She halted for a few seconds and looked around the room before continuing.
“This, you humans will surely see as a challenge and you will become consumed with obtaining what you cannot possess. This will lead to conflict between our worlds. Bhakktahra will not allow this to happen. We do not want war. We do not want to have to devote precious time or resources to protecting and defending what is ours. We have the means to see that you do not conquer space. We intend to use it if you do not listen and appropriately respond to our words.”
Everyone in the room was captivated. They were all aware that the alien creatures in our earth’s oceans were using these people to convey a message. Even Admiral Zoren was listening to what was being said, for a change.
“The earth has a thin outer shell and beneath this is a liquid molten core,” Susan continued. “The Bhakktah have planted many of your own destructive devices that can be activated. This will trigger a chain reaction around your planet. The devices will cause gigantic reverberations which will result in the planet tearing itself apart. You will become cosmic dust. The Bhakktah will not become engaged in a war with the humans of Earth. The devices are in place and are all armed. You can do nothing to disarm them. They are each encased in a material that you cannot penetrate. Each device is connected to the next. If any attempt is made to deactivate one of the devices, the next will automatically detonate. This will set up a chain reaction that will tear your world apart. You do not possess the ability to locate all of the devices and disarm them simultaneously.
Once again she halted then started up, “The Bhakktah will not kill Bhakktah but we will eliminate those who would one day attempt to conquer us. This is not our choice, but yours. You have brought us to this situation. Only you can initiate the changes that will prevent your destruction. You must do exactly as instructed. If you do not, then you will force us to take action to protect our home world. We are offering your world one chance to survive. Knowing the nature of humans, you probably do not believe that we possess the abilities we say we have. We have prepared a demonstration to show you that what we say is true. In two earth hours we will detonate a small device to demonstrate our ability. You have two hours to warn the humans that inhabit the city known as Kobe, in the country of Japan, that the city will be destroyed. No other damage will be forthcoming at this time. In two hours we will detonate. Do not spend your time foolishly,” Susan finished and sat down.
Everyone in the room was initially in shock. Finally, when no one else stood up, they all began talking at once. Question after question was shouted out. None of the people who had spoken acknowledged the questions.
Peter spoke up at last, “Listen. Everyone. Mr. President, may I speak?”
“Everyone shut up!” the President said, shouting at the top of his voice. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence.
“Please be quiet. Dr. Ferris has something to add. Doctor?”
“They cannot answer your questions. The devices attached to our heads were placed there so that we could communicate what the Bhakktah wish to convey. We cannot communicate directly with them. They communicate through us. I met them face to face, but the attached device was necessary for communication. I am surprised that my colleagues' statements were so eloquent because in communicating with the Bhakktah it was very difficult to understand the meaning of many of their statements. I have a theory about that, but it is unimportant in the scheme of things at this time. The first order of business is to notify Japan of the impending disaster. Mr. President, you need to take immediate action.”
“All right Dr. Ferris. I’ll have my people get Prime Minister Kayko on the line. I don’t know what they can accomplish in two hours, but you are right, if we have this knowledge and failed to notify them, it would be unconscionable. He picked up the phone and instructed his staff to reach the Prime Minister. He was to be notified as soon as the Prime Minister could be located.
“Dr. Ferris. You said you yourself actually came face to face with them. What are they like?” President Beland asked.
“I’m not trying to be evasive but some things have been erased from our minds. I remember that they are very large and powerful. I estimated them to be over twelve feet tall. They have large eyes that appear to be multifaceted. Their skin is like armor almost, but not exactly. They were breathing some mixture. I suspect that it was for our benefit. We could breathe the air and I think they were trying to accommodate us. They did not threaten us at any time, except to tell me that our world was on the brink of destruction. I felt calm the whole time,” Peter told him.
“Where did you finally locate them?” Admiral Zoren interjected.
“Sir, I do not know. That part is missing. We tried to review the video tapes on the Chameleon but everything from the time we started to enter the Mariana Trench has been erased. None of us remember a thing about it. We have all tried to reconstruct what happened but to no avail.”
“Oh bull. You just don’t want to give away their position,” he said.
“Why? What good would that do? You heard what they told you. They could destroy us at any time.”
“That’s what they say. Talk is cheap,” Zoren said.
They were interrupted by the phone.
“Sir, I have Minister Kayko’s interpreter on the line.”
“Good. Put him through in here.
“Mr. President, the Prime Minister is surprised at your call. Is there an emergency?”
“Please tell Prime Minister Kayko that I apologize for the interruption. It is urgent. We have reason to believe that a city called Kobe will experience devastating destruction in less than two hours.”
They waited in silence as the interpreter translated the message.
“Minister Kayko is not sure what you mean. What kind of disaster?”
“Most likely an earthquake. A very severe earthquake. We believe that it will be very powerful.”
Again they waited as the translation took place. It seemed to take forever.
“The Minister asks how do you know this? Is Kobe the only place in danger?”
“We believe so. We have been monitoring that area of the earth and have detected a dangerous level of activity. It seems to be centered around Kobe. You do not have much time.”
They could hear the exchange between the interpreter and the Minister.
“The Prime Minister thanks you for this information. He will call his advisors and check out the situation. He is most grateful for your warning.”
“Please tell him to hurry. Time is critical. You must act immediately.”
“Yes. He understands and will do all that he can. Thank you. Goodbye.”
“Well, it was the best I could do,” he said as he hung up the phone.
“I don’t think they really believed you, Mr. President,” the Chief of Staff said.
“I’m afraid you may be right.”
“How do you know it’s going to be an earthquake?” General Durance asked.
“I don’t, but I had to tell them something. It’s the best I could do. I guess I just inferred that from hearing the others speak.”
“You are correct. It will come in the form of an earthquake,” Peter said.
I am remembering a demonstration they produced for me. They showed me a hologram of the earth and displayed all of the continental plates. Red dots represented the devices they were talking about. They showed me what would happen when they were detonated. The earth started to vibrate and then just exploded.”
“What a crock,” Admiral Zoren said, “I don’t believe for one minute that they are all that powerful. I certainly wouldn’t show my enemy what I was going to do if I could really do it. It’s a bluff.”
“I guess we are about to find out, wouldn’t you say Admiral? In a little over an hour, if they are right, the city of Kobe will be obliterated. If not, then you just may be right. If I had to put my money on something, it would be them,” Peter said trying not to let Zoren anger him.
CHAPTER EIGHT<
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“Dr. Ferris, just what is it that they want from us? A promise never to go to Titan or whatever they call it?”
“Bhakktahra. Maybe. The problem is that they do not believe we are capable of keeping our word. They told me that leaders change too often and so do the policies of the countries. Man has never kept his word over the long haul,” Peter replied.
“What do they want then? I mean, there has to be more to it than just this,” Lester Whittaker, Secretary of Defense said.
“Yes. They are going to relocate the population of earth to a different planet away from Bhakktahra,” Peter suddenly said, not realizing that it just popped into his head.
“What? Are you crazy? Relocate? This is insane! No one can relocate an entire civilization with billions and billions of people? Dr. Ferris, you have a screw lose if you believe that,” Admiral Zoren said angrily.
“Mr. President, he is experiencing some sort of delusion,” General Durance added.
“You may believe whatever you want. It is what they intend to do. Our choice is to relocate, stay and be destroyed, or find a solution that they will accept,” Peter told them.
“Dr. Ferris, I’m trying to understand. It is difficult to grasp what you’re telling us. How can the entire population of a planet be relocated?” the President asked
“Honestly I’m not sure. As I understand it, not everyone will be relocated. They have a way of scanning our minds or some method of determining intrinsic morality, or goodness if you will. I don’t really understand that part too well myself. They intend to take those they consider to be the good humans from earth and leave the rest to their fate,” Peter said.
“Oh for pity sakes” Admiral Zoren said in disgust, “That about tops it all. The good live and the bad die. Who is the judge? Who determines the ones who are going to live from the ones that are going to die? Tell me that. Mr. President, if you don’t mind, we could better use this time trying to figure out how we are going to kick these aliens off our planet. This is a stupid science fiction story. We need to address the real problem here, getting them off of Earth.”
“I agree,” General Durance added, “This is pure crap. They come here to our planet and make demands on us? I don’t think so. They have captured and killed our people. We need to respond in the most severe manner we can instead of wringing our hands about who is naughty and who is nice. Who do they think they are? Santa Clause?”
“Admiral. General. I understand your frustration, but Dr. Ferris and the others did not just make this up to amuse us. What they are saying must be true, or at least have elements of truth. I don’t think going off halfcocked is a wise idea,” the President said.
“The President is absolutely correct,” Lester Whittaker said, “We need to find a way to defuse this situation, not challenge it. Dr. Ferris, did they offer any other alternatives?”
Peter glazed over like the others had done before him.
“The human race is incapable of keeping its word. What you promise today will be broken tomorrow. The Bhakktah do not wish to destroy your world but it is necessary for our survival unless you can offer a solution to this dilemma. You need to discuss this matter with all the leaders of countries that will have the ability to explore space.
You must come to us with a plan that the Bhakktah are willing to accept. If you do not, your good humans will be relocated to Zygonnia in what you call the Great Andromeda Galaxy. The remaining humans will be destroyed, along with the planet. The Bhakktah are giving you one chance to control your own future. If you fail, we will control it for you. It is time for you to expand your minds or to die,” Peter said.
“I can’t believe I’m sitting here listening to this drivel,” Admiral Zoren said, slamming his fist on the table.
The President looked at him through squinted eyes.
“Admiral Zoren, one more outburst like that and you will be excused from further briefings. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mr. President. Very clear.”
“Now they all seem to be in some sort of a trance. Does anyone have a useful suggestion?” the President asked.
“I’m not sure what Dr. Ferris was getting at. Is he saying that we have one chance to make a counter proposal? If they don’t accept it, it’s off to Zygonnia?” asked Whittaker.
“In a nutshell, I think that’s exactly what he said,” answered the Chief of Staff,
“How in the world can we get all of the nations to agree? We can’t even agree on the size or shape of a conference table in most cases. I don’t see how we can agree on something of this magnitude,” General Durance said.
“What kind of assurances could we give them that we will never attempt to go to their world?” Whittaker asked.
“It.....” The phone rang. The President picked it up.
“Yes? I see. Yes. How big? I understand,” he said, and hung up the phone.
“An earthquake registering 8.6 on the Richter Scale has occurred. The epicenter is believed to be near the coastal town of Kobe, Japan. It has caused massive damage.”
“Son of a gun,” Raymond muttered.
“Indeed. It seems that our alien friends are capable of producing mass destruction exactly like they said they were,” the President said.
“That was just a warning,” Peter suddenly said.
He seemed to be back to normal. The others were coming around as well.
“The Bhakktah are not bluffing. They will carry out their threat. If we attempt to disarm the devices, even if we could locate them, or make war with the Bhakktah, they will destroy the earth without further warning.”
“Mr. President, we cannot just roll over and play dead. We have to attack. We have to show them that we are the masters of this planet. The earth belongs to the human race not the Bhakktah. We can’t just give up and let them dictate what we can and cannot do,” Admiral Zoren said.
“He is right, Mr. President. If we fold now, they can come back and tell us what to do over and over. Hell, we could end up being their slaves. How do we know they will ever stop making demands on us? Today, it’s stay away from Titan. Tomorrow, who knows?” General Durance added.
“They have a valid point. Where does it all end? We are being conquered without putting up a battle. I’m not sure that’s what we do best,” Lester Whittaker said.
“And just what is it that we do best? Kill?” Susan said.
“We don’t give up and stick our heads in the sand, I can tell you that,” Admiral Zoren said, “You may think this is fine, but I for one, am not going to stand by and let some alien creatures dictate the terms by which I can exist. We have never done it and it’s not about to start now.
The debate raged on for hours. Both sides were passionate about what needed to be done. The President tried to be fair and impartial but he was not about to give up this country or this planet without exploring all the options.
Relocate and let the bad die? Even the question of good and bad is not that clear cut. People sometimes do bad things and learn from their mistakes. No sane person could expect such a proposal to be acceptable. While they were debating the issue, they were updated that the death toll in Kobe had risen to over three thousand and many more were still missing.
“Mr. President. You must make an effort to get the other world leaders to agree to leave Titan alone. Set up a world agency to review all space missions. Make sure no one from any country is allowed to send probes or manned spacecraft to that part of the solar system. That’s all we have to do. Isn’t the world worth trying to save?”
“Of course it is. That’s not the issue, Dr. Ferris. Getting every nation to go along with it is the problem. The Bhakktah are right in some respects. We have been at war since the first man walked on this planet. We aren’t about to stop now, no matter how serious the threat,” the President answered.
“Not to mention that we don’t know if we can trust them. One small city being destroyed isn’t the same thing as a world. They may cause some damage, but I don’t thi
nk they can destroy the world,” Zoren said.
“Are you willing to take that chance? I certainly wouldn’t be,” Luke challenged.
“I won’t be subject to their dictates,” Zoren shot back.
“All I am saying is, that before you start attacking, why not at least try to come to an agreement with the other world leaders. If that fails, then you can pursue other options. If you attack, I can assure you that the earth will be destroyed,” Peter said.
“How much time do we have? Did they say?” the President asked.
“You have three weeks,” Marcus said, then shook his head.
It had just popped in his head. Did this mean they could hear what was being said or was it an automatic response programmed for when that question was asked?
“Three weeks? They are crazy! It can’t be done. We would be better off getting ready for them in the next three weeks. At least we wouldn’t just be handing over our world to aliens,” General Durance said firmly.
“We will do both. General, Admiral, you continue with plans to fight, if we have to. I want to see your recommendations in my office in one week. I will begin plans to set up a conclave with the other world leaders to see if we can come up with a peaceful solution. I will decide the final position we will take before the deadline. I don’t want to hear anymore just now. I need time to think. Admiral Marcus, you and the others are to remain here in Washington in case I need you. It may be necessary to have you tell this story over and over again.”
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