Star Force: Endless Crusade Read online

  “But you won’t give the order?”

  “The only mass of ships that can realistically help are those we have in the Orica Region, and they’re tasked with an Elder mandate.”

  “One that has been fulfilled, as far as I have been informed. If they are no longer needed…”

  “They may be,” Cal-com said firmly. “The Elders have stated that we are not to get involved in the V’kit’no’sat war against Star Force, but if the reports are accurate and they have also started to target Star Force associates then the protectorates may be in eventual danger, not to mention our own worlds out there. Would you remove their defenses so lithely?”

  “Given the situation, yes,” Noru-sar said bluntly. “We have one confirmed opponent and one possible. We have to fight reality and not stay our hand for a potential future that might not come to pass. And if it does, we cannot defeat the V’kit’no’sat. But we may be able to blunt this Crusade long enough to reinforce our worlds enough to prevent the slaughter you know is coming. We are superior to the Skarrons in every way, but with their numbers they negate that strength. We must have more ships and we cannot build them fast enough. They have to come from the Orica fleet. I can see no other way. The Crusade will be on our doorstep soon. If a recall is ordered it must be now in order for the fleet to have time to reach us.”

  “Your calculations are not wrong. If that option is necessary, it must be now,” Cal-com said, falling silent as he continued to look at the hologram via his green, crystal-like eyepiece that covered his three small natural eyes and gave him incredibly enhanced vision while also preventing him from being blinded in combat via foreign objects, liquids, or gases.

  “Let me fight this from the rear,” the Renimar pleaded. “I can do far more damage from there than trying to hold worlds we have no chance of retaining. Let me choose where we fight and die, not the Skarrons.”

  “You believe this is our last stand?”

  “The Elders have prepared us well, otherwise we would not have kept them away from our homes so long, but the Crusade is coming for them. We will soon be at the tipping point.”

  “You underestimate our empire.”

  “I do not underestimate that most of our forces are in the Firewall. Most of our buildup has been there too, and while I admit the legacy defenses are more formidable, if the Skarrons keep coming in these numbers they will overrun us. We must disrupt their movements from the rear. I can see no other hope short of their numbers being bled out, and with the losses the Li’vorkrachnika suffered from the V’kit’no’sat, they will not be doing as much damage as we had hoped.”

  “A pity they abandoned that war in favor of Star Force. I would have liked to see them wiped out quickly, but I know the Li’vorkrachnika will not be conquered by the Skarrons so easily and they will fight to the last soldier without surrender.”

  “But the Skarrons can divert more towards us because of the areas that the V’kit’no’sat cleared out. And the more resistance we throw up the more they will send.”

  “Which makes your suggestion even more perilous.”

  “I cannot control their actions, only my own, and this is the best way for me to kill or distract them away from our worlds while we continue to build. Right now the pace of combat is too high. We need to slow this down so we can begin to replace our conglomerate losses.”

  “A luxury I do not think we will have.”

  “Then we continue as we have been?”

  “I know we cannot. I am continually searching for another alternative.”

  “If you have not found one by now I doubt one exists. Let me do this, Cal-com. If we are to fall, let it not be because we hesitated. Let us die taking as many of them with us as possible.”

  “To do what you suggest will require the abandoning of an Elder edict. I cannot do that.”

  “Shall I ask them myself?” Noru-sar challenged, drawing a glare from Cal-com. “We are all going to die if we don’t get more ships here. We have them in Orica. This is our last play unless the Elders know something we don’t, and they might, but if we have to fight this on our own this is our only course of action. I suspect you know that, but if you don’t want to risk defying them then I will. I will take my course of action directly to…”

  “No,” Cal-com said flatly. “That is my task. I have been waiting for word from them as to what to do next. Their silence has suggested that the solution was before me to find, but you are correct. A change must occur. If they wish us to defend here to our extinction then we will, but it needs to be a direct order from them, not an inference. If I leave now there will be enough time.”

  “Shall I come with you?”

  “No. This war is my responsibility, but when in transit I will have to leave oversight to another…”

  “Which is why you haven’t gone before?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Then go. I will maintain the Firewall as best we can. You can’t win it here. Not without something drastic changing.”

  “You have command,” Cal-com said evenly, then unceremoniously turned and walked out of the oracle. He not only left the command center, but the planet entirely, boarding a transport and taking it up to a courier ship that then spirited him across the stars back to the Szequat System, their capitol that contained their homeworld of Nergthen and the secret Elder Lair.

  Due to his position as absolute ruler of the Voku, the Dafchor was able to give himself permission to enter and did so wasting the minimum of time before he was alone in the audience chamber. There he did wait, for many minutes, before the Elder showed itself.

  Paul had told him their true name was Zak’de’ron, but they’d never said as much to the Voku. They were simply known as the Elders and were responsible for Cal-com’s entire civilization. They’d taken his ancestors under their protection long ago and had groomed them through the millennia before mysteriously growing quiet. The Voku had followed their last orders and the wealth of knowledge given to them during their absence, never forsaking their mysterious benefactors, and had been rewarded for their loyalty upon their return with enhancements for their entire civilization.

  But even those had not been enough to blunt the Skarron Crusade at its outset, and the recent years had seen system after system plucked from the Firewall despite the Voku’s huge technological advantage. Hopefully the Elder would have beneficial counsel to offer, for Cal-com did not know what more to do at this point.

  “Speak,” the long, slender red-scaled Dragon said, watching the Dafchor closely as it walked forward then laterally, spinning around to lay down on a cushioned pedestal while keeping its head oriented on the smaller Voku.

  “I require counsel.”

  “The enemy losses speak otherwise. You have acquitted yourself well, Dafchor.”

  “Yet it is not enough. They will break through our Firewall soon and there is only one course of action that could possibly stall them, but doing so would violate an order to protect the races in the Orica Region.”

  “You wish to withdraw the fleet there to fight the Skarrons?”

  “I do not wish it, but it is the last option we have as far as I can determine.”

  “Now do you see why I instructed you not to aid Star Force?”

  “I do not like standing by and watching an ally fall without aiding them, but if you are referring to the fact that we cannot stop the V’kit’no’sat, I do understand now.”

  “Marginally. Their strength is beyond your comprehension, but you may have to fight them eventually.”

  “You believe they will attack the Orica Region?”

  “It is likely. Star Force is a taint they wish to remove all traces of, and after they achieve more success with them they may hunt down all their allies. The Orica Region may be in jeopardy, and possibly our other servants…though that is unlikely. You are to prepare for that eventuality in case it should come to pass. Organize a relocation safely away from both the V’kit’no’sat and the Skarrons and have such preparations stand
ing by.”

  “And what of the Skarrons?”

  “The races tasked to your defense are secure for the time being and that will not change in the near future. Keep minimal protection in their systems, but you are free to recall all others as you deem necessary to combat the Skarrons…but be warned. If and when the V’kit’no’sat assault the Orica Region, you are not to aid Star Force in battle, even if they come to your defense. You may fight alongside them in your own systems, but do not waste resources assisting them elsewhere. We may lose the entire region or we may hold onto part of it. The V’kit’no’sat ego will determine the outcome, and you are not to provoke them unnecessarily. Defend yourself if they attack, but know that you will not win any more than fleeting battles. If they attack, fight an organized withdrawal, from the entire region if necessary, but do not waste your people trying to save Star Force. That is beyond your ability to accomplish.”

  “If we are able to survive the Skarron Crusade and the V’kit’no’sat follow us back here, what are your orders?”

  “If they choose to assault you here, all restrictions are rescinded and you may act as you wish as your race is destroyed. Stand and fight or flee, it will be your choice. I do not think they will come this far unless we give them reason to, thus the only combat against them in the Orica Region must be defensive.”

  “I understand.”

  “But you do not like it?”

  “I do not, but I will obey.”

  “Do you think another outcome would occur if you fought alongside Star Force?”

  “No. But it feels dishonorable to abandon them in the time of their greatest need. Were they not pre-occupied they would be assisting us in battle against the Skarrons.”

  “And you are not pre-occupied at present?”

  “Very much so, but your orders are for a tactical reason and my instincts do not like the idea of standing by and doing nothing. Better to die honorably than betray an allegiance.”

  “Yet you see the strategic necessity of it. It appears I chose well the first Dafchor of the Voku. You are free to explain the situation to your Star Force allies, to assuage your distaste. They are strategically savvy and will most likely concur.”

  Cal-com bowed his head slightly. “Thank you for that.”

  “Arrgh,” the Dragon huffed, standing up and walking off the platform as he circled around Cal-com. “I do not like sitting by when a fight is before us. These V’kit’no’sat are our enemy, and I wish to rip their throats out on sight, but we cannot. We have not the strength yet to face them, so I share your distaste with the current situation, but prudence is necessary even if it betrays our innate sense of loyalty.”

  “They are your enemy?”

  “There is no need for feigned ignorance, for I can see your thoughts. You have learned much from Paul concerning our past. The V’kit’no’sat were once like you, our servants, but much more advanced. We treated them with more respect and autonomy, forming a great alliance that we led but did not completely command. We created it to repel the Hadarak and were successful in doing so until the V’kit’no’sat races betrayed us. They thought themselves our equal and resented our superiority. They betrayed and eventually destroyed us,” the Elder said with considerable fire in his voice.

  “Why then are you still here?”

  “Many contingency plans were enacted to preserve our race. The deepest of which was myself and others being secured in egg form with a single protector locked in stasis. We were to disappear from existence for such a long time that the V’kit’no’sat would think they were successful. If our other contingency plans succeeded we would be awoken by them…but we were not. The V’kit’no’sat proved to be far more cagey than even we had anticipated. They destroyed all our other efforts at rebuilding, leaving only one survivor and the eggs.”

  “Were you conscious in your egg?” Cal-com wondered.

  “Partially. My development was stalled by stasis, during which I slept, but I retain a few memories. What do you remember of yours?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No? I can see something in your mind,” the Elder said, provoking the memory in Cal-com to the surface.

  The Dafchor flashed back to his own ‘birth,’ walking out of a tube not unlike the Voku slept in. He was fully grown, as were all Voku at their outset, having developed from genetic material to full status unlike most races in the galaxy that existed for a period of time as infants. Even the Elder was growing larger with the years, as far as Cal-com could determine from the few sporadic visits to the Lair he’d been honored enough to make.

  “It is familiar, but I do not understand it,” he said honestly as the memory floated in his mind.

  “You are developed in eggs of our own making. Mine was natural. You are fully grown when the hatching procedure occurs, we are not. Your race has been remade into a superior form to mirror our own. You used to have genders and gave birth in much the way the Humans do, but you are no longer hindered by such things. Your egg state is similar to my own, as are your genetic memories…except mine give me knowledge from before I hatched. I remember the civilization that we lost, but one that I never witnessed with my own eyes. I can feel the loss, and it fuels my anger at the V’kit’no’sat. If we can hold our vengeance for later, so will you, Dafchor.”

  “As you wish. If we survive this, will we be fighting them in the future?”

  “They must be destroyed. How that will be accomplished is uncertain. We have much to rebuild before we can reveal ourselves. Until then, we must be wise and pick the necessary fights. Aiding Star Force now would not be wise, so we cannot, though I am personally pleased by their defiance.”

  “Can they survive?”

  “Unlikely, but the arrogance of the V’kit’no’sat may allow them to limp on longer than expected.”

  “Their withdrawal of troops?”

  “Yes. As you know they sent two invasions. The first was stopped, so a much larger force was sent to reclaim Terraxis…what Star Force refers to as the Solar System. Now that they have it, much of those forces were sent back to the empire while leaving a smaller force behind to continue the purging of the broken heretics. They are accomplishing their task, but not as fast as expected. If that delay continues it is to Star Force’s benefit, but their destruction is fated. All it will take is one order to send enough ships to wipe them out, and they won’t require the numbers the Skarrons are using, but they have them if needed.”

  “What’s happening to Star Force is what would happen to you if you were revealed?”

  “Hmmph,” the Dragon said with disgust. “No. They would send everything they had after us. When we reveal ourselves we must be in a superior position, else we will be destroyed. I trust you understand the importance of the information you have?”

  “I am beginning to.”

  “You need to know, thus I am allowing it. Star Force is doomed, but their persistence will be interesting to watch. We cannot aid them else we will be destroyed along with them. And while the Voku might wish to go down in a honorable fight alongside them, we have more important uses for you going forward.”

  The Dragon stopped pacing and instead headed back to the private chambers adjacent to the audience chamber, arching his neck back and turning his head halfway around as he walked.

  “Pull the fleet from Orica and fight the Skarrons with your full might. There is no guarantee of your survival, but Renimar Noru-sar is correct. Send him with our leave to cause as much havoc as possible while you try to preserve what you can of your territory. You will not save it all, so your mission is to save enough of it to remain viable. Keep your eye on the future while you fight the present. Defeat will be your companion in the coming days, but true victory lies in ultimate survival.”

  And with that the Elder walked out of view and Cal-com was left standing in place as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that had just been revealed to him.

  Defeat. The Voku were going to lose. They were not going to be ab
le to hold the Firewall. So victory must come in a different path…

  It didn’t take long for the Dafchor to see his mistake, with him turning and walking quickly out of the Lair. When he got outside he broke into a run, heading for his homeworld’s command center where he got busy issuing orders, including the recall of the Orica fleet, in addition to a lot more unpleasant business.

  The Voku were going to lose this war…so he had to play a different game, and was mentally kicking himself for not seeing it sooner. Dying with honor might be the impulsive thing to do, but winning the long game was more important if he could weather what was to come.

  Paul was in a similar position, facing defeat after defeat as Star Force began to retreat. Was he playing the long game as well?

  Cal-com hoped he was, but he didn’t doubt the Elder’s words. If the V’kit’no’sat wanted Star Force destroyed it would be, and the only hope the Voku had of surviving was to avoid their wrath. If they couldn’t, surviving the Skarrons wouldn’t matter. The empire that had defeated the Elders was one that could not be confronted with any hope of victory…so his focus must be on the Skarrons, impossible as that situation seemed. If the Elder thought there was a way to win the long game then he would find it.

  He had to, otherwise the Voku would have to run to the rim and hope the Skarrons didn’t follow, but if that happened there wouldn’t be enough left of them to truly matter.

  Or is that what was ahead for the Voku that the Elder had hinted at?

  No. Even if it was, Cal-com wasn’t going to let it come to that. He had the enhanced knowledge that the Elders had given him and no other Voku. He would find a way to preserve at least a piece of their territory…even if at the cost of their other worlds.

  Grim work was ahead of him, but it was his task and his alone. Others would fight and die, but he had to ensure their deaths were not in vain. The ultimate victory was his responsibility, and he felt the loss of time upon him. He should have consulted the Elder far sooner, but he couldn’t change the past. The future was within his grasp, and he had to start molding it into a loss that would birth a bitter victory.