Star Force: Return to Earth Page 3

  “It would have been a waste,” Dorchav said, angered enough with this continued stupidity to speak despite his lingering shame for having lost a Mach’nel. “Only the Uriti matters, and we could not have damaged it sufficiently enough despite its small size.”

  “We gained nothing from running!” the other Voro’nam regional commander, Haf’vo, said angrily.

  “Do not let the strength of the enemy elicit sloppiness,” Mak’to’ran warned. “Better to save our ships for a useful strike than flailing like angry hatchlings.”

  Both Voro’nam visibly recoiled, not wishing to argue with the leader of the empire, but he wasn’t going to allow them to retreat into silence.

  “Do the Humans have the capability to replace lost warships?” he asked, telepathically directing the impetus to answer to the pair of Voro’nam.

  “Their industry is formidable,” Turo said, “but it is declining with each world we take.”

  “They are also adding more on the rimward side of their territory,” Sess’met bluntly added. “Our rate of conquest wasn’t fast enough to seriously hinder them.”

  “If they can replace their warships, then eliminating a few more is pointless,” Mak’to’ran said evenly. “If we cannot eliminate the Uriti, we will not fight them and waste valuable resources.”

  “They have a limited number of Uriti,” Bax, the Qua’cho regional commander offered. “If we strike their worlds by the hundreds simultaneously they cannot have one in each engagement. We draw the Uriti out with feints, disengage, and allow the other invasions to continue. We can pare down their industrial reserves without engaging the Uriti.”

  “A prudent plan…assuming they do not strike our own worlds in retribution,” Ollva, the Era’tran commander said warily.

  “It is galling to say, but we can suffer those losses. Star Force cannot. Once we eliminate their escort fleets we will be able to engage the Uriti directly. If we cannot peel those off I do not think any number of vessels will be able to counter them. They have the durability of the Hadarak plus weaponry of unforeseen magnitude. We have to isolate them if we have any chance of destroying one.”

  “Dorchav,” Mak’to’ran said, drawing a shameful aura from the Brat’mar. “Is the capture method you suggested for the Hadarak not feasible here in some form?”

  “I have considered that, and even if we could get past their escorts the weaponry the Uriti possess cannot be silenced. We can possibly negate their gravity weapons, but not their energy discharges.”

  “So I had assumed,” Mak’to’ran said regretfully. “We have not been able to test the capture method on a Hadarak yet, but we will soon. However, these Uriti are clearly not Hadarak, and we have to find alternative methods in dealing with them. Even without their escorts, they will be immensely difficult to destroy, correct?”

  “Depends on which one we are talking about,” Ivern said, with the Pas’cha’s long neck reaching up higher than both Era’trans’ head height. “Some have ranged weapons that only a Tar’vem’jic can outreach, and I do not believe even a Mach’nel can deliver enough firepower to seriously wound one before they have a chance to flee. I see few options in dealing with them.”

  “What of the sedative?”

  “We have the formula,” Zyrnox answered, “but if the Ancients’ data is accurate, any combat counteracts it. They had to sacrifice fleets in close range to continually deliver doses while not firing a shot in return. If there is even one Star Force ship in the area, they could shoot the Uriti themselves in order to wake it up.”

  “If sedated, the capture technology would then become feasible?” Mak’to’ran asked Dorchav.

  “For transport, yes, but the sedative has to be continually applied.”

  “Does Star Force use it when they transport the Uriti?”

  “No. The Uriti allow them to move them.”

  “Interesting,” Mak’to’ran mewed.

  “How so?” Sess’met asked.

  “They are not claustrophobic.”

  “Perhaps they like being away from gravity wells for prolonged periods of time even less.”

  “What of their minions? They have not been used as of yet?”

  “Not in the offensive combat,” Ollva confirmed. “They were used in the Preserve in a limited fashion. They appear to be less capable than Hadarak minions.”

  “They are biological machines,” Sess’met corrected. “They require a Uriti to direct them, otherwise they behave stupidly. I believe the Chixzon wanted strict control and the ability to order the minions directly, without having to deal with the unpredictability of lifeforms. Their control over the Uriti appeared to be very limited in and of itself, and I would guess they saw traditional minions as a potential threat of disobedience.”

  “That is Star Force’s opinion?” Mak’to’ran asked.

  “It is my opinion, based on the information we have been able to gather from the various races with access to the Preserve.”

  “Do you believe Star Force will not utilize them, or are holding them in reserve while developing them further?”

  “The Uriti cannot carry them inside their bodies like the Hadarak can, so for space combat I doubt Star Force will use them for offensive operations. Their ship’s carrying capacity is equivalent to their own drones, except their drones don’t need to eat. They may employ them as a form of planetary defense, but I suspect that Star Force finds them too crude to deploy on anything other than uninhabited worlds.”

  “They fear casualties?”

  “Of indigenous lifeforms, yes. They took great care on Terrax to remove all lifeforms in the area around the Uriti’s entry and exit points, no matter how small. They do not like sloppy operations.”

  “They care for the irrelevant,” Zyrnox countered, already irritated by the Rit’ko’sor speaking so freely to Mak’to’ran. “And it has hindered them on many occasions.”

  “Agreed on the latter part, but not the former.”

  “Explain,” Mak’to’ran urged, growing more curious with this Rit’ko’sor by the moment.

  “I have found Star Force to be neither stupid nor inefficient. If they are taking action, I presume there to be a practical purpose. It has taken me some time to define what their parameters are, and I believe I now have a basic understanding of them.”

  “I would like to hear it, in detail.”

  “Despite what others say,” Sess’met said, throwing a glance at the other regional commanders, “I believe Star Force has decided to trade short term gains for long term plays, but not in a scoring sense. I believe they have a blind philosophy towards other lifeforms. They will aid another even if they cannot see a benefit from it. That makes no sense to us, for why waste resources if there is to be no gain? I believe they assume they are not knowledgeable enough to see all angles, so they play them all. Thus they do not bother with calculations, and that gives clarity and efficiency to their entire empire.”

  “What do you mean by ‘blind?’” Dorchav asked.

  “I believe they assume the galaxy will handle the calculations, so they can simply deal with all lifeforms in the same matter and receive the benefits from those situations that are advantageous to them without deliberately trying to elicit the benefit. In this way they collect benefits that, through analysis, would have been missed. Thus they maximize the potential benefits by not trying to quantify them.”

  “How do you know it’s beneficial if you can’t do a cost analysis?” Haf’vo challenged.

  “That is the practical reason, but I also believe they would do it regardless on moral grounds. They have combined the two seeming contradictions into a unified philosophy that is easy to employ, for they take the same actions everywhere. It can simply be summed up as ‘they sacrifice no one.’”

  “The Uriti?” Mak’to’ran deduced.

  Sess’met twitched his head in agreement. “They may not have ever intended to use them in combat, caring for them altruistically in the beginning, but also to keep them from
going on uncontrolled rampages. Many races across the galaxy have brought theirs here to prevent that from occurring in their regions. I do not believe Star Force ever intended to use them as a weapon. But the weapon had other plans.”

  “And in return for the care they received they have gained an unexpected benefit?”

  “That seems to be what our spies suggest. I would also point out that the Uriti would not even talk to Star Force initially, but now converse with them regularly. Like the Hadarak, we are of no interest to them. We are irrelevant to them, as other lifeforms are to us. Because no one is irrelevant to Star Force, there is no dominance struggle. Also, we know the performance statistics for the Uriti have increased with Star Force training them, so they have given the Uriti a tangible benefit.”

  “You’re saying their ability to make friends is an asset?” Ollva asked.

  “That is a very simplified statement of a complex philosophy, but essentially you are correct. They hold a passive dominance that is displayed in their defense of others. Even those they conquer they subsequently uplift. They never destroy to destroy. This engenders them excessive good will to those with a brain to analyze it, while making them many enemies amongst the stupid,” Sess’met said, briefly glancing at his fellow regional commanders.

  “How do you suggest we defeat them?” Mak’to’ran asked bluntly.

  “They will not break, Uriti or not. We must either befriend them or destroy every last one. They will not relent, and given that they are using our own technology against us, we must bring the full power of the V’kit’no’sat to bear against them and accept the horrific losses. If we do not, and do so now, they will only grow stronger. Other civilizations weaken as they enlarge, and often crumble from within. Their rimward ally known as The Nexus is a perfect example of this. Star Force is, in fact, absorbing pieces of The Nexus that are crumbling, and the skill in which they are doing so suggests that there is no limit to the size their empire can expand to. If we wait, they grow stronger. We must act now.”

  “Befriend them?” Zyrnox asked, aghast.

  “I do not recommend it. I believe they must be eliminated. But I point out the option none the less.”

  “You still retain some sanity then,” Turo sniped.

  “Yet not enough to see clearly,” Mak’to’ran interjected. “Patience is something you also need to learn. I admit you are correct prior to the inclusion of the Uriti. If we had known how resilient Star Force truly was we should have eliminated them much sooner. Their ability to regenerate after catastrophic losses is impressive and unexpected. We erred, and we are now paying the price for it, but we will not pay it in haste. Sending our fleets to exterminate them en mass would be folly. We must find a better way to eliminate the Uriti. Until then we cannot act.”

  “They will only grow stronger in the interim,” Sess’met argued.

  “That is where we must have patience, Rit’ko’sor. Do not sacrifice in the short term to obtain something much cheaper in the long term.”

  “What do you see that I do not?”

  “An opportunity. As dangerous as the Uriti are, they cannot reproduce. Correct?”

  “All our information says that was deliberately eliminated from their genome by the Chixzon,” Zyrnox confirmed.

  “Then they are limited in number, and when compared to the whole of the Hadarak they are the lesser threat.”

  “Star Force itself is a threat.”

  “It is, but I am more interested in using them as a means to defeat the Hadarak. We have never been able to communicate with one, and even though the Uriti have been altered they are still based on the Hadarak. I want as much information about them as we can get, and I do not think your spies will be able to provide what I am seeking, though they have provided much already. The true secrets of the Uriti I believe Star Force is concealing from their allies. I want that knowledge.”

  “You wish to negotiate with them?”

  “It is they who wish to negotiate with us, and I intend to give them the opportunity.”

  “Have you received a message from them?” Zyrnox wondered.

  “They have been sending messages for some time. Dorchav’s existence is one of them. They spared him to send a message to me, as they have many others. They were sending the messages as equals, which we assumed they were not. Now with the Uriti backing them they are equals, and I am here to negotiate with them as such.”

  “I believe they are still in Terraxis,” Sess’met offered immediately, with the others stunned into silence.

  “I need to speak to their trailblazers. Do you assume one of them will remain there?”

  “There has not been a Uriti strike without one. And considering that they consider Terraxis to be their capitol, it is likely that they will have one defending there against a counterstrike from us. If not, I am sure there will be one roaming their destroyed territory nearby once contact is made.”

  “Zyrnox will return with the majority of this fleet, leaving behind only those vessels needed for surveillance. We cannot allow them to believe that they can now reclaim all of their destroyed worlds, so we need a visible presence roaming our conquered territory…but we will not engage. Sess’met will be in charge of our presence here, and he will collect data…nothing more. The rest of you will be returning with Zyrnox, but first all of you are coming with me,” Mak’to’ran said, mentally contacting the bridge and ordering his four ships to depart the system. “We are going to face our nemesis and take the measure of them personally. That much, at least, they have earned. Die they must, but we can at least give them the credit they are due for such accomplishments.”

  “To what end?” Ollva asked neutrally.

  “They would not exist if not for a failure on our part. We left their ancestors behind in Terraxis. These Humans did not ask to be born. We cannot allow them to exist in defiance of us, but we can honor the warriors that they have become and learn from them. And I would rather learn from the living than trying to draw information from their corpses. Also, I want to squash this lingering arrogance within my commanders. We are dominant because of our skills and power, not because of our name. Right now Star Force possesses a power superior to ours, yet I feel a denial of that fact here. We will adapt and overcome, as we have done before, but right now, in this moment, we are the inferior…and when we do overcome that weakness we will be stronger for it. But we cannot grow stronger if we do not admit the weakness. I will tolerate no more mistakes made from underestimating our foe.”

  “From now on, they are our equal and they have my full attention. Make sure that they have yours as well, and find me a way to fight these Uriti. That is our number one priority going forward, and we will stall as long as necessary in order to achieve it. Once we do,” he said, looking at Sess’met, “then we unleash our full power on them and wipe them from existence.”

  4

  October 26, 4833

  Terraxis System (Star Force territory)

  High Stellar Orbit

  Mak’to’ran’s four Kafcha came out of their jump shallow into enemy-held territory, having traveled the last leg at reduced speed so they could brake to a stop in a position that was unlikely to have a blockading fleet waiting for them.

  What the Era’tran saw when he arrived was worse. The reports of the size of the fleet that had been here to take the system from the V’kit’no’sat were either inaccurate, which he doubted, or they’d received far more ships since then. There were more than 120,000 of their jumpships here, but it was an even smaller vessel that immediately caught his attention.

  Tiny in comparison, the Uriti known as ‘Vardonak’ to the Chixzon and ‘Papa Smurf’ to Star Force was sitting in its own orbit around the system’s central star, so close that other vessels would have to be running high shields to ward off the continual radiation, but the Uriti didn’t have that problem, for like the Hadarak, they simply absorbed the radiation and grew stronger from it.

  Strange how such a tiny thing could be a superi
or adversary. A Hadarak of that size would be more dangerous than a starship, but something that the V’kit’no’sat could kill with ease compared to the others. None this small had ever been seen before, but Mak’to’ran knew this was no Hadarak. The weaponry it had displayed in the Preserve during their firing drills dwarfed the V’kit’no’sat’s largest Tar’vem’jic and had a similar range. Unlike most of the other Uriti designs, this one was meant to forego close in assaults on planets and simply destroy them outside the range of their defensive weapons. A change in tactics, to be sure, on the part of the Chixzon, but if they truly had lost two Uriti in ill-planned campaigns he could see the advantage of such a radical design change. Even with one as small as this.

  He knew their size would continue to grow, as the Hadarak also did, but this Uriti in particular posed a serious threat to the V’kit’no’sat as is…and it was a shame he could do nothing about it today. The four ships he had brought couldn’t do more than scratch it, not that the defending Star Force fleet would allow them to do even that much.

  Before their arrival was picked up on Star Force sensors Mak’to’ran sent out a message indicating they were here to talk, not to fight. He identified himself as the leader of the V’kit’no’sat and requested direct and private comm lines to the trailblazers here…whom his staff quickly informed him, based off of ship IDs that started to be cataloged, that there were now at least 7 present.

  That number climbed to 11 by the time he received a return message along with a set of coordinates and a promise of safe passage so long as he didn’t try anything.

  “As expected,” he said to Zyrnox, who was beside him in his private chambers. “They do not seek combat out of vengeance. They are meticulous in their scruples, and right now they sit on a site of victory.”

  “Others would shoot us on sight if they held their current powerbase.”

  “These Humans are not others. They are confident in their righteousness even in defeat, which is one reason why we cannot break them. If they are to be eliminated as a threat, it is we that must do it. They will not self-destruct.”