Star Force: Ice Queen

by Aer-ki Jyr

  With the Paladin they’d chosen to work the problem in the opposite direction, chipping away at the regimentation just enough to free their minds a bit without collapsing their entire civilization, but it had been assumed that every other race would use the maturia system.

  But in the case of the Zezdi, who already had this debilitating linkage, would a Paladin-like system actually be an upgrade?

  Jessica knew it would and didn’t understand why she hadn’t seen this sooner. Maybe she’d just been trying too hard, but right now this was something she could constructively do rather than just pace and spin her wheels regarding the Zen’zat. The truth was until the Archons caught or killed the Zen’zat they’d continue to do damage and the orders she’d give to try and work around the problem weren’t that complicated. She had plenty of spare time, especially if she was stuck in her castle so not to become another victim of the Zen’zat, so why not do something valuable while this played out?

  Her mind was abuzz…finally she could do something rather than sit and watch her infrastructure get hit like a punching bag. She was going to need to bring in some specialists, particularly those that had experience with the Paladin, but not the Paladin themselves. They were good at manipulating their own genome, but didn’t show as much innovation when consulting about others. That’s why she’d requested Kiritak workers rather than Paladin when they’d been offered from Davis, despite the Paladin’s greater growth rate.

  She’d regretted that many times in the past, but the Kiritak were so solid she hated playing with anything else. She preferred them to the Bsidd as well, but other Monarchs swore by the Paladin for startups and bulk production while Jessica knew the Kiritak were a long term investment and would individually exceed each Paladin down the road, for they learned faster. Now that she had a great number of them in her realm she didn’t regret her decision, but she was going to need outside help, for this type of genetic memory induction into a race that had very low levels to begin with was going to be fraught with problems.

  She needed a Mastertech in genetics, and those that had developed the Elves were not based here. Jessica was merely their caretaker, so she needed to find her own expert…or in this case a team of experts. And the sooner she got them recruited the better.

  The Duke had no doubt they would come, for manipulating a race on this level wasn’t something they typically got to do…and for that reason she knew she had better run it by Davis. Technically she didn’t have to, but this was a huge alteration to a race taken in from The Nexus. He’d brought all them in individually, and if this was something he wasn’t ok with she needed to know before she started tampering…let alone breaching the subject with the Zezdi, who she knew would resist if for no reason other than spite at the notion of change.

  She could handle them in her own way, but Davis had to sign off on this first. Expecting him to, Jessica sent out the invites to many medtech specialists inquiring as to their current availability and interest in the project. By the time Davis got back to her hopefully she’d have a list of candidates assembled. If he nixed the idea no harm done, but if he approved it she’d be able to hit the ground running.

  Jessica sent the messages out quickly, then began planning what she could with the medtech specialists she had on planet, bringing them to her castle and having work sessions almost round the clock. The Humans had a hard time keeping up, but the Kiritak were more eager than her to work and they’d got a basic plan set up with all the hard microwork to take place later as she waited for a response from Davis.

  He’d sent a ‘proceed with planning’ reply, but that was merely a hold order while he worked on something. It wasn’t an approval, and the longer she waited the more Jessica wondered what was going on. If he didn’t approve he would shoot the idea down instantly. If he did, then what was he waiting for? More data? Did he have serious concerns he was checking on?

  Jessica got her answer a couple months later when a special envoy from Davis arrived in the system under heavy guard. Four Warship-class jumpships escorting a cargo ship, with the military vessels coming with more Archons and hunter teams signaling they were going to go after the Zen’zat saboteurs while a smaller group operated as an honor guard for the nameless emissary that arrived in her throne room clad in a deep black robe that covered every part of the individual save for his mind…and one of a race that Jessica could not identify.

  “Monarch,” a Piccolo-level Archon said, who was operating as the bodyguard for the individual when they entered as the other escorts were working their way around the castle to further lock it down.

  “Archon,” she responded in kind, standing up and walking a few steps toward them. “Who is your mysterious friend?”

  “Someone you’ve just received clearance to be made aware of. His existence will have to be concealed from most of your staff, for we can’t risk word of his existence getting out. Only the research team he selects will be allowed to interact with him, and my security team will see that no one else gets access.”

  Jessica raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to take a peek inside the robe with her Pefbar. “A secret race a Duke doesn’t know about? Now I’m really curious.”

  “A race of one, hopefully,” Nefron said, pulling back his cloak’s hood to reveal his rough features and pulsing his glowing green eyes. “If you find any others, shoot them on sight.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I am formerly Protovic. Now I am Chixzon,” he said, seeing Jessica’s eyes going wide. “I possess their genetic knowledge and have studied what you took from the V’kit’no’sat database. If your conversion of the Zezdi is going to be successful, I have the best chance of making it so.”

  “Davis sends his approval…and his specialist,” the Archon noted. “He’s one of our few advantages over the V’kit’no’sat…and we can’t let them find out he exists.”

  “The inoculation of the Protovic failed?” Jessica asked.

  “Only once,” Nefron attested. “I helped create the inoculation so this would not happen to any of the others. I have remained Chixson to use their knowledge against them when they eventually return, but inside I am still Protovic…more or less.”

  “Ego exponentially increased,” the Archon added, “but with skills to match.”

  “I believe your assessment of the Zezdi is more or less correct,” Nefron said, ignoring the jab and focusing on the Duke. “They must be broken free or they will never truly become part of Star Force.”

  “Well damn,” Jessica said, half laughing. “What else is Davis hiding from us?”

  “A lot,” Nefron admitted.

  “I have no doubt,” Jessica agreed. “Thank you for coming. I assume…” she said, looking at the Archon.

  “Ian,” he offered.

  “…Ian will handle security. We have a Zen’zat problem and haven’t been able to identify their insertion method.”

  “We know, which is why we’re moving him to a Zezdi planet after we get through initial work here. Until then I’m his close escort.”

  “My name is Nefron,” the Chixzon offered. “This type of work requires an immense amount of simulation before actual trials to avoid damage to the race in question, so we need to begin soon. Your efforts to rework their race will be on hold without a solid reproductive schedule.”

  “Indeed,” Jessica echoed. “I guess I won’t be needing the medtechs I recruited after all.”

  “What you have locally will be enough to assist me.”

  “Well then, let’s get started…and you can fill me in on how Davis acquired you while Ian screens my medtechs and staff.”

  “Happening already. I’m staying put,” the Archon said firmly.

  Jessica frowned. “He’s in that much danger?”

  “My existence is a fluke not easily repeated. If not for some quick action on behalf of the trailblazers I would permanently be their enemy. The Chixzon programming within the Protovic is very thorough.”

  “The others are safe
now, correct?”

  “Our Protovic are.”

  “Good. I have a few in my other systems. Damn you’re ugly.”

  Nefron’s eyes glowed briefly. “I receive that sentiment a lot, but few actually speak it.”

  Jessica pointed to her hair. “Blondes tend to bluntly speak their mind. You’re telepathic?”

  “I am, but I do not have your Ikrid block and my own telepathy is inferior, but we can communicate in that manner if you wish.”

  “Useful,” Jessica said, pointing to a nearby doorway. “My personal chambers are in there, and there are a few spare rooms I never use. We can set them up for you and your team. You won’t have to leave the peak of the castle unless you wish it.”

  “Good,” Ian said, glancing out the windows. “These are one way, correct?”

  “Of course. Not that there’s anyone out there to look in,” she said, referencing the mountains beyond, with the cityscape below so far down that they couldn’t see in anyway unless you were standing on the very edge.

  “This will do,” he said, confirming that with Nefron via a simple nod. “He’s all yours.”

  “Well then,” Jessica said, waving a hand and telepathically triggering the floor to open up and another ice-like chair to rise out from beneath it as a hologram of the spider-like Zezdi appeared in the center of the room along with a lot of data charts circling around it. “Let me fill you in on what I want done and you can start to troubleshoot.”

  Nefron pulled his cloak completely off, dropping it on the floor and flailing his tail around visibly behind him.

  “Oh,” she said, causing the back of the chair to ‘melt’ away and leave a stool-like platform behind that his tail could hang over the back of. “That’s cute.”

  “Not really,” Nefron said as he walked over and sat down, stretching his shoulder pikes out vertically then around in a circular motion before tucking them back in again behind his head.

  Ian frowned with exaggerated disappointment. “Where’s my chair?”

  “You can sit on my lap if you like,” Jessica said sarcastically as she returned to her throne. “Don’t you have my medtechs to clear? I’d like them in here as soon as possible.”

  “On it,” he said, walking across to the doorway into her personal quarters. “Anything in there you don’t want me to see?”

  “No hidden boyfriends, if that’s what you mean?”

  “Is there a signup list?” he said with a wink, then disappeared to check out the area that Nefron would be living in for the foreseeable future.

  “You’ve obviously gone through the notes I sent to Davis,” she said, turning serious. “Your initial thoughts?”

  10

  July 13, 4827

  Medforjet System (V’kit’no’sat territory on Star Force warfront)

  Tivonmenk

  Ronoken arrived back at the V’kit’no’sat stronghold along with the remains of the sabotage team, most of whom were still here minus the 3 that had been killed. Their leader, Virrian, was summoned with him to the Rit’ko’sor’s lair with them being sealed behind privacy fields again.

  “Report,” Sess’met said evenly as he looked up at the two Zen’zat.

  Ronoken telepathically poked Virrian, allowing her to speak first.

  “Considerable damage done to their infrastructure, but nothing that can’t be easily repaired. A short term disruption in their supply lines has occurred as expected. We lost 3 Zen’zat during operations, but most of us were never seen.”

  “How did those three die?”

  “We didn’t observe their deaths, but later saw on the public news feeds that Archons combined with aerial craft took them down once their presence was located by incidental contact.”

  “Incidental?”

  “Tripping over fleeing crowds most likely. Rather than run, the crowds tried to tackle them and delayed their escape long enough for the Archons to get to them. They can see through our stealth fields the same way we can.”

  “No technological penetration?”

  “None that we encountered.”

  “I did,” Ronoken interrupted. “Two different varieties, one which is biological.”

  “Explain the technological.”

  “It was in one of their Elvish cities…their new Human variant located away from the equatorial industrial zones. Most had no such detection, but I believe a portable unit was put in place that operated off of Pefbar.”

  “Technologically generated Pefbar?”

  “Yes.”

  “But it wasn’t widespread?”

  “I only encountered it in one of their cities on a main approach. I believe it was placed there in response to our attacks. Not preceding it.”

  “Do you concur?” he asked Virrian.

  “We encountered none in their factories or surrounding areas.”

  “Good. Confirming that was part of the reason you were sent. What was the biological source?”

  Ronoken reached over his shoulder and pulled a few small vials out of the cargo compartment there that then reduced in size and disappeared, flowing into the rest of the armor and giving him a smooth shoulder blade.

  “I retrieved a sample. They have engineered their trees with some sort of detection system. It was not Pefbar, otherwise I would have felt it, but they could track my position whenever amongst the trees. They also were able to move in crude defensive maneuvers.”

  “The trees moved?”

  “Yes. They tried to both attack me and shield the Elves I was killing. Very ineffective, but totally unexpected. I believe it is another experiment not yet fully developed.”

  “With no Pefbar signature?”

  “None.”

  Sess’met broke eye contact, beginning to pace left and right with his tail waggling slightly with each step.

  “They do not include much biology in their cities,” Virrian noted. “Do they suspect our activity on uninhabited planets?”

  “Limited use,” Sess’met said, dismissing it as a potential reason…then he stopped and looked at the Zen’zat. “What occurs when Pefbar meets Pefbar?”

  “They overlap and you can feel the interaction,” Ronoken answered.

  “And Lachka?”

  “They do not overlap. One must push against the other in order to reach a target.”

  “Which is why we must use tethers to work in concert,” Sess’met added. “We use Pefbar to see where these tethers are even if we cannot reach them.”

  “Your point?” Virrian asked.

  “If you wish to detect without detection, your Pefbar cannot overlap. What if it was designed to recoil from another Pefbar field?”

  “Then it would not have vision…”

  “Exactly,” Sess’met said, looking from Virrian to Ronoken. “You were in the trees. Were you using your Pefbar to navigate?”

  “I have to while stealthed.”

  “Then perhaps they detected your Pefbar bubble and tracked it?”

  “Why would I not feel the other field on my periphery?”

  “It would have to be structured differently…or perhaps they have created an altogether new type of sensor. If that was the case, sporadic technological Pefbar would not be used in their cities.”

  “I believe you are correct,” Virrian answered. “Altering Pefbar would be simpler than developing something entirely new.”

  “Regardless, it is clear they are experimenting on more than just their own race.”

  “I retrieved samples of that as well. They were easy to kill,” Ronoken said, floating the vials over to Sess’met. “They did not have an Ikrid block.”

  The Rit’ko’sor’s neck twitched back suddenly, then he began pacing again and Ronoken could tell he was both surprised and worried. He stayed silent for so long that the Zen’zat began to wonder if they should leave or not.

  “They are trying to gain parity,” he finally said. “We are born with telepathy. They have never known this and are trying to ascertain if there is an advantage. They
have to remove the Ikrid blocks in order to allow juvenile interaction that otherwise would be blocked.”

  “We can still communicate with it,” Virrian pointed out.

  “Yes, but not like we do. Our interactions bind us together in ways you will never know. It is not a…simple process to refine. It is a mark of a superior race. They are trying to gain this but do not know how. Thus the experiment.”

  “What threat does it pose?” Ronoken asked.

  “I do not know. Your race was given much that we were not in order to compensate. You are built to be individuals, but the Archons have achieved more in that regard. Them trying to reverse this could be their undoing…or a great achievement if they could master it. I do not know what will come of this.”

  “What have we been given that you do not possess?” Virrian wondered.

  “Unlimited psionics and Ikrid shielding. We must rely on mental strength to defend. You are immune. Do not underestimate that.”

  “The Humans are no different.”

  “They can always add the Ikrid block later,” Ronoken pointed out before Sess’met could answer. “Something that we are not allowed to do.”

  “No we aren’t. Ikrid blocks are forbidden save for Zen’zat. You must be immune to be useful servants, but if Rit’ko’sor were immune and Oso’lon were not, we could potentially overpower them. Strength of mind is our way, and your blocks are meant to allow you some parity with us. Star Force is reaching for more than they gained from us. They are not copying as others believe. They are ascending, quietly, while we fight a war we believe we are destined to win by default. They are using our arrogance against us.”

  “We will kill them all eventually,” Virrian pointed out.

  “Will we? Why haven’t we done so already?”

  “That is not for me to know.”

  “It is arrogance. We have taken so many worlds from them we expect them to crumble, but they do not. They are like V’kit’no’sat and respond to threats via adaptation. Not surrender. So long as they live they are a threat. If Mak’to’ran was truly wise he would bring the full force of the empire down upon them. It is arrogance that shields Star Force now. It is arrogance that I have to fight to get the ships I need. Thus another path is required. If Star Force does not have Pefbar detectors widely deployed, then we have a window of opportunity.”