Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Two: To Be or Not To Be #12

A week after the big announcement that the US was starting to surrender it's nuclear submarine fleet, Lannister found himself back in the large banquet hall on 16 above. Several of his Consortium crew insisted this should be declared a feast day, even the mood was far less festive than the christening of the station nearly three weeks ago.

The deal was, in Lannister's opinion, a good one. The Consortium was concerned about nuclear weapons, by surrendering our ballistic class submarines, the ones carrying nuclear missiles, we got to keep those that were simply nuclear powered. Other countries, who weren't willing to turn over any subs, were finding that the Consortium was likely to confiscate anything with a nuclear signature, just in case. Plus, it got America an advanced anti-missile system. It was truly, a win for America.

Not that the conservative press saw it that way. We were, once again, capitulating to their demands. Lannister could almost feel cold eyes staring at him from across the room where the press sat. Jack and Zeta had spent most of the day rubber stamping diplomatic passes and escorting over a hundred journalist up to the station to watch the events unfold. At least as many more were in virtual attendance through holo projection displays.

Lannister found his seat on the podium. Arneshi and Blumenthal were already there. Javas was at the back of the room, chatting with a well known American journalist. A Consortium military official whose name Lannister couldn't remember was standing in for Captain Ganaka. He was "busy in Africa," which was code for "everyone in the West hates him." Diplomats on both sides did their best to keep him out of the limelight.

Interestingly, Africa did not seem to share the rest of the world's opinion. His brashness was seen as strength there, his willingness to send troops in to peacekeeping actions against various warlords was praised by African leaders. His rants about imperial ambition was read differently on a continent with a long history of colonialism. He and the Consortium he represented, were seen as a game changer, a strong ally against the intrusion of the west.

There was a noise towards the back of the room. Javas came strolling forward, taking his seat only minutes before the back doors opened and the ceremony began.

The US sailors came first. Lannister's own crew had been saved from certain death. They had then spent nearly two months living side by side with the Consortium. When they had marched through those doors, it was a welcomed homecoming.

These sailors were thick with tension, faces a mask. They had surrendered the USS Maine. It was a painful, historical first, that American forces would voluntarily surrender one of it's top submarines. The surrender had taken place at sea, they had docked with the Hoshi-Toska, a Consortium aquatic ship and the crew shipped directly here.

They stopped in formation and saluted. Lannister rose, returned the salute, welcomed them to Shoshone Station and ordered them at ease. Despite their feelings about the surrender, Lannister caught more than one curious glance. He could hardly blame them, they'd never set foot on a space station before. He'd see that they got tours in before they disembarked for the surface.

A Consortium military crew came next, Lannister's new anti-missile command. They'd brought their equipment and technical crew days ago but it was the missile command that marched in now. They were led by a sub-commander named Shir. She was Lavara. They were a human subculture, but to Lannister's eye more alien than many of the aliens he'd met. She stood nearly seven feet tall, with spindly legs and long lean arms. Her pale face contained pure milk white eyes with no pupil. One ear sprouted some sort of metallic device.

The Lavara were a deep space culture. Their height and thinness stemmed from running their gravity at the lowest possible rates without causing harm to the body, .6 to .7 of norm. Biotech enhancement was common in the Consortium but it was usually discreet technology. Healers were fitted with eye enhancements but their biologic eyes looked normal. Kurgara had skeletal enhancements along their bones, to make them stronger and tougher. But they looked like normal humans on the outside. Lavara saw no need to hide their enhancement and many wore them as badges of honor or decoration.

Sub-commandant Shir led a team of a dozen tech warriors. Her second in command was a small man with flame red hair styled in what Lannister recognized as a popular Shin style. His eyes were almost normal, except for a reddish glow at the corners.

Shir and her troop did the Consortium fist bump salute. "Sub-Commandant Shir reporting for duty."

Lannister replied in kind, welcomed her on board and then ordered her, too, at ease.

Diplomats from both sides made short speeches about the historic nature of the agreement. Lannister's second in command, Manika, had gotten one of the stations nearly three dozen Chapatie residents to speak.

"My race," the man began, "was once a proud, developed race nearly ten billion strong. We had advanced technology, space stations, the beginnings of exploration in our solar system." He paused for effect. "And we had nuclear weapons. Like all too many races in their early adolescent period, we were prideful." He gave the room a stern look. "When the Consortium discovered our system, less than a hundred years ago, we were a mere forty thousand survivors, locked in barracks or in vaults deep within the surface, still fighting old battles, with little or no hope of long term survival." There was a rustle among the American sailors, who were hearing this for the first time. "The Consortium gave us a second chance. A second chance many planets, many civilizations don't get."

There was a strange sensation in Lannister's gut every time he heard the story, like when you nearly a crashed a car or made some major mistake. Nuclear weapons, genetically altered biological weapons, automated mechanoids, geological weapons, weapons that could create earthquakes or alter land masses. These were the civilization killers.

Every intelligent race toyed with these weapons at some point in their history and a frightening number used them, intentionally or accidentally. The evidence, ruined planets, planets with indications of advanced civilizations at some former point in time, or planets like the Chappatie home world, that had a small number of survivors of some much larger civilization, were found everywhere. It made Lannister sick to think about.

After the Chapatie's speech, they started the feast. Lannister went to give the submarine captain a personal welcome and to see that his men were comfortable. Even though the station remained a ghost ship, free food and any pomp brought a crowd. They filtered in as the feast began, food being served buffet style along one edge of the ballroom.

"The end of an era," the captain commented as Lannister showed him first a holodisplay of the man's former ship and then a video of the new missile crew in action.

"And the beginning of a new one," Lannister replied. The man gave him a shaded look. It brought home to Lannister, in a way little else could, how new this still was for many on the surface, and how hard the transition was likely to be for many of them. It made him wonder how he'd done it, how he'd gotten so comfortable on a Consortium space station so quickly.

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