“What of this mysterious communication capability?”
“That system had been removed before our landing. The pirennie were able to get some information off the system. But some of it was magnetically erased, wiping away everything.”
“You have no other data?” Krishnae twitched his tail in agitation. He wanted the information more than anything else. He knew as blood truth that any war would be won or loss on the availability of information, the increase of technology.
“We have the anti-matter facilities and are able to reproduce them aboard the starships. Our weapon systems have increased, and grow daily. The pirennie have increased our FTL reach and our reaction drive is at its optimum.”
“You trust the spartzitz?” Krishnae watched Litee for his reaction, judging everything about him to gain all he could. Everyone spoke more with their bodies than their speech would allow.
“They work exactly as they are supposed to. It seems that they are the best spartzitz that we've ever had record of. I would trust them with citizen status.”
Krishnae narrowed his eye slits quickly, that talk may not ready to be heard.
“Sorry, Elder.” Litee extended his neck. “We did find some things of interest.” He looked out the window, relaxing his body as the sand swept over him.
“Report,” Krishnae said, narrowing his eye slits in irritation.
“The communications system there had been dismantled and most of it taken away.”
“Is it different than the one here?”
“We have discovered that the one here had been tampered with right after our arrival. Parts of it had been destroyed, but unknown to us.”
“Done by the pirennie?”
“Yes. But, Elder, this was before pacification.”
“There never was a pacification, Litee.” Krishnae looked out the window. “And yet you still trust them.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“I think that your researchers and technicians should be able to function independent of the pirennie as soon as possible.”
“I would like nothing better, Elder, but that is not viable.”
“Explain.” Only he could speak to an Elder in such a manner. At least he had the intelligence to only do it in private. He understood the necessity of his position.
“The equipment is designed for their size and their minds. My people are just too big and clumsy to handle it competently.”
“Rectify the situation.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“Was there something else, Litee?” Krishnae's eyes were threatening, making him worry.
“Their communications system, Elder. I believe that it travels much faster than we at first expected.”
“Explain.” Krishnae disliked the question game Litee was playing. He would have to make his position not so secure in the future.
“I believe we may be able to reproduce this communication system within time.”
“How short?”
“That is hard to tell, Elder.” Litee extended his neck. Research does not operate on a time schedule.”
“Procure any materials needed.”
“Yes, Elder.” Litee turned and left.
Krishnae narrowed his eye slits in a smile. He stared into the sand. He knew that there was something else. This would be it. Their engine increases were occurring every day. Each ship faster than its predecessor. With the communications to back it up response would be incredible. It could also be their downfall. The enemy had this ability.
Riaaur stood before the bay window of the command ship. Behind him were fifty reggf. Once the word was put out all available ships were floating in to this system. Each reggf behind him represented a ship, and over two hundred more were coming. He turned and looked across the crowd. They all knew each other and treated this as a party. He shook his head. Pirates, most of them, smugglers all.
He saw Styllia talking to Rigaar, one of the vilest of the pirates. He moved his hands as if they were two ships. Explaining his last escape from the Protectors, no doubt. She was baring her toothless mouth at him. But, he didn't take offence. How could he know that it wasn't a threat, but a show of affection? Riaaur hadn’t known that Rigaar had contact with the Pyrinni before. But, then pirates do tend to get around.
The doors slid open and twelve more came in. They saw old friends and old enemies and disappeared into the crowd. The large insect stepped up to Riaaur. The monster made him nervous, he hated the thing and wanted to crush its skull between his jaws. He nodded at it instead.
“You will need more ships than those represented.” Its clicks were just able to be deciphered into words.
“More will come. Here everyone owns their own ship. They are all independent. They will come.”
“I hope that you are correct.” The teckton knew the meaning of the words, could make the clicks so they were understood, but had none of the emotion of her words.
“Is this enemy that powerful?” Riaaur was starting to get nervous. The realization of a true war had just come to him. War only happened in the ancient history of his people. Large nations battling each other, destroying everything. His people were not supposed to belong to large groups such as nations, or countries, or empires. They would all cooperate to defeat this enemy, but break into factions again, and even fight each other to take the booty. Pirates at war. That prospect frightened him even more than the unknown enemy.
“They are as aggressive as you with our technological level and the numbers to overpower any adversary. You will need many more ships than this.” The teckton stepped down and walked over to Styllia. Riaaur could barely see the bottom of its multiple legs as it moved across the deck. He felt ill.
“I do not think that these beings have the capability to defeat the Saurians,” the teckton said in her native clicks as she stepped behind Styllia.
“I believe that they may be able to occupy them for some time.” Styllia responded in kind, her clicks sounded the exact same as the teckton's. “They may surprise you.”
“They lack unity. The Saurians act in concert, as one like us, but still apart. These act apart, unable to cooperate for more than a brief span of time.”
“It may be that ability that will give them an edge. They are used to space warfare. The Saurians are not, the Tecktons are not. This, in itself, is an advantage.”
“You are optimistic. Even so, I shall still give my recommendation to Cottattanie.”
“You must follow your duty.” Styllia turned back to Rigaar as the Teckton left the room. All the eyes of the reggf followed it out.
“I do not believe that any of us will ever get used to those things,” Rigaar said, turning to look again at Styllia.
“They are an incredibly old race, Rigaar,” she said, smiling at him.
“Do any of them fly?” Rigaar pricked his hears forward.
“Do any of them have wings?”
Rigaar nodded.
“Not to my knowledge.” She smiled.
Chapter 4
Disturbance in real space, a wrinkling of space-time, a ship appeared and instantly powered nearly all its systems down. Invisibly it drifted passively scanning the solar system it just shifted into. The small ship saw everything, every energy source, every gravity source, every light source. It collected this data, plotted the numbers and types, counted them and analyzed them.
A directional communication beacon was aimed and the data transmitted over a distance reaching one hundred light years, instantaneously.
“Leader,” scannerman of the destroyer Kata turned his neck to face the seat in the center of the darkened bridge, “I've detected an energy disturbance that appeared suddenly and then blinked out.”
“Blinked out?” Leader Brontinea turned his command chair to face the sensor station.
“Yes, Leader, it was there for an instant, as if a ship shifted in, and then disappeared.”
“Helm, flank speed to coordinates on sensor screen.”
“Flank speed, Leader.” T
he response came with an increase in the low pitched hum of the warping engines.
Brontinea cursed his luck to be stuck with such a slow ship. The Kata had yet to be refitted to a faster engine. The enemy would surely destroy this pitifully endowed vessel when it attacked. His would be the first to die, or the first to glory.
“Leader?” The communicationsman turned to face the command chair, extending his neck to insure no interpretation of disrespect.
“Wait for the order. Weaponsman.”
“Leader,” the youngest of the bridge crew said in confirmation. He was among the first born on Junta and knew nothing but space. Brontinea felt secure with a space borne warrior manning his weapons.
“Have the warheads of the torpedoes set for a proximity explosion.”
“Yes, Leader.” He turned and spoke into his communicator, ordering the gunning crew to perform the task.
“Commander.” Reggkf looked up from his scope.
“What?” Raoulf spun in the weightless environment, snarling. He didn't like this. He was used to hiding from Protectors, not an armada.
“There's a warping of space moving to our position.”
“Cha!” Raoulf spat the curse of excrement. “Is transmission complete?”
“Yes. I've even received confirmation.” Reff looked up from his communication panel, grinning with his eyes.
Raoulf raised his eyebrows in a smile. “Any other ships in a response area?”
“No,” Reggkf said.
“Engage engines and arm weapons. We are going to test the capabilities of this chakraf’s warship,” Raoulf snarled.
“Raoulf, they're five times our size.” Reggkf hesitated.
“Are they faster?” Raoulf asked, his expression changing.
“Not with warp,” Reggkf said.
“Then start the engines and arm the weapons!” Raoulf stared at his second.
“Alright.” Reggkf floated from the sensor screen to the helm position and started the drive. He then climbed back into the sensor chair, the gravity returned.
“Will this thing keep transmitting if we move,” Raoulf asked.
“Yes, but it won't stay on target,” Reff said.
“Leave it then, get into the weapon's chair.”
“Raoulf,” Reggkf looked up, “they've launched missiles at us.”
“How could they track us? We've no signature.” Raoulf jumped into the pilot's seat and initiated the gravity wells, one in front pulling and one behind pushing.
“Not anymore,” Reggkf snarled.
“Shoot them with the particle beams.” Raoulf set his course at a right angle to the trajectory of the missiles.
“They're not following us.” Reggkf watched his screen. “But the ship is changing course and launching more missiles. We've been locked on!”
“Dump the mine load, Reff.” Raoulf turned the ship around and pressed in the course back to Haven.
Reff entered a series of commands and pressed a blue lever. The lower rear of their ship opened. Small spheres shot out, one by one, travelling through the gravity well and being thrown toward the unseen ship that sped toward them from over a million kilometers away.
The ship was small and looked much like an atmosphere craft. Three slim cylinders entered the area where the vessel was and exploded, sending electromagnetic pulse waves through empty space. The larger tube changed vector and began thrusting towards the smaller ship. Five more small cylinders appeared, travelling at relativistic speeds. Streams of blinding blue light spiraled across the immense gravity wells created by the smaller ship and struck the missiles, causing them to explode in intense waves that blinded the Kata momentarily. When the scanners cleared the small ship was gone.
“Where?” Brontinea screamed standing from his chair.
“They've disappeared again, Leader.” The sensorman reported, extending his neck in an effort not to incur his leader's wrath.
“Plot probable course and fire energy beams!”
High pitched whines echoed through the ship as high velocity plasma beams burned through empty space, hitting nothing.
“Leader,” the sensorman said softly, “they have something that must evade our sensors.”
“Then the only way to detect them is to see them?” Brontinea sat back in his chair.
“Yes, Leader.”
Brontinea rubbed his air slits reflectively. This was a worthy adversary. They had evaded his torpedoes. This small ship was very clever. He widened his eye slits in a grin. Finally, a commander worthy to combat! But, not smart enough.
“How far are we from his last position, sensorman?”
“Approximately three thousand clicks, Leader.”
“Lower speed to one half, approach their last known position and use light pulses to try and find a reflection.
“Yes, Leader.” The sensorman returned to his board, making it so. He watched and waited. The lights pulsed out, and bounced back off the only things out there, thousands of small spheres.
“Leader,” the sensorman yelled, the light from his screen turning his green face an ominous yellow, “there is nothing except a bunch of dots!”
“Explain.” Brontinea sat up on his chair, looking at the same screen, yet unable to read it.
“There are a large amount of dots speeding toward us. They cover an area greater than three of our ships.”
Brontinea looked to the observation window above his head. Only stars shown through there. He thought, wondered, then the idea became a realization. “Distance?”
“Less than a hundred clicks.”
“Flank reverse!” Brontinea leaped from his seat and screamed onto the top of the helmsman's head.
The great ship slowed to a stop, and started to move backwards, unfelt to all those aboard.
Spheres impacted the outer hull and exploded, rocking the ship. Gravity shut off and the lights went out followed by more explosions. The black ultraviolet lights came on. The crew were strapped to their seats. Brontinea was holding onto a grip near the ceiling.
“Fire defense beams, point blank,” he screamed.
Nothing.
“They don't respond.” The weaponsman called without looking up. He quickly changed the power routing and fired the plasma beams. Only thirty percent were operable.
“I read explosions from about the ship. The plasma beams destroyed the rest of the weapons.”
“Leader?” The communicationsman looked to his Leader.
“Wait for the order! Damage report.”
“Gravity is out in the forward sections, all decks,” the communicationsman read from the scrolling list on one of his screens, “defense beams inoperable, seventy percent of forward plasma beams inoperable. The hull is breached on the lower decks and forward scanner room. Sensors are out and communications system damaged, now on back up.
“Have we full engine power?”
“Yes, Leader.”
“Set course for repair station twelve. Send a message to Central Command that an enemy ship shifted into real space. We exchanged fire, received damage, and it fled.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Raoulf strode into the command chamber of the floating city of Haven. The coordinates changed occasionally, but it was always in deep space. This was a good pirate base, built by the Pyrinni and a thousand times larger than any other he had ever seen. The number of ships that surrounded this gigantic ball were insane. Old smugglers docked next to protector ships. A war was a strange thing. He had never seen so many reggf working together.
He stopped before the closed door and spoke his name into the small glowing ball that floated near his head. The ball scanned him to make sure everything matched and then the door opened.
In the center of the large oval room was a huge table. One entire wall was a window. He enjoyed the view, able to see the stars without the interference of any sun.
“Report.” Riaaur stood.
“What?” Raoulf stopped and stared and the younger reggf.
; “I said,” Riaaur stepped closer to the old grey-furred ship commander, “report.”
Raoulf raised a lip and laughed, walking around the reggf to the table where Styllia sat next to Rigaar.
“Rig,” Raoulf said, leaning in and resting one haunch on the table, “you mate with beasts now, huh?”
“She understands us, Raoulf. She even talks better than you.”
“But can she fly?” Raoulf leaned closer, raising a lip in order to impress Styllia with his teeth.
Rigaar grinned.
Riaaur walked around the table and stood directly behind Raoulf, resting his hand on the ceremonial dagger his father had given him.
“Raoulf,” Rigaar stood and grabbed Raoulf's wrist and whispered, “no death.”
Raoulf nodded and turned to face Riaaur, eye to eye. They stared, with Riaaur growling occasionally, and didn't move. Riaaur's ears moved back slightly, finally folding completely when he cast his eyes down.
“Now go sit over there, cusp.” Raoulf turned to face Rigaar again.
“Why? Styllia asked.
“Raoulf just pushed him down in the hierarchy of this pack.” Rigaar raised a lip to Raoulf and stood.
“I didn't kill him, Rig.” Raoulf stepped back. “I normally do.”
“I know,” Rigaar held his ground, “but he still commands the whole.”
“A cusp like that,” he pointed with a raised finger, “responsible for us all?”
“It's called logistical command,” Styllia said, standing.
“Why?” Raoulf's eyes locked with Rigaar's
“He doesn't fly,” Rigaar said.
“So he tells us where to go, because he doesn't fly?”
“No. He runs the logistics of supplies and ship distribution.” Rigaar stepped closer, “I tell you where to go.” His eyes locked and his lips rose in a snarl.
Raoulf held his ground and remembered. Rigaar was already a legendary pirate. While only half the age of Raoulf he had accomplished twice as much. Even the Protectors wouldn't go after him unless they had a much bigger ship. His crew worshipped him. He was the true leader here. Raoulf knew he could never take his place. However, the contest had begun. Raoulf had seen Rigaar tear out a pirate's throat with his teeth before. Raoulf knew what Rigaar was, and stepped down.
Saurians Page 6