Star Force: Nexus (SF57) (5 page)

It was a fine line Liam and the others were walking
and he was ever aware of it, but he’d never cross it and become a butcher. The
needs of the many DID NOT outweigh the needs of the few and he wouldn’t
sacrifice individuals that were noncombatants in order to get a victory.

But the lizards had no noncombatants and they were all
out for blood and more territory. Liam didn’t like making that assumption for trillions
of individuals but after dealing with so many of them as prisoners and not
finding so much as one who acted differently he’d cautiously put that concern
aside. If he ever found even the slightest deviation in their behavior he’d
reassess everything, but for now, with regards to the lizards, he and the
others were in full blown berserker mode and killing as many of their ships and
colonies as they could.

And it was that fine line that he was working with
that prompted several long conversations with the Gfatt, not just to teach them
some of the tactics they’d learned to fight he lizards but for them to
understand why and how they were doing it, for someone unaware of the situation
it would look like Star Force didn’t care about anything other than
destruction, which was far from the truth and he needed the Gfatt to understand
that…as well as why they too had to take a ‘cleansing’ strategy with regards to
upstart lizard colonies near their worlds and take them out with preemptive
strikes following up an insane amount of recon patrols so they could find them
before they got rooted in place.

The Gfatt weren’t stupid, but they were used to
fighting in a certain way, just as Star Force and most other races were. Star
Force fought the way they did for legit reasons, while others did so out of
tradition and doctrine. Liam knew he wasn’t getting through to the Gfatt
instantly, but their jumping in and destroying a station when they had the
opportunity was a good sign…but also a wary one, for while Star Force was
capable of walking that fine line Liam wasn’t confident that others could and,
faced with the way the lizards fought, would either be overrun or become
bloodthirsty in response.

Liam had 600 years of experience to learn and
understand the bounds of honor, which today was no longer a murky issue for him,
but others would have their own learning curve and couldn’t get to his level of
‘righteousness’ overnight, and he was afraid the example they were setting
would be misunderstood and inspire bad habits in their growing list of allies.

But being the tactician that he was he knew there was
no way to avoid that. He had to be true to the lightside even if the lightside
wasn’t obvious. With enough scrutiny others would be able to see what he was
doing and figure out why, but for those who didn’t look so closely…well, he
couldn’t control them and wasn’t going to restrict himself from actions that
were in the right just because someone else might misunderstand. If they did it
was on them, not him, and the example he set was merely a byproduct of action,
and
so
long as he was in the right that was enough.
The stupid of the galaxy weren’t going to shackle him into inactivity by their
misunderstood observations.

But while he had the chance he was going to try to
make the Gfatt understand, and with each subsequent observed mission he hoped
they’d begin to get the gist of it.

5

March 8, 2638

Hamma
System (lizard
territory)

Inner Zone

The
Watchman
-class
probe was sitting in an off orbit that kept it away from the major jumplines
heading in and out of the system, as were several others that Star Force had
quietly dropped off into position around the star of the otherwise empty
system. There were planets nearby, but all uninhabited and mostly gas giants.
The few that weren’t the lizards hadn’t seen fit to take interest in, leaving
this system one of several ‘stepping stones’ within their territory that they
commonly passed through en route to other locations.

In lieu of running constant patrols through enemy
systems Star Force had begun dropping the little probes off and coming back
later to pull data dumps from them, allowing them to see a record of all
traffic and activity within a system whereas a patrol would only get a
snapshot. With the lizards expanding to so many systems it was determined that
a heavier surveillance was required, with the added benefit of the ability to belatedly
track convoys and other ship movements.

The probes didn’t have the ability to transmit to the
relay grid and were little more than stealthy little cameras operating off of
passive scans. The stellar radiation reflecting off ship hulls and shields
usually gave enough of a signature to pick up at range, though some stealthier
and smaller vessels could pass through unnoticed, especially if they were using
an irregular jumpline, so the detection grid wasn’t perfect, but it was
clandestine. So far the lizards hadn’t found any of the probes that Star Force
was littering the space around the ADZ with and gathering a large amount of
information on the enemy’s movements…as well as how much other traffic there
was moving around ‘occupied’ space.

The incoming fleet however were all lizard and too
large and numerous to possibly be missed. They were just passing through headed
coreward, but this was the first location where they would pop up on the
surveillance grid, though a patrol wouldn’t be through for another 8 months to
pick up the data and belatedly register the thousands of
jumpships
moving through the system.

They would register in three more systems, culminating
in a line headed towards the Skarron border where the lizards were devouring
system after system, but only small targets. The Skarrons were winning the big
fights and claiming the key prizes, but in overall numbers the lizards were
taking 4 systems to every Skarron 1.

Never before had a fleet of this size been registered
or even rumored of, and the approximate track that Star Force recognized and
passed onto the Hycre was headed in the general direction of the Orica System,
former capitol of the Nestafar and by far the largest Skarron stronghold on the
border.

“I don’t think so, but it’s possible,” Paul told
Cal-com as he got a message ping on his earpiece. “Just a moment,” he said,
accepting the com from the Star Force warship that had just arrived in the
Achkor System where the trailblazer had been camped out the past 2 months
working on planning sessions with their ally.

Paul’s expression turned hard, with him pointing at
the bigger Voku a few moments later. “Incoming data packet. Pull it up.”

The deep black muscled warrior worked the Voku
controls and accepted an incoming transmission from the Human ship, then passed
the control function over to Paul’s side of the
holoprojector
so he could do with it what he wanted.

“It’s finally happened,” Paul said, bringing up the
Hycre intel report that hadn’t yet hit the grid network and was only now being
sent out through it as the warship connected to and transmitted the fresh data
back to the ADZ, soon to return to reconnaissance/courier duty in concert with
the Hycre. “The lizards dropped the hammer and hit Orica.”

“How many?” Cal-com asked.

“36,783 jumpships,” Paul said, feeling his gut tighten
up.

The Voku was silent for a moment, then crossed his
massive arms over his chest as he stared at the visuals the Human was bringing
up in
holo
with his wide crystalline eye. “We knew
they were capable of this.”

“If that fleet came here they’d overrun any system in
the ADZ aside from Sol and Epsilon Eridani, and I’m not totally confident we’d
win those battles in any appreciable way. I don’t think you’d be able to hold
out here either.”

“What of their larger vessels? I see several here.”

“8 invokers, 29 assault pillars…and a new design I’m
not familiar with,” Paul said, pulling up the limited sensor scans the Hycre
had made when they snuck in and observed the combat taking place in Orica. The
ship was about half the size of an assault pillar but much more compact, and in
all the recordings it was not involved in combat, but sitting back with the
jumpships.

“It’s not a warship,” Cal-com said after a few minutes
of analysis. “I would guess it’s a supply depot. Given the density of enemy
infrastructure within the system the lizards will not have the ability to build
initiation colonies on the planets to strike out from. They will have to fight
directly and for a long period of time before they can start harvesting
resources on site. I believe that ship will hold either supplies or a
combination of supplies and ground troops for use when they reach the surface.”

“Possibly,” Paul admitted, “but don’t underestimate
the cleverness of these bastards.”

“I’m not. Given the heavy fighting occurring in space,
in which their major pieces are currently in play, they would not hold back
these if they could contribute firepower that would spare their cruisers such
egregious losses.”

“They don’t mind taking losses, but I agree. And given
the numbers they’ve got here they’re going to strip off the Skarron fleet quite
fast, though I’m not sure how much progress they’ll make on the ground. They’ve
got the numbers to roll them, but this is the highest concentration of walkers
I’ve ever seen and we know they become more potent when grouped together.”

“A worthy battle to study, but it only emphasizes my
previous point. The lizard threat is greater than that of the Skarrons. If they
aren’t countered they will grow to such a number that our technological advantage
will not be able to sustain us. The war to win is the neutral systems, not the
primaries. If we only defend a select number we will survive but the enemy will
continue to grow. My
homeworlds
will be safe for some
time, given their distance, but I do not see this enemy as ever being content
with what it has. They will continue to expand until they reach Voku space…and
if we wait until then they will be too strong. We have to strike them now.”

“It’s not for lack of wanting, Cal, I just don’t have
the ships yet.”

“Your new friends in the Rim are failing for the same
reason. They can beat the lizards in any battle, but they’re not fighting them
in the ones that count. The lizards know the key to beating superior opponents
is to wait and devour the smaller ones, growing stronger and stronger until
they can do this,” he said, pointing to the visuals of the Skarrons getting
overrun.

“So we’ve told them, but right now they view the
lizards as a regional threat and not worth the attention we both know they
deserve.”

“Then they are fools.”

“Fools that we’re trying to educate,” Paul added. “But
they’re wise enough to seek the counsel of those with experience. Plus I don’t
know what other threats they’re facing. The Nexus’s assumed territory is
massive and they haven’t been too informative of anything beyond H’kar space
where the lizards are currently present.”

“And what do the H’kar think?”

“They’ve been fighting and losing to the lizards
longer than we have. They know the threat and are relying on the Nexus to keep
them alive.”

“That I know, but do they recognize the need to
attack?”

“They are open to any suggestions and are the ones who
referred the Nexus to us.”

“Loss will tend to educate those who are blind…but it
can also blind those who are weary.”

Paul smiled in vexation, seeing what the Voku was
getting at. “You think they’re just happy to be alive and are catching their
breath?”

“I think that no one is taking this threat seriously.
They are biding their time and not showing their full hand. Even this,” he said,
pointing at the insanely large fleet they had brought out of nowhere to attack
Orica, “I do not believe is their full strength. They are sitting on enough
power to counter any mistakes they make, for they are hiding their strength
from others. They should have overrun you long ago but they did not. Why?
Because they are confident that they can do so later. They probe, they fight,
and even when they lose they learn. They learn the true strength of their
opposition then tailor their eventual response accordingly while masking their
own strength.”

“You have survived,” Cal-com continued, “because you
are growing and adapting to them, otherwise what they have thrown at you to
date would have been enough to cripple you.
Your
Sentinels they did not anticipate and it has bought you time, but even now they
probe your lines, learning and planning, meanwhile they attack targets they are
more confident they can take while sweeping up the neutral systems that no one
cares to defend. The loss of races exterminated by them is insulting enough,
but the apathy of their neighbors and their stupidity is unbearable.”

Paul could tell his friend was upset, and he was glad
he wasn’t the only one who realized how dangerously devious the lizards were.

“If I’m missing something please enlighten me, but
right now all I can do is build and take a handful of worlds away from them
along our borders. What other options do we have?”

“If the lizards weren’t so far away from my home I
could do more,” Cal-com complained. “But with the lizards fighting an enemy the
size and strength of the Skarrons we have an opportunity that we cannot afford
to waste.”

“We’re just not in a position to exploit it…yet.”

“I am doing all I can to build up this system and will
continue to do so, but the resources must be local. We can’t ship what we need
from our home territory, not in the numbers we need, and there are other
threats our people must deal with…but none
so
dangerous as this one. Perhaps not now, but in the future the lizards will
become a nemesis we cannot kill, and the longer we survive the larger they will
grow. We have to kill them afar before they can come to our doorstep, but I
have less resources here than you do. I will do my part, but the solution is
not a solo act, but a coordinated offensive.”

“I don’t think the Nexus will get that heavily
involved.”

“But will the H’kar?”

“I don’t know. If we give them something tangible to
work with us on perhaps, but without a plan I don’t think they’re going to be
able to do much more than hang onto what they have.”

“That thinking will kill us all,” Cal-com said, with
no mistaking the foreboding in his voice despite his odd English accent.

Paul laughed in a huff. “Most people would say you
were crazy, given your position and strength.”

“Others have the luxury of living in the moment and
following the lead of others. You and I must lead, and to do so we have to look
to the distant future for possible threats. Am I wrong about the lizards?”

“Unfortunately no.”

“Then we cannot wait any longer,” the Voku said,
pointing again at the recent
intel
reports from Orica.

“I don’t know what else we can do at the moment. All
my plans are still in the development stages.”

“We must begin the creation of a united front that
will be able to halt their takeover of the neutral systems. Even now they are
expanding around your ADZ. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

“I don’t see how we can stop it. Star Force is growing
fast, but it will take time for us to get to the size we need to push far
beyond the ADZ.”

Cal-com shook his head firmly. “No. You cannot do this
alone and the Voku cannot support you as much as needed. You must seek out
other allies. Strong ones who will see the threat for what it is and aid you in
order to protect themselves from future harm.”

“If such races exist out there, other than the Nexus,
I don’t know who or where they are.”

“Other than the H’kar forget this Nexus. You must look
elsewhere.”

“Our ships are getting faster, but they’re not that
fast yet. We’re mapping what we can but most of the races we’re finding aren’t
a match for us, let alone the lizards.”

“No, such mapping expeditions would most likely be
futile. We have some contacts that may be of help, but what you need are maps.
Ask this Nexus and any others you have encountered for word of other powerful
races. Find them and coopt them.”

Paul shook his head. “That is not going to work unless
the lizards are a known threat to them.”

“We must have allies. Before the lizards grow so large
they cannot be contained. Now they are vulnerable because of the Skarrons and
the resources they must expend on them. Not for a killing blow, but to contain
their spread.”

“To do that fully we would need allies around their
borders. Neither of us have contacts on the upper side, correct?”

“This is true, but you must seek them out none the
less. Neither of us have sufficient strength to contain them, therefore only a
cooperative effort between dozens of races is viable.”

“I don’t disagree, but I don’t think there are
sufficient powers out there. I’m upgrading lesser ones as we speak, and the
Bsidd are going to be a great help in the distant future, but outside powers
are few and far between. The Nexus would be the biggest help, but as I said
they consider the lizards a small threat. They’re too big to fear them as they
should. They will have to suffer losses until they wise up.”