Star Force: Mak'to'ran (1) Page 3

  The planet beneath them was reserved for Era’tran only, and even the Zen’zat there were handpicked and trained to function in the high gravity. Most Era’tran did not live on the planet, occupying four other worlds in this system and thousands across the galaxy that belonged to them alone, not to mention the shared worlds. This one, however, was the center point for the Era’tran and the most holy location for them.

  Not because it was their homeworld, for it wasn’t. That was Aartren, located on the other side of the galactic core that they were just now skirting. Both systems were buried in the crush of navigational congestion, but anyone in the know could pick out Jamtren with ease, for it was the location of the Era’tran’s greatest victory…and most humiliating defeat.

  It was before the V’kit’no’sat had formed and the Era’tran were engaged in not one, not two, but five separate wars simultaneously against malcontents that were no longer in existence. One known as the Partrek had destroyed more than a fifth of the Era’tran population over the course of two centuries and it was on this world now below Mak’to’ran where they had their largest military stronghold. When the Era’tran eventually took it from them it broke the Partrek’s will and their industrial powerbase, leading to a collapse of their civilization and the rise to dominance of the Era’tran, who laid claim to the world and began reshaping its extensive surface area to their own purposes.

  The planet was huge and nearly hollow…as far as planets went. The interior composition was far lighter than most, allowing even more planetary volume for the 2.3g of gravity that the surface residents bore without augmentation. Standard Era’tran gravity rated at 1.2 and all their ships operated on such, as did most of their colonies, but not here. If you lived on Holloi it was expected of you to adjust, adapt, and grow stronger from it, and as such it had become a symbol for all Era’tran to identify with and test themselves against.

  So while most of the work of the capitol took place in the columns ringing the planet and on the lesser planets in the system, the surface of Holloi was sacred ground that required permission to enter…and which other races were strictly forbidden from.

  It was also the permanent residence of Hamob and many other important Era’tran that did not take an active role in day to day affairs of their race, in addition to the primary training grounds of the Hakja. The most elite of all Era’tran warriors, they normalized themselves to Holloi’s gravity in order to give themselves an advantage in combat on lighter worlds and often altered the gravity onboard their ships to match so not to weaken themselves during transit.

  There were thousands of others groups here doing equally important things, but while the original gridlocked surface of the planet had provided an industrial powerbase to the Era’tran for more than 100,000 years it was no longer present. The cities below were scattered and dense within their own borders, but the majority of the planet was left barren and wild. Even now not all of it had recovered from the damage the Hadarak had done when they’d taken it from the Era’tran long ago, but there were large swaths of purple/blue vegetation creeping out across the barrens and fighting against the contaminated soil in a natural purging process that was millions of years in the making.

  The Era’tran had decided it would be such rather than artificially accelerating the repair to the biosphere. They wanted the damage to remain as a reminder of the threat of the Hadarak for the younger generations and those who might lapse into forgetfulness, for Holloi had been ripped from the Era’tran when the Hadarak had ventured this far out, killing all on the planet and forcing a complete evacuation of the system. Reclamation of the system hadn’t occurred until the V’kit’no’sat had formed and their combined might had been enough to bloodily remove the Hadarak from one system after another…the work of which was still ongoing, for when they laid claim to a planet it was very hard to remove them, infesting multiple layers of the gravity well as they did.

  But Holloi was cleansed of their taint now, and the one world above all others that the Era’tran would never allow to fall again. To that end there was also a huge fleet of warships in orbit and spread throughout the system in addition to the civilian traffic that was comprised mainly of the females and their Zen’zat. Neither engaged in combat, though both were capable. Within the Era’tran the females ran most of the economy while the males dealt with security and training. There was no rift between them, merely a delineation of duties to which each gender was better suited.

  All races within the V’kit’no’sat also had binary gender divisions, but each dealt with them in their own way. Era’tran females were slightly smaller on average, but the primary difference between them was one of attitude. The females were hoarders, cautious to a fault, and very savvy with logistics. The males were brash just shy of being reckless, and when immediate action needed taking they would be the ones to jump in muzzle first and deal with it while the females supported from afar.

  Other V’kit’no’sat races had different divisions, each according to their own biology and cultural structure. Zen’zat had none, with the differences between males and females being negligible and irrelevant given that each individual was chosen rather than born into their ranks. They were also forbidden from reproducing, which would have been a major detraction for the females considering they carried their young internally. The Era’tran did not, laying eggs as did most of the V’kit’no’sat races, though a handful also saw live births.

  Some, like the Var’ku and Nax, were female dominated, for in both races they had the larger body structure and greater muscle mass while the males were smaller and faster. The Nax ground troops were primarily female while the Var’ku were a mix, but within all V’kit’no’sat races the gender roles were assigned based on biology and capability. Gone were the days of bias within the Era’tran and others. Efficiency was needed, and needed badly to continue to fight the Hadarak day after day for an eternity. They had to hold the line else the beasts would push out and claim new worlds…and retaking a world from them was far harder than protecting one from infestation, so due vigilance was required of all V’kit’no’sat, regardless of whether it was in direct combat or growing the infrastructure that fed the warriors the ships and weapons they continually expended to hold the Hadarak at bay within the densest part of the galactic core.

  But on Holloi there were both males and females, though no offspring. The gravity was too intense for optimal development, so no egg laying was done here. That meant every individual on this planet was here for a specific purpose…and if you did not have a reason to be here, you would not be granted access.

  Mak’to’ran held enough stature within the Era’tran that he was always allowed on the planet, but the crew of the ship that brought him was not, so the drop pod that took him down to the surface did not stay, with its Zen’zat pilots lifting off and returning to orbit the moment the former fleet commander stepped off the boarding ramp and set foot on the dry, rough ground outside the walls that encapsulated a medium-sized city.

  The extra gravity compressed his body, but he took a moment and several tiny steps as he adjusted his form to it, then Mak’to’ran respectfully walked toward the city gates that opened prior to his arrival. He passed through an invisible energy shield where the doors had been and immediately picked up the moist atmosphere inside on his nostrils along with the various scents of the city’s interior.

  As was customary, Mak’to’ran wore his armor in retracted mode, looking more like ornate jewelry than battle armor, but the shape-shifting technology of the V’kit’no’sat allowed for such a luxury. His skin was free to soak in the air aside from a tight pair of shorts covering his two legs and tail, though that was far less covering than most of the city denizens wore.

  There were many Era’tran moving about, most of which wore full body sheaths or robes that covered similar amounts and cut off inches from the ground. None that Mak’to’ran saw wore armor, and the fact that he did was a clear sign of his stature as an elite warrior…not to mention
the jewel colors set into the design that denoted him as being one of the Hakja from previous years. His current position did not include him in their active ranks, but the status remained the same so long as he didn’t forsake the warrior ways and allow his body and mind to deteriorate as some Era’tran who lost their way did.

  None of them were on Holloi, making the world a repository of the best of the best the Era’tran had to offer…as well as some of the oldest.

  Hamob wasn’t in this city, but this was where Mak’to’ran had been told to report to, specifically a plaza on the northern edge opposite from the gate he’d arrived at. That left him to walk some 38 miles, which would have been challenging for a Zen’zat, but not a warrior. Still, he didn’t want to delay, so after a patient stroll for a few he found an elevated walkway and climbed up the wide stairs onto it, standing on a flat strip that flanked the moveable pathway.

  Mak’to’ran didn’t step on it, rather he jumped across with one heavy leap and landed on the stationary mid strip. From there he stepped onto the opposite moving shield panel and felt his feet only slightly tug beneath him in a constant, yet light movement that gradually accelerated him up to many times walking speed, carrying him and others along the elevated path as they passed individuals heading the opposite direction just out of tail’s reach to his left.

  He passed along numerous sections of track, bypassing other entry/exit points with a simple mental command so his speed would not have to slow at the transition areas as he looked up at the underside of the many buildings he was passing beneath, for most were constructed of the same design as their warships with the two forward prongs contacting the ground and the opposite single shaft reaching high up into the sky. There were many such buildings marking the elevated portions of the city, but between them were shorter buildings of different design…and lesser importance.

  That said, nothing on Holloi was unimportant. Even the Zen’zat only buildings that were too small for any Era’tran to enter were valued enough to be here, for their servants were carrying out the wishes of his race and doing so with equal zeal and vigor. Having infrastructure built to accommodate their size only made them more efficient, though they also had to hold up against this gravity and were not given permission to alter it even in their private chambers.

  If one was to live on Holloi, they had to be strong. Weakness here meant exile to a ‘safer’ world while those with the will to endure would remain and grow more powerful from bearing the constant strain.

  Mak’to’ran had trained here for more decades than he could remember, but he hadn’t been back in a long time. Fortunately his body was remembering the gravity and how to flourish in it, but he knew it would be a few days before he got fully adjusted. Would he be here long enough for that, or was this to be a quick personal visit? Hamob hadn’t said, merely requesting his presence, so Mak’to’ran had mentally disconnected himself from all other tasks to make himself available for whatever the honored Era’tran wished of him.

  When Mak’to’ran came to the plaza he got off the Satu track and walked down into the sea of statues depicting key individuals or events in Era’tran history. All were lifesize, including the one of the Era’tran Ultra known as Barskyn, who was still alive and living on another world, but his efforts during the Rit’ko’sor rebellion earned him a place of honor here amongst the statues of the many honored dead from Era’tran history.

  Mixed in with the statues were the living moving about doing a variety of things, most of whom were simply passing through the plaza enroute to elsewhere, but there were a pair waiting beside Hamob’s statue as if they were its bodyguards, with both twitching to alertness as Mak’to’ran approached them with his warrior armor glittering in the blue sunlight.

  “I am Mak’to’ran,” he announced when standing before them. “I have been summoned.”

  “That you have,” the Era’tran on the left said, with both being dressed in short, black robes that dropped down to knee level and no further. “Follow.”

  Mak’to’ran did as instructed without asking for any further information as the pair led him across the plaza and eventually to the edge of the city where there was a vehicle bay. They procured a barge that all three walk onto, then the floating platform silently moved them out of the bay and through the nearby city gate.

  The dry air hit Mak’to’ran again as his escorts flew the barge across the barren ground for a great distance, traveling so fast that a wind screen popped up to ease the transit for the passengers. The rocky, sand-blasted terrain passed by quickly, but after some time sprouts of vegetation began popping up in places they had no right being…evidence of the hardy plants fighting back against the devastation in their own small way.

  As they continue on more appeared, then in the blink of an eye they were decelerating and entering a wide path through a fully regrown forest where the air moistened a bit, but was still fairly dry for more than an hour before a burst of humidity hit Mak’to’ran just prior to the path moving onto a wide curve on the edge of a dropoff that gave them a brief theatrical view of a lush valley with a huge waterfall on the far side…

  But it disappeared after a few seconds as they were once again back inside the thick vegetation and continuing to move on down the path that had yet to see another barge or even foot traffic on. This was completely uninhabited terrain as far as Mak’to’ran could tell and over the remainder of their journey he saw nothing to dissuade him from that assessment all the way up to the foot of the structure all but hidden inside a wall of vegetation on the edge of a small circular clearing where the barge finally stopped.

  “He is here, and here you will remain,” one of the escorts said as Mak’to’ran stepped off onto damp but firm soil covered in a thick, short grass. He flicked his nostrils in a gesture of acceptance, then the barge rotated around and took back off down the path that Mak’to’ran now saw had a second exit from the plaza, heading elsewhere he didn’t know, but it seemed his escorts were going to return to the city.

  Drawing in a deep breath and relishing in the feel of life flourishing under the crush of the high gravity, Mak’to’ran stepped towards the entry staircase as lightly as he could and searched for a mind inside, finding none. Yet when he came to the flat platform on top the single door into the facility rose up revealing three archways.

  Mak’to’ran squinted, suspecting some kind of test as he tried to determine which of the three he was meant to take. His first guess was a hidden telepathic transponder, but there were none to find, and rather than choosing one at random he held position considering his options until the tiny grooves in the red/black stone beneath his feet finally caught his attention.

  Using his Pefbar he examined them closely, barely able to make out the tiny writing. One with lesser skill with the psionic would not have been able to read the markings, and Mak’to’ran was glad he had, for two of the pathways suggested light punishments for a lack of awareness. The third and far right granted access to ‘he who is aware or lucky’ and Mak’to’ran respectfully entered through that archway with the wide door lowering over all three entrances and sealing him off from the outside as the lights ahead of him flicked on in sequence leading him around a corner and down a twisting staircase.

  4

  His walk did not take long, for as soon as the staircase ended Mak’to’ran was on the edge of a large bowl-shaped room that had a small pool in the epicenter…a standard Era’tran design for living quarters, but the various items scattered around the room didn’t quite fit. Instead of personal items there was a mix of statues and equipment, most of it holographic in nature and data related, but with a very spartan feel to it. Era’tran were notoriously annoyed by clutter, and while the amount of equipment spread around the room might have fit that description for others, the precise way everything was arranged and loose items lined up in rows or placed in appropriate spots suggested that this was a work zone rather than a personal mess.

  But no one was here. There were two doorways le
ading out on the far side, but Mak’to’ran respectfully held his position while telepathically announcing himself with an identity ping. In response a looming presence entered his mind and tried to fight past his natural resistances, to which he reflexively pressed back…only to have the other mind increase its power. There was a quick struggle that took Mak’to’ran to his limits, then just as his painstakingly trained mental defenses were crumbling under the assault the pressure lifted and the threat was gone.

  So young, a voice said telepathically as Mak’to’ran finally picked up on another mind just before a doorway opened and another Era’tran walked in. He was slightly bigger than Mak’to’ran, but his musculature was less prominent. None the less he was fit, trim, and a proper vessel for the monstrous mind that had just sized Mak’to’ran up.

  “You summoned me?”

  “I did,” Hamob answered, walking down the incline on the far side until he stood on the edge of the pool. “There is much that needs discussed. Be seated.”

  Mak’to’ran walked down his side of the incline to the flat outcropping indicated, feeling his feet sink in slightly on the padded material as he rotated around in a full circle, dragging his tail into a spiral that he then sat back on heavily as he dropped to his knees, forming a tripod seating position that Hamob mirrored on another pad.

  “Are you away I was recalled to Itaru?”

  “I am not surprised, but no, I was not informed of that at the time. Nor do I care. The Era’tran are in danger, and we must take decisive action.”

  Mak’to’ran’s eyes widened slightly as his slit-like pupils contracted. “The Oso’lon or the J’gar?”

  Hamob shook his large head, swaying the dangling jewelry from the crown-like object he wore on it, but Mak’to’ran knew better than to assume it was purely decorative, though he couldn’t place the item in his memory. It may have been civilian in nature, or perhaps something custom Hamob had made.