by Aer-ki Jyr
“Ours is, yes,” she said, disappearing as the holo channel was hacked and his vision of the station was replaced with a view of a massive Era’tran standing in a sea of neutral black and looking down on him.
“I am Mak’to’ran, and if you wish to talk you will do so with me, for I hold your fate.”
“Fleet commander then?”
“Indeed, and had you been following the orders of another race I was prepared to spare you. This circumstance that you claim was not anticipated and I require additional information.”
“All the more to better kill us with?”
“No Zen’zat were abandoned on this world. The records indicate full surface destruction and a subsequent evacuation of the aquatics.”
“Our records say the same, but here we are nonetheless.”
“Then if you are not aware of your origin, the possibility that you have been planted here by someone after the fact cannot be discounted.”
“Fair point, but we’ve had no contact with anyone in the V’kit’no’sat. Everything we’ve built we’ve done ourselves, and I know that because I’m one of the few originals that have done the building.”
“You are too young.”
“We didn’t discover our buried legacy until around the time I was born. We’ve just built really fast since then.”
“Too fast,” Mak’to’ran, “which is why I do not believe all that you are telling me.”
“But you believe some of it?”
“Your eyes do not lie.”
“They could be, if I altered them to look like Mvor.”
“But you would not know of it unless one of you had achieved it. Tell me of this sharing you discovered.”
“Well, let me save you some time. You’re already analyzing our public records, so you’ll have noticed that the majority of our population acts more like Ter’nat than Zen’zat. That’s because they’re descended from Zen’zat and you’ve never experienced that. I will let you know that with subsequent generations the basic psionics go dormant. We had to unlock ours through intensive training and they didn’t always develop properly. There was an anomaly in a pair of twins that we were able to replicate, thus using one’s status to trigger the other.”
“So your ‘Humans’ have lived as Ter’nat until the discovery of rubble? Then you have advanced so far in less than 2,000 years to counter us both psionically and navally? Do you truly believe that we would fall for such a paltry ruse?”
“Not a ruse, but I think you’re going to have to figure that out for yourself so let’s just make this official before we start killing each other en mass. You came here to annihilate us and you’re not going to change your minds, correct?”
“Zen’zat cannot breed. If you had been proper Zen’zat following orders I could have spared you, but you are an abomination that must be destroyed regardless of your source. And if you are proper Zen’zat lying as to your origin, then tell me now or you will suffer the fate of your lie even if it is exposed later. This is the only chance I’m offering you to right yourselves.”
Ethan threw his hands up in helplessness.
“Sorry, but I was born here and am not a proper Zen’zat.”
“Then your fate is sealed.”
“Isn’t that a bit unfair? After all, I didn’t choose to be born.”
“It may not be fair, but it must be done to maintain the purity of the V’kit’no’sat. Zen’zat cannot breed. It is the price of their potential, and if they violate that trust then their offspring will suffer the consequences along with them. You bear their treason, now in addition to your own for the ambush you set for us.”
“If we’re going to die, then we’re going to take as many of you bastards with us as we can,” Ethan promised sternly.
“You may try, but it will be a far less a number than you hope. You no longer have the element of surprise.”
“Oh trust me, we’ve got a lot more in store for you.”
“Do your worst, little Zen’zat. It will not save you.”
“Today is a good day to die. Let me know how that works out for you,” Ethan said, then his hologram cut out from Mak’to’ran’s view, leaving the Era’tran with nothing but cold rage and confusion. He did not know what was happening here, but he was going to find out.
And when he did, regardless of the truth, these arrogant Zen’zat abominations were going to be destroyed no matter what the cost.
5
March 2, 3602
Solar System
Inner Zone
“All indications are that the Archon spoke the truth,” the Zen’zat commander for the Hjar’at said in the holo conference between V’kit’no’sat commanders, with the absence of the Voro’nam Oprachem. He had been killed in the battle with the defense stations when the tiny enemy ships entered the fight, but the rest of the commanders remained along with his appointed replacement.
“You refer to the rogue Zen’zat as Archon for a specific reason?” the Era’tran asked.
“I do. Their information nets are still active, and while there is a possibility of misinformation contained within them I feel that they are not restricting what is already public knowledge on the assumption that we have already scouted them out and accessed the information previously. Based on it, I do not believe these Archons were ever trained as Zen’zat. There are some correlations, as if they have had knowledge from us to pick from, but the largest deviation is their size. They are Ter’nat sized, and I do not believe they should be referred to as Zen’zat, nor should they be expected to behave as such.”
“They fight differently,” the Hjar’at agreed. “The use of remotely controlled ships is curious.”
“We have ascertained the location of the control signals,” the Zen’zat continued. “They originate from the larger ships that did not enter the fight, and we speculate there will also be control signals emanating from the planets when combat occurs over them. Delay of signal is a key factor here, so their controllers must be within a reasonable distance from the battle. We recommend these be high value targets.”
“Surely their ships will not deactivate with loss of signal,” the J’gar stated.
“Unknown. We are analyzing battle data in an attempt to determine how to block them, but until we are able to we will not know the result. There may be contingency programing, but if it was as effective as remote control then they wouldn’t bother with the heavy signal blanket.”
“How heavy?” Mak’to’ran asked.
“Very. All their ships are constantly broadcasting to one another, including some beam transmissions that we physically blocked with line of light crossings.”
“Can we take control of their own vessels?”
“Theoretically yes, but unless they are reckless they will have prepared for such countermeasures. I do not think such a tactic will be useable in the near future. We will require battle to test this.”
“That will be forthcoming,” Mak’to’ran promised. “What have you learned of their origins?”
“1600 years. Prior to that this empire did not exist and they were confined to this single world. Once the economic organization under the label of ‘Star Force’ emerged their technological advancement skyrocketed and they quickly secured control of the planet while spreading out to others. They were nearly destroyed by the Li’vorkrachnika, then rose to such a strength to conquer their original territory and drive them towards the core. Aspects of their technology are more primitive than ours, even if not counting the advancements made post Rit’ko’sor rebellion, while others are comparable. Their signal complexity rivals our own.”
“It would need to be,” the I’rar’et commander pointed out, “if they wanted to fight us with weapons rather than warriors.”
“They rarely lose Archons, and their other lesser forms of troops are also preserved at high effort. Foremost among them are Knights, which are Zen’zat size, but they appear to have no psionics. After them are Ter’nat sized fighters referred to as Commandos, a
nd they are the basic troops their empire relies upon, though most are not what they call ‘Human.’ They have incorporated several hundred races into their empire, foremost among them as the Bsidd. They reproduce alarmingly fast and in different forms. No special abilities, but they are augmented with decent armor and training. They are not viewed as expendable. Nothing living in Star Force is. They also do not consume meat and have fought several small wars to stop others from doing so.”
“At least they’re civilized,” the Oso’lon commented, though his tone held very little love for the rogue Zen’zat. “Have you divined a purpose to their expansion?”
“They have been growing in size rapidly, but they are only attacking those that give them provocation. They are not blanket conquering for territory. They have an altruistic skew to their actions that betrays pragmatism. I believe we can bait them into attacking if we put some of their people in jeopardy. They are rabidly loyalty to one another and not willing to make sacrifices of the living, though they have been known to prudently sacrifice their ships. They preserve them if possible, despite their small size, but when pushed into an appropriate situation they will expend them accordingly…but only the unmanned ones. Their ‘jumpships’ carry what they call ‘drones’ between systems, thus reducing the size of internal drives and making them more volume efficient. The jumpships are the weak link.”
“How well armed are they?” the Hjar’at asked.
“Fair, with Bra’hem and an unusual weapon called a ‘Bloon Launcher’ that slowly sends a massive ball of various energies in a containment shell to target. If allowed to hit, it will do significant damage and they can alter the contents based on need.”
“Are Ardents the limit of their weaponry?”
“The jumpships do not appear to have them, only their defense stations and probably surface batteries. There is no record of anything stronger, but there is also very little data on the weapons, for they appear to have been a recent addition to their arsenal. However, we have found something truly disturbing. Something that even we do not possess.”
“What treachery have they conceived?” the Oso’lon asked.
“There appears to have been a race that preceded us in the galaxy that was wiped out, but their greatest weapons were too powerful to be destroyed. The victors captured, contained, and sedated them across the galaxy where they have laid dormant until recently. Star Force has acquired the ability to control them by unknown means and has been collecting them in a region they refer to as the ‘Uriti Preserve.’ It is a collection of star systems where they keep the weaponized versions of Hadarak.”
Not a word came from the assembled commanders, for none of them could conceive of what had just been said. Eventually Mak’to’ran asked for clarification, but even he was at a loss for words.
“Explain.”
“The story goes that the elder race captured a Hadarak and forced it to spawn, and that these offspring are what they altered. Each is unique with varying powers, and they were used to destroy the systems of their enemies. Star Force has pledged never to do that and has been collecting them from across the galaxy. Thus far they have held to their word, but many advanced races that we have not come in contact with are at this Preserve and monitoring them to make sure that they do not leave it, for they fear the power that could be unleashed at Star Force’s direction or randomly, for when one was awoken accidentally it went on a rampage that could not be stopped. Only Star Force was able to bring it to heel, for they knew how to issue it the orders of their masters, thus ending the rampage and convincing others to give up their dormant ones to their care.”
“There is the heart of the treachery,” the J’gar said firmly, though even he was visible shaken, “and the reason one of us would dare to violate the mandates. These are not the actions of rogue Zen’zat abandoned on this world long ago. This is one of us working in secret through them, and they mean to use these Hadarak to strike at us.”
“How close is this Preserve?” Mak’to’ran asked, suddenly worried.
The Zen’zat produced a holographic map that appeared virtually between them all in the simulated room, though in reality each of them was onboard their various ships.
“We now have a fairly complete map, though the rimward expansion region is not detailed. We are here,” he said, highlighting Terraxis, “and this is the Preserve.”
A tiny cluster of systems a fair distance away illuminated, and based on the speed of Hadarak Mak’to’ran knew they could not travel that expanse quickly enough to be of concern to his fleet here.
“Are we certain they are all still there?” the Hjar’at asked.
“There are many eyes on them, unless these records have been faked. They seem to have made the Preserve into a tourist attraction for the public, which doubles as weapon demonstrations for any who would doubt Star Force’s ability to control them or the destructive capability that they wield at their beckon call.”
“You said weaponized?” the Oso’lon asked.
“These Hadarak are smaller, but they have been genetically altered to produce weapons that we have never seen in the original Hadarak. As far as fleet combat or orbital bombardment is concerned, these ‘Uriti’ are far superior, though they do suffer from lack of mass. There are also not very many of them. The current count is only 21.”
“What of their armor?” the Les’i’kron demanded.
“The equal of the Hadarak at minimum. Perhaps augmented as well. Star Force does not display their defensive capabilities, only offensive, so what information available is rumored accounts from the rampage that occurred far out in the rim where the first one was collected.”
“How many more are out there?” the Oso’lon asked.
“Unknown.”
“Are they breeding more?” the I’rar’et asked.
“Of course they are,” the J’gar all but snapped. “This entire empire of theirs is nothing more than a research project. They are learning to replicate these Hadarak and experimenting with Zen’zat. They mean to create a force to conquer us, but we do not know who is responsible! Has there been anything uncovered hinting at outside help beyond their remarkable advancement rate?”
“Nothing that we have recovered so far,” the Zen’zat said apologetically. “And I would suspect that if they are lying as to their origins, they will have concealed the truth from their own people. We would need access to a major facility or individual to learn the truth.”
“Then that is what our mission has just become,” Mak’to’ran said angrily. “If one of these Hadarak shows up here we will not engage it, and if my ship should be destroyed you will follow this order and withdraw. They are not something that we can counter with so few ships, for unless they are stupid these Archons will not send them against us unescorted. Right now our primary mission is not extermination, for we cannot risk killing the answers we need to find. Where in the system do you suspect we can garner this information?”
“Their capitol is the most likely source, but there are several other locations that make for viable targets. The second planet in the system is devoid of most civilian habitation, as is the first, but the second appears to be heavily invested in construction and logistics.”
“The atmosphere is toxic,” the Hjar’at said, looking at the data from his end. “And they have full planetary shields. We need something less fortified.”
“The outer planets are a curious mix of subfactions within Star Force that are self-contained empires in their own right, referred to as ‘Clans’ that these Archons rule over. The empire as a whole,” the Zen’zat added before they could ask, “is the product of a Ter’nat named Sean Davis. He is currently alive and leading rebuilding efforts in the rim expansion region along with other leaders. The Archons have 100 that they refer to as ‘trailblazers’ who have built their military from its inception. The one named Ethan that was spoken with is number 14 of their breed and has personal command over Clan Qrow. The Clans also appear to hold the most elite t
roops within Star Force, Human and otherwise.”
“Are they Ter’nat, Zen’zat, or a mix?” the Oso’lon asked.
“Most are Ter’nat sized, but have the musculature of untrained Zen’zat. We suspect all have been bred from Zen’zat genetics but without further augmentation for the general population. This makes them neither Ter’nat nor Zen’zat, but we have confirmed the general population does not have psionics. Those appear to be reserved for the Archons alone.”
“They are reworking everything,” the J’gar said angrily. “And one of us is responsible for this.”
“Perhaps not,” the Brat’mar said, thinking dark thoughts.
“Who else could do this?”
“Those we have destroyed.”
“The Rit’ko’sor? Are you serious? They never had the technology to even attempt this.”
“Perhaps they are working with someone who does not have the luxury of being unwatched,” the Oso’lon floated. “Perhaps their rebellion was just cover for an element of them to disappear to the rim. Their reason for mounting that futile assault has never been adequately determined.”
“They despised us,” Mak’to’ran dismissed casually. “That was reason enough to strike, and they did enough damage to satisfy their vengeance. Someone is behind this and it is more recent, otherwise these Uriti would have been collected long ago.”
“Which means one of us,” the J’gar repeated.
“I am forced to agree, but let us not turn hostility against one another in this fleet. Most likely the betrayers would not send anyone here with knowledge for us to extract. The true traitors are sitting back in our territory and will be weeded out when exposed. We will not pursue their entire race to destruction.”
“That is not our decision to make,” the J’gar countered.
“I am giving my personal protection to all in this fleet. If the Elder council wishes any of you destroyed, they will have to go through me to make it happen. We are comrades here, and I will not betray that trust out of fear or panic. What we have uncovered is beyond dangerous, but we are warriors. We do not overreact. We analyze and adapt to the threats before us. We will discover the treachery, root it out, and eliminate the threat in due time. Anyone with aspirations to the contrary, relinquish command to a subordinate now, for I will not tolerate incompetence nor forgive panic.”