Neutral Space(52)

The other Kelsairan was getting up, and I kicked him square in the jaw. He fell to his knees cursing in Kelsairan. The other threw a series of punches at me, and I managed to block or dodged them. He was slow, compared to Kheda. I finally saw an opening and grabbed his wrist. I smashed it with my other elbow, and it broke with little effort. I punched his chest and swept his legs while he was nursing the fractured wrist. He went down and wouldn’t be getting up for a while.

I looked at the ship and Sen came out of the hatch. He shook his head realizing who must have taught me to fight. A group of human military police stepped out from behind a ship with guns aimed. They all seemed too shocked to say anything. The man in the center stepped forward. “Well, if you’re going to arrest me, then go ahead and try.”

He stepped aside. Whether it was out of respect or because he really had no authority or because I beat the crap out of three Kelsairans, I’ll never know. But, we walked past them without incidence and into the base.

I knew where they’d be. There was a meeting room large enough to hold them in the south hall. Sen and I made our way there. We were being tracked by cameras I knew, I expected nothing less. The doors opened of their own accord when we were still ten steps from the door. I walked in with Sen a step behind me.

Human, Kelsairan, male and female stared at us as we entered. They were all influential people, either wealthy or in politics. I knew them all by name from their files. “Lieutenant Peterson, we’ve been expecting you.” General Schmidt said plainly. He was the head of human military operations.

“I noticed you’re welcome wagon.” We were speaking English, but the translators were operating for the Kelsairans. I looked to General Lagis, Schmidt’s counterpart for the Kelsairans. “And your’s too although I’m afraid your men will need some medical attention. It seems they didn’t realize I invited all of you here.”

“Senator Ailaryia, we were not expecting you to be here.” A little weasel of a Kelsairan spoke up. He was something like their president’s aid. His name was Pyia, and he was one of those pulling strings or as close to it as I could safely come on that chain.

“I am here on behalf of my daughter and her husband. Not to mention a cause very dear to me.”

“Major Trekes is not allowed to marry.” Pyia spat back.

“She wasn’t as long as she was in the army, but I think convicting her of treason proved you no longer wanted her,” I spoke up. “You threw her into a prison to die, and now you want to claim her as part of your army?”

“What’s it to you, human?” General Lagis growled.

“Kheda is my wife,” I said clearly. The room was in an uproar, but this wasn’t why I came. Sen could see it too.

“We’re digressing from the matter at hand what Jackson says is true. He is the soldier she named only as Jeep at her trial. They have been married for nearly a year. Those matters are best left for other times.”

I nodded in agreement. “First I want you to know that what you tried on the landing pad was stupid. I’m trying to handle this matter with discretion to avoid civil war on both our planets. Here’s the deal. I have dozens of copies of my information stored in numerous places. I have three people waiting to broadcast that information if something happens to me. They need a code from me every five hours. If they don’t get it, they broadcast. If you think to harm Kheda or find anyone else in that chain, one of them will broadcast. Got it?”

“What information exactly do you have?” Sharon Davis, the human president’s chief of staff asked.

“The best question I’ve heard all day, Ms. Davis.” I moved further into the room and pulled out a chair from the table. “In case you haven’t figured it out, I know all of the key players; even the not so obvious ones, like yourself.” She looked away unable to keep my gaze. “I know why you fine people meet every so often in remote locations. I know how the war started and, more importantly, why it started.” Some of them looked worried others confused.

“We all know why it started.” Sean Masden said plainly. He was one of the confused ones. He was an arms dealer, in it merely to make money.

“Apparently not.” I looked at General Schmidt who gave me a look like he wanted to eat me alive. “It was simple for the humans. Those in government at the time needed something to rally the people against, and a war would help bolster a failing economy too. Soldiers needed food, clothes, weapons, medical supplies and countless other things.”

I looked to General Ligas who was seething equally. “The Kelsairans had similar motives but a little more complicated. You see, they were on the verge of yet another civil war. The governing class that emerged on top of the last war only knew that one way of life. The people, too, were unsatisfied with the peace and quiet on Kelsair. Not to mention there were class issues as well. I don’t know all the details; they were fairly good at covering their tracks.I do know enough to put two and two together and follow their logic. They simply fell back on what they knew how to do best.”

“The Kelsairan government did no such thing. There were a hundred years of peace and prosperity following the civil war. Only the human's selfish refusal to give up the Sirus System brought it to an end.” Senator Merew spoke up. As far as I could tell her only purpose in coming to these meetings was to keep Ligas in check.