Blood on the Stars Read online

  “I figured that might happen. But we don’t know who will or won’t until they act. These have asked nicely to be let out, so I’m letting them out. If they end up on our doorstep and try to take our systems away from us, then it might be seen as a bad idea on my part, but we’re not keeping this Hadarak perimeter defense line intact. We’re going to destroy it, and we have no intention to replace it. They’re going to get out sooner or later, so when they asked I just chose sooner.”

  “So you choose to kill them after the Hadarak while hoping they will ignore you in the present?”

  “I hope we don’t have to kill them. You state that like it’s expected.”

  “Socani and Heidoor have long warred against one another.”

  “Not here. Not with my empire. The Uriti are our allies, not our servants. We’ve had some relations with other Heidoor, all peaceful. We don’t eliminate others who are powerful because they might attack us. We only fight those who do attack us. In this way we let others determine whether or not they want to be our enemies.”

  “Then you will never fully dominate this galaxy.”

  “Yes we will. By being superior, not by being the last empire standing.”

  “This is not the way the Neofan claim dominance, and you are their apprentices.”

  “Ah,” Steven said, starting to see where this was going. “You are mistaken. We are NOT their apprentices. They are sharing information we do not have, particularly about Essence, in exchange for being allowed to live in our galaxy. They are here with our permission, and they must stay in the three Temples allotted to them. We have an arrangement. We do not take orders from them.”

  “They claim you are their apprentices.”

  “They lie,” Steve said bluntly. “And as for apprentices, one belonging to a Veloqueen named Dogoroth is dead. Do you know of this?”

  “We do.”

  “We have claimed the races he was storing away for battle for ourselves. Is this a problem for you?”

  “They are Socani. You may do with them what you wish.”

  “But you don’t like us having Heidoor, do you?”

  “We have never met, Steve-004, but we have observed from afar. No Uriti has died in your service. You do not use them to fight Hadarak. You claim this is not good for them, and keep them far from the war to produce Essence for you. When others attack Uriti, you protect them. When others attack you, Uriti protect you. We do not understand this relationship.”

  “We are lightside. Most people do not understand it in a galaxy that is consumed with killing each other. The Uriti are our wards. Their protection is our duty. And our genetic command is used as a safety precaution in case they do something that endangers us without realizing it. If they want to take a bite out of a planet and we’re on it, they can kill us incidentally. We rarely have to use the override now. They have learned to live with us, and us with them.”

  “You cannot do the same with the Heidoor here. You cannot control them.”

  “We will find a way to coexist if they are willing. And if they seek to kill us, we will fight them to end the threat. So far they have not attacked us, and I find this an indicator that coexistence is not only possible, but preferred.”

  “The Neofan would counsel you otherwise.”

  “The Neofan are inferior when it comes to such things.”

  “Only three civilizations have defied the Hadarak in the Core of their galaxies. The Neofan. The Denogi. The Veloqueen. You are attempting to be the fourth, but you will not join the Bond of Resistance. Why?”

  “It seems the Bond of Resistance is wanting to join us. Many of your races are establishing colonies within our Empire. Can you tell me why they want to?”

  “None are safe, for they do not inhabit our galaxies. They live in the shadow of the Hadarak always and seek to ally with power that can shield them.”

  “Wait, they aren’t in your galaxy, or the Denogi’s?”

  “They are not.”

  “You don’t let them in?”

  “We share the space between, but we do not trust them to be amongst us. We have a common enemy, and that binds us together, but only so far. We must keep distance between us, or we will fracture from infighting.”

  “And you enforce this distance?”

  “It is part of the Bond. Cooperation, but respect for each other’s territory. We built the Temples so they would have a place to flee to when needed, and not to our galaxies. It has preserved them and allowed them to survive in the shadows while we live in the light of our galactic Core. Now you seek to claim this one, but you allow the others to come here?”

  “On our terms, but yes. Should we not?”

  “There is much danger in this.”

  “We are well accustomed to danger. What you are suggesting sounds more like paranoia.”

  “The Neofan and Denogi are Socani.”

  “As are we,” Steve said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

  “Neofan are now killing all Heidoor within Yenoiv. There is blood on the stars. They will dominate by bringing all into their service, and destroying any they do not wish to do so. They always kill Heidoor. They always bloody the stars. Denogi killed all Heidoor in their galaxy long ago.”

  “Did you kill the Socani in yours?” Steve asked grimly.

  “No. They serve us, so they cannot become a threat. Heidoor here will be a threat to you if you do not kill them or bring them into your service.”

  “The truly dominant do not fear strength,” Steve quoted, “for they are strength. Only the weak seek to destroy the strong out of fear, and this is an admission of inferiority.”

  “The Neofan claim you are their apprentices, and that they hold ultimate dominion over this galaxy.”

  “They do not now. They will not later. This is our galaxy, and we will protect all within it that do not make themselves our enemies.”

  “If the Heidoor do not attack you, you will allow them to own the Deep Core?”

  “Not all of it. We will need to be there to guard the Tethers and other key locations for security. And I assume there will be some Heidoor that are threats and refuse to coexist. We will have to deal with them in some form or another, but I hope we do not end up at war with all the Heidoor. The three that we have let pass here suggest there is potential for coexistence.”

  “Such things do not usually last, Steve-004.”

  “Why are the Hadarak keeping them in the Deep Core?”

  “So they cannot increase their territory further. They will destroy them when they are able to do so.”

  “What did this galaxy look like before the Hadarak came? Were the Heidoor everywhere?”

  “We do not know of this galaxy, but we know of others. Heidoor and Socani do not coexist. Socani hunt Heidoor, while Heidoor destroy Socani…but the lifesprings return Socani again and again. No galaxy can be without them.”

  “But they can be without Heidoor?”

  “Heidoor only emerge from central spring. Never anywhere else. If central spring is taken, those new emerging are killed before they can multiply.”

  “Do the Hadarak do this here?”

  “No. Existing Heidoor must be destroyed before central life spring will replace them. Too many Hadarak Heidoor will not allow for more to come even if all others destroyed. Only lack will draw more from the spring.”

  “Will the Heidoor multiply until they fill the galaxy?”

  “Some will, some will stabilize their population. Others will fight each other.”

  “Why were the Hadarak able to remove the Heidoor from the Rim but not the Deep Core?”

  “The strongest are here. The weaker go where there is room to travel.”

  “So why do the strong want out?”

  “The Hadarak are slowly winning control of the galaxy. Those Heidoor here will not survive in the Deep Core forever. They must flee it to survive. This is distasteful, but preferable to death.”

  “Are there none that can stand against the Hadarak?”
r />   “We are the only Heidoor that have effectively done so. Others are obstinate and will not yield, but they cannot take back systems that are lost. They must fight the never-ending war, and if their strength wavers, they lose territory. Eventually they will succumb, for the Hadarak grow stronger over time as they assimilate more races into their genetic legacy.”

  “We are not going to kill the Heidoor,” Steve promised. “And I don’t care what the Neofan say. We’re not going to tolerate any who do, including your support systems for the Temples. We’ve already stopped them from slaughtering tiny Heidoor in the Rim. Why do you allow that?”

  “We cannot control the Bond of Resistance. Only our own galaxy.”

  “So why are you here in ours? And how did you get here? I thought you didn’t travel on the portal network?”

  “We travel via the Tethers, Core to Core, but we use the Portal system within this galaxy to move about when needed. We do not use the intergalactic portals. The lack of gravity makes us sick.”

  “You got past the Hadarak guarding the Tethers?”

  “The Tethers are massive gravity wells. You cannot blockade them. But you can kill those who enter, for many can lie in wait for those that come in gradually. We are faster than the Hadarak, so we can move through them and destroy any in our way. They cannot stop our movement, or that of a few others. Most die attempting to pass from one galaxy to another who are not faster than the Hadarak. Yet many still try. Perhaps they do not know what waits for them. We do, and we are here to monitor the Heidoor in this galaxy.”

  “We were told you do not want to fight the Hadarak in other galaxies, but that the Neofan do. Is this because the Neofan will kill all the Heidoor in them?”

  “We do not tolerate the Hadarak. We also cannot tolerate those who destroy Heidoor.”

  “Then why are you in an alliance with them?”

  “If only Veloqueen resist the Hadarak, we will become their sole focus. We may not survive in that situation. But the Bond of Resistant spreads their attacks amongst us, and by surviving we help each other by drawing off resources that otherwise would be used against us.”

  “As the Neofan did by helping us in this galaxy.”

  “Was that your initial agreement?”

  “There has only been one agreement. And it is with House Atriark only. We would draw the Hadarak’s attention here while they claimed a new galaxy and gave Atriark a refuge where they could evacuate all their people rather than having to leave some behind that were forbidden from going to the new galaxy. Are you trying to help the Heidoor here defeat the Hadarak?”

  “That is our concern and not yours. But their wellbeing is of importance to us. As is that of your Uriti. We request to speak with them.”

  “There are none here,” Steve said, not sure he liked that idea.

  “We know. There are portals nearby we can use to travel to the Rim. Will you allow us to speak with them?”

  “If you attack them we will have to defend them against you.”

  “We only wish to speak to confirm what you claim.”

  “And if they confirm it?”

  “Then we will make our own arrangement with you.”

  “To what end?”

  “To help you claim dominance over this galaxy in exchange for allowing us to live here amongst the Heidoor.”

  Steve blinked. “Are you in jeopardy of losing your galaxy too?”

  “No. We wish to expand, but not at the cost of the deaths of all Heidoor.”

  “There would be conditions. If Dogorath’s apprentice is symbolic of the way you operate, then we will not be able to come to terms.”

  “We approve of your lightside, Steve-004. What we seek now is to confirm whether it is real or a guise to hide your true nature. The Uriti will tell us this if you allow us to speak with them in your hidden locations, and they will also tell us if it is truly possible for Heidoor and Socani to coexist. If you have lied, there will be no repercussion from us. You will simply never encounter us again.”

  “I’m not lying,” Steve said firmly. “I will take one of you there. Not all three. Just in case this is a guise to hide your true nature. Others have tried to harm the Uriti, and we take their security very seriously.”

  “One will be sufficient. And we will supply the Essence for the travel. Please do not bring your large vessel. It will not fit.”

  “How far away are these portals?”

  “They go from the far Rim all the way to the center of the galaxy, hidden in locations the Hadarak cannot find. There is one 19 jumps from here that I will show you, and you may use it for other purposes later if the Uriti confirm your words.”

  “Very well,” Steve said, feeling like they were on the verge of a breakthrough. “When do you want to leave?”

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