Peter Cawdron - Xenophobia

Bower stared at him, surprised at his profanity. Not that she was a prude, but that he’d so quickly normalized her as being one of the group.

The radio signal was weak, with static breaking up the words. Bosco turned up the volume as Jameson leaned on a box and Bower sat on the edge of a rickety desk.

“…impeachment proceedings have begun in earnest within the House of Representatives.”

A British reporter with a feminine voice spoke over the top of a heated exchange between several distinctly American voices. Bower recognized the southern accent of the US President.

“You have no right to sit here in judgment of my decisions. I do not recognize the legitimacy of these proceedings and will continue to press both the Senate and the Supreme Court to reinstate me as Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America.”

“Response from Senator Johansen,” the reporter said rapidly, trying to interject identity for the listeners while trying not to talk over the swell of anger and emotion growing within the argument.

“Article Four of the Outer Space Treaty, a binding international agreement that has been in effect for over fifty years, outlaws the militarization of space and the deployment of nuclear weapons beyond Earth.”

The senator slowed down his speech, deliberately emphasizing his point as he spoke.

“Mr President, your lawless, reckless arrogance has plunged the United States into the abyss… never before… condemnation… Russia, China and…”

The signal was breaking up, cutting into static as Bower strained to pick out fragments of each sentence. The President replied.

“…will not be lectured… Easy to sit there and criticize me without the weight of responsibility on your shoulders… we have squandered our only opportunity to gain a strategic advantage in the event of hostilities… there will be war, mark my words. History has shown time and again that war is the inevitable consequence of a clash of cultures…”

Reception on the radio continued to fade.

“What the fuck?” Jameson cried as it became clear they’d lost the signal.

“Oh, it gets better,” Bosco added. “You think that’s fucked up, wait until you hear the rest of the story.”

He was fiddling with the radio, changing the station.

Another British voice broke through the static, which surprised Bower, as she assumed Bosco would have been hunting for local radio stations, or for something out of South Africa. She wasn’t sure, but both channels seemed to be BBC World Service broadcasts. Again, the reporter’s accent lent an air of authenticity to the commentary, one Bower found convincing.

“The revelation of a secret government project concealing the existence…”

Static tore the sentence in two. Bower strained to hear what was being said.

“…has shaken not only the US but the world. For seven months, the President and his cabinet presided over what can only be described as a conspiracy of silence.

“Rumors of intimidation, career assassination, physical assault, incarceration on false charges and even murder threaten to topple this administration.

“The evidence is damning, with new video footage of President Addison and his security detail in a midnight meeting with David Alexander Wilson, ex-CIA chief of station for the United Kingdom and alleged ringmaster of the project.”

“I don’t get it,” Jameson said. “What the hell is all this about?”

“Wait for it,” Bosco replied, his words terse and abrupt. He clearly didn’t want to talk over the broadcast.

“NASA officials vetoed the launch of the Orion spacecraft two weeks ago, with NASA administrative director Philip Monroe citing technical concerns over the rocket booster, but an inside source has leaked telemetry readouts from the rocket, revealing no faults in the system and raising questions as to why the launch was actually delayed..

“With the arrest of Wilson in Texas two days ago for the murder of NASA director Philip Monroe, the house of cards surrounding the President finally came tumbling down. FBI surveillance has linked Wilson with the President, as well as with Monroe, exposing the conspiracy.

“Yesterday, the veil of secrecy was lifted when Congress formally impeached the President as an accessory to murder, with a secondary charge for the unlawful deployment of nuclear weapons in space. Further charges are expected as the investigation continues.

“Ostensibly, the Orion was scheduled to explore Cruithne, an asteroid that’s erroneously referred to as Earth’s second moon. In reality, the Orion was tasked to intercept the alien spacecraft before it reached Earth’s orbit.

“NASA director Monroe had objected to the inclusion of a 15 megaton Plutonium warhead onboard the Orion and had threatened to go public with the revelation when he was murdered by Wilson.”

Under his breath, Jameson uttered one word. “Fuck.”

“You’re not wrong,” Bower added.

“Details are still emerging, but it seems the crew of the Orion were not aware of their deadly payload. President Addison has admitted to his involvement in authorizing the placement of the nuclear device on the Orion as a contingency in the event of hostilities, saying it was not an overtly hostile act in itself, but Congress disagrees.

“Given the severity of the accusations and the weight of evidence against the President, Congress has issued a Memorandum of Understanding to the White House, informing the President that both Congress and the Senate will honor the impeachment process and conduct proceedings in an orderly and timely manner, but neither will tolerate any abuse of executive power during this time. The language is verbose, but the meaning is clear: The Office of the President still stands, but the President himself is powerless. Essentially, Congress is outwardly offering the President the courtesy of due process, but in practice the White House has been shutdown. Congress may have exceeded its mandate, but that will be for the Supreme Court to decide once the Senate trial is complete.

“With the President effectively under house arrest, the executive branch of government has been paralyzed, awaiting the outcome of impeachment proceedings. Congress contends the President exceeded his executive authority by placing a nuclear weapon on a civilian spacecraft. The Special Legal Council, established by the Senate, further contends that such an act is tantamount to a declaration of war against an unknown alien race.

“Condemnation from around the world has been swift, with the British government saying such an act threatens the very existence of life on Earth. While French ambassador…”

Static broke the broadcast. Words faded in and out, fragments of sentences came through, barely enough to grasp their fleeting meaning.

“Beijing has lodged a formal complaint… following UN Security Council resolution 2992 intended to limit interaction with the alien spacecraft until such… President is defiant, insisting his actions were in the national… unilateral action vetoed by Congress… ultimate decision may rest with the nine members of the Supreme Court, five of whom are Republican appointments…”

Bosco slapped the side of the radio, shaking it in an irrational effort to improve the reception.

“As protests within the US mount, Congress has authorized the withdrawal of American forces from hotspots around the globe, bolstering its forces in country… National Guard… mobilized in support of police… Russia has withdrawn… Pakistan…”

The sound was fading.

Bosco turned up the radio volume but that made the static worse. Slowly, the broadcast signal faded to a hiss.