Republic Hive World
TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth
May 28th, 2176 A.D.
Aurora’s claws jerked at the powerful, unexpected thoughts from her sister entering her mind, causing her to break one of the strands from her silk gland. She tossed the half-completed lattice away, angry with her sister and herself for ruining the special sharing focuser she had spent much time on.
Pushing her anger away so her sister wouldn’t react negatively to the emotion, she breathed deeply through her spiracles several times until calmness returned to her. She tapped into the vast network of ancestors within her to add their minds to hers and extend her thought range.
Aurora resented the implication of being false with her sister and let some of what she felt go with her thoughts as she responded.
A flash of indignation and resentment came from her sister, and Aurora ignored it, knowing it was just an instinctual response to her claim of Bandit-Friend having a more powerful mind than them.
The emotions disappeared as her sister suppressed them, and she continued.
Republic Orbital Space Dock Complex
Geostationary orbit above Earth
Diplomatic Reception Center
President Lopez quickly tugged down on her jacket one last time as she looked down to make sure the translator was in the right position and turned on.
The first official meeting between the President of the Republic of Humanity and the Emperor of the Kilthek Dominion was the most important one of her two terms by far, and she wanted absolutely no screw-ups.
As requested, she was waiting alone as the predatory-looking Kilthek shuttle slipped into the bay and began docking procedures. She always hated how little privacy she had being the president, always surrounded by Pathfinder guards, aides, officials, and advisors.
Now that she was truly alone as she waited, she was surprised by how naked and exposed she felt. There had been a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something or that something was missing while she had been standing there, and now she knew why.
It was the absence of all the people that were usually with her, and she chuckled to herself as she realized how incomplete she felt without them around. She quickly reviewed the proper greeting procedures in her head, wishing one of her aides was there to help refresh her memory.
Mea, you rely on people too much; this just shows it. Oh well, if you screw this up, there is no one to blame but yourself.
She heard the inner airlock hatch opening through the still-closed outer hatch, and she straightened herself up, wishing there was a mirror so she could make sure everything was in place.
The outer hatch opened, and she kept her face a perfect stone mask as the emperor of the Kilthek Dominion came stalking out, bending his body to walk under the top of the hatch before straightening himself back up and focusing his large, globular eyes on her.
She never realized just how tall the emperor was, and she found herself being forced to look up to match his threatening stare as his irises changed shape and focused intently on her. A deep, atavistic fear welled up inside of her, and she never felt the urge to flee in terror like she did right now.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
It took all her willpower and training to repress the ancient desire to shove a spear she did not possess into the emperor’s breast and slay the predator that threatened the prehistoric village she did not live in.
Adrenaline surged through her as her amygdala begged her to kill or flee, recognizing a primeval terror that should not exist standing before her. It tried to prompt her to preserve her genes and pass them on to the next generation before being eaten alive by the predator in front of her.
She felt her knees shaking, and she maintained the stare, refusing to avert her gaze from the emperor as he stalked closer to her, head bobbing slightly. He finally stopped three meters away, towering over her with his 220-centimeter height as his large eyes drilled into hers.
She repeated the protocols she had learned for this meeting in her head, turning it into a mantra as the emperor continued to try to assert his dominance over her with a bluff stare.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally lowered his upper body to bow deeply, his eyes still looking into hers.
She returned the gesture, keeping her face up and maintaining the stare as she refused to let the emperor dominate her. He stayed in the position for some time, knowing it was an awkward and painful stance for humans.
Lopex knew exactly what he was doing, and she maintained the stance, her lower back and abdomen spasming from the unnatural position she was forcing them to maintain. Trying to distract herself, she stared at the emperor and sent thoughts to him as she refused to give in.
I know what you are doing, Emperor. I will stay like this and turn into fucking Smeagol before I let you punk me on my own station. I am a Marine Pathfinder, you dodo bird-looking bitch. This is my house, not yours, so bring it.
Her body trembling, Lopez began counting in her head as she focused on her combat breathing techniques and refused to lose the staring contest.
When she counted to the longest 137 seconds of her life, the emperor finally lifted his body out of the bow and slowly returned to a fully upright position, his eyes no longer conveying the threat of disembowelment.
He spread out his wings to their fullest extent and finally broke eye contact, looking down at the deck as he bowed again, keeping his wings fully extended. Lopez almost mirrored his gesture before remembering that he was acknowledging her victory over him and showing her great honor.
The emperor lifted his head again and brought himself to a fully upright position again before bringing his wings back against his body.
Articulating his right wing, he brought the wingtip to his large breast, and Lopez could now see the four triple-jointed fingers grasping a small device hanging on the harness wrapped around his breast and pressing a button.
The emperor greatly surprised her with how sonorous his voice was as he spoke their language. His translator performed its function, and an emotionless computerized voice issued from it, speaking in Republic standard.
“I yield to you, Empress Lopez of the Human Republic. You have bested me in the Hro’M challenge, and now I see why the Republic has always successfully prevented our attempts to claim that which did not belong to us when we entered your domains.
I am Emperor Lik-Sar of the Kilthek Dominion, scion of the royal Kil line that stretches unbroken for 821 generations. You have honored me and my people by properly observing our custom, and I am honored to be bested by an adversary such as yourself.
I misjudged your true strength, thinking your smallness of body equated to a smallness of spirit. I thought I could dominate you, but it was I who was dominated. I yield to you with no shame. Do you accept my capitulation, Empress Lopez?”
Lopez’s mind raced furiously as she thought of the proper response—the convoluted protocols of the Kilthek were a confusing blend of contradictory processes. Remembering what she was supposed to say and do, she responded to Emperor Lik-Sar as she spread her arms out wide.
“May your line continue unbroken for ten thousand, thousand generations, Emperor Lik-Sar of the noble Kil. I do not accept your yielding, for an Emperor of the Kilthek yields to none but the creator who made the egg and granted you dominion over your cradle world.
I ask that we accept each other as equals, and I thank you for honoring me and my cradle world by coming here. My world is your world, my possessions are your possessions, and I promise to speak only truth to you, Emperor Lik-San. Do you accept my words and my vow to you?”
The emperor stared at her for a few moments before stretching out his wings and bowing to her again. This time, Lopez mirrored the gesture, lifting herself upright when he did so. The emperor again regarded her with a look in his eyes that she could not discern before speaking.
“I find myself surprised by the correctness of your actions and words, Empress Lopez. I thank you for honoring me and my people with such careful and proper consideration of our customs. I truly did not expect such from you, and I am ashamed of the belligerence I held within my hearts during my journey here.
If I may ask, were you the one who granted us the two trade routes through your domains? I find your system of government confusing, and I do not know who holds the true power to make such decisions, you or the governing body elected by your citizens.”
“I told you I would be truthful to you, Emperor Lik-San. The Senate and Fleet Command had grown tired of your aggressive posturing and frequent border crossings. When you violated our territory and blockaded the colony world of New Australia, both the Senate and Fleet command had enough and demanded an immediate military response.
They both requested that I order the 7th Fleet to New Australia and expel your ships. An already approved declaration of war was submitted to me by the Senate, and the Admirals had sent the entire 7th Fleet to that sector for “readiness exercises” in preparation for my approval while ordering three other fleets to deploy to the border.
The 7th fleet had 1,230 warships, ready and willing to destroy the two hundred Kilthek ships around New Australia and then leading the invasion of the Kilthek Dominion. Coming behind the 7th Fleet were the 4th, 9th, and 12th fleets. I had a choice to make: start a war or see what you truly wanted.”
Emperor Lik-San eyed her warily as she spoke, and she saw his pupils constricting as she listed off the fleets that were ready to invade the Kilthek Dominion and destroy their military forces.
They did not truly know how powerful the Republic was until the entire 7th fleet arrived and escorted the Kilthek ships to the border, and she just told him that there were another three fleets of the same size deployed and ready to attack them.
“I am grateful you were Empress and chose peace instead of war. We misjudged your true strength, thinking the few dozen ships you kept along the border were the extent of your military prowess. I remember seeing the video of the massive fleet flashing into space and surrounding our vessels before the signal was jammed and we lost the connection on our Cradle World.
They are dead, I thought to myself, and they will now come to end us. We did not know you had such a mighty navy, and I will never forget that you chose to speak to us instead of destroying us. Our economy was collapsing, and we needed to expand our markets. It is our nature to think what we don’t have, we must take. This has always been our way.
Now, I am here. The two trade routes you have graciously given us have stabilized our economy, and the Republic Embassy has allowed us to come to know our former adversaries better. Now we see how wrong we were and we are indebted to you. You asked me to come, and so I have come.”
Lopez listened as the emperor spoke plainly, making no attempt to hide the fear and his true thoughts when realizing just how close they came to being wiped out by the Republic.
The Republic wouldn’t have destroyed them entirely, but they did not know that. Perhaps it was best not to correct their misconception for now until she got their cooperation and the treaty of alliance she was going to ask them to sign.
Truthfully, though the Kilthek Navy had far fewer ships than the Republic, they were incredibly powerful, and they would have made the Republic Navy bleed for every kilometer of space they took. Exactly the type of allies she needed at her side for the coming war with the Balrikans.
“I am grateful that you decided to talk as well, Emperor Lik-San. There is a reason I asked you to come here, and we do not have much time. There is an evil enemy coming to our region of space, and they do not negotiate. They do not form alliances or believe in neutrality, and they seek to attack and destroy all the species of this quadrant.
They believe in only one thing: that every sentient and sapient species needs to be destroyed for the Masters they worship. They are coming to kill us all, and the Republic is determined to fight them to the bitter end before we allow them to kill our friends and allies.
I asked you here because I am hoping you will join with me and fight them with us. The Kilthek Dominion and the Republic of Humanity, fighting together as friends and allies do when war comes upon them.”
The emperor stared at her for a long time, his large eyes unnaturally still as she felt his gaze penetrating into her soul.
Finally, he spoke again, this time speaking in an unaccented Republic standard as if he had been speaking it all his life. The emperor ignored her surprised expression and asked her a question.
“How many, Empress Lopez? How many ships come to destroy our people?”
Lopez activated her wristcom, a hologram springing up between them as she accessed the most recent scouting videos and displayed them for the emperor to see.
Massive formations of tens of thousands of angular black ships appeared, the videos being taken from multiple systems by spy drones and brave Republic scouts.
“My scouts and spy drones report they have counted over 151,000 enemy ships, and more are coming every single day. They are located 6,000 light years away, and soon they will come here.”
Emperor Lik-San bobbed his head several times as he processed what she had just told him, his large pupils rapidly dilating and contracting as he watched the videos and images being displayed.
He turned his gaze to her after he had seen enough and spoke again.
“Tell me more.”
Lopez nodded at the emperor before turning sideways and gesturing towards the hatchway opposite the one he had come out of.
“Please, Emperor Lik-San. We will go to the conference room and discuss this in more detail. You may have your staff attend as well; they are welcome to the station.”
Bobbing his head again, the emperor reached up with his right wingtip and spoke into the communication device on his harness, the melodious language of the Kilthek flowing from his beak as he started walking towards the hatch Lopez had directed him to.
Lopez followed him, feeling hopeful for what was to come based on their initial meeting.