Fortress Earth (Extinction Wars Book 4)

by Fortress Earth (epub)

  As I’ve done before, I detached my helmet, holding it in the crook of my arm. The odor was neutral in here now. It hadn’t always been like that.

  A bench oozed up from the floor. It was a large bench, with enough room for N7 and me.

  “Hello, Holgotha,” I said, after seating myself.

  “Hello, Earthling,” he said, the wall vibrating. “It has been too short of a time since we spoke last.”

  I found myself holding back. The last time I’d been here, Holgotha had said the winner of our duel would get one question answered. The Purple Tamika Emperor had wanted to know the true purpose of the Forerunner artifacts. That had been a shrewd question. On my most pessimistic days, I wondered if that’s why I’d been able to kill the tiger. Had Holgotha secretly aided me so he wouldn’t have to answer the tiger’s question?

  “I’ve come to warn you,” I said.

  “Please, Commander, let us not go through these tedious games. I have much work to do and only a few years to get it done. My subroutines are extremely complex and sophisticated. I begrudge myself even these small moments talking to you.”

  “I can well imagine.”

  “No,” Holgotha said, “I do not believe you can. If you could imagine, you would feel such shame at bothering me that you might ask for a sidearm to commit suicide.”

  “I see. You were listening in on our conversation with the Supreme Ship Lord.”

  “Not only are you bloodthirsty,” Holgotha said. “I have discovered that you are heartless as well.”

  “The Saurian planned to smash the moon-ship against the Earth.”

  “That is false. He already told you that was a trick. His true purpose was to attack me.”

  “If that’s true, why didn’t he appear closer to you? Why did he start near Earth first?”

  “That is an interesting question,” Holgotha said.

  I glanced at N7, who sat with his hands on his armored knees, apparently failing to notice the similarities in their speech.

  “Why are they attacking Forerunner objects?” I asked.

  “Perhaps to show us how futile the Jade League aliens really are in protecting our kind.”

  “We beat off the attack,” I said.

  “By that you mean the humans did, I suppose. Many of the others did not ‘beat off’ the attacks.’ The human victory was to be expected. You are the little killers in the old tongue.”

  “What tongue might that be?”

  “I already told you, Commander, the old one.”

  “All right,” I said. “I’ve heard enough about us being the made ones, the little killers. Our victory seemed far from certain. It was next to impossible in fact.”

  “Did that stop you?” Holgotha asked.

  “We didn’t have any other alternative. We had to win or perish. But that’s not what I’m getting at. The Saurian referred to us as the made ones. Why is that? Why were humans called the little killers in the old tongue?”

  Holgotha remained silent.

  I stood, beginning to pace. “You can’t be happy with Abaddon and his Kargs. They’re antilife. The Jelk Corporation is an abomination. Everything is profits with them, yet they’re not even material creatures, but energy beings. Why are energy beings so absorbed with profits?”

  Holgotha still said nothing.

  Scowling, staring at my feet, I told myself to stay calm. If only the Grand Armada had started for the Jelk core worlds two years ago. That had been the plan. We were going to swamp the embattled Kargs and Jelk, surprising them. Political divisions, revolutions, quarrels along with a thousand other minor problems had delayed the great adventure. It had given the Kargs and Jelk time to come to an agreement.

  “Who suggested the joint operation against the league?” I asked.

  Holgotha did not say.

  “Who was losing the war, the Kargs or Jelk? You can at least tell me that, can’t you? Or can’t you spy on Abaddon the way you can spy on us?”

  “Abaddon has advanced procedures that make direct observation impossible,” Holgotha said.

  “Do you think Abaddon wants to replace you?”

  “I do not understand your reference,” Holgotha said.

  “You’re the mysterious power in the Orion Arm. Heck. Maybe you artifacts litter the entire galaxy. I don’t know. Maybe you don’t either.”

  “I do know, of course,” Holgotha said, but the artifact didn’t elaborate.

  “Maybe Abaddon wants to be the mysterious force,” I said.

  I was guessing. I knew too little about Abaddon. I didn’t even know what species he was. I didn’t think he was a Karg. Maybe he was a corrupted First One. Abaddon had power. Every time I’d talked to him via screen he had given me the shivers. He’d lived for millennia and had offered me a place in his command structure, telling me I’d become an immortal. If any creature could be like the devil in the Bible—only with technological space powers instead of magical abilities—it would have been Abaddon. Sometime in the distant past others had driven him out of our space-time continuum. Now, he was back.

  “I have waited,” Holgotha said, “but you have failed to tell me how Abaddon wishes to replace us.”

  My head lifted. Why hadn’t I noticed this before? I kept myself from grinning. Maybe I finally understood something critical and could use it to pry real information from humanity’s secretive artifact.

  -11-

  I sat down on the bench and began to tap a finger on a knee. “Don’t you see it?”

  “I can predict most actions with a high degree of accuracy,” Holgotha said. “I cannot read minds, though. What are you thinking?”

  “Wait a minute. You can predict most actions, most reactions as well, I guess. That means you should be able to predict my thoughts. You shouldn’t need to ask me.”

  “Usually, this would be the case,” Holgotha said.

  “But not today or not with me?”

  Holgotha did not answer.

  “I’m an enigma to you,” I said. “That’s what you’re implying, right?”

  No answer came.

  I smiled, trying to bluff him. “Your silence confirms my thought.”

  “You are free to think what you want,” Holgotha said.

  “I know. I am.”

  “I find you to be an exasperating creature. These conversations are nonsensical. I do not know why I permit you to enter my chambers. It is a waste of time.”

  “I know why.”

  “That is false,” Holgotha said. “If I do not know, you surely cannot know.”

  “You do it because you’re trying to understand me. You wonder if I can figure out a few of the mysteries that are baffling you. It’s in your self-interest to talk to me.”

  “No. These are absurdities. I am not baffled by anything.”

  “Oh, sure, I believe that,” I said, glancing at N7.

  The android was frowning at me. I don’t think he appreciated my novel approach.

  I wanted to wink at N7, but I didn’t know how Holgotha would take that. I didn’t see anything resembling cameras, but I knew the intellect of the Forerunner object watched my every action.

  “I believe I know why Abaddon sent the moon-ships against you artifacts,” I said.

  “No one has yet established that Abaddon did these things,” Holgotha said. “All indications show it was a Jelk idea.”

  “What indications?” I asked.

  N7 cleared his throat. “I suspect the artifact means the Saurian crews. I would guess the other moon-ships also had Saurian crews. There were no Karg crews on the various transfer ships.”

  “Is that right?” I asked Holgotha.

  “Affirmative,” the artifact said.

  “Ha!” I said, smacking a fist into a palm. “It was Abaddon’s plan, all right. The Saurian crews are simple misdirection. You and your brothers were meant to see that and draw such an inference as you have.”

  “Your reasoning does not hold in the slightest,” Holgotha said.

 
“Maybe not to you,” I said. “But I see it clearly.”

  “That is emotive speech, nothing more. It means nothing.”

  “No. It’s clear to me. Abaddon doesn’t want you to see it. That’s all. Why get uptight about that?”

  “What doesn’t Abaddon want me to see?” the artifact asked.

  “Before I answer that, let me ask you this. What is the critical element regarding the moon-ships?”

  “You must do your own reasoning,” Holgotha said. “I am not here to do your thinking for you.”

  “I just wanted to see if you realized the key element. It’s the transfer power. The moon-ships do what, until now, only you Forerunner artifacts did. That’s amazing when you think about it. That must mean the moon-ships are using First One technology. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  “Given that it’s true, why should it?” Holgotha asked.

  “It means Abaddon can use the moon-ships to duplicate your most amazing feat.”

  “That does not altogether hold. I doubt the Kargs or Jelk have our far-scanning tech. The moon-ships’ improper usage suggests that.”

  Holgotha meant that the Forerunner objects could look where they were going to transfer before they actually did the transferring. In some fashion, the giant machines could scan hundreds maybe thousands of lights years ahead of them. The moon-ships hadn’t been able to do that, it seemed. Their less than ideal appearance in the Solar System suggested that.

  “That each attack was meant to drive away an artifact suggests Abaddon doesn’t want your kind around,” I said. “Maybe he’s found other Forerunner tech. Before he unleashes it, he wants all the artifacts out of the way. Perhaps his plan is so blasphemous it wouldn’t work unless you’re elsewhere. Seeing what he’s really doing, would force your kind to fight him. Maybe you’re afraid to do that, though.”

  “Your guesses are not even comical,” Holgotha said. “They are simply absurd.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “Commander Creed, I grow weary of your childish ploys. I understand you are attempting to drive me into a garrulous mode so I will impart to you information you would never receive otherwise. It is the tediousness of speaking to you, the sheer waste of time, that has forced me to my newest conclusion. I will grant you your desire in order to end our prolonged conversation.”

  N7’s head swiveled around sharply.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the android studying me. I’m sure he wondered if that had been my intent the entire time. It hadn’t, but when this was over I’d tell N7 it had been. That would keep him guessing about me.

  “Claath was instrumental as an intermediary in bringing the Jelk Corporation and Abaddon into their present accord,” Holgotha said. “Together, they will attempt to shatter the Jade League. You have seen the first hammer blow directed against it. The shock of these moon-ship attacks is even now beginning to take effect. Firstly, many Forerunner artifacts have vanished. Secondly, that has started a religious crisis in many star systems. Thirdly, that crisis will shake Jade League morale. Fourthly and finally, the Grand Armada will lose flotillas as the various commands return home to secure their home worlds. The crumbling of united League action will leave the individual species open to separate attacks by the combined Jelk-Karg Super Fleet.”

  “You see all this or you’ve figured it out?” I asked.

  “The Super Fleet already nears the Jade League. This is fact. The unusual route means that Earth will be one of the earliest targets.”

  “What?”

  “I would suggest that either Abaddon or the Jelk Council has a special dislike directed toward you humans, or against you personally, Commander. The Super Fleet has bypassed the Grand Armada. If you wish to protect the Solar System, you will need the Jade League armada. However, it is substantially weaker than the Super Fleet. Plus, my analysis of the Jade League religious reaction has a ninety-four percent chance of taking place exactly as I’ve described it. That means the Grand Armada will face a serious reduction in fighting power.”

  I stared at the vibrating wall. If the Super Fleet was coming here, did that mean Abaddon or the Jelk had expected the moon-ship attack to fail? That didn’t make sense, did it? Why would they want us to have a moon-ship? Or was this a precaution on Abaddon’s part? Yet, why would he fixate on Earth first? Why not attack the critical Lokhar star systems first? The tigers had a vastly greater amount of starships than we did.

  Okay. I had to put Earth’s danger aside for the moment to figure out the rest of this.

  I cleared my throat. “So…you’re saying the moon-ship attacks were primarily directed against the league members, to weaken us as a whole?”

  “No, not primarily,” Holgotha said. “That is one of the side benefits to the enemy. The primary benefit is to drive us ancient machines into hiding. I suspect you are correct about Abaddon’s ultimate goal in that regard.”

  That surprised me, as I’d been guessing in the dark. I didn’t have all the facts, though, and what I didn’t know could end up being the most dangerous.

  “If our Grand Armada is weaker than the Super Fleet,” I said, “I guess that means the enemy has a greater mass of starships.”

  “You would be incorrect in believing that,” Holgotha said. “The Jelk and Kargs fought too long against each other for that to be the case. They should have come to an accord sooner.”

  “Why didn’t they?”

  “That is not germane to our present consideration,” Holgotha said. “Mass tonnage or simple number of vessels is only part of the equation. They have superior technology, if one does not include the Forerunner artifacts on the League side, which I do not for a battle calculation.”

  “Why wouldn’t you include yourselves?” I asked. “Aren’t you artifacts on our side?”

  “We are in almost every consideration,” Holgotha said. “Abaddon’s victory would be tragic. His ethics are what you would consider demonic. I do not believe the Creator would approve of him.”

  “Is Abaddon a First One?” I asked.

  “That is not germane to the situation.”

  “The hell it isn’t.”

  “You will refrain from cursing in my presence,” Holgotha said. “Otherwise, I will terminate the conversation this instant.”

  “Sure…” I said. “Consider it done. No more cursing.”

  It was several seconds before the wall began to vibrate again. Maybe that was the artifact’s cooling off period.

  “As we have spoken just now,” Holgotha said, “I have run several million war scenarios. The Jade League is annihilated in eighty-three percent of them. In twelve percent of the outcomes, various races will survive as slave subjects for an indeterminate number of years.”

  “That doesn’t leave us much of a chance.”

  “That is correct. There is, in fact, a five percent chance the League will defeat the combined Karg-Jelk forces. That would take brilliant leadership on your part and various acts of stupidity on theirs. I do not envision stupidity from Abaddon. Instead, in those outcomes, I envisioned his elimination early on.”

  “Wait a minute. You’re saying we can’t win unless Abaddon dies?”

  “That is essentially correct,” Holgotha said.

  “And if he dies that gives us a five percent chance of victory?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What can we do to increase our odds?”

  “Eliminate at least fifty percent of the Jelk before the main forces engage in hostilities.”

  I stared at the wall. “You’re implying we hit them before the Super Fleet engages the Grand Armada.”

  “Congratulations, Commander, you have correctly divined the meaning of my words.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you turned off your sarcasm program,” I said. “It’s becoming irritating.”

  “There was no sarcasm intended,” Holgotha said.

  I didn’t believe that, but I let it go. Instead, I cracked my knuckles, thinking. “For us to do so
mething like that, we’d have to make transfer attacks. I don’t see how else we could do it. Are you willing to host a number of assault troopers—”

  “I engaged in direct military maneuvers once before when you were Star Vikings,” Holgotha said, interrupting me. “I will never do that again. I find my actions back then repulsive. War is a hideous experience, much better observed several star systems in the distance than in proximity.”

  “That just leaves the moon-ship. It’s sluggish. Maybe it can transfer to the Super Fleet…” I looked up. “Are you suggesting we simply appear in the middle of their Super Fleet, locate Abaddon and kill him?”

  “We were speaking about the Jelk,” Holgotha said. “In either case, however, that is a rough outline of the correct operational plan with the highest probability of Jade League success.”

  “That’s no plan,” I said. “It’s a suicide mission.”

  “And yet, I have noted that you excel is exactly those kinds of missions.”

  I studied the wall, wondering about the artifact’s intellect. “What are the present Super Fleet coordinates?”

  Holgotha did not speak.

  “If you’re not going to tell me,” I said, “how are we supposed to do this?”

  “That is not my concern.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You said Abaddon was odious.”

  “I said he is an abomination. I have come to believe his destruction is critical. We will not directly help you in this, though, as our programming forbids it. However, I have been engaged in a careful study of my restrictions for the last thousand years. I am about to make a momentous decision. The appearance of the moon-ship has given me the liberty to introduce the Obliteration Protocols.”

  “What are those?”

  “I can only tell you that they are among my oldest programs. Let me begin by saying that you do not possess the weaponry to kill Abaddon. Do not believe that stranding him in space will kill his body or that placing him in the center of a thermonuclear detonation will obliterate him.”

  “What about in the heart of an antimatter explosion?” I asked.

  “Abaddon has resources beyond your understanding. In fact, most of this is beyond your understanding. The Jelk, Kargs and Abaddon…all of them are incredibly ancient. The moon-ship predates my construction. That is why it is so inferior. It was the first transfer vessel. We artifacts are a vast improvement upon it.”