Star Force: Quenar (SF88) (Star Force Origin Series) (5 page)

“
And you wish us
to look for more of this unspecified race?
”

“
And to
inoculate them, yes. I know that certain races, given that knowledge, would
hunt them down and destroy them to prevent the Chixzon return, but this is far
more efficient a solution and does not involve mass murder. If we give you the
inoculation, will you spread it to any and all colonies that you find?
”

“
You have yet to
identify the race
.”

“
They are the
Protovic
.”

The Dragon huffed once. “
Such a clever disguise. A pathetic, yet somewhat resilient race to hide
themselves within. Their timeline, if it has not been altered by factors unseen
to them, is incredibly ambitious. What has this Chixzon suggested that his
peers would do if they returned?
”

“
Lay low and
look for a means to conquer the galaxy where the Uriti failed, but if they
could find some way to eliminate the weakness in them that they would seek them
out or perhaps another Hadarak from which to make more. He is convinced that
they would not make the same fatal mistake a second time, thus they would not
reveal themselves until they were all but assured of victory
.”

“
From your
memories, you have stated that their telepathy is inferior to your own?
”

“
Structurally
yes, but he is also extremely young
.”

“
None the less,
it is curious how their development has occurred differently than ours. I had
assumed such things were more or less automatic with regards to genetics.
Apparently that is not so, for they have exceeded us with the Hadarak while failing
to even produce adequate results in other areas. Such things may not be
apparent to you, but they are obvious to me from your memories
.”

“
You have
attempted to reengineer the Hadarak?
”

“
We have
attempted all things considered and found no way to defeat them other than
through continual warfare and attrition. Their sanctuaries in the deep core
cannot be reached, thus there is no way known to permanently eradicate them
even if we were to mount an enormous crusade to kill all those who come forth.
An equilibrium was thus maintained, and is currently done so with a thin region
ceded to them that was not previously. This denotes that the V’kit’no’sat are not
as strong as they once were and I believe it is partly because we are no longer
bolstering them, but also due to the Rit’ko’sor rebellion.
”

“
What happened
to them?
”

“
Unknown. We
cannot gather much
intel
from the core, but what we
have thus far indicates that they have been wiped from all records and
therefore have not been
reassimilated
.
”

“
Annihilated?
”

“
Possibly, but
regardless of their ultimate fate they seem to have hurt the V’kit’no’sat to
such a degree that they have not fully recovered. Their loosening of the
equilibrium will have cumulative negative effects that will force them to
commit further resources to holding the line in time. The Hadarak can sense
weakness when it exists, and they deliberately prod any such signs looking for
a way to penetrate the defenses. They could simply travel past them and be
pursued, but they choose to attack them directly. They are a plague that thinks
and plans, but does so in such a way that we have bene unable to determine
their full motivation.
”

“
All the more
reason to try and talk to
a
Uriti if possible
.”

“
I am not
hopeful, but I will assist you with this endeavor. While the traitors hold the
Hadarak at bay, they cannot be continually trusted with such a task. We are
not, nor will be, in a position to supplant them, but if another method of
combating the Hadarak exists it is important that we find it. But do not mistake
my acquiescence as a mitigation of the danger. If the Chixzon hold on this
Uriti lapses, it will prove beyond your ability to defeat regardless of what
impressive progress your Archons have made. The Hadarak fight navally before
all else, and must be countered on such. You of all Archons should understand
magnitude of this
.”

“
I understand
part of it. I need you to help educate me further
.”

“
Is that
humility I hear?
”

“
Never
,”
Paul said with defiance. “
Just acceptance
of ignorance that I have not yet been able to rectify from reading reports
alone. I need someone with greater knowledge, or better yet, experience with
the Hadarak.
”

“
Where is the
Archon I gifted previously?
”

“
Elsewhere
making preparations for if and when the V’kit’no’sat return
.”

“
Prudent, but
otherwise futile. Anonymity is your only effective defense. If she were here I
could upload the necessary knowledge to her Vorch’nas, but unless she is close
by there is no time. When we leave from here you will not see us again and your
efforts concerning the Uriti will be your own. If you have the ability to
destroy it, then we shall leave it in your care, for good or ill. Our
intervention is tenuous, and destruction of one will not be possible if more
prying eyes continue to arrive as you anticipate. I suspect this location is
going to come under great scrutiny, thus we must return to the shadows before
we can be discovered
.”

“
What would you
counsel regarding that?
”

“
You fear their
exposure of you to the traitors. This is a real threat if the races coming here
have ties back to the core, but if the Uriti never traveled to the core then
you may be clear of that catastrophe. With regards to these races alone I would
advise caution and extreme military buildup to discourage intervention. If you
are going to claim possession of this Uriti, you may well have to do more than
be able to control it.
”

Paul cringed. “
I
was afraid of that.
”

“
I will advise
destroying it and the others before your grasp upon them can be challenged
.”

“
It’s already
been challenged once, but no, we’re not going to kill them unless they take
action themselves that forces it.
”

“
Noble, but not
prudent
.”

“
Noble usually
isn’t
.”

“
Your path is
your own
.”

“
That it is
,”
Paul agreed, knowing he was referencing the V’kit’no’sat betrayal. They weren’t
going to ally themselves, trust themselves, to anyone else again after that. “
As for the Hadarak…begin enlightening me.
”

5

August 13, 3256

Alamo System

Inner Zone

The
Sanguine
Blade
sat in a holding orbit inside the empty system that had filled up
with starships, some 2,193 of them not counting the fleet that had come along
with Jason’s flagship. Those numbered 6,288 and included a mix of warships,
personnel transports, cargo ships, sedas, and MCVs. The majority of the ones
already here were not Star Force, instead being made up of a healthy number of
Sety ships and a handful of others from what remained of The Nine without the Trinx
and Yisv, whose fleet was still apparently loyal but not willing to enter a
system with a woken Uriti.

But there were others, several hundred of them
scattered around the area and not getting close to one another that were not
identified in Star Force’s ship profiles. Some updated once the links to the
present fleet had come through, but most of the vessels had ‘unidentified’ tags
with a little information on them from sensor records probably compiled while
in this system.

“A lot of visitors,” Jason commented from the
observation deck that had been built into the command ship specifically for
this mission. It had windows all around it that fed off of external cameras
while being located deep within the heart of the vessel and the safest part of
the ship, giving it an openness that its occupant preferred.

“I expect there will be a lot more in coming years,”
Duke Pryon added as he looked out at the floating masses of ships while a small
portion of them were moving about and active while the Uriti was lounging
inside the star’s outer levels and barely visible on sensors.

“I don’t think we’ll have to wait that long,” Davis corrected
from his work station at the center of the chamber while the two Dukes and
three trailblazers were lounging around and looking out the ‘windows’ or at the
holos
while the Director was looking up a variety of
things in the ship’s database. “Assuming word got out fairly quick, there are
probably others enroute as we speak. Hopefully not any
warfleets
,
but that all depends on the reason why they’re coming.”

“They’re not getting Nefron,” Riley said firmly. “And
even if they do he’ll be more trouble than he’s worth. The Chixzon in him
doesn’t take well to fools.”

“Just because we claim only he can operate the
equipment isn’t convincing to the skeptics,” Paul added, sitting on a console
and lazily swinging one leg hanging in the air. “The Trinx obviously thought
they could make it work without him, or with him under coercion, and I doubt
we’re going to convince others of the futility of that even if we do a meet and
greet session with him. People are going to see what they want to see.”

“And they’re going to see a badass fleet guarding this
system,” Jason added, referencing all the ships they’d scrounged from across
the ADZ with more on the way as they became available.

“Their definition of badass might differ from yours,”
Duke
Yetti
said as she sat next to Paul in a slightly
more rigid pose, but still informally on top of a work table, “if they’re
operating on a high tech level. A lot of these races probably know the others,
and aside from our ability to control the Uriti they might see us as
inferiors.”

“Not the cool kids, huh?” Jason summed up.

“It’s our job to make them understand,” Davis said
distractedly as he thumbed through more files. “I trust you guys know how to
show off enough to get the job done.”

“I’m questioning your Archon credentials just for asking
that,” Paul reprimanded the acolyte.

Davis smirked, but continued his search in silence.

“How certain are you that the Uriti won’t attack us?”
Pryon asked Riley.

The trailblazer shrugged. “She seems to ignore us
unless we use the magic word. As long as we don’t get in her way or shoot her
I’d guess we’ll be fine. If someone else does that, well, we might get caught
up in the ruckus, but we can easily outrun her.”

“I’m more concerned about the facilities we’re
building here.”

“She can wreck them if she wants,” Riley said plainly,
“but with the safeguards in place I think we’ll be alright.”

“I hope you’re not overestimating her speed…or
temperament.”

“Don’t worry,” Paul said with an ease that partially
reassured the Duke. “We’re putting enough engine capacity into the facilities
that you can avoid her so long as you get a head start, and she’s not exactly
hard to see coming.”

“If moving counters the Uriti’s abilities, then why is
it so feared?”

“Ignorance,” Riley answered. “Well, that and them
getting their asses kicked when they were stupid enough to engage them. The
Uriti are very good, specialists really, at busting up heavily fortified worlds
that were never meant to be breached. A lot of races think like that, and when
you have populations that you can’t move out of the way fast enough, the Uriti
is an unstoppable wrecking machine. Don’t build static facilities and keep your
population far, far away from them and you’ve got a workable situation.”

“If we were in the ADZ, then I’d assume we’d have a
problem?”

“Not a problem, just a cause for concern. It’ll take
Nami a long time to get there from here, so we’d have time to take…some
countermeasures.”

“Other than the kill switch?”

“Not really,” Paul admitted. “If we knew which system
she was going to then we could evacuate, but with so many options in the ADZ we
could never get everyone out of her potential path. As long as we keep her out
here in the empty zone she’s not a threat, and I hope everyone else starts to
realize that as well. Get her close to inhabited systems and then we’ve got a
problem. She sneezes in the wrong place and you lose 50 million people.”

“Are you certain she’ll not start creating minions
unless directed?”

“Pretty sure,” Riley answered, “but even if she does,
Nefron should be able to control them as well. In fact, experimenting with that
is on our to-do list.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Just a few, so we know what they’re really like.”

“And to confirm that they’re biological machines
rather than people?”

“That and some other stuff.”

“Won’t that freak out the guys in the cheap seats?”
Yetti
asked.

“Might,” Riley admitted, “
but
I don’t care. They’re not calling the shots, and the sooner we establish that
the better.”

“I agree,” Jason chimed in.

“Here it is,” Davis said, with everyone turning to
look at him as he pulled up a record and displayed it in holo for them to read
in three different locations around the large room. “I knew I’d come across it
before.”

Paul looked at what was labeled as The Nexus records
regarding various cataloged races, specifically those that were documented to
have existed outside their expansive territory. There was a bit of history
attached to each, detailing the circumstances of the contacts made, and one
very powerful race in particular was noted as having made contact on a survey
mission. They had made contact and stated a request for any knowledge of race
known as the
Iggarat
and had provided technology
samples for comparison.

Those tech samples were now visible, and Paul saw that
Davis had linked them with some aspects of Ancient technology. Most of it was
different but the key pieces matched up, but it was the ship profile that
matched those of four such vessels sitting within view of the
Sanguine Blade
’s sensors that confirmed
the link.

“I think these guys were searching for another of the
Ancient races’ remains in order to locate hidden Uriti and the Sety didn’t pick
up on it. They may have quietly put out feelers into their territory later,
which wouldn’t be all that difficult considering how overstretched they are,
and probably, if my guess is right, laid down a network to gather any tips on
any information about the Uriti or the Ancients that might surface. When Nami
got loose they couldn’t do anything about it, but they watched from afar. When
they saw that we could control them that sent the spark out to who knows how
many races in the Uriti preservation club that are now on their way here.”

“What’s the end game?” Paul asked. “I doubt all of
these races are simply being prudent guardians of sleeping monsters.”

“Leverage would be my guess,” the Director said,
leaning back in his chair. “You find the giant Easter
Egg
and lay claim to it, you then possess the ability to release an unstoppable
plague on the galaxy. Even if people figured you were bluffing they’d probably
regard you as worthy of respect…or fear trying to conquer you. Last resort
might be releasing the Uriti so it could destroy the invaders or perhaps just a
‘screw you’ last measure as they were wiped out. There are a lot of
possibilities, but I think the bottom line is that if you control
a
Uriti site it bumps you up into a very elite status.”

“And we just outdid them all,” Pryon noted.

Davis nodded. “They’re either coming to suck up, or
because they’re ticked that they’re no longer top dog and want to try and find
a way to reassert themselves, either through bluffing or taking action. I think
we’re exposing a very secret society that extends well beyond The Nine. It may
be that these other so-called guardians were in contact with one another rather
than acting in seclusion. In which case we could be getting visitors from the
other side of the galactic core.”

Jason whistled. “I hope they don’t take a short cut
through the middle.”

“We need more firepower,” Paul said, realizing just
how outclassed they might be in short order.

“We need control,” Davis corrected. “Part of that is
firepower, but the greater part is they’re seeing that there is a purpose in
this system and that we’re driving it. We have to be doing things with the
Uriti rather than just sitting on it. We’ve already established that we’re
making this system an embassy for these various races to permanently inhabit if
they wish, which will make us the arbiters and hosts, but we need more than
that. Experimenting with the minions is a double-edged sword. It could scare
some, but entice others that also want to study them. Those races that play
nice we’ll let observe, but control stays with us. They can make suggestions,
but they never give orders. That’s one optional activity, but we need more than
that.”

“It depends on what they want from them,”
Yetti
summed up. “Are there any material gains that can be
had?”

“Observational data of a waking one,” Riley offered.
“Beyond that, unless you want a lot of holes in a planet for some reason,
there’s nothing beneficial from them.”

“Unless they want you to use one to bust up their
rivals,” Pryon suggested.

“We’re not going to do that,” Davis said firmly, “and
we need to make them understand it from the get go. We’re not utilizing their
combat capability in any way, but if we are ever invaded that restriction could
be rescinded. We’re not actually going to do that, but we are going to offer
the promise of containment and hold to it firmly in order to gain credibility
over time. The threat of us having cause to rescind that promise, legitimately,
is our leverage point. We’re not going to use it to make gains, however, and
that should also send a message. It’s going to be defensive leverage.”

“Over the long term,” Paul clarified.

“Yes,” Davis said with regret. “Such things take time
to develop. The most dicey timeframe is now, so what else can we do to be
driving events?”

“Visible construction will send the signal that we’re
active,”
Yetti
noted, “but if we rotate the Uriti
between a
couple
, or maybe 3 or 4 systems periodically
will demonstrate that we do have it under our control.”

“A preserve,” Riley amended with a smile as he looked
at Paul, “and we can see if we can get her speed up a bit.”

Pryon looked confused. “Why would we want to increase
her capabilities?”

“Walking the dog,” Davis said with a satisfied nod. “I
like it.”

“Explain please,”
Yetti
asked, also confused.

“Something before your time,” Davis said as he stood
up and began pacing around the perimeter of the ‘windows’ as he thought. “Dogs
used to be kept as pets, and the pet owners often did nothing with them.
Treated them like furniture that just sat around and looked good, maybe did a
few tricks. They died rather fast from the stagnation, not to mention developed
many disorders prior to that. It was found that what they called ‘exercise’ was
beneficial to both the longevity and temperament of the dogs, so their owners
would take them out into public areas to walk them, partly as a status symbol
but also to maintain their pets in what they thought was the responsible
manner.”

“What exactly is a pet?” Pryon asked.

“A term from the dark ages,” Davis said with mild
disgust. “It can mean one’s property, a keepsake, a pampered individual, or a
piece of living art. It comes from a time when Humans looked into the eyes of
another and deemed them not to be people, and from that a lot of bad things
came. Pets weren’t immune to that, but they tended to fair better than those
labeled ‘cattle.’ Eating pets was taboo, but aside from some that were well
cared for, most pets were left to stagnate and suffer in ways their owners did
not understand.”

“I’m glad I missed that,” the Duke said, catching onto
the point. “You want to train the Uriti?”

Davis looked to Riley. “What are you estimates on
reworking the transmitter?”

“No clue. The power levels are high enough, I think,
but our syntax is wrong or we just smell bad. I don’t know. We could stumble
onto the right settings tomorrow or a thousand years from now.”