WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 315: Greek Islands (15)

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“Last year, the United States stood at the brink of collapse. I do not mean the arrival of the plague. I am speaking of our economy, which had already been falling apart before then.”

He gave them time to digest that, then his explanation began to build in earnest.

“The wave of collapse came rolling in from every land across the sea. We could no longer buy any of the goods we wanted from over there, and none of the goods we produced here could be sold over there. Cargo with nowhere to go piled up. Factories cut off from raw material supplies shut down. Farms that had lost their markets could no longer repay their loans. Companies that had not been paid faced bankruptcy, and as a result countless workers were on the verge of losing their jobs. Banks stood just short of insolvency. Temporary emergency martial law and the executive orders piling up day after day were the only respirator keeping our economy alive. The old economic system... no longer existed.”

By that point in time, international trade had been completely paralyzed. In some ways, things were better now. Limited trade had resumed with the few countries that had overcome the chaos. Russia was the foremost example. The prevailing view was that without the various resources imported from there, especially rare earths, North America’s own production capacity would have struggled badly.

“But our farms had not vanished. Our factories were still there. We still had excellent technology capable of replacing imports, and our citizens still had the will to overcome hardship. We may have lost the ability to bring in raw materials from overseas, but God blessed this land with every kind of resource we need. As the victory we have just won proves, this country had the strength to overcome the crisis. We simply did not know where to begin, or how.”

“Let me correct myself. This country had the strength to overcome the crisis, but that strength was divided by countless internal interests. Everyone agreed that a new order had to be built before paper money turned into scrap paper, but everyone had a different opinion on what kind of order it should be.”

“They were afraid as well. Some had to accept holes in their balance sheets. Some had to keep manufacturing and employment going regardless of losses. Some had to provide goods and services without receiving payment. All while trusting only in the government’s credit. Even if these were only short-term measures until a new economic order could be established, the reality felt very different to those who would suffer immediate losses. Some accepted it willingly. Others did not.”

“Those in the latter group thought this way. What if they were being deliberately excluded from the new order? Was there any guarantee that the government’s measures would succeed? Would it not be a surer investment to pursue self-help rather than sacrifice for the public good? If the system was going to collapse anyway, then while money still had value, should they not stockpile food and supplies, build fortress-like shelters in remote terrain, hire private soldiers, and secure their own survival and safety...?”

“It was hard to view this as nothing but selfishness. Ever since I took office as president, I had been politically opposed to them. Corporations that had not paid a single tax in over ten years, executives who still received enormous bonuses, and wealthy individuals who operated charitable foundations solely to avoid taxes had ample reason to fear exclusion by the government.”

“But I desperately needed their cooperation. Each one of them had greater economic influence than hundreds of thousands of ordinary American citizens. Therefore, each individual act of deviation from them would have been like a spark falling into a dry forest.”

“I considered forced seizure and state-led redistribution as well, but that was not an option. After all, they had obeyed the law. Violating their rights unilaterally despite that would not only run contrary to the spirit of America, it also raised the fear of lawless chaos born from extralegal measures. I am the president of the United States and the first guardian of the Constitution. I cannot break the law myself while demanding order only from others. That would justify their taking up arms and fighting.”

Gyeoul understood the feeling embedded in those words.

‘The right to resist an unjust government by force...’

From the perspective of American conservatives, citizens carrying firearms was also a symbol of the right of resistance. If the president had chosen an extreme measure, a coalition with the Republican Party would have remained nothing but a dream.

One wrong step, and it would have been civil war.

“That is why I proposed 『Greek Islands』.”

The cause of the controversy had been mentioned once again. But after hearing the background, it felt different from before. Merriweather stood with arms crossed, oblivious to the surroundings. Their expression was still grave, but the anger had stepped back, replaced by cautious waiting. The Sikh, likely used to discrimination, stroked their beard and fell into thought. Then there was Lieutenant Foster, who seemed fully persuaded.

“In return for cooperating with government policy and providing additional funds, I promised to guarantee them extraordinary privileges. Tickets aboard the ark.”

“Thanks to this plan, and thanks to their active cooperation... our finest scholars were able to secure the time needed to rebuild the American economy. You could call it a critical window. The result is plain for all of you to see. McDonald’s still sells Big Macs. If you work, you can earn money, and at the supermarket, you can pay money and buy goods. The variety of products is not what it once was, but prices have stabilized again. Phones and the internet still work, and our soldiers have been supplied with sufficient weapons. Even with disaster refugees numbering in the tens of millions, the gap between rich and poor has actually narrowed slightly. Everyone, we won two wars.”

In the brief pause that followed, applause came from somewhere. When the president looked in that direction, the camera moved with him. One member of the press had risen to give a standing ovation. It did not suit that person’s role or the nature of the occasion, yet they kept up their solitary applause for more than ten seconds. Around them, some frowned, while others gave faint nods. No one, however, objected.

The camera turned forward again. “Thank you.” After expressing his thanks, the president returned to the main point.

“And... because of this plan, secret supply bases were built in hundreds of remote locations. Even an airship equipped with a reactor cannot remain aloft forever. Now that the Patrick Henry-class has been converted into an aerial battery for the Air Force, those sites will be repurposed as evacuation facilities for civilians. It was infrastructure we would have had to build someday.”

It was a consequentialist excuse. Yet now that he had argued for the necessity of the plan, there was less room to criticize him. In any case, the president had been prepared to die alongside the citizens.

‘That is, if none of it is a lie.’

Competence and sincerity were separate virtues. Judging by the president’s record, it was likely true, but that was Gyeoul’s personal judgment and nothing more than 「Insight」. Perhaps thinking the same thing, the dark-skinned senior NCO still looked deeply doubtful, but some of the tension had gone out of Merriweather’s shoulders. A softened remark slipped out with a sigh.

“I just hope everything he’s said so far is true...”

The other two did not add their own opinions. For now, it was still too early to decide anything.

“One more thing. The budget for 『Greek Islands』 was handled opaquely.”

“To put it simply, we kept two sets of books. We requested more funds than necessary, executed the same budget item more than once, and the resulting difference was laundered through the Secret Service before being funneled into the relief budget for disaster refugees and the defense donation fund. An audit by the Treasury Department is scheduled to begin tomorrow on this matter. The truth must be determined.”

“In addition, I wish to apologize to the sponsors of this plan. I say this here and now. I am sorry. Though it was for a greater cause, I abused the authority of the presidency, deceived you, and caused you unlawful losses. Even though you, too, are among the citizens I am bound to protect.”

Gyeoul felt a strange sense of dissonance from President MacMillan’s solemn demeanor. Were those not words worse than saying nothing at all? At first glance, it sounded like shallow rhetoric meant to protect the president himself, but depending on the intent, it could also be profound consideration meant to protect the beneficiaries of 『Greek Islands』. Gyeoul’s instinct, sharpened by reading what lay beneath the surface, leaned toward the latter. 「Perception」, linked to 「Insight」, strongly supported that read.

‘Right. In a political fight this large, information about the people who provided the funds will come out soon too.’

There was a real possibility that the citizens’ violent anger would turn toward them. Assuming Gyeoul was right, the president intended to brand the plan’s sponsors as villains who had been duped like fools. The citizens would not view them kindly, of course, but they would at least refrain from launching violent collective action.

“Finally, the matter of neutron bombs and toxin remains.”

The president gave a powerless smile.

“As for the nuclear missiles... that accusation is truly baseless slander.”

“I knew it.”

It was Foster’s mutter, loud enough for everyone to hear. The flushed staff officer clenched a fist, looking like a fan watching their team load the bases in a Major League game.

“First, there are parts that are true. The increase in production and deployment of neutron bombs... and the fact that when the Morgellons complex is destroyed by radiation, it releases a psychoactive toxin.”

“...What?”

The operations officer let out a dumbfounded sound. Nor was that confusion unique to Foster. The soldiers who had carried out operations in the city where a tactical nuclear weapon had detonated last year had dismissed the very existence of the toxin as nonsense. Yet the president had just acknowledged it.

“I should begin with this. The reason several days passed between the first exposé and today’s appearance before you was that we had to obtain the Russian government’s consent before revealing information about the toxin. As everyone knows, radiation-contaminated mutants are sometimes found there.”

Gyeoul, who had thought the press conference was late despite them having had ample time to prepare, finally understood. Even in this world, news crossed borders and seas. They had to consider the effect information disclosed in the United States would have on soldiers on the Russian front.

‘Even when I saw it on the news, I thought the radiation itself was not much of a problem...’

A mutant was still a living creature. No matter how much its DNA repair ability had improved, it could not go around emitting a lethal dose of radiation.

“One of the reasons Russia continues to struggle in the quarantine war is this toxin. Special mutants adapted to radiation contamination... according to the code names given there, they are called Likoradka or Chernobog depending on the type... and in places where these creatures are found, the concentration of the toxin also continues to rise.”

“When a person comes into contact with it, an amount below the standard threshold has no particular effect. But once it passes a certain critical point, the victim begins to suffer lethargy, depression, chronic fatigue, and mild hallucinations. When exposure reaches a fatal level, the victim eventually loses their reason and displays cannibalistic urges. According to our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which studied the samples, it has no other effects... but an antidote has not been developed. That is why the Russian government, even under difficult circumstances, is making an effort to rotate its troops regularly. My apologies. I will take questions in a moment.”

One reporter could not hold back and raised a hand. After calming that person, the president nodded.

“This administration was aware of the toxin’s existence even before Russia provided information. However, Russian research data was far more extensive and accurate when it came to its effects on the human body. Based on that data, we have analyzed the amount of toxin generated during a nuclear strike and its environmental impact. This is the environmental impact assessment that Candidate Kramer mentioned.”

“Blockade Command deployed troops into Sacramento because, according to that assessment, the concentration of residual toxin near the hypocenter had fallen to a negligible level. It had scattered over time or decomposed naturally. The fact that no damage has occurred so far is proof.”

“The same research is also the basis for the increased production and deployment of neutron bombs. In any case, they were found to be the safest type of nuclear weapon. However, this has nothing to do with 『Greek Islands』. They were simply prepared as a last resort in case the quarantine front collapsed. Think about it. If toxin spreads on the jet stream, would people aboard airships be safe? The Patrick Henry-class does not have the ability to ascend into the stratosphere. As I confirmed earlier, it also does not have the ability to remain in flight forever. Eventually, it must come down somewhere.”

“The reason we kept information about the toxin classified until now was to prevent rash action. If people came to believe there existed a nuclear weapon free from the problem of spreading infection, or if exaggerated fear of the toxin spread... neither outcome would have been desirable, and the former required particular caution. The research is not finished yet. We still know next to nothing about the effects accumulated toxin may have on the ecosystem.”

Having finished all his explanations, the president let out a long sigh.

“That is all for my prepared remarks. However, if I may add one personal word... I, and this administration, have always done our utmost to protect the lives and rights of our citizens. That is a fact that will not change regardless of who becomes the next president. 『Out of many, one.』 As long as we do not forget the will on which this nation was founded, America’s future will always stand firm.”

“I will now take questions.”

At those words, the reporters all raised their hands at once.

Footnotes:

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