Peace World (23 page)

The Waa needed the Minith, but that did not mean they
wanted
the Minith.  Despite their claims to the contrary, they were slaves in their own way—relegated to a subterranean existence that was foreign to the natural top-dwellers.  It was clear after only a few moments that they wanted to stop hiding, needed to see the sun and experience the stars as they once had.  To do that, they needed Grant's help.  Initially, he balked.  What could he and a handful of fighters do against a world of well-armed aliens?  The Waa shared their thoughts and his doubts began to ebb. 

Although the Waa could not see inside the minds of the Minith, they had spent years studying them—their culture, anatomy, tendencies, likes, dislikes, moral values, thinking patterns—basically, every aspect of their being.  While they could not possibly pass on all of the knowledge they held to Grant in such a limited amount of time, the truth was clear.  The sheer volume of knowledge the Waa possessed about the aliens was astounding.  They probably understood the Minith better than the Minith understood themselves. 

Aal and his partners confirmed what Treel had shared years earlier.  Defeat a Minith in battle and you win not only the  battle, but their allegiance as well—at least until they were able to regain the upper hand.  Grant had relied on this when deciding to attack the Minith on Waa in the first place—subjugate the Minith governor, and you become his superior.  And while it was good to have validation of the information upon which his plan had been based, it did little to cool the molten core of failure that still ran through his body.

What did help ease his inner pain was the knowledge of a weapon the Waa had developed—a weapon they wanted Grant to use.  It was non-lethal, of course.  They could not kill the parasite that kept them healthy, even if the parasite made them unhappy.  But it was a weapon that could turn the tide in the human's—and the Waa's—favor.

When Grant asked why they did not use the weapon on the Minith themselves, he realized that the Waa understood themselves as well as they understood the Minith.

"Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem,"
Grant thought. 
"But what makes you think we want to dominate the Minith for you?  We just want to be left alone."

Grant had to give it to them.  They could read his mind after all—already knew his thoughts.  It
was
too late to simply retreat back to Earth and
hope
everything would be fine.  Eventually, the Minith—or some other race—would come calling and want another piece of humanity.  Now that they knew threats existed from outside their own solar system, they had to be prepared to meet them. 

"You're right.  I do know.  It has to end here." 

Three pairs of large, dark eyes blinked in unison.  Three pairs of hands lifted as each of the Waa began lightly, but quickly tapping the ends of their fingers together.  The movement only lasted a couple of seconds, and Grant could not tell if the action denoted applause, some form of communication, or excitement—but it was damn strange. 

Grant grunted.  He could understand how they might be feeling anticipation.  They had been underground for a long time. 

"Well, you're not out of jail yet.  We still have to make this work."

The next several minutes were dedicated to outlining a rough plan.  The device upon which the plan relied was small, and easily fit in Grant's palm.  Keeping it hidden until time to use it would not be a problem unless he was captured and searched.  What had seemed impossible only moments before—ultimate victory over the Minith—now seemed within their reach.

At the very last, the trio informed Grant that other humans were alive and being held by the Minith.  Any residual doubts he might have had were settled with the announcement.  Agreeing to help the Waa was a simple matter, once he understood that he would also be helping the remaining living humans on the planet.  It was a no-brainer.

Their discussion concluded, he nodded a quick goodbye, anxious to leave.  For the first time in months, he felt the familiar, comforting yearn of commitment.  It was fueled by urgency and a new sense of purpose. 

He and his small team of human and Telgoran soldiers had work to do—work that could not wait.

CHAPTER 28

After the failed human attack, Governor Truk had surrounded his home and offices with dozens of Minith troops.  Rala passed through the checkpoints without comment, as she had every day for the past three months.  But it was becoming more and more difficult to hold her tongue.  The idiocy was just too much.  Most of these soldiers saw her enter Truk's office time and again, but still they insisted on stopping her to check her name against the list of approved visitors.  The delays were minor, and the soldiers seemed apologetic at the unnecessary measures, but they had their orders. 

If truth be told, she knew the males enjoyed her visits, and often argued over who would be the lucky one to speak to her, if only briefly.  She had never heard them herself, but word had gotten back to her through her numerous contacts.  If the interruptions weren't so annoying, she might have been flattered.

Truk was convinced the added security was needed—as if the humans could ever capture another mothership.  It was not only preposterous, it bordered on the paranoid.  But Truk was not the first Minith leader to give in to the often-accurate feeling that someone was trying to knock him from his perch.  Nor would he be the last, she knew.  The mantle of power and authority came with a target that sat firmly between one's shoulder blades.

Truk had no inkling how often she thought about the target resting on his back.  The idea of taking the reins of power from the fool was never far from her consciousness.  She just needed the right opportunity.  In the meantime, she could easily put up with the tiresome checkpoints.

Rala passed the third and final screening and entered the governor's office.  He was pacing behind his desk, as usual.  Without waiting for an invitation, she approached the desk and took a seat on the near side.  Truk had stopped noticing the minor slight weeks ago, but it never failed to give her ego a boost that she had come so far.  The thought of the listening device still in place under the chair amplified the emotion.  Even when she wasn't in the room, she heard what was discussed, and with whom.  The conversations she overheard gave her a very clear understanding of Truk's plans and his methods.  They also provided her with enough information to build a network of trusted allies from the most important members of Minith military, political, and civilian circles.  She could kill Truk now as he paced nervously across the back of the room and take over the role of governor.  But the time was not yet right.

The actions on Earth, and the upcoming spectacle with the remaining human prisoners, dictated that she bide her time a bit longer.  But just a bit.

"So, Rala," Truk said as he suddenly ceased pacing and approached his desk.  He settled his large frame in the garish purple throne that doubled as his desk chair. "How are the preparations coming?"

When Ghin had come to her for help in preparing for the planned remembrance activities, she had latched onto the task as her own.  The governor's aide had expressed both surprise and relief that someone of her importance would take on the responsibility for preparing the facility.  He had gladly passed the task over to her, and immediately reported the transfer of ownership to Truk.  He did not know that controlling all aspects of the event aligned perfectly with her plans.   

"Everything is in order and on schedule.  I have some of my best workers managing the effort.  We have engaged the Waa to help, since all work on ships has ceased until after the ceremony."  She didn't mention that they were the only ones
capable
of doing the work.

"Very good.  The stage, sound, and video are coming along as I instructed?"  The governor wanted the hundreds of thousands in the crowd to easily see and hear his pompous prattle, so had demanded a raised stage.  Behind the stage, he had asked for a massive vid screen that would project his enlarged image to the masses.  The giant screen would be enhanced by a complex sound system that was spread across the entire city.  Even those few who might disobey his orders to attend the event would at least hear what Truk had to say.  That was the plan, anyway.  Fortunately, the Waa grasped the orders they had been given and were able to work their magic.

"Yes, Governor.  The Waa have set up everything exactly as you requested."

"It was not a request, Rala," Truk growled, and leaned toward her menacingly.

"Yes, Governor, I misspoke.  Forgive me," she muttered quietly while looking down at the floor.  She offered the signal of submission automatically, and bit back on her anger.  The anger was aimed not only at Truk, but at herself as well for the simple misstep.  She was too close to the end to make such stupid mistakes.

Truk seemed satisfied with the exchange and switched to another subject.

"Have you discovered how the humans were able to escape our space fighters and make it to the planet?"

Rala fidgeted.  The Waa explanations seemed flimsy and weak, but she had no technical background with which to refute them.  "Yes, Governor.  I have spoken with the Waa about the green beams of light I saw.  Apparently, it's a safety device used to rescue descending motherships that are in trouble.  According to the Waa, our attacks on the ship activated the beam.  It has never been used before, and they were just as surprised as we were."

"Hmm," Truk grunted, but he did not press the issue.  Rala was relieved, because she had no additional information on the incident.  "Has there been any further word from the Zrthns?"

"Governor, the aliens have not changed their stance since the last time we spoke."  She wanted to remind him that it was only yesterday, but knew that would not be wise.  "They are anxious for the agsel shipments to continue, but they understand that we need to resolve the human situation.  They were extremely pleased that our forces were successful in retaking one of the mining bases on Telgora."

"Only one?  What about the others?"

Rala was never more relieved that she was able to hide her emotions so well.  She chafed that the male relied on her to oversee the military reports coming back from Telgora.  Then again, the fact that he relied on her for the activity confirmed the extent to which her influence had grown. 

"The Telgorans are proving extremely resistant to our forces.  The other bases are still in their hands."

"For how long?"

Rala shrugged her ears in apology.  "I am not a military strategist, Governor."

"Of course," Truk mumbled, clearly not pleased.  "When can we begin shipments from the planet?"

"Sir, the base we recaptured was severely damaged.  From what I have been told, it may be ready in a month."

"A month.  Do we have a month with the Zrthns?"

"Oiloo, the Zrthn trade representative, understands our situation, Governor.  He appears patient.  Keep in mind that we are fighting to regain the mines.  If the Zrthns are concerned with our progress, their only option is to try to retake the planet themselves," she explained.  "I doubt they would have more success, and my instincts tell me they would rather we accomplished the task for them."

"Yes, there is merit in that.  If they are going to step in, it will be
after
we have expended thousands of Minith soldiers doing the dirty work for them."

Rala merely nodded.  Truk was such a fool.  What he did not seem to grasp—for whatever reason—was that the Zrthns would have to battle
someone
if they wanted to capture the agsel planet.  If not the Telgorans, then they would need to face the Minith.  His ignorance reconfirmed her decision to replace him as soon as the time was right.

*     *     *

Grant elected to withhold the information about the Waa device from Titan and Conway.  There were details he needed to consider before discussing their eventual mission.  Although the outlines of a plan had been covered with the Waa, they agreed that the final decision on when, where, and how best to accomplish the goal would be Grant's. 

He did, however, share the news of the others being held captive as soon as they returned to his room.

"Gee's
alive
?" 

"Apparently so, and he's being held not too far from here," Grant replied.  He was glad to be able to deliver the news to Titan.  The large ex-Violent and the chunky engineer had formed a tight bond—one that had been apparent from the first time Grant saw them together.  They were an unlikely duo, but he could understand how being stranded together on a strange planet for years might have that affect.

"Grant, that's the best news I've heard in a long time.  What about the others?"

"Aal and his buddies are going to help us get Gee back.  Helping the others is going to be a tad more difficult.  They're being held inside a large military compound near the governor's quarters.  According to the Waa, they have a few hundred soldiers surrounding them at all times."

"So we're just going to leave them there?"  Conway asked, her voice quivering with emotion.  Quiet until now, she was suddenly very interested with the conversation.  Her fists clenched and unclenched at her side. 

"Hold on a minute, Sergeant." Grant put up a hand to try to calm her.  "No one's leaving them there.  But we can only do one thing at a time."

"And this Violent's engineer-buddy takes priority?  That's—that's
bullshit
!"

Titan sprang from the chair he had dropped into and advanced on the soldier.  The scowl on his face matched the anger in her voice, and Grant quickly leaped between the two. 

"Knock it off," he snarled, looking at each in turn.  "We've got enough …
stuff
… to deal with already.  It's not a matter of anyone taking priority.  It's about our chances of success.  There's no way we can take on several hundred Minith without getting ourselves killed in the process, and I'm tired of getting folks killed.  This is about taking an action that has a reasonable chance of success."