by Aer-ki Jyr
“By betraying those who are actually behaving as V’kit’no’sat should?”
“They defy Itaru’s orders. They are not V’kit’no’sat,” another said vehemently.
“They are acquitting our highest responsibility,” Ma’set said, spinning to face the one who had spoken. “We exist to fight the Hadarak, and if we choose internecine over our duty, then it is we who are not V’kit’no’sat.”
“Careful, Ma’set. Your words are sounding close to treason…but it is no matter. The fleets are already assembling for the strike. Even if our ships do not aid them, the weakness will be exploited. Do you want them going with the Oso’lon not leading? That will weaken our position greatly.”
“The Conclave has decided already?” another Oso’lon asked.
“The decision has been made. It will become official within the day, and we must participate or draw further suspicion upon ourselves. If we hold back, some will question if our loyalty is to Itaru or the Primearch, and we cannot expand that cloud of distrust. Our ships must go…all of them. We must make this as effective a strike as possible, and a deathblow to the traitors if they are unable or unwilling to abandon the Hadarak front.”
“No,” Ma’set said firmly. “We will not.”
“The decision is not yours alone, and if you are not loyal to Itaru then perhaps we should be discussing your hidden agenda.”
“So I hold loyal to my oath to fight the Hadarak and you accuse me of treason! What madness is this?”
“We cannot fight the Hadarak divided. Itaru must regain control first, then and only then can we fight the Hadarak. Until we reestablish dominance over the galaxy any combat against them is a waste of resources…and if we cannot even be united here, then what chance do we have of saving the galaxy?”
“Save it? You would see it destroyed to salve your own ego,” Ma’set said as he noticed the approach of other Oso’lon outside the security field.
Do you feel that? Va’cad asked him telepathically. We are being contained. Da’her’s prediction is coming true.
We cannot let it.
If they mean to make sure this invasion occurs without resistance, they will not listen to reason.
That leaves us with but once choice.
That it does.
Are you with me?
Death before dishonor. I am with you.
But will the others?
Irrelevant. With or without them, we cannot let this come to pass and we cannot let ourselves be taken out before we can act. Go now.
Ma’set turned and ran towards one of the exits as Nim’so continued to speak. Va’cad headed to another one simultaneously with everyone else turning to look at what was happening.
“Stop them!” Nim’so yelled, seeing that they were about to escape his trap before it could be laid.
In respond he got a telekinetic slap across the face from Ma’set as he sprinted outside and saw two Oso’lon nearby in security armor headed towards him…but from the imprint of their minds he could tell they were young so he didn’t try to outrun them. Rather he turned and headed directly towards them while issuing a warning.
“Stand aside or be moved aside!” he yelled as both of them activated their armor. In that moment of transition the experienced Ma’set summoned and quick launched a Jumat blast into both of them, disrupting the armor flow over their bodies momentarily. That let him get close enough to drop an Ubven field on both of them while he simultaneously released a Saven mind flash.
The Ubven locked them in position like statues while the Saven blinded their mental focus long enough to keep them from using their own Ubven to negate the field and allow them to move through it. By the time the Saven wore off Ma’set was upon them and bodily slammed into one on the flank as he passed, smashing him against the Ubven field enough that it partially caved in…then when that Oso’lon negated it using his own Ubven it took the support out from under him and the quadruped fell the rest of the way over on its left side as its armor finished covering and forming on its body.
Ma’set sprinted on with the other Oso’lon still on its feet and pushing its way through the field while trying a Lachka attack…but Ma’set’s strength in that psionic was superior and he turned it back on the security guard, pushing the field back and underneath its front feet and tripping him like he’d been hit with an invisible log as he ran on into the cityscape as a few more security guards appeared behind them near the council exits as other Oso’lon came out and were immediately contained.
Va’cad?
I’m out.
Same. Go to the Conociv. I’m heading for the spaceport. I have to get to Wendigama before they lock down travel.
The Conclave will not listen to you.
I’m not going to talk to them. I’m going to rally as many loyal V’kit’no’sat that remain and stop this attack before it launches.
The others won’t let you.
Then we have to eliminate them.
What are you saying?
We have loyal V’kit’no’sat moving to stop the Hadarak and we are going to do our duty. Anyone who tries to stop us is a traitor and will be dealt with accordingly.
If you follow that thought through to its conclusion, we waste ships and personnel here.
I know, but it’s where we are at. We cannot let the attack commence…no matter what the costs.
We may not live through this, but I concur. Do not act recklessly. We will need every advantage we can get.
Summon all the allies you can and we will test the devotion of this madness, Ma’set said just before getting out of telepathic range as he continued to run through the Oso’lon city heading for the nearest spaceport.
Va’cad left the Oso’lon city entirely, traveling across the planet to a region known as the Conociv where the Zen’zat were located in the highest concentration. Few other races went there and the Oso’lon’s presence was immediately detected, with the tiny bipeds asking to his intentions as he ran through their city headed for the Tew’zat, telling them nothing more than his destination.
The Zen’zat did not interfere, but there were many of them in full armor waiting outside the massive facility where the most elite Zen’zat oversaw their subservient race throughout the galaxy…though now it was sparsely inhabited, as most senior Zen’zat had left to join with Mak’to’ran’s forces. That said, there were still some powerful Zen’zat here and the Tew’zat still functioned as the operational headquarters for all the Zen’zat within the Itaru region.
Those present were waiting for him in the main audience chamber where they received the few visitors that came to give them orders in person, though such things were rare with the efficiency of holo communications.
“I require your assistance,” Va’cad said as he skidded to a halt with a series of footsteps that sounded like feint thunder to the tiny Zen’zat clustered behind a low wall and several elevated daises.
“What is your command, Oso’lon?” a Zen’zat named Opro said, with his grey sparkling eyes looking up at Va’cad’s head that still arched above his elevated position.
“Treason is abound. There is a plan to launch an attack on Mak’to’ran’s worlds while his fleet is dispatched to fight the Hadarak. They may no longer be loyal to Itaru, but they are fulfilling their oaths. Striking them in their weakness is a betrayal we cannot allow to pass. Our ships must go to fight the Hadarak, not our brothers. Do you understand the importance in this?”
“Clearly,” Opro said evenly. “What are your orders?”
“I call upon you to fulfill your oath to the purpose of the V’kit’no’sat and ignore any orders from the Elder Conclave that require you to betray that oath. We must stop the fleet from leaving, though in doing so the Conclave will most likely deem your actions as treason. I require you to do your duty and help us remove the true traitors from Itaru. Any who oppose us must be fought. Those who do not will be ignored regardless of their loyalties. The fleet cannot be dispatched and we have little time to stop it
.”
“I have been waiting for sanity to prevail,” Opro admitted. “And I do hate waiting. I’d much rather fight for it.”
“The ships that do not listen must be disabled. We cannot allow even a small attack group to launch.”
“Then this must go beyond this system.”
“This is where the order will originate. It is here we must stop it.”
“Respectfully, I disagree. We must do more than that.”
“Speak.”
“We know who is loyal to fighting the Hadarak and who are loyal to themselves. Authorize us to act and we can do more than you imagine.”
The Oso’lon looked down at the Zen’zat, wondering if this was loyalty he was hearing or the admission that they had their own agendas.
“Can you get word to those who are loyal?”
“We can, but word alone is not going to be enough. We need to preposition to take control or eliminate strategic positions. Those who do not hold the V’kit’no’sat as their priority will not simply submit. They will fight and die rather than give up what they believe is their destiny.”
“Their destiny?”
“They seek control rather than brotherhood, and will strike down any threat to that control that emerges. If you act without preparation, the loyal could be overwhelmed…for the disloyal have many preparations in place against revolt.”
“Including orders to the Zen’zat?” Va’cad asked.
“Yes.”
“I am not well suited to such things, Opro. I had not planned on revolt, but the fleet cannot be allowed to leave. If you have skills and knowledge of such things, put them to use.”
“Time is critical. I need authority to act independently on behalf of the Oso’lon.”
“We will take responsibility. Do what must be done before we commit the greatest of betrayals.”
Opro raised a hand and snapped his fingers…with most of the other Zen’zat immediately surging into motion and scurrying away like ants as they sprinted for tasks that Va’cad could only guess at.
“I will need a personal message from you validating this to show to those who are loyal. They will not take the word of Zen’zat alone.”
“You will have it. What else is required?”
“When dealing with the traitors…what weapons are we to use?”
“If the fleet is dispatched, V’kit’no’sat obeying their duty will be attacked and killed while vulnerable because they are fighting the Hadarak rather than defending against us. If there are deaths to be had, let them be the traitors amongst us. Use lethal force as you deem necessary on those who act against us. Those who you suspect but do not act, subdue with stun weaponry only.”
“And what of those blindly following orders?”
“At your discretion, but the fleet cannot be allowed to leave.”
“Understood,” Opro said, satisfied that he now had clear operational orders. “This will be bloody, but I agree that it is necessary to uphold our honor and our oaths. The Zen’zat will fight and die as needed to accomplish this. We only ask that you do not waste it. Once this revolt begins, there is no going back.”
“It is a sad day when the Zen’zat are wiser than their superiors. You do credit to your post. Eliminate the treason within us and we will join our brothers on the Hadarak front where we belong.”
Opro touched a few buttons on his dais and a holographic cage appeared around Va’cad.
“I need that message now.”
“Brothers, an unsavory duty has fallen upon us,” the Oso’lon began. “I call upon you to aid the Zen’zat in the actions required. I have given them authority to do what must be done, but time is short and we must ask quickly before those amongst us who favor their personal aggrandizement over the purpose of the V’kit’no’sat move against us. They have already begun moving against Oso’lon leadership and had I not acted quickly I would not be free to rally those who still hold to their oaths to take action now. The Zen’zat are with us, for their duty is clear and they have no hope of racial agendas. They are the servants to the V’kit’no’sat, and today they are fulfilling their duty in a way none of us had ever anticipated be necessary, but now it is.”
“A massive invasion fleet is soon to be assembled and launched against Mak’to’ran’s vulnerable worlds as he and those loyal to him are holding to their oaths and countering the invasion of the Hadarak…as we should be doing. Forget the divisions of recent years. We are V’kit’no’sat. We were created to fight the Hadarak…and those in Itaru who command that we ignore our duty and strike at our brothers who are doing theirs must be removed from power. Regretfully I do not think we have the numbers to remove them gently, and I do not think they will be so kind to us. They will label us traitors and kill us as has been done to others who defy them.”
“They have defied the V’kit’no’sat with this betrayal, and it is time to make your loyalties known. I do not know how many are loyal and how many are not, but the fleet must not leave. Do what has to be done. We cannot allow a betrayal of those who are fulfilling their oaths, no matter what else has occurred in recent years. Our place is on the front fighting the Hadarak, either with or alongside them, but given that isn’t an option at this moment, our place is clear…removing those who are preventing us from fulfilling our duty.”
“The Hadarak are upon us and treason abounds. See to the fulfillment of your individual oaths and let history write itself. I do not know how this ends, but I will stand by and watch no longer. This madness must end, and end now…before it destroys us all.”
7
May 4, 3695
Itaru System (V’kit’no’sat capitol)
Wendigama
Mextre was on the command deck of one of three Voro’nam Kafcha above the planet at the very heart of the V’kit’no’sat empire, transitioning through a lazy orbit over top the Elder Conclave on the surface far below along with thousands of other warships and hundreds of thousands of civilian vessels. Right now there was a realignment going on that Mextre was only now noticing, for his ship apparently wasn’t one of those tapped by the rebels as ripe for the picking, but word was spreading rapidly now across the system as many vessels were forsaking their allegiance to Itaru and repositioning into various groups, some of which had made it known that they were going to go to the Hadarak front to assist in the fight despite the Elder Conclave forbidding it.
Apparently the Conclave had decided on another course of action, with an immediate attack to be launched on Mak’to’ran’s systems that were now devoid of the majority of their fleet as he was rushing resources to fight the Hadarak. Mextre acknowledged the opportunity there for a knockout blow, but it didn’t feel right. Mak’to’ran’s forces should never have defied Itaru, and even now that the majority of the Oso’lon and J’gar civilizations were with them…which brought with their power the taint of Terraxis that so many abhorred…they were doing their duty as V’kit’no’sat and fighting the Hadarak where Itaru was not. That did not feel right at all, but as of now his ship had received no deployment orders, though he figured they would be coming in at any time.
Mextre would do his duty, for even if Itaru was temporarily ignoring the Hadarak they would not do so forever, and Mak’to’ran had sealed his fate when he defied the Elder Conclave. It would not be a pleasant fight, but it would be a short one if the fleet went in unison. Right now it seemed they would not, with massive chunks of the combined fleet in Itaru publically defying the order and either standing down or prepping for their own unsanctioned deployment to the Hadarak front.
Yet no one had contact him. No one had said a thing, leaving him to observe as reports of small scale fighting onboard many of the ships began to make their way onto the comm grids. Some said the Zen’zat were actively rebelling against the ship’s crews, but he knew that could not be possible without collusion. Zen’zat controlled many functions onboard his Kafcha, but they couldn’t take control of the ship from the Voro’nam. At best they could sabotage it and delay
its deployment, but so far his Zen’zat had not shown any sign of disobedience and he’d had his crew do a quiet check to confirm that. Whatever rebellion was spreading through Itaru had not reached here, leaving Mextre wondering…
He was never able to finish his thought as a tiny orange beam streaked across the holographic displays from Wendigama’s surface and hit a ship in orbit…an Era’tran Dak’bri sitting within one of the fleet groups assembling to leave to go fight the Hadarak.
Mextre couldn’t believe his eyes, then as another beam leapt up and hit another ship…a Voro’nam Kafcha like his own…puncturing its shields with a single hit and burning a hole straight through the hull as the fleet under assault reacted almost instantaneously, firing a few return shots down to the planet that splashed against the defense shields that popped up only over a few small regions as the fleet raced for higher altitude to get out of the firing range of the planetary defense guns that had just opened fire on them.
And those beams were Tar’vem’jic coming from two different planetary defense stations…no, make that three as another beam leapt out and joined the others as they hammered several ships in the rebellious fleet and hurt the Era’tran vessel so much that it failed to flee, drifting upwards on what thrust it’d managed to produce before its engines had been wrecked. Two more Tar’vem’jic blasts hit it and blew it apart, sending an icy chill up Mextre’s spine from tail tip to the armored dome on his head.
“Get us out of range of the planet’s weaponry!” he yelled as his crew snapped into action. “Find out who controls those planetary guns. Not all in range were firing. I need to know who has control. Itaru or the rebels.”
“The Voro’nam ship hit is badly damaged. Reporting casualties of at least 2,000.”
“Who authorized those guns to fire!” he demanded.
The answer didn’t come for almost a minute, then there was a deathly calm on the command deck as the system began to light up with ship and surface combat popping up everywhere like a chain reaction that had just been set off.
