Star Force: Mak'to'ran (3)

by Aer-ki Jyr

  Now that he was in orbit he was getting a lot more data on the surface infrastructure. There was a single defense shield covering a small portion of the planet and a pair of anti-orbital batteries that were also powered up. Both of them opened fire on Mak’to’ran’s fleet, drawing no response as the warship’s shields simply absorbed the incoming fire.

  “Do not make me question your intelligence,” Mak’to’ran transmitted to those on the surface. “Your defenses are pathetic. Stand down and you need not be killed. Turn over all Ter’nat and Zen’zat intact and I will allow all I’rar’et to leave the system onboard one of your ships after interrogation. I have no need for taking prisoners and do not want to bother unless necessary. If I have to fight you, that will change…assuming you live. Cease fire, lower your shields, and prepare for an orderly handover of infrastructure,” he said almost casually.

  The firing continued, forcing one of his ships to climb to a higher orbit before its shields were breached, but once it went out of range the planetary gunners apparently saw the futility in their defense their weaponry fell silent. A few minutes later the defense shields dropped and several I’rar’et in different locations signaled that they would comply.

  With a thought Mak’to’ran sent the order to dispatch the landing teams. First went the Zen’zat gunships, then drop pods with even more and a few Era’tran commanders as he observed from orbit. When a landing zone was secured he left the command deck and headed down in his own drop pod, wanting to inspect what the I’rar’et had been building personally.

  He walked out in full armor, not bothering to transmit a false ID signature. Ter’nat were no threat and all the I’rar’et and their Zen’zat had been collected and confined in this area as well as all of their aerial ships having been confiscated across the planet by advance strike teams. Mak’to’ran was in no danger, so he began to roam around the holding pens where the Ter’nat were being held in tiny cells, some 5-8 individuals in each.

  They looked underfed, and with a quick comm he confirmed that there were large stockpiles of foodstuffs still in cargo crates in warehouses and some on landing pads that hadn’t yet been moved. It seemed that this planet was understaffed and the I’rar’et were shoving Ter’nat here faster than the infrastructure and staff were ready to handle…probably in response to Mak’to’ran’s retaking of the refuges.

  The Era’tran moved on, finding the inhabited areas where traditional Ter’nat structures, albeit small ones, had been erected and inside of which millions were moving about apparently unaware of their ownership change. The I’rar’et probably hadn’t announced anything to them other than the move order and Mak’to’ran confirmed that as he telepathically interrogated dozens of them without their knowledge. They did not have the Ikrid blocks that the Zen’zat did and their minds were so simple he could handle multiple ones simultaneously, finding that they knew nothing at all save for when they had come here.

  Most within the past 3 months, and when they’d arrived the city had only been partially constructed. Now there was a fully functioning one and multiple expansions, inside of which Ter’nat life continued as it normally did…slow, pointless, and self-absorbed. The various competitions used to select Zen’zat were only in limited effect, and no simulated wars had begun yet.

  The latter served two purposes, the first being to give combat experience so the V’kit’no’sat could assess their skills, with the second being an impromptu military available if a Ter’nat world was ever invaded. Such things didn’t happen anymore but there was always that threat, and even though they were just Ter’nat they were part of the empire and needed to be able to defend themselves or at least help their custodians defend them in an emergency situation.

  Ter’nat did have stockpiles of small arms, aerial craft, and very basic versions of Zen’zat armor. Era’tran didn’t consider any of that to be a problem, and on some more advanced Ter’nat worlds there were even training missions led by Zen’zat offworld to deal with tiny threats outside the empire that would normally not rise to the V’kit’no’sat’s level. Ter’nat couldn’t leave the refuges without escort and rarely ever did even then, but while most Ter’nat were lazy and maintained only for their ability to reproduce, there was some small amount of sophistication in their societies…most of which did not appear to be present on this planet as of yet.

  Mak’to’ran was going to have to arrange for that, and quickly. If Ter’nat were left to their own motivations they would devolve into a chaotic mess. Overseers had to be present to handle leadership, and with proper training the Ter’nat could carry out orders, but in previous tests the Era’tran had done with allowing the pathetic race to lead itself they had failed spectacularly.

  When an individual was located and deemed to have potential they were elevated into a different tier then allowed to stay there or progress forward based on merit, resulting in a very select few at the highest level that were looked at to potentially be Zen’zat…but they had to undergo additional training and testing before proving themselves worthy, though field experience greatly shortened their path to being accepted.

  When they were accepted, the scrawny Ter’nat were altered, both physically and mentally, as they gained muscle mass, mental upgrades similar to Sav but in a much more primitive fashion, and many other alterations just to compensate for their race’s weaknesses even before the size and sense enhancements were applied. The end result was a different race. Zen’zat were not Ter’nat, they were something else meticulously created individual by individual, and without all the preparation and sifting beforehand, the physical and mental enhancements were wasted. Ter’nat had potential…the Era’tran had seen it long ago…but only in the best their race had to offer after heavy modification.

  The Ter’nat race, en mass, was next to useless and simply grouping them together and letting them reproduce was not enough, and from what Mak’to’ran was seeing here the I’rar’et did not fully understand what they were trying to do. They may have assisted on refuges across the galaxy, but apparently they hadn’t learned from the experience. They were replicating some aspects here but skimping heavily, and the Era’tran knew from a long history of experimenting with Ter’nat that that was a quick route to failure.

  The amount of competent Zen’zat any Ter’nat colony produced was a result of the care and attention applied to the population. It was not an automatic process.

  Mak’to’ran sighed, which sounded like a long slow growl that spooked the Ter’nat nearby as he walked down one of their narrow streets…too narrow. It was alright for the Ter’nat, but not for Era’tran. The I’rar’et didn’t intend for any Era’tran to be here so they’d apparently altered the standard architectural protocols to accommodate themselves. That was something that would have to be rectified, but Mak’to’ran still thought it would be more economical to fix this planet than abandon it.

  As he roamed and inspected with growing distaste at how the I’rar’et had botched this colony from the start, his mind wandered to the Humans. There had been a lot of information recovered about their civilization and their population was most definitely not Zen’zat…but they weren’t Ter’nat either. No experiments had ever been done with upgrading the base Ter’nat population, and the Era’tran had been very interested in how they operated and particularly in their history of development. Files concerning that had been shared with Mak’to’ran, and after reading through most of them to date he knew that there were still more questions than answers.

  He knew that they’d require a functioning colony in order to do the necessary tests, but what they had learned so far was interesting. The Humans were still pathetic and the Archons that rose out of their unorganized mess were the equivalent of Zen’zat, though in even lesser numbers. That was probably due to the fact that there was a very high level of self-determination within Star Force uncoupled from guidance. Freedom was necessary to determine those who wished to be Zen’zat, but while a Ter’nat couldn’t be forced into that path, for
loyalty couldn’t be programmed, they did need a heavy hand directing them at all times prior to their ascension…at which point their true training would begin and they’d take their place as servants of the empire.

  For a long moment Mak’to’ran considered his own new sanctioning ability and the possibility about sending an expedition to capture some of the Humans so he could start a Human colony in order for comparison testing against the Ter’nat, but he sadly dismissed that valuable research because even touching a Human without intent to kill would be construed by many as tarnishing his reputation with the stench of the treason he was currently immune from.

  A pity, for the V’kit’no’sat could learn much from this heresy. Perhaps these Humans could produce identical Zen’zat at higher rates, which would require less colonies for the empire to maintain.

  But there was no empire now, and if such a project was to be undertaken he could not do so while jeopardizing his ability to reforge the V’kit’no’sat. Yet another reason to hate the arrogant, for they were costing the empire yet one more potential advantage. A united V’kit’no’sat could wade through the treason and salvage some benefit from it, but with the distrust that had fractured the empire Mak’to’ran couldn’t act so boldly. He mission was to reforge, not expand, and this potential line of expansion would be counterproductive. If it had been compatible he would have sent ships immediately, for he needed all the advantages he could get for his growing splinter of an empire, but sadly this was not the case with the Humans.

  These Ter’nat, however, he could salvage and the Urrtren relay itself was a significant piece of infrastructure. He’d lay claim to it all, but it would take more than a combat fleet to right this. Mak’to’ran was going to have to assemble a full renovation team and he didn’t have a lot of those resources that weren’t currently being used…but he did have allies and the Era’tran were the ones that still took a majority stake in the guidance of the Ter’nat. He knew they’d respond with as many personnel and resources as needed to handle this…and he didn’t need to ask for Itaru’s approval.

  Mak’to’ran realized he was going to be using his sanctioning ability quite a bit going forward, and now that he’d gotten over that mental hurdle and disconnected with Itaru’s standards entirely, a galaxy full of opportunity and pitfalls expanded in his mind. He wandered around the Ter’nat colony for hours, inspecting it as his mind was distant. When he finally returned he had settled on numerous new courses of action, accepting that his new V’kit’no’sat would either keep up with the changes or splinter apart in self-destruction…but if they were to be true V’kit’no’sat they would rise to the challenge, and if not then they deserved to never recover what they once had.

  The dominant did not make excuses. The dominant made things work, and if his alliance was truly to become the V’kit’no’sat once again then being conservative was inappropriate. Experimenting with the Humans would be overreach at this point, but if he was going to lead the V’kit’no’sat through this catastrophe and back to their mantle of stewardship over the galaxy, he couldn’t be beholden to the memory of the past.

  Mak’to’ran was the V’kit’no’sat now, and he needed to start acting like it.

  10

  January 1, 3645

  Vviot System (V’kit’no’sat temporary capitol)

  Conclave Barkod

  “We have done well thus far,” Mak’to’ran said to the full assembly of diplomats and the highest ranking bureaucrats in the Conclave main audience chamber, currently sealed off from the rest of the station for the duration of this address, “and the recent inclusion of the Seon faction of the Brat’mar has given us a badly needed increase in strength in the Ollokon Sector. This Conclave is functioning properly, without discord and working for the mutual benefit of all. This is how the V’kit’no’sat are meant to be, but there is still one glaring absence here that I am going to rectify.”

  “We are V’kit’no’sat. Our empire was created to do the impossible…fight and one day destroy the Hadarak, cleansing the galaxy of their plague and saving countless races from extermination. More than that, they are destroying worlds with the inability to replace them. For all our knowledge and longevity, we have not seen the creation of new planets save for on a few occasions, and those have been the collision of smaller objects into a communal gravity well or the densification of nebula to the point of spherification.”

  “Likewise we do not know the origin of stars beyond a similar process. What occurs when the hydrogen has fused and the stellar radiation disappears? We’ve seen it happen in isolated systems, but what about galaxy-wide? We have not found a cyclical process of rejuvenation, but rather a very long life cycle without an apparent origin. If planets are being destroyed we do not get new ones to replace them. If races are eradicated, we do not get new ones rising up on dead worlds. The origin of life and of this galaxy is a mystery, and only a fool would assume that such things are in a natural balance that will right itself.”

  “Left unchecked, the Hadarak consumed worlds across half the galaxy before we rose to counter them. We do not know if that was the length of their maximum expansion or if they would have spread everywhere if given enough time. Our fortune was the density of planets and races in the galaxy, for the Hadarak could not consume them quickly. Likewise, existing races have the ability to advance, adapt, and branch out, creating spurs and with help transition to other worlds. How long has it been since we acquitted that responsibility?”

  “The answer is very long, because we are not taking back worlds from the Hadarak. We are not taking the shattered remains of broken planets and fusing them into new worlds. We have held the current line. We have maintained…when did we cease to be conquerors and become curators?”

  “In order to counter the Hadarak we must advance, adapt, and grow. We must become their true counter or this galaxy is doomed. No one else has the strength to cull them, let alone destroy them, and the larger their numbers grow the faster they spawn. You know this if you’ve been trained appropriately, so why has it been forgotten? Why have things of lesser importance taken priority? The Hadarak are our primary foe, and right now the Oso’lon and J’gar are expending huge amounts of resources to hold them at bay while the rest of the former V’kit’no’sat races play power games. We here, now, are not strong enough to hold the Hadarak back and defend ourselves against our wayward brothers or we would be doing so, but when will that change?”

  “It will change when this conflict has come to an end, and to do that we have to keep fighting and hope the two founding races can hold on long enough. Suspicions of treason aside, they are doing their duty. We must grow strong enough to aid them, and we cannot do so if we hold to the maintenance policies of Itaru. Up until now we’ve had other concerns to worry about, and our population and system control is small compared to the whole of the empire, but we are no longer fringe. We are no longer rebels. We have legitimacy, and the more V’kit’no’sat we are the more our wayward brothers will remember their duty.”

  “But there is one function we have not been utilizing, and I am correcting that now. Our races have been hindered with growth restrictions, both in terms of population and territory. Though it will invoke the ire of others, I do not care. It is time to return to being true V’kit’no’sat, and until the Hadarak are defeated we should not even think of putting restrictions on our growth.”

  “That said, we cannot get sloppy and misuse the resources we have. Nor can we wildly go running around the galaxy grabbing as many worlds as possible or reproducing faster than we have resources to cover. Given that I am the temporary leader of the V’kit’no’sat, I am hereby using my authority to alter current territorial quotas and population restrictions. Those who prove themselves worthy with the resources they have will be granted permission for limited expansion. If used appropriately more will follow. I am NOT granting unlimited expansion rights. The Conclave will still regulate such matters, but not to suppress. It will regulate in order to or
ganize our growth in the most efficient and effective means possible.”

  “We are V’kit’no’sat, we should not fear strength. We should not fear numbers. We need both, as much as we can get, and as fast as possible to reinforce the Oso’lon and J’gar…and if we are able to do so we will not stop there. We will grow as large as necessary to defeat the Hadarak, impossible as that task may be. Why we ever stopped trying I do not understand, but I can assume the arrogant were involved in that hindering. Many of our people will die in the fighting to come, both against our brothers and the Hadarak, but we knew and accepted this from the moment we were hatched or born. We do not waste our lives, but doing our duty is more important than simply living…for if we fail, the galaxy and everyone in it is likely to die.”

  “Death before dishonor. Death before stagnation. Death before weakness. We are strength incarnate, and we will remember it again. If we are not worthy and we all die, then so be it! We are V’kit’no’sat. We hide from nothing. We adapt, we train, we learn, we grow, and one day we will destroy the Hadarak or die trying. There is no middle ground. Each race committed itself to this course when membership was granted. Each Zen’zat commits to this when they are ascended. Oaths cannot be rescinded. This is our duty. This is our path. Those who stray from it are beyond contempt and will be destroyed.”

  “Many of you are younger than I, and perhaps you were not taught properly. That will be remedied shortly. I will do my duty and lead the V’kit’no’sat as is proper. You will remember or learn the way of the V’kit’no’sat or you will be replaced by others who adjust more quickly. This Conclave cannot be lax, it cannot be hesitant, it cannot be focused on ‘maintaining’ while the inner core of the galaxy continues to burn as the Hadarak feed. There are still races in there that have yet to be attacked. Our complacency imperils them. We have to push against the Hadarak, and push hard. The more of them we can kill the less they will be able to resist. We must force them back to their black holes and imprison them there while we discover a means of terminating them. Waiting and holding the line is unacceptable, and had Itaru been doing its job we never would have had this stagnation settle upon us.”