by Ivan Kal
This development posed a problem. The Shara Daim did not seem like a very hospitable race, disregarding those that were not their race, but if they knew about the sphere, that attitude might change towards humans and Nel. Or would they see us as a threat? Tomas wondered. If they had the sphere, they had the technology contained in it, and the psionics. But he didn’t know for how long they’d had them. He knew nothing.
He made a quick message approving of Adrian’s trade plan; he would make sure that all Clans abided by it. Adrian had the right to speak for Warpath only; even though he wasn’t a Clan Leader anymore, Tomas knew that he held a great weight with Isani, the current Clan Leader. But Tomas agreed with the trading agreement; they had a surplus of metal ore and could benefit from starting the trade with the Erasi. Then he told Adrian to find out everything he could about the Shara Daim. He wanted to know as much about them before they met.
Then he recorded another message for the Sixth Fleet, which had arrived in Sol a month ago, letting Fleet Commander Johanna Stern know about the Erasi, and that she should start patrolling that side of their border.
Finished with Adrian’s messages, Tomas turned to the requests from the Trivaxians. They wanted permission to colonize another three systems, two which they wanted to turn into mining systems in order to fuel their rapid expansion. Tomas approved their request, but added the condition that one of those systems they delegate solely for the trade that would soon start with the Erasi. The Trivaxian Clan still didn’t quite match the mining productions from other Clans, and they too were bound by the trade agreement.
Then he started reviewing the reports on the Furvor. The avian-like race had been isolated on their own planet for the past sixteen years, as punishment for attacking the Trivaxians. But they had done everything Tomas had asked of them. Their society had been rebuilt from scratch. They were more Empire now than Furvor. And he had been thinking about cutting their punishment short and accepting them into the Empire now. After all, wasn’t the complete eradication of their former society punishment enough? He keyed his recorder again and sent out a message to the genetics center in Olympus City, telling them to start perfecting the immortality treatment for the Furvor. That was one more thing that he needed for everyone that joined.
The Trivaxians had already received theirs and would no longer age. But for them, he had to establish other laws, ones concerning births. They were not allowed more than a set quota of children per year, at least until they got to the point where they could sustain such growth.
After he finished with all that, he started on the last thing on his agenda: the Sowir, Nel, and Guxcacul. He knew that he needed them in the Empire, especially now when he knew what existed out there. He could get the Nel from Nelus and the Guxcacul to join, he was sure of that. But not if he tried to bring in the Sowir. And he knew that eventually he would need to do that. Maybe not for a long time yet, but a couple hundreds of years down the road, it would become a necessity. He couldn’t keep them isolated in their home system forever.
And they had proven surprisingly useful. They had been building civilian and cargo ships for the Empire in the shipyards that Adrian had left alone when he’d taken the system. And Tomas had allowed them to expand them a bit. So far, they had been acting very remorseful, and were eager to aid in any way possible. But the Sowir were very different from the other former Consortium races; they had moved on, and were focusing on the future. Nelus and the Guxcacul were still stuck in the past.
It would be a very hard conversation.
***
August; Tarabat
Adrian walked from the dropship to the bar that was just around the corner from where they had rented a pad. They were living out of the dropship, as it did have rooms, instead of going up to the Veritas every day. And so far they had made many contacts with the trading guilds. Once it had gotten out that they’d made a deal with one of the trading guilds, others had reached out seeking to get into trade with a new player and hopefully get an exclusive deal for their corporation or guild.
They had made a few deals—nothing on the same level as the one with the first one, but Adrian had permission from Tomas to promise a few things.
But sadly they were still not closer to the finding out about the Ra’a’zani. None of the contacts they made knew anything about them. There were a few whispers about a race that was engaged in a war with the Shara Daim, but no one knew if they were the same race that Adrian and his people were interested in. And information on the Shara Daim themselves was very limited; they kept their borders tight, only allowing a few trading partners entrance into their territory. And those trading guilds were the most powerful ones, which Adrian had no access to, as they were still new and had little to offer those guilds.
“Adrian?” Iris said through his implant.
“Yes, Iris?”
“I found something interesting in the Erasi net.”
“Concerning what?”
“One of their founding races, called Uvaramo.”
“What about them?” Adrian asked.
“They are very reclusive, but I have found some images of them. They bear a striking resemblance to one of the Union races, Loraru, the ones that built the ship Olympus found on Earth,” Iris said.
“Really?” Adrian said, surprised. “That could mean that the Union managed to survive their attackers.”
“Or that they fractured, and some survivors found refuge with the Erasi,” Iris added.
“That is possible too. Keep looking, try to find out more,” Adrian said as he reached his destination.
He entered the bar, and was immediately assaulted by exotic and unpleasant scents. He consciously tuned out his sense of smell, so that he didn’t need to smell the odors. He walked over to one of the aliens sitting alone at a table, a nasty-looking drink in her hands.
“Narateth,” Adrian said to get her attention. “Your message said that you had news?” Adrian asked the alien as she slurped the liquid through one of her slim trunk-like appendages. Adrian grimaced at the slurping sound. Narateth was of a race called the Jugat. They weren’t a part of the Erasi; their race didn’t really have a government or even held territory. Instead, their people lived spread out over the Erasi territory in family units, which usually numbered in dozens. They held businesses, providing a wide range of services on Erasi hub worlds. Narateth and her family served as mediators, usually employed by races new to the Erasi to help them navigate through the complex workings of Erasi trading systems.
The Jugat were another bipedal race, with two trunk-like appendages that they could use to drink located below their wide mouths. They had two eyes slightly bulged out of their head and to the side, giving them a faint fish-like appearance. Their skin was rough and thick, grayish in color. The tallest Jugat Adrian had seen was Narateth’s brother, Suthat, who was about Adrian’s height, a bit over 180 cm.
Narateth glanced at him and opened her mouth to speak while her trunk kept slurping her drink. “News, yes. Sit, sit.” Her voice and language translated directly into Adrian’s brain via the Erasi translating device on his temple.
Adrian sat on the bench. This bar catered to mostly bipeds, and with the many different shapes and forms even in that category, most of the sitting apparatuses were benches that could be adjusted for height and width.
“So what is it?” Adrian asked. Narateth had been acting as his people’s agent of sorts, setting up meetings with the interested guilds, spreading the word that they were interested in information about the Ra’a’zani and the Shara Daim and that they were willing to trade for it. Obviously they’d had a few come to them trying to scam them, but so far Narateth had proven very good in weeding out them.
“The people from the Loksi Corporation have reached out,” she said as she finished with her drink. She removed her trunk from the glass, then put a hand in one of her pockets, brought out a small chip, and paid for the drink using the small computer on the table.
“Finally,” Ad
rian said. “Do we know what they want?”
“No, they have invited you to their headquarters. Only you,” Narateth said. “It was much faster than what I anticipated; they rarely deal with new races unless they have funds to purchase their time. Something about you has intrigued them.”
“When?”
“In five days’ time. You may bring your companions, but they will not be allowed inside the building itself,” Narateth answered.
“And you have no idea what they might want? They do know that we will not trade in technology?” Adrian asked.
“They are not interested in that. Technology inevitably finds its way; you will not hold it secret for long. As to what they do want, I don’t know; you will have to find out on your own.”
Adrian sighed. “Very well. Can you try and find something more? We have a bit more time.”
“Of course,” Narateth said.
“Good. Then meet us at our dropship in five days.”
***
Aileen and Gotu walked the merchant streets of Tarabat. All around them were stores and businesses that sold a wide variety of things, from clothes that could be adapted on the spot for your species to ornaments and art. But they were here to look at weapons. There were many stores that sold handheld weapons in small amounts, just as there were stores that were fronts for much larger enterprises that could produce enough weapons to arm the entire population of Sanctuary.
Aileen and Gotu entered one of the stores that sold weapons for personal use; they were here to buy samples. With their fabricating technology, they didn’t need vast amounts; once they knew all the components, they could make them themselves.
They were met with an alien of a species that neither Aileen nor Gotu were familiar with, and he, she, or it took them to the section that had weapons designed for use by the races similar to Nel or human. Then he left them alone to browse. There were holograms that explained each weapon above them, which included footage of them being used.
“I don’t see any projectile weapons here,” Gotu noted.
“No, it looks like other races prefer energy weapons,” Aileen said. “Which isn’t really surprising, they are more price effective. You don’t need to manufacture tons of ammunition.”
Gotu reached down and picked up a handheld weapon. “A sonic stun gun. Effective against a majority of known races. Great for use by security forces or for nonlethal control of the population,” Gotu read off the hologram above while a video played of it being used against a group of people that had apparently been protesting something.
“It is effective,” Aileen said as the video finished and restarted from the beginning.
“That it is,” Gotu agreed.
They moved on, looking at other weapons. They didn’t really find anything that was more advanced than their weapons. Different, yes, but most of the weapons available were weaker than what the Empire had. They moved on to the armor and suits section, and found that all of their armor and suits were designed to protect from energy weapons. The Empire’s projectile weapons would cut through them like they weren’t even there.
They did find a couple of small deployable energy shields, which they purchased. But in the end, they left disappointed. The Erasi had little that was far more advanced than the Empire’s technology, at least from those that were available to the public. Aileen was sure that their best stuff was reserved for their military, but what they had available for the public was a reflection of their doctrine and weapons focus. And both Aileen and Gotu agreed that the Empire had far more extensive weapons technology.
After visiting a few more shops, they decided to go back to the ship. There was nothing else for them to check out.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Five days later – Tarabat
A violet flash of light announced the arrival of three Shara Daim vessels. Anessa watched as the space around the Bloodbringer, Deathcall, and Unbowed changed as they arrived in the Tarabat system. Immediately, the three large vessels were noticed by the large defense station protecting this entrance point. Anessa’s people sent their identifications and announced their intentions. Almost immediately, they were given permission to proceed to the planet.
Anessa studied the system, looking at all the arrays of ships moving about it. Her ship, the Bloodbringer, was the largest in the system, outmatching the two Erasi protectors. Her escorts, the Deathcall and the Unbowed, were smaller than Bloodbringer by almost a half, but it didn’t matter—all three were ships made for war. Part of a Legion of the Shara Daim, and none would dare take them on lightly.
Anessa accessed the Tarabat net, searching through lists of Erasi corporations that were most likely to have the information that she needed, and found only one that fit her criteria—the Loksi Corporation. She would need to pay an insane amount of credits just to get an audience with the Gatrey, the Erasi race that ran all their information-gathering agencies. But she was confident that they would have the information she was seeking.
Seeking the aid of the Erasi would cost her more than just credits, though. Aid from outsiders would erode her standing among the other Dai Sha. But she did not have the luxury of searching for the Ra’a’zani system by system, not when the Elders had ordered her to locate the Human homeworld. The times when they had been Dai Sha were long gone; they cared little for personal honor. Dai Sha could understand their eagerness to get their hands on the Human device, but she would not have been willing to abandon her blood call in order to do it. But their order had made her desires meaningless. She might have held almost as much power as any one of the Elders, but when they spoke for the good of the Shara Daim, even a Dai Sha bowed.
She composed a request and sent it to the Loksi offices. By the time she arrived at the planet, she would have an appointment. She would finally be able to finish the quest the Elders had given her, and then return to her true mission: wiping out the Ra’a’zani.
***
Adrian and his people walked over to the Loksi headquarters, which was relatively close to their location. The six of them were led to the building by Narateth. Once they arrived, Adrian was allowed in, leaving his people behind. Akash and Sora took positions close to the entrance and watched him enter with Narateth.
Once inside, Narateth led him to an alien of a species he was not familiar with, and then he was led the rest of the way by it. They arrived to one of the private rooms and Adrian entered. The room had no furniture and was completely empty. As the door behind him closed, the door across from him opened and a short alien entered the room. Adrian recognized the species as Gatrey, one of the founding members of the Erasi. As it entered, Adrian felt a shiver pass over him.
He had a large, bulbous head with big, round eyes, a short mouth, and two nostrils. Its skin was sickly green, and its body looked very weak; its limbs were thin, as was its body. The top of its head came to Adrian’s nose level. It wore a loose robe-like piece of clothing, and had no weapons that Adrian could see. Adrian had not been allowed to carry weapons inside, although they didn’t comment on his Sentinel suit.
“Greetings, Adrian of the Empire,” the alien said. “My name is Hanaru. I will be conducting our business today.”
“Greetings,” Adrian said as he studied the alien. “Can I assume that you already know what information we seek?”
“It would be preferable if you state your need, as to avoid any misunderstandings,” Hanaru said.
“We seek any information about the race that calls itself Ra’a’zani, specifically the location of their worlds. Also anything about their technology, warship numbers, and so on,” Adrian said.
Hanaru’s big eyes blinked slowly. “Is that all?”
Adrian hesitated for a moment before adding one more thing. “We are also interested in knowing more about the Shara Daim. But that information is not as important as that about the Ra’a’zani.”
“Really? I would have thought that you would show more interest about the Shara Daim; they have a striking resembla
nce to you and your Nel race.”
“It is an interesting coincidence only,” Adrian lied.
Hanaru remained silent, and Adrian felt the same shiver again. Then he realized what was happening and slammed his defenses down on his mind. Hanaru’s eyes focused somehow more intently on him, and then he felt him reach out again with his mind.
“So, you are more like the Shara Daim than we realized,” Hanaru sent.
Adrian narrowed his eyes at the alien, and then reached out with his own mind.
“What do you mean?”
“There are very few races that possess these kinds of abilities. Your physical resemblance to them had intrigued us. We wanted to know if there was a connection.”
“We are not the same species,” Adrian sent.
“No, we have acquired samples, and your biological structure is different. But there are still irregularities; we wanted to make sure.”
Adrian remained silent and studied the alien. After a time, he continued.
“You wish to know about the Ra’a’zani?” Hanaru asked, and Adrian felt him use his telepathy. A moment later, a hologram appeared between them, showing the Milky Way galaxy. Then it started zooming in at the area of space they were now. Finally, it stopped and showed an area of space that he recognized. In front of him stretched the Empire’s territory. It wasn’t a complete map, though; it lacked the area that was former Consortium territory, and Sanctuary was missing a marker—only the nebula was shown.
“You know a lot about us,” Adrian commented.
“Knowledge is our purpose. Your rapid expansion has been noticed,” Hanaru responded. Then the map zoomed out, and a series of systems along the edge of the Orion spur lit up, about four hundred light years from Sol. “These are the remaining Ra’a’zani systems.”
