Drake's Rift: Taurian Empire

by Nate Johnson

  The alien adjusted his bite, then swallowed the entire thing in one gulp.

  Someone on the far side of the cabinet table choked and sounded as if they were going to be sick. Mac didn’t take his eyes away from the hologram. He felt as if it would be a disservice to these men to look away. As if their sacrifice had not really happened.

  On the hologram, the larger alien rose and stepped back. He was followed immediately by the front right guard who followed the same procedure. Stopping, touching the side of his head, then kneeling and taking a bite out of the Viceroy.

  Each guard followed suit. The same actions, the same single bite.

  The desecration continued for several minutes as each body was given the same treatment. Mac could swear he could hear General Thompson’s teeth grinding as the aliens ate his Marines.

  Once the group was done, the leader pointed up into the sky again. This time, his long finger was aimed directly at the drone. Immediately, the front right guard brought his rifle to his shoulder, and the screen went blank.

  “That has been the last report we have received from Intrepid,” Mac said with a dry croak as he sat back down. His body wanted to shake, his mouth felt as if he’d swallowed a bag of sand.

  Looking around the table, he tried to determine what they were thinking. It was easy to see the fear and anger in their eyes. Only Dr. Sinclair remained unreadable as her eyes looked off into the distance.

  “So, now you know as much as I do,” the Emperor said, bringing everyone’s attention back to reality. “Any ideas? Suggestions?”

  Each person looked back at the man with a hesitant gaze. They weren’t afraid of saying the wrong thing, Mac thought. The Emperor wouldn’t tolerate yes men and women. No, they didn’t know what to say. A thousand thoughts were dancing around in their heads as they tried to come to grips with what they had just seen.

  “Destroy them,” General Thompson said through gritted teeth. “I’ve already ordered every Marine in the Empire to prepare for deployment. Give the word, and we will kill every one of them and use their bodies to fertilize the Intrepid grasslands.”

  “No,” Foreign Minister Aurora Clemmons exclaimed as she leaned forward. “We can’t. We don’t know what they want, or why they are here.”

  The General scoffed. “It is pretty clear to me. Those are the actions of conquerors. They even waited until they were done before they shot down that drone. They wanted us to get a message. Prepare to be erased from the Galaxy.”

  “I don’t know,” Senator Richards said. “I just don’t know.”

  The Emperor looked at him for a long second, then his glance roamed around the room. Pulling every person back to the here and now.

  “Sir,” the senator said. “I represent Pyre, not the Empire. And as the planet next in line to Intrepid. Its nearest neighbor. I can tell you that I demand you protect us.”

  The Emperor nodded his head. “This Empire was founded on two bedrock principles,” he said. “One, the empire ends at the edge of a planet's atmosphere. As long as their leadership is elected fairly and they abide by the Empire’s laws. They will be left alone. We cannot interfere with a planet’s unique situation unless assistance is requested by the local rulers.”

  “Sir,” Admiral Jacobs said. “This stopped being a private concern the instant they destroyed the Mesquite.”

  “Second,” the Emperor continued without addressing the Admiral’s remarks. “The Empire has promised to protect its citizens. They have no need of a military of their own. No need for a space fleet. As a result. Large-scale war has been eliminated. We did this by creating a Navy so strong that no single planet. Hell, no group of planets could even think of fighting our fleet. We built a force of Imperial Marines. A land force so strong that a small contingent can subdue any rebellion, local warlords, or criminal gangs. No local army could ever hope to defeat them in the field. Especially not with our Navy holding the high ground.”

  Mac noticed several heads nodding in agreement.

  “I think we can dispense with the formal request for assistance.” the Emperor added. “I will brief Senator Johansson from Intrepid in my quarters later today.”

  Mac saw the Emperor wince with the realization he would have to show the senator the video and tell him that even now, his people might be fighting for their very lives.

  “My question is, what are your impressions? What are we facing? And what actions do we take?”

  Again, an awkward silence fell over the group.

  Mac noticed Dr. Sinclair fidgeting as if she wanted to say something. He nudged her with his knee and nodded for her to go ahead.

  She looked at him and smiled slightly.

  “Sir,” she said to the Emperor. “A few observations.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” he said. “This is why I asked that you be here. What can you tell us?”

  She frowned and shook her head. “Not much, sir, at least not yet. But there were a few things.”

  “Yes?”

  Taking a deep breath, she began, as if she were worried that someone might stop her.

  “Well, sir, they are obviously intelligent.”

  “I would have thought that was a requirement to travel halfway across the galaxy,” General Thompson said.

  “Actually, Sir,” she replied. “We don’t know if they came from the other side of the galaxy or the planet in the next star system. Maybe they received signals from Intrepid when it was founded, and they’ve spent the last forty-eight years getting there.”

  Mac had to hide a smile. It wouldn’t do for General Thompson to see him amused at his expense.

  “In addition,” Doctor Sinclair continued, “we don’t know if these creatures built those ships, or even piloted them. For all we know, they could be passengers or mercenaries. Maybe even pets. We just don’t have any idea.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” the Emperor said. “What we do not know will fill a data center.”

  Dr. Sinclair nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Sir. I just wanted to illustrate the dangers of making the wrong assumptions. But there is quite a bit we did learn.”

  The Emperor looked at her with a piercing stare.

  “We know they are tool users, and we can assume they are the makers of those tools. The opposable thumb. We know they are individual thinkers and not a hive mentality.”

  “How can you know that?” Admiral Jacobs asked.

  “The front right guard, the one who initiated the shooting. He has an insignia on his shoulder. A rather complex symbol of circles and triangles.”

  “So?”

  The good doctor sighed, “To me, that indicates a rank structure. Rank is not needed in a hive mentality situation. In addition, the bigger alien suggests a class system. Again, in a hive mentality, everyone is equal, perhaps specialized, but equal. No one commands them except the collective.”

  The room was silent for a moment.

  “What else?” the Emperor asked.

  “Well, they are obviously cognizant, perhaps even religious. Either way. They recognize the finality of death and are probably aware of their own mortality.”

  “Okay, I’ve got to ask,” Minister Clemmons asked, “how did you come up with that and why is it important.”

  Doctor Sinclair smiled slightly. “The recognition of the inevitability of death is a uniquely human condition. It is the main thing that separates us from the animals.”

  “Every animal fears death,” Admiral Jacobs said. “It is what drives both them and us.”

  “Yes, animals fear death. But they are unaware that it is inevitable. They might know that if they don’t eat, they will die. They may know that if the Valerian bear catches them, they will die ...”

  “I’ll say,” General Thompson said with a slight laugh.

  “... but, they are not aware that no matter what they do. Death will come for them eventually.”

  “So?” the Emperor asked.

  “Well, Sir, it just means that these aliens are aware of their ultimate fate,
and have developed rituals dealing with that fact. The looking up to the sky, the touching the head. Taking just one bite and then moving on to allow the next. Death is significant, even for a defeated foe.”

  Admiral Jacobs scoffed and started to ask “What about...” when the Emperor held his hand out to stop the admiral.

  Doctor Sinclair saw the indication to go on.

  “Well, Sir, if you think about it, that awareness of our eventual death is what has driven us up out of the jungle. Our need to be attached to something bigger. Something that will last beyond our death. Some scholars believe that in the ancient Garden of Eden, we became human the moment we made the connection of an inevitable death. That was the Tree of Knowledge.”

  “Come now,” Minister Clemens began. But the Emperor held up a hand stopping his advisor from continuing.

  Professor Sinclair took a deep breath and continued, “It is why we build and invent. It is why we discovered God in all his forms. And why we spend resources making sure death is delayed as long as possible. We built armies, and yes navies, to protect us from death. We search and find love in the hope of raising children, making sure we leave a part of us behind.”

  “And why is this important, Doctor?” the Emperor asked.

  She looked around the room, surprised that no one else had seen it. “Well, Sir, It means they can be killed. And at a certain point, they will judge it better to change their behavior before they are all killed.”

  General Thompson shook his head. “I can think of dozens of instances when fighters have knowingly sacrificed themselves. Knowingly accepted death for the greater good.”

  “Yes, Sir, that is my point,” the Doctor said. “They willingly accepted death because they knew there was something bigger being left behind. If a person is going to die anyway, isn’t it better to do so for a greater cause.”

  “So?”

  “So, Sir,” she continued, “these creatures obviously evolved from predators. Learned to make tools, grew in intelligence, developed religion and/or rituals associated with death.”

  A silence had fallen over the room before Dr. Sinclair continued, “I believe, that for all practical purposes these creatures are closer to being human than animal. It would be a serious mistake to assume they were simply dumb animals with fancy tools. These are smart, cunning, disciplined creatures that know how to kill and don’t seem to care who gets in their way.”

  Chapter Four

  Mac McKenzie smiled to himself. As soon as he had seen this woman he had known she would be an asset. Someone to be listened to. Her books on the similarities of ALL of species across planetary systems based upon their environment and chemical makeup had been critical to shaping his thinking on the matter.

  It was nice to see that his belief about her had been well founded.

  The Emperor cleared his throat then addressed the group.

  “Our doctrine in these matters call for us to approach a new alien race with caution and no hint of aggressive behavior. We are to give them no reason to feel threatened. I believe we have done this. And both times, we were answered with force. These creatures are not here to trade, or discuss, or discover. They are here to destroy and conquer. Does anyone disagree?”

  Here he looked at his foreign minister for a moment. The woman hesitated, then nodded her head in agreement.

  “I also believe, that this is no longer a local matter on Intrepid but a situation which calls for the Empire to take action. Again, does anyone disagree?”

  Several people swallowed hard, but each nodded affirmatively as they shot furtive glances at each other. They knew where this was leading.

  The Emperor sighed heavily, then said, “As such, I believe we must take steps to convince these aliens to stop their actions or be destroyed. And that if we do not do so, they might very well expand and continue their destruction through the rest of humanity until no one is left alive or free from slavery.”

  Mac’s insides tightened up into a ball. The Emperor was right, this really was the stark reality. It was either kill or be killed. There were no other options at the moment. And that humanities very existence might rest in the balance.

  Seeing no disagreement, the Emperor continued, “We will have to send a force to Intrepid to destroy these aliens.”

  “What if at some point they attempt to negotiate?” the Foreign Minster asked. Mac wondered if the woman was fighting for political maneuvering room or if she truly thought she might get an opportunity to sit down across the table from these creatures.

  The Emperor smiled weakly. “We will deal with that issue at the time. But in the meantime, our focus must be on eliminating the threat.”

  The minister frowned slightly as she nodded her head.

  “Now then,” the Emperor continued, “the question before this group is what kind of force, how large, and how quickly can we get it there? Every day we delay is one more day where the people of Intrepid are fighting alone against a very evil enemy.”

  “Sir,” Admiral Jacob’s said, “One option that should be explored is the possibility of cutting off Intrepid. Destroying the wormhole portal between it and Pyre.”

  Dr. Sinclair gasped. Mac noticed that several people looked appalled at the idea. It made his heart feel good to know that they had been bothered by the mere suggestion of abandoning a planet. Of cutting it off from the rest of humanity. But the idea had to be broached.

  Each of them automatically thought of Earth, the mother planet, that had destroyed its own portal. Abandoning the galaxy.

  The Emperor looked at Admiral Jacobs for a long moment then shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “We can’t. No planet would ever trust us again. It would be the beginning of the downfall of the Empire. Plus. We still don’t know how these aliens traveled to Intrepid. We don’t know if they can create their own wormhole. What if we cut off Intrepid, then Pyre next and so on down the line? At some point, we will become a conglomeration of independent worlds with no ability to communicate or interact. No, I won’t do that.”

  Several people relaxed. Mac noticed that Senator Richards especially seemed pleased.

  “At least, not yet,” the Emperor added.

  “In that case,” Admiral Jacobs said, “the Navy has developed a contingency plan for this situation. I will ask Admiral McKenzie to brief them.”

  “Sir,” Mac said as he stood up once again. “Several years ago, your father asked the Navy to study this possible situation and to develop different options.”

  “McKenzie was a part of that group, back when he was a commander,” Admiral Jacobs interjected. “In fact, he wrote the final report.”

  The Emperor nodded, and Mac continued.

  “The Navy can have four ships of the line at Intrepid in one week. But I seriously doubt they would be very effective. Especially since they would have almost no Imperial Marine’s attached.”

  “I’ve ordered all Marines to prepare for immediate deployment,” General Thompson interjected. “But we don’t have a significant quantity in that region. As you know, most of the Marines are stationed here on Taurus and on Montlake.”

  Once the Emperor had nodded his understanding, Mac continued, “We can have half the fleet, fourteen vessels with a Marine Brigade there in two weeks. And we can have three-fourths of the fleet, twenty-two vessels, there with two divisions of Marines in three weeks.”

  “Three weeks?” Senator Richards asked. “Why so long. There might not be anyone left on Intrepid. In fact, the monsters might move on Pyre in that time. We have spent billions. No trillions, on the Navy, and you’re telling me you can’t do anything for three weeks.”

  Mac took a deep breath. “Sir,” he said. “Our fleet is spread across twenty-four planets.

  “How long to gather the entire fleet?” the Emperor asked, obviously trying to stop the angry Senator from going off into a side issue.

  “At least ten weeks, Your Highness,” Mac answered.

  “Ten weeks. No, that is unac
ceptable,” the senator said.

  “And the Navy’s recommendation?” the Emperor asked, ignoring the sputtering senator.

  “The three-fourths of the fleet and the three-week option, Your Highness,”

  “No, No, we can’t wait that long,” the Senator said as his face began to turn red.

  Mac nodded and said, “Sir, if we feed the fleet in piecemeal, we will lose. Simple, four, or even eleven ships will be defeated, and we will lose their firepower. We must go in with a fleet strong enough to defeat them.”

  “And you’re confident that a fleet of twenty-four ships will be enough.”

  The young admiral paused for a long second. This was the moment he had been dreading. At last, taking a deep breath, he said, “No, Sir, I’m not. We don’t know their capabilities. We don’t know their strengths and weaknesses. We don’t even know how many ships they will have when we get there. What I can promise you is that if we go into battle without enough ships, we will surely lose. If we go into battle with all our ships, I can’t promise you that we will win.”

  Mac felt the room grow suddenly cold. He noticed Dr. Sinclair next to him stiffen. The reality of the situation was finally settling in.

  “Admiral Jacobs,” the Foreign minister asked. “Do you agree?”

  The old man slowly nodded his head. “Yes, I do. We must go in with a large force. Yet hold enough back to be the core of a new fleet if we have to build another.”

  “Another fleet?” the Senator asked. “Do you have any idea how much that will cost?”

  Admiral Jacobs stared at the man for a long minute. “Sir, if our initial fleet is destroyed, how would you suggest we protect Pyre?”

  Mac watched the Senator’s face drain of all color. His heart went out to the man. He had just come to the realization that the Navy was the only thing preventing him and his people from being eaten like a herd of cows.

  .o0o.

  Sergeant Dex Carter ran his hand along the outside of the transport shuttle as he and his men waited the order to load. Seven hours from the original directive and they were ready to board a shuttle for transport to a starship and be sent anywhere in the galaxy.