by H. T. Kofruk
With a quick swig she emptied the glass of whisky down her throat. She got up and reached for her black boots. They could have used some shining, especially given the importance of the meeting. To hell with it. We’re in the middle of a war. She put them on her small feet and tied them with a double-knot before standing up and looking at herself in the mirror. They immediately gave half an inch to her petit, five foot two frame. She never cared much for cosmetics but today the wrinkles on her forehead and beneath her eyes seemed to stand out much more than usual. Tying her shoulder-length hair into a pony tail, she looked closely at her eyes in the mirror. The colour contrast between her brown iris and the white of her eyes had been reduced with time, leaving the windows to her soul looking old and murky. Two more years of this crap and I’m through, if I survive this war…
She walked out of her quarters and through the well-lit corridors of the tigership. Though smaller than dragonships, the Chinese equivalent of Atlantic Alliance motherships, tigerships didn’t have to house large fusion generators since they lacked wormhole creators. Admiral Liu had been reluctant to send a dragonship into the Carulio System since it could be easily snatched by the Carulions or the Tzak and they could possibly reverse-engineer the wormhole creator. But without the capacity to create a small communications wormhole, the Yuan Chonghuann was virtually cut off from the rest of the fleet. If the ship missed the scheduled wormhole opening, the fleet would consider it destroyed but wouldn’t dare enter the system.
She passed several soldiers and sailors as she made her way to the gravity lift. Three soldiers were waiting in front of the lift but they soon backed away after saluting her. She sighed as the lift glided silently along to the bridge. The door slid open and a view of the bridge spread out in front of her. The whole area was covered with star charts, weapon-lock monitors, ship condition charts and holographs of various people on the ship communicating with central operations.
Commodore Xing Zipeng stood up and saluted her. The two most senior officers on the ship were the same age and had a friendly relationship when they were off duty. The Commodore was a small man with short grey hair and virtually no eyebrows. His jagged jawline gave him a very commanding appearance, however, and Jia knew that Admiral Liu had sent his most trusted officer on this important trip.
“General Yin” said Commodore Xing. “Please take the command seat, ma’am.”
Jia knew that this was just a formality to let the crew know of her status. An army general could never be sensibly given the command of a tigership, or any large space-faring vessel for that matter. She shook her head. “I would prefer to stand for this meeting, commodore.”
“Very well, ma’am” replied Commodore Xing who didn’t retake his seat and remained standing.
The other crew members on the bridge went back to their duties after having politely paused for the arrival of the general. A holograph indicated that four minutes remained until contact.
“So, what do you think this is about, Zipeng?” she said in a low voice.
“You know damn well what this is about. Our Admiral Liu was the late emperor’s best friend. Even if the new young emperor didn’t hate him, he would still represent his father’s legacy. Unfortunately for our admiral, Emperor Han Xiao hates him with a passion.”
Jia nodded. She had asked the question just to make sure Commodore Xing knew what he was getting into. “So you’re willing to go through with this?”
Commodore Xing shrugged. Jia took that for an affirmative. The fact was, many in the military opposed the war, particularly in the army and Marine Corps. The new alien army was making the two services feel redundant and many were afraid that they would soon be replaced. For many Chinese, the Imperial Forces were a source of pride but also a major source of jobs. If the new alien army could do what the army or marines were doing more efficiently, then potentially hundreds of thousands of military personnel could find themselves out of work.
Jia didn’t like the war for another reason; the lack of tangible benefits. The way she saw it, even if the New Han Empire succeeded in bringing down the Atlantic Alliance and the Pacific Federation, there was no way that the Imperial Forces could be stretched to take over all their outer-space colonies, their mining operations and other profitable enterprises. This war was for the Imperial ego and nothing more. Yet many within the military and the New Han Empire were more than happy to fight and die for something as abstract as dominance and honour.
A green flash lit up the space, bringing Jia out of her thoughts.
“Wormhole opening on schedule” reported the navigations officer.
“Should we have weapons ready, sir?” asked Commander Hu who was standing well away from Jia.
“No, just keep the light speed drive charged just in case we need to get out of here” replied Commodore Xing.
The holograph projection displayed a wormhole that had just opened up in the vicinity. Within seconds, a dragonship exited before the green light of the wormhole subsided. The name printed on the side of the ship read Zheng He. The two Chinese naval ships were alone.
“The Zheng He is hailing us, sir” said the communications officer in response to a blinking blue light.
“Respond” said Commodore Xing coolly before muttering to Jia. “Good luck. It’s all yours now.”
The holograph of a burly infantry officer appeared. “This is Lieutenant General Tuul of the Zheng He. Who am I addressing?”
Jia didn’t recognize the officer and noticed that his Mongolian name lacked any distinction between first and surnames. Secondly, despite being in an army uniform with an army rank, he identified himself with a navy ship. “Major Generial Yin Jia, 202 Infantry Brigade.”
“I am representative to the New Han Emperor, General Yin. Is this area secure?”
Jia didn’t appreciate the way this younger general was talking to her. “The area is secure. The Carulions and Tzaks have assured us use of their system for this meeting.”
“Commodore Xing Zipeng speaking, sir. Our sensors are all tracking any snooper signals and we have deployed twenty six sensor drones in the vicinity” added the ship captain.
The burly young general continued. “I cannot stress the importance of this meeting and its absolute secrecy. Where is Admiral Liu?”
“Admiral Liu thought it wise to stay at his position in order to avoid any suspicion” replied Jia. “Commodore Xing and myself are his most trusted lieutenants. We speak for him.”
“Very well. I present to you the rightful emperor to the New Han Empire.”
The holograph morphed and turned into a younger person also in military attire. Once it became apparent who it was, several gasps arose on the bridge. Jia made a mental note of everyone who had expressed shock at seeing Prince Han Fann. Or was it Emperor Han Fann?
“Good afternoon General Yin, Commodore Xing and everyone else on the Yuan Chonghuann” said the young monarch.
Crewmembers, including Commodore Xing, didn’t know whether to bow or not. Jia was the first to show imperial respect. “May you live ten thousand years, Your Highness” she said as she rose from a deep bow.
Before anyone else could follow suit or remain defiant, Fann spoke. “That will not be necessary, crewmembers of the Yuan Chonghuann. As you know, I have been accused of murdering my father to claim his throne. This is a lie and those who know me will vouch for my honesty. My brother, Xiao, killed my father and Colonel Qin died saving me. He did it once he learned that I would be chosen to succeed my father on the Dragon Throne. Before you ask, I will tell you truthfully that I have no evidence to back up my claims.
“I am not here to ask for help to regain my throne. I am not even going to accuse my brother of treachery. I am here to ask for help to stop the butchery of humanity and countless other intelligent races. As we speak, hundreds of thousands of aliens are slaughtering fellow Rendens on our home planet. In our vast space empire, millions of intelligent aliens are being slaughtered for our greed. This is a war started by the Ha
n Imperial Family. As scion of this legacy, I ask for your hand in stopping the insanity of greed.”
“With all due respect, Your Highness, you are asking us to fight against our liege. Even if what you say about your father’s death is true, what can we do?” said Jia.
“General Yin. I am not asking you to fight against your liege; I am asking you to fight against a person who thinks using aliens to kill, subdue and rule humans is acceptable. The fall of the Pacific Federation and the Atlantic Alliance is inevitable and is perhaps only months away. I have evidence suggesting plans to attack the Orthodox Empire and Afrika as soon as this is achieved. In short, Earth will be under Chinese rule in a few months. Do you think that the citizens of the New Han Empire will be free of this oppressive use of aliens? Xiao has amassed an alien army that he and only he can control, with nothing to keep him in check.”
“So you want to replace Emperor Xiao with yourself. How does that justify our rebellion?” asked Jia again. Commodore Xing looked at her incredulously.
Fann, however, merely smiled. “I will abdicate the throne.”
More gasps arose. Jia smiled slightly. She had known he would say that. “Are you saying that the New Han Empire will become a democracy?”
Fann nodded. “A republic and a democracy, General Yin. Hell, we’re a thousand years late for even trying out democracy. I think we should give it a chance.”
Chapter 19: Petra
‘Like the face of pure innocence doth meet the walls the sunlight of a new day,
Brimming with wise beauty that has seen Mortals come and disappear,
O’er the ridge of insolence and ignorance cometh the heart of Man,
With the clang of iron hammers and sizzling fire doth the Walls ring,
O Man! Thy heart is but a stone and thy mind is fire,
Death emerges from the blackened pool of History’
– Author unknown,
Paul had never seen such an old structure. On Constantine, anything that was more than two hundred years old was considered ancient. The loss of all the cathedrals, churches and other monuments of their faith on Earth had heightened the Catholics’ sense of appreciation of anything that held any historic value. To see with his own eyes an enormous beautiful structure carved into the caves more than three thousand years ago almost brought tears to his eyes.
His education had included mention of all the ancient wonders on Earth and what they meant for the Catholic faith. To him, religion was a much richer motivation for creation than, say, merely for the sake of creativity. How many objects of timeless beauty were created from inspiration from God? He had read about and seen crude recreations of the masterpieces that had covered the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He had built a mock model of the Notre Dame Cathedral as a boy. He had stood mesmerized by the solemn beauty of one of the two paintings of ‘Virgin of the Rocks’.
After retreating south for days in the desert sun, the sixty thousand troops consisting of Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Catholics made camp just five clicks from the ancient wonder. Colonel Nabil Abdul-Hadi had come to his tent early morning before dawn to invite him to see one of the engineering and artistic feats of the ancient world.
Petra was all that he had read about. By the time both of them had put on their amplifier suits and reached the site, the first rays of the sun hit the pink walls of the intricately carved caves. Paul gasped at the aesthetic provocation. Each rock, each cave and each carving seemed to glow around him. It was as if God was bathing him in a bowl of pink light to cleanse him. He felt a warmth in his soul that he had never felt before. His grey visor was pushed up, revealing his ridiculous expression of pure wonder.
“It is beautiful” said Nabil. During their three months fighting alongside each other, they gradually fell into the habit of speaking in the One Tongue, which was easier for both of them than Imperial Chinese.
Paul nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so…”
“These walls have seen more than three thousand years. They survived hundreds of years of neglect, the Second World War, the Disaster, the First War of the Reformation and the Mediterranean War. Uneducated, extremist Muslims had this whole city rigged to blow up in the early twenty-first century. One God followers tried to erase it off the face of Earth during the Mediterranean War, to avenge the death of their famed General Nielson-Luke at the hands of Afrikan Berserkers. All that and yet, defying all odds, this beautiful city survived, unlike many other monuments of humanity such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Jokhang Temple.”
“The Pyramids were destroyed?” gasped Paul.
Nabil nodded grimly. “Yes, during the Disaster years. Egypt lost more than half its population in that period. Extremist Coptic Christians destroyed them since they represented idols and the rest of the population wasn’t able to do anything about it. It became one of the catalysts behind the creation of the Peace Alliance.”
Paul took a swig of water. The maglev highway that stretched north to Amman, Damascus and Beirut and west to Gaza indicated that the city was a major tourist site. The war had obviously taken its toll; it was completely deserted. The serenity of being alone, a small figure in a giant monument of time and craftsmanship added to the divine moment. Suddenly, Paul started to wonder why Nabil had brought him here. What was he trying to tell him? He shot a questioning glance at the Lebanese soldier.
Nabil smiled a serene smile. “This city was first built by the Pagan Arabs who worshipped many gods and deified kings. Before the birth of Islam, there was a sizeable Christian presence here and one of the main tombs was used as a church. Christians also held it for brief periods during the Crusades. After the Islamic Conquest, it was mostly thought of as a Muslim monument. Today, open-minded One God followers, practicing Muslims, Jews, even the occasional Baha’i come here on pilgrimage. Even more secular people come here just to see the beauty of what our ancestors were capable of, even without steam power or electricity.”
“You’re trying to say that religion doesn’t matter?” said Paul.
“No, religion does matter” replied Nabil. “I have no particular religious affiliation but I am sure that religion is one of the elements that make us human, or make us an empathetic intelligent species. Think of the world with no religions; an enormous portion of our cultural heritage would not have been created; the teachings of compassion and love common to all religions would have echoed hollow in our unreasonable minds. Religion, be it paganism, animism, ancestor worship or large organized faiths, has elevated us from our natural state of struggle, aggression and selfishness.”
Paul was getting tired of Nabil’s lectures. He was a Knight of the Grey Order and a priest of the Grey Catholic Church! He didn’t require a reminder of the value of religion.
Nabil noticed the irritation on Paul’s face. “What I’m trying to show you is how this ancient monument has seen, accepted and blessed hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of people from hundreds of different religious backgrounds.”
Paul sighed from annoyance. “Nabil, I am fighting alongside Muslims, atheists and Hindus. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because your mind is still not in the fight. You do not consider us friends, just momentary allies. Your enemy will always be the One God followers, not the aliens who are decimating us. Frankly, I am anxious of how you will change if ever we find ourselves on the winning end of this war. Will you become a force for good and acceptance, or will you become worse than the One God cult and drive a poisonous wedge between Catholics and all others?”
“We were driven from…” started Paul weakly.
“Jews were driven from their homes in Europe after being gassed and burned. Palestinians were driven from their homes and kept in what turned out to be giant, isolated concentration camps. Blacks were deported from the Americas by the millions on the equivalent of modern day slave ships. Millions of Japanese were massacred in Sapporo at the hands of Chinese commandos.”
“It do
esn’t matter!” shouted Paul, surprising himself. “Justice has to be done.”
“Then justice has to be done to the Catholics for killing so many Muslims during the Crusades, for killing so many Protestants during the Reformation, and for killing so many innocent women during the Inquisition.”
“Then what am I fighting for? Why should I consider you my friends? Why shouldn’t I just go back to Constantine and die old, warm and happy?” retorted Paul.
“Yes, why don’t you? If all you fight for is revenge, then it is better that you do that than turn the cogs on this endless cycle of violence”
Paul opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.
The two veteran soldiers both heard the sound. It was a very slight scraping sound, but enough to alert both wary soldiers. Nabil nodded towards Paul who nodded back. Paul quietly put his grey visor down and drew Lordswroth. Nabil unshouldered his rifle.
The combined army had been using radar and image disruptors to hide their activities. The enemy forces, therefore, used countless hover-drones to track their movements in the hope that they could at least get a glimpse of their size, equipment and tactics before the drones were taken out. Hover drones were a rather expensive piece of equipment to throw away after single use in order to get just a single image shot of the enemy. So the enemy had instead decided to use their tunnelling aliens since a few weeks ago. With the soft desert sand, however, tunnelling became slow and easily detectable. The scraping sound, amplified by the echoes bouncing off the walls of the pink city, was characteristic of an alien moving earth below the surface.
Paul decided that the alien had probably been trying to circumvent the main force and take sound recordings. In this case, the two soldiers and the alien just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He scanned his surroundings for signs of movement which wasn’t easy given the morning breeze that just started sweeping around the sand. He tried to get heat signals but all it showed was a couple rats in a nearby grotto.
