Star Force: Crusade (SF93) (Star Force Origin Series) Read online

  So when he’d stumbled upon the mother of all lizard fleets transitioning through a star system like a long line of ants he’d followed it…straight to a fortress world on the other side of the regional border within the Skarron Empire. That meant the reported internal discord between the Skarron factions should no longer be in play and the full might of their military would be coming down on the lizards in short, or perhaps long, order but right now it seemed the lizards either didn’t care or didn’t realize that, and the Human Axius captain didn’t buy the latter. The lizards typically operated off of good intelligence or probed into new areas with single ships. Launching a mindboggling assault such as this was not something they would recklessly do.

  Which meant they were no longer concerned about Star Force crossing the border and doing battle with them, either because they calculated that they wouldn’t or because they’d rebuilt to such a level that they thought they could take on both empires simultaneously. Uzzedi figured it was the former, for if Star Force wanted to cross that line there was nothing aside from bodies to throw at them that would slow them down. Not with the tech advantage they now had.

  But give credit to the lizards for knowing how to take advantage of a situation, for Star Force had made it pretty clear that they were going to hold The Line and focus their attention on the new Rim Region, so why not go after the Skarrons?

  Conventional wisdom held that the Skarrons were too widespread to take down, and that if they wanted to they could pull so many reserves from far flung regions that they could annihilate just about anyone if sufficiently motivated enough to do so…and given the carnage occurring before him, Uzzedi was beginning to wonder if the lizards hadn’t just bitten off more than they could chew. Even if they took this system, it wasn’t the regional capitol and there were a lot of other fortress systems like this left in this subsection of the Skarron Empire. Even Star Force only had very basic maps of the entire thing, to which the Ma’kri scout fleet was trying to expand upon and confirm from other sources what it could.

  The lizards had already taken one semi-rebellious region away from the Skarrons who had not sent reinforcements to defend it, and even that effort had cost them an insane number of ships and years. They hadn’t had time to thoroughly fortify it, but for whatever reason they were pushing again and in numbers that Uzzedi had never seen nor even heard reported used. He’d heard the rumors that the lizards had let their capitol fall to Star Force despite the huge defense fleet that he and the other ship captains had to fight through, but now he didn’t doubt the truth of it.

  This was the true might of the lizards beginning to show, and this was only an assault against a single high value system. What they’d use overall, and what the Skarrons would send to counter them, was a brain teaser that Uzzedi could not fathom. At this point it seemed like both had no limit to available forces, so the only thing he could do was watch and take notes, for the strength level of both sides was unable to determine given how large their empires were and the limited number of cloaked scouts Star Force had to poke around with.

  But with the surveillance buoys and his Ma’kri on station, he was going to get a lot of data here over the coming months to report back on, for this battle for the system wasn’t going to end anytime soon. He’d have to leave before it was over, but he speculated that it would take no less than a year to settle the naval conflict alone…and that was just with the ships insystem. If both sides got reinforcements though, it could peter out into a decade long fight.

  So Uzzedi just sat and watched, trying to learn as much about both fleets as they could, though the lizards didn’t appear to be showing any new technologies now that Star Force had cut off their Trinx lifeline. The Skarrons, on the other hand…

  Cal-com stood in the Hall of Majesty on Nergthen, his right hand on his chin as he studied the updating reports on the Skarron front. Since returning from the upper side of the galaxy he’d been given more duties by the Elders, some that pertained to their holdings in and on the other side of Star Force territory, but most were directed elsewhere…with one bold imperative to take another chunk out of Skarron territory and then to start establishing a firm defensive line at a string of system coordinates provided to him.

  That made his mission more straightforward than usual, and the Voku had been fighting the Skarrons for millennia in some form or another, but the taking of additional territory in such a quick manner as prescribed meant he was going to have to pull in fleets of conglomerates from across this half of Voku territory…but coupled with the fortification order after the conquests were complete told the Dafchor something the Elder hadn’t said specifically. There was a moment of opportunity upon them, followed by what would be a storm of reprisals, and he thought he now knew the source of both of those things.

  The lizard empire was on the move again, and no longer in subtle manners. They’d aggressively taken a Skarron region that the Consortium had arrogantly chosen not to reinforce. Even still the lizards had barely been able to take it after a long, grueling campaign…but Cal-com now suspected even that had been a ruse to hide their true strength, now supplemented by the resources they’d gained from their new territorial additions, for they were assaulting no less than 38 major Skarron systems with invasion fleets that dwarfed those used previously.

  Even the Voku’s previous estimates of current lizard fleet strength hadn’t accounted for half the vessels appearing in systems that the Voku were monitoring, let alone how many others that they didn’t have eyes on. His analysts had not even speculated that they had this many ships in total spread across their entire empire, yet once again the lizards were appearing in droves and perplexing their supposedly superior enemies that it appeared they had no chance to defeat.

  But the Elder obviously thought there was a threat here. Pushing further into Skarron territory made sense given the distraction of the lizard invasion, even if it wasn’t anywhere near their current border. Any reinforcements coming in would go there, not to the Voku front, but if he guessed as to the Elder’s predictions based on the orders given to him, this lizard push was going to wake up the Consortium to the threat they posed and elicit a major backlash…one that would also be coming the Voku’s way while they were in the neighborhood.

  And something that large would have to be on the level of a Crusade. Three were known to have occurred, as far as Voku records went, over the long history of the Skarrons. Their individual kingdoms and other internal divisions had never kept them from aiding their neighbors, for they fought even harder against outsiders than they did against themselves. Bickering and nontraditional forms of warfare were common knowledge enough for the Voku to pick up on it in their intelligence gathering, but the Skarrons didn’t wage full war on one another. And when an outsider threatened one of them the bickering stopped immediately, meaning they were at their strongest when under attack and therefore unified.

  Whatever the disagreement in the Consortium had been to bring them to stand by and do nothing as one of their Regions fell must have been massive, but now that another two Regions were under assault it only seemed natural to assume they’d be receiving support from bordering ones to push back the lizard incursion.

  But that didn’t hold to what Cal-com was sensing. Both in terms of surprising lizard strength and the orders given to him. The Voku were stronger than both the lizards and the Skarrons across the board save for in one category…and that was numbers. The only real threat to them would be a massive push, the likes of which the Skarrons had never bothered to muster against the Voku. They managed their border economically, often losing systems that in the greater context of their communal empire were inconsequential, and the Voku had never pressed hard to take a great number of them back.

  And then the Elder had ordered him to begin expanding into Skarron territory even as he fought in the Star Force war. He hadn’t understood that at the time other than to add more territory to the Voku in order to strengthen them, but now he thought it was part of a g
reater plan to bolster them long term against what was coming. Taking an even larger chunk of Skarron territory now was a no-brainer if you knew their full might was coming your way on a delay. No point in not sweeping up what you could now then putting down border fortifications and fighting a holding action that was going to happen one way or another.

  This had to be the Fourth Crusade coming. It had to be. And if it was, the Voku were going to be…

  Cal-com’s train of thought cut off as he stared at the starmaps. The idea was that when a Crusade happened the Skarrons didn’t just deal with one threat, they dealt with all threats in the greater region while they had their full might massed. That’s why they’d be coming after the Skarrons during or after they dealt with the lizards. But would Star Force also come under attack? They’d fought the Skarrons previously when they pushed into their borders, but would the Skarrons try to take them down as well?

  He’d heard that during a Crusade the Skarron ego was at its highest, so they might just try. Star Force was weaker than the Voku size wise, but they’d managed to surpass them in terms of technology and their psionics. They could easily defeat a Skarron attack, even a large scale one, but a Crusade was another matter entirely. Every Region within their empire would send almost all the forces it had save for what it felt necessary to hold onto the key systems. It had been said they often lost lesser ones when the local defense forces were overwhelmed by opportunists, but that didn’t matter. Once the Crusade was over the forces would return and they could take back those systems or just shrug off the losses. A Crusade being called for meant there was something of unbelievable importance that trumped all else, and once launched they wouldn’t be bashful in carrying it out.

  And that meant you’d be facing upwards of 90% of all Skarron ships, walkers, and troops from across their entire empire, all focused into a single war zone, and the Voku were close enough to the lizards in some areas that there was no doubt if a Crusade did occur they’d be in their targets as well.

  But why now? It wouldn’t take a Crusade to push the lizards back. The backing of two or three other regions sending 20% of their fleets would be enough, especially with some of the recent tech upgrades they’d made. The lizards no longer had a range advantage on them, and that was what had cost the Skarrons dearly in the fall of Region 34. Now their opposition had the ability to poke at their invokers from afar and that was hurting the lizards badly, but apparently they’d upgraded their assault pillars to compensate.

  How many of the new versions did they have? And could they rework the originals? And to the point, where were the lizards getting so many ships?

  Did the Skarrons know? Did the Elders know? Cal-com had been ordered to take actions that hinted at the most massive war in Voku history being on the horizon, but was this really happening? Was the Fourth Crusade mounting even now?

  It had to be, for it was the only thing that made sense…and if his instincts were correct, the lizards had not been so beaten by Star Force as they appeared to be. They must have relocated far more materiel than calculated, or come up with some new manufacturing method to speed up the development of infrastructure that had taken them thousands of years previously to develop. Without their shipyard rings they should not have been able to field this kind of fleet…so where did it come from?

  Cal-com didn’t have an answer to that and probably wouldn’t for a long while. What he did have was a mission to carry out, and right now that meant mounting a massive campaign to attack the Skarron Empire and carve out what would be, in hindsight, the best defensible border possible while giving the Voku some prime territory to digest.

  Yes, this was definitely the prelude to a massive war coming. It wouldn’t be here quickly, but it was heading their way eventually. And if it was a full Crusade there was only one reason to be mounting it.

  The Skarrons had finally reasoned that the only way to defeat the lizards was to take them out completely. Not just the shipyards that were producing this fleet, wherever they were, but the rate which the lizards had built and expanded after Star Force had cut out the heart of their empire was a telltale sign of the true threat. If left unchecked they could do it again even if decimated in a massive backlash by the Skarrons.

  The only way to insure they were dealt with permanently was to wipe out every single one that lived.

  And that would require a Crusade.

  During which the Skarrons would deal with other nearby threats, meaning they’d come after the Voku and perhaps even Star Force. And Paul’s people were busy fighting a massive war rimward, one in which they were deeply outnumbered. An attack by the Skarrons would hurt them badly, despite the numbers of reserve units that Cal-com knew Paul kept in the ADZ that would never be sent beyond it. He never left his own core worlds undefended, but the might of a crusade wasn’t something one could just shrug off. Not even Star Force.

  He had to warn him, but he couldn’t do it in person. There was too much to organize here and an unspecified amount of time before the hammer fell, meaning he couldn’t waste a day of it else he betray his duty to the Elders. A message would have to suffice, but he’d send it via a personal courier he could trust to deliver it into Paul’s hand. Cal-com knew other Archons and their Monarch counterparts were wise, but Paul was the only one he personally trusted to make sure things got done, and as such he wasn’t going to send the message to him via their own comm system. This was too important, plus Paul was in a war zone and the message might not reach him in time.

  He didn’t think the Crusade would be here soon, but preparing for such a thing isn’t someone one did on short notice…and Star Force was already overextended, so however Paul would alter their plans to compensate he needed to let him know as soon as possible.

  “Clear the room,” he told his staff, who looked a bit surprised but obeyed without complaint.

  When they were gone he sealed the small command center and began to record a message on a secure system. He needed Paul to know about the Elders’ orders, but that wasn’t something he could share with others, even his fellow Voku, unless so needed to carry them out. Paul was another matter and favored by the Elders anyway, plus they’d never reprimanded him for confiding in the Human, and the Elders had access to scan his mind at any time they wished, for one was often discretely on this world for him to talk to if needed, though he rarely sought them out if not summoned.

  So Cal-com had decided long ago to continue confiding some things in Paul until he was told not to, but that meant this message had to go directly to his hand and no other Voku or Star Force. He had a few couriers he could trust not to read it, but he went to an additional length to encode it with a pass phrase only Paul would know based on the time they’d spent together.

  Cal-com laid out every possible bit of information he thought Paul would need, wished him luck in all his upcoming war campaigns, then locked the message into a datachip and purged the recorder before calling for a courier and sending him off to find the Archon wherever he was in the next galactic arm.

  3

  June 29, 3477

  DK System (Ninja Monkey territory)

  Sliced Banana

  Morgan’s jaw dropped as the message from Paul played out explaining the Voku’s warning about both the lizards unexpected strength and the Skarron crusade that may be forming to oppose them…and anyone else in the way.

  “Fuckers,” she muttered as Paul’s hologram continued to talk.

  “If this does head our way we can’t pull out of our responsibilities here and come back. There’s far too much at stake. We’re going to have to fortify the ADZ like the Voku are and play dead. There’s no point in picking a new fight with the Skarrons if they’re really coming after the lizards. Let them fight it out first and we’ll deal with the aftermath. Hopefully all the systems between the Voku and us won’t draw attention, and I don’t see how we can protect that region other than in a handful of spots anyway. Good news is this isn’t happening tomorrow and we’ve got time to
prepare…and guess who got voted to do the preparing,” Paul said with a half sarcastic/half apologetic smile.

  “Like hell you voted,” she said, though not displeased.

  “Davis concurs. The border is yours and you’re to involve as many Clans and factions as you deem necessary, but get us a wall built that can withstand this storm before it comes down on our heads…and hope it washes away the lizards in the process.”

  Paul’s image gave her a Vulcan ‘live long and prosper’ hand gesture then faded out.

  Morgan couldn’t help but smile, and not just at Paul’s signoff. She’d helped plan the Rim Region expansion along with the others, but she hadn’t been one assigned/volunteered to go out there and fight all the new bad guys. She’d wanted to, but she had her own bad guys to deal with and her Clan needed her. Morgan had taught them well, but abandoning them didn’t feel right and she’d built up too much infrastructure to relocate out to the Rim Region, so she’d reluctantly had to pass on the big party.

  But now it seemed an even bigger party was coming her way, and that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. For a lot of people it was puppies and kittens, but for Morgan distant danger that she had time to build and prepare for always did the trick…and it meant that the pesky Line restriction wasn’t going to be an issue anymore. Star Force wouldn’t have to destroy the lizards if the Skarrons truly were coming. That wasn’t certain, but the fact that they were fighting it out in earnest was important to know…as well as the fact that the lizards had been hiding their real strength from her.