SWNOVELS Chapter 2
SOL GOVERNANCE’S HEADQUARTERS.PACIFICALIS ISLAND; NORTHEAST OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS…
The Pacificalis Island landmass, itself, was Human-made. It had been around since the mid-2100s.About that same time, when the majority of Erthen space-powers (both nations and private empires) got together to form the solar system-wide, governing organization known as the Sol Governance, they all wanted to build a headquarters that was not located in an existing nation-state.They often used as a reference the former United Nations, when it was based in the United States.Even though the global organization was meant to work objectively for the majority of Erth’s nation-states, the fact that it was headquartered in the US meant that the former Superpower had disproportionate influences in many of the UN’s votes…hence, The Governance’s artificial island.
The unnaturally-round island was the size of a large island.Given that The Governance was a new form of political entity—part nation-state; part-corporation—the developmental planning was a hodgepodge of environmentally pleasing landscapes to industrial tracts of lands studded with belching buildings and horizon-stretching highways!Pacificalis also had suburban islands that were tethered to the mainland via high-tech bridges.Indeed, some of those suburbs were not even “islands” in the proper sense, but looming small cities on industrial stilts, much like the oil platforms back in the 20th and 21st centuries so long ago…
The Governance’s main military complex was deep within Pacificalis’ sprawling Humanity of approximately ten million.Admiral Reshma Shan was in charge of running Governance’s military sector on Pacificalis.She was approaching senior status in society and was looking forward to retirement.But until those next few years came, Admiral Shan still had a lot on her plate.In addition to the bite-sized wars that seemed the norm for modern warfare on planet Erth, she was also the charge for helping citizens in natural disasters on all the planetary and lunar bodies of the Sol system.Today, the admiral would have to take on a lot more duties for humanity.
“Admiral…Admiral,” the young cadet was calling out to Shan.He was trotting up to the admiral as she just left a meeting in one of the Governance’s weekly briefings of high officers.
She turned from her chat with a couple of other officers and gave them a friendly wave goodbye.But that warm demeanor had melted away upon seeing the cadet.
“What’s the problem, Grainger?”
He simply held up his communicator, which was displaying a message from one of the Governance’s outer provinces.It was Director Tuun’s base, and it was urgent!The projected info flashed text and images for references, and the admiral got exactly what the situation was.
Shan looked around to make sure no one else could hear them.
“So, no one’s been able to contact them since,” she whispered.
“Three days…Correct,” Cadet Grainger simply stated.He was actually shaking!Shan reasoned that he, perhaps, had someone special to him in the Pluto settlements.
“And what about Director Graffs and her people in all this…why didn’t the Charon’s Watch notice this?”
“That’s the other problem, Admiral…”The cadet entered a command on his device and the holographic info switched to data on the town-sized base on Pluto’s largest moon, Charon.“Watcher 7 went silent not much longer when Pluto did!”
Admiral Shan thought for a long moment within the bustling base.Grainger patiently waited for her next orders.
“Pretty bad when the watchman goes missing, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am…you want me to contact Watcher 6 and have them send over a team, ma’am?”
“Which indicates that Watcher 6 either doesn’t know what happened to their buddies on Watcher 7, or they’re waiting for my call,” she said with some irritation.
Grainger, slight in build; young, measured his response.“Frankly, Admiral, we were having difficulties reaching them, too!”
The towering Shan sharply twisted her head to face the cadet directly.
“It, it was some kind of interference, but Watcher 6 is all-go, Admiral.”
“And do you think it’s any coincidence that 6 is experiencing some interference, Grainger,” she retorted as she, now, whipped out her own communicator and began to place lines of communications.“One by one, Cadet, we seem to be losing our stations in the Kuiper region…”Not wanting to cause panic among the officers in the immediate area, Admiral Shan furtively shared her contacts with Grainger and quietly reached one of the commanding officials of a secret status within Sol Governance’s military…