July 25th
Sitting at my desk, I waited for Miranda Rodriguez and Captain Desiree to arrive. Minutes ticked by as I looked at the picture of me and Scarlett when we were getting married. It felt like a lifetime ago that everything felt like it was on the up. All it took was knowledge of an imminent nuclear war and Amanda trying to kill Scarlett to upend everything. Sometimes I wished to go back to when we were on the spaceship. Scarlett and I could’ve landed on a cushy advanced planet and lived out our days in comfort and safety. However, I knew what I we did was the right choice. Humanity needed the ability to reach the stars so we could survive.
After a few more minutes, I was greeted by the sight of Captain Desiree, a secretary of some kind, and some politicians. They sat down at one side of the table, laying out their papers. If all went well, we’d have the beginnings of a functional country on this world.
After another few minutes, a new group arrived. A group of soldiers led by Miranda Rodriguez carrying a radio. They walked to the side of the table across from Captain Desiree and sit down. Miranda turns on the radio, tuning it until a male voice could be heard on the other side. “Hello. Can anyone hear me?”
“Loud and clear!” I replied as I stood up and clapped my hands. “Alrighty! First things first, introductions!”
Captain Desiree stood up and said, “Captain Desiree from the settlement of New Washington. I’m joined by my scribe, Laura Anderson, and two diplomats, Michael Holt and David Gonzalez.”
The voice from the other side of the radio announced, “I’m Charles Adams, Provisional President of the New United States in the settlement of Rockpoint. Now then, how do we go about this awkward situation. I hear that you’ve been dealing with alien attacks. Was it the Qarri?”
I leaned forward and said, “Fortunately, no. These aliens seem to be in the Stone Age, only able to beat us with a combination of ambushes and overwhelming numbers. The squad that was defeated was from yet another settlement with only a sole survivor that reached us. We’re trying to make connections with them as well.”
“Got it. Have you heard of the fox-human hybrids caught infiltrating our settlement?” Charles Adams asked from the radio.
Captain Desiree peaked her fingers. “No, we haven’t. Tell us the details.”
“These hybrids look a lot like Mrs. Scarlett Campbell Smith. Humanoid foxes that you can tell from their faces that they’re really humans. They have enhanced agility and are able to use their claws as weapons, though they still use guns most of the time. It’s clear that they’re agents of another faction in the world, but we have no idea who,” Charles Adams’s voice said.
Captain Desiree nods as her scribe types the information down on her laptop. “Got it.” After a brief pause, she continues, “Can you tell us where your settlement is? We should start discussing potential alliance or unification plans.”
“Absolutely,” the voice from the radio said. “Rockpoint is located in a valley where two rivers join.”
“New Washington is located at the mouth of the river delta as it goes into the sea,” she replied. “With the information gathered, I can see that our settlements may be against the same river. If so, it means we can use the river to communicate, trade, and reinforce each other. The river will be the lifeblood of the region.”
“Good to see that we’re on the same page. With that in mind, may I know how New Washington is being run?”
Captain Desiree nodded. “Sure. At the moment, I’m acting as the provisional ruler until the region is secure. At that point, I’ll step down and let elections take place.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
After a short pause, Charles Adams’s voice replied from the radio, “That seems like a dangerous precedent. Power corrupts. If you have no need to step down or face accountability, then you could just rule forever as dictator, perpetually postponing elections until you die.”
Captain Desiree frowned and asked, “With all due respect, Mr. Adams, what qualifies you to lead a settlement? Who elected you? How do you intend to defend your settlement from the threats around you?”
“Captain Desiree,” he replied, “before I showed up here, I was a state senator of Kentucky. Despite the jokes about political corruption, I can assure you that I’m not corrupt. I was elected fairly during the elections at Rockpoint. As for defense, we have our own military headed by the officers and soldiers who landed with us. They protect us from the myriad of threats we face, including having to put down a rebellion from an ambitious lieutenant.”
Captain Desiree frowned. I could tell that her own justification for military rule was starting to fall apart. She looked down and sighed. It was tense as everyone could feel the potential for the negotiations to fall through. However, in a moment of shocking humility, Captain Desiree looked at the radio and said, “I see the merits of your way. Perhaps it’s time I stepped down and let elections take place in New Washington.”
“That… was unexpected,” Charles Adams said through the radio, “but good. With that out of the way, let’s discuss unification as that’s what we’re all looking for.”
Captain Desiree nodded. “Of course, Mr. Adams. The first thing to cover is politics. I’m thinking about a compromise. You can be the leader of the unified country, but you must rule in New Washington. Along with that, each settlement and its sphere of influence will have its own government elected along with senators in the new Senate.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mr. Adams replied. “So, about the name, is the New United States a good name? We can’t really say New America since we’re not on the continents of North or South America anymore by merit of not being on Earth.”
Captain Desiree pondered for a while. After taking a breath, she replied, “We can call it the New United States of America, or New America for short. We’re American not by merit of our physical location, but who we are as a people. Just because we’re on an alien planet doesn’t mean we forgot who we are.”
“Got it. Henceforth, we are the New United States of America, with our capital in New Washington,” President Adams replied. “It may take the people of New Washington some time to adjust, but I’m sure it’ll happen. It seems that we also have the layout for the first two states of the new union.”
“Agreed,” Captain Desiree said. “Now then, about the military. I’d like to be in charge of the national army. Or perhaps I could be the Secretary of Defense.”
“May I ask how long you’ve been an officer?” President Adams asked.
She paused before replying, “I’ve been an officer for twenty years. I guess I wouldn’t be the Secretary of Defense.”
“You’ll be Secretary of Defense,” President Adams replied. “It’s part of the compromise.”
“It seems like everything’s in order,” Captain Desiree said. “I’ll be waiting for you in New Washington.” She turned off the radio and looked at the squad in front of her.
Miranda picks up the radio and leaves the room, her squad following after her. It was just me and Captain Desiree left. She looked around before announcing, “I better get going back to New Washington.”
Once Captain Desiree was gone, I looked at my clock. It was getting late and it was time for me to head home. I left the building and walked back to my home.
Inside my house, I watched Scarlett looking at her guns on the wall. I walked over to next and sat down next to her on the couch. I placed my hand on her shoulder and asked, “You know you can still fight, right?”
She frowned, her ears drooping. “I’m afraid not, my love. I’m wanting to make sure our baby is born without complications, and I’ll do whatever it takes for our baby to be healthy. Besides, we’re adjusting to civilian life now, so perhaps we shouldn’t be adventuring anymore.”
I nodded. “True. However, I can’t help but feel like life won’t give us that chance.”
We cuddled against each other when Scarlett’s ear twitched. She turned to the side and gasped. The sound of scampering made me look towards the window. “Was our window open earlier?” I asked.
“No,” Scarlett replied, shaking her head. She walked to the open window and picked up a strand of hair. When she brought it closer, she lowered it for me to see.
At first, it looked like black hair, so I could justify it as belonging to Charles. But when I touched the strand, it felt different. Looking up, I touched the fur on Scarlett’s arms to compare. It was unmistakable. It was a strand of black human-vulpine hybrid fur.
The hybrids have found us, and they were spying on us.