HADRON Havoc

by Stephen Arseneault

  The image on the display froze, this time accompanied with text that read “Choose Peace.”

  Mace sat on the steps as he watched the timer count down on his arm pad. “I’m sorry I brought this upon you.”

  Favia waved her hand. “This was brought about by my mistake. I should have handled our agreement personally instead of passing it off to my aide. My laziness brought this about.”

  Mace shook his head. “In reality, it was the Karthians who brought this about. I just hope we can resolve it before it escalates. The last thing I want to do is to drag someone else into war with them. Besides… I like your people. You have treated me well.”

  The Hoorka queen and the Army Ranger watched the final two minutes in silence. The deadline came without a Karthian response.

  Jasper came over the comm. “It’s time. Say the word and I pull the trigger on this. If not, give me a valid reason why I shouldn’t.”

  Favia replied, “The Karthians have made their decision. Proceed with your weapon, King Collins. You have my full backing should any future questions arise.”

  Jasper laughed. “OK. Not really sure what you mean by that, but here goes.”

  Seconds passed with nothing but a continued stream of citizens leaving the capital.

  Mace asked, “Anything? What happened?”

  Jasper shook his head. “I don’t know. It should have blown. I pressed the button. Aw crap…”

  “What is it?”

  Jasper sighed. “I set off the wrong city. There’s a huge mushroom cloud rolling up where Territac was. My fault. I got my cities messed up. I knew we fouled up when my people picked one with a similar name. If you want I could hit Terrenet also?”

  Mace held up a hand. “No. Just leave it where it is. We’ll give them a few minutes to let this sink in. After that, Favia can again make the offer. At least this time the threat will have some weight behind it.”

  Another five minutes passed before Favia returned to the air. “I warned you of the power of the Hoorka. My original offer still stands. You have lost an entire city and its population because of your stubbornness. Don’t make the same mistake again. I’m giving you twenty minutes to decide. This time, Terrenet will be destroyed. If you choose to deny the offer, I will choose a new city to destroy every half hour after until you agree. The Hoorka risk nothing with that scenario. The Karthians risk the lives of all your people.”

  Ten minutes of silence turned to fifteen, and then nineteen. Vehicles of every size and type fled from Terrenet, including civilians on foot. Again, no response was returned.

  Jasper said, “Say the word and we scratch city number two.”

  Mace looked up. “We aren’t rigged for a third city. If they decide against peace, they’re going to come after you like angry hornets.”

  The open comm popped as a signal connected. There… on the display… was the smiling face of Malcom Stark.

  “Queen Favia, my name is Malcom Stark. I am here, in Terrenet, to negotiate peace between our people.”

  Jasper yelled. “What the…? Tell me I’m not looking at his ugly face right now!”

  Mace said, “Don’t press that button. We need to hear him out. This peace deal is for the Hoorka, not us. We caused this war. We need to bring the end of it as well.”

  Malcom Stark continued. “I’ve just recently come from another successfully negotiated peace. Under similar circumstances, the Karthian Empire found itself at war with a neighboring people. The war was inadvertent, as was this one, all started over a simple misunderstanding. Already a great many people have died… too many. Let us instead embark on a path to peace. What say you?”

  Favia replied, “I’m listening. The terms of our agreement are firm. The choice to end this now lies with the Karthians.”

  Stark nodded. “Understood. Now… as to the offer that both sides abandon the Hardy system… I believe we can agree to that. Both the Hoorka and the Karthians will withdraw all ships, troops, and personnel, immediately following acceptance of this agreement. All hostilities will cease, and all sins on both sides will be forgiven. Those were the terms you offered. Are they still agreeable to you?”

  Favia replied, “They are. And let me add, you don’t seem like much of a negotiator, Mr. Stark. You just gave us what we asked for. It was a fair offer to begin with, and I am quite happy with your acceptance of it.”

  Stark smiled. “Yes. Your terms were quite fair. And I offer the Karthian acceptance of this agreement to be coupled with yours. Let the hostilities cease and the terms of this agreement be met.”

  Jasper came over the comm. “The Karthians have found my people! An assault of the entrance to the complex is underway! I’m heading there directly with my fleet. Tell those backstabbers the deal is off!”

  Jasper’s comm closed as his ship turned for a jump to Hardy.

  Favia said, “Mr. Stark, we have word of a skirmish taking place on Hardy. You will cease and remove your troops immediately!”

  Malcom sighed. “You have my apologies, Queen Favia. It seems we are having trouble with some of our people not wanting to leave. This is an internal matter and I can assure you it is being handled without any danger to any Hoorka citizen. Allow us this small window to clean up our problems and I can assure you we will have a lasting peace between our peoples.”

  Favia received a comm from her military commanders. “Your Highness, we are strongly in favor of allowing the Karthians this short period to end this ordeal. I can only say that the entire staff is in awe of your ability to command respect and to end this fiasco. We are eager to be filled in on this secret weapon you have at your disposal. My Queen, the people’s selection of you has shown them to be wise. It is an honor to serve in your military command.”

  Favia took a deep breath. “You will not like what I have to say, General. It may not make sense to you, but I have my reasons and they are clear to me.”

  Favia closed the comm with her staff and returned to the one hosting Malcom Stark. “Mr. Stark, the reason for you asking for a short time has come to my attention. I ask you now, the Karthians, to fully honor this agreement and to immediately withdraw all of your troops and ships!

  “This skirmish you speak of is not with your own people. It is with the Targarians, a people you were previously warring with, and a people who were under my protection from the moment I placed a claim on that unclaimed planet. Those are Hoorka subjects you are assaulting and you will cease immediately or the terms of this agreement are in violation!”

  Stark nodded. “Understood. Please allow me five minutes to consult with the Karthians.”

  Jane came over a comm to Mace. “Hey, we just noticed, Stark is not at Terrex. He’s in his old compound, wherever that is. You see that heel smudge on the wall behind him? That was there when we talked with him a year ago. I remember making a comment to Johnny about it. Anyway, if you have any concern about Stark being in Terrex, then forget it. He’s somewhere on Earth.”

  Mace nodded. “Good to know, and thanks. I think this whole thing is about to get a lot messier.”

  Favia said, “I’m sorry I dragged you into all this. But I won’t be bullied or deceived. You’ve always been straight with me. I know I can trust what you say to be true. If the Karthians agree and pull back, your Targarians will be free to leave. If not, the Karthians will feel the wrath of Queen Favia of the Higatheps of Jore! I will crush their fleets, destroy their cities, and grind their bones into dust!”

  Mace raised his eyebrows. “Wow. That’s… intimidating.”

  Favia smiled. “Good. I’ll go with that then. I picked the bone grinding from one of your movies Miz Tretcher allowed me to watch before my return here. The words were powerful and stuck with me.”

  “It works. Go with it.”

  Jasper opened a comm. “The Karthians are pulling back. I’ll sit here until they’re gone. My people are safe.”

  As the last of the Karthian transports lifted, a cruiser swooped in close to the mouth of the ravine. A
dozen blasts from its laser weapons ravaged all who occupied the crevasse leading to the Targarian hideout. Hundreds of Jasper Collins’ soldiers were killed, the Karthians extracting their last pound of flesh.

  With the fighting ended and the ships from both species removed, peace returned to the planet of Hardy. All comms were closed.

  Mace stood. “I admire your strength and courage. And your conviction.”

  Favia replied, “It’s evident the Karthians are bullies. They only respect strength. I can only hope my display to them was enough to dissuade them from their aggression. And as for you, I would suggest you leave immediately. There will be many questions asked about the events surrounding this short war. It would be better for you if you were not here, as others might desire to force answers from you.”

  Several minutes later, Jenny said, “We’re in the courtyard. Meter’s running. Let’s go while we still have our hides.”

  Chapter 18

  *

  Johnny shook his head as he sat across from Mace in the Alpha Centauri conference room. “Somehow we keep on living through these things. Somebody among us must have a heckuva rabbit’s foot.”

  Mace said, “That was all Favia’s doing. For someone so young, she has a commanding presence and a sharp sense of what to say and when to say it. She had a speech prepared to give Stark should the Karthians not give in. She practiced on me, and I can only say I felt she meant every word and that she would make it happen. She will serve the Hoorka well for years to come.”

  Jasper walked into the room with his usual scowl. “That was close.”

  “We still have to find a new home for your people,” Mace said.

  Jasper scowled. “We ain’t going nowhere. They still don’t know where we are.”

  “I thought they found where you were and were attacking?”

  “Pfft. They followed tracks to the canyon. That thing is thirty kilometers long. We had a couple hundred of our troops positioned at the mouth to slow them down. Good men. They’ll be missed. I’m just glad they didn’t blast all the way down through to the other end. Had they knocked out the projector they’d have been staring at our shiny steel hangar doors. Those beasts are a half-kilometer wide each.”

  “They are likely to be back, you know.”

  Jasper nodded. “And we’ll be better prepared next time. We’re already starting work on a second site, this one bigger than the first. When complete, we’ll be able to fit two of their large freighters or four of their medium freighters at the same time. We’ve already identified three new cargo routes that are rich with targets. The Karthians are traders. Their planets like to specialize. That means lots of cargoes being moved about. Heck, one of freighters we just brought in has enough preserved food on it to last my whole population for six months.”

  “They’re going to start monitoring that system. If only to make sure the Hoorka haven’t returned.”

  Jasper waved a hand. “Let ‘em watch. They can’t see us. We built a transport vessel out of four of their freighters that just fits into our hangar. It’s a kilometer long and half a kilometer wide. Will fit a full-size freighter. We just load the freighter at a remote location, jump it to Hardy and bring it down. It has the special paint and projectors. We’ve got it all worked out.”

  Johnny said, “You have teams on the ground where the Karthians were?”

  Jasper replied, “Nope. We scanned for bios. Nobody was left.”

  “If I was them,” said Johnny, “I would have left a few passive sensors scattered about that I could come back and check later.”

  Jasper stood silent in thought for several seconds before turning for the door. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

  Johnny turned to Mace. “The stubborn is strong in that one.”

  “He has a lot invested in that space. I’d be hesitant to move again as well. Once they get established and things are running well, they can always explore looking for a backup site. But they do need to be careful with the Karthians. They want the Targarians dead.”

  Johnny huffed. “I’d say that’s all from that little bird Stark whispering in their ears. He’s still smarting from Jasper screwing up his big deal.”

  Mace sighed. “Truth be told, we would probably all be better off right now. The Targarians, along with the rest of them, would all be alive, and we would be allies with and not subjects of the Karthians.”

  Johnny shook his head. “And we would be fighting the Consortium and the UF. I don’t see that as a big win either. Different maybe, but not necessarily a good thing.”

  Johnny began tapping his fingers on the conference room table. “Wait… did we just miss the fact that Malcom Stark is already back in the good graces of the Karthians? How could he possibly convince them he wasn’t involved in the slaughter on Terrex? And again with the destruction of that city?”

  Mace shrugged. “He’s good at talking these people into things.”

  “He’s like that bad penny that keeps turning up, is what he is.”

  Jasper walked back into the room. “You were right. They left three sensors that we’ve found so far. Two have already broadcast using comm lasers. If they park a ship far enough out, they can pick up the data without being detected.”

  Johnny said, “Or they could have several relays they left sitting out there. Pop open a micro-wormhole and do a read of the data. Nobody would know.”

  Jasper scowled. “Where’d you get this ape? He’s just full of all sorts of good news.”

  Jasper again turned and left the room.

  Johnny chuckled. “It’s what I would have done.”

  Jasper came over the comm. “The Karthians are back! They have five cruisers pounding the crap out of the area in and around that canyon. We’ve got about ten minutes before they reach the other end.”

  Mace stood. “What are you gonna do?”

  Jasper replied, “I’m gonna blast five Karthian cruisers out of the sky, that’s what. Then I’m gonna begin looking for a new planet.”

  Mace said, “Who of the Galactic Union were the farthest from the Karthian rift?”

  “The Gorange. And that might not be a bad idea. If we pick a water planet, we might be able to stay hidden for a long time.”

  “I wouldn’t suggest that. They’ll eventually send ships there. Even if it’s just some Karthian businessmen wanting to take advantage of the open world. What I was going to say was pick a habitable planet to temporarily park on while you search for a new place.”

  Johnny said, “Shouldn’t we let Favia know about this?”

  Mace replied, “I don’t want to drag them into a war.”

  “Shouldn’t that be their decision?”

  “Yes, but —”

  Jasper yelled, “Ha! The Hoorka were watching! Two dozen dreadnoughts are dropping through orbit. This is gonna be good!”

  A short skirmish saw three of the five Karthian cruisers destroyed, their remains scattered about the Hardy countryside. The two escapees managed to jump away, each with major damage. The Hoorka ships patrolled the area for most of an hour before jumping back to Hoorka space.

  Jasper was giddy. “I do like the queen. She doesn’t mess around.”

  Mace said, “Maybe now we can get back to the business of freeing Earth.”

  Jasper nodded. “Gentlemen, if you’ll please excuse me, I have pirate raids to get back to.”

  Mace stood. “I guess we can head back to Earth.”

  “I could use a break,” said Johnny. “I know Jane is eager to see the kids.”

  An hour later, Mace Hardy was standing in the lab with Jeff Moskowitz. “Doc, I don’t know how much longer our lucky streak is gonna hold out. We somehow keep surviving these major wars. Our troops being sent in to fight the UF… and most came home. A new conflict brewing with the Hoorka and again, of little direct consequence to our people. But I still feel like we’re heading down an icy slope on a sled with no way to steer it. And there’s lots of trees around.”

  Jeff nodded.
“We’ve managed because we adapt. Humans have a resilience that many of these other species seem to lack.”

  Mace shook his head. “I think it’s more because we’re big and intimidating. That’s an asset these smaller species covet. We’re like the cats they can take into battle against a bunch of mice.”

  Mace sat in a nearby chair. “We need to find a way to put ourselves back in control, Doc. You think we’ll ever have this wormhole weapon fully functioning?”

  Jeff turned. “We’ve managed to make it back to where we were before the move here. I’m expecting a breakthrough from Gnaga and his team any day. That will only leave my feedback problem as our last major issue. I’m becoming convinced this weapon can be made even more powerful than we think. Imagine opening a wormhole portal and then having it sweep over a ship instead of the ship having to travel through it.”

  Mace asked, “How’s that a weapon?”

  “It’s a weapon because we control the other end of the wormhole. Imagine opening one end into a solar flare while the other end not only targets a ship, it chases that target. No more having to have the ship sitting still. Instead, this wide wormhole, with multi-million degree heat, moves after a ship as it tries to move away. Short of a portal jump away, there would virtually be little chance of escape.”

  Mace leaned his head down, beginning to rub his temples.

  Jeff said, “Are you feeling OK? I have some aspirin if needed.”

  Mace sighed. “No thanks. Sorry. I was just thinking about having such a weapon. If we can build it, who’s to say someone else can’t also? And if something like that gets put into use, how long before it gets used against civilian targets?”

  “We’ve already gone down the civilian road, Mr. Hardy. Our recent attack on Terrex was exactly that.”

  Mace nodded. “That’s what I’m worried about. We’re supposed to be the ones with a conscience. What happens when a ruthless species like the Karthians get hold of such a weapon?”

  Jeff replied, “Well, I suppose we just have to see to it they don’t.”

  “The only way to ensure that is to do exactly as they’ve done with making use of genocide.”