Kannick nodded. “Agreed, but remember, I spoke with him too. I know he’s looking for change. He just hasn’t defined what that change should be. We’re going to help him define it. Your coming to Ariall was a huge step forward for him—and for us.”
“I came to talk about improvements to our ships.”
“We can do that, and we will, but if we limit our help to that, we’re right back where we were—you Harbok have to do all the fighting. With the partnership we’re talking about, the Alliance, you won’t have to. All three of our civilizations, the Alliance, will do the fighting.”
Ollie sat back in his chair with his hands folded across his stomach. “Your vision is for the far future. The Oort are not going to wait for us create this perfect society that will defeat them. I did not come here to talk about where we’ll be in 500 or 1,000 years. Talk to me about what we can do today or next month or next year, and you’ll have my full support.”
Greg brought a communicator to his mouth and spoke softly into it, then sat down to wait. He stayed silent during a brief, uncomfortable silence until Admiral Grayson stepped into the room. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and stared at Ollie.
Greg stood up and made the introductions. “Ollie, meet Admiral Harold Grayson. You two are going to get to know each other well. You’re going to teach him how to fight.”
Ollie rolled his eyes and looked to the ceiling. He shook his head sadly as his upper lip curled into a look of disdain. “I can’t teach you to kill.”
“You don’t have to. I’ve fought several wars and am responsible for many deaths. I brought a thousand warriors with me from Earth three years ago. We know how to fly these ships, and we will not hesitate to pull the trigger against the Oort.”
It took a minute for those words to sink in. When they did, Ollie’s mouth dropped open. With just a little more thought, he said, “Impossible!”
“Not so impossible,” Grayson rejoined. “You flew an An’Atee ship. You saw how intuitive they are. My men and I don’t have to know how to build them or fix them. We don’t even have to know how they work. Until we learn all that, we’re augmenting An’Atee crews with at least one Terran who will pull the trigger.”
Ollie stood up, but he was speechless. His gaze went internal as he adjusted to a new reality, a reality in which his people might actually be able to share the fighting.
When he spoke, it was to Grayson. “You will have to prove yourself to me. It takes more than a willingness to pull the trigger to defeat the Oort.”
Grayson nodded. “You’re talking about tactics and strategies. My people are experienced with those, but I expect us to improve under your guidance. I’m not too worried about convincing you,” Grayson replied. “It’s your Lor and his commanders that I’m worried about.”
Ollie nodded. “As well you should be. That might be a harder challenge than fighting the Oort.” He looked at Greg, and his calm demeanor evaporated. Sparks practically flew from his eyes. “You lied to me. You said you would not bring Earth into this.”
“I did lie, Ollie. The An’Atee don’t lie, but I’m not An’Atee. I’ll do whatever it takes to defeat the Oort. Isn’t that what you’ve been preaching to me all along?” When Ollie stared at him in silence, Greg added, “Bear with me on this for a little while, and I think you’ll come around to our way of thinking.”
The meeting lasted into the following day, and it was not the only time Ollie’s mouth dropped open. Even Emily learned things she had not previously known. Ollie and Kannick both learned that the ships that intercepted them when they dropped out of hyper were commanded by individuals very willing and able to pull the trigger. Their training was not complete and might never be complete, but the men and women from Earth performed picket duty within the Ariall system as part of that training.
He also learned about Emily’s heritage and the ongoing efforts on Earth led by her father.
“You lied again,” Ollie grumbled.
When Greg nodded, Ollie thought about it for a time, then he turned to Kannick and Arlynn. “I, too, can lie. Do not forget.”
“We An’Atee will not lie to you,” Arlynn said.
Greg did not bring up the secret StarDrive weapon still under refinement by Alliance scientists. He informed Ollie that the An’Atee were searching for the home world of the Oort, but he did not share the technology behind the search, and he did not mention the LifeVirus. Greg personally believed that Ollie would find out about the LifeVirus through other means, but he would keep knowledge of it from the Harbok for as long as he could. He made it clear to Ollie that he was withholding some things.
Ollie objected, of course. “So, you’re not fully committed to helping us fight the Oort,” he claimed.
“Not true,” Greg objected. “The An’Atee are taking a huge risk giving you their best ships and maybe the other things we’ve touched on like computers and such. Who’s to say that when the war ends you won’t turn on them? If you do, and if you have their best technology, they’ll be at a huge disadvantage. Keep in mind that no one is disputing the fact that you’re the best and most experienced fighters.”
Ollie shifted uncomfortably, then he thrust his chin out proudly. “We’ve been protecting you. To the best of my knowledge, we’re not doing it for selfish reasons. We have no plans to conquer anyone.”
“What about Lor Tas’val? Or what about his successor?”
Ollie pursed his lips, then grumbled, “Lor Tas’val would agree with your decision.”
By the time the prime ship reached Ariall, Ollie knew about the existence of the Alliance, its ultimate objectives, and the positions Greg, Arlynn, Kannick, Danaria, and Grayson held in the Alliance.
Chapter Twenty-two
The visiting Harbok did not have to suffer through a quarantine. Their voyage to Ariall had taken six months, ample time for any illnesses to show up if they were going to. Ollie’s men, of their own accord, moved into Alliance headquarters where they could more easily limit their contact with the An’Atee. Most of them still disdained the An’Atee. Ollie temporarily moved in with Greg, Arlynn, and Emily, but he did not stay long. He and Admiral Grayson hit it off immediately, and Ollie moved in with Grayson. They spent hours together in discussion, and they trained together in simulators where they exchanged ideas on how best to do things.
A number of ship modifications came about as a result of Ollie’s training sessions, including backup computers located in different parts of the ships. An’Atee engineers insisted it was unnecessary—their computers did not overload—but Greg and Grayson both backed up Ollie, and the cost was not prohibitive. In hindsight, had Jarl’s ship had backup computers, Arlynn might have escaped from Earth on her own.
Not long after reaching Ariall, the Harbok scientists demanded to use the teaching machine. Ollie worried the issue for a couple of days, then he caved in with the admonition that he would carefully monitor them for changes in their beliefs and views.
It wasn’t long before the rest of Ollie’s men demanded the teaching machine, as well, but Ollie balked. He was not yet done evaluating the changes that might have occurred within the scientist group. Several months elapsed before he agreed—out of self-defense as much as anything. He was in constant demand by an An’Atee population who was curious about the Harbok, and his inability to speak without a translator was a huge impediment.
The An’Atee’s version of the cloaking device appalled the Harbok scientists. It was far too primitive for use during battle. Privately, though, Harbok scientists felt gratified that they were ahead of the An’Atee in at least this one area. Some things were impossible to completely reverse engineer, and clearly, the cloaking device fit into that category. Finally able to display knowledge superior to the An’Atee, the Harbok dove into the problem. Results, when applied to the first few ships, astounded Grayson, though not Kannick or Greg. Kannick had seen these things with his own eyes, and Greg, during the training he had given Ollie, knew what was coming.
A casual comment from one Harbok scientist pointed An’Atee scientists in a new direction in their search for a means of locating cloaked ships. Everyone knew that, when cloaked, outside energy flowed around and away from the cloaking device, thereby providing its invisibility. But the Harbok had learned that not all energies from within the ship itself stopped at the boundary of the cloaking device. Specifically, the drive leaked tiny amounts of energy through the field boundary when a ship was underway. If the ship was only coasting with its drive off, no outgoing energy penetrated the field boundary, but as soon as the drive powered up, some energy escaped.
That energy was so minimal that it was undetectable with the equipment aboard ships, but a door had been opened for An’Atee scientists. When asked, the Harbok scientists explained that since no one else had a cloaking device, studying these fleeting energies had no impact on the war, so they had not delved into the issue.
With the improvements to the cloaking device, Grayson’s men proved their mettle against Harbok crews. Even Ollie grudgingly admitted to equivalent performance, but he wanted to go one step further. Could ships with partial crews of An’Atee do as well?
They did, but as always, it was a mock battle. The An’Atee had always been excellent ship handlers, but how would they fare in a real battle? There was no way to test them outside of battle itself.
They were discussing that very issue at a barbecue in Grayson’s back yard when Angie offered a suggestion. “Seeing what life was like under Oort domination changed me and a few others,” she said. “Maybe we should show the recording to all our crews.”
Kannick looked thoughtful for a time, then he stood up and stepped over to place his hands on Ollie’s shoulders. “We can do better than that. Ollie, will you tell your story to the An’Atee?”
Ollie turned to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“We made a movie about Greg and Arlynn. It’s time to make one about you, but I don’t know if you’re ready to pay the price.”
“What price?” Ollie asked, standing up to face Kannick with a hint of wariness.
“Only a few here know the details of how you lost your leg. It is a story of great power, Ollie. Will you let us tell the rest of the Alliance? Will you let us make a movie of what happened when your world fell?”
“I . . . suppose.”
“If you do, you will have to serve as technical director. You’ll have to relive events in great detail.”
Ollie’s eyes sank into his head. He turned away from Kannick, then he just walked away. No one went after him. When he returned, he had only one question. “Will it make a difference?”
Angie rose to face him. “It will, Ollie. I’m certain it will.”
“I’ll do it.”
Ollie spent most of his time with a production crew over the next six months. The director insisted they begin the filming process with the last scene, the scene of Ollie using his blaster on his own leg to remove an Oort, then killing his wife and daughter who had already succumbed. That scene set the mood for the rest of the staff as they completed filming the remainder of the movie.
“Ollie’s Story,” began with Ollie’s participation in the attack on Ariall, followed by his return home. His home world, relatively serene for a Harbok world, concentrated on agriculture. Vast areas were under intense cultivation, and enormous transport ships accepted the fruits of harvests for distribution to other Harbok worlds.
An armada of Oort ships materialized on the fringes of the system, headed directly for Ollie’s home world. With only a small contingent of fighting ships to protect the world, there was no hope of stopping the Oort, and because of the long transit times between systems, there was no way that help could reach them in time. Ollie and the rest of the warships began shuttling civilians to the transport ships orbiting the planet. They made no effort to counter the invasion, knowing that any such effort would be futile. They ferried many thousands of inhabitants to the transports, but most of the population had to stay behind.
Ollie went for his family at the last possible moment. As bad luck would have it, the first Oort ships chose that very location to begin seeding the planet with their own kind. Ollie did not even know until small, brown, furry balls began falling from the sky. The balls landed on the ground, then opened into their amoeba-like shape and rushed toward the nearest Harbok on hundreds of tiny legs.
When an Oort found purchase on a host, it paralyzed the host. Once paralyzed, there was no hope for the host. The Oort would, at its leisure, relocate itself anywhere on that body. Ollie gathered up his wife and daughter and raced for his ship, firing his blaster at anything that moved, be it in the air or on the ground. Scores of the creatures died, but scores replaced them.
An Oort found purchase on Ollie’s boot. He tried kicking the creature off, but it held on. He threw his daughter to his wife and aimed his blaster at the creature that was inching its way up his leg and pulled the trigger. His leg, from just above the knee, disappeared, instantly cauterized by the blast. He fell, still firing at anything that moved, but in spite of heroic efforts, his wife and daughter fell to the ground, paralyzed. Members of his crew, dressed in space suits that offered short-term protection, picked him up by the shoulders and dragged him back to his ship, their own blasters firing without pause.
Horror filled Ollie’s face when he saw this wife and daughter succumb. Knowing time was short, the horror changed to determination. While being dragged, he raised his blaster to point at his wife’s body. He pulled the trigger, then moved his aim to his daughter. The first shot missed, but the second did not.
Ollie’s crew saved him, but the best part of his life was gone forever.
The scene blanked, then shifted to the bridge of an An’Atee fighter out in space. The back of the command seat held center stage. The seat turned slowly toward the camera and brought Ollie into view. Not the actor who had portrayed Ollie in the movie, but the real Ollie. His cane leaned against the seat, and viewers could not miss his wooden leg.
“Greetings, An’Atee,” he said in his deep voice. “My Lor sent me here to represent the Harbok to the Alliance as it prepares to battle the Oort. This is my story, but it is far more than that. It is the story of billions of other Harbok. We have been living with this horror for 2,000 years. My story does not, in fact, truly represent the horror. I have never personally met another Harbok who survived an Oort assault once the Oort reached the ground.”
“My people believe that the Oort civilization resembles that of a hive with telepathic abilities. Most Oort are workers under the control of local masters. At the end of a worker’s life, the worker and its host go into the hive. They never return. We believe the local master absorbs the body of the worker and its host into its own body.
“We suspect that it also absorbs the knowledge of their minds, because Oort ships periodically visit the local masters. The ships never land, so we believe the knowledge of the local master is communicated telepathically to a higher mind on the ship.
“Your leaders tell me that a large percentage of your population agreed to help us fight the Oort.” He looked hard into the camera. “When you chose, did you know what you were agreeing to? More important, do you now fully understand the horror you invite upon yourselves if the Oort find you?”
He paused to give listeners time to consider his words, then he continued. “Are the Oort intelligent? Yes, they are, and the bodies they take control of are more productive as a result of the pairing. Does the host meet a reasonable standard of civilized intelligence? No. The host body loses everything that makes us who we are. Personally, I believe the minds of the Harbok hosts are erased by the Oort, but I cannot prove it.
“What I know with certainty is that everything that makes the individual a person dies when taken over by the Oort, and the individual has no choice in the matter. That is not a life I choose to live, and it is not a life I choose for you or for any people.”
Ollie’s eyes, the eyes of a harde
ned warrior, continued staring into the camera, but those eyes seemed to look through the camera into the very souls of the viewers. “I understand your dilemma—you treasure life, but to end this horror requires killing the Oort. I ask you this: is it possible to treasure life, but to allow the Oort free reign?”
He paused for a long time, then in the softest voice a Harbok could produce, he said, “My people say no.” In a stronger voice, he added, “Your Alliance says no. Each of you will, if you haven’t already, have to answer that question personally.
“I personally say no to this hideous enslavement of intelligent life. Will that, some day in the future, include genocide? Speaking for the Harbok, I don’t know or care. Your Alliance, on the other hand, does not condone genocide. They’re looking for another way.”
He leaned back in the seat with his hands spread across the sweeping keyboards that doubled as armrests and stared into the camera again before saying, “Your ships and weapons are superior to our own, and they have been made even better with our assistance. Your Alliance is very close to providing true safety to Ariall. If the Oort attack here, the Alliance will repulse them. For that reason, you have a further choice to make: you can end your relationship with the Harbok right now and rest easy knowing you are safe, or you can support my people in our fight against the Oort. The choice is yours.
“Your support of the Alliance has been expensive, and it will continue to be expensive. For what you have already done, I thank you on behalf of my people. With your approval, the Alliance intends to continue supporting the Harbok with new fleets of your very capable ships. With your approval, we will carry the war to the Oort, and we will defeat them.
“My people have, without your knowledge, been protecting you for generations. Our methods may not meet your approval, but we have given you our best effort. Will you reciprocate? Even if it means killing? You have to decide, and soon.
“On a personal level, I tell you that I did not willingly pay the price you saw me pay. I hope you never have to face such horror. Your best chance of doing so is to continue your support of Alliance efforts.
Genesis Page 24
