“Thank you,” Vladimir said as he rose.
Jalea uttered words to Danik in their language, after which he too rose to join Vladimir.
“Captain?” Tug began. “I am curious about something.”
The statement instantly raised Jessica’s concern. She nudged Nathan’s leg with her own as a reminder of caution.
“What might that be?” Nathan asked in his most diplomatic tone.
“This world you come from. Your friend says it is thousands of years old. Yet I have never heard of a civilization that was much more than a millennia old, save for one. Could your world be that one?”
Nathan felt backed into a corner. This farmer, who had not turned out to be as simple as he would have others believe, seemed to have considerable knowledge of the area of the galaxy they happened to be stranded in. As well, he suspected there was far more that the farmer was not telling him that undoubtedly would be useful information.
Being straight-forward and direct had always served Nathan well in the past, but the stakes were much higher now, and he quite possibly was out of his element under the current circumstances. “And if it were? What would that mean to you?” Nathan asked, trying to deflect a question with a question.
“That is a complicated question, Captain, with a complicated answer.”
“I’ll try to keep up,” Nathan told him, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth. He cast a side-long glance at Jessica, who didn’t seem terribly impressed with his efforts to avoid the topic thus far.
“Perhaps it would be best if I were to explain the legend more clearly,” Tug began. “The legend states that all human life began on a single, faraway world called Earth. Nearly two millennia ago, the people of this world began to venture out to nearby stars. But somehow, along the way, they angered their gods, and as a punishment were infested with a terrible evil that quickly spread throughout all their worlds. Many fled, seeking to escape the evil before they too were consumed by its horrors. Some groups managed to escape untainted and start anew on untouched worlds, while others were already infiltrated by those touched by evil. Such worlds fell even before they had started, causing some of their people to flee even farther out into the galaxy.”
“And this is one of those systems?” Nathan asked.
“In a manner,” Tug explained. “It is believed that several of these ships eventually settled in the Pentaurus cluster. Its five stars made possible an interstellar civilization that developed rapidly due to an abundance of resources and numerous habitable worlds. Being in such close proximity to one another enabled the settlements to share the technology and resources they had brought with them, in a way that benefited all. At least at first.” Tug picked up the bottle of drink and distributed the remainder of its contents equally amongst their glasses as he continued speaking. “Until one world decided they wanted more, and that the best way to get it was by force.”
“The Ta’Akar,” Jessica said.
“Yes. So rapid was their conquest that their leader believed himself a god, destined to rule all that he could conquer. Although I believe he claimed to be uniting the people he conquered.”
“How did they manage such rapid conquest?” Jessica asked.
“None of the other worlds had thought to arm themselves,” Tug explained. “None had thought it necessary.”
Nathan couldn’t help but think of the Earth, and how his father was running for office in order to stop the military buildup that he and so many others feared would provoke the Jung Dynasty into a preemptive invasion of Earth.
“When did the Doctrine of Origins begin?” Jessica asked.
“Not until after the Ta’Akar had also taken control of the systems surrounding the Pentaurus cluster. That’s when Caius Ta’Akar declared himself lord and ruler of all worlds.”
“That’s a bit narcissistic,” Jessica mumbled. “And no one tried to stop him?”
“Not at first. The Doctrine was so brutally enforced that no one dared defy it for fear of execution. Entire cities were leveled from space as a show of intolerance. It was a time of great madness and despair.”
“But the rebellion, these people refuse to follow the doctrine?” Nathan asked.
“The rebellion is not so much about refusing to believe in the Doctrine of Origins, Captain. No one really cares where we came from. The rebellion is about not being forced to believe the ramblings of a self-appointed potentate. The Ta’Akar have managed to paint the rebels as a group of fundamentalist terrorists in the eyes of the public. But do not be fooled. The rebellion is about freedom-nothing more, nothing less. The Legends of Origin versus the Doctrine-that’s really just a symbol of injustice and oppression.”
Nathan paused a moment before speaking. Being a student of history, he found the tale fascinating. His current concern, however, was how it affected his people, his ship, and more importantly, his world. “That’s an interesting tale, Mister Tugwell. But you still haven’t answered my question. If we were from Earth, what would it mean to you?”
“To me personally? Nothing. It would be an interesting revelation, to say the least. I mean, to have something that has heretofore been considered only a legend proven to be true?” Tug contemplated the idea for a moment. “On second thought,” Tug nodded, “I guess that might have a profound impact on me personally. But as for what impact it might have on others? That’s also a complicated question, Captain.”
Tug leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table, bringing himself closer to the others as if to emphasize his words. “But if you were from Earth, and the Ta’Akar knew this, then your lives would be in grave danger.”
Nathan sensed the seriousness in Tug’s voice. “Why? How are we a threat to them?”
His slip did not go unnoticed by Tug, whose eyes widened at the inadvertent confirmation, causing him to exclaim something in his own tongue. Nathan immediately realized he had let the cat out of the bag, as did Jessica.
“Then you are from Earth?” Tug exclaimed. “Captain, Caius will see you as a direct threat to his sovereignty. Do you not see? You are proof that his doctrine is nothing but lies. When word of your arrival spreads-and trust me, Captain, it will-the people will rise up once more. It will be the end of Caius and his regime!”
“Or a fucking slaughter!” Jessica interrupted.
“Jess!”
“No! Nathan, you heard him before. They glassed cities from space just to make a point. Whattaya think they’ll do over this? Whattaya think they’ll do to us?”
“They will not harm your ship,” Jalea insisted.
“Bullshit! They’ll frag us good and leave no traces.”
“It is highly probable that they already know of your jump drive technology,” Jalea explained, “in which case they will want to capture your ship in one piece.”
“What is this jump drive?” Tug asked. Jalea began explaining to Tug in their native tongue, but before she got more than a few words out, Jessica jumped to her feet, her side arm out and pointed at Jalea’s head.
“You need to shut the fuck up, right now!” Jessica commanded.
“Whoa! Jess!” Nathan said, his hands coming up in surrender. She wasn’t pointing her weapon at him, but it was right in front of his face at the moment. “What the hell are you doing?”
“She’s telling him about the jump drive, Nathan!”
Suddenly, there was a high-pitched whining sound coming from the kitchen door. Jessica glanced to her left and saw Tug’s wife, Ranni, standing in the doorway with an energy weapon pointed at Jessica’s head, ready to fire.
Jessica turned her weapon a few inches to the left, training it on Tug instead of Jalea. “This weapon here, this one’s not exactly standard issue,” Jessica explained calmly, more for Ranni’s benefit than anyone else’s. “I adjusted the sensitivity on the trigger myself. It takes only the slightest pull to fire.” Jessica turned her gaze directly to Tug’s eyes, her own eyes narrowing into slits conveying the sense that she was ready for action. “When she shoots me, you’d better hope I don’t flinch.”