by Karl Morgan
“This is very irregular, Mr. President,” Luka shouted. “These creatures should not bring weapons into this chamber.”
“Wow!” Passor said. “You really know how to make an entrance. Which of you is the High Commissioner?”
Fa-a-Di walked up to the bench. Passor had to look up to see his face. “I am General Fa-a-Di, current High Commissioner of Greater Gallia. My tall colleague is my brother-in-law, Ambassador De-o-Nu. I have brought a few Marines to help me with these creatures which seem to be bothering some of you. I offer our apologies for the daggers, but we Galliceans are warriors. We do not go anywhere without these. Trust me, we have no desire to fight here. In fact, I would like to present my own daggers to you, Mr. President as a sign of our good faith.” He gently pulled the three blades and laid them in front of Passor. “These are the Nak, Falon and Ullu. Every Gallicean warrior carries these. You might notice the Marines have a fourth blade, the Baloo. Only Marines are trained in that weapon. My blades were made for me by my personal blacksmith on Gallia. You will note the gold handles and inscriptions about my family tree. Please be careful though, they are extremely sharp.”
Passor lifted the Falon, which while dagger sized to a Gallicean was almost two feet long. “This is very impressive indeed, General,” he smiled. “I graciously accept your gift.”
Enough of this diplomatic drivel, Mr. President,” Luka said. “I demand answers to my questions.”
“Be careful, Brother Nance,” cautioned the Chief Justice. “As you know, the Brotherhood has no standing in our constitution. You have no right to make demands of the High Council or any of us.”
“Relax, Bool,” Passor said. “I’ll allow it. After all, we just limited the Galliceans to provisional membership until they respond to the Brother’s concerns. It’s better to hear them out now and get it over with. Go ahead, Luka. You have the floor.”
“General, you are charged with attacking a team of agents who visited a secret platform on Lagamar 7. How do you plead?” Luka asked.
Fa-a-Di walked over to Luka and placed his hand on his shoulder. “First of all, little man, I am a head of state. I am not going to plead to anything. As an honorable man, I will tell the truth about that day. You be quiet until I’m finished.” He approached the high bench. “The brave leaders of Lagamar Vol, Mulwi and Bola Deka told my dearest friend, Admiral Dave Brewster about atrocities on Lagamar 7. He visited the planet and found a hospital facility had been built on a platform to care for wounded creatures. Apparently, some of your humans enjoy traveling there to kill unarmed creatures for sport. Now, many species hunt for food. I still do that today. However, there is no food motive here. It is just about killing. Okay, let’s say I think killing unthinking creatures is not a horrible crime. But I visited the platform with Dave and found these Boley and many other creatures being treated in the hospital.”
“Mr. President, this creature is wasting our time,” Luka complained.
Fa-a-Di spun around, spread his wings and glowered at Luka. After a moment, he folded his wings and smiled. “Little man, what did I just tell you about interrupting a head of state? Do you have a brain in that tiny skull?” He turned to face the Councilors. “I learned something that day that caused me to send our ship’s physician there to help. This is the renowned doctor, No-o-Ka. The agents came to the platform and forced the doctors to stop caring for their patients. They pointed a blaster at the head of this Boley and threatened to kill all of the creatures. Fortunately, my Marines and I were nearby and arrived at the correct moment to stop the carnage. I convinced them to stop. I found they had the Dekas held prisoner in their shuttle. I asked more than once to open the door and release them, but they refused. In a moment of anger, I may have slightly damaged their shuttle. But none of them were injured and they were returned.”
“What did you learn, General?” Councilor Nola Balee asked.
Fa-a-Di smiled broadly. “Let me have Fanon Ungo tell you,” he said. “Admiral Brewster’s son has been helping us with a project for the last few days. Bear with me a second.” He walked over to the cage and opened it. The audience held their breath at the release of the wild beast. Fa-a-Di took a translator and stuck onto the side of the breather.
“Greetings, I am Fanon Ungo,” the Boley said. “We have lived on the planet you call Lagamar 7 for all time. I am told that our ancestors were taken from our planet to the Ulagong Galaxy when the Society first tried to establish colonies there. It would seem some of us were left on Gallia where we eventually evolved into the Galliceans. It was a gift from God that Fa-a-Di and his people came to help us. We have lived in deathly fear of humans as long as we remember. Your people still come to our planet to kill us and the other creatures we share our world with. My village is on a large island several hundred miles below the platform. Too many of my neighbors and friends have been wounded or killed. I request that you stop this now. The Galliceans have provided us with our own weapons now, but we have no desire to fight you. We cannot survive in your atmosphere and you cannot breathe ours. Just leave us alone.” He walked back into the cage where the other Boley hugged him.
“There you have it,” Fa-a-Di said. “Your people have been slaughtering my cousins for pleasure. I hope you know why I was angry and did what I did. I’m sure you’ll say you had no idea, but that is a joke. Dave Brewster knew it immediately. He is as human as you. As a warrior, I must sometimes go into battle and face other sentient creatures with weapons like mine. War is an abomination, but it is what can happen when cultures get greedy. But killing them for sport is murder.”
“I am so sorry, General,” Passor sighed. “Fanon, I don’t know what to say, but this situation will be investigated as soon as possible. I think I can speak for the entire Council when I say there will be a moratorium on hunting on Lagamar 7, effective immediately. I hope that is an acceptable compromise. What is your next charge, Luka?”
The stunned agent said, “There is the rumor about the Zula being taken from Lagamar Vol, Mr. President. Since the Galliceans have brought a Zula with them, I suppose they want us to hear about them.”
“Mr. President, I would like to speak about the Zula,” Dave said as he stood next to Fa-a-Di. “First of all, I admit the Zula were taken from Lagamar Vol by the Galliceans on my order. I take full responsibility for this action and would do it again tomorrow.”
“Finally, someone is taking responsibility for something,” Luka said.
“That’s right Brother, but you will soon wish I did not,” Dave laughed. “In respect for the Councilors, I will not turn my back to them, but I want the Court, High Command and especially the audience to look closely at your Councilors.” Several Councilors were looking at their papers and each other, including Passor. Dave walked over to the tank with Ulook swimming about. “You know, I love seafood,” he said. “On Tak-Makla, High Consul Zee held a feast for me with a crustacean for the main course. It was wonderful. Of course, that creature was nothing like this! Look at it. It’s almost six feet long with those beautiful expressive eyes. I have no doubt the Zula tastes good too. Unfortunately for most people here, they are incredibly rare and expensive. The fishermen on Lagamar Vol tell me only Councilors can afford them. But there is a small problem with that. He walked to the cage and pulled the translator off Fanon’s breather. He returned to the tank and placed it on the glass.
“Hello, everyone, my name is Ulook, and I am a Zula,” she said. “Our species is native to the planet you call Nan. The Nan have been our friends for many generations. Some brought a few of us to Lagamar Vol to give luck and good fortune to the Vol. Unfortunately, that forced the Vol to hunt us and offer us for sale according to Society rules. As Dave mentioned, very few were purchased due to the price. The Vol even spent most of their money buying us back where they could. But if even a dozen were taken per year, this has been happening for a very long time. All of that changed when I met Dave Brewster. His dear friend and my rescuer, De-o-Nu took us all home to Nan where we hope we c
an live in peace.”
“Once again, Admiral,” Passor said. “We are sorry, but how could we know?”
“That is a lie, Mr. President,” Dave said. “Anyone who has looked into a Zula’s eyes immediately knows they are intelligent. I could see that in the fish market on Lagamar Vol. Anyone who touches the Zula can hear its thoughts. I bet if everyone in the gallery stepped up here, they could hear Ulook speak to them too.”
Odo Pak and Obu Neela appeared in front of the bench as Beings of Light. The room became very quiet. Odo put his hand on Dave’s shoulder. “That’s enough, Dave,” he smiled. “I know the rage you feel for these people, but you have accomplished your goal and so much more. You have exposed the barbarism of the Council and the stupidity of the Brotherhood.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Passor shouted.
“Oh, be quiet, Passor,” Obu laughed, “or I will expose your feet and those of your friends so everyone knows your Brotherhood past. Odo is right, Dave Brewster. We know what must happen here next. Everyone in this room knows the Society is dead. Wendo and Antar are back to lead us to a new future. The Zula and Boley are safe. Let us carry on with what needs to be done here.”
“The elders are right, Dave,” Councilor Nola Balee said. “You and your friends have done so much. Don’t risk your future by trying to do more for us. Frankly, we don’t deserve your help.”
“I knew you were trouble, Councilor,” Luka said. “We’ll be watching you.”
“Point of order, Mr. President,” Nola said. “The Chief Justice has reminded us the Brotherhood has no standing in our constitution. I move the Brotherhood be disbanded and the High Command dismantles its infrastructure immediately. But before you vote, fellow Councilors, I want you to know that I’ve been following the Zula story for a long time. I know which of you have eaten them and that information can easily be shared.”
“I object to this, Mr. President,” Luka shouted.
“This is very unusual, Nola,” Passor stammered. “Perhaps we can take this matter up at another meeting.”
“Passor, please do the right thing. Take the vote,” Nola begged.
He looked at the High Command and Supreme Court. All were smiling broadly and many were laughing. He looked at the other Councilors. More than half were smiling and nodding at him. The others had their heads buried in their hands. He wondered if he would be impeached when the people learned of his special taste for Zula and the tattoos on his feet. “All those in favor of abolishing the Brotherhood effective immediately, please raise your right hand.” He looked at the audience who were smiling and laughing. Most of the Councilors raised their hands immediately. One by one, the others looked at their friends and put up their hands until Passor was the only one left. He raised his hand and said, “Motion carries unanimously. The Brotherhood no longer exists. General Barsu, I turn that operation over to you.”
“This isn’t over Passor,” Luka said. “We will not go quietly, as he put his hand on his blaster.”
Fa-a-Di walked over to Luka and grabbed him around the waist, pinning his arms to his sides. He held him over his head and waved him at the audience. “I agree with that comment, little man. You never go quietly anywhere.” Fa-a-Di strode down the main aisle while the people on either side cheered. He reached two human guards at the door and set the man down, taking care to pull his blaster and crush it in his hand. “Guards, please take out this garbage. And put something over his mouth. He just won’t shut up!” Fa-a-Di walked back down the aisle, where the people were cheering and reaching out to shake his hands.
Odo hugged Dave. “Okay, son, now even you have to agree your job is done,” he smiled. “And I must admit your friend the general has a unique style about him. Most of the people in this room love you. The rest are scared to death. Don’t worry about us anymore. We have given you even more aggressive goals in your own galaxy. You have plenty to do without fretting about us.”
“I have to admit I’ll miss this place,” Dave said. “Odo, knowing you has been one of the best experiences in my life. What do we do now? I guess we go back to our ships and wait for a jump?”
“That won’t be necessary, Dave,” Odo replied. “While you’ve been here, we were calling many more Nan home. When you are ready, you’ll be home. You don’t need to go to the ship or gather your crew. Say the word and the Nan Hive will send you, your friends and your ships back to Tak-Makla. Don’t worry about the Lagamar system or Nan anymore. When you see this display of power, you will know we are all right.”
“Will I see you or any of this again?” Dave asked.
“Dave, you can do what Obu and I are doing now easily,” Odo laughed. “You probably don’t even need a Hive. I still haven’t figured that out.” Odo hugged him again. “Are you all ready?”
“Just a second,” Dave said as he went back behind the table and held Darlene in his arms. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
“As long as I’m with you, I’m ready for anything, babe,” she replied as she kissed him.
“Okay, Odo, we’re ready, and thank you again,” Dave said.
Chapter 49
Dave and Darlene were standing in each other’s arms on the beach in front of their residence on Tak-Makla. Mencius, Jake, Zee, Fak, Fa-a-Di and De-o-Nu were standing next to them.
“That was pretty impressive,” Fa-a-Di said. “And we’re little again, so I suppose I don’t need this.” He pulled off his breather and dropped it onto the sand.
“General, Kong-Fa is in orbit and our Marines are on board,” De-o-Nu said. “The four agents disappeared at the same moment we did.”
“Dave, Jon Lake sends his regards from the Nightsky,” Jake said. “He also advises that two Nan colony ships are in orbit as well.”
“Wow! And I was impressed by the jump to Andromeda,” Dave said as he released Darlene from the hug. “What did you think, honey?”
Darlene smiled. “Honestly, with that exit, it seems like a mutual dream that we all awoke from at the same moment. I think I could use some Gallicean whisky.”
“That’s my sister,” Fa-a-Di laughed. “We should have several cases inside. What are we waiting for?” The group moved toward the house. After a moment, they could see Charlie and Aria Watson standing by the door. Each was smiling with two glasses of whisky in their hands.
“What took you guys?” Charlie laughed as the others came inside and sat on the large couches near the fireplace. “Kally is in the kitchen preparing some snacks. For some unknown reason, traveling two million light-years in an instant is affecting my appetite.” Everyone laughed.
“Dave, Odo and Obu said you have a new mission. What was that about?” Zee asked as he sipped the whisky.
“Well, it’s more of an expanded mission for all of us. If we do it well, we will be like the Nan and their amazing Hive,” Dave replied.
“I wasn’t aware the Nan built a Hive, Dave,” Zee said, looking confused.
“They didn’t build one, Zee,” Dave chuckled. “The planet is a natural Hive. And our goal as members of the Free Society of the Milky Way is to find natural Hives here and protect the true power of the universe.”
“That’s amazing, Dave,” Zee replied. “There are natural Hives? Unbelievable.”
“Unbelievable but true,” Dave smiled. “But none of that matters anymore.” He held up his glass. “What matters most of all is us. Our love and friendship is the real power in the universe. That is what makes miracles happen. That is what Universal Power or the Source is made from.”
“And that is why Odo said you don’t need a Hive at all?” Zee asked.
“Apparently, none of us do,” Dave sighed. “Zee, do you remember Engineer Nok?”
“How could I forget my favorite niece, Dave,” Zee replied with a tear in his eye.
“I’m sorry, Zee. I didn’t know,” Dave said. “I want you to know that I met her while I was in the Source trying to retrieve Bill. She came to me and told me not to grieve for her. She is happy and at peac
e.” He smiled and a tear trickled down his face. “Oddly, that’s exactly how I feel right now.”
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Tears of Gallia
Chapter 1
Several months had passed since Admiral Dave Brewster returned from the Andromeda Galaxy after receiving approval to create a Free Society in the Milky Way. All the colony ships under his control were devoted to moving equipment from the Hive under construction on Atar Pa to Tak-Makla to expedite the repair on the tekkan Hive. Dave and his best friend, Commodore Charlie Watson, were on the star cruiser Nightsky, in orbit over Nanda, where the Nan had been working with the locals to integrate them into the Free Society. Dave still thought fondly of the day he walked into the control room of The Hive and discovered that humanity had not originated on Earth or even in this galaxy. He imagined how the Nanda felt when thousands of their brothers from Andromeda landed.
Dave watched the planet below from the port in his ready room. He took a sip of his cappuccino and in his mind he thanked Aria Watson yet again for upgrading the coffee system. Aria and her assistant, Lieutenant Alana Albright had been called back to Earth to investigate some eddies in time that had been causing problems with some of the smaller portals. Dave’s wife, Darlene, had joined them so she could visit their children and review some of the treaties forming the basis of the Free Society. A tone sounded on Dave’s control panel and he walked over and pressed a button. The door slid open and Charlie Watson walked in carrying a tray with two coffees and several chocolate croissants. “Good morning, Charlie, what’s the occasion?”
