Proceedings were then officially adjourned for lunch.
1:00 p.m. Earth: Summit – Day 4 (Finalisation of Treaty)
The afternoon session was facilitated by the European Union President, Emma Verlaine and she maintained a professional tenor throughout. The President’s deft facilitation skills encouraged vigorous discussion and debate that was needed to finalise every area of the treaty. There were some irate exchanges, especially when the population management clauses were eventually voted on, but thankfully sanity prevailed and there were no walkouts. The opponents to the treaty’s population management requirements were reminded that they would have to comply, irrespective of their existing constitutions, human rights’ frameworks, and cultural or religious beliefs.
Each nation would have to pass a number of amendments for the treaty to be fully incorporated into their constitutional laws and policies. This was sure to be met with resistance from opposition parties and citizens … but it had to be done. There was no escaping the fact that drastic action was needed for the world to be saved and that it would be the responsibility of each and every nation to play its part.
By 8:05 p.m. all the independent sections within the treaty had been diligently worked through, voted upon where necessary, and ultimately concluded. The Principals now had a comprehensive treaty document that had obtained majority approval from the dignitaries. Expressions of sheer relief and congratulation were evident on the fatigued faces of both the Principals and dignitaries, and many stood to applaud in recognition of the momentous achievement.
The Principals hoped that the dignitaries would follow through and sign the treaty at the following day’s signing ceremony, and that their signing would be undertaken as a sincere and resolute, world-changing affirmation … rather than some trivial formality. This would not only signify preliminary triumph, but also the beginning of a long and arduous road ahead.
After the session was closed the Principals convened in their private meeting room and summoned the treaty experts to spend as long as it took to prepare the treaty for signing the following day.
8:00 a.m. Earth: Summit – Day 5 (Closing and Signing Ceremony)
Day Five dawned with the potential to mark the most important turning point in world history: the day that humankind took the unified decision to save the world and themselves.
Proceedings were scheduled to commence at 8:00 a.m. By that time, 452 dignitaries were seated – all somewhat relieved that the marathon summit was reaching its conclusion. Only 48 dignitaries had chosen to boycott the signing ceremony as a clear indication of their condemnation of the summit and the treaty.
Edward Payton was the first to address the dignitaries and thank them for their participation. He stated that although the summit was important, even more so, was the insight and perspective that each of the dignitaries had contributed and gained from it. The implementation of the Ultimatum and compliance thereto, were paramount factors and the treaty would hopefully serve as the catalyst for the successful accomplishment of both.
Each of the other Principals followed in turn. They spoke of their impressions of the summit and how they believed it would positively impact the futures of both humanity and the planet. They all expressed optimism and emphasised the importance of compliance by all nations and their citizens, to the treaty and Ultimatum. Also raised was the vital importance of transparency and accountability to the Global Compliance Monitoring Agency.
The Chinese President highlighted that a critical success factor would be open, multilateral communication between nations, through which best practice, policy advancements and technological information could be shared. He then thanked the dignitaries for their patient and unwavering cooperation that had prevailed throughout the summit.
President Jameson was last to speak. She stated that in world history, the signing ceremony would constitute ‘mankind’s courageous commitment to the prolongation of all life on Earth’. The dignitaries were moved by the words that Jameson had spoken and felt proud to be a part of the summit.
The Ultimatum Compliance Treaty’s signing ceremony began as planned at 10:00 a.m. The 12 Principals were the first to sign the treaty’s ‘goodwill and commitment register’, followed by the dignitaries. The signing ceremony went smoothly, with the majority of heads of state coming forward to sign the register on behalf of their nations, followed by the other dignitaries who signed in bold declaration of their allegiance to the treaty. Everyone put on brave faces while signing, even though they knew that it was sure to become the most controversial, challenging and frightening treaty ever signed.
The signing ceremony was video recorded and would be given to the media directly after the Principals’ live press conference, which was scheduled for later that afternoon. The exact purpose of the summit and the existence of the treaty were, at this stage, still completely unknown to both the media and the world population.
The live broadcasting of the press conference was expected to raise global concern. Thus, the recorded signing ceremony would be broadcast immediately after the press conference: for everyone to see the world’s top leadership and a host of other famous dignitaries, signing and committing themselves to the treaty. This would serve to calm potential widespread fear, and reinforce the summit’s authenticity in the public eye.
By two o’clock, the 12 Principals and 427 dignitaries had signed the treaty’s commitment register. Just 25 of those in attendance had abstained from signing. Including the absentees, a total of only 73 dignitaries had not signed – most of whom were religious leaders, company CEOs, dictators of notorious regimes and most surprisingly, the Prime Minister of Australia.
The Principals were ecstatic about the number of dignitaries who had ratified the treaty. It signified a watershed moment for humanity and planet Earth. An 85% signature rate was far beyond their expectations and they were very complimentary of the dignitaries who had signed. They made a point of defending those who had chosen not to sign, stating that their abstentions were to be respected. They stressed that their signatures would be welcomed at any time in the future should their sentiments change, and that the treaty’s foundation would only be strengthened by their inclusion.
The Principals joined the dignitaries for lunch and spoke to as many of them as possible, thanking them for their attendance, perseverance and support. Many of the dignitaries thanked the Principals for their effort, and even though most still held reservations as to the summit and the treaty, their high regard for the Principals remained unaffected.
One thing was certain: it was now up to every dignitary who had attended the summit, to lead the people of the world through the difficult time that was expected to follow.
2:30 p.m. Earth: Summit – Day 5 (Press Conference)
The summit’s appointed Head of Defence and Security notified the Principals and dignitaries of the thronging masses of people that were still gathered in the streets around the Burj al Persia Hotel, and that exit by road would not be possible. As such, they would all have to leave the hotel by helicopter.
By this time, the crowd was conservatively estimated to number half a million people, and their presence in the streets continued to cause major disruptions to the functioning of this already highly populated commercial and residential part of the city. Not even a combined effort by the police and military units had been able to disperse the crowds. They had used the most persuasive non-lethal methods, including pepper spray, teargas, stun grenades and water cannons, but they proved to have only limited effect.
Eventually, it was the intolerably hot weather and deprivation of water, food and sleep that slowly began to convince the crowds to disperse. Demonstrators started to lose their enthusiasm due to the lack of an audience. The fans and spectators, who had longed to catch a glimpse of their revered icons, were devastated to see the helicopters flying back and forth overhead, ferrying their occupants directly to the Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports. They also started to leave in droves.
The Principals were left with only one more summit duty to fulfil and that was the official, joint press conference scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, and run until 7:00 p.m. that evening. Preparations were well underway to broadcast the press conference live, via the top media channels around the globe.
Both the Principals and dignitaries had agreed that it would be the most suitable and least disruptive time to disclose the existence of the Supreme Beings and their Ultimatum, as well as the newly ratified Ultimatum Compliance Treaty. Most nations’ security forces had been placed on high alert throughout the summit in order to deal with any social disturbances that might have erupted. Fortunately none had thus far.
For the press conference, the heads of state had instructed their home security forces to remain on high alert and maintain social order at all costs. No one knew for sure how the world population would respond to the revelation that intelligent life existed beyond that of planet Earth – only time would tell. Hopefully humankind’s long search for extraterrestrial life had sufficiently conditioned people into taking the revelation in their stride. Many people around the world believed that it was only a matter of time before life was discovered elsewhere in the Universe. Well, that time had come … and in an unexpected, yet spectacular fashion.
The press conference venue was on the ground floor of the hotel. Journalists and reporters representing the top 100 invited news networks, had gone through a number of personal and equipment security clearance checks before being granted access into the hotel. By 3:45 p.m., they had all congregated in the venue, set up their equipment, and were now slowly settling into their seats. Many familiar faces littered the crowd including world renowned correspondents from all the top news networks that dominated global media. It was rare to have so many top media representatives in a single venue at the same time.
For security purposes, the Principals would be seated behind an impenetrable barrier of safety glass that appeared to be a permanent feature around the small stage area. Even though each one of the media representatives had undergone the standard background, screening, profiling and vetting checks before being authorised to attend, the process had been fast-tracked to accommodate the time constraints; resulting in concern that the checks had not necessarily been performed to the impeccable level of thoroughness usually attained. Thus maximum precaution had to be taken to ensure that no attempt on the life of any one of the Principals could be successfully carried out.
At 3:55 p.m. the 12 Principals entered the press conference room and took their seats behind a long table. The safety glass separating them from the media was tinted blue and visibly thick, distorting the view of the reporters and journalists. It was strangely quiet behind the wall of glass as it stopped any sound from entering the stage area. Only the low, continuous drone of human activity and chatter was audible. The exterior sound was then turned up artificially, and the Principals could suddenly hear the commotion on the other side of the glass barrier via a speaker system. The press conference organiser then called for calm and slowly quietened everyone down.
At 4:00 p.m. exactly the press conference got underway. During the first hour the Principals addressed the media, finally revealing the full context of the summit. They took turns in explaining: the Principal delegation’s encounter with intelligent, extra-terrestrial ‘Supreme Beings’ aboard their spacecraft; the existence of a ‘Galactic Federation’; the Earth’s deteriorating environmental situation; the Ultimatum and its key objectives; the threat of consequential ‘remediation’; the signed Ultimatum Compliance Treaty; NASA’s feigned ‘New Horizon Project’; and the verified photographic evidence of the spacecraft that would be freely available on NASA’s website after the press conference.
The media was dumbfounded by these Earth-shattering revelations. This was the story of a lifetime, although many of the media representatives weren’t quite sure how to interpret the information or react to it. They had known that the story would be big – but none had fathomed just how big.
The Principals address was followed immediately by an open question session which was set to last two hours. Journalists and reporters asked the Principals a variety of questions, some relating to the revelation that extra-terrestrial life had been encountered and others to the Ultimatum Compliance Treaty itself. The Principals took the opportunity to reinforce the fact that the encounter and the treaty were inextricably linked, and that the extra-terrestrial beings had given humankind the Ultimatum to save the Earth and human beings from potential environmental destruction.
President Jameson elaborated, “The Ultimatum Compliance Treaty is humanity’s most appropriate response to both the environmental situation and the Supreme Beings’ Ultimatum. It is also our symbolic expression of commitment to ourselves as a species, and to all other life that shares planet Earth with us, that we shall strive for environmental restoration. If the world honours this treaty, by uniting to overcome the numerous challenges that stand before us, then we will have nothing to fear. It is achievable … and we will do whatever it takes to accomplish it!”
Close to 50 questions had been asked and answered by the time the press conference was drawn to a close, at 7:00 p.m. Even the toughest questions – pertaining to population management, land appropriation, pollution controls, emission reductions, and the so-called remediation – had all been suitably addressed.
The Principals believed that there was now sufficient information in the public domain for people across the world to understand the severity of the situation and, at the same time, limit the opportunity for scepticism and conspiracy theories to run amok. As a direct result of this, social order could be more easily maintained, particularly in the short to medium term while people processed the information.
The Principals filed out of the press conference venue and made their way directly to their private meeting room. There, the hotel had organised a complimentary banquet for them. They were all exhausted after their five-day nonstop marathon. It was a relief to finally have the summit behind them but the real challenge still lay ahead, lurking ominously … like the approaching wall of a sandstorm.
At least for the next few hours they could set aside their innumerable concerns.
7:00 p.m. Earth: Summit – Press Speculation
The live press conference and subsequent televising of the signing ceremony dominated all forms of media. The coverage and viewership ratings beat all previous media records, including the one set a decade earlier, when the US Secretary of Defence announced that all GPS civilian privileges would be revoked worldwide under the new Terror Cessation Bill*.
[* A second 9/11 terror attack in 2025 had levelled New York’s decade-old One World Trade Centre. The attack had been carried out using a fleet of GPS enabled civilian drones, which had been fitted with high-yield explosives. This had forced Congress to pass a bill allowing the US Department of Defence to revoke all non-military GPS privileges. There was global outrage as billions of GPS enabled devices could no longer be used for positioning. Chaos ensued especially in all forms of transportation which were heavily reliant on it. Subsequent to the decision, Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s GALILEO and China’s BEI-DOU systems were also restricted to military use only. The move had sparked a media super-nova.]
The revelation that not only life, but intelligent life, existed in different parts of the galaxy took the media by storm. It had always been assumed that humanity would discover other life in the galaxy, before being discovered itself. Confounding to astronomers was that Earth’s numerous radio telescopes, including the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in South Africa and Australia, and China’s Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), had picked up no evidence whatsoever, of this allegedly thriving intra-galactic community of intelligent races. Renowned astronomers were immediately sceptical of the account by the Principals, but reserved opinion until they were privy to all the facts.
Director Henderson was interviewed on CNN about NASA’s newly published
pictures of the spacecraft. The pictures were now being circulated on news networks around the world, and were astonishing to all those who saw them. He had been given express permission by President Jameson to speak openly about the whole episode.
Meteorologists, climatologists and environmentalists from every ecological sphere, were taken aback by the startling and very worrying environmental information that had been disclosed. Many were fearful that if the Principals’ account was true, then life on Earth as they had always known it, would never be the same again.
News networks invited political, social and economic experts from every echelon of society to comment on the Ultimatum Compliance Treaty. Almost all predicted turbulent times ahead for the world. Legal professionals and commentators stated that the signing of the treaty constituted nothing more than a ‘non-binding act of goodwill’. They went on to say that the legitimacy of the treaty would almost certainly not hold up in the International Court of Law. They claimed that the heads of state were acting beyond their political authority by signing the treaty and that the CEOs of major global organisations and companies were also acting beyond their corporate authority.
They questioned the dignitaries’ thinking for having signed a treaty on behalf of their nations, citizens, followers, shareholders and others who were still at this stage, only now becoming aware of its content. It was standard practice for motions of acceptance to be voted on and passed by the majority of governing bodies, before signing a treaty. Once signed, numerous bills would then need to be prepared and put forward to Congress or Parliamentary bodies for their review. Only if approved could changes be instituted across the various constitutional laws, policies, and legal frameworks that governed nations. In their overall opinion, the fast track treaty had been too hastily agreed upon and would only cause mayhem in the future.
Wake-up Call: 2035 Page 31