Knowing the general population, that was not happening. Grocery stores were likely swamped and, in less civilized areas, he anticipated looting, even rioting.

At least the people around him seemed content to honk and yell at each other. They hadn’t left their cars to start trouble but maybe it was just a matter of time. Though charity was certainly limited with this crew. Frustration became so thick, it could’ve been cut with a knife. Warren understood, though he believed he experienced it far more profoundly than his other car bound peers.

All the more reason we need to get me up there now to confront this thing. Warren wondered when the media would find out about the smaller objects and if the Agency planned on telling them before it became obvious. Depending on where those things set down or passed over, they’d cause quite the stir.

Some amateur astronomer probably already knows about them, Warren thought. They’re probably trying to get through to their local news network with the information. Luckily, they’re all too busy to take such calls right now but soon, they’ll be hunting for a new source. I hope Jacks has a plan to contend with that.

Jacks proved to be a shrewd politician, the kind of man who worked well with the Agency council. He knew how to pick which battles to fight and rarely lost when he put himself out there. Budget concerns tended to top the list of his primary duties but he also had to go toe to toe with their superiors about project direction.

The engineers generally painted compelling pictures of why they should do a certain thing, giving Jacks the ammunition he needed to sell their goals. Early on, they had a lot of trouble with the French representative but he’d been replaced and since then, things moved smoothly.

Many thought the man had been sent to hamper their progress, to gum up the works in an effort to make the alliance fail. They never expected it from the French though, which made intrigue an easier sell after the fact. These theories remained on the down low, between technicians, researchers and military men working there.

A commotion caught Warren’s attention. A fight broke out between two guys after one called the other something foul. Other commuters stepped in to quell the violence. The tension of the unknown compelled such behavior, made tempers short and actions hot. Warren imagined the stress they must be under, the sheer terror inherent in facing an alien threat.

Critics of the Agency suggested it was spending a lot of money to do something no one needed. There were problems on Earth that the resources could’ve been used for. Some asked why look to the stars when our backyard is in such a desperate need of cleaning? The answer seemed obvious to Warren but they had to address it regardless.

Less than a year into operation, the Agency put people on the moon again. They began planning and coordinating the possibility of colonizing other planets. Terraforming research showed how they might oxygenate the atmosphere of Mars. Surveys proved there were much needed resources on the planet.

All we have to do is get there. Those words rang in Warren’s head and were the ones Jacks used to sell him on joining up. “No, I’m not asking you to lead a colony but to defend it. Police actions, that sort of thing. Once we start down this path, it’s going to happen quickly, Warren. I promise you that.”

They had yet to put people on any of the planets but they did have research buoys in place all over the solar system. It allowed them to survey the different satellites orbiting the sun, giving them the kind of information they needed to determine where to go next and how to take advantage of each opportunity.

Mars terraforming would begin within the next six months and the first bio-domes were being built to deploy on the moon.