by Aer-ki Jyr
If Virokor did that he knew Star Force would bring in their Uriti and make them pay for it. Could he destroy them? Maybe. But the costs would be so high that it would still be a defeat even if they captured every single Star Force world. He’d given strict orders for combat against the Uriti to be avoided in all situations, though he’d neglected to mention combat against a Mach’nel. An Uvbor commander named Tanu had failed in his mission when he’d chosen to engage the traitorous Rit’ko’sor’s Mach’nel and had been wiped out in the assault. They hadn’t saved the planetary invasion in the process, and even now the ‘Raptors’ were removing them with great efficiency.
Such a waste, and Tanu wasn’t the only one. Other commanders were avoiding the Uriti as ordered, but they were making other stupid mistakes out of ego. They just could not come to treat Star Force as equals, and whenever they found themselves in a situation that challenged their dominance they tore into it with admirable ferocity, but Star Force was using that weakness to make exchanges in their advantage and chip away at Virokor’s invasion fleet.
The 2 million year old Hjar’at knew they could not give away free wins, no matter how small, for this war was going to be one of attrition as much as conquest. Virokor hadn’t commanded a fleet in more than 300,000 years, but given the importance of this crusade for the future of the empire he’d agreed to take it on, coming out of the seclusion most of the older and wiser leaders within the V’kit’no’sat preferred to operate out of. This was not an operation that could be trusted to less experienced, but still wise individuals. Star Force was too savvy an opponent, and the V’kit’no’sat were going to need every advantage they possessed if they were going to bring them to heel without bleeding the empire dry in the process.
If Virokor had to flee from this position he would, but so far it had not been challenged and his staff of Hjar’at commanders were monitoring the incoming reports along with him, waiting until he decided to give them deployment orders while the Oso’lon opted to take the lead and the brunt of the initial attacks…due to the Hjar’at’s proclivity to strike at anything that moved.
There was a slight in that comment, but also some truth. The Hjar’at would obey Virokor’s orders…he had no doubt of that…but if they encountered a situation that he had not detailed they would respond with crushing blows rather than sitting back and analyzing the situation. Star Force had already laid so many traps he knew his race was vulnerable without the proper leadership, so he was glad to let others spring the traps while his people learned from their mistakes.
Many races were eager for combat and taking worlds, but so far Star Force was not letting them keep them. The Uriti fleets were making their rounds and delivering ground troop reinforcements after blasting everything they could from orbit. The V’kit’no’sat were learning quickly how to place prisoners in proper positions to prevent that, but some of the assaults were coming before the invaders could obtain prisoners. As it was, he only had 26 worlds that were somewhat stable and building additional defenses, though the V’kit’no’sat had already hit more than 400 systems in the 6 years they’d been engaged.
That number would be increasing far faster when the other three quarters of the combined fleet arrived, but Virokor needed to know where to place them. Keeping some of the Uriti in the Preserve was critical, so he had I’rar’et and Wi’jass battlegroups harassing them there and destroying any targets that were left undefended. If that kept even one additional Uriti away from the border then it was worth it, and he’d devoted half the Wi’jass’s total amount of ships to that operation.
They were a small race in assets, but as large in body as the Hjar’at. They were also more cautious, which was why he’d tasked them to work in conjunction with the avians…who were always ready to evade when necessary. The I’rar’et were also much greater in stature, so the attack on the Preserve would be given a higher profile even though Virokor didn’t care if they killed any ships, let alone took worlds. They were there to distract, and so far it looked like at least 4 Uriti were still operating in the Preserve.
That left 70 on the front, some of which had not been seen yet. Virokor did not know what Star Force was playing at there, but they were intercepting most of the thrusts into their territory with about 60% of them. He was worried about the others hitting V’kit’no’sat territory, but if that happened the 38 races sitting this out would get involved, and while that wouldn’t mean more ships, it would unite the empire and piss off Mak’to’ran. He had said this invasion was a mistake and that more could be achieved by negotiation with Star Force than by conquest. Virokor understood the Uriti angle in that, for he had no hopes of finding a way to take control of them, but this heretical sect had to be put down before it got any stronger.
The death mark had been removed, which altered the dynamic and made many V’kit’no’sat mad that they were being given a pass, but Virokor was glad for the change. These Humans had earned that much respect via their past defiance and skill at surviving, and if they could be absorbed they would add strength to the V’kit’no’sat. Virokor wasn’t sure how that would manifest, for he had no doubt the Uriti and most of Star Force’s secrets would be destroyed before he could possess them, but a race that had caused them so much trouble obviously had worth and he intended to make sure the V’kit’no’sat obtained some gains out of this massive screw-up.
“Braum is holding, but not by much,” Eroset said as he walked up on top of Virokor’s pedestal in the center of the massive chamber at the heart of the Mach’nel. “They have one captured shield generator with prisoner walls that is keeping Star Force back, but the ground fighting is intense. If we cannot get reinforcements to them they will eventually succumb to attrition.”
“Has the Uriti left?”
“It has, but a relief fleet took its place and Niom has not been able to reclaim control of orbit. His fleet is not in jeopardy, for the Kvash are not chasing him. They are securing vital positions within the system and reinforcing the ground invasion. Niom has smuggled down what few crews he could spare, but over the course of time he expects the planet will be reclaimed if we cannot reinforce them.”
“Where is Sivir now?”
“We tracked it through 4 systems before we lost it.”
“Define ‘lost.’”
“Our scout ships did not return.”
Virokor growled, but it wasn’t directed at Eroset. “How are they eliminating our scouts? Detection alone is not enough to prevent them from fleeing. Are our captains growing so stupid to engage their counterparts? I find that inconceivable.”
“I could assume some were, given the actions of our fleets to date, but there are too many. Star Force must have a new method of interception.”
“I concur, and we need to identify it. If not, we are going to be blinded because we will not know which messages to resend. We need an Urrtren addition established.”
“There is only one way to do so, and Itaru will not permit the expense,” Eroset noted.
“Incorrect. They will not permit the shame. But if they will not give me what I need, then I will built it here myself.”
“How? We do not have a single world that can be converted to industrial production without becoming a target of the Uriti.”
“Not yet. But we will with enough prisoners captured and enough shield generators constructed. Until then I will cope with the problem, but it cannot be allowed to persist indefinitely. If it does, Star Force will win,” he said, drawing a host of surprised looks from the Hjar’at around him.
Virokor took notice, then telepathically surveyed the chamber, getting everyone’s attention before simulcasting in voice and Ikrid his following statement.
“We cannot assume victory is inevitable. The enemy has a comm network. We do not. If they can see where we are and adjust, they have a powerful advantage. If we cannot do the same they will continually outmaneuver us. They are not so weak that we can overcome them with numbers. Not with their Uriti. We are in grave danger of
losing if we cannot establish links to our far flung fleets. They may not be spread across the galaxy, but if courier ships cannot get through they might as well be. We must be able to see what is occurring, otherwise our side of the war will become a free for all…and if Star Force maintains cohesion in such an environment we will lose. I can promise you that.”
“I will not allow that to happen,” Virokor continued. “We must establish an Urrtren here. Not to link back to the empire. That is secondary. We must be able to communicate between systems we have claimed, and we cannot do that until we built Urrtren links. Those links will be vulnerable to the Uriti or to boarding, so we cannot defend them with prisoners. We must make them mobile, so they can flee when challenged. We have no such designs…not of sufficient size. And that is because we have always assumed dominance. Only the Hadarak would destroy our relays, we thought, but that is no longer the case. Star Force will if we build them, so we must be able to move them.”
“Itaru should be producing them for us, but they are not…and their stupidity is the reason I am here. We must earn this victory. It will not earn itself, nor will pride or arrogance produce it. Until we have those links, we cannot fully engage. Right now our scout ships are falling into traps, and we cannot secure every system they must pass through without confining our assaults to a small region. If we did, the Uriti would gather and we would not be able to make any gains. We must spread out, and we must maintain communication. If we cannot, we will lose.”
“So find out how Star Force is stopping our couriers. Until we can build on a dozen systems, we cannot construct an Urrtren. And in order to win a dozen systems, we must push them back, give them more targets to counterattack to buy time to consolidate our holdings. Only then can we truly begin this invasion, and we cannot do it if we cannot see what we are fighting! If that does not induce fear in you, then you are unfit to fight this war. Arrange for your transit back to a safe world, for I do not want you here. My people must pay Star Force respect and be wary of what they are capable of. If you do not, you will doom us all. We must have vision of the battlefield. If we are blind, we will lose. Come to grips with this or leave. I do not have time to be training hatchlings.”
Virokor signaled them to get back to work with a telepathic ping, then he settled back into his reclined position, thumping his tail on the mat a few times out of frustration.
“This is why I must be here. Too many of you remember only the times of easy victories. Our dominance is not a right, it is something we must earn continuously. And when we are the inferior, we must recognize that fact and strive to regain dominance…not deny our lesser status and die fighting in denial.”
“Well spoken,” Eroset said, acknowledging the error in his own mindset. “How do we combat this in the short term?”
“Whatever is striking at our scouts is only doing so when they are in small numbers. Star Force has other, larger traps set, but the odds of one ship getting away with the knowledge of them is too great. Whatever is pursuing our scouts is being very cagey. We must lure them into a trap, but how to do so escapes me. There must be a mismatch, and I do not know how to generate one that will still elicit a strike.”
“If we group the ships together and no strike occurs, we secure our communications until mobile Urrtren relays can be produced.”
“If we do so, the number of courier trips diminish. Logistically, losing some ships is preferable to reducing the number of transits.”
“Then I do not know how to counter this.”
“Neither do I. We may have to suffer the inefficiency until we can establish an Urrtren, and doing so will incur substantial losses that I had hoped to avoid.”
“What if we wait until more scout ships arrive?”
“If I had known we would face this I would have brought more to the forefront, but it is too late. We are already engaged. If we pull back now we lose most of our few victories and Star Force can rebuild part of their defensive infrastructure. We are now committed. There can be no delay. Pressure must be continuously applied.”
“Then we suffer the losses?”
“If necessary. Do not accept that is necessary. Find me an answer. Someone, somewhere, somehow. Find me an answer,” Virokor repeated softly, but the importance in his words was heavy.
“We will not stop until we do,” Eroset promised, briefly flashing his Saroto’kanse’vam as an indication of his sincerity before spinning around and walking down off Virokor’s platform.
The combined fleet commander turned his attention back to the campaign map and the few tidbits of new information filtering in as raw packets were being analyzed by his people and uploaded as soon as they were collated and confirmed.
Why can’t I figure out what they’re doing? Their technology is stolen from us. Have they surpassed our own research or is this Chixzon in origin? he asked himself quietly, not knowing which of those two possibilities was more disturbing.
4,219 lightyears away…
“This is insane,” the Sarquori Ambassador said, looking at the most recent battlemap update on the holographic map that filled half the chamber.
“It is the V’kit’no’sat,” the Chashtik stated simply, with both races using Star Force translation devices, along with the other 93 Ambassadors in the room representing powerful races located in the Rim all the way round the galaxy. They’d come here to observe the war, with Star Force giving them full access to the information grid that provided locations, ship counts, planet losses, and even visible battle records if they deigned to pay that close attention…albeit from a safe location in the Arbiter System, all the way back in the Seon Region.
“You really believe we can contend with that?” another Ambassador asked.
“Better to do it now, with Star Force occupying most of their attention, than wait for them to invade our territory with impunity later,” the Zeeross Ambassador declared.
“After their losses here, they may not have any appetite for further expansion,” the Haf Ambassador stated. “We could be inviting destruction where there would be none.”
“Then why are you here?” the Zeeross asked.
“Because we are vulnerable,” the Haf admitted. “And we need information about the threat.”
“V’kit’no’sat ships continue to arrive in increasing numbers,” another Ambassador pointed out. “We may not have even seen the bulk of their fleet.”
“Their losses are staggering,” the Chashtik noted. “And they haven’t even engaged the Uriti yet. I do not think they care so long as they are victorious.”
“And you want to fight that?” the Sarquori asked.
“Yes, I do,” the Zeeross said firmly. “Before it comes for us.”
“If Star Force wins control of the Rim, they can shield us,” another Ambassador noted. “We help them, they help us. That’s how alliances work.”
“Assuming the V’kit’no’sat honor their word,” the Yioj reminded them. “If they do not, Star Force cannot shield us on the other side of the galaxy. They only hold dominion over a small region. We risk exposing ourselves to backlash even if Star Force survives.”
“And the V’kit’no’sat risk backlash if they do not honor their word,” the Zeeross argued. “Star Force has agreed not to attack their territory with the Uriti, contingent on this deal. If the V’kit’no’sat strike us after dominion of the Rim goes to Star Force, Star Force will be free to strike them with the Uriti.”
“He is right,” the Dqwet said from near the floor, for it was only 2 feet tall, though nearly just as wide. “This is our chance. The question is when should we strike?”
“Not yet,” the Knight of Quenar said from the back of the room.
All heads turned towards him, for he rarely spoke. Always present, always listening, but rarely speaking unless someone spoke to him first.
“You are already engaged, are you not?” another Ambassador asked.
“We were before the invasion, and we continue to fight now. But you should not.
Not yet. It is too soon.”
“Why do you believe so?” the Zeeross asked.
“Because most of the V’kit’no’sat fleet is not here yet.”
That left the room silent for a moment, for the true size of the V’kit’no’sat empire was still a mystery for these races.
“How much more is there?”
“More than double what they have now. The question is how low they will leave their defensive fleets. I believe they are waiting to see how much resistance Star Force produces. Already you can see their reinforcements rates are skyrocketing. After 6 years, I have no doubt they have gotten the message that this invasion will take everything they possess to be successful. They must hit us with everything they have. If they do, they can prevail at great cost. But if you also fight, they will be overwhelmed and must choose between pressing their attack or defending their borders. They will choose the latter, and that will give domain of the Rim to Star Force.”
“If they honor their word,” the Yioj reiterated.
“If they do not, their empire will split apart. Mak’to’ran is barely tolerating this invasion as it is, and there are very specific parameters that must be met. If he is pushed any further, he will rebel once again and the V’kit’no’sat will fracture. Even if they do not war against one another, such a fractured mass will be unlikely to try to expand into the Rim. And if their ire is so great that they come after you, you will not have to fight their entire empire.”
“We cannot survive even a small part of it,” the Numnu Ambassador admitted.
“There is risk, which is why you should wait,” the Knight of Quenar reiterated. “Wait until they are all here. If you act now, they can divert to counter you. Once they are engaged here, they will have to leave conquered planets vulnerable and Star Force will exploit that weakness. I urge you to wait, then attack in synchronicity. That will provide the most cover for you against backlash, for they will not be able to mount their forces against a single opponent. They will have a noose around their empire slowly contracting, and they will have to abandon the invasion of Star Force to survive it.”