Shades of Gray - Season 2
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U.S.S. BETSY ROSS - REVERE-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER
The massive trimaran supercarrier steamed along the Atlantic Ocean, the single Orvani saucer sitting smack in the middle of the flight deck, as American military planes sat in rows, on either side of the deck, as if looking at the saucer in curiosity.
CAPTAIN'S READY-ROOM
President Bensen sat in the Captain's chair, behind his desk, as he looked at the TV screen, taking in the media reports swarming in from the various nations of the world... reaction to the destruction of the Orvani saucer, and the admission from the group responsible.
Bensen shook his head, looking down at the table. Some of the reports were just too much... even knowing who was responsible, there were some people claiming that the Chinese government had done the deed... to eliminate the Dali Lama. Others were blaming aetheists, while others were blaming the Orvani themselves... saying the Orvani needed an excuse to clamp down hard on humanity.
Finally, the ship's Captain walked into the room, looking to the TV, then to Bensen.
"Still watching that crap?" the Captain asked.
"More like just listening to it." Bensen began. "This is getting out of control. I need to get back to Washington... make some sort of public address... with the Orvani." he added, looking up at the Captain.
"I'll inform the Commander to ready his saucer for departure... unless you'd prefer we take you? You'd have a fighter escort." the Captain offered.
"You and I both know that there is no force on this entire planet that can hurt me, if I'm on board one of those things, no offense to you and your fine crew." Bensen stated, as the Captain nodded, ackowledging the truth in the President's words.
U.S.S. BETSY ROSS - REVERE-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER
The mighty vessel kept sailing along, a massive foamy white wake trailing behind her.
On the flight deck, the ship's crew stood at attention in neat rows, as they all saluted the President, as he made his way to the Orvani saucer, which was in the middle of the flight deck.
The saucer's ramp lowered, allowing Bensen to board, before again retracting back into the hull of the saucer. A few seconds later, a blast of dust from the flight deck underneath the saucer signaled that it was beginning to arise once more. As the Captain and his crew looked on, the Orvani saucer rose up high into the sky, in a straight line from where it was landed, and began to move away.
Then, suddenly, in front of the entire crew of the carrier, the Orvani saucer sped away, streaking off into the far horizon, vanishing from a standstill faster than the blink of an eye.
A second later, a pair of F-22's flying CAP over the carrier sped over the ship, their afterburners screaming. However, for all their military might and speed, these F-22's seemed as slow as a snail, compared to the faster-than-lightning movements of the Orvani's ships.
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
OVAL OFFICE
The two Secret Service agents watched, as the Orvani Commander paced about in the room, his arms behind his back.
Just then, a brilliant wash of blue light signaled the arrival of President Bensen, as the Commander turned to face the leader of the free world.
"Greetings, Mister President." the Commander began.
"Thanks." Bensen began. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We have to act fast, Mister President... many among my people here are calling for military action against your people, for this attack upon us." the Commander said.
"I am planning a press conference for later today... you and I." Bensen said.
"Good. We have to make your people realize that we are not the devils they think we are. And it wouldn't hurt to remind our own people of just why we voted to leave Orvan." the Commander offered.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
The massive trimaran supercarrier steamed along the Atlantic Ocean, the single Orvani saucer sitting smack in the middle of the flight deck, as American military planes sat in rows, on either side of the deck, as if looking at the saucer in curiosity.
CAPTAIN'S READY-ROOM
President Bensen sat in the Captain's chair, behind his desk, as he looked at the TV screen, taking in the media reports swarming in from the various nations of the world... reaction to the destruction of the Orvani saucer, and the admission from the group responsible.
Bensen shook his head, looking down at the table. Some of the reports were just too much... even knowing who was responsible, there were some people claiming that the Chinese government had done the deed... to eliminate the Dali Lama. Others were blaming aetheists, while others were blaming the Orvani themselves... saying the Orvani needed an excuse to clamp down hard on humanity.
Finally, the ship's Captain walked into the room, looking to the TV, then to Bensen.
"Still watching that crap?" the Captain asked.
"More like just listening to it." Bensen began. "This is getting out of control. I need to get back to Washington... make some sort of public address... with the Orvani." he added, looking up at the Captain.
"I'll inform the Commander to ready his saucer for departure... unless you'd prefer we take you? You'd have a fighter escort." the Captain offered.
"You and I both know that there is no force on this entire planet that can hurt me, if I'm on board one of those things, no offense to you and your fine crew." Bensen stated, as the Captain nodded, ackowledging the truth in the President's words.
U.S.S. BETSY ROSS - REVERE-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER
The mighty vessel kept sailing along, a massive foamy white wake trailing behind her.
On the flight deck, the ship's crew stood at attention in neat rows, as they all saluted the President, as he made his way to the Orvani saucer, which was in the middle of the flight deck.
The saucer's ramp lowered, allowing Bensen to board, before again retracting back into the hull of the saucer. A few seconds later, a blast of dust from the flight deck underneath the saucer signaled that it was beginning to arise once more. As the Captain and his crew looked on, the Orvani saucer rose up high into the sky, in a straight line from where it was landed, and began to move away.
Then, suddenly, in front of the entire crew of the carrier, the Orvani saucer sped away, streaking off into the far horizon, vanishing from a standstill faster than the blink of an eye.
A second later, a pair of F-22's flying CAP over the carrier sped over the ship, their afterburners screaming. However, for all their military might and speed, these F-22's seemed as slow as a snail, compared to the faster-than-lightning movements of the Orvani's ships.
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
OVAL OFFICE
The two Secret Service agents watched, as the Orvani Commander paced about in the room, his arms behind his back.
Just then, a brilliant wash of blue light signaled the arrival of President Bensen, as the Commander turned to face the leader of the free world.
"Greetings, Mister President." the Commander began.
"Thanks." Bensen began. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We have to act fast, Mister President... many among my people here are calling for military action against your people, for this attack upon us." the Commander said.
"I am planning a press conference for later today... you and I." Bensen said.
"Good. We have to make your people realize that we are not the devils they think we are. And it wouldn't hurt to remind our own people of just why we voted to leave Orvan." the Commander offered.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
Three Orvani saucers held position ominously over the White House, as the hundreds of world media reporters gathered on the lawn, facing a podium that had been set up. Behind the reporters, was a crowd of thousands of citizens, gathered to watch the press conference.
Finally, after a long moment, the doors to the White House opened up, and President Bensen walked out, along with the Orvani Commander, and two of his Aides, one of which was a bit taller, and had tan skin, rather than gray.
The group made it to the podium, and President Bensen took the microphone, as the camreas snapped stills and the vidcams shot their footage.
"Greetings." he began. "Three days ago, this world suffered a great loss... the Orvani suffered a great loss. A cowardly act of terrorism, was responsible for the total destruction of an Orvani saucer, with all hands on board, as well as the leaders of all the religions of the Earth. We know who is responsible now, and we condemn their cowardly act. You WILL be brought to justice. In that effort, we have joined forces with the Orvani, to make sure both our peoples are represented, in the pursuit of bringing this extremist group to justice. Now, the Orvani Commander has prepared a statement." Bensen said, moving aside, to allow the Commander to step forward and speak.
"Good day." the Commander began. "You know..." he said, crossing his arms on the podium, as he paused, collecting his thoughts. "For almost a year now, we've been on your world. We have the power to wipe your species from this planet, and turn this world into nothing but scattered dust. Yet we have not. Upon arriving here, our very first act was one of kindness... we saved the life of President Bensen. We have never laid an inappropriate finger on any member of your species. We have given you the gift of resource independence, by giving you the technology to isolate and separate matter on the molecular level. We have ended the need for your species to kill for food or vanity. We have NEVER asked your kind for anything, except the right to simply exist here, on your planet." he added.
As the Commander was talking, the Aide with the tan skin was looking out among the crowd of citizens, as if scanning the area, looking for someone. Finally, something caught his attention, and he focused on one man in the crowd... a somewhat robust older white man, with a gray beard. The tan Orvani looked to the man with intent, squinting his large black eyes slightly, and focusing on this man, drilling into him with his eyes.
The tan Orvani momentarily closed his eyes, as he could now "see" inside the man's mind. The man's memory images flooded through the Orvani's mind, events playing out before him. The man was handing an explosive device to a younger man. THIS was the man responsible for the explosion on the saucer! This was the man who gave the video speech, cliaming responsibility for the event. The tan Orvani opened his eyes again, and now wore a look that was best described as an angry sneer, as he again squinted at the man.
"Yes, there are those of us who have done wrong, but they have been held responsible, and will face their judgement. But that is my point." the Commander continued. "We are just like you. We are people, as you are. We may be more advanced, technology-wise, but we have a history... we have good people, as well as bad people. Honest people, as well as dishonest. That's why it should not surprise you, that at one point, we ourselves, looked up to the vast cosmos, in wonder, and wondered by whose mighty hand it had been created." he added, as a slight collective gasp of surprise washed through the crowds. "That's right." he continued. "We also believed in a higher power, as you do. And that is not a bad thing. Far from it. Knowledge is knowledge. It is there for one purpose... for learning, and understanding. If you do not follow a religion, knowledge helps you understand the sciences of the natural world. If you do follow a religion, knowledge can help you understand how your higher power did what he did. Knowledge need not be in conflict with religion. We are not demons." he added.
The tan Orvani was now fully focused on the man in the crowd, his eyes piercing into the very inner mind of the man.
It was then that the man began to notice something was wrong... he looked down, to his wait, and his eyes and mouth opened up wide, in total shock and fear, at what he saw...
Strapped to his waist, was a timed bomb... and the timer was counting down, fast.
"We are not evil." the Commander stated.
The man in the crowd suddenly tried with all his might to rip the bomb away from his waist, but he could not... because it was not there.
Those around the man, stepped away, as they looked at him, flailing away at his wast, trying to rip the invisible bomb off.
The man's head was filled with the rapid beating of his own heart. His heart was racing, and his heart rate was dangerously high. His fear was overwhelming.
The reflection of the frantic man filled the tan Orvani's eyes, as he continued his mental onslaught on the man.
"We are not killers." the Commander stated.
Suddenly, the timer on the invisible bomb counted down to all zeroes, and at that moment, the man screamed out in the crowd, falling to the ground, fidgeting for a second, before going stiff, dead, killed by fear itself.
The tan Orvani now released his mental stranglehold on the man's mind, and looked upon the now-dead man. The tan Orvani grew the slightest of wry smiles, as if congratulating himself on a job well done.
The President and the Commander looked to the crowd and the dead man with shock, as someone in the crowd yelled out that man was dead.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
Three Orvani saucers held position ominously over the White House, as the hundreds of world media reporters gathered on the lawn, facing a podium that had been set up. Behind the reporters, was a crowd of thousands of citizens, gathered to watch the press conference.
Finally, after a long moment, the doors to the White House opened up, and President Bensen walked out, along with the Orvani Commander, and two of his Aides, one of which was a bit taller, and had tan skin, rather than gray.
The group made it to the podium, and President Bensen took the microphone, as the camreas snapped stills and the vidcams shot their footage.
"Greetings." he began. "Three days ago, this world suffered a great loss... the Orvani suffered a great loss. A cowardly act of terrorism, was responsible for the total destruction of an Orvani saucer, with all hands on board, as well as the leaders of all the religions of the Earth. We know who is responsible now, and we condemn their cowardly act. You WILL be brought to justice. In that effort, we have joined forces with the Orvani, to make sure both our peoples are represented, in the pursuit of bringing this extremist group to justice. Now, the Orvani Commander has prepared a statement." Bensen said, moving aside, to allow the Commander to step forward and speak.
"Good day." the Commander began. "You know..." he said, crossing his arms on the podium, as he paused, collecting his thoughts. "For almost a year now, we've been on your world. We have the power to wipe your species from this planet, and turn this world into nothing but scattered dust. Yet we have not. Upon arriving here, our very first act was one of kindness... we saved the life of President Bensen. We have never laid an inappropriate finger on any member of your species. We have given you the gift of resource independence, by giving you the technology to isolate and separate matter on the molecular level. We have ended the need for your species to kill for food or vanity. We have NEVER asked your kind for anything, except the right to simply exist here, on your planet." he added.
As the Commander was talking, the Aide with the tan skin was looking out among the crowd of citizens, as if scanning the area, looking for someone. Finally, something caught his attention, and he focused on one man in the crowd... a somewhat robust older white man, with a gray beard. The tan Orvani looked to the man with intent, squinting his large black eyes slightly, and focusing on this man, drilling into him with his eyes.
The tan Orvani momentarily closed his eyes, as he could now "see" inside the man's mind. The man's memory images flooded through the Orvani's mind, events playing out before him. The man was handing an explosive device to a younger man. THIS was the man responsible for the explosion on the saucer! This was the man who gave the video speech, cliaming responsibility for the event. The tan Orvani opened his eyes again, and now wore a look that was best described as an angry sneer, as he again squinted at the man.
"Yes, there are those of us who have done wrong, but they have been held responsible, and will face their judgement. But that is my point." the Commander continued. "We are just like you. We are people, as you are. We may be more advanced, technology-wise, but we have a history... we have good people, as well as bad people. Honest people, as well as dishonest. That's why it should not surprise you, that at one point, we ourselves, looked up to the vast cosmos, in wonder, and wondered by whose mighty hand it had been created." he added, as a slight collective gasp of surprise washed through the crowds. "That's right." he continued. "We also believed in a higher power, as you do. And that is not a bad thing. Far from it. Knowledge is knowledge. It is there for one purpose... for learning, and understanding. If you do not follow a religion, knowledge helps you understand the sciences of the natural world. If you do follow a religion, knowledge can help you understand how your higher power did what he did. Knowledge need not be in conflict with religion. We are not demons." he added.
The tan Orvani was now fully focused on the man in the crowd, his eyes piercing into the very inner mind of the man.
It was then that the man began to notice something was wrong... he looked down, to his wait, and his eyes and mouth opened up wide, in total shock and fear, at what he saw...
Strapped to his waist, was a timed bomb... and the timer was counting down, fast.
"We are not evil." the Commander stated.
The man in the crowd suddenly tried with all his might to rip the bomb away from his waist, but he could not... because it was not there.
Those around the man, stepped away, as they looked at him, flailing away at his wast, trying to rip the invisible bomb off.
The man's head was filled with the rapid beating of his own heart. His heart was racing, and his heart rate was dangerously high. His fear was overwhelming.
The reflection of the frantic man filled the tan Orvani's eyes, as he continued his mental onslaught on the man.
"We are not killers." the Commander stated.
Suddenly, the timer on the invisible bomb counted down to all zeroes, and at that moment, the man screamed out in the crowd, falling to the ground, fidgeting for a second, before going stiff, dead, killed by fear itself.
The tan Orvani now released his mental stranglehold on the man's mind, and looked upon the now-dead man. The tan Orvani grew the slightest of wry smiles, as if congratulating himself on a job well done.
The President and the Commander looked to the crowd and the dead man with shock, as someone in the crowd yelled out that man was dead.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
Then again, it also proves the Orvani have fanatics of their own. There wasn't exactly any due process there--not to mention he TOTALLY belied everything the Commander was saying. So I think this was probably a very bad maneuver on tan dude's part...
LEAD ORVANI SAUCER - THE WHITE HOUSE
President Bensen watched, as the Commander looked at his three Aides, in the control room, and finally addressed the group.
"It seems, from the Coroner's report, by the human authorities, that the man at the press conference died of a heart attack... but witnesses also said they saw him struggling to remove something... an unseen object, as if he were afraid. Emotions that intense, would not go unnoticed, so since you were all focused on the crowd, at the time, I am required to investigate the matter on my end, as well. I will ask that you broadcast to me." he said, as he looked first, at one of the two grays. The Commander wore a look of focus, as he absorbed the data that was in that gray's mind, via the neuronic link. The gray Aide did not look as if he was in pain, but did look as if he was feeling vulnerable.
Finally, the gray's features loosened up, now that the Commander broke the link, and turned to face the second gray Aide, repeating the process. But something was different now... both Orvani shared a look of confusion, until finally, the Commander broke the link, turning to the tan Aide, walking right in front of him.
"You." he began, as the tan Aide faced him. "I did not see your mind in the memories of the others... that means only one thing... your mind was closed... you were not broadcasting. Why?" the Commander prodded.
The tan Orvani merely returned the Commander's look, blinking.
"I was feeling fatigued." he offered, with the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"You're not feeling fatigued now, are you?" the Commander shot back.
The tan man looked to his Commander with a slight degree of disdain, before delivering his reply.
"No, Sir... I am not. However, a link will not be required, for I will confess my crime." he added.
"Go ahead." the Commander said, waiting.
"I did it... I killed the human man in the crowd. Not out of pure hate, but in punishment." the tan offered.
"Punishment... for what?" Bensen called out, as the tan Orvani looked to him.
"For the bombing and destruction of our saucer at the Vatican... and the murder of YOUR religious leaders." the tan began. "During the Commander's speech, I picked up a wave of intense emotions from someone in the crowd... I focused my mind into the source, and it was him... I saw his memories... he was the architect and guilty party, for the attack. I merely provided justice." he added.
"What did you do?" Bensen shot back.
"I did to him exactly what he did to us... I planted an explosive device... a bomb... to his body. It was not real, but in his mind, it was... his brain saw what I wanted him to see, until, finally... the bomb exploded, and he died." the tan said, with chillingly deadly calm, completely devoid of guilt or remorse.
"My god..." Bensen began. "You literally scared him to death."
The tan Orvani finally broke the slightest of smiles, as he faced Bensen.
"Now, you see how futile it is... the illusion of power, that your people cling to. For all your military might... all your explosives and guns... there is NOTHING your people can do, that can possibly harm us. But we, on the other hand... we have absolutely NO need for weapons to fight and destroy you. Your very minds are weapons for us, to use against you." he said, now beginning to chuckle. "And what basic and simple things your minds are, at that... you have built cities... ships... broken free from your own planet... yet, you remain on every level that counts, no more remarkable than a mere insect." he spat. "We could quite literally, destroy your entire species, with no more than a thought." he added.
That did it for Bensen, and he walked right up to the tan Orvani, facing him right in the eyes.
"At least we didn't use our minds to destroy our species." he shot back, knowing that the remark would strike a chord.
The Commander looked to the floor, saddened by the recollection of that revelation, as the tan Orvani looked up, to meet Bensen's stare, breaking a wry smile.
"Give it time." he began. "Mark my words... before the end of this year, your pitiful excuse for a species's thirst for power and control will unleash a wave of destruction upon your world, unlike any you have ever known." he added, now looking to the Commander, who addressed him.
"You had NO right..." the Commander called out to him, now turning to the grays. "Take him to the medical bay, for neuronic extraction." he ordered, as the grays stepped forward, and took the tan by the arms, one of the grays pausing, turning to the Commander with a question.
"Sir... an extraction WILL kill him." the gray offered.
"A bomb for a bomb... a mind for a mind." the Commander lamented, softly, as the gray nodded, leading the tan out of the room, as Bensen faced the Commander.
"What are they gonna do to him?" Bensen asked, wearing a look of worry.
"Your people would probably call it a lobotomy." the Commander began. "Our neuronics are infused and intertwined with the structure of our brains to the point of being inseperable... there is no way to remove them, without totally destroying the brain." he offered, looking to Bensen. "But not all will be lost... his knowledge... everything he could contribute to our society will remain, for before he is taken off-line, the doctors will upload his neuronic engrams to the whole of society... we will learn what he learned, know what he knew." he added.
"How do you know that others won't try to emulate his bad actions?" Bensen asked.
"Because, before he perished, he had this meeting with us, and knew of the consequences of his act... as will every other Orvani." the Commander related.
"You place a lot of faith, in a technology that is responsible for slowly exterminating your entire race." Bensen shot back.
"Because the inherent benefits of that technology are so great." the Commander started. "The fact that I am able to tell you what I have told you proves it, Mister President. I mean, I'm not a doctor... I'm a military Commander. But thanks to the neuronic sharing, I know everything that our doctors know... everything that our botanists know, and so on. Like I said before... we have no teachers... we become our own teachers." he continued. "Imagine, Mister President, if you had the accumulated knowledge of every former President, and world leader, and not only that, but every economist, sociologist, and scientist on your planet... can you IMAGINE what a great and capable leader that would produce?" he asked., as Bensen just looked to him.
SMITHSONIAN AIR & SPACE MUSEUM - WASHINGTON, D.C.
The human tourists and school groups that were walking through the vast museum kept their distance, as a lone tan Orvani walked amongst the displays, looking at the results of Earth's aviation history.
This of course, was a different Orvani, not the murderer who had killed the man in the crowd. The Orvani paused, looking at the Spirit of St. Louis, taking in the sight of it.
Sudenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned, to find a human man looking at him, holding a large manila envelope, that held a packet of papers.
"Excuse me," the man began. "You're the Orvani Spokesperson, no?" he asked.
"Yes." the tan replied.
"Here." the man added, handing the packet of papers to the Orvani. "I represent the District Court of Maryland... you are hereby served." he added, as he nodded, and turned away, walking out of the area, leaving the Orvani to look at the packet, in confusion.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
President Bensen watched, as the Commander looked at his three Aides, in the control room, and finally addressed the group.
"It seems, from the Coroner's report, by the human authorities, that the man at the press conference died of a heart attack... but witnesses also said they saw him struggling to remove something... an unseen object, as if he were afraid. Emotions that intense, would not go unnoticed, so since you were all focused on the crowd, at the time, I am required to investigate the matter on my end, as well. I will ask that you broadcast to me." he said, as he looked first, at one of the two grays. The Commander wore a look of focus, as he absorbed the data that was in that gray's mind, via the neuronic link. The gray Aide did not look as if he was in pain, but did look as if he was feeling vulnerable.
Finally, the gray's features loosened up, now that the Commander broke the link, and turned to face the second gray Aide, repeating the process. But something was different now... both Orvani shared a look of confusion, until finally, the Commander broke the link, turning to the tan Aide, walking right in front of him.
"You." he began, as the tan Aide faced him. "I did not see your mind in the memories of the others... that means only one thing... your mind was closed... you were not broadcasting. Why?" the Commander prodded.
The tan Orvani merely returned the Commander's look, blinking.
"I was feeling fatigued." he offered, with the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"You're not feeling fatigued now, are you?" the Commander shot back.
The tan man looked to his Commander with a slight degree of disdain, before delivering his reply.
"No, Sir... I am not. However, a link will not be required, for I will confess my crime." he added.
"Go ahead." the Commander said, waiting.
"I did it... I killed the human man in the crowd. Not out of pure hate, but in punishment." the tan offered.
"Punishment... for what?" Bensen called out, as the tan Orvani looked to him.
"For the bombing and destruction of our saucer at the Vatican... and the murder of YOUR religious leaders." the tan began. "During the Commander's speech, I picked up a wave of intense emotions from someone in the crowd... I focused my mind into the source, and it was him... I saw his memories... he was the architect and guilty party, for the attack. I merely provided justice." he added.
"What did you do?" Bensen shot back.
"I did to him exactly what he did to us... I planted an explosive device... a bomb... to his body. It was not real, but in his mind, it was... his brain saw what I wanted him to see, until, finally... the bomb exploded, and he died." the tan said, with chillingly deadly calm, completely devoid of guilt or remorse.
"My god..." Bensen began. "You literally scared him to death."
The tan Orvani finally broke the slightest of smiles, as he faced Bensen.
"Now, you see how futile it is... the illusion of power, that your people cling to. For all your military might... all your explosives and guns... there is NOTHING your people can do, that can possibly harm us. But we, on the other hand... we have absolutely NO need for weapons to fight and destroy you. Your very minds are weapons for us, to use against you." he said, now beginning to chuckle. "And what basic and simple things your minds are, at that... you have built cities... ships... broken free from your own planet... yet, you remain on every level that counts, no more remarkable than a mere insect." he spat. "We could quite literally, destroy your entire species, with no more than a thought." he added.
That did it for Bensen, and he walked right up to the tan Orvani, facing him right in the eyes.
"At least we didn't use our minds to destroy our species." he shot back, knowing that the remark would strike a chord.
The Commander looked to the floor, saddened by the recollection of that revelation, as the tan Orvani looked up, to meet Bensen's stare, breaking a wry smile.
"Give it time." he began. "Mark my words... before the end of this year, your pitiful excuse for a species's thirst for power and control will unleash a wave of destruction upon your world, unlike any you have ever known." he added, now looking to the Commander, who addressed him.
"You had NO right..." the Commander called out to him, now turning to the grays. "Take him to the medical bay, for neuronic extraction." he ordered, as the grays stepped forward, and took the tan by the arms, one of the grays pausing, turning to the Commander with a question.
"Sir... an extraction WILL kill him." the gray offered.
"A bomb for a bomb... a mind for a mind." the Commander lamented, softly, as the gray nodded, leading the tan out of the room, as Bensen faced the Commander.
"What are they gonna do to him?" Bensen asked, wearing a look of worry.
"Your people would probably call it a lobotomy." the Commander began. "Our neuronics are infused and intertwined with the structure of our brains to the point of being inseperable... there is no way to remove them, without totally destroying the brain." he offered, looking to Bensen. "But not all will be lost... his knowledge... everything he could contribute to our society will remain, for before he is taken off-line, the doctors will upload his neuronic engrams to the whole of society... we will learn what he learned, know what he knew." he added.
"How do you know that others won't try to emulate his bad actions?" Bensen asked.
"Because, before he perished, he had this meeting with us, and knew of the consequences of his act... as will every other Orvani." the Commander related.
"You place a lot of faith, in a technology that is responsible for slowly exterminating your entire race." Bensen shot back.
"Because the inherent benefits of that technology are so great." the Commander started. "The fact that I am able to tell you what I have told you proves it, Mister President. I mean, I'm not a doctor... I'm a military Commander. But thanks to the neuronic sharing, I know everything that our doctors know... everything that our botanists know, and so on. Like I said before... we have no teachers... we become our own teachers." he continued. "Imagine, Mister President, if you had the accumulated knowledge of every former President, and world leader, and not only that, but every economist, sociologist, and scientist on your planet... can you IMAGINE what a great and capable leader that would produce?" he asked., as Bensen just looked to him.
SMITHSONIAN AIR & SPACE MUSEUM - WASHINGTON, D.C.
The human tourists and school groups that were walking through the vast museum kept their distance, as a lone tan Orvani walked amongst the displays, looking at the results of Earth's aviation history.
This of course, was a different Orvani, not the murderer who had killed the man in the crowd. The Orvani paused, looking at the Spirit of St. Louis, taking in the sight of it.
Sudenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned, to find a human man looking at him, holding a large manila envelope, that held a packet of papers.
"Excuse me," the man began. "You're the Orvani Spokesperson, no?" he asked.
"Yes." the tan replied.
"Here." the man added, handing the packet of papers to the Orvani. "I represent the District Court of Maryland... you are hereby served." he added, as he nodded, and turned away, walking out of the area, leaving the Orvani to look at the packet, in confusion.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
I am glad to see that Orvani sicko punished for what he did: it definitely fell into the "cruel and unusual" category. Hopefully the Orvani can do what they must do in a more controlled and humane manner, though, than what the tan did to his victim.
Hopefully, too, his punishment will prove that the Orvani are serious in their commitments to Earth--that is, unless his rebellious attitude spreads. It's doubtful, however, that people will believe it, knowing human nature.
I think maybe we're seeing the beginnings of that, in that this random tan at the end is being served a warrant for his arrest...
Hopefully, too, his punishment will prove that the Orvani are serious in their commitments to Earth--that is, unless his rebellious attitude spreads. It's doubtful, however, that people will believe it, knowing human nature.
I think maybe we're seeing the beginnings of that, in that this random tan at the end is being served a warrant for his arrest...
^
Well, the neuronic extraction is not some thing that would be done in a brutal fashion... the procedure is done in the medical bay, under the supervision of Orvani doctors.
As for the other tan Orvani being served with court papers... just wait until you find out what that is about, hehe... you'd never guess...
Well, the neuronic extraction is not some thing that would be done in a brutal fashion... the procedure is done in the medical bay, under the supervision of Orvani doctors.
As for the other tan Orvani being served with court papers... just wait until you find out what that is about, hehe... you'd never guess...
The sky behind the line of Orvani saucers loomed dark and red, as if illuminated by the fires of Hell itself, as one saucer began to move forward, revealing the landscape before it...
What had once been the City of London, was now a scene out of the apocalypse itself... the entire city was either demolished, from military combat, or was ablaze, sending vast columns of thick dark smoke, into the sky.
In the sky above the once-vast and proud city, countless hundreds of Earth military fighter planes maneuvered about, racing towards the Orvani saucers, their guns alive with weapons fire, as they tried with no avail, to destroy their enemies from beyond the Earth.
One F-22 Raptor raced towards the wall of Orvani saucers, doing a complete roll, as it approached. As the plane initiated the roll, the plane itself began to change...
The outer metal of the fuselage began to appear to warble slightly, as if a pond ripple had swept across it. Suddenly, the fuselage literally melted away, the plane still in midflight, as the inner metal framework became exposed.
Suddenly, the missiles mounted under the wings, began to literally deconstruct themselves, as the outer casings fell apart, and the inner mechanisms began to dissolve, the metal framework of the plane now following suit.
This process was happening to ALL of the planes, in unison.
Suddenly, all of the planes had ceased to be planes, and the pilots that had been in the seats, all began to fall to the ground below, as the saucers just stood there, unaffected, and uncaring. Invincible to the whole of humanity's military might.
One Orvani saucer swept into view, and angled sharply upward, streaking into the sky, in the blink of an eye.
The saucer came to a streaking halt, high above the arc of the Earth, and drifted into position, where all of the planet below could be observed...
Where once, the lights of vast cities had lit the globe, now those same areas were lit by massive firestorms of destruction. Every second, another city could be seen bursting into flames, from high above, as suddenly, new explosions appeared... much more powerful, and far more devastating...
Massive, brilliant, white-hot flashes of thermonuclear weapons could now be seen, dotting the Earth, one after the other, seemingly without end. The mammoth 100 megaton explosions sent their deadly wakes spreading outward, in white-hot rings of doom, all across the globe, wiping out any life... any thing, in their paths.
Anything, that is... except the Orvani ships...
As the horrible wakes of white fire swept over the now wasted landscape of Earth, the Orvani ships held position, not having moved but a centimeter, from the force of all of humankind's weaponry being thrown at them. The humans may as well have just not done anything at all, for the result would have been the same, on the Orvani end.
Suddenly, the tan Orvani was visible, inside one of the saucers... the mdeical bay. The tan was on the table, half of his head open, exposed by the Orvani surgeons, performing the neuronic extraction. With a sickening squishing/cracking sound, the doctors pulled out a portion of the tan's brain, which was infused with literally millions of black, fibers, that were thinner than a hair, and wove a spidery network over and into his brain... the neuronics themselves.
The right shoulder and bottom side face of President Bensen emerged into view, looking down at the pitiful tan Orvani on the table, as the Orvani quickly looked right at Bensen, his large black eyes, drilling into Bensen's very being.
As if Bensen could hear the mind of the tan, Bensen began to hear a chuckling... a wicked, almost evil, chuckling... it was the laughter of the tan. Suddenly, the voice of the tan filled Bensen's own brain, echoing his last words to him...
"Now, you see how futile it is... the illusion of power, that your people cling to. For all your military might... all your explosives and guns... there is NOTHING your people can do, that can possibly harm us. But we, on the other hand... we have absolutely NO need for weapons to fight and destroy you. Your very minds are weapons for us, to use against you. And what basic and simple things your minds are, at that... you have built cities... ships... broken free from your own planet... yet, you remain on every level that counts, no more remarkable than a mere insect. We could quite literally, destroy your entire species, with no more than a thought. Mark my words... before the end of this year, your pitiful excuse for a species's thirst for power and control will unleash a wave of destruction upon your world, unlike any you have ever known."
Suddenly, Bensen's eyes shot fully open, wide as the moon, as he gasped hard.
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
President Bensen shot up from his bed, in the middle of the night, groping for the light on the nighstatnd. He found it, and turned the light on, looking to the clock. 4:00am. His wife was now waking, disturbed by Bensen's tossing and turning. She turned to him, rising up, looking at him.
"Honey... you're awash with sweat... what is it?" she asked, half awake.
He was looking to the floor, his back to her, seemingly lost in thought, as he looked back to her.
"Hmm?" he began. "Oh... nothing... just a bad dream... I let something one of the Orvani said get to me, I suppose." he said, trying to reassure her. "I need some water... I'll be back." he said, getting up, as she laid back down in bed, falling back asleep.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
What had once been the City of London, was now a scene out of the apocalypse itself... the entire city was either demolished, from military combat, or was ablaze, sending vast columns of thick dark smoke, into the sky.
In the sky above the once-vast and proud city, countless hundreds of Earth military fighter planes maneuvered about, racing towards the Orvani saucers, their guns alive with weapons fire, as they tried with no avail, to destroy their enemies from beyond the Earth.
One F-22 Raptor raced towards the wall of Orvani saucers, doing a complete roll, as it approached. As the plane initiated the roll, the plane itself began to change...
The outer metal of the fuselage began to appear to warble slightly, as if a pond ripple had swept across it. Suddenly, the fuselage literally melted away, the plane still in midflight, as the inner metal framework became exposed.
Suddenly, the missiles mounted under the wings, began to literally deconstruct themselves, as the outer casings fell apart, and the inner mechanisms began to dissolve, the metal framework of the plane now following suit.
This process was happening to ALL of the planes, in unison.
Suddenly, all of the planes had ceased to be planes, and the pilots that had been in the seats, all began to fall to the ground below, as the saucers just stood there, unaffected, and uncaring. Invincible to the whole of humanity's military might.
One Orvani saucer swept into view, and angled sharply upward, streaking into the sky, in the blink of an eye.
The saucer came to a streaking halt, high above the arc of the Earth, and drifted into position, where all of the planet below could be observed...
Where once, the lights of vast cities had lit the globe, now those same areas were lit by massive firestorms of destruction. Every second, another city could be seen bursting into flames, from high above, as suddenly, new explosions appeared... much more powerful, and far more devastating...
Massive, brilliant, white-hot flashes of thermonuclear weapons could now be seen, dotting the Earth, one after the other, seemingly without end. The mammoth 100 megaton explosions sent their deadly wakes spreading outward, in white-hot rings of doom, all across the globe, wiping out any life... any thing, in their paths.
Anything, that is... except the Orvani ships...
As the horrible wakes of white fire swept over the now wasted landscape of Earth, the Orvani ships held position, not having moved but a centimeter, from the force of all of humankind's weaponry being thrown at them. The humans may as well have just not done anything at all, for the result would have been the same, on the Orvani end.
Suddenly, the tan Orvani was visible, inside one of the saucers... the mdeical bay. The tan was on the table, half of his head open, exposed by the Orvani surgeons, performing the neuronic extraction. With a sickening squishing/cracking sound, the doctors pulled out a portion of the tan's brain, which was infused with literally millions of black, fibers, that were thinner than a hair, and wove a spidery network over and into his brain... the neuronics themselves.
The right shoulder and bottom side face of President Bensen emerged into view, looking down at the pitiful tan Orvani on the table, as the Orvani quickly looked right at Bensen, his large black eyes, drilling into Bensen's very being.
As if Bensen could hear the mind of the tan, Bensen began to hear a chuckling... a wicked, almost evil, chuckling... it was the laughter of the tan. Suddenly, the voice of the tan filled Bensen's own brain, echoing his last words to him...
"Now, you see how futile it is... the illusion of power, that your people cling to. For all your military might... all your explosives and guns... there is NOTHING your people can do, that can possibly harm us. But we, on the other hand... we have absolutely NO need for weapons to fight and destroy you. Your very minds are weapons for us, to use against you. And what basic and simple things your minds are, at that... you have built cities... ships... broken free from your own planet... yet, you remain on every level that counts, no more remarkable than a mere insect. We could quite literally, destroy your entire species, with no more than a thought. Mark my words... before the end of this year, your pitiful excuse for a species's thirst for power and control will unleash a wave of destruction upon your world, unlike any you have ever known."
Suddenly, Bensen's eyes shot fully open, wide as the moon, as he gasped hard.
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
President Bensen shot up from his bed, in the middle of the night, groping for the light on the nighstatnd. He found it, and turned the light on, looking to the clock. 4:00am. His wife was now waking, disturbed by Bensen's tossing and turning. She turned to him, rising up, looking at him.
"Honey... you're awash with sweat... what is it?" she asked, half awake.
He was looking to the floor, his back to her, seemingly lost in thought, as he looked back to her.
"Hmm?" he began. "Oh... nothing... just a bad dream... I let something one of the Orvani said get to me, I suppose." he said, trying to reassure her. "I need some water... I'll be back." he said, getting up, as she laid back down in bed, falling back asleep.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND - MARYLAND
The Judge's gavel impacted loudly, on the wooden base, as the Judge called the court to order.
"Order! Order! I call this court to order! We will now proceed with the case of Anne Tyler, versus the Orvani Nation." the female Judge called out, as everyone sat down.
The human woman, Anne Tyler, shot a look at the Orvani Spokesperson, and his human legal adviser, as the Judge read the basis for the lawsuit.
"Anne Tyler... the court understands you are here today, to file suit against the Orvani Nation, for custody of a child that you allege the Orvani took from you, in the fetal stage of development. Further, you are demanding visitation rights to the child, as well as damages, for emotional distress." the Judge began, looking to Anne, as she set the file down. "Mrs. Tyler... I am curious... why have you not added the charge of rape, to your legal claim?" she asked.
Anne shifted in her seat slightly, as she gave her reply.
"Your Honor, to be quite honest, I wanted to, but found I could not... I mean, where would I begin? How would I know which Orvani was the one that did this to me? Look at them... they all look the same!" she spat, as the Orvani's human adviser shot up from his seat.
"Objection, Your Honor! That is a blatant slur, against the physical appearance of my client's race, and I ask that it be striken from the record!" he called out.
The Judge looked to the man for a long second, thinking the argument over.
"Very well... objection is sustained... Mrs. Tyler and her legal council, shall refrain from identifying the accused as anything other than Orvani." she began. "The court will hear this case... trial date set to begin in one week from this date and time. I am ordering the Orvani released to his people, and imposing a court-ordered hold, on all Orvani travel off the planet." she added, as the Orvani's lawyer again stood up.
"Your Honor... I would remind you, that the President is scheduled to travel to Orvan in the near future." he began, as the Judge looked to him.
"No offworld travel. Mrs. Tyler has asked for visitation rights, in her lawsuit... if she wins her case, she is entitled to be allowed to travel to the child's current location... in this case, that being Orvan. No travel offworld, until completion of this proceeding!" the Judge added, slamming the gavel down, to seal the deal.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
The Judge's gavel impacted loudly, on the wooden base, as the Judge called the court to order.
"Order! Order! I call this court to order! We will now proceed with the case of Anne Tyler, versus the Orvani Nation." the female Judge called out, as everyone sat down.
The human woman, Anne Tyler, shot a look at the Orvani Spokesperson, and his human legal adviser, as the Judge read the basis for the lawsuit.
"Anne Tyler... the court understands you are here today, to file suit against the Orvani Nation, for custody of a child that you allege the Orvani took from you, in the fetal stage of development. Further, you are demanding visitation rights to the child, as well as damages, for emotional distress." the Judge began, looking to Anne, as she set the file down. "Mrs. Tyler... I am curious... why have you not added the charge of rape, to your legal claim?" she asked.
Anne shifted in her seat slightly, as she gave her reply.
"Your Honor, to be quite honest, I wanted to, but found I could not... I mean, where would I begin? How would I know which Orvani was the one that did this to me? Look at them... they all look the same!" she spat, as the Orvani's human adviser shot up from his seat.
"Objection, Your Honor! That is a blatant slur, against the physical appearance of my client's race, and I ask that it be striken from the record!" he called out.
The Judge looked to the man for a long second, thinking the argument over.
"Very well... objection is sustained... Mrs. Tyler and her legal council, shall refrain from identifying the accused as anything other than Orvani." she began. "The court will hear this case... trial date set to begin in one week from this date and time. I am ordering the Orvani released to his people, and imposing a court-ordered hold, on all Orvani travel off the planet." she added, as the Orvani's lawyer again stood up.
"Your Honor... I would remind you, that the President is scheduled to travel to Orvan in the near future." he began, as the Judge looked to him.
"No offworld travel. Mrs. Tyler has asked for visitation rights, in her lawsuit... if she wins her case, she is entitled to be allowed to travel to the child's current location... in this case, that being Orvan. No travel offworld, until completion of this proceeding!" the Judge added, slamming the gavel down, to seal the deal.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
Oooh, wow...enforcing THAT order is going to be difficult. And now she's up against the President as well as the Orvani?
We'll see just how law-abiding the Orvani are now...
We'll see just how law-abiding the Orvani are now...
TIMES SQUARE - NEW YORK CITY
The hustle and bustle of the daily pedestrian and motor traffic continued on, as a man in a nice suit and hat stopped in front of a small newsstand, and decided to take in the headlines of the day.
His eyes were drawn to a line of the usual "trash" tabloids, that one would usually find in supermarket checkout stands... that carried headlines that usually reported the birth of a bat-boy, or a werewolf claiming to be the reincarnated Elvis Presley.
This time, the cover had a picture of a judge's gavel, beside a picture of an Orvani's face, and a big bold headline proclaimed in black letters: "Earth woman sues aliens for custody of space baby!". The man had to chuckle at the sight of it, and picked up the rag, looking through the pages, finding the article.
As the man read the seemingly silly article, he noticed another man reach for a newspaper, beside, him, and open it up. The man looked to the other man's newspaper, and it was a highly reputable publication... the New York Times. But, it had the very same article, on the front page! The headline read: "First ever Human-Orvani lawsuit given green light by Judge!" The sub-header held an addendum: "Orvani Spokesperson confirms allegations of child theft."
At the sight of such a headline on a reputable paper, the man's eyes grew wide, as he now turned to his right, to see a woman reach for a USA Today, again, with the same front page story! Feeling awkward, the man quietly folded the tabloid back up, and placed it back on the rack, as he nodded to the stand owner, walking away.
DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND - MARYLAND
The Judge's gavel impacted loudly, on the wooden base, as the Judge called the court to order.
"Order! Order! Proceed with your opening comments, council." the female Judge called out, as the Orvani's human lawyer nodded, standing up, and pacing in front of the court, as he made his argument.
"Thank you, Your Honor." he began. "As we all know by now, the recent revelations concerning the Orvani have been disturbing not only to them, but to us, as well... for, with the admissions that came forward, were admissions and confirmations, that indeed, Orvani elements have, on occasion, "abducted" samples of the Human species, and in instances... have "extracted" fetal humans, from their mothers, and infused them with Orvani DNA, in their attempt to create a hybrid race. None of this is in dispute, Your Honor, as the Orvani have openly admitted it. Indeed, the Orvani military is fully willing to allow Mrs. Tyler access to her child, and is even willing to transport her to their home world. So why are we here, in this court? It is not out of dispute of any of the charges, but rather, in dispute of to whom they are directed." he added.
"Please elaborate, Council." the Judge instructed.
"Your Honor... my client objects to the fact that the Orvani Nation is the target of this legal suit. The Orvani Nation does not participate in, nor does it condone, such rogue actions, as abduction. The Orvani responsible for this indeed heinous crime, are rogues... operating on their own, out of reach of Orvani authority. It is therefore, that reason, which my client and I, make a request to transfer all matters pertaining to this legal suit to the legal authorities on the Orvani homeworld, itself... let them deal with this matter." he stated, facing the Judge, awaiting her reaction.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
The hustle and bustle of the daily pedestrian and motor traffic continued on, as a man in a nice suit and hat stopped in front of a small newsstand, and decided to take in the headlines of the day.
His eyes were drawn to a line of the usual "trash" tabloids, that one would usually find in supermarket checkout stands... that carried headlines that usually reported the birth of a bat-boy, or a werewolf claiming to be the reincarnated Elvis Presley.
This time, the cover had a picture of a judge's gavel, beside a picture of an Orvani's face, and a big bold headline proclaimed in black letters: "Earth woman sues aliens for custody of space baby!". The man had to chuckle at the sight of it, and picked up the rag, looking through the pages, finding the article.
As the man read the seemingly silly article, he noticed another man reach for a newspaper, beside, him, and open it up. The man looked to the other man's newspaper, and it was a highly reputable publication... the New York Times. But, it had the very same article, on the front page! The headline read: "First ever Human-Orvani lawsuit given green light by Judge!" The sub-header held an addendum: "Orvani Spokesperson confirms allegations of child theft."
At the sight of such a headline on a reputable paper, the man's eyes grew wide, as he now turned to his right, to see a woman reach for a USA Today, again, with the same front page story! Feeling awkward, the man quietly folded the tabloid back up, and placed it back on the rack, as he nodded to the stand owner, walking away.
DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND - MARYLAND
The Judge's gavel impacted loudly, on the wooden base, as the Judge called the court to order.
"Order! Order! Proceed with your opening comments, council." the female Judge called out, as the Orvani's human lawyer nodded, standing up, and pacing in front of the court, as he made his argument.
"Thank you, Your Honor." he began. "As we all know by now, the recent revelations concerning the Orvani have been disturbing not only to them, but to us, as well... for, with the admissions that came forward, were admissions and confirmations, that indeed, Orvani elements have, on occasion, "abducted" samples of the Human species, and in instances... have "extracted" fetal humans, from their mothers, and infused them with Orvani DNA, in their attempt to create a hybrid race. None of this is in dispute, Your Honor, as the Orvani have openly admitted it. Indeed, the Orvani military is fully willing to allow Mrs. Tyler access to her child, and is even willing to transport her to their home world. So why are we here, in this court? It is not out of dispute of any of the charges, but rather, in dispute of to whom they are directed." he added.
"Please elaborate, Council." the Judge instructed.
"Your Honor... my client objects to the fact that the Orvani Nation is the target of this legal suit. The Orvani Nation does not participate in, nor does it condone, such rogue actions, as abduction. The Orvani responsible for this indeed heinous crime, are rogues... operating on their own, out of reach of Orvani authority. It is therefore, that reason, which my client and I, make a request to transfer all matters pertaining to this legal suit to the legal authorities on the Orvani homeworld, itself... let them deal with this matter." he stated, facing the Judge, awaiting her reaction.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
^
Well, if the Judge allows it... this would be the ultimate "change of venue" for any trial in Earth's history.
Well, if the Judge allows it... this would be the ultimate "change of venue" for any trial in Earth's history.
OVAL OFFICE - THE WHITE HOUSE
The rays of the morning sun shot through the light curtains that hung over the large windows, as President Bensen and his Aides watched the news broadcast on TV.
The female reporter looked to the camera, as she introduced the next story.
"And in world news, leaders from the People's Union of Russia made open protest in the United Nations today, demanding to be allowed to travel with the American President to the Orvani's home world. Premiere Sergei Zumanov said that denying equal access to the Orvani, their technology, and their world, was akin to a show of national favoritism and partisanship, on the side of the Orvani."
ANother news item graphic window appeared beside the female reporter, as she moved to the new story, rolling along.
"And, speaking of the Orvani, legal history was made this morning, when a Maryland District Judge approved a request to move the first ever inter-species custody battle trial over to the Orvani legal system, on the Orvani's home planet. The change of venue was granted at approximately eight o'clock this morning, which means that Anne Tyler, the women who filed the lawsuit, will be permitted travel to Orvan, to participate in the case, and also, to be re-united with her child." the reported added.
ORVANI SAUCER GROUP - WASHINGTON, D.C.
CONTROL ROOM - LEAD SAUCER
The large holoimage of the female reported faded away, restoring the view of the wall, as the Commander looked to the other Orvani around the command table, that had been viewing the transmission.
"Great." one of them began. "These humans are turning our world into a tourist attraction... before any of them have even set foot on it. She wants to visit, the Russians want to visit... heck, why don't we just take everyone back to Orvan!" he offered, sarcastically.
"They have to realize how out of place they'd be on Orvan... the people back home would look upon them as specimens in a zoo." another offered.
"What about me?" one of the tans spoke up. "I'm the one that's gonna have to defend that insect... Anne Tyler, on Orvan... I'm the one the Judge picked to be her "lawyer", as they call it. "The humiliation... to be lowered to the point where I have to defend the rights of a member of the human species... a species with such limited knowledge... probably took them a few milennia to figure out how to wipe their own rears." he shot, as a few of the others chuckled.
The Commander was not amused, as he looked to the group.
"Look... I'm not going to say the humans have not been disappointing, in some ways. But they are not stupid. They have demonstrated the grace to allow us access to their world, and so far, have not made any grand requests, in return. They simply lack our advances. However, you are right... we cannot allow an unreasonable amount of humans access to Orvan. It is not in the best interest of either of our worlds. But we have to explain why... we have to make an announcement." he offered.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
The rays of the morning sun shot through the light curtains that hung over the large windows, as President Bensen and his Aides watched the news broadcast on TV.
The female reporter looked to the camera, as she introduced the next story.
"And in world news, leaders from the People's Union of Russia made open protest in the United Nations today, demanding to be allowed to travel with the American President to the Orvani's home world. Premiere Sergei Zumanov said that denying equal access to the Orvani, their technology, and their world, was akin to a show of national favoritism and partisanship, on the side of the Orvani."
ANother news item graphic window appeared beside the female reporter, as she moved to the new story, rolling along.
"And, speaking of the Orvani, legal history was made this morning, when a Maryland District Judge approved a request to move the first ever inter-species custody battle trial over to the Orvani legal system, on the Orvani's home planet. The change of venue was granted at approximately eight o'clock this morning, which means that Anne Tyler, the women who filed the lawsuit, will be permitted travel to Orvan, to participate in the case, and also, to be re-united with her child." the reported added.
ORVANI SAUCER GROUP - WASHINGTON, D.C.
CONTROL ROOM - LEAD SAUCER
The large holoimage of the female reported faded away, restoring the view of the wall, as the Commander looked to the other Orvani around the command table, that had been viewing the transmission.
"Great." one of them began. "These humans are turning our world into a tourist attraction... before any of them have even set foot on it. She wants to visit, the Russians want to visit... heck, why don't we just take everyone back to Orvan!" he offered, sarcastically.
"They have to realize how out of place they'd be on Orvan... the people back home would look upon them as specimens in a zoo." another offered.
"What about me?" one of the tans spoke up. "I'm the one that's gonna have to defend that insect... Anne Tyler, on Orvan... I'm the one the Judge picked to be her "lawyer", as they call it. "The humiliation... to be lowered to the point where I have to defend the rights of a member of the human species... a species with such limited knowledge... probably took them a few milennia to figure out how to wipe their own rears." he shot, as a few of the others chuckled.
The Commander was not amused, as he looked to the group.
"Look... I'm not going to say the humans have not been disappointing, in some ways. But they are not stupid. They have demonstrated the grace to allow us access to their world, and so far, have not made any grand requests, in return. They simply lack our advances. However, you are right... we cannot allow an unreasonable amount of humans access to Orvan. It is not in the best interest of either of our worlds. But we have to explain why... we have to make an announcement." he offered.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
UNITED NATIONS - NEW YORK CITY
The flags of the nations of Earth fluttered in the breeze, as three Orvani saucers hovered over the large building, keeping perfectly still, as the crowds and media gathered nearby, to gaze upon the crafts, as they held position.
UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
The vast room was awash with the deafening sound of thousands of people talking amongst themselves, as finally, the glow of a brilliant wash of blue light momentarily filled the room, drawing the attention of the crowds, who turned to face the central stage, and podium, the chatter hushing to a mere whisper, before stopping.
There, on the stage, was a group of seven Orvani. The Spokesperson, and his Aides. As the crowd became seated, focusing their attention on the Orvani, the Spokesperson walked up to the podium, and regarded the masses, before he began to speak.
"I thank you for attending today." the Spokesperson began. "I will make this short, and to the point. The President of the United States is traveling to Orvan, with my ship and I. Also with us, will be the American citizen Anne Tyler. This is NOT national favoritism on our part. Anne tyler is going with us, due to stipulations of her ongoing legal case. The President is going with us, because he has learned that some members of an American team that were sent to Orvan many years ago, are still alive. He had demanded to see them. We had discouraged the President from taking this action, but he was adamant, and in the interest of good relations, we reluctantly agreed. The trip to Orvan is not a comfortable experience for your species. From the records we have gained access to, one human who was taken to Orvan died en route. The cause of death was dimentia. For those of you who have concerns about the safety of President Bensen, you can be assured, that there is NOWHERE safer for him, than on board on of our ships. And we will be back... soon. But no other humans will be allowed to travel to Orvan at this time. The people on my own world have no knowledge that any humans are on the planet, just as you had no knowledge that we were here, before my fleet arrived. Due to the cultural and technological rift between our two species... can you imagine, the reaction my people would have, of such a lesser-developed species, showing up in droves, on our world? You would be regarded with distant curiosity, but no more than that. Now, we have said all we will say on this matter. I will, however, entertain a couple of questions." he offered, as almost every hand in the room went up.
"How long will it take, to get from Earth to Orvan?" one man shouted.
The Spokesperson nodded, as he replied.
"The last time we took a human to our world, the trip took ten of your months. However, with our newer drive systems, that same trip will now take only two months, each way." he answered, as a wave of gasps of amazement worked their way through the room.
"What kind of technology do your people use, for star travel?" another man shouted out.
"You would not really understand, as humans look at the universe in only three dimensional states. We use all four dimensional states, in our trans-stellar navigation and travel... but if I were to assign a human term that could be used to roughly describe our method, it would be "chronospatial"... we merge elements of raw physical speed, with elements of time, and other dimensions." the Orvani offered, as he now again politely nodded to the crowd, as he began to step away from the podium. "Again, thank you, all... that is all for now." he added, walking away.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
The flags of the nations of Earth fluttered in the breeze, as three Orvani saucers hovered over the large building, keeping perfectly still, as the crowds and media gathered nearby, to gaze upon the crafts, as they held position.
UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
The vast room was awash with the deafening sound of thousands of people talking amongst themselves, as finally, the glow of a brilliant wash of blue light momentarily filled the room, drawing the attention of the crowds, who turned to face the central stage, and podium, the chatter hushing to a mere whisper, before stopping.
There, on the stage, was a group of seven Orvani. The Spokesperson, and his Aides. As the crowd became seated, focusing their attention on the Orvani, the Spokesperson walked up to the podium, and regarded the masses, before he began to speak.
"I thank you for attending today." the Spokesperson began. "I will make this short, and to the point. The President of the United States is traveling to Orvan, with my ship and I. Also with us, will be the American citizen Anne Tyler. This is NOT national favoritism on our part. Anne tyler is going with us, due to stipulations of her ongoing legal case. The President is going with us, because he has learned that some members of an American team that were sent to Orvan many years ago, are still alive. He had demanded to see them. We had discouraged the President from taking this action, but he was adamant, and in the interest of good relations, we reluctantly agreed. The trip to Orvan is not a comfortable experience for your species. From the records we have gained access to, one human who was taken to Orvan died en route. The cause of death was dimentia. For those of you who have concerns about the safety of President Bensen, you can be assured, that there is NOWHERE safer for him, than on board on of our ships. And we will be back... soon. But no other humans will be allowed to travel to Orvan at this time. The people on my own world have no knowledge that any humans are on the planet, just as you had no knowledge that we were here, before my fleet arrived. Due to the cultural and technological rift between our two species... can you imagine, the reaction my people would have, of such a lesser-developed species, showing up in droves, on our world? You would be regarded with distant curiosity, but no more than that. Now, we have said all we will say on this matter. I will, however, entertain a couple of questions." he offered, as almost every hand in the room went up.
"How long will it take, to get from Earth to Orvan?" one man shouted.
The Spokesperson nodded, as he replied.
"The last time we took a human to our world, the trip took ten of your months. However, with our newer drive systems, that same trip will now take only two months, each way." he answered, as a wave of gasps of amazement worked their way through the room.
"What kind of technology do your people use, for star travel?" another man shouted out.
"You would not really understand, as humans look at the universe in only three dimensional states. We use all four dimensional states, in our trans-stellar navigation and travel... but if I were to assign a human term that could be used to roughly describe our method, it would be "chronospatial"... we merge elements of raw physical speed, with elements of time, and other dimensions." the Orvani offered, as he now again politely nodded to the crowd, as he began to step away from the podium. "Again, thank you, all... that is all for now." he added, walking away.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
OVAL OFFICE - THE WHITE HOUSE
The President straightened up some last articles on his desk, as he turned to face his Vice President, who was standing in front of him, along with the Secret Service men, and a group of about a dozen Orvani, who were standing further away, near the other wall.
The President took a deep sigh, as he looked to his desk and chair, and then offered his hand to the Vice President, looking to him, smiling.
"Well, Mister Richards... the free world is yours... until I return." Bensen stated, as the Vice President shook his hand.
"Thank you, Mister President." Richards boomed. He was not shouting, but his voice was naturally very deep and somewhat loud. "I'll take good care of the place while you're away."
"I hope so." Bensen replied, in a joking soft voice. "I'd hate to come back, and find the place has gone to hell." he said, offering a chuckle.
Finally, the Orvani Commander walked over to Bensen, gesturing him to follow his lead.
"Ah, I see that it's time for us to get going, then." Bensen said, following the Orvani, the Secret service Agents behind the President, as Richards watched the Commander lead them out of the room.
As the door to the Oval Office closed, Richards now looked at the remaining group of Orvani, as they looked to him. Richards returned their look with a smile. But it was a strange smile... a smile that made the Orvani in the room nervous, as they merely looked back to him, uncertain.
ORVANI SAUCER GROUP - THE WHITE HOUSE
Two Orvani saucers hovered over the White House, as the third saucer sat landed, on the White House lawn, the entry ramp extended, and the main entrance open, as outside the White House gates, the citizens of Washington, and the news media of the world gathered, to look on, as the historic voyage was about to get underway.
Finally, the President's party made its way around the White House, and to the Orvani saucer, as three Orvani emerged from the saucer, offering to take the luggage from the Secret service Agents, as the Commander led the way for Bensen and his party.
Before walking up the ramp to the saucer's interior, Bensen paused, faced the crowd, and offered a hearty wave to the masses, as the cameras went wild. He then boarded the craft, as the Secret Service Agents looked on.
Finally, another two Agents walked over to the saucer, this time, escorting a woman... Anne Tyler. Her appearance drew cheers and applause from the crowd, but she did not look to anyone, or pause. She merely began walking up the ramp, as a lone Orvani indicated the way for her.
After a few seconds, the ramp silently withdrew back into the craft, a d a very subtly whispering whoosh was heard, as a small cloud of dust was thrown up from below the saucer, as it began to lift off, the landing legs retracting.
The people of Earth looked skyward, as the saucer rose ever higher into the sky, rising hisgher than the other two saucers, before settling into position for a few seconds, standing still in midair.
Then, suddenly, faster than the blink of an eye, the saucer went streaking away, vanishing from sight, quicker than lightning, making not the slightest of sounds.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
NEXT CHAPTER...
The President straightened up some last articles on his desk, as he turned to face his Vice President, who was standing in front of him, along with the Secret Service men, and a group of about a dozen Orvani, who were standing further away, near the other wall.
The President took a deep sigh, as he looked to his desk and chair, and then offered his hand to the Vice President, looking to him, smiling.
"Well, Mister Richards... the free world is yours... until I return." Bensen stated, as the Vice President shook his hand.
"Thank you, Mister President." Richards boomed. He was not shouting, but his voice was naturally very deep and somewhat loud. "I'll take good care of the place while you're away."
"I hope so." Bensen replied, in a joking soft voice. "I'd hate to come back, and find the place has gone to hell." he said, offering a chuckle.
Finally, the Orvani Commander walked over to Bensen, gesturing him to follow his lead.
"Ah, I see that it's time for us to get going, then." Bensen said, following the Orvani, the Secret service Agents behind the President, as Richards watched the Commander lead them out of the room.
As the door to the Oval Office closed, Richards now looked at the remaining group of Orvani, as they looked to him. Richards returned their look with a smile. But it was a strange smile... a smile that made the Orvani in the room nervous, as they merely looked back to him, uncertain.
ORVANI SAUCER GROUP - THE WHITE HOUSE
Two Orvani saucers hovered over the White House, as the third saucer sat landed, on the White House lawn, the entry ramp extended, and the main entrance open, as outside the White House gates, the citizens of Washington, and the news media of the world gathered, to look on, as the historic voyage was about to get underway.
Finally, the President's party made its way around the White House, and to the Orvani saucer, as three Orvani emerged from the saucer, offering to take the luggage from the Secret service Agents, as the Commander led the way for Bensen and his party.
Before walking up the ramp to the saucer's interior, Bensen paused, faced the crowd, and offered a hearty wave to the masses, as the cameras went wild. He then boarded the craft, as the Secret Service Agents looked on.
Finally, another two Agents walked over to the saucer, this time, escorting a woman... Anne Tyler. Her appearance drew cheers and applause from the crowd, but she did not look to anyone, or pause. She merely began walking up the ramp, as a lone Orvani indicated the way for her.
After a few seconds, the ramp silently withdrew back into the craft, a d a very subtly whispering whoosh was heard, as a small cloud of dust was thrown up from below the saucer, as it began to lift off, the landing legs retracting.
The people of Earth looked skyward, as the saucer rose ever higher into the sky, rising hisgher than the other two saucers, before settling into position for a few seconds, standing still in midair.
Then, suddenly, faster than the blink of an eye, the saucer went streaking away, vanishing from sight, quicker than lightning, making not the slightest of sounds.
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
NEXT CHAPTER...
Uh-oh, I'm not getting good vibes from Richards...
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