Chapter 2: Once a Turncoat

Arriving at New Hanover County Airport, the closest major airport to Wilmington, North Carolina, Olé and Doc with their assortment of companions boarded an Army chopper. Olé requisitioned the whirlybird during their flight from Wyoming. Olé overruled their instructions from the moon while suggesting timid obedience established a terrible precedent. They were to board a company tourist bus that would bring them to a port terminal. There they would be identified, issued boarding passes, and ferried by high-speed launch out to the ship. Olé nixed that dictated agenda in rebellious rejection and elected to fly in an armed military craft directly to the ship cruising up and down the Carolina coast barely three miles offshore. According to an edict issued to the world by the Man in the Moon, no longer was any nation allowed to claim more than three miles off their coasts as territorial waters. Fishing grounds are not an issue. Commercial wild-caught fishing is outlawed everywhere on earth. Whaling and dolphin hunting outlawed. A few purse seiners that decided to defy the edicts vanished with all hands. No fines or slaps on the wrist punishments. Obey or be eliminated!

Olé knew he was taking a big risk with their lives. He had prior evidence the Man in the Moon was ruthless and stern regarding obedience. The chopper’s Army crew were grateful their aircraft and themselves were spared. The event was digitally recorded by an onboard camera when their passengers suddenly vanished. It occurred while still over land and several miles distant from the ship. They hurried back to base to report the generals and their staff are MIA.

The Army intended to keep this fiasco secret but the Man in the Moon had other ideas. He decided to make use of this act of disobedience and the consequence as an excellent object lesson for all Earthlings. He interrupted broadcasts to announce the abduction of the cabinet secretaries on all channels and frequencies. The President was annoyed. He’d called in favors and IOUs to have Olé and Doc confirmed by the Senate. All that political hay wasted for nothing! Worse yet, nobody he knows wants any of them again vacant cabinet positions. He is a one-man DIY executive branch. The only silver lining is all the invited officials from the other nations turned around and scurried back home. At least he needn’t worry about competing nations making back-room backstab deals on the moon.

Another thing annoying him, is where did the Empress’ palace’s staff disappear to? He ordered the Army to transport the hundreds of palace clones to Wilmington to turn over for shipment to the moon. When the guards arrived at the vacant palace, it was redundantly found vacant. He can’t imagine how to begin explaining his failure to deliver as promised. Should he resign now or eat a shotgun shell? No other attractive options exist. He refuses to be the President reduced to begging his pardon of that SOB in the moon!

Before resigning, he must get his house in order, first appoint a vice president to succeed him. He isn’t about to leave the highest office up for grabs, it would be a bloodbath! Whom should he approach?

An amusing thought made him giggle then guffaw. Pulling out the FBI dossier on the Man in the Moon, created when the FBI was around before the Empress existed, he checked the original nationality and place of birth. If you can’t beat them, join them.

The perfect candidate. The Man in the Moon, a natural-born citizen of the USA, will hopefully accept the nomination and succeed him as President. Why not? If he does, the moon will be American too!