Gods Dogs, Book 3

To be a bodyguard is to be a kamikaze pilot. Dedicated.

Mr. T

The debrief, when they got to Congress space and once again at Penglai, was extensive. They debriefed the teams together for some of it, and that was fun as each team learned what the other had accomplished.

Jolene noted, after one long day, “It’s kind of freaky, Quinn. I would have done the same thing you did.”

“I noticed that yesterday,” Quinn said with a grin. “I would have done it the way you did it.”

Moss helped out with an explanation. “You see, our spiritual advancement is such that we have access to Absolute Truth.”

“Shut up,” Sonny rejoined.

Eli said, “A better reason is that the solutions to the problems were obvious.”

“Given our training,” Pax said, “I’d agree, but Moss’ solution does have a certain elegance.”

“Shut up,” Sonny reiterated, his head shaking with laughter.

Rob observed, “How are we going to keep a straight face tomorrow?”

River answered, “Don’t look at Moss. He’s our monkey boy, and you can’t have him.”

They were crowded around a table in the monastery cafeteria. Others approached and greeted them, but mostly they had created an island of camaraderie in the busy cafeteria.

After the extensive debrief, both teams settled into the house routine. That was probably the best stress management routine there was.

The masters let them rest for six weeks before activating them. Jolene’s team headed off first. The following day, Master Lu called in Quinn’s team.

They bounded up to Lu’s office and sat expectantly in the small alcove next to Lu’s desk. Out the bay window, afternoon clouds, with their bottoms falling out, traversed the mountains.

“I have a simple assignment for you,” Master Lu announced. Moss groaned. The others went on full alert.

“It should be simple,” Lu amended. “You’re bodyguards for League and Congress high officials to the Accords station to finalize the trade and student exchange agreements.”

“Who else?” Quinn asked.

“General Charvo’s people,” Lu answered. “I think you’ve worked with them before. Additionally, there are Guardians assigned.”

“What is our responsibility?”

“The League representatives,” Lu answered. Then he explained, “We are exempt. In legal terms, the Congress will represent itself, but the League will also represent itself as a Congress ally.”

River asked, “Are any of the ASIs coming along?”

“In fact, one will. It’s not someone you know. He goes by the designation of Maximus.”

“You’re kidding,” Moss blurted out.

Lu smiled. “It was bestowed on him by the people of his region. I understand he is humble, humorous, and easy to work with – as much as that is true of any ASI.”

Moss snorted.

Quinn said, “Any intel on possible threats?

“No. It’s completely ambiguous at this point. The Chert, Dobal, and Baston empires are going through their growing pains. There are factions in each empire that are vocal and potentially extremist. However, there is no identified threat.”

“Who wouldn’t want trade?” River wondered.

“Those who want monopolies,” Moss answered.

“Control the economy,” Pax added, “control the people.”

River heavy-sighed. “It will take them a while to see through the illusion of control.”

“Sadly, yes,” Lu said. “The insanity of forcing outcomes is a hard-won lesson for all sentient beings. Knowing one can never be in control of anything except one’s own thought, words, and deeds is a serious blow to self-importance. The freedom one gains from this perspective is paradoxical and not easily explained.”

Quinn said, “A vague but real threat, an historical venue, and many prominent leaders in one location. Not a good mix, Master Lu.”

“You’ll do fine,” Lu said.

“Will we be escorting anyone we know?” River asked.

“Senator Leah Morrison and Senator Kim Than. The new trade senator is Herbert Abernathy. He replaced Jonathan Smythe-Wilson, who is currently in jail. The other three senators you don’t know, nor any of their staff.”

“And our ride?” Moss asked.

“A League battlecruiser. Satya will take you to Central to meet up with the party.”

“Sounds good,” Quinn said and stood.

“Here are your orders,” Lu said as he handed Quinn a data cube.

They left Lu’s office to Moss’ grumbling, “Visiting Andromeda is like visiting a preschool.”

Pax responded, “Think of it as preparation for becoming a parent.”

Moss shuddered at the thought.

Kim Than, Senator from Penglai, was of Thai descent. He was loose-limbed, reserved, even-featured, and shrewd. He had to be. The five hundred or so planets in the League of Worlds tended to cluster into loose alliances. Some were trade related. Some were culturally connected. Some were about converging interests, and all of that needed to be voted on in the Senate. Self-interest was what held the alliances together.

Penglai stood mostly alone, as it didn’t have a self-interest to advance. It was a self-sufficient planetary system. It promoted a sustainable economy, rather than a growth economy. And following the Tao was the main public pursuit.

It did export a fine wine and llamas, but not much else. In the Senate, one could count on Kim to voice the ethical concerns or ramifications any proposed legislation brought with it. He would do so informally, usually by way of a press release, and refrained from any press conferences or other forms of public discussion. He saved that for the floor debates.

His unassuming delivery of concise, well-researched arguments was the envy of many. He was a clear voice for ethics, restraint, and a policy of minimization. Less government was better as long as the injunctions against force and fraud were rigorously enforced.

Ironically, within a safe social environment, complacency was an inevitable result. People became less vigilant. Freedoms eroded. Kim consistently stuck his finger in the dyke, which made him no friends with the rich and powerful. Wealth, the wealthy assumed, was proof of their intelligence, and confirmed their ability to rule – even though, in most cases, it was inherited wealth and only proved the accident of birth was pure luck.

Kim was incorrigible, impossible to blackmail, and easy to like, and his bodyguards at the embassy on Central were retired Coyotes.

They handed him off to Quinn’s team with little fanfare. Leah Morrison arrived at the battlecruiser a few hours later. The final senators arrived the next morning, and by that afternoon, the battlecruiser was on its way to Andromeda.

There were six senators, each with a staff of ten. Quinn wrangled for a company of marines, which numbered about a hundred with Gunny Murphy as the company NCO-in-charge. The battlecruiser carried a marine complement of two companies, a squadron of fighters, and a crew complement of sixty officers and eleven hundred enlisted. Given the size, over two kilometers in length, the crew complement seemed light. That was due to the highly automated nature of the ship. One Class 2 A.I. oversaw the ship’s operation through NSAIs that administered each department.

The senators and their staff occupied the flag deck, one deck up from the bridge and operational deck in the middle of the ship. Quinn’s team was also berthed on the flag deck. Murphy’s marines provided guards, but regular crew manned the flag bridge stations.

It was a tidy and comfortable arrangement for the month-long trip to Andromeda. An easy routine evolved that included an afternoon get-together with the senators to discuss the issues they would be facing during the negotiations. One of the pivotal discussions occurred during the second week of the passage.

The committee chair for League trade, Senator Herbert Abernathy, was finishing his assessment, “We’ve made the expected gains with the Machine Autocracy and the Iracian Hegemony. The lack of organization in the other three empires hampers our efforts there. However, that confusion does bode well for securing favorable concessions in these negotiations.”

He sat, apparently happy with himself, and looked around the table to the other five senators. “Any discussion?”

Kim Than said, “Confusion does bring opportunity – to progress or regress. If they, too, see opportunity, then progression is likely. If they feel overwhelmed or perceive any threat, then regression is likely.”

Abernathy leaned in, “How would we insure the former and avoid the latter?”

“I’m sure any concerted efforts in that regard would be viewed as condescending. We can only present ourselves in a matter-of-fact way, completely transparent, and willing to deal in good faith.”

“I don’t share your concerns,” Abernathy replied. “These are men who have run empires the size of our entire galaxy.”

Kim responded, “That have the emotional maturity of an eight-year-old. We have enough examples of that situation in our own history to know the dangers.”

Abernathy sat back in his chair. “I’ve never understood Penglai’s obsession with the idea of emotional maturity.”

Leah Morrison answered, “All the problems we solve during our lives began as an emotional prompt that there was a problem.”

“Yes,” Abernathy said with caution. “But the intellect takes over from there. Critical thinking engages, and solutions are found.”

Kim rebutted, “Critical thinking only engages if one’s emotional maturity is equivalent to a thirteen-year-old or older. Otherwise, you have concrete, either-or, win-lose, us-them thinking. That is what we must avoid. Since it’s also fear-based, we must emphasize that it is safe to deal with us.”

Leah added, “In concrete ways.”

Abernathy chuckled. “I hear what you are saying and agree in principle, but I also think you offer solutions to an imaginary problem.”

Kim nodded his head in thoughtful response and said, “I would like to introduce you to Coyote Pax. He is the empath for the Coyote team assigned to us. Empath training makes him, what we might call, an expert witness on this subject.”

Pax stood from his chair that was at the wall of the room. He moved to stand behind Kim, who asked, “What other dangers come with emotional immaturity?”

“The ego-defense known as projection,” Pax answered. “For example, religious wars are a function of projection. I project my questions and doubts about my religion onto the infidel and kill him as a way of killing my doubts.”

The senators were wearing ship suits with the crest of their worlds on the left breast. Pax wore his combat skin suit. They moved in their seats uncomfortably with Pax’s answer.

Leah asked, “What doubts or fears will those from the three empires project on us?”

Pax smiled with ironic sadness. “They have many choices: their doubts about their superior status, their right to rule, and the other considerations attending to racism. Their fear is the loss of their cultural identity. Ideally, identity goes through a series of deaths and rebirths as one matures. Puberty would be the obvious example. The rest aren’t as obvious, nor are they guaranteed successful.”

Kim said, “Those who cannot leave behind the conquest identity will fight us.”

“Or the racist identity, or the male-dominant identity, or the royal identity, and so on.”

Kim frowned. “Well, Coyote Pax, it looks like you have your work cut out for you.”

“Yes, Senator, we do.”

Kim’s gaze swept over the other senators who were once again squirming in their chairs. Abernathy said, “Well, thank you, Coyote Pax, I do hope these problems that attend to emotional immaturity are exaggerated. If they are not, we are glad you are here and recognize the danger.”