The Nature of Predators

Memory Transcription Subject: Elias Meier, Former UN Secretary-General

Date [standardized human time]: December 22, 2160

My short tenure in the SC’s meeting station was with the goal of speaking to the assemblage about the rights of inorganic intelligence. I’d expected to be waking up to a wonderful moment, with Virnt having figured out how to simulate the signals of breathing; it’d taken months to figure out how to mimic it accurately, but he promised to resolve the most troublesome aspect of synthetic life. It was nerve-wracking to be shut down while he tinkered with my body, though I supposed it was no different from any other surgery. While I wanted to see how Aafa’s clash played out, I was unwilling to wait another second to be free of the suffocation. It was a constant drain on my thoughts, maddening at times. Optimism over the outcome had prevailed at the time, from the little bit I saw on the livestream, as the SC seemed to be holding their own.

When I came to, pressing a hand to my gut and feeling its motion from some newly-added pump, elation and glee were my initial reactions. It was as if I had lungs in my chest again—what a strange sentence that was to say! Yet Virnt and Syba both had looked at me as if something was wrong; that had me worried that the Tilfish had cut the wrong wire. The sinking dread grew worse, as the duo advised me to look at the broadcasts from Aafa. That was when I saw the disaster that had played out. The Federation remnants and the Arxur Collective had shot at each other, allowing the enemy to waltz right past them. Kuemper tendered her resignation in a fit of fury, after failing to talk them down. It shook me to the core, realizing this had happened under the SC’s watch.

I couldn’t help but feel responsible, with billions of Kolshians dead and a helpless world glassed. It was my idea to reach out to our adversarial counterparts, and persuade them to help; the Federation remnants wouldn’t have shown up at all, had I not given my speech. Just as I’d failed to protect Earth all those years ago, and had sold Nishtal out to the Arxur, Aafa had fallen because of my actions. What kind of icon of peace was I? A fool whose actions kept resulting in countless deaths, yet who still adhered to the blind optimism Ambassador Korajan hadn’t agreed with? I thought humanity should keep reaching out and trying to make the galaxy “better,” but when had I ever actually done that?

Leap of hope: that was how the speech went. The galaxy isn’t healing one bit; after already being in a catastrophic war, you brought another one into existence. The forever war that stretched for centuries is right back up again…

“You have to believe you’ve done some good. If you haven’t, why tell Virnt not to power you off now?” My eyelids sealed tightly shut, realizing that my breaths were still soundless—and that the rhythm was preset, rather than affected by my emotions. The bed and the dark room felt like they might swallow me. “The United Nations gave up. Kuemper gave up. I can’t…let this defeat me. I tried to make peace, and I’m not responsible for the others refusing to let go of their hatred. Like I told the Shield at that damn speech, I know what’s in my heart.”

There was a knock on the door, and I jolted my eyes open to see a human shadow in the doorway, eavesdropping. “I’m…sorry, Elias. It all spiraled out of control in a flash, the peace I’ve fought to maintain for so long. I came to say goodbye.”

I sat up and tapped a button on my smartwatch, turning the lights on. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that. I was speaking aloud, but I have no right to cast judgment.”

“You were right, old friend. Years and years of this all, it broke me down. I can’t hold the duct tape on the breach in the dam any longer. I certainly don’t know how you keep taking it on the chin, and getting back up—after everything you’ve endured. You have the strength of character of a saint.”

“No,” I grumbled, shaking my head. “A saint wouldn’t have made the decisions I did after Earth. I get back up because I have to; there is so much at stake. There is no one better at working with aliens than you, and I knew it from the moment I saw that suave certainty in your eyes, at the first contact briefing. Do not give up on trillions of lives. You’re going to turn around, say that you spoke in anger, and fix this.”

“I can’t do that, Elias. I never wanted to be a leader, but I interacted with aliens so much, they said it had to be me. Realpolitik, making decisions for entire species: it’s not a burden I want on my shoulders. I see little hope of the SC’s judgment not falling upon us, especially after what I just…heard from the generals. They’re about to hold a meeting, and I can’t fucking deal with that.”

That statement caught my attention, as I wondered what the generals had to say; the situation on Aafa couldn’t have gotten worse, could it? Had the Federation remnants or the Arxur made a move, doing something rash enough to each other’s worlds, that it would blow any hopes of peace talks to bits?

“Erin,” I prompted her warily, “what did the generals inform you?”

The complexion drained from her face, and she avoided looking at me. “Our scout ship captured one of…the enemy’s vessels. When the Sapient Coalition, and God forbid, the rest of the galaxy gets a hold of this…”

“Just tell me. If you have any mercy, don’t keep me in suspense here.”

“The people we’re fighting are the humans from the ark ships. There were casualties during our boarding operation, but we captured three alive. One is in critical condition, unable to say anything, while the captain is busy firing off messages to every party in the area about who we are. The other, Taylor Trench, is alive, unharmed, and being taken back to Sol. From what he’s told us, the colonists seem to have made alliances with…local aliens beyond Sivkit borders, led by a race called the Krev, and they rallied a war fleet to get vengeance for Earth.”

My mind froze for a few seconds, as my expression was locked into one of total shock. The horror left me speechless; I knew that our galactic neighbors wouldn’t react positively to being attacked by the human predators. The Shield would we say sent out warriors to gather armies and lie in wait to spill bloodshed. This would be the proof necessary for anyone who thought it was inevitable that we’d attack them, and seek bloodshed and conquest on their worlds. Even the Sapient Coalition would be disconcerted by humans coming to seek vengeance for a wrong done to us, decades ago. The worst part of it all was knowing who’d sent those people away, in another misguided plan to save Earth.

I created the ark ship initiative, and gave us no way to contact them, for their own safety. Every death in this war was on my hands, all because I clearly didn’t know what the hell I was doing, when it came to protecting my species! What did it say about me that I’d barely even given those settlers a second thought, wondering where they might’ve landed? How dreadful it must’ve been, assuming their entire world was dead…this couldn’t be happening. Humans, instigating a war with us and glassing worlds. Panic was close to swallowing me whole, so I latched onto that newly-returned feeling of breathing. That was how I used to calm down, right?

Imagine if Earth hadn’t survived, by the miracle that it did, Elias. The arks would’ve been humanity’s last hope, which is why you sent them. This is…another wound in our past that needs to heal, and we can’t turn from it. You didn’t think about the ark colonists, because you don’t like thinking about the attack on Terra, and the lives lost, at all. It’d cripple you, if you let it—but you won’t. You can’t.

“What’s important is making this right, and making peace,” I managed, in a shaky voice. “We didn’t want this war, or the last one. Them being humans doesn’t make a difference, when we wanted to negotiate a truce either way. If anything, this gives us more hope that they’ll talk, and lay down their arms. We must look at the bright side.”

Erin Kuemper threw up her arms. “You think the Sivkits will just accept peace, when these humans settled their homeworld and attacked them? You think the ark colonists will just forgive all, and waltz back into the SC with nice, placid smiles? Even if they fucking did, there’s still not peace; there’s still the second war that just started. The Arxur and the Federation, at each other’s throats like it’s 2136!”

“We have to take this one step at a time. You look at everything, it gets overwhelming; remember when I was SecGen? I know what this is like. I’ll be here for support. You said they’re holding a meeting, and we need our leader there. Transparency is the only way forward. We’ll make a plan to deal with the SC.”

“I don’t want to deal with the SC, or try to appease them, ever again. My resignation is final. It’s not my problem anymore.”

“Not your problem? If not you, then who will stand up? Who will lead us? We need someone to take charge, for all humanity!”

A frown curved her lips downward, almost apologetic. “I have an acting Secretary-General in mind, until we can hold a proper election. Someone competent, who can handle the most stressful situation with aplomb, and who’ll do what’s right no matter how difficult it is. You, Elias.”

“What?” I hissed in surprise, eyes widening like a startled animal. “No. I don’t want that! I can’t, I’m not even in the chain of command for that!”

“I have talked to the Deputy and Undersecretary, and they agreed with me; they balked at the slightest insinuation that they might take over, at a time like this…too big of a leap. You would be acting SecGen in all but name, officially authorized to speak on our behalf. Much has been asked of you, and I’m sorry to add to it. Listen, not only are you the most qualified diplomat here right now, but you’re the only one I trust. You didn’t want to be brought back like this either, yet you were the right person for the job. Just like you are perfect for my seat.”

“You think I want that responsibility—which you just called a burden—back? Look what my interference has resulted in! Besides, I’m not the same person; I’m…not even human. I have been through more than you have any idea of. Was laying down my life one time not enough? I can’t have peace even in death. You elevate your wishes, but mine should never be considered at all.”

“I didn’t say anything other than that you are the only choice I’d ever make. I know you, Elias. You told me a few months ago that you only feel like yourself when you’re helping humanity. That it’d drive you crazy to know Earth is in danger, and you were doing nothing.”

I pressed my hands to my head, walking close to her with a tangled web of emotions wrestling within. “Of course I want to help. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do…but do you really think I’m the right person for the job?”

Erin placed a hand on my shoulder. “Always, Elias. The proudest moment of my career wasn’t being Secretary-General. It was serving under you.”

Kuemper’s words touched me, much the same as when Tarva had embraced me for my past pacifism. The needless suffering, as an indirect result of my actions, still cut at my soul, but I knew in my heart that I wasn’t the type to stand by on the sidelines. Whatever it took to remedy a situation on humanity’s behalf, I was willing to go the extra mile. As much as I wished I could step aside, it wasn’t in my nature to write Earth’s well-being off as “not my problem.” Any challenge that my people faced was my problem by default. Without Erin, there wasn’t anyone else that I trusted to place a singular focus on what our goal should be: making peace with the enemy. By taking the helm at this meeting, I could ensure our sights turned to just that.

This is a temporary arrangement, since I doubt humanity will accept me. Perhaps I’m not here to speak about synthetic rights, like I planned to do after Aafa. Someone has to lay themselves out on the train tracks over the…ark colonists’ attacks. That might be my final sacrifice, as it should be, since I sent them off.

“I’ll help, but I can’t do this alone. Your advice was something I always sought out, especially when I was wet around the ears in the alien department,” I responded, proffering a hand. “Serve beside me, one more time. I’ll take charge, and you…be there for me. Let’s end this how it began: a meeting of Earth’s finest to decide how to handle a new alien threat.”

Kuemper studied me for a long moment, before accepting the handshake. “I’ll do it, only for you. I’m sorry to ask this of you, Elias. I am well aware how much you’ve been through, and that you’re hurting.”

“I’m at peace with what I am now. It’s the horrific casualties and wars, as a consequence of my choices. The guilt has no comparison, so I must make it right before I…find a way to let go.”

“Let go?”

“Yes. Perhaps I’m not the Elias who wants the power of life and death in his hands. I loved being a diplomat, but my personal life was sacrificed in ways I only realized of late. When I saw Tarva’s children, it got me thinking how I wish I had something like that. Kids. Retirement. A picket fence.”

“I had no idea that was something you wanted. As far as neighbors go, you’d make a pretty darn good one. You have all the time in the world for a nice, quiet life.”

“Immortality. Isn’t that a terrifying thought?” I straightened, indicating with a hand gesture for Kuemper to lead the way. “We don’t have limitless time now though, so shouldn’t we stall and miss that meeting. Definitely don’t want the scheming generals left unattended. Care to fill me in on who’s in attendance?”

The resigned human official steered me out of Terra Technologies’ quarters, heading toward the UN offices. “The military big shots are General Monahan of Ireland, who handles ship movements. General Jones of the USA, whom you know is the head of intelligence. General Liu of China, whose primary expertise is cyberwarfare, General Almeida of Brazil, with R&D and new construction, and General Osmani of Pakistan, with alien alliance coordination. Of those, Jones is the hardest to keep on a leash.”

“Some things never change. Any other diplomats in attendance?”

“Ambassador Marston, who is our official contact with the Duerten; of the delicate relations we’ll want to preserve through this all, they’re up there. This is especially true after what we’ve learned from our human prisoner’s brain scans. We’re fortunate that this Taylor Trench appears to know a lot about the Krev Consortium’s planning. The secondary wave of targets includes Kalqua—we must offer our help, find a way to get these drones to stand down, and convince the Duerten not to detest us, like they do the Kolshians, for attacking them.”

I winced, imagining the look on Ambassador Korajan’s face. “I hope Korajan will be understanding. He’s friendly toward us, and has tried to help us…plus, he’s our best hope of convincing the Shield not to return to enmity. Was there anything else we learned from Taylor Trench, that I should be aware of?”

“We have teams of thousands of people looking through his memory transcription, and artificial intelligence filtering for any critical data to send to the top of their pile. Xenosociologists and xenobiologists are updating logs of the six member species, with what he knows of them, their governments, and their locale. There are some worrying aspects of the aliens’ regime, including widespread surveillance and Jaslip oppression.”

I manually blinked. “Who or what is a Jaslip?”

“Oh. Oh, I didn’t tell you. The Jaslips are what we called the Osirs, and they were forcibly relocated to ‘enclaves’ rather than killed off entirely. That…complicates what we do with the revival program, along with the fact we’ll have to persuade the SC to attempt diplomatic relations with a carnivore species. The Krev captive, Gress, may know more than Trench did, and we can’t decipher his scan yet, which is why we intend to speak with him on the call.”

The Osirs aren’t dead. That should be positive news, that they’re alive rather than glassed out of existence, but Kuemper mentioned their oppression. Are these aliens the ark humans buddied up with autocrats or tyrants? Do we want to officiate a peace with parties that are oppressing other species?

Kuemper shook her head. “And it gets better. The ark colonists had their own revival program, and the ship we captured has thousands—of the total millions of human babies they artificially birthed.”

“There are millions of human newborns caught in the middle of these peace talks? And we have the same amount of theirs under our stewardship?! I don’t even know what’s the right thing to do with them, and that assumes these aliens want to give the children back.”

“I’m glad you’ll be doing the talking through this all. I have no idea how we’ll ever clean up this mess.”

“A lovely pep talk, Erin. One of a kind,” I grumbled.

“Sorry. I’ll brief you in depth on all of the Consortium species before I go; it’s the least I can do. But I have no optimism to give you.” She placed a hand on a door handle, before turning to look at me. “Oh, and one more thing. Governor Laisa is attending the briefing. We trust the Venlil Republic to stand with us, and to work together on…solutions. They’re our closest allies, who we trust to help sugarcoat this for the SC.”

“How do the Venlil feel about all of this?”

“I don’t know. Ask Laisa yourself.”

Kuemper tapped the door open, and every head focused on me; the guards extended a hand to stop me from entering the room, while the generals and Governor Laisa looked flabbergasted by my presence. I didn’t belong chairing a meeting of such grave importance, even as a temporary stopgap. There was a certain arrogance in only trusting myself to pursue peace, when I didn’t even know Erin’s departmental heads or the other diplomats here. No single person could clean up the scale of this mess anyway. I’d only come to ensure that the military officials didn’t act like bulls in a china shop, inflaming the situation with aggression or posturing. There had to be some other diplomat I could entrust this to, or a way out of the room, though I couldn’t feign illness as a synthetic.

I promised Kuemper I’d help, and I’m already here; I can’t turn back. Perhaps hoping they’ll keep me and my suspicious hardware out is enough.

“As you all know, I stepped down. Elias is acting temporarily on behalf of the Secretary-General and the UN, by my final order. He’ll act in my stead until we can hold a referendum on my official replacement,” Erin announced.

General Jones frowned with disapproval. “It would’ve been more befitting of the interests of the United Nations for you to have completed your duties yourself, rather than pawning them off.”

“I can no longer carry out my abilities in a way that wouldn’t damage the UN’s repute. This is within my rights, and you know Elias is qualified.”

“Twenty-four years is a long time. He missed so very much, but I suppose you think it’ll be like old times. A family reunion.”

I stared down the aged spymaster. “Perhaps I am no longer qualified, in the sense of someone who’s lived it all, but I’ve been working as a diplomat for months since my resurrection; I’m well up to speed on the powers that be. It couldn’t have slipped your notice that I gave a speech to the Shield that was well-received.”

“Elias Meier, you’re too quick to extend the olive branch, but since that is what we all want in this instance, I won’t object to your oversight. Sit.”

Kuemper settled into an extra seat by the door, avoiding eye contact; it wasn’t even at the table. I could feel the withering judgment of the military officials, directed upon her. It was impossible not to feel some pity for her, since dealing with aliens had been trying even for the most trained diplomats. I suspected it was her scientific enthusiasm that carried her through the trials, up until the point that was stamped out of her. My eyes followed where Jones was gesturing, to the seat at the head of the table, adjacent to the Venlil governor. I offered the alien a smile, and was relieved to see an ear flick of acknowledgment in response. Skalga couldn’t be too furious with us, though I doubted many of our other allies would be as unwavering.

It was time to find out what the Krev knew, and press him for any information that might help us fix this. Like I had told Kuemper, the only way not to drown in the noise was to handle this calamity one step at a time.