Pest Control, Part Two

New York City, Manhattan Borough
September 3, 2245

In the morning Detectives Greeley and Logan were each having a cup of coffee at a donut shop.  Some things never change.

Detective Greeley asked his partner Detective Logan another question.

“So how did the feud between the Freyans and the Fremantle congregation start?”

Detective Logan briefly closed his eyes and then answered.

“A member of the Fremantle congregation murdered the previous Freyan Consul, a Maya Stern, for the reward of God’s eternal grace.  Needless to say the Freyans got angry, thus the subsequent killing of Reverend Paul Martin in reprisal.”

At the same time in the Borough of Brooklyn, a group of New York City police officers were surrounding the Fremantle Baptist Church.  Each police officer was armored to the Federation Army standard and armed with an ACRS.  The Federation had enough of the antics of the Fremantle congregation.  The police entered the church in a hostile fashion.

At the time Amy Martin was preaching a sermon about the death of her husband, the pastor of the Fremantle Baptist Church, Reverend Paul Martin.

As the congregation watched, Amy Martin was slammed to the floor and cuffed by some police officers.  A police captain stood over Amy Martin and spoke.

“Amy Martin, you’re under arrest for treason, this is a capital crime, you have the right to remain silent and a right to an attorney, if you can’t afford an attorney then one will be appointed for you.  Do you understand?”

Amy Martin shouted.

“You’ll burn in Hell for this!”

The police captain answered.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Amy Martin shouted again.

“Jesus Christ is real!”

A police officer slapped a piece of duct tape over Amy Martin’s mouth.

“Adolf Hitler was real too.”  The police captain responded.

Across the city, in the donut shop Detective Greeley had another question for his partner Detective Logan.

“The Freyans have a problem with religion?”

Detective Logan answered.

“Before the planet was granted independence the Freyans made up slightly less than half of the membership of Quarantine Force.”  

Detective Greeley had another question.

“What were the next two ethnic groups?”  Asked Detective Greeley.

“The Great Russians and the Han Chinese.”  Responded Detective Logan.

“Of course.”  Said Detective Greeley.

London, England

In a park while seated on a bench a white haired woman approaching the age of seventy was speaking to a man whose age was approaching forty.

“My family used to live there.”  She said as she pointed to Buckingham Palace.  “Now it’s just a tourist attraction.”

Diana Windsor was now a senior member of The Committee.

“You want to restore the British Monarchy?”  The man asked.

“Yes.  The Committee is too focused on ruling The Federation.”  She said.

“Even though The Federation is reduced to the Solar System?”  The man asked.

“The Committee wants to rule the entire Known Universe.”  She answered.

“It won’t happen.”  The man said.  “The Military Assistance Corporation of Xenophon backed a military coup on Freya.  As a result, the Freyan Navy bombarded the planet Xenophon with cobalt cased thermonuclear weapons.  Nothing lives there now, not even mutants hunting each other for food.”

“The Committee wants to leave Freya a barren world.”  The woman said.

Freya was a Terrestrial planet orbiting the lesser star of the 10 Ursae Majoris system.  There were slightly more than two hundred million inhabitants of the planet Freya.

“It won’t happen.”  The man said.  The man was a graduate of The Federation Military Academy at West Point, and he was well versed in military affairs.  He decided to not work for The Committee anymore.

The woman stood up by herself and walked over to the limousine waiting for her.  The electric motors of the limousine hummed as she was driven back to the hotel in central London where she was staying.

When she entered the suite a gloved hand covered her mouth.

“You didn’t believe you would escape us, did you?”  A man in a hotel servant’s uniform said.

A Freyan Pest Control team was now in her suite.

“Hook her up and download her.”  He commanded.

Two detectives from the Metropolitan Police surveyed the crime scene in her hotel suite.  Detective Sergeant John Kane and his partner Detective Liz Bishop had drawn this case.

“I’ll wager that the CSI team won’t find the prints of anyone but victim’s, her staff, and the hotel staff.”  Said Detective Sergeant Kane.

“I wouldn’t cover the wager, sir” Detective Bishop replied.

Detective Sergeant Kane walked over to the corpse and examined the wires coming out of her head.

“I’ll wager that the Freyans used one of their portable download kits.”  He said.

“I wouldn’t cover that wager either, sir” Detective Bishop replied.

Once the detectives were finished examining the crime scene they went their own ways.  In another London hotel Detective Bishop met with an elderly man.  Douglas Green was now a senior member of The Committee.

“It appears that The Committee is now in the sights of the Freyan CSA, sir.”  Said Detective Bishop.  “I think you should drop or significantly change your plans for the Freyans, sir.”

“I’ll pass on your advice Detective Bishop.”  Replied Mr. Green.  “But I don’t believe The Committee will follow it.”

In basement of the Freyan embassy in Omaha a meeting was being held.


At the meeting was Director Judith Stern of the CSA and her subordinate, Ed Foster.

“It looks like we have more work to do on Earth, ma’am.”  Said Foster.

Director Stern was silent.

Damn.  She thought.

Shortly thereafter The Committee was holding a meeting in London.  Mr. Green spoke.

“A member of this committee was downloaded and killed by the Freyans.  We may have to abandon this place and alter or drop our plans for the Freyans.”

“No.”  Replied the chairman of The Committee.

Mr. Green spoke again.

“The Freyans don’t play recordings of noises or water board anyone anymore.  They’ve used a direct neural interface since Judith Stern took over direction of the Central Security Agency.  The Freyans are playing nasty with us, and under the circumstances I don’t them.”

“Our plans still stand.”  Responded the chairman of The Committee.

Perhaps it’s time to abandon The Committee. Thought Mr. Green.