War of the Innocents

by Michelle Breon

  Angel glanced around the room, at first not seeing what Joel wanted her to see. Then she realized that many of the delegates were no longer listening. The tables and box walls kept changing patterns as bored diplomats and assistants fiddled with the controls. Several others were focused on their datapads, while others were talking to other delegates.

  “Can he not see what they are doing?” she asked incredulously.

  “He can. But if he fills all the time such that opposing views never get heard, he wins.”

  Angel tried to stay focused on his words but gave up when he had said little new in another fifteen minutes. She smiled as Pieter and Nik both yawned.

  The Drotz orator spoke all day. Angel watched as many of the delegates slept, talked to others, or otherwise ignored the speaker. Even those who had picked up the headsets had eventually taken them off. At the end of the day, the delegates hurried away, as glad to escape the conference as children from a schoolroom. Joel led Angel and the others back to their shuttle. Joel unlocked the transport pod and allowed the others to enter.

  Nik retrieved his knife, as did Pieter, as everyone collapsed on the benches.

  Joel checked the access logs to be sure no one had entered the transport pod, checked the sensors for anything unusual, then started the fans again and lifted off. Once he had cleared the gate and turned on the autopilot, he turned to the delegates. “The President would like for you to know that she never suspected he would talk all day. Tomorrow she will not let him talk. She has asked if the Chancellor would like to talk first tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll need to change my speech to address the accusations and dispel the lies, but I’ll be ready,” he growled out.

  “I’ll let the President know.” Joel turned to Angel. “Did you want to address the Conference attendees?”

  “Not unless I have to,” she shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

  Joel chuckled. “I can’t say that I blame you.”

  “Had I had my knife I could have at least cut a swath of cloth for a gag.”

  “It is a weapon only for protection,” the Chancellor admonished half-heartedly.

  “It would have protected our ears from his voice,” Pieter protested with a grin.

  The others laughed at the Pieter’s joke.

  The second morning Angel and Nik met the Chancellor and Pieter in the hotel lobby. Joel arrived a few minutes later and they all left in the transport pod. Nik had left his knife at the hotel, as had Pieter. Some of the other delegates introduced themselves while everyone waited in line at the scanners.

  President Liacomo kept her opening remarks brief and introduced the Chancellor. The assemblage quieted as the Chancellor approached the podium.

  “Good morning everyone. Imagine, if you will, going to sleep one night with your significant other next to you and waking up the next morning to find that she would not wake up. Or a mother who tries to rouse her infant son from his nap and cannot. This is what my people have been handling for several weeks now. The elderly were the first affected, then the children. At first, we were stumped as to what could cause this. We could find nothing in the people that could be the cause. One of our younger doctors suggested checking outside sources and he stumbled on a thirty odd year old document that described the same symptoms. Unfortunately, the elements of the cure were missing.

  “We tracked down the author, Dr. Jason DeWitt of Earth, and he has been helping us to cure the people. He also helped us to track the source of the problem. The only source for the pulse wave in our entire quadrant of space is emanating from that machine on Drotz. We petitioned them to turn the machine off and they laughed at us. The strength of the wave continues to increase.

  “We discussed this with Dr. DeWitt and he suggested petitioning the Federation for help. We had no sooner contacted Earth when the Drotz declared war.

  “I ask you. All of you. Is this logical? Parrhesia has always been a planet of peace. Many neighboring planets trade with us for the food crops and other items that we make. We have no military nor do we believe that force is the answer to all problems.

  “When we inquired as to why the Drotz declared war we were met with only the demand for unconditional surrender.

  “This weapon they have crafted and turned on my people needs to be shut down and dismantled. To prey upon the old and young first is unconscionable. That someone would knowingly inflict such demoralizing torture on a defenseless people is even more so.

  “We heard the Drotz orator speak yesterday. But I did not hear any reason given that the machine is essential to the survival of their people. I did not hear any reason given for declaring war on Parrhesia nor any reason for the lack of terms. Should the Drotz not be held accountable for their actions? Should we not demand an explanation?

  “I offer you this to consider. What if this was done to your people? What if there was no cure? Should we allow this trespass into our sovereign right to life to continue?

  “I humbly ask for your assistance to achieve a peaceful solution to this situation.”

  With that, the Chancellor returned to his seat.

  President Liacomo stepped suavely into the silence. “Thank you Chancellor Berenbaum. Now, the representative from the Jupiter Recreation Union would like to address this assembly.”

  A tall, sharply dressed being approached the podium. The broad boney ridges of his nose and forehead along with his copper colored skin reminded Angel of Rhodri’s translator, Turok. She leaned over to Joel. “He is Voutii, correct?”

  Joel nodded in agreement.

  “Salutations from the JRU. We are here today to support all races that would be affected by the Sleeping Sickness, for it extends beyond the human population. The core of Jupiter emits a pulse wave that can affect many beings. We discovered this many years ago. At the time, our only recourse was to send the afflicted traveler home. As that interfered with our commerce, we investigated and devised the nanochip that protects travelers from the wave. As you all well know, current interstellar commerce laws prohibit implanting anything in a traveler without their consent. All travelers to Jupiter have the option to accept or decline the nanochip. When the law was enacted, we feared for a reduction in travelers. Instead, we found that many were thankful that we cared so much to keep them safe.

  “While I have never personally experienced the affliction, I have read stories of those who have. Much as the Chancellor described, patrons to our planet were very distraught when their family members could not be woken up. Our medical staff was perplexed for a long while, then through luck discovered that an energy shield blocked the wave. We were able to miniaturize a shield into a nanochip.

  “Thirty years ago, the chips were only for our travelers. Dr. Jason DeWitt convinced us to make them commercially available. While we manufacture and sell these chips now, we do not advise them as a long term solution. They only provide protection for about a year, given a being’s natural immunity, though they can be replaced for several years of protection.”

  Angel looked at Joel, who remained impassive. Did he know Uncle Jason had worked with the JRU? And why did Jason not mention it before now? Angel listened as the JRU representative continued to explain the differences between the Llanelyn incident, as he referred to it, from thirty years ago to the current incident with the Parrhesians. Angel had many questions for her grandmother when she returned home. She glanced around the room and noticed that most of the delegates were still paying attention to the speaker.

  Lunch was served after the representative from the JRU finished. After the lunch, several other delegates spoke. All had experienced the Sleeping Sickness and supported Parrhesia. Angel was amazed that so many different peoples could be affected, but still no one would label the Drotz’s machine as a weapon. Only the Chancellor had called it a weapon, though Joel’s swift intake of breath indicated that he did not approve of that statement. When Angel asked Joel why, he quickly silenced her and indicated he would explain later.

  A
t the end of the day, Joel escorted them to the transporter pod and waited until they had cleared the conference secure area before switching to the autopilot. “Today went better I think.”

  “We were able to tell our side finally. Hearing others tell the same tale tells me that we are not alone in this struggle.”

  “While I agree with you, one thing about playing in politics. Never openly accuse anyone of harming another deliberately. Even when you are right, it leaves a sour taste and you may find that others don’t want to support you.”

  “I do not like politics and call it as I see it. If others choose to be offended, that is their problem,” the Chancellor said.

  Joel pressed the point. “While I agree with you, you need their support. If it comes to war, you will need all the allies you can get.”

  The Chancellor considered what Joel had said. “You are probably correct.” He frowned. “It seems I need to learn. Join us for dinner and educate me on the politics some more.”

  “Unfortunately I have plans with my wife and she hates talk of work. However, we do have a few minutes before we reach your hotel.” Joel spent the rest of the trip explaining the political fax paus that his grandfather had taught him.

  At the hotel, the Chancellor indicated he would take supper in his room. Pieter went with him, leaving Angel and Nik alone. With nothing else to do, Angel suggested dinner in the dining room, then a game of Penuchle in their rooms. Nik agreed.

  Over breakfast the morning of the third day, Nik asked, “Will Joel be escorting us again?”

  “I believe so. Why?”

  “I need to go check on something. He will ensure you are safe,” Nik explained. When Angel frowned at him, Nik tried not to grin. “Honest. Tis something your grandfather asked of me. Since we leave tomorrow immediately after the conference, I should go today.”

  “Goesh. Go. But if I find out differently, twill be trouble.”

  Angel met the Chancellor in the hotel lobby. “Where is Pieter?”

  “He pleads a stomach ache,” the Chancellor said with a wry grin. “Seems we get to enjoy the Conference without our bodyguards. They will miss the fun,”

  They both chuckled knowingly as Joel approached them. “Good morning. Are we waiting on Nik and Pieter?”

  Angel and the Chancellor shook their heads. “They are otherwise busy today,” Angel tried to explain, the laughter in her voice telling much.

  Joel grinned at her restrained laughter. “I’m guessing they begged off on different excuses.”

  Angel nodded as the Chancellor said, “If the Drotz speaks again today, we may need to join them.”

  Joel joined their laughter as the trio headed for the transport pod.

  Unfortunately for Angel and the Chancellor, the Drotz Ambassador was allowed to talk again after lunch. As he droned on about the improvements they had made on many planets, planets that Angel suspected had been taken by force, Angel looked around. None of the delegates appeared to be listening. She retrieved her datapad, entered something and passed it to Joel.

  Joel read her question, then entered a long list and passed it back.

  Angel read through the list of supporters for the Drotz and searched the room to find them. They were either not listening or absent.

  Angel passed Joel another question and he modified the list. She noted that many of those absent were not members of the conference. She slid over to the table’s controls and quickly found the flags, seals, and images of the ambassadors on the list. Joel showed her how to download the images to her datapad.

  “Can I access the university’s computer system?”

  Joel shook his head. “This system is not connected to any external network, for security.”

  That evening, Angel returned to her hotel suite to find Nik already there. She dropped wearily into a chair.

  “How did it go?” Nik asked.

  With exasperation lacing her voice, Angel replied, “The Drotz orator spoke again. If I have to sit through one more day of long winded diatribe full of political rhetoric from a chest-thumping testosterone based life form I think I will go crazy.”

  Nik looked at her, confused. “Is that good or bad?”

  Angel gaped at him, then realized what she had said. “By the Gods, I’m starting to talk like him. I really need a stress relief with a younger crowd. I’m glad tomorrow is the last day and we can go home. Maybe Torvuld, Kira, and the others would like to get together? I miss being with people our age. We can check out in the morning and leave our bags in the transport pod.”

  Earth Federation President Miranda Liacomo confidently strode to the podium on the final afternoon of the Peace Conference. As the host, she claimed the right of final remarks. Her speech had been written and rewritten all week, to address concerns and to coerce the desired result from the Conference. Her presence filled the chamber as all the delegates sat forward to hear her closing remarks.

  “Good afternoon everyone. We come to the close of our Conference and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for coming. While our talks have not settled all topics, I believe we have made progress in understanding each other’s position. As I am sure you need to return home to take care of your people, I shall arrange another Conference for two weeks out and we may continue our discussions at that time. For now, I ask those who can to attend the press conference immediately following the closing of this Conference so that we may present a united front to the press regarding our time here this week.

  “Since the Drotz Ambassador has not answered as to why his government declared war on their neighbor Parrhesia, I challenge the Drotz Ambassador to convince his government to not attack Parrhesia until such explanation is provided. I also challenge the Drotz Ambassador to provide that explanation when we next meet in two weeks.

  “I would also like to address the concerns over the planets of Parrhesia and Llanelyn. As you know by now, both were settled hundreds of years ago by colonists from Earth. Both are thriving, self-governing societies. Earth recognizes them as independent sovereign planets and will not attempt to make them Earth colonies, now or ever. However, with that said, we have formed an alliance with both planets and count them among our allies and friends. Should a war occur for either, Earth will be there to support and will endeavor to rouse the rest of our allies to the cause. For now, I have sent a medical ship to Parrhesia to help their people.

  “As to the Sleeping Sickness, I have established a Task Force of dedicated medical personnel and scientists to study the phenomenon further and devise a cure for all affected races and peoples. We shall discuss their findings at future conferences. I ask that if the Task Force contacts your people regarding this study that you cooperate to the fullest measure possible. We have heard about the debilitating and demoralizing effects of the illness during this conference and I would like to end such suffering if at all possible.”

  “Did you know about this Task Force?” Angel whispered to Joel.

  He nodded. “I’m technically on it. I’ll explain later.”

  The President continued on to address two other concerns that had been raised during the week, but Angel tuned her out while she contemplated the meaning behind the carefully chosen words. “Can I get a recording of the President’s speech?” she asked Joel.

  He nodded and accessed the control panel. As the President finished and dismissed the delegates, he quietly handed Angel a data crystal. “You could have the full four days if you wanted it.”

  Angel thought quickly and nodded. The last thing she wanted was to listen to the Drotz rhetoric again, but grandmother Gillian might want it.

  Joel replaced the data crystal and punched a couple of buttons, then removed the crystal again and handed it to Angel. He looked to the Parrhesian Chancellor, who waved it away. “I do not need to hear these speeches again. What is this Task Force?”

  Joel explained. “All the doctors from the original problem on Llanelyn were contacted. Jason has agreed to join the Task Force, as did I. Ther
e are several new doctors and engineers as well. And the chip manufacturer from Jupiter is also on board. Everyone has Jason’s old paper to start with. Don’t get your hopes up. These things take time to organize and even more time to get moving. This will take several months to years.”

  “Pardon, but why you?” the Chancellor asked. “You are a high ranking General and a man of war, not medicine.”

  Joel grinned wryly. “Unfortunately I discovered the pulse wave and devised the original shield modulation for Llanelyn. In my younger years, I preferred computers to leadership, but my grandfather had other plans for my career.”

  As they exited the main conference area, a young woman bumped into Angel. “Oh, excuse me.”

  “Tis no harm done,” Angel replied.

  “You are the Cerato of Llanelyn?” At Angel’s nod, she continued. “I’m Cecelia Young. I work for Senator Holmes. It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she juggled the stack of datapads she held trying to offer a handshake.

  “No one may touch the Cerato,” Nik replied, helping the girl with the datapads.

  “Oh, alright.” She adjusted the last datapad back into place. “Hey, would you two like to join us tonight? Some of the others and I are going to this upscale club downtown. We’d love to have you join us. We can show you around the city.”

  “I would love to, but I am headed home tonight. Perhaps next time?”

  “That would be terrific. I’ll tell the others. They’re a good group. You’ll have fun. See you next time then.” She headed off, balancing the datapads.

  Nik watched the girl leave. He had a bad feeling about Angel going to where many people were. “Tis not a good idea.”

  “Oh come on. It could be fun. But for now let’s get to the press conference and then go home. I miss home.”

  The press conference was held on the steps to the Conference Center. The President addressed the assembled reporters and answered the myriad of questions regarding the peace talks with her usual calm demeanor, while also not giving away any of the actual events. Angel still marveled at how the President could be so calm while questions bombarded her from all sides and blinding camera flashes lit up the daytime.