“What the hell happened?” I demanded, speaking Alartaw without thinking about it.
“Twenty-four years is a long time, Sir.”
“Twenty-four years of what?” I demanded again as Tanya came out of a second room.
“Since we’ve been gone.” She said.
“The Kievor had us for twenty-four years?” I said.
“Slightly longer,” Commander Harknon said, “but who’s counting, you’re back now.”
“That means they picked our brains for the locations of our bases.” I said.
“Yes. They struck them all simultaneously.” Commander Harknon said. “That was when we realized they must have captured a High Ranking Officer. We had no idea….”
“The fault is my own.” I said thunderstruck, thinking back to the original pair of Alartaw we had replaced and the damage the Kievor had been able to inflict with their knowledge of Alartaw military secrets, and now done it twice. The exact same treachery and both times my fault! Of course I remembered everything now, our years of unceasing battle with the Kievor. Our hidden bases had been our resupply points for new ships and personnel as well as everything else we had required and now gone. It was no surprise the Alartaw had been reduced to such numbers. Once mighty now fallen.
“We picked up the discharge of the slightly altered Alartaw cannon and guessing correctly that our Officer had escaped the Kievor have been trying to pick you up since.” Commander Harknon said. “The Kievor have been doing everything in their power to keep us away but your move at the black hole slipped them- the grass-eaters don’t have the balls to try it- and we use that method to evade them frequently. We have been ever since you discovered it. Even then we didn’t guess it was you though we should have. When we recognized the human ship we thought it was only the humans who had escaped, but as they had been aboard Vengeance during your last battle we decided to do what we could to acquire them. I’m sure it has been a great trauma.”
“I don’t remember much of it.” I said.
“Your escape from the Kievor must have been quite interesting.”
“They let us go by mistake.” I said, telling the truth or at least its closest facsimile- it was easier to keep your story straight that way. “I think.” I added, suddenly wondering if there was more to it but it soon slipping away as all intangibles must.
“I seriously doubt it.” Commander Harknon said. “It is probably more of their treachery.”
“In what way?” I asked, that vein of thought leading me to wonder what the Commander was getting at.
“The Kievor are treacherous in many unfathomable ways.” Harknon said. “Who can really understand the way a prey animal thinks, but many things which can’t be gotten through force can be gotten through subterfuge, and subterfuge is the prey animal’s main defense. Our computer analysis has determined that there are no hidden commands in any of you or within the ancient computer system which runs the human ship. We have also determined that these are your original human bodies and that you are unquestionably our Emperor.”
“Oh.” I said.
“They knew from nearly the beginning.” Tanya said.
“Oh.” I said.
“It was known but not a widely shared secret. I only just learned myself.” Harknon said. “Since our laws do not provide a provision excluding aliens from being our Emperor and you took the Throne in the traditional manner, there has been no reason to dispute your leadership. If there had you would have been challenged continuously until you fell. The Alartaw way may seem barbaric but we would never allow a traitor to sit in our most honored position, yet at the same time we would honor our traditions and the challenges would be proper- until the traitor fell.
“However,” Harknon added, “I’m not sure how the rest of the Alartaw will feel about their Emperor wearing a human body, or the ramifications should one or more wish to challenge you in this body!” I was kind of glad it was only the three of us witnessing this conversation, though of course the ever-open ear of the ship’s AI would be absorbing every moment of it. I recalled I had been great friends with my ship’s AI with my returned memories and realized suddenly how much I would miss her. It would have been Vengeance who had discovered us, of course… who the hell knows I may have told her myself in a drunken moment.
“My implant.” I said, suddenly missing the device very much, and suddenly my Alartaw body as well, now that I had my memories back and knew what I was missing, scars or not.
“Among other things.” Harknon said.
“I do want my proper form returned,” I told Harknon, “but I was serious about having a plan and I’ll need this body a little longer.”
Chapter 24
“What plan could you possibly have?” Tanya demanded right there on the spot, right in front of Harknon.
“I really do have a plan.” I said, for once that actually the truth. “The Alartaw are going to lose this war and be wiped from the Universe if we can’t find a Kievor weakness. We have to go back to a Kievor Trade Station and find that weakness.”
“Go back to a Kievor Trade Station!” Tanya said, beginning to become angry with me, I could clearly see.
“The Alartaw as an Empire no longer exists.” Harknon said. “There are many more Trade Stations now than ever and most of them are no longer in the trading business. We are able through maneuvering to strike a blow once in a while, but our numbers are forever dwindling and it would seem you have only been reunited with us to write our final chapter. The Alartaw will go out as we have always lived.”
“I’ll decide who is going out and when they’re going to do it.” I said, the years as Emperor of the Alartaw, the successes I had seen, now all reduced to nearly nothing and the remaining Alartaw ready to go out in one last blaze of glory. I had not rejoined the Alartaw just to go out in a blaze of glory.
“Yes Sir.” Harknon said. Though Harknon hadn’t known the Emperor personally his fishing to see if this was the leader he was hoping for had produced the results he was hoping for. This was Brune the Brute the Histories spoke of and it didn’t matter what type of body he was wearing. With genetic manipulation any mutation was possible and such things had once even been a fad, but that was long ago. Harknon was young for his Rank, but that was the way it was now within the Alartaw. Very few old Alartaw remained, the war’s attrition rate decimating nearly all but the newest recruits and even he now considered one of the old. He had been an immature Alartaw when Brune had ruled and put such fear in the breasts of the leaf-eaters and had risen to his position quickly after Brune was lost in battle, because it was at that point that the tide of battle changed for the Alartaw. Harknon was one hundred and twenty-one years old and an elder Alartaw, that when the average lifespan of an Alartaw once numbered in the thousands of years and now reduced to centenarians. The war had not gone well since the last Emperor had been struck down and no one upon no one had expected to see Brune the Brute resurrected, yet here he was. The greatest-ever hero of the Alartaw returned to them on the brink of extinction.
“Bullshit.” Tanya said. “You and your bullshit plans. I’m not participating. We walk back into a Kievor Trade Station and we’re dead.”
“She may have a point.” Harknon said.
“It won’t be these bodies exactly.” I said. “They will require some modification.”
“Like hell.” Tanya said. “The only other body I’m climbing into is my Alartaw body and when I get into that I’m staying.”
“You told me you got past Level One.” I said with a sly smile, and giving Tanya pause.
“I did say that and I did it as well, but it was a fluke and I’ll never understand to this day how I got away with it.” Tanya replied. “Just what is it you hope to steal from the Kievor?”
“Their data-base.” I said.
“I think we’ve been down this road.” Tanya said.
“This isn’t a half-baked spur of the moment plan.” I said. “Believe it or not this is Bren’s idea- in a way. He says th
at if we can steal their programming code that we can build weapons that will completely nullify their defenses.”
“Really!” Tanya said. “When did he tell you all this?”
“That would have been… ah… a hundred and one years ago.” I said as I slowly did the math. “I didn’t like the idea at the time but it has its merits now.”
“Bullshit.” Tanya said.
“It’s true. We did discuss it a hundred and one years ago- if that’s how long it’s been.” Bren said three minutes later. The time it took us to find him and for Tanya to explain and demand an answer. “You see we do not believe the Kievor are innovators. We believe that they somehow stole their technology and that they aren’t capable of innovation. They’re using the same exact technology they were using a hundred years ago. The same technology they were using two hundred years ago- and maybe even much longer than that! It was my and other notable scientist’s postulation that if we could get our hands on their base programming code we would find a way to nullify their present defenses and then the Kievor would have to design new systems in a new technological race with the Alartaw. We believe the Kievor exterminate all innovative races for that reason. Alartaw technology has advanced in many ways even though they are at war and as a race they are nearing extinction, but the Kievor are still using the same exact everything. I’ve seen all the readings myself and they’re the same now as they were a hundred years ago when I first postulated this theory.”
“It seems to be working for them.” Tanya said.
“That’s not the point.” Bren said. “The point is that I don’t believe they’re innovators at all and if we could get their data-base we could win this war.”
“Bullshit.” Tanya said as she stormed off, not sure how they had gotten their story together so quickly without her noticing but not believing for a moment.
One thing I was sure she believed however was the fact that I was going back to a Kievor Trade Station and if I knew Tanya even an iota she would be coming with me. That’s why she was pissed.
“The human race is next.” Bren told me after Tanya had gone. “The Kievor may not be innovators but they are meticulous. Once the Alartaw are eliminated the human race will be next. We are far too creative for our own good, just like the Alartaw.”
“Just like the Alartaw were.” Commander Harknon said with a clear look. “Our oldest and best minds are gone. We are innovators no more.”
Chapter 25
“Let’s just assume these altered bodies can get us past a casual scan- though I have my doubts. Then say you can whip together some fancy devices to get us past Kievor internal security and even further into the very heart of the Station itself- and I really have my doubts here.” Tanya spoke slowly, as if explaining this to idiots- or at least one idiot- as the six of us gathered aboard Last Chance to discuss options. The more she had thought about it the less she liked it but the alternative was to run forever and that was worse. The Alartaw were as technologically advanced as the Kievor but with the few ships remaining to them the only thing that had changed was their accommodations. They would still have to run. “What then? How are you going to steal the Kievor’s data-base? Does anyone even know what kind of computer system they use?”
“Of course.” Bren said. “It’s similar in nature to the Alartaw system. Based on the cell structure- simultaneous information flowing at all times. Even our super-computers are based on the same system.”
“Bullshit.” Tanya said. “If you knew their base operating code you wouldn’t need me to go steal that very information. Are you coming along?”
“Bren would be a liability on such a mission and you know that.” I said. “In any case, the Alartaw need him here. I need him here. Bren is to remain out of combat. This ship is to remain out of combat. Without Bren we’re out of the technological race.
“The other thing I might mention,” I added, “is that now the Kievor will understand the human threat. Bren has awakened them to that. I think the human race needs to be warned… and armed.”
Tanya looked me right in the eye to gauge my meaning, if I would truly use the human race as a shield- though that wasn’t really the way I saw it- and after only a moment saw what she was looking for. “Warned and armed… with Alartaw technology.” She smiled what I think was the most genuine smile of warmth I had ever seen. “Your depravity knows no depths whatsoever. I’m not fond of the human race in any case. Do whatever you have to do… Emperor.”
“The human race needs to be warned of this danger. Those are my only intentions.” I said then added for the ever watchful ship's AI. “See that it's done. See that it's done surreptitiously.”
“Your wish is my command.” The neutral voice of the ship's AI informed. With my link it would be that easy- my wish being the command- but I would just have to do without it for a little while longer. Do without it for a little while longer or do without it forever. Those were my options.
“For once I agree with Marc.” Manuel said. “At least about the warning humanity part.”
“I agree that the human race deserves to be given this technology- and full forewarning of what having this technology will mean to the Kievor,” Janice said, “but I have known you far too long to believe your bullshit. I do agree the human race will be next especially after Bren’s very successful modification of the Alartaw’s existing technology, but otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to follow you on this one.”
“I won’t forget that tractor beam when I was expecting to die.” Melanie said. “The human race has to be given this technology. It wasn’t you they wanted back… it was Bren.”
“All the more reason to leave Bren out of this,” I said, “but how many of the rest of you are in?”
“In for what?” Manuel demanded. “They know us so you mean to have us changed as you were once changed? Is that what I’m hearing!”
“That’s what you’re hearing.” Tanya said.
“Well not into Alartaw of course.” I said.
“What did you have in mind?” Tanya sneered. “Maybe we could be Druellas.”
“Not quite.” I said. “I was thinking of something with faster reflexes and native weaponry.”
“You are not thinking what I think you’re thinking!” Tanya said.
“Exactly!” I said. “They would never expect lizards. So who’s on-board?”
“I’m on-board.” Melanie said immediately. “I need to get off this ship for a while and any excuse will do.”
Chapter 26
I watched the idea gain acceptance in Tanya’s mind as if there was an approval-meter attached to the side of her head displaying it. She was the last one I had to convince when usually she was the first to jump into any nonsense I might suggest. She was studying the bio-metric charts and reflex times of the quickest reptiles with which we were familiar- when to come as an unknown race would draw unnecessary attention. It was shortly after she began studying the reaction times of these reptiles- the time it takes the nervous system to carry the brain’s thoughts as electrical signals to the body- that I saw the approval needle begin to climb into the positive. “I’ve never studied this before.” Tanya said after only a short time. “I never wanted to know how much faster they were- if knowing how much faster they were would eat away my confidence. Kind of makes me wonder how I’ve survived this long.”
“It’s the mind behind it.” I said. “We’ll all have to be the same race and I need you with me on this so I’m leaving this decision up to you.”
“How thoughtful of you. Have you ever seen this one before?” Tanya asked as she brought up the image on the main screen. We were on the Bridge of Last Chance going through the data-base of the human-space local variety of reptiles. The Alartaw had no record of the local variety and I didn’t have my implant which would have given me a mental stream of whatever I wished to view even to as far as instantaneously hacking it right out of Last Chance’s antiquated system. The mechanism by which the implant worked was through
direct mental communication with the ship’s AI and meant access to all data and control of all functions of my ship- and there were a great many- as well as control of every ship under my Command and instant communication with any of my subordinates. With my implant I could manipulate anything upon my ship including the trans-metal with the thought being the command. I had flown against the Kievor more times than I could now count with my implant as my only navigational tool and with that instantaneous mode of communication with my ship I had been as successful a pilot with the Alartaw as I had always been- until the fateful end of course. The Kievor were no novices in the art of war and no Alartaw’s luck could last forever. I had pushed mine regularly and the only surprise was how I had lasted so long. With my memories returned I felt bereft without my link and putting off being reunited with it was a measure of how important I now thought this was; imagine the Alartaw gone, the human race gone, everything you ever knew gone to the treacherous leaf-eaters, nowhere to go, nothing left but to run and you begin to get a picture of the dilemma I was facing. To do nothing was to die the slow death of waiting- waiting for the knock in the night. Tanya brought up the image of a reptile I thought I had seen once, but wasn’t sure.
“Not sure.” I said.
“They’re not common and probably a good thing.” Tanya said. “They have a specialized nervous system. It’s quite unique.”
“Is it quite fast?” I asked.
“Very.” Tanya said.
“They look intelligent.” I said though now I was feeling my own first hint of trepidation. It was green to start with. This was a short-jawed variety but had the mouth full of razor teeth of course, secondary images showing just how far that mouth could be opened. This race also had retractable claws, yellow eyes and most notable I read in the description was its extremely venomous nature. Its claws were venomous and its saliva highly toxic to most left-hand amino races. All reptiles came with native weaponry but this was a walking nightmare. It was of the variety which had evolved in trees and walked upright though the picture really didn’t tell the story. I relied most on impression and body language which couldn’t be seen in a still.
Chronicles of a Space Mercenary 3: Vengeance Page 8