CHAPTER 7
A tall spare being, lankily folded in a Spartan chair behind a smooth faced desk idly fingered a pen like instrument; tapping it thoughtfully on a small plastic tablet. The face reminded an observer of some distant cousin of the Chem, but the expressive countenance was troubled, as if it lacked the inner self confidence of that ancient race of warriors. The Golkos, as the beings were known, were more feared than loved by their neighbors, a fact they were aware of and relished. That their neighbors feared and respected the Chem to a greater degree was not lost on the Golkos. Where the Chem prized honor the Golkos loved victory. Where the Chem demanded fair play, the Golkos sought domination. It was not so much that the Golkos as a people were twisted into evil reflections of their distant cousins as much as it was that their harsh struggle for existence and their inability to cope with themselves left them wanting in resilience when the Golkos and Chem met in the Galactic arena. The Golkos were found wanting in that early rivalry, and they became the frustrated brothers to the ancient Chem; always curbed and never quite strong enough to have their own way. There was a jealousy between the two peoples, at least on the Golkos part, and this flaw was inflamed to action when the Chem Empire became embroiled in civil war. The Golkos saw their long awaited opportunity to take the Galactic lead against the upstart Humans and their Alexander and with characteristic efficiency they seized it. For the first time in thirteen Galactic kicellia the Golkos were truly free of the Chem. This in its own right was enough to cause concern amongst her neighbors. The Golkos were not popular amongst the Galactics; they were a source of unease. Until this time only the Chem possessed the ability to suppress the Golkos wilder urgings. The Scythians at one time played with even more power by controlling those material items which the more decadent Golkos tastes became dependent upon. Released from these bonds the Golkos pulsed like a raw nerve amongst the Galactics, and they talked war. This suited the Galactics who at once saw the advantage in releasing the temperamental Golkos hound onto the threat of Alexander instead of letting it loose amongst themselves. This they did with great rapidity, at once removing themselves as targets of long pent up Golkos frustrations, and putting forth a powerful piece against Alexander.
Rukaal, the Great Lady of Golkos, raised the haft of the pen to her sharp canines and gnawed. That she was the single most powerful Golkos in her Empire was not wasted upon her, but neither was it celebrated in her office. It was as spare as were the furniture, her clothes and her manner. Her brain, however, worked in sharp contrast to the dull and placid grey surroundings. The process of her mind were as sharp and harsh in their rationalizations as were the shadows of the ruddy crags of her Homeworld, gleaming outside her window in the final rays of the setting double star. The Lady’s grey pupil-less eyes were inextricably turned inward to her thoughts, so much so that an insistent buzzing sounded thrice, unanswered, before eventually eliciting a response. The eyes flushed with a bluish tinge, but otherwise Rukaal’s body failed to respond, until finally she said simply, “Enter!”
A panel in the wall slid up and in walked a being so starkly different that there was no hint at any relation, no matter how distant. The Hrang which entered was tail-less reptilian biped. Unlike the other sentient reptiles of the galaxy, most notably the Seer’koh, the Hrang were heavy, slow and more prone to cogitation than action.
“Master She-Rok I have reflected upon your brief,” Rukaal told the Hrang, again tapping the plastic tablet. “I must admit to a certain level of surprise. The skill of the Hrang at infiltration is fully as legendary as our adversary Alexander, but your agenda calls for Hrang operatives to replace specific individuals when able as opposed to a general observation of the Terran world. That is bold, Master She-Rok, even for a Golkos. I’ve no doubt that you can accomplish the latter and thereby gain a great deal of valuable information on the part of the Galactic Alliance. I must, however, express my pessimism at accomplishing the former, and with its failure negating all possibility of accomplishing even the limited objectives of the latter.”
She-Rok bowed stiffly, but said, “Your doubt is forgivable, as the disinformation presented you has its source in the Hrang themselves.” She-Rok informed the Golkos. “May I say that we Hrang, although we generally shun excessively risky operations even when there is great profit to be had, do not enter this scenario blindly. The Hrang have ourselves been somewhat skeptical of the Scythian constabulary of Terra, especially over the last tenth of a kicellia. We have at times placed our operatives on Terra itself to estimate the credibility of Scythian report.”
“Hrang operatives on Terra? Why was this never reported to the Galactic Counsels?” Rukaal asked.
“The Hrang are not in the habit of admitting to all of our information gathering efforts, Lady Rukaal. The Golkos know this full well, as do you. Certainly you have contracted the Hrang for business which is not well known to other Galactics, and for good reason.”
“This is true, Master She-Rok,” Rukaal admitted. “However, I cannot see what criticism information from Terra would expose you to.”
“Scythian criticism of course, if they knew we were watching Terra. Seeing as the "Human Question" has been a lynchpin to Scythian policy for over a kicellia you can easily imagine they would not view any meddling in the matter with favor. At the time, approximately five percent of the present kicellia past, we did not turn up any information which would have been worthy of exposing our operations. These forays were limited in scope and objective, and indeed they did not turn up anything which would lead us to completely doubt the veracity of the Scythian claims.”
“Very well, I will accept the logic of that position,” Rukaal nodded.
“Thank you,” She-Rok bowed. “All this is to say, of course, that we have some experience in this particular scenario. Only experienced operatives are being used, Lady Rukaal, and each is being given very specific instructions. We have extensive dossiers on several thousand Human subjects, supplied to us by the now exiled Scythians. This information coupled with the chaotic state of affairs on Terra, and our own skill, should suffice to make the operation practical and rewarding while limiting our personal risk.”
“Very well, I shall support the idea,” Rukaal assured him. “What assistance do you need of Golkos?”
“We have already proceeded with the initial stages of the operation, yet we have run into difficulty.”“ She-Rok admitted, to the consternation if not the surprise of the Golkos.
“Apparently my approval was not necessary,” Rukaal scowled. “No doubt I would not have heard of this operation at all had the Hrang not run into difficulty. What mess can the Golkos dig you out of Master Spy?”
She-Rok smiled, “One to your liking I would think. You see we have already placed two thousand of our operatives on Terra and they are carrying out their orders with efficiency. When our scout ships returned with the replaced Humans, however, we discovered that they were beyond our ability to interrogate with any rationality. Humans are highly resistive to the techniques of interrogation the Hrang are conversant with. We are information gatherers, but we are unable to interpret the data we have thus far gathered. Moreover, we are by choice a passive race. Though we interfere in others lives in these extraordinary times we are limited in our pursuance of the objective. Still, the Humans we have captured are deemed to have great value, and it is speculated that the Golkos could gain information through interrogation that the Hrang cannot.”
To this statement Rukaal could only smile.