The ship’s AI recognized his voice and proceeded to take everyone to the bridge first. Getting him to the bridge was the priority. It would drop everyone else off on their floors later.
Running off the elevator, Hunt barged on to the bridge just in time to see an unknown ship jump into the system. It emerged out of nowhere, less than a million kilometers from the station.
Holy crap! What the hell is that? was all Hunt could say to himself as he made a beeline to his command chair.
“Get us away from the station and start to spin up our primary and secondary turrets. EWO! Get us a lock on that ship and prepare to start jamming them!” Hunt barked as the bridge crew went to work preparing to defend Earth and the station from this new and unknown threat.
A second later, an image appeared on the main screen. It was Admiral Halsey and Chief Riggs. They were standing next to two aliens that didn’t look anything like the Zodarks.
“Admiral Hunt, I know you’re in the process of getting the GW ready to engage this ship. I need you to stand down, Admiral. These are the Altairians. They are here under my request to speak with President Luca, Admiral Bailey, and you. Please acknowledge you’ve heard this message,” Halsey ordered.
What the hell is this?
Hunt grabbed for the communicator. “Admiral Halsey, when you and I served on the Ganymede mission, why did you order us to eat all the steaks the first day we arrived in orbit?”
Captain Fran McKee and the others on the bridge all turned to look at Hunt with a quizzical look that said What are you doing?
Almost laughing, Admiral Halsey countered, “Good try, Miles. It was the Io mission, and our refrigerator stopped working. We didn’t eat all the steaks on the first day in orbit; it was the fifth day. Did I pass your test?” She had a mischievous grin on her face.
Smiling, Hunt turned to Captain McKee. “Order the ship to stand down. It’s her, she’s telling the truth.”
“Thank you, Miles,” said Halsey. “Chief Riggs and I, along with our two new friends, are going to meet you in your wardroom in five minutes. Please be there to meet us. Halsey out.”
Five minutes—that’s not nearly enough time to transfer from one ship to another, Hunt thought. He told McKee to follow him over to the wardroom, then sent instructions down to his security detachment to send a platoon to the flight deck and the wardroom as well. He wasn’t taking any chances.
Hunt and McKee had just reached the wardroom when Admiral Halsey, Chief Riggs, and their two friends suddenly materialized right in front of them. Moments later, President Luca and Fleet Admiral Bailey materialized right next to them.
“What the hell?!” was all Admiral Bailey was able to say before he recognized everyone around him. The man was still in his workout clothes.
Chairman Hong Jinping of the TPA materialized next to them, along with their fleet admiral, Zheng Lee. Both looked extraordinarily startled and bewildered at what had just transpired. One minute they were in China, the next they were in the wardroom of the George Washington.
President Luca let out a yelp and gasp. She’d been transported to the GW in her sweatpants, and she looked just as surprised as Chairman Hong.
“What the hell is going on?” demanded President Luca and Chairman Hong practically at the same time. The two world leaders were clearly ticked off at suddenly being transported to the GW.
“President Luca, Chairman Hong, I apologize for our method of bringing you to this meeting, but it is important that we speak with you all,” one of the aliens said as he spoke for the first time.
Everyone except Halsey and Riggs’s jaws fell open when they finally realized they had two unknown alien creatures standing a few feet away from them, and they had just spoken.
Admiral Halsey quickly announced, “A lot has happened in the last eight hours. I think it would be best if we all took a seat. I’ll bring you up to speed and introduce you both to our new guests.”
Hunt nodded in shocked agreement. “Yes, I think that’d be a good idea. Madam President, Chairman Hong, I’ll have the galley bring us something to eat and some fresh coffee for everyone.”
When the group sat down, Admiral Halsey and the Altairians brought the two world leaders up to speed on what had been discussed. For several hours, the TPA and Republic leaders peppered the Altairians with questions about the Zodarks, the Orbots, the Primords, and how humans had come to be scattered across the galaxy. The Altairians showed them video footage of what the Earth used to look like before the Great Flood. This was the event that had resulted in them resettling humans on other planets to save them from extinction.
After several hours of discussion, the Altairians made their offer. They’d bring the humans into their sphere of influence and under their protective umbrella, but they wanted some things in exchange—namely, for Earth to commit to helping them in their war against the Orbots and their client species, the Zodarks.
President Luca was the first to speak. “Handolly, our people have been at war with the Zodarks for seven years. By your own admission, this war you’ve been fighting against the Orbots and the Zodarks has been raging for many thousands of years. I’m not sure the people of Earth want to fight a war with no end. What is your solution for winning this war if we were to join your alliance?”
Turning to look at the leader of the Republic, Handolly answered, “Madam President, it is true this war has been going on for many thousands of years. Our species has been fighting the Orbots and their proxies for generations. We must if we want to survive. What should be understood about wars fought in space is that they often do not happen quickly. They take many years and sometimes decades to develop and eventually happen. Space is quite vast, so even with our superior travel speeds, it takes time to move soldiers and ships to do battle. It can take even longer when you have to search for the enemy fleet you want to destroy.
“We ask for Earth’s help in fighting the Zodarks and assisting one of our other allies, the Primords, in their own fight against the Zodarks. I cannot tell you how long this war will last, but what I can tell you is this—if the Primords lose their war with the Zodarks, Earth will not last much longer. The Zodarks will either enslave your world or destroy it. We are offering your people a chance to survive and grow among the stars.”
Chairman Hong from the TPA spoke next. “If I understand things correctly, Handolly, our choice is to join your alliance and fight in your never-ending war, or we can hope our military will be able to stop this Zodark fleet heading toward the Rhea system? If you ask me, this doesn’t seem like a choice, but more like an ultimatum.”
This time Pandolly, the military officer, countered, “Mr. Chairman, humans have spent most of your history in one war or another. What we are offering Earth is a chance to join the rest of the civilized starfaring species in an alliance of mutual assistance. We know you have made multiple attempts to contact the Zodarks. They are not interested in peace with your species. They want to subjugate your people and use you as cannon fodder in their own wars. While you may view us as wanting to use you for the same purpose, I can assure you that is not the case.
“If we did not care about sentient beings, we would not have sought to save humanity during your Great Flood some four thousand years ago. Humans are an intelligent and ingenious species—perhaps the most resilient we have ever met. There is so much potential for your species. What we are offering, Mr. Chairman, is an opportunity for your people to survive, thrive, and expand into the stars. We can show you where other habitable planets are that you can colonize. We want to cultivate more civilized species like your own, to grow our alliance with like-minded species. We cannot do that if the Orbots and the Zodarks enslave the galaxy. Will you fight with us? Will you join our cause?”
“If we join this alliance of yours, what other requirements are you going to impose on us aside from providing military support?” asked Admiral Bailey.
“Yes,” President Luca said with a nod. “If the people of Earth are going to c
ommit ourselves to this path with the Altairians, what else are you going to require of us?”
Handolly turned to look at them both as he replied, “We will provide Earth with substantial technological advancements, but we need humans to put aside your tribalism notions. If humanity is going to survive in the galaxy, you need to come together as a planet to become one people under one banner. We will need the governments of Earth to unify. We do not care which one of your factions represents Earth, but it will need to be only one. We will only provide our technology to one government, and we will require that government to support the allied war effort.”
Chairman Hong cleared his throat. “Handolly, as I am sure you know, we recently started colonizing another planet, Alpha Centauri. Would you accept us having each of our planets operate as loosely governed planets but still falling under one government control?”
The Altairian military officer, Pandolly clarified, “You mean the TPA controlling Alpha Centauri and the Republic controlling Earth?”
Blushing at the bluntness of the question, Chairman Hong just nodded.
Before President Luca or anyone else could interject to say something, Handolly interceded. “Let me be clear, Mr. Chairman, we are not going to dictate how you humans govern or run your planets and colonies. If you join our alliance, we will only accept one government in control of your budding empire. We will help you colonize new worlds, but all of these worlds will subject themselves to a central government. If there is any deviation from this government, then your species will be in violation of your treaty with us and be removed from the alliance. If that were to happen, we would cut you off from any further technology sharing, and you would be on your own against the Orbots and their client species. Does that answer your question?”
Chairman Hong didn’t say anything right away, but it was clear he had his answer.
President Luca sat up a bit straighter. “Handolly, I’m sure the Chairman and I can come to an agreement on how we will handle this transition. You have to keep in mind that we lead billions of people. These changes will not be easily received by our citizens. We will need some time to make this transition work.”
For the next few hours, the Altairians showed the Earthers many technological wonders they’d share with the people of Earth if they joined their alliance. Toward the end of the meeting, they told President Luca and Chairman Hong that they would give them both forty-eight Earth hours to think about the proposal and render a decision. If they opted to join the alliance, then they would send for additional Altairian warships to help them defeat the looming Zodark fleet approaching the Rhea system.
*******
Two Days Later
President Alice Luca studied the latest piece of technology the Altairians had shared with them. It was a large tower device that used an organic material that absorbed high concentrations of CO2 emissions and other harmful chemicals that were causing a great deal of harm to the environment. The Altairians said that over the course of two or three decades, just twenty of these devices built in strategic positions around the planet would restore the environment to an optimal level for humans. It was truly incredible. It also produced a nanocarbon byproduct the Altairians said could be used to create very strong and durable body armor for human soldiers, among other domestic uses.
Another piece of technology their new Altairian friends had provided could increase human food production and public safety—a device that could manipulate the weather. While it couldn’t make it rain or snow with the flick of a switch, it could influence weather patterns to cause it to rain or snow within a day or two. It could also disrupt the formation of hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, and tornados. They could also use it to increase the ice formations in the polar caps, reducing the growing concern over their melting.
A third, and perhaps most profound technology transfer the Altairians would give to humans to help sweeten the deal to join their alliance was a medical breakthrough to help heal and restore the human body. Humans had already made significant gains with medical nanites, but the Altairians had taken that technology to the next level. Not only did they provide the missing pieces to prevent cancer from ever occurring in a human body, they also provided long-term cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and many other diseases, including aging. This massive improvement to medical nanites would mean humans could now live for hundreds of years and essentially never grow old. If anyone had doubts about humans joining forces with the Altairians, these technological advancements put an end to them.
President Luca’s secured phone vibrated on her desk, letting her know someone was trying to reach her. Reaching for the device, she saw the call was coming from Chairman Hong’s private number. She immediately tapped the connect button.
A second later, a small holographic image of Hong Jinping appeared on Luca’s desk. Jinping smiled at her. “Good morning, Madam President,” he said in a very chipper tone.
“Good evening, Mr. Chairman,” President Luca said with a smile. “To what do I owe this great honor of a private call?”
“I wanted to speak with you away from our advisors and discuss this proposal the Altairians made to us.” He cleared his throat. “As you know, at this point, our country has transported more than six million people to Alpha Centauri. The Altairians have said they would share the technology to travel between here and there in minutes—that means we’ll be able to keep transporting large swaths of our people to the new colony in even less time. We would also be able to start colonizing the other planets and moons in that system with the technology they are going to give us.”
She waited for the punchline, but he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “What I’m trying to say, Alice, is I think you should take control of Earth,” he finally said. “I will focus humanity’s efforts on the Centauri system.”
President Luca was a bit taken aback. She had been anticipating a bit of a drawn-out battle over who would ultimately control Earth and the human governments.
Leaning forward in her chair, she asked, “Why the sudden change of heart, Jinping? I honestly thought you would insist on controlling Earth.”
Jinping audibly sighed before he replied, “Alice, my governing style is frankly going to work better in the Centauri system, colonizing and rapidly expanding humanity’s presence beyond Earth. You, on the other hand, are going to have a hell of a fight on your hands trying to keep the Zodarks and Orbots at bay. Right this moment, your military force is far superior to ours. If humanity is to have a hope of defeating the Zodarks and these Orbots, then we need our best military force to lead that fight—that’s the Republic, not the TPA. It makes sense that the Republic should then lead the Earth and the human race.”
President Luca sat back in her chair; she couldn’t fault his logic. She just hoped they’d be able to make it work long-term.
“Jinping, if we move forward with this proposal, we either need to put a unity government in place or something to make sure our people do not become estranged or competitors. Humanity is only going to survive this next challenge if we stay united as a race and not divided because we’re in different star systems. Does that make sense?” Luca asked.
The holographic image of the TPA leader looked like he was staring off in some other direction for a moment before he returned his gaze to her. “I agree, Alice. Let’s establish a senate to act as a governing body for this new republic we’re going to be establishing. We can create elected governors to rule over the planets with a certain number of senators from each planet or colony. These senators will propose who should be president; then, the governors will either approve or disapprove of their selection.”
A broad smile broke out across Luca’s face. “Jinping, you’ve really put some thought into all of this, but why the sudden move toward a democratic form of government?”
He laughed at her question. “I thought you’d be ecstatic over my sudden support for your system of government.”
“I am. It just seems ve
ry unexpected, that’s all,” Luca replied hastily.
“Last night, the Altairians brought me up to their starship to talk. We spent six hours together. They showed me so many different things. Let me tell you about one of them. They showed me how humanity would evolve if the TPA’s form of government was implemented across the human-controlled worlds. In the short run, we thrived and did very well. But long-term, we eventually stifled our development and became no better than the Zodarks. Then they showed me how humanity would evolve under your form of government. Again, it thrived for a while, but ultimately it would become controlled by megacorporations and the super-wealthy.
“Then they showed me a hybrid form of government, merging the best parts of our political systems. It’s the same government their allies the Primords currently have. Under this form of government, humanity not only thrives, it survives and grows for thousands of years because it’s able to adapt and change as our people, technology, and situations change. They told me the best form of government was the one I outlined to you and the ones our new Primord allies currently have.
“At first, I didn’t like being told by an alien species how to govern or run our planet and people. But the more I thought about it, Alice, the more I realized they were right. I know this is a lot, but I think we should reorganize our planet and government the way they suggested.”
President Luca blew some air out from her lips. This is a lot to take in, she thought. She couldn’t just agree to this proposal over a holographic talk.
“Jinping, let’s meet tonight and discuss this further,” she proposed. “I’d like to talk with the Altairians myself about this. In principle, I agree with what you said, but I need some more information and some time to think about it first.”
The two talked for a few minutes more before they ended their call with an agreement to meet soon.
*******
Sitting aboard the Altairian starship in orbit above Earth, the human delegation looked on at the two representatives. Handolly, the protocol officer, and Pandolly, the captain of the ship, were aboard.
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