The Vandle War

by Reg Franklin

  Zath spoke up. +Relex are an asexual race, reproducing only through cloning.+

  “Ah, thank you, Zath. Well, he started trying to apologize. ‘Relex no order killing! Relex want alliance!’ So that tells me that either the Relex are terrified of former slaves who just want the galaxy to be at peace, or the ambassador did this on his own.”

  +I believe the latter. Our contacts on Relex Prime say the Vandleifdulus are being held off at great cost.+ Thao murmured. While they had been speaking, the Gieron had landed, and were disembarking. Standing close to two meters tall, they had faces like hairless bulldogs, light brown flesh, and a gorilla-like posture. There were two groups; a guard team covered in mechanical augmentations, and three of them who sported nothing of the kind. The leaders simultaneously held up fists, and the procession halted.

  “The Gieron are pleased to see that humans are no weaklings.” Kelly’s new translator changed the rumbling speech of the Gieron into English. “You are leaders?”

  Kelly took a half-step forward. “I am the Interim President of Earth, Kelly Young.”

  “Did you have a fight with your woman?” One of the augmented brutes barked laughter. The trio of ambassadors scowled and pointed at the guard who spoke, his fellows turning weapons upon him and opening fire.

  Kelly’s jaw dropped, Chris’s hand slipping down to his sidearm, stopping only when Zath lightly gripped his forearm. +It is their way!+

  “Insulting a new ally on the eve of a peace conference is inexcusable.” The Gieron leader on the left said by way of explanation.

  “T-that may be, but I will ask that weapons remain aboard your vessel. We recently had an assassination attempt against the Xaodi delegate, and are taking no chances.” Kelly recovered from his shock at the casual brutality of the action.

  The lead Gieron scowled down at him, then turned to the guards. “As he says. Remove that.” He pointed at the corpse on the ground. The augmented Gieron began to obey silently. He turned back to Kelly. “We hope this is a display that the Gieron desire your alliance.”

  Kelly bowed slightly. “Indeed it is. Thank you.”

  The alien waved a dismissive hand. “It is nothing. I am known as Kronthorar. My companions are Hronrath and Soranor.”

  Kelly introduced the Prelt. “And this is one of our greatest warriors, Admiral Christopher St. George. It is his vessel yours passed upon arrival.”

  Kronthorar appraised Chris visually. “Greatest warrior? Tell me, smaller one, where are your badges of combat?”

  +Scars.+ Zath whispered before Chris could point out the medals pinned to his uniform.

  He stood tall. “Scars do not make the warrior. Rather, a lack of them may indicate a warrior is simply too good to have been injured. I know that you might perceive it as a sign of cowardice. But, in truth, I am not completely human. A treatment was given to me that allows rapid healing of wounds and slows aging.”

  “Is this treatment available to all?” Soranor cocked his head.

  “It was an experimental treatment.” Chris clarified/lied. “I was the only successful test.”

  “At any rate,” Kelly interrupted “Let me show you to your quarters.”

  ---

  Simon Peters fidgeted nervously. He was en route to rendezvous with the Empress, where the Hecatomb and fleet were massing in the asteroid’s path. Parking directly in front of a giant rock that was due to hit your planet in a matter of days was not his idea of good sense. But according to the Empress, this was the Emperor’s will.

  But why would the Emperor want the preserved brain of that alien his wife had killed?

  26.

  Jennifer strode into the meeting room. “You two wanted to see me?”

  Chris and Kelly had been going over defensive plans. “Yes, Ms. Safyo, please, sit.” Kelly absently waved at a chair.

  “Half the fleet should be enough to protect the inner system.” Chris indicated on a map, pointing at the portion on the solar side of the asteroid belt. “Hell, I’ll even make it sixty percent just to keep the civilians happy. The rest of the fleet will join the alliance once we have an offensive strategy.”

  “Good.” Kelly looked up at Jennifer. “Eventful trip?”

  “Well, let’s see.” Jennifer began counting off using her fingers. “One, I’m pretty sure the Psi-Omegans killed Quordex, two, they fought off an invasion fleet at least the size of the one at Centauri, three, I think I know how they’re moving around, and four, Callixta Morsalis is currently running things because the Lavnabren put Stragdoc into some kind of coma.” She rubbed her temples. “So yeah, pretty eventful I think.”

  The two men began talking over each other. “Okay wait, get Zath, Lami, and whatever other Prelt are on planet here. I think they deserve to know that their version of Mengele is dead.”

  Kelly put out the call, and within minutes Zath, Lami, and Thao entered. Jennifer then showed the evidence she had, that a Prelt calling itself “Codex” had been killed following an attack on both Stragdoc and Morsalis.

  +Could this be true?+ Lami turned to Zath, her eyes bright with fear. +The Soulshrieker kills our betrayer, and then begins their attack on our people!+

  +Calm yourself, young one.+ Zath admonished, but even he seemed shaken. +The name is likely a phonetic coincidence.+

  “If they killed Quordex, how does that affect the Vandle?” Kelly wanted to know.

  Thao steepled her fingers. +We cannot say. It is believed that Lavnabren had what you humans would call a ‘love-hate relationship’ with her creator. When did this occur?+

  Jennifer checked the notes. “About thirty-six hours before they attacked Centauri base.”

  +A Prelt will be killed, and a threat unleashed!+ Lami gasped.

  The Prelt looked at each other, but before more doomsday prophecies could be spoken, Jennifer quietly broke in. “May I make a hypothesis? The way you describe Lavnabren, she doesn’t seem to be a great strategic thinker. More of a ‘let’s jam their guns with our carcasses and then overwhelm them through numbers’ type of planner.”

  +That...may be accurate.+ Thao allowed.

  “So in that case most of the strategy would have been on Quordex.” Chris surmised. “Which might actually make them more dangerous. An enemy with no long-term plan beyond wholesale slaughter is hard to predict.”

  “Worse is actually that she somehow incapacitated Stragdoc himself.” Jennifer pointed out. “The files say that physically he’s immobilized, but his brain is still very active. Have you three ever heard of such a thing?”

  The Prelt glanced at each other. +No. She is not able to mentally contact beings outside of her race.+ Zath stated firmly.

  “But, if what Ms. Safyo has obtained is accurate, the attack happened after they tried to psychically touch Quordex.” Kelly spoke now, growing excited. “Wouldn’t it make sense that he’d somehow set it up that she could at least reach him?”

  +A...plausible theory.+ Thao agreed.

  “Even then, it wouldn’t explain how she was able to overwhelm Stragdoc so utterly.” Chris now pointed out. “You Prelt don’t really know what he’s capable of. Over a hundred years ago, he collapsed a building without even touching it...and killed my father just before that.” He added bitterly.

  +He sounds most formidable.+ Zath acknowledged. +But the near humans - and this possible Soulshrieker - will have to wait. The Vandleifdulus are our primary concern.+

  Kelly exhaled. “Agreed. Who are we still waiting on?”

  Thao spoke. +Currently the next scheduled to arrive will be Ctix-yg-zur, with the Yoth-y’n ambassador. The Yoth-y’n are a friendly people, we should have no issues as with the Relex or that Gieron soldier.+

  “Hey, why were there no Prelt accompanying either the Relex or Gieron?” Chris suddenly realized.

  Zath shrugged. +Both races refused our accompaniment. The Gieron out of pride most likely, and the Relex to conceal their cowardly attack.+

  “Which brings me to the reason I’m glad you’re here, Ms. Sa
fyo.” Kelly now said, quickly bringing her up to speed on the Relex situation. “Basically, I want to know what the ambassador planned, and the easiest way to find-”

  “Oh. My. God!” Jennifer screamed in frustration. “First you remind me that I shouldn’t just go rooting around in people’s heads, then you have me check that spy, and now you want a probe on the Relex?!” She stood to her full height, glaring at Kelly. “You damned hypocrite. You just didn’t want me in your brain, finding out your secrets!”

  “She, uh, has a point, Young.” Chris coughed.

  Kelly was nonplussed. “We are trying to figure out who attempted to start an interstellar incident, and I will use every tool available to me.”

  “Oh, is that what I am, mister interim president: a tool?” Jennifer sneered now. “Because the only tool I see-”

  “Okay, how about a compromise?” Chris now interjected, trying to defuse the situation before the woman threw Young out a window. “Jennifer, what if the request was on behalf of the injured party? If Athlé Ma’ald asked, in an effort to find out who really wanted her dead, would that make it easier to accept?”

  Jennifer continued to glare at Young, but spoke calmly. “If I talk to her right now, alone, without this jackass trying to sway her to his side, yeah, I can agree to that.”

  “Lami, will you escort Jennifer to Ambassador Ma’ald’s chambers?” Chris quickly asked, making a zipping motion across his mouth at Young, who looked ready to explode now at the barrage of insults the Alphite had been throwing at him.

  +Of course, Admiral, it will be a pleasure.+ Lami moved to the door, and after a short warning glare between her and Young, Jennifer followed.

  “Zath, you and Thao go for a walk.” Chris now stated, glaring daggers at Young. “I need to speak to the president alone for a bit.”

  Once the aliens hurried out of the room, Chris detonated. “Holy Christ on the damned cross, what in the name of hell were you thinking? Or were you thinking?”

  Kelly glared at Chris. “What I am thinking, admiral, is that someone nearly killed someone I consider a friend. And I intend to find out why.” He gestured at the door. “And if that involves using your pet Alphite-”

  “She is not a pet.” Chris ground out between clenched teeth. “What she is, is our most vital source of information on the Empire and Stragdoc. And possibly our strongest weapon against the Vandle.”

  “Whatever she is, she is a resource that I intend to use.” Kelly retorted quietly. “And if you weren’t trying to get in her pant-”

  Kelly suddenly found himself on his back, jaw aching, the admiral standing over him. Deciding to not get into a brawl with the man who could rapidly heal, he simply said, “Okay. I was out of line there. Sorry.”

  “You ever imply that again, Young, and I’ll break your damned jaw instead of just bruising it.” Chris left the room. Kelly lay there a moment, before standing and calling his assistant for an ice pack.

  ---

  +Pardon me, Ambassador Ma’ald, but you have a visitor?+

  Athlé looked up from the text she was reading to see the Prelt, Lami, alongside a tall human woman with yellow hair. She was trying to affix a Xaodi translator with little success.

  “That’s quite all right.” She spoke English slowly. “I’ve learned a great deal of your language. Not much else to do while I’m resting.” She added ruefully.

  The woman put the device down. “Good, because that device isn’t going to work for me. My name is Jennifer Safyo, I’d like a few minutes of your time.”

  “Well then, I would be glad of it. Not that you are not good company, Lami.” She smiled at the Prelt. “But I would rather enjoy meeting another human.”

  “Then I should go get one.” Jennifer laughed. In response to Athlé’s confused look, she added “Strictly speaking, I’m not human. I’m what the Prelt call a ‘near-human’, but most people call people like me ‘Alphites’.”

  “Oh! You are another ambassador then?” Athlé gestured to a nearby chair, Jennifer accepting with a smile.

  “No. My...people,” she grimaced “are not something I want to be a part of. They are war-like, and tried to conquer Earth over a century ago. Their leader is not someone you want to have dealings with.”

  “I...see.” Athlé knew there was more to this story. “Well then, madam Safyo, what brings you here?”

  “You can call me Jennifer.” She sighed. “I’m here because I have certain abilities...we call them psychic or psionic...that enable me to do things. Like lift objects or see another person’s thoughts.”

  “Lift objects?” Athlé was confused until Jennifer willed a nearby pitcher of water to her hand. Athlé could only laugh in delight. “That is amazing! And you can see thoughts? Even mine?”

  “Only with your permission.”

  “Well you have it! I would love a demonstration!”

  Jennifer smiled lightly. “You’re thinking of a meal you had just after you arrived. A platter of calamari. You’re annoyed that due to your injuries you can’t be eating it at the moment.”

  “Truly amazing!” Athlé laughed again, the laugh changing into a fit of coughing as her injured vocal cords denounced her enjoyment. She took a glass of water Jennifer offered gratefully. Once the coughing passed, she spoke quietly so as to not further aggrieve her condition. “So the president asked you to come to provide me with some amusement?”

  “No, ambass-”

  “Athlé. If I am to call you by your first name, I should offer you the same privilege I think.”

  Jennifer smiled. She liked the Xaodi woman. “Athlé, I’m here because of what the Relex ambassador attempted.”

  Athlé’s own smile turned cold. “I will bring him with me to Xaod when I return. We are a peaceful people, Jennifer, but when it comes to Relex crimes against Xaodi, our love of peace tends to fade.”

  “I’m sure. But what if the ambassador wasn’t working on behalf of the Relex?”

  “What?” Athlé’s confusion was obvious. Jennifer filled her in on Kelly’s suspicions. “Why would he risk a new war between Xaod and Relex Prime?”

  “That’s what a lot of people are wondering.” Jennifer took a deep breath. “What I said about not looking into your mind without permission? That’s my morals and principles talking. If I wanted to, I could look at every memory you had. That’s part of what separates me from my people. They take what they want. Do you understand?”

  “So far I believe I do.”

  “The president, the admiral, Zath, all of them want to know why the Relex are risking a war. The ambassador won’t say. His guards just say they follow his orders. I can find out, though. I could invade his mind and learn the truth. But like I said, I have principles. Obviously, he’d refuse. So instead, seeing as they tried to kill you, Athlé, I’m asking if you want me to get the truth.”

  “I see.” Athle’ thought a moment. “I get a feeling that you don’t want to do this.”

  “Not particularly, no.” Jennifer admitted. “Not too long ago it was pointed out to me that I’m a little free with entering people’s minds; that’s why I asked your permission. It’s becoming a personal rule to not go poking into people’s minds. It’s voyeuristic.”

  Athlé looked confused at the last word. “Oh, a voyeur is someone who watches other people without their knowledge or consent.” Jennifer clarified.

  “Oh, we have a term for that in our language.” Athlé agreed. “It does not translate well, but if I have understood enough of your English, I believe the closest word would be ‘asshole’.”

  Jennifer gawped a moment, then was overcome with a fit of giggling. Athlé joined her, releasing the tension in the room. “Do you always study the curse words of a new language?”

  “Honestly, yes.” Athlé laughed shortly, taking a drink of water. “It gives me a better idea of whom I am dealing with.” She paused. “So, if I am understanding you correctly, you want my permission to enter the Relex’s minds in order to find out why they atta
cked me. That is correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  Athlé pursed her lips and hung her head in thought. “I hope you do not think me cruel when I say I desire the Relex to suffer as the Xaodi suffered. It is true, I despise the creatures. But if Kelly is correct, that they indeed wanted this alliance, it is imperative that we discover the ambassador’s motives.” She looked into Jennifer’s eyes. “You have my consent, with a condition.”

  Jennifer sighed; she’d known that Athlé would probably have agreed to this procedure, but was curious what her condition was. “All right?”

  “Is it possible for both of us to look inside him? You, carrying my mind along into his?”