by Wayne Basta
“Worshiping the Great One didn’t cause my people to become subjects of the Dotran!” Valinther said, his tone defensive.
“You must admit that your people’s foolish belief in non-violence kept you from putting up a fight when we arrived. And that’s a tenant of your religion, is it not?” Zoeko asked, her tone surprisingly calm.
Bryel and Lionell both started speaking at once, trying to ease the tension. Confused by the sudden argument, Lahkaba turned to Rathalos. “What happened?”
“Ambassadors Lide and Valinther are in disagreement over the meaning of this painting,” Rathalos answered.
The painting in question showed a tall, glowing Kowwok with bright golden fur. Lahkaba recognized it as an image commonly used to represent the Great One. The Great One was bowing, as if in submission, before an even brighter golden Dotran. Despite his general distaste for his people’s religion, the image offended even him.
“Ambassador Lide asserts that this painting shows how our religion has made us slaves to the Dotran—a statement Ambassador Valinther objected to,” Rathalos explained.
Looking at the painting again, Lahkaba reassessed his initial reaction. At first, he had thought as Valinther probably did—that the painting merely represented the conceited view of many Dotran that they were greater than even the gods. But he could see the hidden meaning now.
He was impressed that Zoeko had. In a way, the painting could almost be seen as a statement for the Kowwok to resist the Dotran. Taken in that light, it seemed unusual that the painting was hanging here.
While the others argued, Lahkaba asked Rathalos, “And what do you think it means?”
Looking startled and uncomfortable, Rathalos squirmed slightly before answering evasively, “It’s not my place to judge such things.”
Disappointed in the response, Lahkaba sighed. He knew he shouldn’t expect more from someone like Rathalos. Being a faithful servant of the Dotran must have been his entire life.
But when he started to move to try to help cool the argument, he was stopped by Rathalos’s hand on his shoulder. Leaning in, the big Kowwok whispered, “Don’t accept the agreement to share military technology. You would be giving away more than you can gain.”
Puzzled by the cryptic comment, Lahkaba studied Rathalos. The servant looked back with intensity before letting go of Lahkaba’s shoulder, and his expression returned to his usual passive one, as if nothing had just occurred.
When it became clear Rathalos would say no more, Lahkaba reluctantly moved to help end the argument between Zoeko and Valinther.
During the next meeting with Minister Amib, Lahkaba found himself spending another long day in a hot room. Like before, his entire role in the negotiation involved sitting there, making the Dotran uncomfortable with his presence. All in all, he found it a terrible way to conduct a negotiation.
Toward the end of the day, Sceglis produced a document for them, saying, “As a show of good faith, we have gone ahead and drawn up this minor agreement for the sharing of tactics and military technology. We’ll offer you our knowledge of fighting the Alliance and some of our weaponry to help your Union keep fighting while we work out the rest of the details for our treaty.”
Copies of the agreements appeared on each of their personal datapads, and Lahkaba started scanning it while Sceglis kept talking. “I believe you’ll see it matches the principles we discussed before. If we sign it today, we can dispatch a transport with weapons and tacticians as soon as tomorrow.”
As Lahkaba scanned the document, he saw how beneficial this could be to the fight. They had been subsisting on stolen or commercially acquired weapons. Their remaining senior general had only ever risen as high as a corporal beforehand. Even though he despised the Dotran, and even though they had lost the war, they had the most experience fighting the Alliance.
But the warning Rathalos had given him the other day in the museum kept repeating itself in his mind. He had said that they would be giving away more than they would gain with this agreement. The fact that Sceglis had drawn up this agreement as a separate treaty was warning enough to be cautious. No one gave anything away for free.
Continuing to scan, he came across a section that detailed how the Union would be required to share “all technology captured or developed.” On the surface, it seemed like a reasonable request: to share details about technology that the enemy used or which worked well against them. But then it hit him.
Audacious. The advanced shield and hyperdrive technology aboard the captured frigate had proven strong enough to allow that one ship to survive an engagement with an entire Alliance task force. The Dotran would be all over themselves to have that kind of ability.
Despite all the problems Saracasi claimed the Audacious had, the potential for the tech was clear. A Dotran armada equipped with that kind of shield? They would be a great asset in crushing the Alliance and freeing the Kreogh sector. But at what cost?
“This agreement appears most generous,” Zoeko said, bringing Lahkaba’s attention back.
He hadn’t told any of the others about what Rathalos had said. The man had been very careful to say it when Lahkaba was the only one around, and in a public place, as their apartment was undoubtedly bugged by Confederate Intelligence.
Deciding he had to do something quickly, Lahkaba said, “But, unfortunately, we cannot accept it at this time. We’d prefer to work out a complete agreement, rather than conducting matters piecemeal.”
Sceglis turned to him for the first time, with a look of contempt that wasn’t very well hidden. “I assure you, this will in no way dampen our resolve to finalize a more permanent and complete treaty.”
“Of course not,” Lahkaba replied, not believing him for a moment. “But still, we would not want to take advantage of your hospitality and start our relationship off poorly. We hope to be partners.”
While Sceglis stared at him, clearly trying to ascertain Lahkaba’s strategy, the other three members of Lahkaba’s party cast him confused looks, though Zoeko’s gaze was more of reprimand and agitation. He hoped that was just part of her act as a gold, but he doubted it. Their discussion after leaving here wouldn’t be fun.
“I can see you’re not seriously interested in a treaty,” Sceglis said sternly. “Perhaps some time to discuss this with your fellow delegates will change your mind. As it stands right now, you clearly want more from us than is reasonable. Good day.”
With that, Sceglis and his party stood up and departed the room, leaving Lahkaba alone with nothing but the confused and angry looks of his people.
“You had better have a damn good explanation for that!” Lionell demanded once they were back in their transport car. He had activated their jamming device, preventing any eavesdropping, though Lahkaba thought it might be better for the Dotran to hear that he had acted alone.
“Yes, I would like to hear this as well, though I suspect it’s merely foolish Kowwok pride,” Zoeko hissed.
Valinther cast her a dark look but then turned it on Lahkaba. That made three sets of eyes boring into him. It made him feel like a kid again, caught doing something wrong. What he had just done might be much worse than stealing a sweet without asking, though.
Deciding that his best explanation was a full offensive, he reached over and hit the button that lowered the barrier between the passenger cabin and the driver. The glass partition lowered, revealing Rathalos operating the car’s controls.
Lahkaba stared at the other Kowwok’s back for a long moment and then said, “They all have good questions. Why did I just do that?”
Rathalos’s fur stiffened, but he didn’t turn back toward them. “You did it to prevent the Dotran from getting their hands on your unkillable warship.”
The cabin became dead silent for a minute. Lionell, Valinther, and Zoeko all exchanged glances as they processed the announcement. They wouldn’t want to see the Dotran become equipped with the Audacious’s regenerative shield technology, either.
“Yes, that would be a
n unfortunate side effect of that deal, but the price might be worth it. They were offering things we desperately need,” Lionell finally said, his tone reluctant.
“It’s a great bargaining chip,” Zoeko said, her voice ecstatic. “You were right to refuse the agreement. We can use this to gain much more than they were offering.”
“We can’t let them have that shield!” Valinther retorted. “Once we equip the Dotran with those shields, they’ll be unstoppable!”
“She may be right, Val,” Lionell said. “The ship doesn’t even work.”
“Tell that to the Alliance task force it destroyed defending my planet,” Valinther snapped back.
Zoeko let out a hissing growl. “We’re fighting over a side issue. The question we must address now is what does our driver have to do with this?”
“He was the one who brought my attention to what we would be giving away,” Lahkaba answered simply. “Though he didn’t tell me why he did that.”
Everyone’s attention shifted off of Lahkaba, filling him with relief, and settled on the Kowwok driver. Rathalos remained facing forward, avoiding the brunt of the stares. Silence was the only reply for a minute.
When it became obvious that the attention wasn’t going to go away, Rathalos dropped his shoulders slightly. “It would not be in our best interest to allow the Dotran such a tactical advantage.”
“Who is we?” Lahkaba asked, glad to finally be able to ask that question. He had only hopes and suspicions.
Rathalos hesitated again, but after a moment his voice was filled with pride. “The Kowwok Resistance.”
A surge of excitement washed through Lahkaba. When Rathalos had first spoken to him, a tiny voice in his head had imagined this possibility—his people fighting back and resisting the Dotran. But he had suppressed that idea immediately.
The Kowwok had been subjects of the Dotran for hundreds of years. Most of his people were still devoted to the non-violence taught by the Great One. But as Valinther and himself demonstrated, not all of them were.
“There is no Kowwok Resistance,” Valinther said. “I grew up on the homeworld. Anyone who thought of resisting was shunned. That’s why I left.”
Rathalos nodded. “That was true, and for many, it still is. But many among our people have been starting to feel that the pacifistic tenant of our faith is outdated. During the Colonial War, when the Dotran forcibly conscripted many Kowwok to fight, things started to change. The number of Kowwok opposed to any form of violence started to shrink at a faster pace. There are more and more of us who are ready to fight for our freedom.”
Still driving, Rathalos continued, “When we learned you were coming, I was inserted as your servant so I could help ensure that the negotiations succeeded. I decided warning you about the potential consequences of the deal they were offering was worth risking my cover. I never thought Sceglis would walk away from the table over this issue.”
“Why would you want the Dotran and us to form a treaty?” Lionell asked. “I’d think the resistance would be better served looking to us for aid rather than making us dependent on the Dotran. If we form a treaty, helping your people would be outside of our power.”
“We considered that,” Rathalos confessed. “But in the end we settled on a plan that required the Dotran sending a fleet to Kreogh Sector. We’ve been putting pieces into place since the news of the first uprising there occurred. We knew the Dotran would eventually send a fleet, one way or another, and better as a friend to you than as a conquering force.”
“You’re planning an uprising when the fleet departs?” Valinther asked, excitement creeping into his voice.
Lahkaba could appreciate the sentiment. A Kowwok uprising occurring at the same time that a Dotran fleet came and aided their efforts to be free from the Alliance—it would be the perfect event. Due to the travel delay, they would have several months of use out of the fleet before it got called back.
A selfish part of him also thought of the second benefit—if the Dotran fleet got called back to deal with an uprising at home, it wouldn’t become a permanent fixture in Kreogh. That was the major potential drawback to any treaty involving military aid.
“Not exactly,” Rathalos said, clearly hesitant.
“What do you mean, not exactly?” Lionell asked insistently. “What other benefit could a Dotran fleet being away provide to your resistance?”
“I’m not authorized to share that,” Rathalos replied. “I really shouldn’t be talking to you at all, but it was my advice that disrupted the talks, and I need to ensure they get back on track.”
Lahkaba wished Rathalos would tell them everything, but he could appreciate the position the other Kowwok was in. A resistance movement survived through secrecy. He didn’t want to jeopardize their chances by forcing him to say too much.
“So, how do we do that?” Lahkaba asked. “We can’t give them the shield technology. Even if it has problems, the potential threat is still too high. And it sounds like they’re going to hold out for either that or our submission to joining the Confederacy.”
“Neither one of which we can give them,” Valinther stated emphatically.
“We have only what we came here prepared to offer them,” Zoeko said, her tone surprisingly calm. “Trade agreements and resources rights.”
“That’s not insignificant,” Rathalos said. “The Dotran have a strong desire to gain access to the mineral wealth on Kol and the biodiversity on Mirthod.”
“We’ll just have to hope it’s enough,” Zoeko said. Something in her tone disturbed Lahkaba.
Chapter Twelve
Walking along the perimeter battle line between the Cardine and Alliance forces left Zeric feeling exposed. More than a kilometer of ground separated them, but it was mostly open ground. He could see the walls of the Alliance base, with guards standing watch.
Despite the appearance of danger, and his usual sense of self-preservation telling him to get behind something, Zeric knew the Alliance base presented no immediate danger. Protective shields protected him from any weapons fire from the Alliance. A similar field protected the Alliance, in turn.
As Zeric walked along with Marshall Teev, he greeted the mostly Camari soldiers manning the line. The shield protected them from long-range weapons fire, but due to the uneven nature of the ground, there were plenty of gaps large enough for soldiers to get through. That was the nature of portable shield generators, and he remembered being one of the soldiers having to sit right on the edge, watching for an attack.
The response from the soldiers holding the line made Zeric very uncomfortable. Most of them greeted him warmly and with a glow of excitement. He tried to recall if meeting any big-name generals had made him act like that, but he couldn’t recall a time he had met any big-name generals on the front lines.
What surprised him the most about the tour was how the troops responded to Marshall Teev. The troops greeted the man like a friend, and while they showed pleasure at seeing him, they didn’t treat it as a special event. Apparently, it wasn’t unusual for them to see their leader on the front lines.
“You’ve got an impressive set-up here, Marshall,” Zeric said as they moved between two units of troop.
“Thank you,” Teev responded, genuine pride evident in his tone. “They’ve served their planet well, defending us all. I only hope I can repay them for their courage by finding a way to end this detestable stalemate soon. Any suggestions you might have would be welcome.”
Zeric gritted his teeth to hold back his first, natural response. The previous night, he and Gu’od had discussed a number of potential plans to breach the Alliance’s defenses and end the current standoff, but Lei-mey had been insistent on preserving the situation.
“Actually, Marshall, I would recommend that you keep up the stalemate as long as possible,” Zeric said, half regretting it even as he spoke.
Teev gave him a startled look, and Zeric continued, “Right now, you’ve got the Alliance in a weak but defensible position. You can
resupply; they cannot. A prolonged siege benefits you more than it does them.”
Teev looked thoughtful but shook his head. “That would be unfair to my forces, making them sit. Idleness is the bane of any army.”
“True.” Zeric hated the old routine of “hurry up and wait.” He went on, “But you have another advantage—you can rotate your forces off the front lines; the Alliance cannot.”
“Not unless they send reinforcements, and as long as the Alliance has a foothold on Cardine, the easier that will be for them,” Teev said.
“Also true,” Zeric said. “But no Alliance commander is going to call for reinforcements as long as he thinks he has a chance of winning on his own. Your two forces have been sitting here for weeks now, facing off against each other. While the wait is annoying and damaging to morale, it also boosts the confidence of their commander.
“If you could finish them, why haven’t you done it by now? he’s thinking. He’s got a powerful enough comm system to break through planetary jamming, so he can send messages to any Alliance spy ships that might appear. He’s got months of supplies. Show him a few signs of your troops weakening, and he’ll be ready to keep this siege going without calling for assistance.
“Admiral Sartori has an entire sector in rebellion, and Cardine has planetary weapons capable of defending itself. As long as the Alliance commander on the scene believes he can hold out, Sartori won’t risk sending forces here that she can use elsewhere. The moment you remove that option is the moment you need to start getting ready to repel an invasion.”
Despite his distaste for pushing Lei-mey’s plan on Teev, he didn’t disagree with it. None of it was a lie, which he hadn’t expected from her. Even though it wasn’t a plan he would have endorsed on his own, it was a sound military strategy. He just hated waiting as much as the soldiers here holding the line did.
“Perhaps you’re right,” Teev finally said, still looking thoughtful.
Seizing this, Zeric decided to throw in a little of his own perspective. “Trust me, Marshall, I wouldn’t want to prolong a siege any more than you. If it were just me, I’d charge the Alliance base now—to hell with sitting around waiting. But, unfortunately, you and I don’t have the luxury of indulging our own personal desires.”