Star Force: Mak'to'ran (2) Read online

Hattoman

  Mak’to’ran was in his drop pod rising back to orbit several days later after a long tour of Hattoman’s selective shipyards when the Zen’zat pilots suddenly entered his mind with a quick query that he had to act on instantly. Fortunately his mental speed was faster than theirs and he responded instantly, trusting in the warning that had just been broadcast to them and ordering the drop pod to make an emergency landing.

  The pod immediately reversed course, not just letting gravity pull it back down but accelerating towards the planet so fast it became a fireball that leveled out between the ridge-like buildings then hovered there as Mak’to’ran accessed the comm and told the pilots to hold position until he had somewhere else for them to go. Meanwhile he watched the building defense weaponry in case they might also come online, but as of yet they had not.

  He conferred with his ship in orbit and had it also run…but further up the gravity well than down, because the warning he’d been given was that one of the planetary defense batteries had gone rogue and was intending to shoot down his drop pod. Somehow he’d escaped that, whether by the actions of the Hjar’at on the ground or the angle of the planet’s curve. He hadn’t been told where the battery was, but right now the only safe place to be was below the sky where the big guns couldn’t reach.

  But there were many smaller ones around that could do a lot of damage, and with his drop pod unable to flee to orbit he was in a particularly bad situation. Going to ground would be the only option, and he had no way of knowing whether the Hjar’at beneath his now random position would be friendly or hostile.

  His Kafcha made it to higher orbit without being fired upon, but an escort fleet went with it keeping their respectful distance as other ships were seen heading its way. Mak’to’ran split his attention from what was around him on the ground and what was happening in orbit as he saw several Hjar’at ships attempt to get near the Era’tran vessel, but the escort ships got between them and backed them off without a fight, and by the time Yaquik contacted him no assault had yet come against his hovering drop pod.

  “Stay below altitude and travel here,” he said over comm as additional data flowed in to Mak’to’ran. “Your route has been secured.”

  “What happened?”

  “This treason is deeper than anticipated. You were right about me being blind, and I’m about to find out how much, but I need to secure you first.”

  “Give me a conduit to orbit if you can.”

  “No. You are not running. We are fixing this here and now.”

  “How?”

  “I am assigning a protector to you for the time being. One that I can trust. Get to the rendezvous and in her care.”

  “Her? You’re entrusting my security to females?”

  “They might not have Saroto’kanse’vam, but do not think they cannot fight. Moreover I have just ensured that she is safe, but I can’t speak for any other individual on this planet.”

  “Your broodmate?”

  Yaquik’s holographic face wrinkled in disgust. “Mating is left to those without other skills. She is chief builder in this system and has the resources to secure your drop pod where others will not expect it to go.”

  “And when they follow?”

  “The infrastructure defenses will be with you.”

  “And you trust this one Hjar’at why?”

  “Because she submitted to a mental scan. I am going to secure others with or without permission.”

  Mak’to’ran stiffened. Mental barriers were the most secured defenses an individual had, otherwise one could enter their mind and potentially take control of their body, let alone ransack their memories and other knowledge. Mental defense was one of the first skills that Era’tran hatchlings were taught when they were finally allowed their Ikrid, and over the course of years one’s mind became so well armored that such manipulation became effectively impossible. Mind raids were doable if the individual was weaker or not as skilled, but taking full control of another did not happen unless the target was so inferior to the point of incompetence.

  Furthermore, it was a point of pride to keep one’s thoughts private and that was not something unique to the Era’tran. To mentally assault one in combat was bad enough, but to interrogate another deeply in this manner was rarely done. Reaching in to find a bit of information was tricky, but not a lengthy or painful procedure. To ensure that someone was loyal would require a level of prying that would be highly invasive and a breach of honor amongst most V’kit’no’sat races. To call into question one’s loyalty without evidence to the contrary was…unheard of, and any such attempts to leverage one into giving up their mental sovereignty had been trounced in the past as a form of treason in and of itself.

  If the V’kit’no’sat were not loyal to one another and the cause, then there were no V’kit’no’sat. Loyalty was a default, and proving it through mental invasion was something that had never happened before, not to mention was a deep insult and grounds to get your ass kicked instantly and without repercussion for the defender.

  “Era’tran would not submit to that, and I doubt male Hjar’at are going to be any more accepting.”

  “Now it is you that underestimate the seriousness of the situation. You said the empire is dying, but that death is going to be one of chaos if we cannot trust our own planetary defenses not to shoot down our own ships. We cannot function with such distrust. If assassinations are tolerated then those of us that are most valuable will be eliminated one by one. If the Hjar’at are going to avoid descending into madness and anarchy we must have a secure foothold to operate out of. Do you know of another way to secure one?”

  When Yaquik asked Mak’to’ran could tell that he was serious. If the Era’tran knew another way he wanted to know, for it was clear he did not want to use this tactic.

  “There is no other way to be certain, but to go down that path is a serious defeat in and of itself.”

  “To ignore that the defeat has already occurred in silence would be folly. Agreed?”

  “The Era’tran have not dropped this far.”

  “Yet it seems we have. I have no intention of checking the loyalty of Era’tran or any other race. This is an internal Hjar’at matter. I will not harbor traitors only to have them stab me in the back during a moment of opportunity. If we cannot trust one another we cannot function.”

  “I do not want to see this occur, but I cannot logically argue against it. Just be aware of the cost that such a breach will ensue.”

  “It is better than the alternative. I need you secure before this begins.”

  “The female agreed to it?”

  “Yes. Her name is Bul’raf and she is the only person on this planet other than myself you should fully trust. Get to her now. I fear this planet may well explode if I am unsuccessful.”

  “How will you go about it?”

  “By placing the burden on myself. Hopefully there is enough trust in me to salvage some unity.”

  “You know I cannot help you with this.”

  “Nor should you,” Yaquik said with a sneer. “This is our problem. We will solve it or die trying without Era’tran help. And I expect you to be responsible for your own race, however you choose to handle it. If we cannot stand on our own, then any bonds between us will be corrupted by default. The Hjar’at are unfit to be V’kit’no’sat at present. I intend to return us to a proper state no matter how much resistance I encounter.”

  “And you’re sure you want me on the planet rather than on my ship?”

  “I cannot guarantee you will not be shot down trying to return to orbit. Right now you are too valuable as a thorn against the arrogant to lose. We need you alive. When I have secured a corridor to orbit I will inform you. Until then get to ground and survive.”

  “And what of Bul’raf’s subordinates?”

  “I only had time to verify her loyalty, but I trust in her judgement. She will put redundancies into any security plan. A single traitor will not get to you, and if a conspiracy overwhe
lms her I expect you to be able to handle a group of females. If you cannot, then you do not deserve to be V’kit’no’sat.”

  “The males will be told to stay away?”

  “Yes. If any approach shoot them on sight.”

  “Very well. We are getting underway now,” Mak’to’ran said as he ordered the Zen’zat to follow the route provided. “Be certain before you begin this. There will be no going back.”

  “Our past is already destroyed. We must reforge a new future. That I will discuss with you later…if we both survive this. See that you do.”

  “I never expected this mission to be a safe one.”

  “If it comes to it, use your talons to uppercut the underside of the neck. You will need to get low to do it.”

  “I’ll remember that. And I promise the Era’tran will support any loyal V’kit’no’sat Hjar’at. No matter how small that number may be.”

  “A discussion for later, but I may hold you to that sooner than you expect if this goes poorly. Fortune to you.”

  “And you,” Mak’to’ran said as the elder Hjar’at broke the comm.

  For a long moment Mak’to’ran just stood inside the drop pod as the Zen’zat handled the flight. He didn’t do anything externally, but his mind flashed through so many possibilities that he couldn’t have kept track had he wanted to. What Yaquik was about to do was wrong and against everything it meant to be V’kit’no’sat, but it was also the only way to fight this madness. If the Era’tran took this approach it would destroy their civilization. Even Hamob hadn’t gone so far as to probe Mak’to’ran when he had first broken through his defenses. He’d made a point of doing so in order to test his strength, but left him with his privacy out of respect.

  A civilization could not function with constant mental loyalty checks. Individuality would vanish and with it their strength, but if Yaquik could isolate even a small number of individuals that were loyal and allowed him to enter their minds willingly it would still be a serious violation…but V’kit’no’sat had gone to much greater physical lengths to accomplish a mission and in a sense this was no different. Mak’to’ran once knew an Era’tran that blocked a falling rock wall with his tail to protect the head of another. His tail was destroyed in the process and later regrown, but he’d chosen to take the hit rather than risk the other Era’tran taking brain damage that might not have been able to be regenerated.

  Accepting a mental invasion of this magnitude wouldn’t leave one physically damaged, but unlike the Dan’chey most V’kit’no’sat races did not share their minds and the presence of another going that deep was going to leave one…

  Actually, Mak’to’ran didn’t know what would happen. A light incursion would leave one rattled, he knew from experience, for in the Hakja they practiced defending against mental attacks by losing. Their sparring partners were always more powerful and would hold back from some areas, but he’d never liked such incursions. It was said to be better that the first time be by an ally than an enemy, and he was now mentally stronger for having experienced it and adapted his defenses to counter future incursions, but it had always left him feeling violated. If it hadn’t been for the very carefully crafted environment in which it had occurred, he wondered if he would have been able to put himself back together afterward.

  And the depth of probe that Yaquik was going to have to use would be far more intense and prolonged…unless his superior mental abilities would make the process more efficient. That was a possibility, but honestly Mak’to’ran had no idea how powerful Yaquik’s Ikrid was or how skilled he was at mental invasion. He hoped his skills would diminish the lingering effect, especially for his contact, Bul’raf, for her mind had to have been raided minutes ago and he doubted she had been able to fully recover.

  But if Yaquik was speaking the truth she would be reliable, and right now he’d take a weakened, confirmed ally over a questionable stranger.

  The journey across the planet was a long, slow one at the low altitude required by the route Yaquik had provided and many varied craft paced them along portions of the journey. Thankfully they were all there to help rather than shoot and the Era’tran drop pod arrived safely at a massive reconstruction effort that was seeing the deconstruction of a swath of the planet’s surface with some new and larger structures already beginning to replace them.

  The drop pod was directed to one of the evacuated areas where partially demolished structures still stood. When Mak’to’ran landed there was only a handful of craft nearby, all of which were crewed by females, one of whom walked out and stood in front of his pod while signaling her identity telepathically.

  Mak’to’ran made sure that his Zen’zat pilots kept watch on the pod’s sensors, then he lowered the ramp and walked out to the spineless Hjar’at as he sensed her lingering mental wounds. Her telepathic aura was chaotic but somewhat contained. Her pain was evident, but buried just below it was a resolve that stood in stronger contrast. She was shaken, but recovering with every second that passed as she clung to her new duty, which she was making clear by allowing Mak’to’ran access to her surface thoughts, though her inner barriers, while still in tatters, were holding protectively over an area where Mak’to’ran knew better than to probe, else her fragile grip on internal control could shatter.

  She was very vulnerable right now and he hoped her subordinates didn’t contain a traitor, for they could topple her easily.

  “You have sacrificed a great deal to insure your loyalty, Hjar’at. I can feel the severity of your wounds. You should wear an inhibitor until you recover your strength.”

  “I already have one standing by, but I did not want to hide myself from you, for it is you that must trust me. Your survival is paramount and I will not fail Yaquik due to mistrust between us.”

  “My trust you have. Shield yourself before another realizes your weakness.”

  Bul’raf telepathically signaled to one of the ships that, while small compared to most, were still larger than his drop pod. Out of it came another female carrying a bit of equipment on her back, held there on a platform that was strapped on and apparently standard equipment for a Hjar’at builder…and something the males could not wear with their Saroto’kanse’vam.

  Bul’raf took the items off the platform then the assistant retreated into the vessel after a long look at Mak’to’ran as the remaining Hjar’at slid on a special helmet that completely blocked the Era’tran from her mind. He couldn’t even sense her presence, and he knew it would also inhibit her telepathy, meaning she could only communicate by comm while wearing it, which was why few ever did.

  She also put on armor that deployed into a construction suit that integrated with the helmet and did a good job of camouflaging it as the two sets of material flowed together seamlessly, though the cranium was a bit thicker than the rest of the piecemeal suit’s thickness. That said, he wasn’t very familiar with construction armor and didn’t know how much the helmet would stand out on the powered exoskeleton, but it would prevent anyone from taking advantage of an unthinkable injury that most would not even suspect.

  “What do you require of me, Era’tran?” she asked when fully outfitted. “Besides security.”

  “My pod has enough supplies for the moment. Depending on how long we are to remain here we may require more.”

  “How many are inside?”

  “We are four Era’tran and six Zen’zat.”

  “When needed, tell me what you require and I will find an untainted supply,” she said, fully aware of other means of assassination than direct attack. “As for now, we will create some makeshift facilities concealed in the rubble for you to use if you feel the drop pod is too conspicuous a target. Others will maintain a distant perimeter guard and we will monitor all those who approach. If one is not cleared we will alert you immediately.”

  “Acceptable. What is the condition of the undercity?”

  “Broken but potentially passable. I have engineers on patrol and we will seal the surface access points as we
work. We will not make it easy to get to you, and we have portable shield generators being shipped in, but they will not be able to protect against a significant naval assault. If that occurs you can take cover in escape routes we are constructing below ground or you can try and flee skyward. If there are any other precautions you wish, state them and I will do my best to create them as quickly as possible with minimal staff.”

  “How loyal is your staff?”

  “I do not doubt them, but I am not risking your security on that assumption. They will not approach your drop pod and any physical contact will only occur by me. They are ordered to stay back at all other times. I do trust them, but precautions are being taken in case that trust is misplaced.”

  7

  Several hours later Yaquik summoned the regional capitol’s leaders to the conclave, with the 14 of them waiting for him to arrive in what amounted to an audience chamber. When the elder Hjar’at appeared he did so wearing full, undeployed body armor which immediately caused a twitch to run through those assembled as he mentally locked the door behind him.

  “What’s wrong?” Bair’te asked.

  “Did you not hear of the incident with the planetary defense gun?” he asked as he walked towards the group, half of which were reclining on elevated pedestals and manipulating holograms.

  “We were told those involved had been captured.”

  “They have been, but the Era’tran are not leaving the planet until I can assure them that they won’t be shot down by our own weapons.”

  “Are some of the perpetrators still unaccounted for?” Neo’thaq asked.

  “Do none of you see the problem?” Yaquik asked disappointed.

  “We can’t know how many more there are amongst us,” Keevyat said, walking up towards the larger Hjar’at. “Another gun could be compromised, or those we put in their place could also be corrupted.”

  “Do not be paranoid,” Vitt’rol criticized as those working holograms began shutting them down and turning their full attention to the argument breaking out. “These few dissenters are not a major threat.”