God's Dogs

Since nature was clearly intent on making humans successful in support of the integrity of eternally regenerative Universe, it seemed clear that if I undertook ever more humanly favorable physical-environment-producing artifact developments that in fact did improve the chances of all humanity’s successful development, it was quite possible that nature would support my efforts…

Bucky Fuller

Rosalind McKearney’s article, a fully researched and footnoted professional paper, did cause quite a stir. She took as her starting point the Law of Precession as applied to social systems. The idea was that one could set a goal — for example: make money, but the precessional effect, which was ninety degrees to that goal, could be pollution, slave labor, industrial accidents, global warming, and so on.

In other words, the ‘side effects’ of one’s goal could be more profound than the stated or expected main effects.

With this as a basic premise, she went on to show why corporations, governments, bureaucracies, indeed most macro-organizations, ultimately failed. The precessional effects of their policies ultimately killed them.

She also argued, ironically, that the precessional effects of the current war with the Empire were producing the ways and means to end war.

With that as prologue, she argued further that the lessons available in the current war, as well as lessons she chose from history, were compelling enough to force an examination of the League’s bureaucracies, at the least, and ideally bureaucracies throughout human space.

Quoting Buckminster Fuller, she asserted that policies meant to add value to human development would have the precessional effect of prosperity for all.

She concluded by declaring the Age of Greed, Fear, Narcissism, and Polarization was over. Humankind, she asserted, needed to do the work to climb to the next level that many pioneers in the evolution of consciousness had achieved. Moreover, those pioneers not only arrived there, they had prepared the place for the rest of humanity to join them.

The paper did have a polarizing effect, of course. The Bell Curve of human psycho-spiritual evolution was still predominantly weighted on the acquisition/anti-acquisition rungs of the developmental ladder. The next rung on the ladder was the one where a person could value the entire ladder, rather than fighting over which was the ‘right’ rung.

Her paper, rather than bringing relief or hope, was met with outrage, scorn, ridicule, and diatribes assailing her as a utopian anarchist. To which she replied in an interview with Intra-League News, “Methinks they protest too much.”

The reporter, an eager young man with bright white teeth, responded, “Are you quoting someone?”

“Shakespeare.”

He frowned in confusion but caught himself quickly to smile at the camera. “From Penglai, reporting for IGN….”

Moss flipped the holo-screen off and laughingly said, “I hope she never gets pissed at me.”

“She may,” Master Lu said as he rose from his desk to join the team by the bay window in his office. “If you haven’t read and understood her paper, she may get a little irked. She worked hard on it.”

“I read it,” Moss muttered.

“She’s advanced a policy statement,” Quinn said. “What’s the strategy?”

“Good question,” Lu said as he sat. “We have a plan, but for our part in the strategy, Senator Morrison needs to sell it to League Intelligence.”

“How would we fit in?” Pax wanted to know.

“We’re a key component,” Lu replied. “That big list Solomon gave us can only be implemented if we take down the major power brokers and their corrupt organizations. Otherwise, they would block us at every turn.”

“How many are there?” River asked.

“A dozen or more. We don’t have a firm count, and they seem to overlap in ways we haven’t deciphered yet.”

“Is there an operational plan for how we’re going to take them down?” Quinn pressed.

“With as much public exposure as possible.”

“What?” Moss frowned. “Like big trials?”

“Ideally, yes.”

River half-grinned. “You want them humiliated.”

Lu returned the grin, “Absolutely.”

Pax rejoined, “The public response will be pretty chaotic. All those people feeling betrayed by the demagogues they put their trust in.”

“And we plan to channel that energy into the necessary reforms.”

“That’s not our problem,” Moss said in a concerned voice. “Is it?”

Lu chuckled. “Hardly. You’re protectors not politicians.”

Moss sighed in relief and smiled. “So when do we start?”

“We’re waiting on Senator Morrison.”

Senator Leah Morrison was dressed down to a green ship-suit with a patch of the Amazonia crest on the left breast. Her ship was docked at the diplomatic space port that circled Central. She had retreated here to use the FTL communication facility, primarily, but she was also feeling vulnerable and felt safer onboard her ship. As a retired combat soldier, she trusted her instincts when it came to her personal safety.

She reached the comm shack and shooed the ratings out. Soon she opened a link to Master Chin. It was an upgraded link, courtesy of Amantha, which provided audio and visual.

“Senator,” Master Chin acknowledged.

“Master Chin, I think I’m in trouble.”

“Then you must be making progress.”

“I believe so,” she said with an enigmatic smile. “Intelligence people tend to be more pragmatic and see the value of cleaning house, but there are those who prefer the house they way it is.”

“So what is your assessment of the threat?”

She breathed deep a few times to gather her thoughts and replied, “My gut tells me it’s from Jonathan Smythe-Wilson. The other members of the sub-committee are neutral or on-board with the idea.”

“And Wilson is not.”

“Not overtly, but he’s pushing for Constitutional safeguards during the investigations into corruption.”

“Illegal search and seizure issues.”

“Exactly. When we detailed what would work within existing law, that’s when I began to feel vulnerable.”

“Someone, alerted by Wilson, is plotting to take you out of the equation.”

“That’s my sense of it.”

“I suggest you take a trip somewhere, while I send a Coyote team to take care of the threat.”

Leah felt herself relax for the first time in a week. “I didn’t foresee this operation kicking off in my sub-committee. Perhaps I should have, but I didn’t.”

Chin’s ancient face resolved into a smile. “It is a shadow government we’re going up against.”

“Maybe I’m not cut out for the intrigue and deception.”

“Perhaps not. You are a soldier, after all, but your instincts are good. I’ll let you know when the immediate threat is addressed, and through that we’ll have a lead to the entire organization. In my humble opinion, your efforts and instincts have opened the door to our success. Well done, Senator.”

“Thank you. I think I’ll be heading home for a few weeks.”

“May the spirits of space keep you safe,” Chin murmured and cut the link.

Next Chin contacted Master Lu. “Is Quinn’s team available?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll send you the information on the op. It’s begun, Lu. We will need a police presence as back up and cover for the team. Ask Quinn who he wants for that.”

“Okay, Chin. I hope this works.”

“It is a big gamble.”

The next day, Lu met with the team and briefed them on the op. Then he asked Quinn about police back up.

“I know he won’t like it,” Quinn began, “but Sergeant Murphy and whoever he picks for a platoon of marines would be my preference. And if we need a Marshal, there’s that guy Linda knows. Billy McIntyre.”

“I’ll arrange it,” Lu said. “They will meet up with you at Central. You will leave immediately.”