THE PEACE KEEPERS

by Tom Tryst

  “This morning you have your choice of bacon and eggs, fixed any way you like them, cheese omelette, waffles, oatmeal and toast,” he advises. “Oh, and sweet roles. Just tell the servers what you want and how you want it. You can mix it up any way that suites your taste. Ham. Sausage. The only rule is: take what you want but eat everything you take. We don’t waste food.. When you have the food you want, you get your drink. Cups and glasses at are the drink station.”

  They make their selections and move to a double table, so all can dine together.

  Typical of a twelve year old, Darrel’s tray is full.

  “You better eat every morsel,” David threatens his son, knowing the boy has a good appetite.

  In response, Darrel turns to David. “Uncle David, can I go back for seconds?”

  “Nobody is expected to leave hungry, but we discourage overeating,” Daniel says with feigned sternness. “You start getting fat and you go on a strict diet and exhausting exercise.”

  Darrel says nothing more and begins eating.

  “We raise our own beef, pork and chicken,” Daniel advises between mouthfuls. “And dairy. Also, in season, we raise most of the vegetables and fruits, canning and freezing for the winter. We import the staples; the military sees that we get whatever we need. We eat pretty good the year around. Should times get bad, we have over a year supply to Ready-to-Eat meals.”

  Darrel dutifully cleans his ‘plate’ (the sectioned stainless steel tray), obviously forcing himself to finish the last bit.

  After breakfast, Daniel takes them on a short tour of the center of the village, where all of the support facilities are located: commissary, laundry, clinic, recreation hall, schools, gymnasium, swimming pool, theater, and meeting hall. All are located on the four streets around the Operations building.

  He is about to take them to the park when Victor approaches the group and greets them. Then he quickly asks to speak privately with Daniel, who turns the tour over to Sherry.

  As soon as they move away, Victor speaks. “We have a problem you should be aware of.”

  This gets Daniels full attention.

  “I’ve just been advised to put the compound on full alert,” he continues, not waiting for a response. “There have been an increasing number of protests from the public, mostly from suppliers and some farmers. Some are just one day boycotts that just temporarily disrupt the distribution of goods. But a few are ongoing and apparently beginning to cause some disruption in the food distribution. In those areas, the public is getting panicky.”

  “How are you guys handling it?” Daniel asks, knowing hungry people will do desperate things.

  “We have a major disruption in San Antonio, the major distribution center for us. It appears to be well organized, seriously reducing the goods entering the city. We’re on it, but the troops are spread thin, concentrating now only on the flow of food. All they can do is threaten the farmers and distributers with arrest. If they don’t comply, we have to take over the operation, and we just don’t have the manpower to do that.”

  Daniel nods. “They want compensation. Return to the dollar.”

  “Yeah, and we both know that’s a problem we don’t have a solution for. At least not yet. We’re Ok here, but for the time being we may not be getting any food stuffs.”

  “We can survive just fine for some time.”

  “They are also asking that we ship any produce now available.”

  “We have to feed our own people!” Daniel protests.

  Victor hurriedly adds, “Just the excess we would normally ship, but as soon as possible.”

  Daniel takes a deep breath and exhales slowly before responding. “You say ‘we,’ but that’s in your jurisdiction now. I trust you’ll do what is right.”

  “We won’t go hungry, I assure you. But we must go into an austere mode. Anyway, we are on shutdown. No one in or out of the compound until further notice. If things get bad, hungry locals may try to raid our farms and our supplies. The orders are to shoot looters.”

  Daniel stares at him, eyebrows raised. “You are talking about using the phasers, aren’t you?”

  “No. Shoot to kill.”

  “Jesus Christ! You can’t just kill hungry people!”

  “It’s not my call,” Victor says sadly. “I’ve instructed my men to use the phasers, but if they recover and continue, well . . . .” He could only shake his head, then continues. “Chances are they will have weapons. We’re trained to use deadly force whenever we feel our own lives are in danger. It could get nasty.”

  Daniel shakes his head, looking down at the ground. “It’s starting,” he mutters.

  Victor knows what he means, as they have had discussions about what could happen if there isn’t an organized conversion to a monetary system of trade. Then the aliens could simply wait for civilization to collapse and move back in. More earthlings would be transported for whatever fate awaits them, be it slave labor or slaughter for food. Few still believed that the intent of the Universal Council was a benevolent intervention.

  “What does Washington say?” asks Daniel.

  “For now, the military is still in charge.”

  “Are you saying we’re under martial law?”

  “Actually, we have been all along, but we support efforts to get the new government up and running. So we are it, at least for the time being. There is no clear leadership coming from the government. Until a new Congress has a handle on the situation, the military is taking whatever action deems necessary. For us, that means devoting all our efforts at strengthening our Global Defense. Number one priority. That’s your responsibility. Ours is protecting you and your team so you can do your job.”

  “You might as well order everybody to assume a sitting position, put their head between their legs and kiss their ass goodbye!”

  Even facing the possibility of dire consequences, Victor has to smile. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “OK. You have my full cooperation. All we can do is try our best.”

  “Thanks, Daniel. That’s all any of us can do.”

  Even with the ration chips limiting purchases, it only took two days for most of the shelves of the major supermarkets in San Antonio, now distribution centers, to be striped by panicking shoppers. Not all supply lines had been disrupted, but as soon as shelves were being restocked, throngs of people converge on the centers, wheeling out shopping carts loaded with foods, bypassing the checkout stands and the rationing procedure. Local police are unable to deal with the crowds, many of whom are carrying weapons. By the time military backup arrives, the stores are again stripped clean.

  For the time being, no more supplies will leave the warehouses, now under military protection.

  Many other U.S. cities are having similar incidents, stretching the military and law enforcement thin.

  Washington is working on a proposal to issue credits to those providing goods, to be honored when - and if - the dollar is reinstated as the official exchange, but they have not yet agreed on how this would be done.

  The new space observation facility on Mt. Hackberry in the Mojave Desert of Southern California has detected an object the size of an alien space ship approaching Earth at some 66,000 miles an hour. It is an estimated 120 days out at its present speed, still too far out for that telescope to get a clear image.

  Using the coordinates from Hackberry, Mt. Wilson Observatory is locked onto the object and is tracking its course and speed in an attempt to determine its precise day and time of arrival and which defense disrupters will have the first shot. It is still not close enough to determine exact size and shape.

  Despite efforts to keep this information from the public, a prime time news agency announces the possible return of the Peace Keepers, further adding to the panic of the citizenry. Efforts to counter that release only adds distrust of government, calling it a cover up.

  By the time the Mt. Wilson Observatory identifies the object as a huge meteor on a not-so-near passage of Earth, and de
finitely not an alien ship, the damage has been done. The food distribution system is in shambles. It could take weeks to get it back into operation, even if the new Congress finally can agree on an emergency compensation program for suppliers.

  Daniel has called an emergency meeting of all personnel under his command, both to relay the information from General Wright and to advise of changes in their schedule of operation. Col. Victor Wells is to brief them.

  “The top priority for the compound,” Victor advises after all have been made aware of what is happening on the outside, “is to continue to do our part in getting the Global Defense Program in full operation. We still have to get some 47 world governments to make solid commitments to either participate in the program or contribute manpower and equipment for the completion of the defensive weapons. All we can do is arrange for the contacts between governments so they can facilitate such agreements.”

  There is a general muttering among those present, for at least half believe their efforts are futile; it would be only the industrialized nations who would bear the task of arming the world.

  “Director Davies will continue with the changes we are being asked to make,” Victor continues, nodding for Daniel to take over, then quickly adds, “You may not like the changes.”

  Undaunted, Daniel continues with the briefing. “There is increased urgency and demand for our services. They want me to convey to you their appreciation for the excellent work you have been doing. But, now they are asking us to work around they clock, seven days a week. So far, it is a request, but if we refuse, I’m sure it will be an order. We already have all shifts covered, necessary because of the time differences around the globe, but as to the seven-day work week they are requesting, I’m resisting. There is no sense in working Saturdays and Sundays, when most governments are not in session, so from here on out - at least until I’m overridden - only a skeleton crew will be on duty weekends for communication. Everybody will have two days off, most on the weekend, but will work five twelve-hour shifts each week, half from 0600 hours to 1800 hours, the other half from 1800 hours to 0600 hours. Check the schedule for your assignment. It will begin with the day shift tomorrow.

  “We are to double our efforts of clandestine hacking of certain world governments computer systems in an effort to determine what their true intentions might be. We have to know who we can trust; which governments are sincere in cooperating and which are only offering lip service. Keep in mind that we are now working for the military under martial law, at least until the Federal government can get their act together and take the lead.”

  Charles Durwood raises his hand and is recognized. “I know Col. Wells assures us of our security, but just how secure are we - really?”

  Daniel nods to Victor to respond. “Good point.” he begins. “The defense of our planet is the primary concern of all responsible world governments. And you all know how important our work is in achieving that goal. Rest assured, you will be sheltered both from outside threats as well as being kept well fed and cared for. This is probably one of the safest places on earth. But it won’t be if we can’t defend ourselves from the alien threat.”

  “Do you really believe they’re coming back?” someone asks.

  “It doesn’t matter if you or I believe one way or the other. The possibility exists, so we have to be prepared for it.”

  He turns the session over to Daniel, who opens the meeting for more discussion, answering every question or responding to every statement as best he can. It is soon evident that not all trust the ability of the military to lead the country back to solvency. It was military leaders who had grasped command of the nation; would they ever give it back?

  Later, in the privacy of their apartment, Sherry presses her husband for what she refers to as the ‘straight poop.’

  Daniel pulls her to him, kisses her on the forehead, and assures her there was no hidden agenda. “You know I personally don’t think they’ll be back. What for? Retaliation for our rebellion? We only destroyed machines. They probably have some five billion of us. And much of our natural resources. Certainly they have enough either way. If they were truly acting as a benevolent race saving us from self-destruction, why would they now want to destroy us? Incidently, they did save us from extinction. We may just be paranoid.”

  “I hope you’re right.” she replies.

  “What we should be concentrating on is returning the world to free trade. The way we are going, it will be survival of the fittest, once again returning to a society of the haves and have nots. In such case, this compound will become an armed encampment fighting off the outsiders.”

  “Thanks for the encouragement,” she replies sarcastically.

  “Hon, you know our situation as well as I do. We have the best chance of survival right here, regardless what happens - short of the aliens returning.”

  “I know. We should try to make our lives as normal as we can.”

  “Atta Girl! That’s the attitude! We have to build up the morale of the others.”

  She is quiet for a while, then perks up. “Let’s have a party! This might be the last evening all of us can be together!”

  “Good idea. We can invite our friends over.”

  “No, I mean a real party! For all of our people. The whole compound. We can take over the dining hall after the evening meal.”

  “We’ll have to open it up to everybody,” Daniel advises, skeptical about the idea.

  “So we will! The more the merrier!”

  “Pretty short notice,” he responds.

  “Put up a sign in the hall. Everybody will see it.”

  “I don’t think the cooks can prepare on such short notice.”

  “We will have just eaten. All we need is some liquid refreshments. We can get the booze from the tavern and have punch, beer and wine. Something for everybody.”

  “We’d have to clear it with Victor.”

  “Do it!,” she cries enthusiastically. “He’ll agree. He can pass the word to his troops. It’ll be great.”

  “What about the farmers who eat at home?”

  “I’ll make some phone calls to invite them. Quit making excuses!”

  He has to laugh at her eagerness, beginning to warm to the idea. Why not? “OK, but you’re in charge. You can get some of the ladies to help you.”

  The party lasted until the wee hours of the morning, with a live band from the soldiers for dancing. Most were reluctant to end it, but the kitchen staff had to start preparing for a breakfast that few would attend. Many were still slightly intoxicated - or hung over -when reporting for duties that morning. But all had a great time.

  It would be the last party for a long time.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After a leisurely breakfast, Daniel takes his brother and his family for a walk around the facility, a little guilty that he has been putting it off. As the sprawling Operations building takes up the center block, it doesn’t take long, for all the other service buildings are across the four streets circling it. One lap around Operations - you’ve seen the whole town. Only the Computer Center, the Dining hall and kitchen, the apartment units and the park lay beyond.

  For now, Daniel wants them to be aware of what services The Compound has to offer. The town center is so small, there is no chance they can become lost; if you walk beyond the apartment buildings, you are out of town. If you follow the only main road, after a long walk, almost twelve miles, you will be back where you started.

  It is while they are in the park, strolling along the main circuitous pathway, that Daniel begins to brief them on the changing conditions.

  “I feel guilty that I encouraged you to pack up and come here,” he apologizes.

  A little confused, David asks, “Why is that? We think the place is great.”

  “Yeah,” adds Darrel, “this park is cool. So is the lake.”

  “It’s OK,” Daniel responds, then tries to explain more clearly. “When I invited you to join us, things were relatively stable .
. . I mean here in the compound. Things are far from stable outside. We had an assignment that assured our future here. That is, the purpose we serve in government. That’s not so certain now. They may eventually no longer need our services and could decide to disband the group.”

  It is Janet’s startled look that urges him to quickly add, “I’m not saying that will happen. I just want you to know that things happened so quickly . . . well, I just hope I didn’t take you from the relative security of a farming community only to be again uprooted and sent to who knows where.”

  David squeezes his wife’s hand in reassurance. “We knew the uncertainties, Danny. We took them into consideration. Our decision to leave Indiana was more to avoid another long winter than in seeking better security. Ain’t that right, Babe?” He again gently squeezes her hand.

  She simply nods, even though she doesn’t agree.

  “Well, I just want you to know I’m sorry if it comes to that. It wasn’t my intention. If we have to leave, we’ll do it as a family. I’m sure the powers that be appreciate the service we’ve provided and will take good care of us. But for now, there’s nothing to indicate relocation.”

  “That’s good enough for us.”

  “So tomorrow,” Daniel continues, “you, Janet, will report for duty at the Computer Center at 0900 hours, giving you time to get Darrel off to school. You’ll work to 1800 hours. Darrell, after school is out at 1500 hours - that’s 3:00 - you’ll have activities at either the gym or the recreation hall, supervised by the teachers. You stay there until your Mom is off work. Dave, you’ll work with me. Debby, you will be his administrative assistant. You’ll have the same days off as Janet, so you’ll all be together. But you two start work at 0600 hours - twelve-hour days for the time being. I can’t tell you yet what days off you’ll have, but my assistant will try to put you on a schedule compatible with school days. - so I expect you’ll have Saturdays and Sundays off.”