*~*~*~*
Gaia’s Landing, MY 2103
“So much for Commissioner Lal’s precious Charter,” Leon said.
“They killed a mindworm, not a person,” Director Wang stated.
“And how would you know?” he shouted back as he stood up, towering over the small Director. “Do you understand what a ‘person’ is? Or maybe you think that anything that happens to be born with human DNA is a ‘person’, regardless of whether he is a Stalin, Khan, or Myung. That ‘thing’ was intelligent, Harry, maybe just as intelligent as you are. But now we’ll never know, because those reactionary idiots killed it out of fear. Any thinking being is a ‘person’. Typical ridged UN thinking.”
Harry didn’t respond, but he looked over at Leon with a pitying gaze.
“I think it is too early to judge either position,” Dee said. She had verbally interposed herself many times, and this would not be the last. “I recommend we ask Pravin for all data he gathered from this event. Even though we can all agree it was unfortunate, we can still learn. We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions, not yet. We might have done the same in his circumstances.”
Leon subsided back into his chair.
“Now,” Deirdre continued. “We have to decide if we will delay founding a new colony, or if we will take the time to move to a better position. The engineers with the crew need a decision soon, and we can’t put it off any longer. Is there any more debate, or positions for the record?”
That opened the floodgates. Opinions that had been voiced ad-nauseum were recycled and preached with zeal. Dee had made up her mind long ago, but kept this tactic to get those who knew they were on the losing side a chance to get all their gripes off of their chest. Then, she hoped, they could move on.
*~*~*~*
U.N. Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2104
Pravin watched as workers struggled with several sheets of steel into position to build a wall. Construction was proceeding at an amazing pace and soon the colony would nearly double in size so more quarters were needed. The workers quickly placed the sheets into position and then several other workers ran over and began to arc-weld them into place.
“High Commissioner I have a communication from Dr. Skye that you might like to review before our next Security Council meeting.”
Pravin turned to his aide, Iris Simpson, who had just arrived. Pravin reached over and took the letter and read it. For the most part the letter addressed mundane “housekeeping” items but one item did “pop out” at him.
“Did you read this yet?” Pravin asked.
“Yes.”
“What do you think the reaction of the other Deputies will be?” Pravin asked as he returned the letter to her.
“Sir I think Dr. Skye and her staff are over-reacting slightly to the destruction of the ‘mind worm’as they call it, we did not attack it, it attacked us. Our scouts just defended themselves and the colony pod. For whatever reason our people here in the north seem to lack the skill to bond with these creatures as Dr. Skye’s colonists do. I cannot tell you why this is the case. I would suggest that you send the scout’s report of the encounter to her so that she can see that we did not initiate the conflict. However, the scouts did check the remains of the mind worm and found several round objects that were emitting a form of energy. Unfortunately the nodules were badly damaged during the conflict but perhaps if our scouts were able to defeat another worm they might be able to harvest these nodules for our use.” Iris turned to Pravin as she finished and glanced at her watch. “Sir it is time we go in we have an appointment with the planning board about the colony pod.”
“Ah yes, it almost slipped my mind, thank you.” Pravin began to walk back to the main administration complex with Iris. “It is a great achievement for us and humanity that we will establish our second colony so soon. I am still not so sure that establishing a colony so far away is best but the planning commission members seem to feel a “thin” approach to our expansion plans would be better.”
“Sir you know my thinking on this already and I agree with them. By spreading our colonies out at least three sectors why maximize our resource allocation by sector and reduce the possibilities that a viral epidemic could wipe out all the colonies. Besides as soon as we complete our next colony pod in a few turns we can devote our resources to building a terraformer which will build a road system to connect the colonies.”
“Yes you are right Iris and I agree but even still three sectors is a long way.”
“Sir you worry far too much, besides what could threaten us anyway? Our southern colonies under the leadership of Dr. Skye are far away and they are very peaceful people they would never threaten us. We have a great opportunity here sir to build a new world free of war and turmoil.”
“Yes I suspect you are right again Iris I am an old man that worries about everything. Okay, lets get on to this meeting shall we?”
*~*~*~*
Alien Dreams
Colony pod # 7 on orbital approach path for landing on Chiron, PEACEKEEPER 2101
Pravin watched in horror as the first colony pod began to break up into thousands of pieces as it began it entry into the atmosphere.
“What is going wrong!” Pravin screamed at the pilot sitting in front of him.
“High Commissioner I do not know. I am trying to check the navigation systems now but I suspect the problem is that the first pods did not get a complete navigation dump due to our quick departure from the Unity. I am trying now to manually reconfigure the approach path to make sure we do not suffer the same fate as pod one.” The helmsman began to punch in new landing vectors into the computer.
Pravin looked up again and out the view port as another pod began to hit the atmosphere and within seconds it burst into a giant fireball. Pravin averted his gaze for second or two due to the intense flash. When he looked about again the pod was gone.
“My God!” Pravin croaked. “Please work faster helmsman for the sake of humanity we can not go out like this.”
“Sir I am doing the best I can but these pods were not designed for what I am trying to do. I can only do my best.”
Pravin laid his hand on the navigators shoulder. “I know you are, sorry.”
“Commissioner pods #3 and #4 are starting re-entry!” Pravin’s aide reported in a loud voice of anguish and despair.
Pravin looked up again and saw the two pods begin to shimmer from the heat and then sparks began to fly off of the pods.
“Sir I think I have it now!” Screamed the navigator. “I will try to uplink the information with the new re-entry and landing protocols now!”
“DO IT!” Pravin screamed as he watched pods #3 and #4 explode into fiery balls.
Pravin slammed his fist against the wall and cursed silently again the traitors that had caused this disaster. The chaos they had caused had resulted in the loss of half of the colonists and perhaps the last hope of humanity. Pravin’s last image of Earth swelled up in his brain and it nearly made him collapse from fear and desperation. The view of Earth burned out scorched from thousands of nuclear weapon explosions had left it nearly devoid of life with the possible exception of insects and rats.
“High Commissioner! Pod# 6 is responding and it is making the required course change now but Pod# 5 is not responding at all and is continuing on the same flight path. I suspect that the communication frequency with Pod#5 is out of synch with us. I am trying now to scan all bands.” The navigator reported as he began to frantically flip switches and punch in commands into the computer to contact Pod# 5.
Pravin reached down with both hands and gripped the back of the chair of the navigator with all of his strength praying as the seconds then the minutes ticked by that Pod# 5 would respond.
“Sir we are now entering the outer atmosphere and our path has been corrected along with Pod# 6 but Pod# 5 is still on the old course and it is beginning to superheat.” The navigator reported.
Pravin looked out the window and watched as Pod# 5 began to bounce as it hit the atmosphere. Just like the other four before sparks began the outer skin began to glow white hot and then it exploded. Pravin felt his shoulders sag and his heart stopped again for a second or two. Tears began to fill his eyes as his hand reached up to wipe them away.
“As soon as we land contact the pod commander of # 6 and get a position check.” Pravin croaked.
“I will inform Dr. Skye.” Reported the navigator.
“WHO?” Pravin asked
*~*~*~*
Landing Pod 6, MY 2101
Deirdre Skye braced herself against the partially crumpled deck of Pod 6. The floor tilted at an unnatural and difficult 15 degrees from horizontal. In her other hand she clutched a handful of filter masks that were hastily configured to scrub nitrogen out of the toxic atmosphere that leaked into the passenger compartment in hundreds of places along the ruptured hull.
Dee stooped down and placed a mask on a motionless woman. She seemed to be resting peacefully in one of the few stable portions of the pod, where the floor met the downslope wall. As she leaned down she smiled to reassure her, and then drew the woman’s head forward to put a restraining strap in back of her head to hold the mask.
Then she stopped and she put the woman’s head back on the deck. Dee’s jaw clenched in helpless rage. She was cold - another unexplained death. There was no time to waste, but Deirdre did take a moment to close her sightless eyes.
Every person lost was a tragedy, and that thought propelled her and the rest of the crew, some of them command staff but most crewman and sleepers. The poor sleepers – they expected to be awakened to a fully functioning colony as promised, not during the death throws of Unity and a horrific and almost uncontrolled descent through the atmosphere. Her pod’s navigator had received the squirt from Pravin’s just in time to correct. Chiron’s atmosphere was much thicker than the automatic descent programming anticipated, an unbelievable 70 percent more than earth. The angle of descent was too steep, and most of the pods had plunged into the ionosphere and had begun to superheat when their onboard computers told them they were still well into space. There was only a tiny fraction of a percent of the total atmospheric pressure in the ionosphere but it had been more than enough. She had personally seen Pod 3 break up and it would bring nightmares the reset of her life.
That one stupid error had cost 10,000 lives! And it wouldn’t have happened if the disaster on Unity hadn’t forced a premature pod release.
Dwelling on the past wouldn’t save those in the present. As she had done a thousand times she forced those thoughts back into the dark recesses of her mind. She had a job to do.
*~*~*~*
Central Communications Department, Planning Authority and General Administration Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2102
Dr. Skye and the valiant members of colony pod# 6,
I would have hoped our circumstances would have been better but due to the treachery on board the Unity and the resulting disasters from it we have to work even harder to rebuild our fortunes and that of humanity. I have issued instructions to my staff to attach our latest map surveys so that you are aware of our location. I await with great anticipation your map files as well so that we can fully analyze the current situation and prepare long-term plans. I have also instructed my staff to send you plans and schematics to build recycling processing stations that will increase your colonies resources. If you have any technical files that survived the landing I would require that you send them to us as well. I cannot stress enough the importance of working together to build up our resources, technology and population so that we can build a better future for us all and humanity.
I feel it is very important to provide strong leadership to our people so that they do not despair and loose hope during these bleak times. It is very unfortunate that your pod did not land closer to us but we need to deal with the situation as best we can. Since you are the most senior staff member I would like to appoint you as the official representative for your colony team. Your new position as Senior Deputy Commissioner and Security Council member will hold a great many challenges for you and a great deal of responsibility as my direct representative to your conclave. You must always use our United Nations Charter as a guide for all of your decisions and policies. You will be required to consult with the Security Council and myself as time permits but I am relying on you to run your colonies as independently as possible since aside from the advice we can give you there will be little else we can do to assist you at this time. You must serve as a beacon to your people to inspire them to work hard and to forge a new society for them.
We should work together as much as possible and I hope that you will encourage your people to have faith in the United Nations government and the leadership I provide. It is with great hope that I view our new relationship and the work we can do. My staff will send you guidelines and instructions to aid you in your administration in the implementation of U.N. directives.
Once again I cannot stress the importance of sharing information between out two administrations. If we do not work together we will doom all of humanity to extinction. However, I feel you will not let me or humanity down in this regard so I only expect that our new Earth our new humanity will prosper and grow.
Pravin Lal
U.N. High Commissioner for Planetary Administration and Government
General Secretary of the U.N. General Assembly and Chairman of the
U.N. Security Council.
*~*~*~
Gaia’s Landing, MY 2102
Pravin,
When your offer to share information and resources came the Council was taken aback. Why hadn’t we thought of this, we asked ourselves. Perhaps we can be forgiven since we were too busy just trying to survive. That tiny task obscured the obvious.
We are only too happy to share our resources with you. Our files on Ecology are attached, and I think you’ll find them to be useful. Even though the basis for this information is from earth I was heartened that it is directly applicable to Planet, alien though it may be. Our latest observations on the native ecology have also been uploaded into this model.
Speaking of ecology, we have made a few stupendous finds. First, the abundant native ecology is an intricate biome of flora and fauna like nothing else on earth. It obeys none of the ‘laws’ we are familiar with, and it continues to surprise as some of us can spare a moment to study it. Most of the survivors from Pod 6 were from the Life Sciences pod, so we may have an advantage that you do not have. Be assured that any advances we find will be shared – together we are stronger.
With that in mind I have a revelation for you – there is intelligent life on Planet. Our scout team encountered one of the denizens of the xenofungus, and they were surprised that it ‘talked’ to them. Now, before you jump to conclusions, the communication was not what you or I would understand. It was more of a type of empathy, or a feeling that transmitted a certain understanding. This is what I mean about breaking known laws of nature. Such communication has been debunked for centuries, but this appears to be real. I have no explanation, only an intelligent mindworm that has befriended us. At this point the communication is rather rudimentary, but it is my hope that it can be refined as time continues.
I wish you and those from your pod well, Pravin. I don’t think any of us truly understand what is arrayed against us. Truthfully I was worried that the scope of the original Unity mission was too thin and that more resources would be needed. Now we have less than 30% of those scant resources. Life is going to be hard, I fear.
Deirdre
*~*~*~*
Situation room, UN Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2103
“Where is it?” Pravin asked looking at the map.
“Here High Commissioner.” Gerhard leaned over and pointed at the spot three sectors north of their current position.
“Is it one of these creatures that Dr. Skye mentioned in her communication?” Pravin picked up the photo that was taken by the scout team escorting the colony pod.
“It would seem so and it also seems to be belligerent as well. We can not make contact with it and I have told the scouts to defend themselves if required.” Gerhard replied.
Pravin continued to look at the photo for several minutes while the other senior deputies watched in silence.
“Father, I am not sure how Dr. Skye and her colonists were able to communicate with these creatures since none of our people seem to have the ability to do so. So we have to assume a defensive stance and protect our people at all costs. That colony pod holds one-quarter of the remnants of humanity. We can not risk the loss of those people for the sake of our gene pool we have to destroy this creature.” John Lal took the picture from his father’s hand and put it on the table. “These creatures can not be allowed to threaten our position on Chiron.”
“I understand my son but if we attack the creature what then? Will this trigger even more attacks? We just do not know.” Pravin replied.
“Exactly Father, we just do not know, so we have to assume the worst case scenario and plan from there. I recommend we radio the scout team to assume a defensive posture and protect the pod.”
Pravin looked around the small cramped room that served as the main meeting area for the Security Council and his bedroom. Each of the five other Senior Deputy High Commissioners nodded their heads in agreement.
“I see we have a consensus and this time I see no reason to dispute your vote so I will not exercise my veto. John,” Pravin turned to his son. “Issue the orders to the scouts. Have the colony pod continue on to the colony site as quickly as possible.”
John Lal quickly left the room to issue the orders.
*~*~*~*
Gaia’s Landing, MY 2103
“So much for Commissioner Lal’s precious Charter,” Leon said.
“They killed a mindworm, not a person,” Director Wang stated.
“And how would you know?” he shouted back as he stood up, towering over the small Director. “Do you understand what a ‘person’ is? Or maybe you think that anything that happens to be born with human DNA is a ‘person’, regardless of whether he is a Stalin, Khan, or Myung. That ‘thing’ was intelligent, Harry, maybe just as intelligent as you are. But now we’ll never know, because those reactionary idiots killed it out of fear. Any thinking being is a ‘person’. Typical ridged UN thinking.”
Harry didn’t respond, but he looked over at Leon with a pitying gaze.
“I think it is too early to judge either position,” Dee said. She had verbally interposed herself many times, and this would not be the last. “I recommend we ask Pravin for all data he gathered from this event. Even though we can all agree it was unfortunate, we can still learn. We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions, not yet. We might have done the same in his circumstances.”
Leon subsided back into his chair.
“Now,” Deirdre continued. “We have to decide if we will delay founding a new colony, or if we will take the time to move to a better position. The engineers with the crew need a decision soon, and we can’t put it off any longer. Is there any more debate, or positions for the record?”
That opened the floodgates. Opinions that had been voiced ad-nauseum were recycled and preached with zeal. Dee had made up her mind long ago, but kept this tactic to get those who knew they were on the losing side a chance to get all their gripes off of their chest. Then, she hoped, they could move on.
*~*~*~*
U.N. Headquarters – PEACEKEEPERS 2104
Pravin watched as workers struggled with several sheets of steel into position to build a wall. Construction was proceeding at an amazing pace and soon the colony would nearly double in size so more quarters were needed. The workers quickly placed the sheets into position and then several other workers ran over and began to arc-weld them into place.
“High Commissioner I have a communication from Dr. Skye that you might like to review before our next Security Council meeting.”
Pravin turned to his aide, Iris Simpson, who had just arrived. Pravin reached over and took the letter and read it. For the most part the letter addressed mundane “housekeeping” items but one item did “pop out” at him.
“Did you read this yet?” Pravin asked.
“Yes.”
“What do you think the reaction of the other Deputies will be?” Pravin asked as he returned the letter to her.
“Sir I think Dr. Skye and her staff are over-reacting slightly to the destruction of the ‘mind worm’as they call it, we did not attack it, it attacked us. Our scouts just defended themselves and the colony pod. For whatever reason our people here in the north seem to lack the skill to bond with these creatures as Dr. Skye’s colonists do. I cannot tell you why this is the case. I would suggest that you send the scout’s report of the encounter to her so that she can see that we did not initiate the conflict. However, the scouts did check the remains of the mind worm and found several round objects that were emitting a form of energy. Unfortunately the nodules were badly damaged during the conflict but perhaps if our scouts were able to defeat another worm they might be able to harvest these nodules for our use.” Iris turned to Pravin as she finished and glanced at her watch. “Sir it is time we go in we have an appointment with the planning board about the colony pod.”
“Ah yes, it almost slipped my mind, thank you.” Pravin began to walk back to the main administration complex with Iris. “It is a great achievement for us and humanity that we will establish our second colony so soon. I am still not so sure that establishing a colony so far away is best but the planning commission members seem to feel a “thin” approach to our expansion plans would be better.”
“Sir you know my thinking on this already and I agree with them. By spreading our colonies out at least three sectors why maximize our resource allocation by sector and reduce the possibilities that a viral epidemic could wipe out all the colonies. Besides as soon as we complete our next colony pod in a few turns we can devote our resources to building a terraformer which will build a road system to connect the colonies.”
“Yes you are right Iris and I agree but even still three sectors is a long way.”
“Sir you worry far too much, besides what could threaten us anyway? Our southern colonies under the leadership of Dr. Skye are far away and they are very peaceful people they would never threaten us. We have a great opportunity here sir to build a new world free of war and turmoil.”
“Yes I suspect you are right again Iris I am an old man that worries about everything. Okay, lets get on to this meeting shall we?”
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