This may be hard to hear, but we used the moment of their attacking to surprise them. They were focused on you more than they should have been. We simply took advantage of that.
Why didn't the other members of the Opal Confederation help the Veech?
(He makes a sound resembling a laugh.) The members of that confederation are not the closest of friends or partners. The confederation is made up of over 200 solar systems. It began over two centuries ago in a remote part of what you call the Milky Way Galaxy. Two species fought against one another in neighboring systems, one a vicious species called the Tz and the other a much more prosperous species called the Drak. The Drak vastly outnumbered the Tz, having already converted all of their planets in their system to support life. I believe you call it "Terraforming." (He smiles.)
The war between those two lasted a decade. Despite the advantages the Drak had, the Tz were brutal and determined to win, often sacrificing themselves in a fanatical disregard for their own lives. You see, the Tz have a caste system, with those in power using the lower tiers as if they were animals. Eventually, the Tz destroyed all life on the planets of the Drak and took over ownership. However, their victory was symbolic at best, for they took ownership of worlds destroyed by war.
The Tz learned a lesson that day. They desired power, but a species can not grow unless they have a base of power to grow from. They needed more low-tier species to provide the necessary amenities, food, and ground troops to fuel their war effort. The Tz are brutal, yes, but they are not simple, nor stupid.
Their next conquest ended with an occupation of a system where they killed almost 90% of the indigenous population but managed to keep the planets healthy. They enslaved the populace, planted colonies, and moved on. This continued for decades, with the Tz growing stronger and stronger. However, they came to another conclusion about managing an empire; it took work and administration, and that was something that even the lower caste of the Tz, who had now been elevated, sneered at.
So, when the Tz ran across a species that thought similar to them, they offered them standing in their empire—under them, of course, and directed them to expand. Soon, the Tz confederation had a dozen species fighting for a place under the Tz. A war broke out among the contenders, which the Tz encouraged, and eventually, three species emerged as the victors.
These three races, which we call the Trine, rule over their vassal states, which in turn rule over their vassal states and so forth.
The interests of the Trine often overlap, so they tentatively work together but do not mistake that for any type of comradeship. They each seek the favor of the Tz. They have often fought each other, the Tz only stepping in when it appeared to go too far.
The Veech are considered a lower caste than the Trine, only inhabiting four systems. They are, however, a brutal and ambitious race seeking to move higher and gain greater recognition.
From what our sources indicate, the Veech didn't let the other members, nor their masters, know what they were planning. The Tz still may not know. It reminds me of your 2nd World War. I have read that the Japanese didn't let Germany know they were planning Pearl Harbor's attack. In fact, it surprised the Germans as much as it did the Americans. There are many similarities here.
It came down to the Veech wanting your resources and access to a livable planet, which was not something they would be interested in sharing with other members, especially since sole occupation would help them advance their standing among their peers.
However, even if the Veech went against their character and asked for help, Earth is too far away for conquest to be profitable for any other races in the confederation. The distance creates a weakness in their supply lines that they would not be willing to expose. In addition, they simply wouldn't be interested in helping the Veech. Again, not the best of friends.
What is Earth's place now?
A good question and the answer is that Earth stands alone. Though the Jhi are on friendly terms with you, no military or other agreement exists or is desired by the Shin Alliance.
What is the Shil Alliance?
We are a loose alliance created to fight the expanding Tz and their minions. We have existed for decades and fought the Tz to a standstill. You could say we are the Allied power to their Axis, though I don't know if you would call us the good guys. We share the same beliefs, for the most part, mainly free space to conduct trade.
Will the Earth be allowed to join the Shin Alliance?
No. This may seem harsh, but the Earth has little value to our alliance as a member. Primarily, we don't want Earth in the Veech's hands, which led to our getting involved, as I've said before. This might change in the future, but only time will answer that.
Although the Shin Alliance isn't interested in you, the Jhi and a few other races have started trading on a larger scale.
Earth has a high number of trade items that the Jhi are interested in. Earth's tobacco has especially been popular on many worlds. It might be assumed that because many races seem similar, many food products and such might be comparable to each other, but this is not true. So our merchants are rather excited about the find and have argued a case for you. Trade may not seem like much when your world is burning, but trade brings credits, and credits bring wealth, and there are not many things wealth can't buy.
Oliver Lee
Phoenix Station
Zulu deck, a massive, multi-level space dock, is the home
