Alien Deception (25 page)

"Sounds like a plan to me," he responded eagerly.
::But what if Leumas doesn't go along with our little idea of him getting off Earth?::
he asked, switching back to telepathic communication.

::I don't know. Maybe you can change his mind,::
she said, grinning playfully as she turned to gaze out the window at a plane taking off.

"Nice weather we're having," he said, smiling and reaching for her hand.

Chapter Seventeen

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION & LEUMAS’ PLAN

Was it coincidence or fate?
Leumas wondered, as he sat on board the commercial flight to New York City. Edward Samuel, the independent candidate for President of the United States of the newly formed third party called, "The Future of the Earth Party," sat across from him, asleep in his seat.

If he ever had to describe this human, he could have summed it up in one word, "average." One of Samuel's strengths was this "average" image the majority of people in this country could associate with. Average height of five foot nine, average weight of one hundred and sixty pounds, and a kind face everyone felt comfortable with. Now, with his average off-the-rack suit jacket slung across the empty seat to his left, his tie undone, he was fast asleep.

Leumas stared at him curiously.
How is it that your last name spelled backwards is the same as mine spelt forward?
he asked himself this question, still feeling the irony of it all. He chuckled as he tried to get more comfortable in the seat of this planet's archaic form of transportation. He had resigned himself to the fact that it must be fate; after all, his computer had picked Edward Samuel out from the hundreds of possibilities.

"Would you like anything else, Mr. Wright?" the flight attendant asked Leumas. She used the name he had assumed for his Earth mission—David Wright, a.k.a. Leumas.

"No, thank you," he responded with the warm, beaming smile he had been polishing over the past several weeks. He'd also been perfecting his crowd wave along with his handshake.

"Mr. Wright," the stewardess whispered, leaning over his seat. "I just wanted to tell you that I and a lot of my coworkers are firm supporters of Mr. Samuel." She pointed toward the button she wore on her shirt, and read it aloud, "Samuel's Our Man."

"That's good to hear," he said, again using his perfected smile. "We need all the supporters we can muster."

"It's time for an Independent middle class American to become president," she said firmly. "We need to get rid of all those special interest people."

"I couldn't agree with you more, my dear," he said, yawning. "Oh, excuse me."

"Well, I had better let you get some rest. I'm sure you must be a busy man," she said, patting his shoulder. "You two have a packed couple of days in the Big Apple coming up. Good night." The stewardess strolled to the back of the plane to point Mr. Wright out to her co-workers. Leumas tried to pick up his thoughts from earlier.

"What was it?" he asked softly, searching his sleepy brain for the train of thought he had earlier. "Oh yes, Samuel's last name is Leumas spelled backwards and how the computer had picked him from hundreds of possibilities." Leumas was not superstitious or deity-minded like these Earth people. He was a realist. What was—well, was, because it was, and a scientific premise or explanation backs everything up. That was where he parked his conversation with himself as he dozed off to a restless sleep.

Edward Samuel was a middle income American, fifty years old, who specialized in labor relations. His popularity came from speaking engagements he performed around the country to various labor and management consortiums. He was often used as an arbitrator on difficult stalemates between labor and management, possessing the skills to find that middle ground. A true diplomat at heart, he had earned a reputation for caring about the people he tried to help.

He was a typical American—married, with three children, a dog, a cat, mortgage and car payment—an average middle American family that people could easily associate with, right down to the braces on his teenage daughter's teeth. His wife and children were on the West Coast, drumming up support for the campaign, while he tackled the East Coast, including New York City.

Edward Samuel had also dickered in the political arena, mostly locally in his home state of Idaho, and even then had shied away from the two major parties. When speaking, he emphasized the limited choices that the two party-system dominance offered.

His saying, "A lack of a credible choice is virtually the same as no choice" became a rallying cry of the people during his campaign.

Leumas, now David Wright, possessed a background of impeccable character and was a pillar of society, the perfect resume to become Edward's advisor. Well, at least that was the way it looked on paper and in the old computer files, anyway. Leumas, with the help of his ship's onboard computer, had falsified all the necessary records so he could acquire a well documented and squeaky clean past.

According to available records, David Wright had been born and raised in a small Midwest farming community. Leumas had actually visited it to influence the inhabitants in the town, just in case anyone checked or asked him questions. He couldn't afford any slip-ups at this stage of the game.

David Wright had worked his way through college, and done a short stint in the military. He had always been interested in the Middle American, and that was documented by his participation in various associations and his employment in a number of agencies dedicated to that end. Some influence applied in just the right corners of society caused David Wright to come highly recommended as an advisor to Edward Samuel. "Just the man he was looking for," was the way it had been phrased.

Leumas had run numerous computer simulations and searches to find just the right person to become the country's "savior." It had to be someone who would be accepted by the majority of Earth people, a true representative of the working class. It had to be someone who was like them, but who was educated enough and with a position to do something about the current political situation.

Edward was the catalyst Leumas needed, the way to get the ball rolling and add credibility to the new third party movement. This movement was going to shake up the entire continent, maybe the entire world, and this was only the beginning. He sought out Edward Samuel and influenced him to step up his touring lectures, and to make his main topic the frustrated current political environment. All of this was highlighted by the latest controversies that had suddenly swept through the country regarding the current two parties.

Leumas carefully orchestrated little leaks of information to the media regarding the unbelievable collaborating of the parties, and this just happened to coincide with Edward's touring engagements. Controversy had been the key to Edward's success, for it was through this controversy that he had arisen from the ashes of the disintegrated two party system to become a viable presidential candidate who possessed an admirable top advisor—one David Wright.

David Wright paralleled Edward's theories and sought out the "true pockets" of American society, the working class. He encouraged, and from time to time, influenced Edward to visit key major areas of the populace to drum up further support. He concentrated on labor unions, manufacturing associations and anywhere else where the "grunt" labor force was concentrated.

Every leader, or person of power, was gently influenced to ensure their continued support of Edward, along with monetary contributions to the campaign movement.

"Yes, things are going quite well," Leumas mumbled, shifting his weight again in a futile effort to get comfortable. There were only four months to go before the big election, and he was ahead of the schedule that he had organized for himself. That schedule would usher in a new era to the space program of this world, even though Edward didn't know it yet. That, too, was only the beginning. He had to remember that it had to be done one step at a time. He had to be very careful in New York tomorrow, and then…

Leumas drifted off to sleep with a sheepish grin on his face.

* * * *

George Smirno, the party's area representative for New York, greeted Edward Samuel and David Wright when they arrived at campaign headquarters in the city. George was a forty-five-year-old executive with one of the largest retailers in the city who had fallen in with the charm of Edward's movement. He had been placed in charge of organizing a volunteer force to operate the campaign headquarters and to put together pockets of supporters in key areas.

George gave Edward and Leumas a quick tour of the office and introduced them to the volunteer staff. As they greeted each one, Leumas gave a little added "push" to each member. It wasn't much effort, because these people already had the right mind set about what they were doing. They believed in their candidate. Leumas just made them feel extra good about it.

George explained to them that they were still significantly short on the numbers of volunteers needed to cover all the City's districts. They were hoping that, with Edward's speaking engagement coming up, it would be a good opportunity to sign up some more people to help with the campaign.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Leumas stated, smiling with confidence. "After Edward speaks tomorrow, you'll have more volunteers than you know what to do with. I personally guarantee it."

"I hope so," George said, holding a file marked "Interviewee Information" in his hands. He tapped the folder. "David, we have several volunteers coming in today for interviews. Perhaps you would want to sit in on them? Sure could use your expertise in the matter."

"Be happy to," Leumas responded with a sincere smile. "You know, I'll do whatever I can do to help. You only have to ask."

"Great. I would really appreciate it," George said over his shoulder, as he was called over to answer a question from one of his people. Before George departed, Leumas reached out for the folder that contained the interviewee information that he had referred to. Edward, who had been talking to some of the volunteers walked up to where Leumas was standing.

"David," Edward said, as he began rubbing his temples, "I think I am going to go to the hotel and get some rest before the rally tomorrow. I'm feeling a little tired and I know it's going to be a long event. How about you?"

"I have offered to help select some volunteers," Leumas said, holding up the thick folder. He smiled at Edward, and shooed him out the door. "I feel fine, Edward. You go ahead, and I'll be along later."

Edward conceded. "Okay, Dave. But do get some rest yourself." He put his hand on Leumas’ shoulder. "Dave, I don't know what I would do without you. You have been with me since the beginning of all this. If it wasn't for your drive and perseverance, we would not be where we are today."

Leumas saw the honest appreciation in this man's eyes, and it made him glad of the choice that he and the computer had made. "Please, Edward. All I have done is talk to the right people and let you do the rest," he said humbly, yet sincerely.

"But it has worked. That's the key. It has worked. We are on the way to making history. We have the momentum for change," Edward said earnestly.

"Save it for tomorrow, Edward," Leumas said, laughing. "This crowd may not be as easy as the others have been. You know what they say about New Yorkers. They're a demanding and meticulous bunch. Probably one of the toughest crowds on Earth."

"Okay. I'll save the patriotism for the masses," Edward said, yielding. "I'll see you later."

Leumas waved good-bye, and then sat down at one of the many campaign headquarters desks. They were all plastered with Edward Samuel paraphernalia. He knew he had picked well with Edward. This human had the right mind-set to lead this country and maybe this planet. Personally, he liked him and envisioned a good working relationship for the future as they made history as they moved out into space.

He opened the folder and began looking through the many applications. His process was interrupted by one of the volunteers, asking him if he would like a cup of coffee. He politely refused. His gaze then shifted toward the window, which reflected the people walking by and the traffic in the street. George soon came over with another problem that drew Leumas to another area of the building. While he was with George, one of the volunteers saw that Mr. Wright had the application folder that she had been using earlier. This particular volunteer, Sally, had been calling the applicants and assigning them time slots for interviews later today and tomorrow.

This efficient young lady had gotten hold of all but one potential volunteer, and she needed the telephone number from the application sheet. She removed the form she needed and left the folder where she had found it. She returned to her desk and dialed the phone number. There was no answer, but she left a message. She decided to keep the sheet on her desk until she received a confirmation or could try to contact the person again.

Leumas soon returned to the folder and continued to review the applications where he had left off. He flipped through the stack, not really being able to tell anything from the handwritten information. He needed to see these humans in person; once he met them, he could tell immediately if they were the influencing type.

However, if he had scanned the one application that now lay on Sally's desk, he might have been able to quickly determine that particular person's abilities. The name that was written on the top of the application in distinctively neat handwriting was Sarah McClendon.

* * * *

The morning sun brightened the Earth's horizon as it began its ascent on the clear day. Leumas watched in awe from the limousine window. On the planet Zire, the atmosphere was never clear enough to see their star in this way, and Zire was located much further from their main star, as compared to Earth. Sunrises would not be as dramatic as this one, even if they could see it.