Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  Paul began to silently laugh. Every time he has cried out to God that he was at the end of his rope and couldn’t take any more, God would always find some way to prove him wrong, that he could in fact take a little more. He replied, “I thought you people pretty much went home in October or November.” Harold Braun quickly responded, “Very observant of you, but after hearing your speeches in America and meeting with myself and President of the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Bacmando, the Secretary-General has called for an emergency Special Session to discuss you and your position on world terrorism. Everyone is anxious to find out just what they should expect from you. Many are not pleased with threats of intervention into their countries.” Paul wanted to scream at this point, but kept his cool. He knew these U.N. people spent more time talking than actually doing anything, so he let Mr. Braun know, “Sir, I would never want any of the Nations represented by the U.N. to misunderstand my intentions. I will be glad to speak to them next week and clarify my position. Just let me know what time you want me there. I’ll plan to be in New York at our temporary embassy after I leave here tomorrow morning.” Mr. Braun quickly confirmed, “I’ll meet you in the lobby of the General Assembly Building at 10:00 AM. That will give us time for you to address the General Assembly by 11:00. See you then.” They said their goodbyes and Paul headed out the door for Australia.

  The flight out across the deserts of the Middle East went by quickly and they were soon flying across the green forests of southern India and the islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. The cluster of big islands reminded Paul of parts of Verron and made him homesick. As they hit the northern coast of Australia headed southeast toward the Capitol City of Canberra, it reminded Paul and Tala of Molnar. Tala looked at her uncle and asked, “Wonder if they would like a terraforming project started here. It’s hard to believe people live down there.” Paul told her, “Not many do. The whole country only has about 23 million people and is almost as big as the United States. Texas alone has more than that and California has over 30 million people. One day hopefully Verron will have more people than both of them.” It suddenly struck Paul that his entire population, approaching 4 million, was a bit smaller than the population of Sydney, Australia.

  They had been asked to land at the Canberra International Airport and were assigned to a VIP gate at the main terminal. The gate area was packed with photographers, reporters and curious onlookers as Paul Verron and his entourage stepped into the terminal building where they were greeted by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Talbot. They were escorted to a convoy of stretch Humvees and driven to Government House, the residence of the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Samuel Grove. Paul liked these people already; they evidently knew he refused to wear a tie. No doubt they were relieved because few people in Australia did. He was greeted by the Governor General and welcomed to his home. The Governor General was able to accommodate the usual residence for visiting dignitaries, but they didn’t have room for as many Royals as Paul had with him. It was agreed that Paul, Hunter, Amber, Renee, Michael and General Zarman would stay at the Governor’s Mansion; the rest would have a floor reserved at the Capital Tower Hotel. There was an informal luncheon hosted by the Governor’s wife and food prepared for those with Paul. It was a really great group of people and both sides of the table seemed very relaxed with each other. They were informed of a formal reception to be held that evening at Government House. When the luncheon was over, it was show-time.

  A joint session had been called in honor of a King and his Royal family. Paul was to speak to the combined house and senate. As they approached the Parliament House, Paul was very impressed; over 350 feet high in the center and slopping off on both sides, the 2,700,000 square foot complex was most impressive. They approached up Federation Mall and drove around the building on Parliament Drive, then escorted into the lobby where there were hundreds of Parliament members there to greet the royal family.

  The tour of the facility was impressive and the public areas were crowded with people touring the building trying to get a look at the Verron royal family. Paul walked over and began to shake hands and greet people personally and was followed by the Dragon Guard. These people were not used to the informality of a King and his family. Hunter, Chase and Daniel were even posing for pictures with a few of the tourists; especially if they were cute and female. They then entered the Parliament Chamber. Paul Verron was introduced by Prime Minister Talbot and Governor General Grove made a few opening comments. Paul once again had no teleprompter or notes. He began, “When I was a senior in High School I applied for a work permit so I could come and live in your country; my mother still has a copy of it somewhere. I was intrigued by your country then and remain intrigued and very impressed still today. By the way, I really wasn’t trying to dodge the draft; I ended up joining the Army instead of coming here. I look at the hardworking men and women of this country and all that you have accomplished and I wonder just what I could do for you. There are several things your leaders have already agreed upon, but a few more things came to mind as I crossed the oceans coming here and viewed your continent. Verron have already agreed to a treaty that will assure your country of always having a continuous supply of oil at a very reasonable price, we have agreed to supply our body armor for your military to protect the lives of the men and women who defend your country, we have agreed to provide medical technology to assure that everyone has a good chance at a long and prosperous life and to provide cost efficient energy sources that can meet the needs of millions of people.”

  “What I would like to propose is a bit unique, but then again, you are a unique country. Australia has millions of acres of land that is unproductive, to say the least, and downright hostile if we’re to be honest. Our Nation has the ability to terraform entire planets with virtually no source of water. I see no reason we could not reclaim much of your lands and turn them into productive farming and grazing lands.” He got a standing ovation on that remark. “I also know that people to the north continue to push the limits of hospitality as they become more and more domineering over the seas between your Nation and theirs. Australia has an excellent Navy with 53 ships and 16,000 seamen. Your neighbor to the north has over 500 ships and more than 300,000 seamen with hundreds of aircraft as well. I propose to offer your Prime Minister and Commander of the Australian Fleet a ship; possibly two, that we call Battle Cruisers. They are actually a battle ship sized aircraft with more fire power than your entire fleet combined. I know that there is no Navy vessel in the waters around here that could stand against one. I used these ships to fight battles in space; I see no reason I can’t manufacture one at an affordable price that can operate up to 50 or 60,000 feet, travel at Mach 10 and, as you’ve seen our ships do on news coverage of the nuclear disaster, hover in one spot indefinitely to do rescue or observation missions.” Paul turned to the surprised Prime Minister and Governor-General and continued, “Sorry to surprise you like that, but both ideas just came to me as I got a better look at your country.” Both men let him know it was no problem. Paul closed by saying, “I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with your country and hope you’ll make a trip to visit ours. Thank you for your time today and may God Bless Australia.” He turned to leave, then turned back and added, “Oh, yea, one more thing. I was told that some of the best surfers in the world live in Australia. I’d appreciate it if a few of you would come to Verron and check out a few places where I hope to establish some surfing resorts, ‘cause I have no idea what’s what when it comes to surfing.” He left the room making friends for life. Half the people in the room surfed.

  That evening at the formal reception the Commander of the Australian Fleet asked how soon he could see an example of what he was talking about. Paul escorted him to General Zarman and left the two to discuss the particulars of a trip to Verron. Hunter showed up with two gorgeous blonds that claimed they were expert surfers and volunteered to come to Verron to help. Hunter couldn’t wipe the grin of
f his face as he offered to personally escort the surf team that was now being organized by one of the senators who was a former world champion surfer and owned a couple of very successful surf shops. The Commissioner of Agriculture for Australia was soon introduced to Clark Kidd and Inga, who would coordinate a trip for them to go to Molnar and see how the terraforming was done. It was going to be something new for Clark as well; Verron had no need for terraforming. The formal reception had loosened-up quite a bit compared to most state functions held at Government House.

  When the Minister of Arts and Culture found out that the Verron’s liked the blues, his personal favorite music style, he approached King Verron and asked, “I know you have no instruments with you, but I’m certain the band would be willing to let you use theirs; would you please give us a demonstration? The Prime Minister sold you out. He told us about hearing music at night across the bay on Verron.” Paul looked around for his two brothers and managed to round them up and three acoustic guitars. They sat down together and did a three guitar rendition of Chapel Hill Boogie, followed by his brother Kary doing a solo of the Nashville Rag. The band was enjoying the music and the break so much they offered them anything they wanted. With Amber on the drums, Kary on lead guitar, Joe on rhythm guitar, Hunter on bass and Daniel on keyboard, they blew the crowd away with Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Tightrope. Paul joined them with one more guitar and they played the Eagles Life in the Fast Lane. They gave the instruments back to the band while the audience applauded. It was a great way to end a six Nation Royal tour; for everyone except Paul. The next day he had General Zarman drop him off at his New York residence to prepare for his day with the United Nations. Several volunteered to stay back and help, but he knew everyone was anxious to get back home; because he was too.

  They stopped off in New York to drop of Leona and Donald. Hunter, Amber and Renee decided to stay a day or two and assist Leona and Donald with relocating to 520 Park Avenue. There was very little furniture to move since the new place was very well furnished; mostly clothes and personal possessions would be moved to their new address. Paul decided that this family time with Leona and her daughter and grandchildren should not include him. Besides he would feel awkward staying at the new residence with his ex-wife and her husband, even though the place was large enough he would probably never see them. He did accompany them on their first look at the place, since he had never seen it himself. When they were leaving Leona’s condo to go take a look, they were greeted at their door just as they opened it by one of the most beautiful women Paul had ever seen. She instantly embraced Hunter and gave him a kiss, saying, “How is my handsome Prince. If you ever want a real job, I have a dozen offers for you.” Amber quickly commented, “Handsome Prince, somebody get this girl some glasses.” Hunter made introductions to his sister and King Verron. Ursula was shocked to see Hunter’s grandfather looking almost a young as him. Hunter invited Ursula to accompany them to their new home. Hunter and Ursula got to play tour guide since they both had been through the luxurious residence before. While everyone else started staking out rooms, Paul did a short tour making a point to select a small guest room for his future use and to make certain that Leona and Donald took control of the Master Suite.

  He left the building and took a cab to One U.N. New York. He had Inga book him an executive suite in the West Tower. He could easily walk to the U.N. in the morning. After checking in he took a walk around the area and finally ended-up at a Spanish Basque Restaurant called Alcala Restaurant. He always enjoyed Cuban and Mexican Foods but had never experienced Spanish foods. He ordered Chuletitas de Cordero (grilled lamb chops) and savored every bite. He had a few people staring at him but none quite made the connection, until he was about to leave. He was approached by a handsome Hispanic man who immediately extended his hand and said, “Tomas Leclerecq, owner of Estancia Lanquilco. I believe you purchased my meat packing plant outside of Buenos Aires. I recognized your grandson beside you on the news. Please tell him he is still invited to visit my Estancia whenever he has a chance.” Paul now realized who the man was and replied in Spanish, “I’m afraid I have kept my grandson very busy these past years. I’ll try to allow him some time to travel abroad, but that does not mean you cannot travel to Verron. My grandson is staying a few days with his grandmother. You may be able to contact him at this address.” He wrote down the 520 Park Avenue address, telling him, “He is helping his grandmother and her husband move to their new home.” Tomas knew this address; he had attended a dinner there a year earlier. “He smiled, saying, “You must pay your people very well.” Paul smiled and answered, “Probably nowhere near as much as they are worth.” He headed back to his hotel escorted by Tomas Leclerecq. By the time Paul reached his hotel he had already begun a negotiation with Mr. Leclerecq about the possibility of a few business ventures in Argentina; he of course had him contact Leona and Donald to begin the process.

  Paul never slept well in strange beds in strange cities. He woke early and decided to go for a run; up E 44th Street, turning right on 5th Avenue and in a few blocks Central Park. He ran around the almost deserted park and headed home. He missed his mountains, but the people who ventured out in the December cold at 4:30 AM were interesting to say the least. After a shower and change of clothes, he ate breakfast at the Ambassador Restaurant and walked to the U.N. Plaza, arriving in the lobby at precisely 10:00 AM. Ambassador Braun and four others were there to meet him. As soon as the lurking news reporters realized that King Verron had just casually strolled into the building alone, they swiftly began to swarm the King and the contingent of U.N. Ambassadors. After brief interviews and a few comments, the four men and one woman made their way to a secured entrance to the General Assembly Hall. They socialized and had a few refreshments in a smaller chamber attached to the hall before making an entrance into the 1800 seat auditorium. The Under-Secretary brought the meeting to order, followed by a few words by the Secretary-General. It was the President of the General Assembly that was selected to introduce King Paul Verron. While the others spoke, Paul looked out over the faces of the 193 countries represented by these 1800 people in front of him. No place on Earth could you find such ethnic diversity than in this room. Each one was pledged to work toward unity and world peace, but they also had political agendas geared toward seeking whatever is best for their country. Paul knew that what he had to say would be well received by some, but also he knew the majority would not appreciate what he planned. This room held some of the finest politicians and diplomats ever gathered in one place, they were about to be addressed by a man who was neither. Paul said a silent prayer for the boldness to be strait forward and honest with every word he spoke.

  He stepped to the podium in front of the General Assembly and greeted the audience in six different languages; Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, and English. He decided to use his native tongue for his speech to make certain that his carefully chosen words were not misunderstood. He began, “I want to thank you for the honor of being invited to speak before such an influential group of people. I know that each of you went out of your way to be here today for this emergency session of the General Assembly. As you well know, I have just completed a six Nation tour with those who agreed to be Allies of the Nation of Verron. The Under-Secretary informed me before I came out here that there are those concerned that I neglected many other countries in my selection process. I want all of you to know that I have no intentions of having only six allies on this planet. Just like your organization seeks unity of the Nations on Earth, I seek unity of all the Nations in the Universe. A united Earth is a vital prerequisite for your planet to become a part of the Universal unity I seek. As the people in this room know too well, this planet is a long way from functioning in unity with other worlds, especially since your Nations cannot even get along with each other. Any Nation that shares a common goal with Verron and our other allies will be welcomed to become a part of this alliance that began with France, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Israel and Au
stralia. Those goals include, but are not limited to; peace, prosperity, good health, as well as economic and military stability. In order to achieve the stability of countries now in turmoil, changes must be made. It is my intention to be an instrument of change.”

  “First, I will give you the good news of things I intend to do. Beginning with Africa, I had to start somewhere and their needs are some of the most obvious, I plan to, one country at a time, implement a program to eliminate every disease and sickness that is now killing off the people long before their time, provide clean water, cheap energy and reclamation of usable lands. Twenty thousand years ago North Africa was green and fertile. It is my intentions that Africa will one day be capable of producing enough crops to eliminate hunger on lands that now are parched and dry. With cheap energy, industry will follow and the Nations of Africa will be in a position to move away from their 3rd World status. However, before that can be done, there must be stability where there is now war and constant conflict. So let this speech here today serve as a warning; I have every intention of eliminating terrorism of any form from this planet. I know we share the same desire, but I want those who are engaged in terrorist activities of any kind, killing of innocent men, women and children, attempting to force their ideology on their neighbors, those who support these men financially or who allow them to hide behind their borders and even those countries who sell them weapons, this speech is my one and only attempt at negotiating a peaceful settlement. Next year when I return, I will systematically target everyone involved in any form of terrorist activity or the oppression of innocent citizens and eliminate you, beginning with the leaders. There will be no further negotiation or compromise; this is not a threat, it is a promise. The people of Earth have suffered long enough at your hands and the stability of this planet is at risk if you continue to exist. Please understand; this is not a Jihad. There is nothing these cowards do that could possibly be considered Holy enough to call what they do a Holy War. There are billions of men and women of the Islamic faith who are tired of what is going on and desperately desire to worship in peace and have opportunities to live long and healthy lives free of oppressive government. I will do everything I can to help any people of Earth, but I can help no one as long as lawlessness and terror reigns. I swear before you here today, there will either be peace in Africa and the Middle East or you will soon find out just what I am capable of doing. Please take this message home to your people. I know some will be thrilled to know that help is on the way, others will look for ways to continue what they’re doing, the foolish ones will attempt to resist or challenge my resolve to achieve peace and stability. My only advice to you is, think again. In closing let me say. There will come a day when this planet will face an enemy like none you have ever encountered. If the Nations of Earth do not pull together in unity, Earth as you’ve known it, will one day cease to exist. It is my goal to prevent that from happening. Thank you for your time. If any of your countries desire to become one of those allied with Verron, please inform the Secretary-General and we will do what we can do to accommodate you. God Bless you and the countries you represent.”