The Apex Warriors

by Marc Stevens

  I called to Tria in her native tongue. “Please put him down before he soils the Legacy’s deck.”

  She turned so the group could not see her expression, and winked at me.

  General McNeal elbowed the Colonel in the ribs. “Put a zipper on it, Joe. I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”

  The General apologized to Tria for the Colonel’s outburst. “I am sorry for the Colonel’s comment. We were not expecting to see someone so similar in appearance to a human.”

  “There are several races that resemble humans in many ways. There are hundreds more, that do not.” Tria commented in perfect English.

  I quickly stepped next to Coonts to keep things moving along. “Some of you may or may not be aware of Engineer Coonts’s race, but his people have visited Earth on many occasions. His race is called the Grawl. Many of his people’s incursions on our planet have been illegal. I want you to know, Coonts was never among those who trespassed against us. He has worked tirelessly for the good of all races, and is a shining example of what his people can be.”

  When Coonts retracted his helmet General McNeal physically stiffened. The others in his group just stared in disbelief. General McNeal obviously knew something about the Grawl that the others in his group did not. When he didn’t comment I moved on.

  Coonts on the other hand did have something to say. “General McNeal has seen my kind before.” He said in the Grawl language.

  “His reaction tells me you are correct,” I replied in Grawl.

  The use of an unknown dialect got me looks of disapproval from my guest. “Are you keeping something from us, Mister Myers?” General McNeal asked.

  “Interesting question General. I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  The General’s face reddened.

  “My next crew member is a Troop Master from the Tibor race. He does not tolerate fools or nonsense of any kind. He has led troops into battle in many parts of the galaxy. I advise you to choose your words wisely if you address him.”

  Karl wasn’t going to take any chances and started backing away. I almost smiled when Tria, Coonts, and Sael took a couple of steps back as well. My guests took notice of the movement and the color started draining from their faces. Klutch stepped forward and retracted his helmet. General McNeal swallowed once hard, then gave Klutch a bow without saying a word. The rest of the group quickly followed suit. Klutch was hamming it up and slowly circled them. He busted out a big toothy grin and I hoped he would not start laughing at them. A Tibor’s smile is not for the weak of heart. When it is accompanied by his croaking laugh it can send shivers through the most steadfast intestinal track.

  I moved on to Sael so we would be done with the meet and greet. If they were not convinced this was all real by now, they were delusional, and not who I wanted to take my message to the White House

  “This is Sael Nalen, she is also from the Chaalt race and a high-ranking warrior. Until recently she held the position of Principal Investigator for all of the Chaalt homeworlds. She commanded the space exploration and technology arm of the Chaalt military. She only answered to the leaders of her people.”

  The looks on my guest's faces were neutral, but I could tell they were somewhat confused. General McNeal rubbed at his temples then frowned. “I don’t get it. If she was such a high-ranking officer, why is she here? You said this was your crew. Why would any of them want to defer to you?”

  It was a good question and worthy of a good answer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have one that would make any sense to them.

  I was caught off guard when Sael answered for me. “When I first met Commander Myers, I tried to kill him because I had misjudged him. Since that time, I realize, that if I had managed to succeed, it would have been a grave injustice. I soon learned that he does not represent just a single race, he stands for the good of all races. You have no idea how violent and dangerous this universe is. I have fought in several battles side by side with Commander Myers. He does not cower in the face of overwhelming odds and selflessly stands against the worse this galaxy has to offer. I would gladly follow him to my death if that is where my destiny takes me.”

  Damn, if Sael wasn’t laying it on them. Her comment about following me to her death had more meaning than the Officers from Earth would ever know. She had already been there and done that.

  Sael turned and pointed at me for emphasis. “He and the warriors you see with him, have persevered when other elite forces have failed. He commands technology that sets him apart from all others, and he uses it to protect those who cannot stand in their own defense. Many races, if not all, would have used Commander Myers's discoveries to benefit themselves, and in some cases to the detriment of others. There are predatory races whose only goals are to enslave, pillage, or annihilate other primitive species they encounter. There is a possibility that it could happen to your homeworld at any moment. You must listen to what he has to say, and take immediate action to prepare yourselves for what your future may hold.”

  I was speechless. I never expected to hear something like that come out of Sael Nalen’s mouth.

  Regrettably, it was not the show stopper that came out of Klutch’s. He gave them a big toothy grin. “What the Senior Operative has told you is true. We have sent more than a million murderous Throggs back to their maker for crimes against defenseless innocents.” He said in English.

  Of all the things he could reminisce about, I wished that wasn’t one of them. He had no idea that things back on Earth were not judged in the same simple way they were in the galaxy. The looks on my guest's faces were incredulous.

  “Di…Did I just hear your Troop Master correctly?” General Mcneal stuttered. “You're out here killing aliens by the millions!”

  When I didn’t answer, Klutch took it upon himself to make sure they knew it. “I have seen my Commander kill more than a hundred Quill with just his fighting knife and hands. He went into an Outpost full of pirate scum and killed close to a thousand of them before the cowards fled to the farthest regions of the galaxy. I was with him one time when we…”

  “That will be all Troop Master!” I interrupted.

  Klutch finally turned and saw the look on my face and determined that I didn’t need any more help from him.

  “Mr. Myers,” General McNeal said in a quiet voice. If what your Troop Master says is true, you do realize, that there will be certain officials in our government who will brand you as a mass murderer, regardless of the hostile races’ intentions. They will also try to frame you as the reason other species might try to seek humans out for extermination.”

  Justice did me a solid by putting another viewscreen up on the hull next to the hangar door. He started showing videos of our past engagements. He started with our first contact with the Quill. My crew and I stood by silently waiting while they watched with revulsion as the atrocities perpetrated on other races unfolded before their eyes. Justice hit them with horror after horror for more than an hour. When he tried to wrap things up, he showed the aliens the Prule had hanging from their intelligence gathering machinery. The Earth soldiers had reached their limit.

  “For Christ’s sake Myers, turn it off, I get it!” General Myers exclaimed. The General and his group were wide-eyed, pale, and physically shaken by what they saw.

  General Thorton stared at me. His complexion was leaning toward the green side of the spectrum. “You have been fighting monsters like these non-stop since you left Earth?”

  “Yes, I started out fighting the pirates my AI showed you. It only got progressively worse from there. Each new predatory race I discovered wreaking havoc on our galaxy, seemed to be worse than the last. The Prule, as far as I know, is the only race wanting to destroy all biological life no matter where they find it. The rest of the predatory races are just content preying upon the weak and defenseless species they stumble across. Planets like Earth fall into that category. If a race like the Scrun were to show up in Earth’s orbit, our entire race would be enslaved and there wou
ld be nothing you could do to stop them.”

  “We have a very robust nuclear capability…” General McNeal started to say before I cut him off.

  “It is useless and only designed to be used against our own kind. My AI could shut down every single nuke on the planet in seconds. The technology guarding the nuclear arsenals on this planet is a joke. The security you think you have is a farce. I have been trying to tell you that our species will become extinct if all of the nations of the world do not come together for the greater good. I can give this planet the tools to defend all life here, but it must be a united effort.”

  “Then, by God give it to us. After that, we will show the other countries of the world what needs to be done!” General McNeal exclaimed.

  I slapped my hand to my forehead in frustration. “You are not listening!” I yelled back at him. “The Earth does not need a dominant country dictating to the rest of the world what they think must be done. Everyone will get the same technology and produce it for the greater good of all.”

  The General flinched as if I had slapped him. “Look son,” He pleaded. “You cannot give the enemies our your own country, technology that will advance their war-making capabilities.”

  My frustration was on the verge of peaking. It fleetingly crossed my mind, to space all of the stupid bastards and try to find someone else with a more worldly attitude.

  18

  Justice pinged my implants. His report calmed my toxic ruminations. “Commander, the freighter will emerge from hyperspace in five minutes.”

  ​“Roger that Justice, take us to its exit point,” I said out loud.

  My guests looked around confused by my statement. “Is there someone else lurking around here that we have yet to meet?” General McNeal asked.

  ​The General’s lurking comment irked me, but not enough to chastise him for it.“The AI that runs this ship is named Justice. He cares for my clan and everything you see around me. He saved my life in the Alaskan wilderness and is the reason I am where I am today. His Oolaran architecture as far as we know is at the pinnacle of engineering perfection. Over the years he has acquired a sense of being, that mirrors humans in many ways. We have yet to come up against another AI that can rival him in intelligence or combat capabilities.”

  ​“What did you mean when you told it to take us to an exit point.” General Thorton asked.

  ​“My clan's freighter is getting ready to make its transition to normal spacetime.”

  General McNeal frowned. “What may I ask is aboard the freighter?”

  ​“Over three thousand nine hundred defensive drones. They are going to take up strategic locations around Earth. It is my hopes that they, along with the Galactic Union drones already present in this star system, can turn back or destroy any hostile race that discovers Earth.”

  ​“Who or what is the Galactic Union?” General Thorton asked.

  ​“General, my AI has prepared a data device that will respond to all of your questions. Place it next to any computer system and it will give you access to an enormous amount of information on many of my findings. Once certain conditions have been met you will also gain access to a great many benefits. Some of which include medical breakthroughs the will cure a great many diseases that plague the world today. Others will address critical clean energy solutions that will stop the rampant pollution of the Earth. Most importantly will be the secure ground-based communication systems that will not require space-based satellites. The AI’s aboard the drones are a subsystem of Justice. You will be able to communicate with him as well as me. Make no mistake, if Justice decides you are not willing to work together to defend Earth, he will take matters into his own hands.”

  ​“Is that some kind of threat!” General McNeal yelled.

  ​“General, you can take it any way you want to. I don’t care. What I do care about, is my homeworld and the people who live on it. If the military leaders of this world cannot work together for the good of all, then your abilities to make war will be permanently removed from you. If Justice uncovers an imminent threat to the power transfer process, he can easily remove it as well.”

  The rage building on the General’s face subsided quickly when a bright pulsating glow flashed through the open hangar doors. The officers gathered at the opening and gawked in awe as the freighter transitioned into normal spacetime.

  ​Colonel Chavez spoke for the first time in more than an hour. “Look at the size of that thing!” He yelled as Justice moved in alongside the behemoth.

  ​“Justice, tell them they can start launching at any time.”

  ​“Affirmative,” He responded.

  ​The huge hold doors opened on both sides of the freighter and the drones poured out like raindrops.

  ​“This smacks of gunboat diplomacy boy, you need to think hard about what you are going to be doing to your own country.” General McNeal ranted.

  ​“Why can’t you get it through your thick skull. This is no longer about just one country, it is about the survival of the entire planet!” I shot right back.

  “Justice,” I called, “Take us back to Earth. I have had my fill of the General’s narrow-minded attitude.”

  “Do you have a destination in mind Commander?” The AI replied.

  “Put them down on the front lawn of the White House, please.”

  Of all the things they could have said in protest, I was not expecting to hear their next complaint. “We can’t go talk to the President looking like this.” General Thorton shouted.

  “Justice, What is the status of the General’s security team?”

  “They have been treated for their broken bones and aside from mild concussions, will make full recoveries.”

  ‘Would you please supply all our guests with smart cloth uniforms, and send the General’s security detail to the hanger.”

  “Affirmative Commander.”

  Karl was standing back behind us all and watching how things were playing out. When he heard our destination, he had other plans. “I will gladly take one of your fancy uniforms, but I have no interest in being anywhere near the capital when this crap sack lands.”

  “Oh no,” General hollered at Karl. “You brought this shit to my doorstep, and I still have questions for you.”

  The look on Karl’s face said he was not happy hearing that. I took it upon myself to bail him out of any complicity. “General, Karl had nothing to do with any of this. I skyjacked him because he was the only person that knew me well prior to my disappearance. No one else would recognize me and know who I was.”

  The General still fumed. “Okay Larson, you are off the hook for now, but I still have a few questions that will need to be answered at a future date.”

  Karl just gave him a somber nod of his head.

  “General, if you have any reasonable questions you should direct them to my AI. All of the prominent leaders of their respective nations will be receiving identical data cubes. Everyone will have the same access to the information I have brought with me. Nations that start immediately complying with the instructions on the cubes, will naturally receive greater incentives. I have hopes that the powers that be in the U.S. will be the first to realize the advantages of leading the call for worldwide unity.”

  “Hah!” The General barked. “You are a fool if you think the Chinese or Russians will listen to anything having to do with unity and the United States.”

  “General, I did not come here thinking this would be easy. I will be taking steps that will not be mistaken by any nation as to how I will enforce the measures laid out on the data cubes.”

  “What may I ask are you planning to do if your visions of grandeur fail.” He spat back at me.

  The General’s attitude of mistrust was cultivated by years of bad behavior by other nation-states. It was starting to annoy me that he doubted my ability to change the status quo. I guess I needed to do something that all the major players would understand.

  “Justice, how many nuclear weapons are
there on Earth?”

  “Twenty-seven thousand three hundred and nine. There are an additional forty-two in orbit above the Earth belonging to the three dominant superpowers.”

  General McNeal's eyes bugged out. It may have been a surprise that the other superpowers had militarized Earth’s orbitals as the U.S military did. That, or he thought they would escape Justice’s notice. Either way, it was no longer going to matter.

  “Neutralize them all, please. I would also like you to take command of all the warships operating on and below the oceans, and return them to their respective homeports.”

  “Affirmative Commander.”

  “Are you out of your mind Myers? You can’t do that!” The General yelled in outrage.

  “Get over it General, it’s a done deal” I replied.

  The group stood in shock at what I just did. To my relief, the security detail showed up in the hanger. They had the same expressions on their faces as the Generals. They were scared and it was easy to see. They approached General McNeal. “Sir, a voice instructed us to give each of you one of these.”

  They gave each of the Officers a smart cloth uniform. “Gentleman,” I said. “Once you remove your current attire, take the uniform in your hands and grab it by the sleeves.”

  They reluctantly undressed and then took the uniforms by the sleeves.

  “Now spread it out while holding it against your back.”