T. Harris - The Tactics of Revenge

The Humans caused all this…

As Poul walked quickly down the concrete walkway toward Lann Hall, he couldn’t decide whether he was happy or sad. In either case, tonight would be a life-altering time for him, and if one thing was for certain, he was glad to be out of his chamber — and away from the chattering of his mates.

Poul had to admit times were tough on Hyben. Ever since the Juireans had pulled their ships out of the maintenance yards and sent them off to confront the evil Human threat, his hours had been cut back drastically and what credits he did have in reserve had been quickly exhausted. And now his lumic-mate was badgering him constantly about the lack of mature food he was bringing into the chamber — with the nagging urged on by his two nin-mates. For their part, the females were doing the best they could, producing pups at a feverish pace. Yet even then, it was barely enough to keep the older offspring fed.

That practice — of feeding freshborns to newvins — was another problem for Poul, and one potentially greater than the financial difficulties he found himself in. The succulent meat of the recently-emerged freshborns carried within it all the essential chemicals and nutrients that his older offspring required. Yet as more of their diet consisted of freshborn-flesh, they risked addiction to the taste of their brethren. As adults, Poul and his mates could resist the urges, but not so the younger members of his pod. If he could not provide more mature meat for his family — and soon — then all of his offspring would be forever lost to the bloodlust of young meat.

As newvins, this practice was accepted, if frowned upon. But as adults, the killing and devouring of freshborns was strictly forbidden. If something wasn’t done soon, his older offspring would be hopelessly consumed by the desire for this forbidden flesh, and they would seek it out, either from his pod or from others. Already, there were reports of newvin attacks on outside pods. And now Poul — within his own chamber — was breeding a whole new horde of these potential cannibalistic feeders.

Yes, it was bad all over Hyben, and even though no formal battle had yet been joined between the Juireans and the Humans within Expansion space, the coming war had already had a devastating effect on his planet, as well as the Sector as a whole.

As it turned out, the rumors had been true, and the population of The Expansion soon learned the shocking reality behind the recent attack upon a planet called Earth — and the resulting destruction of the Juirean fleet. At first, many had refused to believe the stories, but now even the Juirean-controlled newscasts were reporting on the defeat.

Poul had found the news to be of considerable distress. It had been over four hundred years since the Juireans had first swept down upon Hyben, dispelling any disbelief in the existence of other life forms within the galaxy, and as the centuries passed, the natives of Hyben had become completely integrated into the Juirean Expansion. The planet now served as a major maintenance hub for most of the starships traveling throughout the nearby Sectors, with dozens of off-world species intermingled among its native population. If the Juireans were now vulnerable to defeat then the entire structure of The Expansion was at risk. And where then would that leave his planet, his race and his pod?

For his part, Poul had once been a very accomplished tech-installer, maneuvering expertly within the narrow confines of any number of major-class starships, working on various gravity generators, air purifiers, computer modules and more. It was this experience he was counting on to land him a well-paying position aboard one of the hundreds of new Class-5 warships soon to be coming out of the sectors beyond the Core.

Even now, the Juireans were engaged in a massive building frenzy, the likes of which had not been seen since the days of The Mass. Yet as they turned out dozens of new starships every month, the Juireans soon discovered a problem. They had the means of production and they had the material; what they lacked were the crews for all the new ships being built to counter the marauding Human invaders.

And that was the impetus for the meeting taking place that evening in Lann Hall.

If Poul could find work aboard one of these new warships, he would immediately gain two distinct benefits. First, he would earn enough credits to provide a better life for him and his pod, including mature meat for the newvins, sparing them the possibility of having to be put down by the authorities. And secondly, it would get him off the planet — and away from the constant berating from his mates.

So as Poul hurried to the meeting, he firmed his resolve to do whatever it took to gain employment with the Juireans — even if such employment did carry with it the danger of confronting the evil Human barbarians. But in light of his current financial situation, it was a risk he was willing to take.

Yet as he rounded the corner of Jun and Myyu Streets, Poul’s heart sank. There, in the dimming light of early evening, he could see a long line of Primes, snaking its way out of Lann Hall and wrapping around the entire building — at least a thousand other beings all there with the same goal in mind as he.

Dejected, Poul stepped to the back of the line, just behind two shorter creatures in black cloaks and hoods, and prayed to the Bello Gods that the Juireans were looking for more than just a hand-full of new recruits for their ships this evening. After all, he couldn’t face the prospect of returning to his chamber with bad news for his mates. If he did so, they just might set upon him in a feeding frenzy of their own.

As more creatures lined up behind him, each seeking their own ounce of salvation from the depressed economy, Poul produced a wry grin and thought, If my mates did fill their bellies with my flesh, at least then my troubles would be over. I wonder what my flesh actually tastes like. …

Nerves soon got the better of him and Poul began to chat with the other beings in the line. The native behind him was named Jyyl, and he had worked at the power generating plant in Muull until the workforce had been cut back six months before. He was an expert with containment chambers, and Poul agreed that Jyyl’s skills should be in demand aboard any decent-sized starship. Jyyl returned the encouragement to Poul.

The smaller of the hooded creatures in front of him was more talkative than the taller one. It was a female, and she agreed that the need was great for crews aboard the new Juirean ships, agreeing that there should be plenty of work for all.

So as the line moved inexorably forward, Poul’s mood began to improve. Even though there were easily a thousand applicants for the crews there that night — with more joining the line every minute — he was feeling much better about his chances.

Eventually Poul entered the hall and the line continued to wind its way toward the table where the Juireans sat. There were five of them, all green-haired Guards, looking serious — and bored. Poul had encountered numerous Juireans before aboard the ships he serviced, although he had never spoken with one directly. He was both nervous — and excited — at the prospect of having an actual conversation with one.

As he fixated on the Juireans, Poul couldn’t help but notice that the table they sat at was surrounded by eight very large and impressive looking creatures of a species he did not recognize. He knew the Juireans often traveled with bodyguards these days, a practice Poul found particularly disturbing. After all, these were Juireans, the leaders of The Expansion. The fact that they now required guards themselves meant that the Human threat was apparently much more serious than first believed.