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  Rajamal went directly for the head, but he missed as the long neck swung out of the way. An invisible step appeared beneath them and he got a foot on it, launching himself back up in a long jump as the two Zen’zat fell on either side of the neck and somehow forced it lower. Rajamal didn’t know how, but it was enough to get the Oso’lon’s head somewhat pinned in place.

  His jump brought him close to it, but not directly in alignment…so he glided on his anti-grav over a few meters as the head jerked his way, hitting him.

  Rajamal took the blow and latched on to the now shieldless armor of the Oso’lon, emitting his own Fornax field and making the big quadruped wobbly enough that the two remaining Meintre with leg holds were able to fully tip him over onto his side.

  The other one ran up and jumped on the neck, pinning him to the ground as they pumped stun blast after stun blast into him. Nym and Derox did as well, with Rajamal activating his single, small stun weapon and added the insignificant firepower to the rest…then he and the others got a telepathic stand down order from one of the Meintre…followed by the Oso’lon retracting his armor down to ankle clasps.

  He had surrendered prior to being rendered unconscious and was now a prisoner…which meant Rajamal needed to move on, as did the other two Zen’zat. They ran off on another support mission and Rajamal went with them, genuinely surprised at how the Meintre had been able to hold on against that Jumat blast. Oso’lon used it as a clearing mechanism around them, as well as a takedown mechanism on their larger opponents…but the Meintre couldn’t be knocked off with those face-locks, and that was a huge problem for the Oso’lon when they were outnumbered as they were here.

  “Rit’ko’sor,” Rajamal warned as several of the swift bipeds came into view near the tunnel exit, and presumably coming out of it.

  “We see them. You want first dibs or want to keep playing with the other Oso’lon?”

  “Your Meintre have them beat,” Rajamal said, running ahead of the other two towards the oncoming Rit’ko’sor as he charged up a large Jumat blast. “I’ll take these. You get what’s left…”

  9

  Captain Nelfrani stood onboard the Meintre warship with all six of his round feet touching the silver circle on the floor that acted as a direct mental interlink, using the physical connection to allow for greater speeds than a wireless system, whether it be technological or telepathic. He and the other Meintre onboard the ship were piloting the warship and her drones, half of which had already been destroyed in the naval combat taking place in atmosphere for the most part.

  There were a number of Esquires onboard from various small races that assisted the Meintre, but the bulk of the drone work was done by the Knight race with their larger minds controlling multiple functions on each drone. In the case of Nelfrani, he had the warship’s main weapon under his direct control while he oversaw the larger battle and gave orders where necessary to coordinate the rest of his crew here and onboard the troopship.

  The main weapon as a bloon launcher, and he was currently using it to pummel an Oso’lon Domjo with shield draining energy balloons as his own warship’s shields were down to 13%. Normally that would have been a problem, but the enemy fleet was in such disarray that he knew his ship’s hull wasn’t going to be touched.

  The Domjo they were currently pounding on was pounding back, ignoring the drones and trying to break through the warship’s shields as it hung in the upper atmosphere like a giant dark spot in the sky shooting vivid light bulbs at a smaller dark spot much closer to the ground. Nelfrani knew he couldn’t take the ship down or it would crash on those below, which was why he had his crew pinpoint poking out its weapons when the bloons hit and momentarily disrupted the shields enough that a strong hit could at least partially break through.

  The Domjo was the only intact enemy ship left. All the J’gar ships had been damaged and forced to retreat, but the Oso’lon were not relinquishing their footholds on the planet, with this Domjo sitting directly over one and preventing the Meintre on the ground from taking it. If they tried the warship’s weapons would roast the ground troops, meaning the enemy on the ground had a safe haven so long as that Domjo sat there.

  Nelfrani didn’t have any drones with him, for they were scattered elsewhere around the planet dealing with the other footholds that were all in the process of falling. Only this one had a warship covering it, while the troop ships that had brought the Oso’lon and Rit’ko’sor here were waiting out of range in space to see what would happen.

  One on one, a Star Force warship without its drones would lose against a Domjo, but there were 14 Ter’nat vessels and one V’kit’no’sat Ti’mat assisting him, yet the Oso’lon ship was not targeting them at all. They wanted the Meintre ship, but they were not going to get it.

  The slugging continued until the enemy ship’s shields went down and it started taking hull damage, then when most of its weapon systems were plucked the enemy captain finally made contact with Nelfrani.

  “We will relent,” the Oso’lon said gruffly. “Cease fire and discuss terms.”

  The warship’s batteries fell silent immediately, but the Ter’nat did not stop shooting. Nelfrani ordered them to do so, but when they were slow to react he started firing on them with disruptive weapons. Those without shields took hull hits and had much of their internal mechanisms go dead, but not enough to drop them out of the sky. That got their attention real fast, and they complied with the order, ending the naval fight here while drone activity was still taking place elsewhere across the planet.

  “You will take all your personnel off planet, release any prisoners you have taken, then exit the system to never return. This is Star Force territory now.”

  “I will not argue your current position of strength, but the Ter’nat and Zen’zat belong to the V’kit’no’sat, and how we deal with them is our business, not yours.”

  “Director Davis has made it our business. My race is now tasked with the protection of the Ter’nat. If you wish to destroy them, you will have to deal with us. I am promising no retaliation if you leave now, but engage us in battle again and we will not be so forgiving,” he said, flexing all four of his trunks so they pressed against each other in an isometric display of strength, and for a Meintre that was a threatening gesture that the Oso’lon may or may not have interpreted correctly.

  “Will we get our prisoners back?”

  “I have no desire to detain them. We kept them alive as a courtesy. One you did not show the Ter’nat and Zen’zat. Had we suffered any deaths today it might be different, but as we’re on a clean slate other than a few injuries, I think it best if we get away from each other as quickly as possible.”

  “These vermin are yours, but I cannot promise Itaru will not respond to your intervention here.”

  “Not just here. We’re taking possession of all Ter’nat colonies, including the ones you have already destroyed. We were pulled off combat with the Hadarak for this, meaning we had to leave people there to die that otherwise could have been evacuated because of you. If Itaru has any wisdom left in it, you will stay very far away from all Ter’nat colonies, for if you force us to abandon more people to their deaths in the war zone, we will make you pay for it one way or another. Take your forces, leave, and hope we stay too busy to make you pay for what you’ve already done. Make us pay more attention to you at your own peril.”

  “You are bold to poach our worlds, Meintre. Do not assume you will not be punished for it,” the Oso’lon said before cutting off the comm just before drop pods from the troopships began to head down to the surface everywhere, with the fighting coming to a stop in even the smaller engagements as the Oso’lon ordered their forces to stand down.

  Nelfrani ordered all prisoners gathered into 6 different pickup zones and sent the coordinates to the Oso’lon as he watched the J’gar ships begin to leave the planet enroute to the central star, not caring to stick around and watch as the Oso’lon picked up their people.

  “It seems we need to com
e to an accord, Meintre,” Neoum’s image said as he appeared in holo.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I owe you a great debt for what you have done here, but this world is still V’kit’no’sat territory.”

  “It ceased being V’kit’no’sat territory when you lost the ability to hold it,” Nelfrani said calmly. “You can either remain and assist us in rebuilding it, or you can leave to return to a Hjar’at world knowing that the Ter’nat will be in safe hands. Either way, their race is officially being annexed into our empire. You can now repurpose the warships you have defending them to your own defense. Trying to deny our annexation is foolish on multiple fronts.”

  “How do you have the strength to claim them all? Including those that have not come under Itaru’s attack? Will you assault them to take them from us?”

  “Given present circumstances that shouldn’t be necessary. Your worlds are at risk of falling to the Zak’de’ron and their servants. You need all your resources to defend them, and we are taking responsibility for many worlds off your spines. What do you have to gain from spiting us?”

  “We are taught not to relent, but Mak’to’ran once said Star Force was the rimward half of our empire. Perhaps this is you finally starting to do your duty to it.”

  “We have been busy doing YOUR duty to fight the Hadarak, Hjar’at. You started this war with the Zak’de’ron, not us. Now we have to defend the galaxy on our own, for both your empires are too weak to help fight the larger enemy. We owe you nothing but contempt for your foolishness. Take the small blessing we are providing you and make use of it.”

  “Why didn’t your Director send one of our races to assist the Ter’nat?”

  “You would have to ask him. They and the Meintre are both Knight races, and fully equipped to defend the empire. We just have a lot of enemies to fight and very little help to do it. My homeworlds have been stripped of our primary defense fleets and are now relying on lesser Star Force factions to take our place so we can come here with our full force. And we are doing so, not because we need the Ter’nat, but because they need a hero to save them, and the V’kit’no’sat are failing miserably. You and the others that remained are to be credited for doing your duty, but the others are not. They left the Ter’nat nearly helpless.”

  “They have always been nearly helpless,” Neoum pointed out. “What does your Director intend to do with them?”

  “They won’t be providing you Zen’zat. You’ll have to make do with what you’ve already got or start letting them breed.”

  The Hjar’at’s spines flared briefly, then returned to their normal glass-like look. “Do you think we have fallen so low to allow that heresy?”

  “I think you have fallen so low that you have to look up to see the bottom. In the past the V’kit’no’sat made anyone who dared attack them pay dearly for that intrusion of your territory. Now you can’t hold your own worlds against those who used to be your masters. Ever since Mak’to’ran’s death your empire has made one blunder after another, and now you can’t even communicate with each other with the Urrtren down. Do you even now how much of an empire you have left?”

  “I do not. All I know is my duty, and since you are here to do it for me, then I will leave it to you without resistance. The Ter’nat are used to my command, and they will have issues with yours. They need a firm foot on their neck to keep them looking forward. Freedom is toxic to them, and they will destroy themselves if you give it to them.”

  “We are not here to make them Humans,” the Meintre offered. “They are Ter’nat and they will remain Ter’nat. We’re here to offer protection and some upgrades. And for those that are worthy to ascend to Zen’zat, they will serve Earth. Not Itaru.”

  “Why? You serve heretical Zen’zat. Why not include these in their heresy?”

  “Humans are not truly Zen’zat. And Ter’nat are not Humans. Ter’nat cannot even reproduce with Humans, so by definition they are not even the same race now. Star Force will treat them as such, and we have far more experience incorporating races into our empire than the V’kit’no’sat could even dream of doing.”

  “What about the other slave races? Are you going to take them from us too?”

  “Has Itaru issued a death mark against them?”

  “Not to my knowledge, but as you said, with the Urrtren down I know little about the state of my own empire.”

  “We know of no such order, but there is much we do not know either of your empire. We will be establishing communications infrastructure to link the Ter’nat worlds, and Itaru will not dare touch it. We will replace the Urrtren by extending our comm grid where needed, and I have a construction team with me to do it as soon as possible. If your Ter’nat have the material resources, I would appreciate some coordination on providing them before you leave.”

  “As you wish. Do you know anything of the major Hjar’at worlds?”

  “Most have fallen, but the mid-level ones are relatively intact. Itaru doesn’t have the strength to take them yet. I can give you a list to choose from before you leave if you do not know where to go.”

  “I will take any intelligence you can provide. Will we be allowed to use this extension of our comm grid once it is up and running?”

  “That is not for me to negotiate.”

  “Come down and claim the planetary defense station. I will not leave it in Ter’nat hands or abandoned. Those with the skill to use it must physically remain here to safeguard it. If not, Itaru could sneak operatives in and you would not like the eventuality of carnage that would follow.”

  “I will be down as soon as the Oso’lon are dealt with.”

  “I will remain until you do.”

  It took several days to clean up the remaining troops and turn over the Star Force prisoners. The Oso’lon had taken none, which Nelfrani confirmed with scans of their ships and a few boarding parties where the scanners were not fully functioning. If the J’gar had any prisoners onboard they were long gone, but it was unlikely given their aquatic design and their lack of any surface troops. They hadn’t been seen since the first day, limping out of the system as soon as they could in their damaged ships, one of which was left behind after the crew transferred to another, then the empty one was tipped into a descending orbit into the star.

  The J’gar hadn’t stayed to make sure it burned up, so the Meintre had the MCV go and retrieve the Ti’mat, with its crew of Kiritak already having dumped the water out and pumped it full of air as they began repair and conversion work, for they didn’t have access to any command codes and wouldn’t be able to operate part of it without yanking the control crystals out and replacing them with their own, which they had to build. Thankfully Nelfrani had been given an MCV, so given time and the necessary raw materials available in the system, he could produce any and all Star Force technology thanks to the very securely guarded Vault of Knowledge contained within…as well as the ‘seed’ equipment to build all necessary base components upon which to construct the more impressive ones.

  In addition to that he had the Ter’nat, for better or worse, and the two other partially inhabited planets in this systems that had been the most vulnerable had mercifully been left untouched. The Meintre had already ordered some of the survivors from Puvvcor to be shifted to them as the logistical infrastructure tried to cope with the overload of people in too small an area to sustain them. It would have been worse had the J’gar and Oso’lon not killed so many when the shield generators went down, and that was a small silver lining. Meaning less would starve to death now before things got stabilized.

  The Kiritak already had overseers down with the Ter’nat acting as new Overlords as they tried to push the incredibly limited workers into some semblance of functionality, but for Kiritak that meant a rapid pace of work, and Nelfrani could only imagine the headaches they were having trying to operate on the pedantic pace of the Ter’nat when lives were hanging in the balance with regards to the speed of food production, for the Oso’lon had made a ha
bit of sending sabotage teams deep behind enemy lines to hit the agro facilities and try to starve out the Ter’nat.

  He trusted the Kiritak to get the Ter’nat working faster than normal, but there was no mistaking the mess he was inheriting. Like those before him he’d dig his way out of it and save who he could, but first he needed to take possession of the strongest military asset in the system…one more powerful than all the warships here combined and multiplied by a factor of 100.

  The planetary defense station was a 12 mile wide tiered, and very flat pyramid. Nelfrani landed on the third tier next to one of the entrances and not in the center of the top, for that was actually the firing point for the massive Tar’vem’jic it contained. And that single weapon was the reason why half the planet was still untouched, for the Zak’de’ron’s servants didn’t dare challenge it with anything less than a large warfleet…the kind of which they couldn’t muster now save for special occasions, and taking a Ter’nat colony by going directly through it would definitely not be worth the cost to them.

  Nelfrani stepped off into the native atmosphere, feeling it was a bit thin for his liking but tolerable. He set foot down on the green/black Yeg’gor stone that covered the pyramid in armored protection equal to that of a Hadarak. The Meintre felt the stone on his bare foot, which he rarely needed to cover with a shoe. His race had thick padding on the bottom, unlike Humans and others that would cut themselves up if they didn’t have a smooth surface to move around on.

  The stone felt almost soft, but he knew that was an illusion. It was about one of the hardest substances in the universe, and an energy sponge at that. It felt like his feet were ever so slightly melting into it, but there was no sticking sensation. He had never set foot on one before, but now that he was here he agreed the feeling was odd and almost magical since he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the unusual effect as he walked towards the entrance where a cluster of Hjar’at and ranks of Zen’zat stood at attention flanking them awaiting his arrival.