Chapter 76: Can You Open a Closed Mind?

I muted my cell phone. "Everyone is fine with this correct?" I asked.

Letty giggled. "It sounds like you'll have fun. I'll stay out for the most part. I'm Jason's sex slave and should be seen naked and at his feet."

Ashley laughed. "Oh, that's so wrong its right. I agree though. Mark, it should be mostly you with Jason, Jessica, and Morgan offering the most support. We already know it will probably be about you."

"This song is not about me," I said firmly.

"I never thought you were so vain," Ashley said offhandedly.

I just covered my face with my hands as Jason, Letty, and Matti burst out laughing. I waited for the laughter to die and then turned to listen to the radio. Brent Williams was speaking.

"Today has turned quite interesting. We started out with news of a riot at Fashion Mountain Mall. The reports were about something had occurred right after the interdiction field of a Confederacy pickup dropped. In a surprise twist we received a phone call from one of the targets of the mob's anger. Once we put this still unnamed person on the air our phone system was flooded with calls. We have asked, and the still mysterious caller has agreed, to open up a debate with the other callers. Caller number one, are you still there?"

I turned off the mute function on my phone. "I'm still here."

"First," Brent said. "Do you have any rules regarding this debate?"

"They wouldn't do much good. I can assure you that no one with me will lie. If we don't like a question we'll tell you and then move on," I said firmly.

"Are you ready?" Brent said.

"No one is ever truly ready," I replied. "But we are prepared to face the music."

"Even if music is invisible and doesn't have a face," Jason barked out.

Two slaps could be heard ringing out in the passenger compartment of the van. I heard Brent cough a couple of times before he continued. "Very well, we'll introduce the next caller. This is Malcolm. Malcolm you said you wanted to talk to the caller."

"Yes, first what the fuck is wrong with you? Are you really planning on leaving Earth? We all know that the aliens have reported that these Sa'arm are going to invade Earth. Why not remain on Earth and help in the defense?" Malcolm said.

"Well, first, my apologies to everyone listening. We all know that profanity doesn't belong on the radio. Next, Malcolm have you looked at any of the reports regarding the Sa'arm? They are numerous. Not like there are a couple hundred thousand coming, but that there might be billions in space. The ones that arrive will be a first wave. Sure humanity will likely push them away, but it will almost certainly be a pyrrhic victory," I said.

"Pyrrhic?" Brent asked.

"Based on a story of a Roman general who won a battle, but took such terrible losses that others observed that one more victory would ruin Rome," Jason said. "It's a very good guess as to how any battle over Earth will turn out. We'll win, but the losses will be higher than we want."

"So why not stay?" Malcolm asked.

"Because of what happens next. Right now humanity is spreading out and building new outposts. Those outposts will attract potential Sa'arm reinforcements. If the plan works to the alien's expectations, the outposts might even destroy entire incursions. Those additional forces will never arrive at Earth. This helps both in the initial battle, since humanity won't face as many Sa'arm, and later when the new wave takes generations to arrive rather than years," I said.

"So what you are saying is that the people leaving are actually helping win the fight for Earth?" Brent asked.

Morgan laughed. "I know, it took me a while to realize that it might work that way, but it makes sense once you consider just how many planets are supposedly already overrun by the Sa'arm. We would eventually get beaten by their sheer numbers unless we force them to spread out and fight elsewhere."

We heard Malcolm snort. "I still think you should stay and fight. Right now you are taking all of the pretty girls."

"That may be true, but I can see the wisdom of spreading the warriors out and trying to keep the fight from reaching Earth," Brent said. "Malcolm, thank you for calling. Now I was going to say hello to caller three, this is Janet. Janet you're on."

The lady that spoke had a very strong accent. It was hard to make out the question at first. "I wan'ta knaw why to picked gells early."

Jason and Morgan both had perplexed looks on their faces. I looked at my phone. "Are you asking why my friends and I have been gathering companions ahead of time?"

"zactly!" the voice said.

"Well, think of it this way. When I am finally within that grey field and being told that its time to choose and leave Earth, I won't have a lot of time to get to know the girl. People I've talked to who have witnessed a pickup say that it usually turns into an orgy. That's nice for finding out if a girl can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch, but a lousy way to find out if she'll be a pleasant companion," I said.

"Oh, that is going to leave a mark," Ashley murmured. "Can I?" she asked quietly.

Jason, Morgan, and I all nodded. Ashley reached out to pick up the phone. "Janet, perhaps I can explain better. I'm one of the girls who has been selected early."

"Why?" Janet asked.

"Well the basics were as my master said. And yes, he is the man I'll leave Earth with and no other. For him, he gets time to get to know me. He knows my hopes and fears and works to make my hopes come true. He supports me and convinces me to make my own life better, which means I make his better. There is no question what I'll officially be once I leave Earth, but he offers me the chance to be more and to offer him more," Ashley said.

"Well said," I murmured as I put my arms around Ashley.

"I can add to that," Letty shouted from the front. "Look, if you are in a pickup, like I just was, the first thing you discover is that most of the male volunteers aren't exactly offering a lot of empathy. For them, it's time to get the girls naked and see how they perform. I've had root canals that were more human than what I just saw. However, since I found a man who I've gotten to know, I won't have to go through that."

"It sounds like its more for you girls," Brent observed.

"We get something out of it," Jason said. "But its subtle. My friend caught it first. The biggest issue with all of this is fear. We all fear the unknown and the Sa'arm are in many ways a huge unknown. We don't know when they will arrive, or where on the planet they'll attack first, or how much damage they'll do. We do know that they will arrive and will wreak havoc. For me, I know I have a good CAP score so the worst would be I'd get asked to help in the defense of Earth. But a young lady with a poor score has no idea what her future holds. This arrangement removes much of that. In exchange, I get a very loving friend for now since we usually try to be within feet of each other."