New Empires: Conglomerate Series Book 3

by William Frisbee

  “A battle between good and evil,” Luke said.

  “Simplistic,” Suresh said. “However, Val and Nress are both good and evil at the same time. Not all threads lead between Val and Nress. There are other destinations. Curves and knots in the threads that confuse things.”

  “What are the Battle Singers after?” Luke asked.

  “They seek to plunge the galaxy into war,” Suresh said. “In this way, they can collect the life force energy released by conflict. This leads to population increases. The Conglomerate fought them long ago and thought we won.”

  “What do the Pral want?” Luke asked.

  “The Pral believe the path toward Nress is the wrong one and we are seeking another path,” Suresh said.

  “Toward Val?” Leonessa asked.

  Suresh shook his head.

  “We don’t know,” Suresh said. “We believe Nress is the wrong way to go.”

  “Why isn’t Val the way to go?” Leonessa asked.

  “Val leads to stagnation and madness,” Suresh said. “Nress is required. The Battle Singers do not think Val is needed at all but the Pral disagree, otherwise it would not exist.”

  “What do the Battle Singers want with Sol?” Luke asked.

  “Your Caliphate is a culture that suits them,” Suresh said. “It is an ideology enslaved to their will. The original tenants and ideology are no longer relevant under the control and command of the Caliph. The Caliphate of Earth may be one culture suitable for the Battle Singers as a tool to burn through the remains of the Conglomerate.”

  “Like the Vress,” Luke said.

  “Yes,” Suresh said. “I suspect the Vress were uplifted by the Battle Singers, genetically modified and sent against the Bronkaw.”

  “Why did they turn on them?” Luke asked.

  “I suspect it was frustration and disappointment,” Suresh said. “In their eyes, the Vress have failed them. They failed to stop you, and in doing so had become a liability. Their failures have hurt the Battle Singers.”

  “But to eradicate their home world like that?” Luke said.

  “There are some that will survive,” Suresh said. “They will tell others what the price is for failure and perhaps the harvest from those deaths will make up for what was lost.”

  “That is cold-blooded,” Luke said.

  Suresh nodded.

  “They are using the Caliphate like they are using the Vress?” Luke asked.

  Suresh nodded again.

  “Did they uplift humanity?” Leonessa asked.

  “No,” Suresh said. “It is unlikely. There is so much life throughout the galaxy, and I dare say the universe.”

  “Are there any Tal forces that can assist?” Luke asked. “You may not have noticed but the Tigress did not fare well against the one Battle Singer.”

  “No,” Suresh said and looked at Shum. “Tal Shum is the last Tal Surka and there are no Tal capital ships left.”

  Luke’s InnerBuddy translated Tal Surka as a most senior officer. Was he no longer Falla? What did that mean?

  “And you think we can stop the Battle Singer in Sol?” Luke asked.

  “You have to,” Suresh said. “If the Caliph wins over the Jupiter Alliance, Athena and New Alamo, he will be turn his attention to the Conglomerate and the soldiers of the Caliph will sweep through the remains of the Conglomerate, burning worlds and massacring the populations.”

  Luke winced. There was no doubt about that.

  “Last I checked the Caliphate didn’t have the technology level,” Luke said. “Even if they have another juggernaut or two, the Conglomerate can stop them.”

  Suresh shook his head.

  “The Conglomerate is shattered,” Suresh said. “Without the sector capitals and Tal fleets, each world is free to choose their own path. Humanity is not the only force from the darkness preying upon the corpse of the Conglomerate. Like all great empires, this is the end of the Conglomerate. It will be a time of darkness, a time of Nress but from the darkness greatness will arise, new empires will be built, a greater empire. The Conglomerate was destined to stagnate and die. Now it is time to try something different.”

  Shum bowed his head but Luke couldn’t read him.

  “What else do you know?” Luke asked.

  Suresh smiled sadly.

  “Less than I thought I did,” Suresh said. “My understanding of our path has been shaken, and the future does not seem so clear, unless the Battle Singer wins. That will lead to death.”

  “Then we need to get to Sol with every ship we can,” Luke said. “And hope we aren’t too late.”

  “This Battle Singer has a name, he is cunning and he will not go down easy,” Suresh said. “His name is Suraf.”

  Shum’s head came up, his eyes were wide and his mouth open, Pral surprise as obvious as human surprise.

  “Your brother?” Shum asked and Suresh nodded.

  “Your brother?” Luke asked looking between Shum and Suresh. The Battle Singers were Pral? How did Shum know who Suresh’s brother was?

  “Yes,” Suresh said. “The lineage of the Pral is not a secret although the fate of the lineage frequently is. The Battle Singers are Pral that denied Val and embraced Nress. They have twisted and corrupted their ability to trace the threads. They have focused their abilities in other directions.”

  “Why are the Tal not taught this?” Shum asked.

  Suresh dropped his eyes to the floor, his voice a mere whisper.

  “The Topa did not trust the Tal not to fall into that trap,” Suresh said. “Some Tal have known, but so few. Since that ancient war, the Topa have shaped our society to help identify and discourage those who may succumb to the ideology of Nress.”

  “Is that why I was cast out?” Shum asked.

  “In part,” Suresh said. “I felt the taint in you, but I also felt the strength of Val. Shoka Luke was my answer to determining which was stronger.”

  “Like I can tell?” Luke said, not sure if he should be angry or honored.

  “Yes,” Suresh said. “The strength of Val in you is stronger than the Nress. Any Topa can see this.”

  Luke scowled at Suresh.

  “Now if you will excuse me,” Topa Suresh said. “I need to rest. Thank you.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Bronkaw Secundus

  The Combat Information Center was as quiet as if they were in battle but there was no danger as Bruce watched the enemy ships. The dinosaurs had done a lot better than he had expected and again he was surprised that so many had survived. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had expected none of the Bronkaw to survive their attack on the Tonkans.

  A week had passed and Bruce was worrying. He had heard nothing from Luke and the Bronkaw were still fortifying their wormholes. No other attacks had materialized which made Bruce feel better. It looked like the Tonkan Directorate didn’t have unlimited ships.

  “Course change,” XO said and the holograph of the enemy ships clustered around the wormhole flashed to prominence. “Looks like all ships are setting course for the wormhole.”

  Erica appeared.

  “Do you see that Captain?” she asked and Bruce smiled as he watched their trajectories. The data was old because of the distance and what they were seeing had occurred several minutes ago.

  “Aye,” Bruce said. “Looks like they may be retreating. Someone must have made the command decision they cannot press the attack.”

  “Do you think it was the damage to the planet killer?” Erica asked as enemy ships disappeared into the wormhole.

  “I would like to think,” Bruce said. “Either way, they are leaving.”

  “What should we do?” Erica asked.

  “Move in, drop off all our stealth mines and missiles and then go back to bombing Kakata,” Bruce said, already thinking of what he could do to ease the boredom.

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Erica said and signed off.

  “Aye, aye Captain,” XO replied. Bruce rubbed his eyes and decided he would go ge
t some sleep.

  Bruce was almost done with his five-kilometer run when his InnerBuddy alert went off.

  The treadmill slowed down with him as he came to a walk and XO appeared in front of him, a representation from his InnerBuddy.

  “We are detecting a transition,” XO said. “It looks like Admiral Kishi is returning. No other information yet and we can’t expect a transmission for at least thirty minutes. Both the Tigress and Amazon are there. There may be some frigates missing though.

  “Looks like he survived then,” Bruce said.

  “Yes sir,” XO said. “He might be fleeing, but the transition so far seems smooth, and he isn’t hitting maximum acceleration to put distance between him and the wormhole.”

  “Great,” Bruce said. “Let me know when we get a message.”

  A half hour later Bruce made it to the CIC just as the message came in from Luke. It was short, simple, and to the point.

  “Rally at wormhole to Bronkaw Prime. We must return to Sol ASAP to defend against an impending Battle Singer/Caliphate attack. Retrieve as many Marine officers as you can, but you can leave the bots. Topa Suresh is aboard the Tigress.”

  Bruce replayed the message. The Topa was aboard the Tigress? Where was the Topa’s ship and why did Luke seem hell bent on tangling with the Caliphate now?

  “Send our acknowledgment,” Bruce said. “And extract all the officers from the planet.”

  “Aye sir,” XO said.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  Bronkaw Prime

  The door slid open and what could have been the same honor guard was there. This time Luke was ready for it and was careful to keep his hands away from his weapons. The massive Bronkaw were no less intimidating though. The same Bronkaw as before approached Luke. Again, the massive beast raised its head exposing the throat and Luke wondered if it realized how pointless that might be. His InnerBuddy reported it was an unconscious reaction though and the big creature might be unaware, like when humans bowed toward each other. For humans lowering eyes was a sign of respect, not lowering eyes was a challenge. For the Bronkaw it must be exposing the throat.

  “We are honored and pleased the Admiral has returned victorious,” the majordomo boomed across the chamber like a chainsaw about to explode. The majordomo tilted his head to look at Luke and then the massive creature's eyes bulged as it saw Topa Suresh and Tal Shum who was now wearing Tal colors on his armor. Neon green, an interesting contrast to Topa Suresh’s blue glistening suit. Neon green was only worn by the highest-ranking Tal and this was the first time Luke had seen Shum wear those colors.

  Slamming his fist into his chest, Luke looked around him as the majordomo lowered his head to look at Luke and the Topa with both eyes. Nothing had changed. The honor guard, as mismatched as before, glared around at everything except Luke and his escort.

  “Topa Suresh,” the majordomo said, surprised. Luke remained motionless as he let the majordomo figure it out. Luke had sent the information on the battles to the Grand Marshal, but at Topa Suresh’s request, had neglected mentioning the Topa was with him.

  “It is a pleasure to see you again Shask,” the Topa said in the sputtering chain saw language of the Bronkaw. “Your lineage remains strong I see.”

  The majordomo blinked at the Topa.

  “I was unaware you were aboard the human’s vessel,” Shask said staring at Suresh.

  “These are interesting times,” Topa Suresh said. “They require us to adapt to a changing situation.”

  Shask blinked.

  “If it is acceptable I will accompany Shoka Luke to see the Grand Marshal?” Suresh said.

  “Of course, Topa,” Shask said although he appeared unsure. “We are honored.”

  Luke hid his smile. Shask must be burning apart his InnerBuddy reporting the presence of the Topa. This would be interesting and hopefully not fatal.

  This time Luke’s group was escorted to another, much larger chamber and there were several more Bronkaw present. Luke’s InnerBuddy identified them as specific Clan Leaders and high-ranking generals of the Bronkaw Dominance. The center was clear and Luke saw the Grand Marshal at the other end of the room. The honor guard spread out around Luke’s party as Luke led them across to the motionless, watchful Grand Marshal.

  Around him the Bronkaw stared at the humans and Pral with different emotions that he could now understand with the InnerBuddy link. Curiosity, hatred, fear and calculation. So many of the eyes followed Topa Suresh though and Luke wondered if the Topa was in any danger. Would the honor guard turn on them if so ordered? They acted like they were Luke’s bodyguards but Luke knew their real loyalty was to the Grand Marshal.

  The touching fists on the Grand Marshal’s armor were very prominent as the Grand Marshal looked at the other Bronkaw around the chamber, ignoring Luke’s group for the moment. He was doing them honor, although it didn’t feel that way to Luke.

  Finally, the Grand Marshal’s eyes fell upon Luke.

  “Your lineage is powerful,” Vakasa said looking at Luke.

  “So is yours Grand Marshal,” Luke said and the Grand Marshal nodded, his eyes coming to rest on Topa Suresh and finally Tal Shum.

  “This is unexpected,” the Grand Marshal said to Luke. “I do not understand. They follow you. The Conglomerate is dead. The Tal are extinct or in hiding. Few Topa have survived, yet before me stands a savior of the Bronkaw Dominance and followed by two high-ranking members of the Conglomerate. I recall the great Topa Suresh, but last time Shum was in these halls, he was not Tal. Who gives the orders and who takes them?”

  Luke glanced back toward Topa Suresh who remained silent and looked at Luke.

  “The Topa have never given me orders,” Luke said looking back at the Grand Marshal. “Nor would I presume to give the Topa orders. Have they ever ordered you?”

  The Grand Marshal remained silent. The chamber was silent enough Luke could hear the Bronkaw around him breathing softly. Everyone remained motionless, their eyes on Vakasa.

  “No,” the Grand Marshal said, his voice like grinding bones. “They encourage, they reward and they punish, but they do not order.”

  “Why are you here Topa Suresh?” Vakasa said looking at the Topa and addressing him directly. Luke couldn’t read the Grand Marshal’s body language, but he could read the language of those around him. The Bronkaw seemed angry.

  “An ancient enemy has returned,” Topa Suresh said. “The Topa have been blinded by our inward visions. We have failed the Conglomerate. Our ancient enemy has exploited our weakness. They have exploited the moral and spiritual collapse of the Conglomerate. Our time is over. We can never rebuild the Conglomerate, nor would we want to. Change is the only thing that does not change. It is time for others to blaze a trail into the future.”

  “You didn’t answer the real question,” Vakasa said and Luke had to make an effort to conceal his smile.

  Topa Suresh nodded.

  “We must defeat the ancient enemy before they grow strong enough,” Suresh said. “There will be new empires, but if the enemy is not stopped, then the new empires will be consumed by warfare and violence.”

  “Why didn’t the Topa help us when we asked originally?” Vakasa asked. “Billions of Bronkaw lives have been lost.”

  Topa Suresh locked eyes with Vakasa.

  “You had colonies in the dark,” Topa Suresh said. “You kept them out of the light of the Conglomerate for your own reasons. Did you expect the Conglomerate to come to the aid of the colonies you established outside the laws and expectations of the Conglomerate?”

  Vakasa’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the much smaller, frail Topa. Luke saw Shum’s grip tighten on his battle staff. Suresh appeared unarmed and Luke considered how difficult it would be to fight his way out. Too bad Musashi wasn’t here.

  “There are advantages to being members of the Conglomerate and there are disadvantages to living in the dark,” Suresh continued. “Had your Conglomerate assets been attacked then the full force of the Tal would have becom
e involved. They stood ready but we are never obligated to defend undeclared colonies in dark systems. I knew of your problems though, I understood your request so I sent my best Shoka to your aid. As a Topa I could not sanction Tal interference but I could sanction Shoka involvement within limits and that is what I did. Even with the Tal gone and the Topa fleeing I did not recall him from aiding you. When he found the enemy, I brought what was left of the Tal to stop them, to end the war, and despite the high cost, we did.”

  Topa Suresh walked closer to the massive Bronkaw Grand Marshal and Luke wanted to hold him back but knew better. If the Grand Marshal wanted to crush Topa Suresh there was nothing Luke could do to stop him. The Topa had to know that.

  Standing within arm’s reach of the behemoth Topa looked up into Vakasa’s emotionless face.

  “Did Shoka Luke fail you?” Suresh asked.

  Vakasa’s ponderous gaze shifted to Luke where it rested.

  “The Shoka’s competence, bravery and success cannot be questioned. He accomplished more than all the fleets of the Bronkaw Dominance.”

  Luke heard low rumbling from around, growls at the possible insult to the Bronkaw fleets. Using his InnerBuddy systems he surveyed the Bronkaw around him with a personal view so they didn’t know he was scrutinizing them.

  The honor guard continued to keep their back to the humans and Pral, their intent to keep their charges safe obvious. It wasn’t what Luke expected, but he realized they weren’t here just for show.

  “Why?” Vakasa asked and Luke knew he wasn’t asking about Luke.

  Topa Suresh nodded, also realizing the change.

  “Like the many races of the Conglomerate our attention focused inward,” Suresh said. “We did not see past our close, comfortable worlds. We did not peer into the darkness. We forgot that there are still evils that do not follow the rule of law, that have the strength and desire to see us dead. We forgot that life is a battle for survival, that cultures are a battle for relevance, that not everyone is like us. As a culture, the Conglomerate did not look past the reach of our finger tips, resting peacefully in our lap.”