Star Force: Ringworld (SF80) Read online

  “Good. We’re going to need them. As it is we’re already stretched thin.”

  “May I ask a question?”

  “Technically you just did,” Rio pointed out as the wind blew through his neon red hair. “Go ahead.”

  “What is our Clan objective, long term?”

  “You mean why aren’t we joining the army heading to the lizard core?”

  “No…and yes. I meant in a larger context, but that was also a question I had.”

  Rio briefly searched the much larger biped’s mind. “As to why we’re not going to the core, others have already claimed those spots. I didn’t because they had it covered and our troops are a lot greener than I like. We need more experience and throwing them against the heaviest lizard worlds isn’t my first choice.”

  “The lizards are fierce no matter what their numbers are.”

  “True. It’s more the special surprises they might have in store. They typically don’t go to such extremes on their smaller worlds. You’re wondering why we’re not claiming worlds for our own when other Clans are?”

  “What are we gaining if we do not?”

  “Experience, and it’s not about pure gain. We’re taking these bastards out because it needs to be done. Don’t mistake our trials system for our motivation. We fight to fight, not for reward.”

  “I do not mean to argue, but other Clans are doing just that.”

  “The Ninja Monkeys?”

  “And the RaSeru.”

  “Both of them negotiated separate deals with Director Davis and have taken up the role of defensive Clans. Shields that are guarding the coreward wall against the other half of the lizard empire and others. We are relatively safe here, as are the others, and we do not have to devote excessive resources to holding this planet. We’re not going to get careless, but we’re building to attack rather than defend.”

  “How then are we to grow other than through trials?”

  “Let me worry about that. It’s not so much a competition as a by need basis. We’ll have the worlds we require to fuel our focus…which is building a comprehensive Clan. Others are specializing, but we cannot afford that luxury. We can have no weaknesses. This requires a great deal more effort and a slower pace of expansion that the others. I have accepted this and resigned ourselves to developing stronger units rather than pursuing material gains and war campaigns as others have.”

  “But to what eventual end? Are not the lizards our most powerful enemy? If they are falling then what are we patiently building toward?”

  “Would it help you to know that they are not our most powerful enemy?”

  Braskon twitched, and Rio could sense that he’d never considered that. “The Skarrons?”

  “No…others. Others that have not yet reached our borders. The other trailblazers and myself must keep an eye on distant and possible threats in addition to the current ones. You will not be made aware of them until needed, but I must plan ahead with regards to how we develop this Clan. Defeating the lizards here is extremely important, but it is not our highest objective.”

  “And may I ask what it is?”

  “To prepare to survive against an enemy stronger than us, and wholly superior. Clan Rwby must improve, and it is improvement that is our primary focus. Fighting the lizards accomplishes that and the removal of those bastards, so we achieve two goals with one action, but the larger challenge is in upgrading ourselves. Clans Ninja Monkey and RaSeru are embracing the current threats in a way to grow their battle experience and give us time to focus on development to counter future threats. Do you understand?”

  “Not as much as I would like.”

  “There are a great many secrets we keep, and we keep them for a reason. It is better for people like you to focus on the tasks at hand and not get distracted with everything else going in Star Force. For the few like me we have to, in order to prepare for the future and not get blindsided. In a way I envy you, but I also understand you needing a purpose beyond just following orders, so I will share this with you, on the condition that you do not speak of it with anyone else…”

  The Calavari nodded.

  “We have knowledge of many races beyond our borders with technology superior to us. We are not in conflict with them at this moment, but we cannot count on their good graces going forward, or luck. We have to become just as strong, if not stronger, to truly protect our empire…and my plans for this Clan directly tie into that primary objective.”

  “How far behind them are we?”

  “Too far.”

  Braskon considered that. “Is that why the Clans were formed?”

  “Partially. We are here not only to fight the toughest battles, but to figure out how to do things that we can then pass on to the mainline and faction troops to strengthen them.”

  “I came here because you requested Calavari ground troops, specifically, over Bsidd. Most people see us as inferior to them. What do you know differently?”

  “Consider it me playing a hunch.”

  “A hunch?”

  “You may not realize this, but when making improvements you often must tread a path without knowing where you’re going. You experiment and often fail until you find a means of success. We often go on hunches to decide where to proceed and how, and we’ve gotten good at it.”

  “We are better pilots, but in ground combat our scores are not superior to the largest Bsidd.”

  “And they reproduce far faster, I know. Still, I sense an advantage with the Calavari that I want to explore in more depth. Hence your invite and our troops needing combat experience against the lizards…without getting in over our heads.”

  Braskon looked back out over the training fields from the main observation tower that doubled as a command center and barracks that stood some 34 levels high with the platform they were currently on being an outcropping at the very top. “What have you learned so far?”

  “Don’t try to wrestle a Bsidd. They have far too many limbs.”

  Braskon huffed, slightly amused. “I meant about us.”

  “All those who want to fight should be able to. I have nothing against the Bsidd, but in this Clan we’re focusing on less known troop configurations.”

  “Doing more with less?”

  “Do you consider me less for only having two arms?”

  The Calavari growled. “You have other skills, and are far stronger than you look.”

  “And what of the Human Commandos?”

  “They are physically inferior to Calavari, but their combat records attest otherwise.”

  “Exactly. Brute force is only one way to fight, and each race needs to test and develop their own capabilities, right down to the individual differences. Customization is the key, and Clan Rwby is going customize Calavari more so than your faction has.”

  “And then share with them what we have learned?”

  “In time, yes.”

  “Are the other Clans doing the same, in different ways?”

  “We each are pursuing ways to strengthen the empire and testing and developing them in the Clans. This is the way I’ve chosen to proceed, without Bsidd and a few other things. We are one of the few Clans shooting for a balanced alignment. Most others are specializing in something.”

  “So we will be the best at nothing?”

  Rio raised an eyebrow. “We did win this world over all the others.”

  Braskon smiled. “That we did.”

  “Trust me,” Rio requested. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done something like this.”

  “I do trust you, trailblazer. I just don’t see why we can’t keep a planet or two.”

  “In time we may, but right now a larger population and more resources is pointless. We have to improve our quality, and only training and combat experience will accomplish that. Let the Ninja Monkeys take as many lizard worlds as they can. We’ll exceed them in the end. Too much combat means too little training. We have the luxury of choosing our fights. Sometimes they do not.”

 
; “So it is a competitive race then, Clan against Clan?”

  “It is.”

  “To spur improvement to prepare for future wars?”

  “If it comes to that, yes.”

  “And the lizards are…”

  “An enemy we cannot take lightly, and one that must be removed now before they can grow any more powerful.”

  Braskon clapped his upper arms together, punching fist into palm. “That is what I needed to hear. May I tell them as much?”

  Rio glanced down at the nearest group of Calavari sparring with combat drones on a grassy field. “About the lizards, yes. Don’t worry them about the distant threats. If they come our way I’ll give you the heads up when needed. Best right now to focus on the lizards and your training.”

  “That we will. How soon will we depart?”

  “As soon as we hit 6,000. The rest of the troops are already at the qualifier marks.”

  “Even if we do not lay claim to the planet, we still can claim credit for liberating it single handedly?”

  “Oh, we’re definitely keeping count,” Rio assured him. “Gonna build a monument somewhere to post the Clan’s achievements, just haven’t gotten around to picking the spot yet.”

  Rio woke up with a yell, his arms burning as he sat up in bed and tore the coverings off him, dumping the thin blanket on the floor as he found himself in a sweaty sheen with a very nasty headache. His hands and forearms were in so much pain he had to hold himself perfectly still for a few seconds to get his panicking mind under control and lock down on his bodily control. After he did that he sat still and tried to figure out what was happening.

  As far as he knew he’d gone to sleep after a heavy workout and was out like a light after a few minutes…only to wake up now in a state of agony. Looking around his quarters he couldn’t detect anything amiss, no threats or debris. The ceiling was intact and hadn’t fallen on top of him. Everything seemed normal save for his body. As the seconds went by he began to realize that he felt like he’d just gone through an ascension, but that wasn’t possible when one was asleep, for it required a considerable conscious effort to achieve…plus he didn’t feel that bad, save for his arms, and his next ascension, whatever it might be, would have peaked him into a cascade frenzy that he did not want to even think about, and he would have stopped an ascension from reaching completion multiple times before seeing it through.

  Which was why he did not understand what had just happened, or was happening to him. Maybe this was some type of illness or a toxin. Maybe he had been poisoned?

  Whatever the case was he had to get to the medbay, so he rolled out of bed and let himself fall to the floor on his hands and knees, thoroughly exhausted and far more than any workout could have accomplished. He was about to force himself into a painful walk when his arms finally got to the point that he could not tolerate any longer. Rio sat back on his heels and stopped leaning on his hands, trying to steady himself and slip into a healing trance right then and there to diminish the damage.

  As he did so he glanced down at what appeared to be unmarked flesh with no visible sign of why they were hurting so bad. They weren’t even red, and moving them made it hurt just a tiny bit worse so he tried not to…but then he saw something in his palm and turned his hands over fully to get a better look, for they were totally numb with pain, otherwise he would have felt it when he laid his hands on the floor.

  Both of his palms had slits in them, not bloody, but almost like orifices directly in the center of each hand.

  “What the hell?” he said with a grimace as he forced himself to his feet and headed for the door.

  6

  The door into the nearest medical bay opened and Rio stumbled inside, pain evident on his face and his arms held out in front of him as steady as he could manage.

  “Help…” he said calmly.

  “What’s wrong?” one of two visible medtechs asked as she walked over to him.

  “I’m not sure…get me numbed up and under a scanner. My arms are killing me.”

  “Over here,” she said, pointing to a nearby bed as the other medtech raced off to get an injector. “What happened?”

  “I woke up like this,” Rio said, rolling onto the bed as the scanning equipment extruded itself from the wall and moved out over top of him. “I think it might be ascension based. Pull the data from my biomonitor from the past few hours as well,” he said with a grimace as the other medtech came back with a sedative.

  “Local injection,” Rio specified. “Both forearms, and make it heavy. I can handle the rest of it.”

  “Hold on a second,” he said as he adjusted the dosage, having to run back and grab a different canister. A few seconds later he was back and pressed the tip of the small cylinder against the top of Rio’s right wrist. A moment later the trailblazer lost all feeling in his right arm below the elbow and most of the feeling all the way up to his shoulder. His arm slumped against the tabletop, with his other soon to follow.

  “Ah hell…” Rio said in relief, despite the persistent headache. “Thank you.”

  “If this is an ascension, it’s out of our league. Do you want us to call someone with a higher rating?”

  “Get Trofsky in here…even if he’s busy.”

  The medtechs exchanged glances and the man hurried off, leaving the woman to tend to Rio. “What else can I do?”

  “Tell me what is in my palms.”

  “Your palms?” she said with a frown, reaching down and turning his numb left hand over. “Oh…that doesn’t look like damage, it looks like a splitting growth.”

  “Look inside it…and my forearms. Tell me what you see.”

  The medtech focused the scanner on those areas, pulling a more detailed analysis, but that wasn’t necessary to see the large new organs located in each arm. “What the hell?”

  “There’s something there?”

  “Yes…I don’t know what, but it’s long and large and in both arms. Ends just shy of the elbow and runs all the way up to the wrist…with a connecting tether to those slits on your hands.”

  Rio laughed loudly, having no clue how this could have happened.

  “Do you know what this is?”

  “I think so. Tell me what’s inside those glands.”

  “They look like containers, mostly empty right now, but there is some type of fluid. I’ll need a minute or two to identify it.”

  “Take your time. I think it’ll be hydrogen based.”

  “Why?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “You said you just woke up with these?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t have so much as a twitch before I went to sleep.”

  “I thought ascensions required effort to trigger?”

  “They do,” Rio said warily. “Which is why I don’t understand this.”

  “But you have a hunch?”

  “Yeah I do. Tell me whatever you can.”

  “Well, for starters, there’s a lot of microdamage in your arms.”

  “Flash growth. Been there before.”

  “Was the pain this bad?”

  “Ah…no. But this time it’s mostly local to my arms rather than my entire body.”

  “How’s your head?”

  “Hurting, but tolerable. I need to stay conscious, so don’t numb me up any more.”

  “I won’t. Looks like there’s some type of solidified gasses in your new glands.”

  “Solidified?”

  “There’s some type of a binder keeping them from blowing up like a balloon, but they’re reading as gasses on the second level scan. I can go more sensitive?”

  “What gasses?”

  “Hydrogen, like you said, but also nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.”

  “Variable…son of a bitch,” Rio muttered.

  “If you can tell me what this is, please do. If it’s an Archon secret I understand.”

  “It’s something new. Something we have no data on.”

  “But you know what it is?”

&nb
sp; “I think so.”

  “Ok…” she said, shrugging.

  “Get the regenerator,” Rio said, deciding to find out for himself.

  “We don’t have it here, if you’re meaning the special one. It’s on the other side of the planet last I knew.”

  “It’s alright. Just get Trofsky here and record as much data as you can in the interim.”

  “That I can do,” she said, wishing she could be of more help.

  “I think it’s a weapon,” Rio told her.

  “A biological weapon?”

  “Not in the traditional sense, but yes. I’m hoping it is.”

  “That you know nothing about? How did it get inside you in the first place?”

  “Sorry, that falls under the secret category.”

  “Must be one hell of a secret.”

  “It is,” Rio said, staring at the equipment over top of him. “It is.”

  “Rio, what happened?” Trofsky asked when he came in and saw him lying on a med table.

  “Feels like an ascension, but it happened in my sleep,” he told his Clan’s top medtech. “I need data. Focus on my forearms and hands.”

  “I can take it from here,” he said, glancing at the now four other medtechs standing by and watching. “Give us some privacy.”

  “Above our clearance?” one of them asked.

  “Possibly,” Trofsky admitted. “There’s nothing you can do to help anyway.”

  The medtech nodded and the four of them walked out of the room, closing doors behind them as they left.

  “Your dreams?”

  “I think so, but I can’t remember anything this time.”

  “You’ve never had pain before, have you?”

  “Never. It’s like I had an ascension in my sleep that I can’t remember.”

  “This is incredible,” the medtech said as he looked over the obvious data that had been collected.

  “What’s your take?”

  “Can you activate them?”

  “I had them numb my arms.”

  “That bad?”

  “Extremely.”

  “Well, there is a hell of a lot of new tissue in there…and it looks like some of your other pieces had to be relocated. Jumat particle density in your arms has increased, which I assume is to compensate for the loss of volume in the new areas. Your musculature has also altered to accommodate the pouches. That’s probably where the bulk of your pain is coming from. It didn’t just add muscle tissue, it looks like it tore it apart first to relocate it. How was your range of motion before you got numbed?”