The third project

At the end of the third year, Zeus again invited the three governments to send one diplomat each. As always, they should take their questions in paper form and not carry bugs, he guaranteed their safety. Anne was ready immediately, Carin van der Velde had been promoted and Regine Durieux, a French diplomat, was sent in her place.

Wen Shi had retired from the diplomatic service and was teaching at a small university in Guangzhou. She had told Zeus on her last phone call, she had become blunt as a weapon and her career was more or less openly hampered. No, he couldn't help her, she didn't want this fruitless struggle anymore. She wanted to lead an ordinary life and start a family. Zeus made her sad face smile when he offered to be the father of her first child. Wen Shi drew new strength and energy from the conversation, and was very happy to think that the god really took her to heart. When Ray told Lin that he had offered Wen Shi to be the father of their child, Lin searched his mind to see if he was serious. She cleverly arranged that Wen Shi lay with Zeus every evening and after a few weeks Wen Shi became pregnant. Lin left Wen Shi's memories as a vague vision that she was devoting herself to the God with lust, bliss and fervor. She should know that she conceived the child of Zeus. Ray was overjoyed when Lin told him.

Wen Shi's successor was claimed by Mun Li Lee, who had worked her way up the corporate ladder primarily with her feminine charms and devious intrigues. The pursed-mouth 45-year-old diplomat was — compared to Wen Shi — incompetent, uneducated and, apart from the instinctive peasant shrewdness, downright stupid.

The three diplomats were teleported to the spaceship and waited a long time in the illuminated circle. Lin allowed Ray to take a good look at the diplomats' bodies. Mun Li pushed ahead as the diplomats followed the LEDs. China first! Theatrical fog, fanfares and scattering of flowers. The reception could begin.

Zeus greeted them by name, which seemed right to him. "Welcome warmly and in peace!" he began. "Your governments have solved my two tasks quite well, tell them my thanks for that! Most states have coped well with hunger and water shortages and thank you for that! The wars are mostly over, there are only local quarrels. I said quarrels ?" Zeus looked from one to the other. "Villages are still raided by gangs, the villagers beaten to a pulp, and the women and girls abused, molested and raped. Tell these gangs that my patience is exhausted. I will come upon them with biblical plagues!" thundered Zeus, his expression almost frightening.

"But there is still a great deal that has not yet been properly resolved on your planet. I will give you just a few examples. Measures against climate change. Pollution of the oceans. Human trafficking, slavery, the exploitation of workers . The forced prostitution. The ineffective generation of energy. Your strange financial economy. And a thousand other things - you can add to this list as you wish. For all these things you have organizations that unfortunately have not achieved much so far. These organizations need more support, more Money and more manpower. This leads me to my next task."

Zeus looked from one to the other and ruffled the locks of his beard as usual. "The rich of this world hide their money in tax havens or choose complicated constructions in order not to have to share their wealth. Your roads, bridges or rail networks, for example, would be in better condition if they did their bit. So here's my message: today in three days I will assign any hidden wealth to the individuals by name and transfer the money to one of their personal accounts. The relevant government will receive a list of the individuals and their actual assets. I will give your governments three months to tax these individuals fairly. If this doesn't happen, I will donate 30% of the assets to randomly selected organizations. Year after year!" Zeus looked at the diplomats.

With a wave of his hand, he lifted the benches with the diplomats until they were at eye level. The women kicked their legs uncontrollably and held on to the benches. He said: "Thank you for your visit, you will find the recording of the conversation on a USB stick in your clothes. Go in peace!" The benches sank to the ground. The diplomats bowed, murmuring "Peace be with you too!" and turned to go.

Only Mun Li Lee stopped and wondered what the correct form of address is, Great Lord or Venerable Master? She pushed her femininity provocatively through the fabric of the tunic. "Venerable Mr. Zeus, can I meet you in private? In private, just the two of us?" She pressed her breast and pubic unmistakably boldly and teasingly forward and fluttered her false eyelashes. He didn't hesitate for a moment. "I have no private dealings with human women, they are only legends. And the fruits you sell are not as sweet as you imagine! Go in peace, Mun Li, go!" thundered Zeus and looked at the Chinese unfriendly. She turned arrogantly and flippantly and left. The diplomats were brought back in the blink of an eye and stood blinking in front of their seats of government. The procedure was as usual, the audio and video files were played to the most important people and published the next day. Only the Chinese leadership cut out the last part before publishing it. Of course it leaked through the censors. The Chinese people laughed at the impertinent diplomat and there was a sneering shit storm that spilled over the imaginary whore. Mun Li left the diplomatic service immediately and holed up somewhere.

Lin smiled lovingly as Ray looked at her questioningly. "Of course," she smiled and watched together with him the pictures that were secretly taken of the bodies of the diplomats. The close-ups are sharp as always, every hair and every pore clearly visible. Anne was prettier than ever, he commented on Regine Durieux's body with a boorish, impudent whistle that made Lin laugh like a bell. He looked at the recording showing the Chinese woman's body twice in a row and said, "Mun Li is quite an arrogant and conceited person, but this time I disagree with Father Zeus, the woman probably has a lot to offer!" Lin agreed with him, this is where Zeus was wrong.

They swam in the sea and ate the best Irish stew in years. When they went to bed, Lin teleported Chinese Mun Li to his bed. Lin couldn't take her eyes off the two of them, the Chinese noble whore was really a grenade in bed and they only fell asleep at dawn after Lin had teleported the Chinese back. Ray was totally exhausted and slept until noon, after a hearty snack he dozed on the sandy beach until dinner. He exceptionally drank three whiskeys and smoked until he went to bed. Lin teleported the Frenchwoman Durieux into bed, straight from the bed of the lover whom she had to put into a deep sleep. The French was very passionate and experienced, in his breaks she surprisingly slid to Lin and made her happy.

Before breakfast, Anne Kilpatrick gave him a hug, and her inexperience never ceased to amaze him. He had a long breakfast with Lin and they decided to take a day off. They listened to music and Ray continued to read a thick book by T. Piketty. It was written very cleverly and in a way that was easy to understand. Ray soon understood a little more about economics. They swam in the sea before dinner and let the last rays of the sun dry them off. He answered Lin's question that Mun Li was great for once, but he didn't need her anymore, she was too arrogant and narcissistic for him, it was very repulsive. He really didn't need to have her again. Lin smiled at his question and answered, No, there were already some women with her and the sweet French knew her craft. Jack nodded with a dreamy look, "Yes, although I would rather call it art at its finest!"

The next day they went back to work. The Jareel ran lists of names and amounts on the ads, but they said nothing to either him or Lin. He spent a long time on the phone with Anne, so far she has only been able to confirm that the lists have been sent to the tax authorities of the countries concerned. However, the reaction of many rich people was bad. They smashed the door to the White House, demanding privileges, discounts and exceptions. They also demanded this from politicians, members of parliament and governors and were very persistent. It wouldn't do them any good, Anne laughed in a TV interview, Zeus would take their money! No one doubted that he could.

They resumed their work, there were still many remote areas where there was still hunger. Anne phoned Zeus and recorded the conversation. Her government wanted to know if he could give a clue to the energy production. He seemed to have inexhaustible energy reserves at his disposal, his spaceship had been observed long enough. Zeus laughed gently. "My dear Anne, my form of energy generation would also be accepted by your best scientists in a hundred years do not understand. You don't know the basics yet and any help from me would be too pointless. I can only tell you that if you invested a little more in this technology, you would be on the right track with cold fusion. It would be a big step in the right direction, I can confirm that. Your scientists have already discovered enough, but they receive far too little support. The oil barons and other profiteers of outdated but very dirty technologies are still far too powerful and prevent any progress because they have a lot of money to lose. That's the real problem."

Anne was not sure that President Andrews would be able to address this issue in his final weeks. During the election campaign, he no longer had that much power and it was completely uncertain who would succeed him. But she knew the President and would play the conversation for him. After all, he was the President and would decide. Zeus said how much he valued her and hoped she would continue to work with him. Anne became sad, it wasn't up to her, she could always be replaced by the new administration. Zeus promised to ask the newcomers for their cooperation. Anne had a warm feeling in her heart as they ended the conversation.

Zeus spoke to Regine Durieux. Their 30 governments had also passed the lists on to the financial authorities, and the rich in Europe squirmed so as not to have to share their wealth. Zeus praised her because Ray was still very grateful to Regine. It was good that governments got his message and knew that he was not making empty threats. He said goodbye in such a friendly way that Regine stayed behind in astonishment. Zeus might be a god, but he wasn't a slippery diplomat. She was used to the diplomatic twaddle and was amazed at his genuine friendliness. She had to rethink and think and act differently about Zeus. Nevertheless, she felt unusually happy after the conversation.

In China, a new diplomat, Podukhai Tsetsen Khatan, was well acquainted with the Great Chairman and very ambitious. She visited Wen Shi, who gave her information and advice for hours. Wen Shi, who lay in the god's arms almost every day during pregnancy and looked forward to the child with him, then spoke to Zeus and said that she had known Podukhai for years, that she was very different from her predecessor and that she was a good choice. Ambitious, hardworking and convinced that a strong China would be good for its people. She came from an old Mongolian dynasty and knew what honor, honesty and decency meant.

Ray and Lin worked for the starving during the day, in the late afternoon they went to the sea and bathed or hiked through the forest. They videophoned the parents in Marbella, who felt very comfortable there and reported on the wonders of the new city. The warm climate did Ray's father good; for the first time in the fall he had no gout problems. They dropped their bath towels when he left the mother to let her videophoning.

A surprising number of rich people in Europe, but also in the USA and many other countries paid their taxes properly or announced it seriously. Ray and Lin were honestly surprised, they didn't expect it. The lists of names flickered on their display every day, many with a green background. But there were many more who didn't want to go green. The clock was ticking, the days just flew by.

Ray and Lin were teleporting groceries to a remote village and laying their offerings in front of the elderly and sick when they happened to witness a village being invaded by a gang of thieves and murderers. It was horrific to watch the rapes, and Lin turned away. Ray didn't think it was cool at all and was seething with anger. "I have to do something!" he shouted angrily and slammed his fist on the table. He looked desperately at Lin. "I threatened them with biblical plagues, but they just keep going," he lamented. He stared at Lin. "I have to do something, now!" He had jumped up, occasionally glancing at the screen and stomping up and down. "I would love to rip their dicks off!" he murmured and Lin looked up. "Then do it," she said, "would that be right?" Ray looked at her dumbfounded. "Could I do that?"

Lin pursed his lips in annoyance. "We've been together for four years now, I'll do whatever project you want, I'll put the most beautiful women in your bed and you're still wondering if we Jareel can do it!?" Lin looked down in shock, she had gone too far, a submissive Asian woman didn't talk to her husband like that! Ray had walked up to her, lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I want to rob them of their manhood, they shall be impotent forever!" Lin smiled "Already done, my dear!" He scooted to the screen. The rapes stopped. The abused women pushed the confused men away and ran naked into the forest. The men stood together in small groups and whispered in embarrassment.

Ray had a recording sent to the three diplomats. No comment, only the geographical location of the village. It took days to track down the men. They had undoubtedly been robbed of their manhood, and the bond had broken up at once. Ray left it up to humans to understand what Zeus meant by biblical plagues. The story spread like wildfire across the African continent, and some robbers and murder gangs thought twice about raping women. Lin smiled her Confucian smile: "Not the gun, but the ammunition useless." It took Ray a second, then he laughed out loud. Yes, that was her, his Lin!

They continued to work and Zeus answered the emails from the diplomats with a smile. He affirmed that in anger he had brought this biblical plague upon the gangsters, "just as the God of Moses had emasculated the firstborn!" Ray and Lin snorted with laughter as they composed the mail, because Zeus must have seemed more likeable when he hadn't read the Old Testament so carefully. Anne and Regine giggled because they saw through the old smartass, Podukhai didn't immediately notice the lapse.

The day came, the three months were up, the world held its breath. Punctually to the minute, the stubborn rich donated 30% of their wealth to the recognized organizations whether they wanted to or not. No court was willing to challenge the donations, not this time. Zeus sent the list of donations to the diplomats and they distributed them to the 200 states. No one was harmed, no one became begging. The rich vented their anger on politicians, legislators, and those under their allegiance. But those who had paid their taxes breathed a sigh of relief. Most taxes were under 30%, they had acted wisely. They made it public, the media and commentators took up the issue. There was still a year until the next levy, enough time to calculate the matter again.

Ray didn't know the names of the organizations, he knew that the Jareel had carefully selected the recipients and sorted out the fraudulent ones. The grand total was over $1,870 billion and Ray felt the organizations would get a real boost. A little stuck on sticky fingers before putting the money to use. Ray knew about it, but it wasn't very important and he didn't care. The sticky fingers didn't hoard the money, they bought important things like new fishing gear, champagne for the beloved or a new car. He had understood Piketty, the stolen money boosted the economy and that wasn't a bad thing.

Ray discussed her work with Lin. They quickly agreed that if they continued at this pace they would wear themselves out too quickly. He had to admit that after only a few hours he was working more slowly and with less concentration, he had to take many breaks to smoke a cigarette and take a few steps before continuing. Lin knew this, she brought him drinks and snacks and encouraged him to rest for a few minutes after lunch. She herself was obviously of a stronger constitution and didn't get tired as easily as he did. There was no point in working until you dropped and not getting much done. It would make sense to organize the work better. 6 hours per day with an hour lunch break, one day off per week. They both laughed, sounding like what unions on Earth were demanding. Lin jokingly suggested forming a union, a president and a secretary. He laughed and would rather have a president and a chauffeur in livery. They laughed for the first time in months. They left the screens and sat in their armchairs, Lin served whiskey and gin and Swiss sandwiches. They grew serious, then decided on the new schedule.

They videophoned his parents in Marbella. The father had brought a magnifying glass to take a closer look at Lin. "Nice thing you have there, son!" was his verdict. He stayed longer because they were discussing something interesting. Every day he read a few newspapers from Germany and Austria to which he had subscribed. They spoke — like everyone else — about compulsory taxation of the rich. His parents rejected the action at first because it was an illegal expropriation. But it was discussed in the circle of friends, also because there was no one directly affected. People talked more and more about tax justice and the cheek of not wanting to pay taxes. His parents dutifully paid their taxes and felt it was injustice that the wealthy did not want to share. Most, including his parents, agreed that recognized organizations received the $1,870 billion. They had read about the organizations and agreed with their goals.

The changed working hours turned out to be correct, they were able to concentrate much better. Zeus invited the diplomats to visit. Lin let the ladies stand for a long time to "scan", Ray wanted to look at the Mongolian curiously. Then the usual, theatrical fog, fanfares and scattering of flowers. Zeus patiently waited until Anne Kilpatrick, Regine Durieux and Podukhai were seated. He greeted them by name with a warm welcome.

"Your governments have shown themselves very competent in the recent task of taxing the wealthy, give my appreciation and thanks. I hope they use the proceeds for the good of the people." Zeus ruffled his beard locks and looked kindly from one to the other. "I asked you here because I have another message for the people. I would like to ask you three to spread my message and actively support it." The diplomats were fully concentrated and listening.

"Recently, I punished and emasculated a gang of murderers and rapists. It worked for a moment, but after two days the gangs went back on fire and raped insolently." Zeus stopped scratching his beard and stared at the ladies. "Not that you think the old man is very thin-skinned, what's he upset about a couple of rascals? No, I threatened them with biblical plagues and I stand by it. A threat from me has consequences. I feel sorry for every single woman , no question. These gangs are like the plague for your community. Whole regions are left devastated and take decades to recover. Your governments are convinced that there is nothing they can do about it. That is not the case, they could do much more do that. That's where you come in. First, I charge you with calling on governments to take strong action."

"My second assignment is a lot more complicated. Listen, ladies! I will take action against these mass rapes from now on and punish and emasculate the rapists!" Lightning erupted from Zeus' golden staff as, at the word "emasculate," he rammed it into the ground so hard that the entire throne room shook. "I know, as diplomats, you don't have direct access to these gangsters. So it won't be easy to spread my announcement to the most remote corners of these gangs. But you have to, find ways and means!"

The shy Podukhai Tsetsen spoke up. "Noble lord, I have heard nothing of such happenings in my country. I would like to do whatever you ask, for I, too, feel anger and dismay when I listen to you." Podukhai looked at him expectantly. Zeus thanked her for her respectful address, smiled at her kindly and said: "It is therefore good if you find a list on the USB stick listing the events of the last six months. Regardless of whether it is your government want to know. 150 out of 200 states are on this list, pass it on!" Podukhai asked, "China too?" and Zeus nodded, "China too!" and smiled encouragingly at the dismayed Mongolian.

Zeus raised the benches so that the diplomats were at eye level with him. Only Podukhai kicked her legs in surprise. "Thank you, dear ladies, for your visit! You have been given a difficult task, I am aware of that. Now go, go in peace!" The benches sank to the ground. The diplomats bowed and murmured their greeting, then followed the LEDs into the changing rooms. They blinked when, a blink of an eye later, they stood in front of their seats of government.

Lin awaited Ray in front of the big screen, grinning. The recordings of Anne and Regine offered nothing surprising, but the recording of Podukhai excited him greatly. She would be the most exciting Asian he had ever seen, he said and added, apart from you of course, my love! They bathed in the sea and let the artificial sun dry them. Ray continued reading Piketty's thick book until the sun went down. For dinner there was a huge portion of Viennese Kaiserschmarrn with roasted plums from the Figlwirt, followed by vanilla ice cream with whipped cream from Rome. They drank whiskey and gin as they sat in their armchairs, chatting and waiting for Podukhai to go to bed, Lin didn't have to think. She put the lover into a deep sleep, as she teleported the 28-year-old Mongolian to his bed. Ray kissed Lin deeply and lovingly with gratitude before falling asleep very late.

After breakfast they brought groceries to the remote areas, in the afternoon Ray tracked some gangs in Africa and emasculated a few hundred rapists by evening. Often the rapes had already taken place, often the men were in the process of raping girls and women. Ray felt only cold anger and didn't care if the men were done or not. He struck mercilessly, sparing only the innocent.

In the evening he showed Lin some footage, but she soon switched off, actually she didn't want to see rapes at all. He rewarded himself with some whiskeys after dinner and chatted with Lin about the beautiful night with Podukhai. Lin smiled silently, since she had been there, but he had to share his excitement with someone. They went to bed laughing.

President Andrews opened the first commercial fusion power plant in Virginia and ceremonially laid the cornerstone for television cameras around the world. He also formally said goodbye to Zeus in an email. A week later he handed it over to the next president, Kyle White. Anne Kilpatrick connected the new President to Zeus on the very first day. A dozen advisers listened to the conversation in the Oval Office. President White accepted the congratulations on the election, followed by light small talk. Gradually, the President got to the point. The state of Delaware in particular suffered severe losses from Zeus' brutal taxation. Delaware lived on its earnings as a tax haven. Zeus added that the islands of the British Empire suffered as well. The British had already begun to introduce economic programs. Then he was silent. It was President White's job to save Delaware. The conversation continued in a friendly manner, in the end Zeus wanted to ensure that Anne Kilpatrick remained in office and with dignity. President White agreed and announced ad hoc that she would soon be appointed Special Envoy, which meant not only a much higher salary for Anne, but also a secure job.

Ray mainly worked on his gang project. He observed the raids meticulously. It irritated him that many rapes turned out very differently than he had thought. The women were beaten and forced, it was always like that. But many surrendered, did not resist, and some sought pleasure. He had to admit that he didn't understand the soul of African women. He turned to Central America and northern South America, where the gangs were relentless and brutal. He emasculated hundreds, thousands of gang members without mercy. The men experienced a deep turning point in their lives, the ties crumbled apart. After only a few weeks Ray saw how effective his measures were and he was proud of that. Lin felt how much the gang project was burdening him and put the beautiful Podukhai or Wen Shi in his bed every day. Wen Shi had become a mother, happier and more passionate than ever.

Ray slathered sunscreen on Lin on the sandy beach and kissed her neck affectionately. "Those were the best four years of my life," he whispered.