The Invasion Begins

by Thomas DePrima

  “Wonderful,” Gavin said. “When I contact Space Command, I’ll forward a message to Admiral Carver. I’m sure she’ll be delighted and will arrange for diplomatic envoys to come to Ruwalch to get the discussions started.”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” the Prime Minister said.

  “You have?” Eliza blurted out. “Was it something I said?”

  “Actually, it was everything you said. I’ve decided that the Ruwalchu Confederacy would not be best served by establishing diplomatic relations with the Galactic Alliance. Instead, I want to apply for annexation with the Galactic Alliance.”

  Gavin was shocked but managed to say, “Annexation? You want to merge your nation with ours and become part of the G.A.?”

  “Exactly. I want us to become part of the G.A. with Senate seats and full trading privileges.”

  “That’s a major step, Prime Minister,” Gavin said. “I’m sure that everything my Executive Officer told you is accurate, but there may be many more details to be discussed and options considered before we can start that process.”

  “Commander Carver has been very forthright, but I never mentioned to her that I had already been briefed on everything she said. Her shared information was simply confirmation of everything my intelligence service has been able to learn about the G.A. Following your visit to the Ruwalchu Confederacy with Admiral Carver, we began absorbing all information we could uncover about the G.A. We were delighted when you conquered Maxxiloth’s invasion forces but feared that we might be your next target. Our contacts with the Uthlaro warned us about your plans for conquering the galaxy. However, everything our intelligence people were able to learn after you defeated the Uthlaro told us that you would never take over our nation unless we first attacked you. I even sent an envoy to visit the King of the Hudeerac Order. He confirmed that your government only fights to protect your people and never initiates warfare.”

  “That’s true, Prime Minister. When we’re not defending our nation from outside attacks, our Space Command and Space Marine forces are principally engaged in overseeing the trade practices and enforcing the laws of the G.A. concerning currency counterfeiting, slavery, and smuggling.”

  “Yes, that’s what we’ve been told. Captain, our protective forces have now been destroyed, leaving us defenseless if the Denubbewa come again. And all available information tells us they will come again and again until we’ve been turned into cyborgs and they control our territory. We would much prefer to annex our nation with yours and become citizens of the G.A. We offer a nation of industrious and intelligent people, as well as many planets rich in resources that will enhance life in the G.A. In return, we assume that Space Command will protect our planets and our people. We’ve witnessed the power and technology you wield and know you will do your best to protect us from the Denubbewa and all other outside threats.”

  “Uh— yes,” Gavin muttered as he organized his thoughts. “If the G.A. agrees to annex your nation, Space Command will certainly protect you, your people, and all of the planets in the expanded territory to the best of our ability.”

  “So then, what’s next? How do I make a formal application to annex our territory to the G.A.?”

  “Have you presented this idea to your people? And if so, are they in agreement?”

  “We have discussed it at length in the Ruwalchu Gilesset. The arguments for and against have consumed most of our sessions since the Denubbewa first arrived and began attacking our Space Fleet. It was obvious from the outset that we were overmatched, and indeed the Denubbewa proved to be far too powerful for us to overcome. We began to believe we were destined to become cyborgs unless we committed mass suicide. Then someone reminded us of Space Command’s entry into our space and your peaceful departure without any of our forces ever witnessing your travel. That began a discussion of seeking help from the G.A. When the remainder of our Space Fleet was destroyed, the talk evolved into a discussion of offering you payment to protect our territory, which evolved into a discussion regarding the annexation of our territory and becoming part of the G.A.”

  “I see. And the vote about becoming part of the G.A.?”

  “Unanimous.”

  Gavin nodded.

  “So what’s the established procedure for annexation, Captain?”

  “Well— there is no established procedure, Prime Minister. The G.A. was originally created by laying claim to previously unclaimed space in areas where people from the planet Earth had established colonies on planets unoccupied by intelligent lifeforms. Since then, there have been two expansions to Region One where the G.A. again laid claim to previously unclaimed areas of space. The next expansion occurred following the second war with the Milori. As part of their unconditional surrender, Admiral Carver required that they cede all of their territory to the G.A., which they did. She believed Maxxiloth would come at us again once his forces were rebuilt if we simply allowed him to end the hostilities. The G.A. Senate agreed and the territory was annexed.

  “The fourth annexation occurred after the Uthlarans, combined with the Tsgardi, Gondusans, and Hudeera, tried to wrest the former Milori territory from the G.A. We knew for a fact that the Uthlarans would continue their efforts to drive us out of our Region Two territory, so Admiral Carver required them and the Tsgardi to relinquish their entire territories as part of their unconditional surrender. The Hudeera situation was unusual in that members of the nobility had temporarily usurped power from the King, so when they backed out of the THUG pact, we didn’t hold their brief association against them. The Gondusan situation was similar in that when they backed out, we only required they give up the territory they had reacquired during their previous support of the G.A. The G.A. Senate again concurred with Admiral Carver’s recommendations. The Tsgardi territory became part of Region Two, and in Space Command, we refer to the area encompassing the former Uthlaro territory as Region Three. Technically, all of the space adopted and annexed by the G.A. Senate is the Galactic Alliance. The regional nomenclature is used to identify how military resources are allocated. Our last annexation was to lay claim to previously unclaimed space between the three regions to give us a more contiguous area of space.”

  “So the Ruwalchu Confederacy might be defined as Region Four?”

  “Perhaps, Prime Minister. That will be up to the Space Command Admiralty Board— if the Senate approves the annexation.”

  “So while we wait to learn if our application for annexation is accepted, can we count on Space Command for continued protection?”

  “As soon as you deliver a written petition for annexation, along with a vid of the entire Gilesset where every elected member of the body is identified and independently states their desire for annexation, I will request permission from Space Command to keep my taskforce in the former Ruwalchu Confederacy. I expect that the annexation process will take some time. As a politician, I’m sure you understand how things like this can drag out.”

  “Yes, Captain, I understand completely. Perhaps I can offer something to sweeten the negotiations.”

  The Prime Minister reached into his pocket and produced a small device. Activating it, he handed it to Gavin. It was a small vid device and an image appeared on a tiny screen. It showed a Denubbewa cyborg chained to a wall in a prison cell.

  “Is this cyborg still in your custody— and still intact?” Gavin asked.

  “He is. We haven’t yet dissected him. We’ve dissected others, and they all seem to be built the same way, so there was no urgency. This one claims to be a supervisor and keeps threatening us with destruction if we harm him. It’s not much of a threat though, since they intend to make all of us cyborgs anyway.”

  Gavin handed the vid device to Eliza. Eliza examined the image for a second, then zoomed in for a close-up of its head before smiling widely. The Prime Minister appeared confused by her smile.

  “What is it, Commander?” the Prime Minister asked.

  * * *

  Chapter Fourteen

  ~ June 23rd, 2
292 ~

  “He has three blue dots on his forehead,” Eliza said. “How did you capture him?”

  “In one of our very few victories, our people managed to severely disable the warship he was in. When our people entered the ship to take prisoners, they discovered this one trapped beneath a collapsed bulkhead. He was uninjured but unable to free himself.”

  “Wonderful,” Eliza said. “This is absolutely wonderful.”

  “Why?”

  “He has three blue dots on his forehead.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “It means he’s a mid-level bigwig.”

  “I don’t understand that term. What’s a bigwig?”

  “I’m sorry. It means he’s a mid-level supervisor. Most cyborgs have a single red dot on their forehead. That indicates they’re just workers or soldiers. Supervisors have from one to five blue dots on their foreheads. The more blue dots, the higher they place in the Denubbewa hierarchy. Three dots indicate a ship’s captain or an operations director. We’ve been hoping to get our hands on one of these higher-level cyborgs for some time so we can pump it for information about the Denubbewa. This is a very, very valuable cyborg. Please don’t disassemble him or harm him in any way.”

  “I’ll make sure he’s not damaged. How will you learn what information he has? He has refused to talk to us, other than to threaten us with death.”

  “Our intelligence people have been studying them for some time. We actually have cyborgs working with us, and for us. We even managed to plant one of our converted cyborgs in a Denubbewa ship in the hope that he could get us a mid-level cyborg like this one. Our intelligence people should be able to extract the desired data from it.”

  “You have cyborgs working for you? How did you accomplish that?”

  “After installing the brains of biological prisoners into new cyborg bodies, the Denubbewa somehow wipe their minds clean of all memories from their past lives, or at least suppress all previous memories. They then program the cyborg with new information and skills so it can perform as a worker or soldier. Our intelligence people have succeeded in reprogramming some of the cyborgs we’ve captured with new data. The difference between the Denubbewa and us is we don’t treat them as mindless robots. We haven’t yet learned of a way to restore the memories of their previous lives, but we can give them the gift of free choice that all free sentient beings enjoy.

  “I see. And once reprogrammed, they choose to work for you?”

  “Yes. Since they have no memories of their former lives, they choose to begin— anew, for lack of a better word.”

  “And you have many cyborgs working for you now?”

  “No. We only have a small number working for us. But the ones we do choose to work for us have so far proven to be very loyal. You said you were sweetening the negotiations. Does that mean you’ll turn this cyborg over to us now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wonderful,” Gavin said. “We’ll send him back to Quesann with the annexation application as soon as you can arrange that.”

  “Can’t you simply transmit the application?”

  “Yes, and we will, but the Senate will probably want the formal document. And the ship carrying the application and the cyborg will arrive just a week behind the transmission.”

  “A week behind an S-Band transmission? Great Protector! Is this ship that fast?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m beginning to really appreciate now just how advanced you are in so many respects and how you were able to destroy all of the Denubbewa ships in our solar system so quickly. It would have taken our fastest Space Fleet ship more than three full annuals to reach Quesann. And we never had a chance against the Denubbewa.”

  “Our speed is what allowed us to get here in time to help,” Gavin said. “Even with our speed, we feared you and your entire race might be only a memory when we arrived. We’re always looking to improve our capabilities. We have to stay one step ahead of the enemies who covet our territory and the criminals who try to evade our laws.”

  “And do you ever share any of the incredible technology with the people of the G.A.?”

  “Of course. But not all of it. That would be foolish. We’ve shared the technology that allows commercial traffic to travel at speeds up to Light-450. And soon, I expect, information will be freely available that will allow them to increase their travel to speeds up to Light-675 at almost no expense. But that’s still a far cry from our military ship speeds. I doubt that your government shares all of your technological advances with the people of your nation.”

  “That’s true, and I can understand why you withhold information on new advances. What will you do now, Captain?”

  “How soon do you think you’ll have the necessary documentation ready for the G.A. Senate?”

  “By this time tomorrow, if all goes well. Every member of the Gilesset has agreed that annexation is our only option. But now that it’s time to fully commit, we may have some who want more discussion. However, I don’t think it will drag on too long.”

  “Very well. We’ll remain here until we hear from you. When the annexation petition is ready, I’ll assign one of our CPS-16 captains to bring it to Quesann.”

  “A CPS-16? Are those tiny ships able to make the trip in just five to six weeks?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m even more impressed now. I thought you were only referring to the full-sized ships like this one when you spoke of such speed.”

  “Each of our CPS ships is as powerful as our full-sized ships. That’s how we’ve been able to control the Denubbewa in G.A. space.”

  “I look forward to the day when we become part of your Alliance.”

  “As do we. Commander Carver will see you back down to your cavern.”

  “Thank you, Captain. This visit has been most enlightening.”

  ~ ~

  The Prime Minister requested that he be allowed to view the return from the bridge and Eliza complied.

  As the ship descended straight towards the planet like a meteor on a direct collision course, the Prime Minister commented to Eliza, “There’s no heat reaction as we enter the atmosphere?”

  “No, these ships are designed to immediately absorb the heat and store it as energy in power cells to power the craft’s internal systems.”

  The Prime Minister took a deep breath and released it slowly as the planet grew closer. He actually took a step backward just before what would have been the impact point if the ship hadn’t been out of phase.

  As the ship entered the cavern, the helmsman cancelled the envelope and flew the ship to the same park used as a landing area previously. The people below the ship hurried to get clear, but there wasn’t the panic that was exhibited during the previous visit. The populace must have been told that there was no danger from the small ship.

  Once Lieutenant Citaglia was assured the area was completely clear, he ordered the helmsman to gently lower the ship to the ground.

  As Eliza and the Prime Minister stepped from the ship’s ramp, occupants of the underground city began to crowd around the ship, but the P.M.’s security detail, assisted by other uniformed security guards who had raced to meet the ship, kept the curious at least ten meters away.

  “Commander,” the P.M. said, “thank you for a most enlightening and interesting flight. As soon as I have the annexation documentation Captain Gavin requires, I’ll contact the Ares. And thanks again to Space Command for coming to our assistance and destroying the Denubbewa murderers in our territory.”

  “You’re most welcome, Prime Minister. I hope the Gilesset unanimously supports your desire for annexation and that you will one day, in the not too distant future, all be citizens of the G.A. I can promise you that if you annex your space to the G.A., you’ll never regret it. And if the Gilesset refuses to support you, we’ll part as friends.”

  “They will support it. If any of them are having second thoughts, they’ll once again support the motion one-hundred percent when I tell the
m all the wonderful things I’ve heard and experienced since first entering the Pursuit.”

  “And the supervisor cyborg? Do we receive him now?”

  “I think I should discuss the entire matter with the Gilesset first. If I turn him over to you now, some members may think I’ve already made an agreement without their approval and reflect their anger by voting against the measure.”

  “I understand, Prime Minister. I’ll return to the Ares and await the decision of the Gilesset. But please don’t let your people disassemble the cyborg. They could cause irreparable damage if they don’t truly understand everything they’re doing. Our intelligence people have had a great deal of experience.”

  “Don’t worry, Commander. I’ll make sure our people don’t damage it. And even if the Gilesset refuses the annexation, the cyborg will still be yours as a small down payment on the enormous debt we owe Space Command.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “So— what do you think?” Captain Gavin asked Eliza when she had returned to the Ares and responded to his summons to come to his office just off the bridge.

  Eliza sat down in an oh-gee chair facing the desk without being invited because that was where their relationship stood and because of the familiar manner in which the question had been posed. As XO and just one step away from the captaincy of the ship, she had many special privileges not afforded to other crewmembers.

  “At first, I was astonished by his request, sir. Jenetta told me how totally unreceptive they’d seemed to the idea of establishing simple diplomatic relations when she visited their solar system. But— it does make perfect sense if they were being fed misinformation by the Uthlaro government. Since then, they’ve had time to investigate on their own, and most importantly, they find themselves unable to protect their territory from even the weakest attack now because their Space Fleet has been destroyed. The question I have is this: If the Gilesset rejects the annexation proposal, will Space Command remain here indefinitely to protect them from the Denubbewa?”