by Doug Farren
Most of cities of Earth had been placed under martial law. Stricken by fear, the population of the world huddled in their homes and waited. Above them a fleet of Tholtaran warships poised as if ready to annihilate the human race. The Tholtarans, following recently received orders from fleet command, were waiting.
41
Galactic Alliance
Four ships settled into Earth orbit then approached the Tholtaran flagship. Each was from a different member of the Consortium and each carried several ambassadors. Aboard the flagship an historic meeting was about to take place.
A little over two years ago a new organization known as Citizens for a United Consortium had appeared on virtually every heavily populated Consortium planet. This organization was dedicated to the preservation of peace throughout the Consortium. At first, membership was low but as the ideas publicized by the group became more popular membership began to increase.
The Citizens for a United Consortium seemed to be particularly adept at presenting their case to the public through the various mass media methods available within each society. A year after it first appeared the organization had gathered enough popular support to have gained the attention of even the most skeptical politicians.
The organization continually pointed out the parallels between what was happening on Earth and what could, or in some instances what was, occurring within the Consortium itself. People who would normally have had no reason to follow the news from Earth, suddenly began keeping a close eye on that planet's deteriorating situation.
When war finally erupted between the Tholtarans and the Humans the Citizens for a United Consortium kicked their public information disclosures into overdrive. Suddenly, what was happening on Earth was not only very important, but it seemed to be an omen for what could happen to any member of the Consortium. The public began to demand a change in Consortium policy.
While the Tholtarans had systematically been reducing Earth's space force to scrap, high government officials throughout the Consortium had been discussing the situation. As the victorious Tholtaran fleet advanced on Earth itself, a message had been sent ordering the fleet to take no further action.
High above the Earth, aboard the Tholtaran flagship, the representatives of the Consortium held a meeting behind closed doors. After six hours of discussion, a message was sent to the World President. Thirty minutes later a shuttle climbed into orbit and was admitted into the flagship's main hanger bay. The World President of Earth was escorted into the conference room.
President Shaun Steeples believed he had been called to the flagship in order to admit to Earth's defeat and to accept whatever terms the Tholtarans wished to impose upon Earth. He was shocked beyond words when he stepped through the door of the conference room and saw the seated representatives of the Consortium waiting for his arrival. He was shown to a seat.
The Shandarian representative stood and addressed the President. “Seated at this table are the representatives of the old Consortium. By a unanimous vote taken less than an hour ago, the Consortium has been dissolved in favor of a new organization. It has been pointed out to us that our policy requiring the unification of a planet prior to allowing that planet's entry into the Consortium should also apply to the Consortium as a whole.
“In the past, if two members developed a dispute, the other members would refuse to become involved. To join the Consortium a planet must be united, yet the Consortium itself is not united. Had we been united, the war between Humans and Tholtarans might never have happened.
“Earth with its individual nations has a parallel in the organization of the old Consortium. The problems experienced by your world could easily erupt within the Consortium. It has been suggested that what has happened between Earth and Tholta could very easily occur between any two planets of the Consortium. The violence between the nations of Earth brought on by the unequal distribution of technology could also happen between any two worlds of the Consortium for any number of similar reasons.
“Today we have taken the first steps to unite all civilized cultures no matter where they may be in the galaxy. The new organization has been named the Galactic Alliance. Earth, as a former member of the Consortium and as a recognized united planet is being asked to join the new organization. It is why we have invited you here.”
President Steeples' brain was in overdrive trying to comprehend what he had just heard. The Tholtarans had started a war with Earth, had handily defeated it, and now as their fleet lay poised above its undefended cities the members of the Consortium were calmly asking if Earth wanted to join their new organization. Had the universe gone mad?
One question burned to be answered. President Steeples looked directly at the Tholtaran representative and asked, “Why did the Tholtarans start this war?”
The President could not read Tholtaran facial expressions so he had no idea how the representative had reacted emotionally to his question. “I say this to you in all honesty Mr. President. My people did not start this war. We reacted to your attack on outpost 418. I would ask you the same question.”
“Our attack was in retaliation to yours,” the President replied. “A fleet of six Tholtaran warships attempted to attack the Olympus shipyard complex several days before we attacked your base. We captured Group Commander Mernaga and other members of the attacking force. They are currently being held in a detention center on Earth. Perhaps he can explain why he attacked our base.”
“If what you say is true,” the Shandarian representative replied before the Tholtaran could answer. “Then perhaps this entire war could have been avoided if the Consortium had acted as a united organization and provided a means through which such problems could be worked out. Let us, for now, set aside our differences and concentrate on the future. The question of Earth's membership in the Galactic Alliance remains unanswered. Does Earth wish to join the other races in creating a unified society?”
“Without knowing the details of this new society's structure I'm...”
“At the moment, nothing has been settled. We are asking if Earth wants the opportunity to help form this new organization. If you decline, then the other races will decide how the Galactic Alliance will be formed and Earth can join the Alliance when it feels ready.”
The President examined the tips of his fingers for a moment then said, “One more question before I come to a decision. What is going to happen to Earth now? A war has been fought. People have died. Our military has been decimated. Your fleet orbits our world. What are your intentions?”
The Rouldian representative spoke through his vocoder. “I believe the Tholtarans will be satisfied with their current victory. War for them has always been between the military. Prior to the war with the Tholtarans you Humans were at war amongst yourselves. This provided the Tholtarans, and other members of the Consortium, with the understanding that Humans are a violent species. I would recommend a period of supervised probation for Humans as they adjust to life as a unified species. We can work the details out later.”
Steeples was relieved. He had actually expected far worse such as the demand to dismantle Earth's military. “Earth accepts your offer to join the new organization. I also accept the Rouldian representative's suggestion as a workable solution.”
“Excellent!” the Shandarian representative replied. “We will adjourn until tomorrow morning. Mr. President, please return to the surface and declare an end to the war. Order any military you have remaining to stand down. Select a person to represent Earth in the formation of the Galactic Alliance and ask him to join us in this conference room at 0900 tomorrow morning.”
* * * * *
The Galactic Alliance became a reality. The basic outline of its structure and internal organization required only a few weeks of discussion. It would be years before all the intricate details necessary to form a truly galactic society could be worked out. The Consortium had worked well when trading between the different races was all that mattered. It had failed miserably to prevent the war betwe
en the Humans and the Tholtarans. The Galactic Alliance would forge a new society where all races worked together for their mutual benefit and disputes were solved at the table and not with warships.
An investigation into the cause of the war was conducted by the Shandarians. The conclusion was that somehow someone had managed to infiltrate the Tholtaran command and control network and had issued the fake order to attack Olympus. The question as to who or why was never answered. The Human response to the attack on Olympus was ruled as justified although the Shandarians strongly hinted at the fact that if the Humans had confronted the Tholtarans through diplomatic channels instead of initiating a retaliatory strike that the war may never have happened.
Because of Earth's recent violent past and the fighting that had existed between its nations just prior to the Human – Tholtaran war, Earth's military would be monitored until the Alliance Grand Council felt it was sufficiently stable enough to be allowed to function without supervision. Because of the war, the Tholtarans demanded, and were granted, the responsibility of overseeing the monitoring of the Human military.
CAIN's existence remained a secret although rumors concerning him popped up years later. Jay Kauffman was never quite the same after CAIN's death. He never told anyone that CAIN had been responsible for starting the war. CAIN's role in the creation of the Citizens for a United Consortium was never discovered and the organization quickly dissolved into oblivion following the creation of the Galactic Alliance.
Although it had ultimately brought humanity together and had resulted in the creation of the Galactic Alliance Jay could never forget how many lives had been lost. As CAIN's surrogate parent he felt a measure of responsibility for each and every life that had been lost during the war. He dropped out of the public eye and kept to himself for the remainder of his life.
With the help of the Omel Jay and Anita eventually had two children together. The kids grew up knowing that their parents had brought humanity face-to-face with the stars and had been instrumental in creating the unified world in which they lived.
Anita continued to hold the reins of AST for many years and the company prospered in the new environment of cooperation among the nations. She continued to be a devoted wife despite the fact that she felt that part of her husband had died. She ordered that all records of CAIN's existence be destroyed and the remains of the machine scrapped. AST maintained control of the massive database that CAIN had created using it to further advance the state of Human technology.
In the end, it took the unemotional intelligence of a self-aware machine to start a war to keep Humanity from destroying itself and in the process created the most enduring and most powerful society the galaxy has ever known – The Galactic Alliance.
THE END