Little Green Men
Leo McGarry took a moment to center his thoughts, before entering the Oval Office. “Mr. President.”
“Leo,” President Bartlet replied from behind his desk.
“We have a….situation, I honestly don’t know how else to put it.” Leo informed the head of state.
“Lay it on me,” The President said with a sigh. All to used to the pressures and demands of his duty.
And Leo did just that, laying out the 5 by 10 photos he’d been handed from the currier, after the Chief of Staff had double checked and vetted with NASA that this was indeed what it looked like.
“At approximately 12:15 standard time, the Hubble Space Telescope sent these images back to NASA.” The first three images were the usual pictures one associates with the moon. “When….movement was detected, the HST focused in and sent these,” the next seventeen photos were something entirely different.
“Leo…” He trailed off, unable to take his eyes away from the photos he’d been handed. Spreading them across his desk, President Bartlet stared.
“As you can see, an unknown….object was detected while landing on the moon. The light as its base? Began soon after, until due to debris, the object was obscured and the HST lost sight.” Leo said, his tone grave.
“Object.” The President repeated.
“Is this real?” He questioned.
“I’ve been on the phone with NASA, apparently the Hale Telescope, and Arecibo Observatory have also picked up the debris now blocking our views.” The Chief of Staff explained.
“Leo, that’s not what I asked.”
“Jed, if this is a hoax…it’s the greatest hoax in modern history.” Leo replied.
“Sir, if we’ve detected this…object, it’s a safe bet others have as well. And I’ve been informed that the debris is clear to see, or rather not see, by anyone with a telescope powerful enough to view the moon.”
“This is an alien ship, we’re not beating around the bush here, are we Leo? This object is clearly….,” The President gestured to one photo, “clearly man-made.” He fumbled over the word ‘man’.
“How big are we talking about here? I can’t gage the size from these photos.” Jed muttered, looking frustrated, before standing up and walking around to the front of his desk.
Leo turned to address him from this new position, “I’ve been told that by rough estimates, that the object, because I’m not sure anyone has said ship yet in an official briefing, is maybe 20 square blocks in diameter, height is harder to gage from these angles.”
“If we could move this to the situation room?” Leo asked, before they started off.
Once they’d left the Oval Office, passed through the halls, and arrived at the situation room, a full table was sitting in wait. The President could see that while many pieces of documents were set out, his folder seemed to contain the only photos of the object.
“Is someone going to tell me this is a joke?” President Bartlet said, trying to lighten the mood. “Because I promise that no one will be fired for shouting out ‘surprise.”
“Sir,” Secretary of Defense, Miles Hutchinson spoke out, “we’ve been contacted by our allies, Canada, The UK, and France. As well China & Russia have as this point. All have questions.”
“Well, add me to the list, because I have a few myself.” Jed Bartlet said with a frown, while taking his seat at the head of the table.
“Does NASA have any idea what exactly this…object is doing? Where the debris is coming from?” Admiral Percy Fitzwallace questioned. “I think it’s a safe assumption that the human race has waited for proof of….life other then our own since the beginning of recorded history.”
“I think we need more then, ‘space ship attacks moon,” Fitz pointed out, unamused by the Presidents earlier joke.
“Is that what its doing? Attacking our moon?” President Bartlet asked, before passing around the photos he’d been given earlier.
“Sir, I’m not sure if our moon, is the right….tone?” Toby Ziegler pointed out.
“Why not? It’s our moon.” Leo argued.
“And by our, you mean the United States? Because Russia has already said something similar.” Toby replied.
“Lets not get bogged down in semantics, its Earth’s moon. And I still haven’t heard if an attack is even what’s happening.” The President said, breaking up a needless argument before it could get a proper head of steam.
“Its too early to tell,” Admiral Fitz said with a shrug, “for all we know this blue light beam is used for landing.”
“Its been nearly an hour since the first photos were taken, the debris field is expanding. If that’s how these beings land, lets hope they don’t decide to visit Earth.” Leo informed the room.
“And if they do? How exactly are we to stop them?” Toby put forth the question on everyone’s minds. If they were friendly, if they weren’t, what exactly would be Earth’s response, The US’s response, Russia’s response?
~~~
Xander observed the terraforming from the main deck of the World Engine. 12 hours. That was the time-line given to him by Jax-Ur, their defacto Science Officer. 12 hours and the entire moon’s geography would be vastly changed, after that the atmosphere, augmented with a planetary shield for safety, then the process of weather, water, air, seeding for plant life.
Then the animal codex, giving the moon life. 12 hours to start the process to make a world livable. To populate it with life, vegetation, animals, and the last visages of Krypton.
A dark haired young women in full Kryptonian armor appeared to his left, “sir.”
“At ease, Car-Vex. This isn’t the military. We’re early days.” Xander said, still watching the World Engine in all it’s glory.
“Yes Sir, Jax-Ur says that everything seems to be in order. We’ll know in 12 hours if the process was a success. But there is no reason not to think it will be.” She informed, standing ramrod straight, and apparently ignoring that she wasn’t debriefing a superior.
“I guess we’ll know by then.” Xander said with a sigh. This was there shot, terraforming a new planet. And hopefully beginning a colony. So much was riding on things going perfectly.
Turning, Xander took in her ready position. “Have you ever seen a World Engine at work?” He gestured for her to come up and stand beside him.
“The Council had outlawed exploration before I was born. I don’t think any of our people has ever seen one in action.” She explained, though he could detect hints of awe in her voice as she looked down into the blue lights.
“Well, we might have someone on board who has. We’re a hodge-podge gathering.” He told her, after all, while the population of this ship was 100% Kryptonian, they were all from different Krypton’s.
The Imp who’d banished him from his home, had inadvertently given Xander the means to move from one reality to another. The multiverse had opened to him.
And true to form, he’d used those means to do all he could to save the last embers of a dying world. Many dying worlds. On countless alternate timelines.
“Has Aethry detected any Kryptonian life signs on this version of Earth?” He asked.
Shaking herself from her inner musings, Car-Vex shook her head in denial. “A full scan was finished, the populace of this Earth seems to be completely human.”
“Well, that’s a pity.” He relied, and she was in full agreement.
After over 30 different jumps into the multiverse, spanning dozens of worlds, alternate timelines, Xander had only been able to save one World Engine, and less then 20 Kryptonians.
They’d found dozens of Kal-Els, she thought with a grimace, nearly as many Kara Zor-Els, but few members of the race outside The House of El.
Car wasn’t a religious person by nature, being Military Guild, she left Rao’s mysteries in other’s hands. But even she could see that it seemed almost as if her people were just bit players in the accursed House of Els petty dramas.
There to die or fall to the wayside, so that Kal-El could lift himself high on the bodies of his dead people.
No wonder they weren’t invited, The House of El wasn’t welcome here.
“I’d like to see the report on the human populace, please inform Aethry to attend me. See what help Jax-Ur needs, if any, for the World Engine. Those not needed can take some downtime, get some chow & sleep.” Xander explained.
“In 6 hours, I’ll want alpha team ready and prepped for another jump.”
Car-Vex nodded, each task would be handed with the precision it required. “And the destination?”
“….I believe Earth-38 is next on the list. Send a prob when you’re done here, that should give the team enough data to know if an exploration is required.” Xander laid out, once done he turned back to the World Engine, the blue fire of creation reflecting in his eyes.
“It will be done, Lord Zod.” She stated before giving a double thump with her closed fist, over her chest plate at the location of her heart.