Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming, North American Province
June 3rd, 2176 A.D.
Lopez watched as Emperor Lik-San bobbed his head in awe at the scene happening less than 120 hundred meters in front of them. A pack of wolves were trying to chase off a mother grizzly bear and her three cubs from an elk carcass they had been eating.
Just twenty minutes prior, they saw the mother grizzly chase down and kill the elk, who was either very old or injured. Thankfully, the elk died relatively quickly, something Lopez was grateful for, as she had heard stories about grizzly bears not really caring if their victims were dead or alive while they ate them.
Watching the enraged mother go after the wolves was frightening, and Lopez was rendered speechless by the raw power and speed being displayed. An old latent memory from her very early years suddenly entered her mind, and she smiled with fond remembrance as the face of her great-grandfather entered her mind.
He was a wizened old man, always full of laughter and love. He was also a tough son of a bitch. A survivor of the worst period of human history, he lived to a ripe old age of one hundred and thirteen years. He was born in the year 2005, and he passed away in the year 2118, when Lopez was just eight years old.
He would constantly play old shows and podcasts from his younger years that he had recorded and saved from destruction even during the war and the near total collapse of society afterwards.
They were a rare treasure for the historians who tried to reclaim the lost cultural records of those times, and he had graciously allowed them to make copies of everything he had saved.
Lopez furrowed her brow, trying to remember the name of his favorite podcaster and show. It was Joe something, and he was obsessed with aliens, bears, and ancient civilizations.
She remembered hearing great-father laughing in his room every time the Joe guy asked his assistant Jamie to put up a video of a bear doing something; it was always his favorite part of the show and seemed to be an inside joke to him.
She could distinctly remember the voice; it was always in the background as she played with her toys and did homework. Looking at the Emperor, she heard the podcaster talking in her head.
Jamie, pull up the video of the grizzly bear eating the alien bird emperor.
Lopez laughed out loud at the random thought, startling the emperor next to her. He turned his head towards her without moving his neck or body and stared at her. Lopez felt her face turning red from embarrassment, and she quietly apologized to him.
“I’m sorry, Emperor. I was just remembering something from my childhood. Being here reminded me of it.” The emperor continued to stare at her with his large eyes and answered in almost a whisper. “Can they hear us? I do not want to be killed and eaten by that large bear creature.”
Lopez snorted and clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the emperor, literally just saying what she had been imagining. She cleared her throat and answered him, struggling to enforce her self-discipline as she stared into his eyes.
“No, Emperor Lik-San, the cloaking field prevents any detection by sight, sound, and smell. We are quite safe within it, I promise you.”
He continued to stare at her for a few seconds, his pupils expanding and contracting rapidly as he considered her words. Finally, he turned his head back towards the still-quarrelling animals before replying.
“I shall hold you to that promise, Empress Lopez. I am astounded your species achieved supremacy with such ferocious creatures. Those large cats on the other continent you will take me to see after this fill me with dread.
Still, I wish to see them. I find myself regretting my ancestor’s decision to kill off all the large predators of our world long ago. I see now why you have chosen not to do so in your world. It is truly wonderous to see the rawness of life before your very eyes. It is a shame my people cannot do so.”
Lopez appreciated his words, and she was very glad she had agreed to accommodate his strange request to go on this expedition when he had asked her.
She was not expecting such a request, and so soon after his arrival. He was adamant that he wished to see the nature preserves immediately, and she fulfilled his request in order to garner goodwill with him. The preserves were renowned across the quadrant and drew tens of millions of alien visitors every year, enriching the Republic coffers as they spent money on Earth.
“Sadly, Emperor Lik-San, there were many other wondrous species that did not survive our previously poor stewardship of the planet and the wars. We do this to remind ourselves of how beautiful and precious life truly is, in all its forms.
We almost destroyed our planet and ourselves, and being able to save what remained has become an imperative for us. I am grateful that you are here to experience this and see the natural beauty of our world.”
Lopez paused as she saw the mother bear make sure that her cubs were safely up a tree before turning right back around and charging into the surrounding wolf pack. The wolves easily dodged her, almost seeming to enjoy the challenge as one of them came up from behind and nipped at the exposed haunches, further enraging her.
“I hope soon that your people become among the millions who come to visit and see this for themselves after we finish our negotiations and become allies. I have seen pictures and videos of your cradle world, Emperor.
I know that many of my people would love to visit and explore the wondrous landscapes and the walking forests. I cannot imagine a whole forest uprooting itself and walking many kilometers; it sounds like a spectacular thing to witness firsthand.”
The emperor replied, still watching the animals fighting with great interest as coyotes and birds took advantage of the distraction to sneak in and steal pieces of flesh from the elk carcass before running or flying away.
“Yes, it is a sight to behold. The Narsu forests perform a vital ecological function and allow our people to take advantage of the fertilized soils after they relocate, a gift for us since our soils are generally not suitable for large-scale agriculture.
And of course, we would welcome the credits your people will spend to come and see our world. It would be a great boon for us and further stimulate our economy. I look forward to the additional income and the ripple effects it will create for our people.”
“I am very happy to hear that, Emperor Lik-San. I look forward to seeing them myself one day. Do you wish to remain here, or would you like to see the large cats on the other continent?”
The emperor turned towards her fully at the mention of the lions in the African Province, clearly excited at the prospect as he bobbed his head repeatedly before answering her.
“Yes, I want to see the large cats, please.”
“Excellent, Emperor Lik-San. I’ll have a shuttle come and pick us up. We will have to walk back about two hundred meters to avoid disrupting the animals. If you please?”
The emperor looked in the direction Lopez was pointing behind them and then turned and started practically trotting. Damn, he’s really into seeing the lions. Wait until he learns about the tigers, Lopez thought to herself as she struggled to keep pace with the eager emperor.
Nine hours later, they were both back in the shuttle and heading into orbit to return to the Orbital Space Dock Complex. The trip had been cut short after Lopez was informed of the emergency null space relay communication request from President Sarix.
They saw the lions, but the tigers of the Indian subcontinent proved to be as elusive as always. The emperor became petulant at first and refused to leave until he saw one. He only finally agreed to try again the next day after Lopez promised to assign life sign detectors and wildlife trackers to locate a tiger for him.
The shuttle docked, and Lopez escorted the emperor back to his shuttle. He would take it back to his ship and spend the night there, and Lopez confirmed again that she would arrange for him to see a tiger the next day.
Feeling exhausted, Lopez headed to the secure comm relay onboard to take the call from Sarix. It must be important and time-sensitive because use of the relay was very expensive, and he was obviously willing to pay the exorbitant cost instead of using comm drones.
Lopez used the restroom first, and then she freshened herself up, cleaning her face and removing the makeup she applied in the morning. She looked into the mirror, seeing the dark bags and fine wrinkles now visible, and she took her makeup wand out of her bag.
Selecting a profile, she slowly waved the wand two inches away from her skin, allowing it to apply the new makeup to her face. After thirty seconds, it was done, and she inspected the results in the mirror.
The bags were gone, as were the wrinkles, and she now looked presentable and fresh, as the President of the Republic should look. Putting the wand back into her bag, she felt the small stim pen, and her hand instinctively grabbed it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wanting to use the stim as she stared at herself in disgust.
You are using them too much, Mea. It took you thirty years to put down the bottle, and you only did that when the man you love threatened to leave you. You are stronger than this; you don’t need it.
Before she registered what was happening, the stim was against her neck, and she heard it hissing as the contents were injected into her bloodstream. Her look of disgust faded as the stim made all her pain and tiredness go away, and soon the regret she felt was replaced with a smiling reflection.
After quickly fixing her hair, she left the restroom and headed to the secure comm room, smiling happily at the two pathfinder guards on either side of the door and returning their sharp salutes as she entered it.
Taking a seat behind the node equipment, she entered her code and connected the station relay to the network. The system confirmed her code and connected it to the relay Sarix was calling from over 500 light years away from Earth.
Five seconds later, President Sarix appeared in front of her, his hologram making it seem like he was in the room with her. He saluted her in the Nekuli fashion, and Lopez returned it, smiling broadly at him.
They exchanged greetings, and Lopez, not wanting to waste Sarix’s time and Commonwealth funds on small talk, immediately asked him the reason for the call. Sarix seemed to appreciate that and began to speak without preamble.
“President Lopez, As I am sure you are aware, the Eleani referendum results have been made public, and the issue is now being presented to the Senate for debate. Obviously, the Eleani seceding from the Neo-Commonwealth would be disastrous for us, and it is almost guaranteed the Xenxin will follow their lead.
I am hoping to prevent this, and I would like to know your government’s official stance on the referendum results, as well as your intentions if the Eleani and the Xenxin request to join the Republic of Humanity.”
Lopez eyed Sarix’s hologram, wondering what he was really asking of her and the Republic. It was late, and she didn’t want to waste time with diplo-speak; she had to bring the emperor back to find a tiger at 0530.
"I've been doing this a long time, Sarix. I am surprised you are beating around the bush instead of outright asking for our help in forcing them to stay.”
Sarix’s head flicked slightly, obviously surprised by her perceptive understanding of his true question. He stammered a little bit—an amusing thing to see happening to a Nekuli warrior—before he recovered and spoke again.
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“I see I still have a lot to learn about asking questions without giving away what I really want to ask, President Lopez. I am a warrior, and it is refreshing to find myself speaking plainly with another warrior. Very well, I will ask the questions I really want to know the answer to.
Do you intend to allow the Eleani and the Xenxin to join the Republic if they choose to do so?”
Lopez walked around the bank of comm relay equipment, seeing the holo system automatically move Sarix and the room he was in. There was a quick disjointedness in the split rooms between them as his part shifted back to accommodate her new position and keep the appropriate distance between them.
“President Sarix, it is the official position of the Republic that we would prefer they stay within the Neo-Commonwealth and help you rebuild.
It is also the official position of both the Senate and I that if they did choose to leave, we would strongly encourage them to remain independent powers and make their own way for a time.
However, the concerns and desires of our citizens are paramount, and they are strongly in favor of having them join us if the Eleani and the Xenxin publicly stated their desire to do so. We are a representative republic, Sarix. It is the citizens who truly rule, not the President and the Senate.”
Sarix stared at her, and she could clearly see the apprehension within his eyes as he spoke again, his voice heavy with emotion.
“It is just as I feared then; the Commonwealth will soon fall. We cannot survive both the Eleani and the Xenxin seceding, for others will follow their lead, and soon only the Nekuli and very few members will remain.
The only consolation I can find in the impeding disaster is the knowledge that you and the Republic will do all that could be done to ensure the safety and protection of our former citizens when the Commonwealth finally dissolves. I vow to you; we will not prevent any who choose to leave from doing so.”
Lopez found herself being greatly affected by the raw emotion pouring out of Sarix. It was palpable even through the holo system as he stared at the deck of the room he was in. He seemed smaller, and Lopez realized that he was not carrying himself like he normally did.
His shoulders were now slightly stooped, and she felt the distinct aura of defeat emanating from him. Her heart broke at the sight of the noble warrior giving up after fighting so hard for something he believed in, and she felt the warrior within her crying out to him, begging him not to give up and to keep fighting.
The silence that hung over them both was oppressive, and her mind raced as she tried to figure out a way to save the Commonwealth Sarix loved and fought for with all his being. The room shifted slightly, and Lopez turned her eyes to look at the new hologram that appeared next to Sarix.
It was Vice-Admiral Verixa, and Lopez returned the Nekuli salute Verixa had given her before addressing her.
“Vice Admiral Verixa, it is a pleasure to see you, though I wish the circumstances were better.”
Verixa flicked her head in acknowledgement of Lopez’s greeting before replying.
“As do I, President Lopez. Like my father, I find the coming dissolution of the Commonwealth weighing heavily on my soul. Too many patriots have died returning the Commonwealth to its true path, only for it to fall so soon after being saved, President Lopez.
I already carry the burden of the deaths of all who fell under my command, and to allow their sacrifices to have been in vain would mean I failed them as their clan leader. I cannot fathom bearing that burden as well; I would sooner end my own life than to live knowing I have allowed dishonor to taint their sacrifices.”
Like her father, Verixa seemed to be greatly troubled by the coming collapse of the Commonwealth. Her admission of wanting to commit ritual suicide rather than living with the knowledge of failing the warriors who had died under her command upset Lopez greatly.
Lopez knew that if she did that, Sarix would soon follow his daughter, and probably Therax as well. Not only would it hurt her deeply and destroy any remnant of the Commonwealth left after its collapse, but it would also deprive the quadrant of three battle-hardened commanders in the war to come.
Lopez stared at them both, unsure of how to proceed after hearing their words. She needed advice, and there was only one person who could help her now and maybe see a way out of this mess.
Looking at her wristcom, Lopez realized it would be 0230 where Thompson lived, but this was too time-critical to wait until the morning arrived at his location. She needed to speak to him now.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to include Admiral Thompson in this conversation and see what ideas he might have that could help us figure this out. It might take a few minutes as it is early morning at his location.”
Verixa flicked her head in agreement immediately, but Sarix held up a hand, his reddish cheek scales turning almost purple. He is embarrassed by what he is about to say, Lopez realized as Sarix began to speak.
“President Lopez, I would welcome the Admiral’s advice always, but the time to wait until he joins this conversation will further add to the enormous costs of the relay charges. I am afraid the Treasury cannot bear the additional expe-”
“The Republic will cover the cost.” Lopez blurted out, interrupting Sarix. “I will incur the charges on my presidential expense account and file it under the appropriate emergency usage. I’m sorry to cut you off, Sarix, but this is too important, and I do not want the Commonwealth to suffer under the additional financial strain. Is this okay with you, President Sarix?”
Sarix stared at her in shock, not knowing how to respond. Verixa finally flicked her head and spoke up. “We thank you for the Republic’s generosity, President Lopez, and we gladly accept.”
Sarix turned to look at his daughter, and Lopez could hear Verixa whispering every second was 10,000 credits and that he just wasted four seconds not responding as Lopez pretended not to hear and called Thompson from her wristcom.
Thompson gruffly answered the call, and Lopez quickly explained the situation and told him it was a null space relay call. That seemed to wake him up, and he asked for two minutes before closing the channel.
As they waited impatiently for Thompson to join the conversation, Lopez calculated the cost of the two minutes, which would come out to 1,200,000 credits.
She asked them to update her on their fleet rebuilding efforts in the meantime, and 1 minute, fifty-two seconds after Thompson closed the channel, his hologram appeared in the room.
He was sitting in an overstuffed chair in a dimly lit room, and he made a half-assed salute as he stared at them with red-rimmed eyes. Lopez almost felt like calling him out for his disrespectful demeanor when a black shadow came into view and sat down next to the chair.
Thompson, still eyeing them unhappily, moved his right hand over and touched the softly growling shadow, his fingers scratching its head. “It’s okay, Samson. It’s just a hologram.” He said softly to it. Lopez realized what the shadow was after hearing its name.
It was Mei Zhou’s dog. She didn’t know the Admiral had Samson. The last she heard was her parents had taken Mei’s only child in after she died. Perhaps Samson was too much for the elderly couple; Lopez had listened to Mei lovingly complain about Samson’s strong personality and wild spirit many times before.
Her desire to dress down the admiral suddenly vanished, and she stifled the upwelling of emotions that threatened to break to the surface.
She had known Mei for almost twenty years and considered her one of her only real friends. Losing her was hard, and Lopez still wasn’t over it. It still hurt just as much as it did when she received the report after the battle and kicked her staff out to grieve alone that fateful day.
Lopez cleared her throat and took in a shuddering breath before purposefully turning away from them to avoid seeing Thompson petting Samson. Now was not the time to lose control of herself.
Looking at Sarix and Verixa, Lopez addressed them both.
“Please give the Admiral the condensed version of your concerns; maybe he can offer a solution to the problem facing the Commonwealth.”
Sarix and Verixa brought Thompson up to speed, and Lopez continued to studiously avoid looking directly at him and Samson, who was still softly growling and letting the Nekuli know that he was not happy with how they looked at all.
Good boy, Samson. You tell'em! Lopez thought to herself as the sounds of his warning growls brought a small smile to her lips. She heard Thompson telling him to cut it out several times, but Samson ignored him. Good luck with that, Admiral. He only listened to his mother. Sometimes.
After listening to both Sarix and Verixa, the admiral was quiet for a while. Lopez ticked off the seconds in her head, not looking forward to the presidential budgeting accountant seeing the charge on the expense account. Finally, after 47 seconds, Thompson spoke.
“I’m going to be straight with you two. I personally am in favor of them joining the Republic, especially the Eleani. Having said that, I am also an admiral and cognizant of the repercussions of them doing so. We cannot afford to have the Commonwealth collapsing into individual powers, not when the Balrikans are on their way here.
This would severely hamper our efforts at forming a unified fleet and command structure. We will not be able to effectively prosecute the war, and what remains of the Commonwealth fleet will shatter into a thousand pieces as individual members seize fleet assets to form self-defense units.
So, the way I see it, is either the Republic officially joins the Neo-Commonwealth, or the Neo-Commonwealth officially joins the Republic of Humanity as a Protectorate with equal partner status.
Your government would be independent, though our militaries would function as a unified fleet. The Republic can make it known that any members who still choose to secede will not be able to apply for Republic membership for a period of twenty-five years. That’ll make them think twice.”
Lopez turned to face Thompson, shocked by what he had just said. Judging from the silence of Sarix and Verixa, they were just as stunned as she was.
As her mind absorbed the possible solutions offered by Thompson, she began to see the logic of it and found herself feeling a growing respect for Thompson’s unorthodox approach and political astuteness of the situation.
In less than two minutes, he had cleaved right to the heart of the matter and offered two viable paths to save the Commonwealth and achieve their objective of unifying the Republic and Commonwealth militaries for the coming war.
She could see Sarix and Verixa thinking of the possibilities, though she knew there was no way in hell the Republic would ever join the Commonwealth considering the troubled history between them.
That left only one real option, and she could see on their faces that Sarix and Verixa had come to the same conclusion as she had. Sarix and his daughter shared a look, and Verixa flicked her head at him before he looked back at Lopez and spoke.
“I will need to discuss this with Princess Liria and Chief Minister Ollo when I meet them on Eleania. I will also send a comm drone to the Zikali to inform them of my decision, though they do not really care who is in control, so long as they are able to continue their research unmolested and their needs are met.”
Sarix drew himself up, back ramrod straight and his shoulders squared as he formally addressed Lopez with his most officious-sounding voice.
“As president of the Galactic Commonwealth, I officially request for the Republic of Humanity to grant us entry and confer upon us protectorate status with all the privileges, rights, and responsibilities accorded to such entities within the Republic.”
Lopez turned to finally look at Thompson, who was now standing at attention and looking directly at her. Their eyes met, and he nodded to her, letting her know where he stood on the matter.
Turning back to Sarix and Verixa, Lopez nodded to them before speaking.
“As President of the Republic of Humanity, I grant you conditional status as a protectorate of the Republic, contingent upon the approval of the Republic Senate. It is my great honor to be the first to welcome you into the Republic, President Sarix and Vice Admiral Verixa.
Our two governments will have to work out the framework and the official documents for our new union, but I want to emphasize that the Neo-Commonwealth will continue to control its own affairs and determine its own fate, as will your citizens.
Admiral Thompson and Republic Fleet Command will work with Grand Admiral Therax and Vice Admiral Verixa to begin the process of combining the two fleets under a unified command structure that fairly represents the contributions of each fleet to the whole.
Your troubles are now our troubles, President Sarix. I will have my office draft an emergency supplemental bill for approval by the Senate to immediately begin sending economic and military assistance to help you recover from the devastating effects of the civil war.”
Lopez finished speaking and waited. Both Sarix and Verixa looked at her with eyes full of hope, and Sarix suddenly bared all his fangs in a wide smile that Lopex had never seen from him before.
Samson did not like that, and he started barking loudly and doing bluff charges as he got himself all riled up and ready to defend the admiral from the strange aliens showing their teeth.
The admiral apologized and made noises about having to put the dog away, and Lopez gave him permission to end the call, knowing he was just using it as a convenient excuse to go back to sleep.
The hologram of Thompson and the still barking Samson disappeared, leaving Lopez with just Sarix and Verixa again. Mindful of the cost of the relay, Lopez wanted to end the call before she bankrupted the Republic.
She smiled and quickly invited them to come to Earth after finishing their business on Eleania, promising to personally inform the Eleani and the Xenxin of the new Commonwealth status as a Protectorate of the Republic.
They happily accepted, saying their farewells before ending the connection, and Lopez found herself alone again. Looking at her wristcom, she groaned as she saw the time. 23:37, and she still had to meet the Emperor at 0530 so he could go on his stupid tiger excursion.
Seeing no point in going back to the surface, Lopez left the comm room and informed the two pathfinder guards that she was going to stay on the station and sleep here. She followed behind them as they led her to the diplomatic quarters.
Set up like the fanciest hotel rooms on Earth, Lopez looked forward to sleeping in one of the king-sized beds and setting the room temperature to 60 degrees. Her husband slept cold, and on many nights, she would wake up sweating slightly from the 73 degrees he insisted on sleeping in.
She sent him a text from her wristcom, informing him that she would not be back home until tomorrow night. He was most likely already asleep and will not see the message until he wakes up. He was used to her not coming home every night, so she did not feel bad about staying on the station.
She entered the room, bidding goodnight to her guards, and immediately went over to the controls on the wall and set the temperature to 60 degrees. She rubbed her hands together with glee before undressing and putting on a pair of self-fit pajamas that were in the guest closets.
She activated the self-fit feature, the fabric conforming to her body size and shape as the memory fibers adjusted to her, and the Zikali silk felt wonderfully cool against her skin.
Walking over to the desk and reaching into her bag, she took out a small pill case and popped two sleeping pills, swallowing them without water. There was no way she would be able to sleep after taking the stim and what had just happened.
She got onto the supple mattress and laid on her left side, placing one of the pillows in between her legs while grabbing another one to hug in front of her chest.
Laying her head on another pillow that adjusted to her head and neck, she spoke loudly for the automated lighting system to register her command.
“Lights out.”
The darkness enveloped her, and the sound of the air system cooling the room down to her selected temperature was the only thing she could hear.
She thought of Mei, the sight of Samson reopening the wound her death had made in her heart, and she felt the tears that wanted to come out before forming in her eyes. This time she let them come; there was no one else in the room she had to hide them from, and she allowed herself to grieve for her friend.