What Comes Before
Part IV: The Aftermath
As Mek Het's carrier moves in closer to Earth in preparation for a landing, he can already begin to gauge the effect of the orbital bombardment by his fleet. The atmosphere is filled with dust particles that will probably not settle down for decades to come.
Suddenly, the carrier shook violently.
"Admiral, the weather patterns on Earth has changed dramatically due to the orbital bombardment. Our descent through their atmosphere will be a rough one."
"Acknowledged."
The carrier shook again. He can see flashes of light right outside his window. No doubt his carrier is coming through a violent weather pattern.
The shakings began to decrease in intensity as the carrier moves closer to its designated landing area. After another violent shake, the admiral raised his head and looked out.
The carrier has landed.
It is raining black rain outside.
"Admiral, we have landed."
"Acknowledged."
The admiral left his quarters and went to Port 3. There he finds his staff waiting for him.
"Admiral," said a commander. "We're linked with a shuttle that will directly take you to your temporary headquarters."
"No," replied the admiral. "I prefer to take a look around first."
"Sir, the area has not been completely pacified. I would wish that we-"
"We'll be walking on foot to the local military headquarters," interrupted the admiral.
"Yes sir," replied the commander silently. Then he ordered:
"Tell the shuttle to detach and go to the local headquarters for standby. And get some umbrellas!"
WIthin a minute, the party was walking on foot, through pouring black rain, towards the local Cantharan headquarters. The admiral looked around. Cantharan transports landed all over the place. He saw troops rushing to and from. None of them carries umbrellas.
"Is this rain toxic?"
"No sir," replied another commander.
The admiral suddenly threw his umbrella on the ground.
"If my troops don't have cover, then I won't need it."
His staff looked at each other. Knowing the admiral, they didn't even bother advising otherwise. All of them closed their umbrellas and walked in the rain.
The walk was a long one. The admiral tries to see Earth's landscape. But the thick black rain blocked much of what he can see. By the time the admiral reached the local Cantharan headquarters, the entire entourage was soaked from head to toe.
"Captain Aut, waiting for orders, sir," reported the captain at the base.
"Give me a run down of the situation."
"General Ord has transfered his command to the temporary headquarters and is awaiting your arrival, sir. We still have not completely pacified the region. Just 5 minutes ago, 2 of our men were killed by enemy snipers."
"Very well. I'll take a short tour of the base. Then I'll question a prisoner. Have a shuttle ready on standby."
"Yes sir."
Mek Het saluted the soldier, who returned the salute. Then he walked outside the camp. The rain has been joined by a lightning show in the sky. And thunder comes so frequently that he is having problems hearing the orders given by individual Cantharan ground units to each other. The area surrounding the camp is very muddy.
After touring the camp and visitng the wounded in the sick bay and commending them, the admiral returned to local headquarters. There he sees a human, tied to the chair. Two Cantharan soldiers stood behind him while Captain Aut was at his desk, writing something. As soon as they saw the admiral the Cantharans immediately saluted him. The human prisoner looked up.
The admiral stared down at his prisoner and asked:
"Who are you?"
"Brian Timberdon, captain in the Australian Army."
"My name is Mek Het. I am Chief Strategist of the Cantharan Order and the commanding admiral of the Third Cantharan Fleet. Your world was conquered under my direction." Turning to Captain Aut:
"What happened to his unit?"
"His unit, along with several others, fought well sir. We had to call in orbital bombardment support. By the time the area was cleared. He and 4 others were the only survivors out of 4,000."
The admiral nodded, staring at his prisoner, who after knowing the identity of his interrogator, stared at him intensely, said:
"I have no use for you. I don't need your secrets. They're worthless to me. I don't need to know how your troops will be deployed. I don't need to know where they will be deployed. Our ships' sensors can pinpoint insects more than 1,000 kilometers underground. They can also separate human life signs from Cantharan life signs. What will happen to you is this: You will be imprisoned along with the rest of our human prisoners. If you are compliant, you will be released. You will help us rebuild this world. Your people will serve in our army and navy and fight under our command. Your people will die for the Cantharan Order."
Captain Timberdon spat on the admiral's face.
"Like hell we will!"
The admiral's stony expression remained unmoved even when the spit start to flow down onto his neck.
"If you're resistant, we'll punish you, severely. Once all organized resistance has been eliminated, we will declare that for every Cantharan soldier killed, we will destroy an entire human city, starting with the largest one. Our ships will conduct orbital bombardment. You experienced them. You know how terrible they can be. Eventually, your people will come to realize that the choice is between compliance or extinction and your race will realize, just like so many others, that cooperation is far more preferable than extinction. I can assure you, even if your people choose to destroy themselves, I will not hesistae when I order my ships to destroy your people. I have destroyed a total of 4 races so far. I will not hesitate to make your race the 5th."
The dull simplicity of his language and his voice stung Captain Timberdon. Perhaps one's voice does become dull and uninteresting when it comes to describing routine work. But what if genocide is that routine work?
"Untie this man," ordered the admiral.
One of the Cantharan soldiers obeyed the order and took off his handcuff.
"Stand up."
Hesitantly, Captain Timberdon stood up.
The admiral took out his side arm and stuffed it in his hands. He did it so quickly that his staff didn't even have time to protest.
"The red button will fire a beam of energy that will incinerate me."
He saw the 2 soldiers already pointing their ebergy pistols at the prisoner and he ordered:
"Don't fire until after he does."
"Sir-" shouted Captain Aut.
"Not another word!"
Turning to his staff, he said:
"If this man kills me, withdraw our troops and begin orbital bombardment. Destroy this race."
"Yes sir," replied a commander.
Captain Timberdon examined his new wapon hesitantly, sometimes slipping a look at his crazy adversary.
"I suggest that you point that weapon at me and push the button before I change my mind. You should know that I was trained in hand-to-hand combat. I still remember a few lessons."
The captain stared at the admiral for a short while. Then he suddenly dropped the weapon, dropped to the ground, and dissolved into tears.
The admiral, with a smile of triumph on his face, picked up the weapon and fastened it to his belt. The he said:
"Now you can see I am right."
He turned to the captain:
"This man will not harm one of us ever again. Take him back, clean him up, and treat him well. He has become one of us."
Captain Aut muttered some reply. He was still trying to recover from what had just occurred in his tent.
The admiral looked down on the man once again. Whether those eyes were filled with pity or scorn, no one knows. He turned around and left the tent.
Captain Aut signalled the 2 Cantharan soldiers who took the prisoner back to his prison. Seeing that the last of the admiral's staff is about to exit, he asked:
"For the sake of my sanity, tell me the weapon wasn't loaded."
The commander shook his head and replied:
"No, it's always loaded. But don't worry, he only began playing this game several years ago. This is the fifth time he tries it."
Captain Aut sighed and sank into his chair.
The commander smiled and said:
"The admiral told us that he isn't braver than everyone else. He simply knows his enemies well."
After the commander left, the captain murmured:
"Yes, and those eyes must have conquered many enemies as well."
"General."
"Admiral, it is a pleasure to receive you," replied General Ord.
"Give me a summary of our situation."
"Well, with the exception of the continent of Antarctica, we still have fighting throughout the other continents. Resistance from the North American and Asian continents are particularly fierce. Resistance from the African continent is the lightest although they have already begun to resort to guerilla tactics."
"How many died in the initial bombardment?"
"More than 100 million, sir." Then adding:
"We expect all organized resistance to end within 6 months."
"Their government?"
"We've already destroyed their civilian government. Their resistance is being led by many regional military and civilian leaders."
"Have you sent samples to the Salrilians?"
"They've already been prepared and dispatched."
"Good," said the admiral. He finally sat down on a chair. He looked around the room at nothing in particular. Then he continued:
"I see that the operation here is going along just fine. I'll leave it to your capable hands. I'll be returning back to Cantharis to deliver a report. You can be assured that you will be mentioned favorably."
The general stood up and saluted the admiral.
"Thank you sir."
"Now, before I leave, I'd like to try out some human beverages."
"Yes sir."
"And find me some interesting souvenirs. Members of the council will want some. And my wife for some reason that is beyond my understanding, seems to share people's interest in collecting them."
"I'll look into it immediately, sir."
"I'll be returning to my ship now. I'll be leaving tomorrow. See to it that these items will be delivered before then."
"Yes sir."
The admiral stood up and saluted the general who returned the salute. Then he walked out of the door.
To: Cantharan Supreme Council
From: Ishiman People's Assembly
The Ishiman Stellar Protectorate wishes to protest the latest aggression perpetrated by the Cantharan Order. The aggression against the human homeworld, Earth, has been conducted without provocation.
We respectfully request that the Cantharan Supreme Council reconsider its actions and withdraw from Sol System.
Sincerely,
Ishiman People's Assembly
To: Ishiman People's Assembly
From: Cantharan Supreme Council
The Cantharan Order would like to protest the latest protest issued by the Ishiman Stellar Protectorate. Such an action by our Ishiman friends is uncalled for and is highly damaging to our mutually beneficial relationship.
We reject the assertion that the humans have not provoked our military action. Their primitive existence is a provocation in and of itself. Such a disgrace on the fabric of space must be corrected.
We believe that our actions are fully justified. Our troops have been blessed by our gods, Zom and Doz, which explains their quick victory.
Sincerely,
Cantharan Supreme Council
To: Cantharan Supreme Council
From: Ishiman People's Assembly
We regret your decision to reject our request. We are currently preparing a medical ship to deliver medical supplies to Earth. We hope that the Cantharan Order, in all its wisdom, will grant this ship passage to Earth.
The vessel will also be carrying members from the Ishiman People's Assembly's Basic Rights Committee. They will monitor the basic rights conditions on Earth. Despite your repeated assurances that your conquered peoples have been well-treated, we have been receiving consistent reports that disagree with your position.
Allowing this transport to land on Earth will give the Cantharan Order an excellent opportunity to silence the skeptics. We await your decision.
Sincerely,
Ishiman People's Assembly
To: Ishiman People's Assembly
From: Cantharan Supreme Council
We have reviewed your request and we are afraid that we must disapprove of it. The medical transport WILL NOT be allowed to enter Sol System. We base this decision on the following considerations:
-
The Cantharan Order possess the necessary supplies to aid our own people. We do not require additional supplies.
-
The humans have just been integrated into the Order. The Order is the first alien race these humans encountered. To encounter another will mean a severe culture shock to these people. Their primitive minds will not be able to process a second encounter so soon after the first.
As for our skeptics, it is our contention that our skeptics will forever criticize us no matter what we do and that allowing the transport to land will only add to their suspicions.
We regret that our two peoples cannot agree with one another on this issue, We hope that the way is still open for future cooperation.
Sincerely,
Cantharan Supreme Council
To: Ishiman Commerce Ministry
From: Cantharan Commerce Ministry
We request the purchase of the following items:
- 50,000 selithion beads,
- 357,000 tons of vintrium,
- 34 Type C Gydren Power Generators.
We file this request in compliance with the Ishiman Political Directive of 3175-422 regarding the sale of dual-use items to the Cantharan Order. We believe that our friendship will enable you to make your judgment quickly and easily.
We believe that our unblemished record of using dual-use goods properly will enable us to acquire these items in short order.
Sincerely,
Cantharan Commerce Ministry
To: Ishiman People's Assembly
From: Ishiman Commerce Ministry
We recently received a request from the Cantharan Commerce Ministry for the purchase of the following dual-use items:
- 50,000 selithion beads,
- 357,000 tons of vintrium,
- 34 Type C Gydren Power Generators.
In accordance with the Ishiman Political Directive of 3175-422 regarding the sale of dual-use items to the Cantharan Order, we are informing the assembly of this request.
Our recommendation: The sale of these items will net Ishiman corporations more than 10 billion credits. The financial benefits are clear. We would like to cite the Cantharans' unblemished record of using dual-use items as evidence that these items will not be mis-used. In addition, permitting the sale of these items will also enhance the friendship between our 2 peoples.
Finally, we must also ask the assembly to consider the consequences of rejecting the sale. Not only will a refusal damage, perhaps irreparably, our relations with Cantharis, but the Cantharans will no doubt try to purchase replacements from others, perhaps the Bazidanese, the Obish, or the Gaitori. Why should we sacrifice our relations with our Cantharan friends in order to enhance their relations with other races?
The choice is clear. We await your wise judgment.
Sincerely,
Ishiman Commerce Ministry
"No! The reason why they have an 'unblemished record' is because we don't have enough information on their uses." stated the Ishiman assemblyman.
"I'm afraid you are clinging to straws. The very lack of evidence is just that. There is no evidence indicating that they have abused our trust." countered another assemblyman
"The Cantharans have recently conquered the humans. Now let's see what these items can do. Selithion is a vital compound in veskrion-aseuntay, a powerful mind-altering substance. Vintrium is a strong metal used in Cantharan warship construction. The power generators will no doubt be used to power the guns that will suppress the human population!"
"My colleague's ability to emphasize the negatives never ceases to amaze me. The very power generators that you condemned can also be used to power all kinds of household appliances. Vintrium is used for 'ship construction,' not just warships. As for selithion, it has more than a dozen different uses, and only one of them is outlawed by us."
"Mr. Chairman," said a third Ishiman assemblyman. "I believe the arguments have been exhausted. We are becoming repetitive here. I request closure of debate and move into voting."
Public Record of Ishiman Supreme Council Deliberations
...
Item #55: The sale of dual-use products to the Cantharan Order
After an intense debate in the assembly, a motion was brought to the floor to table the item. The motion was defeated:
Aye: 45
Nay: 337
Abstention: 2
After additional debates, another motion was brought to the floor to close debate. The motion was passed:
Aye: 333
Nay: 51
Abstention: 0
The assembly then moved to decide the sale of the dual-use items. The sale was approved:
Aye: 333
Nay: 50
Abstention: 1
...
From: Ishiman Commerce Ministry
To: Cantharan Commerce Ministry
We are pleased to inform you that your request to purchase the items has been approved by the Ishiman People's Assembly. We hope that this will symbolize a renewal of our friendship and inaugurate an era of cooperation and prosperity for both sides.
Sincerely,
Ishiman Commerce Ministry
From: Cantharan Commerce Ministry
To: Ishiman People's Assembly
We are pleased to learn that our proposal for the purchase of dual-use items has been approved.
As Chief Strategist Mek Het has often noted, Cantharan acquisition of territory merely opens new markets for Ishiman goods. It is in the best interest for the Ishiman Stellar Protectorate to support Cantharan actions in order to guarantee greater Ishiman market penetration within the Order. Currently, Ishiman goods account for 23% of our total exports. Although the Cantharan Order prohibits any state from reaching a 25% share, we believe that this latest gesture from our Ishiman friends will convince the Cantharan Supreme Council to increase the proportion for our Ishiman friends.
Sincerely,
Cantharan Commerce Ministry
-htjyang