by Aer-ki Jyr
The ears were barely noticeable, mere pinpricks along the sides of its large head and also six in number. Its skin was truly white, but also seemed to glow a bit despite the overhead sun. Bioluminescent he assumed, and the claws on its feet were just as pale, though they seemed less luminous but razor sharp and the length of Cal-com’s fingers. It had two on each foot, with the front pair sticking out between the Voku and the Preema’s head as it sat, giving him a good view of the tattoo-like grooves carved into them.
“At present we are simply trying to protect a designated region,” Cal-com explained. “A full victory over the Li’vorkrachnika appears to be untenable short of eradicating them from the galaxy. We do not have the strength or numbers for that, and it would be difficult to know that we’d gotten them all. Their civilization appears to be redundant, and no matter how small a piece of it survives can result in the regrowth of the whole. We’ve seen this in small scenarios when a single ship takes possession of a world then populates it entirely from local resources and personnel that they grow on site.”
“A worthy opponent given their lack of technology.”
“A menace that must not be taken lightly.”
“We do not take anything lightly, Voku. And we rarely leave our own borders. The fact that we are here discussing this now should be testament to our seriousness.”
“This enemy is also devious beyond measure and not afraid to spend lives to test theories or achieve objectives, no matter how great the loss. This is battle experience that I have with them and you do not, hence my warning.”
“Your caution is noted.”
“From what I know of you, your empire is larger than that of the Li’vorkrachnika, though condensed into a somewhat small region of this galactic arm.”
“Correct on both counts.”
“You obviously have a great deal of resources at your command, more so than even I do. How do you think to implement them?”
“However is necessary to keep this race from ever reaching our borders.”
“You can do that on your own merits. Why have you sought me out?”
“As you have said, this enemy is far too widespread to counter directly. You are seeking allies to contain their spread. So too now are we, and we wish to begin with those who have already seen success against the Li’vorkrachnika. Even now there is a race that is pushing them back. True?”
“We are, where our limited territorial acquisitions have taken root.”
“Our information spoke of another that you have ties with. There are rumors abound near the front lines of ones called Human.”
“What you refer to is a conglomeration of factions led by Humans and is called Star Force. They are an ally of the Voku, but their territory is on the far side of the Li’vorkrachnika domain and they will not be able to assist in efforts to contain their spread on this side.”
“We also hear that the great Skarron empire is falling to this enemy. Can you confirm this?”
“The Skarrons have lost a significant number of systems, but percentage wise it is minimal to date, though the carnage continues mostly beyond my ability to monitor.”
“And this small conglomerate ally of yours succeeds where they have failed?”
“Yes they are, and I believe they will continue to do so, but the Li’vorkrachnika will spread to more systems faster than Star Force can take them away. They cannot stop them, but they are no longer victims of them and appear to be able to conquer what they will.”
“And what of the Voku?”
“We are here for other purposes.”
“Safeguarding distant allies?”
“Yes we are,” Cal-com admitted. “And the best way I have found to do that is by decreeing a border against the Li’vorkrachnika that we will hold, regardless of whether or not we possess the systems under threat. It is not a solution, but a stopgap measure that achieves our current goals. The larger an area we can patrol and protect the better, though our own ship count is lacking, mostly in terms of reconnaissance. The Li’vorkrachnika can spread where we are not looking with little cost to themselves, and such easy victories we cannot allow. We need eyes and ears throughout the galactic arm, in addition to warfleets to enforce this border.”
“Never-ending wars are not to be entered into lightly,” the Preema cautioned.
“The Li’vorkrachnika offer no less. Perpetual fighting or submission, the latter of which almost always results in annihilation. They rarely coopt other races, though it has been documented on occasion.”
“Your information did not specify a homeworld.”
“They may have one for nostalgia sake, but their redundancy makes it a moot point. We do know that they have a region of higher density population and infrastructure, from which the rest of their empire is spreading out. That group of systems is far from here, and even if we managed to destroy each and every one it would not end the threat. Already worlds of similar caliber are under construction within what had once been Skarron territory, and every Li’vorkrachnika world has the potential to upgrade into such given enough time. They do not have a central point for us to strike at.”
“Am I to assume they are not interested in diplomacy?”
“Nor in surrender. Star Force offers it as a matter of principle in every engagement, and to date they have never accepted. Those prisoners taken try to do whatever damage they can and, failing that, attempt to end their own lives. The Li’vorkrachnika civilization seeks to consume all it encounters. They cannot be reasoned with, for theirs is a race built and bred for conquest.”
“So we have been told,” the Preema said satisfactorily. “That is why we are here now rather than waiting for the situation to worsen. Our sources have also said that the Li’vorkrachnika have obtained technological enhancements in recent history, enough to tip the balance in some regional conflicts. The longer we wait and the more races they conquer the stronger they will theoretically grow on that front, which is why a strategy must be developed to counter them above and beyond mere containment, for time appears to be their ally. Our own people have not discovered a potential solution, so we wish to consult with those who have fought and are currently fighting with them…especially those that are succeeding in those conflicts.”
Cal-com studied the Preema for a moment. “You are not here to waste my time with unnecessary pleasantries.”
“No.”
“You understand the unusual threat they pose and the challenges in battling it, and like us you don’t see a solution.”
“Not an obvious one, but their existence has only recently been brought to our attention. Their primitive technology makes them beatable, how to go about doing so in a final solution is the question at hand. If a purge is required then the price is going to be a steep one to pay in years, but if it has to be done we need to begin now, for exponential growth will only risk delay long enough for them to feast off their conquests and raise their technology level enough to take away our outright dominance. We will need to destroy them quickly and easily to combat their numbers. Even a small advancement will diminish our ability to do this. Where the failure mark lies we do not know, but so long as the days progress we are slowly approaching it. If the Preema wait until this threat is at our borders, we fear it will be too late. Hence this is why we have responded to your general summons and sought you out.”
“How long have you been aware of the Skarron empire?”
“A very long time.”
“They have been an enemy of the Voku for some time. What is your standing with them?”
“None. We know of them, but have never interacted given the distance between our territories.”
“Theirs was spreading in your direction prior to the Li’vorkrachnika invasion.”
“Which was why we took notice of them from afar.”
“I would like to know how many other strong empires you know of, for I do not believe that anyone is safe from this menace, and the more systems we can deprive them of, either through
prevention or reconquest, the less difficult this monumental task will become.”
“We only speak for ourselves, but we can arrange introductions to others if you so wish. I would not wager they would involve themselves until the threat is upon their doorstep. We are more proactive than most.”
“This is a region of the galaxy that the Voku are new to, so even a simple map would be of use to us.”
“That we can and will provide to you before the day is out. But make one thing known…while we will fight the Li’vorkrachnika out of necessity, we will not be claiming any territory beyond what we currently possess. That is why we cannot fight this enemy on our own. Systems purged must be consolidated, else we risk them being reacquired by the enemy once we move on. We can assist in fighting them, but we will not become stewards of the galaxy to prevent their spread. Our borders are fixed and will remain so.”
“Neither can the Voku afford such expansion,” Cal-com agreed. “A collaboration must be achieved from the current races under threat in this region before they are exterminated. Those in former Skarron territory are beyond our reach.”
“Yet to defeat the Li’vorkrachnika we must purge them from everywhere?”
“Therein lies the essential problem.”
“To which you have been addressing it in what manner?”
“We have selected a region of territory and are seeking to deny the Li’vorkrachnika access to it. A stepping stone, both to secure those allies within and to block the spread of the enemy through the region. We detailed as much in the information packet we sent out.”
“So you did. I am curious to know if you have other avenues of assault.”
“We also have roving fleets seeking out and destroying the smaller enemy incursions before they can develop, as well as disrupting their shipping lanes as often as possible.”
“You have the tactics, but no master plan for victory?”
“One often cannot see the conclusion to a fight when it has barely begun.”
“And it is often the fights you cannot see the conclusion to that reckless races kill themselves on.”
“We do not have a choice in this one. The Li’vorkrachnika will be fought, either on our timetable or theirs. Recklessness would be doing nothing.”
“Something without purpose may still be wasteful. This enemy must be fought, but it has to be fought wisely and by all those affected. You have already set the foundation for such an alliance, and we will contribute to it so long as it remains feasible. How, when, where, and what remain to be determined. Are you the sole commander of your race?”
“I am.”
“Then on behalf of mine we request a temporary territory allotment on one of your colony worlds near the Li’vorkrachnika border. A shared world, and one that we will not retain possession of indefinitely, but we will require a staging base to operate out of. All we need is available landmass and safe passage through the system. We’ll take care of the rest as we work out the dynamics of how to battle this new enemy as a united front.”
“Request granted. The Yishmur System should suit your needs. Our planetary colony has an uninhabitable moon that may be breathable by your standards. We have not yet put down contained infrastructure there. If it is agreeable to your physiology I would cede it to you for the duration of this war.”
“Whether the atmosphere is breathable or not we shall make use of it. I will send a message and our race will come immediately with the material to reshape it to our garrison needs. Though this agreement is in its infancy I see no reason to delay. We are of an accord then?”
“I sent out an invitation for allies. You have responded. Accord concluded.”
“We take such matters seriously, and expect no less of the Voku. Do not mistake alacrity for insincerity.”
“We are of the same mind,” Cal-com assured the Preema.
“That you are,” it said, bowing its head slightly. “I would ask that you take no offense, but I have an admission to make that many would find disturbing.”
Cal-com stared at him evenly, though confused. “Offense at what?”
“Preema are telepathic. I have been watching your mind and comparing your thoughts to your words. You are genuine, and I needed to ascertain that before any accord could be forged.”
A thought flashed through Cal-com’s mind and the Preema flinched in reaction.
“Is this to be standard practice?” the Voku asked, trying to shunt all sensitive information away from his surface thoughts as Paul had taught him to do.
“Only when duplicity is suspected. These Humans. They have powers that you do not?”
“I will grant you the need to ascertain our intent, but I cannot allow you to pull secrets from my mind…nor can I trust in your good will. I am not angered, but I have responsibilities to maintain. From here on out our interactions will be technological in nature.”
“As you wish,” the Preema said passively. “I apologize for the intrusion, but we had to be sure before committing our fleet regardless of the alacrity needed.”
“Summon your ships and build your staging base,” Cal-com said, only allowing a few more seconds before forcing himself to leave. “And while you are doing so we will compare lists of potential allies.”
“Agreed,” the Preema said, standing up and backing into the erect, plied armor that quickly concealed its glowing visage. “Thank you for your understanding.”
“If I had the ability I would have done the same.”
“And if I didn’t, I would have been perturbed. We will take ourselves out of range and meet only again in person at times of your request. And should we be on the same battlefield simultaneously, we will not pry without just cause,” it said as the two escorts took flight first, then the Preema ambassador followed with a hefty flap of its long wings that sent it shooting up high into the atmosphere, ostensibly with an anti-grav component in the armor.
Cal-com kept his mind frozen as if it were ice until the Preema were out of sight, then he exchanged glances with his honor guard.
“That I did not expect,” he admitted. “We are going to hold them to their word. They don’t come within physical proximity to me again unless I invite them to do so.”
“What range do you want?” the Voku standing next to him asked.
“Out of sight…out of mind,” he said, throwing one last glance into the sky before walking off the platform and heading back to his transport.
4
August 2, 2825
Irten System (Gamma Region)
Ior
“Alright, ready for a headache,” Tom-008 said from the back seat in a Morpheus-class mech as it walked across the frozen tundra of Ior’s southern ice cap.
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Victoria Jenson said, not having a lick of psionic ability nor the full understanding of what the trailblazer was about to do. She was a mechwarrior Regular and had been assigned to this research project along with her Clan leader for reasons she didn’t entirely fathom, but he’d said it was important to both Clan Skystrike and Star Force on the whole, so she’d eagerly accepted the mission despite the live fire nature.
She was piloting the two seat mech from the front in one of the manual control harnesses rather than using the mental interface, which had her standing in front of Tom half naked and strapped into the rig but just out of arms reach so she couldn’t clobber him in the head accidentally as she swung her arms about. A lot of the regulars still weren’t as efficient with the mind reading tech though most of the Archons now used the interface. Theirs was more advanced because they could speak to the computer directly, whereas everyone else simply had it monitoring their thoughts and reading impulses. The system worked, but it wasn’t quite refined enough for Victoria’s tastes, so she was going with the manual controls for this challenge in order to be in top form.
They’d been working together in this tandem system for months now but this was the first real test of Tom’s tech, whereas everything else had been
in computer simulation…and this time the danger was actual, with the weapons they would be firing and being fired at with being the genuine deal in order to gain an accurate analysis of effectiveness. Her job was to protect Tom and do a little damage of her own when practical, making her big mech essentially a football offensive lineman protecting their quarterback in this upcoming game, though she and Tom were the only living players on the field.
“You’ll have to, because there’s no way I’m trusting anyone else with this,” the trailblazer said, readying himself for the mental overload to come. “Even with Sav, I’m going to barely be able to keep up. Hit the ‘wake up’ button if you have to, because I’m probably not going to notice where we are or what we’re doing…and if I do it’ll be external.”
“I’ll keep us safe,” Victoria promised. “You just do your thing like always.”
“Not like always,” Tom said regretfully.
“Meaning?”
“New unknown stimuli.”
“Right. So you don’t know how much of a headache you’ve got coming?”
“Not really, no.”
“Pull down before you fry yourself.”
“You know Archons.”
“Exactly my point. If you’re the only one that can do this, don’t want to set back the project while you veg.”
“Your concern is underwhelming.”
“Just trying not to flirt. Don’t want to get demoted,” she said sarcastically.
“Compliment taken,” Tom said, sending a signal out from the mech. “Get us moving. We’re live.”
Victoria twisted in her control harness and the big biped mech took an awkward first step as it broke its standstill, but once she had a bit of momentum she smoothed out the motion and began strolling across the ice pack, sinking down an appreciable amount but nothing that was going to trip her up.
As she did so Tom closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again barely seeing the status displays before him as his mind was flooded with information. He was linked directly into the onboard Nexus and seeing through the weird ‘overmind’ perspective that the technology afforded. He’d done this numerous times in naval training and actual battle, but controlling ground units was much more difficult because you had terrain involved. Space was empty, and with emptiness came lack of detail.
