Real Estate
(Page 2)
Draconian folklore was mostly unknown among the other races inhabiting the Earth in 2175. Soon the news that a Zebulon interstellar transmitter was found began to circulate among official circles. The important news of the discovery was not disseminated to the general public on the basis that Corporate, in possession of the device, had not been able to cause it to function and they felt the public did not need to know about it, meaning while the device was still important and priceless, it was mostly as useless as it was beautiful to look upon. Thus, the Zebulon Device as it came to be called was secured inside an impregnable vault where all manner of treasures were hoarded and kept safe from pilfering souls.
In the interim the search for the key was quietly conducted starting in the same garbage dump where the Nagoth family said they found it, but the key was not produced from that location even after officials literally sifted through millions of tons of decomposing garbage accumulating in this dump over the past hundred years. Making matters more difficult was that the officials didn't actually know what the key looked like or what it was hewn from. It meant trying to find the missing key was like trying to find a needle in a haystack full of needles! Given this was true of the search being conducted, this one search continued the next fifty years, ultimately on an unprecedented scale as eventually tens of thousands of people, dozens of entities as well as robots were all employed in the search, still getting zero results.
At the same time, the environmental conditions on Earth, something the Zebulons meant to intervene, continued to grow exponentially worse. All natural resources were long since exhausted. Pollution, disease, thirst, and famine were rampant and commonplace worldwide resulting in mass death and a reduction in global populations by well over five billion, leaving six billion sick, tired, and hungry inhabitants. Life was brutal for everyone and for them there seemed to be little hope that anything would ever change. By then most of the population had long since given up on the idea that solutions could be found or that some other advanced civilization would come to rescue them. Corporate continued the search for the long lost key in the hopes they could cause the antique Zebulon Device to function so they might make an appeal for help on a message they presumed would somehow travel as many light years as necessary to reach these Zebulons, a race of robots it was said were in the habit of rescuing worlds in trouble in the same manner as the Earth was at present. All hope was gone and it seemed as though everyone alive was living on borrowed time and that time was running out!
III
By 2225, the Draconians were in such disarray and financial ruin they could no longer afford to keep their Zetas as slaves. The Zetans were thus forced to fend for themselves after being provided for by the Draconians for millions of years. They were hardly equipped to do that and for them it meant that in a world populated almost entirely by beings who were desperately poor, the Zetans were the poorest among them. They managed to survive by doing as they had always done and they offered themselves to the equally poor Nagoths to work as servants in return for a place to live and a ration of food and water enough to sustain them. The Nagoths treated these Zetas well enough so the Zetans were content with the arrangements.
The Zetans were put to work as scavengers rummaging through the immense piles of garbage in the massive garbage dumps surrounding the shanty-towns where the Nagoths dwelled, but these dumps had long since been completely picked clean of anything of value. It was then that an odd occurrence happened when Thesla, a little Zetan girl, found something pretty she dug out of the heap. It was small enough she knew she could hide it on her person and sneak it into her room where she could then hide it from the others as something that belonged only to her. It was something shiny and pretty she could covet and keep secret.
Thesla noticed the object could be strung on a piece of twine to make a cute necklace. She wore her necklace only when she was well away from the rest and when no one was around to see her precious item of jewelry. It so happened on this day, Thesla forgot she wore the necklace and she went about her business wearing it openly while visiting a Draconian neighborhood where she intended to panhandle among the slightly better off reptiles. This was how it came to pass a particular Draconian vendor noticed Thesla's necklace and he became curious about it.
"Tell me child, where did you find this piece of jewelry hanging about your neck?"
Thesla placed her hand over her necklace.
"It's mine! You can't have it!"
The vendor replied:
"Ah, yes, I can see you are a smart little girl. Everything has a price, my dear. You are very poor are you not? I will gladly pay you a nice sum of money to purchase your necklace."
Thesla wanted to keep her prize, but her constant hunger told her differently.
"How much will you pay?"
The vendor replied:
""I'll give you 500 credits!"
Thesla knew 500 credits was half as much credit as her Nagoth hosts earned in a year! She could only imagine what kind of different food she might buy with that much credit. It was her empty stomach that foretold the sale of her beloved necklace. The vendor waved his wand over the girls implanted debit chip and sent her on her way after she turned over the necklace to him. He immediately took his prize back to his shop to better evaluate it.
Once he turned on his equipment to further examine the trinket, the machine could not determine the element the key was composed from! To the Draconian vendor, something like that could mean only one thing. This pendant was alien in origin as whatever it was hewn from did not originate on Earth or on any of the home-worlds the various races inhabiting the Earth came from. Something vague came into the vendors mind. He recalled his father had once participated in an activity involving the search for something presumed lost. It was coming back to the vendor now.
"Yes, I remember! Father told me Corporate possessed an ancient device that could only be activated with a special key. It was said this key was composed of materials consisting of an element found only on a distant world millions of light years away from Earth. I wonder? Could this trinket be this long lost key? What else could it be? If what it's made from can't be determined by my equipment then it must not be from this planet. Who shall I take up this matter with? Does anyone care anymore about the missing key? Father died many mega-intervals past. He would have known whom to see. I have to try and find out who to talk to about this right away!"
****
Indeed the search for the missing key was all but abandoned by the previous generation after those searching for it failed to find it after looking some 50 years. This vendor soon discovered no one knew what he was talking about. That was until he encountered a very old Zetan janitor.
"I remember the quest for the key! You'll find what the key goes with in your own Draconian folklore. Do you not know of the Zebulons and their interstellar transmitters?"
The vendor was curious.
"Yes, my father did tell me about them. I almost forgot such a device is what this missing key was meant to activate. Do you mean they have such a device somewhere?"
The Zetan replied:
"It is in the possession of Corporate in a dust covered and locked vault no doubt! I guess they too have mostly forgotten they even have the damn thing! But, I remember the officials responsible for it worked in the Ministry of Antiquities. I suggest you seek them out and inform them of your discovery."
The vendor thanked the old Zetan and departed to search for the kiosk wherein the various branches of Corporate were located in that same gleaming glass and steel structure. He found the room number of the Ministry of Antiquities and its assigned floor located in the basement of the immense building. It wasn't much of a journey to arrive there. Inside the vendor found another old human being stationed behind an obnoxiously huge, cherry-wood desk.
"A visitor! My, my...we haven't had a visitor down here in as many months and the last person who arrived at my desk was merely lost in the process of trying to find the lavatory. Don't tell me you, too, got lost on your way to the restrooms?"
The vendor replied:
"I am called Vendica. I am here to make an inquiry if I may. It concerns a Zebulon Interstellar Transmitter. Is it true Corporate is in possession of such a device?"
The old man perked up.
"The Zebulon Device! Yes, indeed we do have it! It is quite beautiful to behold, but is practically useless otherwise as no one ever managed to find the special key that activates it."
Vendica replied:
"I may be able to help! See here what I have brought you. My scanners revealed this trinket is composed of materials that cannot originate on Earth or any of the other known home-worlds. I think it may actually be the long lost Zebulon key!"
The old man seemed visibly excited.
"Holy moly! I never thought I'd live to see the day the missing key was found! I almost forgot about it! You're in luck. I am the keeper of the vaults and it falls upon me to open them. I will take you to view the artifact and then we'll examine its keyhole and try your trinket to see if it fits. Come with me and I'll take you there."
Inside the vault, Vendica was amazed when he got his first look at the Zebulon Device. He hadn't expected it would be made of precious metal and festooned with precious gems stones.
"In case you're wondering, the device and its mechanisms are composed of solid gold and those gems are real! Look below the large diamond on its front. That's the keyhole. If you'll just hand over that trinket, I'll try her out!"
The old man took the trinket from Vendica and carefully inserted it into the keyhole to discover it fit inside the keyhole perfectly!
"It fits! I don't dare turn the key to activate the device! We know little about it and whatever it's meant to do might only occur once after the key is turned. We'll have to report this directly to the CEO and the Board of Directors! I suppose you're intention is to be handsomely rewarded for finding the Zebulon key, is it not? At one time there was a five-million credit reward posted for anyone who found this key to cash in. Can you live with five million credits? Or at least what's left of that much after they tax you to death! But, I must now inform you this key must be locked inside the same vault as the device and right now!
"Trust that I am an honest civil servant who will vouch that you are the Draconian who brought in the key! Don't worry yourself. You'll get what's coming to you! Now let us depart and go back to my desk so I can call in this discovery to properly inform Corporate and its CEO and board members. I suppose they will send in the experts and will secure the device elsewhere so there can be a host of witnesses to watch what it does as soon as the key gets turned. Are you familiar with the folklore surrounding the Zebulon transmitters? Legend has it the Zebulons are the saviors of worlds. If they left the device here on Earth for as long as it's been here, they may have wished to rescue the Earth as far back as 50 years ago. Who knows how long the device was here before it was found. It could have been buried and lost where it was another hundred years even before that! Think of how much all of us have suffered all this time, living as we must in a totally ruined world with not enough to go around. Do you realize that you having found this Zebulon key may mean the salvation of the Earth? You'll be considered a hero of the people as well as you getting rich!"
Vendica liked the sound of that!
IV
Upon the discovery of the key that fit perfectly into the Zebulon Device, interest was renewed in exactly what the device was intended to do. Top officials from Corporate attended the event on the day when the key was to be turned and the device would presumable be activated. The job fell upon the same old man, Ted Cassidy who worked for the Ministry of Antiquities, who brought the discovery of the Zebulon Key to the attention of the proper authorities. Now as everyone eager anticipated the activation of the Zebulon Device, Ted Cassidy took hold of the key and twisted it clockwise.
Immediately the device could be heard making a low humming sound and the jewels festooning its surface became illuminated. Shortly after, everyone standing in that room began to hear a hallowed voice:
"Citizens of Earth. We are the Zebulons. We Zebulons never elected to attempt to destroy ourselves as so many other planets in our care sought to do and as your planet seeks to do. The reason why we have not is no mystery to us. We are apart from the races of people found everywhere else because we are not a race or species of organic life; rather we are a race of sentient robots, not prone to ruin our environment as so many organic races have done to themselves, but fear not, friends, for there is hope! Under Zebulon stewardship, your planet's environment can be restored, and your mostly impoverished people shall be uplifted as all inequity shall be vanquished and everyone shall enjoy the same standard of living. We ask that you use this device to negotiate with us, as there is no time to waste to rectify the damage already done to your world and to usher in the new utopia for all Earthlings!"
Ambassador Nelson was impressed by what the Zebulons recorded. It fell upon him to reply.
"Dear friends, we men of Earth are grateful to hear your kind words and to learn of this gracious offer the Zebulons have made us. We are desperate for your help. Please name your terms."
A moment of silence passed until the now familiar Zebulon voice replied:
"Greetings, Earthmen. Our terms, you may find agreeable. We Zebulons repair only that which we invest in. The terms are simple. We would like to purchase planet Earth, in trade for one million metric tons of gold, to be distributed among those who presently rule and who have the authority to make such a sale."
Nelson was amazed.
"I must say it never occurred to us the entire planet could be considered nothing more than a selection of real estate up for sale. One million metric tons of gold you say? We are aware the total amount of gold mined from the Earth since the dawn of time to date, is merely 175,000 metric tons! Your kind offer is nearly nine times as much gold as all of humanity ever acquired! I can attest this offer sounds more than fair! Allow me time to bring the matter before the Board of Directors and our CEO."
The Zebulons replied:
"There is no time limit other than how much time the people of Earth have left before their ruined environment becomes the death of them all. We shall await your answer."
Ambassador Nelson took the matter before the Board of Directors and before the CEO, Maximillian Rothschild, the richest man alive. Now Rothschild spoke:
"There can be no doubt the amount of gold the Zebulons offer us to purchase this worthless planet is far beyond a king's ransom and would be worth more money than ten times the total wealth on the entire planet! Money we can keep mostly for ourselves, as the Zebulons did not mention we would have to invest all that money into our planet to receive the benefits the Zebulons claim to offer us! Therefore, I can see no reasons whatsoever why we should wait to go through with this sale. We shall let Ambassador Nelson contact the Zebulons to make the necessary arrangements. Mr. Nelson, will you be so kind, as to contact our good friends the Zebulons?"
Nelson replied:
"I'll get on it directly, but where shall I tell the Zebulons to deliver the gold?"
Rothschild answered.
"Have them deliver the gold to me personally as I can make room in my vaults to warehouse our treasure."
Nelson agreed and departed to make contact with the Zebulons. It was merely 24 hours after Nelson made the deal with the Zebulons that Rothschild stood in awe and amazement when suddenly in the space he provided, one million metric tons of gold materialized out of thin air to rest upon the concrete floor of his largest vault. The gold literally filled every square meter of the vault from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. Rothschild then realized his lifelong greed was finally satiated!
Soon the type of technology the Zebulons evidently possessed that allowed them to beam gold and themselves across the vast millions of light years between their star system and Sol System remained a mystery. Such fantastic technology was not the limit of what the Zebulons brought with them. In a mere matter of weeks their pollution and radiation eating nanotechnology scrubbed the entire surface of the Earth clean of contamination and left the world’s environments pristine and renewed! Hoards of Zebulon robots descended upon the slums tearing down the shanty-towns and replacing the people's hovels with spacious elegant standard living quarters identical to each other. More hoards of Zebulon robots went to work cleansing the fresh waterways, while desalinating salty ocean-water to provide abundant potable water, enough to hydrate the once thirsty population and with plenty of freshwater leftover to be utilized for anything it was needed for.
Likewise hoards of Zebulon robots cultivated the lands after the nanotechnology revitalized the soil making for bountiful harvests on a global scale and providing so much food there was always more than enough to go around and for anyone that hungered. The Zebulon robots attended to every other imaginable need the Earth’s population might have until every last detail, even down to minutia, was cared for and provided for. In less than a year it really was true that the Zebulons did exactly as they promised and transformed the entire planet into one gigantic and thriving utopia.
****
The Earths historical inequity was soon a thing of the past. Meanwhile, a handful of humans and Draconians benefiting from the sale of the planet, thought themselves to be fantastically rich individuals. These people had intentionally oppressed the always poor Nagoths and even more impoverished Zetans. Yet, after the Zebulon real estate deal was a thing of the past, and after the Zebulons transformed the whole Earth into the promised utopia, the extremely wealthy people discovered that within the Zebulon's reign and utopia, money and precious minerals such as gold had no value whatsoever! Ironically, for the world's traditionally wealthiest people, the compensation they agreed to accept to sell their power and control over to the Zebulons wasn't worth two cents in the end! Of course the Zebulons knew that beforehand, but as the saying goes...a deal's, a deal!
enough