“Most of you have seen me around this base. Some of you have worked with me on developing new technologies for the war effort. If you have not seen or worked with me, you are here because I believe you are important to my mission.
For those of you that do not know me: I am Nox Bellator. I am not of this planet. The planet I come from circles a star that is over thirty thousand light years from Earth. We refer to ourselves as Ondagra, and our home world is called Botacoure. There are hundreds like me, right here on Earth, many of my fellow Ondagra are colonizing Antarctica.
“This war is almost over. The British and Americans have surrounded what remains of this city. They have us outnumbered and outgunned. The Soviets are advancing on Berlin, and it will fall in the next few days. The British, French, Soviets, and Americans will want revenge for the millions slaughtered by the Nazis. German soldiers and officers will be executed by the thousands; millions of your women will be violated and tortured. This is not a hypothetical; this is here, at our doorstep, right now.
I am offering to each one of you an opportunity to escape the penance of the fallen; but it comes with a price, a steep price. I have four U-boats sitting in the pen at this moment; each one has been retrofitted to carry 100 seamen and passengers to Antarctica, where we will start over, building a new world.
Many of you believe that Antarctica is nothing but millions of square miles of ice and sub-zero temperatures. You may even believe that humans could not survive the cold climate of Antarctica, but you would be wrong. Several years ago, we discovered a vast underground cavern, larger than the entire country of Germany. In the center of this massive underground cavern we discovered a warm water lake, as big as a sea. It was heated by an underground geothermal energy source. This huge lake radiates heat throughout the cavern and warms it to a comfortable temperature.
We have been exploring and mapping this cavern and the many underwater tunnel passages that lead to it. We have been building a city, a place we can seek refuge from our enemies, and where we can rebuild a new and stronger civilization.
I am extending the invitation to each one of you to join me on this journey. However, if you choose to go to Antarctica, you will never be able to return. Security demands that you live the remainder of your lives there. There is not enough space on the boats for you to bring your families, even if there were, we do not have accommodations for them.
If you choose this journey with me, you will not be allowed to say goodbye to your families or return home to collect your things. You will exit this room, walk directly to the U-boat pen and board. Everything you need is on the boat, including clothing, food and supplies.
If you choose to stay here, you will be taken hostage by the Allied invaders and suffer unspeakable humiliations at the hands of the enemy.
Who will come with me to Antarctica as free men?”
Nox knew it was a hard sell. Most of the men had families that they would not want to leave, “I will answer any questions, now.”
A Nazi officer stood to his feet. He appeared to be in his early forties, with a strong jaw and closely cropped blonde hair. Like the other officers, he was in full dress uniform. “Will we be able to send for our families later?” he asked.
Nox had not anticipated that question. However, he knew the other men would be wondering the same thing. Nox immediately sensed that he would have more men volunteer for the mission if he gave them hope that they would one day be reunited with their families.
“Yes, of course. After things settle down we will make efforts to locate and transport your families to Antarctica. It may take years to locate them, depending on how the enemy handles the coming occupation,” Nox said confidently. Nox did not really have a problem with families being at the Antarctica base; after all, he would need babies to help grow his would-be empire. The Nazi officer nodded and sat down.
A scientist raised his hand. Nox pointed at him, and the scientist rose to his feet. The scientist, well known by everyone on the U-boat base, was not a huge supporter of the Nazi party; he was more interested in scientific endeavors than politics. He was a man in his early forties, balding, and slight in stature.
“Mr. Nox, um, I have a question,” the scientist shuffled his feet and looked at the floor.
Nox ignored the improper title, knowing the awkward scientist meant no disrespect.
The scientist continued, “If this huge cavern is underground, even if it is heated, how do plants and vegetables grow with no sunlight?”
Nox would have smiled if the muscles in his face would have allowed it; he knew he could convert many of them with this answer. “It is true that much of the cavern is underground and does not receive sunlight in the traditional manner. There are numerous natural openings at the top of the cavern, holes in the ground, that allow sunlight to directly fall on the floor of the cavern some 500 feet below, but that is not enough. When we found the cavern, there were numerous forests and plants growing in the spaces that had natural sunlight. We found thousands of acres of wooded areas with thick vegetation. But there were still hundreds of square miles of warm, but rocky, and barren land. Since then, our scientists have developed a system by which we collect sunlight on the surface and funnel it down to the caverns, with highly reflective tubing. When the sunlight reaches the cavern below it is 20 times brighter than it was on the surface because of our magnification equipment. We have already had great success in growing crops with the natural sunlight that is funneled through the ice in these magnification tunnels.”
Nox saw several of the scientists nodding their heads in approval.
A commander stood to his feet. Nox looked at him and waived his hand, indicating for the Nazi commander to speak. Nox knew the commander was a natural leader and many men would follow him.
The Commander said, “What will be the command structure? Will we still be Nazis? Will Hitler be there? Will we keep our rank?”
Nox took a shallow breath; he knew this could be a critical point for many of the men. Nox never thought honesty was the best policy, but in this situation, it may be. He knew many of the higher-ranking officers were upset at Hitler because he had squandered their initial advantage. They knew that if Hitler had been less aggressive it may have kept the Soviets and Americans out of the war longer.
“Everyone will keep their current rank. There will be two command structures, a civilian command structure and a military command structure. The main difference, is that there will be a third command structure, one that supersedes both military and civilian command structures, and that will be the command structure of the Ondagra. All humans will fall under the authority of my people.”
“Will we be slaves to the Ondagra?” asked the Commander.
“Are you a slave to me now? I am superior to you physically and mentally. Even now, you must obey my commands, but have I degraded any of you? Have I treated you unfairly or harmed you? No, of course not. I expect you to follow my orders because I know better than you, and you know that is true. It will be the same in Antarctica. You will be free to move about the cavern; there will be work for you. There will be food, shelter, and eventually entertainment. You just won’t be allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world for security purposes.”
After the men had asked their questions, Admiral Armbruster stood from the back of the room. The Admiral was admired and respected by the men as a fair and even-tempered leader. He said, “Germany is lost. The war is all but over. Many German officers will be killed or executed in the next several weeks. You know I would not ask of you anything I would not do myself. I am pledging my support to Nox Bellator. I will be on that U-boat, and I will work alongside Field Marshall Bellator, helping him build a new civilization. I will not order you to get on a U-boat. We only want those who willingly volunteer. I hope many of you will join me, today.” The Admiral took a step forward and clinched his fist, “Right now. Stand if you are willing to get on these U-boats with me. Stand now!”