The Imperialists: The Complete Trilogy

by H. T. Kofruk

  Haseeb was glad. Though Weirdo was big and strong even for a male Hummer, this Bin’ja was stronger and much faster. Each time they wrestled, which inevitably led to Bin’ja’s victory, Haseeb was worried that the large Hummer would get thrown about and injured. Up to now, he had only gotten up dusty but smiling.

  “Terrible things are persisting in the universe. I only hope that they do not affect this beautiful world” said Bin’ja with a sad smile.

  “I have received word about a war going on between the Empires” said Haseeb.

  Bin’ja chuckled. “From what I have seen, your race always seems to be at war.”

  Haseeb felt indignant at the insulting honesty. “We can also be peaceful” he said, only realizing afterwards how weak his counter-argument was.

  “Each individual has the capacity for peace and love. But as a group, have Rendens ever known peace?” inquired Bin’ja.

  Haseeb felt like one of Confucius’ students in The Analects. He searched his memory of Renden history for an era where there were no major wars or genocides. He could have made up a peaceful epoch during which every single Renden was free of the clutches of group violence given Bin’ja’s limited knowledge of Renden history. But the thought was shameful and he was sure that the mysterious alien would somehow know he was lying.

  He decided to treat the question as rhetorical and changed the subject. “How is your shoulder?”

  Bin’ja didn’t answer and just moved his left arm to show it was alright. It had been burned and torn when he first emerged from the evacuation capsule.

  “Is his companion doing better?” hummed Weirdo.

  Haseeb shook his head. “Slow progress so far” he hummed back. “That reminds me, Bin’ja. I think it’s almost time we did our neural diagnosis on our patient. Would you care to go back to the village with me?”

  The even odder group of three walked back to the village. Though the Hummers were used to the sight of Haseeb and considered him one almost among them, Bin’ja had been there only a month and still invited stares. The sudden appearance of two more extra-terrestrials had divided the village, with some feeling threatened and demanding their immediate departure. Haseeb had a hard time reassuring the village elders that no more aliens would be coming. Though remote and with limited contact with the outside world, the Hummers were aware of the Renden colonialism plaguing the galaxy.

  Humming sounds rose from the onlookers as the group entered the village. Young Hummers clung to their mothers while large males stood up straight to look more threatening. Weirdo didn’t stray from the group, however, and Bin’ja maintained a serene look as he trod along the gravel path.

  Weirdo got a whiff of something interesting and lumbered off before the two others arrived at the green spaceship. Dust accumulated on the ship indicated that it hadn’t moved for a long time. A small area had been dug out beneath the ship between its three landing legs and surrounded by a wicker fence. The smell of ozone arose as the ship scanned the two beings before opening the main pressure hatch. A drawbridge came down from the hull of the ship to form a flight of stairs.

  It was a stroke of luck that the two passengers of the evacuation capsule had reached i-9983 when they had since one of them had been in a critical state and might have died without state-of-art medical attention. The ship had a highly advanced medical service unit that included a surgery capsule, a tissue regeneration tank and a pharma-compound device with eighty three bio-chemical compounds ready to be mixed, heated, fermented and diced according to the needs.

  The tissue regeneration tank was the largest of the three machines. It was a large basin of regenerative fluids with a focused cell growth instigator that was working on what had been a horrific burn on the patient’s back. After almost a month in the machine, it had become a small scar.

  “I’m going to try and get a neural response. As far as I can tell, there’s plenty of brain activity in there and the brain is intact” explained Haseeb. He wondered if he was using the right Chinese vocabulary but then decided it didn’t matter since Bin’ja wouldn’t understand the technical terms anyway.

  A bowl-shape device emerged inside the tank and moved to cup the patient’s shaved head. The interior of the bowl illuminated and a holograph of the brain was conjured. Parts of it illuminated to indicate brain activity. “Dreams” muttered Haseeb. “Some of the waves border on beta-waves. Synapse activity healthy. The swelling of the brain has reduced to almost normal levels.”

  Bin’ja just stood silently. Haseeb looked up to see intensity in the Nikruk’s yellow eyes. Flashes in the holograph showed heightened brain activity. “What? This is strange. Beta activity levels rising. What? Is she solving math problems in there?” exclaimed Haseeb. “I think at this level it should be safe to wake her. Neurologically, she already is awake.”

  Bin’ja nodded his head and said “wake her.”

  Haseeb nodded back. He turned on audio transmission. “Heera?” he said gently.

  Chapter 10: Unity

  ‘Defining intelligence, sentience and individual rights will be one of the most important and most dangerous issues in the coming centuries. Will the word person be applicable only to humans, or to all intelligent aliens? What will be the dividing line and who will determine where it is? These questions and how we answer them will not only have repercussions with our relationship to aliens, but will also provide an opportunity for our self-reflection as a species.’ – Tanya Petrova, xenothropologist, , year 2699

  During the three days following his imprisonment, Fann wasn’t able to control his anger. He had come to Dongjing with the hope of finding an old friend and ally but was now being treated like a common thief. The three following days were characterized by his contempt of his captors. Kinsai, it seemed, was his jail keeper and she would come by every few hours to give him food. He spat out obscene abuses at her that he regretted once he calmed himself. The sense of betrayal and shame was overwhelming. He had walked into the headquarters of a terrorist organisation looking for help when he was obviously one of its prime targets.

  After a week, he had given up hope. Kinsai didn’t utter a word to him, either because she was forbidden to or she was too insulted. He was starving for information; their plans for him; their strategic agenda; the situation outside the cavern. He was soon begging for some words from Kinsai and to see Tuul.

  On the tenth day, Tuul finally came to see him. Fann had been dozing on the mattress on the floor of his small cell and was shocked when he opened his eyes to see his old friend looking at him from the other side of the reinforced glass. He was dressed in black fatigues and definitely looked thinner than the last time he saw him.

  “Tuul” said Fann in a voice strained from stress and sleep. “Where have you been?” He swung his legs to sit on the mattress and rubbed his eyes.

  “Here and there” replied the burly Mongolian.

  “In the field? Doing what?” said Fann looking up with surprise.

  “Looking for information. I’ve been to Huangjing, Xin Beijing and Moscow.”

  Fann was startled. Tuul was a wanted felon in the Empire and probably on quite a few terrorist suspect lists. Given the vast travel distances, Fann was almost certain that Tuul had used the subterranean tunnel network that used gravity to propel transport units at high speeds. The tunnels were heavily guarded and he could only guess how his old mentor had managed to get aboard without being detected. “And?” he asked.

  Tuul rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Well, you’re probably better to us alive than in a body bag” he replied nonchalantly. “The Imperial Security Forces are searching heaven and earth for you.”

  “So now you believe me?” questioned Fann while looking up with stern eyes.

  “I already did believe you.”

  Fann couldn’t believe his ears. “Then why the hell did you lock me up? I thought you were in your damn yurt deciding how to kill me!”

  “I wasn’t imprisoning you
. I knew that you wouldn’t be thinking straight after your ordeal so I just gave you some time to cool off. Knowing you, you would have raised hell and probably compromised our whole operation.”

  Fann almost screamed with rage. He felt so insulted that he felt he could break through the glass and grab Tuul’s thick neck. His face flushed red and he trembled with anger.

  “You see what I’m saying?” said Tuul with a smirk. “You haven’t changed, Fann. Calm yourself.”

  “I’m not your protégé anymore, Tuul! Stop treating me like a boy!” yelled Fann. He was now standing a metre away from the glass that separated them glaring at Tuul.

  “I know you’re not. But your best judgement occurs when you’re not mentally wounded like you are now. You’re just too good a person to not let stuff like seeing your brother kill your father affect you.”

  The memory flooded back into his mind. It was only a few weeks ago but it felt like a distant memory. Funnily enough, he hadn’t dreamt of the incident or thought much about it. His mind had been more consumed by revenge but he had almost forgotten why. He hadn’t really thought about what to do once he located Tuul, something he would never have let happen as a commander. He realised that Tuul was right; his judgement in the last few weeks was not optimal.

  “Are you feeling a bit more cold-headed now?” asked Tuul.

  Fann nodded.

  “That’s good. I’m going to let you out now. Don’t do anything stupid. Stand back.”

  The glass wall was made of sections each about three feet in width. The five sections each swivelled around on central hinges, creating spaces wide enough for a person to walk through. The cell had been carved into the stone wall of the vast cavern at the opposite end of the gravity lift that had brought Fann and Kinsai down. The two men walked silently to the Tuul’s yurt. Again, the inhabitants of the underground paradise, whose numbers seemed to have doubled from the last time, stared at the prince. Fann caught a glimpse of Kinsai who nodded to him. He suddenly felt abashed and sorry for all the things he had said to her. It would have been better if she treated him contempt and hatred; her polite acknowledgement made him feel even worse.

  “Sit” said Tuul as he gestured to the same cushion on which Fann had sat ten days earlier.

  Fann sat with a grunt. He had been restless when he was in his cell but was strangely exhausted now he was out. Tea soon followed along with cheese and meat.

  “I went to Huangjing to seek out an operative for information. She told me that there had been a minor rebellion in Xin Beijing and Sky Command above it. General Huang Shen from the Marine Corps had been sent to replace you and the men seemed to resent it” said Tuul.

  “General Huang?” exclaimed Fann in disbelief. “He’s never had a combat role in his life. He’s just the head of the Marine Corps training program.”

  “He is the brother of your step-mother, the late Empress. That makes him loyal to your brother.”

  “No wonder the men rebelled. Anyone in their right mind would think putting a soft dolt at the head of the largest war effort in human history was a bad political idea, especially if it’s just because he’s related to Xiao.” He had trouble believing that Xiao could be that idiotic.

  “I also learned that the Shadows have been ordered to search for you. The head is a Captain Qin Huei. Do you know him?”

  Fann nodded. “I knew him as a boy. He’s the son of Colonel Qin.” The memory of his father’s head bodyguard slung over the glass as he died to save him was painful.

  Tuul looked seriously at Fann. “He’s more than that. He’s a complete fanatic looking to avenge his father. They say he makes other Shadows look weak and slow, even his old man.”

  “That’s flattering” Fann said flatly. “Xiao must really want me dead. You mentioned that you went to Xin Beijing.”

  “I did. I needed to find out what was happening at Sky Command. I met two more of my operatives there.”

  “How many operatives do you have?” interrupted Fann.

  “A few, for now” replied Tuul darkly. “My guys told me specifics about the mutiny. Some of the rank and file, led by General Xin Tsu-Lao, protested the appointment of General Huang. General Xin was put under arrest which sparked some violence among the enlisted. Fifty soldiers were killed in Xin Beijing and Sky Command in the clashes. All of this was whitewashed in the news.”

  “Any major changes in the command structure?” asked Fann anxiously.

  “Everyone above Colonel Li Tsang-hu and Colonel Yu Ping have been changed it seems.”

  Fann was relieved. The two colonels Li and Yu were in his most trusted inner circle, both of them excellent officers but unable to advance due to the glass ceiling of noble birth. Both men were extensively in the field with soldiers and would be silently but broodingly obedient to their new leaders.

  “There’s also word that Shadows have infiltrated Sky Command, not only to see if you attempt to make contact with any of your old subordinates but also to take command positions” said Tuul as he stood to stretch his legs.

  Fann also stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back to an almost lying-down position. “Shadows? They’re spies, assassins and bodyguards, not soldiers” he said. He knew, however, why they were assigned to the positions; to consolidate Imperial authority over Sky Command.

  Tuul started changing out of his uncomfortable fatigues and putting on his cotton deel cloak that was hanging on a peg. Fann saw the many scars on the burly Mongolian’s torso, more likely a result of his years on the run than the decade and a half as an infantry officer.

  “Why did you go to Moscow?” asked Fann once Tuul had retaken his seat, this time in the comfort of his familiar traditional clothes.

  “I wanted to find out how the war was going. I heard some worrying rumours in Xin Beijing” answered Tuul who was now brandishing a mug of beer. “There’s growing friction between the Russians and Imperial Forces, apparently.”

  Fann rolled his eyes. “That’s nothing new. Our Orthodox liaison officer was showing all the symptoms of someone with an inferiority complex. No matter how much we assisted them, they were so sure we had ulterior motives.”

  Tuul paused to take a good long swig of his beer before he continued. “I heard that the Imperial Forces were pushing to deploy in Europe and the Middle-East as well.”

  “That makes no sense. The Pacific Federation is putting up a much tougher fight than we expected and we were planning a major push to their capital. The Orthodox were making good progress as far as I was concerned” said Fann.

  Tuul shook his head. “Not recently. You’ve heard of the Catholics, right?” He continued after seeing Fann nod. “They were supposed to be some kind of super ground force with knights and cavalry and all that. They made some good progress but have recently suffered three back-to-back defeats. They’ve lost a third of their initial forces and are waiting for reinforcements.

  Fann had doubts whether more Catholics would be allowed to set foot on Earth. Using a well-controlled alien army was different from using a human army with territorial claims. The idea would be challenged by the Chinese leadership.

  Tuul continued. “The Peace Alliance has a new hero, apparently. And Atlantic Alliance space reinforcements have arrived and are engaging the Orthodox ships in the Solar System. The Orthodox is fighting an invigorated Peace Alliance on the ground and the Atlantic in orbit. Even the Empire would be hard pressed in that situation.”

  “So we’re going to deploy ground troops against the Peace Alliance. Probably the Nikruk” said Fann as looked blankly into the air.

  Tuul twitched his head to show he didn’t fully understand. “Are those the rumoured aliens you’ve been using against the Pacific?”

  “The initial development took twenty years” said Fann dreamily. “The last few years, Xiao was responsible for building the army. I don’t know exactly but I’m guessing the breeding and conditioning was mostly done on Kongxing.”

  Tuul leaned his face towards Fan
n. “Fann, I know as a member of the Imperial Family you’re supposed to be some kind of god, but this is really playing god. There are things that mortals shouldn’t mess around with.”

  The prince sighed heavily. “But we’re in a war with the Atlantic Alliance and the Pacific Federation, not to mention the Peace Alliance. In a war, you do what you can to win.”

  The Mongolian grabbed Fann by the collar. “There doesn’t need to be a war. You could have ended it.”

  “My father wanted the glory of the Empire…” muttered Fann.

  “Glory my arse!” shouted Tuul. “What good is glory when young men in their prime are dropping like flies? What good is glory when you play god and breed new life forms that aren’t supposed to exist? You can take your fucking glory and shove it up your Imperial arse!”

  Fann rubbed his neck where Tuul had tightened his collar into a sort of noose. He once again became conscious of how strong the former infantryman was. “What can I do? I’ve lost my father, I’ve lost my throne, I’ve lost my army and my brother wants to kill me. What can I do?” he said.

  “What did you plan to do when you came to find me?”

  Fann hesitated. “I initially thought of finding you since you are the only friend I have who isn’t military or linked to the Imperial Family. Then I wanted to ask you to join me in fighting Xiao to avenge my father’s death and stop this war. Now that I’ve heard what you went through, I realise that I represent everything you hate.”

  Tuul laughed sourly. “A few years ago I may have thought like that. Our friendship did nothing to save my family and friends and you’re the son of the man under whose authority those murders were committed. But I have no grudge against you. I knew you wouldn’t condone anything like that”

  Fann nodded appreciatively. “I’m nothing without my title, my rank and my bloodline. I’m less than a common man. At the end, I think I just wanted somewhere to hide.”

  “You can hide here all you want, all your life if you want to. You can’t leave because you’ll jeopardise our mission anyway. Or you can join us and let us help you.”