by Petra Landon
“There is one more thing, Zh’hir.” Pe’luk frowned. “Jh’hrok was babbling about alien baithoni and the dilution of Ur’quay blood. I thought he was delusional, much like about your desire to be a mercenary. But now, I wonder.”
He straightened, at what he saw on Zh’hir’s face. “Have you taken a non-Ur’quay baithoni, Star Captain?”
“It is not against regulations, of course, but you are duty-bound to report it if you have” he added.
“Yes, I have” Zh’hir acknowledged.
Pe’luk’s eyes widened. “Who is she?”
“Do you remember an accidental autoport while you were Captain of the Henia?”
“Yes, a young female taken with the shtoal samples. She was … Terran, if I remember correctly?”
“From Terra Agri 5” Zh’hir clarified.
“That is the world supplying food to Ur’Qia” Pe’luk muttered, his brows coming together as he tried to recollect the reports he had been reading up about the Aralokan mission. “The Ambassador” he exclaimed. “She is the same one we autoported by accident?”
“She is also Tseka’ki.”
Pe’luk’s astonished eyes stared at him through the console. “You knew what she was ten months ago, Zh’hir?”
“Yes” Zh’hir admitted baldly. He had been willing to walk away from Space Force and the Ur’quay. Now that he was being reinstated, he did not intend to hide the truth. If Space Force could not accept his relationship with Sila or anything that had led up to it, he wanted it out in the open.
“Is she one of the Tseka’ki that cannot handle the gift?” Pe’luk asked, more curious than anything else.
“She is better than most and I have taught her to handle the gift better.”
“Good” Pe’luk said, his eyes on the Star Captain’s face.
“Be happy, Zh’hir. You, I and many others will attempt to turn our fortunes around. But if the High Mountain Deity determines that our time is up, it will be a futile effort. And if what we fear comes to pass, I will have no regrets knowing that the Ur’quay live on in others scattered through the galaxy.”
As the Star Admiral signed off, Zh’hir stared at the console blankly, trying to process the conversation.
“You resigned from your Space Force?” Sila exclaimed.
He turned to look at her on the bed, where she sat with the blanket wrapped around her.
She looked anxious. “It has something to do with me. You said you broke Ur’quay law.”
Zh’hir hurried to reassure her. “I have been reinstated, Sseela.”
Sila ignored him. “What law did you break for me?” she insisted.
He strode to the bed, wondering how to break the news to her.
But Sila was undeterred. She knew what Space Force meant to him. He would not take such a drastic step lightly. “You said Medic Vh’raal knows about it” she muttered, mind working furiously.
“Sseela …” he tried again.
“The Ur’quay have discovered my secret” she exclaimed. “Is that why you resigned, Star Captain?”
“My warriors know you are Tseka’ki” he admitted. “I lost control of your mind when the Ketaari Brutaniyr blew and they sensed some of your thoughts.”
She paled. Sila had been afraid of this. “What do they think?”
“They are more astonished that I have taken a non-Ur’quay baithoni” he said, trying to distract her.
Momentarily diverted, Sila stared at him. “What does baithoni mean?” she asked. She had assumed it to be an endearment in his language.
“Once, a long time ago, I told you that Ur’quay mate for life.”
Sila nodded. She remembered the conversation well — she had been distraught and fighting tears at the thought of leaving the Henia. “Your version of marriage.”
“I have researched this marriage, Sseela” he said carefully. “And an Ur’quay’s baithoni is a little different.”
A pucker dented Sila’s brows. “Different - how?”
“Once an Ur’quay takes a baithoni, he is bound to her. He cannot mate with anyone else while he lives.”
Sila stared at him. “He?” she asked uncertainly.
“It is the same for both male and female. Even if a baithoni dies, he cannot mate with another” Zh’hir explained. A baithoni was sacred. To tie oneself to a mate for life was not a matter Ur’quay took lightly.
Shocked, Sila went speechless.
“When I used my fangs on you, it tied me to you” he explained. “You became my baithoni.”
Sila blinked, her eyes widening.
“If you were Ur’quay, you would use your fangs on me and it would bind you to me” he added.
Sila’s eyes shot to him, tangling with the exotic gold ones.
“But you are tied to me through your heart, little Terran” he said simply.
She shot up from the bed, uncaring that she was naked, and he eyed her warily.
“You married me” she burst out. “Without telling me?”
“I did tell you” he protested. “I said that if you became mine, it would have to be for a lifetime” he reminded her.
Sila goggled at him. “I thought you were being romantic.”
He hesitated, unsure what the correct response to that was.
“You could have said something” she said softly.
He sighed. “I was leaving you. And then, you were kidnapped …” his voice trailed away. “I wanted to make it special.”
Sila roused herself. “I want a Terran ceremony.”
“Alright” he agreed promptly. “Anything else?”
She walked up to him. “You were willing to give up Space Force and break Ur’quay law for me. I dare anyone to make me give up my baithoni.”
He smiled, teeth and fangs flashing.
Zh’hir reached for her hand. “There is more you should know, Sseela” he said.
Sila tugged him towards the bed. “It can wait. I just found out I have a baithoni.”
EPILOGUE
Four months later
“I have it” announced the Ur’quay male, his words shattering the tense silence in the chamber. Despite his attempt to keep his voice even, the excitement and triumph came through clearly.
All eyes in the Command Chamber turned to the Star Captain. It would be his call.
Zh’hir addressed the male. “You are sure, Engineer Ti’rek?” he asked.
“I have run the calculations three times, Star Captain” the engineer said confidently. “At the next window, if four of our starships direct their high-energy cannons at a seam-point in the Ketaari net, the feedback from the blasts will short the power generators for the section. If we hit two bordering seam-points, it will create a hole large enough for the fleet to fly through.”
Zh’hir did the calculations in his head. With sixteen starships in his fleet, he had the numbers to hit two seam-points, with the rest standing guard as they worked to punch through the Empire’s border security net. With their high-energy cannons engaged, the starships would be sitting ducks for wandering Ketaari patrols. Though to be fair, he had never encountered patrols in the Ketaari space bordering neutral territory. And the Henia had traversed the route many times to Budheyasta.
“How long must the starships sustain the cannons?” he asked.
“A few minutes should do it, Star Captain. But it must be during a rollover window like the one Captain Hadari-Begur-Kor exploited during your previous runs through the net.”
The Star Captain turned to his Hadari’Kor friend who was bent over a console, scrolling through the enormous amounts of data the Henia’s sensors were reading from the Ketaari security net. “When is the next window, Zoran?”
“There will be an eight minute window in thirty-three minutes” Zoran said precisely.
“Your prediction matches my simulations, Captain” the Ur’quay engineer confirmed.
They could meet the window, Zh’hir knew. The Ur’quay Fleet, currently cloaked, waited at the edge of neutral s
pace outside the Ketaari security net. It would be easy enough to find seam-points. They had enough data about the net to locate them.
“What about the cloak?” the Star Captain asked the engineer.
“You would need to decloak, Star Captain” the engineer said apologetically. “The cloak soaks up too much power. We need the cannons at maximum output.”
Zh’hir calculated the odds, while the chamber waited in silence. If they mounted an unsuccessful assault on the Ketaari security net while uncloaked, they’d lose their element of surprise. They could still prevail but the path forward would be harder. On the other hand, the team of Ur’quay scientists had spent the better part of two months hiding in neutral space to decode the Ketaari net. Ur’quay technology was superior to the stolen and adapted Budheya defenses the Empire used to protect their borders. It was worth taking the chance.
He glanced at D’raar, who watched him silently, much like the other warriors in the chamber. “Get me the Fleet, First Commander” he directed.
The Command Chamber seemed to subtly come to attention. They were a go. The Ur’quay Fleet was going into battle, its first of many in Sector Araloka.
Efficient as always, D’raar soon had the Captains of the starships in the Ur’quay Fleet on the communicator.
“Engineer Ti’rek has found the vulnerability we have been looking for” Zh’hir announced to the Star Captains. “When the next rollover window opens up, we will break into two teams of eight and hit two of the seam-points in the net. In each team, four of the starships will decloak and direct a maximum-energy cannon blast at the same coordinates on the seam-point, while the cloaked ships provide cover. It should take a few minutes of sustained blasts to short the power generators for the sector. First Commander D’raar will transmit the details for you to study.”
Zh’hir paused. “May the High Mountain Deity smile down at us” he said quietly. He didn’t have to remind the Ur’quay of what was at stake. They were all keenly aware of it.
There followed fifteen minutes of frenetic activity as the starships ran through their checklists and raced to get into position. Thanks to the Ur’quay scientists, they had a better understanding of the Ketaari security net. The net was a collection of overlapping energy shields, each powered by a set of generators. Seam-points were where two overlapping shields connected with each other to create a seamless net. The frequency of the net kept rotating every few hours to protect it from being hacked and exploited. Whenever the frequency changed, there was a short window to allow all the sections of the net to switch — the frequency switchover happened as a cascading event. This was the rollover window. When that happened, the shield was vulnerable to energy blasts. It provided them a short window to attempt an energy feedback into the power generators that fed the section. Even taking out a few generators would do. The fleet could then blast through the weakened net to surge into Empire space.
“Rollover window in one minute” reminded the Ur’quay engineer, his attention on his console.
“Henia to Team One starships” Zh’hir directed into his communicator. “All blast ships decloak and guard ships take point.”
With the Star Captain in command of the fleet, First Commander D’raar was in charge of the starship. He worked the cloaking device controls. “Henia decloaked” he said.
“In rollover window” announced Ti’rek.
Zh’hir spoke into the communicator. “Henia to Team One blast ships. Direct cannons to the coordinates.”
On the view screen, there was a tiny spark as the combined energy blasts hit the border security net in a concerted effort. Otherwise, there were no visual cues about the status of the security net.
Zh’hir waited patiently, awaiting word from Ti’rek who was monitoring telemetry from the seam-point via the Henia’s sensors.
A few minutes later, his communicator came alive. “Kilara to Henia, Team Two has success. I repeat, the security net at seam-point 2 is down.”
Relieved, Zh’hir asked them to hold fast. “Acknowledged, Henia to Kilara. Please hold your position. Our net is not down yet.”
“Seam-point 2 is down” he informed the Command Chamber, a bit of cheer while they struggled with their task.
Zoran glanced at the Star Captain, a frown between his brows. The rollover window was almost over. If they couldn’t bring generators down, they’d be back to square one. The tear in the net at one seam-point could not be exploited for an entire fleet of starships.
“Rollover window will end in two minutes” the engineer warned.
Zh’hir made a split-second decision. “Henia to all Team One guard ships. Decloak and direct your cannons at the coordinates. We have less than two minutes before the rollover window closes.”
With thirty seconds to go, the concerted cannon blasts brought down the power generators, leaving a gaping hole in the net at the seam-point.
Zh’hir’s eyes tangled with that of the Hadari’Kor Captain, both males relieved. “Henia to Ur’quay Fleet. Spread yourself between the seam-points and fire at will on the net. Power generation at both ends for the shield have been weakened.
It took ten minutes to collapse the security net. As the Ur’quay engineer confirmed that they had torn a hole through the Ketaari defenses, Zoran stood up precipitously, almost vibrating with excitement.
At a glance from Zh’hir, First Commander D’raar added ship-wide communication on the Henia to the Star Captain’s communicator
“This is Star Captain Mu’raat to the Ur’quay Fleet” Zh’hir announced, his voice sober. “In formation Di’zia 8, with every fourth starship decloaked, we now engage the Imperial Forces. May the High Mountain Deity grant us success this night. Ur’quay, we do not stop until we have Budheyasta on our sensors. We fight for Ur’Qia.”
“For Ur’Qia” the cry echoed in the Command Chamber, and on the Henia.
Zoran strode over to stand with the Star Captain.
“Fleet in formation, Star Captain” First Commander D’raar directed at Zh’hir.
The Star Captain glanced at him. “Give the signal, First Commander.”
“Henia to Ur’quay Fleet, into battle” D’raar said into his communicator.
Zoran watched on the view screen as the Henia led the Ur’quay Fleet into Empire space, racing towards Budheyasta through the darkness. He knew they would cover a fair bit of distance without engaging the Imperial Forces. It would be a while before the Ketaari detected the breach of their border security net. From past experience, he knew the patrols would get thicker near the populated worlds. But the Ur’quay could handle the patrols. He wondered whether Saakshi lay awake, thinking about him and this mission. No one except the battalions involved had been told the details, but the encampment on Hadari certainly had an inkling of what was up.
“First Commander, a communicator link to Commander Kerovac please” Zh’hir asked.
“Coming up, Star Captain.”
The gold eyes turned to Zoran, his lips quirking. “On our way finally, Zoran.”
The mercenary’s dark eyes flashed. “I have been waiting for the day impatiently, Zh’hir” he responded, the words heartfelt. It had been a long time coming.
“Commander Kerovac for you, Star Captain” D’raar announced.
“Star Captain, you have news for me?” inquired the smooth tones of the Iovac Alliance Commander in Zh’hir’s ear.
“The Ur’quay Fleet is in Empire space” he said succinctly. “The First Commander will transmit the coordinates of the breach, Commander.”
Back on Terola station, Rayeou Kerovac closed his eyes, his ramrod straight bearing giving way for a brief instant. In two decades of skirmishes with the Imperial Forces, this was the first time the Alliance had broken through their security net. His gamble with the Ur’quay had paid off, he mused. Tomorrow would be a new day — Sector Araloka’s future looked brighter than it had for a long time. He directed a silent nod at Yan who waited eagerly by his side and his friend’s expression lit up with re
lief and exhilaration.
“I will direct the Iovac battalions to hold open the door you have cleared for us, Star Captain” Kerovac said, his voice calm.
“What is the news from the other fronts, Commander?” the Star Captain inquired.
“The line is holding, Star Captain. It will hold as long as you require them to.”
“We will hit the first occupied world in twenty minutes, Commander” Zh’hir informed him. That is where they would encounter the first Imperial Forces battleships.
Kerovac took a deep breath. “All of the Alliance thanks the Ur’quay today, Star Captain” he acknowledged quietly.
On the Henia, speeding through Empire space, Zh’hir smiled. “Don’t thank us yet, Commander. We have barely started.”
“The Ur’quay will change Sector Araloka’s destiny, Star Captain” Commander Kerovac said with utmost confidence.
Almost poetic words from the usually reserved Alliance Commander, Zh’hir mused. But he understood the sentiments behind them.
“Let us hope Sector Araloka can change the Ur’quay’s destiny” he said, almost under his breath.
d
Twenty-two hours later
“How are the hantu saplings?” Elder Arturo inquired on the console.
“Coming along well, Elder” Sila said excitedly. “You were right. The moisture in the air here makes them grow faster.”
“It will be a long while before they bear any fruit, Sila” the Elder reminded her.
Sila smiled, her excitement undiminished. “But they flower this season. And the buds are so pretty.”
Elder Arturo chuckled, pleased by her enthusiasm. “I will send more seedlings with the next Alliance ship, Sila.”
He paused. “Now that an announcement is imminent, perhaps the Henia will pass by soon” he suggested.
Sila’s eyes sparkled as she met the Elder’s gaze. Clearly, Elder Arturo had heard the rumors too. Whispers of a spectacular victory by the Armada had spread far and wide. And given what the Elder knew, he had guessed that an announcement about the Ur’quay was upcoming.
Elder Arturo smiled, his expression mischievous. “If I send word to the Star Captain that his Terran Ambassador would like seedlings from her world, he would be here before I could blink, Sila” he teased her.