“How soon can we expect the first of the new models?” the Otlian general asked.
“We’re calling for prototype demonstrators before the end of the annura, with the decision to be made shortly after the new annura.”
Quin Tosh turned to the hologram. “Thank you. We look forward to more.” She then looked her commanders in the eyes. “What I need now are options and plans on how to deploy these units. The Gorvians will have to attempt to take a planet at some point. We need to be ready for that. We also need to begin selection of Special Operations teams to train in the MeG-CEs and recon the Planet Slicer. A ship that size must have a weakness.”
“And should they begin a ground assault on a world; how quickly could we deploy a battalion of these MeG-CE suits?”
“As fast as we can get ships there. To be on the safe side, we’ll begin forward deployment of the MeG-CE suits to likely targets as soon as they become available.”
Comm Room 12, UCSBS Mercy, Nimbus System
"I've heard enough. Shut it off," Tadeh Qudas said, pulling away from the monitor.
Gokhead seemed far too eager to comply and severed his links faster than Tadeh Qudas had ever seen him move before. "So, what do we do now?"
“Our jobs. Now finish up here and see what you can find out about that signal.” As Tadeh Qudas turned to leave a blinking light on the console beside Gokhead caught his attention. “What’s that? Have we been detected?”
Gokhead turned a dismissive eye to the light. “Emergency request chatter. We’ve been getting these all cycle.”
“But why is it on the RF panel?”
That got Gokhead’s attention and he keyed up the console. “Son of a bug. This is a High Frequency radio broadcast bouncing in off the jump buoy.”
“Who’s it from?”
“No idea. There’s no ID code attached. Hold on. It’s a video signal.”
A grainy black and white picture appeared; a disheveled Gerdick in a tattered Confederation officer’s uniform with a timestamp that indicated that the signal had originated the cycle before. "To anyone who can relay this message to Confederation Command. This is O-45, Tab Giblin, and the captured survivors of the As’Tril battle," the officer began. "We are imprisoned aboard the Gorvian Planet Slicer and have managed to piece together a small radio transmitter. If we’re correct, then this signal will reach you through the outer As’Tril jump buoy. We’ll continue to transmit as long as our limited power supply allows or until we’re discovered. Please send help. There are at least thirty of us here. There may be more, but we haven't seen them. Please, send help."
The signal looped and Tadeh Qudas stared at the replay as he formulated a plan.
Gokhead nodded, impressed. “The primary communications room probably didn’t even detect this. We’re only picking this up because this bay hasn’t been updated since before either of us were born. Still, whoever put their rig together knew the right frequency to trip the emergency comm circuit. I’d better relay this to the bridge and get them to send this to the admiralty.”
“No. Put us on the ship’s primary link and give us a direct channel to Quin Tosh. Now!”
Gokhead all but flew to work; overriding the main link with wild abandon. It didn’t matter if anyone caught them now. “Frag me!” he snapped a moment later. “We need a security pass code. That’ll take me a few hects to crack on this hardware.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Tadeh Qudas replied. Stepping up to the secondary console, he typed something in, Gokhead trying his best to see without notice. You’re not that good. “That should get us in.”
A moment later and the holographic image of Admiral Quin Tosh appeared, her voice filled with frustration and annoyance. “Commander Tadeh Qudas. What brings this incursion?”
“This,” he responded, tapping the transmission key to send the distress signal to the war room. The signal played once through the war room as the assembled commanders listened before Tadeh Qudas halted it.
“Poor souls,” the Lodran admiral replied.
"They're as good as dead," someone else blurted out. “If they’re lucky.”
"Not necessarily," Tadeh Qudas replied; thankful no Telshin High Elders were present, having no time to explain his presence about the Mercy to them.
"You have a plan?" Admiral Quin Tosh asked.
"I am Telshin. I strategize in my sleep." There was no response except for a hardened stare from the admiral. "I have recently learned through my sources that a squad of MeG-CEs are en-route to the fleet.”
"I won’t even ask how you breached my security like that?" Admiral Quin Tosh replied with a wry smile; Gokhead cringed outside the holocam’s field of view.
I doubt he’ll ever get back into their system after she ups the security. This had better be worth it. “Then I won’t have to answer. Onboard the Mercy is one of the finest rescue teams I have ever had the privilege to train and work with. Give me a decle and I can have them ready to get those prisoners out.”
“Interesting, and would you be requiring any additional equipment for this operation?”
“Were this channel unsecured I would say no. But, I will require a few other key items.”
"What?"
“The cruiser Gab Dib Show.”
"The Gab is being readied for demolition. What use could it be?” the Lodran general piped up. “It was due for retirement before any of this even began.”
"I will discuss this plan with Admiral Quin Tosh privately. From this point on, the fewer who know of its details the better.”
“Let’s just hope that those prisoners can hold out that long,” Admiral Quin Tosh replied.
UCSB Date 1003.154
Grand Hall, Planet Slicer, As’Tril System
It was a sight Gondral had long looked forward to. The Grand Hall was the place where trophies hung, where the achievements of the fleet took honors. It had finally fulfilled its purpose. All about the cavernous chamber trophies from ships and stations throughout Dondick space waited. Blasted out sections of hull made up the majority of the prizes. Here and there unique items awaited; power cores, bridge consoles, turrets, interesting bits of tech. Gondral’s favorites however were those that contained parts of the crews themselves. At the head of the massive chamber hung the most prized piece.
Gondral stood before the monument; the edifice behind drawing almost as much honor as the Lord of All. Even Gondral had to look back at it; the remains of the last Gorvian General to die on As’Tril. A packer unit discovered the remains amongst the debris as they jetted about with their giant thruster packs. The giant Gorvian had been preserved remarkably well within fas old space suit. Two centuries separated them, but Gondral still felt more kinship to this giant Gorvian than any of the others fae towered over in the hall.
Gondral looked out over the crowds. The captains of the fleet represented each of the major Gorvian subtypes. Gondral couldn’t stand any of them. This place should be reserved only for the towering Generals. Instead Gondral had had to make do with those a third fas size.
A tickling in fas brain tails drew Gondral’s attention to the end of the grand hall. Gondish strode in, trailed by more of Gondral’s children. Each looked heavy with child, Gondish’s child, and the throng of honored captains stepped aside. Beside Gondish walked another Gorvian in ceremonial robes; emblazoned with the Gorvian’s genetic tree. Gondish towered over fas siblings and the one fae escorted by almost a full body length.
As the procession neared, Gondral threw out fas arms; commanding the attention of all in the chamber. “I welcome you, my heirs and the honored warrior you bring before me.”
Gondish took a knee at Gondral’s feet, gesturing to the Gorvian beside fam. “Might I present Packer Chief Olmaq, the Gorvian who has found for you the greatest of prizes.”
The crablike Gorvian bowed in awe. “To be in your presence is the greatest of honor Lord of All. You do my whole line a great justice.”
Gondral stepped forward and laid a massive hand
on the Gorvian’s shoulder, the smaller being sinking under the mass of it. “It is you who honors me by bringing to us all such a great find.” Gondral looked down, hiding the sneer fae felt at the sight of the injuries up and down the Gorvian’s body. “Your injuries are great, but you have many progeny, yes?”
“Yes, Lord of All. And because of your honors, I have seeded sixteen other Gorvians.”
Gondral reared up to address the gathered crowd. “As was promised. I will see this Gorvian into the next life. Where not only will fae become one of the new breed of Gorvian warriors that bears my mark, but so will the progeny fae has seeded. Fas spirit and honor will be burned into each with this act.”
Gondral reached down to the Gorvian and cast aside the ceremonial robes that draped fas shoulders. The Gorvian shook with what smelled like a mixture of pride and fear as Gondral took hold of both shoulders and lifted fam from the deck. “With this act, you are reborn through your line, carrying with you my power and the mark of Gondral.” Opening fas massive mouth wide, Gondral bit down on the smaller Gorvian’s head; crushing it with a single bite. Gondral relished the taste of the Gorvian’s flesh and exoskeleton as fae chewed it into a fine paste. Swallowing, Gondral allowed that pleasure to show. Continuing without delay, Gondral cracked open the armored skin to eat the flesh within until only the discarded shell and stray bits of endoskeleton remained.
Satiated, Gondral stepped back to the applause of all those in attendance. There was a certain euphoria to the act. Not only did the taste trip every pleasure center in Gondral’s brain, the reactions of the crowds would leave fam with an incomparable high. Fas pleasure and their excitement radiated, transmitting through them all. The emotions added exponentially with each passing moment and then in one final rush climaxed, leaving all of those in attendance spent. Only Gondish remained unaffected, a blank spot in Gondral’s perceptions as fae helped fas parent remain vertical.
The room exploded into raucous applause again and Gondral, with Gondish beside, strode into the throng.
Gondral nodded.
Gondish made pleasantries with a Ship Lord as they passed, the quadruped eating the arm of what might have belonged to a Lodran. Gondral did fas best to ignore the moment but did notice something odd.
Gondish looked about.
“Lord of All,” a portly Gorvian called out. The Gorvian’s scaly skin was dried and cracked as if moe had spent the whole of mor existence in a desert. “It is such an honor to stand here in your presence. And, of course in the presence of the reborn great War Lord Kemdbir the Slaughterer.”
Gondral caught the motion as Gondish subconsciously rubbed the mark of Gondral on fas neck. The mark signified that Gondish, like other Gorvians who bore the mark, possessed the reborn spirit of a great Gorvian warrior. In fas case it was that of War Lord Kemdbir, who alone had wiped out an entire Dondick colony. “Thank you, Ship Lord…?”
“War Lord Kemlok, of the fifty eighth battalion. Lord Kemdbir was my grandsiremare.”
Gondral nodded. “Of course. Are your troops ready to bring slaughter to the Dondicks?”
“We need only to hear your call.”
“Good. Soon your warriors will show their ferocity to the universe.”
Gondral and Gondish continued, the latter taking the occasional appetizer. As fae took a bite of a Terran’s arm, Gondral intruded on fas mind to sample the taste. Gondish gave fam a mental slap, pushing back.
Gondish nodded.
Gondish nodded and led Gondral to the collection of fighter wings fae had claimed in the battle. Each looked torn from their mounts, the crumpled skin revealing where Gondish had grabbed hold of them. “I find particular pride in this one,” Gondish remarked of the wing of a Galactic Federation Solaar fighter. The ovoid wing was in marked contrast to the others. It even still carried the massive cannons the interceptor was known for. “I took it an orbit ago, ripping it free of the fighter while it attempted to attack my shuttle.”
Gondral flushed with pride as a server brought a tray with the limbs of a dozen different sentient species for them to try. Gondral accepted the leg of a Krad; the scaly skin enticing. “I see my Childe. Now which of these is from your latest victory?”
UCSB Date 1003.165
Bridge, Planet Slicer, As’Tril System
Gondral strode onto the bridge, fas aide running behind just to keep up. Fae looked out over the multi-tiered bridge as the crew snapped to attention and the Ship Lord retreated to the edge of the highest level. “Are we ready to move out?”
The Ship Lord waved to the crew all about. “We have completed mounting the wedges for our next assault and just await the ready response from three sectors.”
Gondral suppressed a wave of anger because a mere three sectors were preventing them from moving out. A casual read of the Ship Lord’s surface thoughts revealed the identity of the sector leaders. Gondral took a moment to focus on those three individuals, shutting out the mental chatter and noises of fas own crew. The three Gorvians barked orders to their crews, overseeing their preparations to leave. In each case Gondral found the weakest link delaying their departure. Best to make examples of them, even if it delays us further this one time.
The master of puppets, Gondral forced two of the section leaders to kill the offending technicians. The crews watched the displays in horror, but redoubled their efforts to ready their stations. Failure was not an option for the Gorvians. For the third leader, something more special awaited. “Second,” Gondral commanded the leader to say.
“Yes, Section Chief?” a short, quill-covered Gorvian responded, mor brain tails shaking.
“Lord Gondral appoints you the new Section Chief.”
“Truly Section Chief? And what of you?”
“I have failed,” the Gorvian responded, then pulled fae sidearm, stuck it against the base of fas brain tails and fired.
Gondral felt the connection end in an instant, but reaching out to the mind of the new Section Chief, watched the former fall. The plaser round burned straight through fas head, incinerating the brain.
Gondral withdrew and returned fas consciousness to the bridge. “You will find th
at those sectors will be ready soon Ship Lord.”
“Of course, Lord of All.”
“What of the Dondick attack last cycle? How close did they come to us?”
“There was never any danger Lord of All. The fighter picket destroyed them before they could pose any threat. It makes one wonder why they even bothered.”
“Desperation. They have seen their doom to come and have already become desperate enough to throw their lives away to try and prevent it. I expect that many more attacks like that are to come - let them.”
“Yes, Lord of All. We will pass through the debris field, but it is of no concern.”
“Good. Let us proceed to our next victory then.”
Debris Field, As’Tril System
It went against everything Blazer had known that the Planet Slicer existed, let alone move under its own power. Hanging in the cramped, crypt-like control pod of his MeG-CE, he watched it do just that. He pulled up the limited recon data he had access to on his micomm. With his MeG-CE powered down, he had no access to its sensors to confirm the previous observations. He would take his own scans while on the mission, paying particular attention to the dark energy readings. It was almost like the Gorvians had managed to tune their slipstream drives in a way he hadn’t thought possible,
Blazer pulled his eyes away from the viewport slit which had served as his only link to the universe at large since the destruction of the Gab Dish Show two cycles earlier. They weren’t even close enough together anymore to maintain their micomm links without using power-consuming signal boosters. That they couldn’t afford to do. Any system that might radiate more heat or energy than one would expect from the debris of a destroyed capital ship would blow the mission.
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