by Mark Wandrey
"Your infantry weapon concept, right? Has the training program started?"
"I've been working with twenty scout teams, about a hundred strong. We haven't made a lot of progress because we only have the five prototypes, and they are actually worse in size and mobility than the beamcaster because of the improvised parts. For a lot of the drills I have them using wooden mock ups."
"Whatever works. Look, Minu, I've given this such a high priority because I think we're at a flash point. Something is going to happen."
"What do you think?"
"Either the Rasa are going to get tired of mixing it up with us and go give another young species a hard time, or it will get a lot worse."
"I don't know how it can get worse. Unless they come after us here on Bellatrix." Dram just looked at her. "You really think that's a danger? We're protected as clients of the Tog, aren't we?"
"Everyone who studies The Law thinks we're safe, but my instincts don't agree. The Rasa have to be doing everything they can to get at us here. This is why I've gone out of my way to support you. That, and you have a great deal of support from the rank and file Chosen. You're making a real impression."
"I'm honored."
"You're probably one of the smartest, most creative Chosen to come aboard in more than twenty years."
“People keep saying that. I'm just another Chosen.”
“A Chosen who gets things done, no matter what the difficulty.”
"My team deserves most of the credit."
"Modest too." Minu knew she was blushing and just sat quietly. The communicator went off on his desk and he answered. ''Chosen Dram."
"Sir, a scout team just came in."
"Fine Alex, but I'm in a meeting."
"Sir, I'm sorry sir, you said to call no matter what if there has been an incident."
Dram sat up straight and leaned toward the device. "Yes, go ahead?"
"This scout team has been in a protracted battle with the Rasa."
"Details, quickly." Minu leaned closer to listen. Dram made no attempt to make the conversation private, this concerned them all.
"The scout team says they encountered Rasa base and were attacked. They responded with force."
"What happened Alex?"
"Our team appears to have wiped them out to the last."
Minu closed her eyes and looked down. If there was a flash point in this conflict, they just reached it.
Part IV
Chapter 1
June 23rd, 518 AE
Former Rasa Colony Sight, Planet GAX8773 (human designation), Galactic Frontier
Var'at stood on the flier with the other military leaders of his sub-command. The vehicle hovered a few hundred meters over the former settlement and even at this altitude the acrid smell of smoke from burned buildings and the stench of scorched bodies reached his scent receptors. It was his team that first found the carnage below, and thus his duty to inform the high command of the massacre.
"And you are certain the humans are responsible?"
It wasn't the first time the high commander asked that question. Var'at's answer did not waiver. "We found ample evidence, high commander. Including a tool manufactured by the humans primitive industry."
The high commander hissed low and long, a sign of resignation and concern. "We brought this on ourselves, but there can be only one response." Another pair of fliers zoomed past, medical teams still searching for survivors. Var'at knew there was precious little hope. The settlement was small by necessity and his team already performed a thorough search. The humans were as thorough as they were ingenious. "We will seek vendetta from the council. This slaughter was not sanctioned, and I have confirmed through the nest leaders that no action was pursued through the council."
"Finding these nestling humans may prove difficult," one of the other leaders said, "their Tog masters shield them carefully."
"Var'at," the high commander addressed him. He bowed his head and lowered his crest. "I charge you with locating the humans lair. You have complete authority in this matter. You are to spare no expense."
"It shall be done. Then it is war?" Var'at asked.
"As much as we are allowed."
"Then I wish to lead it." The high commander cast an eye toward Var'at and he forced himself not to assume the posture of respect. Other leaders hissed their displeasure at his audacity. This was a very dangerous thing he was doing, trying to assert any sort of dominance display. He felt his crest rise of its own will. It still felt strange when it rose, the scar tissue from the wound the human had inflicted changed things. A lot of things. "I feel it is my right."
"Do you, scout leader?"
"Yes!" he hissed with conviction.
"Then you will come with me before the Concordia Council and help me plead this case."
"It will be as you say, high commander." The high commanders crest stood higher than his, but Var'at began to think his might be higher still, some day. The communicator hissed for attention and Var'at answered. He listened for a minute before speaking again. "One of the teams has found a small group of survivors. They hid under a pile of the dead, pretending to be so themselves."
"Then they will travel with us as well, once we know the fullness of the story."
"It will be as you say, high commander." Var'at stood respectfully behind the high commanders of his species and thought of what was to come. Battle, most certainly. Glory, he hopped so. Death, such was the way of things.
***
June 22nd, 518 AE
Council Chambers, Chosen Headquarters, Steven’s Pass
Minu followed Dram to the Chosen council chamber as he'd requested. It was the first time she'd ever sat on the other side of that semicircular table. She sat as an adjutant to Dram, even though it wasn't really her position. As a member of command, she belonged under the First. She might have had a reason to sit behind Jasmine who now led science. She didn't argue the decision, even as several watched Dram guide her to a seat. "Why do you want me here?" she'd asked as they approached the chamber.
"This is developing to be the test of our time," he'd said, "and like it or not you are on center stage. You deserve to be here."
Inside the council chamber the leadership council took their places. Once all the seat scraping and throat clearing was over, the other door opened and the scout commander came in. Minu hissed when she saw Ivan Malovich step in followed by two of his team members. He still wore his field jump suit and was smeared with dirt, and blood. Never one to be led he spoke up immediately. "Why is this necessary," he said before sitting.
"It is necessary because I say it is," Dram said in his deep baritone. "Sit down, Chosen." Ivan's eyes flashed as he complied.
"We have your debriefing," Jacob spoke up, "now I believe we need to hear this from your own mouth."
"We did what the situation called for," Ivan said, already bristling, "we came under fire and we retaliated. It wasn't against the ROE." He scanned the crowd for sympathetic faces and found few. What he did find was Minu's face staring back. At first he smiled a little evil grin, but when he realized she was sitting behind Dram the smile died a premature death.
"Maybe you'd like to give us the entire story and we'll make our own determinations?" Ivan turned to Jacob and Minu saw worry. He'd grown up in privilege, and as the eldest son of one of the most powerful men on Bellatrix he'd long used intimidation as a weapon. Here he was, disarmed and on the defensive. "Start from the beginning, Chosen Malovich."
"We left the portal on GAX8773 at the designated launch time. We found the area undisturbed and spread out on a basic perimeter search. One of the recon scouts found the remnants of a distribution center so we relocated our operations center there. Some evidence was found of recent foraging, how old we could not tell. I set out a picket patrol and started evaluating what sort of salvage was available. Before planetary night my picket was engaged with light arms fire. Two casualties, no dead. We pursued immediately in force."
"You didn't send r
econ to evaluate the situation?" Dram asked.
"It appeared to be a Rasa harassment attack."
"Appeared?" Jacob asked.
"Yes...sir." The sir seemed to be offered as an afterthought. Minu never ceased to be amazed at the gall of the Malovichs. Of course he wore four stars now, like herself. He'd gotten himself promoted only weeks after her promotion. She'd wondered how many people Viktor Malovich threatened to make that happen. "I've led units who have engaged Rasa harassment attacks several times, they are predictable."
"Proceed," Jacob instructed.
For more than an hour Ivan explained the events of the previous day from the first tentative probe of the Rasa to his teams discovery of their base. The Chosen were deployed as Minu helped train them using higher ground to employ their ultra-powerful beamcasters to best effect. And then came the point where his recon scouts questioned his decision. The Rasa camp did not appear like a combat or salvage operation. There were little or no defenses and no signs of any heavy equipment. Ivan saw it as an opportunity. He ordered the attack. Armed with six beamcasters, the Chosen struck with decisive force.
"And what did you find when the day was won?" Dram asked.
"There was a small cache of some technology and several research labs set up."
"Soldiers?"
"We didn't find any front line soldiers, the ones with armor and those flachette machine guns."
"And you attacked anyway?" Jacob asked.
"We had an ideal opportunity to take the fight to them."
"Taking the fight to them wasn't your job," Dram reminded him. Ivan just stared at him. "Didn't anything strike you as unusual about their camp? Lack of fortifications, shields, nothing you'd expect from a forward scout base like we set up?"
"They made a mistake and we held them to account," Ivan said defiantly.
Minu was looking at the images bought back by Ivan and his scouts. Pictures taken from the 'base' and what was going on there. Just as Dram was saying, there was none of the normal things you expected to see. What she saw was sleeping billets, food preparation areas, open equipment storage, exposed positions were they were performing research, and no ability to defend themselves. "Didn't the lack of firepower catch you by surprise?" she spoke up before she realized she was going to.
"What right do you have to question me?"
"Answer her!" Dram snapped with such venom that Minu almost jumped, while Ivan actually did.
"Surprised? Never. They were foolish to be so poorly defended."
"That's because that wasn't a salvage base," she growled.
"How would you know?"
"Because I employ my powers of observation. Look at image 111a, and image 115b. Both of these show civilian Rasa. I know because there was one in that team I took out on GBX49881. He was some sort of technician, a noncombatant. He was unarmed."
"So?"
"Look at the images, I dare you to find any enemy combatants. Look at images 221a through 221x. These are either immature or females. All Rasa we've engaged were male, we are certain of that. Why would there be females or children there?" Ivan shrugged. "I'll tell you why, because you just killed a village full of civilians!" There were gasps around the room as the council members all scrambled to look at the same images she was looking at. She gazed around and saw one after another now seeing what she'd already spotted.
"That world is on the frontier," Jacob pointed out, "they must have been squatting." Ivan nodded his head, face now ashen and looking desperate. Minu watched him, his sharp face worried but still defiant. Had the bastard known he was killing helpless beings?
"While that might be the case," Minu said, "no formal notice was filed with the Concordia. You can't just go around killing squatters, and especially not their non-combatants! At the least it is an act of war, at the worst a war crime! What have you done?!"
"I have done my duty!" Ivan cried and poundd the table, "No mere women can dare to question me!"
"Shut up," Jacob said, a look of pity on his face.
"She has no right!"
"She is doing her job," Dram said, "something you were not doing. Slaughter of innocents? Women and children?"
"They are alien creatures! They slaughtered and ate one of her team last year!"
"And we killed them for it," Minu pointed out, "but then we didn't go to their planet and kill their children in retaliation."
Ivan pointed at her and started screaming vulgarities in his native Rusk. Dram shouted him down. "Maybe you better not dig yourself in any deeper? I recommend Chosen Malovich be held over for a general inquiry of the council."
"Agreed," they said one after another. Ivan was so incoherent with rage he nearly had to be dragged from the room. If it was anyone else Minu would have felt pity. Considering who it was she, should have felt glee. Instead she felt fear.
Once he was gone and the council room was full of loud conversation Dram turned to her. "What can we expect for fallout?"
"Bad," she said and pulled a tablet from her holster. It took a moment to find the correct files on Concordia law. "It will take a while to find out if there is any precedent. After so many hundred thousand years of history, I'm sure it's there."
"Just give me an idea?"
"Well, it was an act of war at the least."
"We're protected by the Tog."
"To some degree, yes. We know the Rasa are small players or they would have gotten serious with the Tog after my incident. We also can assume that though they work for the T'Chillen, they are not formally allied because of the same reasons. Those beamcasters were T'Chillen property, and the snakes never made a claim against the Tog. I guess I'm not sure. I need to get with Ted and Pip, they're much better up to speed on The Concordia Law than I am."
"Okay, I can't ask for more at this point. Get me what you can as soon as possible so I can brief the council."
Minu looked around her at the devolved chaos of the meeting and wondered what would come of it. If the Rasa attacked them on Bellatrix, how would they defend themselves? Even the Chosen couldn't stand side by side in solidarity. "We need soldiers," she said to herself.
***
June 30rd, 518 AE
War Council, Grand Concordia Conclave, Concordia Capital World of Nexus
Only a week had passed since the slaughter of their base on GAX8773 and Var'at was stepping through a portal onto the planet known as Nexus. The Spire was more magnificent than he expected, reaching for more than two kilometers above his head. Every hundred meters along the wall another portal rested on its own balcony, many working around the clock carrying dignitaries and visitors to all worlds of the Concordia. As a scout, Var'at had seen an amazing number of species, there were many times that number here. The hollow central shaft of the spire was a massive jump chute where thousands of hoverfields propelled beings up and down as they wished. Every dozen vertical meters a catwalk ran around the inside of the spire with balconies spaced evenly, each one holding a portal. The high commander led him to the railing where he walked through a gate and fell from site. Had he stepped out to the other side he would have went up instead of down. Var'at stepped off behind the high commander.
Scouts learned never to trust hoverfields on frontier worlds. There was no way of knowing how many centuries or eons that they may have sat unused, their circuitry decaying. The machines on Nexus were meticulously maintained by swarms of bots working around the clock. Nexus was one planet in the galaxy where everything always worked. Consequently it was also one of the most popular tourist spots.
Level after level zoomed past. Var'at watched with an eye as a massive Targ stepped off and matched his own fall. The creatures reptilian head turned as far as it could, allowing one of its six eyes to regard him. It gave the barest nod of its head which Var'at returned. Reptiles have to stick together. As the next level approached, the Targ stuck a foot out. The hoverfield sensed the motion and bought the being in for a landing.
Var'at and his high commander reached the bottom fl
oor and quickly headed for an exit. Before leaving their home they'd been instructed that a vehicle would be waiting for them. The commander used his communicator to home in on it and a moment later a luxurious aerocar landed, its doors sliding open. They climbed aboard and it instantly jumped into the air. There was no conversation in the car, both males were silent with their thoughts. Var'at wondered if the commander was as nervous as he was. A great many strings were pulled to get this meeting. It wasn't unheard of to wait a hundred years to be heard before a sub council of the great unified council. Because of the natural bickering of the many species within the Concordia, the War Council was one of the hardest to catch the ear of. Only one week later they were here.
"Will the nest father be here as well?"
The supreme commander snapped his jaws in a negative reply. "This is not something he would dirty his claws with. It is entrusted to us."
"And should we fail to convince the council?"
"Then we shall be fed to the hatchlings, and another attempt made by more competent diplomats."
"I am not a diplomat," Var'at complained, not that it would matter. He regretted opening his muzzle back on the planet.
"Neither am I, but this is not really a diplomatic situation. War is for warriors. Borders, trade and social issues are for diplomats." Var'at was about to complain on the injustice of it when the car banked toward a landing. He only got a moment to see the landing pads circling the conical War Ministry spire before the car landed. Display boards flashed messages in many scripts, mostly advising arrivals to quickly clear the pads to hurry traffic. As the door opened their translator pendants picked up a radio message and relayed the same information.
"Please clear the pad landing area as quickly as possible, traffic must flow smoothly. Aquatic assistance can be provided only on pads nine through eleven. Exotic breathers must be confined to-" As they stepped inside the short range transmitter could no longer reach them. The high commander approached an interactive display and entered their information. Var'at read the message as it appeared.