At 40 years old Riaf looked much older than he should. His family did not age well. He remembered seeing pictures of his dad bald with a weathered craggy face in uniform at the young age of 25. Maybe it was war or the constant stress of living up to his family’s expectations. Surely he had better genes than that. He remembered his mom had a beautiful golden crown of hair, plump pink cheeks and a smile that could stop an army. She was a bombshell in those days and his dad new it. 100 years at war took a toll on generations of the family.
His assistant walked into the dressing room, “Riaf, you have 10 minutes until you’re on.”
Riaf nodded and waved him out of the room.
A midlife crisis seemed to be swelling inside him but he suppressed it with all his might. Maybe he would regrow that pony tail he had as a kid. That pony tail was awesome. He thought maybe he would one day just leave the Glan, these damned wars and the bureaucracy of his job. He always admired those who lived on the fringes of the Terra off of pure will and wits.
He thought about the haunting fate that seemed to bring him to this place every year. At the age of 12 he remembered seeing his father featured in a war video about the battle for Sector 7. His father was awarded the Medal of Bravery for defending the sector for 5 hours until reinforcements came. Everyone in his platoon died that day. A young Riaf watched lamenting in the fate of the men he called family so easily taken from him. In rage or inspiration he went to the Academy and began assembling. Assemblers are Glan that psycho-kinetically assemble molecules from basic elements. They are one in a million of the Glan population. It is considered one of the greatest gifts of the Glan. The great Assemblers are known for their fields of flowers or their massive forests. It had never been considered for use as a tool of war.
Riaf was a savant at assembling, creating new bio-molecular species. At the age 6 he had created 5 different species of edible plants. At the age of 8 he had created his first companion species, a small furry rodent that seemed to adapt to anything. His assembling was like a composer who would hear a tune in his head and play it beautifully note for note. Others would watch in awe trying to find the line between nature and skill.
The morning after the devastating video Riaf had created 89 distinct species of six legged insects. They were all designed to survive the oxygen rich planet of their enemies the Sxal. The battle had only been waged on Terra due to the fact that the Glan did not have the technology to send massive amounts of troops to Sxal to fight. However, they were able to send small carriers to the planet through their orbiting Space Station. These tiny insects could crawl, fly, or burrow anywhere on the Sxal planet and devour their organic resources. They were shape shifters and would morph from larva to pupal to adult. All along eating until there were no organic life left. They would feast on the remains of the dying Sxal and adapt to their poisons. They would be unnoticed unencumbered and easily packaged for a long voyage.
Riaf presented the plan to the Academy who ordered the immediate manufacture of all 89 species to be launched to the Planet Sxal in a matter of weeks. The containers of insects rained down on the Sxal who ignored or treated them as a nuisance until they saw famine and pestilence rampant throughout their planet. The Sxal would stop attacks on Terra for another 5 years, allowing the Glan to build the technology and the numbers to take the battle to the Sxal.
Riaf became a sensation. He was labeled the young Glan that saved a generation. He was given medals, was on popular game shows and his family was given preferred status in the Capital. By the age of 17 Riaf was the most popular Glan of his generation.
Riaf put his head in his hands as he remembered his father’s last words to him, “Every action has a reaction. We did not ask for war. War came to us. Fate has its way of creating balance.” A Sxal ship had landed outside their home. There was screaming and the horrible sound of panic and distress. Riaf and his mother were taken away to a privacy chamber with Armed Guards while the city was torn apart by 4 legged beasts sent from Sxal. They were designed to hunt and kill the Glan. They had no other will to survive. They did not evolve, they were purposefully designed. Riaf sent pestilence the Sxal sent predators. Brute force beat cunning.
The Glan would eventually capture or kill the beasts sent from Sxal not before Riaf’s father and 30% of the Glan were hunted and killed in the fray. The first hoard landed outside Riaf’s home. He always knew he was the target.
Tears welled up in Riaf’s eyes as he remembered the heartbreak. He, the Head of the Academy, would give his annual speech to the cadets to inspire and overcome the past. Meanwhile, he is still shaken to tears as he remembered his own.
Riaf’s assistant knocked on the door, “You’re on in 2 minutes.”
Riaf picked up his glasses from the table. Did a once over in the mirror and thought, “I would look much better with a pony tail.”
He walked onto the stage to an eager star struck audience of cadets, generals, and editors.
Poised and focused he started, “100 years ago the Glan populated all of the Terra from Togor to Surif. We lived singular lives focused on the survival of our tribal families. Our destiny was to strengthen our tribes to create factions of power to ensure generations of stability. Feuds were common place. War broke out occasionally. We were the greatest threat to our demise as a species. “
Riaf took a swig of water and adjusted his glasses as he went on.
“The greatest lie we were ever told was that we were alone in the Universe. While we fought; species on other planets evolved. They were not satisfied with their own World. They were not satisfied with their star System.”
Riaf’s Voice began to tremble as he remembered the atrocities he witnessed as child. With deep pain he said, “They sought to conquer, to dominate, to advance beyond their planet. We evolved to be the apex predators of this World. We were Lords to all species, Gods to some beasts and companions to others. We never imagined that we would be the prey, the weak, the hunted.“
The Hall full of wide eyed youth, editors, and generals were at full attention.
He slowly began his rally, “Evolution selects those species that adapt to survive. We adapt to the environment, to escape predators, to reproduce and to find sustenance. The greatest species live to fight and another day.”
The crowd erupted in a wave of excitement. He reveled in the moment before going onstage.
“Each passing day provides an opportunity to survive and pass on our genes. Those species that adapt best become the top of the food chain usually through brute strength, cunning, and community. The Glan did not adapt to fight an interstellar War. We don’t have the brute strength or the numbers to win these battles. Every life lost is a lost opportunity to continue the species.”
He looked directly at a Glan cadet in the front row pointing his finger saying, “You’re the key to our future. We’re no longer puppets to evolution’s selection game. Assemblers, you have the power to create the next species; the next generation of species that will win the interstellar battles for us. You will create those that will protect our Terra for each Family, each Tribe, each Faction!” The hall erupted in raucous cheers.
“This academy will build the foundation for the future of the Glan. We don’t pass the torch to this class or this generation, you’re fuel to the flame that already exists.” The crowd rose to their feet in wild admiration. Shrill whistles and teary eyes abounded.
Riaf adjusted his glasses and walked off stage to the standing ovations and cheers from the youth. Offstage he could hear them beginning to sing the battle song of the Glan. These moments were for the youth, for the future, not for him. He paused as he noded his way through congratulations back stage.
Riaf pointed to his assistant yelling “Get your lab coat. We have work to do.”
