The Legend of Earth

Chapter 39



The Klin flying saucer blended in perfectly with the monochromatic gray of the moon’s surface, and except for the unnaturally round shadow the craft cast, the starship would have been completely invisible to any prying eyes. As it was, no one was paying much attention to the moon at this time; the Human’s focus had been directed outward, toward the outer reaches of the solar system, and for any intruders they could detect.

Senior Fellow Suneso Huvilin of the Klin had been in place on the large, singular companion to the planet Earth for several weeks, watching as the Kracori ships slipped into the system and went dark before anyone was alerted to their presence. He was surprised, however, when the Humans did get wind of the impending attack and began all manner of defensive moves to stop the Kracori. After all the preparations Suneso and the other Klin had already taken, he found the Human’s makeshift activities slightly amusing. The Kracori were already there and all the Humans did was make it easier for them to fulfill their mission – if the Klin had not already acted.

When the nine massive explosions occurred, Suneso did his best to visualize the confused conversations that must have taken place on the planet below. It would have only taken minutes for the Humans to realize that their efforts had nothing to do with the destruction of the Kracori ships.

If it not them, then who? Many on the planet would naturally suspect the Klin, but then they would ask why would the Klin stop an attack on Earth, especially in light of events unfolding tens of thousands of light years away? Suneso wished he still had spies within the Human population; it would have been incredibly entertaining to watch the confused and scared Humans scurry about for answers of which they could only speculate.

However, Suneso was not without his questions, so when the image of Pleabaen Linuso Summlin appeared on the S/W comm screen, he was hoping he would get his answers as well.

“Greetings Pleabaen, I have success to report,” he said to the supreme leader of the Klin race.

“That is indeed good news. What do you know at this point?” Suneso could see that Linuso was still recovering from the injuries he’d suffered over two months before, when their headquarters on Marishal had been damaged. He appeared gaunt and paler than normal and he still carried a thin oxygen tube attached to his nose. “The ships did explode as planned – at least nine of them did. The tenth ship was not in position for the attack and has since retreated. I can also report that the rebellion on Glasien-4 has also succeeded. There should only be a few Kracori left within the Arm at this time and we are monitoring them.”

“Excellent, but I have reports that the Humans were forewarned of the attack?”

“Apparently so, Pleabaen.”

“That is acceptable; it saves us the necessity of revealing the Kracori to them.”

“Linuso, I have been meaning to ask a very direct question regarding this entire matter,” Suneso said.

Linuso smiled. “Why? “Why we have saved the Humans from destruction?”

“Precisely. The Humans have deceived us and are now the strongest force in the galaxy. They even caused great injury to your body, along with the deaths of hundreds of Klin.”

Linuso nodded. “This has all been part of a decision made immediately after the Humans escaped from Marishal. It was not our optimal plan, but considering the Kracori’s premature arrival at Juir, it was the best option we had available.”

“Now I am even more confused, Pleabaen.”

“That is understandable, since you were not made aware of the ultimate plans of the Forum. It was decided that we could not allow the Humans to be destroyed; they could still be of use to us. And then when the Kracori transited the Core and arrived at Juir ahead of schedule, it was seen that only the Humans could drive the Kracori from the Alliance Cluster.”

“But the Kracori have destroyed Juir. Our vengeance should be satisfied. We should welcome this outcome.”

“Much to the contrary, Senior Fellow,” Linuso countered. “It had always been our desire to be the direct instrument of the Juirean’s downfall and not simply a passive observer. Much of our gratification in the destruction of Juir has been taken from us by the Kracori. We must not let them remain in control of Cluster – and by extension – the Expansion.”

“But now it will be Humans who are in control….”

“Exactly, Suneso. That has also been by design.”

“But the Humans are even stronger than the Kracori.”

“That may appear to be the case, but please consider that we have been preparing the Kracori for generations to be co-leaders of the Expansion, along with us. If they remain in possession of the Cluster, they will ingrain themselves so much into the operations of the new Expansion that they will be almost impossible to remove.

“The Humans, on the other hand, are a completely different matter. They are naïve in the ways of the Expansion and will be at a complete loss as to what is involved in governing. In addition, their homeworld is located much too far away to serve as an effective capital of the Expansion, and even supplying a capital such as Juir from Earth will serve to be a major burden for them.

“And finally, the Humans have not aspired for control of the Expansion, as have the Klin and the Kracori. When the time comes, they will be much easier to extract from their leadership position. You must understand, Suneso, it has never been the Klin’s goal to simply exact revenge against the Juireans for the destruction of Klinmon. Ultimately, our goal has been to claim our rightful title as leaders of the galaxy. That has always been our goal. The destruction of the Juireans was simply a means to an end.”

Suneso saw the logic in the argument – to a point. “So the Kracori are driven from the Cluster and the Humans move in. How does that help the Klin cause? The Humans will remain a power for – well forever, and the Kracori will still be a power in their own right, and far more technologically-advanced than the Humans. How will it ever be that the Klin can assume leadership of the Expansion?”

The small smile vanished from Linuso’s weary face. “That has not been completely foreseen, yet with the chaotic events of the past several months, the Forum has been doing its best to come up with the best alternatives. What we do know is that it would be easier to expel – or persuade – the Humans to relinquish control of the Expansion than it would with the Kracori. However, we do realize that without a powerful ally, the Klin cannot rule alone.”

“If not the Kracori – or the Humans – who then, Pleabaen?”

“The Klin have been exploring the galaxy for over four thousand years and we have discovered literally thousands of races. There are always others, always alternatives. Some have been nurtured along slowly – such as the Kracori – while others have played a more limited and immediate role. We Klin are never without alternatives, although some may not be ready to be revealed at this time. If it had not been for the activities of the Humans – and particularly of Adam Cain – we would have had twenty additional years to more fully develop our alternatives prior to the events leading to the Juirean/Human war. As it is, we will have to speed up the process and adapt along the way.”

Linuso’s weak smile returned and he looked straight into the eyes of his subordinate. “The Klin are still viable, Suneso. We are patient; we will be heard from again. Of that you can be sure.”