“We just arrived in one of the Boundary Systems,” Blake said as he read off his displays. “This is where we’ve always come to make direct contact with our Vruahn liaisons. The second planet in this system even has a settlement where we can go to relax and interact between deployments.”
“Interesting,” Jackson said neutrally. “Is that where I’ll meet with whomever requested this get together?”
“Most likely,” Blake nodded. “Just to give you some warning, you’ll be talking to a surrogate, not an actual Vruahn. To be honest, we don’t even know what they really look like. They appear to us in a form that is an attempt to look ‘human’ but it can be a bit … unsettling.”
“It can’t be any more unsettling than some of the Phage forms we’ve seen,” Jackson shrugged. “Why do they bother using a remote form like that?”
“I assume they feel we’d be too disturbed by their appearance,” Blake said. “Or it could be as simple as they’re unable to exist in an environment suited to us. I’ve never received a direct answer to the question, really.”
The pair fell into an uncomfortable silence as the ship drifted further into the system. Jackson tried to manipulate one of his own terminals to display how far away they’d traveled from New Sierra, but the computer seemed unwilling to give him the information. Just as he was about to ask Colonel Blake for the distance they’d ‘hopped,’ a short alert sounded and data began scrolling quickly across the displays. The colonel was visibly shocked.
“What?”
“This is highly unusual, but it looks like the Vruahn came in person to talk to you,” Blake said. “One of their cruisers just appeared in the system and I’m being ordered to dock with it directly.”
“Do they come here often?” Jackson asked.
“This is the first time I’ve seen one of their ships in this system other than the ones we pilot ourselves,” Blake shook his head. “I’m sorry, Captain, but I have nothing to offer you as far as what to expect. This is a bit beyond any interaction I’ve ever had with them.”
“Aren’t I always the lucky one?” Jackson sighed.
****
The docking procedure was as anticlimactic as everything else aboard Colonel Blake’s ship. One minute they were drifting in space, the next the computer piped up and told them they’d achieved hard dock with the Vruahn cruiser. Not even a bump like you’d get on a Terran fleet carrier when a cargo shuttle slammed into an airlock.
“Captain Wolfe is requested at the port, aft airlock,” the computer said.
“Will the colonel be joining me?” Jackson climbed out of his seat.
“No, Captain,” the computer intoned. “You are the only human requested at this time.”
****
Jackson found himself in a white, sterile room that had no discernible angles, corners or even light source. Even the form-fitting chair he sat in was made of that same nondescript material and seemed to meld seamlessly into the floor. He’d been sitting there for what seemed like hours, but the lack of any sensory input could have been playing games with his internal clock. For all he knew he’d only been there for ten minutes.
After what could have been another few minutes, or another hour, a second chair flowed up out of the floor facing across from him, hardening into a shape nearly identical to the one he sat in. While mildly impressed at the casual implementation of what would have been an incredibly exotic and expensive material in the Confederacy, Jackson was beginning to feel the first twinges of real annoyance at how he was being treated. Just when he felt he could take no more the wall across from him slid apart slightly and a bipedal … something … slipped in through the seam before it resealed itself. Not sure what the protocol was, Jackson stood and waited respectfully while the being walked further into the room.
“Senior Captain Jackson Wolfe of Earth,” the androgynous face said without a trace of emotion. “Thank you for coming at our request.”
“Thank you for making it sound like I had a choice,” Jackson said, sitting only when the other being in the room did. Since no physical greeting was offered, Jackson kept his hands at his side and tried to calm himself down.
“There is always a choice, Captain,” the being said. “In everything we do, or don’t do, even the most mundane choices we make cause ripples that affect everything around us.”
“So you’re a construct meant to communicate with me on behalf of the Vruahn?” Jackson said. “Why such an elaborate system?”
“You are correct in a way,” the being said. “This body is an artificial construct, but you are interacting directly with me in real-time. You may call me Setsi.”
“And my second question?”
“These protocols were established when we began encountering fledgling species taking their first tentative steps into the vastness of the universe,” Setsi said. “Unpredictable reactions from both the species being contacted as well as the various microbes we all invariably carry led us to develop ways to minimize the physical and psychological impacts on those we may chance upon.”
“Sensible, if a bit inexplicable once communications have been normalized,” Jackson said. “So … why am I here?”
“There’s no single answer to your question,” Setsi said.
“I was led to believe you were interested in me because of a possibility the Phage had directly contacted me,” Jackson said. “Am I incorrect in that?”
“That is indeed the reason why we asked to see you, but it is not the only reason you are here.”
“Whose reasons are we referring to?” Jackson asked.
“Very good, Captain,” Setsi’s mouth turned up at the corners in a fair imitation of a smile. “What is it you hope to accomplish by this meeting? Would you really risk such a long trip just to provide a bit of information to someone you’d never met?”
“I want a way to stop the Phage.” Jackson put all his cards on the table.
“Have we not already provided that?” Setsi asked. “Colonel Blake’s force arrived just in time to save one of your planets, did they not?”
“And they also arrived far too late for a handful of others,” Jackson countered. “Millions of lives lost. There’s also nothing to prevent them from returning with a force so large that even Blake’s squadron would be overwhelmed.”
“A fair point,” Setsi said. “But let me divert the conversation for a bit. When you say you wish to ‘stop’ the Phage, as you call them, what is it you’re really saying?”
“Ideally I’d like a weapon of such scope and power that it would keep the Phage from attacking another human planet ever again, but we both know that’s impossible,” Jackson said. “So that leaves me with one alternative … I want to eradicate the Phage presence from our surrounding space and hit back so hard that they never venture near us again.”
“You would declare a war of genocide on an entire species as recompense for the loss of less than five percent of your species’ total population?” Setsi asked coldly, the previously dead eyes now glimmering.
“I will do what I must to keep the other ninety-five percent safe,” Jackson said hotly. “As a matter of philosophy I see no difference in the loss of one life or millions. An unprovoked attack on our species cannot stand without a response.”
“So what if I offered to assist you in eliminating an equal number of Phage lives, or even a proportionate number?” Setsi asked calmly.
Jackson could tell he was being prodded, tested for specific responses. He had no doubt that the Vruahn had built a fairly accurate predictive model on human behavior given their long interactions with an observation group as large as Blake’s crew.
“Allow me to deviate slightly at this point,” Jackson said, wanting to exert some control over the conversation. “Why bother with the human crews at all? I find it difficult to believe that they offer anything that a well-designed piece of software can’t duplicate after some trial and error. The fact the ships in Colonel Blake’s squadron are crewed is a bit of a myste
ry to me.”
“We certainly tried,” Setsi said. “In the future we may do exactly as you say, but it was Colonel Blake and his group that taught us the fundamentals of warfare. For now we’re content to keep a working system in place.”
“I doubt that’s it,” Jackson said.
“You doubt?” Setsi actually frowned. Jackson wondered if the human analog was so complete even facial expressions were translated as he doubted the Vruahn themselves actually frowned.
“I do,” Jackson pressed. “Colonel Blake is from a time where wars were fought within the atmosphere of a single planet against opponents of the same species. He has zero frame of reference when it comes to fighting in space with starships, much less going up against something as utterly alien as the Phage. I refuse to believe that he’s been able to develop such effective strategies in a vacuum and apply them so successfully.”
“So then, Captain,” Setsi said, the mouth a hard, thin line. “Why do you think we’ve allowed Colonel Blake the opportunity to serve as he has?”
“You have me at a disadvantage, I’ll admit,” Jackson said. “I’ve only had this one interaction with your species, and it’s not even direct communication, so my assumptions are skewed by a certain bias … but I think you’ve left your rescued humans in those ships as a firewall. You develop weapons of incredible power, but in the end it’s the human who decides to press the button. It’s the morality of the human that decides if a living, intelligent being dies. I beg your forgiveness if I’m wrong, but from where I sit … Blake’s crew allows you to keep a clear conscience while still getting a job done that, despite your revulsion, needs to be done.”
“You’ve dared to come here and accuse us of … using … your primitive race as some sort of attack animal?” Setsi’s expression was again unreadable.
“I’m simply offering an outlook based on my limited observations and experience,” Jackson said. He’d not actually meant to come all this way and insult the Vruahn. “But if I’m so out of line answer me this one question: when you discovered that ship full of dead humans and decided to revive the ones you could, why did you keep them here? Why didn’t you simply take them back home if your intentions were as magnanimous as you claim?”
“The usefulness of this conversation has run its course, I believe,” Setsi stood. “You will be escorted back to Colonel Blake’s ship and we will call upon you if needed.”
“I understand,” Jackson said with a nod. “I sincerely apologize if I’ve given any offense.”
Setsi simply stared at him with its cold, dead eyes before turning and exiting the way it came.
“I feel like that could have gone better,” Jackson mumbled.
****
“How did it go, Captain?” Colonel Blake asked as Jackson walked into the ship’s small officer’s mess.
“I think very badly,” Jackson said honestly.
“How so?” Blake seemed very concerned. “Were they unhappy with your explanation about the Phage message?”
“We never actually got to that,” Jackson admitted. “Tell me, Colonel … why did you never bother to return to Earth once you were revived?”
“Like I said, so much time had passed none of us felt like we’d really recognize the place anyway,” Blake frowned. “It was better to stay out here and help those that needed it than try to piece together a life that no longer existed back home. Why are you asking about this, Captain?”
“Idle curiosity,” Jackson lied. “Setsi and I had talked briefly about your initial revival.”
“I see,” Blake turned back to his meal. “There were a few of us that wanted to just head back home. Well, most of us did, if I’m honest. But in the end we decided to remain a crew and they left the choice up to me. When I saw how much destruction the Phage were causing, I decided we’d be of better use staying with the Vruahn and trying to help.”
“What did you guys call them back then?” Jackson changed the subject after seeing Blake’s obvious discomfort.
“The Vruahn never gave us a term for them that we could ever hope to pronounce,” Blake said. “We actually were calling them ‘cockroaches’ for the longest time since one of the original forms we faced had an uncanny resemblance to the bug. Imagine a cockroach two-thirds the size of an Alpha.”
“No thanks,” Jackson shuddered. “But it does make me wish CENTCOM Science and Research had come up with more clever names than just going down the alphabet.”
They ate a rushed meal before going their separate ways. Blake was heading back to the flight deck to try and make contact with the rest of his squadron and Jackson, although fascinated by the possibility of real time coms over a distance of lightyears, was just too exhausted after his conversation with Setsi. He was asleep before the lights had even fully dimmed and as such was a bit shocked and disoriented when the computer woke him up after what seemed like only a few minutes of rest.
“Captain Wolfe, your presence is once again requested.”
“Shit.”
Chapter 9
“Welcome back, Captain Wolfe.” Setsi was already seated in the same sterile room when Jackson walked in.
“Setsi,” he said with a polite nod. “Thank you for having me back.”
“I will admit to finding you quite fascinating,” Setsi said. “When Colonel Blake’s ship was in proximity to your own vessels we were able to access most of your computer records. I’ve been reviewing those that your own people keep pertaining to you and your exploits.” Jackson decided not to mention that forcibly hacking into a secure computer network was considered rude, to say the least.
“Tell me this, Captain … why fight so hard for a people that seem to feel your life is of a lesser value than their own simply by virtue of where you were born?”
“This sort of shortsightedness and bigotry has been part of the human experience, in one form or another, since we crawled out of our caves and discovered fire,” Jackson leaned back with an explosive exhale. “If the Phage win, Earth won’t be spared, so there will be little satisfaction for me by knowing I stood aside while those who participated in that foolishness burned. Had I allowed myself to be held back by what others assumed to be a handicap I would have never made it to space, never commanded my own ship … why should I let their unqualified opinions of me limit my dreams?”
“But you must still hate them on some level,” Setsi dug a little deeper.
“Yes,” Jackson admitted. “And on that same level I always will. But that doesn’t mean that I’m willing to stand by and let the entire species die for it.”
“Fascinating,” Setsi repeated. “Let’s move back to the present. What would you do if we gave you what you wanted? Would you show the Phage the same sort of compassion you’re willing to show your fellow humans?”
“I’m not going to lie to you and I think you already know the answer to your question,” Jackson stared into the other’s eyes. “If you give me the means, I will destroy the Phage. I will do the thing that you cannot bring yourself to do. Instead of skirmishes and meaningless holding actions I will take the fight to them and make sure that there isn’t another species that falls before them.”
“Your directness is shocking, Captain,” Setsi said. “Would you feel no remorse for your actions?”
“More than you’d ever know,” Jackson said. “But this is what I do, Setsi. My goal is not to return to a peaceful life without the Phage, I don’t even expect to survive the coming fight. My goal is to make sure that nobody else has to come after me and make the hard decisions that I wouldn’t.”
Setsi just stared at him, motionless, for several moments.
“We have decided to grant you your wish,” it said finally. “But it will not be easy and it may turn out to actually be impossible by this point.”
“I can’t imagine that,” Jackson said. “A whole fleet of those ships you have and—”
“We will not be providing direct military support,” Setsi raised its hand. “Your instincts regar
ding our motivations have been more accurate than you likely realize, but we are still not able to make that leap, give up all that we are, and actively participate in what amounts to extermination.”
“I see,” Jackson said, waiting to see just what the Vruahn were offering.
“What we can give you is knowledge,” Setsi said. “Colonel Blake believes he knows the location of the Phage core, the main neural center that controls them all, but this is imprecise. We are willing to turn over all the exact data we have on the core as well as how to defeat it. As I said, Captain … it will not be easy.”
“If there’s any possibility then we have to try,” Jackson said. “Will Colonel Blake and his squadron at least be permitted to aid us?”
“I will speak to Colonel Blake shortly,” Setsi evaded the question. “I must be honest, Captain … this was not a unanimous decision. There are many who do not wish for your success. We will need to act quickly before those voices are able to gain too many allies.”
“So why are you helping us?” Jackson asked.
“Trillions upon trillions of beings have suffered and died because of our arrogance,” Setsi said after another long pause. “While we justified our inaction we failed to see that it was also our responsibility to address the Phage simply because we were the only ones able to do so. Farewell, Captain. I do hope that you find some measure of peace in your own life before your task is concluded.”
Jackson left the chamber confused and contemplating what in the hell Setsi had meant about their ‘responsibility’ when he passed Colonel Blake by the airlock.
“Here to escort me the rest of the way, Colonel?” Jackson asked.
“Not exactly, Captain,” Blake fidgeted. “I’ve been ordered to speak face to face with Setsi.”
“I take it this is an unusual request?”
“It is,” Blake said.
“Interesting.” Jackson wasn’t sure why Blake seemed so apprehensive.
He continued to be troubled by the relationship the crew of the Carl Sagan had with the Vruahn. Setsi had more or less admitted that they’d been using humans as their personal attack dogs and Blake, despite having served in his current role for damn near a century, seemed to be almost fearful of his Vruahn handlers. Again … the attack dog analogy was becoming more and more apt.
Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 3) Page 6