Detective, Prosecutor, Judge and Hangman

The pirates off the Asian coasts were the focus of Ray's work. Lin provided food to the remote areas and he lashed out at the gangs. He was detective, prosecutor and judge in one, he took his job very seriously and his curse rarely missed. He focused on the pirate raids on the villages that didn't want to cooperate or where there was something to steal, if only the fish from the fishermen. There were raids where there was only robbery but no desecration. He punished the robbers with a temporary paralysis of an arm or leg that wore off after a month or two. That was punishment enough for many pirates. Podukhai took their job very seriously, spreading the message to the Asian media that this was the biblical plague they had been threatened with.

The pirates have been raping the wives and daughters of the fishermen for centuries, mercilessly attacking the women and girls to satisfy their urges. They persistently ignored Podukhai's warnings and saw it as their inherent right. Ray had watched thousands of rapes, but his anger hadn't changed. He emasculated the pirates the moment they entered the woman or, if he was too late, when they had spilled. The women rarely resisted, because they didn't want to be killed. Ray could understand that very well, bare survival is part of human nature. If the woman was killed by the rapist, Ray killed the killer on the spot. He thereby saved many more women's lives than he judged murderers. That was the most distressing part of his gang project.

Sometimes the rape wasn't brutal and violent at all. The women didn't want to be raped at all and smilingly pulled the pirate onto their bast mat. "You don't have to hurt me to get your way!" said the translation module as the woman hugged the pirate. Ray found himself just watching the two of them and not interfering until the end. He glossed over his voyeurism by being a man besides everything. He was too ashamed to discuss it with Lin. Of course Lin noticed when he watched silently and understood him. Eventually she told him and that she was okay with it. He nodded absently, not wanting to talk about his sore point. It was still good that his wife understood him. Actual rapes infuriated him and he emasculated the pirates on the spot. The Asian pirates were very persistent and refused to stop.

Ray dealt with a very different breed of gangsters in Central America and South America. They were the most brutal rapists and also murdered many of their victims. It was only during this time that Ray developed his resolve to kill the killers immediately. He had discussed this with Lin for many hours, but she too agreed to kill these murderers. It was very difficult for him, but at some point the prosecutor and judge decided to kill the killer immediately. This had a resounding effect, the murders of women decreased rapidly and were extremely rare. The emasculation was terrible for the machos, they became pariahs in their society. It didn't stop, but the gangsters knew full well that a god was punishing them. And they feared a punishing God in their twisted souls almost more than the devil. Ray switched his focus back to the Asian Coast Pirates.

Zeus invited the diplomats to visit again. Ray, as always, enjoyed the sight of them. Zeus had the diplomats report on their efforts; as requested, they had brought statistics with them. Of course, Zeus knew the numbers better than they did, but it was a good opportunity to let the diplomats speak. Anne reported from Latin America that many rapists had been emasculated and murderers had dropped dead. She looked up from her papers and looked directly at Zeus. "Your work?" she asked and he confirmed that he punished the murderers immediately. Anne wanted to say something, but he continued: "Your democratic rules are all right, investigation, trial and punishment. My rules are not like that. I look into the soul of the person and can decide immediately. Decide fairly!"

Podukhai said it was similar in Asia and she quickly realized it was his doing. She had discussed the matter with many diplomats and party officials, and in the end hardly anyone had a valid objection. Regine Durieux had nothing to report from Europe, but in Africa the gangs still raged like the plague. The African continent suffered greatly and she, Regine, had minimal influence over the governments and rulers there. Even consultations at the highest level could not persuade those in power to act actively. The money of the Europeans were of course always welcome. Zeus assured her that he was following her efforts closely and that she was doing a good job. Centuries would pass before the majority of people learned to deal with their propensity for violence. The audience lasted a long time and at the end Zeus thanked her for coming. Ray gave them the good feeling that they were doing everything right and that the God loved them. They blinked as they stood again in front of their seats of government and felt the love of Zeus in their hearts.

Ray watched Lin's secret footage of the diplomats until he was sweating. He told Lin how exciting their recordings were, but that he still wanted to spend the night with her because he only loved her. Yet somehow Podukhai ended up spending the night with them. He kissed Lin gratefully in the morning and joked how good it was that she never changed her mind. He was hungry and Lin stole her hearty breakfast from a famous Parisian hotel. They took the day off, went for a walk in the forest and bathed in the sea. Lin served the sundowner on the sandy beach and they sat snuggled together in the sunset. Ray felt the need to talk about the night with Podukhai. Lin took his gesturing hands in hers and listened to her passionate husband. He was right, it was nice and exciting and he just had to talk about it. Lin was a little proud to have surprised him with the beautiful Mongolian.

President White loved ceremonial gestures, patriotic pomp and medals. Pompously, solemnly and patriotically he placed the Medal of Peace around the neck of his predecessor Andrews. White was a rich man and had paid his taxes meticulously with a steady eye on his career. So he came across as a little cocky and arrogant when the rich cronies called and wanted to squeeze out tax breaks. It was a dance on the razor blade, would Zeus be fooled this time? From many conversations with Anne, White got the impression that he wasn't impressed by cheap sleight of hand, and that he was right. Anne, whose salary had more than doubled, impressed the President with her terrific campaign to warn Central America and Latin America to the furthest reaches of the biblical alien plagues. The decrease in muggings, rapes and murders has been phenomenal. And White could adorn himself with these feathers.

Podukhai obeyed Zeus' command and carried his message to all Asian media. The Great Chairman had publicly praised her, giving her granite-hard support. The petty provincial emperors complained bitterly that the pirates were paying fewer and fewer bribes. Podukhai had never accepted a single yuan in her life and quietly had them fired, all of them. Zeus paid her respects during one of their phone calls. Podukhai's heart warmed, the alien really seemed to like her. Not surprising, then, that he often appeared in her dreams and sexual fantasies.

A major newspaper, the New York Times, ran a series of articles on the biblical plagues. The authors brought numbers, statistics and facts. The fall in crime in Latin America has been impressive. Nonetheless, the authors sparked a heated debate on the death penalty that kept the whole country on its toes. Where did an extraterrestrial claim the right to impose the death penalty in large numbers? Was that right or outrageous? It took weeks for the topic to disappear undecidedly from the media. Lin and Ray, of course, listened closely to the heated debates, but remained silent. Ray's mother was for it, his father was against. Ray chewed through every serious argument, but continued undeterred.

He followed the pirates of Asia and the bands of Africa. It was good when, in the midst of all the atrocities, some people mated without violence. He watched them smiling and there was no need to punish them. The supple souls of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian women, filled with tender drive, enabled him to better understand the soul of African women. The souls were very similar, the African women were a bit wilder and more demanding in their drive. Ray was always happy not to have to paralyze, emasculate, or kill. He was happy to show these recordings to Lin, although she wasn't as voyeuristic as he was. He could watch these peaceful unions for hours.

Most people had started August 26th quite unspectacularly, a summer day like yesterday and tomorrow. But the richest in the world sat on glowing coals. Just in time for the start of the stock exchange, donations went to the organizations that were pursuing good goals. Lin had rolled out a screen next to the breakfast table. They enjoyed the sumptuous breakfast that Lin made stole a fine hotel in Vienna and watched the news. The broadcasters reported with some glee that today's fundraiser had raised $1,250 billion for the organizations. Less than a year ago, but still a decent boost for recipients. Their presidents were interviewed for hours and asked what they did with the money and which concrete projects they could tackle.

From Berlin to Cape Town, from Beijing to San Francisco, the telephone lines were burning, the rich of this world were bombing their governments, what they intended to do against this outrageous raid. It didn't help again, a donation was a donation! Ray and Lin grinned broadly and calmly ate breakfast. Today was free, they read, listened to music and jumped into the sea. They checked the latest news every few hours. Zeus called the diplomats in the evening, the lists of donors had been distributed to the governments. The diplomats were very satisfied because the choice of organizations was excellent. Podukhai knew that China received only a small chunk because there were few helping or research organizations outside the party apparatus. She promised to raise this issue with the Great Chairman the next time she lay with the old man. Zeus/Ray chuckled silently. China's current boss loved young girls just as much as first chairman Mao Zedong did.

Ray and Lin videophoned his parents who were spending the hot days at Semmering, where it was much cooler. They were doing great at Semmering, but when the father left the conversation, the mother said he coughed a lot, maybe he smoked too much after all. But the GP wasn't concerned, so no need to worry. Ray was a bit concerned after the conversation. He asked Lin if the Jareel could do something about it. She listened absently to herself for a few minutes, then she nodded, her father would be better in 10 days or two weeks, he would then be cured. Ray kissed Lin gratefully and walked out into the woods for a few minutes, not wanting Lin to see him cry.

Ray had turned 38, Lin 24. His gang project was wearing him down and he needed a break, a day off wasn't enough. He brought it up in the evenings after they had turned off the screens and drank their whiskey and gin. Lin didn't feel ready for vacation yet and listened to him attentively. It was a long five years, they had worked on the screen day after day and had achieved a great deal, fighting hunger and bandits. Armies stopped shooting at each other and the rich donated to organizations that had good and wise causes. Mankind progressed in small steps. Ray, Zeus and Lin didn't have to push the next big goal, the destruction of the world, the oceans and the global climate. There were enough people in the governments and organizations who pushed it forward of their own accord and out of insight. The droughts, the forest fires and the floods spoke an unbearable language.

Lin wanted to know if he wanted to take a vacation, incognito on Earth? He thought for a long time, there was much to be said for and against. Ultimately he dismissed the notion that Zeus was often needed on an ad hoc basis right now, and that was far more important than a sailing trip in the Caribbean. Lin's suggestion of lounging around for a week three or four times a year without leaving the spaceship was a very good idea. There was nothing wrong with that and Ray giggled that the woman union president would win. Rowing a boat to the small islets or camping in the woods for a night was something new, just lying lazily on the couch and watching films or series. They continued to work normally and determined when they would take a week's vacation.

Ray thoroughly enjoyed the first week off. Lin brought the most unusual delicacies to the table, they tasted the finest wines, and Lin held back, giving him space and air to breathe deeply. Every night she put a desirable Asian woman with him. She chose the girls carefully, she had to be willing and conform to his preferences. Ray was well rested, refreshed and full of new energy after this week.

President White reiterated in several interviews that he believed in voluntary and involuntary taxation of the wealthy. Many problems were solved and projects were implemented. Never before have so many countries had such well-developed social networks, which benefited many people. Mankind developed and researched on an unprecedented scale. The global economy produced record after record. The developed countries helped generously and brought education to the less developed countries. Afghanistan has been despised around the world because it denies education to girls still refused. Of course, President White couldn't claim everything for himself, but he strutted in and out of interviews like the leader of the western world, the vain peacock. Anne secretly despised her boss, but kept it to herself. Most people saw through his mask, but no one was outraged by it. One thing White did just as well as Andrews did was put good people to work and didn't interfere with them. His administration made every effort to hire the best of the best. It was difficult because every uncle had to find a lucrative job for an incompetent nephew. It was an annoyance that couldn't be dismissed.

China, as a world power, could afford to fight the piracy on the Asian coasts with its mighty army and its countless ships. Podukhai had a key ally in the Minister of War who would have been happy to send his army into action. Podukhai launched media campaigns and brought the evil of the pirates into the public consciousness. She didn't shy away from lying with the impotent Old Man week after week and doing his will. In tiny steps she managed to persuade him. It was good for the party, for China and for international recognition anyway. China attacked the pirates. Zeus could hear in her phone calls how much reluctance she had to suppress in order to lie down with the old man and pretend passion.

For Ray and Lin, the change in working hours and vacation weeks have been a noticeable improvement. They spent much more time together, often discussing real issues of humanity and the planet. The pollution of the atmosphere and the oceans fueled the deterioration of the climate, social imbalances allowed rich and poor to drift apart more and more. Ray mused aloud that with a little mumbo-jumbo the Jareel could remove all of this. But Lin and the Jareel who spoke from her mouth thought nothing of it. Firstly, it would not be sustainable, because secondly, people could only change their behavior themselves. For example, if they cooled the climate by 5 degrees or fished the plastic out of the oceans, then people would continue to pollute the air, and so would the oceans. Ending the wars was sustainable, ending hunger as well, and taxing the wealthy led to an immediate rethink. Ray knew Lin and the Jareel were right. Mankind had to develop step by step and solve the problems themselves. It was true, of course, that it took hocus-pocus to end the wars, but it was the people themselves who turned it into a peace order. It was, of course, hoax to start the fight against hunger, but it was the people who addressed the distribution issue and made self-sufficiency a priority. Initiating fair taxation of the wealthy was, of course, hoax, but it was the people who did something useful with the money, invested heavily in research, and funded organizations that addressed the myriad problems of humanity and the planet. His gang project would not have been possible without Hocus-Pocus, but it was the people who realized that the spook could be stopped or at least some of the gang problem solved. Lin looked at him with big eyes, "You understand that, my darling?" Ray agreed that it would be wrong to try to mumbo-jumbo.

Lin looked straight at him. "The Jareel are interested in putting mankind on the right path. There were only two paths, one would lead mankind into the fellowship of the peoples of the universe, the other would be doom, the end of the Homo Sapiens experiment. Like Zeus had said from the beginning the Jareel want to save humanity. There is still time for that." Ray lowered his head because that was exactly what was on his mind. He didn't have to say it, Lin knew it.

Lin took care of the remote areas and villages daily, searched for these regions and walked from hut to hut with the "camera". She now moved about frequently in Chinese villages, since little attention was paid to the old and sick. It was mainly Chinese cities that were deprived of their food. Podukhai was always careful when she lay with the Old Man, the palace had eyes and ears everywhere. Still, she warned him that the people would not endure the lies of the state media forever. It was dangerous, wrong and also endangered him personally when the people were lied to and talked about generous food donations. But he remained stubborn and didn't want to be forced into anything by this strange alien, no matter what! It was bad enough that the world power China had been disarmed. The chairman spoke in private circles from compulsory taxation, because he himself had not amassed any fortune and despised those who raked in money and thus also betrayed the goals of the party. In private, he was heard murmuring, "Serve them right!" Podukhai often spoke to Zeus on the phone and was bitter that she was not getting much more from the chairman. Zeus always managed to lift her up and send her into battle again with vigour. It is not in vain if she prostitutes herself. With every conversation, he emphasized how much he appreciated and loved her. Podukhai felt this love warm in her heart after every conversation.

Lin and Ray also enjoyed the vacation weeks because they gave each other space and time and didn't sit on top of each other. It was really good for them to give each other space. Lin gained her inner strength and balance as she often took a lover with a loin on vacation. She loved very much to devote a day to a specific topic and research the subject. Be it the silk mill or the medieval courts, she was interested in everything. Of course, she would hang out with Ray when it was convenient for the two of them.

Ray focused on the gang project, letting killers die and being more forgiving of the others. He used paralyzing on younger ones rather than emasculating. He understood better than before what a strong sexual emergency drove the younger ones. As long as they didn't kill or use excessive force, he gave them time and only paralyzed them after mating. It seemed fairer to him. Of course, in the evening he liked to look at the records of couples who did not use violence. Lin smiled knowingly that was her Ray!

Ray knew he was becoming more lenient towards the pirates. He hated punishing murderers immediately with death. He hated that some pirates, driven by the sheer lust for murder, killed the girls and deserved to die. Much quicker than before, he intervened and paralyzed the killer before the murder. It was very tiring to follow the proceedings and prevent the murder, but he always breathed a sigh of relief when he succeeded. Lin smiled and encouraged him, giving him the strength to continue. Struck by lightning, the killers collapsed and lay on the ground, paralyzed and terrified, before they could kill.

Neither he nor Lin could say later how they got the idea to take a closer look at the money going to the organizations.