The Sixteen Galaxies

by William Drayman

  Nuthros frowned. “What are the implications you can share?”

  “This weapon can probably shape the energy field it projects, from a pinpoint to a flat field, as is used on the aircraft here. If that is the case, it will slice through our shields with ease. Accordingly, I am working on new shields, which should be able to withstand this kind of attack. They draw significantly more power, but well within the ship’s capabilities to generate.”

  “So you anticipate an attack?”

  “Yes, I am detecting scan signals along all wavelengths. So far, everything has passed through our cloak field unhindered. I have detected a significant increase in scan signal vector origins, and can tell you there are now in excess of 20 warships in orbit of this planet actively scanning for us. If they achieve a perfect simultaneous scan on polar opposites, I cannot guarantee total transmission in both directions. It is simply too much to parse instantly.”

  Nuthros stood up. “We need to discuss this as a council. Engagement thresholds must be established. I have no wish to start a war.”

  “Unfortunately, Nuthros,” Truly replied, “though it may take two parties to fight, it only takes one to commence hostilities. At that time, you either fight, or you die.”

  Nuthros nodded. “Understood. But, if we refuse to engage, it is not only me who dies, is it? If we don’t fight, we allow ourselves to be complicit in the captivity of a complete global society, along with the planet of our origin.”

  *****

  John Crabtree stood in front of the massed crew holograms of 23 warships. He had undergone intensive mental transformation for this. Subconscious infusion, Kestil called it. All John knew was, while he had endured constant headaches from the procedures, his mind now burned with military knowledge. He had no idea how Kestil had done it, but his brain was filled with recollections of great battles throughout history. It was not Earth’s history, though. The scenes were similar; from great set-piece battles with hordes of primitive soldiers through to futuristic engagements on battlefields replete with nuclear weapons, railguns and lasers. But, the uniforms, flags and even the languages were wrong. He recalled a siege with an army of soldiers very similar to Roman troops, except their uniform tunics were deep blue, and their armour was a deep copper hue. There were ballista, catapults, lances, cavalry, archers and swords; but there were also some weapons which had a decidedly Asian influence, too.

  The experiences stored in his mind came from both ends of the ranks; from a humble foot soldier to a supreme commander, he’d done it all. Well, he hadn’t really done it, but he could recall every detail, as if he had. Those memories filled him with a confidence far above anything he’d ever experienced.

  He put his hands behind his back and surveyed his troops. “Men and women of the Independent Worlds,” he began, “we stand at the cusp of an expansion much more significant than any we have achieved before.”

  John heard his voice come from all around him with perfect clarity. It didn’t reverberate, it simply sounded as if he talked face to face with every single one of the hundreds of crew massed in the hangar before him. “The planet Earth is the key to not just one planet, but all the planets of the Sixteen Galaxies society of worlds.”

  He raised a cautionary finger. “Make no mistake, we are still behind the Sixteen Galaxies technologically, and by a long way. However, when we place Earth’s people under our dominion, they will fill our ranks with people so inventive as to give us the chance to first catch, and then overtake, the Sixteen Galaxies. Some may wonder; why is the Sixteen Galaxies our enemy? Up until now, we’ve had very little contact with them. Well, I will tell you. They stand in the way of our destiny, it’s as simple as that. Their councils are a stifling, restrictive government, who operate under a cloak of secrecy. ‘We have no leadership,’ they say. But, let me assure you, that claim is far from the truth.”

  He drew a deep breath and continued. “As you all know, I am from Earth. I was raised in a country that championed freedom on our planet. But, we were always held back from taking that freedom to the world. We were constantly dragged down by nay-sayers, do-gooders and pacifists. Whiny cry-babies who felt threatened by our way of life. The Sixteen Galaxies are the same kind of people. They want full control while they keep their people captive under the delusion that they are free.”

  John extended an arm toward Kestil. “You all know and love our Military Commander Absolute; Kestil. He was literally driven out of the Sixteen Galaxies, held back from fulfilment of his dream; the opportunity to advance his people forward to dominion of the known universe. The truth is, they were jealous, and they still are. Most of you would know Omega-Researcher Prestern. He is another refugee from the Sixteen Galaxies. Both men are brilliant visionaries, without whom we wouldn’t be here today. But, when the council cast them aside, their consciences left them no option but to take a stand for freedom. From that point on, they dedicated their lives to the development of a society of true freedom; the freedom to create, invent, design and advance, unhindered by a group of people who hate any idea of change.”

  “I say to you, these people have had their day. Our society did not come all this way, to be prevented from further advancement by a sad group of tired, frightened old men. We are on the verge of becoming the greatest civilization ever known. From here, we can expand into the cosmos, and take our spirit to the furthest stars. This will not be a slow crawl across the stars, such as the Sixteen Galaxies has done. We do not need to follow their so-called ‘philosophy’ of awaiting full development before ‘integration’! We will gather all under the sway of the Independent Worlds, wherever we find them, and at whatever stage of development they are! We will make our name known from one side of the universe to the other!”

  The crews all roared their support. John gazed at the throng of people before him, breathing heavily as the waves of adulation rolled over him. When he judged the time was right, he raised his hands to settle them down. “These two men; Kestil and Prestern,” he continued, “have taken their stand for freedom. So have I. Now, I would ask you; are you ready to join us, and take your stand as well?”

  John stood and basked in the tumultuous wave of enthusiasm that followed. He was born for this, he knew that now. He turned and bowed to the man who made it possible for him to reach his full potential. He then stood erect and snapped Kestil a formal salute, while his heart pounded from the adoration poured on both of them by the enthusiastic crews.

  *****

  The council were in the midst of a steady discussion when Nuthros contacted Asdrin by implant and asked for an audience. They were co-ordinating the rescue fleets which were to be sent to all known areas of exploration detail colonization. After Nuthros reported the extent of Kestil’s fleet that currently orbited Earth, they sat in quiet contemplation of the implications.

  Eventually, Asdrin rose to his feet. “I would ask the Entity; what can you reveal as to the likelihood of conflict?”

  “I can tell you,” Truly replied, “That combat is unavoidable. I can also tell you that defeat at Kestil’s hands is likely under the current circumstances, and Kestil’s subjugation of Earth carries a 74.2% probability of success, with the available data, as things stand.”

  Asdrin dropped back in his seat with a sigh. “Well, well. Aren’t you a little ray of sunshine today?”

  They all sat in dejected silence for a while. Nobody wanted to say any more, lest Truly give them even more bad news. Hiram got up. “I would like to return to Nuthros’ ship at this time. I feel I should be there to do what I can for my people.”

  Brantok stood. “I am ready to take Hiram back, and I can stay to assist, if that is acceptable.”

  “Hiram should be taken back,” Truly said, “But you must return immediately, your ship is of no consequence to the outcome.”

  Brantok bowed to the council and left to prepare his ship. Hiram stood and began to farewell his fellow council members. Asdrin seized Hiram’s hand and gave him a warm smile. “Always remembe
r these two things, my friend. Knowledge is the foundation of courage, and fear is the end of reason. Trust the Entity and be firm in your convictions, because you can be sure you are on the side of both love and wisdom. The coming fight is but a battle, Hiram, albeit a vital one. Good luck with that battle. In the meantime, we shall prepare to win the war.”

  *****

  Ron Baxter hovered the micro-drone above the limousine and waited for the large door to open high enough. He swooped in above the car for a second time. This time, when he flew in through the connecting door right behind Donald Vincent, the point connection stayed stable. He followed Vincent and the small group of men down a hallway and into a sealed room. It was tricky to get in, as the room had double doors and a full detection system. Truly had told him such things were no obstacle, due to the minute size of the drone, and she was right.

  As soon as he was in the room, Baxter took a sweep of the large object in the centre. It was about 6 yards long, covered in pipes and wiring, and looked somewhat similar to an elongated electric motor. “What the hell is that thing?” he asked.

  “That,” Truly replied, “Is a working scale model of a primitive star-drive.”

  *****

  The council stayed silent for a long time after Nuthros broke the news to them via implant. They were still busy with recovery of the exploration details, and the confirmation that Kestil intended to take humanity into space with him shattered their focus.

  Asdrin eventually stood. “My friends, I don’t need to explain the gravity of the situation. I think most of us had already worked out Kestil was likely to take this direction. To assist an undeveloped and primitive society get into space is a recipe for disaster, but we know he has already forcibly advanced all the planets under his control in the same manner.”

  Trell got to his feet. “Why do it with Earth, though? I for one did not expect Kestil to do this, not at all. I thought he would take dominion over the Earth and subjugate the people.”

  Brantok nodded. “I have no doubt he intends to do just that, Trell. But, I believe you have missed a key question, here. Why help them develop a primitive star-drive at all, when he can simply add them to his existing fleet, whose ships are no doubt millennia in advance of any crude attempt Earth’s people might make?”

  Asdrin smiled. “That, my friends, is the crucial point. The answer is, of course, quite simple. Kestil recognizes humanity’s natural resistance to subjugation. So, he doesn’t intend to rule them, overtly, per se. There will be no invasion of Earth, no armada of warships bombarding them into submission. He will simply help them from behind the scenes, through Vincent Technologies. It may take fifty to one hundred of their years, but I doubt it. We have witnessed their creativity. All Kestil needs to do is help them past any technical barriers, and they will take to the stars as a legitimate planet; outwardly on their own.”

  Trell stood again. “And he will welcome them into the Independent Worlds as a full member, even though they are nowhere near ready for it where it really counts; socially.”

  There was a protracted silence. Baelet stood. “I would ask the Entity; what can you tell us about these developments?”

  “Kestil’s covert dominion over Earth is the key,” Truly answered, “He must be resisted at all costs. The humans I have aboard Nuthros’ ship are our best hope, in that regard. They will be the ones to fight him on the planet. But, he is about to discover the location of Nuthros’ ship. I would ask you to ponder why he is so determined to have possession of this vessel.”

  Asdrin stood. “If Kestil captures Nuthros’ ship, he will gain thousands of years of technology. He will be able to develop weapon systems capable of defeating any we may build. Plus, he still wants to imprison and defeat his brother. I would imagine he also expects resistance on Earth to come from that ship.”

  “They are secondary reasons,” Truly replied, “But not the main one.”

  “You,” Council Member Trantin said. “He wants you.” He turned to his fellow councillors. “He intends to capture Truly.”

  *****

  “Sir! I’ve got an anomaly in quadrant 963, a definite inconsistency.”

  John Crabtree spun on his heel and approached the young officer. “Show me, Dewar.”

  Officer Dewar brought up a holo-display. “Here sir, a slight shift in readings of a send from ship 18. See, the infra-red is three points low.”

  John patted the young officer’s shoulder. “Good work, Dewar, very good work.” He touched his ear. “Kestil, we’ve got them.”

  Kestil appeared beside him. “Where?”

  John showed Kestil the rough location and Kestil smiled. John turned to the communications officer. “Put me on fleet broadcast immediately.” He turned to Kestil; “The ships are very slow while cloaked, and it will take about 12 hours to get the fleet in position. Are you sure we need them all?”

  Kestil nodded. “I have underestimated my brother and that infernal AI twice already, I won’t do so again.”

  *****

  Nuthros looked around the room at his human compatriots. The only one absent was Hiram, who was still in transit from Kareetha. “All of you are here for a reason. I have no idea what those reasons are, only Truly does. However, our society does not believe in the subjugation of any sentient being. Kestil’s warships are drawing closer, and he will eventually discover this ship’s location. Truly has told me she has plans in place to counter that, but I don’t know what they are. I wanted to take this opportunity to offer transportation back to Earth for any who wish it.”

  Nobody moved or spoke, so he added; “We will do our very best to protect you whatever you choose, of course.”

  Jack Short looked around at the others. “We’re not going anywhere, Nuthros. I don’t know how we could possibly be of any use in this fight, but we’ll not run away.”

  David Markham nodded. “To give in to Kestil and let him take complete control is unthinkable.”

  Nuthros looked at Christine. “Chris? What about you?”

  Christine took hold of David’s hand. “I’m not leaving David.”

  Nuthros smiled. “Thank you all. I’m afraid things will get less comfortable around here. Truly is about to construct some large equipment that will take up some space. However, she assures me there will still be plenty of room for you all. You will shortly see some red barriers in place; please do not breach the barriers – for your own well-being. Truly uses micro-drones to deconstruct and fabricate, and the barriers will protect you from any possible harm from the process. In the meantime, please continue with your work as you wish.”

  *****

  Hiram appeared on Nuthros’ ship and blinked in surprise at the red laser walls surrounding a large void in the centre of the spacecraft. He spotted Nuthros, who strode up to greet him.

  “Welcome back, Hiram,” Nuthros said.

  Hiram embraced his friend. “Truly’s been busy in my absence,” he observed.

  Nuthros turned to the walled-off area. “Ah, yes. I have no idea what she’s up to, but apparently it’s in preparation to deal with Kestil’s fleet.”

  Hiram frowned. “How far from finding us is he?”

  Nuthros shrugged. “Truly tells me it may only be a matter of days.”

  Hiram pointed at the red walls. “And how long will this take?”

  “About two Earth days, Hiram,” Truly replied.

  Hiram drew a deep sigh. “So, a race against time, then. I can’t believe it’s come to this, Nuthros. When we first met, the future was so full of promise.”

  “I know, Hiram,” Nuthros replied. “Kestil’s appearance turned everything upside down, though your dead were clearly being harvested for millennia. I feel for your people; they are caught in a struggle they have no knowledge of. As for the Sixteen Galaxies, it is a disaster of unprecedented proportions. Our peaceful society finds itself the victim of genocide and on the brink of war; neither of which we have ever experienced, or even countenanced before. I fear the coming days will t
ear our worlds apart.”

  “Well,” Hiram said, “It’s certainly going to make a mess of Earth. The council is sure Kestil wants to get his hands on Truly; do you think he is aware of the Entity?”

  “No, I do not. I believe he wishes to secure Truly to produce an imitation. Truly has bested him on both occasions in the past, so he wants to ensure he has a similar asset behind him. He has no idea that the Entity exists, and I’m not sure what he’d do if he did.”

  *****

  The limousine intercom tone sounded. “No tails I hope, Max?” Donald Vincent asked.

  “Not a thing, sir,” Max Cardwell replied, “Clear as a bell for miles.” Max frowned and turned the car into the entrance of Vandenberg Air Force Base. The boss was into some heavy business these days. The government had gone from covert surveillance of him to the formation of a partnership on some new project. The old man was tight as a clam on details, but if the project was at Vandenberg, chances were high it was to go into space. The boom gate raised before they got to it, and a guard waved them straight through. That gave Max something new to ponder. With security at an all-time high around the country ever since President Dexter’s assassination, why were they given presidential level access to a place like Vandenberg?

  Max followed the GPS to a car park adjacent to a brand new building. It was basically a shed, but about ten stories high, by his estimate. Behind the shed was a construction site for what could only be a launch pad. Max had never seen any aliens near his boss. But, with every day that passed, it got clearer to Max that the boss was into business that sailed very close to the wind in that regard. And if the government was in partnership with the boss…

  He stopped himself from any further thought along those lines. Best to stay right out of it, and just drive the car.