by S. W. Ahmed
The Mendoken, Aftar, Volona and Phyrax had all set aside their differences to communicate and collaborate with each other on countering the Starguzzler onslaught. They had also already notified all other members of the galactic community living within their jurisdictions of the impending doom, and had instructed them to prepare for the worst possible scenario. Those species living under silupsal filters had, of course, been excluded from any of the communiqués.
Under Dumyan’s lead, the Aftaran delegation traveling to the Volonan Empire had met with success. It had been a tough sell, but the Empress had eventually seen enough evidence to be convinced. She had pledged her forces to join the Mendoken and Aftar in the fight against the new, common enemy, and had then helped the delegation exit the Grid and return to the Dominion.
The Phyrax had been brought into the game with the help of Marc and Zorina. Jinser-Shosa, a Phyrax and a friend of Zorina’s, had been the first to destroy a Starguzzler, and the news of how it had been done had spread quickly across the Federation. Other Phyraxes had begun destroying Starguzzlers using the same technique, but the Starguzzlers had eventually caught on and were now steering clear of Phyrax homeships, avoiding them like the plague.
After leaving Jinser-Shosa’s homeship, Marc and Zorina had entered a consar on board their Mendoken scout ship and had headed directly to the Mendo-Zueger star system. At the planet Lind, they had met with the Imgoerin and had reported the success of their mission. As agreed upon between the four advanced civilizations, the Imgoerin had then sent millions of Kril, Euma and Aima vessels to all sections of the Phyrax Federation through consars. The Mendoken ships had attached themselves to Phyrax homeships, and had escorted them through consars to all corners of the galaxy. Jinser-Shosa’s homeship had been escorted directly to the Mendo-Zueger system, as a result of Jinser-Shosa’s desire to join Marc and Zorina for the remainder of the conflict.
Across the galaxy, the plan now was for Mendoken, Aftaran and Volonan ships to attack the Starguzzlers head-on and distract them as much possible, while the Phyrax homeships secretly entered the Starguzzlers’ bodies and destroyed their neural networks. This was because the Phyrax ships were the only kind capable of entering the Starguzzlers’ bodies without instantly being vaporized by the tremendous heat and radiation. Many ships and many more lives would be lost in the process, but there was no alternative.
Standing on a platform on board one of the space stations around Lind, Marc, Sibular and Zorina were about to see this plan in action. They were keenly watching the spectacle outside through the station’s transparent walls. Five Starguzzlers had just arrived in the Mendo-Zueger star system through consars, and one was making its way directly towards Lind. Its goal, evidently, was to destroy the very seat of power of the MendokenRepublic. An entire armada of Kril battlecruisers and planet destroyers was amassed in front of the planet, blocking the Starguzzler’s trajectory. Some of the Kril ships began flying ahead, firing torpedoes at the approaching giant. Then several planet destroyers flew out in arcs and bore down on the Starguzzler from both sides, releasing their annihilative energy beams in its direction.
As expected, the Starguzzler was not affected at all. It seemed to gladly absorb all the energy. But in response, it sprayed a huge flame around itself. The flame shot out to the front and to the sides, instantly engulfing and blowing up the Kril ships and planet destroyers that had dared challenge its supremacy.
“Thank goodness those ships were unmanned!” Zorina exclaimed.
“Yes,” Sibular agreed, “remote control definitely has its uses.”
Jinser-Shosa’s voice crackled over a small speaker device Zorina was holding. “I’m inside the Starguzzler! Just entered from the rear.”
“Good luck, Jinser-Shosa!” Zorina said.
“Hah! I don’t need it.”
This time, Jinser-Shosa made no mistakes. Its homeship had been repaired and strengthened, and the stock of freezer missiles replenished. The Starguzzler’s sparkle went out within a couple of minutes, and a shockwave formed in its place. Just as the homeship emerged from the giant’s surface, the entire Starguzzler exploded in a dazzling display of fireworks.
“Hoooorrrraaayyyy!” Jinser-Shosa yelled through the speaker.
“Congratulations, my friend!” Zorina yelled back. “You did it again!”
Without another word, Jinser-Shosa took off to help the other Phyrax homeships present in the star system destroy the remaining four Starguzzlers.
The great battle, as great as it was, did not last long. It didn’t last longer than a few days, in fact. During that time, the Starguzzlers destroyed many worlds and killed trillions of individuals. In some cases, home worlds of entire species were wiped out altogether. But the Phyrax demonstrated incredible prowess in carrying out and perfecting the technique Jinser-Shosa had pioneered. Although the Starguzzlers kept learning how to evade the Phyrax attacks by communicating with each other, the Phyrax always stayed a step ahead with more and more sophisticated attack methods. And while many Phyraxes perished in the process, every single Starguzzler across the Glaessan was eventually found and destroyed.
The Mendoken, Aftar and Volona all worked hard to support the Phyrax, giving them the necessary cover with armadas of ships and tons of firepower. In many star systems, particularly those along the border regions, Mendoken, Aftaran and Volonan ships stood side by side and fired together on the Starguzzlers. It was truly a historic and monumental display of united resolve.
Marc was overjoyed to hear the report that the last Starguzzler had fallen. He was also overjoyed to hear that his own home star system had not been touched. The Starguzzlers, it seemed, hadn’t known what to make of silupsal filters and had steered clear of them.
Celebrations and parties abounded across the Glaessan, particularly among the Volona and Phyrax. The Mendoken did not celebrate on any occasion, and just went about their daily business. The majority of Aftarans spent their time in prayer and reflection, thanking the Creator for saving the galaxy and restoring peace to the Dominion.
Marc and Zorina were invited to a private party on Jinser-Shosa’s homeship, still parked outside the planet Lind. They dragged Sibular with them as well, after getting approval from Jinser-Shosa to bring a Mendoken on board. Jinser-Shosa was so pleased with its recent accomplishments that it no longer cared for centuries of animosity between the two civilizations.
Donning protective suits, the three of them entered the homeship. There, amidst a dazzling display of gas powered fireworks, they were entertained by Jinser-Shosa’s stories of its many adventures and exploits across the Federation.
“Jinser-Shosa clearly doesn’t know what modesty means,” Marc thought, as he listened to the tales of heroism and bravery. But he also had to admit that, exaggerated or not, some of the stories were quite fascinating.
Marc’s thoughts eventually began to wander, leading him back to his own series of adventures since he had left Earth over a month earlier. It had certainly felt a lot longer than a month. Nobody on Earth would ever believe what he had been through. Nobody on Earth ever could.
He thought about his visions and feelings of intuition, and how they had steered him in different directions throughout his journey. He thought of the prophecies in the Aftaran Scriptures that had somehow identified him as the “Sign”, and of his unique ability to see through the Aftaran disguises of the Unghans. He had somehow been chosen to have these powers to see and feel, but he didn’t know why he had been picked out of the gazillions of beings in the galaxy. Nor did he know who had chosen him. Was it God, the Creator, or whatever the name of the supreme deity was?
“You seem deep in thought, Marc,” Sibular said, just as Jinser-Shosa finished telling another of its stories.
“I am. Hey, Sibular, I know the Imgoerin must be really busy at the moment, but do you think I can get an audience with him in the next few days? I need to ask him for a favor.”
“Considering all you have done for us, I doubt that will be a pro
blem. I will see to it as soon as this event ends.”
Marc did receive an audience with the Imgoerin, the very next morning in fact. It turned out the Imgoerin had already wanted to speak to him, Sibular, Zorina and Jinser-Shosa. Jinser-Shosa, however, had already left in the early hours of the morning, heading back home to the Federation. It hadn’t wanted to stay a day longer than absolutely necessary, since it was dying with eagerness to fly across the Federation and brag about its recent accomplishments to other Phyraxes.
The remaining three friends arrived on board a shuttle at the Imgoerin’s palace, nothing more than a small apartment atop one of Lind’s countless skyscrapers. Osalya ushered them past the security guards and into the Imgoerin’s private office. The furnishings were functional but not at all decorative, and the highlight was the stunning view of the outside. At the very top of the skyscraper and with completely transparent walls all around, it was possible to see miles and miles of the tops of tall black, cylindrically shaped buildings. There seemed to be no end of them, no matter in which direction Marc looked.
The Imgoerin was standing in the midst of a series of 3D screens, analyzing different kinds of data and maps from across the Republic. “Welcome,” he said, floating out of the array of screens to greet them.
Sibular bowed his head slightly, and Marc and Zorina followed his example.
“It is I who must bow to you,” the Imgoerin said, and did so. “The three of you have done far more for the Republic and for the whole galaxy than I could ever have done. I would like to thank each of you again.”
“Thank you for the recognition,” Sibular replied.
“And as a show of gratitude, Sibular, the Mendoken people have raised your status in the Hierarchy 1,000,000 levels up to the head of the entire SpaceTravelResearchCenter. Your level designation is herewith no longer 45383532 but 44383532. The vote was unanimous among all affected individuals in the Hierarchy.”
Sibular bowed slightly again. “I am truly honored, respected Imgoerin.”
“I have good news for you too, Zorina,” the Imgoerin continued. “You are, of course, welcome to stay here. But I doubt you will want to. The Empress sent me a message stating that she was very pleasantly surprised to hear of your role in saving the galaxy, and that you are herewith ‘forgiven for your transgressions’. I do not know what she is referring to, but you are free to return to the Empire and rejoin the Grid. You will be reassigned to your position as Chief Imperial Defender. A certain Rudoso will also be forgiven.”
Zorina couldn’t hide her joy. She jumped up and down with delight and even hugged the Imgoerin, much to his surprise. Then she hugged Marc, Sibular and Osalya as well. “Thank you, respected Imgoerin, thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!” She bobbed her head up and down so far that it almost touched the ground.
“A Euma-9 vessel is waiting outside Lind to take you home,” Osalya said. “You may board it whenever you are ready.”
“I’ll be ready right after this meeting!”
The Imgoerin turned to Marc. “Now, Mr. Zemin, you came from a silupsal covered world, but have demonstrated more intelligence and maturity during your time with us than perhaps most of us. This has caused us to reevaluate our entire silupsal strategy, and raises the question of whether we should lift the filter around your home world. Your people are clearly more advanced than we thought.”
Marc was astonished by the Imgoerin’s statement. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, certainly. It appears we could learn a lot from your civilization, as yours undoubtedly could from us.”
Marc thought about this for a long moment. In the end, he surprised even himself with what he said. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why do you say that, Marc?” Sibular asked. “This would be a unique opportunity for your people.”
“Because my people aren’t ready yet. Fundamentally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your silupsal strategy. When I first heard about it, I was shocked and felt it was immoral to hide the truth from others like that. But the more I’ve thought about it since then, the more I’ve begun to realize that it actually is the best solution. Every society does need a certain level of maturity and experience before it joins the galactic community, otherwise it won’t be able to survive.”
“You do not believe your people have reached that level of maturity?”
“No, definitely not. We first need to learn how to trust each other and to treat each other with respect, tolerance and understanding. We need to learn how to live in peace with each other, to overcome our individual greed and to share our wealth so that everyone is adequately provided for. We need to learn to take care of our planet, to not incur Nature’s wrath by polluting it and wasting all of its precious resources. We need to become self-sufficient and not self-destructive, we need to become united as a society. Then and only then will we be ready to meet other, far more advanced societies like yours.”
The Imgoerin was silent for a moment, and then spoke. “Well, Mr. Zemin, you know your people better than we do. But if you as an individual are any indicator of the maturity of your people, then I can assure you that the human race has nothing to worry about. As you have requested, however, for now the silupsal filter around your star system will remain in place.”
“I would suggest the topics of trust and tolerance are very relevant for us too,” Zorina said to the Imgoerin.
“Indeed,” Marc said. “I’ve now had the opportunity to learn about each of the four advanced civilizations of the Glaessan, and to a greater or lesser extent have interacted with members of each of them. I feel that each civilization has become so great because, through many trials and tribulations, it eventually chose to follow a specific path of principles and guidelines. Once chosen, it stuck to that path through thick and thin, never once swaying or compromising. It is this combination of conviction and dedication to a worthy cause that always leads to success, and it clearly has for all four civilizations. But the funny thing is that each civilization chose a path that was completely divergent from the other three.
“With success comes complacence and arrogance, and with arrogance comes ignorance and intolerance of ways different from your own. Ignorance and intolerance, in turn, lead to downright distrust and hatred of others. And that’s what happened to each of your civilizations over time. The Mendoken and Aftar gravitated naturally to one side because they shared many core principles, and so did the Volona and Phyrax to the other. Between the two sides, the distrust and hatred grew to staggering levels. The wars that followed were a natural result. You did achieve peace finally, but it was a fragile peace.”
“But then came the Unghans,” Zorina said. “They studied our societies and the chemistry between them, then came up with a strategy to pit us against one another. Because each civilization went to an extreme in one way while disregarding other ways of life, it became weak in the other areas and thus became vulnerable to exploitation. You Mendoken, for example, are such a hierarchical community with very little individuality that you do not question the assumptions made by your leadership. Please don’t take that personally, respected Imgoerin.”
The Imgoerin nodded and stayed silent.
Zorina went on. “You all just blindly assumed that we Volonans were behind the consar attacks because you believed we were deceptive by nature, without questioning if it really was the case.”
Marc agreed. “Similarly, the Aftar are so engrossed in their religious ways and what they believe to be the path of the righteous that they were easily rallied up to take extreme, fundamentalist stands against ‘infidels’ and ‘hypocrites’. That’s how the Unghans convinced the Aftar to choose Wazilban as their leader, and to support his cause in fighting the Phyrax and quashing those Aftarans who stood in his way. It was his narrow minded, extremist way or the highway, so to speak.”
“The Unghans also exploited vulnerabilities in the Volona and Phyrax,” Sibular said. “The high amount of sus
picion the Volona have towards outsiders, thanks to their zealous protectiveness of their virtual worlds, led them to distrust every step we Mendoken made to negotiate with them or reach a deal with them on a particular issue. That was how every war between us and them began, including the most recent one. And the Phyrax…”
“The Phyrax’s uncompromising desire to be free and independent to do whatever they want,” Zorina said, interrupting him. “They would never tolerate the Aftar imposing any kinds of religious dogma or code of conduct on them. That has always been a major source of tension between the two societies. The Unghans took advantage of that by disguising themselves as Aftarans and forcefully attempting to convert a group of Phyraxes near the border to the Aftaran religion. That was how the most recent war between the two began.”
“Are the three of you suggesting that we change our way of life to be more balanced, so as to avoid these kinds of situations?” the Imgoerin asked.
Marc raised his eyebrows. “Change your way of life? Heavens, no! You have become so great because of your way of life. I think what we, or at least I am suggesting is that you should always keep a balanced view of other ways of life and other societies, and give others the benefit of doubt before jumping to conclusions about them. Every society has both virtues and shortcomings, including yours. No civilization is perfect.”
“You are right in principle, Mr. Zemin,” the Imgoerin said. “But there are also billions of years of history, many wars and many confrontations that have formed these opinions of each other over time. It will not be easy by any means for us to suddenly begin trusting the Volona, or for them to begin trusting us.”