by Lee Guo
“Why discrete? Why didn’t you tell me? Why wasn’t I told of this surprise help?”
“Because, your Majesty…” a new voice interjected also from the center of the room.
Vin saw a new robot standing up and coming physically online.
“… Because our mutual enemy – the Garolans – were monitoring galactic T-band communications and we did not want to risk them knowing about our hidden fleet.”
“Who are you?” Vin asked.
“I’m sorry. I must introduce myself. You may call me Admiral 0008, of the Quoran 8th Fleet. May I continue, your Majesty?”
Vin nodded, clearly perplexed.
“We knew the Garolans were monitoring Galactic T-bands,” the Quoran admiral explained, “and we knew your standard encryption did not work. They had broken your encryption codes much earlier. That was how they were able to know your plan and order of intended battle at Vega, Epsilon Expanse, and Procyon. So we did not want to tell either side’s combatants that we were willing to help your space fleet until the last moment. When your palace AI, Kal, left Earth, we intercepted him and gained all the information we wanted to know about the war so far. Then, we waited until the moment arrived when the enemy fleet was too weakly spread out. That’s when we attacked.”
Vin was still confused. “But why did you wait until that last moment? Why did you allow so many human star sailors to die on Earth’s orbit?”
“That was your doing, your Majesty. We calculated that you would take your fleet and run long before that. We miscalculated and were surprised when you withstood all their attacks when it was your fleet alone that defended Earth. Nevertheless, we intended to sack the enemy fleet when it began to attack your homeworld, but a better option appeared when they began chasing your fleet – we estimated they would do so in the 12 to 15 percent range.”
“But why not attack when our turret numbers was still high?” Vin asked.
“We wanted to deplete the enemy numbers before sending in our fleet. We were waiting for the perfect moment. Come, your Majesty,” the Quoran admiral urged upon seeing Vin’s frown, “you did not lose that many humans in your entire star force. Your turrets were unmanned. Your Star Fortresses were only two – a loss of twenty thousand men, a mere number compared to your losses at Vega? It is unlikely they will ever have the force to attack Earth again, so depleting your stationary forces around Earth was no loss for you. Additionally, we wanted a clear opportunity, and when they were dispersed, such as when they were all chasing your escape pods, that was the perfect moment for us.”
After a while, it was Vin who said, “I see.”
Fleet Admiral Hayet, who had been standing silently all along, now spoke, “So what now, Admiral 8?”
The Quoran admiral answered. “As for what we do now… how we fight the war now that the enemy has been clearly devastated… I would recommend we began attacking their worlds. We now hold the initiative. We can take a portion of our fleet and pursue the depleted invaders, but we must begin attacking the enemy’s core worlds with our remaining portion. The reason being is that the enemy has such a large manufacturing base. Even if we destroy their fleet here down to the last warship, the Garolans will not be out of the fight because they will be able to produce much more. Such is the nature of war, I’m afraid.”
Vin nodded. As did Hayet.
The conversation in the Quoran bridge continued for another half an hour, but eventually it came to close.
“One last question,” Vin asked.
“Yes?” the Quoran admiral said.
“Why did you chose to finally help us? Is it because of the mutual defense pact, after all?”
The robot paused, then spoke. “It took a long time. We debated among ourselves. But we finally decided to honor the pact. We are human after all. We may not be flesh and blood, but we are descendants of humans, programed to emulate human emotions, logic, and virtues much like your AI. That is why we finally mobilized our fleet.”
Vin graciously nodded.
“We will return you to another of your ships. I expect you will restart the process of pushing your national resources into developing more offensive ships – with the aid of our technology. This time, with our help, I believe your ships will be able to withstand up to par with the enemy on a one to one basis.”
“Thank you!” Vin exclaimed. “For everything.”
“We do it for humanity, for the idea, as well as the physical existence,” the robot replied.
Vin could’ve sworn the robot was smiling.
Epilogue
Imperial Palace, Earth
Char’s Cathedral
“I do,” Vin Parchant stated.
“And Maylene Nesterio,” the priest said, “do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“I do,” Maylene Parchant answered.
It was the happiest moment of his life. Vin was barely aware that the wedding was broadcasted throughout the human star nation into the holo pads of every home. It was like a song, a happy song, and the next moments of his life were spent singing through the Char’s Cathedral as the two of them departed on an old fashion horse carriage.
He chatted with his new wife in that carriage – as happy as any man could be. But a thought kept creeping in the back of his head. Why did he feel wrong to enjoy such a personal emotion? – and then he knew it. 20% of humanity would never see them, anyone else or even themselves for the rest of eternity. They were dead. The dead of the war – the ones who lost their lives on Vega, on the orbital bombardment on Procyon, on Alpha Centaurus, or in the Epsilon Expanse – they were all dead.
But, he tried to reconcile himself. It could have been much, much worse. Their wedding could have occurred inside a starship on the run from the Garolans, instead of in the Imperial Palace on Earth. The percentage of humanity dead could have been 98% instead of only 20%.
Then he vowed that he would never let it drop any further. Especially not now, with all the technology he had gained from the Quoran envoys. He would build great starships, more powerful than anything humanity had ever made or seen. He would create a new fleet that could protect humanity’s stars as well as the quadrant. He would avenge those that had fallen.
With the Garolan fleet down to only 40% of its original numbers, that threat that had once been scary was now a minor thing, especially with a portion of the Quoran fleet patrolling the area in case the Garolans came back. The Quorans were already sending their fleets to attack enemy strongholds and manufacturing bases thousands of light years away. Humanity would soon follow with newly made fleets of its own.
War production was at an all-time high, as the human star nation was in a wartime frenzy, creating ships, defenses, missiles and missile pods -- along with star striking technology that would push the race into a new star power like never before.
And to think – that Vin was minutes away from death. Such was the nature of the universe, fortune as well as misfortune.
It was true – he had almost died. And this very fact, knowing this, spurred him into action on a new level. Now, he was pushed by danger and fortune. He was spirited by luck. He was going to make sure everything that ought to be right would become right.
And the best part of it was – knowing that Maylene would be there to share everything with him. He felt happy to be alive and to be able to start a family with the love of his life…
Inside that horse-drawn carriage, he stopped pondering and gazed at her.
Wearing her wedding dress, she met his gaze with a smile.
For that instant, Vin realized the two of them shared the same lovers’ stare that occurred between couples for the past tens of thousands of years – perhaps even as long as millions of years in humanity’s past. There was no need for talking. There was no need for anything else… it was a connection between two bonded people – a phenomenon
that occurred through the eons of humanity. For that brilliant moment, it could not be shattered. It could not be broken.
Sitting there in the carriage, no words could replace the happiness in his mind…
No words could show how happy he was to be alive… to really live.
Epilogue 2
Imperial Palace, Earth
Post-Wedding Ceremony
Great Hall
There were more dignitaries in that room than any room on Earth. Anyone who was anyone in the entire human sphere was there. Food was aplenty. Laughter was contagious. If a sizable bomb had exploded in that room, humanity’s entire leadership would’ve been wrecked.
Standing near the back, Vin busily chitchatted with several business moguls when a familiar figure caught his eye. “Excuse me,” he said, as he hurried after the figure.
It took several minutes of moving through the crowds, but Vin finally reached the man. “Admiral!” Vin yelled.
“Ah, my Majesty! Enjoying your first day as a married man?” Fleet Admiral Hayet asked.
“I couldn’t be happier.” Vin smiled.
“Ah, I remember my first day as a newlywed. That was a long ago. Now, I’ve had sons who had sons who had sons. Tell me, when will we expect the little princesses and princes?”
“As soon as I’m alone with her, of course.” Vin grinned.
“My Majesty is a Casablanca!” the Fleet Admiral roared. “Ah, the young. To be young, again. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to have 80 or 100 years of life back.”
Vin nodded. “I have a question for you, Fleet Admiral. One that has been bugging my mind for as long as it has existed.”
“What is it, my Majesty?”
“Why did you smile?”
“I’m sorry?” Hayet asked, perplexed.
“When we were in the escape pod… when we were certain we were about to meet our doom, you took off your helmet and smiled at me. Why?”
Recognition surfaced on Hayet’s face. “There it is. That. I will tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even to your newly wedded wife.”
Vin nodded. “I promise.”
Hayet prepared himself. “I am an old man – you could say that I am reaching the end of my life. For several years, I’ve come to accept my own mortality. But, I wanted to meet death in a way that symbolized my existence – that embodied my entire life. I smiled in that escape pod because I wanted Death to see me as I saw my life – one of courage, of fortitude, of dignity, and of constantly challenging myself. I was not smiling at you, but at the one that was about to take my life away.”
“I see,” Vin remarked.
“And what happened, instead? Death ran away. Now, I’ll get to live a couple more years, maybe one or two decades more. It’s all the same. When it happens, again, I will smile, again, and if Death runs away once more, then I’ll live for a very long time.”
“Thank you, Hayet. Now, my curiosity has been satisfied.”
* * *
When the party was over, and everyone left, Vin walked outside to stare at the stars. Thousands of years ago, people once thought the stars above were the heavens – that it was where people went when they died. Now, everyone knew the stars were balls of mass, mostly hydrogen and helium. Nevertheless, Vin knew that one day, he would roam the stars – the heavens – when his body failed. And, on that day right before he left his encasing, he would also smile at Death.
From this day, until the end of my days, I will live just as the Fleet Admiral lives; a life of courage, fortitude, dignity, and challenge. I will take on new tasks with exceptional valor. And I will turn humanity into the greatest space power in the galaxy. As someone who almost met death, and escaped, I will push myself with a passion like no other.
The history books will forever remember me.
