Contingency Plan Two.'
Mother Miaree: 'For those of you who are not briefed on Contingency Plan Two, it is simply this. Should the exploration program fail, as it has failed to this date, at the time of final decision, when the exploding stellar material begins to threaten our system, we embark on the fleet of star ships and use the fleet, itself, as an exploration tool. Perhaps a word from Bertt, Star Fleet Overlord.'
Bertt, Star Fleet Overlord: 'Ladies, males, Delanians. Although passenger space is the primary object in the construction of a star ship, it has long been recognized that long periods of travel could be necessary.
We never had any guarantee that good worlds would be discovered within a reasonable distance. Thus, we have constructed each ship to have the capacity to live in space almost indefinitely. Unfortunately, the space required for growing synthetic foods, and for the other life support systems required, cuts down severely on the space to be allotted to passengers. Should disaster strike immediately, we would be able to save only a small percentage of the combined populations of our races. However, it is estimated that we have a minimum of twenty years to complete our building program. Should we make certain technological breakthroughs, the picture could be improved. If we allotted more of our time and our available resources to research—'
Mother Miaree: 'Dear Bertt, that is an old argument, one which was settled long ago.'
Belle, Overlady of Outworld: 'Lady Mother, attention is required to the continued destruction of our most beautiful planet. As you know, the Council opened Outworld to Delanian settlement some ten years past. Since then, the Delanian population has grown out of control with new arrivals. Delanians outnumber Artonuee on Outworld ten to one. Their numbers strain the resources of the planet. We have been forced to utilize for dwellings and industry a large percentage of our natural parklands. Where once the Great Bloom stretched for five hundred miles, unbroken, sprawling cities now soil the air. This desecration—'
Argun, President of the Delanian People in Exile: 'Would the lady prefer that two billion Delanians die on the home worlds?'
Mother Miaree: 'None of us would wish such a tragedy. Too many Delanians died. Their death saddens all of us.'
Caee, Overlady of The World: 'Mother, it is true that we are all saddened by the tragedy which has swept the home systems of the Delanians. I deplore before God the sad fact that, together, we were able to save not more than one-fifth of the total population before the Fires destroyed all who were left. It is truly a cosmic tragedy. However, six billion Delanians were saved by the star ships which were built here, by our people and their people, and by the star ships which were built in the Delanian systems. We Artonuee have opened our arms to our Delanian friends. We have welcomed them in their billions to our small worlds, and we have paid a terrible price. I do not deplore the sacrifice of the Artonuee. No. Indeed, we owe a vote of thanks to the Delanians for alerting us to the doom which we had considered to be remote, a happening of the distant future. So our lots are cast together. It is not merely petty thinking, then, when I say that I must insist that action be taken regarding the production of Delanian children on The World. I do not, of course, have to tell the Mother the grim statistics of iffling mortality —'
Mother Miaree: 'Perhaps you do. Remember, I have spent my time on Five and in space.'
Caee: 'The information is classified.'
Mother Miaree: 'All here are suited to receive classified information. They would not be here if they were not.'
Caee: 'Yes, Lady. If you would care to read the last report.'
Mother Miaree: 'I do, indeed, care to read the last and all reports regarding alterations to The World. I want all material pertaining to tampering with the life cycle on our home planet in my office immediately following this meeting. In the meantime, perhaps you would be so kind as to inform me when it was decided and who decided to allow even one iffling to die.'
Caee: 'Mother, I am sorry. I thought you had been informed. It was decided by the Interplanetary Council, at the urging of Mother Aglee, to allow iffling reserves to fall to a working one-on-one level some seven years past. At first, this was easily accomplished by the mere nonreplenishment of stock as homecomings lowered the iffling population. Thus it was possible to utilize a portion of the juplee forests—'
Mother Miaree: 'Am I to understand that the sacred juplee forests have been leveled?'
Caee: 'Mother, there are five hundred million Delanians on The World.'
Mother Miaree: 'God the Mother!'
Argun: 'Lady, it was a difficult and terrible decision for your predecessor and for the Council. It was felt —'
Mother Miaree: 'Damn you all, tell me. Iffling mortality?'
Caee: 'Mortality is at a low level, and selected females are being commissioned to produce fertile eggs to replenish—'
Mother Miaree: 'How low is low? What is the state of the iffling population?'
Caee: 'Lady, a blight, thought to be the result of atmospheric pollution, has hit the forest. Ifflings are dying at a rate which reduces the population by approximately seven percent a year.'
Mother Miaree: 'And the growth rate of the Delanians on The World?'
Argun: 'In accordance with our agreement, we are holding all Delanians to zero population growth.'
Mother Miaree: 'As of now, there will be no child births allowed to Delanians on The World.'
Rei: 'Lady, is this not a harsh decision?'
Mother Miaree: 'Dear Rei, I did not assume this office to preside over the death of all the Artonuee. All my life I have faced the fact that, someday, the Fires would end Artonuee life, but I will not accept a slow and lingering withering of our race through the destruction of that which is most sacred to us, our home world. We have sacrificed. Our worlds bulge with six billion Delanians. No. Now it is time to call on the Delanians on The World for a sacrifice on their part. Argun, I respectfully direct you to issue orders preventing any further conception on our home world.'
Argun: 'It will be done, Lady.'
Mother Miaree: 'Caee, I want daily reports from you on this situation. I will not be satisfied until there is no iffling mortality. Do you understand? And Belle, I appoint you to personally select females to produce fertilized eggs. You may ask for volunteers. That failing, you have the authority of this office to use any means to insure that the iffling population is maintained at a safe level. If it requires the incarceration of suitable females until their ripeness produces fruit, then consider it an order.'
Caee: 'Yes, Lady.'
Mother Miaree: 'For the information of all, a report, from the Supervisor of Raw Materials.'
Rei: 'Lady, before this conference began, Fleet Overlord Bertt reported to me that construction is at a halt on the three hundred star ships nearing completion, and new starts have been postponed indefinitely. The fact is that we’re running out of materials. Although some exploration continues in the asteroid belt, for all practical purposes the belt has been mined empty. Our prime source for the needed metal is now First Planet, and conditions there, so near the sun, are, to say the least, bad. Our engineers are working on methods to mine the sunside of the planet, but such efforts are not expected to produce returns for another five years or more. Meanwhile, the further explorations for metals on Five produce nothing. Five is a gutted planet. The mines of New World, Outworld, and the small area where mining is permitted on The World are spent, produce only low grade ores which do not meet the demand. The star ships drafted into temporary duty as mining ships, traveling to the three arid planets of the star Seberian, require months for a round trip. Nevertheless, they are providing us with our main bulk of useable metals. There is a severe shortage of diamond drills, and I would respectfully request the Mother to issue a statement asking all citizens to make available for industrial use their private jewels.'
Mother Miaree: 'Noted and done.'
Rei: 'Although we have not, as yet, experienced food shortages, an agricultural crisis is imminent. Arable land has been used to build factories and dwellings. Ninety-five percent of our basic foodstuff is now being dredged from the seas, and the heavy use of shallow water growth for synthetics threatens to unbalance the growth cycle of the salt water agricultural areas. I would think that consideration of food rationing should be undertaken by the Council during the next session.'
Mother Miaree: 'I will talk with Council leaders.'
Bertt: 'Lady Mother. I have watched my chosen world be stripped of its resources and its beauty. Although this saddens me, I do not regret it, for will not my Five be consumed, seared, destroyed, when the Fires reach us?
