by Aer-ki Jyr
“Far worse than that. There has been a rift within the V’kit’no’sat that has lingered unseen to most. What you discovered in Terraxis is going to reveal and expand upon it, though how exactly I do not know. I have reviewed the data you sent back. Either the Oso’lon or the J’gar are responsible for this treason, correct?”
Hamob asked it so simply that Mak’to’ran was immediately put on guard.
“Only one of them could have unlocked the planetary defense station for the Humans.”
“You refer to the rogue Zen’zat?”
“They are not Zen’zat,” Mak’to’ran said more sternly than he had intended, drawing a disapproving glare from Hamob, but what was done was done so he continued without hesitation. “Treating them as such is a mistake we cannot afford to make again.”
“Then what are they?”
“Something new.”
“Explain further.”
“They do not fight like Zen’zat. They are smaller, have additional psionics, and have been trained specifically to fight us.”
“Yet their race is still Zen’zat. They have the powers we gifted them.”
“And more.”
“So I noted. You speculated in your report that there might be a tie to the Zak’de’ron Zen’zat. What do you remember from that time?”
“I was born during the culling and took part in some of the cleanup efforts. I never fought them directly, but I heard stories for centuries afterwards that were slowly discouraged and reduced to rumor. They were said to have psionics that traditional Zen’zat do not, and I have made inquires into the matter prior to my assigned mission. I know the full extent of Zen’zat genetics, and those within the stories and those I have witnessed on this mission do not fall within the gifts we have given them.”
“Then you know nothing of the Zak’de’ron…” Hamob said dismissively.
“What else has been hidden from us?”
“What else? Everything!” Hamob all but snorted. “They were a founding member of the V’kit’no’sat.”
“That I knew.”
“Did you also know they possessed priority codes along with the Oso’lon and J’gar?”
Mak’to’ran froze.
“I see you did not.”
“Are you saying those codes have not been revoked?”
“Yes I am.”
Mak’to’ran considered the implications of that, but it still made no sense.
“Terraxis did not exist when the Zak’de’ron fell. How could the planetary defense station be built with their codes after the fact?”
“Arrogance. It is the other side of the blade of dominance. If one misuses it, they fall victim to it. If one believes themselves to be superior by default then they are arrogant. If one knows they are superior based off evidence, then they are dominant…and they know it is possible to be defeated. The arrogant do not. They believe victory is automatic. Do you know why the Zak’de’ron were culled, as it was so erroneously labeled afterwards?”
“They would not share all that they possessed.”
“Ah, but there you have it wrong and right simultaneously. What exactly would they not share?”
“Knowledge, technology, resources?” Mak’to’ran said, guessing.
“Do we share all that we have with the other races?” Hamob asked, referring to the Era’tran. “Should we? Or are some things our prerogative?”
“If the V’kit’no’sat are in need of it we share, but lesser advancements we keep for ourselves.”
“Quite right. But the Zak’de’ron did not make advancements that they did not share. They were superior to the other races from the outset. Even the Oso’lon and J’gar were quite inferior to them, and the Zak’de’ron uplifted us all while gaining allies to fight the Hadarak. We benefited greatly, then stabbed them in the back for their generosity.”
“What actually transpired?”
“They shared with us much, but not all. We were never their equal. The other races did not accept this forever, and the notion of forced equality arose. It took a very long time to manifest, but 880,000 years ago the V’kit’no’sat made the biggest mistake possible and spurned those who were our greatest asset out of arrogance. If they would not share, they would be destroyed. When it happened we were gutted. You know of this, for it is how you rose to rank so quickly.”
“Many died, but the empire as a whole grew stronger afterward.”
“A lie. A carefully constructed lie on the part of the Oso’lon. I was our representative on the Elder Conclave at the time and even I was not privy to it. Over the millennia I have uncovered bits and pieces of the truth, and that truth threatens us now. We were in the wrong about the Zak’de’ron and we should have seen it. The Oso’lon lied to us about some things, but we were greedy and envious. Rather than use the Zak’de’ron as a source of knowledge and strength we were stupidly led to destroy it…and to this day we have not recovered. The reason why the Zak’de’ron codes are still part of our operating systems is because the Zak’de’ron helped construct those systems and we cannot generate a suitable replacement for them. Not without taking a step backwards.”
“Even after all this time?”
Hamob looked to his left and some of his equipment activated, displaying genetic information over the pool for both of them to see. He manipulated it with mental controls and scrolled through so much so fast that Mak’to’ran was lost.
“I have been studying the Zen’zat genetics off and on for some time, but your report spurned greater interest. These bits of coding,” he said, highlighting select areas that Mak’to’ran more or less knew the value of, though he wasn’t a geneticist, “are the pieces that we do not fully understand. The Zak’de’ron took what the rest of us constructed and added to it. They informed us of what they added and we have been using the same Zen’zat template ever since. No improvements have been made. We say that is because the Zen’zat have not proved themselves, but that is only half the truth. There are many abilities that they have not discovered, and if they cannot unlock those why delve into giving them more? It is not a lie, but it does cover the fact that even our best scientists do not fully understand these dense sections of coding. Only the Zak’de’ron did, and their knowledge has been lost to us.”
Mak’to’ran growled slowly, almost a purr but without any amicable sentiment to it.
“How much more are we relying on their legacy for our strength?”
“Much, but not in whole. There is no single technology that we do not have some claim to, which makes it all the easier to claim credit for the design and continue to copy it without full knowledge of how it works. I do not know what transpired at Terraxis, but I do know there are a third set of codes that none of us can access. And if there are such codes left behind, there might be other avenues in the programming that are not publically acknowledged.”
“Then they lied to me.”
“Those commanders in your fleet may have not, for they might not know. It is uncertain how deep the deception within the Oso’lon and J’gar go, but when you do not fully understand your own computer programming you cannot truthfully say there are only 2 points of access. I know of a third, and with that comes the uncertainty that should have been cited. The J’gar lost a Mach’nel for their assurances, though I would also point out that their records might have been faulty and the defense station never locked down in the first place.”
“That thought occurred to me, but I erred in trusting their assessment.”
“No, you did not,” Hamob said gently. “It was not the right decision to make, but you did not err. Others will claim you did. Even some Era’tran will rather than admit the V’kit’no’sat are not invincible. We are dominant, and the dominant know that they can be beaten. We have to work for our victories, they do not happen automatically. Again, the difference between arrogance and dominance. The arrogant, I feel, will try and lay blame on you rather than face the truth. That is a side benefit of the reason I called you here. Ther
e is no reason for you to go to Itaru or any other shared world. They have your full report, correct?”
“I held nothing back.”
“So your presence would only be to lay blame, perhaps on others. The Hjar’at perhaps. They were eliminated on a single blunder?”
“Garrtak was a friend. He was Hjar’at but he wasn’t recklessly stupid. His death was…unexpected. You know the circumstances?”
“Yes. The hidden warships…and him being trapped by debris of his own making. Again, arrogance. You expected Zen’zat and got something else…an offshoot that values their lives more than victory. Their warships were remotely controlled, yet you could not find a way to disrupt them?”
“Nor could we intercept their control vessels. They guarded them well.”
“Yet another excuse others would make. These rogue Zen’zat…Humans if you wish…took the arrogance that has simmered within the V’kit’no’sat like a plague and used it against you as a blind. Had your opponents been Hjar’at or Les’i’kron you would have approached the matter differently even in the same tactical situation. But Zen’zat are not a race, they are our servants and they used that against you. You underestimated them. Even I did not expect them to be so effective.”
“Which is why I need to lead the second attack.”
“I agree, but you will not. We have larger concerns to deal with, and the assigned commander will have your battle data to work with.”
“Who is being sent?”
“It has been concealed, but I know it to be a Kret’net. No Oso’lon or J’gar ships are being sent out of suspicion, and since the Era’tran have failed another will not be assigned the mission command, though a large number of our ships are being sent under Fad’ka. He is competent. I do not know of the Kret’net, however.”
“Is it Neo’sor?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“He is overly cautious, even for a Kret’net.”
“Then his selection makes sense, for they have given him a fleet 20 times the size of yours. We cannot have a defeat lingering, so they want Terraxis destroyed without any more surprises. Do you think they will succeed?”
“Star Force will have time to recall reinforcements. Their ships are a threat. Their defense stations were not. Is another Mach’nel being sent?”
“Two are.”
“Two?” Mak’to’ran said in disbelief. Mach’nel never operated together.
“Itaru wants this embarrassment squashed immediately, and it also wants those two Mach’nel out of our territory and away from potential internal assaults.”
“Which two?”
“One of ours and one from the Les’i’kron.”
“And they are keeping this quiet why?”
“Shame. It is overkill, so they assume, and they do not want it publicized. When was the last time 2 Mach’nel fought together?”
“I know of none.”
“Long before the Zak’de’ron war.”
“Which of ours is going?”
“Neifil,” Habob said, referencing one of three Mach’nel that the Era’tran possessed. “However, the decision for us to send one was at some great urging on the part of others. Excuses were made, but I believe they want it away from certain areas in preparation for an internal attack.”
“By whom?”
“Many possibilities. Though it has also been hidden, ships are being withdrawn from many locations and repositioned around lightly shared worlds. Some even from the Hadarak front.”
Mak’to’ran didn’t even have a response to that. The sheer treason of what was being suggested was too great.
“I see you understand the implications of that?” Hamob asked.
“The V’kit’no’sat exist to contain the Hadarak. If we renounce that duty then we have no reason to exist.”
“The Era’tran are not. I’ve made certain of that, and done enough checking to ensure that we are not part of any ongoing conspiracies. Our portion of the Hadarak defense perimeter will be maintained, but lapses may occur elsewhere.”
“If they take even a single system it will cost us far more to retake later,” Mak’to’ran all but pleaded, having fought on that front for more than 200,000 of his years.
“Arrogance,” Hamob repeated. “It is a poison that threatens to finally destroy the V’kit’no’sat. It was a concern prior to our betrayal of the Zak’de’ron. Since then it has been a countdown succession. Even without what you discovered beyond the border I have seen it coming. The Rit’ko’sor were not the only ones unsatisfied with the actions of the arrogant. They struck out of a desire to do damage. A form of protest rather than continuing on in relative subjugation. Others, I fear, are more ambitious.”
“How close are we to full civil war?”
“It is not civil war. It is something more insidious. One race against another is not the concern. We are all V’kit’no’sat. It is the arrogance within many minds that is the threat. Arrogance that will lead to irrationality, instability, and self-destruction. I fear the empire clawing itself to death out of madness more than ambition and greed. We are dominant. We are not invincible. Those who believe we are must maintain that lie, and the further from it we get the more panicked they will become. This Star Force having beaten you is a direct threat to this lie, and they are responding in a way to both suppress the truth of it and to eliminate the proof before it can spread.”
“How does that end with us fighting one another?”
“The weak must be culled,” Hamob said simply, and it took a moment before the implications of that sunk in.
“That is insanity.”
“Yes, it is, and it is growing rapidly. It has been festering ever since the fall of the Zak’de’ron, with us relying on their technology without full understanding of it. We cannot stand on our own accomplishments in full, so those who know of the lie are insecure. Every defeat we face is treated as a threat to our dominance rather than as a chance to prove our mettle. Lies, coverups, assassinations…these are already occurring and merely the beginning. Now we have races fearful of one another, cutting into the bonds that forged the V’kit’no’sat even further. The Rit’ko’sor are not such a distant memory, and the fear of a repeat situation is driving the wedge further.”
“The Hadarak experiments…”
“Yes. They are something the Rit’ko’sor did not have. If one race can master the Hadarak, they will not need the V’kit’no’sat. They will be masters of the galaxy. I do not fear this, for we know how to kill Hadarak. It is costly, but it can be done. But the arrogant cannot see themselves fighting an uphill battle. They must be automatic wins, and the idea of going against Hadarak controlled by another race is something they cannot risk. This Star Force experiment is not complete, so in order to prevent the knowledge from occurring…”
“They will strike at one another first.”
“No. Not first. They are merely moving assets around in preparation to defend themselves. As of now I have reason to believe that at least 3 factions are sending rogue fleets beyond the border without permission to hunt down and determine the threat of this new Hadarak weapon.”
“Without permission from Itaru?”
“Indeed.”
“That alone will cause backlash when revealed.”
“Yes it will. But if those fleets meet each other beyond the border, and distrust is running high enough, they may begin the war out there.”
“And what of the sponsor?”
“A wild card. I cannot deduce who it is.”
“Is there a chance it is remnants of the Rit’ko’sor…or even the Zak’de’ron?”
“Not the Zak’de’ron. We were overly thorough in their extinction. We had to be, else they would have recovered and destroyed us. We knew we had to strike first and swiftly, all the while getting intelligence assets into play so we could watch where they went. We tracked them down to the last and ended them, then built the Les’i’kron in their place. No, they are gone. If not we would be at this poi
nt. The Rit’ko’sor are another matter. They hit us without warning, so it is impossible to say if we got them all, but they did not have the tech level to accomplish this.”
“Perhaps they recovered lost Zak’de’ron technology.”
“Useless unless there was a Zak’de’ron around to inform them how to use it. I do not know what is going on beyond the border. It is what is going on inside that is the greatest threat. We are at risk, but we cannot cover ourselves properly without drawing troops away from the Hadarak front…nor can others. If fighting occurs and a mass withdrawal results…”
“Everything we’ve fought for since the Rit’ko’sor rebellion will be lost in a matter of years.”
“More than that. The Hadarak will regain territory they have not possessed since the Zak’de’ron fell. Another lie that is told is that our front is near to the closest to the core it as ever been, but the truth is that with the Zak’de’ron we owned part of the deep core. Now it is lost to us.”
“The deep core? How is that possible?”
“I cannot answer that. It was Zak’de’ron units responsible for most of that combat. We held onto what they gained, but when they were betrayed we lost the ability to push that far no matter how many ships we sent.”
“The deep core…” Mak’to’ran mewed, hardly believing it. “The Oso’lon and J’gar are responsible for these lies?”
“Mostly. We have perpetrated a few others in conjunction with the Elder Conclave. Fear of not obeying the will of the community is also a poison resulting from the Zak’de’ron fall. If we destroyed them for not sharing, not obeying the collective will…”
“It would be far less an effort to eliminate the Era’tran or any other short of the Oso’lon or the J’gar.”
“Yes, though taking down either of them isn’t doable. It took both of them and everyone else to barely defeat the Zak’de’ron and the empire is still weaker from it today. If the Oso’lon are attacked, there are many that would rally with them. Same for the J’gar. They cannot be isolated as the Zak’de’ron were. A full war that would annihilate nearly everything that is the V’kit’no’sat would result, and the fear of that is stoking the arrogance following your report. If either the Oso’lon or the J’gar are behind this Star Force, they are using it to supplement their own strength to the point where an overthrow of the other would be possible.”