Earth Interstellar_Proxy War

by Scott Olen Reid

  The Chairman took back the floor and began to make his final statement, “It is clear to this committee that Admiral Nelson acted recklessly and beyond his orders. As such, a board of inquiry shall be convened with the purpose of preparing a court martial….”

  “Piotr Vasnetsov,” interrupted Ambassador Dek. “Stop, and do not say another word.”

  Shocked and flustered by the ambassador’s outburst, the Chairman snapped his head back as if struck. Quickly recovering the chairman snapped back, “Ambassador Dek, you have no authority here. It is not your place to interfere with the workings of this committee.”

  “In that, as in this, you are wrong. Per Article 43, Paragraph 1, the Vrene, through its representative, shall have veto authority over….”

  “That authority does not extend to committee business! I am familiar with our agreement and you….”

  Raising his voice to a near roar, the ambassador overpowered any further word from the chairman, “…Shall have veto authority over all appointments to the Human governing body above the level of Secretary. Veto authority may be exercised over all appointments in the event of a change in leadership. As such, and as the official representative of the Vrene, I exercise that veto authority and reject the appointment to the post of Chairman, and of the seven senior postings below Chairman. This committee, as constituted, has no authority and must disband until such time as a new committee is appointed and approved by me. Your governments are being notified as we speak. Further, they are being notified of your stupidity for placing humanity in jeopardy of Seventh Consortium sanctions.”

  Multiple exclamations of denial and outrage could be heard from the chairman and the committee members who just lost their vaunted positions. Only the eight American committee members remained silent, looking at each other with eyebrows raised by the unexpected opportunity to seize back the power of the committee they recently lost.

  “Chairman Mitchell Watkins, as the last approved committee chairman of this body, I require you take over this committee until such time as a new committee may be seated.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador. This committee shall come to order!” announced the new-old chairman.

  “Like hell I will!” Raged Chairman Vasnetsov at Watkins, “You got us into this mess!”

  Ambassador Dek quickly corrected the defrocked former chairman, “You are wrong, Piotr Vasnetsov. Chairman Watkins has in fact secured humanity’s future for the next thousand years. By creating the UEAF, the Chairman, and the chairmen before him, gave you a chance to stand up to the Chzek-kin. Admiral Nelson’s decisive victory in the Rheas System is the only response to Chzek aggression that has any chance of preventing a large-scale interstellar war. Commander Kree’s discovery of the Rheas has gained us an ally and forward base many times more powerful than Black Rock Three, or any other human base.”

  Stepping to the front of the tables the admiral and commander were sitting at, Ambassador Dek said, “It is only the acts of this committee today that place humanity in jeopardy.”

  “How? We can’t survive an interstellar war with the Chzek! We have to make them believe it was all a mistake and make reparations. They could destroy Earth!”

  “You are a fool, Piotr Vasnetsov. As are the rest of you,” exclaimed the ambassador, looking to each of the other seven members just removed from the committee. “The Chzek alliance only knows aggression. Any weakness shown on the part of humans will be taken as an invitation to dominate and enslave Humanity. This was made clear to you by Assistant Ambassador Rom Vuul, yet you do not seem to be able to comprehend what that means.”

  Turning to Chairman Watkins, the ambassador said, “Mr. Chairman. As you know, a hearing has been called by the Seventh Consortium ruling body to investigate the dispute over the Rheas System. The Chzek, on behalf of their vassal, the Chzek-kin, have filed a complaint and claim Humans made an unprovoked attack on the Chzek-kin in the Rheas System. They further claim Humans are co-opting their rightful vassal, the Rheas. As of now, the testimony of this hearing is null as the committee was not authorized to convene in its current form. The only record is limited to the recording devices in this room. Those devices must be destroyed. A new hearing must be convened wherein this body throws its full support behind the actions of Third Fleet and Admiral Nelson to resist the unprovoked attack of the Chzek-kin fleet that invaded the Rheas System. To do anything else will undermine my ability to present our case to the Consortium. Do you understand this requirement?”

  “Yes, Ambassador, I do,” answered Chairman Watkins, not fully understanding, but willing to rely on the ambassador’s instructions.

  “Piotr Vasnetsov, do you understand that any further discussion of the admiral or Humanity being at fault in the conflict with the Chzek may be discoverable by the Consortium? I will take personal offense to anyone undermining my ability to present our case. Make sure your respective governments understand this. Anyone not heeding my warning will be dealt with severely.”

  The pure hatred from the Russian and several other members of the committee was open and obvious and the ambassador received no response.

  Leaving the chambers, the ambassador escorted Admiral Nelson and Commander Kree out of the building. “The two of you will be accompanying me to testify in front of the Seventh Consortium ruling body. We will be leaving in ten days. Be prepared to be gone for at least six months and make sure you follow the instructions I have sent you on what to bring.”

  Surprised, Commander Kree asked, “Will we be traveling on your ship?”

  “Yes, but not the ship that was in the Rheas System. That is a warship and is unsuitable for you. We will be traveling in my personal ship with the Singularity as an escort.”

  The next ten days were a whirlwind of activity for the two officers, culminating in an awards ceremony where they, and the crews of Third Fleet and the Cousteau, were given their much-deserved medals. Commander Kree received the Medal of Stars with Gold Clusters for discovering an alien civilization. Only fourteen Medals of the Stars had ever been awarded; each for the discovery of a planet with life on it, but Commander Kree’s came with the Gold Clusters signifying the discovery of intelligent life. Admiral Nelson had a change of fortune. Rather than the court martial he was facing, the admiral received the Medal of Silver Galaxy with Shield for his defense of humanity against an alien aggression, a medal never awarded and only recently conceived. Ambassador Dek, for his part, was awarded the highest civilian medal for an alien, created just for this occasion, the Galactic Friend of Earth Medal. That the ambassador actually attended the award ceremony was a surprise to everyone and was a tell as to the importance the ambassador placed on these symbols.

  Chapter 15: Rool Ambassadorial Ship, Oaka, En Route

  The journey to the Seventh Consortium took eleven weeks, even in Ambassador Dek’s ship. The Rool’s ship, Oaka, whose acceleration and spatial compression abilities far outstripped the comparatively archaic designs of human warships, was lightly armed and opulently fitted; art from dozens of different civilizations from all over the galaxy adorned the common spaces and living areas. The passengers had their own observation bridge from where they were able to observe the ship’s travel and lounge in comfort. The two human officers were surprised to see several examples of human works included in Ambassador Dek’s collection and it made them realize they really were a part of this grand consortium of civilizations humanity had never before interacted with outside of their relationships with the Rool and Vrene.

  Ambassador Dek allowed the two officers the first week of their travel to take in everything on the ship before bringing them back to the reality they were traveling to stand before a Seventh Consortium Tribunal. For ten weeks the three spent a few hours per day working out the expectations and etiquette expected of the humans. The rest of the humans’ time was spent accessing the Level 2 species database; something neither had an extended opportunity to do before.

  They discussed the likely “surprises” to expect from the
Chzek’s evidence. Unlike in human courts, the two sides would not receive access to the other side’s evidence and testimony. For “minor” conflicts between junior members of the Consortium, the two sides were to submit their evidence in advance to the Tribunal. The Tribunal would then review and compile the evidence using an AI to analyze both side’s submitted evidence, make judgments as to the credibility and accuracy of what was submitted, and recreate the battle for Rheas. To the Consortium, minor conflicts included full-blown interstellar wars when it came to its junior members.

  Stepping off the lift to the berthing area, Commander Mary Kree entered the Oaka’s observation bridge. Several huge displays lined the walls and a centrally placed holo-imager showed the Citoph System, home of the Seventh Consortium’s regionl government. Thousands of pinpoints and icons identified ships, stations, objects, and every other intelligently designed object in the system. An overlay of traffic patterns and zones in various colors gave the massive amount of data some sense of organization. A massive space station along with a variety of smaller trade stations were the central destinations for most of the ships in the system. On one of the secondary screens was the most interesting image to the commander and Admiral Nelson – a close-up image of the largest ship in the system.

  “Is that a ship?” Asked Commander Kree, pointing at the giant boxy looking vessel.

  Getting up close to the display, the admiral continued to try to identify the many features on its surface, “I think it is,” he replied, “Some kind of carrier or colony ship. It’s huge. What kind of engines would it take to move that thing?”

  Ambassador Dek stepped up behind them replied, “That is a Bagrava cargo and transport ship. The Bagrava are a Level 4 civilization and use a very different propulsion system than the ones you are familiar with. It is rare to see one of their ships; you are most fortunate.”

  “Where are the engines?” asked Admiral Nelson, standing on the opposite side of the holo image, studying the vessel.

  “I am unable to discuss the nature of their propulsion system. The technology is one of the most guarded secrets in the galaxy. The civilizations that have the technology will not even discuss its existence and the civilizations that want the technology are all afraid one of their competitors will develop the technology before they do. I believe humans would call the technology a ‘game changer.’”

  Admiral Nelson, still standing within a couple feet of the display and staring at the huge Bagravan vessel, observed “That thing’s a beast. There is no sense of direction, no concern for structural stresses under acceleration. If it started its engines right now, I couldn’t tell you which direction it would go.”

  “Admiral, look at this,” said Commander Kree. “Look here,” she said, pointing to a small data tab of information below the massive ship.

  Tearing his eyes away from the ship, the admiral looked down at the information.

  “Look here. Is that motion data?” asked the commander.

  “Yes,” responded the ambassador, curious to see what conclusions the humans could come up with regarding the ship.

  “It’s motion isn’t right. Look here.” The commander started pointing to other objects in the system and the smart interface brought up data on their courses and speeds. They were shown in English for their benefit as the only passengers on board the Rool vessel. The Bagravan vessel showed a velocity of 000, course ____, while other ships in the system all showed velocities within several thousand miles per hour of 575,000 mph. “The Bagravan ship is not moving. I mean, it is not moving at all. The universal absolute of motion is zero. I mean, it looks like the rest of the ship velocities are showing absolute motion – you can see everything is close to the same, plus or minus their local motion. That would only be if their absolute motion is being taken into account. Why would the Bagravan ship not be moving?” The commander trailed off, clearly thinking through what she was seeing.

  The Earth travels around the Sun at 66,000 miles per hour. The Sun revolves around the center of the galaxy at an astounding 480,000 plus mph. Everything in the universe is moving in relation to everything else and the likelihood of an object having zero absolute motion, that is no motion relative to the universe, is near infinite.

  “Yes, it must have just arrived,” observed the ambassador. “Please do continue, commander,” he prompted, not giving any other information away.

  Commander Kree explained what she meant to the admiral who looked uncertain of what she was trying to say, “I’ve never seen anything at zero absolute motion except for an experiment that was being conducted by some lab rats back at Tau Mof Base. Everything in space has motion as everything else’s gravity pulls on it. There’s never a balance that lasts long enough for an object to hold its position, and every object in space is already in motion in a zero friction environment so that slowing an object until it comes to rest just does not happen. Nothing naturally has zero absolute motion.”

  Still curious as to where the commander was going with her line of thought, the ambassador agreed and prompted her further, “I will grant you that objects always have some absolute motion. Although, the velocities on the display are based on galactic relative, not absolute. But, tell me, what does that mean with regard to the Bagravan vessel?”

  “I can only think of one means of travel that could cause that effect, assuming it is even possible. They’re using a fold space drive.”

  The ambassador turned to look at the commander, clearly surprised, “I am impressed, Commander. Although not exactly a fold space drive, as you say, we believe the principles are similar. Now that you know what it is, you have a direction for humanity to research a new drive system. And, in a few tens of thousands of years, and an incredible amount of effort and luck, you may indeed be able to develop such a drive.”

  “Is that what it is?” asked the admiral.

  “I believe you have just received more information on that particular technology than I had any belief you would perceive. That the Bagravan ship is even in this system at the very time you arrive is beyond fortunate. I will not share anything further. To do so would cause problems for both you and me that I do not care to consider. As it is, there will be questions enough.”

  Turning from the holo-imager, the ambassador changed the subject, “Now, we have another ten hours of transit time to the space station. Once there we may have little time for rest, so get what you can now.”

  Neither of the officers was able to sleep; spending most of their time on the passenger’s observation bridge gawking at the huge number and variety of ships moving through the system. They were made keenly aware of how small Human ships were, by comparison, reinforcing the idea humans were very small fish in a very large ocean.

  “We’ve covered four hundred thousand cubic lightyears of space and not found a single intelligent species,” Commander Kree said, in awe at the gathering of hundreds of alien ships in the system.

  “Until now.” the admiral replied.

  “Right. Not including the Rheas.”

  “We’re in way over our heads,” he responded, “Any one of the aliens out there could destroy Earth if we ever came to their attention. It makes me wonder.”

  Looking over to the admiral, Commander Kree could see the dark rings around the admiral’s eyes, “Are you all right, Admiral?” she asked.

  “No,” he responded, taking a moment before continuing as the commander waited, “I’ve never trusted the Vrene or the Rool. My whole life I have watched us build ships for them and never seen anything in return. My whole life I’ve resented them and told myself we would throw off their oppression someday.” He shook his head and gave a snort with a half-smile, “I was wrong. More wrong than I could ever imagine.”

  “How so?” asked the commander.

  Admitting how wrong he was, the admiral replied, “They’ve done exactly what they said they would do. For three hundred years not a single ship from another race has bothered us and Earth has experienced peace and technolo
gical advancements unlike anything we would have developed on our own. It was more likely we were going to destroy ourselves than it was we would build a space station even on the Moon.”

  The commander, not having the same dislike of the “protector’s” of humanity, still did not fully agree with the admiral. The time they spent together in transit aboard the Rool ship allowed her to feel comfortable enough to openly question her superior’s conclusion, “Who is to say anyone would have shown up even without the Vrene?” she asked. “We’ve explored every star system within forty light-years of Earth and there is no one out there. How likely would it be for us to go undiscovered for another millennium?”

  The admiral was convincing himself more and more, “Who is to say we weren’t discovered by any number of races? How would we know? Look at how we set up our own first contact protocols. If the Rheas were not already in their digital age, we never would have made contact and they would not have known we were there. How many races did that with us? Maybe the ambassador knows, but we don’t. We just hit the point of being interesting to other races when the Vrene showed up. I don’t think that was an accident. There’s no way to know if we would have had other, possibly less friendly, alien visitors. What if the Chzek had shown up if the Vrene hadn’t already been there?”

  “I won’t try to argue with that. How can I with nothing but speculation?” the commander defended by pointing out that the only thing she, and by extension, the admiral, had to form a conclusion with was speculation.