Prelude

The United Stars of the Galaxy, commonly referred to simply as the Union is a multicultural society that started out, about three thousand years ago.

s ago.

The Union had grown tremendously since its official founding in the year 2220 OTT. Back when the Sarans, the Pan Sarans and the Terrans decided to unite under one government, no one could really foresee this development, not even as they welcomed their first official Union member society, the Ult who joined the Union the very same day.

Since then almost 5000 species and societies had joined the Union. I was spreading to other galaxies of the local group and while there was much-unexplored space in the Milky Way galaxy, much of the Upward sector of that galaxy was considered under Union control.

A Union citizen could make a GalNet call, to the furthest outpost in the Andromeda galaxy and be instantly connected without time delay and talk to a friend millions of light years away for a few credits. Or that citizen could actually travel there, on heavily subsidized space bus lines. A farmer on a planet near the Downward sector could offer to produce on the XChange and a citizen on a planet in the 3rd region of the Large Magellan was able to buy that product for an affordable price and receive it in less than five weeks.

There was great diversity within the Union. The smallest citizens being no bigger than a rice corn and the biggest one, an actual matter cloud of almost a cubic light hour in size.

Union citizens lived on stars, Jovian gas giants, planet surface environments of every kind and space itself.

All united by common laws and fundamental rights inherent to every sentient being. The right to life, self-expression, freedom, and liberty without restrictions, except if restricting or denying those rights to another sentient being.

It was the commitment of all to defend and thus guarantee those fundamental rights, that defines the core of Union law and philosophy. The other side of this philosophy was service to the community. Being a Union citizen came with tremendous benefits, but they were free and granted only to those who also served the Union community.

It was both incredibly simple and very complicated, but this and the lack of a ruling elite; the Union was ruled and governed by its citizens was the source of a very tangible commonly expressed pride.

Union citizens were seen as aloft, demanding and spoiled by others, but they were content and it showed. You can only live free and safe if you are strong enough to defend yourself.

The Union was not without enemies and fought many wars since it was founded. To defend itself it had developed branches of armed services, chief among them the mighty Union Spatial Navy.

All this was expressed by the Assembly of the United Stars of the Galaxy on Pluribus Unum, where representatives of all Union members came together to discuss and then vote upon all aspects of Union life.

The end of 5021 brought many surprising and unexpected developments. It was just a week before the celebration of Union Week and thus the official end of the Union year; when the high representative of the Saresii stepped into the alcove of Nilfeheim planet, carrying a decorated gift box.

The planet rep alcove was located high up and near the apex of the Assembly sphere.

As usual this close to the end of the year, almost every alcove was occupied and the final points of the List were discussed before it was officially published for Union citizens to vote upon.

The List was an accumulated list of issues that were raised to Union-wide status, meaning all Union citizen were to vote upon these. It included the budgets for all Union services and departments, including armed services, Union Schools, Space Bus subsidies and civil services. Union citizens would also vote on the next Speaker of the Assembly and other important and annual reoccurring issues.

Currently, the representative of the Xandrao, one of the very latest Union members and the first member civilization located in the vastly unknown and unexplored Downward sector of the Galaxy, addressed the Assembly. The representative of that civilization very much resembled a very muscular upright walking cow, complete with horns and spoon-shaped ears. He delivered a speech of thanks and appreciation as his civilization just received the so-called Welcome Wagon. An enormous fleet of transports with gifts and essentials. CITI machines, GalNet terminals, Union school equipment and teachers. A huge number of GalNet enabled PDDs, libraries, space bus terminals and defense equipment. As it had become tradition, the Welcome Wagon also contained gifts of other member civilizations to the new member.

The Xandrao was just describing how overwhelmed and how euphoric his people were as the Welcome Wagon arrived and brought home to everyone, that the Xandrao were indeed Union members.

The Nilfeheim alcove was already occupied, by Egil Skallagrimmson the representative of this small and quite unimportant world and by the deeply shrouded representative of the Narth.

Alegar the Saresii smiled as he saw both his friends reclined in their seats and said.”So they made us official, who would have thought the entire Union was interested in our opinion.”

Egil responded in his usual grumpy style.”Teaches me to leave my peaceful secluded life as a hermit. Being the rep for those stubborn Neo Vikings of mine was already more than I really wanted and now I am supposed to be a wise man and deliver learned advice about things I have no clue about.”

The hooded face of the Narth turned, physically switching his focus from the Xandrao to Egil. “One expected such a vote, considering the exposure our small group has received. A column in the Assembly Observer entitled ‘The Three Wise Men’ and our repeated participation as a group rather than individuals.”

Alegar sat down in his accustomed seat on the other side of Egil, who now was in the middle of the other two.

He opened the box and held it open before Egil but in such a fashion indicating that he included the Narth. “I brought Saresii Foam cookies, deliciously decadent and sweet.”

Egill fished one of the insubstantial things out of the gift box and complained after eating it.”It’s like chewing on a piece of sweetened fog really. Nothing a Neo Viking would ever consider buying.”

Narth had telekinetically selected one of the foam balls and it disappeared into thin air after it had floated near where his mouth would be behind his hood. “Experiencing flavor, textures, and tastes of solid sustenance for a considerable time now, one tends to agree with Egil. It seems however that the consumption of one feels inadequate and one is compelled to try another.”

Egill who had put the third one in his mouth rolled his eyes.”Seems you can never have just one cookie.”

Alegar popped one into his mouth himself and chewed without losing his grin.”You are hypocrites, both of you.”

The Saresii placed the box in front of them for easy reach and after listening to the Xandrao who was just coming to an end.

The Speaker of the Assembly, this year a massive Boloth addressed the Assembly after he thanked the Xandrao welcomed the representative of the Dolbarian, a species distantly related to the Holdians. The Dolbarian had joined the Union at the same time as the Xandrao and had been an unwilling Kermac Thrall species before they were liberated and immediately applied for Union membership to prevent the return of the Kermac.

Alegar was making sure the privacy fields of the alcove were active before he said.”The Mini Terrans, the Golden, the Conck, the Xandrao, and the Dolbarians. They are all Union members because of actions your grandchild took. That is without question the most impressive contribution to the Union by anyone, you should be proud of her.”

“The Golden would have joined anyway; the Conck and the Oolur have joined because of the Takkians.”

“You are such a nitpick. If I understand, the Supreme merchant himself travels aboard your granddaughter’s ship and has become a friend of hers.”

Egill’s eyes glittered with pride and mischief as he said.”You better stay seated then, I think Admiral McElligott is next and he has something to say that even I would consider historical.” Egill then turned to the Narth. “And you don’t spill the beans.”

“One has no container or vessel containing legumes that could be spilled. Because of this one assumes this is yet another matter of speech.”

The Narth pointed with his flat hand towards the center of the Assembly, where a small group of beings, a Shiss, a Klack, two humans, an Ult, and a Botnaar walked to the Focus point.”One, however, is compelled to point out that it is not the Admiral of the Fleet who is speaking after the Dolbarian.”

The Speaker introduced the group as docket number 12 and as the elected committee of a Union citizen group.

It was the Ult who turned out to be the one addressing the Assembly. “Members of the Assembly, fellow citizens we come before you with a complain that has in the name of politics been ignored for too long.

I am Worr Stumt, I was an aquatic farmer on Nistru, a nice wet world no one of you probably remember hearing about. It is a colony far down the Upward sector in an area known as the Union-Freespace Fringes. Yet our planet and many planets have been mentioned in reports to the Assembly. It has been raided by pirates and slavers. I myself ended up on Alvor’s cove, as a slave and almost dying unable to replenish the water in my tattered and malfunctioning moisture suit.”

A field screen established behind the group and it began showing recordings of brutal planet raids, pirate attacks on civilian ships and recordings of Karthanians buying slaves. Other recording showed Togar haggling with slavers over the price for humans. Images of a ship full of human body parts destined to Togar meat markets repeated as well.

We have been freed by an unknown entity and returned to Union space, but many Union citizens remain in slave capture, are being sold for food and a fate unthinkable. Yet every time the subject of slavery and pirate raids come up, the councils and advisors to the Assembly say that it is only a very small number of Union citizens each year that fall prey to slavers and pirates.”

The Klack stepped forward. “In the name of galactic peace you say, must we honor our commitment to the Freespace treaty. You called the attack on Checkpoint 96 a mere pinprick just a few years ago, yet 943 Union Citizens died that day. The culprit Red Dragon still at large.”

One of the humans held up a PDD and read aloud. “Assembly resolution 59 of the fifth October 5019- Given the de facto declaration of war on the Union by the pirate Red Dragon and his associates with their attack on Outpost 96, it was proposed to put to a vote by Union Citizens the following question: Given the use of Freespace as a safe haven for pirates which can use it to regroup after attacking locations and ships within Union Space, it is proposed to temporarily ignore the terms in the Free Space Treaty and remove that safe haven. Doing so will risk a war with the other signers of that treaty, a war that is judged to end with a likely Union win, but not without the cost of billions of lives and ships. Vote “Yes” for decisive military action including ignoring the Free Space Treaty or “No” for a tempered approach that will respect the terms of the Free Space Treaty while doing everything possible without violating existing treaties.

The proposal was defeated by a much narrower margin than expected with 48% of the Citizens voting for decisive military action, while 52% voted for a tempered approach.”

The other human put much accusations in his voice as he said.”What exactly was that tempered approach? I have been captured and sold as a slave. I was rescued by an incredible brave RaVE agent. RaVE does a tremendous job but should not even exist. We demand justice and revenge for those who have died. I did not sign that Freespace treaty but I was told in Union school that freedom and liberty are our highest values and that all the Union will defend the rights of everyone. This seems to be an inconvenient promise when it comes to galactic politics!”

That address caused a tremendous stir among all the representatives.

The representative of the Petharians was the first to speak.”They are quite correct, I too want to know what tempered approach actually means. Does it mean we simply ignore the pleas of a few for the safety of many? Why are we not listening to the Immortal Warrior and send every ship and every fighting being into Freespace and eliminate everything and everyone standing against us?”

The Vantax representative was next and called up a recording of a mass execution. “Six hundred raiders captured alive by Union forces were executed. Several notorious pirates including Captain Swift were hanged just recently. That tempered approach is not an empty promise. We all voted to give NAVINT more authority to operate in regions where regular Navy can not. Due to very understandable classification restrictions, we are not told how Pirate Swift, Dentar Bloom, The Cruel one and several others met their fate, but we all know why all these pirates and slavers suddenly were taken out of the game. Sin 4 is no more.” He spread his long arms. “We also voted to ratify and respect the Freespace treaty. I know many think of us Vantax as cowards and pacifists, but we too are Union members and we will fight just as the Petharians, maybe not as effective but just as dedicated. However, we decided to abandon presidents and leaders and vote on all issues. We are thus responsible for all our decisions.”

Chapter 1 »