Parabellum Snippet 1

 Sitrep:

   So, you know those days when things just gotta go wonky? Toilet leaking (check!) Lil Red being a lovable witch this morning... (check!) people showing up & scammers calling while you are on said toilet (Double check!... no, wait, don't do that! It stinks very much badly in there at the moment! I mean... never mind) 

lol

  Anyway, I just checked my e-mail and Goodlifeguide got Parabellum back to me. So, I guess I should have started posting snippets earlier! Oops?

  So, here is the deal. I'll start posting snippets. 1 per chapter for 4-5 chapters. If I get say, 10 comments I'll stop and toddle on over to Amazon and B&N and publish the book. Otherwise... Saturday? Sunday? Monday? That was my original plan anyway.

On to the first snippet!

Chapter 1

 

New Tau Metropolis

 

Rachel Trejo smiled her patented smile as she sat at the anchor desk for Knox News Tau affiliate. Her producer Nellie, “ole Nellie,” Jurgens gave her a thumbs-up.

She nodded ever so slightly back and then turned to her guest as the queue went off. “So, before the break, Professor Falks, we were discussing the disagreeable situation with the Confederation. We have seen the transmission from the confrontation between the Federation government and Ambassador Iro. You were about to share your thoughts?”

Professor Falks was a professor of political science at the New Tau Metropolis University. He was a self-styled liberal and pacifist. He had been one of her talking heads during the peace talks between the Federation and the Confederation.

He was also one of the few who had taken to vehemently protest the move to war and who was willing to defend his viewpoint on camera. He tended to look like an ass though, and she was starting to enjoy playing devil's advocate to his position.

She knew Vice Admiral Shelby Logan as well as Ambassador Fred Muggs and the other players in the drama that was unfolding in front of them. She had gotten a feel for them and knew they were on the level with what they said. They wouldn't say it unless they could prove it.

On the flip side, the onetime she'd landed an interview with Ambassador Iro, the Tauren lead diplomat from the Confederation, she'd gotten the willies. He'd been stiff and hadn't at all been happy with being in the same room with her. The vibes she'd gotten had told her something was off. The information that the Federation had released had proven those feelings out.

To say that the news that the Confederation was Xenophobic was shocking. Some media outlets had tried to play it off, but the release of information about the Confederation's policies towards other species had been appalling. The public outcry had turned into a landslide of support to go to war. The Confederation's attack on the Federation border had sealed the deal as far as war was concerned.

“Yes, well, it is unfortunate, a very unfortunate situation,” the Neochimp professor temporized. He tugged on his polka dot bowtie slightly. “As was the declaration of war that the Federation Congress had put forward. They are acting rather hastily.”

“But it has been made clear that the Confederation has moved against the Federation. Their fleets have crossed the border at two points and are capturing our worlds.”

“Yes, well, I still think it is a misunderstanding and that we squandered an opportunity for peace.”

“How is that, Professor, when they blew the talks up from the beginning?” Rachel asked as she cocked her head. She could see Nellie shaking his head and his lips thin in a frown but she ignored him. Pete Knox might have an ax to grind with the administration but the administration had been playing straight with the public from day one. That much was clear.

“Yes, well, I think more methods of defusing the situation could have been attempted. The standing saying is that if both sides are talking than they aren't shooting at each other.”

“As I understand it, the fleets were moving and attacking our border even as talks were underway still, Professor,” Rachel reminded him. He scowled, not liking being put on the spot. “I also understand their talks were a thinly veiled attempt to drive a wedge between the people of Tau and the Federation as well as an espionage attempt?”

“I don't honestly know much about those two subjects.”

“But you did watch the talks? Didn't Ambassador Iro try to drive a wedge between the government and the local governors?”

“Well … yes. I initially thought it was to find allies in our government,” the professor admitted.

“Ah, I see,” Rachel said, eyes gleaming slightly.

She was excited by the war for the ratings and the sudden importance of the Tau desk in the media conglomerate. Careerwise, it was a big kick. But it came with a lot of risks. Hopefully, the risks were worth the reward.

“What about the information about the Confederation genocide ongoing in their territory?” she asked.

He scowled. “I don't have any independent confirmation of that information. If it is true, it is appalling. I would normally say it is their territory and every government has the right to police its own people as they see fit. But I see it also as another squandered opportunity.”

“Oh? How so?”

“If they are so isolationist and xenophobic, why not offer them an out and take those people off their hands? Thus solving their problem and making it a humanitarian one. One we can build political bridges on later.”

“Feeding their isolationist tendencies doesn't sound like a good thing, Professor,” the young woman said with a frown.

“It may not be. But with continued work we could help them get over it. In time we could facilitate reparations in the future.”

“But it would open up a humanitarian crisis on the border.”

“True, but we could deal with that.”

Rachel noted Nellie's hand motions to move it along.

“Unfortunately, all this talk is moot,” she said. The professor blinked. “They didn't allow anyone to escape their borders for centuries, and there is no history of the Confederation deporting them. The few refugees that did escape were hunted down by their espionage services.”

The professor scowled. “Again, we have little proof of that.”

“Given that the government received it and received independent confirmation of it at other locations and even detected the enemy's ansible network in our space, Professor, shouldn't we give them the benefit of the doubt?”

He frowned but then shrugged.

“In time we will of course gather more information,” Rachel said with a firm nod. “We at Knox News are monitoring local media reports as they go into a frenzy. We are aware of the fleet moving on Triple Threat as well as elsewhere in the south. If you, our loyal viewers, have the ability to escape that area, we strongly urge you to do so. If you find yourselves trapped on the planet, we urge you to find a safe place to hide…”

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