The Wrath of a Vengeful God
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Attributed to Edmund Burke
“The eminent Mr. Burke certainly meant well. Yet history has been fraught with horrible, evil men who brought so much good. I certainly do not think that the ends justify the means. There are simply no ends, or means. They are not of importance. There is only power, pure and raw power.” Doctor Kaiser Fuji
It was hard work. The ground coral had to be eliminated on an hourly basis. There were no machines, not yet, and not for a long while. They had to clear it manually. This was an around the clock activity, with groups moving around in shifts. Life was not pleasant.
But he was getting into excellent physical shape, for the first time in his life.
He could feel his abdominal muscles when he moved. It was as if his entire upper body had become encased by an unknown material. But it had been a good shift. More and more people were coming to Gemstar II and life was become immensely more enjoyable. For my part, I was come to rather enjoy the standard porridge with pieces of a century-old egg. There was certainly something delectable in the way it tasted. I was in the middle of enjoying this fine lunch when I knew I was being summoned. Two soldiers walked in and zeroed in on me. It was pretty obvious, considering that I was the only non-Lantian in the room.
“Doctor Rosenthal?”
“I am indeed Doctor Rosenthal. I didn’t think it was even necessary to ask.”
I couldn’t resist smiling at the young soldiers’ embarrassment. It had seemed like a good decision at the time to create a standing army. The failure of the economists and the managers to correctly estimate the amount of funds required for the volatiles mine was thought to possibly lead to mass riots. That did not happen.
“Doctor, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”
“My dear boy, I admit I rather enjoy living in Gemstar II. Something about the way the sun shines in the morning.” That was a lie of course. The sun wasn’t even visible as a coherent celestial object in the sky. But the two young Lantian soldiers probably didn’t know that, or anything much for that matter.
But apparently they got annoyed at my attitude, lifted me up, and marched me to the awaiting shuttle.
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Meeting of the Executive Council Minutes
President Kaiser Fuji, Vice President Jonathan Lee, Senate Imperator Christopher Ma, House Premier Herbert Phung-Hang, Minister Nathan Rosenthal, General Winston Kim and Doctor L. Wang of the Learned Council Present.
President Fuji: I thank all of you for coming to this quick meeting.
Doctor Wang: And the purpose of this meeting…?
President Fuji: Of course Learned Doctor, there are reports coming into the media of starvation in some of our habitats and…
General Kim: False I hope? My forces cannot possibly maintain peace and order in the event of a famine. Not with our forces.
Vice-President Lee: I am afraid that the reports are not entirely inaccurate. We have been slowly cutting food supplies to the outer regions.
*general murmuring*
Minister Rosenthal: And the public is not being informed of this?
Premier Phung-Hang: No. There would be mass panic and subsequent chaos in the streets.
Minister Rosenthal: And how can we possibly not inform them? This is outrageous! We…
President Fuji: Be silent Nathan! It’s not if we were just hoarding the supplies. There *are* no supplies. And there will not be any until after the volatiles mines go up. Once they do, our problem is essentially solved.
Doctor Wang: Lee, how much more time is needed before the volatile mines go up?
President Fuji: Madame Doctor, the mines will be up within three months.
Doctor Wang: And the food situation will be quickly and decisively resolved?
President Fuji: Yes.
Vice-President Lee: Furthermore, the casualties will be minimal. We project that the numbers will be in the hundreds to the low thousands- there will be no great alarm, it will be seen as simply the further weakening of their respective immune systems to pre-existing conditions.
Minister Rosenthal: I am amazed that you consider the lives of hundreds or even thousands to be of little concern. My God! They’re going to die because there won’t be enough food and you tell me that we’re not going to tell them?
Doctor Wang: Doctor Rosenthal, calm yourself. I share your concern. But we do not live in ordinary times. Every year that we stay upon this barren Gemstar system is another year we slowly fade away. The matter is closed. President, you have my approval.
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Minister Nathan Rosenthal Resigns!
In the saddest news today, Minister Rosenthal has offered his resignation to the Fuji Administration. Citing his remarkable successes in dealing with both the Republic of Ik and the ‘Al, he states that he believes the tasks delegated to him has been completed. And after having so distinguished himself in serving the Republic, he plans to return to private life.
The Minister has made plans to travel to Gemstar II and there take part in the great colonization process to bring increasingly levels of volatiles to our farms. It is a great thing that our Republic has people like Doctor Rosenthal who are willing to do so much for the continued prosperity of our nation.
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