A Lords of the Stars Short Story
Mattias von Schantz
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March 27, 3072, Orpheus, Gliese 673
Ellie McBrian rose from her worn office chair and walked to the windows of the small building she was working from. Outside, the dense, steaming jungles of Orpheus climbed the mist-shrouded hills and mostly obscured the two moons hanging in the orange-tinted sky. The smell of damp, decaying vegetation seeped through the ventilation shafts above the window. On the window still, a small lizard sat motionless, waiting to pounce on an approaching bug.
She was a woman in her early 30s. Somewhat plain-looking, most people would say. There was a certain beauty to her, for sure, but she would never stand out in a crowd. You wouldn’t give her a second glance if you passed her on the street. Her freckled face and long, ginger-copper-red hair made her seem younger than she was. But something about the way she carried herself would still tell any onlooker there was more to her than met the eye.
She was also a Sunguard Special Agent. She was the Harbinger of justice. Vanguard of humanity. Conscience of the Terran Federation. Fear incarnate. Lupus solitarius tutelae.
Her eyes followed the black dot of a small ship quickly descending through the hazy atmosphere. As it came in for a landing, the emblem on the side of the ship, a menacing black wolf’s head in front of a yellow solar disk, signaled this shuttle belonged to the Sunguard as well.
From the cockpit of the ship, the figure of a short-statured man, also in his early 30s, descended. He walked quickly to the weathered, little shed she was staying in.
“Hello, old friend,” Ellie said, as she opened the door for him.
Ellie was visibly agitated. “What are those idiots trying to do?”, she asked, as she paced back and forth in the cramped room.
Despite the circumstances, Paul couldn’t help but smile. Ellie had always spoken her mind, never really taken to the more calculated approach to articulating their thoughts that Sunguard Special Agents usually subscribed to. Her bluntness was like a breath of fresh air. Paul loved that about her. He could always count on her to speak her mind.
“I’ve been concerned for a long time about some of the decisions the Solar Council has been making.” When she said “a long time” she meant it - literally. A few centuries, give or take. “But that doesn’t give the Solar Command the right to just step in and take over. Besides, I’m not so sure the Sunguard leadership is going to do any better. They don’t differ in policy, just in how they implement it.”
She paused, then looked at Paul and shook her head. “No, ‘concerned’ is the wrong word. That suggests there’s some small chance I’m wrong about them. I’m not, Paul! I’m really not.”
“I know you’re not wrong,” replied Paul. “We all know. What do you want to do?”
“What I want to do and what I should do might not be the same thing. What I want to do is to step into that nest of vipers and tell the Admirals I’ve outlawed their little coup. But that’d just lead to civil war.”
She was visibly upset. Not the kind of righteous indignation that Sunguard Special Agents usually showed, but really, truly agitated. Well, she was not like other Special Agents. Not Ellie.
“Well, if that’s what you want…” Paul didn’t say it to question her. If she wanted to plunge the Terran Federation into civil war, then so be it. He would stand by her, ready to help her consider every consequence. And when the house came crashing down, he’d be there to help her burn it to the ground.
As the day went past, the sun quickly set behind the lush, green hills. The days were short here, and darkness soon blanketed the overgrown valley. Ellie spent an hour in the small kitchen, cooking a savory pad thai for them. As biots - artificial beings grown from biotic rather than biological cells - they had no need to eat, though they could if they wanted to. In normal circumstances, they received power through the microscopic hyperspace connection to the Sunguard they had inside their brains. If that didn’t work, they had a compact radiothermal power cell in their abdomens - grown as a biotic organ similar to their hearts and stomachs. But chemical energy from food could work in a pinch as well.
Paul rarely ate, but he knew Ellie often did. Despite not having any interest in cooking himself, he always looked forward to enjoying her home-cooked meals.
She placed the steaming bowls of fragrant noodles, peanuts, and chicken on the small table, and lit a short, pale white candle. It was an anachronism if he’d ever seen one - the shed had lumen plates built into the ceiling - but Ellie loved those things. Paul didn’t mind.
During the day, they were like Atlases holding the worlds up. But here, in the enveloping evening darkness, where their worlds stopped at the edge of the flickering light from the candle, they were just Ellie and Paul. They talked not about revolution, but of fond memories of times past and friends long gone.
Eventually, it was time for Paul to leave. He gave Ellie a hug.
“Take care,” he said, softly. “And say hi to your parents for me, when you see them.”
“I will,” she replied. “I’ll pray for you.”
Paul nodded and stepped out into the humid darkness beyond.
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Taomar, Etar, Alpha Centauri A
The next time they met, many weeks later, it was at a grimy, sticky table in the back of a dimly lit and deafening Terran bar on Etar. The stench of stale beer and tobacco smoke hung in the humid air, so thick it was almost be visible in the spotlights dotting the low ceiling.
“How many did you manage to find?” Ellie asked, her voice barely cutting through the oppressive noise, eager to hear about the result of Paul’s travels across the length and breadth of the Terran Federation.
“Twenty-three. Most of them support you,” he answered, leaning closer to be heard above the booming music, careful not to speak so loudly that the couple sitting at the next table could overhear their conversation.
Most of them. Ellie could tell from the tone of his voice that it wasn't all good news.
“Jeanette? Emma? Taori?” she asked, naming them quickly.
“They’re with you, no questions asked.” Paul replied, wanting to reassure her that they trusted her and respected her judgment.
“Myan?” she asked carefully, already knowing the answer, but still hoping for a different response.
Paul sighed. “No, I’m sorry, Ellie. He supports you, of course. If anyone would support you, it’d be him, you know that. But he can’t leave his people, not even for this.”
Myan had been one of the first biotic Special Agents to leave the Sunguard. First brought online in 2718, he had been unable to reconcile the growing oppression of the Terran Federation against the non-Terran races with his own unique biotic view of the world. To him, there was no fundamental difference between Kelar, Terrans, Etarians and Jerrassians. They were all humans - just humans who happened to belong to different species, born under different stars. As a biot, he was utterly incapable of understanding why one species should be considered more important than another. It defied logic, and if there was one thing the biotic brain was good at - operating at speeds thousands of times faster than a biological brain, as it was made from self-replicating, micrometer-sized computer chips rather than biological cells - it was coherent reasoning. And that ability to see through flawed arguments had told him that the Terran Federation - and by extension, its police and military force, the Sunguard - was wrong in how it treated the non-Terran races.
In an attempt to reconcile this realization with his built-in loyalty to the Terran Federation, he had requested missions to distant stars, far beyond the explored parts of space. In those days, with Nova Solaris looming within two or three generations, the Terrans scrambled madly to claim as many new worlds as possible under their domain, to preserve as much as they could of their race and culture before it was too late. Desperate expeditions were sent far outside the known worlds, in search of new planets to colonize for the benefit of the Terran race. Myan had been at the forefront of more than a few of those dangerous expeditions, journeys into uncharted, uninhabited space, where the inherent conflict between Solar Council policy and his own moral convictions didn’t get a chance to play out.
Eventually, he led an expedition to establish a Terran colony on New Caribbean around Eta Boötis. There, despite his best efforts to avoid the conflict between conscience and loyalty, his faith in the Sunguard and the Terran Federation began to fracture. There were no non-Terrans allowed on New Caribbean, and so, in theory, discrimination should not have been possible - or so Myan had thought. But on the Terran-only world, in the absence of other races, the inhabitants instead found new ways to express their bigotry - this time, against fellow Terrans. On New Caribbean, what had once been a single united race since the fall of old Earth splintered into divisions based on the color of their skin.
Myan could not stand for it. In an act of defiance previously unheard of for a Sunguard Special Agent, he defected. With the exception of his own ship, he had sabotaged every hyperspace capable vessel in the New Caribbean fleet, as well as the centers of industry on the new world, to prevent the toxic policies of the Solar Council from contaminating the colony further. With no way to contact the Terran Federation and no way to manufacture replacement parts, the colony eventually descended into barbarism. The Terran Federation, strained by the mad scramble to expand before Nova Solaris sterilized Mars, had neither the resources nor the time to investigate lost colonies. They wrote off New Caribbean and moved on to new worlds. Now, three centuries later, it was a Stone Age world, where stories of past history were told around crackling campfires by men coming home from hunting the large herbivores that inhabited the planet.
And Myan was personally responsible for this. He could not leave. They were his people now, a people he walked hidden among, like a wise philosopher, subtly guiding them into the future as their culture slowly evolved again.
“I understand,” said Ellie. Her voice softened, though her disappointment was clear. She had hoped for more, but she understood.
The conversation paused as the serving girl - a petite woman with long, straight black hair - came by to place a bowl of golden French fries and a small dish of dipping sauce in front of Ellie. Paul had not ordered anything. Eagerly, Ellie grabbed a handful of the greasy fries, tasting the salty, crispy potatoes with a look of pure delight on her face
“Do you want some?” she asked, as she reached for another fry.
Paul shook his head, then paused, reconsidered, and reached over to take a single strip.
“I talked to Anna,” he said quietly, as the serving girl walked away from the table.
Ellie’s hand, holding two new fries dripping with red chili sauce, froze halfway to her mouth. She didn’t quite know what to say. While she didn’t approve of Paul’s decision, she didn’t want to voice it either, afraid of hurting his feelings.
Before she had a chance to regain her composure, Paul continued.
“I know it was a risky move. But for old times’ sake…” he said, his voice trailing off.
“Well, what did she say?” Ellie prodded, not really wanting to hear the answer, but feeling compelled to ask.
“She’s not with you.”
No surprise there, Ellie thought. The real question was, now that Anna knew about her secret plans, were they still secret anymore?
“What will she do about us?” Ellie asked, leaning forward. “Are we safe?”
“For now,” Paul replied quickly, trying to reassure her. “She does recognize your authority as a Special Agent to contemplate new laws, including outlawing the Solar Command’s coup. You have every right to do so. But,” he added cautiously, “if you act on that, things might change. Let’s not forget, she has the same authority as you.”
If it came to that, it would position Special Agent against Special Agent - something that hadn’t happened since the Special Agent corps had been replaced with biots. For more than half a millennium, the Special Agents had worked together toward a common goal: the betterment of the Terran Federation for the benefit of its citizens. And now, that might all change.
“She has the same authority as we all have,” she reminded him, her tone firm. Being the center of attention made her uneasy; it always had. But she had a job to do, and if being uncomfortable was part of that, then so be it. “What was her argument for supporting the Solar Command’s coup, then?”
“Basically the same argument we’ve been making for opposing the military government - she’s just presenting us with the flip side of the coin. She agrees with us that the Solar Command’s policies are no different than those the Solar Council stood for. And she also agrees with us that the Solar Command is more efficient than the Solar Council was at implementing those policies,” Paul explained.
No surprise there, Ellie thought. Of course running the government as a military dictatorship was more efficient than running it as a democracy - albeit an exceptionally flawed one. But she was the vanguard of humanity, not the vanguard of efficiency, and she did not approve.
“The only real difference in her argument, compared to ours, is that while we think that’s a bad thing, she thinks it’s a good idea. The Solar Council hasn’t permitted non-Terrans to vote for a century. Democracy was already a façade in the Terran Federation. To Anna, it’s just wasteful to go on pretending. It was better to depose the Solar Council and do away with the pretense of democracy. She thinks it's better for the people of the Federation if we don’t waste time and resources on elections and oversight that’s only there for show anyway.”
Paul sighed, a resigned breath that seemed to carry the weight of centuries. He leaned back in his chair. It was hard having to explain this, especially knowing how close Ellie and Anna had once been. It was, he thought, the curse of being practically immortal. Friends would come and go. Then again, he thought with a faint smile as he looked at Ellie, some friends only come and never leave.
Ellie crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression darkening.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“That’s a stupid thing for her to say,” she pouted. “Being efficient at doing bad things isn’t good.”
Paul’s smile grew even brighter. Despite being close to 750 years old, Ellie still could act like a 14-year-old girl. And he didn’t mind that in the slightest.
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Taomar, Etar, Alpha Centauri A
Of the 223 currently active Special Agents in the Terran Federation, Paul had managed to reach out to slightly less than two hundred of his fellow agents. A total of 134 of them had pledged their support to Ellie’s cause. The moment she had long dreaded had finally come.
She sat in the car for several minutes without leaving, her eyes distant as she contemplated what she was about to do. It was fitting that it would all end here, in the same place where the Terran Federation had been forged a millennium ago. Back then, in the aftermath of the Kelar War, the Terrans and the Etarians had seen the benefit of reshaping their alliance into a common state. Although there had been signs of Terran dominance from the very beginning, it had been due to historical circumstances rather than malice - despite the irony that the name had actually been suggested by the Etarians. In their literal minds, it was originally the Terrans’ idea to band together in a federation, and thus they saw it as a fitting name. The Terrans didn’t object.
The Federation had, at first, been a genuine attempt at creating a union of two races, separated by the vast gulf between the stars. But Terran dominance had never gone away. Over the course of centuries, it had grown stronger, taking on an increasingly malevolent form with each passing year.
Ellie opened the door to step out of the car. As she did, Paul gently squeezed her right hand in silence. He would stay in the car, while she alone would face the Solar Command.
She strolled across the gleaming white-marble stones that covered the immense square. Tall stone pillars, rising like sentinels on either side, marked the path across the plaza. They were interspersed with vivid statues of Terrans, Etarians, Kelar, and Jerrassians, each frozen in a scene from their respective histories, celebrating their integration into the greater Terran Federation. No statues of the later races were to be found anywhere, their absence a stark reminder of the Terran Federation’s growing exclusivity.
As she walked up the wide marble stairs to the old Solar Council chambers at the end of the square, she saw the guards standing at attention outside the outer doors. Regular Sunguard soldiers, from several different races, saluted her as she passed, acknowledging her status without a word. The heavy, ornate wooden doors creaked under the burden of history as Ellie pushed them open and stepped into the Grand Council Chamber.
In front of her, seated at a large, imposing table shaped like a half circle, were the top leaders of the Sunguard - the Solar Command. In the center of the table sat the High Admiral - the Supreme Commander of the Sunguard and, for the last few months, the Secretary General of the Terran Federation. Thirteen Admirals in total, an equal mix of women and men, with skin tones displaying all the rich colors of the human palette. And all of them were Terran. Ellie’s plain gray jumpsuit, with its simple red stripes, contrasted sharply with the multitude of medals and intricate gold details adorning the Admirals’ formal, white uniforms.
High Admiral Anaya Sharma didn’t flinch as Ellie entered the room. The two women locked eyes, their gazes unyielding, as if testing each other’s resolve.
“What can we do for you, Special Agent McBrian?” the High Admiral asked, her voice firm and controlled, betraying no emotion.
Unlike Paul, Ellie wasn’t designed with a telepathic center in her brain, but she didn’t need one to know that High Admiral Sharma was perfectly aware of why she was there. Ellie responded politely, despite the tension that hung in the air. Well, as politely as she could manage, at least.
“Four months ago, the Sunguard, acting on your orders, deposed the Solar Council - the elected government of our Terran Federation. By the authority vested in me as a Sunguard Special Agent, I hereby declare the military government under your leadership illegal. You will step down from all positions of political power, facilitate the process to hold new elections, and pledge the Sunguard’s support for the newly elected government. You will comply with this order, now,,” Ellie declared, her voice firm and unwavering.
High Admiral Sharma nodded calmly. “Thank you for your candor,” she said, her tone measured. “It is the opinion of this body that the Terran Federation must remain under military control, for the time being. We will not step down.”
And so, in the span of just two minutes, and with only a handful of deliberate words, she had effectively condemned 160 billion citizens of the Terran Federation to suffer through the horrors of civil war.
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Kearotang, Kelar, Alpha Centauri B
The next time she met Paul, fighting had already erupted in the outer systems. But here on the core worlds, life went on as usual, the stark contrast of war’s reach not yet felt on the Founding Worlds.
They met in the Park of Immense Sorrow, a lush, green expanse in Kearotang, filled with open meadows and leafy groves. Sparkling fountains and tranquil ponds were interspersed with wooden benches, inviting quiet moments of contemplation. And everywhere, statues depicted the Kelars’ collective guilt over their role in the Kelar War. There were sculptures of Kelars weeping over the bodies of dead Terran children, and figures of Kelars embracing Terrans and Etarians, all under the ever-present signs that read in simple, solemn lettering: "Never Again."
Although there had been some initial tension when Kelar was integrated into the Terran Federation after the war, the victorious Terrans and Etarians had poured enormous resources into the rebuilding effort. Despite the Kelar having used nuclear weapons against major population centers on both Etar and Mars, the invasion of Kelar by the Terran-Etarian alliance had been mostly non-nuclear, with the exception of precise nuclear strikes targeting large military installations. Rebuilding Kelar had become a race against time, as they rushed to provide assistance to a civilization ground into dust, before the remaining civilian population succumbed in the bombed-out ruins of their cities.
The newly formed Terran Federation had taken on this immense task, believing that integrating the Kelar into the Federation would, in the long run, be more cost-effective than dealing with a vengeful enemy living on their doorstep. It had mostly succeeded. But while the Terrans and Etarians had, to some extent, forgiven the Kelar within a century or two of the war, the Kelar never forgave themselves. Their guilt for having started a war that led to the deaths of a hundred million people - all because of a misunderstanding - never left them. To compensate, the Kelar had shaped themselves into pillars of the Terran Federation, supporting it with unwavering loyalty, even in the face of growing oppression against non-Terrans.
That made Kelar an important place to visit, Ellie thought. She didn’t want to lead from the sidelines. She wanted to see for herself how her actions affected the peoples of the Federation. If she could see cracks forming in Kelar support for the Sunguard coup, there was hope that the small, scaly, blue-skinned humans would eventually rally to her cause. Then, it wouldn’t just be Sunguard against Sunguard anymore.
She had walked the avenues of the city, talked with the street vendors lining the bustling boulevards, and overheard Kelar conversing in dimly lit tavernas. It had not gone the way she had hoped. Now, she sat on the wooden bench, her face shadowed with disappointment, gazing at a particularly moving statue of a Kelar child helping an Etarian grandmother cross a street. This time, Ellie hadn’t even bothered sampling the local cuisine, her usual curiosity dulled by the weight of her findings.
Paul stepped out from the gathering dusk, carrying a small brown paper bag in his left hand.
“You don’t look too happy,” he said, his voice light but concerned.
“I think you know why,” she replied, her tone flat. “You’re the one who can read minds. Surely you already knew the Kelar don’t want to rock the boat they’re sitting in.”
“I know,” Paul said with a sigh. “But can you really blame them? They didn’t start this civil war. We did.”
They sat in silence for nearly a minute, the air heavy with the weight of history around them. The soft rustle of leaves and the distant trickle of a fountain were the only sounds breaking the stillness.
“Here,” Paul said at last, breaking the silence, and offering her the bag. “I think you need this.”
From within the bag, the delightful aroma of General Tso’s Chicken began to drift out from a small paper container. Paul, she thought with a faint smile. You always know what I need.
The chicken most definitely wasn’t chicken - probably some kind of Kelar lizard, and a tangy one at that. And the spices were all wrong, too. But Ellie didn’t tell Paul. Instead, she ate in silence, savoring the thought behind the meal more than the meal itself.
When she had finished the cheap takeout food, Paul’s face grew serious, his usual lighthearted demeanor shifting into something far more grave. Oh, so you were buttering me up for this, Ellie thought, already dreading what was coming next. Let’s hear it.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.
Paul hesitated, his eyes drifting downward as if searching for the right words. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he finally continued. “The Sunguard has activated Project 47.”
Ellie froze, her breath catching in her throat.
The Sunguard Research and Development Division had, over the years, developed a number of Special Projects. Not all of them were nefarious, as Ellie saw it. Project 18, for example, had been the original biotic cell. However, Project 47 was different.
A biotic Sunguard Special Agent was practically unkillable. If her body was destroyed, it would still regenerate, even if only a single biotic cell had survived. Once regrown, the body would download the Special Agent’s backup of her original memories from the central Memory Repository. It would take some time, but eventually, the Special Agent would be up and running again. Ellie knew this better than most.
Project 47 was, essentially, a biotic version of a bacteria - a single-celled biotic organism capable of infecting a target biot and replicating within her body. Every individual biotic bacteria - nanometer-scale chips - carried a tiny explosive charge and bound to a single biotic chip in the target’s body. But unlike biological bacteria, the biotic bacteria had the backing of advanced technology. They were programmed to target a specific Special Agent only, and these bacteria could communicate wirelessly with each other, synchronizing their actions. Once the entire population of bacteria was in place - one bacterium bound to every cell in the biot’s body - they were all activated simultaneously. Every single biotic cell within the Special Agent’s body would be destroyed at the same moment, leaving none behind to regenerate. Project 47 was a contingency plan for Special Agents who went rogue. For 700 years, there had never been a reason to activate it.
And now, the Sunguard had started using the weapon.
“How many?” Ellie asked, fear creeping into her voice.
“Twenty-seven,” Paul replied softly.
Twenty-seven of her brothers and sisters, gone in an instant. Killed because they had taken a stance against the Solar Command, fulfilling the ultimate interpretation of their reason for existing. It hit her hard - much harder than she would have liked.
It wasn’t that she thought the lives of biots were more important than biological lives, not at all. But with the biological humans she had called friends over the years, the finite span of those friendships had always been understood from the beginning. A biological human might live a hundred years - maybe a little more if they were lucky - but a biot had no outer limit to their lifespan. She had unconsciously expected her biotic friends to always be with her. And now they were gone.
“I’m sorry,” Paul said, his voice heavy with the burden of delivering such sad news.
A single tear traced a path down Ellie’s cheek. But she held a hope Paul lacked - the one thing he had never been able to understand about her. To him, death was the end, but to Ellie, her closest friends were merely sleeping, awaiting Resurrection on that glorious day. She held a hope she would see them again.
They planned to leave Kelar aboard a small, bulky transport ship that had landed at a quiet suburban spaceport in the outskirts of Kearotang - a spaceport that surprisingly had experienced a series of recent glitches in its security system. It would drop them off at different locations within the Terran Federation, where they would continue the fight.
The small Kelar captain talked their ears off as Paul and Ellie approached his ship. Ellie had a hard time following what he said.
“Madame, bless your hair, it is not my fault. She insisted on waiting for you”, he chittered.
She?
“Hello, Ellie. Paul,” a bright voice said from within the dark confines of the cargo bay. “Don’t shoot.”
From the darkness of the ship's cavernous storeroom, Anna stepped out into the light, her hands raised in the air. It was more a gesture than an act of practical importance - unarmed or not, a Special Agent was always a lethal weapon.
While Ellie hadn’t expected to see Anna here, she also wasn’t exactly surprised, either. It made sense that the other Special Agent kept track of her whereabouts, just like Paul tried to keep track of the biots who supported the Solar Command.
The tall, blonde woman lowered her hands when she was sure Ellie wouldn’t attack her on sight.
“I’m guessing you heard?”, she said.
Ellie was weary. The other Special Agent had declared her support for the Solar Command. If she carried Project 47 versions tailored to target her and Paul, the slightest touch would be enough to infect them, while Anna herself would remain unaffected.
“We’ve heard,” Ellie responded, careful to keep her distance.
“Look, I know we haven’t seen eye to eye on what role the Solar Command should have in the political structure of the Federation,” Anna explained. “But we both want what’s best for the people. And I genuinely believed the military government was more efficient at running the Terran Federation than the so-called democratically elected Solar Council had ever been. Without oversight, they could swiftly take any action they deemed necessary for the benefit of the Federation.”
Believed?
“But you weren’t wrong, Ellie,” Anna continued. “And neither was I. They are more efficient, and using Project 47, they have proven they are indeed willing to take any action without oversight. All I’ve ever done has been for what I believed was the benefit of the people of the Terran Federation. But using Project 47 indiscriminately is proof they are not acting with the same purpose. And I do not approve.”
It was an unexpected turn of events, and Ellie wasn’t sure she believed Anna’s declaration. But burning down the house was not the end of her cause - someday, she would have to rebuild it. And she did not want to start this new world with fear and mistrust in her soul.
Ellie didn’t say anything. She simply took a step forward and embraced her old friend in a deep hug.
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October 8, 3072, Taomar, Etar, Alpha Centauri A
The realization had come slowly, gradually creeping into her consciousness as the weeks of war stretched into months.
They weren’t winning.
What had started as an uprising by three quarters of the Special Agents corps, had swiftly turned into a bitter stalemate when the Solar Command started deploying Project 47. But it had not ended there. Now, only seventy-seven of them remained. Although the Special Agents could take command of any Sunguard units, the Solar Command could do the same. Ultimately, most of the regular Sunguard soldiers ended up fighting in support of the coup.
Anna and Paul continued traveling through the worlds of the Terran Federation, moving in the shadows from planet to planet, searching for cracks and signs of dissent. And now, Paul had asked Ellie to meet them here, in Taomar.
She was staying in a small, sparsely furnished apartment overlooking Federation Plaza, its colossal statues appearing so small she wouldn’t have been able to see them from this distance - had she not been a biot. With eyesight far sharper than that of any biological human, she could make out every detail as she stood on the balcony, reflecting on the birthplace of the Terran Federation.
“There’s something you should see,” said Paul, as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “For the past few weeks, I’ve sensed something changing here on Etar.”
As he spoke, he pointed to one of the broad, stone-paved avenues leading into the plaza. Something was moving there, a growing group of people flooding into the square. Ellie squinted, trying to see what was happening.
“We should go down to the plaza,” he said. “Anna is waiting for us there.”
When they arrived in the center of Federation Plaza a few minutes later, the first members of the group had already reached the enormous bronze globe of old Earth in the middle of the square. Yet the influx of people had not ceased. From the many roads leading into the plaza, people were still pouring in. They were regular people: mothers and fathers, children and teenagers, all wearing the everyday clothes of ordinary citizens.
At first, Ellie thought they were all Terrans, but when she looked closer, she saw many of the other races as well. There were Kelar, Etarians, Jerrassians, Laumari, Sonmai, and more, all standing together. Soon, she had spotted members of all the eleven species of the Terran Federation.
Some of them were singing, their voices carrying over the plaza. Some had brought banners with them, colorful signs displaying the old slogan “We Are All Humans”. And from the way the crowd intermingled, it was clear they embraced the classic definition of the word “human”, not the narrow modern neo-apartheid definition. To these people, anyone with intelligence and consciousness was a human, no matter their race, biochemical composition, or what star they were born under.
Suddenly, Ellie spotted her pastor in the sea of people: a small Kelar woman with intricate braids woven into her glossy black hair. The underground church had joined the protests. Though they were too far apart for sound to carry, Ellie waved, and the blue-skinned lizard smiled warmly and waved back at her.
She felt hope surge within her, as the mass of people walked across the plaza toward the old Solar Council chambers at the far end. The last time she had walked this path, she had done so alone. Now, she stood back, watching how the people she had dedicated her life to protect, from all walks of life, took on her burden.
As the human tide reached the ornate gates of the council chamber building, the Sunguard soldiers stationed at the entrance silently stepped aside. Some of them joined the crowd.
In the end, it was neither the might of weapons nor the strength of the Special Agents that ended the war. It was the will of the regular people - young and old, families and friends - standing together against a system they had come to loathe, despite the fact that many of them had once benefited from it. It was the pressure of a hundred billion humans from eleven races that forced the Solar Command to step down, and with it, the Terran Federation - tainted by centuries of oppression - fell as well.
They had burned down the house. Now, it was time to stand together to build something new and better.
Ellie reached out and held Paul’s hand.