What Comes Before
Part XII: The Brutality of Truth
The representative shuddered.
"Composition?"
"60 carriers along with many Audemedon support ships. Salrilian and Cantharan cruisers are missing. We can only assume they are under stealth mode."
"What is the current situation back home?"
"We placed the entire border under red alert and are mobilizing every ship we have to send to the border."
"Predictions?"
"We will be able to destroy the invasion force. But not before our entire border is ravaged. Not a single colony at the border will survive the onslaught. Initial estimates put casualties at 25 billion."
The courier paused and looked around, making sure that only the Elejeetian delegation is close enough to hear what he is saying before he continued:
"What we are even more concerned about is that we know the Salrilians won't organize this kind of massive operation without a definite goal."
The representative felt a cold chill.
"You're suggesting, there might be additional waves?"
The courier nodded.
The representative closed his eyes for a moment to digest the data. He suddenly opened them and asked:
"What are my orders?"
"His Majesty and the Privy Council want me to inform you that since you are the highest ranking Elejeetian official in direct contact with Cantharan representatives, you will have broad discretionary authority to deal with this crisis. His Majesty also added that he has complete confidence in you to serve our people."
The representative closed his eyes again. The burden of defending the empire now falls on his shoulders. If the crisis cannot be resolved within 51 hours, 25 billion Elejeetians will be killed. As if to remind the representative of the direness of the situation, the courier added:
"I was also asked by Council member Karvas to remind Your Excellency that 'We are without allies.'"
The Elejeetian representative sank into thought, his eyes closed to concentrate and order his thoughts. His aides stood around him, silent, afraid to disturb him. But that silence was quickly broken up by a burst of chatter at the entrance. As the Elejeetian representative raises his head, he was surprised to discover Admiral Mek Het, Chief Strategist of the Cantharan Order, entering the hall with a large escort of aides.
As soon as the admiral saw the Elejeetian delegation, he immediately headed towards them.
"Mr. Ryeth, this is such a pleasure to see you again."
Ryeth nodded in reply. Then he came closer to the admiral and whispered:
"Perhaps we can find a more discreet location to discuss matters."
The admiral smiled and replied loudly:
"That is unnecessary, Mr. Ryeth. After all, we are among friends."
Ryeth hesitated. But he finally gathered the courage to ask:
"His Majesty wishes to inquire as to the intentions of your fleet?"
"What fleet?"
"Perhaps I should be more clear. The fleet composed of Cantharan, Salrilian, and Audemedon warships that will be entering our territory within 51 hours."
"Mr. Ryeth, I can see that the Elejeetian Empire is again misled by faulty intelligence. I can assure you, there is no such fleet."
Mr. Ryeth was stunned. How can this man stand right in front of him and lie so plainly? What is the purpose of this lie?
"One of our hyperspace probes picked up the fleet."
"Then I would suggest that you take that probe in for repairs. Judging from the faulty images it's transmitting, I would think that it is not being properly maintained. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be meeting with a few others to discuss the agenda."
Mr. Ryeth suddenly remembered something.
"You're not a trade expert. What are you doing here?"
"I'm on my way to rendezvous with the 5th Fleet. I just thought I should drop by and see how our delegation is doing. That's why I'm on a schedule today. I'll have to join the fleet early tomorrow. Then we'll set off together and visit your emperor."
Mr. Ryeth's face paled markedly at those words. With a smile, the admiral and his entourage left the Elejeetian delegation behind.
Mr. Ryeth and his fellow Elejeetians watched the Cantharan delegation leave. As soon as they are out of sight, Mr. Ryeth whispered to the courier:
"Return to your station. Send a message to the Privy Council. Tell them to start evacuating the border colonies."
Right before Admiral Mek Het entered the meeting room, he can already hear the booming voice of a delegate. Upon entering the room, he discovered that the voice belongs to the head delegate of the Obish delegation.
Since someone is speaking, the rest of the diplomats felt it was inappropriate to interrupt the speaker in order to greet the admiral. Most of them acknowledged the admiral with a slight nod or a slight bow from their seats.
"...guardian? The Gaitori navy behave more like pirates than the police that they ought to be. How many complaints have we each received from our citizens passing through the Free Trade Zone that they wre compelled by Gaitori warships to pay a passage fee? One that is directly contrary to the spirit of the treaty and is not provided for by the treaty? How many complaints have each of us received regarding harassment of our citizens by the Gaitori? They act as thieves, stealing valuables in the name of conducting inspections. They impound ships for little or no justification at all. The increase of ships that disappeared in the zone is particularly alarming.
How can we not act facing this crisis solely of Gaitori doing? How can we continue to allow free trade to be imperiled in honor of an outdated treaty that is overdue for a revision?
As the representatives of our respective peoples, we are charged with the responsibilty of representing their interests. Right now, their interests are being threatened. They ask us- no they beg us, to guarantee their safety and honor the spirit of free trade.
Similarly, I ask this conference to honor their wishes."
Seeing that Admiral Mek Het had just sat down, the Obish delegate added:
"Mr. Chairman, with your permission, since an honored guest had just arrived, I would like to relinquish the remainder of my time to the Cantharan delegation."
"Are there any objections?"
"I object!" said the Gaitori senior delegate. But before he could explain his objection, the Obish delegate quickly added:
"Mr. Chairman, my Gaitori colleague had already spoken. On the other hand, the Cantharan delegation had been noticeably silent. I suggest that we give them a chance to speak. Perhaps my Gaitori colleague can then follow."
"Agreed. The objection has been denied. The Cantharan delegation will now have the floor."
"Mr. Chairman," said the Cantharan senior delegate as he stood up. "The Som of Tay Ros, Admiral Mek Het has decided to honor us with his presence. Since he carries the highest rank here, I wish that you would recognize him and allow him to speak."
"Agreed. Admiral, it is a pleasure to have you with us today. You will now have the floor."
The admiral stood up and made a bow to the chairman.
"Thank you, chairman."
His eyes then scanned the room, making sure that all eyes are on him.
"My friends, I must first apologize for my unannounced appearance. Although I am responsible for the Cantharan Order's military affairs, I do have a certain curiosity regarding diplomatic conferences.
Allow me to be brief, as a military man, I have not learned the language of diplomats.
The Cantharan Order fully supports the Gaitori position and will not consent to any revision of the treaty. The Cantharan Order moves for the closure of debate on the Obish proposal immediately."
The room was in shock. Seldom in history has one's face paled more markedly than the Obish delegation. Mr. Zengren can scarcely believe his ears and he asked his fellow delegates to confirm what he just heard. The Ishiman delegation is also in shock. They are expecting the Cantharans to support the position of their Salrilian patrons by endorsing the Obish proposal. They planned to battle vigorously with the Cantharan delegation as soon as the Cantharans announce their support for the Obish plan. They certainly did not expect the Cantharans to have a change of heart.
The Bazidanese chairman was also stunned. Like everyone else in the room, he was expecting the admiral to give a ringing endorsement of the Obish position. He was ordered by his government to be ready to acquiesce to a revision of the treaty. What had just occurred was simply unbelievable.
Mr. Ryeth sat there, with a gloomy expression. He now knew the price of saving 25 billion of his people.
The room suddenly erupted in chatter as diplomats discussed what had just transpired loudly. The Obish senior delegate shouted something, but no one heard what it was as the room was flooded with excited chatter. It took numerous poundings from the chairman's gavel to return the room to a semblance of silence.
The Ishiman senior delegate motioned to be recognized.
"The Ishiman Stellar Protectorate has been recognized," pronounced the chairman.
"Mr. Chairman, many in this room know that we seldom support the Cantharan position. I am afraid that we must make an exception in this case. We support the closure of debate and move into voting immediately."
Before the chairman can respond, the Obish delegate screamed:
"Objection! The issue has not been fully discussed. We-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the gavel.
"You are out of order."
Mr. Zengren motioned to be recognized. The chairman nodded.
"Mr. Chairman, I would like to support the Cantharan motion. I doubt we will be able to convince anyone else with words. Let us save ourselves some time."
That was when Mr. Ryeth saw the eyes of the admiral staring fiercely at him. He motioned to be recognized.
"The Elejeetian Empire has been recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman."
Then he was silent for a while, his eyes half-closed. Everyone was intrigued by what he is about to say. Some believed that the Elejeetians are about to support the Obiards because they wish to become their patrons thus lessening Salrilian influence. Others believed that the Elejeetians are about to denounce the Obish proposal because of Obish ties to the Salrilians.
Mr. Ryeth had to use one hand to hold on to his chair. His body was visibly trembling. He opened his eyes again and immediately felt pressured by the number of eyes now gathered on his lips. The pressure was so great that he lowered his eyes, avoiding contact with the Obiards.
"The Elejeetian Empire would also like to second the Cantharan motion."
He sat down quickly.
The Bazidanese chairman was displeased.
"I would just like to state for the record that I am displeased by the hastiness of this conference. I agree with the Obish delegation. This issue has not been fully explored. However, since a majority of the parties have motioned for closure of debate, I see no other alternative but to close debate and move into voting the Obish proposal."
The Obish delegate motioned to be recognized.
"You have been recognized."
"I would just like to state for the record that the Obish delegation denounces the hastiness of this conference to close debate. The issue has not been fully explored. To end the conference in its second day is irresponsible to say the least. I-"
"Thank you," interrupted the chairman.
The Obish delegate was forced to sit down.
"I believe everyone in this room is very well aware of the Obish position. Your objection to the motion has been noted. As the chairman, I must ask someone in the majority to change their mind. I implore you, let us explore the issue further before we make up our minds. The dimensions of this issue are complex and are certainly worth our time."
The room is silent.
The chairman sighed.
"Very well. Since no one is willing to entertain the chair's suggestion, we will have to move into voting. As per the custom of this conference, the chairman will vote first.
As the representative of the Bazidanese Star League, I must cast a vote of abstention. The issue has not been fully explored therefore the Bazidanese Star League has no opinion either way.
Now the Obish delegation as the originator of the proposal will vote next.
How say you? Is the Obish proposal deemed to be embodying the spirit of the Free Trade Zone Treaty and will facilitate the interests of all concerned?"
"Absolutely."
"The Gaitori delegation will vote next. How say you? Is the Obish proposal deemed to be embodying the spirit of the Free Trade Zone Treaty and will facilitate the interests of all concerned?"
With a smile, Mr. Zengren answered:
"Absolutely not."
"The Elejeetian delegation will vote next. How say you? Is the Obish proposal deemed to be embodying the spirit of the Free Trade Zone Treaty and will facilitate the interests of all concerned?"
Mr. Ryeth hesitated.
"Mr. Ryeth?"
Mr. Ryeth slowly raised his eyes to the chairman and pronounced in a weak voice:
"Nay."
The Obish delegates stared angrily at the Elejeetians. But the chairman has already moved on.
"The Ishiman delegation will vote next. How say you? Is the Obish proposal deemed to be embodying the spirit of the Free Trade Zone Treaty and will facilitate the interests of all concerned?"
"Nay."
"The Cantharan delegation will vote next. How say you? Is the Obish proposal deemed to be embodying the spirit of the Free Trade Zone Treaty and will facilitate the interests of all concerned?"
The admiral smiled and replied:
"No way."
"So it has been recorded. With a vote of 1 for, 4 against, and 1 abstention, the Obish proposal has been rejected."
The Obish senior delegate motioned to be recognized.
"You have the floor."
The Obish delegate stood up, his face red with fury.
"Mr. Chairman, I believe I've just witnessed a heinous crime being committed in this room. What is even more shocking to me is the willingness of everyone in this room to watch silently as that crime was perpetrated. To allow the present condition to continue is unacceptable.
Obain refuses to stand by while this atrocity continues. We reserve the right to act in the best interest of the Free Trade Zone seeing that everyone else has abandoned their principles."
He then walked to the door, followed by his delegation. The rest of the diplomats watched silently. As he was passing the admiral, he suddenly spat on his left cheek.
Then the Obiards exited.
The admiral maintained his smile. He sat there like a statue, his smile apparently frozen. The spit slowly slid down from his cheek and onto his neck. A Cantharan delegate took out a handkerchief and wiped it off.
The admiral thought:
"That will cost you one million lives."
The admiral was leaving when he saw Mr. Ryeth approach him quickly.
"Are you leaving so early?"
"Yes, after all, I must rescind the order to our fleet."
The Elejeetian nodded. He turned and left the admiral. The admiral watched him. Suddenly he pronounced:
"Tell me, Mr. Ryeth, why are the Elejeetian so fearful of a holographic fleet?"
Mr. Ryeth's blood chilled.
"Holograms?" he stammered.
"Yes. We dispatched only a handful of ships. The Audemedons worked overnight to install holo generators on the ships so that each ship can project 5 to 10 images of itself. I was informed that projecting that many images takes so much power that none of the ships can even raise their shields much less fire a weapon. Salrilian and Cantharan ships were operated by skeleton crews to minimize the power needed for life support and divert the reserved power to the holo generators."
Mr. Ryeth was numb.
"You can report back to your emperor now. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know that the holographic fleet that was threatening his empire will soon be withdrawing. I'm also sure you'll be handsomely rewarded for your efforts in preventing holograms from killing 25 billion Elejeetians."
Mr. Ryeth remained numb.
"Oh, and by the way, if you see Ambassador Kaudrin, please pass on a message for me. Tell him-" the admiral's face suddenly became all seriousness.
"Tell him that from now on, the Elejeetian Empire will be considered a province of the Order and that you WILL-" he continued, emphasizing each syllable:
"...take dic-tates from Can-tha-ris."
2 more years of war, 2 more years of misery. Actually, misery is for the refugees and the victims' families. Perhaps the dead, all 25 million of them, will go to a place where there is no misery. Whatever divine authority there might be, let it help their souls for they have suffered more than their fair share while they were alive.
Cantharan maneuvering during the last Free Trade Zone Treaty Revision Conference successfully prolonged the war for another 2 years. As the masters of manipulation predicted, their aid to the Gaitori forced the Ishimans to withhold their aid to the Union. Now the Union is dependent upon the Order for survival. The Salrilians are supplying the Union as well, but only through the Cantharans.
The Cantharans certainly reaped substantial mileage out of the last Free Trade Zone Treaty Revision Conference. They, along with the Ishimans and the Gaitori, took advantage of the departure of the Obish delegation by forming a solid voting bloc, opposed ineffectively by the Elejeetians and the Bazidanese.
Together, this coalition of strange bedfellows pushed through a resolution condemning the Obiards and laying the responsibility of the war solely on their shoulders. The resolution was passed 3-1-1. The Elejeetians opposed and the Bazidanese abstained.
They also passed a resolution barring the Obiards from entering the Free Trade Zone unless they first agree to a cease-fire. The resolution was passed 3-1-1. The Elejeetians opposed and the Bazidanese abstained.
As one can easily imagine, the Obiards were infuriated by what they regard as a criminal conspiracy between the great powers to undermine them. They withdrew from the treaty altogether.
They cut off diplomatic ties to every major power. In so doing, they further isolated themselves from the rest of the galaxy. They also launched an invasion into the Free Trade Zone. Even the Bazidanese felt compelled to condemn the action. The Obiards began constructing a base in the Proteus System and they also seized Fansi System.
The Gaitori was forced to consent to allowing the Bazidanese to dispatch a warship to defend the trading post in the Bokleo System.
The Free Trade Zone now exists in name only as traders now avoid the zone completely since it has degenerated into a war zone.
One peace conference after another was called. A few of them were well-attended. None of them resolved the conflict. Cease-fire agreements were broken right after they were signed. It would appear that no amount of mediation from anyone is enough to stop this war. No amount of diplomatic niceties can prevent the death of a single soldier. No amount of diplomatic dinners can prevent violations of the protocols of war. And that suits the masters of manipulation just fine.
With Salrilian and Cantharan aid pouring into the Union and as Obain can only rely on its own resources to fight the war, the Union managed to stem the Obish offensive. Now it remains to be seen whether the Gaitori will attempt to recapture their losses...
"...Our inaction has only caused the Order to expand its influence." concluded Admiral Kinthi.
Unlike his previous attendance of the Ishiman People's Assembly, this time, applause is scarce. One can tell that from the applause given that they were out of courtesy rather than agreement.
As soon as those rare clappings gave way to silence, an Ishiman assemblyman immediately stood up.
"Admiral, I must say that I am fairly surprised that you made it to our session tonight. Did you encounter any troubles on your way here?"
The question brought some laughter into the hall.
"No."
"That is indeed surprising, considering how many of us have great trouble passing through the crowd gathered outside this hall. But let us move on. Tell me admiral, how do you respond to the people who say that your policies have failed them?"
Before the admiral could respond, some assumblyman shouted:
"Admiral, how do you justify the waste of more than 200 billion credits, all spent in vain for the Gaitori who is now a Cantharan ally?"
"Admiral, was it your original intention to aid the Order in its goals?" shouted another.
"Admiral, how do you explain to our people that we should now ally ourselves with a former adversary, the Obiards?" shouted yet another.
"Admiral, are you aware of the petition signed by more than 3 billion people demanding us to dismiss you? And are you aware that the petition gathered its signatures within 1 year?"
"Admiral, do you take responsibility for our string of diplomatic defeats?"
"Admiral, how do you explain to the victims' families that their loved ones died for the Cantharan Order?"
"Admiral, you proposed that we make alliances, Now we are isolated from all. Was the assembly wrong in endorsing your original idea of intervening in the Free Trade Zone crisis?"
"Admiral, now that the Free Trade Zone exists in name only, how do you explain to our people that it is your support for an intervention that led to this catastrophe?" shouted another.
"Admiral, are you aware of the tremendous loss in revenue caused by our diplomatic isolation and the dissolution of the Free Trade Zone?"
"Admiral, how do you explain the fact that our intervention in the Free Trade Zone crisis, championed by yourself, has only led to the decline of Ishiman prestige and allowed the Cantharans to gain influence over the Gaitori?"
"Admiral..."
"It is important for the Gaitori to suffer death, famine, and disease. It is important that such misery shall drain them of any independent thought. They will become de-sensitized due to this conflict. They will have no choice but to do as the Cantharans asked them to do. They will be so blinded by the thought of vengeance that they will be impervious to reason." said a Salrilian director.
"What about the Gaitori Isolationists?" asked another Salrilian director.
"That is not a problem," replied the former Salrilian director. "The Gaitori will take care of their own."
- htjyang: not the imposter
) do decide to go ahead with the project. Considering that I am the person who imagined the scene originally, I might have some useful input.