{"id":2393,"date":"2018-03-03T07:14:28","date_gmt":"2018-03-03T13:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2018-03-07T13:34:35","modified_gmt":"2018-03-07T19:34:35","slug":"master-of-violence-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2393","title":{"rendered":"Master of Violence – Part 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 5<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff sat back listening in, taking some notes of who was who.\u00a0 The captain he dismissed a bit, but he had been the one working the machine so perhaps he was also knowledgeable with machines.\u00a0 He might also be there for security, like Richard and Mark were.\u00a0 Things were interesting for sure.\u00a0 He noticed Isa seemed thoughtful as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI welcome you in peace, and hopefully a long lasting friendship,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

He noticed that Toncor looked over at Aviella before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thank you, but we come to require some assistance with our ship,\u201d Toncor said.\u00a0 \u201cOur jump engines were damage forcing us to this location instead of our intended location.\u201d<\/p>\n

That caused Jeff to frown, even as the rumble of thunder rolled though the room.\u00a0 He noticed that the three aliens jumped slightly at the sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only thunder, a natural occurrence of our planet and is associated with rain,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Rain is a violent person?\u201d Aviella asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, no,\u201d Isa said.\u00a0 \u201cRain is a natural part of our water cycle on the planet, it falls from the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see, very interesting,\u201d Aviella said.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a very different water cycle on your planet, fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff noticed her posture had changed slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said you\u2019re ship had engine trouble?\u201d Richard said, moving the conversation back to the situation at hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we were in a hurry to leave, and left too close to our planet\u2019s gravity and damaged the engines,\u201d Hakkas said.<\/p>\n

Jeff understood the situation, even if he didn\u2019t fully understand the technology he knew doing such a thing was dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about your people, will they not come to help,\u201d Isa asked.<\/p>\n

It seemed like a logical question and one which Jeff wondered about as well.\u00a0 Would they expect other ships to help them?<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, that is a complex situation and part of what we need to discuss,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

Jeff had a gut feeling he suddenly didn\u2019t want to hear what they were going to say. Were they a group of pirates, or some sort of rebels fighting their government?\u00a0 A thousand situations went through his mind each one getting worse and he hoped Earth wouldn\u2019t be dragged into some civil war or worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur race was attacked by another race.\u00a0 We were warned, as we are now warning you that this race is extremely violent.\u00a0 They enslave or kill anyone they encounter.\u00a0 They are headed this direction and we were hoping to get far enough away from them but our damaged engines prevented that,\u201d Toncor said to them.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t what Jeff had been expecting and noticed that the others had a similar view.\u00a0 The words caused Isa to frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what do you expect us to do?\u201d Isa asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe only ask for help to repair our ship,\u201d Toncor said.\u00a0 \u201cNothing else.\u00a0 What you do with the warning is your decision, not ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn intelligent race waging war across the universe, sounds unlikely to me,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet we cannot take this threat lightly,\u201d Richard said speaking up for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it would allow an increase in the military budget, something you\u2019d like,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are good people in the military, people who do their jobs, jobs no private sector wants to do,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGentlemen, now isn\u2019t the time for such a discussion,\u201d Jeff said to them hoping they would calm down a bit.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was a fight between them in front of these aliens in their first contact with another race.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sorry,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are unlike other races,\u201d Toncor said suddenly, catching them off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t yet explain, but you are different.\u00a0 Other races when told of this \u2018Dark Race\u2019 respond like Isa, but then will either ignore it, or want to run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRun from our homes, we are no cowards,\u201d Mark said, his voice defiant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that word, I do not recognize it,\u201d Toncor asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoward, it means to run away without fighting, allowing someone else to bully you,\u201d Jeff said, giving a simplistic and none accurate description but one they might understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cFascinating, we don\u2019t view it that way, it\u2019s a wise man who walks away from conflict,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

Jeff realized they were dealing with a very different society than what he was used to.\u00a0 He wondered what they might make of human history, full of war.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t always walk away from conflict, sometimes its thrust upon you,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA wise man values all life, even as the expense of his own,\u201d Toncor replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it sounds like the person taking the wise man\u2019s life doesn\u2019t value life,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cYou would allow the person who doesn\u2019t value life to live longer than the person who does value life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toncor was silent as he looked at the other two and Jeff wondered what he was thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a point we have never thought of,\u201d Toncor finally replied slowly, as if he never considered that possibility.<\/p>\n

They sat there in silence for a few seconds before Mark spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis \u2018Dark Race\u2019, who or what are they?\u201d Mark asked, a question Jeff realized he had as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not know, only that they attack and destroy any race they come across.\u00a0 There are some who fight back, but they are no match for this race,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they that technically advanced?\u201d Mark asked.<\/p>\n

Jeff understood technology could easily overcome any will to fight.\u00a0 All of humanity could be willing to fight, but without the technology they would lose.\u00a0 It was something history told over and over again.\u00a0 A small group of technologically advanced soldiers could easily hold off a larger number of fighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything you can tell us about them?\u201d Richard asked before Toncor could answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have is second hand knowledge at best, when they attacked our world there were some who tried to delay them,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there are some trying to fight,\u201d Isa asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you mean delay, then yes,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

Jeff looked at the others knowing they were thinking the same thing.\u00a0 A delaying action wouldn\u2019t be enough for Earth.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have the ability to evacuate the entire population.\u00a0 Of course the next question become where would they go even if they could?\u00a0 They would be on the run forever with no plan.\u00a0 How many other species across the universe were running from this race?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know anything about their technology?\u201d Richard asked.<\/p>\n

Jeff leaned back knowing this bit of information could become critical.\u00a0 Were Earth\u2019s own defenses a match for this race, or were they hopelessly outclassed as well.\u00a0 Of course the entire defense force consisted of a half a dozen warships, with the largest being the Enterprise.\u00a0 But were its weapon systems a match for the unknown ships of this \u2018Dark Race\u2019.\u00a0 What were their tactics?\u00a0 So many unknowns and few answers it appeared would be coming from this group in front of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were only told, the group defending us did not give us much information.\u00a0 We had no defenses for our planet,\u201d Toncor said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I do know is they attacked with several ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d need only a few ships to overtake a world with no defenses,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cHow far away is your homeworld?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not actually considering this as a threat?\u201d Isa asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts part of my job, I have to, otherwise I\u2019d be neglecting my duties to this planet and its people,\u201d Richard replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no indication that such a race would even attack us,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

Jeff understood where each person stood on the issues.\u00a0 Isa was one of those who thought as long as you didn\u2019t provoke someone, they would leave you alone.\u00a0 But was this race one of those types of groups, or would they see such an act as encouragement to attack.\u00a0 Of course building up could also be seen as a hostile action and encourage attacks.<\/p>\n

They were left with a dilemma, which to do.\u00a0 They appeared to have no good solutions, nor did they have any good answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did you have before they attacked you from the time you were warned?\u201d Jeff asked, hoping to get an idea of how long they had.<\/p>\n

The reply came back but they could not understand it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, how long?\u201d Isa asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t understand,\u201d Toncor said which Isa said no.\u00a0 \u201cThen it appears such conversions have yet to be made in the translator.\u00a0 Such things will take time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears its doing well,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it learns quickly,\u201d Toncor said.\u00a0 \u201cA testament to its design, and the fact it has learned hundreds of languages already.\u00a0 You\u2019re language, if you pardon, is quite simplistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone taken,\u201d Isa said.\u00a0 \u201cBut what do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome races use body gestures as part of their language,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like that would make long distance communications more difficult,\u201d Richard replied.\u00a0 They sat again for a few seconds before Hakkas spoke up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you help us repair our engines?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Jeff looked over at Isa who seemed to have a thoughtful expression but it was actually Mark who spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not sure we can guarantee help, not that we don\u2019t want to, but we might not have the technology to,\u201d Jeff said to them.\u00a0 The statement seemed to catch the aliens off guard.\u00a0 \u201cThe engines you use are unknown to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can help, give you the designs for the engines, and how they work as payment for any repairs you can give us,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat might work, but as Jeff said, we might not have the technology to actually repair it,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny help will be welcomed,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

Jeff had a feeling they had a foundation for a friendship, and perhaps a working relationship with these aliens.\u00a0 He hoped they could actually back up their actions and help them out.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Jeff made his way into the Presidential office where Natile Carter waited for them, along with Isa and Richard.\u00a0 Mark had remained with the aliens along with a new group to gather some information about the engines from the captain of the alien ship.\u00a0 The president seemed to be waiting for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, how are things going?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat type of relationship can we expect from them, more ships, perhaps trade, and exchange of information?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff realized those were things he had expected at first as well, but now, things had changed quite a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, it appears things are more complex than we first imagined,\u201d Isa said speaking up for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cComplex, how?\u00a0 Are they threatening us somehow?\u201d Natile asked now looking over at Richard who merely remained quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, well they didn\u2019t,\u201d Isa said.\u00a0 \u201cAs I said, it\u2019s a bit more complex than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears madam President, that this group are not explorers, but actually a group of refugees,\u201d Jeff said speaking up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they wanting political asylum or something?\u201d Natile asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, they are looking for help to repair their ship before they move on,\u201d Isa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have declared their ability to help us learn their engines, which we only understand in theory, it could provide a large boost to our ships,\u201d Jeff said knowing there was still more information to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we help them, they give us technology, doesn\u2019t sound that bad,\u201d Natile said, then folding her hands on the desk and looking at each of them.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, why are they refugees?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears their homeworld was attacked by another race.\u00a0 One which they called the \u2018Dark Race\u2019.\u00a0 Aside from that they have little or no information about them,\u201d Richard said speaking up.\u00a0 \u201cThis race apparently goes around conquering worlds, enslaving entire races.\u00a0 They only know some are trying to defend, but that\u2019s all they can do, defend enough to delay allowing some people to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis all sounds very fanciful to me,\u201d Natile said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure I can go before Congress and say we need to either plan for evacuations or a massive military budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither option is something the public would go for,\u201d Jeff said.\u00a0 The cries from the public sector for the military budget to be eliminated was at the highest it had ever been at.\u00a0 Of course packing up and leaving Earth he didn\u2019t see going over well either, at least not without a fight, and to do that they would need a military.\u00a0 It was a vicious cycle they appeared to be stuck in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long do we have?\u201d she finally asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a bit trickier, it will take some time to convert units of time, measurements and such things,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, for now, we help while we decide on what to do,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps more information will come out allowing us to choose what path we will go down.<\/p>\n

Jeff watched as they all nodded in agreement.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t too sure, but for now it seemed like the best way to avoid scaring the public into some sort of mass panic, either to leave or build a massive military.<\/p>\n

End part 5<\/p>\n

Continued in part 6<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence by AJ Marks Part 5 Jeff sat back listening in, taking some notes of who was who.\u00a0 The captain he dismissed a bit, but he had been the one working the machine so perhaps he was also knowledgeable with machines.\u00a0 He might also be there for security, like Richard and Mark were.\u00a0 […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,28,5,12],"class_list":["post-2393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-original","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2393"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions\/2400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}