Chapter 10
Who for President
President Bushleeg, was a strong man, he recovered quite rapidly from the shocking revelation that he had been turned into a TV zombi. Candy Bestbahr graciously resigned as acting president and everything was back to normal; except that Use was bankrupt and the rebels had takenl over Nation Pacifica. President Bushleeg, despite all this, was light hearted, his brother was set to become president after the election, in only two day days.
Jud Bushleeg had tried to back out of being president. He protested that he was quite happy being governor of his own State, but, in the end, he reluctantly agreed to be president. The current President Bushleeg was prepared to spare no expense and do anything to make sure the election happened as scheduled. He wanted out of the president"s job so much that he really didn't care anymore who won. Anyway, the candidate from the other party was his second cousin; Bushleeg was confident that nothing would change should his relative and the other party win. His second cousin would keep money flowing even if his brother lost the election.
The President strode into his main situation control room well rested and confident. The few staffers who did look up from their work gave him an occasional odd look, he took it in stride and didn’t let the barely hidden smirks bother him. He was, however, more than a little apprehensive what his chief of staff, Mammon Ornerie, would report about latest rebel activity, he worried they might somehow delay the election, then he would be stuck in the nightmare of being president indefinitely.
"You might as well tell me the worst first," president Bushleeg said, sitting down at the long meeting table and speaking to the chief, Mammon.
"The president of the aliens is going on TV tonight at nine," Mammon replied. "The rebels are running an afternoon and evening warm-up featuring their adventures here on earth, too."
"I"m afraid they"re here to stay," President Bushleeg sighed. "They have bases on land and sea, plus alliances with Nation Pacifica, China, and the Lunar Science Base. At this point, we'll be doing our job if we just keep them slimy crustaceans out of Use.”
“It’s cetaceans, not crustaceans, sir. And we don’t call the United States of Earth, Use.”
“Okay, so what’s up?”
"On the other hand,” Mammon said. “Homeland security has never been better. They aren"t daring to set foot on homeland soil."
President Bushleeg looked at him with the detached amusement of one who couldn't care less. He thought back to when the big hairy alien had stood in the room they were now in. He remembered hearing the gunshots and watching plaster fall from the ceiling, and then pinching himself to see if he was still alive. "There"s something I’ve been wondering about, Chief," said the president.
"Yes?"
"Why does everyone call it Homeland Security? Are there other non-homelands to keep secure?"
Everyone knows the United States takes care of the entire planet," the Chief said, wondering how anybody could ask such a stupid question, looking at President Bushleeg with sad pity. He knew Jud Bushleeg was scheduled to take over as president and decided it would be wise to remain civil and not become further involved in such a dumb question.
"I think you may be growing weary, Sir," he said, signaling for a nurse with one hand and patting President Bushleeg's shoulder with the other.
"Please take President Bushleeg for a rest," the Chief Mammon told the nurse. "Perhaps he would like to watch Pioneers and Aliens on TV," he said with an almost condescending smirk to the nurse.
The staff chief hadn’t intended to be sarcastic or mean. He personally found it irksome living where only national corporate monopoly owners ever became president, still, he felt saddened watching a defeated president shuffling after his nurse. "I'm sorry all this happened during your time as Commander in Chief," he said to President Bushleeg's departing back.
"You could never have known that Chewey and Homespun were turning you into a TV zombi. We have learned from you, Sir. Believe me. Thanks to you, everyone I know has had their implanted computer chip ID surgically removed. No one - it's the truth - no one wants to be turned into a TV zombi. Those who still have their computer chip bar code implants wear magnets taped over them, until a doctor does remove it."
President Bushleeg stopped. He started to turn and reply, contented himself with a feeble wave, and followed after his nurse.
Mother Earth gradually turned her Pacific Ocean to the sun as President Bushleeg sat slumped in a chair, waiting for the show. He was alone, a changed man. He'd bought gold at ridiculously high prices, apparently bidding against himself as a TV zombi. He had been so ashamed by his stupid investment behavior that he had taken physical possession of the gold and hidden it in his basement. Somehow, in spite of his enemies, he was sitting on what was probably the largest pile of gold on Earth, and he would retire in two days. He couldn’t yet admit it but he had become secretly envious of rebel and alien freedoms, all he wanted at this point was to no longer be president and to have some fun.
Waiting patiently, he wondered what would happen and how it would effect his evolving schemes. Having been in the drivers seat when Earth was colonized by ocean people with spaceships and the help of pioneers; President Bushleeg knew the United States was no longer in charge of the planet. He knew this without doubt and decided he would follow Slashburn’s plan and give much of his fortune away building alliances, the difference was, he had gold to give and the other owners mainly had worthless paper money or stock.
President Bushleeg laughed thinking of the cannibals who had tried to destroy him; he had survived. He had actually triumphed and planned to return to greater power. Once safely out of being a president he would show no mercy.
The Admiral, Scott, Mathew, and Grace were busy with breakfast dishes, at that that same time. Lights were still on in the early morning grey, petty presidential power lust was the furthest thing from their minds.
"Rebel Island; it has a nice ring but there sure a lot of dishes to wash," said Mathew, with a wide-eyed look of mock dismay, as he dried the last dish and placed it on a shining stack.
"The food is good, though," Scott replied, grinning at his brother's facial antics and also taking off his white kitchen apron.
"And we even have aprons, now," Grace said, hanging hers next to Scott’s.
"The supply crews in Nation Pacifica sent us everything we needed," Inocente agreed, "including the kitchen sink and solar water heaters."
"I'm glad Mom talked us into adding a kitchen onto the side of the new headquarters building," Grace said. "This is way more civilized than the camp by the river."
"Let's go finish setting up the cameras," Mathew suggested. "Delfinians and Native Ocean People should be arriving soon."
"I'll check in on the fleet while you are doing that," said the Admiral. He left the kitchen area and walked into the main headquarters room. A quick glance through the dome wall revealed Rima and Rose busy at the computer station.
There were no further attacks while we slept, Grandfather," Rima said, looking up from her work as Inocente joined them inside the shining dome. "Use has not attacked us for over a week now."
"Walker has every spacecraft orbiting in low patrol," Rose mentioned as she too glanced up at the Admiral from her work. "Good morning, Inocente," she said with a warm smile.
"You missed breakfast," he responded with an exaggerated growl. "How could it be a good morning?"
"Okay. It’s my turn," Rose said, standing and then striding purposefully to the kitchen, with a smile in her step but without looking back.
The Admiral watched her leave and grinned, then he took her seat and checked on the spaceships. All their position indicator lights on the big wall map glowed a pleasant green. Spaceship radio logs reported nothing but routine antiwar patrol duty.
"We begin broadcasting live as soon as the light is good enough," Rima informed him. "At this moment we are sending out images of Doom Cloud destroying Delfinia."
"That should give voters something to think about before they go to vote tomorrow," her grandfather replied, remembering back to the horrified looks on everyone"s faces when those images had first been seen, on Planet Pacifica. He glanced briefly at the gruesome images on the broadcast monitor. "What are you showing next?" He asked.
"First tell me the write-in candidates you want to win for President of Use," Rima asked, her voice momentarily wheedling for his secret, she trilled the tones as a very young and curious granddaughter.
“There are two sets actually,” he said, “I’m surprised no-one has guessed," he grinned, pressing his lips together to indicate the secret remained sealed.
"I know who it is," Liz said, walking in on their conversation. "I didn’t guess because I was the one who told the Admiral about it the first day I met all of you." She leaned and whispered her guess into Rima"s ear.
"Kevin and Leona?" Rima"s eyes widened with a surprised smile.
"Yes, half of it, anyway, now you know of my secret; Liz told us that the people of Use were talking about those two running for president and vice president just before they were put on the most wanted list, dead or alive … Don"t say anything about it today, though. I don"t want Kevin and Leona tongue-tied with shyness during their election campaign speeches.” He laughed with a wink and then a satisfied smile. "What are you showing on TV next?" he asked, changing the subject.
"A clip from Captain Pearl’s ship sensor recordings, Cecric was the ship's captain then. The video shows the melodian's subterranean city on Planet Pacifica," Rima answered. "It"s neat the way the city slides into view and becomes more and more beautiful as the ship turns. That will be followed by a great video a sailor made of Grace and Dasaye doing a three-sixty high jump spinning turn on the way to greet the submarine rescue ships."
They stopped talking and watched Dasaye and Grace travel upward and then leap from the top of an approaching mid ocean swell. Dasaye dug his tail and flipped it at the last possible instant, this move began a full mid-air three hundred and sixty degree twist. Grace lightly held her her left hand fingertips to Dasaye’s dorsal fin, her right hand traced a swirling arc, she spun as a graceful dancer, part of an airborne surfer team at orca speed. Dasaye held the part of his back where Grace stood motionless. The rest of his strong body snapped through the full twist he had learned watching human surfers. The turn seemed almost slow motion, almost as if his great Orca strength stopped time, he snapped a cut back left upon returning to the water, Grace was suddenly almost horizontal, facing upward with her body slightly arched, left hand still touching the orca fin.
Dasaye then cut back right and drenched the awe struck crew. Grace concluded by spreading her arms wide and then bowing as if on stage in the theater district of New York City. Every person in the United States and everyone else on Planet Earth saw her bowing to them personally; Princess of Peace, Ambassador for Mother Earth.
“That really was an outstanding offer of peace from our side,” the Admiral said, smiling broadly. “It looks to me like you have everything under control here," he continued, with yet another chuckle. “As Eddy would say, ‘This is becoming maximum fun.’ Now, I’m going to check on our beach crews."
The Admiral arrived on the beach after a short walk along the path through the tropical forest, just in time to see Scott, Kevin, and Glafco heading toward the delfinian’s safe harbor dome. He noticed Scott was again carrying a video camera. "What are they doing?" He asked Leona and Gwen, who were setting up a work table near the tree line, next to the path leading to and from the new building.
Gwen laughed. "Boys will be boys," she responded. "They are carrying some big rocks to throw at the dome to show how strong it is. They plan on swimming slowly through the dome wall right where the rocks bounce off."
"Good idea," said the Admiral. “I’ve been wondering about some kind of test like that."
"Boys will be boys," Gwen repeated, pointing at the Admiral as she slapped one knee while laughing heartily.
Inocente laughed, too, with an almost musical tone. Then he picked up a telescope and focUsed on the shimmering dome, which was shaped like the fat side of an egg rather than the more pointed end, which is more like the smaller dome in the headquarters building. Two delfinian spaceships, the nuclear missile launching submarine, and the rescue vessels were all floating peacefully in the shelter of the huge glistening dome. This was their set plan. He turned to his left, Sean and Sequoia"s cruisers were parked on the wide beach, midway between the forest and the water. Pioneer Frigate and Liz"s heavy fighter were also parked facing the water, to his right, on the surfing point side of the bay.
Kevin and Glafco were riding Burl and Wava, they were accelerating straight toward the glistening dome. The fingertips of their forward hands rested against dorsal-tips, each carried a large head-sized rock tucked in their other arm. Burl and Wava had timed the approach perfectly, they leaped from the top of an ocean swell when they reached throwing distance from the dome. Kevin and Glafco heaved the heavy stones, like shot-putters, and then planted their feet as Wava and Burl twisted in the air to hit water turning away, in case the rocks actually did bounce back, as anticipated though as yet untested.
Scott zoomed the video camera lens for a close-up and set the camera to record the moment of impact in slow motion. The large rocks spun slightly in their companion arcs toward the dome wall. Spectacular interactive patterns of rippling rainbow colors marked the impact of both stones hitting side by side. Scott"s video clearly captured the stones bouncing back and splashing into the water. The orcas sped around a tight turn and stopped exactly where the rocks had splashed, with their noses touching the dome wall. They and their human friends then swam slowly through the glistening wall and into what had become known as Ocean People Harbor.
"That was our first real test," Scott said quietly to his audience. "We have just proven that Ocean People Harbor is safe from stone throwers. You saw the test as it was done. Freedom of information helps promote wise choices. Real democracy has no secrets. Repeating this important point one more time for any undecided voters; Real democracy has zero secrets. We show you our defenses, anyone wishing to crash in there is welcome to try, assuming they can slip past the pioneer space fleet, and won't be bothered by point-blank delfinian defensive systems once they are inside."
Inocente watched the rock throwing experiment on a video monitor Will had set up on the work table. "Was that broadcast live?" He asked Gwen.
"Not quite," she answered. Though we’re catching up with realtime quickly and Scott has no way to know when we are there so he is already in realtime, as usual. Speaking of time, it's about time for you to ride out on Pito and find Sudor."
"I'm on my way. And switching topics; Leona, would you please come join me in half-an-hour or so, just in case economics comes up and I don"t have a ready answer," he said, smiling, waving, and walking toward the water, where Pito waited anxiously to start.
The friendly pair headed to sea once the Admiral was settled and Pito felt he was comfortable on the back of his neck and shoulders. Pito took a moment to appreciate the fun side of life, ‘My Admiral is sitting cross legged and steady," Pito thought. He had heard fully grown ocean people talking about his friend, Inocente, the Admiral. He was excited and proud; today was the day before the first election in all seven-seas history, and his friends were part of it. Real democracy had come to the high seas; humans, forgetting all their faults, had brought the idea of freedom to conscious thought among cetaceans; this first election was a big one.
Pito cruised out around the surfing point. He and the Admiral were looking for Sudor, and they found him at the river mouth, talking with almost every delfinian they knew. Pito swam to the shore where the river met the sea and dropped off the Admiral, near Sean and Sequoia, who were sitting close to the water, which occasionally lapped at their feet. Palm trees swayed in the wind. The river turned black where it disappeared into deeper forest shade. Nuclear war seemed an odd idea everywhere one looked, near-by, anyway.
"I'm explaining occasional questions about human history," said Sequoia, answering Inocente's unasked question about what was happening. "We are what is known as a constituent assembly when it meets formally and an assemblage of constituents at times like this."
“And I"m taking notes for the next distiller model," Sean said, following along pleasantly with Sequoia's volunteered explanation of events before Inocente had a chance to ask.
"History?" the Admiral said, raising his eyebrows and nodding a smile and greeting to both.
"Quite a few cetaceans have begun taking the election seriously," said Sequoia, grinning, close to laughing about it. They have a world view on almost everything, no nation on planet Earth is big enough for a whale. Most of them are convinced Ocean People should have equal say in the election. Only then will it be real democracy,” they say.
“Distributed intelligence includes ocean people," an elderly dolphin interjected. “We have learned of important elections where less than half or even one third of humans vote because they think voting is rigged and not much fun. Most human governments ignore distributed intelligence and suppress real democracy. Governments that cannot hear the people gradually become to stupid to exist. Ocean people have learned most human governments don’t last very long, they loose touch with the people and then fade away. “
That"s when the Admiral had a stroke of his own personal brand of genius, “This is how all ocean people can become directly involved; propose write-in candidates, including None of the Above. Write in somebody, anybody other than a Bushleeg brother or a second cousin who was in the skull and crossbones college fraternity. Nobody for president is way better than another numbskull capitalist flying the pirate flag.”
"Great idea," Sequoia couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. "I've heard you have other favorite write-in candidates, who are they?"
President Sudor glanced up from the Ocean People's constituent assemblage when Sequoia laughed. Inocente pointed to himself, Pito, and then the bay, where they would all meet later in what he now realized would be a fully convened constituent assembly.
"Gwen and Rose?" Sean guessed.
"Nope.” The Admiral responded over his shoulder. “But I’m sure they would do a fantastic job. Hmm. Sean, your nominations may have slid me into the undecided category, even so, None of the Above really is best, for a heart at rest.” The Admiral grinned, then walked to the water and hopped onto Pito. They went back around the island, toward the surfing point and then out to the huge dome protecting Ocean People Harbor.
As they entered the shelter of the harbor, Pito and Inocente saw that all three navy vessels had organized video camera crews atop their highest decks. The rescue vessels had auxiliary video stations high up on their communication masts, yet even they were looked down upon from the camera stations atop the huge floating delfinian spaceships.
Pito and the Admiral moved slowly to the nearest delfinian ship. A welcoming garage-sized door was open for dry human landings but there was no activity to be seen. "Delfinians are going in and out of their spaceship through underwater doors," Pito mentioned.
"Most of everybody here are Ocean People," the Admiral mused, "so I guess the action will be in the water." He and Pito next swam toward the domed harbor center. "It seems unnaturally quiet," said the Admiral. "There is no one in sight."
Pito, who had been listening to voices underwater, had not been telling Inocente everything he heard. "He"s becoming suspicious," Pito whispered into the listening depths. "Come up now."
Fifty thousand delfinians and twelve thousand cetaceans immediately popped through the water surface and into the air. All were yelling and cheering their good feelings about the Admiral. Ocean People rejoiced. Inocente was amazed by a splashing sea of completely unexpected exaltation. The troops cheered for their admiral and leader. Happy rejoicing humans and ocean people were declaring victory over capitalist cruelty and war around the world, on live TV and radio.
Ocean People are very talkative and it took a long time for so much excitement to subside. Rima and Rose switched to interesting video clips leading up to the victory celebration while they waited for the wild party in the harbor to calm down. Three groups gradually coalesced around the Admiral and Pito. The groups, Delfinian, Human and Cetacean, mainly consisted of individuals who had worked closest with the pioneers as they struggled to establish Earth Base One.
Scott, Mathew, Leslie, and Will all sat astride Ballena, who squeezed her large self next to Pito. Glafco had gone to pick up Rima, they sat quietly together on Wava. Kevin was still on Burl. Leona followed the Admiral's earlier request and squeezed in between Kevin and Inocente, standing on Dasaye. Eddy and "Erica were behind the Admiral standing on Spring and Remo.
Dasaye, who had already told Leona what he was going to do, raised his head and shoulders out of the water. He hunched his back a little so Leona would have a flat standing place.
"I am Dasaye," he said, as Will Berrigan translated into the camera microphone, speaking over Scott's shoulder so as not to obstruct the camera view. "I am an orca ocean person who has taken an oath never to harm another person. This oath was declared to be the law for all Ocean People by my friend, President Sudor, who is from the newly arrived family of delfinian ocean people."
Dasaye thought over all he wished to say and realized his introduction song could take hours. He slowly settled back to his normal floating position, while saying, "Ocean People want you to vote for us in tomorrow"s election. We need your support so that our voices are no longer ignored. Vote for those who will listen to Ocean People." Then he glanced at the Admiral, “Nobody is way better than war mongers.” Dasaye finished his speech with a long orca laugh.
Leona dug her bare toes into Dasaye’s back as he started to shake with laughter, she kept her footing and squeezed his dorsal fin lightly, "Great intro," she said as they settled into a relaxed and easy float.
"Admiral." Scott called out from behind the video camera. "Tell us how you started on the trail leading to all this."
The Admiral was visibly quite surprised by Scott's direct question about his personal life, he thought about it for a moment before replying.
"I could go on and on for a long time about that," he said. "I suppose the defining moment came for me as a younger man, more than forty years ago. I was standing across the street from a grocery store, munching some sweetbreads, in a small country that had recently tossed out a tyrannical and murderous dictator. The United States had given money and weapons to the worst elements among the remnants of the dictator's army in order to harass their country. The goal was to to destroy the new government so that democracy could not be born.
"An elegant woman dressed all in black stepped out of the store as I stood there hungrily eating sweetbread. An iridescent Abalone shell hair comb elegantly held her obscuring black veil. I watched her carrying her canvass sacks of groceries and wondered what tragedy had befallen her to cause such sadness and grief.
Then, to my complete surprise; An old clatter-banging north american car pulled up behind me and raised a choking dust cloud. I was still eating my sweet bread and watching the widow in black walking away, across the street. Several TV news camera crews sharing one news person jumped out of the old sedan and asked me to ask the woman wearing black what had happened. "We want you to interview her", the news announcer said.
"Are you kidding me?" I responded. "She is dressed all in black and wearing a black veil. I'm not intruding in her life. Ask her yourself.”
"We would but we can’t,” said the cameraman, “none of us speaks her language.”
"The news crew was so noisy the woman dressed in black glanced our way.
“May I help you,” she asked, en español, from across a street so narrow she did not need to raise her voice.
"Pardon me," I said, also in Spanish. “This TV news crew wishes me to ask you about life here on the frontier.”
"She crossed the small dirt street and stood facing me. "What do they wish to know?" She asked.
"I turned to the news crew, dreading to find out what they wanted me to ask the woman dressed in black.
"Ask her what it"s like in the war?” The newsman said.
"They want to know what the war is like,” I told her in her own language.
"It is not a war,” she answered. (I translated for her).
"If it’s not a war, then what is it?" The newsman asked. (I translated for him).
"Terrorismo,” she growled, in a slow, low, and angry gravely voice.
"I turned to translate but the newsman already understood that word. "What happened?" He asked, wide-eyed.
"Here is the story she told.
"I went home after my daily shopping, right here in this store. The first thing I saw when I arrived home was my dead husband, lying face down in the dirt. My children were also dead. They were killed as they ran out the door to help their father. All the farm animals were dead. The terrorists even shot our tractor, an armor piercing bullet shattered the engine, and its tires were bullet riddled flat. Our dog lay dead beside the tractor."
"I translated this for the news people and then turned back to her.”
"I know it was the government and is not your people who did this," she cried out in anguish. Then set her bags on the ground and grabbed hold of my shirt, she laid her face against my chest, and wept with body wracking sobs.
"I put my arms around her and held her until she regained her public calmness. My shirt was soaked with her tears, it stuck to my chest. My entire chest. I walked the grieving widow toward her home and resolved, there and then, to struggle unceasing against those who make war on innocent people and pollute Mother Earth. There's actually more to that story but I'll stop there lest my emotions take over."
"We should ask Inocente to tell us more stories," Leslie whispered to Will, who nodded his agreement.
"So there you have it," Scott quietly told the viewing audience, in a perfect main-stream golf announcer voice. "The most powerful military leader in history has just fought and won the biggest war in history without hurting anyone. Now we’ve all heard why both land and ocean people love him so much. Sorry, folks, you can't write Inocente in for President of The United States; He, Eddy, and Erica have become very involved in melodian tech and may not be readily available to us in the near future."
Inocente heard what Scott had said about him to the world. He felt an inner tear for the woman in black and willed no change to his facial expressions as he sternly looked out over the clear area of ocean directly in front of him. He liked the way Scott had worked in the idea of write-in candidates and wondered how much else Scott had surmised of his plans, anyway, he only kept secret what he thought of as the the fun parts; surprise often being among the very best parts of fun.
"The time has come to tell Scott," he thought, letting a few moments slide by before turning toward him, catching Sudor's eye on the way. As soon as Scott glanced his way, the Admiral acted out a sly head toss and a pretend look behind, as he pointed around his waist at Kevin and Leona.
Everybody but Kevin and Leona saw him point to his favorite candidates for president, which was them. "Of course," Sudor realized instantly. He remembered Liz telling how Kevin and Leona had been talked about for the Use presidency, how popular they already were, there. That was why they fled Use in the first place! Now, here they were, in touch with the electorate, and secure under a bomb-proof dome that extended deep into ocean bottom stone.
Scott saw it too, yet knowing Inocente from long hours of meditative, one-on-one, face-to-face, on either side of a matrix construction, often bleary-eyed tired, tying knots to hold bamboo frames for foam stone, or weaving inner wicker walls: He felt compelled to first ask his own question;
“What happened after you left the amazing widow who accepted you as her brother?”
Which was exactly what his admiral friend was thinking about, at that moment. Scott knew what to ask his friend.
“She had pointed to where I was supposed to go as we past it,” the Admiral replied. “Of course she knew why I was there; we were a study group on the frontier between freedom and oligarchy, the dividing line between cosmic powered biology and tyrannical capitalist austerity. The dictator refused fifty cent polio vaccinations during a polio epidemic and the people rose up. Corporate terrorism employed to enforce infinite financial growth on a finite planet resisted the people with a gruesome terrorist war.
“The widow leaned her forehead on my shoulder, looked at her own tears on my shirt, and pushed me in the direction I should go, when her home was in view. After an awkward moment when I did not want to leave her alone, we looked a forever good bye into each others eyes. I went where she told me to go, a little alley between two pleasant small homes. The alley led into a very large field surrounded by forest, perhaps twenty hectares. Maybe thirty. I saw men and women carrying weapons who were dressed in bluejeans and a green shirt, just like me.
“One woman soldier told me everyone over thirty-five was here at the frontier until real democracy was secure or they were dead. She pointed to the review stand where I was supposed to be. I had mistakenly entered the field from the back, a reviewing stand was just past a small army of soldiers.
“Before going on with this story, you should all know that I, at this very moment, still work for that widow, and also a young orphan from a different time and country. They gave me my job and I have no choice but to do it until the day I die.
“Okay." Scott interjected, "Back to the parade ground; Did the widow purposefully direct you to enter the back way so you would meet the troops?
"I believe so," Inocente responded, "for I next had to round gathering squadrons of troops loosely standing at ease waiting for a ceremony of victorious revolution and resistance to United States war against democracy.
“The squadrons of troops numbered several hundred. They eyed me up and down. “Who are you?” Was there expression." I did not walk further than the first person on the first corner of the first squadron I was passing; “Who are you who is dressed the same as us? The question was in all their eyes and so I stopped my hurried walk toward the reviewing stand.”
“I slowly stretched the tear soaked green shirt from my chest. It snapped back and stuck to me.”
“These are tears that soak my chest,” I said. “A widow told me the grief she lives after a terrorist United States funded attack killed her family and destroyed her farm; she cried on my chest. These tears will never wash away, I wear them for life; your struggle is my struggle.”
“Well, what followed was as surprising as meeting the widow; the soldier burst into tears. I turned to hurry toward the reviewing stand and the General held up his hand to stop me. Then he waved me on. From there I could not stop and moved along the row of soldiers showing them the tears on my chest. By the time I reached the end the entire squad was weeping over the atrocities committed by United States backed terrorists. Their tears flowed free, the entire company of heavily armed soldiers was silently sobbing while attempting to look casually normal before the reviewing stand and their general. 'Oops,' I thought, and turned to hurry toward the reviewing stand. But the General in the stand held up his hand and stopped me mid-step again, then he motioned my eyes back to the troops, perhaps six or eight more squads, with more piling in fast. Another quick hand motion from the General and I was ordered to speak with each squad. All the soldiers were trying to figure out what happened to the first squad. Why were they openly weeping?
“I went to the next squad and told them about the widow and showed them her tears on my shirt, the result was the same; an entire squadron of weeping soldiers. My speech was short and I quickly visited each squad. There were no dry-eyed soldiers in that field when I finished with the last squad. When I turned and hurried toward the reviewing stand, the General looked directly at my tears, smiled and saluted.
“So now you all know how I came to be on the back of a young whale talking to all of you here in Ocean People Harbor.”
President Sudor was impressed with the way the Admiral had ended his story; he knew people were now ready for delfinian friendship and swam forward into the central circle around which so many were gathered. Scott, who had put on a translation collar, stepped onto an orca named Flint, they moved to a better camera angle before Sudor reached the circle center and spoke.
"Greetings, Land People of Planet Earth," he began. "I am Sudor, President of the Delfinians. We were made homeless by the attack of a malevolent being so large it consumed our entire planet in one bite. One million of us survived by escaping on a fleet of spaceships set to explore and colonize Planet Pacifica, half of us will live there, and half will live here, on planet Earth.
"Though our story is long, our scientists tell us yours may be quite short, if you do not change. We are refugees here on this beautiful water planet known as Mother Earth. We are peaceful new neighbors, ready to help with neighborly projects." Sudor bowed slightly to all those looking at him through Scott’s camera, he then turned to leave the clear water circle.
"What kind of change are you talking about?" Glafco called to him, he wasn’t going to let the delfinians escape a more complete video recording of their arrival announcement to land people. Colonization of planet Earth, even if by friendly and helpful aliens, who he happened to like, was still history in the making. Glafco wanted to hear more, to get a feel for the Delfinian character, and how it viewed Humanity. Wava felt Glafco lean forward in anticipation. The First Constituent Assembly of Ocean People held its collective breath.
Sudor stopped. He motioned Cecric and those around her into the circle of open water. "As an opening answer to your question," he said, turning back to Glafco. "We have discovered high levels of mercury in the oceans. Earth's ancient Romans lost their empire because they drank water from lead pipes. It dulled their minds. They became too stupid to maintain what their ancestors had built. Now you are doing the same thing to yourselves, with mercury this time. A few of you are healthy, most of you are affected."
Cecric joined Sudor and held up a white ball with red spots on it. "I am Cecric," she began by introducing herself. "Imagine this white ball as planet Earth. The red spots are high levels of radioactive waste, human pollution, headed eventually to the sea. The background radiation on Earth is over twice normal, entirely due to human activity." Cecric turned and tossed the ball out of the circle.
"We have studied your ancient legends," she continued, "many are profound and beautiful, Delfinians will never impinge on your right to choose religious worship of a creator or the government you choose, still, we cannot allow polluters to further poison the planet with radiation and chemicals, this destroys other's lives, as well as their own.
"The normal radiation level had to fall a long way before Humans could come into being. Now, modern humans have let the nuclear genie out of the bottle and reversed the trend; radiation levels are again way up. The simple fact is that humans and monkeys both evolved from amino acids born in the vastness of conscious spacetime, and their precursor atoms were honed to readiness for the next step in the molecular cauldra within living and dying suns.
"We are saddened that humans are out of control. Delfinians and Pioneers will remain on patrol to contain all nuclear arsenals. Any country that is sorry it has weapons of mass destruction may call us and we will come pick them up, free. Dial 1-800-bom-pkup, that’s all there is to it.”
"This is far too somber," Perko interjected, raising out of the water to his waist, where his slowly waving, third paddling hand easily held him. "Our sensors have revealed some really bad news for Land People. Isn't there anything Humans might do to reverse their trend toward extinction? Something basic and simple that might help?" He asked, locking his eyes on Leona's. He had noticed her barely contained energy and figured she had something on her mind.
Perko was right, Dasaye felt it, too. Leona's feet were tickling his back with some kind of static electricity, not far from his spinal chord, it was making him twitch. Dasaye swam part way into the circle, the electric tickle stopped when Leona started talking.
Leona was relaxed, she was wearing loose fitting knee length pants and a standard blue two pocket cotton work shirt. She did not hesitate and began explaining what to do; "Just for starters, corporations should pay inheritance taxes once every generation plus all environmental and social externalized costs and a carbon tax on non renewable energy Use,” Leona said, calmly and matter-of-factly.
Leona put her hands on her hips and thought a moment. Dasaye felt the sparkle of static electricity from her feet and rose a foot or so upward and twitched a bit. Leona couldn't feel her static electricity but began speaking with Dasaye's prompt. "Those are among the quickest emergency treatments for the United States, they will gradually level the playing field and make room for more rational human behavior. The corporate being is named after living corpuscles but it is not really alive. Obvious harm to the environment and human dignity results from granting immortality to a being designed for infinite growth motivated by greed for growing profit. No human can compete with an immortal being that has no heart and does clean up its messes and does not have to pay for environmental destruction. It's as simple as that and clearly explains why the very rich own so much.”
“Additionally”, Leona continued, “anyone stricken with homelessness and poverty or recently graduated with no job prospects and sees a chance to raise a family in a good life from farming with agroecology should be officially assisted to start raising wholesome and healthy food. Agricultural corporations are at war with Earth and produce less per hectare than free people who are not migrant wage slaves working in poison fields without chemical protection suits. Seventy percent of the world's food is raised on 25% of the arable land by peasants.
She wiggled her toes and Dasaye backed slowly between Spring and Pito. Her eyes flashed in the sun as she turned to Kevin, silently signaling him forward.
Spring moved forward carrying Kevin toward the center of the open circle of water. The delfinians watched quietly, all wondering if his plan for saving the planet would be as pure and simple as Leona's had been, some were caught unawares by his brevity and had to be told what he said a second time, after they had finished their own brief discussions, which had caused them to miss Kevin in the first place.
“The United States will need to act quickly to create parallel currencies that will help separate money from corporate control and the political state. It will also need to act quickly and institutionalize an information-age seven facet democracy,” Kevin said. "Money is power and power corrupts. We need to secure a few hundred years while our science catches up with what we have become. Humans lived in caves a very short while ago and the veil of civilization between us and our cunning wild ancestors is thin. Separation of money and the state can be encouraged to start with by art based money painted by everyone and anyone that wants to make money and see if it is spendable. Simply put, all this means the corporate fox can no longer be allowed to guard the chicken house."
Kevin and Spring had already began backing out of the circle when President Sudor called them to a halt. He leaped high from the water and turning through a full twisting somersault, landing with almost his entire body above water. "Is there another purpose to life besides enjoying the beauty of creation?" He asked with arms spread questioningly, apparently using no effort to stand on water.
"Yep," Kevin replied with a grin, signaling Spring to readiness with a slight squeeze to his dorsal-tip and a grab with his toes. "Our first job is to make a new seven-branch real democracy. The second is to have fun!"
Fingertips pushed slightly on dorsal-tip, toes clung, Spring leaped toward President Sudor as soon as Kevin said "fun." Kevin then leaped from Spring and sailed through the air like a trapeze artist, tackling Sudor like a football player. They both disappeared underwater as the entire Ocean People"s Constituent Assembly erupted in impromptu celebration of fun for the sake of fun, quality rather than quantity, freedom to live and have fun.
Fun wrestling matches went on for so long that Rose had time to switch back and forth between older info videos and the live feeds coming in from all the video cameras recording wild celebration of a new beginning.
Ocean People pandemonium is about as fun as fun can be, morning passed to noon before the splashing surface under the dome once again became smooth and quiet. As is often the case, nature called to Rose at the most inopportune time, she was in the bathroom when President Sudor was finally able to introduce who he considered the most important speaker of the Ocean People Congress. Luckily, Sequoia had decided to stretch his legs, he had strolled along the beach and paused briefly to watch the video monitors when Sudor called the next speaker to the central circle of still open water.
Sequoia switched the camera feed to President Sudor as he introduced Mareena, the wise old keeper of stories from the Dolphin Family. "We are so pleased to finally have you here, even though it is late afternoon," Sudor said. All of us are anxious to hear a closing story from your ancient lore."
Mareena bowed graciously to President Sudor as all eyes turned to her wrinkled old visage. If Mareena were Human, and the time was five hundred years in the past, none present would have been surprised to discover she was a witch. She smiled. "My story is about tomorrow, not yesterday," she began. "Tomorrow everyone votes. I hope you will please an old woman and vote for someone other than the president's brother or second cousin. Either write in the name of someone who is not one of the corporation owners, or write in Nobody. Write in the name of someone who likes to have fun and will help us save the planet or write in Nobody.” She bowed to Scott's camera and swam slowly from the circle.
"There it is," President Sudor said. "Mareena has summarized the Ocean People position. Now get out and vote. Write in the name of someone who will help build instead of blowing things up." President Sudor waved good by to the world's viewing audience.
The show was over on TV but another show had begun. Sequoia's beeper alarm went off and he ran full speed along the beach to his ship. National Monopoly Owners were perhaps genuinely stupid and just didn’t get it where environmental cleanliness was concerned, but they were quite astute at expanding and preserving the perks of being in the owner class. They had let loose with full launch of their intercontinental atomic bomb missiles, Earth Base One was the target. The corporations were in action. Pioneers, Cetaceans, and Aliens were to be destroyed, at any cost. Without continuous growth the corporate system was finished, the notion of quality over quantity was their doom, Owners had no choice but to try and stamp out the idea of fun as a motive for living..
Sequoia, Sean, and Liz blasted from the beach, straight toward the path of the incoming atomic bomb missiles. Eddy and Erica crashed against the dome wall, Remo and Spring were swimming toward their ship too fast; Eddy hadn’t thought to Use his war sash. He and Erica pulled themselves from the water and back onto the orcas, who swam through the dome slowly. Their second try was successful and they put on full speed to the beach. They could see and then hear golden thunder-booms from some pioneer spacecraft which were entering the atmosphere to intercept approaching missiles from below. Eddy and Brave Moon decided they were too far behind to catch up with the lead ships so they launched their spaceship to join the close in defenders.
Ships from every orbit turned toward the swarms of ICBM missiles leaving submarines and hardened land launch sites. Walker and the Admiral had planned for this possibility, their idea was to destroy the atomic bombs at their high point, above the atmosphere, to avoid further radioactive contamination of Mother Earth. As starships darted into the missile paths they had to avoid shooting each other. A mad diving and swirling spree of sweating concentration locked every spacecraft in a desperate battle to catch and vaporize each and every mindlessly soaring atomic bomb, and they did it.
It was late on election eve when weary pioneers finally had a chance to rest. The Owners had been determined in their futile attempt to eliminate the bothersome rebels and it hadn’t worked. Everyone climbed wearily into bed at day's end, wondering what would happen tomorrow, election day.