Spawn of War
Landing on the third planet from the star Tarnes, Nate befriends some flying red ball creatures. Soon, ships arrive, dropping food supplies for the balls, but then the ships also fire lasers into the crowds, killing as many as a third of the balls (and narrowly missing Nate).
Nate follows the ships back to the fourth planet, where he finds it inhabited by larger flying balls covered in sheets. The balls are silvery, and since they despise shiny things, they are careful to remain covered. They even avoid by hundreds of miles the few lakes on the otherwise dry planet. It is also against the rules to leave a building on the same level you entered it. Doing so always makes the perpetrator and the witnesses feel uncomfortably hungry, as does being uncovered. To avoid social trespass, Nate must often jump from second-floor windows.
The beings are totally unreasonable and will not negotiate or answer questions. They only insist that it is their right to do with the red balls as they please since the red balls are dependent on them for nutrition. To them, they are non-people. “Ah, a right, of course. Okay, no problem,” Nate says and leaves – but not before sabotaging their fueling stations. He returns to the third planet and organizes it for war. The red balls are grateful for the help.
It is only days of fighting later that Nate sees new red balls being delivered to the planet. He subsequently makes the discovery that the red balls and covered balls are not two different races at all; the red balls are the immature offspring of the covered balls. They kill their own young! The young that survive grow up to be killers themselves! At last, he is given the full explanation: The fourth planet is in danger of overpopulation, so they limit the number of young to survive to adulthood as circumstances warrant. It has always been part of their natural life cycle to leave the young on the relatively warm third planet only to pick them up when they mature. However, the food they require only grows on the fourth planet. Their life cycle is sacred to them and they are angry with Nate for inserting himself into their private affairs.
Nate sees now that independence is impossible. Neither demographic can become a community on its own. These murderers must remain unpunished. However, the silver balls decide they will not let him leave until they have tried him for murder. Nate is willing to overlook their crimes, but they will not overlook his initial attempt to defend the innocent.
Nate escapes, but they soon capture him. There is no way out. He is very angry. While sitting in his cell awaiting trial, he pulls his communicator from its hiding spot and calls the red balls, still awaiting orders. “Attack,” he says.
Being too young to understand that they are destroying their own food source and future home, and using the advanced weapons technology that Nate taught them to make, the red balls start to win. The silver balls get desperate and Nate convinces them that he can call off the attack if they let him go. They do and Nate follows through on his promise, but not before using a strionic energy beam to convert the surface of the capitol building into a giant mirror (and possibly blinding anyone who happened to be outside).
Nate follows the ships back to the fourth planet, where he finds it inhabited by larger flying balls covered in sheets. The balls are silvery, and since they despise shiny things, they are careful to remain covered. They even avoid by hundreds of miles the few lakes on the otherwise dry planet. It is also against the rules to leave a building on the same level you entered it. Doing so always makes the perpetrator and the witnesses feel uncomfortably hungry, as does being uncovered. To avoid social trespass, Nate must often jump from second-floor windows.
The beings are totally unreasonable and will not negotiate or answer questions. They only insist that it is their right to do with the red balls as they please since the red balls are dependent on them for nutrition. To them, they are non-people. “Ah, a right, of course. Okay, no problem,” Nate says and leaves – but not before sabotaging their fueling stations. He returns to the third planet and organizes it for war. The red balls are grateful for the help.
It is only days of fighting later that Nate sees new red balls being delivered to the planet. He subsequently makes the discovery that the red balls and covered balls are not two different races at all; the red balls are the immature offspring of the covered balls. They kill their own young! The young that survive grow up to be killers themselves! At last, he is given the full explanation: The fourth planet is in danger of overpopulation, so they limit the number of young to survive to adulthood as circumstances warrant. It has always been part of their natural life cycle to leave the young on the relatively warm third planet only to pick them up when they mature. However, the food they require only grows on the fourth planet. Their life cycle is sacred to them and they are angry with Nate for inserting himself into their private affairs.
Nate sees now that independence is impossible. Neither demographic can become a community on its own. These murderers must remain unpunished. However, the silver balls decide they will not let him leave until they have tried him for murder. Nate is willing to overlook their crimes, but they will not overlook his initial attempt to defend the innocent.
Nate escapes, but they soon capture him. There is no way out. He is very angry. While sitting in his cell awaiting trial, he pulls his communicator from its hiding spot and calls the red balls, still awaiting orders. “Attack,” he says.
Being too young to understand that they are destroying their own food source and future home, and using the advanced weapons technology that Nate taught them to make, the red balls start to win. The silver balls get desperate and Nate convinces them that he can call off the attack if they let him go. They do and Nate follows through on his promise, but not before using a strionic energy beam to convert the surface of the capitol building into a giant mirror (and possibly blinding anyone who happened to be outside).