by Ken Lozito
Hoan Berend was a foolish Xiiginn who had outlived his usefulness. The fact that he had allowed himself to be killed by a Human strike team spoke volumes as to how unfit he was to serve at Mar Arden's side. He regretted the loss of Kandra Rene, who’d had the potential to become a powerful rival but had never been unfit to perform her duties.
Armed with the data that would give Mar Arden the Mardoxian capability, he'd found a secluded spot on the Human battleship-carrier. He'd correctly surmised that no matter what action the Humans took, it would involve this ship on a long journey. Patching into the communications systems, he’d discovered the level of inexperience among the crew that ran the ship. All these things had helped him. And since the Humans hadn't gone directly to the Confederation or to the Boxan colony as he’d expected they would, they’d given him enough time to alter his own genes. The incubation period was when he was most vulnerable to discovery. He did, however, have several Humans guarding him during that time.
Mar Arden had come out of the incubator with a heightened sense of awareness. It was as if every thought carried with it the weight of alternatives he hadn't been aware of before. His heightened perceptions made it difficult for him to plan his next move. He'd needed time to adjust. The Humans who commanded the ship were fond of making speeches, ostensibly to inform the crew of the importance of their work, but they also disclosed their destination. There wasn't even an inkling of suspicion that he had infiltrated their ranks. Humans were prideful and foolish.
His new heightened instincts had greatly assisted him with his escape plan, which he had to admit wouldn't have worked as well as it had if it weren't for the Mardoxian instinct now in him. He recalled some of the plans he'd considered prior to his new abilities, and those plans would've led him down a path that held significantly less chance of success. Stealing a ship to escape was nothing new; however, stealing a ship while knowing it would be destroyed and still escape was something else altogether. The events leading to his escape had happened precisely as he'd planned them. The Humans had reacted exactly as he thought they would.
His initial plan had been to return to the Xiiginn fleet and strong-arm his way into command, but that approach was shortsighted. He had the Star Shroud communications node in his possession, and with it came the key to all the Star Shroud networks across the known galaxy. The key could unlock all the species the Boxans thought to keep hidden from them. Xiiginns had hunted down this key mercilessly but had never been as close to achieving this objective as he was right then. He wasn't about to hand it over to another Xiiginn.
The fact that Garm Antis had escaped his failed assault on the Human star system was clearly evident since he was the driving force behind the Confederation Armada. Mar Arden now had the Mardoxian capability and soon would have access to all the Star Shroud networks. Armed with these two things, he would be able to achieve what he wanted most—rising to the top and commanding the entire Confederation. All he had to do was traverse a battlefield to get there.
The coordinates he'd entered for the wormhole brought him well within the battle being fought between the Alliance and the Confederation. He had to admit that the Humans had proven to be cleverer than he'd ever anticipated. The forward escape pod for the Star Class Eagle shuttle was a short-range ship in its own right and not merely a life pod waiting for rescue. He quickly plotted a course to the Confederation space station, doubting that any nearby warship on either side of the conflict would pay much attention to an escape pod trying to reach safety. They’d incorrectly assume it wasn't important, but they’d learn the error of that line of thinking. Mar Arden would soon become a force to be reckoned with—not only among the Xiiginns but across the known galaxy.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Alliance fleets engaged the Confederation Armada, and like the entirety of their conflict with the Xiiginns, it wasn't a straightforward, stand-up kind of fight. Kladomaor almost wished it was because it would've made things much simpler. Engaging the enemy was simple, but how they engaged the enemy in battle was never easy. Xiiginn warships fought them at almost every turn, but there were groups of ships in the armada that didn’t join the fight. Those ships also hadn’t communicated their intentions to the Alliance, so Battle Leader Salevar refused to have their warfare AI designate them as friendlies. They'd received partial transmissions from some of those ships that hinted at battles being fought on board. They might have requested assistance, but the armada still outnumbered Alliance ships by a wide margin. They needed to break the armada's back, and that could only be achieved by defeating the Xiiginns. Stop the Xiiginns, and the Confederation Armada would crumble.
A majority of the Alliance fleet was made up of Boxan ships, which had more powerful weapons and defenses than the Xiiginn warships, but they'd learned that the Xiiginns had built a significant number of Dreadnought class ships of their own. This battle would dearly cost the Alliance, but they'd also extract heavy losses from the Confederation. They had no choice but to fight. The Boxans’ long war with the Xiiginns would be decided here and now.
They couldn't find the Athena amid all the ships surrounding the Confederation space station. The only evidence that the Athena had even been there was the path of ships that seemed unable to join in the fighting. A battle group made up of Boxan and Nershal warships searched for the Athena along that path but hadn't been able to locate the ship. Kladomaor didn’t envy Battle Leader Salevar's position at all.
Kladomaor wanted to be out there fighting, but he glanced at the Mardoxian chambers behind the commander's area and knew he needed to stick close by. He'd promised Ma'jasalax and Kaylan that he would protect them. It was only a matter of time before the battle reached the Alliance flagship.
"Battle Leader, a new battle group has been detected. They’re on the very outskirts of Confederation space. Energy signature suggests that it's a battleship-carrier with a small host of other ships. The ship design doesn't accurately match up with known Confederation ship types," Varek said.
Battle Leader Salevar narrowed his gaze. "Unknown design. Are they of Xiiginn origin?"
"Negative. The design has certain elements of our battleship-carrier class but the dimensions are a little bit off, as well as weapons placement," Varek said.
"Are they within range of our broadcast?" Battle Leader Salevar asked.
"Yes, they would've received it by now. They’re heading toward the battle but have not communicated their intentions," Varek said.
"Very well. Include them as a potential target, and should they open hostilities against us, we'll deal with them accordingly," Battle Leader Salevar said.
Kladomaor peered at the main holoscreen. With so many ships, it was proving to be a strain on even their computing core to track all of them. A comms channel opened to his combat armor, and he acknowledged it.
"I have a mission for you," Ma'jasalax said.
"My mission is to protect you and Kaylan here," Kladomaor replied.
"Protect us from ourselves," Ma'jasalax replied with a hint of amusement in her voice. "You have to go to the Confederation space station."
Kladomaor felt his eyebrows push forward. "Why do we need to go there?"
"We detected a small ship heading there," Ma'jasalax said.
"A small ship is hardly worth our attention. There's a battle that needs to be fought," Kladomaor answered.
"Must you always be so stubborn? Haven't you learned to trust me yet? Sensors have detected a micro-wormhole and the small ship trajectory can be traced from it; however, the ship size cannot support a Cherubian drive. The fact that the ship is trying to bypass the battle entirely is enough to arouse my suspicions," Ma'jasalax said.
Kladomaor glanced at the main holoscreen again.
"Battle Leader, our communications team has just received a transmission from the unknown battle group. They say they’re representatives of the Earth Coalition Force and are part of a diplomatic envoy. There are Boxan military aboard those ships, authentication provided b
y Strike Leader Scraanyx. I've cross-verified that Strike Leader Scraanyx was with Battle Leader Prax'pedax's battle group that went to the Human star system," Varek said.
Kladomaor's gaze widened. The Humans had arrived. He opened a copy of the battlefield layout on his internal heads-up display. The Boxans had learned long ago that there were scanner feeds worthy of immediate attention and there were others that should be available to be called upon when needed. Kladomaor accessed the gravimetric scanner data and used the Earth Coalition Force's trajectory as a limiting factor for wormhole detections. He found two of them. One wormhole was big enough to support the Earth Coalition Force's battle group, but there was a second one that was much smaller.
"Mar Arden," Kladomaor muttered.
"I hadn't seen that," Ma'jasalax replied.
Kladomaor frowned and then realized that the Mardoxian priestess had access to his combat suit. "He came on the Human ship," he said and started making his way toward the exit.
"If you're correct, the fact that he's heading directly towards the Confederation space station doesn't bode well for the rest of us. You have to intercept him," Ma'jasalax said.
Kladomaor raced down the corridor. "I need a ship. I know why he's going to the space station."
"You still have authorization for the Mardoxian heavy cruiser. That ship can get you there. But I don't know why Mar Arden would return to the space station," Ma'jasalax said.
Kladomaor wasn't surprised that the Mardoxian priestess didn't know this. The battle with Mar Arden had started many cycles ago, and today he would finish it. "He has a way to access the Star Shroud network. I kept him from it many cycles ago at the start of the war. That’s the only reason he would return and head directly to the space station. The Xiiginns cordoned off the communications hub for the Star Shroud network because they didn't have access to the data repositories inside. If Mar Arden is able to unlock it, he’ll have access to the entire Star Shroud database, and primitive species will be vulnerable to the Xiiginns."
He heard Ma'jasalax gasp. "You must hurry. Once you're aboard the ship, I’ll make sure a path is cleared for you to reach the station."
"Can't you task a battle group to stop him?" Kladomaor asked.
"He's too far within the armada envelope for our forces to reach him in time. Stealth will be much quicker," Ma'jasalax said.
Kladomaor started running while simultaneously sending out alerts to his team to meet him at the Mardoxian heavy cruiser. He couldn't afford to wait for everyone, but he knew that at least some of his team would make it there. He had to hurry. Many primitive species would pay the price if he failed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kaylan's body was safe inside the Mardoxian chamber aboard the Boxan flagship, but her mind was elsewhere, witnessing the battles raging nearby as the Confederation and the Alliance fleets finally clashed. Time flowed differently for her when she was in the Mardoxian chamber. Sometimes she lost all sense of time, and when she emerged from the chamber, hours would have passed but they felt like moments. There were also times when she felt that hours had passed while inside the chamber but only a few moments had slipped by when she came out. Ma'jasalax assured her that she would be able to control that part of her gift given time. To be a member of the Mardoxian Sect, she had to have a highly disciplined mind. Otherwise, the data she had access to through her neural implants would overwhelm her. It was almost as if time compressed for her and she could accelerate all her perceptions so that everything seemed to slow down, but in fact, it was her mind that had sped up.
Everything she'd experienced up to this point had prepared her for this battle. She'd studied the various ship classes and knew their capabilities. She also had an awareness of the other Mardoxian priests and priestesses who were helping to organize ship placements and weapons to deal with threats that took even a Boxan computer core too long to address. The Mardoxian Sect remained apart, but at the same time, they worked in tandem, almost lockstep, as if they were a brain-machine interface whose capabilities surpassed anything that either could achieve on their own. Kaylan was able to look beyond the immediate threats to the Alliance ships to see the eventual outcomes. Then she worked to manipulate those outcomes so a resolution could be achieved that was favorable.
There was a hierarchy to the Mardoxian Sect, just as there was to the multiple militaries that comprised the Alliance. Veteran Boxan battle commanders utilized their experience to augment the guidance provided by the Mardoxian Sect members. This approach to warfare required a lot of cooperation and trust, and had been born from necessity. The Boxans would never have survived this long if it weren't for the Mardoxian potential in their species.
She wondered how long, if ever, before the Human militaries would be able to adapt to this way of waging war with this kind of concerted effort. The thought immediately stung her, and she felt a pang of regret because becoming masterful strategists was only one facet of what the Mardoxian potential could offer humanity. She was more than a mere tool to be used for winning wars. If she were to become a true master of her gifts, she would work to avoid direct conflict altogether. The mere thought of it almost made her feel naïve, but it was a goal she wanted to strive for. For the first time, her thoughts strayed to a future beyond this battle, but she couldn't see it with any clarity.
Kaylan had been given the responsibility of a specific battle group within the Alliance, and while she did provide that battle group with guidance, she also looked at the battle on a much higher level. She saw the working parts of the different battle groups as they engaged the Confederation Armada. When she looked at the entire battle as a whole, she saw something she didn't want to see or admit. Had Ma'jasalax known this? No matter how hard they fought or how much better their strategy was, the armada was simply too big. They had too many ships and would eventually grind down the Alliance fleets to nothing. She needed to find a way to shift the balance.
Kaylan saw five Confederation Dreadnoughts making steady progress toward the Alliance flagship. She alerted Battle Leader Salevar, who began taking action to address this threat. Other warships moved into position to engage the Dreadnoughts, and Kaylan noticed a Boxan heavy cruiser leaving the flagship. She looked up the designation on the computing core and recognized that it was the experimental cruiser from Olloron. Kladomaor was on that ship, and the trajectory was taking him directly to the Confederation space station. Kladomaor didn’t engage any ships unless he absolutely had to. Her instincts were that she needed to help Kladomaor reach the space station, even if she didn't really know why. He would never abandon the fight, so he must have learned something that spawned the actions he was taking. She sent out updates across the cyber warfare suite on the Alliance ships to carve a way for the Mardoxian heavy cruiser, giving it a priority alpha. She sent more specific orders to the ships that were directly in Kladomaor's path.
Kaylan accessed the sensor feeds that came from the Boxan flagship but also sensor drones that had been deployed. The sensor drones helped give the flagship a more accurate picture of the battlefield. They also made easy targets for the enemy, but the data they provided was crucial to the war effort. She stole a few moments to search for the Athena but couldn’t find it. Sensor feeds showed a growing magnetic field coming from a specific area within the Confederation Armada. Nothing in the data repositories could accurately identify what was causing it, and yet it was there.
The Boxans had created multiple AI systems with specializations to assist with all manner of things. They used them to help with construction, medical advances, and even multi-system governances. There was an AI dedicated to monitoring sensor feeds not only on the ships but from drones deployed and data reported in from other Alliance ships. The computing cores were capable of disseminating all that data and categorizing it using predefined variables to highlight what was important.
Kaylan knew Zack would have been awestruck at how all those different systems worked together, and that was why Kaylan also knew that the an
omalies were just as significant as the known events that spawned alerts. The fact that the Boxan AIs didn't know what to make of the anomalies further drew Kaylan's attention. Did the Confederation Armada have some secret weapons system charging up that could decimate them all? If so, why wouldn't they have used it already?
Kaylan drew her attention to Confederation Armada ship movements in the vicinity of the anomaly. Some ships were moving away from it while others weren’t. No Alliance ships were there, and she wondered if this was where the Athena was. She saw a Xiiginn Dreadnought heading away from the Alliance and directly toward the anomaly, and Kaylan raced to find the nearest battle group. The Athena had to be protected. She had been looking for something to change the outcome of this engagement and she’d found it. The Athena was the wildcard. The Drar had given them something outside of what was known—a way for them to survive amid all the death and destruction. Kaylan withdrew from where she knew the Athena to be and began coordinating Alliance ships to press the attack.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zack glared at his workstation. All his open sessions had just vanished and one solitary message came to prominence in front of him. He growled and pushed himself to his feet, hastening to the conference table and bringing up the holoscreen. Hicks called out to him, but he ignored him. Athena was trying to lock him out of the system, but Zack wouldn’t let her. For every obstacle she put in his path, he found a way around it.