Tom Pardue's Comeuppance

December 2nd, 2005

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in 1603, As You Like It, a clever comedy of sexual ambiguity, was performed at the Earl of Pemboke’s home. The author, Francis Bacon, directed the play himself, with the actor who had been his literary cover, William Shakespeare, playing a small role in the production. Tension between the two almost boiled over into a fist fight, as Shakespeare missed the prestige he had as an “author”.

in 1822, the legislature of the tiny Central American nation of El Salvador votes to incorporate into the United States of America. When the U.S. Congress agrees in 1824, the Latin American nation becomes the U.S. toehold in the region; this leads in later years to the establishment of Communist governments throughout the American hemisphere, with the creation of the Community of Trade by President Haywood.

in 1904, a second message pod from the expedition to the Mlosh homeworld reaches our solar system. The contents of this one are not released; the Science Ministry goes into a closed-door session to discuss the information contained in the pod.

in 1952, George and Ethel Landermeyer of Poughkeepsie, New York, became the first couple to have the birth of their child broadcast on television. This shocked the nation so much that a federal law was enacted to keep cameras away from delivery rooms from that point on.

in 1983, the television channel MTV, dedicated to airing rock and roll music videos, showed a video by singer Michael Jackson entitled Thriller. The overly long production, although featuring scintillating choreography and a catchy tune, totally failed to catch on with audiences, and soon disappeared from the airwaves. Jackson complained that MTV should have aired it on Halloween, a time when the subject matter of the video might have more appeal, but the network blamed Jackson’s overbloated production for the video’s failure.

in 1985, the United States landed a man on Mars, right on schedule. The NASA space program had moved from triumph to triumph since the moon landings in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and the building of a working space station in 1973 had laid the groundwork for travel to other worlds within the solar system. Gary Davis, the first man on Mars, had been a teenager during the moon landings, and remembered vividly the sight of Jim Lovell walking on the moon during the successful Apollo 13 mission; it had inspired him to become an astronaut himself in America’s thriving astronaut corps.

in 1990, following the long power struggle after Adolf Hitler’s death, Albert Speer seizes the reigns of power in the New Reich. The power of the Reich in Eurasia and Africa is challenged only meekly by the few remaining independent nations of the western hemisphere. The United States of America had openly thrown its support behind the Reich’s aims, and Canada would soon follow. The only major power in the hemisphere to still oppose the Nazi domination of the planet was Brazil.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney broadcasts a message to earth to let them know that they have Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin, and are on their way back. Thomas and Laughlin, after being checked out in the sick bay, are allowed to go back to their quarters. Instead, the pair go the spacecraft's engines and attach a small device that Laughlin had brought in with him from the planet.

in 2003, Pope Righteous I has a young maid executed at Buckingham Cathedral. The maid had reportedly found him in flagrante delicto with a woman of ill repute. During the televised execution, she called upon God, Jesus Christ and Estelle Gerard to save her. At the moment when flames engulfed her body, an angel was seen soaring down from the heavens to lift her up and carry her away.

in 2004, Tom Pardue receives his comeuppance.

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