Deborah sat in the flight deck. Two and half years ago, this was a strange and terrifying place. Now, everything was familiar, she knew what to do.
“Adelle”
“Yes”
“Please call up the next step in my itinerary”
“The next step in the itinerary is to go to May 14th, 2456 and meet with President Ralph Forrester concerning the prisoner”
“Is there a suitable Chronobeacon for the trip?”
“There is: Deborah Schwartz Alpha Echo Fox two four zero zero zero Charlie Echo three”
“Okay, take me there”
“Understood. We have arrived”
“Contact orbital control and inform them of our arrival, please”
“Orbital control sends its greetings and asks us to enter a semicircular orbit with apogee 850 Kilometers and perigee 750 Kilometers, inclination 15 degrees, apogee at 81° west.”
“Make it so”
“Course change in 35 seconds”
“Thank you, Adelle”
“You are receiving a call from the the President of the planet Earth”
“So soon?”
“They knew exactly when and where you would arrive, so they gave you some time to make any orbital changes required and now they are ready to talk with you”
“Is this video or just voice? What kind of call is it?”
“3D high definition video and quadraphonic sound over IPv6”
“What is the protocol for meeting the President? Do I stand? Salute? Shake hands?
“I think if just stay seated, then you will be fine. He won’t see anything above your shoulders”
“How is my hair?”
“Considering that he is asking you to save the world, spend some time with a war criminal, and take on an unknown risk, I would say that it is fine.”
“Oh. I guess I should take the call. Open the channel”
“Ms. Schwartz, I am President Ralph Forester”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. President”.
“I would like you to meet with me and discuss your mission and your crew”
“Mr. President, I am rapidly leaving transporter range. May I meet with you in about an hour from now?”
“Where do you think I am?”
“In Washington, D.C.”
“I’m in Bassel, Switzerland”
“Oh. In that case, I am in range now”
“Please beam down to the south entrance. My security team will meet you and escort you into my office”
“Very well”
“Good bye, Ms. Schwartz”
“Good bye, Mr. President”
The connection closed. “Oh, shit - did I just agree to meet with the President of the World in person?”
“You did”
“What was I thinking?”
“You were thinking that the President had something so sensitive to say to you, that he couldn’t broadcast it across the Internet. Maybe he wants to wish you luck. But you agreed to go, so you have to go. Be brave. This is a friendly meeting.”
Deborah beamed down to the front lawn. She was carefully checked by the guards and then escorted to the president’s office. In addition to the President and the usual retinue of security agents, there was a man dressed in red pajamas, with his hands behind his back.
“Mr. President”, Deborah said, “How might I be of service?”
“Ms. Schwartz”, President Ralph replied, “I want you to do me a favor. This man “, he indicated the man in the red pajamas, “is a war criminal. He have tried to rehabilitate him, but he stubbornly refuses to renounce his thinking. The problem is that we really can’t hold him any longer, because the law doesn’t allow that. Yet at the same time, he is a menace to society.
“We have an idea: take him with you to the past, which is a very violent place and time, and let him spread his knowledge of war there, where he will be free.”
“What is your name”, Deborah asked the man.
“Walter Brown”, the man replied.
“Walter, what is the nature of your war crime?”
“I believe that we are being reckless in not preparing for a war. Humans have always been at war with one another, and our current period of peace is not likely to prevail. If we don’t prepare for war, then when it happens, we will be unprepared for it and that unpreparedness will hurt us”
“Mr. Brown, who would we wage a war with?”, the President asked.
“Some disaffected minority, or a region could elect a demagogue. There could be a plague, which would disrupt civil order. We must be prepared”, Walter replied.
“He’s been in therapy for years. We have had him have arguments with philosophers, with government planners, even with retired generals. Everybody on planet earth wants peace - except him. That’s why we want you to take him back to the past, either to see the effects of war first hand or else leave him there where he can live out his life as a warrior”.
“Mr. President”, Deborah began, “The world that you are describing sounds like a utopia. Aren’t you afraid that whatever I do in the past is going to wreck it?”
“No, we’re confident that you are going to go back in the past and fix whatever was broken. That you always did that. Your memory is going to be revered, because you are the woman who brought us time travel technology. We can now peer into the future, see the results of our policies, and correct for them. We believe that you taking Mr. Brown with you is going to help you in some way.”
“Do you know what it is I am supposed to do in the past?”
“Yes, we do. You are supposed to fight a war. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly when. Sometime between 3650 years ago and 3700 years. Incidentally, that is the longest time travel movement known. We know that you will do battle on the plains where the land of Canaan was, in the ancient middle east, and then you will retreat to the mountains to the east and have a mighty victory there. Your victory will ensure 40 years of peace. That will set history all right.”
“Could I have somebody go with me to help watch him?”
“We went over that: 1) Nobody would volunteer, 2) We don’t have the authority to draft somebody for the job, and 3) Another mouth to feed would strain the ship’s store of food”
“Can he be trusted?”
“He is under your command. We think he understands that - he has a military mind”
“Mr Brown”, Deborah turned to him, “Are you really willing to be my crew and go on this mission, even though the risks are unknown?”
“Ms. Schwartz”, Walter replied, “I am unsuitable for this time. I am utterly convinced that my reasoning is correct and unassailable. When I go back in time, I will be in world of great violence. I believe that would be a better time for me.”
“You are willing to serve under my command, faithfully?”
“I understand the necessity of recognizing my commanding officer”
“What is it you really want?”
“I want to go someplace where I can live out my life without having to change my world view”
“Mr. President, is this really the right course of action?”
“Ms. Schwartz, we have had a long discussion about this, both in this time and in 2372, and we believe that this is the best course of action”
“Mr. President, it seems to me that, in the hundreds of years to prepare for this moment, you could have found somebody else, raised them explicitly for this mission, and sent them”.
“Ms. Schwartz, there are some things about time travel that were not explained to you in 2372. This is by design. Suffice to say, there were some good, solid reasons for planning this mission in this way. It pains me to withhold some information from you, and in fact, it is illegal, but it is necessary. We can discuss it when, and if, you return.”
“Mr. President, I must admit I have a certain reluctance to undertake this mission, because I think of so many alternatives. However, I am very interested in Jewish history, and the opportunity to go to this place and time is fascinating. Therefore, I will go. Furthermore, I will return”
“Thank you, Ms. Schwartz. Please take Mr. Brown into custody. When you are ready to release him from his bounds, simply press your thumb against the black rectangle: that will unlock them.”
“Very well. Is there anything else?”
“No. Good luck. You have about 10 minutes while you are still in transporter range”
“Alright. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. President”
“You are a brave young woman. I look forward to seeing you again in a few minutes”
“I’m sorry?”
“You will return to the same Chronobeacon”
“Oh. Yes. Quite so”
Deborah took her medallion, and pressed the button.
“Yes”, Adelle answered.
“Two to beam up”
And she and Walter Brown were gone.