Chapter 187

Shambhala

Residing in the emerald colored glass clad seventy story tower were many entities of the United States Government. Calling these halls home were Agencies with vastly different and far ranging missions. One floor belonged solely to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On lower floors could be found offices of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. As you rose higher in the tower, the Agencies found grew in prestige and importance.

Calling the sixty third floor home, a recently arrived team of Foreign Service officers of the State Department could be found. Unlike consular officers found in embassies on Earth, these six men and women belonged to a very important and often overlooked portion of America's diplomatic corp. The Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs is an element of the State Department charged with promoting economic security at home and abroad. Balancing economic prosperity with national security, the EBBA is the nexus where international economic policy tools, trading trends, and import/export need converge. Accomplishing its mission through a system of Total Economic Engagement, the EBBA analyzes and employs all of the economic engagement tools of the U.S. Government.

Under the guise of the Pan Galactic Trade Exchange, the EBBA found itself teamed with an Agency it rarely interacted with but in this instance was essential to the overall mission goals. The Strategic Materials Division of the Defense Logistics Agency is a government entity many have done business with unknowingly. Tasked with providing safe, secure, and environmentally sound stewardship for strategic and critical materials in the National Defense Stockpile, the SMD stores commodities with a market value in the tens of billions of Dollars.

Commodities range from base metals such as cobalt, chromium, and zinc to precious metals such as iridium, platinum, and palladium. No private sector company on Earth maintains and sells such a wide range of commodities and materials. Historically, the SMD has operated as an international commodities broker for strategic and critical material for the U.S. Government, to meet national security requirements. SMD's reason for being is the stockpiling of strategic and critical materials in the interest of national defense to preclude dangerous or costly dependence on foreign sources of supply in times of national emergency. Recently added to their charter of materials required for stockpiling were those not found on Earth; naquadah, naqaudria, trinium, and neutronium.

Housed together in the Pan Galactic Trade Exchange, these two government entities would work hand in hand to fulfill this task while also opening access to the many items commercially available from the industries of the United States and Earth as a whole. The SMD would fix a target acquisition goal for the newly added commodities, while EBBA would set the price point and serve as the point of contact for the world offering these metals and minerals in trade. EBBA would also be the final authority for establishing value of any technology another race might seek to offer in trade.

The Pan Galactic Trade Exchange would not operate on modern economic practices normally found on Earth at the governmental level. The problem lay in the fact that while the economies of Earth were extremely well developed with easily used national currencies, the vast majority of worlds in the Milky Way and Pegasus had no recognizable equivalent. Instead, the PGTE would operate as a barter exchange, acting as both broker and bank wherein each participating world or government would have an account that is debited when purchases are made, and credited when sales are transacted. Compared to one to one bartering, concerns over unequal exchanges are reduced in a barter exchange.

The barter exchange would benefit companies and countries that see a mutual benefit in exchanging goods rather than cash. It also would enable those lacking hard currency to obtain goods and services. Barter in name only, the Exchange would employ a need driven price point to goods, and in return issue a credit in the form of US Dollars for items purchased. With the US Government acting as middle man, these Dollars would then be used to purchase approved materials requested by the foreign government or people. As an example, if Bedrosian's offered one thousand pounds of naquadah in trade and the current market rate of this material was set at twenty five thousand dollars per pound, the Bedrosian's account would be credited twenty five million Dollars minus a one percent transaction fee. The credit in this account could then be used to purchase medical supplies, farm equipment, etc.

Once the transaction was concluded between the foreign government or people, they would take delivery of the items purchased with their account credits while the US government would take possession of the material or technology. The government would then resell the material on the commercial market on Earth for profit, with the proceeds going into government coffers. One modifier in place for the exchange was a system of tariffs. Depending on the relations enjoyed between the US government and the foreign entity, the offer price for materials could be lowered by these tariffs or increased. Big business had come to the Milky Way.

Despite the Exchange's recent creation, transactions were already pending. The Kelownan government of Langara was eager to offer naqaudria for sale, in the hopes of purchasing jet engine technology from Earth. From Hebridan, equipment necessary for rebuilding the world shattered by he Ori incursion was sought in exchange for an assortment of wanted minerals. SG teams with Foreign Service officers in tow were even now informing the galaxy of the Exchange's existence, and of the opportunity to do business with the Tauri. In a relatively short time, the Exchange personnel would find themselves some of the most sought out people in the city.

Elsewhere in the city, Camille Wray sat behind her desk. Moments earlier at her request, Elizabeth Weir had arrived. Pleasantries were exchanged, and daily status reports from around the city were gone discussed. Running a city of this size took a large amount of administrative oversight, and the two women made it a point to always remain ahead of the curve on happenings within their command. During the conversation, Weir couldn't help but notice the constant smile on Camille's face. Finally, she reached the point where she could no longer resist finding out what the bought of happiness was about.

"Are you just going to grin to yourself all day, or would you care to clue me in?" Weir asked with a smile.

"It's not official until I have the paperwork in hand, but I have it on good authority that the paperwork should be here in the next diplomatic bag from Earth. Congratulations are in order." Camille hinted.

"What are we talking about?" Weir asked, perplexed as to the subject.

"It's rare that your government rewards the hard work we put in out in the universe. Elizabeth, one of those rare times is here." Camille replied.

"Camille, I honestly have no clue what you mean." Weir protested.

"I forwarded on a memo about your desire to actually give your people recognition and a home of your own to General O'Neill. He took that memo to President Hayes. It's my pleasure to inform you that the President has signed off on that request." Camille beamed.

"He did what?" Weir asked, somewhat shocked.

"You are to be recognized as the leader of the replicator race, and full diplomatic ties are to be extended. You are also being given a home world that your society can call their own." Camille replied.

"One of the planets given to Earth by the Jaffa?" Weir asked.

"Much closer to home than that. Using the exogenesis terraforming device, Mars is to be transformed into a habitable world. The materials necessary to build a capital city will also be provided to your people. The five thousand human form replicators currently on Earth will be transported to Mars. Elizabeth, this is your President saying thank you for all of the sacrifices you've made for your country." Camille stated proudly.

"I'm speechless! Who will help you run this city?" Weir asked.

"We'll figure something out when the time comes. Don't think about that right now. Instead, go give the good news to your people. When the paperwork arrives, I'll bring it to you. Go on, get out of here!" Camille ordered with a smile.

Across the city in the new shipyard, Doctor Nicholas Rush eagerly guided someone he deeply respected around. Freshly arrived from Earth and newly able to make full use of his body after years in a wheelchair, Sir Stephen Hawking took in the sights before him. As the mysteries of the galaxy were explained, Rush conveyed his utmost respect to the man beside him. Making their way through the shipyard towards the docked Copernicus class ship Hawking, the two men passed five new Copernicus class vessels now taking shape. When complete, the Johannes Kepler, Paul Dirac, John Dalton, Ernest Rutherford, and Niels Bohr would bring the total number of science vessels in the Tauri fleet to ten.