Star Force: Mak'to'ran (4) Read online

  1

  January 3, 3668

  Vviot System (V’kit’no’sat temporary capitol)

  Stellar Orbit

  Tew’chor’s ship was small compared to those guarding the system that he entered, for he only had a Wur’ki and the Les’i’kron vessel was only 3.2 miles long and narrower than most V’kit’no’sat racial designs. All Les’i’kron ships had a snake-like look that split into two offshoot branches at the fore, giving the design four points in total with the ‘tail’ stretching far to the back with a curve that put the highest point in the center top with the points slightly angling down. It was an intimidating sight, but Wur’ki vessels were mere skirmishers and not the heavy hitters that were patrolling stellar orbit upon his unannounced arrival.

  He was alone on the ship, with only a few dozen Zen’zat that he’d taken with him when he’d left the Itaru-controlled region, which now was the second most powerful out of the 38 factions that had more or less stabilized. Mak’to’ran’s declared reforged V’kit’no’sat were a much weaker 4th, but from what Tew’chor had seen through the propaganda circulating through what used to be the united empire, only Mak’to’ran’s faction was actually trying to put it back together. Everyone else was more interested in taking their piece of the banquet table and securing it rather than ensuring that all were fed. Many were stealing from others to inflate themselves, and propaganda only went so far with individuals as old as Tew’chor.

  He was a 19th generation Les’i’kron, born after the reconfiguration that history said little about. Whatever had been their old civilization was gone now, replaced by their current one that was solidly with Itaru. The Les’i’kron had not fractured much, and the splintered pieces barely amassed a tenth of their population, with the mass being firmly in league with Itaru. Plans were being made to recover the others, in one form or another, but no one was interested in costly wars that would open them up to aggression from others, so now that all the weaker systems and factions had been swept up there was only a nibbling here and there over a few contended systems…save for Mak’to’ran’s forces that were actively fighting the Had’so faction that was a combination of 5 different races headed by a sizeable chunk of the Manso.

  But that wasn’t why Tew’chor was here. To date no Les’i’kron had joined the reforged V’kit’no’sat, and he wasn’t sent as a negotiator or representative. He had come without permission on his own mission, being the Prefect of a world in the Baypen System. His world was part of the Non-Aligned Confederation, which was now the largest and most powerful faction in the old empire. They wanted no war, but had banded together for mutual protection and after several nasty fights the other factions had learned not to mess with them, for it didn’t matter what races were involved, all of the NAC systems knew that if they didn’t cover for each other they’d be picked apart…and once it was shown that they could successfully defend themselves their numbers had grown to amass 18% of the former empire.

  But there was no unity, with self-preservation being the only bond that held them. What had been the V’kit’no’sat was no more, and as each year passed that fact became more and more a reality as various factions explored the new opportunities it afforded. For Tew’chor that meant a choice. Sit and wait as he had done throughout his life until Itaru found a way to reclaim his planet and fully reunite the Les’i’kron under their rule, or take the limited freedom he had now and seek out someone who might have an answer for him to the question that had been haunting him since his hatching.

  When his Wur’ki entered the system it wasn’t attacked, but it was met and questioned by the patrol ships. After a brief explanation he was granted access to the Conclave and went onboard without any Zen’zat escort, riding over in a drop pod then walking out onto the hangar deck with his golden scales drawing immediate attention. He walked on all four legs, his wings tucked up tight to his body as his neck stretched out in front of him. Shorter than an Oso’lon but longer than most of the V’kit’no’sat races, he swung it left and right along with his blocky head as he looked around, seeing odd glances from the Zen’zat that were present in the bay.

  The same curious looks kept occurring in the other races he passed by as he made his way through the Barkod-class station. No one said a word to him, verbally or telepathic, but given his size that was almost the equal of some other races’ Ultras, he took up a lot of space and his coloration made him hard not to look at. Very few Les’i’kron were gold, and those that were had been around for a very long time. It was something in their genetic code that altered their coloration at various times in their life, but as far as Tew’chor had researched no one knew why.

  That was not the question he was here to get an answer to, though it was emblematic of the holes in their civilization that were conspicuously ignored and ever since his scale color had altered he’d been treated with a respect that no one could give him an explanation for. It was simply a natural reaction that begged further inquiry…yet the Les’i’kron were not interested in pursuing such things.

  “Speak, Les’i’kron,” a Brat’mar in the Conclave said when Tew’chor walked into their chamber.

  “I have a request,” he said, taking the guest podium at the center and walking in a circle that spiraled his tail around his front legs as he laid down but with his neck craning up.

  “Make it.”

  “I wish to speak with Mak’to’ran.”

  “Concerning what?” the Era’tran representative asked.

  “It is a matter that could hold great importance…or possibly be irrelevant, but it is something that I will only speak with him about.”

  “He is not here presently.”

  “Then tell me where he is and I will travel to him, or I will wait here until he returns.”

  “Why should he be bothered by you?” a Kar’ka asked.

  Tew’chor rotated his neck around and glared at the smaller V’kit’no’sat, who visibly twitched by the threat contained in it, though the Saroto’kanse’vam on Tew’chor’s tail did not light. Les’i’kron were not the equal of the Oso’lon or J’gar, but no other V’kit’no’sat race outranked them and in combat Les’i’kron had a reputation for being able to fight the land dwellers on the ground, let alone their all too lethal air strikes. Only the Hjar’at’s battle roll was more feared, and if given an opportunity a Les’i’kron could kill an Oso’lon with a single, well placed tail strike.

  “Because I ask it,” Tew’chor said simply.

  “You come as an individual?” the Era’tran asked.

  “Indeed I do.”

  “I will relay your request to him immediately, but I cannot guarantee a reaction.”

  “That will be sufficient.”

  “Is there anything the Non-Aligned Confederation wish to discuss with us?”

  “They care not for you so long as you do not move against them. Beyond that there is no faction, only disconjointed crumbs of an empire.”

  “Which we are attempting to reunify,” an Ari’tat noted.

  “My mission here concerns something greater. Until it is dealt with, do not discus unity with me.”

  “What is greater than the unity of the empire?” the Brat’mar asked, suspicious.

  Tew’chor stared the three-horned quadruped in the face across a fair distance, but telepathically they exchanged a few sizing pokes that had them interacting on even footing.

  “Potential treason.”

  7 weeks later…

  “Les’i’kron,” Mak’to’ran said as the maroon-skinned Era’tran walked into the private audience chamber on the Conclave after returning from his field work.

  “Era’tran,” Tew’chor replied, standing and facing the taller biped with his neck rising enough that th
ey could see each other eye to eye.

  “What treason do you bring me?”

  “I bring you a mystery that you must not reveal or my life may be forfeit.”

  “You have my silence…barring breaches of honor. Speak.”

  “You have Saroto’kanse’vam?”

  Mak’to’ran answered by flaring his glowing red talons.

  Tew’chor raised his double bladed tail spines off the floor then ignited them, drawing an odd look from the Era’tran.

  “They are white. I thought they were the same color as the Hjar’at.”

  “They’re supposed to be. Mine changed with my last scale shift. No one could give me an answer as to why, and I was discouraged from pressing our geneticists for an answer.”

  “Discouraged by whom?”

  “Everyone. Les’i’kron society has black spots where no one will look, and when someone stumbles into one there is an almost autonomic reaction. It is too repetitive and relentless to be cultural. I have found no variation in it…save for myself. I was born different. I do not know how. I have had to hide that truth my entire life and learn to avoid the black spots. I fear if I lingered in one too long they would kill me without hesitation. Something is wrong with the Les’i’kron, and I suspect it has to do with the reformation after the culling. There are almost no records from before that time and no living members. Not one. And I cannot find evidence of there ever being any. It’s as if the Les’i’kron did not exist beyond a certain point and our ancestors were but a figment of imagination.”

  “What is your specific request?”

  “You have gained the knowledge to grant yourself Saroto’kanse’vam. You are also trying to restore the V’kit’no’sat while others are showing nothing but greed. I am loyal to the V’kit’no’sat, and have had to tolerate lesser thinking in the Les’i’kron. The way they are is not an advantage nor does it serve our purpose. It is a hindrance, and I fear there may be a genetic inhibitor of some type. I have come to you to ask for a genetic analysis of myself to compare against other Les’i’kron. My mind is free, theirs is not, and I have never been able to determine why. I fear there is some form of treachery involved, or it could be my imagination…yet I’m willing to risk my death to discover what it is. I hope that will underscore the importance of my request.”

  “Tell me more of these ‘black’ areas in the Les’i’kron.”

  “They are both perspective and cultural. Taboos would be the antiquated word, yet such a thing would leave individual variations. I have discovered none beyond myself, even in the slightest way. There are questions that will not be asked. Answers that are ignored. A focus on something that I do not share. Our entire civilization is bent on something…but I do not possess that something and have had to fake it in order to survive. I have discussed the matter with the Zen’zat, and they have backed up some of my suspicions, but they do not have the mental strength to breach one of our minds.”

  “You have?”

  “On three fortuitous occasions. Their minds were rigid in identical fashion. Constrained.”

  “Define ‘fortuitous.’”

  “Two were dying, the third was…distracted. I could not do a deep scan, but their surface thoughts were varied save for certain areas. At least in comparison with myself.”

  “Show me.”

  Tew’chor opened his memories and telepathically transmitted them to Mak’to’ran, with the two engaging in a prolonged, silent exchange that left the Era’tran more confused than before. He’d never had contact with a Les’i’kron mind, but he could have swore Tew’chor possessed Sav…though he knew he didn’t.

  “I have had little contact with your race, so I am not one to judge, but your mind is more complex than I imagined. Far more…yet far less.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “I was born during the culling and fought in some of the last combat.”

  “Are we different than our ancestors?”

  “They did not have Saroto’kanse’vam.”

  Tew’chor frowned heavily, with his eye ridges moving far forward on his elongated head.

  “Why would we be given an advancement after a culling? We have had Saroto’kanse’vam as far back as there are records.”

  “History has been altered, and only those of us who lived through the events know the truth. Your claims are…curious. Let us take a scan and see what we can find. We can do so in the Era’tran portion of the Barkod where we can keep this silent.”

  “Lead on.”

  The scan came back clean, no anomalies noted, until the Era’tran scientists began digging a little deeper. Tew’chor was fully functional. No damage or malfunctions of any kind, but the way in which he was built was different than standard Les’i’kron. He had denser brain tissue and a few other deviations from Les’i’kron norms, but nothing wrong with him. In fact he was better, brain wise, and showing neural activity that was halfway between Sav and no Sav.

  Mak’to’ran asked his geneticists to confirm whether or not the psionic was present and the answer they returned was that some aspects of Les’i’kron genetics were not visible to them. They possessed the most intricate and dense genetics and to date and even the combined knowledge of the V’kit’no’sat hadn’t been able to fathom it all, though they speculated that whatever the source of these deviations were was sourced in those unknown areas.

  But as to the question of Sav…this Les’i’kron did have it, yet he didn’t. That wasn’t possible as far as Mak’to’ran knew, for his Sav had been part of him since his hatching. Era’tran had their Ikrid locked down until they earned it, but in order for their minds to advance appropriately Sav was simply part of their base coding. Mak’to’ran had never not had it, though in the case of Zen’zat a few had made the transition. Their upgrading occurred with detectable patterned enhancements that were easy to spot, yet this Les’i’kron had none. It was almost as if an alternative Sav had been created following different protocols…which in and of itself was perplexing.

  So Mak’to’ran went about testing Tew’chor with mental drills, trying to confirm whether or not he had Sav from the experiential side…but even that showed mixed results. He was not as quick as he should be in some areas, yet far faster than possible in others. After several days of testing Mak’to’ran could not get an answer, and the more his geneticists dug into the coding the more inconsistencies arose.

  Mak’to’ran had other business to attend to with the Conclave, so he let his people work the problem up until he was ready to leave again on another mission…but after reading their assembled report he postponed it indefinitely, for this Les’i’kron was truly an anomaly. His surface genetic code was fully Les’i’kron, the type used for identification and security purposes, but the finer details of it were not quite right. Mak’to’ran thought he might have an answer for that, but if his guess was right it would open up a far greater issue…and one that he alone could not handle, no matter what confidence Hamob and the Era’tran had placed in him.

  Mak’to’ran hadn’t known the Zak’de’ron long enough before their destruction, and given the historical deletions that had occurred since then, only one who lived through those times could offer proper perspective on this riddle.

  But as Tew’chor had suspected, this could also be treason. Itaru treason, if it was what Mak’to’ran suspected, and a treason that many other races already knew about. The Zak’de’ron had been altered after the culling in order to create the Les’i’kron, but perhaps the depth of that alteration had never been fully explored…and if what Hamob had told him about the complexity of Zak’de’ron genetics was true, then there were possibly parts of Les’i’kron coding that were at work within Tew’chor that no one had seen before.

  And without any Zak’de’ron around to ask, the next best option was to take the Les’i’kron to those who had altered them…possibly erroneously…or to those who were seeking to attain the level of advancement that the Zak’de’ron had previously attained.

&n
bsp; To that end, Mak’to’ran sent a vague message to Hamob through the Urrtren along with the unmarked genetic scan under heavy encryption, then he took Tew’chor onboard his Kafcha and departed for the Era’tran homeworld of Holloi to get to the bottom of what Mak’to’ran suspected was a combination of past treachery and Itaru meddling with genetic codes that they could not fully comprehend.

  2

  March 13, 3668

  Jamtren System (Era’tran capitol)

  Holloi

  When Mak’to’ran arrived at the planet he did not take a drop pod down to the surface, rather he transferred over to one of the 38 defense columns where the Yaern’ek operated. They were the visible management of the Era’tran civilization that interacted with all other races and kept the day to day operations functioning smoothly while leaders like Hamob dealt with problem solving from the shadows. Most Era’tran understood this, but when you had something that needed to get done you went to the Yaern’ek, and if they couldn’t handle it they would know which of the elders to direct you too.

  Hamob had instructed him to come here, for they were not going to let a Les’i’kron onto the surface of Holloi even if he could handle the gravity, so Mak’to’ran personally escorted Tew’chor onto the massive orbital station over 700 miles long that held plenty of internal space for the Yaern’ek and many others to go about the business of running the Era’tran civilization while Holloi was spared that hectic existence.

  The presence of a Les’i’kron wasn’t a first here, for there were ambassadors from the other races still present in the defense columns, but not in this one. Column #17 had no diplomatic sections so the entire population consisted of Era’tran and Zen’zat save for an occasional skilled visitor helping with some project…which was what Tew’chor was labeled as.

  There was no conflict with bringing him onboard, but the large dragon pacing behind Mak’to’ran definitely drew attention moving through the corridors and internal Satu. Only a few telepathically asked Mak’to’ran what was going on, to which he replied that they were conducting a genetic study. They seemed to accept that, though it was well known that nearly all Les’i’kron were ardent supporters of the Itaru faction.