Ominian System
Automated Border Outpost 1D-25
1,893 light-years from Earth
June 12th, 2176 A.D.
“This is unacceptable! The Kingdom of Faria will never submit to the military control of the Republic of Humanity. Have you all forgotten that they are barely middle-power upstarts who almost wiped themselves out with nuclear and biochemical weapons a hundred cycles ago? And now we are being asked to accept them as our peers and leaders? Never!
They are war hungry and immature, and they will never relinquish control once they have it; it is in their nature to subsume and control. Look at the devices in your hands that you are using this very moment and the wares in your dwellings! All made by the Republic. While they smile to your face, they strangle you with their goods and displace native economies.
They are everywhere, spreading their wares and their ways, replicating like viruses, and infecting worlds before we know what is happening! Even in the Kingdom, our younglings eschew our high-quality goods made by our own people in favor of the cheap trinkets made by the humans.
They are insidious! Our younglings play their games and wear their clothes and speak their mongrel tongue instead of Farian, and the Kingdom won’t stand for it! We reject the proposal to place our military forces under their command.”
The Farian ambassador finally finished, glaring at the assembled delegates as his chest heaved from the gasping breaths he was taking. The V’rnian delegate stood up on her chair and pointed her tiny fingers at the Farian delegate as she chittered, her high-pitched squeaking easily heard in the silent forum.
The translator AI came over the speakers, naming the delegate as Princess Liria of the V’rni before translating what she was saying in Commonwealth standard.
“How dare you speak ill of the Republic and humanity? Do you know why nobody buys your goods? They are expensive and of poor quality, and you have no concept of longevity. They are shit, as the humans are fond of saying. Every device you manufacture requires a continued financial commitment to operate, and your manufacturers do not honor warranties when your products fail, which they do all the time!
We saw the human goods infiltrating our markets too, but instead of complaining, it forced us to compete with them, and the humans themselves invited V’rnian industry leaders to their factories to see how they manufactured their high-quality goods at such a low cost.
They asked for nothing in return, and we took that knowledge they shared with us and used it to create new methods of manufacture that increased our efficiency by over 70% while halving costs. All across the board, we saw massive sales and profit increases.
When we asked why they did this, the human representative said, ‘Competition ensures quality; quality ensures profits; profit ensures investment, and investment ensures more profits. A happy customer is a spending customer, and spending customers equals economic growth. The more we trade, the more money we both make, and the best way to become good friends is to fill each other's pockets with credits.’
What they said was true, and our long stagnant economy grew by over 20% within five cycles of opening free trade with the humans. The Kingdom refused to do this, and instead of blaming the humans, you should recognize that your stupid king and his stupid protectionist policies are the reason for your self-inflicted economic depression.”
The forum erupted into a variety of hoots and laughter from the assembled delegates, many of them fully agreeing with the princess’s assessment of Farian goods and their terrible economic policies. They also appreciated the arrogant Farian being put in his place by the diminutive V’rnian, who were well known for calling things out without regard to tact.
The Farian diplomat looked indignant and began to respond when the Ma’lit Honored elder standing next to him intervened by flicking a finger and cutting off the voice projector before speaking from the speakers lining its suit.
“The Ma’lit Domain thanks the Farian Ambassador for his thoughts. Please return to your seat.”
The Farian ambassador’s light blue skin turned an angry shade of purple before he stormed off the stage, the forum translator AI declining to translate the Farian obscenities he was hurling at the assembly.
There were more hoots and laughter of derision from the delegates, and the Farian ambassador made a rude gesture at them with his hands before sitting in his seat. Raising two suited hands, the Ma’lit suit demanded order, which it got immediately before speaking again.
“I warn the V’rnian delegate and any others against speaking out of turn again. Failure to comply will result in sanctions and the immediate ejection of those who fail to abide by the proper protocols. President Sarix of the Neo-Commonwealth will speak next.”
A large Nekuli male stood up in the front row and began to walk to the edge of the stage where the steps were located, his back ramrod straight as he stared straight ahead. His resplendent uniform was covered with medals and awards, all of them truly earned during his decades of service in the Commonwealth military forces.
He ascended the steps and walked to the lectern with measured military precision, dipping his head slowly in a gesture of proper respect to the Ma’lit exosuit before turning to face the delegates.
His eyes slowly roamed over the rows before seeming to stare over them as he began to speak, his deep voice echoing off the walls without the need for the voice projector.
“I am honored to be here with all of you, and I wish it did not require such extenuating circumstances to bring all of us together in common cause. I am not a diplomat or an ambassador. I am a warrior, so please forgive me for speaking plainly; I do not know any other way to speak, and I hope my...succinctness is sufficient for the occasion.
To my great shame, I once thought as many of you did and still do in regards to the Republic and humanity in general. I saw them as upstarts, as the Farian ambassador pointed out, and I felt they had grown too arrogant and assured of their position within the quadrant, considering the very short time they had been an interstellar species.”
Sarix looked down at the lectern and lifted his powerful, scaled hands to grasp the sides of it before lifting his head again and continuing.
“My son Therax held a different view after consuming every piece of information he could scrounge up from the knowledge repositories and broadcasts regarding human history. 'They are like us, Father. The ancestors have finally sent us the ones we have been looking for.’ He said to me during one of our many discussions regarding the various species, but mostly about the humans.
I did not agree with his opinion, and I was deeply troubled by their rapid expansion and the obvious uplifting they underwent that propelled them to middle power status far sooner than they should have been able to. They had not earned it, and the Commonwealth government, as well as the High Command, was rightfully alarmed.”
Sarix’s eyes looked over to where the Xenxin, Eleani, and Republic delegations were sitting together while speaking of the humans being uplifted before shifting his eyes over to where the Jaleeni and V’rnian delegates were seated as he continued.
“I thought my son had fallen under the sway of these new arrivals to the quadrant, and I pitied him for having to find out that they were not what he thought they were when the time came for the Commonwealth to put them in their place. We wanted to teach them a lesson, and we wanted to remind the rest of the quadrant who the true power was.
Despite our spying attempts, we never could manage to discern the true military might of the Republic or the martial abilities of the humans, and it was for this reason alone why we had not yet launched a punitive expedition to teach them and the others that the Commonwealth still controlled affairs within the quadrant.
And then the Insectoid Empire launched their swarms again, and the Commonwealth Navy was out of position and unable to respond to the incursions in time. Do you know why this is?”
Looking down at the lectern again, Sarix’s hands clenched the sides of the it, and the sound of the Xenxin Ebonywood creaking within the powerful grips travelled clearly through the forum before he lifted his head again and stared directly at the human delegation.
The skin folds of his snout were contorted, and for the first time, the assembled delegates saw what a truly ashamed Nekuli looked like.
“This is no place for secrets, so I will tell you why. More than half of our forces were clandestinely deployed along the frontier facing the Republic of Humanity, and we were less than forty-eight solar hours away from launching an illegal surprise attack against them without declaring war as required by the Treaty of Sirius.”
There was a tumultuous upwelling of gasps and curses, followed by shouting from multiple delegates as they stood up and angrily gesticulated towards President Sarix in their own unique ways.
Sarix ignored them all as he continued to stare at the humans, who surprisingly did not seem disturbed in the slightest by his revelations. Raising its suited hands, the Ma’lit exosuit enhanced the volume of its speakers and demanded order several times, the decibels increasing each time until the delegates finally went silent and sat back down.
The suit speakers blared much louder than usual after everyone had finally settled down, and the normally emotionless speech of the Ma’lit voice synthesizers had a decidedly angry inflection, something only a very select few had ever experienced before.
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“Do the delegates from the Republic of Humanity wish to respond to this... disturbing confession by President Sarix of the Neo-Commonwealth?”
Ambassador Ray Buncomme of the Republic shared a look with President Lopez, and she gave him a barely discernible nod. He stood slowly and activated the voice projection function of the translator on his suit before speaking directly to President Sarix.
“We thank President Sarix for his honesty, and we appreciate the difficult nature of this confession, as well as the good intentions behind revealing it in this forum for all to hear. The truth is, we knew you were going to attack us, and we had already positioned the majority of our fleet, which was hiding in the Horsehead Nebula, for a counterstrike through the Filatin Sector as soon as you violated our borders.
We were confident your task forces would have smashed themselves against our stealth minefields and the defensive networks before the remainder of our forces surrounded your fleets and destroyed them in detail.
Our expeditionary forces were ordered to penetrate through the Filatin Sector and head for the Core Worlds to destroy your shipyard facilities and the remainder of your forces still within Commonwealth territory.
Our plans... changed when the Insectoids invaded, and this is the reason why we were able to reach the Eleani system and prevent their extermination. If we weren’t already staged for our counterassault, we never would have been able to get there in time.
We strongly believe things unfolded the way they were meant to, and the Republic has chosen to... forget the actions of the prior Commonwealth government, for it no longer exists. We do not hold any grudges against you, President Sarix; we know you are a true friend to the Republic and humanity.”
The Republic ambassador nodded to President Sarix, who looked greatly moved by what he had to say before slowly dipping his head in a gesture of respect. Sarix waited for the ambassador to sit back down before speaking again, his voice heavy with emotion.
“When I was ordered to lead the illegal and cowardly attack against the Republic, I resigned my commission in protest. I wanted to test their mettle, but not in such a dishonorable fashion. I am Nekuli, not a treacherous Ominian.
I was asked to come back after the Insectoids invaded, and I returned to my position to defend the Commonwealth in its time of great need. You heard what the human ambassador had just said: They knew we were planning to launch a surprise attack, and they had every right to launch their own attack, but they didn’t.
They were waiting for us to strike first before launching their own attack, like an honorable adversary that did not wish to fight does. They could have taken advantage of the Insectoid invasion to destroy our shipyards or to intercept the main fleet and destroy them as they journeyed back from the frontier to confront the swarms.
They did not do so despite having every right by the laws of honor and warfare. Do you know what they did instead? They sent us an already signed treaty of alliance, as well as a mutual defense pact, offering to render aid to the very people who were just about to launch a cowardly attack against them!”
The delegates flinched visibly as Sarix yelled the last words, obviously distraught by what he was recounting. He did not seem to notice, and he became increasingly animated as he continued to speak stridently.
“The fools in the old government did not even have the decency to respond to the Republic proposal, too proud to acknowledge that we desperately needed their help even after half the fleet had been destroyed and dozens of worlds had been glassed.
I saw the recording the premier sent, telling our people in the periphery that they were on their own. They are dead, I thought to myself, and for the first time in my life, I was ashamed to be a Nekuli, and I was ashamed to be part of the Commonwealth Navy that I loved with all my being.”
Sarix stopped speaking and looked directly at the Eleani delegation, his eyes conveying the shame and regret he felt then, just as he did now. There was something else, an almost pleading quality that seemed to ask for forgiveness within his eyes as he continued.
“When the spy drones returned from the periphery, I was there when the recordings were played in the chambers of the governing council. There were five member species in that region of the periphery, but not all had been exterminated.
I cannot even begin to describe the silence that pervaded the chambers as we watched the recordings. The same Republic Fleet we aimed to destroy in a cowardly fashion not only came to the defense of one of our members that we so callously abandoned, but also destroyed the very swarm that thrashed our proud fleet like youngling toys and would have wiped out the entire Commonwealth.
The Republic sacrificed over a thousand ships and almost 200,000 humans to do what we would not and could not have done even if we wanted to. They fought like demons; they saved the Eleani, and they saved the Commonwealth that was going to attack them in such a cowardly fashion.
It was only then that I knew my son was right. We finally found another warrior species like us, but in my arrogance and anger, I did not see them as kindred spirits but as a dangerous enemy that had proven they were a force to be reckoned with.”
Shifting his eyes back to the humans that were sitting next to their Eleani counterparts, his eyes lingered on them for a few moments before looking directly at the Xenxin delegation.
“When the Xenxin rebelled and seized all Commonwealth forces in their sector, a part of me understood why they did it, and dare I say, a part of me secretly respected them for doing so. However, I was still the Grand Admiral, and a larger part of me wanted to strike them down for daring to turn on the Commonwealth.
So, I ordered my son to return them to the fold by any means necessary and to subjugate the Xenxin. We could not afford to lose the nenchite deposits and the refinery capacity of that sector. If we lost those resources, we would lose the ability to defend ourselves if the Insectoids returned to finish us off, and we knew the Republic would not come to our aid after the disrespectful way we ignored their offer of alliance.
Only 23 of the 302 ships of the Commonwealth 2nd Fleet returned, and I thought my son was dead, killed by the same Republic that had also chased our envoy away from the Eleani system and outright stated that any violations of Eleani and Xenxin sovereignty would be an act of war.
I hated them after my son did not return, and this hate blinded me to the increasingly despotic bent of the Commonwealth government as it struggled to maintain control. There were some things I would not do, and the government knew this and hid the bombing of Filat Prime from me, as well as the other atrocities they committed to maintain control.”
Sarix stopped speaking and turned his head slightly before looking directly at the Jaleeni and the V’rnian delegation, his eyes full of anguish.
“I wept when the news of the near extinction of your species reached the halls of the High Command, and I swore to myself that I would never let that happen again. When we detected the presence of the Insectoids near the Jaleeni system, I ordered my daughter to go there with the entire fleet.
I was willing to sacrifice her to prevent what had been done to the V’rni from happening to any others. She went with her 300 ships, and I ordered her to call for reinforcements if the Insectoids showed up in the Jaleeni system while we evacuated them.
She sent a distress call, as did the Jaleeni government when the Insectoids showed up, but the traitors intercepted the signals before they reached the High Command, and I sat in my office, not knowing my daughter and the Jaleeni were in danger of being wiped out.
I only found out what had happened afterwards when the comm drones flashed out and broadcasted the truth to Naval Headquarters and throughout the entire Nekul home system before they were destroyed by the perimeter defense forces.”
Pausing, Sarix looked down at the lectern and growled lowly, the menacing sound permeating the deathly silent forum. There were sudden loud cracking sounds that startled the delegates as the sides of the lectern were crushed into splinters by his hands.
Seeming not to care, he opened his hands and let the pieces fall to the ground as he continued to stare at the V’rni and Jaleeni delegates.
“My daughter and the Jaleeni still lived, and my son had come back from the dead. Not because the Commonwealth fleet responded to the distress call and fought off the Insectoids, but because the Republic came and fought to protect others.
Again.
They owed nothing to the Jaleeni. They had no responsibility to the Jaleeni, but they were there nonetheless, and they brought my son, who I thought was dead, back with them in a fleet they had given to their former enemy. They fought to the bitter end, and they sacrificed themselves for the Jaleeni, saving them and my daughter.
Again.
It was then when the truth, and the whole truth, was finally revealed to me and my sight was restored. I did not want to see the truth of them when they saved the Eleani, so I blinded myself with hate. I refused to see the truth of the evil Commonwealth government, so I blinded myself with loyalty.
But the sacrifices made by the over 30,000 Republic warriors lifted the veil from my eyes, and I could no longer deny that the ancestors had finally sent us the kindred spirits we have been searching for ever since we went into space, just like my son said they had long ago.
I rebelled against the evil government I knowingly served, and when the civil war was over, I found myself presiding over a broken organization that was a mere shadow of its former self, on the verge of constantly splintering and vanishing into nothingness after all we had done to save it and return it to its true path.
The Republic had shown time and time again that they were honorable in war, intention, and action. They are also merciful and wise, and the same hand that they raise to destroy, they also offer in friendship to those who are no longer their enemy and are in dire need.
If it was not for them, the Neo-Commonwealth would have shattered, and it was their ships filled with ores, food, medical supplies, and critical industrial components that prevented our demise and the deaths of hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of our citizens.
They sent all of this without me having to ask because they are a righteous and honorable people. They are the worst enemy one could ever have and the greatest friend one could ever hope for.
This is why the Neo-Commonwealth has willingly joined the Republic of Humanity as an equal partner, and this is why I vote yes to accept Republic military control over all Neo-Commonwealth forces. I hope you hear my words as one who used to hate them and as one who now loves them with all his essence.
Till our victory or till our death, we stand united with our friends and allies in perpetuity.”
Turning to face the suited Ma’lit, Sarix slowly lowered his head in the proper gesture of respect before turning back and walking across the stage to the stairs. In the stillness gripping the forum, his boots sounded like thunderclaps as he walked with the same military precision and erect bearing as before.
Walking down the stairs and then heading towards his seat, Princess Liria scurried through the seats and intercepted him, looking like a tiny youngling as president Sarix stopped and loomed over her with an anguished expression.
They stared at each other for a few moments before the princess beckoned him to come down to her. Sarix obeyed and went down on his knees, and the princess threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest as she quietly chittered.
The forum AI began to translate what was being said between them but was cut off by a flick of the Ma’lit’s finger. After the princess chittered some more, Sarix nodded solemnly to her and stood up wearily, as if all his strength had fled from him. He resumed walking to his seat and finally reached it, sitting down heavily in it before staring at the ground in front of him.
The Ma’lit exosuit speakers activated, the normal volume seeming outrageously loud in the hush that followed the interaction between Princess Liria and President Sarix.
“A short recess is in order. Please refresh yourselves in the reception room; our androids have prepared delicacies from every world being represented here. We shall reconvene in one solar hour. Do not be late. Failure to comply will result in sanctions and the ejection of any violators.”
The forum came alive with the sound of quiet murmuring as the delegates began to stir and get out of their seats. Soon, all the attendees were streaming towards the large opening that led to the reception room, speaking together in hushed tones.
Watching them from where it had been observing the proceedings along the back wall, Hreth’nir turned the suit towards the reception room, a thoughtful expression on its face.
Wondering if there would be any baklava among the Republic delicacies, Hreth’nir felt its stomach growling in response to the thought as it fell behind the crowd. Baklava sounded exactly like what it needed right now, and it found itself moving the suit faster in anticipation of eating the delicious dessert.