The First Colony Project 5

[kennethstrickland]

THE FIRST COLONY PROJECT, Ch. 5


Back on Earth, at the UN, voices were raised over how to take over both prison planets. If Calavados and Denton 5 were controversial before, the controversy raged now.
Heard on talk radio:
"Look, we all know that Braanon Mark started both planets to make sure a convict served out their sentence! I get it! But the question now is does anyone have the right to put a criminal away onto a distant planet we knew nothing about?"
"Look, Howard, I think it is cruel and unusual punishment! If we don't know about it, how do we know the people he sent are still alive? There has to be an accounting for who has gone, both for the colonies and the prisons!"
"What I want to know are the convicts required to pay for the funding of the prisons like they do the colonies?"
"Yeah, I mean, I know they have cold sleep where you can spend a year or two in them! To me it seems kinder to send them to a planet awake than to let them wake up and the world has changed!"
"You would hope that pure Earthmen would be kept away from aliens, you know in their own areas?"
"Yeah, it would suck to know my daughter was sent there and she came back with a half alien bastard!"
"I think Braanon Mark should be forced to bring everyone who has gone back and pay them for the loss of time! He's got the money, and he ought to be made to pay!"
"Lord has mercy on the people sent to Denton 5 and Calavados! Let them come home!"
One man from Beauville called into a national radio talk show and said, "How do many of you know if they are slaves? How many of you know how they really live? I have five thousand credits for the one that can prove any allegations about how they live on either Denton 5 or Calavados!"
"Whoa, wait! Are you for real?" asked the show's host.
"As real as you; if you want, I will give you the bank number to the actual cash account the money will be in."
There was a second caller. "I know the caller that just got off making the offer. I will add another five thousand credits to it."
"Are you willing to hold on and let us take your name?" asked the talk show host.
"Yes." was the single word answer.
"Hold on...." said the stunned talk show host. He looked at his call screener. The calls were from Beauville. They went to commercial while the host regained his composure. He talked to the callers again in turn that got all their information.
Then the bombshell dropped.
"This is Lisa Mark. I've been listening. I will match the five thousand apiece and raise it fifty thousand credits. That's one hundred and fifty thousand dollars at current exchange rates. I am also willing to allow you to handle the money. You would be the banker."
The listeners at home were stunned. This was for real.
"Brad, there's another call from Beauville...."
"Hello Brad, my name's Jarvie Mark. I will match my mom and add another fifty thousand to the pot. I will allow you to be the banker for this."
"Holy crap..." Brad Sherman breathed. "The total will be three hundred and twenty thousand dollars, you know that?"
"Brad, we got another call from Beauville..."
"Hello, Brad, this is Jason Mark. I will add another fifty thousand credits, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the pot with my mother and brother."
Brad Sherman was stunned. "You have got to be kidding me..."
"Brad, after everything you've seen from us, you honestly believe we are kidding?" Jason said. If they thought they had to, they would make it an even million or more. "We want your listeners to prove us wrong, Brad. The money stays until it is claimed, in an interest-bearing account. We will most likely give you the account numbers and access to it." Jarvie and Lisa moved to gather the money and set up the account. By the end of the week, it was all set up. Lisa, Jarvie and Jason walked into the radio studio that Friday morning to the shock of the talk show host and his people.
"You guys are not kidding!" Brad Sherman exclaimed.
Lisa smiled and said, "Brad, you see two of my boys. They are here with me to give you the account numbers to the Bank of Beauville account with the money."
"Ladies and gentlemen, right now I am looking at Lisa, Jarvie and Jason Mark. What I will do is call the bank to confirm the money and the amount...."
It was a few moments before the pickup. "Good morning, Bank of Beauville. How may I help you?"
Sherman was startled and replied, "I need to confirm an account number. Could you tell me if it is active?"
"Of course, what is the number please?"
Sherman told her. There were a few minutes before the pleasant voice said, "May I confirm your identity please? Name and workplace, please...?"
Brad told her, and it was another few minutes before she said, "The Amount is...."
Brad Sherman fell back in his seat and stared at the Marks. This money, since it would receive three thousand credits, not dollars every month for one year until there was a winner. Sherman was handed a card with access to the money. Right now, Sherman's throat was dry. They broke for a commercial as Sherman drank some water.
When they came back, Lisa asked, "Well, Mr. Sherman?"
Brad Sherman stared at the three. They were serious and he held the prize. "Okay, I'm not going to lie. I thought you were a bunch of fakes. I was wrong this time...." He bit down on 'this time'. "Even I get some things wrong. Let's be blunt. There are a lot of con people who have never met you, don't believe in you, and even if they got the money, will not believe you are telling the truth. But I have to ask, why those two planets? They could go to a regular prison."
Lisa answered. "Look, if we sent them to a standard prison, what would be the point? They would be in a box, earning a pittance for whatever effort they made and they would not come out more capable than they do now. This way, they have to take the harder road and make an effort in their own lives. There are no more excuses until the point of saturation..."
"What do you mean 'saturation'?" asked Brad.
"Since it is not controlled by specific interest like oligarchs in Russia or rich Americans with a preferred playbook of what they want, they are free to make what they will, including the mistakes. They will not walk away from their own survival. That they will 'take over' somehow is not possible. They would be killed first. Every strike they make will be for them. This is a lot fairer than being here. For some African Americans, they have respect and have earned everything without having to go through whites and the perceptions of them being beasts."
"So, you are taking the American point of view out?" asked Brad.
"If it works, it works. They can regain their confidence. They can regain themselves and not have to conform to someone else's view of them. Why do you think Braanon publicly made that offer for a new, Black dominated home world a year ago? It was so Blacks had a chance to form their own world without the stereotypes and ridicule of people like you or me. They had civilizations that were mighty, and we destroyed some of them, because we could not see what was in front of our eyes."
"I had nothing to do with that!"
"Do I look like I give a damn? You and I got all the advantages that made our life possible. I really don't give a damn if you had nothing to do with it. What I know is that you will always take advantage of the game as it is played. You and so many people simply don't give a damn. You mock people for seeing how things are done to the point of destruction. If this country was half as good as it said it was, we would not have the pain we do have, and you chose to ignore."
Brad changed his tactic. "That offer is still open?"
"Yes." Lisa, Jarvie and Jason answered.
"Will it be opened to other races?" asked Brad.
"There is one to be opened to Native Americans. The planet is being surveyed, and the final report will come in about a year." Jarvie said. "Once that is done, the offer will be made. White Europeans are a too little vicious and selfish in too many ways. They have no idea how to share."
"You are Irish. Your sons are part Irish..." Brad said.
"Maybe, but our mother is one of the kindest, most decent people we know. We also know she will kick your ass if she has to." Jason said. "We are also talking about living up to your creeds. I have to say, I don't see it all the time from too many people. I'm Catholic, and there are times I am ashamed of my church and its behavior."
"So are you saying until we clean up the act, we can't go?" asked Brad.
"I think that about sums it up." Jarvie said.
"Okay, all three of you, Braanon have refused to allow people to go with his exploratory ships. He's saying he will not hire cowards. When he is talking to a member of congress or the senate, who has said how scared they are of what he might do, or that he is going to do some crazy stuff, like turn people into robots or something...."
"Your question is?" asked Jarvie.
"Is it possible that stuff could happen?" Brad asked.
"Do you want that to happen?" replied Jason.
"No..." Brad said.
"Then why are you asking for it?" Jarvie replied.
"Personally, if you really want the crazy to happen, it's going to be from someone close to you, not us." Jason said, "Unless you have asked for that, nope."
"Besides, I know of two guys that happened to, and it was a work-related accident..." Jarvie said.
"You mean like that guy Sysop?" Brad said.
"You know about Sysop?" asked Jarvie. "He keeps a low profile, does research mostly for us nowadays."
"I was kidding...he's just a rumor...right?" asked Brad.
"No, he's real. Had two loves, computer engineering and did some planetary exploring for us. Got into a real mess where he lost almost half his body. Saved his life, but he wasn't going out again. He got a lot of serious cyber implants and nearly half a billion in compensation. Still wanted to work, so now he does cyber research, freelance last I heard. He's happy."
"I think the government finally caught up with him since they were doing research on our employees." Jason sighed. "You'd think they were looking for some secret cabal about to attack the earth..."
"Yeah, that's silly though." Jarvie added. “There is no attack about to happen. It would be nice if people calmed down and checked the record before they went ballistic and silly..."
"They would be in the catbird seat. But as long as they are willing to lose their minds and start running around like their heads are cut off, they will be left behind. And stop with the congressional hearings! The good stuff is happening on the base and on the various jobs to be done." Jason said.
"Like what," asked Brad.
"Star pilot gets you one hundred thousand to start. Pilot an ore ship, it goes up to two hundred K last I looked. Passenger pilots get you about the same. Heavy industrial work will get you about two fifty. If you got experience, a little training and you're in!" Jarvie said. "Now if we are talking command, military experience gets you to the head of the line of course."
"Not to mention engineers of all types, starship repair, the mining platform operators. Right now, we have people out there in each time zone interviewing people. Last I looked, people are being hired." Jason said.
Brad's mouth dropped open. "So, these people are being hired for the mining platforms as we speak?"
"Yeah, as soon as they pass the physical, they are in. If they have no one objecting to their going they are in." Jarvie said. "A little training, then go. Oh yeah, if you have favorite books and albums and movies and a good pair of headphones, bring them. They might end up on the ship's library playlist, which is a good thing."
"Lisa you've been quiet..." Brad said.
"The boys have been doing a good job explaining everything." Lisa replied.
"I have to ask though, are the gas mining platforms going?"
"They've been going for the last year and a half. Most of the people on them are from the west coast states, California, Washington State and Oregon."
"I've heard people from the neighboring states like Nevada, Idaho, like that are going as well..."
"That's true. They began to think they'd better come in and get in on the train, same thing for manufacturing. They have leapt onto the opportunity while others are afraid of everything we do. They are making, along with our worldwide partners, our suppliers. So yes, there is a lot being done."
Brad looked up at his clock. "What happened to the time? It's four thirty-seven in the afternoon. Almost time to get out of here." He looked over at Lisa and her sons. "Why can't anybody get answers out of your husband like this?"
"Perhaps they never asked them. You've asked questions we could answer." Lisa smiled.
"I get it. Less, mommy I'm scared, and more what's next?" Brad said. "I get it. Your husband doesn't talk to cowards...."
"A coward doesn't want to hear the answer unless it's what they want to hear. He's got too much on his plate to play that game." Lisa mused.
"I got one more question." Brad spoke.
"And..." Lisa asked.
"About the big race between Beauville and Four Corners; is there any way to get the rules? Who do we write to? I got a niece that wants to fly."
"We've got female pilots and some of them have won the race. If you want a copy of the rules, go to Beauville.com, search for race craft rules, and you will find the rule book, and all the other information. It’s the same for the requirements to work at the base or one of the off-world projects. We are pretty strict, but hey, better a safe workplace than a lot of deaths."
Brad raised a finger, "one more thing. Can I get one of those cool long coats your pilots wear? How much...?"
Lisa nearly broke out in laughter. "You got to send in your height to get the price. It's on the website in uniforms."
That triggered a mad rush around the country to website and the uniform section. The rules for the race craft were downloaded as well.
"Well," Brad said as the time ran down, "I cannot believe you guys did the whole show..."
"We did?" Jarvie said.
"We had people who wanted to talk to you..."
"Another time..." Lisa said.
"I am so holding you to that!" Sherman said.
Lisa chucked.
"This has been a great show! Remember we have close to four hundred thousand for those who can prove Denton 5 or Calavados are fake planets. You have to have real provable evidence or no go; quoting the bible won’t do it. That's it for today, see you tomorrow...."
Keith Shakes the following host said as he settled in for his show, "why don't I get guests like that?"
Brad Sherman worked on getting the money secured.

[jayphailey]

Okay! Keep going! Where is part Six?

[Innkeeper]

THE FIRST COLONY PROJECT, Ch. 5

Ken, I'm going to compress this into a single topic.