10 Apocalypse

"I believe we should extend the offer to these Soulless. No one on their planet has any use for them beyond sacrificing them." Despite his reservations, councilor Rh`emar, Clan-Lord Brh`aetak was now among the strongest proponents of the Re-Genesis initiative. The Rhizon Council Chamber was extraordinarily full. No clan wished to have future records note them as missing. All feared having to be in that chamber for the same reason.

Rh`eisar responded. "I still have reservations about asking them to join us, let alone receiving their answers. You think Velch matrons are unreasonable when protecting their young. Wait till you find yourself with one of them, alone, in a locked room, and their neural chips removed."

Baron Rh`eisar was the only non-clan leader present in those chambers. Ordinarily, this would have kept him silent and reserved before the greater nobles. Nothing was ordinary about that day.

"Do you mean to say you disagree with their invitation into our society?" Rh`emar said this with a frown. Of all people, he would have expected the Baron, recently elevated to the minor nobility, to welcome the addition of the humans. The Gathering of the Clan Lords knew that Rhizon's own Gifted, those allowed to fight in the Union's fighter squadrons, were few enough to begin with. War drained even more of them. The addition of the humans' own psionics, despite their limited numbers, would reduce the pressures on Rhizea.

"No, I welcome the opportunity to add them to our numbers. I merely question our ability to convince them to come." Baron Rh`eisar said this with finality. He'd interacted with the survivors of the first space battle to result in unquestioned victory for the Union. Thinking back, he revised his previous opinion. Velch matrons were easy to deal with. One simply ascended to high orbit with their battleships and pounded the Velch into submission with kinetics. The surviving Velch-spawn could then be convinced to submit.

Rh`osak was frowning. Unlike the other two speakers, he lacked previous direct contact with the humans. "I do not understand. They are unhappy with their homeworld. It should be easy enough to petition the Union for their release." The aged Clan-Lord of the northern Br`ohskene was a simple man. He preferred to meet his opponents head on. The question of the humans seemed simple to him. Seated on the far side of the chamber, Rh`emar also frowned. Nodding to the baron, he signaled him to elaborate.

"The Soulless are filled with a hate for other beings impossible to match. To compare them to the Vord would be to cause an injustice to the sauroids." Rh`eisar begun. This was met by disbelief. No other race in the known universe was as rapacious as the Vord.

"They do not consume the flesh of other creatures. As far as I am aware and have observed, they are simple omnivorous creatures like the rest of our cousins." It was true. During the rest of the convoy voyage, Rh`eisar had seen them eat nothing but Congress' 'approved' meals. On the other hand, he'd seen what happened to any that tried to approach the forty five survivors. They were vicious. Unbelievably ruthless. Were it not for their chips the convoy would never have arrived whole.

"They were the rejects of their society. Selected for one reason or the other, they were forced to undergo treatments worse than what our own potential gifted undergo. The experience broke their…minds. The humans call them Soulless." Rh`eisar paused at this. Describing human physiology was easy enough. On the other hand, describing how and what they were was a different matter altogether.

"I do not believe they are capable of joining normal society. Without their neural chips, they are capable of a level of violence unmatched by any race in the universe. You have all seen the video recording of their leader's fight while in flight school. He'd barely received three turns of combat training. He destroyed a fully trained Ungalit battlelord without touching him. Consider what that means."

There, that should be enough. Rh`eisar hated what he was suggesting. He was too much of a warrior to outright state his opinion. However, duty to his people prevented him from keeping silent.

"Are you suggesting what I think you want us to do? What you are trying not to say out aloud?" Hair a steel-grey and tied in a bun, the statuesque Lord Br`eisalis was one of only six female Clan-Lords in that gathering. She was also one of the most respected and was a former fighter pilot. Right now, she was eyeing the young Baron with a ferocious expression on her face.

"You are suggesting we keep the chips in them, aren't you?"

Rh`eisar hung his head in shame. That was what he was suggesting. To hear it from another's mouth filled his own with ashes.

May Great R`halloir's Consort forgive my weakness. My People are doomed. That their only salvation is a race that may come to rule my own… Rh`eisar took a deep breath. He'd said what he came to say. He would say no more on the matter.

Across him, Rh`emar's mouth twisted in a wry grimace. Trust the Iron Queen to drag everything out into the light!

"What Rh`eisar is trying not to say is that controlling these people will be impossible. They only fight because they are forced to do so. At every opportunity, they try to murder something. Most times themselves. Keeping the chips in them would be to their advantage." Having started strongly, the Union councilor's voice tapered off towards the end. He too was too much of a warrior.

Rising to her feet, the Clan-Lord was furious. Her legendary temper flaring, it was a surprise that what came out seemed soft and pleading. Caught by surprise, both Rh`eisar and the councilor looked up.

"And what their children? We will need them to breed with our own people. You would separate their children from them? How will you keep the children, offspring of both Rhizon and human psionics, from finding out the truth about how we treated their parents?"

Voice rising in anger – incidentally causing the others in the room to relax at the return to normalcy –

"Will all future generations be chipped and controlled like slave chattel? How long before the offspring throw off the effects of the neural dampers? How long before the human psionics themselves break the chips and overcome their geas? We have all seen recordings of the humans in action. Such strength! In one battle, their first¸ a mere three human fighters overcame and destroyed two full-sized battle Hives. A single wing destroyed twenty Vord wings at the cost of only five deaths. Five deaths my Lords. Five deaths as we know it. If the Baron is right, even those were unnecessary."

Turning to address the rest of the chamber, Rh`sirene lowered her tone. She was done pleading with them to see reason. Now she was demanding.

"I know each one of you here is a Lord of honor. Each one of you has sacrificed blood and bone for Rhizea. Will you send your warriors into battle with this knowledge in your hearts? Will your warriors accept your commands?" She said this looking around at the hardening expressions on some of the Lords' faces.

If they would not consider the matter from a technical angle, they would have to think about it from a practical approach.

"I will not allow my clans involvement in this miscarriage of justice. If you do manage to wrest control of these Soulless from the human homeworld then you may enjoy the fruits of your gain by yourselves. Clan Br`eisalis will stand aside." At this, Clan-Lord Rh`sirene sat down. The threat was clear. Without a unanimous vote, there would be widespread revolt on Rhizea. In the quiet of the hall following her statement, the silence deepened.

Clan-Lord Rh`emar sighed. Trust her to bring everything into perspective. I suspect she must have planted her own agents among my son's flight-mates. He sighed again. He did not hate the Br`eisalis Clan-Lord. Did not even dislike her. She just made living with yourself very difficult.

"I vote for the removal of the chips. Before this, their reproductive organs restored. Then the neural chips –from a safe…very safe distance – I propose that their leader be approached and the offer made." Looking over to his son, Rh`emar raised his eyebrow.

Rh`eisar nodded. "I accept. If the Gathering agrees, I will assume the burden of making the offer."

He was not afraid. He'd been trained to accept death without flinching. It was the prospect of facing those dead eyes again that he dreaded. The last time he faced one of them, just after the fight and collecting the human flight-leader's escape pod, he'd been shaken to his core. Those eyes…Great R`halloir those eyes! Rh`eisar shuddered once more. He would approach the humans. He'd make his peace with R`azalia's maidens before approaching the human.

Raising his eyes in a challenge, his voice rang out. "What say the Gathering? Will we hide behind evil and enslave these people? Or will we approach them with honor in our hearts? Restore their souls to them?"

Voices raising in protest at the breach of manners, they soon died out. Even the cantankerous Rh`osak fell silent. The decision was momentous. To bring them into their community was to invite danger. Never before had such a decision been so fraught with uncertainty. Not even when the Clans finally decided to cease war amongst themselves hundreds of thousands of cycles ago. It was not an easy decision. And yet…and yet…

Voices grew from the depths of the chamber. Like whispers, the susurration grew from an indistinct murmur until it grew into a shout. The answer was deafening. It was also unanimous!

They would invite the human psionics to form a new Clan. It would be the smallest Clan in the existence of Rhizea. It would also be the most powerful Clan ever. Each clan would rush to form alliances with the new Clan. The struggle would be furious. They all needed new psionic blood in the genes of their Families. The competition would be brief. The Vord were growing stronger. The victors, in time all the Clans, would be ecstatic. Within a generation, hopefully, and if the humans accepted their propositions, there would be new blood to face the Vord juggernaut. Judging by the results of the first conflict, strong blood. Powerful blood!

The smirk on her face was the first indication Rh`emar had that they'd been had.

"In that case, I don't see why we should wait for Congress' 'approval'. You all know they will agree. In fact, they will bowl over in their hurry to approve our 'request'. Their reproductive organs can wait. Besides, it would be rude. We are not horny wenches from Ungkalor! As for the human homeworld, ha! They will abide by the Union's decision or they will be broken. I know their Union soldiers. They too are unhappy about matters on that accursed prison-base."

At this, Clan-Lord Rh`sirene looked over the heads of the other leaders of the Rhizon homeworld. She seemed inwardly pleased at something and had a predatory look about her.

She is smiling. The Queen is smiling! Rh`emar's panicked eyes caught movement to his left. The Chamber doors were being pushed open. They never opened until a Seating ended! A lone figure walked down to where the Gathering sat. It was dressed entirely in black. Rhizon were a graceful people despite their leonine appearance. Cycles of training enhanced innate ability and created the most feared warriors in the Union. Well, now the second most feared warriors in the Union.

This figure flowed down the hall. Rh`eisar almost thought he had a counter-grav unit attached to his belt. Seeing the unrelieved black bio-suit velcroed to the side, Rh`eisar suddenly eased into his seat and relaxed. Things were out of his hands. On a personal note, and more importantly, he would not have to make the approach.

"Well then I hear you have something to propose to us."

Steely eyes raked the seated Gathering. Few met his eyes and most felt a quiver run through them at seeing the depth of desolation in his gaze. Old cantankerous Rh`osak was the only one frowning at the figure directly. There were proprieties to be observed!

"Given your decision, it feels unnecessary having to say this. However, you should know. The neural chips no longer work. They haven't for a while. Not since after the Battle of Junari. Since Earth's permission no longer matters, perhaps one of you could tell me what a 'Clan' is and what is expected of your newest Clan-Lord?"