“Need,” I said. “Hope.”
“Yes,” he said, “to be needy is bad. To hope for the best often leads one into traps he cannot escape. All Starkiens know this. That is why we are the most cunning race in the Orion Arm.”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. Actually, your cunning has become a cul-de-sac for your species. It’s the reason you’re the gypsies of space.”
His brows thundered. “What are these gypsies?” he asked.
“Wanderers, nomads, people without a settled abode.”
“Oh.” He shook his head. “You are wrong, human, in thinking we are forced into this. It is a survival trait, our way. We Starkiens do not wish to hamper ourselves by settling into any one particular place.”
“No, you’re wrong,” I said. “That’s exactly what has happened. Others have forced you into this wandering existence. There’s no other reason for it.”
The good humor vanished from Baba Gobo. He leaned forward, stabbing a dirty finger at me. There was dirt impacted under the fingernail. “What does an animal only recently allowed into space know about the great Starkien people?”
I glanced at each elder in turn. “You’re kidding me, right?” I asked.
“Vain beast,” Baba Gobo said. “You are not safely aboard one of your warships. You stand with a mobile thinking machine before the elders of our fleet. Your hours of life are quickly dwindling. A single word from me will end your existence. Ponder that instead of spouting your vulgarities.”
“Holgotha,” I said.
Baba Gobo scowled worse than before. “What does that nonsense word mean? It does not translate into a Starkien meaning.”
“How interesting,” I said. “I’ve just told you the name of the Forerunner artifact in the solar system.”
It took him a second to understand my meaning. When he did, his red eyes squinted with suspicion. “You lie,” he said.
“No. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Are you that foolish? The evidence does not support the idea. Why would you give me the name, beast, knowing as you must that it is a marvelous treasure?”
“For some it’s a treasure,” I said.
“For any who possess the name,” he said.
“Tell me, Baba Gobo. What will you as a Starkien do with your newfound knowledge?”
He glanced at his silent fellows before regarding me again. “Do you truly not understand? I will go to your solar system and lay claim to…Holgotha.” He said the artifact’s name slowly, tasting it with joy and satisfaction.
“I would advise against such an action,” I said.
Baba Gobo hooted with Starkien laughter. “Why would I care what an animal advised me to do?”
“Let’s consider the question, as it’s an important one. Suppose I’m an animal, as you claim. Why would a Forerunner artifact tell me its name then?”
Several of the elders glanced at Baba Gobo. He pretended to ignore them, although he frowned at me.
“You’ve just received the name of a Forerunner object: Holgotha. But if you’re right, that I, an animal, gave it to you, won’t the other races laugh when you tell them how you came to learn the name?”
Baba Gobo closed his eyes and rested his snout on a fist. He sat like a statue for several seconds. Then his eyes snapped open. He looked upon me with wonder.
“You are not an animal,” he said.
“Correct.”
With the same dirty finger he’d pointed at me earlier, Baba Gobo stroked his lower lip. At last, he asked, “Why have you told me the sacred name?”
“Before I answer that, you should know that we used Holgotha to transfer to the Sanakaht star system. That’s deep in the Lokhar Empire.”
“I am quite aware of the location of the Sanakaht system.”
I nodded. “We raided the planet of Sanakaht, dropping nuclear warheads onto the surface.”
Baba Gobo gave a start. Several elders murmured in wonder. “Why would you do this?” he asked, sounding amazed.
“For a simple reason,” I said. “The Purple Tamika Emperor was in the system. I wished to teach him a lesson.”
The baboon scowled. “You teach the great Lokhar Emperor a lesson? No, not even you are that rash. You are spouting lies to me.”
“Think well, Baba Gobo,” I said. “If you truly believe I lie about our Sanakaht attack, then Holgotha is not the artifact’s name.”
For several seconds, he stared at me in silence. I could see his mind spinning. Soon, he nodded. “You are cleverer than I realized.” It was a grudging admission. Then his eyes widened. “Ah, I believe I understand now. The artifact must have found you unworthy. That has angered you, yes? To gain revenge on the object, you have run to the Starkiens.”
“That’s not even close,” I said. “I came to you because Holgotha told me the ancient history. He explained how the Starkiens once possessed a Forerunner artifact of their own. They lost it, however, and the other races attacked your ancestors because of it.”
Their delayed reaction startled me. It seemed as if it took the words time to percolate into their skulls. Then, as one, the Starkiens lifted their snouts toward the low ceiling. They howled in despair. It was a mournful noise.
Soon, Baba Gobo lowered his snout, and said, “You must die. It is our custom to kill any who repeats the wretched story of old.”
“You want to kill me even as I offer you the chance to redeem your race?”
“What do you mean?” Baba Gobo asked hoarsely.
“It’s simple,” I said. “The Emperor of the Lokhars comes to Earth. He preaches a holy crusade against us and wishes to annihilate humanity in person.”
“Then you are as good as dead.”
“No, I’m not,” I said. “The Emperor is a heretic. Thus, his crusade is doomed to fail.”
“What folly do you spout?”
“It’s pure logic, Baba Gobo. Think about it. Holgotha brought us to the Sanakaht system. There, the assault troopers slaughtered Lokhars. There, the Emperor himself witnessed our daring. Now, you have to ask yourself the question: Why did the artifact take us to the place where we could fight the Emperor? The answer is simple. Felix Rex Logos called humans beasts. He would not admit us into the Jade League. Yet, the Forerunner object has told me its name. It has shown we belong. The Emperor has sullied himself with his heresy. Now, the ancient artifacts move against him.”
Slowly, Baba Gobo nodded. “That is an interesting argument. It might actually sway some.”
“Doctor Sant of Orange Tamika preaches against the Purple and thus the Emperor,” I said. “This is an opportunity for those with eyes to see.”
Baba Gobo glanced at the elders. One of them nodded. Regarding me, the chief baboon asked, “If we helped you, you will give us full control of the artifact?”
“Baba Gobo of the Starkiens,” I said in a ringing voice, “I am about to tell you the ancient history of the universe. It is the truth. This is what Holgotha told me about the Starkiens.”
I then repeated the story in all its details, particularly the part where the Forerunner artifacts decided that no Starkien would ever walk on them again. That caused the baboons to howl longer and with more misery than before.
“This is a lie,” Baba Gobo whispered.
“Your despair shows me you know better.”
His entire body sagged. Several of the elders crouched low, covering their heads.
“Go,” Baba Gobo said, hoarsely. “Leave our vessel and leave the Epsilon Indi system. Never return.”
“No. I came here for Starkien aid, and that aid I will get.”
“You are mad, Commander Creed. There is nothing you can offer to entice us to help a doomed species.”
“You should listen to me first. I can help you gain redemption in the eyes of the other races. They will think the Forerunner artifact approves of you. Then, the Starkiens will no longer have to wander the star lanes as gypsies.”
Baba Gobo studied me for the longest time. Finally, he
raised a baboon hand, groping in the air as if he was a baby. I had struck upon the great Starkien desire: to have an artifact, to win their way back into the good graces of the others. Could he dare trust me? Would his hatred and despair be too great?
“How…” he said. “How can you do this for the Starkiens?”
In that moment, I knew I had him. Hiding my excitement, I took a step closer.
“Would you know our great secret?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“We will fight the Emperor’s fleet a jump before the solar system. We will mass such numbers of ships that he will pause in bewilderment.”
“Can you know what route the invasion fleet will take?” he asked.
“I won’t have to,” I said. “Starkiens are the Orion Arm’s greatest scouts. They will seek the Emperor’s fleet and report back so our mass can intercept them.”
“Who told you we are the greatest scouts?”
“It’s obvious,” I said. “You’re the nomads of space. Back on Earth, our nomads always made the best light cavalry.”
“This is not Earth.”
“But you are nomads,” I said. “Your existence relies on speed and knowledge. If you had to fight at the other races’ whims, the Starkiens would have already been dead. That you have survived this long shows me you know how to maneuver out of the way of stronger forces. That implies speed.”
“You are cunning,” Baba Gobo said. “And it is true. None can match us as scouts. Yet we speak about the Purple Tamika of the Lokhars. They are fierce soldiers, enjoying head-to-head battle. Few dare to stand in the path of a Lokhar battlefleet.”
“That’s not my plan. We’ll raid the crusading fleet the entire distance, striking like Plains Indians of the American West.”
“I do not perceive your meaning.”
“Hit and run,” I said.
“That I do understand. We might bloody them, but it won’t stop the Lokhars.”
“You’re going to buy us time,” I said.
“In order to do what?” he asked.
I grinned. “The Star Vikings are going to save the day by producing the soul of Purple Tamika.”
“Who are these Vikings?” Baba Gobo asked. “What do you mean soul of the Lokhars?”
“Star Vikings,” I said, thumping a hand against my chest. Then, I bowed at the waist.
“You?” he asked. “How can you acquire the soul of the Lokhars?”
“You weren’t listening close enough,” I told him. “I’ll bring the soul of the Purple Tamika Lokhars to the battlefield. There, they will not dare to risk its destruction.”
Baba Gobo scratched his baboon chin. “If you can do as you say, I fail to see how that will win the Starkiens their redemption.”
“I want to save the solar system. If I achieve that, I’m not worried about who gets the credit for stopping the Lokhar Crusade. If the Emperor races to Earth, and then he and his fleet reels back in defeat, people will demand to know how that happened. I will say, ‘The Starkiens outfought the Purple Tamika Lokhars. They did it to defend Holgotha, the Forerunner artifact. As Holgotha’s spokesman, I will say the machine has forgiven your old mistake. This is a new era where Starkiens have honor.”
Baba Gobo scowled. “We already have honor.”
“No you don’t.”
Several of the elders hooted with outrage.
“Hey,” I said. “Get real. I’m the one who walked alone onto your flagship. I did it without assurances. You must have wondered how I could have been so foolish.”
Baba Gobo glanced at the elders. Several nodded. “Yes,” the old baboon said. “We wondered why you’d taken leave of your senses.”
“Clearly, I had a plan. You even like my plan. It turns out that I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“So it would appear,” Baba Gobo admitted.
“I’m the man who told you the name of Holgotha. I asked for nothing in return.”
“Yes,” Baba Gobo said. “That is strange.”
“I’m Commander Creed,” I said. “I do things my way, and I kick ass. If you want a piece of the Purple Tamika Lokhar, you have to listen to me, and you have to learn to trust me.”
“Trust is not the Starkien way,” Baba Gobo said.
“And look where that’s gotten you,” I said.
“We have survived the ages.”
“Yeah, on the run, hated and despised by all. Oh yeah, that’s really impressive. In case you can’t tell, I’m being sarcastic.”
Behind me, N7 poked a warning finger in my back.
“Look, Baba Gobo,” I said. “Prince Venturi of Orange Tamika came to me for Earth troopers. He wanted the best fighters in order to save our universe. Well, the prince didn’t survive. But I did. We smashed Abaddon and defeated his Kargs on the portal planet. I have a track record of defeating whoever faces me. If the Starkiens want in this time, join up and reap the rewards.”
“Will there be others beside us to fight the Purple Tamika Lokhars?” Baba Gobo asked.
“Of course,” I lied, hoping I could find others. Where was Doctor Sant? “This is the Holgotha Crusade,” I said. “We’re going to gather the biggest fleet ever seen and smash the heretics who thought to stamp out humanity and ostracize the Starkiens. You’re going be in the limelight, my friend.”
“That isn’t the Starkien way,” Baba Gobo muttered. “We have worked from the shadows for a long time.”
I nodded vigorously. “Can you imagine how many Starkien flotillas there are?”
“No Starkien ever wonders about that,” he said. “Once, we had many fleets. Now, only seven remain.”
“Okay. That’s your first assignment. You gather the Starkien remnants into one place. I’ll grab the Orange Tamika Lokhars and snatch the soul of the Purple.”
Baba Gobo stared at me for a time. “Would you wait outside, please, as we confer on this?” he asked.
“With pleasure,” I said.
Together, N7 and I walked into the corridor. The hatch closed behind us and the elders must have begun to talk.
“I don’t understand how you hope to achieve your goal,” N7 whispered.
“How can you say that? You’ve been with me the entire time?”
“The Starkiens have never done as you suggested.”
“Right,” I said. “That’s what I’m bringing to the table: new ideas. Haven’t you learned yet that’s the most powerful thing in the universe?”
“I am learning,” N7 said.
We could hear their voices through the sealed hatch, but not their individual words. Traveling up the corridors to us were internal ship clangs and hisses. There was a surprising amount of those noises.
“There is a thing that troubles me,” N7 said.
“Yeah?”
“Why does Baba Gobo listen to you? I would not have believed it unless I saw it.”
I grinned. “I gave him something incredible for free. That baffled him. It threw him off his normal pattern. That made him susceptible to my confidence.”
“Why would this be?” N7 asked.
“Because he can’t understand the source of my confidence,” I said.
“Neither can I,” the android said.
I made a soft sound and frowned down at my boots. “It’s called balls to the firewall.”
“I lack human reproductive organs.”
I nodded.
“Why would testicles make the difference?” N7 asked.
“Smoke and mirrors,” I said, “fast-talking and atomic self-assurance. That persuades people. Besides, I’ve been lucky a few times. People start to wonder about that. They figure there has to be a reason for my successes. What could be the reason? It baffles them. Finally, they figure, ‘He must be something special, maybe a battle genius or something.’ Now, I don’t believe that myself. This entire episode began in Antarctica when I grabbed a rifle and stormed a space lander. Basically, I’ve been doing the same thing only on a grander scale each time. The gall throws people off.”
“Extraordinary,” N7 said.
“Maybe,” I said. “Growing up, I used to read about a guy called the Charles the XII of Sweden. He was the Berserker Knight-Errant, constantly fighting three to one, five to one and even eight to one odds battles and winning.”
“Charles could do anything?” N7 asked.
“No. In the end, he lost the Swedish Empire. The king was crazy and his lopsided battles finally caught up with him on the field of Poltava.”
“Did he die there?”
“No. He escaped to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, waging war against Russia from the court of another ruler.”
“What happened to the Berserker Knight-Errant in the end?” N7 asked.
I took my time answering. “At a siege in Norway, he was shot in the head, from behind. Most commentators speculate that one of his own troops finally had enough of his endless wars.”
“Is that what will happen to you?” N7 asked.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t,” I said, shrugging, pretending I didn’t care. “But it doesn’t matter. I plan to be the Berserker-Star Viking, doing whatever I have to in order to give humanity its place among the stars.”
The hatch opened before N7 could respond. The smallest elder beckoned us within.
In silence and under the starting eyes of Baba Gobo and his elders, N7 and I walked before them.
“Commander Creed,” the white-maned baboon said.
I dipped my head in acknowledgment.
“We are impressed with your courage,” Baba Gobo said. “And you are a cunning military officer. But we cannot agree to face the might of a Lokhar crusade, one bent on destroying humans. The Starkiens will sit out this battle and war.”
“What?” I said. “But, but…” What had I done wrong? I’d been sure they would agree to my plan.
Baba Gobo shook his head. “We are decided on this. Yet, I have this to say. For your gift of the name Holgotha, we grant you your life. Good-bye, Commander Creed. May the Creator have mercy on your soul and on the lives of your people. I do not think any of you have long to live.”
-22-
Depressed, I returned to Patrol Boat Achilles. This should have worked. If all the Starkiens had gathered their warships and used their speed, we could have harried the Emperor’s fleet.
Star Viking (Extinction Wars Book 3) Page 21