“She says to help alleviate the stress level she senses in the air, she’ll agree to go.” Ketrick turned back to Riot and Rippa. He gave the former a quick wink and the latter a rib. “Try not to get blown away.”
“Why you—”
Whatever expletive Rippa was going to use was lost as Vikta leapt into the air. In one quick motion, she exited the open cargo bay and maneuvered into the Grovothe hangar. Amid the yells of the Grovothe, Vikta grew in size. Once no larger than a Shetland pony, the dragon’s wings elongated and her body grew until she was nearly as large as the Valkyrie itself.
“All units stand down,” Admiral Tricon spoke into a square button located on the left side of his uniform. “Do not fire. I repeat, do not fire.”
With a rush of wings, Vikta was gone out the force field separating the hangar from the cold of space.
The white noise of workers in the hangar gradually picked back up. The show was over, and it was back to business as usual. The shouts, roars of engines, and sounds of heavy tools being used made Riot think of the Bulwark’s hanger bay.
“If you’d follow me,” Admiral Tricon said, motioning to Riot to join him. “We have much to discuss. I imagine you have a list of questions of your own.”
“I do,” Riot said, following the admiral through the hangar. Ketrick, Wang, and Doctor Miller followed, as well as Rippa and the rest of the Grovothe officers and soldiers.
The group made their way through the long hangar, up a lift, and down a wide hall. While they were walking, Riot noticed a few gawks and mouths drop as they passed. She got the sense that they weren’t necessarily looking at her, but at Ketrick.
“Is there something wrong with bringing a Trilord on board your ship?” Riot asked the admiral as she tried to match her usual long strides to the much shorter Grovothes. “Am I missing something here?”
The admiral looked up at Riot with a hard stare. Riot had seen that look before. She had seen it in General Armon’s eye when he was deciding exactly how much she needed to know while on a need-to-know assignment.
“We do our best to monitor and understand as many species as we can on alien planets. The more we know, the better off we’ll be. The Trilords are a race we’ve monitored closely. Their size and brutality make them a concern if they ever reached a point where they were able to travel off-world.”
“I get that. They’re a tough species, and like all of us, can be rash at times,” Riot said, thinking back to her run-in with the Brute faction of Trilords on Hoydren. “But the Trilords are just like us; some good, some bad, and others fifty shades of crazy. You can’t label an entire species on the acts of a few.”
“Well, that’s something I’ll have to take your word for, Captain.” Admiral Tricon stopped in front of a room with a pair of steel doors. The doors slid open as soon as the admiral moved to enter.
Inside the room was small, grey, circular table. Around the table, a much larger circle of chairs were placed in perfect distance to one another. The admiral took a seat, with Rippa on his right and the other uniformed Grovothe on his left. The guards who accompanied the admiral stood sentry by the door.
“Please, sit,” Admiral Tricon said, motioning to four empty chairs by the door. “I prefer to talk openly. I’m an old war dog, so I’m not used to politics or word games. Tell me what it is you want. If I can be of assistance, I will let you know.”
I like him already, Riot thought. Too soon to trust him, but so far so good. Maybe we can work with these Grovothe after all.
“We can start with what the heck we ran into when we arrived at our rendezvous point,” Riot said, nodding over to Wang, who was still dressed in his black-and-red armor. “I had to have half my crew gear up for battle as soon as we arrived.”
“The Karnayers have been one of our enemies for a very long time,” Admiral Tricon answered. “We’re orbiting a planet now the Karnayers have taken a special interest in. We had no way of knowing a Karnayer destroyer would intercept us when we arrived, but maybe we should have. We’ve had suspicion they’ve been militarizing the planet’s populace, but no real proof until recently.”
“How recently?” Doctor Miller leaned forward, speaking for the first time.
“I take your meaning,” the admiral said. He pursed his lips. “And you’re right. When we found out what the Karnayer were up to, we decided to take you up on your offer to meet.”
“Before that, you didn’t want to?” Riot asked just to be sure. She felt like she already knew the answer, but they had come this far to get the whole truth. No stone left unturned. “You didn’t think we were worth the trouble.”
“We knew the Syndicate had advanced your species hundreds of years by giving you the tech you use today. We weren’t sure if you were ready and or capable of becoming a strong ally in the war against the Karnayers. Even after seeing what you did on Hoydren,” the Admiral answered. “New information encouraged us to reach out. The Grovothe Empire is vast, but even we are spread too thin. Keeping peace throughout the known universe has depleted our resources.”
“What did you find?” Ketrick asked, leaning forward in his seat. The Trilord’s massive bulk looked almost comical in the tiny Grovothe chair. Riot wondered whether or not, when he stood up, the seat would stick to his butt. “What did you find that would encourage you to reach out for assistance?”
“We didn’t reach out for assistance,” Rippa growled. “We returned your call for help.”
“Regardless,” Admiral Tricon said, giving Rippa a hard stare, “we’re all here now.”
The admiral pressed a few buttons on his chair’s armrest. The small table in the center of the seated group came to life. A blue holographic display appeared in the space above the table. A picture of the planet they orbited now came to life.
“This is the planet Raydon, inhabited by the local species of Zenoth.” The admiral changed the image to a blue see-through picture of what looked like a massive insect. Large pincers erupted from the alien species’ face. Giant black eyes were set in its head. The creatures looked like they traveled on four of their six legs. Their bodies were segmented, like an ant’s. “The Zenoth are an insect species that has dominated control of Raydon to the point that there are no other living creatures on the planet except for the Zenoth. Their need to spread and control has made them kings of their planet. Now that they have completely consumed Raydon, they have been working on ways to spread to other planets in their star system.”
“The Zenoth don’t seem technologically advanced enough to do that.” Doctor Miller leaned in even further from her chair to get a look at the insect-like Zenoths. “Unless I’m missing something. How far have they advanced?”
“For this, I’ll hand the conversation over to Major Gunna,” the Admiral said, motioning with his hand to the Grovothe on his right. “Major Gunna has been boots on the ground with her Spartan fire team, gaining intelligence over the last few weeks.”
Major Gunna pointed to the blue see-through holographic image of the Zenoth. “You’re correct Doctor Miller. The Zenoth are not technologically advanced enough to create a means of transportation beyond their own planet. From the data we gathered, I suspect they’re only just becoming familiar with computers and data of their own. However, the last visit to one of their hives on Raydon showed us that the Karnayers have shared their technology with the Zenoth. They’re building ships, weapons, and armor far past their own understanding. We believe the Karnayers are militarizing them, sharing their own tech in exchange for their loyalty, and if we’re right, we’re all in a hell-load of trouble. The Zenoth number in the billions.”
Just like the Syndicate did with us, Riot thought. She leaned back in her chair, thinking of the repercussions of the information. Well, not exactly. The Syndicate tried to wipe us out to make us learn. The Karnayers are exchanging tech for soldiers with the Zenoth.
“That’s why the Karnayers were here,” Riot said out loud. “They were en route to give the Zenoth more tech, or check in on their progre
ss.”
“More than likely,” Major Gunna said, looking to the admiral and nodding at the hologram.
The admiral flicked another button on the control arm of his chair. The holographic image transitioned once more, this time showing a ship that looked like a blimp, along with schematics for armor to fit over the Zenoth and a crude type of blaster with sharp points and a wide grip.
12
“You can see what they’re manufacturing in their hives below ground,” the admiral said, motioning to the hologram. “Needless to say, we can’t let them arm their billions of Zenoth soldiers.” Major Gunna looked through the hologram, directly at Riot. “We need to shut them down, permanently.”
“And I’m sure you’ve tried to reason with them.” Doctor Miller looked at Riot as if the two were thinking the same thing. “Wait, does this mean you’re in a declared state of war with the Karnayers?”
The gathered Grovothe officers sitting on the opposite side of Riot and her team smirked at the doctor’s questions.
“The Zenoth will not be reasoned with,” Admiral Tricon said, reining in the conversation. “You’re, of course, welcome to try if you like, but every attempt has been met with aggression. They only understand one thing: spread. As for your second question, that is a bit trickier. I told you before, I don’t do politics. The Allfather knows there are enough Grovothe back on our homeworld to do that. The Karnayer military will deny any mention of their activity in militarizing other species. When we bring them proof, they renounce any of the allegations, stating they had nothing to do with the occurrence and that those Karnayers found guilty were rogue, acting on their own accord.”
“Seems like a nice alibi,” Riot said. She ran her tongue across the inside of her teeth while she thought. “The Karnayers can then do whatever they want. If they do get caught, they just brand those found out as working on their own. Kinda ingenious, if you think about it.”
Everyone in the room looked at Riot with wide eyes.
“What? I wasn’t saying I like it, but it’s smart. So, what’s the game plan here? You decided to take us up on our offer to combine forces because you can’t do this alone, right?” Riot asked, looking between the admiral and the major. “You want us to help you take out this Zenoth threat.”
“The Grovothe are more than capable of dealing with the Zenoth on our own,” Major Gunna said, bristling as if Riot had just insulted her height. “We’re a warrior race. We don’t back down from anyone.”
“Easy there.” Wang extended his hands, palms up. “We don't mean you couldn’t. Let’s just say it would be nice to have a few more guns on your side of the fight when you assault the Zenoth hives.”
The Grovothe looked to one another, consulting in low whispers. They grunted past thick beards and nodded to one another.
“We’re a proud race,” Admiral Tricon finally spoke. “But like I said before, even our vast resources are spread thin. When we assault Raydon, it wouldn’t hurt to have backup.”
“And when do you plan on attempting this assault?” Ketrick asked, crossing his large arms over his chest.
Admiral Tricon turned off the hologram display in the middle of the council meeting. He looked Riot and the rest of her team in their eyes before speaking. “We’re going to attack tomorrow at dawn.”
“Huh. I’m sorry, it sounded like you said that you’re going in tomorrow.” Riot chuckled, shaking her head. “Must be all the FTL travel warping my inner ear.”
“You heard me correctly.” Admiral Tricon’s firm tone made it clear he wasn’t in a joking mood. “We can’t wait any longer. We’ll hammer the three hives where the Zenoth are building their weapons and crafts with long range fire from the Dreadnaught, tonight. We’re not expecting the orbital strike to put any major dents in their numbers, as the hives are located below the surface. Still, we have to try. In the morning, we’ll send in three teams. Major Gunna will lead the team, striking the largest Zenoth hive. I’d like you to go with her.”
“Well, is that all?” Wang stood up from his chair, shrugging into his armor. “Get into a space battle, kill a few Karnayers boarding our ship, and then assault an alien planet full of billions—you did say billions of insect soldiers, right?”
“Wang,” Riot said, glaring at her corporal. “Sit down.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Wang said, swallowing hard as if he were ashamed of himself. “I’m done.”
“If you don’t think you’re up to the task—” Major Gunna started.
“We’re not going to do the reverse psychology thing here,” Riot said to the major. “We’re with you. If everything checks out when we have boots on the ground, we have a common enemy.”
“Good.” Admiral Tricon stood from his seat. “Warrant Officer Riot, you and your team are, of course, welcome to stay aboard the Dreadnaught or, if you prefer, in your own ship.”
“I should send a transmission back to General Armon and SPEAR,” Doctor Miller said, and rose from her seat.
“Vikta will need looking after,” Ketrick said.
“I’ll bunk with the dwar—our new friends,” Wang said, catching himself just in time.
Riot rolled her eyes, glaring at Wang for the second time that day.
“On second thought, I’ll be fine on the Valkyrie.” Wang avoided eye contact with Riot. He shied away from his captain. “It’s a comfortable space I’m familiar with.”
“Understood.” Admiral Tricon looked over to the rest of his officers. “You are all dismissed. Major Gunna, will you make sure our new allies receive a proper meal?”
“Yes sir.” Major Gunna walked over to Riot and her crew. “I’ll show you to the mess hall.”
“Warrant Officer Riot?” the Admiral asked as Wang, Ketrick, and Doctor Miller moved to follow the major. “Will you stay for a moment longer? I promise it won’t be long.”
“Of course.” Riot looked Wang in the eyes. “Behave yourself.”
“Why are you just looking at me?” Wang motioned to Doctor Miller and Ketrick. “What about them? I’m feeling a bit singled out, here.”
“Because I AM talking to you,” Riot said, walking away from the group exiting the room. Over her shoulder, she could hear Major Gunna and Ketrick already picking up where they left off.
“So giant, what is it that you eat on Hoydren to grow so disproportionately large?” Major Gunna asked.
“Definitely not what you’re eating here that stunts your growth to such a puny extent.” Ketrick’s voice faded into the distance as the group left the room.
“Well, aren’t we just all getting along.” Admiral Tricon walked to a far wall where a panel with a grey lever was set in an indention on the right. The admiral pulled the lever down, raising steel shades along the wall. “It’s a good sign that they’re ribbing each other out loud. If they carried it inside, it might lead to something more.”
Riot slowly nodded along with the admiral’s words. In all honesty, she was having a hard time paying attention at the moment. What she thought had been a stationary wall a moment before was actually a long window that opened up into space and an approaching planet beyond.
The planet was a dull red, in some places almost cream. It looked massive, even larger than Earth. Riot understood she was the last person qualified to gauge how large planets really were compared to one another. The thing that took her off guard was how beautiful it seemed. A single planet alive with red-and-cream colors standing against the blackness of space.
“I suspect you to have your reservations about us bombing the hives and the validity of what we have told you today.” The admiral moved to stand next to Riot. He didn’t look at her, just stood beside her, gazing out onto the planet of Raydon. “I guess you’ll have to trust us, so far as going along with us bombing the hives tonight, but tomorrow, when you’re on the planet fighting alongside us, you’ll see first-hand that everything we’ve told you is true.”
How can something so perfect, so amazing, be as evil as they say it is? Riot tho
ught. But isn’t that life? Judging a book by its cover gets you dead faster than a trigger-happy private in his first real firefight.
“You’ve given us no reason to think you’re lying to us,” Riot said, turning from the window to look at the admiral. She had to tilt her head down. He came up to her chin. “Like you said, we’ll see for ourselves soon enough.”
“Your ship won’t be ready when it’s time to go. One of our Archangel A4 transportation ships will give you a ride down and back.”
“Understood,” Riot said. There were still so many unanswered questions about the Karnayers and the massive universe Earth now found itself a part of. There was no time to ask them all, so Riot concentrated on the ones bothering her the most. “On Hoydren, we captured a Karnayer trying to enslave the dragons there and use them as weapons. I fought him. He created a kind of green … magic, for a lack of a better word, to control the dragons and also use over his blade. It gave his weapon the ability to slice through my own. Do you know what that is?”
“Magic is as good a term for it as any.” Admiral Tricon scrunched his bushy eyebrows. He ran a hand down the right side of his face, where a long scar dug into his skin like a shallow canyon. “It’s a force that exists in the universe; a magic controlled by the power of one’s internal fortitude, tied closely to their very will itself. It’s used by more than a few of the advanced races, including my own people. If you are interested in a more detailed answer, there are those among my staff who practice and could tell you more.”
“Thanks. I’m sure Doctor Miller will take you up on that offer once things calm down a bit,” Riot said, trying to gauge how important harnessing this power would be to SPEAR. “One more question. When the Syndicate were destroyed, they warned of an oncoming force of evil. I thought at first they might have been talking about the Karnayers, but Remus, the Karnayer we’d captured on Hoydren, referred to something or someone called the ‘Ancient Ones.’ Do you know what he was talking about?”
“Only rumors, the weight of the truth resting on what you believe.” Admiral Tricon blew air from his lungs as if he were trying to decide how much to say. “Some believe the Ancient Ones are merely a story told around the universe by parents to their young.”
Click Click Boom (War Wolves Book 2) Page 8
