Chapter 7

A.D. 2015

"I know, Dr. Wu, I know!" The exasperated Dr. Schmidt told his equally exasperated colleague. "But it's the damned bureaucrats again! They simply will not clear me to hand over those plans! I have begged. I have pleaded. I have threatened. I have even gone to the Secretary of State, but nobody is willing to give the plans for that guidance system to a former enemy. It's insane! We're mandated to build these damned spaceships against an insanely foreshortened schedule, but the very people who insist on us getting it done refuse to allow us to share the necessary information."

"It is regrettable, Dr. Schmidt," Wu replied. "I have been ordered to inform you that if those plans are not in my hands by the end of the week, the People's Republic will withdraw from the treaty and form a new pact - this time with the European Union."

"Please, Dr. Wu," Schmidt begged, "can you not prevail upon your superiors to wait until our respective leaders have met next week? Perhaps then some of this red tape can be done away with and we'll finally be able to do our jobs."

"I will try, sir," Dr. Wu said, bowing slightly, "but I do not know how far their patience will stretch."

"Nor I mine, Dr. Wu," The American scientist gave a small bow of his own. "We should be watching our ships launch in fleets instead of begging each other for bits and pieces of information. Sometimes I wonder if there is a test for politicians that prevents intelligent people from holding office."

"I understand your sense of urgency, Mr. President," The Chinese Premier said in slightly accented English. "But you must understand that these decisions affect the entire planet. We cannot make a pact between us that affects every country on Earth. My people are clamoring for salvation from this alien menace as much as yours, and since rebellion in my country does not occur at the ballot box, my sense of urgency is at least as great as yours. That is why I have taken the liberty of inviting the leaders of the world's most populous nations to this summit, in spite of your wish that just the two of us meet."

President Wang began to wish he had paid more attention to his parents' culture growing up, instead of striving so hard to be the All-American boy. Putting as good a face on the situation as he could, Wang smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. Premier. You have anticipated the need, and it would be a shame to send all of these distinguished gentlemen home. How do you propose to approach the issues?"

"It would seem that what we need, before we can address the issues," the Premier said guilelessly, "is a way to ensure that such issues do not arise to consume our efforts again and again. This is the question I believe this congress of world leaders should address. How can we proceed at the governmental level so that political issues and nationalist concerns do not delay the building and launch of the proposed fleet of spaceships any further? Only then can we, once and for all, rid our skies of this menace."

"Then let us pose that question and see what kind of solution develops," President Wang replied graciously.

The meeting dragged on far longer than the allotted three days. Leaders came and went, returning to their countries with proposal after proposal. The basic solution was obvious. What was needed was a common defense force funded by all of the Earth nations. The problems arose in determining how to manage such a force, and how to ensure that all nations were protected equally, and that all contributed their agreed amount to the common defense. Then there was the question of where and how to get soldiers, pilots, and astronauts to fill the ranks of the defense force.

Meanwhile, the alien attacks continued, unabated.

"But those are some of our most closely guarded secrets!" the U.S. delegate to the extended conference complained. "How can we even think about just turning them over for use by all of these nations?"

"Can the United States conquer this threat alone?" Oskar Caprio, the delegate from Switzerland, asked mildly.