Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  “You have no proof of that!”

  “Jalapo, we have companies on this planet that lobbied the government to allow them to operate as monopolies. Our government has passed tariffs and protectionist measures that outlaw competitors who come up with better products and services. And not to mention that every single Hydroplantation, factory and bank on this planet has received bailout money from the government! All that bailout money was collected by force from taxing the common man!”

  “That’s because they are too big to fail! Think of what would have happened if our wise government had not bailed them out!”

  “Oh come on, Jalapo, every company on this planet that received bailout money laid off people in droves, which added to unemployment, which made the economy get worse because people couldn’t pay their bills. That, of course, made the credit crunch worse and added to this never-ending cycle of financial crisis, which allows the government of this planet to conduct its business as usual. It’s pretty obvious at this point, that our government is designed to keep wealth and power out of the hands of common people, who could make some significant changes on this planet that would benefit everyone. We just need to wake up and pass some business reform laws and regulate these big corporations, who make stupid financial decisions that cause recessions to happen in the first place.”

  “That’s a bunch of hogwash and you know it, Mr. Karatau!” Jalapo said as he waved his fat arms in anger. “What you’re advocating is socialism and you know it!”

  “Jalapo, this recession was caused by investment bubbles that burst because big banks and huge corporations were able to make shady deals due to a lack of government regulation!”

  “Government regulations kill jobs and you know it, Karatau! You are a socialist! You think the government needs to tax and regulate businesses to the point that they won’t be able to hire anyone!”

  “Oh come on, Jalapo, be reasonable…our government is so busy trying to regulate morality into peoples’ lives that it forgets to referee the games that big banks and corporations play with our peoples’ lives and money!”

  “Wake up, Karatau! Our government is trying to land us a deal with the Aurorians but you want to regulate and tax these Aurorian investors before they even set foot here! They won’t be able to afford to hire anyone to clean their toilets at the rate you’re going!”

  “Jalapo, I think it could be argued that we Ailanians don’t even need Aurora to create jobs. Let’s face the facts…what we need is to get away from the culture of allowing big corporations to create poverty because it makes politicians, like my opponent, rich and powerful.”

  “That is a crock and you know it! We need Aurora to come here so they can build resorts and promote tourism! If we don’t accept their economic revampment program no one on this planet will make a dime ever again! And I’m sure you’ll be fine with that since you just want to continue this welfare state!”

  Karatau was passionate as he said, “What my political opponents are advocating, with the Aurorian Economic Revampment Program, is just another way for a small group of people to make a lot of money at the expense of the common man, our planet’s environment and our common heritage. Our planet and its resources belong to all Ailanians, not just them. Besides, we can do better than take a handout from some foreign investors. We simply need to change the way we do things on this planet. For example, Ailanians should be in charge of producing their own food, not Hydroplantations run by special interests, who add to the credit crisis every time they make poor investment choices.”

  “You just want to tear down those who have achieved success, Karatau!”

  “No, Jalapo, I want economic evolution to happen here on Ailana! Since this recession started we have closed hundreds of factories that could be reopened by some imaginative, common people, who could make the types of products, which we have to import from Earth, by the way, because of the asinine trade agreements our government has made in order to make a few elite people rich and powerful. We’ve seen historical implications of this kind of system…a long time ago, on Earth, someone came up with the idea for an electric car that would reduce greenhouse gasses…back in those days, corporate interests, who had stake in big oil, simply created an economic environment with their lobbying, money and other political influences that made it impossible for those people, who dreamed up the electric car, to see their dream come to fruition…the same thing is happening here on Ailana, and if we don’t get our government to legislate some common sense regulations and taxes…we are gonna end up worse than Earth did all those years ago.”

  “Oh what a crock!”

  Karatau said, “The fact is, Jalapo, Ailana is in a similar position Earth was in all those centuries ago. Earth’s history clearly shows that back in those days, a few powerful people were making an enormous amount of money at the expense of the environment and the common people…and every time some intelligent people with a progressive agenda came along and tried to steer the planet away from things like war, plague, famine…or having a dependence on oil, for example…those rich people, who benefited from the status quo, simply found a way to crash the economy so that angry voters without jobs would be convinced to kill the ideas that would have made the world a better place. The exact same thing is happening here…”

  Jalapo became enraged, “There ya go with the conspiracy theories again so that you can justify your desires for taxes and regulations, Karatau! Why do you want to see the government redistribute wealth?”

  “Oh come on, Jalapo, what have these rich and powerful people done with all the money they made off our misery? I don’t see Ailanian jobs being created by these wealthy people, who the government has refused to regulate or tax. All these wealthy and powerful people do is collaborate with the government to keep themselves rich, powerful and comfortable while the common people struggle…on Ailana, the common people are like Atlas, the god in the Prophet Ayn’s parable, and the rich are breaking their backs with all these asinine politics…the rich people of this planet are basically guilty of being second hand people…”

  “You dare call upon the scriptures of Ayn and twist them for your own purpose!” Jalapo rolled his eyes as he said, “We all see your angle, Karatau, you want to tax and regulate the rich people of this planet because you see them as a cash cow, which could be used to support deadbeats who don’t want to work! That’s Socialism! And in the end, Socialism makes everybody poor!”

  “Look, Jalapo, allowing these rich people to make money hand over fist without any government oversight doesn’t do the common people any good if their government allows them to be taken advantage of, or enslaved by those rich people, who assert this false claim a government is immoral if it imposes taxes and regulations on those who could potentially create jobs. Why should the Ailanian people accept Capitalism as a good thing when all it has done is create the worst kind of economic tyranny imaginable? On this planet, we have rich people getting richer at the expense of the poor…this isn’t how a modern civilization should be! The disparity caused by who has access to wealth and power on Ailana is more typical of serfdom than civilization under this current system!”

  “Oh stuff a sock in it, you Immoral loving Socialist!”

  The audience went wild with cheering and chants of “Jalapo! Jalapo!”

  “I’m bored,” The redhead said, as she played with his long, thin hair.

  “Then make yourself useful and role us another joint,” Marco said while trying not to sound irritated. He switched the channel, the news was now becoming eye catching, and he just wanted to watch the monitor.

  The newscaster looked bored as he said, “Spokes people for Ailanian High Senators Marvis Glik and Tammes Semnor again denied that the Ailanian High Senators were involved in any wrong doing after another hearing was held today…”

  She became restless as she said, “Christ, more politics…this is such crap…”

 
“Shhh!” Marco leaned forward. “This is what I’ve been waiting to hear all day!”

  Marco narrowed his eyes as he looked at the monitor program that now featured Ailanian CIA director Moke Kalapana wearing a nice suit, and a serious look on his face. “The CIA and Ailanian Attorney General’s office, have evidence to suggest that High Senators Glik and Semnor took bribes, not campaign contributions from three Earth based companies that are now facing bankruptcy. These companies are also lobbying the Ailanian government to ease spaceport regulations that control the extent to which Ailanian customs agents can search their ships that are bound for Earth.”

  The newscaster said, “High Senator Wram Karamotzain responded to the charges.”

  Wram’s bushy, white eyebrows looked fierce as he said, “These charges are absolutely unwarranted! We in the High Senate have a moral obligation to allow these companies to leave this planet as soon as they possibly can, without any more infringement by our government. Government regulation costs the Ailanian people jobs! The tough economic tide has caused these corporations some very hard times and now we are simply trying to allow them to cut their losses and leave for Earth before their financial situations get any worse and start affecting our economy in even more dire ways. Again, I can assure you, High Senators Glik and Semnor are innocent, and we are trying to help any company who wishes to leave Ailana for Earth do so in a sensible fashion that is completely legal.”

  Marco seemed elated “YES!” He shouted as he pumped a fist into the air. “I love Ailana! It is men like Karamotzain, Klunka, Glik and Semnor who are going to make my life a whole hell of a lot easier! Ha ha ha!”

  She shook her head as she looked at him and said, “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t you get it?” Marco said with a gleam in his eye. “Don’t you pay attention to the news? I thought a young, hip person like you would be reading the websites and blogs posted by those smart folks in The Evil. They know the truth about what’s happening within the Ailanian government!”

  She smirked at him, “I don’t pay attention to politics…and those activists piss me off with all their bullshit rallies and pirate commercials that interrupt my favorite television programs.”

  Marco became a bit irritated as he said, “Well, you should at least know the reason why the economy is so freaking bad. It’s because most of the major companies operating here, have been purposely overstating their stock values and then going bankrupt…but not before the top executives make a big profit for themselves by ripping off their shareholders’ and embezzling from their employees’ benefit packages. The Evil calls it pseudo-capitalism because the Ailanian government gave these companies huge tax breaks when they first got here and then later gave them bailout money when they started to fail.”

  “So what?”

  “So what?! Real Capitalists want the government to stay out of their business; they don’t go running to the government for a handout when their business starts to fail! Look at me! Do ya think I can go running to the government for help every time my books go in the red? Hell no! That makes me more a Capitalist and an Objectivist than any of these rich, Ailanian assholes like Loko Kalaheva and The Hydroplantation owners his news channels defend.”

  “O.K. mister big shot Capitalist and Objectivist…or whatever you are…”

  “You’re missing the point!” Marco said as he thought about how alone he was in the universe, “Don’t you know that a bunch of Ailanian High Senators have been getting kickbacks and then paving the way for these pseudo-capitalists to leave the planet without investigation? Karamotzain and Klunka see it as a way of assuring colonization by Aurora, that way they can get rich off the proposed tourist industries, which are also going to be operated by pseudo-capitalists who will have access to fresh money from the Aurorian government.”

  “Boring!”

  “But this is where it gets interesting! Glik and Semnor were stupid enough to get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Kalapana is trying to make a name for himself by trying to fry these fish even before he gets them to the boat, all the while…all I gotta do is just make sure I steal an expedite pass before those two clowns are proven guilty.”

  She seemed uninterested, but she craved attention. She lit the Makani cigarette and passed it to him as she said, “What’s an expedite pass?”

  “It’s a like a get out of jail free card,” he said after he took a drag. “It allows business people to get into a space ship and blast off for Earth without having to go through the legal process of getting a launch permit. It was supposed to look like a Capitalist incentive…a way for businesses to get their products and people off Ailana in a hurry if need be. It allows you to bypass customs…actually, it was designed to entice failing businesses to pack up and leave. That way, the local people they laid off could be added to the welfare rolls, thus helping out men like High Senator Wram Karamotzain. If I can get my hands on one of those passes…I can leave this planet without any hassle by the local authorities…I can go back to Earth, sell the merchandise I have left and start rebuilding MY business again.”

  “Are you going to let me come with you?” She said, her voice cooing like a lovebird.

  Marco smiled at her and said, “If you promise to be a good girl.” Marco took another drag from the joint and tried to relax, but he just couldn’t. He reached over to the bedside stand, grabbed his com and began dialing it feverously.

  The voice on the other end of the com seemed laid back and relaxed, but in a strange, mechanical sort of way as it said, “Jhett Jonez here.”

  Marco wanted to get straight to the point, “How much of my product have you recovered so far, Jhett?”

  “Not enough to make you a profit. Donny Sparks really screwed you over, man. Why do you ask?”

  “I would appreciate it…if you would hurry up! I got a real bad feeling that someone is onto us, and that incident with Sparks may have made things more difficult, but we gotta go!”

  Jhett seemed cocky and coy as he said, “We haven’t had any trouble yet…other than that time we got jumped by those gang members on motorcycles…but we messed those fools up.”

  “Yes, but we don’t know who sent those guys…and that has me worried,” Marco took a nervous pause and sucked on the joint anxiously before he yelled, “Just get my stuff, and get me the hell off this rock already! Once you guys get the product I need, you must make one more visit to those warehouses…where we have been keeping that merchandise that no one can know about.”

  “Why? Are you worried about it or something?

  “Think about it Jhett, that jackass, who lit himself on fire and jumped out the window, could also cause problems for us, and we gotta take care of his loose ends! For all we know it was his people who might have sent those gang members after you because they think I screwed them over. We’ve dealt with too many wackjobs and weirdoes on this planet, Jhett. I’m fine with the fact that you gave the red card to that kid who decided to take a hike since he’s part of my plan, however, we can’t have too much of that stuff we brought here just laying around. We don’t want someone finding our merchandise and using it against the people we brought it here for in the first place. So that means we need to initiate Plan B…we make sure that the stuff in those warehouses is out of the picture and not available for anyone else to use after we have left.”

  “No problem…we just need a little more time…”

  “Keep in mind that we don’t have a lot of time! There are too many people who want me dead Jhett…and I’m getting real nervous here…death is in the air, I can just feel it! That guy in the black trench coat doesn’t just show up at your doorstep and walk away. He sure as hell isn’t here to enjoy the beach. I know that someone hired him to kill me for a reason! Something big is about to go down on this planet and I don’t want to be here when it does!”

  Location: The Kiliohu Skymart Apartment Complex…Downtown Polynea.
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  Ailanian Standard Time: 0342 Hours.

  The drunken man staggered up the stairs and paused for a moment, as the ringing of a com filled the air. He reached into his back pocket, and answered it with slurred words, “This is Ward, what do you want?”

  The drunken man had no idea that someone was lurking silently in the shadows, waiting to strike. The man in black stood on a balcony above the staircase that Ward was standing on, listening in on his private conversation.

  “Where’s that idiot named John McDonald?” Ward said as he stumbled, “I haven’t seen him all week. I don’t know where in the hell he is. All I know is that he better meet me tomorrow, or else I’m going to stick my size thirteen shoe in his ass! I mean, what the hell is he thinking? We have Marco on the run and now all we gotta do is catch him with his pants down!”

  The cover of night provided the perfect hiding spot as his electronic eyes zoomed in on the drunken man’s face. An electronically recorded memory was triggered by a set of extremely high tech circuits. The man in black remembered speaking to an ugly Ailanian man, just a few hours ago. “You’re looking for a man named William Ward?” The ugly man had said to him, “well, I can tell you where to find him…I was going to kill him myself because he disrespected a friend of mine. My friend’s name is Bula and Ward offered Bula’s wife a thousand dollars if she’d spend the night with him. Bula’s wife is my sister. He called my sister a whore! Now I don’t give a damn why you want this guy dead. But let me make one request…I want William Ward to die slowly, I want that drunken asshole to think good n’ long about what he done, cause it’s never cool to disrespect the locals. Is that cool with you?”