The huge ocean platform was the size of several Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers. It was designed to weather the worst storms, although it could barely move at ten knots. Speed was not an issue, just the ability to be mobile so as to be a more difficult target. Lord Neptune had learned from Key West. The Squid Lord had also learned about air defense from the nuke attack on him. He had fifteen pairs of the Delta Fighter cannon mounted on various points of the Platform. There were also fifteen of the AI controlled Delta Fighter Missiles adapted to ground launchers. Add a modified human Phalanx System and a salvaged Five Inch Naval Gun, and Neptune felt he was adequately covered. To be on the safe side, he had a pair of Delta Fighters on station around the ocean platform, rotated from the sub orbital launch stations that circled the globe. And of course he had Andrew and his Falcon. Andrew was pressed into bringing half of the Lords to the meeting aboard his Falcon, the rest using their own robocop cyborgs and Falcons. Except for the South American Lord, who used a Tschaaa batwing submarine to attend, one of the few still in operation. Since they controlled the seas, warcraft were no longer seen as needed.
The huge meeting chamber was like a giant hot tub. The Tschaaa Lords could recline in comfortably heated water, while they snacked on the favorite sugar cane provided by Lord Neptune, as well as other favorite foods from the sea. His Lordship had promised a “special’ meal at the end. Fresh dark meat from the Atlanta Uprising, to be slaughtered and prepared as the Tschaaa Lords watched. What better way to show he still had power?
But the Tschaaa Lord called Neptune knew he was faced with a serious opposition. Over the last few months, Tschaaa resources as well as individuals were attacked on weekly, sometimes on a daily, basis. Robocops were destroyed, grays ambushed at repair and maintenance facilities, and even Tschaaa individuals killed on occasion. Not to mention the Krakens and other humans who cooperated with the Tschaaa overlords who were killed. Those numbers were rarely reported with any accuracy.
Lord Neptune’s attempts at re-asserting his power and control in Bloody Kansas, the recent attacks in Montana, seemed to invite more revenge attacks on anyone who appeared to be connected with the Squids. Plus, the Uprising in Cattle Country invited copycats all over the globe, even though on a much smaller scale.
He was the architect of the final Invasion of Earth, and the some seven year aftermath. The Tschaaa Lord was also the creator of the organized harvesting program, to insure fresh meat was always available for Squid consumption. The breeding and livestock area known by the euphemism Cattle Country was his creation. He had created the idea, with Director Lloyd, of the Protocol of Selective Survival, where certain humans would be “groomed” to be members of a Client Species, as were the lizard beings, the early cyborg robocops and Front Men.
And now, all of these ideas were being threatened by the Free States and other pockets of new resistance. Unless Lord Neptune could be even more persuasive that he had in the past, he would be doomed to failure. He would not be executed like that former Lord of Africa who had tried to take secret action against the Lord of North America. However, he would have to relinquish much of his power, turn over a reduced position on this ruling council to his chosen son, known as El Segundo, with the resultant loss of power for his Crèche. Less position, less of a secure future for his young, the ultimate hurt.
Lord Neptune took his position in the large chamber/hot tub. Standing nearby was Andrew, his favored robocop. At times like this, he took him from his primary position of watching over the Director and had him serve the Tschaaa Lord directly. His Lordship knew that some saw his closeness to creatures such as Andrew as a weakness. The rest of the Tschaaa Lords had brought male offspring, sons, to stand by their Lords and sires. Thus those selected to be groomed for higher posts could learn by watching how their Sires worked. For Lord Neptune, El Segundo, his chosen heir, was captaining the ocean platform as it made its five knot headway toward Savannah, Georgia. El Segundo had filled in as Lord when his sire had been injured during the nuke attack. He had proven himself very capable of dealing with any and all situations. Therefore, Andrew was the Tschaaa Lord’s “Second”, providing not only a physical presence but also security. Judging by the way things had been going, Lord Neptune decided he needed the advanced abilities for violence that the cyborg warrior had as opposed to some symbolic presence.
The Lord in charge of Asia and eastern Russia must have felt the same, as he had come with two of the Soldier Class artificial beings in addition to a Chosen Son. The rest of the Lords had a Chosen Son, with the new African Lord having brought two lesser offspring as additional armed guards.
The Tschaaa Lords were definitely tense, their “hand” movements and changing body color schemes demonstrating that fact for all to see.
“Andrew, is everything in place?” The North American Tschaaa Lord asked.
“Yes, Your Lordship. The Krakens have the desired humans near the Port of Savannah. At your command, I will fly my Falcon and pick them up, bring them here.”
Lord Neptune must have noticed something in Andrew’s demeanor, or else he was becoming a bit paranoid, for then he asked, “You do not entirely agree, my large friend, with my special plans for an evening meal?”
“Sir, you are the Lord of North America. You make the decisions.”
“That was a very reserved answer. Your true beliefs, Andrew. Complete.”
Andrew did not pause with his answer. “I see no reason to make a show of slaughtering these humans in preparation of an official banquet. It seems too much like revenge, something I did not think the Tschaaa practiced. Dark meat is to eat, not for political statements. At least that is the concept you provided me in my programming and education.”
Andrew looked directly into the large eyes of the Tschaaa Lord. Only he and Director Lloyd were allowed to look at him as near equals. Every other being showed a perceived deference.
Finally, the Squid Lord spoke. “Unfortunately, drastic times require drastic measures, as humans have said many times in their history. Said and demonstrated. I have needs to demonstrate to my fellow Lords that my way has not crumbled into disarray. For Tschaaa existence on this wonderful ocean planet has been shaped by my way, my thoughts, my ideas, and my creations. Without all of those things, we would have been off planet years ago, and already out of this solar system en route home.” The Lord then signed with his two social tentacles a new thought or feeling.
“However, this ocean and Earth, now feels like my home. I never experienced the home world, never submerged myself in the recordings and records of that planet as many of the older ones did. Maybe if we had been able to suspend some of the old ones, kept those who had been born on that planet alive to give us the true feeling of their birth and life in that huge ocean…”
Lord Neptune paused, then continued.
“But that is even fantasy to me, the one Lord said to have never outgrown fairy tales and myths taught our young. So, we deal with the reality of today. This day and time, the overwhelming majority of Tschaaa think of Earth as our home, never to be given up. I must ensure they still have confidence in me, my plans, to ensure this Mother Ocean remains ours, and no one else’s. Plus, ensure that dark meat flows into our larders, is fed fresh to our young. That is what is important.”
“Even to the point of what my human ancestors would call a play or an act of revenge?” asked Andrew.
“Yes, Andrew, my fine cyborg. Even to demonstrate an act of revenge. Whatever is required to show my will still controls the future.”
The other Lords were by now all comfortably in their places of recline, snacking on sugar cane, specially prepared human veal, and sipping stimulant drinks. However they may seemed relaxed, there was still the underlying tension caused by the reason for this grand meeting. The Tschaaa Lords had begun to feel insecure in their position of dominance. This was a first for a species who prized itself as the apex predator, the top and superior species in known space. They had found the remains of other failed races, civil
izations. At no time had they ever imagined the same would happen to them, even in the darkest days of the White Plague. The Senior Tschaaa, the Lords and Elders, always believed they could find the solution to any serious problem they encountered, to include the long trip to Earth. That had been the solution for the White Plague.
Now, a solution to one issue of survival seemed to have produced another threat to the same survival. There very source of meat, humankind, was seen as a serious threat to Tschaaa dominance. Down deep in the Tschaaa psyche, a threat to their dominance meant a threat to their ability to protect their young. It had been so many millennia since Tschaaa had felt a serious insecurity concerning their ability to protect their Crèches. The beginnings of such feelings for some were the first signs of panic. Next came feelings of helplessness. Just as the effect the actual death of young Tschaaa in adult care could cause some Tschaaa to become catatonic, and die, extreme feelings of helplessness concerning the care of the young could cause a similar condition. Adult Tschaaa, although not catatonic, could become disjointed in their actions, have serious trouble reacting in organized and coherent ways to stress and problems involving the Young. Pregnant Breeders may have spontaneous abortions. In some respects, it began to resemble the Tschaaa version of post-traumatic stress syndrome. The Tschaaa Lords, Senior, Major and Minor, could not fathom any inability to protect the young from widespread threats. An occasional loss was one thing. Widespread threat of death on a daily basis was another.
The Lord called Neptune by the humans took his place at the titular head of the gathering, as he had requested the meeting here. But because he organized the meeting, this did not mean he was first among equals. Especially now that his long term methods and tactics were in serious question. Lord Neptune signed and gestured the Meeting to order, as he also broadcast a unique Call to Order sound, one usually reserved for calling adults to check on the young. Once again, the primary purpose of their social order, to protect the young, dictated how they communicated.
“Honored fellow Lords, I bid you welcome. It has been some time since we have met together in this manner.”
“And then it was to execute a Lord,” the Near East Lord chimed in. This led to social tentacles gesturing irritation, mixed with some anger.
“We did what we must, Lord.” Neptune answered, trying to exude as much confidence and strength as possible by voice and gesture.
“And we must decide what we must do, now.” This time it was the European Lord who spoke. “So, let us dispense with the normal pleasantries and procedures and get right to the point.”
Irritated at the broaching of the normal order and etiquette of such meetings, Lord Neptune responded loudly back. “And what do you see as the primary point then, my fellow Lord? The point you seem to want to grasp with all you limbs at once, rather than examine it with your digits first?”
Lord Neptune had tried to point out the danger of impatience in dealing with serious matters. The attempt flopped like a dying fish out of water.
“Humans we have allowed to exist are attacking us.” This was the Far East Lord, which technically had control of the Free Russia area. He continued. “I pushed in the beginning for a much more aggressive policy against the unharvested humans. But you, our Lord of North American, somehow convinced your fellow Tschaaa Lords that our meat could be useful for some other than purposes than just filling our and the young’s stomachs. You saw them as another species similar to our reptilian Clients, creatures who we could use to help us in our daily functions on this lovely ocean world.”
There were sounds of agreement to these statements from the other Tschaaa, changing skin colors demonstrating the emotions involved with the subject.
“And what has that provided us? Some viable, fresh and tender dark meat for our young and our banquet tables, true. Some two billion preserved bodies plus some breeding stock being taken home by those Lords and Crèche members who wished to return to our home.”
The Far East Lord’s body began to go dark in a demonstration of anger.
“But it has also brought us, in the last year, the death of thousands of our young!”
The flesh of others of the Lords and their attending Crèche members began to darken, showing the anger and frustration caused by the mere mention of those killed in the attempted assassination of Lord Neptune. Lord Neptune attempted to perform conciliatory gestures with his social tentacles as he attempted to speak in a more calm and measured way.
“Please, my fellow Lords. I have lived daily with the fact that the attempt to kill me by the Free humans, Ferals, lead directly to the deaths of many thousands of our species, the majority being young and adolescents. But may I remind you that almost all were from my Crèche. So, it is up to me, based on our traditions, to deal with this horror.”
The newest of the Lords then spoke. The Lord of Africa, promoted to replace his sire after his attempt at the abominable act of injuring the Crèche members and interests of Lord Neptune through deception and dishonesty. This had been especially heinous as he had used Eaters as an instrument of his viscous plot. The new Lord now looked on as the best representation of Tschaaa Lord behavior, as he had to wash off the stain of his sire’s actions from his Crèche, his family.
“My fellow Lords, I suggest the problem is not the destructive capabilities or desires the humans have demonstrated, or of the weapons they know they have. But rather, what may have they developed, unbeknownst to us?”
Silence, most of the assembled Tschaaa became still.
Meat, an inferior species on the food chain, being that mysterious and dangerous? How could it be? All eyes were on Lord Neptune. After all, he was the acknowledged expert in all things “human”. He paused before speaking, almost fidgeted under all the staring cephalopod’s eyes.
“While humans, our food, have demonstrated a level of violence they classify as ‘General Warfare’, may I point out that we crushed organized resistance within thirty one Earth days from the time the first rock was launched from near orbit. They gave up that quickly.”
“Well, if they all truly gave up,” interrupted the Lord of Europe. “Then why do they still resist us with violence in the areas they call Free Russia, Free Japan, and the Unoccupied States?”
“If you would allow me to continue... There are groups of stubborn individuals who have banded together in an attempt to resist harvesting. I will admit responsibility for not pushing for total annihilation of all those areas termed troublesome. But the danger in that tactic would have been damaging on a world scale the lovely oceans we now reside in. Further use of nuclear weapons or large rock strikes from Base One not only could have caused the Long Winter to last, but deadly radiation could have easily contaminating many potential Breeding Areas.”
“What my fellow Lord from North America says is true,” The Tschaaa Lord over South America chimed in. He had a mutually supportive relationship with Lord Neptune. “Many of the humans on my continent fled into the mountains and jungle surrounding much of their civilization. I could try and blast them out, but to what purpose? I have access to sufficient fresh dark meat from both those still near the coastal areas, not to mention all that I have stored from the early days of the Invasion. I have as well set up small breeding population to provide high quality young, tender, meat, similar but on a more limited scale than my friend from the North.”
“But you have not been subjected to attacks,” the Near East Lord interjected. “The rest of us are incurring increasing casualties of out cyborgs, grays, lizards and co-operative humans due to the depravations from humans in Russia, the Japanese Islands, and the interior of North America.”
The South American Lord gave the Tschaaa equivalent of a shrug. “Possibly I have not suffered the same because I have not been so aggressive in my harvesting, have actually started to use more of the bounty from Mother Ocean for our young.”
“There is but one Mother Ocean,” the Lord in charge of the Australian area suddenly spat out. “That is back on
our home world.”
“There is a connection if you study the signs. Just look at the Giant Squids here. They must be our kin. The Spirit of Mother Ocean is here as well.”
Lord Neptune could see where this was going. Now was not the time for an argument over Tschaaa Sacred Texts and celestial Protocols. He moved to take back control of the discussion.
“This world is very nice. Some say the oceans are more beautiful than home world. I for one do not care because our home world is some one thousand years of travel away. We are here!”
He paused for effect. “It has been more difficult than expected. But as my fellow Lord from South America just stated, there may be ways to reduce conflict by not making the humans feel any more threatened than they already are. Which may include the use of more sea life, to which we now have almost exclusive access.”
The European, Asian and Near East Lords gestured with their social tentacles expressions of stern disagreement, adding rude noises by expelling water through their gills.
“My ancestors lived on dark meat for more generations than I chose to count.” The Asian Lord stated in a loud manner. “If it was good enough for my forbearers, it is good enough for me. Not to mention the sacrifices our Crèches made to travel to Earth. It belongs to the Tschaaa now.”
“And the reduction in harvesting has not exactly calmed down your feral humans, has it?” The Near East Lord said in an almost derisive tone.
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