Know all who read this Tome, the tale of those who came before us, wise and powerful, and of the great evil that came for them. For our history is long, and our Chronicles tell of the Ancients, those we once called gods, benevolent and fatherly, who mastered the secrets of the universe millennia ago. They tell also of the Darkness, the Destroyers, who came and swept away the Ancients, vanquishing all in their path, ignoring only our ancestors, primitive and beneath their notice.
The Ancients built the Portals, and for uncounted millennia they danced among the heavens, the great black gulfs between the stars no barriers to their wisdom and knowledge. They shepherded our race, leading us slowly toward civilization, forward to the day we might join them, and explore the universe at their sides.
Alas, such was not to be. The Ancients were gone to their doom before our race matured, and the heavens grew silent. But they left us the Portals…and all they had taught us.
Somewhere, it is said, the Ancients also left us all of their knowledge, hidden, a key to the secrets of the universe. We have searched for it for centuries, and we must never cease in our efforts. For it is also said that one day the Darkness will return…and we must be ready.
The Great Cavern of the Tegeri was massive, a single chamber lying deep beneath the Sacred Mountain. It had been the birthplace of Tegeri civilization, the gathering spot of the first of the young race to come together and build a society. It was the holiest of locations on Homeworld, and the Great Council still held its meetings there, as it had, uninterrupted, for long millennia.
“T’arza appears to have chosen well, for the human Taylor has proven to be a highly effective leader.” The First of the Council stood at the head of the great table, his robe reflecting the rainbow of colors emanating from the luminescent crystals on the ceiling 100 meters above. The First was old, ancient even by the standards of the long-lived Tegeri. He spread his hands in the symbol for appreciation and recognition of achievement.
T’arza stood at his place around the table, as befitted the leader of a great house. He bowed his head in response to the First’s words and gestures. “My thanks to you, Honored First. I am pleased that Taylor has achieved success to date.” He paused, a troubled look on his face.
“Please, T’arza, share your thoughts in full with the Council.” The First spread his hands as he spoke. A gesture of security, an invitation to speak at will without fear of condemnation. “You may share freely.”
“I am concerned, Honorable First.” He glanced around the table, locking eyes briefly with the members of the other ruling houses in turn. “We have placed an immeasurable burden on one individual and assigned to him a seemingly hopeless task.”
Tegeri society was loosely constructed, as befitted a race that valued personal freedom above all things. The old families constituted the Council, as they had since the dawn of civilization, but they met rarely, and usually only in times of crisis. Indeed, before the war with the humans began, there had been over a hundred revolutions of the sun without a gathering. The Tegeri had few laws and little tolerance for burdensome government. Freedom was sacred to the Tegeri, and it was restricted only when absolutely necessary to maintain a functioning society. As a race, they lacked the drive to impose their will on others, and they shared a common work ethic. The leadership of a house was considered a burden one was obligated to bear, not an opportunity to accrue personal power.
The First bowed his head slowly, an acknowledgement that he recognized the merit of T’arza’s concerns. “Indeed, we have placed a great burden on Taylor. We did not, as you know, do so without considerable thought. Yet for all this body’s long deliberations, we were unable to divine an alternate plan.”
T’arza bowed his own head, a recognition of the truth in the First’s words, but his expression was still unsettled. “It is truth, Honorable First. Yet I wonder if perhaps we should assist him more directly. There are New Ones on many of the worlds along Taylor’s path.” The New Ones were the manufactured entities the humans called Machines. They’d been created by the Tegeri, first to replace their slowly dying race, but then to face the human armies invading the Portal worlds. “Perhaps they should aid Taylor’s forces instead of withdrawing and allowing the human armies to fight each other.” T’arza’s voice was slow, halting. He knew his words were unwise, spoken without the requisite forethought. But he felt responsible for Taylor, and he couldn’t think of another way to aid the human.
“Indeed, T’arza, we have discussed this at great length in prior sessions.” The First’s voice was filled with compassion. “You are deeply honorable, and it is no surprise you feel the Kzarn’ta, the blood debt, to the human, Taylor. Yet it is not by lack of willingness that you do not aid him further, but simply because there is naught that you can do.”
T’arza had enticed Taylor to pursue his current quest. For a Tegeri, such an act created a reciprocal responsibility. Kzarn’ta was a Tegeri concept, a combination of guilt and familial duty. It dishonored T’arza to convince Taylor to fight a war and then to withhold aid in that conflict.
“Your feelings are pure and do honor to your house, T’arza,” the First continued, “but you bear this responsibility in error. We withhold support not from a lack of will, but because such aid would hinder rather than aid Taylor’s efforts.” His ancient eyes met T’arza’s. “All of the humans on Earth believe we murdered their colonists, that we massacred even the young as they tried to flee. They have been at war with us for 70 revolutions of the sun.” Tegeri years were shorter than those on Earth, and the 45 Earth years of conflict had been almost three-quarters of a century on the Tegeri calendar. “Taylor’s success will require him to persuade many of his fellow humans to join his cause. Were he seen as our ally, that task would become immeasurably more difficult.” He paused, a look of distaste on his face. “We are all aware of the propaganda the human government has employed against us. Most of the population of Earth views us as monsters, murderers who slaughtered helpless colonists.” There was revulsion in the First’s voice, but wisdom as well.
T’arza crossed his arms, placing his open hands upon his chest, the Tegeri symbol for agreement. “You speak truth, Honorable First.” He paused for a moment then added, “Nevertheless, I wish there was more we could do to aid Taylor.”
“He has the amulet,” the First replied, “and he begins to understand its true power. Do not underestimate the value of that you have already given him.”
T’arza crossed his arms again. “Yes, Honorable First. You are wise. Indeed, he has quickly discovered many of the amulet’s capabilities.” Taylor had used the device to project the true images of the massacres on the early human colonies. It had been UN forces and not the Machines who destroyed the settlements, an act that profoundly confused the Tegeri at first. The very idea of killing innocents to assist in a power struggle was an alien concept to them. No Tegeri would ever formulate such a plan and, if one did, he would be driven by shame to take his own life in atonement. The two races were genetically similar, but human psychology was vastly different than Tegeri.
“Taylor has discovered the communications capability of the device, and he has used it to great effect.” The First nodded slowly. “Indeed, he has achieved considerable success to this point, and the knowledge we provided him of the Portal network will be invaluable as well.”
“You speak truth, Honorable First.” T’arza bowed his head.
“Yet you are still troubled, T’arza. Are you not?”
T’arza hesitated, looking back at the First but saying nothing.
“I bid you to speak your mind at full.” The First fixed T’arza in his gaze. “For your word carries great weight on this Council.”
“Yes, Honorable First. I concur with the logic of what you have said, yet I find myself conflicted.” T’arza paused, the discomfort obvious on his face. “Taylor is indeed a highly capable human but, even if he fights his way back to Earth, how can he possibly defeat the combined resources of an entire world?”
“He cannot.” The First spoke slowly, deliberately. “We do not trust in his victory solely by force of arms.” He gazed at T’arza with ancient, watery eyes. “Indeed, we place our trust not only in Taylor, but in all the humans. For it is in their race as a whole that our only hope lies. Taylor’s crusade can succeed only if the people of Earth rise up and support him – and overthrow their sadistic and repressive government.” The First paused, and T’arza could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
“Taylor must succeed, and we must have faith that he will. For most of a century we have fought the humans. We have long realized their dysfunctional leadership was to blame for the war and not some inherent evil in their souls. I cannot understand the methods by which the humans select their leaders or the lack of wisdom they appear to employ in the process. I have often wondered if we do not share the blame for this tendency, for we visited them centuries ago and, while we sought only to aid them in developing their civilization, we allowed them to view us as gods. We did no more than the Ancients did with us, yet perhaps the humans were more susceptible to blind obedience and unquestioning worship. I fear we may have contributed to infantilizing their understanding of leadership.”
The First turned to look around the table, gazing for an instant at each of the assembled Elders. Finally his eyes returned to T’arza, and he spoke softly, a deep sadness in his voice. “We have fought this pointless and wasteful conflict for decades, meeting the human armies with weaponry similar to their own. We have held back from deploying our greater technology and allowed the New Ones to suffer thousands dead in battles against an enemy we could have long ago destroyed.” The First’s voice changed, his grief for those lost in the war obvious in his tone. “Such is the path we have chosen. Eradicating the humans, destroying their race would be a moral crime unequalled in our history…and it would doom us to destruction as well, for we need our brother race to face what is coming.” The First spoke slowly and with great emotion, even foreboding.
“For the Darkness is returning. The Seers have felt its approach, and there is no doubt. We have little hope to defeat this evil, that which destroyed the Ancients, alone. We must have the humans as allies. For if we do not stand together to face what is coming, our races will surely die…and naught but the unburied dead shall remain on our silent, windswept worlds.