Bor stepped around the shadowy figures; their detail and intensity varied whenever Pias shifted his focus. Kruk looked nervous but steady. Reflexively, Bor put a hand to his son’s shoulder, only to have it pass through. Much as he should have expected it, he was disappointed.
Prime Abbotkrine spoke with the regulated calm only the fiercest warrior could muster. “Prime Bink, while I enjoy your tactics, let me remind you this is a debriefing. Kruktusken is not a criminal.”
“Interesting you would say that after what you did to the Entok Family.”
The Metra9 stood and circled the Anduuzil; a tension mounted that could bring the entire building to its knees.
Pias was unperturbed. “While the accusations of a Prime should be taken with gravity, need I remind you who you are speaking to Surenik Lamos, Daughter of Euek, and House of Bink? You will address this member of the Council with the respect he deserves.”
Picking her battles wisely, Surenik continued. “Very well, Prime Abbotkrine, very well. Kruktusken, you know why you are here, yes?”
The blue on Kruk’s face flushed from stress. “Yes. In the heat of an attack, I used my father’s override code. The intruders were already inside the quarantine…”
“And how did you come about such a code?”
A long silence followed before Kruk went into the full details. When he was finished, Bink made a noise that clearly indicated disapproval.
“I see. While we understand the how, the question becomes why jump to the conclusion that it was the Creators? The litany of information you’d need to have accessed would be…”
Fearing things would spin out of control, Pias broke in. “Enough! Bink, let’s be corundum clear about this. We know where Kruk got his information, we know how. Continue down this road and I’ll call for a Routine 81 and end this debrief due to military security.”
“I will not have it, Pias; I will not! The House of Entok was issued an Article 37; why not Bor and the House of Tusken? It’s outrageous! I should call for an investigation on you!”
Pias retained his cold killer tone. “Just because Entok and his wife were your classmates at the Academy doesn’t give you the right to speak to me this way. His execution was warranted. If you knew half the things he was saying, you’d agree. Investigate me? No. A plop10 like you should know her place in the galaxy. It’s your family who’ll be investigated; if you’d like.”
Kruk brought the conversation back to his debrief. “Primes, if I may? Nova’s attackers were systematically evasive. The subroutines they used fit only one other known assault in GSA history.”
Bink raised an eyebrow. “Which was?”
Even through the memory, Bor felt Pias bracing for the inevitable.
Kruk shifted uncomfortably. “The Loronzon Incident.”
Bink blinked. “Excuse me?”
To the Metra’s right, Nimaguardian NamaruldanBor glanced at Pias. His look was all she needed to know that he might call on her at any moment to act swiftly and decisively. Turning toward Bink, the female Dragsan subtly slipped into an attack stance. Bor, stepped closer to Bink. Even through the tears, he felt the same satisfaction as his fellow Dragsan felt: the scent of fear.
Kruk did not seem to notice. “Given the incident, the only logical conclusion was that it was the Creators. Primes, if I also may, the object the escaped ship took with it, the probe, carried important data on the history of the Humans. I believe the Creators are gathering information for a judgement.”
“I am officially calling for a Routine 81,” Pias commanded. “We’re now in an Article 37 lock down. Anyone who relays, discusses, or disseminates what we’ve heard here will be executed along with their friends and families.” He shot a withering look at Bink daring her to inform Tordok. When she was silent, he added, “Then it’s settled.”
Bink found her voice. “Not so fast, Prime Abbotkrine. You are blocking this inquiry. This Duraguardian possesses information about an enemy that’s not supposed to exist. I may be new, but I am aware of yours and Prime KruktuskenBor’s long history of collaboration.”
Bor’s vision darkened and blurred as Pias focused his attention on the rookie Metra Prime until she all but glowed. It was the closest someone had come to threatening the mighty Anduuzil in a hundred turns.
Unphased, Pias raised his two left arms. “Hopefully, Surenik, you are not so new to be unaware that I don’t need your permission to declare this a military matter. Since you’re looking for consensus, I’ll defer to this Investigation Panel for a final decision.”
Bink seemed smug. “Very well, let us vote. All in favor of blocking the Routine 81 and continuing this interrogation?”
Only one other voice joined her own.
Her shock and rage filled the room. “IS THIS THE ALLIANCE OR AM I SPEAKING TO SOME BACK PLANET DICTATORSHIP? Not a word from First Contact or the SAC? An entire quarantine threatened and you don’t want to see how far the Gargaric Snow Buffalo goes?”
Sector 1’s First Contact Prime, Blika Randu, leaned forward. “I speak for myself and Nimaguardian NamaruldanBor when I say that maintaining a T-Class system’s secrecy is crucial. If you let this Nova attack go public, we’ll be fighting off a lot more than just the Creators.”
Pias turned to an unknown figure that Bor could previously only identify as Fandaxian11. “Olbera’n, I’m surprised at you.”
The intelligence officer met his superior’s gaze. “Apologies Pias, but we need to know about the Creators; gathering the truth is of the utmost importance.”
“I agree that the truth must be regarded above all. There must be reasons everyone in this room has been unaware of this new information. Very good reasons. Reasons that merit discussing before we do anything... rash. Per our vote, this is now a military matter, and the five of us do not have the authority to declare war. A decision of this magnitude requires the Council.”
Bink nodded darkly. “In that, we are agreed.”
The walls turned black. Shadows rushed in. The vision collapsed. Bor caught a final glimpse of the fear on Kruk’s face before his son dissolved as well. Then, Bor rose physically pulling himself from the Anduuzilian vision. His head ached from the synaptic mismatch, but at least now he knew how they’d survived this first hurdle.
The ship depatching, he looked over to Pias knowing he also felt the strange sensation of passing through water.
Pias nodded through the window at a bright blue dot visible far away amidst the firmament. “We’re here.”
A brief chime signaled an alert from the ship captain. “Sir, we are being hailed.”
“Put it through, Captain.”
“Attention GSA Class 1 Military vessel,” the steady voice announced. “You are within one endon of Primidious: a restricted space. If you are here for the Council of Worlds meeting, please transmit your authority codes now; otherwise leave immediately.”
Pias responded, “Sending codes now.”
“They wasted no time getting battle ready.” Bor muttered. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say they already know the COS is back. Not that Odian would be so stupid.”
“Authority codes confirmed. Welcome Effective Force Prime Abbotkrine & Effective Communication Prime KruktuskenBor. Protocol requires Prime council members be escorted to the surface. What sanctuary zone will you be landing in?”
“That would be 19, thank you.”
Several drikes later, in the company of six Roarlan Class combat ships12, the Bridalgo entered Primidious orbit.
Pias’ wide smile gleamed at the sight of the shimmering turquoise oceans. “It’s been so long, I almost forgot what she looked like.”
Bor seemed distant, pondering the growing skyline as he clutched a small crystal. “Doesn’t it seem strange to come to such a remote place to debate the path of the galaxy?”
“Eh, it’s good for the process. Keeps the politics away from the populous. Removes the complication of having everyone want to attend, not to mention the fact that council Security veheme
ntly deplores the extra measures needed to safeguard anyplace else. Bigger cities means more opportunities to hide attacks.”
As the Bridalgo descended through its assigned orbital shield portal, the escort broke off. Bor couldn’t help but be impressed by the technology.
As if reading his mind, Pias rattled off the specs. “That Class 4 Planetary Shield can sustain the kinetic shock from a collision with an eight rudon-wide asteroid, assuming one made it that far. Given the fifteen battle group patrols and five independent Dark Energy Arrays on orbital platforms, that would be highly unlikely.”
“Rooka! Why? Is someone planning an assassination?”
“With all of the Raa’Tiki13 in one place? I’d like to see someone try.”
Pias was right to be confident. Bor shivered at the thought that right now in this ship cabin, one of the Raa’Tiki, the Council’s personal security agents, could be present. Naturally cloaked, they served invisibly. Though he never saw them, he was certain this Raa’Tiki voyaged with him to Epiko.
The inability to see them until they struck suited him fine. After only a brief view of their therachnid physiology, he couldn’t forget the way their segmented shells failed to completely cover the pulsating organs beneath. Their six appendages, used as hands or feet, connected to a body covered in layered carapace. Worse, the partial exoskeleton was crisscrossed with patterns that had evolved to be unsettling for potential foes or anyone else.
Whether the Raa’Tiki were capable of emotion recognizable to any other than their own kind had long been debated. The answer wasn’t made easier by the lack of facial expressions. Brr.
As the Bridalgo dropped through the last cloud layer, the Anduri14 Archipelago, dozens of islands set across hundreds of square rudons of ocean burst into view. Many of the elegant land masses had impossibly high mountains: peaks visible as pinpoints that ran down to the sea. One was an active volcano: another encased in polar ice. Each also held an identically shaped tower that simultaneously blended with its surroundings, yet stood apart.
“Amazing what World Shapers 15can do,” Pias remarked.
Bor shared his appreciation. “Indeed. Yurra Hu16 has a way with bringing lifeless planets to a state of wonder.”
“Yurra Hu? Isn’t she from the Quadlox system?”
“You know, I think she is.”
Suddenly realizing that Hu, an Effective Prime, would be livid at the news that Odian wasn’t only alive but close to her homeworld, they looked at one another.
The Bridalgo flew above all manner of ecosystem: deserts, forests, jungles, swamps, grasslands, crystal fields, sand pits, and more. Passing a particularly magnificent volcanic lake, the ship circled a lovely island covered in julonga trees17. There, on a small peninsula, was the meeting tower called Sanctuary 19.
Bor jabbed his companion. “There it is.”
The Bridalgo’s landing thrusters engaged rustling the enormous julonga fronds as it dipped below the canopy. The landing pad, previously obscured by the foliage, came into view. They were already at the hatch when a lurch from the Bridalgo indicated their arrival.
As the doors opened, a slight breeze seemed to come from within the ship. Bor realized the Raa’Tiki must be about scanning for danger.
“So much to discuss and so little time.” Pias activated his body shield. The only noticable result was a humming so slight, it was only audible at close distance.
Bor followed suit, then, slightly overwhelmed, grasped the lower forearm of his companion.
Pias looked at him. “We’ll make it count, old friend.”
They were greeted by a tall, winged, quadrupedal woman: a Rakilla from Epiko. Rakilla, another of the nine GSA founding races, had sharp beaks, clear eyes, and powerful, clawed hands at the tips of impressive wings. Immensely intelligent, they’d existed since the Classical Era.
“Scalipio,” Pias said. “Too many turns and endons have passed since we were all together.”
“True. It is, Pias, though I wish it were under better circumstances. Come. Many are here already.”
Once they were beneath the trees, the tower could barely be seen. Trillsuckets18 chirped and chimed filling the underbrush with music.
“How much time until the countdown?” Pias asked. “By law, it started the moment 85% of the Primes checked in with their authority codes. The Council of Worlds will commence one prike after that. We don’t have much time; let’s begin.”
“1.15 drikes.” Scalipio, Effective Educator Prime of Sector 7, didn’t have it in her nature to be vague.
“Should be plenty.”
At the tower door access panel, Bor suddenly stopped. He inserted a data chip, raised his hand for scanning, and entered his Prime Level comm code.
Before the others asked, he explained. “I’m uploading the Nova debrief to the personal mainframes via the tower share for the others. It’s a closed network, so we’re safe. Even if that’s not secure enough, the file is read-only and self-corrupting if taken outside Sanctuary 19.”
A moment later, a ding from Scalipio’s reading screen indicated the document’s arrival. She was already reading it as they entered the main sliptube. The journey to the top of the tower was swift and, surprisingly, quiet.
Though each tower appeared similar, their design was dictated by the section stationed there. Bor had chosen 19 specifically for the extra privacy measures installed by comm Sector leaders; sonic inhibiting fields, surveillance jamming, eavesdropping alarms, and quantum entangled local comm stations.
As they zipped through the corridors, Scalipio commented on her reading material. “Hmm. This is disturbing for a plethora of reasons.”
“Such as?” Bor asked.
“First, there’s no proof Odian was there just your son’s supposition. Given that, why was the situation escalated to the highest level?”
Bor bristled. “Do you really think it wasn’t the Creators? That Spek wasn’t there?”
“I’m a teacher of teachers, Bor. Don’t dodge the question.”
“I, for one, don’t think Odian was there,” Pias interjected. “If he’s alive, he’d never risk his own death. But the tactics do point to the Creators. Mercifully, or so it seems, they didn’t make this attack a public spectacle. If Odian is alive though, we can’t risk him doing the same with whatever their next move is. We have to control the narrative. But this discussion should be saved for the quorum.”
Exiting the sliptube at the top level Scalipio asked, “So, what is the plan?”
Pias gave his toothy smile. “We tell the whole Council the truth, naturally.”
The light green Rakilla took the news better than Bor imagined. She folded her wings, thought a bit, then calmly inquired, “You’re confident stepping into the light won’t backfire?”
“The COW’s will be upset, but in the end, they’ll agree that limited transparency is the best option for continued stability.”
On the main door, an interlocking linkage of spiral metal spikes unraveled allowing their entry. Inside was a small, circular amphitheater with intermittent walls and a breathtaking island view. Above, an oculus capped the domed ceiling. A large refraction crystal suspended from its center lit the room. Below, concentric rings of steps descended to a central floor.
Scalipio nodded to her companions. “You have my support.”
Three inner circle members were already present; Socrula Paru, Sector 5 Transportation Prime; Mattrolo Kuskar, Sector 1 Archivist Prime19; and Jedareg Rojhov, Sector 6 Investigation Prime.
“KruktuskenBor and Pias Abbotkrine.” Socrula Paru greeted the new arrivals with a four-armed salute. “Caught in the middle of everything again, I see.”
Bor nodded at each. “Socrula, Mattrolo, Jedareg, good to see you’ve all made the journey.”
The sliptube, visible through the now-open door, ejected more attendees—their hasty steps likely spurred by Bor’s uploaded file. He tried to ease into things.
“Before we delve into weightier topics, it’s been a lon
g time. How has everyone been?”
Jedareg gave his standard, fang-filled, terrifying smile. “Oh, you know, holding the galaxy together through the force of sheer will… the usual.”
Having weathered many threats together, the others chuckled. The laughter took Bor’s disciplined Recall to two-hundred turns ago when many worked in various positions: some Primes, others not. Whatever the rank, back then, they’d kept the Voidwhisperers and the Creators off the map.
Jedareg, scanning the debrief, ended the too-brief niceties. “Bor, what is this about your son divulging secrets he shouldn’t even have?”
Having spent much of the journey preparing, Bor was ready. “It’s true; I did share some key information in the hope that it would prepare him for this council.”
A smiling Pias stepped in. “It’s not news, Jedareg, to you or anyone else here. It’s in complete alignment with the historic yet vague directive we voted to uphold 141 turns ago to ensure personal continuity of information in case of disaster.”
Despite her stated support, Scalipio reframed Jedareg’s point. “But, Bor, why did he tell others what he knew?”
“It would be wrong for me to speculate on Kruktusken’s reasoning, and we haven’t had an opportunity to speak yet. It is one of the items I wish to cover here.”
“We’re already getting sidetracked.” Lead archivist Mattrolo spoke adamantly. “The far more important question is how did the Creators find the Nova System in the first place?”
In the contemplative silence that followed, the amphitheater filled with 31 galactic leaders: among them Khan Panda and Trinna Tau. Exploration Prime Tordok was running late, as usual. He had, though, notified Bor of his considerable distance. Otherwise, the Inner Circle had gathered.
Pias stretched to his full height and let out a harmonious sound: part burp, part chime, impossible to ignore. “700,000 turns ago, our predecessors understood that the Council of Worlds was vulnerable to incremental manipulation of our choosing computers. As a result, the 32 most senior members began, in secrecy, shaping GSA decisions for the greater good. We all know why we’re here now. Has everyone reviewed the military debrief from the Nova System?”
Beyond Kuiper: The Galactic Star Alliance Page 19