Star Force: Nexus (SF57) (7 page)

“
Follow that
ship
.”

“
Good idea
,”
the pilot said, slowly accelerating to follow the very fast ship as it moved
off. They kept track of it on sensors and saw that it eventually made its way
up to a higher orbit where a much larger ship jumped in and it docked with it.
Then they noticed others nearby, some different sizes but all elongated cubes
colored pitch black so that they almost disappeared against the backdrop of
space, save for the reflective sheen from the sunlight.

During their lazy pursuit they were contacted by
traffic control, cycling through various languages until they found one in
common that they could use, that being
Darfar
, a
trading nation that the Ollofan had relations with. Through not so good grammar
they identified who they were and their circumstances…with a surprisingly
accommodating response. As it turned out a lot of the ships in the system were
evacuees from neighboring worlds, some a lot further out than the Ollofan had
come from, that were here to parlay acceptance as either individuals or even
entire races into a distant region where the Li’vorkrachnika could not go.

Nizzi’s
group was told that
there was an alliance that was successfully holding back the enemy and
protecting a region of space where they were welcoming in those that could not
defend themselves. The ship that they were following belonged to that alliance
and was here to protect the system while facilitating the processing of
evacuees and making arrangements for their inclusion into what they were
calling the Alliance Defense Zone, or ADZ for short.

The Ollofan didn’t understand ADZ, for it was an
acronym in a language they didn’t speak, but they learned the name regardless
and everything else they could, begging the Star Force ship that was here to
grant them sanctuary. They were given a provisional slot, with them having to
wait in line until sufficient slots became available and transport arrived, but
they were told so long as they agreed to the provided terms they would be
accommodated.

Nizzi
didn’t know if that
was the truth or just a pleasant lie to keep everyone from panicking, but as
the months passed by he and the others saw ships come and go, seeing those that
were waiting with them being taken away periodically. As their food supplies
dwindled this Star Force made arrangements with the planet to provide them replacements,
ostensibly in exchange for the protection they were providing if not some other
arrangement, and while being bored out of their minds
Nizzi
and the other 17 Ollofan were alive and safe onboard their ship in orbit, which
was far more than he’d thought possible not long ago.

He didn’t know where the rest of his people were, or
if he would ever see them again, but what mattered right now was that he was
alive and needed to find a place in this ADZ where at minimum he could survive,
though some of the stories coming out their way said people weren’t only
surviving but prospering inside the well-defended borders. He wondered how much
truth there was in that, but like always without options they had to take what
was available to them, and he desperately wished that this wasn’t false hope.

Then the day came when their turn in line finally
became pole position and their transport was given instructions to dock with
one of the Alliance’s giant jumpships, this one belonging to a race called the
Hycre and by far the largest ship
Nizzi
had ever
seen. They were tucked up alongside many other ships, some more damaged than
their own, then they were transported across the system to the star and jumped
out into the unknown, en route to a destination they only knew of in the
information packets they’d been given and the rumors circulating. What this ADZ
was and why they were so welcoming of outsiders was a huge mystery, but it was
one
Nizzi
and the others were going to have to
explore, for right now this Alliance was their only chance of survival.

7

May 25, 2641

Paxxila
System (Delta
Region)

Akali

Nizzi’s
jumpship took them
across what on the map was a very long distance in only a handful of days,
bringing them out into a star system that was stated as being on the border of
the ADZ. The
Ollofan’s
ship was dropped off in orbit
around one of the planets there and was directed to move to a set of
coordinates, first high up in orbit, then down to a starport set just above the
atmosphere. During the layoff and then the zigzagging orbital movements
Nizzi
and the others looked on in awe at the sheer number
of ships and stations in orbit…not to mention their size.

There were huge round ones that looked like artificial
gray moons while others were elongated like giant pillars. The information
broadcasts indicated that those were ‘no go’ zones and defense platforms called
‘Sentinels’ and for the first time
Nizzi
began to
understand why the Li’vorkrachnika had never made it this far.

The ADZ defense platforms were huge and spread all
over orbit. The traffic map had a total of 93 spread around the system with 58
here. Some were low orbit, others at higher altitudes near what were tagged as
shipyards. He didn’t know what kind of weapons they had, but just the sight of
them was enough to scare
Nizzi
into staying away, and
he hoped the same would be said of the enemy.

In addition to those scary stations there were
thousands of warships in system, tagged so everyone flying a ship knew what and
where they were. On top of those were 50 times more transports of varying
sizes, though most belonged to what the IFF was saying was ‘Star Force.’ In
fact, as
Nizzi
and the others digested the available
information, after getting it translated into
Darfar
,
which thankfully the local systems supported, they saw that the planet itself
belonged to Star Force with four of five continents being fully cluttered with
infrastructure, but only a few sprouts on the fifth.

To his delight he also saw that there were water
cities set on the sea floor and surface of 16 different oceans, but that’s not
where they were being diverted. Their instructions were to land at a spaceport
in one of the cities on the smallest continent, which is where their pilot took
them, down through the atmosphere and into the blocky, tall buildings to a wide
open area in between, setting their transport down where instructed then
waiting for someone to tell them what to do next.

That didn’t take long, for there was an attendant at
the foot of their ship within minutes.
Nizzi
and the
others opened up their boarding ramp and went down to the surface of the alien
world, nervous almost to the point of twitchiness, and made no more easy by the
very dry air they encountered, which irritated their water-loving skin.

“
Hello
,” a
Human said in
Darfar
, “
and welcome to
Akali
. There are 18 of you,
correct?
”

Nizzi
and the others
exchanged glances, then when he saw no one was volunteering to talk he
hop/stepped forward and looked up at the alien that stood nearly twice his
height.

“
Yes, 18. You
speak
Darfar
?
”

The Human smiled, showing very white teeth that made
Nizzi
flinch back until he realized the gesture was
friendly rather than intimidating. “
We
speak many languages,
Darfar
is one of mine which is
why I’ve been assigned to you for your indoctrination. You’ve been granted
sanctuary status, which means you can live on this planet without compensation
for as long as you like so long as you agree to follow our rules. What they are
and where you’ll be living are things that I will cover, but first let’s get
you inside where we can see some
holos
. Your ship
will be safe here. Follow me please
.”

The Human waved a five fingered hand at the Ollofan,
who exchanged more looks with the others who only understood about half her
words, and gradually followed her across the landing pad after shutting up
their ship. The short blue, fish-like race wore no shoes and found their feet
hurting by the time they got to the far side, but once they entered one of the
nearby buildings the ground smoothed out and no longer rubbed their soles with
the dry, rough textured surface.

None of them said as word, staying close together so
not to get lost as they passed a lot of different races, though most of the
people they saw were the pinkish/brown skinned Humans. Following their guide
Nizzi
stayed right beside her and was led into a small
compartment that turned out to be a transit car. All of them moved inside and
sat on the seats lining the walls save for two, who stood along with the Human
as the door closed and they started to move inside the building.

“
You’ve been
assigned aquatic quarters, which will be a mix of air and water, including
hallways. You’ll be able to swim between some locations or walk, your choice,
but most of the public areas will be air only. We Humans can swim, but not all
that well, and this colony was built for us. We’ve been growing it and
accepting in newcomers like yourselves, so we’ve done some remodeling. Food is
available in communal areas and you can eat as much as you like, you just can’t
take it with you
.”

“
What kind of
food?
” one of the others asked, with
Nizzi
wondering the same thing.

“
Many kinds.
Given how many different races we have here, we’ve had to develop foods that
Humans won’t eat but others will, and we’ve gotten quite good at it. On the
small chance that there is nothing of ours that you can tolerate we’ll make
something new, so don’t worry
.”

“
Thank you
,”
Nizzi
said, looking up at the woman as the door opened.

“
You’re welcome
,”
she said, leading them out into a wall of humid air that made
Nizzi
shudder with relief.

“
There are three
other aquatic races living in this area, so we’ve adjusted the communal areas
to a neutral environmental setting. Your individual quarters you can reset to
your liking
,” she continued as an even smaller alien walked by them. It was
about as tall as
Nizzi’s
shoulders but was quadruped
with a very finny tail. It looked over at him with big black eyes but said
nothing, passing the group of Ollofan by as it headed off somewhere.

“
Here we are
,”
the Human said as they came out into a much larger chamber, this one with
several ponds in it separated by walkways and kiosks. “
This is the center of the
quarters
habitat.
Food is over there, down that hallway, but it’s in an area outside of this
humidity. That booth there
,” she said, pointing a slender finger to the
right, “
will give you information about
whatever you desire. The other rooms are entertainment zones, with stores being
located in other areas of the city. This is more or less a lounge and a place
for you to interact and rest outside of your quarters…which are this way
.”

The Human led them across the ponds, in which they saw
a few individuals swimming lazily about, one of which actually looked to be a
Human. Two more he saw were lounging on the side of the pool, laying on the dry
land for some reason. What they were doing here he didn’t know, but most of
those he saw were clearly
waterborn
. He had no idea
what race they were, but intended to stay away from them for now. He just
wanted some place to hide away and get settled, as did the others.

The Human walked down a tall hallway and stopped in
front of an equally tall door with a lighted strip running from top to bottom.

“
Touch the light
to open
,” she said, pressing a hand against it, with the spot she touched
changing color, “
and input your access
code. Right now it’s just 000. You can reset it to your liking later
.”

With three touches of her finger the Human opened the
door and motioned for them to go inside.
Nizzi
followed the others in, seeing a darkly lit room with a small pool in the
corner.

“
It’s small, but
designed for a single person. The water entrance has a door of its own and is
operated in the same way with the same code. There are a few lounging areas
down there that I can’t take you to without a breath mask, but you can explore
on your own later. Over here is a cleansing chamber, sleep area, and personal
information terminal. It’s not as user friendly as the one back in the lounge
and will take some time for you to learn, but you can communicate with anyone
else in the ADZ through it
.”

“
There are a few
storage areas here
,” she said, pointing to some cabinets on the second
level, which was little more than a catwalk along the ceiling at the top of a
ladder. Obviously this room had been designed for a shorter species than the
Humans and seemed to fit the Ollofan well, though the sleeping area was not
wet, which would be bothersome, “
and a
holographic display here. Clothing and other small items are available as
needed, but everything else you want has to be bought with credits that you
don’t have. These are what we call luxury items. They are not necessary for
living, but can make it more comfortable
.”

“
Whether you
choose to pursue those or not is your own choice. Regardless you will be able
to live here without responsibilities for the rest of your lives, though you
will also be able to move elsewhere within the ADZ where possible. There are
many options, but right now I’m guessing you just want to get settled, or maybe
explore a bit?
”

Nizzi
looked up at her. “
What are the rules?
”

“
We’ll get to
those shortly. First we need to assign quarters. Who wants this one?
”

One of the others immediately volunteered, upon which
the attendant assigned him an ID tag. She did the same with
Nizzi
and the others, then gave them a little time to explore their individual living
areas before they regrouped in a facility in another building. There they were
asked many questions, medically scanned, given foodstuffs and clothing to
sample with the Humans and some other races making quick adjustments were
needed. It took a few hours, then the attendant took them on a brief tour of
the surrounding buildings and
facilties
, showing them
the stores and communal areas, which were packed with people, then she took
them back to their quarters and told them they’d meet again the next day.

When
Nizzi
and the others
went to their quarters they jumped into the water tunnels and explored the
area, seeing that they were just a tiny swim away from each other and an empty
room that appeared to be all theirs. They gathered there and talked, working
out some of their nervousness and mentally marking their territory…though
Nadfe
got a little too excited and soiled the water with a
few bubbles.

Nizzi
didn’t blame him,
much, for he was also feeling out of sorts. If what the Human said was true
they could stay here and be safe…but in exchange for nothing? That didn’t feel
right and he expected there to be some sort of trap. Some of the others felt
the same way and decided to be very cautious, staying with each other at all
times and near their quarters whenever possible.

The next few days were spent going through more
‘indoctrination’ in which they learned about the planet and the ways of Star
Force. Many things surprised them, such as the rule saying they couldn’t eat
meat, but that was a small price to pay in exchange for safety…and
Nizzi
wished the others had made it here. He didn’t know
where they were or how many had made it out of their homeworld, with only those
beside him making up his community now.

That wasn’t new, for they’d been alone on their ship
for a long time, but here and now, with so many other people on this planet, he
felt lonely again, with a deep sadness setting in that didn’t go away. For the
next several months he and the others kept to their quarters, doing nothing
more than hiding away from the galaxy until they had a visitor that arrived in
their
quarters
area through the water hallways.

It was a Human with no legs, but blue skin almost like
them. She also glowed in spots, including her eyes. The first time
Nizzi
saw her he was taken aback, not in fear but
amazement. She was a pure breather, he could tell, and clearly dominated the
water with her movements and size. He got the feeling this person was both very
old and wise, but she moved with considerable youth.

Trouble was, she didn’t speak
Darfar
.
Nizzi
and the others had to talk to her via a datapad
that did the translating, for they hadn’t yet learned the native language, nor
planned to. What this person wanted, whose name was
Jaavblet
,
was to offer the Ollofan different quarters in one of the ocean cities. She
said that it was for water breathers only, save for some Humans of course, and
that she felt they would be more welcome there than here.

Nizzi
was surprised by what
she was saying, for the city in question was one that he and the others had
learned of through the information terminals. It was closed off, meaning they
couldn’t go there nor could any others without invitation…which apparently now
they were getting. However, there was a price to pay.