Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire

by J W Murison

  ‘Good idea.’ They went back inside the room. The Emperor pressed something on his desk and spoke. Charlie went to the door. He watched the heat signatures of the servants leave and then opened it to retrieve a floating trolley. He pushed it over to the Emperor’s desk and laid a cup in front of him.

  ‘So, how do you like your tea?’

  The Emperor smiled, ‘Just fill it to the top please.’

  CHAPTER 29

  It was a grand procession. Thousands of Modloch citizens lined the streets. They almost went hysterical when the Emperor passed by in the horse and carriage transported from Earth. Beside him sat the King in his finest regalia.

  It was almost eight Earth months since they had crossed the great barrier. In the past two months the Humans had slowly gained a foothold in the Modloch Empire. A whole printing press and freighter full of paper had arrived from Earth. They had plans to install the press in the city ship after the presentations later that evening. Until then its arrival was being kept secret. The Modloch people were still going wild over Earth music.

  The city ship itself was quickly beginning to fill up. The high and mighty paid premium prices for their new holiday homes. The tradesmen and service personnel who would look after them were also coming in droves. With the price of planet-based sites at an all time high, many off world companies had also purchased or rented property on the ship.

  The Emperor had thrown the doors wide open. This was not to be a military base, rather a floating palace. A place of rest and relaxation. Every trader who entered was vetted thoroughly, as was every citizen from every part of the empire and beyond. There was little enough crime on the Modloch home worlds, but the Emperor knew that it was different where worlds collided; it was there that those with criminal intent tended to congregate. He wished for this grand city to be a place for all races, where all could live in safety.

  The President of Earth had also moved down to the city with his staff. They now had their own embassy, homes and flats. The Emperor had decided to try a different method of attracting support for the Humans. His strategy on this day was twofold: in the afternoon, a grand opening of the city ship to all comers; that evening, a grand ball would be held, hosted by the Humans. He had invited every head of state, every Emperor, every galactic councillor he could. A huge amount of preparation had taken place.

  The Royal Horse Guard followed the royal carriage with the Coldstream Guards marching behind in their red jackets and bearskins. Bayonets gleamed in the sunlight that streamed in through the atmospheric shield. The Modloch loved the pageantry and the royal wave.

  Behind the royal parties came the ambassadors. The crowd surged away from them towards the horses and Human soldiers. By the time they got to the palace a ceremonial changing of the guard had taken place. Now bearskin soldiers stood next to Imperial Guardsmen. What passed for news crews beamed the whole thing around the galaxy.

  The Emperor’s eyes gleamed, ‘These animals are very well behaved despite the noise.’

  ‘They are used to it.’ The King agreed.

  ‘I think they are magnificent. There is little I envy about the Human race, but this is certainly one of those things. My people seem to love them too.’

  ‘The Human love of horse goes back a long way. Many have been honoured as heroes.’

  ‘You mean in the same way as you would honour a Human hero?’

  ‘Yes, very much so. Before vehicles, man used the horse for all their transport needs.’

  ‘Did they fight?’

  ‘No, they simply carried their riders into battle. However they have been known to save a loved rider from a dangerous foe. Great feats of strength and heart. Some are intelligent beyond the status of simple animal.’

  ‘Tell me a horse story.’

  The King thought it over for a moment. ‘Many years ago my great, great grand mother was in a carriage much like this one with the King of Tonga, during a state visit. Halfway down the mall one of the horses farted right in the King’s face. As you can imagine, the smell wasn’t very pleasant. Embarrassed by the incident my great great grand mother leaned towards him and apologised for the incident. “Oh! I am dreadfully sorry about that.” She said. The King of Tonga turned to her and said, “Oh, I thought it was the horse.”’

  The Emperor was already laughing, and when he heard the punchline he almost choked. He was still laughing as they arrived at the palace. That was how the Modloch race saw their Emperor, laughing and obviously enjoying himself in the company of the Human King. That they walked together laughing like old friends as they ascended the palace steps was neither missed by them nor the rest of the galaxy.

  As they reached the top the Emperor could not help but turn and watch as the horses passed by. The bands went last and he exclaimed at the size of the horses carrying the band’s kettle drums. The King knew exactly what was going through his mind.

  The pomp and ceremony continued throughout the day. Kings, Emperors, and heads of state were all lined up in the great hall, in order of importance. It wasn’t missed that the Human King sat at the Emperor’s right hand. Traditional Modloch entertainment was the order of the day but the Humans had their spotlight as well. The US Marine Corps band played Glen Miller while display teams from different countries went through their paces. The display seemed to please everyone, especially as it ended with another naval gun race. Even the Kings and Emperors seemed to have picked their favourites and were cheering them on.

  Everyone there already knew about the evening ball, but most had decided not to attend. What they didn’t expect was the delivery of hand written invitations in their own language on embossed golden cards. The cards were sealed in a decorative envelope; most didn’t know what to do with it until they saw the Emperor open it. They followed suit. Inside was a green acceptance ticket that the Emperor handed back to the young woman who presented it to him. ‘If you have no wish to attend just hand the card back.’ He told his guests.

  It was the first time many of them had seen paper outside a museum. It had the impact that was desired and not a single card was placed back on the silver presentation trays.

  CHAPTER 30

  Lady Jane now had a small army of staff who fussed about and did her bidding. Protocol standards were on high alert. With so many different races and so many different standards set by each race, she thought it was a miracle no one had been offended yet. She in turn was helped by the Modloch master of ceremonies who had his own army of helpers. He helped keep her on track. He was a wizened old Modloch who had served the Emperor’s family for his whole life. A strange admiration had grown between the two.

  Of course he thought it unfitting for a lady and the sister of a Queen to be doing such lowly work. Yet he admired her for it. She in turn enjoyed his no nonsense approach and his very high standards. Together they were a force to be reckoned with.

  Behind the scenes Humans and Modloch ran in terror at their approach. All except for one.

  Jane scowled. ‘Is it that time already Sergeant Kelly?’

  ‘Sure is lady.’

  The master of ceremonies grasped her shoulder with his wizened old hand, ‘You have other duties to attend to my lady.’

  She sighed in resignation. ‘Thank you Transalis. I shall attend them forthwith. I will see you again after the meal.’

  He bowed, ‘I shall look forward to it.’

  She took a moment to check her appearance and took Kelly’s proffered arm. Neither of the two seemed, from their outward appearance anyway, to be pleased with the arrangement. Kelly stood out as handsome in his second world war dress uniform. He was, however, a little self-conscious of all the medals he was wearing compared to everyone else. He had already received many strange glances.

  They joined the line as they entered the dining hall. To begin with the guests weren’t quite sure what to do. The master of announcements explained what a buffet was to them and why this particular form of Human dining had been chosen for this evening.

  T
he aliens sniffed the air as though they were in heaven. Kelly thought it smelled a lot like his old hayloft. Servants appeared and held plates for the guests. In fact they were more like large bowls. The Humans had added a little surprise: the bowls for the top guests were made of wood and many exclaimed delight. Each guest took a sample of the food offered then if they liked it had a little placed in their bowls. The bowls soon gleamed on the tables.

  The Human guests peeled off to a different table where more edible fare was provided. Jane kept an open eye on the guests and was pleased to see that they returned to the tables many times. One sat close to her and Kelly. After chomping away for a good ten minutes he leaned over. ‘Kind Lady, could you tell me the name of this plant again?’

  Jane eyed the hardy stalk in his mouth. ‘It is called sugar cane sir.’

  ‘Delightful, absolutely delightful.’

  She wasn’t quite sure what species the guest was of. Nor did he look anything like any creature from Earth. Large molars showed as he chomped down on the cane. His mouth was beak-shaped but soft. His skin was a midnight black, and she could just make out some kind of hard scales sticking up out of his collar.

  ‘You should be careful sir. The sweet sugars that come from this cane are not very good for your teeth.’

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me.’ He slurped. ‘Nothing this good ever is. We have nothing like this on our world.’

  ‘My family used to grow a little of it.’ Admitted Kelly.

  ‘You don’t say. On government contract?’

  ‘No sir we owned our own land. A homestead really. We had enough land to grow crops to feed ourselves as well as a cash crop of sugar cane. It took in enough revenue to see us from year to year.’

  ‘Do you eat it like this?’

  Kelly laughed, ‘Yeah we sure did. We can’t swallow it though, just sucked the sugar right out of it.’

  ‘Is this sugar you are talking about a by-product?’

  ‘It sure is. We get many different types of sugar. You get molasses, or you can refine it into white sugar and all the different grades of sugar in between. You can also turn it into alcohol.’

  ‘Now that might be something to try. Will we be provided with this later?’

  ‘When the dance starts, alcohol will be provided.’

  ‘What is the name of this alcohol from the sugar?’

  ‘Rum.’ Kelly provided. ‘Dark or white. I prefer the dark.’

  ‘I am looking forward to that now. Excuse me but my plate is empty.’ He flicked a wrist at a servant who approached and lifted his bowl.

  Kelly looked round, ‘We seem to be a bit of a hit. The food anyway.’

  ‘It is hardly surprising.’

  Kelly turned his attention back to Jane. ‘How so?’

  ‘Haven’t you been taking any notice at all?’

  Kelly sighed, ‘I have a job to do lady. I have spent my days and nights stuck in a freighter in orbit. I think this is my third visit to the planet and it will be as brief as the last two. I haven’t had much time to investigate the cultural history of this planet or any other either. I couldn’t really care less about these people or their diet. I was, however, interested in your take on it.’

  ‘You really like the sound of my voice that much?’

  ‘I like women, and if I actually have to talk to one then I would rather it was an intelligent woman, and not some dumb broad who can’t think past her next pair of nylons or how she looks.’

  ‘You are not a nice person sergeant.’

  ‘Never claimed to be.’

  Jane was eyeing him coldly but Kelly didn’t flinch. ‘From what I can gather, this world was once full of life as diverse as that on Earth. As the centuries passed the Modloch race became dominant. Slowly they pushed out any competition for food. The only animals to survive live in the most inaccessible parts of the planet and in an environment that will not support grass. Their success was also their own downfall.’

  ‘I remember someone saying it was the reason they took to space?’ Asked Kelly.

  ‘Yes, a bid to find other planets that could support life and produce grass for the masses. They did not fight with each other. Their only enemy was famine.’

  ‘Yeah. I was told that’s why they began to build upwards.’

  ‘Yes that’s right. Every yard upwards was a yard of soil they could reclaim for crops. Their diet was once a lot more diverse. Necessity led them to produce the fastest growing grasses that contained the most nourishment. Only the richest with their own private gardens could produce anything other than grass. That is why those of the upper classes tend to be taller and much better built that those of the lower classes.’

  ‘Because they can afford to have food other than grass?’

  ‘Food that gives them more nourishment.’

  ‘So we are giving the rich a new source of nourishment.’

  ‘I suppose you could look at it that way . Although in my opinion, if the Human race is to survive then we need to win these people over and take our place within this galactic family.’

  ‘Hearts and minds.’

  ‘In this case stomachs.’

  They found themselves laughing.

  Kelly’s eyes seemed to take on a faraway look; Jane noticed. ‘Are you OK Sergeant?’

  ‘What? Oh, sorry...’

  ‘You were miles away.’

  ‘Yeah sorry; just one of those moments that catch you by surprise.’

  ‘Would you like to share it?’

  Kelly shrugged. ‘Nothing important really; had a kid in my platoon once. He was mad about all this science fiction stuff. Read all these magazines and trash novels about aliens. I don’t know how many times I told him to get his head straight and away from all that crap, or he was going to get his head blown off.’

  ‘What happened to him?’

  ‘He got his head blown off on Omaha Beach on the sixth of June 1944. Didn’t even make it halfway up the beach.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

  ‘He wasn’t the only man to fall that day. He is in good company.’ Kelly took a deep breath, ‘I was just thinking: now I am in his world. He would have loved to have seen this place and all these different races. I just wish he had survived to see it.’

  Jane felt touched. ‘War is so brutal and evil.’

  ‘Sure is. It’s just a pity that sometimes it is necessary.’

  ‘Yes there is that.’

  Their mood was lifted a few minutes later by the arrival of Mya and Rannalld. Mya grabbed Jane’s hand and held it to her forehead, then did the same with Kelly; she was very excited to see them. She and Jane were soon deep in a conversation about her adventures. Kelly found he was being assessed by her companion.

  ‘I believe you met my brother Gairloch.’ He eventually offered. It let Kelly know exactly who he was.

  ‘Sure did. He invited me to dinner once with his officers.’

  Rannalld nodded. ‘He wrote of the meeting, and of the common sergeant that had more combat experience than half the troops in the Modloch empire. I believe he admired you greatly.’

  ‘Your brother made me feel very welcome. I liked him.’

  ‘I would imagine there are very few men of your status who have met a grand admiral.’

  ‘You might be surprised by some of the people I have met.’

  ‘Maybe I would. I hear you have also met the Emperor.’

  ‘He has appeared a few times now, but he ain’t coming to see me.’

  ‘I hear you have also been aboard a number of my ships and at least three of my training camps.’

  ‘The Emperor asked us to review your men and compare them and their training methods to ours. Who are you, sir?’

  ‘I am Grand Marshal Rannalld, the commander of all of those troops. The funny thing is, I was unaware of any of those visits until after they had happened.’

  Kelly realised his feathers had been badly ruffled. ‘You will have to take that up your with your brother sir. Our comma
nders did not think it was appropriate to oppose him.’

  ‘I have no doubt that your commanders also wished for a full report on the battle readiness of my men.’

  ‘Of course they did sir,’ Kelly didn’t see the point in lying. ‘We also sent the same report to the Emperor.’

  ‘Exactly the same?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Rannalld leaned forward on an elbow. ‘I still haven’t seen it.’

  ‘I think you will soon enough sir.’

  ‘Why do you think that, Sergeant Kelly?’

  ‘Because shit always runs downhill sir.’

  The two women had fallen silent, feeling the undercurrent of tension between the two males. Mya reached out. It snapped Rannalld’s attention away from Kelly.

  ‘Is everything OK Rannalld?’

  He took a deep breath, ‘Yes of course Mya, everything is fine.’ He turned back to Kelly. ‘Are our tactics so different to those you Humans use?’

  Kelly thought the question over; more to the point, the wisdom of answering it. ‘From what I have heard the Modloch fleet tactics are far more advanced than the Albany. On that I cannot comment, simply because I have no idea how to conduct that kind of battle.’ Kelly took a sip of water. ‘However, if our armies were to meet in battle – Whether it be a land battle or a ship to ship affair – we would hand your asses back to you in a can sir.’

  Rannalld was shocked. ‘Our infantry isn’t trained to fight on land, only in space. There can be no comparison there.’

  ‘From a Human perspective, it don’t really matter much sir. The simple fact is the tactics the Modloch employ are useless against us.’

  ‘In what way?’ Rannalld pressed.

  ‘The tactics used by your infantry or marines are very similar to those of the Albany. You all like to gather together in a big bunch and charge.’

  ‘That is how it is done, sergeant. Two beings, locked in mortal combat, the glory of the charge, shoulder to shoulder with your comrades.’

  ‘The Human race stopped fighting like that a long time ago sir. During the battle for this city we cut them down in their droves. In every open space we came across we would find thousands of Albany waiting for us. We went into cover, set up our section weapons and simply cut them down when they charged. Our losses were minimal. We lost more men in the tight corridors.’