I touched a spot just below my right earlobe and said, “Captain Kamiko, could you join us in the 3rd Platoon Conference Room please.”
Our communication earpieces had appeared in each of our rooms one morning. There was a very small piece that wrapped around the back of the ear and a small section that fitted inside the ear canal. I could’ve sworn when I first put mine on it molded itself to me. At any rate it was extremely comfortable and easy to forget you were wearing it.
I was conferencing with my squad leaders and my second in command, Captain Antonio Silva. I had also asked Dr. Spencer, Dr. Schein and Major Mike Reynolds to sit in.
In the few days since we’d boarded the ship interviews had resumed and it seemed like there was a new technological revelation every day. One of the interviews this morning had confirmed the already suspected ability of the Noridian’s to communicate over distances at faster-than-the-speed-of-light. It had something to do with quantum entanglement and I got the impression that it was a pretty advanced science even for them.
When everyone was present I opened the meeting, “General Nesbit should be back with us tomorrow and I thought it might be a good idea for us to take stock of our situation so we can give him an accurate summary.”
Major Reynolds snorted and Kamiko asked, “Will it be possible for us to give a different report than what Dr. Helmer and Colonel Memphis will offer?”
“This is an unofficial get together,” I said. “So it’s not like we’re generating a separate report. On the other hand when I speak to the general I want to make sure that I’m giving him the truth as I see it—or maybe I should say as ‘we’ see it. That’s why I’ve asked you here; to see if we have any kind of consensus.”
Captain Kamiko was from a different military organization and I suspect she really didn’t know if I’d be able to offer a differing opinion from my direct superior, and I understood why she was asking the question. Over the last couple of days it had become clear that Helmer and Nesbit were totally sold out to ‘The Noridian’s are our friends’ line of thought along with most of the Dips and an unknown number of scientists scattered here or there.
Most of the military personnel however were a little more skeptical. Dr. Spencer had been very reserved in his public opinions on the subject and, I suspected, once he came to a conclusion he would probably sway a lot of people in his direction. Dr. Schein to a somewhat lesser extent also carried influence but most people were aware of her intense dislike for Jaki and assumed they already knew her opinions on the issue.
“Well, I don’t like it,” said ‘Iron Jaw.’ “Most of the diplomats are running around acting like they’re negotiating the Treaty of Versailles but it just reminds me of a bunch of politicians maneuvering for credit. I haven’t heard any of them addressing the really hard questions; they’re too busy divvying up the power that’s going to come from the influx of new wealth.”
“What Jaki has offered is very seductive,” ventured Hiromi. I heard a different female voice quietly mutter words that sounded like ‘the skank’ but Hiromi continued, “The Noridian offers to ‘protect us’ and ‘guide’ our development sound like euphemisms for totalitarianism. There is no question that our standard of living would improve immeasurably but it could still very well be slavery. You have an expression about prisons of gold…”
Everyone was stumped for a moment until Dr. Spencer laughed and said, “Gilded cages.”
“Yes,” Hiromi finished. “A gilded cage is still a cage.”
“But what’s the alternative?” Captain Silva offered. “Even if our government turned down the Noridian offer someone else would take our place overnight. Without some kind of outside help I don’t know if our society is big enough to handle the violence that’s bound to erupt the first time somebody feels they’re being left out.”
“If we accept Noridian technology, which seems inevitable,” Dr. Spencer slowly chipped in. “A one world government is the only possible outcome.
“I’ve been meeting with other professors and scientists in related fields and we can’t see any other plausible course,” he continued. “Rightly or wrongly that will be the direction our world takes and the only question is the degree of violence that occurs until we can reach some sort of social equilibrium.”
Dr. Spencer’s words left the room very quiet. I think what he was suggesting had been in the back of all our minds but I for one was hoping there would be some way around it—or at least a way to forestall the violence.
Captain Silva interrupted the silence by saying, “There’s something else you should know. Rumor has it that 2nd Platoon is going to be taking some kind of excursion; they’re going to be visiting a planet that’s fairly close along our flight path. The word is that it’s a dead planet from a dead civilization. Supposedly the Noridians are holding it out as an example of what can happen to a civilization that has to transition from scarce resources and the group that controls them, to abundant resources and the controlling groups no longer having any leverage.”
“In other words,” Dr. Spencer said. “They’re making the point that we need them. Again.”
I came to the unsurprising conclusion that we weren’t going to resolve this today and I had a good idea of what directions we needed to go, but I had to be careful. First of all I wasn’t Iron Jaw’s superior and secondly I couldn’t afford my troops to think I was openly subverting the leadership of our mission. I was walking a narrow line; I wasn’t breaking orders but I was in danger of heading in a direction those superiors wouldn’t like.
“Major Reynolds,” I asked. “Had you or your team heard anything about this excursion?”
Shaking his head he said, “No; not officially or unofficially and I have to tell you that bothers me.”
I took the plunge. “Ok everyone. I’m going to make some suggestions and the only thing I ask is that if you don’t agree or don’t want to participate be up front about it…
“Our own chain of command, both civilian and military, has been slow or negligent in sharing important information with us. I don’t know what the motivations are for that or if it is even a permanent condition, but our mission is too critical to take chances. We will assume that our leadership has its reasons for keeping us in the dark but I am also going to assume that they would want me to pursue the mission to the best of my ability. Captain Silva has proven rather adept at finding out things and Dr. Schein and Dr. Spencer are fairly well plugged into the science community, so Major Reynolds, you’re welcome to plug into us and we’ll share our info with you. The only thing I ask is that you keep it to yourself and share anything you might learn in return.”
Iron Jaw didn’t hesitate. “Count me in,” he said. “But I’d like to bring my second in command, Captain Bradley Gervais, into the picture. He’s been with me for years and I can vouch for him.”
I glanced around the group and quickly said, “No problem here. Why don’t you bring him over this evening and we’ll introduce him around.
“Dr. Spencer you’ve got maybe the most important assignment,” I said. He looked up and I continued, “If you’re willing I need you to continue meeting with your peers and formulate a strategy for us—or maybe I should say for earth.”
“What kind of strategy did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Twofold. First figure out scenarios where we can accept Noridian technology without ceding our national sovereignty and second, if it is necessary to form a one world government, figure out how we can do that and take on the new technology with the least amount of violence possible—preferably with none.”