Outcast

by Guerin Zand

  “What about the colony forces? They’re not going to sit on their hands while we attack.”

  “They also won’t be mixed in with the synthetics. As I said, we need to do our recon first. Then we can finalize our strategy. The goal is to take out the Alacians and capture Mei. Then we get out. Once we have Mei we can deal with the colony forces. We can handle them just like we handled the Chinese and the North Koreans.”

  “Then why not just shut down the colony first, and then go in?”

  “If we do that, Steve, the Alacians will know what’s happening and they’ll probably consolidate in one location to prevent us from getting to Mei. They’ll kill Mei rather than let us capture her. They don’t know we’re out here, or that we’re coming. They’re probably only concerned with the core world’s forces right now. We have the element of surprise and hopefully that will make the difference.”

  “This is your brilliant plan, Guerin?”

  “Well it’s this, or we just wipe out the entire colony, Julie. We’ve already discussed this.”

  “People are going to die.”

  “Of course they will, Julie. Since you refuse to handle this for us we have to make do with what we humans have to work with. If we do nothing, a shit load more people will die. I’m not waiting for them to make the first move this time. Do any of the humans here disagree?”

  Roger, Katie, and Steve all shook their heads. Roger added his thoughts. “Although I think we need a lot more information before we can act, I have to agree with Guerin. Removing the alien influence is the priority. Had we done this during our last incident we may have prevented some of the loss of life.”

  “Then let’s get the marines deployed to their ships and get the recon started. We not only want to look for the Alacians, but any sign of alien technology. That could be anything from signals intelligence to actual physical detection. In the meantime, we’ll review the latest intel on the Ganymede colony. Roger and Steve can come up with the operation details.”

  Julie looked around the table, then at me and asked, “Is there anything else, Guerin?”

  “Yes. I’d like all of you to leave Roger, Katie, Steve, and I alone to discuss some issues I don’t wish to share with the rest of you. I’d appreciate if you’d give us some privacy.”

  “Fine,” Julie responded, and the room emptied except for me and my old team.

  “What is it, Guerin?” Katie asked for the group.

  “Well, if all goes well, and we remove the alien influence, we still have the current political crisis to deal with as well. I’m hoping you guys can help with that. It’s why I need Roger and Katie to stay back in the core unless they’re needed to reinforce the initial assault. We need you to get the core worlds to sit back and not cause any problems.”

  “It won’t be that easy, Guerin.” Roger started to explain. “It’s not like the Chinese incident. The core worlds are loosely aligned individual governments. There is a centralized military force, but they all also have their own local forces active throughout the system.”

  “If you can’t control them, Roger, then you’ll have to contain them. As usual, I’ll leave the specific details of planning for this mission to the three of you. I’d suggest you include in that planning moving the shuttles and their resources to wherever they are needed. We need to be able to react quickly against any aggression from either side. That means I need you, Roger, to coordinate the fleet movements.”

  “I can do that, Guerin, but why not you, and why are you going down with the assault teams?”

  “Why you and not me should be obvious. You have the background to do the job better than I can. Why am I going on the assault? If I told you why you wouldn’t believe me, hell I don’t understand it. I’ve just noticed over the years that I need to follow my instincts. My instincts are telling me there’s more to this then our friends let on. I need to be there to deal with the bullshit we haven’t planned for. That’s what I’m best at.”

  “Why is capturing Mei a priority?”

  “Because Katie. We’re not trying to overthrow her government. If we can take care of the Alacians the next step is to negotiate a peace. We need Mei to negotiate. The FTL drive will be operational within the year if we don’t have a system war. That means official first contact is just around the corner. I know you’ve all been working hard on that. We need humanity united.”

  “And you have a plan for that as well?” Katie asked.

  “Yes, I mean, sort of. The problem, as it appears to me, is that these outer worlds are being exploited by the core. They take a lot of resources from the outer worlds while investing very little in those colonies. The living conditions are poor on most of these worlds. Radiation exposure is a real problem for those who live and work there. The shelters are poorly maintained since there are shortages of supplies from the core, and the supplies they get are expensive. At the same time, the core takes advantage of this and pays very low prices for the resources they take.”

  “So, how do you plan to fix that?”

  “After first contact, we can open trade between these outer worlds and the Collective. We can give them an alternative, Steve. That will force the core worlds to rethink their business model.”

  “See the outer worlds are making the same mistake the Chinese made. They’ve turned to a group of aliens that I’m sure have promised them help. The Collective likes to follow their own rules, so direct help has not been offered. Once official first contact has occurred, the Collective will have more options to offer help. That’s what I’m going to promise Mei. Full support from the Collective.”

  “Have you discussed this with our friends, Guerin?” I could see from Katie’s look that she already knew the answer.

  “No, but I will when the time comes. Yes, I know, they’ll probably raise a bit of a stink. I’ll ignore it, and in the end, they’ll do as I ask. That’s why I’m bringing Julie along. She’ll be sitting in on the negotiations when I make the offer. She can agree, or watch the negotiations fail. I’m going to put her on the spot just like I did the last time we needed their help.”

  “What can we do to help then?” Katie was smiling now.

  “Let’s get Diane involved. She is the most familiar with the Collective technology, so I’d like her to look at the issues in the outer worlds and come up with a list of things we should ask for. I’m going to ask they give us either the knowledge to manufacture that ‘diamond glass’, as I call it, or supply us with it directly. If the colonies could use this to build the outer surfaces of their bio-domes, it would solve the radiation problems. It has no offensive military application that I know of, so they should agree.”

  “You really think the Collective will just give you everything you want, Guerin? What about the fact that official first contact has not yet occurred?” Roger could always find something wrong with my plans, but I had already considered these issues.

  “That’s why Julie is going to be at the negotiation table. For once, the Collective is going to have to take an active role and join the discussions. We’re going to have to convince Mei that she will have the help she needs, but she’s going to have to help bring an end to the internal conflicts between the core and outer worlds. We need to make Mei understand that help from the Collective will come only after first contact, and that won’t happen while the core and outer worlds are divided. If Mei can help negotiate a peace between the two groups, I’ll convince Julie to provide some unofficial help as a bonus until first contact officially occurs.”

  “And what about the core worlds?”

  “That’s where I need your help, Roger. The official first contact is a goal they’ve been working towards. The fact that the Collective is out here is not really that big of a secret anymore. The governments have been hinting at this for years in order to prepare the population for the day. You need to convince them that they have to work with the outer worlds or first contact won’t happen. I just wouldn’t tell them anything about the negotiations between
the Collective and the outer worlds. We’ll get Mei to make the first overture towards peace. I need you to influence the core in these peace negotiations.”

  “Will Julie join in these negotiations?”

  “No, Roger. You’ll speak for the Collective.”

  “But isn’t that your job, Guerin?”

  “Officially, I guess it is, Katie, but you’ve all been acting in my place for all these years. They’re all familiar with you, and not me. I’ll be available if you think you need my help, but I doubt you will. I know that the Collective has chosen Roger to be their official ambassador when diplomatic channels are opened after first contact.”

  “You’re not disappointed that they chose me over you for that position, Guerin?”

  “No, Roger. You’ve always been the right person for the job. I’m just a pain in the ass, and everyone knows that.”

  We all laughed.

  “I think they just used me to find you. They have other plans for me anyways. They always have. Why do you guys think they called me back to help with this?”

  “I know you’ll want to disagree with me, Guerin, but I think they trust you. You and Julie have your issues, yet I don’t think she’d take your shit from anybody else. I think you’re still their emissary. When they need you, they call on you to act on their behalf. Sure, they let Roger and the rest of us speak for them, but they call on you when they think direct action is required. They trust you enough to allow you to make decisions for them.”

  “Maybe, Katie, but I think they just called me in because I’m familiar with the Alacians. They were concerned you might have gotten yourselves in trouble without my assistance.”

  “But don’t you see, Guerin? They could have given us that same assistance, but instead, they sent you to do it for them. You think their rules are dumb, but they make sense in a way. You’re still human, but you’re also a part of their society. They trust you with their power. They rely on you to make the right decision on how and when to use that power. It’s you knowing what it is to be human, and how humans think, that they lack. That’s why they need you to do these things for them.”

  “You know, Katie, I liked you better when you just called me names and slapped me around. I’m not sure, but I think you just said something nice about me.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. You’re still an asshole, and if you get my son killed I will rip out your mutant heart.”

  “Thanks. I feel better now.”

  Chapter 8

  Lunch with Stella

  At my welcome home dinner, I agreed to have lunch with Stella the next day. When our mission planning session was completed, I went back up to my quarters to fetch Maria. Of course, she was upset with me for kicking her out of the planning session. She started to nag me about what I was wearing and anything else she could. I took a quick shower, and when I was done, I found an outfit already laid out on the bed for me to change into. I wasn’t sure if my daughter had done that or if it had been my new personal steward, Prima. It was one of my Tommy Bahama knockoffs that the magical Bree shopping network had delivered. There was an orange silk button-down shirt with a pair of white slacks and deck shoes. The Tommy Bahama franchise had been out of business for well over a century. I probably should spend some time shopping for Earth apparel that was a little more up to date when I had a chance.

  I presented myself to my daughter for her approval. She just gave me a little head nod and headed out to the door. I followed her, and we boarded the waiting transport pad. I still hadn’t figured out how there was always one there when I needed it. If I had asked Maria, I’m sure she would have enjoyed pointing out the obvious and how stupid her old man was. I decided to stay quiet as she piloted us down to the Cyletherean compound. As ambassadors to the Collective, they had a pretty sweet little setup with a mansion and beautiful grounds surrounding it. We hopped off our transport pad and it left to go God knows where. I was sure it would be there when we needed it later though. We headed down the path to the residence and Nancy was waiting out front for us. She came up and gave me a big hug.

  “You made it.”

  “When have I ever refused an invitation from your mother, Nancy?”

  “Well, never I guess. I don’t think even you’re stupid enough to insult my mother like that.”

  “Don’t underestimate me, Nancy.”

  Nancy rolled her eyes at me and exchanged greetings with Maria before escorting us back to the family dining area. Sly was waiting for me with a drink at the ready. Sid, his wife, Nancy’s husband, and Milly were also there when Stella walked in to greet me with her usual hug and peck on the cheek.

  “I’m so glad you made it, Guerin. I was worried that you might have forgotten us like you have in the past, what was it dear, 200 years or so?”

  Sly just sipped his Gluark and shrugged his shoulders. They were a funny couple. Sly always reminded me of one of those hen-pecked men from Earth sitcoms. I knew it wasn’t really like that. He loved his wife, and I think he enjoyed watching her pick on someone other than him.

  “You’re just not going to let that go are you, Stella?”

  “Of course not, Guerin. Did I not warn you a long, long time ago about my ability to hold a grudge?”

  “Yes, I do remember something about that. So what am I going to have to do for you to forgive my past bad manners?”

  “We can talk about that later, but why don’t you grab a seat over here next to me and we can have lunch first.”

  For those of you that don’t know, Stella was my assigned counselor from the Collective. At least that’s how I saw it. Whenever I had issues, which was most of the time, Stella would take me aside for a little talk. It used to annoy me a bit, but I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed our talks.

  I took my seat next to Stella and of course, Milly was seated on the other side of me. We said hello to each other after we took our seats. I had a feeling there was more to this lunch invitation than Stella had let on.

  “So, Stella, I get the feeling that maybe this is one of those interventions. You know? You gather my family and friends to tell me what an asshole I’ve been and try to convince me to work on my personal development.”

  “Please, Guerin. We can talk shop later. Let’s just try and enjoy our lunch first. Would that be okay?”

  “Sure, Stella.”

  The staff came out with our lunches. I was served my favorite Steak & Shake triple steakburger with cheese and all the fixings. A side of fries covered in that magical plastic cheese sauce accompanied the burger.

  “So, it’s obvious you all know that I love Steak & Shake, so can someone tell me why there is a White Castle and a McDonalds in the food court, but no Steak & Shake?”

  Stella smiled at me. “Because that’s what the humans who actually spend time on this ship preferred.”

  “Stella, I’m sorry. I should have made the time to visit you at your home on Cyletherea. After the visit to Erandi, I was a little unsure of the reception you’d have waiting for me. I was afraid. Ok?”

  “Oh please, Guerin. I’d think in 200 years you’d be able to come up with a more convincing excuse.”

  “I didn’t spend all that time coming up with that excuse. That was just the first one I came up within the last few minutes.”

  Most of the table was trying not to laugh too hard.

  “Yes, it’s obvious you couldn’t even put in a decent effort for my benefit.” I think she turned her nose up at me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen that move from her before.

  I reached under the table and grabbed her hand. I looked her in the eyes and batted my eyelashes. “It shouldn’t be an effort to apologize to such a close friend. I’m sorry.”

  “You think that little boy charm of yours is going to work on me, Guerin?”

  I took a sip of my drink and sat the glass back down on the table. I looked over at Stella and smiled. “Yes.”

  “I’ve missed you, silly boy, but that doesn’t mean I forgive you. No. You’re going
to have to do a lot more kissing up to me before that happens.”

  We both smiled and I got back to my cheeseburger.

  “So, can we talk about something important now?” Nancy asked.

  “What is it, Nancy?”

  “Have you thought about what we talked about the other night? I have a list of themes for your next adventure, Guerin. If you didn’t like the one about being a demigod to a developing world we have several other ideas you might like to choose from.”

  “Hasn’t this game gone on long enough, Nancy? People must have lost interest by now.”

  “There’s still plenty of interest. We’ve expanded it to include more human-interest stories, but your conquest of the universe is still the main thread.”

  “My conquest of the universe?”

  “The rebellion. You remember the rebellion, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I remember the rebellion. It’s not really going the way I planned though.”

  “That doesn’t really matter to the audience, Guerin. The main thing is we keep them interested. Diane gave us an idea about you being controlled by slave girls. She said it was one of your favorite stories. With your accountants and the twins, we could probably do something along that line. What do you think?”

  “Well that’s been done before, so I’m not sure.”

  “How about this? Milly suggested you’d be up for a stint as a sex slave on a planet ruled by women?”

  “Do you have a planet in mind, Nancy? I’d have to do some location scouting and make sure the women were up to my standards and all.”

  “I’m serious here, Guerin. We have a lot of new players from Earth, and we’re trying to win over that market.”

  “You’re on the internet now?”

  “Guerin, we are the internet. If you had bothered to pay attention to what was going on while you were gone, you’d know that.”

  “The massacre on Claorin was a big ratings boost. If you could...”