The Borconians: By Radrook
Apr 9, 2021 8:14:26 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Apr 9, 2021 8:14:26 GMT -5
The Borconians
By Radrook
By Radrook
The Borconians were a pink skinned, gonad-skull-crested humanoid species discovered in the outer reaches of the Milky Way galaxy on a world circling a red dwarf star and whose name would forever be a cause for scorn. They had been easily subjugated by Unodians, a warlike race of humanoids and had offered only meager resistance against a technology far exceeding their own. True, they had not been the only ones. Eventually there were hundreds of planets under imperial dominion. But unlike other conquered species who valued freedom, the Borconians appeared not to. Instead, they became notorious for groveling before the emperor via their emotional petitions to be granted formal colonial imperial status.
“Was that too much to expect?” they constantly reasoned among themselves.
“Had they not fought fervently for the empire? Had they not spilled their precious green blood on on numerous battlefields on far-flung worlds in order to increase imperial dominion? Had they not proven their loyalty by erecting monuments to every single emperor that had honored them by briefly visiting their world? Had they not erected statues to honor the brave imperial soldiers who had fallen during their planet’s invasion and conques? Had they not willingly relinquished their inherent rights to do commerce with other species? Had they not allowed imperial domination of all their interplanetary political and commercial interactions? Always permitting the empire to have the last word? Had they not obediently allowed their moon to be used as target practice for imperial battle cruisers and allowed Borconian settlers there to suffer as a consequence for the sake of the empire?”
Since their status in the empire was considered a humiliation, the Borconians had finally requested a personal audience with the emperor himself and had dispatched their most respected and experienced Borconian ambassador, the noble Hopendeh, for the task.
“Tell us, what more must we do to deserve the honor?” Hopendeh the Borconian ambassador had said to the emperor who had been patiently listening to his petition and secretly holding him in utter contempt for his unconditional servility. After a long extended silence during which he stared contemptuously at the ambassafor, the Emperor finally spoke.
“What must you do?” the emperor who was splendidly attired in his gleaming battle armor with a burnished helmet encasing a massive head asked rhetorically.
“Yes your excellency, what must we do?” the ambassador said softly with large pink eyes lowered to the floor.
“Simple, you must relocate yourselves to one of your moons, and allow your planet to be used solely for essential imperial mining operations for a perion of ten of your years. Only then will we consider the very remote and very unlikely possibility of granting you the status you request.
Having been instructed to agree with all imperial demands regardless of their nature, the Borconian ambassador, despite his personal opinions to the contrary, felt he had no choice but to respond with:
“Thank you your excellency. Consider it done! Evacuation of our home world will be executed. Is there anything else we can do in order to prove our worthiness in being part of the empire, your imperial highness? ‘
“I had not yet finished!” the emperor shouted more in frustration at the ambassador’s self-effacing attitude than about the interruption itself. He found himself scowling menacingly at the Borconian ambassador who had lowered his bulbous head humbly in order to display unquestioning submission to the empire’s will.
Sneering triumphantly, while fighting a sense of profound sadness, the emperor continued:
“Extenuating circumstances have developed which we need not reveal to you, but which demand drastic measures. Since this is a matter of a serious urgency, population transfer must be accomplished within five of your days.
“But your excellency....”
“Those who have not been removed by that time,” the emperor continued, this time choosing to ignore the interruption, “will be considered hostiles and treated accordingly. Which means that they will be enslaved and sold in order to cover the cost inflicted by your delay. Is this fully understood?”
Once more the emperor searched the Borconian’s sallow face for some sign of bitter outrage but detected none. He was temporarily overwhelmed by a nauseous revulsion he had never experience during his dealings with other sentient species. True, they had been eventually systematically conquered, but not without first putting up a furious fight or some other semblance of outraged resistance .
In fact, some had preferred to abandon their home worlds and had continued their resistance from distant regions via raids. Others had banded together to present a united front. He hated them all, of course, but had to grudgingly admire their unconquerable courage. Yet these Borconians... These damned Borconians....
“Yes your imperial excellency,” the Borconian ambassador continued totally unaware of how negatively he was being evaluated and feeling he was being admired for his loyalty instead. “being an integral part of the empire is all that really concerns us. Everything else is of secondary importance.” the Borconian responded calmly with a placid practiced smile on his thin pink lips. .
“That was not a guarantee!”“ the emperor roared from his bejeweled diamantine, elevated throne and the gargantuan reptilian guards armed with sonic blasters flanking it seemed on the verge of attacking the ambassador for his impudence.
“I have not provided you with any guarantee!” he repeated. “Only that your humble cooperation will be taken into serious consideration whenever other petitions for empire membership arise.” At that moment the empress who had been listening silently from behind a partition appeared smiling broadly and gazing quizzically at the emperor who appeared temporarily mesmerized by her presence.
“But there is another requirement, not my idea of course, but the idea of my beloved empress.” he said as if in some irresistible trance. The emperor then rose from his throne took her ivory white hand in his, and gently escorted her to a smaller throne beside his own.
“What is that requirement my lord?” the ambassador asked humbly, albeit with an emerging sense of panic. He had heard dreadful things about this female creature. In fact, that was the reason he had initially attempted to avoid the assignment but political pressure had prevailed and here he was.
“The requirement is that the entire Borconian male population be surgically emasculated before your petition is even brought up before my council of advisers.
“What?” The ambassador’s epidermis fluctuated rapidly in different shades, his two hearts accelerated and his narrow shoulders slumped.
“How dare you question the empress’s wisdom in this matter!” the emperor shouted coming to his feet. He was fully approx. five meters tall in comparison with the ambassador’s meager three.
Three meters was exceedingly tall on the Borconian’s world and it was one reason why he had been chosen. Now he realized just how ridiculous it had been to assume that the emperor would be impressed.
“When you arrived at my imperial court and requested an audience,” the Emperor said as he began to pace back and forth while keeping the ambassador under a steady gaze, just as an Earthian tiger might do before pouncing on its prey.
“I granted you one despite having more urgent matters at hand. Do you realize that at this very moment millions will perish because of my giving your petition priority? Worlds that are in need of my bounteous benevolence? Worlds which would gladly perish just for the honor of being in my imperial presence as you are now?
“No offense was intended my lord!” the ambassador uttered softly as required by imperial protocol.
“Excellent!” The emperor smiled broadly and his oblique red eyes, characteristic of his species, seemed to temporarily flash with some inner light.
“But as a show of good faith, the emasculation must begin with you? Are you willing to permit my empress to personally do you the honor? She has a voracious appetite for gonads of your species.” the emperor said smiling broadly.
“Me excellency?” In his sudden fear, the ambassador had very slightly dared to raise his voice and the emperor’s frown indicated that he was strongly displeased.
“Well if not, then your planet’s request for imperial colonial status will be forever archived. Is that what you really desire, ambassador? After all, it is such a small thing and demanded of all our humanoid subjugated species. Were you not made aware of this requirement?”
“No your imperial excellency, I was not,” the ambassador responded in a quivering voice that reflected his growing panic.
“So you have insolently dared to appear before my imperial presence totally misinformed?”
With that two reptilian guards restrained the ambassador. Then, two naked purple-skinned humanoid maidens suddenly emerged from the shadows carrying the necessary surgical implements for the castration. They approached while bowing low before the empress who then proceeded to slowly and delicately removed them from the trays and then to approach the the ambassador slowly with a broad smile that revealed serrated teeth. Then she deftly proceeded to slowly sever the ambassador’s crest-enclosed gonads from the top of his skull until they were completely extirpated. The two humanoid maidens then quickly applied the yellow healing-acceleration ointment, and then quickly melted back into the shadows from whence they had emerged.
As the ambassador stood reeling in agony between two reptilian guards, his face dripping with his own green blood that was flowing for his imperfectly sutured wound, the emperor announced:
“Now you can proudly proclaim to the inhabitants of your world that their petition for imperial-colonial status has a far better chance of succeeding than before! Now, put him on the transport and send him back to his planet. Is the empress pleased?” the emperor asked in a worried tone of voice.
“Yes my imperial Lord! Very exceedingly so,” she hissed proudly while still holding up the ambassador’s purple gonad crest in her white- gloved hand as if they were some exotic trophy to be proudly placed on display.
“But I do have one serious concern, my beloved. Is my imperial lord truly considering allowing these, contemptuous, groveling creatures to be members of our noble empire?”
Before he could respond, she continued:
“Since when are those groveling values the ones which our emperor and the empire cherishes and protects?” she held him in a steady gaze of her large languid purple eyes.
The emperor sat pensively for a moment then answered.
“No my empress! These creatures will never attain imperial status. They are merely being assuaged temporarily until we can decide what to do with them. Strangely they seem totally oblivious of the effect that their behavior has on creatures who do value self-respect.
They are also unaware that they are officially considered a plague that threatens to spread, and if allowed to spread, will weaken imperial resolve. It was not by groveling that the empire was built. It was not by groveling that we have extended our influence throughout the galaxy. It is only by unwavering resolve and brutal determination, by an intense sense of dignity that would never grovel before anyone no matter how mighty and thus it must and will remain.
The empress stood smiling approvingly by his throne still in possession of the ambassador’s crest enclosed gonads which she had now placed in a transparent case. The plaque on the case had a message engraved on it which read:
These are the gonads of a Groveler ambassador of the Borconians, a species soon to be rendered extinct.