Casserine (33 page)

“I like your thinking,” Jake admitted, “but my only knowledge of history with ruling classes relates to Earth’s periods of such things. As I recall, if you left any of them alive, they would come back to cause trouble. How many of your people belong to this ruling family of yours?”

“Thousands,” Binky replied.

“As unfortunate as wiping out those thousands may seem to you,” Jake reasoned, “what makes you think if we just executed the female enclave, the others in their family unit wouldn’t be back causing trouble foryou?”

‘Tea,” Mercer broke in, “and what about our people still being held prisoner?”

“I think our Alien friend thinks if the ruling enclave were killed, no one would have any direction as far as harming our people,” Dougherty offered. “Is that what you meant?”

“Yes,” Binky nodded. “If my family were put in power, any harm to your people could be avoided, and they would be released. As to the ruling unit causing trouble, only the eleven females’ families, in our governing enclave, would be of any danger. Their power, even amongst their own blood ties, is jealously guarded.”

“Okay, but how do we know who is who,” Jake questioned further. “I am not risking my men, trying to sort out whose relatives should be hit, and whose shouldn’t. Frankly, I’d rather wipe out their whole place and everyone in it, rather than lose even one man. Militarily speaking, I would be foolish to go along with what you suggest.”

“I understand your concern,” Binky acknowledged. “However, relations between our races would be much easier if.”

“Relations would be real easy between our races if we just make yours disappear altogether,” Mercer interrupted.

“Let him finish, Charlie,” Jake admonished with a smile. “I think I know where he’s going with this.”

“If I could spend some time with the prisoners you have captured from our ship,” Binky resumed. “I might be able to convince many of them of the hopelessness of all out war with your race. I would lead those into battle against the ruling enclave. If it could be worked out in this way, there would be far less bitterness over the terms of our surrender. If you never had peaceful relations in mind, you could just wipe us out as you first considered.”

“Would the five hundred or so prisoners we have, be enough for the task?” Jake asked.

“If the defenses were destroyed first, then yes,” Binky replied.

“We would have to insist on you holding the main power in such a coup,” Jake replied. “How would that go over with the rest of your people? I assume the prisoners you wish to recruit are from many different families. Are any of them from the ruling unit?”

“No, the ruling unit does not participate in our military,” Binky answered. “Naturally, any upheaval like this will have acceptance problems amongst a people used to a certain way of life for many thousands of years. So too, does the realization we could be erased from existence. I believe I can impart the immediate prospect of such a danger. As you have pointed out, we have no choice. I have witnessed what the Tattalias horde does to a planet, and we have had no mercy when we used them. In your eyes, I can see our continued survival as being tenuous at best. If I fail to persuade my people, in your control, who have seen what you can do, then it will be even more difficult, if not impossible, to install a new order on my planet.”

“He makes sense, Jake,” Mercer allowed.

“How many other races have you unleashed this horde on,” Jakeasked.

“Through the other Jump Gate, you do not know about, we found colonies from one other race. We planted the Queens and left the area alone for ten of your earth years. That race did not try to re-colonize. The Tatallias Queens went into stasis, after their drones had wiped clean everything edible on the planets. We collected the Queens, and let the planets’ environment begin to recover, while making sure the colonizing race did not come back.”

“Does the other race suspect you all exist?” Dougherty asked.

“I believe with the proximity of the colonized planets, and the way the infestation happened so suddenly, that would be the case,” Binky answered.

Mercer had been watching Jake during the Alien’s recitation of how they used the Bugs. He could see the tightening around the mouth, and the narrowing of his eyes, which Mercer knew all too well. “Jake, you remember that time you, me, and Deke stopped in at the enlisted bar on Genoa before we shipped out for Omaha?”

Jake turned his gaze on Mercer, confusion now replacing anger in his eyes. “I remember, why.”

“Well, you’re getting that look on your face like you had then, when those miners started bad mouthing Marines.”

Jake smiled as he realized what Mercer was getting at. “That little set to cost me a pay grade, but I’m in charge now, Charlie. The only thing at risk here is the continued existence of a bunch of cold blooded bastards.”

“You do not like the facts of what you have asked me, concerning our expansion, do you?” Binky asked, beginning to get the idea of what they were talking about.

“I think its gone past not liking, Bink,” Dougherty observed. “Any real hope of turning things around, or are you just buying time?”

“I can not prove it to you, or convince you,” Binky stated quietly, looking straight at Jake. “We do follow the direction of the ruling enclave without question. It is a bad way in regards to outside races. It has been a good way on our planet, where there has been peace amongst our people for thousands of years. If a new way can be brought into power, the change will be startling to you.”

“For the same reason such offensive orders as exterminating another race’s colonies could be followed so coldly, a complete turnaround in our outlook towards other races could come about quickly. We probably have more in common with the Tattalias Drones than we do with your race in such matters. It will fall to you whether we can be given the chance to change.”

“You make the case very well,” Jake admitted grudgingly. “Where the heck did you find the Tattalias Queens? If they can completely overrun a world, killing all life on it within a decade, how the hell have they survived? I know as they run out of food or danger, the Queens automatically cut back on the number of drones; but still, they should be extinct by now on their home world.”

“They are native to my world,” Binky explained. “We found a region below the frozen tundra on my planet, nearly a hundred years ago, where thousands of the things had died instantly, and been frozen. Once we found the Queen’s chamber, we began experimenting with her DNA to create our own Queens. Because we could see the danger in them ever breaking free, we built underground labs in the frozen tundra for our first developmental stage. When we discovered how to control them to some extent, our experimental boundaries increased dramatically.”

“So, you raise them to do your dirty work for you,” Mercer observed wryly. “I guess once you can ignore moral right and wrong, the rest comes easy.”

“No matter what happens,” Jake said, “we’ll have to exterminate the Bugs. I don’t care if you can get them to sit up and bark like a dog, I want them gone.”

“Agreed,” Binky replied.

“Okay then,” Jake nodded, “but we still are not going to arm an alien force of five hundred with state of the art weapons, so.”

“Jake,” Dougherty interrupted. “I can rig up enough pulse rifles for them to use. With a tiny aiming adjustment, I can control who they shoot at until they get the job done.”

“Hey Bink,” Mercer put in. “You mentioned you could take this place over easy after we take out the defenses. What defenses? If your ruling enclave has so much unchallenged authority, what the heck do they need with defenses?”

“Good question, Charlie,” Jake said approvingly. “What about it Bink? I thought this ruling clan has been just running things without a single problem for thousands of years.”

The Alien hesitated a moment, as if struggling for a way to explain.

“Don’t start blowing smoke up our ass now, Bink,” Jake warned. “What’s with the reluctance to tell us why a worshipped royal clan needs defenses strong enough to require us to take a hand at the beginning in getting rid of them?”

“When we first expanded our experimental usage of the Tallalias species, we thought it safe to conduct the experiments closer to civilization, at least the ruling enclave did. They ordered a laboratory complex close to one of our other clans. There were some mild protests, but they were quickly soothed by the guarantees of complete safety. We.”

“The Bugs got out,” Mercer cut in.

The Alien nodded. “We lost thousands before the control signal could be brought on line again. Some rebel attacks were carried out against the ruling clan. Many were killed, but the rebels could not break through to the enclave. Since those attacks, the ruling clan has both antiaircraft batteries, and a small army around their living complex.”

“This clan you say lost thousands of their people,” Jake mused. “Any of them survive?”

“Yes,” Binky answered simply.

“You wouldn’t happen to be one of them, would you Bink?” Mercer

“My wife and son were torn apart before my eyes, as I carried my daughter,” Binky replied. “They broke through the wall, as we ran with the others. Our fighter aircraft arrived and covered our retreat, but they were late getting there. If the Queen had not been shut down quickly, she would have spawned enough drones to wipe us out.”

“Were you part of the rebel attack on the ruling clan?” Doughertyasked.

“I led it,” Binky said with a fierceness they had not seen. “I would have come back and finished the ruling enclave off if not for the defenses. I do not want to kill all of them; because as I explained, most have nothing to do with the orders given by the inner circle. We managed to escape without being identified. I rejoined my military unit after leaving my daughter in the care of my brother’s family. I bided my time to avenge my wife and son, until an attack would have some chance of success.”

“This puts things in a clearer perspective, Bink,” Jake said. “I believe we can do some business. I can see now why your actions seem so independent as compared to your brethren we have locked up. Are any more of your clan amongst our prisoners?”

“It is very possible,” Binky replied.

“What do you think of finding out, and then training them to lead the assault?” Jake asked. “I’d hate to lose you in the battle.”

“I will take the blood of the ruling enclave myself,” the Alien retorted in anger. “No one will touch them but me for what they did. When I first saw you aboard my ship, my heart leapt in fear that I would not live to see them die by my hand.”

“I think I’m beginning to like you, Bink,” Mercer grinned, looking over at Jake. “I say let him have a shot, General.”

“He has my vote, if I get one,” Dougherty added. “I’ll clean up the defenses around there for him.”

“I don’t like taking this chance, but I can see I’d be pissing into the wind trying to get you to avoid going,” Jake said. “Why don’t you go down with Tim here, and get reacquainted with your people. Let me know later how you do at convincing them.”

“Thank you, General,” the Alien said, as Dougherty stood and gestured for him to follow.

“Tim,” Jake called out. “You take enough guys to make sure nothing happens to Binky. We don’t want to lose him.”

“Aye, aye, Sir,” Dougherty replied, as he and Binky passed through the hatch.

“I love having a motivated ally,” Jake told Mercer.

“You believe him then?”

“Tea, I do,” Jake replied. “So do you, or you would have said something.”

“It all fits, just like you said,” Mercer replied. “I was wondering, even with Mr. Snappy, why Bink was being so damn helpful. Now we know.”

“That will remain to be seen, but I agree with the way things fit better. God knows what I would have done if I had watched my wife and son slaughtered by those things right in front of me.”

“Did you see his face when you suggested he organize it rather than lead it?” Mercer asked, shaking his head at the memory. “He reminded me of someone else in this room, like back when I came around to find you with those Earth Command twits.”

“Bink did look dedicated, didn’t he? With the right safeguards in place to protect us, I would be willing to let him have a try at this. It would go a long way to obtaining some very interesting trade prospects, not to mention the knowledge of other Jump Gates and races.”

“What will you do if we run into that other race, and they want to know what happened to the colonies they owned, and who was responsible?” Mercer asked.

“We could try the truth,” Jake suggested. “If Bink wipes out the ruling enclave, all the ones actually responsible will be dead.”

“It probably has been a long time since it happened,” Mercer agreed. “That could work in our favor. You going to hang around long enough to see this through that far?”

“I don’t know, Charlie,” Jake admitted. “As you pointed out, I am a wimp when it comes to Adrian. If she says she wants to go back to Casserine, then I’m going back with her. Yuri is a fine organizational leader, and you make a hell of a field commander. If you need help, I won’t be dead, I’ll just be on Casserine.”

“We could conquer all the quadrants, with Nick’s breakthrough in shield technology. Why not hang around and be supreme commander of all the known galaxies?”