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[Taken from Paula Wilson’s records and Ambassador Stograther’s files. RBB]
Yol Ambassador Stograther, Paula and Lara sat at an exceedingly large mahogany conference table in a Ministry of Defence meeting room. A Clueb sat on the back of the ambassador’s chair. Yol Stograther’s secradarve rotated leisurely in front of him, just above the highly polished wood. Another sat in front of Paula, motionless and colourless.
‘I am really pleased you have both agreed to work as coordinators for us during the transition,’ the ambassador said to Paula and Lara. ‘This is my assistant, Ya Henedy Esrov. She’s a Clueb and remembers everything... I hope, because I am sure I will lose track of events otherwise. This is an excellent place to work from.’
‘Maureen was only too pleased to offer you the building as the Ministry of Defence is no longer required,’ said Lara.
‘Our pleasure, to help,’ said Paula. ‘We were both hoping to maintain an involvement during the period of change.’
‘There will be a lot of useless professions which will have ceased. There will be more in the future. The department of sociobots is being set up on this floor and you must keep in contact with them at the first sign of depressive illnesses. There will be some. There will even be suicides. We are much better at spotting such people, but it varies by species. It is tragic that some individuals never get to appreciate the beauty of the new order. They miss the stress and antagonistic attitudes of colleagues they never really liked and had put up with for years. Defence departments are classic for creating that sort of misery when planets join the Federation. We will pump whatever resources are necessary into looking after the affected.’
‘We’ll ensure it is raised with each country we visit,’ said Lara.
‘My assistants will be joining us in a moment. I want you to know that you both have personal shuttles available to you. Twice a week we will all meet here, and you will head out around the world to discover anything which is not working properly and to report back. It is far better that this be handled by humans as there is sure to be some apprehension about the number of aliens and robots involved in transition. You have your robot assistants?’
‘Yes.’
‘Don’t forget to give them access to your secradarves after each meeting so that they know what is happening. In fact, where is yours, Lara?’
‘Whoops! Sorry,’ she said as she waved her arm and the spinning globe materialised and hung in front of her, revolving slowly.
‘You must use them, or your robots will soon become ineffective.’
‘Yes. Just a matter of getting used to it,’ said Lara.
‘As far as anyone is now concerned, until administration elections take place, you, Lara, are effectively the leader of the Federation section of the Earth. Expect to be bombarded with questions. Your secradarve and other robots will be available for you,’ said the ambassador.
‘My sister would be happy to be your assistant, if it would help,’ said the Clueb.
‘Thank you, Ya Henedy. Please put her in touch,’ said Lara.
‘Okay. Henedy, can you call the others in,’ said the ambassador. ‘I should add that all of the roles of those now entering our meeting will eventually be handed over to volunteer humans, like yourselves, as soon as everything is running smoothly.’
An assortment of some twenty aliens, accompanied by their assistant automatons, entered the room and seated themselves around the table, except for one who travelled in a device similar to an open-topped Dalek.
‘Welcome, everyone,’ said the ambassador. ‘Today we begin to turn Earth into paradise. Yol Prestegon, finances?’
Yol Prestegon Gerandor was a brown, hairy mammal-like creature with large bat-like ears and a pointed nose. Although he walked on all fours, he sat upright at the table and his hands were very similar to a human’s apart from the hair and two opposable thumbs. His secradarve materialised before him and he studied the text. ‘Africa, Middle East, Pakistan and India should be complete by this evening. Every person should be in possession of a month’s supply of afeds. We should have Australasia, Far East, Japan, China and their neighbours supplied by tomorrow and Russia through to Great Britain by Thursday. That will leave Canada, Central America and South America plus a few islands by Friday night.’
‘Excuse me,’ interrupted Lara. ‘Are you saying everyone in the world will be in possession of a month’s supply of afeds in just four days?’
‘Yes, Lara,’ said Yol Prestegon. ‘The delivery is a physical handover of printed cash. Over the following two weeks, as we install purchasing devices in shops, we will return to collect whatever afeds they have and convert them into electronic funds. That is when they have their financial chip inserted in the soft tissue between the thumb and first finger.’
‘I’m amazed!’ said Lara.
‘Federation capabilities are always underestimated. Yol Prestegon has literally millions of robots working on Africa as we speak. They are simply handing over the money as they pass through the country. Detectors ensure no one is missed, and no one gets more than one supply. Remember, we have done this on thousands of worlds and transition robots are kept in storage to be used in such a manner when a new world joins. What seems incredible to you, is almost routine to us.’
‘Simply amazing,’ Paula said.
‘Okay, let’s move on. Ya Torendal Isfinmaredal, what is happening on health?’
And so, the afternoon progressed. The transition was staggeringly well organised. Within a week, all poverty had been erased, everyone was being treated for their medical problems, cars were given autonomous drivers until autonomous carbon-neutral cars could replace them, and polluting planes were dismantled for scrap as fleets of Federation shuttles arrived to replace them.