07: Preparing for War

If you are neutral in situations of injustice,
you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse
and you say that you are neutral,
the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

Desmond Tutu

“Ah, Al, the mysterious human leader,” the official said, waving him inside. “I’m Commander Lillslik, the military resources officer in charge of scheduling personnel on outgoing ships. It’s nice to see you weren’t too busy playing to come in. You’re impossible to reach via normal channels. I’ve tried contacting you for the last day and a half.”

“We’ve been in the same place. It can’t be that hard to contact us? By the way, these are my mates, Xi and Betty. Next time, be sure to invite all of us. I don’t like abandoning my crew, but your men insisted,” Al said, glancing back at the large guards stationed outside.

Lillslik tapped his ear—essentially just a hole in the side of his head, which winked. “We don’t normally carry messages by hand, relying instead on the links in our aids, but you haven’t answered our calls.”

“Sorry, but we don’t have any of the same direct links you have here.”

Lillslik sighed. “We can’t establish quantum links with everyone in the entire empire. The linkage is mechanical, built on a cellular level via your aids. Only yours won’t respond.”

Al glanced at Xi. “Oh! Pardon us, but I’m not aware of which signals we’ve shut off correspond to what service.”

“Yes, I was told you aren’t fond of our monitoring your actions, electing to turn them off at will.”

“If you could call me again, I should be able to figure out which feature to reactivate.”

Lillslik tilted his head slightly, as if impatient for his instantaneous response. “That’s why we sent someone to bring you here, so we could get this ... miscommunication worked out. We didn’t think we needed your entire team to work out this little bug.”

Al touched his ear, mostly for effect, as Xi figured out how to authorize the communication, her hand clutching the red ball in her pocket.

‘It seems to be working now,’ Al said without moving his lips, sharing the message with his partners over their private line. ‘Next time, let us know what you’re trying to do, rather than assuming we know what you’re thinking.’

Lillslik nodded sagely. “I’ve heard stories about your amazing abilities, but was convinced it was just hyperbole. I must say, I’m officially impressed. I know of no one who can individually control their aids. The ability to do so grants you some incredible leverage.” He motioned for someone, as a small striped creature came running in. “This is Grrxlorvin. He’s your technical liaison. He’ll guide you through the various tools, so you’ll know which things to activate when needed. He’ll also provide you with basic weapons training. He may be small, but his fingers are highly dexterous, he’s quick, and he’s a master with a variety of tech.”

“You can’t just train me, as we’ll all need the same instruction,” Al pointed out.

Lillslik waved his hand dismissively. “Grrxlorvin can spend as much time with you as necessary.” Someone entered, leaning over to whisper in one of Lillslik’s many ears.

“We’ve got someone who’d like to say something to you.” He turned, and Al instantly stiffened.

‘Xi, be prepared,’ he cautioned. ‘I’m going to want a dramatic action here.’

The door slid open, and Siluzz entered, glancing at the floor, only peeking up occasionally.

Although Al expected it, he began grinding his teeth. ‘Cut off all her reporting ties. Make sure the authorities get no information from her at all.’

‘Are you sure?‘ she asked, already starting the complicated procedure. ‘After all, you’re tipping your hand.’

‘It’s worth it in this case, as it’s a demonstration of our abilities. What’s more, it’s a warning not to fuck with us.’

“Uh... , “ Siluzz began, uncertain how to proceed.

“I take it you’re trying to apologize?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m really sorry to have offend—”

Al held his hand up, stopping her struggling attempts to make amends. “Stop. Please, it’s clear you don’t mean a thing you’re saying, but worse, you don’t even realize why your behavior is so objectionable.”

‘Watch out, I recognize that tone of voice, he’s about to ramble on for some time,’ Betty silently advised her co-spouse.

‘I suspect that’s his plan, providing cover for me to complete the process.’

‘Good, if I’m right, you should have plenty of time.’

“The problem is, you’ve been so indoctrinated, so accustomed to having others reading your every thought, you no longer object to the process. While knowing what people are doing is one thing, there are deeper social costs for the entire society that you’ve never recognized, and I see them writ large across the whole culture.

“Those brave enough to object were silenced a long time ago. Those who’ve come afterwards have learned to silence their stray thoughts, so they won’t accidentally consider objectionable ideas. The result is not only a stifling of creative thought—the kind necessary to produce ingenious new approaches to problems—it also produces a general malaise across every segment of society. From what I can tell, no one does any more than is absolutely necessary—even when their lives are at stake. Everyone reports when required, doing precisely what is expected, but few stick around long enough to see that the work is finished, much less correctly. It’s no wonder you’re losing this war with the Zssizliq.”

“I’d be careful where you go with this,” Commander Lillslik cautioned.

“It needs to be said, and you need to be aware of the problem facing everyone working under you, as it directly impacts your success.”

Lillslik considered that for a moment. “All right, I’ll consider your argument, but if it veers into disloyal oratory, I’ll have you brought up on charges.”

“Fair enough, but this gets into why your hundreds-year war has had such dismal success. Everyone, whether they express it or not, is worn down by the oppressive thought control. As a result, they not only won’t venture new ideas, they’re so obsessed with not doing the wrong thing, they’re more focused on doing nothing at all.” Lillslik started to object, so Al continued to counter his objections before he could state them. “Without a sustained effort, even the best ideas fail. And without new ideas, the same thinking will always produce the exact same failures they always have. When something doesn’t work, the best approach is to change strategies! Instead, you insist that no one ever suggest anything new, under fear of death. My ‘revolutionary’ approach of including non-warriors to train was merely an attempt to show they could succeed, and that success itself is worthy, whatever the outcome.

“You need a few new ideas, and dedicated people willing to carry them out.” Al waved off any attempts to interrupt. “I know, your culture is all about sacrifice, and millions have already nobly sacrificed themselves, but to little avail. Without new ideas, and a willingness to press for their successful implementation, you’ll never change your losing strategy.”

“It’s not for us to propose strategy,” Lillslik argued. “We have experts who specialize in strategic planning.”

“And tell me, how successful have they been? Instead, what you have are a bunch of people sitting in seclusion, never admitting what they’re proposing. These same people have failed time after time, but are never questioned over those failures after producing such dismal results.”

Everyone in the room paused, though Grrxlorvin fidgeted nervously, worried about being exposed to such outlandish ideas. Be and Xi remained silent too, with Xi pursing her lips in deep concentration, reflecting the overall mood of the room.

“You make an interesting point, though I’m unsure it’s one I’d dare make to my superiors, even given the latitude my position offers.”

“It doesn’t need to,” Al countered. “What counts in the end is success. If you allow your people greater freedom in coming up with alternative ideas, their successes—even when factoring in the occasional failure—will be a ringing endorsement for your approach. After you demonstrate an ability to produce success after success, trust me, your superiors will be beating down your door, demanding you teach others the same technique. They’ll continue promoting you into essential decision-making positions.”

“Again, what you’re proposing is ... intriguing, but I’m not sure how to implement it. As you’ve noted, most of our thoughts are superficially monitored. I’m not sure how much freedom we can allocate without getting everyone involved brought up on charges of high treason.”

Just then, someone entered the chamber, approaching Lillslik and whispering in his ear. Considering what Al had been proposing, and the ever-present threat their monitoring presented, everyone stiffened, preparing for the worst.

When the courier stood, Lillslik motioned someone else forward, issuing some terse commands no one else could make out. Another official scurried in, holding a much smaller ball than Xi’s and waving it around Siluzz’s body for several moments, before turning back to him. “I’m getting nothing but static.”

Lillslik frowned, turning to address Al in particular. “It seems your ability to escape your tethers extends to others as well, even your admitted enemies.”

Al smiled a confident smile his spouses didn’t feel, though they stood beside him, backing him up with a unified front.

“It merely proves my point. The fact that a single action brings such immediate response highlights how little room anyone in this society has to succeed.”

Lillslik waved his fears away. “No, the only reason we noticed is that we’ve been... , uhh, among the other uses of our aids, is that they alert us when someone falls ill or dies unexpectedly. Even when the host dies, the aids continue broadcasting. The only time they cease functioning is when something catastrophic occurs, which typically requires a more significant call for widespread assistance. Siluzz’s aids all going silent at once triggered certain ... supervisory controls.”

“And yet, they alerted you, a scheduling military resource officer, instead of the appropriate emergency dispatch services?”

Lillslik waved his hand, trying to get back on topic. “Don’t worry about that, but I’m intrigued. Everyone is fascinated by your ability to defeat our best Inquisitor, and yet your abilities seem to extend to other species. In short, it appears as if you can broaden your capabilities to others.”

Al shrugged, still wearing his confident smile as he cocked his head. “It appears you’re correct, as you’ve no doubt discovered earlier. Hence the real reason for bringing us here today—insisting we come alone. It was a fight just to bring my spouses.”