Star Force: Origin Series Box Set (37-40) Page 24

  Likewise Davis hadn’t contacted her, save for the recall message she’d received three days ago. A mantis had picked her up in New Zealand and flew her east towards Atlantis, just like it had a year ago, save for this time she remembered not to wear high heels.

  When she got to the city she was taken to temporary quarters again, but her stay there lasted only 20 minutes before her escorts came and led her to what looked like the same conference room as before, though it was difficult to tell given the size of the city and her inability to keep track of exactly where she was being shuffled around to.

  When the doors closed she saw that the 18 nations that had been represented here before had now been cut down to 12. The faces she now knew well, as she’d become acquainted with all the ‘emissaries’ over the past year. After all, they were now the most famous people on the planet outside of Star Force, with the pressures and tasks placed on them making for the largest reality show the planet had to watch…with the stakes higher than anything they’d witnessed before.

  Because of that Jessica’s every move was followed by the media and scrutinized heavily, not just by New Zealand, but by the rest of the planet and even those offworld. The entire Solar System was watching, but fortunately there were no cameras here, in what appeared to be the second round of the ‘Nation Games.’

  Across the table from her were the Russian and Brazilian reps, with Marcus Stosur seated to her right. The Australian was a friend she’d known for the past 2 decades, but the others she hadn’t personally met aside from their brief meeting a year ago. The other 8, seated on her left around the curvy table, were from Spain, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Sahara, Argentina, Scandinavia, and Poland.

  “Welcome back,” Davis said, walking in and sitting down between the Australian and Russian reps. “As you’ve probably guessed, you’ve all made it through the first cut, not because your countries are sufficient, but because you’ve made strides in that direction. Due to this, you can rest assured that your nations will retain their identities even if you fail beyond this point. Those that are not here with us will not have that luxury. Their political borders will be scrapped and a new layout set in place. If/when we fully take over yours, you won’t suffer the same fate. That much you’ve earned, at least, though your governments will be totally replaced and all social structures gutted and replaced with Star Force standards…but your names and borders will remain intact,” he said almost mockingly.

  “Now, to the business at hand. You’ve had 1 year to begin reworking yourselves, with some of you making more progress than others. That progress may have gotten you this far, but it will take you no farther. You have a total of 5 years to make the full transition, of which 1 has already passed. At that point you will either gain full sovereignty or you will be relegated to some limited autonomy as deemed appropriate, as many offworld colonies already are being transitioned to.”

  “That’s the end date, but for the coming year there are two major hurdles you must pass, at minimum, to proceed further. That is the abolition of all taxes, and the 100% production of your own foodstuffs. I suggest you don’t focus exclusively on these two things, but these are must haves by year’s end.”

  Davis glanced over at Jessica. “To another matter. Those nations that are not present at this table may be inquiring of you to form mergers to avoid their being annexed. You can accommodate them as you choose, but with their populations and resources comes their baggage as well. Their territory will become yours, and you will be judged accordingly. Do not take on more than you can handle, if any, but the choice is yours.”

  “Some of you have been inquiring about information regarding the alien threat, to which I’ve responded in the negative. That has not changed. You don’t need to concern yourself with what’s out there, you need to focus on what’s happening here.”

  Davis leaned back in his chair and flipped both hands up in an open gesture.

  “Questions?”

  “One year is a very short timespan for that level of construction,” the Saharan commented.

  “If you were starting from scratch, yes, but the reason all of you were given this opportunity is because you had already accomplished some things on your own. Those of you who accomplished less than others are at a disadvantage, but it is one of your own making. The truest test takes place when you don’t know you’re being tested. If you didn’t build infrastructure on your own, when no one was making you, that goes to show you’re irresponsible. This makes your current requirement more of a challenge, but as such, your countries’ current conditions are irrelevant to the finish line. You will either make the cut or you won’t. How or why you fail is irrelevant.”

  “Is there a middle ground to achieve a partial level of autonomy?” the Spaniard asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And what are those requirements?”

  “Each year is a round. There are five rounds in total. The more you pass, the more autonomy you get.”

  “There are no alternative requirements?” the German asked.

  “Maintaining the food supply is one of the most critical responsibilities within a civilization,” Davis underscored. “If you can’t do that independent of Star Force’s supply chain, then you don’t deserve autonomy, for autonomy isn’t a privilege as much as it is a responsibility. If you want autonomy you have to prove yourselves worthy, and that starts with an independent food supply.”

  “Can we purchase bioharvest infrastructure from Star Force?” Jessica asked.

  “At this round, yes, but that will not always be the case.”

  “Which round do we lose that option?” the Saharan asked, whose North African country sported thousands of the Star Force designs out in the desert wastelands.

  “Not this one. As for the others it won’t matter if you don’t make it past round 2.”

  “So you’re not telling us what’s ahead?” Jessica asked.

  “You know what’s ahead,” Davis countered. “Full self-sufficiency. Get there how you like, but do it quickly.”

  “And if we like taxes?” the Saharan asked half sarcastic.

  “Taxes are cheating. If your governments are competent they won’t need to rob the wallets of the…excuse me, rob the personal bank accounts of their citizens, nor those of their businesses to stay financially afloat,” Davis said, realizing he was referencing another metaphor that they wouldn’t understand. Nowadays there were no such things as wallets.

  “May I ask,” the Russian said coolly, “what our military requirements will be?”

  Jessica frowned. “Are there going to be military requirements?”

  “There will be security requirements,” Davis said ambiguously. “In order for your nations to be independent you have to be able to police your own territories. You cannot rely on Star Force’s military or security division any more than you can our markets. Now, I don’t mean to say you’ll be contributing troops to the ongoing wars…that would be rather absurd given how inferior your military technology is compared to ours, but you cannot be a victim waiting to happen. You have to have the ability to react to, at minimum, organized criminal or mercenary attacks.”

  The Russian nodded, seemingly content given the fact that they now fielded the largest military after the downfall of the United States, many of whose disarmed captured ships they’d recently purchased to bolster their own fleet.

  “When you refer to self-sufficiency,” the Scandinavian asked, “does that mean operating outside of Star Force or on our own?”

  “Meaning can you trade with the other nations here?”

  “That and the various corporations operating out of Star Force territories.”

  “While trade is an important facet of economics that you need to master, for the purposes of this test you must eventually produce everything in house. So no, you won’t be allowed to trade with other nations or corporations, though at present you still can. Understood?”

  “Yes,” the man said reluctantly, and from there on the
questions got more and more depressing as the various emissaries began to explore options and have Davis shoot them down one after another. While many of them understood the basic concept of self-sufficiency, they kept trying to find a loophole to allow them to work around it, knowing how difficult it was going to be to transition their countries over to an entirely self-contained economy…not to mention having only a handful of years in which to do it.

  “Miss Avril, might I have a word?” the Saharan asked as Jessica and the others were walking out of the conference room some hours later.

  “Of course,” she answered, stepping aside in the hallway around one of the giant Knights standing guard.

  “In private?”

  “I’m not sure exactly where that would be around here,” she asked with a laugh, looking for her escorts and finding them nearby. “Are we required to leave immediately?”

  “What is it that you need?” one of the pair asked.

  “Someplace where the two of us can talk before we head back to our respective countries.”

  The escort nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem. There are empty rooms nearby,” he said, glancing at his counterpart who walked off to find them one.

  “Thank you,” the Saharan said with a respectful nod.

  Not wanting to talk in the presence of the Star Force personnel or the other emissaries that were mingling outside and throwing a few curious glances at the Saharan, they waited quietly until the escort returned and guided them to an empty, enclosed balcony overlooking an indoor park of massive scale. There was an assortment of benches and decorative plants and waterfalls, making it seem as if the platform was a halfway zone between the austere city interior and the organic space beyond.

  “We’ll be outside when you wish to depart,” the escorts said, with all four of them walking out of view, though with no door into the hallway, only a zigzag entrance to obscure the view and isolate the balcony, it was still likely that they could overhear the pair.

  “Thank you for speaking with me.”

  “You’re welcome, Amman. What’s on your mind?”

  “As I’m sure you’re aware, Sahara is an exporter of foodstuffs, meaning we’re already self-sufficient in that category.”

  “Unlike the rest of us,” Jessica quipped.

  “Some more than others. I was wondering, if it’s not private information, how is New Zealand set at present?”

  “It’ll be tight, but we have a fair chance of making the deadline. A few of our colonies are foodstuff exporters as well, and if we can get them to increase output it’ll swing us close to the mark.”

  “Your annexation of extraneous colonies has served you well?”

  “Like the Director inferred, they also come with baggage, but most offworld colonies are already partially self-sufficient due to the realities of existing in space. It’s the homeland that’s dragging us down, as I image is the same for everyone else?”

  “Russia appears to have the worst of it, given their Earthbound population, but Sahara is also suffering from this ‘drag,’ and despite our status as a foodstuff producing nation, there is no chance that we will be able to abolish all taxes within a year’s time. I’ve been running the numbers constantly, and the simple fact is that we rely on the taxes and private industry for everything. I’ve studied your solution to the problem, but our nation is nowhere near as diverse as yours, with most of our resources being achieved through external trade.”

  “To put it bluntly,” he continued, “we cannot function without the Star Force markets. I’ve been trimming back the problem where I can, but 5 years is not nearly enough time. Perhaps if I had Davis’s skills I could manage something, but I do not. My country has also been somewhat resistant to my leadership, and I must admit that I envy your position.”

  “They weren’t too keen on my leadership in the beginning either,” Jessica noted.

  “This I heard, but now you have a free hand to act as you wish?”

  “They trust me…as well as realize there’s no other way to do what’s necessary in the little time that we have.”

  “Yes, time is of the essence, and you have a foodstuff production shortage to address…so I humbly offer a shortcut to you dilemma.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “We will not pass round 2, and though our borders and name may remain, I fear little else will after Star Force gets done ‘upgrading’ us. We’re already beginning to see it happen in other countries that failed to measure up, and I’d like to avoid that happening to us, even if it means playing a supporting role. Though my government may not agree, like you, I have the responsibility for my nation, and I will override them if necessary, so I am asking you on behalf of Sahara, if you would consider accepting us as a New Zealand colony. That, I believe, will solve your foodstuff inadequacy over the coming year.”

  Jessica’s eyes narrowed as she considered all the implications. “Why us? I’m sure the others need your foodstuffs, perhaps more than we do.”

  “I’ve been studying you and your tactics, as well as those of all the others, and you were the first to begin incorporating other factions into your nation. Others have copied your methodology, and I for one wish I could have as well, but all the prime colonies have gone to others, and the few that remain would be more of a burden on us than an asset. You’ve turned down many requests, yes?”

  “Unfortunate, but true. I would like to incorporate as many people into our pot as we can, not because I think Star Force will do wrong by them, they won’t, in fact they’ll do better than we can, but controlling your own fate has an appeal that’s worth working for, so I’ve had to be choosey, for if I overload us and fail all of us default back to Star Force control.”

  “You’re also allowing your colonies some measure of freedom?”

  “A measure, yes, but make no mistake when I say that I…for lack of a better term…rule them all. We can’t subsidize colonies’ bad behavior and inefficiencies, so if they’re not interested in making changes I’m not bringing them onboard…and those that are interested, but are too burdensome, I’m reluctantly having to pass on too.”

  “Would Sahara be a burden or an asset?”

  “Honestly, both. Your homeland population is far larger than ours, and so far I’ve not been inclined to accept any homeland nations into our conglomerate. Your foodstuff production is something that may make me reconsider that, but without running through the logistics I can’t give you an answer here and now.”

  Amman smiled. “Not that I expected you too. If you decline I’ll be forced to go with other offers that will no doubt be forthcoming, but I can give you a month to consider your options. Will that be sufficient?”

  “If you can provide economic statistics, the real ones, not those floating around the news vids. I don’t know who’s providing the bad numbers, but I’ve made a few corrections to ours, which is why I haven’t been taking the reporting on the rest of you all that seriously.”

  “I will provide you with all the data you need, but while we do have our shortcomings, I believe a merger would be in both nations’ best interests, and I am confident the numbers will back that opinion up.”

  “Thank you for coming to me with this first.”

  “New Zealand might not be the power player here, but the odds makers have you fifth in line as of late.”

  “I haven’t looked,” Jessica admitted. “What’s the odds of no one making it running?”

  “3:5…only slightly behind Australia’s 1:2.”

  “I have a feeling that once this round’s requirements hit the news those numbers are going to alter significantly.”

  “It’s a shame we’re forbidden from placing any bets of our own.”

  “Not my area of expertise,” Jessica said kindly, looking up at the slightly taller man.

  “Well then, if there are no questions you have that I can answer now, I’ll see to getting you those statistics as soon as possible.”

  “I…” Jessica started to say
as she saw a number of tiny people in the park below her come running out of the trees into view and start getting knocked around by a larger man wearing all black in some sort of a training exercise, she hoped.

  “Future soldiers in training,” Amman said, following her eye line. “It’s said the Archons take their basic training here. Perhaps that’s what we’re seeing.”

  “It’s so…brutal,” she said, though not being able to make out much detail from the height they were looking down from.

  “I expect we’d be surprised by a great many things they do here. I doubt we were meant to see even this.”

  “Accidental security breach?”

  “Or a coincidental privilege. Either way, it is fascinating to watch. Makes you wonder what’s actually going on out on the frontier.”

  “I get the feeling I’d rather not know the details,” Jessica said with a frown. Fighting had always been a turnoff for her.

  “Yes, well, we both have a great many of our own to deal with as it is,” Amman said, turning away from the wide window. “Until our next meeting then.”

  “Whenever that may be,” she offered with a smile as the pair walked out and split up, with their escorts taking them different ways through the city to their waiting mantises.

  6

  January 4, 2455

  Solar System

  Earth

  “We can’t do it,” Jessica said to her roomful of advisors as they stared down at a tabletop workstation that had a plethora of statistics on both Sahara’s and New Zealand’s economic situations. “There’s no way we can accommodate that much cost, we’re barely skimming by as it is without any tax revenue.”

  “I agree,” Travis Ven said, rubbing his goatee thoughtfully. “If we had more time we might be able to work something out, but with only a year…it can’t be done.”

  “Can we get enough foodstuff production up and running as is?” Governor Broncholl asked, who’d permanently reassigned himself to Earth to assist Avril with the Nation Games while running Illumia from afar.