by Dalo Lorn
“Pretty sure. Now could you please explain what’s going on here?”
“Yes, I suppose an introduction is in order. I’m a member of a secret task force known as the Arcamil, formed by various individuals on both sides shortly after everyone realized that the Xargans were not a bioweapon created by the Terrans, but in fact a third party seeking to destroy us all. You can call me Lossuh.”
“Lossuh. Right. Go on,” Lanis said.
“I am one of the Arcamil’s founding members and leaders. We have a considerable amount of resources and secret bases, and - much like the Xargans - infiltrators scattered throughout the known galaxy. The reason the information you gave me is so disturbing is that Lurvat is… was one of our operatives.”
“And you believe he has been compromised?” Zeshaira asked.
“After hearing what you’ve told me, yes. Unfortunately, your arrival into our space has caused a great deal of chaos, allowing the Xargans to accelerate their plans. As a result, we were forced to act - remove or subvert the unstable element before too much damage was done.”
“The attack on the Tarhedia,” Fanra said, realizing what he meant. “Your people did that, didn’t they?”
“Yes. A regrettable action, as we were forced to destroy the Carthan station - but a necessary one nonetheless. Don’t worry, Zeshaira,” he turned to the Tarhedian, noticing the sudden anger in her expression, “your people are fine. A bit battered, but they’ll recover.”
This wasn’t very reassuring to her. “What have you done to them?” she demanded.
“Stunned, gassed or otherwise incapacitated, then held at one of our bases. Your leader was quite willing to answer my questions, though; it didn’t take long for us to understand our mistake.”
“So why are we locked up like this?” Herrun asked.
“Because it is best if you know as little as possible about the operation of our facilities and ships. Anyway, when we heard that the Tarhedians were going to dispatch a fleet to assist in the fight, we decided that letting them go was the best course of action.”
“And what about us?” Lanis asked.
“I wanted to talk to you, see what had gone wrong on Petra. After all, a considerable portion of the situation there can be traced directly to you - I wanted to know where that trail led after you.”
“And expose any infiltrators that may have been responsible,” Zeshaira said.
“Precisely. Although our knowledge of the Xargan infiltrators’ identities is considerable, there are always missing links. It is not helping us at all that they occasionally manage to identify some of our operatives - or their assets - and assassinate them at key moments.”
“So… what happens now?” Fanra asked.
“Now you meet the Tarhedians and leave. As soon as we arrive, of course.” After saying that, Lossuh left the room.
Herrun turned to the others. “You think he’s telling the truth?” he asked.
“Well, he’s hiding something, but there’s really no way of knowing what it is, much less if we need to know it,” Lanis answered. “Let’s get some rest while we can - looks like this is going to be a loooong fight…”
Hours later, the transport dropped out of hyperspace in deep space - the only object in the area was the Tarhedia, which appeared to have been waiting just for them. The Ivory Eagle had already been landed in one of the hangar bays, but the Arcamil ship was simply too large to fit, instead heading towards the nearest landing pad. As they were released from their room and disembarked, Lanis and the others could see a significant amount of crates being unloaded onto the Tarhedia - and that the Tarhedians aboard were not alone.
One of the Terrans waiting on the platform eventually noticed Lanis’ boots, immediately taking his pistol out of its holster and pointing it at him. “How did you get here?” he asked Lanis in an alarmed tone.
Lossuh came out of the ship before Lanis could answer. “Tom,” he addressed the Terran, “what’s wrong?”
“Have you verified this man’s identity?” Tom asked back.
“He’s clean. Why?”
“Remember my report on a failed data transfer on Earth some five years ago? About how the Xargans killed the courier minutes after I left? Well, that courier - Dennis Salztriem, if you forgot the name - was wearing those boots when he died, and the boots weren’t anywhere near the murder scene. The police eventually concluded that they must have been taken by the killer, but they couldn’t even figure out what they looked like, let alone where they disappeared to.”
“Are you sure they’re the same boots?” Lanis asked. “I got these from a beggar around September that year.”
“That’d be just about right,” Tom answered, putting down his pistol. “He once told me he found them near a dig site on--”
Lanis knew where this was going. “Don’t tell me… Daserus Three? Did Hatos tell you about the boots?”
“He did,” Lossuh said, “but the description wasn’t detailed enough, and Tom wasn’t there yet. Now that’s been straightened out… Lanis Baltor, this is Thomas Barnes, one of our senior permanent operatives.”
Barnes shook hands with Lanis. “Sorry about that - I saw your boots and just… acted first, thought about it later. I’ve been assigned to be your liaison to the Arcamil - Lossuh thinks coordinating with the Tarhedia’s going to be useful, and quite frankly, I can’t say I disagree.”
“Well, all things considered… welcome aboard, Marrick,” Lanis said.
“Barnes,” Tom corrected him, failing to notice the deliberate nature of his error. “Most people just call me Tom, though.”
“No, it’s a-- never mind,” Lanis answered. “What now?”
“Now,” Hatos said, having arrived on the platform in time to hear the question, “we make plans for the future. Although some of our problems can - and will - be remedied by our alliance with the Arcamil, many issues yet remain that must be addressed. Follow me.”
The entire group headed to the conference room. Once everyone was seated, Hatos brought up a map of the region. It was clear that the initial Xargan attack had proceeded with little resistance; by now, they had penetrated as deep as twenty light years past the border, wiping out everything in their way. Several red blips indicated locations where they had - having managed to bypass the rapidly forming perimeter - attacked specific targets deeper in allied territory such as the Orion. The most disturbing part, however, was that the majority of the enemy fleet seemed to be pushing into Petran space, where the oddly uncoordinated nature of the defenders - as well as the Petrans’ refusal to call for help - meant that this invasion would result in the quick capture of Petra.
After Hatos and Barnes explained this to everyone else, Lanis got up. “That sounds bad - but I think we should take a look at all of the data before we make our plan,” he said, proceeding to explain - with some help from Kaa’nt and Zeshaira - everything they discovered after leaving Cartha.
“Ah, the stranger’s key,” Hatos remarked as they finished telling them about Daserus Three. “I was wondering when we would hear of it again. Zeshaira’s reaction is somewhat understandable, though I do not approve of it. Unfortunately, the story behind it is a long and complex one, and one I do not fully know; but now that we have discovered how to use it, I believe my decision to send for it may have been justified.”
“Can you tell us more about it?” Fanra asked.
“As I said, it is a long and complicated story, and telling it would not provide any useful information in this conflict. I would gladly tell you about it later, when this situation has been resolved. Please, continue,” he requested, and the trio continued their report; Zeshaira described her dream in great detail to everyone around her.
Strangely enough, Barnes, Herrun, and Fanra stated that they hadn’t had the dream yet. “Maybe they don’t think we’re important enough,” Fanra speculated.
“Perhaps. I have had the same dream; its content suggests that the location of our new homeworld is no longer a secret
. Considering its distance from your territory, we may have to abandon it. That, or you shall have to expand into the region. Nonetheless, that is something that must be discussed with both of your governments after the battle is over.” Hatos paused. “As for the dream itself, our only option is to keep on fighting until the end, whatever that end may be. Their attempt at psychological warfare lacks one key attribute: providing a viable alternative, even if that alternative does not truly exist; we should be glad that they have made that mistake.”
After this, Lanis explained that they found nothing of value in the Holsen system, and had started describing the Xargan interdictor when Barnes interrupted him. “Yes, this interdictor is quite an interesting find - if it weren’t for our informant aboard the Orion, we wouldn’t have found out about it until now. It looks like the Xargans have infiltrated the Interdictor project, using the schematics for the finished product to guide this thing’s evolution.”
“‘Interdictor project’?” Fanra asked confusedly.
“As all the non-Tarhedians in here probably know already, hyperspace disruptors are a very useful thing in defensive operations. If we didn’t have them, the Xargans could - and, as demonstrated by the Orion attack, would - just bypass our fleets and hit undefended star systems deeper in our territory. Sure, they can do that now to a degree, but you get the idea. The catch is that no viable hyperspace disruption technology exists that can easily be moved around. You need to know several weeks or even months in advance that your target’s going to go through a certain region of space or you won’t be able to put the disruptor together before they’re gone.”
“As much as I enjoy the opportunity to learn more about foreign technology, we may not have the time,” Hatos noted.
“Right. The Interdictor project was started by the United Systems Navy late in the Carthan Wars with the goal of constructing hyperspace disruptors which are portable enough to be used aboard battlecruisers. It was deliberately kept a secret from the Petrans so that in the event that the war was reignited, the Terrans would have a major tactical advantage. We’ve always believed that the Xargans hadn’t gotten into the project, but not all of our field data survives the trip to our bases. For all I know, it could have been in the data Dennis was supposed to deliver - I couldn’t remember most of it, and the agent who actually got the data was killed before he could send another report.”
“Hold on a minute - we were hiding something from the Petrans?” Lanis asked. “I mean, okay, the Petrans have their fair share of secrets, but at least we know what they’re related to!”
“Oh, you’d be surprised if you heard half of what the Petrans are hiding from the Terran government, or the other way around,” Barnes assured him. “There’s more out there than just crystals. Funnily enough, though the Petrans do have their own version of the Interdictor project, ours was the first to get a working prototype out into the field.”
“You are straying away from the topic,” Hatos reminded them. “We have received the data from Lieproi; unfortunately, that survey was just as fruitless as the one on Holsen Seven. Now, we should plan our next move.”
“Why don’t we help Poteran fix the Petran government?” Lanis suggested.
“We think that any attempt by a foreign power to influence the outcome of any conflict in Petran space at this point could result in a war - either a civil war between two Petran factions or worse, a repeat of the Carthan Wars. Based on the data our operatives in his fleet have been sending us, Poteran is thinking the same thing. The most we can do for him right now is nudge things, help his plan go as smoothly as possible and pray that it doesn’t result in a civil war,” Barnes explained.
“He’s right,” Fanra said. “Even if everything goes according to plan, there’s too much prejudice out there after the Carthan Wars. You might not even have noticed it, but most of us were avoiding you back at Cartha.”
“So, we’re in trouble if we do help them, and we’re in trouble if we don’t? Did I miss the bit where helping makes things worse?”
“No, it just wasn’t there,” Herrun matter-of-factly said.
“Even if I thought you were right, the Arcamil can’t do anything, and the US has enough Xargans to fight on their own territory,” Lossuh pointed out.
“Perhaps,” Hatos observed, “but we are not constrained by politics and xenophobia, and most importantly, we are by no means preoccupied. It seems to me that the Tarhedia’s next task is clear; we must protect the Petrans from the Xargan fleet regardless of whether they want our help.”
“That’s insane!” Barnes protested.
“It is necessary,” he simply answered. “Where long-term planning is unlikely to achieve a satisfactory result, our only recourse is to take whatever action has the most desirable short-term effect. Based on this intelligence, the battle where we will be most valuable will be taking place in this system here,” he finished, pointing at a system near the Petran front lines.
“Actually, I think helping with the evacuation of the Vaanle system here,” Fanra countered, pointing towards the densely populated system near the one Hatos had selected, “would be a better idea if we’re trying to convince the Petrans that we’re on their side.”
The discussion continued for several more hours until a plan was formulated; as Fanra suggested, Vaanle would be the location where the Xargans faced the full might of the Tarhedia and its crew for the first time.
However, as they would soon learn, no plan survives contact with the enemy...
Chapter 8
The Gambit
D’fal Woren carefully monitored the status displays; sixteen hours before Poteran’s planned arrival, they had just reached the Petran system and were cleared to dock at the orbital shipyards near Hemreus. While the Ivory Eagle dropped out of hyperspace at Aphis, heading into the Arcamil’s trap, Woren nervously analyzed everything, trying to find a sign - anything that would tell him if their trick had worked. His ship, the light cruiser Klern, gently moved into position. The die was cast.
“No hostile activity, sir,” the Klern’s tactical officer reported. “If they’re on to us, they’re waiting for something.”
“I suppose we’ll have to wait, then. You all know your orders; carry them out, but don’t risk getting caught until the attack begins.”
The docking arms extended from the shipyard, grabbing the Klern and blending seamlessly with its hull. What damage it had taken during the battle for Lieproi started to regenerate more rapidly; instead of having to rely on cannibalizing less important sections and any usable matter that may have clung to the hull, the ship could draw upon the station’s reserves to repair itself until it was once again in perfect condition. The rest of Woren’s small group had already docked with other shipyards and were also being repaired and refueled in the small planet’s shadow. In the vicinity, the Petrans were already hard at work rebuilding their hyperspace disruptor, but as Woren had hoped, there was but a token defense force - similar to the Terran militias - protecting their homeworld from hostile forces. True, this fleet was also aided by the heavy weapons platforms orbiting Petra and Hemreus, but if the plan worked, those would not be a problem.
Everyone in the fleet would do their best to get into positions from where they could sabotage key military assets such as the larger warships, Petra’s weapon platforms, vital military bases throughout Petra, and most importantly, the defenses around Poteran’s primary targets: one of the broadcast towers for the Petran news network, and the High Council chambers themselves. If too many operations failed, Poteran would jump into a deathtrap.
Woren went into the nearest turbolift, heading towards one of the docking arms to disembark; once at the dock, he hoped to board one of the shuttles leaving for Petra. To his great relief, nobody tried to stop him, much less arrest him, and an hour later, his shuttle landed safely in the starport of Petra’s capital city, Melraas. A metropolis dwarfing even the largest cities on Earth, Melraas owed its size to the landscape as much as modern tec
hnology. Being situated on the largest island on the planet, the city had more space to expand before growing into the ocean, at which point the Petrans’ advanced construction methods took over. The greatest testament to their ability to build aquatic cities - both above and below the surface - was that Melraas’ aquatic section was larger than the land-based one.
As he disembarked from the shuttle, Woren was intercepted by a Petran lieutenant. “Captain Woren?” he inquired.
“Yes,” Woren answered confusedly.
“I’m Lieutenant Bant - Admiral Jelon wants to debrief you personally.”
This wasn’t part of the plan, but at least there were no armed guards. There was still hope. “I see. After you, Lieutenant.”
Woren followed the young officer towards the old Imperial Palace overlooking the rest of the island. The Palace had been reconstructed several times throughout its long existence, most recently using Petran crystals as a replacement for the various materials previously used in its design, but it was still clear to anyone who looked at it that the building had a rich and important past. Indeed, it had been home to generations of Petran emperors since the Petran people were first united during the reign of Emperor Pelaros more than half a millennium ago. Though the last Emperor died without selecting his successor nearly two hundred years ago, the Petrans still referred to themselves as an empire. The institution now known as the Petran High Council was originally an advisory body, but when none of the people who could have taken the throne felt they were worthy of the title, power passed down to the Council.
It was this magnificient structure that the entire Petran government - and the command structure of their army - were centered at, so it was no surprise that Admiral Jelon’s office was also located within. Woren and Bant navigated the building’s complex layout until they finally reached the office.
Both of them entered the office. “Ah, good,” Jelon said, “you’re here. Lieutenant, you’re dismissed.” After Jelon said that, the Petran lieutenant quickly exited the room, leaving Woren and Jelon alone. “I have to hand it to you, Captain - that was a pretty dangerous situation you got out of.”