Beyond Death (Perimeter Defense Book #2)

by Michael Atamanov

  "Shall we also call in Popori de Cacha to translate?" Astra clarified, but I replied, "no." The head of my bodyguard had earned my temporary disfavor after what had happened on Joan the Fatty. Yes, I had already long ago figured out that it was not treason on his part; however, I still considered the Chameleon's behavior revolting.

  The respectably long Gamma Iseyek was not alone, but in the company of a six-foot-high praying mantis, which was considered practically dwarf-sized for an Alpha Iseyek. In addition, the general's companion, differently from the Alpha Iseyek I had seen before, was wearing a heavy armored suit over its chitin body. The insect was even wearing a transparent protective helmet on its head. The vigilant Phobos was immediately set on edge by the appearance of the unusual visitor. Any Alpha Iseyek, no matter how small, would have a dangerous set of sharp upper appendages. My bodyguard was also worried by the strange suit of armor the visitor was wearing...

  In order not to provoke my guard, the general asked his companion to take a seat near the door.

  "General Savasss Jach to say that he to bring explanatory transsslator for to conversssation with Princcce instead of, much shshshame, dead and talented Bionica," said Phobos, explaining the centipede's squeaking.

  "Allow me to introduce myself," the praying mantis sitting by the door said in clean-accented human language. "I have studied human language before, though it has been some time. My name is Nai Igir. I was specially trained to make contact with humans on the planet Sivala II; however, the Ulia massacre and the war happened before my tutors could finish teaching me."

  The Alpha Iseyek’s speech patterns sounded distinctly female to me, though I had no way of checking this information. There was no pop-up on the character, and I was not capable of differentiating the Iseyek genders visually. The general squeaked something out, and Nai Igir suddenly started taking off her suit, piece by piece. I looked on in surprise at the spectacle, before Nai Igir suddenly removed the breastplate and... extended a set of wings!!!

  "She is an Iseyek Prime," Phobos exclaimed with something approaching awe, before hurriedly putting his weapon away, which he had been keeping trained on the translator as she removed her armor. "A Swarm Progenitor."

  The translator said, explaining the situation.

  "Iseyek Prime are the race of Iseyek that first inhabited Sivala II. We created the other Swarm subraces as part of our scientific research. The Alpha Iseyek soldiers we created for capturing new territory, the Gamma Iseyek as academics and qualified technicians for complicated equipment, and the Beta Iseyek we created for everything else. Many other types of Iseyek were also created in these experiments, but we were unable to develop them into pure lines; they would all collapse into one of the three basic types in a few generations."

  General Savasss Jach let out long warble, and Nai Igir set about translating:

  "As a result of the Orange House attack on Sivala II, the number of Iseyek Prime was reduced to a critical level. As a consequence, the Swarm ceased to be under the control of the Progenitors, and began making decisions on their own. They grew drunk on the illusion of freedom they acquired, which pushed them toward irrational actions. So, some of the other Iseyek started looking on the remaining Iseyek Prime as a threat, a force that could perhaps want to claim a position of authority over the others again one day. A revolution followed in the Swarm, which lead to the Iseyek Prime going effectively extinct. Now the Swarm is some kind of advisory organ, where all important decisions for the Iseyek race are made collectively by approximately three thousand individuals. Your Highness has already had the chance to see that, quite often, decisions made in a simple majority turn out to be controversial, or sometimes even mistaken."

  It was hard not to agree to that, especially after the Swarm had agreed in the majority to condemn the allied Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet to death.

  "General, continue your thought," I said, trying to be as economic with my words as possible, as speaking had grown painful due to the stitches on my face.

  "I have been keeping Nai Igir hidden in suspended animation on my ship for one hundred seventy years now. The war with the humans has long since ended. The Swarm's hunt for the last Iseyek Prime is also long over. But all the while, the sleeping Progenitor has been awaiting her hour. And it seems to me that her time has come. Crown Prince, I heard out your emotional speech in Kej carefully on the common channel, and am in full agreement that the Swarm has made a historic error that may lead to the total extinction of the Iseyek race. In fact, many Iseyek realize that there is no way out of the situation that has arisen. Though the Sector Eight Fleet has hampered the Aliens, they will still be able to capture the Swarm's systems before we are able to ship out even one of the egg transports under construction."

  I winced in pain, and answered the general:

  "There is a way out of this situation, though it will be fairly difficult. The Swarm doesn't have the materials or resources to continue building their huge starships. That means the construction must be stopped in all systems except one or two. Some of the resources that are freed up will have to be sent to select systems to speed the construction of the remaining transports, and to build combat ships en masse at the freed-up docks to hold off the Alien invasion."

  I could barely make it, but I arrived at the end of the long sentence. The general heard me out carefully and answered:

  "Your Highness, those are very good ideas. The only thing is that the Swarm is no longer in a condition to recognize the error of the chosen strategy, given that it is still the same Swarm that made the decision in the first place. Also, figuring out what systems to sacrifice for the good of the others is something the Swarm will not be capable of. Every option has its opponents, and their votes are key in passing any proposed solution. And as such, the Swarm will die out, and there is nothing that can be done about it. And so, I am sure that the time for the Iseyek Prime to return is at hand. The past hatred toward them no longer exists even in memory. Now, it is more the opposite opinion prevailing in Iseyek society: that under the power of the Progenitors, the Swarm never would have ended up in such a dead-end. That's why we need to present Nai Igir for all Iseyek to see, and to assert her rights for all Iseyek to hear. She is one of the Progenitors of all Iseyek, and it is precisely she that must be given full power in order to save all the others."

  I kept silent, though there was a kernel of rationality in the general's words. But how then was I to assert the rights of this flying female, when we were totally cut off from contact with the Swarm? As if reading my thoughts, Savasss Jach continued:

  "My opinion, Crown Prince, is that it isn't worth trying to get the Bej system to turn their beacon on. Triasss Zess is expecting that, and the warp beacon guard team will say no. I recommend going straight to the Khe system and putting in a request from there to the Arite system. I have many old acquaintances there. I can't promise they'll turn the beacon on for me, but there's no way they won't hear me out. And then, I can tell them about the Sector Eight Fleet's victories, and rich trophies, the rescue of the scientists and the last of the Progenitors. Information on the heroic allied Imperial fleet on the Alien home front will spread throughout all Swarm systems instantly, and even beyond their borders. Hiding our existence further would be impossible. The Swarm will simply have to turn on a warp beacon for us and let us into Iseyek territory, thus admitting their own error. It's either that or they'll have to explain to billions of Iseyek and Imperial citizens why they need to bury alive Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, the victorious commander and close relative of the human Emperor."

  "General, your plan really might work. I give you my permission to carry it out. And now I want to clarify something for myself: should we keep hiding the fact that there is an Iseyek Prime in our fleet, or should we, in fact, announce the fact? How valuable is her life in the eyes of the rest of the Iseyek?"

  "That's for you to decide, Prince" said Nai Igir, translating the General's answer. "On the one hand, you could come ac
ross certain individuals with negative ideas about her. They even may try to eat her. On the other hand, the vast majority of the Iseyek would give their life for a Swarm Progenitor without hesitation. I would do so myself, as well as most of the generals and admirals I am acquainted with."

  Something in the General's words made me think. One day, I had seen a Swarm admiral making what appeared to be a totally unjustifiable self-sacrifice before. Four valuable battleships to rescue one badly damaged ship... I had mentally made a note to figure out what that was, and it seemed I had found just what Admiral Ogesss Tusk may have thought valuable enough to accept such a strange trade-off.

  * * *

  Nicole Savoia was showing me her brand new uniform with Orange House Space Fleet captain's insignia. I congratulated my assistant on her speedy rise up the career ladder and even compared it to the return of Napoleon. Either the girl really had not understood, or she simply didn't want to fall out of the game atmosphere and talk about events from real history. I hurried to change the topic:

  "Nicole, I need a full report on the results of the battle and the condition of the fleet."

  The girl was clearly fairly well prepared for the question, and so began giving detailed answers, including exact figures without even having to look down. I closed my eyes, listened and tried to memorize them. The Alien fleet had been totally wiped out. Not a single ship had escaped though our victory had come at a very high price. Both of my battleships were able to move again, and Bride of Chaos could even shoot, but both of the ships would need a couple months minimum to be repaired after they got to a real dock. There were thirteen heavy cruisers left in working order: Emperor August, Boydur the Hero, Hunchback's Heir, Pride of the Nation, Supernova Rage, Wrath of the Gods, Nita the Beautiful, Queen of Beauty, and five Legashes. If you counted the rest of what survived the last few days' troubles, there were twenty-four light cruisers, fifty-five destroyers, one hundred seventy-two frigates, twenty-four cloaked frigates and the Tria. It was not a bad picture at the end of the day. Sure, the Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet had taken heavy losses in battle with the Aliens, but it had done a great job demonstrating its terrifying power nevertheless. The officer finished her speech:

  "In the neighboring Khe system, our spies are reporting on a small Alien fleet: seven Sledgehammers, two Chainsaws, and eleven Meteors. The Aliens are behaving passively, simply circling not far from the warp beacon. Easy prey. Taking them out should be no problem."

  I couldn't hold in the smile, despite my cracked lips and sewn-up cheeks. Not long ago, Nicole had fallen into a state of near panicked desperation when seeing just one Sledgehammer. Now, when she saw a fleet of twenty Alien ships, she called it "easy prey." My young ward was learning. Clearly...

  "Your Highness, I have completed the ship roll call. My opinion is that the fleet will need around two days to complete repair work currently under way, get the slightly damaged ships back in order, and re-equip Emperor August as a flagship. But the commander situation is worse. Admiral Kiro Sabuto will be out of commission for at least a week and a half after his operation. Admiral Kheraisss Vej is prepared to take control of the fleet temporarily, but only if no other candidates can be found, as he has little experience commanding human and Chameleon ships. The simultaneous interpreter problem then arises too. Admiral Kheraisss Vej cannot constantly translate his own orders to all different species. That was why the question worried me: would your Highness be able to leave the hospital in two days and lead the battle?"

  "I will be able to walk. My leg is just twisted. It'll be better soon. If I really have to, I'll borrow Florianna's flying chair for a bit. But then talking and giving commands... I just don't know. So, Nicole, you will be leading the fleet into battle in the Khe system. I will be there next to you to keep you calm, but nothing more. And the language problem has already been solved: General Savasss Jach has found an excellent translator among the Iseyek. She speaks human language quite workably, though she will have to study up on fleet terminology. Do you feel ready to lead ships into battle?"

  "Not yet. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this to come so soon," the officer admitted candidly. "But I can be ready in two days. I will not let your Highness down."

  The door had barely closed behind Nicole when Popori de Cacha slipped into the hospital room. The Chameleon came up to my cot, bent down low on his haunches, and laid his two blades down before me on the table.

  "Tuki-tuka-de-sa, it would be within your rights to punish me for usurpation of power, but first I ask you to hear out my justification. After the Behemoth's explosion I..."

  "We can skip over the episode with Phobos attacking me," I said, interrupting my bodyguard head's speech. "What I want to know now is where Bionica's head is."

  "Here it is," said the Chameleon, taking the android's decapitated head from his backpack and placing it on the bedside table.

  My heart skipped a beat. Bionica... How I need you now... No Iseyek Prime can take the place of my synthetic blonde...

  My subjects have already checked: the memory crystals have not been damaged. The control unit is also intact. The chips are just fine. I would think the service company could find a new body for your secretary no worse than the last one, and restore Bionica's personality as well."

  I looked at the head of my guard. So he knew the android could be fixed and did everything necessary to save Bionica's memory from the dying cruiser?

  "You are totally forgiven, Popori de Cacha," I declared, ordering the Chameleon to stand with a majestic wave of my hand. "On the day my secretary returns to us, you will be generously rewarded. You have my word as a Crown Prince!"

  "As you wish, tuki-tuka-de-sa! There's one more thing though. After the ceremony in the holy cave on Sss, my body began to change gender, and the unpleasant situation and change in circumstances over the last few days only sped-up the process. As of now, I am a female for the next few years, as I was at birth until becoming a male warrior. And it is for that reason that I am asking your Highness to remove me from my duties as guard commander and give them to a male."

  Just to make sure, I took a look at the character information.

  Popori-de-Cacha, bodyguard division commander

  Race: Chameleon

  Gender: female at present

  So then! That was it! I just had one man's man left in my close circle, and now he had changed gender! All that was left was for Phobos to lay eggs, and I would be surrounded by nothing but members of the fairer sex.

  Popori de Cacha remained silent, waiting for my decision. I was not prepared to release the Chameleon, who had shown her reliability and mastery many times before.

  "Listen, de-sa, is there no way for Ravaash females to be warriors? The captain of Surprise-1 is a young Chameleon female, and no one has any doubts in her abilities."

  "The laws of the Ravaash race do not forbid females from being warriors, unless de-sa is preparing to have children soon. But the most capable warriors in history are thought to have been males. Their physiology is better suited to hand-to-hand and long-range combat. Your Highness's other bodyguards are the best warriors my nation has. And a female appearing among them could be perceived negatively, which might lead to your Highness's standing taking a dive."

  "Alright, Popori de Cacha. Listen to my decision: you will remain in charge of my bodyguards until you yourself think that all the other Chameleon guards have surpassed you in ability, or you decide that the time has come for you to make for the island of young females on Unatari."

  The head of my guard took a bow, picked up Bionica's head, and set off for the exit. I stopped the Chameleon at the door:

  "The arrested corporal from Surprise-28 was brought here to the Iseyek cruiser on a rescue shuttle from Joan the Fatty, but I haven't heard anything on his further fate. Where did he get sent off to?"

  Popori de Cacha started to think, but then answered, not hiding her surprise:

  "I can say with absolute confidence that the three arrestees die
d in the explosion of the first Behemoth. I saw their dead bodies with my own eyes. As such, I'm not sure I understand your Highness's question. Perhaps the Crown Prince is confusing the dead corporal with someone else of similar appearance?"

  "Perhaps... Alright, you can go."

  That means he wasn’t able to get off the dying ship after all... I looked at Astra, listening to music in her headphones, then turned my gaze on Phobos. The Arite could be anyone. I had to keep that in mind all the time now.

  Insect Bigwig

  Nicole was doing a great job at the reins. She had competently led the Sector Eight Fleet to the Khe system at four hundred miles from the Aliens, confidently arranging the ships into combat formation. Both battleships were slightly in front. Six miles behind them were thirteen heavy cruisers. Antisupport and electros were another thirty behind them. The frigates were split up into two groups, waiting for the Aliens to take maneuvers.

  I myself would have done it a bit differently, perhaps more aggressively. The enemy had very few small ships, which could have all been taken out in one quick attack, then I would have had our electros deafen the Sledgehammers' weak sensors and fully paralyze the enemy ships until our big guns could arrive. All the same, I did not intervene in my assistant's work, simply observing her actions.

  Nai Igir was to my right. Today was the first day she was appearing in public, though her arrival was taken with complete apathy. It wasn't at all the reaction I was expecting from the Iseyek, so I requested that Nai Igir remove the armored suit hiding her transparent-blue wings, and she agreed. And the Iseyek Prime had barely opened her wings before the reaction of the Iseyek in the fleet surpassed even my wildest expectations. The enthusiastic yelping, crackling and howling from the mass of insects on the common fleet channel was such that I even had to remove my headphones so as not to go deaf.