Chapter 27:

We were all busy in the summer of 1996. Luna and I set aside time for our continued magic learning. We didn't want to fall behind our magic learning goals, just because we were also trying to save the timeline.

My father was scaling up his winery, which was in Britain for the moment. He was importing grapes, which is a lot easier with magic than with non-magical means. He planned to eventually relocate the winery to where we would be living, but knew that for at least 3 years we would be living in Britain. His local fruit wines were also increasingly popular. He sold to both the magical and non-magical markets.

Xenophilius Lovegood was writing a lot of articles in the Quibbler himself. Luna continued to write her column on logic. Otherwise, she avoided controversial articles under her own name, due to her increasing prominence in Starfleet. Xenophilius agreed to avoid certain categories of articles, that while independently researched, might give the appearance of his daughter revealing secrets from her Section 31 role. So, he tended to focus on ancient legends and little known magical creatures.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger went off to Kazakhstan for the summer for their jobs. They planned to often visit with Fred and George Weasley. Colin Creevey had a summer internship with the magical affiliate of the Nikon corporation in Japan.

Dumbledore, Luna, and I were going to tour all 10 of the Starfleet's directorates, with the US visit also including Starfleet Headquarters, over the summer. In our preparation he said, "We are going persuade each of the directorates, not just the director, to follow orders, as needed, from each of us. To accomplish this, each visit will have the same format, first we meet with the director, who already knows about your special knowledge, then we will meet with a group of top advisors with the director.

At each of these group meetings, Tom will correct something that I say, and I will acknowledge and accept that correction. For at least one technical question, Luna will answer it, while both Tom and myself will nod in agreement, but not add anything.

We will hopefully not face any open defiance towards any of us, but we will have contingencies to deal and correct any such lack of respect or acceptance of either us or Starfleet Command's authority, of course incorporating the need for judging the acceptability of orders before following them."

Our first visit was to Star Fleet Headquarters. Starfleet Chief of Staff Peter Quahog and a group of 5 others presented an overall plan using what looked like PowerPoint, or a close equivalent.

"The International Space Station will grow into an industrial facility, and launch the modular DY-100's from raw materials lifted from Earth. Around the year 2010, we expect the source materials to be mostly coming from the asteroid belt, and production facilities dispersed. Transformations will be common, with hidden facilities if the Statute of Secrecy is still in effect then.

By 2020, larger numbers of inhabited parts of the inner solar system, larger amounts of production of space infrastructure. In the 2020s manned expeditions to the other planets, and the establishment of permanent bases there, probably on suitable moons.

The defense network is less planned. As each element is developed, it is deployed as soon as possible.

Only when military technology is considered sufficient, will any experiments involving faster than light travel or even faster than light communication, be started. When the first experiments are ready, there will be a world-wide preparation for alien contact. Based on seer knowledge, we expect initial contact to be friendly, but perhaps overly controlling, while being helpful. Our goal is to show a planet that can stand on its own, and do the equivalent of shake the hands of our star neighbors without being under their control.

We also need to would need to prepare for less friendly star neighbors, and demonstrate an ability to fight at their technology level."

At Starfleet US, in the same complex, we were introduced to their leadership team. They also had a PowerPoint presentation, "We have several goals.

1. Find areas of technology to develop to help achieve Starfleet's goals.

2. Recruit and develop talent in combining magic and technology.

3. Keep our region and its affiliates peaceful.

4. Keep the economies of our region and its affiliates competitive with the rest of the world.

5. Take hidden steps to help the non-magical people of our region and its affiliates.

6. Have a plan for how to adapt to any future decision to relax or remove the Statute of Secrecy.

7. Have a military force that could be used at our discretion to defend our region or to be at the disposal of Starfleet to intervene elsewhere if needed."

I said, "We appreciate the frankness of your presentation. Section 31 safeguards the future of humanity as a whole. To do that we depend on the directorates to all work towards a mutually desired future. Looking to the welfare of your directorate is a necessary part of looking towards the welfare of all of humanity. What you have started is the proper role of a directorate at this level of humanity's development.

Remember how much has changed in just the last 2 years. We should be prepared for even more significant changes in the next 30 years.

We should also look towards a future where a united humanity will together face the challenges of interacting with advanced technological extraterrestrials."

Our next visit was to Dakar, Senegal. At our group meeting we faced some opposition. A deputy director said, "Why should we take orders from English and French people who tell us what we need to do for the planet?"

Dumbledore answered, "Their are significant grievances due to history, throughout the planet. However, we as a planet need to be united to prevent divide and conquer strategies to be used to put the planet as a whole under the authority of extraterrestrials.

Just as earlier generations of English and French used divide and conquer as a method of establishing control over this region, we as a planet must become immune to this method."

I added, "Section 31, and also Starfleet Command, wants and welcomes participation of all regions of Earth. We encourage applications to be made."

Dumbledore answered, "Quite correct. The geographic makeup of present committees should not be a model for its future makeup."

At our visit to Kazakhstan, we were warmly greeted by Director Morozov. He showed me a magical tea machine, "You liked Cafe Latte machine from Japan. Look at universal tea machine, from Kazakhstan."

It initially appeared to be an ornate samovar. As I approached it, words appeared in front of it. At the top were language choices, "English", "Française / French", and several other languages after it.

Director Morozov said, "Default language choice is taken from nearest badge. Your badge shows default of English and fluency in French. Try to order drink."

I saw one row with choices of "Black tea", "Green tea", "Mix of black and green tea"

The next row had "Milk", "Butter", "Yak's milk", "Camel's milk", "Kefir", "Flour", "Salt", "Fat".

The next row had "Sugar", "Sugar cube", "Lemon slice", "Lemon juice"

The next row had a slider from extra cool to extra hot. And it had a slider from small to large.

The next row had a green button saying "Start".

I picked black tea with milk. There was a mechanical voice that repeated my order and said to press start to make the beverage.

Then various nozzles dispensed what I picked into an ornate china cup with no handle.

Director Morozov said, "Choices customized to local market. Can easily be changed for any market. Also, next time you use machine, it will start with your previous choice.

Voice can be better, but we will not make it better. Voice sound like computer. If voice too good, there is uncanny valley. People disturbed when imitation of persons too close to accurate.

Also, plan is to have it recognize voice, but not ready yet, maybe in a few years. You would get its attention even from across room by saying computer, then a pause, then speak to computer."

Eventually we had a discussion with Director Morozov, after the preliminaries were out of the way. He said, "I will say what is on your minds. Starfleet Kazakhstan accumulating too much military power. We have advertised battle wizards. We start Starfleet Marines."

Luna answered, "It once worried us, but not for a while. When you took over Yugoslavia, the magical ministries reacted in fear. Fear, which led to action, as it turns out peaceful action. Enough copied your techniques to combine magic and technology, that you no longer have a monopoly. Most of the remainder, mobilized armies to be able to fight for independence.

While your results in what was a lesser developed area of the planet, was amazingly effective, other areas were strong also, even without amazing developments."

Dumbledore and I nodded in agreement.

Director Morozov said, "So you not ask me to dial back military power?"

I answered, "Not at this time. You know what our worries are."

Luna added, "And I know you do not want to end up like Khan Noonien Singh, who you have similarities to."

I continued, "Starfleet needs marines. What would worry us would be if, as an actual force, they had a loyalty to a region, instead of Earth as a whole."

We also had a meeting with a larger groups of advisors.

Director Morozov started their presentation, "Other Starfleet directorates show off what they do. You get reports, you know what we do. We wish to talk about role of Section 31 and how we can help each other.

Section 31 saves peoples from making historic mistakes that lead to disaster. It looks to future. It uses unusual magic abilities to see future to help understand trends.

We also look to future. We develop technology always thinking how people will use and interact with new technology. Look for better future, not just invent in most efficient way."

A deputy director continued, "The separate, but similar, method of development, of the now 10 directorates, helps provide a way to experiment and look at results.

We can see where people want to move to. The rate of increase in standards of living, of both the magicals and non-magicals of the different regions can be measured.

Where Section 31 can help with, is to see if any of the approaches of the different groups, is likely to head to a disaster. A disaster that can start locally, but quickly become global."

The next visit was to La Paz Bolivia. Their presentation was, "We are a new directorate. Our priorities differ from the others. Our first priority is in preventing wars and insurgencies throughout our region. We have had to be more heavy handed in this suppression, than was necessary in other regions. However, we think we have built up some deterrence against the repeat offenders.

Out next priority is basic economic development. We are not expecting, anytime soon, to be a leading center of technology or of magic enhanced high-tech. Instead, with magic, we can make very significant impacts in the living standards of our non-magicals.

However, we have some unique strengths. This city is at an elevation of 3600 meters, with populous districts over 4000 meters. These elevations would be considered uninhabitable for much of humanity. Some of the aspects of living in artificial atmosphere environments in space and on other planets, such as Mars, can be investigated here.

Another unique strength is that throughout our region there are some very unique sources of magic. There is still much to discover from ancient hidden magical communities. Some of the magic that can be used in space, might very well come from this region.

Dumbledore had some business in the British Wizengamot, so our visits to Russia, Germany, India and China would be later.

Russia had still had not recovered from the significant transfer of both non-magical technologists and leading magical researchers who moved to Kazakhstan before the Russian R&D center got started. Most that work in Kazakhstan do not even consider moving to other places.