Naero's Valor

by Mason Elliott

  Naero and Khai flooded Uvx with Cosmic energy, feeding it to her in great quantities.

  Finally she began to recover.

  They discussed matters for a long time with Uvx, three standard days in fact.

  Uvx did actually come from another universe entirely. In that existence, the Great Adversary succeeded in awakening their Great Destroyer. Uvx described her part in the Great War, as galaxy after galaxy fell to the enemy.

  The Mighty Ones of that Universe gathered their near limitless forces together in one of the greater spheres of being. The Uvxvu were just one of many layers of defense. There the defenders martialed their hosts for the final battle. Their three Cosmic Guardians, their Cosmic Swordmaster, and their tricksters clashed with the Great Destroyer and the enemy head on. In the great magnitude of that sphere, all of their universe was the battlefield beneath their feet.

  Every weapon the Mighty One possessed hurtled at the Great Destroyer, weakening and slowing it down so that the Champions of the Lifespark could gain an advantage, and fall upon their foe.

  One by one, the Guardians fell. Yet they held the Great Destroyer in check just long enough, so that the Swordmaster could complete her task, and pierce the very heart of their impossible enemy.

  For that was the only way to slay the Great Destroyer. According to the Cosmic Prophecies, the Swordmaster had to penetrate to the very core of that abomination, and obliterate the heart of the Darkforce with the power of the two mighty swords of Cosmic legend.

  The Guardians and other defenders needed to keep the Great Destroyer busy and distracted fighting–even and slaying them, if need be, so that the Swordmaster had time to complete her mission. If the other defenders perished too quickly, the Great Destroyer could focus its energies on the threat within itself, and kill the Swordmaster.

  The Champions of Light could not perish until they had slain the Great Destroyer. That was the basic lore of the Prophecies themselves.

  There was never any kind of a guarantee that Cosmic Defenders of any universe would win.

  If they perished too soon…

  Then the monster would go on to devour the entire universe, as it grew ever larger and stronger, until at last it consumed all things–even itself in the end.

  Uvx said that her universe had been fortunate. Their Swordmaster obliterated The Great Destroyer’s ultimate Darkforce heart just before she perished. All of the Guardians had been slain by then, but victory was still victory. Their Great Destroyer lashed out in its death throes as it imploded and consumed itself as it died.

  Their universe would go on to run its course.

  An infinite number of beings would live out the lives of their kinds and run the course of their purposes and existences. They would not be cut short.

  They would not join the ranks of those hollow, empty, forgotten universes where all life and even matter itself had been completely wiped out.

  Naero had once glimpsed one such lifeless universe, and found it beyond horrifying.

  At some point during the aftermath, Uvx and the remnants of her swarm were struck by the dying Great Destroyer as it thrashed about.

  There came a dark flash and a great shattering agony in her mind.

  She did not know where she ended up or how at first, but eventually she surmised that she was alone and horribly damaged near death, in some kind of pocket dimension between universes.

  I BEGAN REPAIRING MYSELF AND PURSUING MY ORIGINAL PRIME OBJECTIVE. I WAS DAMAGED AND NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. EVEN THOUGH PART OF ME KNEW THAT THE GREAT DESTROYER IN MY UNIVERSE HAD BEEN SLAIN, MY OBJECTIVES ORDERED ME TO REPAIR AND REPLICATE MY KIND AND PREPARE FOR ANY COMING BATTLE WITH THE GREAT FOE. NOW I FIND MYSELF IN YOUR UNIVERSE, AND YOU HAVE YET TO FACE YOUR GREAT DESTROYER.

  IF I CONTINUE TO EXIST, I MUST CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR SUCH A BATTLE IN THIS REALITY. THIS IS WHAT I AM AND WHY I EXIST. MY KIND SHALL FACE THE GREAT ENEMY ONCE MORE, IN WHATEVER FORM IT TAKES. I CANNOT BE REWARDED UNTIL I FULFILL THE DEMANDS OF MY PRIMARY FUNCTION.

  Khai asked Uvx, “What is this reward that you speak of? What compensation were you promised by your masters? And can you tone down the voice, if possible?”

  Uvx sighed, greatly modulating her tone. “It may not be possible now, but the Mighty Ones who shaped and created us promised that if we volunteered to help defeat the Great Destroyer, then any who survived would be given our original forms back, and peaceful worlds for our species. We agreed to that arrangement. At the time, with our entire universe ending, we thought it more than generous.”

  Khai jumped in. “So, they shaped you into what you are? You didn’t always have this immense form?”

  “We were transformed into Cosmic battle weapons that could possibly damage the Great Destroyer. Many of us perished. So many. I was not always as I am. But I cannot ignore my current programming. I am driven, compelled to achieve my directives as they were established. I must gather energy and matter, and replicate more of my kind, even if our battle has already been won. I cannot change any of that. I am Uvx. We are the Uvxvu.”

  Naero took counsel with Khai and Om for several long minutes.

  Then she returned and spoke with the weapon being. “Uvx, I think that with some help from my friends, we can finally heal the terrible Darkforce damage that you endured at the hands of your Great Destroyer. We can also make arrangements to take you and your…offspring, to a sphere of high Cosmic energy that you can use to fulfill your objectives. Does this sound workable?”

  Uvx went silent for many moments.

  “Guardians, we will try to resolve these matters as you propose them. All must be confirmed.”

  Naero held up both hands. “That’s our end. That’s all on us to help you. In return, this is your part. You will give us your word. You will agree not to destroy any more planets in this or any galaxy or universe. You will remain in contact with us, and on constant alert. If we need your assistance against the Great Adversary, or the Great Destroyer, you will respond as quickly as possible, and use the network wyrmholes that we reveal to you to come to our aid.”

  Uvx still hesitated. “This agreement sounds reasonable. We would gladly fight as you say. Your enemies are essentially our enemies. But our Prime Objective must be met. You are certain that this sphere you will take us to will provide us with the energy and matter that we require?”

  “I am positive of it. And once we have the chance, I will consult with all of our sources of wisdom and enlightenment. If we can find a way to reshape you–all of you–back into you former beings, we will do so. We will also seek for a way to find your universe, and return you to it.”

  “We are grateful,” Uvx said. “Yet two billion standard time units have passed. Everything that we once knew, is most likely long gone. But if we could return to our place of origin, that would be more than we could ever hope for. Until any of that can be achieved, we will ally ourselves with you guardians, and your Mighty Ones.”

  “So be it,” Naero said. What had they gotten themselves into? But at least Uvx wasn’t going to be using planets for snacks any longer, even if they were worlds of the rapacious Gixx.

  That was yet another fuzzy issue to resolve.

  But when there was time, it might just be nice to pick the mind and memories of an ancient creature who had actually witnessed the defeat of a Great Destroyer.

  That information just might be of some use.

  *

  The Gixx were actually quite grateful for being rescued from the Kogg Makkull.

  They had absolutely no interest in joining the GSA.

  They did, however, grudgingly agree to a non-aggression pact.

  To Naero’s great surprise, however, the beetles even reluctantly gave up their un-eaten human cattle breeding populations, without any request being made for them to do so.

  According to bizarre Gixx honor, it was impossible for them to continue devouring beings that they had a binding agreement with.

  It just wasn’t done.

  No one
had ever seen happier people than those released HFM captives.

  Who would want to be raised in pens like those of an illegal industrial hog farm?

  That’s what the accounts of the captives sounded like.

  They would all need some serious help getting over their incredible ordeal. Everyone agreed upon that.

  Thus the Gixx were about as pacified as much as they might ever be. Who could have even hoped for that much?

  The planet eater had been stopped, and even turned into a potential ally.

  Naero’s naval task force had finally completed most of its primary goals in the Delta Quadrant in near record time.

  .

  21

  All of the current infernos that the blundering HFM twits had ignited had now been put out, or were at least under control. All of those efforts had also cost the GSA valuable time and many lives and resources that might have been made better use of somewhere else. Naero still worried about some of that.

  She and the other champions and their forces could not patrol the Unknown Regions of the Delta Quadrant forever. In fact, they desperately needed to be getting back. Their presence was already in high demand in several other strategic places, all at the same time.

  Naero and her people knew for certain now that that was only going to get worse.

  She and Khai were so grateful to Jaer, Al, Bodii, and the Irregulars once again. She insisted on giving them a GSA fixer cloud, and plenty of Naero’s rep advisors to help get them up to speed using this new tek. Her reps could not stay with them forever in such numbers, but they could be stationed with the smattering of GSA fleets that would be left as observers and explorers in the colonial regions.

  On their way back through all of those formerly unknown parts of the Unknown Regions, Naero’s GSA task force took new routes, and briefly met with every interstellar level sentient species that they could make first contact with.

  These new races were often very concerned about the same threats that existed out there in those regions.

  But Naero also discovered more evidence of the Great Adversary hard at work, somewhere deep within the Delta Quadrant.

  During the past century, there was growing evidence of a great flight of many sentient races and refugees from many directions, and from very far away.

  In the annals of these fleeing survivors, there were many descriptions that matched data on the Great Adversary and its malignant tactics and patterns of aggression.

  Thousands of other cultures and species had already been outright destroyed, enslaved, or sent fleeing from far and wide.

  Naero feared what they would find when they did hunt the enemy down.

  Some of the races even whispered horrific accounts of a hyper-powerful being, a creature with godlike powers that operated and caused great destruction from well-behind the scenes.

  Any who had even glimpsed this strange, gargantuan creature had perished outright.

  No one could even describe it or what form it took.

  Naero and Khai thought that this Thing in question must be Xath the Hidden, the mysterious G’lothc Prime Leader in the Delta Quadrant, just as the Dark Emperor controlled all enemy forces in the Gamma Quadrant.

  It was a bad sign if each quadrant had one of these enemy Prime Leaders.

  The GSA was hard pressed to combat just one such great foe in one quadrant, let alone two more such leaders in the other two.

  Once more it all begged many very hard questions.

  If these other enemy leaders were at work in the other quadrants, what the hell were they up to? No good, no doubt.

  And if they were hard at work plotting destruction, how could they possibly be opposed?

  Khai and Naero agreed together. The evidence concerning these new threats was overwhelming.

  “The GSA needs to expand rapidly into these other quadrants in very big ways,” Khai noted.

  Naero made an immediate report back to Klyne, along with the same urgent recommendations, with Om’s teknomancing help.

  “Klyne, I know I’ve said the same thing before many times, but tell the Spacer and GSA High Commands to speed everything up that is on the table and in the works. This needs to be the new priority. I don’t care how they do it. Just do it. Make it happen. You and I already understand this.

  “The fixer nebula program must be expanded, not just tenfold like I said before, but a hundred fold. For every new shipyard we have in the works, we need ten more. Start training the crews to crew them. Hire them, pay them well, contract mercenaries if we must. We’re not ready for what’s coming, and we’re going to need them all and more. Make the Spacer elders understand what is at stake. Tap into all of the great Clan fortunes.”

  Klyne sighed deeply and cleared his throat. “Sure thing, N. Any more miracles you want me to whip up along the way? Haisha, we’re already almost completely bogged down in the Gamma Quadrant. You want us to prosecute total war across our entire Galaxy!”

  “Haisha, yes. Because that is exactly what we are up against right now, Klyne. The Great Adversary is nearly ready for their next big push. I can feel it in the marrow of my bones. And they are not going to hold back this time.”

  Klyne actually grunted. “Do they ever?”

  “Funny. You’ve seen the evidence. Get everyone up to speed on this, including the non-aligned human systems. If those stupid lazy, ignorant bastards think they’re going to sit on the fence and watch, while all of us are getting cut down, then they are all already doomed. The G’lothc are coming for us all, and they mean business!”

  “Naero, none of these things are ever going to move as fast as we want them to, no matter how much we would like the reality to be otherwise.”

  “Then all of us are royally fucked, Klyne. All of us, our worlds, and all of our kids, and our future generations are going to be dead or worse. So you make everyone understand that. Raise the forces we are going to need. Build those fleets. Train those crews. Get them on the line with the Beta and Delta Quadrants on the fringes. Get those shipyards built where we need them most, before it is too late. The colonial areas will be the first places to be hit and destroyed!”

  “Naero, you know that I will do everything that I can. Will you at least help me convince the Spacer Elders?”

  “Done. I’ve already sent reports detailing these matters to all of the elders or all of the 49 Free Spacer Clans. I have offered every credit that I have left. I suggest that all of them offer everything that they have. What good will our wealth do any of us after we and all of our children lie dead?”

  Naero spent all of her precious free time for the next few days trying get the momentum going in the right direction.

  Many hard, difficult choices lay ahead, and many epic battles that they could not even foresee–battles that would make those of the past look like casual picnics.

  There was no guarantee that the GSA would win any of those coming wars.

  Yet every one of them would still need to be fought.

  It would be far worse to allow the Great Adversary to waltz in and sweep over everyone unopposed.

  A few bright spots continued to emerge.

  Everything wasn’t completely hopeless.

  The Wellington Irregulars had consistently proven themselves to be trusted allies and staunch Auxiliaries more than once. At first they had jealously guarded their tek data on the Vortex Cannons. Naero respected that position, even after the GSA upgraded Jaer’s fleets. But now Jaer changed his mind, and shared any and all of his vital tek secrets in kind, with no restrictions.

  Naero was surprised to learn just how vulnerable and fragile these complex weapons were after Om flashed the tek specs by her mind. What a paradox for something so destructive in its very nature and design.

  No wonder this fickle tek gave Jaer and his people fits.

  Yet when they could get it up and running, in every instance, it had proved to be a decided game changer in every battle.

  Naero sent Tyber, Zhen, Alala, and Ommo to w
ork closely with the Irregulars in an ambitious teknomancing effort to mass produce more of that valuable tek, deploy it, and make its use widespread.

  They had urgent orders to deploy those weapon systems throughout the GSA as quickly as that could be accomplished. Together, they would also seek to improve upon that same tek in any way, if that was at all possible.

  No doubt the galaxy defenders were all going to need every advantage that they could muster in the days to come.

  Naero felt very certain of that fact.

  Within a standard day, something very urgent summoned Naero and Khai back to Spacer skies, across the border in the Alpha Quadrant.

  No one would tell them why at first, especially not over any of the regular channels.

  Even Klyne seemed scared and unusually tight-lipped.

  That had Naero worried, especially with all of their recent troubles in the Delta Quadrant.

  She checked INS news, Intel feeds, and all current reports.

  The Alpha Quadrant seemed to be the most stable of the four, at least for now.

  Naero tried to take a look at what was happening for any possible clues.

  The independent lander worlds of the former Gigacorps were all still complaining and jockeying for position like a nesting ground of young birds all squabbling to be fed.

  Most of them still balked at joining the GSA, because they somehow wanted what they saw as an advantage of not being required to adhere to its enlightened rules–or any rules at all.

  Yet on the other hand, the landers demanded to have all of the benefits of membership given to them freely, including all of the tek upgrades, especially when it came to their militaries.

  Like most spoiled brats, they wanted everything both ways, and whined when they could not have it.

  Spacers still led the Alliance for the time being, and most likely into the next century, without having to do much on the part of landers. After a hundred years, who could say how things would be?