The Alpha Choice (3 page)

Te'ath

Ω

Vaaris stepped off his anti-grav gondola with his sons, before the craft sped away to await its recall. He looked at Nirjan and Beron, both now twelve. While they were similar enough to be taken for brothers, no one would imagine them to be twins. Beron, born three minutes after his brother, was taller, but any misconception that he was the elder evaporated when they spoke. Nirjan was more sophisticated than his brother by quite a marked degree, far more than could be accounted for by a mere three minutes.

Nirjan looked up at the enormous building that lay before them. This was where their father spent his time when not at home, the Basilica of the Supreme Council. He never tired of his trips to this place. Here, their father was revered as one of the thirty most powerful men and women on Te’ath and its colonies. One day, he would take his father’s place, it was expected, and what he wanted. Looking at his brother, he knew such thoughts never entered his head. Beron’s dreams lay elsewhere, and for that Nirjan was sad, knowing his brother was to be disappointed.

As Vaaris led the boys through the vestibule to the seat of all Te’an power, they were approached by two men, both quite short and a little overweight. Unusually, they were almost bald, but for curly grey hair above their ears, leading around to the back of their heads; no one on Te’ath was bald, unless by choice. That, however, was not the most striking thing about them, they were absolutely identical, right down to the clothes they wore. ‘Nirjan, Beron, this is Garnoth, one of the three heads of the Agency.’

Beron looked at his father, confused. ‘Which one of them is Garnoth, Father?’ Before Vaaris could reply, the boy spoke directly to the men. ‘Are you twins? My brother and I are twins.’

Both
twins
smiled, but only one of them spoke. ‘You must be Beron. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, young man. I am Garnoth and this,’ he indicated his double, ‘is my Avatar!’ The mirror image bowed, extravagantly.

‘What’s an Avatar, sir?’ asked Beron.
 

Garnoth smiled, indulgently. ‘It is a machine construct with an artificial intelligence, which contains all of my memories.’

‘Why do you have one?’ Beron persisted.

‘I can send it to places, which are too dangerous for me.’

‘Why would you go anywhere dangerous? Aren't you a council member, like my father?’

The Agency head chuckled, and Beron decided he liked the man. ‘No, I am not that important. I collect information to help important people, such as your father.’

Vaaris chose this time to break his silence. ‘Now, boys, we mustn’t detain Garnoth. Despite what he says, he
is
a very important man, and must be allowed to go about his business without answering silly questions.’

Garnoth replied. ‘It was no trouble, my dear Vaaris. Your boys are charming. I do not have much opportunity, these days, to tell anyone what I do. It was refreshing,’ and with that he bowed, the Avatar remaining stock-still.

The two moved away, leaving the threesome alone. Beron’s eyes followed the strange pair, while his brother looked at Vaaris. ‘Garnoth seemed pleasant enough, Father.’

Vaaris looked over his shoulder to the
twins
as they approached a teleport station. ‘Beron was talking to the Avatar, it’s one of the games Garnoth likes to play,’ he replied.

‘Why would he do that?’ asked Nirjan. ‘Isn’t it cruel?’
 

‘He does it to unnerve his enemies,’ replied his father, as he turned back towards his sons.

‘I bet his friends think it’s funny,’ said Beron, who was ready to laugh.

Vaaris looked carefully at the two boys, and decided that now was as good a time as any for them to learn about his world.

‘What friends?’
 

Nirjan and Beron looked at each other, but only one of them had any inkling what their father meant, and neither had any chance to say anything, as Vaaris had already set off to the offices of the Civil Support Staff, where they would be looked after until he returned from his meeting.

21 years ago

Meeting of the Supreme Council on Te’ath

Ω
 

It was the third day of the Assembly and all evidence, concerning the incident at Gallsor, had been considered. As with every Council decision, there was a split over the action to be taken. Some believed Gallsor was the impetus needed to launch a full-scale attack upon the Balg home world. Others, Vaaris included, took the more pragmatic view that Gallsor finally demonstrated Balg military superiority, and the war had to end.

The only persons allowed to be present throughout the Assembly were the thirty Council members, and a single representative of the Agency. On this occasion, the representative was Garnoth, if that was not a misnomer when his doppelgänger was also present.
 

Zenthar, who had become the unofficial spokesman of the pro-war lobby, stood up. He was the representative of the colony on Padarl. The main source of its limited wealth, was agriculture, so as well as being the smallest of the colonies, it was the least influential. Despite this, the delegate from Padarl had, over the years, garnered quite a following on the Council, all colonials. Vaaris was convinced it was because he gave voice to their, parochial, concerns.
Who better
, he would sometimes think,
to speak on their behalf than a petty, small-minded bureaucrat, incapable of thinking beyond the tiny horizons he has created for himself?
Yet, Vaaris knew he ignored this self-important little man at his peril.

‘My esteemed friends, and Garnoth,’ Zenthar smiled pleasantly at the spymaster and his Avatar, one of whom nodded acknowledgement, ‘the simple truth, is that conquest has been our way of life for over four and a half thousand years. Let us be honest with each other, we know of no other way to satisfy the ever increasing appetite of our citizens. Remember, in addition to Te’ath, we have fourteen colonies and each one is hungry, Padarl is already at optimum habitation. In only thirty years we will be in decline,’ his fellow colonials murmured their empathy. ‘I don’t intend being remembered as the one responsible for curbing the desires of my people. We have committed to this war with the Balg. From our long range scans, we know their home world would be perfect for our needs, there are no other viable options open to us.’

Everyone knew to what hunger Zenthar referred. Throughout recorded time, all Te’ans craved space, it was the one thing they treasured above all things. By the time they had developed interstellar travel, each citizen had not only a city home, but also a villa by the sea, as well as one inland. They were of varying sizes and quality, but it soon became apparent, that as the population grew, there would be insufficient land to service their cherished lifestyle.

Travel to the stars promised a solution to that problem, but the reality did not live up to expectations, at least not to begin with. Most of the planets discovered were not fit for human habitation, and those that were, required a complete change of the Te’an mindset. That change proved to be unnecessary when the explorers made their first human, non Te'an contact.
 

By the time of the conflict at Gallsor almost two and a half billion Te’ans occupied fifteen worlds, to say nothing of the inhospitable worlds they systematically stripped, and mined.

Zenthar gave way to Vaaris. ‘The evidence is clear, Zenthar, we’re outmatched. Until now, the Balg have been content to keep us at bay, but we can't be sure it will always remain that way. The Gallsor incident is their message to us:
Stay away, or else!
’ He looked at the faces around the table, before adding. ‘You say their home world would be perfect for us, perhaps you’re right, but it’s beyond our reach. Does anyone here seriously think we can afford to carry on like this, forever? More to the point, if the Balg turn on us, and become the aggressors, what will we do then?’

‘What would you have us do, Vaaris?’ Zenthar retorted. ‘We have no alternatives, and I don’t believe Gallsor is evidence of Balg superiority. We could have taken out two of their ships, with sufficient numbers we could have done even more damage.’

Vaaris shook his head, he would never convince Zenthar, a provincial who only came to pre-eminence by galvanising the other colony representatives to consider, with suspicion, anything suggested by the more urbane home world representatives. In this way, Vaaris grudgingly accepted, the man had a modicum of political savvy, but otherwise he was a fool. ‘It seems we’ll never agree on what Gallsor means, but surely, on a pragmatic level, you must agree we need to direct our attention elsewhere?’

‘There is no elsewhere!’ Zenthar proclaimed.

Vaaris called up a large holosphere in the centre of the room. ‘As you can all see, there are untapped areas on three off world colonies. Despite being small, they will provide some respite,’ he knew the weaknesses in suggesting these worlds.

The thinly veiled contempt in Zenthar’s response was apparent to everyone, not least Garnoth, as he watched the interchange with interest, patiently awaiting his moment. ‘We all know why those colonies were left alone. They are easily defended, and can't be taken without heavy ground losses. At best, they would give us only a few years of breathing space, nothing more. The Council decided, long ago, that they weren't viable and nothing has changed.’

‘What has changed,’ answered Vaaris, ‘is that we have no other choice.’

Zenthar sat back in his chair, his face resolute. He would not be swayed, and his fellow colonials looked equally firm in their resolve, impasse.

Garnoth smiled as he rose to his feet. ‘Members of the Council, if I may be permitted to speak?’ There was a general murmur of consent, no doubt born of desperation. ‘I believe there is a solution to our difficulty,’ if anyone noticed his inclusive phrasing, they said nothing. ‘The problem seems to hinge on viable alternatives to a successful outcome against the Balg,’ he paused. ‘I have found a substantial source of suitable targets,’ he did not have to wait for a response. Almost at once, there was a universal, exclamatory outburst.

Every person in that room knew that the only realistic solution had been proposed by Vaaris, there was no
substantial source
. Several delegates were openly questioning what Garnoth was up to. Vaaris stood up, drawing all eyes to him. Eventually, the tumult subsided. ‘Like you, I'm taken aback by Garnoth's statement, but we must hear him out.’

There were more murmurings, but less than before, and they were eventually replaced by absolute silence within the chamber. Throughout this time, Garnoth had remained standing, but waited until the other was reseated, before continuing. ‘I am grateful to you, Vaaris. What you are all about to hear will surprise many, and I only ask that you let me complete what I have to say. Then, of course, the decision is yours,’ he regarded the continuing silence as acquiescence. ‘We are all aware of the Accords, and their negative impact upon our destiny. What you do not know is that the Agency, long before the war with the Balg, set about finding a way around these restrictions,’ he looked at the row of expectant faces, before adding: ‘We have succeeded!’
 

He stopped speaking, allowing what had been said, to sink in. The silence remained, but not for long, before the murmuring began again, swiftly rising to a torrent of noise. Myriad questions flooded his way, none of which could be heard over the cacophony. Garnoth had his own agenda, which did not include answering questions. His audience would be told sufficient to whet their appetite, and no more.

At long last he spoke again, this time calling up a holosphere showing all the possible target planets within a reasonable distance. Hundreds were identified, but only a handful highlighted in green. ‘I have taken the liberty of selecting those which could, usefully, be the subject of in-depth study over the next fifteen years. If we were to divide the resources, currently deployed against the Balg, between pursuing the areas Vaaris mentioned, and looking closer at the target worlds I have highlighted, I believe our problems would be over.’

Vaaris had found an ally in Garnoth, something that did not sit well; he was uncomfortable not knowing the spymaster’s agenda. If the proposal was sound, he would have to admit a long-term solution had been found. What troubled him most, was that all this had been arranged without anyone on the Council knowing. He looked at Garnoth, and wondered whether the other Agency heads even knew of the plan, most likely not. He had long suspected there was an inner power within the Agency, and this latest announcement was all the confirmation he needed.

The diminutive spymaster was the only one of the three Agency heads present throughout the next three days. The others came and went, with the promptness demanded by their calling. They were creatures of the shadows, uncomfortable in the glare of daylight, where their actions might be scrutinised. If they were surprised when the plan was mentioned, they hid it well.

Garnoth, on the other hand, was a different proposition and revelled in being seen. Of course, most people never knew to whom they were speaking, as he insisted upon having his Avatar with him, wherever he went. Even his outward appearance was a statement; he wished to be considered apart from his contemporaries. He was certainly regarded as odd, and theories abounded as to why he always chose to appear with his Avatar. The most pre-eminent being: it was the ultimate in personal protection, as an assassin would have difficulty knowing which of them to target, while any close up attack would be thwarted by a machine imbued with deadly speed and strength. The less popular theory held that he confided in his mirror image, having long conversations with it, far into the night.

On the final day, in order that the Council could debate their unique situation, Garnoth was asked to leave the chamber. Notwithstanding Zenthar’s views on Gallsor, most knew the war could never be won. Two areas of concern were raised, each predicated on one unassailable fact: the Balg military machine was vastly superior to that of the Te, whose navy amounted to nothing more than an irritant. Firstly, why did the Balg not use that superiority to destroy them? It made no sense, and the Council’s inability to understand, caused them to be fearful of an unknown agenda. Secondly, if they continued to sting this placid enemy, the eventual reaction might be one they would regret.