Star Force: Quenar (SF88) (Star Force Origin Series) (2 page)

Paul didn’t think that with the already established
diplomatic relations to The Nexus that they’d come under attack upon arrival,
but he wasn’t sure what kind of a reception they’d get or what assistance they
could offer that would be compatible with what The Nine’s ships needed. At the
very least it would be a rendezvous point that the Yisv could access. He was
guessing that their vulnerability to the Uriti’s aura was being overhyped, but
he didn’t fault them for being cautious. He had a lot more safeguards in place
than they did, so it was hard to tell just how fragile their telepathy was
without ever having met one in person.

It took some 18 days to reach the Neeyvir system, with
them braking in at a respectable distance from the giant white star that held
some 9 major planets in its gravitational pull, but they didn’t have to travel
to any of those to attract attention, for as soon as they arrived they were met
by patrol ships. They were shaped with a helmet-like forward face that trailed
off into what looked like tendrils hanging behind it. They had luminous lines
across the face and the hull was colored a pale purple, giving the ships an
aggressive persona despite the fact that they only massed about that of a
cruiser and were no longer than 1200 meters, tendrils included.

Paul used a Sety translation program rather than their
own they’d cobbled together from bits and pieces of language references from
other races that had had dealings with them in the past, figuring it would be
more up to date and professional given their reputation, but he chose to
directly address them rather than having the Sety ships do it.

There was only a single Star Force vessel with the
fleet, but it was the largest ship and the only one without battle damage.
Beyond that, Paul was in command and felt that these other races were his wards
after what had transpired, despite the fact that they were just as advanced,
perhaps more so in some cases, than the Humans were.

“Attention Neeyvir, I am Archon Paul-024 of Star
Force. As you are probably aware, our
warfleets
are
gradually pushing back the Li’vorkrachnika and reclaiming the territory that
they have stolen from others. Though we have not reached your borders yet it
will happen eventually and we had intended on making contact before that
occurred to establish formal relations. The current situation has hastened that
necessity, for we and our allies have just survived a massive battle with the
Trinx. We were the marginal victors, but the Sety and others do not have any
region bases from which to resupply or make repairs and Star Force facilities
are also a great distance from here.”

“We have come here asking for aid and a port of harbor
so that these ships can begin repairing damage and making arrangements with
their far flung civilizations for permanent relief. We do not expect the Trinx
to follow us here. The target they sought is moving on and their warfleet has
been destroyed. What reserves they have we do not know, and we are not asking
for protection against them if they should come. We are only asking for what
material aid you can offer, or at the very least the ability to use this system
as a waypoint while other allies are rallied to us.”

“While we are here, I would like to have a lengthy
conversation concerning the Li’vorkrachnika and the future of this region if
you are willing. We will hold to stellar orbit while we await your response.”

2

January 3, 3256

Ashbay
System
(Occupation Zone)

Stellar Orbit

Jason’s command ship came out of its jump into a clear
stellar orbit, finally having made it out of lizard territory. He immediately
picked up battlemap signals coming from the few assets that Star Force had in
the captured system. There were several warships with drones guarding a single
planet where fighting had recently ended and the recycling crews were hard at
work picking up all the trash and beginning the process of erasing the lizards’
stench from the world. This was hardly civilization, but it was Star Force
territory.

The Trinx hadn’t shown themselves since the big
battle, but the convoy had picked up some hitchhikers from at least three other
races. They were staying well away from both the Uriti and its defenders, but
they were pacing behind the convoy at a respectful distance watching what was
going on.

He didn’t know what that meant. Maybe these other
races, none of which they could identify, had heard about the spectacle. Paul
hadn’t returned yet, and it was unlikely that he’d spread word of it in time
for outsiders to get here, so it was curious to Jason how they’d known about
the Uriti. Perhaps one or more of The Nine had leaked word of it beyond lizard
territory, but none of the ships accompanying them had claimed knowledge of who
these new ships belonged to. Jason didn’t know if he believed them or not, for
the leak had to have come from somewhere, but it was possible that these ship
captains had no idea who these races were while their leaders did.

None of them had responded to
comms
,
but given that they were keeping so far back Jason hadn’t gone after them. If
they’d gotten closer he would have, but for the time being getting the Uriti
back to Star Force territory was the priority and he’d finally accomplished
that. It wasn’t the Uriti’s ultimate destination, they still had a ways to go
to get to the Alamo System, but it was time for Jason to get a little more
insistent that these trailing ships identify themselves.

As the battlemap signals caught up from the lag Jason
saw that there was a much larger fleet on the other side of the star, just
having come out of its own jump. It was a Calavari fleet of warships, 19 in
total, and Jason assumed they were reinforcements being sent to help them,
though at the moment he couldn’t communicate to make sure until the lag bounces
made their way across the system and back to get to the other side of the star
or one or both fleets moved around to talk to each other directly.

The mass of ships following Jason out of the jump
drifted aside to make way for the Uriti that followed 27 minutes later. By that
time the Calavari had orbited around into line of sight and they confirmed they
were here to add extra security, as well as give a warning. Unidentified ships
had been seen passing through the Occupation Zone over the past 2 months,
heading in this general direction, but passing in and out of Star Force systems
only occasionally. Even within the Occupation Zone there were more uninhabited
systems than previously lizard held ones that ships could jump through, and
unlike the ADZ, those systems didn’t yet have reconnaissance equipment to keep
track of who came and went, meaning there were a lot of ‘dark’ areas ships
could pass through.

Meaning they could be right on their doorstep and
Jason wouldn’t know it until they were here. The numbers the Calavari
intel
suggested were low. Individual or pairs of ships only,
no fleets. That suggested they weren’t coming to fight, but someone had
obviously got the word out and Jason felt that he was about to be the center of
attention in a very unwanted way.

“Do you recognize any of these ship profiles?” he
asked the floating ball beside him.

“I do not,” the Oracle said, “but their interest in
the Hamoriti cannot be coincidence. They must be races that have prior
knowledge, possibly dating back to the war.”

“Then why wouldn’t you recognize them?” Jason asked
Paul’s parting gift. His fellow trailblazer had made a copy of the Oracle
program for himself, then when he was forced to leave the
Excalibur
had given it to Jason so he’d have an expert on the Uriti
with him for those times when the
Zeus
wasn’t in contact range.

“Developmental changes perhaps. Or it simply could be
a fact of attrition. The original races could have been destroyed and their
knowledge passed onto others.”

“Possible,” Jason granted. “So what do you speculate
these ships would want with the Uriti if they were acting off of knowledge
obtained from others?”

“Either to seek control of it or to deny you the
same.”

“We haven’t picked up any fleets heading this way
yet.”

“Scouts then. To confirm the reports. Do not assume
warfleets
will not follow.”

“You sound sure of that.”

“My programing indicates that such a response was
expected. It was one reason why the Hamoriti had to be kept hidden. Let the
galaxy know you hold the weapon at a specific place and they will get illusions
of their ability to steal it from you. Keep its location anonymous and they can
do no such plotting.”

“So they might be here to make sure we don’t move it
where they can’t track it?”

“Most likely.”

“How did the Ancients move them when they were
sedated?”

“Moving such a mass when dormant has its challenges,
but it essentially comes down to a question of cargo. Moving a conscious one is
another matter entirely.”

“Meaning if it was sleeping we could hook it up to a
jump cradle and save this long trip.”

“Exactly. The Ancients acquired the Hamoriti after
they were sedate. There were still considerations given its latent aura, but
they pose no other special requirements. Can I assume you do not have the
ability to order it to sleep?”

“I doubt it.”

“And sedation is out of the question?”

“Also true.”

“Then there is no other course of action beyond
accepting this slow journey.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

The Oracle twisted its spherical body around to look
more squarely at Jason with its one mechanical eye. “You instructed me to state
all relevant matters.”

A
comm
from the recently
arrived
Zeus
interrupted him, with an
image of Riley popping up in front of Jason. “I see we picked up some more
ships.”

“That we did, along with reports of more unidentified
ships heading our way.”

The trailblazer’s hologram frowned. “A lot?”

“A lot of stragglers. None have shown up here yet.”

“There must be some information network in place that
we’re unaware of. This is too much common knowledge for such a short span of
time.”

“Agreed. Now that we’re back inside our territory, I’m
going to lag behind and have a chat with those ships following us. I’ll catch
up later.”

“You, or you and the fleet?”

“Just my command ship. The rest, including the Calavari,
go ahead of Nami as usual. I’ll leave Brayden in charge.”

“What if they don’t feel like talking?”

“Then we get to see how fast their ships are.”

Riley smiled. “Have fun. We’re blowing through this
system, so if you wait here you might be able to intercept them on arrival. If
they know our pattern, they’ll know they have to get here quickly to see which jumpline
we take out.”

“Good idea. I got the rear. Move along.”

“Moving,” Riley echoed, cutting the
comm
line.

“You seek a confrontation?” the Oracle asked.

“More like a greeting,” he said, adjusting the
commands to the fleet and his bridge with a few thoughts. “But I intend to get
a response this time.”

Jason watched the
Zeus
move around the curve of the star and out of sight as the
Sanguine Blade
picked up small amount of arrival deflection, the
super-accelerated light coming off the star and hitting the approaching ships,
picking up their speed and sending it back into the system faster than
naturally possible. It was a very small amount, but enough to give him a heads
up that they were coming about 20 seconds before they otherwise showed up on
sensors.

Or rather the first ship. It was long and spiked with
cross bars, a design that Jason had gotten used to seeing in their wake. It
came to a halt only 3,281 kilometers away from the command ship, with Jason
immediately signaling to it.

“Attention unidentified vessel. You are now within
Star Force-controlled territory. Identify yourself.”

It didn’t respond before the second ship arrived, nor when
the third got there less than a minute later. Jason didn’t know if that was
because they couldn’t understand the message, which he’d transmitted with
copies in every known language, or if they were just ignoring him, but none of
the ships moved past their braking position. They held at the jumppoint, staring
down the command ship, until the third ship finally responded with a text
message written in Ancient.

We are
monitoring the path of the Hamoriti.

That was something, but it wasn’t an identification.

“Identify yourselves,” Jason repeated, then waited for
a response as the first ship suddenly took off.

With a though, the
Sanguine
Blade
went after it. Accelerating for all it was worth around the star at a
bad angle but keeping up with the ship as it raced around the curve of the
gravity well to get into sight of the convoy just prior to it jumping out. With
it now under sensor surveillance as the Uriti approached the outgoing jumppoint
with the
Zeus
trailing behind it, the
unidentified ship decelerated and let the command ship catch up to it gently,
with Jason coming within 20 kilometers and letting the mass of his ship dwarf
the 1300 meter destroyer analog that was apparently content with having
identified the outgoing jumpline.

Jason eased the ship closer and closer, with it still
not responding to
comms
as the other two caught up
and joined the pair. When Jason got within range he activated the IDF field and
pinned the ship in place, cutting off its gravity drives from their source of
pull and trapping it within weapons range.

“Identify yourself,” Jason repeated. “You obviously
want to know where they’re heading and now you do, but you’re not going anywhere
until I get some answers, so start talking.”

But the first ship still sat silent, not opening up so
much as a peep of communication as the third ship decided to respond again.

We are watchers
sent from afar to monitor the Hamoriti.

“Who specifically?”

There was a short delay, but a response was
forthcoming.

We are
commissioned.

“By whom?”

A distant
consortium that wishes to remain anonymous. We are tasked with data collection.
We intend nothing more than passage through your territory to see where the
Hamoriti goes and what it does.

“What is your origination point?”

A map in the form of the Ancients measurements popped
up with an area indicated in the Orion arm anti-
spinward
and opposite the border with the Preema…except that the location specified was
some 14,000 lightyears away and well beyond the region Star Force had explored
to date.

“How did you get here so quickly? How were you
informed of the Hamoriti’s movement?”

It has been
under watch for some time. When your ability to control it was witnessed, word
was sent out to many. The other two ships here are not with us. We watch
passively and do not interfere with one another.

“I have been told more ships are heading this way. Are
they also watchers?”

Many will come
to verify the stories.

“And after they see that it is true?”

Unknown. We
were tasked with data collection. We do not know the plans of those who employ
us.

“And what will you do if I do not allow you to proceed
further into Star Force territory?”

We mean no
offense, but you do not have the ability to stop ships on the periphery. We did
not expect you to be at the jumppoint when we arrived. Next time we will make
accommodations so you will not make contact again.

“I have no issue with you passing through our
territory so long as you do not interfere with anything or anyone in them, but
there may come a time when we prevent you from going any further. Do you speak
for the other two ships?”

We agree to
only observe. We do not speak for the other ships.

“Do you know why they have been silent?”

We cannot speak
for them.

“Identify yourselves so that we can log your ship
profile into our systems.”

We are the
Neshmiraken. An independent organization unaffiliated with any system or race.

“So noted. You have permission to proceed and watch
from afar until otherwise stated. Do you know the identity of the other two
vessels?”

One is the
Scmat
Confederation. The other is the
Partrel
.

“Do they also know the Ancient language?”

They do.

“Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to
inquire about?”

Can you truly
control the Hamoriti?

“We can direct it. The limits of that direction are
not being tested at present, but we have succeeded in stopping its rampages.”

Be warned. Such
knowledge will bring many others to you. For good or ill. We will proceed in
the shadows from here on.

“Thanks for the warning,” Jason said, already getting
that feeling but having it sink in even deeper as these newcomers confirmed it.
He attempted to contact the other two ships again with no response. The pinned
one stayed where he had it in its grasp, but the other was parked nearby and
didn’t move of its own choice until the Uriti jumped out. When the
Zeus
followed, the ship zipped off at
high speed along with the Neshmiraken.