by J W Murison
‘What if I am? They are herbivores like us and as such deserve our support.’
‘I wouldn’t support the Albany if their Emperor came down here and kissed my arse.’ Snorted the Modloch Emperor. ‘My people have had a lot of contact with the Humans. Despite being meat-eaters, they still have a thousand times more appeal than either your race or the Albany. I would far rather sit down to a bowl of walnuts and a cherry brandy than eat a ton of the shit your people produces.’
‘There is nothing wrong with our grass.’ He protested.
‘The last time my empire bought grass in bulk from your race was during the Haspsopot War. My father’s troops almost mutinied. He made me and my brothers sit down and eat a whole bowl of the stuff to make damn sure we wouldn’t make the same mistake that he did. I was sick for days afterwards.’ That brought a great deal of mirth from the gathered rulers.
‘When the Albany take the Earth they are going to convert it to the growth of blue grass. They will mass produce it and you won’t be able to sell it.’
The Modloch Emperor snorted. ‘It won’t grow over the whole planet you idiot. Tell me, what part of the Earth did they promise you for your support?’
‘What do you mean it won’t grow all over the planet?’
‘The planet Earth is tilted back on its axis and has a wobble. This creates seasons in the northern climes. The savannah grass only grows in the hottest regions round the planet’s central belts. I ask again, what part of the planet did they promise you?’
King Vison looked around to see everyone’s attention directed towards him. It was clear they all knew. In retrospect, it was pretty obvious. He sighed, ‘We were to get the northern hemisphere.’
They howled with laughter and Vison slinked back out of the discussion.
‘How long does this wobble take to act out?’ The Professor asked.
‘A whole Earth year. It is what their calendar is based on.’ The Modloch Emperor answered.
‘It may be speculation on my part, but would that not result in the diversity of the animals and in the Human race itself as it spread across the planet?’
‘You speculate correctly chancellor. I have had the same encyclopaedias you have for a few weeks now. That is exactly the reason for the planet’s diversity. With the Humans, those with the lighter skins live in the colder climes.’
‘It is a planet I would love to study. Unfortunately it would cost me my life.’
‘I think this is the point where we should discuss how much it would cost us not to admit the Humans.’ Spoke the noble who had challenged the President earlier.
The Modloch Emperor raised a hand. ‘Emperor Ne´ Langus. You were paying particular attention to that part of the Human President’s speech.’
‘I was, as should all of you. If we don’t admit them, then idiots like the Albany are going to continue to attack. Do you know the size of their forces at present Darrick?’
‘I will not lie Ne´. Since the war with the Albany, they have tripled the size of their fighting force. The Humans know about war, and know how to defend themselves. Only the largest of us now have fleets bigger than them. Combined we could probably knock them out.’
‘Yes Darrick, but at what cost? Especially if they pull back behind the barrier and react to incursions within their space. It will eventually lead to an all-out war with the Human race.’
‘Only if they attack home planets.’ Jumped in a lesser noble.
‘That was exactly the point the President was trying to make,’ growled Ne´. ‘They wouldn’t think twice about attacking our home planets. My biggest fear is that we gather a huge fleet to destroy them, and by the time they are halfway to the planet Earth, the whole damn force is dead. We would be handing the Humans the whole damn fleet. Then where would we be? In twice as much shit.’
The lesser noble sniffed, ‘Maybe they were lying about their sun’s activity.’
‘No they weren’t.’ Interjected the Modloch Emperor, ‘Gairloch did an intensive study on their sun. The moment its activity picked up it wiped him and the remainder of his crew out. I have all the data if anyone wants to see it. Ne´ is right though. They are a formidable foe and they have thousands of years’ worth of ground fighting experience.’
Ne´ looked round the faces. ‘As far as I am concerned, we either wipe them out here and now, or we take them on board.’
‘And if we miss?’ The Modloch Emperor asked.
‘Well, they will never trust us again Darrick. If I was them, I would begin a systematic eradication of every species on this side of the barrier. Which of course would lead to us sending a large force to their world.’
‘Which could quite easily end up in their hands.’ The Modloch Emperor finished the sentence for him.
‘Exactly.’
‘Well, you are the master tactician here Ne´, what do we do?’
‘Wait!’ Interrupted Vison. ‘What about a thousand years from now, when the Humans have colonies and planets this side of the galaxy? How would we stop them then Ne´?’
‘Glad you brought it up. I was going to suggest setting preconditions on the Humans becoming full members of the galactic family. The condition would be that they could hold no planet on this side of the great barrier. Their rewards would be something other than land or the right to build colonies in captured territory.’
They were silent for a while as they contemplated this. ‘That is completely unheralded.’ Vison ventured. ‘Do you think they would agree to it?’
‘If they aren’t lying about wanting to protect their home world.’ Ne´ answered.
‘I think they would grab at the chance.’ The Modloch Emperor mused. ‘They are very passionate about their planet. I have watched many of their documentaries. I picked the ones that I thought you would like the most. They are in the gift you received. It is a rare and beautiful world. Is there the possibility we could get it special status, like the planet Braun Veld?’
‘Why would we want to do that?’ Ne´ asked.
The Modloch Emperor shrugged, ‘Well why not?’
‘Braun Veld is protected simply because it is of no use to anyone. The soil is too alkali to grow decent grass. If it had been someone would have claimed it long ago.’
‘It is also a tourist spot, the go to place for mating ceremonies. It isn’t like we could pop down to Earth and spend a few weeks there.’ Marcus added.
‘That’s not what I am getting at.’ Ne´ answered. ‘If they were given special status it would mean that all creatures, including the Humans themselves, would be protected, which means that they wouldn’t have to join the council or even fight. As Darrick has pointed out, the Humans have extensive ground fighting capabilities. We don’t.
‘For more years than I care to remember we have been fighting a race of meat-eaters that frequently make incursions into our space. We have bombed their planets until we are blue in the face and it has made no difference. My troops are petrified of going on to the ground in case they are captured and eaten. I bet the Humans wouldn’t be afraid.’
The Modloch Emperor laughed. ‘They eat your people because you have killed all of their livestock and have nothing else left to eat!’
‘So what! They are completely carnivorous. We did not start the war. We sent peace envoys and they ate them. Sent us pictures too. Now they live underground where we can’t get at them.’
‘I see your reasoning Ne´’ The Modloch Emperor was sitting forward in his seat now. ‘Of course, with a species of meat-eaters as part of the great federation, they may well also help to bridge the gap between all of the races. Maybe they could help your enemy restock on domestic livestock and prevent farther attacks.’
‘I find this conversation disgusting. They are meat-eaters and you are suggesting helping them. This is intolerable.’
Their heads cranked round.
It was the Modloch Emperor who spoke first.. ‘President San Lo Tae´, you come late into the discussion.’
‘I may be o
ne of the smaller fish in this pool Emperor, but I am mortified by the direction this conversation is taking. Using a race that should be our natural enemies to feed our natural enemies? This is simply intolerable.’
‘When I heard of the Humans, I reacted the same way. My initial orders to Gairloch were to wipe them out. However, he told me how they had offered to make his last days as comfortable as possible. They didn’t try to kill him even though Gairloch and his crew were the first aliens they had ever met. He felt they were genuine. They also told him that they had vast plains of the blue grass and of how it had been stolen by the Albany. To Gairloch, who had hunted the pirates selling the blue grass, it was a curiosity. Would it give us a lead into who was behind it all?
‘When Gairloch reached their world, he was amazed by the diversity of the wildlife and how hard the Humans fought to preserve it. He too was initially repulsed by them. But I think maybe you should hear Gairloch’s own words on the matter.’
He reached for a tablet and spent a few minutes finding the files. When he did the large wall turned into a screen. Gairloch was reclining on a comfy chair. His face was etched in pain, yet he had a stupid smile on his face.
‘My Emperor, my lord, my beloved brother. The sun’s activity this week has been very low, but still my crew fall to its deadly neutrons. But what a week! We travelled to the island of Britain in the northern hemisphere. It is the season they call autumn. The vegetation prepares for winter. Look at the colours of the leaves brother.’ Pictures appeared beside him that enthralled his audience.
‘This place is so damn beautiful, but a little cold. I met the British King. He has the same regal bearing as you do. He introduced me to a horse called Candy. She is a Clydesdale, the only horse big enough to carry me, and they have been teaching me how to ride. Today we galloped across the cut wheat fields. I could not stop laughing. A whole glorious afternoon riding through virgin woodland. I saw a golden pheasant. Brother, this bird’s feathers were the colour of gold! I thought they had painted it. The King laughed so hard he almost fell off his horse.
‘Oh brother, I so wish you could share this experience with me. I feel my words cannot convey enough feeling to describe it properly. We came across a farmer shooting crows. I was upset at first. They describe these crows as vermin that eat their crops, yet they do not eradicate them. I was confused. The King told me that although they were vermin, there was no need to eradicate the whole species. Despite their status as a pest, they had a right to live and breed. When their numbers become so great that they begin to do extensive damage to their crops, they go out and shoot a few to bring the numbers down.
‘He asked me about the pests on our world. The strangest thing happened, brother. I found it hard to tell him that we had wiped out every other species so we could grow more food for our people. I looked around at the birds in the sky, the animals in the fields and the horse between my legs and I choked on the words. I wasn’t sure if he would understand.
‘I have spent every night since wondering about our forefathers. Here there are groups passionate about their animals. I wonder, were there Modloch like them? I searched our archives but found no records. Did any single Modloch stand forth and try to defend the rights of the other species on our planet before we wiped them out? I had never even thought about it before.
‘We accuse these people of being savages because they eat meat. But because they can eat meat they do not need every square foot of the planet producing grass. They preserve the lives of the other species on this planet, whether those animals are good or bad for them.
‘When I eventually answered the King I could see the shock on his face. He did not accuse. He simply said he was sorry to hear we had to do that. His eyes were full of sorrow for us. For the first time in my life I felt like I belonged to a sub-species. Do you know how they control their numbers? They use birth control and place responsibility on themselves. I hear there is a country whose population became so big that the government ordered only one child to be born per couple. Could our ancestors not have done the same thing and preserved our worlds as they once were?’
‘I will leave you now brother. If I survive another week I will again regale you with stories of my adventures.’
The screen switched off and all were silent. The Modloch Emperor got up slowly. ‘I need to change. We will all meet again tomorrow afternoon.’
CHAPTER 34
Charlie stood with his arms crossed, staring up at the Bear. ‘I do not have to take your bloody orders any more. Two years! I’m oot, a civie, privately employed by the Gordon foundation.’
The Bear roared with laughter and poked him in the chest. ‘Two years Murison, I can still kick your arse for the next two years. You will obey my orders.’
‘Stick yer orders up yer arse. I will not make an arse of myself while doing the sword dance, just to make you look bloody good.’
The jocks howled with laughter as an officer appeared to tell them they were on in two minutes.
The ballroom was seething. Mya had loved the Chinese dragon dancing and Rannalld had been very impressed by the monks and their martial arts display. Rannalld cringed though when the pipes started up, as did many present. Mya though they were wonderful. ‘Oh! There’s Charlie. What is he doing?’
Rannalld’s eyes had locked on the large officer. ‘On the left?’
‘Charlie? No, he is on the right. The small one.’
Rannalld could hardly believe his eyes. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes of course.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen, the Scottish sword dance. The origins of this dance are lost in myth and legend. Most say it was created by the victor of a battle between two clan chieftains. They agreed to fight each other to preserve the lives of their clansmen; the winner of the fight would claim victory over the other clan. When the fight was over the winner took the two bloodied swords, laid them on the ground and proceeded to dance round them.
‘The dance was taken up by the clansmen and became a part of the Highland tradition. It is said that if the dance was performed before a battle and the dancer touched the blades then it was a portent of bad tidings. To complete the dance without touching the swords was a good omen for the coming battle.’
The dance began and both dancers managed to avoid touching the blades. When it was over the dancers bowed low and left. Rannalld got up. ‘I will be back in a few minutes Mya.’
The stage was then taken by the United States Marine Band and the party kicked up a gear. Dancers came on dressed in 1940s clothing. The guests seemed to love it. The stars of the show were Lady Jane and Kelly, who stood head and shoulders above the rest in his uniform.
The two of them had been practicing for over a week. For Kelly it was a case of remembering the steps while Jane had to learn from scratch. She objected to being raised off the ground so their routine had been changed slightly. Still they moved together like greased lightning.
Almost a world away from the dancers the Emperor and the British King got their heads together. ‘What do you think?’ The King asked.
The Emperor rubbed his hands together in glee. ‘I think we have done well. Let us hope that Kelly is man enough to take some of the sharp edges off the bitch.’
The two laughed together easily, ‘Well it won’t happen tonight if I know Jane. Kelly has his work cut out for him. Still a work in progress.’ He looked round. ‘It would seem they aren’t the only ones enjoying themselves.’
The Emperor followed suit. ‘Yes, our fellow rulers do seem to be relaxing a bit more. Our initial talks went well.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
‘I think some want to make a precondition.’
‘On what point?’
‘That Humans will not be able to take or hold planets at this side of the barrier. If they help take a world then their reward would be something different from the usual.’
‘Ah yes! If a coalition of forces take a planet or home world under direction of the federation, then tha
t world or worlds shall be divided up equally, or in proportion to the number of their forces involved.’
‘Yes that’s it exactly.’
‘I see. They have reservations about us spreading across the galaxy.’
‘More or less. I am sure attitudes will change as the years pass. I suppose that is in your own hands. Do you think your people will have a problem with that?’
The King shook his head. ‘I can’t see it being a problem. In all the discussions we have held, it isn’t a subject that has ever come up.’
The Emperor smiled. ‘That is good to hear. It would be handy to know before tomorrow afternoon when we meet again.’
‘Are you giving them time to get round their hangovers?’
‘They are going to need it.’
The two laughed hard.
Behind the scenes the jocks were screaming in laughter at the banter between Charlie and the Bear. They were getting ready to go. Most of the entertainers had already left. Charlie could have got Babes to simply beam him aboard but he was enjoying the company and had decided to hang around with the guys for as long as he could.
He wasn’t aware of Rannalld’s presence until he was grabbed by the neck from behind. It was a fierce grip meant to incapacitate.
Rannalld’s world suddenly turned upside down, and he was dealt a disabling blow to his midsection. When his senses returned he felt the cold kiss of steel at his throat and an ice cold pair of eyes staring down at him.
‘You had better have a damn good reason for grabbing me like that laddie, or I am going to fix you permanently to the floor.’
Charlie had no idea who Rannalld was, but the Bear did. ‘Murison,’ he hissed, ‘let him up!’
‘Back off Bear, this is not your problem.’
‘It will be everyone’s problem if you kill him.’
Charlie turned his eyes back to Rannalld. ‘Who the hell are you?’
