Galactic Assimilation 2:: Empire Rising

by J. K. Mabrey

  The coordinates Mike gave for the settlement pointed them to the center of the open land mass. A crater formed lake lay to the west of their location. Dani plotted the Rinada for the camp. General Walters was the man in charge of the settlement. Mike provided brief details on him. General Walters’s team arrived about two months ago following a year and a half science team exploration. The goal of the settlement was to have ten thousand people living there by next year, a very ambitious goal considering the immediate lack of supplies for the colony.

  The Rinada slowed as it prepared to land. Large machines were at work, tearing into the once pure land. A thick plume of black smoke billowed from the ground. The land was being stripped. A row of shelters lined the left side of the settlement, enclosing a large structure in the center. To the north, a landing platform had been flattened out and three U.E.F. cargo ships sat there. Workers were stripping the contents of the cargo ships out and moving them inside the large structure. Two men on hover bikes sped away to the east.

  The Rinada landed gently on the grass to the south. The landing gear sunk into the soft surface before finally coming to rest.

  "They've been busy," Dani said.

  "They certainly have,” Brax said.

  Zavik was sitting at the table in the living area when Dani came in from the cockpit.

  “Are we ready?” she asked, her hands on her hips. He thought she looked cute standing there in mock outrage at them clearly not being ready.

  “Almost,” Zavik said. “We’re just waiting on Charra.”

  “Hey, let’s go!” Brax said as he banged his fist on his bedroom door.

  It suddenly swung open and Charra said, “I said, I’d be right out. Now stop shouting!”

  He stood with a blaster rifle slung over his right shoulder, a belt of grenades slung over the left, a small pistol strapped to his left leg and another on his right hip.

  “What?” he said to their stone faces.

  “This is a safe colony, Charra,” Zavik said. “I don’t think you’re going to need all of that.”

  “I like to be prepared when visiting a new world for the first time. You never know just what you’re going to run into.”

  “Ok, but try to not scare the colonists too much,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Brax added, “we’re here to help them not terrorize them.”

  Charra just grunted and stood by the loading ramp.

  They left the Rinada and emerged onto a fresh planet that was calm and yet hectic all the same. Behind them, the sky was clear and the air fresh, but ahead, the thick cloud of black smoke swept across the sky like a twisting country road of black tar. The sounds of drilling and hammering as buildings were being erected and land cultivated disrupted the peacefulness of the scene behind them. Zavik realized it was a vision of where the planet was and where it was headed.

  Zavik had rarely been on a planet as natural as Garos. Most planets this well developed had been plagued by industries more interested in their resources than their beauty.

  He remembered Olif, it was a Chokmnd colony, their newest, which for them meant that it was settled two thousand years ago. It had managed to strike a nice balance between development and the natural world that once was. One of the largest industries on Olif had been tourism in fact. The luxuries of technology wrapped in the beauty of nature.

  Zavik thought about the pristine beaches, free of trash and toxic waste. Clear skies allowed amazing sunsets to form almost daily. He looked around and thought about how long it would take to end conditions like that on Garos. A couple decades, maybe a century? Technology had improved, but waste still needed to be treated and energy was still produced from dirty resources, especially on developing planets. It was beautiful for now, he thought. At least most of it, he amended, after looking at the campsite and the smoke stretching across the horizon.

  They walked from the Rinada towards the large building. "No one to greet us, huh?" Brax said.

  "You think that's the command center?" Dani asked.

  "Probably,” Zavik said. “I imagine the General will be in there."

  People were running to and from around the campgrounds, most paying little attention to the visitors as if starships landed out of the sky every day. A few gave them awkward stares, especially when they saw Charra and his cache of weapons. Two scanners were being set up on the boundary of the site. Others carried supplies from the cargo ships to the shelters. A U.E.F. Private with a datapad stood by a door of the square building facing south.

  "Can I help you?" he asked, his eyes fixated on Charra.

  "I'm Zavik Khan, and this is my crew, we're here to see General Walters."

  “Is he with you?” he asked.

  “Yeah, don’t worry, he’s my bodyguard. He’s just extra careful on new planets.”

  Charra’s eyes widened and he stood at attention. He nodded to the Private.

  The Private typed on his pad. "I see. Ah, good, well you're on the list anyway so, right this way."

  "There's a list?" Zavik asked.

  "Of course," the private replied. "General Walters is very busy today, and everyone just wants to keep hounding him for answers. He had to lock himself away in the Command Center just to get some time to think. Come on, I'll take you to him."

  The Center was large, it looked to be three stories tall. The interior metal was shiny and clean like it had just come out of the factory. The building was crawling with soldiers moving about like they were an ant farm, taking reports to their superiors or moving supplies throughout the building.

  "Out of the way, civvies!" a soldier carrying what looked to be a very heavy crate shouted as he tried to squeeze in between Zavik and Dani.

  "Civvies?" Brax asked to the private.

  "Cute name we give to the civilians on this colony," he replied. "They don't know anything about order or respecting rank. Just go around asking anyone they find to do things for them."

  "I see," Zavik said. "Well, I might be a civilian now, but I was once in the Force, just like you."

  "Well, good for you, sir," he said sharply.

  "Guess manners still aren't a requisite for enlistment," Dani said to Zavik.

  “Humans know nothing of manners,” Charra said.

  “Says the Rovun,” Brax said.

  “Don’t start with me, Brax. The Chokmnd could learn a thing or two, even from humans.”

  “Oh, is that so?” Brax asked. “Well, I think saving one’s life demonstrates good manners. Don’t you?”

  “You didn’t save my life,” Charra said.

  “No? That Chokmnd had you in his sites, ready to pull the trigger.”

  “I would’ve seen it coming,” Charra said.

  “Sure, keep telling yourself that.”

  “Well, if it wasn’t for the dozen other Chokmnd I took out and all of them trying to kill me, you wouldn’t have had to do anything. Like I said, Chokmnd lack manners.”

  “We were trying to steal their shipment,” Zavik said. “Can you blame them?”

  “Thank you,” Brax said. “We’re only mannerless when wronged. Rovun on the other hand-“

  “Enough!” Dani said. “Sorry about them,” she said to the Private with a friendly smile.

  “It’s all right ma’am. I can understand how difficult it is to travel with servants like these.”

  “Servants!” Charra shouted. “I’ll show-“

  “Yes,” Zavik said cutting him off, “they’re not the best-trained servants we’ve had, but we’re working on breaking them in.”

  Charra slowed down and dropped back with Brax behind Zavik and Dani. “How do you like that,” Charra said to Brax, “five minutes on their own colony and we’re reduced to bodyguards and servants.”

  “Oh, come on,” Brax said. “We’re just trying to avoid any trouble from the colonists. We’re probably the first non-humans to be here since it was colonized. Must be a little bit of a shock seeing a Chokmnd and Rovun land here. And you dressed like that.”

&nb
sp; Charra eyed his gun and said, “Yeah, maybe, but one more bad look from that Private and I’ll have to show him how we fix poor manners on Tunertha.”

  "How many civvies are on the colony?" Zavik asked.

  "Around a thousand. They make up close to a third of the total population, the rest are military."

  "That's a lot of military," Dani said.

  "Dangerous out here, ma'am," he replied. "It's necessary for now, to ensure the safety of the colony and its people. Don’t want pirates thinking we’re an easy target."

  "Where is everyone?" Zavik asked. "This area doesn't look like it could hold three thousand people?"

  "This is just one of four outposts we have set up on Garos. The others aren't too far away."

  They came to a room in the center of the Command Center. Three men in uniform stood around a terminal in the center of the room where an overview of the nearby terrain was shown. Others in uniform sat at stations around the room. Large screens lined one of the walls. One of the screens showed what looked to be a live feed from someone's helmet. It was moving fast through the grass on the plains. Zavik thought it might be from one of the bikes that took off when they were landing.

  The private walked them up to the three men. A tall man with a bushy mustache stood upright and stiff. He turned swiftly and said, "You must be Mr. Khan." His speech mirrored his posture.

  "Yes, and this is my wife, Dani."

  "Mrs. Khan," he said curtly.

  “And my crew, Brax is the Chokmnd and Charra’s the Rovun.”

  "So you do have a crew then, but I didn't realize your wife was going along too."

  "She's my co-pilot," Zavik responded with slight annoyance, "and the best hacker in the galaxy."

  "I see," he said rubbing his long fingers through his mustache. "Hope it wasn't you who was responsible for that little information breach we had on Delmar?"

  "No it wasn't, but I could help you find out, for a small fee." She showed a slight smile and the General gave a brief laugh to the private's surprise.

  "You're dismissed, Private." He saluted and left. A bipedal robot built to vaguely resemble a human walked by carrying a crate followed by two soldiers. "Those robots aren't here to make you lazy, Jax!" the General shouted. "Next time I see that thing walk by with something heavier in its hands than you've got you'll be digging outhouses the old fashioned way."

  "Mckellen Corp robots, huh?" Zavik asked. He'd seen them before on military bases. Never felt right being near one. The new models certainly walked better, more fluid, more lifelike. Their metal face was still cold, still lifeless. Whether it was playing with a child, doing grunt work or holding a gun to your head, though they weren't programmed for that, it would keep the same face, the same emotionless void. It gave Zavik an uneasy feel. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why no one else felt the same way.

  "Yeah, we brought about two dozen with us. They'll be great for cultivating the land and keeping watch for deterans."

  "Deterans?" Dani asked.

  "They're these indigenous creatures. Massive things with horns on their heads. Takes about five shots with a high-powered rifle to bring them down. They scare easily so they're not much of a problem, but they have been known to attack anyone alone."

  "I thought planets couldn't have any life on them to be colonized?" Zavik asked.

  "No developing intelligent life can be found, if there is, it has to be left alone. There was no intelligent life being formed here, and Council law states that in those cases, the lifeforms on the planet must be preserved, as best can be. We're not eradicating the planet of the deterans, just making sure no more colonists get killed."

  "Some have died?" she asked.

  "Early on, before we knew how dangerous and aggressive they could be, a scouting party went out to get a feel for the land. Davis wandered too far away from the party and a deteran impaled him right through the chest, died about an hour later."

  "That's awful," she said as her hand covered her mouth.

  "Especially for his wife and kid."

  "He had a family?" Zavik asked.

  "Yeah, they sold everything back on Earth to come to the colony. They have nothing to go back to, but if they can't get over his death they might have to be sent back. She's been grieving for two weeks and the boy's only eight. He's not much help around here."

  "You can't just send them back," Dani said. "You must feel sorry for her? You have to give her time to grieve."

  "Believe me, I do feel for her, but right now they're just taking up supplies. Precious supplies we need to survive on. Earth can't just keep shipping food here every month, and we've yet to harvest anything of substance."

  "Isn't that why we're here?" Zavik asked. "To get supplies for the colony."

  "Yes, and I will provide you with a list of what we need and how much. Are you sure you're up to fulfilling that, Mr. Khan?"

  "I've secured worse, I'm sure," he said.

  "I can imagine you have. These supplies are vital to our survival. If we do not get power cells our machines will stop working, our life support systems will be crippled and our medical bays will go dark. Without the farm equipment, we will never be able to have a sustainable growing season. The data from the scientific research suggests the best time to plant for the harvest begins in two months. That's not much time to get that equipment here. The food supplies will have to last until a suitable stockpile can be built up from agriculture and animal harvests."

  "You sound desperate, General?" Zavik said.

  "I am, Mr. Khan. These people are my responsibility. Their safety and survival rest on me, and as you have taken the contract, on you. I don't have the luxury of sitting back on Earth making high-level decisions on what we can and can't send to the new colony. If I don't get those supplies, many of these men and women will die." He paused for a moment. "The truth is, Mr. Khan, I asked for a recommendation from Admiral Snyder for someone who is willing to step outside the lines of the law."

  "And Mike thought of me?" he asked. "Wonderful."

  "Yes, he did. He knew you were a man who doesn't always obey orders and toes his own lines. It is especially true when the ends justify the means. Am I correct?"

  "Some would say I have a problem with authority."

  "I’ve read your file. Indeed you do. But you will do what needs to be done, that I am sure of. Which is why I agreed to give this contract to you. You will secure those supplies for me by whatever means necessary. The Earth Council may not like it, the Galactic Council may not like it, but neither will do anything about it. If this colony is to survive, some corners will need to be cut."

  "Why are you so certain that I can't get the supplies legitimately?"

  "Because humans are still hated in this galaxy by many. The Chokmnd are still powerful and many blame us for what transpired with Red Moon.” He looked at Brax as he said it.

  “Don’t look at me,” Brax said, “I was with him during the whole thing.”

  “Good, but I still think it's safe to say you will run into resistance when trying to bargain for Earth's colony."

  "Don't worry, General, we can get the supplies."

  "I like the spirit. This is your whole crew?”

  “Yes, they’re the best out there.”

  "Very good,” the General said. “I'll also let you have one of our Mckellen robots. I'll give it all the information on the supplies we need. It should serve you well."

  Zavik put his hands up and said, "Oh, no, no, no."

  "Something the matter?" the General asked.

  "Zavik's not really fond of those new robots," Dani said.

  “An irrational fear, if you ask me,” Brax said.

  "They tend to scare him,” she said. “A little too smart."

  “Hey, it’s not irrational,” Zavik said. “They talk, they understand, they learn. It’s a little too intelligent, right?”

  “That’s what the Mckellen Corporation brags about,” General Walters said. “The first nearly-full a
rtificial intelligent robots. Capable of holding full conversations and listening to direction. They move like humans with their bipedal design, but they can’t really think for themselves you know.”

  “Are you sure?” Zavik asked. “I mean, how can you tell what they’re thinking?”

  “They can only do what they’re programmed to do. Translators, translate. Navigators, navigate. Some of the top-end models can fill multiple roles. The newer models, like what we have, have really taken off, and they’ve been a big help to our operations.”

  “It won’t be long until the Mckellen Corp. gets a nice contract from the U.E.F. to build armed robots,” Zavik said.

  "That’s above my pay grade, Mr. Khan, but don't be ridiculous, it's not like they're going to take over the universe or something. They only do what they're programmed to do. Besides, you'll have to get used to it, they're the wave of the future," he said as he waved his arm in the air.

  "Yes, I've seen the commercials," he said. "Fine, we’ll take one, just show me where the off button is so I can make sure it's not always watching me."

  "As you wish. Now let me show you around the camp we've set up here." They followed the General outside the command center. They veered to the right as they exited and started walking towards the row of shelters. Every soldier who walked past the General saluted and said 'Sir', even a few of the non-military colonists followed that example.

  "You seem to be well respected, General," Zavik said.

  "Yes, for now," he said. "There haven’t been too many problems out here yet, to be honest. That always helps quell the talk of mutiny,” he said with a smile. “We'll see how they respond when the supplies run low and the outlook is different. That's the true test of a soldier, how they respond to adversity."

  Zavik wasn't sure how that last comment was meant to come off, but he had a feeling it was directed at him.

  "You think a soldier should follow orders, no matter what they are?" he asked.

  "As a General, I do. As a soldier, I think if you follow your heart and your head, sometimes you can make a better call. But there are consequences."