Captain Zorfax clicked his tentacles
impatiently as the starship Intrepidus dropped out of hyperspace. Through the viewscreen,
the mottled blue and green sphere of Earth hung innocently against the black void of space.
"Report!" Zorfax barked, swiveling his eyestalks toward his science officer, Sklorn.
"We have entered standard orbit around the human homeworld, sir," Sklorn replied,
manipulating the ship's scanners with his lower appendages. "Class M environment
detected, oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, abundant liquid water and organic lifeforms."
Zorfax let out a warbling chuckle. "Excellent! The fools at High Command said the
humans would detect our approach, but it seems we've arrived unnoticed."
He turned to his tactical officer, Ruglox. "Charge the quantum torpedo bays and
deploy attack drones. We will eradicate their orbital defenses in one swift blow before
landing extraction teams on the surface."
"At once, sir!" Ruglox moved
to carry out the order.
Zorfax fantasized about the commendation he would
receive when he presented the High Council with this lush, fertile planet. The biological
resources alone would fuel the Empire's expansion for megacycles, and the primitive human
race would serve well as laborers and slaves.
"Captain!" Sklorn yelled. "We are being scanned
by a vessel on an intercept course. Configuration matches human starship classifications."
"What?" Zorfax pulled up the scan data, bristling with anger. "Impossible! Their technology should
be cycles behind us. Evasive maneuvers!"
The Intrepidus banked hard as a sleek, silvery
vessel dropped out of warp, directly between the Karloxian ship and Earth. Zorfax could make
out the markings on its hull: UES Liberty.
An incoming transmission clicked through the
ship's communicator. "This is Admiral Jefferson of the United Earth Federation starship
Liberty. You have entered sovereign human space uninvited. Power down your weapons
and state your intentions immediately."
Zorfax fumed, his tentacles writhing furiously.
"Insolent lifeform! I am Captain Zorfax of the Imperial Karloxian warship Intrepidus. Your
planet now belongs to the mighty Karloxian Empire! Surrender or be destroyed."
Jefferson sighed. "Look, let's not get off on the wrong foot here. I'm sure this is just
a misunderstanding. Why don't you come aboard for a chat? We were just about to have dinner."
The arrogance of the human made Zorfax boil with rage. "You dare mock me? I will wipe
your pathetic vessel from the stars!"
He entered a series of commands into the weapons
console, priming the quantum torpedoes for launch. But instead of unleashing devastation, the
control panel merely blinked at him.
"Sir, our weapons are offline!" Ruglox cried.
"Some kind of directed energy pulse from the human ship has disabled them."
"What? Impossible!" Zorfax slammed his tentacles down.
Jefferson's voice returned through the communicator, still maddeningly casual. "Oh, sorry
about that. Just a little emergency precaution on our part. Can't have you losing your temper and
doing something you'll regret now, can we?"
Zorfax stared dumbfounded at the viewscreen image
of the human starship. The design was unfamiliar, but the technology was clearly far more advanced
than anticipated. How was this possible?
"I must consult with High Command," Zorfax
said weakly. "Open a hyperspace channel."
But the communications array merely sputtered
uselessly, as dead as the weapon systems. They were trapped here, at the mercy of the humans.
Jefferson spoke again. "We disrupted your FTL communications as well, just to make sure
we have your undivided attention. Now, we're perfectly willing to have a civilized
discussion, Captain. In fact, I insist on it."
Zorfax sank into his command
chair, deflated. "Very well, human. It seems we have...underestimated
you. I agree to your negotiations."
"Splendid!" replied Jefferson. "We'll have my
transporter chief beam you and your staff right over. Don't worry, you're going to love pizza!"
As the channel closed, Zorfax dropped his face into his tentacles. How would he explain this
humiliation to High Command now? The human's words haunted him...underestimated, indeed.
Zorfax materialized aboard the human starship, still reeling from the utter failure of what was
supposed to be an easy conquest. The transporter room in which he found himself was spotlessly
clean and filled with technology the likes of which he had never seen.
Several humans stood waiting, wearing crisp uniforms bearing insignia
marking them as higher ranks. The one who stepped forward wore additional decorations -
this must be their leader, Admiral Jefferson.
"Greetings, Captain!" Jefferson said
warmly. "Welcome aboard the Liberty."
Zorfax shook off his disbelief at the situation.
He must not let these humans see weakness.
"Your technology is...impressive,"
he conceded. "But if you believe you can intimidate the Karloxian
Empire, you are mistaken."
Jefferson smiled. "No intimidation
intended! We just wanted to clear up this little cultural misunderstanding.
Come, let me show you around."
The tour of the ship was almost surreal to Zorfax.
The humans nonchalantly displayed scientific feats the Empire had struggled centuries to achieve.
Hybrid fusion-fission reactors supplying endless clean energy. Gravity manipulation allowing
inertial dampening and simulated artificial gravity. And the sheer scale - the Liberty
was twice the size of the Intrepidus.
Finally they came to the officer's mess
hall. A bizarre assortment of food and drink covered the tables. Jefferson
encouraged them to sample something called "pizza" but Zorfax was wary of poison.
A younger human female approached them. "Admiral, the translators are fully trained and
we've prepared quarters for our guests."
"Excellent work, Ensign Wu," Jefferson
replied. "Let us continue our conversation."
The ensuing negotiations were equally baffling
to Zorfax. The humans spoke of individual rights, cultural diversity, and freedom. When Zorfax
asserted the planet belonged to the Karloxian Empire, Admiral Jefferson merely laughed.
"My dear Captain, I don't think you understand the situation here. We will not be surrendering
our world or people to anyone. However, we are more than willing to establish free
and open trade with your civilization."
Zorfax froze. "Trade? But your
resources will fuel our expansion!"
"Will they now?" mused Jefferson. "And
what do you imagine that expansion entails for worlds such as ours?"
When Zorfax detailed their plans for invasion and enslavement, the humans seemed more
saddened than angered. "I believe there is a better way forward. For both our peoples."
Reluctantly, Zorfax agreed to review the proposed trade agreements and cultural
exchanges. What choice did he have?
"Splendid!" Jefferson said. "I know this all must
be quite shocking for you, but in time I hope you will come to see humanity's way as preferable
to the path of violence and subjugation."
As Zorfax returned to his ship, he pondered the
paradox of a species so advanced yet so naive. Surely they could not maintain this egalitarian
innocence as they expanded into the galaxy.
And he knew the High Council would never
accept peaceful trade over an iron-fisted conquest. But Zorfax now doubted whether
such a conquest was even possible.
One thing was certain - the humans were
a far greater variable than any Karloxian projections had allowed for. And variables had
a way of altering all equations in the end.
Zorfax stood rigidly before the flickering
holograms of the High Council, dreading the report he must now deliver.
"Proceed with your briefing, Captain," intoned High Chancellor
Vexza, her aged tentacles crossed.
Zorfax hesitated. "Upon
arrival at the human homeworld, we encountered unexpected...complications."
He described their advanced technology and refusal to surrender, bracing for
the Council's reaction. Instead, they merely clicked in thoughtful unison.
"This confirms the projections of our strategists," Vexza said. "The humans are
more resourceful than typical civilizations at this development stage. Adjust
your invasion plans accordingly."
Shock rippled Zorfax's body. "With
respect, Chancellor, they have demonstrated technological parity with our own.
A successful invasion seems...unlikely."
The chamber rumbled with laughter. Council
Member Jurox responded dismissively. "Clearly you have allowed these humans to intimidate
you, Captain. Their society is disorganized, nonlinear. Ours operates with unified
purpose. We will adapt and prevail."
Zorfax struggled to compose his reply.
"They exhibit social cohesion exceeding our models. And their non-hierarchical
structure appears...efficient."
"ENOUGH!" roared Vexza, tentacles flaring angrily.
"You overstep your place, Captain. The Council has deemed this planet vital to Imperial expansion.
You will reconquer it by any means necessary!"
Chastened, Zorfax acquiesced with a bowed
head. After terminating the transmission, he slumped dejectedly in his command
chair. The Council was stubborn, but the facts remained - Earth's conquest would require
resources beyond his current capabilities.
He summoned his senior staff. "OPTIONS!"
he rasped. "We must devise a new strategy to breach the humans' defenses and
bombard their population centers."
Chief Engineer Klax discharged his oral
siphons thoughtfully. "Admiral Jefferson indicated the humans possess intra-system transit
networks. Possible hijacking vectors include quantum teleportation or micro-wormholes.
This could bypass orbital defenses."
"Excellent!" Zorfax exclaimed. "Divert all efforts
to penetrating these networks. What else?"
Sklorn manipulated his console. "Initial
cultural data implies variable societal priorities. Leveraging social divisions could
foster insurrectionist factions to--"
Zorfax waved his words away
impatiently. "No, no, the humans have proven annoyingly cohesive so far."
He pondered further. The High Council had demanded results. The sanctions for
failure here did not bear consideration.
"Pull all available stealth drones from
storage," he ordered. "We will overwhelm their detection grids through saturation.
And begin landing extermination teams on outlying population centers immediately."
His officers saluted and withdrew to carry out their instructions. Zorfax slouched wearily in the
stillness of the command deck. He felt stained, as if this rising tide of violence
might never be washed clean. But the Council's will could not be denied.
He wondered what Jefferson would say to these desperate new tactics. Would he respond with
outrage? Or merely muted disappointment? Zorfax realized with a start that the human's reaction
mattered to him now on some deeper level.
But it was too late for qualms. The invasion would
proceed, and untold lives would be lost. For the first time in his career, pursuing final victory
felt less like a triumph than a burdensome task he must complete out of grim obligation.
Zorfax wished fleetingly that the galaxy held other paths forward. But wishes were
for hatchlings. He had given his orders, and the assault on Earth now accelerated
towards its destructive conclusion.
Alarms blared across the Liberty's bridge as
Admiral Jefferson studied the sensor readings grimly. The Karloxian stealth drones had evaded
their detection grid and landed ground forces outside population centers across the globe.
"Casualty reports coming in already, sir," said Lt. Curtis. "They're using some
kind of disintegration beam on whole city blocks before we can intercept."
Jefferson shook his head. "So the good Captain has stopped playing nice. Deploy
all available fighters to intercept, full authorization to engage."
The Liberty banked hard and accelerated towards Earth. But Zorfax had cunningly timed
his attack for the few minutes their transit engines were down for maintenance. Closing
the distance would take precious minutes.
On the surface, chaos reigned. Citizens
ran screaming as Karloxian centauroid walkers vaporized buildings at will. Strange
bipedal aliens marched through the streets, harvesting any human they found.
Jefferson opened a channel to Zorfax's ship. "Captain, cease this madness immediately!
We can still find a peaceful solution."
Zorfax's tentacles twitched with what
seemed like shame. "I must follow my orders, Admiral. For both our sakes."
The channel closed, and Zorfax watched the slaughter uncomfortably from orbit. Why did
it feel so wrong to be winning this battle?
But the tide was already turning. All
across Earth, hidden human bases roared to life. Sleek fighters and bulbous drones
erupted into the skies by the thousand.
Zorfax peered closer at the sensor feeds. These
were unknown configurations, more advanced than any vehicles they had yet seen. Jefferson had
been holding forces in reserve after all.
The human ships tore into the Karloxian walkers
with precise volleys. Alien ground troops found themselves beset on all sides by powered exosuits
and elite commandos. In minutes, their invasion collapsed into confusion and full retreat.
Realizing any further attack was useless, Zorfax ordered his remaining ships to fall
back and consolidate losses. If the High Council questioned his decision, they could
fight these humans themselves next time!
Aboard the Liberty, Jefferson surveyed the
damage reports with steel in his eyes. Thousands of lives lost, millions displaced from their
homes. But it could have been far worse.
He opened a channel to the Intrepidus. "Your
invasion failed, Captain. And we have mobilized barely a fraction of our full defenses. I pray you
have learned the futility of aggression today."
Zorfax wilted under the human's stern
gaze. The Council would have his head for this, regardless of excuses.
"I...I must consult with my leaders, and reconsider our approach," he said softly.
Jefferson's expression held more pity now than anger. "You understand so little of who we are.
But we will teach, if you wish to learn."
Zorfax terminated the link in contemplative
silence. The humans possessed the power to annihilate him utterly, he realized...yet
they chose mercy. Perhaps their way truly was superior - the galaxy held paths
forward he had never imagined.
Zorfax stood rigidly as the High
Council bellowed its outrage.
"Billions of Imperial credits wasted on
this fruitless invasion!" raged Vexza. "You have failed utterly. Explain yourself!"
Zorfax steeled his nerves. "The humans cannot be subjugated by force. Their technology matches
our own, and their society is...resilient. They wish only to exist in peace."
"Peace?!" Vexza spit the word scornfully. "You disgust me, Zorfax. I should feed you to
the tentacle snakes for your incompetence."
The other Council members clicked their agreement.
Zorfax trembled, but stood his ground.
"The Empire can gain much through
cooperation with the humans. We should open diplomatic channels immediately."
The chamber rumbled with shock. Jurox fixed Zorfax with a venomous glare.
"You overreach your authority, Captain! The Council will vote on this matter
shortly. For now, you are relieved of command."
The screen went dark, and Zorfax slumped into
his chair, exhausted mentally and physically. He had gambled everything on reason, but the Council
remained too blinded by conventional thinking.
A alert chimed - an unauthorized wormhole
was opening near the ship! Zorfax rushed to the bridge, expecting a suicide bomber or
similar fanatic attack. Yet it was Jefferson who materialized, unarmed and alone.
"Admiral! This is unwise," Zorfax cautioned. "If the High Council discovers you here..."
"Yes, well, desperate times call for desperate measures," Jefferson replied briskly. "I couldn't
help overhearing your little chat with the Council. Not the reasonable types, are they?"
Zorfax shook his head bitterly. "They refuse to accept your friendship. I fear they will
launch a full-scale invasion soon."
Jefferson smiled. "Not to worry. I have an
idea that just might change their minds."
Minutes later, Zorfax stood before the High
Council again, with Jefferson conspicuously beside him. The chamber filled with outraged shrieks.
"Guards! Seize this intruder!" Vexza thundered. But Jefferson spoke first.
