by G. P. Hudson
“Don’t worry about it. It’s forgotten.”
“The Foreseen is most benevolent.”
“You don’t need to keep praising me, you know.”
“Of course. The Foreseen is most wise.”
Jon turned his head to the side, cracking his neck. It helped to slightly relieve the tension. “If the Antikitheri have left, then they’re probably not coming back anytime soon, right?”
“They will come when needed. Or not. No one knows the way of the gods.”
“Right. Then that’s it. All that’s left is for us is to return to our galaxy, and hope for the best.”
“The Antikitheri have told us this as well. The Foreseen must take care. The way back is treacherous.”
“Because of the Var?”
“Yes. We will provide an honor guard to ensure the Foreseen’s safety. Does the Foreseen accept our humble gift?”
“An honor guard, huh? Sure, we’ll take whatever help we can get.”
“We are grateful for this opportunity to serve. Your honor guard is being assembled.”
“That’s great.”
The Freen commander bowed his head. “We will contact the Foreseen once his honor guard has gathered.”
“Wait,” said Jon. “I have a request.”
“We only wish to serve,” said the commander.
“I noticed during the battle with the Var, that both the Freen and Var possess technology that shields your vessels from enemy fire.”
“Yes, although the effects of this technology are temporary. The shield’s effectiveness diminishes with each impact, eventually rendering it ineffective.”
“Still, the shields offer some protection. Especially in the beginning of an encounter.”
“This is correct.”
“You see, commander, we do not possess any form of shield technology. This leaves us particularly vulnerable to our enemies.”
“Truly, your people are at a disadvantage.”
“Yes, but we don’t have to be. You could share the technology with us. We would be very grateful.”
“You seek to benefit freely from our science?”
“Well… yes. I mean, we are friends, aren’t we?”
“You are the Foreseen. We are the Freen,” said the commander, as if it explained everything.
“I don’t understand,” said Jon.
“You have our service, our respect, and our honor guard.”
“But not your science?”
“We would not dishonor the Foreseen in such a way.”
“Okay, let’s not forget that we are from another galaxy. How exactly would you be dishonoring me?”
“You are the Foreseen, not some wretched species seeking charity.”
“I think they want to trade, Admiral,” whispered Miira. “Doing otherwise would be disrespectful in their eyes.”
Jon nodded in agreement. “What if we gave you some of our technology in return? Would that make things more honorable?”
“The Foreseen is most wise. We have witnessed your ability to propel munitions as if they were starships.”
“The jump bombs. You want to trade our jump bomb technology in return for your shield technology?”
“We would consider that an honorable arrangement.”
“Done. You have a deal.”
“The Foreseen is magnanimous.”
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you too.”
Chapter 3
The hatch to the shuttlecraft swung open, and a very tall, slender alien, in black military uniform emerged. The short pointy beak, and dark piercing eyes left no doubt as to the alien’s species. Freen.
Jon approached the bird-like alien with Chief Engineer Simmons. Upon seeing Jon, the creature dropped down on one knee, raised its elbows high, and simultaneously covered its eyes with the back of its gloved hands.
“Okay,” Jon said as he came to a stop, surprised by the gesture. Unsure how to proceed, he chose to go with his original plan. “Greetings, I am Admiral Jon Pike, and this is Chief Engineer Simmons.”
The Freen didn’t move.
“Is it trembling?” Simmons whispered.
Jon nodded. The alien was visibly shaking. Why? “Please, get up. There’s no need for any of that.”
The Freen slowly rose to its feet, its height was somewhat startling. Not as tall as Miira, but it was close. It continued to avoid Jon’s gaze, choosing instead to stare at the floor.
“You must be the Freen engineer. What’s your name?” said Jon.
The Freen gasped, its arms moving in small flapping gestures.
“Do you understand me?” Jon continued. “Is the translator working properly?”
“I understand,” said the Freen.
“Well that’s a start,” said Jon. “Do you have a name?”
“I am First Engineer Stree,” said the Freen, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Is there something wrong, First Engineer Stree? You seem uncomfortable.”
“You are the Foreseen,” Stree said in an awed tone.
“That’s what everyone in this galaxy keeps telling me. What of it?”
“You are of the Antikitheri. Your coming has been foretold. For millennia we have waited. I am unclean. Unworthy to stand before you.”
Jon frowned. “What are you talking about? What have you waited millennia for?”
Stree looked up, still careful to avoid Jon’s eye. “You are the Foreseen. The hand of the Antikitheri. You have come to destroy the darkness.”
Jon took a deep breath. It was bad enough that the Diakans considered him holy, and ‘of the Temple’, but now he had this other race, from a different galaxy no less, treating him like he was their savior. He began to reconsider the Antikitheri.
They had powers beyond comprehension, but they were still just aliens. Not gods. Yet they had allowed, even encouraged, this race to develop a religion around them. Typically, it wouldn’t be any of his business, yet through genetic engineering, they managed to bring him into the whole thing. Because of their manipulation, he ended up with that damned monster of a symbiont inside his belly.
Jon felt the symbiont’s silent growl in response.
Oh, come on, he said to the symbiont. You’re not exactly holy. If you ask me, you’re more devil than anything else.
The symbiont didn’t take the bait, which was probably for the best. Jon knew that he had no hope of changing thousands of years of Freen belief, so he decided to play along. “I can’t destroy the darkness without shields, First Engineer Stree. I understand that you are here to help us with that problem.”
“Yes. I am your unworthy servant.”
“We’ve received the schematics for the hardware we’ll need. One of our ships is fabricating the required parts as we speak. In the meantime, Chief Engineer Simmons here can help you get acquainted with our systems.”
Stree bowed his head in response, leaving Jon feeling quite relieved that he chose to stay off his knees. “I will require my team to witness your ship’s configuration.”
“Are they on their way?”
“They are on board my vessel.”
“Why haven’t they come out?”
“They do not stand equal.”
“Do you mean they are of lesser rank than you?”
“Yes. As First Engineer, the protocol for contact is mine.”
“I see. Well, are they allowed to come out now? I’m sure Chief Engineer Simmons has a lot to show you.”
Stree bowed his head again. “It is permitted.” He tapped a device on his uniform, and a contingent of Freen began to emerge from the shuttle. As they did, each one dropped down to one knee, raising their elbows and covering their eyes, as Stree had done.
Unable to stomach much more Freen worship, Jon turned to Simmons. “Chief, I’ll leave our visitors in your capable hands.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Simmons said with a salute.
With a quick return salute, Jon turned and headed for the hangar bay exit, thinkin
g he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Chapter 4
“More time is required, Exalted One,” said the Freen on the wallscreen, who Jon had come to know as Commander Booch. Also on the wallscreen were the Diakan, General Tallos, the Chaanisar leader, Colonel Bast, and the Reiver, Captain Jonas Vicken.
“More time is something we simply don’t have.” Jon sat at the long conference table with his XO, Commander Henderson. “We’ve already spent weeks here working on these modifications. It’s time to get moving.”
“I respectfully disagree. We have not confirmed optimal efficiency. More testing is needed.”
“My Chief Engineer reports that our shields have been installed successfully, and that the jump bomb technology on your ships has already passed several tests.”
“The tests were favorable, but they are not sufficient. Time is needed to ensure optimal configuration,” said Booch.
“It’s time for action. Not tests. While we sit here playing with our thumbs, war is raging back in my galaxy. We are leaving. You can come with us if you like, or you can stay here and search for perfection.”
“We are your honor guard,” said Booch. “We are bound to your path.”
“Then it’s settled. How long will it take to get your ships ready to for travel?”
“The honor guard stands ready to serve. We can fight, or travel, at the Foreseen’s convenience.”
“Good to hear, Commander. How about everyone else?”
“The Diakan battleships stand ready, Admiral,” said Tallos.
“The Chaanisar await your command,” said Bast.
“The sooner we leave the better,” said Jonas. “Reivers crave battle, not endless tinkering.”
Jon fought back a grin. “Good. Then it’s unanimous. I want to get underway within the hour.”
“As you command, Exalted One.”
Terminating the connection, Jon exhaled sharply. “Are the Freen engineers still on board?”
“They left yesterday,” said Henderson. “I think Chief Engineer Simmons was close to forcibly removing them.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Like oil and water.”
“They don’t seem to be the easiest race to get along with.”
“They’re worriers,” said Henderson. “Always expecting the worst.”
“They’ve been at war for a very long time,” said Jon. “Over a thousand years. The entire culture has developed around their reality.”
“I can see how it would make them anxious. But I don’t understand why in all these years they haven’t found a way to end the fighting.”
“Neither do I.” Jon believed that the Erinyie and Antikitheri were the ones responsible for this ceaseless conflict. He couldn’t surmise what they gained from any of it. Was it a game to them? Were there other stakes involved? Ones he didn’t comprehend? Whatever the reason, he needed to keep his thoughts to himself. He didn’t know if the Antikitheri could still eavesdrop on him when not in the same system, but he wasn’t taking the chance. He had barely convinced them to come back to provide aid against the Erinyie, he wouldn’t destroy that victory by voicing his suspicions.
“How long until our birds have shields?” said Jon.
“Chief Engineer Simmons is upgrading our bomber squadrons first. She had to make some modifications to the technology, but is confident that the roll-out will go smoothly,” said Henderson.
“Good. We’re going to need them soon enough.”
“You think the Erinyie will try and take us out again?”
“Maybe. One thing I am sure of is it won’t be a smooth ride back home.”
Chapter 5
“Jump gate activated,” said Commander Henderson, as the empty space displayed on the viewscreen transformed into an enormous, shimmering portal.
“Very well,” said Jon. “Order the fleet through the gate.”
The Freen had insisted that their honor guard should establish a perimeter around Jon’s battle group, thereby providing a buffer in case of attack. In his short time with the Freen, Jon had learned that they were a very proud race. They didn’t take their role lightly, and Jon didn’t want to offend them, so he agreed. In the end, he doubted it mattered much. The Freen ships now had jump bombs, and they were all equipped with shields. It should be enough to protect them against an average foe. The problem being that this galaxy had races decidedly far from average.
That the Antikitheri had intervened the last time the Erinyie had attacked provided some solace. In this galaxy at least, the Antikitheri did not just stand by while the Erinyie destroyed with impunity. With any luck, the threat of their intervention would be enough to keep the Erinyie at bay.
The fleet passed through the jump gate leaving the Freen system behind. A contingent of warships still patrolled the adjacent system, which was to be expected. The recent battle would make the Freen much more diligent. Before Jon’s arrival, they had not fought a major battle for some time. Even then, there hadn’t been an incursion into their space for centuries. In this galaxy, the two sides were locked in a stalemate. They had carved out their respective territories long ago, and only fought over new territory. There had been balance. Predictability. Jon’s arrival changed all of that, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether the Freen were worse off for it.
The fleet continued their journey, crossing through numerous jump gates. After the seventh, the Freen commander appeared on Jon’s comm display.
“This transportation network terminates in this system,” said Commander Booch. “To access the next network on our journey, we will need to use our jump systems.”
“Understood,” said Jon. “Have your ships synced with our jump system?”
“Yes, Exalted One. We stand ready.”
“Commander Henderson, what is our jump status?”
“All ships are synced with us. All coordinates are loaded. We are jump ready.”
Jon nodded. “Initiate jump.”
The fleet landed in an empty region of space, a stark difference from the star systems the gates had led to. Eager to continue their journey they immediately performed two more jumps, ending up in a similarly unremarkable region of space. There may have been little to look at, but Jon was happy enough to have an uneventful trip. Having jumped a total of one-hundred-and-fifty light years, their jump systems were capable of one more.
With the final jump initiated, the fleet landed in a new star system, fifty light years away from their previous position. When the viewscreen reoriented, Jon caught his breath. Billions of objects had utterly encircled this system’s star. Even without zooming in for a closer look, Jon knew that each of those objects resembled small flat panels. That was because he had seen this before, and he knew of only one race that could accomplish such a marvel. The Cenobi.
He looked to his comm screen, and found Commander Booch still there, looking back at him with those piercing black eyes.
“What race does this system belong to?” said Jon.
“The system belongs to no race,” said Booch. “There is only a claim on its star.”
“I see. And who has claimed the star?”
“We do not speak their name. They are unbelievers. A species only worthy of contempt.”
Jon didn’t like the sound of that. “Why do you say that? Have they harmed your people?”
“They have not harmed, nor have they helped.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This is an ancient race. They were the first to traverse the stars. But they serve only themselves. Build only for themselves. They believe in nothing. Neither light nor darkness. The Erinyie and the Var fight for the darkness, but they fight for something.”
“You think the Cenobi should pick sides?”
“Who are the Cenobi?”
“We encountered this race when we first arrived in this galaxy. That is what they called themselves.”
“They spoke to you?” said Booch, his dark eyes growing more intense.
> “Yes. We accidentally trespassed in their space.”
“Truly the Foreseen is blessed. Their space is to be avoided.”
Jon found it all very interesting. Whatever anyone thought of the Cenobi, they didn’t want to risk pissing them off. “You didn’t answer my question, Commander. Do you think the Cenobi should pick sides?”
“You are the Foreseen. I do not presume to understand your ways, but is the answer not obvious?”
“Humor me. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Booch leaned in. “This war between the light and the darkness is greater than any one race. It rages across the universe. Across time. Your galaxy, my galaxy, and countless others are embroiled in this eternal struggle. By not committing themselves to either cause, this race is worthy only of contempt.”
“They believe their cause is enlightenment.”
Booch started flapping his arms, a clear sign that he was becoming agitated. “Only the light can bestow enlightenment.”
“Of course,” said Jon, not wanting to provoke their new allies further. “I merely wanted to hear your views on the matter.”
“We are not worthy of the Foreseen’s wisdom.”
Jon considered all that he had just heard. The Cenobi’s anti-social tendencies had not made them any friends. Nonetheless, neither side seemed to be interested in going after them. Could the Cenobi be more powerful than both the Antikitheri and the Erinyie?
Jon glanced back at the viewscreen and the system’s enveloped star. A red giant, no less, hundreds of times more massive than Sol. What need did the Cenobi have of the Antikitheri, or the Erinyie, when they were capable of such marvels?
For Commander Booch, things were simple. There was light, and darkness, and no place in the universe for anyone who thought otherwise. For the Cenobi, there was only enlightenment.
Jon didn’t care much for any of it. He needed allies in the war against the Juttari and their Erinyie masters. If that meant becoming the Foreseen, or anything else for that matter, then so be it.
Chapter 6
