Star Force: Zealot (SF87) (Star Force Origin Series) (7 page)

It was ironic to Paul that something smaller than his command ship could pack so much power, but then again that’s why the V’kit’no’sat were all but unable to deal with the Hadarak…and the Chixzon had gone to lengths to add combat capability to the Uriti. This one wasn’t as large as the others, but still deadly enough to destroy all the ships with Paul in a very short period of time if they decided to stand still and slug it out. Running was to their advantage, thanks to the fact that for as powerful as the Uriti was, it was dead slow in comparison to starships.

That said, if one came your way, and you had any brains, you were the one to move and move early…especially when your control ship wasn’t here yet to call it off if it took offense to your presence or just yawned in the wrong direction.

As he got his ships out of the way he watched the Trinx, who were not sticking around to fight again. They were transitioning around stellar orbit to a nearby jumpline, making it clear that they had been sent here to do just one thing.

Take out as many ships in the leading task force as they could.

That told Paul that this was just the beginning and they were being whittled down for a larger strike to come. Next jump he’d have almost his entire fleet going first, though he was tempted to let the Uriti lead. While in lizard territory there wasn’t much chance of someone happening to get in the way, but now that the Uriti was on their leash they were responsible for it. That meant he had to go first and make sure the road was clear, even if there were lizard ships in the path.

The real question was, where would the Trinx hit them next? They didn’t know where Star Force was taking it, nor did they know even the next jumppoint they were taking. And big as this fleet was that hit them, rumors had it that the Trinx had far more in reserve and he seriously doubted that they wouldn’t be using them. Star Force had upstaged them and, in his gut, he got the feeling that the Trinx derived their identity from being a Uriti, or as they called it, a ‘Hamoriti’ guardian.

And he was pretty sure they didn’t want to relinquish that title or the power that it imposed upon them. Their priorities came before everyone else because of the Hamoriti, including screwing over a good portion of the galaxy by feeding the lizards tech in order to get what they wanted.

But all because of the Hamoriti…

He’d seen twisted logic like that before, and now that the Trinx were no longer needed and their impossible mission now ended, more or less, they were either going to be grateful or snap…and based upon the attack he’d just survived, ‘snapped’ was all but a certainty.

7

“Can your ships continue?” the Brpet’s hologram asked.

“It’s heavily damaged, but can limp along faster than the Uriti can travel,” Paul said, his voice betraying just a hint of anger. “The rest of our ships are being recovered while the Uriti takes a dip in the star. We’ll be able to move when it finishes.”

“Do you know how long it will take? Or do you tell it how long it has?” the Sety asked.

“If we let it go too long without eating the likelihood of it ignoring our commands increases. We can monitor its status, so we know its reserves are deplenishing. It was told to restock. We will know when it is finished.”

“Can you share this data with the rest of us?”

“I’m not feeling overly generous right now.”

“Do not hold us responsible for the Trinx’s attack.”

“If I was, your ship would be in pieces by now,” Paul said icily.

“Your curiosity about the Hamoriti can wait,” the cyborg told the Sety. “We have a much larger problem to deal with.”

“Agreed,” the Dati said passively. “Not only are the Trinx very strong militarily, they control a Hamoriti site. While I do not believe they would release it, no matter how askew from their responsibilities they have gone, I no longer feel comfortable with them having it.”

“If they do not release it, what threat is there?” the Sety argued.

“Perhaps they do not believe that the Chixzon is the only one who can control them,” the Jonstar said ominously. “I do not mean to pry, Archon, but are you certain that only he can send the proper signals. Cannot they be copied?”

“There are multiple redundancies in the signal to prevent unauthorized access,” Paul said simply. “I won’t go into detail as to what they are, but I am not worried about the Trinx being able to duplicate them. The Chixzon were very deliberate when they designed them, knowing that the galaxy would try anything and everything they could to stop them. The system is nearly fullproof. Even we can’t hack the system with the extensive knowledge we have of it.”

“And there is only one Chixzon around to control it.”

“Yes,” Paul said, understanding the significance of that statement more than they did, though he did not add the ‘for now.’

“Then the Trinx may simply want to destroy your ability to control the Hamoriti by destroying whatever ship he is on.”

“They’ve already tried that once,” the Domu pointed out. “Unless they mistook Paul’s ship for the other, they are pursuing a larger strategy.”

“There are too many of us here,” the cyborg argued. “They can’t mount a straightforward attack. They are trying to chip away at our strength while they gather theirs. They will strike again when the numbers are more to their advantage…and when they do, we must fight them.”

“They have been our allies for a very long time,” the Sety said cautiously. “We should not throw away that allegiance so casually.”

“They have betrayed us,” the Bpret said meekly, its body shifting in and out of alignment with its current humanoid form as it spoke, almost as if it was shivering with fear.

“I do not understand why,” the Breti said in agreement. “We have long hoped for a way to end the conflict, or at least to forestall it. Star Force has proved they are capable of this, the Trinx have seen it happen so there should be no doubt. Now they seek to destroy that control and return this Hamoriti to its rampages. What are they thinking?”

“Perhaps,” the Sety said apologetically to defend against a backlash, “they see Star Force control of it, and potentially the others, as more problematic. They did almost release another.”

“What is the alternative?” the Dati countered.

“They share control with us.”

“They refuse to, so I ask again, what is the alternative?”

“They reconsider,” the Sety pressed.

“Are we also going to have to oppose you at some point?” it asked bluntly.

The Sety didn’t answer, drawing intense scrutiny from the other 7 members present, for the Yisv had been absent ever since the group moved to the same system as the Hamoriti.

“Answer him,” the cyborg asked.

“We seek to renegotiate control,” the Sety finally said.

“What do you have to offer?” Paul interrupted before more bickering could break out.

“Offer?” the Sety repeated, somewhat shocked.

“Yes. You said negotiate. That typically involves one side offering the other something of value in exchange. You have done no such thing. You simply make demands. That is not negotiation.”

“We have given you a historical account.”

“I highly doubt you would see that as compensation for control over a Uriti if the situation were reversed, and in any case, that transfer has already been made. You are not getting control. Therefore what do you intend to negotiate beyond this point?”

“What is it you are demanding?”

“Nothing. You’re simply not getting control.”

“That is unacceptable.”

“You abandoning the H’kar to the Li’vorkrachnika is unacceptable.”

“We saved them.”

“Yes, you did. Points for that. Then you left them sit on the border without the help you promise all members of The Nexus. An attack on one is an attack on them all…except not with the H’kar.”

“Is that why you won’t share control?”

“It demonstrates that you are untrustworthy, and that your promises are not valid. As for the other races here, we don’t know you. Why would we give you control over something as powerful as a Uriti? Especially given the actions of your fellow guardians.”

“This is pointless,” the Jonstar said before anyone else could continue. “Only one person can control the Hamoriti, and his loyalty is to Star Force. If you seek to share control you will have to convince him, and I highly doubt anything the Sety can say or offer will sway his allegiance.”

“Where is he now?” the cyborg asked.

“Busy,” Paul answered. “Security is my responsibility now.”

“How convenient,” the Sety stated.

“If and when the Trinx strike again,” Paul said, staring at his hologram, “do I need to worry about your ships siding with them? Or should I run you off right now?”

“Allow me,” the Bpret said before the Sety could answer, then fixing him with his attention. “Will the Sety attack the Trinx in defense of the ship the Chixzon is onboard?”

“We will do what is appropriate.”

“Evasive. Answer directly. Will you engage the Trinx, or will you endanger the destruction of the controller of the Hamoriti and return us to the status quo we have barely managed to maintain?”

The Sety was silent for several seconds, then he finally relented. “We will not allow the Chixzon to be destroyed, but we are very hesitant to start a war with the Trinx.”

“They have already started one,” the cyborg noted.

“They have attacked Star Force, not us.”

“Star Force has the solution, therefore they
are
one of us now! And the most important one, in fact.”

“What happens when we reach our ultimate destination? A place that has not been identified as of yet.”

“We will keep the Uriti there and away from inhabited systems,” Paul answered.

“Is that a solution, or merely stalling the problem once again?”

“No one dies this way.”

“But the Hamoriti is still a risk.”

“Do you have an alternative to offer?” the Dati pressed, visibly annoyed. “We have heard nothing from the Sety except naysaying. We have real problems to address, and you are offering no solutions.”

“A group effort is required.”

“To do what?”

“Control the Hamoriti.”

“All that is required,” the cyborg reminded them, “is one Chixzon and one transmitter. The rest is irrelevant.”

“Agreed,” the Dati said. “If we must check our egos in order to protect them, so be it.”

“How about we turn this discussion into something productive,” Paul deflected. “The Sety once attacked the Preema, futilely. We’ve had contact with them and cooperated in the war against the Li’vorkrachnika.
They
recognized the long term threat they posed, and while they didn’t support us when we hit the most heavily defended worlds, they have done a great deal to help us. We have suspected, and I hope one of you will now confirm, that the Preema have a Uriti inside their territory.”

“Yes,” the cyborg said immediately, eyeing the Sety and daring him to complain. “An attempt was made to secure it that failed.”

“Do the Preema know it is there?”

“If they do, they had no visible infrastructure at that location. It is on an uninhabited planet within a system that has two Preema worlds. Can you negotiate access to that world?”

“I do not know, but it is something we’re going to look into. How many others are you missing?”

“One. It is within the territory of the Mrip, but not on a world they inhabit. We cannot get close to it.”

Paul frowned. “I’m not familiar with the Mrip.”

“They are far rimward. We would not have explored that far out on our own if we had not been given the location by the Oracle.”

“So you possess five between you?”

“We have stewardship. Possession is overstating the matter.”

“Are there other races out there hunting for them?”

“Not that we are aware. Very little evidence of the Ancients remains. Knowledge of the Hamoriti seems to have been erased from the memory of this part of the galaxy by the ravages of time, fortunately.”

“Do the Trinx have any allies they can call upon for support?”

“I do not know. The Chamra’s knowledge of this region is limited.”

“They do not,” the Breti said. “They only interact with us out of necessity. They prefer to keep to themselves…though they have accumulated considerable strength.”

“But only a few star systems?”

“I do not know why they have not expanded further.”

“Is it your guess that their strength has accumulated from lack of depletion or a robust industrial base that could easily replace losses?”

“The former. Their civilization is advanced, but small compared to the rest of us.”

“Then they have one card to play,” Paul said evenly. “A prolonged engagement means they lose. They have to use their accumulated assets to secure a quick victory.”

“I concur.”

“As do I,” the cyborg said, looking at the Sety. “Which is why we cannot allow anything to happen to the Chixzon…or Star Force.”

“What do you intend to do with the other Hamoriti?” the Sety asked, ignoring the Chamra.

“They stay where they are for the moment. Now that we have access to one, we’re going to study it to see if we can find an alternative solution.”

“A way to destroy them?” the Dati asked.

“The Uriti were created from something far larger called a Hadarak. They live in the center of the galaxy and occasionally push their way further out. There are many of them. Even if we destroyed all the Uriti, the Hadarak would still be there.”

“Do these Hadarak also produce minion armies that spread and conquer the galaxy?” the Sety scoffed.

Paul looked at him firmly. “Yes.”

A moment of silence hung there until the cyborg finally spoke. “Why are we not all dead then?”

“The Chixzon altered a captured Hadarak and used it to create Uriti. They altered it to their liking, including the ability to control it. The galactic conquest occurs differently for the Hadarak. The behavior you see in the Uriti is part Hadarak, part Chixzon programming. The Hadarak are just as dangerous, but in different ways. There are also races near the core that fight them and keep them from pushing this far rimward. My point is, the Uriti are not a unique threat. Killing them will not solve the problem if it is a monumental effort to do so.”

“The wonders and dangers of this galaxy run in parallel,” the Bpret said, quoting a text that none of the others were familiar with.

“How did the Chixzon deal with the Hadarak threat?”

“They avoided them. Their conquest of the galaxy was aimed at the rimward half. They did not go into the core and avoided the Hadarak when they came out, save for when one entered one of their major systems. They took heavy losses, but wounded and captured it. However, other Hadarak move in groups. They were lucky they only encountered one.”

“Groups?” the Jonstar said, shaking its hairy, elongated head. “We can’t handle even one.”

“We are not the masters of the galaxy,” the Dati said stoically, “though some of us seem to forget that. We can only deal with the threats that approach us, in whatever ways we are able. Star Force has given us, graciously, a solution to a problem that has not reached their own borders yet. On behalf of the Dati, we are immensely grateful and will assist you in the containment of this Hamoriti however we can, and we will defend your control ship to the last of us if necessary.”

“Thank you,” Paul said graciously.