This policy was successful for several decades. Unfortunately, it only works against developed nations that have too much to lose. A rouge nation that has no assets or quality-of-life is not afraid of mutually assured destruction.
But that is not the threat I have come to discuss with you today. There is another, greater threat facing this planet. As I stand here today, a seven-foot-tall, gray faced, black-eyed alien, from a world 35,000 light years from here, I promise you, an invasion from another planet is imminent.
I have no intentions of invading your planet. However, numerous species from other planets have been visiting Earth for thousands of years. I happen to know that many of them are beyond the scouting stage. Some of them are seriously evaluating colonization of the planet. No nation on Earth has the resources to defend the planet from a full-scale invasion, but if you pooled your resources, you may have a chance.
Think of all the resources wasted in duplicate administrative branches, not to mention all the resources wasted competing with one another. Imagine if all nations came together as one, with a one-world Parliament. We could have a Constitution for all of mankind, put aside our differences and work together to advance our civilization beyond the stars.
I may not look like you, or even think like you, but I call this planet home. I cannot return to my home world; this is my home now. I do not want to see it ruined by some powerful, invading force.
In this room are the most powerful leaders around the world. In this room, we have kings and presidents. In this room, we have the titans of industry, computer science, banking and insurance. In this room, we have the underground entrepreneurs, hackers, leaders of drug cartels and the like. We may fight with each other in the public eye. We may be conservatives or liberals in front of the cameras, but we are all here, today, with one goal in mind. We must preserve our way of life. The commoners cannot do it; they lack the resources and knowledge to make it happen.
The reason we are here today is to discuss how and when we will bring about the New World Order. Over the next few days we will break up into small planning groups. Hopefully by the end of the conference we will have a workable timetable.”
Nox stepped back from the podium and microphone. Not one of the elite billionaires said a word, silence. A few of the well-dressed men were nodding in approval, others sat there stone faced. Then one stood to his feet and started clapping, then another and another. Within seconds there was a standing ovation. Nox had nailed it.
Nox walked off stage into an entourage of Russian Generals, all frantically talking at once.
“General, I’m sorry, I mean Marshal Bellator, we have a huge problem,” one of the Generals said.
“All of you, stop talking, General Ivanov, what is going on?” Nox pointed his finger at Ivanov.
General Ivanov said, “The reports indicate that there have been six large explosions in Far East Russia, the north-east section of the Magadan Oblast, to be precise, near the arctic circle. The explosions seem to be in the two to twenty kiloton range. They could be nuclear detonations.”
“Why are we not sure what they are?”
“We were tracking an object coming from low earth orbit. It started to lose altitude and crashed into the Earth. We don’t know what it is, but it slowed down before it crashed,” the General explained.
“If it slowed down, it can’t be an asteroid or space junk. It must be a vessel of some kind. Do we have any idea how large it was?”
“No. We were tracking its decent. Several smaller objects seemed to break off, or fly off, we can’t tell for sure. But at the time of impact, there were six large explosions in the district, not just one. Best we can tell, at this point, there were six different explosions. Each struck with the force of a small nuclear bomb,” the General said.
“How does one ship create six impact craters? Do we know what caused the six impacts?” Nox asked.
“No. There was nothing on our radar to indicate what caused the other five impacts. But, because they are so close to each other and happened at the same time, we don’t know which one was the object we were tracking,” reported the General.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dam Neck Naval Base
Virginia Beach, VA
Last July
Mike Evans peered out of the window of the C-40A Clipper troop transport as it landed at Dam Neck Naval Base in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The C-40A Clipper is the Navy’s version of the Boeing 737-700. Even though he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, Mike had been working at Hill Air Force Base in Utah for over 50 years. He had come to Virginia Beach for some long-deserved rest and relaxation. He traveled to Virginia Beach on the C-40 troop transport, but soon a driver and security detail would be pulling up to the tarmac to whisk him to an ocean front hotel.
For over 50 years he had been helping the humans build faster, stronger, and more fuel-efficient aircraft. His real name could not be pronounced by the human tongue, but a close approximation would be: Sicarius. The human leadership had insisted that he and his fellow Vitahicians use regular names to draw less attention to themselves. He was originally from a planet in the Cygnus constellation, over 620 light years away. He had been on Earth for decades and had no hope of ever returning home.
There were dozens of Vitahicians living on Hill Air Force base as permanent residents. They were called “guests,” but it seemed more like a prison. He and the other Vitahicians were given military ranks and paychecks. They could move around the base and utilize its facilities. They blended in with the human population very well, as they looked very much like humans. They aged more slowly than humans, but on a highly transient military installation, people did not stick around long enough to notice certain residents did not appear to age.
Mike’s day-to-day life was not like that of a prisoner. He lived underground in private quarters, the size of a large apartment. He went to work every day, performing duties that matched his skill set. He could go to the commissary, bowling alley, grocery store, movie theater and any other of the base’s many amenities. However, he was not allowed to leave the base or interact with the public without an escort. He was able to leave the base several times per year, with an escort, to go on what humans referred to as a vacation.
Many years ago, Mike had lost all hope of ever being satisfied with his station in life. He grew to resent his American “hosts,” thinking of them more like prison guards than co-workers. Most of the Vitahicians liked the Americans and enjoyed helping them develop new technology. They believed that by helping the Americans develop better technology the Earth would become a good ally and trading partner for the Vitahicians.