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The planet exploded, sending huge chunks of earth and parts of buildings into space. Our ship disappeared into hyperspace as did the Preservers’ vessel. The second planet wobbled and lurched and tipped. It slowly rolled toward the sun.
According to the computer simulation, it was a successful mission. Of course, at times there is a difference between theory – and computer simulation – and reality. But at least in theory we were all alive and safe.
Except for the MITTs.
I would miss them. I didn’t realize how much I liked our metallic guys until I had to send them on the suicide mission.
I turned to look at the general. “If you liked bourbon I’d offer you a drink. Looks like our plan was a success.”
He smiled. “As you surmised, I don’t drink, major, but don’t let me stop you having one. I gather having a drink is something of a minor celebration with humans. Don’t let me stop the glee.”
“OK. Who would like a drink?”
Rab and Astrid raised their hands. I walked to a portable bar and grabbed three glasses. I put one before each. Then lifted a bottle of bourbon from the bar and filled the glasses.
“This will taste even better after the real thing, but we can have a drink now,” I said. I sipped the bourbon.
“One thing I’m wondering about, general, is the origin of your races. And I’m curious about the Shadowers. Can you resolve my curiosity? I’d like to know something about them.”
“There’s very little we know for sure. Tales and fables and legend with little evidence to back up any of them. I can tell you what little I know.”
“I’d appreciate it if you would.”
Shortly after time began, or perhaps a little while about time started, the Shadowers appeared. At least those were the legends according to the general. To this day no one is sure what they really were. They were humanoid in appearance and a case could be made they were “human”, but not like the flesh-and-blood men and women the general was dealing with now. It was said they were nasty in temperament but brilliant in science.
Very nasty in temperament.
Very brilliant in science.
It was whispered they created both the Preservers and the Destroyers, although which was created first is not known. Or perhaps they were both created simultaneously. One theory is the Preservers were first out of the metallic hatch. While technologically fine, they had a rather pleasant nature, which irritated the Shadowers. So the masters decided to eliminate their creation and start again. Although the Preservers had a pleasant nature, they had developed Artificial Intelligence and objected – in their pleasant way – to being eliminated, not that their views mattered to the Shadowers. A revolt occurred and the Preservers fled from their creators. The battle was bloody and raged across the solar system. But eventually, the Preservers defeated their creators and left for a peaceful environment.
Never one for graciousness, the Shadowers did not accept defeat lightly and swore vengeance. It took a long time, even long for a metallic man, but the creators built another race. Their second metallic creations were also technologically brilliant, but had more of the Shadowers’ personality. They were designed just to kill. They were meant to hunt down the Preservers and annihilate them. They also had an intense and everlasting hatred of humans, although why this was instilled in the gold guys the general couldn’t say.
“It is simply in their metallic nature to hate,” he said.
The general didn’t know what had happened to the Shadowers. He assumed they were still around someplace in the galaxy – a prospect I found rather unsettling. But there had been no sign of the Shadowers for millennia. Perhaps they were in a very long hibernation.
I found that difficult to believe. If a race wanted to start a war, it seemed to me they would want to stick around to watch the destruction. Would they just disappear? Why not watch the hated human race go up in flames? Then again, different races will think in different ways. What would be eminently logical to a human might seem totally illogical to many other races. And from their behavior, the Shadowers didn’t seem all that logical to begin with.