Ascension (Ascension Series Book 6)

by Ken Lozito

  Setera was his newly appointed senior scientific advisor. She regarded him with a shrewdness that only hinted at the keen intelligence she possessed. He could faintly detect the genetic enhancements she'd employed to increase her cerebral function.

  She walked over to him, keeping her hands folded in front of her. "The shield around the Human star system is like nothing we've ever seen before. The shield resists both energy and kinetic attacks. It encompasses the vast expanse that surrounds the star system and has stages of activity. In other words, the shield isn't completely active all the time, but it is quick to react when something attempts to pierce it," Setera said.

  Garm Antis sighed in disgust and showed his teeth. "We already knew that. This would be a good time for you to share something that speaks to the reputation you've garnered for all these cycles."

  "The shield was created from the shroud devices, so it's a Boxan design," Setera replied quickly.

  Garm Antis smiled. "This will be your final warning."

  Setera swallowed hard. "Which the Boxans based off Drar technology, so it's possible that the shield is part of some latent function that they've only just become aware of. That is my team’s best guess, and I think they're right."

  "If they had this ability before, why wouldn't they have used it more?" Garm Antis asked.

  "As I said, we believe that they just became aware of this ability. Our last survey mission indicated that the shield was still active," Setera replied.

  "How can we get past it?"

  "My team is still working on that. We have several theories—"

  "Theories!" Garm Antis said huskily. "I don't need more theories! I executed the previous seven advisors because their theories were useless. Tell me how yours is different."

  Setera drew in a breath and met his gaze. She wasn't as frightened by his threat as the others had been. "Despite the fact that the shield is based on Drar technology, it doesn't mean the fundamentals have changed. There’s always a cost. The energy required to maintain that shield is considerable. There is some evidence to suggest that the shield is constricting around the star system."

  Garm Antis narrowed his gaze. "So you would advise us to wait?"

  "It is one option. Based on the evidence from"—Setera looked at him and paused—"the previous engagement, the shield was capable of stopping ships from flying through it. Those fleets were taken by surprise."

  "And our weapons were ineffective against it," Garm Antis replied.

  "Yes, but you were at a fraction of your former strength," Setera said.

  Garm Antis stepped away from her and rubbed his chin. His long tail wrapped around his middle and his fingers glided over the corded muscle while he pondered what Setera had said.

  He turned on his heel and faced her. "How much firepower would it take to impact the shield?"

  Setera's lips curved upward deliciously. "I'm afraid I just have more theories, but we only need to nudge the shield enough that it touches a planet. Then, it would constrict quicker and perhaps even fail altogether."

  "Yes. Yes. A cascade of events that would force whoever is behind the shield to lower it, which would allow our forces through," Garm Antis said.

  "The longer the Humans wait, the worse it becomes for them. The advantage in this engagement is with us," Setera said.

  "We only need a sampling of Humans in order to get the Mardoxian trait from their genetic code," Garm Antis said, giving voice to his thoughts. Throughout their quest for control of the Confederation, they'd sacrificed several species in their efforts to perfect their race.

  The door to his office opened and another Xiiginn entered with all the authority of one who could go almost anywhere they chose. Runa Tane had been his most trusted ally for many years. He'd ensured that the Confederation ran smoothly while Garm Antis was away leading the assault on the Human star system.

  "Thank you, Setera. That will be all for now. I want a formal proposal brought to me before the next congressional session," Garm Antis said.

  Setera's eyes widened. A formal proposal for the Confederation would typically have taken a significant amount of time, and he was demanding that she do it over the span of mere days. Garm Antis watched her mercilessly as she struggled with the pressure he was putting on her.

  "As you command," Setera replied and hastily retreated.

  Runa Tane watched the young Xiiginn go almost wistfully and then turned toward Garm Antis.

  "She's quite clever," Garm Antis said.

  "Her analysis is rudimentary at best," Runa Tane said.

  "The simplest explanation is often correct," Garm Antis said.

  Runa Tane regarded him for a moment. "This is about Mar Arden."

  "He's been useful in the past, but if he's been alive on the Human homeworld all this time, he could become a very grave threat," Garm Antis said.

  Runa Tane narrowed his gaze. "Not enough to shift the balance of power."

  "You're mistaken. If he somehow manages to extract the genetic code for the Mardoxian potential, he would become a very powerful rival. The factions would tear themselves apart for access to that knowledge. We must ensure that we control whatever he discovers," Garm Antis said.

  "If he survived. Regardless, we'll need to assemble another fleet," Runa Tane replied.

  Garm Antis smiled. "You're not thinking big enough."

  Runa Tane frowned. "What do you mean? A fleet of Xiiginn warships is worth more than anything else in the Confederation."

  "Except for the Confederation itself. To get the firepower we need, we'll have to assemble a grand armada," Garm Antis said.

  "Such a thing hasn't happened since we took the Confederation away from the Boxans," Runa Tane said.

  "Nothing less will succeed and will also mean the end of our old enemies. The Boxans will throw themselves at us when we bring our fleets back to the Human star system," Garm Antis said.

  "A dangerous assumption," Runa Tane said.

  "An accurate assumption. They deployed two Dreadnoughts to protect that star system. We can't assemble an armada in secret, and it won't take much for them to figure out where we'll send those ships first. After we have a firm hand over the Humans, the armada will act as our enforcement arm over the Confederation," Garm Antis said.

  "Glory to the Xiiginn Empire," Runa Tane said.

  "Call for an assembly of the Confederation," Garm Antis said. It would take some time to gather the ships he would need, but there were Confederation shipyards that had ships in production. He'd bring them all together to form the most formidable fighting force the Confederation had ever seen, and there would be nothing the Boxans could do about it. The foolish Boxans refused to fight any of the Confederation species other than the Xiiginns, even knowing how the Xiiginns controlled them.

  "Our scouts have returned from Sethion. It appears the automated quarantine containment system has been disabled. A quick survey revealed that the system has been stripped of most raw materials," Runa Tane said.

  "The system is worthless. That planet must be a lifeless rock by now. Sethion is the past. We don't need to concern ourselves with that anymore," Garm Antis replied.

  "On that we can agree, but I do find it curious that the Boxans would return to their home system after all this time. We once thought there was another Tetronian key there," Runa Tane said.

  "I've always thought we put too much value on the Star Shroud network. Access to it would enable us to find star systems with intelligent species to exploit, but it might be time for us to move on. The only Tetronian keys left are the ones the Boxans retained for themselves," Garm Antis said.

  He'd hunted for the key to the Star Shroud network for years. The fact that the governing systems of the elusive network were located within the confines of the Confederation space station had been the source of irritation to all Xiiginn leaders since the uprising. Despite countless attempts to access the coveted Star Shroud system, they'd failed. The Boxan system was located in a highly shielded area of the s
pace station. Access to it was now restricted. The last attempt to access it almost destroyed the tower, which was a parting gift from the Boxans. Sometimes Garm Antis thought they would have been better off without the Confederation space station. There were too many reminders of the Boxans there. They should have built something new that was made by Xiiginns entirely, but it was always a matter of resources. Why throw away a perfectly good space station? The Confederation space station was the size of a small moon and boasted an atmosphere all its own. The Boxans, for all their flaws, were highly capable builders. Perhaps after they conquered the rest of that species he'd keep a few million of them around to build something else for the Xiiginns to use.

  Chapter Four

  Mar Arden stood with his hands clasped behind his back, overlooking a dimly lit warehouse. The ground level was a maze of walkways among temporary work and prep areas. Over the past few months, he'd set up multiple bases of operations in select regions of the Human world that were no stranger to conflict. The largest landmass afforded him ease of movement, but it was access to the Mardoxian testing centers that he was most interested in.

  The Humans were even more primitive than he'd initially thought. Some factions still fought among themselves almost as much as they fought each other. There was always a struggle between the more advanced groups, who either purposefully or inadvertently exploited the members of their species with lesser means. Mar Arden was quite familiar with the ruthless struggle for survival, even under the guise of civility, and these were tools he had used to make steady progress toward his goals.

  Humanity, it seemed, was supremely obsessed with perception and hierarchy, which would make them much easier to control since they already had the propensity to be followers. Their religious factions spoke of tolerance, but their very teachings condemned anyone who believed differently, which effectively laid the groundwork for the subjugation of the Human species. Give them the illusion that one faction was better than the other and they would never get their fill of clamoring for attention. Convince another faction of the righteousness of their cause and they’d pull together in droves to sacrifice themselves.

  The Human species was also just as prone to be chaotic in their pursuits as they were to be orderly. This characteristic alone caused Mar Arden to have trouble believing that the Mardoxian potential existed in their pathetic species. He supposed it was some accident of evolution, just as it had been with the Boxans, who must be truly desperate if they were allying themselves with these Humans.

  The Humans weren't all primitive, and the Boxans had recently given Humans such a technological advantage that he thought they might destroy themselves even without his help. The Xiiginns were no strangers to sharing technological advances with more primitive species when it served their purpose. More often than not, if those species weren't kept under strict control, this sharing meant their demise. It'd been so with the Qegi, whom the Xiiginns were only interested in for their hyper-production capabilities, which they took from the Qegi and used to produce Xiiginn fleets.

  Mar Arden was roused from his reflection by several pathetic groans of absolution from their latest test subjects. The Humans were a vocal race, which was why he'd ordered them gagged. Everything Humans did involved them making some kind of noise, crying out their cringe-worthy opinions as if they were entitled to be heard just because they had a voice.

  There were several dimly glowing work areas where his soldiers attempted to bring forth the Mardoxian traits in their Human test subjects. Mar Arden's gaze scanned toward the interior of the warehouse and over the poorly lit lines that illuminated the paths among the work areas. Xiiginns didn't need a lot of light in order to see, which seemed to frighten the Humans they'd recruited. The Humans’ fear of the dark was one of the first things Mar Arden had used to his advantage.

  Hoan Berend climbed up the stairs to the loft and plodded over to him.

  "Any progress with the latest batch?" Mar Arden asked.

  Hoan Berend glanced out at the warehouse with disdain. "Given the equipment we're using, I'm surprised we can detect any of the genetic markers at all."

  Mar Arden grimaced. They'd had to leave a lot of their equipment in the great expanse, forcing them to make use of what the Humans had on hand. "The genes will only express themselves under duress, at least with this latest batch of potentials."

  "I was hoping to get a better batch of test subjects from the recruitment centers here, but the Earth Coalition Force beat us to them. They've been getting dangerously near our other facilities. I think they may be closer to finding us than we suspect," Hoan Berend said.

  "That is to be expected. The ECF is using Boxan equipment and protocols to hunt us down. We're in a race with them, and while we may have to make some sacrifices, they'll never really catch us, especially not after we implement the next part of our plan that Kandra Rene is working on," Mar Arden said.

  Hoan Berend turned away from the amber glow of the dark warehouse and looked at Mar Arden. "Kandra Rene has amassed quite a few followers, but she’s still not sure why her abilities only work on some Humans and not others." Hoan Berend stopped speaking and seemed to be considering something. "The number of followers she has is worrisome. I know it's the Xiiginns’ way, but there are some of us who just want to return to the Confederation."

  Mar Arden unclasped his hands and brought them to his sides. "Kandra Rene does have ambition, which is why I keep her around. She's driven and quite capable, and if I put myself in a position where she could take command of this mission, she would've earned it. However, I will not be giving her any such opportunity. I have my own group of followers, so we needn't worry about her. Should she get some ambitious idea in her head, we'll just need to correct her."

  There was a sudden loud scream from one of the test subjects that was abruptly cut off. The recent group of Human test subjects they'd brought in certainly didn't last very long and didn't yield very much in the way of data. Hoan Berend was right—they needed better equipment, and Mar Arden said so.

  "There are some ECF facilities where they're producing Boxan technology for the fleet they're building. We could appropriate some of those, but it would require careful planning . . ." Hoan Berend said, trailing off.

  Mar Arden smirked, and Hoan Berend shook his head.

  "I see you already have something in mind, so rather than having me blather on about something you've already considered, why don't you just tell me what you’re thinking and I'll try to help make it happen," Hoan Berend said.

  The warship commander had certainly learned his place, and if there was one thing Mar Arden preferred it was efficiency. "We need to keep the Humans off balance. The ECF is very much aware that some of us made it to Earth, but they’re also preoccupied with the threat beyond the shield. The intelligence I've come across is that the shield poses a danger to the star system—information that was extremely hard to come by because the ECF has employed some of the Boxan communication protocols that are difficult to crack.

  “I haven't risked missions that would put us in direct conflict with the ECF for a reason. In essence, the ramp-up of technology serves our purposes just as much as it does theirs. However, I have multiple plans in motion that will keep humanity occupied while we get some of the equipment we need to speed along our efforts. This includes recruiting some of their own scientists at these ECF facilities," Mar Arden said and noted the look of surprise on Hoan Berend's face. "The ECF has the potential to become a formidable adversary, but like most of these organizations, they’re vulnerable to strife from within. Wouldn't you agree?"

  Hoan Berend nodded. "I do, and I should've seen it before. Why should we do all the heavy lifting when we can have the ECF and the various other governments of this planet do the heavy lifting for us?"

  "That doesn't mean I don't appreciate all the effort you put into gathering these test subjects. We're close. We’ve never been this close to acquiring the genetic traits of the Mardoxian potential, and once we get t
hem . . . Well, let's just say that you and I will be part of a major power shift in the Confederation. I'll need strong leaders at my side," Mar Arden said.

  "I guess I should appreciate that you’re considering keeping me around for your future plans. To be perfectly honest with you, I think you're more formidable than Garm Antis ever was. And if there's one thing you can always count on, it’s that the Xiiginns will flock to the winning side," Hoan Berend said.

  Chapter Five

  Edward Johnson rubbed what little hair he had left on the back of his head and then ran his hand along his forehead, which was grimly lined by the pressure he'd been under for the past few years. If not for his commitment to Dux Corp's mission to save the Human race, he doubted he would even still be alive.

  When he'd first taken up the mantle of the late great Bruce Matherson's multinational company, he’d been tasked with guiding specific scientific developments across the globe. He'd run the company for the past twenty years, but right now he felt that if he survived the next twenty days he'd be truly fortunate. Somehow the Xiiginns had figured out who he was and had been hunting him for several months. While the last few attempts on his life hadn't been as public as the display at the United Nations in New York City, their attempts were constant reminders that the Xiiginns were still out there. His security detail now rivaled most heads of state's.

  He glanced at the smooth concrete floor and stark gray walls that surrounded him, experiencing an almost physical longing for his offices in Washington DC. Outside this remote Dux Corp facility were the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The facility was tucked away in a highly defensible position, whether from approach by land or air.

  Although the Boxans had gone to great lengths to spread the technological advancements they'd provided to all member states of the Earth Coalition Force, Ed had made sure that those advancements were closely monitored, and this facility had greatly benefited from that technology. A short distance from the main complex were rail guns that were capable of hitting targets in the lower atmosphere, carrying enough stopping power to penetrate even the hulls of Boxan ships. There were multiple automated systems, all tasked with keeping the facility secure, which included an underground bunker leading to several small landing pads that were well hidden. New falcon shuttles that could bring him to the ECF base on the moon were waiting on standby.