North American Province
Tannersville, New York
1035 EST, June 9th, 2176 A.D.
“Megan and Bridget, come here, please.” Evelyn called out as she shimmied her ass on the chair cushion and tried to get comfortable. She also did it to let the parasite growing inside her know that she did not appreciate him using her bladder as a pillow and making her pee a hundred times a day.
She felt the sassy little bastard kicking in response. Wait until I get my hands on you, you little shit. Your time inside me can’t end fast enough. She heard all the stories from the other mothers about how different boys were to carry, but she thought they were just exaggerations and old wives’ tales, thinking nothing could compare to carrying twins.
Man, was she wrong. Not only did he feel almost twice the size as the twins did, but she could not stop shoving food into her mouth. In the last two weeks, she saw her baby bump turn into a goddamn beer belly, and she could swear some of her teeth were starting to feel a little loose.
She was embarrassed of her size and started trying to hide it with oversized clothes. She had gained six pounds just over the last four days, and Anthony was returning from his impromptu camping trip with Bader tomorrow morning.
She missed him terribly, and she hated how fat she felt despite the lust in his eyes telling her that he found her just as much, if not more desirable, than he did when she was her normal, fit size.
His eyes and hands roaming over her body told no lies, but she still felt gross and just wanted the man-child out of her already. He had called Bader after their conversation on the floor that day, just talking about normal bullshit and avoiding the real reason for the call, which put her in a foul mood for the rest of the day.
While they were eating a silent and uncomfortable dinner that night, Bader pulled up in his aircar unannounced, with clothes, camping and fishing gear, and enough beer and food to last two men for a few days. He knocked on the door, and Anthony got up to answer it after seeing that it was Bader, of all people, on the door cam.
Bader told him he was here to take him on a trip and shut down Anthony’s immediate attempt to worm his way out of leaving that night. He asked her for permission to steal her husband for a few days after she had gotten up to see what the hell was going on as they both stood and argued in the front doorway.
She played along and gave him a good-natured lecture on his inconsiderate rudeness for showing up uninvited during dinner and trying to get her husband up to no good before finally giving her permission.
Anthony looked like he was getting extremely emotional about the whole thing, and she gave him a quick kiss and kicked him out before he embarrassed himself in front of Bader, standing in the still-open doorway as they both entered the packed aircar before it silently lifted off.
She remained there until she could no longer see the flying lights through the trees, thanking Bader with all her heart for being there for her husband again when he needed someone to save him.
That was four days ago, and now he was coming back home tomorrow morning. She just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago, and he sounded better than he had in a long time since his return from the survey mission that almost took him from his family.
The girls finally came, looking around warily as they lingered in the threshold. Pointing to each of them and then to the seats across from her, she waited impatiently as they took their sweet ass time meandering over to the table before finally sitting down. They both avoided her gaze, pissing her off even more.
“Look at me.”
They both looked at her almost simultaneously, and she felt her resolve almost weaken as she saw how scared they were of the way she was being right now. Almost.
She leaned forward and eyed them both as if they were boots who had just screwed up big time, which they had when they caused Anthony to have another panic attack because of their behavior and lack of respect.
She couldn’t blame just them, though; their behavior was something she fully recognized as being her fault and her responsibility to fix before he got back home.
“Your father is coming back home tomorrow morning, and we need to have a discussion about the chain of command in this house and your place in this chain. What happened the other day, and the way you two were behaving, can never happen again. Ever.
Your father almost died, and the only thing that kept him alive was the thought of returning to you two. He made a new family while he was away for those two years, and most of them died under his command when they were attacked by the Insectoids.”
Both of them were staring in wide-eyed shock at what she was saying, and she ignored the stream of tears that started falling from their eyes as she continued to speak.
“I know we haven’t told you the full truth of what happened to Daddy while he was away; he didn’t want you to know how bad it was and how close he came to dying. Well, now I’m telling you what happened to him, because I want you to know and understand what he is going through.
He is suffering from severe guilt and anxiety, and it is killing him that he is alive and with his family while most of his crew aren’t. He is doubting all the decisions he made as captain, and he has been having panic attacks that make him think he is about to die. Do you know how terrifying that is to go through? Could you imagine what it must be like for Daddy?”
The both of them were staring down at the table now, sobbing quietly as their tears dripped off their faces and splashed against the Xenxin ebonywood tabletop, the water droplets magnifying the wood grain under them.
She wanted nothing more than to stop what she was doing and have them come around the table so she could hug them, but she forced herself to remain strong for Anthony. They needed to grow up, and they needed to respect their father and understand the struggles he was undergoing.
“I gave you two a lot of leeway because of him being away, thinking it would make things a little easier for all of us. That is over now, girls. He is home with us again, and things have to change. I know you love Daddy, but that is not enough; you also need to respect him and understand that he is your father, and you are his daughters.
That means if he says no, it is no. If he asks you to do something, you do it. You are not to come to me looking for backup or permission against his wishes. He is your father, he is my husband, and I am his wife. He is back, and he is in charge of this family. It is Dad, Mom, and then the two of you. Do you understand?”
They both nodded quickly, still looking down at the table. She believed them, but she still had to make sure she would not have to talk about this again. “Look at me.” They both raised their heads and looked at her, their red-rimmed eyes and wet faces making her heart break into pieces.
Not yet. Be the hammer now, and be their mother later. She lowered her voice and allowed a menace she had never let them see before to creep into her words as she spoke again.
“I do not want to have this conversation ever again, and if I find out the two of you did something to cause him to have another attack or disrespect him and his authority, I will make you regret ever being born. Do you understand me?”
They both stared at her in fear as they silently nodded, more tears forming in their eyes that threatened to fall down their cheeks. “Good. We are done here; go clean your rooms, and I expect this house to be spotless for Dad when he gets home tomorrow. Get going.”
They both remained frozen for a few moments before Megan made the first move to get up, Bridget following her move as they then proceeded to respectfully push their chairs back under the table before looking at her again, clearly wanting a hug from her right now.
“Go on; don’t come back down until you are done.”
That seemed to be the kick in the ass they needed, and they both turned around and quietly left the dining room before going up the stairs without the usual rambunctiousness that accompanied their comings and goings.
Leaning forward, she pulled a disposable towel from the dispenser in the center of the table and used it to dry the tabletop where they were sitting, feeling like a terrible mother as she felt it dampen with their tears.
She held the towel over the small garbage chute next to the dispenser and let the auto-suction pull it from her fingers, wincing at the wet, slurping sound it made as it ate the emotional trauma of her daughters with industrial glee.
The baby kicked again, and she groaned in frustration as she pushed herself up, using the table and the chair to help before heading over to the protein synthesizer. She pushed on the order button and spoke at it to be heard by the controller after it beeped.
“Four chicken cutlets, dark meat, well-done breading. Six ounces of mashed potatoes with beef gravy, salt, and extra black pepper. Oh, and a side of cold kimchi, not spicy. Order done.”
The controller beeped, and the synthesizer began to hum as she walked over to the fridge and opened it, grunting slightly as she leaned down to grab two cans of lime seltzer from the bottom shelf before using her elbow to close the fridge door.
By the time she put the cans on the table, there was another beep, and she walked back over to the synthesizer and opened the door, her mouth watering as the smell of the food came wafting out.
She pulled it out and immediately took a bite of a cutlet before bringing the plate to the table and sitting down to eat like a normal person instead of over the sink like she usually did. Her feet hurt, and she was already wiped out from the emotionally charged conversation they just had.
She would have to have another one with Anthony and apologize to him for her part in all of this. She activated the table holo screen as she began to eat, checking the mail messages from yesterday.
Looking at the clock, she counted the hours until Anthony would be back. 20 more hours, and then he would be back home again. She smiled at her reflection in the holo screen, seeing her cheeks puffed out from the food she was shoving in her mouth as she thought of how randy he was going to be after spending four days in the woods with no women around.
She might feel fat now, but he was going to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world after he got his hands on her.
Mount Marcy, 1,423 meters elevation.
Adirondack Mountain Range, 214 kilometers away
1428 EST.
Gasping for dear life, Anthony looked at the source of his suffering three meters in front of him, hating how easy Bader was making the hike up to the summit seem.
Here he was, in the throes of a myocardial infarction while Bader was prancing along like a goddamn mountain goat. Huh, a billy goat, that’s what he is. And an asshole for doing this to me, he thought to himself as he imagined drop-kicking Bader right off the summit when they finally reached it. A small smile touched his lips, which quickly disappeared as the sweat burned his eyes again.
“Only 200 meters to the summit, Navarra!” Bader called out cheerily, as if that was somehow supposed to make him happy. He could barely muster up the energy required to grunt in reply, rubbing his hand along his brow in a futile effort to keep the sweat from entering his eyes and stinging them again for the hundredth time.
Keeping his head down, he trudged along the narrow, rocky path that had been torturing his ankles and shins for the last five hundred meters as he continued to manufacture various ways of making Bader pay dearly for this impromptu death march.
This is your fault for hiding in the house all these months, Anthony. People trigger you; the sun triggers you; the supermarket triggers you. So, you stayed home, puttering around the house, and you lost your conditioning. Let this be a lesson well learned when you get back home. You need to get out and start running and exercising again, bitch boy.
“Almost there, just another hundred meters to go!” Bader called out again. He lifted his sweat-soaked hand in acknowledgment, still keeping his head down as he carefully monitored the path to avoid stepping on the jagged, loose rocks.
He almost walked headfirst into an outcropping, his ascent now blocked by large rock ledges that he needed to climb to finally reach the tantalizingly close summit. Leaning against the first ledge, he focused on his breathing and slowed it down, finally smelling the unique sweet and spicy scent of the balsam fir trees for the first time as his respiration rate normalized somewhat.
“I got you, man. Take my hand.”
Lifting his head a little, he saw a hand being offered to him, and he wiped his right hand on his shirt to dry it off as best he could before he reached up and clasped it. Bader grunted slightly as Anthony used his other hand and feet to get himself up onto the first ledge, nodding his thanks gratefully.
The rest of the ledges were smaller, and he scaled them himself. A minute later, Anthony gasped in appreciation as he finally crested the surprisingly flat summit and took in the view. “Isn’t it great? Nice job, Navarra.” Bader said from next to him before clapping on his sweat-soaked back, which he immediately regretted if his facial expression was any indication.
Laughing at the look of disgust on Bader’s face, he nodded his agreement as he pulled the .5-liter canteen from his belt and popped the top before emptying the rest of it to salve his raging thirst.
Once it was empty, he pushed the top back on it and pressed the water extraction tab on the side before hooking it back onto his belt. He felt it vibrate slightly before the empty canteen began to suck from the bottom and extract water vapor from the surrounding air.
The canteen could extract and condense a half liter of water from the air within thirty minutes in optimal conditions and within two hours in even semi-arid environments, allowing them to hike the mountain with just beef jerky and dried fruit in their cargo pockets.
There were small rock cairns scattered about, and he followed behind Bader after he pointed to another ledge and said there was a plaque embedded in the wall of it.
They reached it a few moments later, and he read the plaque, seeing the Indian name for it, Tahawus, which meant Cloud-Splitter in the ancient language of the people who once inhabited the region all those years ago.
The plaque was commemorating the first officially recognized summit of the mountain in 1837, and he counted the years in his head. 339 years have passed since then, and he wondered what life was like in those times as he continued to read the rest of the words.
Bader had already climbed the ledge and was sitting cross-legged as he stared at the horizon. He pulled himself up and sat down next to him, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a pack of beef jerky mixed with dehydrated apples and passing it to Bader.
They sat there for a while, the both of them loudly chewing on their food as he looked all around at the green wildness surrounding them. It was gorgeous, and he felt a peace that he hadn’t known in a long time embracing his soul as a soft wind blew across them.
The salty sweetness of the trail mix was fantastic, and he finished the pack quickly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out another one. Bader was still eating his first one, and he began to work on the second pack as they continued to sit in silence.
Swallowing the food in his mouth, he waited for the wind to die down before speaking quietly.
“Bill, thank you for this. I mean it. I really appreciate you doing this for me; I haven’t felt at peace like this for a long time, and I don’t want to drop-kick you off the summit anymore for taking me on this death march.”
Bader snorted before turning his head to look at him. “You navy pukes have it too easy, and I knew you were plotting my untimely demise. The hair on the back of my neck kept telling me I was in danger for the last five hundred meters. Thank you for allowing me to live, Anthony, and I am glad you are finding some peace up here.”
Bader turned his head away and looked back out over the horizon before he continued speaking. “I knew you were hurting bad the second I heard your voice, even though you were talking some bullshit about the weather and the WWIII documentary you have been watching.”
He paused for a couple of seconds, and then he resumed speaking, a smugness that was uncharacteristic of him now tinging his voice.
“Lucky for you, I am now a favored son of both the President and the Admiral, and I was able to put in for a few days of leave, effective immediately. You should have seen the look on my jerk supervisor's face when it was immediately approved by his supervisor. I’m just glad your wife was on board and made you leave; she’s a keeper, that one.”
Rolling his eyes and ignoring the smug way Bader described his new status since returning, he replied to the comment about Evelyn. “She is; if it wasn’t for her, I can’t even imagine the hell I would be in right now. Anyway, I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you being here for me again.”
Bader nodded, still looking at the horizon. “You need professional help, Anthony. I’ll be there for you as much as I can, but you need to deal with this the right way, for your sake and for your family’s sake. You need to be ready for what is coming.”
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He had been looking down and rubbing his hands on the rough rock, enjoying the coolness of it against his palms as he listened to Bader speaking truth. He snapped his head up at the ominous way he said the last statement. Ready for what? He was retired and out of the service, collecting a fat pension check every month.
Bader looked around casually and then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small device he had never seen before, placing it between them before tapping on it. There was a sudden pressure change around them, and he felt his ears pop before the familiar static discharge of a privacy field enveloped them.
All the noise of the environment was now gone, but there was none of the cloudiness that obscured the people inside of the field from view of those outside, and he quickly looked at Bader in surprise, who looked mighty pleased with his new toy.
“These are specially made for SOF teams; they are different from the ones on your ships. You can’t have the enemy knowing there is a privacy field up; it's pretty easy to spot a frosted cone just appearing out of nowhere.” His face turning serious, Bader quickly looked around again to make sure they were alone before continuing.
“Anthony, there has been a lot of shit going on that can only mean one thing: the Republic is getting ready for a war the likes of which we have not seen since WWIII. They have been doing it in such a way as to not make it obvious to the civilians, but the Republic has been shifting to a war footing for some time now, and the preparations are accelerating.
The reserve fleets have been reactivated and repositioned, and 90% of the Army and Marine Expeditionary forces are currently deployed on war gaming exercises, all of them along the border towards the Insectoid Empire.
The divisions in the dead zone have all been recalled and are being refitted before joining the others on the border, and all the Army and Marine reserves have been activated and are currently going through refreshing training.
That is over 20,000,000 men and women in all, Anthony, not to mention all the Synth battalions and the colonial guard units being activated and trained up as well. That is another, what, 5 or 6 million under arms?
Kilthek Dominion task forces comprised of those huge dreadnoughts of theirs have been spotted entering Republic space from their territory and joining up with our escorts before they disappear in the Procyon system, and all the reserve shipyards have been activated and are churning out ships at a pace not seen since after the Battle of Eleania.
And remember the Insectoid Guardian fleets that numbered over 30,000 ships? Those are all gone. They are dead, and there is nothing standing between those Balrikans and this quadrant now. We are next, and I don’t know if the Republic will survive what is coming.”
He stared at Bader, believing everything the man was saying without reservation. If it was anybody else, he would have dismissed them as talking shit and spreading rumors, something that has been a tradition among warriors since the dawn of time.
Each branch had its own intel mafia that disseminated information the higher-ups tried to hide from them, but it always somehow filtered through the ranks and was heard by people in the know, such as Bader.
“I believe you, Bill, but what does this have to do with me? I am out of it, and I have no intention of going back in.”
Bader stared back at him, his expression making it very clear he did not believe a word of what he just said. Looking down in front of him, Bader spoke again as he started peeling some of the lichen off the granite slab they were sitting on.
“I hear your words, but you and I both know the truth. When they come, you are not going to be able to sit at home and fix dumb shit around your house while the Republic fights for its very life. You will not be able to deal with the reality of not being out there while everyone you have ever known and served with is bleeding and dying among the stars.
The question is, do you want to be there in the beginning when you can still make a difference, or do you want to wait until you are reactivated and thrown into the meatgrinder with whoever is left after the war is already lost, and we are just trying to delay our inevitable extinction?”
Looking at the horizon, he felt Bader’s words as they echoed in his mind and rang true. He would not be able to tolerate all his brothers and sisters fighting and dying while he sat at home and oiled squeaky door hinges. Goddammit, Bill, I was out and done, he thought to himself as his mind raced from everything he had just been told.
“How soon, Bill? How much time do we have?”
“Soon, Anthony. I’d be surprised if the Balrikans haven’t arrived by the end of next month. From what I hear, we have assets keeping an eye on them, and they are still gathering all their forces along the edge of the forbidden zone. It’s over 200,000 ships so far, and more are coming every day.”
Not so hungry anymore after hearing that, he resealed the half-empty pack of beef jerky and shoved it back into his cargo pocket. Bader turned at the noise and looked at him, face full of regret for destroying the false world Anthony had been trying to build for himself and his family.
“I’m sorry, bud, I hate to be the one to ruin it for you, but you needed to know what is coming. I can’t say I truly know you, but I do know the kind of man you are. What you did out there was nothing short of miraculous, and the Republic is going to need people like you who can do impossible things if we are to survive this war.
But you need to get your head straight if you are going to be effective and fight for your family and all the other people you know and love. You need to face your inner demons and defeat them first before you fight the real demons coming to destroy everything we know and love.”
Bader reached out with his hand and tapped on the privacy device, all the noises of the mountaintop returning with a vengeance as his ears popped again. He looked at the horizon one last time as Bader stood up, and he was surprised by the lack of an impending panic attack.
If anything, he was even more at peace now than when he had first got up here and saw the raw beauty of the world that only those who have summited mountains truly know.
He finally admitted to himself what he knew all along: space was his mistress, and a ship was the only place where he had ever truly felt at home. It was where he belonged, and he missed it terribly. Looking up at Bader, he nodded to him and held out his hand.
Bader took it and helped him up, and before he talked himself out of it, he grabbed Bader in a hug, who returned it willingly. “Thank you for saving me again, Bill. You are a good friend, and I owe you one.”
The hug ended, and they separated, Bader suddenly finding his canteen requiring all his attention as Anthony wiped his eyes to remove the debris that somehow got in them.
After a few moments, he was himself again, and he looked at Bader. “I know it’s easier than coming up, but I am dreading going back down the mountain; my ankles and my shins are killing me right now.”
Bader looked at him as if he just said he liked to punch puppies and kittens for fun. “You thought we were hiking back down? Screw that noise; you need to be properly rested for when you see your wife tomorrow. I’ll have the car fly up here and get us.”
Bader shook his head in disgust before he pulled out the aircar fob, muttering about how ridiculous Anthony was for thinking they were hiking back down while he activated the autopilot function and set it to retrieve them at the summit.
It only took a couple of minutes for the aircar to arrive, and he climbed into the passenger side as it hovered half a meter above the granite slab. Bader waited till he was buckled in before speaking. “Should we stop and grab more beer and some steaks for dinner? I can cook them on a grill over the fire if you want.”
“The steaks sound good; I don’t know about the beer, though; I don’t want to overdo it and be useless when I get back home tomorrow.” He replied, sounding like a whiny little bitch in his own ears.
Bader shot him a look that confirmed that he did indeed sound like a little bitch. Trying to stave off the verbal abuse he had just earned himself, he cut off Bader before he had a chance to start mocking him.
“Just don’t let me overdo it, okay? I want to be able to show Evelyn how much I missed her, you know what I mean?”
Bader chuckled before responding. “Dude, we only saw one woman the whole time out here, and we smelled her for a half kilometer before we even saw her. And she had a legit beard, bro. I think you’ll be okay to perform tomorrow. So, am I getting the steaks and beers, or what?”
“Hell yeah, man. Let’s do it.”
Wolf 359
Exclusion Zone, Sector 12
Space Dock 14 Habitat Ring, Administrator’s office
“How many ships will be ready to go if the President issues the evacuation order, Dr. Franklin?”
The diminutive project leader stiffened at the mention of his name, wishing he was anywhere else but where he was now as Vice President Pierre Laurent stared at him with his predatory grey eyes. Looking around at the others before clearing his throat, he answered the question, trying hard not to look away from those eyes as they bored into his very soul.
“We will have another two Ark ships completed by the 21st if there are no disruptions to the shipments and I receive the additional construction droids I requested last week, which have not come yet, Mr. Vice President.”
Staring at him like a bird stares at a squirming worm, the vice president leaned forward slightly before speaking again. “I did not ask you how many you will have finished by the 21st; I asked you how many in total will be ready if the President issues the evacuation orders, say... ninety days from today, Doctor.”
Not able to help himself, Dr. Franklin looked away from the disconcerting eyes that seemed to never blink and down at his datapad before answering. “Twelve Ark ships. We will have twelve fully functional Ark ships ready for human refugees ninety days from now, Mr. Vice President.”
“Thank you, Doctor Franklin. What is the carrying capacity of each ship?”
Looking back up from the datapad, he forced himself to look at the vice president as he answered, wanting the meeting to end so he could go back to overseeing the installation of the stasis systems on the last four Ark ships currently being built.
“120,000 people per Ark ship, sir. Each ship will also have 20,000 birthing creches with fully formed fetuses already in them, as well as their attending nanny androids. Each ship will also be provisioned for two full years and have the necessary equipment and raw materials to form their own, self-sufficient cities after they scrap the Ark ships when they land.
The four Ark ships we built for the Eleani and the Xenxin have been completed and are ready for them. The two ships for each species have a carrying capacity of 250,000 combined, as well as all the cargo and provisions they need to be self-sufficient, just like the others.”
Finally blinking, the vice president nodded before swiping through several status reports on his own datapad in front of him. After a few moments, he looked back up and spoke again.
“Thank you, Dr. Franklin. I apologize for taking you away from your work, and I will be returning to Earth as soon as this meeting is done. I will get you the droids you have requisitioned; is there anything else you need me to prioritize for the Ark Project?”
“Thank you, sir, I just need the construction droids and the shipments to continue to arrive on time so we can stay on schedule.” the doctor replied.
“I will make sure that happens. Thank you again for your time, Dr. Franklin, and you may return to your important work. Before you go, I just want to thank you for everything you have done for the Republic and humanity. If we have need of those ships, you and your team just might be the reason for our survival and eventual rebirth. You have our thanks, doctor.”
Dr. Franklin stared at the vice president in surprise, not expecting to be thanked for his efforts. He was a scientist, and the work was all that mattered to him. Being recognized for what they were doing was not a consideration to him, but it did feel nice now that it had been verbalized by the 2nd most powerful person in the Republic.
“Thank you, sir. My team and I appreciate your words; I will be sure to pass them along to others. Can we go now, sir?” The doctor winced at the last words, not intending to say it the way he did and expecting the vice president to take offense to it.
The others must have been thinking the same thing, because they paled visibly and studiously ignored looking at both him and the vice president, finding their datapads suddenly requiring their full attention.
Surprisingly, Vice President Laurent smiled at him warmly before nodding. Taking that as a sign to go, the doctor quickly gathered the datapad and quantum chips on the table in front of him and beat a hasty retreat with the others before any more of his precious time could be wasted.
After watching the scientist and his team practically run out of the room, Laurent felt his rare, genuine smile fade away as he resumed looking down at the datapad on the desk and ran some quick calculations.
1,680,000 refugees and fetuses, plus the 230,000 crew of the twelve Ark ships. 9th Fleet will be escorting them, so that was another 600,000 plus crew. Twenty troopships, another 200,000. 2,710,000 in all, give or take. Out of 10.5 billion. And 500,000 Eleani and Xenxin. Aurora’s daughter queen will have her Hive ship with 50,000 drones and 100,000 eggs as well.
Laurent had thought that was a small number for the insectoids before he saw the ten-year population projections the planners had estimated. His eyes bugged out when he saw the report, and he had them rerun it three times before he accepted the results.
Within ten years, the Insectoids would number between 30 to 50 million, and he had some reservations about them becoming such a powerhouse compared to all the other refugees in their new home, as they would become the de facto superpower within a very short time.
Even with the birthing creches and every human being paired up and reproducing like it was their job, which it would be, it would take them fifty years at a very optimistic 2% population growth just to hit 8 million.
By that point, the Insectoids would already be over 500 million, and they would even be able to outpace the Republic automated factories and shipyards in ship construction with such an insurmountable population advantage.
He was about to add in the estimated total of Republic survivors with their own ships that would try to flee from the Balrikans, but he decided against it. Even if 100 million successfully fled from the quadrant, they would eventually be hunted down and killed if they didn’t succumb to the dangers of unknown space first.
Where the Ark Fleet was going, they could not follow. The Ma’lit were going to take them to the Canis Major Galaxy, 25,000 light years away, and the Ark Fleet was already at the maximum size possible for the integrity of the wormhole tunnel they could create for the one-time passage across the void.
The Neo-Commonwealth was also creating their own refugee fleet and would be using their massive transport carriers to enter the single wormhole tunnel the Ma’lit would make for them as well. By the last estimation, they would be bringing close to four million refugees along for the journey, equally divided among all the members.
The Ma’lit would then make another wormhole tunnel for themselves and evacuate as many of their own people as they could through it if the quadrant failed to defeat the Balrikans. No other species had the wormhole technology, and it was impossible to reach their new home with null drives due to the lack of sufficient Argonium in the void for refueling the capacitors.
The only way for the Balrikans to reach them is if they used FTL drive, but it would still take them far too long to provision for such a trip if they could even find a way to fuel such a journey, which the Ma’lit had repeatedly confirmed was not possible.
Feeling gloomy, Laurent got out of the chair and walked over to the large window along the bulkhead. Looking in the distance, his eyes roamed over the almost finished Ark ship inside the construction dock of the specially modified shipyard.
The largest ship ever built by mankind, the 8,000-meter-long vessel utterly dwarfed everything else around it, even the Independence-class carrier and the three Dauntless-class battleships stationed nearby.
There were no design considerations to care about for the Ark ships except for carrying capacity, and as a consequence, they were not just the largest ships ever built by humans but also the ugliest.
The dull gray metal hull was boxy, and the modular nature of it reminded Laurent of the earliest cargo ships built by the newly created, resource-starved Republic when they first went into space during his grandfather's time.
There was not a single graceful line or appealing curve to be found anywhere he looked. Efficiency of construction was the primary concern, and there was no attempt to hide their true nature and function; they were cattle cars. Nothing more, nothing less.
Another guiding principle for the design was that for the first time in over a hundred years, shipbuilding resources were becoming stretched thin by all the demands being placed on the Republic over the last two years.
Despite ore harvesting and refining by millions of mining droids and extractors all throughout Republic space, they could barely keep up with demand as their need to replace losses, build more ships, reinforce allies, and prop up the Commonwealth to keep it from collapsing stretched Republic industrial capacity to the limit.
He had advised President Lopez many times of the need to inform the public of the impending crisis to transition the economy to a state of total war, but she had been resistant to the idea so far. She did not want to trigger a political crisis with the increasingly powerful isolationist party, which he was a part of, and he understood her reluctance, though he didn’t agree with it.
He agreed to join her ticket when she first ran, hoping to help transition the Republic from a militarized society back to a prewar western-style government that focused its energies on unleashing the creative potential of humanity, not fortifying themselves against the galaxy.
His view had changed considerably since becoming vice president, especially after their defense of the Eleani and the Jaleeni to save them from extinction at the hands of the Insectoids. He wholeheartedly supported her in those endeavors, but he still had hopes of changing Republic society for the better, in his view.
Prior to those events, he used his considerable influence to push Congress for approval and funds for the ill-fated survey mission led by Captain Navarra to chart the unknown regions and find suitable worlds for a colonization initiative.
He personally interviewed Navarra and knew he had found a kindred spirit who thought as he did by the time the meeting was over. It was his stamp of approval that got Captain Navarra the job, which he still felt guilty as hell about. All those people were dead because of his idealism.
The intent was to find new colonies for people who wanted to get away from the pervasive militarism of Republic society and create their own path forward. In his mind, he envisioned a renaissance of sorts, a rebirth of human society that showed mankind a viable alternative and reminded them of the cultural achievements of their ancestors.
The Isolationist Party, the second largest in the Republic, had been growing rapidly in the last few decades and now held almost 40% of the seats in the House and the Senate. They wanted to focus on the Republic itself, and they wanted to radically change the society.
They wanted to reduce military expenditures by 60% across the board and mothball most of the fleet. They considered it an unnecessary drain on the Republic coffers and of the talent within the population itself, as most of the best and brightest joined the services to reap the benefits of the social status it conferred as well as the very generous veteran benefits.
Laurent himself once held this view until he became privy to what the galaxy at large was really like. He initially held a very positive view of the Galactic Commonwealth until his first meeting with the Ominian ambassador to the Republic when he became vice president.
He left that meeting with a bad taste in his mouth and a radically altered view of the Commonwealth than what he had just held prior to meeting that arrogant blowhard of an ambassador. It was only after dealing with the ambassador he truly realized just how lucky the Republic was to have developed a name for itself as a heavily fortified and militarized society, as he had no doubt in his mind the Commonwealth would have attacked them already to put them in their place if it was not for that fact.
Now, he was in charge of quietly switching the Republic to a wartime economy under the noses of the citizens, which was not easy considering how many of them were veterans themselves. The Ark Project was the most important thing he was involved in, and he threw his entire being into it without reservation.
It was time for another conversation with President Lopez about accelerating their efforts at pivoting to a total war economy and getting the entire population involved. The Isolationist Party will throw a shit fit, but he still wields considerable influence within the party and can probably get them to shut the hell up and see the big picture for once.
A divided humanity was a dead humanity, and he, personally, was all for it surviving. His tenure as vice president had opened his eyes to the realities of the galaxy, and he readily acknowledged how naive he once was. If he had to crack some skulls together and resort to blackmail to get the isolationist party in line, then that was what he was going to do. He owed it to the Republic, and he especially owed it to Mea.
She always respected his opinion and stood by his side through it all as he learned some very harsh lessons; the world he wanted to build would not have survived long had he been successful in transforming it the way he and his party wanted to.
The Republic would not even be worrying about the Balrikans right now, as they probably would have already been glassed and exterminated by the Insectoids if it wasn’t for the very militarism he used to loath allowing them to hold the line against the swarms. A part of him hoped the Ma’lit would have prevented that, considering the recent disclosures about their shared ancestry and the hand they played in creating humanity.
However, they also seemed to respect nature and might have viewed it as mankind simply being selected for extinction, and as a result, they very well could have chosen to adhere to their non-interference doctrine and allowed the Insectoids to end the human species.
He turned away from the window and returned to the desk to gather his things and put them in his briefcase before heading for the exit. He needed to get back to Earth as President Lopez was leaving soon to go to the Ma’lit outpost in the Ominian system to represent the Republic in the negotiations for the alliance proposal, and she wanted him running things while she was away.
He reached the exit and turned around to look at the criminally ugly Ark ship through the large bay window one last time, a terrible vision coming to him as he imagined hordes of desperate refugees boarding the ships with the knowledge that everything and everyone they knew would cease to exist, and the terrible guilt they would carry for the rest of their lives as the chosen few.
Despite his position and an open spot for him being guaranteed, he would not be one of those refugees; he had already made his decision, and he would stay behind and fight to the bitter end with the rest of humanity. He was an only child, and he had never married, so he will stay and fight for those who did have families; it was the least he could do as their vice president and as a fellow human being.
He didn’t believe in the Republic enough to serve when he was younger, but he believed in mankind, and that, he was willing to fight and die for. He was not going to run from these bastards; he was going to make those genocidal maniacs pay for every life they extinguished before his time came to an end.
Turning back around, he went through the hatch and headed for Shuttle Bay 4, his waiting Pathfinder bodyguards falling in all around him as they walked down the corridor. An earnest prayer came to his heart, and he whispered it in his soul as he kept walking.
Please, Lord, grant us the strength and courage to fight to victory and make it so we do not need to use these ships. All I ask is that you grant me an honorable death and that you allow me to take some of these bastards with me when my time comes.