Chapter-28
Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere. -- Gilbert K. Chesterton
The Rak Planet Troxia
Drix carried the newly completed translator under his left arm as he walked the streets near the spaceport. It was a bulky thing, and rather heavy, but the weight was mostly in the power source. Engineering-Masters were working to redesign the thing, to make it smaller and lighter, but Drix wanted to test its functionality on Trakaan having no knowledge of the Rak language. Tests with the Trakaan assigned to the development team were encouraging. Drix had learned much about Trakaan civilization from those discussions.
It appeared the Trakaan were indeed a docile race, primarily concerned with gaining knowledge for its own sake. The existence of true star-faring predators had been slow for the Trakaan to postulate, as ships merely disappeared with no indication as to why the phenomenon was occurring. The Trakaan were well aware of the existence of predatory species, whose violent natures generally prevented them from achieving scientific levels required for interstellar space flight. Rarely did one survive the nuclear stage of development before ultimately destroying themselves, or at least setting themselves back several hundreds of cycles, before repeating their self-destructive pattern. Thus it came as a complete, terrifying surprise when the Raknii suddenly appeared and began attacking Trakaan planets.
The Trakaan involved in the translator project insisted the Trakaan had repeatedly attempted to communicate with the invaders, but were never quite sure whether their failure to do so was because of the distinct lack of linguistic samples, producing faulty language translation, or if the predators were just not interested in establishing communication at all. Drix suspected it might have been both, but heavily favored the latter.
The Trakaan spent cycles debating amongst themselves, trying to ascertain what it was the predators wanted from them. They just couldn’t fathom a race that killed for pure amusement. Eventually the Trakaan were forced to install defensive weaponry aboard their vessels as some form of deterrent, but manufacturing and installing weapons into their ships was far easier than learning how to use them efficiently. The basic concepts of various types of combat were learned through study of various aggressive, low-technology species, but the differences between theory and practical application became painfully apparent when the first armed Trakaan ships tried engaging a species which had the art of killing ingrained into their genes.
Drix walked, lugging the heavy translator until he came to an obvious Trakaan dwelling, where he went to the entrance and touched the summoning plate. A Trakaan female opened the door and squealed in terror at the sight of a fanged predator standing so close to her. She tried closing the door, but Drix blocked it with his boot as he spoke:
“Have no fear. I will not hurt you. I only wish to speak with you.” The translator warbled a series of the high-pitched sounds that made up the Trakaan language... sounds impossible for the Raknii vocal apparatus to duplicate.
The female continued squealing and kept her body pressed close to the opposite side of the door, as if her small mass could prevent Drix from forcing past her at will. Drix did not want to appear any more threatening than his mere physical presence would create, so he did not force his way past the terrified female, but kept up his claims of non-violence.
“Please, I have no wish to hurt anyone. Is there someone here I might talk to?”
Eventually, the female’s squeals subsided enough for the translator to interpret, “FATHER!”
Shortly, an elderly Trakaan male came into view, peering out of the crack in the doorway. “Go into the food-preparation area, daughter. I will deal with this alien.”
Drix felt the pressure against his boot subside and soon, the male Trakaan opened the door fully and said, “Be welcome in my home, invader,” gesturing for Drix to enter. As Drix stepped into the entryway just beyond the door, he heard the translator murmur, “I never thought I would ever hear myself say that to one of them.”
Drix stopped just far enough inside to allow the male to shut the door behind him and said, “My name is Drix and I wish only to speak peacefully with you. I intend no harm to anyone of this house.”
“I am Fraznal,” said the Trakaan male, “I am the head of this house. Please follow me to our reception area, where we may sit comfortably.” The Trakaan gestured to the right and led Drix into a cozy area decorated in odd, alien patterns Drix was totally unfamiliar with. It struck him that he was possibly the first Raknii to ever enter a Trakaan home without weapons blasting.
“Please be seated,” said the male, gesturing towards a low, padded piece of alien furniture obviously intended for seating up to three Trakaan. Drix squatted down and rested his bottom on the edge of the padded seat and curled his tail around the side of his left leg, as the furniture was definitely not designed for beings with tails. “I apologize that we have no furniture better suited to your physiology.”
“No apology is necessary, Master Fraznal,” said Drix. “I am honored you have agreed to speak with me and offer me the welcome of your house.”
“Daughter,” Fraznal called out to another room, “bring refreshments for our guest.”
Soon, the tiny Trakaan female brought in a tray holding two frosted glasses of a purplish-colored liquid and bowed as she offered first choice to Drix. He could see she was shaking nervously, her terror obvious and barely under control. Drix took one and she quickly turned away and offered the second to her father, then scurried away as soon as she could.
“This is juice from the Jla fruit. It is perfectly safe for your consumption and I am told your people enjoy it.”
“Thank you.” Drix dipped his tongue down into the narrow mouth of the glass, as he did not wish to ask for a bowl, from which the Rak usually imbibed liquids. The juice had an interesting sweet and yet sour flavor he found quite delightful after his second taste.
“Please forgive my daughter’s obvious discomfort at your presence, Lord Drix. Her mother was killed in the initial attack on our planet and she misses her greatly.”
“Your mate was killed during our initial bombardment, then?” asked Drix.
“No, it was just after the initial landings of your ground troops. I am told my mate was merely crossing the plaza, when a group of invaders rounded a corner, blasting everything that moved, indiscriminately. Our people had no weapons, so those killings were unnecessary for ensuring their safety,” said Fraznal. “I suppose they might not have known that at the time, but as your people have conquered many other of our planets, perhaps they should have.”
“You must hate us, then.”
Fraznal peered at Drix intently for a few moments before answering. “Hate is a foreign concept to my people. Perhaps it might be an apt term with which to label the amalgam of alien emotions your attacks have generated amongst us. It is a complex mixture of fear, grief, resentment, bewilderment and resignation that saps the energy and zest for life from us. It is the constant tension of not knowing what next disaster might overtake us on any given turn. It is the not knowing exactly what you want from us, and how we should behave to avoid giving offense, that might anger one of your people enough to do us harm.
“I am astounded by that device you have with you, which is enabling us to communicate. Our inability to communicate has been one of our greatest frustrations, as understanding is impossible without communication.”
“Yes, that is one of my primary goals of this visit… to test the capabilities of this device. It is imperative we establish a dialog with your people,” responded Drix.
“I agree wholeheartedly, Lord Drix. We have always wanted that, but I cannot help but wonder — what event prompts your people to finally desire real communications with us after all this time?”
“As I am sure you are painfully aware, the Raknii are a race of predators. As with all predators, we hunt to live, but events since our first encounters with your race has changed us… poisoned us.”
“Ra
knii? Is that what you call yourselves? We never knew even that. How is it that exposure to the Trakaan has harmed you?”
“Your docile natures and baffling inability to defend yourselves has changed the hunt from something we did to survive and expand our culture and civilization, into a blood sport,” replied Drix. “We no longer hunt out of necessity, but for sheer amusement. It is an abomination.”
The old Trakaan male made a snorting sound (amusement?) and replied, “Yes, I can agree that ‘abomination’ is an excellent word to describe your actions against my race. It has certainly been considered an abomination among my people, as we have no understanding of violent predators except through study of other alien races we have encountered during our 30,000 cycles of roaming amongst the stars.”
Drix was startled. “The Trakaan have had interstellar travel for 30,000 cycles?”
“Yes, does this surprise you?”
“Immensely!” exclaimed Drix. “Why is it your people have not expanded your civilization to encompass many more planets than you have, in all that time?”
“We very rarely have need of expansion,” replied Fraznal. “The Trakaan are normally a long-lived, but slow-breeding race. It takes many millennia for our numbers to eventually grow beyond the capabilities of a planet to sustain us. We have discovered hundreds of life-sustaining planets in our travels, but we only colonized those closest to our original home world as it became necessary, and never one which already contained an intelligent, indigenous species.”
“Why not?” asked Drix. “Did you not wish servants to perform menial tasks, to free your people for more profitable activities?”
“We build machines for that.”
“Servants are cheaper.”
“Not if the servants are voluntary and are paid for their services. I believe the correct word for what you mean might be, slaves.”
“All right… slaves then… slaves are cheaper.”
“The keeping of slaves is wrong. Would you wish to be enslaved by someone else?”
“Of course not, but no one is strong enough to force slavery upon the Raknii. Is it not the right of the stronger to impose his will upon the weaker? It is the way of nature.”
“Is it?” asked Fraznal. “Besides rare colonies of insectoids, where in nature have you found slavery to be practiced by non-intelligent species?”
Drix thought about it, but could not immediately think of any examples. “Why do you say slavery is wrong?”
“Slavery degrades the quality of existence for the slave and the morals of the slave-holder.”
Morals! Morality? Are they related? “Explain your reasoning, if you would please, Fraznal. I am particularly interested in your use of the word morals. What do you mean by, morals?” Drik asked excitedly.
“The word morals concerns the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong. It has to do with whether a being is capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct — whether they have the ability and the willingness to restrain their actions to comply with a universal code of ethical conduct.”
“Ethical conduct,” mused Drix. “Please expand on what you mean by ethical conduct, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Gladly. The word ethics refers to a philosophy dealing with values relating to individual conduct, in respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of those actions.”
“The Trakaan have a written code of conduct then?” asked Drix.
“Most assuredly. It is the hallmark of all civilized beings,” answered Fraznal. “Do not the Raknii have such a code amongst yourselves?”
“Yes, but it applies only to our race. It does not apply to prey.”
“Prey. Is that how you see us, then?”
“The Raknii regards all life, other than ourselves, as prey,” said Drix.
“Ah, no wonder your morals are so stunted then. You see no value in any intelligence besides your own.”
“You believe there is value to be had from input from other species, then?”
“Have the Raknii not learned valuable lessons from merely observing the behavior of animals on your home world?”
“Of course.”
“If there are valuable lessons to be learned from mere, dumb animals, how much more then might be learned from sentient, conscious, intelligent beings of other species, if we but allow ourselves to communicate, and to recognize the sanctity of life of intelligent beings other than our own species?”
Drix hesitated. This was an incredibly alien concept. It had never occurred to any Rak to view prey —even intelligent prey, as anything other than mere objects to be exploited. To recognize other intelligent beings as something other-than-prey was totally foreign to the Raknii view of the universe. That might actually require the acceptance and respect for other intelligent species on a level similar to how the Raknii viewed others of their own kind.
Was this then, what Varq meant when he said “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.”
“Master Fraznal, how would you define the word civilized?”
“A civilized being is one who has been brought out of a savage, uneducated, or rude state — elevated in both their social and private life. One who has become enlightened, refined with a well-organized and ordered advanced state of culture and social development that is easy to manage or control. But most important of all, it is a culture primarily characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for others and animals, especially for the suffering or distressed.”
Drix was stunned. Dolrak hypnotics had enabled Rak males to advance beyond their bestial, savage natures. Rak society was rigidly structured and relatively easy to control. But it was definitely NOT characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for others and animals, especially for the suffering or distressed. Was this then, what the Raknii needed to learn to avoid extinction? Tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for others, especially for the suffering or distressed.
These were staggeringly alien concepts to the Raknii, at least for everyone outside one’s own pride and personal friendship groups. How can I expect my entire race to learn these things, if I do not first not learn them for myself. It had to start somewhere, and if he was to help change the Raknii and assist his people in avoiding extinction, he first had to change himself.
“Master Fraznal, you haven given me much to consider,” said Drix. “Yours was the first Trakaan residence I came upon after arriving at the spaceport. How was it I managed to find one so wise, on my very first attempt at contact, I wonder? Might I enquire what your regular vocation is?”
Fraznal looked at Drix for a long moment before replying, “I have not functioned in my normal vocation since the Raknii arrived and took over management of Troxia. We survive from funds saved over a lifetime of service, but I serve no current function at the present.”
“I take it you must have had a position with the Trakaan planetary government, then. Might I ask what your former specific function was prior to our arrival?
“I was Chief Administrator of this planet.”
Drix then explained to Fraznal the Raknii chain of command, revealing how there were only three Rak warriors of higher rank than Planet-Master Glet within this region of space: Region-Master Raan, himself and Sector-Master Dras.
“You are second in rank for this entire region of space then?” Fraznal asked.
"Correct.”
“I am honored that one of such exalted rank should grace my home with your presence then, Quadrant-Master.”
“The honor is mine, Chief Administrator.”
“No longer. My work on behalf of my people is done. I am simply an unemployed old Trakaan — just one amongst the billions of us here on this subjugated planet, vulnerable to the whims of our conquerors, as are all the others.”
“Pe
rhaps your value to your people is not over, but merely changed, Chief Administrator. I have need of your wisdom. I need to learn of your ways... of how you see life and the universe. Might I enlist your aid to function as my teacher in these areas?”
“We have longed to open a meaningful dialog with the Raknii for generations now, but one cannot hold a conversation alone. What has occurred that has caused this lack of communications between our peoples to become a concern to the Raknii now?”
“It is my aim to help rescue my people from our own foolishness — to return them to our ancient ways when we were in harmony with nature, before we indulged in the shedding blood for amusement and recognition. It will be necessary for us to learn of these strange ways of thought you described. We need to become civilized, as you defined it,” answered Drix.
“Why?”
“To save us from extinction.”
“Extinction?” Fraznal snorted. “What power in the universe is it you fear, that could possibly drive your species to extinction?”
Drix hesitated, but then decided to reveal the Varq’s dark prophecy to the old Trakaan. He needed to gain this one’s trust, and to gain trust, he had to be willing to give trust. It took a while to make Fraznal understand the implications of the prophecy, with several questions and answers to make the old Trakaan understand the modern mindset, and the terrible ultimate predators that would cull the Rak as the Rak once culled the numbers of their herd beasts.
“We know how to hunt prey,” Drix said. “Now we must learn how to make, and live in peace, if we are to survive.”
“An ultimate predator, you say?”
“Yes, and I fear we may have already discovered them,” replied Drix.
“Daughter,” Fraznal called. “Bring me the star charts from my office, please.”
A few moments later, the diminutive Trakaan female entered, carrying a bulky container of star maps. “Thank you, daughter. Master Drix, would you like some more Jla juice?”
Sentience 1: Storm Clouds Gathering Page 28