Star Force: Resolution (SF89) (Star Force Origin Series) Read online

  “If you think we will give up Rigall to Star Force or anyone else you have truly gone insane.”

  “If they wish it, they can awaken it from orbit. You do not have the ability to keep it here.”

  “They will not do so while there are people on the planet that would die in the removal. It is not their way.”

  “It is their way to conquer races that attack them. The Nine are content to make a deal, otherwise they will be helping in the assault whenever Star Force is ready to mount it.”

  “And the Yisv?”

  “We have not made a decision yet.”

  “Why forfeit possession of the Hamoriti if it is safely sedate?”

  “You have been deemed unfit to protect it.”

  “We have never wavered in our duty.”

  “There are many aspects to that duty, some of which you have not only failed but betrayed. The Nine are wrapping up our long held duty by moving all Hamoriti to the Preserve. Once that is complete we will assist Star Force as necessary in maintaining their containment, but the problem will no longer be our responsibility. They have the power to control them, and so long as we deliver those we hold to them we will have acquitted our duty. So long as yours remains unaccounted for and not under Star Force control it remains a potential threat. Therefore it will be removed from your custody. We would prefer a peaceful transition.”

  “No,” the Trinx said simply.

  “Do your people feel no shame for what you have done?”

  “I could ask you the same. You are giving the most powerful weapons in the galaxy to strangers that you hope will honor their word. If you are waking up the Hamoriti then the matter is even worse, for if their control of them disappears they will all be free. As of now they are sedate and how you could see the reverse as preferable is beyond us.”

  “There is partial logic in your words, but I fear it is more arrogance than anything else. With this Hamoriti removed your race loses its stated purpose for existing. If you are not a Hamoriti protector then who are you? You will have to revert to past objectives or chart a new path forward, and I sense you do not want to do that.”

  “Do you? Are you reading that from my mind or making assumptions?”

  “I am reading that in your mind, but I do not need to. It is obvious by your race’s actions.”

  “For the sake of this meeting only, assume we agreed to your terms. You admit that Star Force may not honor them. What point is there in making a deal with The Nine when they are the closer and larger threat? They have the ability to destroy us with a single Hamoriti and we know we cannot stop them. Neither can you.”

  “You just stated that they wouldn’t do such a thing.”

  “Expecting them to is a vast difference from them having the ability to do something. Yes, they can come and take Rigall whenever they wish. Their reluctance to kill us to accomplish it is the only leverage we possess and we intend to make use of it. We will not relinquish our Hamoriti and we will not evacuate the planet. If you want it, you’re going to have to take it from us by force, and we are well defended here despite our recent fleet losses.”

  “There is no need for any more of The Nine to die, on either side. I am here to find a way to resolve the matter without further bloodshed.”

  “It sounded to me like you were sent here to make demands, not negotiate.”

  “If you have a counter proposal please make it.”

  “We go our separate ways. We will not leave this system and you will not enter it. The Hamoriti will remain sedate and therefore not threaten anyone else. If we release it to Star Force and they lose control we cannot resedate it, therefore it is advantageous to keep it in its present state.”

  “That will not satisfy The Nine, and based off my judgement of them, I do not believe it will satisfy Star Force either.”

  “Their solution endangers us all,” the Trinx said conciliatorily. “While their involvement may have been necessary to reign in the rogue, waking up others is a folly that we cannot be part of.”

  “If you are so certain that they will not awaken this Hamoriti if it means killing you in the process, you who attacked and destroyed many of their ships, who are in a de facto state of war with them, what is it that you fear them doing with the Hamoriti? If they will not use them against you, then who?”

  The Trinx was hesitant to answer, suddenly caught by the logic thread. “They have the ability to destroy us. We do not think they will, but it is a gamble we are willing to take with our own lives. Are you willing to risk the galaxy on that same assumption?”

  “Yes.”

  “For what possible logic?”

  “The simple fact that since they have gotten involved the situation has improved.”

  “The rogue is temporarily contained, that is true, but the potential disaster is far higher now.”

  “All it will take to destroy the galaxy is one unchecked Hamoriti. One was woken before Star Force intervened. If they are not lying, and we do not assume they are, they cannot sedate the Hamoriti by any means different than what the Ancients used. If the Hamoriti comes under attack it will defend itself, meaning that a battle will have to be fought to sedate them. Even the original Chixzon did not have full control over them. Orders can be given, but an order to surrender itself will not take. The rogue cannot be captured again through lesser means, and if all it takes is one to doom us all, better to have them all in a single, defensible location than scattered across the galaxy.”

  “One is enough to doom us, but more than one will expedite the destruction. Given time we will be able to attain the technology level of the Ancients, then we will be able to contain waking Hamoriti.”

  Pattrel was silent for a long moment, then looked at the Trinx skeptically. “What progress have you made?”

  “We continue to study the Ancient shell and learn from the Oracle. The depths of its programming are massive, and when we prove to it that we have attained certain technology it releases more information.”

  “I was told that the Oracles did not know how the Ancients achieved delivery of the sedative to the waking Hamoriti.”

  “Whether or not that information is contained within the databanks is uncertain. Perhaps it simply requires unlocking because the task is too great for a lesser race to attempt. Even if it is not, when we attain a similar tech level to the Ancients we will be able to divine a method, whether it be the original or a new one of our own making. We will gain the ability to capture Hamoriti.”

  “Then do so as a backup to Star Force’s Preserve.”

  “We require this one to study in its slumber.”

  “Better yet to study one when it is awake. We have gained far more data from the Preserve observatories than we have gotten from the Shells. The Hamoriti, when active, are quite different.”

  “You are only allowed the data Star Force gives you. Once again you are entrusting everything to them. Rigall will remain here and we will continue to learn and advance.”

  “That will not happen given the current temperaments of those you betrayed.”

  “We are building additional defenses. The longer they delay to strike us the stronger we get. And as I’ve said, our prior defenses here were considerable to begin with.”

  2 months later…

  Pattrel walked into the grand council chamber on the Sety capitol, then switched back into its wispy form to float down a series of stairs before coalescing itself again in front of the representatives of what had been come to be known as The Seven, though none of them would claim that title in the Yisv’s presence, disrespectful as it was, though it was now true that Pattrel’s race was incapable of assisting with the protection of the Preserve where the Hamoriti were present. Their participation in this alliance was coming to a beneficial end, but until all of The Nine’s Hamoriti were relocated they were still viable to a number of missions, though the recent one had ended in utter failure.

  “They are intractable,” the Yisv reported. “Their defeat has not op
ened their minds, rather I fear it has committed them to a futile course. They will not admit error, nor culpability, and they will not surrender the Hamoriti.”

  “Fools,” the Sety said with disgust. “Don’t they realize that even if we all decided to forgive them their betrayal that they will still have to deal with Star Force? Even without using the Hamoriti, as they’ve promised not to, they have an empire containing thousands of star systems. The Trinx have but one. They cannot hold out against an invasion for long.”

  “They intend to and are building additional deterrents. As you probably know, their previous defenses were the strongest of us all, but I agree that they will not be victorious if Star Force, or we, decide to strike at them.”

  “Were no possible avenues of compromise discussed?” the Dati asked.

  “I spent many days in discussion. They will listen but nothing beyond that. Their minds are fixed on their course.”

  “And what is their course, as they see it?” the cyborg asked.

  “They believe that if they retain possession of the Hamoriti and continue to study it and the technology that contains it, they will eventually attain peerdom with the Ancients.”

  The Jonstar shook its hairy head. “They actually think they’ll be able to capture and reclaim the awoken Hamoriti, don’t they?”

  “They do,” Pattrel confirmed. “They will become, in their delusions, the counter to Star Force. Their control over the Hamoriti will be no different than the Chixzon, and the Ancients defeated the Chixzon and took their weapons from them. The Trinx aspire to this, and I believe they have for a very long time now.”

  “That’s why they relocated,” the Sety said with awe at the revelation.

  “To put everything they had into the endeavor,” the cyborg echoed with a nod. “They saw themselves rising to take an insanely high position within the galaxy, to become one of the Ancients, and Star Force’s ability to control the Hamoriti usurps even that.”

  “They have a Chixzon,” the Dati pointed out. “And they can control them as the Chixzon did.”

  “Why have we been so blind?” the Breti asked.

  “Because we have been protecting the Hamoriti to safeguard the galaxy,” the cyborg stated with considerable frustration. “They have been doing so to aggrandize themselves.”

  “We have gained much from studying the Ancient technology,” the Sety pointed out.

  “But none of us attacked the Star Force control ship.”

  “Did they not accept any of our stipulations?” the Sety asked.

  “They have announced that they’re willing to remain within their own star system. Everything they need for their ascension is there, so they’re willing to cut all ties with us and the outside.”

  “Repayment for losses?” the Dati asked.

  “Refused.”

  “They kill our people and expect us to just let it go?” the Jonstar asked.

  “They have already dismissed us. They did so when they chose to attack.”

  “Yet they accepted you without incident,” the Sety pointed out.

  “To talk. There is no reason to attack our ships, and they did not bar us from returning.”

  “What of the rest of us?” the cyborg asked.

  “No warfleets, but emissaries are permitted.”

  “How gracious,” the Bpret muttered.

  “You are certain there is no recourse?” the Dati asked.

  “I had thought there would be some traction possible, but I was wrong,” Pattrel admitted helplessly. “Unless their representative was not speaking truthfully, there is no hope of resolution. We either leave them be or face war.”

  “We don’t have the resources for that,” the Sety said honestly. “We cannot and will not absolve the Trinx without contrition, but we are not in a position to do more than offer token assistance to any invasion…the end of which I do not see clearly. Is their destruction sought, or merely subjugation? We have not discussed this before.”

  “I think,” the cyborg said before anyone else could answer, “that we will have to consult Star Force as to their plans for the Trinx. I have studied their short history, and while they are exceedingly tolerant of others there are some lines that cannot be crossed. If they are, the freedom they allow is quickly rescinded. They will deal with the Trinx harshly, and I think it would be foolish of us to act prior to their response.”

  “Are they waiting until their invasion front reaches Trinx territory?” the Bpret asked.

  “They suffered considerable ship losses in that treacherous attack,” the Dati reminded them. “They do not strike me as ones that would confront the Trinx until they had a significant advantage. They do not accept personnel losses. It may be that the expenditure of the war against the Li’vorkrachnika, the losses they suffered, and the expense of Preserve construction is causing them to delay.”

  “If we do not encounter the Trinx outside their system, are we content with leaving Star Force to decide their fate?” the Domu asked.

  The representatives exchanged glances with one another, coming to a quick consensus.

  “The Chamra will assist Star Force if battle is required,” the cyborg said, “but I do not wish to press an invasion if they do not and the Trinx do not leave their system.”

  “So the Trinx proposal has some merit?” the Yisv inquired.

  “It would seem so, but some reckoning must be had,” the Breti insisted.

  “Do we have the strength to defeat them without Star Force?” the Dati asked Pattrel.

  “They are stockpiling the vassals that had been going to the Hamoriti. We have the collective strength to defeat them, but are we willing to gather sufficient strength in light of,” he looked at the Sety, “other needs?”

  “I think our path is clear,” the cyborg decided. “If Star Force is to seek a reckoning we will assist, but doing so without their presence will cost us too much. The Trinx are not worth that sacrifice if their only concern is to hide out in their single system.”

  “And you are content with leaving them in possession of a Hamoriti?” the Sety asked.

  “I am not, but I do not wish to lose a significant portion of our fleet trying to reclaim it. Star Force should not have to bear this burden alone, but their military is far better configured to do this. They have not attempted to take more territory than they can hold and have a surplus of ships that they are using to conquer the Li’vorkrachnika. None of us has that kind of surplus, despite our larger power bases.”

  “You are saying they have been more prudent in their choices?” the Domu asked.

  “Yes,” the Yisv said, answering for the cyborg. “And such wisdom bodes well for their ability and willingness to honor their word and contain the Hamoriti.”

  “Agreed,” the Dati said. “Whatever reckoning is to come, we must coordinate with Star Force to achieve it else we will lose far too much in what could be a futile effort.”

  5

  October 30, 3288

  Epsilon Eridani System

  Yisv Embassy Station

  Pattrel was awoken at the prompt of an incoming message, his body a mere ovoid shape liquid in composition until his mind grasped hold and the material vaporized into a dense cloud that flowed out of the chamber previously holding him. He rematerialized into his standing bipedal shape, taking solid form as he tapped the control crystals to play the message from Star Force. The long discussions he and other members of the The Seven were having had finally bore fruit as an Archon had been assigned to lead the agreed upon invasion.

  That Archon was summoning the various representatives to the main embassy station shared by many races, though the more formidable races had arranged to construct their own independent ones in various orbits. The Yisv embassy drifted lazily around the system separate from any planet, requiring Pattrel to board a ship to travel to Babylon 19 that rode high in Corneria’s orbit.

  He was eager to go and was onboard an in-system transport within minutes, arriving to find the Cham
ra already present in a small section of the station reserved for The Seven. The Yisv also had a small set of chambers here where they kept a single representative on occasion, but in truth they had little interest in dealing with the other races present as others did. Their concern lie primarily with their relationship to Star Force. Beyond that there wasn’t much to concern themselves with on the busy facility, though they did like to keep aware of current events.

  Pattrel floated into the chamber and hovered behind the ring-like table at the center of the room while the Chamra sat alone.

  “The others have been delayed?” the Yisv asked.

  “Rather we are early,” the cyborg said. “I am interested in hearing this Archon’s plan. If it is sound we will support them and deal with the traitors promptly. If not I cannot justify the lives spent to deal with a now minor thorn in our side.”

  “Archons don’t have a reputation for wasting troops.”

  “Have they ever faced an opponent as advanced as the Trinx?”

  “They have already faced the Trinx once,” the Yisv pointed out, “but I do not know of any more formidable than the Li’vorkrachnika that they have faced previously.”

  “Therein lies my concern. They are used to fighting a weak enemy that masses numbers to achieve victory. The Trinx will be much harder to combat and we may see considerable losses.”

  “The Archons also have a reputation for adaption and cleverness.”

  “So I hope,” the cyborg said as the far doors slid open again and allowed the Dati representative to enter. The little triped bounced along with an energetic stride standing only 14 inches tall, then it jumped up to its platform/chair that rose higher on command to put it at eye level with the Chamra.

  Over the following hour the others arrived, leaving all eight of the races with a single representative at the table containing nine seats. Soon after the Jonstar entered the door opened again and a female Archon walked in wearing their telltale white uniforms with an identifying stripe down the side that Pattrel recognized as their highest rank of ViLord.