Earth Station (Station Series Book 1)

by Martin Schroth

  Persons appointed to Bodhi judiciary will receive minimal compensation (current minimum wage) when in session.

  Judges are encouraged to have a job other than the judiciary.

  Alternates will be assigned to the bench when the sitting judge cannot fulfill their duties or have a conflict of interest.

  Bodhi judiciary decisions are final except for the following:

  Bodhi judiciary can be overridden by a majority vote of the Executive Committee or by the Chairman with cause.

  ….

  Now that we had a constitution, Mike and I headed to Mexico City to meet with the President. We made an appointment so when we got to the presidential palace, the President was waiting for us.

  We walked into the executive office and met the president’s secretary. “Have a seat, President Diaz will be with you shortly.”

  I noticed that she spoke excellent English with only a very slight accent. We only waited a few minutes.

  “The President is ready for you now.” She gestured towards the door which was flanked by two very large and dangerous looking men. As we approached, they each took out a wand and ran it over our bodies; I assume to check for weapons. Satisfied, the man on the right, opened the door and beckoned us to enter.

  The President was sitting behind a large ornate desk. “Welcome gentleman, have a seat. I understand that you are requesting some of our land to form your own country.”

  “That’s correct Mr. President.” I handed him a map of northern Mexico with the borders of Bodhi outlined in blue. “As you know, Earth Station currently owns most of this land. However, inside the boundaries of the proposed country, there are several small towns. We would like to incorporate these towns into our country which we are calling Bodhi.”

  “Let’s get right to the point. What’s in it for Mexico?”

  “Mr. President, we come bearing gifts. May I?” I pointed to the door and he nodded. I walked out the door back into the secretary’s office and retrieved the food printer that we brought along. It was on an anti-grav platform. As I got to the President’s office door, one of the security guards blocked my entrance. “Let him in.” I heard the President say. The guard was nervous and decided to allow me in but followed me.

  “Mr. President, I have two items you may be interested in. The large device is a food printer. Have you had lunch?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “What would you like?”

  “How about a beef burrito with some chips and a Corona.”

  Our mites had transmitted to Mike the lunches that the President normally ate and we had all of them programmed into the food printer. I lifted the lid to show the president the inside of the printer. I then closed it and tapped a few icons on the screen. Thirty seconds later, the printer beeped and I opened the lid to a warm burrito, chips and a Corona. The printer also provided a plate. I picked up the plate and drink and placed it in front of the President.

  The President looked over at the guard and nodded. The guard walked over to the burrito and with a fork, cut off a piece and ate it. He then used a small cup to drink some of the Corona. “We can’t ever be too careful.” After a minute, the guard still seemed to be okay. “How are you feeling, José?” the President asked the guard.

  “Everything seems okay. By the way, that burrito is delicious.”

  “Mr. President, would it be okay for me to make a burrito for your guard?”

  “Of course, make two so the other guard outside can have one also. What would you like to drink José?”

  “I’ll just have a coke, one for Juan also,” the guard replied

  While I programmed the printer, the President began to eat his lunch. I handed the plate with the burritos on them to the guard and he picked up the two drinks.

  “Gracias.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “This is very good,” the President remarked.

  “Mr. President, you may also have noticed that the food printer is on a platform that is floating off the ground. That is our second gift. It is an anti-gravity platform.” I demonstrated that the platform is easy to move by just pushing the food printer. “We can provide you with both food printers and the anti-grav platforms.”

  “I am not about to give up a portion of Mexico for these toys,” the President responded.

  “Mike, you’re up. Tell the President what we have for him.”

  “These toys, as you call them, are not payment for the land. Bodhi will treat Mexico with preferred nation status so that you will be able to trade for these items as well as other technologies we have developed. In addition to the preferred nation status, Bodhi is willing to compensate your country for Bodhi by paying off your national debt which at present is in the neighborhood of almost 1 trillion US dollars. We also have defensive weapons, which are much more advanced than any other military in the world. Bodhi offers you a treaty for mutual defense.”

  “That’s a beginning. What else have you got?” the President said with some arrogance.

  I decided it was time to get a little tough. “Since you suggested that we get right to the point, I will try to make this clear. If we wanted to, we could take the land we desire from you and you would not have any recourse. At present, we have the resources to secure Bodhi’s borders to any attack from you or any other nation. My suggestion is that we play nice and you take our offer; which by the way is more than reasonable.”

  “You are bluffing and I don’t need to sit here and be bullied by you and your so called ‘superior country’,” the President said in an angry voice.

  “Let me demonstrate something for you. Kindly look out your window at the courtyard,” I retorted. “Mike, signal your men.”

  Mike lifted his communicator and spoke into it softly.

  One of our shuttles appeared in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace. It had arrived when we did and was cloaked until Mike gave the signal. The rear ramp lowered and five men in armor walked down the ramp. Immediately the guards stationed around the courtyard began firing at our men. The bullets bounce off their armor as they raised their weapons and fired on the guards. It was over in seconds. All the guards were knocked unconscious and our men walked into the Presidential offices. The President’s secretary sat in her chair stunned as they walked into the President’s office and surrounded Mike and I.

  “Your guards are fine. They have just been rendered unconscious. They will recover within an hour. I really don’t want to do this in a way that will cause harm to your people. We believe and you know that our proposal is more than fair. After all, the land that will comprise Bodhi is mostly mountains and desert, really nothing that Mexico will miss. So, what do you say?”

  The President was taken aback by our demonstration. Having gotten to his position, he had certainly dealt with and come out on top of some heavy handed corrupt people and organizations. I believe we made our point.

  Realizing that he was dealing with a player that was more powerful than him, he decided to capitulate for now. “I need to run this past our Congress but I am sure that we will be able to come to an agreement,” he said unhappily.

  “Great. I will have documents sent to you by this afternoon for your Congress to approve and your signature. It’s been a pleasure to meet with you. You will find us to be good neighbors and someone that you can rely on.” With that, Mike and I walked out. Before exiting his office, I turned and gave him a warning. “We are leaving our gifts for you to use. With the documents I am sending you, I will also send instructions on how to use the food printer and anti-grav platform. But I must warn you, if you attempt to tamper with either one of these devices, a signal will be sent to our facility and then there will be consequences.” The President looked out his window as we entered the shuttle. I yelled to Paul who was in the pilot compartment, “Put the cloak on and let’s go home.” The shuttle disappeared, much to the chagrin of the President watching.

  April 15th, 2112

  The deal was done by the end of the
week. Bodhi was now an official country. Our next step was to meet with the town leaders that are within the borders of Bodhi. Some of them know of the formation of Bodhi, but most of them don’t. Charlie and myself are going to visit all the towns in the next few weeks.

  Our first town to visit is El Miguel. From the intel that we gathered, the town is run by a group of elders. As we entered the town, there was a group sitting on benches in the town square. Charlie is fluent in Spanish and asked one of the group to direct us to the home of the lead elder. A man from the side of the group walked up to us and announces, “I am the senior elder of El Miguel. My name is José Ramos. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  I handed Mr. Ramos a folder which contained the paperwork on the formation of Bodhi and a copy of the constitution. “El Miguel is now part of a new country called Bodhi. I realize that this may not be agreeable to you but I assure you that your town will be much better off because of this change. We have with us several pieces of technology that you will find very valuable. Charlie, could you please get the 3D food processor for Mr. Ramos?” Charlie went back to the truck and floated the 3D printer out of the truck on an anti-grav platform.

  “You can read the constitution for details later but essentially, as a citizen of Bodhi, all the residents of El Miguel will have modern housing, medical care, education, and sustenance provided by the monarchy. This device,” I said pointing to the 3D printer, “can make any food that you would like. No one will ever have to go without a meal again. The hatch on the bottom of the printer contains a cartridge with the raw materials needed to create the food. We will also provide security for your town as well as employment to anyone who wishes to work. It’s all spelled out in the folder I gave you.”

  Mr. Ramos looked a little concerned. “We are Mexicans and have a rich heritage and culture which is part of us. This change in our allegiance is not something that we will embrace easily.”

  “I can assure you that you will not have to change any customs or the way you do things unless you wish to. By being a citizen of Bodhi, your life will be easier and more enriched. Your town will be brought into the future with technologies that will amaze you. To demonstrate just a small bit of what you will have available, this device will make lunch for this entire group. What would you like to eat?”

  Ramos looked skeptical, “I’ll have a hamburger, fries and coke.”

  I punched a few buttons on the printer and in a few seconds, Ramos had his meal. While he gawked at it, several others walked over and requested a meal. After about fifteen minutes, everyone was eating.

  “How much do we have to pay for these devices?” Ramos asked.

  “Nothing. As a citizen of Bodhi each home will be provided with a 3D food printer and we will set up a shop where your towns people will be able to get replacement cartridges, again for free.”

  “We would like to begin modernizing your housing by installing modern plumbing and electrical grids. The changes will all be hidden and everything will basically look the same, unless someone wishes to upgrade their residence to a more modern look. It is totally up to each individual. So, what do you say, can we get started?”

  “This is a lot to take in. I will have to meet with the rest of the Elders to discuss all these revelations. We will let you know what we have decided by tomorrow. How can we get in touch with you?”

  I handed Ramos a communicator and showed him how to use it. “I would also like to know if any of your townspeople would be interested in working for us. When our crew comes back to El Miguel, Charlie here, will have a list of job openings and can interview prospective employees. Meanwhile, I will leave this food printer here for you to use and there are several replacement cartridges in this box,” I said, pointing to a box on the platform next to the printer.

  Charlie called me over and whispered, “I think you need to invite Mr. Ramos to Earth Station to show him what we have for him and his town.”

  “That’s a good idea.” I turned back to Ramos, “Mr. Ramos, are you busy at present, because we would like you to come back to Earth Station with us? Earth Station is the capital of Bodhi and all citizens of Bodhi are welcome to visit and take advantage of the facilities we have.”

  “I would like that. I really don’t have anything to do this afternoon and it would give me more information to relay to the rest of the elders. Do I need to bring anything?”

  “No, everything you need will be provided.”

  “Pedro will be able to handle things here while I am gone,” Ramos said pointing to a young man standing by his side. He said a few words to him and then turned back to me. “I’m ready, whenever you are.”

  “I must warn you that anyone who tries to take apart any of these devices will be in for a rude surprise. The technology is ultra-secret and only persons with the proper clearance can work on these devices. Make sure that Pedro knows not to mess with them. Use them all you want, but don’t try to take them apart.”

  Ramos turned to Pedro and told him what I had said. I really need to learn Spanish or get the geeks and squints to come up with a translator device. “We are ready to go.”

  Charlie, Ramos and I got into the truck and headed back to Earth Station. We pulled into the parking garage and hopped onto a rail car. First stop was the sports complex.

  “Mr. Ramos, this is our sports complex which all our citizens are free to use. They can check with our staff for availability and scheduling.”

  “Call me José. This is quite impressive.”

  “Our sports complex has three baseball fields, two softball fields, two soccer fields, and two football fields.” As we walked around, we eventually went into a door. “This is our ‘indoor’ facility. Since the entire facility is underground, using the term indoor is meant to convey that some of the facility is enclosed. Inside there is an Olympic swimming pool, two basketball courts, two gymnasiums, a weight room and a training facility which also houses a well-equipped first aid station. Once we have all the towns in Bodhi on board, we will set up competitions in all the sports we have represented here.”

  Our tour continued and José was shown the sick bay, mess hall and office complex. “Below us there is a large research ring and a computer ring. The rings are about 1000 meters in diameter and over 3 km in circumference. At present, I cannot take you down there for security reasons. Charlie, could you please continue showing José around? I have some work to catch up on. Come on back to my office when you are done.”

  Charlie took José up to the residential ring. “This is the residential ring where most of the staff that works in Earth Station lives. Anyone who works in Earth Station has the option of living here as part of their employment.”

  “This is very nice. I am glad that you brought me here. From what I have seen so far, it will be easy to convince my townspeople to embrace being citizens of Bodhi.”

  “Next we will be heading to ESSC. If you have been impressed so far, be prepared to be amazed.”

  Charlie and José worked their way up to ESSC. Walking in to the complex, Charlie said, “ESSI, please come and meet José, he is the lead elder for the town of El Miguel.” ESSI appeared in front of us and José jumped back. “Good afternoon, José, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “ESSI stands for Earth Station Sentient Intelligence. She is also a citizen of Bodhi and has all the rights that go along with that. ESSI is an invaluable member of Earth Station and basically keeps this place running smoothly. Thank you ESSI.”

  José didn’t know what to make of ESSI. “What are you?” he said a little frightened.

  “I am a sentient computer construct. I am, in all senses of the word, alive.”

  “That is truly amazing and a little scary.”

  “Don’t worry about it, ESSI will grow on you and before long, you will think of her as a real person. She can be very helpful. You will be able to talk to her and ask her for help and advice, just like any other staff member of Earth Station. Now for another surprise.”


  José and Charlie entered the ESSC training facility. Paul was there working with some recruits. “Paul, I would like you to meet José Ramos, he is the lead elder of El Miguel. José, this is Paul Roberts our head of training and director of ESSC.”

  Paul came over and shook José’s hand. “Welcome to Earth Station. Are you impressed yet?”

  “That, sir, is the understatement of the year,” José replied.

  “Paul, can you show José one of our shuttles?”

  “Sure, follow me.”

  Charlie looked at José and said, “You will be returning to El Miguel in one of these when we are finished with your tour.”

  The three walked out of the training facility into a large hanger bay. Nothing appeared to be there.

  “Watch this,” Paul said with a smile on his face.

  Paul walked to a monitor on the wall and pressed a few icons on the screen. A few meters in front of us, a shuttle appeared as its cloak was turned off. José nearly fell down.

  “Dios Mio…??”

  “Our shuttle and other craft have a cloaking device which renders them invisible to the naked eye. It also absorbs most of the electromagnetic spectrum which makes it very difficult to detect,” Paul explained. “Let’s take a look inside.” The ramp lowered and the three walked inside.

  José was in awe. “This is something out of a futuristic science fiction show. It is just incredible.”

  “That’s not the half of it. I’ll be taking you back to El Miguel and show you how this thing flies. If you think you are amazed now, just wait.”

  Charlie finished showing José around and then they headed back to the offices.

  “So, what do you think of our little place here?” I said.

  “I am in awe. I am having trouble wrapping my head around it all.”

  “Thank you for showing our guest around Charlie. Could you get together a list of positions available that the citizens of El Miguel might be interested in? We want to integrate the citizens of El Miguel as soon as possible. I’ll send a contingent from Barry’s department with you tomorrow so he can get started on upgrading the infrastructure of El Miguel. I know you have a lot of work to do so I will let you go. Thanks again Charlie.”