Star Force: Zealot (SF87) (Star Force Origin Series) Page 7

  “What is the alternative?” the Dati countered.

  “They share control with us.”

  “They refuse to, so I ask again, what is the alternative?”

  “They reconsider,” the Sety pressed.

  “Are we also going to have to oppose you at some point?” it asked bluntly.

  The Sety didn’t answer, drawing intense scrutiny from the other 7 members present, for the Yisv had been absent ever since the group moved to the same system as the Hamoriti.

  “Answer him,” the cyborg asked.

  “We seek to renegotiate control,” the Sety finally said.

  “What do you have to offer?” Paul interrupted before more bickering could break out.

  “Offer?” the Sety repeated, somewhat shocked.

  “Yes. You said negotiate. That typically involves one side offering the other something of value in exchange. You have done no such thing. You simply make demands. That is not negotiation.”

  “We have given you a historical account.”

  “I highly doubt you would see that as compensation for control over a Uriti if the situation were reversed, and in any case, that transfer has already been made. You are not getting control. Therefore what do you intend to negotiate beyond this point?”

  “What is it you are demanding?”

  “Nothing. You’re simply not getting control.”

  “That is unacceptable.”

  “You abandoning the H’kar to the Li’vorkrachnika is unacceptable.”

  “We saved them.”

  “Yes, you did. Points for that. Then you left them sit on the border without the help you promise all members of The Nexus. An attack on one is an attack on them all…except not with the H’kar.”

  “Is that why you won’t share control?”

  “It demonstrates that you are untrustworthy, and that your promises are not valid. As for the other races here, we don’t know you. Why would we give you control over something as powerful as a Uriti? Especially given the actions of your fellow guardians.”

  “This is pointless,” the Jonstar said before anyone else could continue. “Only one person can control the Hamoriti, and his loyalty is to Star Force. If you seek to share control you will have to convince him, and I highly doubt anything the Sety can say or offer will sway his allegiance.”

  “Where is he now?” the cyborg asked.

  “Busy,” Paul answered. “Security is my responsibility now.”

  “How convenient,” the Sety stated.

  “If and when the Trinx strike again,” Paul said, staring at his hologram, “do I need to worry about your ships siding with them? Or should I run you off right now?”

  “Allow me,” the Bpret said before the Sety could answer, then fixing him with his attention. “Will the Sety attack the Trinx in defense of the ship the Chixzon is onboard?”

  “We will do what is appropriate.”

  “Evasive. Answer directly. Will you engage the Trinx, or will you endanger the destruction of the controller of the Hamoriti and return us to the status quo we have barely managed to maintain?”

  The Sety was silent for several seconds, then he finally relented. “We will not allow the Chixzon to be destroyed, but we are very hesitant to start a war with the Trinx.”

  “They have already started one,” the cyborg noted.

  “They have attacked Star Force, not us.”

  “Star Force has the solution, therefore they are one of us now! And the most important one, in fact.”

  “What happens when we reach our ultimate destination? A place that has not been identified as of yet.”

  “We will keep the Uriti there and away from inhabited systems,” Paul answered.

  “Is that a solution, or merely stalling the problem once again?”

  “No one dies this way.”

  “But the Hamoriti is still a risk.”

  “Do you have an alternative to offer?” the Dati pressed, visibly annoyed. “We have heard nothing from the Sety except naysaying. We have real problems to address, and you are offering no solutions.”

  “A group effort is required.”

  “To do what?”

  “Control the Hamoriti.”

  “All that is required,” the cyborg reminded them, “is one Chixzon and one transmitter. The rest is irrelevant.”

  “Agreed,” the Dati said. “If we must check our egos in order to protect them, so be it.”

  “How about we turn this discussion into something productive,” Paul deflected. “The Sety once attacked the Preema, futilely. We’ve had contact with them and cooperated in the war against the Li’vorkrachnika. They recognized the long term threat they posed, and while they didn’t support us when we hit the most heavily defended worlds, they have done a great deal to help us. We have suspected, and I hope one of you will now confirm, that the Preema have a Uriti inside their territory.”

  “Yes,” the cyborg said immediately, eyeing the Sety and daring him to complain. “An attempt was made to secure it that failed.”

  “Do the Preema know it is there?”

  “If they do, they had no visible infrastructure at that location. It is on an uninhabited planet within a system that has two Preema worlds. Can you negotiate access to that world?”

  “I do not know, but it is something we’re going to look into. How many others are you missing?”

  “One. It is within the territory of the Mrip, but not on a world they inhabit. We cannot get close to it.”

  Paul frowned. “I’m not familiar with the Mrip.”

  “They are far rimward. We would not have explored that far out on our own if we had not been given the location by the Oracle.”

  “So you possess five between you?”

  “We have stewardship. Possession is overstating the matter.”

  “Are there other races out there hunting for them?”

  “Not that we are aware. Very little evidence of the Ancients remains. Knowledge of the Hamoriti seems to have been erased from the memory of this part of the galaxy by the ravages of time, fortunately.”

  “Do the Trinx have any allies they can call upon for support?”

  “I do not know. The Chamra’s knowledge of this region is limited.”

  “They do not,” the Breti said. “They only interact with us out of necessity. They prefer to keep to themselves…though they have accumulated considerable strength.”

  “But only a few star systems?”

  “I do not know why they have not expanded further.”

  “Is it your guess that their strength has accumulated from lack of depletion or a robust industrial base that could easily replace losses?”

  “The former. Their civilization is advanced, but small compared to the rest of us.”

  “Then they have one card to play,” Paul said evenly. “A prolonged engagement means they lose. They have to use their accumulated assets to secure a quick victory.”

  “I concur.”

  “As do I,” the cyborg said, looking at the Sety. “Which is why we cannot allow anything to happen to the Chixzon…or Star Force.”

  “What do you intend to do with the other Hamoriti?” the Sety asked, ignoring the Chamra.

  “They stay where they are for the moment. Now that we have access to one, we’re going to study it to see if we can find an alternative solution.”

  “A way to destroy them?” the Dati asked.

  “The Uriti were created from something far larger called a Hadarak. They live in the center of the galaxy and occasionally push their way further out. There are many of them. Even if we destroyed all the Uriti, the Hadarak would still be there.”

  “Do these Hadarak also produce minion armies that spread and conquer the galaxy?” the Sety scoffed.

  Paul looked at him firmly. “Yes.”

  A moment of silence hung there until the cyborg finally spoke. “Why are we not all dead then?”

  “The Chixzon altered a captured Hadarak and used it to create Uriti.
They altered it to their liking, including the ability to control it. The galactic conquest occurs differently for the Hadarak. The behavior you see in the Uriti is part Hadarak, part Chixzon programming. The Hadarak are just as dangerous, but in different ways. There are also races near the core that fight them and keep them from pushing this far rimward. My point is, the Uriti are not a unique threat. Killing them will not solve the problem if it is a monumental effort to do so.”

  “The wonders and dangers of this galaxy run in parallel,” the Bpret said, quoting a text that none of the others were familiar with.

  “How did the Chixzon deal with the Hadarak threat?”

  “They avoided them. Their conquest of the galaxy was aimed at the rimward half. They did not go into the core and avoided the Hadarak when they came out, save for when one entered one of their major systems. They took heavy losses, but wounded and captured it. However, other Hadarak move in groups. They were lucky they only encountered one.”

  “Groups?” the Jonstar said, shaking its hairy, elongated head. “We can’t handle even one.”

  “We are not the masters of the galaxy,” the Dati said stoically, “though some of us seem to forget that. We can only deal with the threats that approach us, in whatever ways we are able. Star Force has given us, graciously, a solution to a problem that has not reached their own borders yet. On behalf of the Dati, we are immensely grateful and will assist you in the containment of this Hamoriti however we can, and we will defend your control ship to the last of us if necessary.”

  “Thank you,” Paul said graciously.

  “If you will allow it, I will send a courier back to my territory to instruct them to send representatives to your homeworld so that we can establish formal diplomatic relations.”

  “Our homeworld is more or less off limits, but there is another major system nearby that we use for diplomatic contacts. You may send your representatives there.”

  “I will do likewise,” the cyborg said. “If our ultimate destination is far from here, I will also call for reinforcements. Our territory is far away, but if they can arrive in time I want them here.”

  “400 lightyears, give or take.”

  “That will take the Hamoriti more than a year,” the Dati said.

  “Far more,” the Sety corrected. “Unless it can move faster than we estimate?”

  “It can’t move much faster than you’ve already seen it go,” Paul confirmed. “And we have reinforcements heading towards us. The more time goes by, the less opportunity the Trinx will have to strike.”

  “How many more ships?” the Bpret asked.

  “I don’t know. We sent word, how much is sent will be determined by factors that I am not aware of. But a lot are coming, I can guarantee you that.”

  “Do the Trinx know this?” the Breti wondered.

  “Have you been feeding them information?” Paul lightly accused, looking at the Sety.

  “We have been with you the entire time.”

  “A simple, honest ‘no’ will suffice.”

  “No,” the Sety answered. “We are not feeding them information.”

  “They may suspect it regardless,” the cyborg said before the Sety could say something antagonistic. “We are heading in the direction of your border. The only question is, how fast can they get their own reinforcements here?”

  “Their systems are not that far away,” the Jonstar commented. “And given the speed we cannot muster, they will surely get to us before we reach the Star Force border.”

  “Agreed,” the cyborg said, running mental calculations. “There is no time to send for reinforcements. If they are going to strike hard, it will be soon. And we will need every ship we can muster,” he said, looking at the Sety.

  “If they force the issue, we will defend the controller.”

  “But?” the Dati pressed.

  “We will only defend the controller.”

  “Fair enough,” Paul said before anyone else could speak. “But do so from range, and that goes for the rest of you as well. Leave point defense to my own ships.”

  “So ours are destroyed first?” the Sety challenged.

  Paul’s lip showed a touch of a snarl. “If I want your ships destroyed, I don’t need the Trinx to do it.”

  “That is debatable.”

  “Your allegiance is in question, and yet you continue to antagonize,” the cyborg said with evident frustration. “Do you not understand the stakes? Make it clear where you stand. If you will not fight against the Trinx then say so and leave this convoy. We cannot have any hesitation, and I do not blame them for not wanting us in close to the controller. It would be much easier for the Trinx to accomplish their goal if a hole in the formation formed via betrayal than if they have to fight their way in.”

  “We know the stakes, Chamra. Do not assume we do not.”

  “The Trinx know them as well, yet they continue with this madness.”

  “I cannot say why they have done what they have. I understand some of their reasoning. Entrusting a Hamoriti to Star Force is a mistake, but their actions do not provide a solution. Even if there is a way for us to use what they know to find a way to control the Hamoriti for ourselves, destroying the ship that such knowledge is on is against our interests. The Trinx should know this, and while I did not fault them for attacking the first time when Star Force was waking up the second Hamoriti, I do fault them for trying to destroy the control that is now assumed over this one.”

  “We have struggled for so long,” he continued, “that we should not be pushed aside so blithely, but there is no excuse for destroying the only known means to control this menace. The Sety will not attack the control ship, nor will we let the Trinx do so. That is necessity. Star Force remaining in control is not. We will continue to negotiate for shared control and exert what leverage is necessary, but we will not endanger the solution. On that you can trust us without question, and I do not believe anything in our past actions would suggest otherwise.”

  “And what of the past actions of the Trinx?” the cyborg pointed out. “Was there anything there to precipitate this betrayal?”

  “Their actions are their own, and they were not totally unprovoked. Judge us by our own. We will not allow any Hamoriti to run free, no matter what the cost.”

  8

  June 8, 3255

  Mesnqua System (lizard territory)

  Stellar Orbit

  Riley’s command ship came out of its jump along with a few dozen other Star Force jumpships at the tail end of the convoy line. The bulk of the combined fleet had traveled to this system first, getting there ahead of the Uriti, but Nefron had to leave last in order to make sure that Nami actually jumped out.

  They arrived back into range of sensor signal stability and the Uriti and the fleet popped up on the battlemap, with the ships already transitioning around the star to their next jumppoint. The Zeus and its escorts followed while Nefron signaled to the Uriti as to which jumpline to take out. As soon as it got moving from its holding position the battlemap lit up with signals popping out from the upper atmosphere of the star as they skimmed it in a very tight and fast orbit.

  The stellar interference let them get far closer than they normally would have been able to without being detected, but they weren’t exactly on their doorstep as of yet. The Zeus was within communications range of Paul’s fleet so he opened up a holographic transmission that suffered from just a touch of lag.

  “There they are,” he said to Paul’s image as the sensor silhouettes on the ships racing towards them were identified as Trinx. “Run or fight?”

  “You…run. Now.”

  “Coming to you,” Riley said as he ordered the ship and crew to get them to the others with a simple waypoint that he knew the Admiral would coordinate the navigation to, leaving him free to deal with other matters. “Those leading ships are going to be here before we see their full numbers, I’ll bet you anything.”

  “Bluff or bait?” Paul wondered.

  “W
e’re all here together. They’re not going to be able to isolate some of us, not with that closure rate. I think they’re here to slug it out.”

  “Or make a pinpoint attack run on you then beat it before we pound them.”

  “Fight,” Riley decided. “They want an ass kicking, so let’s deliver it.”

  “You read my mind. Too bad you can’t ask the Uriti to help.”

  “It’d probably kill us all in the process. I’ll have Nefron tell it to park in a holding orbit. Pick your battlefield and we’ll come to you.”

  “Already have,” Paul said, sending him a waypoint. “You’re middle of the formation in turtle mode. Watch for kamikaze runs, and I’ll have four shield ships tasked directly on you. We…heads up.”

  Riley was about to ask what for, but Paul send the information mentally and Riley spotted the wrinkle in the star pattern on the sensors. It wasn’t a black silhouette like the Ma’kri made, for it was showing stars, but they weren’t pinpoint perfect…though they were on the opposite side of his taskforce and coming in at them like a pincher only seconds away.

  The jumpships with the Zeus, accelerating hard as they were, cut their engines and began to coast as the command ship zoomed on ahead. As soon as the break happened the elongated jumpships began throwing out a shower of drones that individually accelerated on ahead when they got clear and angled to intercept the cloaked ships.

  They didn’t make it in time, with the leading Trinx ships popping onto the sensors as they fired massive energy beams that defied the color spectrum, looking as if they were bending the starlight behind them as they traveled into a kaleidoscope of distortion. As soon as they were fired the cloaking mechanism disengaged, with the ships popping up in clusters as the beams leapt out towards the command ship and hit its shields, some of which missed entirely as the Zeus wobbled back and forth as it ran towards the still distant allied fleet.

  The first few strikes did nothing to it, barely draining any power, but there was a residue on the shields that didn’t dissipate and instead built up with each subsequent hit. After 30 or so strikes the Zeus’ acceleration diminished and the Trinx ships came up within range where their shots would no longer miss.