by Aer-ki Jyr
Relying on secondhand information again. Why the intelligence division had to be so sloppy he could never understand.
Eventually a much smaller ship disconnected with the starport and freed up a dock, to which one of the Gnar jumpships began disgorging cargo ships to in a long line of continuous slow motion. It took some time before that line began to return with empty holds to cycle back and get more cargo crates. Paget knew unloading took forever, but at this rate he’d be here long enough to birth another 10 infants!
Deciding not to wait, he contacted the Hradeiti to demand a guide and access to the surface for his inspection. Surprisingly he got an immediate response along with a set of coordinates and an offer for pickup if he didn’t have a dropship available. He declined the second part and took to the planet in his own craft, eventually landing in the largest city on the planet and being met at the spaceport by a Calavari dressed in a uniform he didn’t recognize.
“Welcome, Gnar,” he said without sarcasm. “My name is Numshet. On behalf of the Hradeiti I am here to give you a tour of our facilities and to answer any questions you may have.”
Paget had to stare up at the Calavari, who was nearly 3 times his own height. “My fleet is offloading the materials promised. What exactly are they going to be used for? I saw no shipyard.”
“Unfortunately no. We haven’t progressed to that point as of yet. Our current battle fleet is being constructed via contractors in other systems. We’re taking Star Force commercial vessels with strong gravity drives and refitting them into warships. We will do the task ourselves in time, but right now it is more economical to work through them while we utilize surface based shipyards to construct our own smaller vessels,” he said as he lead the Gnar into the city.
“What size are we talking about?”
“Destroyers and smaller.”
“You use Star Force ship designations?”
Numshet nodded. “The core of the Hradeiti military is made up of former Star Force soldiers.”
Paget stopped in his tracks. “You mean to say this is all a clandestine Star Force operation?”
“No, not at all. We’re all ex-Star Force.”
“You personally?”
“Yes. I served some 14 years in the Calavari military as a naval officer. We never got paid, and I prefer credits, so I went looking for opportunities to put my skills to better use. I was in the employ of the Tennichoo mercenary unit for two years before being offered a position here. I haven’t regretted the decision.”
“Are you currently fighting? The Hradeiti I mean.”
“Yes we are. Attacking the lizards with an inexperienced army would be suicide. Right now Hradeiti units are engaging in mercenary work far from here where life is more lawless than Star Force will allow. I just returned two months ago from such a tour.”
“And the results?”
“We’re picking up some extra credits in addition to gaining battle experience, for both our personnel and getting the chance to field test and tune our equipment. It’s a worthwhile endeavor.”
“Who are you fighting for?”
“A range of small client worlds without the resources to support their own militaries. Most of the assignments are not complicated, but we’ve been picking a few out that are to better test our capabilities. It’s a work in progress, and those of us who’ve seen combat with the lizards know our troops aren’t ready yet. They’re getting there, but there’s a lot to do before we’re going to go up against that buzz saw. The lizards adapt so fast that we have to be equally as nimble, in both movement and thought. They are a formidable opponent, else others would have attempted this already.”
“What Human commands the Hradeiti?” Paget asked, assuming despite assurances that this was indeed a Star Force offshoot that they were actually getting other races to pay for!
Numshet shook his head. “None. We have no Humans in the Hradeiti.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is that a rule?”
“It is, actually, and one of the demands Star Force insisted upon. No Humans are allowed to join.”
“For what reason? They think this enterprise is doomed to fail?”
“No, though they’ve pretty much said as much. But those of us who’ve been in Star Force’s military know that’s also a way of challenging us into getting ourselves ready. Leave it up to corporate types and they’d have us charging in there and get slaughtered. No, the Hradeiti are not going about this clumsily and recruiting as many civilian and ex-Star Force personnel as we can get. But we’re not allowed to recruit or accept Humans. And that’s a permanent stipulation.”
“But why not? I don’t care for them, but it seems an odd thing to insist upon.”
“They insisted on a lot of things, all of which point us into having to do this on our own up until the point where we actually beat the lizards. Then Star Force will help us maintain what we’ve taken…so long as it’s within a 50 lightyear border zone. I think the suggestion is that if we manage to do this, and repeat it regularly, that we might venture beyond those 50 lightyears, at which point we will be operating totally on our own.”
“But why not just move laterally to stay within it?”
“We probably will, but if there’s a valuable target just on the other side of the line we might consider taking it. Personally I think they like the idea of others going after the lizards. The Preema already are to great effect, not to mention the Voku. Adding in smaller allies to the fight isn’t such a stretch of the imagination. The 50 lightyear border allows us a foothold to grow, then if we choose we can venture out truly on our own.”
“I have heard little of these Preema. What do you know of them?”
“Very powerful and very far away. They want to kill the lizards before they can get to their doorstep. I’ve never seen one in person, nor have many others. They are engaging on the far side of the occupation zone and further in towards the core.”
“Is that why Star Force isn’t pushing that direction?”
“Even when I was in the military I didn’t know the full answer for that. I can say that they’ve got their hands full and then some with all the systems rimward of here. The lizard empire has already been split in two, so it makes sense to apply all their strength on one half of it, especially when that half has their homeworld.”
“But these systems are far closer.”
“But not as critical.”
“Do you think this border is temporary then?”
“We’ve been told it is firm.”
“I don’t understand then.”
“Nor do most people, but it has given us a sense of normalcy. There are two Clans fighting on the border and taking a handful of worlds, so it’s not entirely fixed, and they’ve been given permission to push out as they can. It may be that this border is being used for training purposes. I don’t have any other answers to give to you about it, save to say that there is an opportunity here and will be in the next century to come. Beyond that I do not know what will happen. Star Force says the border is fixed, and they’re not known to be liars.”
“If they were they’d lose their pristine credibility. So they let you and others do their dirty work for them?”
Numshet laughed in a booming voice as they stepped into a lift car. “We are nothing compared to them. They could sneeze and take out a star system by accident. No, there is no comparison. But they do like seeing others improve and take on tasks for themselves, so them giving us this opportunity makes sense. They don’t trust many, but they’re giving us a chance to prove ourselves and we are not going to waste it.”
“Who is in charge then?”
“We have an executive council, but the leader of the military is Bra’shom. He’s ex-Star Force as well, and has an extensive history of fighting the lizards. He’s not a naval specialist. We’ve got a few of those too, thankfully.”
&n
bsp; “You don’t count yourself?”
“I only served a few years. Bra’shom fought with Star Force for over 300 years.”
“Why the change then?”
Numshet shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. We all have our reasons.”
“Is he also Calavari?”
“No, he’s Scionate.”
Paget hesitated as the lift doors opened again and the Calavari began to walk out. “Scionate?”
“Yes,” Numshet said, stopping and looking back.
“Aren’t they overly aggressive?”
“Perfect for fighting lizards, wouldn’t you say?”
“And unstable.”
“Not if they fought in Star Force, they’re not. Many people say the same about the Calavari,” he noted as Paget finally followed him out and they passed more people in the corridors than before. As stated, they were a mix of races but without a single Human in sight.
“Perhaps. But if some of my people are to offer their combat skills, how will they be integrated. We do not have your…size.”
“Any troops wishing to join the assault must first become Hradeiti. We will not be fighting a joint action. Too many command issues and inefficiencies. Make no mistake, this is not a sure thing. If we don’t do everything exactly right we fail and probably die in the attempt. And even if we do fight well, there’s no guarantee that we will win…which is why we have to come in with a superior numerical force just to have a chance. If Gnar wish to join we can make use of them in naval and aerial roles, but not ground troops.”
“That is probably wise.”
“Wise we must be, which is why the executive council is trying to get as many ex-Star Force personnel as possible, not just in the military but in all aspects. Half the council is also ex-Star Force.”
“What other backers have you acquired?”
“We have numerous corporations and 19 races, including the Gnar. We’re hoping to double that number in the coming years.”
“What’s the largest race?”
“The Reen.”
“What do they want here? Haven’t they got enough worlds already,” he grumbled.
“I don’t think there is ever ‘enough’ when you have growing populations. They are contributing a fair amount of resources to us, nothing over the top as far as what they’re capable of though. They’re treating this as an experiment. If we come through with the first system, they’ve promised far more support. Others have said the same. If we can start taking planets we’re going to be in the position to turn this into a very lucrative business.”
“Land for sale…and worlds that most of our ancestors would have passed on, this rock included.”
“Admittedly this world isn’t pretty to look at. No native lifeforms, harsh climate, but the air is breathable and we’ve got some large lakes. The rest of the planet is pure land and room for us to establish the type of infrastructure we need to fuel this crusade. It’s a home and base of operations, and like Star Force taught so many of us, if you live inside closed cities the outside environment doesn’t really matter, now does it?”
“A lesson everyone in the ADZ has learned given our shortages. How did you come by acquiring this world anyway?”
“I do not know that. I was recruited after the transaction had been made.”
“You never asked?”
“There are mixed rumors, but it seems that most people do not know.”
“Isn’t that odd if most of you are ex-Star Force? I thought you liked to keep things in the open.”
Numshet laughed again. “That’s an outsider’s point of view. Star Force has many secrets. The difference is they don’t lie to us about them, they simply don’t say anything at all.”
“A lie of omission?”
“No. Keeping your mouth shut isn’t lying. And there are a lot of things they won’t say.”
“Such as?”
“Like why this border is firm. They’ve just stated that it is and pointed out a few benefits of it.”
“What else have they not been open about?”
“Ever hear of an Arc Knight?”
“No. What is that?”
“Something that doesn’t appear in the public databases, but they’re rumored within the military. I saw one once, just for a moment in passing, so I know they’re real.”
“What are they?”
“Elite Knights, but whose existence is kept a secret. No denials that they exist and no corroborations. It’s a subject that won’t be officially discussed, and there are rumors of a great many other ‘things’ in Star Force that are present but not acknowledged. You only hear about them if you’re on the inside, but they never pop up in the databases. They’re secrets, not lies, and if you’re not specifically looking for them you’ll never know they exist.”
“This is common?”
“Hard to say, given that even we don’t know other than by personal experience. Lots of rumors, I only know of this one to be true. Someone probably knows why the border is firm as well but I don’t, and you can’t go look it up in the database. Hence it stays a secret to the masses.”
“Still a form of lying.”
“I can understand why outsiders would say that,” Numshet said, taking mild offense. “Until you’ve been in Star Force you don’t, and won’t, understand it.”
“And the Hradeiti have patterned themselves off of it?”
“Trying to, but we don’t have their tech level.”
“I was told you have cleansing beams?”
“That we do, and that is the only reason why we stand a chance against the lizards, but there is so much more tech that they don’t sell to the public that we really need. Like armor. We’re building our own and upgrading it as fast as we can, but it isn’t Star Force grade. We also need naval drones, but we’re having a hard time creating the command and control systems.”
“Why is that important?”
“So we don’t die when our ships get blown up in combat.”
“Sacrifices are necessary in warfare.”
“We appreciate the contributions the Gnar are making, but do not tell us how to fight,” the Calavari said with mild disdain. “You are putting your money on the line, not your lives, and if we do not handle this wisely you’ll lose your credits too. We know what we’re doing, and what we have to do. The more we can hold to Star Force combat philosophy the better equipped we will be to handle this. We will not be using tactics and methodologies of other races. Sacrifice is not a virtue within Star Force, nor is it in the Hradeiti.”
“That’s a naïve philosophy that Star Force clings to, but beside the point. You have to make this work, and as long as you do I will not argue your methods.”
“Thank you,” Numshet said sarcastically as they came to a rail car. They both stepped inside the small clear pod and the Calavari input a destination solution. Within a moment they were passing through the dark tube and the two were alone, with the car lit by only a group of small interior lights within the hard, clear bubble.
“My people have invested heavily in this endeavor. We will lose a lot if it fails.”
“The same is true of others. And we have no intention of failing.”
“Has a target been chosen yet?”
“No. And it would be pointless to do so now. We have to wait until we are ready to fight, then see what worlds are the weakest. The lizards are continuing to build defenses as we speak and things change from year to year. We won’t know where we’re going until we’re ready to go. And there are a great many options to choose from.”
Suddenly the car shot out through the exterior wall of a building and was traveling on a suspended rail through the city so that it looked like they were flying and Paget could see both above and below them with a nearly unobstructed view.
“We’ve built a lot thus far,” Numshet commented, “but we’ve still got a long way t
o go.”
The Gnar nodded, impressed at what he was seeing up close and starting to feel better about the chances of this operation actually succeeding. “How soon until you get a proper shipyard?”
“Within the decade, I’m told. When that happens we won’t be expending so many credits on custom work. We’ll have our own work crews recruited by then and save a lot of credits in the process.”
“Where are we headed?”
“To the Executive Council. They wanted to speak with you personally.”
“Why?” he asked, surprised.
“We want our investors to understand what we’re doing and why. Star Force-inspired openness. This isn’t a con nor an ill-advised endeavor. We’re serious, they’re serious, and the more people know that the more investors we’ll get.”
“So long as you don’t reduce the cut the Gnar will get.”
“Slots for the first world are already filled. Future investors will be getting smaller divisions of slots the Hradeiti are holding for themselves or on future worlds, assuming we can take the first.”
“That’s a big assumption,” Paget pointed out.
“Yes it is, but we like challenges,” the Calavari reminded him. “We may be ex-Star Force, but that part hasn’t changed a bit.”
6
November 29, 3148
Utia System (Occupation Zone)
Ventress
A Scionate wearing a Star Force-style uniform walked into the Executive Council’s small meeting chamber. More of a workroom than audience hall, it was where they conducted most of their business and ran the Hradeiti, organizing the continual influx of personnel and adding them to the planet’s working population. There wasn’t much of a civilian element present, for the planet had been devoted to a singular purpose and everyone allowed here was devoted to carrying it out.
