A few moments later The President's phone buzzed and he picked it up. "General Dagg?" he asked.
"Yes," came a very tired voice on the other end of the line. "First Speaker? President?"
"Just President right now," The President answered. "I understand you're looking for terms, sir. You wish to surrender, is that true?"
"I must have something, Mr. President!" the General answered, "something to tell my people so they will be willing to lay down their arms. Many would rather die than be disgraced with another humiliating defeat. But I have children Mr. President, I'd like to see them be fathers and mothers. I would like to hold my grandchildren. Can you give us some honorable way out?"
"If your Supreme One had been reasonable," the President answered, "we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now. Listen carefully...because I'm not going to repeat anything. If your people lay down their arms NOW I have made arrangements for them to be dispersed throughout the world. None will be allowed to stay in North Korea. But they will be given equivalent positions to the ones they now hold in other countries.
All gold and silver in your country's posession will be turned over to us, to be used to pay for the war. Individuals may claim personal jewelry which will be held in trust for them until they can pay for it with profits from their new labor. None of your people will ever be allowed to return to North Korea.
Colonists from other countries will rebuild North Korea, who have agreed to marry South Korean brides and husbands for the next six generations. The South Koreans have already agreed to this proposal. Those of your ladies that have funds hidden away in foreign bank accounts will turn them over to us, and they will be used to pay the war debt.
Those are our terms, General. You well might be able to hold your grandchildren. They might have a slightly different hue, but they would still be your grandchildren, none the less. What do you say, General? Shall we call it over? Or must your people be beaten into submission for I promise you this..if it goes on any longer, I won't even honor THIS proposal, but just take EVERYTHING, send The Republic Troops to occupy North Korea, and deal with the left over population in The Republic manner. And I don't think anyone in The United Nations would object with a word! Then you would have no grandchildren at all, General.
I'm getting very impatient and don't give me any more bull about having one more weapon. We know you don't have any. So what's it going to be...exile, or, sterilization?"
There was heavy silence from the other end of the line for several moments, then the General's voice came back, "Mr. President, we're a communist country. Our leaders don't have accounts in foreign banks, and we would not be able to marry among our own people in exile? My people find such unacceptable. I think YOU are bluffing. I do not think your country would let you deal with us in The Republic manner."
"General," The President snapped, "cut the bull! Do you want me to give you names and account numbers? Henry, hand me that list! Let's see.." The President continued, "Here we are! General Dagg, let's see...your Swiss bank account number is NC462G473. Let's see...your Carribean account is 4073-247-468. Do you want me to give you some more?" The President snapped. "Give me the names of some of the people in the room there with you and I'll give you their account numbers! The SSS is very good, General. They're the best in the world. I might not be the leader of The Spiritist Republics right now, but when we need information The Secret Service will still share with us. And if your people want to survive they're gonna have to get used to marrying outside their race. Because that's the only thing they're gonna have. Now, I'll repeat the deal, General.
You lay down your arms, you turn over all treasure, you accept exile and marrying into other races, or you accept mass sterilization. I'm getting impatient, General. What's it going to be?"
There were several minutes of awkward silence. Finally the General's voice came back clear and sharp. "One condition," he insisted, "those of us who are professional soldiers remain soldiers. We could never be farmers or clerks. We know only how to be soldiers. We will promise our absolute loyalty to whatever country that takes us. Is that acceptable, Mr. President? Couldn't your Republic use some good soldiers?"
The President smiled. "Not only The Republic," he answered, "I imagine The United States, Russia, England..they've all taken losses. If you swear now, to loyally defend them, I think they, too, might welcome you."
"I take it then, we have an agreement, General?"
"Yes!" the General answered. "Yes sir! We have an agreement sir! Thank you, sir! But sir, I was not bluffing, we DO have a device, and we're having trouble with it, but we don't know how to disarm it. Somebody started the timer. We can keep setting it back, but we can't turn it off. We need help, sir!"