Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire (26 page)

‘
In places where
there were animals that were about to go extinct we captured
breeding pairs and bred them in captivity. When there were enough
we released their offspring back into the wild.

‘
I am sure a few of
you are wondering why I am telling you all this. The answer is
simple: to show we are not the filthy meat eating scum that our
enemies have portrayed us as. As the Grand Admiral said, Earth is a
jewel. We don’t murder and eat everything in our paths. We believe
in life and the preservation of our planet as it is. Many Human
beings have endangered their own lives or even lost their lives in
the name of such preservation.

‘
There is one other
benefit that we have reaped over the years, though we did not
realise it at first. Many of the areas we preserved were very
inaccessible. We would send scientists into these areas to monitor
the wildlife and plant life there. They began to catalogue the
different flora and fauna and send samples back. On doing so we
discovered thousands of new species. These included new food
sources, fruits, and medicines to help heal the sick.

‘
Of course, it is
easy for me to stand here and tell you how wonderful we all are.
Where is the evidence?’

The President turned and lifted an arm.
‘Tonight I am going to present that evidence to you who have so
kindly taken the time to hear our plea.’

A procession began. Large writing desks
decorated in a Chinese style were brought in. Temporary stands
adjusted to the height of each of the top guests and the desks were
placed on top. Gold keys were laid on top of the desks. Many of the
guests seemed frightened to touch them, but the Modloch Emperor
showed them how. He held up his key, ‘I haven’t seen anything like
this outside of a museum.’ Then inserted the key and turned it.
Opening his desk made him cry out in joy. It persuaded the others
to do the same. There were similar gasps of joy and wonder.

They found it hard to tear their eyes
back to the President. ‘Honoured guests, you will find on the lid a
detachable section you can simply pull away and dispose of at your
leisure. Inside this section we have digital recordings that are
compatible with most of your domestic devices. These contain
documentaries on the subjects I have been talking to you about
tonight. You will also find a selection of writing materials should
you wish to take any notes.’

His narrative was interrupted by the
Emperor who howled with glee as he wrote his name on an A4 blank
notepad and showed it to everyone. A competition of sorts got up as
they tried to follow suit. They howled with laugher at their own
attempts. They also began to compare pens and the craftsmanship
that went into making them. Then the desks were inspected and
discovered to be wood with mother of pearl, silver and gold
inlay.

The President was beginning to think
that they were never going to quieten down. One of the alien
Emperors noticed and called out to him, ‘Please continue Mr
President. We may be a little over-excited at the beauty of these
gifts, but we are still listening.’

‘
Besides, we don’t
want to be here all night, do we,’ The Modloch Emperor added to a
gale of laughter.

The President bowled low while trying
to suppress a laugh. ‘I was merely going to point out the contents
of your writing desks. However, it seems you have discovered them
for yourselves.’ They laughed at that. ‘You will find
encyclopaedias documenting much of the work we have done to
preserve the wildlife on our planet. They also cover much of the
wildlife itself: birds, our great oceans, the vast savannas, flora
and fauna.

‘
The simple point is
we are not filthy animals. We do not wish to be at war with any
other race. We have art, music, textiles. We are not ignorant or
stupid.

‘
Since arriving in
this part of the galaxy we have hit one stumbling block after
another. Because we are part of very few treaties, everything you
see before you is vulnerable. We know that many species now lust
after our home world. If they succeed, the universe will only get
more grass. That’s it. One or two species of grass. You will never
taste the variety of grasses you did tonight again. You will never
again taste an apple, pear, cabbage, carrot or turnip. They will be
as extinct as we are and every other species on Earth.’

He could see they were listening
closely. ‘Many believe that they can destroy us. Can you imagine
what would happen if they did? How many other species would join
the battle to rape our solar system? We wiped out an Albany battle
fleet over three times our number. We took this city ship. We
could, and many have suggested that we do so, just pull back behind
the great barrier. We could build defences and battle fleets. We
are not part of any treaty. If any one species decided to attack
us, we could simply cross the barrier and wipe them out. If
multiple species try it,’ he shrugged, ‘Same thing. We don’t care.
Obviously there would come a time when the great alliance would
have to take action. That would mean every nation would have to
send a battle fleet into our territory to defeat us. Could you
imagine that? We could very well lose. However, there is no
guarantee that we would.’

A number of delegates laughed, but none
of the leaders did. The President turned to those that laughed.
‘You would lose every single ship, every single body you sent
across. Grand Admiral Gairloch entered our territory with a full
thirty thousand Modloch. We found him within a few weeks of
crossing the great barrier. By then almost half had already
died.

‘
At that time our sun
was experiencing a rare period of low activity. By the time they
reached our planet another few thousand were dead. If they had
arrived during a period of normal solar activity, only a few
hundred would have reached our planet alive. During a period of
high activity, none would have reached it alive. Could you imagine
a whole galactic battle fleet perishing before it even reached
Earth? Yet you laugh.’

‘
Mr President, is
this a threat?’ It was the same one that had told him to go on
speaking.

The President bowed low, ‘No your
excellency, merely a fact.’

‘
What will you do if
no one supports your bid?’

‘
We will simply
retreat behind the great barrier. There will be no trade of any
description with those on the other side. To be blunt your
excellency, you have nothing we need.’

‘
You would not trade
anything?’

‘
Nothing. Any
incursion into our space would be considered hostile.’

‘
Yes, and most likely
it would be. My territory lies very close to the borders of an area
we call the Sparse Lands. There are a number of meat eating races
that have advanced technology within the region. Many attempts have
been made to flush them out and eradicate them. They actually have
special spits where they can roast my people whole, and alive. If
we ever went to war with your people, would the captured suffer the
same fate?’

The President visibly shuddered.
‘Absolutely not. Any Human partaking of such a meal would be
incarcerated for the rest of their lives. We are a part of the
Balang treaty on the treatment of prisoners of war. Regardless of
what happens here or in the next few years, we will uphold the
treaty. Any prisoners of war will be treated properly, regardless
of race.’

‘
I am glad to hear
it, please go on.’

The President bowed low again. ‘Let us
now take a step back from what might be. Most treaties begin with
two parties looking at each other and asking a few questions: “what
have you got that I like? Can I take it by force or do I have to
buy it?”’ That brought a few laughs from the gathered nobles. The
President smiled. ‘Of course, if you can’t grab it, or afford it,
you may well be able to trade for it. Our solar system is rich in
all kinds of metals and minerals, none of which we can sell or
trade because of galactic restrictions and other trade agreements.
So what do we have left that we can trade with? We already have a
trade agreement with the Modloch Emperor for our grasses; so that
is off the table. What do we have left? The answer to that is
simple. The resources of a whole planet that has never lost any of
its diversity.

‘
As you can see
before you, we still have paper, and use it. The desks that hold
them are made from real wood. Before me sit some of the most
powerful and richest beings in the galaxy, but I bet less than a
handful have any real paper in their library. How many of you have
real wood in your palaces or residences? Neither have I seen a
piece of real glass since arriving here. We have textiles that will
make you weep with joy when you feel them next to your skin. None
of these are banned by trade agreements, simply because they have
either never existed here or have long since been lost to time and
necessity.

‘
So what do you have
that we want? I will be honest, absolutely nothing. We can’t eat
your food, your textiles are inferior and our technology is now on
par with yours. There is only one thing you have that is of any
value to us, and that is your endorsement to join this galactic
federation of planets. With your endorsement, we will keep safe
that which we value most. That, my noble friends, is the planet we
treasure more than our lives. The planet Earth.’

The President bowed low and he was
applauded in many different ways. But he wasn’t quite finished.
‘Before I go, I would like to introduce to you a few of the other
inhabitants of our world. Maybe once you meet them, you will
understand our passion.’

CHAPTER 32

It had been a huge undertaking and a
logistical nightmare. However, the ship named the Ark had arrived a
few weeks previously. On board were a menagerie of animals from
Earth.

Horses were brought in to the hall
first, from the Clydesdale horses of the guards to a Shetland pony.
The noble guests were invited down to meet them. The tiny sheltie
was the hit of the parade and the Modloch Emperor fell in love with
the Clydesdales. The horses were followed by camels and zebras. The
koala bears and kangaroos proved to be a big hit, but they seemed a
bit wary of the monkeys and for some strange reason found the sheep
hilarious. The largest reaction was to the big cats.

The President asked them all to take
their seats again. ‘So far you have met only a tiny proportion of
the animal kingdom. All of them, like you, are herbivores. Some eat
grass. Most eat leaves or fruit. There are, however, many predators
on our planet. In their natural environment, they prevent the
over-population of the other species. Even Humans are not safe from
these animals. We are going to introduce you to a small selection
of these predators. I would ask all of you to remain calm at all
times. Please do not cry out or startle these animals. Even though
they have been brought up in captivity, they are still, at heart,
wild animals and predators. You can never truly tame a big cat. For
your safety they will be flanked by rangers with dart guns. If they
begin acting wildly we will dart them, which will render them
unconscious. I implore you not to shout, jump about, wave your
arms, or do anything that might startle them.’

A pair of ocelots were led in first,
bringing only a few murmurs from the guests. The President had been
replaced by a beautiful redhead in a safari outfit who described
the cats.

A puma was brought in next and the
guests seemed a little more impressed. They were even more
impressed by the pair of cheetahs. However, when a single male
Bengal tiger was brought in the atmosphere in the great hall
changed dramatically; you could have heard a pin drop. Neither did
the Tiger seem very happy. His tail twitched from side to side and
he growled menacingly at some of the guests. His keeper scolded him
soundly and the big cat apologised by rubbing his head against her.
She gave him a big scratch behind the ears and he was happy enough
to be led out. There was a loud sigh of relief as the door closed
behind him.

The redhead hid a smile. ‘Our last big
cats are a trio of African lions. We call them the Marx brothers
because of their playful nature. Noble guests, I implore you to
keep calm at all times. Please meet the kings of the jungle, the
lords of the great African plains, the Lion.’

The appearance of the three black-maned
lions sent a shock through every guest in the great hall. They
sauntered in like they owned the place. None could deny their
magnificence. When they reached the middle of the hall they decided
it was playtime. There was a communal gasp as one swiped the feet
from under his keeper and the lions all piled on top. The other two
keepers had a hell of a time extracting their friend from the heap.
When he was free he held up his hand to indicate he was OK. There
was a communal titter of relief from the audience, which had an
electric effect on the lions. They got to their feet and began to
look round, as though noticing for the first time where they were.
One began to cough, then the other two followed. It ended in full
blown roars that shook the very walls. As the last roar rang round
the great hall there was a long drawn out fart that could only have
come from one of the gathered nobles. It was a moment that should
have created a great deal of laughter, however they were too
terrified to even twitch.

One of the lions wrinkled his nose and
sneezed in a manner that could not be mistaken for anything other
than laughter. His brothers joined in and, deciding they had caused
enough mayhem, let their keepers lead them out of the great hall.
The moment the great doors closed the hall erupted in noise. A deep
primal dread had been released, catching all by surprise. Some it
titillated, others it horrified, but none were immune to the
effects of the lions.