by Ben Winston
"I've never heard anything like that. How long ago did it happen?" Ian asked.
"Almost a hundred thousand of your years ago. Most believe it is a myth, but there are still records from that time. The leaderships of the races know the truth. They would come attack you if this knowledge ever gets out. We worked very hard to prevent the knowledge of Talosian gifts from getting out. However, the Talosian no longer have these abilities. They began to appear, but then just as suddenly seemed to have left the race. We had just begun the war with the Empire, so it was a good thing. The blessing of the Goddess protected them from total destruction at the hands of their own allies. Unfortunately, your race has already surpassed the level the Talosians reached. Admiral T’rolith is a good Commander. He knows of the dangers you would face if this knowledge got out," T'gan replied.
"What happened to free the races? How did they regain their freedom?" Jenny asked.
T'gan smiled sadly at her. "We don't know. The records from that time have little information in regards to that. All that is said is that one day, the masters were simply no longer there. As if the entire race simply disappeared all at once, leaving everything behind. It is speculated they ascended to another plane of existence, no other theories really exist."
"It strikes me as wrong that such a cruel sounding race would be able to ascend like that," Jenny replied, thoughtfully.
"You see 'ascension' as a reward, such as you would receive in the afterlife, right?" T'gan asked.
"I guess I do. Maybe it was just the way I was raised or the influence of all the people I've known; it just seems wrong to me for that to have happened," Jenny replied.
T'gan nodded her understanding. "Much of what we see in the world around us depends greatly on our own point of view. For example, would you consider humans to be superior to the monkeys here on Earth?"
"Well, yes, I guess so. After all we have language and have developed spaceflight and technology," Jenny replied.
T'gan nodded. "Have you ever though to wonder how the monkeys see it?"
"But Matriarch, we don't abuse the monkeys or at least most of us don't. We don't abuse any animals," Jenny replied.
"How do you think your cattle feel about being a food source for you?" T'gan asked. "Please don't think I am criticizing you or your beliefs, I am simply trying to point out that your own point of view has a direct bearing on how you see the world around you and that point of view may differ greatly from other beings. The same could be said in this situation; we cannot understand how the masters viewed the rest of the races, therefore, we cannot understand their point of view. The races in the Alliance share enough with the rest of us that we can understand each other and agree on treaties and concepts. The Masters obviously did not share that point of view."
"While that's all really interesting, and I really would like to learn more about it sometime, we have a problem we need to get dealt with," Ian said gently. "Matriarch, although we greatly appreciate it, you didn't come here personally to take care of Janet."
T'gan smiled at him. "No, I did not. It is also the reason I asked Chairman Belden to accompany me, even when he is far too busy to be absent." She paused to gather her thoughts. "Many in our society do not share the same point of view on the worship of Our blessed Milgaia. You could call them a different sect of our belief system. While we disdain the taking of sentient life for any reason, these people believe that violence and killing are sometimes necessary. It is one of the reasons we have two planets. There are other differences that separate us; the eating of replicated foods including meat, joining outside of our race, are the other two main issues.
"That part of our society has not joined the fight for two main reasons; the first is that they do not wish to damage our relations with the Alliance by confusing the issue of our neutrality and the other is our birth rate," T'gan explained. "Please, Ian, just be patient a bit longer, I will get to your answer," she said, smiling at him.
"Our race is dying a very slow death. As you know our males are restricted from travel and cannot join in a permanent relationship. This is because of our birth statistics. Currently, almost fifty females are born for every male. We have not been able to understand the reasons, and some of my people feel it is simply Milgaia's will. Others feel our Goddess has let us advance to the point where we can at last attempt to save ourselves. But therein lies yet another issue; our scientific community will not delve into our own genetics far enough to discover the cause of our current situation. They feel it would be to trespass into the realm of the Goddess.
"There are some scientists, those that are among the other sect, that would investigate this, but lack the training and equipment to do so. Our Council of Elders also refuses to purchase this equipment from another race; they feel allowing it would be allowing our sisters to sin against the Goddess. I can see both sides of this issue, but I am only one tired old woman. I believe Milgaia has shared her views on this with us, much as she always does, by guiding the actions of our people.
"To that end, and with Council approval, we are doing something unprecedented. We are going to allow our less orthodox sect to seek out assistance from another race; they have chosen you," T'gan finished.
"Uh, I don't think I fully understand this; chosen us for what?" Luke asked.
"To put it simply, several members of that sect wish to immigrate. They would like to join your society as citizens, scientists and military; our Council has given them permission to do so. My Granddaughter, the woman you rescued, has already been assigned as your Ambassador, but if you agree, she will also immigrate and act as liaison for the new citizens," T'gan replied. "She has been excommunicated from the orthodox church for the taking of two human males as mates."
"Forgive me, T'gan, but wouldn't allowing Benesian women into our military make the other races nervous in regards to the whole 'Master race' thing?" Ian asked.
"We do not believe so. On average, our mental abilities are far too weak to be a threat. This fact is widely known in the Alliance. If you agree to take them in, we will also work within the Alliance to foster acceptance and approval from the other races. It should be accepted by them without too much trouble," T'gan explained. "I would mention that the women in question will not be allowed to bring any males with them. We are not sure if interbreeding is possible, but we do find your race to be physically attractive. That usually means Milgaia approves. We were attracted to the Talosian people as well, but could never develop the trust we felt would be needed for such as this. That is not an issue with your race."
"Forgive me, T'gan, but interbreeding should not be an issue. I have been conducting research into the events on Hyclarion to discover what the Empire was doing to the citizens there. Part of that has been genetic analysis of our races. The only differences between Talosian, Terran and Benesian are sequential placement of some of the alleles and chromosomes. Medically speaking we are all the same race," Beth explained. "If we can't interbreed, then I'd like to know why."
"That is good to know, Doctor. Perhaps if time permits you can discover why our birth rates are skewed towards females instead of something more balanced," T'gan said.
"How many women are we talking about here, and how quickly would they begin arriving?" Luke asked. "We would need to make certain we have accommodations and facilities for them."
"There are just over ten million members of the other sect, and we do not know for certain how many of them would apply. We are estimating around twenty percent will wish to come," T'gan replied. "Roughly two to two and a half million women. Obviously, they could not come all at once. You could always regulate their arrival based on the availability of accommodations, that would be entirely up to you," T'gan replied.
Luke sighed. "What do you think Admiral? Would you like a few more people?"
"More help is always welcome, Luke. Besides, not all of them would be military. T'gan did mention scientists as well as a few regular citizens too, I would imagine," Ian replied.
&
nbsp; T'gan nodded. "I did say that, but for the sake of argument, it would be safe to say that most of those joining you would do so as military applicants in one form or another. There has been interest in every branch of your services, including the Raptor teams, although we made certain to let them know that selection for that was strictly regulated to specific individuals and applicants accepted on a case by case basis."
"I will need to speak to the rest of the council, T'gan. However, I don't foresee a problem with this as long as we have time to build places for them to live. We could even bring some of them over now and put them to work building the rest of the needed facilities," Luke said, nodding to himself. "Yeah, let me talk it over with the Council. I think they'll like the idea. Considering the coming Armageddon; I'm sure they'll welcome as many people as we can find."
T'gan nodded her understanding. "Then we can return to Atlas when you are ready, Chairman. There are other items I would discuss with your Council as well. Once Shies arrives, she'll be able to handle these things, but for now, I have to do it myself. Ian, I will leave the two tending Mrs. Laskar in your care. They are of the other sect and will most likely be asking to remain here anyway. Please watch over them, both are kind to a fault and somewhat naive when it comes to interracial interactions."
Ian nodded. "A trait many medical professionals share. They will be cared for, T'gan."
Beth nodded. "I'll add them to my staff. If we have need to send them out, I'll make sure to send suitable assistants with them."
"As both Jenny and Janet are based off the ship, that would be the best place for them I think," T'gan nodded.
Jenny snorted and shook her head. "Now I just need to get used to sleeping with another woman in the bed as a form of therapy!"
T'gan and Luke left that evening to return to Atlas. It turned out that she wanted to ask the Council to consider a trade agreement that would enable Benesian ships to receive military-grade cloaking generators and shield upgrades at Terran facilities. In return, T'gan offered several tons of food, entertainment devices, and other commodities in trade. Luke, proving he had been paying attention, countered her with asking her people to manufacture emergency medical and survival kits that could be freely distributed on Earth.
T'gan happily agreed. She said it was a fabulous idea, not only for this trade agreement, but for use by all other races as well. She said she would make certain there would be no advanced tech in the kits for Earth, while still making them as useful as possible. When Luke tried to discuss how many units would be covered by this agreement, T'gan waved it off. "No limits, Chairman. Your suggestion is something we should be doing anyway and offering them for free to everyone. Also, as you have done in the past, you are assisting us in many ways with only thoughts for the benefits to all citizens. At a certain point, we may need assistance in the form of resources for the kits, but we currently have a major surplus of many of the items that will be needed. I will order the construction of the assembly plants to begin at once. The ships that will carry the first loads of these supplies can be the first to receive the upgraded shields."
"Nope," Luke replied smiling.
"Pardon me?" T'gan replied.
"While that would be a good plan, it's not feasible. You need your passenger liners upgraded as well, those need to be started now. They can be worked on at the Mars facility since the Pleiades stations are at full capacity. Perhaps we should consider expanding the facilities there as well," Luke replied looking to the other Councilors. "There might be a need to do so if other nations want this type of service done."
They agreed, and the request to expand the Mars shipyard was officially made. Crews were still an issue as most of the construction effort had been shifted over to the Pleiades stations and the Academy on Atlas, but the work request was accepted and the expansion was placed on the schedule.
While Ian was still on Earth trying to enjoy his vacation, he contacted Commodore Hawkins and ordered another bay on one of the stations set aside for Terran ship construction and increased the priority on those ships. Isaak was surprised by the orders.
"What's wrong, Ian? The Empire find us or something?"
"Not yet, Isaak, but they will soon. We need to be ready, because they are going to send everything they have at us. If we're not ready, none of us will survive," Ian replied.
Isaak lost his grin and looked at Ian closely. "You're serious. What's happened?"
Ian sighed. "You're familiar with how Janet Laskar does the things she does, right?"
"Yeah, kinda spooky, but she's a damn good person," Isaak replied.
"Yes she is. She's in treatment for psychological trauma right now due to the strength and… severity of the visions she had. None of the other precogs are reacting like this yet, so we probably have a bit of time, but I don't want to waste even a second of it." Ian replied. "We need to start getting ready, right now."
"Can we ask the Alliance for assistance?" Isaak asked.
"No, not yet. I want to keep our precogs as a secret. The rest of the Alliance have a bias against mental abilities in races that are willing to fight. There's a long story here, remind me and I'll tell you about it sometime," Ian replied.
"Okay, say aren't you supposed to be on vacation or something?" Isaak asked.
Ian grinned. "Yeah, like I can ever truly go on vacation!"
"Well, try to enjoy what you can; it's the only thing that keeps us sane over the long haul," Isaak said.
"That reminds me, there is a grumpy old bastard that would make a great fishing partner for you going through medical treatment at Phoenix base right now. Jason Montgomery; he owns the Breckenridge Ski Resort down here," Ian said.
"You recruited Ol' Monty? Where did you find him?" Isaak asked, amazed.
"You know him?" Ian replied, surprised.
"Yeah, I know him! We used to go fishing together back when I lived in Colorado. He's at Phoenix you say?" Isaak asked. "Maybe I can run over there for a couple of days, I'm sure he could use a friendly face; except for his grandson and great niece, he's been alone since his wife passed."
Ian nodded. "If you can, please do, I didn't get to know him all that well, but I like him."
"Thanks, Ian. I'll do that. Take care." Isaak replied.
"I will. I need to give Colonel Carlson an ulcer next. Then the fun really begins; I get to go back to the UN and tell them what we're going to be doing to their planet," Ian replied.
"They are going to fight you every step of the way, Son. I think you might be facing a harder battle down there than you ever have up here. Good luck."
Ian winked at him and closed the channel.
Ian did call Alan Carlson to let him know that as soon as Ian could make the arrangements on the planet, the defense kits would be getting installed and their time was running out. Alan reminded him that only about half the kits had been assembled so far, but he would make what preparations he could to get them installed as soon as Ian told him to begin.
Next Ian contacted the orbital fortress construction project and asked what they needed to be finished in three months.
"A miracle Admiral. It just can't be done with the resources we have. We're actually ahead of schedule and we're still looking at nine months to a year," the project head replied.
"What do you need to get them finished sooner?" Ian asked.
"At least a hundred more people and a dozen more special drones. The help of an AI wouldn't hurt either," the man replied.
"I'll get them for you. Do you need the AI full time or would part time be enough?" Ian asked.
That took the project lead by surprise. "Uh, I think part time would be all we'd need. Mostly for the drone programming and for a limited time when they start on a new station. Has something changed Sir?"
"Yes it has, but I can't tell you what yet. Look, do you care if the people are human or not? I think I can find some skilled folks from the group the Alliance sent, but you'd have to train anyone else," Ian replied.
"Skil
led is always better, Sir. But mix them up a bit, maybe if we can get more folks trained watching a skilled craftsman we'll be better off in the long run."
"Okay, I'll get your drones ordered and start working on the personnel anything else?" Ian asked. "Oh, yeah, the AI. I'll speak to Andreya on Earth, but you might end up with a new unassigned AI for a time. Andreya's going to be pretty busy, very soon."
"Anything will help, Sir," the man replied. "I'll keep you posted on our progress and anything else we might need."
"Great, call me directly if you need to. I'll make sure you can," Ian replied before ending the call and moving on to the next task.
"Sir, I've gotten you an appointment with the UN security council on Monday," Alex replied. "They weren't happy about it, but they agreed to hear you."
"They're going to be even less happy after listening to me. I'm going to be pissing off a lot of countries over this," Ian replied. "What about the meeting with the researchers at Phoenix?"
"That was a little more difficult. They will all be available at the same time on Wednesday of next week. I did try to make it earlier, but…"
Ian interrupted her. "Don't worry about it, Alex. I know how busy everyone is. Next week will be fine. Please ask Chairman Belden's aide to have him give me a call tonight so we can discuss my addressing the UN on Monday. However, I think I better get my ass back to my vacation before I have more pissed off ladies on my hands."
"I think you might be right, Sir; I heard Commander Jenny talking to Major Cindy about deactivating your communit," Alex replied.
"Yeah and if I make you late for your date with Sam later, I'll have him to answer too as well!" Ian teased, making her blush. "One last thing; how is Janet doing, have you heard anything?"
Alex nodded. "Chief Laskar told me that she was doing better. The therapists got her to stop crying finally and got her to sleep. She was in much better spirits when she woke to have breakfast with her family."
