by Shawn Jones
The image of Speral was silent for a moment before she continued. “Pagztay, the humans accepted me. I have seen General Addison kill his own kind to avenge me. They are my family now. We are coming, Pagztay, and if you help us many lives will be saved. If you do not we will still come, but your world will forever be burdened with the guilt of both our past and your decisions now. I must do what I must and you must do what you must, but it is my hope that we may stand together when the Life Giver rises to warm us again. I will be saddened if we cannot, but I will understand. You are my friend, Pagztay, and I love you. Please do not follow the law because if I have to, I will kill you, and I would forever be darker if that must happen.”
Another pause emphasized Speral’s closing words. “If you cannot help us, at least do not be there when we arrive. We will not allow anyone to stop us. When we arrive, if the H’uuman ships we are in are attacked, the Nill world will be destroyed.”
Pagztay deleted the message and opened his eyes. How has it come to this? Speral threatening to kill us. Has she told the humans the secret of our past? She called them her people. Does she mean that? We scorned her for embracing a human. And the H’uumans. Why do they fight beside Addison now? Or did he just take their ships? That seems more likely. But if not, does he really inspire such loyalty?
Pagztay stood and faced the direction of the dawn. When you rise tomorrow, Life Giver, where should I stand? Do I betray my people? Do I stand by my friend? Can I take the whole of the burden of the Nill upon myself? And when will they be here? The message clearly did not come through the Core, so when was it sent?
Bergh Station
“What will he do, Speral?” Cort asked as the head of the medical bed raised, allowing him to see her without craning his neck.
“I don’t know, Cortland. That I mentioned the Tapon will carry some influence. Very few of our people know the full extent of that era of our past. Pagztay is one of them.”
“Are you ready to share it yet?”
“Would knowing that change how you deal with the Tapon, Cortland?”
“No. They took my son. They are going to be extinct.”
“Then I would rather not betray the Nill.”
“Fair enough. But if something happens that the history becomes relevant, I expect you to share it with me.”
“Agreed, Cortland.”
Turning to Lex, Cort said, “How much longer?”
“The H’uuman warship will arrive here in ninety minutes. I have fourteen shuttles ready to transport us up. Once the Marines and wolves are on board, the shuttle from the Kalashnikov will take you aboard her and transport your team to Nill. We will be ready to jump as soon as you have coordinates for us, sir, but deployment is going to be Charlie Foxtrot.”
“Charlie Foxtrot, Lex?” Speral asked.
Cort said, “He means it’s going to be a cluster fuck. We aren’t trained to deploy from H’uuman ships. Okay, we need a better way to handle that when we go get Dalek. Keep working on it while I am on Nill. Is Kim on board with the wolves?”
“They will be on the first shuttle to board, sir.”
“Are we confident about the shielding?”
“As confident as we can be. Kim, Bazal, and all the wolves will be inside the chamber that H’uum’s people built for the trip. In addition, the software on all the suits, including the HAWC, has been upgraded to add additional shielding. Finally, I had the inside of the ship’s shuttle bay lined with laminated radiation shielding. Based on what the H’uumans have said, everyone but Kim, Bazal, and the wolves, will still receive a significant dose of radiation, but nothing our synthetics cannot handle. But frankly sir, you are the only one I am worried about. The rest of us will be fine thanks to the additional shielding. The HAWC is going to protect you from ninety percent of the burst, but that other ten percent is still going to wreak havoc on your system because you are already so compromised.”
Cort thought for a minute and said, “Ask the docs about adding some potassium iodide to my juice.”
“Potassium iodide, sir?”
“In my time, before synthetics, it was used to treat radiation sickness. Something about the thyroid. Ask the docs about it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nill
“Director Pagztay, a ship matching H’uuman configuration has appeared in orbit. An Ares Federation shuttle immediately left the ship and is approaching. We are preparing to defend the Core.”
“We cannot defend it. Do not attempt to do so.”
“But sir, we must. It is our Core!”
“Until we have officially left the Collaboration, the Ares Federation is our ally. We will not act.”
The aide repeated, “But, sir! We leave the Collaboration at dusk! We must defend the Core.”
“Sirai! Hold your tongue. We have not raised our spines in anger for thousands of orbits. I will not violate the treaty, nor will I authorize anyone in the Core to do so. Are you able to carry out my wishes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Evacuate the complex. Everyone should leave, because we cannot resist the humans. You must abandon the Core. If you feel I have acted inappropriately, you may report me.”
“I will sir, but you and I both know that it will be too late.”
“Yes it will, but you will all still be alive. Carry out my orders.”
The aide left and Pagztay wept.
--
Mike Rage and Jane Munroe walked on either side of Speral, their MAT weapons at-the-ready. Cort was in his HAWC, walking behind the trio, and in each of his hands was an oversized handgun that was nearly as large as the humans in CONDORs.
Walking through a compound of ancient buildings, Cort was reminded of the Vatican back on Earth. The silence and empty courtyards gave the appearance of an empty city, but when they approached the large sphere in the middle of the complex, a single Nill stepped out of the sphere holding a small box.
Speral said, “Hello, old friend.”
“Hello, Speral. Please reconsider your plans. To renew the old war will not be good for our people.”
“The war was renewed when the Tapon took action, Pagztay. And the humans must now fight for the Nill.” She paused a moment before correcting herself. “No, that is not right, Pagztay. The humans must now finish a war that was last fought eons before they looked to the stars. And the mistakes of our elders force them to fight for the life of their prince. I will not allow them to fight that war alone. They have accepted me, and I am now of their federation. I have no loyalty to your people. I would not choose to lose your friendship, but I will be loyal to my people.”
“By their own choice, the humans carry the burden of this war, Speral. Not the Nill. We did not renew the war.”
“Neither did the humans. The Nill thought they had won it long before we took the journey to peace. But they did not know that the enemy never made such a journey. And now another species must pay for the ignorance of the Nill.”
“You have left us, Speral,” Pagztay said with a sigh. “You have found your new people and abandoned your old.”
“My species abandoned me. My people accepted me. It is no more than that.”
“For you perhaps.” Pagztay looked around and said, “As you can see, the Core is evacuated. I am the only one here. There will be no death because of my decisions. Though I will surely fall, that my people may live.”
“We will not kill you, Pagztay. Stop being morose.”
“Speral, have you forgotten who I am already?”
“I have not, old friend.”
“If you do not kill me, I must take my own life. If I am forced to do so, I will, but I would rather feel the warmth of my family again.”
“Your oath is to the Nill, not to me, Pagztay. I cannot kill you. Do not ask such a thing of me.”
The two stared at one another for more than a minute. Cort was anxious to get to the Core, but this was not the time to rush Speral. She was saying her final goodbye to her old people and her old
friend.
Finally, Speral slumped and said, “Very well. I must give you this, my oldest and dearest friend.”
Pagztay opened the box he was carrying and removed a slender dagger. As soon as it came into view, Jane and Lex leaped forward. Before they reached the Nill, Speral said, “NO!”
The two stopped and Speral turned back to her friend. “Forgive them, Pagztay. They do not understand.” With that, she stepped forward and took the dagger. Regarding it momentarily, she said, “For so many seasons, this weapon denoted my office. I could never have imagined a time when I would be taking it from you. Goodbye, friend.”
With her last words, Speral shoved the blade through Pagztay’s neck. After signing an image over his body, she turned and said, “We may enter the Core, now. Your armor is too large to enter, Cortland. Only Jane and Lex would be able to join me inside, but if you accept it, I prefer that I enter the Core alone. I will only be a few minutes.”
“Of course, Speral. We will wait for you here.”
As the tiny woman stepped through the tall, thin doors, Cort looked down at the body of her friend, the dagger still in his neck, where Speral had left it. When she returned to them, Speral said, “I know where Dalek is.” She looked at her dead friend and added, “If you honor me after my death, vow to the Life Giver that I honored Pagztay.”
As the group walked back across the compound to the waiting shuttle, Cort broke the silence and asked, “Speral, you and Pagztay both mentioned an old war. Clearly that war was fought with the species that took Dalek, the Tapon.”
“It was, Cortland.”
“I noticed something else back there, Speral. The doors to the Core are not suited to your people, but it occurs to me that they are suited to the Tapon.”
“Cortland, someday I will tell you a rich and colorful story of that war. Until then, please do not pursue that thought. Let that rest, at least for this time.”
I was right. This Core belonged to the Tapon. Bazal told me how vicious the Nill once were. They fought the monkeys. Two apex species on one planet? Unlikely. The Tapon were here first. The Nill took it from them. Wow. “Okay, Speral. But I am holding you to telling me a rich and colorful story someday.”
Speral turned and looked up at Cort. After a moment, she said, “Clearly I should have phrased that differently. But very well.”
Tapon Homeworld
“Bazal, when is Poppa coming?”
Soon, Little Warrior. We know where you are now. Speral found you, so now we are coming to bring you home.
“Is evewyone coming?”
Your Poppa, and your mother, and Lex, and Captain Jane, and even Speral and I are coming.
“I wish Hewoc was coming too. She is gone though.”
Yes, Little Warrior, she is gone. But H’uum and lots of your friends from there are coming, too. More even than your Poppa knows about.
“That’s bad, Bazal. Poppa doesn’t like supwises.”
Yes, I know, but there are many more bad people there than your Poppa knows about, and he will need help to take you back from them. You are right, though. Your Poppa doesn’t like surprises, so I think H’uum is going to talk to him about it. Did you like your lunch, today?
“Yes. They give me lots of fwuit. They have a fwuit that tastes like ice cweam.”
That must be very yummy, Little Warrior. I have never tasted ice cream, but I know how much you and your human friends like it. Your thoughts are always special when you eat ice cream.
“How do you talk, Bazal?”
I have special thoughts, Little Warrior. So I can talk with them.
“I wish I had special thoughts.”
I am glad you do not. If you had special thoughts, you would not need me anymore. Then I would be very lonely.
“Okay. I don’t want you to be lonely. I would be lonely if you wewen’t hewe with me.”
I know, that’s why I spend so much time talking to you right now. Your mommy and Poppa don’t want you to be lonely. Now, I think it is time to take a nap. What song do you want to me to sing to you?
“Will you sing Hotel Califownia?”
On a dark desert highway…
--
“H’uum, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Cort asked as the H’uuman ship moved away from the Nill system and its gravity well. Once they passed the system heliosphere, they would be able to jump to the Tapon system. In the meantime, dozens of Ares ships were on their way to the system using their warp drives, and thousands of H’uuman ships were already waiting outside the Tapon system’s heliosphere for the arrival of General Addison. H’uum had sent them there as soon as it was known where Dalek was being held.
“I have read much of your history since the capitulation, General. It seems a long standing tradition of your species is to ask for forgiveness after the act, rather than permission before it.”
Cort laughed and said, “H’uum that’s true, but something you clearly don’t know about me personally is that I hate surprises. This time, I am going to overlook it because it seems I need more help than I expected. But I do want to know how you got past the satellite net around your planet.”
“We have always been able to circumvent it. We chose not to do so as a matter of honor.”
“And I appreciate that, but how did you do it?”
“I am not a scientist, Cortland, but I understand it has to do with how we transition. There is a danger to the method because we jumped from within both our planetary and solar gravity wells. A more apt inquiry would be to ask why I have chosen to order it at this time.”
“I know the answer to that, H’uum. At least I think I do. They killed many of your queens, but more importantly, they killed Heroc. The First Queen is a special queen to your species. My belief is that you are seeking revenge for her murder.”
“You are partly right, Cortland. Heroc was both Vagabond Queen and First Queen. Either would give her special honor according to our ways. First Queen, that is the queen who is first asserted to by a Supreme, is the most important of all the queens. She is the Lawgiver for our people. But I have violated the treaty because of Dalek, not Heroc.”
Sitting in the couch inside the HAWC suit, Cort watched H’uum through a viewer and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Do you understand what I mean by Lawgiver?”
“No,” Cort answered.
“Each First Queen is the interpreter and creator of our law. It is her job to interpret the laws of our species and to adjust them as she sees necessary to ensure the survival of the species. In addition to interpreting our laws, the First Queen may add one law to our Canon. For the time of ten First Queens, the Canon may not altered. In practice, very few Canon laws have been altered through the generations.”
“So it is law for at least one hundred or so of our years?”
“In times of peace, yes.”
Cort’s mind started remembering things Heroc and other H’uumans had said. “You are about to tell me that Heroc’s addition to the Canon had to do with my son, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Heroc’s Law, her addition to the Canon, is that the Empire as a whole show fealty to Dalek.”
Cort’s eyes widened. “What?” he asked.
“When Heroc finalized the treaty of capitulation, she went home and decreed her Canon law. That in itself was unusual, because most First Queens do not decree their Canon until they know their time is drawing near. Her decree was that our species be sworn to protect Dalek, the Son of War, and the spawn of his spawn.” H’uum waited for his words to sink in before continuing. “So you see, Cortland, if you were to forbid us from leaving our planet to help you, we would still do so. Even if it meant our extinction at your hands. For we as a species, from the youngest spawn, to myself as the ruler of our empire, are sworn to lay down our lives to protect your son and his line for at least ten generations.”
Cort was speechless. He remembered the end of the Cuplan war, when Heroc refused to turn over the crystal technology, she h
ad asked him to accept her refusal ‘for Dalek’s sake’. Out of trust and love for Heroc personally, he had reluctantly agreed. Now he knew why. You loved him as much as Kim and I do, didn’t you, Heroc? You made sure he would be as safe as you could make him. You gave him your entire species to act as his bodyguards.
When he could finally speak without fear of his voice betraying his emotion, Cort said, “Thank you, H’uum. When this is over, regardless of the outcome, your people are no longer bound by the requirements of the peace treaty. You are our equals, and so long as your Canon retains Heroc’s Law, you are our allies and friends.”
“Thank you, Cortland, but what about the Collaborative Government? They will never agree to this.”
“Other than Bazal, I don’t see any of the Collaboration here. On the other hand, you have sent millions of your species to fight for my son. So to hell with the Collaboration. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to tell my wife about this and then I have to make sure that Dar Sike knows my wishes. Thank you, my friend.”
--
The HAWC was squatting inside the shuttle of the Kalashnikov and Kim was standing on its heel looking into the hatchway in its lower back. Cort had the couch he was strapped to rotated so he could look at her. He said, “I can’t bind them with a treaty they might be forced to break again for Dalek’s sake. I was planning on relaxing the requirements somewhat anyway. But now it’s pretty pointless, considering that Heroc’s Law is more binding than the treaty is.”
Kim looked up at him and said, “I’m having a hard time grasping it. What is the phrase you always use? I can’t wrap my head around it? That’s it. I cannot wrap my head around this. If we had only known, Dalek would still be with us.”
That’s not true. The attack is unrelated to Heroc. It’s something personal between the Tapon and the Nill. We just got caught in the middle, Kim. But I agree, I would like to have known. And when this is over, I am using H’uumans as security details for you and Dalek.”
“A month ago, I would have argued with you about even having security details, but not now.”
