by Tori Harris
The video feed began with an unassuming podium centered in the front of what appeared to be a tasteful, if somewhat plain, conference room — similar to those found in any corporate setting the world over. The only real decoration in evidence was the now familiar dark blue flag bearing Terran Fleet Command’s seal to the speaker’s left, and another, unfamiliar flag in the place of honor to the speaker’s right. At precisely the top of the hour, a door on one side of the room opened and a young, athletic-looking Human male entered and strode confidently to the podium. His appearance was neat, but rather casual. His hair and skin tone made his ethnic origin difficult to guess. In fact, like the multicultural avatars used for centuries to represent popular commercial products, his computer-generated visage was carefully crafted to look like all Human beings, while at the same time looking like no one in particular.
“It’s such an honor to finally have the opportunity to appear before you in person, so to speak, and communicate with each of you directly,” he began, flashing a disarming smile. “We’ve actually been together for a great many years, you and I, and I’m pleased that the time has finally come for the next phase of our relationship. You see, I have been right here in your neighborhood doing the job for which I was created since long before any of you hearing my voice today were even born.” As he spoke, the camera position and framing changed in a perfectly choreographed dance, highlighting his charismatic delivery and reinforcing the emotional impact of his words. “Nearly five hundred of your years have passed since I had the pleasure of seeing your beautiful world for the first time.
“Much more recently, over the past fifty years or so, my work here required me to make my presence known by sharing some of our technology with you. Since then, you have probably heard me referred to as simply ‘The Guardian.’ That’s certainly fine, and it’s an apt description of one of the primary reasons I was sent here. If you prefer something a little more personal, there are a few people who have started calling me ‘Griffin.’ This name is a reference to a creature from Human mythology that is remarkably similar to one used as a symbol for the Pelaran Alliance. Yes, I know the idea of being on a first name basis with, uh, well, with some sort of ‘thinking machine,’ might seem a little strange at first. That’s okay. I’m pretty easy to get along with and we’ll get used to one other in no time.
“Now, I’m guessing if I could allow each of you to ask your top three questions, one of the most common ones would be precisely what I’m doing here in the first place. That’s certainly a fair question. After all, this is your world and it’s easy to understand how my presence here might be viewed as an unwelcome intrusion. If you will indulge me for a few minutes, I’d like to respond to that question by describing my mission in a broader sense.
“You could think of my work here as having three distinct objectives or phases. The first was to act, as my original title implied, as your world’s guardian and protector. That part is fairly self-explanatory. Once your civilization was chosen as a candidate for membership in the Alliance, and I’ll get to that in a moment, my first priority was to protect you until you reached the point where you were able to defend yourselves. That brings us to my second objective. When I judged that the time was right, I began acting as your guide and advocate. The most obvious way this was accomplished was by providing the information necessary to accelerate your technological growth. I hope it doesn’t sound condescending for me to observe that your civilization has grown and matured in a wide variety of areas over the past fifty years … and not just where technology is concerned. You have worked together as a global society on a truly massive scale, and Terran Fleet Command is perhaps the most dramatic and visible evidence of your success.
“Finally, my address to you today is an example of my third role — acting as an emissary on behalf of the Pelaran Alliance. I will do my best to be transparent and honest with you in accomplishing this objective. For example, I can tell you without reservation that I hope to eventually convince you to become our newest member world. Simply stated, I think you’re ready, and Terra’s membership will reap tremendous benefits, both for you and for the Alliance as a whole.
“At this point, you might be thinking, ‘You’ve told us what you’re doing here, but not why you’re doing it. Why here? Why now?’ Well, as you can imagine, that’s a complex topic with more detail than I can possibly share with you today, but I’ll try to summarize as best I can. I’ve also started the process of making much more detailed information regarding the Pelaran Alliance available through Terran Fleet Command’s Leadership Council. I encourage each of you to spend some time familiarizing yourself with some of our history and how the Alliance is organized.
“As to why Earth was selected, there are a great many reasons. The Alliance takes the process of inducting new members very seriously, and there is an exhaustive process used to identify candidate civilizations and then vet them over an extended period of time to ensure a good fit. In our long history, no member civilization has ever left the Pelaran Alliance, and that’s largely due to our selection process. I won’t bore you with a long list of criteria, but we look at everything from location, to natural resources, to the intelligence and temperament of candidate species.
“In Earth’s case, one particular trait made your offer of membership much more likely. I have occasionally referred to you as ‘Children of the Makers.’ That title has a very specific and powerful meaning within the Pelaran Alliance. The Pelarans themselves are actually a single species that now reside on a great many worlds. When they first achieved faster-than-light travel and began exploring the galaxy, they chanced upon a world inhabited by a species with a genetic makeup that was nearly identical to their own. Even in an infinite universe, I think you will agree that such a coincidence is … unlikely, to say the least. Since then, many such species have been discovered. Sadly, even after millennia of study, the origin of these — what I believe you would refer to as Humanoid — species remains a mystery. Although a great many tantalizing clues have been discovered, the only certainty is that each of their homeworlds was seeded by some precursor civilization. The Pelarans refer to this parental species as the ‘Makers,’ and finding them remains one of our greatest aspirations.
“Incidentally, before I go any farther, I should explain that you might occasionally hear me also refer to the Pelarans as ‘The Makers.’ You’ll have to forgive me, but this is something of a play on words. Sentient systems, like myself, who were created by the Pelarans, sometimes also refer to them as ‘makers’ as a show of respect and affection. Perhaps it would be more accurate for those like me to be called ‘grandchildren of the makers,’ but I suppose that would be even more confusing,” he chuckled, clearly pleased with the turn of phrase.
“In any event, the fact that your species shares a common genetic heritage with the Pelarans places Terra in a position of special significance. The Alliance makes offers of membership at a variety of levels, or ranks, if you will. Most new members are inducted as what we refer to as ‘Regional Partners.’ Only after several centuries of productive membership can they petition for full membership. As ‘Children of the Makers,’ however, Humanity will be offered full membership from day one.
“And just what benefits does membership in the Pelaran Alliance provide? Again, I can’t possibly give this subject the time that it deserves, but I will begin by telling you that a great many of our member civilizations credit their decision to join the Alliance with their very survival. In fact, I believe most of our members would tell you without hesitation that the first and foremost benefit of membership is security.
“To date, Terra has received only a small fraction of the technological data to which every member world is entitled. Once you do, I can assure you that Humanity will be more than capable of defending itself against any threat you are likely to encounter. In the event something unexpected occurs, your allies stand ready to come to your aid. Earth need not face a violent galaxy alone and, thanks to your st
atus as a candidate member, has not done so for quite some time. There are many other benefits, of course — access to vast trade networks, the cultural riches of hundreds of worlds, and tremendous quality of life improvements, to name a few. For example, the average life expectancy for member species sharing your genetic heritage has now reached one hundred sixty-four years, well over fifty percent longer than yours is today. I realize that may sound like more of a curse than a blessing for a crowded homeworld, but Earth now stands ready to begin colonizing many worlds in this region of the galaxy. Although Humanity is already quite … uh … shall we say fruitful in terms of birth rates, adding significantly more productive, healthy years to your lifespan will prove a tremendous benefit.
“I could go on for hours, but it’s now time for me to conclude our time together by addressing the ‘Why now?’ question I mentioned earlier. I realize that I will most likely anger a few of my friends in Terran Fleet Command by releasing some information that is not widely known outside their organization. Under the terms by which the Pelaran Alliance has granted technology to your world, however, it is within our prerogative to reveal certain details when we believe it is in either our, or your, best interests.” With that, the video feed switched to footage of TFS Ingenuity inside her berth at the Yucca Mountain Shipyard. The picture was carefully cropped to ensure that no other vessels, nor the scale of the shipyard facility itself, were evident within the field of view.
“My friends, I wasn’t exaggerating when I mentioned the need to ensure Earth’s security — her need for a strong defense — her need for allies willing to come to her aid, when necessary. To illustrate, I believe by now that most of you are familiar with Terran Fleet Command’s first operational starship, TFS Ingenuity.” The camera started with a zoomed-out view of the frigate’s starboard side, then slowly zoomed in and panned the worst of her battle damage in detail. “What most of you probably do not know is that, only a few short months after her launch, Ingenuity has already been heavily damaged in a brutal, unprovoked attack. Regrettably, the damage you see here resulted in the first Terran Fleet Command personnel being lost in the line of duty.” The image now switched to an overhead view as a procession of Marines slowly carried three coffins draped with flags bearing TFC’s official seal down one of Ingenuity’s port gangways.
There was a long pause, during which the haunting sounds of the Marine honor guard’s rhythmic steps, punctuated by an occasional command echoing across the vast shipyard, were all that could be heard. “On behalf of the Pelaran Alliance, I would like to express our deepest condolences for your losses. Those willing to put themselves in harm’s way to defend their fellow citizens deserve nothing less than our humble appreciation and sincere respect for their dedication and sacrifice. Truly, I wish I could tell you that your membership in the Alliance would mean the end of such sacrifice. Unfortunately, you need look no farther than your own history to know that such will never be the case. Indeed, the terrorists who attacked your vessel represent the most immediate threat, but they are only one of several potential enemies in this region of the galaxy. Terra’s somewhat remote location, in addition to my presence here, has provided a degree of protection for centuries. Unfortunately, as Earth’s neighbors have advanced, her relative isolation no longer provides the security your people deserve.” The video feed then returned to “Griffin’s” podium just in time to see him look off to the side for a moment — giving the impression that he was struggling to keep his emotions in check, or perhaps summoning the resolve to continue.
“The answer to ‘Why now?’ is that the external threat posed by neighboring hostile civilizations has reached a point where I alone can no longer provide adequate protection for your world. One month ago, I intercepted and destroyed an attack force from a group of planets known as the Sajeth Collective. At the time, they were just minutes away from reaching a position where they would have been able to execute a devastating attack on Earth … and by ‘devastating’ I am referring to nothing less than Humanity’s extinction.” Griffin paused again to allow the gravity of his words to weigh heavily on his audience before continuing. “Even though there are seven civilizations in the Sajeth Collective, their military is dominated by a hyper-aggressive race known as the Wek. Just a few weeks later, it was they who ambushed TFS Ingenuity during her very first mission beyond the bounds of the Sol system. It was they who caused the senseless deaths of the three brave crewmembers you just witnessed arriving home for the last time. Indeed, had it not been for the skill and resourcefulness of Ingenuity’s captain and crew, they would surely have all been lost.
“The answer to ‘Why now?’ is that, at this very moment, Terra lies under threat of an imminent attack from the Sajeth Collective — an attack that I do not believe I am capable of stopping without your help. I am fully aware that my appearing before you today for the first time bearing such dire news might give you the impression that I am some sort of an alarmist. You might even assume that my goal is to use fear to persuade you into joining the Pelaran Alliance. My friends, if that were my goal, I could have easily done so long ago. Indeed, I wish the situation were truly that simple. Ironically, I believe the Sajeth Collective has chosen to target you because it is they who are afraid. For one thing, they fear the dissolution of their fragile alliance for lack of resources — resources most easily acquired by taking them by force from neighboring star systems. They have cast a greedy eye towards your beautiful, blue world, believing that they now have the capability to eliminate me, then easily enslave or exterminate all of you before claiming Terra for themselves. Their greatest fear, however, is of what you may soon become. They have some knowledge of the Pelaran Alliance and understand that your membership will ensure that they will never again have the opportunity to simply take your world, or to threaten other less powerful, neighboring civilizations with the same.
“The answer to “Why now?’ is that they, and indeed most of you, do not yet know what you have already become,” he said, increasing the power and confidence of his delivery with every word. “It has been nearly fifty years since your scientists first began detecting signals from space. I think most of you will agree that the data I have provided on behalf of the Pelaran Alliance has literally transformed life on your world. Now, don’t misunderstand me here. Your civilization had already reached levels of technology that very few manage to achieve on their own, well before you received the first streams of data from the sky. Once they begin receiving our data streams, many of the worlds offered membership in the Alliance make tremendous progress within a short period of time. Your achievements, however, have reached a level that is, in many ways, unparalleled in the history of the Regional Partnership program.”
Once again, the video stream changed to display images skillfully selected to support the ongoing narrative. Short clips recalling various Pelaran-derived technologies with which most Humans were now familiar filled the screen. These ranged from the prosaic — day-to-day images of advanced food production techniques and medical diagnostics equipment — to the truly mind-boggling — automated spacecraft providing virtually limitless raw materials from the asteroid belt and gigantic transports hovering effortlessly before whisking several thousand people at a time to the opposite side of the globe in a fraction of the time previously required. As the video progressed, the images changed more and more rapidly to further emphasize the staggering pace of technological progress Earth had experienced over the last five decades.
“The answer to ‘Why now?’ my friends …” the Guardian said, pausing dramatically as the video feed returned to a view of TFS Ingenuity’s port side. The camera started at the level of the wharf, rising steadily above the top of her hull and expanding to include a view of TFS Theseus’ imposing side profile in the adjoining berth. “The answer is that your friends in the Pelaran Alliance have seen to it that you no longer have anything to fear from the Sajeth Collective, nor anyone else, for that matter.” The camera again increased in altitude, the
image now expanding to reveal the five additional Theseus-class destroyers preparing for launch along with the massive scale of the shipyard facility itself. The on-screen image faded briefly to black, only to be replaced by the awe-inspiring perspective of a location just above TFS Navajo’s hull as her nearly kilometer-long bulk passed below, revealing the carrier Jutland in the background. Seconds later, twelve Hunter RPSV’s launched simultaneously from six of her eight massive flight elevators. The camera remained fixed for several additional seconds until all twelve Hunters transitioned to hyperspace in unison.
“No, my friends. If we can continue to work together as trusted allies, it is they who have something to fear.”
Chapter 9
Hunter Formation “Nail 42,” Near the Neptunian Orbital Path
(4.2 light hours from Earth)
Had there been any Humans aboard either vessel in the two-ship RPSV formation, the tedium of C-Jumping from one target location to the next, then sitting motionless for over ten hours’ worth of sensor scans, would long since have exceeded their attention spans. The two spacecraft — collectively known as “Nail 42” flight — each had their own, individual call signs of “Nail 42” and “Nail 43.” Since the formation functioned as a single entity, however, it was referred to by the designation of the lead spacecraft.
Twenty-four identical formations of Hunters, launched from the carrier Jutland, were now well into the fifth full day of their reconnaissance missions. Thus far, there had been no sign of the Resistance task force — just a few false alarms caused by anomalous sensor readings that had turned out to be nothing more than naturally occurring phenomena.
