[ WP ] A peaceful alien race is besieged by another race in the same galaxy . As their last planets fall and their home-world comes under threat they do the unthinkable . They ask for aid from the only known creatures more brutal than their foes in exchange for FTL technology . Humans accept the deal .

The way of the *Khoseen* failed me. I spent countless moons learning and mastering it. All for naught. My anger pulsated through the room. All of those present felt my rage. And all but one of those present cowered in fear. They knew the stories of ages long since past. They knew our sins. 
 
 `` Are you so uncivilized? ARE YOU SO UNDEVELOPED A RACE?'' I could n't stop it from coming. I broke and my elders' disapproving image found itself in the back of my mind as I continued the shameful tirade. `` You have broken the laws of the Council. You have ended the great peace that has governed the Two Galaxies for millennia. You have spilled the blood of countless innocents. And for what? MINTHRAH? One merely need AGREE to the terms and they would have had it!'' 
 
 The Pronox representative, unmoved by my burst, merely looked back. Disdain gripped her face. The rest of the representatives of the great races of the Two Galaxies looked on uncomfortably. It was the first time they felt the emotions of my kind. 
 
 “ Yes. For Minthrah. ” She calmly leaned forward and rested her three arms on the Great Table. The shock of the others escaped her. “ Agree? You watch as our worlds dry up, as our cities die, and as our kind struggle to survive. You know our need. And in your great benevolence, in your great kindness, you offer us terms that would enslave us. ” 
 
 “ We offer terms no worse than what we offer the others. ” 
 
 “ Exactly. Look around this Great Table. Look at your serfs. We are no serfs. We are Pronox. We will take what is ours as you did. We remember how you built your empire. ” 
 
 I trembled in rage, failing my kind. I began to walk out, but turned to add my final piece, “ You are no better than those filthy apes under our watch. ” 
 
 The memory slowly faded and another soon replaced it. 
 
 “ Are you sure? ” He looked deeply troubled. 
 
 “ Yes ”, I responded. “ It is the only way. ” 
 
 “ We keep them tucked away for good measure. The Council agreed that there would be no contact, that they would be quarantined indefinitely. They can not communicate in our ways. They do not feel the way the rest of us feel. They are a plague. Where they go, they bring only death and destruction. ” 
 
 “ The Council that joined the Pronox and waged war on us? We are losing this war. If we lose, we will be reduced to nothing – a mere shadow of our greatness. The terms of surrender would ruin us. There is nowhere else to turn. ” 
 
 “ I do not doubt that we can win with them at our side. I doubt a future with them released from their bonds. ” 
 
 “ Were we so different? And yet we built the Great Table. We oversaw the Great Peace. ” 
 
 “ And we saw to the ruin of those things. ” 
 
 My mind traveled back to the present as the events unfolded around us. Their forces had arrived using the technology we gave them in our desperation. Our mighty fleet failed. Their ships methodically eliminated our planet ’ s defenses. Their warriors disembarked their ships and quickly entered the sacred Temple. The ruthlessness of their war machine astounded me. I had not seen the brutality of it until now. I shut my eyes for a moment of peace and the past drifted into my mind again. 
 
 “ With all due respect, Sir, this is bull shit. Your predecessor signed the terms. ” 
 
 It was difficult for my translator to follow their euphemisms. It was hard enough to capture all of their formal tongues, let alone all the variations of their commoners. 
 
 “ You mean to tell us that we are fighting this fucking war on your behalf and you ’ re going to cap deliveries of the one resource that ’ s necessary to win? Are you fucking kidding me? ” 
 
 I looked back at him. “ What is your word? Ah, yes,'pillaging'. You should be able to find enough Minthrah to build your ships on the worlds of our enemies you ’ ve already defeated. ” It was hard not to be condescending. They are so inferior. Yet, there he was, demanding what we would not give them. We could not give it to them. Our hegemony to follow the war was critical. 
 
 Their commander shifted his weight and surveyed me. The way of the *Khoseen* failed me again as it had done when this began. He could somehow feel me. “ I ’ m not letting my men die so you and your little council can keep whatever power you ’ re holding onto. I expect deliveries to continue pursuant to the terms of our deal. If you do not hold your end of the bargain, expect repercussions. ” He turned and left. 
 
 My eyes opened again. Sadness and regret emanated from me like a beacon.'Falling on deaf ears' as the apes said. That euphemism made sense at least. I could hear movement outside. 
 
 Our only choice was to stop them. We had to try to destroy their battered war machine before they attained more Minthrah and eventually turned their cold gaze upon us. An explosion and a burst of light filled the chamber. The burst faded and flashes from their weapons filled the room instead. A coldness I have never felt before gripped me. 
 
 “ Fucking pathetic, dude. These shits die without so much as a peep. Kind of boring. ” 
 
 “ Mike, did you not read the god damn briefing about these guys? Or did you even bother Googling that shit? Of course not, you ’ re a fucking idiot. They don ’ t communicate verbally. Mental telephathy type stuff. ” 
 
 “ Oh, right. Whatever, Vladimir. ” 
 
 “ Shit. Isn ’ t this their leader? He ’ s still alive. ” 
 
 “ Who cares? Our orders were ‘ kill on sight ’. Put one in his ugly fucking mug. ” 
 
 A gun shot rang in the hallowed chamber. 
 
 “ What chow we gon na get tonight you think? ” 
 

