Pest Control, Part Four

September 11, 2245
New Boston, Kennedy, Alpha Centauri B

Prime Minister John Morrison stared out the window in his office at the ruins of the downtown basilica.  Even though the Mother Church owned the property and could afford to rebuild, the church was left in ruins to remind everyone what the Freyans did when they came to this world.

“Your guest is here, sir.”  The secretary said over the intercom.

Prime Minister Morrison walked to his desk and down on button on the intercom.

“Send him in.”  He said.

“Yes, sir.”  The secretary replied.

Prime Minister Morrison walked around his desk and stood before one of couches in his office.

Archbishop Lester Banion walked into the Prime Minister’s office and stood before the Prime Minister.  The two men sat on their couches.

“You know why I’m here?”  Said Archbishop Banion.

“To negotiate a peace deal.”  Replied Prime Minister Morrison.  “Only, it won’t happen.”

“Why not?”  Asked Archbishop Banion.

Prime Minister Morrison answered.

“You look upon the period the Mother Church was backed by the force of the State as a golden age.  Most of the inhabitants of this world looked at that time as a nightmare.  We want no more nightmares.  Paul Clark was hanged for numerous capital crimes.  It wasn’t just the Freyans who became angry when he was canonized, many people were.”

“How dare you deride Saint Paul Clark!”  Archbishop Banion stood up and shouted.

“The only reason The Vatican still exists is because it’s located on the Earth.  Even The Federation is tired of your nonsense.”  Prime Minister Morrison said.

Prime Minister Morrison continued.

“Those who’ve believed absurdities have committed atrocities.  You believe you’re one of the good guys, so did Oskar Dirlewanger.”

“Who?”  Archbishop Banion asked.

“Oskar Dirlewanger was one of the perpetrators of The Holocaust.”  Prime Minister Morrison replied.

“Who cares about a bunch of Kikes?”  Archbishop Banion asked.

“A lot of people do.”  Prime Minister Morrison answered.

Prime Minister Morrison said another thing to Archbishop Banion.

“Perhaps it’s time for you to leave.”

With that word the door to the Prime Minister’s office opened and another man stepped in.  The man held up a playing card, the face was the King of Spades suite, on the back was a white cross of St. Andrew over a black field.  The man spoke.

“Director Stern sends her regards.”

“You won’t get me to talk!”  Archbishop Banion shouted.

The man attached a piece of hull tape over Archbishop’s Banion’s mouth and responded.

“You won’t need to.”

As Archbishop Banion was being taped up by other men, Prime Minister Morrison spoke.

“Part of the function of a politician is to make deals.”  Prime Minister Morrison said to Archbishop Banion.  “I was made Prime Minister to clean up the mess you’ve made.  I don’t expect to be reelected for doing this.”

Archbishop Banion struggled as he was carried out of the Prime Minister’s office.

Prime Minister Morrison walked over to the window.  An aide stepped into the Prime Minister’s office and walked over to Prime Minister Morrison.  Prime Minister Morrison pointed to the ruins of the basilica and spoke.

“Let’s do some eminent domain and seize the property.”  Prime Minister Morrison said to the aide.  “Demolish the ruins and let the Mother Church know who’s really in charge on this planet.”

At numerous barracks around the city of New Boston members of KDF put on their body armor and picked up their 9mm Advanced Combat Rifles.  Many members of the People’s Front for Liberation of Kennedy would come down with fatal cases of Sudden Lead Poisoning on this day.

New York City, Manhattan Borough

Several police officers and firemen, including Detectives Greeley and Logan, were gathered at the site of Ground Zero to hear the mayor, retired police officer Kathleen Connor, speak.

“Nearly three thousand people were murdered as an act of hatred against Humanity.  Many of our brothers and sisters died on that fateful day.  A proper act of retribution would be erasing The Kaaba from the face of the Earth.  But we had Bush 43 as the President and we got the War On Terror along with the goat rodeo known as the Transportation Security Agency instead.  The false prophet Mohammad combined the worst features of Robert Lee Herald, Jeffery Epstein, with Charles Manson and turned them up beyond eleven.”

Detectives Greeley and Logan saw a librarian at New York City Public Library.  Detectives Greeley and Logan sat down at a table with the librarian.

“Have you ever read Star Of The North by Evelyn Stone?”  Asked the librarian.

“No, I haven’t.”  Replied Detective Logan.

“It reads like an autobiography, except that the names of the central character and girlfriend in Colorado were apparently changed.”  Said the librarian.

“Stone may have been a veteran of a war between the United States and the Soviet Union?”  Asked Detective Greeley.

“What’s the Soviet Union?”  Asked Detective Logan.

“The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”  Answered the librarian.  “It was a large state that consisted of Russia, The Ukraine, Belorussia, the Baltic States, and some Muslim territories.”  Answered the librarian.  “It was a Communist state.”

“Didn’t they know that Communism had a one hundred percent failure rate?”  Asked Detective Logan.

“No,” replied the librarian, “ a Soviet leader once to the Americans, ‘we will bury you,’ the Soviet Union was buried instead.”

The librarian continued.

“The New York Times, before it was shut down by the reformers, tried to influence a presidential election.  They tried this by reading Stone’s works.”

The librarian continued again.

“Stone was an interesting guy, he once got into a dispute with Robert Lee Herald.”

“Herald was the founder of the Center For Eternal Truth.”  Said Detective Logan.

The librarian continued again.

“Herald sent people out to murder Stone.  One of Stone’s friends was caught in the crossfire and killed.  Stone responded by riding on a motorcycle out to California, when it still a single state of the American union, and killing Herald.  Actions always have consequences.  There are now more than two hundred million people like Stone, and they’re still acting on their beliefs.

Detectives Greeley and Logan just stared at the librarian.

Omaha, capital of The Federation

In her temporary office in the basement of the Freyan embassy Judith Stern, the Director of the Central Security Agency of Ursa Major Confederation, looked at several photographs in a meeting with her subordinate, Ed Foster.

“It looks like Douglas Green is on board the British Spaceways ship The City Of Manchester.”  Director Stern said.  “Even if she wasn’t in hyperspace we still couldn’t board her.”

All Ed Foster could do was nod.

Hyperspace, British Spaceways Ship The City Of Manchester

Douglas Green sat in his cabin and thought.

A Freyan Pest Control team won’t get me here.