by Aer-ki Jyr
“We will die in the attempt,” another Ambassador suggested.
“Perhaps,” the Lovipe agreed. “But it is better to die in a battle that might be won, than to fight knowing you have no chance of victory. We stand ready to assist Star Force when the time is right, and will accept their limited leadership of the Rim.”
“How soon?” another Ambassador asked.
“You will know when the flow of new ships diminishes greatly. While it is escalating, you must wait.”
“Why are you not waiting?”
The Knight of Quenar smiled in a decidedly unfriendly gesture. “The V’kit’no’sat have already struck our territory, but they failed for reasons I will not go into. We are wraiths, working best in the shadows, which is why we are already involved. You will fight in the open, and must choose your timing carefully.”
“Is that why we are not seeing records of your ships in combat?” the Dqwet asked.
“Star Force does not have sensor recordings because we are fighting the V’kit’no’sat independently. Many of their ships are not arriving in the war zone because we are destroying them before they can arrive.”
“How many?” another Ambassador asked.
“Enough to matter. We know where we can hit them, but also know where we cannot. We are doing maximum damage from stealth. But our territory is no longer a valid target for the V’kit’no’sat, so we cannot distract them. We cannot hit their worlds while our fleet is engaged here. Our priority is in protecting and securing the Uriti, so we cannot leave Star Force territory. Our place for this war is here. Yours is around the galactic swirl. When the time is right, unleash havoc and the Knights of Quenar will guarantee that Star Force secures their victory. If you die in the process, your deaths will not be in vain. V’kit’no’sat dominance over the galaxy will end. Star Force is the means for us to achieve it.”
“They will maintain dominance over half of it,” the Anseno Ambassador pointed out.
“And that is the half that is plagued by the Hadarak. Let them possess it and keep the Hadarak contained to the inner core while we fortify the Rim. The longer the Uriti survive, the larger and more powerful they will grow. The V’kit’no’sat know they must destroy Star Force now or it will scale beyond their control. Mak’to’ran wishes to ally with them, to some extent, rather than bleeding their empire in the effort of annexing them. We can make sure he is proven correct, then let him continue to lead the V’kit’no’sat in their crusade against the Hadarak. The V’kit’no’sat can be useful if their focus is on the Core and away from the Rim. Star Force has negotiated well and has produced an opportunity that we need to invest in, for we will all benefit greatly from it if it comes to pass.”
“Do not the Knights of Quenar want the Uriti destroyed?” the Vboc Ambassador asked.
“It would eliminate the threat, but so long as they can provide a beneficial counterbalance for all the destruction they have incurred in the past, we wish to gain as much from their continued existence as possible. But we will make sure they do not survive to fall into the control of others. No one will possess them except Star Force. Not even us. We will make sure of that.”
“Why do you trust Star Force more than yourselves?”
“We are wraiths. To use the Uriti would be to abandon our strengths. As for Star Force, they are a unique philosophy that has no corruption or hypocrisy. They believe what they claim and will fight to the death before veering from it. They seek to protect the Uriti for the Uriti’s sake, and because of that they have been able to establish a relationship with them. That is something that we cannot do, nor would we try, but so long as they have that relationship we will help them exploit it for the benefit of the galaxy. If we could choose for the Uriti to vanish from existence we would, but they are here whether we like it or not, and Star Force has been able to safe the threat they pose. It could arise again, and if it does we will intervene, but unless it does, Star Force will continue to possess the Uriti on behalf of us all…and they will use them to defend the Rim against the V’kit’no’sat.”
“What makes you think they’re that trustworthy?”
“We have tested them. They are what they say they are. You must determine for yourself whether you can trust them or not, but I advise you to study carefully and find the truth. You all will benefit from their leadership and the protection of their agreement with the V’kit’no’sat, so I advise you to help them win this test of their strength. Without you they may not survive. And where will you be then? The time is not yet right, but it is soon coming. You need to have your decision made within the decade.”
“What will you do if Star Force loses?” the Sarquori asked.
“We intend to make sure they do not,” the Knight of Quenar said icily. “They are the key to the future of the galaxy, and without them you will see far worse powers arise than the V’kit’no’sat. I can assure you of that.”
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