Cassius Prime, 2157
Aric Schröder sent a two messages to his relatives back in Germany.
"Mama, Peter, Sara, Alise, Lukas, Tim, I have heard about the terrible happenings in the German government and the war-like movements of Germany. I am worried about you, your safety. This is an open invitation to you, Mama, and all my brothers and sisters, and all of Ruth's family, too. I would like you to come live here on Cassius. The city is going quite well and always growing. It's peaceful and safe.... Please consider coming. I love you all."
His second message was addressed to anyone who wanted to respond. Aric said that Cassius Prime would accept more citizens. It was a bit cryptic, but it was apparent enough that they would accept any refugees. He also advertised the need for more people with technical and scientific backgrounds to help with business.
A few days later, Ross Shepard came to Aric's office. Following the long-established practice, he knocked on the door frame and just walked into the room, where Aric was sitting at his desk. Aric looked up. "Hi, Ross, what's up?"
"Oh, not much. Everyone is doing well." he replied. "Uh, the colony turned out great." He was not his usual exuberant self, Aric noticed.
"Yes, it has...You're being quite general, Ross," he said understandingly, "Just say what you have to say. I won't be offended."
Ross gave an it's-now-or-never sigh. "Aric, I have enjoyed working with you for the past ten years," he began. "I had a wonderful time helping you set up the colony, but as an employee of the UESA, my assignment here has expired now that everything is finished."
Aric tried unsuccessfully to hide his disappointment. "We'll all miss you."
"Well, that's what I came to talk to you about. You see, the UESA will have more, bigger colonies for me to build. I could be famous for establishing such grand things, and I would earn a lot of money. But I do not care about that; I would rather stay here. I have truly found what I want to do, and it is not about money or prestige: it is the people. You are like a brother to me, and these people are like family! I will not be going back to Earth. I want to stay and continue to help you."
There was a short silence as Aric absorbed this. "Thank you," said Aric sincerely. "I'm glad you'll still be working with us." Here he smiled broadly as he stood up: "We would have lost our favorite citizen. I am also glad that you find us all as family." More playfully he continued, "but I insist that you take leave to visit your own family in Pennsylvania. You haven't seen them in ten years, so get on the next transport out of here—and don't come back until you have completely caught up on each others' news and got a good home-cooked Earth meal!"
"Jahwohl!" the grinning Ross said, saluting and clicking his heels together in mock seriousness.
"It's good to know you'll be back, Ross." Aric gave him a thump on the back.
Reminded by Ross's statement of his expired time with them, Aric wanted to talk to Ben Corwood, the machines and craft expert. He went over to Corwood's office. "Are you busy, Ben?" he asked as he walked in.
"Yeah. I got mountains of paperwork to go through, and those new asteroid-munching machines are giving us problems again." He symbolically shoved aside the contents of the desktop in front of him and smiled pleasantly up at Aric. "What's on your mind?"
"I just got done speaking to Ross: he said his time here has expired," Aric took a seat on the edge of Ben's desk.
"When's the funeral?" Ben quipped. "Eh, I'm sorry," he chuckled, "go on please."
For a moment Aric was puzzled, then realized what his statement sounded like. He couldn't help but smile as he continued. "Seriously, he said as an employee of the UESA he had to go back now that the colony is finished. But he decided to resign his position and stay with us. I came to ask you what you will be doing."
"Hmm, yes. Well, you need to either find someone to replace me and I go back, or, I suppose, you have something special you want me to do here, right?"
Aric smiled at the man's accurate perception. "Actually, you are right. I was raised to be patriotic, and yet the country of my patriotism is ignoring its laws and constitution, showing agression toward others; this grieves me. I would like, if possible to in some way let it be known that I do not approve of their actions." Vague though this statement was, Corwood understood the meaning. "Now, mind you, I am not speaking of war. But what if there were a time in the near future when war should be a necessary action?"
"We should be ready for it," Corwood said. Aric affirmed this thought with a nod.
"So," Aric continued, "I do have ideas, but I don't know when to implement them. Perhaps you would like to stay here, or perhaps you may wish to leave. If you do leave, I would like to keep in touch with you and have your services at a moment's notice." He was unconvinced of the practicability of his idea, but just shrugged it off. "Let me know your decision." He stood up as Ben said readily, "I will."
Ben Corwood's decision came to Aric's desk the next morning in the form of a copy of his notice of resignation from the UESA, along with an application for Craft and Mechanics Consultant, the same position in which he had been operating for the past several years.
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