The Modest Proposal Institute by Paul James

Author:Paul James [James, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25: Pirate Games

However, events were moving quicker than any of them could foresee. Before the institute had begun reinforcing the island’s defenses, it was attacked again.

Shane watched Tomas from Shaneville, while Tomas watched the approaching fleet of pirate boats on the island’s Control Room monitor. Even across the miles, Shane could see there were too many boats to sink using the island’s usual defenses. The security system’s Bubblers could only sink about half of them. If the rest continued to advance, they would land and Tomas and the robots would have to fight. The question now was, would Tomas get the Founders and council involved or not? There was still time to decide. The boats were the usual collection of slow, small fishing boats and they were almost a hundred miles away.

Tomas had no excuse not to alert the institute, but he would know that if he did, they would insist he evacuate the island. Evacuation was straightforward; the institute had already provided a Manta Ray capable of carrying all the complex equipment and most of the robots. It lay waiting, underwater, attached to a submarine loading dock.

As Shane watched, Tomas focused the communication feeds that broadcast to Institute headquarters on an empty part of the sea and away from the attacking fleet. He felt his hopes rising in the anticipation of conclusive proof that Tomas would not abide by the institute’s pacifist principles. But Shane could also see that Tomas was still undecided; his expression and agitation betrayed an inner turmoil.

Tomas’s indecision kept Shane on edge. He knew from their many conversations that Tomas saw his best result in news of the pirates’ destruction getting back to the many lawless bands that now roamed Northern Africa and Southern Europe. In that way, other looters would be deterred from attacking. But Tomas also knew that if the institute learned of his actions, they’d cut off his access to funding and the security program and, like Alexis and Shane, he wasn’t yet self-sufficient enough for safety.

Tomas messaged Nadia. She materialized on the room’s hologram device. “Hey, what’s up?”

Tomas pointed at the monitors.

“Wow. That’s bad,” Nadia said. She frowned. “Hey, why isn’t that showing up on the feeds?”

“I’ve substituted other feeds until I decide what to do.”

“And what do you want to do?”

“I want to obliterate those guys, leaving just a handful to get back and warn the others not to come here.”

“And you want me to persuade the Founders to go along with that? You know they won’t. No one could persuade them to bring on a war.”

“It isn’t me who is bringing on the war. It’s those guys” Tomas said, pointing to the monitors.

“I agree, but the institute doesn’t get into fights with people. You know that.”

“We can’t run away forever.”

“We’ve talked about this Tomas. I’m in violent agreement with you, but that time isn’t now. Get Alexis and Shane on board and we have a chance. On our own, we don’t yet.”

Tomas frowned and said nothing. Clearly, he wanted to act and not stall.

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