Episode VI: Beta Test (16 page)

Diane nodded. "It might be that he has information that can assist you in planning the assaults in those other countries as well."

"That's what I was thinking as well. I will try to contact him later this day, as I believe it is the middle of the night for him at the moment," Vance replied. "Do you believe you will get the answers the Council needs with your plan?"

She nodded. "I do. The people have been very responsive to past questions we have asked. If we include a broadcast message this time as well, it might go a long way in swaying some of the undecided people as well. I will make sure to stress that we really need everyone to try to respond to the questions we will ask so we can better make a decision on their behalf.

"I think a few of those opposed to us simply don't understand the whole situation and oppose us because of their fear of change. Earth can be a very conservative in its beliefs. Many view the new as suspect and will reject it out of hand simply because it is new. It can make progress hard at times, but it also serves to keep them from making mistakes."

Vance chuckled. "And what we see as a benefit for them, they might not. It can make helping someone very difficult to do."

"Yes it can, but in this case, the majority do seem to want to make the change," Diane agreed. "If left on their own, I think most of the planet would eventually get it worked out, but not all of it. There will always be resistance, it will be up to us to make sure that resistance is unfounded or specious," Diane replied. "Anyway, I'll leave you to get back to work, Lord Admiral. Please let me know what you learn from your General friend."

"I will, Ambassador. I'll let you know when we get the plan for dealing with those countries figured out as well," Vance replied.

"Just keep in mind that all of them have nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and are more inclined to use them. They would not hesitate to use them on their own territories and people if they believed they could kill us in the process," Diane replied.

"Then the first part of the mission will be to remove that option for them. I still think we should have removed all of those weapons weeks ago, but I can understand the reasons you asked us to wait, and I will continue to do so. However, if nothing else, that belief on their part shows that they are more of a danger to their own people than we could ever be. Altuis Tanae, Ambassador," Vance said as the woman stepped to the door to his office.

"Altuis Tanae, Lord Admiral," she said and left his office.

––––––––

U
nited Nations Building

New York City

North American Continent

Planet Earth

Sol System

––––––––

S
omehow, word that the Shallan race was being relocated to the nearby Centauri system reached the United Nations and explanations were demanded by the other Ambassadors.

"Madam Ambassador, is it the policy of your Alliance to make decisions of this magnitude without informing the people involved?" The American Ambassador asked. However, it was clear that he had many of the other Ambassadors supporting him.

"Not in the least, Ambassador. Once the planet in question was surveyed and found to be suitable as well as uninhabited, the Council decided to offer the planet to the Shallan people as a refuge; their current home world is too close to the Aracnise Grand Hive for us to be able to defend effectively. So it was decided to assist the Shallan people in relocating to that world," Diane replied. "All involved parties had full knowledge of every aspect of this event."

"Really, how is it then that not one single person on this planet was informed or asked about it?" The Ambassador replied.

"Forgive me, Ambassador, but I fail to see how Earth would be involved in this issue?" Diane asked, reasonably.

"The Centauri system is in our sector of space, we should have been given the rights of first refusal to the planets found there," the man replied to which many of the other Ambassadors nodded agreement.

"With respect Ambassadors, at the time this issue was before the Alliance Council, Earth was mostly unaware of our existence. Beside that fact, this world was unaware of the existence of habitable worlds in the Centauri system and as such had not placed a claim for them with the Council.

"Just because they are in this sector does not automatically give you claim to anything we discover or find here. As a matter of fact, this sector of space is also home to four farming colonies, four mining outposts, and one metallurgical research facility. That does not count the facility on your own moon. Three of those colony worlds were founded before your ancestors had even discovered the Americas.

"There is also the fact that Earth was represented in the decision by duly elected representatives on the High Council. If I remember correctly, it was Councilor Ralston that actually made the suggestion to give the planet to the Shallan people in the first place," she finished.

"The human contingent on the Alliance Council was not elected by a majority vote of the people they represent and as such is not a valid argument. We do not accept them as our representatives," the Ambassador replied.

"The same could be said for many of this world's current leaders, Mr. Ambassador, yet you accept them. However, you were not given the opportunity to vote on the matter because at the time you had not been informed of our existence. However, they were elected by a majority vote of Earth born citizens that did have that knowledge. Still, I am told that once Earth accepts Core World status, the existing Councilors will offer up their seats on the Council to a new election under Alliance guidelines. Until that time, the existing Councilors will continue to do their best for the people of this planet," Diane explained.

"Yet you have offered military aid to the disruptive elements of our populations in order to over-throw existing publicly elected governments. How do you care to explain that?" the Ambassador asked.

"That's easy to explain; your governments are not listening to your people, and you refuse to let them gather in peaceful protest of the decrees and proclamations made. How can any of these governments claim to be working in the best interests of the people when none of them will even listen to what the people want? Further, you have blocked the people from every peaceful method of letting you know they are not happy with your decisions? You have created an atmosphere for armed conflict with your own populations and still refuse to see it.

"Our decision to offer aid was made to protect as many civilians and soldiers as possible. No one wants to see this issue degenerate into a civil war in any country, yet you have left your people with little else as a choice. The Alliance is a government very much for the common citizen and the protection of their rights. Even if the majority of people on Earth never accepted Core World status, we would do everything in our power to keep all of you protected; as we have always done.

"Every time you fought a war here, there was a debate in the Council about intervening. However, it was believed that the simple knowledge of our existence would have caused far more disruption to the planet than would simply remaining vigilant against extra-planetary attack. Those discussions become more and more heated as you progressed into the atomic age. The decision to remain isolated was put to the test in the weeks leading up to the first use of a chemical weapon in World War I, and the bombing of Japan that effectively ended the war in the Pacific during World War II. Full disclosure was avoided by a margin of a single vote, however, each and every time you were on the brink of murdering the planet, there was an Alliance battle fleet here ready to stop it.

"Now, thanks to the Aracnise Grand Hive, you were given knowledge of our existence. Due mostly to the efforts of your entertainment industries, the people of this world have accepted us. We do not come here as invaders or conquerors, instead we are offering you equal membership among us.

"The Alliance went to great lengths to make sure that Earth, even before it was aware of us, had its own citizens to speak for it. I was born in a small Brazilian village twenty-four years ago. I was rescued from a life of slavery by an Alliance Marine contingent investigating the cartel that had kidnapped me. Because of my education at the university, I was asked to participate in the formation of that part of the Alliance Council that would be for the people of Earth.

"The Alliance did not assign anyone to administer to this planet. They did not, and will not, unilaterally make decisions for us without consulting us first. The proof of that is on our web site. Every military mind we have, views the current situation here as governmental repression of a population, and would like to free this world. But they won't. Not without us asking them to, which is what is happening right now.

"However, since most of the governments are elected, just ignoring those who supposedly elected them, the Council has decided to ask the very people such an act would affect the most; the people of this planet. Not the leaders, not the Ambassadors, not the corporate heads or religious leaders, but the people themselves. Directly.

"Mr. Ambassador, your own country, that claims to be the land of the free, will not even allow its own citizens to make this decision. Instead of presenting your counter arguments on the issue to them and offering it up to a vote, you have decided to simply deny them the right to make the decision. How is that freedom?

"I have heard the arguments about how inaccurate that method of communication is, and how we are basing our decisions on erroneous data. Let me ask you a question: We have an advanced Artificial Intelligence not only monitoring that site, but verifying the identity and authenticity of each and every post. Anything she can't verify is removed and discounted. Fully one third of the United States Cyber-Warfare command is involved in attempting to hack our servers. Joining them are the vastly superior numbers of the Chinese Electronic Defense Services, and a good portion of almost every other nation's Cyber-Intelligence services. Yet not one of you have been able to do anything on or to our site.

"So you accuse us of offering military aid to 'disruptive elements' of your societies. I ask you when did the majority of the citizens became a disruptive element?" Diane asked. "We are simply trying to avoid a potentially bloody war. I will admit, there is a good chance there will still be casualties. That is an unfortunate and unavoidable fact of conflict. But if we do this, at least we can try to prevent it."

"Your forces have been ordered to remove themselves from the countries that have given themselves over to this body for administration. This is in direct violation of the same freedoms you promised them when they surrendered to you. How can we trust anything you say?" Another Ambassador asked. This one from the Middle East.

"I'm afraid you misunderstood, Mr. Ambassador. We promised to remain to protect the people of those countries and allow the U.N. to administer the country. Nowhere in that agreement did that give you control of our forces protecting those countries. You can request assistance from our forces, but you cannot order them to leave, take action against the people they are protecting, or to invade another country. Nor will they surrender their weapons and equipment to you. Those troops are there for the people, not the U.N. Once the issue of Core World status is accepted or rejected by the planet as a whole, the troops will either depart or take up new positions as determined by the governor and High Command," Diane explained.

"How will such a vote be taken? How will we know it is accurate and unbiased by you?" yet another Ambassador asked.

"Ambassador, you are operating under the impression that the Alliance needs this planet. Believe me here when I tell you that we do not. We could simply offer employment to those that wish it, give them transportation off world, and simply leave the rest of you to your own devices much as we have always done. This world has nothing the Alliance needs.

"We are doing all of this because now that our presence is known, there is no reason for us not to offer you the benefits the rest of us enjoy. So, I ask you this, why would we want to influence the vote? The decision of this world has no bearing on the Alliance whatsoever. We would gain nothing we haven't had for years," Diane said reasonably.

"You are overlooking the obvious, Madam Ambassador," the American Ambassador replied. "You would be gaining a great deal. You would be gaining access to another farming world, as well as access to the people of this world. People you can use as soldiers in this war of yours. While I admit we might not be up to the standards of the Alliance, we do have the capability of founding an industrial base to support your war efforts. You cannot tell us you have nothing to gain from the taking of this world. You are simply trying to do it in such a way that the people of this world willingly and blindly follow you. As the leaders of this world, it is our duty to ensure the safety of the people, even if it is from themselves.

"The nations that have not yet fallen to your forces are trying to make sure that the people do not fall into your very attractive looking trap. There is no proof that you did not intentionally let these... Aracnise beings attack this world in order to establish a pretext for your current actions. You cannot tell us the Alliance has nothing to gain from the conquest of this world. We know better."

"The current agricultural output of the Alliance far exceeds that of its needs and we do have replicator technology if it didn't. We do not need your food, and in fact would greatly appreciate it if we could give some of it to you, we'll even haul it for you. As for the industrial base you are speaking of, we are already building it here. There have been fourteen million requests per day from other Alliance worlds to fill the jobs being created in this system as we speak. The Alliance military has never had a draft or used conscripted citizens for its military; it has always been voluntary and always will be.

"Since nineteen-forty-seven, the Alliance has been recruiting people from this world for many different jobs. Only a few of which have been in the military, and all have remained here except a very few who left this system. They work right here, defending this world. As for allowing the infestation of this world, that is absurd as well as criminal. Intentionally allowing even one of that race onto the surface of an inhabited world is the same as intentionally killing that world.