“Madame President, with all due respects, you really don’t understand any of this do you?” Augesburcke said.
“Admiral Augesburcke you begin to try my patience, I did not ask for your opinion on the matter.” She replied.
“No you didn’t, but I’ll give it to you anyway, because that’s my job.” He told her. “You see it doesn’t really matter whether you think of this man as Alexander Thorsson or Alexander of Terra. For all intents and purposes, Madame President, Alexander Thorsson died in a Scythian experimentation ship. When the Chem kidnapped him he became exactly what they made him: Alexander of Terra, the sole representative of our species. That is how the Chem see him, that is how the Galactics see him, and Madame President, that is how the majority of Homo sapiens in the Terran Federation see him. We helped, of course, by feeding on the Galactic’s Alexander myth, but it was Alexander who beat us to it. He became that myth. He fleshed it out, and not as the figurehead that we intended, but as the myth itself. We wanted a figurehead, Madame President; I was just as guilty of that as you were. I wanted someone to play the part and make the bluff work, and then when the job was done I thought, as you do, that he could walk quietly away. We fooled ourselves. We wanted an actor, but what we got was the real McCoy.”
“You don’t really believe that this man is truly Alexander reincarnated, come alive again to complete his conquests? I am not about to give him the absolute powers of a dictator so that we can go to war with the galaxy, Admiral, are you?” The President exclaimed.
“You don’t give a conqueror power, Madame President, he takes it.” The Admiral told her.
“Admiral you are not making any sense. Are you trying to tell me that this Alexander is going to attempt some form of coup, or do you dare to tell me that the military will support such an action?”
The Admiral shook his head and laughed, “Not at all, Madame President, he has no need of a coup. As far as the galaxy is concerned he is already Alexander of Terra, the Overlord of the Terran Empire. Listen to their transmissions. The irony is the Galactics think it is you who have accomplished the coup! Reality is not always what things are, Madame President, but what things are perceived to be. You should know that, Doctor Koto has repeated it often enough. Look at things as they are reported on the Terran and Galactic broadcasts. Terrans have watched Alexander’s rise from the jungles of Pantrixnia to the very visible head of our fleet. They know his past lives and his present. They feel they know him as well as any other being, and they want to believe what they think they see. As far as the majority of Terran citizens are concerned he is nothing less than Alexander of Terra, Protector of Human civilization. He is Lincoln. He is Cromwell. He is Alexander. He does not need your approval, and you, Madame President, certainly don’t have the power or the charisma to strip him of any of the powers that the galaxy, or our own people, has placed upon him.”
“Then what do you propose we do to bring this Alexander back to reality, so to speak,” she asked.
“You misunderstand me, Madame President,” he told her. “I have no intention of either belittling what Alexander accomplished, on behalf of the Human race I might add, or preventing his further accomplishments. I am an honest soldier, Madame, an old and overused phrase I know, but nonetheless true. Let me be blunt, both of us are here in your beautiful and comfortable office because of one man: Alexander of Terra. You shall go down in history as the first President of the Terran Federation not because of any skills or intelligence on your part, but because of the absolute greatness of one Human. I myself owe my position as the living head of the Terran Fleet to this same Human. Alexander somehow dredged up the best qualities of our species when we needed them the most. One misstep would have cost us our civilization, our history and our future. Now you want to tear down the Human who is, more than anyone else, responsible for the continuance of our civilization? I will take no part in that, Madame President. I have no aspirations to reap the rewards of the empire he made possible while at the same time telling him, “Thank you very much but we’d just like to forget you ever happened!"“
“Understand me, Admiral,” the President told him in a tone that left no room for argument. “I will not allow this Presidency or this Federation to be controlled by a man with delusions of grandeur. The role of Alexander Thorsson is finished. I will make it my job to stop his political career here and now. If I am successful at anything it will be as the person responsible for preventing a possible megalomaniac from assuming a position of power!”
“You are not only too late, Madame President, but you have completely misread Alexander’s character,” Augesburcke told her. “Unlike yourself, Alexander has already tried to remove himself from any aspiration to power. After our victory over the Scythian’s and his successful negotiation of peace with the Chem I asked Alexander why he was willing to leave. He would have had the world at his feet and deservedly so. His answer, Madame President, piqued my curiosity. He looked at me in a manner which gave me no doubt that this sensation of power and victory was nothing new to him. It was not a surprise, the outcome that is, it was expected. Anyway, he looked at me and told me, as if lecturing, that a conqueror should leave power behind at the pinnacle of victory, while he was still a conqueror, and not a despot. What you desire, Madame President, is what Alexander desires. He felt, at the moment that he’d done his part. He accomplished his goals and then he was going to return to Chem. That would have been the end of it. Unfortunately, destiny seldom leaves characters like Alexander the time to live out their lives quietly, and happily. As we’ve seen already events surround Alexander, and when they do, even if he is not their source, he will seek to control them. Mind that lesson, Madame President. If you wish to lessen the impact of Alexander on the Terran Federation then leave him alone and accept him as he is. If you try and destroy him, or even try to impede him then I’ll guarantee that he will become far more powerful than you ever dreamed.”
“You are a hopeless romantic, Admiral,” the President told him. “This Alexander is just a failed military man who happened to be at the right place and the right time. By luck he’s gained notoriety beyond his worth. I am inclined to ignore him, but the merest possibility of him deluding the masses and seeking power attracts my attention. If he will not submit to my authority then I will use my authority to quell any ambition he might have.”
“You are making a mistake, Madame President,” Augesburcke told her.
“I believe I am aware of your opinion, Admiral, that will be all,” She told him coldly.
Augesburcke shook his head and got up. He walked to the door gruffly, but before he left he took one long last look around the room.
“Is there anything else Admiral?” The President asked.
“Only this, if you insist on following this course of action against Alexander I would be asking myself some questions,” he said, pulling at his mustache, a sign he knew that she knew meant extreme irritation.
“And what would they be?” She asked sternly.
Augesburcke’s face betrayed no humor as he said, “First I’d ask myself, what is Alexander going to do with this room when he’s sitting behind this desk and I am not? Second, I would start to wonder what Alexander was going to do with me, when he’s sitting behind that desk and I’m not?”
“Are you threatening me, Admiral Augesburcke?” the President stood up suddenly, all of her features distorted by anger.
“No Madame President I am not, and I mean that sincerely.” He told her. “I do not wish for an Alexander dictatorship even with a Galactic empire as a prize. You are, however, speaking of trying to destroy, politically or otherwise, a very powerful and fated person. Such characters in history do not react well to such treatment. Alexander has made your position of power possible, and your payment is nothing less than a betrayal. That is how he will read the message you are sending. Be very careful Madame President. Alexander is not a normal man. His enemies do not fare well. Just ask the Scythian’s.” With a final hard
stare he closed the door, leaving the President of the Terran Federation alone with her thoughts.
CHAPTER 14
The next day on Roma the military Ambassadors of the ten member Alliance sat at their round table contemplating the hologram which hung over the center of the obsidian surface. Earlier that day the political arms of the ten empires made a formal announcement of the formation of the Alliance. Now the Ambassadors watched the taped response of the President of the Terran Federation. It was a distinguished looking female with strength and purpose in her voice, but it was not Alexander. The facade was irreproachably transparent to the assembly.
“Do they think we are fools that we should fall for such a lie?” The Golkos representative asked bitterly.
“Quiet! Let us at least listen,” the Syraptose representative snapped. The Syraptose were a humanoid race far less militarily inclined than the Golkos or the Seer’koh. As their position in Galactic space was a delicate one the Ambassadors respected their comrade’s wishes and promptly settled down to listen to the transmission, but their skepticism was apparent nonetheless.
“ . . . We of the Terran Federation are aware that certain rumors of our aggression are widespread throughout the civilized galaxy. While events of the recent past would tend to bear out such misgivings let me assure you that the Federation acted only in self defense. My policy is not expansionist, and I can personally assure every member state of the Alliance that their sovereignty will be recognized and respected by the Terran Federation. We seek only peaceful coexistence and free trade,” the speech went on along the same diplomatic lines. After a few more moments the Ambassadors had heard enough.
“Oh shut it off!” hissed the Seer’koh. He flexed his slender claws with irritation and thrust his long neck over the table, the colorful feathers briefly forming a wondrous crown around the serpentine skull. His eyes darted from one to the next; glaring at his fellows until finally they rested again on the hologram. “We can draw one irrefutable conclusion from this message. The Terran figurehead they term the "President" of their Federation is as skilled as are our politicians at the art of dialogue. They say many pretty things which mean absolutely nothing! It is political maneuvering, nothing more. They are delaying. Alexander is obviously manipulating a seemingly benign puppet government in order to discover our intentions.”
“My esteemed colleague is quite correct. This is an obvious ploy of Alexander to distract our attention from his plans of conquest, and it is working!” the Golkos said. “We sit here and talk of political agendas when we should be formalizing plans for attack!”
“You are quick to jump to the military conclusion,” the Syraptose Ambassador interjected. “We are more apt to listen to the President of the Terran Federation. If there is any peaceful way out of this dilemma, we would like to investigate it. We are not overly eager for war. Our position relative to the Terran Empire cuts us off from any support from our allies in the Alliance. If it comes to war we have to face the Terrans alone. What if there truly has been a coup and the offer of peace is genuine? Can we afford not to consider that option?”
“It is a trick by Alexander to gain time so that he may redeploy his forces for invasion!” The Golkos replied harshly. She then added, with some restraint of her anger, “I empathize with the exposed position of the Syraptose state with respect to the Terran Empire, but let me remind you of what happened to the Scythian’s, who are as lacking a military as any race in the galaxy. Alexander was not so subtle with them. Ask their Ambassador in exile! As for this so called coup, well, we all watched Alexander’s newest announcement at this morning’s meeting. Again he denounces Bureel and the new Chem state that is forming. He is using the manifestation of a reasonable President and a reasonable Terra to buy time while he deals with his Chem goals. Obviously Chem is not cooperating as he anticipated. He is busy elsewhere. Now is the time to strike!”
The Seer’koh added, “Our own estimates of Alexander’s actions tell us that he must strike Chem prior to the Ascension of Bureel, twenty-one Chem decurns from now, the seventeenth of this Galactic standard sidereal period. After that the chances of overthrowing the Chem ruler drop precipitously, but meanwhile there is a great deal of chaos in the Chem Empire. He is forced to strike now!”
“This is our window of opportunity then,” the Golkos stressed. “If we fail to act Alexander will be able to prepare for us; if we do not act together Alexander will pick us off, one by one.”
“Why don’t we play the same game he is?” The Syraptose asked. “We can allow our politicians negotiate with this puppet, this President, while we mass our fleets. We also need time. An attack by that date is difficult at best when one empire is the aggressor, but the coordination required of ten empires is nothing short of fantastic. If we force a hasty strike now it may well be disastrous. We’ve all witnessed the discipline and coordination of Alexander’s Fleet on the poor Scythians.”
“Better a hasty strike than a delayed one,” the Golkos said. “One of the character issues we’ve learned in our interrogations of Humans is that they are susceptible to a defeatist attitude when caught off guard and continuously pressed. If a protagonist allows them to regain their composure they can be amazingly stubborn and strong willed. A protagonist who shows weakness invites disaster, but one who shows a single indomitable face before them can be victorious. I do not think we can afford to show any signs of weakness, even to this puppet.”
“The Seer’koh agrees with the Golkos assessment,” the reptile replied firmly.
“Very well, unless the informants of the Hrang have any other conclusions which can shed light on this the Syraptose will concede to that point.”
The Hrang stirred uncomfortably in his seat.
“Well?” the Golkos pressed impatiently.
The Hrang sighed, still uncomfortable. “We have operatives which are extraordinarily deep within the Terran Empire, but it is increasingly difficult to draw any certain conclusions from our information.”
“How deep into their empire are we talking?” The Seer’koh asked.
“Our operatives are in decision making positions,” the Hrang said. “I can tell you that the legislative and executive bodies are well formed and entrenched. They at least think that they are in power. We are less informed in the military branches. Hrang operatives can maintain an excellent facade of docile Humans, but the exertions required of their military members are beyond us. From what we can gather, however, the military reacts to decisions from the bureaucratic bodies, but they wait, we think, for direction from Alexander. It may well be that Alexander has formed a two tier government, one for the day-to-day running of things, and one for conquest. Taking this into account we have attempted to create a schism between these two branches, to erode Alexander’s control.”
“How have you managed that?” The Seer’koh asked, surprised that the Hrang would take such initiative.
“As you have been aware the President of the Terran Federation has been vocal against the expansionist policies of Alexander in her public addresses,” the Hrang began.
“A smoke screen!” the Golkos barked.
“True, but it is a smoke screen that has gained some approval in the Terran Senate,” the Hrang told them. “The President is more influential than we guessed, and we have been successful at creating a large pocket of support for a peaceful Terran Federation and not an expansionist Terran Empire. Indeed, if you walked the aisles of the Terran Senate you would find few supporters for an expanding Galactic empire. I would guess that this will come as a surprise to Alexander. The feeling that our operatives get is that the Senate actually accepts the President as executive authority, not Alexander.”
“It is just a rubber stamp body with no actual power,” the Golkos stated.
“Maybe, but it does create a distraction for Alexander if he tries to use it,” the Hrang said. “If it is a body created by Alexander strictly for the purposes of public approval it will not help him if it openly opposes his pol
icies.”
“It is somewhat surprising that his hand-picked President should be so openly against Alexander,” the Seer’koh noted. “I cannot see how his allowance of a dissenting voice would help his aims.”
“By distracting us, which he is doing!” the Golkos insisted.
“No, that was not his plan, at least not with this President,” the Hrang said. “This President’s main ambition is to undermine the military dictatorship of Alexander. That is her one and only goal. Everything she does is to that purpose.”
“How can you be so certain?” The Seer’koh hissed in irritation.
“The President of the Federation is one of our operatives,” the Hrang informed them. A stunned silence followed, and the Hrang explained. “We replaced the Human Faizah Sadat shortly before the Presidential election. We were of course pleasantly surprised when the Human Sadat was elected to such a powerful position, even if it was as a figurehead. We have since that time used her to undermine Alexander’s position. I must add, however, that it is by no means certain what Alexander’s position is.”
“Can you explain what you mean by that?” the Golkos interjected.
“You must excuse the inexact nature of our conclusions,” the Hrang apologized. “Terrans are an inconsistent people. This makes them easy to impersonate, for the inconsistencies of behavior are accepted as part of their nature, but it makes them extraordinarily difficult to understand. For instance, we have no clear understanding of where Alexander actually came from. He had no political power that we can trace prior to the Scythian-Chem conflict. He was, as far as we can tell, a relatively minor military officer. When he did appear on the scene it was in the hands of the Chem. We have since assumed he was already the military Overlord of the Terran Homeworld, but it appears we might have overestimated his original position. The details are unclear, but we’ve concluded that Alexander actually used that particular sequence of events as his launching point for power. His rise to power was remarkably swift, and completely unexpected. From what we’ve gathered about Terrans he is one of those particular beings that rise to power when there is an opportunity. Alexander took advantage of it fully, an incredible accomplishment under the circumstances, and became the Overlord of the Terran Empire when he struck the terms of the Terran-Chem peace. Obviously, the Chem civil war has interrupted his further plans. He feels the necessity of taking care of that dilemma before moving on.”
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