by Aer-ki Jyr
“I fear you accidentally revealing what you already have without understanding the repercussions that could come of it.”
“We will maintain the secrecy and continue our search for the remaining Uriti. These Zak’de’ron will not ambush us again so easily.”
“Do you have any leads?”
“A few, but nothing confirmed as of yet. And now we must also race the V’kit’no’sat, and perhaps these Zak’de’ron as well. It is possible they have more than one at this point.”
Riley cringed. “Damn, that’s not a pleasant thought. Maybe this is turning into a race for control.”
“It has been for some time now. We were just not aware of this other player. Lesser races are also looking, and we have claimed what they previously found.”
Riley glared at him, but Ulusal did not care.
“Our methods. Our results. We do not need your permission.”
“If we were in a position to do something about it we would, but you’re operating outside our territory. Do not misconstrue that as tolerance.”
“Noted.”
“What kind of losses have you suffered to the V’kit’no’sat?”
“None. They seek combat, we deny it to them.”
“They have not found any of your worlds?”
“They have. We abandoned them prior to their arrival, thus denying them combat.”
“That’s still a loss then.”
“You misunderstand. We moved our infrastructure off those worlds along with our population. We lost nothing.”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? Your infrastructure is mobile?”
“It is not,” Ulusal said, but that was all the information that Riley was going to get out of him on that front, though they continued to discuss the V’kit’no’sat and Zak’de’ron, along with the Knights of Quenar’s continuing efforts to find Protovic and inoculate them against become Chixzon someday.
After their clandestine conversation concluded Riley left the Preserve and headed directly to the Meinto System so he could inform Davis personally. This information was too sensitive to go through the comm grid, and the Director responded far worse to the information than the KoQ had.
It took Davis 3 months working with Riley and a few other trailblazers he summoned from nearby locations to come up with a course of action, then he sent a message through the now extended comm grid all the way to Earth where Morgan was stationed, telling her to arrange a meeting with the V’kit’no’sat, and Mak’to’ran in particular, citing they had matters concerning the Hadarak to discuss.
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