First of the First

by Andrew Maclure

  “Or they could be Herassan security forces.” Mike said.

  “They could be shielding the police or army, but a drone tracked the one that’s now inside and there’s one tracking the ground car that’s on its way. The one that is here came in a ground car with four people in it, the one on the way has five people. The police and army know we are with you. Even if they are both shielding security service people, nine of them aren’t going to be a problem to us.”

  “Not to us, but they could be a problem to the unarmed rebels.”

  “You’re right. Mark, take Kar Fen and Touren in your shuttle and intercept the ground car on its way here. As they are both reptiles, you stay in the shuttle and let them deal with it. Brief them in the shuttle and tell Touren to do the talking. Move it! They’re not far away!” barked Sally.

  “Yes boss!” Mark said, sarcastically, before running to get Touren and Kar Fen.

  “What about the signal blocker already inside?” Mike asked.

  “We’ll have to let events unfold before we do anything. We won’t win any friends if we burst in there and find out it’s being used by the rebels, which it probably is, and you’re not going in there by yourself.”

  “Orange, Ranesh!” Sally called out. “Get over here now!” They jogged over and were beside Sally in moments. “I’m sure that Mike won’t attempt to enter the warehouse by herself, but if she does, restrain her without hurting her.” Turning to Mike, she said, “Give me your weapon.” And held her hand out.

  “I’m not your prisoner!” Mike said, pulling the KE weapon close to her.

  “No Mike, you’re not. But you are reckless, and I can’t allow the First Born to be put at risk. And I don’t want my friend hurt. You can’t achieve anything if you are dead.”

  Mike looked down at the ground and handed Sally her weapon. “I should have come here by myself.”

  “If you had, you would be dead by now. It was Mark and me that pulled you out when Brel Edd Senn’s troops shot you up.”

  “Sally shows wisdom in her words.” Bob said to Mike. “We must keep you safe if you are to achieve your objective. You must stop thinking like a soldier and start thinking like a leader.”

  Mike looked up at Bob and said, “You’ve been a leader for a long time Bob. Give me some advice.”

  “Of course Mike, let’s go and sit in the lander and talk, with your permission General.”

  Sally said, “Sure.” then, as they walked away, muttered, “Thanks for asking me Mike.” Out loud she said, “Orange, Ranesh, stand guard outside the lander.” Sally turned to Alan and Sean. “This is the first time I have had two of the People to myself. Can I offer you something to eat or drink? Would you like to sit in the empty lander?”

  Alan nodded, glanced at Sean for a moment and turning back to Sally said, “Thank you Sally, that is very hospitable of you, but we do not require refreshment. We would be quite comfortable sitting on the ground. Would that suit you?”

  Sally smiled. “Where I grew up, the ground was the only thing we ever sat on.”

  She dropped down on to her knees and sat back on her heels, a position in which a human would have been uncomfortable after a short time.

  Alan and Sean sank into what resembled a cross legged sitting position. Underneath the robes they wore, Sally thought it looked like they had at least one more leg joint than was conventional and realized that she had never seen any of the People’s legs. They always wore robes that reached the floor, and even when she met Alan on Earth, he was wearing a floor-length coat. For all she knew, they could have four legs as well as four arms. Then she remembered Mark saying that he had seen Alan take the coat off and freaked out when he saw that Alan had six limbs.

  “Alan, the phase shift protection you implanted in me without my permission.”

  “Yes?”

  “It provides me with protection against serious injury, but I can’t control it in the way that Mark controls his. Is my protection a limited version, or is it the same as Mark’s?”

  “It is identical to Mark’s, and to mine and Sean’s, even the same as Bob’s. There is only one version, and all are upgraded when an improvement is made. Your AI has been instructed to set the level your protection functions at, and to keep it there.”

  “As I have a fully functioning People’s AI, and it is no longer a secret between us that I you implanted the phase shift protection without my assent or knowledge, can you allow me to take control of my phase shift armor now?”

  “I will consider it, but it is not my sole decision. I would have to seek agreement from my peers.”

  “Did you have to get agreement to implant it in me? Without my permission?”

  “It was difficult to get permission to implant it without your permission. It went against our basic principles, but I succeeded in arguing the case for it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I thought you were capable of becoming what you are now, and I believe you have much more to achieve. As you pointed out to Mike, you could not achieve that it you were dead, and I believed that if I had given you a choice, you would have refused.”

  “Was this before or after I attacked you and tried to kill you?”

  “After, but you weren’t the first and you won’t be the last. I know you blame me for the destruction of Aarn, so I understand your anger.”

  Sally looked down. “I may have been mistaken.”

  “Do not concern yourself Sally. You suffered a terrible loss and had a deeply traumatic experience. I would prefer a more cordial relationship though.”

  “I think I can work my way towards that.”

  Sally’s AI told her that Mark was returning. She looked up at a rapidly growing black dot coming towards her which quickly resolved into his shuttle.

  The shuttle landed a few meters from them and Mark stepped out, followed by five Herassans, then Touren and Kar Fen.

  “They aren’t security forces.” Mark said. “May I introduce you to Sha Ast Ral, leader of the rebels.”

  One of the Herassans stepped forward. To Mark, she looked almost identical to Mike, except her skin was a much darker shade of green. “You must be General Sally. It is an honor to meet you. I have never met one of the People before, but I thought you only ever travelled alone?”

  “This is Alan,” Mark said, gesturing to him, “and this is Sean.”

  “But they are the familiar form of common Herassan male names. How can you have Herassan names?”

  Mark intervened, “That would be because either my AI or yours has taken the aliases I assigned to their real names, which are common human names. and translated them to common Herassan names. It makes it easier for you to remember their names and when you say them, Alan and Sean will hear their own real names.”

  Alan said, “That is correct Sha Ast Ral, and although it is unusual for more than one of the People to meet with other civilizations, it is not unknown. There are, in fact, three of us on your planet. One of my companions, Bob, is talking to Hess An Sur, First Born of the First Family. These are unusual circumstances. Bob is here at the request of Mark, Friend of the People, to advise him on the limits of the Peoples technology he has at his disposal to protect his friend, Hess An Sur. I am here as Mark’s sponsor to assist him should he require it, and Sean,” he gestured with his upper left hand, “is here as an observer. We will all assist Mark and take an active role in protecting Hess An Sur and we have placed ourselves under the command of General Sally to keep peace and protect the rebels until a rebel defense force is set up and in a position to defend itself. To be clear, we do not advocate regime change, nor will we take part in any activity to encourage or facilitate it. However, if Hess An Sur is successful in achieving her objectives, we will make communications technology available for you to enable the required infrastructure, for the form of government she has shown a preference for, as we have done for many other civilizations.” Turning to Sean, he said, “Do you have anything to add to that?”

  “Y
ou have presented our position succinctly. If you have any questions or require further clarification, Sha Ast Ral, leader of the rebels, you may ask any of us now or at any time. Do you require further information now?”

  “Uh, no, thank you. There is one thing though, I am not the leader of the rebels. We do not have one right now, our last one was killed by Hess An Sur in self-defense. It turned out he was an alien terrorist who had infiltrated our group, and claims to have infiltrated the Herassan aristocracy.”

  “You do not have to defend Hess An Sur’s actions. We do not judge.”

  Sha Ast Ral; looked down. “But you are like gods.”

  Sean started nodding and clicking, Alan kept his composure and answered calmly, “We are nothing like gods Sha Ast Ral. We are flesh and blood, just like you. We do not interfere, sometimes we help. We protect our friends. Mark is a Friend of the People,” he gestured towards Mark, “which means he is considered to be one of us, one of the People. Hess An Sur is a friend of Mark’s, that is the reason we are here. Not to judge right or wrong, not to help or hinder. If Hess An Sur is successful in making the changes she wants, we will offer your civilization the same level of help in implementing a voting system as we have many others. But we will not interfere.”

  Sally raised her eyebrows when Alan said they didn’t interfere but said nothing.

  Sha As Ral looked up at Alan, “But you are so powerful.”

  “No we’re not,” Alan answered. “we just have advanced technology.”

  Sha Ast Ral opened her eyes wider, an expression of surprise for a Herassan, “Isn’t that the same?”

  Alan was saved from answering by the arrival of Mike and Bob with Orange and Ranesh beside them with weapons held down, but ready for use.

  “Bob, this is Sha Ast Ral, one of the leaders of the rebels.” Mark said

  She opened her mouth to deny being the leader, then realized that the description as one of the leaders was probably accurate. After all, she had arranged for the volunteers to come to meet Mike today.

  “I am pleased to meet you Sha Ast Ral. Hess An Sur is eager to know the purpose of the assembly of your rebels today, as we all are.”

  “Of course,” she answered. “Hess An Sur, you asked if we could provide volunteers for a defense force. We are here. Do you have weapons for us?”

  “General Sally has arranged KE weapons and ammunition, body armor and field armor. She has declared the rebel headquarters and the area around as what is known as an Area Of Interest, which means it is effectively now her armies sovereign territory and her army has the right to defend it from any kind of hostile incursion. She has notified the Herassan government of that, so they now know where you are, but also know that it is defended. She has deployed a defensive screen so you are safe here, but the defense force may be needed to protect other rebel buildings or meeting places.” She turned to Sally. “General, would you assign army personnel to organize, kit out and do basic training of the volunteers please?”

  “I think you would be the best person to do that Hess An Sur. Assume the temporary rank of Colonel in my army. Orange’s squad will be under your command for this task. Mark and Alan will accompany you.” Sally held out the heavy KE weapon she had taken from Mike earlier, “You might want to take this.”

  Mike took the weapon,. snapped to attention and gave Sally a textbook perfect salute. Kar Fen and Mark stepped to her side; Alan fell in behind her with Sha Ast Ral. The other four Herassans trailed behind them as they marched into the warehouse.”

  Sally, Touren and Sean watched them go for a moment, then Sally turned to Touren and said, “You and Ranesh get body armor on and get weapons, then go in to relieve Seltet and Bekkreshan so they can get kitted out, followed by Kar Fen and Orange. Accidents happen when amateurs get hold of weapons, and we can’t be sure there aren’t hostile elements amongst them.”

  Sally broadcast a message to the entire team, including the People, with simple rules of engagement, which were, ‘If any of the rebels show hostile intent, disarm and disable them without harm if possible, but if there is any possibility of harm coming to the team or any of the other rebels, use deadly force. The first priority for protection is Mike.’

  Chapter Fifty Nine

  The Volunteers

  Sha Ast Ral assembled the volunteers in the cafeteria. There were a lot fewer than Mike had spoken to two days ago.

  Mike and Sha Ast Ral stood together in front of the stage made from the tables they had stood on before. Seltet and Kar Fen took up positions on her left, Orange and Bekkreshan on her right. Mark stood to her left, Alan to her right. She asked Sha Ast Ral to compile a list of the volunteers and separate out any who had military experience. She looked around and saw that Touren and Ranesh, armed and armored, had relieved Seltet and Bekkreshan.

  Sha Ast Ral shouted out over the hubbub from the volunteers, “Quiet!” When the crowd quietened she continued, “You know why you are here. Hess An Sur has returned to us. She is going to ascend to the throne of the First of the First Family, to take over the rule of the Herassan Empire! But - she hasn’t come to continue the corrupt and oppressive rule of the First of the First and the aristocracy. She has come to change things! She has come to change the rule of the few, to rule by the many! You can see,” Sha Ast Ral gestured to the team surrounding her, “she has powerful friends. Mark, Friend of the People and slayer of Tk'ng Dach Rm, Ker Din Ser Forn of the People. Two more of the People, Crkh Thun Rekh Mohr and Shen Ghan Prab Khor are here to protect and support her, as is General Sally, leader of the biggest independent army in the galaxy. Hess An Sur has gained many honors during her life, one of them is to be a full Colonel in General Sally’s army.” Mike jerked her head round to look at Sha Ast Ral and her eyes opened wide in surprise at the mention of honors. She had been permanently barred from half the bars in the galaxy, but never considered that to be an honor. “As such,” Sha Ast Ral continued, “she is in command of the squad of alien soldiers you see here. But, they are not here to fight our battle, or to fight alongside us. This is going to be our rebellion, our revolution, by Herassans, for Herassan!”

  Sha Ast Ral stood back as the crowd cheered. “I’ve warmed them up for you.” she said to Mike.

  “Warmed them up? You’ve stolen my speech!”

  Sha Ast Ral laughed, not realizing Mike wasn’t joking.

  “Listen up!” Mike shouted. The crowd quietened down again, eager to hear what she had to say. “The time for playing at rebels is over!” The crowd fell totally silent and had some of them frowning. “I haven’t come to Tefran to rule the Herassan Empire, I have come to tear it down! I have come to bring freedom! I have come to bring equality and fairness! I have come to end the tyranny of the aristocracy! This will not come easily. You cannot do it pushing up at the government. I cannot do it by pushing down at the aristocracy. We can do it by working together. But make no mistake, those who have power now will not let it go easily. They have been working for generations to get the best of everything, to have the power to take what they want. We have a fight on our hands. General Sally has brought her elite team of special force soldiers here, not to fight with you, but to protect me. If I die, the revolution will not happen.” She paused to let her message sink in. The cafeteria was totally silent.

  “I expect violence. People do not like change. They fear it. Change brings the unknown, which frightens some. Others don’t want change, however unjust things are, because they know where they fit with things as they are, they don’t know how they would fit into something new. But the people aren’t the problem. The aristocracy is. Powerful people with a lot to lose will fight tooth and claw to resist change. And they control the police and the combined armed forces. The aristocracy also control the way you live. We haven’t got enough room to give all our citizens a decent place to live, yet we are one of the biggest and potentially most powerful Empires in the galaxy! When did we last colonize a new solar system? I can tell you; it was one hundred and forty three thousand
years ago! There are thousands of uninhabited planets in the galaxy that the People have tagged as suitable for colonization. Why haven’t we moved onto any of them and given our citizens room to live decent lives? Because there is no benefit to the aristocracy! They control all the new projects, but they already have all they want. They don’t care about anyone else!”

  Mike stepped forwards, Alan and Mark moved in closer to her.

  “Enough of this! I say enough of this! Rule by the many will mean that the many get what they need! You are the front line of the revolution. I said I expect violence; I can’t promise that none of you will get hurt. Some may die. It is something we,” she turned and waved her arm at the team behind her, “we have faced many times when fighting outcasts who would do harm to others. We haven’t risked our lives for our families, for our friends. We have risked everything to protect the defenseless, the weak, the unprotected. We have done this for strangers, many times for species we have never heard of. Will you do this for your people, your friends, your family, for your children?”