Nova Wars

"Wait till you see it."

"See what?"

"What a Terran will do to someone." - Unknown, Second Precursor War

Violet doublechecked his vest before answering the door.

Outside stood a gold mantid, one of the diplomats from Mantid Prime.

He noted with curiosity that she was alone.

"May I come in?" she asked.

Violet nodded, moving back. "Please do, Madame Diplomat."

"No reason for formality. This visit is off the record," she said, daintily moving inside. Violet had to admit, she had excellent coloring, good proportions, excellent symmetry and moved with an unconscious grace.

"Please, please, have a seat," Violet said, moving over to his sitting room. He tapped the table, banishing the holograms he had been perusing.

"Thank you," the gold said. She climbed up on the couch and settled in, reaching up to comb her antenna for a moment. "I am Speaks in the Wilderness, as you probably know."

Violet nodded. "Yes. I have read your precis and am impressed with your recent accomplishments."

Speaks combed her antenna again. "Thank you. That is most kind," she looked around. "Can you activate the privacy shielding, please?"

Frowning, Violet activated the systems, feeling the tingling on the ends of his antenna.

Speaks sat still for a moment then nodded. She looked around the room and then at Violet. "I hear you were allowed a glimpse into the Terran Afterlife System."

Violet signified assent. "It is almost impossible to explain. It was... unlike anything I have ever experienced. The emotions, the physical sensations, the excitement and anticipation all around me. The people living a life beyond their mortal shells."

Speaks said nothing, just listened.

Violet looked up at the ceiling. "And knowing that it's there, free, open for everyone. Not a gilded cage, as those who dwell within it have accepted that their allotted time among the, well, living, has expired. It's another adventure, another journey," he shuddered. "I could see, just in the limited time I spent there, why the vast majority choose not to return."

Violet looked at Speaks, signifying amusement. "Surely, you did not come here to ask me questions about the Afterlife."

Speaks signified the negative. "Tomorrow we will meet with the diplomats representing TerraSol and the Solarian Stellar System," she leaned forward. "How much do you really understand about Terrans?"

Violet signified pleasure. "I have researched their political stance before the Terran Xenocide Event and The Bagging, as many of the leaders who were alive those tens of thousands of years ago are alive now due to the time dilation effect of The Bag. I have examined the dizzying contradictions of their home system politics. I have examined their diplomatic history."

Speaks just nodded slowly, the emoji for patient listening appearing for a second between her antenna. "Did you research their wars?"

Violet signified assent. "Mostly, the diplomatic processes at the end of the war. When they were imprisoned, the Second Precursor War had just begun and Terra had stated that they would be engaging in Total War against the Lanaktallan Council."

Speaks nodded.

"I believe I understand how the Terrans approach diplomacy," Violet said. He signified being pleased. "They prefer to negotiate from a position of strength and will attempt to steer diplomacy so that they are acting from a position of perceived strength, much like the majority of species."

Speaks shook her head, an emoji of negative appearing between her antenna. "That is an oversimplification. You need to understand one simple thing, in any negotiation with a Terran, they are always at a position of strength."

"How so?"

Speaks looked up at the ceiling. "They always have what they call 'the nuclear option' and, unlike many species, a will, perhaps even a strong urge, to use it," she looked at Violet. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because they are from forty-thousand years ago they are weak or will be deferential to the Confederacy," she looked around and leaned forward slightly. "What you have seen, what you know, and the truth are two different things."

Violet frowned. "How so?"

She pointed at the 2.5D wallscreen. "May I?"

Violet flashed an emoji of confusion. "Of couse."

"Have you heard of context-specific public service displays?" Speaks asked.

Violet nodded. "Of course. It is based on what is going on, where a being is located, their employment. It usually is automated, perhaps tailored for whoever stares at it long enough or the majority of beings in the direct vicinity, as well as corporate and government metrics."

Speaks gave a wan expression of agreement. "For other species, yes."

She dug in her bag and pulled out two pair of spectacles designed for the Mantid head and compound eyes. "Put these on," she said. Violet took the spectacles and clumsily put them on as Speaks flicked through the channels, finally settling on an advertisement that was coming to an end. The advertisement was for Mantid carapace polish.

"From infancy onwards a Terran lives in augmented reality," Speaks said. "An infant has a datalink implanted that will grow and expand and upgrade as the child grows. The datalink is connected to a retinal link, which allows the datalink to display data directly to the cornea lens of the Terran's biological lens system within their eyes. Additionally, Terrans use a direct link to their visual cortex as well as their optic nerve. They also have linkages to their throat as well as their audio cortex and other methods of listening and speaking."

Violet just nodded.

"What you are seeing and hearing and what the Terrans are seeing and hearing are two different things," she said. She pointed at the screen and restarted the advertisement. It was for a resort in the Hamburger Kingdom, within the Mojave Deathlands, complete with vacation packages where a Mantid could participate in Road Wars and other exciting amusements.

The ad came to an end and Speaks rewinded it. "That's what everyone else sees."

"The resort?" Violet asked.

Speaks nodded. "Yes. Now, let's see how a Terran child sees it," she tapped her glasses, then pointed the wand at Violet's spectacles.

The advertisement shifted. Speaks hit play.

The advertisement showed two young children playing together, complete with music. At the end, in big block letters, which Violet identified as the Impact Font, there was just a simple statement.

"PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS LAST A LIFETIME"

Speaks rewinded the advertisement and tapped her wand again. This time the advertisement showed adolescent Terrans doing activities together. Labels appeared. "SECONDARY SCHOOL BONDS" and "COLLEGE EXPLORATION" and "FIRST JOB" and ending with young adult Terrans standing in the forefront, some in military uniforms, some in laborer clothing, others in supervisor uniforms.

"TOGETHER AGAINST A MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE"

"While interesting, I fail to see..." Violet started.

"Not yet," Speaks said. She tapped the wand.

The screen showed two naked Terrans embracing.

"Sex," a breathy female Terran voice said. "Intense. Pleasurable. Exciting. Intimate."

The Terrans began mashing their faces together as their hands roamed over their bodies.

"The universe's gift to us," the female said.

Violet drew back as they began orally copulating the moving to full on sexual intercourse.

The woman's voice was still breathless and excited, but it held a hint of steel.

"Procreation. The universe's proof we shall endure," the voice said.

There was a zoom in, showing the inside of the Terran. Violet felt disgust as it showed fluid moving. There was a flash and a small curled up inside the Terran woman.

"Your unspoken duty as a human. Your eternal duty to those who came before and that you will ensure come afterwards."

The two separated.

"Have you had sex today?" the voice asked. "If you are not partnered, visit your nearest breeding clinic."

The screen went black except for a tiny sleeping infant.

"Do your ultimate duty. To Sol. To Terra. To each other. To yourself."

The commercial ended.

Violet just stared. "Forced breeding?"

Speaks took off the spectacles and moved over to take the spectacles off of Violet's face.

"Not exactly," she said. She changed the image. It was a list of names, with decorative stars next to their names. "These are Terran females who have given live birth to at least ten children. Bronze stars for single children, silver stars for each five children, gold stars for each twenty."

Violet blinked.

"These females are considered heroes," she held up a bladearm. "Don't start talking about cloning, artificial wombs, fertility drugs, in-vitro fertilization," she shook her head. "The only thing these females had was a sexual partner and five minutes."

"But there are only three point two billion humans listed on Terra, eight point six Terrans within the entire system," Violet protested.

Speaks nodded, flashing the emoji to indicate it was a solemn nod. "Yes," she paused. "That is the number they are willing to reveal," she tapped the table with one bladearm slowly and thoughtfully. "I advise you, today, tonight, before the diplomatic meeting, to look up recent history for the Terrans."

Violet nodded as Speaks got up and started moving toward the door. She paused, the tip of her bladearm hovering above the door switch.

"I advise you to look up not only the First and Second Terran-Mantid Wars, but the more recent conflicts. Not historical documents. Re-enactments, docudramas, or media based on the events," she ducked her head and shadows seemed to wrap around her. "I'd look at the Mithril Nebula Conflict if you want more recent information," she looked away and Violet could suddenly smell scorched metal. "And Clownface."

"If you dare," She opened the door and was gone.

Violet leaned back on the couch and nibbled at the tip of his bladearm.

After a moment he called in Defends The Weak to his chambers, activating the table's holo-emitter and tabbing through to HoloStream.

0-0-0-0-0

The hour long docudrama Eight Thousand Years of Guns, Blood, & Glory in Sixty Minutes!! came to an end.

The room smelled of fear, apprehension, stress, and horror.

Violet looked at Defends, knowing his antenna were trembling.

"I am afraid," Violet admitted.

Defends just nodded.

0-0-0-0-0

The diplomats representing the major species of the Confederacy of Aligned Systems filed into the room, Violet bringing up the rear with his three assistants. Each representative took a seat, activating their privacy screens so that they could communicate with Violet but otherwise would not disturb the negotiations that, currently, they were only observers to.

Violet sat down, fussily arranging his dataslates and hardcopy notes.

The far door opened and only three Terrans entered. One in a military uniform, one with gray skin, jet black eyes and carefully arranged hair, and a wide mouth, the last in an official looking black suit. They sat down and the one in the military uniform turned to the suited one and nodded.

Violet looked over the data. One was High Admiral of the Golden Warsteel Kiume Rippentear, commander of all military forces in the Solarian System. The other was Barrister Becky Bakasura, a Terran lawyer. Violet was surprised to discover that the lawyer was a female. The gray skin, the slim androgynous body shape, the cold dead eyes, all made Violet at first assume that B. Bakasura was male. He reminded himself to limit his assumptions. The last, the suited one, was the Honorable J. Cuetzpallea, representing the government of the Solarian System.

"All subjects and discussions pertinent to the Afterlife System are off the table. Any attempts to engage that subject will result in our immediate withdrawal from the negotiations," the suited one, Mx. Cuetzpallea stated.

Violet noted how some of the Confederate diplomats shifted slightly, a subconscious display of annoyance, and pinged them to let them know that they were to remain silent as the opening discussions took place.

"Understood," Violet stated. He nodded and signified satisfaction by flashing a smiling emoji between his antenna. "At this time, the Confederacy is more interested in bringing the Unified Solarian System back into the fold after such a long absence."

Admiral Rippentear snorted. "A bit late for that," he said.

"How so?" Violet asked.

Admiral Rippentear stared at Violet for a long moment. "The Unified Solarian System ceased to exist the minute that the Lanaktallan Great Fleet made their crash translation against the wall."

Violet blinked and checked his notes. "I was not informed of a change of government by the Confederate Diplomatic Corps. Was this change in government registered?"

B. Bakasura smiled, showing sharp interlocked triangular teeth. "We are not in the habit of asking for permission for internal matters." She kept smiling as thick black fluid leaked from between her teeth, cocking her head slightly and staring with those cold dead eyes.

"We severed diplomatic ties before we could inform the Terran Confederacy of Aligned Systems of our change of status. With the Terran Confederacy apparently defunct and replaced by the Confederacy of Aligned Systems, we felt no need to bring up a purely internal matter," Mx. Cuetzpallea stated.

"Very well. I would prefer to update my database. What is the current name and type of government currently representing the Solarian System?" Violet asked.

He was suddenly aware of the gleam in all three Terran's eyes. A sharp, predatory gleam of amusement. The same kind of amusement that a predator got in their eyes when the prey was backed into a corner.

"If you wish," Admiral Rippentear stated. "A martial law tyranny some might call fascist with limited sections of the Right of Consent overridden for the good of the state while individual nation states of the planets of the Sol System contribute to the defense of the human race and Earth itself."

B. Bakasura smiled again, showing black fluid stained interlocked triangular teeth.

A lot of teeth.

Mx. Cuetzpallea's smile was a thin, narrow lipped thing of cold pleasure.

"The Solarian Iron Dominion." the Admiral finished.

The privacy shield in front of the Pubvian diplomat winked out and the Pubvian pressed the button to bring attention to him with his middle arm.

"I must withdraw and consult my government immediately," the Pubvian said. Without waiting for an answer they stood up and began moving toward the door.

The Rigel Diplomat turned off their screen. "I too must consult with my government," she said.

The smiles got more intense. The admiral tilted his head slightly, as if he was looking past his brow ridge.

The Treana'ad turned off his screen. "Oh, hell naw, Imma gonna consult with the Matrons in this here thang." he said, getting up and moving away.

The Mantid Prime diplomat stood up. "Before I withdraw to speak to my government, I have only one question," she said.

Violet felt off balance as the whole diplomatic mission seemed to fall apart.

The lawyer's smile got wider.

"Does the civilian government still control the military?" the gold asked.

There was silence for a moment.

"There is no civilian government," Mx Cuetzpallea stated. Her smile showed that she had a bright crimson coating on her grinding and chewing teeth. "There is only Zuul."

The gold mantid dropped her datapad as she rushed out.

0-0-0-0-0

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

I don't get it. Why did all of your diplomats withdraw? Why are your diplomatic vessels moving out past the resonance zone with priority access to outbound jumps?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

What's going on? I don't get it.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

You will.

Oh, you will...

/////////

HAMAROOSAN PINCHING FESTIVAL

We still want access to our people in the Afterlife System.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

And I told you...

Come and take them.

/////////

LANAKTALLAN GALLOPING DIGITAL FIELDS OF GREAT THOUGHT BY A GREAT PEOPLE

Just drop it.

Sheesh.

What's wrong? Why does it seem like things have gone wrong?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Because...

HAT WEARING AUNTIE

ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGEL

WHY? JUST... WHY?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Because we didn't know what we'd be coming back to.

A galactic spur overran by the PAWM? By the Atrekna? By the Council?

What, if anything, would be left.

So we went on Full Warfare Protocols.

/////////

PUBVIAN DOMINION

Just tell me that you aren't taking belligerent status with the Confederacy.

Please.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Not at this time.

We reserve the right to reclassify the Confederacy at a later date if new information or events change our opinion and beliefs. We will also reclassify members according to their preferred stated status.

////////

PUBVIAN DOMINION

At least there's that.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

I don't get it.

They're on our side.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HAT WEARING AUNTIE

Are you, Terra? Are you really?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

You know I am.

If you're on my side.

We have exactly ONE stellar system. Our cradle. The LARP and Martial Order worlds don't count.

We have The Cradle of Life.

That's it.

So...

/////////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

We're either with you...

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Or against me.