by T. R. Harris
“Then my announcement shall give you a challenge like never before.”
“Indeed. And speaking of the announcement, the representatives should all be assembled by now. Are you ready to turn the galaxy upside down, my friend?”
Adam suddenly felt knots twist in his stomach. He had never been comfortable with public speaking; his only consolation came from knowing that only about thirty beings would be present – and nearly all of them would be aliens.
Adam’s ‘announcement’ would take place in a room resembling a small college lecture hall. There were several rows of seats rising up to the back of the room and all facing a small stage. A lectern had been set up on the stage.
Adam had had a year to prepare for this announcement, even though he had long ago decided not to follow any formal structure. He wasn’t a public speaker, so instead he would simply state the facts as best he knew them and then play it by ear. For far too long he had made himself sick wondering how his presentation would turn out, but then one day, months ago, he came to a liberating realization: He didn’t give a damn what they thought! This was something the Human race was doing for their own benefit, and not for the Expansion’s.
If the aliens didn’t like it – then tough.
Adam and Kroekus entered the hall from a side door. There was a cacophony of alien chatter filling the room when they entered that quickly dropped to a hush as they were noticed. The Administrator took a seat off to the side of the audience while Adam climbed the three short steps to the stage and moved behind the podium.
He placed notes down on the small surface before him and then took a quick glance at his audience. There was a menagerie of aliens of nearly all shapes and sizes sitting before him, but since ninety percent of the members of the Expansion were Primes – meaning Humanoid to Adam – they all followed the same basic physicality. Even then, some wore pressure suits and helmets, while still others had small tubes running to their noses, providing supplemental breathing atmosphere they required.
These were the appointed representatives of the twenty-three sectors of the Expansion, along with a few VIP’s from manufacturing and commerce. It would have been impractical to hold such a meeting with representatives from every planet in the Expansion, nearly eight thousand worlds. Now that would have really tied Adam’s stomach up in knots. Eight thousand aliens all in one room – and imagine the smell!
There was a familiar face smiling at him from the front row. Adam immediately recognized the two dangling appendages below his ears and knew it to be Kaylor. So he’s entered politics? I didn’t see that coming, Adam thought. Better him than the emotional little bear, Jym. But even as he nodded at the tall Belsonian, he caught himself. Just look at me! I’ve entered the political arena myself, so I can’t be critical of anyone else. I wonder if he’s having as shitty a time doing this as I am?
He cleared his throat and the chatter in the room began to diminish. It took a couple more ah-hems before it was quiet.
Adam had no idea what the formal welcoming would be for all these various races, so he chose something very basic and generic.
“Greetings to all,” he began. “I am Adam Cain, Special Ambassador from the planet Earth and representing the interests of the Human race.” The one thing that actually allowed him to remain somewhat calm during his presentation was that he was sure most of the creatures here couldn’t discern Human body language, so no matter how much he screwed up, he was sure they wouldn’t notice. Maybe a shaky voice and redness in the cheeks was normal for a Human….
“I come before you today to make a very important announcement regarding the continued Human involvement in the affairs of the Expansion. Yet before I make the formal statement, I would like to summarize what my race has experienced during the past seven years, since the time we first assumed control of the Expansion.
“As all of you should be aware by now, our conflict with the Juireans was thrust upon us. At the time, my race was not planning some great invasion of Juirean territory, and therefore was not a threat to the Juireans, or to the Expansion and any of its members. It was the Klin who circulated these rumors, causing the Juireans to take action against us. The Klin needed a war between the Humans and Juireans to further their ambitions – and they got one. However, the results of this conflict were not as they had planned.”
A murmur ran through the crowd. Many of the delegates present were still loyal to the Juireans; many were not, yet they all missed the stability the Juireans had brought to their sectors. For the most part, Humans were resented by the majority of the delegates, even though all those present knew there was no viable alternative at the time.
“After the war, and the destruction of Juir, we Humans found ourselves deluged with calls for leadership from the members of the Expansion. For thousands of years, there had always been one central race to set the rules and maintained peace and stability in the galaxy. Now that the Juireans were gone, that job fell to the Humans.”
Adam paused to take a sip of water. He caught Kaylor’s eye, who was watching him intently with a frown. Adam sent him a quick wink as he finished with the water.
“Now the thing you have to realize about Humans is that we enjoy being in charge, so the opportunity to govern a galaxy was quite appealing to many of us, even though we didn’t have a clue about what we were doing. Luckily for us – and for all of you – none of the members sought to challenge us militarily for that position. That would have been a mistake.
“However, it wasn’t long before we began to realize just how involved the Juireans had been in the day-to-day operations of the Expansion. The rules and regulations that had evolved over time – along with their enforcement – came as second-nature to the Juireans, and it appeared at first that the Expansion functioned pretty much on its own, with very little outside influence or direction.
“We were wrong. It turned out that running a thing as big as a galaxy takes a total commitment from those attempting it. Over the past seven years, the Human race has tried to embrace that commitment, not only for the good of the Expansion, but also for ourselves, for without this total commitment, we were doomed to fail.
“As you’re probably already aware, Humanity is very good at certain things, and primary among these is the fighting of wars. This was the main reason the Klin chose us to go up against the Juireans. However, we also pride ourselves on being good administrators. This is a talent, however, that we may have been fooling ourselves about.
“Most of the governmental systems on Earth consist mainly of an accumulation of past laws and regulations all stacked one on top the other, with very few of the old, inefficient or outdated laws ever being purged from the system. We simply write new laws to try and correct the effects of the old ones.
“But now we found ourselves in control of a galaxy, and just like before, our leaders jumped right in and starting setting down thousands upon thousands of new laws, regulations, and guidelines regarding how the Expansion should be managed, even though we had no idea what we were doing. Unfortunately, a lot of these early efforts didn’t work and only made things worse – to say the least. The feedback from many of you in this room has helped us gain our footing, but it’s still a mess.
“Most of what I’m saying is just a lead up to what has been our greatest revelation. On the Earth, our land is divided into about two hundred separate and distinct countries. I know most of you cannot grasp this concept, but you must understand we are new to the galactic community. Before now, we had not looked upon ourselves as one race or one planet among many. We do now – and things are changing – but old habits die hard.
“But now we found ourselves in charge of a system with eight-thousand separate units – like having eight-thousand countries to deal with. This has proven to be incredibly difficult for us. For example, most of the countries on Earth have consulates – diplomatic missions – with all the others. Now – as a race – we had to establish eight-thousand more, and with races and cultures completely
foreign to us. This caused an overwhelming demand for not only thousands of new diplomats, but also for all their support staff. In addition, we found that this new responsibility spilled over into so many other areas we had never imagined, from commerce, to medical science, to supplying housing and other materiel support for all our various missions. And more than just the sheer need for personnel, there has also been an unbelievable amount of new things to learn – from protocols, to cultural differences, histories and so much more.
“The Juireans, for their part, had four thousand years to evolve into the role we Humans suddenly inherited overnight. We were allowed no period of transition. One day we were a solitary planet existing by ourselves in the Far Arm. The next, we were expected to assume the position of leaders of an entire galaxy. The job has been daunting, as well as incredible strain on the Human race.”
He took another sip of water. Now it begins….
“And now to the main reason for this meeting,” he began. “After much discussion back on Earth, we have settled on a course of action which, over my objections, has been called The Cain Initiative. Although it is named after me, I was not the first to suggest it. Instead, there has been a constant and growing group of Humans who have supported this action almost from the beginning. At the conclusion of this meeting you will be sent more detailed explanation and guidelines for the Initiative, but in summary, it simply states that the Human race is relinquishing all control of the Expansion—”
An uproar of voices exploded throughout the assembly. Although none here were especially fond of the Humans, they were accustomed to having one authority in charge. After all the turmoil, confusion and uncertainty following the fall of the Juireans, they were not anxious to have a repeat of those times.
“Please calm down. Quiet everyone,” Adam pleaded. Once order was restored, he continued. “That’s right: Humanity is giving up the Expansion. We will be returning to our part of the galaxy, namely the Far Arm. This changeover will happen in approximately six months. And now for more of the details.
“We have designated Kroekus of Silea as the interim Administrator of the Expansion Union to assist in the changeover, a role he has been competently filling for several years, yet until now, always under Human direction. Over the next six months, and with your help, he will be tasked with devising a governing document which will establish the general operation principles for the new EU. The representatives within this room will form the core of a new governing assembly. Once complete control is turned over to the EU, you may decide to have direct elections of your leaders, or may choose them from within the assembly. The ultimate decision will be yours, as will all others that follow.”
Adam continued to get more serious with each new item he outlined. “We do realize that with the sudden departure of the Humans there will need to be established a new universal military and police force to maintain order throughout the galaxy. To achieve this, each member will be requested to supply one military-style starship, with trained crew, to the Expansion. If this is accomplished, then the new government will control a police force of eight thousand ships, making it the second largest military force ever to operate within the galaxy. This should go a long way to maintaining security for your respective worlds.
“In addition, Kroekus will continue to advise the EU in financial matters concerning currency, banking and trade – something he is very proficient at – so there should not be a repeat of the meltdown that occurred when the Juireans left.”
Adam paused again and took another sip of water. When he finished, he looked out at the crowd with burning eyes. “This next part you should pay particular attention to. Although the Humans are leaving the Expansion, we have a word of warning for all of you present: We are not doing this out of weakness. We are doing this because we do not want to repeat the path taken by the Juirean people. We do not want to become slaves to our success or to the sheer size of our endeavor.
“However, we Humans do recognize our nature, and now that we have been exposed to the wonders of the universe, we will not be content with just one world any longer. Humanity will return to the Far Arm, yet we are declaring the following: From the area in the Fringe called The Barrier, and along a line running parallel to that landmark, all territory within the Arm will now be designated as Human Territory. It will be our sovereign space and we will not tolerate any hostile actions against it by outside forces. Within this space, we will establish our own mini-empire – if you will. This will satisfy Humanity’s need for exploration and expansion, and will also keep certain desires at bay, at least as they pertain to the space beyond the Arm.
“Furthermore, even though we have established this dividing line in space, it will not restrict trade or travel within our respective territories. Even though we are giving up control of the Expansion and pulling back our forces, we still wish to remain an active member of the galactic community of worlds and races.
“Now with all these changes come a few other declarations of a more selfish nature. First of all – as far as we Humans are concerned – we have designated two species as outlaw races. They are the Klin and Kracori. You may have noticed I did not mention the Juireans. Even though our world was attacked by the hand of the Juireans, they were not in full control of their actions. They were manipulated and mislead by the Klin, just as we were. But don’t get it wrong; we do not seek to be friends with the Juireans We just have not designated them as outlaws – at this time.
“What this designation means is that until further notice, Humans will continue to hunt them down the Klin and Kracori and exact our own form of justice. To that end, we will not respect the sovereignty or the laws of any other world or galactic entity in our efforts. In addition, any world that, as a policy, supports or protects either the Klin or the Kracori will be also deemed outlaw and they, too, will suffer the full force that the Human race can bring to bear. These two outlaw races will be isolated and alone.
“So let this be a warning to the Klin and Kracori – as well as any who choose to support them: We will not rest until our revenge has been satisfied.”
Adam paused and looked out at the crowd. The murmuring had stopped, as had all the protests. There was now a stunned silence throughout the room.
Adam would now conclude his speech, but not before he finally realized why he had been selected to be the face of the Initiative, as well as the one to give this presentation. The message would not have had the same impact if given by a diplomat and in diplomat-speak. The politicians in the room – even alien politicians – would have simply treated it as just the opening salvo in an on-going negotiation. But for Adam, this was no negotiation. It was proclamation, a law – an order!
So he took a deep breath and continued. “Most of you in this assembly have had only minimal contact with the Human race – if any at all – and most of that, if not all, has been through the prism of diplomacy. Well I’m here to tell you right now that what you’ve seen of us so far is nothing compared to the reality We have gone up against the most powerful force in the galaxy – and we beat the Hell out of them. That may not translate properly, but I’m sure you get the meaning. The message should be clear; we Humans are not to be trifled with. We are a mean, savage and vengeful race, and we possess certain physical advantages that make us even tougher than our attitude.
“I will now conclude with this one final item and word of warning. Although we are leaving, we are not running away, and if any of you seek to challenge us in the future, it will not be pleasant – for you. So from me and my race, we have this very simple message: Don’t mess with the Humans.”
Chapter 48
It had been over four years since Nigel McCarthy had had any contact with the Kracori Ludif Council, so when he got the message earlier in the day that they were requesting his counsel, he was very curious as to what was up.
He dressed in the best of the tattered clothing they had given him over seven years ago before and attempted to pat down the wild ginger
-colored hair that had grown much too long on the sides of his now nearly-bald scalp. He had given up keeping his hair cropped to nearly non-existence several years ago, when he realized that no one gave a damn what he looked like. In a world of gray, leather-skinned beings, no matter what he did he would always look alien to them.
Since arriving on the planet Eilsion with the Juirean Elder Hydon, he had experienced a love-hate relationship with the Kracori. At first, they loved him, treating him and his men as celebrities at court. They were given lavish quarters just outside the sprawling planetary governing complex in the city of Goruis, along with nearly anything they else desired. And early on, he had consulted almost continuously with the Kracori, revealing all he could about his fellow Humans, their industrial capacity and their tactics of war.
McCarthy had been more than happy to offer this information, something the Klin never seemed that curious about. The Klin had studied Humans for a hundred years and believed they knew all they needed to know about the Humans, at least enough for the role they were to play in coming events. Nigel had done his part by coordinating the acquisition of Humans for the Klin’s breeding farms and spaceships. Beyond that, they never had much use for the former British SAS officer. It was this superficial regard for Human nature that may have allowed the Klin to underestimate mankind. If only they’d listened to him more….
Unfortunately, the Kracori had also run out of uses for McCarthy and his men. After draining them of all useful information, the Humans were eventually relocated to a more rundown section of the city and promptly forgotten. They were provided with a bare minimum of food and drink and other provisions, all free of charge, but never did Nigel see a dime of the planetary fortune he’d been promised. Many a restless night, Nigel McCarthy would lay awake and wonder if he’d done better taking his chances with Adam Cain and the other Humans? At least then he would have been under more control of his destiny….
