The Valkyrie Returns (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 7)

by Michael Anderle

  Alexis shook her head. “No, Mom. That’s where you’re wrong. We have all the time in the world between assignments. I’ve already read through every bit of our course materials, so it’s the hurry-up-and-wait game between practical assignments.” She lifted a shoulder. “Besides, who is better as a case study than you? Nobody has been so continually successful at managing the different aspects of running a military empire.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re paying attention to our studies, but once we get outside of human history, it’s just a list of failures to learn from.”

  Bethany Anne chuckled. “Trust you to get ahead and leave yourself nothing to keep that sharp mind of yours occupied. I have a problem you can think about if you’re bored.”

  Alexis’ eyes widened at the prospect of a real problem to chew on. “Gimme. What is it?”

  Bethany Anne held up a finger. “Before I do, I want you both to promise you won’t be worried about the real-world consequences of this, okay?”

  The twins hastily agreed.

  “Okay, then.” Bethany Anne laced her fingers in her lap. “The Seven have overcome the barrier to taking metal into the Etheric.”

  The twins gasped in unison.

  “That’s bad,” Alexis fretted. “We have to figure out how to protect ourselves from the Etheric side before—”

  Bethany Anne shook her finger, cutting Alexis off. “No worrying. Remember? What you don’t know yet is that the Seven have done this by using the genetic material of a species known as the Bl’kheths, who are apparently made of metal themselves, or they eat metal. We’re still not entirely sure, despite having a bunch of them running free inside the Hexagon ever since we got back from the factory. These beings have the ability to walk the Etheric.”

  “Obviously, we aren’t going to use them like the Seven have,” Alexis pondered. “Maybe you can get them to agree to go into a Pod-doc and decode their DNA that way? That’s how we did it for most other species.”

  Bethany Anne nodded. “That much I managed to work out for myself. What we have is a barrier to communication. These beings do not recognize any of our usual communication methods.”

  “Have you tried offering them food?” Gabriel inquired. “That usually works.”

  Alexis raised an eyebrow that somehow was connected to a string in Bethany Anne’s heart. “Yeah, if you’re taming a wild animal. Have you considered asking the Collectives to help? They have a broader connection to the mindspace than any other species we’ve made contact with.”

  Bethany Anne had not considered that. “Thank you, Alexis. I’ll be sure to give Tina the idea.”

  Alexis nodded, then fixed Bethany Anne with a searching look. “Mom, how do you intend to stop the Seven from attacking via the Etheric?”

  Bethany Anne grinned. “I’m going to extend the BYPS to cover the Etheric as soon as BMW figures out how to move metal into the Etheric without it costing the lives of any innocent beings.”

  “Feed them,” Gabriel repeated. “I’m pretty sure that will establish trust. Even if you can’t speak to each other at first, you’ll find common ground to build from.”

  Bethany Anne nodded. “I agree, it could be a start. Enough about out here. How are things going for you four? I’d be happy to know you were going to be back here with your father and me soon.”

  Gabriel grinned. “It’s going pretty well, Mom. We’re getting close to the end of the Zenith course now.”

  “Yeah,” Alexis picked up from her brother. “The final test is coming up. We have to go down to a planet that isn’t part of the group fighting the big bad and help a faction who wants to do their part to overcome the larger group that is refusing to step up.”

  Bethany Anne tilted her head. “That’s not what I expected. That sounds a hell of a lot like you’d be forcing them to fight.”

  Alexis screwed up her face. “Yeah, I wasn’t happy about the idea, but we’ve seen what happens when those planets choose not to take the protection our military is offering.” She shook her head, eyes hollow with the knowledge she’d gained from experience. “Ethical choices aren’t always possible when you’re dealing with a huge number of people, especially when the majority are ill-informed and would make a choice that ends with the deaths of their people. Kurtherians don’t care about the ideals of peaceful peoples.”

  Bethany Anne’s heart broke for them. “I understand. You figured out you’re facing a version of the Seven, then.”

  Gabriel’s face drew in. “Yeah. Only in this world, the Seven have been pushed out and don’t dare catch your attention. They are playing the same game they did with the Leath and wiping out any civilization they can’t control. It’s our task to stand between them and the innocent.”

  “No matter how annoying the innocent are,” Alexis added. “Mom, does it get so bad you want to just bang your head against the wall sometimes?”

  Bethany Anne’s mouth rose at the corner. “When I was Empress, all the time. Not so much now that I’m doing things my way.” She shrugged, thinking of the meeting with the Federation council her father had postponed. “But then, I am not bound to any rules but my own.”

  Alexis sighed. “If only we were in the same position.”

  Bethany Anne grinned. “Who says you can’t be? You make your own destinies, my loves. Nobody can force you to conform to any system you know isn’t right.”

  Alexis’ next sigh carried the weight of the world. “That’s just the thing, Mom. What we’re doing is right. Trey thinks it’s how the world works. Even K’aia is okay with it. She says we have to do the thinking for the ones who aren’t in the position to come to the conclusion that will keep them alive. It’s just not my way to force that choice on anyone.”

  Gabriel put a hand on his sister’s arm to comfort her, his thoughtful gaze on Bethany Anne. “You and Dad didn’t raise us to be dictatorial.”

  “Then you have to reconcile that within yourselves, or find a better way,” Bethany Anne told them gently. “I have total faith you will find your path through this situation.”

  Bethany Anne stared at the dark screen for a moment before standing up and making her way to the elevator. While she felt better for having spoken with her children, she didn’t envy the position they were in.

  More than at any time she’d been in power, their predicament reminded her of her time at the semi-black operation she had worked for so long ago. It was no easy thing to be at the whim of a superior, especially when that superior was blind to the reality of contact with the people.

  A sad smile touched her lips at the memory of her friend and mentor, Martin Brenner. He had not been the type to dismiss her, yet even he had been subject to the demands of the higher-ups. It was a well-known fact that those at the top lived in a bubble where people became commodities. Pieces to be shuffled around and rearranged at will.

  Hell, she had been guilty of the same thing often enough. Had she forgotten how to connect with those outside of her immediate family? Perhaps.

  But to consider the personal needs of every individual was a sure path to insanity. All she could do was ensure that her demands were reasonable and her people were taken care of as a whole.

  The elevator let out on Eve’s sublevel, her next port of call. Demon had been moved to Sabine’s personal quarters, along with Sam, as her mate turned out to be named.

  Bethany Anne got the story of the last-minute rescue during Demon’s labor at Sabine’s from Michael as she walked. The repairs to the Hexagon were well underway, but she wanted to see what damage had been done, and also to check in with the Collectives who were living in the habitat on Eve’s sublevel.

  Eve smiled as Bethany Anne entered the main lab. “I take it you’re here to check up on me,” she offered in greeting.

  Bethany Anne indicated the tank with a nod. “I want to make sure our Collectives weren’t too traumatized by the attack. Then you, me, and Tina need to discuss how we’re going to get around the communication barrier with the Bl’kheths. The twins had s
ome good ideas.”

  Eve swept a hand toward the tank wall. “I had seats installed for the people who visit the Collectives. There have been rather a lot of them since Tina came up with the new headsets that allow anyone to connect to their frequency in the mindspace.”

  “I’ll be back once I’ve spoken to them,” Bethany Anne informed her. “I want the Bl’kheth issue resolved, now that we know who they are and that they are here.”

  Ashur was waiting for her when she arrived at the tank’s viewing area. He flashed a doggy grin as she took a seat in the walled-off cubby. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Bethany Anne mussed his fur. “You’re not wearing Eve’s equipment.”

  Ashur’s tail began to thump on the floor. “That’s because Eve has finished her experiments. Everyone can speak with the Collectives now—as long as they wear the translator.”

  Bethany Anne followed Ashur’s nose, which he pointed at a headset hanging on the partition wall. “Eve told me. Excellent news.”

  It is indeed excellent, the Collective who appeared at the glass wall enthused. We are one step closer to social integration with the air-breathers. Is this not a cause for celebration?

  I think so, Bethany Anne replied. How are you three doing after the battle? I am concerned that you might have been further traumatized by the appearance of the Ookens.

  The Collective’s tentacles exploded outward. We are more upset that we could do nothing to help in the fight. Even the Bl’kheths were more useful than us.

  Bethany Anne smiled. Yeah, I heard all about that from Michael. They got Sabine and the cats out of a tight spot. I wish I could do something to thank them.

  The Bl’kheths are not the same as us, the Collective explained. They are feral and only respond to violence. They do not parley or treat with other species, for their minds are too strange in comparison.

  Another Collective emerged from the kelp. It was not always so. Here, I have a memory from one who lived long ago…

  Bethany Anne prepared herself to be immersed in the group mind.

  The Collective projected images of thousands of Bl’kheths being herded into a factory by Ookens wielding shock-nets and arc rods. They all looked afraid, but definitely lacked the hardness Bethany Anne had noted from her own experience with them.

  Bethany Anne disconnected from the memory with an ache in her heart for the Bl’kheths that was very similar to the pain and anger she’d felt on behalf of the Collectives. Between these two species and the Bakas, the Seven had royally fucked up.

  It used to be that messing with her people was the line. Lines, however, were ephemeral things that shifted over time and with new information. While her willingness to get personally involved with any new players was set in stone, she found that she cared less and less to find that the Seven had been in contact with anyone outside of their own cancerous society.

  “You’re growling,” Ashur commented.

  “I’m angry,” Bethany Anne replied through gritted teeth. She unclenched her jaw with considerable effort. “Angry enough to react, but wise enough not go all ‘Hulk, smash’ until I have a plan.”

  Ashur’s doggy expression of disbelief brought a smile to Bethany Anne’s face again. “What? I can plan. I can’t say I’d be so reserved if my children had been in significant danger.”

  The protection of our young does inspire a less refined reaction, the first Collective advised. It is our responsibility not to bring another into the Collective until we are truly free.

  We are free, the second Collective countered. But a new life should begin with hope and not in a tank, however grateful we are for the spaces you have created for us, baby god.

  Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. That again? I thought we had agreed that I am only human. No deities here, sorry.

  There was a dry chuckle from the pair.

  It is our fond title for you, Bethany Anne. Given precisely because you would never claim to be that which you are not.

  Yeah, well. Maybe go lightly on it. I have enough trouble trying to convince people I’m not their Empress. The last thing I need is rumors of godhood dogging me.

  “Hey!” Ashur whined in amusement. “Watch your language!”

  Bethany Anne chuckled. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  The Collectives joined in the laughter.

  Perhaps we can be of some assistance after all, the first mentioned, its skin flushing from grey to a dull pink. While we cannot speak directly to the Bl’kheths without damaging their minds, we can potentially act as translators if you manage to make contact with them.

  Bethany Anne liked the idea of that. I’d appreciate any help you can offer with them, especially since my plans involve freeing them from the other factories once I have the fighting power to do so.

  You lack that currently? The Collective’s tentacles waved gently as it steadied itself to meet Bethany Anne’s gaze.

  Bethany Anne looked into an eye twice the size of her head and nodded. I’m not willing to leave my people defenseless while I go to war. The galaxy map gives me the location of every factory and resource that gigantic pain in the ass has. What I need is Federation support and the resources to go after every single location simultaneously.

  Ashur almost choked after he laughed for a moment. “How do you expect to get that without putting your foot down?” he asked incredulously.

  Bethany Anne grinned. “I don’t.” She checked her HUD. “In fact, my ride is going to be here soon. You want to come with me?”

  Ashur’s tongue fell out of the side of his mouth, and his reply was only just audible over the noise his tail made against the floor. “You know I do.”

  17

  Devon, The Interdiction, QBBS Guardian

  Bethany Anne and Ashur met John and Tabitha at the docking spar reserved for Bethany Anne’s comings and goings from the battlestation.

  Also present was Tim Kinley. He paced nervously as they waited for Darryl, Eric, and Scott to get to the Guardian. “You ought to tell me what’s going on, my Queen. We’ve just been through an attack on a scale none of us were expecting, and now you’re telling me some strange ship is going to rock up, and I have to just be cool about it?”

  Bethany Anne lifted a finger. “First of all, yes. If I tell you I want to see you and Rickie performing Swan Lake—tutus and all—I know damn well you’re going to jump to it, so don’t play the hardass. Secondly, I didn’t say that it was a strange ship. Tell CEREBRO to be on the lookout for Federation credentials, and to admit the ship when it arrives.”

  She turned on her heel and headed for the small cabin at the back of the hangar. Her next conversation was for private ears only.

  With the door closed firmly behind her, Bethany Anne opened a link to the R2D2. “How’s my favorite functioning alcoholic?” she asked when Bobcat appeared on the holoscreen.

  Bobcat made a face that could have been read either way. “Travel-sick,” he replied. “As in, we’re traveling, and I’m sick of it already. Why you couldn’t have had us Gate in like the 3PO, I don’t know.”

  Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “And alert the entire Federation? You know they’re watching everyone entering and leaving with eagle eyes right now. Slow and steady keeps it quiet.”

  Bobcat shrugged. “True. But then, aren’t you doing the same tracking on population shifts?”

  Bethany Anne’s lips quirked. “Well, I’m sure some EI somewhere is. You think that’s something I should be tracking personally?”

  Bobcat’s sloppy grin said it all.

  Bethany Anne pulled the census data and found that the number of people arriving in the Interdiction was up, while the number of people leaving was steady and low. “This all looks normal to me. People are looking for a stable place to build their homes and businesses, and I’m creating another layer of stability out here on the Interdiction. I mean, where else can you live outside the Federation and be guaranteed a stable economy and freedom from attack?” She wrinkled her nose, think
ing about recent events. “Well, mostly free of attack, but that’s why I’m having the R2D2 brought out here.”

  Marcus appeared on the screen next to Bobcat. “It’s not as simple as the data suggests, Bethany Anne. Displacement is happening both ways—to the Interdiction and the Federation equally.”

  He ducked away for a moment, and Bethany Anne received a data dump too large for her to process in one go.

  Bethany Anne scrolled the incomprehensible numbers. “What is all this?”

  “One moment,” Marcus called from offscreen.

  Bobcat lifted his hands in reply to Bethany Anne’s searching look. “Beats the shit out of me. He’s on one of his jaunts of the mind. Us mere geniuses will have to wait until he reveals the object of his fixation.”

  Marcus reappeared a moment later. “Jaunts of the mind are what heathens like you take when a problem is too large for your beer-soaked brain. I have compiled data and examined it thoroughly to reach an incontrovertible conclusion.”

  Bethany Anne waved a finger in a circle. “Which is?”

  Marcus frowned as though the answer should already be clear. “Here, look at this map. The exodus appears to be from one point in space. The only conclusion I can draw is that something is driving the people out from somewhere in this part of the outer quadrants. Logically, I can only assume the driving force is Kurtherian in nature.”

  Bethany Anne narrowed her eyes. She didn’t disagree with Marcus’ theory that there had to be an external factor in the higher rate of movement among the people of that quadrant. Nevertheless, it wasn’t clear what the catalyst was. “What brings you to that conclusion?”

  Marcus took on the air of someone explaining a new concept to a small child. “Whoever is causing the disturbance is either foolhardy enough not to care that they are pinned between the two biggest powers in all the galaxies—in which case they would have been found out pretty much as soon as they arrived—or they are smart enough and sufficiently technologically advanced to hide their efforts from both you and the Federation.”