32 Purchase Agreement

 

Elliot Bay. Seattle WA. Aug 17 2033.

47°36'30.9"N 122°20'57.6"W

 

The opulent mega-yacht moored in the middle Elliott Bay looked out of place in front of Seattle’s crumbling waterfront. The six-story, multi-tiered decks gleamed and its multitude of windows reflected the sun’s glare skyward. From the aft patio, with its two crystal-blue swimming pools and bleached white teak decking, one could gaze upon the vista of Mount Rainier and the Cascades—avoiding the derelict buildings and broken high-rises of the city’s skyline in the foreground.

The 600-foot vessel was no ordinary luxury yacht. Its customized features were specifically tailored to its new owner, with many of the add-ons designed by the man himself. Lavish staterooms, spas and salons were offset by the presence of two laboratories, a research submarine and onboard hospital. A movie theater and helipads occupied the main deck alongside a marine mammal rehabilitation facility and conference room.

An enormous staff had been hired for that morning’s event. A master chef had prepared a special menu and servers were stationed on every deck with trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres for the V.I.P. entourage. With a 400-million-dollar price tag and the client’s commitment to purchase five more yachts of its kind over the next decade, the CEO of Seton Yacht manufacturers himself, was on hand to present the keys of the ship to their client.

At 10AM sharp, a fleet of limousines and vans pulled into the parking lot. Media helicopters and drones hovered overhead to capture glimpses of the ATHENS figurehead. Raj Kaleka and a dozen of his aides, attorneys and advisors boarded the awaiting launch and were delivered to the glistening yacht. As the speedboat approached the vessel, deckhands positioned at the transom pulled on velvet cords, unveiling the ship’s name: “Monita.” The smaller craft circled behind the ship, then slowly returned to the opening in the side of the hull to unload its occupants. As Raj climbed out of the launch, he was greeted by a round of applause. Once the group was onboard, the gigantic garage door slid closed, the Tesla engines engaged and the mega yacht motored into Puget Sound.

The tour took well over two hours—not at all surprising for a ship of its size. By noon, the lunch bell rang and the party was escorted into the dining room. Raj, accompanied by his senior aide and attorneys, sat at a separate table with Seton’s CEO. Accepting a glass of white wine, Raj proposed a toast. “To this stunning vessel built with pride and artistry. I look forward to a lasting relationship between our two organizations.”

“Hear, hear! I could not agree with you more,” the CEO replied, clinking his glass.

“I’m pleased to hear that the final details of our agreement were nailed down and we can move full steam ahead with the plan.” Raj slid his plate aside as an aide placed the paperwork on the table. “We’re in agreement that for each of these customized yacht purchases delivered to our ATHENS subsidiary, Seton’s will refit a salvaged cruise-liner at the lowest market price—as outlined in pages eight through thirteen of the contract we have before us. Correct?”

“Yes sir, our facility in Auckland is ready to receive the first vessel, Mr. Kaleka. I’m confident that our arrangement will be a landmark collaboration.”

“Excellent, I’m glad to hear it. Delivery times and specs can be hammered out with my attorneys this afternoon—signatures executed electronically by end of day.” With that Raj stood and bowed, to those around his table. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I have a press conference scheduled at the terminal in thirty minutes. I must take my leave.”

As they were escorted to the lower level, Raj’s assistant read aloud a message from one of ATHENS San Diego operatives, detailing how the refugees at the Riverside Treatment facility had disappeared without a trace. The habeas corpus writs submitted through the Justice Department had been referred to Immigration and Border Control: HighTower. Raj held up his hand, cutting her off. “Send a memo to the President, inform him that ATHENS demands an accounting of the refugees—cite the Freedom of Information Act. Bring my attorneys in on this now and get back to me before the press conference has finished.” The assistant returned to the dining hall and Raj boarded the launch.

 

Back on shore, the parking lot overflowed with media—cameras and reporters lined the sidewalk toward the makeshift stage. Raj waved to the journalists and briskly made his way to the small platform. “Good afternoon, I’d like to thank you all for joining us. I know it might seem odd to set a press conference out here in the desolation of Seattle’s past, but that’s exactly why I’ve picked this location.” The cameras captured ATHENS’ executive in front of the panorama of the Olympic Mountains. Raj gestured behind him toward the gleaming yacht, “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? I didn’t invite you out here just to show off a rich man’s new toy. I want to announce something far more exciting: The creation of an exciting enterprise—and a new way of life for many people. Have I got your attention now?”

Reporters held their mics and video equipment higher in anticipation of Raj’s announcement. He relished the moment, teasing out his next statement. “The land that you see before us—three miles of abandoned waterfront here in the old city has been purchased by subsidiaries of ATHENS to construct an international refugee center. It will be, in essence, a clearing house for displaced persons left homeless due to rising sea levels, heat, drought, famine and conflict. In accordance with United States immigration laws and international aid organizations, we will house train and relocate the displaced and disenfranchised.”

A flurry of voices cut in as Raj paused for effect. Reporters shouted questions in rapid fire succession. “How do you plan to work around the current refugee ban?”… “Where will you relocate these people once they’ve arrived?” …“What does the White House have to say in response?”... “Mr. Kaleka, how do you intend to deal with HighTower’s jurisdiction over border and security?”

“One at a time, please!” Raj smiled, answering the first question he’d heard. “In so far as the immigration laws—our attorneys have devised a plan that satisfies not only US and Canadian regulations, but international maritime law as well.” Raj pointed southward toward the Duwamish River where a cruise liner was being towed into Puget Sound by a pair of tugs. He leaned into the microphone for emphasis and continued, “Seton Yacht Manufacturers, creators of this new plaything I just purchased, have been hired to refurbish up to a dozen of these old dinosaurs into ‘floating cities’. There are hundreds of mothballed cruise ships throughout Europe and North America right now—relics of a bygone era. They will be equipped to run on solar energy with the eco-friendly systems. Each of these scrapped ships are to be outfitted to accommodate 8,000 refugee families—the size of a small town. We will give them the opportunity to learn new languages, skills and trades while onboard. These ships will sit out in international water—far enough away from the border that is patrolled by HighTower. Safe and, above all else, completely legal.”

The journalists gathered closer, pressing the CEO for answers. Raj took his time and answered each one of them. “The facilities that we will build here, along what used to be Seattle’s busiest tourist attraction, will house the families who have been thoroughly vetted and admitted through the proper channels with visas and asylum status. ATHENS will oversee the subsidiary organizations that will be hiring from this pool of people.”

“What about jobs for natural-born citizens?” someone shouted. “Will you be taking away employment opportunities for Americans?”

Raj smiled and said, “Absolutely not. There is opportunity for everyone through our new program. You see, there will be a need for botanists, teachers, sanitation, police, engineers, doctors and… well, just about everything that a society needs on land—only they’ll be doing these jobs on the water. All US citizens with sea legs are welcome to apply.” He pointed toward a woman in the second row, “Question?”

“Yes, thanks Mr. Kaleka. Viewers will want to know exactly how you plan to finance this rather ‘ambitious’ project—even ATHENS can’t sustain it indefinitely, can it?”

“Ah, good point—and that leads to my next announcement: Seton manufacturing will be turning out five more of these luxury yachts for ATHENS within the next decade. We plan to use them as floating eco-vacations for patrons and donors interested in joining our mission: That of marine research and international aid. To put it another way, passengers may book cruises on these mega yachts bound for places the Great Barrier Reef, where ATHENS is conducting rehabilitation on the coral habitat… or an expedition to Antarctica as we map glaciers—all the while enjoying every luxury accommodation they could imagine. I’d like to think of it as a way for the elite to cancel out their carbon-guilt while enjoying a unique extravagance.”

“Heck, sign me up on the maiden voyage!” one of the reporters shouted.

“If we do a press junket, we’ll be sure to let you know,” Raj responded. “Meanwhile, ATHENS will be pairing the world’s leading scientists and climate researchers with some of its wealthiest adventurers and entrepreneurs. A winning scenario no matter how you look at it… And, it sustains our various programs while in their development. Our goal is to have dozens of these floating refugee villages around the world—completely self-sustaining and self-reliant models of human resourcefulness.”

“But how will they be governed?”

“The vessels will be registered in various foreign countries. Oversight will be handled through an ATHENS subsidiary with emphasis on human rights, of course.”

Another hand shot up in the crowd. Raj called out, “You over there… from the middle—I have time for just one more question.”

“What do you think HighTower’s CEO will say about your announcement? Especially coming on the heels of your recent accusations linking them to criminal acts concerning refugees. Any thoughts?”

Raj waved at his aide and took the tablet from her hands. “It’s interesting that you should ask that question right now. As you know, I’ve been a vocal critic of the HSA—particularly regarding their policies on refugees. The recent HighTower missile strike in the Galapagos Islands was the final straw. I’ve sent an official request to both Washington and Ottawa to produce the victims from the Marshall Islands. HighTower refuses to show us any evidence of their well-being. So, in response to your question: It will be of no consequence what HighTower—or Nelson Banks thinks, because unless documentation can be put forth publicly on the whereabouts of these 30 individuals, our ATHENS attorneys will be filing charges against the HSA and its CEO for human rights violations. I publicly challenge Nelson Banks and the White House to ignore this warning.” The press jostled for space as individual journalists turned to face their cameras for exclusives on Raj’s latest statement. Several reporters ran for vehicles; racing to get the headline out before their competition.

Raj stepped back, allowing his assistant to field more questions. He stepped into his limo, turned on the Global News Network and waited for the Monita’s launch to convey the remainder of his entourage ashore.