Xenophobia - Chapter 14

    After the last meeting, Darrian noticed that the cycles began to pass at a sluggish pace. At first, he couldn't wait to get to the meeting room. That was, until he noticed that Jin'thun was missing. Unlike before with Juag-e, the old Judge said nothing about the Gorderian's absence.
    That meeting dragged on like nothing else.
    The next meeting wasn't any better. No Jin'thun. No word of whether they had rallied support or the Gorderians had gone to the Tulgucks aid.
    It was like this for a dozen cycles.
    During this time, the humans were already making immense progress with their colonization of Mars. The colony ships from both China and the United States had arrived safe and sound and had quickly begun the process of creating life-support habitats for the colonists. Once they finished their construction, the humans immediately sank their time into agricultural and scientific endeavors.
    One thing that struck the council as odd was the fact that the humans from the two ships remained separated and seemed to make no attempt to actively interact with each other. Despite their only difference being geographical location on Earth, their groups remained separated aside for occasionally checking that the other was alive and well.
    Darrian thought he'd never understand how humans disregarded their own species so much.
    The humans' presence on Mars created a number of unique problems for the analytics team as well. Unlike on Earth with it's rather massive population, a lone individual or group of individuals stuck out compared to the general populace of Mars. It wasn't a matter of simply slapping on a holographic imager and walking into the crowd. Every human knew every other human and they couldn't simply walk into a mess hall as an unknown.
    But Harris's team was talented.
    Utilizing a combination of technological infiltration and carefully hidden listening and viewing devices, a small group of the analytics team was able to monitor the humans as they progressed into their colonization. It proved challenging keeping their craft hidden, sometimes in orbit and sometimes on the surface, and it was not nearly as informative but they made it work.

    "I just don't get why they don't really interact with each other." grumbled Ugul.
    "Hmm. Do you think it could be the whole 'language barrier' thing that Harris had mentioned before?" said Cagool snidely.
    Darrian couldn't help but feel that the Yool had become absolutely insufferable as of late. While he had actively denied any interaction or affiliation with the Tulgucks or Gorderians, his mood swing seemed too conveniently timed. Ever since Jin'thun's disappearance, he couldn't seem to keep his condescension to himself. Maybe he just liked being the contrarian.
    "Many of the colonists speak each others regional linguistics, Cagool." groaned A'alan't 32.
    "Well, maybe this is a new batch. Who knows? With how short lived they are, maybe they had to reproduce on the ship before the original batch died of old age. Did we think to check?"
    "Would you just shut up?" snapped Ferris in an unusually bad mood.
    Maybe he was just used to being the sarcastic one or maybe Cagool was just getting under his skin. Either way, Ferris had more venom then normal.
    "I feel like you haven't had anything useful to add to these meetings in a while." Ferris added quickly.
    "What's there to add?" asked Cagool. "We're basically just watching a virus grow in a petri dish while we wait for the doctor to come and destroy it."
    "Cagool." warned the old judge.
    "What?" he said as he looked around the table. "You might not like it, but facts are facts. The Tulgucks are on their way right now to wipe them off the map."
    The old judge glowered at him and a few of the other councilors looked uncomfortable.
    "Even if the Gorderians decide to try and stop them, which they probably won't, the Tulgucks have good headway. I'd give it another few cycles before for the first warships show up and then we can start doing something better with our time."
    "Cagool. Are you suggesting that this is a waste of time and that we should be supporting the Tulgucks in their vicious slaughter of a young species?" demanded the old judge.
    "Hey. I didn't say it. You did."
    Darrian could feel his throat tightening and was about to say something when the light on the holographic imager started flashing.
    The old judge reached down and hit a button on his datapad and Harris, not in his human disguise but instead his proper Merrenian form, appeared above the table.
    "Harris?" asked the old judge. "Is something wrong? You have this labeled as a priority one message."
    "I bet the warships just showed up." muttered Cagool quietly.
    "Would you just..." growled Ferris.
    "Shut it!" snapped the old judge. "Harris?"
    Harris adjusted himself and cleared his throat.
    "Yes. Well... I'm not sure how to put this. As you are aware, the humans begin their scientific research on the surface of Mars. Some of that research includes extensive digging. Archaeologic searches and the like..." his tone was hollow and he looked nervous.
    The room fell quiet. Even Cagool didn't have something snide to add.
    "What did they find, Captain?" asked the old judge with hesitation in his voice.
    Harris seemed to look around the room as if he was considering what or how to say whatever it was needed saying. After a moment, he sighed heavily and looked back to the old judge with a stern expression.
    "The humans have found a Guillae, sir."

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Xenophobia - Chapter 13

    The awkward silence drew out for several long moments. The majority of the Consortium stared at Jin'thun and the other two Gorderian representatives as if they might spontaneously combust. They stared right back.
    "What?" Jin'thun finally growled, his expression unable to hide his annoyance at being the sudden center of attention.
    "W-w-well... It's just..." stuttered Cherryl.
    Jin'thun locked eyes with her. Despite the fact Darrian didn't think he was actually trying to be intimidating, Cherryl let out a little squeak and stopped talking.
    "It's just...with the way things are happening..." Illiquina tried to continue for her.
    "Where do your allegiances lie, Jin'thun?" asked the old judge, clearly growing annoyed with the Consortium's attempt at tact.
    The Gorderian glowered at the robot and Darrian felt his throat tightening with fear that they had been right. But, as they watched, Jin'thun's expression softened and he sighed heavily.
    "What do you mean by that?" inquired Jin'thun with the softest tone Darrian had ever heard from the ambassador.
    "Will you, and by extent the Gorderians, be joining the Tulgucks in the slaughter of the human species?"
    The room grew incredibly still as everyone waited on bated breath for his response. At the same time, Jin'thun seemed to return the glances, silently weighing his options.
    "I don't know." he finally stated.
    "Well, that's better than a yes..." whispered Ferris.
    "Is it?" asked Jin'thun. "I simply recognize that it's not my place to make a decision that would slaughter an entire species. Or condemn my own to exile from Consortium."
    "Unlike some." grumbled A'alan't 32.
    "You're not wrong." agreed Jin'thun begrudgingly.
    "So you're considering it then?" asked Darrian.
    "I'm considering all of my options, Merrenian."
    "The humans are monstrous. Terrifying." stated Ugul. "But you can't just kill them all."
    "Again." Jin'thun said with just a hint of anger. "It's not my place to decide. After this meeting, I will contact my homeworld and we will discuss the implications of all possible actions."
    "As it is, I can't deny the possible threat that the humans present." he continued. "But, it's hard to deny that the more we have watched them, the more promise I've seen from the oxygen breathers."
    "May I suggest something then?" asked the old judge.
    Jin'thun looked at the robot expectantly.
    "You say you would like to discuss all possible options?" the old judge continued.
    "Yes..." Jin'thun responded with a questioning look.
    "What might those options be?"
    Baffled whispers could be heard around the table. Many of the ambassadors looked just as surprised and confused by the question as Darrian was.
    "Is this some kind of a trick?" asked Jin'thun with a threatening growl.
    "No trick." said the old judge. "I simply want to know what you consider as options."
    Jin'thun watched the old judge carefully, seemingly still not sure what the robot was getting at. Finally he answered.
    "We will discuss whether we should join the Tulgucks in their attack on the human population, and thereby lose our standing with the Consortium, or if we shall remain neutral."
    "May I suggest a third option then?" asked the old judge.
    "You may..."
    "It's well known that the Gorderians and the Tulgucks are the only two species within the Consortium that maintain a regular Armada force. You're both young, new to the Consortium, and clinging to your old ways."
    Darrian noticed several of the ambassadors quietly agreeing.
    "As a general policy, the Consortium maintains a regular species-based security force to help maintain order within respective planets. But, as you likely know, those forces are little to nothing compared to the might of either the Tulguck or the Gorderian armadas."
    "While this might be considered an oversight, it is quite rare that we ever need such a force. It's even more rare that such an event might come from one of our own."
    "Where are you going with this?" asked Jin'thun thoughtfully.
    "Jin'thun. Your species is the only other member of the Consortium with a military force that might be able to stop the Tulgucks from committing a horrible atrocity. Will you ask your homeworld to about utilizing your armada in aid of the humans?"
    The Gorderians looked just as surprised as the rest of the ambassadors. None of them would have ever considered suggesting Consortium races wage war on each other. Or, if the thought crossed their minds, it would have been gone just as quickly and certainly never said out loud.
    "Are you serious?" asked Jin'thun quietly.
    "As serious as an impending genocide." the old judge answered back, seemingly nonplussed.
    "Defend the humans?" Jin'thun growled and then repeated. "Defend the humans...?"
    "Yes." the old judge agreed.
    The Gorderian furrowed and glared at the robot. His fur bristled and claws dug deeply into the table. Darrian felt himself tensing as he waited for the impending explosion.
    But it never came.
    Instead, once more, Jin'thun let out a heavy sigh and stood.
    "Will you consider this third option?" asked the old judge again.
    "I will." agreed Jin'thun to the Consortium's surprise. "I make no promises. But I will present the proposition to my homeworld."
    "We will have a great deal to talk about." he said as he made his way towards the meeting room door.
    The room was silent as he went. Just as he reached the door, the old judge spoke once more.
    "Thank you." he said softly.
    "Don't thank me yet, robot." Jin'thun said. "And judge?"
    "Yes?"
    "You do know that, even if we were to respond, the Tulguck Armada has already mobilized. The humans may already be dead by the time we could even reach their solar system."
    "Then I hope the Gorderians will be willing to take such a risk."
    Jin'thun stared quietly at the old judge for a long time before finally closing the door behind him.

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Xenophobia - Chapter 12

    "Have you lost your minds?!" bellowed the old judge at the holographic images of Guor-a and Juag-e.
    Darrian had never seen them side by side, but it suddenly struck him how much smaller in stature Juag-e was in comparison to the High Maister. He knew the little Juag-e was known for being a bit shorter than his compatriots, but he had to wonder if the Armada leader that he stood side-by-side with was not also larger than normal for his species.
    "You think I'm crazy?" yelled back Guor-a with just as much ferocity. "You're the ones that are out of touch with reality! All it seems that you ever do is talk and talk!"
    "Yes! We've been hosting a council to review information! Our purpose isn't to declare war on defenseless species!"
    "They're defenseless now, but what about in a rotation? Damnit! What about in half a rotation? These creatures move at such a rapid pace they might achieve interstellar travel in thirty cycles! Beating down our doors in thirty two!"
    "So you admit you'd be slaughtering a defenseless civilization." snapped A'alan't 32 with more emotion than Darrian had ever heard from the Bivvie.
    "Is it considered slaughter to vaccinate a victim from a disease? To give them medicine and kill an infection before they are cowering with illness?"
    "The humans are not an infection!" screamed the old judge.
    "Then why quarantine them if they aren't little more than a plague waiting to happen?"
    Murmurs whispered throughout the Consortium at that. A large number of the ambassadors had remained silent through the screaming contest. When the emergency council had been called, no one knew what to expect given the last time war was declared by anyone was many rotations ago. Now, sitting before this fervent anger, few even knew how to react.
    "To observe and collect data. To avoid outward influences." retorted the old judge.
    "And to keep us safe in case they proved themselves dangerous." growled Guor-a
    "Guor-a." said Illiquina softly.
    His scaled visage glowered back at her.
    "The humans are a terrifying race. Hell, the fact that they can breathe poison is unsettling enough. Yet, they are exceptionally young. We've already had observations regarding a majority population living in support of many ideals the Consortium holds dear."
    "We've seen many who are in support of peace and prosperity and ending the needless violence their species has suffered." she finished with a joyous lit to her voice that seemed to defy Guor-a's anger.
    "Would these be the same creatures that declare war on each other regularly? Would this be the same species whose only reason for trying to escape their atmosphere is in the name of competition?"
    "It's the same species who is learning to overcome their primordial instincts and move on to something greater. To look for something greater." said Cherryl with a level of confidence in her normally shaky tone that left several ambassadors staring with surprise.
    "Don't talk to me about what humans are or aren't like." growled Guor-a, pointing a clawed finger at no one in particular. "I've learned all I need to know."
    "And what does that mean?" inquired the old judge.
    "After Juag-e came to me some cycles ago, I decided to do some digging. I found out that a few of my fellow compatriots had already known about this monstrous little species."
    Any side discussion there was within the Consortium fell dead silent.
    "What are you saying?" asked Darrian in utter shock.
    "We've already known about humans for some time now. In fact, it would seem that our own survey was being conducted. We even have Tulguck infiltrators in a number of higher governmental offices learning all about..."
    "YOU TREASONOUS PIECE OF SHIT!" screamed the old judge, pounding the table with an echoing boom.
    Darrian stared in disbelief at the old judge. The old robot had been around for more rotations than Darrian would ever know. He'd been programmed with the ability to learn, but, at the end of the day, he had a base programming. Where or when the old judge would have learned such a fervent and emotional reaction was beyond him.
    "YOU MOCK US WITH THIS INFORMATION?!" continued the old judge. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN EVERY FACET OF THE CONSORTIUM'S AGREEMENTS?!"
    "And what would you be referring to?" asked Guor-a with a look of contempt.
    "Your government withheld information about a possible spacebound species! Not only that, but you're bragging that you've INFILTRATED their government?! Do you know that kind of damage you could be doing."
    "Look robot..." responded Guor-a in a surprising docile tone. "I'm not the one who made those calls. Hell, I'm not even sure I could find out who. But at the end of the day, we're talking about a plague. A pestilence. A virus that needs to be wiped from the galaxy before it can spread."
    "That's not your call to make! You're going against everything your species agreed to...everything this Consortium stands for!"
    "Then stop me."
    The old judge fell silent. No one on the Consortium maintained an Armada or Fleet anymore. No one but the two youngest species: the Tulgucks and the Gorderians. At best, each species kept a small defense force, but nothing that could even hope to stand up to Guor-a.
    What was worse: given the sheer amount of how often Jin'thun and Juag-e agreed on matters of state, Darrian didn't doubt the Gorderians would soon be joining the Tulgucks to cull the humans.
    And there was nothing they could do.
    "That's what I thought." continued Guor-a with a sneer when no one said anything.
    "If you do this, you'll be making an enemy of us, Guor-a." said the old judge in a low tone. "The Tulgucks will be stripped of their trade rights and positions within the Consortium."
    "Maybe so." said Juag-e. "Maybe it means our species has a falling out for now. But in a few rotations, after you've had time to think about how nice it is not being murdered in your beds, I'm sure we'll be welcomed back. With sanctions, of course...or maybe as heroes."
    "Time will tell." finished Juag-e with a small smile that suggested he really did believe they were in the right.
    "Don't do this." Darrian suddenly pleaded.
    The humans terrified him, yet the thought of simply wiping them from existence...murdering billions of people before they could respond. He couldn't stomach the idea.
    "It's already done." said Juag-e.
    "Our Armada is mobilizing as we speak." added Guor-a. "Soon enough we will remove this threat and you all can sleep peacefully once again."
    The image snapped out and the reptilian visages of the Tulgucks disappeared. No one said anything. No one knew what to say. Everyone just seemed to stare at the blank space where the hologram had been.
    "They're all going to die..." whispered Ugul woefully.
    Darrian's gaze wandered the room to Ugul and then to the other ambassadors. All of them looked devastated. There was nothing that could do. The Tulgucks were going to Earth and would probably be joined by...
    The Gorderians.
    Everyone seemed to have the same thought. As if on cue, dozens of eyes were staring intently at Jin'thun and the other Gorderians representatives.
    "Well shit..." growled Jin'thun with a look of annoyance.

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(Hello Lovelies! I'm so sorry that this took longer than planned to come out, but I had a few personal things that hit me hard and, to be candid, I've found I'd much rather focus my efforts on Xenophobia right now then simply forcing myself to right random tidbits. I should have a more stable schedule now, so I'm sorry again for missing a couple days! Keep an eye out to find out what the Gorderians are going to do.)