Star Force: Retribution (SF60) Read online

  “Did he say why?”

  “No, but he has made many changes since his arrival. The first of which was the creation of this,” Yev’jat said, pointing at the chamber in which they now stood. “What lies beyond the doors if of Elder technology, and none are allowed to enter except by invitation. You have yours.”

  The Letrifiv stepped over to the doors and pressed a hand against them, with the touch creating a split that pulled apart the lower halves like a zipper about twice Cal-com’s height then stopped, with the two flaps bending outwards and bracketing the threesome.

  “We have not been requested,” the Letrifiv said simply, then stepped back.

  Cal-com didn’t delay nor fawn over the presence of the Elder and walked through the opening, intent to be as efficient as possible. If the Elder wanted to speak with him, then he was going to show himself promptly.

  As soon as he walked through the doors resealed behind him and Cal-com found himself standing on the edge of a ridged floor that circled up into a large tunnel. Almost immediately he felt a presence in his mind, guiding him forward, and he began hopping from one flat-topped ridge to another and bypassing the small toughs in between. The architecture was not straight, and the Voku had to meander through several tunnel branches before he finally came to the end of the ridged tunnels, thankfully before he hit one of the down ‘ramps’ that would have been much harder to traverse.

  The chamber just to the left of the ramp had a smooth floor that led up to a dome with a low lying wall, and as Cal-com got halfway up to it the dragon behind it rose up, giving the Voku his first glimpse of the red, scaly skin that covered its lithe body.

  “Welcome home, Renimar,” the Elder said graciously. “You have done well in your absence.”

  Cal-com dropped to a knee respectfully, but a tisking noise that was both physical and mental halted his reverence. “Rise. I have no need of supplicant servants today.”

  As the dragon said so Cal-com’s eye line returned to the neck that was reaching above the wall and the bit of body connected to it, then a pair of arms reached up to grip the edge and pulled the Elder over top of it, with his body sliding over the rim as he came fully into view and dropped down onto the solid floor in front of the Voku, who was now standing back up as ordered. The dragon’s wings were tucked along its body, looking like little more than patches of wrinkly skin and blending in well with the rest of the scaly tube, but the deep red was both intimidating and surprising, for the Elder that had visited them previously had been colored grey, or so he had been told. The size of this one was also considerably smaller, but the presence it emanated could not be denied and the Voku felt very small in comparison despite the fact that the Elder stood only half again as tall as him.

  “You honor me with your praise, and your presence. What have you summoned me for?”

  The dragon walked sideways in front of the stationary Voku, then twisted its long neck back towards him, looking him in his artificial eye from only a meter away.

  “The Voku are not the only race we have guided from afar. There are others, like you, who serve us across the galaxy. Some old, some new, but they are few and the threats many. You and the other Voku have done well during our long absence to preserve yourselves and the knowledge we granted you, and in return I am here now to elevate you to the next level. This will be done in secret, as always, but of you personally I have another task.”

  The dragon sat back on its tail and hind legs, rearing up to bring its front two off the ground and stretch out its wings. The thin material flexed with remarkable strength as a wind was summoned forth simply by him reaching out and stroking the air a few times.

  And as he did so a sea of holograms surrounded the Voku, with him fixating on one in particular that was a galaxy map. It slowly zoomed in until he recognized their own empire and the ADZ, but it also showed a great deal more, including the current domain of the lizards, the Skarrons, and many others that he did not know of, but all were detailed before him, with images of various races swirling about that he did not recognize.

  “You have done well to safeguard Star Force, and it is growing in size and strength rapidly. Your task there is done, but you are correct in assuming that the ‘lizards’ as you call them will eventually reach the Voku. Star Force will survive and prosper, but your enemy cannot be so easily stopped.”

  Various areas of lizard territory were highlighted by an eerie glow that seemed to defy any technology, leaving Cal-com in awe at the spectacle but with his mind also working furiously as a tactician to soak up all the data before him…and its implications.

  “The enemy is fighting hard to expand, but as they do they are encountering those who do not submit easily. You are aware of two such engagements. The Skarrons and the Nexus. As you can see here, there are others. The enemy has found that it is not alone and seeks to quickly devour systems so to stay on the offensive to cover their overreach. They are temporarily weakened, and not for the loss of one of their shipyards. They are processing through a growth surge that will make them far more deadly in the future, but for now they must digest their holdings and develop them.”

  “They are not so weak as to allow you to defeat them, but you can deny them significant gains if you progress wisely and quickly. If you wait until they are on your doorstep, you will not survive given your present strength…which I am now amplifying. When completed, you will have no need to fear this enemy at home. Your fight with them will be abroad. I require a warfleet to secure this region,” the dragon said, highlighting a much larger squashed sphere around present day Voku territory that ran all the way up to the ADZ as well as bit into a large chunk of Skarron space…not to mention traveling out below the galactic plane to the scattering of systems that didn’t hold to the boundaries.

  In fact Cal-com saw several star clusters out there that would be difficult to reach, but if the Elder commanded it they would find a way to make it happen. That determination aside, this new mandate was beyond anything the Voku had expected of them and was indeed a fitting task for the promised upgrades to their empire.

  “This task will put you into direct conflict with the lizards that Star Force now fights. You cannot destroy them so do not try. The Voku’s task is to hold and protect the territory assigned to you, much as you have done in the past with your current territory…do not concern yourself with the Nexus,” the Elder said, reading his thoughts. “They are fools with delusions of grandeur. Powerful they may be in technology, but in wisdom they are lacking. Their time is coming to an end, but that end will not be soon. In the interim allow them to fight the lizards as they will, but they are a temporary power that will fade, so draw no close bonds with them.”

  “Look closely, Renimar,” the dragon prompted, highlighting a few new sections of the galaxy map that bordered lizard space on multiple sides. “These are some of our other servants, all of which have or will come into conflict with the lizards shortly. Alone they will not survive what is coming, for they are not as large nor as gifted as the Voku, and we will not give them that which they have not yet earned.”

  “We do not wish them destroyed in their infancy, so I have a special task for you, Cal-com. You are no longer a Renimar, but the first Dafchor from the Voku. From this day forward your race will take orders from you, as will these others. You are my personal emissary and war leader, and I task you with preserving and shielding my servants against the lizards.”

  Cal-com wanted to bow, but refrained from doing so. “How am I to accomplish this?”

  “The task is not straightforward, nor simple. If it were a Dafchor would not be required. I will teach you what you need to know, and guide you from time to time, but you and you alone will be in command of the 9 races I am entrusting you with, including your own, though your people are more than capable of handling their own affairs. You will not be remaining here, for this is too distant from the conflict. You must go to the heart of the problem and solve it from within.”

  The galaxy m
ap shrunk again slightly, with the ADZ almost disappearing off the edges as lizard space expanded.

  “These are the strongest lizard worlds,” the dragon said, highlighting a region that was not in the center, as Cal-com already knew, but further rimward in the lizards’ current territory. “You will avoid them. Here is where you must go,” he said as a single star system was highlighted up closer to the edge of the galactic plane and more in the center of lizard territory but still askew to the ADZ side. “This system you will conquer and claim, and from it you will establish contact with the races I am entrusting you with. With the gifts I am granting the Voku you will build a stronghold here that the enemy will not be able to touch, but you cannot share those gifts with those you will protect.”

  That last sentiment was emphasized telepathically as a line that could never be crossed, even if it meant risking their demise.

  “You must use them and their abilities to defend as you see fit. You can place your strengths within them, but they must never possess them. I trust you understand the difference?”

  “I do,” Cal-com said solemnly.

  “They will obey your commands, retool them as you like. If you put them astray of the path we wish of them I will correct you. If I say nothing proceed as you will. Be wise and wary, but do not delay. Once the lizards consume their holdings they will pose a threat your races cannot withstand on their own. You must strengthen them before the storm arrives on their shores.”

  “What of Star Force?”

  “They are not one of our servants, but they are more valuable to us than the Voku. You need no longer safeguard them, but they are a common ally against the lizards and others. Let them grow on their own accord, but keep close the ties you already possess and continue your planning work with the one called Paul. Modify it to act as a bridge to your target system.”

  “How much time do I have to prepare my wards?”

  “Even we do not know that for certain, but the storm is coming. There is no guarantee of your success, nor will we intervene if you fail. I may be giving you an untenable task if our time estimates are overly generous. You are to work the problem, not be consumed with the outcome. You are a Dafchor because we have no doubts as to your loyalty or skills. This is not a test of you, you are proven. Apply your skills and let fate make what it may.”

  Cal-com crossed both arms over his chest and thumped them twice in a Voku gesture of pride and eagerness that signaled he was willing and able to accept the challenge.

  The holograms suddenly disappeared and the dragon’s wings returned to his sides as his front legs came down and he went back to being a quadruped, but from behind the low wall that obscured Cal-com’s vision of what lay on the other side floated a small object that came up over the Elder’s back and hovered beside its head.

  “Remove your eyepiece.”

  Cal-com did as ordered, taking the artificial enhancement off and revealing his natural eyes to the dim, unfiltered light of the Elder’s chamber. When he did so the tiny, shiny object flew up into the inserts in Cal-com’s head and suddenly his face became numb. The next thing he knew the old implants came out and fell to the floor, then feeling returned to his head and for the first time he sensed a new facet to his mind.

  “I have added a component that you will carry unseen beneath your eyepiece. No one is to attempt to examine it, or it will destroy the machines attempting to do so. Within it is knowledge that I am granting you and I will update it as needed going forward. This is how you will receive my commands at a distance, but you will not be able to respond. Replace your eyepiece.”

  Cal-com pushed it back up and slid the short pylons into the new receptacles, returning to his advanced vision.

  “Return to Achkor, Dafchor. Every day delayed from this point forward is a waste,” the dragon said, climbing back up over the low wall and disappearing from view as Cal-com turned about and walked off, taking the Elder at his word and not intending to waste a single moment of the time that he knew was going to be in short supply. He doubted he had more than 200 years, based on the knowledge now creeping into his mind, before the lizards overran the Daswa…and he wasn’t about to let any servants of the Elders perish on his watch.

  7

  August 20, 2680

  Banner System (Core Region)

  Loki

  The elder H’kar walked across the soft floors of the command deck slowly, with an aide at his side ready to support him if necessary but the old war leader wanted no assistance with movement and per his orders the larger H’kar at his side merely paced him as he moved towards his oversight position on the dreadnaught’s observation platform. When he reached the small stair steps that led to it Vedja nearly stopped, taking each step with care, but with three contact points at all times he was in no danger of falling and mounted the four rises with precision before walking over to his stool.

  There he sat against the backrest and spun it around through a complete circle, noting the position of the displays, control boards, and the view out over the rest of the command deck where the ship’s commander would be handling all the normal functions from his pod except when Vedja decided to step in, as was typical of a fleet commander. What was not typical was the dreadnaught, or rather the prototype that had just arrived from back home along with a slew of additional reinforcements…with the blessings of multiple Royals.

  All pretense, he knew, but the troops were real enough. Vedja was nearing the end of his life and it was much simpler for the Royals to give him what he wanted in the short term than risk an uprising. The fools were so determined to maintain tradition that they couldn’t see the continuing threat the Li’vorkrachnika posed, though after so many centuries of war no H’kar should doubt their power or ingenuity. Joining the Nexus had bought the H’kar a new life, but that was a far cry from victory…and their enemy was knocking on the door once again, trying to slowly advance their way into a position to take the H’kar’s empire from them a second time.

  Vedja would not live to see it, and would have remained in quiet isolation during his remaining years had the former fleet leader not sent their ships on a suicide mission that had drawn the ire of the Li’vorkrachnika. Their attention was now centered on the H’kar, with far more enemy vessels migrating towards their worlds and snatching up the surrounding systems, making it clear that there would be a price to pay for the shipyard they had destroyed along with the Gfatt.

  The H’kar’s only saving grace was the other Nexus races, or he was sure that the Li’vorkrachnika would be mounting a killing blow right now. Their backing would buy the H’kar time but he didn’t think it would prevent their demise. Tech upgrades were one thing, but there was no substitute for the sheer numbers the enemy commanded and would command in coming years as their territory continued to grow. That should have been obvious to all, but rather than use their advantage to its maximum potential now, they were sitting and waiting for the enemy to grow stronger.

  Vedja did not want his legacy to have been only a short reprise for the H’kar before their eventual defeat, thus he had returned to prominence and asserted his reputation to take command of ships that technically he had no authority over. That technicality did not matter in the slightest now that he was here, deep inside Li’vorkrachnika territory and the small oasis of tranquility that Star Force had somehow managed to carve out. He was in command and no one here questioned that, and given the task ahead of him Vedja doubted he’d live to return to the empire, so he did not care what they had to say of the matter.

  The dreadnaught he was taking possession of orbited about the moon named Loki that Star Force had graciously given half of to the H’kar and was one of a handful of the newest ships built by his people. Star Force design elements had been incorporated into the standard design, which Vedja did not approve of, but it was the largest warship in the fleet available to him. The behemoths that he possessed were not as formidable, given that they were mobile battle stations rather than a proper warship, and had this
been a standard dreadnaught its smaller frame would contain slightly more firepower…though with this new prototype Vedja did not know for sure.

  The primary weapon had been diminished in strength down to what the battleships carried, with the destar being tripled into separate weapons. The combined strength was less than a single typical dreadnaught destar, which Vedja thought was a grave design mistake. The upside was being able to target different ships simultaneously, and with the Li’vorkrachnika preferring to use cruiser swarms against the H’kar they might well kill more with this design, but the larger enemy ships would be a different matter and Vedja wished he’d had a proper dreadnaught under his command, but he was going to make do with what he had.

  His mission here was twofold…learn and teach a new fighting style against the Li’vorkrachnika to the troops that would return home to fight there, and to kill as many of the enemy here as he could. All combat would be joint operations and he would still be operating under Star Force command, something that normally he never would have allowed, but their war record was undeniable and his willingness to submit to their authority only further ingrained that there were lessons to be learned here, with his troops opening their eyes further and taking a peek outside of tradition.

  He intended to take that peek and stretch it as far as he could here and now before he was gone, for their sakes, but Vedja was just as interested in killing enemy ships for his own. The H’kar was 254 years old, having retired just as the Nexus upgrades were being implemented in the fleet and their position as a member secured them against the Li’vorkrachnika with the Gfatt fleet positioning vessels to safeguard them until they could hold their own. Figuring his task was done Vedja stepped down and let others build as he attended to personal matters, a hero amongst the H’kar and with far too much attention placed on him.