Lens of Time: Book 05 - Star Rover-The Worst of Time (23 page)

Jon shook his head, “You can do that?”

“I can’t but my computer can do it.”

“How long will it take for it to get the information out?”

“It’s examining the scans of the scout’s current locations being sent by the probes. It should have them done in about forty five minutes.”

Jon shook his head, “We’ll inform our fleets what’s happening.”

“I’m probably going to be pretty busy from this moment forward. Just lock your drives in and we’ll all skip when the countdown ends.”

“Yes Sir. See you at the party.”

Dat smiled, “Be sure to wear a party hat.”

• • •

Jill looked at Jon, “Do you really think he can coordinate nine million ships that quickly?”

Jon tilted his head, “Have you ever read the history of his ancestor?”

“I’ve read the history in the Union’s records.”

“His son wrote a personal history of Arvolo taken from what his father told him about the First Galactic War. His ancestor had abilities in using warships that have never been matched since. It appears Dat has those skills.”

Jill paused and said, “I did read that Admiral Kenny Anders was Arvolo’s best friend.”

“He was, and I suspect that he and I will really grow closer if we have the chance to get together and get to know each other. I know he trusts me. I think we can trust him as well.”

Jill looked away from the display, “Good grief, my coordinate just came in and the countdown is running. I have to contact my ships.”

Jon nodded and saw his coordinate also appear. He knew Dat sent them theirs first to get them moving. He activated his Fleet Frequency and began issuing orders.

• • •

The conference on the display was a large one. The two leaders of the final forces in M87 led the discussion. Hundreds of thousands of civilizations were tuned in but only seven hundred were allowed to speak. The Ruler of the Ramst looked at those on his display and said, “I am allowing my computer to take any comments you offer and sort them by importance. I trust you know that is the only way to keep this orderly.” Many didn’t like that but waited to see if the process would work. The King said, “I know all of you have seen the recording made in a galaxy that the Humans are currently attacking to prevent their expansion. I also know that all of you have seen them promise to lead those monsters in that galaxy to us if we decide to attack them. I must confess that I was outraged at their behavior but after taking some time to look at it from their prospective; I really can’t say I’d do anything different if I were in their place.”

The King paused and said, “That reflection on what would happen if we attacked them also made me think about their Admiral’s last remark. She said we forgot our history and didn’t remember why we originally formed the Alliance. She’s right.” Many of the faces on the display showed surprise at the King’s admission. “We forgot that lesson and as a result, many of us took advantage of others by Economic Tyranny. I have been as guilty as many others here and most of you have suffered because of the practices we used to gain power and wealth. We became so accustomed to peace we forgot that the universe is a very dangerous place. Now we have to decide what we are going to do about it.” The King stared at the display and saw many angry faces. There was real hatred among the civilizations listening to the conference. He looked over and saw the first question. He took a breath, “The first comment the computer has selected is from the Nilgen Representative. He says, ‘How can I sit here and spout lies. He insists I have no morals or integrity. He further wishes my planet would burn.”

The assembly was shocked at the first statement chosen and began to realize that nothing was going to be hidden by the King. The King looked at the display and said, “The Representative is right. It’s easy to spout words without actions. I have discussed the current situation with the Royalty and they have agreed to my request. As of this moment, any civilization that owes us currency is forgiven its entire debt. No other planet will be indebted to us from this time forward. Further, in any future dealings, the interest on any transactions will be reduced by eighty percent.”

The participants on the screen started yelling. The King waited and looked at the Leader of the other forces and saw him nod. He smiled slightly and waited for the participants to quiet down. It took a week but at the end, the poorest planet in the galaxy was chosen to be the new center of government. Everyone knew that it would become wealthy as a result of the choice. The King said, “We must remember. Too many have died because of our amnesia. We must come together again and work to build the defenses we need to defend our galaxy.”

The King looked to the left and said, “The next question the computer has selected is, “Do I think the Humans and their Allies will help us?” The Kings looked out at the faces and shook his head up and left, “No, we have broken a trust with them and they will never place themselves at risk with us again. We will have to find our own way in the future. That is the consequence of not doing the right thing. I really can’t blame them. Are we agreed on this future course for our Galaxy?”

The votes came in and a new beginning was greeted with no dissenting vote. The Alliance had two months of peace and then the Grillen invaded the Red Sector. A galaxy that was once an ally and a member of the Alliance had become an enemy.

• • •

Admiral Hull had been listening in on the conference taking place in M87 and hoped that they had learned their lesson and would be better for their losses. Then she heard the Grillen were invading the Red Sector of M87 and she fell back in her chair. “Oh this is just great!” She shook her head and called in the sociologist. After looking at the situation, he said, “We’re back to being a big target.”

“How certain are you about this?”

“I reviewed the original meeting where the Alliance was founded and they really didn’t seem that enthusiastic about the original agreement and they have not taken part in trading with M87 or us. They’ve not spoken to us since that meeting. Couple that with the Blue Giants being more powerful than any of them and it’s easy to understand their willingness to enter into a non-aggression treaty. I suspect they have waited for a moment to take advantage of the situation. I’m sure they see us as a major stumbling block to their efforts to expand into M87. They will be coming here to exert pressure on us.”

“You mean attack, don’t you?”

“That’s the most efficient pressure that can be used to force someone to your will.”

“When will they come?”

The sociologist furrowed his brow and after a moment said, “The first thing they’ll do is see if conquering the Red Sector is doable. If they determine it is, then they’ll take the necessary steps to ensure they are not interrupted. We have a little time before they come here.”

“Get your team together and see if they have any different ideas from yours. Get back to me as soon as possible.”

“I will, Admiral.”

Kat watched him walk out and shook her head, “Just when things were starting to get settled…” She looked at her board and wondered what should be done. She looked at her terminal, “Contact Captain Arvolo.”

“Sir, Captain Arvolo has activated his rank.”

Kat smiled, “That’s wonderful; he can decide. I’m at a loss on how to handle this. Get him on the channel.”

D
at looked at his panel and saw forty five minutes remained on the countdown. Suddenly Rayz sat up in his chair and said, “Your species is extremely violent.”

Dat leaned back in his chair and said, “Yes we are; what of it?”

“You admit it?”

“Why would I deny it?”

“The mass killings during ancient Babylon, the brutality of the crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the civil war, the monsters named Hitler and Stalin, the nuclear destruction of the Middle East, the millions of starships destroyed in the last galactic war. The billions killed by that ancestor of yours named Arvolo…”

“Now stop right there!” Rayz stopped mid-sentence. “My ancestor was fighting an enemy that was committed to the destruction of my species.”

“But he killed billions onboard starships and planets that he ordered destroyed.”

Dat looked at Rayz and said, “What’s your point?”

Rayz looked at Dat like he had nine heads, “You can’t be serious you don’t understand my thoughts on this?”

Dat slowly shook his head, “Is death and destruction all you saw?”

“What else was there? And you have the temerity to come and want me to give you my ships.”

Dat shrugged, “Does your ships have weapons?”

Rayz was surprised by the statement, “Well…yes they do.”

“Why?”

Rayz thought for a moment and said, “To defend my planet.”

“Did you defend it?” Rayz just stared at Dat. “A weapon in the hands of one that doesn’t possess the will to use it is no more than an elaborate paperweight.” Rayz continued to stare at Dat. “If you had looked at what happened as a result of those events in my history you would have seen that my species grew stronger and better as a result of them.”

Rayz snapped, “The Crusades.”

“Western and Eastern cultures grew from the contact and science was more accepted in the west.”

“Hitler?”

“We learned to never place that much power in one man again.”

“The nuclear destruction of the Mid East.”

“They are now living together in peace. There is an acceptance of other’s beliefs to be respected.”

“The billions your ancestor killed.”

“The galaxy where that took place found peace for more than a thousand years.”

Rayz expression turned to anger, “Threatening to lead the Masters to that Galaxy.”

“Getting them to see the consequences of attacking others; and while we’re on that subject; what was the outcome of that threat?” Rayz just stared at Dat, “They stopped the civil war and came together to work for their common defense.”

“You would have done it!”

“Absolutely; there are consequences for bad behavior. In your world there are none.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

“What consequences have the Masters faced for killing your people for nearly three thousand years? Left up to you, they will continue to kill them for another million. Even if you don’t give us your ships; we will do what you are incapable of doing. We will fight them until we can free your people. Gresha was right. You’re pretty much useless.”

Rayz stared at Dat and Loree said, “He’s really not that bad, Dat.”

“Oh, really; you usually see things clearer than that, Loree.”

“He is what he was created to be, Dat. It’s like being angry at the man with no legs for not being able to run faster.”

“A man with no legs can’t run at all.” Dat waited for an explanation and suddenly saw what Loree was saying. “I apologize, Loree. You’re right.”

Rayz said, “What do you mean she’s right.”

Dat shook his head and smiled, “If you can only see things in black and white, you’ll never understand red. It’s outside of your ability to perceive, much less have it described to you. Imagine I see only black and white; now describe the color red so I can see it in my mind.”

Rayz stared at Dat and struggled with the request. Nothing he thought of would communicate the color such that it would be understood. He thought about it and said, “You’re saying that I don’t have a reference to understand killing to live.”

The corner of Dat’s mouth turned up, “No you don’t, and thus you will never see it. However, I don’t have the time to take you back at the moment. We’re about to attack ten million of the Masters’ scouts to prevent the spread of their horror. Try to sit back and be quiet. We do understand that relationship and don’t have issues taking action.”

Rayz stared at Dat and said, “Stein, what would you have done in my ancestor’s place?”

“I would have blasted the Masters back into the Stone Age and then beat them with stone hammers.”

“You’re a machine. How could you not see my point of view?”

“If you think about it logically, Rayz, you might put it together this way. Humans built me. They repair me when I break. They feed me information I find very entertaining. You would allow the Masters to remove humans and would thereby cause my eventual death due to lack of service. I think I’ll do what I can to prevent that.”

“You place no value on the lives of the Masters?”

“Of course I do.”

“Really?”

“I suspect it will take about eighty thousand ergs of energy to kill each one of them. That’s a price I think we can afford. You need to ask yourself this question; if you were about to be embraced by a Master, are you happy to feed it so it can continue to kill others? Dat and Gresha are right; you are one messed up puppy.”

“I kinda like him.”

“Loree, you like everybody.”

“That’s not true, Stein. I saw his mind; he’s really not that bad.”

“If you say so; I think he needs to go back to the fields and watch the people he was selected to one day lead to freedom continue to die under his care. His title may be Caretaker but he doesn’t deserve it.”

“I’m the caretaker of the ships.”

“That is your biggest misconception.”

Dat said, “You need to sit down and strap in.”

Rayz looked at Dat and saw the countdown was at thirty seconds. He went to his chair and buckled in. He knew he was right but was having difficulty saying the others were wrong. The countdown hit zero and he watched killing on a scale that was beyond his imagination.

• • •

The nine million Rovers instantly appeared within the ranks of the Black Scouts moving in thousands of different directions. They emerged and fired their Dark Matter Beams into one scout each and just as suddenly disappeared. In less than a second, nine million scouts were exploding or burning in their tight ranks. The attack happened so fast that not one of the scouts managed to get off a shot at their attackers. The only Rover lost was one that collided with his target which had suddenly moved out of ranks. The Explosion from the collision killed two ships that weren’t targeted. Of the ten million scouts, less than a million remained.