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Kill the Whales

Rules set: Dirtside

Miniatures: Anglics, Mikos' Marauders

Location: New Brisbane


“… ecosystem contamination has reached a new extreme, as can be seen in the following photographs taken over one of New Brisbane’s formerly pristine saltwater oceans.  We are not talking about rats here, or rabbits, or a xenoadaptable microbial infection, although any of the above could in itself be a world-changing catastrophe.  What you see is a pod of seven young-adult sperm whales. 

“The creature they are eating, a native, herbivorous klakkon, has limited mobility and no natural experience of such a predator.  The introduction of whales to New Brisbane will in ultimate consequence mean the genocide not only of this native species, but of unknown others as well.  I call upon this august body to see justice done … .”  - Beaufort Treyhug, Alpha Sierra Sierra Club, testimony to U.N. Ecosystem Committee.

“For generations the whale has lived under the tarred jackboot of human hegemony.  We reached the stars by crushing their bones beneath our feet!  Is it too much to ask that they be allowed the same rights as the meanest human, the lowest corporate stooge?  New Brisbane is as much their world as ours.  Perhaps more, given that their souls lack human tarnish.

“The populace of New Brisbane has shown remarkable sensitivity in desiring to have these caring, spiritual creatures in their midst.  Would that we could all learn from their example.  Perhaps, failing that, it is enough simply to embrace the facts.  Although transport of a dozen infant whales was a costly endeavor, returning to Earth a population now numbering over a hundred adult animals would be prohibitive.  Furthermore, Earth’s oceans are overpopulated already, with starvation rising among our noble marine mammals and their breeding grounds choked to overflowing.  Let them share in the human diaspora.  It is time.”- Andrew Zodiac, GreenWar, testimony to U.N. Ecosystem Committee.

“This is zone 13 Marshall’s office to U.N. orbital.  We have a situation here.  Request backup ASAP.

“An armed force has seized New Brisbane Xenowildlife Department’s whale tracking station at Point Crystal.  Department personnel have been allowed to leave, no casualties, but the attackers refuse to communicate.  They have armored vehicles and we do not, repeat do not, have the capacity planetside to engage them.  Please res – wait a minute –

“We’re tracking a second force inbound on high-mobility vehicles.  They’re engaging with high-energy lasers …”

 The Incident erupted on an otherwise peaceful day.

(Explosion tears apart an attacking grav tank.)

“Murdering scum!  Is destroying this planet so important to you that you have to take human life?”

 Rhetoric, and gunfire, was exchanged

“You don’t scare us, you whale – murdering bastards!  You’d sell your own mothers for the evil dollar, wouldn’t you?  Corporate stooges.  Whales have mothers too!  Did you know that?”

 Both sides fought with the persistence of their convictions.

“I got a cluster bomb for every one of your damn whales.”

 And the gloves came off

The grav tanks swing close enough to bring their fusion guns to bear.  Large slices of hill disappear as they shred the hull-down defenders.  But magrail shells take their toll as well on Alpha Sierra’s armed activists.

“One last push!  SAVE THE PLANET!!”

 Tanks popped like chestnuts as the opponents closed range.

“No, SAVE THE WHALES!!”

 But extremists are born to kill and to die.

 

“Ernest Bletchly reporting for Dingo News. 

 

“By the time UN marines reached the surface, the survivors of both sides had melted away into the countryside.  They’ll watch exit points for awhile, but with so few personal identifiers nobody is holding out much hope.

 

“Relief workers found forty-seven casualties at the scene, all dead, along with over a dozen mostly damaged or destroyed military vehicles.  Not to mention over a hundred sperm whales, all floating belly up.  With the instruments in the tracking center, it must have been like shooting fish in a barrel.  I mean, I realize whales aren’t fish.  But in this one sweeping move, New Brisbane has been denuded of its entire population of these great and beautiful creatures.  Which as is said may have denuded our world of any number of other species had they been allowed to survive.  Or at least to eat.  Which is the problem with natural creatures; they eat one another incessantly.  And until someone corrects that state of affairs then so, it seems, will humans.  Does that make sense?  How much longer – ah, thank you.  Back to you, Tom.”


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