“You realize that is because the enemy wiped out anyone who had such thoughts.”
“A supposition that has long proven the wisdom of dismissing such, I would consider.” Joe paused, and said, “No young race has ever reached our system. You are new to space, let alone the stars, yet have reached so boldly, so far.”
“The Exterminators intend the destruction of our planet, the extinction of our people,” Scott replied. “We’ve had no choice other than to respond in kind. Until now, we’ve seen no evidence that they are willing to co-exist with other intelligent life. Your very existence proves that we may still have a hope of a peaceful solution.” Taking a step forward, he added, “I do not know how long your people have existed…”
“Our earliest records date back twenty million years, though there is some evidence of a precursor civilization five million years before that,” Joe replied. “You barely boast ten thousand years, and have been spacefaring for only a tiny fraction of that time. I admit to being curious about your desire to leap from star to star, rather than thoroughly explore and investigate the possibilities of your homeworld and the planets that surround your sun. If I interpret your records correctly, there are bodies within a billion miles of Earth that you have not yet visited.”
“Only remotely,” Scott replied. “I suppose it is the wanderlust within us. An evolutionary hangover, perhaps, but we have always been a people of explorers, and I’m forced to admit that patience has never been a natural instinct for humanity. We always look at the horizon, wondering what might lie beyond.”
“Interesting. The One have a similar philosophy, though we are content to keep our explorations virtual, rather than physical.” Joe paused, nodded, then asked, “What are your intentions?”
“Survival. By any means necessary,” Scott replied. “I will not lie to you. I doubt I could, in any case.”
“No,” Joe said. “We have, among other things, a full physiological and psychological work-up of humanity. Deception would not be wise in these circumstances, and I sense that you understand that.” He paused, then said, “You would accept a peaceful solution, if one existed?”
Nodding, Scott said, “I suspect it would be far easier than a military one, but at the end of the day, my job is to find some sort of salvation for humanity, no matter how I must bring it about. If I have to fight to save my people, I will do it, as I have before. Though I shall regret it, if I must.”
With a grimace, Joe said, “This concept of war is strange. We have witnessed it, of course, not merely in your archives and those of others like you, but at long-range, battles fought with fury and rage across the face of worlds you could not dream of. A war for the survival of your civilization, of your very species, is perhaps the only motivation we could even begin to understand, comprehend, but even that seems so alien to us.”
“Wouldn’t you do the same, if you were threatened?”
“We never have been. Not even by the Exterminators. They have never shown us any hostility, even before we have been forced to destroy their ships in the past, and should they attempt an attack, we could easily repel it.” He paused, then said, “Nevertheless, I suppose we are compelled to consider that the situation may have changed, or my change in the future. The Exterminators have existed for as long as we have flown through space, a constant in the universe.”
Novak glared at Joe, and asked, “How many worlds have you watched the Exterminators destroy?”
“Many thousands, over the eons. Perhaps millions. Our records…”
“And you have sat idly by and watched, knowing that you have the power to intervene, to protect those worlds, those peoples, from annihilation?” Folding her arms, she said, “We primitive, savage humans have a saying. That all that is required for evil to triumph is for good to do nothing. You have had a front-row seat for the murder of trillions of sentient beings who committed no crime, no sin worth dying for.” Shaking her head, she added, “Don’t even think of taking a moral high ground, or considering yourself pacifist. Not when you have never raised your voice in protest.”
Joe looked back at his ship, and for a moment it appeared as though he was planning to retreat from the argument, but after a moment, he replied, “Your words have some force, even if they are somewhat simplistic as worldviews go. Your argument that we are complicit in the crimes of the Exterminators is hardly fair. We do not condone, we do not support, we merely observe, and we remember, for all time. We have worked to preserve our system, our worlds, that they may last a trillion years, until the birth of the great cosmic intelligence that must one day come. That is our goal, our destiny.” He paused, then added, “I am compelled, though, to consider that the intelligence is perhaps weakened by the destruction of those who might one day become members, as unlikely a prospect as that appears for a race such as yourselves.”
“What makes you think…”
“Those that burn brightest die first,” Joe replied. “That is as true of intelligence as it is with the stars from whence we all came, and to whence we will one day return. From what I perceive, you are unlikely to linger long in the universe, but it certainly is not my place to have a role in ending your kind before its time.” He smiled, then said, “If we were to help you, I would demand that you consider a peaceful solution first and foremost, to attempt to find a way to co-exist with the Exterminators. We have managed for millions of years without war. Perhaps you could follow our example.”
Nodding, Scott said, “Before the Exterminators arrived, we were disbanding our military, cutting back our programs of exploration. Our warships only returned to service to defend us in our darkest hour.” He shook his head, and added, “Though you know all that already, I presume.”
“Raw data is not always indicative of sincerity, Admiral. It is still good to hear the words. And the meaning behind them, also. Data can be faked, but the readings I can take directly from the two of you are far harder to manipulate.” He paused, nodded, and said, “I shall accompany you to the homeworld of the Exterminators. Through me you will be able to communicate to them, something that would be impossible with your limited technological and linguistic understanding.”
“The decisions remain ours,” Scott warned. “If we cannot come to any other solution, then…”
“Then we accept the decision you take. I am simply an interpreter, an observer, nothing more. It will be interesting to see the Exterminator world in detail, and examine their black hole foundry. Ours work on a somewhat different model. More efficient, but less spectacular.” He smiled, and added, “Perhaps we will develop a taste for interstellar travel yet. It is said that some of us did leave our home system, during the earliest days of our civilization, but those are more legends than historical figures, I fear. There is much about our ancient past that is vague.”
“Ours also, though our definition of ancient is rather different.”
“That is one of our interest in you,” Joe replied. “Your present is our ancient past, and perhaps we can learn much of the manner in which our ancestors thought by your presence in our space. Doubtless we shall spend many centuries interpreting and analyzing the data I shall gather over the course of the next few days. It will be extremely interesting.” Turning back to the hatch, he added, “I must meditate for a few moments before my craft disengages from yours. I will see you on your bridge shortly, if that is acceptable.”
“Actually, I’d like you to stop by the Sickbay first,” Scott said.
“My body is as free of disease as it is possible to make it. I represent no danger to you,” Joe replied. He smiled, then added, “Though I will indulge the curiosity of your medical researchers. Until later, then, Admiral.” Without another word, the being disappeared back into his glowing spacecraft, and the hatch slowly slid shut, leaving Scott and Novak alone in the corridor.
“What do you think, Commander?” he asked.
“I think the Chinese word for danger is also the word for opportunity, Admiral.”
�
�A good point, well made. Certainly, our new friend in there could probably destroy this ship without much trouble, with or without the assistance of that ship of his, but we’ve been walking a dangerous path for long enough that it doesn’t seem like much additional risk.” Turning to the viewport, the local star at the heart of the display, he added, “They’ve accepted imprisonment in exchange for survival. Perhaps that was the deal they made in their prehistory, before they really remembered making it.”
“Then they’re acting as their own jailers, sir,” Novak replied. “That doesn’t seem to answer the whole story. I think they are here because they want to be here, and I believe Joe when he claims that they have no real interest in leaving their own space. Thinking about it, what would they gain if they did? All the other nearby systems either have their own independent civilizations, or they’re the property of the Exterminators, burned out ruins and shattered worlds. Why leave? They’d have to travel for thousands of light-years to see anything worth seeing, and by the sounds of it they’ve got the ability to visit such places remotely in any case.”
“You think that it is actually a cultural thing, not something required?” Scott asked. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, but I just think it’s a little suspicions that all the species in this part of the galaxy seem content to stay at home rather than go wandering throughout the stars.”
“Self-selection,” she replied. “The rovers died. The stay-at-homes lived. Maybe it’s as simple as that.” She looked at the hatch, and said, “That might have been us, one day. We were pulling back, before all this began. No long-range exploratory missions, no new colonies and settlements for a decade. We’d looked for life and found nothing, and maybe that had discouraged us a little. Or a lot.”
Nodding, Scott said, “Since you seem to have a rapport with Joe, you’re going to lead the negotiations.” At her expression, he added, “It isn’t as though we have any formal powers to make a peace treaty, but somehow I think that the President and the rest of them will sign off on any deal that keeps us alive. You, Silva and Belinsky. That seems a reasonable combination under the circumstances, don’t you think?”
“Sir, you’ve got to be out of your mind.”
“Have you only just noticed, Commander? None of us would be out here if I wasn’t a little crazy. Though I don’t think you’ve got any real room to make comment on that particular score.” He shook his head, and said, “We’re off-script, Commander. Way off script. You get to see if there is a peaceful way out of this nightmare. I’ll concentrate on the other alternatives, and pray as hard as I can that I don’t need to put any of them into practice.”
“You think there might be another answer than war?”
“I hope so, Commander. I damn well hope so. We’ve got one chance to save mankind. One way or another, we’ve got to make it count.”
Chapter 16
After months of flight, months of war, months of pain and destruction, they were finally almost at their goal. The home system of the Exterminators, only moments away. Every station was at combat alert, all hands at their posts, ready for anything they might meet upon their arrival. Tension dominated the bridge, all eyes focused on the monitor screens, none of them knowing whether they would even be alive at their next breath. There had been no sign of danger, no sign that they were in anything other than a normal wormhole, but that merely added to the sense of unreality they all felt.
Only Joe, the representative of the One, stood calmly on the bridge, his eyes roving around as though recording every action, every emotion, every thought. Whether he was confident of survival and success or simply had no means of showing the fear he felt inside, Scott couldn’t tell, but he found the presence of the alien oddly comforting. At least there were other intelligent life-forms that humanity could communicate with, perhaps even understand to some degree. After their previous encounters, he had begun to wonder whether that was true, or whether they were instead cursed to an eternity of warfare across the heavens, fighting constantly for survival.
“Emergence in one minute, sir,” Cunningham said. “All systems nominal, departure pattern clear.”
“Sensors,” Scott said, turning to Morales, holding the sensor monitoring station in lieu of Novak, down in the shuttle bay, waiting for a launch order that might never come. “Full sweep as soon as we arrive. I want the most complete picture possible of the Exterminator system, complete with potential threat sources. And a full-spectrum scan for communications, as well. Funnel the data down to Doctor Bendix for interpretation.”
“Efficient, but needlessly swift,” Joe said. “Such analysis would be the labor of generations for my people.”
“We must be on our way home in less than three days,” Rochford, sitting at Tactical, replied. “That’s not much time to complete our mission.” He looked at Scott, and added, “I know, sir, I know there’s a good chance that this is a one-way mission, but it would be nice to at least have a chance of getting back to Earth again.”
“First things first,” Scott said. “Weapons status?”
“All kinetic cannons are primed and ready, missile in the tubes and cleared for launch, maser cannons charged to maximum capacity. Though given the sheer weight of firepower they’ve probably got waiting for us, sir, I’m not sure whether it will do any good or not.”
“While there is life, there is hope, Commander,” Scott said with a smile. “You never know what might be necessary. Helm, rapid evasion upon emergence, then proceed to the projected home planet of the enemy, into a standard parking orbit.” Cunningham turned to him, wide-eyed, and Scott continued, “We will not start a fight. If they choose battle, then that is their decision, and we will respond accordingly.”
“And you will die,” Joe replied.
“Perhaps, but at least we’ll give ourselves a fighting chance of life. A better one than their prey usually has.”
“Thirty seconds to emergence, sir,” Cunningham reported. “All systems still look good at my end.”
Scott nodded, settling into his chair, anxiously looking at the viewscreen. Everything depended on the next few minutes, the very survival of humanity at stake as it had never been before. He glanced across at the implacable Joe, shaking his head at the calmness of the alien. Though of course, he was only risking his own life, and perhaps not even that. If Leonidas was destroyed, it would merely be another data point in the computation of the universe for him.
For humanity, it would be the end of their last, desperate hope, and they wouldn’t even know of the failure. Earth was so distant, so remote, impossible even to see from this part of the galaxy. It defied logic and reason that the actions of a single ship a hundred thousand light-years away could have such an impact, and yet it was so. This was the moment his life had built towards, the culmination of everything he had ever been or could ever hope to be.
“Egress, Admiral,” Cunningham said with obviously forced calmness, the helmsman struggling to regain his composure in the face of their strange, frightening situation. The stars flicked onto the viewscreen, just as they normally would, and Morales frantically began to work with the sensor crews as the ship veered to the side, attempting to dodge a blow that never came. They’d survived their first few seconds. That was a start.
Joe walked calmly over to the sensor station, peering over Morales’ shoulder, watching the images flicker on the viewscreen as the first of the data trickled in. Scott waited impatiently for the first reports, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair, until finally the tactical display winked into life, revealing the reality of his fears, his nightmares.
“Detecting two thousand plus Exterminator warships in-system, Admiral,” Rochford reported. “Some of them are likely in the process of construction. We’ve marked the enemy homeworld. Not difficult, it’s ringed with ships and is the focus of a lot of the distant power beams. They’re getting multiple terawatts of energy every second. It’s around half a million miles distant. Ensign Cunningham, you have the course.”
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br /> “Aye, sir. Commencing acceleration cycle.”
“I don’t understand,” Rochford said. “They’re just sitting there. No ship close to the wormhole, but they must have had some idea that we were coming, and none of them are attempting to intercept.”
“Why should they?” Scott asked. “If we turn around and head home, then we don’t pose any sort of a threat to them. Otherwise we’re going to be coming to them, and they have overwhelming force wherever we chose to go. They can afford to concede the initiative to us. Let’s hope that turns out to be a mistake.” He looked at the strategic display, the long-range sensors showing the network of millions of satellites orbiting the star, and said, “That’s the Dyson Swarm?”
“It appears so, Admiral,” Morales said. “Looks pretty close to some of the design specifications I’ve seen. There are three focal points, one of them pretty close, maybe a half-million miles from the enemy homeworld.” She paused, then said, “Whoa! I just had a spike of Hawking radiation, close by! Really close!”
“The birth of a black hole,” Joe said. “I’m impressed that you already know of the concept of the stellar network, though in truth there are often more efficient ways of harvesting power, means that are less destructive to the other bodies in a system. The Exterminators have adopted something of a brute-force technique.”
“They’re using it as a black hole foundry?” Scott asked. “Power plants for their ships?”
“Most of the power, certainly,” Joe replied. “I presume there is also sufficient to run their planetary civilization as a by-product. I very much doubt they’d want to risk a singularity generator on the surface of a world. Especially one so important to them as this must be.” Looking at the sensor plot, he added, “The whole world is a city, covered in buildings. No life could survive there without protection, not after what they have done. I wonder what the world looked like when it was in its original state?”
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