Death of Earth

The ambitious plan of Consortium President Lazarus Blades to open doors to alien trade and to revive Earth's ailing economy brings him into conflict with hardline xenophobic radicals from the Keep Earth Pure movement who have acquired 16 plasma bombs and planted them under major cities on Earth. One has already been blown up in Sydney, Australia. The president addresses the Consortium...

The holovid image switches to the seal of the President of the Solar Consortium, with a small message below it: PLEASE STAND BY...

The image then fades to the president's office in Consortium headquarters. Lazarus Blades has his back to a window, which offers a view of the city's majestic skyline, with the sun setting on the western horizon, vanishing behind the skyscrapers.

Blades looks grimly at the camera, laces his fingers together and says, "Good evening. At approximately 6:30 p.m. EST, members of the Keep Earth Pure movement detonated one of the stolen plasma devices in the city of Sydney, Australia. At last count, more than three million people are dead - all in the name of an outmoded philosophy that outsiders and aliens are evil."

Blades knits his brow. "End this madness *now*! Can you not see that you, like Commodore Noreen Sterling, who attempted to end my life on Sivad, are proving the point that our clearest enemy isn't outsiders, but ourselves?"

Blades lifts his chin, scowling. "I am faced with a terrible choice - a choice no leader should ever have to face. Abandon hope for a growing economy and a shining future for Earth, step down, and turn the reins over to a madman who believes himself above the law, or remain and see the dream die - and die along with it."

Blades makes a fist and slams it down on the desk. "I will not abdicate my responsibility to the people of Earth!" He points at the camera. "If you truly want to see Earth "pure," setting off bombs, killing innocent civilians and irradiating the atmosphere is no way to do it!"

The president stares at the camera, his eyes flinty and dark. "Keep setting off bombs, and it won't matter who you want to put in power - there won't be anything left to rule. What kind of victory is that?"

An aide enters the field of view for a moment, setting a slip of paper on the president's desk. Blades takes the paper, reads it, then nods. He smiles slightly. "I am pleased to report that the device in Tokyo has been located and disarmed successfully."

The aide returns in haste, whispering in the president's ear. Blades' face darkens, and he nods, then looks at the camera. "We must, however, regretfully report that the device in Vladivostok, during the attempt to disarm it...was detonated." Blades rubs his forehead, then says, "Our sympathies go out to the people of Russia...the city of Vladivostok is home to approximately two million souls." He lifts his chin. "Including, I believe, former Governor Kritin, the very person for whom the KEP is waging this insane crusade. I beg of you...end it now."

The president leans forward in his chair, hands flat on the desk, palms down. "Think about this!" he shouts. "You're killing the very world you want to purify? Does that make any sense at all? Where's the glory in it? Is this just a matter of..." There's a *whoomping* sound and a shadow falls over the image just before a bulbous-looking energy ball materializes in the cityscape behind Blades. He turns to look as the expanding blast cloud approaches, and a roar grows rapidly louder. His last words, heard just before the image goes to static, are: "Dear God...no...!"