New Years Eve 2035

Andrew completed the mental summary of his latest and perhaps most gratifying discovery with a great deal of satisfaction.

He’d first scanned this planetary body within a small solar system on the very edge of the Pegasus Dwarf Galaxy the year before, but only now was he making the time to complete a detailed survey.

Fortunately, Pegasus was part of a local cluster centered on the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies, with Pegasus being a satellite of Andromeda itself, which meant she would always remain in close proximity.

The haven below him – about half again as big as earth and fourth from its sun – was ideally placed in a familial group positioned at the very edge of the Pegasus plane and well away from the higher levels of radiation often found closer to galactic hubs.

Its parent star, a bluish white sub giant with one point seven times the mass of the Sun, had initially put further investigation to the bottom of the pile, as it had six times the radiance of earth’s own luminary. Andrew, though, was a stickler for being methodical – a trait he had inherited from his father – and had returned to examine things more thoroughly.

The target planet was twelve and a half thousand miles in diameter, and possessed a land mass that accounted for forty-one percent of its surface area. With an axial tilt of seventeen degrees and an orbital eccentricity of zero point zero two, habitable seasonal variation was assured. Its vast oceans were comprised of drinkable water, albeit full of trace minerals and elements, but nothing proper filtration methods couldn’t handle.

Checking his findings carefully, Andrew determined the atmosphere to be comprised of seventy-four percent nitrogen, twenty-two percent oxygen, with the rest made up of carbon dioxide, argon, helium, hydrogen, and ammonia, along with other trace elements. Although this resulted in a distinctive tang in the air, he knew that aspect would easily be addressed by atmospheric processors.

There were two moons sharing a contiguous resonance dependency. A consequence of such an arrangement, meant settlers would have to cope with high tidal variation, but tectonic stability of the land masses meant this would pose no problem. Neither would a gravitational quotient one third higher than that found on earth, or days that were thirty-nine hours long. People would adapt, and this would be a wonderful place to start a new life!

The huge bio diversity evident on all three continents was a delight to behold, and from what Andrew had ascertained, they need only be concerned about a handful of dangerous predators. A high concentration of water vapor meant precipitation dominated for much of the year. However, this contributed toward the generation of a dense ozone barrier, drastically reducing the harmful effects of the sun, and UVA and UVB emissions in particular. Not only did that lead to the absence of dry desert areas, but much of the lush, rampant vegetation he’d evaluated so far was more than suitable as a highly nutritious food source.

Mineral and ore deposits were plentiful, and would no doubt delight any scientist or geologist studying them for many years to come.

All in all, an absolute gem, Andrew mused. With a bit of tinkering, this place will ensure the Overlord’s plans stay on schedule…if public opinion isn’t turned against us. And if it is, at least there are enough of us to start a viable self-sustaining colony.

Thinking of the poll reminded him of predominant events back on earth.

Hey! I’ll be on time for the meeting later tonight. I can’t wait to find out what else has been cooking while I’ve been off playing interstellar traveler!

Finalizing the details of the report in his head, Andrew paused one last time to savor the tranquil resonance emanating from the heart of the cloud-strewn planet. Mmmmh, relaxing. And she’s a beauty alright.

He smiled to himself as he realized that would be a good name for her.

Running the term through his mind in different languages, he experienced a poignant memory from the far distant past. Kalliste! That will do nicely, and hopefully we’ll do better here than we did before.

Filing his recommendations away within his vast psyche, Andrew began spinning the hyperspatial translation matrix that would take him home in two vast leaps.

A final look, and then he was gone, leaving the striking world below spinning in silent majesty awaiting the changes that – one way or another – would come.

*

Old District, Tokyo

Lei Yeung scrutinized the proposed minutes of the New Year’s meeting for the third time, anxious to ensure he hadn’t overlooked anything vital.

Never one to miss an opportunity, he had capitalized on the existence of the anti-Guardian movement to ensure that everyone falling under the shadow of the Council’s global umbrella had obeyed the direction to cast their lot against the Guardians in the worldwide poll. Every vote would count for something. And while Yeung appreciated the mud wouldn’t stick against their adversary’s whitewashed facade, it would stain, if enough of it was thrown!

On the other hand, he wasn’t so naive as to think that unless the Council reviewed their own key goals and aspirations they would survive the coming year either. Espasito’s monumental failure had drawn attention their way. It was a foregone conclusion that from this time forward, the Guardians’ response to any perceived threat would be swift and decisive. So, for the time being they had to back off, exercise prudence and gather their resources.

The latest trends leaned toward the likelihood that the Guardians would be rejected soon enough, so it was the course of wisdom to allow public opinion to do most of the Council’s work for them.

And once the deed was done…?

*

Guardian Academy, Main Conference Room—Pacific Ocean

Having arrived home only an hour previously, Andrew had showered, changed and eaten, then joined his fellow Lords to await the verdict that would most probably decide their fate. A fascinating experience, as each of his colleagues handled the pressure in their own unique way.

Corrine, for example, continued pacing up and down, drinking endless cups of coffee. Every so often she would stop and, speaking to no one in particular, declare, “Try not to worry. People aren’t stupid, it will be alright.”

Jade and Vladimir had remained deep in conversation the whole time, debating the legality of some of the activities of their opponents, and formulating a few ideas as to what they could do to minimize the rash behavior of demonstrators at several of the incidents Guardian responders had attended recently.

Victoria’s attention was consumed by news bulletins, while beside her, Anil kept himself busy by juggling the latest updates and revising his estimates as to how the world’s leaders might react. Assessing those results as they flashed up on the TV screens, Andrew had to admit, their opponents had resorted to a brilliant strategy to gain the advantage.

Using the impetus generated by the initial negative media coverage and internet chatter on the day following the missile attacks, their detractors had targeted a narrow but specific cross section of the populace on whom to vent their rhetoric. This guaranteed a “reactive” response from some of the most volatile and disruptive elements imaginable.

The viral reaction this created, prompted a strong critical bias – especially in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East – attracting the attention of ever inquisitive pundits.

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By the time a follow-up census was initiated a few days later, a growing band of opposers had not only adjusted their target audience to cover a wider demographic, but had also employed some very subtle and subliminally worded adverts to maintain momentum toward a growing prejudice.

Strategy specialists, “Liberty for All” – an influential corporation based in Stockholm, Sweden – liked what they saw and offered to run a much larger survey to gain a more accurate picture of current feeling.

They hit the mark beautifully, impacting the attitudes of society across the board and triggering the global poll that began the following week – something to which more than four billion “concerned” customers had registered so far.

Poignantly, that very same poll revealed overwhelming support for the Guardians among the international emergency and law enforcement community who could relate to a life spent serving an ungrateful public whilst facing the constant threat of trial by camera.

Andrew thought it a pity there weren’t more voters like them, as current estimates seemed to indicate the Guardians would most likely be facing a negative universal backlash in the very near future.

The only other high note in an otherwise dismal dirge devoted to doom and gloom, came in the form of unwavering tributes from the American people in relation to the Lawton Memorial Monument.

Hearts had been won that day, and Andrew found it most peculiar how the nay-says – who were so eager to see the Guardians gone – were nevertheless quite happy to add their voices to the call for a statue of Grand Master Yasin herself to be erected at the site where the black hole and tornado had been vanquished.

When she’d heard of it, Anatt Yasin had rejected such an idea out of hand, proposing instead that a life-sized bronze be cast of a male and female Guardian standing either side of a combined team of police, fire and ambulance service personnel. The legend: In Honor Of All Who Serve, would be a fitting tribute to all those whose vocation demanded they risk their lives while endeavoring to protect others.

Amazingly, her rebuttal didn’t seem to have affected her popularity, and the Lord Conciliator’s office had been assured that the memorial’s commission was set in stone, and would go ahead even if the ballot went against the Guardians.

Ungrateful, two-faced vacillating pricks! It never ceases to amaze me how shortsighted this bunch of…? Andrew spotted Earl observing him from behind his desk on the other side of the room. A deep frown lined the expanse of the Lord Marshal’s mahogany features, making him appear suddenly old and fragile. Ha! He’s beginning to understand why Victoria and I turned the job down. I know, I’ll take his mind off things by running a few ideas his way.

Sauntering across, Andrew perched himself of the table’s edge and launched right in.

“Earl, you know as well as I do that if the idiot faction wins and they tell us to pack our bags and leave, we simply can’t do that. It’s going to take considerable time to lift and shift our holdings. So, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I made a suggestion or two.”

“That depends,” Earl replied cautiously, one of his eyebrows edging upward. “Will I like these suggestions?”

“I don’t see why not. All I’m advocating is that if things go south, we don’t act like sheep and give in by abandoning everything we own. Common sense dictates we have to leave certain facets of our operation...well, operational.”

Earl was clearly intrigued by this statement, as were a few of the other Lords who began gravitating their way to better listen. “What do you mean?” He murmured.

“Well, for one thing, almost all of our command centers are accessible only by encoded teleportation pads. As the world’s current level of scientific acumen doesn’t have anything that could breach our security anyway, what’s the point of mothballing them? We need only reduce power and run a skeleton staff from those locations we intend to use.”

“Skeleton staff? You feel that we should leave someone here?”

“Of course we should! Even if we do depart en-masse, earth’s potential still needs nurturing. You know as well as I do they’ve entered the latest probability nexus. More and more gifted ones are being born with access to their higher mind-powers than ever before, so somebody needs to be here to watch out for them…” Andrew cast his gaze around the small circle of his closest friends, “Somebody besides that other lot Victoria has run into on a couple of occasions now, who seem intent on carving out a little empire for themselves. They do have operatives who can teleport, and we don’t want to run the risk of them ever gaining access to our technology, or emerging candidates come to that.”

“Sound advice,” Earl nodded in agreement, “and I like your thinking. What else have you got for me?”

“For one thing, it would be prudent to jump gate most of the observation stations away. Two alternatives that spring to mind are the asteroid belt or the far side of the Moon. Some of the more developed countries are beginning to suspect we have an orbital capacity anyway, so by moving the platforms now, we’ll minimize the risk of accidents as and when they come snooping. My recommendation would be to leave two assets in place, but extend their range to incorporate a variable holding pattern above each hemisphere. That will give us plenty of leeway to scope for new talent and accurately assess any shift in mood toward our presence in the future.”

Earl ruminated for a while, his mood indicating he was receptive to Andrew’s proposals, for he eventually muttered, “So, who would you suggest stays behind?”

Andy? Victoria, who had been following along on the conversation, looked intently his way and extended a mental invitation. A stream of options and counter ideas flowed between them at lightning speed.

The exchange lasted no more than three seconds. As it ended, Andrew shrugged and turned back to the Lord Marshal. “Victoria’s just reminded me, we’d need dedicated contingents for a covert assignment of this magnitude. Keeping the teams mission-specific will also allow the normal training regimen to continue uninterrupted. If you let me complete the selection of my Shadow Operations staff now, I can have enough people with the right skills to keep things ticking over nicely while the rest of you are away.

“Victoria’s offered the support of some of her specialists, too. If we keep to ourselves and operate out of the older, cloaked surface installations, the Academy can relocate to Moon Base without too much disruption to the curriculum.”

“Moon Base?” everyone gasped in unison, the surprise evident on their faces.

A second telepathic exchange between Victoria and Andrew greased the ether, and this time, it was the former who spoke up. “As you know, Andrew and I have been used on numerous occasions over the years by the Overlord on quite a few confidential assignments. One of those assignments was the excavation and extension of our biggest off-world complex so far, Moon Base. What you won’t know is that the current operational facility now accounts for only seventeen percent of its overall, extended capacity. It’s also mostly subterranean, and will remain undetectable from the world’s superpowers. Not even their new lunar satellites will be able to detect us, so, as you can imagine, this new arrangement will serve our needs perfectly.”

Victoria’s statement was met with stunned silence by everyone else in the room.

“How come I never knew about this?” Earl demanded.

“We sometimes forget how sensitive Adam’s precognitive ability is,” Andrew replied, “so there’s little doubt he foresaw a need to relocate to that site long ago. Of course, he’s also a strictly need-to-know kinda guy. For reasons he didn’t care to explain, once Victoria and I had completed our task, he sealed the extended wings away behind temporal barriers and entrusted us with its care and maintenance. Even we didn’t know when the time might be right to announce its existence.”

“What will he do now that you have?” Corrine interjected.

Oh bugger! Andrew scratched his chin. “Hell, I don’t know, Corrine. Things can’t get any worse than they already are, so hopefully he’ll appreciate my disclosure will give everyone something positive to focus on.”

Victoria snorted, and yet another mental exchange fried the air between the two newest Lords. It was brought to a swift conclusion as Andrew cast his eyes heavenward, “Yes, okay, for Christ’s sake! So he’ll probably kick my ass six ways from Sunday. The fact remains it will be worth the aggravation.”

Suddenly businesslike, Earl seemed rather enthused, “Yes, it will be worth it! Thank you, Andrew. The Overlord’s temper tantrums or no, we might as well be prepared for what’s coming, and as you say, at least it will keep us busy...and ensure emergency cover isn’t compromised in the meantime.”

Turning to the others, the Lord Marshal began issuing orders to ensure each department commenced their preparations for a full scale mobilization of staff and resources forthwith.

His purpose served, Andrew smirked, and began steering Victoria toward the communal break area arranged around a large coffee table. Excellent. I knew all I needed to do was provide the right spark. This will keep him on the…?

Earl’s query brought them up short. “Victoria, you always seem to know where Adam is and how to contact him. If we’re actually going to initiate something on this scale, I’ll need his permission. Where is he?”

Andrew felt Victoria stiffen as she checked her stride. She spun about, coalescing power glazing the surface sheen of her irises which flashed momentarily star bright. “Sorry, he’s busy. But he did assure me he’ll be back after his public appearance tomorrow and you can discuss things in more depth then.”

Vladimir cut in. “Good grief! You mean to say he’s still going ahead with that media circus in the UK, despite what the polls are saying? Is that wise?”

Victoria dismissed such concerns as irrelevant. “Why are you asking me? I just know how to contact him, not explain his motives.”

Andrew could feel a palpable tension rising. “C’mon,” he urged, taking Victoria by the arm, “before they hit us with a whole load of questions we daren’t answer.”

They both took a seat, and Andrew snatched up one of the remote controls from the table. Flicking through the channels on the nearest TV, he happened upon an Italian operatic production of “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Recognizing where the artistes were in the drama, he immediately burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Victoria asked, bemused by his behavior.

Grinning, Andrew explained, “You know how in action films, when they’re fighting against overwhelming odds and everyone gives up except for one bright spark who says, ‘It ain’t over until the fat lady sings?’”

“Yeah, so what?”

Andrew inclined his head toward the screen.

Victoria looked, and saw the image of a rotund and overly dramatic woman kneeling beside a fellow actor, obviously playing the part of a woman whose lover who had just expired before her very eyes. Clasping her hands together, she threw back her head and burst into the farewell song that would serenade his way into the afterlife.

Andrew leaned in to whisper. “I just hope this tragic ending isn’t symbolic of the fate in store for us.”