Read Online Talosian Chronicles 3: Talosian Alliance by Ben Winston - Free Book Online Page B

was salvaged from the moon is actually the property of the country that claimed that area. Now, no one is accusing anyone else of theft, since the common citizen isn’t normally aware of international agreements. I’m sure the whole matter can be quietly forgotten if you simply surrender the stolen equipment to its rightful owner,” the man said and sat down, smugly. Most of the dark side of the moon had been claimed by the United States.
    Luke smirked at the man. “Mr. Ambassador, with respect, the ship in question contains a self-aware, sentient, artificial intelligence that selected Commander Williams, from everyone else on Earth. Commander Williams, after hearing what the AI told him, responded. Since the AI is sentient, it cannot be claimed as property any more than an illegal alien entering the United States could be considered property. Aid was given, and the AI was removed from the moon as quickly as possible. As for the installation that was built, we would be more than happy to remove that too, if you were capable of defending yourselves from the rest of the Universe. Simply put Sir, if you are releasing us from our oaths to protect this planet and the people on it, we would be more than happy to pack up and leave you to your own devices. It will be harder to do, but we would then return after the governments of the world have fallen and do our best to free the remaining citizens from which ever race has enslaved you. That is, assuming that’s all they did,” Luke replied. “So, Mr. Ambassador, your choices are this; accept us, and our installations as they are, or don’t. If you don’t, we will leave, and that will be that.”
    “Are you telling us we cannot explore the moon any further, or pursue space flight?” the British ambassador asked.
    “Not at all, Mr. Ambassador. We might even be inclined to assist you in such endeavors, dependent on their use and their purposes. No, if you want to figure out how to peaceably get off this planet, we applaud you,” Luke replied.
    “You have just told us that there are a lot of dangerous species out there, yet you are telling us we cannot launch armed space craft to defend ourselves!” the Ambassador from the Russian Federation replied.
    “That’s not exactly what I said, Mr. Ambassador. We see Earth as one people, not two hundred plus different countries. We have taken it upon ourselves to defend you against anyone that may want to attack us. What I’m trying to tell you is that you won’t need to build and launch armed space craft, because we already have them. To do so would be redundant and a massive waste of your resources.
    “We are here to help you, but we will not let ourselves be used against anyone else on this planet. Nor will we knowingly allow you to use weapons of mass destruction against each other. Anything else you want to do is none of our business. If we have a problem with something, we’ll tell you about it and try to reach a peaceful and mutually beneficial resolution.
    “We are not interested in making deals, or in mutual defense treaties. We are already defending you, we will not fire on our own people unless they are trying to use WMDs or are doing something else equally as devastating. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s that simple. We will from time to time offer our services to humanitarian causes and we will release technology that will improve the lives of the people and help heal the planet.
    “We came here today to brief you on the actions that took place over the United States and in the rest of the solar system. We did this as a courtesy to you. We also wanted to let you know we are out there, watching over the planet. What you decide to do with that information is your concern. We are protecting you, but we are not, and will not, be ruled by you at this time," Luke finished.
    “So you’re telling us we have no control over the military that is ‘protecting’ us?” the French Ambassador said. “What if we would