by H. T. Kofruk
The alien’s mouth formed what seemed to be a smirk. Then the pulse rifle was pointed squarely at his chest.
Chapter 8: Planet Killer
‘The Second Wave of Renden Imperialism is named for its similarities with the intra-Renden colonial period from the sixteenth to twentieth century in Renden history. Rendens have long been known for their domineering nature.
Whether technology breeds war or vice versa is a question similar to the Renden ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma. Despite their fairly short history, the Rendens now possess by far the most advanced technology in the galaxy and most scholars point to war as the most potent source of motivation for technological advances...’ – Xhavo vo Kaur, Janpek Historian,
Mother was talking to him in blurred visions. Despite her weakened state, the few visions she communicated to Bin’ja were normally clear, not the distorted ones that he was seeing inside his head. It was the visions of other Nikruk, apparently in battle. Other than their blood thirst and rage, he could feel their empty souls. Some of them died and their pain seared through the vision to him. Those who died were overwhelmed with sadness. The intense pain of death awoke them and they suddenly found themselves dying in unknown places. Their longing for Mother was like that of a young baby. Tears streaked down his face. He had never seen such cruelty dealt out by his own people. And yet he pitied their loss of direction and senselessness. They were now mere children with unimaginable destructive power.
Among the Rendens that were fighting against the Nikruk, he clearly saw the face of one who somehow felt different. He was clearly brave, resourceful but pained. Bin’ja felt the torn soul inhabiting the Renden body.
Bin’ja, the leader of the renegade Nikruk, awoke from the vision and felt a vast emptiness. He knew what he was seeing. It was the first bio-engineered Nikruk fighting a senseless battle. So the Rendens had finally managed to successfully make the Nikruk into an army. He felt a violent rage towards the Rendens who had brought this unjust, dishonourable fate to his people. Again, he vowed their destruction. They were a disease of the universe and had to be eradicated and purified. Mother, though a gentle, non-violent being, would surely want that. She would want the dignity of her children returned.
Bin’ruk, his brother and second in command, walked into the room. It was the first time they spoke since their last argument.
“Brother, I have something to show you” he said. “Something that will aide us in our quest.”
Bin’ja knew that whatever he was going to be shown would be used to coerce him into the path of vengeance. He wasn’t used to such dilemma; the good path had been shown by Mother and he had but to take it.
He followed his brother through the narrow corridors of the Renden ship. On their way they passed the botanical area, an artificially lit dome crowded with plants from Earth. He wished to enjoy this area but one of the younger ones had wandered in there and contracted some kind of disease. Although he recovered, his otherwise brown back was now dotted with the pale remains of the blisters. But merely looking through the transparent wall was blissful. Some of the plants even resembled those of his home. Despite their violence and thirst for dominance, perhaps even Rendens were soothed by nature.
They arrived at the missile room, a vast chamber just beneath the bridge that housed the ship’s arsenal of missiles and projectiles. The large red cylinders that housed the power for their mighty lasers were also illuminated, constantly fed by the fusion reactor. On their arrival, a thin, young, Renden-educated one named Saj’ra greeted the leader with a bow.
“Brother Bin’ja, we have found something that could aid us in our plan to destroy the Rendens” he said.
With that he led them to a large platform where lay a single, large missile. Its width was roughly similar to the height of a Nikruk, and the length perhaps five times that. Though it was somewhat larger than the others, Bin’ja could not see how it was special.
“Brother Bin’ja, I have translated all their weapons manuals and studied them in depth. The Rendens have three main weapon systems on this ship” he said with near enthusiasm. “The first is lasers. These are powerfully controlled beams of light but they cannot be guided or curved and give the location of the ship away if fired due to their visibility. The second is the pulse cannons, much larger versions of the weapons they used on our home. These are less powerful than lasers but are invisible and can be made to curve. They are not very effective for long distance fire. Lastly, they have their missiles.”
Bin’ja stopped him impatiently. He didn’t want to hear about all their tools of destruction and death.
“So what is your point, Brother?” he asked.
The younger Nikruk bowed his head and continued. “They have a great many types of missiles, but they are all propelled by powerful pulse generators that give them a blue glow. Though the slowest among the weapons, they can be extremely powerful. Among their many missiles, we discovered this large one. The warnings written in their language gave us the impression that it was special, not just the size. We finally found the manual for this and it has given us hope. It is called a fusion-tipped missile. The source of the explosive power is the same as what powers this ship; a fusion reaction. Compressed gases are also put in the tip to amplify the destructive force. The Rendens apparently call it the Planet-Killer.”
The word ‘Planet-Killer’ was said in the Renden language since there was no equivalent in their own. But even with his limited knowledge of their language, he perfectly understood what it meant. He remained speechless.
A holograph of the missile in action was displayed. It was apparently recorded during a real test of the weapon on a large floating meteor in space. The missile itself was so tiny in the holograph, it was barely visible. But when it struck the rock, an explosion many times larger than the actual rock erupted, releasing a blinding light. Once the sudden abundance of light subsided, a small star was burning off the remaining fragments of the rock. Charred fragments of burning rock scattered in the black space.
“Previously, their most powerful weapons were fission missiles and fusion-powered lasers” continued Saj’ra. “These were both immensely powerful beyond our imagination. They are able to destroy whole populations with just one shot. But the fusion-missile is on a different scale. This will create an explosion so strong that a world will be engulfed in flames and knocked out of its orbit” continued the younger Nikruk.
Bin’ja stopped him speaking further with a wave of his hand. Did Mother want this? Did she truly want him to avenge his people with the most powerful weapon imaginable? Then why else had she guided him here?
This time Bin’ruk spoke. “They also have many more evil weapons such as invisible gases or tiny machines that dig into the skin, killing the victim from the inside. How could such a terrible people exist?”
Despite what they had done, could all Rendens be truly evil? He remembered his Renden teacher during his short-lived education. It had been merely three years since he had hatched. Even though she was older than him, he knew that he possessed more wisdom and knowledge passed on to him from his fathers. But she was unlike the other Rendens. Though harsh when she was teaching, alone she treated him with such tenderness. She recognized his wisdom and had even apologized for what her kind were doing to his.
Were there more of this kind on Earth? Or was she just a lucky exception? Were greed and cruelty infused into the very existence of the Rendens or were they acquired as they became adults? He knew his small group of Nikruk and the thousands of imprisoned harboured intense hatred towards the Rendens. But this was truly a feeling that was alien to them as greed or jealousy. They had never needed these emotions because everyone knew their own value and role since Mother started talking to them. Were they losing control of this alien emotion and defying Mother in doing so?
“Brother, with this, we can deal a blow that they will never forget. The Rendens will pay with their home for destroying ours�
�� said Bin’ruk.
Bin’ja did not respond immediately. His eyes were looking far off into the direction where he felt Mother. What did she want him to do? The two others looked at him in a puzzled way. Why was he hesitating over something that was so simple? Bin’ja knew that hesitating would not be good for his authority. Mother’s voice was so weak now that he needed to show in other ways that he was indeed their leader.
“What is your decision, Brother?” asked Bin’ruk with expectation in his voice. Saj’ra was also watching him with a tingle of excitement in his eyes.
“We will destroy them and their home, just as they have done to us” he said with clenched fists.
Chapter 9: The Shadow
‘Although estimates vary wildly, between fifteen and twenty million Janpeks died in the first Renden invasion. The fact that it took only fifty-four days to kill almost one per cent of our entire population and to receive official surrender from our leaders show how brutal and advanced the Rendens were compared to our ancestors. What is more shocking is the fact that two million more Janpeks, mostly women and children, died in one day when the occupying Renden forces were themselves attacked by a rival faction. Today, we must reflect on this tragic event in our history and ensure that it will never repeat itself. The collective memory of this must be motivation enough to maintain a robust military, and use pre-emptive strikes if our home is ever threatened again. We will never forget.’ – Ssal Jimirri, Janpek Ruler from 2984 to 3002,
The attack was an utter success. Of the ten thousand alien soldiers sent to conquer the surface command, roughly two thousand perished. But the Atlantic forces were almost completely annihilated. They had not anticipated such an attack pattern. The rapid tunnelling capability of the Nikruk, their innate combat acuteness and the supreme Chinese conditioning had created a powerful weapon. The Atlantic soldiers, some of the grittiest, toughest soldiers in Yinhexi, died like cockroaches under a boot. The few hundred that escaped would be hunted down before they reached a wormhole manipulation station.
And all of this was thanks to him. The master assassin would be greatly rewarded by the emperor. Without his skilful infiltration, the New Han Empire would never have been able to test their new weapon on formidable Renden forces. With the mothership’s advanced weapons and up-to-date information on surface defences, he was able to deliver a crushing orbital attack before the alien infantry landed.
For years, he had played his part and advanced to the rank of captain in the Atlantic Alliance navy. He had had cosmetic surgery done on him to make him look more Caucasian and had shown his fanatic faith in their One God. He had even a wife back in Boston who bore him two children. True, while living among the One God followers, he did sometimes feel that the stories he was told as a young boy were somewhat exaggerated; once you got to know them, they were basically the same as Chinese. They had the same aspirations, same fears, and same goals in life. He knew, nonetheless, how bloodthirsty they could become and how they openly defied the Walking God. That in itself was reason enough for their destruction.
His skill in combat was quickly recognized. Sometimes, playing the role necessitated killing his own countrymen. But that was just a small price to pay for what he had accomplished today. Now, the emperor would surely call him to his side at the Imperial Palace. There, he would be able to serve the earthly representative of Heaven. Just being in his illuminating presence would be an honour that he would cherish to his death.
But for now, he had a whole Atlantic fleet at his command. He sat on the admiral’s chair in the middle of the bridge on the Atlantic Alliance mothership, the IGN John the Baptiste. A blue light indicated that the admiral of the Chinese fleet was hailing him. He answered the hail and a holograph of Admiral Liu appeared wearing the black uniform of the Imperial Navy. The old sailor’s wrinkled face housed intense black eyes that made most people uncomfortable.
“Captain, I’m sure it is safe to take off the atmospheric suit” said the admiral.
He took off his dark blue helmet and the adjustment of pressure gave a loud hissing sound. The assassin met the admiral’s stare with his own striking blue eyes. “I like to be careful, Admiral” he replied, brushing his sweaty blond hair with his fingers.
“His Highness will be very happy when he hears of today’s victory. You will be rewarded beyond imagination.”
“I do his Highness’ bidding. I am but honoured to be his instrument” responded the assassin, tilting his head slightly to the left and smiling a confident smile.
“Rightly so. I am also glad to hear that the weapon worked impeccably. Our scientists worked hard to perfect it.”
He stroked the ‘weapon’ to which the admiral was referring. It was a sonic device that emitted a high frequency sound non-audible to humans. Though small, the sound waves could penetrate most solid matter with minimal loss and reach several miles from the original position. By itself, it was harmless. But when combined with a specially devised poison milked from a giant arachnid alien from one of the planets within the boundaries of the empire, it ended in instant death.
Chinese scientists had observed the hunting behaviour of this large predator and discovered that it would put small amounts of this poison in possible food sources of its prey. When it was hungry, it would emit a sound and somewhere, an unlucky animal would die, the carcass emanating a particular odour that only the predator could smell.
For the past few days, he had managed to put small doses of the poison in the food at the central dining facility. He had to be sure that everyone took it so he even dosed the smaller facilities as well as the sick bay. If everyone took the otherwise harmless poison too early, it would exit the digestive system and make the sonic device useless. He knew that the poison would stay in the body for about three days for someone with average metabolism. Timing had to be perfect so everyone would die in an instant.
The eight other ships of the fleet and the two army transport vessels were trickier. But spreading rumours of spy infiltration worked wonders; as fleet security officer, he gained quick access to the ships with the right threats to the right people. His training did the rest. Quickly and silently, he was able to put the poison in the drinking water supply of IGN Saint George, Guiding Star, King of the Jews and Balthazar and the bread dough of Holy Ghost, Arc of Noah and Book of John.
He was back on the bridge of John the Baptiste when the Chinese fleet suddenly appeared, attending to his duty of security officer. As soon as the mysterious fleet had emerged from the wormhole, one of the junior officers reported it to the ship admiral. This was the moment. The information could not be relayed down to the surface or to other ships. He set the device on the central holograph projector and switched it on. He looked with satisfaction as the admiral suddenly grabbed his bleeding ears. Blood poured out of his nose and eyes and within seconds he drowned in his own blood. The communications officer, with whom he had forged a kind of friendship, the arrogant science officer, everyone died and the bridge was soon lifeless apart from him. He then turned on the central communicator that would send the sound to other parts of the ship and to the other ships of the fleet. He hoped the frequency would pass through the system with minimal loss. On exploring the lifeless ship, he knew that it had.
Two Orca carrier shuttles were transporting people and supplies between the ships when this happened and they frantically contacted the mothership bridge when nobody answered their docking requests. He answered the hail and while talking reassuringly to them, sent tactical missiles their way, destroying both.
“It worked like a miracle, sir. Our scientists have my respect as the finest in the universe” he answered. His foot was on the head of the admiral whose body he had pushed to the floor. The bridge smelled of blood as the thirty or so crew members were covered in quantities of it. The otherwise blue floor now had large patches that had turned purple from the drying blood.
“Thinkers are only as good as the doers they help” answered th
e admiral. “We will send a boarding crew shortly, captain. I’m sure the ship has a wealth of intelligence we can use.”
“I have access to the code-bacteria that will be good for another few days until they mutate. We must work fast to milk as much information as possible before the ship computer shuts down the database. Downloading a new mutation sequence from command would be too risky” answered the assassin with another bow.
Admiral Liu nodded his head and looked at the assassin with an expression that harboured both admiration and suspicion. “I must admit, Captain Qin. I have heard about what you people were capable of but I had my doubts. Command had serious doubts about the feasibility of the plan since it rested on one man’s ability. Your performance has cleared any from my mind.
A final bow of thanks. “This is what Shadows are born to do, sir”
Chapter 10: Kheut
‘They say trade is not a zero-sum game. Diplomacy is.’ – Vijaykumar Singh, Peace Alliance ambassador to the Chinese Empire, 2663-2673.
Heera could truly say that the last three months were the hardest in her life, even compared to the sleepless, stressful nights she spent studying in med school. But now it was all over. She had received her rank of first lieutenant and was fitter than ever before. Her years of martial arts training had certainly helped endure. The nurse Miko, originally a shy person of slight frame, now boasted a firm, upright posture from the muscle she had gained. The pride in having completed such a physically and mentally taxing training course now showed on her face too.