Best Intentions

Mark was still just a bit apprehensive as he prepared to depart for his appointment with President Morris. As he walked to the small craft bay to board his transport, a small service drone approached carrying two small boxes.

“Well, what do we have here? CJ, what are these for?”

“The box on the left contains a gift for President Morris. It is a platinum chronometer that contains a miniature tachyon communications device. With it he can contact you far easier than using satellite communications.”

“That’s a great idea, CJ. What’s in the second box?”

“That is one of the watches for you. It is a duplicate of the president’s, but with one difference; in addition to the communications link, it contains a locator beacon so I will be able to constantly monitor your position. It is voice activated but should you find yourself in any danger and prevented from speaking, your physiology is monitored by internal sensors and when your body indicates any signs of distress I will be aware of it.”

Mark strapped on the sleek watch. “Thanks CJ, what would I do without you!”

“Much less I suspect, Mark.”

Mark laughed heartily. “Sometimes I think you’ve developed a sense of humor, CJ.”

“Negative. Levity has not been programed into my systems.”

“If you say so CJ.” Mark said still chuckling. Stepping inside the transport and sitting down, Mark said, “Ok, let’s get this show on the road.”

The trip down was uneventful. Mark had CJ keep the shield turned off so the ship would be visible to Washington’s radar systems. He didn’t think having his ship just appear in the White House parking lot again would make anyone too happy.

“Mark, I detect a beacon coming from the south entrance of the White House. Shall I land the transport there?”

“Sure, the president may have had it installed for us. Just keep the speed down please. We don’t want to scare anyone,” he said.

“Affirmative, Mark.”

As the transport descended, there was a visual beacon in addition to the radio one. CJ had the craft drop down and land exactly on top of it.

“Perfect landing, as usual, CJ. Well, here we go again, please open the hatch.”

“Affirmative, Mark. Have a productive meeting with the president.”

“Thanks, I believe that I will.”

When Mark stepped out of the transport, President Morris waited on the porch to greet him personally.

Walking up the stairs Mark shook his hand. “Hello Henry, it’s good to meet you in person.”

“Same here, Mark. Welcome to the White House, I’m glad you could make it,” the president said leading Mark inside. “Why don’t we head over to the Oval Office until lunch is ready?”

“Sounds good, Henry. Will the vice president be joining us today?”

“He should be here by the time we sit down to lunch; James never misses a meal around here!”

They entered the oval office. Instead of sitting behind his desk, President Morris sat on one of the plush couches. Mark took the other one, putting the box he carried down on the coffee table.

“So Mark, I hope we can have a better relationship than you had with President Stone.”

“Well Henry, I don’t think it could be any worse! Giving free electric power to everyone wasn’t enough for him. Even getting him to turn over control of the military mission in Iraq to the United Nations’ forces proved difficult. I would have thought anyone with sense would have jumped at the chance to get out of that quagmire.”

“You know, I wondered about his decision to do that. It just wasn’t in character for him to turn over the U.S. military’s role to the UN. I understand he took some flak from Vice President Foster over it. The people were pleased though. He ended up leaving office with fair approval ratings. How exactly did you convince him to turn the troops over to the UN?”

“I’m sorry Henry, but I promised him I wouldn’t talk about it and I am a man of my word. All I can tell you is that it wasn’t easy. I bet you’re glad not to have to deal with it!”

“You would win that bet, Mark. I do respect the fact that you keep your word. It tells me that anything we speak about in confidence will stay between us. Speaking of secrets, I have to tell you I’m dying to know what is in that box.”

“Oh this, it’s something that CJ made for you,” Mark said and slid the box across the table toward the president. “He is quite the craftsman.”

Mark sat back with a smile as President Morris opened it and removed the watch.

“Oh wow, this is beautiful,” he said while removing the one he had on and replaced it with the gift. Of course it fit perfectly.

“CJ made me one as well.” Mark said pulling back his left sleeve. “It’s a solid platinum chronometer with a built in communications device. With that watch you can reach me anywhere in the solar system instantly.”

The president stared at the gleaming timepiece before he realized what Mark had said. “Did you say I can talk to you anywhere in the entire solar system with this?”

“Yes, Henry. Anywhere. CJ uses some kind of instantaneous communications system that is effective over incredible distances.”

“Thank you, this is a generous gift and I promise not to abuse it.”

“I’m sure you won’t, but if you need to reach me, don’t hesitate. If I am indisposed, I’m sure that CJ can help you.”

“Mark, since you mentioned the solar system there is as issue I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure anything, but I think I can guess what the issue is, Henry.”

“Regarding the asteroid, Pallas, we noticed that it is on the move deeper into the Solar System and wondered what your plans for it were.”

“I had hoped that no one would notice that, at least until the announcement at the UN General Assembly in a month or so. But since the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, I might as well let you know what’s going on. I hope you weren’t concerned about it. Its course is completely under control.”

“Well, it did raise some concerns as you can imagine. How did you manage it anyway? From what an astronomer told me, it would take an amazing amount of power to move something the size of that asteroid.”

“Even after six years I still don’t know the full extent of CJ’s capabilities,” Mark admitted shaking his head, “but I’m learning. So, we were speaking about Pallas. Well, it’s on course to Mars. CJ tells me that it should take another couple of years to enter a stable orbit.”

“Mars,” President Morris said sounding puzzled. “Why would you need to move a gigantic asteroid to orbit Mars?”

“First I have a question. Who was it that noticed that Pallas was not where it was supposed to be?”

“Well, President Stone left me a report about a construction project on Pallas that had been detected by one of our space telescopes. He suggested that the computer might have been building a shipyard there. I believe that that may have been what triggered his actions against you.”

Mark was stunned. He now realized that keeping secrets on both sides had precipitated the actions by President Stone. “Looking back, I think his actions may have been inevitable, however you’re right, my keeping secrets probably contributed to his decision. I guess the whole thing was at least partially my fault.”

“That’s no excuse for his actions, Mark. He could have tried asking you what you were doing first. The vice president has dissuaded him from more than one reasonable course of action. I still cannot imagine what they were thinking. They wouldn’t have even known what CJ might have done if you had been killed by their actions.”

“Henry, even I’m not sure what he would have done, but I’m glad no one had to find out. At the least, he wouldn’t have cooperated with anyone else.” With a shrug Mark said. “Let’s not dwell on the past anymore, we were speaking about the future.”

“Right, so the asteroid, why move it to Mars?”

“I still can’t believe that a construction project on an asteroid caught their attention, but what we’ve been doing on Mars wasn’t even noticed? Doesn’t NASA have probes both orbiting it and even on the surface?” Mark asked with a chuckle.

“I guess they can’t see everything; it is a big planet you know. Can you tell me what you’re doing there Mark?”

“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘planetary engineering’, Henry?”

“Sure, changing the environment of another planet to be more like...,” his eyes got wide as he continued, “Earth’s. You don’t mean to say that’s what’s happening on Mars?” The president asked incredulously.

“That’s right. CJ is changing the face of Mars. The biosphere is being altered to support human life.”

“That’s incredible, Mark! How long has this been going on?”

“CJ has been at it for just over four years now. I guess the changes so far are too small to be detectable from Earth. The biggest accomplishments are the construction of electromagnetic generators at the poles that are designed to augment Mars’s weak magnetic field. Also, some sort of gravitational lens that will concentrate the suns rays to Earth-like levels, which has raised the average temperature of Mars a few degrees at this point.”

“How long will it take to make it habitable?”

“CJ says people should be able to survive on the surface without full pressure suits within thirty-five years or so. Within seventy years it will be completely Earth-like. As soon as the surface warms enough for liquid water to exist on the surface, vegetation will be planted there. That is a big part of the process.”

“What about the atmosphere, Mark? If I remember right, Mars has an atmosphere that is mostly carbon dioxide. That would be good for plants, but not so much for us.”

“That’s correct.” Mark said nodding. “I’m impressed, Mr. President. You really seem to know your science. Some of CJ’s modules are out at Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. It has an atmosphere that’s high in nitrogen and CJ is harvesting some of it. CJ also has a way to split the oxygen off from the carbon dioxide on Mars. Once large bodies of water are available, plankton will be introduced to help the land vegetation remove more of the excess carbon dioxide from the air and start a cycle that will keep the atmosphere breathable.”

“So, what do you need that asteroid for, raw materials for construction?”

“No, CJ says that Mars needs a large moon to stabilize the axis of rotation. The planet has a large wobble that would make it uninhabitable in a few thousand years. He thinks that far ahead. So a proportionately sized satellite is needed just like the Earth needs our Moon. CJ says Phobos and Diemos just don’t cut it.”

“This is certainly more ambitious than cleaning up some garbage!”

“Henry, this is exactly the kind of job he was designed by the Se’Tharians to do. They’ve been at this for hundreds of years and the machines they built are well designed for the job.”

“Now that certainly is something! It’s a project that makes everything else you’ve accomplished pale by comparison. I hope to live long enough to see a green Mars.”

“I still want to make this announcement at a meeting of the UN General Assembly,” Mark said. “So if you could keep it under your hat I would appreciate it.”

“Certainly, I understand and won’t tell anyone.”

“I’m going to invite all the leaders of the various member countries to attend the meeting, so try to act surprised.”

“I’ll do my best,” the president said with a grin.

Just then the door to the oval office opened and someone rushed in. Both men turned to see who would just barge into the president’s office, but it was just the Vice President, James Clark.

“Am I late for lunch?” he asked.

Mark and President Morris looked over at each other and burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny? Did I miss a joke?”

The president said with a grin, “Oh, you missed it all right, Jim! Come on in. I want to introduce you to Mark Richards.”

Vice President Clark walked over and shook Mark’s hand. “It’s great to finally meet you, Mr. Richards.”

“Good to meet you as well, Mr. Vice President. Please call me Mark, though. Formality is for the public.”

“Sure thing, Mark. I’d be pleased if you would call me Jim.”

“It’s a deal. Did you say something about lunch?”

“That sounds like a good idea, Jim,” said President Morris said sharing a look with Mark as they had already shared one of the most important bits about the future that there was. “Let’s get a bite to eat and then we can sit down and talk some more.”

They walked out of the Oval Office and down the hall to the small dining room. The kitchen staff had laid out a large spread for the trio.

“Wow, you guys know how to treat a visitor, everything looks great!”

“Well, don’t stand on ceremony, Mark. There’s already too much of that around here for my taste! Dig in; you too, Jim.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” said the vice president grabbing himself a seat at the table.

After lunch the three of them went back to the president’s office to talk.

“So, Mark, how’s everything going with the peacekeepers?” asked the vice president.

“Great so far, Jim. The troops have exceeded my expectations. Most of the African countries have seen a huge drop in deaths due to malnutrition and war. Iraq has settled down and the reunited Koreas are better. President See Myung-Bak has his work cut out for him though. The North Koreans were in terrible shape both physically and mentally, not to mention economically. They will need the support of many nations before the reunited country can prosper.

“Of course the United States will provide whatever assistance it can,” the president insisted.

“I had no doubt about that, Henry, but it’s good to hear anyway.”

“It’s what we do, Mark,” said Vice President Clark, “Even before your spaceship came along!”

“There’s something I wanted to talk over with the two of you. As the world turns away from war and to more peaceful pursuits less people will die every year from disease and malnutrition. That is a good thing, but population will be an increasing problem on Earth. It’s already a problem, but it will be magnified down the road. The time for solutions is now.”

“While I agree with you that the world does certainly have a population problem, what can we do about it?” asked the president.

“Eventually, some kind of birth control measures will need to be enacted. As people will remain healthier into their later years it is going to become necessary. CJ and I have discussed the issue recently and he has a solution in his memory banks. We have a way to at least put off the problem and we could use the assistance of the United States.”

The president at first thought Mark spoke about the Mars project. But realized he had something completely different in mind.

The vice president asked the question first. “What did you have in mind, Mark? I’m sure we will offer whatever support we have available.”

“All I need is some land, Jim. Twenty square kilometers of land to be exact.”

“Twenty square kilometers, that’s not too bad. I think we could help you out with that. Would it need to be in any specific location, Mark?”

“Anywhere would be fine. That is actually the point of the project. I can use the most desolate inhospitable real estate you can find. Anything that is considered not economically feasible to be developed would work. Basically, useless land; I don’t know, maybe a stretch of desert or something along those lines.”

“What is the plan for the land, and how will it help the population problem?” asked the vice president.

“The Se’Tharian people have had their share of population problems. One of their solutions was to utilize most of the land on their planet. CJ has plans for fully self-contained city-sized megastructures that can be constructed anywhere there is enough room to fit them.”

“So you want to build one of those here in the United States?”

“That’s correct, Jim, just a small one to begin with. CJ tells me that the idea is similar to a structure proposed by a human architect named Paolo Soleri a hundred years ago if you can believe that.”

“You say this will be a small test structure, but you need twenty square kilometers,” asked the president. “How big a piece of land would be needed for a full-sized model?”

“A full sized city would cover one hundred square kilometers, and could house up to thirty million people.”

“How many people will the smaller one house?”

“Approximately five million give or take.”

“Five million; and that’s just a test? You certainly think big, Mark. I’ll give you that. What about services like water and electricity, not to mention waste disposal? Building on undeveloped land will require so much infrastructure it may not be economically feasible.”

“Don’t worry, they will be fully self-contained. They will draw their power from the solar power system, condense water from the atmosphere, and will have full recycling facilities. The construction is similar to the building in New York, just on a larger scale.”

“That’s impressive, but if they are built in remote areas, what kind of access will the people who live there have to the outside world?”

“I have been planning to suggest building a worldwide network of subterranean transports. They will run much like the high-speed trains in operation now, but underground and at faster speeds. The main routes will be between the continents with connecting lines to all of the major cities. Connecting to the megastructure sites wouldn’t pose any problems. This isn’t a lark, gentleman. It is a well thought out plan.”

“Wow,” said President Morris stroking his chin in thought. “Gigantic cities and a worldwide transportation network, in addition to all of the other projects you’ve undertaken? That’s ambitious, Mark, even for you.”

“Why put off a project today that will be necessary tomorrow I always say.”

“I’m sure that we can accommodate you. I am not sure that we could provide too many empty patches of land that are one hundred kilometers square though.”

“I’ve given that some thought and I think I have a solution, as long as you and forty-six other countries agree.”

“Which countries, Mark? I’m sorry but I’m not getting the reference.”

“You can’t guess where I’m talking about? The largest piece of barren real estate on Earth doesn’t ring any bells? I’m speaking of Antarctica of course, and the countries are the forty-seven signatories of the Antarctic Treaty. If they all agree, I can build quite a few full-sized structures there.”

“They won’t damage the environment there, will they?” asked Vice President Clark while reaching for some dessert. “I don’t believe that we could agree to let you construct them on that continent unless the environment was protected.”

“You really never stop eating do you, Jim?” quipped the president.

“Not when it’s free, boss!”

Mark chuckled at the comical interaction. “Absolutely no damage will be done to the wilderness. Preserving and repairing environmental damage has been one of my primary missions, I’m not about to stop that now, Henry. The various sections of the city complex will be constructed out in space and placed in their final positions. The only construction that will be done on Earth will be joining the sections together and they won’t even sit on the ground but on a system of supports to minimize the environmental impact even further.”

“I’m sorry that I even asked that. With your track record, the question was out of line Mark, I apologize.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mr. President. The question shows me that you care for the environment just as much as I do! Well gentlemen, this has been great but I had better be getting back to work though.”

“Mark, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit with us and sharing your plans for the future.”

“I’m glad I came, Henry, Jim. This has been a very enjoyable visit.”

“Let us walk you out to your car!” the vice president said with a chuckle.

As they made their way to the south entrance, Mark turned to the president. “You will be receiving a message soon, either from me or the Secretary-General Bhan Jae-Sun. I will be requesting the presence of all world leaders at an upcoming meeting of the General Assembly. I’m going to have some interesting announcements to make.”

“We certainly will attend, Mark. Whatever you have to say must be important for you to want all of the world’s leaders in attendance.”

“It most definitely is, Henry. I don’t expect anyone who attends to be disappointed.”

Mark shook hands with his new friends, the two top U.S. leaders. “Goodbye Henry, Jim. Thanks for your hospitality. Maybe you guys will accept an invitation to visit my office next time.”

Looking towards the vice president who wasn’t good at hiding his feeling of excitement, the president said, “I don’t think that will be a problem, Mark. I’m looking forward to visiting with you and CJ. I believe that Jim here feels the same.”

“You’ve got that right!” he agreed enthusiastically.

Mark walked down the stairs, entered the transport and CJ flew him back to the ship.

President Morris turned to Vice President Clark. “Now there is someone we can work with, Jim!”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Mr. President. I’m surprised that President Stone didn’t make more of an effort to work closer with him.”

“I think they spent too much time trying to separate him from that ship.”

****

Mark spoke to CJ while in the transport, “CJ, we had a fantastic meeting. They will support the megastructure project and find us a piece of land we can use for the test site. These are people I can work with.”

“That is good news indeed, Mark. I monitored the meeting and agree with your assessment of this administration.”

“They are a couple of good guys. It’s too bad they became politicians! Well, let’s go home.”

“Affirmative, Mark. Full power to the engines, you should be back onboard in minutes.”