by G. P. Hudson
“There is no coup,” said Tal. “What’s coming is greater than that. Greater even than the Empire.”
“Greater than the Empire?” Kriss said as he pondered her words until realization washed over him. “The aliens. The ones who attacked Kang’s system. You are in league with them.”
Tal smiled back at Kriss. “They have their part to play in the unfolding drama. But the story is far greater than that. Greater than you, or I. Greater than the Empire itself. We are living in glorious times, Emperor. For that, we should all be grateful.”
“What are you talking about? What could be greater than the Empire?”
Tal gazed back at Kriss with the insane eyes of a zealot. She leaned forward and spoke softly as if sharing a secret. “They are returning, Emperor. The entire galaxy will be purged, and born anew. Glorious days await us all, Emperor. Glorious days indeed….”
Chapter 19
The Freedom completed its jump, landing in an empty region of space. “Is this it?” Jon said as he stared at the viewscreen.
“Yes, Sir,” said Commander Henderson. “These are the correct coordinates.”
This was the region where they had first appeared when crossing into the Andromeda galaxy. The galactic gate was supposed to be here. It was the only thing connecting them to their own Milky Way galaxy, and Jon worried that they might have made a mistake.
The rest of the battle group ships appeared alongside them, along with the eleven Freen ships acting as Jon’s honor guard. Considering the battle with the Var, and the subsequent clash between the Antikitheri, Erinyie, and Cenobi, Jon was grateful for an uneventful journey the rest of the way. They were ready to cross through the gate and land that much closer to home. With any luck, they would leave Andromeda, and its inhabitants, behind for good.
That the galactic gate would be located here, in the middle of nowhere, was odd. No stars, no planets in this vast empty space. There was no indication of the presence of a guardian. When they had initially tried to use the gate on the Milky Way side, they were intercepted by what the Dvorkan scholar, Miira, referred to as a guardian. However you chose to name it, the being had been disguised as a moon in orbit of a planet. On this side, there was nothing. Why? Could one cross freely from Andromeda into the Milky Way, but not the other way around?
It made Jon’s head hurt. Just the concept of traveling two and a half million light years in an instant was enough to provoke a migraine. Nonetheless, it was precisely what they were about to do.
“Ping the jump gate,” ordered Jon.
“Yes, Sir. Pinging jump gate,” said Commander Henderson.
As before, the galactic gate would not appear immediately. Instead, they would wait some time before it showed itself. As the hours rolled by, Jon grew increasingly anxious. What if they couldn’t activate the gate? What if they were stuck in the Andromeda galaxy forever? He continued to quietly ruminate on this possibility as they all anticipated the appearance of the portal.
“Picking up jump gate activity,” Henderson announced.
Thank the stars, Jon thought as he breathed a sigh of relief. “On screen.”
The viewscreen shifted, and Jon was again impressed by the gate’s enormous size. A regular jump gate was large enough for several starships to travel through it simultaneously. This one was easily more than three times that.
“Should we send a surveillance drone through, Sir?” said Commander Henderson.
“Might as well. I’d rather not run into any more surprises if we can help it,” said Jon.
“Understood. Drone away,” said Henderson.
Underneath the Freedom, a small hatch opened. A tiny spacecraft shot forward racing toward the jump gate dead ahead. The drone entered the shimmering field and disappeared behind it. After a short while, the drone reappeared.
“Drone has returned,” said Henderson. “Receiving feed.”
“Route to my console,” said Jon. Jon’s display came to life, revealing a planetary system dominated by a red giant star. Jon immediately recognized the guardian’s system and began to relax. There were no signs of any enemy ships. No signs of danger whatsoever.
He opened a comm with Commander Booch of the Freen, who soon appeared on his comm display. “How may I serve the Foreseen?”
“Commander, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us. I don’t believe we could have made it this far without your help.”
“The Foreseen is most kind, but we merely performed our duty. Nothing more.”
“Well, I am grateful for it. Thanks to you, we can now cross through into our home galaxy.”
“It is as it should be.”
“Yes, well, hopefully, we can meet again someday.”
Booch cocked his head sideways. “I do not understand.”
“We are about to cross into our galaxy. This is where we part paths.”
“We are the Foreseen’s honor guard. We will not abandon our duty.”
“But you’ve performed your duty. You escorted us to the gate. You owe us nothing more.”
“The Foreseen is most wise, but he does not seem to understand. We are the Foreseen’s honor guard. We are honor bound to remain by the Foreseen’s side. Only death can break this bond.”
“But this is your galaxy. I can’t ask you to follow us.”
“It is not a question of asking. It is a question of duty.”
“Look, Commander, you’ve already done more than enough. Whatever duty you think you owe me, you’ve already performed it.”
“We follow the Foreseen. Only death can absolve us of our obligation.”
Jon shrugged. It seemed he was stuck with Booch, whether he liked it or not. It wasn’t that he minded the Freen. They were an odd race, but they had saved his bacon a few times now. If they wanted to tag along to the Milky Way, then he wasn’t going to tell them they couldn’t. He still felt guilty. Eleven ships. Thousands of Freen. All leaving their homes, their galaxy, because they thought they owed him something. It just didn’t seem right.
“What about your families?” said Jon. “Your loved ones? There’s a good chance you’ll never see them again.”
Booch cocked his head sideways again, showing his lack of understanding. “We leave no one behind. Our families travel with us.”
“Wait a second. Are you saying that your families are on board your ships?”
“Yes. We fly as one. It is as it should be.”
“Wow. Okay, I guess that makes things easier for you.” Eleven ships full of Freen families, all coming to the Milky Way. That was indeed something he hadn’t expected. How many of their families were lost in the previous battles? All to help him get home.
A suffocating feeling of guilt started to take hold, but he pushed it aside. He didn’t have the luxury of self-indulgence. As for the remaining Freen families, he would have to figure out the logistics of it all later. For now, the Freen were coming, and nothing he said was going to change their minds. “Very well. We will cross through the gate momentarily.”
“As you wish. We stand ready.”
“See you on the other side.” Jon terminated the connection, and looked up at the galactic gate, dominating the viewscreen. It was time to return home, and Jon couldn’t help but wonder what had happened since they were gone. “Commander Henderson, let the other ships know that we are crossing through the gate.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Helm, take us through.”
Chapter 20
They landed in a familiar planetary system dominated by a red giant star. The guardian’s system.
“Report,” said Jon.
“All data indicates that we have arrived in the Milky Way galaxy, two point five million light years from our previous location,” said Commander Henderson.
Jon shook his head. This was the second time they crossed through the galactic gate, but he still had trouble believing it. “What about the guardian? Is there any indication that he is moving?”
In their first encou
nter, the guardian of the gate was disguised as a moon. Then, it had promptly left planetary orbit to intercept them. Of course, it wasn’t a real moon. Just a spaceship in disguise. At least that was what Jon thought it was, and felt better believing so.
“The guardian moon is remaining in orbit, Sir,” said Henderson. “There is no indication it is changing course.”
“Good. We should get the hell out of here before our friend changes his mind. Are all ships synced with the Freedom’s jump system?”
“Yes, Sir. All ships are still synced.”
Jon nodded. “Initiate jump.”
The viewscreen shifted, and the battle group landed in an empty region of space, fifty light years away from their previous location. It was also their fourth and final jump before requiring a twenty-four-hour recharge. It gave them an opportunity to make repairs, and get their bearings before the next series of jumps.
“AI, are you close enough to get an update on the Dvorkan AI fleet?”
“No, Admiral. I cannot provide a status report.”
“Alright, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
On their voyage to the galactic gate, they had encountered a rogue Dvorkan AI that had built up its own fleet, with which it planned to invade the Dvorkan Empire. It made the mistake of attacking Jon’s battle group, and while it had enough ships to defeat them, it could not match their AI’s digital warfare capabilities.
Once their AI had killed her opponent, they inherited its fleet, consisting of three-thousand-two-hundred-and-forty-two automated warships, and the production facility that manufactured them. It was a mind-boggling development that nobody had expected.
In the end, AI had taken control of the fleet, and left a copy of herself behind to oversee them. The extra ships would undoubtedly be useful in their fight against the Juttari, and Erinyie.
“Commander Henderson, you have the bridge.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson.
Jon walked off the bridge, in search of their one Dvorkan crewmember. “AI, please locate Miira Kev.”
“Crewmember Miira Kev is currently in the mess hall,” said AI.
Jon had to smile. Miira’s appetite had become legendary in the time she’d been on board the Freedom. The Dvorkans were giants, and Miira was no exception. Standing at eight feet, she towered over everyone on the ship. Many adjustments had to be made to accommodate her. They had specially designed furniture to allow for her giant frame.
When it came to food, Jon suspected that she would have higher caloric requirements, but was surprised to find out exactly how high those requirements really were. It seemed that Dvorkans, along with great size, had extremely fast metabolisms.
Arriving at the mess hall, Jon found Miira sitting at a table with several plates of food in front of her. “May I join you, Miira?” Jon said walking up to the table.
Miira’s face lit up. “Yes, of course, Admiral. Please sit. Would you care for something to eat?”
“No, thank you. I’m not hungry.”
Miira shook her head. “I still don’t understand how you function with so few nutrients. Your people are a wonder.”
“We get by.” Jon smiled. “Miira, I wanted to talk to you about something. I guess you are aware that we crossed back into the Milky Way.”
“Yes, Admiral. I am. That is wonderful news.”
“On our way back to our sector of space, we will be passing through Dvorkan territory. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to your people and their Empire. Considering all that we’ve experienced, I think it is only a matter of time before the Empire is dragged into this conflict.”
“That is a logical conclusion,” said Miira, her mood more solemn.
“I also think that it would be prudent to warn them of what is out there so that they can prepare. In doing so, I’d also like to try and establish an alliance with the Empire.”
“I can see the logic in this as well,” said Miira. “I just don’t know how successful you will be in creating such an alliance.”
“That is exactly why I came to see you, Miira. I need your help to understand your people, and to get them on side.”
Miira frowned. “The problem is Dvorkans have never needed ally with another race. All the alien races they’ve encountered have been substantially weaker. None have ever been treated as equals. Rather, they pay tribute to the Empire, until the Empire simply assimilates them. Their populations are eventually allowed to ascend, but never viewed as equals. The Dvorkans consider themselves masters of everything they see. To convince them that they need to ally themselves with an alien race would be quite challenging.”
“What if one of their own tried to convince them?”
“One of their own? You couldn’t possibly mean me.”
Jon gave Miira an encouraging smile.
“Admiral, I know nothing of politics. I would be a terrible choice for such an assignment.”
“I don’t know about that. We need them to understand the threat they’re facing. Who else would be better at that than one of their own kind? Not to mention, the Empire’s foremost expert on the Anitkitheri and Erinyie.”
“I respectfully disagree. Most in the Empire ridicule my research. They would not take me seriously. They would think that I am deceiving them to gain credibility for my research.”
“Not if we’re with you.”
“That might be worse. They would say I am trying to promote alien ideas.”
“I think we can persuade them otherwise. We do have recordings of our encounters with the Antikitheri, not to mention the battle with the Cenobi. If they see what the Cenobi can do with a star, they might come around. The point is, I think we can convince them, so long as we get in front of the right people.”
“For an alliance, you would need to speak to the Emperor himself,” said Miira.
“You mean you need to speak to the Emperor.”
“Me? I couldn’t possibly-”
“Sure you can. I have confidence in you, Miira. Besides, I’ll be there with you. You’ll just need to make it happen, and make some introductions.”
“I don’t know-”
“I thought you said you wanted to become a member of this crew?”
“I do.”
“Then consider this your first mission. Unless you intend to disobey a direct order from the Admiral.”
“Disobey? No, that is not what I meant.”
“Good. Then it’s settled. You have some time until we reach Dvorkan space. I’m sure you can come up with a plan by then.”
“Yes, Admiral. I will.”
Jon smiled. “I knew I could count on you, Miira. I’ll let you get back to your meal. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
Chapter 21
“Do you think it wise to approach the Empire in this way?” General Tallos, the leader of the Diakan contingent, said from the wallscreen. The faces of the other commanders impassively gazed back.
“I think it is our only opportunity to do so.” Jon sat at the boardroom table, with Miira Kev’s towering frame at his side.
“But the Dvorkans possess a vast Empire, and a history of aggression,” Tallos continued. “They may seek to conquer us, rather than become our allies. We did have to fight our way out of their space the last time.”
“Yes, I remember,” said Jon. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that this time. You’re right, they do control a lot of territory in this region of space. It would be strategically advantageous if they joined us. If we don’t try, we run the risk of them siding with the Erinyie.”
Commander Booch of the Freen flapped his arms angrily at the mention of their enemy. “If these creatures would embrace the darkness, they are no allies of ours.”
“I understand your point of view,” said Jon. “But things are not quite so simple. The Dvorkans do not believe the Antikitheri exist-”
“Heresy!” Booch flapped his arms more aggressively. The Freen were zealots. They considered the Antikitheri to be gods
. As such, every decision regarding them became black and white, making it almost impossible for them to see the reality of the situation.
“It’s not that simple,” said Jon. “The Antikitheri left this galaxy long ago. Most in this galaxy consider them to be nothing more than myths.”
“The unbelievers must be purged!”
“Sorry, Commander. We are not going to purge anyone. What we are going to do is try and convince them that the Antikitheri and the Erinyie are real. In doing so, we will make them understand the threat the Erinyie pose, and convince them to ally with us.”
“Mass conversion of a population can be effective. The Foreseen is truly wise,” said Booch.
Jon noticed the reaction of the other commanders to Booch’s words. Jonas looked especially hostile, and Jon was thankful that the old Reiver didn’t share his thoughts with Booch. Jon concluded that it might be better not to include Booch in future meetings. He made a mental note to merely have regular one on ones with Booch, and avoid any unnecessary conflict due to Freen fanaticism.
“Miira has advised me that the only way to secure an alliance is for the Emperor to agree to one. I believe that with her as our ambassador, the Emperor will see the logic in our request.”
“He would be a fool to turn down such a beautiful woman,” said Jonas, smiling at the blue-skinned Dvorkan.
Miira looked down at her hands, noticeably uncomfortable by the attention. It amazed Jon that someone who stood eight feet tall could be so timid.
“Even if they believe us, the knowledge can still place us in a precarious position,” said Tallos.
“How so?” said Jon.
“The Dvorkans will recognize their handicap. They will request that we share the jump system technology with them. If we refuse, they may be inclined to side with the Erinyie to obtain the technology. Either way, they obtain the ability to reach our space, becoming another potential threat.”