Star Force: Return to Earth Read online

  “So I have learned. Will they not try and eliminate you?”

  “If I am lost the V’kit’no’sat will not be gravely harmed,” he said humbly. “I am important, but not vital. My loss would not be a death blow.”

  “Others would disagree.”

  “The wounds of the past are healing. We are not on the verge of another civil war, Zyrnox. Most who spurred the first one are now dead anyway.”

  “You expect them to honor their word?”

  “To the letter, which is why you will make sure our ships do nothing to provoke them while I am in conference. This could take some time, and I do not want our position here compromised by those overeager to defend our dominance.”

  Zyrnox huffed once, sensing a mild rebuke to himself along with that warning. “You need not fear, Mak’to’ran.”

  “There are things I must discuss with them that you are not permitted to know, so I leave command of my ships to you for the duration.”

  “How you deal with their heresy is your prerogative. Do you expect them to keep the comm private?”

  “Probably, though they have made no promise to that and I will not demand it. We are in the lesser position here, Zyrnox, and it is one that I do not believe you or the others are acclimated to.”

  Zyrnox suddenly realized that Mak’to’ran had been in this position before, when he had been branded a rebel by Itaru and forced to continually flee their pursuit.

  “I understand now, and you are correct. I do not believe I could tolerate their smugness long enough to do whatever it is you intend to do. I will be on the command deck if you require me further,” the Voro’nam said, sending a telepathic ping of respect as he turned and exited the private chambers.

  It wasn’t long after that the ships came into orbit over a planet further out than Terraxis. The V’kit’no’sat only had a catalog number for it, but the Humans had named it ‘Mars’ and it still held the scars of ancient battle, for the V’kit’no’sat had no reason to erase them on a world they were not going to inhabit.

  A large Star Force fleet was waiting nearby, but not at the rendezvous coordinates. Instead there were 13 of their command ships, and from the updated information his staff was collecting it appeared each of them held one of their rare and formidable warlords that the V’kit’no’sat had never been able to capture or kill.

  Mak’to’ran activated his holographic transmitter and waited, eventually seeing 13 smaller images appear before him. He enlarged them as much as he could so it appeared they were standing before him in life size, though he had to make some appear in the air at head height to make them all fit properly. He wanted to see as much of their body language as possible, and as he looked at them he saw one in particular that he remembered.

  “Ethan-014, this is the second time we speak here.”

  “Still not dead yet, am I?” the Human mocked.

  “Obviously not.”

  “Well, we’re still born of Zen’zat and you’ve still got to kill us because of your stupid rule, so what exactly are you here to talk about? Last time you were searching for information before you launched your assault, but unless those four ships are really advanced I’m thinking that’s not why you’re here this time.”

  “I did not come here to fight, and I was not eager to destroy you the first time, if you remember.”

  “Seemed pretty eager to me…unless we were actually Zen’zat pretending otherwise, which we weren’t. You believe that now?”

  “You are no Zen’zat. That I am assured of.”

  “But we still have to die?”

  “I was assigned to come here as Fleet Commander last time, and sparing you wasn’t a decision I could make. Now I come to you as the sole leader of the V’kit’no’sat, and I hold much leniency.”

  “You’re going to revoke our death sentence?”

  “The reason for the death mark remains. You have our power but are not under our control. You have stolen it from us…despite your claims as to having recovered it. I still do not know how you originated, but it is of little importance now. You are not Zen’zat, and you are not working for one of our races, that much I know, but there is still something about your origins that you are not revealing.”

  “I’ll throw you a bone and confirm that much,” Ethan offered. “So why are you here, exactly?”

  “You invited me.”

  “Not that I can recall, no.”

  “You have done so indirectly, and now you are in a position of minimal leverage. Thus I am listening.”

  “It’s pretty simple,” Ethan said, speaking on behalf of the other trailblazers as they were all mind linked together and discussing things in private across the battlemap network. “Go away and don’t come back.”

  “I cannot do that. The reason for the rule is more important than the rule itself. You did not create the power you wield, you took it from us. I admit you have done more with it than expected, and for that you deserve credit, but you cannot keep it. We tolerate no rogue races, even of Zen’zat. Once part of the empire, you do not leave it.”

  “So you want us to join it?” Ethan asked oddly.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “We do hate your guts, just so you know, but we’re listening.”

  “I do not take orders from Itaru, I give them, and they will abide by whatever agreement we reach here even if they do not like it…so long as the reason is satisfied. You cannot remain independent, but if you agree to join the empire we can end this war immediately and I can give you considerable lenience in your daily affairs.”

  “Specify.”

  “You are not Zen’zat, and therefore cannot serve as Zen’zat unless you forfeit the powers you did not earn in the proper manner. You will not do this and I am not asking it, but it means you cannot be part of the empire as it is. However, the V’kit’no’sat dominate the inner half of the galaxy and many have suggested we expand outward as well. We have been suppressed with stagnation for some time, so much so that we do not even know the major powers on the Rim unless they interfere with us. I can commission your civilization to work on our behalf in the rim, never crossing into our existing territory and intermixing with the rest, but you would be part of the empire and no longer rogue. That would allow me to remove the death mark against you.”

  “I’m curious why didn’t you offer this before?”

  “I was not leader of the V’kit’no’sat before.”

  “I mean more recently.”

  “I had thought we would destroy you and end the problem. Now that destruction has become extremely complicated.”

  “No kidding,” Ethan said with a cruel smirk. “Why do you think we would agree to this now that we’ve finally kicked you out of our former territory?”

  “Because you do not crave war. You seek to preserve life at every turn. If I am forced to bring our full might against you and your Uriti you will be destroyed, but it will be a bloody war on both sides, and if that can be avoided with negotiation then negotiation is preferable.”

  “So you want us to work for you or Itaru?”

  “For me personally. Itaru would not have authority over you. Only I would.”

  “And if you were killed?”

  “Safeguards could be made regarding that eventuality.”

  “And what changes would you demand of us?”

  “Few. You have unlocked potential in the Zen’zat genome that we have not, thus it follows that we allow you to continue on your path so that we may learn more to further enhance our own Zen’zat, but you could not run freely in all cases. I would give limited direction to keep you within bounds, but how you deal with the other races you’ve accumulated I care not.”

  “And our Mavericks?”

  “Those currently enhanced would be permitted, but the enhancing of others must end. If you need more Archons, breed more, but keep the powers to your own race.”

  “Now that is a shock,” Ethan said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re tel
ling Zen’zat to breed?”

  “As I said before, you are not Zen’zat. It would take time to define what you are within the empire, but I am not unreasonable. You have shown prowess in battle and strategy, and I would be a fool to ignore and bury it. I wish to turn your power into an advantage for the V’kit’no’sat, as well as to reward you for the accomplishments in battle that you have demonstrated thus far. You should not have survived a century, yet here you are persisting onward and growing stronger with the passage of time. I need the V’kit’no’sat to be as strong as possible, and letting you work on the Rim outside our current borders keeps the balance within us intact along with your own powerbase.”

  “Are you aware of the events concerning the Rajch System?”

  “I am.”

  Ethan smiled. “Is that what prompted this meeting? Or were you close by when we took this system?”

  “Rajch and the other assaults with Uriti made it clear that I could no longer trust in my subordinates to deal with you, so I came myself.”

  “Did we get your shipyards? Roger hasn’t made it back yet, so we haven’t been informed.”

  “You destroyed them all and exited the system with your fleet intact. Why has it not returned yet?”

  “He had to take the long way to get there. You guys are camping on the fast jumplanes.”

  “It was a well-executed strike, and the fact that you didn’t kill my people needlessly tells me there is a chance for us to collaborate. You are not out for blood, and I can cancel the death mark by reuniting you with us. The elaborateness of that reunion will not be well accepted, but I will make it fixed over time. I should have dealt personally with you prior to now, but my main concern has been the Hadarak. My main concern is still the Hadarak, and your knowledge of the Uriti is worth enough to compensate in the minds of others for the leniency I am showing you.”

  “You try to murder us for more than a millennia and now you say you’re showing leniency? Your arrogance is astounding.”

  “You may have datafiles on the empire, but you truly do not understand it. What may appear as arrogance to you is not. I know the arrogant, and have fought and killed many of them within the V’kit’no’sat. I do not come to you now with arrogance. I am here trusting in your word, offering an end to the war while putting myself in a vulnerable situation. You are honorable, and because of that I know we can come to an agreement that is mutually beneficial.”

  “You know, I’ll admit your offer is tempting,” Ethan said honestly. “Not because of the reasons you think, but because The Nexus is collapsing and we’re trying to save as many people out there as we can…only we can’t because we’re having to fight you just to survive. The idea of turning our full resources to the Rim is tempting, and we do like negotiating…we like it a lot, actually, but there’s one factor you’re not considering.”

  “And that is?”

  “All of our friends you’ve killed. We won’t forget them, and their deaths mean that we will never join you, under any circumstances. If you want an end to this war, then simply leave. We won’t make a promise that we will not attack you, but as I’ve said we have a lot of people in the Rim that need saving and that’s going to occupy most of our time.”

  “We also have an agreement with the Uriti,” Morgan interrupted. “They hate you, almost as much as we do…maybe even more, it’s hard to tell.”

  “And what is that agreement, exactly?”

  “We stop holding them back and let them help us fight you, up until this war is over one way or another. After which, if we survive, we take them to see their cousins in the Core. So your proposal won’t fly with them, and be honest, they’re the real reason you are here.”

  “What I have said has not been dishonest. I truly do wish to utilize you on the Rim and learn from what others will call heresy. We have become too regimented over time, and you have broken free from it and gained unexpected power. I am interested in that, but you are correct in saying that my main concern is with the Uriti…but not just for the obvious threat they pose to us. They are born from Hadarak, changed as they may be, and you have the ability to converse with them. We have never, in our entire 6 million year history, been able to get even a moment of communication with the Hadarak.”

  “We are…” he continued “the hunters of the Hadarak. Their destruction is the reason the V’kit’no’sat exist. Compared to them, you are nothing. If I can gain knowledge of the Hadarak from you, it will override any heresy you have committed, intentional or accidental. You underestimate how important this is to us.”

  5

  “We’re not going to join your empire,” Ethan said flatly. “And as long as you continue to put your own dominance above all else and refuse to learn, you will always be our enemy. Change your ways and that might be different, but if you did that you would no longer be V’kit’no’sat. Your datafiles are quite clear. You must be in control of everything, and that which is not under your control obsesses you. That is why you are consumed with the Hadarak, and that is why you are here now. You won’t hesitate to kill anyone that opposes you, even if they are in the right, and because of that we will always be enemies.”

  “Then so be it. Even with the Uriti you cannot stand against our full might. I am offering you a chance to end the war and you are refusing it. Which of us is truly arrogant?”

  “Can you bring our dead back to life?” Sara-012 asked.

  “You have Kich’a’kat the same as we do.”

  “The long dead,” the trailblazer clarified.

  “We cannot. I cannot. But I can offer you a future.”

  “We have a saying, Mak’to’ran. It’s ‘Death before Dishonor.’ It means there are more important things than simply staying alive. We will not betray our dead friends by allying with their killers. You are a threat that has to be stopped, and you can do that yourself by changing your ways, but so long as that threat exists, not only to us but others, we will not stop pursuing it any sooner than you will stop pursuing the destruction of the Hadarak. It is why we exist.”

  “Our goals are not wholly incompatible, and with adjustment we could come to a resolution.”

  “To do that you’d have to stop being the bad guys,” Ethan said bluntly. “I don’t even think you understand how to do that.”

  “Life is important, but not nearly as much as you suggest. Sometimes death is needed to accomplish important goals.”

  “And there you have it,” Sara added. “Death is only necessary for a threat that cannot be eliminated in another manner. If someone is not a threat, then death is not acceptable. Killing Zen’zat offspring is unacceptable, because you have the ability to remove their psionics. You never even bothered, did you? You just kill them because it’s simpler and creates a greater deterrent to disobedience.”

  “Yes,” Mak’to’ran admitted.

  “Killing for the sake of a deterrent is wrong.”

  “There we disagree. If so warned and ignored, the death is warranted.”

  “How were we warned about being born?” Ethan asked, with the trailblazers still relying on him as the point man in this conversation.

  “Your progenitors were, and they made a choice. Blame them, not us.”

  “That’s a dodge. You are penalizing us for their actions, with death. We were not warned. We did not disobey. You are killing us because it is convenient.”

  “Your deaths are anything but convenient,” Mak’to’ran quipped.

  “Because we have the power to oppose you. Those that don’t you just squash under your largess and think nothing of it. That is why you are the bad guys and why we will fight you until you are either dead or change. See, we give you an out. We give you an option that you don’t give others. And we only fight you because you are a threat to us and others. If you mind your own business we don’t bother you. You bother everything and everyone because you think it is your right as the dominant. And the dominant dictate everything, don’t they?”

  “The dominant have
responsibilities as well, and we cannot spend unlimited time hunting down code breakers and dealing kindly with them. The death marks are efficient and effective because they are a deterrent and an elimination of any who break the code, so they are not around to break other aspects of it later. This allows us to apply our strength where needed…which is against the Hadarak.”

  “Unacceptable,” Paul-024 said. “Everyone has a right to live, and you’re ignoring it because they’re inconvenient. Well, a lesson about the Uriti…they considered us to be too small to talk to until we proved ourselves worthy. And if we don’t display care for those lesser than us, why should we expect them to?”

  “I was told you were able to communicate through a Chixzon alteration?”

  “We can,” Ethan answered, “but that’s more like ordering. We’ve learned to talk to them as well when they don’t have to obey. We, and even your big ass, are considered ‘little beings’ by them. They do not care about little beings, but we’ve proven to be helpful to them and even close to being friends. However, if we come between them and the Hadarak, we’re pretty sure they will choose the Hadarak. And you’re killing the Hadarak. Starting to get the picture?”

  “You’re saying the Hadarak won’t talk to us because we are not helpful to them?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Despite the number of them we have killed?” Mak’to’ran asked in disbelief. “Surely that would gain their attention if they hold a bond to each other as your Uriti seem to suggest.”

  “There’s your problem,” Paul added. “You’re trying to be the dominant one. You’re not, they are, so when you try to speak to them from a dominant position…well, how did you respond to us? You said you’re here to talk to us now because the Uriti got your attention. You didn’t bother to come before because you were busy with more important matters. Maybe the Hadarak are busy and see you as nothing more than annoying ants that need to be stepped on.”