Mutineer (Empire Rising Book 7)

by D. J. Holmes

  “But you have read our history files and you know deception is a common Human negotiating tactic,” James finished. “Any diplomats that interact with the Varanni will have to be warned.”

  “That they will,” Ya’sia agreed.

  “So, they are reserved, quiet and honorable. Should I have brought a gift for Dural? Something to welcome him to Human space?”

  “Your presence will be enough,” Ya’sia answered. “Let me do the introductions. Dural will respect your rank and position as the commander of your species’ greatest war fleet.”

  James nodded. He hoped the Varanni didn’t have some kind of advanced COM decryption software and had already decrypted Lightfoot’s message and therefore knew he wasn’t actually in command anymore. That would be bad, James thought as he swallowed the lump in his throat. No doubt they would interpret his presence as a deceit. He forced any thoughts of his removal from command from his mind. He would deal with that later. Right now, he needed to focus on meeting Dural. First contact with the Varanni would be far more significant than meeting Ya’sia. That thought helped him forget about Lightfoot’s message, but it also meant any excitement he had felt at realizing he was going to get to meet Ya’sia’s benefactors had evaporated. Now he was just scared. He was an Admiral, not a diplomat!

  Chapter 24

  When someone sees an Imperial Superdreadnought up close for the first time, almost always they balk at the idea that something so large could ever be threatened. Of course, war quickly dissuades anyone from holding on to such naïve notions. Like every other warship ever built, they can be torn apart by enemy fire.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.

  From far away, the Varanni dreadnought looked like any other warship. However, as the Crian shuttle came closer, its size was unmistakable. Very quickly it came to dominate the shuttle’s view port. James was transfixed. The warship was covered in all kinds of weapons and other technologies, almost none of which he recognized. At least the ship’s missile ports were easy to identify. A quick count told James the dreadnought had eighty tubes in each broadside. That was more than Golden Hind had, but not significantly more. The other weapons he was able to identify where six large twin laser cannons. They were all mounted along the top of the warship’s superstructure. Though he could recognize them, their scale far surpassed anything Humanity had built. If they had energy reactors as large and powerful as they were, their range would be immense.

  “What are those?” James asked when the shuttle came close enough for him to point things out to Ya’sia. Dotted here and there around the ship were what James could only describe as trident like spears.

  “Ark emitters,” Ya’sia explained. “Even my species doesn’t know how they work, but they are effective. Somehow, they discharge a high intensity ark of electricity that doesn’t immediately disperse in space. They are close point defense weapons. Any missiles that get close to a Varanni ship have to pass through waves of high intensity electricity. If a wave touches one, the electricity fries the missile’s seeker warhead.”

  “They haven’t shared that piece of tech with you then?” James asked, knowing the answer but hoping Ya’sia would explain more.

  “Not yet anyway,” Ya’sia replied. “They have shared the technologies they deem necessary with us. Evidently, they have not felt we need their ark emitters. You have to admit; our point defenses are pretty effective already.”

  “I can’t deny that,” James responded as he stared out the viewing port. Already his mind had moved on to something else he had seen. He would have many questions for Ya’sia on the way back. And I haven’t even met this Dural yet.

  When the shuttle touched down and deployed its landing ramps, James couldn’t help but smile as he poked his head out and looked around. Despite how impressive the dreadnought had looked on approach, he was happy to see that its shuttle bay was at least somewhat familiar. Advanced technologies or no, Human, Crian and Varanni shuttle bays were very similar.

  The similarities ended there however, as did James’ smile. Waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp were three Varanni. Despite being warned, James had to squash his desire to turn around and run back up the ramp. The Varanni did appear reptilian, very reptilian. Though they had two legs like Humans, their legs jutted out in front of them almost horizontally. From their torso up they stood upright; however their belly touched the floor and a long thick tail protruded out their back for at least a couple of meters. It seemed they used their two feet to keep their upper body upright and allow their two arms the freedom to interact with their environment. Though those things were strange, it wasn’t the Varanni’s bodies that made him pause. It was their faces. More specifically, their large aggressively shaped mouths and eyes. Though the Varanni had their lips closed, James could easily imagine razor-sharp teeth lining their jaws. Their eyes only increased the sense of danger radiating off the three creatures in front of him. They were pitch black. As James stared at one, he felt like he was looking at a cold-blooded killer; as if there was no heart or emotion within the being in front of him. Together, the eyes and mouth gave the impression that the Varanni would attack without mercy. Once again, he found himself swallowing a lump in his throat. Ya’sia could have been more specific in her warning.

  For her part, Ya’sia didn’t miss a step and James did his best to keep alongside her. When he stepped off the ramp and onto the same level with the Varanni, he realized all three were a head taller than him. They weren’t as tall as Ya’sia, but they were certainly closer to her level. If the species we meet keep being taller than us, Humanity is going to develop an inferiority complex, he thought.

  Ya’sia led him up to the three Varanni. Then she paused. The three Varanni bowed in unison and Ya’sia bowed in return. James followed suit, having already been briefed. He made sure the depth of his bow matched those of his hosts.

  “Greetings Admiral Ya’sia, revered commander of the Crian Defense forces. Your fleet has clearly been in battle, no doubt you have earned great honor for your species. I look forward to hearing about your accomplishments. I am first officer El’lan. Dural asked me to escort you to the bridge. We see you have brought the Human you spoke of.”

  As he finished speaking, El’lan turned his gaze to James. James held the alien’s stare unblinkingly as Ya’sia had directed, though it was difficult. Despite everything Ya’sia had said about the Varanni, his instincts were telling him death was in the alien’s eyes.

  “This is Vice Admiral Somerville of the Human fleet,” Ya’sia explained as James held El’lan’s stare. “He is the senior commander of the forces in this system. He also commanded our combined Crian and Human fleet as we fought a number of battles against the Flex-aor, the species that attacked the Monulans. He has won many victories for his species. Since meeting him, I have personally witnessed him add a number more. I believe Dural will take pleasure in making Vice Admiral Somerville’s acquaintance.”

  “So be it,” El’lan responded with a slight bow towards James. “Come with me.”

  With a slight bow in return, Ya’sia fell in step beside El’lan. She had to gesture for James to keep up; he had been so busy staring he had forgot to follow. The Varanni actually slid along the surface of the hangar deck as they moved. Their tails swished back and forth behind them. It was unlike anything James had seen before. Shaking himself, he moved quickly to catch up. Gawking at the Varanni had to be one sure way to dishonor them.

  As soon as they exited the shuttle bay, James was impressed once again. Whatever construction technique the Varanni used to build their starships, it left almost no trace. The corridor had no hatches, struts or wall components. It was as if the corridor had been molded out of one lump of metal. If it even is metal, James thought. He wanted to reach out and touch the surface as he walked by, but he thought better of it. After a minute of walking he concluded that he wasn’t going to see much else of the ship. Unlike the Flex-aor warship he had walked through, there didn’t appear to
be any adjoining rooms or corridors for him to glance down.

  When the Varanni leading him finally came to a halt, James realized why he had been unable to see anything else. El’lan waved her hand in front of her and a doorway appeared in the corridor’s structure. It seemed like the metal, or whatever the corridor was made of, simply retracted to form a doorway large enough for even Ya’sia to walk through without having to duck.

  As they walked in, a large Varanni swished its tail and turned to face them. “Welcome to Quest’s bridge Admiral Ya’sia. You are most welcome. Your reputation proceeds you. You may not know it, but we fought alongside one another in the most recent war games held at Varanni Prime. You impressed me then.”

  “I am glad to hear it Captain,” Ya’sia replied as she bowed deeply to who James assumed was Dural. “We will have to review the battle simulations so you can point out what ship you were commanding at the time. I don’t recall fighting alongside a full dreadnought. You must have been promoted since then. You have my congratulations.”

  “You’re perceptive Admiral. I was promoted to command Quest after the war games,” Dural replied as he gave a bow of his own.

  Ya’sia turned to James. “May I introduce my guest. This is Vice Admiral James Somerville, the senior commander of Humanity’s Outer Defense Fleet. He was instrumental in repulsing a Flex-aor invasion of his species’ space five years ago. His fleet also destroyed the remnants of the Flex-aor fleet that attacked the Monulans. I encountered his fleet after the battle and was impressed with his species’ capabilities. Since then, we have formed a partnership and launched an incursion into Flex-aor space. Despite our best efforts to find a peaceful settlement, we were forced to continue military operations against the Flex-aor. Given Vice Admiral Somerville’s previous command experience and the expertise he exhibited to me, I placed my fleet under his overall command. In the engagements we destroyed the orbital military installations of one Flex-aor colony and destroyed more than three thousand Flex-aor warships. Somerville has more than proven the trust I placed in him. He is a warrior and commander of the first order.

  “Vice Admiral Somerville,” Ya’sia continued as she gestured towards the Varanni who had been speaking with them, “this is Captain Dural. To be given command of a Varanni dreadnaught identifies Dural as a commander of significant merit.”

  James didn’t know where to look. Dural’s eyes scared him more than El’lan’s and he had to fight not to look away, but he was just as scared of offending the Varanni. A part of him also wanted to look wide-eyed at Ya’sia, she had never spoken so highly of him before. He wanted to shush her and stop her from building up Dural’s expectations too much, he didn’t want Dural to be disappointed. Another part of him was embarrassed at the praise and simply wanted to stare at his feet. In the end, he forced himself to hold Dural’s gaze. He was glad he did, for otherwise he might have missed the quick bow Dural gave him.

  “It is very unusual for any species allied with my people to bring an uninvited guest to a meeting. Ya’sia clearly thinks very highly of you Vice Admiral. You are welcome here.”

  James returned Dural’s bow. “I’m greatly honored to be allowed to meet you Captain. Ya’sia has told me something of your species, however until today she had not even told me the name of your people. She has kept your laws regarding contact with other species perfectly. I therefore understand what an honor it is to be allowed to step foot onto your dreadnought.”

  “I am grateful you understand the honor you are being given,” Dural responded. “Now, Admiral Ya’sia, perhaps you could explain to me how it is that the Humans are so technologically advanced. When I first entered the system, I thought they were another race that had been given advanced weapons technologies to reign terror on our part of the galaxy. I presume given your military coordination with them that, that is not the case?”

  “No,” Ya’sia answered with a very Human shake of her head. “That was my conclusion to begin with as well. However, Vice Admiral Somerville has made most of his species’ historical database available to my analysts. What they show is that Humanity has advanced significantly more quickly in the last four hundred years than we expected. In addition, the relationship I and my crew have built up with the Humans we have encountered has shown us that they fully understand their technologies and are quick to learn and adapt. It is my belief that their species could become very important members of our Trade Alliance. Moreover, I believe we will need their help to make sure the Flex-aor do not threaten our worlds. In truth, we were forced to flee Flex-aor space. Our estimates suggest that they could have as many as ten thousand or more warships in their fleet. They are a far greater threat than we first realized. They could even threaten Crian worlds if they concentrated their forces against us.

  “It was my intention to send word back to Cria Prime and to Varanni Prime requesting additional military support. I’m glad you’re here. We do not believe the Flex-aor have the capability to launch an attack against this system immediately. But we believe a strong incursion will come eventually. What we have learnt of their species indicates that their High Queen, who is their political leader, will demand that her forces seek revenge for our attack on her homeworld. Though Humanity’s technologies and war fleet are impressive, I’m not sure they can withstand such an onslaught on their own.”

  Dural brought both of his hands together and collapsed them over one another. He then pivoted slightly to look away from Ya’sia. “The news you bring is concerning. I’m afraid I was not sent here to assist you though. I bring even graver news. Four months ago, a third hostile alien species with technology far too advanced for their level of development was discovered by one of our scouts. One of our battle fleets moved in and neutralized the threat before they could launch any kind of attack. However, their discovery and the recent Flex-aor attack greatly alarmed our Senate. The fleet was ordered to send out scouts to carry out long range reconnaissance missions far beyond our borders. It was decided we needed to gather more information to understand what was going on. Three weeks ago, disturbing news was brought back by one scout.”

  “A highly advanced race has been discovered just beyond the area of space our survey ships explored more than five centuries ago. First contact was made and friendly relationships established. However, this new species, the Mindus they call themselves, told us that they had just been attacked by another highly advanced very aggressive race. Within two months one third of their systems had been conquered and though the Mindus have managed to slow their enemy’s rate of advance, they do not believe their civilization will survive. Within days of relations being opened, they asked for permission to send a large group of their species to our space to establish a new world where their species might survive if their civilization is conquered.

  “Given how serious the Mindus are taking the threat, the scout returned as fast as it could to update our Senate. Before the scout left the Mindus homeworld, the Mindus leaders asked if we would consider sending military support. As a show of good faith, they sent us all the military data on the war they have been fighting. They also promised to share all of their advanced technologies with us if we come to their aid. The Captain of our scout ship reported that in many ways the Mindus are even more advanced than my own species. Their offer has great value to us.”

  Pausing, Dural turned and gestured to one of his subordinates. From a large holo projector, a map of space appeared. James hadn’t been sure what to make of everything Dural was sharing, but as soon as the map appeared it took all of his focus. Ya’sia had never shared anything like this. At first, he couldn’t really make out what he was looking at. Then he recognized X-32 at the center of the map. From there it was easy to identify, Earth and Kulthar, the Kulrean homeworld. Of course, the Varanni knew about both worlds. Identifying those two worlds put the rest of the map in context. When it did, James was blown away.

  Ya’sia had said the Varanni’s Trading Alliance consisted of eleven species. The map showed t
he extent of each of their civilization’s borders. They were all noted with names and figures, things James memorized immediately. What shocked him the most was the size of the civilizations. Compared to Human space, Crian space seemed to cover at least three times as many systems. There were two other races within the Varanni Alliance that were of similar size. Whilst the rest were smaller, some were still at least the size of Human space. Of course the Crian civilization wasn’t the most impressive, the Varanni one was. Their borders dominated the map. Their space was roughly twice the size of Crian space, making it six times the size of Human space. Beyond the Alliance civilizations, there were a number of other smaller civilizations. Though Humanity didn’t know it, they had many neighbors they had yet to discover.

  “This is where the Mindus homeworld is located,” Dural continued, seemingly unaware of just how much information he was revealing to James. On the map, a new dot appeared much closer to the galactic center than any other point being displayed. It was roughly twice the distance away from the Varanni homeworld than Earth was. In his head James began some calculations, if the scout had left Varanni prime four months ago and had returned just three weeks ago, then it had covered the distance to the Mindus homeworld in a remarkably quick time. Come to think of it, James realized, if Varanni prime only learnt of these Mindus three weeks ago, Dural has travelled from there to here in an astonishingly quick time as well. Their shift space capabilities were clearly far, far more advanced than Humanity’s.