Star Brigade: Resurgent (Star Brigade Book 1) (24 page)

To Bogosian, it was like hearing of the same attack but with a different location each time; security systems compromised, intruders breaching the base undetected, every Korvenite freed and the internment camp’s entire staff slaughtered. Any holovid footage that might reveal the culprit was always irreparably corrupted. But Hjj’ns struck at Bogosian much more personally. His blood boiled knowing that a territory so close to major memberworlds had been breached.

And for this to happen now.
Ari wanted to hit something, but had to rein in his feelings like always. He was the Union Chouncilor. “Any footage of the culprits this time?” he asked in a strained tone.

Emorra Faust, the human Minister of Homeworld Security, spoke up. “No footage, Chouncilor. But, they signed their work this time. Computer pan up to the ceilings.” On command, the footage rotated up to the ceilings. Bogosian blanched. Even the hard-bitten Galdorian Defense Minister flinched. The culprits indeed signed their work, with the blood of their victims in Standard and Korcei.

“The Korvenite Independence Front,” hissed G’Kougran Bengal-Uri of Intra-Union Affairs. “How is that possible? We destroyed that terrorist group years ago.”

“Did we, G’Kougran?” Bogosian replied coldly and stabbed a finger at the viewscreens. “Then who are these butchers killing
my
citizens?” The room was silent as a tomb. No one could forget the Korvenite Independence Front. This sect of radical Korvenites from the late 2390s had been led by the firebrand, Maelstrom. The Korvenite leader would leave holovid messages in random commspires around Union borders, always demanding freedom for the Korvenites. He and his followers were constantly on the run, hijacking and blowing up Union starliners at random. And what they did to their mainly human victims went far beyond atrocious. The entire Union breathed a sigh of relief the day Maelstrom was killed in a UComm ambush on Cor Leonis.
Or so we thought
, Ari seethed.

Now the Korvenite Independence Front had returned, their attacks more focused, bolder and with no traces left behind. And somehow this insurgent group had acquired cutting edge weaponry that they lacked before, making them more dangerous. Bogosian wanted to know how.

He stood and started pacing, still glaring at Bengal-Uri. “What do the news streams know?”

“Some tried to pry, but they have nothing substantial.”

“Keep it that way,” Bogosian pointed at him, still pacing behind his chair. “We handle this quickly and quietly. With the Union-Imperium Trade Merger going on, neither IPNN nor GBC are to know anything unless we disclose it. The Kedri already know, but thankfully I’ve convinced Biros and the Sovereign to withhold releasing any information.” The Chouncilor stopped in mid-stride. “And make sure the families of those killed are given their due death benefits.” He turned to his Defense Minister.

Minister Hunoparic Dihoss was light-years ahead of Bogosian in planning, like a typical Galdorian strategist. “More UComm AeroFleet battle cruisers are patrolling planetary systems with internment camps, each with doubled Space Marine detachments. Planetary Defense Corps is beefing up security for Union worlds with higher earthborn and Terranborn human populations. Border Security is also on high alert. It’ll look as if security’s being heightened due to the Union-Imperium Trade Merger.”

Security.
Bogosian leaned on his desk. Four Honor Guardsmen flanking the Diamond Room’s entrance, standing at perfect attention in their midnight-black uniforms. It was well-known how deadly the Honor Guard was, trained to protect the Chouncilor at all times. Even if someone got past them, the Diamond Room’s security systems would kill the infiltrator with speed beyond that of a normal sentient. Yet Bogosian didn’t feel safe at all. The words of Maelstrom from one of his insufferable rants came to mind. “If there’s a will, then there’s a way to victory…” Ari’s voice trailed off.

“Sir?” Faust asked, clearly puzzled.

Bogosian straightened up and resumed pacing. “Just thinking out loud. This new KIF seems to be gathering up Korvies, building an army. I want to know why and how are they getting past our security, especially with the work the Thulican technosmiths put into them recently.”

“The KIF obviously have access to a shrouded vessel, from where they got it is anyone’s guess. Add to the fact that they must have some ultra-modern scramblers to shrike our systems, which I thought were unbreakable.” Faust replied matter-of-factly. “The UIB and Homeworld Security are running reports and doing detailed analyses on these incidents. Given the number of internment camps all over Union Space, it’ll take some time…”

“Time is not on our side, Emorra!” Bogosian snapped, pointing again at the holoscreen with the KIF’s bloody autograph. “
This cannot happen again.
I want the KIF found and destroyed.” The finality in the Chouncilor’s tone resonated throughout the Diamond Room.

He sat as Minister Dihoss asked the question he feared answering. “Ari, what if it is Maelstrom?”

Bogosian was already shaking his head before Dihoss finished. “Can’t be. He was killed. The UComm raid at Cor Leonis saw to that.” The Chouncilor stated more for himself than for his ministers.

Minister Bengal-Uri’s black-striped fur rippled in alarm. “But his body was never found.”

Emorra Faust snorted. “That’s because there probably wasn’t enough left to salvage. Trust me, we checked. Did you see what UComm did to the former KIF stronghold?”

Dihoss opened his beaky mouth to protest. “I
know
. All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t discount—.”

The comm of the Chouncilor’s desk beeped. Bogosian was thankful for the distraction. “Yes?”

One of his numerous aides, a Rothorid, was on the comm. “Birosss Nor, Hulasss Xar, Jegrun Paal, and other memberss of the Imperial Domini have arrived for your 1400 orvs meeting.”

“Thank you, Hemaag. Escort them to the Rhomb. I’ll be there shortly.” Bogosian was already on his feet and his three ministers followed suit. The Chouncilor walked away from his desk, never taking his eyes off his ministers. “Deal with this problem. We cannot have this ruining all that we’ve worked for.”

With that, Bogosian exited the Diamond Room, trailed by his four Honor Guardsmen. A couple macroms later, he entered the Rhomb with a number of his advisors in tow. The Rhomb was the rectangular room in Union Hall where he met with officials from within or outside the Union. The Rhomb’s floor and walls boasted a shimmering, intricately carved sable metallic. Built into those walls were ultra-modern consoles, broadcasting the most current Union news streams and data at lightspeed. With the exception of the Chouncilor’s seat, all 20 seats surrounding the Rhomb’s center table had a greyish color and low-grade repulsorlifts keeping them off the floor. Twelve concentric rings hung from the ceiling circling a single golden disk, raining down soft circles of golden light.

Standing near the seats were Biros Nor and four other Kedri representing the Imperial Domini, the powerful advisory board overseeing the Domains of Authority that ruled the Imperium. Chosen by the major Kedri Castes based on achievements and inter-Caste voting, the thirteen-member Domini answered only to the Kedri Sovereign himself.  Bogosian had many meetings with the Domini via TransNet, and quickly realized that these Kedri were merely emissaries for the Domains of Authority, not the Lords Imperial overseeing the Domains themselves.

Jegrun of House Paal looked similar to Biros Nor with his overarched brow and medium-sized kutaa on either cheek, though his head was clean-shaven. At near seven-feet, he carried his building-sized physique well in jagged copper armor bearing a ceremonial styling. It was clear to Ari that Jegrun was a Grand Warmaster from the Warrior Caste representing the Domain of War & Defense. Hulas Xar also stood tall and had a sleek sable mane falling past his shoulders, but in contrast to Jegrun, this blue-skinned Kedri had a wiry build. The association to the Mercantile Caste and the Domain of Commerce was evident by his grandiose robes. The tinier kutaa on either side of Hulas’ jaw bristled, matching the haughtiness on his face. He clearly had little interest in being there.

Grey-skinned Miro of House Var lacked kutaa and her brow wasn’t as overarched, like all Kedri females. Her forehead still had the unique patterns natural to Kedri. Miro’s long mauve locks were in intricate braids, flattering her sparkling Erudition Caste robes. Despite being shorter than the males, the emissary for the Edification and Imperium Philosophy Domain still stood noticeably taller than Ari. Lastly was Toven Pax, massive like other Kedri with few larger kutaa. Despite representing the Domain of Technology, Toven hailed from the Engineer Caste. His scaly skin looked more reptilian, and by how he trailed behind the other Kedri, his caste clearly placed lower in a culture centered around its military. However, it was said a Kedri’s caste should never impede ascension up the Imperium ranks.

As the Chouncilor’s advisors sat around the Rhomb table, all four Kedri greeted Bogosian in typical Kedri fashion, slamming their fists together and bowing. Bogosian followed suit. Only Jegrun Paal and Biros vigorously shook his hand. Ari barely stifled a pained winced after each handclasp.

Jegrun Paal took in his surroundings with critical eyes, less than impressed. “The Halls of the Domini dwarf this miniscule scullery hollow,” his voice was an angry bark, despite not yelling.

“Clearly,” Hulas looked about in disgust, tossing back his long sable mane. “On Kedria, the Verdant Jewel of the Universe, the citadel of House Xar is bedecked with crystal from Kedria’s affluent soil. It doesn’t even have to try making this building appear insignificance.”

Typical Kedri
, Bogosian frowned. Aggressive and boastful, always attempting to dominate even in a peaceful situation. Before Bogosian could open his mouth, Biros Nor snapped off something in Kedri High Imperial Tongue that sounded like a braying up-and-down snarl.

Whatever he said silenced the other Kedri. “We have business here,” he chided in Standard Speech. “Unionists care little about the size of our Houses. Brag about how big your
spires
are later.”

“Then, let’s get started, shall we?” Bogosian sat at his seat at the head of the Rhomb’s table.

The meeting, scheduled for two orvs, went on longer than four. Instead of ironing out the minutiae of the Union-Imperium Trade Route, the Kedri were gallingly belligerent on every issue. Whether it was to input commerce stations at major hubs on the Trade Route or build similar battle stations to the
Amalgam
Station, everything became an issue. Even the Convocation for the Union-Imperium Trade Merger caused controversy, chiefly the Kedri’s showcase of their ‘Imperium Age’. This involved a ceremony highlighting how they conquered every Imperial Dependency world, all six hundred plus of them, an utterly impractical venture which the Kedri couldn’t grasp.

Of course, another debated issue was the Korvenites and their absence from the Convocation. Ari seethed internally at the Kedri’s mentioning
them
. His advisors did so more openly. Keeping his cool, he steered the discourse back to the Trade Route before tempers spiraled out of hand.

The only part of the discussion to run smoothly was Toven Pax’s
Amalgam
presentation. The Kedri was directly involved with bringing the Amalgam from blueprint to creation. Toven punched into his datapad. In the middle of the Rhomb’s table, its TriTran brought up images of the
Amalgam
Station. It was dwarfed when scaled next to a regular-sized planet.

“The new features include better defense systems, flight maneuverability and planetary shield syncing. With this last feature,” Toven beamed, his ginger-hued eyes twinkling with pride. “The
Amalgam
can lock on the broadcasting signals from each individual shield generator around a planet, sync them up to also activate and increase their shield integrity by a multiple of five.” The display showed the
Amalgam
station orbit a world’s atmosphere, then a transparent yellow planetary shields that surrounded  both thickening.

With a wave of Toven’s fingers the display disappeared. “I uploaded all relevant statistics and diagrams to your datapads. We hope to demonstrate this during the day of the Trade Merger.”

One of Bogosian’s technology advisors, a human named Jonah Drischoll, scanned his datapad and chuckled. “That shield syncing would work for other worlds, but it won’t do any good for Terra Sollus.”

A shadow flickered across Biros Nor’s face. “How so?”

Drischoll turned pink under Biros’ sharp gaze, but quickly regained his bearings. “For starters, the shield generator stationed above Corogña nation-state is also a commerce station and operates independently of the other shield generators. Plus, its used as an auxiliary while one of the shield generators is undergoing maintenance over the next few weeks. So syncing with the primary shields would have to be done from within the station.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Bogosian said, adding some last notes to his datapad. “I think we’ve covered every issue. Anything else?” He was greeted by silence, and couldn’t have been more thankful.

The change of scenery from starscrapers to rolling grasslands snapped the Chouncilor back to reality. The meeting with the Domini members had so absorbed his focus that Bogosian barely recalled stepping inside his hoverlimo or leaving Sheffield. Usually, Ari would stay in his Executive Suite in the heart of Conuropolis’ Diktat District, but with his jam-packed schedule during the next few weeks, he wanted at least one night with his family at the Bogosian Estate. Rhyne was setting over the hills of the approaching Oklorada Basin in central Vesspuccia, painting the wispy-feathered sky with ruby fire.