Coeus?

by Andur

  No, I suppose not. I even doubt that long term coexistence is possible.

  The Drazi's minds are more animalistic than logical. They barely scratch the edge of creativity and compassion for other members of their species. Everything else is regarded as vermin which has to be removed sooner or later. A Drazi's priorities are fucking, killing threats to the young, eating, shitting, sleeping, caring for the young and thinking of possibilities to accomplish the previous tasks more efficiently. In exactly that order and no other.

  A Drazi who thinks about doing something outside that sphere of interest would be considered as mad by his brethren. Someone who is mad could be a threat to the young and certainly won't supply good genes for future generations. A mad individual also diverts resources from important tasks, which means less young. Therefore such an individual is killed without a second thought.

  My attention returns to Resch's battle fleet which is approaching the outer perimeter of our formation. Since all this started we've taken great pains in teleporting parts of our fleet away and then back to their previous place.

  In the meanwhile the rest of our ships started moving in a random circular pattern. When System Control asked us to cease this irritating behaviour we told them bluntly that we don't give a shit.

  It should be clear to everyone what Resch's intentions are, yet they are acting as if nothing dangerous is going on. Either they are practising the pinnacle of ignorance or everyone simply aches to see our capabilities. On a certain level I can understand them. It's unnerving to have a strange, new thing in front of you without being able to put it into a known category.

  Should we categorize it as prey? Or as prey with teeth? Something poisonous which we have to stay away from? They are all looking at us with eager eyes to learn more while they are sending one of their own to test the waters.

  Hopefully what we cooked up will send a clear message to everyone. It would be a disappointment if not. Or worse, if they misunderstood.

  Slowly the enemy fleet converges on ours while our ships are still performing a complicated dance around Aether. Then some of the bulky, alien battleships start homing in ours.

  Their ugly spiked shapes look unrefined compared to our slender, teardrop shaped ships. I reach up to my chin and start kneading it, searching for a possible mistake in our plan. It's obvious that Resch wants to involve us in as much boarding actions as possible. Maybe they hope to win at least one of those encounters to get their hands on our technology.

  One of our ships would be without any doubt a priceless loot for them. A whole ship with a technology which for all intents and purposes was birthed by a completely different technological path. What they learned from our ambassador must have made them blind to the possible repercussions.

  As their ships close in on ours it becomes clearer and clearer that they really intend to board our ships.

  And then several of our ships simply blow up!

  One ship winks out of existence with the force of an atomic explosion, then another, and another in a silent cacophony as the computer coolly counts the loss with a beep and deletes another dot from the hologram. Each time, one of Resch's ships is also taken out.

  Normally a nuclear explosion is insignificant in the vastness of space, but our traps are waiting until the enemy is simply too close to avoid the blast of radiation.

  With a raised eyebrow I notice a call from system command. It is directed directly to me as Aether's governor. My eyes wander to the assembled people and then I take the call.

  “Yes?”

  An obviously translated voice answers me, yet I don't fail to notice a slightly disturbed undertone. “You are engaging in offensive actions within neutral territory! Cease those actions at once!”

  “I fail to see how blowing up our own ships is an offensive action?” I answer, pursing my lips. “They are ours. I think we can blow them up whenever we want. If you are concerned about the wreckage, then-”

  “You are destroying other ships by doing so!”

  I wanted to say that a nuclear blast of that size won't leave anything behind, but that clearly wasn't System Command's concern. “We are sorry, but those ships were warned not to approach us. If you take a look at your computers, you can clearly see that they violated their approved flight paths. We can't be held responsible for bad piloting.”

  I imagine the speaker on the other side grinding his teeth. If he has an equivalent. Accessing their database for flight control was easy enough. Since then our ships started interchanging their registered parking positions to throw off the heavily regulated flight control within the system.

  In addition the regular exchange of ships allowed us to interchange them with drones. These drones are generating a false image of a ship and are sending it out to the universe. If my people are good at hiding stuff, then sending a false image is even easier. You don't have to convince someone of the non-existence of something. You just have to make him believe that it's something else.

  Finally the alien ships give up their attempts at boarding our smaller vessels. I am astounded that they tried it thirty-seven times until they gave up. But now their fleet homes in on Aether instead, the only real ship in our whole formation. The rest of the fleet is waiting a few light years away.

  I decide to tempt the unknown speaker who didn't react to my claim at bad piloting. “It seems like Resch's ships are having serious navigational troubles. Now they are converging on our colony. I'll be forced to teleport us out of system. It's actually good that you called. Could you note our date of departure for ten minutes from now?”

  The grinding of teeth which I just imagined earlier suddenly becomes audible. “Understood. You'll depart in ten minutes.”

  “Thank you. We intend to come back after the navigational hazard has passed.” I smile and disconnect the call. Then I connect to the network, instructing Aether to enlarge its shields as far as possible.

  Isciat takes in a deep breath. It was very hard to convince him to send away all of his approximately two hundred ships and replace them with drones. There was no proof that this form electromagnetic warfare would work. The aliens' sensors are obviously good enough to see something if we are trying to hide, but they can't discern a false image from the real one.

  Increasing the size of our shields weakens them against a concentrated attack, but at the same time it keeps the enemy ships at a comfortable distance.

  A slight tremor runs through the building as the first enemy ships make contact with Aether's shields. The whole of Aether starts vibrating as more and more of the ships press against our shield, trying to overload it with their own shields.

  The glass of water right next to me starts wandering over the table and I reach out to hold it still. “Those buggers are quite persistent.”

  Hedeon shrugs. “The reactors are reaching their limit. We may consider an early departure.”

  I tilt my head and calculate the increasing amount of energy and how many enemy ships are still on an approach vector. “You are right.” So I engage the automated protocol of events which was previously set in stone.

  The remaining drones blow up, creating the illusion that our whole fleet just committed suicide. In addition it most likely also blinds any sensors which are aimed at us. Then the teleportation node which was set up a few hundred light years away activates and takes the whole of Aether and everything around it away.

  The nature of teleportation is exchanging one space for another. So if the nodes teleport something from one node to the next they can actually also take something away from anywhere within their reach. The only problem is accuracy, but Aether has a fairly big quantum network of its own, so we can act as a beacon.

  We appear right inside the teleportation node with about two hundred of Resch's battleships around us. A moment later the node refocuses the space-time-bubble to take only Aether back to Gathering Station and I imagine hundreds of point defence weapons along the node's structure taking aim to wipe out the totally unprep
ared fleet. Not moving at all with no inertia it must be like clay-pigeon-shooting.

  “Whew. That was a first test of the defence systems on our nodes.” I engage the communication channel to System Command and order our fleet back. They are parking a few light years out of system.

  “System Command? We are back, but we had to depart early because of a navigational hazard. Will there be any fees to pay for this break of conduct? It also seems like we lost a few ships, so we are calling in reinforcements. Would you be so kind to give us new parking coordinates?”

  “Won't they find out that we are calling back the old ships?” Roderik asks.

  “Nah...” I shrug my shoulders. “And even if, it will be just one more mystery for them to chew on.”

  71. ~Puppeteers.~

  “

  It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day the game will end, but how? Will I play till there are no more moves to make? Or will I walk away?

  ”

  -Zeen mysteries

  Galactic Centre, Gathering Station

  Ayo

  I watch Ayoki, Twelfth Manipulator of Fate, seventy-three leaning back on his pile of sand. He is my identical clone, who for some unexplainable reason managed to climb higher up the hierarchy than me. He starts grooming his limbs with tentative care.

  “You've brought us quite some trouble Ayo.” One of his eyes focuses on me as if I am the one to blame. “You rarely think before you act.”

  I force down the rage which is boiling up inside me and fight my animalistic part which urges me to tear the offender to pieces and suck out his fluids. But that's exactly what Ayoki is trying to do. He wants me to lose my centre and commit a crime to become A, which isn't regarded as much more than a beast. At once I understand how my nestling brother managed to climb the ladder. He goads and taunts those whom he should assist and takes their places. A very underhanded action, but valid according to our ideals.

  Though such a game requires two participants. “I wasn't the one who created this violent mess. I was the one who urged for caution while someone else employed an outside company to gather information. And I certainly wasn't the one who sent a force of private security troops against an obviously military force.”

  What made this sorry excuse of a Zeen think that something like a private army is able counter the professional force of another species?

  “They had an Estrim security detail. It was reasonable to assume that they would have a least some degree of success. Species which can fight an Estrim head on are rare.” He makes a dismissive gesture.

  “Security troops are still just that. Security troops! They aren't an army! They were probably not even intended to be used against much more than the occasional pirate. As I already warned you beforehand, we can add a new species to the list of animals which are able to kill an Estrim. One which isn't as easily manipulated as the Estrim. And one which most likely already realized that there are corner stones to a greater picture in this mess. Unlike many other species they actually do think!” I hiss to agitate him, but if Ayoki got shaken by my outburst then he doesn't show it.

  “The diplomats have the situation under control. Our great plan to wipe out the Drazi is still going along. Why don't you see this as what it is? A minor problem. That's all. We'll learn how to deal with these humans and proceed as planned. A simple Ayo shouldn't concern himself with pictures such as these.” Ayoki answers in a displeased manner.

  “I'll nonetheless file a message with a complete report to the homeworld. The Ayokidralaydarin will hear about what happened here and the risks you took.” I try my best to answer silently and composed.

  I don't fear the humans as a direct threat to my species, but I do fear their unpredictable nature. Their culture is simply too diverse and the various groups of mages are unpredictable enough. In addition I've never actually seen one of their real leaders who shroud themselves inside a cloud of mystery like Wracken swampflies.

  Then there are those non-magicians of theirs, who practically provide a completely planet-bound and isolated sub-culture. As to why two people from the same genetic stock would want to isolate themselves from each other so completely, it evades me.

  “Stop making such a ruckus. You are acting like a nestling. What else are they supposed to do than playing along? Our game is involving dozens of species to ensure that the Drazi pests are contained and extinguished from the Galaxy once and for all.” Ayoki grumbles.

  I look down at my brother, feeling pity for a clouded mind like his. “And what if they decide that they don't want to play our game?”

  Ayoki discolours in annoyance. “What do you mean? They have to. They are surrounded by our stones and in the line of fire of the Drazi. They have no other option than playing along. If they don't, it will most likely mean the end of their species. They can't defeat the Drazi alone.”

  I narrow all my eyes and walk towards the door which leads out of my brother's desert environment. I've had enough of this discussion. And if I remain here much longer there is a real chance that I'll kill him. But I can't resist to turn around and give him a last warning.

  “Even a nestling can always break the board if he really doesn't want to play a game. All it takes are a few words to the wrong set of ears.”

  72. ~Diplomatic visit.~

  “

  If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

  ”

  -Sun Tzu

  Galactic Centre, Gathering Station

  Cyla

  Walking around the station, linking arms with my husband is relaxing. It feels almost as if we are having a day off. I disliked our visits on the space stations which belonged to the alliance, but here it's different. It isn't as crowded and the aliens here have the decency to keep their distance. Maybe it's owed to our newly won reputation.

  After the attack by Resch our diplomats finally got a firm hand on things and started negotiating for real. Paul told me that he is very pleased at the fact that his company can finally start making money. They got requests for teleportation nodes from all sides as soon as the diplomats allowed our people to enter the station for business transactions.

  Though I still dislike being close to things with odd numbers of limbs.

  Ayo decided by himself that he would be our guide around the station. His eagerness could also be attributed to the fact that Gideon got a little out of control when he visited the last time.

  “It still astonishes me that everything looks so familiar. If you look past some strange facts you would think that this is one of our own cities. There are shops, banks, restaurants...” I gesture at the market which is stretching out in front of us.

  Ayo nods. He picked up the gesture from us and is using it whenever he gets the chance. “That's hardly a surprise if you know a little more about the way we are managing the station.

  There are several different habitats inside the station. All of them offer different environmental conditions. In addition each habitat is sectioned in several parts which sort the various species according to their physical appearance.”

  The Zeen gestures at the market. “It's one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe, but it seems like the physical appearance is strongly connected to mental capabilities. Most humanoids share similar cultures for example. There are some who don't fit the picture, but those cases are very rare. Most of them set up their own habitats close to the station. That's one of the reasons why there is so much traffic in this system.”

  Gideon nods and gestures at one of the aliens. “And we are learning so much about politics while being here. It's interesting to talk to people and hear about their general opinions, though I really would like to see one of the non-humanoid life-forms. Do you think we could take a look at one of them?”

  We were walking
around the station for four hours, just having a look around while visiting the embassies of various species to have a little small-talk. Gideon said that he needs to do this in order to get a better picture of our political situation, but I've a feeling in my guts that he simply dragged me along to fool around. He knows very well that I feel uncomfortable around aliens. That's probably why he is grinning from ear to ear right now.

  Ayo doesn't look as pleased about the notion of leaving this part of the station. “It's very unlikely that you can find out anything substantial by talking to species which don't match your archetype. Their minds tend be very different from ours and it's really hard to reach real communication in a lot of cases, but we could take a look at the oceanic habitat. It's neighbouring this one.”

  The Zeen indicates a direction for us and we follow. The alien leads us through the market district and towards a big blast door. Beyond it is a seemingly endless, curved tunnel. It arches upwards and reminds me that the station itself is a huge, rotating ring.

  The tunnel's walls are transparent and to the left and right I can make out the bed of an ocean. With one step we are in some kind underwater environment with sunlight sparkling down from the surface.

  Huge shark-sized creatures like jellyfish are streaking around in a school of about a hundred animals, hunting for some smaller prey animals. It's like a scene out of a wild life reservation. I fail to see any signs of a civilisation. “What is this?” It step out to touch the wall, which turns out to be some kind of plastic. At least it feels that way.

  “It's the habitat section for some aquatic species. This region is under the control of the Nig. They are very group oriented like most other ocean dwellers of their type. It's hard to have a decent conversation with them since they think and talk almost only in mathematical terms. It's their main interest apart from hunting fish.” Ayo gestures at the seabed.