Star Force: Quenar (SF88) (Star Force Origin Series) Read online

  “And we will guard the control of this Uriti against anyone who tries to steal or destroy that control. Already a race called the Trinx have betrayed and attacked us, so please understand that we are not in a trusting mood. I know your empires and races have questions and concerns, which I will address in time, but for now you need to accept that we are in control here and will be further cementing that control over time. Right now we are building an embassy station that is mobile enough to avoid the Uriti if it should come our way. There will be no fixed installations within the Preserve that we are not willing to lose, and any such expendable infrastructure will not be permanently inhabited. While we can order the Uriti, the level of that control has not been fully tested yet, though doing so is on our to-do list.”

  “We will test and learn about this Uriti while building infrastructure that will be able to move and stay out of its way. Those of you who are agreeable will be allowed to establish and maintain an embassy on this station for a variety of purposes. Already we have a great number of far flung races here that probably have little or no contact with one another through other means. As long as this is a focal point for you all, we might as well make this Preserve a diplomatic station as well. On a lesser note, people will want to come and see the Uriti for all number of reasons. To that end we will, over time, allow a select amount of visitors, whether they be researchers or tourists, to enter the Preserve on our terms.”

  “For those of you who doubt our control, take note of the star with your ships’ sensors. In a moment we will call the Uriti out to demonstrate that it will respond to us.”

  There was a long pause, but once she had given everyone ample time to prepare, she sent a signal to the Zeus and almost immediately the feeble tracking of the Uriti within the star showed it begin to gain altitude. Yetti didn’t say anything more until it finally burst forth through the highest level of material that made up the ‘surface’ of the star and out into the hazy atmosphere that surrounded it, slowly making its way out into full view and to the coordinates that the Duke had already highlighted on the map for the representatives to see. As promised, the Uriti flew up to those coordinates and stopped on the spot, holding position and doing nothing else.

  “There will be other such demonstrations in the coming months as we study the Uriti, but I hope this answers any lingering questions as to whether or not we are being honest. The Uriti responds to our commands and we promise to keep it within this preserve, not only to protect our own inhabited systems, which are far closer than any of yours, but to protect everyone that might be coming in the path of a Uriti on the rampage, as this one recently was.”

  “You do not know us, yet, but our word is good. So stay and observe. You’ll see that the Uriti does not travel beyond this Preserve, not will we allow anyone else to have access to it except through us. They will not be used as weapons again, and any Uriti deposited into this Preserve will likewise be free from misuse or roving rampages. If you know of where another one is located, or are guarding it yourself against others or simply against the chance of it waking, you may contact me at any time to discuss the matter. Though the establishment of this Preserve is in its infancy, we will eventually be able to bring any other Uriti here for safe keeping. At the moment we intend to study this one further before we attempt to find and retrieve others.”

  “If you do not wish a Uriti that you are safeguarding moved, so be it. Let it slumber for now. We have much work to do, but I will state clearly that anyone who releases a Uriti to go on a rampage will be dealt with harshly, and it’s only a question of whether Star Force or someone else will get to you first. These Uriti are not to be trifled with, which is why we will require everyone in this system to obey our protocols as we set them forth, otherwise you will be removed from this system and the rest of the Preserve.”

  “Now, on a partial side note. Some empires have requested permission to colonize worlds in this empty region that we are reclaiming from a regional threat. There are many empty worlds, but the presence of a Uriti will undoubtedly make people rethink the safety of putting down fixed infrastructure that’s anywhere close by. This preserve is going to be ringed by a neutral zone of systems that the Uriti will not be allowed within, nor will anyone else. The systems just outside it will be safe to travel through and inhabit, though I understand if you’ll want a few hundred years of activity to monitor to confirm that. I’m not offering you worlds to colonize, though some of you may be so inclined to make such requests. I am telling you this to let you know that we do not fear the Uriti running rampant, and if we are wrong we will be the first to suffer the consequences.”

  “So stay, listen, watch, and learn…but do not try to assert yourselves here. We are in control and we will remain in control. Star Force is a fair empire, but not a weak or timid one. Deal with us honestly and there will be no reason to deny you entry to this system. But if you do give us cause to deny you, we will enforce such a ban up to the point of confiscating any ships that trespass here.”

  “Will we use the Uriti to do that? No. They are not designed for such use. They were meant to target a system and destroy it. Finer control was never the Chixzon’s intent. And for those who do not yet know, the Chixzon were the race that created the Uriti. Information on them we will also share, along with a wealth of other things. There are inroads for you to make here if you choose, but you must do so respectfully and peaceably. Attempt to force anything and you will be met with equal or greater force, and not just from our empire. Keeping the Uriti contained here is a matter of concern for many of you, and as I said, some of you have already pledged your empires to insuring that the Uriti does not go on another rampage and that those sleeping remain sleeping.”

  “This Uriti will not be remaining in this system permanently, for we will rotate it around the Preserve, but the embassy that we are building will remain here, in a safe orbit where it will not cross paths with the Uriti by accident. In addition, many of our ships and mobile stations will also remain here to further develop inter-empire relations that may result in many beneficial outcomes. For the most part, you have permission to travel through Star Force territory unhindered so long as you do not interfere with the systems you are passing through or the traffic that you may encounter. We prefer open borders in most cases. This Preserve will be one of the few exceptions.”

  Paul was in the nexus onboard the Sanguine Blade monitoring the Uriti and the assembled ships in the system as Davis and his Dukes were laying the law down just in case there was a problem that needed dealing with. Jason was in a training session so Paul was covering for him when he got a personal comm routed to him from the newly arrived Sety representative.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked when he accepted and a small hologram popped up before him.

  “The revelation is over and your Duke is busy answering questions. I will ask you this bluntly, but as politely as I can. Do you intend to remove Glaech from its sedation?”

  “We’ve really got to work on the name thing. I’m sticking with Bahamut.”

  “Whatever you wish to call it, please answer my question.”

  “Not immediately. We need to study Nami before we try to bring Bahamut here. It will not be a quick process.”

  “Then you will rouse…Bahamut…despite our objections?”

  “What objections are those? For what possible reason would we leave that Uriti in a separate place that would require a separate fleet to defend it? Better to have them both in one location.”

  “There may be some wisdom in that, but it is a decision that we all should make.”

  “We will gladly listen to counsel, but the decision is ours regarding Bahamut. It is in our invasion corridor against the Li’vorkrachnika. The Uriti that you and the others guard is a different matter. We will not wake them and put any people living above them in danger, but we will suggest that all of them be moved here for safekeeping.”

  “And if we decline that suggestion?”

  “At
the moment there is no cause to start a war with The Nexus to reclaim a sleeping Uriti. However, if after study we learn that the sedation is in some way harming them that may change.”

  “You put the wellbeing of Uriti as higher priority than our lives?”

  “No, I put it as higher priority than your ego. Remember, we are doing you a very, very, very big favor in all of this. Remember back shortly to when you had no way to control a Uriti and this one was loose and heading wherever it wanted. I should not be hearing ingratitude in your voice.”

  “It is the arrogance in yours that concerns me.”

  “It’s not arrogance, it’s accuracy. Though if I were in your position I would be cautious as well. If we wanted to we could use a Uriti to cause a lot of damage. We’re not like that though, as you’ll learn if you haven’t yet, but from your position I would also recognize that at least we can control the Uriti, and since at the moment it’s not out tearing up systems it is an improvement in condition.”

  “At the moment, yes. It is the future that concerns me.”

  “Us as well, which is why we’d prefer your help in setting up this preserve and maintaining it.”

  “But you intend to continue with or without our assistance?”

  “Yep. If you want to wash your hands of the matter entirely, turn over any Uriti you’re currently guarding, you can do so and forget about them entirely. We’ll take it from here.”

  “And what do you gain from this if you do not use them as leverage to extort various tributes?”

  “One very big deterrent against invasion.”

  “And what invasion do you fear?”

  “None specifically. But I didn’t think you’d accept the answer that we have no motive.”

  “If you have no motive, you have no impetus for action.”

  “No profit motive then. This will be an expenditure for us, especially considering the systems we’re going to devote to this Preserve. Those, auctioned off to The Nexus or others, could profit us greatly. We are doing this for the simple reason that it needs to be done and we’re the only ones that can exercise control over the Uriti. But even if we couldn’t, we’d still try and find a way.”

  “Altruism is your motive?”

  “If you want to think of it that way, yes. Though I suppose we will make a nice little profit off the tourist revenue once everything is set up. But that’s going to be negligible when compared to the cost of establishing a proper blockade.”

  “As you have said, we have no choice but to return to the anarchy of the past. But we are slow to trust those we have little history with.”

  “And I’m not too confident in your choice of friends.”

  “The Trinx are…I do not even know the right phrase to use. Disappointment is too kind. Do you plan a reprisal?”

  “The Uriti that they possess will be coming here eventually, one way or another. But that will be a long time in the future. We lost a lot of ships in that battle. Replacing those and building the Preserve is going to be a very large effort in order to do it right, and it will take time.”

  “You have honored your promises thus far. Continue to do so and you will have no quarrel with the Sety. But you do not have our trust.”

  “I don’t need it. Just your compliance.”

  “You will have it,” the Sety said as he ended the conversation with a mild tone of disgust.

  7

  January 9, 3258

  Alamo System

  Inner Zone

  Davis watched from the observation deck as Nami traced her slow path across the star system from pylon 5 to 6, making yet another lap of the course laid out for it by the trailblazers. Within a month they’d begin weapon tests, adding a small target for it to destroy at the end of its circuits, and many of the races that were still present in this system were eager to see that. The first embassy station was partially complete, but many of the observers had not requested a presence there. There wasn’t much eagerness for participation, yet, but a handful of races beyond the already allied 7 had deposited at least a minimal presence on the station.

  Davis wasn’t going to be taking residence there. That was Duke Setti’s job. She was going to handle the diplomatic liaison between Star Force and any and all races that came here while Duke Pryon was going to oversee the warden function of the Preserve, building the necessary infrastructure and anything the trailblazers needed with regards to their handling of the Uriti, then a third Duke would be added later if needed to handle the visitors and tourist traffic that may or may not manifest. The trailblazers had already assured Davis that they’d work out the necessities of the training package and in the process give him a good show to put on for outsiders to see how much control they actually had while not revealing too much information.

  Nefron was being kept away from the other races, the silent partner in all of this despite the many protests. Of those races talking, most wanted to speak with him out of either curiosity or a wish to try and influence the single individual who had the power to control the Uriti…and the longer Davis kept them thinking in terms like that the better. Nefron wouldn’t change his allegiance, nor was he worried about such things. What he was worried about was outsiders coming in and taking immediate action. The longer that didn’t happen and Star Force’s position here stabilized, the more leverage he would have against many races that had technology levels equal to or partially superior to their own.

  That technological advantage wasn’t complete, for Star Force was building based off the V’kit’no’sat tech tree and making a few upgrades of their own enroute. That gave them a much more comprehensive base than other races or empires possessed, but some of the individual engines, shields, or weapons that these races were fielding were damn impressive and dangerous, as were so many being in the same place at the same time without a strong controlling hand governing them all.

  Davis had as many ships here as he could manage without stalling the war with the lizards. That border had to keep pushing forward else more people would die as the lizards continued to spread into areas not yet contained. Drawing ships from the ADZ was problematic, for he didn’t want to delve too deep into their reserves, but he needed as many here as possible to forestall brash actions. The upcoming weapons demonstration by the Uriti would hopefully give anyone thinking of trying to usurp Star Force additional pause.

  And while more Star Force ships were incoming, so were the Voku. They were manifesting at odd times and places, with far more here than Davis thought would come. Either Cal-com regarded this as seriously as they did, or Paul’s Zak’de’ron visit had prompted an order from them to get the Voku flocking here in what were promised to be even more massive numbers in subsequent years. Already there were a few scattered reports of massive convoys coming across the gap between their home territory and the ADZ that would eventually end up out here.

  Those reports were courtesy of the hastily build communications relay link that had stretched out this far via a number of permanent stations and mobile communications sedas filling in the gaps so Davis could remain in contact with the empire while he camped out here. There wasn’t a lot to do, but with so many new empires to deal with, and get a read on, it wasn’t something he was going to trust to Dukes or even the trailblazers. Star Force was treading on a very precipitous edge and they needed all the experience and guile that they could get on this matter.

  The Chamra, Dati, and Yisv had already made independent contact with Star Force, and the first two of those had redirected most of those diplomatic overtures here to Davis personally while the Yisv were still keeping away from any system with the Uriti in it. So while he was dealing with new races he was also trying to forge ties or lay down the law with these other more familiar advanced empires as they also jockeyed for position and status here while backing Star Force so that no one else could depose them and endanger the controller.

  They didn’t have many ships available but a few more were coming in periodically, just as some of the ob
server fleets were getting reinforcements as well. All it would really take was one ship to keep watch, so the additional vessels were more of a visible threat that he was going to have to deal with eventually, but he didn’t have too big of a leverage point here to work with immediately, otherwise he would have demanded that all ships identify themselves and their affiliations. As it was, some were still lurking in the shadows and not taking a public stance.

  The battlemap had an active tracking mechanism in place to determine when new ships arrived and was programmed to ping him an alert when an unidentified ship or large grouping appeared, so when the double ping sounded he turned around sharply as his eyes tracked to the system hologram.

  He saw immediate activity from the drones surrounding the Sanguine Blade, for the newcoming ships weren’t at a jumpline. They were right beside him, barely 30 miles away, and there was one enormous vessel at the center of a fleet that numbered over 500, all of which were a mix of glossy black hull plates and luminous strips.

  Davis mentally linked with the battlemap controls and replayed the last minute as the fleet quickly coalesced around his ship in aggressive defense posture. On the playback there was nothing there, absolutely nothing, then suddenly the ships winked into existence with a telltale sparkle of light. It looked like a brief fireworks display as they all appeared, with Davis’s gut clenching as he focused the replay on those sparkles. He searched for the telltale disruptions that cloaking devices made, running the computer through the necessary paces that should have allowed them to detect the variations once they knew where to look and at that close range…but there was nothing. Nothing at all.