Star Force: Capitulation (SF95) (Star Force Origin Series) Read online

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  October 18, 3542

  Paquat System (Trinx Region)

  Vikod

  “I am impressed,” the Chamra envoy told Oni-081 as the pair walked along an elevated bridge that spanned a giant artificial canyon within an enclosed Trinx city with hundreds of the red-skinned, twin headtailed aliens walking about in Star Force civilian garb, “with the fact that you’ve been able to completely integrate them. Are there really no dissidents?”

  “None,” the trailblazer confirmed to the cyborg.

  “How is that possible without some form of control?”

  “Most of the Trinx you see were born after the annexation. Those that were not had to earn their way here.”

  “And those that didn’t?”

  “They are all dead by now.”

  “How so?”

  “Gradual degradation.”

  “Old age?” he asked, with his cybernetic processors handling the English neural translation as well as if he spoke it naturally. “Trinx typically lived more than 400 years. Some should still be around.”

  “We shut down the facility 52 years ago when the last of them died. They were told what they needed to do in order to achieve self-sufficiency, but they had no will to try. All those who did made it out are living amongst the general population, but there has been no dissent from them. I think they’re just glad to be here.”

  “How many killed themselves?”

  Oni frowned. “We don’t make it easy for prisoners to do so, but we’ll only go so far to keep them alive if they’re trying to die. Many did kill themselves in the beginning, and a few down the road when they lost the will to live. Between rotting to death and self-strangulation, I’m not sure which is worse. But there was always an out for them if they chose to take it, and we made sure they all knew it.”

  “You cannot force people to choose, else it no longer becomes a choice,” the Chamra said as they continued to walk along the very lengthy bridge, underneath which were multiple levels with shops and restaurants, though the pair had chosen to walk up top. Below the bridge was the Trinx cityscape, Star Force in design but with a unique flair to it that had a green motif that clashed/complemented their skin color depending upon who you asked.

  “I sense disapproval.”

  “I disapprove of us ever having to turn against one other. The war should never have happened.”

  “Their leaders at the time felt otherwise.”

  “I know isolation is an effective technique that you use, but the thought of dying without ever seeing another of their kind feels cruel. Not on your part,” he clarified, “but as fate would have it, they would have been better off dying in battle.”

  “Except that some who were staunchly opposed to the annexation changed their minds over time,” Oni countered. “You never know for sure if someone is going to learn or not until you give them the chance.”

  “Have there been any that have turned back once they earned their way in?”

  “None that have come to my attention. If they have dissentious feelings they keep them to themselves, though I can guarantee you that they did not have them when allowed in. A mental scan is performed on each individual just in case they are faking, and it has happened, but those individuals had to learn our way in order to fake their way in and in the process actually ended up at least partially converting, though that wasn’t their original intention. There are many pathways the original Trinx have tread to get here. Giving them the opportunity was our responsibility. Their ultimate fate was their own.”

  “You take far better care of your prisoners that many civilizations do their own citizens.”

  “Is that a rebuke?”

  “I question the thought process, not the results. You have done better here than we anticipated possible without some form of mental alteration.”

  “Training is mental alteration.”

  “Compulsory,” the cyborg amended.

  “Is it compulsory for you?”

  “The augmentations? We’re born with them.”

  “No live births I take it?”

  “We’ve modified our reproduction to occur externally in chambers that mimic Chamra bodies, as well as have modified our genetic code to accept and expect mechanical components. The birthing chambers supply the most basic of these during development. Further augmentation occurs on an individual basis over the course of one’s lifetime.”

  “By choice?”

  “This hybridized state is something we are born into, Archon. It is natural for us. Why would we not want to upgrade ourselves over time?”

  “Self-sufficiency.”

  “We accomplish more our way…or at least I believed so before encountering your kind.”

  “Having second thoughts?”

  “No. While you appear to be immortal, your maintenance is high and most of your population does not share that state. You have people dying from old age continuously, true?”

  “We don’t force people to train past the maturia state, so yes, not everyone obtains self-sufficiency.”

  “And those that do, lose it if they don’t continue to train?”

  “Eventually, yes, though it’s a bit more complicated than that.”

  “Most things are. Chamra have unlimited lifespans because our components can be replaced, both hardware and biology, with one supporting the other during the swap out. And our entire population is equal. We do not have deaths aside from accidents and combat fatalities.”

  “How often do you have to ‘swap out’ body parts?”

  “When something grows weak or fails entirely new cells are forced to grow to replace the old. We have medical facilities to handle this, but I have not needed one in the past 50 years. It varies between individuals according to wear and tear and your compatibility rating.”

  “Your biology fights the technology to some extent?”

  “Minimally. But as you’ve mentioned before, half of us is product rather than person.”

  “How far can you go?”

  “We’ve lost people in the past that tried to remove too much tissue. They shut down all but autonomic functions and become a shell.”

  “I’d be interested in any files on that that you’d be willing to share.”

  “Are you considering augmentations yourself?”

  “No and we never will. Such things are banned within Star Force.”

  “You penalize cyborgs?” he asked with obvious disdain.

  Oni shook her head. “Not for having cybernetic augmentations. We penalize those that sell them.”

  “And if someone would provide them for free?”

  “We won’t provide them with equipment or parts to do so. If they manage to fashion their own we won’t punish them, but we will confiscate the materials if we find them.”

  “So if I were to emigrate to your Axius faction, I would not be able to repair my damaged components?”

  “We’d assist you with what you needed, but we wouldn’t let you expand upon them or reproduce in your stated way.”

  “What is it you fear?”

  “There’s no instruction manual for biology, and when you mess with it you usually end up screwing something up.”

  “My people have gained considerable knowledge in the practice, and the fact that we have unlimited lifespans without utilizing your self-sufficiency should be proof that we know what we’re doing.”

  “You focus on the gains, but what about the losses?”

  “Of personnel? Accidents do happen, but we prefer to learn from the mistakes rather than to stop experimenting.”

  “We don’t allow such
experimentations, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. Do you ever wonder how much your biology is hindered by the augmentations?”

  “No. It serves its well-known function.”

  “And what if there are secrets that lie buried that have to be unlocked over time and training?”

  “Would not such things be visible in the genetic code?”

  “A person is more than just a genetic code, which is why you can’t produce people in a factory the way you do replacement parts.”

  “Isn’t that what your Li’vorkrachnika do?”

  “No. They’ve factorized the reproduction process. Totally different.”

  “How, exactly?”

  “The genetic samples that they are grown from have to originate from another lifeform. They can’t be synthesized. Replicated yes, but not synthesized.”

  “The Lethboryi conundrum. We are familiar with it.”

  “Then you explain.”

  “A person is more than the sum of their parts, with some unseen aspect to them that is not present when parts alone are created. This is why a fully mechanical Chamra is impossible. We do not understand why, but we are aware of the fact.”

  “And with that uncertainty comes the question of what else might be hidden from view,” Oni pointed out. “Perhaps things that your augmentation blocks.”

  “One cannot know if you’re missing something that is unseeable.”

  “My homeworld once thought people had a limited lifespan. That we were destined to grow old and die and that there was nothing we could do to stop it. Some even speculated that we could extend that lifespan by creating mechanical replacements for certain organs, but doing so would interfere with self-sufficiency because of the inherent inefficiency of the combination. They didn’t understand this at the time, but their efforts to work outside the natural design caused a limitation. Perhaps there are more limitations occurring that you are not seeing.”

  “You suggest we revert back to a fully organic state?”

  “I suggest that Star Force isn’t going to pursue the same course in order to keep open whatever hidden possibilities there might be.”

  “And you intend to probe them with further training?”

  Oni smiled. “Exactly. Work from the user’s perspective rather than trying to pretend you’re on the level of a designer.”

  “And no one knows the origin of life, or the universe itself.”

  “Which is why it’s best not to meddle. Exploration is wiser.”

  “Well argued.”

  “Yet disappointed?”

  “I had hoped to open up an exchange with the Trinx. Some of them used to welcome limited enhancements.”

  “I know. We had to deal with those in the prisoners.”

  “You removed them?”

  “We had to alter our training standards around them, but we did remove them from those that wished it and regrew their natural tissues.”

  “I’ve heard you had such technology. Is it as efficient a process as you make it sound?”

  “Our medical technology is far superior to what the Trinx originally had.”

  “So are most other aspects of your civilization, though you don’t make a habit of showing them off as much as others would.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “You conceal your power in most cases, and don’t reveal it until a need arises.”

  “And what do ‘normal’ civilizations do?”

  “They boast and often claim more than they can produce.”

  “Star Force is inherently tuned to the truth. Bragging is one thing, but making unwarranted claims is a good way to destroy a reputation for honesty that has given us considerable negotiating power.”

  “Indeed it has. Many races trust you where they would not even approach others. Which brings up a request I was instructed to pass along.”

  “You want a system,” Oni said matter of fact.

  The Chamra rotated its head and single artificial eye towards her as they continued to walk next to the railing, over which they could see down several hundreds of meters to the cityscape below.

  “A guess?”

  “I can read part of your mind, then guess from the context.”

  “I did not think that was possible. Either your powers are more considerable than other telepaths or I have a vulnerability that I was unaware of. I’ve shunted most surface thoughts into my mechanical components to avoid such invasion.”

  “Your emotions are not. And connected to those I can backtrack into certain memories. I registered a prerequisite level of importance and compared it to other accessible memories. From there, unable to find a match, I guessed.”

  “Thank you for being candid.”

  “We don’t fear strength. If we’re lacking we improve rather than try to hobble our opponents.”

  “Some would call that arrogance.”

  “Arrogance is stating that you are more than you are.”

  “Recklessness then.”

  “Better to get in the habit of facing opponents directly than to rely on guile to see you through every situation.”

  “But you reserve the option?”

  “Of course, though most of the time you won’t even realize we’re using it.”

  “I think we have much to learn from each other, Archon.”

  “And what do you have to teach, Chamra?”

  “We wish to establish a deeper relationship with Star Force, specifically the Trinx. Your territory has become a communal point for more races than anywhere else within our mapping range, and you manage it all with a steadiness that is worthy of being mechanical. Your ability to control the Uriti is impressive enough, but the way you’ve handled the political firestorm that surrounds it says a great deal more about you. Though we are already allies of a sort, we wish to further relations, and we have a long history with the Trinx that we’d like to expand upon.”

  “To what end?”

  “We have no immediate goal. We simply believe that you are worthy of our attention and investment.”

  “Investment?”

  “We are not asking for a system, we are offering to pay for one within the boundaries you define as the Trinx Region. And though we had hoped to extend a market for cybernetic enhancements, even without that there is much unseen potential that we believe we should explore with you.”

  “You have no contacts with these Trinx, so where is the connection?”

  “They have been brothers in common cause for a very long time. Though they have changed, we still hold to that brotherhood.”

  “Right now I am the Trinx.”

  “Which is why I am speaking with you.”

  “We are a long way from your territory. Establishing trade routes there will be difficult.”

  “Which is why we wish to establish a colony from which we can interact.”

  “Others of The Nine have already done so. Why now and why come to me?”

  “They seek economic strength and political position. Those are not our primary concerns.”

  “Even purchased systems under our territorial umbrella must follow Star Force general protocol.”

  “Of this we are well aware.”

  “I don’t want to have to fight a war with you if you change your mind later.”

  “The example you have set with others has been long lasting. We would not enter into such an agreement if not willing to abide for it in perpetuity.”

  “What is it that you’re not telling me?”

  “A great many things.”

  “There’s something important,” Oni insisted. “Something I can only partially sense.”

  “Things that cannot reach the ears of the general population,” the Chamra said, eyeing the Trinx around them on the bridge.

  “Give me your hand.”

  The cyborg did as instructed, though he did not understand the reason why. Oni grabbed the metallic limb and slid her hand up until she touched the patch of flesh exposed on his forearm and gripped it firml
y.

  Can you hear me?

  “Yes I can.”

  Speak only in your mind.

  Are you able to hear my thoughts?

  It seems I have been able to establish a bridge.

  My internal diagnostics indicate subtle alterations are being made in my tissues. How are you accomplishing this?

  A latent power that we discovered via training, and it is something we do not advertise to the public along with a lot of other powers. You may speak freely here and those around will not hear.

  An organic comm relay via physical contact. No telepathic signals in use?

  No. You can register such things?

  I have the ability. It helps to identify who is attempting manipulation in diplomatic environments.

  Useful. What is your concern?

  The Nexus is destabilizing.

  We know.

  It is more than events involving your acquisition of a segment of their territory. The Sety have spoken for a vast expanse of the galaxy and are unable to unilaterally command it. They grew their power via forming an alliance that shared technology and was bound together by one undeniable purpose.

  To protect one another.

  That bond has been broken, and the sacrifices being made to sustain what they have are fracturing the allegiances within. The removal of the constructs given to you have been seen as a betrayal despite the temporary nature of the withdrawal. Even when the replacements arrive it will not satisfy the Uque, who had no say in the decision. The Sety are growing desperate and pushing their allies’ wishes aside in an attempt to save the mass of their domain…but at the same time they are threatening the bonds that hold it together and we fear it may fracture completely given sufficient impetus.

  We speculated that not all was well between the member states, but we had not heard rumors of anything that significant.

  We know the Sety as a peer. They know them as a ruling faction that offered peerdom via allegiance, but now that they must make drastic changes they are doing so unilaterally and unwittingly weakening the whole. We have advised them of this mistake, but they see no other way. Their expansion into your territory is but one small part of a larger plan they have to defend The Nexus, and we have advised them where we could to strengthen it, but we calculate the odds are less than 30% that they will succeed. Probability is that they will be forced to forfeit regions and member states in a far less civilized manner than they have done with you. If and when that comes to pass, it may incite a resource grab to prevent the Sety from claiming priority ownership.