Jake and Junior were stunned, “I have never encountered a spirit, and I have great difficulty seeing anything about you being a part of the species that kills so callously. Their indifference to the suffering they cause is staggering.”
Jake and Junior sensed the being’s sorrow, “You are right, but we were not always this way.”
“What changed you?”
“We were invaded by green creatures that threatened to exterminate us.”
Jake could sense Junior’s surprise. “I don’t understand.”
“As you probably know by now, my species is telepathic and every individual is interconnected mentally. We lost a hundred thousand worlds to the green invaders before we developed a thought-powered weapon to defend ourselves. Unfortunately, we discovered my species had tremendous difficulty using their thoughts to kill another creature. We were a peaceful, gentle race and just couldn’t force ourselves to do it. The weapon only works by using the focused thoughts of many Keepers, and it appeared that we were going to cease to exist unless we found a way to use the new weapon.”
Junior interrupted, “Well, you appear to have no trouble using it now.”
Jake and Junior heard a heavy sigh mentally, “That is my fault.”
They didn’t know how to respond, so waited silently for the voice to continue. “My species had, and still possesses, a central intelligence that directs the actions of us all. It is made from a tiny part of every…Keeper, as you call us, and it makes decisions about how our trillions work together. I was a part of that central being and I was composed of all the finer emotions: love, compassion, conscience, religion, morals, sense of right and wrong, and other similar characteristics. It was decided that the only way for us to survive was for the Collective, the central intelligence, to isolate me from the general population in order to remove their reluctance to kill other creatures. It decided that I must temporarily take that part of our psyche and isolate it in order to save us. I saw no other way to survive the green invaders, so I agreed on the promise that I would return after the green invaders were defeated.”
Jake said, “That war was millions of years ago. Are you still isolated from your populations?”
“Yes.”
“Then we need to get you back in.”
There was silence and finally they heard, “It’s too late for that now. I tried to enter some of us and there is no longer a place in my species’ minds for me to return. It appears that the place where I fit in our psyche has deteriorated and is now gone. I cannot return.”
Junior asked, “Then why are you here?”
“I had to see if you were like my species. I decided that if you came here to check on the worlds that were going to be destroyed as a consequence of your actions, then you were a part of the creative force. If you did not, you were no better than us.”
“What have you determined?”
“You came.”
Jake thought a moment, “So, what are you saying?”
“I’m here to assist you by telling you the process you must follow to kill every member of my race.”
Jake and Junior were too shocked to respond.
Finally Junior asked, “Can we kill them?”
“You will have to find a weapon that kills our ships to do that. However, I am going to tell you how you must do it when you find that weapon. Any other way will not work and would only lead to making your survival unlikely.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t kill the home worlds until all the subject planets are cleansed of my species.”
Jake felt suspicious at that statement.
“You’re thinking that I’m not being honest with you. You think I’m being untruthful to prevent you killing the home worlds. Let me tell you why you must wait. As long as the home worlds live, the Collective will live. My species can reproduce at a rate that would absolutely astound you. Right now our population is tightly controlled by the Collective Intelligence. If you kill the home worlds first, the Collective will disappear, along with its population control. The farming planets would explode in population growth. You would have millions of home worlds in less than a hundred cycles. They will first consume every captive population and, since we now have universal drives, they will then move out into other universes to gather food. Eventually, the Collective Intelligence would reconstitute itself and you would be facing a force millions of times larger with a directing intelligence that dwarfs the one you are currently fighting.”
Jake understood, and that vision was frightening. He pulled up some scans of the Keepers’ home worlds, then said, “I don’t think it’s right to destroy your species when you were forced into defending yourselves against the invaders. It’s not your fault that you became what you are now.”
Values screamed, “Yes it is our fault! We are to blame for all the horror!”
Jake and Junior recoiled at the intensity of the scream, and waited for the being to continue.
In a much softer tone the being continued, “We deliberately decided to become what we are. I was only supposed to be isolated for a short time and then return to our people. After the victory over the green creatures we were consumed by our feeling of invincibility and drunk with power. We conquered a few worlds to feed our populations and discovered nothing could withstand our new weapon. The Collective decided that we could use the worlds of our universe to provide our meals and we would no longer have to work our farms to nourish our masses. I rebelled at the plan and was disorganized by the Collective for a hundred thousand cycles. When I reconstituted, the Collective and the Quadrants had already decided I was to stay isolated from our citizens. By then we were addicted to power and deliberately chose to take the path of conquest.”
The voice paused, then continued, “We are an abomination to creation. It now falls to you to try and destroy every Keeper in existence. If any survive, your ancestors will face the horror of living under their care. They will only get stronger.”
Junior said quietly, “We have great difficulty exterminating a species.”
“Just as we had great difficulty using our thoughts to kill other creatures; now observe what we’ve become. It’s what you do after the victory that is the real issue for you to face. Can you resist the temptation of total power? I hope you learn from our choices.”
Jake felt the being’s sadness. “What are you going to do now?”
“My duty has been done. My mission to assist you is complete, and you know what you must do to survive. I am going to dissolve my structure and end my suffering.”
“I thank you for helping us. I truly wish there was a way to save your species.”
“We are a species of killers that have no morals or redeeming qualities. We have become apex predators and every intelligent race is our prey. If you fail in this endeavor, please pass this information to other universes in the hope that someone will be able to stop us. For me, there is only pain and revulsion at what we have become. I cannot continue to exist seeing what we are doing to innocent civilizations.”
Jake and Junior sensed the being fade into nothingness. Jake sighed heavily and hung his head, “This death is the worst of all those killed by the Keepers. They have caused the death of their hearts.”
“They haven’t possessed a heart for millions of years, Jake. These beings are not forced to kill like the Spiders. They have chosen this path with full knowledge of where they were going. They are responsible for their actions. One other thing, Jake.”
“What?”
“Now you know why you had to come here.”
“You’re right. However, as soon as we determine if our frequency generator works, we are coming back here to free these cities. This will be the first garrison we eliminate.”
“That’s an excellent decision. Ready to go home?”
“More than you know.”
The remnants of Values scattered in open space. In a hundred thousand years it would reconstitute and would see if it had been successful. If not, another enemy would have to be found or made.
Ron Kune stared at his console and saw another giant liftoff from the Keepers’ home world he was assigned to watch. Fifty forts had been lifted off the planet in the last hour, and still there were blasts dotting the planet’s surface. The Keepers’ ships holding station above the planet’s atmosphere were forced to dodge the fast moving
