17 The Battle for New York (1/2)

It was the fourth day of the year, the third day of what everyone was beginning to call the New Era, and the second day in a row that a sun rose into a cloudless sky.

Inside the United Nations building in New York, most of the delegates were preparing for the afternoon assembly and voting session. Some important decisions would be made. Heads of state held conferences with their aides, discussing which way to vote when the time came. Many also speculated about what was going on in their home countries.

Nelson Odongo wasn't concerned about what went on in his home country. He was busy chairing a meeting of the new and temporary Colonial Council. This administrative body was to be made permanent, along with the United Nations' Security Council. Some of the voting that afternoon would be done on issues affecting the Colonial Council. One of the votes would be on the Council's name.

The secretary general didn't want the name to change. He came up with it himself, and he wanted to keep it. He got a real kick from uttering phrases such as 'we must colonize' or 'our colonies in the New World'. But some people, possibly also some of the ones currently in his presence, wanted a different name. 'New World Council' was their preferred pick.

It was nonsense. A name like that suggested that council members resided in the New World. But Nelson Odongo wisely did not bring up this point. He wanted to do so right before the vote on the name, when it would be too late to come up with another popular alternative to the name he wanted: Colonial Council.

He also had extra arguments. He would say that the term 'Colonial Council' affirmed the Old World's primacy in the New World Order. Surely all the delegates, all the assembled heads of state wished to put themselves first? 'New World Council' sounded almost... independent. This was dangerous. This might put undesirable ideas in people's heads.

But he didn't say any of this to people in front of him - yet.

Three of the people in front of him ruled the three most powerful states in the world: in alphabetical order - China, Russia, and the United States.

One represented a superstate crippled by internal dissent: the European Union.

And there also were three people who weren't politicians: Olaf Troll, Sonia Patel, and the renowned political scientist Guido Worst.

Guido Worst was a very frightened man. To start with, he was sixty - an age when humans become increasingly afraid of death.

He was acclaimed for his political theories, but he was about to be asked how to put them into practice. He was to provide good political solutions for the New World Order, and he would be made responsible for the results. This scared him.

He was an academician. Academicians could say whatever they liked, with little or no consequences. But now, if what he said led to failure, he would be punished. And it would hurt. The genius of political sciences would be revealed as another conman, hiding behind a mask of brilliant theoretical arguments.

Nelson Odongo was concluding his opening remarks. Soon, he would ask him, Guido Worst, to outline a political and administrative system for the New World. He wished he was back at his home in Switzerland: a lakeside house on the outskirts of Geneva.

It was coming. The worst was coming. Nelson Odongo was saying:

”And now, I propose that we listen to what the most eminent political thinker of our time has to say. Unless of course someone feels differently.”

He looked at everyone in turn. It was just like securing votes for a proposal. Jean Caron, the French EU president was the first person Odongo looked at: he was the easiest target. He was full of bonhomie, and wanted everyone else to feel that way. As a rule, he agreed with everything, even when it meant contradicting himself.

”Of course,” Jean Caron said. ”Absolument.”

Nelson Odongo nodded and smiled at Caron, then looked at Ruslan Grot, president of Russia. Grot narrowed his eyes, and nodded twice.

Brock was next. Brock looked tense. There were dark rings under his eyes that makeup couldn't quite hide. Brock didn't allow himself to wear heavy makeup. He thought it was poncy, at a time when many politicians had plastic surgery just to make themselves more palatable to the voters.

Odongo had thought Brock could be a problem. But Brock actually grinned, and said:

'Let's get it on.”

The last person Odongo looked at was Wang Wei, the leader of China. He held five important titles, the most important of which was First Secretary of the United Party. China's United Party was basically the old Communist party which had evolved into absorbing opponents instead of fighting them.

Leaving Wang Wei till last was a compliment, not an insult. Doing this gave him the ultimate advantage: he knew how the others had voted before voting himself.

Wang Wei was a corpulent man in his fifties who always wore black glasses. The dark lenses were square and big enough to hide his eyes completely from other people.

Deep down, Wang Wei was a very emotional man. He knew his eyes gave him away. So he officially developed conjunctivitis, and took to wearing dark glasses at all times. His political career had skyrocketed from that moment onward.

Wang Wei said:

”Wise men listen to other wise men first. Let's hear the professor.”

Guido Worst came close to fainting. But an angel arrived to save him just in time.

The angel took the shape of the police chief in the United Nations building. Captain Dick Brody opened the door to the room without knocking and ignoring everyone else, said to Carlton Brock: