The War of Pawns (The Human Chronicles -- Book Three) Read Online Free Page B
Author: T.R. Harris
Common Alliance had been designed to do. In return for their allegiance, as well as a tribute paid to the Juireans, each of these worlds would be allowed to purchase the superior technology of the Juireans and to trade within the Juirean alliance. These worlds would also be able to retain as much autonomy over their own affairs as they wished, as long as it did not interfere with the operations of the Juireans.
The Juireans also offered their Members tacit protection against any of their more aggressive neighbors – even though it took a lot for the Juireans to step in personally to resolve a dispute. More often than not, they simply chose to arm the Member planets with more powerful weapons, and let the planets fight the wars themselves, rather than risk spilling Juirean blood over these mostly internal squabbles. Juirean life was sacred, and more valuable than that of any other being in the galaxy – at least to the Juireans.
This new strategy for ruling a galaxy ended up being a win-win for all parties involved. Individual worlds could retain much of their independence and freedom, while rejoining the community of civilizations in the galaxy.
All they had to do was what the Juireans told them to do.
Juirean influence began to expand rapidly throughout the galaxy, and at even a faster pace than during the time of the more militaristic Mass. More and more worlds began to petition for Membership, and the Juireans soon found themselves once again masters of the known galaxy, and in complete control of their destiny.
After approximately 1,500 years of building an empire, the evolution of Juirean control over the galaxy was complete. Growing from the Seven World Common Alliance and the Union, to The Mass and the Juirean Empire, to finally The Juirean Expansion , a point had been reached where a relative peace and stability now settled over the galaxy.
And it existed for almost 2,500 more years, until…
As Overlord Yan’wal drew his thoughts to a close, he agonized over the uncertainty of the path on which he was embarking. The Juirean people had come a long way from their humble beginnings on an obscure planet in a small stellar cluster, to become rulers of the known galaxy. And now an upstart, an outlier from the Far Arm, could threaten it all.
The Humans were not of The Expansion, and as such, did not owe any allegiance to the Juireans. Their civilization, political structure and technology all came from someplace else. Yes, they were being helped by the Klin, but to what extent? That information was in conflict. Could they be a totally self-sufficient industrial and technological power in their own right? Could they control an empire of their own at the far end of the galaxy? There was just so little known about the Far Arm that any guess on his part would be purely that, a guess. And Senior Overlord Yan’wal did not operate on guesses, at least not under normal circumstances.
But what else could he do? And what other choice did he have?
As Yan’wal had previously expressed to his staff, he truly believed the Juirean race was about to encounter the greatest threat to their existence since before the days of Malor the Great. He had no choice.
The Human race had to be destroyed…
Chapter Three
When the link came through from Overlord Yan’wal, Senior Guard Commander Lod-fin Al Reuminin, commander of the Secondary Exploratory Fleet under direction of Fleet Commander Siegor, was in the grooming station of his stateroom, hunched over a sink and vomiting his guts out.
The abscess in his stomach lining was getting worse, and the bile he was expelling was now laced with blood. He felt awful, and he cursed the intoxicating specialty food he had discovered on the planet Yonnlin, during his last assignment in the far-off Sector 4 of The Expansion. The dish was an almost addictive concoction of spices and meats that the dietary computer had cleared for Juirean consumption. However, in excess, the meal
The Juireans also offered their Members tacit protection against any of their more aggressive neighbors – even though it took a lot for the Juireans to step in personally to resolve a dispute. More often than not, they simply chose to arm the Member planets with more powerful weapons, and let the planets fight the wars themselves, rather than risk spilling Juirean blood over these mostly internal squabbles. Juirean life was sacred, and more valuable than that of any other being in the galaxy – at least to the Juireans.
This new strategy for ruling a galaxy ended up being a win-win for all parties involved. Individual worlds could retain much of their independence and freedom, while rejoining the community of civilizations in the galaxy.
All they had to do was what the Juireans told them to do.
Juirean influence began to expand rapidly throughout the galaxy, and at even a faster pace than during the time of the more militaristic Mass. More and more worlds began to petition for Membership, and the Juireans soon found themselves once again masters of the known galaxy, and in complete control of their destiny.
After approximately 1,500 years of building an empire, the evolution of Juirean control over the galaxy was complete. Growing from the Seven World Common Alliance and the Union, to The Mass and the Juirean Empire, to finally The Juirean Expansion , a point had been reached where a relative peace and stability now settled over the galaxy.
And it existed for almost 2,500 more years, until…
As Overlord Yan’wal drew his thoughts to a close, he agonized over the uncertainty of the path on which he was embarking. The Juirean people had come a long way from their humble beginnings on an obscure planet in a small stellar cluster, to become rulers of the known galaxy. And now an upstart, an outlier from the Far Arm, could threaten it all.
The Humans were not of The Expansion, and as such, did not owe any allegiance to the Juireans. Their civilization, political structure and technology all came from someplace else. Yes, they were being helped by the Klin, but to what extent? That information was in conflict. Could they be a totally self-sufficient industrial and technological power in their own right? Could they control an empire of their own at the far end of the galaxy? There was just so little known about the Far Arm that any guess on his part would be purely that, a guess. And Senior Overlord Yan’wal did not operate on guesses, at least not under normal circumstances.
But what else could he do? And what other choice did he have?
As Yan’wal had previously expressed to his staff, he truly believed the Juirean race was about to encounter the greatest threat to their existence since before the days of Malor the Great. He had no choice.
The Human race had to be destroyed…
Chapter Three
When the link came through from Overlord Yan’wal, Senior Guard Commander Lod-fin Al Reuminin, commander of the Secondary Exploratory Fleet under direction of Fleet Commander Siegor, was in the grooming station of his stateroom, hunched over a sink and vomiting his guts out.
The abscess in his stomach lining was getting worse, and the bile he was expelling was now laced with blood. He felt awful, and he cursed the intoxicating specialty food he had discovered on the planet Yonnlin, during his last assignment in the far-off Sector 4 of The Expansion. The dish was an almost addictive concoction of spices and meats that the dietary computer had cleared for Juirean consumption. However, in excess, the meal
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