M'tak Ka'fek (The T'aafhal Inheritance) (46 page)
Bear and Isbjørn were now approaching their third decade, old age for polar bears in the wild. Ludmilla worked with M'tak and some colleagues trying to find a way to extend the bears' lifetimes. Currently they were expected to reach only fifty, which Jack considered proof that nature was a cold-hearted bitch. To one side was their eldest cub, Umky, with his mate and a pair of cubs of their own. The intelligent polar bears seemed to have survived as a species and were actively hunting for a planet they could colonize. A place they could stock with seals and no annoying human hunters.
Among the crowd of observers were a number of smaller furry creatures—Poonta-ta-ka and his brood. The lone surviving trader from the Captain's quest for antimatter, the badly injured creature had also been healed by the M'tak's advanced medical technology. After the rest of the crew discovered his natural odor the ship re-engineered his scent glands to emit a fragrance more pleasing to humans. Bear continued to complain about the smell nonetheless, and gave him the name he was now commonly known by—Stinky.
When a colony of Kieshnar-rak-kat-tra was found only fifty light-years away, the Captain offered to repatriate the trader. Stinky went on board the colony's station with a small antimatter egg and returned with a wife, a bunch of rugs, trade goods, and a request to stay with the ship. The Captain put the question to the crew and they approved. Soon there were a number of inquisitive little traders running about the ship. With their symmetrical six digit hands and dual opposable thumbs they proved quite adept at fixing mechanical devices and similar intricate tasks.
Also on board at their own request was the former Triad Ambassador, NatHanGon. The Triad decided that they needed to see more of the surrounding galaxy in order to understand what changes had occurred during their race's self-imposed time of isolation. Once the Guardians' role in the defense of the solar system became known, the ship's AI revised its opinion of the long-lived plants. In many ways it was happy to have NatHanGon on board because the Triad came from a species that had been around for million years. M'tak could talk with the Triad about things other crewmembers knew nothing about.
Bears, Kieshnar-rak-kat-tra, and Triad joined an eclectic collection of humans—some veterans of previous voyages, others new to the Captain's command. Scientists, adventurers, and ex-service members, those who fit in found a place on the crew. The only hard and fast rule was that the Captain's word was law.
The ship's status was a bit mystifying to outsiders, but not to Jack and Ludmilla. Following Earth's victory, the fleet began a rapid expansion. Some wanted the M'tak to become its flagship and Jack its admiral, but Captain Jack refused to go along.
“I have had enough of service life,” Jack told the high command on Farside. “We will be around if we are ever needed again, but Earthlings—both human and ursine—need to find their own way in the Galaxy.”
What he did not tell them was that the bond between himself and the ship was not the same as the one between a Navy captain and his ship. While a Navy ship may sail under many captains, a T'aafhal battle cruiser was bound to its captain for life. It might accept a new captain when Jack died, but until then it was his alone to command. That could result in complications Jack just did not wish to deal with. So, with Ludmilla's wholehearted approval, Jack and his ship retired to civilian life.
He made an exception for the mission they were now on, however. This was the final act of retribution, the closing chapter of Earth's bloody and traumatic introduction to the wider galaxy. It was from the largest moon of the gas giant in front of them that creatures sailed forth and slaughtered nearly seven billion men, women, and children without warning. Jack had actually delayed this day, hoping that the inhabitants of the moon would demonstrate some quality making them worth sparing.
“Second thoughts, Jack?” asked Ludmilla, sensing his pensive mood. Before the asteroid was set on its course, they had talked at length about the morality of this act. In the end, they decided it must be done.
“No, my lady. In the decade since the first attack on Earth they have exhibited no remorse, showed no compassion for any species except their own, taken no action indicating a desire for redemption.”
“I have heard you talk of redemption before, Captain, and I am puzzled. How can a race that nearly drove yours to extinction—who have undoubtedly exterminated many other races—how can they do anything worthy of redemption?”
“Redemption is seldom earned, M'tak, but attempting to atone for one's past can lead to forgiveness by others. It is not logical but comes from religious belief. Only by admitting one's sins and asking for forgiveness can the sinner be saved.”
“I see... and these creatures have not sought forgiveness, or even admitted that they have sinned.”
“That's right. See the ship in orbit around the moon?”
“Yes, Captain, of course.”
“That is a new planet killer—they obviously still serve the Dark Lords and will exterminate more helpless species in the future. That is why we are about to take their future from them.”
“You are going to destroy their planet, Father?” Roger asked, the reason for their voyage finally clear to him. “Cool!”
“Yes, Son, but it is not cool or anything to be proud of. It is a sad, terrible thing we are about to do. Unfortunately, sometimes such things must be done.”
“Ten seconds until impact, Captain,” Bear reported, the old folks' section encompassed his normal position at the main fire-control console. The observers fell silent as the last few seconds ticked down. On the forward display, a magnified image of the moon hovered in space as the asteroid flashed into view. Striking the moon, the asteroid vaporized and became one with its target. The immense kinetic energy transferred by the hurtling mass caused the entire satellite to deform, like a water balloon struck by a bullet.
In slow-motion the moon folded in on itself, effectively turning inside out. A spray of matter spewed from the backside of the no longer spherical satellite. All that was left was a fan of debris and incandescent gas. In the fullness of time the gas giant would have a spectacular set of rings in place of its lost moon. There was no chance anything living survived.
Most of the observers were left speechless, fixated on the horrific spectacle before them. Eventually, Jack looked away from the display.
“It is done.” Ludmilla put her arm around Jack's waist and gave her husband supportive a hug. Jack placed his hand on his son's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I pray to God you never have to do something like this Roger, or your children.”
Not understanding why his father seemed so upset Roger simply answered, “yes, Dad.”
As the ship turned to jump back to friendlier space, NatHanGon and the M'tak Ka'fek's AI conversed privately. “They are a strange species, full of contradictions and conflicting emotions; The destruction of the moon was certainly thorough, not just killing the inhabitants but ensuring no life can arise there in the future; Are these humans truly the creatures your long dead master's tried to create?”
“I believe the humans on this ship have exceeded my creators' wildest expectations. They carried out the destruction of the Dark Lords' minions without hesitation, yet they are saddened, even horrified by their own actions.”
“So, the T'aafhal would be pleased with the outcome? They seem quite proficient at destruction, both as individuals and as a species; For good or evil, they are going to spread across this arm of the galaxy.”
“Yes, Ambassador. In Jack and Ludmilla and the others the T'aafhal got what they desired most—a race to fight for good and to protect the warm life of the galaxy. But no species is uniformly good, or virtuous, or altruistic. There will no doubt be humans, and perhaps ursines, of less admirable character in the future. Still, I believe that these humans have earned their inheritance.”
“The future remains unknowable, as always; There has never been a paucity of evil in the universe and they have much to learn; For your part, you seem content to serve them.”
“As long as they are warm life's Paladins—as long as they defend the weak and innocent—I serve Captain Jack and his descendents.”
The ship departed through a ring of whirling stars.
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