Thrax

 Our people are not like yours.  Your people show the capacity to live with differences.  Those with one shape live with those with two shapes, and all of you live together with members of different species.  You lack our people’s aversion to differences.  It is this failure to coexist that drove us apart.”

Amlax continued, “My goal, Sir Thrax, is to begin the process of uniting the Scodax, of bringing us together as it were.  We will travel far and wide across the galaxy, and where we find other Scodax, we will bring them to our side.  Given our isolationist nature, there will be resistance.  We will require a way to enforce the new unity.  Beings such as you, joining our cause, will provide us with the way.”

Thrax recoiled at the thought of it.  “You want to conscript the Knights of Lacerta into an interstellar army to unite your lost people?  And you think we’ll simply fall into line and submit?  You think the planet Earth and our allies will allow this?”

“We believe the Knights of Lacerta are formidable enough that our combined might will prevail.  As we gather more of the Scodax to our cause, you and we together will make the Scodax invincible.”

Thrax’s hands knotted into fists, wanting to batter down the force field and take his wrath directly to Amlax.  “This is absolute madness.  Lacerta is a colony of the planet Earth.  You may not have heard of Earth, but you will.  Earth is powerful and has friends and allies, and they’ll come for you in force.  They’re already on their way.  You’ll be overwhelmed here, and even if you escape, you’ll still have hundreds of worlds against you out there.”

With an arrogant calm, Amlax replied, “They may come in force.  We will meet them in force.”

“How?”

“We possess power you have not yet seen.  The warp-enabling mineral that is mined on your planet is not only a power source for propulsion.  We possess a technology that can convert it to energy–enough power to obliterate a fleet.  Your mother planet’s forces and their allies may come.  But we are already beginning to extract the mineral.  We will be prepared for them.  They…will not be so prepared.”

Thrax faced Amlax with a look not only of skepticism but of open contempt.  “You’re lying,” he said.  “No…if you possessed power like that, you wouldn’t be a race scattered across the galaxy.  You’d be an empire.”

At this, Thrax hardly noticed the eyes of Venar darting between him and Amlax.  Nor did he sense the quickening of her pulse or the heat on her skin as she paid careful attention to her Captain and measured his reaction.  The Knight’s attention was too focused on the aliens’ leader to notice the subtle cues given off by his second.

Amlax’s tone and stance did not waver.  “I have been to parts of this galaxy you have never seen.  I have discovered things beyond your knowledge.  You have not yet witnessed my true power.  But you will.”

“And you think ‘witnessing your true power’ will force the surrender of whole civilizations?”

“They will have no choice,” said Amlax confidently.

Thrax glared at the alien, “Then, for all your power and everything you’re learned, you’re no wiser than the fools you came from who couldn’t even learn to live in peace with each other.  You’re doomed, Amlax.”

So consumed was Thrax by his mounting anger at the Scodax that he once again missed the ever-so-subtle change in Venar’s body language, the way she stiffened at the last thing the Knight said, and the way she put her whole attention on the man behind the force field as if wanting to say something but was holding her silence.

The alien Captain answered, “No one in this chamber is doomed.  There is only one who is the master and one who will learn his new place.”

If Thrax had been in dragon form, he would have hissed his retort to that.  “I’ve learned nothing except that you are mad.  Your people are mad.  Your failure to live with each other has made you poor judges of other beings.  It’s true, my people are united, and we’ll remain that way—united against you.” 

Venar inhaled sharply, but remained quiet.

“We expected a display of such spirit,” said Amlax.  “And we welcome it.  That is why demonstrations will be made.  Examples will be set.  We will demonstrate to your planet that compliance is in their best interest—by bringing the most formidable warriors of Lacerta to heel in personal combat, for transmission and display to your world.”

“You intend to battle the Knights into submission while the rest of Lacerta watches?”

“We will establish who is now the master, and your world will watch,” Amlax replied.  “Though we have lived apart from the rest of our kind, we possess both the power and the prowess to realize our goals.  And you will find, once you join us, that our combined power will make us a match for any power brought against us.  My battle will be with you.”

Thrax folded his arms and measured the sheer audacity of the being before him.  “You challenge a Knight of Lacerta and assume victory before the battle is even fought?”

“You find me presumptuous?  I assure you, I make no empty boasts.  It was in combat long ago that I rose to my rank.  I triumphed over armies in  worlds you will never know.  I shall triumph again.”

The Knight almost admired the alien’s confidence, standing there with his old and weather-beaten skin, touting his strength and skill.  How old was this creature?  How long had he been wandering through space, pillaging other planets for their resources, scheming to unite his scattered people under himself?  His years of isolation from all but his own tribe must surely have taken their toll on the sanity of this Amlax.  But Thrax didn’t bother to give voice to any of this; there was something else more important to him now.  “The others who were with me: there was one who wasn’t a Knight.  There was a female; she would have been with me when you captured me.  Where is she?”

Knowingly, Amlax replied, “The one you speak of is with the others we’ve detained.  We took her unharmed, and no harm has been done to her.  I gather that one is your mate.”

Thrax frowned hard at the question, his nostrils flaring.  He shifted on his feet.  “She and I were together,” he answered flatly.