by Aer-ki Jyr
“Until they learn of their relocation here,” Arch Duke Dante, head of the Calavari faction, pointed out.
“Without the use of the grid point system we are too far away to fall under attack, so it is a safe bet that even if they learn of it they will not be able to do anything about it.”
“What are the chances of it being compromised?”
“If it falls, The Nexus falls with it. They’ve arrayed their heaviest defenses at the grid points, which is why evacuating the Meintre and retasking their grid point to us, though in relay, will save them having to fortify that position.”
“Do we have a route laid out?” Hightower asked.
“It won’t be coming to the ADZ, but since we have options of where to settle the Meintre we’ve had a chance to run probabilities,” Davis said when he highlighted four systems in the occupation zone, each of which was within 200 lightyears of the others. “There are the most geographically probable routes. There are others, but gravitational forces will reduce distance viability. The grid point will be our possession and not in a Meintre system, but they will have to be located adjacent to it.”
“And these others immigrants?” Vectir asked.
“The Sety have said that they will not be establishing civilian colonies, but rather work camps. Once the grid point network is extended to us they will be shipping in only essential workers and maintain that limited population. They want to make this a shipbuilding endeavor, not a colonial one. With the Meintre they don’t have a choice, their civilian population has to go somewhere.”
“Resources?”
“They procure their own from the surrounding systems, or via trade with us. I’ve already authorized the creation of two Kiritak colonies in the region for that purpose, low resource instigation. By the time The Nexus gets here they will be able to supply them, or us if an arrangement can’t be worked out.”
“Our primary feed is still the lizard campaign?” Karthen asked.
“Yes,” Davis said regretfully. “Even with the improved capture methods, we can’t divert resources away from those fleets until we clear out every single system. They’re still expanding so we can’t afford to get distracted. The coreward line is filling out on both sides, but combat there is light. We need to wrap up the rimward conquest before we can pour weight into the current dilemma…which is where you four come in. You’ve all seen the projections and offered analysis, now tell me the odds again.”
“It won’t be Star Force territory other than in name,” Hightower objected, referring to the proposed annexation of a mind boggling number of systems and dozens of new races…not counting the independents that they’d be honor bound to protect in the surrounding and intermittent regions, many of which Star Force would reach out to and incorporate into the empire in some form eventually. “I’m not comfortable with that.”
“I agree,” Vectir chimed in. “If we can’t pour our resources into even a single world, what is there for us to do? The Archons can work on incorporating them militarily, as they did with the H’kar prior to their inclusion, but on a logistics front we can’t synergize.”
“Some of them have meat farms,” Karthen pointed out.
“Those will be shut down,” Davis assured him. “In fact, there are already preparations being made within The Nexus to do so. The races in question that contacted me prior to this deal were already aware of our requirements and one of them had already changed over their food supply so to be more compatible. The same thing can be done with the others from afar, because they are willing. They’re not being sold to us, they want our help. They can see that The Nexus’s hold on smaller systems is slipping, and it’s only a matter of time before they have to pull back more and abandon some races to maintain their power centers. We have willing populations to work with, for the most part.”
“Who’s the ‘not so willing’ ones?” Hightower asked.
“The Neu and Wpet primarily, but I’ve already met with representatives from each and they realize the logistics of the situation. The Nexus is going to drop them one way or another, so it’s in their best interests to work with us. If they don’t they’ll have to fend for themselves, because as you well know we’re not going to be able to protect this new region, and I made certain they understood it as well. They stand poised to be eaten alive by dozens of small threats if true anarchy breaks out, and the Neu are barely holding onto a stable economy as it is.”
“If they are willing, then we can provide assistance via wisdom rather than materiel,” Dante suggested, “but only if they follow orders.”
“Orders that we can’t leverage them into,” Hightower added.
“The current doom on the horizon is the leverage,” Davis emphasized. “If they fail, they are destroyed in one form or another. The major predators aside, there are already mercenary and pirate factions picking off targets of opportunity within the region we’re going to get, let alone elsewhere in The Nexus. The intimidation factor they’ve bluffed with for so long is crumbling and factions are realizing they have more play than they previously believed. Though it wasn’t stated, I believe The Nexus is going to convulse in order to stabilize, and their trading us away this region is a preferable position to losing it outright. My gut says they’re going to abandon the weak and redraw firm lines around those they consider to be strong enough to assist The Nexus.”
“Betraying their oath,” Vectir pointed out.
Davis nodded. “And that alone is going to cause ramifications. We need to work this deal prior to that occurring and brace for the backlash when it does.”
“You need us out there, don’t you?” Hightower asked.
“Possibly,” Davis answered hesitantly. “I’m still considering options and want your input.”
“I’m assuming that if we didn’t get this deal, our situation would be worse?” Dante asked.
“We’re already seeing refugee traffic coming through H’kar space. If The Nexus convulses and even half these races are cut loose and fall apart…”
“Our best option is to be proactive,” Vectir agreed, stroking his bristly goatee. “Else we have to turn people away.”
“We don’t have enough supplies to cover this,” Karthen reiterated. “I don’t see how we work this problem without at least a nominal flow to build off of. I can send out feeder colonies of Bsidd, but you know it will take far too long for them to grow to the point of exporting, let alone in the massive amounts we need. A startup surge is required, and even with that we’ll be behind the curve.”
“Everything has to come from the local races,” Hightower said, nodding in agreement. “All we have to offer them is leadership.”
“Why aren’t we seeding all the empty worlds of value with Kiritak or Bsidd? Even if they’re just feeder colonies they need to get started sooner or later. What’s the point in keeping those worlds empty?”
“We don’t have the fleet strength to protect them,” Davis said dismissively, “and I don’t feel like gambling their safety on a bluff.”
“How long until we estimate we can end the lizard campaign?” Hightower asked.
“Not within the next century.”
The Arch Duke splayed both hands wide in a gesture of helplessness. “Then there’s not much we can do to help other than advise.”
“What’s our end goal?” Dante asked.
“Hold the line and digest our new acquisitions.”
Karthen laughed. “The latter will take forever even if we can manage the former…and that’s not counting all the neutrals involved.”
“Go big or go home,” Davis insisted. “I don’t see that we have a good choice other than tackling this challenge head on.”
“What happens if The Nexus does totally collapse and their primary races start fending for themselves?” Vectir asked. “We’re assuming they’re going to hold together in some fashion?”
“If the grid point system goes down, the distances involved will isolate us from most of what happens, but we’
ll have our new neighbors to deal with regardless. Both the helpless and the predators.”
“There is one untapped resource,” Karthen noted, “and that’s the captured lizards. We’ve amassed a great deal of them by now. Is there a way we can put them to use without them backstabbing us?” he asked, looking at Davis, then Hightower.
“I’m not sure what exactly Paul’s relationship with Thrawn is, but if they’re reliable enough to do resource harvesting then there’s a possibility there,” he admitted.
Davis smiled. “They’re well beyond that, I assure you.”
Hightower raised an eyebrow. “What has he been up to this time?”
“They,” Davis corrected. “All of the trailblazer 2s have banded together in order to rework the lizards into Star Force,” he said, getting shocked reactions from the three Arch Dukes save for Hightower.
“I thought we weren’t annexing them?” Dante asked.
“We’re still not, in the traditional fashion at least. Their ten Clans are incorporating them…and yes, I think there may be a use for them in this.”
“Paul’s taking them with him into the…what are we calling this new region anyway?” Hightower asked.
“Good point,” he said, considering that. “We’ll just call it the Outer Region for now and subdivide as needed later.”
“Then Paul is planning on taking the lizards with him into the Outer Region?”
“He doesn’t know about this yet. None of the trailblazers do. I wanted your input before I brought it to their attention.”
“The timing sucks,” Dante said, offering his assessment. “We can’t even get the H’kar Nexus territory assimilated before this goes down. We’re going to have a very ill-defined border that needs some pillars of stability…and we’re not going to have the resources to build any in short order.”
“Recommendations?”
Hightower nodded. “The five of us are the only ones with enough experience at high volume logistics to prep us for what is going to be needed out there. Most of those races are the equivalent of the ADZ, if not larger. We can’t send Dukes with the trailblazers, we have to go ourselves and cross our fingers that we can find a way to make it work.”
“Not all of you,” Davis corrected. “I need Dante and Karthen to stay where they are. You’ve still got a lot of building to do and I need both of your factions operating at maximum growth. Other than myself, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to replace you without expecting a transitional inefficiency at minimum.”
“So Hightower and I will go,” Vectir agreed with a nod. “Possibly with our former Clan leaders?”
“No, you will not be going,” Davis said evenly. “You will be transferring to Sol and taking my place here. Hightower and myself will be going, and we’ll need replacements for Epsilon Eridani and Rotunna.”
All four Arch Dukes didn’t say a word, but their facial expressions were a mix of shock and concern…then they morphed into grim determination as they began to realize what was really at stake here.
“If we don’t make this work,” Dante finally said, “it’ll…”
“…invite a world of trouble on our rimward border,” Davis finished for him. “I know it’s coming, and though you haven’t been privy to all the intel I have, do any of you disagree with my analysis?”
“No, though I suspect it’s worse than even we think,” Hightower answered, with nods of agreement from the others.
“It’s probably worse than even I suspect,” Davis said gravely.
“We’ve got a powder keg waiting to blow,” Dante summed up.
“And half a lizard war to finish up,” Karthen added, “plus a coreward border to defend, Uriti to guard, the occupation zone to patrol, and the threat of the V’kit’no’sat hanging over all of that.”
“Which is why we have to send our best on both fronts, Monarch and Archon,” Davis said, looking to Vectir. “Sol is still the heart of our empire. Keep it growing, keep it producing, and use your best judgement. I’ll go through with you a set of personal notes I’m leaving behind, but once you take the reins this is your system to do with as you wish. Personalize it where you like so long as it doesn’t compromise efficiency.”
“When do you intend to be back?”
Davis shook his head. “Assume never. You have to make Sol your castle system now, just as your replacement will in Rotunna and your replacement will in Epsilon Eridani,” he said, glancing at Hightower.
“Those are our two strongest industrial bases by far,” Karthen warned. “Who are you thinking to replace Hightower?”
“I have a short list, but tell me first who you would recommend.”
The Arch Dukes glanced at one another, with Dante being the one to finally speak. “Carter controls the largest faction without an Arch Duke label,” he said, referencing the Kiritak, “but he has no civilian presence to work with. Given that this is a Human system, one of like would probably make the most sense to look for a transfer.”
“Or one from Axius,” Hightower suggested, knowing full well the varied races that had a diplomatic foothold in the system, let alone the Hycre who owned a planet.
“No one in particular jumps out to you?”
“I can list several that are capable, but no, no one stands out to replace me or Vectir.”
“That’s because no one is as good as you two, save for the other two Arch Dukes here that I cannot afford to reassign. Epsilon Eridani is on solid footing, with Rotunna still requiring a lot more vision despite being the lesser of the two, therefore we need the one with more skill in Rotunna and someone competent in Epsilon Eridani. Someone who will mimic what you’ve done and grow into the position rather than trying to change things up immediately,” Davis said, turning to Vectir. “Duke Rendar or Duke Blake for Rotunna?”
“Rendar,” he said without hesitation.
“Why?”
“He’s local and errs on the side of conservation slightly more than me. Exports might go down a touch, but Rotunna will remain solid in his hands. Blake is more of a wild card and hasn’t had to deal with Beta Region before.”
“Agreed then. Rendar will take over in Rotunna but without a promotion. That will follow if he proves himself capable of expanding on what you’ve done rather than simply maintaining it. As for Epsilon Eridani I have a suggestion, but you may nix it if you like.”
“A rookie?” Hightower guessed.
“To that level of system all possible candidates are rookies,” Davis pointed out, “though this one is more distant than others. What are your feelings concerning Duke Avril?”
Hightower frowned. “She’s in Axius, but to my knowledge has always dealt with lower level populations, Clan Stark included.”
“I’ve used her as a startup on several occasions. Don’t read that as a lack of confidence in her skills. What are your impressions otherwise?”
“I have none. I’ve never met her or dealt with her. How does startup work correlate to running my system?”
“It doesn’t. But she will come in with a cleaner slate than others due to that fact, and thus will be more inclined to follow your lead rather than assert her own style while she learns the ropes.”
“If you have confidence in her skills, I have no objection. You know the other Monarchs far better than I ever will.”
“I ought to. I appoint them all.”
“She also stays at Duke?”
“Yes. While many people are capable, no one else deserves the Arch Duke title as of yet. You four are head of your class, which is why I’m going to need your help to make this work…to give us a chance of making this work. Until we get a relay link established I’ll be out of communication a lot, so you three are going to have to look after more than your own assignments. Vectir has that primary task, but it’s not something I want him shouldering alone. Keep in touch with each other and get used to monitoring everything across Star Force territory and beyond. A new hobby for you to pick up in your spare time.”
“W
hat exactly do you plan on doing in the Outer Region other than keeping it from falling into a shambles?” Karthen asked.
Davis glanced at Hightower. “Making it up as we go, but first we need to fill in the trailblazers and ultimately follow their lead. Where and how we build is going to be dependent on what they can protect.”
6
August 19, 3430
Krachnika System (Occupation Zone)
Michra
Megan swung Paul around a pillar in the Excalibur’s sanctum using a Bataf conduit, having it break with the line of sight being eclipsed, but she’d gotten him close enough that he was able to knock Emily off her sniper perch with a Jumat blast. Claiming that bit of ground, he pulled out a stun rifle from the flexible rack on his armorless back and poured fire down at the other members of Beta team, simultaneously freeing up Ivan and Randy from where Emily had been pinning them down behind cover.
A shot from the right hit Megan and she collapsed to a knee, for the stun charges had been deliberately set to slow rather than render unconscious, though enough hits in sequence would accomplish that…with the charm-like bracelet that they all wore slowly soaking stun energy out of their bodies to return them to consciousness or to clear laggy muscles. They could do it themselves if they had a moment to concentrate and purge their bodies, but in this 5v5 match in the somewhat confined course there wasn’t a lot of opportunities to hide, especially when everyone could sense everyone else’s presence through the cube-constructed mounds that provided terrain and Paul’s current vantage spot.
He had a line on Jason, who was on the opposite team, and he started peppering the area around his head with little stun packets of energy that forced his virtual twin down behind a barricade. Paul kept up the barrage while Jack moved through a vulnerable point cautiously. In his Pefbar, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack trip and float up as someone got a telekinetic hold on him. He broke it with a Rentar flash, but not before he got pelted with a couple of stun blasts.
