Traveller Manifesto

Israel Today.

The arrival of the Inspection Team and their camera crew to the Hatzerim Airbase had the predicted result. Soldiers promptly emerged to arrest them, but they soon stopped, confused, when confronted by faces many held as heroes. An officer sought to defuse the situation and found himself face to face with a representative of the United Nations and Professor Taylor. Throughout the farce, Osborne felt strangely justified in being there. Though he had worked extensively with Israelis and Americans in the past, he had to admit that, if what the Professor and Zak were telling them was indeed true, then they had fearlessly and justifiably stepped into some very dangerous political territory.

The base was a hive of activity where some kind of operation was definitely under way. Official party or not, their brash approach could have them all land in to prison. Osborne noticed a few Special Forces types on hand. “What do you think?” he asked Hurley as he nodded to them.

Hurley’s eyes narrowed and then he frowned. “Israelis, but they look like contractors.”

“So, like Black Cube?” replied Osborne quietly.

Hurley raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Maybe. It looks like their kind of gig. Someone’s spent a lot of money if they are.”

Professor Taylor, Valeria and Zak were at the head of the group and they spoke briskly with an officer at the gate. There was the usual prevarication, all recorded by the film crew. While they waited, the military contractors looked coolly professional and, once it was confirmed that the team was not likely to engage in any hostile activity, watched the inspection team with detached interest. Osborne knew that look. Even though they were not in full combat uniform, their weapons and armour showed they were there for protection of important assets.

There was noisy objection at the presence of the camera operators and a real risk that the inspection team could be stonewalled indefinitely. In his usual canny way, Professor Taylor had already established a blog to which he had posted each of his daily reports with links to footage uploaded to YouTube. Supported by the documents released by WikiLeaks, the footage further infuriated the Israeli and US Governments who had been caught off-guard.

There were more loud arguments, shouting and pointing, so the cameramen were compelled to stay outside. They were threatened to be sent off base, but Professor Taylor again went to task. It seemed all vocal and, if not backed up by the terrifying might of the Israeli military, could have even been entertaining. It took another fifteen minutes before they filed into a large office where General Goren stood with a party of senior officers. His face was flushed in fury. “What the hell?” he began. “This is a secure Israeli Defence Force facility. Tell me why I shouldn’t have you all arrested?”

“For what?” replied Valeria angrily. “This is a United Nations Inspection Team. You invited us into the base. All we want is to inspect your Transporter.”

“If your false news continues, we’ll be forced to remove you from Israel. You have no evidence! No proof! Your continued partisan comments could also be viewed as working against the State of Israel and of being anti-Semitic.”

“Anti-Semitic? Oh don’t be ridiculous. I’m Jewish!” replied Valeria, aghast.

Professor Taylor seethed. “How dare you accuse me sir! How dare you accuse me of a non-existent mind-set? If anyone worked for the freedom of mankind from the ignorance of the past it was me. I created the Traveller mission concept, the entire concept, to allow humanity to understand ourselves better through a greater knowledge of the past! If you have a fear of the past and what knowledge it can bring, perhaps you should examine your own untruths, propaganda and an appalling human rights record.”

The General turned on the Professor furiously. “So! Now your anti-Israel prejudice is revealed Professor? Do you want to go there? Do you? You’re the kind we loath, those who sit ignorantly by when others practice human rights transgressions against the Jewish people every day! We’ve been surrounded by enemies for generations and undergone persecution for thousands of years! And you come here to judge us!”

“So you should know better!” replied Professor Taylor angrily. “You’re not only perpetuating your own fake news, but also fake history to justify your current apartheid treatment of the Palestinians. The theft of their land is a travesty that will haunt you and the United States throughout history.”

The General was in a rage. “So, is that why you are here? Are you here to misrepresent the Jewish people? It will not be the first time!”

“Professor! Settle down!” interjected Zak sharply. He turned to the General and shook his head in apology. “You know why we’re here,” he continued. “We’re here to investigate a theft. You have at least one Transporter. Need we remind you that every Transporter is the property of Helguard Security and Woomera Technology? We own international patents to all proprietary components for the device. Now,” he raised his hand to silence General Goren as he opened his mouth to object, “We’ve told you this already, but let me reiterate. We have a sensor that detects the activation of a Transporter and there is a Transporter on this base. We know it’s here. You know it’s here. We have details of hacking and theft of the technology and, to let you know how serious we are, we are starting the lengthy process to launch a legal battle that will ultimately humiliate the Governments of the State of Israel and the United States. I promise, we will sue you for billions. That process has already begun. Imagine the publicity and international humiliation.”

“You threaten us?” snarled the General. “You threaten us on our own land?”

A plain-clothed man in a leather jacket placed his hand onto the General’s elbow, leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

Zak continued unchecked, “We demand access only to inspect the Transporter you are using. Failure to allow us to inspect our stolen intellectual property will increase the public awareness of our mission here and will justify the accusations against you.” Zak continued to impress Osborne, as his tone was reasonable and he remained calm. Beside him, Valeria had also settled, but Professor Taylor looked as if he would choke. Hurley looked mildly amused, as did Morris. Leishman only looked bored, but watchful, as if violence could explode against them at any moment.

“Don’t threaten us!” replied the General carefully. Whatever the man in plain clothes had told him, his fury had abated and he became significantly less aggressive.

“We don’t threaten,” continued Zak reasonably. “This is our property that is managed by the United Nations and Transporter Corp for equal use by all nations. To steal this property and to use it illegally is an international crime. We only want one thing and we’ll then leave.”

“Which is?” asked the man in plain clothes.

“Site inspection,” repeated Valeria. “We know where the Transporter is, so we only want to inspect that area”

“This is a secure, military area,” replied the plain-clothed man. General Goren gave the impression he was no longer vital to the conversation.

“Of course it is,” replied Zak. “We can identify the very site, the very square metre where the Transporter is located. There is no desire to further inspect your facility or your military secrets. We have the location marked on a site map.”

The General looked thunderous. “So, if we permit this inspection?”

“Then we’ll inspect and then leave,” replied Valeria, obviously relieved that the confrontation was gaining results.

“When?” asked the man in plain clothes.

“Now!” replied Professor Taylor.

“No! Tomorrow,” was the reply.

“By tomorrow, before midday or we have a news conference that will tell all,” threatened Professor Taylor, plainly at the end of his patience.

“You will then be arrested and deported,” began the General again.

“Then we will have our news conference outside of the country,” replied the Professor, his face again reddening angrily.

“Tomorrow! Tomorrow!” exclaimed Valeria as she placed a placating hand on Professor Taylor’s arm. The academic looked to say something, but wisely remained silent.

“Oh, and if the Transporter is moved, we’ll know,” added Zak.

“Be at the gates of the base at 9am,” advised the plain-clothes man, who refused to be angered.

The General frowned, but then gave a curt nod.

The interview over, they were promptly escorted from the base.