Star Force: Persistent Ravage (Wayward Trilogy Book 3)

by Aer-ki Jyr

  Esna blinked, never having thought about that. “You’re that good only training part time for hand to hand?”

  Tyrenk smiled. “Yep. But when Commandos train nonstop, it means they can fight with us as our equals because they specialize their training. Same thing goes for pilots, mechwarriors, etc. Archons are the best of the best, but we have to be multi-taskers. Highly skilled specialists will exceed us in their chosen areas, and we welcome that. A Commando is a specialist. An Archon is a multi-tasker. Do you understand the difference now?”

  “Rammak was a specialist devoted to one thing and one thing only.”

  “Yes he was.”

  “That’s what I want. A clear purpose and a chance to do my part in Star Force. I want somewhere I belong, not somewhere I’m baggage that other people have to haul along.”

  “Well said, but you are an attractive piece of baggage that many wouldn’t mind hauling along.”

  “I don’t want that. I want to earn my place.”

  “There are many ways in Star Force to do that. Do you want somewhere simple to start, somewhere difficult that you’ll have to race to keep up, or somewhere in between?”

  “I want something hard, but something I can belong to from the beginning if I work hard enough. I don’t want to be somewhere I don’t deserve.”

  “That would be the Clans, and I agree, you don’t belong there. Becoming a Commando is difficult, but there are different types of Commandos. Rammak was a Calavari Commando and they have their own standards. Human Commandos have theirs.”

  “I was told some Calavari were trained as Human Commandos?”

  “It’s rare, but yes. Then we have Knights, who are a specialist within Commandos that focus primarily on melee combat. They are weapon trained, but only in limited fashion. Once they know how to use pistols and rifles they stop training on them and focus entirely on fists, feet, and blades. They receive growth enhancements to make them Calavari size…the Humans anyway. Calavari Knights stay the same size. Protovic Knights sometimes interchange with both of them, but they have their own psionics so they’re a bit more formidable. You could fit with them, because of your Fornax.”

  “I like weapons…and my size. Getting bigger would make me slower, wouldn’t it?”

  “Most likely, but speed and strength would increase with training after that point.”

  “I want to be a Commando then. What do I have to do?”

  “What it takes. If accepted, you go into a training program and don’t come out until you quit or become a Commando.”

  “What’s it take to be accepted?”

  “The will to act. Wanting is not enough. You have to work for it. I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that.”

  “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Tyrenk floated.

  “What?”

  “Rammak faced something you never faced, and probably, hopefully never will. There is a Commando program that is harder than other Commando programs. Most are all the same, but there is a higher level one. Something Rammak did not go through. You having Fornax is going to be tricky, because it will cause the testing to go wonky, but adjustments can be made. You may have to train alone.”

  “I’m fine with that. I just don’t want any breaks. I want to earn it the same way everyone else does.”

  “They will make you earn it, trust me. They have the hardest basic training we allow in Star Force. Archon training is more difficult, but it’s not as intense. No, wait, that’s not right. Ours is more intense, but we bring the intensity ourselves. Commando training is more them pushing you through it, because they expect you to know nothing. Archons are troubleshooters who are expected to figure things out for ourselves.”

  “Put me in the hardest training you think I can handle,” Esna said without hesitation.

  “Good. That’s where I planned on taking you anyway, but I just want you to know there are many options and the choice is yours.”

  “Canderous?”

  “Yes. They are all Human and totally military. Even their civilians have military training above and beyond normal maturias. They push their younglings as far as possible without breaking them, and the Archons have defined that line very carefully. Many Canderians leave when they can, but they don’t accept people in unless they go through the training as well. You can’t be a civilian living in Canderous that didn’t originate in Canderous. It’s a closed, and very intense civilization that the trailblazers crafted long ago. If you want to be a Commando, the Canderian version is the strongest program available outside of the Clans.”

  “How do I sign up?”

  Tyrenk smiled. “You just did.”

  “You’re Canderian?”

  “No, I’m an Archon.”

  “And you give orders to Canderous?”

  “Esna, we outrank everyone. I can put you in whatever training program I want aside from the Clans. Those are run by the trailblazers and a lot of other higher ranking Archons than me, but Canderous, the Bsidd, Calvari, Protovic, Kiritak, etc take orders from even the lowest ranking Archon, though we know better than to get involved in things where we don’t belong. Star Force isn’t about a strict hierarchy, it’s about getting the job done and doing the right thing. Not about following rules. Canderous will accept my appointment because they trust in Archon wisdom, and likewise I wouldn’t send them someone unworthy.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Plus they’re going to freak out about the possibility of getting someone with Fornax, so they’ll welcome you with open arms as they work your ass off.”

  “Where are they?”

  “Everywhere. There are many Canderian sedas at Grid Point Stargate. That’s where you’ll start, though I don’t know where you’ll end up. If you can’t handle it you can always drop out and go civilian or try a different Commando program. We don’t give up on anyone, so you can always try again and again until you get it or get tired of trying. How you progress is up to you.”

  “Good to know. Hopefully I can make it the first time. Is there any training you can give me before we get there to give me a head start?”

  “Sure. Go take a nap. You’re exhausted.”

  Esna smiled. “I mean after that.”

  “I’m an Archon. We live and breathe training. Rest, then I’ll make sure your next few weeks aren’t wasted. Just don’t think that will give you an advantage when you get there. It’s going to be intense regardless of how much you prep.”

  “Which is why I need as much of a head start as I can get,” she countered. “Thank you…for everything.”

  “You’re not rid of me yet, youngling.”

  “Including the kissing. Can I return the favor, just once?”

  “Are you good now?”

  “No, but I have a path now. That’s enough.”

  “Permission granted.”

  Esna walked up in front of him and gently kissed him, holding it for a few seconds then quietly walking away, fairly sure that the sentiments she wanted to express made it through to him when their skin touched and she gave him access to her mind, for he sent an approving vibe back to her that made her tingle from head to toe.

  The walk back to her own quarters was less exhausting than she’d expected, then when she hit her bed the fatigue followed quickly enough and she fell unconscious, waking hours later with a stiff back and a hopeful outlook. She had a path to walk now, and as Rammak had taught her, she intended to run it as much as possible, for her destiny lay in front of her, not behind. Rammak’s influence would carry with her, so there wasn’t anything to cling to in the past and it was time to start proving Rammak right that she was worth saving by moving forward and becoming someone of merit.

  Another light in the darkness, now that his had been extinguished.

  13

  November 12, 4812

  Tarric 3 System

  Stellar Orbit

  When the Ghostblade scout ship entered the system and Esna saw the m
ap of it pop up on the display she was confused, for there were no inhabited planets. There were a lot of ships…a lot of ships, but there was nothing here for them to protect other than some large space stations.

  “Where are we?” she asked Tyrenk, who stood beside her on the edge of the bridge where they had a private holographic terminal to use.

  “This is a Tarric System. Tarric 3, to be precise. All systems with that name serve as guard posts for the Grid Points.”

  “But where is the Grid Point? I don’t even see any planets out there.”

  “The Grid Point can’t be this close to a star, so it’s just next door. It’s large enough to have its own gravity well, but a weak one. Making a jump from the star to it doesn’t require a lot of travel distance, but it is a slow jump and leaves one vulnerable coming in and out. That’s why we have a large defense fleet here protecting it and the commerce infrastructure set up.”

  “That’s what all those stations are?”

  “That’s nothing compared to what surrounds the Grid Point,” he said, expanding the map out so the system became a dot and another just nearby it materialized. “However, we don’t need to go there to find Canderous. You see those large spherical stations?” he asked, returning the map back to the system view with highlights.

  “Yes.”

  “Canderous is designed to live in space, so those are their territory. Completely artificial and the size of small moons. That’s where I’m taking you.”

  “So we’re out of the Devastation Zone now?”

  “Yes. It extends further rimward, but this system and the surrounding few are a well defended island that they haven’t taken. This is safe territory, even if we’re close to the danger, and the Grid Point links into another far from here that is behind the front. That’s why it’s so important that we hold this, for us and our allies. They have several systems nearby with massive shipyards that have been supplying their fleets for centuries as they fight wars further out on the Rim.”

  “What allies?”

  “They’re called the Nexus, and this used to be a safe, quiet little corner of the galaxy while all the fighting was going on out there. Now they help defend it against the V’kit’no’sat, for if the Grid Point falls their reinforcements dwindle. It’s not the best situation to be in, but we’ve held this region for a long time and it’ll take a major push to even dent it. The V’kit’no’sat know it and they stay away, but we keep this fleet here guarding the door just in case.”

  “And if they get by this fleet?”

  “They run into a buzz saw on the other end. The Grid Point is very well defended, and a sizeable chunk of the fleet you see now is Canderian. Since there are no inhabited planets here, Canderous has been given a foothold to fill. The small uninhabited rocks out there are mined, but most of what you see was shipped in from elsewhere. Their sedas, which was those spherical stations, are battlestations. The others you see out there are commerce stations, some starports, and an assortment of others better placed here than at the Grid Point itself. Before the fall, this used to be a very heavy traffic center, but now it only accommodates the surrounding allied systems.”

  “And I’m going to one of those seda things?”

  “Yes, I’m taking you there to meet with Sen Legat Artu. There are four levels of ‘Legat,’ which is their highest rank. A Legat commands a seda. A Sa Legat commands a group of sedas, equivalent to a planetary commander. A Kit Legat is a system commander and a Sen Legat is like a trailblazer. They run Canderous and there are only 122 of them at present.”

  “I’m that important to them?”

  “You will be, trust me.”

  “I thought I was just going to earn my spot, not be a main focus,” she said regretfully.

  “Relax. You’ll have to earn it, but Artu will know best where to place you. He’s in command of this system’s defense, and even the Archons here defer to him often due to his skills and experience. Canderous may have a lot of operational capabilities, but sitting in place and holding turf is what they’re best at and those sedas are very good at it. Better than the V’kit’no’sat, actually, because they’re designed to be stations and not ships. They can move, but not very fast, and the smaller engines they require the more interior space there is for armor, shields, and weaponry. Plus the internal living spaces are a lot smaller since we don’t take up as much room as an Era’tran or Oso’lon. If the Viks want to remove them they’re going to have a hell of a fight on their hands.”

  “So they’re outposts?” she asked.

  “Yes and no. Sedas are where Canderians are born, train, and live. Those are their homes, and they take them with them wherever they go. Canderian ships can operate further away, but they always come back to the sedas. When the trailblazers first created Canderous, they wanted a population that could be mobile and wasn’t tied down to planets. They expected the V’kit’no’sat to come back one day and take them from us, and Canderous has suffered the least losses of any faction within the empire because they were built specifically for this fight…and to be able to run from it with their homes intact.”

  “Sounds smart. Why isn’t everyone in Star Force living on sedas?”

  “Because planets have a lot of advantages. Canderous has learned to live and thrive without them, and they’re a bit hardnosed because of it…but in a good way. They don’t tolerate slackers.”

  “Which one is the Sen Legat on?”

  “The biggest one. It’s a Battlemoon-class seda and some 327 miles in diameter. They’re rare, but there are two here. We’ll find out which he’s on and transfer over.”

  “And then?”

  “Then you meet your new family and we part ways…unless you change your mind and want me to take you somewhere else. You can change your mind later, but you’ll have to arrange your own transport. I won’t be sticking around in this system for long.”

  “Back to the Devastation Zone?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. My assignment on Tauntaun got terminated when the base got blown up, so I’m not sure where I’ll be going next. Your immediate future is a lot more clear and involves a whole lot of training.”

  “Training I’m familiar with,” Esna said, committing herself to that course as their ship passed through part of the defense fleet as it made its way around the star and out slightly towards a clump of spherical space stations, some 284 in total, while there were many more than that spread elsewhere around low stellar orbit, but this was the largest cluster sitting nearby what was marked as the jumpline out to Grid Point Stargate…with a fair amount of traffic moving back and forth along it.

  “Are you sure about this?” Tyrenk asked in a serious whisper. “It’s going to be hard.”

  “I want it hard, just not impossible.”

  “Then you’ll get your wish.”

  “Do you think this is where I belong?”

  “I think you can belong wherever you want if you’re willing to work for it.”

  “But not as an Archon?”

  “Archons are everywhere, Esna. We lead the empire, including Canderous, so you’ll see us popping up every now and then even here. You will be working with us as a team, but it takes more than work to become an Archon. It takes improvisation, among other things, and that can’t be taught…but it can be developed. There is a small chance that in the distant future you might be able to become an Archon, but the odds of you making that kind of personal transition are so low I don’t want to disillusion you by mentioning it. You need to find your niche, and that’s not in the Archon ranks.”

  “And Canderous?”

  “You’ve got enough grit, the only question is whether you will see it through. They’re hard, but the only people who fail are those who quit, or quit trying and just go through the motions. As long as you maintain consistent effort they’ll get you to the level you need to be, no matter how long it takes. But it’s usually those who can’t progress fast that get impatient and quit. I get the feeling you’re a grinder, though,
so for you it’ll just be a matter of sticking with it.”

  “Good. That much I know I can handle.”

  “You’ve been bouncing around a lot, and Artu might move you to another system, but whatever seda you end up on will become your home. Canderians don’t transfer around a lot, and they’ve always got a soft spot for the seda they were born into…or in your case, where you’ll do your conversion training.”

  “Rammak told me about that. He called it ‘Indoctrination’ though.”

  “It’s a little different for Canderous, but the same principle. Theirs is more thorough and not geared toward civilians. They’re military to the core.”

  “Do they have techs?”

  “Of course, but they’re all heavily combat trained so they can fight when needed. There’s no Canderian that can’t step in and fill a combat slot if there’s a shortage of personnel in emergency situations. That also means if someone invades a seda, there won’t be any civilians there. It’ll be a population that turns into an army in the blink of an eye.”

  “So everyone is a Commando in some way?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “Then I think you’re right about me fitting in here. Or at least I want to.”

  “Let’s find out where the Sen Legat is,” Tyrenk said, interfacing with a communications terminal nearby, “then we’ll head there directly.”

  “What if he’s busy?”

  “Archons may respect him for his skills, but we’re still his commander. He’ll make time for me.”

  “Hope that doesn’t make him angry,” Esna said, cringing at the idea of ticking him off first thing.

  “Don’t worry, he’s going to be very happy to see you. I can promise you that.”

  14