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I knocked on the doorframe of Abby’s office. She looked up and motioned me in.

As I pulled one of her visitor’s chairs to the front of her desk, I thought we needed to get something more comfortable to sit in. Then I recalled the staff meeting where Sue suggested plain metal chairs for visitors. They were okay for short visits, but sitting in one for too long was uncomfortable. Sue said that she found the uncomfortable chairs got rid of visitors quickly, so she could get back to her work. We all thought that was a good idea; but at the time, we didn’t think about us being on the wrong side of the desk and having to sit in those chairs.

“Morning, Doug. What can I do for you?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk with you in your official capacity about a couple of items, Abby.”

With a grin, she said, “Alright, what can the Department of Extraterrestrial Relations do for you, Mister Ambassador?”

“Well to start with can we move this discussion to your conference room so we both have comfortable chairs to sit in?”

After a short walk down the hall, during which we also stopped to get fresh cups of coffee, Abby and I were seated in two of the conference room’s comfortable chairs with our laptops set up for reference and note taking. We had all known that we would be sitting in those chairs for prolonged periods of time, so we ordered comfortable swivel office chairs for all of the conference rooms.

When we were seated across from each other at the conference table, I said, “I have several topics, Abby. The status of the Multiverse Citizens here on the ranch, and depending on how that works out, I need to know if they need any travel papers when they leave the ranch and who will issue them. Then there is the status of traders who come here in the future, and will they need travel papers?”

Abby said, “Well the simple answers, Doug, are I don’t know, I don’t know, and I don’t know. But all joking aside, I prepared a Situation Paper regarding the topics and my recommendations concerning the status to be granted to the current and future Multiverse Citizens living on the ranch. Give me a moment and I’ll make a copy of it for you.”

I waited in the conference room while Abby found the Situation Paper in her files and made a copy. I skimmed its contents before we continued our conversation.

“I forwarded the paper to Ken Smythe at the State Department. He and my boss, Charles Boyd, discussed it. Ken told me Charles agreed with my recommendations and that Charles would forward it to the President’s Chief of Staff. I haven’t heard anything further, but if you want I will contact Ken and get the latest status.”

In skimming the document, I hadn’t focused on its recommendations, so I asked, “Yes, that would be helpful, but for now, what were your recommendations?”

“Before I explain my recommendations let me explain something else. An Embassy’s grounds normally remain the territory of the hosting government and the Embassy is granted a number of rights while it uses the grounds on which it is located. However, according to the treaty you negotiated with the President, which is a binding legal document, the entire ranch is Multiverse territory.

“If you, your people, and your visitors are not going to leave the ranch, then they won’t require a visa or any other documentation while on the ranch regardless of how long they stay. However, if anyone wants to leave the ranch for any reason, then according to the US’s laws, they will require a Multiverse passport and possibly a visa.

“But the Multiverse doesn’t issue passports, Abby.”

“I know that, Doug. Up until now, the State Department has ignored what is happening here at the ranch and I doubt the Bureau of Consular Affairs is aware that undocumented Multiverse citizens are entering the US from your ranch. However, the suggestion that I put to Charlie will probably result in the CA Bureau becoming aware that you and your people are entering US territory without a passport or visa.

“Before the CA Bureau gets involved, I suggest that you have the Embassy issue all of your people with passports for a passport will be required to leave the Embassy’s grounds in the future. Then I or the CA Bureau can issue visas, if needed.

“Okay, I’ll talk with Sereine about us issuing passports to my people and all visitors. The Multiverse Government won’t recognize the passports as official Multiverse documents, but I will present the creation of the passport as a necessary step for Multiverse citizens to legally leave the Embassy grounds and enter the US. I will need to add the need for a passport and visa to our ‘new trader’ briefings.

“Good. I will work with you and Sereine to define the information that will be needed on a passport.

“I made three recommendations, Doug, which will determine the need for a visa.”

“The first recommendation was the United States should treat the citizens of the Multiverse the same way that we treat citizens of foreign countries. If that is approved, then Multiverse citizens will be subject to the same rules governing entering the US that apply to the citizens of other countries. If it is not approved, then the US Government will have to create a special set of laws to govern the entry of Multiverse citizens into the US. I doubt they will create a special set of laws.

“The second recommendation was to make Multiverse visitors eligible for the Visa Waiver Program. If that recommendation is approved then a visitor can enter the country for a stay of up to ninety days without a visa, but they will require a passport. However, longer stays in the US require a passport and a visa. If the recommendation is not approved, then everyone will require both a passport and a visa.

“My third recommendation was the Department of Extraterrestrial Relations act as the agent for the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs when dealing with Multiverse citizens. If that is approved, my department will issue visas, when they are required. If it is not approved, then the CA Bureau will be the agency issuing the visas. Dealing with the CA Bureau is likely to cause long delays in getting a visa.

“I have a related topic, Abby. Sereine and I anticipate that traders will come to Earth and arrive at locations other than the ranch. From what you told me in the past, that can cause problems with the local authorities, which may be foreign governments. How do you see us and the US handling that type of situation?”

“Doug, your Embassy’s interaction with foreign governments doesn’t seem to me to be a problem the US should deal with. It should be between the Multiverse Embassy and the foreign governments, although I think the State Department would be willing to act as an intermediary in helping you address the issue with foreign governments. I’ll have to ask Charles about that situation.

“If you are thinking of the local authorities being here in the US, then we need to discuss the matter in more depth.”

“I was thinking of the local authorities in both the US and foreign countries. What I was leading up to is, the Multiverse Police Officer in charge of Earth’s checkpoint will be required to arrest Multiverse traders who don’t check-in at the checkpoint before they begin trading. That will definitely create a problem with the local law enforcement agencies if they feel they have jurisdiction. It will also create other problems if the traders are arrested by the local authority.”

“I understand, Doug, but the US can’t do anything about a situation like that, when it happens in a foreign country. Here in the US, I may be able to intervene and have jurisdiction over the traders transferred to Sereine.

“I know one of the problems you are concerned about is, the traders being exposed to sugar. I can’t do much about that if they eat food provided to them before custody is transferred to Sereine.

“You are preparing a briefing document for first-time visitors to the ranch and a second document for the Traders Guild. I know you will list exposure to sugar as one of the hazards that a trader will encounter when they visit any part of Earth in both documents. I suggest you include a caution about that being applicable if they are arrested by Earth authorities. You should also mention that your people have been desensitized to sugar and they will have foods with high-sugar content in their homes, so the traders could be exposed to sugar while on the ranch.

“I can picture what would happen if one of your traders were to do something and have an Earth policeman arrest them. If they resist, they are likely to get shot and end up in a hospital. If they don’t resist, they are likely to end up in the local jail. Either way they are likely to be exposed to sugar, which could turn them into sugar addicts. If they don’t have an interpreter with them, they won’t be able to communicate with the local authorities. Their dealing directly with the local authorities will cause big trouble for all of us any way you wish to look at it.”

“I agree with what you said, Abby, but I think your scenario overlooked a couple of facts. When the traders arrive at some place other than the ranch, they will have a D-Hopper with them. Once the D-Hopper has rested, they can hop the traders to some other location. That of course assumes that Sereine’s people don’t get to them first and they don’t resist arrest. I doubt the local law enforcement officers would have cause to arrest someone who just appears from out of nowhere. So it is unlikely that the traders would be arrested by local authorities.

“I asked you before, but don’t recall receiving a response. As far as the Multiverse is concerned, our traders trading with Earth’s citizens without checking in with Sereine’s Trade Checkpoint is a crime. On Provisional Worlds like Earth, the Trade Checkpoint officers would arrest everyone involved in the transaction. I think Sereine’s people arresting US citizens and the citizens of other countries would create many problems. On the other hand, I doubt the US and other countries would approve of their citizens buying advanced technology that could be harmful to everyone on Earth. Can you imagine what would happen if a Multiverse trader were to sell energy rifles, or more powerful weapons, to an Earth trader? Has Charlie received an answer about Sereine having the authority to arrest Earth citizens who are involved in illegal transactions?”

“I haven’t received a response to that issue, Doug. Charlie can address the arrest of US citizens, but not those of the rest of the world. I think you need to submit your question to the UN. Let Amir and Bashira handle it. I talked with Charlie about this and will check with him to see if he has received a response.”

“Alright, Abby. There is also the issue with the rights the US granted visitors to Earth. I know my treaty with the US gives us all of the rights granted to US citizens, but what about when we are in another country. Will my Multiverse Passports be accepted by foreign countries or will you be issuing US Passports to my people?”

“Sorry, Doug, we won’t issue US Passports and other countries acceptance of Multiverse Passports is not something the US can control. You will have to address that with Amir or the individual countries. I suppose it will be up to the individual countries, but as the UN’s Secretary General, Amir may be able to get a resolution through the General Assembly to recognize Multiverse Passports in all of the UN Member countries.”

“Okay, I’ll contact Bashira and discuss the matter with him.”

“The last issue is for me and my wives. As I said, my treaty gives me the rights and privileges normally granted to citizens. However, I am an Ambassador to the UN, not the US. So what are my rights as an Ambassador here in the US, especially since I am not an Ambassador to the US? Do any of the rights and privileges apply to my family members? I also know that when you’re given rights, there are responsibilities that go along with those rights. So are my rights, privileges, and responsibilities in the US written down somewhere where I can read them?”

“I don’t know, Doug. Other than what is in the treaty, the only right that I know of being granted to foreign Ambassadors is Diplomatic Immunity. I know Charles mentioned that since the UN Headquarters is located in New York City, you have Diplomatic Immunity in the US. But I never considered what additional rights or privileges you may have been granted by the US and the UN or if you have responsibilities. I’ll pass that question on to Charlie to see if the US has granted you any additional rights and if you have any responsibilities. You will have to ask Amir to determine your rights from and responsibilities to the UN.”

“Thank you, Abby. I need to begin my effort to establish diplomatic ties between Earth and the Multiverse. Amir and I established the United Nations as Earth’s representative in any negotiations I have as the Multiverse’s representative.

“I talked with Matt about how I should proceed. He suggested that I lay out a multiphase plan for establishing diplomatic ties with Earth, and discuss it with Amir. I’m not sure what topics will need to be addressed and I don’t know what will be involved in establishing diplomatic ties with Earth. Matt said I should focus on getting diplomatic relations established before I start addressing other topics, such as trade and travel. What does ‘diplomatic ties between Earth and the Multiverse’ mean to you, Abby?”

“Well to me, diplomatic ties would be Earth and the Multiverse exchanging Ambassadors and establishing the means of communicating with each other’s diplomatic organizations to discuss problems, treaties, and agreements. But from my visit to the Multiverse, I don’t see Earth sending an Ambassador to the Multiverse Government. Any Ambassador we could send would be useless, since you and your associates are the only Multiverse citizens that speak English and it is impossible for those of us from Earth to speak Trade Speak.”

“I know, Abby. That’s part of the things I am having difficulties with. The only answer I’ve been able to come up with is to have Earth send their Ambassador to me here at the ranch.”

“That might work, Doug. The UN Ambassador could set up an Embassy in Greeley, so they would have easy access to your Embassy here on the ranch.

“Doug, don’t take this the wrong way. Relations between countries here on Earth are based on thousands of years of prior relations between the countries. When you arrived from the Multiverse, The US, UN, and other countries had no idea of how to deal with the Multiverse. They decided to treat the Multiverse as if it were an Earth country that is located on another planet.

“There is no history of relations with that ‘Multiverse’ country, so everyone is scrambling to define policies for dealing with that new country, but they don’t have the time or power to create official policies. Each country is creating a skeleton of a policy, but it is being created in a haphazardous manner that only addresses a few of the items that need to be addressed. No country has time to sit down and define the policies governing what will become its overall interaction with the Multiverse.

“That is why it is so difficult to respond to your questions. Charlie and the President can only speak for the US, not other countries. There is a treaty between the Multiverse and the US, but the US has no official policy relating to the entirety of its interaction with the Multiverse. Every time a situation comes up, new decisions have to be made and those decisions will eventually form the US’s policies for interacting with the Multiverse”

“I’ve been aware of that, Abby. However, you put my thoughts in words that clearly state my situation and the situations of Earth’s countries. I also know that the UN can’t speak for the countries it represents or require them to comply with any resolutions that the UN may pass. Compliance is voluntary on the parts of the member nations.

“I’m not upset with you, Charlie, the President, Amir, Bashira, or anyone else. I am just frustrated with trying to plan for the future and to get things done in a timely manner. You met Councilwoman Stanton. My having to work through her to get the Multiverse Government to do what needs to be done is also frustrating. If you think getting the US Government to do something is difficult, it is at least ten times more difficult to deal with the Multiverse Government. They represent all of the Affiliated Worlds, but they are at the bottom of the political power pyramid and have very little control over the worlds in the Multiverse. The Multiverse Government is a powerful entity, but its position is similar to that of the UN.”

“Yes, I recall you telling me the Planetary Governments are at the top of the pyramid, the Universe Governments below them, and the Multiverse Government at the bottom. With that structure it is difficult for me to understand how the Multiverse Government can accomplish anything.

In a private club for the influential members of Washington DC’s political society, Senators Janis Huff, Dan Evans, and Jake Johnson are gathered in a private dining room to discuss Ambassador Doug Smith.

Janis starts their meeting by saying, “We need to make a decision regarding us supporting Ambassador Smith. Did the two of you see his press conference?”

Jake nodded his head and Dan said, “Yes, that was quite an eye opener. I’m not sure how much of his anger was real, and how much was acting. One thing I am sure of however is, you had better believe he will do what he says he will do. I know of one reporter that found that out the hard way, but at least it seems he is still alive.”

Janis said, “You’re right. I really didn’t believe he would have his man shoot that reporter. I don’t care if he did just knock him out; he did it on coast-to-coast television.”

“Jake added, “It would appear that Ambassador Smith is a man of his word, and does what he thinks is right; regardless of what the rest of the world thinks of his actions. I wonder if the reporter can file assault charges against Ambassador Smith.”

“Jake said, “I was curious about that myself, Dan, so I had my assistant look into it. Ambassador Smith rented the restaurant’s dining room for the morning, so he had the right to remove anyone he didn’t wish to have in the room. Stunning the reporter was highly unusual, but it did fall within what the law defines as reasonable force. The reporter can sue the Ambassador, but he was told to leave and he refused to leave; so he is not likely to win.”

“Let’s get to the reason for this meeting,” Janis said. “Everything I have seen and heard about Ambassador Smith indicates that he has an agenda. He has defined his agenda very clearly, but I suspect there is more to it than what he is saying. I can live with that for it is the way most politicians do business.

“The way he set up Senator Belton shows he is a planner who will lay the foundation today for an action that may not occur until sometime in the distant future. His rescheduling of his African trip was just common sense. However, it shows he can recognize potential problems and be flexible in avoiding them.

“His morals are still up in the air, as far as I am concerned. I am not so much concerned with his plural marriage, as I am about this issue of slavery. I can understand how slavery may have been a poor choice of words on his part. But, I need more information on the Multiverse and its penal and legal systems from an independent source, before I will be willing to accept his explanation of a Custodial Caretaker Relationship. It still sounds like a form of slavery to me.”

“Overall, I am in favor of offering him an alliance, but, I think we need to place limits on the alliance. I will have to think more on what would be acceptable limits for us to impose.

“What about the two of you? What are your thoughts on Ambassador Smith?”

Jake was considering how to phrase his answer when Dan replied, “From what I learned, everything you said is true, Janis. I like the man from what I know about him. I think we can trust what he tells us. The one reservation I have is, I don’t think he talks about everything he knows and plans to do. With that in mind, every time we listen to him, we need to focus not only on what he says, but on what he may not be saying and how that may affect the topic. Yes, I do recognize that type of clairvoyance is impossible, so we will be limited to guesses, and guesses are not a firm basis on which we should base our actions. Other than that, I don’t have a problem with him. What about you, Jake?”

“There is something about Smith that bothers me, but I can’t put my finger on it. I suspect what Janis and you said about him may be what disturbs me. Still there seems to be something more.

“I listened to what he said about his custodial relationship. If what he said is true, it doesn’t sound like slavery to me. He and the women freely entered into a voluntary relationship. The women chose servitude for life over being incarcerated on a penal planet where they might die. That tells me the Multiverse does not tolerate criminals living in their society. We could use a bit of that here in the US in my opinion. He said that he must take care of the two women, but he didn’t discuss what care means. I would be interested in how the Multiverse ensures that the women are being treated properly and what proper care means in their society. He said that the women serve him and since he chose to marry them, I suspect their service to him included joining him in his bed. I would be interested in hearing how he would respond to a question about him forcing them to have sex with him.

“If we are talking about an offer of general support, then I vote we go ahead, but like Janis said, we need to do so carefully. If we are going to make it a full, long-term support agreement, then we need to get the details very clear, especially, any limitations that we wish to impose. What did you have in mind, Janis?”

“During the press conference he mentioned an assassination attempt. I was thinking that would make a good opening for us. We can offer to support him in finding the assassin. That will get our foot in the door without having to make a major commitment to him. Once we have worked with him, we will have a better idea as to whether we can trust him. It is also my belief that with this man, letting our guard down would be a tactical mistake. Do either of you have a better idea?”

After looking at each other, Dan and Jake both said, “No.”

Janet said, “Good! An indirect approach may be the best. He has a good relationship with Charles Boyd over at State. I’ll meet with Charles and let him know that the three of us are upset about this assassination attempt on a diplomat the US is hosting, and that we would like to offer Ambassador Smith our resources in finding out who attempted to kill him. I will specifically request, an introduction; so the three of us can meet with Smith to make our offer.

“Before I do that, the three of us need to determine what type of support we have to offer Ambassador Smith that he can’t get through the State Department. The only support I’ve thought of was the FBI, but I understand that the FBI has been investigating the attempt on the Ambassador’s life for a couple of weeks with no success.”

In New York, Amir is meeting with Bashira.

“Yes, Amir, Doug said he and his wives enjoyed their honeymoon. The situation with that religious fanatic disrupted our plans; but, I think it may have been for the best.”

“I agree, Bashira. Our revised plan of you traveling with Doug to represent the UN will give us better contact with those three African countries and their leaders. We will be better positioned to intervene, if the situation with their neighbors becomes violent. It will also create a closer working relationship between us, Doug, and his people. I am beginning to think that our little test will have some unexpected benefits.

“As far as the test goes, Bashira, what is your assessment of Doug?”

“It is too early to tell. My initial assessment is, Doug will do what he promises, but, he does not seem like the type of person who will commit himself and the Multiverse Government to something that he cannot deliver. We will have to wait and see how he handles the African governments’ leaders, and I’m glad that I will now be there to make a personal assessment of his interactions. My position as the UN representative should get me into all of the meetings that Doug has with the leaders. The one question I have for you, Amir, is how far do you want me to go in committing UN assets to assisting those countries with their medical problems and any problem that might arise with their neighbors?”

“I have been giving that some thought since we changed our plans, Bashira. It may be a good idea for me to contact the World Health Organization to see if they can coordinate their actions with Doug’s now and in the future. If the African leaders submit a request to you for UN military assistance, contact me immediately. During the next few days, I need to consider what assets we have available, and if I want to place any of those assets on standby. Hopefully, the leaders of the neighboring countries will not act in an aggressive manner.”

“Amir, the likelihood of them not acting is almost zero, and you know it. Wishful thinking will only lead us astray and is likely to result in us not being prepared to do what is necessary at the time they do become aggressive.”

“I know, Bashira, but give a tired old man who has to deal with warfare and conflict a few minutes to daydream about Peace throughout the World.

“Have you heard anything further about the Diplomatic Protest Charlie sent to Greece, Bashira?”

“A little, but not much. Apparently, Charlie reminded Greece that Doug may have been on his honeymoon, but he was also in the process of going to Africa to support a UN mission. In the US, Doug’s private residence, which would include any temporary lodging, is considered part of his Embassy. However, he was on a Norwegian ship, and I’m not sure of how they would classify his cabin. I suppose we could define his stateroom on the ship as diplomatic territory, but only permanent employees of the UN have diplomatic privileges and Doug isn’t an employee. No country has ever sent an Ambassador to the UN. Doug is a first, so we really don’t have anything in place to deal with Ambassadors from other worlds. We will need to do something about that.

“The Greek Ambassador in Washington called Charlie to apologize on a personal level for the difficulties two of his country’s citizens caused by their boarding the cruise ship. He didn’t mention how Greece intends to officially respond to the US. My guess is that there will be a quiet written apology, and everyone will let the incident fade into history. If that is the Greek Government’s intent, I suspect they will make their wishes known to the two reporters, and warn them of what may happen if they choose to make a public issue of the matter.”

“Oh, I have my own thoughts on that matter, Bashira, but, to satisfy my curiosity, just what do you think might happen if the reporters continue to make it a public issue?”

“Well, the cruise ship was a Norwegian vessel. I am not really familiar with all the details of maritime law, but, I think by custom, if not law, the vessel was Norwegian territory. If that is true, the Greek authorities may point out the legalities to the reporters, and that if the Norwegian cruise line were to request that their government become involved, things would go very badly for the reporters.”

“Yes, that is very close to my thoughts on the matter. The primary difference is that I was thinking the Greek authorities might threaten to take direct action against the reporters and their employers for illegally invading Norwegian territory, while the cruise liner was visiting a Greek Port.”

“That’s true, Amir. Personally, I wouldn’t want either government upset with me.”

“True. We both have diplomatic immunity, but the reporters don’t.”

“Amir, I was thinking of this test we are using to evaluate Doug. There is a second test that has come to my mind. Doug has stated that he intends to import medical equipment and drugs to sell to Earth’s people. That will be good for Earth, but what if he was to manufacture the drugs here on Earth instead of importing them.”

“That is a very interesting thought, Bashira. I’m not sure if we have the technology to manufacture the Multiverse’s medical equipment. However, there are several third world countries that come to mind that have the manpower and ability to host a new drug manufacturing facility. They can also use the taxes that such an enterprise would generate. If Doug were to agree to establish such a facility, then it would give us an indication of Doug’s intent toward Earth’s future, which is part of what our current test is about.

“The problem right now is, it is too early for us to propose such a venture. Let’s wait until we are further along with the current test. In the meantime, start evaluating the possibility of a venture. When we propose the venture, I would like for us to have a suitable country selected and the preliminary groundwork in place. Don’t mention the venture to the country’s government yet; it is too soon for that.”