Solomon's Private File #224
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 25 in this story, in the Winter of 2051-2052.
Solomon's Private File #224 "CNN Honor"
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I shifted to meet with State. I said, "You've been given some
information about a former Iranian base in Somalia. Would you tell me
what you plan to do with it?" She said, "What's your interest?" I said,
"I think you know. All traces of it vanished faster than possible. You
know I was involved." She said, "True. We were going to announce it, or
threaten to, to try to win some trade concessions." I said, "Won't
work. I can show you why, if you don't spread it." She said, "Please. I
agree." I gave her the crystal. She said, "Oops!" We chuckled. She
said, "I know the Russians are aware of it, and probably the Chinese.
Somebody sooner or later is going to make it public." I said, "Suppose
I talk to the PM of Iran, telling him you could, but for good will,
won't. But another will, eventually. And if you do a joint announcement
and said, "Set it up! Give me something for the President. I'll get
back to you on permission. I'm sure he'll agree." We hugged.
I shifted to meet with the PM of Iran. I said, "Your former base in
Somalia. America was going to make it public. I told them of my
involvement. Helped change their minds a little." He chuckled. I said,
"But they mentioned that other nations will probably reveal it when
they think it will help them in something. They wouldn't like their er,
generosity to be taken advantage of by others, and we think you might
want to have some control over what happens, yourself." He said,
"Correct. A joint announcement, with you doing a show explaining it,
and showing what you did, and the very important lesson in it?" I said,
with a grin, "That is their request, too." He said, with his own big
grin, "Who knew our two nations could be partners in something?" I
said, "Me. I knew this would happen. If they knew of your base, they
would know when it vanished. America first. That they waited this long,
was the only unknown." He said, "We all always underestimate you." I
said, "True. Useful sometimes." He looked at me strangely. He said, "Do
you have a statement prepared?" I gave it to him. He said, "You wrote
this. They wouldn't be so fair." I said, "Oh, so you've talked with
them?" He said, "Did they say the same thing?" I said, "Mostly, yes."
He said with a big grin, "Good. We accept it."
The text of the announcement was published. I told CNN I would do a
show about it. Greg introduced me, and said, "This is about the former
secret Iranian base in Somalia. What was your involvement in that?" I
said, "In 2044, I informed the Prime Minister of Iran that the nuclear
reactor on that base was leaking radiation and contaminates, and that
it would need to be repaired. That was the first time I had talked with
him. He authorized me to repair it, because the people there couldn't,
and that if it had gone on longer, I said I would have to remove the
whole thing, even if he didn't want me to. The repair went well, and I
removed all the contaminated things, and healed the people there." He
said, "How did you know about the secret base?" I said, "Since
Stephen's time, my group monitors ALL nuclear installations. Mind scans
don't know or care what is supposed to be secret or not. Such things
are too dangerous to the world for us to ignore them." He said, "Did
you know what they were doing there with that?" I said, "I'm NOT a spy.
My interest was solely the health of the people and the world."
He said, "So you didn't tell anybody about the secret base?" I said,
"I do remember, just now, saying something about not being a spy." He
said, "Oh. Do you know if the CIA knew of it?" I said, "America has
probably the best spy satellites in the world, and the analysts to go
with them. In my opinion, they wouldn't miss seeing it. If you want to
know more, you'll have to ask them. Bet they'd be a little annoyed with
you about that." Chuckles. I said with a smile, "And NOT annoyed with
ME." More chuckles. We went to break. I said, "A little pushy there."
He said, "True, but you got out of that in great shape." I said, "Oh,
yeah, didn't I! Better than you did." He said, "I noticed." I said with
a big grin, "Every time." He was feeling a little unnerved.
Back from break, I said, "Last year the PM of Iran asked to see me
about that base. The Somali warlord in charge of the area the base was
in, was trying to go back on their agreement. They wanted more er,
rent, or the base to be abandoned. I was told that Iran didn't want to
pay more for a base they no longer needed, and didn't want to fight
for. I offered to transport the people and things off of it, and take
care of the reactor. It was accepted. I see you want to know why I was
asked. The reactor. VERY hard to fully decommission one of those. Could
take years by ordinary means, and it would still be unsafe to have nosy
people wandering around it, possibly being exposed to radiation. I'll
now play my recording of that action." I did, but shortened the flying
carpet ride.
At the end, Greg said, "Oh were they surprised to see no base there
at all!" I said, "But it was what they had asked for." He said, "And
that's what makes the whole thing more er, moving. They should have
known they should be honest with you." I said, "And with Iran. You work
from dishonor, you get less than you had. They should have known that's
what I would enable. ALL should know that, where I'm involved. I have
to. It's part of who I am. But to me, the most interesting part of that
was their reaction to me on the flying carpet. Severely distracted
drivers." He said with a smile, "I noticed that. Have you ever in your
past lives ever suffered from a dishonorable act?" I said, "You should
assume that for most lives we've all had. But in one, it was that, and
part of my wicked humor, that got me killed, by one who I most trusted,
who couldn't trust me. I'll tell you more after the break, if you
want."
Off air, he said, "We want!" I said, "Oh, what a surprise. Not!"
Chuckles. Back on air, he said, "Solomon was going to tell us about a
past life where dishonorable acts and wicked humor caused his death." I
said, "True. I was going to tell you. I think I will. It was the life
after Hillel. In Rome. My name was Gaius, son of Germanicus. He
shouted, "Caligula!" I said, "I hated that childish nickname! Who would
want to be called, 'little army boots'?" He said, "I see what you
mean." I said, "And that shows something important about history.
Almost all that was written about him was from people who never knew
him, and was made up from vicious lying gossip from political enemies."
He said, "I read your book on him. I understand. You played the common
people off of the aristocracy, to get things done." I said, "I actually
despised the aristocrats. Useless hungry parasites. Tiberious had bled
the ordinary people dry, for his massive building projects that made
the rich people richer. I gave the people back their money. Senators
opposed me as much as they could. Part of that was their reaction to my
vicious humor. The matter of my horse, for instance." He laughed, and
said, "You made your horse a higher official than they were!" I said,
"The people loved it. The powerful hated it, and me for it, with an
almost insane passion. I liked it." He laughed.
I said, "But I made a mistake that nobody in my position should ever
make, and it cost me my life. I treated all the people around me in
ways I shouldn't have. I wasn't paying enough attention to their
reactions. I was very affectionate with my sisters, and used their
advice a lot. People in the palace thought I was having sex with them.
I wasn't! I was gay then." He said, "That surprised a lot of people who
read your book. And that you never had sex, too." I said, "I was
actually afraid of sex. I saw that a lot as a child, living with
Tiberious. I wanted none of it. My chief bodyguard was gay. He knew I
was, even though I never told anybody other than my sisters. I told
them everything, actually. The bodyguard never told me he was gay, but
his advances made that obvious. Actually, it was an open secret among
the guards, which he would have been oblivious to, but for my cutting
humor. Yes, I ridiculed him one too many times for being effeminate,
and he stabbed me to death. I had acted with dishonor, to the very
person I should most not do that to. I was arrogant with power, and I
have to say, youth, and so I lost it. I wanted my good deeds to live
forever in peoples' memories, but for two thousand years, all people
remembered of me were viscous lies, and how I died from my own dishonor
and stupidity. It wasn't really who I was then. But power changes
people. They sometimes forget that no power of man is absolute. It
isn't just to a higher power we answer to, but also to our fellow men."
I signaled the end. Greg said, "Thank you, Solomon, for this very
interesting evening." I said, "You're welcome."
Off air, "We all wondered how you would reveal that life. Yes, we
suspected that one, after you said you were a Roman Emperor, and after
Hillel. Dates came close." I said, "Good guess." He said, "We couldn't
come to a conclusion what lesson you would use that life for. Surprised
me. I know, good!" I said, "Absolutely! Basic lesson is, don't piss off
somebody with a sword at your back." He chuckled and said, "True." I
said, "Really not the best time and place for cutting remarks." More
chuckles. We hugged, and I shifted away.
A woman came into my office at the Bureau. I said, "Nice to see you
again." She said, "You tricked me." I said, "If I did, it must have
worked. Whatever it was." She said, "You said it was a new position." I
said, "Was. The newest. Couldn't be any newer." She chuckled and said,
"True. Did you create it for me?" I said, "I don't have the authority
to do that. And it wasn't just for you. Do you think I would do
something like that just for one person? I, and the head of Personnel,
thought it would be good for the Bureau to have that position working.
That the first person in it might have inspired it, is just er, well,
luck who it was." She said, "Oh. Sounds reasonable. I was told we could
call on Rose for some help with tough women's issues." I said, "Not to
be advertised, yes. I've done that a few times. Got a lot of notice
with one time at the Academy." She said, "Oh, it did!"
She said, "Did her son get her involved here?" I said, "You would
have to ask them that." She said, "I'm asking him." I looked behind me,
and back, and said, "Did I miss something?" She said, "Rumor here is
you're Solomon." I said, "Was that attached to another rumor that if
that rumor got out, we would all here leave?" She said, "Er, yes." I
said, "And didn't somebody warn you not to mention it to us here?" She
said, "Er, that, too." I said, "I had high hopes for you. Security is
VERY important here. Your psionics. Can you see my aura?" She said, "I
see them sometimes." I said, "Is mine extra big, or like any other half
psionic?" She said, "I have to say, you're right. I made a mistake." I
said, "Listening to rumors can cause that. Just a guess, but likely
you'll spread it around now?" She said, "Right. Burned once." I said,
"Think I should keep this confidential?" She said, "Oh, I DO!" I said,
"Going back to personnel?" She said, "Yes." I ported an envelope to my
hand, and said, "Please take this with you." She maintained her self
control very well, and nodded, and said, "I will." I said, "Thanks."
She left, trying to keep her emotions under control, but VERY happy
with herself.
Ivanna said, "Thanks for the notice. You played her emotions like a
violin! More loyalty than ever." I said, "Actually, I was training her
in security and emotional control, which she figured out in a flash,
when I ported that envelope. One smart lady!" She said, "Ah, er, a
little smarter than I was about it, I see." I said, "Not really. I was
doing it to her, not you. She was supposed to see it." She said, "I
don't think I'll ever understand how and why you do that." I said,
"Sometimes, trying to understand, can get in the way of knowing." After
a while, she said, "Thanks. I've got some thinking to do." She
disconnected. Kam said, "I was watching, too. Both, great work." I
said, "Thanks. Quality of students is great inspiration for us." She
said, "Absolutely!" We shared love.
A week later, Percy said, "You did something to Ivanna." I said, "Oh.
I hope it was something sexual." He said, "That would be interesting,
but not what I meant. She's thinking er, a little oddly, lately." I
said, "Bad?" He said, "No, I don't think so." I said, "Compared her
this to your thinking. She's been watching my thinking here at the
Bureau for years. And discussing it with me. Could be it finally added
up?" He said, "It could!" I said, "Caution there. Better you don't mess
with it. Let her tell you when she wants to. Or you could set her back
some." He said, "I get it. Like a delicate flower unfolding." I said,
"Well said! I couldn't have said it better! I recommend you get to
where that thought came from, and stroke it." He chuckled and said,
"You're being you, but I get it. Thanks. A LOT." I said, "You're
welcome." Love flowed.
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Grant
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