The Core: The Dark Enemy

21: The price of peace

-An hour before the arrival of the skism sentinel in Earth's solar system-

"I am here to tell you that the time of peace has come to an end." the overlord announced.

"Meditati..." was whispered by several people in the packed coffee shop as she continued.

Dean and the rest of the world were shocked, hanging on to the next words she spoke, fearing the worst.

"Uplift phase two begins today. The common definition of uplifting a species is to take them from their current state, regardless of what it may be, and to work to enable them to be able to fulfill their species' intended purpose: to spread and explore the cosmos." Meditati clarified as a small globe representing Earth sprang to life near each person present.

"In the months since Earth's Uplift process was initiated, we have removed the prior alien race that occupied this planet and used it as a vacation resort for their elite. This alien race, known galactically as the Tela was responsible for much of the system of inequality that Earth has suffered under since they arrived. Here are some of the more notable Tela who many of you might recognize, as well as an image of what a Tela originally looked like." she said as images of various famous people were played in quick succession on nearby displays. The last image, an accurate representation contrasting what a Tela would look like next to a human caused several of the people to gasp. No one could have guessed that their former occupiers would look like rhinoceros-sized pill bugs.

"In addition to removing the influence of the Tela, we have also quarantined those humans who have proven to be most harmful to the progress of humanity as a whole. These individuals include the heads of mobs, drug cartels, human trafficking rings, many religious organizations, education establishments, businesses, news organizations, military, and other various establishments." Meditati said before pausing and letting the first bit of news sink in.

"Information into each individual's transgressions against humanity is now public as well as the sentences that they must fulfill to return to Earth. Nepotism, wealth, and power have all been removed from the equation and only their efforts that benefit humanity will earn them freedom."

Many people had been outraged in the earlier days when they had learned from the news that numerous elites in power had been taken away during the hour when the darkness covered the Earth. Dean could tell by the expressions of several of the people in the coffee shop that they still harbored strong feelings about this issue. One older man even went as far as to make his alien gift bring up a keyboard so that he could type in the name of one of the elites that had been taken. As the image of the individual that the man had searched for appeared, data next to the image listing her crimes against humanity, as well as video proof also appeared. The older man's eyes widened with each word he read and video he watched, causing those around him to glance at the information provided. Several people flinched away from the information, turning their heads so that they didn't have to observe the travesties that were committed by someone who had been a trusted lawyer in their country. The older man canceled the search and shut down his holographic screen, clearly shaken by what he had seen.

"In the last three months, we have cleaned up the earth, restored decaying structures, built efficient animal preserves and farms, and set up a sustainable aqueduct system to provide water to the soil. We have done what we can and have given Earth and humanity a chance at expanding into the cosmos."

Dean nodded as he listened to Meditati. He had seen the change in the world, both in the cleanliness and how improved the neighborhoods looked. All of the older homes looked restored and just the quality-of-life improvement of having homes cleaned and repaired had greatly improved many people's attitudes and outlooks on life. Even the air seemed cleaner. He hadn't smelled a car's exhaust in months.