“Come in, please.”
Kimora, a Kilrillian21 dur-female, stepped cheerily from behind her holodesk to greet them. “He’s been waiting for you, sir.”
“Pleased to see you in good spirits,” Bor said. “Is your brother well?”
“Yes, thank you. Katron just left for a relief and rescue mission on Gradius 7, the old mining colony in Sector 7’s echo quadrant. It should be an easy extraction, but with exiled Harbitorats22 inhabiting neighboring moons, Pias thought it wise to send the Zuni 88 Planet Guard with him. The ‘Rats haven’t exactly been cooperative since the GSA removed them. Unfortunately, we had to act. After all, their stewardship left the planet an ecological disaster.”
“It’s good to hear that Katron’s part of the solution, then. He’s a bright, determined young Kilrillian. I always knew he’d find his path. Speaking of which, heading back to Kilrill anytime soon to see your family?”
“Actually, yes. I’m planning to go for thirty prikes at the start of next turn.”
“Splendid.”
When Bor made no further small-talk, Kimora got the hint. “Go on in. He’ll be there soon.”
As he entered, Thyron stayed behind with Kimora. The office of Mijorn’s Effective Force Prime was a spectacle. Great pillars, encasing projections of every past Prime resident, rounded the room creating a stream of faces. Hanging on the only wall they didn’t cover and behind the current resident, the gallant Pias Abbotkrine, were framed, elegant two-dimensional ink maps of space-combat maneuvers from the Classical Era23.
Pias was a full tradon in height and usually bipedal. As a six-limbed Anduuzil24, though, this was entirely optional. Head broad, his face flat and noseless, two eyes sat atop a narrow mouth able to expand into a head-splitting, fearsome, toothed smile. Each set of limbs were dinosaur-like, but the dexterity of the digits increased from feet to upper extremities.
A GSA founding species, the Anduuzil had millions of turns experience dealing with other sentient species. Its individuals also had the time to develop their skills. Anduuz was part of a rare three-star system that provided stable orbits. The unique radiation environment this created evolved a cellular structure that led to extraordinarily long lives. Pias Abbotkrine was four-hundred fifty-one turns.
“KruktuskenBor, so good to see you. What’s so dire it brought you all the way to this side of the Sector for a clandestine get together? I hope there isn’t some intergalactic war I should be prepping for. Ha!”
“Well...” A cloud swept over Bor. “... Much as I wish you were further from the truth, in about twenty nolaprikes you’ll receive news of a quarantine failure in the T-Class Nova System. What it won’t say is that the failure was caused by an attack. Worse, a comm officer recognized the tactics as unique to the Creators of Space. A First Contact escort was dispatched to retrieve him. A contingent is on its way here for a military council debrief.”
Pias’ head-splitting grin went into freefall. “What?” He rose, accenting his height, clasped one set of arms in front of him and the other behind. “Bor, how is it you had to travel so far to tell me what I should have known before you?”
“Communication is my job. To state the obvious, this confirms what we long suspected. Odian Spek isn’t dead. He’s back.”
The words ran a shiver down Pias’s malleable spine. His firm voice shook. “Are you sure? We found his arm floating in his cruiser’s wreckage at the Loronzon incident, ripped at the socket and melted by plasma. You and I both saw it, Bor.”
Bor nodded at the memory. “True, but many have survived the loss of a limb, and I don’t know who else could pull off an attack like this. They knew about the Nova System and how to beat our monitoring defenses. Also, the comm officer is my son, Kruk. He recognized the tactics from Loronzon and... told the assembled control room.”
He raised a powerful hand and gestured, palm up. “How much did you tell him?”
Bor had to tilt his head back to look his friend in the eyes. Despite knowing Pias for ages, he was still surprised how terrifying he could be. “Everything, well almost everything.”
The room vibrated with Pias’ low frequency growl. “Why?”
Bor shrugged. “The continuity of secrets has always been part of the plan. We have to ensure that competent, prepared people know the full truth in case they have to deal with it. The Council won’t see it this way, but a breach was bound to happen. We should expect another attack on any planets being considered for a Class S. At least we have a warning, thanks to my son.”
Pias snarled. “Thanks to your son, this is a catastrophe.”
Afraid he might panic, Bor became adamant. “I’m handling it.”
“Are you now? How are you managing the information flow?”
“Per Code 5425. No comms in or out during the investigation.”
Pias balked. “That won’t erase the memories of everyone at the Quarantine.”
“Steps are being taken to ensure there are no... misunderstandings.”
Still dissatisfied, he growled again. “Cut the luukmarm26 bureaucratic fluff. What have you done about the officers who actually heard your son?”
Trying to appear menacing himself, or at least cold and calculating, Bor nonchalantly looked at his fingernails. “I haven’t come this far without knowing how to tie up loose ends. Paradon’s been stripped of his rank and reassigned to a mining colony. The far more cooperative Aroxia has been promoted. Entok... Well, unfortunately he sent an unauthorized transmission to his wife. They were both executed, along with significant relations, as per Article 37.27”
Pias squinted slightly, his lips pursed indicating he’d let it go... for now.
This allowed Bor to bring up more immediate concerns. “Don’t get too comfortable, yet. There’s more. The Voidwhisperers couldn’t stop the invaders from reaching Earth, so the planetary fail safe was activated.”
“Did they get through?”
“No. But the humans were testing antimatter. There was an explosion. It was significant: visible from lookout SQA12. Luckily, even with the concurrent loss of their probe, the humans are still too devolved to realize it was something from space. I have been carefully monitoring their communication channels.”
Surprisingly, Pias laughed. “KruktuskenBor, my dear friend, how long have you been aware that thousands of civilizations exist on worlds other than your own?”
Bor was puzzled. “All my life.”
“All their lives they’ve believed the opposite. Last I checked, humans pray to gods they’ve never met and think themselves unique. Trust me, they’ll make any excuse necessary to maintain that illusion. It won’t be an issue. Our real focus has to be Odian Spek.”
The cavalier attitude disturbed Bor, but he moved on. “Alright, then. We’ll have to inform the rest of the GSA soon. If we don’t stay ahead of this, it’ll look like a coverup.
“We’ll do no such thing. We’ll simply deploy Voidwhisperers, quietly, to each of the nine sectors to assure the GSA we’re aware of a threat and are taking the proper precautions.”
Bor’s face twisted. “All due respect but do you think it’s ethical, or even possible, to hide this? If—when—Odian Spek attacks again, we need to be prepared. Besides, given his history, wouldn’t it be wiser to scale back Voidwhisperer involvement? The only other time they’ve ever failed us was when they defected to his side.”
To his credit, Pias gave Bor’s position some thought. Then, he stuck with his own conclusion. “Panic gives us nothing, and there’s no reason to assume any conspiracy runs deeper than the one we share. Spek’s smart; Bor, a zealot, but he believes himself a liberator, not a terrorist, and he’s not suicidal. Other than the forces we use to protect T class planets, he’s never attacked any GSA. With the Nova System reinforced, he won’t attack there again.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not. What makes him so dangerous also makes him predictable. He thinks he’s right. He craves legitimacy... wants the COS positioned as a
political movement.He knows he’ll never widen his support if he targets the GSA. Plus, he’s getting old. I suspect he’s tiring of the crusade. Age tends to bring moderation.”
Bor shook his head. “It can also bring desperation. If he thinks the humans are a perfect way to prove he’s right, it could be disastrous.”
Pias waved him off with two hands. “Enough. We’ll wait until your son is debriefed, then summon the Council of Worlds. We dictate what we reveal and when.”
Considering the conversation over, he turned back to his desk issuing commands and loading holoscreens. Bor wasn’t quite done.
“I know you feel responsible for the death of billions of Loronzons, but I’m concerned that you’re underestimating the military threat. Odian led the best VW squad in history.”
Pias’ eyes rolled. “You mean well old friend, but the Loronzon incident set system integration back generations. That’s the bigger threat. If the newer worlds find out the COS came from our black-ops, it would weaken trust in the GSA and feed Spek’s rebel mystique. I do fear the Valkon, I’d be a fool not to. He rallied an armada under our noses, but I don’t fear his prowess half as much as what he stands for. Our existence requires we maintain interplanetary faith in the GSA. Until we know more, the less the public knows, the better.” The conversation truly over, he dismissed his guest. “Thank you for your time, Councilmember.”
Bor nodded, bowed, and embraced Pias before exiting, deep in thought.
Stopping at the door, Bor turned back with a final thought. “Shed a tear for my son.”
For millions of turns a handful of sentient species made the GSA what it was today; enormous, efficient, but anxious. The Loronzon incident, the Quarantine on Dimur 7, the massacre of Giyan Prime 28had steadily eroded confidence in their ability to assess new species. They were no longer so sure how to tell if a given culture had good intentions, whether at heart they were interested in preserving life or destroying it.
Unhappy, he rejoined Thyron. The two made their way to the maglift in silence.
On the other hand, Pias was usually right, and, speaking of faith, he trusted his friend. Still, times were changing. Nova and Odian Spek were at the center of that change, and, despite the GSA’s advances, life remained a fickle thing.
1 The 24th Generation Mayad Class Cruiser
A GSA battle starship measuring 0.4 rudons long with a crew of 14,000. They are commonly a GSA military Kuadron (Battle Group) command ship. Equipped with a reinforced, regenerating hull, shields, railguns, beam cannons, plasma torpedoes, ship to ship nuclear ordinance, and 150 Suppressor fighters. Take on average 40 turns to construct. Most are over 3000 turns old. They are usually deployed close to or within star systems.
2 Patch 4
A flowspace speed, 550,000 kulons/turn (or 736,000 light-turns/turn), a restricted flowspace used by GSA Military, Policing, Investigation, and Disaster Relief.
3 Resistor
A polymorphic athletic suit that molds itself in metal ribbons around the wearer to create a flexible framework that will resist the wearer’s every motion. They are used to provide dynamic exercise for limited quarters and low and zero gravity.
4 Artgrav
Artificial Gravity is produced on most GSA spacecraft to allow for ease of motion and prevent health damage of prolonged low gravity environments. Gravtiles produce a unidirectional graviton stream perpendicular to their surface when powered. Commonly square plates, they usually tile the floors of ships.
5 Nadisir
Bor’s personal transportation vessel, it is a Frija Class Starship, 15 tradons long, used for the transportation of high level GSA members, patch 5 capable with kinetic absorptive layers, double shields, flares, drones, defensive railguns, and artillery. Built by Sector 7 Enterprises, the Frija Class Starships were utilized to dramatically reduce the need for military escort of Primes and Assembly members.
6 Runyaya
A dark grey, ground covering plant that spreads in sticky, geometrically faced spherical nodes that contain a seed. They emit a delightful odor to most GSA species, are notable for their seed husks, and, if nutured properly, can be used for an adhesive for forging weapons.
7 Blue varoon
A Mijorn alpine mushroom, which if taken properly can help induce Recall for some non Dragsan. This property was discovered in the Second Dark Era by Dragsan Science Lead, Forthensertkor. Taken improperly will result in imminent death causing most species to not risk its secret gifts.
8 The Ring
A giant, artificial structure 5000 rudons in diameter encircling Mijorn and made by the Builders about 68 million turns ago. It’s entire inner surface is inhabitable. With an atmosphere and filled with natural ecosystems, the outside of the Ring has been modified by the GSA into a massive orbital defense platform.
9 Zundrilla
A member species of the GSA from the planet of Zundril in the 6th Sector. They are 1 tradon tall, with 4 appendages, covered in reptilian-like scales, and have metallic-crystalline spikes that grow from their upper body.
10 DraktuskenDor
Dragsan names are broken into three portions: personal name (Drak), family name (Tusken), and title (Dor), which is sometimes granted later in life for certain status. In this case, Dor is the head of a great house.
11 Samonca
Sensual species with limited shapeshifting ability and powerful pheromones. They are considered the most exceptional of sexual companions and have their own working union: the League of Pleasure.
12 Effective Force Prime
GSA Sector head of the Department of the Military. There are 9 EFPs, one representing each of the 9 Sectors. The EFP’s must be unanimous for any galactic war efforts.
13 Clykwordol
Were an ancient, intelligent, pre-industrial species that predated the Dragsan on Dragsa. They were estimated to have gone extinct 150 million turns ago. Their most enduring legacy was a rich culture of abstract statue making.
14 Dra Ma Kun
The first Dragsan starmap: made during the Classical Era after the Warpgate system was fully mapped. During the Second Dark Era, the Dra Ma Kun was used by the surviving ArchDragsan to locate their off-world colonies and bring them home.
15 The Great Silence
Also called the Second Dark Era, the 1.1 million turns following the destruction of the Warpgate system during which 90% of sentient life died out. With no faster than light travel, civilization and communication ceased leaving each world isolated.
16 Nebula Whale
Giant space creatures from Sector 8 that live in vacuum. They spend their lives in the gas clouds of the Lagoon Nebula consuming hydrogen to live.
17 Slipsphere
A transportation capsule that carries occupants along a sliptube at high velocities. They were invented by the Baleen to move in a sliptube underwater at much higher speeds than their bodies could naturally tolerate the drag.
18 Rikjia
The original capital city of Mijorn. Location of the formalization and signing of the TAOTA. Considered holy by some, the city of Rikjia is a sacred land that factions like the Creators Of Space respect.
19 Namasaldra Tree
Known as “Nature’s Doorway,” ancient species thought the portals created by the ring shaped trunks were used by magical spirits to travel between the worlds. The seeds are capable of surviving vacuum, extreme heat, and pressure for sustained periods. They are proven to have travelled from Neruda 7 to Neruda 8 on a piece of crust ejected from an ancient asteroid impact.
20 Hammerguard
Special division of the Dept. of the Military that protect planetside government installations. They began as a group of GSA soldiers who defended the capital complex against an insurrection by the Yarus (a native species that has since been extinct) on Kramer De La Ku 3 million turns ago. Using only battle hammers after an EMP detonated, their heroism lasted for 4 prikes.
21 Kilrillian
A furry, h
umanoid species from the planet Kilril. Their docile, obedient nature makes them sought out for service and hospitality in the GSA.
22 Harbitorat
A prolific, sentient species that look like a turquoise and pink rodent, has a venomous bite, and are experts at ship and station repair due to their small size and engineering skills.
23 Classical Era
The second period of galaxy spanning civilization from 19-9 million turns ago. During this time sentient species could only use the Builder Warpgates (The Builders were the first known civilization and are widely considered the ancient fathers of the universe. Their ingenuity created an interstellar network of Warppaths, along which ships could travel faster than light. To date, no GSA species has been able to replicate the Warpgate technology). Eventually thousands of worlds joined together in The Cooperative, which existed peacefully for millions of turns. This included The Dragsan, Anduuzil, Valkon, Fandaxians, Baleen, Metra, Rakilla, Ulron, and Droteans. But expansion could not keep up with population and the Cooperative rifted over fights for resources. A galaxy-spanning war followed in which trillions died. This era ended when an endgame device was activated that created a vast self replicating machine army that destroyed many civilizations. Faced with annihilation, the surviving species banded together to destroy the Warp- gates and saved the galaxy. A 1.1 million turn Dark Age ensued.
24 Anduuzil
A large, 6 limbed, longevinous species from the planet Anduuz, a founding member of the GSA from the 8th Sector. They are usually alpha, imposing, authoritative, and stoic. Anduuzil are commonly in positions of high authority, military, policing, and physical labor.
25 Code 54
GSA protocol calling for full communication blackout during investigation of an attack on a restricted government facility.
Beyond Kuiper: The Galactic Star Alliance Page 14
