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  “Are the Hadarak near?”

  “Not to my knowledge. We last encountered them near Men’shi’va,” he said, citing the name of the most prominent planet in the system since the Neofan had designated all systems not belonging to them only as numbers, but the locals always used their own names, however unofficial they were.

  “Is there a plan? Does the Deoglade have a plan, or are we doomed?”

  “There is a small plan to save the Tru’ak. I had to request it of him, and I am risking myself being stranded here if she does not accept the terms or I am delayed. I must speak with her, for her sake.”

  “What about the rest of us?”

  “The same as the rest of the galaxy.”

  The voice on the other end fell silent for a moment, then returned composed and resigned. “I am forwarding your request. No promises.”

  “Understood,” Hay’mei said, knowing that he either had to wait, try another ship, or make a run down to the planet and hope he wasn’t shot down.

  He didn’t like any of those options.

  The Deoglade had left the observation deck briefly to get some food and rest, but returned to it rather than the bridge to give himself the necessary view to think. He saw countless resources, both in terms of equipment and personnel before him, all of which he could not use. Nor could he redirect them elsewhere. He felt it was a fail on his part not to be able to do something to aid them, but the logistics were determinate. Without the Essence capability of the Neofan, both in terms of their advanced weapons and storehouses, the conventional and lesser Essence weapons of their servants were not sufficient enough to fight back against this double invasion.

  So why had the Neofan been worried about what he could do?”

  It felt like he was missing something.

  Even though this wasn’t a Meerioss system, he could probably assume at least partial command of it. There were warfleets here, plus a lot of industry. He could hold this system against a small to medium Hadarak invasion, but to what end? What was the possible scenario that the Neofan feared enough to kill all the Deoglades?

  His master obviously didn’t fear it that much, releasing him to die on his own merits. What could he do amidst all of this? Every planet across the galaxy was a prime target that couldn’t be moved or defended…

  The Deoglade froze. He saw it.

  The Neofan were not totally leaving this galaxy. Some were hiding in their Temples, and those Temples had to be hidden so the Hadarak would not find them. That meant outside of systems entirely. Probably deep space where the Hadarak could not go, though he didn’t know about the Pafdreng.

  But the point was they were hiding, and could only hide a few. Not even all of their own race.

  Yet the Deoglade knew there was another way to hide. A hard way. And a way they were not trained for. Everything was designed to operate off the strength of the Neofan and their systems. Technology, information, rare materials…they all flowed out of Neofan systems and down through the ranks with the smallest, most poor systems waiting and hoping something was left for them. Before the invasion there was plenty for all, in most cases, within the Meerioss at least. But he’d encountered those who told a different story, and learned about the ghosts in the system.

  Not a star system, but the Neofan system that had previous dominated this galaxy…yet it had not dominated every crack and crevice in it. There were those who roamed the stars and lived exclusively on ships. He hadn’t thought it possible, due to logistical degradation. The ships should eventually wear out, no matter how many repairs one made, and unless you wanted to be a raider, how would generate the income necessary to buy what the Neofan did not supply you?

  But now he saw it. The massive industry in this system, behind a curtain of ships that some of it could be repurposed into.

  That’s what the Neofan feared. That he would see the pivotal weakness in their empire. The weakness that was causing the galaxy to be abandoned and the Neofan to start again in another. They’d probably known all along, which was why they had infrastructure in many other galaxies for them to fall back to.

  Both the Hadarak and Pafdreng were planet destroyers, and the Neofan empire was pinned to planets, both in terms of resources and philosophy. Those who did not have a planet to call their home were the dregs of the galaxy, and the prestige of your planet dictated your status within the empire.

  But it was those who roamed the stars who could forever hide from the Hadarak. Not easily. Not reliably. But there was a possible scenario there that he knew how to chase after, for he’d been chosen and groomed for his ability to think outside the dogma the Neofan instructed the empire to use…then they’d told him not to use it. For they needed commanders who could adapt to the unforeseen challenges…but only a few of them.

  And it was that creativity that his brethren had been killed for. Because they could come to the same conclusion he just had.

  A chunk of this galaxy could be saved, if it could be made mobile, including their logistical chain.

  He couldn’t save everyone. He couldn’t save most of them. But he wasn’t helpless. Not while there were systems like this one that hadn’t been touched yet. Systems with the resources he needed.

  He almost ordered the convoy to stop, but he couldn’t. This pathway to escape was preferable, and he wasn’t going to throw away what his men had just died for on Dragiel. He had to keep moving, but at least he knew why the Neofan didn’t want him to live.

  Because he could keep a part of their empire alive, absent their rule, when right now all they wanted him and the others to do was politely die while they started over again in another galaxy.

  The pain that realization caused him was becoming familiar, but a part of him still couldn’t believe they could be so cruel. He had faithfully served them, as so many others had, their entire lives, not just because they had to, but because they wanted to. Because they believed in the superiority of the Neofan.

  They would save the galaxy from the Hadarak…but they didn’t. And now it was clear they weren’t even trying anymore. They’d quit and run away, leaving some of their own people behind to die. How apathetic could they be?

  But the more he thought about it…and he’d been thinking about it a lot over the past months…he’d known they were like this all along. Not in a general revelation, but little bits of information here and there. He had more contact with the Neofan than most of their servants who never laid eyes on one, and he’d always thought their disdain for him was because he didn’t measure up to them. And that if he worked harder, he would rise to near peerdom and earn their trust.

  That had happened with his master, and he assumed the rest were the same…but obviously they were not if they would kill their own Deoglades with no cause. And even his master, who showed mercy upon him, tossed him aside rather than giving him a mission. He could have ordered him to do in secret what he now realized he was capable of…but he didn’t. He simply released him to die in his own way.

  After all the work they’d done, the Neofan were showing their true colors…and the lack of any real bonds with anyone outside their own race. And perhaps not as much within it as he would have assumed.

  And it was in that moment he, like Yui in the bar, he decided to curse the Neofan…in his mind, at least, and even that felt like treason…but he did it anyway, and when he did a log jam of indoctrination broke and he suddenly realized he’d been imprisoning himself against such thoughts rather than being honest about who and what the Neofan were.

  They should have been better, but they were not. And what the Deoglade was truly loyal to was the lies they told him. The lies that were better than they actually were, and upon realizing this he saw a brief moment of superiority over them. For his standards were, ironically, higher than theirs.

  “They made me better than them, all the while tricking me into believing I was below them,” he said, mentally adding the caveat about their Essence powers and technology. They did have many advantages, b
ut when it came down to the measure of a man…they were lacking, and the Deoglade was not.

  Their servants…the elite ones anyway…had risen higher than their masters.

  And it was with that final revelation that he clung to the promises while saying good riddance to the liars who had made them. They could have their new galaxy, but the pieces of their old one were now his to claim.

  And claim them he would.

  9

  November 30, 154967

  UTOVI GALAXY

  System 22922-00392

  High Stellar Orbit

  They’d been through four more skirmishes, two against the Hadarak, one against raiders, and one against a race he’d never even seen before, but the Deoglade’s convoy hadn’t shrunk. It had gained Meerioss ships as they passed them along the way, as well as picking up 4 Nu’avi warships that had the Tru’ark onboard one of them, though they wouldn’t say which.

  They traveled quietly, and the Deoglade had no reason to talk to them. The promise of freedom in another galaxy was too compelling, as if no one dare spoke of it for fear of it evaporating. The same went for the scattering of other ships from other races he’d decided to include over the past few weeks as they neared their destination and their ship count was still very light.

  But now they were here, on the edge of the galaxy with the starfield disappearing in one hemisphere and replaced by the lights of distant galaxies. Behind them the stars remained, as was the faint bulge of the center of the galaxy where the Hadarak reigned supreme and the rubble of the Neofan’s strongest defenses lay in defeat. Out here, on the edge where there was little of importance, was one of the gateways that the Deoglade knew of and few others did, and waiting for them was a small convoy of Rudumak ships, including several Essence tankers.

  “Yadria,” the Deoglade said when opening communications. “We are here.”

  There was a long pause before the image of a reptilian race from another galaxy appeared in holo on the bridge. “Deoglade. Do you have one of the artifacts?”

  “I do. We have the Zanderline.”

  “I need to see it with my own eyes before we proceed.”

  “You have permission to board. We will continue this conversation in person.”

  “Agreed,” the alien said, cutting the comm.

  “Make the necessary arrangements. I am going over now,” the Deoglade said, heading down to one of his flagship’s hangar bays and taking an Interloper through the fleet to the vessel that was carrying the Zanderline. He had the pilot board it and wait for him in the hangar as the Rudumak came a short time later. The Meerioss was waiting at the foot of their transport when it landed, and the short reptilian came out standing less than half the Deoglade’s height, but he knew his Essence abilities were far greater than any Meerioss possessed, for the members of the Bond of Resistance got training in the discipline that the Neofan had denied the Meerioss. The kind that took them from being simple users into true mages.

  “Did you have trouble acquiring it?” the Rudumak asked as they walked side by side into a nearby lift car.

  “Nothing unexpected, but the cost was high. Am I to assume that all the ships I brought with me will be taken to the new galaxy?”

  “Easily. Star Force has sent enough Essence for many. How many will retrieve artifacts is dubious, but they sent enough to accommodate all if fortune prevails.”

  “Will you be taking us there personally?”

  “Yes. Others will remain here waiting on more artifacts.”

  “Have any been obtained presently?”

  “Only one. They left here half a saoyen ago.”

  “Who?”

  “I am not to say. We are not here. You are not here. None of this is happening. All perished in the fall of this galaxy. You are nothing more than a ghost.”

  “I will not be leaving,” he said as the lift doors closed and they began to move through the ship.

  “You don’t have the artifact?” the alien hissed.

  “You misunderstand. It is here, and this convoy is traveling to the new galaxy, but I am staying behind.”

  “To attempt to gather another?”

  “No. I have my reasons. My work here is not yet done. I need to be assured that the transit will not be an issue in my absence.”

  “There will be multiple stages of travel. At each Essence will have to be delivered. That is why our ships must travel with yours the entire way. Otherwise you will be stranded between galaxies.”

  “Then you will personally guarantee arrival?”

  “I do. I am interested in meeting this Star Force and opening up potential business relations.”

  The Deoglade glared down at him. “You have never had contact with them?”

  “We have not.”

  “How do you have the Essence from them? How did you negotiate this arrangement?”

  “An intermediary arranged it,” he said nervously. “What we are doing is highly dangerous.”

  “How so?”

  “Rudumak can travel through network. Intermediary is not allowed to bring you. We are. Their involvement cannot be known.”

  “Why did Star Force not contact you directly?”

  “They are not part of the Bond of Resistance. They do not have access to send message across galaxies.”

  “How can you travel to their galaxy but require an intermediary?”

  “Do not ask. I am forbidden from saying. You will be delivered safely.”

  Suddenly the truth became obvious. “How did Star Force know of the artifacts if they are not allowed access to the network?”

  “A good question. I do not have the answer to it.”

  The lift stopped, but the Deoglade hit the pause button so the doors would not open, then he reached down and grabbed the Rudumak by the throat, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall.

  “I have a death sentence by the Neofan, and if they ever see my face they will kill me on the spot. They arranged this, didn’t they? They’re going to take the artifacts and kill everyone trying to escape this galaxy.”

  “No, no, no…” he pleaded, rather than trying to resist. “It is not like that.”

  “How is it?”

  “You said you are staying here, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you ever going to leave?”

  “Doubtful.”

  “If you don’t leave and don’t tell your people, I will tell you. This information must not leave this galaxy, and you must promise not to tell anyone ever.”

  “Contingent on the safety of this convoy in reaching its destination, I agree.”

  “Star Force does not want the artifacts.”

  “Who does?”

  “House Atriark. They are nearly banned from the new galaxy, because they negotiated a deal to pull their entire House out of this one.”

  “I thought everyone was leaving people behind.”

  “They are, but House Atriark negotiated to set up in another galaxy. In their Temples. I do not know what the arrangement was, but it was rumored that they were to help the locals fight the Hadarak at the same time the new galaxy was being invaded by the Neofan, as a distraction. Their House is the only complete House other than House Mutavi, but they cannot live in new galaxy. They used other routes to get to this galaxy that did not interfere with primary route, thus allowing more of other Neofan to be evacuated. House Atriark is hated by Mutavi, and is seen as potential overthrow.”

  “Why weren’t the artifacts taken with them?”

  “Too big. Too costly. Wouldn’t help win new galaxy. Neofan left most people behind here, took only essentials. House Atriark wants artifacts to grow their own power. Contacted us to facilitate transfer. House Atriark cannot be involved. If Mutavi finds out, civil war would follow.”

  “So this Star Force is one of their new servants?”

  “No. They are not. They control galaxy, not House Atriark. They are winning war against Hadarak with little help from Neofan. They are power shield
ing House Atriark from Hadarak. Without Star Force, galaxy would fall.”

  “Does Star Force really want us, or was that a lie to trick us into retrieving the Neofan their prizes?”

  “Star Force doesn’t want artifacts. Artifacts will be transferred to Neofan before they reach Star Force. Star Force requested you and only you.”

  The Deoglade dropped him back to the floor gently. “What do they want with us?”

  “They want assistance in war against Hadarak. They have a history of taking broken races and rejuvenating them into powerhouses. They are an empire of many races, and grow stronger whenever they absorb another. They want to save Neofan servants and add your power to theirs. House Atriark demands the artifacts, and would not arrange transit deal without them…or so I surmised. They never speak the whole truth unless it is in their advantage.”

  “How do you know what Star Force wants us if you’ve never met them?”

  “Bond of Resistance did not give us permission to travel to their galaxy. They only allow some. We know how to sneak, and have visited many times, but we cannot place colony there. Others have, and great business relationship with Star Force was generated. They talk. We learn through them and through watching. We wish relationship with Star Force, even if not sanctioned. They are galactic power in the making. Many believe this. House Atriark chose their alliance wisely. House Mutavi expected, rumor says, for galaxy to fall to Hadarak. It has not. Star Force proved its superiority, and grows stronger over time. Their advancement rate is impossible. They hold power Neofan do not possess. They refer to it as lightside power, but none understand it. It is a reference to their fiction.”

  “They want to save us, but can’t come here because they don’t have access to the network?”

  “Bond of Resistance demands they join to use it. Star Force refuses.”

  “And they don’t want the Zanderline?”

  “They not know what it is. House Atriark wrote list of artifacts.”

  “But the convoy still goes to Star Force?”