Chapter 116: (The War) (2/2)
Mana'aktoo shook his head. ”No, it would not be. Kulamu'u and I designed it ourselves.”
The Admiral nodded slowly. ”How many ground troops is this system listed as having according to your reports to the Unified Neo-Sapient's Council?”
Mana'aktoo spread his hands out in a human placating gesture. ”Two point five million ground troops, two hundred thousand tanks, one hundred thousand aircraft, five hundred twenty wet-navy ships. A regrettable amount of troops that is a drain upon the system's economy but necessary to prevent any uprising of the local and imported people. It necessitates troops garrisoned in every town, village, city, and corporate facility as well as all industrial facilities.”
”And corporate security forces?” The Admiral asked, staring at the sword and crescent icon.
”After the regrettable Corporate Rebellion I do not allow corporate military or security in the system for another twenty years,” Mana'aktoo said, shaking his head in sorrow. ”So, none.”
The Admiral nodded. ”Uh-huh. Back to the symbol,” he held it up again. ”Would you care to give me an explanation for why it is on every military uniform, military vehicle, and on many refineries, extraction facilities, and manufacturing plants?”
Mana'aktoo relaxed for a moment, breathing steadily, and then trotted around to look at the Terran with his forward facing eyes.
”Do you mind if I ask a few questions of you, Admiral, before I answer the question?” Mana'aktoo asked.
The Admiral nodded slowly. ”Go ahead.”
Mana'aktoo reached into the satchel that hung from a belt across his chest and pulled out a small holodisplay. He slowly set it down and stepped back, activating the interface. He brought up a simple equation, one that he had discovered in school.
”Do you know what that is, Admiral?” Mana'aktoo asked.
The Admiral squinted at it and two of the tiny LED's on his implant lit up.
”It's the formula that describes jumpspace harmonics at higher frequency bands. It's used to allow a ship to use the medium and high bands of jumpspace,” The Admiral said.
Mana'aktoo shook his head. ”No. It's gibberish. It's flawed, and cannot be part of the jumpspace mechanics mathematics because what it shows is impossible and depends upon a flawed understanding of interdimensional barriers. It is an automatic failure for any advanced physics class.”
The Admiral frowned. ”It's been common knowledge in my civilization for thousands of years. It was actually discovered before we made our first jumpspace trip.”
Mana'aktoo wiped it away. ”Do you know, Admiral, how many advancements that the Lanaktallans, and through them the Unified Councils, have come up with in the last twenty million years?”
The Admiral shook his head.
”None, Admiral. Not a single one. In twenty million years not a single scientific, artistic, cultural, or social advancement. I believe that there has been regression in many fields. My race, I believe, has been stagnant for tens of millions of years. For hundreds of thousands of generations,” Mana'aktoo said. He felt anger rise up and quickly smothered it, breathing deep a few times till the trembling left his limbs.
”My mother taught me n-Space mechanics when I was a child, Admiral. My older sister taught me to read before my forward eyes opened. Now their entire intellect, their entire purpose, is parties, social gatherings, societal politicking, and social climbing,” Mana'aktoo said slowly. ”My father is a caring man, who feels deeply, who considers what others must feel and might want. He taught me that the needs and wants of others are just as important to them as my own are to me and to consider others.”
Mana'aktoo tossed the flower into the pond and trotted in a slow circle, ending up facing the Admiral, who had been silent the entire time.
”I love my parents. I love my siblings. In school, in my life, I have done everything I can to bring them up with me. Unlike my peers, I have not abandoned them when they were inconvenient. Kulamu'u is the same. His family elders are within this system, Lanaktallan who have difficulty walking at times due to their advanced age,” Mana'aktoo stated slowly. ”He did not consign them to an end of life facility, he cares for them in his own house. My spies have observed him listening to his elderly patron talking about things long ago to people who are since passed, respectfully.”
Mana'aktoo turned slightly to look at the fountain. ”Do you understand what I am telling you, Admiral?”
The Admiral nodded slowly. ”I believe so. It explains the vast amounts of hidden ships and war machines you have, the fact that the amount of troops you have on record is a fraction of what have reported to the POW processing facility.”
”Then say it. I need to hear it,” Mana'aktoo said.
”You were going to go to war with your own people,” the Admiral said. ”I've seen your invasion plans.”
It was the Admiral's turn to walk around the fountain before stopping in front of Mana'aktoo.
”Kulamu'u had trained his people, and the two of you made your plans, to accept thirty percent casualties if that is what it took. I've looked over your plans,” The Admiral shook his head. ”Do not take this wrong, but you would have failed. Like myself, you don't have the troops you need to garrison thousands of worlds, don't have the ships to patrol all the worlds. Your plans also assumed the enemy was going to react the way you theorized.”
The Admiral pointed at Mana'aktoo. ”It didn't take into account Lanaktallan like yourself.”
”Or you,” Mana'aktoo said. He squeezed his own hands for a moment then looked at the Terran. ”What do you plan on doing about it all?”
The Terran shook his head. ”I'm not going to kill everyone and fill up any mass graves,” the Admiral gave him a pointed look and Mana'aktoo knew that the Admiral knew what had happened in the early years. ”I'm going to put the military equipment in storage, slowly reintegrate your troops back into society after the war.”
He sighed. ”Your gamble paid off well. I will be remaining here, with a staff and enough naval support to make sure nobody acts up or can easily push us out of the system, but the rest of the Task Force will be proceeding.”
The Admiral let the hologram vanish and dropped his hand. ”But, I want you to know something.”
”What?” Mana'aktoo asked.
”Our war? It isn't against your people. It isn't even with the people who support your government or even with all of your government. Our war is with those who prosecuted this war, who decided that biological weapons were a viable way of attacking us by surprise. We aren't going to mass slaughter you,” The Admiral said.
”And the 1% Line?” Mana'aktoo asked. ”That policy seems to put your words in doubt.”
The Admiral sighed. ”That, Governor, is entirely up to your people.”
Mana'aktoo turned away from the Admiral, facing the fountain. ”Entropy has arrived, it comes not quietly sipping away at everything, but with thunder, lightning, and roars of rage. We have brought entropy upon ourselves and there shall be no-one to weep for us,” Mana'aktoo quoted.
The Admiral nodded. ”The Previnian. Yes.”
It was silent for a long moment before the Admiral slowly walked away.
Mana'aktoo stood and stared at the water.
I am a benevolent deity, but I am capable of wrath. It is better these Terrans, this youthful species, deliver their own wrath than I bring forth my wrath, he thought to himself.
”Manny?” a female voice asked from behind him.
Mana'aktoo turned and saw his eldest sister standing on the grass.
”Yes?” he looked her over. She was trembling slightly.
”The Admiral did not harm you, did he? I find him frightening,” she said. Her eyes were wide and guileless, innocent and naive.
Mana'aktoo shook his head. ”No, beloved sister, he did not.”
”Oh, I'm glad,” she said. She turned around and trotted back into the manor.
Mana'aktoo stood in the gathering darkness, trembling slightly in rage.
He wished he was a Terran. He wished he'd been born a Terran.
No, he wished his sisters and mother had been born Terrans.
But the Unified Councils should be glad he had not.
Like all benevolent deities, Mana'aktoo would have been terrible in his wrath.