Star Force: Quenar (SF88) (Star Force Origin Series) (8 page)

“Do not use your powers again,” Paul warned. “Else the
talking will be over.”

“Agreed,” the one on the far right side said, now
clearly taking the lead. “It is imperative that we see this Chixzon. I do not
care what other relations you have with the races assembled here, but you must
let us have access to him.”

“For what purpose?”

“We have questions that need answering.”

“I’m sure you do,” Jason said, making it clear that
they weren’t going to get what they want.

The middle KoQ sighed, then sucked in a slow breath.
“Patience,” he advised, though it was clear he was talking to his peers. “This
race may be intelligent enough to understand.”

“As you wish,” the one on the right deferred.

“We are the Knights of Quenar,” the one in the middle said,
looking at Davis who had quietly stepped up just behind the two trailblazers
with the multi-colored armors surrounding him in a living wall on all other
sides. “The last survivors of the
Traelix
. Our
ancestors were among those whom you refer to as the Ancients. They and their
allies fought and destroyed the Chixzon, imprisoned their living weapons, and
were rewarded for their tireless sacrifices with betrayal at the hands of those
whom they had protected. Few survived the purges that followed, hiding away in
the darkest corners of the galaxy and forgoing any attempt to reclaim their
previous territories and glory. They had only two priorities. Vengeance came
first.”

“They destroyed over time all those who had betrayed
them through indirect means, striking as phantoms and using a great many
methods that we do not hold to. When their vengeance was sated, many left to
live out their lives in a manner of their own choosing. Some to rebuild a shred
of what was lost, others to simply coexist with the rubble of the galaxy that
remained. An elite few swore an oath to a greater cause, and part of that cause
was to ensure that the Chixzon were destroyed and that their living weapons
were contained and never allowed to be misused. The Knights of Quenar were
formed and to this day that Oath has been honored. That is why we must speak
with your Chixzon.”

“If you think we’re going to let you kill him,” Paul
scoffed, “you’re crazy.”

“If we wanted him destroyed we would have attacked and
annihilated your entire fleet to insure his death. If your claims as to his
origin are accurate, then we do not wish his destruction, for while in body and
memory he may be Chixzon, his inner being is not. You have been gifted with a
great opportunity, and we are here to insure you do not waste it.”

“We’re open to suggestions,” Davis offered, “but not
orders.”

“If you are wise, no orders will be necessary,” the
KoQ answered amicably.

“What exactly do you want to ask him?”

“You have said that he is the product of a genetic
legacy designed to activate after a long period of inactivity so that the
Chixzon may be reborn in a galaxy that has forgotten their transgressions. The
Knights of Quenar have not, and we must insure that this resurrection does not
occur. If it does, we must oppose it as soon as possible, and the knowledge
your Chixzon hybrid possesses is critical to the fulfillment of our Oath.”

8

“Then let’s put that down as maybe,” Davis said
neutrally, “as you explain who you are, exactly what you’re doing here, and why
I shouldn’t have these two kick your ass for not keeping your invisible hands
on your side of the line.”

“Our apologies,” the middle one said. “Some races we
deal with would talk to no end with no result and thus require a physical
impetus to begin actual negotiations. We were unaware of your skill level. We
meant no offense.”

“Some taken,” Davis resisted.

“It will not happen again,” the KoQ promised.

“How long have you been monitoring this Uriti?”

“We discovered its existence and release a little over
300 years ago. We did not intervene because the races guarding it appeared to
be able to contain it through constant combat. Could we have sedated it?” he
guessed to his next question. “Yes, we could have, but at great cost to us. We
are not a civilization, but an order. Small in number but great in skill. We
stood ready to act if the containment failed and the Uriti began to spread
minions. Fortunately that was not the case, for returning it to its
imprisonment would have cost us most of our fleet.”

“And you only now reveal yourselves because there is
something you need?”

“Blunt, but accurate. You have done the galaxy a great
favor, but it is up to us to make sure this stroke of good fortune is not
misused or squandered. We do not seek to steal this Chixzon hybrid from you,
merely to inquire of it knowledge that we seek.”

“And if he doesn’t feel like revealing anything to
you?”

“I trust my diplomatic skill to be sufficient to
convince him to give us what we need.”

“Backed up by your fleet?”

The middle KoQ looked at Davis’s helmet for a moment.
“We did not come here to fight, though we always hold that option in reserve. I
believe we can find common purpose here if such a discussion is allowed.”

“I’m listening.”

“Our goal is to insure that the old victory is not
reversed. Prior to your information reaching us, we had assumed only an
outbreak of the captured Uriti would undermine it, but the revelation that the
Chixzon mean to return creates an alarming new possibility that we must swiftly
move to counter, thus we have come here to face it in the most direct means
possible. We need to know what it is we are fighting and how to combat it. So
long as you do not misuse the Uriti, we will not interfere with your possession
and control of it or any others brought here. If you do misuse it, then we will
be forced to act against you. Such a thing would end poorly for you…but I do
not mean to threaten, only ensure that we will follow an honorable path, and
that we take our Oath very seriously.”

“Where are you based?”

“That is not public knowledge,” the KoQ said as a
galactic map appeared before him, highlighting a specific sector that in itself
was over 500 lightyears in radius and situated more than a quarter rotation
around the galaxy, “but we come from here and travel wherever necessary. With
your permission, we would like to establish an enclave here to monitor this
Uriti and prevent anyone from tampering with it or the Chixzon. I can assure
you that our forces are far more formidable than any others that have so sworn
their allegiance to safeguard this Preserve.”

“Trust takes time,” Davis advised. “Do not seek to
rush it.”

“The galaxy does not afford us unlimited time, and if
the Chixzon are returning we need to maximize what we have of it. The Knights
of Quenar cannot fight a reborn Chixzon empire. We are only strong enough to
prevent its return. We must act now before we are
outscaled
,
hence our impolite insistence that we speak with your hybrid.”

A hologram appeared beside Paul and walked in front of
the three Humans, stepping over the low wall and through the invisible shield
that had popped up between them earlier. Its black, rough flesh was soundless
against the floor as it looked at each KoQ in turn.

“What is it you’d like to know,”
Nefron’s
hologram asked.

The middle KoQ nodded respectfully to Davis, then
turned his full attention on the Chixzon, studying him. “Your stories were
legitimate. You are most definitely reborn in body, but what is the state of
your mind?”

“My mind is my own, though I retain the Chixzon
knowledge and skills. I would suggest that anyone else going through the
transformation would be lost. I barely survived, but am now in no danger of
losing myself.”

“How did you survive?”

“The Archons did not give up on me, spending a great
deal of time and effort to trick me into thinking my way out of the problem. My
instincts are Chixzon, and one thing we do not suffer is to be inferior. They
goaded me into turning my newfound culture against my programming. Once a wedge
was opened I was able to do the rest. I do not serve the Chixzon, yet I am
Chixzon in every way that matters. The Uriti will obey me, and I am loyal to
Star Force. Neither fact will change.”

“How much time do we have before others are reborn?”

“I cannot say for certain, only that my transformation
was hastened due to Star Force’s curiosity. Natural progression will occur eventually,
but such a thing was not evident in this region. I cannot speak of the others
across the galaxy.”

“Did the Chixzon seed only specific regions?”

“No, they seeded it all. There was to be no
possibility of oversight or negligence. None were guaranteed to survive, thus
the seeding had to be thorough and subtle.”

“Will you tell us what your previous race was?”

“So you can do what with them?”

“Prevent them from transforming.”

“How?”

“The same method you have claimed to use. Removal of
their legacy genetics.”

“That decision resides with the Star Force Director.”

“And what are their plans upon arrival in a galaxy
that has all but forgotten them?”

“To quietly gather and hide while they assess the
situation and the means needed to resume their quest for domination. They will
not make the same mistake twice.”

“You refer to the sedative or the Uriti?”

“I refer to them overreaching. When the sedative was
used, they had no contingency plan. They will not operate without one again.”

“There is much I would ask you, but the pertinent
question now is one of trust,” the KoQ said as he looked back at Davis. “We
have not made a good impression other than to demonstrate that we have powers
comparable or superior to your own. I am curious as to yours, but for the moment
I will ask what you would have us do to prove ourselves worthy of association?”

“Wait your turn,” Davis said simply, offering no other
explanation.

A small curl of his lip denoted what the Human thought
was a smile, but no other reaction was forthcoming. “That shall be our penance
for hastiness. I trust that you will not delay in countering the threat that
you have intimate knowledge of.”

“If you wish to begin gaining trust, I suggest you do
not hide your ships when in this system unless there is combat.”

“Your last caveat is noted, and we agree to your
terms. Is there anything else you require?”

“An explanation.”

“Of what in particular?”

“What the end result of you coming here is expected to
look like.”

“We wish to assist with the establishment of this
Preserve and the collection of Uriti. If you can successfully keep them here,
we will utilize your good intentions to aid our own. Our ships will patrol and
guard this region against interference along with your own while we also pursue
greater knowledge of our enemy from your Chixzon and seek out any vestige of
their genetic legacy in order to purge it before they can return.”

“And what happens if you find out they already have
returned elsewhere?”

“We fight them to the last.”

“What have you been doing previously, other than
watching over sleeping Uriti?”

“We have a variety of tasks, but none as important as
this. We seek out injustice and bring it full circle. Many of us will make
individual pilgrimages across the galaxy on individual quests to aid in our own
development. Most of what we do occurs behind the scenes. We do not have a
public face, and only show ourselves to you now as a courtesy and as a
testament to our seriousness involving the matters at hand.”

“A history for us to review would be helpful.”

The middle KoQ spread his hands wide in an accepting
gesture. “Then that is what you shall have. Time is of great importance, but
haste can be equally as destructive as hesitancy. I apologize for the
altercation here and our lack of etiquette. We will provide you with sufficient
data to appraise us and we will leave you to deliberate how you wish to
proceed. Once we transmit the data we will wait until you are ready to further
discuss matters. Your empire is far more powerful than we estimated and we do
not wish to make unnecessary enemies. Had we known we would have taken a less
direct approach. I trust in your wisdom in this matter, and bid you farewell
for now if you would be willing to lower the barriers and allow us to depart.”

Davis sensed this was as much a test as anything else,
so he quietly lowered the normally invisible barriers via a helmet command. The
Knights of Quenar nodded respectfully and turned away, obviously able to see
the shields go down via some unidentified manner…and that too was a bit of
communication between the two parties.

The Archons stayed put until the KoQ had left through
the airlock, then Davis tapped Jason on the chest twice and left.

Paul immediately felt a battlemeld prompt from Jason
and accepted it, then with their combined senses scanned every inch of Davis’s
armor as he departed as well as the chamber and the other occupants while
technological sensors built into the walls did the same. In the end nothing was
found having been left behind, but that wasn’t proof enough given how different
this new race and their technology operated.

Eventually Paul and Jason found their way back to the
observation deck absent their armor where Davis was already involved in an
animated discussion with Riley and Nefron, both whom were transmitting via holo
from the
Zeus
.

“No, they knew,” Riley insisted. “And I highly doubt
they were scared off. They might have been spooked a bit by our psionics, but
they didn’t act like they were at a disadvantage.”

“I agree,” Paul said as the pair entered the room. “They
didn’t expect us, but they weren’t exactly overawed.”

“Nefron,” Davis urged.

“As I was saying,” the Chixzon reiterated, looking at
Paul and Jason, “these Knights of Quenar are considerably different from the
Traelix
and not located in the same region. Genetic samples
obtained from the air filters confirm this. I believe they are descended from
Traelix
, but there has been significant reworking of their
genetic code since the war. At the time the Chixzon fought them they were
traditional quadrupeds. This new configuration is odd, but biomechanically
offers several advantages. I believe they have been upgrading themselves
through deliberate alteration during the time when the Chixzon were waiting out
the galactic ravages. It is precisely this type of enemy the Chixzon wanted to
avoid, and the time spent stagnant locked in genetic code has allowed these
Knights to advance greatly.”

“Is that good or bad for us?” Jason asked.

“Bad for the Chixzon, unknown for us.”

“Still think they want to talk to you?”

“Yes. Then perhaps kill me afterwards.”

“Which is why we are never going to allow them onto
the same ship with you,” Davis said, laying down the first of many ground rules
to come.

“I think we need to get you out of here,” Paul said in
warning, referencing the Director.

“Agreed,” Riley echoed.

Davis held up a finger. “Not just yet, but long term I
think you are right. Nefron seems to be their primary angle, but my being here
might worsen matters eventually with regards to the Knights of Quenar or anyone
else looking to hurt Star Force. Right now, though, I’m needed to deal with
this mess. If we can get it stabilized I’ll slip away back to Earth so if this
system blows up, metaphorically speaking, I won’t go down with it and will be
able to rally the necessary forces to avenge you,” he said with a touch of
sarcasm.

“We need to get a handle on their abilities,” Paul
said, trying to get his head wrapped around this. “With the V’kit’no’sat we
know their playbook so we’re not afraid of them, same with the Chixzon, but
these guys are a blank slate for us and that causes a lot more problems by our
simply not knowing what they’re capable of.”

“How did they pick me up?” Davis asked.

“Not with Lachka or any other energy I can detect,”
Paul admitted. “But I am pretty sure that whatever it was required them to emit
it from their hands or arms. When physically misaligned the effect failed, so I
don’t think it’s mentally generated.”

“Some sort of tractor beam,” Nefron suggested.
“Possibly biological, but I’m almost certain that shield is technological. None
of you made physical contact with them, correct?”

“No,” Jason confirmed.

“Then we do not even know if their appearance is
accurate. They could have been wearing full body armor underneath a mimic field
to give the appearance that they were unarmed.”

“If it was a mimic field then it was a skintight one,”
Paul commented, narrowing down the possibilities. “The mist corresponded to the
dimensions that we observed.”

“But they were wearing loose clothing,” Riley added.
“Still an opportunity for hidden gadgets underneath.”

“Or within,” Davis wondered. “Cleverly concealed
cyborgs?”