"Understood, Mr. President. I'll give the order at once," General Hastings said as he hung up the phone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the United States is at DEFCON 1. Repeat, DEFCON 1. Release of nuclear weapons by POTUS to be authorized within five minutes."
"Whatever it is you've got going on, you need to call it off now!" Johnny said to Mr. Baker as he was led into the same interrogation room he'd been in days ago.
Baker could have sworn he'd seen Johnny somewhere before, but he wasn't sure. Somehow he'd lost an entire week. He and everyone else in the facility.
"I don't know who you are, or what you're doing here, but we are under an alien attack! Our plan has to go forward!"
"There was only one alien attacker, and I've eliminated him. Call it off now, sir, before this gets any farther out of hand than it already has!"
Just then, the phone rang. "Baker. Okay, understood. Get General Hastings at NORAD for me immediately." He hung up the phone. "Well, your story appears to check out--the alien craft impacted in southern Utah eight minutes ago," Baker said. "Now, what's this all about?"
"Contact your field offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Miami. Ask them about the Burgosian Innovations Online Role-Playing Game. They'll tell you about me and about a few other people... including a half-dozen or so American citizens you've been trying to detain," Johnny said. The need to get Baker--obviously someone who could make decisions--back in the loop was critical. Baker summoned a clerk and had him place the calls.
"Baker. Yes, General Hastings. The unknown craft has been neutralized. Inform the President that the threat has been eliminated. Contact Marshal Smirnov and General Chang as well and tell them to abort Action Plan Alpha. I say again--abort Action Plan Alpha immediately!"
The comm screen in the room flickered on. [Johnny, are you there?]
"Yes, Captain. With me is Mr. Baker. He appears to be in charge here. He's spread the word to the appropriate individuals to call off something they refer to as 'Action Plan Alpha'."
[Understood. We have been monitoring his communications. Within moments Marshal Igor Smirnov and General Chang Yeh-min will be beaming to your location. Keep them talking; Mr. Lataro and I will follow. Virgo out.]
The clerk returned with the documents. "Yes, I understand now, Colonel Chee... it's all coming back. You'll pay for that cheap shot!"
"I and my colleagues have just saved your world from alien attack and nuclear war. I'd say that offsets quite a bit," Johnny said.
Before Baker could speak, his Russian and Chinese counterparts beamed into the room. "Gentlemen, you're in for a bit of a shock," Johnny said...
Hours later, Maruu, Lataro, Johnny, had finished talking with Baker, Smirnov, and Chang.
"So, in exchange for our help cleaning up the financial databases that were wiped out, and helping you set up an appropriate defense plan against further Eriarti incursions, you in turn will end the harassment of the RPG players and eliminate any and all record of our presence in the 21st century," Maruu said.
"It's not that easy," Baker said. "Even if you do help us set up a defense plan, we're decades away from anything that could even scratch these Eriarti. You leave us with nothing! And what about all the secondary conflicts going on?"
"We leave you with your lives, and those of about six billion other people. As for the other, who's to say these things wouldn't have happened anyway?" Johnny replied. "Every one of those hot spots was ready to explode years before the Eriarti--and the Virgo--gave them an excuse. In the old Navajo creation legend, all of the monsters were slain by the Hero Twins except four: Poverty, Hunger, Old Age, and Dirt. Those were left behind for the rest of us to deal with, and the first two are at the root of most of what's happened. And they'll still be there no matter what we of the Virgo do. You know that as well as we do."
Lataro nodded in agreement. "We'll clean up that for which we're responsible--even beyond that, because that cult would have released their viruses regardless of whether or not we'd shown up. But you've got to solve your own problems."
"Perhaps, gentlemen, our respective organizations might play such a role. Much can be done behind the scenes," Smirnov said upon reflection.
"If you were able to cooperate on Action Plan Alpha, you should be able to cooperate on a lot of other things. And that, gentlemen, is the first true step toward the stars," Maruu said.
Baker sighed. "But you're leaving. If we're to implement anything, we need some expert advice on a long-term basis. Would some of your crew be willing to stay here?"
"Absolutely not," Maruu said. "Our people are entitled to their own lives as much as yours are. However, I do have an idea: the RPG players. Most of them are knowledgeable in one or more technical areas; several are former or current military personnel and at least one is a civilian government employee. The rest are all reliable with no criminal records or other problems. Put them on your payroll and I can assure you that they'll serve more than adequately as consultants. We'll train them as far as we can so they can assist you."
"You're just trying to save their hides!" Baker said angrily. "They're the ones who brought this down upon us to begin with!"
"And if you hadn't opened Pandora's Box, we would have been and gone without you even noticing!" Lataro shot back.
"What guarantee do you bring back to them that we won't dispose of them after you leave?"
"I have a solution to that dilemma," Chang said. "Comrade Marshal Smirnov and I will also enroll in this RPG; I am led to believe that these people communicate with each other frequently outside the context of the game. If we are notified of any chicanery on your part, or if we suspect something by the change in tenor of the correspondence, our respective governments can and will intervene."
"I like this!" Smirnov said, only momentarily wincing at the outmoded Soviet title. "It will give Russia and China the benefit of this consultation as well. Besides, I have been looking for hobby!"
"You drive a hard bargain," Baker said. "But it does sound fair all around."
Benton beamed down to Area 51 to supervise the efforts of the Starfleet computer technicians working with American military personnel to mitigate the effects of the virus attack when a Starfleet ensign brought an ethical dilemma to him.
"No, I don't think it would be absolutely right to wipe out the business accounts of the Ku Klux Klan and Osama bin Laden. That would be unethical. But I think we could put the money to good use."
Later that day, the credit reports of the BIRPG players were immaculate as all of their bills were paid in full. Greenpeace, Amnesty International, UNICEF, and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent all reported massive anonymous donations.
The Ku Klux Klan suspended operations after it was discovered that its legal defense fund was bankrupt. The Taleban regime in Afghanistan expelled Osama bin Laden, who was promptly detained in Pakistan by an Agent Baker of the NSA, who received a Presidential commendation for his service. Baker was reportedly tipped off by an Indian intelligence officer. That the officer in question was the wrong kind of Indian was conveniently neglected in the press release...
Johnny flew out from Area 51 that night. As he passed over the Navajo homeland, destined in his timeline to be the 54th of the United States, he wagged the nacelles of the Dawn in salute. A part of him was tempted to land somewhere and participate in a sing, but he decided against it. He wanted to be with his true family for that, not alternate ancestors in an alternate universe.
Landing at the Virgo, Johnny paged Steve to the flight deck. "Just had a few things to wrap up. Now, how would you like to try your hand at flying this machine? She's a sweet one!"
Steve's eyes grew wide. "You're serious???"
"Yes. And not just as a pleasure trip either. Before we leave, you and Krys and all of the other adult RPG players are getting some training. You've got new jobs waiting for you when you get back."
Steve didn't know what he should be more excited about: touring the Solar System in an advanced Federation shuttle, or actively working to develop the things he'd always dreamed about on Earth...