Sentience 1: Storm Clouds Gathering

by Gibson Michaels

  “There was more to the Trakaan trap than just the explosive homing devices,” said Quadrant-Master Raan.

  “More, Master?” asked Drik.

  “Yes, three of your ship-masters mentioned seeing something odd during their interviews prior to the inquest — an oddity that seemed to appear just an instant before your squadron translated back into x-space. None were certain of quite what they saw, or even if they had actually seen anything at all, but I thought it prudent to have the visuals of your squadron’s computer logs analyzed further.”

  “May I ask what was discovered, Master?” asked Drik.

  “It appears that waiting behind those thousands of explosive homing devices, the Trakaan had somehow managed to assemble a warfleet of over 600 warships.”

  “600 warships? Dol, how is that possible?” Drik asked incredulously.

  “We’re not certain,” responded Raan, “but I have left orders that imperial fleet assets be assembled in quantity for the defense of Troxia, should the Trakaan become emboldened enough to actually attempt offensive operations against us. You seem to know the Trakaan mind better than most. Do you have an opinion regarding that possibility?”

  Drik was shocked by the question. It was inconceivable that a High-Rak quadrant-master should be seeking the opinion of a lowly squadron-master. Drik pondered the question a moment before answering.

  “I think not, Master. While an intelligent species, their basic nature is docile. Attacking when not immediately threatened would likely be a foreign concept to them. A herd bull will lower its horns and charge a predator that is directly threatening the herd, but when sufficient distance is achieved, they will watch warily, but remain with the herd.”

  “Amazing how practical the ancient wisdom can be, when applied to modern problems, isn’t it?” observed Raan. “That was my thought as well, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared against the unexpected, as they have recently shown themselves to be quite capable. It appears that your hypothesis that Trakaan resistance would intensify was absolutely correct, if possibly even understated — another point in your favor when we present your case before Supreme-Master Xior.”

  “I still find it incredible to think that I am actually going to Raku and will be speaking before Supreme-Master Xior himself. Have you ever met him, Master Raan?”

  “Once... he was a bit of a surprise. While never presuming to judge the supreme-master, from a purely objective point of view I found him quite astute and surprisingly levelheaded for one of such exalted rank. He wears his authority comfortably — amazingly unpretentious for one whose power is absolute. I suppose he simply doesn’t feel the need to aggrandize himself, as is common among his courtiers. He simply is what he is, feeling no need to constantly remind himself and everyone around him of his sovereignty. Fortunately for you, he is generally considered to be quite reasonable, at least compared to what the histories tell us of the nature of many of his predecessors.”

  ‘That is… reassuring, Master. Thank you.”

  “We leave tomorrow, so have your servant make sure that all is ready to depart by mid-day.”

  “My servant, Master?” asked Drik, surprised that Raan would even mention his servant’s existence.

  “Please Drik, you are not the only one who studies the ancient ways. I know exactly what that being in the corner represents,” admonished Raan. “Although I am not allowed to speak to him directly, or even acknowledge his existence in public, confidentially I will confide to you that I am truly and deeply honored to be in the presence of such an accomplished and selfless warrior. Inside, I esteem him with all of the honor and respect once afforded to all of his ancient brethren.”

  With that, Raan stood and with a slight turn, bowed deeply towards Drik’s unmentionable personal servant. Drik was frozen in astonishment. Straightening, Raan turned back and said, “Rest well, Squadron-Master. I will see you tomorrow at the ship.” And with that, the quadrant-master turned and left Drik’s quarters.

  Chapter-6

  We are not diplomats, but prophets and our message is not a compromise, but an ultimatum. -- Aiden Wilson Tozer

  Troxia Station, in orbit above the Rak Planet Troxia

  “Did you hear what Quadrant-Master Raan said, Varq?”

  “Of course. You know that I am always totally aware while I commune with Dol. He ensures that I do, but then, you know that, too.”

  “Ah, I meant that I was interested in what you thought of his statement concerning you.”

  “Is that a question?”

  Drik sighed. Varq could be maddening at times. He never let the slightest flaw pass. Everything was always an opportunity for yet another lesson with Varq, even if that same lesson had already been taught a thousand times. The slightest slip showed the lesson had not been thoroughly ingrained and so needed teaching yet again.

  “Yes Varq, I realize I phrased that badly. Will you please tell me what you thought when Master Raan said what he did about you and your ancient brethren?”

  “I was pleased… not because he offered me or my ancient brethren honor, but in that he respects the old ways. I would that all Raknii returned to the old ways. There is wisdom in the old ways that our race has forsaken. Dol gave us this wisdom in the ancient days for a purpose, to guide us and shape us into what we should be to fulfill our role in nature. When herd beasts proliferated beyond the land’s ability to provide sufficient nourishment for all, the Raknii culled their numbers back, so that balance might be restored and there would once again be plenty for all. That was our great purpose in the universe.

  “We did not kill just because something other moved within our perception. We killed and ate solely to satisfy physical hunger, a message from our bodies that it required additional nourishment to fuel life. When our hunger was satiated, prey beasts were perfectly safe to walk freely among us, and often did. We did not kill just because they were there. Today, the Raknii suffer from a different kind of hunger, a craving not related to the need for nourishment of the body, but the need for acclaim and acknowledgement.

  “Now we kill whenever prey is present, simply because we can. We kill for amusement. Nothing is safe around us. We kill without consuming — the nourishment of the kill goes rotting upon the ground. Abomination! We no longer share the sacred life-death-life relationship with our prey. This insatiable hunger for glory and status is not a natural hunger, but an addiction.

  “We are now the ones who are throwing nature out of balance, for the universe itself cannot manufacture enough blood to slake our ever-growing thirst for more, and yet ever more. Dol will not allow this error to flourish forever. We have become a proliferating weed that strangles the fruits in Dol’s garden of creation and threatens the extinction of all of his creatures. Even now, I begin to perceive the beginnings of a great event… the birth pangs of an event that will cull the Raknii as we once culled back the prey herds when their numbers threw nature out of balance.

  “Do not fear this coming apocalypse, for it is necessary… required… ordained of Dol to restore nature’s balance and return our people to their natural role within it. Even if this event were somehow averted, it would be worse for our people in the end, for the universe itself would vomit forth the aberration of the Raknii, expelling us from physical reality, leaving only extinction as our heritage.”

  Drik stood stunned by the old one’s grave pronouncement. He knew that Dol sometimes touched Varq, which caused him to speak forth the god’s words without warning. He was thunderstruck by the implications of this dire prophecy.

  “More surprises from the Trakaan, Varq?”

  “No, the Trakaan are merely carriers of the disease that has eaten the soul of our people, by their docile nature and the mere fact that they exist. For generations, the Raknii have slowly been losing our way, as we have expanded among the stars. Our faith turned away from the ancient ways, weakened by the new gods of science and its cub technology. Dol and the ancient ways were gradually dismissed as mere superstition, unneces
sary for beings who have mastered the stars themselves.

  “So Dol sent the Trakaan as a test... a test that our people failed, miserably. It was a test of the spirit, whether the Rak’s new self-inspired wisdom could stand in the face of unparalleled prosperity. The abundance of such easy prey poisoned the hearts and minds of our people. It deceived and lured them away even from their new gods of science and technology. The ancient hungers returned, but perverted without Dol’s moderating hand. The hunt, always the hunt — the hunt has now become the newest god of the Raknii. The hunt is a natural part of life, not the totality of life itself. We once hunted to live, but now we live to hunt. Those that live for the hunt, shall die by the hunt.”

  “Will our people turn upon each other then?” asked Drik.

  “Raknii will always fight Raknii,” replied Varq. “Nature compels competition amongst ourselves for hunting grounds and breeding rights. But we forget that in ancient days, we were not the only predators on Raku, merely the most successful. This ignorance breeds arrogance among our people, an arrogance that assures us that because we have not yet encountered another, then by default, we must be the ultimate predators in the universe.

  “But there are others… inconceivable raptors so magnificent in their prowess, they routinely cull their own numbers for little more than sport. Even now, Dol is preparing these aliens as punishment for our arrogance and foolishness, bringing a new test of fire and steel to our people. Our attempts to hunt these fearsome predators will begin an ordeal, a scourge that will shatter our arrogant belief of holding the predominant position over all creation — our foolish illusions that we have somehow risen above fulfilling our intended role in nature. Dol will examine us indeed to see whether our ambitions can stand in violation of his ancient precepts.

  “Avoiding this trial leads only to extinction. If we fail this second test, annihilation is also a possibility. But if somehow our people can find the wisdom to endure this trial and overcome this disease of narcissism that poisons the mind, only then can the balance of life be restored. Only in passing this test, may the Raknii mature and discover the concept of morality, in how we relate to the rest of the universe and become civilized enough to remain part of it.”

  The imperial guards stationed outside Drik’s door notified him when it was time to depart for the ship that would carry him to Raku, and his judgment date with Supreme-Master Xior. Quadrant-Master Raan met him at the access ramp to the fast scout vessel that could travel 50 percent faster than a warship. Although the scout carried only minimal armament, none would dare interfere with an imperial messenger ship. That would be tantamount to attacking the supreme-master himself.

  Raan's insistence on personally escorting Drik to meet with the supreme-master astounded him. This scout was Raan’s personal ship, commanded by a member of Raan’s pride — ScoutShip-Master Yaal, the offspring of Raan’s younger littermate, OverFleet-Master Maaz. Perhaps it was merely Raan’s wish to personally brief Supreme-Master Xior on the details and extent of the disaster and what was now known of the change in Trakaan tactics that caused it. But then, perhaps not.

  Four hours after departure, Raan summoned Drik to his quarters for continued discussions about Drik’s premonition about the incredible increase in Trakaan resistance. In the privacy of Raan’s cabin, Drik sought Raan’s wisdom concerning another premonition… Varq’s grim prophecy. As another student of the ancient ways, perhaps Raan would not simply dismiss it as superstitious nonsense.

  After sharing the ghastly prophecy with Raan, the quadrant-master gazed down, holding his muzzle in his paw, as he contemplated the implications.

  “Instinctively, I agree with virtually all of it,” said Raan. “We are not what we were even two generations ago. Modern Rak society rarely even pays lip service to Dol, or the ancient ways anymore. We have all seen it — the struggle for promotion, attaining status and honors predominates all other thoughts and goals. Hunting prey is thought to be fastest way to achieve recognition, so all of our warriors want to kill, regardless of physical need, or lack of it... merely for recognition.

  “How is it, I wonder, that you have apparently managed to escape this curse that so ravages our young… the slavery of peer pressure to conform to their philosophy of exaltation of self?”

  Drik sighed, “As a fosterling, I was never actually part of a pride. I was around Glan’s pride, but never really of it. I envied Glan’s entire household, in their having an inherent place within it. Perhaps by not possessing pride membership myself, I came to comprehend how precious such belonging truly is — perhaps more so than they were able to appreciate it themselves. Not being of the pride, technically I had no true peers, as such. I was always an outsider, and therefore always different… a bit below them. But I did possess one thing that they lacked. I always had Varq.”

  “I can imagine that your servant virtually became your pride during those cycles,” mused Raan.

  “Yes, Master. Varq was sire, dam, littermate, teacher and friend to a small, frightened cub having no roots of his own. He shaped my development completely, much more so than the ‘education’ I received alongside Glan’s get. From Varq’s tales, I often felt as though I was living on Raku in the ancient days, every bit as much as I was ‘living’ in Glan’s household. He often told me that respect for the old ways was dying, but that I would play a role in its restoration. I always thought he exaggerated to keep me focused on his lessons and motivate me towards actually learning the old ways, when those around me only gave lip service to them.”

  “Was he prone to deception, if it was in a good cause, then?”

  “No, quite the opposite actually,” said Drik. “Varq was unmercifully truthful, even when it hurt me to hear it. He always said that he would never dare utter anything less than the full truth, lest I hesitate to believe him when it truly mattered. Only once did he speak such an obvious absurdity, I knew it false immediately.”

  “Really? What was that about?”

  “I was only a small cub at the time, and I had not yet learned that some questions are forbidden. I foolishly asked him about his life prior to his assignment to me — what his former rank-stone looked like and what position he had forsaken to raise me. His answer was so blatantly ridiculous that I understood at once that I had erred badly in asking such a personal question.”

  “Really? What did he say, that was so absurd?” asked Quadrant-Master Raan.

  “He told me that his rank stone had been black and that he’d been an OverMaster.”

  Raan’s blood froze. An OverMaster is a mythological creature of ancient legend that Raknii dams frightened cubs with, to get them to behave themselves. Black onyx rank-stones were reserved for the Dolrak priestesses of the Raknii god Dol, who were all females.

  The legends barely mentioned OverMasters, but what little there was attributed many incredible powers to them. OverMasters were said to be mysterious male Dolrak, who wore a High-Rak diamond sunburst around an onyx stone… but then, no one could possibly know that, as legend also said that the OverMasters were special servants of Dol and the Supreme-Master. Supposedly any Raknii who actually saw one was hypnotically programmed to immediately forget having seen him, which, in effect, made them virtually invisible… a hole within memory. Dams frightened cubs with stories of the Supreme-Master or even Dol himself, dispatching OverMasters to steal bad little cubs away to an unpleasant place where no one would ever see them again… so they’d better behave themselves or the OverMasters would get them.

  Suddenly, Raan wasn’t quite so sure that some of those legends didn’t have some basis in fact. Changing the subject, Raan said, “I take it he never gave you the slightest hint as to your birth heritage, then?”

  “Never.”

  “The most disturbing part of the prophecy is the lack of anything that might be done to avert it… mass deaths or total extinction seem to be the only options. I find both equally distressing.”

  “Master, Varq did mention a third possibility…
the one that depended upon our people discovering this new form of wisdom he called morality,” said Drik.

  “Morality is an ancient word that has all but disappeared from the Rak language. It referred to living life by a code of ethics that often seem contrary to our nature. A life dedicated to doing what is right, instead of what feels natural.”

  Drik sighed. “Yes, that certainly sounds like him. I have never heard of even a Dolrak who was as totally dedicated to the ancient laws as Varq.”

  “Would Varq speak directly to me, do you think, if we were in total privacy?” asked Raan.

  “I doubt it, Master. In all my cycles among Region-Master Glan’s pride, he spoke only to me and to other stoneless, such as himself. He said that he was not sent for any others, but perhaps he might answer my questions in your presence. He did so in Glan’s presence… once… long ago.”

  Varq didn’t.

  Chapter-7

  A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. -- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

  The Raknii Warship Akudavex, in Deep Space

  243/196-1 Akudavex Log: Underway to Region 12 Sub-Region 10 Sector 9 / System 8. Continuing the search for Class-1 planets — Negative Result. Heading: 087-519. Speed X245. // Ship-Master Tzal.

  Tzal sat on his command mount examining his ship’s log with distaste. Sixty-seven consecutive entries, all bearing that same, shameful “NEGATIVE RESULT” notation frosted Tzal’s soul. Only the twitching of the whiskers on Tzal’s muzzle betrayed his inner turmoil as he contemplated having to make the sixty-eighth. Tzal realized that his impatience was totally unreasonable. The exploration of only seven star systems without discovering a life-sustaining planet was only to be expected, as they really weren’t all that common in the overall scheme of the universe. But Tzal didn’t feel like being reasonable. His soul burned for something… anything positive to weigh against the stain on Akudavex’ honor after the debacle at Jarp’s Folly. Just surviving the experience and living to tell the tale was a dishonor. Jarp’s Folly had been the worst, and one of the very rare, defeats in all of Raknii history. Merely being associated with a defeat was more dishonor than any Rak warrior could bear.