When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (26 page)

             
Jerry and Arthur stood nearby, watching the scene unfold. Rescue Valkyries, civilian and military, combed the surface of the planet for survivors. Although only one continent had been targeted, the effects of the bombardment led to a global firestorm. Outposts on the other side of Tallus lay in ruins, scorched by intense heat waves. A lucky few managed to weather the attack in an arctic reservation at the southern pole of the planet. New Freeman, once a megapolis stretching from coast-to-coast, was now a burning crater.

             
Admiral Gilroy was aboard
Valley Forge
, overseeing the operation. What few pilots survived the battle were being thoroughly debriefed, and the tapes were undergoing rigorous analysis. Whatever had changed between the 13th of October and now had to be understood. Why were the Boxti suddenly an almost indomitable opponent?

             
The news agencies were all over the disaster, but few were able to put any kind of spin on it. For once, partisan politics took a backseat to recognizing the scope of the event. How many families had lost loved ones, or simply been erased entirely? Whole generations wiped out in an instant, without so much as a cry for help. The members of Tallus Node Bravo were interviewed by a young reporter searching for answers, but they did not enjoy their celebrity status. For them, the horror was too recent. They felt as though they had let down their friends and families on the planet. Rebecca had taken it the worst, her deep depression compounded by survivo
r’
s guilt. That she had become the face of the drama did little to ease her pain.

             
Fires raged across the surface of the planet. At first, Fleet had tried to extinguish the flames, but to no avail. There simply was
n’
t enough water left to have an effect on the inferno. After six water droppers went down, the operation was halted in exchange for a straight rescue mission. The Valkyries had to be careful flying over the ruins, as their engines were quick to overheat and fail.

             
Worse still were the reactions back home. Protests outside the make-shift Nangolani embassies became all-out riots. Buildings were raided and burned to the ground, and diplomats were dragged into the streets to be beaten. Police in Melbourne had to use fire-hoses to disperse a crowd that nearly lynched a group of visiting naval officers. It was knee-jerk xenophobia, and it showed little sign of stopping.

             
Aboard the High Chancello
r’
s ship, the mood was dark. Staffers busied themselves with various tasks to avoid getting in the way. Military officers shouted into telephones and slammed their fists on desks. Politicians talked with aides back planetside, trying to get ahead of the story. The less scrupulous men and women thought of ways this tragedy could work in their favor. Alexander watched with dark circles under his eyes. H
e’
d never thought of himself as a career politician. The role had developed around him over time, almost by accident. Watching the different reactions aboard his ship, he found his stomach turning.

             
At the window, Alexander turned to face his Chief of Staff. His face was drawn, dark circles under his eyes
.“
How did this happen? How could someone do this
?
”

             
“We ca
n’
t think about them as people, Alexander. This is an alien race, something w
e’
ve never dealt with before. Who knows how they justify this genocide
?
”

             
“We do
,”
a voice said from behind.

             
Alexander looked over his shoulder. There in the hall stood Anduin and his entourage. Two soldiers stood by their leader, rifles slung. Behind them walked a shorter Nangolani wearing a simple green blouse and black pants. Though he had only spoken with the aliens a few times, Alexander had started to notice the differences in the sexes. Men of the species seemed taller and more muscled, and their faces were often long and thin. Females tended toward the smaller side, with round faces and large expressive eyes. Their features were much closer to what humanity perceived as normal, a trait xenobiologists found mind-boggling. They also were the only members of the species that grew hair, straight and shiny black. If you squinted, they could easily be human.

             
This on
e’
s skin had a blue tinge that seemed iridescent. That had been another startling discovery. Television and films tended to paint alien life as monochromatic. Nature, it seemed, just did
n’
t work that way. Like humans, the Nangolani came in all colors and combinations. Some bore intricate birthmarks or a pattern of lines and dots. They ranged from pale blue to dark charcoal, and everything in between. Alexander wondered if their species had the same trouble with racism as his own. He could recall with painful ease the ignorant and hate-filled letters h
e’
d received upon being named High Chancellor. Six hundred years had done little to calm that fight, apparently.

             
Anduin stepped forward, his eyes moist
.“
I am so sorry for the wound your race has suffered. This tragedy is but another scar the Boxti have left upon the universe
.”
He took Alexande
r’
s hand, holding it like a father comforting a child
.“
We have no idea how many worlds have been destroyed by this menace. But now, with your help, maybe we can end the bloodshed
.
”

             
“How could you hold this information from us
?”
Arthur demanded
.“
Millions are dead.
Millions!
Can you even understand that? One percent of the human population just vanished, and all you can say i
s‘
sorry
?’
Too little, too late
.
”

             
Anduin held up his hands
.“
We had no idea the Boxti had a force this close to one of your planets
.
”

             
“Bullshit
,”
Admiral Walker shouted
.“
It was your intel that led our group to attack their scouting party
.”
He leered over the alien Emperor
.“
What did you think would happen
?
”

             
“We thought you would win
.”
This came from the new, shorter alien. The voice was clearly feminine, with a strange accent that placed the emphasis slightly off. Her glossy hair fell to her shoulders and her eyes shined like amber
.“
The Boxti posses powerful technology, greater than even our own, but they are not invulnerable. Your ships are weaker, but your pilots of much greater skill. That they would fail to eliminate a small scouting party had been thought of as a remote outcome. The Boxt
i’
s retaliation on Tallus was as unexpected as it was tragic. They are not prone to acts of vengeance
.
”

             
“Who the hell are you
?”
Arthur asked.

             
Jerry elbowed him hard in the ribs
.“
Watch your tone, Arthur
.
”

             
Anduin held up a hand to calm the group
.“
We take no offense. Your people have only just learned the cruelty of this alien menace. Anger is to be expected, and we are aware of the tendency t
o‘
shoot the messenger
,’
as your kind puts it
.”
The Emperor gestured to the younger Nangolani
.“
This is Mara Nox Booren, a historian and senior scientist of our civilian fleet
.
”

             
“F
a‘
hnaki lan
,”
she said
.“
It is an honor, High Chancellor Burton
.”
Mara held out her hand and smiled. She seemed much more at ease in replicating human expressions, and the feeling seemed genuine. Alexander took her hand, noting it was far more delicate than the soldiers and politicians h
e’
d met thus far. He bowed slightly, a custom observed of the alien race, and this seemed to please the assembled group.

             
“Civilian fleet
,”
Alexander said curiously
.“
Emperor Anduin, you never mentioned that there were civilians in your Armada
.
”

             
“It was necessity. What began as a simple convoy for myself and several prominent politicians became a desperate run as the Boxti closed in on our Homeworld. We gathered into an endless procession including more than a few scientific vessels and transports. As we rescued our outer colonies from attack, our military strength grew in numbers, but so did our stock of women and children
.
”

             
Mara stepped into the conversation
.“
I apologize, Mr. High Chancellor. Our race is known for caution, a lesson proven wise through generations of peace with our neighbors. We were
n’
t eager to reveal every detail of our fleet without learning more about your people
.
”

             
“
I’
d say you know more about our people than you let on
,”
Arthur said
.“
You know our customs, our rank structure. You can speak more than a few of our languages and your pronunciation is exquisite. How long have you been watching us
?
”

             
Mara smiled, not at all put off
.“
We have had scouts watching Earth for almost three hundred of your years. Not piloted vessels, just drones. We wanted to make contact, but the distances were astronomical. Our understanding o
f—
how do you call i
t—
Blue Space is only now growing into something useful. All of our travel was once restricted to a single, all encompassing system.

             
“JohGal, our star, absorbed a white dwarf many millions of years ago. The two solar systems combined, merging perpendicular to one another before settling into one solar plane. The combination of planets allowed several habitable bodies to form. When we gained access to the stars, we had a bountiful realm to populate. Only recently have we begun venturing deeper into space, and that came with the help of other species
.
”

             
“Why watch us then
?”
Arthur pushed off Jerry as the older man tried to quiet him
.“
To take our drive technology
?
”

             
Mara closed her eyes
.“
We are curious, like you. When another race arrived on Nangol to share the secrets of the universe, we celebrated. That day is still a holiday for our people, the moment when our world expanded infinitely. Since that day, w
e’
ve sent drones to thousands of locations in search of intelligent life. When we found you, your people amazed us. Still, we had no way to reach out that far, so we watched from a distance. We learned new art forms, heard new music, and fell in love with your devotion to each other. The human race is unique in the galaxy for their compassion. No other alien civilization w
e’
ve encountered would give so much to help out those in need.

             
“It was with that knowledge, fleeing from the butchers known as Boxti, that we risked everything to get here. If there was a chance to find help, it would be from humanity
.
”

             
Now it was Alexande
r’
s turn to be incredulous
.“
You came here without knowing how w
e’
d react? What about the rest of your planet? The rest of your people? What do they think about all this
?
”

             
Mara turned to face the Emperor, her face contorted.

             
Anduin frowned
.“
I do
n’
t think now is the most appropriate time
.”
He looked at the humans, emotion rippling across his withered face, before nodding to Mara
.“
Tell them
,”
he said.