The Oort Federation: To the Stars

Oort Station Prime-Oort Federation Council

OORT STATION PRIME—OORT FEDERATION COUNCILThe Oort Federation Council was gathered in the assembly room under the Oort Station Prime dome. Delegates came from most Earth nations, Mars, Phoenix, Ogden, Udachny (on Earth’s Moon), and several colonies scattered throughout the Asteroid Belt—the Belters.

Thorpe chaired the meeting. He was one of two electronic uploads that came from the Icicle, Braxton Thorpe. His holoimage appeared to be seated at a podium on a raised dais facing the collected delegates. The other upload, Braxton, occupied the Phoenix desk. Daphne O’Bryan and Kimberly Deveraux occupied the Ogden Enterprises desk, and Norman Bork, the Mars Station Manager, was at the Mars desk. He chatted quietly with Kimberly. A scowling Isidor Orlov sat at the Udachny desk representing both his company, Udachny Enterprises, and Earth’s Moon.

Outgoing United States President John Butler and his replacement, George Fulton, occupied the U.S. desk, and President Gregori Yeltsin sat at the Federated Russian Republics desk. Other Earth nation delegates occupied scattered desks throughout the chamber, sometimes representing more than one nation. The China desk was conspicuously vacant.

Thorpe gaveled the meeting to order. His voice reached the personal Links of each delegate in whatever language that person desired.

“I called this meeting to inform all of you of the outcome of our Solar System-wide encounter with the Asterian fleet.”

eMax’s holoimage appeared on the dais, where he curled up, purring softly, as Thorpe’s holoimage appeared to stroke him. Thorpe then detailed the nature of the encounter with the 5,000 armed spacecraft, the Federation losses, and the capture of two Asterians and one of their spacecraft.

“Federation forces destroyed all five thousand Asterian spacecraft. One escaped and is, we presume, returning to the Aster system.” Thorpe concluded his presentation with, “We expect to intercept the lone survivor long before he reaches Aster.”

The delegates broke out in spontaneous applause. Thorpe let it continue for a while and then raised his hand. When the group quieted, he said, “I have held this chair for the past five years. I orchestrated the expansion of humans to the very edge of our Solar System and guided our defense against the invaders. Now, I want to focus on what lies beyond the Oort Cloud, beyond our Solar System, even beyond the Aster system.

“I have worked closely these five years with John Butler, the outgoing president of the United States. Following the procedures outlined in the Oort Federation Charter, I am stepping down as Chairman of the Oort Federation. I have asked, and John has agreed, to step into my shoes to carry forward the work of this body. I will be focusing outward, while John will look to the needs of our Solar System with its human and Oort citizens and to its defense.”

Thorpe’s holoimage beckoned to Butler, who stood and approached the dais. Thorpe gestured to the gavel on the podium. As Butler picked it up, both Thorpe’s and eMax’s holoimages vanished.