The Alpha Choice (24 page)

Still uneasy, he sat back in his chair.

‘As I became a more fully committed member of the group, your mother remained my confidant. In time, while you were still at school, I pledged her loyalty, and she joined us. I thought it was my words that swayed them, but they had thoroughly checked her out before I approached them, and it was only later I discovered why they permitted an outsider to join,’ her demeanour darkened briefly, ‘I had no idea the danger I was exposing her to. You see Gorn, the group is merciless when it comes to self-preservation. If they had not been absolutely sure of her value, they would have had no hesitation in killing her, to protect themselves,’ she paused again, no doubt to gauge his reaction.

‘I can see it from their perspective,’ he volunteered. ‘All they’ve worked towards couldn’t be sacrificed for the sake of one life. If, as you say, they believe our future must be changed, and only they can achieve that, it isn’t only their lives they’re concerned about, but the lives of us all, and those of our descendants. No, I understand their reasoning completely.’

His thoughts on whether he condoned that reasoning, he kept to himself.

‘We clearly made the right choice…’

‘And my mother?’ Gorn reminded her.

‘She became a leading member of the group, and when she came into her vast inheritance, she committed substantial sums to our cause.’

He interrupted. ‘Pardon me, but what precisely has your group accomplished in three thousand years?’

She seemed to welcome the intrusion, as her mood lifted. ‘To be blunt, absolutely nothing.’

‘But…’

‘We have set in place an infrastructure so complex, it penetrates every sector of the military, and every influential government department,’ she could tell what he was thinking. ‘So if we have such power and influence, why don't we use it to change the system from within?’

‘Yes?’
 

‘Because, we would fail. We can influence, but not change. Almost two and a half billion people enjoy the spoils of war, and are used to consuming resources on an increasingly unprecedented level. That doesn’t stop overnight, unless something extraordinary happens…’

‘By resources, you mean land?’

‘Of course I mean land, we have sufficient mineral reserves for millions of years, but as long as we require the freedom of space, there will be a constant demand for new conquests. Imagine how difficult it would be to stop that; it would need to be something momentous. Now, if I may continue?’

Gorn nodded, unabashed.

‘In the long years since its inception, the group has not performed a single rebellious act, preferring to lay the foundations for a single intervention. Nevertheless, the Agency is convinced of our existence. Not as a result of anything tangible, but because it’s in the nature of such organisations to imagine threats, whether or not they actually exist. We have sown seeds of misinformation, but their paranoia has persisted…’

‘But it’s not paranoia if it’s true.’ Gorn pointed out.

‘I would agree, except that they base their suspicions on a complete lack of evidence. If we were merely an imaginary figment they would be convinced that we were not, they need us to exist. Which is why, short of a devastating blow, we can't undertake any overt action. They are constantly at a state of heightened alert, anything slightly suspicious would galvanise them. Had we acted in some small way to inconvenience the military, the action would have been discovered, providing proof of our existence. This would have guaranteed reprisals. By now, every member would have been rooted out, and the movement would have ceased to exist. For this reason, it was decided, long ago that the resources of the group would be used in one telling, definitive action, to put an end to our bloodthirsty expansion. The time for that action has now arrived, which leads me to answer my own question, why you?’

‘And why my mother was permitted to join you?’

‘I may as well answer that question first,’ answered Narol. ‘The reason the group welcomed your mother, was you! From an early age, when you made it known that your most fervent desire was to join the military, you attracted our attention. Your abilities were unprecedented, added to which you were not the stuff of which soldiers are usually made…you look surprised?’

‘How early an age?’ Gorn asked.

‘You were looked at, seriously, from the age of six. Your resoluteness in pursuing your own goals rather than those set for you by your mother, and later your tutors showed us a spark of something, greater.’

‘You picked me because I wouldn’t do as I was told?’

‘No, it was merely an ingredient, the ability to think for yourself. I later discovered that the potential of your mind alone, was enough to start a monitoring process.’

‘I don’t accept that what you’ve told me is the only reason we’re speaking now,’ he countered.
 

‘And you’d be right. It’s because you’re uniquely placed to help us. We foresaw the first opportunity, in three millennia to achieve our goal…’

‘What makes you think I won’t betray you? My word could mean nothing. You say you’ve monitored me, and you know the way my mind works, yet you’re asking me to ignore everything I believe. Surely you realise what the easiest course is for me?’

‘I can’t discount the possibility of you betraying us to a military, that isn’t all you believed it to be, but it’s no more than a mathematical possibility. We also know what kind of young man you are. I’ve watched you for years, I know you and I know you can be trusted, even if you don’t accept everything I’m about to tell you. It was our intention you join the Navy, and we saw to it that nothing would stand in your way. When Bakir, by his actions, threatened to undo all our plans, your mother ensured he would fail, by taking her own life,’ she looked at the young man seated opposite, searching his face for a reaction. ‘Evidently, this hasn’t come as a surprise, Cyrar told you?’

‘Yes.’

‘What else did she say?’

‘If you're worried that she told me about you, she didn’t.’

‘I'm not concerned about that,’ Narol replied.

‘She told me nothing other than why she killed herself,’ he lied.

Narol said nothing, but looked over to his father.
 

Zaran’s face was no longer drawn. Instead, he had the resolute demeanour of a man who had resolved all his conflicts. Gorn tried, unsuccessfully, to imagine what his father was thinking. He wondered whether Zaran’s silence indicated prior ignorance of all they were now hearing, or had he learned of this last night when he played his galet? Either way, it said much for his strength that he showed no emotion.
 

For his part, Zaran would do nothing to influence his son’s decision. If asked, he would not voice an opinion; knowing what choice his son would make, he had already set his own plans in motion. For reasons beyond his control, he was prevented from being the father he wanted to be. Now at least, he would be present to support his son, at this most dangerous of crossroads.

‘Do you have anything to add, Zaran?’

‘Not, for the moment.’

Having allowed Gorn a little time to ponder what she had said, Narol returned her attention to him. ‘You must understand what it took for Cyrar to act as she did. She knew that our people are better than their leaders allow them to be, and wanted you to be part of a better world. In time, you would become aware of the lies disseminated to cover up our crimes, and she couldn’t bear the thought of what the realisation would do to you. Your mother knew you better than anyone, and it was she who suggested you. Soon, I will tell you what your role is to be, but for now I need you to indulge me, while I explain where we find ourselves as a people.’

The young man fought his impatience, and looked at his father who nodded, slightly. In turn, Gorn inclined his head towards his aunt in obeisance.

Narol began her story. ‘Years ago, we opened hostilities against a race of whom we knew nothing, the Balg. Much to our surprise we ground to a stop, without inflicting a single loss upon the enemy. Hostilities simply ceased, but by every measure our military applies, we lost.’

If my mother told her everything, she wouldn’t need to tell me this. Is she testing me? Let’s see
. ‘This was the war that effectively ended at Gallsor, when we turned a hopeless situation to our advantage,’ he watched to see how she reacted…nothing.
Maybe she doesn’t know that Jaron put paid to the delusion some years earlier, or that I know Jaron and Bakir were involved
. This made perfect sense to Gorn, he was about to hear things that would put him in danger.
Surely, she wouldn’t want Narol, or any of these mysterious others to think Ciarra and Genir had any idea of what was going on at Gallsor. She wouldn’t place them in danger, would she?
Any suggestion he was wrong about his mother would ensure he could not be a party to anything involving her or Narol or their friends. He wanted to believe she would not place their friends at risk, but he had only just begun to learn about the real Cyrar. She was prepared to sacrifice her youngest son, so perhaps she would sacrifice others. He was prevented from considering it further as Narol had started speaking again. He would just have to watch out for signals.
 

‘…that’s the official view, but the uncensored records tell a different story…’

‘Uncensored records?’

‘There are frequently two records of most naval encounters, what actually happens, and what is meant for public consumption. If you check Starseeker’s logs, they show clear evidence of the spy ship’s destruction, including remnants consistent with its size and crew compliment, but we don’t believe it was destroyed. The commander’s original records show no trace of the ship, even at the subatomic level. Drones had been previously been lost in that war, and trace elements always remained, but not on this occasion.’

‘So, if it wasn't destroyed?’

‘It had to be taken.’

So, Jaron isn’t the only one with questions
, thought Gorn.

‘Also, Starseeker was completely outgunned and she, together with our other ships should have been destroyed in minutes, without them even seeing their attackers. The Agency surmised the enemy was testing us, for a reason we can’t fathom, and concluded it was Starseeker’s action alone, that prevented an all out assault upon our home world, an assault we wouldn’t have survived. The Supreme Council was split. We think the Agency was only partially correct. Something else is going on, and we’re at a loss to know what. In time, we’ll learn what it is, hopefully before it’s too late. Suffice to say, for our purposes, and despite their differences, the Council resolved to end hostilities.

‘They were now faced with another problem. Suitable land, for an increasingly rapacious populace, was becoming scarce and the Balg were not the solution. Other targets were found, but none within easy reach. As Balg space is vast, we couldn’t go through it, and it was a logistic nightmare to go round it. Other, more imaginative solutions had to be found. Fortunately for us, such a solution was suggested to the Council; the targeting of a non-emergent civilisation. It had the advantage of being more accessible, but came at a price…’

Gorn ventured. ‘Might the suggestion have come from one of your people?’

She looked at him, her face, which had been most expressive, now mirrored that of her brother, and became impassive.
 

Gorn wondered if Narol had said too much, and again looked around watchfully as if he was likely to spot an eavesdropper. His Aunt broke the silence. ‘You’re partially correct, while the original idea wasn’t ours, we used our influence to sway the vote of the Council. We knew we couldn’t achieve any success in a war with the Balg, history was clear on that point. Armed with the knowledge that many Council members had no stomach for another conflict, we appealed to their greed and avarice, to deflect their attention from the real danger exposed by the proposal.’ She then told him of the encounter with the Custodians, three thousand years earlier, and the imposition of the Accords.

‘How can you be sure these beings are still a threat? They might not even be in this region of space anymore?’ he asked.

‘The demonstration of power was beyond anything we had ever seen. A civilisation doesn’t achieve that kind of power overnight. We have no idea how old they are, but beings like that don’t just fade away or disappear. Make no mistake, they are still out there, watching and waiting.’

‘Could they be the Balg?’

‘I don’t think so. There’s nothing to suggest they’re the same, both are more powerful than us, but that alone isn’t enough. Who knows, perhaps they choose to appear different,’ she replied.

Gorn knew he was missing something. ‘Why have the Council decided on a course that will destroy us?’

‘Because, my dear nephew, it’s not their intention to invade, but to take by stealth. The edict within the Accords prohibits any direct act of violence against a non-emergent race. Despite the warning, we have scoured a vast area of the Rionus Arm, and discovered several potential worlds, infiltrating the most promising.’

‘Infiltrating?’

‘By using Agency operatives. Put at its simplest, the people of those worlds will be given the means to become emergent and then we can, without fear of retribution, take the worlds as our own.’

She could see Gorn struggling to hide his disgust, but still she continued. ‘Such action takes time, which is a luxury we no longer have. A contingent, headed by two agents working on one of the target planets, have brought the plan almost to fruition. The final part involves Eclipse,’ Narol watched the expression on Gorn's face change, and smiled. ‘You begin to understand.’

His aunt was wrong, he was not beginning to understand, he understood everything. It all fell into place, effortlessly, but he thought it wiser to keep that to himself.
 

‘Eclipse will lead the expedition to the planet. Within a few months, the strategy will mature, and that world will be ours. It’s our intention to frustrate their plan, in such a way that the enterprise can’t be kept hidden.’

‘I don’t serve on Eclipse.’