First Judgement

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Preface

Chapter 1: First Contact

Chapter 2: A Planet Badly Out of Control

Chapter 3: Chaperoning Aliens

Chapter 4: NASA

Chapter 5: The United Nations

Chapter 6: New York City

Chapter 7: Congressional Hearings

Chapter 8: Escape

Chapter 9: The Tom Blackstone Show

Chapter 10: Rescue Operation

Chapter 11: Recovery

Chapter 12: Lost Worlds

Chapter 13: The Lost World of Karul

Chapter 14: The Lost World of Marshon

Chapter 15: A Visit to the Vatican

Chapter 16: Rome

Chapter 17: Paris Press Conference

Chapter 18: Beijing

Chapter 19: Negotiations with China

Chapter 20: Do You Think Us Weak?

Chapter 21: The Silent Majority

Chapter 22: Gather My Saints Together

Chapter 23: Back to Washington

Chapter 24: Departure Day

Chapter 25: The Appeal

Chapter 26: Liftoff

Chapter 27: New Earth

Chapter 28: Back to Old Earth

About the Author

First Judgement

Scott R. Frazer

Copyright © 2023 Scott R. Frazer

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88731-445-7 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88731-446-4 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

Science fiction is a natural format for action books and adventure films. In many cases, science fiction storylines include threats to the very existence of mankind. In most adventure movies and books, aliens arrive on our planet with plans of occupation and conquest. Could there be any greater drama than defending our entire planet from an outside threat and saving mankind from destruction?

Ironically, science fiction is also a natural format for considering questions about the existence of God. Astrophysicists may complain about having to answer questions about God, but theology comes with the territory. If you are going to research the universe, people will want to know if you have found God or evidence of His existence there. Many religiously inclined people believe that God has created more worlds than just Earth. According to Genesis, man was made in the image of God, a pattern one would expect Him to follow on other planets. If this is so, then aliens should look exactly like us.

By the way, alien visits are not precluded by religion. There appears no evidence in world history that God prevents more advanced civilizations from discovering less advanced peoples. Columbus visited the New World. Cortez conquered the Aztecs, Pizzaro defeated the Incas, and James Cook discovered the Hawaiians. God has separated us from other planets by vast distances, but those distances might only be temporary barriers for a scientifically developed and determined alien species.

In most science fiction stories, the aliens are cast as the bad guys because we can't relate to them. To heighten their repugnancy, aliens in action movies are often reptilian because we really can't relate to reptiles. We find reptiles and monster aliens in films like War of the Worlds, Independence Day, V, Alien, Predator, Starship Troopers, and Edge of Tomorrow. When you think about it, if aliens looked like cute puppies or Spielberg's ET, viewers would be conflicted at their destruction. But we have no problem watching our movie heroes blowing up lizards and other assorted monsters. So only a few science fiction movies have ever been made with humanoid aliens. In the 1951 black-and-white movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, the alien Klaatu appears to be a normal human being who is accidently shot by troops called in to surround his spacecraft. Another movie franchise with a humanoid alien is Superman, who looks human…but is really not.

What kind of civilization could we expect of visiting aliens? An extraterrestrial species that could develop the advanced technologies required for long spaceflight must be expected to be socially stable. If not, competing nations would use their technical discoveries to destroy one another in wars on their own planet. Considering the United States initiated a nuclear conflict during World War II and almost began a larger one during the Cold War, we must conclude that planet-wide extinctions are possible. If aliens appear, we can logically expect that they have come from a stable and peaceful society. They have avoided self-destruction and have the means to finance efforts to search the universe. Earth is neither technically nor culturally at that level yet.

I have set the opening scene with a spaceship landing on the lawn of the White House. Veteran science fiction readers may audibly groan as this is a well-worn opening scene used in several science fiction classics. Yet it would be a very logical starting point for a first-contact alien race to visit. It's certainly a more likely beginning than having the aliens land in an Iowa cornfield and telling the farmer to take them to his leader.

Science fiction is a good setting to consider deeper questions about the universe and our place in it. Final judgment is always associated with presenting yourself before God, a topic I would not presume to attempt to describe. However, what if Earth had a truly outside observer—an alien—visit Earth and judge us? This book considers two questions. First, if Earth was visited by extraterrestrial humans, how would we treat them? Second, and a little scarier, would our visitors think that Earth is worth the effort to help save?

Chapter 1

First Contact

On Saturday, June 5, 2034, at 8:45 a.m., an extraterrestrial spaceship settled gently onto the lawn of the White House. Air pressure changes caused by the descending vessel scattered trash from the protests and demonstrations of the previous weekend. Signs and placards attached to the wrought iron fence protesting government actions and offering the normal profanities slapped wildly against the iron pickets. The ship's struts sunk deep ruts into the perfectly groomed grass. The ship settled into place and, like a toddler who knew his noise had troubled a group of adults, stayed very quiet.

Indeed, a large number of angry adults soon appeared. Security teams monitoring radar around the White House would later report that the spaceship had appeared out of nowhere. Security guards were the first to surround the ship with drawn handguns. The name of the ship, written in flowing English script on both sides, was We Come in Peace. No one appeared to be taking the claim seriously. Sporting full riot gear and drawn guns, Special Forces and Secret Service had soon surrounded the ship as well. Officers shouted at their troops to set up defensive perimeters. Within a few minutes, three Air Force jets thundered overhead. Army jeeps and transport vehicles rumbled up. Rocket launchers were broken out of storage cases. There was a spaceship on the lawn of the White House! Security was armed, alarmed, and dangerous.

Though radar was not able to track the final descent of the alien ship, numerous Washington tourists certainly did. Many of them had already had their cell phones out and aimed at the White House, taking panoramic video of the home of the president of the most powerful nation of the world. When a spaceship descended into their frames, tourists were at first perplexed and then delighted. Was that the president's helicopter, Marine One? But where were the rotor blades? A few bystanders started to realize that they had caught video of a history-making event, and many wondered how much their clip might be worth to news agencies. Armed troops had poured onto the lawn and around the craft, adding real action and drama to the videos of over a hundred amateur filmmakers. Within minutes, gawkers around the White House had uploaded the best social media videos they would ever post.

The videos immediately went viral, and social media lit up. Initially, the majority of viewers authoritatively declared that the alien landing video was a hoax. But the starship was easily visible from the front fence along Pennsylvania Avenue, and more cell phone photos were posted with heartfelt testimonies of witnesses to the landing. White House correspondents for all the major networks piled out of their offices to film the craft. Normal daytime television was interrupted by Breaking News from the White House banners. Soon however, news anchors appeared, all with the opening words, "We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming…" Across the country, concerned citizens gathered in front of their televisions. The news quickly spread to the rest of the world as well, of course. Amid the chaos that was occurring around it, the spaceship waited quietly. It gave off no sound, no light, and no venting gasses.

When the ship had landed, the president was immediately moved to the White House panic room or Presidential Emergency Operations Center under the east wing. Less than an hour later, the president, his cabinet, and several White House staff members received an email from the leader of the alien delegation.

To the president of the United States,

Sir, we are a first-contact delegation from our home planet of Parmithia. We are here to determine if diplomatic relations can be established between our two worlds. We come in peace; our ship carries no armaments. We have been immunized against all known earthly diseases and carry no biologic weapons. If allowed, we would like to meet you and your nations leaders in four standard Earth hours. Please respond if these arrangements are acceptable.

Darius

The email was forwarded under strict confidentiality throughout the government and, to no one's surprise, was soon leaked to the Internet. The world was spellbound. This was, after all, the first tangible proof that we were not alone in the universe. Science fiction books and movies had been popular for decades. Most of the world's population had seen the movie versions of aliens that might be exiting the ship at any minute. This would be the news event of the century, and no one wanted to miss it. Within the hour, people were arriving at the White House in droves, crowding the fences to better view the starship.

The size and design of the starship was quite similar to that of the space shuttles that NASA had produced four decades earlier. About one hundred twenty feet long and thirty feet in diameter, the thrusters underneath the craft that allowed it to land safely were apparently used as the main propulsion engine as well. Smaller side thrusters allowed the craft to turn or roll as needed. A smoked glass windshield was visible in the tapered front of the craft, but no one could see into the cockpit. Otherwise, there were no apparent doors or windows. Even more disappointing, there were no protruding pulse cannons or rail guns either. But the party had started, and it seemed that half of Washington had turned out to witness the event of the century. Food trucks, beer trucks, and porta-potties began arriving to handle the crowds. Signs and placards popped up above the crowds, with either the sentiment of ET Go Home or Welcome Starfleet.

The collection of spectators formed three rings around the spaceship. The ring closest to the spaceship was made up of heavily armed Secret Service, Army squadrons, and a few Marines. The country's political leaders had also seen their share of science fiction movies, and they weren't taking any chances now. Granted, the spacecraft had no apparent armaments, but a couple of tanks were brought in just in case. Four-foot cement barricades were placed in a circle around the spacecraft to both provide a defensive wall perimeter and to keep out noncombatants. White House staff and officers loitered behind the troops, chatting in groups. For science fiction buffs, the scene was surreal, right out of the old film reels of the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Just outside of the outer fence of the White house compound, a ring of television cameras and reporters formed. Dozens of video cameras poked through the wrought iron fence. News correspondents and cameramen elbowed into the fray to film their exclusive reports from different viewing angles. Foreign correspondents were reporting in their native language, adding to the din. Behind them, the numbers of onlookers and protestors grew alarmingly.

After the initial excitement of the landing, expectations were running high. One hour passed…and then another…yet nothing stirred from within the spaceship. Famous astronomers, military generals, and authors of books about extraterrestrials were questioned remotely as they scurried to airports to fly to the capital. NASA officials were pleased to point out the similarities between this ship and their own space shuttles in their interviews. It seemed this alien race had come up with the same basic design but, obviously being better funded by their governments than NASA, had also developed a propulsion technology that allowed intergalactic travel.

By early afternoon, the crowd started getting restless. TV cameras could only pan the ship exterior for so long, and correspondents at the scene were running out of things to say. One of them made a comment on air that someone needed to go knock on the front door of the ship. What could be taking so long? It was a sunny summer day. The pavements were getting hot, and shade was sparse. Shouts and chants started rising from the bored crowd. Finally, one fleet-footed young man made it over the barricades and sprinted toward the alien ship, waving an American flag. The crowd erupted in screams of encouragement as the trespasser slammed himself into the front landing strut of the ship and started battering it with his flagpole. He was caught and escorted away by two Army rangers in helmets and riot gear.

Finally, at about 12:30 p.m., a door in the middle of the ship cracked open. Commands were shouted. Tank turrets rotated into position, and soldiers snapped their rifles to their shoulders. The crowd quieted and collectively held its breath. Nothing more happened, and after a few minutes, everyone exhaled. Again, the crowd grew restless, but the open door indicated there might yet be some appearance. Finally, the door slowly slid all the way open. Mechanical steps extended from the door threshold and rolled down along the side of the ship to the ground, forming an open staircase. A humanoid figure appeared in the doorway and slowly stepped forward. The world again held its breath. Would the alien be two-headed, reptilian, or a woolly monster?

As it turned out, the world couldn't have been more disappointed. The alien was humanoid, with only two arms, two legs, and one head, all in the expected locations. The visitor looked totally human and could have easily passed for one of the thousands of businessmen walking through the capital. He stood just under six feet tall and wore a dark business suit over a white shirt. The only distinguishing feature about him was his shoulder-length white hair. As the crowd realized that the alien was not alien at all, exasperated exclamations arose. Profanities and accusations that this was a government hoax or the opening scene of a film production were shouted at no one in particular. Across the world, disappointed viewers threw empty soda cans and crumpled napkins at their television sets.

As the alien slowly descended the steps, a delegation of security agents from the Secret Service, Homeland Security, and the State Department cautiously approached and formed a perimeter around the stairs' landing. Stepping to the ground, the alien extended his hand to the officer in charge, who shook it reflexively. It appeared the alien spoke English. He amiably submitted himself to be frisked, to be scanned with a radiation detector, and to have swabs taken of his hands and the inside of his cheek. The samples were bagged and whisked away for analysis.

There had been a short discussion by the military and health officials about putting the aliens into quarantine for two weeks. The surgeon general was still in favor of the delay, but he had been outvoted. If the aliens had wanted to expose Earth to a new virus, there would be easier ways to do it than to send in one of their own. Besides, most voters in the country were sitting on the edge of their seats right now. A quarantine would look weak and paranoid to everyone, including the aliens. A small group of congressmen, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the president's cabinet now stepped forward.

Once again, the alien shook hands with everyone in the group. Introductions and pleasantries continued. The crowd grew restless again. How could there be small talk with an alien? Were they discussing the weather or how the flight went? This little chat could have been the beginning of any random business meeting and was certainly turning out to be more boring than anyone could have ever imagined.

*****

Standing at the door of the White House, President Gordon Schaeffer looked over the ship, still amazed that the first authentic aliens to visit Earth had chosen to appear during his presidency. He didn't know whether to feel delight or dread, but the latter was winning out. After two hours in the panic room watching the news, he had insisted he be allowed to return to the Oval Office. The aliens' email was obviously written to pacify his administration, like a parent soothing an upset child. To cower in the White House and refuse to meet the aliens would be an admission of fear and trepidation. It would not be a good start for negotiations or for future reelection.

The president could feel the restlessness in the crowd. He had forgone his normal Sunday morning jog and the casual khaki slacks and golf shirt he normally wore on his day off. Now he was sported a dark-gray business suit, white shirt, and tie. His graying hair had been carefully combed. Even on his worst days, Schaeffer always made sure he looked presidential. He had a healthy build that his military could respect, yet a kind face that voters appreciated. As the president, Schaeffer understood that crowds of voters must be impressed, governed well…and entertained. Making first contact with an alien race would be the most monumental event in his presidency. History would judge how he handled himself in the next few minutes.

Thousands of people stood outside of the barricades. Millions more watched the broadcasts from their homes…and all of them were getting bored. Schaeffer was certain he did not want to be remembered as the man who presided over the greatest disappointment in American history. Something memorable had to be done, and it needed to be done now. The president took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and marched out the door toward the spaceship. He was followed by a large retinue of security personnel and staff.

Fortunately, someone had the good sense to have ordered the construction of a speaking platform near the spaceship. Chairs, a podium, and microphones were all waiting. A small number of the White House press corps sat with their television cameras in a roped off area in front of the stage. The president's secretary of state joined the president's parade to report that no weapons, radiation, or biological agents had been found on the alien. The alien had assured the group of inspectors that he was not carrying anything of danger to humans, which appeared to be true.

Schaeffer had met resistance from his advisors in his decision to meet with the alien before full biological and security screens could be run. But he had refused to reconsider. It was important that the country see strong leadership in this first encounter with extraterrestrial life. The president knew that any meeting could be delayed for weeks. It was apparent to Schaeffer that the aliens had landed on his lawn to force this initial meeting. The strategy had worked; the president approached the alien representative at the base of the speaking platform.

The president stepped forward and tentatively shook hands with the alien. He was taken aback at how very human the visitor appeared. Could this possibly be an elaborate hoax designed to discredit his administration? But no, that was impossible. The ship had appeared from nowhere and had descended noiselessly, demonstrating technologies well beyond the engineering capabilities of Earth.

President Schaeffer, my name is Darius, and I am the sworn representative of the planet Parmithia, orbiting the sun you call K127 in your Gemini system of the galaxy. The leaders of my planet send their greetings. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Darius appeared to be a man in his early forties and, with his long white hair, could have easily been the president of some high-tech company out of San Francisco. His English was perfect and precise, with a lilt that sounded like he might have been a native of France, though that was rather unlikely. His eyes were a startling blue. His smile seemed genuine, and he appeared to be very relaxed under the circumstances. He even had a healthy tan to his skin. If this was all a ruse, the president thought, then it was a very good one. In any case, it was time to make an appearance and reassure the voters.

The pleasure is all mine, Mr.…uhm, Darius. Welcome to Earth and the United States of America, President Schaeffer stammered self-consciously. This whole event was surreal. He was speaking before a worldwide audience, with no prepared remarks or idea of what he was doing. Certainly not your typical Sunday… The president shook himself mentally, Get it together.

Darius, before we go into the White House to meet, I was wondering if you could address the citizens of our planet who wish to welcome you here. There is much anticipation to learn about you and the people you represent. Pointing to the small army of reporters, he added, Those cameras are transmitting video and audio signals to all parts of our planet.

Darius nodded amiably and allowed himself to be directed to his seat on the platform. The president approached the podium, which bore the seal of the president of the United States. Incredibly, the crowd quieted. The show was finally about to begin.

President Schaeffer recognized and welcomed the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and congressional leaders who had made the cut to be seated on the speaking platform. He spoke about how Earth had always wondered whether we were alone in the universe and that the events of the past few hours had finally answered that question. He relayed the world's appreciation to Darius for this long-awaited visit. The president paused and realized he had no more information to share. This was obviously not the time for a political speech about the country's problems. In front of the largest television audience ever assembled, this would be the shortest speech of his life.

So without further ado, let me introduce Darius, a representative of the planet Par…mithia, located in the Gemini system of our galaxy. Ambassador Darius…, the president intoned, rather guessing this would be the appropriate title to bequeath the alien.

Darius arose and shook hands with the president. He stepped up to the microphone, appearing at least to be a veteran politician who had spoken at many such Washington gatherings.

"Citizens