Star Force: Scruples (SF37)

by Aer-ki Jyr

  You said there were about 4 million of them?

  Yes.

  We’ll build a station in orbit of Bolo, Randy said, referencing a world in Beta Region that Star Force was beginning construction on as an inter-racial commerce world that would be populated by entrepreneurs and settlers from other races, but that would have no connection with their governments.

  I thought you wanted them isolated?

  They will be. There aren’t any windows for them to wave out of.

  A comfortable prison in plain sight?

  Not a prison, a residential habitat. They’ll have contact with each other, no isolation protocols for the individuals.

  I guess if we have security nearby already that’s not hard to pull off, Eric conceded. What’s the up side for us…other than getting them off the galactic streets?

  Not much.

  Side project?

  Randy turned to look at his fellow Archon. We don’t like having to kill the lizards…not all of them, anyway.

  That’s why you threw out the comment about the Mssot removing the genetic memory?

  No, I said that because he was thinking about using that as a tactic to circumvent our control.

  Oh…how long does it take to get to Professor Xavier level anyway?

  I’m not there yet, but the more practice you have the better, and you can’t train for this by going to a sanctum. It has to be field work for the most part, and I’ve been dealing with the Kiritas up close for a long time.

  So this is a lizard prototype reeducation project?

  No, the lizards are born with full genetic memory. We can’t take their young and turn them to the lightside, unfortunately.

  So then why are we doing this?

  Because we’re the good guys…and amongst our many enemies are compromising situations. One being us having to kill every single individual to defeat an opponent. In the middle of a firefight fine, but when we have time to think and plan we want options, and when we’re faced with the lizards and not being able to find any it’s…unacceptable. Here we’ve got Mssot that are just as bad, but we’ve got a chance to wipe them out without wiping them out.

  You did the same thing with the Kiritas.

  Randy tipped his head and frowned uncommitally. In a way, yes.

  I know we’re rescuing the Calavari and integrating them into Star Force, and have already absorbed the Kiritas, but this doesn’t fit the mold.

  No, it’s not the same. This is going to be a lot of work with little gain, but we’re still going through with it. One thing I hate above all else is having the situation force someone into becoming a bad guy. Corruption through environment. It’s real, but a lie at the same time. If you have a switch you have to hold open to keep a lethal injection from going into a person, you stay put and keep your hand on the switch. But what if there’s a countdown clock on the other side of the room next to another switch, and if you don’t flip it 5 people will be ejected into space when the countdown expires. What do you do?

  Eric’s mind flipped through the scenario in a few tenths of a second before he found a solution.

  Tie the switch open and go flip the other one.

  That’s what we do…we find other options. But what if we can’t find one in time? Do you kill the one to save the five, or do you protect the one you’re entrusted with and pass up the opportunity to save the others?

  Neither is acceptable.

  Let’s change it a bit…take out the second switch and the five people and put in a table with food and water. How long do you stay on the switch?

  Meaning that if you don’t move you’ll eventually die of starvation or dehydration?

  Exactly.

  Eric blew out a breath, thinking. I guess you’d buy what time you could, but if you let yourself die your hand will come off the switch and both of you will end up dead…so you’d have to let go at some point before that.

  And always wonder what would have happened if you had just held on a few minutes longer.

  Bad situation, but it wouldn’t corrupt me.

  But it does take away your choices. You’ve got someone else pulling your strings and forcing you into a choice not of your own making. As Archons we don’t like to believe in a no-win scenario where we’d have to turn to the darkside…because there isn’t one. You can’t force someone to turn evil, but you can really screw with their head and heart.

  Eric considered that, even if the concept wasn’t entirely new to him.

  You want us to be the guy that comes in and flips the second switch, taking away the bad vs. bad choice?

  Not all enemies are people. Some are ideas, some are circumstances. All need to be fought.

  So saving the Mssot younglings is you sticking it to the darkside?

  Taking a corrupt race and showing that it can be saved is the point. The enemy is the culture, not the individuals…at least not until they buy into it, and even then some of them can have their eyes opened.

  And where do the Mssot land?

  Randy frowned heavily. While it’s theoretically possible that they could change their ways, I’m not betting any credits on it. That one was evil, and I’m guessing the others are too, but on the off chance that one of them up on those ships isn’t, he’ll still be alive since we’re not just blowing them out of orbit…which I do have an urge to do, by the way.

  So how long do I have to keep them in orbit?

  Good question…I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

  And if any more wayward refugees show up, what’s my response supposed to be?

  Randy smirked. I don’t think you’ll be bothered with this on a regular basis, but we are working on a long term plan.

  We being the trailblazers?

  Yep.

  Where does Davis stand on all this?

  He’s onboard, but he really lets us handle all inter-racial relations, given that it’s military based. He’s got his hands full with Human-only worlds.

  Did you even ask him about Operation Conduit?

  It was run by him before we implemented it, why?

  Just not entirely clear where his influence ends. Annexing other races seems more than a military thing.

  We’re a team that are used to working with each other, Randy explained. Same way you’re familiar with the other Star Fox Archons. Work far enough down the chain and you’ll run into adepts who’ll ask the same question of you regarding how the Clan functions and who’s really in charge after me. What would you say?

  That you’re a tyrannical jerk who controls everything, Eric joked. I get your point. Too bad I wasn’t born a few years earlier.

  You think that’s all of it?

  Meaning what?

  You think being a trailblazer is just about being the first class? I should punish myself for not schooling you foxes better.

  You really think all 100 of you are the strongest by sheer luck?

  Because we’re better.

  But what are the odds that the best Archons would all be the first ones?

  Never really thought about that, we just are.

  And maybe if I’d been there I would have picked up a few things from training alongside you guys. That’s what I’m saying.

  Sounds like whining to me…and besides, it’s 101 now.

  “What?” Eric asked out loud.

  “You heard me. There’s 101 of us.”

  “How is that possible…unless you’re counting Vermaire or Davis or someone?”

  “They’re not Archons.”

  “Who’s the new guy then?”

  “Someone who can kick my ass.”

  Eric thought for a moment, knowing that only the other trailblazers were high enough ranking rangers to best him…save for one.

  “The Queen of Diamonds?” Eric asked, using Kara’s nickname.

  “Yep.”

  “But she cheated,” he complained.

  “One thing you need to know about us is that we value results, not excuses.”

  �
�Shut up and train…got it.”

  “You read my mind,” Randy said, hopping off the railing with Eric following suit. “Need something?”

  Eric thought he was talking to him, but then followed his eye line to a Kiritak that was standing on the other side of the bushes beyond the railing they’d just been sitting on.

  “Are you the Randy?” it asked, shuffling its feet.

  “I am.”

  The shorter alien smiled widely. “I apologize for interrupting, I was merely curious.”

  “Not a problem,” Randy said, clapping Eric on the elbow to get him to walk beside him as he left the pavilion.

  Rock stars too, Eric added.

  Like you aren’t? Everyone on the planet knows who you are.

  I don’t get reactions like that.

  You’re not the savior of their race.

  Exactly my point.

  They know you better than the other trailblazers, Randy pointed out.

  Damn…you got me there.

  Usually do, the Clan Star Fox leader reminded him as they crossed onto a park path that would lead to the exit into the city. Randy would stay groundside for the next few days, with the Mssot returning after 3 with their answer…a desperate and categorical yes.

  9

  January 1, 2450

  Solar System

  Pluto

  Sander Rennold had just woken up from a good night’s sleep and hopped over to the nearby track for a ‘wake up’ mile before showering and pulling on his red Star Force logistics division uniform, then sitting down for a bowl of cereal in his quarters while he watched the news feeds. He opened a small container of supplement that had been designed to simulate milk and poured the vitamin rich white liquid onto his crunchy cereal, starting a mental countdown for how long he had to eat it before it got soggy.

  As was per his year-old routine, Sander would have some 35 minutes to eat and catch up with what was happening across Star Force’s interstellar empire before he reported for work and got caught up on what was happening on Pluto, as far as commerce and cargo shipments were concerned. He’d been working as a senior logistics administrator on the planet for a year now, with their collective responsibility being to ensure that all Star Force colonies on the planet had what they needed in order to survive.

  The Clan holdings were outside his domain, but it was up to him to keep tabs on the three national territories on the planet and to make sure they didn’t accidentally starve to death. The Aussies took care of their affairs well, but the smaller Terran Hegemony and Ipexion nations, both founded off Earth, were always operating on the edge of sufficiency. They relied on some 72% of their resources from imports, while Star Force colonies on Pluto operated on an average of 3%, with stockpiles to sustain them for a considerable amount of time should commerce break down.

  The goal of any logistical operation was to get that number down to 0%, making a colony truly self-sufficient. That didn’t include luxuries, just the basics. Things like entertainment and décor weren’t a logistical concern, though the division did facilitate their transfer. Most of those items were sold in stores not of Star Force ownership, but they still had to transfer through the transit network and enter through the same spaceports, making them an unimportant, but ever-present piece of commerce to track.

  Sander’s main concern were things like oxygen supply, foodstuffs, water, power supply, construction materials, and ensuring that the factories kept running smoothly, producing all the parts and products that Star Force required, most of which were built out of raw materials harvested locally…which usually meant mining or recycling efforts.

  There were some things that Pluto didn’t have, like Corovon, that had to be imported, but through stockpiles and recycling efforts the planet’s need for regular shipments was minimal…so far as maintaining the status quo was concerned. Securing the materials to expand a colony was another matter entirely, and with Star Force constantly growing there was a lot of resources being shipped in, along with several locally produced specialties being shipped out.

  Most people considered such concerns as background work and cited it as boring, but Sander knew that it was the lifeblood of any civilization and one that Star Force heavily emphasized. It had taken him some 42 years of hard work to rise this far up the ranks, but he had only just now reached tier 6 within the corporation, which oddly enough meant that he no longer received any pay. That he actually took as a good sign, indicating that he was now part of the Star Force ‘family’ rather than just being an employee who would one day leave to pursue other work or retirement.

  And therein lay the problem. Being a level 6 now granted him greater autonomy within the corporation, and with it came questions that he hadn’t been in a position to face before. Up until now his duties had been straightforward and he didn’t have to think about doing anything other than what he was told, but now that wasn’t the case.

  As Sander crunched another spoonful of cereal he watched a news vid about a Word rally on Mars, in one of the Brazilian cities, that was espousing their belief that Star Force’s code of conduct was interfering with their natural rights as Humans. He knew it wasn’t really The Word, but their overt civilian followers. The actual organization was secretive, but the societal push that was going on had seemed to take on a life of its own.

  No such rallies occurred in Star Force colonies, for the simple reason that public demonstrations weren’t permitted. Public expression was accomplished through media, not by blocking transit ways and disrupting passerbys. And with media, if you didn’t want to hear what someone had to say it was your choice, for you could just change to another channel or watch a different vid. The ‘in your face’ public pressure that nations like Brazil still allowed was a no-go with Star Force, and most of the citizenry that lived on Star Force worlds appreciated the lower angst.

  That hadn’t stopped The Word movement from getting their propaganda out, and for some reason Star Force didn’t try to censor it. At first Sander hadn’t understood that tactic, thinking they should have been opposing their enemy’s interference, but ever since Director Davis had made his public announcement concerning The Word, Star Force had taken a very open approach which Sander now appreciated. Let The Word have their say, then utterly tear it apart with logic and reason…for those that would listen, anyway.

  The people he was seeing on the news vid did not fall into that category. Whether they believed in what The Word stood for or not, they were using the movement as an opportunity to do things they otherwise would not have been permitted to do, whether it be publically misbehaving and not getting punished for it, or by slandering those they had grudges with by lumping them in with what parts of the public were declaring to be the ‘evil empire’ that was Star Force.

  The Word itself knew better than to take that approach, for Star Force did so much good that it was impossible to truly paint them as the enemy, save for with those in society that were weak in the logic department…which usually focused on the young. That was a real problem in Star Force colonies, for proportionally speaking the 15-30 year olds made up only a sliver of the population, given that with the physical training emphasis the corporation pressed, its colonies had people living far longer than within other nations.

  So it was not a surprise that most of the anti-Star Force movement cropped up there, then tried to work its way in through civilian angles…but so far Davis’s super-nation wasn’t being converted, only annoyed at times. Even the news vid didn’t spend much time on the demonstrations, simply adding them as a footnote to more worthy news, today of which was highlighted by the opening of a new colony in the Barnard System, which was only 6 light years away from Sol.

  Sander listened to half the story, which was noting the opportunities for early immigration and the procedures to follow for filing requests, before he finished his bowl and got a head start on the clock as he headed out of his quarters enroute to his office elsewhere in the city.

  Halfway there he made a detou
r, having concluded that he’d given the matter at hand sufficient thought, and headed towards the section of the city that held the Archon sanctum. There weren’t many stationed here, despite the fact that the city/colony housed some 53 million people. Star Force had 6 others of lesser size on Pluto, plus Clans, but given that Pluto was secure territory there wasn’t much need for a large Archon presence.

  That said, one couldn’t just walk to the nearest planet, so Star Force kept at least a few Archons everywhere they had a colony, no matter the size. They had their own section of the city, beyond just their exclusive training areas. It was off limits to the public, but Star Force personnel had access, which allowed Sander to pass through one of the automated security checkpoints with his genetic ID in the form of a handprint.

  Analyzing the structure of his hand and taking a genetic sample at the same time, it confirmed his identity and lowered the energy field blocking his progress while raising one behind him. When he passed the threshold of the first they switched back, exposing the handprint scanner to the public again.

  What had been fairly busy city streets turned into almost empty corridors as he walked through the Archons’ residential areas that held their quarters, most of which were empty. The first person he passed in the hallways was another non-Archon, which he gave a nod to and let pass by, but when he spotted the first white with red stripe uniform he flagged down the man by waving a hand as he jogged up to him.

  “I’m sorry,” Sander said, “do you know where I can find Larry?”

  “Still doing his morning workout, I think,” Darren-134229 said, stopping next to the logistics officer in the middle of the hall.

  “Can you take me to him?”

  Darren frowned. “Only Archons are permitted in the sanctum.”

  “Can you bring him out to me then? It’s urgent.”

  “Is it something I can handle?” the Archon offered.

  “I need the highest ranking Archon available,” Sander said apologetically. “To my knowledge that’s Larry.”

  Not seeming to take any offense at the slight, Darren tapped his earpiece and cycled through a few options.