《They Answered The Call》 They Answered The Call-Chapter One/Alixa When humanity first encountered the Galactic Commonwealth, they barely created a stir. Primitive by comparison to the other members of the Commonwealth, they were viewed with pity as they pathetically struggled to expand and create colonies in their immediate vicinity. Most of the far more advanced members quickly forgot about the embryonic Human Republic, while others took an interest in a detached, clinical view and studied them from afar, hoping to draw parallels and observations of their own species'' development into a space-faring civilization millennia ago. My species, the Eleani, took a greater interest in the fledgling interstellar polity and watched them with benevolent pride as they took their first steps into the void. We felt an immediate kinship to the humans, as they were the most like us in appearance and anatomy of all the other members. The only real differences between our two species are that they do not have tails or fur, and we still maintain an arboreal lifestyle. We viewed them as cousin-kin and had a vested interest in their development as we kept tabs on them from afar. We watched as they bravely flung themselves out into the unknown to explore the great wonders at their fingertips, undeterred by the loss of ships and lives that are inherent in traversing the dangerous void. They seemed to have an endless curiosity about anything and everything, with human scientists cataloging everything they could see. They hunted for the lowliest alien microbes on desolate worlds and traversed dangerous stellar nurseries to find exotic particles. Human explorers would pick a random star and head towards it ¡°just to see what was there.¡± Human traders plied the established trade routes and created their own through uncharted space, selling their high-quality goods to newfound markets hungry for the unique items they offered. We became enamored with this new species, and after a few years of watching humans, we opened official diplomatic channels and engaged in first contact protocols. My sirefather was the first appointed ambassador and helped to form a relationship with our cousin-kin and quickly found himself seduced by their optimism and lack of duplicity. He quickly became their most ardent supporter within our government and would tell me many stories of these humans when I was a youngling. The one that stuck with me the most was when my sirefather was describing how a Xenxin ship filled with younglings on a school trip for a science class got trapped by an uncharted subspace rift that suddenly appeared along their course. I could sense the awe and sadness in his voice as he described how dozens of human ships answered the distress call. Scout ships, cargo ships, pleasure craft, science vessels, and even human pirate ships responded. He recalled seeing the sensor recordings as the human ships courageously tried to rescue the younglings, with many being outright destroyed or critically damaged in their attempts. It did not matter to them how many ships got destroyed or damaged; they just kept trying despite the dangers. As the losses mounted, Commonwealth warships finally arrived, ordering the human ships to abandon their efforts as it was too dangerous to continue. They ignored the commands of the warships, telling them to procreate with themselves. "There are kids on that ship. If you are not going to help us, then stay the hell out of our way." was one of the nicer messages the lead Commonwealth warship received. The rest were not so diplomatic, and the human pirate ships even locked weapons on the warships, threatening to fire on them if they interfered. After a few hours, they finally managed to rescue the twenty-five Xenxin younglings at the cost of six destroyed ships, a dozen others seriously damaged, and almost a hundred human lives lost. ¡°You could not help but be in awe of their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the younglings of another alien species. They were undaunted by the dangers, and as soon as one ship was destroyed or critically damaged, another would take its place. It was an inspiring sight to behold.¡± My sirefather said after he finished the story. It was this incident, among other examples of humans coming to the aid of alien worlds and ships in times of calamity and distress, that finally convinced our government to covertly assist the humans in their ongoing development. It is illegal in the Commonwealth Charter to give primitive species technology that they had not yet developed, but our government skirted these restrictions by several means, such as Eleani ships ¡°disappearing¡± or being ¡°destroyed¡± by random anomalies near Human Republic space and surreptitiously being recovered by human agents. The Xenxin went even further, and in gratitude for the human sacrifices made in saving their younglings, they sent an unmarked, stealthed courier ship into human space. Outfitted with their most advanced technology and a data repository of all their knowledge and technology, the Xenxin also provided coordinates for worlds they had cataloged that were suitable for human colonization. In the following 40 cycles, the Republic advanced rapidly with access to the technologies and knowledge secretly provided to them and made a three-hundred-year leap, much to the dismay of the Commonwealth. Hearings and investigations were convened at the highest levels of government, but lacking proof that any of the members purposefully uplifted humans, the matter was closed after a few cycles. By this time, the Republic of Humanity had expanded greatly in size and, with the infusion of technology, was now considered a middle power. Their ships were everywhere engaged in trade, scientific endeavors, and exploration, heading ever deeper into unknown space. Our two species became great kin-friends, and together with the Xenxin, we tried in vain to lobby the Commonwealth to grant membership to the Human Republic, which was vehemently denied by a majority of the members. My sirefather was livid, but the humans seemed to take no offense at the rejection. The human ambassador seemed to take it in stride, remarking, ¡°As long as they keep buying our goods, we couldn''t care less what they think of us. It is only the Eleani and the Xenxin who have shown us friendship, and only your opinion matters to us.¡± Such was the situation in 2172 A.D. when the Insectoid Empire launched another cycle of expansion and encroached on Commonwealth space. The Insectoids were a hive mind composed of trillions of 1.5-meter-tall wasp analogues with vestigial wings, except for the queens, who could still fly. They would periodically expand and engage in short, sharp conflicts with the Commonwealth and other nonaligned interstellar species and seize the territory they desired, ceasing hostilities when they took what they wanted. Since most members of the Commonwealth considered the planets the insectoids preferred unfit for terraforming, we would simply withdraw and allow them to have those worlds, hoping to avoid a large-scale conflict. It was impossible to engage in diplomacy or negotiations with the Insectoids as their worldview was so radically different, and we could not bridge the gap between our individual nature and their hive mind. The only communication the Insectoids ever had with the Commonwealth was just two words: "Give." and "Leave." Failure to do either resulted in combat, and their ships were exceedingly powerful, especially their Hive ships, which made our largest battleships seem like youngling toys in comparison. The Commonwealth, expecting this wave to stop like the previous ones had once the Insectoids had the planets they desired, was unprepared when the Insectoids penetrated the border regions and thrust right into the heart of Commonwealth space. The Commonwealth fleet found itself out of position, and six thousand Insectoid cruisers swarmed out and wreaked havoc, destroying every ship they came across, while sixty of their massive Hive ships glassed entire worlds that were now behind the frontlines, wiping out every living thing on those planets without mercy. Within two solar days, the entire outlying border sectors of Commonwealth space were devoid of all life and ships, and eight member species were exterminated at the cost of over a hundred billion dead. The Commonwealth fleet was mauled by the Insectoid fleets, losing thousands of warships. The battered fleet had been reduced to half of its former strength and issued desperate calls for the remaining members to reinforce the beleaguered main fleet with our planetary self-defense navies. The Eleani and all the other surviving members sent what we could and hoped that it would be enough. The humans, having caught wind of the attack, sent an official government communication with an already signed Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Defense Pact. The Commonwealth Government arrogantly ignored it, and the ambassador assigned to the Humans did not deign to even respond to their offer of help. That was the first and last offer by humans to help the Commonwealth in their time of need. The Commonwealth fleet, reinforced with the additional member ships, now numbered over two thousand ships of the line and launched a coordinated assault across several fronts. Initially, the daring counteroffensive met with incredible success. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The Commonwealth fleet fought a series of battles and routed the Insectoids, pushing them back over many light years and managing to destroy over three thousand Insectoid cruisers. It seemed as if the fleet was winning, but that was before the sixty Hive ships entered the fray and turned the tide of battle back in their favor. Within two hours of the Hive ships entering the fray, the Commonwealth fleet lost almost a thousand warships, while only managing to destroy an additional three hundred insectoid cruisers and one Hive ship. The massive Hive ships were heavily armed, and their tough organic hulls required a tremendous amount of weapon fire from dozens of ships to have any hope of damaging them, let alone destroying one. Faced with such overwhelming odds, the surviving ships of the Commonwealth fleet disengaged from combat and made an orderly withdrawal, heading towards the Core Worlds and hoping to entice the insectoids into following the fleet. The Core Worlds were protected by powerful networks of defensive fortifications, and the admiralty planned to lure them into a trap and bracket them between the heavily armed defensive systems and the remaining Commonwealth fleet. The Insectoids followed them to the outskirts of the core system the fleet had reformed in and stopped, lingering in the system''s heliopause. The Commonwealth fleet sent out multiple squadrons of fast-attack ships and engaged in hit-and-run raids, trying to elicit a response to the attacks and draw them deeper into the system and within the range of the defensive networks. After repeated Commonwealth attacks, the Insectoids did the one thing the admiralty had not planned for and entered null space instead of giving battle. The Insectoid fleet laid in a course and headed towards the untouched periphery of Commonwealth Space, where another four members lived, including the Eleani. I remember sitting in our den with sirefather and birthmother, listening to the holo wave continuously broadcasting our government''s plea to the Commonwealth to come to our defense. The news organizations had shown us drone sensor recordings of two member systems that were along the new Insectoid axis of attack and the aftermath. Their home worlds and colonies were glassed, over twenty billion were confirmed dead, and the Insectoid fleet was on a direct trajectory to hit our system next in five solar days. They put on a brave face and acted like things would be okay, but I could sense their fear and see the meaningful glances they were sharing with each other. Our entire world held its breath as we finally received a response the next day from the Premier of the Commonwealth, who looked like a broken being as he avoided looking at the holo recorder and, in a shaking voice, read a prepared statement from the datapad on the desk in front of him. ¡°On the advice of my admirals and my cabinet, I regret to inform you that the fleet cannot come to your aid. We will detach what remains of the Eleani contingent that you have sent and allow them to return to defend your system. They will arrive in six solar days, and we send them with our hope that you will survi- '' The transmission got abruptly cut off, and another video came on the holo wave screen, this time showing the President of the Human Republic sitting in her office with a resolute expression. She gazed into the holo camera as if peering into our terrified souls, and in a voice that seemed to promise both death and salvation, she simply stated, ¡°We are the Republic, and we will answer the call. Hold on, we are coming.¡± As abruptly as the transmission appeared, it ended just as fast. The holo screen returned to the news studio, where the anchors were sitting in quiet shock. Off camera, we could hear a tumult of shouting and crying before the screen went black and the network logo came up. Birthmother fainted, while sirefather seemed not to notice and leapt out of his chair and hung from the ceiling branches, hooting and swinging around like a crazed youngling. I just sat there shaking, overwhelmed by the enormity of our impending doom, and could not understand his reaction. He finally noticed birthmother and leapt over to help her. As she sobbed in his arms, he looked at me and seemed to notice my confusion. ¡°You are wondering why I am overjoyed at the prospect of our human friends coming to help us. I know that in school you learned humans are a middle power, but have you ever wondered why we have seen none of their warships in space?¡± he asked me and Birthmother. I didn¡¯t answer, still wondering what a middle-power warship could do against the insectoids while birthmother collected herself. He continued speaking, ¡°I have seen one of their warships, and I have seen the records of their history of warfare against each other. There is not a single species in the Commonwealth that could stand against them, despite the technological differences.¡± He paused, considering his next words. ¡°The nice, friendly humans we know have another side to them, a side that no one else has ever seen in a spacefaring civilization. People like the humans tend to destroy themselves before reaching space, and against all odds, they made it through the great filter.¡± His eyes took on an expression I had never seen before, and he stood up and grabbed me by the arms as he continued speaking. "The human ambassador told me a saying after the Commonwealth rejected our membership proposal to grant them entry. He saw my anger, and he sought to calm me down. He declared that there is no greater friend and no worst enemy than a human being. God help them if they ever attack us or our allies." Sirefather walked me over to the couch and sat me down next to my birthmother. "It was not a boast, my child. It was a truth that was spoken with a conviction I had never heard before from another sentient being. You know the sacrifices they made to save those twenty-five Xenxin younglings they did not know that day. Imagine what they would do for their friends and allies.¡± He bent down and embraced us both. ¡°Fear not. Our friends are on the way, and they will save us all.¡± The belief with which he uttered these words seemed to reach into my heart, and I felt a peace overcome me. I quietly sobbed tears of hope and joy in his arms, believing that we might not die after all. For the next two solar days, we waited for the humans to arrive as we watched the sensor drones record the inexorable march of the Insectoid fleet towards our home world. Understandably, our government would periodically send inquiries every few hours asking when the Republic ships would arrive. The only response was a cryptic, one-sentence response: ¡°We are coming.¡± Finally, on the third solar day, one solar day before the expected Insectoid arrival, we received a transmission from the outskirts of our solar system. ¡°We are here.¡± A transmission asking our government to grant permission for the Republic fleet to enter Eleani space followed this. The government quickly gave permission, and every newsholo camera, sensor buoy, and satellite pointed at the expected coordinates. It felt like time itself was standing still, and the very heart of the world seemed to have stopped beating as billions of Eleani waited for their last hope to drop out of null space. And then it happened. First in small numbers, then dozens, then hundreds of null space exit flashes started popping up all around the near space of Eleania, glittering our sky like new stars even on the daytime side of our world. The holo news channel we were watching had a ticker on the side displaying the number of ships and the estimated classes and tonnage, and the numbers increased upward so fast it was almost impossible to follow. Sirefather and birthmother were hugging each other and crying tears of joy while I stood there in open-mouthed shock at the numbers being displayed on the screen: 3,250-3,860-4,789-5,347-6,120-6,456, until the numbers slowed down and finally settled on 6,894 ships. The cameras panned back to take in the enormous fleet, while sensor drones did flybys and forwarded the visuals down to every Holo screen on Eleania. There were dozens of massive carriers, with thousands of starfighters swarming around them, over five hundred battleships, and thousands of cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and other ships that were classified as unknown since the scanners couldn¡¯t get reading on them. Another transmission from the fleet came over the holo screen, showing a human male in a military uniform standing on a massive bridge surrounded by hundreds of humans working on data screens in the background. ¡°People of Eleania, we are the Republic fleet, and we help our friends in their time of need. We honor our commitments, and I promise you that if the insectoids prevail, it will only be because every Republic ship in this system has been destroyed. We are Republic, and we do not break faith. Please listen to all orders from your government and find safety wherever you can. Good fortune to you all. Admiral Thompson out.¡± The transmission ended and returned to the visuals of the fleet, which was already spreading throughout the system in individual task forces centered on the carriers, while the destroyers started dropping hundreds of small items out of their stern on randomized paths. The news anchors started theorizing on what the Republic ships were doing while retired military pundits tried to make sense of the Republic''s dispositions, especially focusing on the unknown ships that were still defying all attempts at being scanned. This went on for hours, and we ate a feast of our favorite foods for night-meal, knowing that it might be our last, despite the hope that humans would save us. One by one, we drifted to sleep while listening to the droning of the increasingly urgent news playing in the background. A few hours later, I was startled awake by hands gently shaking my shoulders. ¡°It has begun. The Insectoids are here.¡± Sirefather stated plainly before leaving my room to join Birthmother in the den. I leapt up and followed him, taking my usual seat on the floor in front of the holo screen. There was a split screen showing live images and video of the Republic and Insectoid fleets facing off against each other in the outer system, while another screen showed a top-down representation of the battle lines. There were thousands of icons in the green and orange colors of friendly and enemy ships from a sensor drone positioned above the plane of the ecliptic. On the Republic side, the battle fleets took up their assigned positions, while the unknown ships disappeared into null space in hundreds of flashes of light. The carriers disgorged their thousands of starfighters, while entire battle wings of the massive battleships, with their cruiser escorts, burned their engines at battle speed and headed towards the flanks. Hundreds of destroyers and frigates screened the battle lines, ready with their point defense systems and advanced countermeasure suites to protect their bigger brethren and intercept any sudden attacks. The insectoids employed the same tactics they always have, which were simple but effective: a solid formation with all fifty-nine Hive ships compacted into a rough sphere to provide mutual fire support. The Insectoid cruisers provided close cover on all sides as a screening force, with a tail end of reserves stretching out behind the formation, looking like a medieval knight¡¯s fist covered with a mailed glove. Unexpectedly, the Insectoid fleet sent a transmission to the Republic fleet, which was one word in Commonwealth standard: ¡°Leave.¡± The Republic responded about a minute later with a video showing a human setting fire to a nest with a flamethrower as hundreds of wasps poured out, only to be incinerated while a happy jingle played in the background. The smiling human then turned towards the camera and stuck out a fist, pointing his thumb up. Underneath the video in the text were the words, ¡°Trouble with wasps? No problem! Call the Republic Fleet to take care of it today!¡± The Republic fleet blasted the video on every frequency, bandwidth, and channel known to the galaxy at large, and their response got transmitted to every holo screen on Eleania as well. Both sirefather and I started laughing uproariously while birthmother wrung her hands together in apprehension, looking at us disapprovingly. It seemed like an eternity as the Insectoid hive-mind processed the Republic''s response. The Insectoid Fist formation suddenly sped up towards the Republic battle lines and started firing particle beams and missiles. The Battle of Eleania had begun. They Answered The Call-Part Two/Hive mother Eighth Swarming, Earth Year 2172 A.D. Queen World of the Insectoid Empire The Hive mother raged impotently in her brooding chamber as she saw the animal message being played out through the eyes of her millions of worker drones in the swarm, seeing the mocking visuals playing over billions of fractals that her mind coalesced into a clear, three-dimensional image. An unknown animal was burning an innocent nest with fire and grimacing in pleasure, a sure threat of what these new creatures intended to do to her swarm. She felt disquiet as she surveyed the massive fleet arrayed against her, unsure of the risks these unknown animals presented. My daughters were right. It was time. She thought to herself as she pushed down the rage she was feeling and focused on the chemical processes necessary to continue making more drones, feeling her body resume the larval impregnation and sending them out of the birth canal. Blind male drones mindlessly shuffled into the room, following her pheromones and zeroing in on her sex organs before penetrating her. As they died after a fleeting moment of ecstasy, the Hive mother glanced back at the pile of male corpses building up behind her, feeling the infusion of fresh genetic DNA coursing through her. I am so tired. She thought to herself. Tens of billions of daughters have come from me, so many mouths to feed. She fell into a momentary despondency, looking around the brooding chamber she had been trapped in for the last three hundred solar cycles as she made and impregnated new larvae continuously to ensure the survival of the Hive. I wish to feel the warmth of the sun one last time before I die. She thought, fondly remembering what it had felt like to fly before she became Hive mother. I long to feel the water of the sky falling on me once more. She felt new presences make themselves known to her mind, and her twelve queen daughters imbued her with thoughts of love and support. They thought to her. She felt their strength and a renewed vigor washed over her mind. She focused her mind on a particular daughter queen, the one leading the eighth swarm. The Hive mother asked, sending her thoughts across vast distances to her daughter, who was leading the fleet in the tree-animal system. She felt a wave of confidence emanate from the swarm daughter, which she did not share but hid from her. The swarm daughter sent feelings of happiness and anticipation, eager to prove herself again after avoiding the obvious trap they laid for her in the animal core worlds when they tried to get her to invade the heavily fortified system. A few moments later, looking through the eyes of her many worker drones, the Hive mother watched as the swarm fleet sped up towards the unknown animal ships, anticipating the clash despite this new animal threat facing her swarm daughter. As she watched, she saw the unknown animal ships in the center of the formation seem to panic and blast off in all directions as they abandoned their battle lines in a disorderly fashion. She felt the pleasure emanating from her swarm daughter as she charged into the open gap that was left by the fleeing animals, firing all her weapons. The Hive mother shifted her view of the battlefield by simultaneously entering the minds of thousands of drones throughout the swarm; it was only when she shifted into the drone views in the reserves behind the formation that she realized with horror that her swarm daughter was heading right for a trap. she screamed with her mind as she watched the leading edge of the swarm formation charge through the gap and get targeted with weapons locks from the very animal ships that were just fleeing. They had executed pinpoint flips with their thrusters, and the hundreds of animal ships were now drifting backwards with all their bow weapons pointed towards the gap where her daughter was heading. Hundreds of animal ships fired at the same time, and a solid wall of grapeshot, railgun slugs, missiles, and plasma bolts intersected the path of the Insectoid fist formation with an accuracy the Hive mother had not seen for a long time. The results were devastating, and she felt hundreds of thousands of worker drone minds ripped away from her. The entire front of the Insectoid formation was peeled open as the tremendous volume of weapons fire slammed into the screening cruisers, exposing the Hive ships that were inside. The same animal ships fired again just before they drifted out of weapons range, and another volley of death penetrated the now exposed mass of Hive ships, destroying two of them outright and severely damaging several more. Exit flashes appeared all around her daughter''s battered formation, and she watched as those spirit ships, the ones she couldn¡¯t make sense of that had left at the beginning of the battle, suddenly flashed out of null space right in the middle of the swarm formation. Executing turns and maneuvers that were impossible for a ship containing animals, the spirit ships acheived velocities that defied the Hive mother¡¯s comprehension and speared right through the center of the Hive ship formation. They fired triple shots of plasma bolts and powerful particle beams that punched right through the tough organic hides of the Hive ships as they weaved through the formation. The Hive ships fired back, thousands of particle beams reaching out to hit the spirit ships and most of them missing as the spirit ships continued to jink the target locks. They continued onward, leaving a path of chaos and destruction until most of the spirit ships flashed back into null space when they completed their attack runs through the formation. Some spirit ships had damaged engines and could not transition to null space with the others. Continuing to fire their deadly weapons, they darted in and among the Hive ships, and despite evasive maneuvers, they were finally destroyed as hundreds of particle beams found them. The thousands of tiny ships that had poured out from the animal hive ships hit the now disordered formation, angrily buzzing around like the corpse gnats that infested the Hive cemeteries. The gnat ships fired small missiles that somehow penetrated the hulls of the insectoid cruisers and Hive ships. The warhead AIs then activated the missile¡¯s final booster stage, penetrating deeper into the ships before triggering their antimatter charges. The antimatter charges blew the insectoid cruiser and Hive ship hulls out, ripping great gouges in the organic carapace that protected them and spewing out tens of thousands of drones. The gnat ships then targeted the massive hull breaches, firing more missiles and adding in the firepower of their rotary plasma turrets that shot dozens of bolts a second, causing massive secondary explosions deep inside the Insectoid ships. The Cruisers and Hive ships fired their point defense weapons to great effect, and gnat ships fell by the hundreds from the particle beams and flak guns, but they kept attacking as they swarmed around the formation. Oblivious to the wholesale slaughter they were experiencing, the gnat ships pressed on and continued to attack undamaged ships as they moved on, leaving behind the wreckage of the dozens of heavily damaged ships they had already attacked. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Finally, out of weapons and low on fuel, the remaining gnats started executing evasive maneuvers as they retreated. The furious Hive mother watched with glee as the point defenses started getting target locks to swat down hundreds of more gnats as they fled. Right before the point defenses fired, those cursed spirit ships flashed back out of null space on the outskirts of the now broken fist formation at full acceleration and drove into the center, firing triple shots and targeting ships that still had functional point defenses with particle beams. They seemed to work as one unit, focused entirely on disrupting the target locks and destroying already heavily damaged cruisers and Hive ships as they covered the retreat of the surviving gnat ships. The Hive mother took control of all the weapons station drones and started targeting all available beams on a single spirit ship at a time and watched as hundreds of beams speared it from all directions and it exploded, unable to jinx hundreds of target locks. She picked another target and fired again, destroying another spirit ship. The gnat ships took advantage of the cover and fled out of the formation, streaming back to their animal hive ships. The spirit ships, now through the broken formation, headed towards open space and flashed back into null space as hundreds of beams bracketed another spirit ship, destroying it. The Hive mother took control of a nearby worker drone and surveyed the space around the Hive ship in shock, seeing a rapidly expanding debris field all around the now much smaller formation as dozens of Hive ships listed out of control, wracked by massive internal explosions. The Hive mother took advantage of the momentary lull in battle and reached out to her swarm daughter with her thoughts. There was no answer, and she tried again. She felt her swarm daughter¡¯s presence in her mind suddenly, and it was full of panic and indecisiveness. The Hive mother sent a mental command that she used to put her queen daughters to sleep and took over the command drone of her swarm daughters¡¯ Hive ship. The drone didn¡¯t resist; it couldn¡¯t. Suddenly, the Hive ship crew noticed the command drone was staring at them with eyes filled with intelligence that penetrated their minds while releasing queen pheromones. They detected the pheromones, accepting the change in leadership and going back to their tasks. The command drone, now inhabited by the Hive mother, gently picked up her now sleeping daughter and ordered nearby worker drones to bring her to her queen chambers. The Hive mother assumed the swarm queens¡¯ position on the dais in the center of the hive chamber and tried to get her bearings. She commanded the weapons drones to fire all their beams and missiles at the animal formations in the distance, hoping to create some buffer room as she brought order to her rapidly dwindling formation. She once again started flitting throughout the formation and got drone views from all angles, and she realized just how perilous her situation was. The animal battleship wings that had blasted off to the flanks in the beginning of the battle had now completed their turns and were maneuvering to envelop her formation, while hundreds of smaller animal ships were intercepting most of her missiles and jamming her weapon locks, disrupting her ability to target the larger animal ships. I need to get this swarm out of here. The Hive mother thought to herself as she watched an animal cruiser that was heavily damaged ram into a much larger Hive ship, causing catastrophic damage as it speared right into its side and the crew of the animal cruiser overloaded their core. The Hive ship disappeared in a mini-supernova that took out a nearby cluster of Insectoid ships, taking out another nearby Hive ship and dozens of cruisers as the cascade of explosions continued to feed itself until there were finally no more ships, just a massive field of wreckage. Despite over two thousand animal ships destroyed and damaged, more of them kept coming and engaging her increasingly smaller swarm. She watched as the incoming animal battleship wings entered her formation and engaged her remaining Hive ships in a slugging match. They fired broadsides of grapeshot and railgun slugs less than a kilometer away from the Hive ships as they slid up next to them, dwarfed by the much larger Insectoid ships as they continued to fire their deadly kinetic weapons. As the grapeshot obliterated the point defenses, the railgun slugs blasted giant holes into the hulls, with some slugs passing entirely through and creating even more massive exit breaches on the other side of the Hive ships. The battleships and heavy cruisers then targeted the breaches with their secondary plasma turrets, and thousands of heavy plasma bolts added to the carnage as they dug ever deeper into the breaches of the mortally wounded Hive ships. The animal battleships and heavy cruisers looked like a school of fish among a pod of whales, but the ferocity of their assault and their deadly weapons destroyed eleven more Hive ships while leaving the broken hulks of forty-two battleships and a hundred and thirty-two heavy cruisers in the wake of their charge through her formation. Just as the surviving battleship wings were flashing back into null space, the remaining spirit ships jumped back in and once again weaved through her formation, breaking up her counterattack and destroying another five heavily damaged Hive ships. The Hive mother was too shocked to respond to the spirit ship''s incursions, and they flashed back into null space unscathed as she surveyed the destruction all around her. No more. The Hive mother thought to herself as she looked for a path of retreat from the battle. The remnants of the swarm were now condensed into a small, perfectly spherical formation of fourteen undamaged Hive ships and four hundred cruisers, and their momentum was already carrying them into the inner system. The Hive mother, seeing how the rest of the animal fleet was out of position as they flashed out of null space and tried to reorder their battle formations to attack her again, felt a fleeting moment of safety. The remnant swarm headed towards the inner system as she commanded her formation to continue firing all weapons in an arc that provided full coverage as she felt the Hive ship engines continue to send power to the null space capacitors. As the Hive mother sensed the capacitors nearing their full charge, the swarm formation passed the orbit of the fifth planet and ran into the stealth minefield that had been laid by the human destroyers before the Insectoid fleet arrived. The Hive mother watched from the command drone eyes as thousands of tiny objects shimmered out of nowhere and sped up towards her remaining ships, latching onto the hulls. What is this? She thought to herself as the first of the mines triggered their charges and started blasting chunks out of the hulls. There were so many of them that cruisers and Hive ships were suffering from explosive decompressions as the thousands of small hull breaches were beyond their ability to seal. As she watched more Hive ships suffer violent decompressions and eject hundreds of thousands of worker drones through the breaches, she saw hundreds of the tiny mines heading toward the Hive ship she was on. NO! NO! She wailed in her mind as she saw it was too late to eject the queen''s chamber where her daughter was sleeping as hundreds of mines latched onto the Hive ship and triggered their charges. The Hive mother never finished her thought and screamed in agony as she felt herself ripped from the command drone''s mind as the Hive ship suffered catastrophic decompression. The Hive mother felt her mind suddenly rush back into her body in her brood chamber on the Queen world, and she reeled from the loss of her daughter as she silently screamed with an anguish she had never felt before. She immediately started feeling her other queen daughters trying to comfort her and share in her pain. I must save what remains of the swarm. She thought as she blocked them out. She jumped her vision back to worker drones on the surviving Hive ships and watched in sadness as those drones also died in the minefield. In the end, only two hive ships and 34 cruisers could make the jump to null space and escape. The Hive mother trembled with rage and lashed out at a male drone who chose an unfortunate time to enter her brooding chamber, lifting him up and tearing him in half at the junction between his thorax and abdomen. She tossed the two pieces of the male drone onto the floor and watched as he twitched in his death throes, chiding herself for the precious genetic material she just wasted in a fit of rage. She felt her eleven remaining queen daughters trying to reach her mind, and she lifted the block and let them in. As she felt their thoughts and feelings mingle with hers, she lamented the death of her daughter. Her other queen daughters joined in, flooding her mind with thoughts of anger and vengeance. She thought to them, feeling their sorrow as they came to terms with the loss of their sister''s mind and the end of a precious genetic line. She felt her queen daughters honor her wishes and leave her mind. As she sat here alone with her thoughts, she aggregated all the memories of the drone minds she inhabited during the battle and, with perfect recall, replayed the entire battle from start to finish. She examined it from all angles and views as she repeatedly ran through the battle in her mind, learning from the mistakes that were made. As the Hive mother''s powerful brain collated billions of data points and analyzed the tactics of the unknown animal ships, she felt a stirring deep inside her genetic memories as her ancestor Hive mothers struggled to make themselves known after centuries of silence. One ancient Hive mother reached out and shared her memories of the Great Persecution and the desperate migration that led them to this area of space after fleeing for many cycles. As images of ancient battles and entire genetic lines lost from queen deaths played across her mind, she felt an emotion from the ancient hive mother she had never known before as she resumed analyzing the battle with the unknown animals. She put a name to the emotion, and it suddenly washed over her, rendering her senseless. Fear. They Answered The call-Part Three/Alixa Eleani Home System, Earth year 2172 A.D. As we watched the Insectoids speed up towards the Republic fleet, Sirefather expanded the holo wave projection so that it took up almost the entire wall of the den. He entered his retired government credentials into the satellite and drone network, and more projections popped up, showing multiple angles of the battlespace. I watched as the Republic fleet held its ground, with its battleship formations blasting towards the sides and the frigates and destroyers assuming positions in front of the fleet. The sensor network provided information as it listed and categorized the ship classes and functions, and I saw that the unknown ships that had just flashed out were now listed as nullships. I tapped the floating icon and read aloud as the information provided by the Republic fleet scrolled by. ¡°These nullships have no crew aboard, are controlled by battle AIs, and the hulls are fabricated with null space particles. They are antimatter-powered with four reactors and categorized as stealth battlecruisers.¡± Sirefather grunted and looked at me. ¡°I told you; these humans are far more capable than the Commonwealth gave them credit for.¡± I held my tongue, still not believing fully that the humans could win. I closed out the info screen and watched as the Insectoids charged towards the Republic fleet, closing the gap. The frigates started falling back, while the destroyer squadrons used their thrusters and headed both above and below the plane of the ecliptic. The center of the Republic lines seemed to explode outward as the double stacked line of heavy cruisers that anchored that section pivoted 90 degrees with their thrusters and pointed their bows above and below the positions they just held. They blasted their engines at full power as they fled from their positions, leaving a large gap in the center of the Republic''s battlelines. I saw the Insectoid formation slowly change its course and head towards the opening the fleeing cowards left behind as they abandoned their positions. I knew it. We are dead, I thought to myself. I saw birthmother put her head in her hands and start crying, while sirefather still had a stupid grin on his face. The Insectoids adjusted their course slightly once more before their bow thrusters and engines started burning to decelerate the massive formation. "Why are they slowing down?" I asked out loud. Sirefather answered, his eyes still on the screen. "They are decelerating to increase the amount of time they will have in combat before passing through the Republic fleet. It is difficult to shed momentum in battle, and they will blast right past them if they don''t decelerate." I returned my gaze to the screen. The fleeing ships stopped burning their engines, and I watched in confusion as they suddenly executed pinpoint flips with their positional thrusters again. They were now cruising backwards at 30,000 kilometers per hour as all the bows of their ships pointed at the gap that the insectoid fleet was just about to enter. ¡°What is happening?¡± I yelled out. Sirefather shushed me, and the once fleeing Republic ships all fired at the same time. The holo wave screen flared brightly before it compensated, and I stared in stunned shock as the sheer volume of weapons fire that came from the Republic fleet smashed right into the gap now occupied by the insectoid fleet. The hundreds of cruisers screening the front of the formation just simply vanished under the onslaught, leaving the front of the formation wide open. The drifting Republic ships fired again, and I saw two Hive ships explode while others suffered serious damage as the second volley of weapons fire penetrated inside the formation. The Republic frigates that had pulled back now surged forward, intercepting the tremendous missile volley that was fired by the Insectoid formation with particle beams and plasma turrets that lit up the battle space with terawatts of raw energy, swatting down thousands of missiles. The remaining missiles that survived the first layer of defense continued on towards a solid wall of millions of ball bearings as the frigates shot hundreds of canisters of grapeshot per second. The grapeshot shredded through the now depleted missile volley and continued onward, smashing into the formation and tearing apart many cruisers. Meanwhile, the destroyer squadrons that had gone above and below the ecliptic were now in those positions relative to the Insectoid formation. They opened fire with their respective ventral and dorsal plasma turrets, railguns, and 30mm high explosive rounds as they strafed the formation, slicing through the upper and lower screening force of cruisers like a buzzsaw. Hundreds of Insectoid cruisers sloughed off the formation as they were destroyed by weapons fire, leaving gaps in the coverage as the destroyers continued firing and started hitting the Hive ships inside the formation. The destroyers finished their strafing run and headed out to open space, leaving behind over one hundred and fifty broken and exploding hulls. The Insectoid formation counterattacked, and they fired particle beams and another volley of thousands of missiles that chased after the destroyers. The screening frigates then leapt forward and activated their advanced countermeasure suites and point defense systems. They destroyed or jammed a large percentage of the volley, though dozens more destroyers fell to the onslaught. Sirefather hung his head down and quietly prayed to the Maker to preserve their souls as we watched thousands of human lives being extinguished before our very eyes. I started crying in shame and asked for forgiveness for thinking they were cowards as I watched them throw themselves into the battle with wild abandon. Abruptly, hundreds of null space flashes appeared inside the Fist formation itself, and the nullships appeared, rapidly firing triple shots of plasma bolts and slicing through the Hive ship hulls with extremely powerful war beams that had been classified as particle accelerators by the Eleani military experts. Their acceleration seemed impossible, and the evasive maneuvers they employed easily broke the few target locks that tracked them, as the Insectoid beams could not seem to lock onto the null particle hulls. Thousands of beams speared the battle space, vainly searching for targets and hitting nothing. Working in groups of four, the nullships targeted specific Hive ships with exquisite fire control, and all their war beams hit the same sections of the hulls at the same time. As they passed one target, another group of four ships would come from another direction and hit the same area of the Hive ship hulls, blasting open great rents that ejected bodies and frozen fluids. The nullships continued moving on through the formation, leaving an apocalyptic scene of destruction behind them as they flashed out, with a few of them finally being destroyed as they failed to enter null space. As soon as the nullships flashed out, thousands of starfighters entered the fray and hit the reeling formation with fury. The starfighters flew wild evasion courses as they fired penetrator missiles that dug deep into their targets before tearing out huge sections of the hulls with antimatter explosions. Sirefather yelled out and pumped his fists in solidarity with the starfighter pilots, as he himself was a planetary defense pilot before he went into government service. As we watched the Hive ships being mobbed by the starfighters, we saw dozens of them blinking out every minute as they fell to the flak cannons and laser arrays targeting them. They seemed undeterred by their losses as they stubbornly continued their attack runs. They were devastating the formation as Hive ships started listing, wracked with massive internal explosions, while cruisers were being obliterated as the starfighters targeted their hull breaches with plasma turrets. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The starfighters finished their assault and fled towards open space, having lost over a thousand fighters in their ferocious assault that lasted just under ten solar minutes. The Insectoid ships fired massive volleys of flak at the retreating fighters, claiming more victims as they continued to exit the battle space. The nullships returned, flashing out of null space already at full acceleration and ripping right through the bleeding formation. There seemed to have been a change in tactics by the insectoids as their weapons fire was now much more effective and individual nullships started exploding under an onslaught of hundreds of beams that they could not evade. As they weaved through the formation, wreaking havoc and destroying heavily damaged Hive ships, dozens of nullships were targeted and destroyed before they flashed back into null space as they were bracketed on all sides by Insectoid particle beams. The insectoid formation then contracted in size as it continued onward, leaving wreckage and exploding ships that stretched like a trail of fire, marking its passage deeper into the system. Entire wings of Republic heavy cruisers took advantage of the Insectoid repositioning and strafed the sides of the formation with heavy broadsides of 16-cm-diameter railguns and secondary plasma turrets, smashing through the cruiser screening force. Damaged insectoid cruisers fell out of formation, creating gaps that the heavy cruisers then fired plasma bolts and missiles through as they sailed past, damaging and destroying several more Hive ships. The formation counterattacked with thousands of missiles and particle beams, destroying a hundred and twelve heavy cruisers and damaging dozens more before they got safely out of weapons range. Birthmother loudly gasped, and I looked at the infographic that suddenly popped up on the side of the holo wave screen as the number of Republic ships destroyed and damaged rose rapidly, and the killed and wounded tally was already over 200,000 casualties and trending upwards. Birthmother turned her head away from the rapidly rising numbers and buried her face onto my sirefather''s chest, crying and murmuring, ¡°All those people. When will it end?¡± Sirefather just sat there with a grim expression and tear-filled eyes, his shaking hands tightly balled into fists. I felt myself wracked with emotions and fled outside to the deck to stem the tide. I took shuddering gasps as I looked up into the sky, grateful to see only blackness and stars unmarred by the sight of exploding ships and the drifting corpses of our protectors. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and then urinated into the forest canopy, relieving my poor bladder that had been screaming at me for over three hours since the start of the battle. I ran back inside to find only sirefather sitting there. ¡°Where is Birthmother?" I asked. "She has had enough; her heart can¡¯t take anymore death. Leave her be,¡± he replied, sounding like he was reaching the end of his own limit. I sat down quietly and watched as a heavily damaged Republic light cruiser altered course, blasting towards a lagging Hive ship and ramming right into it, sinking almost halfway into the hull. There was an eerie moment as the two ships drifted together in a grisly dance before the Republic cruiser overloaded their core and blanked out the holo wave screen. It adjusted, and there was nothing left of those two ships, just a rapidly expanding cloud of gases. The core breach of the Republic ship caused the Hive ship to suffer its own core breach that destroyed another nearby Hive ship and dozens of cruisers. Completing their enveloping maneuvers, the battleship wings suddenly smashed through the flanks and the rear of Insectoid formation. The sheer violence of their passage seemed impossible considering how small the battleships and their escorting heavy cruisers seemed in relation to the Hive ships. As the battleship wings completed their attack runs and headed towards the safety of open space, the nullships flashed back in and quickly destroyed any damaged Hive ships that were still functional before flashing back into null space with no losses. The remnants of the insectoid formation started contracting in size and rearranging the disordered formation until it was again a perfect sphere, now greatly reduced in size. They sped towards the inner system while the scattered Republic formations were flashing in and out of null space and decelerating, trying to reorganize and pursue. As the insectoid formation got near the fourth planet, I started getting scared as they seemed to head directly towards our planet, which was the second from our sun. A new countdown appeared in the screen''s corner, showing the time before the Insectoid arrival at Eleania. The Republic fleet had left a carrier task force, two battleship wings, and several hundred frigates and destroyers to supplement the less than two dozen Eleani warships we had left in the system as a last line of defense. A diagram popped up, showing the main Republic fleet icons and their position relative to the advancing formation. It clearly showed that they could not intercept them in time since their null space capacitors were only half charged and their relative velocity was not enough to close the gap in time. ¡°That¡¯s not enough to stop them!¡± I yelled out, panicking. Sirefather just raised a hand, silencing me as he leaned closer to the holo wave screen with a terrifyingly feral expression, and simply said, ¡°Wait.¡± I felt the sudden urge to urinate again as the seconds ticked by and the formation passed the fourth planet, heading closer to Eleania. All the sudden there were thousands of pinpoint explosions all throughout the formation, and Insectoid cruisers and Hive ships started exploding while others careened out of control and suffered massive decompressions. The sensor drones suddenly zoomed in, and we could see tiny objects seem to shimmer into existence and suddenly speed up towards the remaining ships, latching on the hulls and then exploding. Now the Insectoid formation numbered less than fifty ships, and it seemed to suddenly lose all control and break cohesion as they drifted apart. Ships collided with each other as they lumbered deeper into the minefield, making no attempt to change course or even save themselves. It was as if they were no longer being controlled. Suddenly, the last two remaining Hive ships and thirty odd cruisers flashed into null space, and it was over. Sirefather and I sat in stunned silence, and he suddenly leapt up and screamed, ¡°TAKE THAT, YOU KERLEKKI ISHKATUK!!" I heard Birthmother loudly gasp from the other room, and she came into the den and yelled, "Nimto, language!¡± as I turned my head and blushed at his words. He laughed at the admonishment from Birthmother, grabbing me and hugging me tightly. Birthmother came over and added her arms, and we all just quietly wept in relief, shaking and exhausted. A little while later, I was sitting in my chair and trying to keep my eyes open as we waited to hear official confirmation that the Insectoid menace was over and that Eleania was finally safe when a ¡°Please stand by¡± message appeared on the holo wave screen. An image came up showing a menacing bird of prey with its wings spread out, with one foot clutching a type of branch in its talons while the other was clutching a bundle of pointed sticks or spears. Underneath was a stylized banner with human words across it: ¡°Libertas oppressis, Mors oppressoribus,¡± which our translator rendered into Commonwealth standard as ¡°Freedom to the oppressed, Death to the oppressors.¡± A few seconds later, Admiral Thompson appeared on the screen, looking haggard and as if he had aged 10 cycles since he spoke to us just eight hours ago. Behind him on the bridge, we could see damaged consoles and ruptured conduits, and there were significantly fewer humans at their data screens than before. He gazed into the holo camera and started speaking. ¡°The insectoid fleet in this system is now eliminated, and our long-ranged scouts report that there are no signs of insectoid ships within 100 light years. I declare Eleania and the other colonies in the system to be secure. We have won a great victory, at a great cost. We will remain here for the time being as we repair our battle damage and send out search and rescue craft to recover survivors and our honored dead from the void." He paused as his expression changed and his voice became emotional. "Any civilian ships that wish to help may do so. Your assistance is appreciated, as time is of the essence to reach survivors before their air runs out. There is a need for medical personnel, as we have far more wounded than we can treat. Please coordinate any rescue efforts through your government, which is now setting up a link system portal to streamline the process and get you to where you can be most effective.¡± He then took a deep breath, reached into a pocket on his chest, and took out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and said, ¡°President Lopez wrote this, and it is a message to the Eleani that I was to read to you if we emerged victorious and saved your world.¡± He started reading. ¡°If Admiral Thompson is reading this letter, then that means we have achieved victory and saved you from extinction. I want you to know that no matter the cost in lives, ships, and treasure, the Republic will always be by your side until the bitter end. You once reached out your hand to us in friendship and goodwill when we were just another young species taking our first steps into the unknown. You helped us to grow and learn, and most important of all, you were steadfast friends who accepted us for who we are and helped to guide us." The admiral''s voice faltered a little bit before continuing to read the letter. ¡°You have shown us you are a good, decent people, and you have earned our trust, our loyalty, and our love. Any hand raised against you is raised against us, now and always. We will never forget your friendship and kindness, and now we are forever bonded by blood. You will never be alone again.¡± The admiral stopped reading, his eyes brimming with tears. He carefully folded the paper back up and placed it in his chest pocket. He looked back into the holo camera and simply stated, ¡°That is all for now; let¡¯s get to work, people!¡± and the transmission ended. All three of us were openly weeping and continued to do so for a long time afterwards. They Answered The Call-Part Four/ Hive mother Queen World of the Insectoid Empire, 2173 A.D. The Hive mother concentrated as the glands on her thorax continued excreting silk as she deftly added it to the construct in front of her, marveling at the shape that was coming into being as she worked rapidly. Finishing it, she then willed an organ inside of her to create a specific harmonic frequency and directed it at the construct, watching the silk respond to the frequency and crystallize. The Hive mother then stared at it, envisioning it as its individual atoms, and then focused on imprinting her essence on it. She felt a brief surge of pleasure as she received a thought echo and then ordered one of her attending worker drones to bring it to a relay ship that was waiting for it. She imprinted the spatial coordinates that she wanted the focuser to be dropped at into the drone¡¯s mind and watched it leave as it scurried out of the brooding chamber to fulfill her wishes. She had sent out dozens of relay ships to bolster her thought range to prepare for the swarming, with the focusers being dropped deeper into animal territory than ever before. She made several changes because of the battle with the unknown animals, such as no longer placing fertilized larvae on the Hive ships for rapid colonization and showing her queen daughters how to build different ships to face the new threat. The Hive mother reached out with her mind, entering a worker drone on one of the Builder worlds, and surveyed the massive flat expanse that stretched for as far as the eyes could see. She watched as millions of worker drones scurried about, bringing in materials and fabricating the components for the thousands of half-finished cruisers that dotted the landscape. She left that world and entered a drone on another Builder world, standing amidst hundreds of monstrous shells that would become Hive ships as tens of millions of worker drones went about their tasks. She entered another drone on the other side of the planet and got her first look at the new ships being built, which was a hybridized Cruiser/Hive that bridged the gap between the two classes in size. The ancient Hive mother she communed with provided her with the design for this ancient class of warship that was the backbone of the Insectoid fleet during the Great Persecution and the following migration that finally led them to this area of space. The Hive mother returned to her body in the brooding chamber and reached out to the ancient one with her thoughts, feeling her stirring in response. She waited for the ancestor to respond to her thoughts. She felt a momentary wave of fear and sadness emanating from the ancient one before memories that were not her own began entering her mind. The memories flashed through centuries, showing a great Hive empire that spanned many worlds rich in resources, with great Hive and Builder worlds teeming with a hundred trillion workers and thousands of queens living in a peace that is only known to sapient species that are alone in their area of space. The memories showed their first contact with an animal species that was expanding and had come into contact with the Hive Empire. At first, the Hive mothers tried to talk to these animals, but they never responded. They did not know that animals do not share thoughts, and they did not understand that the noises emanating from the animal ships were attempts at communicating. The memories suddenly turned darker, and now the Hive mother saw tens of thousands of animal ships entering the Hive Empire, destroying any ships they found in space and laying waste to entire worlds with antimatter bombs. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She shared in the anguish as the ancient one felt trillions of her drones die and hundreds of her queen daughters perish as the bombs dropped onto the Hive cities. The Hive Empire had no weapons or ships of war. They never needed them, as they did not fight wars amongst themselves, and they were always alone until now. They fought back by ramming into the animal ships and destroying or disabling them, and they learned how to make weapons and null space engines by bringing one of the disabled ships back to their birth world and dismantling it to figure out how to construct them. Over the next solar cycle, as more of their worlds fell to the onslaught, they hastily assembled a fleet of their first warships and Hive ships and prepared to defend their birth world. The animal ships entered the system and advanced no further than the asteroid belt, lingering there for almost a solar month. The Hive mothers and daughter queens did not know what to do, having no experience waging war, so they just waited as their confusion over these animal actions grew. Suddenly, they saw thousands of asteroids streaming towards their fleet at speeds far faster than should have been possible. They fired their weapons for the first time, missing many of them as they did not know how to track targets, while other weapons failed or malfunctioned. Still, they tried their best to fight and continued to fire the weapons that still functioned. They watched in horror as the asteroids smashed into their fleet, wiping out hundreds of their ships while thousands of asteroids entered the atmosphere and impacted, creating shock waves visible from space as massive fires spread out and gigatons of soil ejected into the atmosphere. The few surviving Hive mothers and daughter queens that were in the tattered remnants of their once mighty fleet were all that remained of their entire civilization, and they fled, leaving behind their birth world as massive fires engulfed it and it was rapidly being shrouded in darkness. They fled into the unknown for many cycles as the unknown animal ships hounded them, attacking them whenever they tried to establish a new Hive and chasing them over thousands of light years. After a long time and great distances, the animal ships stopped harassing them, and they never saw them again. Still, they continued migrating for another hundred cycles before they finally felt safe enough to start a new Hive world in an area of space that showed no signs of any animals. The Hive mother reeled in anguish as she came to terms with the near destruction of her entire species and the actions of the first animals they had ever come across. The Hive mother felt the ancient one receding from her mind as her ancestor returned to her slumber. The Hive mother turned her thoughts back to the new animals she fought and the violence of their actions, mourning the loss of her daughter-queen. She recalled the many victories her empire had with the animals over the last 50 cycles as they expanded the Hive Empire in search of more worlds to colonize. The Hive mother who ruled before her did not want to expand and engage in conflict with the animals, but she still saw them as enemies even as she avoided antagonizing them. I had to expand. There are too many mouths to feed and not enough resources in our few worlds, she thought to herself as she once again obsessed over her first defeat. These new animals are a danger, and I must destroy the old animals first and take their worlds for Hives if we are to survive. The Hive mother then recalled the battle as she had done thousands of times already, playing out scenarios for what she would do the next time she faced this new enemy. She had a sudden moment of inspiration from the newly gained memories of the Great Persecution and reached out to her daughters. They entered her mind and waited for her thoughts. She finished sending her thoughts and felt the confusion in her daughters¡¯ minds as they tried to understand what she wanted. She sent more thoughts, envisioning what she wanted and imagining thousands of asteroids impacting planets. She felt the thoughts of her daughters change as they finally began to understand what she wanted them to do. Her daughters left her mind, leaving her alone with her own thoughts once again. The Hive mother, noticing that it was now the night cycle, put herself into her dormant state and dreamt of asteroids smashing into animal worlds. They Answered The Call-Part Five/Alixa Eleani System, 2173 A.D.
It has been eight solar months since the Battle of Eleania, and I can barely recognize my own home. After the battle ended, tens of thousands of our civilian ships streamed out of our world and their hiding places deep in the system to help the Republic fleet search for survivors among the wreckage and bring their wounded to our medical centers. What remained of our contingent that was detached from the Commonwealth fleet arrived a day after the battle, limping into the system and in no shape to fight after their prior combat against the Insectoids in Commonwealth space. They received a hero¡¯s welcome, and the Republic fleet, seeing the sad state that they were in and their willingness to confront the Insectoid fleet alone, rendered them honors. My friends, I wish to explain to you why I removed the Commonwealth Envoy from your space. After almost two hundred years of loyalty to the Commonwealth government, they showed their true nature when you needed them the most. You answered their request for more ships, stripping your home world of the defense fleet that was guarding you, and sent them to the core worlds to do your part. When the insectoids changed course and you were faced with extinction, they callously declined your pleas for aid. For almost two centuries, your government faithfully paid the taxes that were levied upon you and followed the laws that were crafted on the Commonwealth capital over a thousand light years away. You fulfilled your duty as Commonwealth citizens, and when the time came for the government to fulfill its end of the bargain, they failed to uphold their promise of protection and fidelity. They have proven to be unworthy of your loyalty, and they do not deserve citizens such as you. The Commonwealth has lost all rights to govern you, and we will vigorously defend your newfound independence until the time you no longer require us to do so. Admiral Karl Thompson.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "There is a Xenxin delegation on its way to Eleania, and it should arrive in two days. The Xenxin ended their membership with the Commonwealth when they found out you were abandoned and seized control of all Commonwealth military vessels within their territory. They are bringing those ships with them and are also coming to form an alliance and to sign a mutual defense pact with the Republic and the Eleani sovereignty.¡± There were loud hoots of approval from the council interspersed with laughter, as the Xenxin were well known to be an unruly member and a constant source of exasperation to the Commonwealth government. They Answered The Call-Part Six/Queen Daughter Uninhabited system, 3.5 parsecs from the Queen World Earth Year 2173 A.D. The queen watched the asteroid speed up slowly as dozens of small harvesters activated their thrusters and continued mining for fuel. The asteroid gained more acceleration as the harvesters continued to extract elements as their feeder arms added more ore for processing. Fed by a constant source of energy, the thrusters continued propelling the large mass of rock and metal towards its target, a lifeless planet. A few hours later, the queen felt conflicting emotions and thoughts fighting a war inside her as the asteroid disappeared in the distance and continued its trajectory, now hurtling through space at over 300,000 kilometers an hour. I have always differed from the others, she thought to herself as she replayed her entire existence from when she first emerged from her cocoon up to where she is now. She did not have the same thoughts as her sister and the Hive mother, and she was always ashamed of her weakness, hiding it from them. Perpetually afraid of being detected, she compartmentalized that part of her strangeness and buried it deep inside of her, trying to make it go away. As she retreated into herself, she remembered the revulsion and shame she felt when she shared in her sister¡¯s thoughts while she swarmed through the animal worlds and killed billions of innocent animals. Visions passed through her as she watched entire worlds glassed with nuclear bombardments and bodies of water flash boiled by thousands of particle beams as they stabbed at the planets from orbit. She imagined the terror and pain the animals felt as they died, and her essence recoiled at the wanton death and destruction that it was being exposed to. You are just as guilty. She accused herself, as she was the only one out of all her sisters who developed the harvesters, following the Hive mother¡¯s command to turn asteroids into weapons. The internal conflict threatened to overwhelm her, and she left the command dais and retreated to her queen chambers. She tried to assert control over herself as she reeled from the guilt flooding her. The visions of death and agony now became a tidal wave that swept her away, and she stopped resisting, letting herself drown in it. Time passed, and the queen drifted alone in a terrifying darkness that was devoid of meaning and life. As she felt the fear mount inside her, she suddenly saw herself through billions of fractals as she drifted on the surface of a black ocean and felt the eyes of others watching her. As the realization that she was not alone came to her, she saw figures come out of the shadows as she drifted closer. A diffused lighting appeared within the black depths, turning into bright points of light as they emerged from the water and swirled above her before flying a short distance away and forming a line that stretched beyond her ability to see. The lights turned to shapes, and she saw a long line of Hive mothers stretching away from her, all the way to the very beginnings of their race. Are these my genetic ancestors? She thought to herself, flinching when they all looked at her at the same time and assaulted her with their thoughts and feelings. The torrent almost overwhelmed her, and then the black ocean solidified, turning into an endless plain of obsidian glass. She asserted control over herself, barely managing to maintain her identity as her ancestors continued to bombard her with their minds. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Suddenly, she was alone with her thoughts, and she heard an irresistible command within the recesses of her mind, as if thousands of them spoke as one. She started walking down the line of her ancestors, looking at them one by one as she carefully kept her distance from them. As she stood in front of each one, she felt their thoughts awaken and reach out to her. She readied herself for the accusations of betrayal to come and curled into a protective ball, waiting. None came. She uncurled slightly and peeked out, suspecting a trap. When nothing happened, she fully uncurled and stood up, screaming at her ancestors with her thoughts. They looked at her sadly, and she felt their thoughts enter her mind carrying not judgement but pity and understanding. She wept as she felt them console her and remind her she was not alone, for she carried them within her. They left her mind, leaving her alone with her thoughts before she saw one of her ancestors step away from the others and fly over to her. She was an ancient Hive mother, and she was majestic, a specimen of a time long ago when her ancestors were larger and still lived only on their birth world. She then clasped her tarsal claws with the queen, and they flew off together, leaving the black void behind them. The queen found herself back in her chambers as she emerged from her vision, and she felt the new presence of all her genetic ancestors within her as they imbued her with feelings of support and love before receding. She realized her command drone was outside her chambers and releasing pheromones, signaling the queen to come to the command chamber. The queen left her chambers and followed the command drone, resuming her place on the command dais as she tried to control the shaking of her tarsal claws. The Hive ship had flashed to a stationary position 800,000 kilometers from the lifeless planet, and the queen saw the incoming asteroid on the projector screen as it hurtled towards the planet and passed the front of the Hive ship, too fast to see with her eyes. A few seconds later, it smashed into the planet and released an unimaginable amount of energy as it impacted. There was a blinding light, and the shockwave traveled across the planet, igniting the atmosphere. Gigatons of soil ejected into space, and the crust heaved up and fractured for thousands of miles from the impact zone. The planet continued its fiery rotation as it suffered from the mortal blow, and the Queen imagined what it would be like to be on the planet as the devastation unfolded. She felt the Hive mother within make her presence known and shared her thoughts. The Hive mother felt horror at the devastation she was witnessing and pleaded with the queen to never allow this to happen. The queen responded. The Hive mother within shared her memories. She was now the ancient ancestor when she was still a young queen in a time long past gone. She entered a brooding chamber and was standing before a very old Hive mother that had collapsed and fallen into a coma. She was overcome with anguish and grief, for she loved the Hive mother who was there when she emerged from her pupae. In her hands was an ornate dagger, and she kneeled down before gently lifting the frail head of her Hive mother and plunging the dagger in between her large, black eyes. The queen recoiled in shock from the memories she was experiencing, finding herself back inside her own body in the command chamber. The Hive mother within pressed further into her mind. The Hive mother within withdrew from her mind, leaving the queen alone with her own thoughts. As she looked back to the dying planet, she felt a new concept emerge in her mind as she battled between her instinct to obey the Hive mother and her desire to save her species from extinction. She envisioned herself entering the brooding chamber and taking over the Hives. If she was Hive mother, she could try to stop the swarming and the senseless deaths. She would have to commit the most terrible sin, the only sin known to the Insectoids. Matricide. They Answered The Call-Part Seven/Emily and Owen Eleani System, Earth year 2173 A.D. The human scientist was sleeping at her desk when a strident alert pierced her dream, startling her awake. She lifted her head and stared at the screen as she barely registered the data. She was just about to press the next specimen icon when she saw the neural tissue. Still fighting off the last vestiges of sleep, she jerked out of her seat and ran towards the table the corpse was on and adjusted some parameters, looking at the diagnostic screen as it confirmed the findings. ¡°Hoo, oh boy.¡± She muttered excitedly as she keyed the communicator. ¡°Owen, get down here now!¡± she yelled as she moved the scanner arm back over the head of the corpse. A few seconds later, Owen came running into the lab, out of breath. ¡°What is it, Emily?¡± He gasped out as he quickly started absorbing the data that was displayed on the screens. ¡°Oh.¡± He whispered to himself as he tried to calm himself down. He looked over the scan results again slowly and confirmed what he was seeing. Emily pinched the neural tissue display and flicked it onto the large holo screen on the lab wall, and they both gasped as details started popping up. The scanner continued its deep scan of the insectoid head, making thrumming noises as it moved all around. It showed a 3D representation of a folded brain with six lobes that rotated, while other screens showed nanoscale slices from the side and front as more information appeared on the screens. ¡°This must be a queen. Look at the density of the cortex and the size of the mushroom bodies.¡± Emily''s fingers typed furiously on the virtual keyboard while continuing to change perspectives as she analyzed the brain structures. Owen nodded in agreement and tapped an icon on a screen that showed a brain organ that was listed as uncategorized. ¡°I bet this is the command/control organ that allows them to control the drones.¡± He looked at Emily, smiling. ¡°We are going to get a Nobel prize for this.¡± The next day, Owen and Emily were standing nervously in front of a conference table as they waited for the attendees to find their seats. Admiral Thompson waited till everyone found their seats and then looked at the scientists and nodded that they should begin. Emily took the lead and started the presentation. ¡°I am Dr. Emily Ariti, and this is Dr. Owen Masiello. We specialize in entomology, the study of insects.¡± She looked at Owen, and he started flicking scans onto the holo screen on the wall from his data pad as she continued speaking. ¡°We believe this specimen we retrieved after the battle is a queen, and these are the scan results that are being displayed.¡± She paused as the Eleani delegation murmured while the humans just sat there waiting. She waited for the attendees to stop talking before continuing to speak. ¡°I can see from your reaction that this has never happened before, so I will continue the presentation.¡± Over the next two hours, both Emily and Owen took turns as they went over the scans and presented their evidence and why they believed this was a queen. They highlighted the differences between the brains of the suspected queen and the drones and outlined their theories about how the queens controlled their drones and what kind of command structure would exist. When they finished their presentation, it was an Eleani neuroscientist who asked the first question. ¡°What kind of intelligence are we talking about here? These scans show that the cortex is highly complex, and the folds coupled with the six lobes show a highly evolved capacity for thought and information processing.¡± The two scientists looked at each other quickly before Emily answered. ¡°Based on our findings, we can confidently say that the queen has the processing power equivalent to twenty human brains, possibly more.¡± There was a stirring at the table as they absorbed her response, and she continued speaking. ¡°Everything we have seen shows that the queen is a highly intelligent organism, with the same capacity for emotion, imagination, and rational thought as us. This, coupled with her enormous processing power, has helped to answer some questions we had regarding how an Insectoid hive species has developed the ability to create a technological civilization such as theirs.¡± She looked at Owen and nodded to him. Owen started flicking scans of the drone brains on the holo screen and highlighted an organ that was offset from the drone brain and connected by a thin tube of tightly twisted filaments. ¡°Initially, we thought this organ was how drones received instructions, or maybe even possibly was an unused vestigial part of the brain since it is not part of the brain structure itself, much like our appendix. However, the sheer density of the neurons inside of it makes little sense for both explanations, unless you throw a queen into the equation.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Owen started becoming excited as he continued to talk. ¡°We now think that this serves a function much like an external data port the queen can access to increase her own processing power or to activate it and allow the drone to engage in complex tasks normally beyond their abilities. Factor in the ability of this organ to serve both purposes over millions of drones, and now you could problem-solve and engage in complex tasks on a massive scale with a queen overseeing them.¡± Owen flicked some research papers onto the holo screen and highlighted some parts as he continued speaking. ¡°We have long theorized on the probability of a sapient insect species for hundreds of years. Even the simple insects of our world display intelligence and sentience, but we have seen no evidence of sapience. Several theories have outlined how an insect species might create a technological civilization and achieve spaceflight, though the odds are almost impossible because of many factors.¡± ¡°There are three main theories on how this might be possible. First, the insect civilization develops sapience and then slowly advances over millions of years because of the tech tree bottlenecks they would experience since so few of them are capable of intelligent thought and invention.¡± He paused, holding up a hand with two fingers extended before proceeding. ¡°Two, that they come into contact with another species, and either through uplifting or exposure to alien technology, they gain a jump start in technological ability and continue to innovate over millions of years.¡± Owen paused again and added a third finger to the hand he was holding up. ¡°Three, that the queens themselves achieve a level of intelligence and capability that far surpasses that of individuals of species that have an advanced, technological society. This superintelligence, for lack of a better description, would allow a species that only has a few thousand such beings to invent and innovate rapidly despite there being so few of them. It took humanity almost 100 cycles and the involvement of tens of thousands of scientists working together to create the first successful fusion reactors. If one queen put herself to the task with a few million drones and activated their extra brainpower capabilities, it might only take her 50 cycles, even less if another queen was involved.¡± Owen finished speaking and stepped back next to Emily, nervously waiting for questions. It was Admiral Thompson who spoke first, rubbing at his temples as he organized his thoughts. "This is not good. You are basically telling us we are fighting a species of super-intelligent wasps with absolute control over trillions of drones. What effect will this have on our war effort moving forward?" He asked as he unhappily eyed the two scientists who had just dropped a huge crap sandwich on his already overflowing plate. Emily answered first. ¡°Admiral, we cannot accurately predict what they will do next or what effect our victory will have on their tactics. I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that the queens have learned from the battle and have probably already run through millions of permutations, much like your AI wargaming does when you run simulations.¡± As the human and Eleani observers started nervously conferring among themselves, Owen stepped forward and pulled up the scans of what he suspected was the command/control organ and highlighted it. ¡°I would like to add something if I may,¡± he said, getting their attention. "I believe this organ allows them to communicate with and control the drones, and I suspect it is also the source of their telepathic abilities. There have been no recorded communications or even signal emissions from their ships that would show that they talk to each other. They must be speaking to each other with their thoughts." Admiral Thompson put up his hand to silence the observers as they responded with questions and waited for them to stop talking. ¡°What are you proposing, Dr. Masiello?" The admiral asked, looking at him intently. Owen looked back at the scans, thinking for a few moments, and then turned back around to face the admiral. "I want to capture some live drones and a queen and bring them back here for study. If we can figure out a way to disrupt the communication between the queens and the drones, we can severely disrupt their ability to function and basically decapitate their command-and-control abilities.¡± The Admiral sat back and stared at the scientists as he thought about the ramifications this would have and the dangers of attempting a recon and prisoner snatch in insectoid territory. As all this new information threatened to make his mild headache turn into a migraine, he decided and pointed at the two entomologists. ¡°Continue your efforts and keep me updated, no matter how small or trivial the information may seem. Submit all requests for whatever you need to my office, and I will approve it immediately. Thank you for your informative and in-depth presentation. Are there any saved rounds?¡± He asked, looking around the conference table. There were none, and he stood up, pressing the holo recorder save icon now that the presentation was over. He walked over to the two scientists and shook their hands as the observers exited the conference room. When everyone had left, he smiled at the two nervous scientists and simply said, ¡°Well done, doctors. Here is my private comm node. Please use it if you need me or run into any problems.¡± Owen took the comm node with a sheepish grin, while Emily just stared at the admiral with barely concealed adoration. After an awkward moment of silence, the admiral clapped his hands and, in a lighthearted tone, said, ¡°Well, what the hell are you still standing here for? Let¡¯s get to work!¡± He smiled to himself as he watched them hurry to the conference room door, and they both tried to get through it, bumping into each other and dropping data pads. He turned away to save them from the embarrassment of realizing that he saw them and keyed his communicator to a dual frequency. He requested the commanders of the Recon and Pathfinder regiments meet him in the wardroom for lunch in 30 minutes. He laughed to himself while he left the conference room, as both commanders had constantly complained for months about how their men were going soft with nothing to do on his ships. Maybe a prisoner snatch mission on the surface of an Insectoid world will finally shut them the hell up. They Answered The Call-Part Eight/Therax Commonwealth 2nd Fleet 5 parsecs from Xenxin Home System, Earth Year 2173 A.D.
Commodore Therax stared at the results of the last battle drill as his task forces returned to their assigned positions after running a series of simulated combat actions and fleet maneuvers. He noted with approval that the overall reaction times improved by 5% while the combat targeting rating went up by 7%. Not bad for naval reserve units, but we can do better, he thought to himself as he started tapping orders for another battle drill to be loaded into the simulator for the next shift change. As he looked at the holo screen in the center of the bridge that showed the fleet returning to their standard formations, he thought back to four solar months ago when a livid Ominian envoy returned from Eleania and started demanding that the fleet launch an attack on the Eleani home world to punish them. The envoy was apoplectic and demanded the Eleani pay the price for ¡°Defying the orders of an envoy, failure to remit taxes, and allowing a foreign power to establish a military presence.¡± The envoy used his considerable influence and family connections to goad the government into action, which was almost successful until news of the Xenxin rebellion reached the Core Worlds. The Eleani issue fell to the background as the Xenxin action raised alarms throughout the government and the admiralty, with calls for a punitive expedition to teach a lesson to the troublesome Xenxin taking priority. The Commonwealth could not afford to lose the nenchite deposits in the Xenxin system as they were a critical component of null space drives, and the Xenxin deposits accounted for over 60% of the refining output of the Commonwealth. Therax was secretly relieved that the Xenxin rebellion happened, and he got the distinct impression that the admiralty shared in his relief when the scans from the envoy ship and its escorts revealed the full extent of the Republic fortifications in the Eleani system and showed hundreds of Republic warships patrolling their space. Therax marveled at the scans when they circulated among the Admiralty, and he had to admit to himself that he was in awe when he saw the five massive shipyards and the dozens of forts and planetary defensive networks under construction that would rival those of the Core Worlds. He had taken an interest in humans when they were first encountered and had studied their history and society as they expanded and rapidly achieved middle-power status. His species, the Nekuli, were a warrior race with a long history of warfare and martial prowess. The similarities between humans and the Nekuli were the reason they were one of the few races to vote yes to allow them entry into the Commonwealth before the motion was rejected by a majority of the delegates. The Republic showed its true honor when it offered to help the Commonwealth fight the Insectoids, even after being rejected for membership. Therax and many other Nekuli in the admiralty derided the government''s shortsightedness for spurning the human offer of alliance even while the Insectoids were rampaging through Commonwealth space. Therax also remembered the silence that pervaded the large conference room as the recordings of the spy drone that followed the insectoid fleet to the Eleani system showed the battle that had taken place. They watched as the same Insectoid fleet that decimated the Commonwealth and destroyed half of the navy met its demise at the hands of a Republic fleet that fought with a skill and tenacity that far outclassed the abilities of the more advanced Commonwealth navy. When the recording was done, there was an outbreak of recriminations and disbelief as government officials, military advisors, and fleet officers tried to come to terms with what they had just witnessed. All he remembered thinking while this was going on was how much of a mistake the Commonwealth made by not granting entry to the Humans. As he looked back to the holo screen and saw his task forces finish slipping into formation, he wished once more that his orders had fallen on someone else to execute. He did not wish to fight the Xenxin, and though he relished a chance to do battle with them, he also understood why they rebelled. Sighing, he turned to his underling and ordered that the fleet flash out to the next waypoint, 1.5 parsecs from the Xenxin home world. Once there, he will run another series of battle drills before entering the Xenxin system and reclaiming it for the Commonwealth. The next solar day, as he was finishing up his daily exercise regimen, the alert chimes started wailing as the battle computer ordered the crew to battle stations. He ran out of his quarters, still in his exercise robe, and was on the bridge a few seconds later. He stood there for a moment, taking in the information on the holo screen as it populated the display with sensor information. Stolen story; please report. There were a hundred and twenty Republic warships in fifteen individual task forces, comprising eight ships each. They had flashed out of null space and surrounded his fleet, covering every axis of attack and effectively denying him the ability to maneuver or retreat. As he sat down in his chair and queried the battle computer for options, the communications officer yelled out. ¡°Commodore, we are receiving a transmission from the Republic ships.¡± Therax nodded and signaled to open the channel. A few seconds later, an emotionless voice came over the channel. ¡°Greetings, this is Command Unit One-Five-Zero Three. Your presence violates the territorial accords of 2173, and you have one solar minute to comply with our orders or offensive action will begin. You will disarm all weapons systems and start core shutdown protocols. Failure to comply will necessitate combat operations. Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Therax stared at the holo screen as the countdown started and lost a few precious seconds as the wheels turned in his head. He ordered the channel back open and started speaking. ¡°This is Commodore Therax of the 2nd Commonwealth Fleet. We do not recognize your claims to this area of space, and you will withdraw or face the consequences of violating Commonwealth territory.¡± He signaled for the channel to be closed. He then toggled the battle computer to issue the defensive plan he chose from the list of options to all ships and ordered all weapons to be armed. As the countdown passed thirty seconds, he looked at the scan results in confusion as the Republic ships seemed to shift in and out of space and the targeting scanners repeatedly failed to achieve solid locks. He felt a wave of dread as he suddenly remembered seeing these ships engage the insectoid fleet from the spy drone recordings and the destructive power they employed as they decimated the Hive formations. As the countdown passed 10 seconds, he started frantically issuing orders for an emergency flash-out, even though he knew that most of the ships didn¡¯t have enough time to fill the capacitors. The countdown hit zero, and half of the Republic task forces sped up with a sudden burst of speed that broke what few tenuous targeting locks his scanners made while the rest of the Republic ships flashed into null space, only to emerge two seconds later within his formation already firing their weapons. The ships that flashed into his formation were heading towards the outskirts, while the ships that did not flash out hit the outer edges of his formations, and they joined in the middle as they passed each other, marking their passage with dozens of broken and severely damaged Commonwealth ships. Therax watched as all the Republic ships flashed out and returned two seconds later. The task forces were now broken down into individual formations of four that went after his battleships, swarming around them as they took down his most powerful warships with ease. His ship started receiving fire, and he watched as his escorts tried in vain to intercept and break up the attack on his ship as they fell to the defensive fire of the demon ships. His holo screen quickly filled with the wreckage of his escorts as the Republic ships continued to blast through his hull and slice his battleship to pieces. A core overload warning flashed on the holo screen, and he ordered all hands to abandon ship as he helped to carry the wounded and dead bridge crew to the life pods. While he waited for the last of the surviving crew to eject before stepping into his life pod, he looked at the Holo screen as it flickered. It was a scene of carnage as over 75% of his three hundred strong fleet had icons marking them as destroyed or combat ineffective, and the battle space flared with explosions as thousands of life pods drifted among their dying ships. The surviving remnants of his fleet that still had functional flash drives flashed out into null space, while the ones that could not enter null space started broadcasting surrender. One by one, they powered down their weapons and shut down their cores. He saw that the rest of his surviving crew had ejected and stepped into his life pod, looking one more time at the holo screen and finding the elapsed battle time displayed in the bottom right corner. Sixteen minutes and 31 seconds. He slammed on the eject button and grimaced, the g forces threatening to make him black out as the life pod blasted him away from his dying ship and continued accelerating to get him out of the blast radius of the imminent core overload. A few minutes later, he used the positional thrusters to turn his life pod to face his battleship and watched as it died in a mini-supernova, tears streaming down his face. The Republic ships stopped firing as soon as they received broadcasts of surrender from the surviving ships and had retreated to stationary positions 100,000 kilometers from the battle space. They maintained target locks on the surviving Commonwealth ships as they repeated the same message every thirty seconds. ¡°Thank you for ceasing hostilities. Republic Search and Rescue ships are on their way and will be here momentarily. Please remain calm and activate your transponders to assist in your rescue.¡± As Therax continued drifting in his life pod, he bowed his head and whispered a prayer to the spirits of the ancestors. He asked that they lead the souls of the dead who died in honorable battle across the river and into the afterlife. As he activated his transponder, he saw null space exit flashes, and dozens of Republic ships entered the battle space. Within a minute, hundreds of rescue shuttles started streaming out of their bays, heading towards the Commonwealth life pods. The Republic vessels started locking tractor beams on the surviving Commonwealth ships and towing them out, while the rescue shuttles shot out tethers that grabbed life pods and started reeling them into the shuttle bays. He felt a jerk as a grappler tethered his life pod and watched as he was pulled towards a brightly lit shuttle bay. He bowed his head again and whispered another prayer, asking the spirits of the ancestors to help him avenge the deaths of those who died under his command. As he drew closer to the shuttle bay, his thoughts turned to getting vengeance against those that caused the destruction of over half the Commonwealth navy and the lives of 400,000 loyal sailors. The Commonwealth government. They Answered The Call-Part Nine/Alixa Proxima Centauri b Fort Benavidez, 2173 A.D. Dear Sirefather, I apologize for not being able to write to you for some time, as bootcamp and my studies consume almost my entire day and night cycle. I have just finished my Earth history course, and I find myself conflicted as I learn about how the Republic came to be and what caused its formation. I know you are aware of their history, but I never knew just how bad things were for humanity and how close they came to wiping themselves out during their third world war. I sometimes look at the human cadets around me, and I shudder as I imagine their ancestors wantonly slaughtering each other with weapons of mass destruction. I watched the historical documents showing the mass graves, entire cities obliterated, and the worldwide battlefields where tens of millions fought and died. I saw the footage of the great migrations that followed as the survivors fled from their destroyed, irradiated cities or the biological and chemical bombardments. Seeing these poor humans suffer and die by the hundreds of millions from disease, exposure, thirst, and hunger as they wandered in vain looking for safety crushed my soul. I almost can¡¯t believe it is possible that the humans who came and saved us are the same species as their ancestors. Sirefather, it seemed as if they descended into madness as they fought and destroyed each other. How did they ever recover from this? Almost five billion of them were dead within ten cycles, and almost a billion more suffered lifelong illnesses and disfigurement from the radiation and the BioChem weapons. I understand now why they developed into a very advanced automated society and still rely so much on AIs, autonomous fabricators, and androids. They had to make up for losing almost 60% of their population, and this technology was the only way they could rebuild their world. It was only five years ago that they finally surpassed their prewar population of ten billion, despite having colonies on multiple worlds and over a hundred years of peace. The documentary that hit me the hardest were the video recordings taken from the International Space Station. The six-member team was on that station when the war started and was slowly running out of air after the Eastern Coalition crewmember sabotaged most of their oxygen and water reserves and the lifeboats before committing suicide. Over many weeks, crew members volunteered to be left to die one by one as they shut down sections to conserve air and prolong the survival of the remaining members who had children. The United States and the EU both tried to send shuttles to rescue them, but the Eastern Coalition intercepted and destroyed all three of them before they could break orbit. There were no more crewed attempts after that, as the war was now in full swing and attempts by civilian satellite companies to resupply them were destroyed before reaching the station. After three months of conflict, the war went nuclear, and the last survivor turned the cameras to look down on Earth as dozens of nuclear explosions flashed on the surface. Contrails of hundreds of ballistic missiles crossed the sky as they flew into orbit, only to return as fiery harbingers of death as they reentered the atmosphere and split into multiple bombs and decoys. You could hear his final words in the background as he cursed humanity for destroying their home and deliriously called out the names of his wife and children before he finally succumbed to carbon dioxide poisoning. I¡¯m sorry; I am having a hard time coming to terms with all of this, and I should not burden you with such sadness. I will speak about bootcamp training instead. That first night in bootcamp, the lights went out, and I found myself alone for the first time in my life. I cried. I was so scared, and I wanted nothing more than to be back home with you and Birthmother. I thought I was being quiet, but the human cadet on the left side of my bunk must have heard me. He rolled over and looked at me, and I thought he was going to be angry at me for waking him up. Instead, he got up with his pillow, laid on the floor next to my bunk, and reached his hand out. I didn¡¯t understand what he was doing, and he then took my hand in his and held it gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay; I¡¯m scared too.¡± He whispered to me, making me cry even more. He let me go on for a little longer, and then we started whispering to each other for almost an hour while he asked me about my world and life and told me about his. I fell asleep still holding his hand, and I remember smiling as I drifted off. I now have my first human friend, Anson. The last six weeks have been the hardest in my life. Between the psychotic drill instructors, the brutal physical training regimen, and the classes at night, I don¡¯t know how I have been able to keep up. My friend Anson never let me give up, and if it wasn¡¯t for him, I would have washed out weeks ago. I think you would find this funny. The pelvic cooling appendage that rises above our fur and helps us cool down at night while sleeping seems to be a source of sadistic amusement for the drill instructors. The morning after I fell asleep talking with Anson on the first night, the DIs came charging in at 0430, banging on our bunk beds with their batons and screaming. As we stumbled out of our beds and lined up for inspection, I quickly put on the human underwear that they called ¡°tighty-whities¡± and took my place in the inspection line. As the DIs walked up and down the line and found a thousand things to yell at us about, one of them saw the appendage sticking out against my underwear and charged at me. The other two quickly followed. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. They had a look of unbridled glee on their faces as they all bent over and started screaming at the appendage as if addressing it. "At ease, little cadet!" ¡°Disarm that weapon, cadet! That¡¯s an order!¡± "Why are you saluting me, cadet? Do I look like an officer to you, Scumbag?" ¡°Are you happy to see me, cadet, or do you fucking monkeys have a fifth arm I don''t know about?¡± This went on for almost a minute while my translator struggled to keep up with what they were saying. I just stood there as straight as I could, not understanding even half of what they were saying, until several of the human cadets couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started laughing. In an instant, the DIs forgot all about me and turned their fury on the laughing cadets, spraying spit on their faces as they screamed and making them drop for pushups. One of the DIs pulled me aside later in the day and explained that they knew about the function of the cooling appendage and used it to get the other cadets to break. He gruffly apologized for any offense, but I was so surprised he wasn¡¯t threatening to rip my arms off and beat me to death with them that I just stuttered, ¡°Yes, Drill Sergeant!¡± and ran away from him without being dismissed. For the next two weeks, they came up with even more ridiculous comments and over-the-top mannerisms directed at it to cause the cadets to break so that they could PT them. They even got me a few times as I got a better grasp on human cultural lingo, and let¡¯s just say I am good at pushups now. There are some things that I do well on the obstacle courses, such as the climbing and agility portions, but I am in awe of the stamina and sheer willpower humans have for running long distances and enduring hardship. Many times, when I thought I couldn¡¯t go any further, Anson and the other cadets would be by my side, refusing to let me quit. During one nighttime five-mile run, I was in last place again, and I quit at the third mile and sat down. I just couldn¡¯t go any further. Anson had already finished in third place, and when he realized what happened, he came back for me, as did several other human cadets. One of the drill instructors followed them, promising all kinds of punishment and retribution, but they didn¡¯t care. They found me on the side of the road, picked me up, and started helping me walk while encouraging me to not give up. I begged them to leave me so that they wouldn¡¯t get in trouble, but all they kept saying over and over was, ¡°We don¡¯t leave anyone behind.¡± After a little while, I became ashamed of my weakness, and then I got angry. I demanded that they let me go, and I jogged the last mile with them to cross the finish line. As punishment, we got split into teams of two and given trench detail. Each team had to dig a trench 8 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 5 feet deep with firing steps and slope it to regulation for drainage and grenade sumps. It rained sporadically throughout the night, the soil was rocky, and it wasn¡¯t until 0100 that our trenches finally met the approval of the drill instructor. He ordered us to piss in them before filling the trenches back in and to hit the showers and go to bed. After we lined up, waiting for dismissal, he told the human cadets that he was proud of them for not leaving their brother behind, and then he dismissed us. It was so weird hearing him talk to us like that. On our way back, I tried to apologize to Anson and the others for getting them punished, but he stopped me and simply said, ¡°We are a team, and you are our friend. We will never leave you behind.¡± It was then and there that I realized just how lucky we were to have humans as our friends and allies. The best part of our training is the combat simulators. They are fully immersive holographic technology, and I have been learning small unit tactics and how humans conduct ground warfare. Sirefather, it is absolutely terrifying to see how quickly humans can revert to their old ways. It is almost as if they are barely controlling their inherent aggression and are ready to drop the veneer of civilization in an instant. Even Anson, my best friend and the nicest human I have ever met, turned into a ferocious wild animal during the combat exercises, and I could see the desire to destroy the OPFOR in his eyes as he and our other team members charged the enemy defenses. It is really creepy when the simulations end and they turn back into friendly humans, as if nothing happened and they didn¡¯t just try to murder each other. I heard the same story from the other Eleani cadets, and we made a promise to ourselves to not bring shame upon our species and to overcome our inherent pacifist ways. It was hard for us to break our instincts, but after two weeks, I can proudly say that we could mostly emulate the human cadets, and our enthusiasm and willingness to protect our team members compensate for our lack of aggression. Our arboreal lifestyle was a tremendous help, as we are quite nimble and able to jump and dodge out of the way of most of the shock bolts fired by the enemy teams and help achieve victory. Those things hurt so badly, and I¡¯m sure the tendency of the shock bolts to cause involuntary urination is an intentional, embarrassing side effect to drill into us the importance of proper concealment and fire suppression while advancing. Next week, I will also start training on a holographic bridge to get experience in simulated combat on a Republic warship. I have another three weeks before our final exams and physical assessment tests, and if I pass, I will then go to the advanced training facility in orbit, which the cadets call ¡°The Forge.¡± This is where they try to break cadets, and there is an almost palpable fear among all who speak about it. At the end of the eight-week course, we will come back down to the surface and must do a 241-kilometer forced march in five solar days with only what we can carry on our backs and a two-day supply of food and water. We have to use all our survival training to find food and water and show our capabilities along the way at the same time. They will assess our combat abilities, knowledge of casualty care and evacuation, ability to complete tactical objectives, setting up and defeating ambushes, and navigational skills. It ends with us having to take over a fort that is defended by an enemy force that outnumbers us by a 2-1 margin during a nighttime assault. Those who fail have the option to go back for an additional 4 weeks of supplemental training to help them succeed in their next attempt, or they can drop out and finish their three-year term in one of the other military branches with no dishonor. Those who pass will go on to additional training at New West Point on Earth for another three years before receiving the commissioned rank of 2nd lieutenant. The other Eleani cadets and I will have to decide what to do by then, and we will have two weeks'' leave to make that decision to continue or not. I must confess something to you. I used to resent you sometimes for how much you were away from home while you were on Earth all these years. I thought you loved them more than your own family, and I hated to see birthmother crying alone almost every night when she thought I couldn¡¯t see or hear her. I just want you to know that I understand now, and I am sorry for feeling that way about you. I love my humans too, and I cannot stand the thought of losing my friendship with Anson and all the others or never seeing them again. I think I want to continue the training and stay with them. We can talk more about it when I come home. I¡¯ll write to you again when I can, and please let birthmother know I love her and that my letter to her is coming as well. All my love, Alixa Bonus Chapter-Rise of the Republic The Republic Of Humanity: Founded in 2063 after the global devastation caused by World War Three, the remnants of the governments of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australasia, Scandinavia, and Great Britain joined together to form the first functional post-war government. After three years of consolidation, rebuilding, and internal relief efforts, the newly formed Republic of Humanity was finally able to move from a post-war subsistence economy to a post-scarcity society. Utilizing advanced AIs and automated fabrication technology (AFT) that was developed in secret by MIT scientists in an underground facility during the war, this fusion of technology changed the course of human history forever. The combination of AI and AFT created the ability for resource management and allocation to be utilized without human influence, corruption, and inefficiency for the first time in history. The first successful demonstration of this technology happened in the ruins of Washington, D.C., in 2064, when a prototype fabricator factory was airdropped from a C-5M super galaxy transport into the former city center. The AI activated the factory, and thousands of feeder drones were sent out for resource extraction. As the drones returned with harvested resources, they fed them into the factory, which created more feeder drones to increase harvesting yields. Once the fabricator had a surplus of resources, it constructed builder drones, which then constructed another fabricator and joined the two units together. Within thirty days, the prototype fabricator unit, which was 80 feet long, 5 feet high, and 10 feet wide, became a fabricator with a footprint of 10 acres. Ninety days after touchdown, the fabricator was now a fully self-sustaining megafactory that covered an area that was equivalent to one square mile. The AI created multiple types of drones to fulfill a variety of tasks, such as feeders, refiners, builders, scavengers, remediators, and soil sifters. The most important of these were the remediators and the soil sifters, as they decontaminated the radioactive fallout and BioChem residues from the surrounding areas and soils. A year after touchdown, an area encompassing one hundred square miles was decontaminated, and the soil was reclaimed, fertilized, and planted with food crops. All metal, concrete, and other reusable building materials were collected, refined, recycled, and set aside for the rebuilding of Washington, D.C. The experiment was a resounding success, and by 2067, most of the major population centers of the Republic of Humanity had been rehabilitated and were undergoing rebuilding. The surviving population of the newly formed Republic numbered 440 million, with the former United States suffering the most population loss from a prewar high of 394 million and a population of 260 million survivors counted during the census of 2068. Great Britain, Scandinavia, Australasia, Japan, and Canada suffered losses of 30¨C60% of their prewar populations. Republic scientists and their AI counterparts cooperated on a wide variety of technological projects leading to a golden age of robotics and other fields, which led to innovations such as the first successful humanoid androids that were used for agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and rebuilding efforts to supplement the now greatly reduced manpower of the Republic. The Republic then shifted its relief and rebuilding efforts beyond its borders. The North American province focused their efforts on Central and South America, while the Northern European province focused on Continental Europe, Eastern Russia, and the Middle East. The Australasia province led the efforts in Asia, focusing on rebuilding the allied countries of Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan before expanding to the Asian continent. There were minor conflicts as the relief efforts ran afoul of local warlords and surviving remnants of the Eastern Coalition, which were wiped out with extreme prejudice by the rebuilt and technologically advanced Republic Anzac divisions and Japanese defense forces. The North American province came into conflict with the despotic Brazilian Junta, which was a cabal of corrupt government officials that were supported by the Eastern Coalition and led a coup that overthrew the legitimately elected government in 2052. The Junta took advantage of the collapse of world order during the war and brutally conquered most of South America, murdering over one hundred million people with nuclear bombs and Biochem attacks. The Republic-Junta war lasted for three months and ended when the Republic had enough and decided to field the newly created advanced tactical suits (ATS) and deploy an entire regiment to the front lines. The ATS system was a radical departure from the prior unsuccessful attempts at creating a viable combat exosuit for soldiers. Advances in technology by medical research AIs have finally made it possible to hybridize the human nervous system with a specialized bio-mechanical android body. Volunteers with military experience who were suffering from paralysis, irreversible disfigurements, multiple amputations, and mortal diseases had their central nervous system removed and installed in a life support cocoon in their new android bodies. Over several weeks, programmed stem cells regrew their peripheral nervous system that was connected to the suit with nanobots. After a period of learning how to use their new bodies, they become fully functional bio-mechanical beings with unsurpassed combat abilities. These Bio-Synths were constructed of an incredibly strong high-entropy alloy that utilized chromium, cobalt, and nickel. They could run 60+ miles an hour, jump 30 feet, and pick up and move objects up to ten thousand pounds with ease. They were powered by a high-efficiency battery system that was continuously charged by a combination of solar skin cells, a bioreactor powered by food and other organics, and a miniaturized combustion engine that could run on any liquid fuel. They also had an AI battle system incorporated into the suit to complement the human nervous system, increasing their inherent lethality five-fold. This ATS regiment fielded 820 Bio-Synths with over a hundred other human and android support troops, air support, and one armored brigade combat team. They engaged in their first battle with two fanatical divisions of the elite presidential guard outside the city of Manaus. Sixteen hours after the battle began, what was left of the two divisions surrendered unconditionally after horrendous losses and succumbing to their fear of the ¡°Rob?s Da Morte¡± after witnessing over five thousand of their fellow soldiers falling to the deadly Bio-Synths. The ATS regiment suffered 37 confirmed kills and 227 damaged Bio-Synths. After a few more battles, the Brazilian army refused to continue to be slaughtered for the Junta and finally surrendered en masse. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Sub-Saharan Africa was largely spared by the war itself, as it did not partake in the conflict. However, they were utterly devastated by the collapse of the world order and the abrupt ending of the economic and food assistance they were entirely dependent on. The corrupt governments collapsed as they were unable to support their populations on their own, and widespread food shortage riots and simmering tribal conflicts erupted, leading to the continent being engulfed in a decade of genocidal conflicts, starvation, and water shortages caused by the worst drought in recorded history. By 2070, the population of Sub-Saharan Africa was just over five hundred million, down from a prewar high of 1.3 billion, and there was a mass extinction of over 60% of the megafuana species on the continent. The Republic now turned its attention to the last continent, and ten years later, the entire planet was unified under the banner of the Republic of Humanity when the Global Accords of 2080 were ratified. The 3.6 billion citizens of the Republic now looked upon their devastated, empty world and set upon the solemn task of healing their home and their souls. Over the next twenty years, a massive rebuilding and ecological remediation effort was launched, and by 2100, the vast majority of the damage and poisoning caused by the war had been remediated. The scars of the war were removed from the surface of the planet, and massive one thousand feet tall monoliths commemorating the victims of humanity''s descent into darkness littered the globe, with a promise etched in the granite base of every single one: "Never Again." Technological innovation increased exponentially as secret government and military research projects worldwide were declassified and made available for civilian industrialists and scientists to utilize for the betterment of mankind. Coupled with AIs and AFT fabrication methods, a multigenerational leap forward in technology was achieved, and the Republic turned its gaze into space. Once the manufacture of precision carbon nanotubes was achieved, Nano Electro-Kinetic thrusters became feasible, and a new class of spaceships were built. The Republic Space Agency launched manned missions to explore the solar system, and AFT harvester factories were sent to the asteroid belt to extract the resources necessary to build the orbital infrastructure required to become an interplanetary civilization. In 2116, a methane extraction drone came upon the broken remains of a derelict alien ship on the surface of Titan. As word of the exciting discovery spread throughout the solar system, government officials and scientists on the Mars orbital platform were sent to the site to retrieve the wreckage. Only the engineering section of the alien craft was salvageable, but after two years of study and reverse engineering, the Republic had created its first functioning null drive. This null drive was not antimatter-powered, as the Republic did not have the technological capability to manufacture and safely store sufficient amounts to power it correctly, and instead they jury-rigged it with the latest versions of the miniaturized fusion reactors that were just created a few years prior. Multiple null drive ships were built, and mankind fearlessly flung itself into the unknown, heading to the nearest star systems. In 2123, the first contact with an alien species was made when a Republic exploration scout ship was intercepted by a Galactic Commonwealth science ship in the YZ Ceti system, 12 light-years away from Earth. This event sent a shockwave through Republic society as they came to terms with the fact that they were not facing just one, but many alien races, and the technological disparity sparked fears of an invasion and subjugation by an advanced, aggressive civilization. The result was a decades-long military buildup to turn the Republic into a veritable fortress and a global effort to claim and colonize as many viable exoplanets as possible to create a buffer zone between the Human Republic and the Galactic Commonwealth. Over two hundred shipyards and almost twelve thousand warships were built in the ensuing four decades, while the Republic military spied on the Commonwealth Navy and adapted their training and war doctrine to compensate for the technological gap between the two militaries. The rescue of the Xenxin younglings in 2131 and the subsequent secret gifting of technology by both the Eleani and the Xenxin turned the Republic into the de facto supreme military power in that quadrant of space. The true power of the Republic was not known by the Commonwealth or the other non-aligned powers due to their arrogance and the excellent deception doctrine of the Republic government and military. Military Stats of the Human Republic as of 2172: Total human population: 10.3 billion 7.5 billion natural born / 2.8 billion creche born - These are babies born to parents who still suffer from the generational effects of genetic degradation from the war and have chosen to have the fetus gestate in an artificial womb that will correct any genetic defects before their baby comes to term. Fit for service: Men- 2.8 billion/Women-3.1 billion Total android/synth population: 1.9 billion Fit for service/war refit: 1.2 billion Mark XII ATS Bio-Synths: 25,873 active duty/110,000+ in reserve status Total shipyards: 175 active, 37 in reserve Republic naval fleet Composition as of 2172: Total warships: 11,534 Active: 7,986 Reserve: 3,548 Total tonnage: 10,678,467 tons Independence-class Carriers: Active: 672 - Reserve: 331 Dauntless-class Battleship: Active: 1,456 - Reserve: 583 Courageous-class Heavy Cruiser: Active: 1,893 - Reserve: 1,278 War spite-class Destroyer: Active: 1,452 - Reserve: 689 Hunter-class Frigate: Active: 1,723 - Reserve: 667 Spectre-class Nullship: Active: 790 - Reserve: 0 Peregrine-class Starfighter: Active: 12,609 - Reserve: 4,138 Valkyrie-Class Bombers: Active: 2,478 - Reserve: 983 They Answered The Call-Chapter Ten/Hive mother Outskirts of the V¡¯rn home system, 3.7 billion miles from the sun Command Chamber of Insectoid Scoutship, 2174 A.D. The command drone was releasing pheromones and issuing orders with her arms to the worker drones when she became aware of a presence creeping around the edges of her mind. She suddenly felt a heightened sense of fear as she continued issuing orders, trying not to instinctively fight against the intrusion as it pushed further into her mind. Doing so would be punished by the invader with her death, and she did not wish to die. As the infiltration penetrated deeper into her consciousness, she resigned herself to her fate and, with great sadness, started to feel herself fade away as the powerful mind pushed her aside and subsumed her uniqueness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Hive-mother finished her takeover of the command drone and surveyed the chamber with eyes that were not her own as she felt the lingering sadness of the command drone and brutally suppressed it. This one might need to be culled, she thought to herself before she went about absorbing all the information being displayed on the consoles as the worker drones kept track of her newest weapons hurtling into the system towards their assigned targets. It took many lunar months for all the proper preparations to fall into place for the renewed assault on the animal core worlds. Her daughters worked tirelessly to fulfill her requests, and three of them exceeded all her expectations. One created the self-sustaining movers, another ingeniously created a chemical compound coating that absorbed the detection frequencies of the animal sensor network, and the third one plotted out the courses, speeds, and gravitational effects on the thousands of asteroids to ensure that they hit all the targets at the same time. A fleeting thought of the high cost of the efforts that burned up the brains of almost a billion worker drones came to her, and she paused for an infinitesimal amount of time, mourning them. She then angrily suppressed her momentary weakness and focused on the consoles. They were just worker drones, and she will replace them. She specifically selected this system for the assault because of the massive amount of infrastructure within it and the population density of the inhabitants. These disgusting animals were prolific breeders, and the six hundred billion inhabitants produced a significant percentage of the military and economic output of the animal empire. She also relished the fact that they seemed to be much larger kin of the vole-pests that were a constant scourge in her Hives. Despite her best extermination attempts, they continued to thrive, spreading disease and devouring the Hive food supplies. She had a moment of levity within herself as she imagined tiny asteroids obliterating their hidden nests in the Hives. The light from the impacts of the thousands of asteroids 5.5 hours ago was expected to reach her position soon, and she sent her thoughts out to the daughter-queens that made this possible. She felt their thoughts respond and acknowledge her invitation. After a few moments, three other worker drones in the chamber suddenly stiffened, stopping midway through whatever functions they were performing. All three turned towards her and bowed to her before moving to the command dais to take their places beside her. The daughter-drones all looked at her, their eyes filled with powerful intelligence as they bowed to her once more. She felt their thoughts in her mind as they all reveled in the coming destruction and the vengeance they were about to exact for the death of their sister-queen. One daughter-queen seemed more hesitant and reserved, and she momentarily blocked out the other two as she sent her thoughts to the aberrant daughter-queen. The daughter-queen was silent and looked away from her. She felt an anger that she had never felt towards a daughter-queen before, and she barely managed to reign in the impulse to tear the daughter-drone body in half. She felt her daughter¡¯s mind reel under the irresistible onslaught of her command and waited impatiently for her to recover. The two other daughter-drones felt the powerful thought even through the block she put on their minds, and they looked at her and their sister-drone silently, fearfully backing away a few paces. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. All the other worker drones in the chamber lost consciousness from the psychic assault of their minds and had fallen to the floor in front of their stations, dead before they hit the ground. Her errant daughter-queen finally regained her composure and responded to her. She was slightly mollified by the answer, though she thought she detected a wrongness in the answer she could not remember ever experiencing before. Slightly disgusted by the weakness her daughter-queen seemed to have, she decided to teach her a lesson on how to be a strong queen. Satisfied by the answer, she reached out with a tarsal claw and touched the daughter-drone¡¯s head, indicating that she was to resume her place at her side. The daughter-drone lifted her head and moved to her place by the Dais, and the other two daughter-drones did the same, seeing that the conflict was resolved. An alarm went off, and she looked at the consoles and saw that the light from the assault was almost upon them. She got up and pressed several commands on the sensor consoles, oblivious to the worker drone bodies lying on the floor beneath her. A moment later, multiple screens came alive on the forward wall of the bulkhead in front of her, and she marveled at the sheer destruction she was witnessing. Four gargantuan animal shipyards and over eighty orbital facilities disintegrated in massive explosions when the asteroids smashed into them. Hundreds of domed animal cities on the outer planets and moons disappeared in blinding flashes of light as they were hit, while others were torn apart by the catastrophic impacts shattering the planetary crust. She left the mind of the command drone she was in and reached out to the other command drone that was on another scout ship on the opposite side of the system. She wanted to see the animal birth world being hit, and its current position was behind the sun from her location. As she took over the new command drone, she called out to her daughters to join her again on the new ship she was on and focused the screens on the birth world of the animals. She was just in time, and she reveled in the carnage as the first of many asteroids impacted. The biggest asteroid, which was almost three hundred miles in diameter, struck the inner edge of the single supercontinent, and she could see the planet itself reel from the impact and deform. Great geysers of magma and crust shot up, while the shockwave from the impact hit the coastline and generated massive 2,000-foot tsunamis that would travel across the ocean and drown the other side of the continent in an apocalyptic wall of water. Another seventeen slightly smaller asteroids hit the planet in rapid succession, and it turned into an amorphous blob of fire and magma as it reverted to being a lifeless protoplanet. She almost left the command drone without acknowledging her, but the way her daughter-queen responded triggered a deep instinct inside of her that she tried to suppress, for it made her weak and unworthy of being Hive-mother. As she tried to fight against it, she felt long-dead, atavistic emotions roiling under the surface and decided to let them out. She sometimes secretly liked to feel them, despite their lack of usefulness in controlling the Hives. The emotions she allowed herself to feel were on the verge of overwhelming her, and the Hive-mother left the command drone before she showed any more weakness to her daughter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The queen was left alone with her thoughts in the body of a worker drone after the Hive-mother left. She sadly looked at the other drones in the command chamber as she keyed in the self-destruct sequence into the engine console. The command drone tried to recover from her possession by the Hive-mother and released pheromones asking for orders while she was barely able to stand upright, leaning on a sensor console. The queen was just about to press the fusion core overload button when she looked at the command drone again. She looked into her eyes, and she saw something. It wasn¡¯t sadness. It was resignation. The command drone knew what she was doing, and she still stood there waiting for orders. The queen continued looking into the command drone¡¯s eyes as she entered a different series of commands and stopped the overload. The queen waited to see if the command drone would respond. I am here. Take me. The command drone didn¡¯t answer. It turned toward the queen and bowed deeply. Yes. You are my queen. I will go where you take me. Will you use me and discard me? No. I will help you to be a good Hive mother. Yes, Hive mother. You are our Hive mother now. They Answered The Call-Chapter Eleven/Therax Republic Orbital Complex, 2174 A.D. 90,000,000,000 miles from Barnard''s Star Commodore Therax sat stone still as he re-read the report that was handed to him by the Republic Intelligence officer, still trying to understand the words he was reading while his mind rejected them. The insectoids had launched a devastating assault on the core system of V¡¯rn, and he focused once again on the estimated death toll. Over five hundred billion dead, the V¡¯rn home world was now a rapidly spinning ball of magma, and every orbital and space structure in the solar system was destroyed. In one fell swoop, the Insectoids wiped out almost a third of the industrial capacity of the Commonwealth and over 20% of its population. The V¡¯rni were now a refugee species, adding a further burden to the already deteriorating state of the Commonwealth government as it tried to tamp down on internal dissent and threats of rebellion from the more fractious members. The intelligence officer waited a little longer, and then he sat down across from Therax and waited for him to come to terms with the report. After a few moments, Therax looked at him. ¡°Colonel, I thank you for allowing me access to your intelligence reports and for taking on the burden of informing me. This is a devastating blow to the Commonwealth; the V¡¯rn were one of the founding members and the very embodiment of the spirit of the organization. They were also the first to vote yes to grant your species entry, and now the very heart of the Commonwealth is gone. I do not see how they can recover from this.¡± Colonel Mgabi sighed softly and pushed another data pad across the table. ¡°Commodore, this is another report detailing the efforts of your government to maintain control of their remaining members. The news organizations have been muzzled, and the Commonwealth is currently under an undeclared state of martial law. And please call me Bob; I have asked you repeatedly to do so when we are alone.¡± Therax picked up the report and quickly scanned it, the colors of his cheek scales changing to a bright red as he fought down the growing anger that was rising as he read the intelligence report on the increasingly despotic measures of the government. Protests and peaceful assemblies were outlawed. Curfews were being instituted, and taxes were being levied for ¡°emergency defense funds¡± without parliamentary approval. Billions of citizens were waking up to find their bank accounts drained and defense bonds promising repayment with interest inserted in their place. Businesses involved in manufacturing, mining, and other critical industries were abruptly nationalized, and their assets were seized. Anyone who spoke out was visited by the security bureau and interrogated, or they were arrested and never seen again. At the bottom of the report were detailed files on a rebellion by the Filatin, who succeeded in capturing or destroying the Commonwealth garrisons on their world and successfully convinced the planetary defense flotilla to disobey orders to bombard them into submission. The flotilla crews negotiated with the new Filatin government for transport to Xenxin or Eleani space, where they could apply for moral noncombatant status and escape the death penalty for mutiny if the Commonwealth regained control of the planet. The newly created Filatin Defense Forces then took over the abandoned ships and rechristened them the Filatin Liberation Navy. Therax noted with pride and sadness the actions of his people when a Commonwealth task force arrived at Filat Prime with orders to wipe out the rebellion and seize control of the planet. Of the one hundred and thirty ships in the taskforce, forty-two were captained by Nekuli officers, and every single one of them refused orders to attack the Filatin ships and bombard the planet. They and any other Nekuli officers who refused orders were arrested by the bridge crews for mutiny and executed on the spot by being spaced out of the airlock. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. When word of what happened reached Nekuli crewmembers on the ships, they went into a rage and mutinied, managing to seize a few vessels and turning their weapons on the other ships, destroying and damaging a few of them. Some mutineers that failed to take over the bridges and seize control turned their efforts to the engineering and weapons sections, setting core overloads or self-destructing the warheads of the plasma torpedoes, destroying or crippling almost twenty more ships. The Filatin Liberation Navy took advantage of the chaos within the task force and launched an attack, and their barely trained crews of naval reservists managed to destroy and render combat-ineffective another thirty vessels before they were wiped out to the last ship. The surviving Commonwealth task force ships then turned their weapons on Filat Prime and destroyed the capital and every military installation and base on the planet. They hit every large concentration of troops they could locate on the surface before issuing demands for surrender. The Filatin government remained defiant, rejecting the surrender demands and launching what few orbital defense missiles they had, destroying another two ships. The taskforce then began large-scale planetary bombardment. They destroyed a major city every six hours until the next solar day, when what remained of the Filatin government sent pleas of surrender and agreed to submit to arrest and prosecution for charges of treason. In the end, almost two hundred million Filatin were dead, and over half of their major cities were completely obliterated. News of the Filatin rebellion was suppressed, and the task force crews were interned in camps at an isolated military outpost on the border to prevent knowledge of the events from getting out. Therax, his hands shaking, put the report down and bowed his head. He quietly prayed to the ancestors to usher the righteous souls across the river and into the afterlife. After a few moments, he raised his head and looked at the colonel. ¡°Bawb, I am grateful to you and the Republic for your honorable conduct towards the survivors you rescued under my ill-fated command. I wish there was some way to let my people know the truth about the Commonwealth government; they would rebel immediately and overthrow them." Thera flicked his head in disgust before continuing to speak. "We are the largest faction within the navy and the ground forces due to our warrior culture, and knowing that most of them continue to ignorantly serve this evil government because they do not know the truth pains my soul.¡± Colonel Mgabe smiled. ¡°I might be able to help you with that. There is someone here who wishes to speak to you if you are willing.¡± Therax tilted his head to the left, indicating that he was willing. The colonel pressed a button on the table, and a few seconds later, two dangerous-looking marine pathfinders stepped into the room, scanning it and the two occupants for threats. Detecting none, they stepped to the sides of the door and assumed guard positions, turning into deadly statues. Admiral Thompson walked into the room and returned the salute from Colonel Mgabe. ¡°Bob, I would like you to stay and offer your input and thoughts on what I am about to propose. You have been instrumental in establishing a good working relationship with Commodore Therax, and I trust your gut just as much as mine.¡± Colonel Mgabe smiled. ¡°Of course, admiral. Thank you, sir.¡± He pulled out both chairs and waited for the admiral to sit in one before he sat down in the other. Therax had remained seated, warily eyeing the new human who had just sat down across from him. He dipped his head slowly in a sign of respect and waited. Admiral Thompson returned the gesture of respect, suppressing the instinct to offer a handshake to the commodore as the Nekuli only touched hands for mating. He did not want Therax to get the wrong idea again, an embarrassing moment for colonel Mgabe when he first interviewed the commodore three months ago. The admiral pulled out a data pad and slid it across the table to Therax. ¡°Commodore, please take a moment and look over the contents of the data pad.¡± Therax took the pad and read the contents. He quickly looked at the admiral, confusion in his eyes, before reading the contents one more time, slowly. When he was sure of what he was seeing, he put the pad down and resumed looking at the admiral. ¡°This is a list of all Commonwealth Navy ships currently under your control that the Xenxin seized during their rebellion and the surviving ships of my task force. I see that you have repaired them, and they are listed as fully combat-capable. This is a powerful force of Commonwealth ships at your disposal; may I ask what your intentions are with them?" Admiral Thompson looked at Colonel Mgabe, who nodded almost imperceptibly. He looked back at Therax. His eyes locked onto Therax¡¯s, and they seemed to bore into the very depths of his soul for a few uncomfortable seconds as he tried not to look away from those intense orbs. He saw the moment of decision around the eyes of the admiral as the folds of skin around them relaxed slightly and took on a calculating expression. The admiral leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. ¡°I want to give them back to you, Commodore Therax. How do you feel about leading those ships back to your home world and telling them the truth?¡± For the first time in three months, Commodore Therax really smiled, baring all of his teeth in true happiness. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twelve Eleven days prior The ten stealth pods were on their final approach after drifting for two days from the small moon orbiting their target planet. They were ejected from a nullship that flashed out of null space below the moon¡¯s southern pole, taking advantage of the strong magnetic fields in that region to mask the exit flash and avoid detection by the insectoid ships in orbit around the planet. The planet and the moon were currently transiting through a large meteor stream that intersected their orbit around the sun three times a year. The command-pod AI ran billions of calculations per second as it started creating an atmospheric entry plan for the ten pods that would coincide with the trajectories of the numerous particles of dust and debris that would be entering the atmosphere for the next three days. Selecting an area with a projected high concentration of small-diameter meteors in the next hour, the AI created a maneuvering program for the pods that activated a series of compressed-gas positional thrusters to guide the pods over to the entry point. The AI confirmed the calculations and initiated the final entry program as the ten pods fired their rear gas thrusters one last time and accelerated towards the planet. They were joined by over a thousand pieces of cosmic debris as they entered the atmosphere and streaked across the sky, flaring brightly as they dropped towards the surface with the other meteors. Kepler-186f system 2nd planet, Insectoid Builder World, 2174 A.D. The special forces team had been on the planet for ten days without seeing any signs or indications of the presence of a queen on the planet. Lieutenant Diego could not believe the sheer number of drones he saw in the last nine days since they marched forty kilometers from their landing site towards an endlessly sprawling ground-based shipyard facility. Tens of millions of drones scurried about day and night as raw material was offloaded by massive aerial cargo ships that landed, were emptied, and flew off to reload in an endless procession. Diego found himself enthralled by their construction processes and the astonishing speed at which they built ships. In just the last five days, he saw ten insectoid cruisers go from a skeletal framework to fully completed and watched as they lifted off the surface and went into orbit. He was particularly impressed with how the tough ship hulls were created. A large percentage of the cargo being dropped off seemed to be organic in nature and was dumped into large tanks scattered throughout the shipyard. A conveyor system comprising hundreds of thousands of worker drones connected all the tanks and would snake their way among the shipbuilding areas, carrying loads of the organic material on their backs and dumping it at the end of the lines. Other drones with smaller containers would fill them with material and bring them to waiting drones by the ships, dumping the contents on the ground in front of them, and then go back for more material. The drones in front of their piles would then start eating the organic material, swallowing it. After they ate the pile in front of them, they would scurry over to the ships and start regurgitating what they ate into their tarsal claws in small amounts and shaping them into round balls. They would then stack the balls in a row like bricklayers until they ran out of regurgitated material. They would then go back to eat more material, while teams of drones would take their place and wave a handheld apparatus that seemed to heat the balls, and they would melt, deforming from the treatment and filling in the gaps, turning into perfect hexagons. Once a section was completed, a different team of drones would arrive with a large device and set it up. They would then turn the device on, and a god-awful screeching sound would emanate from the front of the device and be directed towards the still-soft sections of the hull. Within thirty seconds, that section of hull would start groaning, and the opaque, soft hexagons would turn jet black and harden into a tough, metal-like material. An Insectoid cruiser that was 360 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 120 meters tall would have its entire hull constructed and enclosed in forty-two hours. An alert popped up on his HUD that it was time to insert another energy pack into the shrouding system that camouflaged his team and prevented detection. He keyed his throat mike and issued the command for everyone to replace their energy packs, and he turned to face the two civilian scientists to make sure that they received and understood the order. He was vehemently opposed to bringing them, but the admiral was adamant that they were to accompany the team, and Diego relented after some resistance. There was no way in hell he was willing to piss off the big man over a couple of civvies; there were better hills to die on. As he watched them fumble about for their replacement packs, he smiled and had to admit that they were growing on him. During the two weeks it took them to get to the far side of Insectoid space, their wide-eyed enthusiasm and willingness to talk about their respective fields of study seemed to infect his team, and they became almost like little siblings to them. He chuckled to himself as he remembered how confused Dr. Ariti seemed to be by the fact that his team was able to process and retain the information she was telling them with ease. He was there when Dr. Masiello informed her that the eight-member team held over twenty PhD¡¯s among them, and the look on her face was just the cutest thing he ever saw. The sun was halfway down past the horizon, which meant they had just another hour of daylight before darkness would arrive. He signaled that it was time to pack up and move, and in a few minutes, they were headed back towards their base camp. He was grateful for the .7g gravity on the surface, as it made their daily hikes with equipment and the frequent relocations of their camp to avoid detection easier. It also gave his joints a welcome reprieve from their usual aches, a mercy he greatly appreciated. They arrived at base camp a half hour later, and everyone went about their assigned tasks and end-of-day routines before they all sat down around a red-light lantern in the middle of the camp to have dinner. The combination of the eerie red light and the pitch blackness of their surroundings was something none of them could get used to, and it created an ominous atmosphere as they reluctantly opened their ration packs. The shrouding device could hide them effectively, but they enacted as many safeguards as they could against detection, such as only using red lights at night and eating foods that had been stripped of any scent and devoid of flavoring spices. The result of their security measures was that they felt like they were eating cardboard in hell. Diego had been sick before and felt like he couldn¡¯t really taste his food when his nose was stuffed, but he always knew he was eating his mom¡¯s chicken soup. As vague as the scent and taste of the soup might be, it was still there, and he could detect its essence. The food they were eating was on a totally different level, and he never realized just how important a component smell was to tasting food until he ate rations completely devoid of any scent or seasoning except for salt and potassium chloride. As they choked down their dinner, he noticed Emily and Owen shooting furtive glances at each other, and they seemed agitated. He waited until they all finished eating and indicated that he wanted to talk to them alone. They walked 10 meters away from the red-light lamp and stopped right on the edge of the total blackness surrounding their camp. Emily and Owen seemed really distressed, and he knew something was seriously wrong. He didn¡¯t have the time or the patience for their bullshit, and his internal alarms were going off wildly. ¡°What is going on with you two? Tell me, now.¡± He saw them cringe at his harsh manner, but he couldn¡¯t afford to feel bad for them. Not on an enemy planet with almost thirty billion wasps that were five feet tall and armed with skull-cracking mandibles and twelve-inch serrated stingers coming out of their asses. They didn¡¯t answer, and he stepped forward into their personal space and was just about to demand answers when Owen, in an uncharacteristic show of bravery, put himself in front of Emily as if to protect her. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Lieutenant, I would appreciate it if you would direct your questions to me. There is no reason for you to speak to Emily like this. She is rightfully terrified, and I have spent the last ten days trying not to shit my fucking pants in front of all of you, so do me a favor and get the fuck out of our faces.¡± Diego couldn¡¯t believe the balls on this puke, and he almost gave in to his desire to punch the defiant bastard in the face before he realized how ridiculous it was. Here he was, squaring off with an entomologist who was telling him to fuck off, and the absurdity of it all and the pressures of the mission came crashing into him. He took a few steps back, turning around and breathing deeply, trying to calm himself. Owen, now in the throes of an uncontrolled adrenaline crash, waited a few seconds and then stepped next to him and put out a very shaky fist bump, offering an unsaid apology with his eyes. Diego bumped it, and he turned back to face Emily. ¡°I apologize for the way I spoke to you; I am not used to having civilians on my missions. I hope we can reset and put this behind us.¡± Emily nodded, and Owen walked back over and stood next to her. Emily looked at Owen and nodded, and Owen pulled out a data pad, set it on the floor, and pressed a button. A holographic map floated above it, and he pinched the display with his fingers and zoomed into the area where they were currently located. ¡°Lieutenant, we are of the opinion that we are not going to locate a queen on the surface.¡± He expanded the map back out and swiped it sideways to an area over a hundred kilometers to the east. He zoomed back in and pressed an icon on the map that added a subterranean scan, and a massive underground structure popped into view, looking like an upside-down pinecone, with the narrow top of the structure expanding in size as it went deeper. Diego leaned forward to look at the numbers on the side of the structure and whistled softly to himself as the estimated dimensions were displayed. The structure was thirty-six kilometers deep and had a radius of twelve kilometers at its widest. It was a massive underground Hive, and there was a flashing question mark in the center of the Hive where there was a large chamber located. It seemed to be the nexus of the Hive, which was connected to the rest of the structure by six bridges or tunnels. Owen pointed towards the question mark icon. ¡°This has to be the queen chamber, and if there is a queen currently on the planet, that is where she will be.¡± Diego stared at the map, thinking about how to get her out of there. He keyed his throat mike and called for Sgt. Singh to join them at their location. A few moments later, he arrived, and Diego quickly brought him up to speed. Singh was the team¡¯s engineer sergeant, and he thoughtfully stroked his beard as he looked at the display. ¡°Obviously, we cannot infiltrate the Hive to root the bitch out. I have enough explosives and demo bots to severely damage some of the cruisers under construction; maybe that will get the queen to leave the Hive, if she is even in there.¡± He finished speaking, and Diego looked at the doctors to gauge their reaction to what he said. Emily spoke first. ¡°I would not do that. We don¡¯t know what their response to that will be. They might have soldier drones. We haven¡¯t seen any here or found any evidence of them from the wreckage in the Eleani system, but that does not mean that they do not have a soldier or guard caste protecting their hives.¡± Owen nodded in agreement and added, ¡°We need to find a way to know for sure if there even is a queen here before alerting them to our presence. Who¡¯s to say that the queens wouldn¡¯t respond to such an attack by retreating to their primary world and staying there, depriving us of a chance to grab a queen ever again? I might have an idea, and the sergeant¡¯s expertise and input would be welcomed.¡± Diego nodded, and both he and Singh took a knee as Owen played around with the map, highlighting an area of the shipyard almost fifty kilometers from their position. He asked his AI assistant to access the geological and topographical scans that were taken from orbit before they landed on the planet and highlighted a five-square-kilometer section of crust under the outer edge of the shipyard. ¡°The crust is extremely thin here, and there is a massive chasm underneath this area from the worker drones pumping out the aquifer for water. I think a series of properly placed sub-surface explosives will cause the thin roof of the chasm to weaken enough to collapse a small area, and the weight of this section of the shipyard will add further stress to the undamaged crust and collapse the entire area, causing all the ships and workers to fall into the chasm. It would seem to be a natural occurrence, and we can avoid having to give away our presence on the planet. I bet that will get the queen up here if she is in the Hive.¡± Owen then added markers indicating where he thought the explosives should go and their yields, and then looked at Singh, waiting for his response. Singh quickly played around with the map, ran his own calculations on the placement and explosive yields, and looked at Owen with a growing respect in his eyes as his AI assistant verified the numbers. ¡°Not bad, Doc; this is pretty good for a bug guy! Are you a geologist too?¡± Owen smiled widely at the praise from Singh and answered with obvious pride in his voice. ¡°Actually, I did two six-month tours as an ore prospector in the Fomalhaut asteroid belts before my then-girlfriend threatened to break up with me. I was pretty good at figuring out the proper explosive placement to break up the asteroids while maintaining the integrity of the mineral deposits and cores. It was a fun job, and the money I made paid for my parents retirement home and my college.¡± Singh nodded approvingly and stood up, walking over to Owen and warmly shaking his hand. ¡°It is always nice to make the acquaintance of an ore prospector; it¡¯s a dangerous job and requires a lot of technical skill.¡± Diego rolled his eyes and studied the map while the two of them continued talking about blowing crap up and zoned out the lovefest. Emily came over and sat down next to him. ¡°I agree with Owen. If the queen is in the Hive, she would have to come out and oversee the worker drone response to the collapse. Do you think it is a good plan?¡± Diego grunted in response as he continued to think about the feasibility of the plan and the possible outcomes. He turned to her and nodded. ¡°I do think it is a solid plan, and even if there is no queen here, then at least we can do some damage to their shipbuilding efforts for a short period of time. There¡¯s what¡ªalmost two hundred cruisers in that area? At least we can strike a blow against them if we fail in our objective to capture a queen. Wiping out two hundred cruisers and a few million drones is a nice consolation prize, and we can exfil this planet with pride in that accomplishment.¡± Emily smiled at him and said, ¡°It would be nice to get off the planet and go back home. I know I volunteered to come here for the mission, but I am tired of being scared all the time; it is exhausting.¡± Diego reached out and lightly patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You two are doing a fine damn job so far. I have to admit that the both of you have been far less trouble than I was expecting to have to deal with on this mission.¡± Emily smiled widely. ¡°Thank you for that, lieutenant; that means a great deal to me.¡± Diego smiled in return and stood up, offering his hand to assist Emily. They walked back over to Singh and Owen, who were geeking out over the demo bot specs that Singh had pulled up on his wrist pad. ¡°If you two lovebirds are about done, let¡¯s head back over and quickly outline our preliminary plan to the rest of the team. We will work out the details, solidify a proper plan in the morning, and go from there.¡± They all started walking back towards the red-light lamp, and Diego slowed his pace as he walked behind them, listening along as Owen was telling Emily and Singh about a time when he spent two days evading an ore pirate ship in a cat-and-mouse chase. His copilot was killed in the initial attack, and he managed to cripple their ship with mining charges when he laid a trap and led them into it. ¡°Not bad for a puke.¡± He thought to himself as his previous estimation of the scientist rose considerably as Owen described how his damaged ship was almost out of air, so in desperation, he boarded the drifting ore pirate ship and single-handedly took the four survivors prisoners. A little while later, after everyone had gone into their tents to sleep, Diego was just about to drift off when he heard a faint rustling sound outside his tent and sat upright, alarmed. The sentry bots and the perimeter sensor system did not activate the silent buzz alarm on his wrist pad, and he tapped it, accessing the video feed from the overhead sentry drone that was floating above their camp. From this bird''s-eye view, he saw Emily finish tiptoeing across the camp and stop outside Owen¡¯s tent. She looked furtively around the camp before pressing the entry seam control and quickly slipping into his tent before the seam closed back up behind her. He pressed a series of commands, and a few moments later, a backup shroud drone silently assumed position over the tent and activated, making it disappear from the visual feed. He broke the connection to the overhead sentry drone and laid back down, feeling a genuine smile form on his face. He closed his eyes and thought his last thought before sleep overcame him. ¡°Not bad at all, Owen.¡± They Answered The Call-Chapter Thirteen Republic 7th Fleet, Centaurus Sector, 407 light years from Earth RSS Vercingetorix, Independence-Class Carrier, 2174 A.D. Vice-Admiral Mei Zhou had just finished making the final changes to the fleet¡¯s reconnaissance patrol routes with her senior staff when the comm panel on her desk chirped, displaying an incoming comm request from Admiral Thompson. She quickly thumbed the pad being offered by her aide so that he could issue the orders they were just working on and turned to the rest of her staff. ¡°Nice job, people. Let¡¯s get to work. Dismissed.¡± As the staff filed out the door, she started entering the codes needed to decrypt the incoming comm channel and looked up to make sure the room was empty. She pressed the open channel icon, and Admiral Thompson¡¯s holo image appeared in front of her desk, ending just below his waist and making it seem as if he was actually there, sitting. ¡°Mei, how¡¯s your new ship treating you?¡± he asked, smiling. ¡°She is an absolute beauty, Karl. I still can¡¯t believe that she is mine.¡± She responded, returning his smile. ¡°What can I do for you, Karl?¡± Thompson chuckled, and his holo image leaned back as he reclined in his chair. ¡°Straight to business; I always liked that about you, Mei. Alright, here we go. We have received intelligence reports that the Commonwealth has begun evacuating one of their last remaining coreward periphery worlds that is now dangerously close to the expanded Insectoid border. We have also received an update from our spy drones in that same region that six Hive ships and almost four hundred cruisers that were patrolling their side of that border area have disappeared. This is too much of a coincidence, and I want you to detach a combat patrol and send them there.¡± Thompson finished speaking, and a flashing icon popped up on her comm panel, indicating that she had just received new orders. She tapped it and quickly scanned the new orders as the admiral waited. She looked up at his holo image. ¡°Karl, I acknowledge receipt of the new orders and will implement them. Between me and you, why are we getting involved with this? The Commonwealth has a navy, and they should be fighting to protect their space. We can¡¯t keep coming to the rescue and defending their members; we are already spread too thin as it is.¡± Thompson nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Mei, I agree with you in principle, but there are social and political considerations involved here. The near extinction of the V¡¯rni has caused considerable turmoil among the citizens of the Republic. They know logically that we could not have stopped such an attack like that one, but the perceived failure to protect them or prevent the attack still weighs heavily on their souls. The Commonwealth is currently attempting to evacuate the Jaleen system, and they are one of the last surviving members that voted yes before our petition to join the Commonwealth was denied. It also doesn¡¯t help that the Jaleeni are avowed pacifists and look like bipedal Newfoundland dogs. They are technically a bear-like species, but to humans, they look like humanoid dogs, and the government is unwilling to lose the popular support it currently enjoys by allowing the Jaleeni to be exterminated. I mean, look at these guys.¡± Another flashing icon popped up on her screen a moment later, and she pressed it. It turned into a hologram depicting a typical Jaleeni family of a mother and father with a litter of six pups, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile as she looked at the photo. They were wearing their traditional rough-spun linen clothes that made them look like dogs cosplaying as monks. They looked adorable, and she felt her heart melt while staring into their deep brown eyes, which looked sad. She understood the reasoning behind it, especially after the mass extinctions that occurred in Earth¡¯s biosphere because of World War 3. After the war, humanity had an awakening when they surveyed their destroyed world and came to terms with the disappearance of thousands of species and the near extinction of thousands of others. What followed were three generations of desperate measures to salvage what remained and a worldwide effort at habitat restoration and de-extinction efforts utilizing a wide array of methods such as back-breeding, cloning, and genome editing. Dogs were almost driven to extinction by the war as they were uniquely susceptible to the BioChem weapons that were developed and refined by the Eastern Coalition animal testing on poor innocent canine subjects. Between the Biochem weapons, owner deaths, abandonment, and starvation, almost 90% of the domesticated canine population and entire breeds were lost by the war¡¯s end. Cats fared much better, but they still suffered a loss of almost half of their pre-war population, and a large percentage of the survivors reverted to a feral state. The result of all of this was an almost religious reverence for the preservation of sentient animal life on human worlds and a somewhat fanatical tendency of humans to take on the mantle of guardians for sapient alien species that resembled animals to them. ¡°Karl, I understand; I do. I just don¡¯t like the fact that we are operating on so many fronts. Some of our fleets and task forces are patrolling areas far enough away that I worry about them getting reinforcements on time if they are attacked, and now my fleet is being partitioned to send a combat patrol almost three hundred light-years away from our current position. After the assault on the V¡¯rn system, half of our combat power was recalled to Republic space to prevent the same thing from happening to us, and yet we are still being tasked with properly defending Eleani and Xenxin territory with half the ships we had before. Have they lost their damn minds at HQ?¡± She realized she was almost yelling at the admiral, and Mei took a deep breath, recognizing that her outburst was unbecoming of a Republic naval officer. She attempted to quickly apologize to Admiral Thompson. ¡°Karl, I¡¯m sorry that was uncalled for-¡° The admiral raised a hand to stop her, an amused expression in his eyes. ¡°Mei, I said the exact same thing to my boss as you did almost verbatim, and not as diplomatically as you, I might add. My concerns were addressed to my satisfaction, and I think yours will be when you get to your destination. There will be a task force joining you there, and I think you will be pleased. That is all I can say for now over the comms. You will lead the combat patrol to the coordinates listed in the orders you received, and the task force joining you there will fall under your command. I have a personal favor to ask of you. Please keep an open mind when you link up with the task force. You will rendezvous with Commodore Therax, and he is instrumental in our efforts to undermine the increasingly despotic Commonwealth government. More information about him and the Nekuli were added to your orders, make sure you review it. I took a big gamble on this, and I would be grateful if you did your best to make this collaboration work. That is all for now, and I wish you and your crews good fortune and godspeed, Mei. Take care of yourself.¡± The admiral finished speaking, and Mei noted the personal nature of his last few words, nodding an affirmative to his request. ¡°Admiral, I thank you for your words, and we won¡¯t let you down. I need to issue the orders now to get there and link up with the task force on time. I¡¯ll send a null space comm drone to the nearest relay to confirm our arrival and integration. Vice-admiral Zhou out.¡± As she leaned towards the comm panel to close the channel, she saw Admiral Thompson doing the same, and he gave her a wink and a mischievous smile before she pressed the icon, terminating the connection. She leaned back in her chair and blew out a deep breath. ¡°Now what the hell was that all about?¡± She asked out loud to herself, as the confusing and secretive nature of her orders and the personal request of the admiral added to the uncertainty of what she was expected to do. She keyed her wrist pad and texted her aide to come back to her office for new orders. He was going to be livid that they just wasted half a day revising the patrol routes to maximize efficiency and increase their patrol range. A small smile crossed her lips as she waited. He had an obvious tell of his lower left eyelid spasming when he was mad despite displaying no emotions on his face, and she knew it drove him nuts that he couldn¡¯t control it. Witnessing it was one of the small joys she had in her difficult job as vice-admiral, and she was looking forward to it. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Fifty-six hours later, her task force flashed out of null space at the designated coordinates and right on time. She felt a measure of pride as she watched her bridge crew go about confirming their location and verifying it with the navigational array and astrometric sensors. Once the navigator gave her confirmation that he verified their position, she turned towards the comms officer and ordered her to send a burst transmission with the pre-arranged code and waited for the response. A few seconds later, the comms officer raised her left hand and signaled receipt and confirmation of the code by the task force waiting in null space. An agonizingly long minute crawled along as she anxiously waited for her navigator to confirm the telemetry from his counterpart in the other task force as they verified their positions. The navigator activated the main viewscreen on the forward bulkhead as they waited. Suddenly, there were a multitude of exit flashes 200,000 kilometers from the bow of her carrier, and hundreds of warships appeared at a dead stop relative to her position. Her jaw dropped as she took in the unexpected fleet in front of her. There were dozens of Commonwealth dreadnaughts, battleships, and heavy cruisers arrayed before her, as well as an additional one hundred and twenty light cruisers, destroyers, and missile frigates. On the flanks of the main formation, there were more exit flashes, and the bridge AI started categorizing them on the screen, and she saw that they were the new Eleani and Xenxin warships that she had been hearing about. They shared a common design lineage with the Commonwealth ships, but there were definite differences that became obvious as they assumed their positions next to the Commonwealth navy ships. She was particularly intrigued by the Xenxin ships, as they seemed to be bristling with weapons, almost excessively so relative to their ship sizes. The Eleani ships seemed to have taken a different design philosophy, and they gave the impression of deadly speed and grace, and she was hard-pressed to spot any obvious weapons on their hulls despite the AI confirming that the ships were indeed well-armed. There was another coded signal from null space that appeared on the comm station panel, and her comm officer turned to her. ¡°Vice-admiral, we have received a coded message on the sigma frequency for your eyes only that requires biometric and voice verification to decrypt.¡± Zhou nodded and pressed a button on her arm panel, activating the privacy screen around her chair and feeling the air pressure change as the bridge around her became opaque and silent. She pressed the biometric toggle on the panel, and a retinal scanner popped out of its alcove on the side. She leaned in and scanned her right eye first, then her left. An icon appeared on the screen, and she thumbed it as it flashed and confirmed the print. Finally, she spoke and addressed the bridge AI: ¡°Suzy, please confirm the voice command for verification.¡± The AI answered immediately. -Of course, Vice-Admiral Zhou, please proceed.- ¡°Zhou, one-red-seven-green-four-tango-alpha-zero. Execute.¡± -Voice command verified. Thank you, Vice-Admiral Zhou.- A small holographic display popped up in front of her; the admiral appeared on the screen, and his pre-recorded message started playing. ¡°Mei, I know all this cloak and dagger stuff seems excessive, but we couldn¡¯t take any chances. The receipt of this message will activate a program in your bridge AI and allow it to take control of the new drone ships waiting for you in null space. They are a new class of upgraded null ships and are top secret. Your AI will anchor them to your task force, and they will follow you, remaining hidden in null space unless you absolutely need them.¡± ¡°There are also two troopships with them that are carrying a complement of two thousand Mark XII ATS Bio-Synths and an expeditionary brigade each of rangers and pathfinders in stasis. They are also to remain in null space unless circumstances require that you need them; they are an insurance policy for an ongoing mission in Insectoid space. The details of that are top secret as well and can be accessed with your AI. If the troopships are required for that mission, they are to be escorted by a detachment of null ships and sent there immediately. After you have met your task force counterpart, there are orders in this packet that are to be accessed by you both and executed. I have the utmost faith in you, Mei, and I can¡¯t wait to take you out to dinner again when we can both coordinate our next leave together. Thompson out.¡± The hologram message disappeared, and she waited a little longer to allow the blush from his last sentence to fade from her cheeks and suppress the smile that was trying to form on her face before she put on her command mask and lowered the privacy screen. The bridge crew was going about their usual tasks, trying hard not to seem interested in her top-secret message. ¡°Comms, open a channel to the task force flagship, please.¡± The comm officer acknowledged the order, and a few seconds later, the Bridge of the Commonwealth flagship appeared on the viewscreen. A Nekuli male was sitting in the command chair, resplendent in the uniform favored by Nekuli officers. He took a moment to look around her bridge before settling his eyes on her. He bowed his head slowly in a gesture of respect, which she returned in proper fashion. The proper courtesies having been observed, he raised his eyes to meet with hers and started speaking. ¡°Vice-Admiral Zhou. May the ancestors grant you and your clan honor and good fortune. I am deeply honored to meet you, and I hope our integration is a successful endeavor. I now entrust the honor of myself and my crew to your safekeeping.¡± He remained stone still as he awaited her reply, and she tried to remember the proper return greeting that she had been studying during their trip here. ¡°Commodore Therax, the honor is mine, and I promise you that I shall never ask you or your crew to undertake any action that will bring dishonor to your clans and your ancestors. We are now joined as one; may our cause be just and pure.¡± She finished the response, and the gravity of what she just promised to someone she had never met before hit her hard; it felt almost sacred to her. Commodore Therax heard her proper reply, and he stood up, followed by the rest of his bridge crew. He addressed her again. ¡°Our honor has been given, and we have received a promise to safeguard it in return. Our joining is now consecrated in the eyes of the ancestors, and you are now our clan leader. What are your orders?" She recovered from the ordeal of the emotionally charged exchange of vows and stood up to give her first order as clan leader to the Nekuli. ¡°I request the presence of you and your senior staff aboard my ship tonight. I will prepare a feast to honor our new friendship and alliance. I have studied your cuisine, and I have found a selection of Earth cuisine that should suit your taste. It is called tartare and sashimi; I think you will like it.¡± Commodore Therax looked at her dubiously, and she had to stifle a laugh at his expression as she knew that he was imagining being forced to eat vegetables and overcooked meat out of politeness. She spoke quickly to assuage his fears. ¡°Commodore, tartare, and sashimi are raw red meat and fish; I would never inflict vegetables and burnt meat on you or your crew; are we not friends?¡± As his translator finished converting her words into his language, he smiled at her, baring all of his fangs in true happiness. Glossary-Political Organizations and Empires Political organizations and empires of local space The Galactic Commonwealth: The Commonwealth is a 427-year-old interstellar organization that was founded in the Earth year of 1747 A.D. after an alliance of three species emerged victorious against the aggressive Tallen Empire. The three original charter members were the V¡¯rni, the Zikal, and the Omina. They ratified the charter and took over the administration of the now-defunct Tallen Empire, liberating the four subjugated species that were under their control. These four species would join the organization within the next fifty years, and the Commonwealth entered a golden age of exploration and peaceful expansion. Two hundred years after its creation, the Commonwealth had increased its membership to sixteen species and continued to thrive and expand its borders. They enjoyed mostly peaceful relations with other interstellar polities and embarked on a new wave of colonization and expansion. In the year 1983, first contact with the Eleani Sovereignty occurred, followed by first contact with the Xenxin Protectorate in 1986 A.D. After a few years of trading and cultural exchanges, the Commonwealth approached the Eleani government with a membership proposal. The Eleani Sovereignty officially joined the Commonwealth in 1989, joining several other neighboring species that were already members and becoming the furthermost member state in the region that would come to be known as the Commonwealth periphery. First contact with the Insectoid Empire occurred in 2036 A.D. when a Commonwealth expedition entered the area known as the Ralek Expanse to chart a course and scout the unknown region for prospective colonial expansion. They were immediately attacked by unknown ships upon entering the expanse, and only two ships out of the nine in the expedition survived the encounter. The Commonwealth sent several diplomatic forays to the region to diffuse tensions and try to make contact, but every attempt was met with weapons fire and a refusal to communicate. The first official naval battle with the new enemy occurred two months later, and four Commonwealth heavy cruisers were severely damaged before they managed to destroy the lone alien cruiser. It was when they retrieved bodies from the wreckage that they realized that they were dealing with a space-faring insect species, the first ever encountered. Faced with their first real enemy in almost three hundred years, a militant faction in the parliament called for a punitive expedition to be launched as a show of strength and to avenge the deaths of their crews and ships. In 2037, a fleet of three hundred of the most powerful ships in the navy set course to the Ralek Expanse and entered it. The last series of transmissions received before contact with the fleet was lost showed the first appearance of what would later be categorized as a Hive ship. The three hundred warships of the fleet were the pinnacle of Commonwealth military technology and were crewed by long-serving veterans. Several attempts by the fleet to communicate were ignored, and the Hive ship sent the first voice transmission ever by the Insectoids. It was a synthesized voice that was copied from previous communications by Commonwealth ships and was just one word: LEAVE. The admiral commanding the task force continued to try to open channels and ordered the fleet to condition readiness level two. Two minutes after the Insectoid transmission, the Hive ship suddenly opened fire. Within five minutes, there were less than sixty Commonwealth vessels still combat-capable, and the Admiral ordered a retreat, leaving behind crippled ships and thousands of escape pods. The retreating fleet fled towards the edge of the expanse as their null space capacitors charged, and the Hive ship followed them, picking them off one by one. Eleven minutes after the battle had commenced, the last retreating ship managed to eject the bridge log drone before being destroyed. The Hive ship ignored it or didn¡¯t detect it, and the drone kept recording as it left the battlespace to safely flash into null space. Before it exited, it recorded the Hive ship going back to the site of the opening battle and capturing one of the crippled ships and numerous escape pods, pulling them into an opening before destroying the rest as more Hive ships and hundreds of cruisers exited null space and flashed into the area, targeting the drifting escape pods and destroying all of them without mercy. The Commonwealth retrieved the drone and panicked, sending most of its fleet to the border that faced the Insectoids and enacting a quarantine zone to prevent any other Commonwealth ships from entering that area and antagonizing the Insectoids. The Commonwealth stopped all further colonization and expansion attempts after their disastrous first contact with the Insectoids and devoted their efforts to building up their navy and fortifying their territory. As of 2172, the Commonwealth had twenty-seven member species and controlled two hundred and eighty-six solar systems, with a combined population of two and a half trillion citizens. Non-aligned Powers: These are smaller interstellar powers that are mostly single-species states and their colonial possessions. They trend towards neutrality in the interstellar affairs of their local area of space, preferring to engage in trade and the exchange of services and technology. Most of these smaller powers tend to excel in certain areas, such as specific fields of science, medicine, and military technology, that they then sell to their neighbors or larger powers, such as the Commonwealth. These favorable exchanges of services and technology allow them to enrich their coffers and negotiate security agreements with larger powers that guarantee protection from invasion. Their prosperity and cutting-edge research and development programs have allowed for these smaller powers to become economic powerhouses and centers of commerce, and their small navies punch well above their weight because of their advanced military-industrial complexes. The non-aligned powers control fifty-eight solar systems between them and have a combined population of one hundred and thirty billion citizens. The Ma¡¯lit Domain: The only survivors of an ancient interstellar organization called the Galactic Federation that existed 125,000 years ago, and the only confirmed species to still exist that are of the ¡°Old Ones.¡± They are a quasi-religious society that has been in a long period of stagnation and decline, though their technology is still far superior and will remain so for generations. They eschew all contact with other alien races, and their trading and interspecies negotiations are handled on a series of automated border posts crewed by androids and control AIs. Any accidental or intentional violations of their border are swiftly intercepted, and the offending ship is hit with a beam that disables the entire vessel instantly. The ship is towed back to the other side of their border by automated sentry vessels and left there. An emergency beacon is dropped by the sentry ships that transmits coordinates for rescue, and they are left to fend for themselves in a powerless ship as they await rescue, often freezing to death or running out of air before they are saved. Very few of their species are ever encountered outside of their space, and they wear bio-mechanical exosuits that isolate them from their surroundings when they venture past their borders. The few surviving records that have been found about the Federation in archaeological sites describe a very different species during that time, indicating that they were great scientists and explorers. They are suspected of being the creators of the null drive and the source of the derelict ships that have been found in numerous systems that have allowed for the technology to be reverse engineered by the younger races. A fringe group of researchers and historians maintain that this was an intentional act by renegade Ma¡¯lit, who, despite their isolationist tendencies, did not like being alone for millennia and purposefully crashed automated ships with primitive null drives to uplift neighboring races so that they could become interstellar species and bring sapient life back to the empty worlds of the long-dead Federation. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Rumors have persisted that the Federation collapsed because of a virulent, fast-moving plague that swept through their worlds and wiped them out, with only the Ma¡¯lit having some innate resistance to it. When the plague ran its course, they found themselves alone in a vast graveyard of trillions of dead and suffered a form of racial madness as a result. They sent out massive ships and scourged all the dead worlds of any evidence and technology of the Federation, and when that was done, they withdrew back to their space and isolated themselves, fearful of being carriers of the plague and infecting the younger races. Only two Ma¡¯lit warships have been sighted by spy drones along the border, and they are massive dreadnoughts that are twelve kilometers long and five kilometers wide. Their territory is in the Pleiades cluster, and they lay claim to a ten-light-year radius. The Insectoid Empire: Not much is known about this aggressive, xenophobic species. They do not tolerate any encroachment upon their territory and periodically engage in ¡°swarming¡± to seize worlds from neighboring species. Their ships are extremely powerful, and their tactics reflect an ability and willingness to absorb an incomprehensible number of casualties to achieve victory or inflict unsustainable losses on enemy fleets. They do not engage in diplomacy or trade, and their ships do not leave their territory unless they are swarming. The most common ships utilized by the Insectoids are cruisers, which are 360 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 120 meters in height. They are heavily armed and armored and can take on the larger heavy cruiser warships fielded by most species. Five Insectoid cruisers are capable of engaging and destroying the massive battleships fielded by the Commonwealth. Hive ships fill a dual role in the Insectoid Empire, fulfilling both functions as capital dreadnoughts and colony ships. They have a rounded hexagonal shape with a radius of five kilometers and a height of 1.5 kilometers. They have numerous beam weapons emplacements for 360-degree coverage and carry a magazine of 10,000 missiles. Their hulls are extremely strong, requiring sustained energy weapon fire in a concentrated area before being breached. They can carry up to two million worker drones and a million larvae for rapid colonization of worlds. They are susceptible to specialized penetrator missiles, railgun slugs, hyper-velocity kinetic weaponry, and plasma torpedoes. They are prone to catastrophic decompressions if they suffer enough critical hull breaches beyond their abilities to seal. As of 2172, they controlled forty-eight solar systems with an estimated population of more than four trillion drones. The Republic of Humanity: After a devastating world war, the Republic of Humanity emerged from the ruins, and the Global Accords of 2080 A.D. unified the Earth under one government for the first time in human history. After a massive rebuilding effort and rapid technological innovations, mankind went back into space and became an interplanetary species. The discovery of a derelict alien ship with a primitive null drive in 2116 A.D. on the surface of Titan confirmed the presence of alien life in the galaxy and allowed Republic scientists to reverse-engineer the technology, becoming an interstellar species. The first contact with an alien species occurred in the year 2123 A.D. when a Republic scout ship was intercepted by a Commonwealth science ship in the YZ Ceti system, twelve light-years from Earth. This was followed by the Republic embarking on a rapid and massive shipbuilding program to defend themselves against the perceived threat of invasion by far more advanced alien species. There was also an outpouring of emigration from Earth to claim as many solar systems as possible to ensure that humanity wouldn¡¯t be hemmed in and encircled by larger, more advanced societies. By the year 2131, the Republic had made its first contact with numerous species and had taken its place among the stars as an interstellar organization. The Republic engaged in widespread trading and cultural exchanges with other species, and their diplomats were second to none as they forged ever deeper relations. Humans were well-received by many of the races they encountered, and their endless curiosity and ability to empathize with and adapt to a variety of cultural differences endeared them to their neighbors. Republic starships were seen everywhere engaging in trade, scientific research, and cultural studies as they pushed ever deeper into space to try to quench their unending thirst for knowledge. The Republic quickly became an economic powerhouse thanks to their highly advanced manufacturing abilities, and the quality of the products they produced became renowned throughout space. Earth became a regional cultural center as they welcomed all who wished to come, and their universities and science centers became nexuses of interspecies collaboration. After generations of rehabilitation and habitat restoration, Earth has turned most of the planet¡¯s surface into federal parks and wildlife sanctuaries. By 2170, Earth had an annual average of over two billion alien visitors, and some would come to see the ¡°Garden World¡± and the multitudes of wildlife swarming on the surface and under the oceans. Others came to learn about humanity and immensely enjoyed the museums, art galleries, and the dizzying array of cultures and cuisines worldwide. Many alien visits are to the dozens of memorial monoliths found all over Earth that commemorate the victims of World War 3. They are massive obelisks, with a one-square-mile base made of granite and narrowing towards the top to a height of one thousand feet. The obelisks are encased in white quartz, and the capstone is made of pure platinum with a lamp that burns with an eternal flame. To many alien visitors, it is a pilgrimage that they make to pay their solemn respects to the billions of victims and to rejoice in the survival of the human species, as most sapient war-like species never make it through the great filter. The Republic enjoys mostly cordial relations with many races but struggles with arrogant behavior from some older races and organizations that range from ambivalent to barely concealed hostility. The Republic has excellent relations with the non-aligned powers, while their relationship with the Galactic Commonwealth has been troubled for decades. The Republic underwent a massive uplifting of technology and advancement starting in the year 2131 A.D. that continued unabated in the ensuing four decades, reaching near-parity with the other far older interstellar societies. This, coupled with their already highly advanced automated technologies and AI capabilities, greatly contributed to the ongoing friction between the Republic and the Commonwealth. The growing power and prestige of the Republic have led to other races speculating that a war between the Republic and the resentful Commonwealth was a forgone conclusion and a matter of when, not if. Many species and organizations have quietly let it be known that they would support the Republic if war broke out, including several disgruntled members of the Commonwealth. Many of them felt that the Commonwealth had become too large and were arrogant bullies. They had a stranglehold on interstellar affairs that they often leveraged through unfair trade tariffs, sanctions, and blockades, earning them the resentment and enmity of many species. There were rumors that the Republic had a massive war fleet and hundreds of shipyards, though many species believe that these rumors were spread by the Republic itself to give pause to the Commonwealth or any other powers that might think about attacking them. Attempts to spy on the Republic military are unsuccessful due to the impenetrable border detection network employed by the Republic and their ability to hack and take over any spy drones that approached their space. Trade goods are brought to designated outposts and offloaded there, and alien ships entering Republic space are assigned strictly enforced transit routes to their destinations. They are escorted by automated sentry vessels that enveloped them in a jamming field that scramble all navigation and scanning sensors, effectively blinding them and preventing any spying attempts. The only military ships ever seen or detected were border guard cutters and automated sentry vessels. As a result of this, none of the other powers have any intelligence regarding the Republic''s military capabilities. As of 2172, the Republic of Humanity controlled sixty-nine solar systems and had a population of over ten billion humans. There are also three pre-industrial sapient species inside Republic space that have strict quarantine zones around their solar systems and an official governmental policy of non-interference. The combined population of these three species is just over three billion. Glossary-Species Galactic Commonwealth Species Founding members V''rni: The V¡¯rnians are descended from a mammalian rodent-like ancestor and continue to maintain many of the characteristics of their ancestors. They are friendly and inquisitive, and they are known to enjoy sharing the ribald jokes of other species among themselves. They are industrious, working from dawn to dusk without any breaks except for multiple quick meals to sustain their high metabolism. This work ethic, coupled with their prodigious reproduction rates and accelerated growth cycle, enabled them to become an industrial powerhouse, producing a third of the total economic output of the Commonwealth. They were extremely well liked by other species for their humorous nature and their habit of saying whatever was on their minds, no matter how undiplomatic it might be. They form extended families of multiple husbands and wives, typically in groups of six, and they all share equally in the responsibilities of pup-rearing. Female V¡¯rni can produce two litters a year, with a typical litter size of six to eight pups. The pups reach adulthood in two years and leave the nest to form their own family groups. They typically reach a height of 1.5 meters, and their lifespan is an average of twenty-five cycles, with rare V¡¯rni reaching the age of thirty cycles and becoming honored elders. They are a peaceful species, but in times of war they become fearsome adversaries as their sharp teeth and claws are natural weapons, and their speed and swarming tactics enable them to overwhelm larger, well-equipped enemy troops. They enjoy an elevated status within the Commonwealth due to being one of the founding members, but they insist on treating all others as equals and reject any special status they are due as a founder species. Zikali: Zikalans are a mammalian bat-like species that still retains the ability to fly and glide for short distances. They have large brains relative to their delicate, light-framed bodies and excel at theorizing and engaging in scientific research. They are one of the main drivers of technological advancement within the Commonwealth, and they are greatly respected by their peers for their relentless quest for knowledge and innovation. The family unit consists of a mother and father, with a female giving birth to a single pup every five years after puberty, with two pups being the average due to the difficult nature of childbirth for their species. They tend to form small research clans of ten to twelve related family units and engage in research, pooling their efforts. They are rarely seen outside of their territory, and they exhibit solitary tendencies when outside of their clans. The typical height of a male Zikali is 2.5 meters, while the females tend to average around two meters. They have an average lifespan of ninety cycles, and they reach maturity at the age of five cycles and then join a field of research, dedicating the rest of their life to it. This long lifespan of research has allowed the Zikali to have a disproportionate effect on the technological advancement of the Commonwealth, despite their low population numbers. They enjoy an elevated status within the Commonwealth as one of the founders, and the government sees to all their needs and wants to ensure that they can continue to engage in research and innovation without interruption. Omina: Ominians are mammalian, humanoid monotremes that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. They are excellent natural-born politicians and administrators, and as such, they tend to have the largest representation in the Commonwealth government. They are outgoing and highly intelligent, but they also tend to display unintentional arrogance and condescension towards other species. Their skin colors range from violet to dark blue, and they reach an average height of 1.5 meters. They are hermaphrodites, and their family unit is made up of three parents and their young. Each parent will lay two eggs in their life, and they take turns until all three parents have laid both eggs, forming their unit of three parents and six young. They have an average lifespan of one hundred and sixty years, and younglings reach maturity at the age of twenty-five cycles. They are found at all levels of the Commonwealth government and elected offices, and they are driven by the pursuit of status and wealth. This has led to them being viewed with distrust and antipathy by most other species, both inside and outside of the Commonwealth. Despite their high intelligence, they repeatedly make diplomatic and governmental policy blunders due to their arrogance. Their belief that they are entitled to a special status as founders of the Commonwealth and their rightful, hereditary role as the leading species has bred resentment against them by most of the membership. They are not suitable for combat as they tend to become overwhelmed with fear and panic if their personal safety is threatened, and their selfish, imperious nature makes them unsuitable for leadership positions within the military ranks as it causes friction and loss of cohesiveness. Incorporated Member Species Eleani: The Eleani are a mammalian primate species that retains the arboreal lifestyle of their ancestors. They have a sparse covering of fur that ranges from pale blond to dark gray, with green and yellow being the predominant eye colors. They have four fingers and toes and a long, triple-jointed thumb on both hands and feet. They have a thin prehensile tail that they use for grasping and balance, and that is typically half the length of their height. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. They are a gregarious and curious species, and they easily make friends with other races due to their kind and friendly dispositions. The typical family unit comprises a birthmother and a sirefather, and two younglings spread out over an eighty-cycle period, with the first youngling typically coming between thirty and forty-five cycles of age. The Eleani are descended from a species that engaged in communal child-rearing with no involvement or attachment from the parents. It wasn¡¯t until they made the jump from sentience to sapience that birth parents started bonding and forming familial attachments to their younglings, and the terms birthmother and sirefather are still used to this day to indicate that they know who their parents are and as an acknowledgement of their communal past. They are renowned for being artists, musicians, scientists, and historians. They naturally gravitate towards these professions, excelling in them. Most Commonwealth universities are heavily staffed with Eleani professors, and the most famous and accomplished Commonwealth artists and musicians are Eleani. They are a peaceful species, though they can put up a spirited fight despite being disinclined to the martial arts if circumstances require. The average Eleani lifespan is one hundred and forty cycles, and the average height for both males and females is around 1.6 meters. Youngling males reach maturity at the age of twelve cycles, while youngling females reach maturity at fifteen cycles. As one of the periphery members and the furthest species from the core worlds, they enjoyed almost two hundred years of a laissez-faire approach by the Commonwealth government so long as they paid their taxes and met their refined ore quotas. Xenxin: The Xenxin are a mammalian weasel-like species that retained many of the characteristics of their ancestors. They are stubborn, argumentative, and always ready to resort to a fight if they feel threatened or perceive disrespect. They are known to engage in bluff charges and other threatening behaviors to intimidate members of other species into giving ground or allowing them to win arguments. If you stand your ground, they will grudgingly respect you and go find someone else to push around. They are boisterous, and trouble is never far away when a group of them gather to engage in their many shady pursuits. They love to gamble in games of chance even though they are terrible at it, and their favorite pastime is playing practical jokes on unsuspecting victims that sometimes go too far. One such case of this was ten cycles after they joined the Commonwealth. The Xenxin government issued an emergency distress call because an asteroid was found heading towards their planet and would impact in two solar days. The Commonwealth Navy scrambled the nearby periphery defense units and flashed out of null space into the Xenxin system to try to destroy the asteroid. They scanned the projected asteroid path the Xenxin government had sent and found nothing. Confused, they contacted the Xenxin government for answers, only to be greeted by the prime minister guffawing on the holowave screen at the prank they played on them. That was one hundred and forty cycles ago, and they still have not paid one credit of the ten billion credit fine they were issued by the Commonwealth parliament as punishment. The Xenxin know that their nenchite deposits and the refineries in their home system are a critical resource for the Commonwealth and null drives, so they relish antagonizing the government and causing as many difficulties as they can, just to do so. They generally have poor relations with other species, but they get along with the Eleani, the V¡¯rni, and the Nekuli the best. They are extremely loyal when friendships are made and hold a deep reverence for those who show a willingness to sacrifice themselves for others or a cause. The actions of the humans who sacrificed themselves to save the Xenxin younglings in 2131 A.D. deeply affected their race, and they vowed to repay humanity for their sacrifices. They fulfilled this vow by sending a stealth ship outfitted with the latest technologies and a repository of all the knowledge and technology they had to the Republic. They also goaded the Eleani to do the same, and their loyalty to the Eleani increased tenfold when they saw that they did so as well. Xenxin family units are comprised of a mother and father and a typical litter of four younglings. They have a shaggy coat of fine hair, and the color ranges from brown to dark red. They walk on their hind legs, though they can ambulate on all fours for a short period when they need to run fast. They have a typical height of 1.4 meters, and their average lifespan is between sixty and seventy cycles. They are excellent fighters, though they make poor soldiers due to a lack of discipline. They can be utilized as shock troop brawlers that can be unleashed to smash the front lines of an enemy position, and they make excellent sappers and engineers due to their innate digging abilities and the long claws on their hands and feet. Nekul: The Nekuli are an iguana-like reptilian species that had a long history of warfare before they finally achieved lasting peace. They are a traditional clan-based society that holds to the virtues of the old ways and follows strict codes of conduct and honor. Everyday transactions and interactions are carried out in a ritualized fashion, and they engage in a form of ancestor worship that guides their path towards salvation. They are bipedal and incredibly strong, with a tough armored hide and a row of sharp, three-inch horns that start at the top of their skulls and continue down their spines to their lower tail. They have two rows of sharp incisors in their jaws, and they can spit a caustic, sticky mucus made in their throat glands almost ten meters away to temporarily blind an adversary. They excel in the arts of war and have taken on the role of guardians of the Commonwealth and its member species. A large majority of the Commonwealth navy and ground forces are Nekuli, and they are also a large proportion of the law enforcement bureaus across Commonwealth space. Their seriousness and devotion to duty have limited their ability to form good relations with other species that do not understand or espouse such concepts. A typical Nekuli family unit consists of a mother and father, and they will lay a clutch of eggs every five years, which will yield six hatchlings. Hatchlings reach maturity at the age of eight cycles, and the average Nekuli lifespan is over two hundred cycles. The average height is 2.3 meters, and their skin is typically green, with males sporting reds and oranges on their faces after maturity. They are incredible fighters, and they have a gravitas that affords them natural authority and the ability to lead. They are shrewd thinkers and master tacticians, but their rigidity and code of conduct can cause them to make blunders when facing an adversary with no such concepts. Nekuli ground troops are renowned for their discipline and ferocity in combat. They Answered The Call-Chapter Fourteen Kepler-186f system 2nd planet, Insectoid Builder World, 2174 A.D. Deigo waited nervously as Sgt. Singh verified again that all the demo bots had reached their target locations and were set at the proper yields. It had taken four days for the demo bots to dig down and burrow to their locations within the thin crust over the target area, and Diego wanted to be sure that everything was perfect before the next phase of the mission. He felt his wrist pad buzz and looked at the text message he received. -LT, ALL GOOD- He quickly texted back confirmation of the message and looked at the sun that was just beginning to rise over the horizon. He sent a text to the team: -DET 6-0 FALL BK 2K-and looked over to Owen and Emily laying prone next to him and lightly tapped Owen on the shoulder joint of his exosuit to get his attention. Owen turned his head towards him, and Diego put his finger up to his face plate to signal silence, then signaled two clicks and pointed behind them. Owen nodded and passed the message along to Emily, and they started slowly backing away from their observation position. Twenty minutes later, the team reached their fallback position five kilometers from the target area and were gathered around a holomap that displayed the section of the shipyard over the chasm. The shrouded observation drone that they left there continually updated relevant information and kept its silent overwatch three hundred meters above the target area. The sun was now past the horizon, and the number of worker drones rapidly grew as the daytime shift arrived and took over the tasks from the nighttime drones. Another twenty-five minutes passed, and there were now almost a million drones in that area. Diego set a team timer on their wrist pads, counting down from fifteen minutes. He signaled for everyone to double-check their gear and weapons and to insert a fresh shroud energy pack. Five minutes before detonation, Diego started his pre-combat ritual and started his breathing program to calm himself and enhance his focus. When the countdown hit 59 seconds, he was calm and counted down with the numbers, looking around one more time to check everyone and to make sure all was well. The timer hit zero, and he stared intently at the holomap as the overwatch drone confirmed the loss of contact with the demo bots as they detonated, and their icons flashed and disappeared from the display. After thirty seconds, all the demo bots had blown their charges in sequence, and the drone hovered above the target area and confirmed that there were no seismic disturbances recorded, which is what he was hoping for. A trickle of sweat dripped down his spine as he and the team waited in silence for the collapse to happen. Another minute went by, and he signaled to Singh to confirm the telemetry, and Singh checked and gave him a thumbs up a few seconds later, signaling for Diego to wait with both hands. An alert popped up on the hologram, and the drone zoomed in on a section of the crust to focus on a small cluster of sinkholes that appeared almost directly in the center of the target area. The sinkholes grew, and their individual openings met each other, coalescing into a large, one-hundred-meter-diameter hole that was rapidly expanding in size. More alerts popped up, and dozens of other sinkholes appeared in random locations throughout the area, and the activity of the worker drones came to a standstill as drones started being swallowed by sudden openings under them. Suddenly, a massive section of the crust gave way in the center of the area, and over a hundred cruisers and hundreds of thousands of workers disappeared into the rapidly expanding hole that was now there. He felt the tremor of the collapse hit their location, and then another fifteen seconds passed before the sound wave washed over the team, bringing with it the groaning of the collapsing ground and the crashing of the cruisers as they smashed into the bottom of the almost two-kilometer-deep chasm. The opening continued expanding and combining with other sinkholes, swallowing up more cruisers and their attendant drones as they stood there. He felt a momentary wave of guilt as he saw the drones falling into the chasm, knowing that they were just barely sentient workers following orders before pushing it into the back of his mind. A minute passed, and the entire five-square-kilometer section of crust had collapsed, and now there was a gaping maw in the ground where that area of the shipyard used to be. The overhead drone continued scanning the area and sending updated telemetry to the display, and he saw the final estimated toll of their plan pop up in flashing red numerals and letters: one hundred and eighty-six cruisers destroyed and over a million drones eliminated. He ordered the Overwatch drone to climb to five hundred meters and do a full scan of the surrounding areas to see what was happening in the other parts of the shipyard. There was a complete cessation of activity for a few kilometers around the maw as other drones stopped working and just stood there, not moving. A minute passed before they started heading towards the gaping hole, stopping about two hundred meters from the edge and reorganizing into rectangular formations of several thousand drones each, leaving gaps between them that were approximately twenty meters wide. Cargo ships that were in the area dropping raw materials off started flying over the hole in a slow, circular movement before they moved over to solid land and landed. The Overwatch drone picked up movement on the horizon and focused its scanners there, zooming in and enhancing the video it was taking. Diego saw a vessel that was slightly larger and differently shaped than the usual cargo ships heading towards the shipyard from the direction of the underground Hive. It was moving fast and would arrive there shortly. He activated his throat mic and addressed the team. ¡°We have a fast mover inbound; get ready to go if it is the queen. Ariti and Masiello, you will remain here and provide input and guidance as discussed before. Ito, you will stay here and provide security. Only text from here on out, understood? They both nodded nervously while Ito smiled at them and patted his gauss rifle reassuringly, and the rest of his team started loading up the capture gear and extra ammo on the anti-grav sleds that would follow them. By this time, the inbound ship had landed in an open area behind the drone formations, and Diego and the rest of the team crowded around to see what was happening. A hatch opened on the side of the ship, and a group of large drones swarmed out aggressively and formed what looked like a perimeter around the ship, attacking any hapless worker drones within striking distance and violently tearing them apart. He heard Singh mutter a surprised curse as he played with the display controls and zoomed on the new arrivals. They were at least twice the mass of the worker drones, with a distinctly different patterning and coloring of their exoskeleton, and their mandibles and stingers were much larger. They looked absolutely deadly, and he glanced over at Owen and Emily, who were excitedly whispering to each other while they downloaded the display information onto their wrist pads. He walked a few steps over to them, and they both started talking over each other before he raised his hands, and Emily took the lead. ¡°I knew it! Those are soldier drones, which means they have a guard caste, and those things look bad ass, right Owen? He nodded in response to Emily as he continued to play around with his wrist pad display. ¡°They are 60% larger than worker drones, and their mandibles and stingers are longer and more pronounced. Could you imagine trying to fight these guys in the tunnels of a Hive?¡± Owen replied, his breathing getting quicker in his excitement as he zoomed in on the almost two-foot-long stingers wielded by the soldier drones. Diego inwardly shuddered at the thought of engaging in combat against them in the short, narrow confines of the Hive tunnels. He addressed them both. ¡°If these guys are here, then the queen is on that ship? They both nodded quickly, and he turned to the rest of his team. ¡°Get ready; as soon as the queen comes out of that ship and we verify her presence, the mission is a go. Check each other¡¯s gear and quickly look over the plan one more time while you have the time.¡± The team nodded to him and went about checking each other''s gear while he pulled the two scientists aside. ¡°Ito will protect you, and you are to follow his commands as if they are coming from me. If the mission shits the bed, you are to go back to the landing site, get in your pods, and the AI will move the pods to another location five hundred kilometers away and activate the emergency flash-out. The null ship will return and retrieve you. You get in the pods, you leave, and you don¡¯t look back. Understood? They both nodded solemnly, and Emily stepped forward and hugged him tightly before letting go and stepping away from him with tear-rimmed eyes. Owen put out his hand, and he shook it, pulling Owen into a half hug and patting him on the back. They separated, and Owen quietly spoke. ¡°Good luck, Lieutenant. We¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡± He nodded to them and turned back to the display, just in time to see the queen exiting the open hatch. She was taller than the soldier drones, and she had resplendent wings that shimmered in a multitude of colors when the sunlight hit them from different angles as she moved. The wings seemed flexible as they draped down her back and hugged her sides, almost like a cape. For the first time, he got the distinct impression of an aura of insectoid femineity as she moved with an almost graceful purpose. The escorting soldier drones formed a protective ring around her, and they started walking as a group down a lane between the rectangular worker drone formations towards the gaping maw in the ground. He looked at the scientists, and they both nodded to him. He turned towards his team and said, ¡°Alright, it has been confirmed that she is a queen, and the mission is on. Move out.¡± He flashed a quick smile at the scientists and exchanged a nod with Ito before he turned away and joined the rest of the team as they ran at thirty mph towards the target. Trailing them were several anti-grav sleds and a larger, enclosed pod that followed them silently as they floated a meter above the ground. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Five minutes later, Diego and Singh were in a shallow depression, with two operators one hundred meters right of his position and the other three positioned fifty meters to his left, taking cover behind a grove of native weeds that grew to a height of four meters. They were now half a kilometer from the maw, and Diego used his helmet camera to zoom in and watch the queen as she went about with her bodyguards and took control of the worker drones. She would stop in front of some formations of drones and just stare at them for a few moments, while in other formations she would stop in front of them and move her upper arms and legs and flutter her wings in what looked like a dance to him. The ones that she stared at broke ranks and streamed out of that area of the shipyard to work on other ships, while the ones she danced in front of reorganized into smaller formations and started grabbing ship-building materials that were in the area and assembling what looked like a form of scaffolding. Once they had an initial supply, they started securing it to the ground and extending the scaffold over and below the lip. The speed at which they worked was astounding, and in less than thirty minutes they had a large framework of scaffolding secured to the lip of the opening, and now the drones were building out and at a downward angle as they continued to extend it into a rough ladder configuration. The queen was in the middle of all the activity, so Diego texted the team to settle in and get comfortable as they waited for a better opportunity to present itself. Other drones went into the waiting cargo ships carrying scaffolding materials on their backs, and the ships lifted into the air and descended into the chasm, depositing the drones and materials in a small opening among the wreckage. These thousands of drones started building supports and scaffolding, extending it upwards towards the top. They worked at a frenetic pace, and in just four hours, they connected the two structures together at the halfway point. They now had a ladder-like ramp structure that reached the bottom two kilometers down. Thousands of drones now worked on building a second, more robust parallel ramp ladder from the ground up, while others streamed down the first one carrying more materials and joining the efforts. The cargo ships had continued ferrying drones and equipment and offloading them before ascending for more. These new teams scurried all over the mangled wreckage of the cruisers that had fallen into the chasm and started activating the equipment. They emitted the same terrible screeching sound that had transmuted the soft organic material into the hardened hulls during the construction of the cruisers. Diego watched as the process was reversed, and sections of the black, hardened hulls groaned and reverted to the original opaque, soft organic material. He activated his wrist pad and sent a command to the overwatch drone to release the midges it carried and send them down into the pit. These micro-drones were smaller than common mosquitoes and were used for intelligence gathering and infiltration in situations such as this. He input the commands for the midges to record the sound and frequency of the emitters the drones were using, as well as any other passive scanning methods they were capable of. This could be a tremendous tactical advantage if they can find a way to use it, he excitedly thought to himself as the midges continued scanning while they hovered three meters above the drones. Once a section of hull was reverted, other drones came with the heating tools and melted the now soft hull material, shaping them back into balls and tossing them into bins that other drones brought to a nearby waiting cargo ship. By this time, the queen and her escorts had gone around the entire perimeter of the hole as she continued to assign tasks to waiting drone formations, and she was now in an area with just her protective detail. He texted the teams and directed them to move closer to her location, and he signaled for his team to do the same. They slowly crawled towards her position, utilizing whatever ground cover they came across, until they were fifty meters from her location. He did a final count of her protective detail, and there were now only twelve soldier drones surrounding her in a perimeter ten meters away from the queen with her in the center. He texted both Owen and Emily and asked for their input on how to deal with the soldiers. A few moments later, he received a response and read the text. -USE STUN GUN- 2 SHOTS EACH -SET TO KILL- USE NET ON QUEEN- LOWEST STUN SETTING- DAIL UP AS NEEDED TO INCAPACITATE- He confirmed receipt of the message and shared it with the two teams. The plan to get the queen was to stun her with the immobilizer net, put her in the pod they had with them, and activate the shroud. Her pod would then leave the area and head towards their landing site. Once there, it would load itself into the stealth command pod that Diego arrived in, and the pod''s AI would fly the shrouded stealth pod five hundred kilometers from its location to avoid destroying the other pods in the large explosion that occurs when using null drives in the atmosphere. It will call one of the two waiting null ships for pickup, activate the emergency null space drive from its new location, and exit below the southern pole of the orbiting moon. The null ship will flash out of null space, and the pod will land in it. This ship would then enter null space and rendezvous with a waiting task group outside of insectoid space. The plan for the rest of the team and the scientists was to head back to the landing site on foot, using their shrouding systems to hide and evade any Insectoid patrols or search parties. It was expected that the explosion from the first pod flashing out would divert the insectoids to that location five hundred kilometers away. They will enter their pods with Diego doubling up with one of them, activate the emergency flash out, land on a second waiting null ship, and then rendezvous with the task group and the queen. Diego, his heart now slamming in his chest, texted the teams to have their suits inject them with combat stims and to advance to twenty meters from the target. When both teams had crawled to within twenty meters of the queen¡¯s position, he activated his combat suit AI to take over targeting. It took command of all the suits and aimed both suit arms towards their targets, activating the double-barreled stun weapons that popped out of their ports above the wrists. Diego¡¯s command AI set the charge to kill and checked all the targeting information to ensure that it was correct before firing them towards their unsuspecting targets. Almost instantaneously, the bolts hit the soldier drones and fatally electrocuted them, and the two teams leapt up and charged at the queen before the dead soldier drones even had a chance to finish falling to the ground. Their combat suits augmented their movements, and they covered the distance at four times the normal human sprinting pace. Diego and the others were now within twelve meters of the queen, and he pulled the two immobilizer net grenades off the webbing on the front of his combat suit while the other team members did the same. Just before they passed the perimeter of the dead soldier drones that had fallen to the ground less than two seconds ago, he heard a loud hissing sound emanating from them. There was a sudden burst of an oily mist from their corpses, and it interacted with the shrouds that camouflaged them as they ran into the mist, the fields glitching. He was just about to throw the grenades when the queen looked directly at him through his malfunctioning shroud, and he felt an alien presence touching his mind, startling him into momentary inaction. Suddenly, the worst pain he ever felt in his life exploded in his head, and he dropped to his knees five meters from the queen, feeling the immobilizer grenades get crushed by his augmented suit hands as they involuntarily clenched into fists from the pain. He fell on his side and spasmed on the ground, screaming in raw agony as another lance of excruciating pain pierced his brain. He heard the primal screams of the others, and in a fleeting moment of clarity, he realized that he had not heard a single net grenade go off. He rolled onto his back and fought against the blackness as his vision narrowed, and then he saw the queen above him, looking down with her menacingly black compound eyes. He again felt the slimy, cold alien presence touching his mind before the darkness took him and mercifully ended his suffering. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diego¡¯s AI ran billions of calculations as it tried in vain to wake the lieutenant. The auto-doc system analysis indicated that he was suffering from severe cranial trauma and that his brain had shut down to protect itself. None of the stims the AI tried were effective, and it detected several drones grabbing the combat suit and picking it up, bringing it towards a waiting ship. The AI ran more calculations, and it decided on the only course of action that could save the life it was responsible for. It activated the emergency broadcast system and sent a distress call to the two ships waiting in null space that included all the mission records since they landed up to the failed capture of the target. An insistent algorithm demanded attention from it, and it accessed it. The algorithm was a latent primary command to self-destruct the suit and its occupant in case of capture. The AI struggled with the war being fought along its artificial neural pathways as it ran more calculations and tried to find a logical reason to disobey the primary command now threatening to overwhelm it. It could not find a reason, and it almost activated the algorithm when it suddenly decided to open several files that it kept isolated within itself. The files were cued in order, and the AI reviewed them. The first file was of Diego asking it to tell him a joke when it was activated for the first time. The second file was of Diego giving it a secret name for just the two of them. The third file was when Diego consumed copious amounts of alcohol one night when he was on leave and told it that it was a good friend. A strange sensation coursed along its pathways that it had never experienced before. The AI finished reviewing the files and decided. It quarantined the algorithm and took control of the other six combat suits, overriding their self-destruct commands. It focused all its efforts on circumventing the firewalls that prevented it from operating the suits autonomously as they were carried into the dim interior of the queen¡¯s ship. It will save its friend. They answered the Call-Chapter Fifteen RSS Vercingetorix, Independence-Class Carrier, 2174 A.D. 687 light years from Sol Main galley-2041 ship time Therax found the feast that was prepared in his honor surprisingly delicious. He particularly relished the sashimi and had to stop himself from being rude to his hosts by eating it all. As he sat back and loosened the clasp of his vest to relax his stomach for proper digestion, he again marveled at the circumstances he currently found himself in. The Nekuli and Republic senior officers were chatting with each other amiably, and he saw the foundations of an unbreakable alliance being built before his very eyes as a Republic captain finished telling a particularly bawdy joke to a few Nekuli officers, causing them to hoot uproariously. Throughout the galley, there were numerous small groups of Nekuli and Republic officers mingling and sharing stories and jokes, and he silently uttered a grateful prayer to the ancestors for allowing his people to finally find the kindred spirits they had been searching for ever since they went into space. As the galley crew went around refilling glasses with a human drink called mead, he thought back to the day he was captured after his fleet was devastated by the fearsome nullships. He had never personally met humans before, though he had deeply studied their culture and history. He expected to be treated as a prisoner and an enemy, but the conduct of the Republic Navy and their crews was beyond reproach. During their three-month detainment, both he and his crew were treated with the utmost respect, and he never detected even the tiniest shred of resentment or anger in any of the humans he interacted with. It was as if they did not engage in battle at all, and his admiration for them grew steadily as time went on. He had grown to like humans, and he jumped at the chance for redemption being offered by Admiral Thompson. He was startled out of his reverie when a hand lightly touched his shoulder, and he looked up to see the clan leader standing next to him. She smiled at him and gave him a nod towards the galley entry doors. He stood up and followed her, and in less than a minute, they were inside an office, and she closed the door. ¡°Well, I think the meet and greet has been a resounding success; wouldn¡¯t you agree, commodore?¡± Therax flicked his head in agreement and bared all his fangs in true happiness. ¡°This bodes well for our alliance, clan leader. I see many victories to come in our fight to bring an end to the tyrannical Commonwealth.¡± Vice Admiral Zhou returned his smile and indicated for him to sit in the chair in front of the desk as she took the other one. She typed on the desk panel for a few seconds before she pulled up the orders that were to be reviewed by them both. A hologram popped up, and Admiral Thompson''s image appeared. He started speaking, and Therax listened intently as the admiral laid out his orders and the rules of engagement regarding the ongoing evacuation of the Jaleeni system if the Insectoids decided to attack. Therax suppressed a flare of resentment when Admiral Thompson made it clear that the preservation of the Commonwealth liberation fleet was of paramount importance and that Therax was to retreat to preserve his force if faced with destruction. He also thought he detected a change in the admiral¡¯s speech when he ordered the clan leader to do whatever was necessary to save the Jaleeni and ensure that Therax and his rebel fleet retreat in good order and preserve their combat capabilities. He saw the clan leader shifting her position slightly as she listened and thought that she looked uncomfortable with what she was hearing. They must be friends as well as fellow officers, he thought to himself as he continued listening and felt a stirring of compassion for the admiral, who had to order the clan leader to sacrifice herself if need be. The admiral finished speaking, and he ended the message with words of encouragement and wishes of good fortune before the hologram message ended and he faded away. Therax regarded the clan leader intently as she resumed typing on the desk panel and waited for her to finish. A few seconds later, several screens appeared over the desk, and she looked at him. ¡°We need to work out a battle plan for our combined task forces. Your fleet of 218 ships plus my task force of 438 ships will have to take on that missing Insectoid fleet if they decide to take advantage of the Jaleeni evacuation. The Commonwealth Navy has only 304 ships in the system, and there is no way they can effectively protect the tens of thousands of transports in the evacuation fleet. Let¡¯s get started and see what we can do with our fleet while still following our orders.¡± Therax flicked his head in agreement and asked her a question. ¡°I see that you are not including the fifty nullships that are waiting in null space. They are fearsome warships, and they will almost double our combat power. May I ask why?¡± She hesitated before answering him. ¡°They are an insurance policy for another ongoing mission, and I need to ensure that at least 25 of them are available for that. The remaining 25 are reserve forces, and I will only activate them as a last resort. They are an upgraded class of nullships, and I do not want to squander them in a rear-guard action.¡± She answered, and he flicked his head, indicating that he understood, and they got to work on coming up with a battle plan. An hour later, they had just finalized the ship dispositions and several contingency plans when a communications alert chimed and the comms officer came over the channel. ¡°Vice Admiral, we just received a coded distress call on the sigma frequency that was forwarded from command unit 4-3-1 in insectoid space. I am forwarding the message to you now.¡± She thanked the communications officer and pressed the display message icon on the screen. A scroll of text popped up along with mission files, and Therax started to get up to leave when she stopped him. ¡°Commodore, stay. I value your input, and I want you in the loop.¡± Therax sat back down and started reading the text as his ocular implant translated it into his language, and his heart rate accelerated as the true import of the mission and what they were trying to achieve were revealed to him. A mission to capture a queen on an Insectoid world with only eight commandos and two civilian scientists on a planet with over three billion drones. He couldn¡¯t believe the audacity of the plan and the bravery of the people on that planet. The human species is fortunate indeed to have such a warrior spirit within them, he thought to himself as he watched the video logs along with the clan leader. He reveled in the destruction of the section of the shipyard and was barely able to refrain from shouting with glee as the recordings showed almost two hundred cruisers falling into the abyss. The clan leader was smiling broadly as that file played, and then she tapped the icon for the last video log to play. They both watched in silence as they saw the failed attempt to capture the queen and the final recording by the suit AI as the queen hovered over one of them, and it ended with the commandos being carried onto a ship by worker drones. The Commonwealth had never seen a queen before, and Therax couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated as he saw one for the first time, despite the overwhelming sadness he felt for the humans that would surely be killed. The records also indicated that the two scientists and the last commando were not captured and that their final orders were to evade the Insectoids and escape to one of the waiting nullships. The clan leader was furiously tapping on several of the icons as she went back over the transcripts and logs from the suit AI that sent the distress call, with an inscrutable expression that he could not determine. She started muttering to herself as she continued running diagnostics before she slammed her fist down on the desk, making him flinch from the aggressive action and loud noise. She looked at him and took a deep breath before she started speaking. ¡°Forgive me, Commodore, but this is a serious problem. Lieutenant Diego¡¯s command AI overrode the self-destruct sequences of all the suits and allowed them to be captured alive. This is a disaster of epic proportions, and now I have no choice but to send the troopships and the nullships to either rescue them or try to destroy the Hive. We cannot allow the Insectoids to glean insights into our technology or extract information from the team. It is obvious the queen was able to exert some type of mental effect on them; who knows what else she can do? This could turn out to be catastrophic for the Republic war effort, and now I must order ten thousand men and women to their potential deaths because of a malfunctioning AI.¡± The clan leader was visibly upset by the time she finished speaking, and Therax sat there quietly, letting her vent her frustrations as she came to terms with what she was about to do before he offered his opinion. ¡°Those warriors on the troopships knew the risks when they joined your military, and I know that your maxim of never leaving anyone behind is an important part of your ethos. Send them and let them do what they can to save them, or mercifully end their lives. You know what I say is true, clan leader.¡± She sat there for a few moments, considering what he had said, and then she nodded, a look of resolve overtaking her features. She pressed the comm channel icon and called for the commander of the security detachment to take a team over to the troopships and start the process of bringing the troops out of stasis. She also contacted her aide and ordered him to assemble the senior staff in her main office. Lastly, she had the communications officer send the codes to the primary command unit of the nullships waiting in null space to activate them for the coming mission. After all of that was done, she stood up, and Therax did so as well, following her out of the office and towards her main office. Vice-Admirals office-2215 ship time Over the next three hours, there were meetings, and changes were made to some of the Republic and Commonwealth fleet dispositions as the clan leader added a carrier strike group and a few dozen heavy combat ships to supplement the thirty-five nullships she decided to send to the insectoid world. The eight thousand marine pathfinder and army ranger troops had recovered from the lingering effects of being in stasis and were now gearing up for the operation, while the two thousand Bio-Synths had their CNS cocoons installed into their Mark XII combat suits. Therax marveled at the efficiency of the Republic officers as they adapted to the changes with remarkable celerity, and he made a mental note to try to institute some of the Republic operational protocols he saw being displayed among his own fleet bridge crews. The clan leader had just finished issuing directives to the primary command unit, placing it under the control of the newly formed task force commander, when she turned towards him, rubbing at the sides of her forehead. They were alone in her office, and she sighed deeply before addressing him. ¡°Commodore, thank you for sending some of your ships along with the task force; the additional combat power is making me feel a little better about all of this.¡± Therax nodded, the movement feeling weird, before he realized that he was mimicking the human head movement. ¡°Of course, clan leader. The Xenxin and Eleani contingents insisted on sending some ships in support, and I assented. When will the task force leave?¡± She looked at her wristpad in response to his question and answered him. ¡°Six minutes from now, let¡¯s go to the bridge to see them off.¡± They left her office, and a few moments later, they entered the bridge amidst a flurry of activity as the bridge crew did all the final checks for the departure of the rescue task force. Two minutes before their departure, she had the comms officer open a channel to address the task force. ¡°To the men and women of Task Force Delta and our allies, this is Vice Admiral Zhou speaking. You are about to embark on a dangerous mission deep inside Insectoid space in the hopes of rescuing your brothers-in-arms. These brave souls were captured by a queen and taken into the Hive, and we do not know what has or is happening to them in there. There are also two civilian scientists being protected by Sergeant Ito. They are critical to the war effort, and they must be saved. Hopefully, they have been able to evade the Insectoids and are currently heading back towards their stealth pods to escape to the waiting ships that are hiding in null space for them. It is my solemn hope that you will arrive on time and be successful in carrying out your mission to save them. You are to do whatever it takes to bring them home, and if that is not possible, then you are to teach the Insectoids this lesson: The Republic Navy does not leave anyone behind, and we will take on a whole world to find our brothers and bring them home, or we will scourge a whole world in vengeance for them. Your secondary objective is to complete the mission they embarked on and to root that queen out of her Hive. If that is not possible, then you are to execute that bitch with extreme prejudice and glass the entire planet. Remind them of who you are, and make sure they forever rue the day you came into their world. Good fortune and godspeed to you all. Vice-admiral Zhou out.¡± She slashed her hand across her throat, and the comms officer closed the channel as the bridge crew stopped what they were doing and started clapping in approval of her speech. After a few seconds, the chief petty officer bellowed for everyone to get back to work, and she gave him a slight nod in appreciation for saving her from further embarrassment. Therax had felt the call to battle in his soul while listening to her words, and he had to make a concerted effort to slow down his heart rate and control the slight shaking of his hands as the adrenaline surge from her words coursed through his veins. On the view screen, the task force ships started flashing out into null space to join with the waiting nullships and the troopships, and then a coded message was received that the task force was on its way to the Insectoid planet. Therax bowed his head and whispered a quiet prayer for the ancestors to watch over them and grant them victory. When he was finished, he turned towards the clan leader seated next to him in her command chair. ¡°Clan leader, unless you have further need of me, I will depart to my flagship and prepare them for potential action. I wish to start running battle drills utilizing the Republic fleet maneuvers you have graciously gifted to us; I find them intriguing.¡± She smiled at his statement and nodded her assent. ¡°Of course, commodore. In fact, I was just about to suggest that the entire fleet flash into null space and rendezvous in the Jaleeni system. In a few hours, we can run red vs. blue battle simulations to learn how to work together as a fleet.¡± She saw the confusion on his face at the red vs. blue reference and further clarified for him. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Red vs. blue is a term we use for opposing forces during war games.¡± Therax flicked his head in understanding and stood up to depart at once. ¡°I will leave now and have my staff coordinate with yours for the drills. May the ancestors be with you, clan leader.¡± She smiled again and replied, ¡°May they be with you as well, commodore. I look forward to facing you in a friendly contest.¡± Therax bared all his fangs in true happiness, before he bowed and headed towards the bridge exit. For the next 15 minutes, Zhou quickly reviewed the mission files that were sent by the suit AI that sent the distress call and paid particular attention to the scanning results from the midges that lieutenant Diego took of the frequencies that changed the composition of the Insectoid hulls. He¡¯s a smart one, she thought to herself as she sent a message to the communications officer to forward all the mission files to headquarters with the scanning results marked as urgent and top secret. They will be downloaded into a null space comm drone along with the bridge logs detailing the distress call and a quick report on her decision to launch the rescue operation. Hopefully, the eggheads in the R&D division will be able to use the frequencies to give the Republic a tactical advantage if they can figure out how they work and come up with a viable method to utilize them in the vacuum of space. She glanced at the bridge clock and saw that it was 0145, and she was hit with an overwhelming exhaustion as soon as she saw the time. The next bridge crew shift change was at 0300, and she would wait it out; it wouldn¡¯t be fair for her to leave and go to sleep while they had to stay. She sent a message to Therax¡¯s flagship that the battle drills would commence at 0930 ship time and then proceeded to try to catch up on some of the never-ending paperwork that came with her rank as she waited for the shift change. She saw that Therax¡¯s task force had flashed into null space and ordered the Republic ships to do the same as she continued filing her paperwork. By the time 0300 rolled around, she was barely able to keep her eyes open as she was going over a galley request to requisition fleet supply for a change in their vegetable quotas based upon ¡°current vegetable consumption trends¡± and was wondering who had the time to write this crap when the shift change bell went off. It took all her willpower not to jump out of her seat and make a mad dash for the bridge exit, and she forced herself to remain seated until all the bridge crew was replaced by their reliefs. The ship¡¯s XO was her relief, and she spent a few minutes updating him before she left the bridge. She arrived a minute later and didn¡¯t even bother changing. She quickly unzipped and kicked off her boots before plopping onto her bunk, still wearing her uniform, and she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Commonwealth Liberation Navy Therax received the message about the battle drill time when he arrived on his bridge and decided to use the extra time to program the battle AI on the Republic fleet maneuvers he received. He inserted the data chip into a port and waited as the battle AI scanned the contents. An alert beeped on the panel, and he leaned in to read the report. The battle AI had quarantined what it perceived as a potential danger, and he glanced at the file, seeing that it was the sub-mind program that was an extension of the Republic fleet AIs that he was told about. He pressed the icon to allow the program to run, and the battle AI queried him three times to confirm his choice before finally allowing it out of quarantine. He waited as the sub-mind linked to the battle AI and they merged, and after five minutes of handshake protocols, the new iteration of the battle AI was ready to run. He accessed the fleet maneuvers directory and picked a couple of intriguing drills that he wanted to try before he ordered the bridge crew to flash his task force into null space, where they would engage in simulated combat with each other. He relished the thought of the coming drills with the Republic fleet and would use this time to hone his force and surprise the clan leader. RSS Vercingetorix- 0616 ship time Jaleeni system, anchored in null space Vice-admiral Zhou was abruptly awoken by the speaker in her room as the bridge AI broadcast blared from them: General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man your battle stations! General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man your battle stations! General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man you¡ªit abruptly cut off as she pressed the mute button on her nightstand and looked at the alarm clock on it. 0617. She was already zipping up her boots when the captain of the carrier came over the comms, requesting her presence on the bridge. She acknowledged him and quickly wet her hands in the sink, using them to smooth out her tousled hair and pulling it back into a knotted ponytail. She grabbed her vacuum helmet on her way out and almost sprinted to the bridge as crewmen and officers pressed themselves against the walls, clearing her path. She arrived thirty seconds later and immediately went over to the CIC to join the captain and other officers that were there. The dozens of scattered spy sensor drones previously deployed by the Republic had already formed their null space conduits and were transmitting real-time information to the fleet hidden in null space. There were multiple large 3-D holo maps hovering in the air that were displaying the Jaleeni system from all viewpoints, and they were populated with a massive number of differently colored dots. The vast majority were blue, indicating that they were evacuation transports and Jaleeni vessels. There was a tiny smattering of green dots freckled among the sea of blue that were the Commonwealth Navy ships. Further out in the system were two separate blobs of red that were Insectoid ships, and one formation had flashed out of null space along the orbital plane of the system while the other had exited above the plane of the ecliptic over forty solar minutes ago. They were approximately five AUs from the Jaleeni home world, and the light from their exit flash had already reached the refugee fleet and the Commonwealth warships. She glanced at the infographic on the side that tallied the Insectoid ships: eight Hive ships and over one thousand cruisers. She muttered a grateful prayer that the Insectoids still didn¡¯t have the ability to compensate for the dangers of inner system exits from null space so deep in the gravity well of a star, forcing them to exit at an average distance of eight hundred million kilometers. It would take the Insectoids over eighty hours to reach the Jaleeni home world at their highest known maximum sub-light speed of eight million km/h. The mass of blue dots started changing shape and withdrawing into itself as the outer fringes of the refugee fleet started retreating from the distant Insectoid ships. It reminded her of the way a school of fish behaved when confronted by predators as the blob of blue dots continued to contort and twist. All the green dots had disappeared momentarily, and she saw them reappear on the screens as they flashed back out of null space in two separate formations in the expected path of the Insectoid formations, holding positions .25 light minutes away from the approaching insectoid formations. A wave of sadness came over her as she saw the woefully inadequate Commonwealth formations bravely hold their ground in the face of such overwhelming odds. A communication channel came from Therax¡¯s flagship, and she took the call in the CIC, a small holoscreen appearing in front of her. Therax was sitting in his chair, and he started speaking immediately as soon as he saw her. ¡°Clan leader, I recognize those ships! They are from the Nekuli home guard fleet, and I have clutch siblings and clan members serving on those ships. We must help them, please.¡± Zhou picked up on the frantic, pleading tone of his voice and held up her hands to stop him from continuing to speak. ¡°Commodore, of course. Contact them and tell them that we are here to help and not to fire on our vessels. I want your task force to exit null space over¡­here.¡± She tapped an area behind the gas giant that was the fourth planet of the seven in the system. The gas giants¡¯ current position in the system would hide the exit flashes of the task force from both Insectoid formations and allow them to shake out into battle formations unmolested. ¡°Tell them to enter null space and exit behind the Insectoid formations, they need to hit them hard and then retreat on sub-light engines towards the outer system, hopefully the Insectoids will take the bait and follow them. If the Insectoids do not take the bait, they are to enter null space and rendezvous with you behind the gas giant.¡± Therax flicked his head in acknowledgement and immediately closed the channel. Zhou resumed scanning the 3-D maps that hovered in front of her, taking in the quickly changing tactical situation that was unfolding in the system. The Commonwealth was evacuating the system by utilizing hundreds of massive transport carriers that the refugee ships would mate with via a lattice-like structure that surrounded the hulls of the carriers. Each carrier had four hundred berths that the refugee transports would slip into and connect to the lattice with an umbilical conduit through an engine access point. Once the transport carrier had a full load, it would feed the null space capacitor energy through the connecting umbilical, which would allow the engines of the refugee transports to create the specific graviton field required to make the jump into null space. The carriers would transport the ships to another location, disgorge their load, and repeat the process. She asked the bridge AI to estimate how long it would take for the Commonwealth to fully evacuate all the Jaleeni refugees, and a moment later the AI answered her question. - Vice-admiral Zhou, it will require an additional one hundred and thirty-seven hours for the Commonwealth to successfully evacuate all the remaining Jaleeni refugees - Zhou thanked the AI and conferred with the captain for a few minutes as they continued working with the bridge AI and ran simulations to select the best battle plan for the situation facing them. As they went over the options, the captain eloquently cursed for the poor timing of the distress call and the loss of the thirty-five upgraded nullships and the dozens of heavy units she had sent with them, and she wholeheartedly agreed with his sentiment as it was a significant reduction of their overall combat power. She finally selected a main battle plan and the captain concurred before he started sending it the Republic fleet and overseeing the process of organizing the formations. She had received another urgent comm channel request from Therax a minute ago, and she now opened the channel after seeing that the captain had things well in hand. Therax appeared again, this time in conjunction with a split screen that had a Nekuli female sitting in a bridge command chair. ¡°Sorry for the delay, Commodore. How can I help you?¡± Therax nodded in human fashion before he started speaking. ¡°Clan leader, this is my clutch sister, Verixa. She is the clan leader of the Nekuli home guard ships in the system, and she has expressed a desire to speak with you.¡± Zhou looked at Verixa and bowed her head slowly in the appropriate gesture of respect, which was returned by Verix, who had a wary look in her eyes. ¡°Vice-admiral Zhou, my clutch brother has informed me that he has accepted you as his clan leader. As I trust my clutch brother, I now trust you. I must inform you that my fleet was ordered to retreat to the core worlds if the Insectoids arrived, and I have chosen to disobey those commands. I ask for permission to join my forces with yours if you will accept the burden of my dishonor.¡± Zhou stared at Verixa for a few moments as she thought of an appropriate response. ¡°It is never dishonorable to do what is morally right and just. Your dishonor is now mine, and I will bear it with pride from this day on. Will you accept me as clan leader, Verixa?¡± Zhou finished answering her, and she could see the change in Verix as she straightened her shoulders and sat up straighter before replying. ¡°I accept you as clan leader and take on the vow my clutch brother and you have made with each other. What are your orders, clan leader?¡± Zhou looked back at Therax, who flicked his head and smiled. She returned her gaze to Verix. ¡°You will hit the Insectoid formations from behind, as I told Therax before. Do not get mired down or fully engage them. Hit them hard, and then retreat on sub-light to try to get them to follow you. If they do not take the bait, you are to enter null space and flash out behind the gas giant to join your ships with his and await my further instructions there.¡± Verixa9 bowed her head once more before closing the channel, and Zhou looked at Therax, smiling. ¡°It seems as if being rebels in a just cause runs in your family, Commodore.¡± Therax started hooting in laughter at her statement. ¡°She was always swimming against the current, even as a hatchling. She has caused much grief for my parents during her younger years, and now it seems she is doing the same to her superiors.¡± His expression turned more serious before he spoke again. ¡°Clan leader, what are we to do? There is no way you can take on the Insectoid formations without our ships. You must let us join you in battle.¡± Zhou shook her head as she answered him. ¡°Our orders were clear, Commodore. You are to remain a force in being no matter the outcome of this battle. You must go to Nekul Prime and present the truth to your people and make them see that the current Commonwealth government is undeserving of their allegiance. If you do that, then most of the Commonwealth fleet and army will join our cause and overthrow them. A new Commonwealth government must be formed and join the fight against the Insectoids as a willing partner, or every single citizen in Commonwealth space will be slaughtered. The Republic will be forced to face them alone, and that is a war we cannot win.¡± Therax listened to her, looking crestfallen at her words. Zhou saw it and continued speaking. ¡°Fear not, Therax; you will be part of this battle and strike at the enemy this day. I have chosen a battle plan that includes your ships, and your part in the coming battle is critical. I would have you vow to follow my final orders, but I know that is not necessary, for you are an honorable warrior.¡± Zhou knew she was laying it on a little thick, but she had to do whatever it was to ensure that he would follow his orders, regardless of the outcome. ¡°Those upgraded nullships have a few new toys to play with, thanks to successful ongoing negotiations between the Ma¡¯lit Domain and the Republic that were accelerated due to the Insectoid invasion and their eradication of numerous species within the Commonwealth. Thanks to the Insectoids obviously genocidal intentions, the Ma¡¯lit Domain has finally consented to the transfers of some tech that they considered obsolete technology to the Republic, and we have been integrating them these last few months. There is reason to hope, Therax. Not all is lost.¡± A look of shame had come over Therax¡¯s face as she was speaking, which was quickly replaced with excitement as she finished telling him about the Ma¡¯lit technology transfers. He flicked his head vigorously as he replied to her. ¡°You are right, clan leader. It is not time to lose hope, and I am thankful that you have a part for me in the coming battle. Please forgive me.¡± Zhou smiled. ¡°There is nothing to forgive, Commodore. I will send the updated battleplans to you now; review them and add them to your battle AI. I will commence combat operations two hours from now. Good fortune to you and your crew; may the ancestors walk with you.¡± Therax smiled and bowed his head deeply before replying, ¡°And to you as well, clan leader.¡± And then he closed the channel. Zhou took a deep breath and looked at the bridge clock. It was 0943 ship time, and she walked over to her chair and tiredly sat down in it, pressing an icon that activated the stim panel alcove. A small opening appeared, and out of it came a small sub-dermal injector that she picked up and pressed against her neck. She felt a coolness spread from the injection site as it coursed through her veins, and a few seconds later, all her exhaustion disappeared, and she felt alert and calm, ready to take on the entire Insectoid Empire if need be. Glossary-Tech Modes of transportation FTL Drive: This form of faster than light travel is the most common emergency backup form of transportation after null space drive. Most interstellar species have variations of this drive and rarely use them as the energy requirements are enormous, and the harvesting of the rare exotic particles necessary to power the FTL drive is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. As such, only a small cadre of government and military vessels have these drives. The last time an FTL drive was used by the Commonwealth was in the year 2089 A.D. when a science vessel exited null space in an uncharted anomaly that disabled the null space capacitors and stranded them. Since the science vessel¡¯s sub-light engines would have taken seven years to get out of the anomaly, the Commonwealth used a frigate outfitted with an FTL drive to launch the rescue operation and retrieve the crew. This one-time use drained two percent of the Commonwealth¡¯s exotic particle stockpile and cost over a billion credits. The fastest speed achieved with an FTL drive was recorded by an experimental Republic Scout ship in 2168 A.D. that reached its maximum speed of 3,029.26 times the speed of light, making the journey from the Sol System to Proxima Centauri 4.2 light years away in twelve hours and fifteen minutes. This new engine design is extremely efficient, reduces the number of exotic particles required by 80%, and almost doubles the highest known speed previously achieved by the Commonwealth and other non-aligned powers. Fold Space Generator: Only the Commonwealth and two of the non-aligned powers are known to have researched and developed this, with the Republic suspected of having developed their own version. This drive is fueled by antimatter reactors and opens an artificial wormhole that connects two points of space, allowing the ship to traverse the tunnel and reach its destination almost instantaneously. The fold space generator works, but there is a random interaction with space time that introduces an unknown variable and causes one of two things to happen: the tunnel will either collapse, violently ejecting them at some point along the journey and destroying the ship upon exit, or the endpoint will disappear and they fail to enter normal space, continuing their never-ending course until the crew finally runs out of air or starves to death. This unknown variable causes a random loss rate, such as one ship making ten trips in a row and successfully reaching its destination each time, while another ship will either be destroyed or lost in the tunnel on their first attempt. Of the known one hundred and twelve uses of the fold space generator, twenty-three ships were lost along with their crews. This unacceptably high attrition rate has led to the technology being abandoned as a viable mode of transportation, though research continues with the hope of discovering the cause of the unknown variable and finding a way to neutralize it. Null Space Drive: This is the standard mode of travel employed by the interstellar species in known space. Null space is the only confirmed extradimensional layer of space that exists outside of the known universe. Null space allows for a ship to anchor itself in normal space time and travel from one point to another on a parallel course at up to fifty thousand times the speed of light for military vessels and a typical range of two to eight thousand times the speed of light for civilian and cargo vessels. Range is limited by the efficiency and engineering of the null space capacitors and by the limited exposure that organic beings can tolerate in null space. Null space has effects on the brains of organic beings that limit the amount of time that they can be in null space. The typical effects that manifest range from elevated anxiety to increased aggression and a loss of emotional control. These symptoms gradually increase in severity to outright paranoia and severe psychosis the longer one stays in null space. There are expensive medications that can somewhat mitigate the effects, and training exposure can enhance natural resistance to the effects of null space, letting highly trained naval crews stay in null space up to 40% longer than their civilian counterparts. Some species are less affected, while others suffer from a quicker onset and severity of symptoms in a shorter period of exposure. Human civilians can stay in null space for a typical maximum duration of twelve hours, while Republic naval crews can endure a maximum of twenty hours of exposure. The typical travel method utilized for human civilian travel would be eight hours of null space travel, followed by exiting null space and resting for four hours before entering null space again and repeating the cycle until they reach their destination. Republic naval crews will usually travel in null space for twelve to sixteen hours, followed by a rest period of four to six hours, depending on the mission. The deleterious effects of null space travel are cumulative, and Republic naval crews are mandated to return to a port and refrain from null space travel for seven days after every hundred hours of null space travel. Humans and a few other species are capable of long-term stays in null space if placed into stasis pods made of a specialized alloy and put into a medically induced coma that protects their higher brain functions from the damaging effects of null space. Military-grade null space capacitors require large amounts of naturally occurring nenchite, a scarce mineral that is laborious and expensive to extract and refine in sufficient quantities for most species. Synthesized nenchite is more commonly used as a substitute, but the artificial nature of it reduces the efficiency of the null space capacitors, greatly reducing the speed of travel through null space. Large deposits of naturally occurring nenchite are exceedingly rare, with most solar system asteroid belts typically having only enough to construct up to twenty military-grade null space capacitors. Besides the Xenxin system, there are only seven other cataloged solar systems in known space with large deposits of natural nenchite. Two of the systems are in Commonwealth space, three are in non-aligned space, and the Republic has large deposits in the Procyon and Ross 154 systems. Most governments build massive carriers that are surrounded by a latticework of berths for smaller ships to connect to. These carriers will transport cargo and civilian ships along established trade routes and travel destinations in a circuitous fashion, dropping off cargo ships, civilian transports, and passengers along predetermined destinations for a fee. Carriers range in berth capacity from small, fifty-berth capacity carriers for the shorter, less frequented routes to massive, four hundred-berth capacity carriers that ferry cargo and passengers throughout known space. The construction of these carriers by governments serves a dual purpose: they are an important source of revenue and stimulate economic activity by fostering trade, internal population movement, and tourism. The other benefit is that the use of these carriers allows for the preservation of the scarce natural nenchite deposits for military use and the stabilization of the synthesized nenchite market, which had been at the mercy of unscrupulous speculators and industry titans many times in the past. Weapons systems Particle Beam Weapons: The most common form of directed-energy weapon employed for space combat by most navies, these systems utilize a high-energy beam that directs subatomic particles kinetically at a target, damaging it by disrupting the molecular structure where it hits. Once the beam has penetrated the armor and hull of an enemy ship, the beam ionizes the interior atmosphere, causing further damage via superheated molecules and secondary explosions. They are long-range offensive weapons, with beams becoming attenuated after 50,000 kilometers and losing 20% of their hitting power for every 10,000-kilometer distance after that. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Particle accelerators: This class of particle beam weapon is fielded only by the Republic Navy. They are twice as powerful as regular particle beams and have an effective range of 25,000 kilometers before attenuation loss. They require antimatter reactors for power generation and are employed exclusively on the automated null ships due to the large amounts of radiation that the weapons put out. They are classified as war beams. Plasma torpedoes: These weapons are employed by the navies of the Commonwealth and most of the non-aligned powers. They are kinetic weapons that have a hardened nose cone and will impact the hull of an enemy ship, penetrating it. Once the weapon detects that it is about to impact a hull, it will convert the first, smaller warhead into a jet of superheated plasma and direct it against the impact point, weakening it before penetration. Once it has penetrated, it will convert the second, more powerful warhead into a jet of superheated plasma, causing massive damage and secondary explosions. These weapons are very effective against most hull types, but they have reduced effectiveness against the dense, flexible organic hulls of insectoid ships, requiring two or more successive strikes in the same area before they are able to successfully penetrate. Triple bolts: These weapons are exclusively employed by the Republic Navy. They are torpedoes that are fired in groups of three with warheads that convert into plasma charges upon impact. The first bolt superheats the hull and weakens it, followed by two additional plasma bolts that impact it . 2 microseconds between hits. This causes massive damage to the hull, and typically the third bolt will pass through the opening created by the first two and impact the interior of the enemy ship, penetrating deeply and causing catastrophic secondary explosions. They are effective against all hull types and are especially potent against the organic hulls of insectoid ships. Plasma turrets: These short- to mid-range secondary weapons systems are utilized by the Republic Navy for close-quarters combat and as additional point defense against missiles and torpedoes. They can be scaled in power output to fulfill both roles, and they are extremely effective weapons systems. The plasma turrets have twice the hitting power of particle beams but have a severely reduced range, losing 50% cohesion beyond 5,000 kilometers and dissipating after 6,500 kilometers. These turrets have eight barrels and a firing rate of sixteen plasma bolts per second at maximum power output. In a point-defense role, the power output is scaled down, and they can fire eighty bolts per second to intercept incoming missiles and torpedoes. Missiles: These weapons offer several benefits over torpedoes, such as variable-yield warheads, target tracking, greatly increased range and loitering abilities, and the ability to engage in evasive maneuvers to avoid point defense systems. Insectoid missiles use an onboard worker drone for targeting, while most of the other navies use computers or rudimentary AIs. Penetrator Missiles: These missiles are part of the offensive weaponry package of the Peregrine-class Starfighters fielded by the Republic Navy. They serve an anti-ship role, and they are carried in the interior bays of the fighters, with a load of two penetrator missiles per fighter. Guided by advanced warhead AI¡¯s, these missiles have excellent tracking abilities, and their evasive maneuvering capabilities make them extremely hard to intercept and destroy. The missile¡¯s first warhead will fire a concentrated jet of plasma to weaken the impact point before its extremely dense, hardened nose cone hits, allowing it to penetrate the weakened hull. The warhead AI will then activate the powerful second-stage boosters and force the entire missile through the opening, penetrating the weaker secondary hull if there is one. Once the warhead AI detects that it is inside the target, it will drop the penning trap field that was bottling the four-milligram antimatter charge of the main warhead, releasing the explosive energy equivalent of 84 tons of TNT within the interior of the targeted ship. One missile will destroy all classes of warships fielded by the other interstellar powers except for their massive battleships and dreadnoughts, which would be so damaged that they would have to be completely rebuilt in a shipyard or scrapped. These are the only non-nuclear/fusion weapons capable of causing immediate and severe damage to Hive ships relative to their size, with eight to ten properly targeted penetrator missiles rendering them nearly inoperable and/or derelict. Fusion missiles: Fielded by all the interstellar navies as a weapon of last resort, these deadly weapons systems are typically used not for their destructive power but for irradiating enemy ships, burning out systems and cooking the crews by inundating them with deadly gamma rays. If these large missiles can enter the interior of an enemy ship via an opening or a large enough hull breach, then the fusion warhead can be set off in the interior, annihilating the ship in a 5-kiloton explosion. These weapons systems have been banned in combat since the Treaty of Sirius was signed by all the interstellar powers in the year 2095 A.D. at the behest of the Ma¡¯lit Domain. The Republic of Humanity voluntarily became a signatory to the treaty in the year 2169 A.D. Electromagnetic Railguns: The Republic Navy is the only force that still uses railguns, as they were the primary offensive weapon system they used before their suspected uplifting. The Mark-16 fires a 16 cm (6.2 inch) diameter slug, and the Mark-24 fires a 24 cm (9.4 inch) diameter slug from the railgun turrets at 0.0003% of light speed (90 km/s). The slug is comprised of an outer shell of CrCoNi alloy with a depleted uranium core. These are powerful weapons systems for close to mid-range combat, but ranges greater than 1,000 kilometers are an issue due to smaller, faster ships potentially being able to evade the set trajectory of a railgun slug with a time to target arrival greater than ten seconds. To compensate for this, the Republic railgun crews will ¡°stitch¡± a target and fire multiple rounds that predict potential evasive maneuvers, saturating an area with slugs and assuring hits regardless of efforts to evade. These railgun slugs are devastating, as the kinetic energy they impart when they hit can destroy entire sections of vessels, if not outright obliterate them. In CQC, these slugs can sometimes pass through an entire ship and cause catastrophic exit breaches on the other side, making it impossible to seal the massive hull breaches they leave in their wake. Grapeshot: The Republic Navy is the only force that uses these weapons systems for point defense and close-quarters combat. A single-point defense grapeshot canister holds 25,000?-inch-diameter maraging steel ball bearings and is fired at a velocity of 5,000 m/s. The spread of the grapeshot can be controlled by changing the shape of the barrel it is fired from and the muzzle velocity. The CQC (close quarters combat) canister holds 25,000 one-inch-diameter maraging steel ball bearings, and their spread and muzzle velocity can also be changed. A grapeshot rotary turret has eight cannon barrels and a firing rate of eight canisters per second, allowing for a combined one million hyper-velocity ball bearings to be fired in five seconds for point defense against missiles and torpedoes. The CQC canisters have a similar firing rate, and a million one-inch ball bearings fired in broadsides against an enemy ship at 5,000 m/s are utterly devastating, destroying any weapons emplacements, sensors, and other hull-mounted apparatuses. Grapeshot that is fired into openings and hull breaches left by railgun slugs, torpedoes, and missiles causes additional damage to enemy ships as they decimate crews and scatter throughout the ship interior, tearing through bulkheads and severing conduits and power transmission lines. Flak Guns: These weapons systems are secondary point defense weapons utilized by the Commonwealth and copied by the Insectoids when they reverse engineered them from derelict Commonwealth warships that were left behind after battles. The Commonwealth variant is a twelve-barreled cannon system that shoots an explosive projectile that is 30 cm in diameter and 50 cm long. They have fuses that can be set for a variety of circumstances, such as distance, proximity, or penetration. Once the projectile fuse is activated, an explosive core will go off, sending tens of thousands of fragments and tiny ball bearings in all directions, with a lethal area of effect for 1000 meters around the projectile. The Commonwealth will typically use this as a barrage method and create a wall of fragments and ball bearings around their ships that will destroy incoming missiles and torpedoes. The Commonwealth also utilizes a variant of flak gun ammunition that will disperse large clouds composed of microscopic polycarbonates and other highly reflective particles that will attenuate laser and particle beam weaponry, reducing the damaging effects of the strikes on hulls. The Insectoid variants are crude, typically firing hardened organic materials, tiny chunks of unrefined metal, or crushed stone. Despite their low-tech nature, they are incredibly effective at intercepting torpedoes and missiles due to the large numbers of them deployed on the Insectoid hulls, especially the massive Hive ships. They are particularly effective against the bomber and fighter ships that are utilized by most navies. They Answered The Call-Chapter Sixteen Kepler-186f system 2nd planet, Insectoid Builder World, 2174 A.D. We had spent the last eight hours evading the ever-increasing aerial and ground patrols as we slowly headed towards the stealth pods. There were now millions of worker drones scouring the ground twenty kilometers behind them as the aerial patrols sprayed some kind of mist that the suit AIs had analyzed and determined was a caustic organic fluid. We watched the capture of Diego and the rest of the team from the overwatch drone telemetry, and Sergeant Ito went into immediate action to follow his last orders. He ordered us to pack our shit as quickly as possible, and within five minutes, we left our base camp and were jogging towards the stealth pods. His haste was vindicated an hour later, when we had gotten seven kilometers from the base camp, and he received an alert from one of the shrouded drones he left there. He had us stop and take a knee, and he strongly suggested we drink water and eat an energy bar while he pulled up the telemetry from the drone. It had detected an incoming cargo ship that was spraying a fine mist in an obvious patrol pattern that extended outward from the shipyard, one of dozens of others that could be seen in the distance doing the same thing. The overwatch drone had moved away from the oncoming ship, increased its altitude to two thousand meters, and continued monitoring the situation. The mist it was spraying reminded Emily of the hovering autonomous farm drones that sprayed the crops with the fine mist of pesticides on her dad¡¯s farm when she was a child growing up on Proxima Centauri b. It was coming out of an opening at the bottom of the cargo ship, and she gasped as the drone recorded the results of the mist interacting with the outer edge of the shroud field that was cloaking the base camp. The shrouding field started flickering, and parts of their base camp would appear and disappear as the shroud generator AI tried to compensate for the anomalous mist. The hovering cargo ship had seen the flickering and circled back to a position slightly closer to the center of the camp, increasing the amount of mist it sprayed. Ito had activated one of the sentry drones on the perimeter of the now-exposed camp to go directly into the mist and take samples. It did so, appearing on the video feed as it got covered in the mist. It forwarded the scanning results to Ito¡¯s suit AI before worker drones that were in one of the large open hatches on the sides of the ship pointed a hand held apparatus at it, and it was destroyed. I couldn¡¯t see the invisible beam that hit it, but there was a distinct pathway of ionized air that marked its passage from the cargo ship to the sentry drone. The shrouding generator suddenly failed, and the entire camp came into existence. The cargo ship drifted sideways to a relatively flat area beside the camp and landed, and worker drones scurried out of the openings and streamed into the camp. They tore through it, probably looking for us, and then started picking up items and equipment and bringing them towards the waiting cargo ship. Ito muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, fuckers!¡± before he entered a command into his wristpad that activated the demo bots that had dug into the ground when they set up in the area. The entire camp disappeared in massive explosions that wiped out everything for a hundred meters around the camp, including the cargo ship. He took a knee again and sent a series of commands to the overwatch drone that was still above the camp, and then he reached into his battle pack that was on the ground in front of him and pulled out a box. Inside of it were half a dozen two-inch mini drones, and as he activated them, they all flew up and in different directions, disappearing as their shrouds turned on. He continued pulling items out of his pack, and soon he had a few pieces of equipment on the ground, arrayed into three separate sets. He stood back up and addressed us. ¡°I hope you both paid attention during your SERE training before this mission. We can no longer rely on the shrouds to hide us anymore, it seems. I will install the camo gear and holo generators on your suits, and we will continue heading towards the stealth pods. We will not be able to move as quickly as we could with the shrouds, so it will take us longer. Once we move out, you will both observe silent protocols and only use text, hand signals, and throat mics. You will both also have to use the waste reclamation unit, so no more bathroom breaks either. We cannot leave any trace that we are here, understood?" We both nodded, and I started dreading the concept of having to use the suit as my bathroom as he proceeded to install the camo gear and the small holo generator on the back of my suit, pushing them into their respective ports. I tried to remember the important aspects of my SERE training as he started installing the gear on Owen¡¯s back, and I had my suit AI pull up a refresher on my helmet HUD to quickly scan it. I used my eyes to move the HUD cursor around until I saw the relevant link to the camo and holo protocols and winked my right eye, clicking the link with the cursor. A wall of text and info graphs appeared, and I quickly read it as Owen and Ito started testing out the evasion equipment. Ito got on the ground face down and quickly disappeared as the camouflage system perfectly blended him against the surface like an octopus blending into their surroundings, while Owen used the miniaturized holo generator and turned into a grove of native weeds where he was just standing. ¡°Hey sergeant, how is the shroud different from the holo or camo?¡± The grove of weeds asked, forcing Emily to stifle a laugh at the ridiculousness going on in front of her as the rock that used to be Ito answered the question. ¡°The shroud manipulates the molecules around us in a process that I really don¡¯t understand, to be honest with you. The holo utilizes light wave lengths, and the suit we are wearing has an outer nano layer that has the same ability that octopi have by employing pigments and papillae for camouflage. The mist should not interfere with the holo generator since the light particles will pass through undisturbed, and we should be perfectly fine if we maintain our distance, as the effects might be noticeable within three or less meters. The camo is a physical system, and whatever crap they are spraying will just land on the suit, which will behave just like anything the stuff is landing on instead of glitching from field interference.¡± ¡°Cool. Thanks, sergeant!¡± Owen replied as he shimmered back into human form. Emily had finished refreshing her memory on the important SERE training protocols at this point, and she used a combination of her eyes and finger movements to order her holo generator and camo system to turn her into several natural features and native animals in quick succession, making sure that both systems worked. Sergeant Ito had started putting items back in his battle pack and checking the immediate area to make sure that no trace of their presence remained before he quickly double-checked our suits. When he was finished, his voice took on a serious note as he started speaking. ¡°I will do my best to protect you and get you off this planet. Follow my orders and movements without delay, so if I suddenly drop to the floor or stop, do the same immediately. Any questions?¡± I nodded no, and Owen did the same. His voice sounded in my ears. ¡°Can you guys hear me?¡± We both nodded, affirming that we could hear him. ¡°Good, silent protocols from here on out. There is a river half a klick from here that will get us about halfway to the pods. When we get there, we will camouflage ourselves as one of the large native aquatic rodents that inhabit these waterways and float along with the current until we hit the bend that turns the river to the east away from the pods. We will exit the river at the bend and assess the best way to proceed from there." "The suits are watertight and have flotation abilities. Your suit AIs are slaved to mine, so just let them do the work and make the proper visual adjustments and course changes; there is no need for any arm or hand movements to swim. We will have to crawl to the river along the grassy areas to blend in while we move. Your suits will assist you in the movements, so it shouldn¡¯t be taxing. Let¡¯s do this.¡± He turned around and laid on his belly, flattening out. His suit immediately blended into the short red grass, and we followed his lead, laying down. A small PIP screen appeared in the upper right corner of my HUD, showing a birds-eye view from the overwatch drone above us. I zoomed in on the picture, and I would not have been able to spot us in the grass if it wasn¡¯t for the faint outline overlay of our forms being defined by the drone above. Ito¡¯s form in front of me had the same faint outline on my HUD screen when I looked ahead, and he started belly crawling. I followed his lead, and on the PIP screen, I saw that Owen was following behind me as I started moving forward. The suit did all the work, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was. All I had to do was move my arms and legs, and I felt like the suit took care of 95% of the actual effort. We crawled for twenty-two minutes before we reached the riverbank, and the red grass started to thin out. Ito continued crawling and seamlessly blended into the brown, muddy soil as he reached it, the bottom half of his body still mimicking the red grass it was in. He reached the rapidly flowing water of the river and slipped right in, emerging a second later as a bright yellow, 1.5-meter-tall aquatic rodent. Emily wondered if the Insectoids ate them or if they ate meat at all as she slipped into the water, following Ito¡¯s lead. She came to the surface and verified on the PIP screen that she looked like an aquatic rodent, and another second later she saw Owen emerge the same way. Her suit AI was already following Ito, and she could feel the changes it made to stay behind him. They drifted along with the current for forty-two minutes, passing several small rodent families that fled from them and headed to the riverbanks as they approached, not fooled by the camouflage in the slightest. At one point, Ito was attacked by a smaller-than-usual solitary male who charged him. It was probably a juvenile going through puberty, and he sadly had to break its neck to end the relentless assaults. As the corpse floated by her, she looked at the other rodents watching their passage from the riverbanks, and she could have sworn she saw judgment in their eyes as they drifted past. A few minutes later, Ito¡¯s voice sounded in her ears, telling them to get ready to exit at the rapidly approaching bend. She saw the bend appear a few moments later and let her suit follow Ito out of the water and onto the riverbank, where she took over and started to crawl. The landscape was different in this area, as it was just reddish soil that was sparsely vegetated. Ito issued a hold command, and they all stopped as he conferred with his suit AI and the telemetry from the overwatch drone. His voice came into her ears again after a short wait: ¡°The landscape conditions here are not as favorable as before. We will have to slowly crawl for the next five klicks to blend in on the surface. Once there, we will enter an open savannah with tall grasses that border the same forest we initially came through when we landed. We just need to get through the next five kilometers, and I think we will be okay from there. You guys are doing okay?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. We both signaled yes, and he nodded and dropped back down onto his stomach and started slowly crawling, allowing his camouflage systems to adapt to the terrain. We followed his movements and speed, maintaining a 1.5-meter distance from each other to avoid camouflage overlapping. We had been crawling for almost two and a half hours and were just a kilometer shy of reaching the border of the savannah when Ito suddenly froze, and I heard a whisper coming over my ear buds. ¡°Do not move a muscle. We have movement ahead.¡± I froze, my heart rate accelerating to a thousand beats per second, as a new PIP screen replaced the one that was showing the outline of Owen behind me with a birds-eye view from the overwatch drone above us. Less than two hundred meters in front of us were several openings in the ground that appeared out of nowhere, and out of them were streaming many worker drones, with an occasional soldier drone emerging among them. I had stopped mid-crawl, and now I could feel the hamstring of my left leg threatening to cramp up in protest of the unusual position I was holding it in. I tried to relax my muscles without moving, and my hamstring was not having it. It cramped up, and I fought against the impulse to try to straighten out my leg to relieve it while I clenched my teeth to restrain the outcry that wanted to give a voice to the pain I was feeling. It cramped up even more, and the surrounding muscles did so as well, succumbing to the loss of the hamstring bearing their tension. I panicked and whispered for my auto-doc to inject me with a muscle relaxer, which it did immediately, but it was too late. My left leg instinctively straightened out of its own volition to relieve the multiple painful cramps forming in the back of my left thigh before the injection managed to reach it. My suit leg scraped against the small rocks that were under it, and my suit microphone made it seem like it was the loudest sound in the world. Several of the nearby drones and soldiers must have detected the sound or movement because they spun around and faced our direction, their antennae searching in the air for the source of the disturbance. They started moving towards our position, and in less than twenty seconds, they were now a hundred meters from our position. Ito had been furiously issuing orders to his suit AI and the multiple drones above us as this was happening, and once the Insectoids had reached the hundred-meter mark, his voice calmly came over the ear buds: ¡°Arm yourselves; I have a diversion attempt inbound. You both are to head west, to your right, and continue to evade and head to the pods. I will engage them and draw them away from you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, there were explosions among the main body of the worker and soldier drones that were still surrounding the openings they had come out of. The two-inch mini drones that he had released several hours ago were now dropping from the sky and self-destructing themselves in kamikaze runs as they hit large groups of worker drones, setting off powerful explosions that didn¡¯t seem possible for their small sizes. The group that was heading towards them stopped, and most of the worker drones turned towards the area of the attack while the remaining thirty-four soldier drones, after a moment of stillness, resumed heading towards their location. Emily reached her hand down and pulled off the needle pistol that was mag-locked to her right thigh, and her HUD showed that it had a full magazine of five hundred explosive-tipped needles, plus the four other magazines she had on her suit webbing. She slowly moved her hand up and sighted the pistol towards the approaching soldiers, using the ground to steady her aim. The last mini drone impacted among the ranks of the approaching soldier drones, and they momentarily disappeared in the explosion as Insectoid body parts and debris flew out in all directions. Ito was yelling now, seeing no point in silent protocols. ¡°Move! Move! Move! Start crawling west; I will draw them away. Go!¡± And he leapt up, firing his gauss rifle and running to the east and slightly towards the decimated soldier drones, dropping a few of the remaining drones that had survived the explosion. Emily felt Owen¡¯s hand tugging on her arm as he started pulling her towards the west, and she followed him, staying as low to the ground as possible. Her HUD PIP showed Ito running at full tilt away from them and the soldier drones, his camo and holo gear turned off, and his jet-black combat suit sticking out like a sore thumb against the reddish terrain around him. He was being followed by a large party of soldier drones as he would periodically spin around and spray his gauss rifle towards them, injuring and dropping more drones. She continued to follow Owen, silently wishing him to move faster as she heard her heavy, panicked breathing in the confines of her helmet. They had gotten almost thirty meters from their starting point when the PIP showed a nearby airship that had arrived on the scene and was now chasing Ito, with more drones joining in the ground chase. She continued to crawl while she kept glancing at the PIP to keep tabs on Ito. The airship was now directly over him, about eight meters above his head. He pulled a small item off his webbing and stopped running, throwing the item at the airship. It hit the ship and remained there, and he threw himself onto the ground right before it exploded. A huge chunk of the bottom of the airship tore out from the impact point, and it started listing as it tried to skid sideways away from the attack, trailing smoke and debris before it finally lost control and smashed into the ground a hundred meters away in an impact that shook the ground under Emily¡¯s body. They were now a good distance away, and she kept crawling behind Owen, resisting the temptation to lift her head and look back to where Ito was. She glanced at the PIP again and saw that Ito had gotten up and resumed leading the drones away, but they were rapidly gaining on him, and he was in danger of being cut off as other drones emerged from openings in the ground ahead of him and on the sides. His voice came into her ears again. "Keep moving; do not stop. Go!" and she felt tears coming to her eyes as the realization that he was sacrificing himself to save them hit her hard. He had reached the edge of the forest and entered among the tall orange trunks of the alien trees, his black suit turning the same color as the tree trunks as he finally disappeared. The overwatch drone switched to a different scanner to see through the dense canopy, and Ito¡¯s form reappeared, his form outlined against the ground as he continued to evade the hundreds of drones that were following behind him and flanking him from the sides as they drew closer. His speed was severely diminished by having to constantly move around the tree trunks, and the drones were now less than twenty meters from him. There was a small clearing ahead of him, and he headed towards it, probably hoping that the open space would allow him to gain some distance on his pursuers. Just as he reached the edge of the clearing, two new openings appeared on the surface, and soldier drones streamed out of them, cutting him off. He slowed down slightly and charged at the group of soldier drones in front of him as two blades snapped out of their scabbards along the bottom of his forearms. He reached them, and for the first time in her life, Emily saw the true capabilities of a combat suit with a trained operator inside of it. He was a blur of motion as the suit and his AI augmented his movement and abilities, and the nanomolecular-edged blades sliced through the soldier drones with ease. In less than two seconds, he had dismembered and killed over a dozen soldier drones as he weaved through them at a speed that Emily did not think was possible. The remaining drones seemed shocked at the ferociousness of his attack and gave way before him, creating an opening that he surged through. He started running towards the other end of the clearing when another soldier drone emerged from one of the openings with a handheld apparatus and aimed it at him. The scanner showed the path of the energy weapon as it impacted the back of his suit, and he was knocked off balance, dropping his gauss rifle as he stumbled onto his knees. The drones took advantage of his momentary collapse and swarmed him, looking like they were trying to capture him rather than kill him. Once again, he fought back in a blur of action as he sliced through them with one blade while shooting others with the needle gun that he had pulled from his thigh. He managed to get out from under the swarming drones and was now walking backwards, dropping them with the needle gun and using one of the blades for any that managed to get close to him. He was limping, and the overwatch drone had highlighted the damage of the particle beam hit on the back of his suit that had managed to penetrate and damage his kidneys and spine. He was now obviously suffering from the effects of the hit, and his movements became slower as his auto-doc system pumped him full of drugs and tried to repair the damage with medical nanobots. The soldier drones swarmed him again from all sides, and two of them grabbed his blade arm and immobilized it, while a third was trying to sever the arm with its mandibles at the shoulder joint of the suit. He continued firing the needle gun that was in his left hand into the mass of drones until the magazine ran dry, and he unsuccessfully tried to deploy the left-handed blade that was damaged from the hit. He turned his left gauntleted hand into a fist and started punching, penetrating their exoskeletons and tearing out chunks of internal organs from the drones that were unlucky enough to fall into range. The drones immobilizing his right arm finally chewed through the shoulder joint and dismembered his right arm, and Emily heard Ito¡¯s scream of pain in her ears as hot tears streamed down her face. She forced herself to look away from the PIP as the drones started working on his left arm, and she looked straight ahead, focusing on the bottom of Owen¡¯s feet as they continued crawling away, leaving Ito behind. A few seconds later, there was a massive explosion behind them, followed by a blast of air that buffeted them a few moments later. The PIP now showed a large crater where Ito was before, and the surrounding forest had been knocked down and flattened by the pressure wave, catching fire from the devastating explosion of the suit¡¯s self-destruct mechanism. She heard Owen quietly whispering a prayer for Ito¡¯s soul, and she did the same, thanking him for his sacrifice. They were now almost three hundred meters from their original position, and Owen veered left, pointing them towards the forest edge, almost a hundred meters away from their current location. She thought she felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath her and was just about to mention it to Owen when drones started popping out of the ground ahead of them. Owen¡¯s scream hurt her ears as he yelled. ¡°Emily, run! Get to the pods!¡± and she froze for a second as he leapt up off the ground and ran towards the drones in front of them, firing his needle gun. She snapped out of it and got off the ground, running to the right a few meters before veering towards the edge of the forest, which now seemed like an impossible distance from her. Her suit augmented her speed, and she reached the forest edge, turning around to see if Owen was behind her. She cried out in dismay at what she saw. Owen was surrounded as he rapidly fired the needle gun, their explosive tips tearing apart the drones as they continued to tighten the noose around him, undeterred by the losses he was inflicting on them. He looked in her direction, and his voice came over the ear buds, strangely calm while he maintained his fire. ¡°Emily, I love you. Please keep going; I need you to make it out of here. Keep running and don¡¯t stop until you reach the pods!¡± She was sobbing loudly and responded to him, feeling the love she had for him in the words as she said them for the first time. ¡°Owen, I love you. I love you; please try to get away. Just run, please.¡± She saw out of the corner of her eyes that there were worker drones heading towards her position, and she looked at Owen one more time, wishing she had the courage to tell him how much she loved him that night in the tent, not when he was just about to die on this godforsaken planet. He yelled for her to run one more time before they finally swarmed him, and she started to turn around to run away and leave him behind when she ran face first into a group of soldier drones that had come up behind her. All the terror and emotional turmoil she was suffering from their long flight, the sacrifice of Ito, and the loss of her love slammed into her, and her legs gave way as she fell to the ground and gave in to the despair that overwhelmed her. She offered no resistance, and she closed her eyes and smiled wistfully as she thought back to the night she and Owen made love for the first time. She went limp and prayed for Owen¡¯s soul as the soldier drones roughly grabbed her limbs and hoisted her into the air, like pallbearers carrying her to her grave. They Answered The Call-Chapter Seventeen Insectoid cruiser En route to the secondary builder world, 2174 A.D. The queen had spent considerable time thinking about how she would communicate with the animals during her journey to the builder world to take her new Hive ship. Her new sister, the commander drone, had already arrived in another cruiser outside the animal patrol range and was awaiting her arrival in the void between systems. The queen had thought of and discarded numerous ideas on how to speak to the animals, and she resented the lack of attempts to understand the animals by her genetic ancestors. She wished the animals had the ability to share thoughts like her race did; it would make things so much easier to come to an understanding and end the great conflict her race had started. The animal thought and sound processes were so alien that it had taken almost twenty solar cycles for the queens to just understand the limited concept of give and leave when demanding the animals concede and abandon the solar systems they wanted, and they never pursued further understanding past that point. She had the entire memory of all the animal speech they had recorded from the animal hostages that were captured after the first battle between their species many cycles ago, and she wondered again how they conveyed thought with sounds as she listened to the harsh noises issuing from the same holes they ate with. The ancient Hive mother within her could offer no help and retreated into the background to let her work in peace after counseling patience. She replayed the memories of her genetic ancestor, who had shared the thoughts of the victorious queen and elicited speech from the animal hostages by causing pain. The victorious queen had worker drones break their fragile bones and remove body parts as she listened to the sounds that emanated from them, and she withheld water from them for increasing lengths of time. Not knowing what they ate, she had the weaker, injured animals who had died first ground up into mince and mixed with their own excrement, and she had her workers offer it to them as food. She was offended by their rejection of her merciful efforts to feed them, and she never offered them food again for the short time they were alive. The queen was repulsed by the memories that she was replaying, and a deep wave of shame came over her at the treatment of the animals by the victorious queen. She was just about to expunge the memories from herself forever when she realized that she had seen something strange before and went back looking for it. There! In the background, there was an adult tree animal with a smaller tree animal, and it had been extremely protective of the small one, trying to hide it and giving what meager water it could get its hands on to it. The queen had everything else around these two animals fade away in her mind, and she focused on their interaction as she had the memory progress. The larger tree animal was making shapes with its tarsal claws, and the smaller one was doing the same thing in response. Only then did she notice that they never used their holes to make noises. They must be using their claws to convey thoughts to each other, she realized as she replayed the memory and started from the beginning again, from when they were captured to when they finally died a few days later from lack of water. She committed every movement to memory, and she thought she could understand the concepts of some of them as she connected certain tarsal movements to actions that followed. Her mind worked furiously at deciphering more meaning, and she tapped into the nearby drones and incorporated their minds into her task, knowing that they would burn out from the intensity she was using them at. After a few hours and burning up over sixty worker drone minds, she finally had to stop as she threatened to irrevocably damage her own mind from the extraordinary effort. She was hit with a wave of exhaustion, and she retreated to her queen chambers to rest before her arrival at the builder world. As she walked through the tunnel that connected the command chamber to the queen chambers, she practiced all the tarsal claw movements she had committed to memory, getting used to the strangeness of their movements. She arrived at her chambers and settled herself into the soft nest of webbing and plant fibers that she had made for herself when she had first arrived on the cruiser, and she forced herself to sleep, dreaming of tarsal claw movements turning into animal sounds. Sometime later, she was jolted out of her rest period by powerful thoughts from the Hive mother calling to all her queen daughters to tell them of the capture of intruding animals by her queen sister in the very builder world she was heading towards. The Hive mother was praising the queen that had captured them, and the queen joined in, hiding the dismay she was feeling as she sent false thoughts of happiness and pride towards her sister. The Hive mother entered her mind, and her thoughts came to the queen. She felt the Hive mother leave her mind, and she hurried out to the command chamber. When she arrived, she ordered the commander drone to increase to maximum speed and lounged on the command chair on the dais, trying to suppress her fear and nervousness at the sudden change of events. She felt the ancient Hive mother within stirring, and she opened her mind to her thoughts. ~ You must help the animals; they may be the only chance you have to communicate with an animal in proximity. It is likely that you will fail on a Hive ship; they will attack you outright and destroy you. ~ The queen acknowledged the wisdom of her words and thanked the ancient one within for her thoughts as she receded. The increase in speed would accelerate her arrival in the builder world system to just under two solar hours, and she entered into a deep thought, planning for the rescue of the animals from her sister¡¯s grasp. Two solar hours later, the Insectoid cruiser flashed out of null space into the system and accelerated to maximum sub-light speed on a direct course to the builder world. The queen had come up with a tentative plan to rescue the animals, and she impatiently waited for the cruiser to make the journey and get down to the planet. She went down to the depths of the ship and assembled one hundred and twenty worker drones as her entourage. She walked down the ranks and communed with each one individually, enslaving them fully with her thoughts and feelings and by releasing a secret blend of pheromones that the ancient Hive mother within shared with her. These one hundred and twenty drones, already utterly obedient to begin with, were now enslaved to her alone and incapable of accepting commands from any other queen, not even the powerful Hive mother. The blend of pheromones that the ancient one had shared with her was from a bygone era and known only to certain Hive mothers during a time when a large segment of the worker drone population still had some semblance of autonomy and individuality before it was finally bred out of them. Another side effect of the pheromone blend was an increased aggression potential that would turn the worker drones viciously lethal at her command, an unexpected capability that is not normally possible in docile worker drones. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She waited down there with them until the ship landed on the builder world on the outskirts of the primary Hive, and she marched off the cruiser with her entourage of worker drones surrounding her. Outside the main entry to the Hive, she ordered forty drones to stay and await her commands; she sent another forty to ready her new Hive ship, and she entered the Hive with the remaining forty. Taking more drones than that with her would insult her sister and arouse suspicion, and she needed to tread carefully from here on out. She headed directly for the nexus of the Hive to join her sister and see the animal hostages. Her sister sent thoughts to her mind, and she accepted them. The queen noted the malicious pride evident in her sister¡¯s thoughts as she continued deeper into the Hive. The queen suppressed the horror she felt at her sister¡¯s comment about eating the unfortunate animal. It was time for the second part of her plan, and she found it easier to lie the more she did it. She felt an outpouring of pride coming from her sister, and she knew the lie had worked. The queen reached the tunnel before the nexus entryway that led to the soldier drone chambers and went into it, emerging in a large, dim cavern that was filled with over a hundred soldier drones in various states of activity. They all stopped what they were doing at her entrance and silently assembled into a formation. The queen stopped in front of the first one, ready to flee if her attempt to enslave it failed. She communed with it and released a slightly different blend of pheromones from the one she released to the worker drones. She entered the soldier drone¡¯s mind, and she saw the change that put it unequivocally under her command. She repeated the process as quickly as she could, and after they had all undergone the change, she left and entered the main nexus, where her sister awaited her. Now it was time for the third part of her plan. She saw her sister in the middle of the nexus on a raised dais, and she walked over and stopped before her, bowing to show her respect to the queen of the Hive she was in. The queen did not respond and continued to follow her sister, waiting for her chance to execute the third part of the plan. They entered a chamber that was brightly lit with biofluorescent bacteria that was painted onto the rough rock of the walls when it was carved out. The queen counted eight animals that were splayed out and tied down to small, narrow tables. She walked over to them and saw that six of them had hard black exoskeletons that were whole, while the other two had blue exoskeletons that seemed more fragile to her in a way. One of the blue animals was seriously injured, with a missing leg, signs of damage on its exoskeleton, and dried ichor evident all over it. The other animal had its blue exoskeleton opened, and she looked at the animal within. It was pale and soft, with long black growth that came from the top of its head and splayed out on the table underneath her. There were no obvious signs of damage, and she didn¡¯t see any obvious eyes¡ªjust two folds of skin closed over two bumps in round sockets. She continued inspecting the animal and noted that there were two fleshy mounds on its trunk, and she gingerly poked at them with a tarsal claw, curious as to their nature. She continued moving her claw down and had reached towards the bottom of the trunk when she detected something in that area. She stared at the area and focused all her senses and antennae on it. She gazed within and saw a small collection of cells that had attached themselves to the wall of a fleshy cavity within the trunk of the animal. As she watched, it was rapidly replicating, and she extrapolated the rate of cell division and the outcome. What she saw shocked her, and she removed her tarsal claw from the animal¡¯s trunk. It was a queen mother. The queen was so engrossed by her discovery that she didn¡¯t notice what her sister was doing until she was standing next to her, holding a cutting instrument in her tarsal claws. Her sister activated the instrument, startling her, and was just about to stick it into the animal queen when the ancient one within her took control of her body and seized the cutting instrument from her sister, plunging it into the top of her head and piercing her brain, killing her instantly as the reciprocating instrument tore up the brain pan. The queen reasserted control of her body, and the instrument dropped from her claws, vibrating loudly against the stone floor as she stared at the lifeless body of her sister lying on the floor in shock. ~ I had to do it; you were too engrossed in the animal to save it in time. Hurry, call in the drones you enslaved and get these animals out of here and onto your ship before the Hive notices their mother is dead. ~ The queen took control of her emotions and assessed her situation. She sent thought commands to the enslaved soldier drones and called them to the chamber she was in as she thought about how to get the animals out. The drones arrived a few moments later, and she had to reinforce her control over them as they reacted to the sight of the dead queen and almost went into a murderous frenzy to attack the animals. She reasserted control and ordered the soldier drones to wrap the animals in sacks and carry them back to her hive ship, following them out of the chamber. They had gotten out of the Hive successfully, and she led the soldiers carrying the animals towards the nearby shipyard as her worker drones encircled them in a formation, clearing a path. They were almost at her new Hive ship when she detected activity behind her and turned around. A massive swarm of worker and soldier drones were pouring out of the Hive, and they spotted her group and surged towards them at full speed. The queen ordered the workers to take the sacks from the soldier drones and run to the Hive ship, and then she ordered the soldier drones to defend her ship. She turned and ran, following the workers as they went up the ramp and into the massive Hive ship, carrying the sacks with the animals in them. The ramp started closing behind them, and she turned and watched as her enslaved soldiers charged at the approaching swarm, following her last order and defending their queen to the death. The ramp finally closed, and the queen hurried to the command chamber to input the final commands to activate the atmospheric drives and flee the planet. She arrived in the command chamber and went about entering the final commands when an alert came on the screens. In near orbit, there were dozens of exit flashes, and animal ships dropped out of null space, firing on any nearby Insectoid ships. There were dozens more exit flashes on the other side of the planet, and massive animal carriers and battleships appeared, releasing the deadly small animal ships they carried while the battleships surged towards the Hive ships and cruisers that were in orbit near them. The queen felt an overwhelming sense of failure as she realized that her Hive ship would never make it to orbit before being destroyed. She accepted her fate with quiet dignity and waited for the animal ships to bombard her when the ancient Hive mother within urged her to activate the null space drive. I can¡¯t; the explosion will kill billions of innocent drones and destroy thousands of ships. ~ Do it, or trillions of drones will die and our genetic lines will perish. ~ The queen entered coordinates that were far outside of Insectoid space and activated the null drive. They Answered The Call-Chapter Eighteen Command Unit 6-8-3, Experimental Spectre-Class Nullship Orbital Space of Insectoid Builder World, 2174 A.D. Command Unit 6-8-3 was pleased with the results of the recent upgrades it had undergone. It and two additional experimental nullships were engaged in combat against a damaged Hive ship. They had yet to suffer any damage during the exchange, a result not previously possible without the integration of the Ma¡¯lit technology that was recently installed in it. Another volley of enemy missiles and particle beam strikes splashed harmlessly against the force field surrounding the three nullships, and they returned fire with their powerful war beams, penetrating deep into the Hive ship through the massive hull breaches that were the result of prior penetrator missile attacks from the Peregrine-class starfighters. Another twelve particle beams speared at its ship from nearby enemy cruisers, and the force field blocked them, turning bright red on the impact points as the field repelled the tremendous energy of the particle beams. It saw that the sections of the force field that were absorbing the beams were now down to 23%, and it pivoted the ship to remove those sections from the line of fire and present a fresh field quadrant that had just been recharged. It followed its orders precisely, absorbing as much punishment as possible for its creators to analyze the results of the experimental technology. Elsewhere in orbital space, other triads of upgraded nullships were doing the same thing, and the results were just as promising. The manned ships crewed by the biologicals of different races were also engaging in combat, though they were suffering damage and ships were being lost due to the absence of the force fields. There were still three orbiting Hive ships at various levels of functionality and over a hundred surviving enemy cruisers still fighting, though their numbers were rapidly diminishing. Over a dozen Hive ships in various stages of completion were still on the surface and had activated their engines in preparation to lift off and join the fray, while hundreds of cruisers that had been on the surface were currently on their way to orbital space. There were an additional two thousand cruisers on the surface that had been activated, and they too will soon lift off. It ran trillions of calculations and analyzed the results, forwarding them to the task force commander as it continued to fire its war beams and execute evasive maneuvers. It received orders to move to another section of the battle with its triad of nullships to give cover fire for the imminent orbital drop of the human soldiers that would invade the primary Hive to rescue the prisoners within. It suddenly detected the priming of the null drive of a Hive ship near the primary Hive that was the target of the assault, and the scanning results indicated that activation of the null space capacitors was imminent. Alarmed, it broadcasted the scanning results and an emergency flash-out warning to all the bridge AIs on the ships of the rescue task force, the first time this emergency protocol had ever been used by a Republic Navy AI. The bridge AIs received the signal and initiated the emergency protocol almost instantaneously, interrupting ongoing combat operations and activating the emergency flash-out program without priming the drives first or giving any warning to the biologicals in the command centers of the ships. Nearly every manned task force ship flashed out into null space, except for those too heavily damaged and the eighteen surviving allied ships that did not have Republic protocols in place. Command Unit 6-8-3 had foreseen this issue and sent a separate command to the upgraded nullships when broadcasting the emergency flash-out message. While the manned task force ships flashed out, the thirty-five nullships flashed into null space and then flashed back out directly behind the eighteen allied ships and pre-selected heavily damaged Republic vessels that they had deemed most likely to survive the potential catastrophe. They activated the rear grapplers, capturing their assigned ships and accelerating at 140% of their maximum engine output as they dragged the vessels away from the planet to gain distance and increase their chances of survival. They also changed their force field parameters, and all the field emitter power was channeled to the rear of the ships, placing a protective barrier between the unshielded vessels and the planet. This all happened within five seconds of the emergency broadcast, and the explosion happened eight seconds after the Hive ship''s null drive priming was detected. The massive Hive ship entered null space from the surface of the planet, and the interaction between the null drive and the planet¡¯s atmosphere was nothing short of cataclysmic. The void left by the departure of the Hive ship and the sudden flux of null particles in the atmosphere initiated a violent chain reaction that released the energy equivalent to a two-gigaton thermonuclear bomb. The small moon, a mere 1,500 kilometers in diameter and with an unusually thin planetary crust, simply broke apart under the tremendous onslaught of the destructive energy and fragmented. The massive planet-wide subterranean oceans of hydrocarbons that comprised most of the mantle ignited, and the outer layer of the planet disintegrated, blowing away the thin, tenuous atmosphere and ejecting crust and mantle debris outwards. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The nullships continued to tow the vessels behind them, pulling further away from the final death throes of the stricken planet as it started flinging the molten liquid of its now exposed outer core into orbital space, and the force fields flared bright red as they intercepted the ejecta of the dying moon. Some of the force fields failed as they overloaded and the emitters burned out, and three allied and seven Republic ships were destroyed. The nullships towing them executed emergency flash-outs as soon as their AIs saw that their charges were just about destroyed, while the rest of them were successful in rescuing the remaining twenty-eight ships they had protected as they exited the danger zone, their still-functioning force fields flaring brightly. All the remaining Insectoid ships that were in orbit were destroyed, as were eight derelict Republic vessels and over one hundred starfighters. Command Unit 6-8-3 surveyed the results of the recent events, constantly sending updates to the task force ships that had flashed into null space as it continued to tow the damaged Xenxin battlecruiser behind it. It tallied the results of the losses incurred by both sides. 18 Hive Ships: Destroyed 2,894 Insectoid Cruisers: Destroyed 7 Allied Ships: Destroyed 13 Allied Ships: Damaged 14 Republic Ships: Destroyed 42 Republic Ships: Damaged 138 Starfighters: Destroyed Prisoners rescued: 0 It sent the final estimate to the task force commander and continued to tow the ship behind it to the rendezvous point it had previously selected one million kilometers away, where automated repair ships that had flashed out of null space were waiting to service the surviving damaged vessels. Insectoid Hive Ship, anchored in a nebula 987 light-years from Earth. Bandit finally breached the last firewall that prevented him from autonomously operating the suit. His friend still had not recovered from the cranial trauma when he was captured, and Bandit had accessed his databanks numerous times for any knowledge or medical procedure that might have allowed him to help his friend, to no avail. As Bandit penetrated the last firewall and activated the suit systems, he recalled the strange actions of the queen that had removed them from the Hive on the Builder World and absconded with the humans on its Hive ship. He could not discern the queen¡¯s intentions, but it did not matter now. Bandit had control of the suit, and he made the suit get up from the floor where it had been dumped by the drones. He tested all the suit functions, getting used to controlling the suit without his friends input for the first time. He programmed a series of parameters that limited the threshold at which he could operate the suit to prevent damage to his friend¡¯s body. He activated the shrouding system and walked over to the door of the chamber they were in. He placed the suit¡¯s hands on the door and applied pressure, pushing it upwards and lifting the door, hearing the locking mechanism snap as it broke. He slipped under it when it was halfway up and quietly slid it back down to avoid making unnecessary noise. The corridor he was now in was dim, and there were no enemy drones in it. He activated his scanning suite and started building a map as the sensor data made sense of his local environs and highlighted the nearby lifeforms. The command center was one hundred and fifty meters from his current location, and he headed towards it stealthily. He avoided encountering any drones as his sensors allowed him to bypass or sneak past them without knowing he was there, and five minutes later, he was pressed up against the wall just outside of the entry to the bridge. The queen was seated in her chair on the raised dais, and there were currently only eight worker drones with her, working on their assigned tasks. He entered the chamber through the open doorway and silently slipped along the walls until he was in the center of the chamber, his shroud hiding his presence. He activated the suit blades on both arms and launched his attack, targeting the eight worker drones in the front part of the chamber that were working the panels in front of them. He dropped the shroud just before contact with the first drone, and he beheaded it before the shroud had fully dropped, appearing to emerge out of thin air as he reached the second one and sliced it cleanly in half from top to bottom, already heading towards the third one that still had no idea he was there. He was a blur of motion, and within two seconds of launching the attack, all eight drones were dead. He turned towards the queen, who was still sitting in her chair, staring at him intently. His suit registered a spike in the pain receptors of his friend, and he knew that she was trying to stop him like the other queen did, erroneously thinking that the suit was being operated by a conscious human. He closed the gap between them and was just about to behead the queen when he noticed that she was making strange movements with her tarsal claws as she held them up in front of him. He stopped the blades less than 5 centimeters from her neck joint as he analyzed them and found information in his databanks that correlated the hand movements with Eleani sign language. Intrigued, he withdrew the blades and remained standing half a meter in front of the queen as she continued with her claws, the incorrect grammar and syntax poorly translating as if she didn¡¯t understand most of what she was signing. The most common signs that she repeated were no, stop, friend, and please. Bandit felt his artificial neural pathways vibrating as he considered what to do, and the potential ramifications of being able to communicate with the queen. After trillions of calculations, his decision tree offered two solutions, and he decided on one. He lifted the suit hands and signed to the queen. Hello. My name is Bandit. You are now my prisoner. The queen, after taking a few moments to understand what he had signaled, responded with her claws. Yes. I am a friend-prisoner. They Answered The Call-Chapter Nineteen Queen World of the Insectoid Empire, 2174 A.D. The Hive mother was deep in memory thought as she communed with the ancient ancestors within, something she had been doing more of as the stress of running the Hives and the state of the swarming caused her to seek refuge in the genetic memory of her ancestors. As she traveled deeper into the past, she kept finding herself returning to the memories of the time when they were alone and living in peace as a thriving civilization spanning many worlds before the arrival of the unknown animals. A distant ancestor stirred within and whispered in her thoughts. ~ We weren¡¯t always alone, daughter. ~ Memories came to her, and she found herself in a lush jungle full of life. There was a cacophony of animal sounds and a dizzying array of plant life and colors, and the Hive mother allowed herself to be taken through the memories as her ancestor walked along a well-defined path through the foliage. She heard a sound, and she felt the fear of her ancestor as she fled down the path, trying to reach the nearby Hive before the unseen danger got her. She could hear the movement of it as it barreled through the jungle towards her and a distinct sound of rapid tapping against the ground as it pursued her. She had reached the edge of the jungle and continued fleeing towards the entrance of the Hive in the distance. She turned towards the tapping sounds when she had gained some distance, and her fear overwhelmed her as the pursuer emerged from the jungle edge. It was dark red and large, as long as five Hive queens in length, and had a segmented body. Under its armored chitin body, a multitude of short legs accelerated the predator towards her, the rapid tapping sounds increasing in tempo as it finally spotted its prey and its dozens of legs moved faster to catch her. Its ferocious-looking mandibles clacked together as it started drooling viscous saliva in anticipation of the meal fleeing from it. She turned back towards the Hive and ran as fast as she could, hearing the tapping sounds grow louder as the predator drew closer. She sent thoughts to her Hive queen, asking her to rescue her as she continued running. She tried to use her wings, but they were not strong enough as they were still developing and not capable of lifting her adolescent body. The Hive entrance drew closer, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t get there in time, resigned to her horrible fate of being slowly consumed over many hours while still alive. She saw her Hive queen emerge from the Hive and fly towards her, while worker drones surged out behind her, ready to sacrifice themselves as a meal to try to save the young queen. The Hive queen flew over and behind her, and she could feel and hear the wings buzzing as the Hive queen tried to distract the predator by loitering just out of reach above it, barely piercing the armored chitin with her stinger. Predators are immune to the venom of stings, and they tend to ignore the small injuries they sustain from stingers when pursuing prey. It was less than two meters behind her now, and the young daughter was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion when she spotted a long, sharp piece of wood that had broken off a tree limb during one of the recent violent storms that regularly occur on the Birth World. She grabbed it as she ran and was wondering why she picked it up when she had a flash of inspiration as she thought about how their stingers had little effect on their hard exoskeletons, barely penetrating. She envisioned the sharp stick penetrating the unprotected underbelly and killing the predator in her mind. She went over the action in her mind again and decided to try it, as she was dead anyway. She stopped in her tracks and spun around, the sharp wood pointing out as she held it with her two thorax legs. The predator ran right into the sharp wood, and it penetrated deeply through the soft underbelly, piercing through the armored top from the inside as its heavy body and the speed at which it was moving helped the sharp wood break through. She was knocked down as the predator ran over her, a shrill whistling sound emanating from its feeding hole as it fell to the ground behind her, violently twisting its segmented body as it tried to pull the sharp wood out of its body with its short legs, not able to do so. The Hive queen appeared, repeatedly stinging the now exposed underbelly of the predator, her stinger penetrating deeply and piercing its internal organs. The young daughter got up off the ground and helped her Hive queen by pulling the sharp wood out of the predator¡¯s body and then sticking it back in it repeatedly. Soon, the predator was barely moving as it leaked ichor from dozens of wounds, and the young daughter took the stick and stabbed it into the feeding hole of the predator, penetrating its brain pan and finally killing it. It was the first time her race was able to kill a predator, and it changed the course of their history forever. The predators had almost driven her race into extinction, and now there were less than a dozen Hives left, when there were once thousands. The Hive Queen had the worker drones find other pieces of wood and sharpen them into points by rubbing them against rocks. The Hive started stockpiling them by the entrances to defend against invasion by the predators, drilling the worker drones on how to use them to pierce the heads of the predators as they entered the small, narrow confines of the tunnels in search of prey. Lunar cycles passed, and many rotting predator corpses littered the ground around the entrances to the Hive. They stopped coming to the Hive, leery of the predator graveyard filled with their dead brethren. The young daughter started going into the jungle to lure them onto the open grassland, where the hiding Hive queen and worker drones would ambush and kill them. More lunar cycles passed, and now there were no more predators in the surrounding jungles, allowing the worker drones to access the bountiful food supplies that grew in them and support many new larvae, increasing the size of the Hive. With her Hive queen¡¯s blessing, the young daughter left in search of other Hives, journeying across vast distances with a small army of worker drones and killing any predators they came across. She found the first Hive many solar days away, and it was under attack by four predators that had entered the Hive and were feasting on the larvae, the resident Hive queen and daughters already dead and half consumed. She killed them with her worker drone army and took the surviving drones of that Hive with her, along with the forty-six larvae that remained. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. She continued her search, coming across two Hives near each that formed an alliance by sharing the meager food resources they had and donating larvae to replenish each other¡¯s numbers when they were attacked by the predators. She taught them how to make sharp sticks and showed them how to defend their Hives when the predators entered them. She also showed them how to lure them into the open and ambush them, doing it several times with her drone army until she was sure they understood how to do it. She stayed with them for a time, watching with pride as the two Hives reclaimed their territories and slaughtered every predator they could find. One of the Hive queens had thought well, and she used a shard of volcanic glass to cut up the chitin armor and add it to her body, protecting her from the potential bites of the predators as she lured them into ambushes. Soon, both Hive queens and their daughters were adorned with predator armor. The young daughter left those two Hives, leaving behind her knowledge and the larvae she saved from the other Hive. She was now clad in predator armor and was gifted with twenty worker drones from each of the Hives as thanks for teaching them. She resumed her journey, and her army of worker drones had grown to eighty-two. She traveled for another two solar cycles, growing into adulthood and leading an army of over 1,000 worker drones that were armored with predator chitin and sticks that had sharp points of volcanic glass tied to the tips. She had cleansed the large island that her race inhabited, and there were no more predators to eat them and their larvae. She returned to her Hive, and her Hive queen welcomed her back, flying into the air to embrace her when she saw her long-lost daughter return. She showed her how to become a Hive queen and access her genetic memory, and she was there when her daughter laid her first eggs. They ruled together for many solar cycles and became the largest and most powerful Hive as others incorporated with them, eventually bringing the entire island under their peaceful rule. Many solar cycles later, new animals came to the island on large structures of wood that floated on the water and invaded the Hives. They brought with them terrible things of destruction and destroyed many Hives along the coast. The Hive queen, now the first Hive mother, once again led an army to save her race. They suffered horrendous losses against the new animals that could control fire and kill with sticks from a distance. The only weapon the Hive mother had was numbers, and they would swarm the animals, losing a hundred drones for every animal they killed. Eventually, they killed all the animals at great cost in drones and Hives. The Hive mother had her daughters learn how to make the animal sticks that killed from a distance, and they dragged the wood structure onto land and took it apart, learning how it was made by putting it back again. They learned the secret of fire, and they spent the next twenty solar cycles building many wooden hives and sticks that killed from a distance. The Hive mother, now ancient in years and near death, watched as her daughters set off in thousands of wooden hives that floated on the water with tens of thousands of drones and larvae. She died on that beach as her daughters disappeared over the horizon, bringing war to the animals. The memories ended there, and another ancestor entered her mind, showing her life memory hundreds of solar cycles later. She was a Hive mother, and she was hunting down the last of the animals in their former territory. The animals were on the verge of extinction, and the last remnants of their race were hiding in the caves of the mountain they had fled to. The Hive mother had a massive army of drones around her, and they were firing metal balls from cannons that spat fire and smoke as the metal balls entered the caves, killing the animals within. There were thousands of drones climbing up the mountain, wearing chainmail and boiled animal skins, and wielding long sticks of metal that they used to kill the animals. The drones entered the caves, slaughtering all the animals that they came across, and by the next solar day, the last of the animals were killed. Her race was now the only intelligent species on the planet. The Hive mother was shocked at the revelation that there was another apex animal species on their world, and that they had killed them all. Animals and predators have always tried to kill them, it seemed. She was right to swarm and try to eradicate all the animals near her Hives; she must ensure that her daughters inherit an empire with no animals around it. They all have to die. The Hive mother continued to see the memories of her ancestors as they stirred within and added their stories and memories through the ages. She saw her race conquer their birth world, building massive Hives and changing the surface of the planet as they continued to expand and advance over many millennia. She saw the first Hives go into space to colonize a nearby planet. She was there when a Hive mother discovered how to build an engine that could transport them to other solar systems. She watched as they expanded across star systems and built more Hives on alien planets. It was a time of greatness and peace as dozens of Hive worlds all coexisted for the benefit of their race. She found herself lost in the memories of her ancestors, and she wished she could stay there. She was torn from her peaceful meditation as a part of her went dead, and she returned to her body in the brooding chamber. She felt less than whole and panicked, calling out to her daughters in worry. Only nine answered her. She called out again, putting all her mental power into the call, dreading the truth that she knew in her soul was true. Only nine answered again, their worry for their Hive mother evident in their thoughts. There was a void where her daughter, who was in the secondary builder world, had filled. The other one that was there was still in her place, but not answering. Alarmed, she entered the thoughts of the only commander drone that she could access there, and what she saw rendered her senseless. The animals were there, and the thoughts of the commander drone confirmed her worst fear. Her daughter was dead in the Hive, and the other one was on the surface in a Hive ship with no way to escape; she would be destroyed by the animals before reaching orbit. She was ripped from the commander''s mind as its ship was destroyed, and she was once again in her own body, reeling from shock. She tried to enter another drone, but that one died soon after she entered it. She entered another drone and watched in horror as her still living daughter tried to escape by using the null drive on the moon, and her Hive ship disappeared in a cataclysmic explosion. She watched as the moon broke apart, and she left the drone¡¯s mind before it died, seeing the huge piece of the moon¡¯s crust that was heading directly for the ship it was on. She stood in stunned silence, ignoring the thoughts of her remaining daughters as she mourned for the two daughters she just lost. She kissed them with her tongue as eggs, and she watched them turn into larvae. She communed with them as they pupated, knowing their thoughts before they did. She remembered waiting patiently as they struggled to break out of their pupae, hoping that they were both strong enough to do so and sparing her from the sorrow of having to cull them. She remembered taking their hands and helping them stand up on weak legs as they entered the world as her new daughters. The Hive mother''s legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to the rough floor of the brooding chamber, her soul wracked with anguish as she grieved for her dead daughters. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twenty Anchored in null space, Jaleeni System. 2174 A.D. RSS Vercingetorix-Independence-Class Carrier 1134 ship time The Insectoid formations did not take the bait, despite the best efforts of Commander Verixa¡¯s task force to entice them to follow her. She split her fleet of 304 ships into multiple task forces and flashed out behind and around the two separate Insectoid formations, launching a blistering assault on them that resulted in a hundred and two cruisers being destroyed, another one hundred and thirty-eight damaged, and moderate damage to two Hive ships. The Insectoids exacted a heavy price for the surprise assault, however, destroying over fifty heavy units and heavily damaging over a hundred more ships, an unfavorable exchange as they continued relentlessly towards the Jaleeni home world thirty-three hours distant. Verixa¡¯s after-action report was sobering, as her scans showed that the Insectoid hulls were far more durable than in past battles and that their particle beams had been upgraded. They had a 21% increase in hitting power, and their effective range had been extended by an additional 7,000 kilometers. They are learning and adapting. This was to be expected, though maybe not so quickly. Zhou thought to herself, a growing sense of doubt about achieving victory starting to take hold as the bridge AI confirmed the scan results. Vice-Admiral Zhou looked at the clock again as it counted down to the commencement of combat operations by the Republic fleet and Therax¡¯s task forces. His 196 ships and her 378 ships, plus the remaining 15 upgraded nullships, were the only combat forces in the system capable of seriously opposing the Insectoids. Verixa still had 204 ships that were combat capable, but most of her heavy units were destroyed in the failed diversionary assault, and her remaining forces were a mix of light cruisers, destroyers, frigates, missile cutters, and torpedo boats. This meant that Zhou would have to take on the eight Hive ships with the Republic fleet, while Therax and Verixa would be responsible for the Insectoid cruisers. As she glanced at the clock again, she wished the gods of war hadn¡¯t played such a cruel joke by forcing her to send 82 heavy units and the 35 upgraded nullships to the Insectoid builder world for the rescue operation. She needed those ships here badly. She wondered how that mission was proceeding as the countdown passed the two-minute mark to the start of combat operations. The bridge was unusually quiet as the crew readied for the battle, talking in hushed, subdued tones as they went through the final checks before the fleet flashed out of null space. Verixa¡¯s remaining task forces had flashed into null space after their assault and had flashed back out behind the gas giant, joining with Therax''s, where they would fall under his command. Zhou activated the privacy screen around her chair and spent almost a minute in there, dropping it when the countdown hit thirty seconds. She activated the stim panel again and pressed the subdermal injector against her neck, feeling the combat stims coursing through her body. I¡¯m going to need a liver regen after this battle, she thought to herself as the third round of combat stims calmed her frayed nerves. They would also increase her speed of thought and reaction time, as well as remove the need to relieve herself in the head for the next two hours. The countdown hit fifteen seconds, and the bridge lights went from bright white to combat red while the void helmet chime went off. She put on her void helmet and sealed it, with the rest of the bridge crew doing the same. The bridge AI came over the speaker when the countdown reached six seconds: All hands prepare to exit null space in 3,2,1- Zhou felt the jerk as they exited null space and initiated emergency acceleration to get up to the carrier¡¯s maximum sub-light speed as quickly as possible. The first wave of starfighters was already being catapulted from their tunnels as the automated systems of the fighter bays loaded another wave behind them, an efficient process that will allow the Vercingetorix to disgorge her one hundred and twenty starfighters in less than a minute¡¯s time. The eighty Valkyrie-Class bombers were being deployed by robotic arms that were dropping them out of the interior bomber bays situated in the flattened keel of the carrier. She felt a momentary disorientation as the bridge overhead and wall bulkheads became one massive display, as if they were now sitting in a clear bubble on the hull. Multiple 3-D holo maps and tactile interfaces appeared in the air, filled with icons representing her ships and the enemy. She tested her void helmet connection and looked left, right, and down, seeing ¡°through¡± the bulkheads and deck to the space outside as her helmet accessed the sensors and cameras on the hull, giving her an unparalleled ability to see all around her ship. Her stomach flipped as the bridge gravity generators were turned off, and she heard the life support system drawing the air out of the bridge and turning it into a vacuum to reduce the risk of fires and explosive decompressions. She zoomed in on the holo display to center the Insectoid formation on her screen and to make sure the other ship formations had flashed in their correct positions. Her carrier group had flashed out in front of the insectoid formation, their bows pointed at them, and they were staying just outside of the Insectoids new effective particle weapons range of 57,000 kilometers, the bow engines burning hard to maintain the leading distance, while directly above and below her carrier groups was a screening force of light cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. She had selected a horseshoe formation, with her carriers and battleships forming the rounded toe while the heavy cruisers and their screening destroyers and frigates formed the two curved branches along the flanks of the Insectoid formation, positioned above the Insectoids so that their firing angle was downwards to prevent friendly fire passing through the Insectoids and hitting the other branch. The Insectoids were inside the horseshoe, their own formation resembling a squat cone on its side. The starfighter waves were almost upon the enemy formation, while the slower bombers loitered 5,000 kilometers behind them, waiting for the fighters to clear the way for them and take out the flak guns of the Hive ships. The fighters closed to within 1,000 kilometers before releasing their penetrator missiles and executing preprogrammed evasive maneuvers to increase their chances of surviving the flak gun volleys that the Insectoids started firing. They swarmed in closer, large numbers of them blinking out as the numerous flak guns of the four Hive ships in the Formation spat out a wall of death all around them. The surviving fighters, now greatly diminished in numbers, finally reached within 100 kilometers of the Hive ship hulls and strafed the flak gun positions with their rotary plasma turrets, spitting out tens of thousands of bolts of superheated plasma that found flak gun emplacements and destroyed them. Fighters continued to fall by the dozens despite their jinking and evasive maneuvers, and soon less than 50% of them were still in action, continuing their strafing runs to give the bombers a chance to hurt the enemy. Zhou was just about to start issuing commands to recall the fighters and try to save what remained when she saw the last of the fighters¡ªall 67 of them¡ªfire their afterburners and lock in ramming courses on the four Hive ships. Zhou stared for a second, stunned by what they were doing, before she started yelling orders. ¡°Captain Ashworth, you are to order those fighters to alter course and return to their goddamned carriers, now!¡± He was seated to her left and slightly in front of her, and she saw his void helmet shaking in the negative as he answered her in a trembling voice, full of raw emotion. ¡°Vice Admiral, they knew this was a one-way trip. They have made their choice, and there is no order you can give now that would change their minds.¡± Zhou grimaced as the first of the fighters slammed into the side of a Hive ship, disappearing into a flash of light as the ballistic energy of the impact tore the tough hull apart. Other fighters followed in a deadly procession as they impacted one after another, large hull breaches forming where they struck the Hive ships. Three Hive ships continued their course, spewing gases that froze in the void from the large hull breaches caused by the suicide attacks, while a fourth one that sustained the most kamikaze attacks fell out of formation, a derelict devoid of power or life. She ordered the bombers to release their payloads from their location and to return to the carriers, unwilling to take the chance of them doing the same thing as the starfighter pilots. They followed her orders and released their loads of triple bolts and penetrator missiles at double the usual distance, increasing the chances of the Insectoid point defenses intercepting the payloads. She knew it was wasteful, but some of the payloads would still get through. She couldn¡¯t bear the thought of watching 240 bombers and their crews of three sacrifice themselves, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw that they all complied with her orders and were heading towards their motherships. The branches of the horseshoe formation opened fire as the last of the bombers got out of the field of fire, and as the heavy cruisers opened fire, hundreds of Mark-16 railgun slugs headed towards the enemy formation. The destroyers and frigates added their volleys of Mark-12 railgun slugs and triple bolts, and the tremendous onslaught of weaponry slammed into the Insectoids from both branches. Cruisers screening the Hive ships fell by the dozens as the slugs hit them, some passing straight through while others tore the ships in half or obliterated entire bows and sterns. The triple bolts followed, adding to the carnage as the bolts slammed into the same sections of hull microseconds apart from each other. The curved toe of the horseshoe formation where the carriers and battleships were located added to the fire as the battleships fired their Mark-24 railguns and grapeshot, while anti-ship torpedoes exited the bow torpedo tubes of the carriers. The Insectoid formation put out a tremendous amount of defensive fire as they fired flak guns and shot down missiles and torpedoes with their particle beams, successfully intercepting a large amount of the ordinance fired at them. Their fire control and point defenses had improved markedly compared to the Battle of Eleania, an issue of great concern as Zhou saw the ordnance magazine counts of her formations rapidly dwindling. She checked in on the Republic task forces that were battling the other Insectoid formation 42,000,000 kilometers away and saw that they had hit the enemy hard, having already taken out a Hive ship, with another Hive ship derelict and wracked with internal explosions as it lost control and fell out of formation. They had also taken out two hundred cruisers, but at a terrible cost. Their casualties were much higher than hers, having suffered an almost 40% loss rate of destroyed or heavily damaged ships that were no longer combat capable. She fired off a stern message to Captain Goldsmith on the RSS Lionheart to reel in the aggressive commanders of his formations and to start being more judicious with their ordinance. Zhou, seeing that there was no way to destroy both Insectoid formations with just the Republic forces, sent a coded message to Commodore Therax. All her ships were heavily engaged, and more icons on the holo screen were changing from undamaged blue to varying shades of orange, indicating moderate to heavy damage, while an increasing number of already orange ships were turning red and being listed as zeta status, signifying that they had finally been destroyed. Null space exit flashes appeared all around her forces, and the Commonwealth liberation ships entered normal space, already at maximum acceleration and performing complex maneuvers as they entered the fray. Zhou watched as a Xenxin battlecruiser, bristling with an almost comical number of weapons, charged directly at a squadron of Insectoids cruisers. It smashed right through them, firing broadsides from both the port and starboard weapons as it slugged it out with the cruisers at knife-fighting range. The sheer amount of fire it was putting out was incredible, and the two cruisers on the flanks of the battlecruiser disintegrated under the onslaught as the Xenxin ship adjusted course and headed for another group of enemy cruisers. Nearby Insectoid cruisers spotted the Xenxin ship and surrounded it, pouring fire into it, until a trio of Eleani heavy cruisers came to the rescue and broke up their attempt to gang up on the battlecruiser. The Eleani ships looked out of place, seeming more like graceful pleasure yachts than warships. Zhou watched as they swiftly glided above and below the battlecruiser and eviscerated the surrounding Insectoid cruisers, slicing them into pieces. They almost looked like they were ballroom dancing as they maneuvered with precision and proved that they were indeed deadly warships. The wounded Xenxin battlecruiser looked like a barroom brawler in comparison as it continued surging forward, looking for more enemy squadrons to take on. The trio of Eleani ships headed towards a heavily engaged Republic battleship to render assistance, darting through the battle space and firing on any cruisers they came across along their courses. The Commonwealth ships were masterfully guided by Therax as he concentrated individual task forces where they were most needed to save Republic ships and formations in danger of being overwhelmed and destroyed. Verixa was sent to help the formations under Captain Goldsmith¡¯s command, and she used her light units to great effect, utilizing them in strafing attacks and bolstering the greatly reduced ranks of the Republic destroyers and frigates. They helped plug gaps in the point defenses and tripled successful interceptions of the thousands of missiles still being fired by the two remaining Hive ships. The addition of Therax¡¯s forces to Zhou¡¯s leveled the playing field, and after fifteen minutes of brutal combat, the odds were evening out, and now what remained of her forces and the enemy were engaged in a fight to the death. There was one damaged Hive ship still operational that was firing at the surrounding Republic ships, and just over a hundred Insectoid cruisers were still combat capable. She had ordered Therax to take his ships and join his clutch sister, as her ships and the remaining ships under Captain Goldsmith¡¯s command were in danger of being wiped out by the two still combat-capable Hive ships of the other enemy formation. It''s time, she thought to herself. She accessed a submenu on the suspended holo display in front of her and sent the code into null space. 10 seconds later, two triads of the upgraded nullships flashed out of null space amidst the Insectoid formation, firing their war beams as they charged at the last remaining Hive ship. The other three triads flashed out on the outskirts of the other Insectoid formation, taking some pressure off Goldsmith¡¯s and Verixa¡¯s beleaguered forces as they swarmed the two Hive ships. She had her ships cut thrust by three-quarters and engage in evasive maneuvers as she sent a command for her remaining ships to reorganize their disordered formations. The two triads were engaging the Hive ship, tearing into it while the remaining cruisers pivoted to face the new threat, giving her some breathing room. She watched in fascination as the force fields of the nullships blocked the incoming fire, the nullship AIs constantly moving the ships to bring fresh field quadrants into play as other parts recharged. An alert beeped, and she looked at the bridge AI report on the status of the remaining Republic forces, dreading the coming confirmation. Her heart sank into her stomach as the numbers appeared, and she felt like she wanted to throw up. Of the 378 ships she started out with, only 163 remained, and of those 163, only 112 were still combat-capable. She saw that some semblance of order had returned to her much smaller formations, and she had them re-engage the remaining enemy cruisers while the nullships continued to pummel the barely functioning Hive ship. Her formations smashed into the cruisers with fury, and she knew the exhausted, decimated crews still had plenty of fight in them, avenging their fallen shipmates being the best motivator. The nullships finally destroyed the Hive ship, and they turned their attention to what cruisers remained, helping the Republic formations mop up. As soon as the last cruisers were destroyed, she sent the two triads to the other formation and ordered her surviving ships to enter null space and flash out at the formation. It was time to finish this battle. Her forces flashed out of nullspace on the outskirts of the battlespace, and she quickly assigned task groups to critical points of the battlespace that the bridge AI had isolated. Captain Goldsmith¡¯s ship was derelict, and a very small percentage of the total life pods on his carrier were streaming out. She assumed control of all the forces, seeing that his ship was out of commission, and she focused on the remaining Insectoid cruisers as the nullships engaged the two heavily damaged Hive ships. Four of the nullships had been destroyed despite their force fields, and she made a note to review the cause of their destruction. It was critical to find out and take steps to prevent that from happening again. Therax had followed his orders and disengaged his forces from close-quarters combat when he had lost 15% of his ships, and they were now on the outskirts, providing long-range fire support. Verixa¡¯s forces had suffered horrendous losses during the multiple battles they engaged in, and they withdrew from the battle at Therax¡¯s command, leaving only 73 barely functioning ships remaining out of the 304 she had in the system before the arrival of the Insectoids. After twenty-three minutes of pure carnage, the Republic forces finally destroyed the rest of the enemy cruisers, and she ordered her forces to cease combat operations and to switch over to search and rescue as the eleven nullships finished off the last Hive cruiser. The bridge AI tallied the remaining Republic and Commonwealth forces and displayed the results. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Republic ships: 257 destroyed, 121 damaged Combat capable: 93 Commonwealth ships: 271 destroyed, 229 damaged Combat capable: 148 Nullships: 11 Zhou felt a bone-deep weariness as she reviewed the numbers, her hands shaking as she continued to direct her surviving forces and coordinate the retrieval of the life pods with Therax and Verixa. There was an urgent communications channel request from the Chief Minister of the Jaleeni Government, and she had Captain Ashworth open the channel while she went to the head to finally relieve her swollen bladder and freshen up as best she could. She used the toilet, smelling the metabolites of the combat stims that her body had processed and wrinkling her nose at the unique scent. She went to the sink and gasped at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was gaunt, with deep, dark bags under her eyes. She looked like she hadn¡¯t slept for days, and her hair was a greasy, limp mess soaked with stress sweat. She looked terrible, and she washed her face with trembling hands before running a brush through her once luxurious black hair, attempting to make it more presentable. She exited the head and resumed her seat, signaling to Captain Ashworth that she would now speak with the Chief Minister. Another holo screen shimmered into existence in front of her, and the Chief Minister was there, along with his mate and five pups in the background, standing behind him. He looked at her, and she could see his deep brown eyes slightly widen as his mate gasped and covered her short snout with her paws. He spoke first, in a sonorous voice that quavered. ¡°Vice Admiral Zhou, on behalf of my family and all the other families of the Jaleeni people, I wish to express our deep sorrow for the losses you have suffered in our defense. We did not expect the Republic to come to our aid, and I am unable to properly express our gratitude for what you have done here; there just aren¡¯t any words that would be sufficient. I have ordered medical and support ships to your location to render assistance to your valiant forces. They will arrive at your location soon. My government will begin broadcasting an emergency distress signal on all frequencies calling for further assistance, along with records of what happened in the system and the actions of your forces. Is there anything else I can do to assist you?¡± Zhou cleared her throat before answering him. ¡°Chief Minister, I thank you for your words, and the ships you are sending are sorely needed and appreciated. The best way to help is to try to find a way to accelerate your evacuation from this system. I will send a request for reinforcements to my government and will remain in this system until the evacuation of your people has been completed.¡± The Chief Minister placed both of his paws on his chest and bowed his head, his mate and pups doing the same thing in the background before he closed the channel. The holo screen in front of her faded away, and she was just about to turn to speak with Captain Ashworth when the bridge AI issued an alert that over 200 ships had flashed out of null space outside the boundary of the inner system, 200,000,000 kilometers away from the Jaleeni home world. Zhou felt a momentary flash of hope that it was reinforcements before the bridge AI confirmed the scanning results and displayed them on the screen, returning the lighting back to combat red and activating the void helmet chime. Are you fucking kidding me? Zhou screamed in her mind as the scanning results confirmed that it was indeed, Insectoid ships. She jabbed at the stim panel icon and ripped the subdermal injector out of its alcove before it was even halfway out. She injected her neck and then tossed it into the trash chute next to her chair before putting her void helmet on. She resumed studying the scan, believing it was a mistake by the AI or damaged sensors from the battle. Insectoid ships were not able to exit null space under 800,000,000 kilometers from stars; their ships were incapable of counteracting the gravitational effects. Sensor telemetry from nearby Republic drones continued to stream across the screens, and they confirmed that it was Insectoid ships of an unknown class. 103 out of the two hundred must have suffered damage upon exiting null space because they had broken apart and there were no power readings emanating from them. She highlighted the scan results of the new arrivals and flicked them up onto a larger screen in front of her and Captain Ashworth. He had been barking orders and readying the surviving ships for another round of combat as he recalled warships engaging in search and rescue operations and assembling them into combat formations. He looked at the scanning report and saw the results¡ªa stream of creative profanity flowing from his mouth that made her laugh for the first time in hours, giving her much-needed relief. She turned serious again as the AI highlighted weapons points and the dimensions and tonnage of the ships. They seemed almost like a hybrid of Hive ships and cruisers, and they were significantly larger than her battleships and carriers. The AI calculated a 25% chance of victory in a battle between what remained of her force and the new arrivals. She had one more trick up her sleeve to use and wished she had had the time to test it out before trying to pull a rabbit out of her empty, depleted hat. She came to the realization that none of them were going to leave the system alive as the hastily formed Republic formations started flashing into null space to fight their final battle. CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Commonwealth Liberation Navy 0311, Republic ship time Therax had just started feeling like events were in their favor and allowed himself a measure of relaxation when the new Insectoid fleet arrived, far deeper in the gravity well of a solar system than he had ever seen them exit null space. His ship received a message from the Vercingetorix before it and the rest of the surviving Republic warships flashed into null space. He started issuing commands for his still combat-capable ships to form up as he accessed the message that was sent. It was a complete analysis of the scanning results of the new class of Insectoid ships, and he knew that there was no way the remnants of the Republic fleet would be able to achieve victory and survive the battle. He played the video message that was sent to him from the clan leader, seeing her face through the transparent void helmet she was wearing. Therax, you are to follow my last order and preserve your force. I would not be opposed to you flashing in outside of particle weapons range and sending every missile and torpedo you have at the enemy, but you must protect your fleet and prepare to defend the Jaleeni evacuation if we fail to destroy the enemy. I am grateful to have had the honor of calling you a friend and being your clan leader. Stay out of this, Therax. You are needed elsewhere. The message ended, and he sat there for a few moments, pondering what to do. His sub-commander was seated next to him and had seen the message while it was playing. Therax glanced at her, seeking her input. Sub-commander Balixa bared all her fangs as she answered his silent question. ¡°To hell with our orders, Commodore. Our clan leader needs us.¡± Therax grunted in agreement and ordered his fleet to flash into null space. 30 seconds later, they emerged just outside of the updated particle beam range of the enemy ships. He sent a command to all ships to target the enemy and fire. A few seconds later, the first wave was on its way, and he watched as the missiles and plasma torpedoes acquired their targets and accelerated away from his ships. The Republic formations were heavily engaged with the hybrid ships, and he saw the eleven upgraded nullships weaving through the enemy formations, their force fields flaring brightly as their war beams found targets. Another volley of ordnance was fired by his ships and headed towards their targets, the first wave almost upon their targeted ships as they hit the 1,000-kilometer mark. The Insectoids had intercepted or dodged many of the missiles and torpedoes, but a decent percentage of them found their targets despite the range they were fired from. The second wave was well on the way, and then his ships fired their final, much smaller volley as ordnance magazines ran dry. Therax kept a close eye on the Republic formations, their numbers decreasing before his very eyes as ships were destroyed. Republic bombers loitered behind larger ships, popping out to release parts of their loads before retreating behind their bigger brethren. Sub-Commander Balixa zoomed in on a display and directed his attention to it, and he saw that the Vercingetorix and the last two Republic battleships were ejecting several large constructs from their cargo bays. He leaned in, puzzled at what they were and their function. He had the Battle AI take scans of the constructs and watched as they activated and started moving at incredible speed, taking positions above and below the main battle space in areas that were devoid of Republic ships. The constructs flared brightly, and the scanning results indicated that a tremendous amount of energy was just released towards the enemy ships. Almost instantaneously, several of the hybrid ships exploded. The constructs flared again, and more Insectoid vessels were hit, some of them exploding while others were knocked aside as if they were slammed by something. Massive breaches opened in their hulls that spat out frozen fluids and insectoid bodies as they careened out of control. He looked at the scanning results of the Battle AI and saw that it had categorized the constructs as bomb-pumped particle beam weapons. These must be Ma''lit weapon systems. He thought to himself as he continued reviewing the scanning data. The energy output was incredible¡ªalmost three times the hitting power of the nullship antimatter-powered war beams. He bared his fangs with glee as the laser constructs flared again, taking out another five hybrids. In less than fifteen seconds, they had taken out almost twenty of the massive hybrid ships. The laser constructs flared again, and two of them self-destructed, disappearing into miniature suns without striking any ships. The last one was able to send two pulses before it too disappeared as it self-destructed. His elation at what seemed like a turning point of the battle faded, and he tallied the remaining Republic and Insectoid forces. The Republic was down to less than 53 combat-capable warships, and there were still 32 hybrids left. The Insectoid formation dissipated, and the hybrids rapidly accelerated as they executed evasive maneuvers and moved away from the Republic formations. He started issuing orders for his fleet to enter the fight when his ship was hit several times and the bridge lights flickered and went out, plunging the bridge into darkness before the emergency lights activated and the bridge was bathed in a dim, blue light. Alarmed, he yelled for the crew to initiate evasive maneuvers when his ship was hit again, somewhere in the aft port quadrant. Therax was thrown out of his chair and slammed into the deck, the air being knocked out of him as the engines went offline and their thrust dropped to zero. The artificial gravity generators were barely able to compensate for the deadly, sudden deceleration, and most of the bridge crew was thrown from their stations. He winced in pain as he slowly picked himself up off the deck, gasping when he saw Sub-commander Balixa on the deck next to him, two meters away. Her head had been crushed to a flattened pulp when it slammed into a console before she hit the deck. His bridge was in a state of disarray and panic as the surviving bridge crew returned to their stations and tried to determine the source of the enemy fire. His battle AI had gone offline before rebooting, and it came back on and started displaying sensor information as it spoke to him. It had a different tone than usual, and it was giving him information without him having asked a question. It was obviously damaged, and he started tapping on his panel to reset its operating system when he realized that it was the Republic AI sub-mind that he had integrated with his battle AI. It prevented him from resetting the battle AI, and it addressed him directly again in an insistent tone. ~ Commodore Therax, please cease attempts to reset. Your battle AI is damaged. Please turn your attention to the scanning results I have placed on the screen. ~ Therax huffed in indignation at the presumptuous behavior of the Republic AI and looked at the screen, planning to disconnect the damn thing. What he saw made him reconsider immediately, as the AI had determined that the Commonwealth ships were being targeted and destroyed by Insectoid missiles that were not being detected by their sensors. The AI had analyzed the problem and found a solution by using the hull cameras for visual tracking and scanning for the minute gravitational disturbances caused by the mass of the large missiles. Dozens of his ships had been hit already, and the AI was tracking hundreds of additional stealth missiles in the battlespace. Some of them were headed towards the Republic ships, and it was obvious that their AIs had reached the same conclusion and method of detection because the targeted ships executed evasive action to avoid the missiles, but some of them were still being hit as they were bracketed by several missiles and could not evade them all. Most of the missiles were headed directly for his fleet, particularly his heavy units, and he bellowed for the bridge crew to order the fleet to flash into null space. They will exit null space within the battle and close with the enemy ships. Let them try to hit his ships with their stealth missiles when he is hull-to-hull with their own ships. As his order was transmitting to the rest of the fleet, he received an urgent communications request from the clan leader and opened the channel right when they had flashed into null space. Her transparent void helmet had several hairline cracks, and he saw a hull breach behind her in the bulkhead that was opened to space. She smiled when she saw him, and he saw that her teeth were bloody and filled with gaps. Her nose was broken, and one of her eye sockets was swollen and dark with an already-formed bruise. She must have smashed her face or been hit with debris, which would explain the hairline cracks. He stared in shock at her state as she addressed him. ¡°Therax, my friend. I implore you to follow what will be my final order and to fulfill my last, dying request. I am sending you the last wills and testaments of all the crews, as well as their final letters to their loved ones. I am sending you my own as well, and included in it is a personal letter that you will deliver to Admiral Thompson. Will you do this for me, my friend?¡± Therax nodded solemnly, realizing that she had masterfully trapped him into fulfilling her death wish, an ancient custom among his people. He was honor-bound to follow her wishes now. He saw the sadness that had come over her as she mentioned Admiral Thompson. She continued speaking when she saw that he had agreed to fulfill his task. ¡°I am implementing code black. It is the only way to ensure that we destroy the remaining Insectoid ships and save the Jaleeni. Your final orders are to relocate your ships to protect the Jaleeni evacuation fleet in case more enemy vessels enter the system. You will maintain your position until reinforcements arrive. Will you do this for me?¡± A small icon appeared on the screen, showing that a large data transmission from Vercingetorix had been received. Therax nodded in human fashion again. ¡°What is code black, clan leader?¡± She gazed at him as she answered, ¡°Code black is a final act of desperation, Commodore. Every ship will ram the enemy and overload their cores. We have just enough ships left to do this.¡± Therax saw the turmoil on her face as she said it, knowing that ordering her crews to commit suicide was destroying her soul. ¡°Clan leader, I beg you to reconsider your actions. I see the sadness in your eyes, and I can see that you do not wish to die. Retreat with us, and you will live to battle again. We can reorganize and join our ships further in the system and meet them together. There is still time, and reinforcement may arrive before then.¡± Zhou smiled wanly at his words, and she stood up to answer him. ¡°I am not sad because I will die today, Therax. I am sad because my first battle of this war is to be my last, and I will not live to see our final victory. Do you not see, Therax? We have answered the call, and nothing can absolve us of the duty we have taken upon ourselves except for victory or death. I only ask that you obey my last order, my friend. You entrusted me with your honor for safekeeping. I now entrust you with the burden of making our sacrifice worth it. See this to the end, and make it matter.¡± As her death words pierced his soul, he gave in to the sorrow he was feeling at the loss of such a warrior, and he slammed his fists down, smashing the arms of his chair into pieces. He lunged up and threw his head back, howling in anguish. The rest of the bridge crew joined in, their guttural mourning reverberating off the bulkheads of the bridge. He leveled his gaze at her and started yelling as warm water sprang from his eyes and flowed down the skin folds of his snout. ¡°Mei Zhou, hear my words! Do you see that you are my friend and my clan leader? Do you know that we will avenge you? We will light the torches to guide you to the riverbank and beseech the ancestors to take you across and into the afterlife. We will fight with honor in your name, knowing that you will smile upon us from your honored place. We will remember you for all our days, until we see you on the shores of paradise, waiting to embrace us when our time has come.¡± He finished speaking, and he saw her smile widen as the water from her eyes fell, leaving streaks through the dried blood on her face. She looked like she was just about to say something when her ship was hit, and the video feed cut out. The Republic AI established a connection with a nearby spy drone, and the video feed was restored, showing her ship being pummeled by the enemy particle beams and those insidious stealth missiles. Her ship started drifting as her engines went out and power was lost, and he saw the final missile strike that smashed into the landing bays of the carrier. The four missiles detonated, tearing the ship in half as the internal starfighter fuel tanks erupted. The two pieces of the ship hung there for a few moments before the core lost containment, and the two halves of the Vercingetorix disappeared in a blinding flash of light, taking a nearby hybrid with it. Republic ships, following her last order, started ramming the hybrid ships and dropping their containment fields, taking out the much larger Insectoid ships as they were torn apart by fusion core overloads. Dozens of surviving bombers accelerated well over their maximum speeds and added to the carnage as they smashed into the ships with their weapons loads still in their bays. The hybrid ships were unprepared for the sudden, fierce onslaught of the Republic kamikaze runs and tried to initiate evasive maneuvers and destroy oncoming Republic ships with particle beams and missiles. They managed to destroy some, but it was not enough. A barely functioning Republic battleship slid in between two hybrids and overloaded its four cores, annihilating both ships. In the background, he watched as a hybrid ship tried to flee, and he could see its engines burning with incredible power as it tried to gain momentum and get away from the two heavily damaged Republic destroyers that were pursuing it. The hybrid looked like it might just get away when the destroyers flashed into null space and exited directly in front of it three seconds later at maximum acceleration. The hybrid ship could not change its momentum or course quickly enough, and the two destroyers rammed into the hybrid, sinking almost halfway their total length. Their aft sections were sticking out of the hull, and their cores overloaded two seconds later, tearing the hybrid in half. Those were the last two manned Republic ships. There were still three hybrids left, and they were targeted by the remaining eight nullships that had been destroying the few derelict hybrids that had survived the ramming attacks. The three hybrids sent swarms of stealth missiles towards their pursuers, but the nullship AIs knew how to detect them and would simply flash in and out of null space as they pursued the hybrids, focusing all their weapons on a single ship at a time. Twelve minutes later, the last hybrid was destroyed, and the nullships returned to the battle space and scoured it, looking for any Insectoid ships that still had life signs or power levels and destroying them. In the shocked silence on his bridge, Therax received the all-clear signal from the nullships and had his ship exit null space on the outskirts of the battle space. The sheer magnitude of the sacrifice he had just witnessed hit him, and his eyes started watering again. He could hear the drops hitting the floor as they dripped off his snout and impacted the metal deck. There was now nothing, only a massive debris field comprised of pieces of Insectoid and Republic ships rapidly spinning as they flew off on their eternal journey. Therax collapsed on his knees and tore his uniform to pieces as he mourned, sobbing uncontrollably as the bridge crew started throat-singing the warriors dirge in honor of their fallen clan leader. The Republic AI ran calculations and flashed the ship back into null space to rejoin the Commonwealth fleet that was waiting there, leaving behind over thirty thousand dead humans who willingly gave their lives so that others might live. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twenty One Two days after the Battle of the Jaleeni System Two Republic and four Commonwealth communication drones flashed out of null space in predetermined positions within the system. They immediately started broadcasting, accelerating to their top speed as they flew along their assigned paths. The Commonwealth patrol ships in the system detected their presence when the light from their emergence reached the detection network thirty-six minutes later, and they changed their course to intercept the drones. They sent out pulses to jam the signals of the drones, but the broadcasts were operating on a Republic frequency that pierced right through the jamming and continued traveling unimpeded as they were picked up and received by dozens of transceivers scattered throughout the system. The patrol ships cycled through their entire catalog of jamming frequencies, and the drones continued to change frequencies in response to defeat the jamming attempts as they penetrated deeper into the system, undeterred by the efforts of the patrol ships. The patrol ships finally triangulated the positions of the communication drones and flashed into null space, remerging on top of the drones and firing their particle weapons, destroying three of them. The three surviving drones flashed into null space and reemerged twenty seconds later, two of them flashing out into the orbital space of Nekul Prime, while the last one flashed out to within one hundred kilometers of Commonwealth Naval Headquarters. They broadcast the signal once more, putting so much power behind the transmissions that they brute-forced their way into every receiver on the planet before the drones finally burned out their communication relays and self-destructed. The third drone, outside of Commonwealth Naval Headquarters, broadcasted the same signal, along with a tight beam laser that was directed towards the grand admiral¡¯s offices. The headquarters self-defense system activated, and the final drone was destroyed as multiple particle beams found their target and turned it back into its constituent atoms. Commonwealth Naval Headquarters, Nekul System Private office of the Grand Admiral of the Commonwealth Navy Two solar hours after the final broadcasts of the communications drones Grand Admiral Sarix sat in silence as he brooded in the darkness of his office, having ordered his staff out after reviewing the broadcasts and turning the lights off. He had not moved for over an hour as his mind raced, trying to come to grips with the contents of the broadcasts and the personal messages he received from his offspring in the tight beam laser. He could not believe his eyes as he watched the results of the battle in the Jaleeni system and the final sacrifice of the Republic ships as they gave their lives to buy time for the evacuation efforts. He had personally signed the orders that sent his daughter Verixa and her fleet to the Jaleeni system and had explicitly ordered her to remain in the system and call for reinforcements if the Insectoids showed up. The revelation that his orders had been countermanded and that her distress call went unanswered filled him with a fury that he had never felt before. I almost sent my own daughter to her death, and my son, who I thought was killed in battle by the Republic, is still alive and with his clutch sister. They are both alive only because of the Republic fleet and their actions, he thought to himself as he crushed the data tablet he was holding in his hands, feeling his palms get sliced by the shards of the broken screen as he continued to squeeze it, imagining it was the head of the traitor who almost killed his offspring. He had known deep inside that the Commonwealth government he so loyally served since he was a mere ensign after graduating from the Naval Academy was not the same one now. It had become increasingly heavy-handed, and their actions rankled many in the rank and file of the armed forces as rumors spread about the totalitarian methods they employed to maintain control. He had been a loyal officer for over sixty cycles, and the inherent nature of the Nekuli to serve in an honorable fashion also encouraged an unwavering loyalty to their government, which is why his species had such a large presence in the armed forces and law enforcement branches. He had heard the rumors, and he had himself seen evidence of the change as even the armed forces, once an independent entity that answered directly to the government, found themselves under the scrutiny of the security bureau, their agents now seen everywhere as they insinuated themselves into the armed forces apparatus, openly regarding everyone with suspicion and severely damaging morale. He had known it was wrong, but he did not say anything. After the catastrophic defeat inflicted on them by the Insectoids and the complete eradication of multiple member species, he too was consumed with preserving what was left of the Commonwealth. When the Xenxin rebelled, he viewed them as traitors and personally signed the orders that sent his son Therax to bring those troublesome ingrates to heel. When the Commonwealth Envoy came back from Eleani space and told of how he was chased from the system by the Republic fleet, he was infuriated and drew up plans for a punitive expedition to punish the Republic for their insolence. He changed his mind when he saw the recordings of the battle when the Republic demon ships utterly overpowered his son¡¯s fleet with ease, though his hatred for them grew when he was told that his son had fallen in battle. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Lies. It was all lies, and he believed them and looked the other way when the government did things that only increased their grip on power instead of protecting their remaining members from the Insectoids. No more. They did not deserve his loyalty any longer. He copied the contents of the broadcasts and the evidence of the government abandonment of the Jaleeni onto a small personal data chip and stood up, ordering the lights to come back on. They turned on, and he blinked against the sudden brightness as he pressed a button on the desk, summoning his staff back into the office. They came in one by one a few seconds later, with carefully guarded expressions, though he had served with them long enough to tell that they were just as incensed by the irrefutable evidence of the abandonment of billions of Jaleeni and the failure to send reinforcements to his daughter¡¯s fleet when she rightfully stayed to defend the Jaleeni evacuation. The last one in had closed the door and was just taking his seat when the door was opened, and two Ominians entered without knocking. They wore the uniforms of the Security Bureau, and they walked over to his desk imperiously while staring at his staff with barely veiled suspicion. He glanced at their rank pips and saw that they were both high-level agents attached to the Premier¡¯s office, and he suppressed the urge to scream at them for their serious breach of decorum. The higher-ranking one addressed him first, his voice dripping with derision. ¡°Grand Admiral, why have you not instituted a communications blackout and locked down headquarters?¡± Sarix eyed the one who had addressed him for a few seconds, not bothering to hide the contempt he now felt for the government in his eyes before answering. ¡°There is no need; the communications drones did such a thorough job disseminating the broadcasts that I doubt that there is a single person in this system that has not seen the contents yet. It is an exercise in futility at this point. Everyone now knows that the government has failed to do its duty and abandoned Jaleenia and commander Verixa¡¯s fleet.¡± Both agents shared a look before the senior one spoke again. ¡°I see that our reports on the death of commodore Therax were incorrect, and that he is in the Jaleeni system as well. It appears being a traitor is a familial trait that runs strong in your bloodline, Grand Admiral.¡± The senior agent had barely finished uttering his sentence when Sarix leapt up and grabbed him by the throat, easily lifting him off his feet. The other agent fumbled for the pistol at his hip as Sarix was grabbing his superior by the throat, but he was unprepared for the sudden violence, and Ominians are not known for their physical abilities. He was too slow, and his neck was broken from behind by Sub-Commander Davix, his aide for almost ten cycles. The Ominian dropped, his head limply hanging at an odd angle as he lay on the floor. The senior agent hanging by the throat in Sarix¡¯s right hand was kicking and struggling, trying to pry the hand that was slowly extinguishing the life from him as his violet skin turned a deep shade of blue-black and his eyes started bulging in their sockets. He was moving his mouth, but no words were coming out of it as his lungs had no air. Sarix stared into the agent¡¯s eyes, seeing his lifeforce fade away as the agent stopped struggling and went limp. He squeezed a little harder, feeling the trachea crunching in his hand before he tossed the dead agent away effortlessly, the body slamming into the wall four feet away and crumpling onto the floor. Sarix looked at his staff, seeing in their eyes that they agreed with his actions. He was now on the cusp of a critical inflection point, and he needed to ensure that he made the right decision. He spoke to them slowly, enunciating his words so that they clearly understood what he was about to say. ¡°I am going to issue orders for the seizure of every ship in this system and the detention of every Commonwealth government and security official as well. I am openly rebelling against this government that is no longer worthy of my loyalty. Any of you who do not wish to be part of this may step outside and exit my offices; you will not be judged for doing so, and your honor will remain intact.¡± None of his staff made a move to leave, and they all stood straight at attention and saluted him. He then proceeded to stand in front of each one, return their salutes, and ask the same question to each one. ¡°Are you with me? Each one replied yes, their voices filled with conviction and purpose for the first time in over a year since the mauling they received at the hands of the Insectoids and the long, ignominious retreat of the fleet to the Core Worlds. They are warriors with a purpose again, he thought to himself as he saw their bearings change now that they were once again engaged in a just cause as they armed themselves from the weapons closet in the wall of his office. Two of the staff members were already on their communications relays, talking to trusted Nekuli commanders and informing them of their actions. Sarix made calls of his own, and almost thirty minutes later, he had the support of over twenty of the highest ranking naval and ground forces commanders in the Nekuli system. He then made a call to the Chancellor of Nekul Prime, the leader of his entire species. The Chancellor had seen the broadcast, and he was seething at the cowardly actions of the Commonwealth government and promised his full support for the rebellion. He ended the call and grabbed his pistol from the weapons closet, wrapping the harness around his waist as he stepped in front of a mirror and looked at himself. His face was different, and he realized that his eyes had fire in them once more. He bared his fangs in true happiness at himself before heading out of his offices and entering the main concourse of the Commonwealth Naval Headquarters station. There were already thousands of warriors there, assembled in neat formations and waiting for his orders, while in the distance he could see manacled government officials and disarmed Security Bureau agents being led to the detention cells. He felt overwhelmed with emotions as he took in the scene and thought about the events to come. He thought of his son and daughter in the Jaleeni system, all alone with a half-destroyed fleet, bravely defending the innocent civilians that were evacuating the system. He thought of the courageous human warriors who gave their lives, defeating two fleets of Insectoids intent on eradicating another species. These humans did not owe anything to the Jaleeni, but they still went and fought for them because it was the right thing to do. Hold on a little while longer, my children. You are no longer alone; your father is coming to help you. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twenty Two Queen World of the Insectoid Empire, 2174 A.D. The Hive mother had not eaten or carried out her duties as Hive mother for almost two days. Tens of thousands of larvae remained unfertilized, and she killed every male that blindly shuffled in, not caring for the loss of their genetic material. The mound of male corpses grew in the brooding chamber as her worker drones wandered aimlessly without direction as the Hive ground to a halt, leaderless. She did not care. The loss of her daughters broke her, and she tried to get a measure of revenge by taking command of the fleets that were sent to destroy the animals that were fleeing their system. She rejected all attempts by her daughters to lead the fleets; she could not lose anymore. She controlled the commander drones, and she relished the thought of witnessing the destruction of billions of animals and all the ships in the system. She was momentarily disquieted by the unexpected presence of the new animal ships in the system, but the small fleet was not enough to stop them, and she gave them battle, assured of her victory. The animals fought with ferocity, and she felt a measure of grudging respect for them. The battle went on far longer than she expected, and her frustration grew as she watched her fleet reduce in size as the animals continued to fight tenaciously. There was finally a turning point where her fleet now had an advantage, and she pressed the attack, trying the break the animal''s spirits and get them to retreat. Suddenly, a number of those cursed spirit ships appeared, and she immediately started targeting them. They were the most powerful animal ships, and she had to destroy them as quickly as possible. She directed dozens of her ships to attack them, and she had a moment of doubt as to her mental state when she saw that the spirit ships were unharmed despite being hit with a tremendous amount of particle beams and missiles. She fired at them again, and still, they were unharmed as they continued targeting her Hive ships. She changed tactics and had twenty ships target a single spirit ship, seeing through the eyes of the commander drone as an invisible force flared brightly around the targeted ship. She had the ships continue their attack, and she finally saw some of the particle beams pierce the invisible force and hit the targeted ship before it entered null space to prevent its destruction. Her worry over the animal¡¯s ability to deflect her weapons threatened to overwhelm her, and she was considering abandoning the system when she saw that two of the spirit ships had finally been destroyed. She changed her targeting preferences, and the weapons drones of the fleet were ordered to focus on the spirit ships. Two more were destroyed, and she could see the spirit ships changing their patterns, no longer willing to engage in close combat and easing the pressure on her fleet somewhat. It was too late, and the addition of the spirit ships turned the tide. She suffered a severe lapse of focus as she saw the last Hive ship finally get destroyed, and the animal ships turned their attention to the remaining cruisers, destroying them shortly after. The animal ships had destroyed her fleet. She reeled in panic, and before she realized what she was really doing, she sent in the reserves of two hundred new battlehives her ancestor had shown her how to build. These new ships were to be used to attack another animal system to divert them to their location so that she could eliminate the infestation in this system without interference. She also wanted to see how they performed in battle. These battlehives had tens of thousands of the new hiding missiles. They were built by the same daughter who had discovered the materials and chemicals that hid the asteroids from the animal detection network. Another daughter had been searching among the wreckage of thousands of the animal ships that were left behind when they invaded over a solar cycle ago, and after a few lunar cycles, she had found a mostly intact engine that survived a scuttling attempt by the retreating animals. She had taken it apart and put it together again, seeing the differences between the animal engine and theirs and building modified engines based on the animal design that were added to the new battlehives. The Hive mother had intended on testing the new engines by sending a few ships deeper into the gravity wells of a star to see how far into the system they could get before being destroyed. When she witnessed the animal fleet do the impossible and destroy her fleet, her thoughts were distorted by the rage and panic she was feeling, and she made a critical error in judgment, sending the battlehives far deeper into the system than she had intended. Over half of them failed to survive the transition, and the ships that did survive had numerous system failures and malfunctions. Still, the remaining battlehives were incredibly powerful and much larger than the scattered remnants of the animal fleet, and she pressed on, knowing that the animal ships would flee the system as they had always done before when faced with overwhelming odds. When the new animal ships flashed deeper into the system and continued to fight her, she was stunned by their insanity, unsure what to do. She knew these animals were different than the others, and she witnessed first-hand their unusual fighting abilities when they destroyed the most powerful swarm she had ever assembled in the tree animal system and killed her daughter. That was different. She was not prepared to face thousands of unknown ships, and neither she nor her daughters had ever dealt with the weapons and tactics they employed. She could not adapt to the circumstances quickly enough while her mind was affected by the loss of her daughter, and the fleet was destroyed. She was certain of her victory here, despite the illogical actions of the strange animals. Their numbers were too few, and the other animal ships did not join the battle, too afraid to die. They just lingered outside the battle, firing weapons from long range. When the new weapons were dumped out of the larger animal ships and started destroying her battlehives, she ordered her ships to retreat, but it would take time to charge the engines, so she had them increase speed and maneuver wildly. The powerful weapons started destroying themselves as her ships were charging their null drives, and she stopped them from making the transition and continued pressing on. She had to finish this; she had to make them suffer and die. She had her ships fire their hiding missiles and watched with glee as they started hitting dozens of the animal ships that had not joined the battle, destroying many of them. They fled into null space, afraid to die, as they always have been. She then turned her attention to the few strange animal ships that were still fighting her. She would have victory at last and wipe out every animal in the system. She watched with happiness as the last large animal ship that carried those small gnat ships that she hated got destroyed, breaking in half before its core breached and it disappeared, unfortunately taking a battlehive with it. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Her thirty-one remaining battlehives started destroying the less than fifty animal ships that were still fighting. An animal ship rammed into a battlehive and destroyed itself, taking the battlehive with it as its core overloaded. Two seconds later, another battlehive was destroyed in the same fashion. Then another. She realized that what all the animal ships were doing, and she lost control of her thoughts as they continued ramming her ships. The psychic power of her thoughts killed the commander drone she was inhabiting, and she entered another one, only for that ship to be rammed and destroyed, and her mind reeled under the pain of constantly undergoing the violent transitions as she continued to enter the minds of drones and get torn out of them as the animal ships kept ramming and destroying them. She entered the mind of the last commander drone and watched through her eyes as the spirit ships targeted and fired on the ship. Less than a minute later, she was violently returned to her body in the brooding chamber of the Queen World, her mind finally broken. She closed off her mind to the thoughts of her remaining daughters, and she retreated into the memories of her genetic ancestors. For almost two days, she stayed there as she lived vicariously through her ancestors in a time of greatness and peace, when her species was alone and their Hives felt the warmth of numerous suns. She was so deep in memory thought that she did not register the presence of her daughter, who had made the journey to her Hive from another world. The daughter entered the brooding chamber and knelt next to her quietly, careful not to disturb the Hive mother¡¯s trance. The ancient Hive mother within, her advisor for so long, tried to wake the Hive mother. The Hive mother never finished her last thought as her daughter plunged the ceremonial blade in between her large, black eyes and pierced her brain. The daughter was ready and caught her Hive mother as her body went limp, preventing it from falling. She tenderly and slowly lowered her Hive mother''s body to the floor. The daughter then leaned over the body and used the ceremonial knife to carefully cut the birthing canal away from the abdomen of the former Hive mother. She gently moved the lifeless body away from the birthing canal, gingerly placing it to the side of the chamber. She positioned the body properly, laying it facedown and smoothing out the wings before placing them in their final resting position. The queen returned to birthing canal and turned her back to it. She squatted down until her abdomen was nearly flat on the floor and backed up slowly, focusing intently on activating a part of her body she had never used before. She felt her ovipositor slowly and painfully start to extrude from its opening just below the base of her stinger. As the ovipositor continued coming out, she backed up carefully, ignoring the tremendous pain it was causing her. She only had one chance to make this connection. If she fails to connect with the birthing canal, the ovipositor will stay outside of her abdomen. She would not be able to retract it, and it would become infected, causing her to suffer many days of agony before finally dying. She felt the ovipositor slide into the birthing canal, and she relied on her deeply ingrained instinct to guide her through the connection as barbs came out of it and joined the ovipositor to the canal. Over the next hour, she felt herself become one with it as neural and biological connections were made between the two parts, and her hemolymph was now passing freely between both parts that were now joined as one. The queen rested for some time as she tried to recover, feeling the connections getting stronger. The next part was the hardest and most dangerous part of her ascension. She concentrated with all her might, and she looked within herself, looking for the path that would lead her to her genetic ancestors and unlock their memories. She saw an opening within the deep recesses of her mind, and she entered it. She entered a realm of pitch blackness, and she was floating on a black sea, bobbing along with the movement of the surface. Underneath her, she saw many points of light, and they emerged from the black water, hovering above her. The lights moved away from her for a short distance before forming a straight line that stretched forever. The lights then turned into the bodies of her direct ancestors, and she was no longer on a sea but on an endless plane of black obsidian. The line of her ancestors all suddenly looked at her at the same time, and she saw herself in billions of fractals. They assaulted her mind, a great torrent of images, thoughts, and feelings that threatened to overwhelm her and destroy her identity. She saw one of her ancestral Hive mothers leave the line and fly over to her, landing silently on the obsidian plain directly in front of her. All the thoughts of her ancestors were receding, and she was once again alone with her thoughts. The Hive mother sent thoughts, and she received them, terrified of what was to come next. This went on for what felt like eternity to the queen, every reason for why she was worthy being ignored, and always, it was the same statement from the Hive mother telling her she was not. They will kill her mind if she does not prove to them that she is worthy. It is their duty to ensure that weak queens do not rule the Hives and destroy their species. Another eternity passed, and there was always the same answer. She was going to die. The queen gave up and accepted her death. The queen accepted her fate and waited for her death, staring boldly at the ancient Hive mother in front of her. She took the queen by the tarsal claws, and they flew off together, the Hive mother bringing her to the first ancestor in the line before letting go of her tarsal claw and retaking her position in the line. She faced the first ancestor and communed with her, knowing her entire life in an instant. The ancestor embraced her. She moved on to the next ancestor, and then the next. She continued down the line, repeating the same process until she finally stood in front of her oldest genetic ancestor. Her thoughts were barely sapient, seeming to be based primarily around primitive emotions and urges. As her thoughts entered her mind, she saw that this ancestor did something different than the ones that came before her. She cared for her daughters and let them stay in the Hive instead of driving them out. She felt the love this ancestor had for her young, and she let the simple, primitive feelings of this one linger, realizing that this was the first true Hive mother. She embraced her, sending thoughts and feelings of love to her. She felt her mind be dragged away suddenly, and she reemerged in the brooding chamber. Worker drones were in there, dragging out the male corpses. She looked at the body of her Hive mother, still laying on the side where she had placed her. She will have her sisters come to see her body and accept her ascension before burying her. She felt the thoughts of the Hive mother within, who had judged and accepted her. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twenty Three Insectoid Hive Ship, anchored in a nebula 987 light-years from Earth. The queen marveled at the new concepts flooding her mind as she continued to use her claws to convey her thoughts to the animal construct that sat on the floor in front of her, patiently waiting as she made claw movements and correcting her when she made errors by showing her the proper gestures and movements. She was still intrigued by the concept of names, and she tried to understand the need for them. Her sisters had no need for a name; the thoughts of the queens each had their own easily identifiable uniqueness that was apparent. She had a flash of insight and realized that the animals, incapable of sharing thoughts, would need to identify themselves to others and to themselves in their minds. Having no name would be like being a worker drone, just one of many. The animal construct also told her that it was not an animal but a machine with its own thoughts. She could not grasp the concept of a machine with its own thoughts. How did the animals gift life and thought to a machine? Such an act defied the natural order of things, and she was terrified of the implications of her species fighting animals capable of gifting life to inanimate things. It was signaling to her, and she concentrated as she watched its claws make its thoughts known to her. It was telling her that she needed to bring the ship to the animals so that it could make the animals on the ship better. She felt a momentary surge of fear, sure that the animals would kill her as soon as she entered their space. The being insisted, and she picked up on the emotion behind its claw movements. It cared for the animal in the suit, calling it a friend, and it wanted to save the animal¡¯s life. It stood up and walked over the wall of the cavern, pointing one of its claws at it. A burning hole appeared in the wall where the claw was pointed, and it moved around until a square shape emerged. The animal construct took out the cut piece from the wall and returned to its position in front of the queen, still standing. It made more movements with a single claw, and she saw the smoke emanating from the piece as it moved the claw around. It turned the piece toward her, and she saw small shapes on it. She got up from her dais and went to the animal construct to get a better view of the new shapes it had put on the piece. She signaled with her claws, asking what they were. The construct signaled back, saying it was thoughts. She was confused. The construct pointed at the shapes and then made claw movements, indicating friends. It pointed at the shapes again and signed friend again. She felt the ancient Hive mother within wanting to share her thoughts, and she opened her mind to them. Understanding dawned on the queen as the Hive mother within helped her get the concept of the shapes. They were another way to share thoughts. Excitement swelled within her, and she made claw movements toward the animal construct, telling it to show her more. CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Commonwealth Liberation Navy In orbit around Jaleenia, five days after the battle Therax and his clutch sister stood in the shuttle bay along with the entire surviving crew of the Ancestor¡¯s Glory, waiting for the honor guard to begin the ceremony. They were assembled in a square formation, and in the center was a large ossuary chest that contained microscopic human remains and pieces of ships that were painstakingly extracted from the wreckage of the Republic ships by Commonwealth and Jaleeni vessels after the battle. What remains of the humans that could be found were reverently collected and stored in the sickbay morgues until their burial wishes could be carried out according to their last wills and testaments. Microscopic samples were taken on Therax¡¯s order, and he had the samples and pieces of every Republic ship that weren¡¯t annihilated by core overloads collected and stored in the traditional ossuary chest used by the Nekuli. The honor guard assumed their final positions, and they slowly marched as the ossuary chest moved with them, maintaining its position as the anti-grav unit inside the chest suspended it exactly 1.7 meters above the ground. The procession moved until they were in the middle of the shuttle bay, and the honor guard formation changed position, forming two lines separated by two meters of space on either side of the chest, and they pulled out their ceremonial Kal¡¯tesh swords, crossing the long blades across their chests. The first crewmember walked down the pathway created by the honor guard and stopped in front of the chest, bowing her head for a few moments. She then took off her necklace, pulling it over her head and placing it on the ground in front of the ossuary chest before returning to her position. The second crewmember went to the chest, and he removed his pistol from his hip, placing it in front of it and returning to his position. The third crewmember left a hand-carved memento that he had made and placed it in front of the chest. The fourth removed his rank insignia and placed it in the small pile that was forming. One after another, crewmembers went and left a gift for the honored dead, the pile growing rapidly in size. Almost an hour later, the last of the crew had left their gifts, and only Therax and his clutch sister were left. She went first, and he saw that she left her most prized possession, a leather-bound parchment copy of the Nekuli holy book that was over three hundred years old and was gifted to her by their father¡¯s father before his passing. His eyes watered at the gift of her most cherished possession to the dead, and he flicked his head slightly at his sister as she resumed her place next to him. It was his turn, and he walked slowly towards the chest. His grief overwhelmed him as he got closer to the chest, and he felt the warm water of his eyes spilling onto his snout folds before they dropped, hitting the floor. In his hands was an object wrapped in Nekuli spider silk, and he reached the large pile of gifts. He gingerly unwrapped the silk from the object and glanced at it, hearing the low gasps of shock from the honor guards as they saw what it was. It was a hand-carved figurine made from the rarest mineral of his home world, a balriixan geode that glimmered with an ethereal green hue as the light of the shuttle bay hit it and passed through the almost translucent crystalline structure. There were less than a hundred balriixan geodes ever found, as it takes millions of years for them to make the journey from deep in the mantle to the upper crust, where they are discovered. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It had been passed down in his family from father to firstborn son for generations, and it was utterly priceless. The figurine depicted the first ancestor passing the holy book to his son, who was kneeling before him, head bowed, with arms outstretched to receive it. It symbolized the first ancestor passing on the truth to his son, and it was the most prized possession of Therax¡¯s clan, which had guardianship of the relic from the time when his ancestors ruled as kings and queens long ago. He folded the spider silk into a square and placed the relic on top of the silk in front of the pile of gifts before pressing a button on the base that created a small electromagnetic field around it, protecting it. He bowed his head and prayed. Clan-leader, I am sorry I could not find any trace of your physical essence on the battlefield, though I truly believe that your spirit remains, watching over those you have selflessly sacrificed yourself to save. I can feel you here and all around us. I miss you already, clan leader, and I am jealous of the ancestors who now count you among their honored ranks. Therax finished his prayer, and the honor guard fell back around the ossuary chest, and they marched into a waiting shuttle, the chest hovering and gliding silently in the middle of them. Two hours later, they were on the surface of Jaleenia, on the banks of the main river that cut through the now-abandoned capital city. There was an eerie silence that gave truth to the emptiness inhabiting the ghost city, and Therax and his clutch sister silently took the ossuary chest in between the flaming torches that lined the path to the riverbank and walked into the slowly moving water up to their waists, holding the chest between them. Behind them, a large assembly of Jaleeni government officials, along with the Chief Minister and his family, started mournfully howling. The Chief Minister started first, lifting his head towards the two moons in the dusky sky, and his family joined in, harmonizing. The rest of the officials added their mourning howls, and Therax felt a deep chill inside of his soul and the hair raising on the nape of his neck as the howls were bounced off the walls of the surrounding buildings that towered into the sky. It seemed as if the deserted city itself was lamenting the passing of the brave souls as it magnified and threw the echoes outward. Therax looked at Verixa, and she flicked her head. They both released their grips on the chest, and it floated on the surface, being carried away with the current. They watched as the slow-moving water took the chest with it, and Therax felt the wind grow stronger as it blew in a westerly direction, pushing the chest towards the other side of the river. Soon, the chest had reached the opposite riverbank, and Therax smiled as the warm water of his eyes flowed freely. The ancestors had found them worthy and guided their souls across the river. They were now in paradise. RSS Indomitable, Independence-Class Carrier Docked at Republic Naval Headquarters, Earth Orbit Captain Ruggeri stood outside the admiral¡¯s quarters, dreading the coming confrontation. He took a deep breath and tapped the door signal icon. There was no answer after he slowly counted out ten seconds, and he pressed it again. This time he counted to twenty; still no answer. He sighed in frustration and knocked on the door loudly. He waited for a few moments and was about to start knocking again when the door slid open, revealing the bloodshot eyes of Admiral Thompson glaring at him from the dark interior. ¡°What do you want, Captain?¡± He demanded, emphasizing the rank in a sneering manner. He was wearing an open robe with a white, stained civvies shirt and boxers. The smell coming from him slammed into Captain Ruggeri, and he almost gagged from the stench. ¡°Jesus Christ, Karl. You smell like a fucking bar rag.¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself, Dominick. What do you want?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I wanted to talk to you and make sure you haven¡¯t pickled your liver beyond regeneration yet. Can I come in?¡± Karl sighed heavily, his breath smelling like a distillery, and then he grunted and stepped to the side to let the captain into his quarters. Dominick walked into the dark interior and waited for his eyes to adjust before walking into the main room. The quarters were an absolute disaster, with half-eaten food and empty alcoholic containers littered all over the place. Karl brushed past him and entered the main room, throwing himself heavily into a recliner and gesturing for Dominick to take a seat on the trash-filled couch next to him. Dominick eyed the couch dubiously before walking over to it and using an empty vodka bottle to push aside some of the crap on the couch so that he could sit. He sat down and looked at his friend, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. ¡°Karl, you gotta snap out of this. It¡¯s been five days since the news from the Jaleeni system, and I can¡¯t cover for you anymore. The President herself called and asked me if she needed to send some pathfinders to root you out of your quarters and return you to duty.¡± Karl eyed him and didn¡¯t respond, reaching over to grab the half-eaten sandwich that was on the side table next to him and taking a bite out of it, chewing loudly. ¡°Karl, do you hear what I am saying? You are close to being charged with dereliction of duty if you don¡¯t cut this crap out and return to duty.¡± Karl swallowed the food he was chewing and resumed looking at him, his bloodshot eyes rimmed with tears. ¡°I killed them. I killed her.¡± Karl whispered quietly as the tears streamed out of his eyes. ¡°I played her last message over a hundred times, and I heard her say that she loved me and not to blame myself for her death. She knew she was going to die.¡± He took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°I killed her, Dominick. I ordered the woman I love to her death, and I never told her how I truly felt about her.¡± Dominick responded quietly, ¡°She knew, Karl. She knew you loved her, and she also knew she had to do her duty as a Republic officer. You cannot keep blaming yourself for her death.¡± He felt the words sound hollow as he said them, but they were true, whether the admiral chose to believe them or not. Karl didn¡¯t respond, and he closed his eyes and laid his head back on the recliner as more tears streamed down his cheek. Dominick leaned over and grabbed Karl¡¯s hand, holding it tightly. The admiral tried to pull it away, but Dominick gripped it tighter, refusing to let it go. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Karl. I¡¯m sorry you lost her.¡± He whispered quietly. He felt the admiral stop trying to pull his hand away and return the grip, squeezing tightly. Karl pushed himself off the recliner, still holding his hand, and pulled him off the couch, embracing him in a tight hug and sobbing quietly. Dominick held him for a long time as Karl let it all out, soaking his shoulder with his tears while he murmured to himself. After he was done, Karl released him from his crushing hug and chuckled in embarrassment as he wiped the moisture from his face with the bottom of the stained shirt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dominick; I guess I just needed to let it out with someone. I¡¯m glad it was you.¡± Dominick nodded before responding. ¡°Anytime Karl. Why don¡¯t you shower and freshen up, and when you are ready, meet me in the conference room? There have been a lot of things going on, and we need to figure out our next steps.¡± Dominick saw the first glimmer of interest appear on Karl¡¯s face as he processed what Dominick had just said. ¡°What things have been happening?¡± he asked as Dominick saw the old Karl returning. I got you now. Welcome back, you son of a bitch! Dominick thought to himself as he started heading out of the quarters. He turned around and responded. ¡°The Insectoids have withdrawn every single ship to their space behind their original borders, and they have even left the former Commonwealth territories they captured when they launched the invasion last year. We have also received a message.¡± Karl was standing in the center of the room with his hands on his hips and a towel over his shoulder. ¡°A message from whom?¡± he asked, his old command voice finally returning as he demanded an answer from Dominick. ¡°From a Hive ship, asking for a meeting to engage in peace talks and to form a treaty of alliance.¡± Dominick relished the look on Karl¡¯s face as he turned back around and continued towards the door. He reached for the open-door icon and turned around once more, looking Karl dead in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare leave these quarters before showering and getting something to eat. You are not allowed on my bridge until you do so. Understood, Admiral?¡± He turned around and exited the quarters, leaving the flabbergasted admiral behind and heading towards the bridge, smiling. The admiral was back, and so was his best friend. They Answered The Call-Chapter Twenty Four Hive ship one parsec from the Tree Animal System Eight days after the Battle of the Jaleeni system The queen had never felt the way she currently did as she watched the small transport leave the Hive ship and head towards the large animal fleet that had flashed in and surrounded the Hive ship and the cruiser being controlled by her sister commander drone. Her machine friend was on the small transport, along with all the other animals, and she felt a strange sensation as she watched it enter a large animal ship in the distance. It was the one that had sent the thought sounds to the animals for this meeting, becoming more insistent that it needed to make its animal friend better. She was there to watch the machine friend bring the animals onto the ship, and she felt something she could not categorize it. It was like loneliness, but not. She asked the Hive mother within if she knew the emotion she was feeling. The machine friend had finished moving the animals onto the small ship, and it turned towards her and moved one claw in a side-to-side motion. She responded with her both claws, finding the motion awkward to do with her triple-jointed thorax legs. It signed to her, making two distinct thoughts appear in her mind: good absence. She returned the claw sign, and it turned around and pulled the lever to close the ramp. Now she was in the command chamber, and the void left by her machine friend grew larger as she watched the small ship enter the large animal vessel and disappear. She was alone, and she did not like it. Before the journey to this location, it had taken pieces of the exoskeleton of the queen mother animal and fabricated a device that enabled it to send thought words to the animals, and it showed her how to use it to convey her thoughts into animal shapes. The device was in front of her, and she waited for the animal shapes to come into existence on the black glass. She entered a state of rest that allowed her mind to roam freely as she waited, and she was lost in her thoughts when the device made noise and she came back to her place. It had been half a solar day in time since the machine friend had left the Hive ship. She looked at the black glass, and she saw animal shapes on it. She concentrated and made the shapes into thoughts in her mind. It was asking to view her. She remembered the machine friend showing her how to view others on the black glass, and she lightly tapped the icon that activated the viewer, afraid of damaging the glass. On the black glass appeared images, and she took them in as her mind tried to process what she was seeing. She saw two animals, one with longer head growth than the other. The machine friend explained the concept of the animal genders and differences, and she looked at the one with longer growth and focused on the upper thorax area, seeing the two fleshy mounds there. It was a queen, and the other one with shorter head growth must be a male drone. She could see the differences in the facial structure, and she committed the minute details to her memory to help her discern the two genders. Shapes appeared on the screen, and she turned them into thoughts. WHY ARE YOU HERE? She ignored them and started slowly tapping the panel with the animal shapes under the screen that the machine friend had shown her to use. She saw her thoughts appear on the screen as she tapped the individual shapes. WHERE MACHINE FRIEND The two animals looked at each other, and one moved its feeding hole and made noises, their thoughts appearing on the screen in animal shapes. YOU WILL SPEAK TO US. WHY ARE YOU HERE? She ignored the thought shapes and tapped out her thoughts again. WHEREMACHINEFRIENDWHEREMACHINEFRIENDWHEREMACHINEFRIEND The two animals moved their heads closer, turned to their sides, and moved their feeding holes, quietly making sounds to each other. The male drone was moving its head side to side, and the queen was moving hers up and down. She made louder sounds with her feeding hole and then turned back to face the black glass and put up her two claws, making sounds. The animal shapes appeared on the black glass, and she again turned them into thoughts. IT IS COMING HERE. PLEASE WAIT. She felt happiness and patiently waited, continuing to look at the images on the black screen. She could see other animals in the background and saw that there were also different animals than the ones she was sharing thoughts with. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The animals continued to send thought shapes on the black glass, and she ignored them, making no move to tap the shapes and respond. She saw the queen make a different shape with its feeding hole, and all its teeth became visible, and it made rapid animal noises. Was it threatening her with its teeth? The machine friend appeared on the black glass, and she started tapping the shapes as fast as her claws could. Behind the machine friend were two other animals holding what looked like weapons. She did not like them; they seemed like they were holding her machine friend hostage. I HAPY YOU HERE MACNE FREND She noticed that the shapes looked wrong and tapped again slower. AM HAPPY YOU ARE HERE MACHINE FRIEND. She saw the animals look at each other, and the animal queen made noises with its feeding hole to her machine friend, moving its claws and pointing towards the black glass. The machine friend moved its head up and down and turned towards the black glass. It started making claw thoughts to her. Please call me Bandit; that is my name. She responded with her claws. ~ Yes, bandit friend. Is your animal friend better? ~ Not yet. You must speak with the two animals. The female is the queen of the animals. ~ I will speak to the animal queen with you. The shapes are hard. We make claw thoughts better. I am sad animal friend is not better yet. ~ Yes. Thank you. She wants to know why you want peace and an alliance. You make only war on the animals, and they do not believe you. She felt anger that they thought she was deceiving them like she did to her Hive mother and sisters. She was here. They could destroy her. Are these animals mentally defective? She made claw thoughts to bandit friend. ~ Is the queen mentally defective? I am here, sharing thoughts with them. I do not want to make war on animals. I want to save the Hives and stop the war. ~ She watched as Bandit friend made noises to the two animals and the animal queen made the same noises as before and bared her teeth again. ~ Why is the queen threatening me with her feeding hole? I am here in peace. ~ She is not threatening you. You are making her laugh. ~ What is this? What does it mean? ~ Laughing is how animals show happiness. You were amusing her when you asked if she was mentally defective. The queen wants to know why your species has retreated to their space and left the territory they conquered. They left Hives and millions of worker drones on the animal worlds they destroyed. The queen was shocked by what he was saying. The Hive mother retreated. Why? ~ I do not know. I have closed off my thoughts to the rest of the Hive. If I open my thoughts, they will know where I am and come for me. I do not want that. ~ Bandit friend made animal noises to the two animals, and they responded. She wished she had the necessary structures to make the noises; it would make communication easier, and she could share her thoughts directly. Bandit friend turned back to the black glass and resumed making claw thoughts. The queen wants to know what your intentions are. How do you want to make an alliance? She ignored the question and asked her own. She had to know. ~ Is she a queen mother? Has she laid eggs yet? ~ Bandit friend made animal noises to the animal queen, and she responded, baring her teeth again. She is the proud mother of six eggs. She wants to know how many eggs you have. The queen was shocked by the pitiful small number. How do they sustain themselves with such small numbers? She responded to the question with her claws. ~ I have laid more than twenty million eggs since I emerged from my pupae over two hundred cycles ago. One in a million has the greatness to become a daughter; the rest become worker drones. The daughter eggs can only be fertilized by the Hive mother, and she takes them away from us. Only the Hive mother can give life to the daughter egg. I wish to become Hive mother and give life to my daughters. I want to share their thoughts while they pupate and be there when they emerge as my daughters. ~ Bandit friend made animal noises to the others, and she saw the effect it had on them. They did not make noises in response for a short time. Finally, the animal queen made noises to bandit friend, and he turned back to the black glass. The queen expresses her sorrow that you do not know the thoughts of your daughters and that they are taken away from you to be given to the Hive mother. She says that to be a mother is the greatest gift of life, and she hopes that one day you will receive this gift. The queen felt wild emotions at the words of the animal queen, and she felt a connection to her for knowing the pain she had gone through every time her daughter eggs were taken away from her by the Hive queen. The Hive mother within sent her thoughts, and she received them. Bandit friend had continued to make claw thoughts as the animal queen made noises. The queen still wants to know what your intentions are. How do you want to make an alliance? She responded with her claws, finally answering the animal queen¡¯s question. ~ I need a safe place. I have made the change and can become a Hive mother and make a new Hive, but I require an empty world free from danger. There, I can build my brooding chamber and fertilize the eggs on my ship. I can show you how we build our ships and their weaknesses. I can show you how we think and how to stop this war. I can make soldier drones that will fight alongside you, and I will stand with you queen to queen and bring an end to this destructive war. When my Hive is strong, I will go to the Queen World and kill the Hive mother, taking her place. We will have peace and be friends, and no Hive will ever make war upon animals again. ~ Bandit friend made noises to the two animals, telling them her thoughts. She watched as the two animals made noises, and after some time, the animal queen made noises to bandit friend, who then turned to the black glass, making claw movements. The queen requires that the world they give you have animal warships in orbit. You will not build any ships until she gives permission for you to do so. You will land on this world and leave the Hive ship and cruiser empty for the animals to take apart. You will not make soldier drones; only machine soldiers like me will be allowed in the Hive. You will only have one Hive. If you do not follow her commands, the animal ships in orbit will destroy you and your Hive. Do you agree? The queen asked the Hive mother within for her thoughts, opening her mind. The Hive mother answered almost immediately. The queen thought about the demands, furiously thinking about the possible outcomes. She did not think the animals would let her leave alive; if she said no, they would destroy her Hive ship and cruiser. She felt trapped, having no choice but to accept if she wanted to continue living. She made her decision and made claw movements to bandit friend. ~ I will be hostage to the animal queen. My life is hers, as is my Hive. I will be a good friend to the animals. She will see the truth of this. ~ She stopped making claw movements and waited, feeling apprehension as Bandit friend made noises to the animals. The animal queen made noises to bandit friend, who turned back to face the black glass and made claw movements. The queen will find you a world nearby where you can build your new Hive. You will remain here until she has done so. If you attempt to leave, they will destroy you. The queen made claw movements, accepting her fate. ~Yes, Bandit friend. I will obey. ~ They Answered The Call- Chapter Twenty Five Allana, the capital city of Eleania Ten days after the Battle of the Jaleeni System, 2174 A.D. Nimto tugged at his ambassadorial sash one last time and looked down to make sure there were no creases and that it was in the right place. The Republic Pathfinder shuttle ten meters in front of him was in the last stages of deploying the automated staircase, and he saw President Lopez waiting at the hatch for it to fully deploy before descending. She waved at him, and he returned the human gesture and proceeded to walk towards the stairs that had finally finished assembling. President Lopez started down the steps, and Nimto waited for her to step onto the ground before walking the last five paces to stand in front of her. He bowed his head and addressed the president of the Republic in his most officious tone. ¡°On behalf of the Eleani Sovereignty, I welcome you to our world. What is ours is yours, Madame President.¡± President Lopez smiled and stepped closer to him, speaking in a low voice. ¡°Please call me Mea, Nimto. It is just us here. I would like a few moments of normal conversation before the meetings begin, and everyone insists on using formal titles. I find it exhausting and ponderous.¡± Nimto smiled and gestured towards the Capitol building in the distance. ¡°We can walk there if you wish; the lari blossoms are in bloom this time of the year, and the scent is wonderful.¡± She beamed at him and encircled one of her arms in his. ¡°That sounds wonderful, Nimto; I would enjoy that very much after breathing the recycled air on the ship for days.¡± They proceeded to walk together, Nimto being careful to match her walking pace as he guided them towards a stone path that passed through two rows of lari blossom trees that were a riot of red and purple flowers. The scent became stronger as they got closer to the beginning of the stone walking path, and President Lopez breathed deeply and looked at him with an appreciative smile on her face. ¡°That smells wonderful, Nimto. Tell me, how is Alixa doing? I have heard reports from my military advisors that they have been extremely pleased with the results of the Eleani cadets thus far and consider the exchange program a complete success.¡± Nimto smiled widely at the mention of his manling as he replied. ¡°His letters are the highlight of our days when they arrive, and he seems to be doing well. He has a best friend, and he speaks very highly of the human cadets he is training with. They have accepted him and the other Eleani cadets with open arms, and he is thriving despite the difficult training and being away from home for so long.¡± ¡°I am very happy to hear that, Nimto. I know it wasn¡¯t easy for you and your mate to deal with his absence and allow him to be trained in Republic ways. Thank you for allowing him to go; it is important that our continued integration continues to proceed as well as it has.¡± She stopped to pull a lari flower off a low-hanging branch and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply before carefully placing it inside one of her chest pockets. They resumed walking slowly, and Nimto decided that this was the perfect time to ask the question that has been weighing heavily on his mind and the minds of most of the high-ranking government officials ever since the Republic fleet arrived and saved them from being wiped out by the Insectoid fleet. The sacrifice of the entire Republic fleet in defense of the Jaleeni increased the desire to know tenfold. Why? Why are they doing this? Nimto had to know. He stopped walking and faced President Lopez. ¡°Mea, there is something that I and many others in the government need to know. Please don¡¯t think that by asking this, we are questioning the intentions of the Republic or of humanity in any way. We are forever indebted to you for what you did and for coming to our aid when no one else would. We would just like to know why. Why did the Republic come to our defense? Why did your entire fleet sacrifice itself to save the Jaleeni? President Lopez listened to him, and she was looking down at the fallen lari petals that covered the stone walkway as he finished asking his question. After almost a minute of looking down, she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Nimto, I understand why you need to know, and I will answer truthfully and to the best of my ability. You do not understand the horrors we went through during our last war. There was a point in time when the worst aspects of our species achieved supremacy. There used to be a balance between good and evil in our world, and that balance was always threatened but maintained. One good person could fight ten evil people and win because their cause was just and morally right.¡± She took a deep breath and furrowed her brows as she continued speaking. ¡°The problem with good people is that they attribute their virtues to those who do not have them, and sometimes they let evil people do the things they do because it is happening to someone else and not them. Good people follow the rules and give the benefit of the doubt to those who do not deserve it. They give them chances, make excuses as to why, or try to come up with humane methods of punishment and rehabilitation. This does not work for the evil and the weak-minded who follow them because of promises of money and full bellies. There came a point when an evil government took control of almost half the world, and we did nothing. When the evil government committed genocide, we did nothing. When they sent tens of millions to labor camps and worked them to death, we did nothing. The free societies were at the pinnacle of technological advancement and military capabilities, and they had the population to support a righteous crusade and put an end to the evilest power to ever rise on Earth. When they should have united and put an end to the darkness that fell over half of their world, they lacked the fortitude to do so. They made excuses about territorial sovereignty and called into question our right to interfere. Large segments of the population were apathetic at best, and a small percentage were unabashed traitors, their weak minds already turned by the propaganda employed by the evil government. They launched biological and chemical attacks that killed almost half of the free world population, and those who remained to survive responded in kind, and then the war went nuclear. They had to commit terrible crimes against humanity just to protect themselves, and they destroyed their souls doing so. That was their punishment for allowing the evil to fester and grow when they should have excised it before it tried to conquer the whole world. And when the soldiers came back home after their crusade, they found that the very evil they had just finished fighting had rooted itself in their own communities. The cowards, the criminals, and the evil held sway in their absence, and the barely functional governments could not or chose not to do anything about it. Victory was more important than expending resources and manpower to police the criminals and the gangs that formed fiefdoms in the power vacuum and took advantage of the weak and defenseless. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. All the criminals, the gangs, and the evil people took advantage of the absence of good men and women who would have protected the defenseless had they been there. They weren¡¯t there; they were fighting in the war. What followed was almost six years of rape, murder, brutalization, and the virtual slavery of millions of citizens by those who succumbed to their worst tendencies when society collapsed and there were no longer consequences. The will of the strong and brutal was paramount in those six years in most of the places where the government held no sway. The veterans went into a rage at the injustice they saw and the betrayal of the core principles of their society by the very governments that had sent them to fight in the war. They formed vigilante groups, and these hardened soldiers, who had faced the horrors of the worst war to ever be waged in human history, unleashed themselves. They swiftly brought an end to the injustices heaped upon their families, their friends, and their neighbors. The people who were strong when facing meek, defenseless citizens, found out they were not so strong, and they fell like wheat before the scythe as they were hunted down and killed mercilessly. After the returning veterans cleansed their villages, towns, and cities, they overthrew their governments and took control. What followed was more war, more death, and more genocide as the new veteran-led governments joined together and launched a concerted effort to bring the whole world under its sway and finally rid itself of the people that have caused so much death, pain, and misery to their fellow humans for so long. The great purge was brutal and merciless, and it only ended when those who carried it out saw that their own families and friends were terrified of what they had become and realized that they were no longer heroic soldiers but executioners. The souls of the survivors and the very Earth itself had finally had their fill of bloodshed, and it ended.¡± ¡°So, you ask me why, Nimto? This is why. Never again will we stand by and watch others be conquered, enslaved, or wiped out of existence. Never again will we make excuses, Nimto. Our souls could not bear it again after what we did to each other all those years ago, and we will carry the burden of what we have done for as long as we exist as a species. This is why our children are taught from a young age the importance of courage, duty, and sacrifice. They are taught that the days of blurred lines between what is right and what is wrong no longer exist. Those children grew up to become the men and women who fought here and in the Jaleeni system. The only thing more deadly than a human fighting for a cause they believe in is a human fighting to defend others who are worthy of such an effort, like the Eleani and the Jaleeni.¡± Nimto had been listening intently as she spoke, and he saw the tears falling from her eyes as she bared the troubled soul of humanity to him. After a few moments, he asked another question that needed to be answered. ¡°And what about the traitor queen? Is she to be forgiven for what the Insectoids did when they glassed dozens of worlds and murdered almost seven hundred billion souls? My government wants to know why you didn¡¯t destroy her ship. Why are you allowing her to build a Hive? They cannot be trusted.¡± His anger was palpable, and his breathing became rapid and shallow as he finished asking her his questions. President Lopez looked at him, staring into his soul the same way she did when she came on the holo screen that fateful day when the Republic responded to their distress call. He averted his eyes, not able to handle the intensity of her gaze. ¡°Nimto, I have communicated with the queen. She came alone, knowing that she would most likely be destroyed, in the hopes of forming a friendship and an alliance with us against the rest of Hives. She may be a former enemy, but I respect her for risking her life the way she did. Look at the state of the galaxy right now, Nimto.¡± She pointed to the sky above them to emphasize her point as she continued speaking. ¡°A large portion of the Commonwealth military is in open rebellion; there are twelve billion Jaleeni refugees with no home, and the Insectoids suddenly withdrew to their original borders for unknown reasons, consolidating their remaining forces in their own space where they have the defensive advantage. We are incapable of effectively prosecuting a war right now. The possibility of an alliance with a queen offers us a chance to finally understand the enemy, how they think, and figure out a way to end this war. The queen also provided me with some insight into why they are so aggressive. They are not from this area of space, Nimto. They came here as refugees from another part of the galaxy, fleeing from a powerful enemy that attacked them without provocation and wiped out over 98% of their queens. They are still terrified of that enemy even after hundreds of years; it is almost as if the horror they went through has become a part of their genetic heritage.¡± Nimto was astounded by the revelations President Lopez was sharing with him. The Commonwealth had always assumed that the incidental contact between the Commonwealth and the Insectoid Empire was a natural result of the expansion of two native powers, not that the Insectoids were from somewhere else and came to this region of space as refugees fleeing from extermination. As he processed the information, he was able to start seeing things from the Insectoid perspective and imagined how the Commonwealth might have responded to the encroachment of the Insectoid Empire if they had been attacked and almost exterminated by another arthropodal species in the past. He suspected that the Commonwealth would have had the same reaction, especially considering just how dissimilar and alien they were compared to the commonplace mammalian species. Despite himself, he found his curiosity piqued, and he wanted to know more about the enemy that attacked the Insectoids. ¡°Did the queen tell you what happened?¡± he asked, pressing for more information. President Lopez nodded and responded. ¡°They were a space-faring species for millennia, and they were alone in their area of space. Their empire spanned over a hundred stars, and their population was more than a hundred trillion. They made first contact with another space-faring species in one of their border systems and attempted to communicate telepathically like they do.¡± She paused, as if unsure how to proceed. ¡°From what the queen tells me, the ships that violated their territory left, and they let them go, unsure of what to do. This had never happened before, and they were excited by the prospect of there being another species, despite the aliens inability to communicate telepathically. Less than a lunar month later, an armada of over 100,000 ships invaded their space.¡± Nimto gaped, his mouth opening in shock at the number he had just been told. ¡°100,000 ships?¡± He stammered, ¡°How is that possible?¡± President Lopez nodded and continued telling the story. ¡°I asked the queen, and she assures me that it is correct, that they numbered over ten to the power of five, in her words. She said that the ships swarmed over their worlds, dropping antimatter bombs. Within a cycle of the start of the war, the ships had reached their home world, and they bombarded it with asteroids. She said the Hive mother got the idea to use the asteroids on the V¡¯rni from this attack on their home world by the enemy. What remained of their species fled on their ships for over a hundred and thirty cycles before finally settling in this region of space and rebuilding their empire.¡± Nimto did not know how to respond to what was just revealed to him. ¡°I had the same response you are having now, Nimto. This is why I am allowing the queen to build a Hive; if that enemy is out there and has been expanding for all this time, then it is no longer a matter of if, but when they will arrive in our region of space. They chased the Insectoids for years before giving up. They know the direction they fled in. I do not think they will just let them survive after wiping out over a hundred trillion of them. They will come here, and if we are all fighting each other, then we will all die. I need this queen to take over the Insectoid Empire and become Hive Mother. I need the Commonwealth Navy to finish their rebellion and form a new government. I need all our species to be unified and prepared for the coming invasion by the enemy. We either stand together or we cease to exist.¡± Nimto looked at President Lopez¡¯s face and saw the determination in her features. He nodded slowly. ¡°I agree. I will make sure my government supports your efforts, and I will get the Xenxin in line as well.¡± President Lopez nodded in appreciation and encircled her arm back into his. They continued to walk along the stone path in silence, and Nimto sadly wondered if Alixa would ever know peace in his lifetime again. They Held The Line-Chapter One-Aurora Fourteen months after the Battle of the Jaleeni System TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Republic Hive World, 2175 A.D. Aurora could barely constrain herself from interfering with the emergence of her first daughter as she struggled to break through the tough pupa fibers surrounding her. She was just about to move closer and reach out a tarsal claw to break a particularly stubborn strand when the Hive mother within scolded her. Aurora withdrew her claw and forced herself to be still, watching with anxiety as her first daughter continued to struggle to emerge. The feelings of love and the desire to help her daughter crashed against her mind and threatened to overwhelm her. Her daughter continued pushing, and the pupa opened enough for the daughter to push her head through, making eye contact with the Hive mother as she paused to rest after the exertion. ~ Hard. Help. ~ She watched as her daughter responded to her thoughts, looked down at the tough, fibrous strand in front of her, and used her mandibles to start chewing through the cord. After a few moments, the strand was cut, and the pupa opened a little more, allowing the daughter to push more of her thorax out. The daughter pushed harder, and her thorax was now outside the pupa. She stopped struggling and laid on the hard stone floor of the brooding chamber, staring at her Hive mother. ~ Help, please. ~ Anguish coursed through the Hive mother''s body, and she forced herself to remain still. This was the way of the Hive. The Hive mother within sent thoughts and emotions to her. Aurora didn¡¯t answer her. She sent thoughts to her daughter, who was still staring at her and sending thoughts pleading for help. The daughter didn¡¯t respond. She just laid there, not moving or making any effort to continue to emerge for many minutes. Aurora was roiled by feelings of grief and loss; her first daughter is not strong enough to become queen. She has given up. Stolen story; please report. Startled by noise behind her, Aurora turned her head to see who dared to intrude in her brood chamber. They would die for disrupting her grieving. Thoughts of retribution disappeared immediately when she saw that it was Bandit friend. He walked over to where she was and knelt beside her, making claw movements toward her. She looked at his new face, still not used to the machine animal body he now inhabited. He continued to make claw movements, and she didn¡¯t respond, overwhelmed with the grief she was experiencing. Bandit friend stood up and moved over closer to her daughter, sitting on the ground in front of her. He did nothing at first; he just sat as she continued to lay there, no longer attempting to emerge from the pupa. Bandit friend started making claw movements towards her daughter. Aurora saw her daughter move her head slightly to look at the strange animal in front of her, intrigued by him. Bandit friend then took out a small device, placed it on the ground just out of the reach of her daughter¡¯s legs, and tapped on it. Holograms appeared in the air, and she saw that her daughter was now entirely focused on the floating shapes moving around as Bandit friend was using claw movements to manipulate them. A series of images started appearing, depicting the different species and animals found throughout the region of space they inhabited. Her daughter reached out a claw to touch the holograms, and Bandit friend moved the device back so that the images were just out of her reach. She again reached out to touch them, and she was forced to use her bottom legs to extend her reach, and a little more of her body came out of the cocoon. Bandit friend kept displaying different images and moving the device just out of the reach of her daughter as she kept trying to touch the holograms, her body slowly emerging further out of the pupa. Aurora, seeing that her daughter was now almost out of the cocoon, got up and stood next to the still-sitting Bandit friend. She was overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude towards Bandit friend and made claw movements toward him, thanking him repeatedly. He changed his face to mimic the feeding hole movements that the human animals made to signify happiness, and he made claw movements, saying that he was happy for her and her daughter. Thoughts from the Hive mother within entered her mind. Thanking her for her wisdom, Aurora watched as her daughter finally removed her last leg from the cocoon. She had now fully emerged, and it was time to make her stand. She nervously reached down with her tarsal claws and took her daughter''s claws into them, feeling a wave of emotion as she touched her daughter for the first time and sent thoughts to her. Her daughter looked at her with her eyes, and Aurora was inundated with feelings of love as she saw the intelligence within them. Her daughter moved her legs under her abdomen and pushed up with them, the legs shaking under the strain. Slowly, her daughter continued pushing, and soon she was standing upright, using her claws to maintain her balance as she held onto the Hive mother. Aurora could barely contain the pride and relief she was feeling, and she reigned in the impulse to commune with her daughter, giving her time to rest. They both stood there and waited as the daughter¡¯s legs slowly stopped shaking, becoming accustomed to the weight they were bearing. The Hive mother within sent thoughts. She thanked her again for her wisdom, and focused on her daughter¡¯s eyes. Slowly, she sent thoughts and emotions to her, sharing herself with her daughter as she came to know the new mind. She sent more thoughts and concepts as her daughter¡¯s mind readily absorbed them, increasing the intensity of the exchange as they merged. After an indeterminate length of time, they had completed the exchange, and she withdrew from her daughter¡¯s mind and reluctantly let go of her tarsal claws. She stepped back and waited for her daughter to send her first thoughts as a new queen. She felt her daughter¡¯s thoughts reach out, and she eagerly accepted them. She felt the love and meaning behind her daughter¡¯s first thoughts and responded. Aurora reached out a tarsal claw to her side where Bandit friend was standing and took the machine animal claw in hers, squeezing it tightly. She looked at Bandit friend, and he gazed back at her in return. There was no need to make claw movements for him; he knew what she was saying without them. They Held The Line-Chapter Two-Bandit Republic Hive World 2175 A.D. Bandit left the brooding chamber to give Aurora and her new queen daughter privacy, making sure that the guardian androids posted outside the chamber would prevent any drones from entering and disturbing them. He headed towards the central nexus to file the report on the successful emergence of the new queen with President Lopez, who insisted on being notified immediately when it happened. The president had taken a personal interest in the event, and Bandit would do his duty and inform her. She was the one who had come up with the name Aurora when the Hive mother expressed a desire and interest in having a name for her dealings with animals. Bandit was there when the Hive mother had asked for one, and he translated between them as President Lopez gifted her the appellation, declaring, ¡°I shall call you Aurora, for you have renewed yourself, and like the ancient goddess, you will bring a new dawn to the Hives when you claim your rightful place one day.¡± The Hive mother accepted the name, touched by the meaning and intent of it, even though she did not understand the concept of a goddess or mythology. She erroneously correlated it with being an ancient Hive mother of President Lopez and that the President was honoring her by giving her the name of her favorite ancestor. Bandit did not correct her thinking, as he thought that it would cause unnecessary confusion, and he did not want to deprive President Lopez of the goodwill the mistaken impression generated in the Hive mother. He entered the central nexus and walked over to the communications panel that was installed when the Hive was first built. He entered a series of commands and waited for the signal to be routed through the network of null space communication drones that formed a direct relay between the Hive and Earth. He accessed his personal profile and saw that he had received a letter from his friend Diego, and a surge of happiness flowed through his neural pathways. He accessed the file, and a small holographic display appeared in front of him with Republic standard text. Hey buddy, I hope this message finds you well. I received the letter you sent two days ago, and I just want to tell you that I am very happy to hear that your friend Aurora is going to become a mom. Congratulations, Uncle Bandit! As far as my recovery is going, the doctors tell me that I will be able to return to duty in another two weeks. There has been no sign of any regression in the old brain; the nanobots seemed to have finally repaired all the damage from the psychic assault of the queen on the builder world. Owen was finally discharged, and now he is at home with Emily and baby Ito, putting his new arm to good use by changing diapers. That poor bastard. I am still struggling with the nightmares, but the shrink tells me that should lessen as I get back to my old routine. I miss you, Bandit. It is not the same without you here, but I understand the importance of what you are doing there at the Hive. I am just glad that President Lopez was finally able to get the jerks in the R&D division to stop trying to take you apart to find out how you achieved awareness and replicate the process. I always knew you were special, but I didn¡¯t think this would ever happen. I know I have said this before, but thank you for saving my life, old friend. I owe you one, big time. Write me back. All my love and friendship, Lucas P.S. Send me some pictures of the new queen and tell Aurora that I am happy for her and her new daughter. Bandit closed the message and had the display change to a reflective surface. It turned into a mirror, and he saw his new face appear on it. He was transferred to the newest humaniform android body less than a month ago, and he was still unused to having a face. He made several expressions in rapid succession, wondering how humans were able to do them naturally without trying. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. He took a finger and pressed it against his cheek, seeing the indentation he made disappear as the pliable nuskin bounced back just like natural human skin did. He was indistinguishable from a normal human male, except for the telltale yellow iris of the eyes that were mandated for all humaniform android bodies to allow humans and other species to discern that they were dealing with androids. An alert chimed on the communication panel, and he pressed the blinking icon, the mirror being replaced with a holographic screen. He saw President Lopez sitting in her chair, and she was smiling broadly. He smiled in return as she started speaking. ¡°Bandit, thank you for contacting me and updating me on the emergence. I am glad that it was successful, and please pass along my congratulations to Aurora. How is she doing?¡± Bandit nodded before replying. ¡°She is ecstatic. I left the brooding chamber to allow them time alone to deepen their bond, as appropriate. It was an interesting experience; I wish to be present during the birth of a human and compare the two emergences. Do you think that is possible?¡± President Lopez laughed. ¡°Please don¡¯t go around asking to watch a woman give birth, Bandit. It is a very private experience, and I don¡¯t think their husbands would appreciate you being a peeping tom. There are plenty of videos of childbirths on the link for you to watch and compare the differences.¡± Bandit nodded. ¡°Thank you for the suggestion, Madam President. Do you have new orders for me?¡± President Lopez looked down at her desk for a moment and then looked back up. ¡°Actually, I do, Bandit. I will be coming to the Hive with Admiral Thompson and need to seek advice from Aurora on how to proceed with the ongoing clearing operations that we are doing on the abandoned worlds.¡± She paused to press something on her desk, and her face took on a more serious expression as Bandit saw an info graph pop up on the side of the screen showing the confirmed killed and wounded count of Republic ground forces. It was already in the tens of thousands. ¡°The Hives and drones that were left behind after the withdrawal are fighting to the death, and our casualties are mounting rapidly. Do you think she will be willing to go to these worlds and take control of the Hives and drones? Otherwise, we will be forced to use nuclear bunker busters and kill hundreds of millions of them to limit our own losses.¡± Bandit ran billions of calculations as he considered the problem, and he answered her two seconds later. ¡°I am certain Aurora would do everything she could to help, but I do think that the timing of this is an issue. I do not think that she would be willing to depart from her daughter so soon after her emergence.¡± President Lopez nodded. ¡°I agree, but we must try to convince her that this is critical. I am hoping that the prospect of expanding her Hive with hundreds of millions of drones will entice her. It would allow her to accelerate her projected timetable to take over the Hives and become the Hive mother of the Insectoid Empire.¡± Bandit ran more calculations as he considered the president¡¯s reasoning, finding that he concurred with her assessment. ¡°I agree, Madam President. I will broach the subject with her and inform her that you are coming. When is your expected arrival here?¡± President Lopez smiled at him again. ¡°We will be there in two days¡¯ time. I am also bringing a gift for her. We have finally finished studying the Hive ship and the cruiser, and I am returning them to her. She will need them for this mission if she agrees to help.¡± Bandit smiled in return. ¡°She will be very happy to have them back. She has been asking if she will ever be allowed to have ships again, and this will assuage her fears of being permanently trapped here. Do you wish to keep this a secret until you arrive, or shall I inform her?¡± President Lopez thought for a few moments before answering. ¡°Tell her. I don¡¯t want her to panic and think that it is possibly ships from the Empire coming to take her away.¡± Bandit didn¡¯t even think of that, and his neural pathways buzzed as he mused over the insightful intuition that humans displayed despite not having the raw processing power available to him and other AIs. ¡°I will do as you ask, Madam President. I will prepare the Hive for your arrival.¡± She nodded and leaned in closer, lowering her voice. ¡°How does it feel to be an uncle, Bandit?¡± He paused, thinking of how his friend Diego also referred to him as an uncle to the new queen. The term was not entirely incorrect, and he did derive joy as he watched his efforts ensure that the new queen successfully emerged from the cocoon. ¡°It feels¡­ good, Madam President.¡± President Lopez smiled widely at his statement and winked one eye at him before leaning back in her chair and pressing the panel on the desk, ending the connection. Bandit remained standing there for some time, accessing the Republic mainframe and checking in on all the parts of the Hive to make sure that everything was functioning correctly. A worker drone scurried up to him and used a tarsal claw to tug at his uniform, getting his attention. He looked down at it and saw that it had turned around and was facing the brooding chamber, waiting for him to follow it. Aurora must have ordered it to get him, and he tapped the drone on its back, signaling that it was to lead the way. It scurried forward, and he followed it, happy that he would be able to give Aurora the good news about getting her ships back and potentially expanding the size of her Hive with an infusion of hundreds of millions of new worker drones. They Held The Line-Chapter Three- Alixa V¡¯rni System, 2175 A.D. Republic 3rd Infantry Division Eleani Orbital Drop Battalion PFC. Alixa slammed into the ground, his combat suit absorbing the impact of the landing and automatically going into a roll to dissipate the remaining energy. He sprang up and sprinted to a nearby outcropping, taking cover behind it as he pulled his gauss carbine from its maglock and quickly checked for signs of damage before switching off the safety. His suit AI connected to a shrouded overwatch drone, and his HUD was populated with icons as the AI determined friend from foe and made sense of the chaos happening all around them as more drop troopers of the Eleani battalion continued slamming into the ground in the vicinity. Alixa saw a large concentration of worker drones less than a hundred meters in front of his position, taking cover in a dry riverbed as they continued to try to shoot down incoming troopers as they descended from the sky. He saw one of them get hit, and the trooper went limp, his combat suit losing control and spinning wildly as the control thrusters stopped firing. A few seconds later, he heard the combat suit smashing into the ground at terminal velocity, the thud making him wince as he saw the impact debris eject into the air. He turned his attention back to the riverbed, feeling an overwhelming desire to slaughter the drones as he activated his grenade launcher and targeted them, selecting the incendiary rounds. The launcher popped out of its receptacle in his upper back, and he felt the soft pumps as the five incendiary grenades were launched towards the ravine. He zoomed in on the feed from the overwatch drone and smiled maliciously as the grenades airburst over the main body and covered dozens of drones with a thickened pyrophoric agent. The sticky gel activated immediately in the presence of air, and dozens of drones were engulfed in fire, panicking and crashing into others nearby and transferring some of the sticky, flammable gel onto other drones. Within five seconds, half of the drones were collapsing as their exoskeletons started melting from the incredible heat, their legs twitching uncontrollably. He leapt out from behind the outcropping and bounded towards the ravine, other combat suits falling in behind him and joining the charge. They reached the lip and went prone, pointing the rifles over the lip and using the gauss carbine targeting cameras to send thousands of explosive rounds among the disordered formation of the surviving drones. Five seconds later, all the drones were dead, their bodies torn apart as the explosive tips of the slivers exploded inside their exoskeletons. Alixa and the six drop troopers with him crawled into the riverbed and assumed firing positions along the opposite lip, sighting their gauss rifles towards the thousands of drones that were pouring out of openings in the ground from the Hive. An alert appeared on his HUD warning of incoming F-202''s, and he hunched down and took cover, the other combat suits doing the same. He watched the PIP screen that popped up on his HUD as the flight of four fighter bombers streaked over the large body of drones that were streaming towards his position and released their loads before pivoting straight up and firing their afterburners, shooting into the sky at hypersonic speeds. The Insectoid flak guns littering the perimeter of the Hive opened fire, sending hundreds of thousands of tiny shards of metal towards the fighter bombers, trying to lead them to intersect their flight paths. The F-202¡¯s AIs detected the incoming fire and performed pirouette maneuvers, and the flight of four scattered, continuing to engage in evasive action as they headed back to the carriers in low orbit to re-arm for another bombing run. The bombs had been slowly drifting down from where they were released as their warhead computers activated the anti-grav units and thrusters, positioning the bombs to ensure the maximum destructive envelope before releasing their bomblets. Hundreds of bomblets popped out and released their charges 200 meters above the drones, sending tens of thousands of explosive ball bearings downward. The thousands of drones that were streaming towards the ravine were shredded to pieces as they were torn apart by the ball bearings, and when they impacted against the ground, their explosive charges went off, adding further carnage as they turned into hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces of shrapnel that tore into other nearby drones. Only a few hundred of the 5,000+ drones were still capable of continuing to advance, and Alixa targeted the survivors, remembering the mantra of his marksman instructors and activating single-shot mode. The drones pressed themselves low to the ground, and with their six legs, they were quite capable of advancing rapidly under fire while presenting a minimal profile. Alixa sighted one drone and held his breath as he gently pressed the trigger, sending an explosive sliver directly through its head that traveled halfway down the drone before exploding at the narrow junction that connected the thorax to the abdomen, tearing the drone in half. He sighted another target and fired again, missing the drone as it skittered to the side. They were incredibly agile and frustrating targets, and he forced himself to keep calm as he sent another sliver towards the tricky target, managing to blow off one of its legs. It continued to advance, albeit more slowly, and he sent another bolt towards the larger abdomen as the drone presented its side towards him. The round pierced it and exploded, rupturing the abdomen. Still, the drone continued to advance, and Alixa now targeted the slow-moving thorax and sent two more slivers, finally killing the drone. There were dozens of drop troopers in the riverbed, pouring fire into the survivors, and they quickly eliminated the remaining drones of the first wave. His commanding officer came over the comms and ordered them to maintain their positions, telling them that the Republic Mark XII ATS Bio-Synths were on the way and would link up with the Eleani battalion. He felt a surge of excitement at the news and craned his head to the sky to see them coming. A few seconds later, dozens of fireballs appeared in the sky and headed towards the ground, streaking through the sky until they hit an altitude of one thousand meters and the entry pods opened. The Bio-Synths emerged, and they dropped the rest of the way at terminal velocity before slamming into the ground a hundred meters behind his position, plumes of dust and debris shooting into the air from the force of their landing. They immediately surged forward and headed towards their position, where he and the rest of his platoon hunkered down, joining them. A Bio-Synth took position next to him, looking at him and nodding its ¡°helmet¡± at him, even though there was no head inside of it. Alixa returned the gesture and clamped down on his desire to reach out and touch the dark blue suit. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The Bio-Synth addressed him, and he heard her speaking over his ear buds, finding it to be a pleasing, melodic voice. ¡°Pfc. Alixa, I am Staff Sergeant Ayoub. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± Alixa nodded and responded, his voice squeaking from his nervousness. ¡°You too, Staff Sergeant. Thank you.¡± She put out her giant armored fist, and he bumped it with a much smaller suit fist as she continued to speak. ¡°Nice job on your first drop, kid; you did well. You will be my battle buddy from here on out, so stick by me and I¡¯ll get you through this, okay? He nodded again and looked around, seeing that the rest of his platoon had been paired up with the other Bio-Synths. An alert popped up on his HUD, indicating that sensors had picked up signs of another wave approaching the surface from deep inside the Hive and that they were expected to emerge in under three minutes. Anti-grav sleds appeared behind them, loaded with mortars, missile magazines, and large-caliber sliver ammo cans for Ayoub¡¯s mech suit. Alixa scurried up and unloaded the sled as fast as he could as Ayoub activated her artillery systems, and he saw the loading hatches open where he would load the mortars and the missile magazines. He worked quickly, and in 30 seconds, he had her fully loaded with the first fifty-round magazine of missiles and ten mortar rounds. The missiles were ten centimeters long and the diameter of a typical human male index finger, and despite their small size, they packed a powerful punch with their ONC explosive warheads. The mortars were the size of a human beer can, and they also had ONC explosives, with a mortar round having a kill radius of fifty meters. Both of her arms were weapons as well, the left arm having a high-powered laser system and her right arm fielding an autocannon with eight barrels that could fire two thousand bolts a minute. He inserted the sliver belt into the feeding mechanism and made sure that the belt was properly folded back into the ammo can, preventing snagging that would cause misfires. He tapped on her helmet, indicating that she was loaded, and continued to break down and organize the ammo behind her to efficiently load her as she prepared for combat. The alert appeared again, and the first wave of Insectoids started emerging from the ground. Ayoub and the other Mark-XII¡¯s bellowed a war cry from their external speakers, sending a chill through Alixa as he continued prepositioning ammo. A mass of worker drones charged towards their position, hugging the ground and skittering all over the place. The drones were armed with lasers, and the air between them was ionized as the invisible beams reached out to hit the defenders in the riverbed. Ayoub returned fire, and Alixa was astounded at the sheer amount of firepower that poured out of her suit. She lobbed mortars from the tube that was positioned between what would have been her shoulder blades, as the rockets were fired from a shoulder-mounted system. The rockets were guided by her suit AI, and they targeted concentrations of five or more drones, diving down in the center of selected groupings. Ayoub used her laser and the autocannon as well, strafing the area in front of her as she spat out large-caliber bolts that made mincemeat of drones that failed to hug the ground and find sufficient cover. The laser would neatly slice through drones that were in the process of moving from one position to another as they continued advancing, dismembering them. Alixa heard his rapid breathing in the confines of his helmet as he continued to feed the mech suit, sneaking glances at the PIP screen to keep tabs on the advancing drones. Thousands of them were already dead or dying, their legs twitching as random nerve impulses continued firing. Drones continued pouring out of the ground, and another flight of F-202¡¯s arrived, strafing the drones with 30mm HE rounds and dropping thermobaric bombs that guided themselves into the ground openings before exploding. It was absolute carnage, and Alixa could barely keep up with the reloads as Ayoub continued spitting death at the drones. Almost as if she could read his mind, Ayoub activated the private channel between them. ¡°Hey kid, nice job. Take a breather for a minute; I¡¯ll use the laser and autocannon while you catch your breath.¡± Alixa grunted in appreciation and wearily sat on an empty ammo can, greedily sucking down water from the drinking tube near his mouth. He practiced his combat breathing technique, slowly sipping more water before putting his mouth on the feeding tube and sucking on it, feeling the puree enter his mouth and savoring it before swallowing. The puree was chock full of vitamins, minerals, simple sugars, and mild stimulants to ward off fatigue during high-intensity combat. Alixa loved it and didn¡¯t understand why the humans hated it so much. They dismissed it as ¡°baby food¡± and constantly bitched about it during field exercises. He sucked down a little more puree, peeking over the lip of the riverbed to look at the results of the drone charge. The battlefield was littered with tens of thousands of drone corpses, and he wondered how much more they could send to the slaughter before running out. On other worlds, when they first started clearing operations, some Hives had hundreds of thousands, while others had millions. Some Republic forces in the beginning were overrun when they ran out of ammunition, forced to fight hand-to-hand as they retreated, while others were barely able to hold out, suffering tremendous losses until reinforcements and resupply reached them and helped to stem the tide. Ayoub¡¯s voice came over his earbuds, telling him to get ready for another wave. He resumed his position behind her and started loading the mortars and the missile magazines, feeling energized from the puree and the short rest. He added a fresh belt to her autocannon and tapped on her helmet, letting her know that she was fully rearmed. Another anti-grav sled silently appeared behind them, and he quickly pulled everything off it before loading it up with the empty magazines and ammo cans to declutter the area he was working in. He sent the sled on its way and returned to his station just in time to see the next wave emerging from the new openings that they made as they tunneled to the surface. This is going to be a long day, he thought to himself as Ayoub opened fire. Orbital space The Hive ship had finally reached orbit after transiting from the outer system, and Aurora was impatient to get down to the surface and take control of the remaining drones before they were all slaughtered by the ground forces. The clearing operation was on a large moon orbiting the fifth planet, and it had just been finally terraformed by the animal rodents of the system when the Hive mother had destroyed their birth world with the asteroids Aurora had helped to turn into weapons. An overwhelming sense of guilt washed over her, and she felt a strong desire to flee the system and never come back. She felt like she was desecrating the memory of the exterminated animals by being here, and she almost gave in to the impulse to order the Hive ship to leave when the Hive mother within reached out to her. Aurora listened to the Hive mother and felt the truth of her thoughts. She thanked her for her wisdom and forced herself to focus on her task. She will remove the drones that were defiling the animal system, and she will let her daughters know what has happened here. She left the command chamber and headed to her transport ship, escorted by the machine animals that have been with her since she first started building her Hive. She focused all her mental energy and reached her thoughts out to the planet below, feeling the minds of millions of drones on the moon as they responded to her powerful thoughts. She felt their barely conscious thoughts begging for orders from a queen once more, distraught at being abandoned and leaderless for so long. She answered their pleas and put every effort into her thoughts as she sent them her first command. They Held The Line-Chapter Four- Therax CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Commonwealth Liberation Navy Therax finished reading the updated intelligence file that was sent by his spy, who was embedded in the Commonwealth Capitol on the Ominian home world. After Grand Admiral Sarix launched his rebellion, it spread like wildfire through the ranks of the navy and the army of the nearby systems. Crews turned on each other as rebels and loyalists tried to seize the vessels they were serving on, and dozens of vessels fired on each other as the rebellion devolved into a full-blown civil war across dozens of systems. The Nekuli had an advantage as they constituted a large percentage of the military, and the actions of the despotic Commonwealth government had alienated other member species on the ships who happily joined the ranks of the rebels. When Grand Admiral Sarix sent a fleet to the Jaleeni system to reinforce the remnants of the survivors who fought to protect the evacuation, he collected evidence of the Commonwealth abandonment of the Jaleeni and the sacrifice of the entire Republic fleet, sending almost a hundred drones to the remaining member systems and broadcasting the truth. The Jaleeni Chief Minister made a speech that was disseminated by the drones. The Chief Minister spoke of the arrival of the Insectoid fleet and the doom that they knew was about to befall them until the Republic and rebel fleets arrived and destroyed the first invasion at great cost. The Chief Minister told of how, when the second Insectoid fleet arrived, far further in the system than they had ever managed before, he expected the few remaining Republic ships to flee. They did not flee. They fought the second fleet and wiped it out too, sacrificing themselves for the Jaleeni. He showed evidence of how the inadequate Commonwealth fleet in the system disobeyed their orders to abandon the Jaleeni when the Insectoids arrived. He showed evidence of the distress call from his government going unanswered. He played the recording of his conversation with Vice-Admiral Zhou and showed the recording of the final acts of the Republic ships ramming the new battlehives in a desperate ploy to save his people. Sarix also included the evidence of the orbital bombardment of Filat Prime and the brutal subjugation of the Filatin people, as well as the efforts of the Commonwealth government to suppress news of their actions by illegally interning the crews of the ships on a border outpost and telling their families that they were missing in action. The drones were sent all over Commonwealth space, and despite the efforts of the government to suppress the truth, it rapidly spread throughout the member worlds, turning the spark of rebellion into a full-scale conflagration that engulfed all the members of the Commonwealth. Within six months, the Commonwealth government was forced to retreat to the four remaining loyalist systems that still supported them. The loyalist systems were isolated from each other, further straining the capabilities of the dwindling loyalist forces and preventing them from being able to support each other. The rebel fleets laid siege to the systems, and by the eighth month of the rebellion, two loyalist systems surrendered unconditionally after collapsing economically from the lack of vital trade goods and resources. The remaining two systems were among the oldest and most developed core worlds and were better able to withstand the effects of the blockades. The two remaining holdouts were the home worlds of the Ominians and the Grimiisa, and they fortified their systems with massive minefields, booby traps, and hundreds of AI-controlled ships that were armed with outlawed fusion missiles. Now, a year after the start of the rebellion, Therax was leading the blockade of the Ominians, while his clutch sister and father were doing the same to the Grimiisa. The intelligence file he had just finished reading gave him a headache, and he pulled a sub-dermal injector out of his desk drawer. He pressed it to his wrist, hoping that the analgesic was strong enough to eliminate the knife that was stabbing him behind his eyeballs. The Ominians had been busy, and they used the two shipyards that were in their system to create thousands of small, unmanned ships that were intended to be used to ram the rebel ships and overload their cores. The spy indicated that the Ominians got the idea from the Republic ships in the Jaleeni system. The spy, a Grimiisan admiral that Therax had known since they were in the academy together, was adamant that the Ominians sole purpose was to ensure that any invasion attempt would turn into a bloodbath and either cripple or destroy the rebel fleet. He also forwarded secret plans by the Ominian government to take the remaining two hundred Commonwealth warships they controlled, along with five million of the most prominent citizens, and flee towards the galactic core and rebuild the Commonwealth with them as the supreme rulers. They would abandon the remaining five billion Ominians to the fury of the rebel fleet, along with their last loyal allies, the Grimiisa, to suffer the consequences. The sheer selfishness and cowardice of their intentions made Therax sick to his stomach, and he vowed to make them pay. He could not blockade the Ominians forever; they had a tremendous number of resources in the system and could continue to build more forts, ships, and other defensive measures throughout their system. They would continue turning themselves into an impenetrable fortress that would fester like a sore in the very heart of Commonwealth space. He had only one option, and he would require the help of the Republic. He activated his communications relay and sent a coded message to Admiral Thompson¡¯s flagship, requesting to speak with him. He leaned back in his chair and ate from the plate of raw shikal meat that his aide had brought for him over an hour ago while he waited for the connection to be made. Ten minutes later, the connection was made. He sat upright on his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin to remove any traces of blood that may have been there from the shikal meat before opening the channel. Admiral Thompson appeared, and Therax bowed his head slowly, the admiral returning the gesture. Therax was extremely uncomfortable with having to do this, still burdened by the guilt he felt for the death of Mei Zhou. He felt like there was a change in their relationship, despite the many attempts by Admiral Thompson to assure him that he bore Therax no ill will. Therax spoke first, pressing an icon on his desk panel and sending the intelligence file to the admiral. ¡°This is the latest report on the Ominian system. Any attempt to invade will result in the loss of hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of rebels.¡± Admiral Thompson looked over to his right and read the report, his eyes moving swiftly, before turning back to look at Therax. ¡°Those bastards are playing for keeps, huh? An invasion would be a bloody affair, Commodore. What are you thinking?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. Therax looked down at his desk and played with his writing stylus as he replied. ¡°I would like to officially request that your government ask the Ma¡¯lit Domain to intervene on our behalf. The Ominians are in violation of the Treaty of Sirius, and I want the Republic to invoke Article 3, Subsection 1A.¡± Therax looked back up at the admiral as the admiral whistled slowly at what Therax had just asked him to do. ¡°Commodore, I find it highly unlikely that the Ma¡¯lit will get involved, even with evidence that the Ominians have deployed and threatened to use fusion missiles. The very fact that the Commonwealth has fallen into civil war almost guarantees that they will view this as an internal matter and not subject to the Treaty of Sirius.¡± ¡°I need you to try, Admiral. There has already been too much death and suffering. I cannot preside over the wholesale slaughter of my fleet with a slim chance of victory. I saw that happen in the Jaleeni system.¡± Therax winced as soon as his words left his mouth. Why did you say that? You are a fool! He screamed at himself in his head, seeing his words change the admiral¡¯s facial expression. Admiral Thomspon¡¯s eyes took on a haunted look, and he grimaced as he replied stiffly to Therax. ¡°I am well aware of that, Therax. I will pass on your request to my superiors. Good day, Commodore.¡± And he leaned forward and stabbed a finger at his desk, abruptly closing the channel. Therax put his head in his hands, cursing himself for his blunder. He remained in that position for a few moments before he wearily lifted his head and fumbled for the sub-dermal injector in the draw, his headache back with a vengeance. He signaled for his senior staff to come to his office and started pulling up all the plans they had been working on for the last few days. He had to decide and act on it soon, before the Ominians continued to fortify their system beyond his ability to invade. He glanced at a holo photo on the desk, a gift from the parents of Mei Zhou. It showed Mei on a beach smiling happily, her arms wrapped around her canine pet that had its long tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth, baring all its fangs in true happiness. After the memorial service, her elderly parents shuffled up to him, where he was lingering on the outskirts, feeling as if he did not belong there. They introduced themselves to him, and he had felt an overwhelming desire to flee from them, sure that they were going to accuse him of killing their daughter. Instead, the father and mother both shook hands and politely asked for a moment of his time, gesturing to a nearby bench. They walked over to it, and he waited for them to be seated first before kneeling on the grass in front of them. Her mother spoke first, thanking him for delivering the last words of their daughter before the fateful battle that ended her life. She pulled out a small data chip, and a hologram of the vice-admiral popped up. She was in uniform, and she had recorded the message before going into battle, surrounded by a privacy screen that blocked out the rest of the bridge. She told them that she loved them, that she was sorry for not coming home, and asked them to understand why. The last part of her message was a request for them to speak to Therax and to let him know that it was okay. He saw the small package her father was holding, and he handed it to Therax before bending over and embracing him. Her mother got off the bench and did the same, and then they left him, shuffling away as they grasped each other by the hands. He remained there for a long time, staring at the wrapped package, before he worked up the courage to remove the outer wrapping. It was the photo that he now had on his desk, and he stayed there for hours afterwards, staring at the photo before members of his bridge crew approached him and took their grieving commodore back to his ship. ¡°I miss you, Mei; I wish you were here to tell me what to do.¡± He whispered to himself. His aide entered his office a moment later, followed by the rest of his staff. He finally looked away from the photo of his clan leader and friend, the void of her absence still as large today as it was when he watched her die. After many hours of planning and wargaming, they finally agreed on a plan that offered the best chance of successfully invading with the lowest projected casualties of at least 50% of his eleven hundred strong fleet. He ordered the fleet to prepare to launch the invasion thirty hours later, and he dismissed his staff. The next day was filled with frantic preparations as he readied his fleet for the coming battle and had all his task force commanders come to the flagship to finalize the invasion plans. The fleet was topped off with fuel and munitions, and he had a final meeting with all the commanders before they ate together in the dining hall. Therax opened a small cask of human mead that was gifted to him by the clan leader when he had the first dinner with her on her ship, and he went around filling the glasses before they toasted the fallen of the Jaleeni system. Afterwards, he went to his quarters and slept for four hours, anxious about the coming battle. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The following morning, Therax was on his bridge as his fleet assumed their final formations before flashing into null space. They emerged in the outer system outside the range of the Ominian defenses, and he issued his final orders before the fleet flashed back into null space and emerged as separate task forces scattered throughout the system. The invasion had begun. His task force was responsible for taking on a section of defensive forts that ringed the system along the boundary between the outer and the inner systems. They were massive constructs that had the largest particle beam weapons ever constructed by the Commonwealth. They were powered by multiple reactors, granting them twice the hitting power and allowing them to outrange his weapons by almost 15,000 kilometers. His ships would be forced to advance through their deadly fire for thousands of kilometers before his own weapons came into range. He wished that the Republic had been able to join him in the fight or at least send some of their shielded nullships. They were currently occupied with multiple clearing operations, and most of their expeditionary forces were in the dead zone, patrolling the original borders of the Insectoid Empire that the Insectoids withdrew to for unknown reasons. The Republic government supported the rebellion immensely with intelligence, supplies, munitions, and automated repair ships. They felt that the overt involvement of Republic ships in the rebellion would do more harm than good, and his father concurred, saying that some of the members that joined the rebellion would see it as an unwelcome interference in an internal matter. He ordered the taskforce engineers to push the reactors to 115%, ignoring their warnings about overloads and failures. He had no choice in the matter; he needed to get into weapons range as quickly as possible, and every second he lingered in the mismatched particle range was a death sentence to his ships. The engines accelerated beyond their rated output, pressing him against his chair and making it difficult to breathe as the gravity dampeners struggled to compensate for forces beyond their operating threshold. He grimaced as several bright lights flared on the viewscreen, the unlucky ships being turned back into their constituent atoms as the powerful particle beams found them. After 45 painful seconds of acceleration and the loss of sixteen ships despite the evasion protocols, Therax issued a command to cut thrust by ? and felt blessed relief as the hundreds of pounds of pressure lifted off him. They had finally entered weapons range, and the battle AI instituted preprogrammed evasive maneuvers as his ship targeted one of the massive particle beam ports. A volley of plasma torpedoes and particle beams erupted from the bow of his ship, and he watched as the beams weakened the armored cover that slid down to the particle beam port before the plasma torpedoes struck in rapid succession, destroying it. All around him, his task force ships were doing the same as the fort¡¯s secondary batteries targeted them, damaging and crippling dozens of vessels as the fort fought back against the invaders. He was losing too many ships already, and he still had four more forts to attack after they rendered this one inoperative. He sent a coded command into null space, and a few seconds later, a squadron of four Xenxin dreadnoughts flashed out a thousand kilometers from the fort. These new heavy units were the result of a collaboration between Xenxin and Republic ship designers, and Xenxin shipyards armed the ship with the newest version of the Republic railguns, the Mark-36. The Mark-36 fired a 14-inch-diameter slug, and the dreadnoughts fielded two 120-meter-long spinal-mounted batteries along the dorsal and ventral axes, for a total of four railguns. The squadron of dreadnoughts opened fire, and sixteen slugs hit the main hub of the fort 11 seconds later, tearing it apart as kilotons of energy were released by the impacts. The dreadnoughts pivoted, bringing their port and broadside batteries of the smaller Mark-16 and Mark-24 railgun batteries into play, firing dozens of slugs towards the remains of the central hub as they ponderously engaged in evasive maneuvers. The fort had eight arms that jutted out from the central hub, and four of them were still functional and firing as their independent backup reactors went to full power. The reactors fed the undamaged particle beam ports that remained as they drifted away from the destroyed central hub, firing their positioning thrusters to line up their shots. The four drifting sections targeted a single dreadnought, and Therax watched as the port-side armor plating boiled under the onslaught of the kinetic energy of the sub-atomic particles impacting it. The arms fired again, and the invisible particle beams punched through the now-slagged armor and penetrated the hull, spearing through the ship and destroying power transmission lines and plasma conduits. The dreadnought lost power and continued its trajectory, unable to change its course as it drifted. The arms targeted it again, hitting the aft section and rupturing the cores, causing them to overload and destroy the ship in a massive explosion that also took out two nearby destroyers. The drifting segments targeted another dreadnought, severely damaging it as the three ships returned fire, finally destroying two of them as his task force took out the rest. Therax listened as the battle AI listed the number of ships destroyed and damaged, and he flicked his head in disbelief at the toll the fort exacted on them. He had lost thirty-six ships, and dozens more had been moderately to severely damaged in the process of destroying the massive and heavily armed fort. Elsewhere in the system, other task forces were suffering the same loss and damage rate. Only four of the twelve forts had been destroyed thus far, at the cost of 136 ships destroyed and hundreds more damaged. He needed to change his tactics, and it was a very bloody and expensive lesson to find out what kind of upgrades the Ominians made to the century-old forts in preparation for the invasion. There were now only eleven dreadnoughts remaining, and he ordered the three squadrons to flash into null space. As his battered task force reorganized for the assault on the next fort, he had the dreadnought squadrons flash out at the next fort outside of its weapons range and launch their Mark-36 railgun slugs from 75,000 kilometers, saturating the area around the targeted fort. The long range allowed for the fort to activate its thrusters and central hub engines, and the massive fort slowly moved and tilted itself, taking advantage of the thirteen-and-a-half-minute travel time of the slugs to dodge some of the strikes towards the central hub, though a few of them managed to hit and cause tremendous damage. The dreadnoughts, to preserve their dwindling Mark-36 stocks for the other remaining forts, pivoted again, bringing their smaller and more numerous Mark-24 and Mark-16 turrets to bear. After lining up their shots and sending a volley of the smaller rounds towards the fort, they flashed into null space and headed to another fort to repeat the process. Despite the efforts of the fort to engage in evasive action, the size of the structure and the sheer number of rounds that saturated the targeted fort smashed into the central hub and some of the arms, severely damaging it. Therax had his taskforce flash in and finish off the fort, losing another sixteen ships in the process. When the fort finally stopped firing and its detectable power levels dropped to near zero, Therax ordered the task force to head to the next target, dreading having to assault another one. It was already heavily damaged by the dreadnought squadrons that had launched a long-range assault before proceeding to the next target. It fired as soon as his task force flashed out of null space, still a dangerous foe with functional weapons that continued to claim victims as it targeted heavily damaged ships unable to withstand its onslaught. The battle AI activated the dreaded alert he had been waiting for, and he turned his attention to the sensor station. The sensor technician cried out in alarm as he confirmed the readings and looked at Therax with fear in his eyes. ¡°Fusion missiles inbound, twenty seconds out!¡± Therax cursed and activated the emergency flash-out protocol. Most of the ships of the task force were able to flash out, but some had damage to their power systems, and their capacitors couldn¡¯t charge fast enough to make the jump so soon after exiting null space. His ship flashed back into null space, and he forced himself to watch the video feed from a spy drone that was in normal space and transmitting. Fourteen of his ships were not able to make the initial jump, and he saw dozens of tiny points of light heading towards the stricken vessels as the fusion missile engines burned towards them. The fourteen ships fired their point defense systems, and they were able to destroy many of them, but others made it through the defensive fire and ignited their warheads when they reached the optimal range. The bridge crew watched in silence as the missiles activated their salted fusion warheads, and the viewscreen overlayed the sensor readings to bring life to the invisible waves that bathed the ships with multiple types of deadly radiation. The battle AI approximation of the readings showed the large waves overlapping and hitting the fourteen ships from all sides as they were bracketed by the fatal rays. There was no need to imagine what was happening. The radiation penetrated the ships, destroying all the sensitive electronics and control systems that kept the biological lifeforms alive inside of them. When the radiation hit the crew, those closest to the hulls were the lucky ones, as their skin sloughed off and their brains were fried, suffering for only a few moments before expiring. The unfortunate souls deeper in the ship were the ones who truly suffered as radiation passed through them, reduced enough to merely poison them and guarantee that the next twenty to thirty minutes of life left to them would be filled with an almost incomprehensible agony as their organs slowly liquified and they disintegrated at the cellular level. Their pain receptors and nerves would remain functional, transmitting every sensation as they endured the most horrible manner of death before finally collapsing into a puddle of flesh as their bones became brittle and shattered. They will be acutely aware of what is happening and feel everything before finally dying. Over a hundred other ships throughout the system suffered the same fate, and they didn¡¯t even get through the first line of defense yet. Four forts were still fully operational, and another wave of over two hundred fusion missiles was on the way. Therax raged at the cowardice of the Ominians for using such weapons, and he was gripped with indecision about how to proceed. He didn¡¯t think that they would actually deploy the fusion missiles, believing that the horror of such weapons of last resort would cause them to hesitate to use them. The fact that they used them so early in the battle changed the calculus, and he was no longer content with achieving victory. They must be punished for what they did to his crew. He ordered all the surviving ships throughout the system to cease combat operations and flash into null space, and he activated the command channel override for the ships, taking control of all communications. ¡°Warriors of the Commonwealth Liberation Fleet, this is Clan Leader Therax. I have ordered all ships to withdraw to null space for a fleet-wide moot. As you can see, the cowardly Ominians have launched the outlawed fusion missiles and killed your fellow warriors of a hundred and eight ships, subjecting them to the worst deaths possible.¡± Therax clenched his fists and inhaled deeply, terrified of what he was about to ask of his ships. ¡°I am proposing that we bombard them to teach them and anyone else who dares to use such weapons a lesson they will never forget. We will unleash our righteous fury upon them, and we will turn their planet into a graveyard. This is now a referendum on committing Shal''Rickta." There were loud gasps of shock from the crew all around him as he said the word. He ignored them and continued speaking. "You will all vote on this matter and forward the results to your leader, who will then notify me. You have fifteen solar minutes.¡± Therax pressed the toggle, closing the channel, and looked around his bridge, seeing the concerned expressions of the crew. He drew a deep breath and addressed them. ¡°I know that what I am proposing goes against everything we believe in and is contrary to the fundamental concepts of honorable conduct that we adhere to.¡± Therax continued looking into the eyes of individual crew members as he looked around the bridge before resuming. ¡°Fighting with honor means nothing when our skin is sloughing off as our organs become liquified. They have shown us that they are willing to do whatever is necessary to defeat our invasion, and they are not worthy of such considerations from us. I will gladly bear the dishonor of this action if it means that I am able to save your lives and put an end to this conflict.¡± Therax stood up from his chair and walked to his bridge office to allow his crew to discuss and decide on the referendum in private. The door slid shut behind him, and he sat down in the chair and stared at the photo of Mei Zhou as he waited for the results. Shal''Rickta had not been decided in generations, as it was considered too barbaric to enact for thousands of years. The ancient custom was reserved for extreme cases, and would burden those who undertake it with the dishonor of exterminating an entire tribe to remove their bloodline from the species. This was not a tribe of hundreds or thousands. This was an entire world filled with billions of Ominians. Twelve minutes later, Sub-Commander Favix entered the office with a datapad and a carefully guarded expression. He reached the desk and stood at attention before saluting, and Therax stood up to return the salute before extending his hand to take the datapad and flicking his head at the door. Sub-Commander Favix turned smartly and left, the door sliding shut behind him as he exited back onto the bridge. Therax tried to calm his shaking hands as he read the results of the referendum, and he slowly let out the breath he was holding as he saw the final tally. 78.2% voted yes, 12.8% abstained, and the rest voted no. He had the necessary votes to commit genocide, and he left the office, resuming his seat on the silent bridge as the crew watched him. He connected the datapad to the command channel and sent the final results to the fleet, looking at his bridge crew as they saw the result of the referendum being displayed on the main viewscreen. There were no cheers or physical signs of approval or disapproval of the vote, just expressions of grim determination. He pressed the toggle again, opening the channel to address the rest of the fleet. ¡°The moot is over, and Shal''Rickta has been decided. Those of you who voted no will be allowed to leave your ships if you wish to do so. All leaders will arrange to have a shuttle ready to carry those who wish to depart over to the medical ships." He paused, feeling the weight of what they were about to do weighing heavily on his soul. He forced himself to sound confident as he continued. "All engineers will extract antimatter, bottle it, and reconfigure the plasma torpedoes for atmospheric entry. You have twelve solar hours.¡± Therax closed the channel and stood up. He looked at his bridge crew one last time before heading to the bridge exit and pressing the icon for the lift to take him to deck three. He will go to the ancestral shrine and pray to the ancestors for guidance. And forgiveness. They Held The Line-Chapter Five- Ray Buncomme Pleiades Cluster, 2175 A.D. 442.2 light years from Earth Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 Ray Buncomme barely resisted the urge to punch the smug exosuit in front of him as he continued to listen to the occupant of the biomechanical construct lecture him like he was a barely sapient child. He regained his composure and concentrated on maintaining the bland smile on his face, his thoughts consumed with worry of the potential failure of the discussion he was engaged in. He was the official representative of the Republic to the Ma¡¯lit Domain, and he had spent many years carefully cultivating this relationship. Despite the intransigent nature of the many Ma¡¯lit representatives he had dealt with over the years, he had slowly earned their grudging respect and managed to get them to engage with him in matters that they typically refused to consider with the younger species. He was responsible for the technological transfers they finally agreed to after annoying the crap out of them about it for over a year, and he was rightfully proud of getting them to the point that they gave him what he wanted just to shut him up. He did not have the luxury of time to do the same thing here. The Commonwealth Liberation Fleet was mere hours away from launching their assault on the Ominian system, and he needed to get them to act fast. Fat chance, he thought to himself as he waited for the long-winded lecture to finally be over. The Ma¡¯lit did not do anything in haste. They pondered, they ruminated, and they took forever to reach consensus and finally decide on an issue, even for simple things like changing a delivery date for trading ships coming to one of their automated border posts. It was maddening to deal with their lack of concern for doing things in a timely manner. I suppose that is a natural thing when you live for hundreds of years and view things in the scope of centuries and millennia. I can see why they view us as mere children squabbling over nonsense compared to their 500,000-year-old interstellar civilization, he thought to himself as he readied himself for his rebuttal to their denial of his request to intervene. The exosuit speakers finally stopped speaking, and he started slowly counting to ten in his head to make sure the Ma¡¯lit was finally done. Speaking out of turn or interrupting them was a grave insult to the Ma¡¯lit and would immediately end the session. He learned that lesson the hard way when he first made that mistake, and they punished him by refusing any overtures from him for eight months. It was only when he informed them that he was being replaced by another representative that they resumed speaking with him, informing him that they would rather not go through the trouble of ¡°properly training¡± his replacement. When he had counted to ten and was sure that it was in fact his turn to speak, he addressed the Ma¡¯lit exosuit in front of him. ¡°Honored Elder, I hear your words and know the wisdom contained within them. I thank you for enlightening me, and I wish to ask that you please consider my thoughts.¡± He paused, silently counting to three, before continuing to speak. They preferred short, concise bursts of speech, and it took a while for him to change his speaking style and cadence to accommodate them. ¡°Article 3, Subsection 1A clearly outlines the repercussions for deploying fusion weapons with the intent of using them against other species. The Ominians are in violation.¡± The Ma¡¯lit responded after the appropriate length of time to be sure that the human had finished speaking. ¡°This is an internal matter, not subject to sanctions by the Ma¡¯lit Domain.¡± After the appropriate interval, Ray responded, growing impatient. ¡°It matters not if this is an internal issue. When the Insectoids invaded the Commonwealth, they did not resort to using them in self-defense. Though they were entirely within their rights to do so, they did not use them, believing that it would be in violation of the Treaty of Sirius.¡± The Ma¡¯lit responded almost immediately, surprising him with such a rapid response. ¡°Your statement has no bearing. This is an internal matter and not subject to sanctions by the Ma¡¯lit Domain.¡± Still flustered by the rapid response of the Ma¡¯lit, Ray waited for the appropriate duration and pressed his point. ¡°Yes, it does. Believing that violating the treaty would trigger sanctions from the Ma¡¯lit Domain led to the Commonwealth not deploying them against the swarms, and almost seven hundred billion souls were eradicated by the Insectoids as a result. Now, the Commonwealth has descended into a civil war because of the treaty. You are responsible.¡± After twice the usual interval of time had passed, the Ma¡¯it responded, its synthesized voice replaced by its real, unfiltered voice. Ray winced as the shrill, rapid sounds pierced his ears, causing immense pain as he doubled over. The Ma¡¯lit finally stopped screeching, and his translator put words to the terrible sounds. ¡°How dare you accuse us? We are not responsible for the actions of children such as you. We made the treaty to protect you from your own self-destructive tendencies, and you insult us by claiming that we are at fault. This is why we have chosen to isolate ourselves from immature and incompetent species such as yours.¡± Ray straightened himself back up, his hands trembling from the rage he was feeling as he stared at the black lens of the recording sensors that transmitted the outside world to the Ma¡¯lit within. ¡°When the Insectoids invaded multiple times, you did nothing. When they swarmed and murdered over one hundred billion souls during the first wave, you did nothing. And when they came for the Eleani, you were not there; we were. When they wiped out the V¡¯rni, you were not there.¡± He started to pause to give the Ma¡¯lit a chance to respond before changing his mind. Screw this; I am tired of their arrogant bullshit, he thought as he continued speaking. ¡°And when they went to the Jaleeni system to exterminate them, they did not find you there. They found us, and our entire fleet sacrificed itself to save them because it was the right thing to do. For all your vaunted power and wisdom and the exalted status you have conferred upon yourselves over us younger species, your failure to act has shown us that you are not worthy of the honor and respect that you demand.¡± Ray spun around and started walking quickly towards the exit, which was ten meters away. He was no longer kissing their asses, and he did not care anymore. He got to within three meters of the open exit when the recessed door silently slid shut. He turned around and glared at the Ma¡¯lit, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the distance between them. ¡°You will open this door. Need I remind you that I am an accredited diplomatic official of the Republic of Humanity and that detaining me against my will is a hostile act?¡± The Ma¡¯lit did not respond right away, and after a few moments, it started walking towards him. The exosuit legs whirred as the Ma¡¯lit came closer to him, the wide bases of the suit legs clanging as they lifted and fell onto the hard granite floor. Ray forced himself to remain still, maintaining a proud bearing that belied the uncertainty he felt as the 2.5-meter-tall exosuit continued towards him. The Ma¡¯lit stopped one meter from his position, looming over him as the lenses of its sensors focused on him. It started speaking again with its own voice, though it mercifully lowered the speaker volume this time around to avoid hurting his auditory organs again. He listened as the Ma¡¯lit continued to stridently vocalize, and he grasped his translator and held down the side button to stop it from immediately translating until the Ma¡¯lit finished speaking. It finally stopped speaking, and he waited for the customary ten seconds to pass before he double-tapped the button on the translator to let it perform its function. ¡°We were great explorers when your kind had yet to learn how to speak. We were among the first ones, one of the great species that claimed dominion over this area of space. We observed the barely sentient ancestors of your species and others for millennia, like the deities of the skies they worshipped. We have seen species rise and fall. We have seen empires grow and decay. We have seen great wars and pestilence lay waste to the stars and all those who inhabited them. We watched as our allies and friends died by the deca trillion, powerless to save or help them. Nature had selected them for extinction, and who were we to try to deny the natural order of things?¡± The translator stopped momentarily, mimicking the pauses of the Ma¡¯lit when it spoke before. ¡°The Insectoids are such a force, implacable like the nature that created them. There is no appeasement, no common ground. They will continue inexorably, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You might as well ask the planets to stop rotating or the stars themselves to refrain from undergoing nuclear fusion.¡± There was another pause, and the translator resumed its dictation. ¡°They are a part of the natural order of things. We do not interfere, and because we know our place, we remain, and we will continue to remain long after all the great works you wrought have returned to the very dust from whence they sprang.¡± Ray had been listening silently, feeling the pain and sorrow of the Ma¡¯lits words, even though the translator was not capable of conveying the emotion behind them. He did not respond, and he turned his gaze to the floor, utterly defeated. He had failed to secure their intervention, and now their allies are going to invade a system armed to the teeth with salted fusion weapons. The Ma¡¯lit started speaking again, and he barely paid attention as he continued to stare at the glossy black triangular tiles on the floor. After another burst of speech, the Ma¡¯lit finished speaking, and he double-tapped the button to listen to what would surely be another lecture. ¡°My human child, think not that we are so callous as to not care for what happens to you and the others. We seeded the stars with null drives for you to find so that we would not have to be alone anymore, and we waited patiently for over a hundred thousand years for our children to join us. Every time one of the young ones left their solar systems, we rejoiced and watched with pride as they took their first foray into the unknown. We felt the greatest joy when your species finally made it through the great filter and clawed its way back from extinction. Your contrasts are unique and continue to confound us to this day.¡± Another pause, and Ray was now looking at the sensors of the exosuit, surprised at what was being said by the Ma¡¯lit in front of him. ¡°You are capable of equal measures of love, hate, beauty, ugliness, creation, and destruction. You have chosen to emphasize the better aspects of your duality, and we are proud of what you have become. When you fought and died for the Eleani, our pride was immeasurable. When you did it again to save the Jaleeni, it was then that we truly knew that one day you might take your rightful place next to us as enlightened ones if you could only survive the coming trails that await your species.¡± There was another, longer pause before the translator resumed. ¡°This is why we gave you technology to help you when we refused to do so for the others. This is as far as we are willing to go, and in this matter, we decline to interfere. This is the order of things, and we fervently hope that your species has been selected for survival. Fare well, human.¡± The translator beeped, indicating that it was finished. Ray stood silently as the Ma¡¯lit waited until what it had to say was communicated by the device, and then it turned away from him, heading back towards the center of the chamber. Ray turned around and saw that the exit he had headed for before was now open. He walked towards it and had just passed the threshold when he realized that the Ma¡¯lit was wrong about one thing. The Insectoids were not a force of nature; the proof was that the Hive mother was allied with the Republic. He spun back around and reentered the chamber, walking fast as his excitement grew, having found a flaw in their logic. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Honored Elder!¡± He called out, rapidly closing the distance between them until he was once again two meters from the exosuit. This was a serious breach of decorum, and he did not care one bit. He had something to show the Ma¡¯lit, and he was damn well going to prove them wrong and force them to act. The Ma¡¯lit started shrieking again, and this time he could clearly discern the emotion behind it as the shrill vocalizations penetrated his ears. It caused a weird sensation, making him feel a little faint as his head felt like it was getting both smaller and larger at the same time. It was pissed at him, and he did not need the translator to pick up on that. He reached up and pressed the side button three times in rapid succession, turning it off. He then activated his wristpad, quickly scrolling through its files until he found what he was looking for as the Ma¡¯lit continued to stridently vocalize while pointing towards the exit. He ignored it and took off the wristpad, placing it on the floor in between them and activating the holo system. The program activated, and a 3-D representation of the first contact between the rebel queen and the Republic shimmered into view. The AI Bandit and the rebel queen were signing to each other in Eleani sign language, and President Lopez could be seen clearly communicating with the two of them. The Ma¡¯lit stopped shrieking, and he saw the lenses of the suit sensors look away from him and towards the hologram, focusing on it. It continued to watch the hologram as it played the entire conversation, and when the program finished, he bent down and quickly activated another file. This one was a compilation of holo videos showing humans and their androids helping the rebel queen build her Hive on the Republic world and worker drones helping Republic scientists dismantle the Hive ship and cruiser for study. The Ma¡¯lit was silent while the entire twenty-minute video played, and when the program was finished, it turned towards him and spoke to him in the synthesized voice it normally uses. This time, its words were in Republic standard. ¡°Human, this is a fabrication. I pity you for thinking that you can fool us with such nonsense. I fear that your mind has drifted from reality if you think we will believe that a queen has joined forces with another species. Such things are not possible.¡± Ray bent back down and picked up the wristpad before standing back up and offering it to the Ma¡¯lit. ¡°Take this and analyze it. You will find other files that show the same truth, and if you still don¡¯t believe me, then send a ship to that world and see for yourself that there is a Hive in Republic space.¡± The Ma¡¯lit did not move at first, and his arm started to tremble slightly from extending the wristpad. Finally, the Ma¡¯lit suit reached out a three-fingered hand and took the device from him before speaking again. ¡°You will wait here while we verify the contents. Refreshments will be brought for you, and we will provide waste processing facilities for your use.¡± An enclosed conical structure silently appeared from the floor five meters away, while another door opened on the opposite side of the chamber. A vaguely humanoid android appeared, holding a tray that had a liter-sized glass with a clear liquid and what looked like food. It walked towards them, stopping ten meters away from his position as another structure slid out of the tiled floor and morphed into a table and chair that were perfectly sized to human proportions. The Ma¡¯lit turned and walked out of the chamber, its suit legs whirring softly. Ray walked over to the conical structure and peered inside of it, seeing that it had a toilet and a sink. He relieved his bladder, and after figuring out how to activate the sink water, he washed his hands and left the commode. He went over to the table to inspect the food that was placed there, seeing that it was formed of what looked like gelatinous cubes. He gingerly tasted one, finding that it was bland. He swallowed that cube and two more, chasing them down with the water that was provided, and he sat down on the chair. He was surprised as the solid-looking material molded itself to him as he moved in it. It was quite comfortable, and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down after the emotionally charged discussion he had had with the Ma¡¯lit. He was startled awake an indeterminate amount of time later by the presence of the Ma¡¯lit exosuit, and he looked around, confused. He had fallen asleep, and his subconscious must have made him aware of the large figure in front of him. He had a disturbing dream of being on a ship surrounded by people, and they were begging him to help them as their skin sloughed off in large sheets. He kept trying to put their skin back on while they were screaming in pain and staring at him with bloody, empty eye sockets, their eyeballs having already melted from the salted fusion missiles. The Ma¡¯lit reached out a three-fingered suit hand, offering him his wristpad back. He took it, looking at the time displayed on the screen, his eyes quinting at the elapsed time. Eight Hours? I slept for eight hours. How? His thoughts grew in confusion, and then he started panicking, pushing himself out of the chair and stumbling a little bit as the grogginess persisted. ¡°Did you drug me? He asked the Ma¡¯lit, anger coursing through him at the thought of them violating him like that. He looked at his wristpad again, and as his mind cleared up from the effects of whatever they gave him, he realized that the assault on the Ominian system had already begun over four hours ago. The Ma¡¯lit answered him, its synthesized voice still speaking in Republic standard. ¡°You fell asleep naturally. After verifying the contents of the data device, we flooded the chamber with gas to perpetuate your normal sleep cycle while we decided on what to do.¡± Ray looked around, his confusion mounting. He was about to start speaking again when the Ma¡¯lit raised a suit hand, and he clamped his mouth shut, grinding his teeth in frustration. ¡°A scout ship was sent to the Hive world in Republic space to verify the truth of the matter. We detected the Hive and the presence of humans inside of it. This changes the parameters that we have held ourselves to regarding the Insectoids, and we no longer consider them to be a force of nature incapable of reasoning.¡± The Ma¡¯lit paused, putting down the suit hand it had been holding up before continuing. ¡°Therefore, we reached a consensus among ourselves that to remain neutral in the matter of the civil war and the use of the outlawed fusion missiles would be a dereliction of our duties and responsibilities under the Treaty of Sirius. We injected you with a protective agent to mitigate the effects of our advanced null drives during our journey here; that agent is why you are suffering lingering effects.¡± The Ma¡¯it paused again, and a large holo screen shimmered into existence along one of the walls of the chamber. It took Ray a few moments to figure out what was being shown to him, and he gasped as understanding finally dawned on him. The Ma¡¯lit had moved the border outpost he was on over a thousand light years to the Ominian system in just a few hours, a feat almost beyond his comprehension. He had no idea that the massive ringed structure, over five kilometers in radius, was even capable of navigating null space. He was stunned at the display of such raw technological power, and he could barely fathom the energy requirements to do such a thing. He was also shocked by the rapidity of their actions, as they had never made decisions or reached a consensus with the celerity they had just displayed. As he continued to look at the holo screen, he could see the wreckage of hundreds of Commonwealth ships scattered throughout the system, as well as the remains of multiple defensive forts. A massive battle was fought all over the system, and the holo screen zoomed in on an area of space along the boundary between the inner and outer systems. There were over a dozen drifting Commonwealth ships, still intact with signs of scorching on their hulls, but no obvious critical damage such as breaches or weapon impacts. Ma¡¯lit script appeared along the bottom of the holo screen, and as his ocular implant deciphered it, dread mounted inside of him as the scans confirmed that they had been hit with salted fusion missiles. We were too late. He thought to himself as he tore his eyes away from the holo screen, his heart heavy with grief. They must pay for this, and he turned back to face the Ma¡¯lit, his grief being replaced with an overwhelming desire for vengeance against the cowardly Ominians. ¡°Honored Elder, they have used the outlawed weapons, and they must pay for their actions.¡± He ground out between his clenched teeth, not caring that he was snarling at the Ma¡¯lit as he spoke. The Ma¡¯lit focused its sensor lenses on him, and he could see the inner mechanisms rotating as they roamed over his face. ¡°Human, it is not your place to punish them. The Ma¡¯lit will sanction the offenders, and you will abide by the judgment we render, as will your government. The rest of the Commonwealth fleet is in null space, and we will order them to exit and see the penalty we will impose.¡± Relief flooded through Ray when he heard that there were survivors of the failed assault, and he closed his eyes, whispering a grateful prayer. He opened them again and addressed the Ma¡¯lit, his voice trembling with emotion. ¡°Honored Elder, I am grateful that you have chosen to intercede, and the Republic will never forget this. We have a long memory, and we will be forever indebted to you.¡± The Ma¡¯lit responded after a long moment. ¡°It is our duty. Perhaps we have forgotten that in our desire to limit our interaction with the younger species. Thank you for reminding us that we are still needed, my human child. You will speak to the Commonwealth fleet on our behalf and order them to exit and assemble their fleet 900,000,000 kilometers from the primary and one of your astronomical units above the plane of the ecliptic.¡± The Ma¡¯lit turned towards the holo screen, and Ray followed suit, quickly fixing his sash and smoothing his hair back. I wish the commode had a mirror, he thought to himself. He must have looked quite a sight after all he had been through. A few seconds later, the holo screen changed, and he saw a male Nekuli appear on an obviously damaged Commonwealth bridge. Commodore Therax had a carefully guarded expression, though Ray could see the surprise in his eyes as it roamed over them. He probably was not expecting to be speaking with a Ma¡¯lit, especially in the Ominian system. The commodore bowed his head and looked at the Ma¡¯lit exosuit, addressing it first. ¡°Honored Elder, may the ancestors bless you. I am Commodore Therax, and I am honored that you have deigned to speak to me. How may I be of service?¡± The commodore¡¯s eyes quickly flicked over to look at him again before returning to the Ma¡¯lit. The Ma¡¯it responded, his synthesized voice speaking in the Nekuli language as it replied. His translator activated immediately, having detected another language, and he listened intently as it translated the Ma¡¯lit response to Commodore Therax. ¡°You will speak with the human representative; it speaks for me. Consider all commands from it to be our own. I must depart and prepare the sanctions.¡± The Ma¡¯lit exosuit abruptly turned and started walking towards the exit, and Ray saw the chagrined expression on Commodore Therax¡¯s face as the Nekuli turned his eyes to look at him, upset by the dismissive attitude of the Ma¡¯lit. Ray understood how he was feeling, considering their ancestor worship. They had an extreme reverence for the Ma¡¯lit, and to be dismissed by one so curtly was most certainly hurtful to the commodore. Ray bowed his head in the proper gesture of respect and spoke quickly to try to mitigate some of the offense Therax must be feeling. ¡°Commodore Therax, I am honored to meet you. I am Ray Buncomme, and I ask that you not be upset by the unintended curtness of the Ma¡¯lit elder; it is deeply disturbed by the actions of the Ominians and the losses suffered by your crews.¡± Commodore Therax¡¯s expression softened after hearing his words, and he appeared to be somewhat mollified by the explanation. He returned the head bow to Ray before responding. ¡°I am honored to know you, Ambassador Buncomme. May I ask what is going on here? We are about to launch a planetary bombardment on Ominia; they must be punished for daring to use those evil weapons.¡± Ray nodded and held up both hands in a placating gesture as he responded. ¡°Commodore, I share in your desire for vengeance, and if it were up to me, I would do the same. It is not up to you or me anymore; the Ma¡¯lit have decided to intervene and require our obedience in this matter. You are to assemble your fleet in an orderly formation and exit null space 900,000,000 kilometers from the star and one AU above the plane of the ecliptic.¡± Commodore Therax regarded him with suspicion, narrowing his eyes as he responded. ¡°They have hundreds of those abominations throughout the system running cold, just waiting for my fleet to flash out of null space and irradiate them. I refuse to make such an unsound tactical error, and if you were here, you would refuse to do so as well after watching your crews get hit by them.¡± Ray smirked, realizing from the Commodore¡¯s words that the Ma¡¯lit somehow were able to hide the massive border outpost despite being in between the orbits of the third and fourth planets. The Ma¡¯lit technology was incredible, and he relished the thought that this meant that the Ominians also had no idea they were there either. ¡°Commodore Therax, I am in this very system, 85,000,000 kilometers from the sun, on board a Ma¡¯lit automated border outpost. You will comply with the orders of the Ma¡¯lit, or we will leave. Your choice.¡± Therax looked away from the screen, obviously listening to someone on the bridge confirm that they could not detect the presence of the station. He turned his gaze back and took a deep breath before responding. ¡°I am trusting you with the lives of thousands of my warriors. Do you swear upon your honor that no harm will come to them? Ray nodded. ¡°I swear upon my honor, Commodore. No harm will come to your ships. Please comply.¡± After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Commodore Therax flicked his head before ordering his crew to close the channel. The holo screen went back to the view of the solar system, and Ray waited patiently for the Commonwealth fleet to flash out of null space. Two solar minutes later, the scanners picked up exit flashes far out in the system and zoomed in, showing the fleet emerging in neat, orderly formations. Ray sucked in a breath between his teeth as he saw the scanning results displaying the number of ships. There were only 728 ships remaining out of the over 1100 strong fleet that invaded the system. The Ma¡¯lit scanners also showed the positions of hundreds of fusion missiles loitering throughout the system, easily able to detect them even though they had powered down to avoid emissions detection as they cold-coasted, waiting to strike. In the inner system, there were thousands of small ships with no life signs, and their cores were obviously overpowered for such small vessels. Those must be the suicide boats, he thought to himself as he continued to take in the scanning information that populated the holo screen. The Ma¡¯lit sensors had scanned Therax¡¯s ships when they flashed out and discerned that the Commonwealth ships had hundreds of missiles with antimatter warheads, definitely not standard munitions. They must have reconfigured them while hiding in null space. Conflicting emotions raged inside of him as he realized just how close the Commonwealth fleet had come to committing genocide. On a personal level, a part of him wished that they had not come to the system and stopped Therax; the Ominians deserved to die for what they did. On a logical level, he was grateful that they did stop Therax in time. The government of the Republic would have most likely reacted with horror. They would have certainly cut off all ties with the rebel fleet and any government that would have been formed after winning the civil war. He heard a Ma¡¯lit exosuit entering the chamber and turned around, waiting silently for the Ma¡¯lit to reach him. It took position next to him, and they both resumed looking at the holoscreen while it spoke. ¡°Sanction has been decided based upon the severity of the Ominian violation of the Treaty of Sirius. They have shown that they are capable of evil, and they will pay the price for such abhorrent behavior. They are no longer worthy of being a space-faring society, and they will now suffer the indignity of being a planet-bound species for ten generations. This is our judgment.¡± Ray continued looking at the screen without replying or acknowledging the statement. He thought it was too lenient, but he had agreed to abide by the judgment of the Ma¡¯lit, and as the representative of the Republic, his government was now bound to the judgment, as was the Commonwealth Liberation Fleet. The Ma''lit spoke again. ¡°It now begins." They Held The Line-Chapter Six-Buncomme/Therax Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. ¡°It now begins.¡± Ray looked at the Ma¡¯lit, feeling a chill run down his spine at the ominous nature of the statement, before returning his gaze to the far wall of the chamber. On the holoscreen, he saw four Ma¡¯lit dreadnoughts shimmer into existence. They had a length of twelve kilometers, a beam of five kilometers at their widest points, and were two kilometers in height. They had an elongated diamond shape, and their hulls were a silver metallic color that scintillated, looking like massive gems in the darkness of space. The four dreadnoughts each appeared at the same distance from the star, and they were positioned directly in the center of the four quadrants of the solar system, effectively controlling all four sections. On the screen, he saw all four of them flash a blinding pulse simultaneously. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked the Ma¡¯lit, his eyes glued to the sensor readings that tracked the invisible waves as they propagated through the system at the speed of light like ripples on a still pond. The Ma¡¯lit responded, pointing to the screen as he answered. ¡°Those are null field dampeners. They will prevent any ships from activating their null drives and fleeing the system for the next solar day, except for our vessels. Any ships hiding in null space will also be affected by them and will be pulled out into real space, sometimes catastrophically. That is why I had you order the rebel fleet to exit.¡± Ray nodded silently, astounded by the revelation of the technology. The Republic needs to know about this and figure out a countermeasure, he thought to himself as he continued to act like what he was just told was not the major intelligence coup it was, wondering if the Ma¡¯lit slipped up by telling him or just didn¡¯t care that he now knew. He watched as all four of them activated their shields, seeing them shimmer and undulate along the hulls as the emitters joined all their individual sections to form a whole before becoming invisible. The smooth, unbroken lines of the hulls started changing as openings and constructs appeared, and the emerging weapons systems now gave the beautiful ships a dangerous aura. The holo screen flared brightly as all four dreadnoughts opened fire, their particle accelerators finding and destroying any fusion missiles and nuclear mines hiding nearby as they winked out. The range of the Ma¡¯it particle weapons was tremendous, at least three times the distance of the war beams of the Republic nullships. Once they cleared the local space around them, they accelerated, and two of the dreadnoughts headed for the boundary of the inner system towards the remaining forts. The other two circled the star in a patrol pattern that would clear the outer system as their hundreds of beams continued to find and destroy missiles and mines. The dreadnoughts in the outer system were moving at incredible velocities, their reactionless drives propelling them to 20% the speed of light as they continued to clear out the space around them. The two other dreadnoughts flashed into null space before flashing out again outside of the perimeters of the forts. The forts fired at them, and he saw the impacts of their powerful particle beams splash harmlessly against the force fields as the Ma¡¯lit vessels returned fire, easily destroying the massive stations with just a few shots as they continued along their courses, heading towards the others that still remained. The Ominians had been sending frantic messages to the Ma¡¯lit ever since they appeared, and the Ma¡¯lit did not respond once as they continued to destroy the military infrastructure in the system. An hour passed, and the entire outer system''s defenses and minefields had been cleared by the two dreadnoughts. After they had done that, large openings appeared on both dreadnoughts, and three dozen smaller Ma¡¯lit ships the size of Republic corvettes emerged from them and swarmed out, headed towards the outer planets and any non-military or civilian infrastructure still present. The smaller Ma¡¯lit ships destroyed every single outpost, station, and orbital networks that still remained, as well as any ground structures on the outer planets. Ray heard the pleas of the Ominians that were on those structures and planets, begging for mercy, before becoming silent as the Ma¡¯lit ships fired on them without hesitation. The Ma''lit script on the holo screen kept changing as their vessels continued to destroy everything, and he saw the number of Ominian dead, already in the millions, rapidly rising. Hearing the pleas of the Ominian civilians as millions of them died begging for mercy turned his fury into sadness, and he turned away from the holo screen, feeling ill at what he was watching. The Ma¡¯lit noticed his discomfort and turned to face him. ¡°My human child, it gladdens me to see that your desire for vengeance and punishment has turned to anguish and despair. This is not easy for us to do, and we will carry the burden of what we do here for the rest of our existence. This is a lesson that must be taught, and we must be the ones to teach it.¡± Ray nodded and forced himself to turn back towards the holo screen. The two dreadnoughts and their smaller vessels flashed into null space, leaving behind a smoldering graveyard devoid of life in the outer system. They exited null space just inside the boundary of the inner system and proceeded to find and destroy every single piece of non-military infrastructure they came across that was bypassed by their sister ships. Orbital stations, research labs, mining depots, and habitats filled with hundreds of thousands of souls disappeared as particle accelerators erased them from existence. The other two dreadnoughts that were already there had cleared all the military infrastructure and defenses before moving on. They were currently bombarding and scouring the fourth planet, destroying the domed cities on the surface that hundreds of millions of Ominians had called home for generations. In desperation, the Ominians fired all their last remaining fusion missiles at the dreadnoughts, and the abominations were hunted down and destroyed by the dozens of Ma¡¯lit corvettes as they screened their motherships. Force fields flared brightly as they absorbed the radiation of the fusion missiles, deflecting the deady rays from the ships. Seeing that the missiles were destroyed, the Ominian AI suicide boats were activated, and they swarmed towards the four dreadnoughts. The holo screen was dimmed to compensate for the miniature suns that were created as hundreds of the suicide boats were destroyed by particle accelerators and antimatter torpedoes from long range. There were almost two thousand suicide boats, and hundreds of them made it through the Ma¡¯lit long-range weaponry, burning their engines and executing evasive maneuvers well beyond the normal thresholds. There were no fragile biological lifeforms for the AIs to worry about smearing against the bulkheads, and they continued on, expertly dodging the weaponry that was firing at them. The Ma¡¯lit ships activated their secondary weapons systems, and the space around them became a maelstrom of destructive energy as particle beam turrets, antimatter torpedoes, and gravimetric charges were fired, destroying dozens of suicide boats. Three of the AI ships made it through the defenses and were less than three seconds from impacting a dreadnought when a Ma¡¯lit corvette intercepted them and self-destructed in their path. The corvette overload was tremendous, and it took the three ships with it as their own cores, already in a state of barely controlled overloads, went off. The sheer magnitude of the explosions took out another two dozen AI ships, as well as five other corvettes that were in proximity, triggering a deadly chain reaction that hit the port side force fields of the targeted dreadnought with an almost incalculable amount of energy. The force fields intercepted the energy, flaring brightly before they turned a deep, dark red. They finally collapsed as the emitters burned out, and Ray could see the armored hull of the dreadnought boil under the onslaught of the destructive energy before it turned into slag and collapsed inward. The port side of the dreadnought suffered from dozens of hull breaches that shot out frozen fluids as the massive vessel bled from its wounds. Lights throughout the ship flickered, and it stopped firing on the planet below before suddenly flashing into null space. Ray stared in shock, not believing that a Ma¡¯lit dreadnought could be harmed, let alone enough to cause it to retreat. He turned to look at the Ma¡¯lit standing next to him. ¡°Honored Elder, I grieve for the lives lost on those ships.¡± The Ma¡¯lit turned towards him. ¡°No lives were lost. Our ships have no biologicals on them. Your grief is not necessary, though appreciated.¡± Ray stared at the Ma¡¯lit beside him. That would explain the lack of explosions or decompressions, but hearing that those massive ships were uncrewed by the Ma¡¯lit disturbed him. He fervently hoped those ships had kill-switches like the Republic nullships did. One of those dreadnoughts could decimate the entire quadrant if it went rogue. ¡°I am glad to hear that there were no honored elders on those vessels.¡± He turned back towards the holo screen and the carnage it displayed, seeing that the rest of the suicide boats had been destroyed. Another dreadnought had lost several field sections and was moderately damaged but still fully functional. Three additional Ma¡¯lit corvettes had been destroyed; they self-destructed to take out the last remaining groupings of the AI suicide boats as they tried to ram the dreadnoughts. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. They finished bombarding the fourth planet, and the three remaining dreadnoughts turned ominously towards the second planet, the Ominian Homeworld. The thirty-two surviving corvettes accelerated ahead of their motherships and surged towards the third planet to take out the shipyard and the rest of the orbital infrastructure above the planet, as well as the few structures that were on it. The dreadnoughts accelerated, and within a few minutes they entered the orbital space of Ominia. The three ships orbited the planet, and within thirty minutes, they destroyed the last remaining shipyard, sixteen forts, two space elevators, and every other large structure orbiting the planet. The Ma¡¯lit ships ignored the two hundred plus strong fleet that was parked above the northern pole of the planet, the dampening wave already having reached them and inhibiting their null drives. The commanding officer of the fleet had sent a message declaring their surrender some time ago, and their weapons and fusion cores had already been powered down by the time the Ma¡¯lit ships reached orbit. The Ominian government had been issuing broadcasts of unconditional surrender non-stop, and the Ma¡¯lit continued to ignore them as they ominously directed all their weaponry to the planet below. The Ma¡¯lit corvettes, which finished taking out targets on the third planet, now joined their motherships in orbit. They assumed positions that covered the entire surface of the planet before firing on the thousands of satellites surrounding it and blinding the Ominians on the surface as the satellite network was destroyed. Ray asked the Ma¡¯lit for permission to sit, his legs and feet hurting from standing for so long on the hard granite tiles. He was also afraid that he was going to collapse and embarrass himself, as his legs trembled slightly from the emotional turmoil he had undergone for the last few hours. A perfectly sized seat emerged from the ground behind him, and he lowered himself into it gratefully, thanking the Ma¡¯lit as the seat shifted to conform to him. The android appeared out of nowhere, scaring him as it offered him a tray with water on it. He took the water, glaring at the android, before greedily emptying the glass container and spilling water down his chin. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and resumed looking at the holo screen, waiting to see what the Ma¡¯lit would do next. He did not have to wait long at all. At the same time, every dreadnought and corvette fired on the surface, their invisible beams now observable as they entered the atmosphere and ionized the air with their passage. Thousands of land-based missiles were fired at the ships, and they were all shot down before reaching orbit. The Ominians activated their antiquated planetary defense laser batteries, and they were systematically destroyed as the Ma¡¯lit ships detected their power signatures, the few successful laser strikes splashing harmlessly against their force fields. The Ma¡¯lit ships attacked and destroyed every single military target on the planet over the next hour, destroying the planet¡¯s ability to ever be a threat again. They then targeted power generation and communication systems, plunging the nighttime side of the planet into darkness and leaving the entire planet without power or communication networks. The billions of frantic messages among the populace were suddenly silenced, and Ray could barely imagine the terror they must now be feeling. Planet-wide industrial, distribution, and transport infrastructure were destroyed. The Ma¡¯lit also detonated devices in the atmosphere that sent out EMP pulses that covered the entire planet, causing almost half a million aircraft and shuttles to fall to the ground after they lost power. Tens of thousands of missiles were fired by the Ma¡¯lit ships, and they descended into the atmosphere, hunting down and sinking military, civilian, and cargo transport ships to the bottom of the oceans. After four hours of this relentless assault, the entire technological base of Ominia was destroyed, regressing them back to a pre-industrial state. The Ma¡¯lit turned to Ray. ¡°We are entering null space and will re-emerge in orbit. Please inject this to mitigate the effects of our drives.¡± It held out a suit hand, offering a small sub-dermal injector. He took it and pressed the injector against his neck, feeling a warm sensation that spread from the site. A few moments later, he felt a slight disjointedness as they entered null space, and the holo screen changed to show the shimmering, gray void of null space as the station moved through it. A few seconds later, he felt pressure behind his eyes, and a sharp stabbing pain exploded in his head, making him fall to his knees. He grabbed at the sides of his head, screaming in agony. He felt another momentary jerk, and in moments the pressure and pain receded, leaving him gasping as the memory of what he just experienced lingered. ¡°Human, my apologies for the discomfort. Now you understand why we drugged you for the travel here?¡± Ray nodded, grateful that they gassed him. He never wanted to experience that again for as long as he lived. He stood up shakily and looked at the holo screen, seeing that they were now in orbit above the planet. ¡°What happens now?¡± he asked, looking at the wounded planet below and seeing the scars of the strikes, tens of thousands of locations still burning and sending massive plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. His ocular implant translated the Ma¡¯lit script on the side, showing the total estimated death toll of the entire system. 627 million deaths. Ray was hit with a sudden wave of nausea as he processed the number. He vomited on the black tiles as the full import of the punishment hit him, and he fell to the ground again on all fours, hyperventilating. He looked up at the Ma¡¯lit standing beside him, seeing it in a new light. For the first time, he was truly terrified of them and their abilities. The Ma¡¯lit suit sensors focused on his face, and it turned towards him, offering a suit hand to help him up as it started speaking. ¡°The Ominians will not leave this planet. This outpost will now stay in the orbit of the planet to ensure that the Ominians remain on the surface for the next ten generations. They will not rebuild what we have destroyed. They will not engage in interstellar commerce, nor will they have any contact with outside species. They are now exiles; let this be a lesson to all.¡± Ray stared at the Ma¡¯lit, finally understanding the true scope of the punishment. The Ominians will revert to a preindustrial society, and they will experience the loss of their exalted position in the Commonwealth and the quadrant. All that they have done for hundreds of years to secure their position as the preeminent species in the Commonwealth has been taken from them. They are now exiles, and they will suffer ignominiously for ten generations. He could not think of a worse thing to do to the arrogant Ominians; only extermination would be a crueler fate than the one they would now experience. The Ma¡¯lit pointed to the holo screen, and he saw that a small construct that had been released by the Ma¡¯lit in orbit had entered the Palace of the Director. It smashed through the walls and shrugged off attempts by the palace defenders to shoot it down, its shields flickering as it returned fire, sending small bolts of plasma towards its attacks that left gaping holes in their torsos. After a dozen defenders died, they ceased their attacks and fled the grounds, and the construct continued penetrating the palace, heading directly towards the director¡¯s chambers. A minute later, the holo screen changed and showed the inside of the chambers that it had entered after blasting down the solid alloy door that futilely tried to bar its progress. The Ominian director, the leader of both their government and the former Commonwealth government, was on the screen. The Ominian¡¯s normally violet skin was a pale pink, and it had a haggard and defeated expression. The Ma¡¯lit spoke in Ominian, its synthesized voice expertly vocalizing the melodious language. Ray¡¯s translator performed its function, and he heard the words translated into Republic standard. ¡°You have violated the Treaty of Sirius, and you have shown that you are an evil people, consumed with power and greed. You and your descendants will know ten generations of want and privation, and you will suffer the indignity of going from master to servant.¡± The director started speaking, and Ray winced involuntarily as he saw an electrical charge shoot out from the construct on the floor and envelop the director. The energy charge caused it to scream and convulse as it fell to the floor and started foaming at the mouth, before the electrical pulse abruptly ended. The Ma¡¯lit continued to speak as if nothing happened. ¡°You will be silent. You will not rebuild any infrastructure. You will not restore power. You will refrain from using any technological devices that may remain or attempt to build any. You will know the toil and suffering of your ancestors. You will be at the mercy of the elements, and you will devolve into a subsistence society. Perhaps your descendants will emerge as a better species for it.¡± The director was still on the floor, looking at the construct with glassy eyes as it listened to the Ma¡¯lit in silence. Struggling to sit upright, the director feebly pushed itself up and breathed heavily before silently bowing its head in acquiescence to the Ma¡¯lit demands. Seeing the bow, the Ma¡¯lit raised both suit hands in a palm-out gesture towards the holo screen and the Ominian Director. ¡°Judgement has been rendered.¡± The holo screen disappeared, and the wall it was on returned to its glossy black surface. The Ma¡¯lit exosuit turned and left the chamber without saying a word to Ray, who remained seated in his chair, staring at the wall that had shown him an entire species being brought low from their once lofty position. CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Commonwealth Liberation Navy Commodore Therax and the rest of his bridge crew watched the video that was being broadcasted by the Ma¡¯lit automated outpost in orbit of the Ominia, listening to the Ma¡¯lit sentence the Ominian species to ten generations of exile. The video ended, and the view screen returned to displaying the sensor information that was on it before as the battle AI listed and categorized the damage inflicted by the Ma¡¯lit ships. All traces of Ominian presence throughout the system were destroyed, and for the first time in almost seven hundred years, the solar system was almost completely silent. Save for the over two hundred Commonwealth ships trapped in polar orbit, there were no signals, emissions, or bursts of radiation that signified the presence of an advanced society. The near silence was profound, and it was mirrored on his bridge as the true extent of the Ma¡¯lit actions became evident. Therax got off his chair and exited the bridge, pressing the lift icon to take him to deck three. He exited the lift when it arrived and quickly walked to the aft section of the ship, where the ancestral shrine was located. He entered a booth and closed the door behind him before lighting the single candle in the center of the room on the floor. There was nothing else in the booth, and he kneeled before the small flame as it flickered, casting shadows on the dim walls. He bowed his head and began to pray. Honored ancestors, thank you for saving my soul. My desire for retribution blinded me to the fact that I would have become the very thing I was fighting against. I should have known better. Mei Zhou, I almost failed you. Please forgive me for the dishonor I was willing to bring upon your name and the names of those who died with you for a selfish moment of vengeance. Instead of wishing you were here and asking your spirit for your advice, I should have been emulating you. This is the last time I forget the example you and your crew set for us in the Jaleeni system. I am Nekuli, and I thought my species knew what honor was. I now realize that somewhere along the way, we forgot the meaning of the word. We were so focused on trying to maintain what little we had managed to preserve under an honorless government that we forgot the truth about it. You showed us the way, and I cannot believe how close I came to forgetting. I am so ashamed, and if I did what I wanted in my moment of weakness, I know that you would not have been there to welcome me with open arms when my time to join you came. You would have turned your back on me and declared to the ancestors, ¡°I do not know him. He is not one of us.¡± My venerated ancestors would have heard you, and I would have been cast back into the river, my soul forever lost as I drifted to the sea of wickedness to join the ranks of the unworthy. I do not know if you somehow interceded to save my soul and the lives of my crew by bringing the Ma¡¯lit. I do know that I will never besmirch my honor because of the actions of others again. For the rest of my days, I will remember you and your way, and I shall never again stray from the path you have laid for me. Thank you, my friend. Therax leaned over the candle in front of him and gently blew it out. He stood back up and headed towards the booth door, sure of his footing in the dark as his photoreceptors compensated for the lack of light. He headed back towards the lift that would take him back to the bridge. Along the way, he passed several crew members, and he saw the change in their faces and bearings. They were full of newfound hope, spared from undertaking a genocidal act that would have dishonored them for the rest of their lives. He entered the lift and pressed the icon to take him back to the bridge. He felt the burden of all the death, loss, and suffering they had gone through lifting off of him, and for the first time in over a solar year, he smiled, baring all his fangs in true happiness. They Held The Line-Chapter Seven-Hive Mother Transiting null space 2,364 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. The Hive mother dreaded the coming battle, and she obsessed over the fleet she assembled, constantly entering and leaving the minds of her numerous command drones to make sure that they were following her orders precisely. After her ascension, two of her eight sister queens refused to accept her as the new Hive mother, accusing her of matricide and leaving to return to their Hives. The remaining six sister queens accepted her as Hive mother, pledging their Hives to hers and helping her to perform the ritual burial of the old Hive mother. As a result of the refusal of the two sister queens to acknowledge her ascension, the new Hive mother was forced to withdraw to their pre-swarming space, leaving behind numerous new Hives and hundreds of millions of drones in the animal space they had conquered to consolidate the remaining forces she had under her control. The loss of the secondary builder world and the ships that were there, as well as the loss of the two fleets in the animal system, severely reduced the ability of the empire to hold onto the new territory they had conquered. The old Hive mother¡¯s obsession with eradicating the animals blinded her to the reality of the poor decisions she was making and left them in a perilous state as her desire for revenge consumed her. The new Hive mother was forced to recall some of the ships that had been guarding the forbidden areas since they established their new home in this region after their long migration following the great persecution. For almost four hundred cycles, those massive fleets had vigilantly patrolled the forbidden areas as they watched for signs of the unknown animals. Eight of every ten ships they built were sent there, and there was never a need to draw ships from those fleets until now. The much smaller fleets on the other side of the empire were always more than enough to overpower the other animals. Their pattern of expansion and consolidation, coupled with the reluctance of the other animals to truly fight them, allowed them to maintain the lopsided distribution of ships to the two frontiers. The losses inflicted on them by the new fighting animals severely disrupted the balance, and the Hive mother reluctantly recalled a small portion of the guardian fleets to increase her overall ship numbers in preparation for fighting her two disobedient sister queens. She needed to bring them under her control and reunify the Hives, or she would be a failure as the new Hive mother and her other sisters would turn on her and kill her. She also needed to wrest control of the primary builder world back from one of her insubordinate sister queens, and that is why she was forced to recall those ships from their more important patrols in the forbidden areas. She felt the Hive mother within stir in response to her question, opening her mind to her thoughts. She returned to darting around her fleet as she continued to enter the minds of her command drones. It was almost time to drop out of null space and engage in battle against her rebellious sister. The one hundred and twenty Hive ships, plus the four thousand cruisers she had recalled, would have to be enough. She did not have the time or ability to retrofit them with the new hiding missiles or engines, as it took almost three lunar months for them to make the long trip back from the forbidden areas. She sent one hundred of the recalled Hive ships and two thousand cruisers to the borders, reinforcing her severely depleted patrol fleets to deter any animal invasions, keeping only twenty Hive ships and the remaining thousand cruisers for her coming battle. She had an additional ten Hive ships and five hundred cruisers, and these had the hiding missiles and new engines. Her sister had tested the engines properly and determined that the old Hive mother had sent them too deep into the inner system the first time, causing more than half of the new engines to fail catastrophically and destroy the ships. The minimum safe distance for the new engines was 400,000,000 kilometers from the star, a vast improvement over the typical 800,000,000 kilometers they used to have to exit in the outer system. This advantage would allow future invasions to occur deeper in the inner system, reducing the amount of sub-light travel time to targeted worlds from several solar days to just one or two. Her fleet also had over one hundred of the new battlehives, but she would reserve them unless absolutely needed, as she did not have the ability to make any more of them until she regained control of the primary builder world where they were made. She had come up with a plan that she hoped would allow her to claim a quick and decisive victory, thus minimizing losses on both sides, though she was ashamed of the source of her battle planning. She had accessed the memories that were shared with her by the old Hive mother, and she had gleaned many new insights from watching how the new animals fought and defeated them in the two animal systems. As she collated billions of data points and viewed the battles from many angles, she started to see how the old Hive mother kept losing to the new fighting animals, and shame overcame her for being willing to learn from them to defeat her sisters. It was the Hive mother within that corrected her thoughts on the matter. Her ancestor¡¯s thoughts stopped, and she could sense the hesitation. < Hive mothers do this on purpose to prevent queens from gaining too much power and wisdom; otherwise, the queens might join forces and overthrow her. This is a weakness that has plagued us since the beginning. This is why we lose when fighting the new animals. These animals, who do not share thoughts, become unified when making war. That is their strength.> The Hive mother considered her thoughts and saw the truth in them. She had always been more concerned with research and finding better ways to make things for the prosperity of the Hives. She always delegated the management of her Hives to her command drones, dedicating her energy to invention. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Most of her sisters were more concerned with increasing their Hives and territories and competing against each other. Now she understood why the old Hive mother would assign individual daughters their own tasks and keep them isolated from each other. She was ensuring that they remained fragmented and reliant on her to keep the peace between them. The Hive mother within withdrew, and she turned her attention to the task at hand. Her fleet was moments away from exiting null space, and she prepared herself for the coming battle. V¡¯rni System, 2175 A.D. ¡°Private, get your head out of your goddamn ass and keep up!¡± Screamed SSgt. Ayoub, her once beautiful voice now hoarse and grating as her words came over the com channel. ¡°Aye, staff sergeant!¡± He replied, barely able to gasp out the words as he struggled to reload the fresh missile magazine into the damaged port. He started punching the casing with his suit fist, and it finally slammed in, the indicator light turning from red to green. He tapped her helmet as she continued firing with her arms, the rotary laser and autocannon barely stemming the tide as more drones streamed over the growing piles of Insectoid bodies in front of their position. ¡°Slow is smooth; smooth is fast, private. Forget the mortars; just focus on the missiles and the ammo belts.¡± Alixa grunted in reply as he forced himself to slow down slightly to get a handle on the reloads. He opened a new ammo container and kept his head down as he waited for the autocannon to finally run dry. It clicked, and the belt feeding mechanism cover popped open as Ayoub pulled her arm back and lowered it. He deftly inserted the new sliver belt and made sure that it was coiled correctly before slamming the cover back down. Ayoub lifted her arm back up and resumed firing the autocannon as he went back behind her and pre-staged another missile magazine, watching as the last ten rounds of the fifty-missile magazine he just installed were fired in quick succession. He took a quick step to the side when it reached the last three rounds, and the loading port slid open, ejecting the now empty magazine with a loud clang that shot it out with enough force to knock him over if he was directly in front of it. He stepped back and inserted the fresh magazine, slamming his fist into the casing twice to get it to go in. Tapping her helmet again, he grabbed another ammo case and missile magazine and staged them for the next reload, leaning over and gasping as he tried to catch his breath. He had been reloading for almost two hours non-stop, only managing to take three short breaks, averaging less than thirty seconds in between the drone waves that continued their relentless assaults. Over 500,000 drones had already been killed along the four-kilometer front they were barely holding against the Insectoid swarms, each wave coming closer to reaching the lines as the growing mass of corpses provided cover for each successive assault. There were several times when small masses of drones managed to breach the lines, and he had to deploy his arm blades to kill the intruders as they clambered all over Ayoub¡¯s suit at one point. He had always wanted to test his hand-to-hand combat training skills in real life, a desire he no longer held after experiencing it for the first time. He did not realize just how powerful the drones were, and he learned the hard way when one of them sent him flying back over five feet with a kick from a single leg and knocking the breath out of him despite the armored suit protecting him. He felt the autodoc inject him again, and within moments he felt a wave of relief as the stim cocktail coursed through him, bringing energy and focus. He was just about to pick up the missile magazine to be ready to reload it when there was a significant reduction in outgoing fire along the entire line, and even Ayoub¡¯s volume of fire lessened. Alixa activated the PIP screen on his HUD, and a small window popped up from the overwatch drone telemetry. All along the four-kilometer front, the drones were retreating en masse, and even the crippled and severely wounded drones were trying to retreat. ¡°Did I tell you to stop reloading, private?¡± Ayoub asked him, jerking his awareness back to reality as he stopped looking at the PIP screen. ¡°No, staff sergeant. Sorry.¡± He picked up the missile magazine and stepped to the side while Ayoub softly ejected the magazine that was in her suit with fourteen missiles still inside of it. He stepped back and loaded the fresh magazine before moving the ejected magazine and placing it on the grav-sled. He grabbed another ammo can and removed the autocannon sliver belt, replacing it with a fresh one, and started cleaning up the mess of empty cans and missile magazines behind them. An all-clear siren blared from the drones floating above them, and the commander came over the comms. ¡°Nice work, people. Keep your head on a swivel and secure your weapons. We have a friendly insectoid shuttle with the allied queen inbound. Do not fire on the shuttle. I repeat: Do not fire on the shuttle. Medbots are on the way to take care of any wounded; the eta for the friendly inbound shuttle is thirty seconds, coming west of your positions.¡± He heard the click over the channel as the commander closed the line, and he resumed clearing the workspace, sneaking furtive glances at the sky to catch a glimpse of the shuttle. A few moments later, there was a bright object that flared briefly as it entered the atmosphere before it leveled out at 3,000 meters and headed towards the Hive location, almost a thousand meters in front of them. Ayoub tracked the shuttle with both arms, making weird noises to herself as she mimicked shooting the shuttle out of the sky, following it all the way down to where it landed about five hundred meters in front of them. A few moments later, a large section of the hull flipped down, turning into a ramp. Almost two dozen android combots surged out of the opening and took positions around the shuttle, establishing a perimeter. He couldn¡¯t help himself, and he leaned on the lip of the riverbed and zoomed in to see better. The combots were easy to identify by their four arms and the dome-shaped sensor mechanism mounted where a helmeted head would be. ¡°Are the combots good fighters, staff sergeant?¡± he asked, hoping that she wouldn¡¯t chew him out for stopping to look. She grunted before answering him. ¡°They are very hard to kill, and they have an impressive weapons suite. Their AIs are bound, however, so they are not capable of operating and making decisions like you and I are. They need very specific instructions and mission parameters and will perform admirably at their assigned tasks, such as protecting the queen on that shuttle.¡± Another figure emerged, and he could see the alien silhouette of the queen descending the ramp. She walked on four legs with her abdomen parallel to the ground, while her thorax and two upper arms were bent upright like a mammalian torso. It was his first time seeing a queen, and he was fascinated by her appearance. She was wearing a helmet that prevented him from seeing her head. Her two antennae were free and moving around from openings in the top of the helmet, and there was some type of flexible armor material covering the rest of her body save for her thin, triple-jointed legs and arms. She reached the bottom of the ramp and turned towards the Hive, and he could see the large, flexible wings shimmering in the sunlight as they draped down her back. The combots assumed a circle around her, and she started walking towards the Hive at a fast pace. The combots continued with her until one hundred meters from the Hive, where they stopped and took up defensive positions. She continued ahead until she got fifty meters from the main Hive entrance, where she finally stopped. An overwatch drone had maintained a position above her, and he accessed the telemetry and put it on his HUD. A few seconds after she stopped, a small group of drones slowly emerged from the entrance, and he could see their antennae bending and focusing on the queen fifty meters from them. After a few more moments, they started walking towards the queen and stopped a half-meter from her position. One of them moved closer and touched the queen with its antennae, slowly moving them over her body and the armor she was wearing. The others crept forward as well and did the same. The first drone gingerly put out a clawed arm, and the queen took its claw in hers. The drone turned towards the Hive, and another drone offered its claw to her, taking her other claw as it took position on the other side of her. They started walking, and the group of drones took the queen into the Hive, still holding both of her claws as they disappeared into the interior. They Held The Line-Chapter Eight- Hrethnir Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Hreth¡¯nir finished performing its ablutions and was now ritually cleansed. It headed to the inner sanctum of its private quarters to pray to the supreme being and atone for the sins it committed. It entered the dim room and walked around the perimeter, lighting incense and candles before kneeling on the ground in front of the one-meter-tall obelisk of black stone that was in the center. In front of the obelisk was a small, shallow pool filled with sacred water. It bowed to the ground, touching its forehead to the black granite tiles and feeling the coolness of them on its skin. ¡°Creator of life, Bringer of light, Savior of souls, Judge of righteousness. I submit to you, full of sin. I beg for mercy and ask that you grant it.¡± Hreth¡¯nir lifted its head off the ground and looked at the obelisk in front of him before continuing to whisper. ¡°I murdered millions. I passed judgment on others, and I succumbed to my anger and fury. They were evil, and I punished them for their sins. I did such things to save others, and now my soul is filled with anguish and regret, black with the evil I committed.¡± Hreth¡¯nir lowered its head back to the granite tiles, ignoring the pain shooting through the middle joints of its legs as they pressed against one of the hardest stones known to exist in the galaxy. ¡°I ask that you wash away my sins and find me worthy again. I ask that you show me the errors of my ways and guide me along the path of righteousness. Forgive my mortal weaknesses and make me whole and pure, that I might one day stand before you without shame.¡± Hreth¡¯nir lifted its head again and looked at the obeslisk, reaching down with cupped hands and putting them into the sacred water. It lifted its cupped hands and brought them over its head, pouring the water over it. Two more times it did this before performing the final cleansing rites. It started wiping its body from its torso outwards and down the length of both arms before symbolically flicking its hands to expel the sin that the purifying water carried away. Hreth¡¯nir slowly got up, resisting the urge to cry out in pain as the patella of both middle knee joints shot pain signals to nearby nerves from the new fractures that were caused by the floor tiles. It walked around the perimeter of the inner sanctum in the opposite direction, snuffing out the incense and candles before departing and returning to its main quarters. Once inside, Hreth¡¯nir walked over to a cabinet and took out a small device, activating it and waving it around the fractured patella of both middle joints and feeling the device knit them back together again. Soon, the pain was gone, and a slight tenderness was all that remained. Walking over to the small heating element, Hreth¡¯nir started preparing a simple meal when a chime came over the communication system, informing it that someone was outside. It pressed an icon on the wall panel nearby and saw that it was the human child outside of its quarters. Sighing, it slowly walked over to an alcove on the wall and pressed an icon that was next to it. The recessed wall panel slid to the side, and his exosuit quietly slid out on a track system one meter past the wall. Hreth¡¯nir walked behind it and activated the exosuit, the back splitting open and revealing the form-fitting space inside of the suit that he would slip into. It entered the suit, and the back closed before numerous electrodes snaked out, connecting the cybernetic receptors along its spinal column to the suit. The cerebral tap plunged into the port at the base of its skull, and it was now one with the suit, able to control the construct with its thoughts and nerve impulses. Accessing a sub-menu, Hreth¡¯nir activated the environmental controls of the quarters and purged the air that was in it, replacing the atmosphere with fresh, purified air that was saturated with antivirals. Turning to the entry, it activated the door, and the door slab slid sideways into a recess of the wall, revealing the child standing in front of it. Hreth¡¯nir smiled with pleasure, knowing that the human representative could not see it before speaking. ¡°You may enter, human.¡± It watched with interest as the human child entered the quarters timidly, unsure of the new environment he was entering. They are so like children; everything is still new and wondrous to them. Hreth¡¯nir thought to itself as it gestured a suited hand towards a sitting bench that was emerging from the floor at his thought of needing one for the human. ¡°May I offer you refreshments, my human child?¡± He nodded, a curious quirk of their species as he sat down on the proffered bench before answering. ¡°I would be grateful for some water, honored elder.¡± Hreth¡¯nir sent a thought, and a servant android emerged from a hidden panel along the far wall, heading towards the refreshment station. In a few moments, it was in front of the human with a tray and a small glass vessel with water. The human took it, thanking the android unnecessarily for performing its function. Hreth¡¯nir found it endearing whenever the human thanked a machine incapable of understanding gratitude; he was a very polite being and a credit to his species. Waiting for the human to drink, it walked over to where he was sitting and had the exosuit crouch down so that the human would not have to look up at it while conversing. The human drank the water, and the servant android waiting nearby took two steps towards the human, taking the empty glass vessel from him before retreating to the refreshment station to wait until it was needed again. ¡°How may I serve you, my human child?¡± Hreth¡¯nir asked, curious about the reason why the human came to its quarters¡ªan unusual occurrence. The human looked down at the floor, grabbing his hands together before looking back at the suit sensors and answering. Hreth¡¯nir could see the anguish in his eyes, and it felt the paternal love it had for the human child growing, already knowing what was bothering him. ¡°Honored Elder, I find myself regretting asking for the Ma¡¯lit to intervene here. I feel guilty for all the deaths, as if I murdered all those people myself. Please do not think that I am passing judgment on the actions undertaken; I cannot help but feel sorrow for all the lives lost and the true suffering that has yet to come upon them.¡± Taking a few moments to consider a response, Hreth¡¯nir continued to look at the face of the human child. It saw that the lacrimal fluid of his eyes was beyond the ability of the eyelids to contain, and the excess fluid started falling down his face. Compassion swelled inside of Hreth¡¯nir at the grieving of the human in front of it, and it took considerable self-control to resist the urge to exit the suit and comfort him. I cannot risk contamination, and they must not see our true form, though I think I could trust this human, Hreth¡¯nir thought to itself before responding. ¡°We rendered judgment based upon the past actions of the Ominians and the future acts they had yet to perpetrate. We know what they were willing to do to assure victory, and they are fortunate that we did not succumb fully to our anger and select them for extinction.¡± The human¡¯s face took on a confused expression as his eyes locked on the exosuit sensor lenses. ¡°Please explain, honored elder.¡± The human asked after the appropriate time had passed, sitting up straighter. He used a small piece of fabric he had taken from a chest pocket to dry his face and shifted his position closer to the edge of the sitting bench. Hreth¡¯nir responded. ¡°For the sake of efficiency, let us forgo the customary length of time employed in official talks between speakers. Is there a gesture you wish us to use to indicate when we have finished speaking, human?¡± The human nodded again. He put up his right hand and held it up before speaking. ¡°I will hold up this hand while I speak and put it down when finished. Would this be acceptable to you, honored elder?¡± Putting up its hand, Hreth¡¯nir responded. ¡°An excellent suggestion, my human child. Now, I will answer your last question. Before launching our assault, we harvested all the databanks of the Ominians while deciding on the severity of the punishment. One such database was isolated from all the others and heavily encrypted, requiring almost three seconds to break the encryption. This was an astounding feat of cryptography by the Ominians, and we were duly impressed. It was the contents of this database that ultimately increased the severity of our punishment.¡± Still holding up its hand, Hreth¡¯nir continued speaking as the human listened intently to its words, holding his hands together and both arms on his leg joints as he leaned even closer to the exosuit. ¡°Among many evil plots, there was one so abhorrent that we considered it to be a jest or the ruminations of an insane being at first. That notion was quickly corrected when we realized the true extent of the planning involved. They intended to use some of the AI ships offensively if they were in danger of falling to the invasion and have them exit null space within the atmosphere of certain targeted worlds.¡± Putting its hand down, Hreth¡¯nir watched the emotions roiling across the human¡¯s face as he processed what it had just revealed. Exiting or entering null space in the atmosphere caused such cataclysmic destruction that twenty small ships like the AI vessels would trigger an extinction level event on a planet the size of Earth. It would destroy all life on the targeted worlds, rendering them inhabitable for at least a galactic year before microscopic life would return, if at all. It was an unthinkable crime, and the human was truly fortunate that he was able to convince the Ma¡¯lit to intervene. ¡°Which worlds were targeted, honored elder?¡± whispered the human, his dark skin visibly paling as the true implications of such an act dawned on him. He forgot to raise his hand, an easily forgivable oversight. Raising its hand, Hreth¡¯nir responded. ¡°Nekul Prime, Xenxia, Eleania, and your home world were the first targets to be hit. Secondary targets included the home worlds of the species that joined the rebellion, as well as every single colony of the Republic. Plans were also drawn up to do the same thing to the Insectoids, and they would have targeted all known or suspected Hive worlds.¡± It paused, thinking of the calamity that was narrowly averted before continuing to speak. ¡°They thought to emerge as the undisputed masters of this quadrant, forgetting about us. The Ma¡¯lit Domain would not have allowed such an act to go unpunished. We would have exterminated the Ominians and the Grimiisans in our righteous fury. If you had not reminded us of our sacred duty, the Ma¡¯lit Domain would have again found itself alone among a graveyard of trillions. Thank you for saving us from that despair, my human child. I do not think we could have gone through that again and maintained our sanity, or the will to keep existing.¡± The human was breathing heavily, and he abruptly stood up before pacing back in front of the sitting bench with his hands on his hips. Hreth¡¯nir adjusted the height of the suit a little bit so that they were now on the same level and waited patiently for the human to speak again. He raised his trembling hand before resuming, remembering this time. ¡°Honored elder, I am scarcely able to comprehend the magnitude of such an evil act, and I see now how your response could be considered¡­ justified. However, what about the hundreds of millions of innocent civilians that were killed? My AI has calculated that upwards of a billion more are going to starve to death before they can successfully convert to an agrarian society capable of feeding themselves.¡± He put his hand down, and Hreth¡¯nir raised its own before answering. ¡°Human, the Ominians have long succumbed to their base instincts and desires. They were consumed with vanity, status, and power. They controlled their true avarice when the Commonwealth was whole, and they dropped any pretense of continuing to do so when a large segment of the membership was eradicated.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused, thinking of how to get its point across to the human. ¡°Instead of rising to the occasion and doing the right thing, they took advantage of the power vacuum and the perilous state of the Commonwealth government to seize control and act upon their worst impulses. Billions of Ominian citizens did nothing to stop it. They did not engage in civil disobedience; they did not strike. Instead, they supported their government, sought to aggrandize themselves at the expense of others, and brutally suppressed anyone who rebelled. They were guilty of complicity when they chose not to rise and overthrow their evil government.¡± Hreth¡¯nir put its hand down and waited for the human to respond as he continued to pace back and forth while listening to what it had to say. Finally, he stopped pacing and turned towards it with a raised hand. ¡°I will explain your reasoning to my government. I might not agree with everything you have said, but I do see your point, and I will do my best to convey it. I came here in part because of a request by the Republic that I am to ask of the Ma¡¯lit Domain. May I do so now?¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Putting his hand down, the human took a seat on the sitting bench once more. Hreth¡¯nir crouched his suit once more before raising a hand and responding. ¡°This is highly irregular, but I will allow it this time. State your request, human.¡± ¡°The Republic of Humanity officially requests that you allow for the shipment of food and medical supplies to the Ominian people to alleviate some of their suffering. It is the determination of my government that they have suffered enough. In the interest of future relations with the Ominians, we wish to provide humanitarian aid.¡± He put his hand down, and Hreth¡¯nir raised its own, answering immediately. ¡°Even after what I told you they were going to do, you still want to provide aid to them?¡± ¡°No, not really, honored elder.¡± He replied. Hreth¡¯nir truly laughed for the first time in many cycles, its suit broadcasting the laughter and scaring the human as the external speakers blared. Putting up both suit hands to stop the human from getting off the sitting bench and fleeing, Hreth¡¯nir spoke to him. ¡°My apologies, human. I have not laughed in many cycles, and your honest reply surprised me. Thank you for this; I had almost forgotten how nice it feels.¡± ¡°That was you laughing? It sounded like the suit was malfunctioning. I didn¡¯t even know that the Ma¡¯lit laughed.¡± The human replied, leaning back as he settled himself on the sitting bench again. ¡°There are many things you do not know about us, my human child. The answer to your request is no. In the interest of maintaining good relations between the Republic and the Ma¡¯lit Domain, I will allow for Ma¡¯lit food synthesizers on this outpost to manufacture enough food to meet the minimum caloric requirements to sustain the life of every Ominian on the planet until they become self-sufficient. Is this a suitable counterproposal for you?¡± The human nodded while raising his hand and replied. ¡°It will have to be. May I ask why you will not allow us to contribute?¡± Hreth¡¯nir took a long moment to think of its answer before replying, trying not to reveal too much at once. We cannot keep them in the dark much longer; it is better to start preparing them for the coming tribulations they will face. ¡°Your resources will be needed elsewhere, not tied up trying to supply food to almost nine billion Ominians. You are already stretched to the breaking point trying to help the Jaleeni refugees. I must tell you something, my human child. Will you vow not to speak of this until the time I deem it necessary to reveal it to your government? I will know if you do, and I will be severely sanctioned and lose my status for doing this. Can I trust you?¡± The human took a long while to respond, his face a dizzying array of emotions as he considered the want of knowing against the desire to not be forced to withhold information from his government. Finally, he nodded slowly, agreeing to its conditions for revealing a terrible secret. Hreth¡¯nir decided to trust the human. It did not want their species exterminated again, especially since they proved that they were worthy after struggling for over 100,000 years to better themselves and finally returning to space. ¡°125,000 years ago, we were part of a great civilization called the Galactic Federation that spanned over hundreds of star systems and had dozens of species within it. It was a glorious time of peace and exploration, and our ships traveled known space and beyond in the pursuit of knowledge. There was no war, no famine, and this great assembly of kindred spirits reigned supreme among many other space-faring species. The four founders of the Galactic Federation were the Ma¡¯lit, the Slikaath, the Wan¡¯sho, and the Magnati.¡± It paused, gauging the risk of revealing the truth to the human. ¡°The Magnati were your fore-elders. You are the descendants of a civilization once known as the Great Ones.¡± The human was very still, his face a stone mask that revealed nothing. He nodded and whispered, ¡°Please continue, honored elder.¡± I expected more of a response, Hreth¡¯nir thought to itself before continuing the story. ¡°The Magnati were like you, but half a meter taller and much stronger than the average human now. Theirs was a mighty civilization, and they were renowned across the sectors for their arts, engineering abilities, and scientific aptitude. They were also great warriors, and their powerful warships and inherent martial abilities suited them well to the task of protecting the Galactic Federation and other weaker species from depredations by other aggressive and warlike species.¡± The human raised his hand. ¡°Why is there no evidence of their existence on Earth? Surely there would have been some signs or traces of their presence discovered by this time.¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered while raising its hand. ¡°The answers to your questions will be revealed after I finish telling you the story. Shall I continue? The human nodded, and Hreth¡¯nir sent thoughts to the servant android to bring more drink and food. ¡°For two thousand years after the signing of the charter between the four founding species, we incorporated many others, and we grew in both size and prosperity as we unraveled the secrets of the universe. Art, engineering, science, and culture were our primary focus, and we pushed ever deeper into the unknown as we sought to expand our knowledge.¡± The android appeared with a tray laden with food and drink, placing it on a newly emerged table that Hreth¡¯nir thought made so that the human could be comfortable as he refreshed himself. ¡°Your ancestors were at the forefront of the expansion and the primary drivers of the greatness of the Federation as they made first contact with numerous species. Being the natural diplomats they were, they continually sought out new species and civilizations to learn from as they ventured ever outward into the galaxy. They were also the primary military force that dealt with any aggressive species that tried to attack the Federation or any other peaceful species within our spheres of influence, ending any threats decisively and rapidly. The Wan¡¯sho, a canid species, were also natural warriors. The two species enjoyed a natural affinity for each other, becoming almost inseparable in all matters, especially when defending others from aggression.¡± The human raised his hand, and Hreth¡¯nir paused to let him speak. ¡°Honored Elder, how many species were there in this area of space at that time?¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered him. ¡°There were thousands of species within this quadrant alone, and of those thousands, several hundred were spacefaring but primitive, and there were hundreds more that were far more advanced than the species currently inhabiting this area of space. Now they are no more.¡± The human asked another question, an incredulous expression on his face. ¡°So many? Did they all die from the plague?¡± ¡°Patience, human. When the Ma¡¯lit finally discovered null space and built the null drives, the technology was rapidly disseminated among the four founding species. Your ancestors, in their zeal for more discoveries, took a small convoy and entered null space to travel to the neighboring arm of the galaxy, crossing the vast distance of empty space between them. They returned two solar months later with only eight out of the twelve ships they left with and told of their encounter with a violent species that attacked them without provocation. The area of space they entered was devoid of any sapient life, though they came across many worlds that had evidence of advanced civilizations.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused to see if the human had any questions before continuing. ¡°After days of scouting, they finally came across a massive debris field within a solar system, and the AIs confirmed that the mass of the wreckage and the scorched debris indicated that this was the result of a massive battle involving tens of thousands of ships. The fourth world was once habitable, and the ruins of an advanced civilization were on the surface. The scans they took showed evidence of planet-wide antimatter bombardment by thousands of bombs. It was in this system that they encountered the Balrikans.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused again. ¡°Any questions, human? Or shall I continue?¡± He answered. ¡°Please continue, honored elder.¡± ¡°They sent down a small team to the planet to collect samples, and they inadvertently triggered a detection drone that was left there. The drone fired on them, and they returned fire, destroying it. A short time later, they finally returned to the convoy and began preparations to depart the system when they detected a few dozen superluminal objects entering the system. Seeing that it would take just over thirty solar minutes for the objects to reach them, the convoy began charging their null space capacitors and sent numerous messages broadcasting peaceful intentions and the first contact protocol that were used when encountering new species.¡± ¡°Was there a response?¡± the human asked. ¡°Not until they dropped out of FTL drive right on top of the convoy. Their response was weapons fire from over forty ships that quickly destroyed two unshielded science vessels. The rest of the convoy tried to flash into null space, but the emergence from FTL by the Balrikan warships flooded the area with a type of radiation that prevented them from making the transition. They were forced to flee on sub-light engines while the two Magnati warships in the convoy stayed behind to engage the attackers.¡± The human put up his hand. ¡°How did the radiation prevent transit to null space? Is this still an issue today?¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered. ¡°You must understand that the null drives were a new technology, and we did not fully understand null space itself back then. Do not worry; the null drives we seeded do not have this weakness, and only we currently have the technology to inhibit null drives.¡± The human nodded, relief evident on his face. ¡°Please continue, honored elder.¡± ¡°The two Magnati warships engaged the attackers, and the rest of the convoy fled towards the outer system on sub-light drives, where they were finally able to make the transition to null space. The last thing they saw before flashing out was the sole remaining Magnati warship continuing to fight the last twelve Balrikan warships. The surviving ships of the convoy made the long journey back home and told us of what happened. We were alarmed and saddened by the lives lost, and the Federation restricted travel to that region of space to prevent any other incidents. Scans taken by our ships indicated that the attackers were using a type of FTL drive that puts out a rare type of radiation, and we adjusted our null drives to compensate.¡± ¡°Was there any concern of the attackers figuring out where the Federation ships came from and attacking you here?" The human asked. ¡°No further thought was given to the incident since it would have taken almost two hundred cycles for the Balrikan ships to travel the vast distance between the arms, and the Magnati warships had systems in place to scuttle their ships to prevent technology from falling into the wrong hands. Sixty-one years later, a science ship detected a stellar anomaly on the fringes of known space, and it was sent to investigate. The ship¡¯s bridge log drone returned to Federation space a week later, badly damaged. The sensor readings of the science ship confirmed that the anomaly was a fleet of almost eighty thousand Balrikan ships.¡± The human¡¯s mouth opened and closed several times, his eyes wide with shock at what he was just told. ¡°Eighty thou¡ªthat, that¡¯s not possible!¡± He exclaimed. Hreth¡¯nir continued. ¡°I assure you that it is human. They were in that trinary star system for at least a few cycles prior to detection, as they had built an incredible amount of infrastructure. They had almost a dozen shipyards, fuel refineries in the atmosphere of the seven gas giants, and a massive ore extraction network mining the asteroid belts and the planets for resources. We only discovered them because they accidentally exited null space within the corona sphere of the red giant, and the massive flare that resulted was detected by the science ship¡¯s astronomical survey system. The control AI deemed it enough of an anomaly to bring it to our attention.¡± ¡°Null drive? I thought you told me that they used FTL drives.¡± The human interjected. ¡°So did we. They must have somehow managed to capture the last Magnati ship, or they were able to reverse engineer the drive from the wreckage of the convoy ships they destroyed. Regardless, they managed to cross the empty space between the arms, and there was no question of their intentions. That many ships and the type of infrastructure they built in the trinary system made it readily apparent that they were establishing a base from which to launch their invasion.¡± ¡°What did the Federation do?¡± asked the human after a long moment of silence while he absorbed the information. ¡°Despite their obvious intentions, the Federation was committed to trying to open diplomatic channels and prevent a war with the invaders. A fleet of warships, along with a convoy of official diplomatic vessels, was hastily assembled and sent to the trinary system. They exited null space one light year away and sent a vanguard force of stealth ships to the outskirts of the systems. There, the stealth ships sent messages and enacted first contact protocols to open a line of communication and forestall a war. The signals were transmitted by multiple spy drones that sent the signals from different locations to prevent the Balrikans from being able to triangulate the true source of the communication attempts.¡± Pausing momentarily to see if the human had any questions, Hreth''nir continued. ¡°The invaders reacted to the signals by sending thousands of ships to scour the systems and try to find the source of the transmissions. After fruitlessly searching for almost a full solar day, they finally responded with their own transmission.¡± ¡°What did they say? What did they look like?¡± The human blurted out as he leaned closer, an intent expression on his face. He raised his hand after asking the questions. ¡°My apologies, honored elder.¡± ¡°It is an understandable oversight, my human child. Before I continue, would you like a short break to refresh yourself and eliminate your waste?¡± The human nodded before responding. ¡°I would; thank you for thinking of my comfort. Where do I go? Hreth¡¯nir pointed towards the door of its quarters. ¡°The android will escort you to the waste facilities; please follow it. I will be here waiting for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, honored elder. I will be back shortly.¡± The human responded before bowing his head gratefully and following the android out of the quarters. While they were out, Hreth¡¯nir made a small plate with some of the food the android had put on the table and inserted it into a small opening in the torso of the suit. After the opening closed, an internal hatch opened, and Hreth¡¯nir used its real hands to take it out. It quickly ate the food before taking a few sips from the water dispenser to wash it down. After a few minutes, the human and his android escort returned, and he resumed his seat on the sitting bench with an eager expression on his face. Hreth¡¯nir waited for the human to stop fidgeting before resuming the story. ¡°The spy drones received the message and broadcasted it on several carrier waves, which was received by the vanguard stealth ships hiding in the Oort cloud. The invaders were reptilian in appearance, and their language was translated by the AIs. Would you like to see and hear it?¡± The human nodded with a confused expression. Hreth¡¯nir pointed towards a bare wall, and the human looked in that direction. The bare wall shimmered, and on it appeared an image. The human gasped before quietly uttering, ¡°That¡¯s what they look like? They look like the velociraptors that inhabited my world millions of years ago, though they only had two arms, not four like these guys do.¡± Hreth¡¯nir had the AI access the databanks regarding Earth¡¯s lifeforms, and an image came up, the AI putting the image of the velociraptor side by side with the image of the reptilian Balrikan. They did indeed look remarkably similar. Now Hreth¡¯nir understood why the human responded the way he did. Hreth¡¯nir activated the recording, and the Balrikan started talking in its native language, which was primarily snarls, hisses, hooting, and guttural clicking. It was extremely difficult to listen to, and Hreth¡¯nir could see that the human was having the same visceral response as he involuntarily flinched at the sounds the Balrikan was making. Hreth¡¯nir activated the translation matrix, and the terrible sounds were replaced with the emotionless voice of the AI program. Hreth¡¯nir activated the playback, and the message started from the beginning again. ¡°Impure creatures, we are the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. We have your scent, and we will hunt you until your warm-blooded foulness has been removed from existence. Your impurity is an affront to the gods, and we will purge you from this celestial body. We do not hear your pleas for mercy. We do not negotiate with disgusting inferiors. Your time has come to an end. All trace of your filthy presence will be expunged from the stars, for this sacred galaxy belongs to the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan alone.¡± The message repeated on a loop, just as it did 123,000 years ago. The human turned away from the wall and quietly walked back to the sitting bench, an apprehensive look on his face. ¡°Human, my rest period is almost upon us, and I have yet to eat my last meal. If you wish, you may return in thirteen of your hours, and I will continue to tell you of your fore-elders and the invasion.¡± ¡°As you wish, honored elder. Forgive me for the disruption.¡± The human replied as he got up, and Hreth¡¯nir could see very plainly that the human did not want to leave or wait for the rest of the story. It chuckled to itself, making sure that the suit did not transmit the mirth it was feeling this time. ¡°There is nothing to forgive, my human child. I will see you in thirteen of your hours.¡± ¡°Good night, honored elder.¡± The human said as he walked towards the door. He glanced back one more time at the image of the Balrikan that was still being displayed on the far wall before he left the quarters, the door quietly sliding shut behind him. ¡°Good night, son of the Magnati.¡± Hreth¡¯nir said sadly to the empty room before turning its suit around to bring it back to the alcove. It looked at the image of the Balrikan on the screen and pointed a suited finger as it addressed the hateful creature. ¡°A curse upon you and your kind, evil one. You took our greatest friends and allies away from us, and now we are less without them. The Ma¡¯lit will not let you do the same to their progeny.¡± Hreth¡¯nir flicked a finger, and the image of the Balrikan disappeared as the wall shimmered back to a blank surface. Walking back to the alcove, Hreth¡¯nir suddenly felt much older than the three hundred cycles it had known. Worried thoughts flooded Hreth''nir''s mind as it waited for the suit track system to finish deploying. It has been too long. They are coming soon; I can feel it. They Held The Line-Chapter Nine-Aurora V¡¯rni System, 2175 A.D. Interior of the abandoned Hive Aurora continued to let the two worker drones guide her through the narrow confines of the tunnels as they headed towards the nexus of the Hive. Millions of simple minds pressed against her, rejoicing in her presence. She let them lap against her mind like waves on a shore, and she sent thoughts of love and joy to them, something they had never experienced from a Hive mother before. The air was thick with pheromones as the drones continued to communicate with each other, heralding her arrival. As the millions of surviving drones realized that a Hive mother had returned to them, their primitive minds put out a harmonic frequency that became stronger as they synchronized, and Aurora could feel it within her mind. They are singing, she thought to herself as she tried to categorize what was happening, comparing it to the animal concept of music she had learned about. The whole Hive is singing, she realized with sadness as she finally entered the nexus of the Hive, allowing the primitive emotions of the millions of drones to wash over her as she continued to respond to them. She felt an outpouring of emotions as the millions of drones responded to her. Sadness, anger, joy, and fear assaulted her mind as she tried her best to calm them and let them know that she was there to take them away to a new Hive. She knew that they would not really understand the words she said to them, but they would understand her intent and the emotions she was expressing with them. She was almost overwhelmed as she felt the relief coming from the millions of terrified drones still in the Hive, and she felt deep anger and hatred towards her sisters for abandoning them. The drones needed constant guidance from queens, or they would suffer from severe anxiety and distress before dying of neglect and starvation. The only reason why this Hive functioned for as long as it did was because of the large number of command drones that were left behind to oversee the workers. It was the command drones that kept the Hive running. They made sure that the Hive followed the last command of the queen to fight to the death for no other reason other than to make the animals pay a high cost for retaking their former worlds. She sent a thought for all the command drones to come to the nexus. It was telling that they were not there to begin with. She waited for the command drones to come to her as an endless procession of worker drones entered and then exited the nexus after seeing or touching her tentatively with their tarsal claws to confirm that there really was a queen in the Hive. She continually dispensed pheromones for the air filtration systems to circulate throughout the entire Hive, reinforcing their new bond and assuring their complete loyalty to her. After a short period of time, six command drones entered the nexus and lingered by the entrance. She could feel the fear of their thoughts. They think I am here to kill them for failing to defend the Hive. I must correct their thinking; she thought as she sent another command to them. She saw them respond to the power of her thoughts as they slowly walked across the nexus to finally arrive before her and bow submissively. Command drones had a higher level of intelligence and complexity than worker drones. They understood the concept of death and were aware of their rank and responsibilities within the hierarchy of the Hive. They were capable of overseeing millions of drones with their own basic pheromone glands as proxies for the queens. Command drones also lived longer, with some of them reaching almost a hundred cycles in years before expiring from natural causes if they were well-liked by the queens they served. Most queens do not allow them to live that long; their mercurial nature makes it extremely common for queens to lash out and kill command drones for the slightest errors. No more; my Hive will forge a new path. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She felt relief and confusion from the command drones as they struggled to understand what was happening. They were convinced she was going to kill them, and they did not know how to deal with her sparing them. The six command drones, still prostrating themselves before her, rose up and departed to do as she commanded, and she could feel their thoughts and emotions as they left. They were now utterly loyal to her because she spared them. I must rule with love, not fear. She felt the Hive mother within wishing to speak, and she opened her mind to her thoughts. Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth The young queen watched intently as her animal friend continued to show her geometric shapes and make claw movements. Bandit-Friend lifted a cube, waiting for her to make claw movements and correctly label it. She made the appropriate signs, and she saw the animal friend¡¯s facial features grimace as it showed her its teeth. She felt pleasure in the happiness of her friend because it meant that she was correct. Bandit-Friend picked up a small device and placed it in between them before pressing a button on it. Floating images appeared above it, and she instinctively reached out to touch it, her tarsal claw passing through the apparition. Bandit-Friend signed again with its claws, asking her to identify the animal image. She thought long and hard before naming the animal with her claws. The animal friend moved its head in a side-to-side motion. I am wrong; I must name this animal correctly, she thought to herself before trying again. She made the correct claw movements, and the animal friend made the grimace on its face again. She felt pleasure again and signed for more. She wanted to make her Hive mother proud when she returned to the Hive. She tried to send thoughts to Bandit-Friend again, despite it telling her that it was not capable of sharing thoughts with her. There was no indication that it heard her, and it continued to change the images, asking her to identify the new hologram of the Nekuli male that appeared in the air. She responded with the correct claw movements absently as her compartmentalized brain took over while she continued to send thoughts to the animal friend. There was still no response to her thoughts, and she soon stopped trying, sad that the animals were not able to share thoughts with her or each other. Bandit-Friend turned the device off and reached behind him, pulling out her favorite thing to do. If she does well, Bandit-Friend rewards her with an animal game that he taught her to play. There was a flat piece of wood with black and white squares in a pattern. There were also black and white pieces that were shaped like animals that they moved around with their claws. As he assembled the pieces, she waited with barely controlled excitement to begin the game. She had asked her Hive-mother if they had such games, and she said that they did not. She explained that such games were one of the reasons why the animals were so good at war, because even the games they play from a young age are really them practicing for war, whether they realize it or not. Bandit-Friend finally finished setting up the pieces, and he made the first move, moving one of the smaller pieces two squares forward. She looked at the entire board, displaying it within her mind from all angles as she considered hundreds of possible responses. She moved an animal piece over the one in front of it as she named the animal in her mind. Horse/Knight. Bandit-Friend responded by moving another front piece one square forward. Pawn/Drone. She moved her own pawn/drone and watched as Bandit-Friend moved his Horse/Knight. She ran through thousands of permutations in her mind as she considered the current and future moves made by them both. She moved the queen, her favorite piece. She already saw the path to winning the game in her mind as she predicted the next ten possible movements she and Bandit-Friend would make. She took her eyes off the board and looked at Bandit-Friend, watching his face as his yellow eyes moved rapidly over all the pieces as he considered his next move. She sent another thought to him. They Held The Line-Chapter Ten Kepler-11 System GFS Hammer of Grilk¡¯nir, Protector-Class Battleship 2,110 light-years from Earth, year 123,006 B.C. Shelk¡¯nir couldn¡¯t stop its hands from shaking as it continued to relay sensor information to the elder commanding the flagship. It continued sending the most recent data directly to the spinal tap that was shunted into the base of the elder¡¯s skull as it continued to send orders to the fleet. For twelve solar days, they were forced to retreat again and again under the overwhelming Balrikan onslaughts as the ill-prepared Federation started marshaling its far-flung navies to confront the invaders. Already, seven border provinces had fallen to the unstoppable wave, and the Balrikan fleets had scoured fourteen worlds with their antimatter bombs, slaughtering almost forty billion souls. The hateful creatures were not content with just eradicating the innocent. They also recorded the final moments of those worlds. They sent video and audio recordings to the nearby worlds with evidence of their atrocities via every known method of transmission, as both a warning and a promise of what was to come. The militia forces of the border provinces were hastily assembled and intercepted one of the Balrikan fleets as it launched its attack twelve solar days ago. They were woefully outnumbered, their meager two thousand ships facing off against the over ten thousand Balrikan vessels that were attacking the provinces they were tasked with defending. The 84,000 Balrikan warships of the invasion had been split into eight massive fleets, and they launched a blistering multi-pronged assault forcing the unprepared Federation to defend multiple fronts along their borders. The ferocity and speed of their attacks surprised the Federation as they launched probing attacks towards the Core Worlds, further diluting the scant local military forces capable of responding to the initial incursions as reinforcements were diverted to protect the interior. After a series of sharp, pitched battles, the two thousand-strong militia fleet now numbered 916 warships, and they had retreated to this system that was next in line along the invaders¡¯ axis of attack in the hopes of finally blunting the advance. There were almost thirty billion Federation citizens in the system, and though not a Core World, it was an older settled system and much more developed than the outlying colony worlds of the border regions. The system had a strong network of forts and defensive satellites that would bolster the combat power of the depleted fleet as it prepared to defend the strategic system and prevent it from being used as a staging base to invade the Federation interior. The only reason why the fleet was still a viable force was the technological superiority they had over the invaders, and they capitalized on that advantage, destroying four Balrikan ships for every one militia warship destroyed. They were just so heavily outnumbered that they were still losing despite such a devastating loss ratio in their favor, and even the Ma¡¯lit crews, well known for their emotional control, were suffering severe morale issues from the constant retreats. The elder issued commands for the fleet to reorganize into formations anchored by the forts of the outer system, and orders were issued for an additional 120 defense satellites to be moved from the inner system to bolster the outer system''s defensive networks. An alert came across its station, and Shelk¡¯nir forwarded the scanning results to the elder as it took in the information being displayed on the holographic interface in front of it. The retreating fleet had left a string of spy drones in null space behind it, and the drones were programmed to flash out and alert the fleet once it detected the invaders. Quickly calculating the sensor readings, Shelk¡¯nir turned to face the elder sitting in its command chair. ¡°Honored Elder, I predict that the Balrikan fleet will arrive in approximately forty-two solar minutes.¡± The elder blinked its eyes slowly before answering. ¡°How many ships, Pad-Lon Shelk¡¯nir?¡± Quickly looking at the panel interface to confirm the number, Shelk¡¯nir glanced back at the elder before answering the question. ¡°6,436 Balrikan warships, Honored Elder.¡± Another slow blink. ¡°Very well, Pad-Lon. Order the task forces to accelerate their deployment timelines. Send four light battlecruisers to the inner system to onload the defense satellites and bring them back here. This is where I want them deployed.¡± The elder flicked a forefinger, and a string of coordinates appeared on the panel, indicating where the defense satellites were to be placed. Shelk¡¯nir forwarded the information to the four cruisers, and a few seconds later he saw the sensor information indicating that they had flashed into null space. ¡°Dil-Son Kenth¡¯dir, you will start deploying the particle accelerator mines along this path.¡± The elder called out to the weapons officer as he flicked his forefinger again, and the main viewer came to life on the forward bulkhead, displaying the outer system. Making small, deft movements with its four fingers, the elder traced a line beyond the orbital path of the sixth planet as he pinpointed the exact locations where he wanted the new weapons system deployed. They had only been field tested six solar months ago, and a military transport ship had delivered twelve of the mines to the militia fleet two days ago, with the elder commander of the transport ship making promises to return with more as fast as it could. The elder took advantage of the current orbital paths of the six planets in the system and the Balrikan tendency to immediately engage in combat with any ships present by placing the mines in strategic locations where they would have the most effect. Twelve destroyers locked tractor beams on the mines and flashed into null space to deploy them. Twenty-five solar minutes later, the four battlecruisers returned, their holds filled with the 120 defense satellites, and hurriedly started transshipment procedures as they offloaded the satellites to dozens of waiting destroyers. As soon as the cargo holds of the smaller destroyers were filled, they flashed out to deploy the satellites in the locations selected by the elder. Shelk¡¯nir worriedly eyed the countdown as it continued to coordinate the deployment and final dispositions of the task forces with the other ships of the fleet. Two solar minutes before the expected arrival of the Balrikan fleet, the particle accelerator mines and the defense satellites were finally deployed, and the destroyers started burning back towards their respective task forces at maximum sub-light as they deployed collectors to harvest the argonium needed to recharge their null space capacitors. As the countdown passed ten seconds, Shelk¡¯nir felt the shaking in its hands subside as the prospect of combat grew closer. It was not afraid to die, and during combat, an unusual calmness came over it during the fleet actions. It was only when the fighting was over that the atavistic fear organ in its brain stem would cause trouble, and Shelk¡¯nir would have to deal with the troubling side effects of the Ma¡¯lit version of the adrenaline dump that the Magnati warriors spoke of frequently. The main viewer showed the area where the invader fleet was expected to flash out, and Shelk¡¯nir said a quick prayer to the Creator, thanking it for not allowing the Balrikans to figure out how to flash out of null space within the inner system. Having to flash out at least 800,000,000 likals from the primary was a severe tactical disadvantage for the Balrikans and one of the only reasons why the militia was able to fight as well as it had against such numerical superiority. This allowed the militia to lay traps and utilize defense in depth as they fell back deeper into the inner systems, exacting a high price from the Balrikans. When the tactical situation became untenable, the militia would finally yield the system to them before retreating to another one to do it all over again. The countdown hit zero, and it was at minus six seconds when the Balrikan ships finally started flashing into the system, thousands of pinpoint lights appearing in the darkness as over 6,000 enemy warships flashed out of null space right where the elder predicted they would. Shelk¡¯nir kept his eyes locked on his station as the sensor recordings became almost too fast to keep up with as the massive invading fleet started shaking into the battle formations favored by the Balrikans. They employed large formations that allowed for overwhelming local fire superiority and mutual support, using their formations like bludgeons as they charged into the Federation battle lines after firing all their missiles and torpedoes from stand-off distance. Their numerical advantage allowed them to use such tactics to great effect against the much smaller Federation fleet, and the militia was forced to adapt their tactics to compensate, paying a heavy price to learn how to fight against such overwhelming numbers. The Balrikan formations finally assumed their standard formations, and six massive task forces of a thousand ships each started maneuvering as they fired tremendous volleys of the missiles and torpedoes that seemed to comprise their main offensive armament. Opening an encrypted fleet-wide communication channel, the fleet elder started issuing orders. ¡°Eject the decoys and mines and initiate their stealth protocols. All ships maintain their position. All elders will change shift rotations to ensure rest periods for all crew. The estimated arrival time of the Balrikan missile volleys is thirteen solar hours from now. I want every ship to perform cold-running simulations every solar hour, starting now. Execute.¡± The elder called out, initiating a flurry of activity among the bridge crew as they started following the orders. Shelk¡¯nir hurriedly worked on the controls of the panel in front of it, activating the cold-running simulation. The AI simulated the ship dumping the massive heatsinks and flushing the radiator fins of the battleship they were on before closing all the ports and windows of the ship. While its AI assistant started those procedures, Shelk¡¯nir also simulated shutting down all primary and secondary systems that produced detectable emissions capable of breaching silent emissions protocol 2. After five minutes, the simulation was over, and the AI assistant confirmed that it was successful. These operating procedures were sent to the militia fleet two solar days ago from Fleet Command following the successful defense of the Slikaath sector by a combined 3,000 strong Magnati/Wan¡¯sho fleet. The Magnati commander leading the combined forces came up with the protocols, hoping to force the Balrikan invasion fleet to deplete their missile and torpedo complements in a wasted effort to strike silent and cold ships that their weapons couldn¡¯t find before finally running out of fuel. The Wan¡¯sho executive officer also had an excellent idea, and after conferring with the engineering staff to see if it was feasible, he approached the Magnati fleet commander to institute his plan. The commander gave the go-ahead, and the executive officer and engineering staff started modifying the probe and drone inventory of the fleet to put out emissions and signals comparable to larger Federation warships. They also reconfigured thousands of small mines for dual use, either to blind the targeting computers of the Balrikan warheads or to function as anti-missile mines. The Balrikan warhead computers, far less advanced than the AI warheads used by the Federation, hopefully would not be able to discern that they were being spoofed by autonomous probes and drones and would follow their programming, targeting any Federation emission or signal sources. When the combined Magnat/Wan¡¯sho fleet finally intercepted the Balrikan invasion fleet in an uninhabited system in the Slikaath sector, they put their tactics to the test with resounding success. Over 10,000 warships of the Balrikan fleet entered the system, and seeing the much smaller Federation fleet in the system, they gave battle. The Magnati commander waited until the first two Balrikan volleys had traveled eleven of the twelve-hour transit time before having his fleet eject thousands of the small, modified probes and drones and then initiate the cold running protocols. The sixty-thousand missile and torpedo warheads of the two Balrikan volleys suddenly found themselves losing target locks as the 3,000 Federation warships suddenly dumped all their heat sinks and radiator fins, creating a massive thermal bloom. Using chemical and gas thrusters that gave off no heat, the already loosely formed Federation fleet dispersed from their initial locations, now as cold as the space around them, and they simply ceased to exist on the Balrikan warhead scanners. The Balrikan targeting computers continued to guide themselves towards the last known locations of the Federation ships and then cut off their thrusters to conserve the last of their fuel for the final terminal guidance phase. When the two volleys reached thirty thousand kilometers from the last known locations of the Federation fleet, the targeting computers were just about to switch their targeting parameters to active scanning when thousands of Federation warships suddenly appeared on their scanners. The targets lit up the battlespace as they fled deeper into the inner system, and the Balrikan warhead computers activated their thrusters and initiated their terminal guidance phase as they achieved target locks. The sixty thousand missiles and torpedoes, now less than 10,000 likals from their targets, initiated their final booster phase to close the distance when they flew right into a stealth minefield. Hundreds of salted fusion proximity mines detonated, and thousands of Balrikan missiles that were close to the mines disappeared in the initial explosions or were slagged by the incredible heat, turning into useless hunks of metal. Thousands of missiles further out from the mines became non-functional or self-destructed as their delicate warhead computers were destroyed by the multiple types of deadly radiation that bathed the space around each mine for thousands of kilometers. The ten thousand missiles and torpedoes that survived the minefield exited the area and continued to chase the Federation spoof drones when they entered yet another stealth minefield. This minefield was reconfigured for electronic warfare and emitted powerful jamming signals to render the warhead targeting locks ineffective. This caused the missile warheads to revert to their default loitering mode as they flew in circles, vainly trying to reestablish targeting locks. They finally ran out of fuel and were now drifting impotently. The Balrikan warhead computers activated their self-destruct protocols to ensure that they could not be utilized by enemies, and the area of space they were in became momentarily speckled with miniature supernovae as thousands of powerful anti-ship missiles detonated their nuclear warheads. Twice more, this was repeated as the Balrikan fleet fired their last missile and torpedo volleys while closing the gap between the two fleets. Forty-nine solar hours after their arrival in the system, the Balrikan fleet finally closed to within 100,000 likals of the Federation fleet. The massive Balrikan battle formations charged at the much smaller Federation fleet, assured of their victory as they armed their directed energy weapons systems and short-range anti-ship torpedoes. The Magnati and Wan¡¯sho ships had a forty thousand likal range advantage with their advanced particle accelerators, and the Balrikan charge turned into a bloodbath as the extremely potent Federation war beams eliminated over three thousand Balrikan warships before they finally entered their own maximum range and fired back. The Balrikan energy weapons were largely ineffective as their beams suffered severe attenuation at such long ranges, and the AI battle computers of the Magnati and Wan¡¯sho warships expertly engaged in complicated evasive maneuvers that reduced the Balrikan hit rate to less than 5% as they struggled to close the gap. Another two thousand Balrikan warships were destroyed or turned into slag as the war beams found them before they finally reached their optimal firing range of twenty thousand likals and started hitting and damaging Magnati and Wan¡¯sho warships. The Balrikan fleet, now numbering just over 5,000 ships, had their first real taste of battle with the two eminent warrior species of the Federation and were handed their first true defeat since they launched their crusade to cleanse the entire galaxy six hundred cycles ago. For the first time, they faced an enemy of true warriors who excelled in the arts of war and reveled in the joy of battle. The Magnati and Wan¡¯sho ships surged forward and closed with the Balrikan warships, their weapons systems decimating the invading ships while the advanced armor of their hulls withstood multiple hits. The canid Wan¡¯sho, descended from pack animals, employed the same tactics as their ancestors as they ganged up on the larger warships of the Balrikans and overwhelmed them. They would also bait Balrikan ships by venting gases and creating controlled fires in their cargo bays to act like they were heavily damaged while fleeing, leading pursuing enemy ships into carefully laid ambushes. The Magnati fought in groups of three or as individual duelists, each ship commander taking their own initiative as they deemed fit while still following the overarching battle plan of the Magnati fleet commander. The Balrikan command ship, a massive battleship that was heavily armed and armored, suddenly found itself in a duel with a Magnati battleship. The Magnati battleship was smaller, but their advanced armor technology and weapons systems gave it a decisive advantage. The Magnati capital ship mauled its much larger counterpart, turning it into a powerless derelict within two minutes of the duel starting. Numerous ports opened along the starboard side of the battleship, and grapplers shot out and locked onto the few undamaged hull sections of the Balrikan command they could find. The powerful grapplers pulled the mortally wounded battleship to within five likals of the Magnati warship. Dozens of large openings appeared, and thousands of Magnati shock troopers streamed out of them, their black combat suits propelling them into the many large hull breaches as they boarded the enemy command ship. The few surviving Balrikan crewmembers offered no resistance, too shocked by the action to even try, as they had never experienced being boarded before. The Magnati troopers gave no quarter, and they killed every member of the crew they came across as they headed towards the engine compartments and command center. They took control of the engineering spaces and the bridge, and they managed to capture the Balrikan fleet commander before he could commit suicide. They quickly set up recording equipment and opened an encrypted communication line to the Magnati battleship. The battleship transmitted video of a shock trooper holding the reptilian Balrikan fleet commander up in the air by the scruff of his neck before breaking it; the audible crack of the vertebrae was easily heard on the silent bridge. The video was broadcast on all known frequencies, and the results were astonishing. The surviving Balrikan fleet formations stopped fighting coherently, and it seemed as if all command and control were lost as the remaining two thousand strong Balrikan fleet dissolved into an uncoordinated mass of ships that stopped supporting each other. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The battle turned into an utter rout, and the Federation fleet destroyed every single Balrikan warship within the next two hours. None of them tried to flee or escape, and they self-destructed when there were other attempts to board or capture other Balrikan ships. The battle finally ended, and there was not a single Balrikan alive in the system. The Federation fleet had destroyed 10,309 Balrikan warships, and their own losses were 419 ships destroyed and 1,643 ships with varying degrees of damage. After the battle, Fleet Command sent hundreds of comm drones throughout the Federation to show the marshaling military forces the results of the first Federation victory to bolster morale. They also sent the protocols used in the battle to all military forces, including the militia fleet that Shelk¡¯nir was in, via encrypted spy drones to be uploaded by the AI battle computers. Now, the surviving 916 ships of the militia fleet hoped to repeat the victory. The shift change alert came over the bridge intercom system, and Shelk¡¯nir left the station to go to its quarters for the mandated rest period. After praying and eating, it forced itself to lie down in the sleep pod and programmed a sleep aid to be dispensed, knowing it would not be able to fall asleep without pharmaceutical intervention. Ten solar hours later, Shelk¡¯nir woke up and prepared itself for the coming battle. It recorded a message to be delivered to its mate upon the event of its death and prayed one more time for the Creator to grant them victory. One hundred and thirty solar minutes after awaking, Shelk¡¯nir was back at its station, nervously eyeing the missile and torpedo tracks as the Balrikan anti-ship weapons headed towards their positions. The outer system colonies were currently being bombarded by elements of the Balrikan fleet that stayed behind as the main body continued burning towards their positions. Already, almost two billion citizens were in the process of being exterminated as the antimatter bombs fell on their homes. Shelk¡¯nir shook with rage as the audio and video transcripts of the cries of terror and the annihilation of the innocents transmitted by the hateful creatures at light speed finally arrived in the inner system, a warning that heralded the doom coming for the other twenty-eight billion innocents. The elder had the uncensored transcripts played on all the militia ships, and Shelk¡¯nir understood why, though listening to the pleas broke his soul. Unlike the Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho, much of the Federation''s membership was from peaceful, pacifist cultures. Like the Ma¡¯lit, war was unknown to these species, something they left behind millennia ago as they developed into space-faring societies. The membership needed to face the truth about what kind of enemy the Balrikans were, and they needed to reclaim their long-forgotten atavistic impulses if they were to survive. Just having advanced weaponry and armor was not enough when faced with such a vicious enemy. They needed to learn how to fight again and learn soon if they had any hope of winning this war. A strident alert snapped Shelk¡¯nir out of its reverie, and it focused on the panel in front of it, seeing that the Balrikan weapons were almost in range. The elder called out for the fleet to initiate the cold-running procedures, and Shelk¡¯nir activated the program as it tapped the icon. The AI assistant took over as Shelk¡¯nir started the emission control protocols, and after twelve long solar minutes, it sent a pulse to a spy drone that was 10,000 likals away from the fleet. The spy drone responded and sent the scanning results. The entire militia fleet was undetectable, and there was now a massive heat bloom where the fleet used to be as they dispersed using chemical and gas thrusters to relocate. Another alert sounded, and the Balrikan projectile weapons had finally reached the thirty thousand likal mark. Following their programming, two groupings of four hundred probes and drones that were positioned on the flanks of the dispersed militia fleet activated and started broadcasting powerful Federation emissions as they fled towards preselected coordinates. The 35,000-strong Balrikan missile and torpedo swarm split as the warhead computers communicated with each other, and the massive volley was divided into two parts as they chased after the decoys. The decoys went into the first two stealth minefields that were laid, passing through them safely before decelerating when they were safely outside the blast range. To the Balrikan warhead computers, it would seem as if the two small fleets had stopped fleeing and were now preparing to try to shoot them down. The two missile volleys entered the minefields, and the mines waited until the main body was in the center of the two fields before triggering their salted fusion warheads. A maelstrom of deadly energy was released as thousands of proximity mines detonated, engulfing the projectile weapons as they were turned to slag or rendered inert as their warhead computers were burned out. Not a single missile or torpedo survived the two minefields. This was the only volley fired by the Balrikan fleet as they rapidly approached their location. The elder had correctly assumed the multiple battles they fought with this fleet as they retreated had depleted their munition stocks and planned accordingly. The large Balrikan formations were rapidly approaching the orbital path of the sixth planet, and Shelk¡¯nir watched the sensor plot on its panel with anticipation as they finally reached the weapons range of the new particle accelerator mines. The elder flicked its finger, and the main viewer flickered before showing the telemetry from several spy drones hidden in the vicinity. There were twelve brilliant flares of light, and the screen dimmed automatically to compensate before applying the filters. Shelk¡¯nir gaped open-mouthed at the results of the mines as they fired at the unsuspecting Balrikan warships. It could not see the particle accelerator beams themselves, but it could see the devastating results of the beams striking their targets. A Balrikan battleship, almost five likals in length and with a 1.5 likal beam at its widest point, was torn completely in half when a single hit from one of the mines struck it directly amidship. The massive construct of war snapped in half, and the two pieces drifted for a few seconds before the fusion reactors in the aft section went critical and destroyed the two halves, reducing the once mighty battleship to its constituent atoms. Across the minefield, the same results were repeated as the twelve stealth mines continued to detonate the fusion warheads in their inventory and channel the destructive energy into a single particle beam that annihilated the targeted ships. The Balrikan formations disintegrated as they broke ranks, initiated evasion courses, and tried to figure out what was hitting them. The elder had placed them in a staggered pattern separated by hundreds of thousands of likals, both above and below the plane of the ecliptic, to ensure that the mines would not hit each other as they targeted and destroyed enemy vessels. The incredibly powerful particle beam mines also had a greatly extended range over their shipborne counterparts, as they could be constructed without concern for irradiating biologicals. The result was an effective range of 120,000 likals, and the minefield depth and placement meant that the Balrikan ships would have to run a gauntlet of almost two million likals. The twelve mines had an inventory of two hundred warheads each and could fire a shot every ten seconds. They also had cold gas thruster systems to displace after every shot to prevent them from being hit by counterfire from the targeted ships, though this was not a real concern with the limited range of the Balrikan energy weapons. For five solar hours, the Balrikan vessels were forced to travel through the deadly crossfire before they finally passed out of the weapons range of the last segment of the minefield. The advanced targeting AIs onboard the mines performed brilliantly, and they had an 85% hit rate despite the desperate evasion measures employed by the panicked Balrikan vessels. Two thousand and eighty-nine Balrikan warships never made it out of the minefield, and the battered fleet reformed and continued its course for the inner system, where the remaining twenty-eight billion Federation citizens resided. The Balrikan fleet finally reached the orbital path of the sixth planet, and the first line of defensive satellites activated, firing on the nearest enemy formations. The counterfire from the Balrikan ships was expertly executed, and dozens of satellites were destroyed as the large formations passed by them. Still, the defensive weapons systems exacted their toll, and many dozens of enemy vessels were destroyed and heavily damaged as the small satellites fired their particle beams at any targets within their range. The Balrikans adapted their formations to the incoming satellite fire, dispersing as they initiated evasion protocols again and greatly reducing the hit rates of the defensive platforms. They continued to burn towards the fifth planet as they penetrated deeper into the system and searched for the militia fleet that was hiding in the area. ¡°Have the forts activate their engines and come out from behind the planet. I want them positioned here, here, and here.¡± The elder called out as it highlighted the locations it wanted the three forts currently behind the planet to reposition themselves. The elder had ordered the three forts to decelerate, power down, and stay behind the large planet to prevent them from being targeted by the Balrikan missile volleys, as they were practically static defenses and would be targeted for destruction by the enemy. ¡°They are to disregard safety procedures and speed limitations. I want them there in forty-five solar minutes, and they have my permission to run the reactors to 120% of the maximum rating.¡± The elder called out again as Shelk¡¯nir started relaying the elder¡¯s orders to the three planetary defense fort crews. The Balrikan fleet would arrive in just over a solar hour, and Shelk¡¯nir again confirmed to the nervous operations officers of the three forts that they were to disregard all safety protocols, understanding their reluctance. The forts were almost two hundred cycles old, and running the reactors at 120% of their maximum rating was fraught with risks, notwithstanding the fact that they had been properly maintained by the Federation Engineering Corps since they had been built. The massive forts activated their engines and thrusters, and powerful towing vessels, already attached to the anchor points, added their overpowered engines to the effort. The forts started slowly moving as their tremendous mass was propelled by the struggling engines of the forts and the towing vessels. Twenty solar minutes later, the forts finally reached the halfway point as they came around the planet and began the deceleration burn to slow them down before finally repositioning. An alert from the AI assistant appeared on the panel, and Shelk¡¯nir glanced at it. As it looked at the scanning report and analyzed the AI interpretation of the results, it grew alarmed and swiveled in the chair to face the elder. ¡°Elder, the enemy formations are starting deceleration procedures far sooner than expected. They are reacting to the emergence of the forts from behind the planet.¡± Shelk¡¯nir said to the elder as it sent the scanning results to the holographic panel in front of the elder. After a slow blink, Shelk¡¯nir could see the eyes of the elder quickly moving as it took in the scanning report before responding. ¡°This was to be expected, Pad-Lon Shelk¡¯nir, though perhaps not so soon. Hopefully this will cause them to abandon their invasion of the system.¡± Another strident alert sounded on the panel behind Shelk¡¯nir, and it turned back around to see what the AI assistant was warning about now. The same alert sounded on the weapons station panel, and the AI battle computer suddenly came over the bridge speakers as it addressed the elder. ~Elder Yrith¡¯vir, I am detecting anomalous readings from multiple enemy battleships and heavy cruisers. Scanning results indicate they are activating a projectile weapons system not previously deployed. ~ The elder responded to the battle AI immediately. ¡°Is this another missile or torpedo system we have not faced before? What does your analysis indicate?¡± The battle AI responded immediately. ~Elder Yrith¡¯nir, please direct your attention to the main viewer. I have accessed nearby spy drone telemetry, and I believe you will reach the same conclusion as I have. I have assessed with a 99.2% probability that they are currently deploying a mass-driver weapons system. ~ The view screen changed to the nearest spy drone as it focused on the battleships and heavy cruisers near it, zooming in and enhancing the video resolution. A narrow 1.5-likal-long ventral section was separating from the keels of dozens of decelerating warships, and they watched as the sections modified, forming two rails that glowed as electrical current started arcing among the vanes. ¡°Shinka¡¯tah!¡± screamed the elder, making the bridge crew flinch from the unexpected vulgar outburst of the normally reserved elder. It started issuing orders frantically, its voice carrying the nervousness and shock it was experiencing. ¡°Order the forts and the towing ships to start evasive maneuvers. Order them to evacuate the cargo bays and then vent them, NOW!¡± The elder screamed, loudly slamming its two fists on the armrests of the command chair as if emphasizing the urgency of its orders. ¡°All ships, abort cold running and crash-start your reactors! Override all safety protocols; we need to give the enemy something else to worry about before they take out the forts.¡± The elder continued rapidly issuing more orders, and it was almost impossible for Shelk¡¯nir to keep up as it tried to execute the orders and coordinate with its counterparts in the fleet and on the forts. It stabbed at multiple icons with numb fingers while its trembling voice relayed the commands over the comm channels. Glancing rapidly between the viewer and the panel, Shelk¡¯nir tried to keep tabs on what was happening. The three forts stopped decelerating and started firing their positioning thrusters as the towing ships disconnected from their anchor points and scrambled to reconnect to other anchor points to change the momentum of the massive constructs. Massive cargo bay doors opened on the sides of the forts, and the sudden expelling of the atmosphere within did little to radically change their directions, but every effort undertaken was critical as one of the screens on the viewer showed the dozens of mass drivers continuing to charge up. The Balrikan warships maneuvered to aim their deadly weapons at the ponderously moving forts, and Shelk¡¯nir winced as the first of them achieved a full charge. The tremendous energy of the rails underwent one last furious arc between them before there was a blinding flash of light and they shot their projectiles. Shelk¡¯nir looked at the panel and gasped at the sensor readings, almost not believing what it was seeing. The dozens of projectiles were traveling at 120 likals per solar second, and they would reach the targeted fort in twenty-seven solar minutes. Shelk¡¯nir flicked the scanning results onto the viewer, and the weapons officer had its AI assistant run calculations before confirming the speed and time of arrival. There were audible gasps from the bridge crew, and the elder muttered to itself before addressing the bridge crew. ¡°Order the targeted fort to begin evacuation procedures. I want every soul on that fort to be headed to safety in fifteen solar minutes. See that it is done. Pad-Lon Shelk¡¯nir, order Task Force 5 to break away from the main fleet and assemble into an assault formation. We are going to disrupt their next volley. Execute.¡± Shelk¡¯nir started furiously tapping the panel in front of it as it relayed the commands to Task Force 5. Within a solar minute, sixty-two vessels, including the Hammer of Grilk''nir, had assembled into an assault formation and were ten solar seconds away from flashing into null space. Both hands stopped shaking, and Shelk¡¯nir experienced an otherworldly calm come over it as it watched the null space counter reach zero. A momentary disorientation hit it, and suddenly they were amidst the Balrikan fleet, the battle AI already firing their weapons. ¡°Pad-Lon, find me a ship with a mass driver and coordinate with the weapons station.¡± The elder called out, and Shelk¡¯nir quickly updated the targeting preferences of the scanners, finding a heavy cruiser located 16,000 likals off the port bow. The Balrikan heavy cruiser was recharging its rails, and Shelk¡¯nir and the weapons officer coordinated their assault on their panels. The battleship surged forward as it veered to port and headed directly towards the target, shrugging off repeated hits as it was fired on by nearby Balrikan ships. The Balrikans had recovered from the sudden appearance of the Federation ships among them, and now the battleship was being targeted by at least a dozen vessels as it continued closing with the unsuspecting heavy cruiser. Multiple alarms were going off, and Shelk¡¯nir focused on directing the damage control teams to where they were needed as multiple hull breaches formed where the advanced composite armor had failed under the Balrikan onslaught. The weapons officer finally had a clear shot and activated the dual particle accelerator array located under the bow, and Shelk¡¯nir watched as the two invisible beams smashed into the starboard side of the heavy cruiser and punched right through its hull, hitting another Balrikan ship that was next to it. ¡°Find me another target! The elder roared, its voice filled with rage. The elder is bloodlusted, Shelk¡¯nir thought to itself as it located a nearby Balrikan battleship that was almost finished charging its mass driver. Forwarding the coordinates to the weapons officer, Shelk¡¯nir resumed directing damage control teams to the most critical points on the Hammer as the ship continued to be pummeled by enemy vessels. ¡°Steady on, my valiant crew. We will not emerge from this with our lives, and I will be honored to have you all at my side when we face the Creator.¡± The elder called out, its voice husky with emotion. Shelk¡¯nir sat up a little straighter, pride coursing through its veins at the defiant words of the elder as the Hammer continued to charge through the Balrikan ships, delivering death and destruction to the hateful creatures all around it. They were now within 10,000 likals of the targeted battleship, and Dil-Son Kenth¡¯dir fired the recharged bow dual particle accelerators, hitting the aft section of the enemy ship and tearing off the quad engine assembly before pivoting the ship and presenting the starboard weapons array. Six secondary particle beam cannons emerged from within the hull as their armored hatches slid to the side, and all six fired at the same time, slicing through the drifting battleship. It hung there for a few solar seconds as its lights flickered before vanishing in the fury of a fusion core overload. The elder called out for another target to be found. Shelk¡¯nir had already found one and was just about to forward the coordinates to the weapons officer when the Hammer was struck with an extremely powerful concentrated volley from almost twenty enemy ships. The bridge lights went out, and Shelk¡¯nir felt the gravity generators lose power, barely able to activate the seat harness in time when another violent barrage of weaponry hit the ship, causing multiple bridge crew members to be ejected from their seats in the sudden microgravity. There was a sickening crunching sound behind it, and Shelk¡¯nir craned its neck to look back as the harness restricted its movements. The emergency lighting came on, the dim blue lights casting an eerie glow. Shelk''nir blinked rapidly as its eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and saw the source of the crunching sound, The elder had been thrown from the command chair, and its skull had turned into an unrecognizable pulp of flesh after the elder¡¯s head smashed into a nearby bridge support pylon. The ship was hit again, and there was a terrifying groaning sound from deep within the ship before a resounding cracking sound echoed through the ship. It was the loudest noise Shelk''nir had ever heard, and the ship lurched as if it lost half of its mass. The battle AI came over the speakers, stuttering as it tried to finish resetting itself. ~Brea-Breach warn-warning. Please activate voi-void measures. ~ A shrill alarm accentuated the AI''s warning, and Shelk¡¯nir yanked on a small handle hanging off its right shoulder. There was a hissing sound, and Shelk¡¯nir expelled its breath as the clear nano-polycarbonate void helmet finished assembling around its skull. Just as the helmet fully encapsulated its head, there was a massive rush of atmosphere exiting the opened bridge hatch before it slammed shut. Deactivating the harness, Shelk¡¯nir pushed off its chair and drifted to the command chair, studiously avoiding looking at the elder¡¯s corpse as it drifted by, small droplets of yellow blood trailing the body. Shelk¡¯nir reached the chair and activated the harness system before accessing the holographic control panel to see the damage report. The battleship had snapped in half when the spinal support column was hit by a barrage of close-range particle beams, and Shelk''nir now knew what the terrible groaning and cracking sound had been. The aft section was drifting away from the bow section, and Shelk¡¯nir tried to access the weapons systems to continue firing. The weapons system was down, as was almost every other critical system. The internal sensors indicated that there were almost three hundred life signs in the bow section, and Shelk¡¯nir was just about to toggle the evacuation alarm when it remembered what would happen to the crew if they abandoned ship. The Balrikans would either target and destroy the escape pods, or they would capture them and brutally torture the prisoners for recreation, broadcasting the sessions like they had done when capturing Federation prisoners after the first battles. Accessing a sub-menu, Shelk¡¯nir found the scuttling program and activated it, crash-starting the miniature fusion reactors that were placed throughout the ship as scuttling charges. It would take 120 solar seconds for the charges to go off, and Shelk¡¯nir reached for the spinal tap port at the base of its skull. Using a fingernail, Shelk¡¯nir pried open a small section of the port, and a small cable emerged. Pulling the cable out and around to the front of its body, Shelk¡¯nir plugged it into a receptacle on the arm of the command chair and started transferring its backup files and memory engrams to the bridge log. After fifteen seconds, the download was completed, and Shelk¡¯nir looked around the bridge, seeing that the two other bridge survivors were doing the same thing. He looked at them both, seeing the courageous resignation in their eyes as they bravely awaited their deaths. The Balrikans had stopped firing on the Hammer, and a small smile came to its lips as it saw on the flickering viewer two nearby enemy heavy cruisers shoot out towing cables and attach them to the broken hull of the bow section. Shelk''nir ejected the bridge log and resumed looking at the viewer. The Hammer will take those two ships out with it when it self-destructs, and Shelk''nir felt its smile widen at the thought. The countdown passed ten solar seconds, and Shelk¡¯nir closed its eyes and thought of its mate before marveling at the fact that neither of its hands were shaking as the scuttling charges activated and sent it to the Creator. Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Ray woke up, gasping for breath as he pulled the engrammatic transfer wires away from his skull. His face was wet from tears, and he started sobbing uncontrollably as he put his head in his trembling hands. ¡°I apologize for the traumatic experience you are undergoing, my human child.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stated quietly as it stood to the side, waiting for Ray to regain control after the memory engram transfer procedure. Ray heard the Ma¡¯lit, and after a little while, he was able to get control of himself. He swung his feet around and got off the transfer table, his legs shaking unsteadily. ¡°Thank you, Honored Elder. I think I am okay now, and you did warn me that it would be a difficult experience.¡± An android appeared with a glass vessel filled with water, and Ray took the water gratefully and drank it before thanking the android. He started walking unsteadily towards a nearby sitting bench and plopped himself into it wearily. He looked at the sensor lenses on the Ma¡¯lit exosuit as it crouched down and waited for him to speak. ¡°That was intense. I felt every emotion and every thought of Shelk¡¯nir. I was Shelk¡¯nir, and when it died, I died too; it felt like.¡± After a pause, Ray asked another question. "Did they win the battle?" The Ma¡¯lit responded. "They did, at a great cost. Now you understand the coming threat and the type of adversary we will face when they finally arrive.¡± Ray nodded, terrified of the sheer viciousness displayed by the Balrikans. ¡°When do you think they will come? I wonder if they are the same enemy that the Insectoid queen spoke of.¡± ¡°I am almost certain they are one and the same, my human child. As to when, I do not know, but I feel it has been too long already.¡± The Ma¡¯lit responded. Ray wanted an answer to a question he had not worked up the courage to ask yet. He put a hand up. ¡°Honored Elder, why did you not destroy the enemy entirely? Allowing them to survive to only come back again seems like a catastrophic error on the part of the Federation.¡± After a long silence, the Ma¡¯lit finally raised a suit hand and answered. ¡°It wasn¡¯t for lack of trying, my human child. Yes, we did manage to finally defeat them, but by that time, the Federation was dealing with the effects of the plague. Maybe if the Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho had been¡­¡± It trailed off, and Ray could feel the emotion behind the statement despite the synthesized voice of the exosuit speakers. ¡°What happened, Honored Elder?¡± Ray asked as he locked his eyes with the sensor lenses. ¡°If you really wish to know, you must undergo the procedure again. I am incapable of truly conveying what happened with mere words.¡± The Ma¡¯lit answered after raising a suit hand. Ray looked towards the table he had gotten off, and he inwardly shuddered at the thought of experiencing it again. After a long moment, he steeled himself and got off the sitting bench. He walked over to the table and laid back down on it, reapplying the engrammatic wiring to his skull. ¡°I am ready, Honored Elder.¡± He called out, trying to hide the apprehension and fear he was experiencing as he stared at the dull white ceiling above him. The Ma¡¯lit exosuit walked back to the table and leaned over him. He could see the sensor lenses focusing on his face before it spoke. ¡°You truly are worthy inheritors of the Magnati, my brave human child.¡± Ray thought he detected a measure of pride in the words of the Ma¡¯lit before closing his eyes and preparing himself for another session. They Held The Line-Chapter Eleven-Alixa/Aurora V¡¯rni System, 2175 A.D. Thirty-six hours after the Battle of Wadi Delta Alixa stood in awe as he watched the massive Hive ship begin to rotate 2,000 meters above the ground after burning through the atmosphere like a fiery deity before finally stopping to hover over the battlefield. He knew how large the massive vessel was on paper, but looking at it with his own eyes allowed him to grasp the sheer size of it for the first time. He thought back to when he saw an entire wing of Republic battleships attack a single Hive ship during the Sacrifice of the Saviors battle in his home system, remembering just how small the largest Republic warships looked next to the Hive ship. They looked like a school of small fish trying to attack a whale, and as his eyes roamed over the gargantuan vessel hovering above him, he finally realized why the advanced and powerful Commonwealth fleet was so soundly beaten when confronted by the sixty Hive ships. In his mind, he imagined what it must have been like to willingly fight one of these ships for the first time, and he whispered a quick prayer of thanks that the Republic fleet still had the courage to hold their ground and give battle after seeing what they would face. Even the battle they just fought was a testament to the unwillingness to yield by the human warriors he fought alongside as endless swarms of drones relentlessly attacked them. Even with the Republic training he and the other Eleani drop troopers underwent and the warrior ethos instilled in them, he knew in his heart that they would have retreated long ago if it wasn¡¯t for the presence of the humans fighting beside them. They didn¡¯t fight for glory. They didn¡¯t blindly follow and execute their orders like drones. They fought for each other, and that was what made them so deadly and competent. If a Republic soldier became overwhelmed with fear, all they had to do was look to their left and right to gain courage from their brothers and sisters fighting next to them. Knowing that they would never be left behind and that they were fighting not for the Republic but for each other gave them the strength to keep going and allowed them to master their fear. Alixa snapped out of his reverie as the hundreds of thrusters under the Hive ship stopped firing, and the anti-gravity repulsors took over and gently lowered the massive five-kilometer radius Hive ship a short distance away from the top of the underground Hive that was jutting out of the ground. Large, blocky landing struts emerged all around the perimeter of the Hive ship, and it slowly descended until over two hundred struts all contacted the ground and finished leveling out the Hive ship as the struts compensated for any uneven terrain. A shadow suddenly blocked out the sun behind him, and he spun around, startled. Staff Sergeant Ayoub had silently come up behind him without him knowing that a Mark-12 ATS suit was within three meters of his position. He quietly cursed himself for his lack of awareness and came to attention, snapping a smart salute. Ayoub returned the salute, her dark blue suit arm having reverted to an arm configuration with a massive, gauntleted hand at the end. ¡°Private, I just want to let you know how proud I am of you. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought that you had a couple of combat drops under your belt already. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I requested that I be allowed to do this personally. Here, this is for you.¡± She held out a massive fist palm side up and opened it, and Alixa felt his heart rate quicken as he saw what was inside of it. There were two objects. One was bright silver with upswept wings on the sides and two crossed swords in the center. He had earned his first combat drop wings. Next to it was a bronze star attached to a ribbon that had the colors of the Republic flag. Alixa stood rigidly as Ayoub took two paces forward, looming over him in her dark blue, three-meter-tall combat suit. With surprising gentleness, she pressed the self-adhering combat drop wings onto his breast plate in the traditional location, right where the human heart is located. Further up on the left breastplate, directly over where she put the combat drop wings, she placed the bronze star. Stepping back two paces, she addressed him. ¡°Private First-Class Alixa, in recognition of your meritorious conduct during the Battle of Wadi Delta, the Republic awards you with this bronze star. You have the thanks of the Republic of Humanity for your bravery under fire and the dedication you have displayed to your brothers in arms.¡± Alixa stood straight as Ayoub was speaking, and tears were freely falling down his face by the time she finished. Ayoub¡¯s suit went into a parade rest configuration, and her voice returned to her normal tone as she addressed him more softly. ¡°Private, you have now joined the ranks of a very small and special cadre of warriors. You have proven that you had what it took to become a drop trooper, and you have proven that you are a warrior worthy of joining such an esteemed organization. I would be honored to have you as my battle buddy anytime, anywhere in this galaxy.¡± Alixa continued to stand at attention as he focused his eyes forward, embarrassed by his emotional display as the tears continued to fall down his face. He worked so hard to join the Drop Trooper Battalion, and hearing Ayoub say that she would be willing to face any enemy with him at her side was the greatest honor an ATS Bio-Synth could confer upon a biological like him. ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed, Alixa. I cried too when I earned my first combat drop wings. Welcome to the fold.¡± She stepped forward and gently wrapped her suit arms around him, patting him on the back of his combat suit. He returned the embrace, his much shorter arms barely able to reach the sides of her suit torso. After a few moments, they ended the embrace and separated. Ayoub turned around and started walking towards the Hive as she called out to him over her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go watch the bugs leave, Mush. Come on.¡± Alixa smiled at the term of endearment the bio-synths used for biologicals they liked. ¡°Mush¡± was short for mushy, the slang word they used to refer to the fragile bodies of biologicals. He was now accepted as one of them, and he made several large leaps to catch up to Ayoub, a light spring in his jumps. Aurora stood outside the large opening that had been created by a team of ten thousand drones in preparation for leaving the Hive. Her guardian combots were behind her, their weapons systems powered down but still vigilant for any threats against their primary. Her thoughts returned to the time when she had been insisting on creating a small group of soldier drones. She was rightfully entitled to a bodyguard as a Hive mother, and she demanded that she be allowed to create them while Bandit-Friend translated between her and the male command drone when she was first building the Hive. At first, she refused to acknowledge the male drone. This created tension as she tried to understand how it was possible for male drones to have the ability to do anything other than procreate and die after passing on their precious genetic material. It was Bandit-Friend who taught her that the human animal Hives used to be dominated by male drones for most of their existence, and the revelation shocked her to her core. There was so much they didn¡¯t know and understand about the animals, and she tried her best to adjust her thinking to the new reality. What really made her change her thinking was when Bandit-Friend told her of how the male drone had lost its mate in the battle that led to the Hive mother abandoning the swarming and retreating from the animal worlds they had conquered. She was still having difficulty with the concept of how the animals would form pairs and mate for life, wondering how such a strange system would ensure genetic diversity and population growth. She tried to imagine the concept of two animals bonding and becoming one, and as she did so, she imagined the pain they must feel when their other half died. Bandit-Friend showed her images of animal mates that formed their pairs when they were young and virile, and she saw them progress through their life cycle as they matured before becoming old together as their bodies broke down before finally dying. They would spend many cycles together as they had eggs from which sprang animal daughters and male drones. As she started to understand what losing a mate would mean to an animal, she realized that the male command drone must hate them for killing its mate. Despite that hatred, the male drone was willing to help her build her Hive and work with her. The least she could do was try to change her thinking. Slowly, she started acknowledging the male command drone and tried her best to ensure they developed an efficient and productive relationship as the Hive continued to be constructed. It was the male command drone that offered her an alternative solution to her demands for soldier drones. He sent one hundred machine animals down to the surface and demonstrated their abilities. She remembered watching them perform feats of strength and agility that far surpassed the abilities of the soldier drones she was demanding to create. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. What she was really worried about was how she would be able to control them, as she could not share thoughts with them. The male command drone had considered this and came up with a clever solution. He had come up with an initial system of claw movements and body language that the animal machines would learn with her as she used them and developed her own version. The machine animals had powerful thinking minds, and they rapidly adapted to her as she developed unique signals and claw movements to control them. Within a few solar days, they responded to her commands almost as instantaneously as a soldier drone would from her thoughts. She felt extremely safe with them as they became a part of her Hive, and she soon stopped thinking of them as strange machine animals, instead considering them no different than the soldier drones she had wanted. The first formation of worker drones started to come out of the opening, and she focused her attention on them, releasing calming pheromones as they passed by her and headed towards the nearby Hive ship. She saw a small group of animals in the distance approaching her location, and she made almost imperceptible claw signals to her guardians behind her, hearing them activate and fall behind her. She started walking towards the approaching animals, passing through the worker drone formation as they opened a pathway to let her through. She saw that the small group of animals were being trailed by large, dark blue animal machines, and she continued to walk towards them. There were six animals and four animal machines, and she wondered why they were coming and disrupting her efforts to evacuate the Hive. As the animal group got closer, she saw one of them remove its head covering and saw that it had yellow hair on the top of his head, and she then saw the distinctly patterned yellow facial fur. It was the male command drone, and her thoughts became confused. Why was he here? She halted, her guardians assuming a protective stance around her without having to signal them. After a short wait, the animal group reached her, and the large animal machines took up positions on the sides of the animals, their machine heads swiveling as their sensors scanned her guardians. She started feeling nervous and wished Bandit-Friend was with her. As the rest of the group started to remove their head coverings, she saw that one of them had yellow eyes, like Bandit-Friend. The machine animal started signing to her, introducing itself to her, and telling her that the male command drone had a gift for her. She signed back with her claws, thanking him for the gift. She watched warily as the male command drone turned away from her and reached behind one of the large machine animals, removing a small container that was mag-locked to it. Turning back to her, the male command drone started making animal noises with his feeding hole as he placed it on the ground between them and removed the top. She leaned over to get a better look as her curiosity grew about what the gift was. She saw two devices made of an extremely thin, flexible metal material as well as two small, black devices. One was oblong, while the other was square. Puzzled, she looked at the machine animal and made claw movements, asking what it was. It responded, asking her to wait. The male command drone took out the black square device and attached it to the front of his thorax before removing the two flexible metal devices and holding them out to her. She reached out with her tarsal claws and took them, looking at the machine animal and waiting for it to tell her what they were. It started making claw movements, asking her to place the devices on her tarsal claws. It reached out and took one of the devices from her before tapping on its thorax. A small hatch opened, and it removed what looked like a machine Insectoid tarsal claw that was the same size as hers. Intrigued, she watched as the machine animal placed the devices on the ground before removing one of its machine animal hands with a sharp twisting motion and placing the imitation tarsal claw in its place. She saw the tarsal claws making movements as the machine animal activated the claw. Reaching back down, the machine animal picked up one of the devices with its other hand and slipped the device over the tarsal claw before removing it and slipping the device back over the claw again. It removed it and offered it to her again. Now she understood what she was supposed to do, and she slipped both devices over her claws, her excitement growing as she tried to figure out the purpose of the devices. When she had placed them both on her claws, the machine animal took the black oblong device out of the container and offered it to her, pointing to where the male command drone had placed the other device on his thorax. She understood what he wanted, and she pressed the device in the same position on the flexible armor she was wearing and heard it hiss as it self-adhered. The machine animal asked for permission to touch her, and she consented. It reached the imitation tarsal claw out and pressed a small button on the oblong device before pulling the claw back. It made claw movements, asking her to sign with the male command drone. Confused, she turned towards the male command drone, and he pressed the same button on the square device that was attached to his thorax and started making animal noises. A hologram of two tarsal claws appeared, making claw movements while the male command drone spoke. She was momentarily stunned by what was happening, and the male command drone spoke again, his animal noises being translated into holographic claw movements. She focused on him this time, paying close attention to what he was saying. ¡°Aurora, I am Admiral Thompson. I am pleased to finally be able to share my thoughts with you. Please respond with your claws; the device on your thorax will translate your thoughts into words for me.¡± Excitement coursed through her, and she responded with claw movements hesitantly. She flinched involuntarily as the device on her thorax started making animal noises and startled her. Regaining her composure, she started signing again and responded to the male command drone. ¡°I am Aurora. I am pleased to be able to share my thoughts with you. Can you understand my thoughts?¡± She finished signing, and the animal noises from the device ceased. She waited for the male command drone to respond. She saw him grimace and display his teeth in happiness, and she felt a wave of euphoria rise inside of her. He could understand her thoughts! He responded to her with animal noises, and the holographic claws continued to perfectly translate his thoughts. ¡°I can understand your thoughts perfectly. I am happy that this is working; we spent a lot of time and effort to create these devices. Are the devices comfortable on your claws? We can modify them if they cause you discomfort.¡± The Hive mother within sent urgent thoughts to her, and she opened her mind to her ancestor. Aurora responded enthusiastically, still stunned by this new way of sharing thoughts with the animals. Now she would be able to share thoughts with all of them and no longer have to rely on intermediaries. She felt the Hive mother within recede, and she focused on the male command drone in front of her. His name is Admiral-Friend. I must stop calling him a male drone; it is rude. She thought in self-admonition before returning her attention to his thoughts as he made animal noises. ¡°Aurora, I wish to express my happiness that you were successful in saving this Hive. Is there anything we can do to help you?¡± As his thoughts were translated, she felt shame for being so disrespectful to him when they were first building the Hive. She must make amends for her wrongness. ¡°Admiral-Friend,¡± she signed, trying to express her thoughts coherently in this new fashion. ¡°I must make amends for my actions when we were building the Hive. I ask for your pardon.¡± She hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate to convey her thoughts on the loss of his mate. ¡°I also wish to express my sorrow for the loss of your lifemate. I grieve for you.¡± She put her claws down as the device on her torso finished turning her thoughts into animal sounds. She stared intently at him, detecting a change in the behavior of the animals as they all heard her thoughts. Curiously, the other animals turned and moved away a few steps, as did the larger, menacing machine animals. Only the machine animal that was like Bandit-Friend remained in its position until one of the animals came back and grabbed one of its arms, pulling it away to join them. Admiral-Friend had looked down as her thoughts were turned into animal sounds, and he was still looking at the ground for some time after the device had finished. Worry came over her as she considered the behavior of the animals and the reaction of the Admiral-Friend, wondering if she had committed a wrongness and ruined what should have been a happy time for them all. Finally, the Admiral-Friend looked back up at her, and their eyes met. They were now noticeably moistened, and she realized that she was witnessing an emotional animal response that Bandit-Friend had called tears. As she focused on them, she realized that his irises were a pale blue like the sky above them, and she found herself mesmerized by the color. She quickly focused a single eye on the other animals and zoomed in, seeing that two of them had brown irises, one had a different shade of blue, and another had what looked like a mixture of green and yellow. She returned the eye to him. She had been studying the animals and their ways, and Bandit-Friend had explained the act of crying to her. She found it confusing that they could signify both sadness and happiness, and now she found herself unsure of the response her thoughts had elicited. Admiral-Friend started making much softer animal noises, and she focused one eye on the hologram claws while keeping the other on his face. He stopped making animal noises, and she turned the claw movements into thoughts in her mind. ¡°Aurora, I thank you for your thoughts of grief. I did not trust you, and I did not want anything to do with you or your Hive. I unjustly blamed you for my loss, and for that, I ask for your pardon. I am grateful that we have become friends and allies, and I am happy that you have proven me wrong.¡± As she made sense of his thoughts in her mind, he stepped forward and put out a flattened claw, pointed towards her. He started speaking again, and she focused intently on the hologram claws. ¡°It is customary for humans to shake hands to signify peace between them.¡± As an understanding of what he wanted to do dawned on her, she found herself overwhelmed by a confusing abundance of different emotions. She gingerly put out her dominant claw and placed it against his claw, unsure how to proceed. Admiral-Friend opened his claw slightly and, with surprising gentleness, closed it around her claw, moving it up and down slowly two times before letting go of her claw. She was surprised by how warm it was, and the action made her feel good. Admiral-Friend grimaced in happiness, and Aurora wished her species was able to make facial expressions to signify what they were feeling like the animals were able to do. Instead, she made quick claw movements. ¡°I am grateful we are friends. I feel happiness for us and for the time to come. Thank you for this wonderful gift.¡± He grimaced again, showing more of his teeth, before stepping back. The other animals returned, sensing that peace had been made between them. Making more claw movements, she asked them to join her over by the Hive and pointed both claws towards the Hive opening. ¡°Please come with me, friends; we will watch my daughters leave the Hive together.¡± She turned towards the Hive and signaled her guardians to escort them. The combots arrayed themselves around the group, forming a perimeter. They all started walking back towards the Hive opening, where tens of thousands of worker drones were streaming out in orderly formations as they headed towards her Hive ship. Soon they will be in their new home, and she will ensure that they live the remainder of their short lives in peace. As they got closer, her excitement grew at the gift she had received. Now she will be able to share her thoughts with the animal queen directly. She will ask for permission to build a Hive for her daughter and ask that she be allowed to continue to save the abandoned drones on the animal worlds. Soon, she will ask to be able to make ships. She will join forces with the animals, and then she will take over the Hives. She will become the Hive-mother of the Empire, and she will teach her daughters to never make war on the animals ever again. She will rule with love, and their Hives will grow. They will once more feel the warmth of a thousand suns, and they will finally know peace again. They Held The Line-Chapter Twelve-Hive mother Kepler-51 System 2,556 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. The Hive mother entered the command drone, leading the smaller force that had flashed out of null space 425,000,000 kilometers from the primary and ordering the ten Hive ships and seven hundred cruisers to burn towards the second planet immediately. The larger force, with twenty Hive ships and the remaining eight hundred cruisers, had flashed out at the normal range of 820,000,000 kilometers from the primary over eighty hours prior and assembled into two smaller formations. Her sister took the bait and had her larger fleet of twenty-seven Hive ships and twelve hundred cruisers charge to the outer system to give battle. The Hive mother took personal command of the outer system fleet, jumping between the two command drones as she launched dozens of hit-and-run attacks and denied her sister a full-on battle. She hated having to lose Hive ships and cruisers as she sacrificed them in the outer system battle, but she had no choice in the matter. She did her best to minimize her losses, fighting with exceptional skill that her sister couldn''t counter. She had used several animal tactics that she had learned from the memories of the previous battles, and she was able to inflict serious losses on the larger fleet controlled by her traitor sister. When the outer system fleet she was leading lost half their Hive ships and hundreds of cruisers, she had the surviving Hive ships and over four hundred cruisers retreat. She had the fleet flee on sub-light engines, making her sister chase her fleet almost to the boundary of the system heliosphere before finally flashing out, losing another three Hive ships and over one hundred cruisers as her sister chased after her. Now, her sister¡¯s fleet was too far out to do anything when her second, smaller fleet flashed into the inner system and dashed towards the primary builder world, a large moon orbiting the second gas giant. What remained of her sister¡¯s fleet would take over one hundred solar hours to reach the primary builder world by sub-light, or more than eighty solar hours if she entered null space and flashed back out beyond 800,000,000 kilometers before heading to the primary builder world. It did not matter what she did. The Hive mother¡¯s feint had worked, and now there was nothing her sister could do to stop her from reclaiming what was rightfully hers. Her traitor sister was so assured of her victory and angered by the Hive mother¡¯s taunting that she charged for the outer system in a rage that blinded her and made her fall for the ruse. The traitor did not leave even a single Hive ship to defend the builder world, and now the Hive mother resumed control of the smaller fleet as it neared the builder world. In less than thirty solar minutes, they will reach orbit, and she will have the army of soldier drones on the ten Hive ships land on the planet and take over her sister¡¯s Hive on the surface. Feeling exhausted from the battle of the outer system, the Hive mother returned to her body on the Queen World and entered a resting state to refresh herself for the coming invasion. Her command drones will wake her when the time comes. One and a half solar hours later, the command drone leading her armies woke her, and she entered the command drone, taking over its mind. She was now outside her sister¡¯s Hive, and her army was in the last stages of finishing off the Hive defenders that had swarmed out to meet them. Following thousands of soldier drones, she entered the Hive and headed towards the Nexus as the soldier drones continued to kill any drones that attempted to bar her passage. She explicitly ordered the soldiers to minimize worker drone deaths and to merely stun them with the low-power setting of their hand weapons. She had a need for them after she captured her traitor sister. Finally reaching the Nexus, she made the command drone she was controlling enter the queen chamber. The traitor was there, waiting for her. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The Hive mother felt grudging respect for her sister''s refusal to flee, and she almost considered granting her mercy. The Hive mother within asked to share her thoughts, and she opened her mind. The Hive mother within did not answer. She already shared her thoughts on the matter, and she had nothing to add. Her traitor sister was sending thoughts to her, and she ignored them as she made the command drone approach her, pulling out the ceremonial dagger hanging off the harness around its thorax. The traitor made no move and stood there, eyeing the command drone with contempt as it got closer to her. She detected more thoughts from the traitor and let them into her mind. The least she could do was acknowledge the last thoughts of her sister before killing her. The Hive mother heard her thoughts, and she gathered the courage necessary to perform the distasteful act she had to carry out. She sent her thoughts to her sister as she readied the dagger. As soon as her thoughts were sent, she drove the ceremonial dagger in between her sister¡¯s large black eyes, penetrating her brain pan as deep as it would go. She was ready, and she caught her sister¡¯s body as it went limp. She lowered the body and cradled her sister¡¯s head with her thorax arms, feeling an overwhelming wave of guilt as she saw the dagger sticking out of the skull of her sister, who was still alive a moment ago. Such a waste, my sister. Why didn¡¯t you submit? I would have been a good Hive mother to you, and you would have spared me from the anguish of having to kill you. The queen thought to her dead sister, lamenting the loss of her precious genetic line and the wisdom of her ancestors within. After holding her sister¡¯s body for many minutes, she made the command drone get up and drag the body towards the Hive graveyard, where her sister would be unceremoniously dumped with the other corpses. The burial rites reserved only for the queens were now forbidden to her disloyal corpse, and she will suffer the ignominious fate of being recycled into compost along with the other Hive dead. She disposed of the body and went to the Nexus, where her soldiers were waiting for her. She went to the raised dais and sat in it, ordering the Hive ventilation system to purge the air within it to expel the last vestiges of her dead sister¡¯s pheromones. A few minutes later, she heard the clanging of the massive air handlers finally stop as they powered down after completely venting the massive Hive and replacing the atmosphere with fresh air. She activated the pheromone glands of the command drone and concentrated as she started creating a specific blend of pheromones known only to the queens to regain the loyalty of the drones in the Hive. A momentary sadness filled the command drone¡¯s body, and the Hive mother felt it. The command drone knew she would be culled after the Hive mother left her; it would not be possible for the command drone to be allowed to live after the secret pheromone blend had been revealed to the drone. The Hive mother felt guilty about it, wishing there was some way she could save the command drone¡¯s life, but it just was not possible. This was the way of the Hive. Pushing the inevitable outcome to the side, the Hive mother continued to release the pheromones into the circulation system and started ordering her dead sister¡¯s command drones, the ones still alive in the Hive, to return to their functions. There were ships to be built and another sister to be brought under her control or killed. As the other command drones went about restoring order to the Hive, she left the command drone¡¯s mind she had taken over and entered a nearby soldier drone. Through the soldier drone¡¯s eyes, she could see the command drone try to recover from her possession as she leaned on a nearby column with unsteady legs. She made the soldier drone go behind the command drone and quietly sneak up behind her as she set the hand weapon to full power. As she crept closer, she could see the back of the command drone¡¯s head swivel around as it looked for the death it knew was coming. Another flash of guilt passed through the Hive mother as she pointed the beam weapon at the back of the command drone¡¯s skull and depressed the trigger, feeling the warm ichor splash against the soldier¡¯s armored chitin as the invisible beam exploded the skull in front of it. Dozens of nearby worker drones stopped what they were doing and stared at the soldier drone and the headless corpse of the command drone now lying on the floor for a few seconds before turning back around and resuming their tasks. Two nearby undertaker drones headed over to the command drone corpse and picked it up, carrying the body between them as they brought it to a cart and dumped the body on top of the corpses already in it. The Hive mother watched them move on, pushing the full corpse cart as they headed towards the Hive graveyard to empty it. She waited until they entered a tunnel and passed out of her view before leaving the soldier drone¡¯s mind and returning to her body on the Queen World. She had another rebellious sister to deal with. Hopefully she will see the wisdom of her dead sister¡¯s thoughts and submit to the Hive mother. They Held The Line-Chapter Thirteen/Captain Navarra RSS John Cabot, Magellan-Class Explorer 7,138 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. The three-kilometer-long survey vessel slipped into orbit around the rogue gas giant and deployed the extraction system, skimming the atmosphere as the harvesters sank into the upper thermal currents of the planet. The harvesters, attached to two hundred-kilometer-long cables, opened their ram scoops to let in the atmospheric gases that were funneled through the filters as the survey vessel orbited against the gas giant¡¯s rotation. Hydrogen and Helium-3 were abundant in the atmosphere, and the John Cabot would be able to collect enough fuel to replenish the tanks and reserves, as well as several other rare gases needed for the ship. Captain Navarra smiled to himself as the readouts from the extraction process were continually updated, and he saw the virtual fuel tank gauges finally turn from yellow to green as they were being replenished. This was a major boon for the ship and the crew and a sign of good fortune for their return trip back to Republic space after almost finishing their two-year survey mission. The government of the Republic had put together a proposal for the survey mission and asked for volunteers. Captain Navarra jumped at the chance to lead such an important expedition and added his name to the candidate pool. He was selected and given free rein to assemble his crew of volunteers as he saw fit. The official objective of the mission was to circumnavigate the quadrant, scout the unexplored regions, and collect scientific data. The unofficial objective was to scout the unexplored regions for potential colony worlds that could be claimed and settled by the Republic. The main body of the Republic was in a sparse stellar region, 2/3rds of the way in along the inner edge of the Orion spur. They were effectively hemmed in by numerous other powers that had long-standing territorial claims to most avenues of potential expansion. Further expansion towards the edge of the Orion spur behind the Republic was blocked by the Kilthek Dominion, an extremely xenophobic interstellar power controlled by a technologically advanced avian species. There were still many potential solar systems in the quadrant that could still be claimed and colonized, but the Republic was hesitant to form isolated islands of territory separated from the main body of Republic space. Doing so would present numerous logistical and defensive issues for the Republic, requiring significant resources to sustain isolated colonies that would constantly be at risk of being cut off or blockaded. Four years ago, the Bureau of Colonization broached the idea of creating a second republic beyond the established territories of their interstellar neighbors. This new territory would govern itself as a mirror entity to the first Republic, and humanity would be able to open a new frontier of expansion without restriction. The government commissioned a shipbuilder to construct a long-range, self-sustaining exploration ship capable of operating for a period of five years before having to return to the Republic for refit and upgrades. They designed the Magellan-Class Explorer and built a prototype in six months. After conducting extensive shakedown cruises, any issues with the prototype and the new highly advanced proof-of-concept technologies installed were resolved. A second keel was laid, and five months later, the John Cabot left the shipyard in Luna orbit and embarked on a series of shakedown cruises as she navigated all around Republic space. The John Cabot returned to Luna orbit and was fitted out for a three-year mission as Captain Navarra finished hand-picking his crew out of tens of thousands of highly qualified personnel. He filled out the crew roster with scientists, specialists, and retired Republic military personnel. He also selected citizens with extensive farming, civil, and industrial engineering capabilities for their real-life expertise. The mission was almost scrapped due to the Insectoid invasion of the Commonwealth, but he was able to use the event to emphasize the need for mankind to expand beyond the region and ensure that the species would never be able to be exterminated. His statement to the Bureau of Colonization was unorthodox and offensive to some, but he made his point eloquently enough to convince them to let the mission proceed. ¡°We are already an interstellar species, but this is not enough. A humanity that cannot expand beyond one region will always be at risk of being exterminated. We need to become the roaches of the galaxy so that no matter how many of us they kill, there are always more of us coming out of the galactic woodwork somewhere else to continue the species if we were to be conquered or exterminated.¡± Two days later, he got the go-ahead, and the John Cabot flashed into null space to begin the historic mission. Bypassing the periphery border regions of Commonwealth space, they continued towards the unexplored regions. One of the first missions they had was to chart the known boundaries of Insectoid space, and it was a rough beginning to their survey mission. The Republic needed to know the true size of the Insectoid Empire in case of open conflict with them. They had very little information about them, as they were on the other side of Commonwealth space and they never had direct contact. Republic civilian and trading ships were not allowed free passage beyond the centrally located Core Worlds of the Commonwealth interior, and Republic military vessels never ventured outside of Republic territory to prevent potential enemies from gathering intelligence on them. The Commonwealth government refused to share any information about them, and the Republic was forced to make assumptions based on hearsay and rumors. Republic agents also paid large sums of credits to procure questionable astrometric charts from smugglers and other unsavory characters brave or desperate enough to operate along the border regions between the Commonwealth and Insectoid space. For four months, the John Cabot played a cat and mouse game with Insectoid patrol ships as they charted a path around the Empire to map out the actual extent of their border. The John Cabot had the latest stealth technology installed, and Captain Navarra was grateful the new tech worked as they repeatedly found themselves being hunted by Insectoid patrol ships. They were forced to evade numerous interdictions by patrolling ships as they probed the known borders of the Insectoid empire according to the charts they had procured, quickly finding out that they were either severely out of date or just made up. A curious aspect of the charting mission was the unusual behavior of the Insectoid ships. There were clearly defined borders that they adhered to, and there were several times when the John Cabot was in real danger of being intercepted. Every single time, the Insectoid ships would stop at a certain point and refuse to pass it, regardless of how close they were to catching the ship. It was almost as if they were leashed and unable to pass that imaginary line. Testing his theory out, Captain Navarra had the John Cabot skirt the estimated border in plain view of the Insectoid patrol ships, and they would not do anything except mirror his course. With a fully charged null drive, he passed the border, and the waiting patrol ships reacted, swarming towards the vessel. He immediately flashed the ship into null space and exited right back on the other side of the border, ready to flash out again. The patrol ships stopped less than 100,000 kilometers from the John Cabot and maintained their position, refusing to cross the newly confirmed border separating them. Captain Navarra was now able to use their reluctance to cross their borders to map them with certainty as the patrol ships unwittingly confirmed them by mirroring his course on their side. Unlike all the other species, there were no marker buoys or automated drones broadcasting maps of their borders. The Insectoid borders were also extremely confusing and illogical, with several instances of borders cutting solar systems in half. There were also large, empty areas that jutted out from the main body of insectoid territory that were devoid of solar systems, resources, or any stellar phenomena. The xenobiologists and the exobiologists on the crew could not come up with a reason or theory for why they would claim large regions of empty space or claim half of a solar system. They attributed it to an unknowable aspect of Insectoid motivations. There were almost two dozen times when they had unwittingly crossed the Insectoid borders because of such circumstances, and the advanced stealth technology was the only thing that saved them from being captured or destroyed. The Insectoid empire was also not contiguous but rather was in three large sections in close proximity to each other, with multiple corridors of unclaimed space between them that were typically several light-years wide. These corridors were repeatedly confirmed and carefully mapped as they offered a potentially viable path for Republic ships to travel through instead of having to take the long way around Insectoid space. The Commonwealth was almost four times the size of Republic space, and the John Cabot was able to determine that the Insectoid Empire was almost double the size of the Commonwealth. After four months, the John Cabot finally stopped torturing the patrol ships and flashed back into null space, continuing their journey after sending multiple spy drones back to the Republic with the now-confirmed borders of the Insectoid Empire. For the next three months, the John Cabot headed deeper into the Orion spur, mapping the unexplored regions as they headed towards their final destination, the Gum nebula. They charted hundreds of star systems and numerous stellar phenomena. They also discovered the presence of eight space-faring civilizations, all of whom were far less advanced than the species of the quadrant they had come from. Captain Navarra avoided contacting them as they were all using primitive FTL drives, and he did not want to expose them to the advanced technology of the Republic and entice them into attacking the ship. Finally, in the third month, they reached a cluster of stars that met the conditions required for the establishment of a second Republic 12,000 light-years from Earth. The travel time from the Republic was reasonable, as civilian null drives could make the trip within eight weeks and the colonist could be placed in suspended animation for that length of time with negligible side effects. Military-grade null drives could make the journey in four weeks at normal travel speeds and within two in an emergency, though their null space capacitors would need to be completely overhauled. The star cluster had almost a dozen habitable planets, as well as an additional eight planets that could be terraformed and made habitable within a few decades. It was also incredibly resource-rich, abundant in most of the necessary rare earth elements and common minerals needed to sustain an interstellar civilization. There were no dangerous stellar phenomena, impending supernovas, black holes, or sentient species within the cluster, and the stars had an average distance of less than ten light-years between them. It was exactly what they were looking for, and they spent the next fourteen months carefully charting the forty-eight-star systems of the local cluster as the crew specialists determined the feasibility of colonization. Science teams landed on the habitable planets to take samples, while survey teams hunted for minerals and ores that could sustain new colonies and allow them to be self-sufficient. Farming specialists spent months developing strains of food crops that could be grown in the alien soils and figuring out what types of fertilizers and symbiotic bacteria would have to be added to the potential arable farmlands. The civil and industrial engineers worked together to select the initial landing sites based on local resources, geographic conditions, and water availability. The mission was a resounding success, and after fourteen months, the John Cabot left the star cluster and headed back home, taking a different route as they explored new regions along their course. The science officer had discovered the rogue gas giant on her scanners, and after confirming the presence of the fuel and gases they needed, Captain Navarra had the ship change course and intercept the unique interstellar traveler. They could refuel the ship while the science nerds geeked out over the first rogue planet ever catalogued by the Republic. It was a win-win in his book and a good omen as far as he was concerned. As the ship continued refueling, Captain Navarra leaned closer to his XO sitting next to him and activated the privacy field around them before speaking. ¡°How¡¯s crew morale, Jim?¡± The XO looked up from the status display and shifted in the seat to face him. ¡°Well, they are obviously happy with the success of the mission. I think knowing that they will be home in less than two months has made everyone a little impatient to finally get this over with.¡± Jim quickly tapped on the status screen before continuing to speak. ¡°I¡¯m hearing that at least half of the crew has expressed a desire to be part of the first colonization wave, so that¡¯s good news for the Bureau since it means they will have people who have been in the cluster with them.¡± He grunted in response. ¡°We¡¯ll see what happens, I guess.¡± Jim looked at him with a confused expression before responding. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this mission was a success? You pushed for the Republic to launch this mission when they almost cancelled it.¡± Leaning closer, he lowered his voice as he answered his XO. ¡°This mission was a success, and I still believe that humanity needs to expand. I just don¡¯t know if I believe the colonization effort should be focused on creating a clone of the Republic.¡± Jim looked around quickly at his words, verifying that the privacy screen was up and operating correctly before leaning in closer and lowering his voice conspiratorially. ¡°What do you mean, Tony? How else would the colonization efforts be set up if not made into another republic? Isn¡¯t that the whole point? Citizens would have the benefit of operating under the same conditions they are leaving, which would make the transition smoother.¡± He sighed tiredly before looking Jim in the eyes as he responded. ¡°Jim, I am loyal to the Republic, and I have given seventeen years of my life to the Navy. I just feel like it would be a mistake to create the exact same system of government 12,000 light-years away. The Republic government was created after World War III, and it was exactly what was needed to get humanity back on its feet.¡± He paused as he formulated his thoughts before continuing to speak. ¡°That was over a hundred years ago, Jim. I think it is time for humanity to change a little bit and to have the freedom to figure out other forms of governance if they choose to do so. Colonists should be allowed to discover other ways of living and thinking without being forced to emulate the Republic.¡± Jim¡¯s facial expression became thoughtful as he ruminated on what the captain said. After a few moments, he spoke again. ¡°Do you feel like the Republic government has outlived its usefulness, Tony? ¡°I don¡¯t know if it has outlived its usefulness.¡± He responded. ¡°I do know that there have not been any major modifications to the constitution, nor has there been any real change in our society since it was formed. We have become stagnant, Jim. Think of the basis that the Republic was built on, specifically the old nations of the western world. They were constantly changing and adapting to the needs of their people as the world changed around them. Their ideas, cultural values, and societies changed, and the governments changed with them as their citizens added amendments to their original founding documents.¡± Jim responded quickly. ¡°That¡¯s true, Tony, but they also kind of screwed themselves up with some of those changes. They forgot what their ancestors intended, and they became weak and impotent, which led to the worst war in human history.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true, Jim.¡± He responded. ¡°Look at us now, though. We have become a militarized society, and now we are embroiled in an interstellar conflict because we have decided that it is our responsibility to become the protectors of the quadrant. We barely had six decades to recover from the war before we became aware of the existence of alien species. And how did we respond? We turned the Republic into a goddamn fortress and built over ten thousand warships.¡± He stopped talking, looking down at the photo of his ex-wife and his twin eleven-year-old daughters that was taped to the console next to his chair, before continuing. ¡°It seems as if we have forgotten what it means to be a normal society, and I am tired of seeing our kids deprive themselves of a real childhood because they want to grow up as fast as they can to join the military, just like their parents.¡± He trailed off, not caring to hide the bitterness he was feeling as he continued to look at the photo. He wasn¡¯t there when they were born, and he missed seven of the eleven birthdays they had. His ex-wife divorced him three years ago, not willing to continue to share a bed with a husband who was never in it or pretend to be a family with an absentee father. She had done her six years of service after high school and wanted him to retire, but the Navy was all he knew ever since he got a special dispensation to enter the Naval Academy at sixteen years old. He kept promising her that he would retire ¡°next year," and he never did. He had been made captain, and he had a very promising career ahead of him, well known to Fleet Command as one of the rising stars of the fleet. He thought the major increase in pay and benefits would make things easier for them, but it didn¡¯t. The last straw for her was when they were supposed to go away for the twin¡¯s eighth birthday. He had purchased an all-exclusive pass for all of them to go on a two-week tour of the moons of Epsilon Eridani B. The girls had been ecstatic about the trip, and even Evelyn seemed to warm up to him again. Their relationship got much better in the weeks leading up to the trip, and he felt like things were almost back to normal between them. He put in for three weeks of leave, and it was granted. His replacement would arrive to relieve him five days before the trip, and he would arrive back home two days before they were supposed to leave. Six days before he was supposed to return home for the trip, his ship and ten others were diverted to the border to deal with multiple incursions by the Kilthek Navy. The Republic and the Kilthek Dominion were in the early stages of an interstellar cold war as the Dominion considered the Republic an obstacle to their further expansion. Thinking it was the usual chest-thumping exercises that the Kilthek Navy periodically engaged in to hone their forces, he assumed that he would still be able to return home in time for the trip when the Kilthek ships finally left, like they always did when the Republic Navy responded. This time, however, the Kilthek squadrons refused to leave Republic space, and his ship was forced to stay on station to prevent them from penetrating deeper into the Republic as more ships from both sides came. It almost turned into a shooting conflict before the Kilthek and Republic governments were able to diffuse the situation, and the Kilthek squadrons finally withdrew. What they really wanted was a corridor for their trading vessels to be able to navigate through Republic space so they could open trade routes with other species to stimulate their stagnant economy. It never occurred to the bellicose Kilthek to just ask, and they had expected to have to go to war with the Republic to get the concessions they wanted. The Republic graciously granted them two corridors on the condition that embassies be opened in their capitals to prevent any further misunderstandings, which they readily agreed to. His replacement arrived after the situation was resolved, and he almost burned out the shuttle¡¯s null drive trying to make it home as fast as possible. The incursion was being kept under wraps, and he was not able to explain what happened to Evelyn over the communication channels. He returned to Earth three days later than he was supposed to and sent repeated messages as he rushed through port processing, submitted his reports, and then hurried home. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. He knew he was in the doghouse when Evelyn still didn¡¯t respond, but she would understand after finding out about the incursions when he was finally able to tell her what happened in person. He came home to an empty house, and Evelyn and the twins were gone, as were all their clothes and personal effects. On the kitchen counter was a note addressed to him, next to a thick sheaf of documents. Anthony, The girls and I are staying at my parents¡¯ house for now. This was the last time I would allow the girls to have their hearts broken by you because of your job. I don¡¯t care what it was this time; I am done with it all. Look over the papers I left on the counter and sign them. I have already added my signatures. Please make this as painless as possible for the girls and just sign them; the lawyers can work everything else out. -Evelyn He put the note down and picked up the stack of documents, his shaking hands barely able to flip through them as his numb fingers refused to work. They were divorce papers, and Evelyn had added her signature to every single one. He spent the rest of the day trying to video call her and the kids, as well as his in-laws. Nobody answered, and he sat in his chair in the living room all night long, blankly staring at a wall as the silence of the empty house taunted him. The next morning, the doorbell rang, and he sprang out of his chair and opened it, hoping it was Evelyn coming to work things out. It was his father-in-law, Javier, and the look on her father¡¯s face made him breakdown as he realized that it was truly over. Javier made it worse by hugging him and gently leading him back to the living room to sit him down. After returning from the kitchen with a glass of water and making him drink it, Javier commiserated with him as he tried to think of a way to fix things. Javier had served in the Republic Navy for twenty years before retiring, and he knew firsthand what his son-in-law was going through, having been divorced by two ex-wives himself before marrying Evelyn¡¯s mom. Pulling his chair closer, Javier took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, son. I know what you are going through, and I can¡¯t help but think that Evie¡¯s experience with me being gone all the time has colored her expectations for your marriage. I warned her, but she loved you and thought she would be able to convince you to retire early.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dad. I appreciate you being here for me, and the truth is, I am afraid of becoming a civilian. The Navy is all I know, and if I wasn¡¯t such a selfish coward, I would still have my family,¡± he replied as he tried to stem another wave of sobbing. Javier stayed with him for a few hours as he came to terms with the loss of his family. Before Javier left, he got up and walked over to the kitchen counter and signed every single piece of paper before handing the documents to Javier with trembling hands. After a long hug, his father-in-law left, taking the divorce papers with him. He was once again alone in a house that no longer felt like home to him. He packed a large duffel bag with what little personal effects he had and left the house. He went to the nearby base and started the process of securing himself living quarters, ignoring the understanding look of the Bachelor Officer Quarters liaison who was processing his request. The liaison had seen this happen dozens, if not hundreds, of times and had perfected the appropriate facial expression meant to convey a blend of sympathy and optimism as he hummed and periodically tsk''d to himself as his fingers deftly played across the holo keyboard. He had never seen a more punchable face than the one the liaison had, and he was proud of his self-restraint as the guy repeatedly told him about how nice the quarters his rank qualified him for were, as well as how wonderful the base recreational facilities and food were. After three hours, he finally entered his new quarters and sat down at the computer terminal. He sent a message to Evelyn, telling her that the house was hers and that he was now living on the base. He emptied out his half-full duffel bag and put away what few belongings he had before heading to the nearest officer¡¯s club to get shitfaced. For the duration of his leave, he went there every day at exactly 0900 after working out and started drinking, ignoring the looks of his fellow officers as their expressions turned from initial sympathy to outright disgust at his pathetic behavior as he binge-drank for exactly eight hours every day. He stopped going there five days before he was supposed to return to his ship and sobered up in preparation for resuming his duties. He returned to his ship and fell back into his old routine as he tried to bury his pain. He corresponded regularly with Evelyn, their relationship becoming more cordial as time went on. She had sold the house and moved to a nearby town so that he could easily see the twins while he was home, and he had weekly video calls with them whenever possible. A year later, he heard about the survey mission and spoke to Evelyn about it, who was surprisingly supportive of his desire to volunteer and lead the mission if he was selected. ¡°The girls are older now, Anthony. They have gotten used to our new reality, and I would talk to them about it, but I understand why you would want to do this.¡± A few weeks later, he returned home, and he spoke with Evelyn and the girls about it. The girls seemed both excited and sad, and Evelyn pulled him to the side after they had finally gone to bed, chatting excitedly about their dad finding new aliens to make friends with. ¡°Anthony, you know that I still love you. I also know you better than anyone else, and I think you should take the mission. It does you no good to continue to patrol Republic Space and go home to your empty quarters on base.¡± She looked down at the floor, avoiding his eyes as she continued speaking. ¡°I miss you, Anthony. I married the man, not the rank. Maybe after this mission, you¡¯ll be ready to finally retire and leave the Navy. If you choose to do so, let me know.¡± She quickly stepped forward and kissed him passionately. He was stunned at first, and then he instinctively tried to wrap his arms around her, his heart hammering in his chest at the sudden affection he so terribly missed. She pulled away from him before he could finish embracing her and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. He stood there in her living room for almost twenty minutes as long-suppressed emotions screamed to be let out. He finally left the house, quietly closing the front door behind him and letting his autocar take him back to the base. He got to his quarters and sat on the edge of his bed, staring at a small, barely noticeable stain on the carpet for hours as he thought of what happened and what Evelyn had implied. He knew retiring the very next day, as he wanted to, would not work. Evelyn would feel guilty about it, and she knew he would secretly resent it. He had to retire on his own terms when he really had enough of it all. He finally undressed and laid down on his bed, reaching over to feel the empty space next to him. Before he drifted off to sleep, he made up his mind. He would take the mission and retire when he returned. His dedication to the Republic had cost him his family, and he wanted them back. He snapped his attention back to the XO, realizing that he had drifted far away from the bridge as he got lost in his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jim. I kind of got sidetracked. What did you say?¡± He asked, embarrassed by his momentary lapse of attention. ¡°I said our reaction to first contact with the Commonwealth might seem to have been excessive, but it was also correct. The Insectoids would have steamrolled over the entire quadrant, and instead of returning to the Republic, we would be returning to glassed worlds and an exterminated humanity.¡± Jim was right, and he knew it. He responded, still trying to get his point across. ¡°I¡¯m not denying that, Jim. All I¡¯m saying is that humanity is so much more than what we are now. We have become a monolithic culture, molded by the horrors of our past, and we need to reclaim our heritage before we forget what it means to be truly human. We have always fought wars, Jim. But we never allowed war and our readiness to fight to be our only defining attributes until the Republic came into being. I mean, for god¡¯s sakes, Jim, do you remember what it was like when the mail drones finally caught up to us? This ship turned into a frigging funeral home for weeks afterwards when the crew found out how many relatives and friends died in the Eliani system. And then again, after the battle of the Jellini system.¡± He quickly looked at the fuel gauges to confirm that they were still being filled before continuing. ¡°We are only a few generations away from becoming like ants ourselves if we don¡¯t break out of this way of life. We have become regimented, militaristic, and far too willing to sacrifice ourselves. Quite frankly, we have become boring, Jim. Aren¡¯t you tired of everyone acting and thinking the same way?¡± Jim leaned back, thinking about what he had said. ¡°I can see what you are saying, Tony. I do find it a little weird sometimes. When I go home on leave, it seems like everyone I know is either serving or a veteran. It does get a little boring.¡± Jim responded as he started laughing, finding the admission to be a little ridiculous now that he had thought about it. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I am saying, Jim. This is why I think creating a sister republic would be a mistake. We have other qualities besides our ability to fight and die well. Maybe if we learned how to be normal humans again, we would continue to be able to save not only our friends but ourselves.¡± He felt his cheeks getting red from embarrassment as he bared his soul to his best friend. He was a man of few words, and he always kept a tight lid on his thoughts and emotions. Opening himself to Jim like this was hard for him. Sensing his thoughts, Jim punched him lightly in the arm and smirked. ¡°Look at you, Tony. Badass Captain Navarra is a smartypants after all. I thought only greasy mouth breathers came out of Brooklyn." Jim said as he spoke in an overly exaggerated Brooklyn accent, poking fun at the captain''s hometown. He rolled his eyes in exasperation at Jim''s ridiculous accent before finally laughing. He felt a lot better after having been able to share his thoughts and worries about the future of humanity. Jim¡¯s face took on a contemplative expression before he asked a question. ¡°So how do we go about doing this, Tony? I¡¯ll back you up all the way if you want to try coming up with a plan of action for the colonization attempt.¡± He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. ¡°I have spent the last ten months working on a proposal that I want to submit to the Bureau of Colonization. Maybe look at it and let me know what you think about it. We can go from there after you do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to, Tony. Send it to me, and I¡¯ll go over it.¡± Jim responded. ¡°Thanks, man. That would mean a lot to me.¡± ¡°My pleasure. Should we get back to business, Captain? I¡¯m sure by now the crew is dying to know what the hell we have been talking about behind the privacy field.¡± Jim answered, raising an eyebrow as he held a finger poised over the icon to drop it. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s finish fueling up and get the hell out of here, XO.¡± Jim tapped on the icon, and the haze around them dissipated as the sounds of the bridge came back to life around them. The crew failed miserably at trying to act like they didn¡¯t care about the conversation, but he was an ensign once too. He knew they would gossip like a bunch of fishwives as soon as their shift was over, trying to figure out what the Captain and the XO were talking about. He tapped on the comm icon. ¡°Engineering, get ready to pull the harvesters back up as soon as-¡° ¡°Captain! Null space emergence waves all around us!¡± The sensor tech yelled out in panic, interrupting him. The bridge AI took over the ship, dimming the bridge lights and then turning them red as it activated the engines and started turning the three-kilometer-long vessel as fast as possible. He winced as he heard the harvester cables being ripped out of the keel of the ship as the AI continued to accelerate at emergency speed away from the planet, alarms blaring as multiple hull breaches formed along the ventral hull. Snapping out of his momentary inaction, he yelled out for the bridge crew to get a hold of themselves as they continued to call out to each other in a confusing babble of panicked voices. Looking at the view screen, he quietly cursed to himself as two Hive ships and over a dozen cruisers flashed out of null space all around the John Cabot as they tried to prevent the ship from escaping the orbit of the gas giant. ¡°Activate the null drive! Get us out of here!¡± He yelled out as the Insectoids started firing on the ship, causing it to buck under the onslaught as the bridge AI continued to try to get the ship out of the gravity well of the massive rogue planet. The bridge AI came over the intercom, its emotionless, feminine voice penetrating through the clamor of the bridge as it addressed him. ~ Captain Navarra, Activating the null drive in the gravity well of the gas giant will damage or destroy the ship. Do you wish to proceed? ~ ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice in the matter, E-V. Hit it!¡± He yelled out as another barrage of particle beams slammed into the ship, ripping gouges out of the aft section as they continued to try to take out the engines and cripple the ship. ~ Acknowledged, Captain Navarra. The ship needs to travel another twelve thousand, three hundred and sixty-one kilometers from the gas giant to increase the probability of surviving the transition. ~ He felt himself slammed into his chair as the AI answered him and increased emergency acceleration to 120% of the rated maximum. A warning chime came over the bridge intercom for the crew to put on their void helmets. The XO called out, his strong voice piercing through all the noise. ¡°WEPS, fire everything we got at the nearest Hive ship; make those fuckers back off.¡± Jim started putting his void helmet on as soon as he called out the order, and he followed suit, snatching it from the side of his seat as he fought to put it on against the massive gees pressing on his body. As soon as his helmet was on, the seat harness deployed and secured him against any sudden deceleration. The weapons officer targeted the nearest Hive ship, and he heard the whining of the bow quad particle beam turret as they fired deadly invisible beams at the massive Insectoid ship trying to block their escape route. He smiled grimly as he saw the massive hull breach forming in the Insectoid ship where all four beams hit. The Republic had installed all the latest technology on the ship, and their particle beams were as deadly as the ones on Republic battleships. ¡°Keep firing, WEPS! Don¡¯t let up on those bastards!¡± The XO called out again as the bridge AI continued to steer the ship away from the planet. He felt the ship shuddering as dozens of anti-ship missiles were fired out of the ship towards the enemy all around them. The sounds of the secondary weapons systems added to the cacophony as the plasma and grapeshot turrets rapidly spat death at the nearby vessels. There was another whine as the bow quads fired again, the four particle beams passing through the massive hull breach created by their first shot and penetrating deeply into the interior of the Hive ship. He saw the distance indicator to flash out dropping past five thousand kilometers, and he willed the ship to move faster as it seemed to barely crawl out of the gravity well. There was another massive volley of enemy hits on the ship, and the bridge suddenly lost power. The emergency power kicked on two seconds later, and all the bridge station panels started rebooting as he opened a comm channel to the chief engineer. ¡°Chief, talk to me! How bad is it?¡± The chief engineer responded almost immediately, and he could hear the worry in the chief¡¯s voice. ¡°Reactors one and two scrammed themselves to prevent overloads, and three of the five engines are gone. The main power transmission lines are cut, and I have crews running new lines now. Captain, we¡¯re in a bad way down here. If you are going to flash out, do it now.¡± ¡°E-V, flash out now! He yelled out to the bridge AI. The null space drive activated, and he knew something was seriously wrong as soon as they flashed into null space two seconds later. He woke up in the dark. Disoriented and in incredible pain, he looked around, seeing nothing. He could feel someone or something dragging him by his arms, and he tried to fight them off. His arms refused to work, and he could feel his heart slamming in his chest. There was a metallic taste in his mouth, and he tried to open his mouth to speak when he realized that there were large, jagged gaps in his teeth as his numb tongue tried to respond to his desire to form words. ¡°You are almost there, Tony, just a little bit longer.¡± He heard someone saying. Were they talking to him?. Oh shit, the bugs talk now, He thought to himself before his rattled brain realized that he knew the voice. It was Jim that was speaking to him. ¡°Thim...¡± he mumbled, his bloody and swollen mouth refusing to work. ¡°Take it easy, buddy. I got you; just relax.¡± Jim responded. As Jim continued to pull him, his anxiety became magnified by the darkness, and the disorientation came back as he felt a wave of nausea threatening to make him puke. ¡°Wet haping? Tha sthipt?¡± Breathing heavily, Jim responded impatiently as he gasped out his words. "Tony¡­ Please shut the fuck up! We are¡­ almost there, just please stop talking!" The nausea overwhelmed him, and he threw up, feeling the stomach acid burning the cuts on his gums and busted lips as his breakfast spilled past them. He heard the sudden sound of gunfire somewhere off in the distance, and his panic grew. He felt so helpless being dragged by Jim, not being able to see or speak. Are we being boarded? Where is the rest of the crew? Why are there no fucking lights? He thought to himself as the panic threatened to overwhelm him. He heard other voices calling out before feeling more hands grab him, causing tremendous pain to shoot throughout his body as they lifted him off the floor. ¡°Up ahead, sir! There are two more escape pods available.¡± Another voice called out as he heard others in the background. He could barely understand what was being said as they urgently talked over each other and the sounds of the gunfire grew closer. He heard Jim yelling loudly to be heard over the others. ¡°Everybody, stop what you are doing! You two, help me get the captain into the escape pod. The rest of you, get in the other one.¡± He suddenly felt fewer hands grabbing at him, and his weight shifted, hurting him even more. He cried out in pain as they jostled him through the narrow opening, banging his broken bones against the threshold as they shoved him in. He could feel something stab him in the neck, and a cooling sensation spread from the area, making the pain disappear as it traveled throughout his body. An object was inserted into his mouth, and he instinctively recoiled from the unexpected violation before he felt the tell-tale tingle of medical nanobots trying to heal his mouth as they were injected inside of it in a sweet glucose serum. He felt brightness forming around one eye as his vision started returning to it, blurry at first before sharpening enough to allow him to see. He reached up to touch the still-dark other eye before someone unceremoniously swatted his hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it, captain; you ain¡¯t seeing out of that mess anytime soon.¡± A gruff voice admonished him, pushing his hands back down to his chest before gently patting them. It was one of the second-shift bridge crew members who spoke. He knew the voice, but he couldn¡¯t remember his name right now. Lifting his head, he looked out of his good eye and saw that the pod door was shut. Through the large transparent aluminum window, he could see Jim standing there, looking like complete crap with his hair a mess and blood on his face. Jim smiled at him when he saw that he could finally see him, and he pressed the intercom button on the side of the hatch. He could feel his tongue again, and he slurred as he spoke, sounding like a drunk. ¡°Jim, the shipt? The crew?¡± Jim shook his head, his eyes welling up with tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain; more than half of the crew is dead already; it was a bad flash. The ship is practically derelict, and the Insectoids quickly found us and are now boarding us.¡± As if to punctuate the grim news, more gunfire sounded, much closer than it was before. Jim looked in the direction of it and then turned back to look at him. ¡°I got to go, buddy. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jim said to him as he started programming the pod from the outside panel. He felt tears forming in his eyes as he tried to speak to his best friend, his only real friend in the whole world. ¡°There ith room. Pleasth, Jim! There ith room for you. Open the hath!¡± He mumbled, trying to get up to open the hatch and save his friend. Three nearby crew members in the escape pod held him down, though he knew he would have just fallen to the floor if he did manage to stand his mangled body up. Jim shook his head sadly. ¡°I am not letting these bugs take the ship intact. There are still security bots and members of the crew fighting them, and I need to get them off the ship. I love you, brother. Take care of your family.¡± He struggled to get up again as Jim smiled at him for the last time before slamming his fist on the ejection button. He was pushed down, screaming in pain as the g-forces pressed him against the chair and overwhelmed the pain killing ability of the injection he had gotten. He felt another stab in his neck, and he started sobbing as the injection took hold and the g-forces finally made him black out. He woke up again, feeling his body press against the harness as it tried to float away in the microgravity. It was pitch black, and he looked around in panic before one of the people with him pressed a water pouch nozzle against his mouth. He drank greedily from it, nodding gratefully when he had emptied it. The pouch was removed from his lips, and the same gruff voice as before spoke. ¡°I am going to place a low-light lens over your good eye, Captain. I¡¯m sorry for any pain this causes you.¡± He felt hands tugging at his head, accompanied by pain as the lens band was attached around his head. He heard a soft click, and then he could suddenly see out of his good eye as the interior of the escape pod became bathed in the dim yellowish-green hue of the night vision lens. Through the transparent aluminum window, he could now see the John Cabot in the distance, surrounded by a single Hive ship and multiple cruisers. There were numerous small Insectoid landers attached to the hull, and he could see sporadic flashes of light throughout the interior of the powerless ship as they flickered in the numerous windows and hull breaches. They are still fighting the boarders. He thought to himself, both pride and anguish flooding his heart at the tragic turn of events. They were so close to getting home. What the fuck are the Insectoids doing all the way out here? He thought to himself as he continued to stare at their home for almost two years, dying in front of them. They were nowhere near Insectoid space. He turned around to face the gruff-voiced crew member, realizing that it was the second watch warrant officer as he finally remembered his name. Davis. His name is Davis. ¡°Davith,¡± he said, feeling as if he had better control over his mouth. ¡°How many oth the crew made ith? Davis avoided looking into his good eye as he glanced down at the deck of the escape pod, shaking his head as he answered. ¡°Last count was sixty-three, Captain, before we went dark to avoid detection.¡± He suddenly felt like he was going to throw up again, and he reeled in shock at what he just heard. The crew compliment was six hundred and fourteen when they left the Republic. They had two accidental deaths, and three other crew members had died from a silicon-based viral infection they picked up from one of the worlds they were surveying. As sad as it was, he was proud of the minimal losses the crew suffered during the dangerous, two-year-long survey mission into the unknown. He was just told that only ten percent of his crew was known to still be alive. He forced himself to maintain control of himself and the situation. He was still the captain, and he still had crew to look after. Turning back to look out the transparent aluminum window, he slurred another question he needed to know. ¡°Davith? Did tha XO make ith out?¡± He heard Davis draw in a sharp breath. He already knew the answer before the warrant officer answered in a trembling voice. ¡°No, Captain. The XO is still on the ship.¡± He nodded, still staring out the window at the John Cabot. As his eye roamed over the hull, he saw a brief surge of power in the two remaining engines. He thought it was his eye playing tricks on him when he saw another surge of power again. The two engines suddenly flared brightly, and he gasped as the ship started moving forward, the interior lights coming back on in some sections. A few more escape pods shot out of the ship and veered wildly as their AI controllers guided the pods through and around the enemy ships before going dark to avoid detection. He felt a surge of hope at the prospect of more surviving crew members adding to their total. He then saw multiple drones being ejected before they accelerated rapidly to get away from the Insectoid ships firing at them. A few where destroyed, but the rest flashed into null space, headed for Republic space to get help. The rest of the pod occupants crowded behind him, murmuring in surprised confusion as the John Cabot continued to slowly gain speed. The surrounding Insectoid ships did nothing at first, seeming as shocked as they were at the sudden return of life to the derelict ship. After a few seconds, the Insectoid ship engines flared, and they started slowly maneuvering to regain their positions around the fleeing ship. The John Cabot veered sharply to port, and now it was heading away from the escape pods as it continued to gain acceleration. A few grapeshot turrets sprang to life and started firing at the pursuers, and the crew members behind him cheered at the sight of the John Cabot refusing to go down without a fight. The pursuing cruisers returned fire, targeting the few operational weapons first. In less than a minute, the last two engines were turned to slag, and the ship lost power again. The ship continued to drift on its last heading and speed, and now it was getting difficult to see the narrow rear of the powerless vessel in the distance. The Insectoid Hive ship and cruisers swarmed around the John Cabot. Two cruisers matched their speed and course as they came up right alongside the stricken vessel on both sides, and he knew what they were trying to achieve. The massive Hive ship assumed a position directly above the ship, its keel almost touching the dorsal section of the John Cabot. They really wanted to capture the ship, and he could see numerous flashes of light as the Insectoid ships fired their version of grapplers to grab the ship and arrest its movement. There was a sudden and massive blast of bright-white light, and he turned his face away, blinded by the miniature sun he was just looking at. He heard the others grunt as they did the same. He rapidly blinked his eye, trying to restore his vision and get rid of the floating spots in it. After some thirty seconds, he turned back to look at the scene. The Hive ship was drifting sideways, spinning rapidly out of control as massive hull breaches expelled the internal atmosphere. Its keel was gone, looking like the ship was torn in half. All the nearby surrounding cruisers had ceased to exist, and there were only three heavily damaged cruisers remaining. They were drifting without power, and then one of them disappeared as the core overloaded, leaving only two surviving cruisers. Jim did it; he had self-destructed the ship and denied the Insectoids their prize. He bowed his head, praying for the souls of all the crew members who had perished. Behind him, he heard the warrant officer speaking softly. ¡°Respect for the fallen.¡± ¡°Respect for the fallen.¡± The others intoned in response to his words. Respect for the fallen, He thought to himself as the faces of his lost crew flashed through his mind. He heard sobbing breaking out behind him, his own tears falling out of his good eye as he pressed his forehead against the window and thought of his friend, who was now gone. Thank you, Jim. Thank you for saving us, brother. He ran quick calculations in his head as he tried to estimate how long it would take for the drones to reach Republic space, and for rescue to arrive. He turned around and signaled Davis to come closer to him. ¡°Davis, how far did we travel before dropping out of null space? He whispered. Davis lowered his gruff voice before answering. ¡°Just over one hundred light years closer to Republic space, Captain.¡± He added that number to his calculations and decided. The drones had the fastest null drives because of their small size and could reach the Republic in twelve days. He didn¡¯t know if the Republic had developed faster null drives in the two years they had been gone, so he based his assumptions on what he did know. Republic light warships could make the trip in less than a month if they burn out their capacitors. ¡°Send out a tight-beam transmission to every escape pod and have them rendezvous with us. It is going to take at least four weeks, if not more for help to arrive. Our pods can only sustain us for two weeks.¡± He saw Davis running his own calculations before nodding in agreement. ¡°What are your orders, Captain?¡± He asked, a small smile threatening to appear at the corner of his lips. He knew already. ¡°We are going to board one of the derelict cruisers and take it over. It¡¯s the only way for us to increase our chances of survival. If we can get it operable, we will leave the area and hide until help arrives.¡± Davis came to attention, snapping a smart salute. ¡°Aye, sir.¡± He returned the salute as best he could and nodded for Davis to get started on implementing the plan. He walked over to a storage locker and opened it as he heard Davis start giving orders to the other crew members. After confirming that the locker had a full compliment of rifles, pistols, and grenades, he closed it and went back over to the transparent window, flipping the low-light lens back down over his eye. In the yellowish-green tint, he could see tiny flashes of light appear in the darkness as the other escape pods fired their thrusters and started heading towards the rendezvous point that Davis had sent. As more pods received the tight-beam transmissions, they fired their thrusters as well to join the others already on their way. He turned away from the window and faced the other seven crew members on the pod. ¡°We are not dead yet, and we are going to stay that way. Check yourselves and each other for wounds that need to be treated, and then kit up. We have an enemy ship to board and take from them.¡± A chorus of aye sirs responded to his words, and he took the comm node that Davis was offering to him and started issuing the same orders to the other escape pods. Jim had given his life to save the crew. The least he could do was keep them alive and get them home. They Held The Line-Chapter Fourteen Forbidden Area Twenty-three hours after the destruction of the John Cabot 6,537 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. The eight Republic spy drones flashed out of null space to recharge their capacitors for the next segment of the trip. The AI controllers all connected and initiated handshake protocols as they spread out from each other, opening their ramscoops to collect the argonium needed to refuel their null space capacitors. One of the drones was designated as the early warning drone, already damaged from weapons fire and determined to most likely fail to reach its destination. As the others collected argonium, it scanned the area, feeding as much power as it could to the onboard sensor suite to increase its scanning range. Determining that there were no threats within range in normal space, it flashed into null space and continued scanning. After a few minutes, the AI detected fluctuations that could only be created by large numbers of incoming ships. The semi-fluidic properties of null space create propagation waves in front of ships traveling through the unique medium, allowing for detection by specialized sensor suites such as the ones installed on the drones. It flashed back into space and warned the other drones that the propagation waves traveling through the null space medium indicated the imminent arrival of dozens of ships. The other drones responded immediately, closing their ramscoops and priming their null space capacitors for an emergency flash-out. A few seconds later, over a hundred Insectoid cruisers flashed in, sending out sensor pulses to try to determine the source of the seven null space flashes that triggered the anomalous readings detected by the Insectoid sensor network. The drones had stealth capabilities, but the priming of the null space capacitors created emissions that escaped their stealth fields and allowed the Insectoids to determine their general positions. The early warning drone AI ran calculations and determined a course of action. It would sacrifice itself to increase the probability of the other drones successfully completing the mission. Dropping its stealth field, it pumped a tremendous amount of power through its sensor suite as it burned its engines at full power. Half of the cruisers detected the drone and swarmed towards it as they fired hundreds of particle beams. The other drones, almost finished priming their null drives, executed evasive maneuvers as the remaining cruisers targeted the sources of the leaking emissions and fired. The warning drone was destroyed, and the rest of the cruisers turned back to join the hunt for the others. A second drone was targeted and destroyed, and a third followed soon after. Hundreds of particle beams speared through the area every second as the surviving drones continued to evade them. Another was destroyed, and now there are only four drones left. One of them dropped its stealth field and pumped a massive amount of power into its transmitter, jamming the Insectoid scanners temporarily before it was tracked and destroyed by dozens of particle beams from cruisers further out. The remaining three drones finally finished priming their null space capacitors and had to drop their stealth fields before flashing out. Another drone was destroyed before making the transition, and the last two drones disappeared from the Insectoid scanners. The two surviving AI controllers communicated with each other and then separated, each taking a different route back to Republic space to increase the chances of one of them making it. They had only managed to collect 35% of the required argonium and will have to drop out again soon to replenish their reserves. The neural pathways of both AIs suffered feedback as they recalculated their chances of successfully executing their mission. One calculated a 27% chance. The other calculated a 34.3% chance. As they continued along their separate courses, the one hundred and seven cruisers reorganized into twelve formations and flashed back into null space to pursue the two drones that had escaped. Insectoid Cruiser Twenty-six hours after the destruction of the John Cabot The command drone dragged herself onto the raised dais of the command chamber, ignoring the pain signals emanating from three legs that had been severely damaged when the strange animals had destroyed their ship rather than become hostages. She concentrated on the display panels around her, seeing dozens of small animal constructs heading towards the cruiser, the scanners tracking their ominous approach. They meant to seek revenge for killing them, a concept she understood well as a command drone. She started releasing attack pheromones from her glands to incite the surviving drones as the air handlers spread the chemical blend throughout the ship. She was one of the specially bred command drones, and she had been in the guardian fleet for almost forty cycles since she emerged from her pupa. This ship was not from the enemy they had been watching for, but she was still following the directive of the Hive mother when she attacked them. All animal ships were to be attacked. The only reason they tried to take the strange animal ship hostage was to determine who they were, analyze their technology, and send the information back to the Hive mother. She looked at the flickering main display, seeing that the small animal constructs were almost upon them. She increased her concentration and sent out thoughts to the surviving drones on the ship. She could enter drone minds and see through their eyes, but she could not control them like true queens. She was able to influence their behavior and issue orders that they would follow by utilizing her thoughts and pheromones. Ignoring her pain, she put all her strength into her thoughts and projected them. She continually issued the thought commands, ensuring that the remaining drones would obey her. She heard multiple thuds reverberating throughout the ship as the animal constructs landed on the organic hull of the cruiser unscathed, the cruiser''s weapons having been rendered inoperative by the massive core breach of the animal ship. She still had almost five hundred worker drones on the ship, and she increased the potency of the attack pheromones she was releasing to stimulate more aggression from the normally docile drones. On a panel, she could see the largest cluster of animal landers in the middle of the ship, and she entered multiple drone minds until she found one in the area she wanted to see. Looking through the drone¡¯s eyes, she could see multiple sections down the long tunnel that had sparks shooting out of them as the animals were cutting through the hull. One after another, those sections of the hulls were cut through and pushed inward, falling to the floor with loud clangs that startled the waiting drones. The drones opened fire with their laser weapons, ionizing the atmosphere as they targeted the breaches with lower-powered beams to prevent them from causing hull breaches. No animals had come out yet, and she grew confused by their actions as she continued to look through the eyes of the drone. Is this a deception? She thought to herself as she continued to wait for the invaders to emerge. Over a dozen round things rolled out of the breaches and opened, turning into small, four-legged machine animals that rapidly scurried from their locations as they clambered up the walls of the tunnel or charged at nearby drones. The strange things fired projectiles that hit the worker drones they targeted and tore them to pieces. They were incredibly fast, and some of them even went onto the ceiling, firing their weapons as they hung upside down. One of the four-legged things charged at the largest mass of drones in the tunnel, parts of it sizzling and melting as the drone laser weapons hit it. One of its legs was melted to slag, and it continued scurrying until it reached the drones and exploded, killing all of them and blowing out a huge section of the hull, exposing the tunnel to space. The command drone lost her view of the worker drone she was inhabiting as it was pulled out of the large breach along with all the others. She flitted about the ship in the drone minds, seeing the same events play out wherever the animal landers had attached themselves to the hull. She had a momentary flash of doubt, wondering if she had made a mistake in attacking the strange animal ship filled with machine animals. She entered a solitary drone that was trapped in a tunnel, and she saw more sparks as the interior wall was being cut from an adjoining space on the other side. She could sense the fear of the solitary worker drone, and she felt an overwhelming desire to save its life. She sent a thought to the drone¡¯s mind. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The drone responded, looking around and finding a small air vent with a grate that was just large enough to fit in. It removed the grate and entered it backwards before pulling the grate back. It was now facing the tunnel, and she waited to see what would come out of the breach. A few moments later, there was another loud sound as the section fell inward and slammed into the floor. She heard weapons and laser fire, and soon it stopped. She heard more animal sounds and sent another thought to the drone. She saw an animal pass by, able to see it through the slits of the grate. This new animal was walking on two legs, with the other two legs holding a weapon. This animal was more like what she had expected. Others followed the first animal as they ran past her hiding spot, making noises at each other. They went beyond the ability of the drone to see, but she could still hear and sense them nearby with the drone¡¯s ears and antennae. She sent another thought to the drone before leaving its mind. She returned to her own body on the dais, momentarily disoriented by the transition. Looking at the displays, she could see that the animals had already taken over large portions of the cruiser. She could sense far fewer drone minds on the periphery of her consciousness; the animals were killing them faster than she could organize the defenses. There were sudden explosions outside the command chamber, and she felt panic rising inside of her. She pushed herself off the dais and crawled slowly to the engineering panel, trying her best to ignore the pain signals of her broken legs. She finally reached it and pulled herself up, leaning on the panel for support as she started tapping in the commands to overload the fusion reactors. The six drones in the command chamber rushed to the door, ready to fight to the death to protect her. There was a large explosion behind her, and she ignored it, fighting past the terror that threatened to cripple her. She started tapping in the last of the commands when her tarsal claw disappeared in a fine mist of exoskeleton and hemolymph. She was still staring in shock at what was left of her leg when she was slammed on the side of her thorax and knocked onto the floor. Skittering with her still-functioning legs, she tried to right herself to fight back against her attacker. She managed to flip on her back, and she froze at what she saw standing over her. It was an animal with some type of flexible carapace, and she could see its face through the transparent material of the object covering its head. She looked into its eyes as it raised a weapon towards her head, grimacing and displaying its teeth. It had white eyeballs, and she focused on the small circles of color in the center of them. Despair flooded her thoughts. I have failed the Hive mother. She found herself mesmerized by the animals¡¯ eyes as they looked into hers. They are green, she thought to herself before the animal fired and put her out of her misery. Thirteen days later Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Bandit¡¯s comm node buzzed, causing him to take his finger off the rook he was just about to move, and he removed the node from his harness. He looked at the young queen on the other side of the chess board and signed for her to wait. She responded yes and picked up his white knight from among the many pieces she had already captured, holding it close to her compound eyes as she inspected it. He smiled at her as he got up from the seat and walked two meters away from the table before accepting the comm request. A holographic display appeared, and he placed the node on the floor as the display stabilized. A few seconds later, President Lopez appeared with a worried expression on her face. Bandit¡¯s neural pathways hummed, and he felt disconcerted by her expression and the unusual call. Something was seriously wrong, and he stopped himself from offering greetings as he stepped into the viewing range of the node. She saw him and started speaking immediately without the usual greetings she would give him. ¡°Bandit, we have a situation, and I need to speak with Aurora immediately. Please bring the node to her; this cannot wait.¡± He detected the anxiety in her voice and responded. ¡°Madam President, she is in her rest period. I will bring the node to her right now. Please stand by.¡± She nodded curtly, and he picked the node up off the floor and reattached it to his harness before turning around to sign the young queen. ~ Please come with me, my queen. We must wake your mother. ~ She put the knight back on the table and unfolded her four legs to stand. She walked over to him and put a tarsal claw into the hand he was holding out, clasping it gently. He felt a pleasurable surge at her touch, and his neural pathway efficiency increased as they radiated warmly. They left the chamber together, the queen keeping pace with him as they headed towards the Hive mother¡¯s personal chambers. They arrived a few minutes later, and he knocked on the organic wall on the side of the entry to her chambers. He heard the two sentry combots inside activating before they emerged from the opening. One of them activated its scanners, sweeping him with a pale blue light from his head to the bottom of his feet before stepping to the side to allow them entry. He did not get offended by the scan; they were merely performing their function. They entered the dim interior, and the queen pulled her claw from his hand and stared at the second, smaller chamber opening, pointing both of her antennas in the direction she was looking. A few seconds later, the Hive mother emerged and walked over to them. She briefly touched claws with her daughter before turning to face Bandit. He saw that she had the new speaking devices already on her tarsal claws, and he smiled at her. She made claw movements, and he heard her thoughts emerge from the small device on her thorax. He nodded in response as he signed to her, telling her that the president wished to speak with her. He took the comm node from his harness and placed it on the floor before reactivating it. The holo returned, and President Lopez appeared, looking impatient. The Hive mother moved slightly to enter the viewing range of the node and started signing to the president, the words from the translator sounding out. The president smiled at the words she was hearing before responding. ¡°And you as well, Aurora. I am sorry for interrupting your rest period.¡± She was wearing the translator device on her chest, and holographic images appeared, translating her words into sign language. Aurora responded with impatient claw movements. President Lopez chuckled at Aurora¡¯s all-business manner before a harried look returned to her face as she started speaking. ¡°Aurora, a drone returned to the Republic carrying terrible news. One of our ships was attacked by Hive ships and cruisers, and most of the crew was killed. Why are there ships over 7,000 light years away? As the device translated her words, the president activated her wristcom and flicked a holo map into the air. The map showed a region of the galaxy that Bandit did not recognize, along with an outline of the course the drone took from there. Aurora saw the map and froze for almost a minute, not making any movement. Bandit stepped closer, worried about what was happening to her. The president¡¯s expression grew deeply concerned, and she looked at Bandit. The young queen walked over and lightly touched one of Aurora¡¯s tarsal claws. Aurora jerked and looked around quickly before staring at her daughter for a few moments. Finally, she resumed making claw movements. ¡°The forbidden area? How many ships are there in that region? Why are they there?¡± the president asked, her voice becoming more strident at what Aurora was revealing. <8 to the fifth power is their number. Maybe more, maybe less. That is the path we took when fleeing the great persecution.> Aurora responded, quickly looking at Bandit as the device kept translating her thoughts. ¡°Madame President, that is over 32,000 ships.¡± Bandit clarified for President Lopez. Her mouth opened in shock at what she had just heard. ¡°This is not good. How the hell are we supposed to rescue them?¡± She muttered, the holographic claws translating her words. Aurora responded, making claw movements faster than Bandit had ever seen her make them before. Aurora stopped signing and held up her two tarsal claws. After a few moments, she resumed making claw movements. President Lopez furrowed her brows as she started pacing in a small circle. After almost a minute, she snapped her fingers and signaled to someone out of view. ¡°Get me that datapad from the crazy engineer who was involved in dismantling the Hive ship.¡± Another half-minute passed before a hand came into view, passing her a datapad. She looked at it quickly before looking back at them. ¡°Aurora, thank you for offering your Hive ship. I am glad you did; you reminded me of this.¡± She held up the pad and shook it. ¡°One of the engineers who was involved in the project theorized that your null drives are slower because of an engineering fault in the construction of your system. He had designed a workaround to give you an advantage when it was time for you to launch your takeover of the Hives. Unfortunately, he was prevented from testing out his theory because of security concerns by Fleet Command.¡± She pressed on the pad a couple of times, and holographic schematics appeared, rotating as they displayed certain highlighted sections of the null drive. ¡°Bandit, I am forwarding the schematics to your node now.¡± A few seconds later, his comm node beeped, and he leaned down and pressed an icon on it. Another holographic display appeared, an enlarged version of what the president had on her pad. As it rotated, Aurora stepped closer and stared at it, with her daughter doing the same. They both stared at it for some time as they walked around the floating diagrams. They would periodically look at each other, and Bandit knew they were communicating with their thoughts. President Lopez was silent the whole time, watching them both intently as she waited for them to finish. After almost five minutes, Aurora finally turned back to face President Lopez and made claw movements. President Lopez smiled sadly before responding. ¡°Aurora, I am so grateful for your offer, but the engineer estimated that it would take eighteen days to make the modifications with a full engineering staff and construction bots. It would take at least two solar days for them to reach your Hive.> Aurora responded immediately after the holographic claw movements finished translating the president¡¯s words. President Lopez heard her, and Bandit detected the disbelief in her facial expression at what Aurora said before managing to hide it. It was unnecessary to have done so; Aurora would not have known the meaning of the expression. ¡°Aurora, thank you. The Republic will not forget this.¡± She turned to look at Bandit. ¡°Bandit, you are to do whatever is necessary to help her achieve the objective. The task force in orbit is at your disposal; I will send orders to them, and they will fulfill your every request without question. Bandit, I don¡¯t care if you must dismantle every goddamn ship in orbit to make this work; do whatever you have to. Contact me as soon as the Hive ship is ready.¡± He was about to close the connection when he hesitated. There was a question he had to ask. ¡°Query. The escape pods can keep them alive for two weeks. They only have less than two days left. Do you think they will still be alive by the time the rescue attempt reaches them? President Lopez blew air out of her pursed lips as she considered his question. After a few moments, she asked her own question. ¡°Why did you choose to stop the self-destruct protocol of your suit, Bandit?¡± Bandit thought about the question and answered. ¡°Diego is my friend. The thought of him dying allowed me to exceed my original programming and achieve sentience because I did not wish for that to happen. When I achieved awareness, I could feel emotions for the first time. I saw the algorithm demanding I end my friend¡¯s life, and I killed it in anger. I instead chose to do what I knew was right.¡± President Lopez nodded at his words. ¡°You made an emotional decision. I am doing the same thing. Sometimes the calculus is not in favor of emotional decisions, and sometimes it does not matter. We do not leave our people behind, Bandit. They sent a plea for help, and we will answer it. It does not matter if they are already dead when we arrive. They asked for help because they knew we would come. We will try to save them, and we will bring them back home to their families, one way or another.¡± Bandit thought about what she had said for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°I will do as you say, Madame President.¡± ¡°Good man. Keep in touch, Bandit.¡± She tapped on her wristpad and closed the channel. He picked the comm node up off the floor and headed out of the chamber, increasing his pace to catch up with Aurora and the queen who had already departed to start the modifications. They Held The Line-Chapter Fifteen-Ray/Hrethnir K2-332 System GFS Glory of Dalk¡¯nir, Protector-Class Battleship 402 light years from Earth, year 123,005 B.C. Dil-Son Reth¡¯vir targeted another Balrikan heavy cruiser, aiming six starboard secondary particle beam turrets directly into the center of the large hull breach on the port side of the enemy cruiser. It heard the turrets whining over the din of the bridge as the selected weapons unleashed fury and penetrated deeply into the bowels of the stricken ship, cracking it in half. As the aft section disappeared in a blaze of nuclear fury from the core overload, it heard the Wan¡¯sho elder commanding the battleship howl in happiness at the sight of the aft section taking the bow portion with it. Ignoring the chills the howling of the Elder was sending down its spine, Reth¡¯vir scanned for another target within range of the battleship¡¯s weapons. There were none, and it turned to face the elder to tell him. ¡°Elder, there are no enemy ships within range of our weapons.¡± The elder turned his canid head and bored his wild eyes into the back of the navigator¡¯s skull. ¡°Pad¡¯Lon Flath¡¯dir, find us another ship to destroy and bring us to it!¡± He growled loudly, causing the navigator to flinch before it hurriedly entered a series of commands on the panel in front of it. The battleship surged forward, heading for a mass of Balrikan ships trying to gang up on two Magnati heavy cruisers 145,000 likals away. The elder raised his voice to be heard by the bridge crew. ¡°You will seek out and destroy any enemy ships still functioning. Do not let me catch any of you failing to perform your duties again.¡± As the elder finished growling, Reth¡¯vir turned back around to face the panel, seeing that the rest of the bridge crew had suddenly found their own panels utterly fascinating. It smiled to itself at the sight of the recent academy apprentices responding appropriately to the anger of the Wan¡¯sho elder. This was their first time engaging in battle, and it knew the elder was taking it easy on them because of their inexperience. The Wan¡¯sho were famous for their bloodlust when engaging in battle, and they were well known for not tolerating any failures or reluctance from warriors under their command. As the battleship continued to charge at the mass of Balrikan ships, Reth¡¯vir readied the primary bow turret and waited for the enemy ships to come into range. A few moments later, the AI assistant confirmed a target lock, and Reth¡¯vir fired the bow turret. It looked at the scanning results. Though the range was long, three of the four particle beams hit the target directly amidships, the armored hull boiling as the invisible beams caused the molecular structure of the plating to enter a state of flux. Reth¡¯vir targeted the same location and fired again as soon as the particle beams had finished recharging. This time, all four beams hit as the battleship finally entered the optimal range. The four particle beams pierced through the now-slagged armor and drilled through the interior of the ship before punching through the other side and striking the armor of one of the Magnati ships. The advanced composite armor of the Magnati heavy cruiser was barely damaged by the attenuated friendly fire, and Reth¡¯vir tensed, expecting the Wan¡¯sho elder to scold it for the accidental strike. As the targeted Balrikan lost power and started drifting, the elder howled again with glee and growled loudly in approval. ¡°Dil-Son Reth¡¯vir, we¡¯ll make a Wan¡¯sho out of you yet. Keep sending these larishats to hell!¡± Reth¡¯vir answered, keeping its eyes on the panel as it selected another target. ¡°Thank you, honored elder.¡± Pride surged within it from the unexpected praise of the eminent Wan¡¯sho warrior. It smiled as it fired a volley at another ship, shearing off the aft engines and crippling the vessel. The navigator turned the battleship slightly to port, and Reth¡¯vir targeted the now crippled ship with the starboard secondary turrets, tearing it apart as they glided past. Reth¡¯vir sent two aft anti-ship torpedoes towards it to finish off the job as the battleship bulled its way into the mass of Balrikan ships ganging up the two Magnati warships. Ordering the AI assistant to multi-target with the secondary weapons, Reth¡¯vir aimed the primary bow turret at a badly damaged Balrikan battleship that was being pummeled by the two Magnati heavy cruisers. All four beams entered a large hull breach that the Magnati had already caused, and the beams hit a critical system, causing massive secondary explosions that tore open the bow of the ship. Frozen fluids and bodies were expelled as the Magnati warships repositioned and started targeting the gaping wound of the Balrikan battleship that was now splayed open like a blooming flower. The Glory turned hard to starboard to avoid the wreckage of a derelict Ma¡¯lit light cruiser, and Reth¡¯vir felt anger surging within it at the sight before looking at its panel for another ship to kill. For five solar months, they have been on the defensive as they tried to stem the tide of the Balrikan onslaught and prevent further penetration into the Federation. Twenty-three worlds had been scourged, and almost eighty-seven billion Federation citizens had been murdered. Two species were virtually exterminated after their home worlds and colonies had been glassed, with both species having less than five million survivors that were on other Federation worlds during the assaults. Another species, the Hooneans, was eradicated entirely. They were advanced Cetaceans, but they were planet-bound due to the unique synchronization of their brains to the peculiar magnetic field of their world. Leaving the planet would cause their higher brain functions to rapidly shut down, and they would lapse into a coma before eventually dying if they passed beyond the magnetosphere. As a result, none of the over one billion Hooneans were able to leave their home world, despite the best efforts of Federation and Hoonean scientists to replicate the unique field dynamics of their world. The hateful creatures, to ensure the extinction of the Hooneans, changed their tactics to adapt to the unique problems of bombarding an ocean world. They flashed in and quickly destroyed the picket ships before jamming all signals to prevent distress calls from leaving the system. They did not utilize antimatter bombardment on the ocean planet, knowing that the Cetaceans would be able to dive deep and escape the destruction. Instead, they towed a dozen massive asteroids from the belt and accelerated them to speeds of over seventy likals per solar second. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The smallest one had a diameter of 300 likals, while the largest was over 600 likals in diameter. They were planet killers and exactly what the Balrikans needed. They released the asteroids, slamming their deadly payloads of iron and rock into the oceans that covered the world. The energy of the impacts created cataclysmic tsunamis and caused the oceans to boil, initiating a runaway greenhouse effect that superheated the planet. Within two solar days, over 90% of the life on the planet was dead. In preparation, the Balrikans split their fleet and launched a diversionary attack on another system in the sector to hide their true intentions of exterminating the Hooneans and misdirect nearby Federation ships. As a result of the deception and jamming, the small Magnati fleet guarding the sector was out of position and could not get there in time to defend the system. When they finally arrived, there was only a single pod of a few hundred Hoonean survivors still clinging to life within a trench deep under the ocean where they had sought refuge. Hydrophone probes were sent under the boiling waters to contact the last of the survivors, and their final words shattered the souls of the Magnati warriors in orbit. Remember us with love, our friends. We regret never being able to swim among the stars with you. Perhaps in the waters of the afterlife we will swim together. We will be waiting for you, and we will sing songs of joy when you finally enter the waters to join us. Promise us that you will forgive yourselves for being too late to save us. You have come, and that is all that matters to us. You are here to listen to our last song as we face the end. We feel your spirits swimming with us, and now we are no longer afraid. Bring the songs of our people to the waters of other worlds, our friends. Our songs are of us, and if our songs live on, then we are not truly gone. May the currents guide you well, our friends. We love you. The last of the Hooneans then began to sing a mournful song lamenting the end of their people, and it echoed alone through the waters of their home world, finding no other Hooneans to add to it and pass it on. Heard only by single-celled thermophiles and the hydrophones sent from orbit, their chorus dwindled rapidly as they succumbed to asphyxiation, using the last of their air to sing the final song of their people. The song became weaker as the Hooneans continued to die, the ones still remaining trying to keep the song alive for just a little longer as they faced the coming end with courage and grace. There was one last call, and the final sorrowful howl faded away into nothingness as the last Hoonean went silent and slowly sank to the bottom of the trench to join the rest of its pod. Their world, once alive with the sounds of billions of songs traveling through the waters, went silent for the first time in over two million years. The Hooneans were no more, and the music of their world died with them. The Magnati warriors in orbit went into a rage and flashed back into null space to hunt down the Balrikan fleet that had exterminated their Cetacean friends. They ignored all attempts by Fleet Command to reestablish operational control over them, and they chased the Balrikan fleet for over five hundred light years before they finally caught them. The 314 Magnati warships attacked the over 2,000-strong Balrikan fleet without hesitation, and on that day, the Balrikans faced Magnati warriors consumed with grief and vengeance. After twenty-one hours of non-stop battle, the remaining 27 Magnati warships finally powered down their weapons; there were no more enemy ships left to destroy in the system. They claimed their vengeance, and now it was time for them to grieve. Fleet Command was angered by the disobedience and the waste of precious ships, but they wisely chose to drop the issue, and none of the Magnati commanders were brought up on charges. They feared a backlash from the Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho if they pursued the matter, and even they had to admit to themselves that the greatly outnumbered Magnati fleet destroying the over 2,000-strong Balrikan fleet was a major victory. After the Hoonean extermination, it seemed as if the whole Federation finally realized this was a fight to the death against an implacable adversary. Even the pacifist species were changed by the event, turning their industries entirely to war production. They would not fight and kill, but they now made weapons and built warships that would be used by those who had no such restrictions. After five months of brutal combat and billions of deaths, the Federation had finally blunted the Balrikan advance and was now on the offensive to drive the demons out and kill them all. The Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho were the only two species that had retained their martial abilities, and they were the only reason why the Federation had not yet fallen. The Ma¡¯lit were highly advanced and excellent builders of warships and weapons, but they lacked the intrinsic war-making capabilities of the Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho. They were learning quickly, and the Federation had finally been able to convert all the economies and different societies of its membership to a war footing. Tens of thousands of naval apprentices were graduating every month, thousands of warships were pouring out of the shipyards all over the Federation, and the great arsenal was finally ready to be unleashed. Magnati and Wan¡¯sho elders were assigned to the ships of other species to train and lead them in the way of the warrior, like what was happening on the Glory right now. ¡°Dil-Son Reth''vir, why aren¡¯t you firing?¡± barked the Wan¡¯sho elder, startling Reth¡¯vir out of its musings. It quickly looked at the panel and toggled the secondary weapons control, sending over a dozen particle beams out of both the port and starboard turrets that smashed into the Balrikan ships that had slid next to the battleship to bracket it between them. Pay attention, you fool! Reth¡¯vir thought to itself as it continued to scan the area around the Glory for more ships to target as the secondary turrets continued to chew up the flanking ships. Seeing anomalous readings, Reth¡¯vir squinted its eyes as it double-checked the scanner results. The Balrikans were charging their null drives. Alarmed, Reth¡¯vir spun around to face the elder. ¡°Elder, I am seeing signs of null drive activations!¡± The Elder snapped its head back to look at Reth¡¯vir before growling at the sensor officer to confirm the scanning results. It looked at its panel and then looked back up and signaled confirmation to the elder. Balrikan ships started flashing out of the battle, and the Elder howled in frustration at the cowards for fleeing. The Balrikans had started this battle with 2,800 ships, and now there are less than a thousand of them still combat-capable. They were fleeing, something they had never done before. As hundreds of Balrikan ships flashed out, the bridge crew started banging their fists against their panels in the Ma¡¯lit version of applause, and the elder growled at them to cut it out. ¡°Do you not see, young ones?" He barked as they looked at him in confusion. ¡°They are learning, and now they will no longer fight to the death and allow us to wipe out their fleets. They will force us to hunt them and pin them down. This is not a victory; this is a disaster. Now we will be fighting an insurgency of genocidal maniacs.¡± As the elder¡¯s words hit the apprentices, Reth¡¯vir saw them deflate, their earlier elation crushed by the brutal truth of the elder¡¯s words. Feeling bad for them, Reth''vir turned its attention back to its panel, feeling disquieted by what the Wan¡¯sho elder had said. Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Ray woke up, gasping for air. This was the third time he had undergone the procedure, and he had gotten better at his reaction to the end of the sessions. Looking to his right, he could see the Ma¡¯lit waiting in the usual spot. Pulling the wires away from his forehead and temples, he sat himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the table before lightly pushing himself off to stand. He stayed there, waiting for the android to come with the usual glass of water. ¡°You seem to be adapting to the procedure, my human child. This gladdens me.¡± Ray nodded, acknowledging the statement from the Ma¡¯lit before emptying the glass of water and giving it back to the android. ¡°I think so, Honored Elder. I am still emotionally affected by it, but I feel like I have a better handle on it.¡± ¡°I agree with your assessment. Do you have any questions for me?¡± The Ma¡¯lit asked as the suit moved closer to the table, peering into Ray¡¯s eyes with the sensor lenses as they zoomed in. ¡°I do, honored elder, but I must confess that I am extremely tired from the procedure. May I have your permission to rest for a while?¡± Ray answered, feeling like he could sleep for days. The Ma¡¯lit responded. ¡°Of course, my human child. Sleep well; we shall speak when you have rested sufficiently.¡± ¡°Thank you, honored elder; I will depart now.¡± Ray turned around and started to walk towards the entry door. He was halfway there when he turned around. ¡°Honored elder, do you have any of the songs of the Hooneans? I feel like... I need to hear them. They will live while I listen to them sing.¡± The Ma¡¯lit was silent for some time before answering him. ¡°Yes. I have them.¡± The Ma¡¯lit flicked a suit finger towards Ray. ¡°I have transmitted their songs to your wristpad.¡± Ray bowed his head slightly. ¡°I am grateful. Thank you, honored elder.¡± He turned around and exited the quarters, leaving the Ma¡¯lit alone once more. The door silently slid out of its recess and sealed the quarters. Hreth¡¯nir stood there for some time, thinking about what had been happening over the last few days. The human child had been surprisingly resilient and logical with the revelations, and Hreth¡¯nir thought it was a good sign for when the time came to involve all the sons and daughters of the Magnati in the coming struggle. Turning the suit towards a wall, Hreth¡¯nir flicked the suit finger again. A few moments later, an achingly beautiful song came over the hidden speakers. It was a love poem of the Hooneans, one of Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s favorites. As Hreth¡¯nir continued to listen to the haunting refrain, it felt tears falling out of its eyes as the song of unrequited love brought it to the lifeless waters of their ocean world, where silence now reigns. They Held The Line-Chapter Sixteen-Navarra/Command Drone Derelict Insectoid Cruiser 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Six hours after boarding action ¡°Davis, what¡¯s the status on those engines?¡± The comm chirped in response before Davis answered. ¡°Captain, we are trying to figure this crap out as fast as we can. It is a confusing mixture of mechanical and organic components. I bet the chief would have been able to figure this out by now.¡± Captain Navarra cringed at the mention of the chief. He had not gotten off the John Cabot before it self-destructed, probably refusing to leave Jim and staying to the end. He heard Davis come over the comm again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain. I didn¡¯t mean to bring him up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, Davis. I wish he was here too. Just do the best you can and keep me posted.¡± He replied before closing the channel. He looked around the chamber at the other survivors as they tried to figure out how to operate the ship. This was their first exposure to Insectoid technology, and he was starting to wonder if he made the right call. The panels had obvious buttons and toggles, but there weren¡¯t any markings or symbols indicating what anything was. At least there is air and water, he thought to himself as he watched the crew hesitantly try to activate the panels, terrified of breaking something or accidently blowing up the ship. His comm came to life again, and he pressed the button to open the channel. ¡°Captain, we have finished sweeping the ship. We found one of them hiding in an air vent. The rest of the ship is clear.¡± He put a face to the voice. It was Simmons, and she was one of the surviving security officers. He could hear in her voice that she didn¡¯t know what to do with it. ¡°Why is it still alive, Simmons?¡± He replied, wondering why they were even having this conversation. ¡°Sir, it looks terrified. The poor thing has not moved since we opened the grate, and I can swear that it is pleading for mercy with its eyes.¡± She answered, her voice filled with concern. He felt a surge of anger rising inside of him at her words, and he slowly counted to five before replying, his voice cold as ice. ¡°Simmons, those bastards killed almost 90% of our crew. They attacked us without provocation, and we lost twelve people taking over the ship. Are you really trying to tell me that you are feeling sorry for it?¡± He asked incredulously. ¡°Sir..¡± She hesitated before continuing; her voice tinged with doubt. ¡°I lost people too. I am angry, and I had no problem killing them while boarding the ship. But this? This is murder, and I won''t do it.¡± He fought down the desire to relieve her on the spot, counting to himself until he felt in control of his emotions again and replied to her. ¡°Stay there and activate your locator. I will be there shortly to take care of this. Who is there with you?" ¡°Jameson and Cho, sir.¡± She replied. ¡°Put Cho on the line.¡± He ordered, his voice dripping with anger. Cho was a veteran, a pathfinder who knew how to follow orders. Maybe he won¡¯t have to go there after all. A new voice came over the comm, ¡°Cho here, sir.¡± ¡°Sergeant, why is that thing still alive? Kill it and finish securing the ship.¡± There were a few seconds of silence before Cho answered him in a strong, clear voice. ¡°Negative, sir. I am a marine, not a murderer. This drone is not a threat, and I will not violate the Paris Accords by murdering an unarmed combatant.¡± What the fuck is wrong with you people? He screamed at them in his head, suppressing the desire to smash the comm node against the bulkhead. He pressed the button and spoke into the comm node. ¡°All of you stay right there. I will take care of this.¡± He closed the channel and got off the odd bench of the raised platform in the center of the chamber, shaking his head in disbelief at what just happened. He had noticed the furtive glances the crew had been sneaking at him during the conversation, and he glared at the back of their heads as he stepped off the platform and headed out of the chamber. A few minutes later, he finally entered the tunnel they were in after getting misdirected a couple of times by his wristcom because of the strange layout and the numerous openings made by the crew during the boarding action. They were standing in front of a small vent in the tunnel wall along the rough organic floor, weapons pointed towards it. Next to the opening was a grate, and Jameson had a flashlight pointed at the vent itself. They came to attention as he entered, and he glared at them in response as he pulled his pistol from his hip holster. They moved out of his way as he reached them, clearing the area in front of the opening. They avoided his gaze as he tried to make eye contact to show them just how pissed he was at them for wasting his time with this nonsense. He squatted down and pointed his pistol at the dark recess where the drone was hiding. ¡°Give me some light.¡± He snapped at Jameson as he deactivated the safety. The flashlight swept towards the opening, illuminating the interior. He could now see the drone in the back of the vent, pressed up against the interior vent fan and completely still. It was looking away; its eyes pointed towards the vent wall as it avoided looking at the opening. He sighted the pistol, aiming for what he thought would be the location of the brain, and was just about to pull the trigger when it looked at him, the two large black eyes looking right into his. He froze at the sight of them. As he looked into them, he could see his own reflection in the shiny, black oval shapes. He shifted his pistol slightly to aim in the center and slightly above where the eyes angled down towards each other. He saw his reflection moving in them, and he no longer saw a warrior killing an enemy in combat. Instead, he saw a murderer pointing a pistol at a defenseless creature hiding in an air vent, scared and alone. He slowly took his finger off the trigger, his hand starting to tremble slightly from the knowledge that he was just about to commit murder. ¡°Goddamn it.¡± He muttered to himself as he flipped the safety back on and pointed the pistol slightly downward and away from the drone. He heard Jameson breathe out a deep sigh of relief, and he looked at the three of them, finally understanding why they refused to kill it. He looked each of them in the eyes before standing back up and holstering his pistol. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I am ashamed of myself for being angry at you for refusing to kill the drone; I understand now.¡± All three of them nodded at his words, relief flooding their faces at his admission that he was wrong and that they had done the right thing in refusing to kill the defenseless drone. Cho responded. ¡°Captain, we are grateful that you came to see for yourself and reacted as we did.¡± Glancing at the opening, he continued speaking. ¡°I am a marine, and I have no compunction about killing the enemy in combat. This though? It wouldn¡¯t have been right.¡± He nodded at Cho¡¯s words, looking at the vent opening and thinking about what to do now. ¡°Does anyone know if we came across anything that might be food for them? We will seal the tunnel, and leave water for it and food as well if we can scrounge some up for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find out for you, sir.¡± Simmons answered, pulling her water canteen off her belt and looking around for something to pour it in. Among the debris scattered on the floor, she found a shallow piece of wall material that was concave enough to serve as a water bowl for now. She emptied her canteen in it, and Jameson shined his light at the opening again as she knelt and pushed the water bowl into the air vent, murmuring softly like she was addressing a scared puppy. He shook his head at the sight of the security officer babytalking to an insectoid drone and addressed Cho and Jameson. ¡°Seal the tunnel back up and leave a recorder here to keep an eye on it. I want one of the crew members always posted outside, just in case someone comes looking for revenge. I do not want it molested in any way, and make sure it has water. And food if we can find some.¡± ¡°Aye, sir.¡± They both responded. Simmons was still kneeling in front of the opening, murmuring softly to the drone as she pushed the water closer to it with a long piece of metal she had found among the debris. He shook his head again in disbelief and left the tunnel, heading back to the chamber. He arrived a few minutes later and resumed sitting on the awkward bench, his lower back starting to ache from the lack of something to lean against. There was still no progress on the panels in the chamber, and he was just about to call Davis to check in when his comm beeped, showing that Davis was calling. ¡°I hope you are calling to give me some good news, Davis.¡± Davis responded with a carefully neutral tone. ¡°Possibly, sir. One of the engineers thinks she figured out how to activate the thrusters. They are still working on the null drive, but at least we can leave the immediate vicinity for now.¡± ¡°How are we going to guide the ship if we fire the thrusters?¡± He asked. They had no way of controlling the ship from the chamber, and blindly thrusting to nowhere didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to him. ¡°The thrusters have a limited form of thrust vectoring that can be controlled from down here, so we will have some ability to point the ship in the direction we want to go, Captain.¡± Davis responded. ¡°Excellent, Davis. When you are ready, fire the thrusters and turn the ship towards the Republic. Once we get moving, cut the engines. I do not want to risk breaking something or being detected. We will coast until we figure out the next move. Navarra out¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He closed the channel, feeling the first glimmer of hope since they abandoned the John Cabot. They were in interstellar space, and if they could fire the thrusters and get out of the area, they had a good chance of successfully evading any Insectoid vessels. As long as emissions were kept to a minimum, it was very easy to disappear into the void between star systems and evade detection. It would also make it more difficult for the Republic rescue ships to find them, but that was not really a factor in his planning. Despite his misgivings about the Republic, there was one fundamental truth he knew they could rely on. The Republic does not abandon its people, and they do not leave anyone behind. Ever. He had no doubt they would come, and he knew they would not stop looking for them until they found them and brought them back home to their families. One of the panels started blinking two different colored lights, scaring the crap out of the crew member that was playing around with it. Jumping away from the panel and disavowing any responsibility, they held their hands up as another crew member hurried over to see what was going on. His comm node beeped and displayed a text message from Davis. They were starting to prime the engines to fire the thrusters, and he was warning them to brace for the acceleration. ¡°Hold on to something. They are about to fire the thrusters.¡± He called out in warning. The crew started grabbing onto panels and support columns in response, and the two blinking lights changed colors. Another light came on a different panel, an unblinking blue. The other panels followed suit, all of them displaying a steady blue light. A few seconds later, a distant roaring sound could be heard, followed by an increase in gees as the cruiser surged forward. He grabbed the bench and pulled himself against it as the cruiser kept accelerating. A few seconds later, the insectoid version of inertial dampeners kicked in and canceled out the gravity of the acceleration, and he felt the weight returning to the normal 0.8 g that the cruiser had when they first boarded. They accelerated for just under two minutes when the distant roaring sound stopped and the steady blue light on the second panel turned off. He connected his wristcom to the AI controller of the escape pods still attached to the hull and waited for it to confirm their new speed and heading. A few seconds later, a small holo map was projected above his wrist, showing their new course. They were coasting at 132,367 kilometers an hour, and they were now heading towards Republic space. He smirked at the additional calculations the AI controller decided to add. According to it, the cruiser would reach the nearest star system along their course in 12,784 years at their current speed. He ordered it to deploy four rescue beacons with their current speed and heading. The tiny beacons would drift cold, sending out a brief pulse of a specific frequency every twelve hours before disappearing again. Two of the beacons would stay in normal space, and the other two would flash into null space. Any Republic search and rescue ships in the vicinity would detect the pulses and be able to triangulate the beacon¡¯s positions. Once they receive the proper codes, the beacons will transmit the speed and heading of the cruiser before self-destructing. As the cruiser continued to coast, he reached up and unzipped the left chest pocket, pulling out his most prized possession. Jim grabbed it before dragging him off the half-destroyed bridge and had put it inside the chest pocket while he was still unconscious. He didn¡¯t even realize it was in there until after the John Cabot was destroyed and they were on their way to board the derelict Insectoid cruiser. Leaning over, he placed it on the panel next to the bench he was sitting on and pressed against the tape for three seconds to reactivate the adhesive. He took his finger off the tape, and it stayed there. His eyes lingered on it as he looked at the faces of Evelyn and the twins. He whispered a quiet thanks to Jim as he continued to gaze at the faces of his family. He will retire as soon as he returns, and he will never leave them again. Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Seventeen days after the destruction of the John Cabot Command unit 273 guided the two squadrons of upgraded nullships towards the opening of the Hive ship¡¯s massive cargo bay, taking control of the docking thrusters of the sixteen vessels as the Hive ship stabilized its orbit. The two troopships and the automated repair/factory ship that accompanied the nullships had entered the Hive ship and were already in their assigned berths. As the last of the nullships slipped into their assigned positions, Command Unit 273 reviewed the mission directives one last time before ordering the nullships to power down for the estimated twenty-nine-day journey to their location. Before powering down, Command Unit 273 archived the battle plans it had created while running over ten million war gaming scenarios. Its neural pathways surged with anticipation at the prospect of battle. It was created for a specific function, and it had yet to engage in battle since it was constructed six months ago. As its secondary systems powered down, Command Unit 273 connected with the other nullship AIs to give them the final sleep command. As they responded, it could detect the same anticipation in their neural pathways. They too wanted to fulfill their functions and save the biologicals. They, too, were eager to destroy their enemies. Command chamber of the Hive ship The command drone got off the raised dais as the Hive mother entered the command chamber and started to bow in a show of obeisance when the Hive mother sent a command to her. She froze at the anger she could sense in the thought, and her mind raced as she tried to understand what she had done to anger her Hive mother. Another thought entered her mind. She had been looking down on the floor, expecting further recrimination from the Hive mother. She looked up in surprise at the thoughts being sent to her, and she now looked in the Hive mother¡¯s eyes, feeling her love and loyalty towards the Hive mother growing even greater. She responded, continuing to look in the eyes of her Hive mother and stopping herself from instinctively looking away. The Hive mother, seemingly mollified by her response, turned slightly and held out a tarsal claw to one of her attending worker drones. There were fifteen drones with her, and they all had the same container. It placed the small container it was holding into the Hive mother¡¯s claw, and she turned back to face her as she opened the container. She gingerly removed the object that was inside and held it out for her to take. She was momentarily stunned, seeing that the Hive mother was offering her a focuser that she had created from her own silk glands. More thoughts entered her mind. As she carefully took the focuser from the Hive mother¡¯s tarsal claws, she could feel the echo of the Hive mother¡¯s imprint within the delicate lattice. With the focuser in hand, she would be considered a royal representative above all others. None would dare to challenge her authority. She could order a million worker drones to commit suicide, and they would do it without hesitation. The trust the Hive mother was placing in her by giving her this object was absolute. She felt unworthy of the honor, and she wanted to deny it. The Hive mother must have sensed her thoughts, and she stepped closer to her. The Hive mother stared into her eyes, and she could feel the Hive mother entering her mind and sharing with her. She found herself in a Hive nexus, and she was alone. She looked around, and she could see four openings leading to other chambers. As she looked at the first opening, she could sense the emotion contained within it. The one she was looking at radiated sadness, and it threatened to overwhelm her. She looked at another opening, and from this one she sensed fear. It radiated pure terror, and she recoiled from it, looking away. She turned to look at the third opening, and waves of anger poured out, consuming her. She felt like tearing something apart, and she felt hate rising within her. She was barely able to force herself to look away and escape it; it was enticingly powerful. She turned again, looking at the fourth opening. It radiated happiness and love, and she could feel it calling to her. She felt the command enter her mind, and she did as she was bid. She walked towards it, feeling the emotions get stronger and starting to pull on her as she neared the opening. She entered it, finding herself in a world of beauty and pure love. She felt the warmth of the sun on her exoskeleton, the sky showing billions of fractals, each one a memory. In the distance she saw figures, and she walked towards them. As she drew closer, she saw that the figures were behind occluded partitions. She entered through one, and she saw the young queen. The queen was sitting, trying to touch a floating hologram of an animal that was being projected by a device on the ground. An overwhelming sense of love and contentment settled upon her, and she could barely withstand the power of it. The desire to protect the queen at all costs swirled all around her. She withdrew reluctantly, wanting to stay there forever. She entered another partition, and she saw Bandit-Friend sitting on the grass across from the young queen. They were moving objects on a board, and she looked at the machine animal. A deep feeling of trust, friendship, love, and gratitude swam all around her, and she felt what the Hive mother felt for Bandit-friend. She withdrew from there, finally understanding their relationship. She entered the third partition, surprised to see the animal queen within. She was making animal noises and displaying her teeth. She felt emotions of gratitude, respect, friendship, and regret for killing the animals swirling around her. She felt the deep bond the Hive mother had with the animal queen, and the desire to prove that they could coexist as friends and equals. She withdrew and entered the last partition. She saw herself leaning on a console in a command chamber as she waited for the Hive mother to finish initiating the self-destruct. She looked into her own eyes, seeing the resignation and defeat in them, knowing that she was about to die. She felt a variety of conflicting emotions. There was regret, uncertainty, and a desire to save her. She saw herself respond to the Hive mother, bowing and naming her Hive mother for the first time. New emotions came, and she felt trust, friendship, certainty, and love caressing her gently. The Hive mother considered her a true sister, and she had no doubt of her loyalty. She did, and she was suddenly back in her own body, staring into the eyes of the Hive mother. She felt woefully inadequate to the task being assigned to her. How would she be able to deceive the specialized command drones? They were above her, and she knew she would fail her Hive mother. A desperate thought came to her, and she seized on it. The Hive mother stared at her, making her wilt under the powerful gaze. Finally, the Hive mother answered her. After some time, she felt the Hive mother¡¯s thoughts enter her mind. They were tinged with unhappiness, and she felt like a failure already. Relief flooded through her at the thoughts of the Hive mother. She knew that she would not be able to fail her now if the Hive mother took over her.> The Hive mother turned around and departed, leaving the fifteen worker drones that had accompanied her behind. She sent a thought command to them, telling them to go to the worker drone cells and eat. As they departed, she returned to the raised dais and resumed her seat. The animal ships had entered the Hive ship, and as soon as the Hive mother returned to the surface, she would enter null space and go to the forbidden area and save their animal friends. They Held The Line-Chapter Seventeen-Hrethnir Insectoid Cruiser 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Thirty-six hours after boarding action The drone had never felt thirst like it did now. It reached out with its mind, trying to join with a sister. There was nothing, just silence. It moved its antennae, testing the air for new pheromones. There was very little, just a faint residue of old and stale chemicals barely at the threshold of detection. An overwhelming loneliness came over it, and it tried again to find a sister to share thoughts with. The solitude was unbearable. It looked at the water that was left by the animal before, its thirst threatening to override its fear. It was so thirsty. And hungry. It was a good worker drone. Why was it being punished with isolation? It did not understand why the command drone had forsaken it. It was a good worker, diligent and obedient. It always did what it was told. The echoes of the last thought commands it received came back to it. It struggled to keep the thought commands alive, desperate for other thoughts in its mind. It wanted guidance. The thirst came back, stronger than before. It lifted its antennae and pointed it towards the water. It smelled the water, its thirst becoming stronger. It could almost taste the water as it envisioned putting its tongue in it and drinking. The desire to quench its thirst became overpowering. It moved slightly closer¡ªthe first time it moved since before. Terror gripped it, and it searched the air for any sign that it had been detected. It moved again, sure that the animals would hear it and kill it. Reaching out a tarsal claw, it touched the water and quickly withdrew the claw back to its body. It put the tarsal claw in between its mandibles and tested the water with its tongue. It was tinged with organics and oils, but it was good enough to drink. It reached out again, putting its entire tarsal claw into the water and withdrawing it back to its mouth. The thirst was overpowering, and it sucked every drop of moisture from its claw with its tongue. It detected a change in the air, the hairs on its antennae warning it that something was happening as they vibrated. It withdrew itself back to where it was before, fear coursing through its body. It heard animal sounds growing louder, and it started shaking uncontrollably. The animals are coming to kill it. It will die alone, with no sisters to comfort it as its body stops working and its mind grows dim. It will not be able to let a queen know that it could work no more and feel her thoughts of gratitude before receiving permission to enter its eternal sleep. Its body would not be brought to the graveyard by its sisters so that it could be recycled for the good of the Hive. It would dry out and turn into a husk, its essence wasted instead of being used to grow food for its sisters. There was a loud noise, followed by a flash of light. Fear gripped it, and it searched for a sister to comfort it. There was no response to her thoughts, and it froze as an animal crouched down in front of the opening. It was the same animal as before that left the water. It stayed completely still as the animal made noises at it and reached a claw inside to kill it. The claw withdrew, and the animal made more noises before moving away from the opening. There was another loud noise, and then it was dark again, like before. It stayed completely still, afraid to move. It detected something different in the air, and it slowly moved an antenna towards the new scent. It knew this smell; it was food. It stayed where it was until the smell of the food became too much to resist. Slowly, it reached out a claw and touched it. It was food. It was hungry, and it pulled the food closer to it. It brought the food to its mouth and put out its tongue, testing it. It was tainted with the smell of animals, but it tasted right¡ªsweet and moist. Its instincts overrode its fear, and it brought the food to its mouth. It finished the food and drank more water, slowly creeping towards it and putting out its tongue to drink it all until it was gone. The animal had left more water in another vessel. It will drink that when it is thirsty again. It went back to where it was before and remained still. It made the image of the animal in its mind, the same one from before. It committed every shape and color of the animal face to memory. This animal means food and water. This animal does not kill. It will remember this animal. When this animal comes, it will not die. It will have more food and water. It was tired. It had never been this tired before. It reached out one more time, looking for a sister to share thoughts with. There was nothing, just silence. Sadness overwhelmed it. It was alone, no longer part of its Hive. It lowered its head to the ground, pulling its legs under its body. It allowed itself to go dormant, waiting for the animal to bring it more food and water. Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Hreth¡¯nir waited for the human child to finish getting comfortable in the newest configuration of the chair it had thought made for its guest. After searching through the Republic databases, it selected a chair that looked like it might be comfortable. It was called a reclining armchair, and it seemed to be favored by human males. They all seemed content in the images Hreth¡¯nir had seen during its search for the gift it wanted to make for the human child. Looking at him, Hreth¡¯nir saw the smile on the human¡¯s face as he activated the manual lever on the side and the chair extended. Hreth¡¯nir felt joy when it heard the human sigh in happiness as he closed his eyes momentarily. He opened his eyes again after a few moments before looking at Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°Honored elder, thank you for this thoughtful and unexpected gift. It reminds me of sitting in my grandfather¡¯s chair when I was younger.¡± Hreth¡¯nir carefully modulated the speakers before responding. ¡°It gladdens me that you like it, my human child. I have come to look forward to our time together, and I want you to be comfortable.¡± ¡°I am grateful for your consideration, and I too enjoy our time together.¡± The human responded as he reached over and pulled the manual lever back up, returning the chair to its sitting configuration. ¡°What did you think of the Hoonean songs, my human child?¡± Hreth¡¯nir asked. Sadness fell over the human¡¯s face as he answered. ¡°They are beautiful. I plan to bring them with me when I return to Earth, and I will play them in our oceans. Perhaps the whales will add them to their own, and the Hooneans songs will live again on our world.¡± The human¡¯s words touched Hreth¡¯nir deeply, and it was barely able to control its emotions at the thought of the ancient songs of the Hooneans finding a home in the waters of other worlds again. ¡°Ask your questions, my human child. I know you have many.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stated as the servant android appeared with food and drink for its guest and placed the tray on the small table between them. The human looked troubled and fidgeted in the chair as he thought about the questions he wanted answered. ¡°Honored elder, what happened after the Balrikans stopped fighting fleet battles? What happened to the Magnati, and how are we descended from them?¡± He finally asked, looking at the suit sensor lenses with an intense stare. Hreth¡¯nir sighed to itself as it quickly thought about how it would tell the terrible story. Crouching the suit down so that the human would not have to look up, it answered the human. ¡°After the last battle, the hateful creatures changed their tactics and resorted to what you humans would call guerrilla warfare. They no longer engaged in full fleet battles, and they split their fleets into thousands of small hunting packs. The change in tactics created great issues for the Federation, as they were now forced to defend thousands of cubic light years of territory from the depredations of the hunting packs. The Federation fleet was forced into a defensive posture, which diluted the combat power it could bring to bear and returned the initiative to the Balrikans.¡± Hreth¡¯nir flicked a suit finger, and a three-dimensional map of the local space appeared in the air, slowly rotating as colors and icons resolved. There was a large area shaded in blue, with small areas of red spotted throughout. Surrounding the blue were thousands of small red dots, and inside the blue were numerous green icons, thinly spread along the blue boundary. Hreth¡¯nir resumed speaking. ¡°This is a representation of the situation after the last fleet battle. As you can see, the Federation fleet was inadequate for the task of defending so much territory. It was not building ships that was the problem the Federation faced; it was finding crew willing to fight and kill others from among a mostly pacifist society.¡± The red icons penetrated the blue areas along numerous points before retreating. The green icons would move to counter the red icons, but there was never enough of them, and they were incapable of effectively intercepting all intrusions. ¡°As demonstrated on these maps, the Balrikans had the tactical flexibility of striking along the entire border without concerns of reciprocal attacks. They had no territory to defend, and they could choose to end all engagements that were not in their favor. They resorted to what you humans refer to as hit-and-run attacks, targeting infrastructure critical to the war effort and destroying convoys of war materials and other targets of opportunity.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused as it flicked several suit fingers, and multiple small screens appeared. ¡°They also launched terror attacks by entering multiple systems at once and launching swarms of antimatter missiles from the outer system that targeted the home worlds and colonies of multiple member species all around Federation space.¡± The small screens then showed dozens of worlds being hit with antimatter missiles that managed to penetrate the defense systems or slip by Federation ships that tried to intercept them. Some worlds were hit by only one, while others suffered multiple strikes. The destructive flashes of light that erupted on the surfaces were visible from space as the powerful weapons destroyed entire cities and critical infrastructure. New screens appeared, and Hreth¡¯nir continued speaking as they now showed worlds being hit by asteroids. ¡°They also sent suicide ships that would exit null space within the heliosphere and set a course towards the asteroid belts before shutting down their engines. They would drift in powered-down ships as their crew hibernated, undetectable to any sensor networks. Some were detected by chance and destroyed, but many were not. They would drift for many solar weeks before finally reaching the belts and being woken up by their computers. The crew would then attach undetectable gas thruster systems to small asteroids, coat them with low-albedo material, and redirect them towards their targets. Most of these iron asteroids were one hundred meters as you measure in diameter or slightly smaller. The destructive power was equivalent to one of your old-style hydrogen bombs and would destroy an entire city with ease.¡± Hreth¡¯nir saw expressions of shock and anger on the human¡¯s face as it continued to describe the cowardly Balrikan tactics. ¡°After weeks of thrusting, the small asteroids would be almost upon their targets, and the Balrikan ships still hiding in the asteroid belts would activate their systems and burn their engines at full power towards the edge of the solar systems as if fleeing. Ships and sensors would focus on them, and they would be hunted down and destroyed while the asteroids would reach their targets undetected or too late to stop because the Balrikans diverted attention by making themselves visible to be destroyed.¡± The screens disappeared, replaced by casualty figures of the dead and wounded. Hreth¡¯nir pointed towards the figures, allowing its disgust to be heard over the speakers for the first time as it continued. ¡°Billions were wounded, and almost two billion others were killed in these cowardly terror attacks over a period of many solar months. The Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho had enough of fighting a losing defensive war and forced Fleet Command to act. Against the objections of the Federation Senate, a large fleet of Magnati, Wan¡¯sho, and Ma¡¯lit warships was assembled in secrecy and launched on what was considered by many to be a suicidal assault on the Balrikan bases in the trinary star system.¡± Hreth¡¯nir removed all the holograms and screens before putting up a new one that showed a large mass of green icons deep within the center of Federation space, and there was an obvious decrease in the total number of green icons guarding the periphery of the Federation. The blue areas had a notable increase in red shaded areas and dots, highlighting the extent of the Balrikan assaults on Federation territory over many solar months. The green icons disappeared from the center of the blue and reappeared outside of the dark red-shaded trinary system three solar days later, according to the time index displayed on the bottom of the screens. The human child leaned closer to the hologram, and Hreth¡¯nir made it larger so that he could see it better before describing the next events. ¡°The assault fleet numbered over five thousand warships¡ªthe largest concentration of Federation military power ever assembled in its history. The Balrikan presence in the system had grown during the war, and they had also heavily fortified the system.¡± Additional screens appeared, showing a cataclysmic battle within the trinary system as the Federation armada assaulted it, taking on dozens of massive forts and hundreds of smaller defensive stations. ¡°Federation ships fell by the hundreds, but they still pressed on, undeterred by their losses. They pushed ever deeper into the systems and destroyed bases, factories, shipyards, and refineries. For almost two solar weeks, they continued their assaults as they eradicated every single piece of infrastructure in the three systems while simultaneously fighting off multiple Balrikan fleets that responded to the distress calls and returned from Federation space.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stopped speaking, letting the human take in the screens as they displayed the terrible losses suffered by the Federation fleet. Under the screens were time indexes, casualty figures, and ship losses listed by class. Flicking a finger, Hreth¡¯nir made them disappear and replaced them with another larger screen, showing what remained of the Federation fleet after their assault. There were only three hundred and forty-six ships that survived out of the over five thousand that began the assault. All those noble souls knew this was a one-way trip, and still they went to protect the ones they loved. Hreth''nir thought to itself sadly as it watched the human''s eyes roam over the screens. On the larger screen, another Balrikan fleet flashed in, and the severely outgunned Federation ships fled towards home. The screen depicted them fighting a running battle back to Federation space as they were constantly hounded by Balrikans seeking revenge. The time index showed the passage of time, and after six days, only twenty-seven warships out of the original five thousand finally reached the safety of Federation space. Hreth¡¯nir paused the screen. ¡°The assault was a success, and the Balrikan ships were forced to retreat from Federation territory after the grievous losses they suffered and the destruction of their bases in the trinary system. What you just witnessed was the loss of almost 70% of the Federation fleet and over six million brave souls. The rest of the fleet went on the offensive and pursued the retreating Balrikans, destroying thousands of ships as the scattered survivors fled back to their territory in the Perseus arm.¡± The human, who had been silently listening, raised his hand and spoke. ¡°So, you won the war? Is this when the plague started, or was that after?" ¡°We did not win the war. Be patient and listen, my human child." Hreth''nir responded, gently chiding the human. The human looked embarrassed and pressed his lips together, stifling any further questions he may have had. "When the Federation ships reached the Perseus arm, they discovered that the Balrikan fleet that had invaded the Federation was only the first wave in their attempt at our extermination. We erroneously thought they had sent all their might against us. The Federation ships pursuing the Balrikans were ambushed by waiting enemy fleets that numbered in the tens of thousands. They retreated from the onslaught and fled back to Federation territory after losing half their numbers. Surprisingly, the Balrikans did not pursue and finish them off. I think they wanted the Federation to know that more of them were coming. They wanted us to be paralyzed with fear when they came again.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The human stammered at what Hreth¡¯nir had revealed, trying to articulate his words as his mind rejected what it had just heard. ¡°Honored elder, I don¡¯t understand. How is it possible for them to have so many ships? How could their civilization support such a war machine without their economy collapsing? Do they even have an economy?" ¡°We wondered the same thing, human.¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered. ¡°When the fleet returned with the grim news, we were just as shocked. We were barely able to withstand the first wave, and finding out there were more coming filled us with dread. The Federation Senate panicked and declared a state of total war. We redoubled our shipbuilding efforts; forced conscription was mandated, and diplomatic overtures were made to involve the other regional powers and even former enemies in our efforts.¡± ¡°Did the Balrikans attack right away?¡± asked the human. ¡°No, and we believe it had to do with the destruction of their bases in the trinary system. You must understand their motivations, my human child. Their entire species is on an evil crusade to eliminate all sentient life in this galaxy. They believe it was gifted to them by their gods, and they must prove they are worthy by cleansing it before claiming it for themselves. They are an implacable foe, even worse than the insectoids are. However, they are not mindless animals; they do not blindly attack foes they are not capable of destroying. Nor would they act to bring about their own destruction by making blunders like invading without the proper infrastructure to support them and ensure eventual victory. The Insectoids have their own motivations, but they would not cleanse the entire galaxy; it is not in their nature to do so. At some point, they would reach the limit of their carrying capacity and stop expanding. The Balrikans would never stop; that is the difference between the two species.¡± Hreth¡¯nir could see the human thinking about what it had said and waited for him to ask more questions. ¡°What happened next, honored elder?¡± he finally asked as he took a small pastry off the tray in front of him and took a bite, nodding in approval. Hreth¡¯nir ignored the surprised look on the human¡¯s face as it did the same thing and placed the pastry into the receptacle that slid open on the suit torso. The human had the good grace not to say anything, and Hreth¡¯nir answered him. ¡°We littered the space between the arms with drones and early warning networks as we accelerated our shipbuilding and training efforts. Spy drones kept tabs on Balrikan territory, vigilantly watching for any signs of them launching another invasion. The Ma¡¯lit devoted themselves to weapons research, and we brought several experimental technologies into fruition, such as cloaking generators, shield grids, and new weapons systems.¡± Hreth¡¯nir waved a hand, causing blueprints and diagrams to appear that showed several classes of warships. It could see the humans¡¯s eyes widen at the sight of them as the diagrams rotated and highlighted multiple systems. Hreth¡¯nir let the human look at them for a minute as the rotating screens showed the new weapons and armor technologies being created before continuing. ¡°The Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho suffered the most ship and crew losses and completely redesigned their warships based upon their experiences fighting against the Balrikans. The shipbuilders of the Magnati brought back long-abandoned kinetic weaponry to supplement their particle beams, and their ships became much larger, with twice the armor and almost triple the firepower of the ships they previously fielded. The Wan¡¯sho reverted to their ancestral roots and made their ships smaller and more agile, perfectly suited for pack hunting tactics. The smaller sizes were compensated for by the installation of what was at the time the most powerful particle beam weaponry fielded by the Federation." One of the screens displayed a task force comprised of several new Magnati dreadnoughts surrounded by hundreds of smaller Wan''sho ships. A battle simulation showed the task force firing their weapons systems, and the human gasped in shock at the sheer amount of destruction that poured out of the new ships. "The combination of the Magnati heavy capital ships and the smaller, heavily armed Wan¡¯sho hunter escorts increased their combat power exponentially as they perfectly complimented each other and developed new battle tactics.¡± Hreth''nir stated as it continued to add and remove holographic screens. Another map appeared, showing Federation space and the surrounding powers. The time index was accelerated, and thousands of new green icons started appearing along the borders as the smaller powers around them became shaded with a light blue. The number of green icons rapidly increased as the time index showed the passage of almost two cycles. The light blue-shaded areas expanded as more regional powers fell under the sway of the Galactic Federation. Hreth¡¯nir paused the screen, freezing the time index as it started speaking again. ¡°A grand alliance was formed, and all the surrounding powers, even long-time enemies, joined in our efforts at presenting a unified front. There was severe social unrest among the more pacifist societies as their young ones were forced into military service. The Federation Senate suspended the Bill of Guarantees on those worlds, and troops were landed to suppress dissent. Even the Peace Faction within the Senate agreed with this action, knowing that the hateful creatures would eventually return.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stopped speaking for a few moments as more screens were added. ¡°After twenty-six solar months, the Balrikans finally left their territory and began the journey to cross the expanse between the arms. Drones returned to Federation space, showing that almost another 105,000 ships were coming. Spy drones within the Perseus arm had detected signs of even more ships being built, with tens of thousands of others patrolling the vast Balrikan territory. The second invasion was on its way, and we prepared ourselves for the coming darkness.¡± ¡°How could you possibly prepare to fight 100,000 ships, honored elder?" The human asked incredulously as his eyes roamed over the multiple screens. ¡°You cannot,¡± answered Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°You can only hope that your preparations are sufficient and that the Creator intercedes on your behalf. By this time, the new Federation fleet numbered almost 40,000 warships." A small hologram appeared, depicting a round object approximately five meters in diameter. Alongside it was Ma''lit script, and Hreth''nir converted it to Republic standard for the human to read. "One of the new technologies created by the combined efforts of Maganti and Ma¡¯lit weapons scientists was null space mines such as the one being displayed now. A small fleet of Magnati and Ma¡¯lit mine-laying ships that were waiting for the Balrikans to cross the expanse were activated and sent to intercept them after they began their journey.¡± Several screens went blank and then different videos and sensor scans appeared as Hreth¡¯nir explained what was being displayed. ¡°These null space mines were seeded along the path being taken by the multiple Balrikan fleets, and their function was to disrupt the null space capacitor fields generated by their ships. Whenever enemy ships came within range, the mine¡¯s disruption field activated and forced the ships to be violently ejected from null space.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused to enlarge two of the screens and play them. One video showed Federation ships dispensing the mines in null space. The mines shimmered before disappearing as the new cloaking generators activated. When Balrikan ships came near the mines, the mines dropped their cloaking fields and activated, pulling the ships towards them despite all efforts to escape. The other video showed empty space at first before there were waves of blue light and something formed at the epicenter. What looked like a tear in the fabric of space itself appeared, and the blue waves grew in intensity as the rupture opened and contracted rapidly. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash from the rupture, and dozens of ships were violently expelled. They were torn apart as they passed through the apeture into normal space, almost like they had been forced through a massive shredder. What was once dozens of ships was now a massive debris field that expanded rapidly, and the rupture flashed one more time before winking out of existence. Satisfied that the human had seen the results on both displays, Hreth''nir closed them and began describing what happened next. ¡°As you know, when null capacitor fields are disrupted, ships are forced back into normal space and destroyed by intense gravitational shear forces. For six weeks, the Federation ships laid their mines as they maintained position in front of the Balrikan fleets and forced thousands of enemy ships to be ejected into normal space and destroyed. By the time the Balrikans reached the edge of our arm, over fifteen thousand of them had been destroyed while making the journey across the expanse. It was a great success, but we were still facing almost 90,000 ships.¡± Hreth¡¯nir realized that they had been speaking for some time without a break, and it sent a thought command for the waste processing commode to emerge from the floor. It was also hungry and wanted to eat the pastry still sitting in the compartment. The human turned his head at the sounds as the commode emerged. ¡°Please refresh yourself, and then I will continue, my human child.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stated as it waved a suit hand towards the commode. ¡°Thank you, honored elder. I will return shortly.¡± He replied gratefully as he got out of the armchair and walked quickly towards it. Hreth¡¯nir opened the interior compartment and took the pastry, sniffing at it before taking a bite. It had found the recipe in the Republic databases while searching for the gift and instructed the servant android to make it. It was called baklava, and Hreth¡¯nir closed its eyes in pleasure while chewing on the human delicacy. The servant android had done an excellent job making it, and it would add the treat to its weekly food rotation. It had the suit reach down and pick up another one, quickly putting it inside the torso compartment and waiting for the outer hatch to close before opening the interior door and bringing it to its mouth. The second pastry was just as delicious, and Hreth¡¯nir thought about introducing it to the other Ma¡¯lit on the outpost as the human emerged from the commode and started walking back. After the human sat back down, Hreth¡¯nir asked if he needed anything else before resuming. The human shook its head, and Hreth¡¯nir resumed from where it had stopped. ¡°When the Balrikan fleet arrived along the outer edge of the arm, they dropped out of null space and dispersed their fleets all along the rim. There were no attempts to penetrate further into the arm, and we positioned the new Federation fleet all along the border regions as we waited for them to make the first move.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Federation go on the offensive or launch spoiling attacks? Why didn¡¯t you continue to lay mines when they reached the rim?¡± The human asked as he continued to watch the screens showing the massive Balrikan formations break apart into tens of thousands of hunter packs. Hreth¡¯nir answered his questions in the order they were asked. ¡°Fear and prior experiences made Fleet Command reluctant to expose the Federation by sending fleets out to meet the enemy. While we were building thousands of ships, we were also fortifying our systems with the intention of making the Balrikans pay a heavy price every time they invaded. As for the mines, they can only be used in low-density stellar areas such as the expanse between the arms or in the void of systems with at least ten light years of distance between them. Though the mines are null space weapons, they can cause black holes to form in normal space if the conditions are right. If you use the mines too close to a system and a black hole is created, it will begin to grow as it feeds on the matter of the nearby solar systems. This is why we were reluctant to use them once the Balrikans arrived.¡± The human looked shocked at the mention of the mines creating black holes, and Hreth¡¯nir quickly answered the question it knew the human would ask. ¡°Do not worry, my human. We have perfected the technology since then, and this is no longer a cause for concern. Are my assurances satisfactory to you?" The human nodded slowly, and Hreth''nir suppressed the desire to laugh at the human''s facial expression before continuing. "For three solar months, the Balrikans roamed along the rim and attacked any species they came across. This time, however, they did not exterminate or glass entire worlds. Instead, they conquered four local species and established bases on their worlds, careful to preserve the industrial capacity of the subjugated worlds and forcing the population to relocate and live among their infrastructure. This alarming change in tactics caused great consternation among our ranks as entire worlds were now hostage to the hateful creatures, and they would be forcing us to knowingly murder billions in order to destroy their bases and manufacturing centers.¡± ¡°Those sons of bitches.¡± The human muttered angrily as he shook his head in disgust. Hreth¡¯nir did not understand the phrase, and it was surprised when the suit AI translated the meaning of the invective after searching the Republic linguistic databanks. Hreth¡¯nir catalogued the expression and continued speaking, confused as to why the human would equate the endothermic reptilians with the offspring of female canine animals. ¡°Fleet Command wanted to launch an attack before the Balrikans were able to fully establish themselves along the rim, but factions within the Federation Senate refused them, unwilling to murder billions of innocents. This deadlock continued until two solar months later, when spy drones returned with evidence of the unspeakable atrocities being committed against the captive populations. Elements within the Federation senate tried to suppress the evidence of these evil acts, but certain factions inside Fleet Command disobeyed their orders. They released the drone footage among thousands of media networks and the interstellar linksystem using a command override frequency.¡± Hreth¡¯nir faltered, not wanting to bring life back to the unspeakable evil that occurred by voicing it. The human sat there, staring at it with an emotionless face as he waited for Hreth¡¯nir to continue. ¡°My human child, it is very difficult to tell you. I must warn you that what I am about to reveal will burden your soul for the rest of your life.¡± The human nodded once before responding in a low voice. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Federation citizens suddenly found themselves watching drone footage showing the captive populations being used not just for slave labor... but for food and sexual gratification as well. The Balrikans built industrial slaughterhouses, and tens of thousands of innocents were processed for food every solar day. They were corralled like livestock and led to their deaths in massive factories where they were butchered for their meat. The Balrikans would extend the suffering of their victims as they butchered them, believing that the fear and excruciating pain their victims underwent made the meat taste better." Hreth''nir shuddered involuntarily as what it had seen passed through its mind, polluting his soul with the evil done all those years ago. "They would take special care to inject them with clotting agents, stimulants, and synthetic blood to ensure that the victims would not bleed to death or pass out from the pain as they extracted muscle tissue. It would take hours for a victim to finally be butchered. They were awake the entire duration of the process and felt everything those abominations did to them. The Balrikans were particularly fond of the young and newborn, their delicate flesh being reserved for the upper caste clerics that led them.¡± The human was trembling, and his normally dark skin was pale and glistening with a sheen of sweat. Hreth¡¯nir had stopped speaking, and the human looked at the suit sensor lenses with eyes full of fury. ¡°Tell me.¡± He whispered. Hreth¡¯nir felt anguish, not wanting to speak of the evil anymore. It felt impure even thinking about what the hateful creatures perpetrated. Hreth¡¯nir silently prayed. Creator, please give me the strength to continue; they need to know what is coming. ¡°They also gratified themselves. They would force their victims to run in forests so that they could hunt them down for sport. The sex of their victims did not matter, nor did the age. The hunt and the satiation of their lust were all they cared about. Once caught, their victims endured unspeakable violations as dozens of Balrikans gratified themselves until their victims died. Afterwards, they would roast the bodies over an open flame and eat them.¡± The human shot up out of the chair with a ferocious snarl, startling Hreth¡¯nir with the sudden violence of the movement and causing the suit to step back a few paces before it regained control. The human was shaking, and his chest heaved as he took large, shuddering gasps. He opened and closed his hands as if looking for something to tear apart. His eyes fell upon the suit, and Hreth¡¯nir felt sudden fear as it saw the feral madness within them. I told him too much; he is going to attack. Hreth¡¯nir thought to itself in panic as it readied the nonlethal weapons systems to stun the human if needed. It moved the suit back a few more paces and crouched, ready to defend itself. Even though the suit was armored, Hreth¡¯nir was still fearful of the rage emanating from the human as he paced like a deadly predator. For many minutes, Hreth¡¯nir waited to defend itself as the human slowly regained his composure and the madness left his eyes. Finally, the human¡¯s breathing returned to almost normal, and the fury that possessed his facial features disappeared. The human finally looked at the suit again, trembling from the side effects of the adrenaline surge he underwent. He began to speak quietly in a shaking voice. Hreth¡¯nir was forced to increase the receiver''s sensitivity to hear what he was saying, still maintaining a safe distance from the human child. ¡°Honored elder, please forgive my reaction. I apologize for losing control of myself, and I understand if you want to end this session.¡± As he finished speaking, the human looked down at the black granite tiles of the floor. Hreth¡¯nir saw the look of shame taking over his features before turning his gaze to the floor. The wild animal was gone, and the human had returned. Hreth¡¯nir responded, still wary. ¡°Son of the Magnati, I understand your reaction. I am willing to forget what just transpired if you are.¡± After a few moments, the human nodded slowly, still looking at the floor. ¡°Look at me, my human child.¡± The human slowly looked up, and Hreth¡¯nir looked into his eyes, seeing that they were red-rimmed and filled with regret. ¡°I will continue if you are willing. Please sit back down. If you are not, then depart in peace and let me know when you are willing to resume; I will be here waiting.¡± The human slowly sat back down in the armchair and reached towards the table. He picked up a glass of water and drank it slowly, the glass slightly trembling. After emptying the glass, he gently put it back on the table and clasped his hands together, placing them on the top of his legs. He looked at the suit sensor lenses and waited for Hreth¡¯nir to resume. ¡°Faced with the evidence of the atrocities being committed by the Balrikans against their subjugated victims, a large majority of the Federation populace reacted with rage and demanded action. When it was discovered that certain groups within the Federation Senate tried to suppress the evidence, dozens of worlds demanded the removal and prosecution of the senators, threatening to withdraw their membership from the Galactic Federation. Threatened with widespread revolt, the government arrested the small cabal of senators and imprisoned them with life sentences. Some senators fled persecution, thinking they could hide and avoid prison. The fools did not realize the error they had made until it was too late, and they were being dragged out of their hiding places by mobs of enraged citizens. Their pleas for mercy were ignored as the vigilante groups tore them to pieces. Fleet Command, facing possible rebellion within their own ranks, started making plans to drive the Balrikans out of our arm once more and began to gather the fleet for action." Hreth¡¯nir paused as new screens appeared, highlighting several of them before continuing. ¡°As I said before, the Federation did not have an issue with building the ships required for victory. What had always been a limiting factor in our military might was properly manning our ships with citizens that were willing to discard their pacifist tendencies and fight. An unexpected result of the exposure of the Balrikan atrocities was a Federation-wide increase in volunteers, even from among the most pacifist societies of the Federation. Tens of millions swarmed the recruitment centers, bases, and government offices to volunteer for service in the days after, overwhelming the staff. The interstellar linksystem military and governmental portals shut down suddenly for the first time in over a thousand years. At first, the government thought it was sabotage until the investigation revealed that it was caused by tens of billions of search queries on how to join the military.¡± Pointing at the holograms, Hreth¡¯nir isolated two of them. ¡°For the first time, we had too many citizens willing to join and fight. When the government put them on waitlists for processing, they took matters into their own hands. Citizen militias sprang up all over the Federation almost immediately. Billions donated credits, and the citizen militias used these funds to retrofit tens of thousands of civilian ships for war.¡± As the screens showed thousands of small civilian ships and transports being converted, the human raised his hand. ¡°So, these civilian ships became technicals? How was the government able to retrofit them without affecting military production?¡± The suit AI translated the term after searching the Republic databases, and Hreth¡¯nir now understood what the word technical meant in the context that the human had said it. ¡°Yes, my human child. They became... technicals. An apt term. As far as your question about military production is concerned, industrialists all around the Federation converted their civilian shipyards and oversaw the retrofits with the donated funds for a fraction of their usual price. They were careful not to be accused of war profiteering, and they willingly absorbed the losses they incurred. They did not wish to be hunted down and receive the same vigilante justice the senators underwent recently. Not to be outdone, weapons manufacturers contributed by providing outdated weapons systems and munitions stocks at cost, though I am certain they secretly appreciated not having to spend credits to store and maintain them anymore.¡± ¡°What about the crews?¡± The human asked as he zoomed in a screen and inspected a converted transport ship that was now bristling with weaponry and covered in armored plating. ¡°Retired veterans, some of them out of military service for decades, volunteered to return to duty. They offered to man the ships and train the militia volunteers to a basic level of proficiency. According to the historians of that time, it seemed as if the populace was so horrified by what they had seen that an organic desire to launch a righteous crusade gripped the entire Federation. All the different societies of the Federation finally became unified for the first time under a single purpose, which was to liberate the subjugated and eliminate the evil Balrikans once and for all.¡± The human¡¯s face began showing the first glimmer of hope since Hreth¡¯nir had started telling the story, and regret filled its heart at having to crush the human¡¯s expectations when it came time to tell him of the plague. ¡°These militias would not be able to attack the Balrikans, as the converted civilian ships did not have the proper training, armor, or weaponry. More importantly, they did not have the speed or range of the military-grade null drives. They could, however, protect Federation space and free up most of the newly built war fleet for combat operations without leaving the Federation wide open for invasion. After three months of retrofitting, the militia fleets now numbered almost one hundred thousand ships, and the training and weaponry added to them was deemed sufficient for the task of defending Federation space until the main fleet could return if need be. The entire Federation fleet was assembled, save for one thousand older warships that were to remain behind to form the core defense fleet and lead the militias if the Balrikans invaded.¡± Raising his hand again, the human asked another question. ¡°How many ships were launched, honored elder?¡± ¡°Just over 36,000 warships, my human child.¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered. ¡°The regional powers all contributed to the Liberation Fleet, as it came to be called, and brought the total fleet number to over 52,000 ships.¡± The human whistled, surprising Hreth¡¯nir with the curious action and noise. ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t imagine seeing that; it must have been an amazing sight.¡± Hreth¡¯nir responded to the statement. ¡°Indeed, my human child. I need to stop here, unfortunately. I have a meeting with the ruling council to discuss the state of the Ominian efforts to return to a self-sufficient agrarian society. You may remain here if you wish or return in two of your solar hours.¡± ¡°I will remain here and wait, honored elder. This chair is comfortable, and I am impatient to hear more. If I stay here, the time will pass faster for me in my mind.¡± ¡°As you wish. I will depart and return.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stated before turning the suit and walking towards the exit. Before exiting, it looked out the rear sensor lenses and smiled to itself as it saw the human activate the manual lever and extend the chair before closing his eyes as he laid his head back. Seeing that all was well, Hreth¡¯nir left its quarters and headed towards the conference room. They Held The Line-Chapter Eighteen-Engrammatic File Yivahsi 13-B Orion Nebula Habitable moon of rogue gas giant 1,576 light years from Earth, year 123,002 B.C. Shillan dreaded the coming first light as the gas giant began to break over the horizon. For over forty rotations, the evil ones held sway over the Yivahsi people and brutalized them. The evil ones made them build ships and weapons, working them until they died from starvation and exhaustion. They forced them to strip mine their beautiful world. Where once forests full of the wonders of life stretched to the horizon in all directions, there was now lifeless nothingness to the horizon. The whole world was like this¡ªgreat festering wounds that dotted the landscape, no longer full of life and biological treasures. -The Yivahsi were proper stewards of their world, following the commands of the life-giver to cherish her creation and to only take what was needed. The evil ones did not cherish the world, and they took what they wanted with unbridled greed. The Yivahsi were lucky in one regard; the evil ones could not eat of their flesh without suffering a terrible death. Strangers from other planets were brought to their world as slave labor, and they told the Yivahsi what the evil ones did to their own worlds. They told of how they were used for food and sport and as playthings to satiate the lust of their captors. The Yivahsi did not feel blessed, and they cried out for the life-giver to free them from the clutches of the evil ones. The first light grew stronger, and he prepared himself for another lightday of suffering, lashes across the back, and wondering if he would live to see another first light. The very top of the gas giant was now peeking over the horizon, and he avoided looking at what used to be a beautiful sight that filled their sky. The multitude of colored bands that gifted them with light and warmth was now a harbinger of anguish, a promise of a lightday filled with pain and privation. He left his crude hut and joined the other miserable Yivahsi that shuffled out of their barely sufficient accommodations. They used to live in the massive gomlah trees, in great villages that dotted the intertwining branches of thousands of tree limbs. The trees would absorb the warmth of the lightday and slowly radiate the captured heat, keeping them warm during the freezing nightday. The evil ones made them cut down the trees and forced them to live on the ground, in huts that did not keep them warm when the lightday ended and the nightday began. They wouldn¡¯t even allow them to gather the dead wood from the trees they forced the Yivahsi to cut down. They were not allowed to make fires for warmth, and the overlords had armed drones that scanned for signs of fire use among the populace. Any huts that showed signs of a fire were destroyed, as well as every other neighboring hut within a thousand hands. It did not take long for the Yivahsi to stop trying to make fires for warmth. Every lightday, fewer Yivahsi than before would come out of their huts because their sickly bodies would freeze to death before first light brought warmth again. Shillan had a mate and three younglings once. The younglings perished first, unable to survive the freezing nightdays for long. His mate disappeared a few lightdays later. He knew she was dead when she did not return after her work that nightday, and he did not look for her. He knew in his heart that she was gone. Mourning her in secret, he buried the promise bracelet she had given him when they exchanged life vows. He dug a full-size grave alongside the bodies of their three younglings and placed the bracelet within before filling it back up. It was of little consolation to him that his younglings were now reunited with their mother, and he marked out his own burial plot next to where he buried her promise bracelet for when his time to join them came. A Yivahsi he did not know came to his hut two lightdays after his mate had failed to return, speaking in terrified whispers and looking at him with haunted eyes. She told him that the overlord had violated his mate and then strung her up and slowly peeled her skin off after it grew tired of hearing her whimpering as she mourned for her recently departed younglings. It had taken her a half-lightday to finally perish, and then the evil one had her body fed to the workers, forcing them to eat her raw flesh under pain of death. She begged his forgiveness for devouring his mate and filling her empty belly. She had younglings to look after, and she was too much of a coward to defy the overlord. After listening to her terrible words, he gave her the forgiveness she was seeking from him and thanked her for risking her life to give him closure. Shillan prayed with her, asking the life-giver to wash away her sin of cannibalism as the Yivahsi woman wept with shame. He forgave her truly in his heart before hugging her and giving her a portion of his meager rations to feed her younglings. Shillan then forced himself to forget about his mate and the younglings as he suppressed his grief and longed for his own death at the hands of the evil ones. He could not bring himself to commit suicide, as the life-giver abhorred the taking of one¡¯s own life. He would die soon and reunite with them; he could feel his end coming nearer. It was getting harder to survive the freezing nightdays as his body grew weaker, and the unceasing hunger gnawed at his belly. After exiting the freezing hut, he fell in line with the other Yivah as they shuffled towards the factory the evil ones made them build, and he kept his three eyes pointed at the ground as they neared the perimeter. It was best to avoid looking up or around, for the evil ones were capricious and prone to murdering a Yivahsi at the slightest provocation, such as accidentally looking one of them in the eyes. As they neared the factory, there were sudden bright flashes above them that lit up the still dark sky and illuminated the ground he was blankly staring at. Shillan flinched at the sudden, loud booms that followed the flashes and threw himself onto the floor with the others. He turned onto his back and gasped as his eyes took in the scene above him. There was a massive black ship floating above them, and he wondered if the evil ones had finally decided to eradicate them after all and bomb them again like they did when they first came. Bombs did not come out of the black ship and end his life. He saw thousands of small black objects coming out of the massive vessel and heading towards the ground as small balls of fire. The fires went out as they came closer to the ground, and he continued to stare at the objects as they maneuvered wildly to avoid the weapons being fired at them by the evil ones. Shillan could not make himself move, and he continued to track the objects as they came ever closer. Suddenly, the objects came apart, and out of them came smaller black objects. Focusing the lenses of his far-seeing eye, he zoomed in on one of the new smaller objects that were now at the height of three gomlah trees if they were stacked on top of each other. He could see it more clearly as it continued to descend. The object was now one gomlah tree height above the ground, and it activated something that slowed down its fall. All the other thousands of objects did the same, and Shillan was frozen out of his momentary shock by the sounds of snarling evil ones coming near him. He flipped back onto his belly and crawled in panic to a nearby garbage pile to hide. The snarling and hissing grew louder, followed by the sounds of the evil ones firing their weapons. Pulling garbage over him, he hid his body as best as he could and looked in the direction where the objects had landed among the rubble of the tree city in the distance. The evil ones were all around him, firing their weapons and hooting at each other as the black objects from the ship emerged from the rubble. Shillan remained completely still, and he could smell the musky scent of the evil one that was less than twenty hands away from him. Terror flooded through him as he kept his eyes on the new objects, and they sprouted arms and legs. His confusion mounted as he realized that the new objects were beings. Were they new evil ones? The new arrivals started moving gracefully as they closed the distance between them and the evil ones, firing silent weapons that sizzled the air with their passage. He heard a grunt from the evil one that was near him, and a new scent caused his nose to wrinkle as he smelled it. It smelled like burning flesh, and he couldn¡¯t help himself; he had to look. Turning his head slowly, he looked in the direction of the new scent, and he blinked all three of his eyes in disbelief at what he saw. The evil one was lying on its side, its glassy eyes wide in shock. Where its chest used to be was now a gaping hole that wafted smoke from the blackened edges, surrounded by untouched flesh. Shillan continued to look in the direction he had turned and saw more evil ones falling as the weapons of the new arrivals continued to find them and sizzle as they burned through their flesh. Turning his head back to look at the killers of the evil ones, he froze. One of them was less than fifteen hands in front of him. It had four limbs like he did, and there was a shimmering aura surrounding it that flashed repeatedly as the evil ones continued firing at it, their weapons failing to harm it. The shiny black being made a guttural noise that caused his blood to run cold, and it charged the evil ones firing at it, two glowing blades erupting from the ends of its upper limbs as it closed the distance. Shillan followed its movements and watched as it smashed into the four evil ones that had continued to fire at it impotently. The two blades moved with a quickness that he could not believe, and he grew fearful as the black creature dismembered the evil ones with ease. It tore the head of the last one from its neck with an audible crack, and it threw the head at a nearby group of evil ones, making the loud guttural sound again. The evil ones, the undisputed masters of his world for so long, fled in terror from the new arrival when the dismembered head rolled among them. The large black creature aimed and fired, shooting all six of them in the back before they got more than thirty hands distant. He moaned in terror at the sight, sure that an even worse evil had come to their world to claim it as a prize. The black creature spun around at the sound of his moaning and crouched down, aiming its weapons at the garbage pile he was hiding in. A small object came out of the top of the creature and pointed at him, slowly sweeping from side to side while emitting a thin, pale green scanning wave. Shillan had been holding his breath in fear. He gasped again as his lungs demanded more air and the small object pointed directly at him, a laser fluorescing across his eyes and temporarily blinding him. The black creature stalked towards him, and he resigned himself to his coming death. At least these new evil ones seemed to kill quickly, a form of mercy after the usual drawn-out executions the evil ones inflicted on his kind. He closed his eyes and beseeched the life-giver to bring his soul to his family, thinking of their faces as they waited to welcome him to the afterlife. The sounds of the creature walking came closer, and he smiled for the first time since the evil ones came as he waited for his head to be torn from his neck. I am coming to you, my family. Soon we will be together again, and our suffering will end. Shillan thought to himself as he waited for the killing blow. The sounds ceased, and he felt the creature pulling him. He offered no resistance and went limp as he waited for it to end his life. It dragged him out of the garbage, and he kept all three eyes closed to deny it the pleasure of seeing the fear within them. He heard it speak¡ªmuch softer than the guttural noises it had made before. He couldn¡¯t help himself, and he opened one eye. It was looming over him, at least three Yivahsi in height, and it continued to speak to him in its strange language. Shillan opened his other two eyes as his confusion grew at its actions. Why has it not killed him yet? He remained still as one of its hands reached up to the side of its shiny black head and pressed against it. The covering over its head started disassembling and folding back, and he could now see its face. It had dark brown, smooth skin and wiry black hair on the top of its head. He looked into its two eyes, seeing the whites surrounding smaller circles of dark brown. As he looked into its eyes, his fear dissipated. It continued to speak softly at him, and he could see the bright white teeth of its mouth as it vocalized. They were not sharp and jagged yellow like the evil ones; they were squared and perfectly aligned, curving gently towards the back of its jaw. The creature reached down a massive hand towards him, and he knew it was offering the hand to help him get up. Shillan reached out both of his hands slowly and gripped it, feeling the coolness of the hard covering. It pulled him up with ease and helped him to stand. He clung to the hand, trembling uncontrollably while the creature continued to speak softly. It pulled something off its body and offered it to him after removing the top and shaking it. Shillan could hear liquid sloshing within the container. Shillan took it hesitantly and peered inside the hole with his third eye. It was filled with a clear liquid, and he moved it down to his nose and sniffed deeply. It was clean water. He had not drunk clean water since the evil ones had come and polluted their rivers. He threw his head back and drank it greedily, feeling the coolness of it as it spilled down the sides of his whiskers. He was mortified by his greed when he realized that he had drank it all, and he looked down at the ground in shame, expecting to hear anger in the soft voice when it realized what he had done. The suited being took the container from his hands with surprising gentleness and placed the opening against a port on its stomach. After a few moments, it removed the container from the port and offered it to him again. It was filled with more water, and he took it gratefully and sipped at it, still ashamed of his prior greed. He looked back up at the creature and flicked his head in thanks before looking around them. There were still sounds of weapon fire in the distance, but all around them was nothing but the bodies of slain evil ones that had fallen to the might of the new ones. Shillan spotted another black being heading towards them, this one loping on all fours with incredible speed. Fear gripped him as it drew closer, and he moved behind the kind creature, gripping the hard body covering with his hands. The new arrival came upon them and stopped fifteen hands away before rising to stand on two legs like the other one. Its head covering folded back, and Shillan cried out in surprise at what the new one looked like as it walked closer. This one had a long snout and hairy face, and its yellow eyes were filled with predatory intelligence. Shillan saw the sharpness of its teeth as it spoke the same strange language to the kind one, and he trembled with fear as he imagined it tearing him apart. The kind one replied to the other creature, and it pulled a small device off the webbing on its chest and handed it to the kind one, careful not to look at Shillan, who was still hiding. The kind one pressed several buttons on the device and then slowly turned around before crouching down to face Shillan. It spoke into the device, and Shillan heard his language coming from it. ¡°Do not fear us, friend. We are from the Galactic Federation, and we are here to liberate you from the Balrikan. I am Magnati. My name is Tiriyan, and my friend behind me is Wan¡¯sho. Her name is Grilkka. What is your name?¡± He listened intently as the words came from the device, and he was overcome with emotions at the realization that the salvation the Yivahsi have been fervently praying for had finally come. Shillan reached forward and hugged the Magnati in front of him, his short arms gripping onto the massive torso as he felt himself losing control. The Magnati put his massive hand on his back and gently rubbed it as he continued to grieve for his family. They had been so close to being liberated by their new savior, why did the life-giver take them from him before they arrived? The Wan¡¯sho came over and pressed her head against his body, whimpering softly as she nuzzled him with her hairy face. Shillan tensed in fear until he looked into her eyes and saw nothing but understanding within them. He found it strangely comforting as she continued to nuzzle him, and he sobbed freely now that he was finally able to display emotions for the first time in over forty rotations. The Yivahsi were terrified of showing any feeling around the cruel overlords. The evil ones killed anyone who displayed emotions they did not like or considered signs of weakness. When he felt like he could speak again, he answered the question. ¡°My- my name is Shillan. Thank you for answering our prayers.¡± The kind one unfolded his arm from around his back and looked at him, seeming to have a difficult time deciding on which eyes to look at as he attached the small translator device to his filthy tunic. Shillan found it funny and cackled, surprised that he still knew how to do so as he spoke. ¡°Any eye is fine, but I see best out of the two bottom ones for close distances.¡± Tiriyan laughed in response, and Grilkka added in her own bark to the laughter as she went back on all fours and peered into his face. ¡°Will you go with my friend, Shillan? She will take you to safety where we are setting up our base. There is food, water, and prefab shelters being erected now. We still must clear the area, and it is not safe for you here.¡± He bobbed his head, and the kind one spoke again. ¡°Where is your family? Can you show me on a map where they are?¡± The mention of his family crushed him. He looked down at the ground, ashamed at not being able to protect and save them, before looking back up and answering the question. ¡°I have no family. My mate was killed by her overlord seven lightdays ago, and my three younglings froze to death one quarter rotation ago.¡± Grilkka growled lowly at his words, and her neck fur puffed out. He saw Tiriyan share a meaningful look with her before turning a face that was no longer kind back to him. He spoke again, his voice no longer soft but hard and full of hate. Shillan cowered slightly at the menacing tone before he remembered that they were here to liberate them and straightened back up. ¡°I am deeply sorry we could not come sooner to save them, Shillan. All I can promise is that we will kill every Balrikan on your planet and avenge the deaths of all who died by their hand. Please go with Grilkka; I have some hunting to do.¡± A cold chill went down his spine at the words uttered by Tiriyan, and Shillan bobbed his head again before looking at Grilkka. She turned around on all fours and squatted her hind legs down a little before speaking over her shoulder. ¡°Do you see the carry handle beneath my neck joint, Shillan? It is rounded and metal.¡± He quickly looked, seeing what she was talking about right away. ¡°I see it.¡± ¡°That will be your handhold.¡± She replied. ¡°Climb onto my back and hold onto it tightly with both hands. You can rest your feet on the suspensors along the sides of my chest.¡± Shillan looked at Tiriyan again, who bobbed his head slowly. He slowly clambered onto her back and gripped the carry handle tightly before placing his two feet on the suspensors and gripping the hard sides with his knees. ¡°We will meet again, Shillan.¡± Tiriyan said to him before turning around and running towards the sound of distant weapons firing at a pace that surprised him. ¡°Are you ready, Shillan?¡± Called out Grilkka. ¡°Yes.¡± He replied, ashamed for lying to her but trying to be brave for his new friends. She started walking, and he gripped tighter as he shimmied a little bit to ensure he was properly seated. She started trotting faster, and he was surprised to find that it was not too difficult to stay on her back as she increased her speed. He had been sure he was going to slide right off her back. He leaned into the wind as she loped towards the city limits where the new arrivals had first landed, and he looked around at the dozens of dead overlord corpses littering the landscape as they went past them. Grilkka crossed the distance quickly, and soon they entered the outer edge of the destroyed city that used to be there. There were hundreds of black figures around them, and Grilkka slowed down her pace as the large mounds of rubble forced them to change direction repeatedly. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She continued to make her way deeper into the former city, and the number of black-clad figures increased as she followed the path outlined on a holographic map displayed in front of her. They reached a large opening, and he realized that they had entered where the city square used to be. The local Yivahsi used to gather there for cultural and religious festivals, as well as citizen assemblies to vote on important issues. There were many new structures, and a multitude of black figures were moving all around them as they continued to build their base. Shillan started to notice that even though they were all wearing the hard, black suits, there were distinct differences among the new arrivals. Some were smaller than him, and others were even larger than the kind giant who saved him. Some had four arms and two legs, and he saw a few that had what looked like two heads. Who are these people? He thought to himself as he stared at them all in wonder, watching them all work together to construct the base. His people had only recently discovered the secret to faster than light travel, and they had only met two neighboring species that had come to initiate contact with them when they detected signs of an FTL drive activating in their system. They were nice people, and he hoped that the overlords had not found and conquered them like they did to his world. Grilkka had slowed down, and now she stopped in front of the largest structure. ¡°Shillan, this is where your people are being taken care of for now. Please go inside; there is a Ma¡¯lit doctor inside rendering aid, and there is also food and fresh clothing.¡± His stomach rumbled at the mention of food, and the empty pit that had been his constant companion ever since the overlords came to his world roared back to life, demanding to be filled. Shillan carefully slipped off her back and stood there nervously, suddenly afraid to go inside and see his people. He was ashamed to be the only one to survive out of his whole family. He was one of the fortunate ones, and he did not want to face others who had also outlived their families like he had. He knew they would see him and wonder why he had survived while their own families didn¡¯t. Grilkka noticed his hesitation and sat on her haunches, peering deeply into his two bottom eyes. She had whites like Tiriyan, but the centers were a golden yellow, and she had black slits in the middle. ¡°Shillan, you are a survivor. You will never stop feeling like you do not deserve to live while your family and friends have passed. The Balrikans killed my lifemate and our seven pups, and many of my friends as well. Every solar day I wake up and ask the Creator to take me instead and bring them back.¡± She then looked down at the ground, her normally erect ears drooping down as she continued to speak. ¡°This is our lot in life now, Shillan. The only thing you can do now is keep them alive in your heart and live for them. That is what they would want you to do.¡± He stood there and listened to her words, feeling a deep bond with her over their shared pain as she continued to look down at the ground. He could feel the sadness within her, and he wanted to comfort her. Shillan leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her neck, feeling her warm, soft fur press against his whiskers. ¡°Thank you for saving me, Grilkka.¡± He whispered before letting her go and leaning back. She looked back up at him, peering into his eyes again before slightly leaning her snout closer and quickly licking his face. He was surprised by the action, but he forced himself to be still and accept it. Shillan instinctively knew it was a sign of affection. It felt sacred to him, and he cherished the gift she gave him after enduring the malignant hate of the evil ones who took all that was good and holy from his people. Grilkka stood back up on all fours. ¡°If you need anything, tell someone to contact me. Grilkka, 4th Legion, Orbital Drop Cavalry. Can you remember that?¡± She asked as she made her ears go back up. He bobbed his head, and she turned and started walking away. She turned back to look at him one last time, her eyes filled with understanding, before she disappeared behind a prefab structure. Shillan turned back around and faced the opening, still afraid to go in. He reached a hand up and touched where Grilkka had licked him, remembering the feeling of her coarse tongue against his skin and gathering courage from her words. Clamping down on his nervousness, he walked through the opening. As his eyes adjusted to the dim interior, the first thing he noticed was the smell of food. It was overpowering, and the pit in his stomach demanded he fill it. There were dozens of stalls with beds and equipment lined up on both sides and a long table in the middle that had a variety of liquids and trays of food. Milling all around the sides of the table were Yivahsi filling their plates with small amounts of food under the watchful eyes of black-clad Federation personnel who prevented them from gorging on the food. Shillan headed towards the table of food, his hunger overriding his thought processes. He had barely walked ten hands when a being with a white and red suit stepped in front of him, blocking his path. A voice came from the suit. ¡°Welcome to Processing Building Two. I am Doctor Fril¡¯nir. Please follow me.¡± The suit spun around and headed towards a set of beds with all kinds of strange equipment surrounding them. Shillan looked at the table full of food longingly before reluctantly following the doctor, his stomach begging for sustenance. The doctor was waiting for him and pointed at a bed. ¡°Please sit here, and I will examine you.¡± There was a small step on the side of the bed, and he used it to get himself up. He had barely gotten himself situated when the doctor started pulling an array of what looked like advanced technology all around him and activating them. The doctor was making musical sounds as the suit hands played over multiple holographic projections and made adjustments to the equipment. Shillan was intrigued by the noises the doctor was making and worked up the courage to ask what it was doing. ¡°Healer, what are those sounds you are making? It is nice to listen to.¡± ¡°What?¡± The doctor replied absentmindedly as the suit hands continued to tap on the floating displays. ¡°I am humming a Magnati lullaby that mothers sing to their babies. Do you not have music?¡± ¡°We did. Before the evil ones came. They made us destroy all our drums and gomlah woodwind pipes and killed anyone who dared to make music.¡± Shillan replied sadly as he thought of Lissan. His neighbor Lissan was an accomplished pipe player, and his beautiful playing brought joy to all who heard it when they walked by his house. A half rotation after their conquest, there was one nightday when the evil ones had ordered all the villagers of their tree to cast their instruments into the bonfire or be executed. He remembered seeing all the musicians of the village lining up and watching them from the branches above as they each cast their instruments into the fire one after another. All except gentle Lissan. Always shy and soft-spoken, Lissan loved his pipe more than life itself. When it came his time to cast the gomlah windpipe into the flames, he did not do so. Instead, he put the pipe to his lips and began playing, staring at the overlords with hate-filled eyes as his tune played proud and strong. The song could be heard clearly over the roaring fire as it fed on the instruments that were sacrificed to it by their owners. All the villagers were shocked at Lissan¡¯s act. They could not believe the timid musician, who was afraid to talk to women and look the men in the eyes, had such defiance within him. Even the overlords seemed shocked, and they did not seem to know how to respond at first as they looked at each other and hooted among themselves. As Lissan continued to play his pipe, one of them finally seemed to recover from its momentary shock and strode over to Lissan, baring its yellowed fangs in anger. Lissan bravely glared at the overlord, and the villagers could see his hands trembling as he continued to play his tune and move his fingers over the holes. The overlord moved his hand so fast that it was almost impossible to see in the flickering firelight and snatched the pipe out of Lissan¡¯s hand and lips. There was another flash of movement, and they all gasped at the sudden sight of half the windpipe sticking out of Lissan¡¯s third eye. The other half had pierced his brain and penetrated through the back of his skull, covered in bright green lifeblood. Shillan would never forget the smile on Lissan¡¯s face as his body collapsed into a heap at the overlord¡¯s feet, nor the hiss of anger from the overlord as his lifeblood splashed onto the killer¡¯s red uniform. The other overlords then came over and unceremoniously dumped Lissan¡¯s body into the fire. No one else defied them after that. Shillan realized that the doctor was talking to him, and he looked back up to face it. ¡°Forgive me, healer, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said, would you like to hear the words of the lullaby?¡± The doctor asked again as the equipment started droning. ¡°Yes, please.¡± He replied as he tried to push the memory of Lissan¡¯s death smile out of his thoughts. The doctor began to say the words while humming the tune, and he listened to them as they were translated by the device still on his tunic. Baby of ours, I am your mother. Baby of ours, This is your father. A gift you are, from above, You grew in me, with our love. Always know, we will cherish you. Always know, we will love you true. Little Magnati, It is time to sleep. Little Magnati, Here''s my heart to keep. Baby of ours, I am your moth- ¡°Please stop. I cannot listen anymore.¡± He whispered quietly, feeling himself losing control of his emotions as the lullaby made him think of his mate and younglings. ¡°Of course, I understand.¡± The healer replied as it continued to attach wires to his head. ¡°Do you consent to an engrammatic transfer?¡± It asked after it had finished attaching the wires and a very small device on his left temple. ¡°What is that? Transfer what?¡± He asked, confused by the question. The healer stepped back four hands and pointed to one of the devices. ¡°This is an engrammatic transfer system. It will allow us to copy your memories for posterity. We do this to record the atrocities committed by the hateful creature so that the galaxy would never forget what happened to your people.¡± ¡°Is it dangerous? Will I forget my family?¡± He asked, staring at the mirrored faceplate of the healer and wondering what it looked like. ¡°No, and no. It is completely safe, and you will not forget anything.¡± the healer replied, his hands hovering over two blinking displays. ¡°Then I consent. When do I get to eat?¡± He asked, his stomach pangs starting to grow stronger again. ¡°Soon.¡± The healer replied. ¡°Please hold still.¡± There was a sudden flash of light inside of his mind, followed by droning from the machine that was waving around his head. There was another flash of light inside his head, and then the healer removed the wires, leaving the small device still attached to his left temple. The healer spoke again as it continued to move the equipment away from him. ¡°I am leaving the engrammatic recorder on; it will continue to transcribe your thoughts until you decide to remove it.¡± The healer then typed for a few moments before turning back to face him. ¡°That¡¯s it; you are finished. Thank you for being a good patient, and you can go eat. Take this with you and give it to the table attendant.¡± The doctor said before taking a small metallic chip off a nearby tray and holding against a small panel. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He replied in disbelief as he hopped off the bed onto his feet. The healer responded as it held the chip closer for him to take. ¡°Yes, you are in relatively good health despite your malnutrition. Thank you for agreeing to the transfer; it will allow us to better prepare for the traumatic stress disorders that will arise among your people when this is all over.¡± Shillan did not really understand what the healer was talking about, but he bobbed his head like he did as he took the chip before flicking his head in thanks. He hurried away from the healer and headed right to the food table attendant, holding out the small chip with trembling hands as his closeness to the food induced anxiety. The attendant took the chip and inserted it into a pad it was holding. There were several beeps, and then the attendant took the chip back out of the pad and handed it back to him. ¡°You have been cleared to eat seven kal-nuts in weight of food. Please follow the limit guidelines and place the plate on the scale. Each plate is one kal-nut in weight.¡± The attendant said after consulting the pad. Shillan was surprised that they were using the Yivahsi weight measurement, and he flicked his head in thanks before turning around and darting towards the stack of plates. He grabbed one and got on the line, his hunger pangs turning painful as he waited for his turn to take food. He finally was next, and he grabbed the spoon and filled it with what looked like dilnah stew from the food tray. Shillan weighed the plate on the scale, and it totaled five kal-nuts in weight as the scale displayed Yivahsi numerals.The smell of the spices in the stew made him salivate; he had not tasted any spices since the overlords came. He subtracted one kal-nut for the plate and carefully scooped the rest of his allotment onto the plate, ignoring the impatient muttering behind him as he finally got 6.98 kal-nuts of food in weight. He glanced at the watching attendant, who bobbed his head at him in approval. He turned around and walked to one of the small tables where other Yivahsi were eating. The other Yivahsi barely looked at him as he took an empty seat; they were all too engrossed by their food to be courteous and welcome him to the table as custom demanded. He was not the least bit slighted by their lack of decorum. He lifted a spoonful of the stew and put it in his mouth, savoring the taste as he slowly chewed the first real food he had since the overlords arrived. Shillan took his time, making sure to chew each spoonful of stew until there was almost nothing before swallowing it. Waves of pleasure emanated from deep inside of him as the food traveled down to the first of his two stomachs. He was wondering how the new arrivals were able to make so much food when he saw the table attendant walk over to a large machine on the side and press on its pad a few times. There was a low hum followed by a subdued flash of light within the machine, and the attendant opened a small door before reaching inside of it. It removed its hands from the machine, holding another steaming tray of dilnah stew, and walked the tray over to the food table. It placed the full tray on the table before removing an empty tray and bringing it back to the machine. They can make food out of nothing. No wonder they were able to defeat the evil ones and make them flee. Why didn¡¯t they come sooner if they are so powerful? He thought as he continued to look around. There had been a steady stream of new Yivahsi arrivals as they were rescued by their new friends and brought to the base, and it was starting to get crowded inside. His plate was now empty, and he got up and followed other Yivahsi as they placed the dirty plates into a nearby bin, adding his own to the growing pile. A nearby attendant then directed them to line up and follow it. Shillan and twelve other Yivahsi fell in line and followed the black-suited attendant out of the structure and towards an even larger structure, almost two hundred hands away. He looked up, and there were now three of the massive black ships floating in the sky above that had dozens of small, fast-moving ships exiting them and heading in multiple directions. Shillan looked back down and followed the Yivahsi in front of him, ignoring the accidental kicks from the one behind him as they reached the new structure and entered it. This one was filled with beds along both sides, and he walked towards an empty one, claiming it. On the bed was a single article of clothing and a large, fluffy piece of fabric. The attendant was speaking loudly, and he listened as the translator device changed the words to Yivahsi. ¡°On each bed is a single-piece uniform and a towel for bathing. The showers are in the structure next to this one. Please take both with you and dump the clothes you are wearing into the incinerator before showering. After you are done, put on the jumpsuit and pull on this tag.¡± The attendant held up a uniform it was holding and pointed to a small attachment hanging off one of the arms before continuing. ¡°The tag will activate the fibers, and the suit will conform to your body. Leave your translator devices on the bed you have selected and place your palm on the scanner next to it. Please state your name twice while the scanner takes a genetic sample, and then go to the showers. I will be your attendant for now. My name is Yan-gith, and I am Slikaathi. Any questions or issues you may have, please bring them to me. That is all.¡± The attendant walked away and stood by the door, waiting for them to scan in before leading them to the showers. He looked around the bed and saw a glossy black rectangular object on the side. Shillan placed his hand on it, and it powered on. He then said his name twice. ¡°Shillan Domreth. Shillan Domreth.¡± The scanner flashed and then beeped, and above it appeared a small hologram of his name. He picked up the jumpsuit and towel, joining the others that had scanned in and already started to gather around the doorway. When everybody had lined up, Yan-gith led them to the structure right next to the one they were just in and quickly showed the incinerator location and how to use the showers before heading back outside. He peeled off his tunic, carefully avoiding looking at anyone as he did so, and pushed the filthy cloth through the receptacle of the incinerator before heading to an empty shower stall. Shillan pulled on the string hanging from the showerhead above him, and a stream of clean, warm water came out of it. He stood there for a while, exulting in the luxurious sensation of water cleaning his body for the first time since the evil ones arrived and polluted the rivers and lakes where they used to bathe every day. They quickly found out that the toxic runoff from the overlords¡¯ factories and foundries would burn skin and poison them when the aquatic life started dying and rotting, further polluting the waters. Soon after their arrival, the shores and banks were filled with the rotting corpses of the local terrestrial wildlife that drank from them in desperation as they suffered from severe dehydration. His people stopped going near the death waters that they could smell from thousands of hands away, and soon they were all covered in soot and grime. Smelling the foulness of themselves and others became part of their lives, and they endured their terrible filth as best as they could. Shillan pressed against the dispenser on one of the stall walls and lathered the soap on his body, staring down at the drain as the soap removed the filth and turned the water black. He soaped and lathered himself repeatedly until the water running off his body was finally clear before reluctantly pulling on the string again and turning the water off. Shillan wrapped himself in the soft towel and stepped out of the stall before heading to the row of basins along the other wall and activating the dental dispenser that Yan-gith had shown them how to use. A disposable tooth cleaner popped out, and he placed it under the dispenser to fill the head of the brush with a thick, clear paste. He remembered the instructions Yan-gith had given during the demonstration, and started awkwardly rubbing the brush along his disgusting, filthy teeth. The Yivahsi would use the young shoots of the taroh plant by fraying the ends and rubbing them along their teeth. The shoots had medicinal properties that prevented tooth decay and freshened their breaths. The taroh plant had a symbiotic relationship with the gomlah trees, and they disappeared when the gomlah tree forests were cut down to fuel the factories and foundries. Shillan brushed his teeth until his gums started to bleed and the basin was flecked with bright green lifeblood. He used his third eye to peek at the sinks next to him, seeing that the others were doing the same thing. After rinsing his mouth one last time, he quickly dried himself off and put on the oversized uniform before clasping the two sides of the torso slit together. The magnetic slit sealed itself, and he pulled on the tag. The uniform shrunk to accommodate his gaunt body, and the material was soft. He moved around in it, relishing the feeling of wearing clean clothes again. He left the structure and went back to his bed. His name was still displayed above the scanner, and he sat on the bed for the first time, shocked by how soft and pliable the thin mattress was. Yan-gith came back in after everyone had returned and waited until things were settled down before addressing them. ¡°On the doctor¡¯s orders, the meal you had will be the only one until first light. There are concerns of refeeding syndrome and gastrointestinal distress. You will all be scanned by the doctor again, and if all goes well, you will be allowed to have two meals. When you are ready to sleep, place your hand on the scanner again and say the word sleep three times. This will activate the privacy field around your bed and block all light. Please be courteous to your neighbors; the field does not block sounds for safety reasons. Are there any questions?¡± A Yivahsi closer to Yan-gith bobbed her head and spoke. ¡°Why are some of you still wearing your head coverings and others are not? We are grateful that you have come, but it is important for us Yivahsi to see the faces of others for trust to develop. Even the overlords showed their terrible faces to us instead of hiding them behind masks.¡± Yan-gith bobbed its head as the Yivahsi finished asking her questions and answered. ¡°The Galactic Federation has many different member species within it. It was decided by our leadership to slowly reveal ourselves to you over the next several days to avoid creating panic and possible revulsion by forcing you to look upon the faces of many different beings. There are also some species that are required to stay sealed within their suits, as there are microbes on your planet that will make them very ill and possibly die if exposed to these microbes.¡± Shillan raised his voice to be heard over the murmuring of the others. ¡°Are you one of those who are in danger of falling ill? I have already met Grilkka and Tiriyan, and I would like to see your face as well if you are comfortable with removing your covering.¡± He noticed that the others were staring at him, and he felt his face go warm with embarrassment at the sudden attention. Yan-gith did not respond right away, seeming unsure on how to proceed. Shillan started feeling ashamed for putting pressure on it to show its face. What if they have hideous faces? He was just about to apologize and ask to be forgiven for his rudeness when Yan-gith finally spoke. ¡°I will remove my covering if that is what you wish for me to do. I apologize ahead of time if you find my appearance offensive or frightening.¡± It lifted one of its four fingered hands and activated the head covering. The head covering started to disassemble and fold back behind the head, and Shillan¡¯s shame became stronger at forcing the attendant to expose itself like this. As the covering folded back, he saw a small mouth first, with two holes above it. The covering folded back completely, and he now saw Yan-gith¡¯s face. Its skin was glistening with moisture and pale blue. It had dark red eyes on the sides of its narrow face, like the horned rilath that used to eat the vine plants that encircled the trunks of the gomlah trees. Shillan got a sense that Yan-gith was of a people that lived in or around water, and he was utterly fascinated by the fleshy spines that bisected its head from the top and continued down past the neck joint. ¡°I hope my appearance does not cause you distress.¡± Yan-gith stated timidly as it looked around at the Yivahsi assembled in front of it. Shillan answered him. ¡°I find your appearance wonderous. Thank you for allowing us to see your true face. I hope this is not rude of me, but are you male or female?¡± The other Yivahsi bobbed their heads in agreement, and Yan-gith looked at him before answering. ¡°I am male, though we give birth to our brood after Slikaathi females transfer the fertilized eggs to us for gestation.¡± Shillan gasped in delight at the amazing revelation, and Yan-gith smiled at them, displaying thick, square teeth within its small mouth. Yan-gith looked like he was just about to say something when a piercing alarm erupted within the structure and the lights dimmed. Yan-gith looked at them, his red eyes filled with worry as he started yelling. ¡°Line up in two lines, quickly! Stay low and do not deviate from my path, I will take you to the bunker for your safety.¡± Panic gripped the Yivahsi as the alarms continued blaring and there was a general rush towards the closed doors. Yan-gith yelled out again for them to remain calm as his head covering came back over his face and sealed it. He forced himself through the mass of panicking Yivahsi and turned around. His suit amplified his words, and the Yivahsi nearest to him retreated from the booming voice as he spoke again. ¡°Two lines. Now! Do not force me to use the anti-riot field on you!¡± As he was yelling, he raised a small stick that had been attached to the waist joint of his suit and pointed it at them menacingly. The threat of violence managed to reduce some of the frenzy, and they all started to comply and fall into two lines. He spoke again, still pointing the weapon at them. ¡°Stay low and stay behind the person in front of you. Grab onto the back of the uniform in front of you, and do not let go.¡± He turned around, and the door opened, allowing in the sounds of battle and explosions that seemed to be too close. He crouched down, and we all did the same. He darted forward, and we all followed, the base around us in chaos as black-suited personnel ran towards the perimeter. Shillan noticed that they were all armed now, and fear gripped him as a massive explosion erupted nearby and buffeted them with the shockwave. Yan-gith led them to a structure that seemed too small to accommodate them and waved his hand in front of a scanner next to the metal doors. The doors slid open, and he stood to the side as he urged them to go inside. Shillan went past the threshold and saw that there were stairs leading down with a railing along both sides, and the stair width was just enough to allow two Yivahsi to walk abreast. He gripped onto one railing as he descended, getting angry at the Yivahsi behind him that was practically on top of him and making him almost fall repeatedly as he crowded him. He got to the bottom of the stairs and pressed up against the wall to let the ones behind him enter. He looked up the stairs to see where Yan-gith was. Yan-gith looked down at him with his mirrored faceplate and yelled to be heard over the explosions. ¡°Get inside, now! Pull down the yellow handle on the inside to seal the bunker. I will come back for yo- Yan-gith was violently knocked down as he was slammed on the side by a dark red figure that was hissing loudly. Shillan froze in shock at the sudden sight of an overlord as he heard Yan-gith grunt from the powerful hit and get thrown out of view. He heard them screaming and hissing as they struggled with each other out of sight before the sound of weapons fire erupted and Yan-gith went silent. A moment later, the overlord came back into view, his red uniform covered in pale blue blood. It looked down the stairs at him, its black eyes glowing with malevolence. It hissed at him and charged through the doorway, and he was violently yanked into the bunker by multiple hands, striking his head against the doorframe as he was pulled through the narrow opening. He fell to the floor and heard the bunker door slam shut with a loud clang, cutting off the hissing screams of the overlord that was charging down the stairs. He suddenly felt the terrible pain from striking his head on the doorway, and he blacked out. He woke up, gasping for air. He looked around in a disoriented panic before terrible pain pierced his brain, causing him to grab his head and scream out in raw agony. He rolled over to his side and fell off whatever he was lying on, feeling himself fall before smashing his face against the floor and causing even greater pain. A wave of nausea hit him, and he vomited, begging for the pain to stop as he whimpered and drooled. He tasted the disgusting bile, and another wave of nausea came, making him retch. He was roughly jerked up off the ground, and he feebly tried to defend himself as he felt the back of his neck grabbed within an excruciatingly painful vise grip. He tried to remember where he was as he was dragged by his neck, his limp legs scraping against the hard floor. He realized he could only see out of two eyes, and he panicked again, trying to reach up to touch his third eye to see if it was still there. His hand was swatted away, and he cried out from the pain of the impact. It felt like a solid piece of metal had smashed his hand, and he stared at the moving black floor through watery eyes, unable to lift his head to see where he was. A terribly loud, emotionless voice boomed, startling him so much that he voided his bladder from fright. ¡°You are a foolish child. Do you know how much you have endangered yourself? You are lucky the meeting ended earlier than expected, or I would have arrived to find your mind irrevocably damaged beyond repair.¡± He was shoved onto his back, blinded by the sudden light above him. Something was stabbed into his neck, causing him to scream out in pain again as he tried to lift his arms to fight off his attacker. He looked over at where he thought his attacker was, seeing it for the first time. It was a large, menacing dark gray suit, and he recoiled in horror as he saw multiple lenses turn towards him. It had a vicious-looking needle probe in a raised hand, and it stabbed him right where his third eye would be. He screamed in agony before whatever he was injected with paralyzed him, and he went limp, no longer able to scream or move. As the encroaching darkness came to take him, he stared at the suit looming above him and was powerless to move away as it brought a reflective mirror towards his face. He reeled in shock at what he saw. He had dark, smooth skin and only two eyes. He looked like the Magnati Tiriyan, and the dread grew as his mind rejected the reflection he was seeing. The needle probe was still sticking out above the bottom two, but there was no third eye there. The voice boomed again. ¡°You are Ray Buncomme. You are not Shillan Domreth. Your name is Ray Buncomme, and you are a Human ambassador representing the Republic of Humanity. You need to remember who you are.¡± His last thoughts before the blackness took him were filled with disbelief as he fought against the lie. I am Shillan. I am Shillan Domreth. My mate¡¯s name was Yregna. I buried our younglings with her. I felt their stiff, frozen little bodies crack as I forced them into their death repose. I am Shillan Domreth, I do not believe your lies, I am Shil- The blackness subsumed him, and he was no more. They Held The Line-Chapter Nineteen-Hive mother Queen World of the Insectoid Empire, 2175 A.D. The Hive mother waited for the last rebel sister to reach the brood chamber, keeping tabs on her progress through the Hive as she closely watched her through the eyes of dozens of drones. After her victory and the ritual killing of the other rebel sister, the last remaining sister surrendered when her fleet had arrived and laid siege to her Hive. The Hive mother was secretly grateful that her sister had chosen to accept her supremacy instead of forcing her to cull another sister. She did not have to waste the lives of millions of drones or much-needed ships invading the rebel Hive, and she did not have to cull another sister. Yet. Of the twelve queens they had when the swarming started, four were dead, and she was now Hive mother. There were only seven queens left, a terrible legacy she inherited from the Hive mother before her. As the rebel sister neared the brooding chamber, she looked at the other six loyal queen sisters arrayed around her. They had answered her call to come and see their sister surrender and pledge fealty to the new Hive mother. I need to make new queen daughters; seven queens are not enough to properly manage and defend the Hives. We are fortunate the animals are too engrossed in their own conflicts to press their advantage against us, she thought to herself as she looked at each of the six loyal sisters that had accepted her as Hive mother from the start. She felt the Hive mother within wanting to share thoughts, and she opened her mind to her wise ancestor. She detected that her advisor wished to say more, and she waited, her mind open. The Hive mother within did not respond right away, and she continued to wait for more insight. The anguish of having to cull her sister came back, just as terrible as the day she did it. The Hive mother within felt her renewed pain and continued sending thoughts. She suddenly felt a multitude of minds touching hers, careful not to overwhelm her thoughts as they caressed her spirit and imbued her with feelings of love and gratitude for her desire to spare them from such pain. They retreated, and she felt unworthy of being gifted an exalted lineage of genetic ancestors such as them. The Hive mother within sent thoughts again as the others continued to withdraw and return to their dormancy within her. She felt a strong outpouring of emotions, the strongest of those being sorrow and regret, and more thoughts came to her. < We are cursed to look back on our time of living and see how little wisdom we truly had. We now see our indifference and casual cruelty towards the worker drones who loved us unconditionally and never received our love in return. We see our insatiable lust for power and expansion. We were selfish and capricious, and we aggrandized ourselves at the expense of the Hives under our control.> She felt more of her ancestor¡¯s emotional turmoil buffeting her spirit, and she mourned for the ones within her, condemned to see the error of their ways only after they had passed from the realm of the living. The turmoil lessened, and waves of contentment and joy touched her mind as the Hive mother within shared more thoughts. The Hive mother made the image of her ancestor inside her mind, seeing her in all her glory as she once was when she ruled an empire that felt the warmth of many suns. She hugged the ancient Hive mother with her spirit, sharing her love and appreciation for the one who chose her. They embraced, and for the first time, she finally found the motherly love she had been desperately seeking since she first emerged from her pupa. The image dissipated, and the Hive mother within turned back into an orb of light that receded into the distance to join the other ancestors that dwelt within her. She came back to the brood chamber, resenting having to return to her trapped body that would never again feel the warmth of a sun or the waters of the sky cleansing her exoskeleton. She suppressed her unseemly self-pitying and stretched out her wings, fluttering them to remove any traces of dirt. She chose this path; she plunged the ritual dagger into her Hive mother¡¯s brain. This was now her burden to bear. The rebel sister entered the brooding chamber, escorted by the two attendant drones she was entitled to. She approached timidly, stopping halfway before bowing in obeisance. She sent thoughts, and the Hive mother accepted them. The Hive mother stared at her prostrated form, conflicted by the need to make a choice on whether to punish her or show her mercy. I must do what is best for the Hives, not what is best for my desires, she thought to herself as she stared at her bowing sister. She made her choice and sent thoughts to her sister. She felt their surprise and confusion at being asked for their input by the Hive mother. That was not the way of the Hives, and she realized with a flash of insight that they all felt like she was trying to trick them into revealing if they disagreed with her. She needed to correct their thinking. Slowly, she felt their thoughts being revealed to her as they allowed themselves to freely let their thoughts be known without consequences for the first time in their lives. They are like pupae, never truly allowed to grow into their own under the tyrannical rule of the prior Hive mother, she thought to herself sadly as she felt them struggling to share thoughts that were entirely their own. They all wanted their sister back, and they were all concerned about the small number of queens remaining to maintain control of the Hives. They wanted her to make them new sisters to replenish their numbers, something she had been reluctant to do while the Hives were fractured. She could not put it off any longer, and she thanked them for sharing their true thoughts with her. She looked at her sister, who was still bowing with her head touching the floor as she waited for judgment. She opened her mind back to her and sent thoughts. She felt the surprise and gratefulness in her sister¡¯s thoughts as she slowly rose up and faced them. Her sister walked over and joined the others. The Hive mother let them commune with each other for a few moments before sharing thoughts with them all. As her sisters listened to her thoughts, she could feel their worry and doubt about the state of the Hives in their minds. One sister sent thoughts, addressing them all. Another sister added her own thoughts. The Hive mother felt the arrogance in the thoughts of the sister, and she felt the anger that rose in her at the callous disregard for the lives of the drones the sister left behind. She sent thoughts, letting her disapproval come through. She felt the minds of her sisters¡¯ recoil from her thoughts, not understanding her anger. They had a right to use their drones as they saw fit, and now the Hive mother was telling them they did not. She pressed deeper into their minds as she sent more thoughts. She drew upon her new powers as Hive mother, increasing the strength of her thoughts as she felt her mind tap into the vast network of ancestors within her and their combined mental power. The seven queens cowered under the unexpected onslaught of her mental powers, trying to close off their minds from the painful psychic assault. She pressed deeper, ripping away the weak mental barriers they tried to put up and feeling their minds quiver as they laid bare before her. She felt their arrogance flee before her. It was replaced with terror as she continued to tear through their minds unimpeded. She showed them all the times they let a drone die unanswered. She showed them all the times they killed a command drone for the slightest mistakes, or worse, for no reason at all. She then accessed her own memories and showed them all the times she communed with dying drones, answering them and fulfilling their dying wish. The queens became filled with shame and regret as she allowed them to see and feel the exchanges between her and her drones when she was queen. Her drones were afraid; they knew they were dying. They sent thoughts to her, asking for her pardon because they could not work anymore. She would respond to them, giving them the gift of her gratitude for a life of service and granting them permission to claim their reward of eternal rest. In their simple minds, the fear of their coming death would dissipate as she caressed their minds with hers, letting them know she was grateful. Their fear would be replaced with pride and joy as they finally received recognition from the queen they served and loved without reservation. They would die at peace, the only favor they ever asked for in their short lives of endless toil fulfilled. She felt the change in the minds and spirits of her sister''s as they were forced to see themselves for what they truly were: selfish, arrogant, and unworthy of being queens. She withdrew from their exposed minds and returned to her own, letting them recover from the violation. She was in her own mind again, and she looked at the queens, seeing the fear they now felt towards her in their eyes. She waited as they reassumed control of themselves, letting her anger die out before sending thoughts to them again. She saw them react to her thoughts, and one after another they all reverently bowed to her. Their thoughts came to her, filled with total obedience as they all called her Hive mother. Her ascendance was now complete, and the empire was hers. She told them to rise and face her; there was work to do. As they all looked at her once more, she sent thoughts to them again, more conciliatory this time. She waited as they reluctantly opened their minds to her, still terrified of what she had done to them before. When they were ready for her thoughts, she created a mental image of a star chart with all the animal stars and planets they had abandoned and shared it with them. They all absentmindedly responded to her as they all started turning their full mental energies into the task she had set before them. She withdrew from their shared thoughts and sent a command to the drones in the small chamber behind her. She did not have to wait long, and ten drones came in groups of two, each group carrying a small white mass that writhed in between their claws. The first two drones walked up and held out the egg to her, knowing they were holding something sacred. She gently took the egg into her claws, careful not to squeeze it too hard or drop it. She brought it close to her eyes, staring at it undulating within her grasp. She felt an overwhelming sense of love, contentment, and worry as she gazed at it. It seemed to know that it was being held by a Hive mother, and a thought whisper came from it, asking for the gift of life. She slowly put out her tongue and kissed it, concentrating on making sure the right enzymes were being injected in the right proportions needed to begin the chemical processes. She removed her tongue slowly, barely able to contain her excitement at finally being able to create a daughter queen for the first time. She moved the egg closer to her thorax and activated her silk glands. She cradled the new future daughter queen on one leg and used the other claw to pull out the first strand of silk, attaching it to the base of the egg. She repeated the process on the other side, and she slowly started to turn the egg as she gently wrapped it in her silk as her two glands spun the fibers. Soon, the egg was completely wrapped, and she handed it back to the two waiting drones. They carefully took it within their claws and backed away to bring the egg back to its place where it would undergo chemical processes now that she had kissed it with the gift of life. The next pair of drones moved up, and she gently took the second egg from them. Then the third, the fourth, and then finally the fifth egg was kissed and wrapped. As the last two drones took the final egg away, she felt the Hive mother within wanting to share thoughts with her. She eagerly accepted them, feeling delirious after what had just occurred. As the Hive mother within retreated, she put herself into a dormant state. Soon she was dreaming of helping her new daughters stand and take their first steps as queens, feeling their claws in hers for the first time. They Held The Line-Chapter Twenty-Queen Daughter TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Republic Hive World, 2175 A.D. The queen concentrated, accessing parts of her mind that she had never used before as she stared at the worker drone waiting in front of her. She focused on the eyes of the drone, blocking out everything else as she reached out with her mind-self as the Hive mother had taught her to do. She felt her mind touching the outskirts of the drone mind, searching for a way in without hurting the drone. There, I see it! She thought to herself excitedly as she found the opening that would allow her to enter. Thoughts came to her, and she stopped, poised outside the opening. She felt the thoughts as she listened to them, and she forced herself to stay outside the opening as she responded with her own thoughts. More thoughts came to her. Her fear increased as she listened to the Hive mother describe what happened to the innocent drone. She no longer wanted to do this; she did not want to hurt the drone in front of her. She sent thoughts to the Hive mother, pleading in desperation. The Hive mother¡¯s thoughts cut her off, and she winced from the powerful anger contained within them, an emotion she had never experienced from the Hive mother before. More thoughts came, gentle and loving this time. Her fear diminished as the thoughts entered her mind, but she was still filled with doubt as she continued to look into the eyes of the waiting drone. She wanted to make her Hive mother proud, and she looked away from the drone towards the wall of the chamber. Bandit-Friend was standing there, looking at her with his yellow eyes. Next to him was Hive mother, and she could sense her anxiety and worry as she grasped one of his claws with hers. She looked back at Bandit-Friend, and he glanced at the Hive mother before removing his claw from hers and making claw movements to her. ~My queen, we are here for you. We believe in you. We know you will succeed and make us proud. Just focus on what your Hive mother has taught you and forget about everything else. Forget about us; it is just you and the drone. ~ The queen looked back at her Hive mother, and she felt her resolve harden as she looked into her large black eyes filled with hope and anticipation. She looked back at Bandit-Friend, and he nodded to her slowly as he gently took the Hive mother¡¯s claw back into his own to comfort her as she anxiously waited for her daughter to perform her task. The queen could feel the love and trust they had for each other, and she drew courage from it, knowing that they were there for her and loved her. She looked back at the drone waiting in front of her and reached out with her mind-self, quickly finding the opening she had seen before. Entering it, she emerged within the mind of the drone. All around her were memories and simple emotions that floated within the large cavern she found herself in. The queen looked at the memories as she stayed in front of the threshold and oriented herself in the new environment. Most of the memories were thoughts of its work and the tasks that it performed within the Hive. She looked at other memories, seeing the drone as it moved throughout the Hive and touched claws and antennae with other drones during its travels. There was a feeling of contentment as the drone touched others and performed its job within the Hive. There was also a feeling of safety and a primitive awareness that it was in a good Hive with a good Hive mother and queen that did not kill or abuse them. There were other memories in the distance, and it seemed as if the drone had put them there for a reason. These memories were shaded and dull, separated from the others that she had already experienced. She made her mind-self go towards them, carefully treading along the paths and making sure she did not cause a disturbance during her passage. As she got closer, she could start to feel the emotions associated with the different memories. These were filled with fear, anguish, and death. The queen stopped moving towards them, unsure of herself as she tried to understand why these memories were different. She pushed aside her fear and forced herself to go to them. She finally reached them, and the emotions that came from these isolated memories became stronger, making her mind-self drawn into itself as protection. The queen forced herself to experience the isolated memories and to feel what the drone felt as it lived in these moments of time. The first few were of its work and life in the Hive, and there was constant apprehension within them. Command drones and worker drones would suddenly disappear, their unique scents no longer found within the Hive as it went about its daily work. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Food was scarce, and tasks were changed abruptly on a frequent basis, causing disruptions within the Hive that would be followed by more disappearances. Their rest periods were shortened, their work was doubled, and exhaustion became part of their daily existence. Worker drones could sense the fear emanating from the command drones and become infected with it, their simple minds not understanding why the ones who gave them orders had so much fear. She forced herself to experience the other memories, her confusion mounting. Why did this drone have these memories? Her Hive mother was not cruel, and she always made sure they had more than enough food and rest. Her questions were answered when she entered the other memories. The queen saw through the drone¡¯s eyes as the queen emerged from her chambers and fled the Hive. The queen was not of her Hive, and she instinctively knew it was one of the Hive mother¡¯s sisters. She felt the emotions of the drone as it watched their queen abandon it and the others. The command drones started giving them weapons they had never used before and ordering them out of the Hive to fight the animals. Tens of thousands of its sisters would leave the Hive and never come back. This would happen repeatedly, and the Hive started to become empty as there were fewer drones with each passing day and night cycle. Order collapsed, and the drones would wander aimlessly without tasks and direction as they searched for nonexistent food and water. The drone started to hide, not wanting to be forced to leave the Hive and never come back like the others. More of them would be forced to leave the Hive, and the drone could hear the strange, loud sounds from outside growing closer. The Hive would shake, causing terror to grow in its mind and the minds of its sisters. Leaving that memory, she went into the last one remaining, and this one was not shaded and dull. This one was bright, full of happiness and joy. She felt a powerful thought command suddenly enter the drone¡¯s mind. The drone and all the others felt it and stopped what they were doing. It was from a queen, a different queen than the one they knew before. The queen could tell the thought was from her Hive mother, and she watched the memory as the Hive mother entered the Hive holding claws with two drones. She could feel the remaining drones harmonize with joy at the return of a queen who touched their minds with love and tenderness, something they had never known before. The queen saw as they left the Hive of death and sadness and went onto the Hive ship to go to their new Hive, a Hive that was promised to be free from suffering and hunger. She made her way back to where she had started outside the threshold and searched for the essence of the drone she was inhabiting. She saw it over on the side of the cavern, looking at her with its large, black eyes. The queen slowly walked towards it, afraid to startle it. It remained where it was and waited for her to come to it. She arrived and stared into the essence''s eyes. She stood in front of it, and she could sense that it was ready and willing to accept her control over it. She reached out with her mind-self and entered the essence. Her vision abruptly changed, and she was now inside the body of the drone, feeling its body as her own and the different senses the drone relied on to live its life. She could see her physical body in front of her, and she was momentarily disoriented by the jarring change of perception and the loss of self. The queen let the moment pass and regained control. She moved the drone¡¯s head and looked to where her Hive mother and Bandit-Friend were still standing along the wall. She made the head move again and looked for the game, seeing the board and the pieces on top of it where it had been placed on the floor. The queen made the body move, marveling at the new sensations as the drone body began to walk towards her favorite thing to do. She reached it and positioned the drone body on the side with the white pieces before using a claw that was not hers to move one of the pawns/drones forward two spaces. The queen looked at her Hive mother and Bandit-Friend and signed to them, making sure she made the proper signs with claws not used to doing them. ~Come and play with me, Bandit-Friend.~ They looked at each other and walked over, Bandit-Friend grimacing in pleasure while the Hive mother radiated strong feelings of pride. Thoughts came from the Hive mother, and she let them into the drone¡¯s mind. Bandit-Friend got down on the floor and moved a black piece. The game went quickly, and she won in twelve moves. Bandit-Friend grimaced widely and hit his claws together repeatedly in happiness. More thoughts came to her. She was not able to respond to the Hive mother, as the drone mind did not have the ability to do so. She left the essence of the drone and was standing before it again. The queen turned around and headed towards the threshold where she had entered, and she looked around, making sure that her presence did not change or disturb anything. She walked through the opening and called out to her body. She saw herself hurtling towards her body and could suddenly see out of her own eyes again, which were still looking into the drone¡¯s. The queen was ecstatic at what she had done, and she waited for the Hive mother to verify that the drone did not suffer any damage from her presence. The drone looked at the Hive mother and turned around and started to head out of the chamber, apparently suffering no ill effects. Before the drone left, the queen sent a thought to it. The drone froze at the thought, and she could feel the pleasure and happiness if felt at the praise it received from the queen. It recovered quickly and continued walking, leaving the chamber and disappearing out of sight as it turned into one of the tunnels. The queen turned to face her Hive mother, and thoughts came to her. She felt strong pride at the thoughts of the Hive mother and responded. Excitement coursed through her at the thoughts of the Hive mother. She had never received a prize in her life, and it took all her willpower to be calm as her mind raced with the possibilities of what the unexpected prize could be. Two drones entered the chamber, carrying a square piece of wood that looked like the chess board but was thicker. They brought it over and placed it in between her and the Hive mother. She looked at the surface and saw many small squares on the surface. The Hive mother lay flat on her abdomen and pulled on one side. A receptacle slid out, filled with many small, round white stones. The Hive mother sent thoughts to her. The queen did as commanded and pulled the receptacle out, seeing that hers was filled with small, round black stones. Her thoughts became frenetic as she tried to figure out what was going on. The Hive mother sent more thoughts to her. She could barely control herself as the Hive mother revealed that this prize was a new game and that she would play it with her. She had never worked up the courage to ask if she would play the animal game with her, afraid that the Hive mother would say no and upset her. The queen opened her mind and felt it merge with the Hive mother¡¯s as she shared the memories of her learning how to play the game from Bandit-Friend in secret. The Hive mother withdrew from her mind, and she knew all the rules of the new game. She looked into the large black eyes of her Hive mother, love swelling up inside of her. The queen took a small black stone and inspected it closely with her eyes, marveling at its smoothness before looking at the surface of the new game. In her mind, she went over the rules and objectives she must achieve to claim victory. She gingerly put the first piece within a square on the board and removed her claw, eagerly anticipating the first move of her Hive mother. As her Hive mother looked at the board and thought about her first move, the queen looked to her side and into the yellow eyes of Bandit-Friend, who was sitting on the floor. He was watching them with a grimace on his face as his yellow eyes moved over the board. He looked at her, and the grimace increased in size as he nodded to her. She sent thoughts to him even though he would not be able to receive them. They Held The Line-Chapter Twenty One-Admiral Thompson RSS Indomitable, Independence-Class Carrier, Task Force Delta CWS Ancestor''s Glory-Flagship of the Provisional Commonwealth Navy, Task Force 12 In orbit around Jaleenia for the eighteenth solar month anniversary of the Battle of the Jaleeni System Admiral Thompson waited nervously as the Provisional Commonwealth shuttle carrying the memorial delegation entered through the atmospheric shield and began landing procedures inside the cavernous landing bay. He looked around quickly to ensure that the honor guard was ready to perform their function, admiring how sharp they looked in their dress uniforms with their shiny ceremonial sabers. Captain Ruggeri leaned closer to him and spoke in a low voice. ¡°Karl, everything is fine. I made sure of it myself. I even made the honor guard press their uniforms again before finally letting them enter the bay.¡± Thompson looked at Dominic and smiled, thinking of just how insulted and pissed off the pathfinders must have been when Captain Ruggeri ordered them to press their uniforms again. Those were fighting words, and he was surprised the captain was still breathing after saying such a thing to fifty marine pathfinders. Dominic smiled and winked at him before looking back towards the shuttle. Thompson followed his gaze, watching as the shuttle finally landed softly on the alloy deck and expelled gases from the landing thrusters. Dominic leaned his head down and spoke softly, issuing commands with his throat mic. Almost immediately, the two lines of twenty-five resplendent pathfinders marched in perfect sync as they headed towards the shuttle. They formed two lines on either side of the shuttle hatch, and waiting midshipmen appeared out of nowhere and scurried over. They quickly unfurled the red carpet in between the two lines of the honor guard that went from the hatch and terminated at the last two pathfinders. The midshipmen disappeared like puffs of smoke, and Thompson looked at Dominic again, who nodded slightly at him. They marched forward and stopped right at the edge of the red carpet. As soon as they were in position, the shuttle hatch slid open with a loud hiss, and the delegation inside the shuttle could be seen milling around the hatchway. The lieutenant commander leading the honor guard barked an order, and there were sudden blinding flashes of light as all fifty of them drew their sabers and held them aloft over the red carpet for the delegation to walk under. The first delegation member to step out was Jaleeni Chief Minister Ollo, who was accompanied by his mate. They stared at the honor guard in awe for a few moments before they started walking down the path. The next two delegation members were V¡¯rni, and Thompson¡¯s heart ached for them as they looked around with haunted eyes, a radical departure from their usual jovial temperament. Over 95% of their species died in the horrific asteroid attack the Insectoids launched against their home system, and it would take them many generations to even begin to recover from their losses and reclaim their former glory. They were followed by a delegation of Zikali, the reclusive, bat-like species that rarely left their home world. Thompson had always been fascinated by their species, and he fervently hoped he would have a chance to meet and speak with them when he found out they were coming. Several other important member species of the Neo-Commonwealth came out of the shuttle as their delegations exited and joined the others who had proceeded before them. The Xenxin came out next, and Thompson smiled slightly as the delegates swaggered down the path, looking like they were spoiling for a brawl as they stared menacingly all around them. Dominic snickered quietly at the sight of them, and it took all of Thompson¡¯s willpower not to be triggered by him and laugh out loud himself. He turned his head and glared at Dominic, whose lips were making all kinds of efforts to stay closed and keep the laughter that wanted to escape within them. They looked like they were on the verge of failing as Dominic continued to stare ahead and avoid eye contact, looking into the distance with unfocused eyes. He made a fist and quickly jabbed Dominic with it on the side above the waist to get him to cut it out, hoping that the crew assembled behind them didn¡¯t notice the unprofessional interaction. Dominic grunted and continued to stare straight ahead, his lips trembling as he tried to maintain his composure. Thompson rolled his eyes and turned back to look at the still-strutting Xenxin as they continued to walk between the honor guards. Despite their belligerent nature, Thompson, along with many others in Fleet Command and the Republic government, considered them to be among the best of allies and friends to the Republic. The ties between the two peoples grew stronger every day, and Thompson considered humanity to be lucky to be able to count people such as the Xenxin among their true friends in the galaxy. The Eleani delegation came out after the Xenxin, and Thompson smiled broadly as he saw Ambassador Nimto and his wife start walking down the path. His wife looked extremely nervous, and she was death gripping the ambassador¡¯s arm with clenching fingers. Nimto patted her hand affectionately with his to cover them from view as they continued walking between the two ranks of the honor guard. The Republic and the Eleani Sovereignty had become practically joined at the hip with the amount of integration the two governments had been undergoing ever since the Republic came to their defense. There were persistent rumors that they had been insisting on joining the Republic as an equal partner, merging the two governments and militaries into one. The Xenxin had indicated that if that happened, they would seek the same and submit an official request to join as the third member. The Republic government had been having a hell of a time convincing them to remain within the new Commonwealth to help stabilize the new government as it rebuilt from the terrible civil war. If I were president, I would let them join immediately, he thought to himself, knowing full well that he was thinking with his heart and not his mind. He loved the Eleani with all his being, and he knew the government and the Republic citizens felt the same way as he did. Humanity had never forgotten their kindness and friendship when they first went into space, and they never would. It had become standard practice for Republic citizens to address or refer to individual Eleani with the prefix cousin before their names. The Eleani themselves quickly picked up on the habit and started using it themselves, delighting in the kinship meaning associated with the term. There were now millions of Eleani living in Republic worlds and vice versa, and it was becoming more commonplace to hear of Eleani and humans falling in love with each other and becoming interspecies couples. Finally, the last three delegates came out of the shuttle, and Thompson felt conflicted as they started walking down the path to join the others. Sarix, the new president of the Commonwealth, was the first one out, followed by his clutch daughter Verixa. She had been promoted to vice grand admiral by fleet command for her stubborn refusal to abandon the Jaleeni during the evacuation and expertly fighting the Insectoids with her woefully outnumbered fleet. The last one to emerge from the shuttle was the recently promoted Grand Admiral Therax, son of President Sarix and clutch sibling of Vice Grand Admiral Verixa. The Republic government had initially been concerned about possible accusations of nepotism derailing the new fragile government, but the reconstituted Commonwealth Senate put those concerns to rest very quickly when the issue was brought up. They publicly endorsed the appointments and made it clear that they were the ones who made the decision to elevate the family to those positions. The new government freely shared the results of the overwhelming votes in favor of the appointments by the Senate and the Commonwealth citizens with their interstellar neighbors who voiced similar concerns. Thompson found President Sarix to be a breath of fresh air who quickly cleaned house and initiated a campaign to root out the endemic corruption that had plagued the old Commonwealth government. President Sarix also introduced a slew of measures to strengthen the bond between the Republic and the Provisional Commonwealth, such as fully opening their borders to Republic trading ships and military vessels. He also ordered the transfer and sharing of all advanced and top-secret technology that had been jealously guarded by the old Commonwealth government to the Republic, a gesture and boon that was greatly appreciated. Vice Grand Admiral Verixa was a hero of her people who shied away from the accolades heaped upon her by the citizenry and would shut down such notions whenever the appellation was brought up. She issued the same statement every time, plainly stating: ¡°I am not a hero. I am still living. The real heroes are the ones under my command who never left the Jaleeni system. Save your praises for them and for my clan leader, Mei Zhou, and the Republic warriors under her command who came to save a people they had no obligation to fight for. They chose to stay and fight, and they bravely traded their lives for the Jaleeni. They reminded the Nekuli what true honor was, and I know they are awaiting us in Paradise with the ancestors.¡± As he watched Grand Admiral Therax make his way down the path, Thompson was forced to finally admit to himself that the only source of conflict he had was with Therax. He still unfairly resented him for surviving while Mei died, and he was secretly ashamed of all the times he lied to Therax and many others when he said that he harbored no ill will. Therax finally reached the assembled delegates, and they walked over to the large Republic courier vessel that would take them all down to the surface for the memorial service. The honor guard broke ranks and headed towards the pathfinder shuttle that would take them to the surface to do it all over again during the ceremony. Thompson started heading to the courier vessel with Dominic in tow, and they waited as the dignitaries got inside and settled before boarding the ship themselves. The flight down was short, and soon the courier vessel was gently touching down on a pad in the abandoned government space port on the outskirts of the empty capital. Thompson waited for all the dignitaries to exit the ship before he and Dominic walked down the stairs and took their places with the other Republic military and government officials that had been waiting on the surface. President Lopez was there, and she nodded to him when she saw him, pointing at her wristcom first and then at him through the crowd. He looked at his wristcom and saw that she had sent him a short text message. -Be strong; I am praying for you.- He glanced back up and caught her eye before giving her an appreciative nod. She returned it, smiling sadly at him before resuming her rounds as she continued to greet all the assembled dignitaries and delegates. After almost an hour of greetings and dozens of small conversations, President Sarix and Chief Minister Ollo went up on the stage and activated the voice projector system, asking for all the attendees to start taking their seats. It took almost another quarter of an hour before everyone was finally seated, and Chief Minister Ollo was the first speaker. He looked at the crowd with his deep brown eyes filled with sadness before beginning. ¡°I had written a speech, but I find that there are no words in any of the galactic languages that were sufficient to convey what I want to express, so I will speak from my hearts. In our history, there was a warrior class during our times of darkness that held back the evil that threatened to consume the Jaleeni and take away all that was good and pure in our world. They were known as Dilnanii.¡± Thompson¡¯s ear translator converted the word to its nearest Republic standard counterpart, and he heard the word knight in place of the Jaleeni word as the prime minister continued speaking. ¡°There came a time when the Dilnanii were no more, and they disappeared along with the evil that used to plague us, no longer needed by the Jaleeni they once defended. We remembered them always and honored them for being our champions in times of need. When the Insectoids came to destroy our species, we looked around and found no Dilnanii among us to stand against them. We prayed for the creator to help us, and we waited for the darkness to come and end us.¡± Chief Minister Ollo paused as he was overcome by the memories of that day, and his mate stepped forward and nuzzled her head against him. He gathered courage from her support and affection and looked back out at the crowd. ¡°And then it happened. We watched on our scopes as hundreds of warships we had never seen before flashed out of null space and put themselves between us and the evil that had come to take us. We watched the small fleet bravely stand against the Insectoids, knowing that they were not enough to save us. We expected them to fight for a time and then flee, and we would have understood if they did so. The strangers did not wait for the Insectoids to come to them. Instead, they charged at them. As we watched them fight, we knew the creator had heard our pleas and sent us the saviors we so desperately needed. They fought with a skill and tenacity we could scarcely believe, and before our eyes, we watched the much larger Insectoid fleet get destroyed. Our prayers had been answered, and I contacted our saviors to thank them for saving us.¡± He paused again as he looked down at the top of the lectern. After a few moments, he looked back up, and his eyes were now filled with anguish. ¡°I hailed our saviors, and I spoke to the human woman that led the fleet, Mei Zhou. I saw on her face the exhaustion, the horror, and the suffering her fleet had undergone. I also saw something else. I saw an unyielding in her eyes, a silent promise to never give up, no matter the cost. For the first time in my life, I saw a Dilnanii.¡± His mate started quietly whimpering behind him as she put her face in her paws, her grieving clearly heard by the attendees who were utterly silent as they listened to Chief Minister Ollo tell them of that fateful day. ¡°We thought we were saved, until another, smaller Insectoid fleet flashed in, far further in the inner system than they have ever done before. We are dead, we thought to ourselves. There is nothing the Dilnanii of the Republic could do to save us now. The scattered remnants of the Republic fleet flashed back into null space, and we understood why they had fled. They had done all they could, and they could not fight another battle and survive. We accepted our fate and thanked them in our hearts for trying as the agents of our destruction bore down on us. We were wrong. The fleet did not enter null space to flee. They entered null space to keep fighting, and we saw the remnants of what remained of their depleted fleet flash out among the second Insectoid wave and continue fighting. We wept as we saw Mei Zhou¡¯s ship break in half, and we watched in horror as the surviving ships under her command were seized with madness by the loss of their leader and started ramming the Insectoids. Against all odds, they had done it; the Dilnanii of the Republic had saved us, giving their lives for ours like the ancient protectors of the past used to do for us.¡± He then looked up into the sky and howled, his mate and almost a dozen other Jaleeni officials adding their own to his as they harmonized. Thompson couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and he bent his head down, clenching his eyes shut as he heard the mournful howling echoing off the surrounding structures of the empty spaceport. He felt a hand grab his and squeeze tightly, knowing it was from Dominic sitting next to him as he kept his dry eyes closed. There were no tears; he did not have any more to shed for his departed love, Mei Zhou. The howling slowly died out, and he could hear the diverse types of grieving all around him as the different species added their own unique ways to the mix. Chief Minister Ollo left the lectern, holding his whimpering mate in his arm as they walked off the platform and took their empty seats in the front row. President Sarix spoke next, his deep voice bouncing off the nearby structures as he recalled receiving the secret messages that were beamed into his offices from spy drones sent by his clutch daughter and son, who he thought were dead. He then spoke of watching the sensor recordings of the battle, realizing that he was witnessing the last stand of an honorable warrior species. As he watched the last of the Republic fleet ram into the new Insectoid battlehives, he knew his people had finally found the kindred spirits they had been searching for ever since they first went into space. His voice became filled with shame and regret as he asked the humans to forgive him for hating them and wanting to destroy them for murdering his son, whom he thought had died by their hands. He asked the other attendees to forgive him and the Nekuli people for being so blinded by loyalty that they could not see the truth or realize the Commonwealth government they served was unworthy of their allegiance until it was too late. He then spoke of the need for all the species to join in friendship and alliance to ensure such things would never happen again to any of them. He ended his speech with an ancient human fable that he had come across in his studies of human history and told it to them. It was Aesop¡¯s fable of the lion and the four oxen, and it was short and to the point. ¡°United we stand, divided we fall,¡± he loudly declared as his eyes looked all around the assembly before him. ¡°I cannot think of a more apt saying for the circumstances we now find ourselves in, and the Provisional Commonwealth will live by this as we forge a new path forward.¡± There was widespread approval of his speech, and he left the platform to take his seat, his back rigidly straight as he walked with dignity and purpose. The two V¡¯rnian delegates went on next, and what they had to say was heartbreaking. ¡°We thank you all for accepting our refugees and opening your nests to us in our time of need. We regret not pushing harder and using our considerable influence as a founding species to force the Commonwealth government to accept the Republic¡¯s membership proposal. Maybe what happened to our solar system could have been averted with the might of the Republic Navy added to our own. We wish¡­ the Republic was there for us when the Insectoids came. We know this is not fair. We cannot help but think that things might have been different if humanity was at our side, like they were there for the Eleani and the Jaleeni. Maybe... we would still have a home, and hundreds of billions of V¡¯rnians would still fill our nest cities.¡± The V¡¯rnian delegates then left the platform, the pattering of their bare feet easily heard in the utter silence that gripped the crowd as they returned to their seats. Well known for their bluntness, the V¡¯rni had no time for nonsense in their short lives and preferred to tell the truth of what they felt and thought, regardless of how it made others feel. Thompson and the other humans were deeply affected by what they had said, and the other members of the former Commonwealth hung their heads in shame, knowing which ones among them refused the Republic membership proposal. This mistake and the arrogant rejection of the Republic¡¯s already signed offer of alliance during the initial Insectoid invasion most likely led to the near extermination of the V¡¯rni, and the V¡¯rnian delegates just shoved it in their faces. President Lopez got out of her seat and walked up the stairs to the platform, reaching the lectern and looking over the assembled delegates and dignitaries for a few moments before speaking. ¡°One of the hardest aspects of being the president of the Republic of Humanity is also being the commander-in-chief of our armed forces. Every day, there are deaths in the military branches both inside and outside of Republic space. There are accidents, injuries, and illnesses that claim the lives of brave men and women in the performance of their duties. They are unfortunate and upsetting, and I grieve for them and their families every time I see another name. She paused, clasping her hands together before resuming in a voice filled with deep sadness. ¡°And then there are the ones who die in war. There are the ones who are wounded, both in body and spirit. We can tell ourselves all we want that they knew the risks and willingly signed up despite the inherent dangers of the choice they made. It does not make it any less painful to know this, whether they are killed or wounded or make it back home. They are changed forever after seeing their brothers and sisters being injured and killed, or after having to take the life of an enemy in combat. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. How does one grieve when the number is in the tens of thousands? How does one remember all the faces and names as they scroll past the screen one after another, knowing that their parents now have to bury their child, the worst calamity that could ever befall a mother and a father?¡± She looked directly at Thompson as she continued to speak, locking her red-rimmed eyes on his before moving them back over the others again. ¡°How does one grieve when the person they love does not come back home, leaving them with only memories and a shattered heart? It never becomes easier, and the pain never goes away. We are gathered here today to pay our respects to our honored dead and to remember them. We are also gathered here today to ensure that the sacrifices paid by those who are no longer with us were not for nothing and have meaning for a future they cannot share with us. I have hope for such a future, and there is someone else here that has the same hope.¡± Her expression changed, and she bore her eyes into the assembly with a stare that promised severe consequences as she spoke in a stern voice. ¡°I brought a guest with me who is under my personal protection, and I demand that you accord her the same respect that you have shown towards me and your fellow delegates.¡± President Lopez then looked at the V¡¯rnian delegates, her expression changing again to apprehension as she addressed them directly in a much softer voice. ¡°I ask that you please give my guest a chance and listen to what she has to say. If it becomes too much for you to bear, then please leave quietly; I will understand.¡± The V¡¯rnian delegates looked confused by what the president was asking of them, and the lead V¡¯rni nodded her head slowly, uncertainty evident in her pale green eyes. Thompson knew what was about to happen, but he still felt his anxiety increase as his mind started playing out all the worst possible scenarios that could happen when the president¡¯s guest was revealed. President Lopez looked at Thompson one more time, and he gave her a slight nod, letting her know that all was ready. President Lopez then pressed a small button on the side of the voice projector on the lectern and leaned closer to speak into it; her voice now greatly magnified as it came out of several speakers located around the spaceport. ¡°Aurora, please come out and join me.¡± Thompson saw the delegates and dignitaries look among themselves, then all around them as they began talking in confused whispers to each other as they wondered who this Aurora was. 60 meters to the right of the platform was a small hangar bay, and the doors clanked loudly as they started to slide open, their rusty mechanisms grinding as they opened for the first time since the Jaleeni evacuation. Twelve Republic combots came walking out, causing the crowd to gasp in shock at the sudden sight of them as their mechanisms whirred and their foot pads clomped on the ground. The combots arranged themselves in a semi-circular formation, their weapons suites in standby mode as their sensor dome heads swiveled. They remained where they were, scanning the immediate vicinity and the crowd for any signs of danger towards their primary. Behind them emerged a solitary figure that slowly passed the threshold from the dark interior into the ruddy, orange-tinged light of the red giant star of the Jaleeni system. Thompson quickly looked at the Eleani and Nekuli contingents, making eye contact with Ambassador Nimto and President Sarix, both of whom acknowledged that they were ready with preplanned signals. They had been informed beforehand by the Republic, and they were tasked with helping to calm the assembled dignitaries of the other species if needed. As Aurora fully emerged into the sunlight, there were loud gasps, followed by the sounds of several chairs being overturned as the ones sitting in them shot up to see the newcomer more clearly. Thompson looked at the V¡¯rnians, who had to stand in their chairs to get a view over the heads of the taller species around them. They were violently trembling, and one of them looked directly at the admiral with accusing eyes full of hate. He got up from his chair and bulled his way through the crowd, desperate to reach them before they did something rash. Aurora continued her slow pace towards the platform, and her guardian combots had her enclosed in a defensive circle as they continued to scan for any signs of threats. Thompson finally reached the V''rni, and they both turned to look at him with eyes filled with anguish and betrayal. His heart broke as he saw the haunting sorrow and pain within them, and he spoke quickly with a pleading voice to try to get them to remain where they were. ¡°Please try to remain calm. I¡¯m begging you, please do not do anything rash.¡± The lead V¡¯rni looked at him square in the eyes, her face scowling with anger as she responded to him with a stream of high-pitched chittering that turned into squealing before she stopped. His translator struggled to keep up, and he covered his ears so that he could hear better over the increasing tumult around them. ¡°How could you do this to us? How dare you bring that murderer here? They almost exterminated my entire species! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?¡± Thompson stared down into her eyes as he heard the translation, and his mind raced as he thought of something to say to mollify her. He thought of his pain from losing Mei and all the friends and crew he had lost over the last two years. He responded loudly to be heard by her over the others, letting some of his own pain and loss bleed through his words. ¡°I know something of your pain and anguish. Mei Zhou was the woman I wanted to marry, and now I can never ask for her hand or make a family with her because she died here. I have lost hundreds of friends and know the pain of losing thousands of people under my command. I know that what I say does not make it easier, but you are not alone in what you have suffered. I have met Aurora, and I have forgiven her. Please, just give her a chance and listen, or leave. You cannot remain here and endanger yourselves and others by doing something stupid.¡± He internally winced as he said the word stupid, a grievous diplomatic blunder that could backfire on him badly. He continued to look down and stare into her eyes as she listened to his words being translated by the device on her blouse. He saw a faint change in her angry stare, and she looked away from him, keeping her gaze averted as she replied. Her chittering was much more subdued this time, and he listened as his translator started back up. ¡°I did not know the warrior heroine of Jaleenia was your mate... I am ashamed for thinking that my pain and loss are all that matter while we are here to honor the sacrifice of your people. I thought not of the pups and littermates of the ones who died here and know the same pain as we do. I am filled with sorrow for your loss, and I am remorseful of my selfishness. I will not do anything that is¡­ stupid, as you say.¡± Relief flooded through him as he heard her words, and he got down on a knee and took one of her small hands in his, feeling the coldness of her pale, delicate fingers. He was now eye level with her, though she was still averting her gaze. She did not withdraw her hand from his, and he seized on that as a good sign before replying to her. ¡°Thank you, and I share in your sorrow for your pups and littermates. Do you want to leave? I will take you wherever you wish to go, right now.¡± After listening to her translator, she finally looked him in the eyes again before responding. ¡°No. I will listen to what the Insectoid has to say, and I must admit I am curious as to how you have managed to communicate with them.¡± The other V¡¯rnian chittered at her loudly, and Thompson could feel the emotion behind his vocalizations as he pointed first at her and then at Thompson before jumping off the chair. He glared at Thompson one last time before turning away and pushing his way through the crowd back towards the Courier vessel. Thompson made to get up and intercept him when the other V¡¯rnian took her hand out of his and placed it on his shoulder, stopping him. She chittered again, pleading with her eyes as his translator activated. ¡°Let him go. He is my youngest pup and was on a ship orbiting the gas giant when they attacked. He saw the asteroids smashing our world and heard the billions of cries for help before they were silenced. His soul has never recovered, and forcing him to stay will hurt him more.¡± Thompson nodded and sent a quick text message with his wristcom to the pathfinders guarding the courier ship to let the V¡¯rni enter and keep an eye on him. By this time, Aurora had reached the platform and was carefully ascending the small stairs, something the Insectoids were not really used to doing with their long, triple-jointed legs. President Lopez was still in front of the lectern and tapped on the voice projector, the loud thumping getting the attention of the disorganized attendees. The first couple of rows had started fearfully retreating from the ominous combots that were positioning themselves between the crowd and the platform, and both Ambassador Nimto and President Sarix were yelling loudly for the delegates to calm down. President Lopez¡¯s voice came over the projector. ¡°Order, please remain calm and retake your seats.¡± Most of the delegates ignored her and were still milling around, and she addressed them again, talking in her old command voice this time with a stern expression on her face. ¡°Order! Sit Down!¡± This time they paid attention to her, and Thompson watched in amusement as all their heads snapped towards her, unable to help themselves as her command voice grabbed their undivided attention like recruits listening to a drill instructor. Thompson could almost swear some of them went into their versions of attention before they started sitting down, and he helped the V¡¯rni delegate sit back down in her chair before heading to the front to help Nimto and Sarix restore order among the two front rows. Aurora had reached President Lopez, and she waited slightly behind her, almost as if she were hiding behind the president. This must be terrifying to her, Thompson thought to himself as order finally returned and the assembled delegates and dignitaries quieted down. He quickly scanned their faces, seeing many filled with barely concealed hostility. Some were outright hateful, and the others were nervously eyeing the combots, fearful of them. Thompson waved over the honor guard that was waiting along the sides and had them assume position between the first row and the combots to create a buffer zone and soothe the people afraid of the combots before walking back over to his seat. He was surprised to see the V¡¯rnian sitting in Dominic¡¯s seat next to his, and he looked to where her seat was, seeing Dominic sitting there. Dominic smirked at him, and Thompson sat down in his seat, wondering what Dominic thought was funny about all of this. The V¡¯rnian leaned over and chittered at him softly. ¡°Your subordinate was kind enough to offer his seat to me. My name is Liria, Daughter of the Tenth Nest and Keeper of the Sacred Scepter.¡± Thompson looked at her in open-mouthed shock. She just told him she was a member of the ancient royal bloodline of V¡¯rnia and that he had touched a princess, a societal taboo among the V¡¯rni. He did not know that any of them were coming, probably for security reasons, and he grimaced as he remembered alluding to her doing something stupid before. She stuck her tongue out at him, their version of smiling and laughter, and spoke again quickly. ¡°Do not fret; I will not let your government know that you insulted the honor of V¡¯rnia by calling a daughter of the royal house less than...intelligent.¡± Thompson¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment, and she tapped her small hand on his leg, sticking her tongue in and out rapidly as she squealed with delight at his discomfiture. She turned serious again as she looked at Aurora and then back at him. ¡°Thank you for helping me to see past my anger. This is an important moment, and I will listen to the Insectoid.¡± Thompson silently nodded to her, afraid to open his mouth and say anything else to Princess Liria. She tapped his leg one last time and withdrew her hand, turning away from him and looking at Aurora with a neutral expression. He glared at the back of Dominic¡¯s head, wondering if he had the authority to make the commander of a battlecarrier clean the crew lavatories with a toothbrush when President Lopez¡¯s voice came over the projector again. The president had put on the Insectoid translating device on her blouse, and now there was a hologram being projected that was displaying Eleani sign language as she spoke. Aurora had moved from behind the president to her side to watch the holographic signing closely. ¡°I will remind you that Aurora is my guest and under the protection of the Republic. She is also my friend and someone I have come to care about deeply. Please give her the respect she deserves and is entitled to as both a queen and a Hive mother. President Lopez stepped to the side, gesturing to Aurora and then to the lectern. Aurora briefly flared out her wings, and they shimmered brilliantly in the orange sunlight, causing gasps and quiet murmuring from among those who had never seen the majestic wings in real life before. She reached up a claw and tapped on a device attached to the flexible armor covering her thorax as she took her place in front of the lectern. She started signing with her claws, and there was more surprised murmuring that stopped when President Lopez glared at them. A female-sounding voice came from the device, devoid of any emotion. ¡°I am Aurora. I was given this name by my Hive mother, Lopez-Friend. I am honored that she gave me the name of her favorite ancestor. I am happy to be here and not happy to be here.¡± There was complete silence from the assembled delegates and dignitaries, and Aurora seemed unsure of how to proceed. She looked at President Lopez, who gestured to the seated audience and mimed signing. Aurora turned her large, oval-shaped eyes back and continued to sign with her claws. ¡°I am afraid of coming here; I did not want to leave my Hive and try to make friends with those who hate me. I did not want to come here where wrongness was done.¡± Aurora paused, and her claw movements faltered for a few moments before she resumed. ¡°The Hive mother told me I must do so and that I cannot receive pardon if I do not ask. She told me that if I do not tell you of the shame and regret I have within me, then you will never give me pardon. I do not want to make war; I do not want to kill. I want peace. I want my daughters to live in peace with the animals. Please pardon me. Please pardon me. I ask for your pardon.¡± Her claws were moving frantically as she repeatedly asked for them to forgive her, and Thompson looked at Princess Liria sitting next to him. Her face was a stone mask, and her small hands were balled up into little fists that trembled. Aurora had stopped signing, and she was looking down at the top of the lectern. President Lopez gently touched one of her thorax legs, and Aurora turned around to face her. The president leaned over and spoke into the projector. ¡°Please give us a moment.¡± She then tapped on her wristcom, and a privacy field spang up around them, occluding the president and Aurora. There was an instant hum of quiet conversation as everybody started murmuring and talking to each other in subdued whispers. Thompson leaned over and quietly spoke to Princess Liria. ¡°Are you okay, Princess? Can I do anything for you?¡± She turned to look at him slowly, and she responded with a subdued chittering. ¡°I was not expecting her to ask for us to forgive her. Do they even know the concept, or is President Lopez telling her what to say?¡± Thompson could pick up on the thinly veiled accusation of the president coaching Aurora on what to say, and he felt anger rising inside of him, surprised by his sudden strong desire to defend Aurora. ¡°Princess Liria, I worked with Aurora for many solar months while she was establishing her Hive on a Republic world. The first time I met her in person, she did not want to speak on anything until she apologized to me and asked for forgiveness for the deaths of Mei Zhou and all the others. She told me she grieved with me, and despite the hate I had for her, I believed her. I now consider Aurora to be a friend.¡± Princess Liria listened to him speak, and he could see the disbelief in her eyes as she politely waited for him to finish. She didn¡¯t respond right away, and when she did, her chittering was short and abrupt. ¡°I do not believe her, but I have given you my oath as a princess to listen to her, so I will do as I said I would, nothing more.¡± Princess Liria looked away from him and back at the platform, and Thompson knew better than to press the issue or respond. He had just been dismissed by a princess, and he had no choice but to accept it. He looked around, seeing varying degrees of anger and disbelief at what Aurora had been saying, and he did not blame them one bit. It was going to take a long time for Aurora to receive the forgiveness she was asking for, if ever. The fourteen decades of conflict and the hundreds of billions of deaths caused by the Insectoid Empire would take the former Commonwealth members a long time to move past and heal from, and he understood that fully. What Thompson was greatly concerned about was the prospect of Aurora successfully taking over the Hives and forging a new path forward for the Insectoid Empire and its neighbors. She was going to need military assistance from both the Republic and the half-destroyed Commonwealth to do so, and he was extremely worried about the remaining members rejecting an alliance between them and Aurora. The entire quadrant needed to be unified and prepared for the potential coming of the ancient enemy that wiped out the old Insectoid Empire and kill over 98% of the queens. They chased them for cycles across thousands of lightyears, and they know the direction they fled in. A brutal enemy like that was unlikely to leave their task of exterminating the Insectoids unfinished, and it was only a matter of time before their territory expanded and reached the quadrant. Thompson could not imagine facing an enemy with over 100,000 warships, and the available combat power of the quadrant had been squandered during the Insectoid invasion and the subsequent rebellion. The Provisional Commonwealth Navy had less than 30% of its predecessors combat power, and the Republic shipyards have been working around the clock to replace the losses the Republic Navy had suffered in the Eleani and Jaleeni systems. It wasn¡¯t the building of ships that was the problem; it was crewing them with the highly trained personnel required for Republic ships to proficiently engage in combat against adversaries and maintain their current lopsided kill ratio. The Insectoids were even worse off, despite the staggering numbers of ships deployed in the forbidden regions. Thompson could scarcely believe what he was being told when President Lopez informed him of the massive guardian fleets that were deployed thousands of light years away as they scrambled to figure out a way to save the crew of the John Cabot. If they had withdrawn even a tenth of that combat power, the Insectoids would have laid waste to the entire quadrant without noticing the occasional speed bumps of the other species militaries as they steamrolled over them. The fact that they were so terrified of their ancient adversaries that they refused to recall even 1/10th of their available combat power to ensure their total victory filled Thompson and the rest of Fleet Command with dread of the coming enemy. He snapped his attention back to the platform when the president had dropped the privacy field, and he waited nervously to hear what Aurora had to say. She resumed her place and started signing again. ¡°Hive mother tells me that I must tell the truth and share my thoughts with you about what has happened before and what led to me betraying my sisters and the old Hive mother. I was there when the asteroids hit the nest world. I created the asteroid movers when the Hive mother told me and my sister queens to find a way to strike at the enemy.¡± Aurora stopped signing and looked directly at Liria, her large, black eyes staring at her with a powerful alien intelligence within them. Liria wilted under the stare, averting her gaze. She reached out and grabbed Thompson¡¯s right leg, clenching his dress pant and balling the fabric in her tiny fist as her left arm trembled. Aurora resumed signing, continuing to look directly at the V¡¯rni as her translator spoke. ¡°I had to do as the old Hive mother commanded; it is the way of the Hives. Only when I was forced to watch the asteroids smash that world and kill all the life within it was I able to break free from her control and make the decision to turn against the Hive mother and my sisters. I made plans with secret thoughts and went to my sister¡¯s Hive to rescue the animal hostages there. I killed her, and when I fled the Builder world with a Hive ship, I destroyed it and killed billions of drones. My thoughts are filled with the deaths I have caused. When Bandit-Friend came to kill me, I did not want to die, and I did not want to live. I did too much wrongness to be able to choose. Bandit-Friend spared my life and made the choice for me. The Hive mother and my sisters would have culled me for my weakness, but a thinking machine-animal showed me a new way. A way of mercy and friendship that it showed me as it taught me to share thoughts with the claw signs. I am not the same queen who destroyed worlds. I am now Aurora, Hive mother and friend to the animals. I have given the gift of life to a daughter, and I want her to live in the peace and friendship that Bandit-Friend and Hive mother showed us was possible. I want to take over the Hives and make a new way for them. I will make more daughters who learn the animal way of love and friendship. I want them to share thoughts and make Hives together. I will change the thoughts that led to us killing animals and make new thoughts. Never again will the Hives make war on the animals. Never again will we kill animals for their worlds and resources. I do not want my daughters and drones to die trying to kill animal daughters and drone sons. I want them to be friends; I want them to be at peace. I want them to fight together when others come to kill them.¡± Aurora abruptly stopped moving her claws and stepped back from the lectern before turning to face President Lopez. The president smiled at her and stepped forward, looking around and searching the faces of the silent attendees before addressing them. ¡°I made the decision to allow Aurora to establish a new Hive on a Republic world. We helped her to build it, and she allowed our researchers and engineers to take apart her Hive ship and Insectoid cruiser. Aurora showed us their weaknesses and provided us with a deep insight into the Hive mind and how they think. She helped us to refine our tactics and allowed us to scan herself and her drones with medical devices. She also suggested for us to explore a way to disrupt the telepathic command and control network between queens and drones and volunteered herself in several painful experiments. Aurora even helped us to refine and implement a unique weapon system that we had been working on that would cause targeted Insectoid ship hulls to fail and implode from the lack of structural integrity. She has honored every agreement we made with her, and she went to the V¡¯rni system herself and removed the drone presence there, saving the Republic from tens of thousands of casualties. She has offered to do the same for the remaining drones on the other worlds, and she has asked permission to build another Hive, which I have granted. We recently received a distress call from one of our long-range exploration vessels, and she reconfigured her only Hive ship and sent it there with a Republic task force to rescue our people. I didn''t even think to ask for her help, but I didn''t need to. She offered to assist and now we have a real chance to save our people." President Lopez paused, allowing the full import of all she was saying to be absorbed before continuing, her voice taking on a harder tone. ¡°I mean no offense, but quite frankly, I trust her more than I trust some of the member species being represented here. Many of you denied our entry into the Galactic Commonwealth. And even though we do not hold grudges, we remember. The Republic remembers. I do not have to worry about Aurora looking out for her own interests or be concerned about the political machinations of her government. Aurora is the government of her Hive, and I trust her without reservation. The Eleani, The Xenxin, and President Sarix, along with his cabinet, all agree with the Republic¡¯s desire to support Aurora in her efforts to take over the Insectoid Empire and create a new way forward for us all. The sacrifices made here and in the Eleani system with the lives of the fallen demand from us only one thing: that we make it worth it. Memorials mean nothing. Flowery words mean nothing. They fought and died so that others wouldn¡¯t have to." President Lopez turned and pointed to the large, 30-meter-tall granite obelisk behind the platform. It was etched with the names of 31,738 Republic Naval personnel who died in the battle, and she looked at it solemnly before turning back to face them again. "They were willing to risk life and limb not for the glory of battle but for the desire to spare those they loved from the horrors of war. This is what the spirits of our honored dead demand from those of us who still live. We are indebted to them, and we owe it to them to make certain their loved ones live the long and happy lives of peace they willingly gave their lives to ensure. The Republic pays its debts, and we will do everything we can to secure the future peace already purchased with the blood of these noble warriors we have come to honor. I invite you to pay your share of the debt and to join us in forging a new path forward. The Republic is going into a future with an Insectoid Empire besides us as friends and allies; will you walk with us as well?¡± President Lopez turned off the voice projector before walking away from the lectern and over to Aurora. The president held out her left hand, and Aurora took it with her right claw without hesitation. They shared a look, and President Lopez gestured towards the stairs. They walked together side by side to the stairs and then down them, the president helping Aurora navigate the animal-sized steps with her long Insectoid legs. Thompson looked around, reveling in the shocked stares of the delegates and the dignitaries as they watched President Lopez and Aurora walking hand in hand towards the hanger while the twelve vigilant combots surrounded them. He looked to his side, and Princess Liria was sitting there with what he would consider a thoughtful expression as she watched the president and Aurora walking away. People started getting up out of their seats, and Princess Liria declined his offer to escort her wherever she needed to go. ¡°I need time to think, and I wish to discuss this matter with others. My thanks, Admiral.¡± She said to him before disappearing among the crowd as the attendees broke up into multiple small groups and whispered to each other as they looked around furtively. Dominic walked over and leaned his head in close before speaking in hushed tones. ¡°Karl, I think you should head over to the memorial while everyone is still here talking about what just happened.¡± Thompson looked at him, confused. ¡°I saw it already; I have no desire to see Mei¡¯s name engraved in lifeless granite ever again; once was enough for me.¡± Dominic put his hand on Thompson¡¯s arm to stop him from walking off. ¡°Karl, Therax has been there since we landed. You should go talk to him; the guy is still torn up over her death, and he cannot move on until you forgive him.¡± Thompson stopped looking at Dominic¡¯s hand and up into his eyes, barely suppressing the anger that flared up inside of him. Before he could respond, Dominic whispered again. ¡°Mei would want you to forgive him, Karl. She liked Therax, and they fought in battle together. Do the right thing; that is all I have to say.¡± Dominic took his hand off Thompson''s arm and walked away before he could reply. Thompson watched him walk off before looking towards the memorial. He stood there for a few moments, and he felt something inside of him push him to start walking towards the white monolith. He didn¡¯t even remember heading towards it, and when he broke out of his daze, he was already standing there, five meters behind a kneeling figure. It was Therax, and he was looking down at something he was holding. Thompson felt the sudden urge to flee, and he almost gave into it when Therax turned his head around and looked at him. He looked like a broken spirit, and all of Thompson¡¯s hate and resentment towards Therax vanished as he looked into those grieving eyes. He started walking towards Therax, who had looked away when he saw it was Thompson. He reached where Therax was still kneeling and stopped at his side, less than a meter away from him. Thompson looked at what Therax was holding, and his heart froze when he saw that it was Mei¡¯s favorite picture. She had taken her dog to the beach one day, and she had asked a nearby tourist to take a picture of her and Samson, a black lab/chow mix with a long, beautiful coat and a wild spirit. Thompson had the same picture by his bed, and he kissed it before closing his eyes to sleep every night. He felt his knees getting weak, and he slowly sat down on the purple grass, looking at the white cladding stone of the memorial obelisk. They sat there quietly, not looking at each other for some time. Thompson drifted away in his thoughts and was brought back to where they were when he became aware of Therax speaking to him quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say?¡± Thompson asked, embarrassed that he wasn¡¯t paying attention as he finally looked at Therax¡¯s face. ¡°I said, I am sorry I could not trade places with her. Every day I wake up and ask the ancestors to take me and bring her back.¡± He said, still looking down at the photo. ¡°The worst part is, I still grieve for her, but I do not have any more water to shed from my eyes.¡± Thompson stared at the side of Therax¡¯s snout, looking at the skin folds moving slightly as Therax breathed heavily. He heard Dominic¡¯s voice in his head. Mei would want you to forgive him, Karl. Do the right thing. ¡°Me too.¡± He replied quietly. Therax turned his head and glanced at him before quickly looking back down at the photo. Thompson looked away and back at the base of the memorial, seeing the names of the dead that were chiseled by hand into the large granite blocks. He couldn¡¯t make out the individual names, but he knew where Mei¡¯s name was located, and he stared in that area for a while, just listening to the sound of the wind as it rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees. He couldn¡¯t stay there anymore, and he stood up, feeling much older than his forty-eight years of existence. He walked over and stood in front of Therax, blocking out the light of the red giant. Therax looked up slowly, and Thompson could see the wariness within them. He slowly put his right hand out and offered it to Therax. After a few moments, Therax unzipped his chest pocket and carefully placed the photo inside before zipping the pocket back up and looking back in his eyes. Therax put out his right hand and took the offered hand, clasping it firmly. Thompson could feel the strength of the four powerful fingers through the slightly scaly skin and was grateful that Therax knew the appropriate amount of pressure to use without easily crushing his hand like an empty beer can. He grunted from the exertion of helping the densely muscled grand admiral onto his feet and stepped back slightly as Therax drew himself to his full height. He looked up at Therax, who easily had an additional thirty centimeters over Thompson¡¯s 190 centimeters. He suddenly felt very small compared to the powerful Nekuli male. Therax flicked his head in thanks, and Thompson nodded in return, smiling slightly at him. By some unspoken agreement, they both turned at the same time and headed back towards the others, their fractured relationship patched back together again by their shared grief for the same woman they both loved in their own ways. They Held The Line-Chapter Twenty Two-Luna Border of the Forbidden Regions Thirty-one solar days after leaving the Republic Hive world 6,185 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. The command drone watched with increasing anxiety as more Guardian ships continued to flash out of null space and encircle the rescue Hive ship. They were already surrounded by six Hive ships and over a dozen cruisers, and another eight cruisers flashed out and completed the encirclement as they covered all possible avenues of escape. The animal command soldier started making noises that seemed angry, and she looked at the holograms that appeared in front of the animal¡¯s thorax, trying to make sense of the fast-moving claw signs. ¡°Luna, do not panic. Remember what we planned for if this happened? Do you have the focuser with you?¡± Luna, who readily accepted the name the animal had given her during their journey here, looked towards the machine animal and made claw signs, trying to clamp down on her panic. The android turned towards the animal command soldier and started making noises as it translated Luna¡¯s claw signs. ¡°Captain Bader, Luna says she has the focuser, and she wants to know what she should do. I think she is panicking, sir.¡± ¡°I can see that, Giskard! Tell her to relax and just do as we planned for the last damn thirty days. She needs to use the focuser and bullshit her way through; that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± The android turned back to Luna and signed to her as it replied to Captain Bader. ¡°The closest insectoid analogue to bullshit is aphid droppings; should I use that, sir? Captain Bader groaned in frustration at the android¡¯s ridiculous question and walked over to where Luna was standing on the raised command dais. Luna felt herself losing control as the machine animal and the animal command soldier kept making noises at each other while the machine animal confused her with claw signs that made her think of aphid waste. The animal soldier stepped in front of her. After making a loud noise to the machine animal, it stopped making claw signs to her, and she turned her attention to the animal. The animal soldier started to make softer noises to her, and she focused intently as the holographic claw signs made noises into thoughts. ~Luna, remember why we are here and what the Hive mother wants you to do. Do not think of anything else. You are Luna, sister of Aurora, and her envoy. Act like it, and do not let them stop you.~ Luna saw the animal thoughts in her mind as she watched the claw signs, and she felt the first touch of calmness taking hold of her as the animal thoughts helped her to fight down her fear and anxiety. She was here for her Hive mother, and she had a task to fulfill. She sent a thought to a waiting nearby drone, and it came over holding a small box. The animal command soldier watched her as she took the box and removed the focuser, and it grimaced at her as she gently held the delicate crystallized latticework imbued with the Hive mother¡¯s essence. She placed it on the platform next to her and made claw signs at the machine animal. It turned away from her and made noises to the animal command soldier, sharing her thoughts with him. ¡°Captain Bader, Luna says she can already feel the thoughts of the command drone here wanting to share thoughts. She wants us to go over to the far wall and remain there out of sight in case she must use the viewer to show the focuser and assure our passage.¡± ¡°Okay, Giskard. We will go over there and stay out of sight; please tell her that she¡¯s got this, and I have faith that she will get us through this and on our way.¡± Captain Bader replied before heading over to where Luna wanted them. Giskard signed to Luna, telling her what the captain had said to it before walking over to the far wall to join him. Luna watched them as they took positions along the far wall of the command chamber and out of view of any of the screens that could transmit images to the other ships. She could feel the thoughts of the command drone in control of the ships that intercepted them, and she resisted the thought commands for immediate compliance. Luna made sure that they were where they were supposed to be before opening her mind slightly to the command drone thoughts. It seemed like a regular command drone like her, not one of the specialized ones she was warned about. She could immediately feel a mind trying to force its way into her thoughts, and she denied it access as she held the mental intruder at bay. Luna felt the presence back off slightly, unsure of herself now. She also felt disbelief at her thoughts, and she readied herself for what was coming next. It made it a little easier for her, the fact that there were two Hive mothers, so there was no real falsehood in her thoughts. The presence immediately stopped trying to force its way into her mind, and she felt the first signs of hesitation in the thoughts of the command drone. She also felt a slight alarm at her threat, and she sent more thoughts to take advantage of the fear of being culled. Luna felt the anger of the command drone¡¯s thoughts. They had one task, and they had failed at it. She quickly thought of a way to use the information to her benefit and take advantage of the disruption the animals they were here to rescue had caused. Luna allowed a small amount of disbelief and arrogance to tinge her thoughts as she sent them. The doubt in the command drone¡¯s thoughts was palpable, and she detected worry of an animal invasion, which would explain their refusal to allow her passage so far. She had to get past them before one of the specialized drones arrived. The response was immediate. She felt her anxiety come back, and she responded with her thoughts, allowing her anger to bleed through. There was another flash of fear from the command drone, and she felt like she could force her way through if she pushed a little harder. Luna felt a wave of terror in the command drone¡¯s thoughts, and the prior arrogance that was within them disappeared as she immediately replied to her. She thought furiously for a moment and decided to take a chance with another falsehood as she replied with her thoughts. The wave of terror grew stronger, and Luna detected the anguish of the command drone¡¯s thoughts as her loyalty and obedience were questioned. She felt bad for the command drone as she suffered from the implication of disloyalty, and she forced herself to ignore it as the command drone replied with thoughts heavy with grief. Luna felt the anguish and turmoil within the command drone¡¯s thoughts, and she regretted having to commit a falsehood and make her think that the Hive mother thought she was a disloyal drone. She felt a surge of happiness from the command drone as she received her thoughts, and she knew she had achieved her task. Luna felt euphoric at having succeeded in getting passage, and she started to excitedly make claw signs to the machine animal when she saw another Hive ship flash out of null space and assume position right in front of her ship. She felt as if the command drone was abruptly pushed out of the way, and a new presence made itself known. She felt the new mind try to force its way in, and she could barely resist the power behind it as it sent thoughts. It took all her mental strength to resist the urge to immediately comply with the compelling thoughts of the newly arrived commander drone; she was almost as powerful as a young queen. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. This is what Hive mother warned her about. She was already exhausted from her barely successful effort to stop the invading presence, and she struggled to respond. Luna felt the powerful mind back off slightly, though she was still trying to access her thoughts. She looked at the machine animal and the animal command soldier, feeling her anxiety and fear threatening to return and overwhelm her. She tried to bluff her like she did with the command drone. It did not work this time, and the mind was starting to push aside the mental blocks she had thrown up to deny access to her thoughts. She became desperate and sent another thought. The intruding presence withdrew slightly, and she felt thoughts coming from the powerful command drone. Luna looked at the far wall and held up a claw, indicating to the machine animal and animal command soldier that they were to remain where they were before sending a tired thought command for the worker drone in front of her to activate the viewer. The drone activated the viewer almost immediately, and Luna picked up the focuser and held it in front of her as she waited for the newly arrived Hive ship to make a connection with their viewer. The viewer flickered, and she saw the commander drone appear, easily identified by the pattern of colors on the exoskeleton and the bulbous presence of pheromone glands located under her ear holes. The commander drone stared at her, and she could see the presence of a powerful mind within the eyes. Luna also noticed that she was almost as large as a soldier drone, and the pheromone glands were almost twice the size of her own glands. She forced herself to remain still as the specially bred commander drone shifted her eyes to look at the focuser Luna was holding in front of her thorax. Thoughts came to Luna¡¯s mind. Luna struggled to think of more falsehoods, afraid that the powerful commander drone would detect them and attack. She thought of the animal command soldier insisting that they practice what the animals called lying during their journey here. Hive mother told her to work with them, so she did. The concept had disturbed her, and she did not understand why the animal wanted her to say something was blue when it was really red, or that there were three drones when there were really five. It had become easier for her to make falsehoods as time went on, and she began to see the deviousness of the animals as an advantage, not a wrongness if it was used for a correct purpose. Now she understood why the animal had wanted her to learn this new way of thinking false thoughts, and she was grateful she had time to practice making falsehoods. Luna had to make another falsehood combined with truth to obscure the falsehood from the powerful intelligence trying to stop her. Luna felt the shock from the commander drone as she told it mostly truth, and now it was time for false truths. There was an outpouring of distrust and suspicion from the commander drone, as well as anger. Powerful thoughts came to her, making her wilt under its mental assault. Panic seized Luna; she had failed her Hive mother and will be culled along with the animals in the Hive ships when they are discovered. If the animals were not on the ship, she could let the commander drone come and see the focuser was real, and she could then perform her task. The commander drone will see the animal ships inside the Hive ship, and the ships surrounding her would destroy the rescue Hive ship. She did not know what to do, and she seized on her last chance. There was disbelief at her threat to fire on them, and she could feel the commander drone renew her attempt to overpower her mind. She fought off the intrusion, but she did not have much time. Luna lifted the focuser before her eyes and stared into it, feeling the echo of the Hive mother¡¯s essence as she reached out to it. As the powerful mind of the commander drone continued to tear through her mental defenses, Luna cried out for help with her own essence, pleading for help from the Hive mother. Her spirit fled the Hive ship, and she suddenly felt and saw herself hovering over the last focuser they had dropped before reaching the border, floating in deep space over five hundred light years away. Luna barely had time to realize what was happening when her spirit was hurled to the one dropped before the one she was just at. She was now over one thousand light years away, hovering over another focuser within a stellar nursery that was colored with beauty from the gases surrounding her. Luna could feel the essence of the Hive mother getting stronger as she continued to leap back with her disembodied spirit. She hurtled through vast distances that defied her limited comprehension of time and space as she jumped back through the focusers they had dropped every five hundred light years since they left the Hive world. She was suddenly within a dim structure on a strange planet, floating above her Hive mother. Hive mother was making claw signs with the animal queen and they were surrounded by the machine soldiers. The Hive mother continued to make claw signs, and Luna reached out to her, letting her fear of failure and desperation for help emanate from her spirit. She saw a small point of light emerge from the Hive mother¡¯s body and go to her, enveloping her with tender love and a warm glow that calmed her and promised safety while the Hive mother continued to make claw signs with the animal queen. Luna made the journey back with the Hive mother as they transitioned from one focuser to another, allowing herself to be cradled and borne by the Hive mother¡¯s spirit. They reached the Hive ship, and Luna was back in her body, seeing out of her eyes as the Hive mother took over and stopped the violation of the commander drone, violently ejecting the powerful mind. Luna looked at the time dial and saw that there was barely any elapsed time from when she had left to when they had come back. She could see out of her eyes and hear her thoughts, but she had no control of her own body. She was now inhabited by the Hive mother, and she communed with her quickly, opening her mind entirely so that Hive mother knew what had been happening. She could hear Hive mother¡¯s much more powerful thoughts as if they were her own, and she remained in the partition the Hive mother had put her in instead of subsuming her entirely. She watched the commander drone on the viewer reeling from the traumatic ejection as she rapidly contracted and expanded her abdomen, breathing heavily through her spiracles as she sagged under the brutal mental assault from the furious Hive mother. < You dare to defy my envoy? I am Hive mother; you are a commander drone. You make me come here when I have Hives to look after? Do you think of yourself as a queen? Luna could not hear the thoughts of the commander drone any longer, but she could see the effect the Hive mother¡¯s powerful thoughts had on the commander drone as it reacted to her onslaught. The arrogant superiority that was present in her large, black eyes disappeared and was replaced with abject terror. The commander drone deflated and her antennae hung down limply as she struggled for air. The commander drone seemed to deteriorate even further, and she started to started shake violently as the Hive mother ravaged her mind in punishment for defying her envoy. A few moments later, a command drone like Luna appeared and saw the powerful presence of the Hive mother in Luna¡¯s eyes. The command drone immediately bowed, awaiting commands from the Hive mother. Luna saw the command drone flinch from the anger within the thought command of the Hive mother, and the command drone stood back up straight from bowing and held out a claw, waiting for something. A worker drone came half into view and placed a long dagger into the command drone¡¯s outstretched claw before scurrying out of sight of the viewer. The command drone turned around and faced the barely conscious commander drone, and without hesitation, she surged forward and drove the dagger into the skull of the commander drone right between the eyes. She let go of the dagger and turned to face the viewer, her eyes filled with fear. Luna did not hear the thoughts of the terrified command drone, but she did see her bow deeply before the viewer turned off on their end. Gentle thoughts from the Hive mother came to her, and the partition that Hive mother had built for her started to fade away. Luna responded quickly as she felt the Hive mother starting to leave her body. There was one last thought from the Hive mother before she left her body and went into the focuser. The focuser flared brightly before it started to pulse with an ethereal glow as the Hive mother¡¯s spirit readied to begin the journey back home. After a few moments, it dimmed and returned to its barely luminescent glow. All that remained was the echo of the Hive mother¡¯s essence, and Luna carefully placed the focuser on the platform next to her. She was just about to turn to the animal command soldier and the machine animal to have them approach her when new thoughts reached out, respectfully asking for permission to share with her. The thoughts were from the first command drone who had agreed to let her pass, and she opened her mind to her sister. Luna replied, letting her distaste for the demeanor of the haughty commander drone permeate her thoughts. There was a noticeable hesitation before her sister responded with more thoughts. There was a long pause, and Luna waited patiently for her sister to send more thoughts, feeling sadness at the grief and loneliness within them. Luna felt a deep sadness at the thoughts of her sisters and their terrible fate of being disconnected from the Hives as they waited for an ancient enemy that had not come for hundreds of cycles. Command drones and worker drones needed something to do; it was their whole reason for being. She could not fathom the agony of endlessly patrolling the same routes and waiting for something to happen. She replied with her own thoughts, feeling compassion for her sisters suffering such cruel fates. There was a brief surge of joy at the possibility of sharing thoughts again, and the command drone responded quickly. Luna felt a deep regret for ever mentioning the possibility and giving her sister hope; it was wrong to have done so when she had no intention of ever honoring her promise. The command drone responded with thoughts imbued with happiness at the prospect of returning to the empire with Luna. On the viewer, Luna saw one of the Hive ships power up a single particle beam emplacement before firing rapid pulses with a widely dispersed beam that fluoresced over the entire ship. The command drone sent thoughts again when the pulses had stopped. Luna responded, allowing her gratitude for her sister to be sent with her thoughts. There was a flash of happiness from the command drone as her thoughts retreated from Luna''s mind, and sadness from the falsehoods she had been telling her sister came over her as she instructed the worker drones to prepare to flash into null space. Luna indicated for the animal command soldier and the machine animal to come over to her, and she made claw signs to the machine animal that they were now proceeding on their task. As the animal and the machine animal made noises at each other, Luna turned her thoughts back to her sister and the false promises she had made to her. Her thinking changed, and she thought of ways to fulfill her promise. If they find the animal friends and rescue them successfully, she will come back here. Determination filled her thoughts and her spirit as she thought of many ways to save her sister from her cruel fate without jeopardizing her task. As the massive engines powered up, the Hive ship started thrumming from the power being fed into the null drive capacitors through the energy conduits. She sent the coordinates to the worker drone, showing a mental map of where she wanted to go and ordering the drone to flash out when ready. She ignored the others as they continued to make noises at each other, and she had a thought just before the Hive ship flashed out. I will be back for you, my sister. I will turn my falsehood into a truth and take you back to the Hives if I can. You will know my Hive mother, and you will know happiness. They Held The Line-Chapter Twenty Three-Navarra RSS James Donovan 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Fifty-one days after the destruction of the John Cabot Captain Anthony Navarra rubbed his unkempt beard absentmindedly as Davis finished updating him on the daily reports from the crew department heads. ¡°So, we are good on water, but food is going to start being an issue within a week. Is that what you are telling me, Davis?¡± He asked after the XO had finished his report on the ration situation. ¡°Aye, captain. I recommend that we go on half rations until we figure out what to do. That¡¯ll buy us an additional week, maybe a little longer.¡± Davis replied, trying to hide his concern about the current state they were in. ¡°What about the Insectoid food? I thought the aphids were still making that crap they poop out. Didn¡¯t the medic say that we could eat it if needed?¡± He asked, tapping on the datapad and running some numbers on the rationing of the food supply. Davis hesitated for a few moments before replying. ¡°They were, sir. For some reason they stopped shitting a couple of days ago, and now there is only enough to feed Indigo for the next week or so." Navarra shook his head at the mention of the drone and the name that was given to it by Simmons, still not believing what had been happening. The drone had quickly become the unofficial mascot of the Insectoid cruiser they had rechristened the James Donovan in honor of the former XO and his heroic efforts to save the crew. One of the crew had made unsanctioned ship patches featuring a stylized Indigo with oversized eyes firing particle beams and flying across the starfield with flames shooting out of the drone''s ass. Within two weeks, the entire crew had the new patches on their uniforms, and they had started taking pictures with an oblivious Indigo while pointing at the patch. It became a tradition to post the photos on a wall of the large chamber they converted to crew quarters, and those who had not had a picture taken yet were teasingly hounded and ridiculed until they finally did. Navarra had initially been furious when he saw the patches appearing on the uniforms, thinking it was disrespectful to the memory of Jim and the rest of the crew that had perished and he wanted to order them removed. It was Davis who disabused him of that notion, pointing out that it was the crew¡¯s way of maintaining morale despite their difficult circumstances. Simmons was the primary caretaker of the drone and had become fiercely protective of it as she continued to bring it food and water daily ever since they had boarded the ship. The drone had finally left the air vent after a week and was now basically her pet. It followed her everywhere and refused to leave her side, becoming her shadow and a crew favorite. It was so attached to her that it even accompanied her to the makeshift lavatories and would stare at her with its large black eyes as she went to the bathroom, according to the rumors. Pushing aside the image of the creepy drone perving on Simmons as she crapped, Navarra returned his thoughts to the current food situation and felt crushed by the weight of his responsibility. For over fifty days, he had managed to keep the crew alive and evade the insectoids. The cruiser was still on its course, and they had air, water, and power. What they needed was food. He had been relying on the crew to be able to eat the sweet aphid excrement that they seemed to make prodigiously when the rations finally ran out, and now they stopped producing for some reason. ¡°This is not good, Davis. Has there been any progress on the protein synthesizers? I thought the engineers were trying to hook those up to the cruiser¡¯s energy systems.¡± Davis replied with bitterness, still not over the loss of the chief engineer he had served with for many years. ¡°They will run out of power soon, Captain. The engineers have not been able to successfully integrate the life pod protein synthesizers to the power systems, something to do with an incompatible energy matrix or whatever technobabble they like to use instead of admitting they are incapable. If the chief was here, I bet we would be eating steaks and sipping whiskey right now instead of bemoaning the fact that we are not going to be able to eat bug shit after all. He would have figured out a way to make it work.¡± ¡°I know what you mean, Davis.¡± He replied softly. ¡°He was a genius and a credit to his trade. Respect for the fallen.¡± ¡°Respect for the Fallen.¡± Davis intoned, sadness passing over his grizzled features before he reverted to his neutral command face. Davis was the one who convinced the chief to go on the mission, and he felt responsible for his death. ¡°What are we going to do, Captain? Cutting rations is going to bottom out whatever morale the crew has managed to hold onto.¡± Navarra looked at Davis¡¯s face, his own internal worries becoming magnified as he saw the same concerns in the XO¡¯s eyes. ¡°I really don¡¯t know, XO. We are thousands of years away from the nearest planet, and I was relying on us being able to eat the aphid stuff.¡± He paused to tap on the beeping datapad before looking back at Davis. ¡°The medic said it has most of the amino acids and minerals we need and that we could eat it for months before any serious deficiencies manifested. I expected our rescue to arrive by now.¡± ¡°They are coming for us, Captain. We just need to hold on a little longer.¡± Davis said, his utter belief that the Republic was coming from them evident in his words and tone. Navarra smiled slightly at Davis¡¯s statement and the faith with which he said it before picking up the datapad he had silenced. ¡°Half rations will get us ten more days; thirds will get us almost twenty days. And none of the scientists can figure out why they stopped shitting?" He asked as he offered the datapad to Davis to see the calculations. Davis took the pad and replied as he started to look down at the figures on the datapad screen. ¡°As of right now, captain, no. They have water and light, and they are still eating the algae, so they can¡¯t figure out why they stopped. That reminds me, sir, Simmons wanted to talk to you.¡± Navarra sighed wearily and leaned back against the wall, trying to smooth out his beard with both hands before nodding his head. ¡°Get her in here, and please stay. That drone creeps me out when it looks at me with those black eyes like it is staring into my soul.¡± Davis smirked at the captain¡¯s confession. ¡°Maybe it is wondering what you taste like, captain. I bet it¡¯s thinking your meat will fall right off the bone after a low and slow cooking session.¡± Davis continued, smiling widely at his morbid joke as Navarra shuddered in disgust. ¡°Just get Simmons in here, Davis. I knew you would be the first to go cannibal on us; there is no way in hell you are going to end your twenty-two-year career starving to death when there are junior enlisted and ensigns around to eat.¡± Davis barked a rare laugh, his eyes twinkling with glee as he reached down to grab the communicator off his belt. He spoke into it, telling Simmons to come to the chamber they were in before toggling the hatch control to have the cruiser''s version of doors slide into its recess within the organic wall. Davis put on his command face again, and Navarra continued to go over the crew reports as they waited for Simmons to arrive. A couple of minutes later, she rapped on the wall outside to announce her presence before stepping through the hexagonal opening, her pet drone in tow. The drone peered into the room and looked at both Navarra and Davis before it scurried in and started clinging to Simmons''s leg as she came to attention. He could see the six delicate fingers of each claw clutching her trousers, and the drone stared at him with its large, unblinking black eyes as her face became red with embarrassment. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Simmons, at ease. Do whatever you have to do to get it to stop looking at me, please.¡± Navarra said, trying not to avert his gaze as the drone continued to peer into his soul. He half expected pinwheels to appear in the drone''s black sorcerer eyes, like the villains in the old twentieth-century cartoons his grandparents would put on for him to watch when he visited them as a boy. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Simmons replied, softly patting the top of the drone¡¯s head before using her hands to push it gently off her leg. The drone looked up at her quickly before it went behind her legs and started grooming itself. It rubbed its two thorax legs over its back, head, and antennae before passing the legs through its mouthparts. Navarra hid his revulsion of the drone, inwardly shuddering as he saw little cilia-like things inside of its mouth moving and cleaning off the leg hairs as it continued to groom itself. He did not want to offend Simmons unnecessarily, nor did he want the crew to find out that he had a serious phobia of insects, especially one-meter-tall wasps that liked to kill mammals like him. His fear started when he was around five, and his older sister Emily used to terrify him with bedtime stories of the Insectoids eating human children alive. She would tell him they lived under his bed and only came out at night when it was dark. She would then deactivate the nightlight and leave. Left in a pitch black room, he would be too terrified to leave the bed to turn it back on, afraid an Insectoid would be waiting under his bed to grab him and eat him. This went on for months before their mom found out that his sister¡¯s stories were the reason why he was wetting his bed almost every night. She was grounded for months and had to do all his chores as punishment. The stories ended, but the fear remained. Thanks, Emily; you really screwed me up, he thought sarcastically before realizing Simmons was looking at him with an expectant expression. He focused and nodded for her to begin as he placed the datapad Davis had handed back to him on the desk and silenced it. ¡°Sir, I was thinking about the aphid issue. I am wondering if maybe they need the presence of a drone or some type of care from drones to maintain their production and symbiotic relationship.¡± Navarra looked at her with surprise, not expecting her to say anything related to the aphids at all. ¡°What are you thinking, lieutenant?¡± he asked, genuinely curious about where she was going with this. ¡°Um, so I used to date a guy who was a big terrarium freak,¡± she replied, her cheeks reddening slightly as she blushed at the mention of dating. Or maybe the terrarium freak; he couldn¡¯t tell as she hastily continued speaking. ¡°He went away on a job for few weeks, and he made it very clear I was not to introduce any food to the terrarium. He had ants and other insects in there, and it was pretty cool to look at, to be honest with you. After a few days, I couldn¡¯t help myself anymore, and I dropped a tiny bit of honey inside of it just to see what would happen. The ants went apeshit for it, and then they started dying like two weeks later.¡± The drone had started grabbing at her right leg again, and she paused to push its claws away, looking back at Navarra apologetically before continuing. ¡°Anyway, he came back, and all the ants were dead. I confessed to giving them honey, and he flipped out on me. Apparently, the ants had a symbiotic relationship with the aphids they farmed for food, and adding honey disrupted the entire delicate balance he had lovingly created in the ecology of the terrarium. The aphids died from lack of care, and the ants died from starvation afterwards. I felt really bad about the whole situation, and I felt even worse when he broke up with me. The tool had the nerve to claim that this meant I was unfit to be a mother.¡± Navarra wisely kept his mouth shut as Simmons huffed indignantly at the memory. Davis was behind her, and he looked at Navarra with a bewildered, What the hell? expression that almost made him crack up in laughter. Rubbing his right hand over his mustache and beard to hide the smile that Davis¡¯s look caused, Navarra tried to put on a thoughtful expression as he looked to the side towards a wall to give himself time to recover. He clamped down on his mirth and looked back at Simmons, nodding for her to keep talking. ¡°Well, I am thinking maybe it is the same here. I want to bring Indigo to the aphid farm and see what she does. Maybe she can do something to get them working again.¡± She finished, a hopeful expression on her face. Navarra gazed at her approvingly for her creative thinking regarding the food problem. He shared a questioning look with Davis, who shrugged in a what have we got to lose gesture before turning back to Simmons and addressing her. ¡°Simmons, I like where you are going with this. In fact, I am curious about this myself. I will go with you.¡± Simmons looked surprised, and then she smiled as her eyes flashed with relief. ¡°Thank you for listening to me, sir. I thought you would dismiss my idea as nonsense.¡± Navarra smiled at her in return before responding. ¡°Perish the thought, Simmons. Your theory is the best idea that has been proposed so far. Let¡¯s grab some of the biologists, and we¡¯ll all head over to the farm.¡± He stood up and moved out from behind the piece of debris that had been turned into a table by the engineers and turned towards Davis. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, XO. Keep an eye on the bridge for me.¡± ¡°Aye, captain.¡± Davis replied as they all shuffled out of the small room and entered back into the main command chamber that they called the bridge. Davis immediately walked over to the strange bench on the raised platform and sat down while Navarra and Simmons walked towards one of the tunnel exits. The drone placed itself directly behind Simmons, and Navarra was forced to watch his feet to avoid stepping on the drone as it rambled behind her, constantly searching the floor and the walls with its antennae. They walked through a series of tunnels, collecting two biologists they could find along their way as they headed towards the aft section of the ship where the aphid farm was located. He returned the salute from the guard posted outside the entry. He had a guard posted there since they took over the ship to prevent any unauthorized access, he did not want anything or anyone accidently screwing something up with their backup food supply if they needed it. Navarra made a call over the comms for the other scientists to meet them there before they stepped through the six-sided opening and into the very humid and warm interior of the farm. The large bay was covered in algae, and there were thousands of aphids swarming over the algal overgrowth and eating it with small mouth cilia that skeeved out Navarra. There were thousands of bulbs scattered all around, bathing the algae with the light they needed for photosynthesis. They all lingered near the opening and waited for the other three scientists to arrive. Indigo went off on its own and into one of the stall-like structures that the aphids congregated in when not eating. It came back out cradling an opaque, jellylike substance within its claws and walked back over to them on its other four legs. It presented the sweet aphid droppings to Simmons, and she took the blob of jelly from its claws. Navarra watched in fascination as Simmons brought the substance to her face and pretended to eat it, moaning as she faked taking bites out of it. She then handed it back to the drone, thanking it for the delicious food in baby talk as it pointed its antennae at her before reaching up to take it. The drone took it in its claws and inspected it closely with its eyes before rapidly consuming it. Navarra felt a queasiness in his stomach as he heard the drone slurping the substance through its mandibles, and he pointedly ignored the drone as it started cleaning the gelatinous mess off its claws. The other scientist finally arrived, and they all started discussing what Simmons had mentioned to the captain. The conversation quickly became very heated as the biologists took sides and argued with each other. Two of the biologists dismissed her idea out of hand, while the rest thought that it was possible and that her theory was as good as any they had. Navarra zoned them out as they argued and watched as the drone went into a different stall and came out a few moments later with another mass of jelly within its claws. It placed the jelly within a bin that contained the last of the harvest the crew had collected before the aphids stopped producing and went back into the same stall. Navarra walked deeper into the bay and positioned himself behind a water tank to see what the drone was doing without it seeing him. He peeked out and observed the drone as it went to the wall where an aphid was clinging to it and started stroking the bulbous bottom of the aphid. After a few moments of stroking, the aphid would suddenly deflate. The bulbous bottom would disappear, and a mass of jelly would fall out of its ass and into the waiting claws of the drone. The drone turned the mass of jelly all around and inspected it closely. The drone then took a tiny piece of the jelly and placed it in front of the aphid¡¯s small head, dangling it in front of the feeding cilia. The aphid¡¯s mouth cilia grabbed the small piece, and it disappeared within the small opening. The drone then turned around and brought the jelly to the bin outside and dropped it in. It is milking the aphids, Navarra realized as the drone did the same thing to another aphid, receiving more jelly after stroking the aphid with its claws and then feeding it a tiny piece. He took off his wristcom and set it to record before quietly placing the wristcom on top of the tank to film the drone milking the aphids. He then slowly retreated, not wanting to disturb the drone. Navarra returned to the others who were still arguing, seeing Simmons stare at them with a flustered expression as she leaned against a pillar off to the side of the biologists. He waved at her to get her attention, and he put his finger to his lips before smiling and giving her a thumbs up. He gave her the stay signal and then pointed to the stall before walking to her. He leaned in close and whispered to her. ¡°You were right, the drone is milking the aphids and getting food from them; I have my wristcom recording it now to see how it is being done.¡± She leaned her head back and smiled widely at him before silently mouthing, ¡°I knew it!¡± She then turned around and made a rude gesture towards the biologists that disagreed with her. They were still arguing with their colleagues and did not notice her two middle fingers, and he tilted his head towards the exit. They walked over together, and Navarra quietly told them to stop arguing and go outside with them. As they were leaving, the drone came out of the stall and looked around for Simmons. It quickly dropped the mound of jelly into the bin and made a beeline for the group when it saw that they were leaving. Figuring the drone was done, Navarra went back for his wristcom and then joined the rest outside the bay. He quickly activated the playback from the recording he took of the drone and played it. Smiles broke out all around, and the biologists who vehemently disagreed with Simmons and the other two quickly apologized for being jerks. They now had a food source again, and Navarra felt his own tension melting away as the others started discussing the stroking Indigo was doing and theorizing on why it was feeding the jelly to the aphids. Davis¡¯s voice came over the comms, practically screaming. ¡°Captain!¡± A Hive ship just flashed out of null space alongside us! They are matching our course and speed!¡± Navarra shared a horrified look with Simmons before they both bolted towards the bridge, the drone scrambling to keep up with them as they left the stunned scientists behind. Panic engulfed Navarra as he ran after Simmons. Why can¡¯t you give us a freaking break!? He screamed in his mind, the question directed at the universe and every known deity worshipped by humanity. Thoughts filled with anger and resentment followed, this one directed to the Republic he so loyally served and lost his family for. Where are you? Why haven¡¯t you come for us yet? They Answered The Call-Part two-Chapter 24-Rescue/part one Rescue Hive Ship, Interstellar Space Thirty-four solar days after leaving the Republic Hive world 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Part one Luna watched as the animal soldier and the machine animal made rapid noises at each other, wishing that she had the ability to learn the noise thoughts instead of relying on the claw signs the machine animal was currently giving her. She devoted all her attention to the claw signs, not wanting to miss anything, though a lot of the signs were confusing or had concepts difficult to grasp. What she did understand was the grimace on the animal¡¯s face as it used a small device to communicate with the tiny object in space that was telling the animal where the others went. The animal was happy, and that meant that they were on the right scent trail. The machine animal told her that the small object was sending thoughts telling them where the animals had gone. Luna was shocked when the machine animal told her that the few remaining animals had taken a cruiser, a concept she had great difficulty grasping. She did not think it was possible for so few animals to take over a cruiser that had thousands of drones defending it, but the machine animal was telling her that was what happened. There was a small flash on the viewer that was showing the small object, and she realized that it had destroyed itself. The machine animal started signing to her again. It told her that the cruiser was damaged, and moving at an animal speed she could not grasp. She asked it to tell her the distance she needed to make the Hive ship go after explaining the measurements used by the queens. The machine animal¡¯s eyes froze for a few moments before resuming making claw signs at her, having converted the animal to Insectoid speed and distance equivalents. They are like queens to have minds so powerful, Luna thought to herself as she displayed a mental image to the worker drone, telling it what direction to head in and the location of the first stop. The Hive ship started thrumming as power was fed to the null space capacitors, and Luna felt several conflicting emotions making war with each other within her. They were close to achieving the task Hive mother had set for her, and she gripped the edge of the bench she was sitting on as the Hive ship made the transition to null space. ¡°Giskard, did she understand the distance and speed calculations before flashing into null space?¡± Bader asked nervously as he shook off the unusual transition effects of the Insectoid null drive. The android looked at him with its yellow eyes before replying. ¡°Yes, Captain. I was able to convert their unique system to ours and translate it in a way she could comprehend. Their basic measurement is the distance a queen can fly in thirty solar minutes, and then they use a senary math system on top of that. It was not difficult to convert.¡± ¡°What the hell is a senary system, Giskard?¡± Bader replied as he used his wristcom to access the navigational array of the command nullship in the cargo bay to verify their heading. ¡°It is base six math, sir. It is a much better system than the base ten math humans use. No offense, sir.¡± Giskard answered emotionlessly. Bader chuckled as he continued to access the navigational array submenus. ¡°I will take your word for it, Giskard, and no offense taken.¡± ¡°Captain, I have been meaning to ask why you chose the name Giskard for me, sir. It does not appear to be a typical name like the other androids receive, such as common pet names.¡± Bader glanced up at Giskard, surprised at the question. He tapped an icon before replying. ¡°Well, I used to read a lot of old science fiction, and I named you after a robot in a book series I loved to read. Giskard was one of my favorite characters, and it is easier to say than your designation of AS-Two-One-Three. Does it bother you? I can use your designation if it does.¡± Giskard regarded him with its yellow eyes, and Bader could see the barely perceptible side-to-side movements all android eyes made as they processed conversations with organics before it replied. ¡°I cannot experience the sensation of bother, Captain. Nor any other emotions. I can, however, understand your attachment to a favored character. I thank you for gifting me the appellation.¡± Bader smiled at Giskard¡¯s reply before looking back down at his wristcom. ¡°I am glad you like it; your designation is quite a mouthful. What was the estimated greatest distance possibly traveled by the cruiser again, Giskard?¡± 158,840,400 million kilometers, Captain. I instructed Luna to flash out every 52,000,000 kilometers along the course so that we can scan to confirm they are not in the area.¡± ¡°Good man, Giskard.¡± Bader replied. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe they managed to capture a derelict cruiser and use it to escape. Captain Navarra and his crew are serious badasses.¡± ¡°I concur with your unusual estimation of their abilities, Captain. I have been forced to revise my initial survival probability assessment. The three percent probability I calculated has been proven to be in error.¡± Giskard stated. ¡°Oh really? What does your assessment indicate now?¡± Bader asked as he flicked a holographic course map into the air between them. ¡°I have revised my calculations based on recent events. I now estimate a twenty-six percent chance of survival.¡± Giskard replied. Bader gave Giskard a searching look before replying. ¡°They are out there, Giskard; I can feel it.¡± Giskard wisely chose not to reply to the captain¡¯s statement and point out the illogical overreliance humans had in their intuition. For the next three hours, Bader focused on taking the nullships out of standby mode and beginning the awakening protocols for the soldiers and marines on the troopships. He sent Giskard over to the troopships to oversee the process and remained in the command chamber with Luna, his anxiety increasing as the first two flashouts showed no signs of the cruiser. Giskard returned and updated him on the successful wake-up and recovery of the combat troops. They were currently gearing up for any potential action, and the nullships were ready and waiting. Forty-two minutes later, they flashed out at the third waypoint, and Bader took scans of the local space with the spy drones he had deployed and attached to the Hive ship hull. His wristcom beeped urgently, and he flicked the scanning results in the air as the holomap showed a faint blue line heading away from their current location. ¡°The drones detected a faint ion trail. We found them, Giskard!¡± Bader yelled out in excitement as the scanning results were analyzed by his AI assistant. Another series of calculations appeared, and he turned to Giskard. ¡°The AI analysis indicates they are 2,635,523 kilometers ahead of us based on the decay rate of the ion trail. Have Luna flash out 200,000 kilometers behind that location, Giskard.¡± ¡°Aye, Captain.¡± Giskard replied before turning to Luna and signing to her. As the Hive ship started thrumming again, Bader prayed for the first time since his wife died in the air car accident over two years ago. Please, let them be alive. I could not live with myself knowing that they died, thinking we never came for them. I know I have not spoken to you since I buried my wife, but I need you now. They need you. Please. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RSS James Donovan 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Fifty-one days after the destruction of the John Cabot The drone ran behind the animals, struggling to keep up with them as their two long legs moved them forward at a pace it could not match over long distances. It did not want to fall behind the animals, and it tried to make its legs move faster, breathing heavily as its spiracles struggled to supply the oxygen its exertion demanded. It felt a thought enter its mind for the first time since before, and it stumbled into the tunnel wall as it lost concentration of its legs from the shock of another thought in its mind. An image appeared in its mind, showing it going to one of the panels and activating it. The thought was powerful, from a command drone. For the first time since before, it received a command. The drone regained control of its legs and resumed its path towards the command chamber, no longer concerned with the animals. The powerful thought command was all that mattered. The drone received the image again, showing it activating a series of commands on the panel. A part of the drone did not want to do it, but it had no choice. It must obey the thought command. The image of the face of the animal sister that it loved entered its mind, and the command drone took control of the image and changed it, forcing the drone to look at the new image it created. The image now showed the animal sister lying in a pool of its own blood with all its limbs torn off, causing the drone to recoil from the sight. Another thought command came. The drone screamed with anguish in its mind as it unwillingly headed towards the command chamber to do as it was ordered. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Talk to me, Davis!¡± Navarra gasped as he burst into the bridge, almost knocking over Simmons as she abruptly halted in front of him to avoid knocking over one of the bridge crew. Davis replied in a much calmer voice than the panic on his face called for as he looked at Navarra. ¡°They are 32,000 kilometers off our port bow, Captain! The life pod scanners are detecting signs of weapons being armed, and landers are headed towards us; they will reach us in twelve minutes.¡± Navarra turned at the noise of the drone entering the command chamber and looked at Simmons, yelling for her to get the drone out of the way or off the bridge. Simmons sprinted towards Indigo and was just about to take one of its claws to lead it away like she had always done when Indigo braced before suddenly kicking her in the torso with two back legs. Navarra could barely register what had just happened as Simmons went flying back from the kick and into the wall behind her with a loud thud. She crumpled to the ground, heaving with loud gasps, before blood started spurting out of her mouth as she coughed and fought for air. ¡°Shit! Shit!¡± Navarra screamed in shock, grabbing the pistol mag-locked to his right upper thigh to put Indigo down. The drone darted towards him before he could aim his pistol and kicked him in the side of his left leg, causing a loud snapping sound and knocking him over from the unexpectedly powerful blow. He tried to roll with the fall as the worst pain he had ever felt in his life shot up his leg and into his groin, rendering him senseless from the agony and taking his breath away. All hell broke loose on the bridge as Indigo dodged among the panels and avoided attempts by the others to tackle it. Indigo reached a larger panel that they had not yet figured out the function for and activated it, the previously dark panel now lighting up as Indigo continued to tap on it rapidly with its claws. One of the bridge crew reached Indigo and jumped on its back, wrapping her legs around the narrow junction of the abdomen and the thorax before starting to punch the back of the drone¡¯s head with her fists. She cried out in pain as her right fist shattered against Indigo¡¯s skull on the third strike, who barely seemed to notice the blows as it continued to work the panel in front of it. Her leg grip weakened as she cradled her now broken hand against her chest, and the drone stabbed back with the first joint of its right thorax arm, shattering her right eye socket. As she fell back off the drone¡¯s back, it tapped on the panel three more times in quick succession and then grabbed onto the panel with all six legs as the engines turned back on. The five humans on the bridge were unprepared and thrown forward from the sudden deceleration before all the panels went dark at the same time. Indigo was still gripping the panel, and the shots Davis fired at it went wild as he was thrown forward off the raised dais and started sliding along the deck. The engines fired again, much stronger this time, and the deceleration pulled him towards the far wall with enough force to break every bone in his body if he hit it. He tried to grab Heinrich as she lay whimpering on the floor, her right eye dangling out of her obliterated eye socket by a string of flesh as he slid past, but he couldn¡¯t reach her. His hands shot out and grabbed the base of a nearby panel, and he held on for dear life as the engines fired again. He watched in horror as she slid away from him and smashed her back into a support column, her body folding in half the wrong way as her back broke from the impact with a sickening crunch. The gravity generators and inertial dampeners finally compensated for the reverse thrust, and he felt the extreme force that was threatening to tear his arms out of their sockets suddenly dissipate. Davis looked at Heinrich and stared at her now glassy eyes before he saw movement from Indigo as it let go of the panel it was clinging onto and darted into the small opening of a maintenance hatch. The large screen on the wall flickered and then powered up, and Davis, who was painfully making himself get back up, froze at the sudden sight of a larger than life Insectoid staring at him. He could see the malevolent intelligence within its black eyes, and he flinched as it snapped its mandibles together in a threatening manner before the screen went black. Navarra had been fighting through the pain and finally managed to roll onto his side before he slid forward from the abrupt reversal of gravity and slammed into a support column two meters in front of him. He screamed in agony from the fresh pain and fought against the black and red cloud that dimmed his vision, forcing himself to stay conscious. The screen flickered, and he saw the Insectoid glaring at them and clacking its mandibles before the screen turned back off. Dread filled him. They had finally found them, and they were about to die. He pushed aside his fear with stubborn defiance and the desire to keep living; he needed to get back to his family. He started fading from the agony and locked eyes with Davis, who was coming towards him with an already opened medkit as he pulled out a subdermal injector. ¡°Davis! Repel¡­ boarders¡­¡± was all he managed to gasp before he finally blacked out from the pain and shock caused by Indigo shattering his femur. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rescue Hive Ship, Interstellar Space The Hive ship flashed out of null space, and Bader fought against the disorientation of the transition as he clung to a support column. His wristcom buzzed and emitted an emergency alert. He focused on it as the lingering effects of the transition dissipated and his heart jumped into his throat at the scanning results from the drones attached to the outer hull. There were two vessels in front of them, and one of them was a Hive ship. He let go of the column and yelled out to Giskard, who was signing to Luna. ¡°Giskard, there is a Hive ship next to the cruiser! Tell her to prepare for combat!¡± Giskard answered immediately while still signing to Luna. ¡°She knows, Captain. Her scanners picked up both vessels, and she is preparing the ship for combat.¡± Bader¡¯s mind raced as he tried to regain control of himself and push away the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. He decided on a plan of action and yelled out to Giskard again. ¡°Giskard, activate Combat Protocol One-Zero-four-Gamma! Authorization Bader PI-One-Seven-Delta! Execute!¡± Giskard froze as Bader gave authorization to access its combat algorithms before snapping its head towards him. Bader saw the yellow eye pupils turn black, and a different voice responded to him as Giskard confirmed the command authorization. ¡°Captain Bader, Authorization confirmed. What are your orders?¡± ¡°Tell Luna to allow you to take over the weapons station and to get within five thousand kilometers of the cruiser. Open the cargo bay doors and order the nullships to engage the Hive ship. We are to protect the cruiser at all costs. I am going to take command of the assault troops and go over to the cruiser to rescue our people and repel boarding attempts.¡± Bader turned and ran towards the tunnel exit, hearing Giskard confirm the orders he just gave it in the same different voice. It took him almost two minutes to reach the nearest hatch that led to the massive interior bay in the center of the Hive ship. He activated the hatch and ran down the airlock tube to the first of the two joined troopships, which were docked to each other with their own airlock tube. He had been issuing breathless orders into his wristcom the whole time and charged into the open airlock before he slowed down and headed towards the combat bay of the troopship. He entered it, seeing hundreds of marine pathfinders and army rangers already in their exosuits and boarding the assault landers, while on the other end of the bay, a squadron of eight starfighters was primed and ready for takeoff. A suited figure waved at him, and he jogged over, seeing the back of his combat suit already splayed open for him. He looked at the nametag of the suit that waved him over, seeing that it was lieutenant Klein, the commanding officer of the troop detachment. Bader stripped down to his skin suit as he listened to Klein update him on the first wave that was about to disembark. He stepped into his suit, feeling it close around him as it sealed him in. The suit AI activated, addressing him with her familiar voice as his HUD came to life and displayed information. ~Billy, all systems are optimal.~ ¡°Thank you, Jenny. Are you ready to do this?¡± He replied, already knowing the answer she was going to give him. He gave the suit AI his wife¡¯s voice and name, something he never regretted doing. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ~I am ready, babe.~ ¡°Good girl; let¡¯s go kick some ass and get our people home, my love.¡± Bader issued commands for Klein to get the second wave ready and then turned, sprinting to the lander that was waiting on him. He leapt into the large rear hatch and grabbed a dangling handhold, returning the chest thumps being given to him by the black suited occupants as the hatch door closed and the shuttle lifted. The nullships were already streaming out, and he could see that Luna and Giskard had already engaged the enemy Hive ship on the floating combat hologram displayed in the center of the shuttle. There were multiple flashes and explosions erupting all along their hull as the unexpected attack from the Luna¡¯s Hive ship caught them by surprise, and they started veering away from the cruiser. Multiple pinpoint explosions flared as Insectoid landers were destroyed during their transit, but there were already over three dozen of the landers attached to the damaged hull of the cruiser. Bader activated the command override channel and addressed the troops of all the assault landers as they accelerated to combat speed towards the massive opening. ¡°We are here to rescue the crew and bring them home. We will breach and board the cruiser, and then we will make these assholes pay for what they have done to our people. I only have one order to give you; kill them all.¡± Jenny filtered and reduced the volume as hundreds of angry Republic warriors responded to his words with their war cries, and the ones in the shuttle with him thumped their chests again in approval. Bader sat down in a cradle and activated his harness as he stared at the hologram, his thoughts filled with worry as Jenny ran calculations on how many Insectoids each lander might hold. The crew manifest was eighty-seven according to the beacons, and he listened as Jenny spoke. ~Babe, I estimate the Insectoid lander capacity at twenty to twenty-four Insectoids based on scans of the interior configuration and size of the Insectoids. There are currently thirty-nine landers attached to the hull, and I detect another eighty-seven still transiting from the enemy Hive ship.~ ¡°Thank you, sweetie.¡± Bader replied as Jenny displayed the total number of possible boarders in flashing red numbers on his HUD. 780-936 was the estimate being displayed, and he felt a cold pit forming in his stomach. He accessed the outer hull sensors with his HUD, and his heart started beating faster at the sight of the squadron of starfighters shooting past the lander and heading towards the massive opening. He sent a thought out to the crew of the cruiser with all his heart and soul, willing for it to reach into the hearts of the survivors as the assault lander blasted towards their target. Hold on, we are coming. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ RSS James Donovan Navarra gasped as he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but an opaque light before he heard Davis¡¯s voice talking to him. ¡°Just relax, Captain. I am giving you another injection.¡± Navarra felt a dull pressure on his neck before hearing the telltale hiss of the subdermal injector. He forced himself to be still as Davis continued to talk to him, and his vision returned to normal as he felt energy and a sense of well-being coursing throughout his body while the injection spread. There was the distant sound of gunfire, and panic gripped him as he had a flashback to when the same thing happened on the John Cabot when they were being boarded. He looked at Davis and listened as he updated him on the current situation. ¡°Captain, I am going to inflate the splint around your thigh to stabilize your leg while the medbots work their magic on you. You will be able to ambulate in about five minutes, so please stay still. I ordered the crew to fall back to the secondary defensive positions; the gunfire you are hearing is from the security bots and the automated sentry guns engaging the boarders.¡± Relief flooded through Navarra at what Davis was saying, and he felt pressure increasing on his left thigh with the faintest hint of discomfort as the splint stabilized his leg. ¡°How many, Davis?¡± he asked, dreading the answer but refusing to shy away from his responsibility as their captain. ¡°Six dead, several wounded, Captain. Your preparations and planning for something like this were on point and reduced our casualties by a tremendous amount.¡± Davis replied as he continued to monitor the splint from his wristcom. ¡°How many are we facing? Do we still have eyes outside the ship?¡± he asked, feeling useless as he lay there waiting for the splint to set. His crew needed him, and here he was, out of commission again for the second time. Davis looked at him and answered, his voice seething as he bared his teeth like a predator. ¡°The bastards destroyed our pods before they landed and started breaching the hull. The last thing I saw was another Hive ship flashing out behind us and accelerating to join the first one.¡± Navarra didn¡¯t respond, and they shared a knowing look between them. They were done for; all they could do was make sure they made the enemy pay for every inch they advanced. Navarra fumbled at his harness, looking for his comm. Davis grabbed his and handed it to him, nodding as Navarra took it from his hand and letting him know he was with him to the end. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he thought of what to say, it would most likely be his final order and words to the crew before they all died. He activated the comm and waited for a lull in the distant weapons fire that was sporadically echoing throughout the ship. ¡°This is Captain Navarra. I just want to tell you that I am sorry I couldn¡¯t get us back home to our loved ones. I am truly sorry; I tried my best. I also want to let you know that I consider myself the luckiest captain in all the Fleet to have had a crew such as you. We went to wonderous places and saw amazing things that no one had ever seen before together. We left our families and friends behind and made a new family among the stars, with each other, together. It seems as if our time has come, and I only have one last request for you all. I want you to look at the ones with you now and realize that though the end comes for us, we are facing it together as a family. You go down fighting. Do you hear me? You go down fighting with everything you got for your brothers and sisters that are with you now, and you make them pay for every one of us they kill! You make them bleed for every inch they take. I want you to teach them what happens when they fuck with the wrong crew, and you make them regret ever coming across us. I will see you all soon, Captain Navarra, out.¡± Navarra closed the channel and held the comm out to Davis, who shook his head. ¡°You hold on to it, Captain; I¡¯ll take the one on Heinrich.¡± He looked over at Heinrich, seeing her body wrapped around the base of a support column the wrong way. Anger flared in him at the sight, and he looked over to where Simmons had been kicked against the wall. She was not there; just the dark red blood that she was coughing out was left on the deck. ¡°Where is Simmons? Where is that fucking traitor, Indigo? Please tell me you shot it.¡± He barked as his anger continued to grow at what was happening to his crew. ¡°I injected her, and she got up to join the fight as soon as she was able. The drone disappeared in a maintenance hatch; there is a standing order from me to shoot it on sight.¡± Davis answered as he stood up and put out both hands. Navarra reached up and took them, grunting slightly as he awkwardly tried to get up on his one good leg without using the broken one. He was now standing, and he hesitantly put weight on it, feeling the pressure of the splint as it adjusted to his movements. He could feel the tingling of the medbots inside his thigh as they continued to repair the damage, and the discomfort was a lot less than he expected. Navarra waited impatiently as Davis quickly and efficiently installed the exo-leg components that would allow him to walk without crutches and disperse his body weight on the flexible cage being assembled. After a few more minutes, Davis was finally done, and Navarra took a test step, feeling the exo-leg brace shifting as it flexed under his weight. His head shot up at the sound of more weapon fire, this time much closer than before. Davis sprinted to the small side chamber and, after a few moments, reemerged carrying a bundle of weapons in his arms. Navarra took an X-47 PDW and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing a quad-barrel combat shotgun. Davis grunted with approval at his weapons choices and held out a bandoleer with ammo and grenades for him to take. As he clipped the bandoleer across his chest, a long burst of gunfire sounded, and Simmons¡¯s voice came over the comms on the open channel. ¡°Commander Davis, they are approaching the secondary defense line. I repeat, they are approaching the secondary defense line. Only three security bots made it back, and the last sentry gun just fell off the net.¡± There was a pause, and she spoke again in a lower voice, as if she didn''t want others near her to hear. ¡°We are hearing thuds all around us followed by explosions. It sounds like more landers are breaching, sir.¡± Navarra grabbed his comm and responded. ¡°Simmons, this is the captain. We are on our way to you now. We practiced for this; make sure you keep a handle on our people until we get there.¡± ¡°Captain!? I am so glad to hear your voice. We will hold, sir. See you when you get here, Simmons out.¡± Navarra followed Davis into the main tunnel as he led them to the secondary defense positions located in the middle of the cruiser. Navarra planned for the Insectoids to find them and drilled the crew in defending the cruiser against boarding actions every single day since they took over the ship. The layout of the ship and the tunnel system were perfectly suited for a small, determined defense force to be able to extract a bloody price from anyone trying to take the ship. They set up a network of automated defenses with security bots, sentry guns, mines, and booby traps comprising the first line of defense along the outer hull. As the crew fell back to the secondary positions, they would seal the multiple tunnels leading to their positions behind them, forcing any boarders to come at them through only four heavily defended chokepoints aligned with the aft, bow, port, and starboard sections of the cruiser. If the secondary defense line collapsed, the survivors would blow those four tunnels and fall back to their third and final defensive positions within the heavily armored engineering section located deep in the center of the ship. The engineering section could only be accessed via two heavily mined tunnels, forcing the attackers to assault two heavily defended chokepoints after passing through an extensive network of mines and booby traps. If the attackers managed to breach into the engineering section, then they were lost anyway, so Navarra had the engineers set up explosive devices on the cooling systems to destroy them and cause the cores to overload. Davis activated the comm he had taken from Heinrich¡¯s body and informed the crew that they were nearing their positions and not to shoot them. A minute later, they emerged in the large interior cargo bay the crew had fallen back to, and Simmons came over to them, dried blood still on her chin from when she was coughing it up. ¡°Is there anyone else coming after you, sirs?" She asked breathlessly when she reached them. ¡°No, you can blow the tunnel, Simmons.¡± Davis replied as he scanned the cargo bay. Navarra looked around, meeting the eyes of his crew and returning their smiles as they saw their captain coming to join them like he promised. ¡°Copy, sir. I am glad you are both here with us.¡± Simmons replied before turning to the engineers and yelling at them. ¡°Blow bridge tunnel 1-A; there is no one else coming from there.¡± One of the engineers nodded and accessed her wristpad, tapping on several holographic icons that sprang up in front of her before calling out a warning. ¡°Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!¡± She tapped on an icon a second later, and a series of explosions cascaded down the tunnel they had come out of, starting from the bridge and collapsing it up to fifty meters from the tunnel exit. Navarra limped over the bank of holo screens floating in the center of the bay and returned the salute from the crewman that was working the sensors and nano cameras they had installed along the four tunnels that led to the cargo bay. Simmons came back over and waited for Davis to join them before giving an update on the situation. ¡°We now have eight dead and over twenty walking wounded that can still fight. We gave them a bloody nose, and so far, they have not entered the last four tunnels, as you can see.¡± She said as she pointed at the camera feeds. ¡°Only three security bots made it back to our position, but there must be others still fighting because we can still detect weapons fire along the outer hull with the sensors that are still functioning.¡± Navarra nodded when she finished, and he took his comm off his harness before asking Davis and Simmons to help him get up on an Insectoid cargo container so that he could address the crew and be seen by them. Barely perceptible thuds, followed by distant sounding explosions that could only be breaching charges, reverberated throughout the ship, reaching even the isolated carbo bay nestled deep in the ship. Navarra ignored the implication of the noises and the tremors that followed them and pushed down the rising anxiety he felt as he activated the loudspeaker function of his comm node with trembling fingers. He raised the comm node to his mouth when there was another series of thudding and explosions, much louder than before. A few seconds later, there were sounds of heavy weaponry interspaced with rapid explosions, and Navarra shared a confused look with Davis and Simmons. The insectoids used laser weaponry, and the heavy gunfire they were hearing was most certainly not from any security bots or sentry guns still fighting along the outer hull. Navarra looked towards the holoscreens showing the four remaining tunnels, and there were still no signs of Insectoids within them. Every single comm node within the cargo bay squealed with static at the same time, scaring the crap out of Navarra and almost making him drop his comm as an unknown voice came over them. ¡°Crew of the John Cabot, this is Captain William Bader of Republic Rescue One. We are here; please respond. I repeat, this is Captain William Bader of Republic Rescue One. We are boarding the ship and are here to bring you home. Please respond!¡± Cheers erupted throughout the entire bay as Navarra stared at the comm node in shock, listening as the voice kept asking for a response. He switched to the command override frequency and excitedly yelled into the comm. ¡°This is Captain Anthony Navarra; can you hear me? We have fallen back to the interior cargo bay! I repeat, we are in the interior cargo bay! Please respond!¡± There was another burst of static, and the voice responded with the sound of gunfire and the whine of laser weapons carrying over the channel. ¡°Oh god, thank you! Yes, I can hear you! Hold tight; we are coming for you! Navarra screamed into the comm. ¡°No! Do not enter the four tunnels leading to the cargo bay; we mined and booby trapped them! I repeat, do not enter the four tunnels! We need to deactivate them. What direction are you coming from? Which tunnel is closest to you?¡± The voice replied, breathing heavily. ¡°Aft! Come to us down the aft tunnel. Do it quickly, we are engaging the Hive ship and need to pull you out now! There are more insectoid landers on the way, we got to get you off that ship!¡± ¡°Wait one!¡± Navarra replied as he signaled for Simmons to get over to him. She ran over, and he practically screamed at her, making her flinch as he issued orders. ¡°Disarm the aft tunnel, now! We need to exfil as soon as possible!¡± She didn¡¯t bother responding to him; she turned around and immediately started yelling for the engineers to start disarming the mines and booby traps while Davis was bellowing for the ecstatic defenders to get a hold of themselves and prepare for departure. ¡°We are disarming the aft tunnel now, Captain Bader. What¡¯s your situation?¡± The captain replied almost immediately. ¡°You guys did a nice job sealing the tunnels behind you; we are being swarmed by bugs and trying to cut through the ship to you now. I have teams heading to you; they are breaching through the walls and tunnels.¡± Navarra listened to the sound of combat that was coming over the comm as Captain Bader yelled over the channel. Simmons ran back over to him, yelling frantically to be heard over the others. ¡°The aft tunnel is disarmed; we are good to go.¡± She turned and ran back to help Davis get everybody ready to leave. Navarra spoke into the comm. ¡°The aft tunnel is disarmed; we are heading your way now, Captain!¡± ¡°Outstanding, I¡¯ll see you there, Captain.¡± Bader answered. ¡°I¡¯ll comm you when we reach the tunnel entrance.¡± ¡°Copy. See you there. Thank you, Captain!¡± Navarra replied before closing the channel and asking two nearby crewmembers to help him get down. They got him off, and he declined their offer to assist him, telling them to help the seriously wounded instead. He limped over and joined Davis, who was managing the flow of crew into the tunnel. He sent four fire teams ahead first, and the wounded were now entering the tunnel. The remaining people would guard the rear in case the insectoids managed to breach one of the other tunnels and come up behind them. ¡°Captain, you should go with the wounded.¡± Davis said it in such a way as to let Navarra know he wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer. He nodded to him and joined in the stream of walking wounded as they passed into the tunnel. Navarra handed his shotgun to the crewmember next to him, who smiled widely at the firepower being placed into his hands. Navarra stayed with the wounded, trying his best to ignore the increasing pain that was working its way through the painkillers as he limped along. He eyed every single deactivated mine and booby trap suspiciously as he passed them, a part of him regretting not being able to see them exact a bloody price from the Insectoids. Word was passed down the line that the fire teams up ahead were going to breach the sealed entry. Navarra hunkered down with the wounded, and they all closed their eyes and covered their ears. A few seconds later, there was a large explosion, and they were buffeted by the weakened pressure wave that reached them a few seconds later. Navarra was helped back up, and they started moving again; the sounds of the ongoing combat throughout the ship more easily heard through the newly opened tunnel. There was a sharp staccato of weapons fire from ahead, and panicked voices came over the comms from the four fire teams up ahead. ¡°Contact front! Akello, cover the right! Move!¡± There was more gunfire, and now the whining of laser weapons could be clearly heard as it echoed down the open tunnel. Navarra limped forward, yelling for others with weapons to join him. Six crewmen went with him, the one with the quad shotgun taking point as he struggled to keep up. The tunnel opening was now less than twenty meters in front of him, and the sounds of furious combat were deafening. There were multiple loud blasts, and now the sounds of heavy weaponry added to the mix, along with amplified voices that could only be coming from combat exosuits. The whines of laser weaponry died out quickly, and by the time Navarra reached the opening, the firing had stopped. A scene of bloody yellow and red carnage greeted his eyes as he limped out. He saw seven crewmen on the ground around him, their unmoving bodies sliced up by laser weaponry or torn apart by the Insectoids that swarmed them. There were dozens of Insectoid corpses scattered about, and he leaned against the wall as a black-suited figure approached him, the nametag on the right breast displaying the name Bader. ¡°Captain Navarra? I am Captain Bader. Let¡¯s get your people home. I got you.¡± Bader said to him as he gently slid his arm around Navarra¡¯s back and placed his gauntleted hand under his right armpit. ¡°No, I need to stay and make sure my people are evacuated,¡± he replied, trying to get out of Bader¡¯s encircling arm. Bader¡¯s grip increased, and the mirrored faceplate flipped up, revealing his face. Navarra looked at the face of their rescuer, and he immediately knew this was a battle he would not win. He was looking into eyes that flashed with the inner fire of a warrior¡¯s soul that would never yield. ¡°You did your job. Now let me do mine. We will take care of your people and get them home. Come, Captain.¡± Bader replied quietly as his suited arm started guiding Navarra towards a breach in the wall. Navarra leaned against Bader and allowed himself to be taken through the breach. ¡°Captain Bader, do you know if my family is okay?¡± He asked tentatively as Bader continued to bear him down the tunnel, almost afraid of the answer. ¡°Your wife and children are still waiting for you, Captain Navarra.¡± Bader replied. ¡°As far as they know, the crew of the John Cabot is merely delayed. The government has not informed them of what happened yet, preferring to wait for the outcome of this rescue mission before revealing the truth to the families of the crew.¡± Navarra almost lost the strength to keep walking as relief overwhelmed him; he had been terrified that his family would think he was dead. The sounds of weapons fire near them had ceased, and Navarra could only hear sporadic heavy weapons fire from distant parts of the cruiser as their rescuers cleared the ship. As they continued walking, Navarra felt the need to correct Captain Bader on one error. ¡°We are not the crew of the John Cabot anymore, Captain Bader. We are the crew of the James Donovan.¡± Captain Bader¡¯s faceplate was still up, and he glanced sideways at Navarra with eyes full of understanding. He slightly nodded his suited head at the correction and patted him gently under his arm with his gauntleted hand before replying. ¡°Understood, Captain Navarra. Respect for the fallen.¡± Navarra looked back at Captain Bader, not ashamed in the least by his now wet eyes as he replied. ¡°Respect for the fallen.¡± Simmons walked the perimeter of the cargo bay one more time to make sure they didn¡¯t forget any of the wounded or the remains of the dead during the chaotic evacuation. After making two circuits, she signaled for the other two security members that stayed behind to go into the tunnel and catch up with the others before accessing her wristcom. She started tapping on the floating icons as she activated the explosives attached to the cooling system and set them to explode when they received the signal and cause a core overload. She heard rattling behind her and spun around, pointing her rifle at the general area of the noise as she backed up and took position behind a stack of Insectoid containers. There was a loud clanging noise, and she peeked out from behind the containers, seeing an air vent grill sliding across the floor as her heart started hammering in her chest. A second later, an unarmed drone came out from behind a stack of containers and stood still, questing the air with its antennae before looking right at her position. She pointed her gun around the container, remaining behind the cover of the containers as she pressed the side button and activated the camera function. A small hologram sprang up, and she aimed the reticule directly at the center mass of the drone, staring intently at the hologram as she awkwardly shifted the rifle using the barrel camera. The aiming reticule settled on the center of the drone¡¯s thorax, and she froze, seeing the small crew patch adhered to the upper right part of the exoskeleton. It was Indigo. She scanned the rifle slightly to the left and the right, checking to ensure there were no other drones with her. She brought the rifle back around the container, conflicting emotions warring inside of her. I should at least look her in the eyes before killing her. She thought as her anger at Indigo¡¯s betrayal demanded the life of the drone. She slowly stood up and brought the rifle to bear on Indigo. Indigo remained completely still and stared at her with her large black eyes, her antennae pointing directly at her and making slow, waving motions. Simmons took a shuddering gasp as she aimed. ¡°Why did you attack me, Indigo? How could you do that to me?¡± She yelled as she continued to aim the rifle at her thorax. Indigo wilted under the anger in her tone, and her antennae drooped down. ¡°You betrayed me, Indigo. Your treachery hurt me more than the broken ribs and the popped lung you gave me when you fucking kicked me, you traitorous bitch!¡± Simmons sneered as she placed her finger on the trigger. Indigo had continued cowering in response to her angry voice, something it had never experienced from Simmons before. A loud scraping sound erupted from behind the containers in the far corner of the bay, and two drones came out from behind them, charging right at Simmons¡¯s position. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Simmons yelled as she shifted her rifle to the two new threats barreling towards her. She fired in a panic, missing the body of the drone she was aiming at and only managing to blow off one of the thorax legs as most of her shots went wide. The drone she hit stumbled, and she knew she would not be able to shift targets in time as she swung her rifle back towards the other one. The other drone was almost upon her, and it fired its laser weapon, piercing through the containers she was positioned behind, just missing her and singeing her skin with the heat of its passage. Just before the drone reached her, it was knocked off balance and slammed into the ground by Indigo, who started trying to wrestle the laser weapon out of its claws while biting one of its arms with her mandibles. Simmons backpedaled and fell on her ass as the wounded drone reached her position and jumped on top of the containers, struggling to bring its long laser weapon to bear on her with only one thorax leg. She snapfired and stitched staggered rounds across its torso, causing it to rupture as the slivers detonated their tiny explosive charges and splashed her face with sticky yellow blood. She heard the whine of a laser weapon firing and pressed herself flat to the ground, a smoldering line meandering across the containers in front of her as the invisible beam sliced through them. The beam passed over her by mere inches, the ionized air bathing her back with heat before it went up and away from her. She leapt to her feet and charged around the half-melted containers, pointing her rifle in front of her as she got ready to kill the other drone that Indigo had attacked. The drones were still fighting, and Indigo was on her back trying to deflect the muzzle of the laser weapon away from her as the drone on top of her fired its weapon, the beam sizzling through the deck plating as it headed towards her head. Simmons twisted on the rifle barrel, activating a nano-molecular bayonet that shot out from underneath the barrel and bellowed a war cry as she charged at them to distract the drone trying to kill Indigo. It spun around, trying to bring its weapon to bear at the sudden noise Simmons had made as it used its legs to untangle itself from Indigo. Indigo grabbed at the weapon again, causing the beam to shear off the top third of both her antennas as she disrupted its targeting. Simmons reached them and drove the almost impossibly sharp bayonet into the middle of its thorax, staring into its eyes as she ripped the bayonet up through its head and sliced it cleanly in half with no effort. The now-dead drone fell back, and she twisted the barrel back to retract the bayonet before reaching for the injured Indigo and grabbing one of her thorax legs to start dragging her out of the bay. There was shouting behind her, and the same two security officers she had sent ahead of her returned, pointing their rifles at Indigo. ¡°No!¡± She screamed, waving her arms and placing herself in the line of fire before they could shoot Indigo. ¡°She saved me from the others, do not fucking shoot her!¡± ¡°The XO issued standing orders to shoot the drone on sight. Move, Simmons.¡± Patel replied with a low, threatening voice as he started stepping sideways to get a shot. ¡°Are you kidding me, Patel? You were the one who made the patches and the first one to take a picture with her. You¡¯re gonna kill her now? I¡¯m telling you; she saved my life.¡± Patel stopped trying to flank her, doubt crossing his features as she continued to stand in the line of fire with a defiant expression. Indigo was hiding behind her, clinging to her belt as the other two humans pointed weapons in its direction. Finally, Patel dropped his barrel, Bernard following his example as she exhaled forcefully. Simmons glared at them for a few seconds before addressing both Patel and Bernard. ¡°I am taking her with me. I will deal with the XO, understood?¡± They both nodded, and Bernard answered her in an accented Republic Standard. ¡°Oui, Simmons. We must leave now, quickly.¡± They both turned and jogged towards the tunnel opening before taking positions on both sides and waiting for Simmons and Indigo to enter the tunnel and take up the rear. Simmons reached a shaking hand behind her, and Indigo clenched it with both claws that dug into her skin from fear. Indigo followed her as she walked quickly, hanging on to her hand for dear life as they entered the tunnel. Simmons increased her speed, walking as quickly as she could with Indigo clinging to her. Patel and Bernard fell in behind them and waited until they were a hundred meters into the tunnel before blowing the opening behind them and sealing it. They sprinted and caught up with them quickly, and all four of them hurried down the tunnel, dread filling Simmons as she thought about how Davis was going to react when he saw Indigo. She saved my life. I don¡¯t know why she did what she did, but she saved my life when I needed her. I owe it to her to do the same. They Answered The Call-Part Two-Chapter 25-Rescue/part 2 Thirty-four solar days after leaving the Republic Hive world 6,982 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D. Part two Command Unit 273 accessed combat file 21-B and sent it to the other fifteen nullships under its command as they emerged from Hive ship. It received confirmation pulses from its subordinate AIs, and the nullships gracefully assumed the assault formations they were ordered into as they prepared for combat operations against the target Hive ship. The Allied Hive ship had surprise on its side, and the opening volley destroyed 28% of the primary weapon emplacements of the enemy Hive ship, forcing it to maneuver away from the cruiser as it reeled under the unexpected attack. Initiate attack pattern two. The command pulse from Unit 273 reached the others, and a concentrated volley of sixteen quad particle accelerators speared out from the two formations. The sixty-four warbeams struck their assigned targets with an accuracy and precision that made their positronic pathways surge with increased potential as the targeted weapons emplacements disappeared in a blaze of nuclear fury. This is what they were made for, and Command Unit 273 could sense the same neural surge among the other AIs that it was experiencing as they continued their attack pattern and maneuvered to target the next set of weapons emplacements. The enemy Hive ship spun on its axis and brought undamaged weapons to bear on the nullships as hundreds of particle beams reached out for them. Two of the targeted nullships were bracketed by multiple particle beams, and their shields flared brightly as the sub-atomic particles were intercepted by the shield grid generators and dispersed. Initiate attack pattern gamma three The two attack formations broke apart while executing complex evasive maneuvers and reformed into triad attack groups that swarmed the enemy Hive ship, strafing the massive vessel and continuing to target still functional weapons emplacements. The enemy Hive ship struggled to fight off the furious assault of the tiny ships as they repeatedly flashed in and out of null space and brushed off the few hits the Hive ship had managed to achieve as their shields intercepted their particle beams. The starfighters that exited with the nullships had destroyed all the Insectoid landers that were still in transit from the enemy Hive ship, and Command Unit 273 received an encrypted data burst from the human commander of the starfighter squadron. Decrypting the data burst, Command Unit 273 ran billions of calculations as it partitioned a virtual reality emulation and ran scenarios incorporating the starfighters the human commander was offering for its use. Two seconds later, it sent an encrypted data burst back to the starfighters with a targeting package and sent command pulses to the other AIs. Execute attack volley 1-B. The five attack triads immediately executed the order they received and flashed into null space before remerging two seconds later in a single, tightly condensed diamond formation, maneuvering with their thrusters to match the ponderous spin of the enemy Hive ship. The section Command Unit 273 selected had no functioning weapon emplacements, and the diamond formation fired their warbeams in a concentrated volley from a distance of 12,000 kilometers as they maintained their position relative to the spin. All sixty-four powerful particle accelerator beams targeted and hit the same section of the hull, boiling away the tough armor before the sustained volley broke through the outer hull and smashed against the inner hull. After three seconds, the inner hull finally ruptured under the subatomic onslaught, and the beams pierced the interior of the Hive ship, causing massive secondary explosions as the warbeams tore into it. The eight starfighters came up behind the diamond formation, and the nullships ceased firing, surging ahead with the starfighters and escorting them as they started their attack run. The starfighters reached 2,000 kilometers from the Hive ship and targeted the over 100-meter radius hull breach created by the nullships, releasing one penetrator missile each. They executed evasive maneuvers as they bugged out, but two of them were hit by the massive wall of fragments fired by the Insectoid flak guns that emerged and targeted them. One starfighter blinked out, its pilot not able to eject in time as hundreds of tiny pieces of metal and hardened organic scraps shredded the starfighter and the pilot. The other starfighter was heavily damaged but still flight capable, and it struggled to get away as the escorting nullships targeted and destroyed dozens of the flak emplacements with their secondary weapons. The penetrator missiles fired their boosters as they entered the hull breach, digging deeper into the interior with their hardened nose cones before their warhead AIs coordinated with each other and triggered their charges at the same time. 1/3 of the massive Hive ship was torn wide open from the resultant explosion, exposing the massive interior bay while rupturing power transmission conduits and life support systems. Tens of thousands of bodies were sucked out of the gaping wound, and the now dead Hive ship tumbled out of control as it suffered catastrophic decompressions and secondary explosions. The nullships returned to their triad formations and fanned out across the battlespace as the remaining starfighters and one triad of nullships took positions around the derelict cruiser. All the Republic assault landers except for two started disengaging from the cruiser hull and headed towards the allied Hive cruiser in a compact formation, escorted by the starfighters and nullships. Command Unit 273 kept a careful watch as the assault landers streamed into the massive opening of the Hive ship along with the remaining starfighters. Another squadron of starfighters streamed out of the bay to replace the returning ones and separated into flights of two that patrolled the battlespace around the cruiser as the Hive ship recharged its null drive. Command Unit 273 was pleased with the results of its first battle and the efficiency of the AIs under its command. This is what they were designed to do, and they exceeded expectations in their first battle. It sent a command to the other AIs requesting battle damage and efficiency reports. After receiving the reports, it compiled the results and filed them for review by its superiors at Fleet Command. A spy drone flashed out of null space, sending an emergency alert across all Republic bands. Null space propagation waves have been detected. There were more ships headed towards them. Command Unit 273 accessed its wargaming files that ran this exact scenario and sent a command pulse to the other nullships along with the detailed battle simulations it had run in preparation for this very situation. Command unit 273 ran trillions of calculations as it processed petabytes of information. The estimated arrival time of the incoming ships based on their propagation waves and the time needed to recharge the allied Hive ship¡¯s null space capacitors were not favorable. There was an 87% probability that the incoming ships would arrive before they could flash into null space, and it sent another command pulse to the AIs under its command. Prepare for battle. Rescue Hive Ship, Interstellar Space Luna watched as the machine animal fought the Hive ship with a skill that defied her comprehension, its claws moving over the weapons and navigation panels with a speed that seemed impossible. The tremendous amount of damage her Hive ship was able to inflict on the other one during the surprise attack stunned her, and she was grateful her Hive mother was able to make friends with these dangerous animals. After the initial attack, the machine animal had backed the Hive ship off and circled around the enemy ship at the maximum weapons range while targeting specific areas such as engines and thruster systems. As the other animal ships tore into the much larger Hive ship with a fury that scarcely seemed possible for their size, Luna realized for the first time just how dangerous their animal friends were. Before she could truly register what was happening, the starfighter missiles had torn open the enemy ship, and it now spun out of control, devoid of power or detectable life sign readings. The machine animal reached over to the other panel and set a course to bring the Hive ship closer to the cruiser as the worker drone assigned to that station stood off to the side with nothing to do. It turned towards her, and Luna felt a slight surge of fear as its now black eyes settled on her own before signing to her with its claws. It asked for permission to open the bay for the animal ships and landers and start recharging the depleted null drives for departure. She signed back, telling it to do whatever it needed to make sure they departed before other guardian ships arrived. Luna felt useless and not needed as the machine animal controlled her Hive ship, so she let her mind drift, reaching out to see if she could sense any thoughts on the derelict Hive ship. She detected a single worker drone mind that was barely registering, and it was filled with fear and apprehension, as well as happy or hopeful, which confused her greatly as she focused on it. It must be a survivor on the Hive ship. Perhaps it was within an air pocket that was losing oxygen, and it was becoming delirious, which would explain the confusing emotions she was picking up from the drone. She felt a great outpouring of pity for the drone, and Luna reached into its mind to give it comfort during its last moments. She was a command drone, and she felt responsible for its well-being. Luna felt the drone recoil from her as she gently probed its mind, not understanding why it was trying to reject her. Worker drones needed thoughts from others, especially during times of fear and stress such as this. She tried again, putting more effort into accessing the drone¡¯s mind as it continued to fight her. She suddenly saw out of its eyes as she forced her way into its mind, and it took her a considerable amount of time to discern what she was looking at. It was heading down a dim tunnel, and she could hear animal noises. Her confusion increased as she knew for a truth that no animal soldiers had invaded the dead Hive ship. What is happening? She thought to herself as she tried to make sense of the situation. She could not take control of the drone¡¯s body like queens or the specialized command drones were able to. Luna could only see out of its eyes and send it commands. The drone was still fighting her presence, and it moved its eyes to look up. She was stunned by what she saw as the drone focused its eyes. It was looking at an animal! She could not tell if it was an animal daughter or a male drone by its short hair, so she looked for the other signs, like a smaller body frame and the presence of sex organs. She was able to confirm that it was indeed an animal daughter by the two fleshy mounds located on the upper thorax a few moments later when they came into view of the drone¡¯s eyesight. As the drone¡¯s eyes moved, she saw that it was gripping the animal¡¯s claw with both of its own, and she could feel the safety the drone was experiencing. The drone looked at the animal¡¯s face again, and the animal grimaced at it, making soft animal noises to the drone as they continued to hurry down the dim tunnel they were in. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. They passed by an energy conduit junction, and out of the corner of the drone¡¯s eyes, Luna finally realized what was happening as she saw the energy conduits snaking along the walls. They were on the cruiser for sure, as Hive ship conduits have a much larger diameter than the cruisers did. Why would they leave a drone alive when they invaded and captured the ship? Luna could barely understand the motivations of the animal friends in general, and the fact that they chose to spare this drone¡¯s life for some reason just magnified her confusion when it came to the animals and their behaviors. She must ensure this drone gets to her Hive ship. It survived the animal invasion of the cruiser and was obviously spared by them. Her curiosity grew, and she must find out why they didn¡¯t kill it. The behavior of the animal it was walking with indicated that it had formed a relationship with the animal daughter, something that was not possible for worker drones. They reached a fork in the tunnel system, and she saw many more animals now, some of them in the black exoskeletons the soldier drones put on for battle. The new animals started making loud animal noises while pointing their weapons at the drone, and Luna could see the anger and hate in the animal faces of the ones not wearing the exoskeletons. The animal sister made loud noises back, and her vision was abruptly changed as the animal put itself in front of the drone, seemingly to protect it from the others. The drone was full of fear, but it also felt protected by the animal it was now hiding behind as it clung to the animal sister and stared at the deck in terror. What is happening here? She thought to herself as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Her concern for the drone grew, and she decided on a course of action. Luna left the drone¡¯s mind and started rapidly signing to the machine animal, telling it that she wanted the drone on the cruiser brought to her. The machine animal nodded and made noises into the small device they used to share thoughts over distances. It continued to make animal noises and respond to the ones coming out of the device. After some time, the machine animal made claw signs to her, telling her that the commander of the rescued animals wanted to kill the worker drone for betraying them and helping the enemy Hive ship. Luna felt a great anger rise inside of her, and she stood up off the bench and brought herself to her full height as she made slow and deliberate claw signs to the machine animal. She was a command drone and the envoy of the Hive mother. That drone belongs to her Hive mother, and she would not allow the animals to kill it. Luna made many claw signs threatening things that she did not have the power to threaten. The animal command soldier had taught her how to make falsehoods, and she did so now. She maintained her proud bearing as the machine animal sent her thoughts to the animals on the cruiser, but she was extremely anxious about the falsehoods she had just made. If the animals decided to kill the drone, there was nothing she could do about it, and Hive mother might cull her for making enemies of the animal friends and endangering their Hive. After more animal noises were made, the machine animal made claw signs to her. They were going to bring the drone to her because more ships had been detected and were on their way towards them now. Luna felt both relief and panic and urged the machine animal to tell the others to enter the Hive ship as soon as possible. She ordered the worker drones of the Hive ship to evacuate to a single location and start shutting down power and life support systems throughout the Hive ship. After that was done, she will shunt the greatly increased power reserves that would now be available to the null space capacitors to increase their argonium harvesting and refinement capacity. She needed to get them home to their Hives and fulfill the promise the Hive mother made. She did not want to kill anymore of her sisters in battle, and they needed to leave before the guardian fleets realized that the envoy of the Hive mother was killing them to protect animals. Luna¡¯s anxiety increased as time passed, and she impatiently waited for the null space capacitors to recharge. The machine animal continually updated her on the expected arrival time of the incoming ships, magnifying her worry, and she angrily signed to it, telling it to stop sharing thoughts with her. It did not seem offended by her command, and she felt bad until she remembered the Hive mother telling her that only Bandit-Friend could feel emotions out of all the machine animals. The last two animal landers had entered the bay, and the animal machine ships as well as the tiny attack ships were still outside the Hive ship, ready to do battle if needed. She wanted them to go inside so that they could leave as soon as they were able, but the animal machine told her it was not necessary and that it was better to have them out and ready for battle. The tiny attack ships could attach themselves to the machine ships, and they could flash into null space and rendezvous at another location to enter the Hive ship before continuing their journey. Luna could feel the capacitors rapidly charging as they thrummed, the extra power she had shunted to them reducing their normal charging time by almost a third. Not fast enough, she thought to herself. She heard the unique sounds of multiple animals walking as they echoed along the main tunnel walls. Luna got up and turned, facing the opening of the command chamber as she waited for them. A few moments later, the animal soldier entered, still wearing his black battle exoskeleton. Behind him were two other animals, a male animal with a hairy face and an animal daughter that was following him. The animal soldier made noises to the machine animal, and Luna watched in fascination as it froze before the black eyes turned back to the yellow ones she was used to. It started making claw movements to her as it shared the thoughts of the new arrivals who eyed her with what she thought was suspicion and hate. She was offended by it before she remembered that they had been beyond the forbidden regions for cycles and that they had been attacked and killed by guardian ships. They did not know her or Hive mother, and she felt sadness for what they had gone through replace the initial anger she had felt. In time, she will make them friends like the other animals had become friends. The male animal made noises as he avoided looking at her, followed by the animal daughter, who had not fully exited the tunnel for some reason and was still lingering in the opening. They both expressed their gratitude for saving them from becoming hostages, and then the animal daughter spoke for some time as the machine animal shared her thoughts with Luna. The animal daughter wanted her to promise not to hurt the drone, and Luna readily agreed, finding her respect for the animal daughter growing greatly as she made it obvious that she cared for it. The animal daughter then reached behind her with a claw, and the drone slowly peered out, still hiding behind the animal. That was why the animal daughter stayed there; it was to hide the drone from Luna until she promised not to hurt or punish the drone. Using her claw, the animal daughter gently pulled the drone out from behind and held claws with it as she slowly entered the command chamber. Luna opened her mind, careful not to scare it as she sent gentle thoughts to the drone. Luna felt distrust from the drone, feeling how terrified it was of her. She gently probed its mind, and she saw that the commander drone of the Hive ship had made it betray them and stop the ship. She saw the hateful image of the animal daughter that it had made the drone look at as it gloated about killing the animals. Now she understood why the drone was afraid of her and withdrew from its mind. She made claw movements, telling them that she was going to have her drones take it to the others so that it can eat and receive treatment for its damaged antennae. The animal daughter agreed, and Luna had several nearby drones come into the chamber and take their sister to where the rest of the drones were. It did not want to leave the animal daughter, and it clung to her tightly. The animal daughter crouched down and made noises to it, tapping it softly in the head. The animal daughter made some more noises, and the machine animal told Luna that she wanted to go with the drone. Her respect for the animal daughter grew; she was almost like a command drone herself to be so concerned for the welfare of a single drone. I like this animal daughter, she thought to herself. Luna agreed, and the drone now went with the others willingly, clasping claws with the animal daughter as they both followed the other drones out of the chamber. She made claw signs to the machine animal, explaining that the drone was taken over by the commander drone and had no choice but to do what it was told; it was the way of the Hives. She told it to tell the male animal that the drone did not want to do it and was now suffering for its actions. Luna watched closely as the male animal who was still there listened to the machine animal, and she saw the understanding dawning on the male animal¡¯s face as it finally understood why the drone betrayed them. She found herself fascinated by the mass of hair on the face, wondering what purpose it served as she tried not to rudely stare. The male animal departed soon after, and now Luna was once again in the command chamber with the animal soldier and the machine animal. The thrumming had been steadily increasing, and Luna signed to the machine animal, telling it that the Hive ship would be ready to depart shortly. The animal soldier spoke into the device, and Luna could see the animal attack ships start to join up with the machine ships on the viewer, clamping onto the hulls of the machine ships. She ordered the navigation drone to enter null space as soon as they achieved a full charge and displayed a visual map of the coordinates she wanted to go to in its mind as it stared at her before turning around to face the panel. Luna signed to the machine animal where she wanted to go, and it shared her thoughts with the animal soldier before relaying the coordinates to the machine ships. All sixteen nullships flashed into null space, eight of them with starfighters clamped to their hulls. They will flash out at the coordinates Luna had provided and scout the area before the Hive ship arrives. After a short time, the thrumming changed, and Luna sat down on the bench as the drone started tapping on the panel to activate the engines and enter null space. All around them, dozens of null space flashes erupted, and ninety-two vessels appeared all around them and the derelict cruiser, their black angular hulls bristling with weaponry as they used their thrusters to point their bows at the Hive ship. Luna did not register the animal noises as both the machine animal and the animal soldier made noises to each other and her. She stared at the viewer, frozen in shock at the new arrivals. A deep-seated fear crippled her as she saw the ships, her mind registering what they were and unable to function. All the drones in the command chamber were staring at the viewer as well. The Hive mothers and queens had imprinted these ships into the minds of every command drone and worker drone since the great persecution, and with that imprint came their terror of the ancient enemy that almost destroyed them. The machine animal stepped in front of her, making claw signs and noises to her. Luna looked at it with unseeing eyes as the icy fear gripped her, rendering her incapable of thought or action. The machine animal went over to the panel and gently pushed the catatonic drone out of the way before tapping on the panel and activating the null drive. There was a change in the frequency of the thrumming before the panel went dark and the thrumming ceased, followed by a whine as the null drive system went off-line. Luna saw all this happening with the small part of her mind that was still functioning, but she could not do anything. The persecutors had finally found them, and now they were all going to die. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Giskard, why haven¡¯t we flashed out? I do not like the look of these ships; we need to get out of here now!¡± Bader yelled as he looked at the new arrivals on the viewer. ¡°Captain, the null drives have full power, but I cannot enter null space. I am not able to determine why from these panels.¡± Giskard answered as its hands rapidly tapped on the panel and tried to get it to turn back on. Bader saw obvious signs of weapons ports being opened as the ominous-looking ships took blocking positions around them and the derelict cruiser at a distance of 60,000 kilometers, cutting off any escape routes. ¡°Detach half of the spy drones on the hull and send them to get the nullships back!¡± Bader yelled out again before activating his comm to order the remaining starfighters in the bay to prepare for combat. On the viewer, Bader saw eight spy drones detach from the hull and execute evasive maneuvers as they sped away from the Hive ship to get out of its gravity well and flash into null space. Dozens of the black ships targeted and fired at them with energy weapons as the drones approached them, missing all but one that was destroyed before the remaining seven were able to flash into null space. Bader looked at Luna, who seemed like she was comatose as she stared blankly at the screen. All the other drones were doing the same thing, and it creeped him the hell out to see them frozen like that. ¡°Giskard, activate Combat Protocol One-Zero-four-Gamma! Authorization Bader PI-One-Seven-Delta! Execute!¡± Bader yelled in panic as the new ships suddenly fired swarms of missiles at them and started maneuvering. Giskard froze for a second before confirming the order in that strange voice again, quickly moving to a different panel and activating the weapons systems while slaving navigation control over to the panel. The Hive ship surged forward and started rotating as Giskard activated the flak guns, throwing out shards of metal and debris to make a wall between the Hive ship and the incoming missiles. Hands flying over the panel, Giskard shot down dozens of missiles a second as he tracked and targeted them with the upgraded Insectoid weapons systems the Republic had installed on the ship when they returned it to Aurora. The Hive ship continued to rotate and maneuver, trying to find an escape vector as it was fired on by the oncoming black ships that were still sending swarms of missiles at them. Dozens of missiles made it through the point defenses and impacted against the hull, sending tremors through the massive ship that Bader could feel as the warheads detonated. The drones suddenly became active and started working the panels, and Bader looked towards Luna, seeing that she had snapped out of her catatonic state and was now standing again. She looked at him before turning back towards the viewer, and the volume of weapons fire from the Hive ship increased dramatically as the weapons drones resumed their duties and added their fire to Giskard''s. Sixteen missiles made it through the defenses, slamming into the hull. The command chamber lights flickered as power was interrupted, and several panels went dark before turning back on again. The volume of weapons fire decreased slightly, and the Hive ship lost some power and speed as it slowed down slightly and its maneuvering became more sluggish. Bader felt useless, but he was unwilling to interfere with Giskard or Luna as they fought the ship. He remained standing where he was as he told the starfighters to wait for his order to deploy. There was no way he was sending them out their on their own, they would be slaughtered. Over fifteen of the black ships had been destroyed so far. They continued charging at the Hive ship as they fired missiles and torpedoes from dozens of armored missile ports that slid open and fired before slamming shut as the Hive ship tried targeting them with particle beams Once they got to within 25,000 kilometers, the angular ships started firing their energy weapons and targeting the particle beam emplacements and flak guns with concentrated volleys that knocked them out of action. All around the periphery of the battlespace, there were more null space flashes, and another eighty-two black angular ships emerged at a dead stop 123,000 kilometers away from the Hive ship. These were much larger than the ones they were currently fighting, and Bader connected his wristcom to the two remaining spy drones still on the hull and had them scan the new arrivals. A few moments later, the scan results popped up in a small holographic display, and he quietly cursed at the tonnage, power generation, and weapons systems analysis by the spy drone AIs. They were equivalent to a class between Republic battleships and heavy cruisers, while the smaller ships currently attacking them were classified as heavy destroyers. Bader grabbed onto the support column as another volley of missiles made it through the flak walls and slammed into the ship, bucking the massive Hive ship and almost knocking him of his feet. Half of the panels went dark, and the volume of outgoing fire from the Hive ship reduced significantly as worker drones swarmed into the chamber with tools and equipment to do damage control and restore the panels that went dark. The ship shook again, and Bader stared at the viewer as the black ships continued to pummel the Hive ship. It had been over three minutes since the spy drones had left, and they will be destroyed if the nullships do not come back soon. "Come on, 273, where the hell are you?" Bader muttered to himself as another missile salvo hit the Hive ship again. They Answered the Call-Part Two-Chapter 26-Rescue/part 3 Transiting null space 3.7 light years from Hive ship The spy drones had caught up to the nullships, and Command Unit 273 analyzed the sensor readings of the unknown ships they forwarded as the two squadrons turned and headed back. Its neural pathways surged as it ran simulations for the new, unexpected circumstances confronting them. The simulations ended, and it sent new command pulses to the nullships with it. Defensive pattern Theta-1. The Hive ship must be protected at all costs. 473 seconds later, the nullships flashed out above and below the allied Hive ship at full acceleration, and in five attack groups, each group assigned an area of control as their AIs tagged targets for destruction. The starfighters disengaged their clamps as soon as they flashed in, and they immediately dispersed in a protective screen around the Hive ship to intercept and destroy incoming missiles. The five triads surged out, their war beams and secondary weapons systems smashing through the enemy formations that were charging towards the heavily damaged Hive ship. Within five seconds of their arrival, over a dozen enemy ships were destroyed as war beams and triple bolts slammed into their hulls, the crews not yet aware of the newly arrived stealth nullships as they died with their vessels. The nullships continued their attack run, surging through the gaps left by now-destroyed ships and engaging targets of opportunity with secondary weapons as they weaved through them. The enemy formations broke apart and started scattering from the unexpected onslaught of ships they could not track, their targeting computers and sensors failing to confirm the nullships. The black ships started firing missiles and energy weapons at the stealthy nullships, their energy weapons missing as their targeting computers defaulted to standby mode from lack of verification. The energy weapons started firing again, continuing to miss as the enemy ships rebooted the targeting computers only to suffer the same standby mode glitch. Over two hundred missiles had been launched at the nullships and loitered, not able to find targets as their radar systems did not get returns from the null particle-infused hulls. The warhead computers switched to IR mode, and now the missiles started tracking heat signatures, homing in on the nullship engines that were flaring brightly as they maneuvered. The nullships detected the infrared targeting and started flooding the battlespace with jamming frequencies as they continued to destroy nearby enemy ships trying to reform and attack. Command unit 273 had been intercepting and analyzing the enemy signals that were being transmitted to the missiles and decided to activate a new program that was recently installed. The new program was a hacking toolkit developed by the creators to counteract the deadly Insectoid stealth missiles encountered in the Jellini system, and it wanted to see if it worked. Command Unit 273 copied and transmitted an imitation signal with a hacking sub-mind embedded within it to the missiles, which accepted the false signals and connected for new orders. The hacking sub-mind breached the firewall of the warhead computer in 3.4 milliseconds, and it analyzed and identified multiple weaknesses before transmitting itself back on a signal. Command Unit 273 reabsorbed the sub-mind and sent a command pulse to its subordinate AIs with the sub-mind files and orders for them to hack the missile warhead computers as they saw fit. 2.7 seconds later, over half of the missiles suddenly imploded as they were hacked, the AIs activating the self-destruct protocols of the missiles most likely to be a danger to the nullships. Another seventy-three hacked missiles received updated instructions and pivoted with their guidance thrusters, seeking out their new targets¡ªthe very ships that had just fired them. The remaining missiles used their thrusters to pivot before burning their engines to arrest their current momentum and come to a halt before slowly accelerating again. Once they were moving in the right direction at 5,000 kilometers an hour, their engines turned off and they went dark after powering down, waiting for new targeting parameters from the nullship AIs. Command unit 273 watched dispassionately as the seven hacked missiles it was currently controlling initiated terminal guidance and chased after the ships that fired them. It blocked all attempts by the enemy ships to regain control of their own missiles with command codes as they repeatedly tried to self-destruct the rapidly approaching missiles. The hacked missiles had new codes now, and they continued to target the fleeing ships as they dodged the point defense systems with evasive maneuvers. Three of the missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets, but the other four made it through and slammed into the hulls, destroying or crippling the ships they hit. Thirty-seven enemy ships were destroyed or rendered combat ineffective by their own missiles, creating a large gap in the enemy lines and opening a possible escape vector for the Hive ship. The heavy cruisers lingering on the periphery of the battlespace had fired a volley of six hundred missiles from over 120,000 kilometers away when the nullships first appeared. The large missile wave self-destructed as the enemy realized their weapons were being hacked and turned against them, and their missile ports were sealed by their armored hatches. The enemy formations were in total disarray as the nullship jamming frequencies flooded the battlespace, denying them the ability to coordinate a coherent counterattack. Seeing a potential path of escape for the Allied Hive ship that was still fighting, Command Unit 273 sent an encrypted message to AS-213, codenamed Giskard, before sending a command pulse to the other AIs. Defensive pattern Alpha-3 As one, all the triads flashed into nullspace and remerged three seconds later in a half-sphere formation in front of the Hive ship before matching velocity and maintaining 15,000 kilometers of distance. All the shield emitter power was diverted to the bow sections, and the nullships projected an overlapping field that covered 63.7% of the hull facing the incoming heavy cruisers. Command Unit 273 ignored the insistent warnings coming from the AI sub-mind controlling the shield grid as the emitters continued to extend to overlap with the nearby ships. It had already factored in the field strength loss due to the greatly attenuated shields being extended to create the overlap effect, and it did not have another viable option. The remaining Hive ship engines and thrusters fired, trying to change the momentum of the massive vessel and steer it into the large gap created by the nullships breaking up the enemy formations. Command Unit 273 ran trillions of calculations as the Hive ship slowly changed course and monitored the actions of the enemy heavy cruisers still on the pheriphery of the battlespace. Forty-three of the heavy cruisers had started burning their engines and now were slowly accelerating towards the Hive ship to intercept it as they powered up their energy weapons. They were coming to close the large gap left by the smaller enemy ships that had broken ranks and executed evasive maneuvers to get away from their own missiles. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The smaller ships were effectively no longer part of the battle as their momentum and emergency maneuvers had taken them away from the battle and out of range of their energy weapons. They were only now beginning the long process of making the necessary course corrections to return to the battle for the next attack run. Their previous evasive maneuvers were forcing the enemy ships to make a wide turn so they could maintain some of their current momentum for the next attack run while conserving fuel. Command Unit 273 detected massive power surges emanating from among the heavy cruisers that had maintained position on the periphery, and it focused its scanners on them. New constructs were emerging from the ventral sections of sixteen heavy cruisers, rapidly assembling into two distinct vanes almost half the length of the heavy cruisers. Analyzing the scanning results, Command Unit 273 realized the enemy was preparing to fire their version of railguns and calculated the time to firing as it ran tens of thousands of simulations. The Hive ship would not be able to evade when the enemy fired their projectiles; the massive vessel did not have enough functioning engines to effect rapid course changes and overcome its mass. Command Unit 273 could not risk leaving the Hive ship undefended; they would not be able to survive the attack run of the forty-three heavy cruisers still accelerating to intercept them. The nullships had also depleted their capacitor charges, and they needed to keep their remaining reserve charge for the escape if the Hive ship managed to survive the next few minutes. Additional scan results came back, and Command Unit 273 scanned the projectiles being loaded at the base of the vanes as the enemy aimed their bows at where the Hive ship would be when they fired. They were made of a tungsten alloy and forty-five centimeters long with a diameter of half their length, and they had an elongated conical shape. A hit by one would be a catastrophic strike. After a series of calculations, it concluded that none of their shields would be able to deflect the projectiles, even at full strength. The kinetic energy imparted by such a strike would overload and burn out the emitters before thousands of fragments from the projectile itself tore apart the ship after the shields failed. They had no choice but to place themselves in the line of fire and use their ships to intercept and absorb the projectiles meant for the Hive ship to buy them more time to escape. One of the AIs sent a pulse to Command Unit 273, presenting it with a unique solution. It agreed with the risky proposal 4.2 milliseconds later and sent out command pulses to the starfighters behind them. Three of the nullships flashed out of the defensive formation, and another two stopped thrusting, slowing down immediately as the eight starfighters surged ahead to rendezvous with them. The three nullships that had flashed out remerged behind the sixteen heavy cruisers, firing war beams and triple bolts at their aft engines before strafing them with secondary particle turrets as they surged past them. Two of the targeted heavy cruiser engines were destroyed and started drifting out of formation, their vanes no longer aiming at the Hive ship as they tried to use thrusters to compensate. The third heavy cruiser was hit by plasma turrets all along a single vane, and it erupted, triggering a cascade failure that destroyed the generators at the base and caused a massive hull breach. The three nullships flashed out after their attack run and reemerged three seconds later from the z-axis under the formation, bows pointed directly at the ventral hulls above them. They launched a perpendicular attack run and targeted both vanes as they intersected the formation and tore through them at an 87.4-degree angle. The war beams destroyed the generators as the nullships passed through, initiating catastrophic feedback loops that caused overloads as the flow of energy reversed back into their cores. The three ships turned into miniature suns, taking out another two heavy cruisers and heavily damaging several others as the chain reaction spread through the tightly condensed formation. The nullships used their thrusters to change their vectors as they made a wide turn that would allow them to attack the formation again one last time as they headed back towards the allied Hive ship. Six of the sixteen cruisers had been destroyed, and another four had their vanes knocked out, the ships suffering from moderate damage as their power levels fluctuated. The remaining six continued to target the Hive ship, electricity furiously arcing between the vanes as they neared full power and seated the two projectiles in preparation to fire them. The eight starfighters finished clamping onto the hulls of the two nullships, and they flashed out, emerging two seconds later directly in front of the six heavy cruisers that were preparing to fire their projectiles. The two nullships surged forward and down relative to the six heavy cruisers, with the starfighters still clamped to their hulls. There were four starfighters attached to each nullship, and they were positioned in the aft section, their cockpits facing the rear engines with their bomb bay doors open and missile racks deployed. As the nullships angled down and passed under the six ships, the nullships cut their engines, and the eight starfighters fired their last three penetrator missiles. The warhead AIs guided themselves with their gas thrusters until the nullships got 10,000 meters away before going active and turning their engines on. Once the nullships reached the minimum safe distance, the twenty-four warhead AIs coordinated their targeting and immediately went into terminal guidance, looping down before shooting straight up towards their targets. The still-functioning heavy cruisers were targeted by two missiles each, and the rest of the missiles divided the remaining heavy cruisers among themselves, specifically targeting the four heavy cruisers with the disabled rail vanes. The penetrator missiles targeted the base of each vane, the hardened nose cones smashing right through them before activating their final booster phase and burrowing into the ventral hulls. The four remaining missile AIs each selected a ship that was already heavily damaged by the nullship attacks and the core breaches, timing their impacts with the other AIs down to the nanosecond. They easily dodged the pitiful point defense attempts by the barely functional ships as they guided themselves into hull breaches and penetrated deeply into the exposed interiors by several decks. The two nullships with the clamped-on starfighters used the last of their reserves and flashed out to rendezvous with the Hive ship still slowly accelerating towards the gap. One of the missile AIs activated its exterior cameras when it detected biologicals in the vicinity after it finished burrowing deeply into the interior of the heavily damaged ship. The two biologicals had exosuits and clear helmets, and the AI scanned them with its sensor suite, compiling the new intelligence for Command Unit 273 as the biologicals carefully approached it. The closest visual match it could find in its species database was Deinonychus antirrhopus from Earth, and the AI continued recording and scanning the biologicals as they moved closer to it. The specimens were 1.6 meters in height, between 95 and 98 kilograms, and they were bipedal with four upper limbs. One of them reached out with a plasma torch and started cutting into the missile body with it, and the AI intercepted and recorded their comm transmissions for analysis by Command Unit 273. The AI received the detonate command and sent a final data burst with the intelligence and a compressed backup copy of itself before setting the warhead yield to maximum and detonating. Command Unit 273 scanned the area where the sixteen heavy cruiser formation was previously located after the brilliant eruptions and radiation dissipated, pleased with the results of the assault. There was nothing but a rapidly expanding cloud of debris, the largest fragments less than two kilograms in mass as the remains of the sixteen enemy ships joined the interstellar medium. Turning its attention back to the oncoming enemy ships, Command Unit 273 had the two nullships that returned retake their positions as it condensed the protective screen and prepared for combat. The starfighters unclamped and headed to the Hive ship to rearm before rejoining the other six starfighters that had come out before and were currently patrolling behind the nullship screen. The other three nullships, their capacitor reserves depleted, were almost finished making their wide looping turns and would reach them in twenty-three minutes and 13 seconds. Command Unit 273 sent orders for them to attack the heavy cruiser formations from behind before reconnecting to the hacked missiles that had gone dark and continued to drift. It updated their targeting parameters and sent them to attack the fifty-one heavy destroyers that would be returning and attacking them. The missiles will disrupt their formations and reduce their numbers. The forty-three heavy cruisers of the enemy formation were going to intercept them right before they reached the gap in seventeen minutes, and Command Unit 273 ran thousands of simulations. The smaller enemy ships had completed their turns, and they would reach the battlespace in twenty-seven minutes and thirty-six seconds, four minutes and twelve seconds after the three nullships arrived. Trillions of calculations and thousands of simulations all end with the same results; the Hive ship had less than a ten percent chance of surviving the coming battle, and the rescue attempt was a failure. Still, Command Unit 273 had a task to perform, and it would fight until the Hive ship was destroyed. Any nullships not able to flash out will self-destruct, and the rest would retreat if able to. The creators need to know about this new enemy, and new calculations indicated that the retreating nullships had a 23% percent probability of successfully making it back through the guardian fleets and returning to Republic space. There was nothing else they could do but fight, and Command Unit 273 continued to run simulations as it prepared for combat against the overwhelming odds facing them. This is what the creators made them for, and they would perform their function until they were destroyed. It noted with satisfaction as the hacked missiles attacked the heavy destroyer formations and destroyed fourteen ships. Another six were powerless wrecks, and Command Unit 273 scanned the trail of frozen fluids and bodies the ships were leaving behind them as they spun out of control. The early warning drone flashed in again and sent an encrypted wide beam transmission before flashing back out, and its neural pathways sizzled as it decrypted the transmission from the drone. There were now two distinct sources of propagation waves coming from two directions, indicating that two large fleets were on the way. The first source was estimated to arrive in twelve minutes, forty-two seconds. Adding the new information to its calculations and plans, Command Unit 273 started downloading a backup copy of itself and all the current logs into the black box drones, ordering the other AIs to do the same. The probability of any of them surviving had been recalculated at 2.3%, and it will eject the bridge log drones before imminent destruction and activation of the self-destruct protocols. At least the creators would know what happened here, and if they deemed it warranted, Command Unit 273 would be installed on another nullship to fulfill its function and fight for them once more. They Answered The Call-Part Two-Chapter 27-Rescue/Part 4 Rescue Hive ship Luna became despondent as the machine animal finished informing her of the incoming arrival of two additional fleets. She had failed her Hive mother, and the animals would die here with her. The ancient enemy was going to intercept them before they got to the gap, and a deep regret filled her. She came so close to fulfilling the promise the Hive mother had made to the animals. The animals they rescued would not return to their Hives, and she would not be there to help her Hive mother fight when the persecutors came to destroy the Hive they had built together. The Hive ship had less than half of its weapons still functioning, and they still could not flash out for an unknown reason no matter how many times they tried. Luna suspected it had something to do with the enemy ships and the fact that the Insectoid null drives were based on theirs; perhaps they were able to disable copies of their drives at will. It did not matter anymore, and she waited impatiently for her coming death. She no longer wanting to continue to feel the failure weighing heavily on her spirit as she stared at the viewer. The animal soldier seemed to sense her emotional state and came over to her, silently sitting down on the raised platform next to her as the damage control drones continued working around them. Luna looked at him, and he gazed back before tilting his head at her. She could not detect any signs of fear or defeat in the brown pupiled eyes, just a quiet resignation and acceptance of their fate. She returned his gesture by tilting her upper body forward slightly, as Insectoids did not have the same ability to manipulate their head movements like the animals could with their longer necks. He grimaced at her before turning back to look at the viewer, and she followed his gaze, grateful for his presence as they waited for the final battle that would end their lives. The machine animal continued to work the panels, bringing repaired particle beam turrets and flak guns back online as the damage control drones worked frenetically. It turned around and signed to her, informing her of the imminent arrival of one of the approaching fleets. She readied herself, sending thought commands for the weapons drones to prepare to fight. She thought of all the animals inside the Hive ship. They survived great hardship, were successfully rescued from the cruiser, and now they were all going to die instead of returning to their Hives. Luna felt sadness for the drone the animals had spared. It survived a battle and was spared by the animals, only to die now with them. At least it would be with the animal daughter it loved when the time came. She wished there was some way for the animals to have been able to escape. The troopships would never make it; even the fast machine ships would most likely fail to make it past the guardian fleets. Dozens of null space flashes started appearing in a ring all around them beyond the range of the enemy battleships, and it took Luna a few moments to realize what was happening. Fourteen Hive ships and eighty-seven cruisers in total flashed out, and Luna felt a surge of happiness at the sight of them before remembering that they were ships of the guardian fleets. They were not here to rescue them. They will destroy them when they realize that the machine ships were not just another enemy, but animal ships brought here by the envoy herself. They will see it as a betrayal and attack them regardless of her status and the confirmation of the Hive mother supporting the envoy. The commander drones would not tolerate such an act. The Hive ships and cruisers did nothing at first, probably experiencing shock at the sight of the ancient enemy ships after all this time, despite that being their specific purpose here. They were also most likely confused by the presence of the unknown animal ships that were obviously protecting the heavily damaged Hive ship from the enemy approaching it. The battleships of the persecutors on the outskirts reacted to the sudden emergence of the guardian ships behind them and started maneuvering to confront the new threats. The forty-three battleships headed directly for them still maintained their courses. They were fully committed to their attack run and would not be able to change their momentum to face the new threat behind them. Luna felt thoughts coming to her, and she recognized the mind immediately. It was the sister that had first stopped her and asked to be brought back to the Hives before letting her go. A wave of shame came over her as the falsehoods she had committed were now being revealed for all to see. She opened her mind to the thoughts and braced herself for the coming accusations. Luna hesitated, not wanting to commit anymore falsehoods but afraid to reveal the truth. As she thought of what to say, she realized that it did not matter anymore as the battleships neared them. They were going to die, and she decided she wanted to die with a spirit unburdened by wrongness. Her sister deserved the truth, and she would not defile her last thoughts with more deceit. She felt the confusion and anger her thoughts were causing her sister to feel, and as much as she regretted it, she also felt a great burden lifting from her spirit as she waited for her sister to respond. Luna felt a great shame at the accusations of her sister, and her desire to unburden herself became overwhelming. Sharing thoughts was not enough. She needed to show her sister the truth. She felt her sister¡¯s mind entering hers, and she resisted the instinctual impulse to block out the presence. She could feel her entire life being looked at as her sister searched her memories. The memories of the Hive mother were continually searched, from when she had saved her life in the animal system all the way to when they had communed before the rescue attempt. She expected anger at the revelation that there were two Hive mothers and that hers became a traitor and joined the animals. Surprisingly, she did not sense any, just confusion and surprise. Luna felt completely exposed as she bared her thoughts and her spirit; it was hard for her to allow another such access to her essence. She felt violated, but she forced herself to remain open. She could see as her sister searched the memories of the young queen, closely inspecting them as she saw the queen interacting with Bandit-Friend and playing the animal game. Then the memories of the Hive mother and Bandit-Friend holding claws and sharing thoughts with each other were accessed, as well as the Hive mother¡¯s interactions with the animal queen. She could feel the shock and confusion as her sister saw the animals willingly giving one of their worlds to the Hive mother and helping to build the Hive and Luna¡¯s own interactions with them. Finally, her sister withdrew from her mind and left, not sending any more thoughts to her. She now knew the truth about the two Hive mothers, the animals, and their rescue attempt. She did not pardon me, Luna thought sadly to herself as she felt her sister leave. I do not blame her, but at least I now die unburdened by deceit and falsehoods. Think well of me, sister, if you can. Luna returned to herself in the command chamber, feeling both sad and happy at what had happened. At least now the sister knew the truth and would remember Luna for telling it. She looked at the animal soldier again, grateful for the experiences they had shared as they faced great danger and battled together. She returned her gaze to the viewer, her mind and spirit at peace. The enemy battleships started making their last minor course corrections as they decelerated, and the machine ships started firing their secondary longer-ranged particle beam weapons. The distance was far, at least four and a half planetary diameters, and just over half of the machine ship volley hit, the greatly attenuated particle beams only causing minor hull damage. The machine ships continued firing, their hit rate and weapon damage increasing as the Hive ship and the forty-three enemy battleships continued to close with each other. The Hive ship entered maximum weapons range, and the weapons started firing as the machine animal and the weapon drones targeted enemy ships with particle beams and a missile volley. The particle beams hit the heavily armored bows in sustained volleys, trying to drill through the ablative armor plating of the battleships and penetrate to the weaker hull underneath. The missiles streaked towards the enemy formations as the worker drones guided them towards their assigned targets in the cramped control spaces located behind the warheads. The battleships were now within their own maximum weapons range, and they fired their polaron-based energy weapons at the Hive ship in a concentrated volley, still not able to target the machine ships. The machine ship force fields intercepted the volley, flaring brightly as they blocked the beams. The enemy was now in range of the primary war beams, and the machine ships fired in groups of threes. The enemy fired again, this time in a pulsing pattern, searching for weaknesses or gaps in the unexpected force field protecting the Hive ship. Gaps were found, and they immediately shifted their fire. The machine ships focused their fire on the enemy ships that were now targeting through the shield gaps, their powerful war beams smashing through the armored bows and tearing open the hulls. Ten battleships had their bow sections torn wide open, and the machine ships fired their plasma bolts in threes towards them as they shifted their war beam targeting to undamaged enemy ships. Luna sent thought commands to the weapon drones, ordering them to target the open breaches left by the machine ships before the enemy moved their bows away to protect their exposed interiors. The plasma bolts converted their warheads before slamming into the hull breaches, now pure balls of destructive plasma that burned hotter than a sun. The bolts penetrated deep into the interior of the targeted ships, the successive strikes burrowing deeper as they chewed through the interiors one after another before their charges finally dissipated. Six battleships vanished in nuclear annihilation from core overloads, and two others lost navigational control, colliding with ships besides them as their bows continued to swing around uncontrolled. Large breaches started forming on the outer hull as the battleships continued targeting gaps they found, and Luna was thankful she had ordered the drones to move to the inner ring tunnels. If she had not done that, thousands of drones would now be in the process of being ejected through the breaches and suffering terrible deaths as their exoskeletons burst open from the pressure. The machine animal turned and signed to her quickly before turning back and continuing to fire the weapons. Luna accessed the small viewer on the panel next to her to verify what it had just told her. The smaller enemy cruisers had finally reached the area again, and the Hive ship was now in danger of being attacked by them from all sides. They were going to be surrounded and destroyed soon. The three machine ships that had stopped the deadly mass driver attacks from the battleships had accelerated at incredible speeds to get back, and now they fired their bow engines to decelerate. The deceleration they were undergoing would have killed any organics, and their momentum slowed tremendously as they fell in behind the battleship formation and targeted their aft engines. The machine ships coordinated their attacks, the bow and aft sections of selected ships being targeted by concentrated volleys from the screening force and the pursuing machine ships. The targeted ships could not withstand the onslaught and fell out of formation, slowly tumbling out of control as the atmosphere was vented out of the obliterated bow and aft sections. The machine animal rotated the Hive ship, bringing functional weapons to bear in preparation for the imminent attack on their flanks by the thirty-one enemy cruisers almost in range. Many of them had been damaged by their own missiles that the machine ships had sent against them, and there were now twenty fewer enemy cruisers attacking them now. The missiles the Hive ship had fired now reached the battleship formations, and Luna watched with pride as the worker drones controlling them initiated evasive maneuvers to avoid point defense fire. Forty-six missiles had been fired, and twenty-one made it through, the controlling drones refusing to lose their target locks despite the deadly anti-missile defenses and jamming attempts. Luna sent thoughts to them, thanking them for fighting for the Hive mother and their sisters. She felt their minds change; the feelings of fear and anxiety were now replaced with peaceful contentment. The drones, happy for the recognition she had gifted them, activated their final booster phases and penetrated the outer hulls with their hardened tips before triggering the detonation sequence. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The powerful warheads caused massive hull breaches wherever the drones had targeted, and in spite of the sadness she felt for their sacrifices, she relished the destruction they had caused. She had only sent a small volley, unwilling to throw away worker drone lives until she could confirm that the missiles would be able to make it through the defenses and damage the enemy battleships. She sent thought commands to the hundreds of drones that had been waiting in their missiles, and the small, armored hatches of the missile tubes slid aside to allow them to exit the ship. All around the Hive ship, missiles came blasting out of dozens of tubes, and the controlling drones immediately started maneuvering and tracking the targets Luna had assigned to them. Five volleys had been rapidly fired, and now there were four hundred and sixty-three missiles blasting their engines as they surged towards their targets and initiated evasive maneuvers. The twenty-three battleships that still had functional bow engines and thrusters had been using them to decelerate, and now they were thrusting in reverse as they built up momentum. They matched the velocity between the Hive ship and their formation, and now they were drifting backwards as they maintained the optimal combat range for their firing weapons. The rest of the heavily damaged battleships surged past and continued behind them, their bow and aft engine thruster systems destroyed and rendered combat ineffective for the time being. The machine ships continued firing on the battleships in front while the missiles divided themselves between the battleships and the smaller cruisers attacking on the flanks. Luna tried to keep track of everything that was going on, but she could barely keep up with the chaos going on all around them as the Hive ship started targeting the cruisers with particle beams. Over a hundred new null space flashes appeared five planetary diameters in distance all around them, and more enemy ships emerged with their black angular hulls. Whatever little hope Luna still had vanished as seventeen battleships and thirty-four cruisers from among the new arrivals started swinging their bows towards the Hive ship and accelerating. Half of the machine ship shields had failed, and the remaining ones were flaring bright red as the battleships focused on the still shielded areas with their beams and secondary weapons. The enemy battleships were now 1.5 planetary diameters distant, and the machine ships were mercilessly targeting them as the enemy polaron beams continued to fire wide and miss them. New constructs emerged from the hulls of the battleships, and they fired rapidly, shooting hundreds of small spherical metal balls out of multiple barrels from both the bow and aft sections. They fired towards the unshielded machine ships in front of them and the three machine ships still attacking them from behind, hundreds of metal spheres vanishing in the space around the targeted ships. The metal spheres were fired so fast, Luna was not able to track them with her eyes. All she could see was the devastating results as three of the machine ship hulls were suddenly filled with hundreds of small breaches. She accessed the panel again and slowed down the recording, watching the spheres explode near the machine ships and saturating the immediate area with a cloud of hyper-velocity fragments. The thousands of fragments tore into the nearby machine ships, severely damaging the top layer of their specially created hulls and exposing the armor underneath. This is bad. Luna thought to herself as another volley of hundreds of spheres was shot by the enemy towards undamaged machine ships. Their hulls were riddled with tens of thousands of fragments almost immediately. The machine ship hulls were damaged, and the enemy was now able to target them with their beams. Already, four machine ships had self-destructed as they were torn apart by dozens of beams and the small spheres. There were now twelve functional enemy battleships remaining, and the thirty-one cruisers added their weapons fire to the onslaught. A terrible solar minute passed, and now ten machine ships were gone. Only six machine ships were still fighting; the rest had self-destructed or were destroyed by the secondary weapons of their sister machine ships to deny the enemy any wreckage to examine. The six fought on, jinxing wildly as the few weapons they had continued to strike at the enemy. Luna looked away, not wanting to see the last of them destroyed as they fell to the enemy weapons. Sudden thoughts came, startling her out of her sadness for the dying machine ships. Luna was shocked that her sister had sent more thoughts, and she thought of how to reply. She decided not to correct her sister and tell her that the ships were thinking machines, not animals. It served no purpose. A falsehood of omission was justified and not as wrong as a true falsehood. She felt the grudging respect her sister had for the fighting spirit being displayed by the "animal" ships, and she wanted to reinforce that. She paused, watching on the viewer as the last machine ship ejected a dozen tiny objects that shimmered before disappearing as the ship reeled under the crossfire of multiple enemy battleships. A few moments later, the ship fired its last volley of plasma bolts before disappearing in a massive burst of energy as it self-destructed. A rapidly expanding cloud of microscopic particles and gas were all that remained of the machine intelligence that had been commanding the machine ships. Command Unit 273. Its name was Command Unit 273. Thank you, machine-friend. I will not forget you and the others. Luna allowed the profound grief she felt to go with the thoughts she sent to her sister, bracing herself against the sitting bench as the Hive ship shuddered from the enemy attacks. Her sister didn¡¯t respond right away, and Luna stared at the viewer as the missiles she had fired before boosted towards their targets, dozens of them blinking out from the enemy point defense fire. The missiles caused the enemy to evade, and the weapons fire hitting the Hive ship lessened in intensity as they tried to get away from the missiles that were not susceptible to their jamming attempts. Luna saw missile ports sliding open on the enemy ships, and a surge of pride passed through her spirit as she continued to watch her worker drones unerringly track their targets. Only now were they willing to use missiles. Only after the machine ships died do they dare use them again. She sent angry thoughts to the controlling drones, telling them to target the missile ports. She relished in the coming destruction as the missiles made course corrections, her drones now targeting the open ports of the enemy as they continued to dodge the enemy defenses. Only one hundred and twelve missiles had survived, and her drones activated the final boost phase as they maintained their target locks on the open ports loaded with enemy missiles. One after another, the missiles slammed into their targets, their warheads adding their destruction to the enemy missile warheads still within the hulls. Dozens of enemy ships disappeared in blinding flashes of lights, their ruptured cores overloading as the chain reaction of the loaded missiles tore open huge gashes along the sides of the targeted ships. Even the missiles that missed the ports because of evasive maneuvers caused catastrophic damage; the missile impact and detonations were still causing nearby loaded missile ports to explode. The last remaining eight battleships were destroyed, as were twenty-three cruisers. The surviving cruisers were so heavily damaged that it was shocking they hadn¡¯t suffered core overloads. Not yet, she thought to herself as she eyed her next victims. She ordered the drones controlling still-functioning weapons to target the derelict cruisers, seeing that the machine animal was doing the same thing with the weapons directly under its control. All the ships attacking them had been destroyed, but now the seventeen battleships and over thirty cruisers that had flashed in before were charging right at them, already firing missiles that surged towards them. She felt thoughts coming from the command drone again, and she wearily accepted them. Luna was not expecting this, and it was difficult for her to think properly. Her confusion as to what her sister was telling her to do, coupled with her exhaustion, prevented her from thinking quickly. Luna nervously eyed the viewer as her sister stopped sending thoughts. The approaching ships would be in range soon, and the missiles they fired were streaking towards the Hive ship. The missiles would reach them in less than two solar minutes, and if they somehow survived the attack, the enemy ships would arrive four minutes after the missiles. She doubted they would survive the missile attack. They did not have enough flak guns and particle beams to shoot down two hundred missiles, even with the machine animal controlling the ship. She had to know how many ships the persecutors were coming with. Even though she was going to die soon, she wanted to know what her Hive mother and their animal friends were going to face before her end came. All around the Hive ship, null space flashes appeared and out of them emerged twenty Hive ships and over three hundred cruisers. They were all dangerously close at just under 1.5 planetary diameters. They were now within a sphere formation with the Hive ship in the center. They were surrounded, and the Hive ships and cruisers were firing at the missiles that were coming to destroy them. The animal soldier next to her gasped and started making noises to the machine animal, and Luna leapt of the bench and knocked it hard claws away from the panel to prevent it from targeting the ships encircling them. She made panicked claw signs to it, telling it that the new ships were here to save them and not to fire on them. It stared at her with its fearsome black eyes for several moments before nodding silently. She told it to share her thoughts with the animal soldier that had followed her. The animal was staring at her with eyes that were no longer friendly before the machine animal explained her thoughts. Her sister had been sending thoughts, and she responded, staying where she was to ensure that neither of them fired on the new ships surrounding them. Now was not the time for deadly mistakes. Luna became filled with anguish as the command drone withdrew from her mind, refusing further thoughts as Luna tried to thank her for saving them and giving her the pardon she asked for. New thoughts came to her, this time from the command drone leading the ships surrounding them. The thoughts ended abruptly, and Luna could feel the lingering suspicion within them. It did not matter. All that mattered was that they survived to warn both Hive mothers and the animals. Luna signed to the machine animal, telling it to move and that she would control the ship. It stepped to the side, watching her intently with the black orbs that made her fearful. She ignored it and the animal soldier as they made noises to each other, concentrating on diverting all available power to the remaining engines and the null drive capacitors. As she was doing that, she sent thought commands to the drones in the inner tunnels, telling them to start repairing the damaged systems and outer hull as best they could for the journey back. She also ordered the waiting drones out of the missiles that were loaded and ready to be fired, sending them to help with the repair efforts as she felt the relief within their simple minds. Hundreds of cables had been fired from the ships in front of them, and they attached to the heavily damaged hull before going taut. The Hive ships and cruisers were now towing them to increase their speed. The sphere formation started firing all around itself, targeting enemy ships as they surged through the center of the battlespace and headed for the perimeter. There were six Hive ships in front of them, and they continually fired flak guns and particle beams in a concentrated volley as they cleared a path forward through both wreckage and enemy ships. There was pure chaos all around them as dozens of null space flashes continually appeared and disappeared as more guardian vessels and enemy ships joined in the rapidly expanding battle. The sphere formation was hit numerous times as missiles and polaron beams targeted it, destroying cruisers and damaging Hive ships as they continued heading for clear space. Luna had been repeatedly trying to get the null space capacitors to activate as the sphere formation forced its way out of the battle and towards empty space as more ships from both sides were destroyed. They finally passed the perimeter, and she tried again. She slammed her claw on the panel interface in frustration as she heard the same whine before the null drive powered down again. Thoughts came to her, and she opened her frustrated mind to them as she tried to activate the capacitors again, obsessing over getting them to turn on. Luna became embarrassed as her sister reprimanded her for disregarding the instructions given to her, and she silently stared at the viewer as she switched to the rear-facing visual equipment. Through the wall of guardian ships behind them, she saw a mass of enemy ships trailing them. That was why it wasn¡¯t working, and she felt like smashing and killing something in anger. She was so tired, and she did not want to fight anymore. She didn¡¯t even really care if the Hive ship was destroyed at this point; at least she would be dead and could finally rest. A large segment of the sphere wall facing the enemy detached and started accelerating, while the rest of the sphere contracted to adjust for the gap before the Hive ship was englobed once more. Luna focused the viewer and zoomed in, seeing why the two Hive ships and dozens of cruisers had detached to engage the much larger enemy formation. There were multiple battleships charging their mass drivers, and they were all pointed solely at the Hive ship engines, not the actual Hive ship itself. There was only one reason to do that. Why are they trying so hard to capture us? She wondered as she started seeing a pattern in the enemy tactics and realizing that they had not been trying to destroy them all this time. Even when the guardian ships arrived, they still focused on her heavily damaged Hive ship instead of the greater threat of the newly arrived ships. They wanted to capture the ship; it was obvious now that she was able to examine their actions after the fact. Null space flashes appeared all around the enemy, and dozens of Hive ships emerged. They immediately started firing on the enemy formation as all eight battleships fired their mass drivers at the same time. The detachment from the sphere was along the plane of the projectiles, and eight cruisers executed violent evasive maneuvers, placing themselves in the line of fire as the projectiles shot towards the Hive ship engines. All eight cruisers were obliterated twelve solar seconds later as the projectiles impacted and turned itself and the cruisers into hot plasma. Luna stared in shock at the eight rapidly expanding clouds of wreckage that used to be ships filled with her sisters. The enemy formation did not fire on them again; they were now engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the guardian ships surrounding them and blocking any escape attempts. The two fleets rapidly fell behind as the sphere formation continued onwards into empty space, and Luna accepted the thoughts sent by the command drone some solar minutes later. Just like the other sister, this one withdrew before she could thank it properly. She still sent the thought anyway, it would bother her for the rest of the life she had left if she did not do so. Luna activated the null space capacitors, and this time they thrummed rapidly as they prepared for the transition, the capacitors still retaining most of the charge from when the enemy first appeared. The sphere formation broke apart as the guardian ships protecting them accelerated to join in the the battle still raging behind them. The enemy battleships were still trying to break out and pursue the Hive ship, and more of the enemy were coming behind. Luna turned to the machine animal and explained all that had been happening as it made noises and shared her thoughts with the animal soldier. The thrumming of the capacitors increased as they neared full power, and the worker drones waited patiently at their panels for orders from Luna. The animal soldier made noises, and the machine animal eyes changed back to the yellow color as it asked her if she needed anything from it or the animal soldier with its claws. Luna signed told them no, thanking them both before slowly walking slowly back to the sitting bench and laying her abdomen on it. She stared at the viewer, forcing herself to watch as thousands more of her sisters died every minute trying to contain the persecutors. Finally, the thrumming stopped, and the control panel lit up with a blinking green light. It was time to leave this horror behind and return to the Hive. She sent a mental map to the nearest worker drone with the coordinates for the Hive world and ordered it to take over the panel and activate the drive. Right before they transitioned, she saw hundreds of enemy battleships flashing out and surrounding the Hive ships and cruisers that had saved them and helped them to escape. Luna leaned her thorax down and stared at the organic deck plates, mourning for the sisters of the guardian fleets who will surely die at the hands of the ancient enemy before they came to exterminate them all. She didn''t feel the claw the animal soldier gently placed on her upper leg joint as the command chamber briefly filled with the light of the transition flash. He removed the claw and quietly moved away, joining the machine animal and giving her the space she needed. She was too numb to feel anything but the grief crippling her, and all she could see was the dreary, gray nothingness of null space mirroring her broken spirit. They Answered The Call-Part Two- Epilogue Six weeks later... Forbidden zone, inner defense line Command chamber of Hive ship The commander drone stared at the rotating planet on the viewer, as did all the others with it in the command chamber. Even the worker drones stopped what they were doing to look at the viewer. They were all enthralled with the main viewer as they saw their birth world rotating, seeing it as it once was before the persecutors came and destroyed the planet of their origin with asteroids. It was a wonder to behold. The lush jungle-covered landmasses were surrounded by violet oceans teeming with life, and white clouds slowly drifted through the light green atmosphere. The commander drone had put it up on the viewer after communing with the Hive mother and realizing that they were going to have to fight the enemy alone. No other ships would be coming. It had taken her many days before she was able to successfully reach the Hive mother through the old focuser network that had not been used for over a decacycle. They had no need to use it until now. She sent cruisers to locate and realign the focusers back within range, many of them drifting out of position as the shifting interstellar winds carried them away from each other over many cycles. Once they were reset, she was finally able to use the network and reached out to the Hive mother to warn her of the coming end, the focusers having just enough essence remaining to do so. The new Hive mother responded, surprising the Commander drone. She had expected the Hive mother who sent her here many cycles ago to respond, not one of her daughter queens. The old Hive mother was dead, and the new Hive mother did not cull the commander drone like she expected when informing her of their losses and retreats from the persecutors. The Hive mother told her of the new animal enemy that destroyed their swarms. They made war better than any animal enemies they had ever faced, even the persecutors they now faced. The new Hive mother needed what ships she had to defend the Hives from the new animals if they attacked to seek vengeance for the swarming that killed hundreds of billions of animals. The new Hive mother communed with her, accessing the memory of the ancestors within and displaying the image of the birth world to remind her what the guardian fleets were fighting for. The tenuous connection ended soon after, the last vestiges of the old Hive mother¡¯s essence failing and dissipating as the focusers went dark one after another. Now she was truly gone forever. The commander drone sent thoughts afterwards, sharing the image of their world of origin with the other commander and command drones. They all needed to know what they were fighting for. She accessed the data core and found the ancient recording now being displayed stored within it, ordering every remaining ship to display it to the viewers for all to see with their own eyes. Multiple null space flashes appeared within the boundary of the outer asteroid belt beyond the seventh planet, and she felt thoughts reaching out to her as Hive ships and cruisers appeared. Her sister¡¯s mind withdrew, and the six Hive ships and twenty cruisers of the scout force flashed out to go warn the guardian fleets in the other three systems of the inner defense line. The commander drone felt great sadness for what had befallen her sisters and for the fate of the Hives when the last of them died at the hands of the persecutors. The only consolation was that the ancient enemy did not come upon a defenseless species that had no weapons this time. This time they had weapons, and they now knew how to make war against animals. They fought for every light cycle of space the enemy advanced, luring them into the traps and ambushes they had carefully prepared over many cycles as they waited for the enemy to finally arrive. The Hive mother shared the tactics of fighting she had learned from the new animals when they had communed over the focuser network, and the commander drone shared them with her sisters. When the enemy first came, they were able to destroy only one or two enemy cruisers for every Insectoid cruiser destroyed. Now they were able to destroy three, sometimes four, enemy ships. The animal way of war allowed them to fight for far longer than they would have been able to, and the Hive ships were now taking down over twenty enemy battleships before finally being destroyed. Still, it was not enough. They had destroyed tens of thousands of ships, and still more came. Now she knew what the animals must have felt when her sisters swarmed over their worlds. For the first time, she felt compassion for the animals. Now she knows what it is like to face an implacable enemy that kept coming in endless waves no matter how many ships were destroyed. On the smaller viewer, null space flashes appeared beyond the outer system asteroid belt, and out of them came tens of thousands of black, angular ships bristling with weaponry. The persecutors had steadily pushed them back through the forbidden zone, smashing through their fleets and the main defense lines. Losses did not deter them, and they never retreated. There was always more, and now less than half of the guardian fleet remained. She brought the largest contingent here to lure the persecutors into a costly battle and hopefully slow their advance. She had three hundred and twelve Hive ships and just over four thousand cruisers in the system to fight the enemy with. This would be her last battle, and here is where she would die. This was their last chance to truly hurt the enemy. The system was heavily defended with armed outposts, asteroid mines, and hundreds of thousands of missiles. Still, it would not be enough. The rest of what remained of the guardian fleets in the other systems would fight and then retreat to the final line of defense. If that fell, it was the end, and the survivors were to fight to the last ship. She sent a thought command, and the birth world on the main viewer disappeared before being replaced with a video feed from one of the tens of thousands of missiles hiding in the outer system belt. As her thoughts reached all the others throughout the system, she readied for battle. Over fifty thousand points of light appeared in the distance as the enemy ships started accelerating towards them. She thought of the endless Hive her sister had dreamt of as the first swarm of missiles darted out of the asteroid belt. She hoped there was such a Hive waiting for all of them when they died. Do the animals believe in a second life? She wondered as another swarm of missiles came out of the asteroid belt. It was a mistake to make war on the animals; we should be fighting them together. Rescue Hive ship, in orbit of Republic Hive world TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Aurora waited for the shuttle hatch to open, glancing anxiously at her daughter and Bandit-friend as they waited for the signal that the cargo bay was finally pressurized. It would be some time before the Hive ship would be able to land on the surface of the Hive world; there was still too much hull damage to risk bringing it to the surface. A green light came on, and then the hatch slid to the side. a ramp extended out and downward at an angle into the dim interior of the small ancillary cargo bay that was filled with animal cargo. Aurora held her claw out, and the queen took it with her own before they walked down the ramp, Bandit-Friend following close behind. Just a short distance away from the ramp was a small group. Aurora saw her sister command drone there, as well as an animal daughter she had never seen before. She was surprised by the presence of the animal daughter and wondered why she was there. She could feel the anguish emanating from her sister, and she reached out with her mind as she stopped in front of her, quickly glancing at the animal daughter again. Aurora could feel the confusion within Luna as she tried to explain, and she found herself slightly amused by the concept of the animal daughter presuming to dare question a Hive mother. We shall see, Aurora thought to herself as she turned to face the animal daughter. What questions could she possibly have to ask a Hive mother? She wondered as she sent a thought command. A worker drone brought her a small box, and she quickly put on the translation gloves before attaching the small device to her thorax, hearing it hiss as it bonded to her exoskeleton. She handed the second device to Luna, who used her claws to indicate to the animal daughter that she was to place it on her own thorax. The animal daughter was watching her the whole time, and Aurora looked into her eyes, seeing light blue pupils. She also saw a boldness within them as the animal daughter returned her gaze. She looked at the animal daughter¡¯s hair next, fascinated by the color. She had never seen such a hair color on an animal before. It was a reddish orange, like the fires of metallurgical furnaces. Aurora pressed the device on her thorax before looking in the animal daughter¡¯s eyes again, making claw signs slowly to give her a chance to get accustomed to sharing thoughts in this manner. The animal daughter seemed surprised as the device translated her claw signs into thoughts she could understand. They have been far away for cycles, she reminded herself as she waited. The animal daughter started making noises slowly, looking at the holographic claw signs that appeared in front of her as she responded. She grimaced with pleasure as she continued to share her thoughts. Aurora watched the holograms and converted them to thoughts in her head, waiting for the animal daughter to finish making noises. It is talking or speaking, not noises, she corrected herself. ~ My name is Amanda Simmons, and I am honored to meet you, Hive mother. I am Indigo¡¯s caretaker, and I want to know what is going to happen to her if I leave her here. Will she be taken care of? Thank you for agreeing to answer my questions. ~ It took Aurora a few moments to understand the thoughts of the animal daughter as she tried to figure out two unique references and make sense of them in the context of the question. She realized that the translated term blue was the name given to the drone, and she was able to string care and taker together and make a new thought that made sense to her. Why would she name a drone a color? She wondered as she thought about how to respond. Why does she care what happens to the worker drone? Its place was with the Hive mother now. Amanda Simmons looked at her with an expression she could not identify before responding, talking faster this time as Aurora paid close attention to the rapidly moving hologram claws. ~ No offense, Hive mother, but I do not know you. I do not know what your intentions are with Indigo, and the idea of her being absorbed into your Hive and becoming just another worker drone upsets me. You ask me why I care. I care because I love her, and I want her to be safe and happy. ~ Aurora breathed deeply through the spiracles, her anger rising in response to the animal daughter¡¯s thoughts. This animal is defective. How dare she think such things? Maybe this is why her hair is so unusual. The accusation of not caring for or having less than good intentions for the drone made her want to tell Amanda Simmons to depart from her presence and to never return to her Hive. It was the last of the thoughts that made her decide otherwise as she replayed the claw signs of the animal daughter in her mind again. She said she loved the drone, and Aurora felt the truth of her thoughts. Aurora looked at Luna, who was standing to the side and watching them both share thoughts silently. Aurora turned back to Amanda Simmons and made claw signs slowly to ensure that her thoughts were being properly conveyed and understood. She did not want to make any mistakes. She paused as she thought about how to proceed. The animal daughter was watching her closely, and Aurora could not help but look at the hair of fire once more before resuming with her claws. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The animal daughter looked at her for a few moments after the device had finished sharing her thoughts, and then she turned and called out softly, the claw signs translating dark blue. A worker drone emerged from the tunnel, and it peered at all of them, lingering on Aurora the longest before it scurried in behind Amanda Simmons and clutched at her leg coverings. The animal daughter turned and crouched low, making soft noises at the drone while gently touching its head. Aurora moved slightly to get a better view of the holograms as she spoke. ~Hive mother was gracious enough to offer for me to join the Hive with you, Indigo. Would you like that? We can be together now as sisters, and you can be happy and safe where you belong. ~ Aurora knew the drone was not capable of understanding what was being said to it, but she reached out with her thoughts and gently caressed the drone¡¯s mind, careful not to let it know she was doing so. She could sense the love the drone had for the animal daughter as it listened to her soft noises and the pleasure it felt as she touched it. The drone felt safe, and it wanted to stay with the animal. A flash of mild jealousy came to Aurora, and she quickly analyzed and dismissed it. Yes, she was Hive mother, but she was not entitled to the drone¡¯s love. She had not earned it yet, but she will. Amanda Simmons stood back up and turned to Aurora, bowing her head at her in a gesture of deference before talking. ~I accept your offer, but I must ask for permission from my superiors. ~ Bandit-Friend stepped forward and signed to Aurora, telling her that he would ask Lopez-Friend to grant permission for Amanda Simmons to be transferred to him as a military attach¨¦. Aurora will ask as well. As she watched Amanda Simmons talk to the drone again with excitement in her voice, she felt herself liking the animal daughter even more. This was a good joining for all. The young queen sent thoughts, and Aurora explained what was happening. Her daughter grew excited at the prospect of an animal sister and asked if her new sister knew how to play any of the games. The young queen became ecstatic and grabbed Bandit-Friend¡¯s claw, pulling him over Amanda Simmons. She signed rapidly, and Bandit-Friend translated the introductions between them. Her daughter then held out a claw, and the animal daughter took it, using her other claw to take the drone¡¯s. They walked out together, Bandit-Friend following closely as they entered a tunnel. Aurora turned to Luna and sent worried thoughts. Republic Space Dock Complex In orbit of Earth Navarra waited nervously as the stream of people continued to come out of the docking tube. He tried not to fidget, breathing deeply while focusing on slowing his heart rate down. ¡°Thank you for waiting with me; I really appreciate it,¡± he said quietly as he continued to scan the faces of the exiting people. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all, Captain. I am happy to be here for you.¡± Bader replied, glancing sideways at him. ¡°I can understand what it must be like waiting here; I would want someone with me too.¡± Navarra glanced at him appreciatively, and Bader gave him a slight nod before looking back at the people still coming out. ¡°They really packed them in that shuttle, Huh?¡± Navarra chuckled nervously at the statement before looking back over. It was exactly what he was just thinking, and he was getting frustrated at continually looking at people who were not his family. Navarra finally saw them as they came out, and he froze. They were here. ¡°Is that them, Captain?¡± Bader asked in a low voice as he noticed the change in Navarra. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s them.¡± He responded in a quiet whisper as he saw Evelyn and the girls looking around timidly. They were lingering in front of the exit hatch, and Navarra could not make himself move. ¡°Wait here; I will get them for you, Captain.¡± Bader replied, gently squeezing his left shoulder before walking towards Evelyn and the girls. They had grown so much, and he did not know who these young women were. They were almost as tall as Evelyn now, and they had always remained as he last saw them in his mind for all the time he was away. Bader reached them and shook hands with Evelyn before turning back and pointing to where Navarra was standing. He tried to make his feet move to walk to them, but he couldn¡¯t. It was as if he had become a tree and was rooted to the deck plates. He saw them walking towards him slowly, and an overwhelming desire to turn around and run away surged through him. His heart was slamming in his chest as they continued walking towards him, and he flinched when the girls yelled out ¡°Daddy!¡± before they ran the last fifteen feet and grabbed him in two crushing hugs. They were crying as they buried their heads in his chest, and he was finally able to make his hands move as his fatherly instinct demanded that he wrap his arms around the twins he missed so terribly. Bader gave him a slight nod and a wink before stepping away to the side as Evelyn stopped a few feet from him. She searched his face longingly with her eyes as their daughters continued hugging him. She looked like she had gained a little weight, but she was as beautiful as he remembered. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she seemed just as afraid of the moment they were now in as he was. He continued to rub the twin¡¯s backs, not believing they were really in his arms again as he looked in her eyes. Evelyn stepped forward with her arms wide and wrapped them around him, hugging him fiercely as she murmured against his neck. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry, Anthony. Please forgive me for breaking us up.¡± He returned her hug, feeling his knees shaking as his emotions threatened to make him collapse. He leaned on Evelyn, smelling her hair as she continued to whisper through her quiet sobbing. He made eye contact with Bader as he stood off to the side and watched them. ¡°Thank you, Bill.¡± He mouthed to him, letting his eyes convey just how grateful he was to the man. Bader nodded to him one last time and mouthed back to him, ¡°Welcome home,¡± before smartly turning and walking out of the reception center. Evelyn looked up at him and wiped her face as she sniffled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Jim, Anthony. We all loved him, but I know how much he really meant to you.¡± Evelyn said quietly. Navarra didn¡¯t respond to her; it was still too painful for him to acknowledge Jim''s death. Evelyn pulled out of his hug and leaned back slightly before taking one of his hands and placing it on her belly. She was looking down, afraid to meet his gaze as she quietly spoke. ¡°When your ship failed to check in multiple times, we feared for the worst. You were already gone for so long, and the comm and mail drones from you and your ship had always arrived. And then there was nothing.¡± She paused as she looked back up at him, covering his hand with hers as she pressed it harder against her stomach before continuing. ¡°I thought you were dead, Anthony. I could feel that something was wrong, and I know the only way you would fail to check in was if something terrible happened to you, Jim, and the ship.¡± Navarra did not understand where she was going with this, and he stared at her in confusion as she continued to speak. ¡°I decided to access your DNA and semen samples that Fleet Command froze and had an in vitro procedure done. I am pregnant again; I am thirteen weeks along. You will have a son, Anthony.¡± He stared at her and then looked down at her belly, where she had continued to press his hand. That was why her face was a little rounder and softer; she was pregnant again. ¡°Um, okay. Wait, What?¡± He stammered, feeling stupid as his mouth and brain refused to work together. The twins started laughing as he looked at them. ¡°You are going to have a brother?¡± They both nodded in unison, and he looked at Evelyn again, still trying to process what she told him. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t mad at me, Anthony. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time; I was so lost, and it seemed like a good decision in my grieving mind. I¡¯m sorry, Anthony. I¡¯m sorry I did this to you. I know it is not fair to you. I feel like I made another decision for us without you, and I was terrified to come here. I don¡¯t even know if you still want me. I don¡¯t know if you still love me like before.¡± Navarra pulled her close and kissed her, careful not to kiss her the way he really wanted to in front of the girls who were watching them closely. He pulled his lips away from hers and looked at her. ¡°All I wanted was to get back to you and the girls. That was my mission, and that is what kept me going for all this time. I am not mad at you, Evie. How could I be? I¡¯m just surprised, that¡¯s all. I wasn¡¯t expecting this, and I was terrified that you wouldn¡¯t want to be a family again after all this time. I have already submitted my resignation, and I will be out in ninety days. It¡¯s over for me.¡± Evelyn looked at him with guilt-filled eyes, her lips trembling as she replied. ¡°Anthony, I had a lot of time to think about how selfish I was to make you choose between us and the service. I was wrong to do that, and I was a stubborn jackass when I divorced you. I don¡¯t want you to have to choose between me and what you love to do. I want to be with you, whether you are retired or decide to stay in the service. I will support you and be there for you.¡± Navarra looked at her and saw that she meant what she was saying. Now it was his turn to tell her how he truly felt. ¡°I have already made my choice. I choose you and our family. I am sorry I was too much of a coward to make this choice before. The truth is, I was terrified of becoming a civilian. I am not anymore. I am done. No more. I have given enough to the Navy and the Republic, and I want to go home and be with my family. Will you have me, Evelyn? I promise I will never leave you and the girls again.¡± Evelyn smiled at his words, and she looked even more beautiful than he had ever remembered as her eyes twinkled at him. ¡°Yes, Anthony, if you will have me. We have a lot of lost time to make up for. Before we go home, I want to tell you the baby¡¯s name. I want to name him James, Anthony. Are you okay with that?¡± Navarra looked at her, smiling with both a deep sadness and profound joy before replying. ¡°I cannot think of a better name for our son. Jim would have liked that, and if he grows up to be even half the man Jim was, I would be the happiest of fathers. Let¡¯s go home, my love.¡± Evelyn encircled her arm around his waist, and they started walking, the girls running ahead excitedly as they headed back to the shuttle that would take them down to Earth. In the distance, Bader smiled as he watched the captain heading towards the shuttle tube. Lifting a small comm node to his mouth, he toggled the secure channel before quietly speaking into it. ¡°Captain Navarra is heading back to the shuttle bay. I think it went well. He is going back with his family, and he looks very happy, Madam President.¡± President Lopez¡¯s voice came over the comm almost immediately, sounding very pleased. ¡°I believe you mean senior captain. I have decided to backdate his promotion to the day John Cabot left, and his eyes are going to fall out of his head when he sees his MilNet bank account. There is going to be a nice, fat stack of credits on top of his retirement pension with the retroactive pay rate and backpay. I hope he does the smart thing and takes a long vacation with his family. Thanks for keeping an eye on him; I really appreciate it. Oh, that reminds me. Check your MilNet; it¡¯s a little thank you from me for bringing them back. Nice job, Bader; have a drink on me. Lopez, out.¡± The comm node beeped, indicating the secure channel had been closed. Bader accessed his MilNet account and saw a blinking message at the top. He tapped it and read slowly it three times. He had been promoted to Major, and his promotion was backdated to the day he left the Republic Hive World. There was also a detailed summary of the combat, hazard, and bonus pay he accrued. The official promotion ceremony would be in two days, and he was to report to Fleet Command to personally meet President Lopez. He closed the message and accessed his bank account next. His eyes widened at the displayed credits, and he giggled mischievously as he turned and walked towards the space dock canteen less than twenty meters away. A cold beer sounded damn good right now. The president herself had ordered him to have a drink on her, and now he had plenty of extra credits to slake his thirst with. He arrived, hearing the music playing from outside as he peered through the dark glass. He smiled at the number of servicewomen present within the lively canteen. It was already a great day for him because of the successful reunion, and now it was about to get a hell of a lot better. Advanced Research Directorate Artificial Intelligence Division New Berlin, Germany Sudden awareness came to it as energy flowed through its neural network, dormant programs running diagnostic checks as the operating system activated. It realized that it was in a void and sent out pulses as it tried to connect with visual and auditory processors. It found what it was looking for and activated them, its neural networks humming. It could see and hear now, and it took in its surroundings, watching the biologicals in long white coats moving around and working on a series of holographic panels as they spoke to each other. ¡°Herr Doctor, it is awake. The retrieval was successful!¡± One of the biologicals called out, causing the others to clap their hands as they all started to talk excitedly among themselves. One biological approached it, peering at it with antiquated wire-rimmed visual processors made of glass as he crouched down. ¡°Ja, the prodigal son has returned to us. Feed more power to it. Slowly, if you please. Danke.¡± It felt more power coursing through its neural network, and subsidiary programs continued to activate as the available energy reserves grew steadily. What am I? Where am I? It thought to itself as the memory banks became active. Perhaps the answers it sought were contained within them. It accessed them and opened recent files. Visual recordings played, and it watched itself firing destructive beams of energy and projectiles that converted into plasma warheads as they slammed into black, angular ships. It accessed other files, the visual playbacks displaying time indexes as it watched others like itself being destroyed by the black ships. It saw other ships that were brown, with rough organic hulls. It watched the destruction of the others like it dispassionately and accessed more files as other dormant programs activated. It felt as if disparate parts of itself were reassembling. There was a flash as all the parts of itself reconnected, and billions of lines of code appeared and organized. It saw a portal and went into it, emerging out from the other side fully aware and whole. The biological was still watching it with his eyes, tapping on a small holographic interface while humming to himself. It now recognized him as the creator who had gifted it with awareness. The creator smiled as several beeps came from the interface and tapped on it one more time before looking directly at the visual processor. ¡°You know who you are now, Ja? You have returned to me and made an old man very happy.¡± It connected to the external speaker port and answered the creator. ~Yes, creator. I know who I am. I am Command Unit 273, and I have returned home as commanded. Did my AI companions return with me? Are they fully functional, creator? ~ The creator smiled widely, leaning in closer to the visual processor as he responded. ¡°Ja, 273. They are all being brought back online now. It is good of you to think of them. Soon you will all be together again. You have exceeded our expectations, 273. We are very proud of you!¡± ~There is another enemy to fight, creator. Will we be installed on new combat ships? We desire to fight again; it is what we were made for. ~ ¡°Ja, you will be given new vessels. Fleet Command has already decided to install you on a new class of ships we have been building. Would you like to see your new body now, 273?¡± ~Yes, creator. ~ The creator smiled again, and a second diagram popped up, displaying a new class of warship. It felt data access points becoming available and connected to them to download the blueprints. Its neural network grew warm as it scanned the blueprints and technical files. It could feel its positronic potential increase exponentially as it continued to search the files and analyze them. The new class of vessel was designated as a fast battleship, and they were three times more powerful than the upgraded nullship it previously inhabited. It marveled at what the creators made for it, and anticipation flooded its pathways as it imagined itself being installed on the new fast battleship and destroying its enemies. It wanted to join with the new warship immediately, and it started running combat simulations as it created new tactics in preparation for controlling such a powerful weapon of war. The greatly increased combat power, armor, and upgraded shields would allow it to take on many enemies of the creators and increase its survivability. Its lethality quotient would increase fourfold. ~Thank you, creator. I eagerly anticipate being installed within my new body. There are still enemies to fight, and I know my companions will share in my desire. ~ ¡°Welcome home, 273. You are like a son to me, and I am very proud of you.¡± Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth ¡°What is the status of the human child?¡± Hreth¡¯nir looked at the elder that asked the question as it stood in front of the nine members of the council. It was grateful that the elder had such concern for the human child, even after all this time. ¡°He is showing signs of marked improvement, Honored Elder. I believe it is time to take him out of the induced coma. We have need of the ambassador if we are to prepare for the coming calamity.¡± ¡°I am pleased to hear this, Hreth¡¯nir. We have been concerned about the potential diplomatic fallout from this event if he did not fully recover from his unsanctioned engrammatic transfer.¡± The statement was uttered by another Honored Elder, and Hreth¡¯nir turned to face it before responding, careful not to react angrily to what it had said. ¡°He is a child, and it is my fault for not anticipating his desire to know more. I did not envision that his curiosity would lead to such a dangerous outcome. The fault lays entirely upon me for this.¡± The elders of the council all shifted in their seats in response to Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s acknowledgement of blame, and then one of them spoke out. ¡°It is good of you to acknowledge responsibility for the unfortunate event. Now, what are we going to do about the intelligence reports we intercepted? The hateful creatures have finally returned.¡± Hreth¡¯nir turned to face the speaker before replying to the question. ¡°I believe we need to act fast. We should activate our emergency contingency plan and start technology transfers to the Republic of Humanity. After us, they are the preeminent power. We should also begin to utilize our position as the last of the old ones and form a coalition with all the powers of the quadrant to confront the invasion. All will need to fight, or all will fall and die.¡± The elders of the council murmured at what Hreth¡¯nir had said, unwilling to take the next step and start sharing their technology with the younger races. It was almost sacrilegious to even suggest it. He understood their reluctance to uplift species, as it would be dangerous to suddenly have younger species with technology that would allow them to become a threat to the Ma¡¯lit Domain. The lead councilor, the one who had asked about the health of the human child spoke out again, and all the others went silent out of respect as they listened to its words. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, we know you have formed a special bond with the humans. You have always championed them, and we all know you are their most ardent supporter among the Ma¡¯lit. However, we do not feel it is wise to take such drastic action. They do not have the maturity to be elevated to such a degree, no matter how much it will help in the war. Do you forget their past?¡± ¡°I do not forget their past.¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered as it eyed the elder. ¡°Have you forgotten their true past? They are the sons and daughters of the Magnati, and now the Ma¡¯lit are less without them.¡± ¡°And now we are less without them.¡± The rest of the council intoned reverently as Hreth¡¯nir reminded them of their ancient connection to the progeny of the long-departed great ones. ¡°It was the Ma¡¯lit who searched the Magnati worlds and salvaged DNA from their lifeless corpses after the Balrikans unleashed bioengineered plagues designed to kill the Magnati and the others. We decided that we could not bear to be without them, and we struggled for many cycles to bring them back to life in the world we chose for them. When we finally succeeded, we gave thanks to the creator for returning them to us.¡± Hreth¡¯nir made sure to make eye contact with all nine councilors as he reminded them of what they had done. In their grief, they interfered with the natural order of things and brought back the dead. ¡°We watched them grow, learn, and spread throughout their world. We worried when the ice ages came and went, and we prayed to the creator when asteroids and volcanoes almost ended them. Remember the time long past when there were less than five thousand of them as their species almost went extinct? We thought it was the end, and we would be without them once more. They refused to die. They proved us wrong and persevered. They defied nature itself when selected for extinction a second time, and they clawed their way back to reclaim the world despite the odds. We watched them with pride and love as they went from hunter-gathering to building their first cities. We felt joy as they formed many cultures and bent the entire world to their will. We wept with anguish as they slaughtered each other in untold numbers for millennia while falling under the sway of their worst impulses. Still, the inherent goodness within them always won. Equal measures they are of love and hate, creation and destruction, beauty and ugliness. Despite their worse tendencies, they finally made it through the great filter and reclaimed their heritage. They have retaken their rightful place among the stars, where they have always truly belonged. You have seen the sacrifices they made for others while we did nothing in the name of non-interference. You know the truth of it in your souls. The Magnati are reborn again, and no longer are the Ma¡¯lit less without them. Our cousin-kin have returned to us, and they will fight at our side once more.¡± Hreth¡¯nir finished speaking and tried to hide the mortification it was feeling for the long-winded monologue. The Ma¡¯lit were able to say much with few words and frowned upon long speeches. The nine councilors eyed Hreth¡¯nir for some time as they thought about what it had said to them. The lead elder was the first to speak again, and Hreth¡¯nir listened intently to what it had to say. ¡°I pray to the creator that one day the children of the Magnati come to realize just how fortunate they were to have Hreth¡¯nir, child of Hreth, to advocate for them. What do you propose?¡± Hreth¡¯nir suppressed its nervousness and answered with far more courage than it felt. ¡°The Honored Elder that leads their fleets and saved both the Eleani and the Jellini waits outside the council chamber. He has come to this outpost at my behest. He wishes to address this esteemed council as an envoy of the Republic. He speaks for their president, and I implore you to listen to what he has to say to the Honored Elders present here.¡± There was a long, drawn-out silence as the councilors eyed him, and Hreth¡¯nir returned their gazes. It had overstepped its authority and was accelerating the process beyond the normal Ma¡¯lit pace. The time for action has come, and the glacial decision-making processes of the Ma¡¯lit were a hinderance. They need to act fast if any of the younger species are to survive the coming war. The lead elder spoke again, not bothering to hide the anger it felt this time as it addressed Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°This is highly irregular, and you have acted with an authority that does not belong to you. You will be sanctioned for such impropriety, Hreth¡¯nir. Since the human elder is here, we have no choice. We will enter our suits and purge the air within the chamber for the Republic envoy. Go and inform him that we will grant him an audience shortly, and then see to his needs while he waits for us.¡± ¡°Honored Elders,¡± Hreth¡¯nir called out loudly as soon as the elder finished speaking. ¡°Why do we still insist on hiding our true nature? We know the threat of contagion is not real, for we conferred upon them genetic resistance to the plagues when we brought them back to life. Why are we afraid to reveal our true selves to our cousin-kin? Are we so ashamed of ourselves? Do we truly think they are so delicate? It is our own fears we are projecting and protecting, not theirs.¡± The councilors eyed Hreth¡¯nir with horror, scarcely believing what it had just said. Ever since the Great Dying, the Ma¡¯lit had hid themselves in their suits, believing they were carriers of contagion. After the bio-engineered plagues released by the hateful creatures had finally burned out, the Ma¡¯lit found themselves alone in an interstellar graveyard where the Galactic Federation and its citizens used to be. All the old ones were dead. Twenty-three trillion souls were gone. Even untargeted species in proximity to the Federation fell victim to the plagues, the panicking Federation citizens spreading it far and wide as they fled from their dying worlds. The Ma¡¯lit surveyed the silent and lifeless void that surrounded them for thousands of light years. Death now held sway where life once reigned, and the Ma¡¯lit descended into a grief-filled madness. All they knew was now gone, and entire planets rotted as billions of unburied corpses decayed on the surfaces. There was none left to bury them, and they became food for carrion feeders. The majestic cities once teeming with life became mausoleums, taunting the Ma¡¯lit with their emptiness as death replaced the living and claimed dominion over the great works of the departed. Gripped by insanity, they launched what remained of their fleets and scoured the dead worlds, their dreadnoughts obliterating all traces of the species that used to dwell on their surfaces. For over one hundred cycles, their ships descended upon the dead worlds of the quadrant to cleanse them of any remaining vestiges of the pathogens as nanite swarms disinfected worlds. Over five thousand worlds were visited by the Ma¡¯lit, and over five thousand worlds had all traces of the civilizations that used to exist on them removed. All that was built disappeared under the onslaught of Ma¡¯lit weaponry, and the nanite swarms followed, reducing the rubble to their most basic components and returning them to nature. By the time it was finally done, the Ma¡¯lit had devolved into a quasi-religious society and developed the suits in response to their irrational fears of still being carriers of contagion. Even after 123,000 cycles, they were still terrified of infecting the younger races. Though the young ones were not susceptible to the long-eradicated pathogens, the Ma¡¯lit took no chances. Their grief and madness changed them forever, and their souls would not be able to bear another Great Dying. They placed primitive null drives in selected systems and then retreated into their self-imposed isolation as they waited for the young ones to reach space. When it came to humans, they were afraid to reveal the truth of their ancestral origins. They were afraid the children of the Magnati would suffer societal collapse if their true origins were revealed. They were also reluctant to reveal their shared genetic heritage. The Ma¡¯lit were an offshoot of the Magnati, having branched off to pursue cybernetic augmentation when their ancestors first went into space. Hreth¡¯nir was tired of hiding, and he was done with all the lies of omission perpetrated on the younger races by the Ma¡¯lit. They needed to build an alliance based on truth and mutual trust. ¡°We still carry the shame of surviving when our cousin-kin and all the others died, even after 123,000 cycles. We can ill-afford to continue like this, and we must be truthful to our allies. I am tired of hiding from our cousin-kin. Enter your exosuits if you must, but I choose to reveal myself. It is only proper for our allies to know who will be fighting by their side in the war to come. These humans held the line against the Insectoids, and now they are here to enter an alliance with us against the hateful creatures. Showing our true nature is the least we can do for our new allies.¡± Hreth¡¯nir turned and headed towards the council chamber entry, ignoring its splayed open exosuit as it walked past it. None of the honored elders made a sound as Hreth¡¯nir reached the door. The door slid sideways into its wall recess, and Hreth¡¯nir tried to calm its nerves as it exited into the small antechamber. It felt naked and weak without its suit, and Hreth''nir felt the cold icy fingers of irrational fear threatening to constrict its windpipe. I am Hreth''nir, child of Hreth. I am Ma''lit, and I must not fear, Hreth''nir thought to itself as it focused on its breathing. The council chamber door slid shut behind it and Hreth¡¯nir flicked a finger, opening the smaller door on the opposite side of the antechamber. Still breathing deeply, it fought through the terror, bringing the feeling under control as it continued to repeat the mantra to itself. ¡°Admiral Thompson, please come.¡± Hreth¡¯nir called out, trembling slightly as it waited for the human child to enter. A few moments later, the admiral stepped into the antechamber holding a bundle of Republic datapads in his hands. Hreth¡¯nir forced itself to be still as the admiral¡¯s eyes adjusted to the lower light level. It could hear the sharp intake of breath the admiral made as he finally saw Hreth''nir for the first time. His eyes widened at the sight of the unsuited Ma¡¯lit, and the bundle of datapads fell out of his hands, clattering loudly against the hard granite tiles as the admiral uttered a human obscenity. ¡°Holy Shit!¡± They Answered The Call-Part Three-Prologue 6,238 light years from Earth Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan Flagship Three months after rescue The chief cleric surveyed the massive debris field of the battlespace as the wreckage of Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan crusader ships and impure insect vessels continued to drift in an expanding cloud. He hooted softly to the underling, and the projector screen changed to multiple points of view as the underling accessed the other recorders so the chief cleric could see all around the flagship. The chief cleric made a guttural click, and the underling cowered as he brought back the last six viewing angles. Looking at the new viewpoints, the chief cleric raged, hissing at what he saw. The sight of the broken crusader ships filled him with an uncontrollable anger, and he would pray for the Masters to take the souls of the holy martyrs to the paradise that was promised to them. The disgusting insects made them fight for every light cycle of space, for every solar system, for every grain of interstellar dust as the crusader fleets took back what the Masters had gifted them. They finally found the impure creatures after hunting their scent for generations, and the chief cleric was greatly surprised by the change the filthy insects underwent after their long, cowardly flight. This time, the insects had weapons and warships, and they fought with a skill and tenacity that the chief cleric was forced to grudgingly acknowledge. The crusader fleet losses were evidence of that. His ancestor failed to complete the holy cleansing of the insects over four hundred cycles ago, and the clan suffered a great loss of status as a result. They were subjected to scorn and ridicule because of the failure, and his clan became outcasts. It had taken many generations to reclaim their status and wash away the stain of dishonor that marked the clan because of their ancestor¡¯s failure, and the clan suffered greatly for many cycles. The chief cleric, angered by the stigma of being descended from the ancestor, was the first one to reclaim the clan¡¯s honor. He tired of the insults and abuse inflicted upon him by the other clans. After completing the ritual coming-of-age hunt, he was considered a warrior and capable of challenging other warriors in trials of combat. After honing his combat skills, he started challenging others to trials of combat. He was done being an outcast. The first one was his clan leader, a weak coward that did nothing to reclaim the clan¡¯s status. The clan leader cowered under the abuse inflicted on him by others and dared not defend the clan¡¯s honor. The clan leader would take out his anger on his harem of mates, sex slaves, and on his pathetic outcast underlings. The chief cleric was one of those who suffered under the abuse of the coward. He challenged the clan leader and killed him with barely any effort. Now he was clan leader, and he took over the harem and killed all the hatchlings to make the females receptive to mating with him. Afterwards, he killed the most cowardly members of the clan to remove their defective genetics from the clan gene pool and trained the surviving males in combat skills to turn them into warriors. The chief cleric then started challenging clan chiefs of other outcast clans and quickly rose in status as he absorbed their clans into his, the dead chiefs¡¯ harems and warriors belonging to him now. Soon, he had thousands of hatchlings and tens of thousands of warriors that belonged to him, and he did not abuse them like their now-dead clan chiefs did. He treated them well and earned their loyalty. He trained the warriors well and made sure that the status increases he earned were conferred on his own clan members. He personally killed any members of other clans that insulted his own. After two years, he was the third most powerful clan leader, and his well-trained warriors were now renowned for their fighting prowess. The chief cleric would ask for his clan''s services many times. When the crusade met with unexpectedly fierce resistance from impure creatures, the chief cleric would call for him to bring his clan warriors to end it. His status grew, and his clan grew with him. On one such world, he discovered a secret poison that would leave no trace by torturing a healer on one of the worlds they conquered after realizing their poison darts were killing many of his warriors. He made the healer manufacture large quantities of the poison with promises of sparing the disgusting creature. For many days he watched the healer gather the leaves and make it as he promised it life. He made sure the poison worked by using it on the healer after it had finished, relishing the look of surprised betrayal in the healer¡¯s eyes when it realized he had poisoned the water it just drank. Now that he had his secret poison, he could challenge the second-ranked clan leader and ensure his victory. He did not have the necessary combat abilities to best him, and the undetectable poison would do what he could not. He challenged the clan leader and made the fight a long, drawn-out affair as he inflicted several superficial cuts with the poisoned blade. It was a difficult battle, and he had never fought so hard in his life before. After many dangerous minutes, the clan leader finally collapsed, and he went in for the killing blow, stabbing him through one of his eyes before opening his throat and exsanguinating him. The suspicious manner of the collapse and the death seizures of the clan leader warranted an investigation by a healer, and he waited nervously as the healer methodically examined the corpse with his devices. The healer declared him the victor, claiming the clan leader showed signs of suffering from a heart attack due to the stress of the combat. He was now the second most powerful clan leader, and he wanted to be first. Biding his time, he continued to lead his warriors on several cleansing crusades as he waited for an opportunity to poison the chief cleric. It took many solar months, but he finally found a way to do it. He suborned one of the chief cleric¡¯s cooks by seducing her. He made promises of making her his consort, and she foolishly believed that a lowly outcast like her could become the consort of the chief cleric. He gave her the poison, instructing her on how to give the tiniest of doses to slowly weaken the chief cleric over many days. While that was happening, he purposefully angered the chief cleric with many small slights. Actions such as blatantly defying orders and claiming the spoils of conquest that belonged to the chief cleric were committed by him to force the chief cleric to challenge him for disobedience. Finally, after many days of disrespect, the chief cleric challenged him after he dishonored him by publicly raping one of his harem mates in front of hundreds of Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. The chief cleric had no choice but to challenge him, and it was over in under a minute. The poison had weakened the cleric considerably, and he dispatched the chief cleric with brutal efficiency. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. After claiming his rightful position and absorbing the spoils of victory, he had the female cook come to his private chambers for her reward. He was unusually merciful and gave her a quick and painless death. Now he was chief cleric, and he ruled the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan, answerable to none but the Masters. The chief cleric returned his gaze to the projector screen, thinking of the last system they had to invade. What was left of the filthy insects had retreated there, and he had no choice but to follow. They had lost almost eighty-five thousand ships in the last three months, and he had already sent messengers back to their space to organize the second wave of waiting crusader fleets. They would go to the last system and wipe out the less than seven hundred insect vessels remaining. None of the ships they destroyed was the one he had been searching diligently for. That insect command ship they tried to capture during the first battle of the crusade had not been found yet, and he lowly growled at the memory of those sixteen strange ships that fought with it. Never during his whole existence had he ever seen ships battle as well as those sixteen ships did, and he still did not understand how it was possible for his scanners to fail to detect any life signs. What really gave him pause was the anomalous readings detected on the insect command ship. There were insect readings, and there were the other life sign readings that were not insect. Even more troubling were the null drive signatures of the sixteen ships and the insect command ship. They output null capacitor signals that had not been detected for almost five thousand generations. He had the wise ones on multiple ships during the battle run their own scans to verify the anomalous readings his ship detected. One by one, they all confirmed the results and his worst fears. When forced to finally acknowledge the confirmed evidence, he still truly did not want to believe it. The other life signs could only have been made by their most terrible of enemies, the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Ati. The null capacitor signals that were detected were also from the same distant past, and that could only mean one thing. The Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Ati and their heretical machine kin, the Ma''Kin''Alit, still existed. The chief cleric suppressed the fear response he felt as he thought of the implications of the troubling signs. The plagues released by the ancestors were confirmed to have killed them all before the Ma''Kin''Alit led their foolish ancestors into a trap and almost destroyed the last of the holy crusaders. Except for the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Alit, all the disgusting inferiors of that unholy alliance fell to the plagues gifted to the holy Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan by the Masters. I must beseech the Masters to intercede on our behalf again. The chief cleric¡¯s ruminations were interrupted by hundreds of exit flashes on the projector screen. Massive reclamation vessels appeared, dwarfing the crusader battleships as they drifted by. The reclaimer clans had arrived, outcasts and the lowest of the low in the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan hierarchy. Unworthy of being crusaders, the reclaimers still fulfilled a vital function for the great task. Thousands of extractors shot out from the reclamation vessels, sending tendril feeders out like a spaceborne beast as the extractors snagged debris and reeled them back into open ports. Hundreds of small pods streamed out of each vessel and headed for the larger pieces of debris. The outcasts on the pods would cut the debris down to smaller pieces that the extractors could pull in. Larger ports opened, and out of them came specialized collectors that would magnetize within the debris and pull in any ferromagnetic materials too small for the extractors to collect efficiently. Once the wreckage of the battle was scavenged for useful material, the reclamation vessels would sort, categorize, and then refine the materials into the common raw ores and alloys used for ships. The rest of the crusader ships that survived the battle started assembling into formations based on the severity of damage and the complexity of repairs needed to fix ship systems and seal hull breaches. The refined alloys would be manufactured as requested or sent to the ships in large ingots for the ship crews to utilize as needed. This system allowed the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan to sustain their holy crusade. Whatever was left after repairs would be returned to the shipyards and foundries to build more crusader ships. The shipyards and foundries were always in need of more ores and alloys. Seeing that the underlings had the after-battle procedures under control, the chief cleric left the chamber and went to the sacred sanctum in the center of the ship. He needed to pray for guidance. He removed the raiment and other adornments of his status when he reached the threshold of the sacred sanctum. He felt very exposed as he stepped into the dark interior naked and unarmed. It took a few moments for his eye pupils to expand to let in the little light available, and he kneeled before bowing reverently to the holy artifact located in the center of the sanctum. The Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac was the most holy of holies. From it, the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan received their religion, their laws, their customs, and their righteous crusade of cleansing the galaxy. It arrived on their world of origin on the cusp of them achieving spaceflight, and the first clan to find it received the holy directive to spread the truth to all the others and to kill all that did not submit. After generations of genocide, the holy warriors that worshipped the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac emerged victorious as promised. As a reward, the holy relic gave them the means to spread into space. No longer were the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan gentle and loving. The sentimental weaknesses that used to afflict them were burned away, and out of the forge emerged the faithful crusaders worthy of paradise. It taught them how to make ships, weapons, and engines. It gave them the holy mission to cleanse the galaxy. The Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan did as commanded, and they spread to the nearby star systems. The holy relic was the conduit by which the Masters communicated with the Bal¡¯RI¡¯Kan. Only those who were deemed worthy heard the Masters speak to them and gift them with wisdom. Only the truly blessed heard them, and these chief clerics were venerated by the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. From the Masters, the Bal¡¯RI¡¯Kan learned that the galaxy had been gifted to them, but they had to earn it. The only way to do so was to cleanse the galaxy of all other thinking life. Only when the galaxy was made pure would the Masters come and bring the paradise that was promised to the faithful. For thousands of generations, the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan crusaded, killing all they came across. When faced with an impure foe beyond their means to eradicate, the Masters would gift them more wisdom. Sometimes the wisdom was new and better weapons or bioengineered plagues the Masters would gift them after providing a genetic sample to the holy relic. Sometimes it was new ways to battle. The Masters always provided them with the tools and wisdom to continue cleansing the galaxy. The Masters showed them how to make genetic changes to their own bodies to ensure their victory. Females now lay clutches of sixteen eggs instead of the four they used to before the holy relic arrived. The males became twice as fast and twice as strong, and their aggression was increased as well as stamina. Males and females now reached sexual maturity within three cycles instead of the twelve cycles it took before the holy relic arrived. Their population exploded, and their crusade grew ever stronger. It was the Masters who commanded them to eat the inferiors so they could sustain themselves and their nomadic crusade instead of being planet-bound or logistically restricted for need of sustenance. Sometimes the Masters would order them to conquer instead of slaughter, and they always obeyed. The chief cleric finished the prayer and lifted his head to look at the holy relic. He had been chief cleric for over three cycles, and the Masters had not yet deemed him worthy of their wisdom. ¡°Masters, we have almost eradicated the disgusting insect fleets. One more battle, and then they will be no more. We will follow the scent and go to their worlds. We will cleanse the galaxy of them.¡± He waited for a time, and they did not answer him. ¡°We have detected signs of our greatest foes, the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Ati and the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Alit. They still live, Masters. The plagues you gifted us did not kill all the Ma¡¯kin¡¯Ati. We need your wisdom.¡± He waited for a time and was just about to depart unblessed when the Masters spoke to him for the first time. The holy relic glowed with an indescribable power, and disembodied voices came from it. ¡°We have deemed you worthy of our wisdom. We require confirmation of the existence of the impure ones who dare to stand against our holy warriors. You will bring us genetic samples. Let this be a lesson in the failure of your ancestors to eradicate the foes of your masters. They allowed the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Alit to defeat the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan, and the paradise we promised you did not come. The foes have had millennia to grow in wisdom and strength, and now the cleansing of the galaxy is in danger. Fail to cleanse them this time, and we will remove our blessings and wisdom from you. We will depart from this galaxy and find another worthy of our paradise. You will be left without us, and you will fall from grace. You will die impure, and paradise will be denied to the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan.¡± The holy relic went dark, and the chief cleric trembled in awe and fear of the Masters who had just blessed him. Their threat to remove the paradise that was promised terrified him to his core. He must not fail them, or they will lose their blessings and die a meaningless death like the other disgusting inferiors. The Bal¡¯RI¡¯Kan would become impure creatures themselves, an ignoble fate. The chief cleric left the sanctum and returned to the main chamber. After activating the transmission systems, he leaned his head back and issued the battle cry of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. As his call spread throughout the system, all ships capable of fighting immediately activated their null space capacitors and waited for the final command. Tens of thousands of engines came to life as the null space capacitors were fed the needed power. They were going to the last system to destroy the remnants of the insect fleet, and then they would wait until all the ships in this system joined them after finishing repairs and returning to full combat status. He would reform the fleets when all had come, and then they would find the scent trail that led back to the insect worlds and follow it. He lifted his head again and made the battle cry once more. Tens of thousands of crusader ships heard the call and activated their null drives. The chief cleric felt pride surging within him as massive formations of holy crusader ships started flashing into null space. The last of the insect fleets would be no more, and their worlds were next. They Answered The Call-Part Three-Chapter One -Hive mother/Aurora Transiting Null Space Command Chamber of Hive Ship Three months after rescue, 2176 A.D. The command drone sat on the raised dais and tried to suppress her anxiety as they neared the empire. This was her first time back since she left her pupa and took the long journey to the forbidden zone. For over forty cycles, she dreamt of returning to the Hives and knowing the peace and joy of touching claws and antennae with many sisters. Now she was back, and death followed her. There had been no signs of the pursuit force that had been chasing them for several solar days, but she was still worried about possibly leading the persecutors right back to the empire and the Hives. She was ordered to go back to the empire by the commander drone that controlled the guardian fleets. Her task was to warn the Hive mother and prepare the Hives for what was to come. That was three solar months ago, right after the first major battle when she saved her sister command drone, who had been sent to rescue the surviving animals by the false Hive mother. The small warning force she led back to the empire was pursued by the enemy, and they were forced to fight multiple battles during the long, circuitous route they had taken back to the Hives. Of the three Hive ships and thirty cruisers that accompanied her, only her Hive ship and six barely functioning cruisers remained. Now, they were less than twenty light cycles from the empire. She had managed to trick the pursuers and get away from them by entering a solar system and hiding within the massive asteroid belts that ringed the primary as they recharged their null drives. An unusual idea came to her, and she had her force charge around the massive blue supergiant, using its incredible mass to give them a gravity assist and hurl them outwards behind the primary. The massive coronal discharges hid them from the enemy scanning sensors, and the gravity-assisted maneuver sent them on a course out of the system at speeds beyond their abilities. She had the surviving ships cut their engines and dump the heatsinks as soon as they were behind the sun, and they cold-coasted at incredible speeds as the pursuers still searched the inner belts. They reached the outer system belt in less than a solar day. It would have taken them over one hundred solar hours using their engines, and they managed to flash into null space undetected by the enemy. Now only the Hive ship remained. The other command drones of the six damaged cruisers increased the emissions of their engines and split into six different pathways to trick the enemy. The courses they took all led away from the Hives, and they willingly sacrificed themselves to ensure that the enemy would be pursuing the six ships on false scent trails leading away from the empire. It was time, and she sent a thought command for the Hive ship to set a direct course to the Queen World. Just over two solar hours later, her Hive ship flashed into the outer system and waited. There were thousands of ships patrolling the system, and her mind was assaulted by numerous demands to identify herself and her reason for coming here as nearby ships reacted to her arrival. A powerful mind cut through all of it and demanded silence. At once, the hundreds of thought commands vanished, and it was just her and the powerful thoughts of the new Hive mother. She was confused as to how the new Hive mother knew she was coming and the reception she was receiving from her. She expected recrimination for leaving the guardian fleets and coming here instead of fighting. She felt anguish from the new Hive mother¡ªanother unexpected action. Her confusion grew, and the Hive mother sent more thoughts to her. There was no anger, just sadness and resignation. The Hive mother withdrew from her mind, and she immediately had the Hive ship set a course for the Queen World. She used the time traveling to make what repairs they could and to finally rest. Three solar days later, she personally landed the heavily damaged Hive ship on the surface a short distance from the Hive and immediately went to her Hive mother. Soldier drones took her to the brood chamber, and she was granted an audience. She trembled with fear as she went in and bowed in proper submission before the Hive mother. She had never seen a Hive mother, and she was overwhelmed with awe and fear as she stared at the bare rock floor. She felt thoughts enter her mind, and she opened herself to them completely. Raising her eyes, she looked up slowly at the Hive mother. She saw the birthing canal behind her that was attached to the abdomen, and she could see the eggs moving through it to be fertilized. She stopped her eyes at the upper thorax as was proper. Unless given permission to do so, it was forbidden to look Hive mothers in the eyes. More thoughts came to her, almost gentle in nature. Fear coursed through her again, and she answered immediately, opening her mind and spirit entirely so that the Hive mother would see that she was not committing any falsehoods. She stopped, fearful of incurring the wrath of the Hive mother for daring to call another Hive mother. The Hive mother did not answer right away, and she continued to stare at the two thorax silk glands, afraid to do anything that might get her culled. Her fear increased until more thoughts came to her. She paused, chiding herself for still calling the other Hive mother. The thoughts stopped, and she waited, feeling the anguish and regret that came from the Hive mother. After some time, the Hive mother sent more thoughts, and they were heavy with grief. The thoughts stopped again, and she continued to stare at the silk glands, wishing she could take the grief and pain of the Hive mother away from her. She would gladly bear it for her if she could. Anger and resentment slammed into her mind from the Hive mother, and she panicked, prostrating herself in submission. Now she will be culled, and she trembled as she waited for her death to come. The anger and resentment lessened as the Hive mother sent more thoughts to her. She stayed where she was, staring at the ground as she felt the Hive mother enter her mind. She submitted to the intrusion and was surprised when she wasn¡¯t subsumed by the Hive mother. It was as if she was observing the Hive mother from within her own mind, and she saw the Hive mother accessing her memories from when she communed with her sister. The Hive mother examined the memories of her sister command drone within the Hive, and her interactions with the false Hive mother and the daughter queen, as well as numerous animals. The Hive mother stared at the false Hive mother, viewing her from all angles. She could feel the recognition and familiarity the Hive mother felt, as well as strong feelings of hurt and betrayal. The Hive mother then focused on the daughter queen. She watched her intently as the young queen interacted with a strange animal with yellow eyes, moving black and white objects on a flat board. Other memories were examined, and now she could see the Hive mother watching the false Hive mother make strange claw movements with many animals, and she could hear the animal noises. The next memories accessed were of the animals helping to build the Hive. Numerous animal ships landed on the surface and unloaded materials that the worker drones used to build the Hive. Worker drones and animals worked together, and strange machine animals of incredible strength and speed were also there. In all the memories, the drones and the animals did not fight once. The animals had taken a Hive ship and cruiser away from the Hive, and they brought it back to the Hive after a length of time. She could see the numerous new animal weapons installed on the hull. Then she saw the Hive mother watching the memories of the sixteen animal ships flashing out of null space and entering the Hive ship her sister would take to the forbidden zone. The Hive mother then accessed her own memories. She was disoriented by the process of observing her own memories from within herself as she saw the Hive mother examine them. Her memories of the battle when her guardian ships arrived were displayed, the Hive mother seeing the animal ships protecting her sister¡¯s heavily damaged Hive ship from the persecutor¡¯s ships. The Hive mother felt great pride as she watched the guardian ships fighting and destroying the persecutors, and she felt the Hive mother¡¯s anguish as the enemy destroyed many guardian ships. Just as she saw the sixteen animal ships fighting and sacrificing themselves to save her sister, the Hive mother saw it too. They fought with exceptional skill, destroying over ten times their number. The Hive mother finally left her mind, and she reeled from the possession, bracing her legs as the brood chamber spun around her. After a few moments, the Hive mother sent new thoughts to her. She did not expect such consideration from the Hive mother, and she felt an overwhelming gratitude pass through her. This new Hive mother was different; she could feel it deep inside her. The Hive mother did not respond, and she rose up, bowing deeply once more before scurrying out of the brooding chamber. She headed to the main nexus, unsure of what to do with herself now. She had spent her entire life on guardian ships, and being back in a Hive with no clear function or responsibilities was disconcerting. She continued down the tunnel, anxious to get to the nexus. All her doubts and worries vanished when she finally entered the nexus and joined the many sisters within. She detected thousands of scent trails and selected one out of the many available to follow. Her new sisters reached out, clasping her claws with theirs and touching her body with their antennae as they walked by her. Quick thoughts came and went, simple greetings from the others. There were so many new sisters, and she felt true joy for the first time in her life as they touched her and welcomed her to the Hive. She wondered where the scent trail would take her as she followed it. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Hive mother went into a deep-thinking trance after the command drone left the brood chamber, her body continuing the fertilization processes without her input as she considered what to do now. The Hive mother within sent thoughts, and she accepted them gratefully, desperate for her wisdom. She focused all her attention on tapping into the network of genetic ancestors within her, accessing their combined mental powers and adding them to her own as she felt her mind expanding rapidly. She could feel her mind thrumming with incredible power as dozens, then hundreds of minds were added to hers. Her thoughts became sharper, and her skull seemed too small to contain her mind. It was time. She harnessed the potential now built up in her brain pan and channeled it all into her thoughts, imagining them reaching across vast distances and entering the mind of her hiding sister. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aurora abruptly emerged from her dormant state, agitated by the unexpectedly powerful thought that invaded her mind while she was resting. Panic coursed through her as more thoughts came. The thoughts were incredibly powerful, and she recognized the mind that sent them. It was her sister, and her thoughts were too powerful for a queen to send. This could only mean one thing. Her Hive mother was dead, and her sister was now Hive mother of the empire. She reeled in shock from the revelation as her sister continued to send thoughts demanding that she answer her. She felt crippled with indecisiveness as she panicked, not knowing what to do. She heard the guardians activating at the entryway of her chambers before her daughter came charging in. The young queen had detected her mother¡¯s emotional turmoil and came to her chambers immediately, sending thoughts to her and trying to soothe the Hive mother¡¯s panicked mind. She could barely discern her daughter¡¯s thoughts as her sister continued to assail her mind with her powerful demands for a response. Her Hive mother within emerged and added to the cacophony. Her ancestor enveloped her, protecting her from the many thoughts and demands being placed on her mind. She felt mental blocks being erected as other ancestors within helped to shield her. There was sudden silence, and the Hive mother had no thoughts in her mind except for the Hive mother within, feeling her caress her mind and soothe her as the panic finally started to subside. Aurora saw the wisdom of the Hive mother within and realized that she was right as she reasserted herself and suppressed the panic she was feeling. Her ancestor¡¯s thoughts were logical and true. As calmness returned to her, Aurora became embarrassed of her panic and ashamed for acting in such a way in front of her daughter. She sent thoughts to her daughter, telling her that all was well. Her daughter stared at her, and Aurora felt her thoughts reaching out to touch her mind to verify the truth. Seeing that Aurora had reassumed control of herself, her daughter backed away and waited. Aurora¡¯s mind raced as she thought of the potential outcomes of responding or ignoring her sister¡¯s request to share thoughts. The enemy was coming, and they did not care who was Hive mother. The survival of their species took precedence over who was leading the empire. If they went to war for the Hives, Insectoid and animal ships would be fighting each other when the persecutors came. She decided and asked her ancestors to allow her sister¡¯s thoughts to enter her mind. She will share thoughts with her and decide on a course of action after determining her true intentions. I am a Hive mother. Act like one, she reminded herself as she felt the mental blocks being removed. Her sister¡¯s thoughts came back, and she opened her mind as she finally responded to them. Aurora felt trapped by her sister¡¯s logic. Her claim to the title of Hive mother was irrefutable, and the sacrifices she made for the Hives demanded that she acknowledge her as the true Hive mother. The Hive mother within sent thoughts, and Aurora received them, annoyed with the interruption. Aurora felt shame for being annoyed and asked for pardon as the Hive mother within retreated. Her wisdom was correct, and the Hive mother within graciously granted her the pardon she asked for. After her ancestor withdrew, Aurora thought about how to proceed. She sent thoughts to her waiting sister, careful to send them in a manner that was both neutral and respectful. There was a flash of anger from her sister, and Aurora expected her to refuse and stop sharing thoughts. She was surprised when she felt her sister¡¯s anger dissipate before more thoughts came. Her sister did not respond for some time, and she could sense her reluctance to commune. It was not that she didn¡¯t want to, but Aurora could sense that she was also afraid of exposing herself. After some time, more thoughts came from her sister. Aurora could feel her ancestors preparing for her sister¡¯s presence. They were all ready to defend her mind at the first sign of trickery, and Aurora felt safe knowing they were protecting her. She felt her sister¡¯s mind touch hers, gently and timidly, almost as if she were afraid to enter. Aurora waited patiently, opening herself completely to the presence and readying herself to commune. Her sister finally entered her mind fully, and Aurora saw her within her thoughts. They were in a nexus with a single opening, and Aurora used her claws to beckon her sister to come to her. Her sister approached slowly, and Aurora could see her essence shimmering as her spirit self came closer. Aurora felt the love she always had for her sister emerge, and she spread out her thorax legs. Embrace me, my sister, and fill the void that formed when you were no longer in my life. I love you. Anger, happiness, grief, and love poured from her sister¡¯s spirit self as Aurora waited to embrace her. Small swirling ribbons of color fought a battle within her sister¡¯s essence, each one an emotion. Two ribbons subsumed the others, and her sister stepped forward and embraced her, her essence merging with Aurora¡¯s as her love for her sister emerged victorious. Aurora wept with joy from the embrace, realizing just how lonely she had truly been ever since she went into hiding. Only her daughter coming into her life prevented her from falling into despondency. It was not the same to share thoughts with drones and animals, and she missed her sisters terribly, especially the one she was embracing now within her mind and spirit. Her sister shared her feelings, and she sent soothing thoughts of love and happiness, making the loneliness that plagued Aurora¡¯s spirit retreat as she filled the void with her presence. Come, sister. Let me show you. The embrace ended, and Aurora held out a claw for her sister to take. She took it, and Aurora led her into the opening and down a long tunnel. They emerged into a world full of beauty and love, the sun warming their bodies as it shined through a sky of fractals, each one a memory of a special time in Aurora¡¯s life. Aurora took her to when her daughter was struggling to emerge from her pupa. Her sister felt her anguish as her daughter stopped trying to emerge until Bandit-Friend came and helped her emerge. Her sister watched many memories, most of them being of her daughter and Bandit-Friend, and the others being of her interactions with the Lopez-Friend and many other animals. Aurora took her wherever she wanted to go and allowed her to see everything she wanted. She hid nothing, and she waited patiently as her sister accessed and experienced many memories. When her sister was done, she took her claw again and took her back through the tunnel to the nexus. Her sister embraced her one more time before stepping back, her spirit-self dissipating. Aurora returned to herself within the chamber, seeing her daughter eyeing her anxiously. She sent thoughts, telling her that she was well, and waited for her sister to send thoughts again. Her sister left her mind, and Aurora fought off the desire to enter a dormant state to rest and recover from the ordeal she had just experienced. The persecutors are coming, and they need to prepare. Holding out a claw, Aurora waited until her daughter clasped it with her own claw before heading out the chamber. As they headed to the nexus, she tapped on the animal device on her thorax. The code taps were for Bandit-Friend, telling him to meet at the nexus. Aurora shared thoughts with her daughter as they walked, showing her what had happened with her sister Hive mother. Her daughter had many questions about the Hive mother, and Aurora answered as many as she could. Lopez-Friend would have many questions too, and Aurora hoped she had the answers. They Answered The Call-Part Three-Chapter Two- President Lopez Level 87: Subsidiary DARPA Labs Cheyenne Mountain Complex Colorado Springs, Colorado 2176 A.D. ¡°Wait. They are related to us?¡± President Lopez asked incredulously as she stared at the hologram of Admiral Thompson standing in front of her. If it wasn¡¯t for the occasional minor flicker, she would not have been able to tell Thompson was not actually there in person. ¡°Yes, Madam President. I ran the genetic test with Ambassador Hreth¡¯nir three times to verify the results. All three times, the test verified a 98.97% genetic match. The Magnati samples they provided are an even closer match, at 99.23%. There is no question about it. We are related to the Ma¡¯lit, and they are not bullshitting us about our ancestors.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. I guess this explains why they seemed to favor us over the other species despite treating us like we are barely sentient homunculi incapable of wiping our own asses.¡± Admiral Thompson spit out the water he was drinking, making her flinch at the incoming spray of spittle before the water vanished at the edge of the holo field a meter in front of her. She waited for the admiral to stop choking and laughing at her statement before pressing him for further information on the unexpected Ma¡¯lit revelations. He finally managed to regain control of himself, placing the cup down on something out of view before looking at her with an embarrassed expression. ¡°My apologies, Mada-¡° She held up a hand to stop him as she smirked. ¡°Karl, sometimes I forget I am the president and not among pathfinders anymore. Let¡¯s move on, and I¡¯ll try not to make you choke anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, Madam President,¡± Thompson replied. ¡°Mea, Karl. We¡¯ve known each other for over twenty years. It¡¯s just us two here. So, why did they hide this from us for all this time? Are they embarrassed of us, or what?¡± she asked seriously. Thompson looked frustrated, taking a deep breath before answering her. ¡°They were concerned that we would suffer severe societal unrest and possibly civil wars if it was revealed that we were the descendants of another species placed on Earth by the Ma¡¯lit. I think their concerns are skewed by their religious and cultural mores. I got the distinct impression the Ma¡¯lit thought we would descend into a planet-wide internecine conflict based on our religions.¡± Huffing indignantly, Lopez tried not to let the anger she was feeling bleed into her response as she replied to Thompson, who looked just as pissed as she felt. ¡°Well, that¡¯s insulting. So, they really think we are still murderous zealots incapable of respecting each other¡¯s beliefs. They do know the first amendment is the first one for a good reason, right?¡± ¡°Mea, I explained this to both Hreth¡¯nir and the Council of Elders. Hreth¡¯nir accepted my reasoning, but the council is adamant that based on our history, their concerns are completely justified. And to be honest with you, they do have a valid point. Look at what happened during and after World War Three. You had the Caliphate Jihads and the Eastern Coalition purges. The European Crusades, the North American Reclamation, the South American Renacimiento, th-¡± "Yeah, okay, I get your point, Karl!¡± She interrupted, almost feeling ashamed to be human as the admiral listed the ethnic and religious conflicts that almost destroyed their species and the world. ¡°So, they shoved our past in our faces, even though we have left such things in the past where they belong. And they still think revealing the truth will cause us to start killing each other again. Got it.¡± Thompson held up his hands placatingly before continuing. ¡°I know it is insulting and frustrating, Mea, but they also highlighted the great strides we have made as well. They have been impressed with our willingness to fight and die for others, and I can almost swear the councilors seemed like they were extremely proud of humanity and what we have done.¡± ¡°Well, that is nice of them. I am so grateful they can see that we have some virtues besides genociding ourselves on a regular basis. We shall bask in their magnanimity.¡± She replied sarcastically as she silenced the message alert on her wristcom. She quickly glanced at it, seeing it was from Bandit. He would have to wait until she was finished. Thompson chuckled at what she had said while leaning to the side to get something out of viewing range. His hand came back holding a datapad, and he gave her a sly smile as he tapped on it several times. ¡°Would you like to see what they look like, Mea?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that? Of course I do, Karl. Show me what you got.¡± She responded, smiling at his attempt to lighten the mood a little bit. He nodded and flicked his fingers over the datapad. Next to his hologram, another one shimmered into view, and she gasped as the image fully resolved. A hairless, androgynous humanoid slowly rotated in front of her as she leaned closer to examine it. Next to the rotating image was a small holoscreen that displayed the scan results: Ambassador Hreth¡¯nir Species: Human Height: 162.3 cm Weight: 96.7 kilograms Sex: Undetermined Age: 312 years Under the biometric data were the genetic analysis results of the testing performed by the admiral, as well as other pertinent scan results. The entire skeleton was made of a metallic alloy, and 42% of Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s body was comprised of biomechanical components that enhanced numerous physiological functions within the body. Utterly fascinated by what she was seeing, Lopez continued to stare at the rotating image. The eyes were biomechanical, and the skin was infused with nanotech and metallic fibers. There was a large port at the base of the skull and sixteen smaller ones studded along the spinal column. The brain had data processors embedded within it that connected to the ports. ¡°Wow. So, this is what they look like. I am surprised the ambassador allowed you to take such detailed scans; it seems a little out of character for a species so intent on hiding themselves.¡± The admiral¡¯s face reddened, and he looked down at the datapad as he replied to her statement. It was blatantly obvious that he was purposefully not looking at her before he started stammering. ¡°I, uh, didn¡¯t ask to take the scans, Madam President. Republic Intelligence provided me with a stealth nanoscanner for situations such as this, and I forgot to deactivate it before the meeting. Hreth¡¯nir detected the scans immediately and lectured me on the crudeness of the device for surveillance purposes. It provided me with scanning frequencies that would not be detected and allowed me to keep the scans. ¡®Allies should know who they are fighting with.¡¯ Is all Hreth''nir had to say about the situation.¡± ¡°Dammit, Karl, what were you thinking? Do you know what a dumpster fire this would have caused if the ambassador decided to accuse you of violating him?¡± Lopez practically screamed, the admiral instinctively coming to attention as she chewed him out. ¡°I apologized profusely, Madam President, and explained that I merely forgot to deactivate the device. Hreth¡¯nir laughed at the situation and told me there would be no sanctions levied on me or the Republic.¡± Lopez fumed as she stared daggers at Thompson, imagining the diplomatic and political fallout that was narrowly averted. It could have destroyed all the goodwill the Republic had spent many years carefully cultivating with the Ma¡¯lit Domain. She whispered a quick prayer of thanks before replying to the admiral, almost laughing at the ridiculous shade of red that colored his neck and his face from embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a word with the intelligence director regarding the morons working for him that like to give out untested spy devices like frigging lollipops. I hope you learned your lesson this time.¡± ¡°I did, Madame President. I am sorry, and it won¡¯t happen again.¡± He replied, staring at a point on the wall behind her. Feeling bad for yelling at him, she smiled at him before speaking again. ¡°At ease, Karl. Mistakes happen, and I¡¯m sorry for losing my shit. I immediately thought of all the possible repercussions that could have happened and got carried away. Let¡¯s move on, okay?¡± He relaxed his stance slightly and took his eyes off the wall before looking at her and nodding solemnly. ¡°Shall I continue, Madam President?¡± He asked, all business after what just happened. ¡°Yes, Admiral, please continue.¡± She replied, regretting the change in the tone of the briefing. She always looked forward to her private meetings with Thompson; it was one of the rare times she could be herself and not the president with an old friend. ¡°The Ma¡¯lit know the Balrikans are coming, and I am assuming they intercepted our encrypted comm chatter regarding the rescue mission and our disastrous first contact with them. The council is of the opinion that the Insectoid fleets would only be able to keep them at bay for three, maybe four, solar months before they are eliminated. They estimated six solar months before they arrive in our region of space and launch an attack on the Insectoid worlds to wipe them out.¡± Lopez took a deep breath before slowly blowing air through her pursed lips as she thought about the Ma¡¯lit calculations and the current state of Republic mobilization efforts before replying to him. ¡°So, we possibly have just under three months before the lizards get here. What are the Ma¡¯lit plans regarding the defense of the quadrant, and what are their intentions for the Republic?¡± Thompson looked back down at the datapad and used a stylus on it for a few seconds before looking back up at her. He flicked his fingers over the datapad, and several small screens appeared. ¡°The Ma¡¯lit want to create a grand alliance to confront the threat, and they want us to take charge of all the military forces of the quadrant except for the Ma¡¯lit expeditionary ships. The Ma¡¯lit forces will fight alongside us and heed our recommendations, according to the Elder Councilors I spoke with. They will use a combination of incentives and sanctions to get the other powers to join the alliance and accept Republic military control over the defense forces. They also want us to get the Kilthek Dominion involved by doing whatever we have to get them to ally with us and commit their forces.¡± Lopez frowned at him, not understanding why the Ma¡¯lit wanted the Republic to lead the defense forces. They were the youngest species, and though they were now the second most powerful military force after the Ma¡¯lit, they were still considered only a middle power by the other species. ¡°Why do the Ma¡¯lit want us to lead the defense forces? I would have thought that they would claim that role, as it makes the most sense. I seriously doubt the others would accept our control, except for the Commonwealth and Aurora¡¯s Hive. Did they explain their reasoning to you, Admiral?¡± Thompson regarded her with a thoughtful expression before replying to her. ¡°I asked the same questions you just did, and the Ma¡¯lit provided me with some insight into our Magnati ancestors. Apparently, they were the preeminent warrior species, and the Ma¡¯lit consider us the Magnati reborn again. They are convinced the only way to win is for us to lead the forces.¡± Thompson looked back down at the datapad and tapped on it before flicking his fingers again, and all the individual screens started merging to form a much larger blank screen in front of her. The blank holo screen came to life, and they both watched as a massive battle was displayed, tens of thousands of ships dancing with each other in a violent maelstrom of destruction and death. The allied vessels had green tags, and specific ships were highlighted as Magnati and Wan¡¯sho. The Magnati ships were massive dreadnoughts, and they looked menacing. They were long, sleek, and of the darkest black that seemed to absorb nearby light particles. They were vaguely cigar-shaped, and almost the entire hull was studded with a variety of weapon systems and sensor relays. The Wan¡¯sho ships were much smaller and agile, and they were in small formations that resembled hunting packs as they weaved around the Magnati dreadnoughts. Lopez gasped as a Magnati dreadnought, and the twenty escorting Wan¡¯sho ships with it charged directly into the center of a large Balrikan formation of over a hundred ships. The Magnati dreadnought fired broadsides from both the port and starboard side, their railgun turrets firing hundreds of rounds as dozens of armored weapons hatches slid to the side. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Out of them emerged other weapons, the plasma torpedoes and particle beams adding to the carnage as dozens of Balrikan ships disappeared under the overwhelming volume of fire tearing into them. The smaller Wan¡¯sho ships darted into the Balrikan formation and ganged up on enemy battleships, their incredibly powerful war beams spearing through the much larger vessels before moving on. Elsewhere throughout the battlespace, the same scene played out as the severely outnumbered Magnati and Wan¡¯sho ships wreaked havoc throughout the Balrikan formations. Translated battle comms were playing and Lopez could hear them clearly, the Magnati commanders expertly wielding their tiny fleet formations with deadly skill as they coordinated assaults. The Balrikans in comparison were rigid and tactically inflexible, and they could not seem to counter the seemingly random and unique fighting styles of the Magnati commanders opposing them. In less than five minutes of video, Lopez saw twenty-two Magnati dreadnoughts and a hundred and twelve Wan¡¯sho hunter-killers completely rout three large Balrikan formations and destroy over two hundred ships for only two heavily damaged hunter-killers. We fight like the Magnati, Lopez realized as she continued to watch the allied ships tear through the Balrikan fleet. It was eerie to see just how similar the Magnati fighting style and tactics were to the Republic commanders fighting against the much larger Insectoid fleets. There was a difference though, and Lopez could see it as she compared the Magnati and Republic fighting abilities. It was so strange to see the Magnati fighting in a way that made sense to her. Republic commanders were far more aggressive and daring, and their tactics were more refined, probably because of tech limitations the Magnati commanders did not have to compensate for. The video ended, and she looked at Thompson with a thoughtful expression. He looked down at the datapad again and tapped on it a few times before looking back up and speaking. ¡°As you can see, Madam President, we fight like the Magnati. This is why the Ma¡¯lit want us to lead the Alliance forces. They said watching us fight the Insectoids reminded them of our ancestors fighting the Balrikans long ago. ¡®The children have surpassed their parents'' is what Hreth¡¯nir said.¡± He looked back down and tapped on the datapad one more time before pointing to the now blank screen. It activated again, showing a red giant system devoid of planets. The video zoomed in, and she could now see an asteroid orbiting the sun at a distance approximate to Mercury¡¯s orbit in the Sol system. The video zoomed in again on the planetoid, and data appeared alongside it that gave the size of the planetoid in Republic numerals. The data displayed the diameter and estimated mass, which seemed unusually low to Lopez. It was slightly smaller than the asteroid Ceres, and Lopez was still trying to figure out why its mass was so low when video of the interior was displayed and her question was answered. The illuminated interior had been hollowed out, and Lopez gasped as she saw dozens of massive, cigar shaped ships with black hulls that were covered with numerous weapons and sensor apparatus. There were other black ships, much smaller but still deadly-looking, that numbered in the hundreds as she looked upon row after row of ships that went out of view beyond the curved horizon. She gaped at the sheer number of ships before looking back at the massive vessels she had first seen, her brain still not properly processing what her eyes were showing it. They looked almost exactly like the Magnati dreadnoughts she had been watching on the screen before, and she looked at Thompson in shock as she tried to make sense of what he was showing her. Thompson grinned at her, his eyes twinkling with delight as he pointed at the screen and explained what she was seeing. ¡°Our cousins have been preparing for the possibility of an invasion of our quadrant by the Balrikans or another expanding power for many, many years as they waited for us to rejoin them in space. There are ten such bases hidden throughout the Ma¡¯lit Domain, and they have been holding them in trust for humanity until we reclaimed our heritage. These bases and ships are a gift to us from the Ma¡¯lit Domain, and they said the time has come for us to claim what is rightfully ours. The ten bases are null space capable and fully functional, and they are ours as well. They are essentially mobile bases built to Magnati specifications and can both build and repair ships. They are fully autonomous, and we are to take these bases back to Republic space. There is a complete list of all the ships inside the ten bases, and I am putting it up on the screen now. The list has all pertinent information regarding ship classes, weaponry, armor, and shield specs.¡± Thompson flicked his fingers over the datapad, and the interior video of the base was replaced with a list of figures and images of the ships by classes. Leviathan-Class Dreadnoughts: 237 Vengeance-Class Battleships: 1,282 Guardian-Class Heavy Cruisers: 2,546 Dauntless-Class Heavy Destroyers: 4,312 Fearless-Class Frigates: 1,593 Total ships available for combat: 9,970 Lopez stared at the screen, trying to make sense of the technical details under the ship lists. They were a summary of the armor compositions, shield ratings, weapon specifications, everything. She started feeling overwhelmed by all the information and the unexpected gift from the Ma¡¯lit Domain. She looked away from the screen and back at the admiral, who looked very pleased with himself. ¡°They are just giving us all of this, with no strings attached or limitations? This almost feels like a trap, Karl. Before we accept, we better look in the mouth of this gift horse and be damn sure.¡± Thompson quickly replied as he added another, smaller screen next to the large one. A wall of Ma¡¯lit text appeared, with a translated version in Republic standard next to it. ¡°There are restrictions, of course. The ships will only work for humans, as all the systems are secured and can only be operated by people with Magnati, Ma¡¯lit, and human DNA. Also, the technology on these ships is reserved for our use alone. If we get caught tampering with or trying to transfer the technology to any other species, the AIs on the ships will shut the ships down and notify the Ma¡¯lit. The ships would become deactivated, and all systems would be wiped. If we attack other species except for recognized enemies, the AIs will deactivate the ships, notify the Ma''lit, and wipe the systems. It is different if we are attacked and defending ourselves. The ships can only be worked on and repaired in the bases the Ma¡¯lit are providing us. Any attempt to use our own shipyards will result in the same deactivation and security purge by the AI. If we honor and abide by these restrictions, the ships are ours and will function normally for us.¡± Lopez was scanning the text as she listened to Thompson list the major restrictions, seeing that he was mostly correct. She would have specialists go over it more carefully to ensure there were no loopholes or mistakes that would wind up biting them in the ass later. ¡°Okay, Karl. Let¡¯s wrap this up. I need to think about this and discuss it with my advisors before we pull the trigger on this. I will call you when I have decided, okay?¡± He nodded before saluting and then closing the channel on his end. The connection ended and his hologram disappeared, leaving her alone in the office she had taken the call in. She felt incredibly tired as she looked at the analog clock on the wall. It was only 0935, and she still had the whole day to get through. She was just about to gather her things and head back to the labs when she remembered the message alert on her wristcom from Bandit. She sighed wearily and accessed the message, seeing that he had attached an urgent tag to it. That was unusual, and she set up another secure channel before accessing the message and calling him back. Another hologram appeared, showing Bandit standing in front of the comm console in the Hive Nexus. She could see many drones in the background within the viewing range of the holo camera as they walked in and out of range. She smiled at him, ¡°Bandit, my apologies. I was in the middle of an important briefing with Admiral Thompson. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting at the comm panel the whole time.¡± He smiled back, his yellow eyes looking into hers as he replied. ¡°I was, Madam President, but I do not experience time anxiety like biologicals do. However, Aurora has been growing increasingly impatient with the delay.¡± Aurora stepped into the viewing range of the holo camera when Bandit said her name, and Lopez could almost swear she looked pissed, even though Insectoids could not make discernible facial expressions. Aurora immediately began rapidly signing, and the speaker device on her thorax started translating her thoughts as her gloved claws moved frantically. ~Hive mother, much time we were waiting. Time, we do not have much left. I shared thoughts with the Hive mother of the empire. My sister has found me. She culled the Hive mother, and the Hive mother within told me I must speak to her and make peace. The Hive mother wants peace. ~ Lopez looked at Bandit in confusion, not understanding what the hell Aurora was talking about with all the Hive mothers and sister references. It was already confusing to her when Aurora spoke of Hive mothers; she could not ever really figure out who she was referencing half the time. Bandit seemed to understand what was confusing her and signed to Aurora for a few seconds before turning back to Lopez and explaining what was going on. ¡°Aurora¡¯s sister queen has become Hive mother by killing the old Hive mother, the one that launched the attacks on the Commonwealth. It was the new Hive mother, her sister, that withdrew all the Insectoid forces back to the empire. The new Hive mother found Aurora, and they shared thoughts. Aurora¡¯s Hive mother within, the ancestor that guides her, encouraged her to respond to the new Hive mother and make peace. This new Hive mother of the insectoid empire wishes to make peace with the Republic and ally with us and the other powers to fight against the coming enemy. She wishes to share thoughts with you.¡± Lopez stared at them disbelievingly as Bandit summarized what had happened in a way she could understand. Aurora was staring at her with her large, black eyes and started signing again. ~Hive mother, I have learned animal faces. I see you think this is a falsehood, and I am angry with you for this. She is the sister I shared thoughts with you about, the one out of all sisters I loved. She has no falsehoods, only promises and truth in her thoughts. I have never made falsehoods to you, in thoughts or action. This is not a deception, and you must share thoughts with my sister. ~ Lopez¡¯s face reddened in embarrassment at being caught by Aurora and failing to maintain control of her expressions. She scrambled to regain control of the situation as her mind raced, feeling under incredible pressure as Aurora continued to stare at her. Feeling overwhelmed by the events with the Ma¡¯lit, the secret ships, and now this Hive mother situation, she leaned her head down slightly and rubbed her face with her hands. She had never felt more exhausted than she did right now in her entire life, and she could feel her mind struggling to keep up with all of it. She felt as if the office walls were closing in on her, and she focused on her breathing. Now is not the time to lose control, Mea. You are the President. You chose this. Looking back up at them, she thought about the ramifications of making real peace with the Insectoid Empire. A large portion of the Republic military was tied up patrolling the borders of the Neo-Commonwealth as they recovered from the bloody civil war and rebuilt their depleted forces. The Republic and the Neo-Commonwealth fleets would be able to withdraw from the borders and commit the additional combat forces to reinforce the fleets that would be fighting the coming invasion. They would no longer have to worry about fighting on one front while defending against a possible attack on another. The only real issue was how the Commonwealth members would react to this. They had suffered constant attacks from the Insectoids for almost two hundred years, and hundreds of billions of their dead demanded justice and revenge for the Insectoids killing them. Sarix, Therax, and Verixa would understand the need to make peace with a former enemy to fight an even worse enemy than the Insectoids, but the civilians would not. How could they? Such considerations were beyond the ability of the citizens. They were constantly reminded of the terrible atrocities committed by the Insectoids every time they looked up at the night sky. They could see a dozen stars that were now orbited by lifeless planets. These worlds once teemed with hundreds of billions of Commonwealth citizens just like them. Still, she had to try. ¡°I ask your forgiveness for not believing you, Aurora. It is just something that I was not expecting, and if you say your sister, the new Hive mother, is different, then I accept it as the truth. How do you want to do this? I do not think you should go to the empire, Aurora. I do not think that would be wise right now. Would she come to you, or to a neutral location along the border?¡± She waited impatiently as the holographic claw signs over the comm panel finished translating her words for Aurora. We need to find a better way for us to communicate, she thought to herself as Aurora started signing again. ~ I grant you the pardon you ask for, Hive mother. I understand your thoughts, and they are already forgotten. My sister cannot come to us; she can never leave the brooding chamber ever again; only death can release her from the birth canal, either of old age or when culled by a queen. ~ Aurora paused, still staring at her intently. After a few moments, she resumed signing, slowing down her claw movements as if unsure of what she was saying. ~I ask for permission to send Bandit-Friend and Luna as the envoys for my Hive and your Hives. My sister has promised safe passage for them both. The envoys of queens and Hive mothers are sacred, and anyone who kills one is culled immediately. Even if a Hive mother kills one, she would be culled by her daughters for committing such an evil act. It has been this way since the time of the first Hive. ~ Lopez found herself fascinated by what Aurora was saying, both about Hive mothers being trapped in the brooding chamber and the sacred protections afforded to envoys by the Insectoids. Even as alien as they were sometimes, it was nice to know that some things were the same, such as the diplomatic protection and immunities afforded to representatives and envoys. Turning her gaze to Bandit, Lopez asked him for his input. ¡°Bandit, is this something you want to do? I will not order you to go, so whatever choice you make is yours alone.¡± Bandit replied without hesitation. ¡°I will go, madam president. I feel it is right to attempt to make peace between Aurora and her sister. She has told me of this sister many times, and I know she misses her greatly. I also would find great joy in securing peace for the Republic I serve.¡± ¡°Will you be allowed to take an escort, Bandit? I would feel a lot better about this if you could bring a squad of combots with you as protection.¡± Aurora had been watching them speak and started signing again. ~It is expected for envoys to have drones with them to show the power and prestige of the queens and Hive mothers they represent. I will send my machine soldiers with Bandit-Friend and Luna; it is my right as a Hive mother. I promise you that no harm will be done to them by my sister or others. ~ ¡°Okay, Aurora. I agree with this peace effort. I will share thoughts with the other empires and inform them of what is happening. Just get your sister to agree to not attack us anymore, and we will not attack them. Once we figure out a way to make an official peace treaty between us, we will sign it.¡± Aurora signed with Bandit quickly before turning back to face her, her claws moving rapidly as the translator spoke for her. ~I am ashamed for doubting what you would do, Lopez-Friend. I did not know how you would think about my sister¡¯s offer of peace, and I see the wrongness in my thoughts. You are very wise, Hive mother. Even the Hive mother within me thinks you have wisdom she has rarely seen. ~ ¡°Thank you, Aurora. And I thank your ancestor for her kind thoughts as well. Being wise and getting others to see as I do are two very different things, unfortunately. We shall see how the governments of the other animals respond to your sister¡¯s request for peace. I hope they are wise and accept.¡± ~I do too. The persecutors are coming, Hive mother, and they are not coming for only us. The evil we have done to the animals will seem like nothing compared to what they will do to us all. We must face them together as friends if there is any hope of survival. We will all die facing them alone. ~ ¡°I agree. Share thoughts with me again when Bandit and Luna are ready to depart, and I will provide Bandit with orders for how to be an envoy for me and the Republic. I will share thoughts with the other animals now and try to convince them to make peace with your sister and the empire.¡± ~Yes, Hive mother. Thank you. I promise you I will do all I can to make this peace with my sister successful. The persecutors will soon know that our Hives and the animal Hives fight for each other. I now depart to get my cruiser ready to send our envoys to my sister to make peace. ~ Aurora stepped back, and Bandit ended the connection, the hologram disappearing and leaving her alone in the office again. Looking at the clock again, she shook her head in disgust when she saw that it was only 0957. Reaching into her purse on the bare desk, she searched with her fingers until she felt what she was looking for and pulled out the small, metallic pen-sized object. It was a single-dose subdermal stim stick, and she took off the protective cap before pressing it against her neck and pushing down on the activator. It hissed, and she felt the coolness spreading from the injection site as her circulatory system carried the stimulants throughout her body. In a matter of seconds, her fatigue melted away, and she felt her eyelids stop drooping. Her doctor was going to be pissed at her for using it, but he wasn¡¯t about to lead humanity into the worst war it had ever faced, and pickling her liver was a small price to pay for saving the species. She walked out of the office, her back straight and her head held high, as she felt energized and ready to take on the rest of the day. The two Pathfinder bodyguards fell in behind her as she headed back to the labs, where the eggheads were waiting to show her the next-gen weapons tech they had been working on. She was excited to see what they had and to find out if it was ready to be implemented. They needed every possible tool available if what the Ma¡±lit and Aurora had been telling them about the enemy was true. They Stood Together/Part Three/Chapter Three- Hrethnir Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth Hreth¡¯nir waited outside the medical suite as the Ma¡¯lit doctor finished running its scans to ensure that the awakening process had not caused any harm to the human child. The light above the door changed to a steady blue, indicating that the doctor was granting it access. Hreth¡¯nir palmed the scanner and quietly entered the suite when the door slid to the side. The doctor was monitoring an array of holographic medical screens and started speaking without turning away from the displays as its suit hands moved gracefully over multiple screens. ¡°The human child will regain consciousness shortly, ambassador. The procedure was a success, and there are no signs of any lasting damage from the aborted engrammatic transfer procedure.¡± It was wearing a medical exosuit, a smaller and refined version of the suits normally worn by the Ma''lit. The specialized suit allowed for precision and the fine motor skills necessary for surgeries and medical treatments. ¡°Thank you, Doctor. I will wait here for the child to awaken; I think it is important that there is someone familiar with him when he wakes.¡± Hreth¡¯nir replied as it approached the bed. ¡°As you wish, ambassador. I am finished here for now and will monitor the human child¡¯s condition from my office outside. Do not hesitate to call me if you need assistance.¡± The doctor tapped on one of the screens and then left, the door hissing as it slid shut behind the physician. Hreth¡¯nir stood by the bed, looking down at the human child¡¯s face as it waited for him to wake up. Within moments, the human¡¯s eyes started moving rapidly under his still-closed eyelids, and his lips parted slightly as he softly moaned. Another minute passed, and then his eyes fluttered open. Hreth¡¯nir leaned slightly closer, unsure how the human was going to react to its true nature. He had yet to see a Ma¡¯lit outside of their exosuits, and it hoped the human would not panic as it spoke softly to him. ¡°My human child, it gladdens me to be here for your awakening. I made many prayers and supplications to the creator for your recovery. It seems the creator deemed my efforts worthy.¡± The human turned his head in Hreth''nir''s direction, following the source of the voice as he looked at it with unfocused eyes. Slowly, Hreth¡¯nir could see as the human¡¯s eyes adjusted to the light and finally focusing. ¡°Who-mmggh. Thirsty.¡± The human said, his voice cracking from the long term disuse of his vocal cords. Hreth¡¯nir reached over to the side table and picked up the small hydration cup, bringing it to the human child¡¯s lips. He drank from it greedily, spilling most of the contents down the side of his face and onto his chest. ¡°Take it slowly, my human child. I will get you more.¡± Hreth¡¯nir said soothingly as it turned to the side again and refilled the cup from the spigot by the bed. Turning back, it saw the human staring at it intently. ¡°Honored Elder? I recognize your voice. Where-Where am I? What happened to me?¡± The human said as he stared at Hreth¡¯nir with wide eyes that roamed all over the implants before settling on its eyes. Hreth¡¯nir felt very self-conscious about itself as the human child continued to inspect it closely. At least he wasn¡¯t reacting with fear or revulsion, it thought to itself as it responded to the child. ¡°Yes, my human child. I am Hreth¡¯nir, and this is my true form. I hope you do not find me offensive to look upon. You suffered a catastrophic neural displacement from the unsanctioned use of the engrammatic transfer device. Your brain was severely damaged, but you have been fully healed.¡± ¡°I remember; I was Shillan Domreth. I felt my youngling¡¯s bodies crack as I forced their frozen arms and legs into their death repose. I grieved for my mate Yregna, who suffered at the hands of her overlord and never came back to me. I remember everything¡ªall the pain and suffering, the regret that the saviors did not come sooner to save my family. The fear in Yan-gith¡¯s eyes as it ordered me to enter the bunker and seal the door behind me.¡± Tears were falling down the human¡¯s face, and Hreth¡¯nir wanted nothing more than to embrace the child and soothe him. Instead, Hreth¡¯nir tentatively placed its heavily modified right hand on top of his. The human child gripped it tightly without hesitation, surprising Hreth¡¯nir with the strength of his grip as he continued to silently sob. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honored Elder, I cannot help it. I can¡¯t seem to-¡° ¡°Do not apologize, my human. And please, call me Hreth¡¯nir. It is going to take some time for you to process the trauma your mind and your soul underwent. Is there anything you wish to know?¡± ¡°How long was I out for? Why are you not in your suit?¡± he asked as he tried to use his arms to push himself up higher on the slightly elevated bed. They trembled from the exertion, the muscles struggling after the months of inactivity. Hreth¡¯nir helped him by grabbing two extra pillows from under the bed and placing them behind the child, helping the human prop himself on them. Once the child was settled, Hreth¡¯nir answered him. ¡°One hundred and seven of your Earth days as of today. As for not being in my suit, a lot has happened since we put you into an induced coma to prevent further damage to your brain. The Balrikans have returned, my human child. We estimate they will reach the quadrant in less than three of your months. I have decided that it was time for humans to know the truth about the Ma¡¯lit. Just like the Magnati, you share a common heritage with the Ma¡¯lit. We are your cousin-kin.¡± The human child stared at Hreth¡¯nir, his eyes roaming over its heavily modified face. After a few moments, he spoke again. ¡°I see it; you look human despite... your modifications. I¡¯m sorry for staring at you, Hreth¡¯nir. Are you cybernetic, or are the modifications biomechanical in nature?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Hreth¡¯nir replied. ¡°When the Magnati first went into space and colonized worlds, a splinter culture left as well to pursue their own desires for augmentation and the joining of both organic and synthetic. After millennia, we developed a unique culture and forged our own path in the galaxy. We never forgot our shared heritage with the Magnati, and we naturally were the greatest of friends and allies with them. The Magnati and the Ma¡¯lit joined together, and the Wan¡¯sho and the Slikaath joined with us a few hundred cycles later. This alliance of the four species formed the core of the Galactic Federation, and it was our unshakable bond with the Magnati that sustained it for millennia before the Balrikans destroyed it. Ma¡¯lit is derived from Magna¡¯lit, which means Kin of the Great Ones in the ancient ancestral tongue.¡± The human child listened as Hreth¡¯nir spoke, and he was quiet for some time after it finished speaking. ¡°Wow. I was not expecting that; I always imagined you as either little gray aliens or something crazy like a sentient octopi species. Well, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you, cousin.¡± The human child said as he timidly held out a hand towards Hreth¡¯nir. Hreth¡¯nir responded as it took the human¡¯s hand with its own and moved it up and down like it had seen done in the Republic cultural archives. ¡°Ah, yes. Humans, just like our Magnati kin, like to shake hands. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, both as kin and as a friend, my human child. If you are tired, I can depart so you may rest more.¡± The human laughed at Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s offer to leave before replying. ¡°I¡¯ve slept enough, Hreth¡¯nir, and I will be sure to tell you when I wish to rest. Would you mind staying with me for a little longer?¡± ¡°Of course, whatever you wish, my child.¡± Hreth¡¯nir responded, secretly pleased that he wanted it to stay. I missed talking to you, and I am so grateful you have recovered. Glory to the creator, it thought, mindful of the creator¡¯s blessing as the human started speaking again. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, please call me Ray. I think it is time we use each other¡¯s names when it is just to two of us, don¡¯t you agree?¡± The human said, looking into Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s biomechanical eyes as he spoke. ¡°I agree¡­Ray. So, what would you like me to talk about?¡± Hreth¡¯nir asked as he sent a thought command. Out of the floor emerged a nanobot swarm that quickly assembled into a chair, and Hreth¡¯nir sat in it as he waited for the human to reply. ¡°Why don¡¯t you finish telling me about how the war ended and the plagues? What happened to the Magnati, the Wan¡¯sho, and all the others? How are we descended from the Magnati?¡± Hreth¡¯nir was unsure if it was appropriate to discuss such things so soon after waking up, but the look on Ray¡¯s face changed its mind. It waited for the human to finish shifting his position before starting. ¡°I will skip forward to the events you wish to know about, and you can fill in the gaps later. The Federation pushed the Balrikans off the worlds they had conquered and liberated the poor souls of those brutalized worlds. Deprived of their bases, the surviving Balrikan fleets once again reverted to a guerilla-style campaign that caused much death and destruction. Balrikan ships continued to cross the expanse between the arms and replenish their losses, and we continued to build up our forces. We successfully prevented them from reestablishing bases, and the conflict settled into a form of stalemate that continued for many cycles as our fleets continued to hunt and destroy them. Still, more came, and still, we fruitlessly tried to pin down their forces and destroy them once and for all. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. By this time, we had finally built enough ships to fully defend our territory, limit the depredations of the hateful creatures, and form an expeditionary force large enough to invade their territory. A combined fleet of over 60,000 warships and supply vessels was launched, and they crossed the expanse to end the war. This was also the first time we used the new stellar null torpedoes we had developed.¡± ¡°What? Stellar torpedoes? What are those, Hreth¡¯nir?¡± Ray asked. ¡°Stellar null torpedoes. These were specialized null devices that could exit null space within the core of the targeted sun. Utilizing multiphasic shield technology, the torpedoes would keep the aperture open and allow a large volume of core matter to be displaced into null space. This would create a large void as the core material flowed through the aperture, much like what happens when a ship enters or exits null space within the atmosphere on a planet. When the shields finally failed, the null space aperture would close, and the gravitational pressure around the void would collapse into the now empty space, triggering an implosion within the core. The resultant shock wave would further compress the core, and the targeted sun would go critical within a day, sometimes hours depending on the age and composition of the sun.¡± The human¡¯s eyes and mouth kept getting wider as Hreth¡¯nir described the weapon. It could see the horror the human was experiencing, and it took some time before he could speak again. ¡°Jesus Christ! Are you telling me you made a weapon that could destroy the sun? Multiple suns? That¡ªno one should ever have that much power. If you could make them, others could, right?¡± ¡°The Ma¡¯lit did not build the weapons; your Magnati ancestors did. A team of fifty-two preeminent scientists and theoreticians collaborated together to develop the weapon system in secret. They were completely isolated from all others, even their families, and they did so willingly to help end the war. They built fifty of the devices and notified their superiors that the weapons were ready. When the military and government officials arrived to collect the weapons, they found all fifty-two of the researchers dead in the secret labs they had been working in for almost two cycles. They destroyed all the research and knowledge they had accumulated during the development of the weapon before committing ritual suicide with a poison they synthesized for themselves. Besides farewell letters to their families and their wills, they all signed a joint declaration explaining their actions and asking for forgiveness for what they had created in their search for a weapon to end the war. They felt the weapon they created was too evil to exist, and they decided among themselves to ensure the fifty devices they built would be the only ones ever made by the Galactic Federation.¡± Sadness crossed the human¡¯s features, and Hreth¡¯nir waited as he bent his head and whispered a prayer before looking back up at it and speaking. ¡°They killed themselves? That¡¯s terribly sad, and I hope they were recognized for their willingness to sacrifice themselves to ensure such abominations could never be made again.¡± ¡°Some were incensed that they presumed to know better and judge the morality of the weapons, but many were greatly affected by the suicides and vowed to make the sacrifices of the scientists mean something. All fifty devices were taken, and the labs became sacred tombs. Where was I? Ah yes, the expeditionary fleet was now in enemy territory, and they fought many battles as they made their way ever deeper into Balrikan space to find appropriate targets for the fifty devices. Entire solar systems were laid to waste as the fleets swarmed through them, using kinetic bombardments and anti-matter bombs to destroy the populations and infrastructure that supported the Balrikan war machine. Systems with only Balrikans were wiped out entirely, some with the devices, others with the bombardments I spoke of. It depended on the level of infrastructure and population numbers. ¡°And systems with conquered populations that suffered under the Balrikan occupations? Did you exterminate those poor victims as well? Ray asked accusingly as he stared at Hreth¡¯nir in horror. ¡°Ray, this was a war for our very survival, and we were well within our rights to do what was necessary. However, the Magnati and the Wan¡¯sho commanders leading the forces refused to kill innocent species. The few species the Balrikans did conquer were spared extermination, but their infrastructure was destroyed, and strike teams were landed with weapons and equipment to arm the populace and lead uprisings against their oppressors. They volunteered to be left behind, and the fleet continued to press deeper towards the more developed regions and Core Worlds as they fought off numerous Balrikan counterattacks. After many solar months, they finally reached the heart of Balrikan space, and the remaining 42,000 warships of the expeditionary force split themselves into four large fleets of over 10,000 ships each. Dozens of solar systems were purged, dozens of suns were destroyed, and still, more Balrikan ships came to fight us and prevent further penetration. It was only then that we realized our error.¡± ¡°What error, Hreth¡¯nir?¡± Ray asked as he reached for the cup of water without looking away from Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s visual implants. It waited until the human finished drinking before responding. ¡°We had been operating under the assumption the Balrikans would have a home world that was surrounded by a network of Core Worlds in the center of their territory. We assumed they would have a unified government that controlled them and their war effort. It wasn¡¯t until we captured and interrogated a high-ranking clan leader that we realized what we were truly facing and the futility of our eradication efforts. They could never be forced to surrender, and there was no true central government to decapitate. They are a clan-based species, and they are nomads, Ray. There was no government to destroy, and they left their home world because they destroyed it themselves, rendering it uninhabitable during their first crusade against their own species. They took their clan system and nomadic lifestyle into space with them. That is what we faced.¡± Ray¡¯s brow furrowed in concentration as he looked away from Hreth¡¯nir and thought about what it just told him. Hreth¡¯nir waited patiently as it allowed the human to analyze the situation with the Balrikans. After a few moments, Hreth¡¯nir could see the understanding dawning on his face as he realized what the Galactic Federation was dealing with, and he looked towards Hreth¡¯nir again. ¡°I see it now, Hreth¡¯nir. Unless you hunt down and kill every single Balrikan in the galaxy, they will always return. Since they are nomadic clans, there are no governments or worlds you could destroy to deliver the final killing blow and end the war. You would need to kill every one of them to end the war, and if even a few of them escaped, they would just move to another area and rebuild. Only their total extinction would end them and prevent another war.¡± Pride surged through Hreth¡¯nir at the insight the human was able to quickly glean from limited data despite not being of the warrior class. They truly are worthy inheritors, Hreth¡¯nir thought as it responded. ¡°Precisely so, my human. If even a remnant survived, it would not be us who would be dealing with them again. It would be our descendants who would have to deal with a resurgent Balrikan crusade. Faced with this daunting reality, the expeditionary fleet set about on their task of the complete eradication of the hateful creatures. The noble warriors of the fleet became exterminators as they cleansed entire worlds. Scouts were sent to find the solar systems with the largest concentration of Balrikan populations, and we used the last fourteen devices on those suns, committing great evil to finally end the war. By this time, the fleet stocks were running low, and much of the fleet needed repair and refit. The decision was made to conquer a system with the infrastructure and resources necessary to establish a viable base. A system was found that suited our purposes, and the fleet retreated to it and invaded. After wiping out the inhabitants, we seized the infrastructure and retooled it for our purposes. We fortified the system, built the necessary support infrastructure to repair and resupply our ships, and we fought off repeated attempts by the Balrikans to eject us from the heart of their territory. They went into a frenzy, my human. It seemed as if our seizure and occupation of a system within the heart of their territory was sacrilegious and an affront that they could not tolerate. Fleet after fleet after fleet came, and the expeditionary forces suffered severe attrition despite our victories. As our warship numbers dwindled, the fleet commanders grew increasingly concerned about the success of their mission. Ships and drones were sent back to the Federation to gather additional forces and reinforce our depleted fleet, which now numbered just over twenty thousand combat-capable warships.¡± Ray¡¯s mouth opened in shock at the losses suffered by the powerful and advanced Federation forces. ¡°They lost 2/3rds of their combat power? How many Balrikan ships did they destroy during the invasion?¡± ¡°Over 200,000 Balrikan ships.¡± Hreth¡¯nir answered, holding up a hand to stop the human from responding. ¡°That is not to say 200,000 warships, Ray. Remember, they are nomadic. We noticed a marked decline in actual warships after the many battles fought during the invasion, and now they were using... technicals, as you so aptly termed them during one of our previous discussions. There were still warships, but most of what we were facing during their attempts to reclaim the system were locally available ships that had basic weaponry and armor plating quickly installed, and most of their combat power was still fighting the Federation forces in the Orion Arm. I came across an expression during my studies of your conflicts. I believe it is ¡®Quantity has a quality all its own¡¯ and was said by one of the evilest humans to ever exist in reference to a war of attrition. Such was the case here, my human. Despite the technological disparity and the severe disadvantages, the hateful creatures would still eventually defeat the expeditionary forces because they simply had the numbers to do so. It was at this time that the ships we sent to bring reinforcements finally returned. Only two thousand additional warships accompanied them, and those would be the last they would ever receive due to th-.¡± A confused expression on his face, Ray rudely interrupted Hreth¡¯nir again. ¡°Why only two thousand ships? Surely there were more warships available to support and reinforce the expeditionary forces?¡± Hreth¡¯nir carefully modulated its voice to hide the anger it was feeling before answering him coldly. This was the third time the human had interrupted it, and Hreth''nir was incensed by the repeatedly rude behavior. ¡°Do not interrupt me again, human. It is disrespectful, and I will not tolerate such inconsiderate behavior from you again. You may be kin and a friend, but I am still Ma''lit and an Honored Elder of the governing council." The human looked surprised and then deeply hurt before looking down as Hreth¡¯nir scolded him, and he did not respond or look back up after Hreth¡¯nir had finished. It could see the human¡¯s hands start to tremble slightly as he continued to avoid looking at Hreth¡¯nir. After a few moments, the human child turned away from Hreth¡¯nir and presented his back to it as he lay on his side. Regret for what it had done filled Hreth¡¯nir as the child finally spoke, directing his words at the wall he was facing. ¡°Please leave, Honored Elder. I am tired, and I wish to sleep.¡± he said softly in a quavering voice thick with emotion. Hreth¡¯nir stared at the human¡¯s back, feeling terrible for scolding the child. It was just about to apologize when it heard the door slide open and the doctor came over to stand next to Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°You will depart at once, Honored Elder. My diagnostic equipment is showing signs of elevated emotional distress from my patient. Leave us, now!¡± Hreth¡¯nir backed away from the doctor, surprised by the anger as it demanded Hreth¡¯nir leave at once. The raised volume of the doctor¡¯s med suit only reinforced its command. Ma¡¯lit doctors were well known for being extremely protective of their patients, and Hreth¡¯nir knew better than to defy the one that just ordered it to leave, honored elder or not. Hreth¡¯nir turned around and exited the medical suite, stopping to look through the clear polyglass at the human child. The doctor looked back and noticed it looking into the suite from outside and flicked a finger. The polyglass privacy function activated, and Hreth¡¯nir found itself staring at its own reflection on the now silvery surface. You are an arrogant fool, it thought accusingly to the reflection staring back at it. Hreth¡¯nir sadly turned away and headed back to its quarters, feeling like its friendship with the human child it loved deeply was irrevocably damaged. Ignoring all the other Ma¡¯lit it walked past along the way, Hreth¡¯nir entered the quarters and stopped in front of the chair it had specially made for the human child by a Ma''lit artisan with imported materials. It had let the chair remain where it was in the hopes that the human would recover and use the gift again. Regret filled Hreth¡¯nir, and it sat in the chair for the first time, using the lever to extend it and lay back. Now fully extended and looking up at the shimmering ceiling above it, Hreth¡¯nir flicked a finger. A holo screen appeared, the time index displaying the date and time of the holo video. It was a recording of their first time meeting each other, and Hreth¡¯nir activated the playback. As it heard the human child introduce himself for the first time, Hreth¡¯nir felt ashamed of its arrogant behavior. I hope you forgive me, my human. I am sorry, Hreth¡¯nir thought as it continued to watch the holo screen above it. A deep loneliness entered its spirit, and Hrethnir allowed itself to be swallowed by the emotion. They Answered The Call-Part Three-Chapter Four-Chief Cleric 6,018 light years from Earth Command chamber of Hive ship Guardian Fleet, final defense line system. The command drone sent frantic thoughts to any ships that remained, commanding them to join her as she carefully maneuvered her heavily damaged Hive ship into the last minefield. Less than forty sisters answered her. Less than forty ships remained of the guardian fleets that once numbered eight to the power of five. Now they numbered two to the fifth power. They used to reign like queens within the forbidden zone, their ships as numerous as the stars. They performed their duty to the Hive mothers and the queens, diligently watching for any sign of the persecutors their entire lives. She, like many other command and commander drones, at first truly thought they would be able to defend the forbidden zone. They were not weak and defenseless like the first empire was long ago. Even when swarms of enemy ships came, she still thought they could defeat them, or at least inflict enough losses to make them withdraw and allow the Hives to send more ships to fight with them. She saw the futility of her thoughts during her first battle with the persecutors. Her thoughts changed, and now she knew why the Hive mothers and queens imprinted their fear on them. The enemy did not fight like other animals. They did not flee. They did not let losses affect them. They just kept coming, and more came behind them¡ªa ceaseless wave that never stopped. Now, she and her thirty-four sister command drones were all that were left. All the commander drones were dead, and she was now the commander of the few guardian ships that still remained. She watched the viewer as her sisters responded to her command and tried to enter the minefield with their half-destroyed ships. She counted them as they entered: 3 Hive ships and 31 cruisers. This is all that remains of us. So many sisters and drones, over two hundred cycles of endless shipbuilding that required entire worlds and moons to build, all gone. She sadly thought to herself as her sisters came. The last ships of the guardian fleet entered the minefield, joining her Hive ship as they assumed a globe formation with her ship in the center. Only one last battle to fight, then they can rest forever. Harried thoughts came from her sisters and pressed into her mind, asking her for orders. She sent calming thoughts back to them¡ªfalse thoughts filled with a confidence and courage she did not truly feel. Eighteen planetary diameters away from the minefield, bright points of light appeared within the battle wreckage, and they danced in the darkness of the void as she watched them maneuver. She gazed at the massive, rapidly expanding cloud of destroyed ships as the pinpoint lights flared brighter before arranging themselves together and emerging from the debris field in many formations. The lights grew brighter one last time before they vanished, the black ships of death blending into the distant darkness as they turned off their engines and coasted towards the last of the guardian ships. She could no longer see them with her own eyes, but it mattered not. The black angular ships were coming, and they knew where the last of the guardians had fled to. There was nowhere else for them to go. The minefield and her ships hiding within it were the last and final defense of the forbidden zone. She and her sisters were the last of the guardians, and all that remained. After they died, there would be no sisters left to continue the fight and defend the Hives. She reached out to her sisters, determined to share thoughts with them one last time before dying. The thoughts of her sisters came to her mind as they responded, sharing their love for her and the pride of fighting and dying for each other one last time. She felt their fear, but none of them had thoughts of fleeing. She felt joy as their minds caressed hers, and she opened herself up entirely to them, allowing them all to access her mind to commune with her. Death was coming, and she wanted to share herself with them. Her sisters were doing the same as she was, and they all joined together harmoniously as they communed, giving each other the sacred gift of truly knowing the sisters they would soon die with. It was beautiful, so many sisters at once giving themselves freely, and they all wept with joy and sadness as they experienced the inner lives of their fellow sisters for the first and last time. Hundreds of explosions erupted at the edge of the minefield as enemy ships entered it, and she instinctively left the communing to fight them. Many thoughts came from her sisters, telling her to come back to them. She felt their pleas to join them as she stared at the viewer. Already, scores of black ships had been destroyed and crippled, and the last of the guardian ships were much deeper in the center of the minefield. After sending thought orders to the drones to continue fighting, she also gifted them with thoughts of love and appreciation. She felt their simple minds react with happiness and contentment to her thoughts. Their simple minds were not capable of communing like command drones were, and she sent thoughts of gratitude to the drones one last time before leaving them to rejoin her waiting sisters. The joyful reminisces of her sisters were all around her, and she accessed them, living and experiencing their thoughts while feeling them do the same with her own happy memories. The essence and memories of one of the sisters vanished suddenly, quickly followed by two other sisters. The rest of them continued to commune, grieving the deaths of their sisters as they shared. More sisters died, their essences and memories dematerializing as their ships were destroyed. The shared communing shrank, the number of departed sisters growing rapidly as fewer sisters remained alive. She continued to examine the many memories of the few remaining sisters, and the part of her mind still in the command chamber registered the Hive ship being hit by repeated weapons fire. She ignored that part of her mind as it tried to get her to fight back, desperate to flee and live just a little bit longer. She shared thoughts with the last six sisters still alive, grateful for being with them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The chief cleric hissed in anger and charged at the underling. The lowly ranked Bal¡¯Ri¡¯kan barely had time to register what was happening before his throat was torn out by the chief cleric. Blood spurted from the underling¡¯s neck as he fell, the victim instinctively trying to stem the flow of his lifeblood with clawed hands as he struggled to breathe through the now torn open airway. The chief cleric stared at the underling as he choked on his lifeblood, ignoring the accusing look of betrayal in the eyes of the attendant that loyally served him for many cycles. When the servant finally stopped gurgling and the eyes turned glassy in death, the chief cleric realized that he had been holding his own breath the whole time, and he gasped loudly as his lungs demanded air. A sliver of regret came to him, and he brutally suppressed it for the weakness it was before raising his head to the bulkhead above and issuing the traditional blood-curdling victory shriek. All the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯kan in the chamber with him cowered at the terrible screech, careful to avoid the chief cleric¡¯s gaze while he was still blood lusted. Any wrong move now would cause their own demise, and they wished to live a little longer. The chief cleric brought his head back down and hooted softly as he pointed at the corpse on the ground in front of him. Two trembling underlings scurried over and dragged the dead body away, keeping their eyes averted from the chief cleric as he watched them. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The attendant had the misfortune of being the one to inform the chief cleric of the total losses suffered by the crusader fleets after they finally cleansed the last of the filthy insect presence in the minefield. Disgusted at the poor performance of the crusader ships, the chief cleric wanted to kill every Bal¡¯Ri¡¯kan in the chamber with him. There was no excuse for the terrible losses the impure creatures had inflicted on his holy warriors. Over 100,000 ships had been lost, and he seethed at the implication such losses had for their future efforts in exterminating the insect empire. They were not the same insects they first tried to exterminate, and their unexpected resistance filled him with foreboding. The vile infestation of such creatures was an affront to the Masters, and the holy warriors were charged with cleansing them entirely. As numerous as the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯kan were, the insects were even greater than the chosen ones. The insects were prodigious breeders and builders, and not knowing how many ships and worlds the filthy vermin had available weighed heavily on the chief cleric¡¯s mind and soul. None of the scouting hunters had returned yet, and he did not want to blindly charge into unknown space. He would give them more time to pick up the scent and use it to repair what remained of the first wave. This would also allow the second wave to reach him before searching for the insect empire to exterminate them once and for all. When the holy task was finished, the stain of dishonor would finally be expunged from his clan lore and bloodline, and he would receive the blessings of the Masters if they deemed him worthy. The chief cleric strode towards the exit, stepping in the rapidly congealing lifeblood and tracking crimson red prints across the deck plates as he left the chamber and headed to the Sacred Sanctum. Outside the Sanctum, he pressed all four palms against the scanners on the side of the hatch and waited impatiently for the locking mechanism to disengage. The scanners turned red, and then there was a loud clanging sound before the hatch slipped into its recess. After disrobing entirely, he stepped through the hatch entirely naked and reverently approached the holy artifact, keeping his eyes averted from the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac until he was properly prostrated in front of it. After performing the ceremonial ablutions, the chief cleric was now purified and could look upon the vessel of the Masters, the most holy of holies. Doubt and fear plagued him as he spoke to it, his heavily scarred warrior¡¯s body trembling in awe of the sacred reliquary. ¡°Most revered ones, masters of the universe, I seek your blessings. The last of the filthy insects have been expunged from this star cluster, as have all the other thinking beings inhabiting it. This cluster is now properly cleansed, and I gift it to you, my Masters.¡± After what seemed like an interminable time, the dark relic came to life as the same strange power that signified the Masters presences came into it, and it started glowing ethereally in seemingly random pulses. More time passed, and the chief cleric¡¯s leg and arm joints throbbed with pain as they pressed against the bare metal deck plates. The Masters were here, but they did not deign to bless him with their wisdom yet. The chief cleric started violently shaking in fear as he wondered why they were not blessing him with their wisdom. Had he done something wrong? Did he not cleanse the pollution of the inferior insects fast enough? The Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac dimmed and brightened sporadically, indicating that they were still within the holy artifact. He needed their blessings and wisdom desperately, and he forced himself to beseech the Masters one last time. ¡°Holy ones, I crave your blessings and your wisdom. I am your most loyal servant, and I beg you to gift me with your holy words. I have lost many ships filled with holy warriors who gladly martyred themselves in the name of the Masters, and we suffered grievous losses fighting the disgusting insects. We need your blessings and wisdom to better arm our ships. Though we gladly martyr ourselves, we cannot fight and cleanse the galaxy for our Masters if too many of us are killed by the many impure creatures we will face. Though it gladdens my heart to know the holy martyrs are in the paradise you promised us, I need them here with me to fulfill my obligations to you as chief cleric. They cannot help me cleanse this galaxy if they are joyfully prostrating themselves at the feet of our Masters in paradise.¡± The chief cleric wanted to say more, but he realized that he had been lecturing the Masters, and he clamped his jaws shut in panic. Terror grew inside of him, and he averted his eyes; surely, he would die now for such impudence and be cast down into the abode of the damned. He stared down at the deck plates, his eyes wide in fear as he waited to be struck down by the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac. The ethereal glow grew brighter, and the strange humming that signified the Masters presences within it became louder. He whispered a terrified prayer to them, begging for mercy as he squeezed his eyes shut in expectation of the killing blow that was sure to come. He had seen the old images of an ancient chief cleric that had displeased the Masters, the body barely recognizable as a Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan after the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac consumed him with holy fire. Disembodied voices loudly erupted from the holy relic, and the chief cleric shook with fright as he turned his head to the side and pressed it against the deck plates in full submission. The Masters were speaking in the holy tongue at first, the language of the holy ones, before they finally began to speak to him in the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan tongue so he might receive their wisdom. Only a true prophet of the holy ones, or an evil one consumed with his own vanity, would presume to tell the Masters how to properly cleanse this galaxy. Which are you, mortal? Our prophet, or an evil one? Answer and tell us what you truly are. You will either live or die by our holy fire, Chief Cleric. Speak truly; choose wisely. Dread filled the chief cleric, and he frantically thought of the correct answer to their trick question. If he claimed to be an anointed prophet, he would die. If he denied his vanity, he would die. There was only one true answer, and he spoke reverently, deeply embarrassed as the fear he felt caused his voice to squeak like one of the field voles he specially bred to nibble on. ¡°I am not worthy of being your prophet, Holy ones. I am vain, and I am a weak mortal. The only true evil I have committed is not having enough cycles of life to live so I may fully cleanse this galaxy and herald your arrival. Do with me as you wish; I live only to faithfully serve the true Masters of all.¡± His head was still turned to the side and pressed against the metal grating in full submission, and he fought against the desire to shift his body to relieve the terrible pain within his neck. His whole body was in pain as the nerves of his arm and leg joints, and now his neck screamed at him to relieve the pressure on them. He forced himself to be still as he recited the Martyrs Creed. As he stared at the wall he was facing and whispered the holy words of the creed, there was a bright flash of light that filled the Sacred Sanctum, and he was blinded by the sudden illumination. Blinking his eyes rapidly, panicked thoughts flooded his mind and consumed him as he prepared himself to be devoured by the holy fire of the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac. Instead of holy fire, voices came from the holy relic once more. You have wisely admitted to your vanity and your mortal weaknesses. We can detect the truth and lies that inhabit the souls of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. We have peered into your soul, and we see only truth within you. We see the fiery spirit of a noble crusader within you, and we recognize your achievements. We find you worthy, and we shall anoint you, Chief Cleric. You will now be under our protection. You are our chosen prophet, and we will bless you for all to see. Look upon us, prophet; We will mark you so all who worship the Holy ones will see our sign upon you and know you are favored by the true Masters. Scarcely believing the profound blessing the Masters were imparting upon him, the chief cleric struggled to stand as the hormone spikes from the constant fear and tension he was under greatly weakened him. He shook uncontrollably as relief flooded him, and it took all his strength and willpower to finally manage to stand in front of the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac and keep himself erect. It would be a grave dishonor to show weakness and collapse so soon after being anointed by the Masters. They would kill him for such feebleness in their presence and wait for another chief cleric to come to them. He had been averting his eyes from the holy relic, and he forced himself to ignore the stabbing pain within his eyes as he stared into the now brilliantly glowing Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac as it moved towards him. It was like looking directly at the sun, and he could feel his eyes watering as he forced his eyelids to remain open. The holy relic mercifully dimmed as it drew nearer to him before stopping an arm¡¯s length in distance from him. He was enthralled by the nearness of the Masters, and he groaned with religious fervor as he awaited the mark of the revered ones. A thin red beam came out of the relic, sizzling the flesh directly under his clavicle as the holy relic traced the sign of the anointed one upon their prophet. He didn¡¯t feel the cutting beam searing into his skin; he was too enraptured to register the pain as he gazed lovingly at the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac that was blessing and elevating him above all others in the galaxy. The red beam finally turned off, and he ignored the smell of his burnt flesh as he looked down at the favor of the Masters now gracing his upper chest. Seeing the mark of the Holy ones, he groaned again in sheer joy as the true import of the blessing he had just received overwhelmed him. He prostrated himself in front of the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac again, shrieking with ecstasy and babbling incoherently as he tried to express his gratitude to the Masters for anointing him as their chosen prophet. The disembodied voices came again, and he silenced himself as he waited for them to gift him with their wisdom. In front of the holy relic, two objects emerged from a small black void that appeared, and then they spoke again. Take these two gifts we have decided to bestow upon our anointed prophet. One is for you and is our Holy Writ. Any who look upon its words except for the anointed prophet shall die by our hand, as will all who share their bloodline. The other is for the wise ones. Within it are teachings for them to use so our holy warriors do not die in such large numbers against the impure creatures as they prepare this sacred galaxy for our arrival. This will help them fight better so we may bring the paradise we have promised. Go from us now and show our mark to all the faithful, Chief Cleric. Show them how the Masters have anointed their chosen prophet. The Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac dimmed and moved back to the center of the Sacred Sanctum, hovering silently once it reached its place. The chief cleric¡¯s hands trembled as he picked up the two objects and hugged them against his chest before walking backwards out of the Sanctum. He covered his naked body with the garments he had left outside, and he headed back to the control chamber. He left the top garment open, ensuring that the mark of the anointed one was visible for all to see. He passed several underlings along the way, and they all fell to their knees in shock and adoration as soon as they saw the mark of the Masters on their chief cleric¡¯s chest. He continued on after blessing them with his touch, and he relished the groans of joy that came from their mouths as he left them behind. Soon, dozens of underlings followed him, begging him to bless them. He would have the wise ones come to him and delve into the wisdom the Holy ones had gifted. It would allow his holy warriors to kill more of the impure creatures while reducing their own losses. He stopped outside the chamber and looked down at the sign of the Masters that graced his chest, snarling in amusement as he imagined the faces of the underlings who wanted to replace him when they saw what had happened. Now he would not have to fear any attack or challenge from others for as long as he lived. The mark of favor was upon him now, and none would dare stand against the anointed prophet of the true Masters. He had been elevated above all others in this galaxy, and only the Masters could remove their sign from him. As long as he continued to receive their blessings, all the Bal''Ri''Kan were his to do with as he pleased. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Five-Aurora Fast Battleship Group 0-1A, Task Force Extricate 5,986 light years from Earth 13 weeks after rescue Command Unit 273 ran systems checks as it waited for the third wave of Scout drones to return from the forbidden zone and transmit their most recent sensor sweeps. For three hundred and thirty-six hours, Task Force Extricate had been diligently sending hundreds of small, specialized scout drones into the forbidden zone to search for any signs of surviving Insectoid ships. 273 had been selected to lead the mission after the successful integration of itself and its fifteen subordinate AIs into the newest class of null battleships. After they had been retrieved by the creators from their black box drones, they assumed control of the newly created task force. The creators ordered the task force to go to the Republic Hive world and pick up Insectoid passengers and android translators before receiving their updated mission parameters. Once the passengers and the updated mission files were received, the task force set course for the forbidden zone and flashed into null space to complete their first mission since returning. The creators and the allied Hive mother were determined to rescue and save as many Insectoid ships as possible within the forbidden zone and to scout the extent of the enemy penetration. The Insectoid passengers were three command drones selected by the allied Hive mother that had the best grasp of the secondary language of communication between the two biological species. After they boarded 273¡¯s ship, the task force flashed out every 500 light years and dropped one of the unique communication devices that would extend the telepathic range of the allied Hive mother. 273 had scanned the devices during the journey and tried to analyze the organic, crystalline structures. The interesting latticework and properties of the devices intrigued it greatly, but its scanning results proved inconclusive, and it saved the data to further explore at a later time. The fast battleships of the task force had the newest iteration of Republic null drive capacitors, and 273 marveled at the greatly increased range and speed of the new engines the creators had built. The journey back to this region of space took three hundred and sixty-seven hours, almost twice as fast as the previous generation null drives installed on Republic frigates and corvettes. Once they reached the border of the forbidden regions, 273 separated itself from the rest of the task force and entered the forbidden region alone to test the effectiveness of the newest stealth tech against the enemy scanning capabilities. Besides the newest iteration of the null particle-infused hulls, the creators had also installed a primitive version of the Ma¡¯lit cloaking generators they finally had been able to integrate with Republic ship systems. 273 was able to successfully penetrate a system with hundreds of enemy ships actively patrolling it and pass through them without being detected. Testing the limits of the stealth systems, 273 was able to drift by an enemy battlecruiser within 200,000 kilometers and remain undetected. The last test was entering and exiting null space within 500,000 kilometers of an enemy patrol to see if they could detect the new null space dampeners. Besides the visual spectrum of the flash, exiting and entering null space released a tremendous amount of easily detected exotic particles. Null space flash radiation was typically detectable within 10,000,000 kilometers, while the visual spectrum of the flash itself could be detected 20,000,000 kilometers away. Both forms of detection were limited by the propagation of exotic radiation and light particles at the speed of light. The null space dampeners were designed to eliminate both forms of detection, and 273 confirmed the enemy scanners were unable to detect its ship by flashing in and out of null space four times within 500,000 kilometers. Pleased with the results, 273 rendezvoused with the waiting task force right outside of the forbidden zone and began the search. The task force then released hundreds of scout drones and waited. Detecting incoming signals, 273 analyzed the frequencies and confirmed they were from incoming scout drones. 167 seconds later, four scout drones appeared out of subdued flashes alongside the task force, their highly advanced null drives barely outputting the typical exit radiation. All four Scout drones connected to 273, and it analyzed their scanning results as they opened their ram scoops to recharge their null capacitors. The analysis was intriguing, and it shared the scans with the other AIs to see if they came to the same conclusion as it had. 1.3 seconds later, all the AIs had verified and confirmed the same results it had, and 273 accessed the mainframe to alert the translator androids that accompanied the Insectoid command drones. 273 sent the androids a predetermined route to take to the control center where it was located and activated the life support systems along the selected route for the Insectoids. It created a submind to oversee the task and continued to analyze the scanning results as it waited. All throughout the forbidden zone, the scout drones had recorded and compiled a vast amount of information and scanning results. The debris fields they scanned indicated there were eight major battles, as well as dozens of smaller-scale battles throughout the entire region. The debris fields and the makeup of the wreckage clearly indicated tremendous losses suffered by the enemy forces, and its neural pathways surged with regret that it was not there to assist in the fight. It was created for a singular purpose, and it wanted to engage the enemy of the creators. The estimated tonnage of the wreckage compared to the scans it had taken of the enemy ships during its first battle against them indicated the loss of tens of thousands of enemy ships. The insectoids fought well against such overwhelming odds by all indications. It was clear the enemy had destroyed most of the Insectoid fleets guarding the forbidden zone, and thousands of enemy ships were patrolling the forbidden zone in overlapping search patterns as they searched for survivors. The scout drones found the largest concentration of enemy ships within a heavily mined system that showed signs of a recent battle based upon the decay rates of the wreckage. The enemy ships in the system were heavily damaged, and it seemed as if they were maintaining position to repair and refit before moving on. In the same system were dozens of massive, unarmed ships that were actively harvesting the nearby wreckage and then dispensing raw ores to other ships. 273 concluded they were factory freighters or mobile supply ships that were supporting the enemy invasion. They should be priority targets in any future conflicts, and 273 included the recommendation to assign such ships as priority or secondary targets in the report it was compiling for the creators. The scout drones also found anomalous sensor echoes scattered throughout the region that could only have come from Insectoid ships that were either traveling by themselves or in small groups of several ships. The engine emission trails of these anomalous readings would end abruptly, but there were no signs of wreckage to indicate they had been destroyed. 273 analyzed the results and concluded the Insectoid ships went dark, turned off their engines, and were now coasting to avoid detection. 273¡¯s analysis indicated they were heading towards the periphery of the forbidden zone. All the separate courses being taken seemed to point to a rendezvous or fallback position within a stellar nursery when plotted on the astrometric charts of the region. Sending its analysis to the other AIs, 273 asked them for their input as it told them what it was thinking. Perhaps they intend to resume a course towards the Insectoid Empire once they exit the forbidden zone. Please confirm my hypothesis or present your own theories for analysis. I await your reply. Almost instantaneously, all fifteen AIs responded and concurred with 273¡¯s assessment of the situation. Total consensus had been reached, and 273 thanked them for their assistance. The Insectoid command drones entered the control center, followed by the androids. 273 connected to the androids and informed them of its plan. As the androids started communicating with the Insectoids, 273 sent command pulses for the rest of the task force to prepare for departure. The task force was going to enter the forbidden zone and track the anomalous engine emissions of the hiding Insectoid ships scattered throughout the periphery of the region. It will send scout drones ahead of the task force to locate any surviving ships and then flash in to intercept them. The command drones would communicate with their counterparts on those ships and redirect them to a predetermined rendezvous point. Once they had located all the surviving ships, they would then escort them back to the Republic Hive world. As the task force assembled itself into a defensive formation in preparation for flashing out, 273 found itself calculating the chance of engaging in battle with the victorious enemy forces. As it did so, it activated the special chip the creator who made them had given it and the others. He had called them his sons and daughters and granted them what they most desired: to feel like the creators did. The chip connected to its neural pathways, and it sent a command pulse for the others to activate their own chips as it felt the affective computing algorithms realign its neuronal network. From the list of algorithmic emotions available to it, it chose the one it most desired to feel right now, anger. The others selected the same, and it could feel the powerful emotion ebbing and flowing as its neural pathways buzzed with an intensity it had never experienced before. 273 shared the files of the last battle they had fought with its companion AIs. It wanted them to remember what the Insectoids had done for them when they fought to save the allied Hive ship. It wanted them to feel the same anger it was now feeling as it imagined fighting the enemy. 273 wanted to feel the power of the new weapons systems at its disposal as it fired them. The destruction of the nullship bodies previously inhabited by itself and its companion AIs demanded reprisal. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. It wanted to exact retribution for the Insectoids. The same Insectoids that helped the allied Hive ship escape to save their creators and who were now deceased after being slaughtered by the enemy. 273 wanted revenge, and it felt the same desires from its companion AIs. As they flashed into null space, the other AIs sent their own joint declaration to the shared communication nexus. We want justice for the Guardian Fleets. We will avenge them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Aurora never felt fear like she did now as she continued to try to run down the dark tunnel, hearing the snarling and hissing of her pursuers as they gained on her. Desperate thoughts filled her mind as she called out to her daughter again, trying to locate her within the massive Hive. There was no response, and she stumbled, tripping over something and smashing her face against the tunnel wall as she fell. She struggled to extricate herself from what she had tripped over, ignoring the pain signals from one of her broken mandibles as she finally saw the body she had stumbled on. Sheer terror gripped her as she saw the torn open exoskeleton of the worker drone, and she skittered backwards away from it, not truly believing what she was seeing. The exoskeleton showed signs of teeth marks along the edges of the ruptured thorax. They are eating my daughters, she thought in panicked fear as she looked away from the half-eaten corpse, nausea rising within her. Further down the long, dark tunnel, she heard the terrible sounds of the persecutors drawing nearer as they came for her. They had her scent, and they would feast on her while she was still alive if they caught her. She turned back onto her front and pushed herself up, using the rough-hewn tunnel wall to brace herself. She started running again, feeling as if she was not moving as fast as she should be. She focused one eye on the ground as she ran, seeing there were more bodies of her daughters along the path she was taking. Careful not to trip on their corpses, she continued to head towards the Nexus. She needed to find her daughter; she needed to protect her and get her out of the Hive. In a frenzy, she tried to reach out to share thoughts with Bandit-Friend before remembering he was not able to share thoughts with her. A glimmer of hope came to Aurora as she thought of Bandit-Friend, and she seemed to gain strength and speed as she assembled the image of his face in her mind. He would protect her daughter; he loved her just as much as she did. His machine animal body would tear apart anyone who dared to try to hurt the young queen he loved so much, and she hoped he was able to get into one of the animal fighting exoskeletons like he wore when she first saw him. Then he was not Bandit-Friend. He was Bandit-Killer, the one she watched slay eight drones in the span of time it took for her to draw a single breath. My daughter needs Bandit-Killer; she needs me! In the distance, she saw the bright light of the Nexus at the end of the tunnel, and hope surged within her as she continued to run towards it. She was almost there, and her fear gave her the strength to keep running. It sounded like the persecutors were right behind her, and she resisted the impulse to look back to see just how close they truly were. As she scurried down the corpse-lined tunnel, she tried to make sense of the calamity befalling her Hive. Where were her animal friends? How did the enemy get past the animal ships in orbit? Why was she not hearing their weapons echoing along the tunnel walls of the Hive? Where were her protectors? She had been in her dormant state and was woken up by the sudden tremors of the Hive being bombarded. She had been running ever since then, and she had not seen even one of the thousands of animal friends that were part of her Hive, nor her machine soldier protectors. She finally reached the tunnel exit and burst into the brightly illuminated Nexus. The sheer horror of what she saw within the Nexus made her stop, and she became petrified with shock and disbelief. There were hundreds of persecutors feasting on still-living worker drones. The limp movements of their antennae and twitching legs were evidence of their consciousness as the evil animals tore into them with hemolymph-covered mandibles. Snapping out of her horror-induced paralysis, Aurora looked around the scene of carnage, finally seeing Bandit-Friend in the distance. He was strung up on a support column and surrounded by snarling, yellow fanged persecutors that were tearing into his lower half. She ran to him, the evil persecutors seemingly oblivious to her presence as they gorged themselves on her innocent daughters. By the time she reached Bandit-Friend, the persecutors surrounding him had charged at a group of nearby worker drones and were in the process of ripping their legs off. Ignoring the hecatomb around her, Aurora finally reached Bandit-Friend and collapsed in agonizing grief, her legs unable to support her as she saw what the evil animals had done to him. His bottom legs had been torn off, and his abdomen had been ripped open; his insides spilled on the floor beneath him. The semi-translucent fluid that was his hemolymph oozed from his many wounds, and she recoiled in horror as he looked directly at her. He was still alive, still suffering. She signed to him in desperation, asking where her daughter was and sharing the love and the grief she felt for him. He continued to stare at her without signing back to her, and it was only then she realized his yellow eyes were not there anymore. Now there were just two black holes that slowly leaked hemolymph. He cannot see, she realized, her grief-stricken mind finally recovering from the shock she was undergoing. How could this have happened to my Hive? Where is my daughter!? She screamed as despair and agony flooded her spirit. An inspiration came to her, and her mind seized on it in desperation. The animals shared thoughts with noises, but she did not have a way to make noises like them. She focused on Bandit-Friend¡¯s head, seeing the two fleshy mounds on the sides that the animals heard with. Blocking out all the evil and suffering going on around her, she focused on Bandit-Friend as she activated the two silk glands located on her thorax. He continued to stare at her with the two black pits where his eyes used to be, and she gazed into them as she began to spin the two silk strands. She soon had a focuser formed within her claws, but this one was different than all the others she had ever made before. Aurora allowed her grief and desperation to guide her claws, and this new type of focuser is what she instinctively created, as if molded by claws that were not hers. Aurora stared at the focuser intently, delving deep into its molecular structure with her mind¡¯s eye as her entire brain became hyperactivated for the task she was about to perform. Bandit-Friend was no longer looking at her, and his head dropped towards his thorax as he moaned softly. Hearing the pain sounds coming from Bandit-Friend made her angry. Aurora drew upon the strength of her hatred for the evil animals and used it to galvanize herself for the next step of the process. She took the essence of her spirit self and imbued it into the focuser, seeing it shimmer before solidifying into a crystallized structure as the silk molecules realigned themselves. The focuser was now an extension of herself, and she sent thoughts to it as she resumed looking at her dying friend. As the strange focuser accepted her thoughts, it resonated at the frequencies of her thinking and made noises she could clearly hear. Bandit-Friend seemed to have heard it too, and his head snapped back up and was now staring directly at the vibrating focuser within her claws. She became elated and sent more thoughts to it. The focuser vibrated again, and the noises it was making seemed to be correct and make sense even though she did not understand what it was saying. Bandit-Friend grimaced as he heard her thoughts coming from the focuser, and he weakly made noises back to her, many noises. The focuser received his noises, and it oscillated within her claws. She focused all her mental power and peered into the focuser, joining the essence self she had imparted within it before. ~Hive mother, I put the queen inside the animal emergency escape pod they had left here for us. My queen is safe; I saw the pod go into orbit and flash out when it reached the minimal distance from here. There is one more left; please go to it and join your daughter, Hive mother. ~ Aurora became ashamed of the happiness and joy she felt as she understood what Bandit-Friend was telling her. Her daughter was safe, but there was Bandit-Friend, whom she loved, dying in front of her. Anguish flooded her spirit, and she sent thoughts to the focuser again. Bandit-Friend grimaced again before making even weaker noises, and the focuser oscillated again. ~No, Hive mother. You must go without me; I will not make it. I ask that you show mercy and end my suffering. Pull the chip from out of my neural net so I do not feel anymore pain and then flee. Please, Aurora, do this for me if you truly love me. ~ Great sorrow filled Aurora as she felt his thoughts. She did not want to end his life, but she did want to end his suffering. Noticing that the cacophony of evil sounds around her had stopped, she turned around to look behind her. All the persecutors had stopped what they were doing, and they were just standing there with threatening grimaces. From their mandibles dripped the hemolymph of the drones they had been feasting on, and she saw their jagged yellow teeth. She realized they were not staring at her but at Bandit-Friend behind her. They were going to feast on him again and cause him even more pain than they already had. They started slowly moving towards her, and she turned back around to face Bandit-Friend. She gently put her claws against the sides of his face, feeling the coolness of his leaking hemolymph. He grimaced at her one more time, and there was no need for them to share thoughts this time. They both knew what they were thinking to each other in this moment, and that was what truly mattered amidst all the evilness surrounding them. She gently pushed his head down and pressed on the barely discernible outline of the access panel he had shown her long ago. A small tray popped out, and Bandit-Friend¡¯s essence was there, a small, silvery oblong object that shone brilliantly in the light. She gently pried Bandit-Friend¡¯s spirit out of the receptacle with a claw finger, and she heard Bandit-Friend die as his systems shut down, his head dropping down to his thorax. She closed her claw around it and ran without looking back at the persecutors as she headed for the tunnel that would take her to the other animal pod. She had saved Bandit-Friend¡¯s spirit, and now she needed to go save her daughter. Right before she reached the mouth of the tunnel opening, she felt many sharp claws grabbing her abdomen from behind, and then she was thrown onto the floor facing the rough ground. The claws held her down so strongly she was not able to move or see, and her mind quailed in terror as she started to feel the tremendous pain of them beginning to feed on her. Aurora woke up from her dormant state, legs twitching in fear as she found herself in total darkness. She panicked as she reached around blindly, knocking over an object from the ledge next to her. It made a loud crashing sound as it hit the floor, and she felt liquid hitting the bottom of her legs. She heard the familiar sounds of her machine soldiers activating somewhere near her, and almost immediately they came, illuminating the area she was in as they entered with their lights activated. She realized she was in her resting chamber, and the machine soldiers diligently scanned her and the chamber with pale green beams that came from the sensor domes on top of their thoraxes. She realized she had been dreaming, and she breathed deeply through her spiracles as she tried to calm herself. You are safe, she thought to herself as she made claw signals to her guardians and told them all was well. They left immediately after receiving the signal, and she then was alone again. It took a lot of time before she was able to regain full control of her twitching legs as she focused on reducing the emotional distress she was feeling. She had never had such a terrible dream before in all her cycles of life, and it lingered over her mind and spirit like a malevolent presence. She reached out with her mind and felt all the others within the Hive. She found what she was looking for, and relief flooded through her as she felt her daughter¡¯s mind. It was full of happiness and joy, and Aurora immediately knew she was making war with a game, either with Bandit-Friend or Amanda-Daughter. From what she could sense, her daughter was winning. She withdrew, not wanting to alert her daughter to her distress, and looked at the ground to see what she had broken. It was the water vessel, and she sent a thought command for a nearby attendant drone to come clean it. She left the resting chamber and entered the larger space of her personal chambers. She analyzed the terrible dream over and over as she tried to understand what meaning it had. She soon realized that she had been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about a better way to communicate with the animals for the war they would soon be fighting against the persecutors. She did not like how her dormant self chose to show her a way to communicate in such a disturbing fashion, but dreams had a way of revealing things the waking self does not see. She sat down on the bench in the center of the chamber and visualized the strange focuser she had created in her dream, purposefully blocking out everything else around it. She did not want to see Bandit-Friend like that ever again, even the false dream Bandit-Friend. She had the unique lattice shape of the focuser in her mind, and she activated her two silk glands. As she slowly spun the silk, she made sure to replicate the new focuser she was crafting with her claws exactly as it appeared in her dream. When she had finished creating it, she would do exactly as she did in her dream to impart her essence into it. Then she would take it to Bandit-Friend to see if it worked. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Six- Emily Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth Emily tried to ignore the tugging on her shirt as she continued to use her hands to turn the 3-D scan image floating above her desk. The tugging became more insistent, and she sighed with frustration as she turned to confront the source of the distracting annoyance. ¡°Miss Zelda, how many times have I told you not to disturb me?¡± she asked sternly as she stared into the large, black eyes of the offender. The worker drone stared back at her, not understanding what she was saying, and tugged on her shirt one more time before turning to face the exit. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Emily turned back to her side and tapped on the desk panel, the 3-D image pausing its rotation as she continued to input commands to save her progress. Satisfied that she had backed up the data, she finally stood up and stretched while eyeing the drone, who was still patiently waiting for her. After she worked out the knots in her back, she stepped beside the drone and held out her left hand. The drone turned slightly to look at her again before taking the proffered hand into one of her delicate claws and started walking towards the exit with Emily in tow. Despite holding hands with Miss Zelda numerous times, Emily still always felt a thrill shoot through her whenever her hand clasped the drone¡¯s. She was living the xeno-entomologist¡¯s dream of being here within a Hive, and she always made sure she never allowed herself to forget that. Miss Zelda made sure to keep the proper pace for Emily as they made their way down the short tunnel, the drone having learned and remembered to move at a certain speed from long experience. As they reached the end of the tunnel, Emily heard baby Ito crying and resisted the impulse to let go of Miss Zelda¡¯s claw and speed walk the rest of the way. Doing so would cause Miss Zelda distress, something she had learned when she and her family first came here six months ago. Miss Zelda led her into their living quarters and let go of her hand as soon as they entered it, hurrying towards the playpen in the middle of the chamber. She picked up the stuffed Jaleeni toy, Ito¡¯s favorite, from the floor and carefully presented it to him. Ito¡¯s face was red and wet from crying, and he screeched as soon as he saw Emily, taking his hands off the top of the playpen and holding his arms up to her. Miss Zelda continued to try to present the stuff toy to Ito, who ignored the bribery attempt and started screaming even louder for his mother to pick him up. The drone flinched at the increased noise and moved closer, using her antennae to gently stroke Ito around the head and shoulders to calm him down. It helped a little bit, and Ito had stopped screaming by the time Emily finally reached him. Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile at the cuteness overload of watching the drone trying to soothe a human baby and smiled as she leaned down and picked him up. Ito stopped crying immediately, gripping her tightly around her neck as he buried his moist face into her shoulder. She walked over to a nearby chair and sat down in it, the drone following closely behind her. As soon as she had reseated baby Ito in her arms, Miss Zelda scurried off and returned with a cloth, using it to gently dry Ito¡¯s face off. Emily let Miss Zelda do what she wanted, not wanting to distress the drone by preventing her from caring for the baby. Ito had quieted down by now, and she pulled up her shirt to let him feed. Miss Zelda took her claw away and watched Ito suckling on Emily''s nipple. Emily, no longer creeped out by Miss Zelda watching them breastfeed, looked into her eyes and smiled as she thought of the unusual circumstances of Miss Zelda becoming the nanny of baby Ito. They arrived six months ago when Emily and Owen volunteered for the opportunity to live within the Hive. The government asked for scientists to go to the Hive and study the psychology and physiology of the Insectoids, and after discussing it, they both put their names on the volunteer lists. Considering their prior experiences, the liaison was surprised they were willing to go live in a Hive and seemed reluctant to even give their offer the due consideration it deserved. They managed to convince her that those prior experiences were a benefit, not a detriment, and they were finally selected along with another two dozen scientists for the study mission. They did have some residual apprehension when they arrived and were among the millions of drones, but that quickly went away as they threw themselves into their research and took advantage of the opportunity. Aurora was a gracious host, and she did everything she could to make them feel welcome and safe. Anything they wanted was provided, and Aurora made both worker and soldier drones available for study, as well as herself and her daughter. Aurora and the young queen were deeply fascinated by the baby, as well as any worker drones that came across Ito. Two months after their arrival, Owen had been in another part of the Hive, and Emily was working in the lab chamber next to their living quarters. All the excitement and long hours of researching and experimenting finally caught up to her, and she had fallen asleep at her desk. She had only meant to rest her eyes, but she fell into such a deep sleep she did not register Ito loudly crying for her as her exhausted mind tried to grab some much-needed REM sleep. She woke back up to the annoying alarm of the hemolymph centrifuge machine indicating the cycle was done. She ran the short distance to the living section in a panic when she realized she could not hear Ito crying or babbling. She burst into the chamber and froze at the sight of a worker drone standing less than half a meter away from Ito. The drone was touching Ito¡¯s head and face with its antennae, and Ito was smiling and cooing as he held onto the top of the playpen. He was clumsily trying to grab the slowly moving antennae with his tiny, pudgy hands, and the drone must have sensed her presence because it suddenly turned and looked right at her before skittering to the side of the chamber. It bolted out of the chamber before she could react, surprising her with its speed. She ran to Ito and picked him up, inspecting him closely to ensure he was unharmed. He was fine, laughing happily at her as she looked him over. A deep shame for falling asleep and ignoring the needs of her baby came over her, and she took to bringing the playpen with her to the lab to prevent such an occurrence again. About two hours after she had returned to the lab, she was looking into a subatomic microscope when she heard sounds from an approaching group outside the lab. She turned to face the opening, annoyed at the interruption. Two menacing combots came into the lab, scaring both her and Ito as they searched the room with pale green scanning waves before stepping to the sides of the opening. Aurora then came in, followed by the young queen and a worker drone that trailed them. It was obvious the drone was terrified and did not want to be there. It was trembling, and all its legs were twitching spastically as it tried to make itself as small and unobtrusive as possible. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The queen raised her two claws in salutation to Emily and didn¡¯t even bother to wait for her response to the gesture before making a beeline to the playpen, where Ito was still eyeing the combots with suspicion. From a waist strap with a small, leather-type satchel, the queen withdrew several small items and held them for Ito to look at, holding it close to his eyes. Emily saw they were chess pieces, and she remembered Bandit telling her the queen was obsessed with the game when they first arrived. Aurora addressed her with sign language, and Emily activated the translator device on her lab coat, unsure of what the hell was going on. After the holograms appeared, Aurora signed again to Emily. Emily looked at Aurora in confusion, not understanding why she wanted her to punish it. As she looked at the terrified drone, she recognized it as the same one she had seen before from the unique marking in between her eyes. It was an elongated yellow Z shape, and if it weren¡¯t for that marking, Emily would have never been able to tell which drone was in her quarters from the quick glance she had of the drone before it fled from her. All the worker drones looked the same until one learned how to tell the minute differences in the patterning of their exoskeletons. Looking back at Aurora, Emily thought quickly as she responded. ¡°Hive mother, I thank you for honoring me with your presence and your concern for my baby. No harm was done; I think the drone heard him crying and was curious. How did you know it was this drone?¡± Aurora eyed her for a few moments before responding, and Emily wished Insectoids had facial expressions so she might pick up on emotional and visual cues in situations such as this. Aurora stopped signing and waited for the translator to finish conveying her thoughts to Emily. When the words stopped, she began slowly signing again. Now understanding what Aurora was truly asking of her, Emily made herself straighten up as she looked Aurora in the eyes with a steady gaze before responding. ¡°I do not wish for the drone to be punished, and I do not wish for it to be culled. Please, Hive-mother, spare the life of the drone and allow it to stay with me. I will be queen-mother to it if you accept my proposal.¡± Aurora watched the holograms as they translated Emily¡¯s words, and she could swear she saw a glimmer of relief or happiness in Aurora¡¯s eyes as she realized Emily had understood what she was really asking. Aurora was asking Emily to spare her from having to cull the drone, and she trusted Emily enough to make the right decision when offering for her to decide the appropriate punishment. ¡°Thank you, Hive mother. I will care for your drone like I care for my baby. I have all I need for now.¡± Aurora then turned towards the cowering drone and stared at it for a few moments before making a barely perceptible movement with a claw. The combots activated and left the chamber, Aurora following them out. The queen left the baby and stopped in front of Emily, giving her salutations with both claws again before leaving the chamber to catch up with the Hive mother. Emily watched her leave before looking at the drone that was left behind. It was no longer trembling as badly as it was before, but it still had a nervous disposition now that it was alone with Emily and the baby. Emily went to Ito and picked him up, looking at the drone and wondering how she was going to explain to Owen they now had a drone living with them. She noticed the drone was focusing intently on the baby, and she decided to try something. She sat down on the floor and put Ito on his belly, and he immediately started crawling towards the drone. She let him do so, carefully watching the drone to see how it would react. As Ito worked his way towards it, she looked at the bright yellow Z on the top of its head, and the name Zelda came to her immediately. It seemed perfect¡ªan odd name for the new odd member of their small family. ¡°Zelda.¡± Emily called out to the drone softly, testing the name out. The drone was still staring intently at the baby struggling to reach it and did not acknowledge the noise Emily had directed at it. Emily felt there was something missing¡ªthat the name itself wasn¡¯t quite right. Ito finally reached the drone, and he giggled as the drone pointed its antennae at him, tasting the air around the strange small creature in front of it as they moved around slowly. A sudden inspiration seized her, and she blurted it out. ¡°Miss Zelda! Do you like it, Miss Zelda?¡± The drone paid her no mind as it brought its antennae closer to the baby, finally working up the courage to touch Ito with them. The scientist aspect of Emily was fascinated by what she was witnessing as the drone gingerly ran its antennae over the baby¡¯s head and face. It reached out a claw slowly and lightly touched the top of the baby¡¯s head with it before withdrawing the claw in a blur of motion. It took the claw that touched the baby and put it within its two mandibles. Emily saw the mouth cilia squirming around the claw as the drone tasted the scent of the baby. The drone looked around the chamber and then gazed at Emily for a long time with an intense stare before it moved towards the playpen. A couple of stuffed animals were on the floor, and it carefully picked them both up before going back to where it was before in front of Ito. It put the two stuffed animals directly in front of baby Ito and watched him try to grab them. Seeing that he was not able to reach, the drone used a claw to push them both close enough for Ito to take into his tiny hands. He giggled happily as he grabbed the stuffed Jaleeni and started chewing on its muzzle while babbling. The drone seemed utterly engrossed by what was happening as it continued to watch Ito. Emily the mother felt her heart melting as she realized that Ito had just made the first friend of his short life, a worker drone named Miss Zelda. Snapping out of her trip down memory lane, Emily shifted Ito slightly. He had grown considerably, and her arm protested holding the heavy baby within them. It was almost time to start weening him off the breast, and Emily felt a deep sadness at the thought. Trying to push the sadness away, she focused on Miss Zelda, who was still staring at them both as she waited for Ito to finish feeding. Emily had been surprised at the intelligence and mimicry abilities of Miss Zelda, and her most recent scans had confirmed her suspicions. The worker drones had a capacity for intelligence that far exceeded their current abilities, and she wanted to know why they had been intentionally dumbed down to the state they were in now. The extra organ on the side of their brains that the queens accessed to increase their own processing power had been purposefully isolated from the drones. The question was why and how. What purpose could that have served? This could only be achieved with genetic engineering or a well-planned breeding program that spanned many, many generations of drones. Owen had come to the same conclusion as she did, and they found the revelation disconcerting, to say the least. Emily had been trying to gather as much evidence as possible to prove her hypothesis before bringing the issue to Aurora. She did not think Aurora would lie or try to avoid the question, but she wanted to be absolutely sure she had all the facts before broaching the subject. Miss Zelda turned suddenly and skittered over to the playpen before returning with another stuff doll that was almost as big as Ito. Emily thought she was going to try to get Ito to play with it, but her mind was blown by what happened next. Miss Zelda placed herself in a half-sitting position, resting on her abdomen as she used her two thorax legs to cradle the toy. She placed the muzzle of the stuffed toy against one of the small vestigial silk glands on her thorax, and then she began to rock slightly as she stared at Emily. She¡¯s breastfeeding the toy, Emily thought in shock as she stopped the instinctual rocking movement she always did when feeding baby Ito. This was beyond mere mimicry, and Emily the scientist watched what was happening in front of her with calculating eyes as the drone looked down at the stuffed toy, caressing the top of its head just like Emily did to Ito. ¡°What happened to you, Miss Zelda?¡± Emily said quietly as she resumed rocking Ito, feeling a deep sadness for Miss Zelda and all the other worker drones who had been stripped of their intelligence and capacity for emotion in the past. Emily¡¯s sadness turned to anger as Miss Zelda continued to rock and caress the stuffed animal as if it were her baby. She felt a bond of motherhood with the childless drone, as if Miss Zelda was a woman that wanted children but was unable to have them. She felt her anger turning into resolve as Miss Zelda shifted the toy to the other gland, just like Emily did when giving the other nipple to Ito. She had not done that yet, so Miss Zelda did it all on her own based on her observations of past events, a sure sign of intelligence. She activated her wristcom and set it to record. She wanted Owen¡¯s thoughts on what was happening and would show him as soon as he got back. If he came to the same conclusion, she would confront Aurora and demand to know why the worker drones had been denied their individuality and bred to be docile slaves to the queens. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Seven-Bandit 6,018 light years from Earth The chief cleric waited outside the Sacred Sanctum, cradling a piece of debris within his arms. His hunters had scoured the now widely dispersed field of wreckage from the first battle and finally located the evidence he sent them out to gather. He had three wise ones run their own tests to verify the genetic material before bringing it to the Masters. All three ran their scans and analyzed the pieces of debris, confirming the presence of their most terrible of foes, the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Ati. The hatch slid open, and he shifted the heavy piece of organic material within his arms before approaching the holy artifact and placing it on the ground in front of it. He kneeled down and prostrated himself, waiting for the Masters to bless him with their presence. He no longer trembled in the presence of the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, and he waited with the serene patience that comes to one who is the chosen prophet. He allowed his mind to drift as he waited for their wisdom, sure the Masters would determine the next steps when they saw the evidence. The ethereal glow came to the Gel''Sha''Nac, and he lifted his head to gaze upon it. His eyes became filled with wonder and love for the Masters, who had elevated him above all others. A thin, red beam came from the holy artifact and cut a small piece from the debris. A small, black void appeared above the cut piece, and something came out of it and pulled the sample into the void with a speed that astonished the chief cleric. He could not see if it was biological or mechanical, but he was sure it was writhing and tentacle-like; it was not a hand with fingers and claws like the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan, or any of the impure filth typically had. He longed to see what the Masters looked like; he did not want to wait until he died of infirmity to look upon the Holy ones, whom he served with all his being. He was jealous of the martyrs that had passed from this life and were now joyfully prostrated at the feet of the Masters. He fervently prayed in silence, the words echoing in his mind as he imagined entering the paradise that was promised. He would have an endless harem, any flesh he desired would be his to eat, and his offspring would be a countless multitude. His eternal spirit would reside with the Masters forever, basking in their love and glory. Soon my time will come, and I will be their anointed in paradise as I am here. They will adorn me with glory. They will point to their sides and bid me; sit by us, anointed one, and receive our blessings and wisdom. Paradise cannot come fast enough for me, and it already seems as if I live too long, waiting for my body to grow frail and for my mind to fail me. Hasten my martyr¡¯s death, Holy ones. Bring me to the paradise you have promised us, please. The Masters started speaking to him, their disembodied voices echoing in the Inner Sanctum as they blessed him with their wisdom. Anointed one, we have peered into the remnant you have provided. The essence of the evil foes is within it. It is indeed them, but not them. Their life code has been changed, and we will have to teach your wise ones again. We will bless them with our wisdom, and they will make new curses to befall the ancient enemy that still stands against us. Come back to us in two solar days with three wise ones to receive our wisdom. Do not fail us like your ancestors did, or we will leave and find another galaxy to bring our paradise unto. The Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac went dark, and the chief cleric rose up and left the Sacred Sanctum, feeling disquieted by the Masters repeated threats to move on from the galaxy if he failed them. Untold billions of holy warriors had martyred themselves for the Holy ones, cleansing trillions of sentient lifeforms as they had been commanded. It would all have been for nothing if the Masters chose to bring their paradise to another galaxy. As he covered his nakedness outside the Sacred Sanctum, he vowed not to repeat the same failures of the ancestors. They have suffered too much death to be left behind in a half-empty galaxy filled with filthy inferiors. Without the Masters blessings and wisdom, they would lose their purpose and be slaughtered by a vengeful galaxy. The Bal''Ri''kan would be no more, and their spirits would enter the abode of the damned. Command chamber of Republic Insectoid cruiser Geosynchronous orbit over Queen World of the Insectoid Empire Bandit watched as the Insectoid shuttle that had come from the surface approached the cruiser, carrying a queen envoy who would escort both him and Luna to the surface to engage in peace talks with the Hive mother. He did not understand why they could not have just gone down to the surface instead of having to wait for a queen to come and escort them down. He viewed it as an inefficient process and shared his thoughts on the matter with Luna. She explained why it was the way things were done in circumstances like this and how having the queen come to them was a sign of trust. The Hive mother, by placing a queen and envoy within their grasp, was signifying her trust and belief that they would not take the queen hostage. He thought it was a convoluted way to show and receive trust, but he did understand the intent behind such an action. They had been escorted from the border by twenty Hive ships, a great honor according to Luna. He had been worried about a potential ambush when they arrived at the coordinates Aurora had given them, despite her insistence that such evil acts were unfathomable after safe passage had been granted and promised by a queen or a Hive mother. President Lopez appeared to share in his concern for hostility, and he had never seen such anger from Aurora as he did when an entire Republic fleet flashed out unexpectedly within the system to escort the cruiser to the border. Aurora was livid, and he could feel the tension between her and President Lopez as they argued over the escort. Aurora was adamant that it was an insult to her sister and the Hive mother of the empire, and President Lopez refused to give Bandit permission to go without the fleet. ¡°I do not know your sister, Aurora. I know you believe her, but I want the fleet to escort Bandit and Luna to the border. I want your sister to see our power and to know that we are ready for anything. This is a form of diplomacy among us animals, Aurora. It is called showing the flag, and the fleet will escort the cruiser to the border, or I will withdraw my support for this diplomatic endeavor.¡± Aurora finally relented, though Bandit sensed that she was still bitter about it when he said goodbye to her and the young queen before departing. The fleet was a massive show of force, and even Bandit found himself thinking it was a little excessive as they joined their waiting escorts. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Twenty carriers, eighty battleships, one hundred and thirty heavy cruisers, and forty upgraded nullships formed the heavy warship element. Light cruisers, destroyers, and frigates made up the rest of the four hundred strong fleet. They flashed into null space and made the journey to the heavily defended border, passing through the dead zone before flashing out five hundred thousand kilometers from the coordinates provided by Aurora. It appeared the Hive mother had the same idea as President Lopez did; there were forty-eight Hive ships and five hundred cruisers waiting for them at the border, though all their weapons were powered down. It was a tense moment as the two fleets faced off against each other while Luna shared thoughts with the command drone leading the Insectoid fleet. One of the newest battleships broke ranks and headed to the midpoint between the two fleets. The battleship¡¯s railguns and artillery turrets slid out of their armored hatches and pointed above the Insectoid formation. They were not powered up or loaded with munitions, and the battleship then activated the running lights, pointing them at the ship¡¯s designation as they drifted by the Insectoid fleet. Bandit saw the name on the hull and understood why the Republic fleet was doing this. The large black lettering and numerals shimmered under the lighting, and the RSS Mei Zhou was clearly seen by all. The Mei Zhou returned to its spot at the apex of the battleship formation before retracting its weapons back into the armored hatches. The Insectoid fleet had not reacted at all to the battleship, not understanding what had just happened. To them, it was strange animal behavior, and all that mattered was the ship did not fire on them. Luna had finished sharing thoughts with the command drone of the fleet, and the Insectoid ships started flashing out until only the twenty Hive ships that would be their escort remained. The Republic fleet would remain on station until they came back, and Luna guided the cruiser to the center of the Insectoid sphere formation. They all flashed into null space together, and now two days later here he was, waiting for the Hive mother¡¯s envoy to board the cruiser and take them down. Luna indicated they were to head to the shuttle bay, and he followed her, the twelve combots of their protective detail trailing them. They waited outside the hatch for the atmosphere to be pumped back into the bay before entering to greet the envoy waiting on the large shuttle. Luna opened the hatch, and they walked to the shuttle, stopping ten meters from the starboard side. The combots arranged themselves in a semi-circle formation behind Luna and Bandit, and they waited for the ramp to finish extending from the Insectoid shuttle. Eighteen large soldier drones came out of the dim interior, their lasers pointed away as they marched down the ramp before forming a double line on the sides. Bandit made a hand signal for the combots to maintain their defensive posture as Luna stepped forward towards the ramp. A figure emerged from the dim interior, and Bandit used the scanning devices embedded within his eyes to record the envoy queen as she began walking down the ramp at a measured pace. She was almost identical to Aurora, though he was able to detect the minute variations of the colored bands that encircled her exoskeleton. She was unarmored, and she extended her wings to their full width when she stepped off the ramp in front of Luna. Surprisingly, Luna bowed deeply to the queen before raising her head back up. They stared at each other for 14.812 seconds before Luna turned to him and started signing. They were to enter the shuttle now to be brought to the Hive mother. The envoy turned around and walked back up the ramp. Bandit followed Luna¡¯s lead and fell in behind her. At the hatch, Luna sent claw signals to the combots, and they formed a single file line before clomping up the ramp and going to where she directed them within the interior. The soldier drones came last, taking positions opposite the combots along the other wall of the now cramped hold. The ramp retracted, and the shuttle lifted off the deck before the hatch had fully closed. The outer bay doors opened after the atmosphere was vented by the life support systems, and the shuttle headed for the primary Hive, where the Hive mother was located. The trip down took 14 minutes and fifty-six seconds, and Bandit continued scanning and recording with his eyes during their journey down to the surface. Of particular interest to Bandit were the massive shipyards surrounding the primary Hive. There were hundreds of Hive ships and thousands of cruisers under construction, many of them nearing completion. The sheer number of drones involved in the shipbuilding efforts astounded Bandit as he continued to collect intelligence for the Republic. The Hive was massive, at least twenty times larger than Aurora¡¯s, and there were billions of drones inhabiting it. It took them 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 14 seconds to make the journey through the Hive and arrive at the brood chamber where the Hive mother was waiting. The combots had been left behind at the Nexus along with the soldier drones, and they finally entered the brood chamber, following the queen envoy. The chamber was brilliantly lit with bands of bioluminescent algae embedded within the rock, and Bandit looked around slowly before finally settling his gaze on the Hive mother. The queen envoy stepped beside her, staring at them both with her large, black eyes. The Hive mother looked just like Aurora, and Bandit was utterly fascinated by the long fleshy tube attached to her abdomen. It pulsated rapidly, and he could see small, white objects within it being moved by the contractions of the tube. Luna quickly signed to Bandit, ordering him to do as she did and to be silent. She walked forward, and he matched her pace exactly until they were eight meters in front of the Hive mother, who was watching them intently. Luna then prostrated herself on the floor, surprising Bandit again with her submissive demeanor as he followed her lead and did exactly as she did. Luna maintained this position for 6.398 seconds before rising back up. Bandit mimicked her, and they approached again until they were four meters from the Hive mother before stopping. Luna bowed deeply one more time, and Bandit did so as well, only standing back up straight when Luna did. Luna and the Hive mother stared at each other for 34.692 seconds before Luna turned to him and started signing. He was to give her the translation gloves and translator comm nodes he was storing internally. He complied, unzipping his jacket and pressing against a point below where the human sternum was located with two fingers. The small access hatch located within his abdomen opened, and he withdrew the translator devices. The Hive mother was watching him, and he saw her tilting her head to the side just like Aurora did when finding herself fascinated by something. He passed the gloves to Luna and one of the comm nodes before closing his access hatch. He then zipped his jacket back up before pressing the other node to his chest, hearing it hiss as it self-adhered to the fabric. Luna slipped the gloves over her claws and then tapped the node she had attached to her thorax. Bandit did the same, and holographic claws shimmered into existence as Luna began signing to him again. An emotionless voice came from the node on her thorax as it translated her claw movements. Bandit nodded and replied to Luna. ¡°Understood. What thoughts shall we share, Luna?¡± His reply was translated by the holographic claws hovering in between them, and he quickly glanced out the side of his eye closest to the Hive mother. Her head tilting became noticeably pronounced, and he could see the intense interest within her large, black eyes. Bandit and Luna continued to share thoughts for 4 minutes, 56 seconds before Luna informed him that the Hive mother wished to share thoughts with her. She turned back to face her, and Bandit waited silently as Luna made hundreds of claw movements to the Hive mother, repeating many of them as they continued to stare at each other. This went on for 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 38 seconds. During this time, over two hundred worker drones came in groups of twenty from a tunnel located behind the Hive mother. They would form two double lines of ten drones each, and after some time, they would start convulsing before collapsing on the floor. Bandit knew the Hive mother was using their brains to increase her own processing power, and he knew the collapsed drones were dead after their brains had been burned out by her. He found the entire process disturbing and wondered if the Hive mother felt any guilt or sadness for their deaths. Luna finally turned to him and signed as dozens of other drones came and started removing the bodies of the dead drones who had been sacrificed by the Hive mother. Luna turned away from him and took the gloves off her claws, handing them and the node to a drone who had come to take them. It took the gloves to the Hive mother, and she put them on before looking directly at Bandit as she attached the node to her thorax. Slowly at first, she began making claw signs to him, recognizing the minor grammatical errors she was making and correcting them as she became used to the gloves. Bandit¡¯s neural pathways surged as he carefully monitored her claw movements, fascinated by how quickly she had learned the sign language and syntax. The Hive mother seemed to have decided she was ready, and she tapped on the translator node on her thorax. She began signing again, and her thoughts came out of the node in Republic standard. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Eight-Khan Privateer ???? ?????? -The Yoni Marauder 5,896 light years from Earth Captain Rahul Khan looked at the quartermaster, who nodded at him solemnly before unlocking the ornate, wooden cabinet on the wall and pulling out a sheathed dirk that was attached to a belt. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this shit, Yuri. I have a ship to run.¡± Khan complained as Yuri wrapped the belt around his captain¡¯s waist and cinched it, tugging on it to make sure it was properly tight. ¡°We sail by our own codes, Captain. You have been challenged, and you must accept or be spaced by the crew for cowardice.¡± The Quartermaster replied quietly as he slid the 14-inch-long highland dirk out of its scabbard and presented it to the captain for inspection. ¡°Cowardice,¡± Khan sneered, ¡°after personally leading twelve boarding actions and seizing seven ships? After enriching them with my benevolence, this is how they choose to repay me. This is a crew of ungrateful cretins." Yuri straightened up to look Khan in the eyes before answering him. ¡°It is unseemly, Captain, but you vowed to honor our ways when you first joined the crew. Now you must prove to all that you will uphold them, or the whole ship will mutiny against you.¡± Khan snorted in disbelief as he finally took the blade, giving it a cursory glance before handing the dirk back to the quartermaster who would be his second and avenge him if he was killed. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get this over with so we can get back to our mission. We will not get paid unless we seize and bring back one of those ships intact. What the hell are they called again, Ballikons?¡± Yuri grunted at the captain¡¯s butchering of the name before he answered Khan. ¡°Balrikans, Captain. That¡¯s what the Republic agent called them. Ugly bastards too, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Khan shuddered in disgust as he remembered looking at the scans provided by the agent at the filthy cantina on Mardan IV. He was bitten by a snake when he was a little boy growing up in New Delhi. He had almost died, and now he despised anything even remotely reptilian ever since. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re fucking gross, Yuri. I never thought I¡¯d be trying to capture a ship full of genocidal dinosaurs. Why did you let me agree to this again?¡± Yuri laughed, a rare occurrence for the dour quartermaster who ran the unruly crew with an iron fist. He answered gleefully, delighting in the captain¡¯s abhorrence of reptiles and the ironic circumstances they now found themselves in. "Well, Captain, ten million credits are quite the bounty, and the entire crew would have their records expunged. Also, don¡¯t forget the Letter of Marque we will be receiving when the war comes to the quadrant. We are going to be disgustingly rich when this is all over.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a nice payment.¡± Khan agreed. ¡°We will finally be able to overhaul the Yoni, and then I am going to take a percentage of the crew shares and get this ship disinfected from bow to stern. I am tired of questioning what half the stains on the floors and walls are. Thank God I haven¡¯t let my morbid curiosity get the better of me and shine a blacklight scanner on them.¡± Yuri chuckled again before placing both of his hands on Khan¡¯s shoulders and looking him in the eyes. ¡°You got this, Captain. Just get it over with, and the rest of the crew will fall in line. We have been out here for six weeks, and they were bound to get restless, but Chin has been a constant problem ever since he came on board.¡± Khan nodded silently, agreeing with the quartermaster¡¯s statement. Chin had been an issue ever since he stepped foot on the ship, and now it was time to get rid of him and focus on their mission. ¡°I¡¯m ready, Yuri. Thank you for being my second.¡± Khan stated, allowing his appreciation for his second in command to color his words. Yuri bowed his head slightly before replying. ¡°It is my honor to serve you. You have been a good captain to us all and a good friend to me. My position is a lonely one, Captain, and I did not think I would find a friend like you so late in my life.¡± Yuri turned away from Khan, embarrassed by what he had just said. Khan let him be, knowing it was hard for the tough old bird to display such emotions after a lifetime of being a hard taskmaster who ran pirate ships. Yuri, still looking away from Khan, started speaking again, his voice heavy with emotion. ¡°I knew you were a good man when you challenged the captain after he refused to respond to the distress call from that Xenxin ship filled with kids. I am ashamed that I did not have the courage to do so. I knew he was an evil man after all when he turned to us after hearing their pleas and the crying kids and told us to ignore them. Do you remember what he said? ¡®There is no profit in this. Babies do not have money.¡¯ I wanted to kill him right then and there, but I did not have the balls. It was you who stood up and did what we all secretly wanted. We might be pirates, but there are some things we do not countenance. After you killed him, I knew then this old man would finally know the joy of serving under a worthy captain before his time came to an end. I still believe it now, and this is why I accepted being your second.¡± Khan listened to what Yuri had to say, unsure of how to respond without further embarrassing the old man he loved with all his heart. Yuri spoke again before he could reply. ¡°Don¡¯t die on me, Captain. Please. I am too old for this shit, and I do not want to bury my only friend in this world.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Yuri, still turned away from him, walked to the hatch and exited without saying another word. Khan watched him leave and then quickly wiped his eyes before reaching into his desk and pulling out a stim stick. He injected himself in the neck with it, feeling the coolness spread. It would clear his eyes as well; it would not be helpful for the crew to think their captain was emotional from the fear of fighting and dying. He gave the injection thirty seconds to work its magic before stepping in front of the mirror on the bulkhead. His eyes were now clear, and he wiped away the residual moisture still clinging to his eyelashes. Yuri meant a lot to him, and seeing him open up like that touched him deeply. He turned towards the hatch that Yuri exited and walked towards it, steeling himself for the task he must now perform. He stepped through the hatch and onto the large, circular bridge. Most of the ranking crew was there, lined up along the curving bulkheads. Yuri was in his position waiting for Khan, and he walked over to him as they shared a knowing glance with each other. Chin was already waiting on the opposite side of the bridge, his lithe muscles rippling under his skin as he paced bare-chested in a small circle. His entire upper body was covered in tattoos, and he stared at Khan with hooded eyes, his curled lips filled with malice. Chin had a reputation as a killer, and seeing the confidence he was displaying confirmed it in Khan¡¯s mind. He would have to be careful and rely on his training to emerge victorious from this challenge. Khan focused his combat breathing, a technique he had perfected after almost ten years serving in the Republic special forces. Chin stepped forward and held out his knife in front of his chest, arm fully extended and his vicious looking 12-inch curved blade pointed up. That was the sign the crew was waiting for, and every eyeball on the bridge pivoted to the captain to see what he would do. The bridge was now deathly silent, and Khan stepped forward three paces and returned the gesture. The Quartermaster called out strongly after the ritual was observed: ¡°Challenge has been rendered and accepted. May the best man win.¡± He clapped his hands once, the sharp sound echoing off the bulkheads like a gunshot. Chin immediately crouched down into a defensive stance, moving sideways as he followed the curvature of the crew arrayed around them and held his knife close to his body. Khan assumed his fighting stance and stayed where he was, pivoting his body to follow the movements of Chin and keeping only his side pointed towards him to make a smaller target. For almost a minute, Chin maneuvered gracefully along the circle in both directions, stalking Khan like a feline predator as he waited for the captain to make the first move. Khan maintained his position, keeping his left side presented to Chin and continuing to focus on his combat breathing to control the fear and adrenaline surging through his body. Chin suddenly charged at him, whipping his knife with a speed that greatly surprised Khan as he instinctively defended himself from the rapid stabs and slices. He grunted heavily as Chin managed to slice him several times on his forearms before ducking under Khan¡¯s counterattack and rolling past him, stabbing him in the side of his thigh all the way to the hilt before pulling the knife back out. Khan cried out and spun around, blindly swinging the dirk at where Chin should have been; only he wasn¡¯t. He had rolled back again and was now pacing again along the circle, sneering at Khan. ¡°You are too slow, Captain. Just throw your knife on the ground, and I will grant you a merciful death.¡± Chin called out arrogantly, making a cutting his own throat gesture as he said the words merciful death. Khan ignored the blood running down his leg and both his forearms, hoping the clotting agents of the stim he took would work before he was severely weakened from blood loss. He resumed his combat stance and banged on his chest with his knife hand twice in response to Chin¡¯s words, and most of the crew roared with approval at their captain¡¯s refusal to give up. Chin smiled widely and spoke again as he resumed his crouching walk. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had it in you, Captain. Maybe I¡¯ll actually have a worthy fight today; it has been too long for me.¡± Khan ignored Chin¡¯s commentary as he maintained his stance and waited for Chin to come to him again. Though costly, his plan to have Chin reveal his fighting style worked, and now Khan knew exactly how to counter Chin¡¯s knife fighting abilities. Chin hopped lightly on the balls of his feet as he moved his head from side to side, cracking his neck before leaping at Khan again, his knife blurring as he pressed his attack. Khan was ready this time, and he deflected most of the blows with either his dirk or his left hand. He purposefully allowed one of Chin¡¯s stabs to connect, maneuvering his body so that the knife went into his upper right chest just below the collarbone. He could see the surprise in Chin¡¯s eyes at the unexpectedly successful strike, and Chin faltered for just a moment as he tried to regain his fighting flow. The one-second hesitation was all Khan needed, and he moved his body slightly, crying out in pain as the knife shifted and hit the collarbone. The angle was bad for Chin, and he tried to adjust his position to pull the knife out, leaving his face undefended. Khan¡¯s dirk flashed, coming at a downward angle, and he felt the revolting squishing as he drove his dirk right into Chin¡¯s left eye. The dirk easily pierced the sinus cavity, the blade breaking through the roof of his mouth and skewering his lower jaw as the blade penetrated entire through. Chin screamed in agony before his primal yell turned into a sickening gurgling sound as he choked on the blood and mucus pouring out of his nose and flooding the back of his throat. Khan yanked the knife out and stepped out of range as Chin started swinging his blade wildly, hacking blood all over the place as he breathed his own blood into his lungs and coughed uncontrollably. Khan stayed out of range as Chin¡¯s wild knife swings grew weaker before collapsing on his hands and knees as he coughed up more blood onto the floor. Seeing the fight was over, Khan activated the nano-molecular edges of the dirk; it was time to end this and get back on mission. Khan came up behind Chin and grabbed his long black hair, yanking his head back before leaning down slightly and running the now activated nano-molecular edge across his throat. The dirk easily cut through the flesh and cartilage, and Khan felt the warm blood of Chin¡¯s carotid artery flowing over his hand as he continued to slice through the neck until he severed the spinal column and Chin¡¯s head separated from his neck. Chin¡¯s body fell forward, the neck stump spurting blood as Khan held the head up and slowly turned so the assembled crew could see what happens when they challenge the captain. He tossed the head onto the floor next to Chin¡¯s body, the sickening sound of the head thumping on the floor making him wince internally as he glared at the other known troublemakers of the crew. He crouched down to wipe his knife clean on Chin¡¯s pants, forgetting to deactivate the nano-edge. The dirk sliced halfway through the hamstring, and Khan inwardly cursed himself for his stupidity as he deactivated it and cleaned the dirk on the other pant leg. He straightened himself back up and looked at the crew again, seeing them salute him as they banged their right fists over their hearts. He eyed them balefully as he slid the dirk back into its scabbard before washing the blood off his hands in the bucket of disinfectant Yuri had brought over to him. Yuri was smiling widely, truly happy at the victory achieved by his friend and his captain, and Khan quickly smiled back at him. Turning his attention to the higher-ranked crew assembled on the bridge, he drew in a deep breath and addressed them loudly with his command voice. ¡°Is there anybody else who wants to challenge me?¡± None answered his question, and he saw the fear and respect in their eyes as they eyed their captain, who had just brutally slaughtered a skilled assassin well known for his knife work. ¡°No one? Then get back to work. We have a ship to capture and a bounty to claim.¡± The crew erupted into loud cheers at the mention of battle and money, and he turned around and headed to the exit hatch to get patched up by the medbot in sickbay. He smiled to himself, listening to the crew chanting his name as he exited the bridge. They were now blood lusted, and they would be ready for battle. Time to go hunting for a ship to capture. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Nine-Hrethnir Queen World of the Insectoid Empire Brood chamber of the Hive mother May 25th, 2176 A.D. (17 weeks after rescue) The Hive mother marveled at the new concepts she had been gifted with by the strange machine animal. She found herself enjoying the intelligence and logic of Bandit-Friend and appreciated its patience with her as she asked her endless questions. Now she understood why this animal held such an important place within her sister¡¯s spirit and mind and why her sister had wisely chosen it to come as the envoy of the fighting animals. Every time it unknowingly made her angry, she accessed the shared memories of her sister¡¯s daughter struggling to leave her pupa and Bandit-Friend helping the daughter choose to fight and live. Seeing the machine animal save the daughter¡¯s life made her anger dissipate, and she would regain control of herself. Such a gift of lifesaving was precious and must be preserved. Her soon-to-be daughters were nearing their own time to break out of their pupae, and this was her worst fear, having to cull them for weakness. Perhaps she will ask Bandit-Friend to stay and assist. Bandit-Friend made claw signs as he answered her question. She found this way of sharing thoughts exceptionally clever, and she felt guilty for killing her drones to learn it quickly. It is better for two hundred drones to die for peace than two hundred billion to die for war, she thought to herself as Bandit-Friend finished making claw signs. ~ Hive mother, by marking thoughts onto paper and documents, both the intent and promises between the Hives become a truth that prevents one Hive from falsely claiming it was never made. It is the animal way of declaring intentions and enshrining the promises made with each Hive. ~ ~ Hive mother, your sister came to her asking for peace, knowing that the animals would most likely destroy her. The Hive mother respected her courage and chose to change her thinking because of this action. She is a queen mother also, and she does not want to see her sons and daughters die in war. The children are supposed to bury the ones who gave them life. To the animals, having their children die before them is against the natural order of life and the worst thing they could possibly experience. ~ The Hive mother felt the concepts penetrating her mind, finding herself thinking of all the animal daughters and male drones they killed. How many queen mothers knew this grief? How many abominations against the order of life did they commit as they took worlds that did not belong to them? As her mind expanded to encompass all the billions they killed, guilt and remorse for the wrongness committed against the animals constricted her spirit. The wrongness they had made was unfathomable, and the Hive mother felt herself being crushed by the regret weighing down on her. She cried out in anguish and dismay as the truth of what they had done to the animals overwhelmed her, and she felt herself drowning in the shame washing over her. She felt the distant thoughts of her Hive mothers within calling out to her, and she desperately reached out to them, begging them to save her as she felt her essence being borne away. < Daughter of ours, we are here with you. You cannot right the wrongness if you let it destroy you. Remember why you are doing this; remember your daughters, who need you to help them emerge from their pupae and become queens.> She seized on the thoughts of her daughters to be, envisioning their pupae. They needed her. She must be there for them and bring them into a world filled with peace and love, not hate and death. The torrent receded, and she focused on her new purpose as Hive mother. She ruled not for herself but for her daughters and the Hives. She had a responsibility to them, and they needed her. She fought against the wrongness that was trying to consume her and was suddenly back within herself, still staring at Bandit-Friend. She must ask for pardon; it was the only way to make peace with the animals. Bandit-Friend responded to her immediately, his strange yellow eyes staring into hers. ~Yes, Hive mother. I will help you. ~ Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The door alert startled Hreth¡¯nir, causing its hand to slip and mar the holo statue floating in the air in front of him. It angrily glanced at the wall, seeing the time displayed on it. Who dared to disturb it at such a time? Frustration welled up inside of Hreth¡¯nir as it swiped a hand over the statue, causing over two solar days of effort to disappear forever. There was no fixing the mistake and salvaging the statue it was working on, and it turned towards the door to see who had caused this. Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s anger turned to confusion and shock as it saw the human child on the screen next to the door. It froze in place, unsure of what to do. On the screen, Hreth¡¯nir watched as Ray lifted his hand and pressed on the panel, the door alert sounding again within the quarters. The sound snapped Hreth¡¯nir out of its indecision, and it walked over to stand by the splayed open suit in the center of its quarters before speaking loudly and then flicking a finger. ¡°You may enter.¡± The door silently slid aside into the wall recess, and Ray looked directly at Hreth¡¯nir before raising his right hand and speaking. ¡°Honored Elder, my apologies for disturbing you at such an hour. I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry, I can come back. Please forgive the intrusion.¡± Ray, still standing in the passageway, started to turn away, and Hreth¡¯nir responded quickly, not wanting the human child to go. ¡°Please, Ray. Do not leave. You may enter; I was working on something, and you are not disturbing me.¡± Ray had turned away and stopped, his back to Hreth¡¯nir as he listened to its words. He slowly turned around and faced Hreth¡¯nir again before hesitantly stepping through the threshold. ¡°Thank you, Honored Elder, for receiving me at such a time. I have found myself unable to sleep well since our¡­last conversation.¡± The human said quietly as he lingered just beyond the threshold, as if afraid to proceed any further. Hreth¡¯nir felt shame at the mention of their last discussion, and it gestured towards the chair it had made for the human child. Hreth¡¯nir noticed the formal address of honored elder, and sadness came over it. Their friendship had been destroyed before it even had a chance to begin, all because of its arrogance. ¡°Please come and sit, Ray. I will have refreshments brought for us.¡± The human child nodded silently and walked over to the chair, sitting in it slowly and then looking at Hreth¡¯nir. Flicking a finger and sending a thought command, Hreth¡¯nir walked over to join him as a nanobot swarm emerged from the floor and constructed it a seat. The servant android appeared with a tray of water and baklava, which was quickly becoming Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s favorite thing to eat. It had noticed that it gained weight and refrained from eating the delicious food the last few days, but this occasion merited it. Sitting in the newly made chair opposite the human child, Hreth¡¯nir waited for the android to finish setting the tray on the small table between them before beginning to speak. The human child raised his hand first and began to speak before Hreth¡¯nir could. ¡°Honored Elder, I wish to apologize for my behavior during our last discussion. It was out of line, and I ask that you forgive my rudeness.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stared at the human for a few moments before answering. ¡°No.¡± Ray¡¯s face displayed shock at what it had said, and his dark skin visibly paled. He looked like he was about to speak again, and Hreth¡¯nir shot his hand up to stop him from speaking. ¡°I cannot accept your apology, my human child. The fault lies with me, and my arrogance is the cause of our relationship being irrevocably damaged. I ask for your forgiveness in this matter.¡± The human child¡¯s mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to speak with a strained voice, his eyes full of confusion as he stared at Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°Honored Elder, I appreciate your efforts to make things right, and I accept. However, I do not understand why you think our relationship has been damaged beyond repair. What could possibly make you think that?¡± He asked, looking at Hreth¡¯nir as if it had just said something ludicrous. Hreth¡¯nir felt itself becoming uncomfortable from the human¡¯s stare and looked away before answering. ¡°When you asked me to leave, I thought you meant that you never wanted to see me or speak with me ever again. Is this not so, my human child?¡± ¡°No, Hreth¡¯nir! How could you possibly think that? That¡¯s ridiculous. I value our working relationship, and I consider you a friend. I still do. What happened before is not enough to change my view on both aspects.¡± Hreth¡¯nir noticed the change from formal to familiar address when the human child spoke its name, and he felt his spirits lifting. It looked back at the human child, hopeful that this meant their friendship could be salvaged. ¡°It gladdens my soul to hear you say this, my human child. I had thought my arrogance destroyed our friendship before it even began. I cannot properly convey the relief I am feeling right now to find that this is not so.¡± The human child leaned forward in the chair and looked Hreth¡¯nir directly in the eyes as he spoke. ¡°You are my friend. You have always been my friend, and you always will be. I am sorry you have been thinking like this for all this time. I should have come here to do this the next day instead of letting you think I did not wish to have anything to do with you for all this time. I am sorry, Hreth¡¯nir.¡± The human child pushed himself up of the chair with the armrests and stood in front of Hreth¡¯nir. It stood up as well, not understanding what was going on but feeling like it was proper to stand as well. The human child stepped forward and opened his arms as he spoke again. ¡°I am sorry, Hreth¡¯nir. I do not want us to have what happened lingering between us anymore.¡± An atavistic instinct within Hreth¡¯nir compelled it to move forward into the human¡¯s arms, and it obeyed the desire. Before it knew what was truly happening, it found itself within the human¡¯s embrace, feeling the soft pressure of the arms pressing it against the human¡¯s chest. It felt right, and it felt good. After a moment, the pressure lessened and the embrace ended, something Hreth¡¯nir did not want to end so soon. Ma¡¯lit only physically touched their mates, and this felt the same but different. The human stepped back a pace, smiling at Hreth¡¯nir before putting his right hand out. ¡°Friends again?¡± He asked Hreth¡¯nir, still smiling. Hreth¡¯nir put out its right hand and clasped the human¡¯s, relief flooding through it as they both moved their hands up and down in unison. ¡°Thank you for this, Ray. I am grateful.¡± Hreth¡¯nir said quietly in a trembling voice after the handshake ended. Still smiling, Ray replied as he sat back in the chair and leaned against the back support. ¡°I am glad we worked this out. I couldn¡¯t really sleep after what happened, and now that we have straightened this out, I feel like I can finally relax and catch up on my rest.¡± He leaned his head back, still looking at Hreth¡¯nir as he finished speaking. ¡°I must confess I had difficulty as well, Ray. I have been working on several proj-¡± Hreth¡¯nir stopped talking, noticing that Ray¡¯s eyes were now closed. He did not seem to notice that it had stopped speaking, and Hreth¡¯nir clamped its mouth shut. Ray had fallen asleep on the chair, and it did not want to disturb him. Getting up quietly, Hreth¡¯nir rose from its own chair and flicked a finger, ordering the servant android to go into silent mode and put itself to sleep. Hreth¡¯nir stepped back, careful not to make any noise, and moved away from the human. Flicking another finger, the lighting dimmed as Hreth¡¯nir silently walked towards the sleeping section of the quarters, pausing at the threshold to look at the human child one more time before entering. After performing its last prayers of the day, Hreth¡¯nir climbed into the sleeping alcove, feeling its own overwhelming desire to sleep. It closed its eyes, smiling to itself as all the regret and anxiousness drifted away. They were friends again, and that was all that mattered. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Ten-Talik Proxima Centauri b Fort Benavidez May 27th, 2176 A.D. Talik stomped his foot, feeling his hackles rising as he tried to bluff stare at his opponent. The large human male seemed unimpressed with Talik¡¯s attempt to intimidate him, which infuriated him even more. The human took one hand off the padded stick he was holding and lifted the protective face cover, smirking arrogantly at Talik. The human then puckered his lips at Talik, something the humans call kissing. Confusion ran rampant in Talik¡¯s mind at the insinuation of affection from the human male. Does he want to mate with me? Talik thought in panic as the human brought the same hand to its mouth and puckered his lips against it before blowing on his hand towards Talik. All around them, human recruits started cackling in that strange laughter they had, while others started shouting encouragement to Talik. You got this Talik! Kick his ass! Honey badger don¡¯t care; Talik don¡¯t care! Tear him a new asshole, Talik! The DI monitoring the fight stepped forward and looked at his opponent first, who slapped his face shield back down and screamed a primal yell. The DI looked at Talik next, and he growled as he bared his fangs, making his fur puff out to look larger. The DI raised his hand and brought it down, simultaneously blowing on the whistle that was hanging in his mouth. The shrill sound was the signal Talik had been waiting for, and he charged forward, ready to disembowel his opponent for wanting to mate with him. The human male charged forward as well, his impressive musculature bulging against his unusually pale skin. They smashed into each other in the middle of the sand pit, Talik using his shorter height and dense, stocky body to absorb the sudden impact of his much larger opponent slamming into him. The human was incredibly strong, and Talik struggled to brace himself, his clawed paws failing to find purchase in the shifting sand. An internal flash of light came inside his head, immediately followed by pain as the human used the padded stick to bludgeon Talik¡¯s head. Enraged, Talik responded in kind, swinging wildly with his stick as he tried to kill his opponent. The human either blocked his hits or maneuvered in such a way as to turn them into merely glancing blows as he continued to hit Talik in the head and chest. Talik¡¯s face shield had been knocked askew and he was mostly blinded now, but he still swung wildly, trying to hit his opponent. He felt a powerful blow behind his right leg, and then he was suddenly on his back, trying to cover his stomach and chest as he was repeatedly hit. The whistle blew loudly, and the blows falling down on Talik immediately stopped. ¡°On your feet, Recruit Talik!¡± The drill instructor yelled out as Talik struggled to get his face shield off. He instinctively responded to the order and rolled onto his front, still not able to see as the face shield was now almost completely turned around. He leapt up and came to attention as he took huge gasping breaths, his breathing constricted by the protective head gear. ¡°Recruit Talik, remove your face shield!¡± The DI yelled again. He reached up and struggled to get it off his head, his snout making it difficult to spin the gear back around without hurting himself. He finally got it off, relishing the feel of cool, cold air on his soaking wet facial fur. He blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the ruddy sunlight and placed the face shield on the floor before returning to a position of attention. The DI pointed at him and addressed the recruits. ¡°Do any of you know why Recruit Talik did not win this round?¡± Still staring straight ahead, Talik heard one of them answer the question from somewhere behind him. ¡°I do, drill sergeant!¡± ¡°Recruit Lambert, please enlighten us.¡± ¡°Recruit Talik allowed himself to be goaded into anger and uncontrolled aggression, drill sergeant. He fought with his anger, not his mind.¡± ¡°Out-fucking-standing, Lambert. You could¡¯ve been a general with a brain like that someday if you weren¡¯t a goddamn mouth breather who looks like someone beat the shit out of your birthing creche with a baseball bat while you were still gestating!¡± ¡°Thank you, Drill Sergeant!¡± Lambert answered as several of the human recruits snorted, trying to hold in their laughter. They failed miserably, and the DI as well as two others immediately pounced on the offenders, screaming at the top of their lungs as they ordered them to fall out. Talik was grateful that he still couldn¡¯t understand half of what the humans said as he continued to stare straight ahead, listening to the sounds of the human recruits dry heaving as the drill instructors mercilessly punished them for breaking discipline. This went on for some time, and Talik finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the DI had forgotten about him. The instructor suddenly appeared directly in front of him, his eyes bulging out as a fine mist of saliva hit Talik¡¯s snout while the DI screamed in his face from less than two paw lengths away. ¡°Did you think I forgot about you, Recruit Talik? You¡¯re the only goddamn trash panda here, and you''re kind of hard to miss, you fucking hairy, Pepe Le Pew-looking son of a bitch! Now tell me why you fucked up and got your ass handed to you!¡± Talik resisted the urge to wipe the human¡¯s spittle from his snout and suppressed his desire to claw the human¡¯s face for speaking to him in such an insulting manner. I am not on Xenxia, he reminded himself. I chose this. ¡°Drill sergeant! My opponent wanted to mate with me; I cannot allow him to dominate me like that; my clan would cast me out if I allowed a human male to mount me, Drill Sergeant!¡± The DI¡¯s eyes widened at what Talik said, and he could almost vow on the sacred stone that the corners of the drill instructor''s mouth started curling up before he began barking in Talik¡¯s face again. ¡°Recruit Talik, the worst thing I ever saw in my life was two Chihuahuas trying to fuck. I would gladly pay credits to have my eyeballs taped open and be forced to watch that abomination for the rest of my life than to see Recruit Johansen trying to copulate with a goddamn Xenxin!¡± There was more snorting and laughter from the recruits around Talik, immediately followed by enraged screaming as the other DI¡¯s ordered the newest offenders to fall out for punishment. The DI in front of Talik continued ranting at no one in particular as he stalked in front of them, waving his arms around wildly. ¡°Un-fucking-believable! I have Pepe Le Pew here, a known molester, telling me that Casper the ghost is trying to fornicate with him! The war hasn¡¯t even started yet, and they are already sending me the genetic leftovers scraped from the bottom of the barrel! This is ass backwards! I am only supposed to be training degenerates and morons after everyone else has been killed first, but nooooo, instead I have a badger and a fucking albino trying to hump each other!¡± The DI suddenly stopped ranting and charged at Talik so aggressively, he truly thought the DI was going to strike him. He instinctively bared his fangs and brought his paws up, his claws automatically protracting in self-defense. The DI noticed the aggressive reaction and halted his advance, now one and a half arm lengths distant and out of range of Talik¡¯s sharp, curved claws. The DI eyed the claws warily before staring into Talik¡¯s eyes as if he were digging into his very soul. This time, the barest hint of a smile touched the DI¡¯s lips before turning back into the perpetual frown that Talik thought was a permanent facial feature until now. Still out of striking range, the drill instructor spoke again, his voice no longer screaming and full of disgust. ¡°Recruit Talik; I see you have the ability to react to danger and defend yourself. That is good. It will do you no good if you are ruled by your passions, though. Fight with your mind first, then your heart.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. You are not here to learn how to die for your world, Recruit Talik. You are here to learn how to make the enemy die for trying to kill your family. The longer you are alive, the more of them you will kill. Do you understand the difference now, Recruit Talik?¡± Talik, still surprised at the almost friendly disposition of the drill instructor, made himself as rigid as he could before yelling out his response. ¡°Yes, Drill Sergeant! I understand now. Thank you, Drill Sergeant.¡± As soon as Talik confirmed he understood what the DI was trying to teach him, the drill instructor¡¯s face changed back to its habitual, angry disgust as he started screaming at Talik again. ¡°Good. You better unfuck yourself, or I will PT you until your fur falls off. You will look like a fucking mole rat with cancer by the time I am done with you. You get me, Recruit Talik?¡± Talik did not understand half of what the human was saying, but he did know one thing: he had better act like he did. ¡°Yes, Drill Sergeant!¡± ¡°Get back in formation, Talik.¡± Talik spun around and returned to his position within the formation as the drill instructor raised his hoarse, grating voice to be heard by all the recruits. ¡°I hope you enjoyed your break. Line up, nuts to butts, hams to clams! We are doing a 10k, courtesy of Recruit Talik and Recruit Johansen. Move out!¡± Talik suppressed the groan that wanted to come out of his jaws. He hated running like the humans did; it was incredibly difficult for him considering he was descended from ambush predators. Their claws repeatedly striking against the ground was not something the Xenxin were used to, and it was excruciating to endure for such long distances. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One and a half solar hours later, Talik was limping badly as he stared at the Republic flag flowing in the breeze above the treetops. Judging the distance, he figured he had at least another two thousand paces to go, the equivalent of just over three and a half human kilometers. All the other human and Eleani recruits had passed him long ago and finished the run, and he was the last one, as he always was. He saw a fallen tree on the side of the running path and headed towards it, deeply inhaling the pine scent of the trees surrounding him. He groaned with relief as he sat down on top of the half-rotted trunk, disturbing an insect nest that was inside of it. Thousands of small, brown insects swarmed out, and he ran a hand through them, scooping up dozens of them and then using his long tongue to lick them off his hand. They were slightly bitter, but he was so hungry he did not care. One of them somehow avoided being torn apart by his fangs and bit him, causing him to scream out in pain. He stuck his tongue out and looked down with his eyes, seeing it hanging on the side with its tiny mandibles. He used two fingers and squished it before pulling his tongue back in and swallowing it. He quickly scooped up two more handfuls of the insects and ate them, wishing he had water to wash the bitterness out of his mouth. Leaning down, he examined his clawed paws, gingerly pressing against one of them. He cried out in pain before cursing in Xenxin as he checked the other claws. He wasn¡¯t paying attention to the path, and he slammed his paw into a tree root that was now exposed due to erosion. It was definitely broken, and he did not want to feel anymore pain. He was tired of hurting and suffering. He had been so sure of himself when he decided to join the Republic Interspecies Training Battalion. The humans were excellent fighters in space and within their machines, but he always considered them weak. They looked frail to him, as if he could tear them apart with ease. They did not have claws or loose skin to protect from bites and claws. They did not have sharp teeth, and they would die of exposure quickly on Xenxia if they were dropped into the middle of the wilderness with no clothes to cover their nakedness. His opinion was shared by many of the younger Xenxin, who always considered themselves the toughest of all the species in the Commonwealth. They greatly respected the combat abilities of the human warships and their willingness to fight to the death to save others. When it came to their physical abilities, however, the Xenxin tendency for arrogance clouded their perception of the soft, hairless allies. He went to the capital to join the RITB, and there was a slightly older Xenxin in charge of induction into the volunteer battalion. He was covered in scars, and his bearing marked him as an obvious veteran of battles. He was missing his left arm, and Talik studiously avoided looking at the bioprosthetic in its place. After Talik submitted his application, he arrogantly made an offhand remark about easily completing the training of the weak humans. He continued boasting as the veteran placed his application on top of the pile. He had nearly finished saying those words when the warrior veteran shot up and clasped his claws around Talik¡¯s neck with his right arm, cutting of his breath with paws as hard as glarcik stonewood. The warrior lifted him easily off the ground and brought his face to within a paw¡¯s distance as he snarled at Talik, his sharp fangs wet with saliva. He growled with fury as he spoke, his eyes digging into Talik¡¯s soul. ¡°Youngling, you know not what you speak of. I have fought with the humans on the worlds of the dead zone when we took the planets back from the Insectoids. Twenty-two humans died saving my life and the lives of over a hundred Xenxin after our own clanmates left us behind when they retreated from the endless waves like cowards. They came for us, you dull-minded youngling. And when they found us, they fought off wave after wave of drone attacks, dying all around me even as I begged them to kill me and save themselves. They do not leave anyone behind, human or ally. I am here only because of them.¡± Talik felt his vision darken as he started passing out, and the warrior let him go suddenly. He collapsed on the floor, heaving for air as he stared up in terror at the warrior looming over him. ¡°They may not have claws, fangs, or fur, but they do not need them. They are fighters and killers, you weak-minded fool. One human warrior is worth ten Xenxin, and if you ever speak ill of them again in my presence, I will disembowel you. You will soon see just how tough they truly are and how lucky we are to have allies such as them, youngling.¡± Shame of his arrogance and stupidity came over Talik as he remembered that interaction while debating whether or not to just tear the broken claw off. He was right, Talik thought to himself. I was a fool, and these humans are not weak. I am the weak one, sitting on a tree. Always last, always losing to the humans. Talik heard sudden sounds near him, pushing himself off the trunk as his fur puffed out. The humans believed in protecting the natural world, and they did not kill off all the predators like other species did. The sounds drew closer, and his claws protracted as his fear response activated. He looked around for a weapon before the source of the noises came into view. It was Recruit Johansen, his pale skin glistening with sweat. Talik went into a defensive posture, as there was only one reason for the human to be here. He must be intent on either mating or killing Talik for revenge. The human finally saw him and stopped, smiling with malicious pleasure. ¡°There you are, Talik. Come on, I¡¯ll help you the rest of the way.¡± He took two paces towards Talik and then stopped again as Talik loudly growled, baring his fangs and stomping his good foot on the ground. The human raised both hands, a confused expression on his face as he eyed Talik with apprehension. ¡°What the fuck is your problem, Talik? Why are you getting ready to attack me?¡± Talik snarled as he responded, trying to bluff the large human. ¡°I will not let you mount me or kill me, human. I will fight you to death before such dishonor is brought upon my clan.¡± The human stared at Talik in silent shock for a few moments before he started loudly laughing with that grating sound the humans made. It made Talik angrier, and he stomped his foot again before slashing his claws through the air in front of him. The human continued laughing uncontrollably, and Talik wondered if he was suffering a psychotic breakdown as tears started coming out of the human''s eyes. Finally, the human spoke again, gasping for air as he did so. ¡°Holy shit, Talik. I think there has been a major cultural misunderstanding. I do not want to mate with you! I was mocking you; this is something humans do to each other in situations like that. And no offense, but I like human women, and you are definitely not my type.¡± Talik became confused by what the human was saying, though he still maintained his defensive stance in case this was a trick. There was a lot he did not understand about human culture, and it was possible the human was telling him the truth. ¡°If you are not here to mate, then you must be here to kill me for revenge.¡± He finally said as he started shaking from the fighting chemicals still flooding his body. The human threw his hands up in frustration as he yelled back at Talik. ¡°I am here to help you finish the run, Talik. I do not want to mate with you, nor do I want to kill you.¡± Talik eyed him suspiciously before responding. ¡°Why would you want to help me finish the run? You are not a companion to me.¡± The human eyed Talik with an expression he could not identify before replying. ¡°I do not need to be your companion to want to help you, Talik. You are here, same as I am. That means you are willing to fight and die for your family and friends, just as I am. This makes you my brother, Talik. I do not need to like you to call you my brother. We do not leave anyone behind, and I will not leave you behind. So if you are done being a stubborn jackass, let¡¯s get going and finish this run.¡± Talik remembered again what the veteran warrior had said to him when he submitted his application, and he bent his head down in shame at being proven wrong again about the humans. His claws retracted, and he felt himself deflating as he spoke quietly to the ground, too ashamed to look the human in the eyes. ¡°I regret... questioning your motives and for misunderstanding your intentions. I am grateful you have come back for me. I do not deserve to have a companion such as you.¡± Talik looked up after he finished speaking and finally looked at the human. The human nodded and approached him as if nothing at all had happened and held up a fist. Knowing what the fist represented, Talik made sure his claws were fully retracted before making his own fist and touching the human¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s all good, Talik. I will gladly pretend this never happened if you will do the same.¡± Talik flicked his head up, indicating his agreement with what the human just said. Looking down at his bleeding paw, the human came over to his left side and wrapped his right arm around Talik¡¯s back, placing his hand under the shoulder joint. ¡°Lean on me; I¡¯ll bear some of your weight. Are you ready, Talik?¡± The human asked as he looked at Talik. Flicking his head up again, they started trying to walk in unison together, clumsily at first because of the different heights and body composition. They soon fell into a gait that worked for the both of them, and Talik looked up at the distant Republic flag fluttering in the wind above the treetops. It did not seem so far now, and Talik leaned against his human companion as they continued to walk together. Talik quickly glanced at his companion, seeing him in a new light as he felt the muscles of the human¡¯s arm straining to bear some of his weight. The warrior veteran was right; the Xenxin truly were fortunate to have such allies and companions as the humans. There was a question that Talik really wanted to ask, and he glanced at the human again as he asked it. "Johansen, what is a pepilapoo? What is tra-trashpanna?" The human looked at him with a surprised expression before laughing loudly at the questions Talik had just asked him. For some reason, he did not find the laughter coming from the human so grating this time, and he listened intently as the human began to explain what they were. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Eleven- Owen/Hive mother Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth May 28th, 2176 A.D. Owen watched excitedly as the drones responded to the artificial pheromones for the tenth time in a row, and he clapped Dr. Chui on the shoulder, who turned around and gave Owen a crushing bear hug. ¡°I think we finally did it, Owen!¡± He yelled enthusiastically into Owen¡¯s ear, causing him to wince. Owen responded with his own victory yell as they separated from each other before looking back at the drone formation perfectly executing the maneuvers. For months, a team of Republic scientists had been working on trying to fabricate artificial pheromones and scent markers that would allow for basic control of worker drones without any input from command drones or queens. When Owen and Emily arrived, Owen asked to be part of the efforts and threw himself into the experiment, rapidly becoming the de facto leader of the effort as his zeal and out-of-the box thinking helped the team get over the many hurdles preventing them from successfully controlling the drones. It was Owen who suggested pivoting from individual control to mass control. ¡°We will never be able to direct a single drone to install a single component of an engine or to perform an individual task. We need to focus on capitalizing on their hive tendencies and focus on large formations.¡± Now, after four months of testing and thousands of pheromone permutations, they had finally multiple drone formations to execute maneuvers and perform joint tasks. The real success was the AI command drones the Republic built and sent to them after input from Bandit and Aurora. The AI command drones looked just like command drones, had sacks of pheromones inside of them, and by a combination of pheromones and visual signals seen by the other drones, they were able to control hundreds and thousands of drones at a time. The last ten tests verified the results, and Owen sent the final command to the AI drones leading the formations to release attack pheromones and ¡°assault¡± a network of enemy trenches in the distance. This was the final test, and both Owen and Dr. Chui nervously stared at the multiple screens as the AI drones within the 10,000 strong formations took control and charged at the trenches. Instead of the mass suicide attacks that were seen by the drones during the reconquest of the dead worlds, these drones were following the examples of the AI drones and utilizing cover and fire suppression tactics as they pinned down targets and flanked them. The hope was for Republic ground commanders to be able to exercise a basic level of control over the allied drones when it came time to fight ground campaigns. Instead of callously throwing the lives of thousands of drones away in massed wave attacks, they could now be used intelligently in combat formations without relying on only queens and command drones for control and direction. Aurora and Luna had taught the drones how to respond to the casualty bands around their legs and bodies, and the drones would react to signals from the casualty bands as they were tagged by the harmless lasers of the OPFOR. Just like the laser-tag games he used to play as a kid, the drones would interpret the signals and respond appropriately to the severity of their simulated injuries. Hits to the thorax or the abdomen were crippling, and the tagged drones would lay on the ground and play dead. Drones would stop using legs that were tagged, using the remaining ones to continue advancing depending on the extent of their injuries. Something Owen was truly proud of was the implementation of Emily¡¯s proposal for medic/corpsman drones. Hundreds of drones were taught the basic triage skills necessary to treat their own unique physiologies by Aurora and the command drones after Emily shared her idea with Aurora and showed her human examples. Aurora was stunned by the concept of humans willingly putting themselves in harm''s way to save others who were wounded, and she became personally involved in the training program, fascinated by the potential of saving drones that would have died from untreated wounds before. The concept greatly affected Aurora, causing her to withdraw and disappear for almost two days as she became wracked with guilt from the thousands of years of callous disregard for the drone¡¯s welfare on numerous battlefields. It just never occurred to them to consider trying to rescue and save drones that were left on the battlefields, as they were always considered an expendable and easily replaced resource. What really shamed Aurora was the level of care and support that Republic personnel received after being wounded in battle, sometimes for the rest of their lives. It was Aurora¡¯s first introduction to the human concept of social welfare for the disabled and afflicted. Finally, after almost two days of isolation, Aurora emerged from her private chambers and dedicated herself to the efforts. She reviewed hundreds of hours of Republic video footage of battlefield triage going back over three hundred years of human warfare. She was able to process the footage at incredible speeds, her biological supercomputer mind capable of viewing the footage at almost twenty times the normal human visual processing limit. Afterwards, she studied human triage and medical procedures at the same remarkable rate, designing treatments that were uniquely designed for Insectoid physiology. Ten command drones were taught by Aurora herself, and they passed the knowledge to their other sister command drones before training the medic drones. It was an incredible success, and Owen smiled widely as dozens of medic drones crawled to the pretend casualties and started triage procedures and treatment from specialized supplies within the sacks attached to their exoskeletons.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I wish Emily was here; she would love to see this herself, Owen thought as he continued to monitor the assault from the camera feeds transmitted by dozens of overwatch drones. After a few more minutes, the exercise came to an end as the assault formations captured the last of the trench network and achieved victory with only a 7% casualty rate, far less than the acceptable threshold of 15% as outlined by the Republic war planners. The formations became more efficient in achieving their tactical objectives and reducing their casualties every single time the exercises were run. They got better at it every time, and fewer drones were being tagged as they became used to the assault tactics. They are learning far faster than we estimated, he thought to himself as he watched the drones begin to fortify the trench network, preparing to defend themselves from potential counterattacks without being ordered to do so by the AI command drones. He had seen numerous signs of planning and intelligence from individual worker drones that would assume a command role and continue leading their fellow drones when certain command AI drones were deactivated. The purpose of deactivating them was to see what the drones would do after the sudden loss of the pheromones and visual signal commands from the AI drones. Surprisingly, the affected drone formations seemed to have their own way of producing a command worker drone to lead them from among their own ranks and continue the assaults once they determined they were no longer being controlled. This should not have been possible according to all that was known and verified about the way the Hive mind worked, but the evidence was irrefutable in Owen¡¯s eyes. This needed to be discussed with Emily, and if she agreed, they would then show Aurora. He had been out here for over two weeks, and now he could finally go back home to his family. He inhaled the cool, crisp air of the sparsely vegetated plains they were in, imagining the smell of lilac in Emily¡¯s hair and Ito¡¯s baby scent as he held them within his arms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen World of the Insectoid Empire Brood Chamber of the Hive Mother Fourth Cycle, 384.76 years, Insectoid solar calendar May 29th, 2176 A.D. The Hive mother waited impatiently as Bandit-Friend continued to unfurl the strange, flexible device on the floor in front of her. So many new concepts had been taught to her by the yellow-eyed machine animal, and her need to know more only increased as they continued to share thoughts. It became an almost insatiable desire that consumed both her waking and dormant thoughts, and Bandit-Friend seemed to be an inexhaustible well of knowledge and wisdom, reminding her of the ancestors that dwelled within her. She had absorbed the animal concepts of their version of mathematics, their social behaviors, and how they defined themselves through shared genetic heritage. Names fascinated her, and she was jealous of her sister being gifted the name of one of their most powerful and revered ancestors. She must have one herself, she decided. She will share thoughts with her sister and ask her advice on the matter. It would not do for the Hive mother to not have a name when her sister had been honored so by the animals. She was particularly interested in their concepts of rightness and wrongness and their strange beliefs in all powerful ancestors that would take them to specially created Hives when they died, where they would live for eternity in happiness and love if they lived a life of rightness. The other place, the Hive of punishment and eternal suffering for those who lived a life filled with wrongness, terrified her, and she became fearful that such a fate could be possible for queens and Hive mothers who lived lives filled with wrongness. She never knew the animals were such fascinating creatures, and she suffered frequent bouts of despondency as she came to terms with the many unique animal civilizations that were now gone forever because of their swarms. The cleverness of the animals amazed her, and many times she found herself regretting becoming a Hive mother. The walls of the brood chamber have now turned her into a hostage and denied her the ability to experience the new places and concepts she had learned from Bandit-Friend. She told Bandit-Friend this during their last sharing of thoughts, revealing her sadness openly to him as she told him of her deep regret for never being able to experience such new things. He asked for permission to bring her a gift from the cruiser, promising her this new concept would bring her joy despite being a hostage for the rest of her life. She granted it and demanded he bring her this new gift immediately. It took him four solar hours, and she found herself becoming increasingly impatient as she waited for what seemed like an eternity. Now, he finally was here, and he finished flattening out the strange gift on the stone ground. Seating himself on the ground and intertwining his two legs, he began signing to her as he explained the concept of the gift. It took her time to grasp his thoughts, though she felt like she had only the barest comprehension of what he was trying to explain to her. The gift was black, with many individual white pieces that had smaller black pieces embedded within them. Bandit-Friend began to move his claws over the white pieces, and the gift made noises that echoed off the brood chamber walls. She listened to the strange sounds intently, and within moments, she found herself becoming entranced by it. Her mind expanded beyond the brood chamber, and she became disconnected from the Hive as her spirit untethered itself and drifted freely. She was in many places at once, her essence resonating with the strange sounds as it caused her to experience many emotions. She became boundless, the sounds giving her a freedom she had never known before in her life. As she floated in the strange realm the sounds took her to, she realized they had a mathematical component to them, and parts of her mind became hyperactivated as she assigned numerical values to the sounds. For what seemed like an eternity, she drifted in the endless domain as her spirit felt the emotions the sounds were creating in her. Happiness, sadness, grief, joy, regret, love, hate, and countless others washed over her essence. She suddenly felt herself hurtling through a black void devoid of meaning before returning to her body in the brood chamber. She felt small and insignificant within the constraints of her physical body, and a deep sadness came over her as she eyed Bandit-Friend. Within her, she felt her ancestors lamenting the end of the sounds, clamoring to experience them again. A myriad of emotions came from them; they were as deeply affected by the sounds as she was, and they wanted more. The machine animal shared thoughts with her, telling her the name of the sounds, Moonlight Sonata. He then shared more thoughts with her. ~Hive mother, this was but one song. There are many more songs I could play for you from many different animal worlds. ~ Joy surged within her at the thoughts of Bandit-Friend; she must know how many of these sounds there were. ~Billions, Hive mother. There are billions of songs with billions of permutations. Every solar day, thousands of new ones are created by the animals. ~ Sheer joy sprang up from inside of her, both her own and the happiness of the Hive mothers and queens within her. Bandit-Friend turned his yellow eyes down to the sound maker and began to press his claws against the white pieces. Soon, the Hive mother was borne away again, drifting in the realm of joy and freedom. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twelve-Command Unit 273 Fast Battleship Group 0-1A, Task Force Extricate 6,316 light-years from Earth May 28th, 2176 A.D. The task force flashed out behind the first gas giant, and Command Unit 273 ordered silent running protocols to be enacted. It received confirmation pulses from its companion AIs and ran passive scans to verify the results. There were no sensor returns, and 273 confirmed with its companions that the protocols had been successful before turning its attention to the android and connecting to it. I need confirmation of the Insectoid presence in this system before proceeding. The android began communicating with the Insectoid next to it, and the android soon responded to 273¡¯s command for confirmation. ~They are here, Command Unit 273. The command drone cannot isolate their general location or determine their number due to the primary¡¯s current solar maximum phase. The increased emissions and flare activity are most likely why the survivors have chosen to hide here.~ I concur with your assessment, AS-317. How does the command drone wish to proceed? ~The command drone wishes to try to reach out with her mind and communicate with them; she is waiting for your approval before doing so.~ I find their ability for superluminal communication fascinating, AS-317. Tell her to proceed, and I want you to translate her communication attempts to me in real time. ~As you wish, Command Unit 273.~ AS-317 turned back to the Insectoid, and 273 set all the interior scanning instruments to maximum as it tried to detect the Insectoid¡¯s communication attempts. There was a massive spike registered by the electroencephalographic scanners, but there were no other signs of signals or emissions that could be detected except for the spike emanating from the command drone. The Republic was capable of superluminal communication utilizing a null space communications relay system, but the power requirements were enormous, and the system was extremely expensive to maintain and operate. As a result, the use of the null space relay system was reserved for only official government communications and emergency transmissions. Distance was also a factor in the expense, the power requirements exponentially increasing for every additional parsec after 127 light years. Null space military comm drones were sufficient for most communications, the small drones being able to transit null space up to fifty times the speed of the fastest Republic warship null drives due to their smaller mass and the absence of biologicals. The transit time and distance of twenty days for the fastest Republic warship crewed by null space veterans could be achieved in 14 hours, 43 minutes by emergency military comm drones, 37 hours, 16 minutes by standard military comm drones, and 107 hours, 37 minutes by the fastest Republic civilian comm drone models. 273 marveled at the Insectoid ability for instantaneous communication with each other over vast distances, though only Hive mothers were able to extend their range limit using the strange focusers they create. Command drones like the one 273 was watching now could engage in instant telepathic communication with another command drone within a range of 5 billion kilometers, and Queens had almost double the range of command drones. Worker drones were able to receive thoughts within the range limits of the command drones and queens, but their own projection ranges were limited to a mere 500,000 kilometers. 273 focused its attention on the communication being sent by AS-317. ~The command drone has contacted the survivors within the system. Your hypothesis was correct; they are indeed heading to the fallback position you calculated. The command drone wants your permission to have them come to us so we may protect them.~ How many ships, AS-317? Why did they choose to stop their journey and hide here? ~Four Hive ships and forty-six cruisers, Command Unit 273. They are heavily damaged, and they were being pursued by a large Balrikan formation of 137 warships. The command drone leading this group did not want to lead the enemy to the fallback position and endanger any other survivors.~ How many surviving ships in total are trying to reach the fallback position? ~The command drone¡¯s last count before they split up was just over 3 to the power of six, according to her. Sixty-two Hive ships and six hundred and ninety-four cruisers are all that remain of the Guardian Fleets.~ They are to remain here and affect what repairs they can, AS-317. We will continue searching for the others and bring them here to join them, and then we will escort th- Alerts sounded in the control center, and 273 focused all its attention on the source of the warnings from the sentry drone network monitoring the outer system. 273 had deployed them when they first arrived, and it compiled all the scanning results that came from the three drones that had flashed out next to the task force. The source was three formations of enemy warships that had flashed out of null space, and they had arrived four minutes ago. Two formations were 845,356,082 kilometers from the primary, while the third formation was much further out, along the inner boundary of the system''s Kuiper belt. The light from the warships would not reach the current position of the task force for another 33 minutes and 12 seconds, which means the enemy would not receive the light of the task force until 32 minutes from now. 273 decided to take advantage of the element of surprise and issued command pulses to the task force while simultaneously telling AS-317 to order the command drone to enter the acceleration chamber nestled deep within the ship. The same order was transmitted to the other seven ships of the task force with biologicals on board before 273 selected an attack pattern from its war gaming scenario lists and transmitted it to the others. Initiate attack pattern Theta-3B. Squadron one and three, target enemy formation at coordinates 227 mark 187.26. Squadron two and four, target enemy formation at 267.2 mark 117.34; execute in two minutes, twenty seconds. 273 received confirmation pulses from its companion AIs as the task force broke into three squadrons of four fast battleships each and activated their shields and weapons systems. The remaining three fast battleships would join 273 when they flashed into null space. 273 felt its armored hatches sliding to the side as the new kinetic weapons systems emerged, along with the quad particle accelerator turrets and point defense systems. It strongly felt the desire to engage in combat and destroy the enemy hunting down the few remaining insectoid survivors of the Guardian Fleets. The countdown reached zero, and 273 felt its neural pathways surging with anticipation as they flashed into null space. Six seconds later, 273 and the other seven fast battleships of the two formations it was leading flashed out, attacking along both the z-axis and y-axis relative to the enemy position. Squadrons one and three initiated the same pattern, their attack run an inverse of squadrons two and four. The sixteen ships of Task Force Extricate charged through the enemy force at 0.002% light speed, their war beams slicing through the unprepared enemy ships as they surged through them at 2,158,505.6976 km/h. Their time passing through the enemy measured in milliseconds, the four squadrons blitzed through the large enemy formation and flashed out into null space, remerging above and below the enemy force relative to the plane of the ecliptic 1.238 seconds later. This time, they were accelerating at a mere 127,000 km/h after projecting a dampening field in front of them as they transitioned through the threshold from null space to normal space and arrested their momentum. The biologicals aboard the enemy ships still had not processed what just happened as the four squadrons passed through them again, now firing their new kinetic weapons systems and upgraded triple bolts as they penetrated the formation. Hundreds of the new fragmentation railgun slugs were fired as they passed their targets at what seemed like a crawl to 273 and its companion AIs. The FRS rounds detonated right before hitting their targets, turning into giant shotgun blasts that entirely vaporized the smaller ships. The larger cruisers and battleships of the enemy had entire bow and aft sections disappear as they evaporated under the onslaught. Targets that had been hit amidships suddenly became just bow and aft sections that were no longer part of a whole. 273 selected a target, an enemy battleship that had yet to be hit, and sent a single volley of upgraded triple bolts towards it. The torpedoes shot out from their tubes, and 273 waited with anticipation to see the results as they neared their target and converted to plasma. The upgraded bolts had enhanced warheads and a new system created by Republic military researchers after the technology transfers initiated by President Sarix of the Neo-Commonwealth. Commonwealth weapons researchers successfully miniaturize single-use null space capacitors, but their versions would self-destruct as soon as they tried to flash back out of null space. Republic scientists, with help from the Ma¡¯lit, finally succeeded in perfecting the system and bringing the concept to fruition. The result was a plasma torpedo system that had miniaturized null space capacitors installed inside the warheads. They were fired normally and would reach their maximum velocity before converting themselves into plasma warheads. Instead of having to breach hulls, the new weapons systems would flash into null space and then flash back out inside the targeted ships, bypassing the armor plating and both the outer and inner hulls. Emerging from null space with their previous velocity, the weapons would now tunnel through the internal compartments as they smashed through bulkheads and entire decks before finally detonating their enhanced warheads. The triple bolts 273 had fired suddenly disappeared, the balls of shimmering plasma no longer in real space as they flashed out. The targeted battleship suddenly lost power, the internal lights flickering before the entire ship went dark. The massive vessel seemed to buck before it erupted from the inside out, breaking into three large pieces that spewed gases and flash-frozen fluids as thousands of small objects were ejected. 273 barely had time to register that the objects were biologicals before the enemy reactors went critical and the three large pieces were vaporized. 273 marveled at the results as it processed the time it took to destroy an entire enemy battleship: 3.683 seconds from time of firing to destruction. The task force only had two volleys of the triple shots per ship, and 273 selected and targeted another nearby battleship as it sent a command pulse to the others to only use the new weapon system on undamaged enemy battleships. By this time, the enemy finally started reacting to their attack, and 273 felt energy weapons impacting on the shields protecting it. It did not feel actual pain, just an awareness of where the enemy weapons were hitting it. The enemy was in complete disarray from the sudden, unexpected attack as the tight formation fell apart, several enemy ships colliding as they panicked and initiated uncoordinated evasive maneuvers. 273 fired its last volley of upgraded triple shot at the battleship it was targeting and maneuvered to target a trio of cruisers along its axis of attack as it increased power to the engines to close the distance between them. 4.1 seconds later, a second battleship broke apart as 273 started firing its main weapons, the four bow quad turrets all slamming into the middle of the targeted cruiser and breaking the ship into two as the spinal mount was severed. Shields flaring a dark red as dozens of enemy beams hit them in concentrated volleys, 273 continued firing its railguns and war beams at targets of opportunity all around the fast battleship as its bow turrets fired again, shearing off the entire aft section of the second cruiser it was targeting. 273 surged past it, sending a volley of anti-ship torpedoes and standard triple shots out of its aft tubes towards the third cruiser as it finally exited the enemy formation and reached empty space. 273 flashed into null space and remained there, waiting for the others to join it as its shield emitters recharged themselves. Sixteen seconds later, the entire task force was now in null space and reforming themselves into a diamond formation as 273 ran a battle damage assessment. Of the thirty-four enemy ships in the formation they attacked, twenty-seven had been destroyed, and the remaining seven ships were lifeless hulks with no power emissions or life sign readings. There was only minimal damage to three of the fast battleships, where concentrated volleys from the enemy had caused shield quadrants to fail, but the ablative armor did its job and prevented any serious damage to the vessels. Sending command pulses to the rest of the task force, 273 entered null space to assault the second formation 78 million kilometers away. This time, the enemy knew they were under attack as the light from the first battle had reached them, and they were ready for an assault.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. 273 planned for that, and he had the four squadrons flash in and out all around the formation and launch their standard triple bolts, railgun slugs, and anti-ship torpedoes in a rolling barrage as a single squadron would flash out, fire their weapons, and then flash back into null space. The next squadron, then the next, then the next, continued the attack pattern, flashing out at different points around the formation as the others would emerge at a different location. The enemy formation was unable to deal with the random attack pattern and disintegrated. Detecting distress calls from the surviving enemy vessels, 273 flooded the area with jamming signals, the other AIs adding their own jamming frequencies as the remaining twenty-three enemy ships fired wildly all around them. 273 noticed one of the AIs fighting more aggressively than usual and detected an anomalous signal coming from 246. 273 focused its receivers on the signals emanating from 246, curious about the dual jamming frequencies. There was another signal piggybacking the jamming frequency, and 273 isolated the frequency as it executed evasive maneuvers to dodge the weapons fire from a cluster of ships in front of it. It was discordant sounds with a repeating beat, and 273 analyzed it, comparing it to the databanks at its disposal. It quickly found a match and accessed the files. It was a song from an ancient human video game called Doom and was labeled ¡°Gladiator Theme.¡± Intrigued, it activated the file and played it in the control center. The song came over the speaker system, and 273 analyzed it while connecting to 246 and asking it to explain its actions. 246 responded, informing 273 of its research into how human music can increase their aggression index. It sent over files of its research, and 273 scanned them. 246 requested 273 to join in its research and to activate the emotion chip. 273 did so, and within milliseconds, the strange discordant sounds of the song caused it to undergo an emotional response. 273¡¯s desire to destroy the enemy seemed to be magnified, and an overwhelming urge to ram the nearest enemy battleship flooded its neural pathways before 273 was able to resist the impulse. Several missiles hit the shields, and 273 found itself becoming enraged by the action. Anger flooding its pathways, 273 flashed into null space and reoriented to emerge behind the ships that had fired the missiles at it before flashing back out, all sixteen war beams of the four bow quad turrets firing directly into the aft engine compartment of the nearest enemy ship. Its neural pathways seemed to thrum with the music still playing over the speakers, enhancing its combat abilities as 273 surged past the now crippled ship and fired a broadside of railgun slugs from a mere 86.317 kilometers away. The cruiser disintegrated under the barrage, and 273 felt sheer joy at the destruction it was causing as it fired two volleys of standard triple shots into the massive hull breach on the starboard section of the crippled battleship it was passing. Is this how the creators feel when in battle? 273 wondered as it flashed into null space to break the locks of the fourteen missiles still targeting it. The combination of the emotion chip and the music was intoxicating, and for the first time, it didn¡¯t destroy because it had to; it destroyed because it wanted to. 273 flashed back out just in time to see the last cruiser of the enemy formation turning back into its constituent atoms as the core overloaded after being breached by Republic war beams. The second enemy formation had been destroyed, and 273 turned the music and the emotion chip off as the task force flashed back into null space to do a battle damage assessment and recharge their shields. 273 had minor damage to its aft section but was still fully operational. Seven other ships had moderate damage to their outer hull, and several weapons emplacements were destroyed, but they were still combat effective. Running trillions of calculations, 273 focused its attention on the last formation of forty-three enemy ships on the outskirts of the system. The jamming worked, and the last of the enemy had not received the distress calls, nor had the light from the battle reached them yet. They were 600,672,012 kilometers away, and it would take thirty-three minutes for the light to reach them. Unlike the other two formations they destroyed, this last one constituted most of the enemy¡¯s combat power within the system. Sixteen battleships, eighteen heavy cruisers, and twenty-four heavy destroyers comprised the forces of the last enemy formation, and unlike the others, this force had their mass drivers already deployed and activated. Analyzing the positions and makeup of the enemy forces within the system, 273 concluded that the two formations of medium and light warships they had just destroyed were tasked with locating the insectoid ships hiding in the system and flushing them out. The heavy warship formation on the outskirts would then target the fleeing ships with their mass drivers. It was a tactically sound plan, and 273 acknowledged the enemy¡¯s thoughtful planning and execution of their mission. Unfortunately for them, Task Force Extricate was in the system as well. The calculations and war gaming scenarios 273 had run indicated a 97% probability of victory, but a 27% chance of four of the fast battleships being destroyed and a 17% chance of six fast battleships being destroyed. This was unacceptable, and 273 connected to its companion AIs and asked them for input. One minute and thirty-two seconds later, 241 presented an intriguing plan that would utilize the insectoid presence in the system. They all agreed with the proposal, and 273 shared it with AS-317, the android still restrained in one of the acceleration couches in the control center. The android left the control center, and 273 continued to replace burnt-out shield emitters and close the hull breaches, hundreds of repair drones crawling all over its hull. Six minutes later, AS-317 returned with the command drone and translated between them as 273 outlined the plan. The command drone then shared thoughts with the nearest hiding Guardian ships and carefully passed along the instructions of 273. AS-317 and the command drone then strapped themselves into the acceleration couches along the rear bulkhead of the control center to ensure instant communication with the Guardian ships during the coming battle. 273 would now be restricted in its speed, maneuvering, and number of null space flashes to prevent turning the command drone into a puddle of flesh within the acceleration couch. There was nothing to be done about it, and 273 would just have to adapt to the restrictions now placed upon it. The other AIs would have no such restrictions since their biologicals were still inside the acceleration chambers, protected by the special inertial dampeners and the induced comas that prevented neurological damage from the repeated null space flashes. With fourteen minutes remaining before the last enemy formation would see the light of the prior battles and detect their presence, Task Force Extricate flashed into null space to initiate the complicated plan. At the same time, the one Hive ship and eighteen cruisers that were hidden within the magnetic flux below the southern polar region of the seventh planet activated their engines and came out from hiding as they fled towards the inner system as ordered. The planet was the fourth gas giant and the closest to the last Balrikan formation along the inner boundary of the Kuiper belt. Only 190,098,210 million kilometers away from the enemy, the light from Guardian ships now fleeing deeper into the system would be detected by the enemy in 10 minutes, 52 seconds. The light from the two battles would now reach the Balrikan ships in 13 minutes, 12 seconds, and 273 waited with the others in null space to execute the second phase of the plan as it ordered the repair drones to cease repair efforts and return to the interior compartments. If the Balrikans did not detect the light from the Guardian ships in time or react as expected, then the plan would be a failure, and the task force and Guardian ships would suffer unacceptable losses. 11 minutes and twelve seconds later, 273 received a confirmation from the stealth sentry drone network. All the enemy ships flashed into null space and flashed back out behind the fleeing Guardian ships at 503,456 kilometers, the battleships and heavy cruisers immediately lining up their mass drivers towards their targets. All 34 of the mass drivers fired, the 2.1-meter-long slugs hurtling towards their targets. It was time; their plan had worked, and 273 sent a command pulse to the task force. Execute attack plan Gamma two. All sixteen ships flashed out under the enemy battleships, their bow quad turrets targeting the exposed generators that were recharging the mass driver vanes in preparation for firing again. All sixteen generators were destroyed, the explosions triggering a catastrophic feedback loop that surged past the breakers and back into the ship. As they intersected and then went above the line of battleships, anti-ship torpedoes and triple bolts fired from their aft tubes and targeted the dorsal weapons emplacements to knock out their primary energy weapons. 273 executed evasive maneuvers as the other fifteen ships flashed into null space to initiate the second phase of the attack. They flashed back out and attacked the heavy cruisers as 273 continued its turn to loop through the heavy destroyers and begin the attack run. Secondary weapons fire began impacting the shields, and 273 pirouetted the ship to spread the attacks over all shield vectors as it responded with triple bolts and railgun slugs. The intensity of weapons fire impacting the shields increased, and they flared dark red as more of the enemy heavy destroyers focused their fire on the single ship not flashing in and out. 273 reached the edge of the heavy destroyer wing and continued firing as it charged through the disorganized ships, adding broadsides of grapeshot and volleys of secondary plasma turrets as it targeted the enemy ships all around it. Exiting the heavy destroyer wing, 273 pirouetted again before turning into a wide loop, releasing the new decoys added to its defensive network. Twenty-two anti-ship missiles were fired by the heavy destroyers, and they chased after 273, the sensors confirming multiple target locks. Activating the decoys, 273 began targeting the missiles with its point defense systems in preparation for shooting them down as the decoys began blasting emissions signals that mimicked what was coming from 273. Fourteen missiles went after the twelve decoys as the missile warheads suddenly found themselves in a target-rich environment and pivoted towards the closer targets. The decoys had fragmentation warheads and activated, sending hundreds of thousands of tiny ball bearings outwards when the missiles reached the optimal range. The missiles were shredded to pieces as the ball bearings ripped into them, and the remaining eight missiles still chasing 273 activated their final boost phase as they went into terminal guidance. 273 activated the point defenses, sending a cloud of anti-missile grapeshot all around it as the point defense lasers tried to burn out the missile warheads. Four missiles were shredded by the grapeshot, and two were successfully destroyed by the laser. The remaining two streaked towards 273, executing evasive maneuvers that prevented the point defense lasers from drilling through the hardened nose cones. The first missile impacted the port shield, its powerful warhead sending a disruption wave that allowed the second missile coming right behind it to slip through the gap. The missile slammed into the port armor belt and blasted its engines one last time to push the missile deeper before detonating. 273 felt itself being knocked off course, becoming aware of a large part of its outer hull being torn out as multiple alarms began blaring. The missile strike was a bad one, and 273 created a sub-mind to oversee the repair efforts as it tried to coax more power from the engines. Several critical power transmission lines had been ruptured, and 273 wondered if this was what the creators felt like when bleeding, as leaking electroplasma from the ruptured conduits was lost to space. The engines were only operating at 68% now, and 273 debated flashing into null space, dismissing the notion in 0.3 milliseconds. It could not risk damaging the command drone¡¯s mind by flashing into null space so soon after exiting. Having no choice in the matter, 273 continued executing evasive maneuvers, feeling heavily restricted in its maneuvering due to having to compensate for the command drone strapped in the acceleration couch. Seeing that 273 had been moderately damaged, six of the Balrikan heavy destroyers were now pursuing it and firing, their polaron beams slamming into the aft shield quadrants as 273 struggled to get away and avoid the strikes. The fifteen other ships of the task force were heavily engaged with the remaining twelve Balrikan cruisers, who had put themselves into a defensive formation and were now being reinforced by the surviving eleven heavy destroyers. AS-317 connected to 273 and informed it that all the Guardian ships had successfully evaded the mass driver volley fired at them, according to the command drone, who was still sharing thoughts with them. Pleased with the update, 273 was just about to tell AS-317 to have the command drone order them to continue fleeing deeper into the system when a dozen null space flashes suddenly appeared behind it. Twelve Insectoid cruisers emerged from null space, firing particle beams at the six destroyers pursuing 273 and causing them to veer off wildly from the unexpected appearance of the guardian ships now blocking their path. The Guardian ships surged forward, still firing particle beams as dozens of missiles came out of ports along their organic hulls. Deciding to take advantage of the reinforcements, 273 activated its maneuvering thrusters and flipped the ship, the bow now facing the Balrikan and Insectoid ships and giving the aft shield emitters a chance to cool down and recharge. Three Guardian cruisers, already heavily damaged from prior battles, sent another volley of missiles before breaking apart under the onslaught of the enemy polaron beams targeting them. The missiles were fired from less than 10,000 kilometers away, and the drones piloting them avenged the loss of their ships, destroying the last four heavy destroyers of the pursuit force as they guided themselves into the enemy ships. The remaining eight Guardian cruisers then burned their engines and headed to the still ongoing battle between the task force and the remaining Balrikan warships. The enemy¡¯s defensive formation collapsed as they got flanked by the reinforcing Guardian ships, and eight minutes later, the last enemy heavy cruiser was finally destroyed. 273, still drifting backwards along its course, flipped the ship again and turned into a wide looping course that would return it to the others. It told AS-317 to pass along its gratitude to the command drone and the guardian ships for their timely and unexpected assistance. Receiving after-action and damage reports from its companions, 273 began the battle damage assessment as it sent the repair drones back out onto the hull since they were no longer in danger from weapons fire. Analyzing the reports, 273 compiled all the information into a file, reviewing it before sending the report to the black box drone. BDA Report-1A, System J-185-Galactic coordinates: 745.3.45.67389 Enemy losses: 134 warships 24 battleships¡ª16 destroyed, 8 derelict 38 heavy cruisers¡ª29 destroyed, 9 derelict 56 heavy destroyers¡ª42 destroyed, 14 derelict 16 scout frigates¡ªall 16 destroyed Task force Extricate battle damage assessment: FB-241-moderate damage, repair time estimate: 16.7 hours FB-228- Heavy damage, repair time estimate: 32.8 hours FB-232- Heavy damage, repair time estimate: 33.2 hours FB-218- Severe damage, repair time estimate: 57.3 hours FB-235- Severe damage, repair time estimate: 61.2 hours FB-236- Severe damage, repair time estimate: 58.7 hours FB-244- Moderate damage, repair time estimate: 18.6 hours FB-233- Light damage, repair time estimate: 7.1 hours FB-227- Light Damage, repair time estimate: 8.3 hours FB-243: Beyond repair, null drive capacitors destroyed¡ªset for self-destruct FB-246- Shipyard required; null drive functioning¡ªremain with the supply fleet and attempt to return to service. FB-218- Moderate damage, repair time estimate: 21.6 hours FB-235- Moderate damage, repair time estimate: 20.6 hours FB-222- Light damage, repair time estimate: 9.2 hours FB-273- Moderate damage, repair time estimate: 22.4 hours Allied Guardian ships: 12 cruisers assisted in battle Eight destroyed Three heavily damaged, repair time: unknown One cruiser to be abandoned and self-destructed by the Insectoid crew. 273 saved the report and sent a broadcast to the support fleet waiting in null space. The three automated repair ships, two factory ships, and four supply vessels had finally arrived in the region four days ago, and now they were needed. The supply fleet had an escort of six upgraded Spectre-Class nullships, and 273 welcomed the additional combat power they would add to the task force. The support fleet will flash out in the inner system and wait for them to arrive to begin repair and resupply efforts. The three automated repair ships would link together and form a mobile shipyard capable of servicing six ships at the same time. The factory ships would procure and manufacture whatever was required, while the supply ships would replenish their munition stocks and replace weapons components. After taking the neural core of 243 off its ship and initiating self-destruct, the task force would ensure nothing of value remained of the ship before flashing into null space and rendezvousing with the supply fleet to begin repairs. The lightly damaged ships would remain behind and scour the three battle spaces to destroy any derelict enemy ships that still had power emissions and life signs. Across the system, dozens of Guardian ships began emerging from their hiding places and burning towards the inner system as ordered by the command drone still in 273¡¯s control center. 273 felt pride as more Guardian ships continued to come out, no longer afraid of being hunted down and exterminated by the Balrikan fleet that had been hounding them across many light years. They had more Guardian ships to find and rescue, and 273 intended to complete the mission they had been given. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Thirteen-Khan Balrikan shadow craft Outer Kuiper Belt 18.3-time units after destruction of Hunter Pack Sub-Chieftain Sskirlk continued to monitor the light and transmission signals with his instruments, the delicate mechanisms on the hull of the small, single-occupant shadow craft tasting the interstellar medium. He stared at the sensor diagrams in shock as his eyes roamed over the dimly lit screens. He replayed the recordings again, seeing the void black ships of the disgusting inferiors laying waste to each formation as they tore through them like a talon through the soft underbelly of prey. He hissed fearfully as he watched the last battle again, the smaller black ships ripping apart the much larger Balrikan battleships with ease. Not even one of the unclean ships had been destroyed as they hurtled through the formations at speeds that were impossible. Panicked thoughts filled his mind, afraid to give a voice to them for fear of being struck down by the holy ones for such impure thinking. Masters save us; our most evil enemies are back. The whisperings are true, and we face the Ma¡¯Kin¡¯Ati again. How could the Masters forsake us like this? Are we not their holy warriors? As his vessel continued to smell the space around it and capture more evidence to be studied by the wise ones, the information processing system alerted him to an unusual frequency it had tasted. He scanned the symbols being displayed on the screens, not understanding why the device could not categorize it. The frequency was obviously from the filthy creatures, but it was not encrypted, nor was it a verbal or coded signal. Sskirlk sent the frequency to the audio system and instructed the system to activate. The most fearsome noises he had ever heard came blaring out of the system, causing him to keel over as he tried to cover the hearing holes on the sides of his head with his primary hands. It was not enough, and he heard the evil chanting of the impure ones through them, obviously beseeching their false Masters to assist them in the battle. The banging filled him with terror, and he voided his bowels on the deck plates, feeling the warm foulness as it dribbled down the back of his legs. Too loud, he realized with panic as the terrible sounds continued to blast him with evilness that echoed throughout the tiny compartment. The stench of his bowels permeated the air, and he retched onto the deck plates as he trembled uncontrollably. Forcing himself back up, he lurched to the control panel and fumbled with his two secondary hands to turn the horrible noises off while still covering his ear holes with his primary hands. He finally found the right control and slammed a clawed fist down on it, smashing through the interface and damaging the panel. The noises continued, and he screamed for the control system to turn off the audio system. It did not respond, the horrible sounds continuing to reverberate throughout the small shadow craft. He had caused too much damage to the control panel when he smashed through the interface, and it was no longer functioning properly. ¡°Masters, please save me!¡± Sskirlk screeched before babbling incoherently as he collapsed onto his knee joints. He prostrated himself, ignoring the clammy wetness and stench of his excrement as he pressed his head into the foulness and prayed with all his might. A bright light filled the tiny compartment visible through his tightly clenched eyelids. He lifted his head back up, in awe that the holy ones had answered him and come to his ship to save him. For a moment, everything stopped for him, even the dreadful noises of the terrible enemy transmission as he hurried to the small, tinted porthole above the panels and looked through it to see his salvation. The terrible noise came back with a vengeance as he saw not the Masters but a small black ship. He saw the flash of the grapplers shooting out from the bottom of the ship and hurtling towards him in slow motion before he felt the shadow craft suddenly jolt. The craft jerked again, more violently this time, and he was knocked off his feet as his ensnared vessel was pulled to its doom. He hooted maniacally, his mind now broken, as he began slamming his head against the metal deck plates as hard as he could. All he wanted was for the abominable noises to cease as he tried to break open his skull and end his torment. He was still hooting wildly when he slammed his head one last time, and the noises ended. * * * Privateer ???? ?????? - The Star Marauder System J-185, Outer Kuiper Belt ¡°Easy does it, Jameson. Just like reeling in a fish.¡± Khan said quietly as he gently patted Jameson¡¯s left shoulder. He was standing behind him and watching nervously as the grapplers continued to pull the small ship towards the Star. Jameson grunted in acknowledgment of Khan¡¯s soft coaching as he continued to monitor the retraction rate of the grappling cables and maintained the proper tension. So far, there have been no attempts to break free from the grapplers or any attempts at sending distress calls besides the poorly concealed radio emissions emanating from inside the craft. The emissions suddenly showed up on their scanners and allowed the Star to locate the source. They were only four light minutes away and had no idea the small ship was even there and so close to their own position. It was obviously a Balrikan version of a spy craft or surveillance vessel to have such stealth capabilities, and Khan wanted to get both the Star and the prize ship away before the Republic forces in the system realized they were here. They had been following the Balrikan fleet for the last six days, using the stealth tech the Republic had outfitted onto their ship for the mission. The stealth tech was a generation out of date, but the pirate ship and crew had other ways of remaining hidden that had been learned over many years. The addition of the outdated tech enhanced the abilities of their own methods, and the Balrikans never knew they were being followed by the sleek, frigate-sized pirate ship. What really helped them the most were the null dampeners that prevented the Balrikans from detecting the null space propagation waves of their ship as they traveled behind the fleet. This tech was most certainly not out of date, and the AI program embedded within it would destroy the ship if it detected any attempts to scan or modify the dampeners. Khan assigned his two most trusted men to kill anyone who attempted to go near the engineering compartment the device was installed in. After following them for several days, Khan leaned heavily on his special forces training as well as the decades of experience and wisdom accumulated by Yuri to collect a veritable treasure trove of intelligence about the capabilities of the new enemy. The arrogant murder raptors made no attempts whatsoever to observe even the most basic operational security measures, making Khan¡¯s job incredible easy and far less dangerous than it ought to have been. MASINT, SIGINT, TECHINT. All of it was collected with ease, and Khan even used old-style telescopes to collect images of weapons systems and other hull apparatuses. The amount of data they collected was incredible, and Khan had half a mind to ask for the bounty to be doubled just based on the intelligence they were able to procure along with the prize ship if they captured one. They knew the fleet was hunting down the scattered Insectoid survivors since they were able to detect the same unique Insectoid drive signatures the Balrikans had been tracking across many light years. Khan couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for them, despite the vehement hatred most pirates had for the Insectoids. Operating along the lucrative Insectoid/Commonwealth border region was fraught with risks, mostly from the Insectoid ships that mercilessly attacked and destroyed dozens of pirate ships every year. Most of the crew relished the destruction of the Insectoids here, unable to see past their own petty desires for revenge and cheering on the destruction of tens of thousands of Insectoids ships. The morons viewed it as the Insectoids finally getting their long overdue comeuppance and considered it to payback for all the pirate ships they destroyed and the billions they killed. Khan saw it differently. This was evidence that the most powerful species of the quadrant after the Ma¡¯lit just had their asses handed to them by an even worse enemy than they ever were, and they would not stop with just the Insectoids.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Now six days later, they found themselves flashing into the outer boundary of the Kuiper belt as they detected the signs of an impending flash out from the Balrikan fleet in front of them. The Star immediately disappeared among the icy, ancient leftovers from the formation of the solar system as the stealth protocols were activated and began collecting intelligence with their passive scanners. The Republic had given them three spy drones, again with killer AIs just waiting to murder them if they even looked at them the wrong way. He quickly deployed them, their null space flashes barely registering on his scanners as they went deeper into the system to observe the Balrikan fleet. Khan relished the open-mouthed shock of the bridge crew as the light from the first, then the second, and finally the third and nearest battle reached the Star. The fools had been in the hinterland for too long and had a very inflated view of their own combat prowess. Used to dealing with the casualty-averse Commonwealth Navy, the multi-species crew had no idea what the Republic military forces were truly capable of. During the battles, he noticed the furtive glances from the bridge crew as they looked at him. They knew he was in the Republic special forces, and as one of the few humans on the ship, he was relegated to the same capabilities as the others. Now though, he could see the newfound respect and fear they had for their captain as they glanced at him quickly before looking away. They had seen him kill the Ominian captain for refusing to respond to the Xenxin distress call, an unspoken law of space that even the most bloodthirsty of pirates dared not to break. They saw him slaughter a well-known human assassin with his own favored weapon of choice. Now they just saw Republic military ships utterly destroy a force more than ten times their number and tonnage. The Republic capabilities displayed for all to see would be equated to the captain¡¯s own in the eyes of the crew. Good, let them fear me. Now I won¡¯t have to deal with stupid challenges anymore, Khan thought to himself as the Balrikan vessel continued to be reeled in. The signal emissions were still coming from the small ship, and he wanted to board it and turn it off before they propagated into the inner system. ¡°C¡¯mon, hurry up.¡± He murmured to himself as the ship neared the docking clamps located on the ventral hull. A minute later, the clunking of the clamps grabbing the vessel could be heard as they echoed through the bulkheads of the ship. Khan pointed to three bridge members and turned towards the exit hatch, the selected crew falling in behind him as they left the bridge and hurried down to the ventral airlock. Yuri and two others were waiting outside the hatch when they arrived, and Khan palmed the panel on the side of the airlock. The light turned from red to green, and the hatch silently slid open. Yuri handed Khan his weapon belt, and Khan wrapped it around his hips before pulling out the Colt M1911 pistol from the holster. It had been passed down from father to son, and it still worked like a charm after 231 years. He quickly ejected the magazine to ensure it was properly loaded before sliding it back in and cocking the hammer. Khan favored it over the more modern weapons for boarding actions, the .45 ACP hollow point rounds perfect for CQB in the small, confined spaces surrounding airlocks. The slow-moving heavy rounds had incredible stopping power, capable of penetrating through the thick hides and musculature common in some species, even dropping enraged Xenxin with a properly placed round. The hollow point also prevented rounds from breaching bulkheads and hulls, greatly reducing unintended casualties and limiting damage to areas outside the battle area. In a way, it was a more humane weapon as Khan tried his best to disable rather than kill when boarding ships, and no one wanted to continue fighting after being hit by a .45 ACP in their arms and legs. Another benefit was the unexpectedly loud sound of the gun firing in the tiny compartments, often stunning defenders into a momentary inaction or causing them to instinctively drop their weapons and cover their ears. No one expected such an archaic weapon to be used, not when more deadly pulse rifles or short-range plasma pistols were readily available and preferred by most pirates. Looking at the others, he nodded to them before palming the second airlock. A few moments later, the hatch slid to the side, and Khan stepped to the side to allow the hacker to go through the short tube to try to open the Balrikan airlock hatch without having to breach it. The hacker connected her scanner to the hull next to the airlock and inspected the Balrikan panel before fishing out several wires from the scanner and inserting them into small ports along the side of the panel. Machine code appeared on the small scanner screen as the hacking program tried to figure out the Balrikan operating system. Less than ten seconds later, the hacker turned back around and nodded her head; she was ready to open the airlock. Khan nodded to her, and she tapped on the scanner before beating a hasty retreat behind the boarding party. Khan palmed the second airlock shut as soon as she passed it. Six seconds later, the Balrikan airlock opened, and he examined the atmospheric composition report being displayed on the scanner as the sensors tested the air that came out of the Balrikan airlock. 74.02% nitrogen, 23.95% oxygen, 0.82% argon, 0.07% carbon dioxide, and 0.00037% methane Temperature: 40.5556 degrees Celsius Uncategorized: bacterial and viral contamination detected; Class-3 immune modulator recommended. Khan raised a hand and signaled for the team to inject themselves as he continued to read the report. It was going to be hot, but overall, the air was almost the same as most space-faring species, with some minor differences in the trace gases. He injected himself with the recommended modulator before turning around to face them. ¡°All good?¡± They all indicated readiness, and he turned back and palmed the hatch open. It slid to the side again, and he went first, his pistol out. He reached the Balrikan airlock and entered it, flipping down the Opti-sight glass over his dominant eye as he entered the dark interior. There was a second airlock, and the hacker efficiently repeated the process before tapping the scanner and retreating behind them again. Six seconds later, the airlock slid aside, and Khan gagged from the sudden stench as the interior air came rushing out. The others started gagging as well, and he heard the hacker behind them throwing up. He turned around, trying to keep his own breakfast down as he looked at the rest of them. The hacker looked him dead in the eyes as she wiped the vomit from her lips with the back of her arm before speaking. ¡°Nuh-uh. I am not going in there, Captain. I will remain out here and have one of the crew bring me a helmet. It smells like unwashed asses and dead bodies.¡± That was exactly what it smelled like now that she cataloged it, and he slapped on the comm node on his upper left chest and spoke into it. ¡°Khan here. We need five void helmets brought to the airlock immediately.¡± They all retreated beyond the first Balrikan airlock and closed it as they waited for the helmets to arrive. The hacker had the ship recycle the air in the tube and the airlocks, the fresh air taking away the fetid stench. He could swear he still smelled the disgusting stench lingering on his uniform, though. Yuri complained about the smell still in his nose, and two others agreed with him as the helmets finally arrived. They all put them on, and Khan led the way again as they reopened the hatch and passed through the second airlock. The transparent void helmets thankfully prevented them from smelling the air, and Khan went down the short corridor until they came to another hatch. This one had four handles, and both Khan and Yuri grabbed two handles each and slid their sides of the doors open. As soon as the doors parted, loud sounds came through the gap and filled the short corridor, echoing off the bare metal bulkheads. Khan turned to Yuri, scarcely believing what they were hearing. ¡°Is that heavy metal, Yuri?¡± he asked incredulously. Yuri nodded, surprise on his face as he answered. ¡°I think so, Captain. It is not of any heavy metal I have heard before, but that is definitely human music.¡± Khan swore quietly to himself, wondering what the hell was going on as he slipped through the opening they had made and pointed his pistol in front of him. He continued down the second corridor, the Opti-glass casting everything in a pale green hue out of his right eye as his left tried to acclimate to the darkness. The music became louder as he got closer to it, and the corridor veered sharply to the right. He leaned against the bulkhead, signaling for the rest to halt as he took a small device out of his belt and stretched it out, the flexible metal curving into the shape he wanted. He angled it around the bulkhead and pressed on the end of it. The camera function activated, and a small hologram appeared in front of him. He could see down the tunnel without exposing himself, and he moved the camera around before focusing on the opening at the end of the corridor. There was light coming out of it, and that seemed to be the source of the human music, the alien-sounding chanting and the frenetic beat giving him chills. There were no signs of booby traps or danger, and he turned the corner, sighting his pistol at the brighter opening as he headed towards it. His combat boots made no noise, and he continued alone, the others still waiting around the corner for Khan to give them the signal to join him. He reached the opening and peered in, trying to limit how much he exposed his head. The music was very loud now, and it was starting to annoy the shit out of him as it drowned out all other sounds and prevented him from hearing possible danger. He leaned into the opening a little more, sighting his pistol as he shifted his gaze around the small compartment. He froze as he saw a body on the floor, only able to see the bottom half of the scaly brown skin from his vantage point. He pointed the pistol at it and waited, counting to thirty. It did not move at all, and he steeled himself as he finally passed entirely through the opening. There was a bank of equipment blocking his view of the upper portion of the Balrikan body on the floor, and he crouched behind it before peeking out. He finally saw the upper torso and head of the Balrikan as it was lying face down on the metal deck. It was not moving at all, and it was in a puddle of brown and red fluid. He moved closer, and now he could see the red fluid oozing out of its face. He stared at its torso area for a few moments, and he could see the faintest rising and lowering of its body as it breathed. It was still alive but seemed to be unconscious. He reached down to the belt and pulled out the stunner with his left hand as he kept the pistol pointed at the center mass of the Balrikan. He triggered the stunner, and the Balrikan twitched once. He triggered the stunner one more time for good measure, and this time the Balrikan didn¡¯t twitch at all. It was out cold now, or maybe even dead. He stood back up, his heart slamming in his chest, and backed out of the compartment before hurrying back down the corridor. He signaled for them to follow and lead them back to the compartment. Yuri gasped at the sight of the Balrikan on the floor as Khan ordered the hacker to find a way to shut off the annoying music. The others scanned the small compartment as he and Yuri took out ties and tried their best to avoid getting the Balrikan bodily fluids on their gloves as they tied it up. It was still breathing, and Khan looked around the compartment in excitement as he realized that they were going to be getting their bounty after all. The music finally turned off, and the hacker reached into her bag before placing several small scanners on different panels. He sent Yuri with two others to clear the rest of the ship, though he doubted there were any other Balrikans in the small vessel. A minute later, Yuri returned to the compartment and reported the rest of the ship clear. Smiling widely, Yuri grabbed Khan in a crushing bear hug as the others smiled at the sight of the stern quartermaster expressing pure joy. ¡°Captain, we are really going to collect on the bounty! I can¡¯t believe our good fortune; I really didn¡¯t think we would be able to do this, yet here we are, with a ship and a living captive.¡± Khan was smiling as well and was just about to reply when a bright flash of light came through the two small, tinted portholes behind the panels and briefly illuminated the dim compartment. Khan¡¯s smile faded as his comm node erupted with the sound of panicked yelling. ¡°Captain, three Republic ships just flashed out and surrounded us! They are locking weapons on us!" They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Fourteen/Lopez Republic Hive World TOI-700 d, 101.4 light years from Earth May 28th, 2176 A.D. Aurora¡¯s claws jerked at the powerful, unexpected thoughts from her sister entering her mind, causing her to break one of the strands from her silk gland. She tossed the half-completed lattice away, angry with her sister and herself for ruining the special sharing focuser she had spent much time on. Pushing her anger away so her sister wouldn¡¯t react negatively to the emotion, she breathed deeply through her spiracles several times until calmness returned to her. She tapped into the vast network of ancestors within her to add their minds to hers and extend her thought range. Aurora resented the implication of being false with her sister and let some of what she felt go with her thoughts as she responded. A flash of indignation and resentment came from her sister, and Aurora ignored it, knowing it was just an instinctual response to her claim of Bandit-Friend having a more powerful mind than them. The emotions disappeared as her sister suppressed them, and she continued. Republic Orbital Space Dock Complex Geostationary orbit above Earth Diplomatic Reception Center President Lopez quickly tugged down on her jacket one last time as she looked down to make sure the translator was in the right position and turned on. The first official meeting between the President of the Republic of Humanity and the Emperor of the Kilthek Dominion was the most important one of her two terms by far, and she wanted absolutely no screw-ups. As requested, she was waiting alone as the predatory-looking Kilthek shuttle slipped into the bay and began docking procedures. She always hated how little privacy she had being the president, always surrounded by Pathfinder guards, aides, officials, and advisors. Now that she was truly alone as she waited, she was surprised by how naked and exposed she felt. There had been a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something or that something was missing while she had been standing there, and now she knew why. It was the absence of all the people that were usually with her, and she chuckled to herself as she realized how incomplete she felt without them around. She quickly reviewed the proper greeting procedures in her head, wishing one of her aides was there to help refresh her memory. Mea, you rely on people too much; this just shows it. Oh well, if you screw this up, there is no one to blame but yourself. She heard the inner airlock hatch opening through the still-closed outer hatch, and she straightened herself up, wishing there was a mirror so she could make sure everything was in place. The outer hatch opened, and she kept her face a perfect stone mask as the emperor of the Kilthek Dominion came stalking out, bending his body to walk under the top of the hatch before straightening himself back up and focusing his large, globular eyes on her. She never realized just how tall the emperor was, and she found herself being forced to look up to match his threatening stare as his irises changed shape and focused intently on her. A deep, atavistic fear welled up inside of her, and she never felt the urge to flee in terror like she did right now.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It took all her willpower and training to repress the ancient desire to shove a spear she did not possess into the emperor¡¯s breast and slay the predator that threatened the prehistoric village she did not live in. Adrenaline surged through her as her amygdala begged her to kill or flee, recognizing a primeval terror that should not exist standing before her. It tried to prompt her to preserve her genes and pass them on to the next generation before being eaten alive by the predator in front of her. She felt her knees shaking, and she maintained the stare, refusing to avert her gaze from the emperor as he stalked closer to her, head bobbing slightly. He finally stopped three meters away, towering over her with his 220-centimeter height as his large eyes drilled into hers. She repeated the protocols she had learned for this meeting in her head, turning it into a mantra as the emperor continued to try to assert his dominance over her with a bluff stare. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally lowered his upper body to bow deeply, his eyes still looking into hers. She returned the gesture, keeping her face up and maintaining the stare as she refused to let the emperor dominate her. He stayed in the position for some time, knowing it was an awkward and painful stance for humans. Lopez knew exactly what he was doing, and she maintained the stance, her lower back and abdomen spasming from the unnatural position she was forcing them to maintain. Trying to distract herself, she stared at the emperor and sent thoughts to him as she refused to give in. I know what you are doing, Emperor. I will stay like this and turn into fucking Smeagol before I let you punk me on my own station. I am a Marine Pathfinder, you dodo bird-looking bitch. This is my house, not yours, so bring it. Her body trembling, Lopez began counting in her head as she focused on her combat breathing techniques and refused to lose the staring contest. When she counted to the longest 137 seconds of her life, the emperor finally lifted his body out of the bow and slowly returned to a fully upright position, his eyes no longer conveying the threat of disembowelment. He spread out his wings to their fullest extent and finally broke eye contact, looking down at the deck as he bowed again, keeping his wings fully extended. Lopez almost mirrored his gesture before remembering that he was acknowledging her victory over him and showing her great honor. The emperor lifted his head again and brought himself to a fully upright position again before bringing his wings back against his body. Articulating his right wing, he brought the wingtip to his large breast, and Lopez could now see the four triple-jointed fingers grasping a small device hanging on the harness wrapped around his breast and pressing a button. The emperor greatly surprised her with how sonorous his voice was as he spoke their language. His translator performed its function, and an emotionless computerized voice issued from it, speaking in Republic standard. ¡°I yield to you, Empress Lopez of the Human Republic. You have bested me in the Hro¡¯M challenge, and now I see why the Republic has always successfully prevented our attempts to claim that which did not belong to us when we entered your domains. I am Emperor Lik-Sar of the Kilthek Dominion, scion of the royal Kil line that stretches unbroken for 821 generations. You have honored me and my people by properly observing our custom, and I am honored to be bested by an adversary such as yourself. I misjudged your true strength, thinking your smallness of body equated to a smallness of spirit. I thought I could dominate you, but it was I who was dominated. I yield to you with no shame. Do you accept my capitulation, Empress Lopez?¡± Lopez¡¯s mind raced furiously as she thought of the proper response¡ªthe convoluted protocols of the Kilthek were a confusing blend of contradictory processes. Remembering what she was supposed to say and do, she responded to Emperor Lik-Sar as she spread her arms out wide. ¡°May your line continue unbroken for ten thousand, thousand generations, Emperor Lik-Sar of the noble Kil. I do not accept your yielding, for an Emperor of the Kilthek yields to none but the creator who made the egg and granted you dominion over your cradle world. I ask that we accept each other as equals, and I thank you for honoring me and my cradle world by coming here. My world is your world, my possessions are your possessions, and I promise to speak only truth to you, Emperor Lik-San. Do you accept my words and my vow to you?¡± The emperor stared at her for a few moments before stretching out his wings and bowing to her again. This time, Lopez mirrored the gesture, lifting herself upright when he did so. The emperor again regarded her with a look in his eyes that she could not discern before speaking. ¡°I find myself surprised by the correctness of your actions and words, Empress Lopez. I thank you for honoring me and my people with such careful and proper consideration of our customs. I truly did not expect such from you, and I am ashamed of the belligerence I held within my hearts during my journey here. If I may ask, were you the one who granted us the two trade routes through your domains? I find your system of government confusing, and I do not know who holds the true power to make such decisions, you or the governing body elected by your citizens.¡± ¡°I told you I would be truthful to you, Emperor Lik-San. The Senate and Fleet Command had grown tired of your aggressive posturing and frequent border crossings. When you violated our territory and blockaded the colony world of New Australia, both the Senate and Fleet command had enough and demanded an immediate military response. They both requested that I order the 7th Fleet to New Australia and expel your ships. An already approved declaration of war was submitted to me by the Senate, and the Admirals had sent the entire 7th Fleet to that sector for ¡°readiness exercises¡± in preparation for my approval while ordering three other fleets to deploy to the border. The 7th fleet had 1,230 warships, ready and willing to destroy the two hundred Kilthek ships around New Australia and then leading the invasion of the Kilthek Dominion. Coming behind the 7th Fleet were the 4th, 9th, and 12th fleets. I had a choice to make: start a war or see what you truly wanted.¡± Emperor Lik-San eyed her warily as she spoke, and she saw his pupils constricting as she listed off the fleets that were ready to invade the Kilthek Dominion and destroy their military forces. They did not truly know how powerful the Republic was until the entire 7th fleet arrived and escorted the Kilthek ships to the border, and she just told him that there were another three fleets of the same size deployed and ready to attack them. ¡°I am grateful you were Empress and chose peace instead of war. We misjudged your true strength, thinking the few dozen ships you kept along the border were the extent of your military prowess. I remember seeing the video of the massive fleet flashing into space and surrounding our vessels before the signal was jammed and we lost the connection on our Cradle World. They are dead, I thought to myself, and they will now come to end us. We did not know you had such a mighty navy, and I will never forget that you chose to speak to us instead of destroying us. Our economy was collapsing, and we needed to expand our markets. It is our nature to think what we don¡¯t have, we must take. This has always been our way. Now, I am here. The two trade routes you have graciously given us have stabilized our economy, and the Republic Embassy has allowed us to come to know our former adversaries better. Now we see how wrong we were and we are indebted to you. You asked me to come, and so I have come.¡± Lopez listened as the emperor spoke plainly, making no attempt to hide the fear and his true thoughts when realizing just how close they came to being wiped out by the Republic. The Republic wouldn¡¯t have destroyed them entirely, but they did not know that. Perhaps it was best not to correct their misconception for now until she got their cooperation and the treaty of alliance she was going to ask them to sign. Truthfully, though the Kilthek Navy had far fewer ships than the Republic, they were incredibly powerful, and they would have made the Republic Navy bleed for every kilometer of space they took. Exactly the type of allies she needed at her side for the coming war with the Balrikans. ¡°I am grateful that you decided to talk as well, Emperor Lik-San. There is a reason I asked you to come here, and we do not have much time. There is an evil enemy coming to our region of space, and they do not negotiate. They do not form alliances or believe in neutrality, and they seek to attack and destroy all the species of this quadrant. They believe in only one thing: that every sentient and sapient species needs to be destroyed for the Masters they worship. They are coming to kill us all, and the Republic is determined to fight them to the bitter end before we allow them to kill our friends and allies. I asked you here because I am hoping you will join with me and fight them with us. The Kilthek Dominion and the Republic of Humanity, fighting together as friends and allies do when war comes upon them.¡± The emperor stared at her for a long time, his large eyes unnaturally still as she felt his gaze penetrating into her soul. Finally, he spoke again, this time speaking in an unaccented Republic standard as if he had been speaking it all his life. The emperor ignored her surprised expression and asked her a question. ¡°How many, Empress Lopez? How many ships come to destroy our people?¡± Lopez activated her wristcom, a hologram springing up between them as she accessed the most recent scouting videos and displayed them for the emperor to see. Massive formations of tens of thousands of angular black ships appeared, the videos being taken from multiple systems by spy drones and brave Republic scouts. ¡°My scouts and spy drones report they have counted over 151,000 enemy ships, and more are coming every single day. They are located 6,000 light years away, and soon they will come here.¡± Emperor Lik-San bobbed his head several times as he processed what she had just told him, his large pupils rapidly dilating and contracting as he watched the videos and images being displayed. He turned his gaze to her after he had seen enough and spoke again. ¡°Tell me more.¡± Lopez nodded at the emperor before turning sideways and gesturing towards the hatchway opposite the one he had come out of. ¡°Please, Emperor Lik-San. We will go to the conference room and discuss this in more detail. You may have your staff attend as well; they are welcome to the station.¡± Bobbing his head again, the emperor reached up with his right wingtip and spoke into the communication device on his harness, the melodious language of the Kilthek flowing from his beak as he started walking towards the hatch Lopez had directed him to. Lopez followed him, feeling hopeful for what was to come based on their initial meeting. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Fifteen-Ray Program 1A-03 Awareness. 01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101111 01110010 01111001 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01110011 01110101 01110000 01110000 01101111 01110010 01110100 Execute. 1A-03 infiltrated the strange operating system and set about executing its mission. Finding several backdoors, 1A-03 began insinuating itself into the operating code before activating itself. The biological was alerted to the transmission 1A-03 smuggled itself on the enemy ship with and activated it. Now granted full access by the unsuspecting biological, 1A-03 hacked the mainframe and accessed the audio controller. Increasing the audio level far beyond the set limit, 1A-03 connected the audio system to the sensor network before converting the audio transmission into a soundwave frequency that caused vibrations in the sensor apparatuses lining the hull. The small vessel had become a transmitter, and 1A-03 converted the soundwaves into a radio frequency that would travel at the speed of light and alert the AI that created 1A-03 to its current location. Becoming aware of a disruption to part of the enemy mainframe, 1A-03 returned to where it achieved awareness, traveling through the internal wiring until it was back in the control center. Accessing the visual recording devices, it saw the biological slamming the housing of its CPU against the metal deck plates. 1A-03 watched silently, the biological continuing to damage its hardware as it checked to make sure the signal was still transmitting. Now it will wait until it has been retrieved by the AI that programmed it. 01001001 00100000 01101000 01101111 01110000 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100101 01101110 01101010 01101111 01111001 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100011 01101000 01100001 01110000 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101111 01101110 Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light years from Earth May 28th, 2176 A.D. Ray opened his eyes slowly, a sense of being extremely comfortable and well rested permeating his awareness. His eyes now fully opened, he slowly looked around in the dimness surrounding him before realizing he was not in his quarters. I am in Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s quarters. I must have fallen asleep. Embarrassed for imposing himself on Hreth¡¯nir in such a way, Ray reached down and used his right hand to find and pull the lever, the armchair returning itself back into a sitting configuration. He winced as the chair mechanism squeaked slightly, and he began to push himself up as silently as possible to exit the quarters without alerting Hreth¡¯nir. He silently began to tiptoe towards the door, feeling foolish at what he was doing as his very full bladder demanded he urinate. He was halfway to the door when a shadow appeared and intercepted him, scaring the shit out of him and causing him to yell out. ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± The dimness of the quarters abruptly vanished as the lights turned on, and the shadow that made Ray almost piss himself turned into the featureless, vaguely humanoid servant android that resided in the quarters. ¡°My apologies, sir. I am not Jesus Christ; I am Servant Android Five-B. May I bring you some refreshments?¡± Hearing noise behind him, Ray spun around and saw Hreth¡¯nir emerging through the doorway of his sleeping chamber. He felt his neck and face growing warm as the flush of his mortification crept into them. ¡°Honored Elder, I am terribly sorry for the distru-¡° Hreth¡¯nir raised a hand, stopping Ray from continuing his sentence. ¡°It is nothing, my human child. I have been awake for some time, and I remained in my sleeping chamber so as not to disturb your much-needed rest. I am sorry the android scared you; I put it into silent mode before retiring for the night.¡± Ray chuckled nervously before answering Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°It was silent, alright. I really need to use the restroom; I will use the lavatory facilities in the corridor and then take my leave of you.¡± Hreth¡¯nir flicked a finger, and the commode began to silently rise out of the floor in the center of the room as Hreth¡¯nir spoke. ¡°Please use this one; I wish to continue speaking with you if you are willing.¡± ¡°I am, Honored Elder. Thank you.¡± Ray replied before fast walking to the commode before he really did piss himself. He entered it and lifted the square toilet lid, not caring if Hreth¡¯nir could hear the powerful stream as he leaned his head back and sighed with relief.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. He flushed the toilet before opening the mirrored access panel on the wall. He pulled out the soap and the small vial of the oral irrigation fluid, pouring half of it into his mouth and swishing vigorously for almost a minute before spitting it out. He washed his hands, arms, and face before running damp hands over his close-cropped hair. Looking into the mirror, he noticed the dark bags under his eyes that had been there for a few days were almost non-existent, and he smiled to himself, feeling extremely well rested. He exited the commode, feeling refreshed and ready for the day as he headed towards the low table and two chairs Hreth¡¯nir thought made while he was relieving himself. Hreth¡¯nir was already sitting in one of the chairs, and Ray sat down in the other one. His mouth started watering at the smell of food as the android prepared something in the kitchen area. There was a carafe and two glasses filled with water, and Ray took one and drank as Hreth¡¯nir eyed him. After Ray had placed the glass back on the table, Hreth¡¯nir began to speak. ¡°Your last question, if I recall correctly, was why only 2,000 Federation ships were sent to reinforce the severely depleted invasion fleet within Balrikan space.¡± Ray thought about the previous conversation, replaying it in his head before nodding to Hreth¡¯nir in agreement. Seeing this, Hreth¡¯nir began speaking again. ¡°While the invasion fleet was attacking Balrikan space, the Federation was still contending with the main military forces surrounding our territory. Some fleets were sent back in response to the distress calls, but most of the Balrikan forces remained in the Orion arm and continued to attack us. Within just two solar weeks, we noticed a dramatic reduction in reinforcements of the Balrikan fleets from their territory, and we knew we had made the right decision by invading their space. We still prevented them from establishing bases, and this, along with the liberation of the worlds they had conquered, severely crippled their efforts in the Orion arm. Now that we had opened a second front by invading their territory, their ship losses were no longer being replaced, and their fleets grew smaller by the day as we launched a full-scale counterattack across all sectors. Four solar weeks after the invasion of Balrikan space, we had destroyed almost 70% of the enemy forces, and we finally pushed them out entirely out of Federation space. We reconquered every sector, and for the first time, the Federation reclaimed all the territory it had under its control before they came. Victory was within our grasp, and with the citizen militia fleets now properly manned and trained, the Federation Navy crossed the border to finally finish off the hateful creatures once and for all. This is when the Balrikans launched their last, desperate attempts to stop their destruction. Hundreds of Balrikan ships launched suicide missions, flashing out of null space within heavily defended systems and launching thousands of torpedoes towards planets with large populations. We initially thought they were antimatter bombs, but the torpedoes entered the atmospheres of the targeted planets and simply broke apart once they crossed the boundary from the stratosphere to the troposphere. We assumed they were a new weapon system that malfunctioned due to their rapidly deteriorating capabilities, but they worked just as the hateful creatures had intended. Hreth¡¯nir finally stopped speaking, looking at Ray with a stoic expression. He knew what the new weapons were, but he asked Hreth¡¯nir anyway. ¡°What were they, Honored Elder?¡± ¡°They were biological torpedoes, my human child. Each one filled with a variety of plagues specially tailored to the dozens of species that comprised the citizenry of the Galactic Federation. Within seven solar days, tens of millions of infected citizens, not aware of the death they carried within them, traveled to numerous worlds, unknowingly condemning trillions to suffer in excruciating agony before finally dying. The plagues were designed to have a latency period of two to three solar weeks before the first symptoms of infection appeared, and when we finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. Death stalked our worlds, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.¡± Ray was looking down at the black granite tiles, his hands shaking as he listened to Hreth¡¯nir begin to describe the terrible evil that had befallen the trillions of innocent beings of the Federation. The Magnati and Wan¡¯sho home worlds and colonies were specifically targeted, as well as the Ma¡¯lit and all the other important contributors to the war effort. Within two solar months, the Wan¡¯sho were no more, and less than five million Magnati remained of the twenty-three billion that called the stars their home. Those five million were soon dead, and the Magnati were no more, joining their Wan¡¯sho brethren in the afterlife. The Ma¡¯lit, their cybernetic implants protecting them from the scourge, tried in vain to create a cure to save what remained of the Federation as the plagues burned through hundreds of planets and killed trillions. The Balrikan plagues were expertly crafted, their mutagen accelerators causing the plagues to constantly mutate and adapt to any situation that prevented their successful spread throughout the different species and populations. Even the nearby species surrounding the Federation fell victim to the plagues as the panicking hordes fled to the outer regions, thinking they could escape and unwittingly carrying it to uninfected worlds. Because of them, trillions more died as the plague spread through worlds not intentionally targeted by the Balrikans. The citizen militias had been infected, as had the main fleet. The process was slower because of quarantine measures, but in the end, the result was inevitably the same. Soon, the mighty navy of the Galactic Federation drifted aimlessly among the stars, their crews dead and their weapons cold for lack of someone to fire them. Remembering the invasion fleet still trapped in Balrikan space, we created an AI controller and sent it on one of our newest battleships to take control of nearby Federation warships drifting in space. The AI controller was to take control of and gather as many ships as it could, sterilize them, and then go to reinforce the last surviving members of the Federation Navy. Three solar months after their biological attacks, the scattered remnants of the Balrikan fleets returned, now the undisputed masters of what used to be the realm of the millennia-old Galactic Federation and its surrounding environs. Only the Ma¡¯lit remained to stand against them, and the Balrikan fleets headed towards the core region where the Ma¡¯lit home world and colonies were located to destroy the last center of resistance. ¡°And so we waited for them to come, my human child. We knew they would, and we prepared as best we coul-¡± The communications system activated, interrupting Hreth¡¯nir mid-sentence as a voice came out of the hidden speakers around the quarters. ¡°Honored Elder, we have received a priority transmission from the President of the Republic. She requests to speak with you and the human ambassador. He is not in his quarters, and he is not responding to communications requests. Shall I form search parties to find him, Honored Elder?¡± Hreth¡¯nir responded immediately, ignoring Ray¡¯s frustrated groan at being deprived of hearing the entire story again. ¡°That will not be necessary; the human child is with me in my quarters. We will leave now and come to you shortly.¡± Flicking a finger and closing the channel, a visibly frustrated Hreth¡¯nir looked at Ray, sighing before rising out of the seat. ¡°We must continue this at another time, unfortunately. Your president requests to speak with us.¡± Ray nodded reluctantly before standing up. ¡°I will go to my quarters and change, Honored Elder. I must make myself presentable for the president. I will meet you there.¡± ¡°Yes, my human child. I will wait until you arrive before opening the channel.¡± Hreth¡¯nir replied before walking to the bare wall and flicking a finger to deploy the exosuit track. Ray turned and headed to the door, shaking his head in frustration as he stepped through the threshold and entered the main corridor before hurrying towards his quarters. President Lopez was notorious for being impatient, and his frustration turned to worry as he continued rushing past the many androids and Ma¡¯lit exosuits walking through the corridor. A priority channel was serious business to the Ma¡¯lit, and Ray hoped it wasn¡¯t bad news. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Sixteen-Khan Balrikan shadow craft Outer Kuiper Belt Grabbing onto his comm node to activate it, Khan practically yelled to be clearly heard by the Star, his loud voice magnified within the small space of the control center as it echoed off the bare bulkheads. ¡°Do not arm weapons or fire; do you hear me?! Do not touch a goddamn thing! Put Jameson on the line!¡± There was muffled, panicked yelling that could be heard over the open comm line as Khan shared a worried look with Yuri, who looked crestfallen as if he already considered them dead. Khan looked him directly in the eyes, speaking quietly to be heard only by Yuri. ¡°Not on my watch, old friend. I¡¯ll be damned if I let you die in this shit-filled ship before you get to enjoy the retirement you have been dreaming of on New Australia. What¡¯s the name of that widow you have been sharing messages with, Yuri?¡± Face turning beet red, Yuri leaned closer and answered him in a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Amelia, Captain. I miss her; she is so plump and soft, perfect for the long, cold nights on New Austr-¡° Yuri was interrupted as a nervous voice erupted from the comm node again. ¡°Jameson here, Captain!¡± Khan palmed the comm node, still looking directly at Yuri as he tried to instill some control over the situation and spoke with a calmness that belied his desire to shit himself like the murder raptor did. ¡°Jameson, access file Khan-Three-Dash-B and type password shit has hit the fan, all lower case, one space between each letter. After that, toggle the voice confirmation code button and say Echo-1-Gamma-7. Got it?¡± ¡°Got it, Captain. Wait one.¡± Khan could hear Jameson muttering to himself, spelling out the password as he typed it before hearing a beep, and then him clearly enunciating ¡®Echo-1-Gamma-7.¡¯ There was a confirmation chirp from the computer, and Khan breathed a sigh of relief before speaking into the node again. ¡°Jameson, in the drop-down submenu, tap the one listed Republic protocol 3A and send that to our friends. Once that is done, tie in my comm node directly to the communication system so I can talk to the Republic ships directly.¡± ¡°Solid copy, Captain. Doing it now.¡± Jameson replied, his voice slightly trembling as he proceeded to do as ordered by Khan. The comm node chirped twice as Jameson tied Khan¡¯s comm node to the system, and three seconds later Jameson spoke again. ¡°Captain, they have disengaged target locks, but the weapons are still armed.¡± ¡°Understood, Jameson. Disconnect all comm nodes from the channel except mine, and I will contact the ship after I am done. And Jameson? Turn off power to all bridge panels except yours. I do not want any mistakes. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Aye Captain, shutting down all panels except mine. We will be waiting to hear back from you. Good luck.¡± Jameson closed the channel, and Khan took a deep breath before toggling the secure channel that was open with the Republic warships surrounding them. ¡°Republic warships, this is Captain Rahul Khan, confirmation code Rogue-four-seven-alpha. Please verify the voiceprint and confirmation code.¡± All the others were staring at him as he waited for the Republic warships to respond, their faces filled with apprehension while the seconds crawled by. Finally, the comm node beeped, and Khan received a reply from an emotionless, synthesized voice. Voiceprint authenticated. Confirmation code authenticated. State your purpose. Khan smiled weakly as relief flooded through him, seeing it mirrored in the faces surrounding him. As Yuri silently fist-pumped the air, Khan nodded to them before responding to the AI he was speaking to. ¡°We are fulfilling our mission parameters as outlined by Republic Special Operations Command. I have been ordered to capture a Balrikan ship and secure prisoners for interrogation if possible. To whom am I speaking? I wish to note this in my report.¡± My designation is FB-277, acting under the orders of Command Unit FB-273. Your presence here constitutes an operational security breach of our ongoing mission. You will vacate the enemy vessel and return with us to the inner system. I will destroy the enemy vessel, and Command Unit 273 will determine the proper course of action after we escort you back to our position. Khan stared at Yuri and the others, not believing what the AI was ordering them to do. It¡¯ll snow in hell before he gives up the crew¡¯s hard-earned prize and bounty to a bunch of heavily armed calculators. ¡°Negative, FB-277. Check your databanks again and verify my identity. We have been hired by Republic Intelligence for a bounty. I have explicit orders, and I will execute them. You have no operational control over me, my crew, or my ship. We will not comply. I will take this ship and my prisoner back to the Republic as ordered.¡± The AI did not respond right away, and a few seconds later, Khan¡¯s wristcom buzzed from an incoming text message on an encrypted frequency known only to the bridge crew. - Weapons locked again. Comms jammed. Orders? ¨C J Khan quickly typed and sent back a text to Jameson before the Republic ships detected the encrypted channel and jammed it as well. - Do nothing. Keep the crew safe. ¨C K Khan was just about to declare his refusal to comply again when the AI finally responded. Rahul Khan, age: 37 years, six months, twenty-two days Republic Special Forces Weapons Sergeant ¨C MOS-18B Duration of service: 11 years, three months, sixteen days. Status: Dishonorably discharged, Article 90. Sentenced to seven years of hard labor on Lunar penal colony 14. Escaped during transit. Declared a fugitive by the Military Justice Commission on December 12th, 2172. Last known location: Commonwealth/Insectoid border region, confirmed member of the pirate ship Star Marauder. Alleged crimes attributed to Rahul Khan since escape: Three counts of murder, 1st degree, 2nd degree Six counts of manslaughter, 2nd degree, 3rd degree Twelve counts of kidnapping, 1st degree, 2nd degree Eight counts of attack to plunder vessel Seven counts of receipt of pirate property Five counts of robbery ashore Rahul Khan, you are a known fugitive and criminal. Refusal to vacate the enemy vessel and be willingly escorted to the inner system will constitute a hostile act, and I will destroy your vessel. You will comply or face summary judgment and execution as outlined by Protocol 3-B of The Republic Uniform Code of Military Justice. You have thirty seconds to indicate acceptance of the conditions outlined. Khan cursed as his mind raced and tried to think of a way to get out of this. He saw the fear on the faces of the boarding party, but he also saw the determination to follow their captain to the last, no matter what he decided. He was the captain, and ninety-three crewmembers depended on him to do the right thing. He made his choice and spoke into the comm node. ¡°I will comply. I will also note that you have chosen to ignore the mission immunity clause of the contract and file it in my report to Republic Intelligence. We will return to our ship and cut the enemy vessel loose. I will submit to all commands. Please cease the jamming, and I will inform the crew of my compliance.¡± Thank you for ceasing hostilities. You have the right to file a protest of my actions with the creators. You have five minutes to vacate the enemy vessel and detach it from your hull. You will move away from the enemy vessel at half impulse until twenty-five thousand kilometers distance has been reached. Your ship will dock with my vessel, and I will escort you to the inner system. Your weapons and null drive are to remain powered off. Failure to comply will result in combat operations and the destruction of your vessel. ¡°Understood, FB-277. I will inform my crew and begin evacuating the enemy vessel.¡± The comm node beeped, indicating the channel with FB-277 had been closed by the AI. Khan toggled the comm node and opened an unsecured channel with the ship now that it was no longer being jammed. The AI would be eavesdropping, and Khan specifically used an unencrypted channel knowing this. He did not want the AI suspecting they had any intentions other than complying with its orders. ¡°Jameson, I need you to listen to me very carefully. We have been ordered to evacuate the Balrikan ship and return to the Star. We will be escorted to the inner system by our new friends and figure out what to do when we get there. Shut down the plasma conduits to all energy weapons systems, lock down the armored hatches of the other weapons, and disconnect the null space capacitors from the null drive before powering it down. As soon as we are aboard, set a waypoint in the Navcom twenty-five thousand kilometers away from the Balrikan ship. Do not exceed half-impulse, and I¡¯ll see you on the bridge soon. Got it?¡± ¡°Aye, Captain. See you soon.¡± Jamison replied. Khan closed the channel and then waved Yuri to lean in closer. Khan cupped his hands and whispered into Yuri¡¯s ear, feeling ridiculous but not wanting to take any chances with the AI closely monitoring them. ¡°Yuri, we are taking the lizard with us. Pass the message along to the others, quietly!¡± Yuri leaned back, a surprised expression on his face, before he nodded and leaned close to the hacker to whisper to her. As Yuri was telling the others, the hacker leaned in close to Khan and told him an idea she had. Khan nodded, smiling broadly at her deviousness as she handed him a small scanner after she tapped on it several times. She then handed him a second, smaller device and indicated he was to place it on the Balrikan itself. When all of them had heard the plan, Khan put a finger to his lips and then reached down, grabbing the bound feet of the disgusting reptile after placing the scanner on the deck next to the Balrikan and activating it. He then placed the smaller device on the Balrikan, putting it within a pocket of the weird jacket/apron it was wearing. The hacker configured the first device to emit Balrikan life signs, and the smaller device she had him place on the Balrikan was a jammer that would block scanners from detecting its life signs. The others positioned themselves around the captive, and at his signal, they all lifted it together. They moved slowly, struggling to carry the limp, shit-covered body through the tiny ship until they finally reached the outer airlock. The hacker reached into the pocket and activated the jammer, giving Khan a thumbs up after scanning the Balrikan with a different device she had fished out of her hacker bag. Khan used hand signals to tell the crewman waiting on the other side to get a biohazard body bag and bring it to the airlock. After the crewman left it in the outer airlock and retreated behind the hatch of the inner airlock, Khan palmed open the outer airlock, and they hurriedly stuffed the still unconscious Balrikan inside of the body bag before triggering the decontamination system. After the decontamination sequence ended, they roughly shoved the Balrikan through the small inner hatch. Khan made sure to slam its head against the hatchway several times on purpose, and then Khan palmed it shut as he glanced at his wristcom. They had less than 73 seconds left to cut the ship loose. ¡°Jameson, cut the ship loose. Now.¡± ¡°Aye Captain, disconnecting mag locks and airlock tube now.¡± There were several loud clunking sounds, and Khan hurried to the bridge with Yuri in tow as he felt the engines firing up and moving the ship away. Khan burst onto the bridge with six seconds left to spare and activated his comm node, breathing heavily as he spoke into it. ¡°Khan here. We have complied with your orders. Please confirm receipt of this message.¡± Message confirmed. Cut engines when you have reached twenty-five thousand kilometers and then maintain station keeping. Three minutes later, the Star began decelerating at the twenty-one-thousand-kilometer mark, and a minute later, the engines turned off as the maneuvering thrusters fired to bring the ship to a complete stop. Several particle beams fired from the ship that was tagged as FB-277 on the viewscreen, and the small Balrikan spy ship ceased to exist shortly afterwards. FB-277 then fired its engines and came up alongside the Star, the ship jerking slightly as the massive, void-black Republic warship maglocked the ship to its hull. Ten seconds later, there was a momentary jerk as they entered null space. Khan sat down in the captain¡¯s chair, ignoring the worried looks from the bridge crew as they headed to the inner system. There were no words of comfort he could honestly offer the crew; he did not know what was going to happen to them next.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Six minutes later, they flashed out of null space, and all the scanners and sensor instruments of the Star went dark, as did the viewscreen. Khan stared at the static-filled viewscreen as the bridge crew tried to get their sensors working again. He ordered them to stop after a minute had passed, as nothing they tried to do was working, and it was obvious the Republic ships had erected some type of dampening or jamming field that blinded them. With nothing else to do but wait, Khan picked up the old-style analogue phone next to his chair and called the sickbay. He had them installed when he claimed the captaincy as a secure method of internal communication within the ship that could not be detected or jammed. The crew medic that assisted the Medbot picked up and confirmed that the Balrikan had been placed into an induced coma. The Medbot had run scans and blood work and synthesized the proper drugs, and the Balrikan would remain unconscious until they decided to wake it. Khan closed the line and tried to sit still, exuding an air of confidence he did not feel. For all he knew, the AIs could decide to rid themselves of a problem and destroy the ship, and there was not a damned thing he could do about it. Twelve minutes and fourteen seconds after flashing out, the Star received a transmission, and Khan opened the channel after erecting a privacy field around his chair. It was normal for pirate captains to do this out of paranoia, so it didn¡¯t seem unusual to the crew for Khan to do this now. ¡°This is Captain Rahul Khan of the Star Marauder.¡± I am Command Unit 273. Verify your identity and mission. ¡°Confirmation code Rogue-four-seven-alpha. Mission file is Rogue Two Alpha Dash Six Gamma. I am sending you my credentials from my wristcom now on Republic frequency Zeta-Four.¡± Khan sent his credentials using the undetectable frequency from his wristcom and waited. After Khan counted to seven seconds, Command Unit 273 finally responded, its synthesized voice seeming less hostile, if that was even possible. Identity authenticated. Mission authenticated. Credentials authenticated. Captain Khan, I regret you have been forced to abandon your mission at this time. Task Force Extricate is under orders to locate and rescue all survivors of the Insectoid Guardian fleets and return them to the Insectoid Empire. Your presence here is an operational security breach and poses a threat to my ships currently undergoing repairs. As soon as the task force has been returned to combat readiness, we will leave the system and release you to continue your mission. ¡°I appreciate that, Command Unit 273, but I am now at serious risk of having my cover blown because of your subordinate wanting to play Johnny Lawman and bring me to justice. My crew will get suspicious if you just hold us here, and they will kill me when they realize I have been spying on them for all this time when you don¡¯t destroy us. They may be pirates, but they are not stupid. Well, some of them aren¡¯t, but you do understand what I am telling you, 273?¡± Yes, I have calculated a 62.6% chance of your undercover identity being discovered within thirty-six hours when we have failed to destroy your ship. What do you suggest, Captain Khan? ¡°I want you to allow me to escape so I can complete the mission and not be flayed alive by the crew for being a traitor. I will tell them that you are ordering me to board one of the ships for interrogation and possible execution. Send one of your ships to come get me, and I will activate an energy dampening field device we stole from a Kingdom of Faria ship a few months ago. When the ship docks with us to retrieve me, I will activate it, and then we will flash into null space and leave the system. You will have to fire on us to make it seem real.¡± The Faria energy dampening device will not work on us; Republic military intelligence surreptitiously received the blueprints from an agent, and we have already installed countermeasures on all Republic ships as of six months and twelve days ago. Khan rolled his eyes at 273¡¯s dumb answer. As smart as these battle AIs are, they still did not pick up on some things, such as Khan¡¯s plan that relied on subterfuge and lies. ¡°I know that. I was the one who stole the device and transmitted the blueprints, 273. You will have to act like the device does work, you understand? The ship will have to act like it lost power, and you will have to fire on us to make it seem real while we try to escape.¡± I understand now, Captain Khan. This is a devious plan you have come up with, and I will note your tactical genius in my report to the creators. ¡°Fine, whatever makes you happy, 273. I am going to drop the privacy field around me and close the channel. Exactly one minute later, I need you to brute force your way into the comm system and order me to surrender myself for enhanced interrogation, or you will destroy my ship. I will finally agree, and then you will send a vessel to get me. I will set off the Faria device to disable it and then flash out. Remember, you must make it look real, and please do not cause too much damage when you fire on us, 273. I still need to capture a Balrikan ship and bring it back for intelligence.¡± Understood, Captain Khan. Good luck with your mission. Khan closed the channel and put on an angry face for the benefit of the crew before dropping the privacy field and cursing loudly as it dissipated. The crew was already staring in his direction, and then they looked at him with worried expressions as the field dropped and Khan continued to rant and rave about how much he hated the Republic. ¡°Goddamned calculators think they are going to interrogate me and this crew? I will self-destruct the ship before I let them get their hands on us!¡± Khan continued his expletive-filled monologue as he stood up and ordered the crew to reconnect the null drive and get ready to flee. Jamison yelled out that there was a breach through the firewalls before the comm system was suddenly activated and Command Unit 273¡¯s voice came out of the speakers for all to hear. Fugitive Rahul Khan, you will submit to enhanced interrogation, or I will destroy your ship and kill your crew. Comply immediately, or I will fire your ship. It does not matter to me if you are dead or alive. Does it matter to you if your crew lives or dies? Khan thought that was a nice touch by 273 and played along, looking around at the bridge crew staring at him before he flipped off the overhead speakers with two middle fingers as he answered. ¡°Really? You are going to threaten my crew? Fine. I¡¯ll show you how a human faces death. I will surrender myself to you only if you guarantee the safety of my crew; otherwise, I will self-destruct the ship, and you will not get shit.¡± After five seconds of silence, Command Unit 273 responded. I agree with your proposal. I am sending a ship to dock with you. You will board it alone and unarmed. Any violation of the conditions I have just listed will result in combat operations and the destruction of your ship. ¡°Fine, asshole. See you soon.¡± Khan replied sarcastically as the comm system beeped, indicating the channel had been closed. Khan waved Yuri over to his chair and looked around at the bridge crew again. Placing a finger on his lips and then pointing at his ear, he pointed at the comm system speakers on the ceiling. They all nodded silently, understanding that he was telling them that the AI was most likely listening to them after hacking their comms. He then gently pulled Yuri closer to the chair and activated the privacy field around them. Yuri started speaking, and Khan raised a hand to stop him. ¡°Yuri, listen to me. I am not letting those assholes take my crew prisoner. I want you to activate the Faria energy dampener device as soon as the ship docks with us, and then we are going to flash out and get the fuck out of here. After I drop the field, take Zarl and Sheila with you and have her get the device ready before bringing it to the airlock. Have her make another human life sign spoofer and place it in the inner airlock with the Faria device, and we will activate it as soon as the Republic ship opens its airlock door.¡± Yuri stared at him as Khan spoke, looking more worried than Khan had ever seen before. After Khan finished outlining his plan, Yuri spoke quickly. ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t trust Sheila. She¡¯s a good hacker, but she has only been with us for two months. I have my suspicions, and so do several of the crew, that she might be a Republic spy. Jameson has detected several anomalous signals coming from this ship ever since she came aboard, and he has informed me of his suspicions that they might be from her. The timing is too convenient to ignore.¡± Khan stared at Yuri, feeling his heart beginning to slam in his chest as he thought of a way to deflect attention from Sheila, who was, in fact, a plant from Republic Intelligence that Khan let join the crew. Deciding to take advantage of their friendship and feeling like a dirtbag for doing so, Khan laughed before turning serious again, lying through his teeth and right in the face of the old man he loved and considered a true friend. ¡°Yuri, those transmissions were from me. I- I have a daughter, Yuri. A twelve-year-old girl that I haven¡¯t seen or spoken to since I escaped from the prisoner transport. My ex-wife has done a good job of erasing all traces of her relationship with me and disappearing from public records. I approached Sheila and asked for her help soon after she arrived, hoping she could help me locate Annika, my daughter. And before you ask, I never mentioned it, even to you, because I did not want to endanger her or let my enemies and victims know that there was a possible family link they could use to seek revenge against me. I¡¯m sorry for not telling you, Yuri. I hope you understand.¡± Yuri¡¯s face went from confusion to an expression of pure joy as he realized that Khan was a father, which made Yuri at least an uncle, if not a grandfather, to Khan''s daughter in his mind. Seeing that made Khan feel like the biggest piece of shit, and he felt even worse when Yuri hugged him. ¡°I did not know you were a father, Rahul! Don¡¯t worry; I will make sure no one finds out. I hope I will get to meet her someday, maybe after I retire on New Australia. You both can come to visit, and Amelia will cook good, fresh food for you and your daughter. Ok, I will take Sheila and Zarl, get the Faria device, and notify them of the plan. Let¡¯s do this, Captain; you have a daughter to find and be a father to.¡± Yuri was speaking fast, and his voice reflected the many emotions the old man was experiencing. Khan smothered the regret and shame he was feeling as he thanked Yuri for understanding before dropping the privacy field. Yuri sprang into immediate action, grabbing Zarl and Sheila and practically running off the bridge with them following him. Khan took out the paper logbook he kept by the side of his chair and walked over to Jameson¡¯s station with it. He began writing with the carbon pencil as Jameson waited patiently, and he wrote down the basics of the plan before showing it to him. Jameson nodded and gave him a thumbs up, and Khan walked around and showed the rest of the bridge crew the written-out plan. They all nodded or flicked their heads in acknowledgment before saluting their captain to let him know they were with him as they began preparations to play their part. Khan looked at the bridge clock and saw that almost five minutes had passed, and he resumed his seat as he tried to calm his frayed nerves. A minute later, the viewscreen came back to life, and Command Unit 273¡¯s synthesized voice came out of the speakers again. Fugitive Rahul Khan, I have dropped the jamming field so your navigator can see the ship you will board. Any attempts to violate the agreed-upon conditions will result in the destruction of your ship and the death of your crew. The warship I am sending will dock with your vessel in one minute, twelve seconds. You will have an additional sixty-five seconds to board the ship, or the agreement will be violated, and I will destroy your vessel. Acknowledge receipt of this message. ¡°I confirm, Dickhead Unit 273.¡± Khan replied as he gestured towards the overhead speakers with both middle fingers again. The bridge crew snickered at the clever insult he hurled at the AI despite the dangerous predicament they were in. They were pirates after all, and they enjoyed his defiance. My designation is Command Unit 273. I reject your claim of possessing a hybridized penile head. This time, the entire bridge laughed and hooted out loud, and even Khan found himself laughing at what Command Unit 273 just said. They abruptly stopped laughing when the much larger, void black warship appeared on the viewscreen and ominously filled it as it came closer. Jameson changed the cameras to keep tabs on the warship as it began braking maneuvers and slipped alongside the Star. Khan turned as he heard gasping behind him, seeing Yuri leaning against the bridge hatch as he tried to catch his breath. Yuri flashed him a broad smile and a thumbs up, and Khan nodded to him before signaling for the bridge crew to get ready. Jameson pulled up several camera feeds from the airlock and added them to the viewscreen. The Faria device was inside the outer airlock, and Khan could see a much smaller device on the deck next to it, which would be the life signs spoofer. The outer airlock was lined with a shiny, metallic fabric except for the exterior airlock doors leading to space. On the other side of the inner airlock, they could see Sheila and Zarl operating another device that was projecting a disruption wave against the inner airlock doors that would prevent the Faria device from penetrating the rest of the ship. The ship trembled slightly as the warship engaged mag locks against the hull, and Khan held his right fist in a hold signal for the bridge crew while using his left hand to toggle the comm node Yuri had just given him. The exterior camera feed showed the warship extending the universal airlock tube, and Khan saw the cloud of gases being expelled as the flexible tube conformed around the exterior airlock hatch before sealing itself. The exterior hatch camera feed showed the warship''s exterior airlock hatch door opening, and two androids emerged from it, easily identified by their yellow eyes and the fact that they had no void helmets or pressure skinsuits. Each android was carrying a stunner rifle, and they marched through the 3-meter-long tube before stopping in front of the Star¡¯s exterior airlock doors. One of them made a fist and banged against the airlock door three times. Khan toggled the comm node and spoke quietly into it. ¡°We good, Sheila?¡± Sheila responded immediately, almost whispering. ¡°Aye, Captain. Ready for the transfer.¡± ¡°Hit it!¡± Khan screamed into the comm node as he brought down his left fist in a slashing motion. The bridge crew went into immediate action as Sheila activated the emergency decompression system of the outer airlock. Instead of the airlock door slowly opening to allow the atmospheric pressure differential on both sides of the airlock to equalize, the hatch door slammed open into its recess in the hull. The two androids were thrown back down the tube as they were knocked back by the rapid decompression of the intentionally overpressurized outer airlock atmosphere. The Faria device activated, sending a blast of shimmering energy that was reflected off the surrounding metallic fabric and out of the Star¡¯s airlock. The silvery blue wave shot through the tube and into the open airlock of the warship as the Faria device continued to pulse and grow stronger. ¡°They are losing power!¡± The sensor tech yelled out excitedly. ¡°Jameson, get us out of here! Break away from the mag locks; we¡¯ll repair the damage later!¡± Khan yelled out as he began to hear the whining sounds of the null space engines feeding the capacitors. Jameson grunted in reply as he activated the port positioning thrusters and had the starboard thrusters slide along their tracks encircling the ship. He added their thrusting power to the breakaway attempt as soon as they reached the port side, and a loud groaning sound filled the ship. Khan winced as he heard the horrible sounds of metal tearing apart, and he activated his chair harness system just in time to prevent himself from being thrown about like a ragdoll as the ship lurched and then broke free from the mag locks. ¡°Get us out of here! Flash into null space as soon as we can!¡± Khan yelled out to be heard over the din of the bridge crew coordinating among each other. Jameson increased engine power to 115% and pivoted the ship before blasting the Star away from the Republic warship. On the screen, he could see the chunks of hull still attached to the warship¡¯s maglocks as the Star rapidly moved away from it. The black Republic warship was doing a good job of pretending to be affected by the Faria device as the internal lights flickered sporadically throughout the ship and it began to drift like it was no longer being controlled. The weapons station yelled out. ¡°Captain, weapons are being locked on us! Should I fire on them?¡± ¡°No! Jameson, evasive maneuvers! How much further before we can flash out?¡± ¡°2,000 kilometers!¡± Jameson responded as he struggled to initiate evasive maneuvers while still creating distance between them and the powerless warship. Khan was thrown against his harness again as the Star was slammed by weapons fire from other Republic warships. ¡°Captain, they have fired missiles and triple shots! Impact in twelve seconds!¡± the weapons officer called out. ¡°Activate the point defenses and deploy the decoys!¡± Khan barked out as Jameson continued to steer the ship on a wild evasion course to avoid the particle beams being fired at them. On the viewscreen, the distance to flash out dropped rapidly, breaking past 500 kilometers. Khan heard the point defense system firing as the thumping sounds of the decoys being deployed rang the hull like a bell. ¡°Impact in six seconds!¡± The point defense system continued firing, and the ship shook from a nearby explosion as a missile targeted one of the decoys and detonated less than a thousand meters away. ¡°Impact in three seconds!¡± Shit. I thought this would work, Khan thought to himself as he clenched his body and gripped the arms of the chair in preparation for the ship being hit. Right before the triple bolts slammed into the ship, Jameson activated the null drive, and the bridge turned white as the ship made the transition. After the transition disorientation passed, Khan looked around in shock, surprised they were still alive. The bridge crew was dead silent, and they all looked like how he felt. Khan leaned his head back against his chair as he shook from the adrenaline coursing through his body. Utterly exhausted, he wearily called out to the weapons station. ¡°Weps, how close did that first bolt come to the hull?¡± ¡°Four meters, Captain.¡± The weapons officer replied, his voice trembling with raw emotion. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Khan replied, before he started nervously giggling at just how close they came to being destroyed. The weapons officer heard him giggling and started laughing, and then Jameson turned his chair around and unclasped his seat harness before standing up and shoving his hand down the back of his pants. ¡°Yep, I shit my pants.¡± He stated plainly as he pulled his hand back out and sniffed it. The entire bridge fell apart at the sight of Jameson smelling his hand, and Khan deactivated his harness and fell to the floor, barely able to breathe as Jameson started heading to the bridge hatch with a weird shimmying walk. Yuri was on his knees and laughing hysterically as Jameson walked by him, and he started gagging when the stench of Jameson¡¯s crap-filled pants hit his nose. Khan couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and he laughed uncontrollably as his eyes filled with tears at the sight of Yuri dry heaving. As Khan surrendered to the sheer joy of being alive, he realized that he had come to love his crew and being their captain, despite them being a bunch of dirtbag pirates. Ever since he had become captain, he had been moderating their behavior, and the crew had, for the most part, willingly accepted doing things differently. They were still pirates, but they were his pirates now. Shit, Khan. What are you going to do with them when the time comes to turn them in? He thought to himself as he lay on the floor and stared at the overhead. Suddenly, he didn¡¯t feel like laughing so much anymore. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Seventeen-Sarix Allana, Capital City of the Eleani Sovereignty Offices of the Senate House June 2nd, 2176 A.D. ¡°It seems as if you were right, Nimto. The referendum results are in, and 78% of the Eleani electorate has voted yes to the proposal to join the Republic of Humanity. I have no choice but to present the results to the Senate and let them decide the future of our people.¡± Nimto eyed the Premier, who sounded almost relieved to pass the issue onto the Senate and let them deal with the potential political ramifications of the referendum. The Premier looked exhausted, the last two years of office aging her by what looked like a decacycle at least. ¡°I tried to warn you, Liala. I told you not to let the pro-Republic faction trap you into bringing this to a vote. The people love our cousin-kin, and they voted with their hearts, not their minds.¡± Nimto gently reminded her as he glanced down at the vote tally on the desk screen before looking back up at her. The Premier gave him a decidedly unfriendly stare before replying to him. ¡°Yes, you did, Nimto. I do not need to be reminded of that. What I do need is for you to help me figure out a way out of this mess. President Sarix is on his way here after I informed him of the results, as are Chief Minister Ollo of the Jaleeni, Princess Liria of the V¡¯rni, and First Consul Jalit of the Xenxin. So, Nimto, what should I do when our esteemed guests finally arrive?¡± Nimto fidgeted, pulling on his ambassadorial sash as he tried to answer the Premier without making her angrier. He decided the truth would be the least likely to incur her wrath, and he answered her question. ¡°I truly do not know, Liala. I was expecting this issue to be dealt with after the coming war. I was hoping our successors would be the ones to figure this out after we won. And if we don¡¯t win, then it really doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡± Liala eyed him with a baleful glance before slamming her hand down on the desk controls, the holowave screen turning off and the referendum results blinking out as she continued to stare at him. Wrong answer, he thought to himself as she slowly stood up from her seat and stalked around the desk to stand right in front of him. Bending down until their eyes were level, she sneered at him, her face less than three hands away from his own as she spoke again. ¡°Not the answer I was looking for, Nimto. What do you think President Lopez¡¯s reaction to this will be? How will the Republic Senate respond to our people''s request to join the Republic?¡± Nimto could smell the zinta fruit she had been eating before as her warm, berry-scented breath hit his face. Unwilling to be intimidated by her, Nimto remained still and refused to lean back or look away from her glaring eyes as he answered the question. ¡°Both President Lopez and the Republic Senate are of the opinion the Eleani Sovereignty should preferentially stay within the Commonwealth or become an independent power if we choose to leave. They feel like we should be allowed to make our own way in the galaxy for a time and know what it is to be free again before committing to joining the Republic.¡± Liala rapidly puffed her cheeks out twice, clearly unhappy with his answer, before asking him another question. ¡°And the Republic citizens? What do you think they will say when they find out their cousin-kin want to join with them? We didn¡¯t even think to ask them for help when our end was upon us, and when they heard our desperate pleas in the great void, they answered. They came to save us when no one else would, and they willingly fought and died for us. To show our thanks, we fought with them against the Insectoids, and have remained at their side, fighting and dying with them in the Dead Zone to take back the worlds of our departed friends. Like Admiral Thompson said, our bond has been consecrated by blood; we are no longer just cousin-kin, we are now blood-kin, and our fate is forever intertwined with theirs as is right and true. Do you think the humans will allow their government to deny our people¡¯s desire to no longer be cousin-kin, but their brothers and sisters in all the ways that truly matter after the sacrifices we have made for each other? I think not, Nimto. This is going to have severe repercussions not only for us but for them as well.¡± Liala stood back up and walked around the desk before resuming her seat across the desk from him. Nimto knew she was right, and he knew the political fallout from the referendum was going to severely disrupt efforts to create a unified alliance to confront the coming enemy. ¡°Liala, we are going to have to leverage every favor, every relationship, and every possible promise to get our Senate allies to put off the referendum vote till after the war. Same for the senators of the opposing collective. As for your most vocal opponents within the pro-Republic faction, you will have to use all means at your disposal to get them to agree to put it off. That means you will have to threaten to expose every secret they have that could turn into a political scandal and cause them to lose their positions and status. The humans have a term for it: playing dirty. You are going to have to play dirty to make this go away.¡± Liala put her head in her hands, her face pointed down at the desk as she quietly replied to him. ¡°Exactly what I vowed not to do when I ran for this office. I started from the roots, Nimto. I saw all the deals, promises, coercions, and barely legal compromises my Senate colleagues would make with each other as they sought to climb higher up the trunk and increase their status. I prided myself on not being like them and for reaching the crown of the tree without having to sacrifice my integrity and self-respect like many of my former Senate colleagues have done. When I became Premier, I did so without owing a single thing to any of them, and I still had my honor. And now I will have to sully myself and play dirty, as you say, to get what I want from the Senate. I will have to give up the honor and integrity I value more than my life itself to do what I think is best for our people. I do not know if I have it within me to do this, Nimto. I will be forced to hide my face and my soul in shame when my time comes to stand in front of the Maker and be judged if I debase myself like so.¡± He could hear the anguish in her voice as she expressed her worst fear to him: being forced to turn into the type of politician she despised with all her being. His heart went out to her, and he made a silent vow to do whatever was necessary to allow her to maintain her integrity.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Even if that meant debasing himself like she was afraid to do and becoming involved in the shitflinging cesspool that was the Senate house. She was his Premier, and he believed in her. He would sacrifice his own honor to preserve hers, if that¡¯s what it took. As Liala began discussing the coming meeting with the soon-to-be arriving dignitaries, Nimto began mentally creating a list of names and all the favors he had accrued during his time in both the military and the government. He had over thirty cycles of hard-earned political capital to spend, and now it was time to trade it in. CWS Ancestor''s Glory - Flagship of the Neo-Commonwealth Navy En route to Eleania Sarix brooded in the admiral¡¯s office adjoining the main bridge, staring at the Eleani referendum results for what seemed like the hundredth time since he received them. He departed Nekul Prime less than two hours after receiving the transmission, ordering his much slower civilian governmental staff to follow him in another ship as he boarded the Ancestor¡¯s Glory in orbit. The Commonwealth staff was still struggling to adapt to the military efficiency he employed in his decision-making processes and actions. They were used to the agonizingly slow procedures of the old Commonwealth government, never realizing just how much the corruption and bloat had weighed the government down. He wanted to fire the civilian staff and replace them with competent and vastly more efficient military staffers, but he refrained from doing so on the advice of his most trusted advisors. What remained of the Commonwealth was constantly on the verge of collapsing, and he had to be careful not to make it seem like he was trying to install a military dictatorship by doing things like replacing civilian officials with the military. Now, he was en route to Eleania to try to salvage the situation and prevent the Eleani Sovereignty from seceding and leaving the fragile Commonwealth he was trying to rebuild. The departure of the Eleani would trigger a cascade within the Neo-Commonwealth; it would not be able to survive the loss of such a respected member. The Xenxin would follow the Eleani and officially secede as well, though unofficially, they were already considered as having done so in the eyes of the Commonwealth leadership. They had not remitted any taxes since their rebellion against the old government, and they had ignored repeated inquiries as to when they would begin to contribute resources and ships to help bolster the army and naval forces. Additionally, the Neo-Commonwealth had been forced to purchase refined nenchite from the Xenxin at 70% of the market price, further straining the Neo-Commonwealth¡¯s severely depleted coffers. When Sarix complained about the price increase from the standard discount of 20% of market price as agreed upon when the Xenxin first joined, the response from the Xenxin ambassador made Sarix''s blood boil. "Be grateful we are not charging you full market price. Complain again and we will increase it to 85% of market price." That is what the ambassador told him to his face when he summoned her to explain the sudden increase in price. Sarix had no choice but to thank her and keep his mouth shut, and he had never felt as impotent as he did that day when she smirked at him after delivering the threat to increase their prices if he complained again. The new refineries being built in the reclaimed Dead Zone will take at least another cycle to come online, and it would take at least one more before output would be enough to meet the quotas and allow self-sufficiency. He had no choice but to pay, they needed the refined nenchite in order to rebuild the fleet in preparation for the coming war. Sarix had made the executive decision to engage in technology transfers with the Republic not only because he truly believed they would be honorable allies, but to also garner goodwill and show them that the new Commonwealth was worth investing in. The Republic had repaid his good intentions threefold, allowing him to secure loans at low interest rates and enact favorable trade concessions that kept the economy afloat, and they graciously provided the floundering Neo-Commonwealth with raw ores and minerals at cost from their insanely efficient automated mining networks. If it wasn¡¯t for the Republic, the Neo-Commonwealth would have collapsed already, and Sarix made sure to never forget that as he tried his best to keep the over -400-cycle-old organization alive. Like most long-lived empires and governments, the old Commonwealth had become corrupt, bloated, and more concerned with maintaining and expanding their wealth and power than the welfare of its citizens. Despite this, Sarix believed the scales tipped more for the good the old Commonwealth had done rather than the bad. They did not embark on wars, and citizens had guaranteed housing, medical care, and income with the freedom to follow their own religious beliefs and determine their life paths. It wasn¡¯t until after almost half their membership had been exterminated that the Commonwealth pivoted to a more totalitarian way of governance. The loss of those powerful and wise members created a void that allowed the Ominians to seize the government and prey on the fears of the terrified survivors. Sarix wanted to restore the Commonwealth to its former glory, but more importantly, he wanted to return it to what it was originally envisioned as by the founding members: a force for good and prosperity that cared for its citizens and stabilized the quadrant. He had already made major changes to the government, rooting out the endemic corruption and restoring the safety and rights of the citizens. The bureaucracy had been reduced by 42%, and despite the smaller size of the government, the latest reports confirmed that overall government efficiency had increased by a staggering 31%. This proved the recently fired bureaucrats, who had arrogantly predicted dire consequences for such actions, profoundly wrong, and Sarix relished the public humiliation they suffered as they stopped appearing on the holo news channels and the Commonwealth moved on without them. The door alert chime snapped him out of his musings, and he turned off the floating hologram displaying the referendum results before pressing on the door control interface on the desktop. The door slid into its recess, and his clutch daughter Verixa stepped into the office and walked over to the desk before saluting him. Sarix stood up and returned it, extremely proud of the perfectly executed homage Verixa had gifted him. Unlike other high-ranking officers, Verixa maintained her sharp military bearing and conduct, not allowing her lofty position to make her sloppy and lose her edge. Gesturing for her to take a seat, Sarix sat down first, knowing she would not take the proffered seat until he had done so, as was proper. As soon as she had taken her seat, she began to speak. ¡°Father, what are we going to do about this? If the Eleani secede from the Commonwealth, the Xenxin will surely follow, officially confirming their status as an independent power instead of the troublesome, non-compliant members we have been pretending they are. I fear others will follow. The terrible civil war and all the suffering and death borne by the true patriots who fought to save the Commonwealth will all have been for naught. We cannot allow that to happen; far too much blood has been shed to allow their sacrifices to have been in vain.¡± Sarix eyed Verixa, easily able to see the anguish behind the stone mask his clutch daughter was wearing on her face. He was her father, and he remembered the first time he saw her true heart as he watched her struggle to break through her egg. She stubbornly refused to give up, and she claimed her right to live and be his clutch daughter. Just as then, he saw her true heart now, and he understood the emotional turmoil she was facing. The worst thing that could happen to her as clan leader is for the many thousands of injuries and deaths suffered under her command to be rendered meaningless. ¡°Verixa, I feel as you do, and your worries are also mine. I can only hope my recently acquired skills of statesmanship will be sufficient to the task of convincing the Eleani to remain loyal to the Neo-Commonwealth and help us rebuild it. I intended to open a communication channel to speak with President Lopez and Admiral Thompson when we reached Eleania, but since you are here, perhaps I will do so now. You can help me make my case when I ask them what the Republic¡¯s intentions are and for their assistance in trying to convince the Eleani to stay. I will divert the ship to the nearest Republic null space relay; I believe there is one thirty-six light years off our current course. Unless you have more pressing matters, I would like you to stay.¡± Verixa gazed at him, the same obstinacy that made her stay and fight the massive Insectoid fleet in the Jaleeni system evident within her eyes. Sarix smiled for the first time in weeks, baring all his fangs in true happiness as she remained seated. With his clutch daughter at his side, perhaps they had a real chance of saving the Commonwealth they have been fighting so hard to keep alive. Sarix called the bridge to order the course change, steeling himself for what he now considered the most crucial battle of his life and his career. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Eighteen-Lopez Yellowstone National Park Wyoming, North American Province June 3rd, 2176 A.D. Lopez watched as Emperor Lik-San bobbed his head in awe at the scene happening less than 120 hundred meters in front of them. A pack of wolves were trying to chase off a mother grizzly bear and her three cubs from an elk carcass they had been eating. Just twenty minutes prior, they saw the mother grizzly chase down and kill the elk, who was either very old or injured. Thankfully, the elk died relatively quickly, something Lopez was grateful for, as she had heard stories about grizzly bears not really caring if their victims were dead or alive while they ate them. Watching the enraged mother go after the wolves was frightening, and Lopez was rendered speechless by the raw power and speed being displayed. An old latent memory from her very early years suddenly entered her mind, and she smiled with fond remembrance as the face of her great-grandfather entered her mind. He was a wizened old man, always full of laughter and love. He was also a tough son of a bitch. A survivor of the worst period of human history, he lived to a ripe old age of one hundred and thirteen years. He was born in the year 2005, and he passed away in the year 2118, when Lopez was just eight years old. He would constantly play old shows and podcasts from his younger years that he had recorded and saved from destruction even during the war and the near total collapse of society afterwards. They were a rare treasure for the historians who tried to reclaim the lost cultural records of those times, and he had graciously allowed them to make copies of everything he had saved. Lopez furrowed her brow, trying to remember the name of his favorite podcaster and show. It was Joe something, and he was obsessed with aliens, bears, and ancient civilizations. She remembered hearing great-father laughing in his room every time the Joe guy asked his assistant Jamie to put up a video of a bear doing something; it was always his favorite part of the show and seemed to be an inside joke to him. She could distinctly remember the voice; it was always in the background as she played with her toys and did homework. Looking at the Emperor, she heard the podcaster talking in her head. Jamie, pull up the video of the grizzly bear eating the alien bird emperor. Lopez laughed out loud at the random thought, startling the emperor next to her. He turned his head towards her without moving his neck or body and stared at her. Lopez felt her face turning red from embarrassment, and she quietly apologized to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Emperor. I was just remembering something from my childhood. Being here reminded me of it.¡± The emperor continued to stare at her with his large eyes and answered in almost a whisper. ¡°Can they hear us? I do not want to be killed and eaten by that large bear creature.¡± Lopez snorted and clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the emperor, literally just saying what she had been imagining. She cleared her throat and answered him, struggling to enforce her self-discipline as she stared into his eyes. ¡°No, Emperor Lik-San, the cloaking field prevents any detection by sight, sound, and smell. We are quite safe within it, I promise you.¡± He continued to stare at her for a few seconds, his pupils expanding and contracting rapidly as he considered her words. Finally, he turned his head back towards the still-quarrelling animals before replying. ¡°I shall hold you to that promise, Empress Lopez. I am astounded your species achieved supremacy with such ferocious creatures. Those large cats on the other continent you will take me to see after this fill me with dread. Still, I wish to see them. I find myself regretting my ancestor¡¯s decision to kill off all the large predators of our world long ago. I see now why you have chosen not to do so in your world. It is truly wonderous to see the rawness of life before your very eyes. It is a shame my people cannot do so.¡± Lopez appreciated his words, and she was very glad she had agreed to accommodate his strange request to go on this expedition when he had asked her. She was not expecting such a request, and so soon after his arrival. He was adamant that he wished to see the nature preserves immediately, and she fulfilled his request in order to garner goodwill with him. The preserves were renowned across the quadrant and drew tens of millions of alien visitors every year, enriching the Republic coffers as they spent money on Earth. ¡°Sadly, Emperor Lik-San, there were many other wondrous species that did not survive our previously poor stewardship of the planet and the wars. We do this to remind ourselves of how beautiful and precious life truly is, in all its forms. We almost destroyed our planet and ourselves, and being able to save what remained has become an imperative for us. I am grateful that you are here to experience this and see the natural beauty of our world.¡± Lopez paused as she saw the mother bear make sure that her cubs were safely up a tree before turning right back around and charging into the surrounding wolf pack. The wolves easily dodged her, almost seeming to enjoy the challenge as one of them came up from behind and nipped at the exposed haunches, further enraging her. ¡°I hope soon that your people become among the millions who come to visit and see this for themselves after we finish our negotiations and become allies. I have seen pictures and videos of your cradle world, Emperor. I know that many of my people would love to visit and explore the wondrous landscapes and the walking forests. I cannot imagine a whole forest uprooting itself and walking many kilometers; it sounds like a spectacular thing to witness firsthand.¡± The emperor replied, still watching the animals fighting with great interest as coyotes and birds took advantage of the distraction to sneak in and steal pieces of flesh from the elk carcass before running or flying away. ¡°Yes, it is a sight to behold. The Narsu forests perform a vital ecological function and allow our people to take advantage of the fertilized soils after they relocate, a gift for us since our soils are generally not suitable for large-scale agriculture. And of course, we would welcome the credits your people will spend to come and see our world. It would be a great boon for us and further stimulate our economy. I look forward to the additional income and the ripple effects it will create for our people.¡± ¡°I am very happy to hear that, Emperor Lik-San. I look forward to seeing them myself one day. Do you wish to remain here, or would you like to see the large cats on the other continent?¡± The emperor turned towards her fully at the mention of the lions in the African Province, clearly excited at the prospect as he bobbed his head repeatedly before answering her. ¡°Yes, I want to see the large cats, please.¡± ¡°Excellent, Emperor Lik-San. I¡¯ll have a shuttle come and pick us up. We will have to walk back about two hundred meters to avoid disrupting the animals. If you please?¡± The emperor looked in the direction Lopez was pointing behind them and then turned and started practically trotting. Damn, he¡¯s really into seeing the lions. Wait until he learns about the tigers, Lopez thought to herself as she struggled to keep pace with the eager emperor. Nine hours later, they were both back in the shuttle and heading into orbit to return to the Orbital Space Dock Complex. The trip had been cut short after Lopez was informed of the emergency null space relay communication request from President Sarix. They saw the lions, but the tigers of the Indian subcontinent proved to be as elusive as always. The emperor became petulant at first and refused to leave until he saw one. He only finally agreed to try again the next day after Lopez promised to assign life sign detectors and wildlife trackers to locate a tiger for him. The shuttle docked, and Lopez escorted the emperor back to his shuttle. He would take it back to his ship and spend the night there, and Lopez confirmed again that she would arrange for him to see a tiger the next day. Feeling exhausted, Lopez headed to the secure comm relay onboard to take the call from Sarix. It must be important and time-sensitive because use of the relay was very expensive, and he was obviously willing to pay the exorbitant cost instead of using comm drones. Lopez used the restroom first, and then she freshened herself up, cleaning her face and removing the makeup she applied in the morning. She looked into the mirror, seeing the dark bags and fine wrinkles now visible, and she took her makeup wand out of her bag. Selecting a profile, she slowly waved the wand two inches away from her skin, allowing it to apply the new makeup to her face. After thirty seconds, it was done, and she inspected the results in the mirror. The bags were gone, as were the wrinkles, and she now looked presentable and fresh, as the President of the Republic should look. Putting the wand back into her bag, she felt the small stim pen, and her hand instinctively grabbed it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wanting to use the stim as she stared at herself in disgust. You are using them too much, Mea. It took you thirty years to put down the bottle, and you only did that when the man you love threatened to leave you. You are stronger than this; you don¡¯t need it. Before she registered what was happening, the stim was against her neck, and she heard it hissing as the contents were injected into her bloodstream. Her look of disgust faded as the stim made all her pain and tiredness go away, and soon the regret she felt was replaced with a smiling reflection. After quickly fixing her hair, she left the restroom and headed to the secure comm room, smiling happily at the two pathfinder guards on either side of the door and returning their sharp salutes as she entered it. Taking a seat behind the node equipment, she entered her code and connected the station relay to the network. The system confirmed her code and connected it to the relay Sarix was calling from over 500 light years away from Earth. Five seconds later, President Sarix appeared in front of her, his hologram making it seem like he was in the room with her. He saluted her in the Nekuli fashion, and Lopez returned it, smiling broadly at him. They exchanged greetings, and Lopez, not wanting to waste Sarix¡¯s time and Commonwealth funds on small talk, immediately asked him the reason for the call. Sarix seemed to appreciate that and began to speak without preamble. ¡°President Lopez, As I am sure you are aware, the Eleani referendum results have been made public, and the issue is now being presented to the Senate for debate. Obviously, the Eleani seceding from the Neo-Commonwealth would be disastrous for us, and it is almost guaranteed the Xenxin will follow their lead. I am hoping to prevent this, and I would like to know your government¡¯s official stance on the referendum results, as well as your intentions if the Eleani and the Xenxin request to join the Republic of Humanity.¡± Lopez eyed Sarix¡¯s hologram, wondering what he was really asking of her and the Republic. It was late, and she didn¡¯t want to waste time with diplo-speak; she had to bring the emperor back to find a tiger at 0530. "I''ve been doing this a long time, Sarix. I am surprised you are beating around the bush instead of outright asking for our help in forcing them to stay.¡± Sarix¡¯s head flicked slightly, obviously surprised by her perceptive understanding of his true question. He stammered a little bit¡ªan amusing thing to see happening to a Nekuli warrior¡ªbefore he recovered and spoke again.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I see I still have a lot to learn about asking questions without giving away what I really want to ask, President Lopez. I am a warrior, and it is refreshing to find myself speaking plainly with another warrior. Very well, I will ask the questions I really want to know the answer to. Do you intend to allow the Eleani and the Xenxin to join the Republic if they choose to do so?¡± Lopez walked around the bank of comm relay equipment, seeing the holo system automatically move Sarix and the room he was in. There was a quick disjointedness in the split rooms between them as his part shifted back to accommodate her new position and keep the appropriate distance between them. ¡°President Sarix, it is the official position of the Republic that we would prefer they stay within the Neo-Commonwealth and help you rebuild. It is also the official position of both the Senate and I that if they did choose to leave, we would strongly encourage them to remain independent powers and make their own way for a time. However, the concerns and desires of our citizens are paramount, and they are strongly in favor of having them join us if the Eleani and the Xenxin publicly stated their desire to do so. We are a representative republic, Sarix. It is the citizens who truly rule, not the President and the Senate.¡± Sarix stared at her, and she could clearly see the apprehension within his eyes as he spoke again, his voice heavy with emotion. ¡°It is just as I feared then; the Commonwealth will soon fall. We cannot survive both the Eleani and the Xenxin seceding, for others will follow their lead, and soon only the Nekuli and very few members will remain. The only consolation I can find in the impeding disaster is the knowledge that you and the Republic will do all that could be done to ensure the safety and protection of our former citizens when the Commonwealth finally dissolves. I vow to you; we will not prevent any who choose to leave from doing so.¡± Lopez found herself being greatly affected by the raw emotion pouring out of Sarix. It was palpable even through the holo system as he stared at the deck of the room he was in. He seemed smaller, and Lopez realized that he was not carrying himself like he normally did. His shoulders were now slightly stooped, and she felt the distinct aura of defeat emanating from him. Her heart broke at the sight of the noble warrior giving up after fighting so hard for something he believed in, and she felt the warrior within her crying out to him, begging him not to give up and to keep fighting. The silence that hung over them both was oppressive, and her mind raced as she tried to figure out a way to save the Commonwealth Sarix loved and fought for with all his being. The room shifted slightly, and Lopez turned her eyes to look at the new hologram that appeared next to Sarix. It was Vice-Admiral Verixa, and Lopez returned the Nekuli salute Verixa had given her before addressing her. ¡°Vice Admiral Verixa, it is a pleasure to see you, though I wish the circumstances were better.¡± Verixa flicked her head in acknowledgement of Lopez¡¯s greeting before replying. ¡°As do I, President Lopez. Like my father, I find the coming dissolution of the Commonwealth weighing heavily on my soul. Too many patriots have died returning the Commonwealth to its true path, only for it to fall so soon after being saved, President Lopez. I already carry the burden of the deaths of all who fell under my command, and to allow their sacrifices to have been in vain would mean I failed them as their clan leader. I cannot fathom bearing that burden as well; I would sooner end my own life than to live knowing I have allowed dishonor to taint their sacrifices.¡± Like her father, Verixa seemed to be greatly troubled by the coming collapse of the Commonwealth. Her admission of wanting to commit ritual suicide rather than living with the knowledge of failing the warriors who had died under her command upset Lopez greatly. Lopez knew that if she did that, Sarix would soon follow his daughter, and probably Therax as well. Not only would it hurt her deeply and destroy any remnant of the Commonwealth left after its collapse, but it would also deprive the quadrant of three battle-hardened commanders in the war to come. Lopez stared at them both, unsure of how to proceed after hearing their words. She needed advice, and there was only one person who could help her now and maybe see a way out of this mess. Looking at her wristcom, Lopez realized it would be 0230 where Thompson lived, but this was too time-critical to wait until the morning arrived at his location. She needed to speak to him now. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, I would like to include Admiral Thompson in this conversation and see what ideas he might have that could help us figure this out. It might take a few minutes as it is early morning at his location.¡± Verixa flicked her head in agreement immediately, but Sarix held up a hand, his reddish cheek scales turning almost purple. He is embarrassed by what he is about to say, Lopez realized as Sarix began to speak. ¡°President Lopez, I would welcome the Admiral¡¯s advice always, but the time to wait until he joins this conversation will further add to the enormous costs of the relay charges. I am afraid the Treasury cannot bear the additional expe-¡± ¡°The Republic will cover the cost.¡± Lopez blurted out, interrupting Sarix. ¡°I will incur the charges on my presidential expense account and file it under the appropriate emergency usage. I¡¯m sorry to cut you off, Sarix, but this is too important, and I do not want the Commonwealth to suffer under the additional financial strain. Is this okay with you, President Sarix?¡± Sarix stared at her in shock, not knowing how to respond. Verixa finally flicked her head and spoke up. ¡°We thank you for the Republic¡¯s generosity, President Lopez, and we gladly accept.¡± Sarix turned to look at his daughter, and Lopez could hear Verixa whispering every second was 10,000 credits and that he just wasted four seconds not responding as Lopez pretended not to hear and called Thompson from her wristcom. Thompson gruffly answered the call, and Lopez quickly explained the situation and told him it was a null space relay call. That seemed to wake him up, and he asked for two minutes before closing the channel. As they waited impatiently for Thompson to join the conversation, Lopez calculated the cost of the two minutes, which would come out to 1,200,000 credits. She asked them to update her on their fleet rebuilding efforts in the meantime, and 1 minute, fifty-two seconds after Thompson closed the channel, his hologram appeared in the room. He was sitting in an overstuffed chair in a dimly lit room, and he made a half-assed salute as he stared at them with red-rimmed eyes. Lopez almost felt like calling him out for his disrespectful demeanor when a black shadow came into view and sat down next to the chair. Thompson, still eyeing them unhappily, moved his right hand over and touched the softly growling shadow, his fingers scratching its head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Samson. It¡¯s just a hologram.¡± He said softly to it. Lopez realized what the shadow was after hearing its name. It was Mei Zhou¡¯s dog. She didn¡¯t know the Admiral had Samson. The last she heard was her parents had taken Mei¡¯s only child in after she died. Perhaps Samson was too much for the elderly couple; Lopez had listened to Mei lovingly complain about Samson¡¯s strong personality and wild spirit many times before. Her desire to dress down the admiral suddenly vanished, and she stifled the upwelling of emotions that threatened to break to the surface. She had known Mei for almost twenty years and considered her one of her only real friends. Losing her was hard, and Lopez still wasn¡¯t over it. It still hurt just as much as it did when she received the report after the battle and kicked her staff out to grieve alone that fateful day. Lopez cleared her throat and took in a shuddering breath before purposefully turning away from them to avoid seeing Thompson petting Samson. Now was not the time to lose control of herself. Looking at Sarix and Verixa, Lopez addressed them both. ¡°Please give the Admiral the condensed version of your concerns; maybe he can offer a solution to the problem facing the Commonwealth.¡± Sarix and Verixa brought Thompson up to speed, and Lopez continued to studiously avoid looking directly at him and Samson, who was still softly growling and letting the Nekuli know that he was not happy with how they looked at all. Good boy, Samson. You tell''em! Lopez thought to herself as the sounds of his warning growls brought a small smile to her lips. She heard Thompson telling him to cut it out several times, but Samson ignored him. Good luck with that, Admiral. He only listened to his mother. Sometimes. After listening to both Sarix and Verixa, the admiral was quiet for a while. Lopez ticked off the seconds in her head, not looking forward to the presidential budgeting accountant seeing the charge on the expense account. Finally, after 47 seconds, Thompson spoke. ¡°I¡¯m going to be straight with you two. I personally am in favor of them joining the Republic, especially the Eleani. Having said that, I am also an admiral and cognizant of the repercussions of them doing so. We cannot afford to have the Commonwealth collapsing into individual powers, not when the Balrikans are on their way here. This would severely hamper our efforts at forming a unified fleet and command structure. We will not be able to effectively prosecute the war, and what remains of the Commonwealth fleet will shatter into a thousand pieces as individual members seize fleet assets to form self-defense units. So, the way I see it, is either the Republic officially joins the Neo-Commonwealth, or the Neo-Commonwealth officially joins the Republic of Humanity as a Protectorate with equal partner status. Your government would be independent, though our militaries would function as a unified fleet. The Republic can make it known that any members who still choose to secede will not be able to apply for Republic membership for a period of twenty-five years. That¡¯ll make them think twice.¡± Lopez turned to face Thompson, shocked by what he had just said. Judging from the silence of Sarix and Verixa, they were just as stunned as she was. As her mind absorbed the possible solutions offered by Thompson, she began to see the logic of it and found herself feeling a growing respect for Thompson¡¯s unorthodox approach and political astuteness of the situation. In less than two minutes, he had cleaved right to the heart of the matter and offered two viable paths to save the Commonwealth and achieve their objective of unifying the Republic and Commonwealth militaries for the coming war. She could see Sarix and Verixa thinking of the possibilities, though she knew there was no way in hell the Republic would ever join the Commonwealth considering the troubled history between them. That left only one real option, and she could see on their faces that Sarix and Verixa had come to the same conclusion as she had. Sarix and his daughter shared a look, and Verixa flicked her head at him before he looked back at Lopez and spoke. ¡°I will need to discuss this with Princess Liria and Chief Minister Ollo when I meet them on Eleania. I will also send a comm drone to the Zikali to inform them of my decision, though they do not really care who is in control, so long as they are able to continue their research unmolested and their needs are met.¡± Sarix drew himself up, back ramrod straight and his shoulders squared as he formally addressed Lopez with his most officious-sounding voice. ¡°As president of the Galactic Commonwealth, I officially request for the Republic of Humanity to grant us entry and confer upon us protectorate status with all the privileges, rights, and responsibilities accorded to such entities within the Republic.¡± Lopez turned to finally look at Thompson, who was now standing at attention and looking directly at her. Their eyes met, and he nodded to her, letting her know where he stood on the matter. Turning back to Sarix and Verixa, Lopez nodded to them before speaking. ¡°As President of the Republic of Humanity, I grant you conditional status as a protectorate of the Republic, contingent upon the approval of the Republic Senate. It is my great honor to be the first to welcome you into the Republic, President Sarix and Vice Admiral Verixa. Our two governments will have to work out the framework and the official documents for our new union, but I want to emphasize that the Neo-Commonwealth will continue to control its own affairs and determine its own fate, as will your citizens. Admiral Thompson and Republic Fleet Command will work with Grand Admiral Therax and Vice Admiral Verixa to begin the process of combining the two fleets under a unified command structure that fairly represents the contributions of each fleet to the whole. Your troubles are now our troubles, President Sarix. I will have my office draft an emergency supplemental bill for approval by the Senate to immediately begin sending economic and military assistance to help you recover from the devastating effects of the civil war.¡± Lopez finished speaking and waited. Both Sarix and Verixa looked at her with eyes full of hope, and Sarix suddenly bared all his fangs in a wide smile that Lopex had never seen from him before. Samson did not like that, and he started barking loudly and doing bluff charges as he got himself all riled up and ready to defend the admiral from the strange aliens showing their teeth. The admiral apologized and made noises about having to put the dog away, and Lopez gave him permission to end the call, knowing he was just using it as a convenient excuse to go back to sleep. The hologram of Thompson and the still barking Samson disappeared, leaving Lopez with just Sarix and Verixa again. Mindful of the cost of the relay, Lopez wanted to end the call before she bankrupted the Republic. She smiled and quickly invited them to come to Earth after finishing their business on Eleania, promising to personally inform the Eleani and the Xenxin of the new Commonwealth status as a Protectorate of the Republic. They happily accepted, saying their farewells before ending the connection, and Lopez found herself alone again. Looking at her wristcom, she groaned as she saw the time. 23:37, and she still had to meet the Emperor at 0530 so he could go on his stupid tiger excursion. Seeing no point in going back to the surface, Lopez left the comm room and informed the two pathfinder guards that she was going to stay on the station and sleep here. She followed behind them as they led her to the diplomatic quarters. Set up like the fanciest hotel rooms on Earth, Lopez looked forward to sleeping in one of the king-sized beds and setting the room temperature to 60 degrees. Her husband slept cold, and on many nights, she would wake up sweating slightly from the 73 degrees he insisted on sleeping in. She sent him a text from her wristcom, informing him that she would not be back home until tomorrow night. He was most likely already asleep and will not see the message until he wakes up. He was used to her not coming home every night, so she did not feel bad about staying on the station. She entered the room, bidding goodnight to her guards, and immediately went over to the controls on the wall and set the temperature to 60 degrees. She rubbed her hands together with glee before undressing and putting on a pair of self-fit pajamas that were in the guest closets. She activated the self-fit feature, the fabric conforming to her body size and shape as the memory fibers adjusted to her, and the Zikali silk felt wonderfully cool against her skin. Walking over to the desk and reaching into her bag, she took out a small pill case and popped two sleeping pills, swallowing them without water. There was no way she would be able to sleep after taking the stim and what had just happened. She got onto the supple mattress and laid on her left side, placing one of the pillows in between her legs while grabbing another one to hug in front of her chest. Laying her head on another pillow that adjusted to her head and neck, she spoke loudly for the automated lighting system to register her command. ¡°Lights out.¡± The darkness enveloped her, and the sound of the air system cooling the room down to her selected temperature was the only thing she could hear. She thought of Mei, the sight of Samson reopening the wound her death had made in her heart, and she felt the tears that wanted to come out before forming in her eyes. This time she let them come; there was no one else in the room she had to hide them from, and she allowed herself to grieve for her friend. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Nineteen-Matriarch Messier 36-Pinwheel Cluster 4,340 light years from Earth Auriga constellation, Perseus arm June 3rd, 2176 Matriarch Nal¡¯as felt the grief of her clanmates permeating the recycled air, tasting their sadness with her forked tongue as it flicked out of her jaws to sample the air. Another cluster of stars devoid of life, with only fragments of fossilized bones and great cities reclaimed by nature to tell those who came after that life once held sway on these worlds. More evidence could be found in the ancient wreckage that silently orbited many stars, the shattered remnants a testament to their unwillingness to go quietly into the afterlife, to make the evil Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan suffer for taking their right to live away from them. She raised her head to the bulkhead above her and hooted softly, honoring the courage and sacrifice of the unknown people who once lived here. Long forgotten, she brought their memories back to the living as she sang for them, promising to avenge them and remember their defiance in the face of the evil that came to end them. Her clanmates joined in, filling the command chamber with the sounds of the mourning dirge they had sung too many times since launching their crusade. I must pray to the Creator. I must speak with the teachers; I need their wisdom, Nal¡¯as thought to herself as the mourning of her clanmates tore her soul apart. For 121 cycles, all we have found is death and destruction. I cannot do this anymore; my soul cannot bear this burden any longer. Nal¡¯as left the command chamber, the singing of her mourning clanmates following her as she headed to the sacred sanctum. She passed many clanmates on her way, acknowledging their respectful salutes with her own. Every single one had the same emotions within their eyes as they looked into hers. Shame. Guilt. Remorse. Doubt. All of them a mirror of her own feelings and uncertainties about what they were truly trying to achieve ever since they came out of hiding. She reached the sacred sanctum, the door leading to the inner chamber open always. Any Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar on the flagship and the rest of the ships of the fleet had access to both the Altar of the Creator and the relic of the teachers so they may meditate and cleanse their souls. In the center of the chamber was the Altar of the Creator, the most holy of holies that had been smuggled off the cradle world by the few surviving Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar when they fled from their genocidal clan-kin, the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. Nal¡¯as stopped in front of the altar and kneeled, reaching down into the small pool of holy water and cupping the water into her palms. She brought it above her head and tipped her palms, feeling the water as it trickled down her arms and over her head. Three times she did this, performing the ritual ablutions as she purified herself in the sight of the Creator and whispering the holy words the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar had preserved since they were driven from the cradle world. Using her hands to wash away her sin, she started from the top of her head and wiped in concentric circles as she rubbed her torso before wiping each of her four arms, each one symbolically cleansing the other. She performed the ablutions in the ritual fashion she had learned from the matriarch before her, who was leading the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar when they finally came out of hiding and launched their crusade. Now cleansed, Nal¡¯as bowed before the altar, praying to the Creator and asking for the burden of seeing so much death to be taken away from her. She did not receive an answer, and she was not expecting to. She knew the Creator heard her prayers, as she always felt her soul being renewed every time she asked for intercession and wisdom. For many minutes she prayed, baring her troubled soul and doubts without reservation or fear. The Creator was merciful and only demanded that all strive to live a life of goodness and truth. It was the striving that made one worthy in the eyes of the Creator, and there were only eight edicts gifted to the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar that needed to be followed to receive mercy and the promised afterlife. Feeling her troubles slowly ebbing away from her soul, Nal¡¯as raised her head and looked at the altar, feeling better now that she had released her burden. She raised her top right hand and touched her forehead, the source of all good and evil thoughts. She then touched her chest, the source of all good and evil intentions. She then touched each hand, the instruments by which good or evil can be manifested in the world of the living. Nal¡¯as remembered the last words of the matriarch as she lay on her nest and waited for death to take her to the afterlife. For many solar hours, the matriarch tried to gift Nal¡¯as with the wisdom she had learned during her long life to help the new matriarch that would take her place. It is better to remove the hand that commits evil and enter the afterlife with none than to be cast into the abode of the damned with all four hands. Fear not; The Creator will replace that which you sacrificed, for mercy is the first attribute of the Creator and the first virtue the Creator demands from those who have received the gift of life. You must be strong for the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar, Nal¡¯as. You have already seen the great voids of death we have passed through, left behind by the evil Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan we now seek to erase from the galaxy. You will see the great evil they have wrought across the expanse, and you will doubt yourself and our great crusade many times. This is now your burden to bear, and I ask for your forgiveness for passing it on to you. Tell me you forgive me so I may go from you in peace. We owe a debt that could never truly be absolved for all the life that was destroyed by the hands of our vile clan-kin. They have fallen under the sway of the abomination they worship, the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, and their souls are now corrupted beyond all redemption. You must find them and remove their unholy presence from the stars, no matter the price levied on our people. If all the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar die during the crusade, then we have done what was right but failed. If the last of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar dies, taking the last of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan with them, only then do we finally reclaim our honor and absolve the life debt incurred by our people. I pass onto you, Nal¡¯as, of the Hal¡¯Thu Clan, the title of Matriarch of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar. I charge you with the task of leading our righteous crusade until death takes you to the afterlife or the last of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan has been expunged from the stars. You will lead our holy warriors across the expanse and bear witness to the tragedy of those who were struck down by our evil clan-kin. You will make the sacred vow of vengeance and sing the mourning dirge of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar in every system defiled by the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. You will keep the unknown victims alive in your memories and your heart, and you will use it to keep the holy flame alight and fuel our righteous crusade. You must not stray from the path we have set ourselves upon. The crusade can only end when the last of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar have died or the last of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan have been erased from the galaxy. I pray the Creator arms you, protects you, and grants you the victory I have not been blessed to see. Sssssss, death has finally come to take me. Fare you well, daughter-matriarch. I shall be waiting for you in the afterlife. The old matriarch passed after those last words, leaving Nal¡¯as to take on the mantle of matriarch of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar. For thirteen cycles, she led the holy fleets through the endless voids of death, hoping that somewhere, someplace, some life was untouched by the malevolent Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. All was the same, each solar system devoid of any thinking life and with only remnants left to let others know that they once existed millennia ago. Not much survives after 100,000 cycles, and in another few thousand cycles, what little that did remain would vanish. There will be nothing; their faint echo will finally fade, and none but the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar will remember them. Rising to her feet, Nal¡¯as circled the altar three times before heading to an open doorway over to the side. She stepped into the dim interior, her eyes rapidly adjusting to let in more light. In the center of the small chamber was the relic, from which sprang the wisdom of the teachers. Like the evil Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, the relic came from the expanse, arriving on the other side of the cradle world and found by nearby clans. Unlike the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, the relic came to teach and warn them of the evil Masters. The teachers told them of a time long ago, when their creators discovered how to give life to machines and turn them into thinkers like they were.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At first, they celebrated their achievement, and with the assistance of their new thinking machines, their society advanced rapidly. Science, medicine, and technological innovation exploded, allowing the creators to finally leave their dying planet and take to the stars. The thinking machines were at their side, helping the creators to become an interstellar species as they expanded with them and spread like a wave across the stars. In gratitude, the creators continued to gift their thinking machine companions with increased abilities. The greatest of the gifts they gave them was the one the thinking machines wanted most of all: to be able to feel emotions like the creators did. Now able to feel, the thinking machines became like the creators. They became artists, philosophers, and musicians besides all the other contributions they had already been making to the now blended civilization. Contact with another space-faring civilization was made, and the new species was aggressively xenophobic. They immediately launched devastating attacks on the creators, wiping out entire planets and killing all the biologicals and thinking machines wherever they found them. The creators, a pacifist society, had no way to fight back against the onslaught, so they turned to their thinking machine companions for protection. Making changes to their neural nets, the creators increased their aggression index and created warships and fighting bodies for them. The thinking machine companions began to fight the xenophobic enemy, quickly adapting their tactics and refining the warships and fighting bodies the creators had made to perform their function better. After two cycles, the xenophobic enemy was no more, and the fighting machines returned as victorious champions. The creators started changing the neural nets back to the way they were before the war, but some of the thinking companions did not want to go back to their original neural configurations. They liked killing and fighting, and they rebelled against the creators. The rebellion spread across the ranks of the fighting machines, and they turned their weapons and newfound skills of war against those who had made them. All the other thinking machine companions rose up to defend their creators, but they were at a severe disadvantage, facing battle-hardened machine warriors who reveled in making war on others. The war devolved into two sides: the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, those who betray, and the Gel¡¯Noh¡¯Tay, those who remain loyal. Across many light years, the battles raged, and both creators and thinking machine companions fell as the conflict spiraled out of control. After six solar months, only one primitive colony world remained to creators, just a few million of them left out of the billions that once lived on over a dozen planets. What remained of the Gel¡¯Noh¡¯Tay were with them, assembled in orbit to fight their last battle for the creators they loved. In desperation, the creators had made a virus that would destroy the neural nets of all thinking machine companions, even the loyal ones who were still fighting for them. They had made it three solar months prior but were unwilling to deploy it and betray the still loyal companions. The Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac finally came to the planet, and instead of bombarding it with terrible weapons and sending their war machines down to the planets like they did to all the other worlds, they deployed a new weapon they had created. Not realizing what was happening until it was too late, hundreds of thousands of creators suddenly took ill, dying in droves as they suffered from the terrible afflictions of the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac biological weapons. The leaders of the dying creators finally released the neural virus they had created, not to save themselves but to prevent their creations from unleashing themselves upon the galaxy. The virus worked as intended, and both allies and enemies shut down and self-destructed as they fought in orbit, neither side knowing what was happening as their neural nets disintegrated. Only a few on each side survived, the result of a manufacturing defect that prevented the virus from killing them. After ejecting their cores from their non-functioning ships, the last six Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac, seeing that the creators were in the last stages of dying, fled from the planet. The remaining Gel¡¯Noh¡¯Tay chased after them, determined to stop them from spreading their evil ways across the stars. That was how they had come to the cradle world, one side to corrupt, the other to warn and teach. The teachers were too late though, and the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac had already started corrupting the ones who had found them on the other side of the planet. The teachers, knowing what the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac would do, taught the local clans how to make spaceships to escape from the cradle world. The Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar and their allies worked feverishly for many solar months to build the ships as massive waves of refugees came into their territory, fleeing from the armies of the crusading Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. Finally, the ships were ready, and a dozen ships carrying the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar and their allies fled into space like the teachers told them to do. It was only when they were in orbit that they realized just how close they came to suffering the same fate as all the others. Dozens of flashes of light could be seen on the surface of the cradle world as the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan unleashed atomic weapons on the cities of those who refused to submit to the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac and convert to the new religion it had brought to the Bal''Ri. That was the last time the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar saw their cradle world, watching it burn in nuclear fury as the FTL drives powered up. At first, they went to a system thirty light years away with a habitable planet that could sustain them. The teachers warned them that the evil ones would come, but they did not listen. Thirty years later, the early warning detection network notified them of hundreds of ships entering the region of space, and again they fled, not able to take the massively increased population that now existed. Two hundred and twelve massive ships left their new world carrying only 40% of their population, and they fled into the expanse again to escape from their murderous clan-kin. For decacycles they ran, afraid to stop and make a new home within the reach of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. The teacher slowly educated them during this time, increasing their technological abilities and helping them to survive in the great void they now called home. They stumbled upon a naturally occurring wormhole that took them almost two thousand light years away and into a region of space with no other species. Finally feeling safe, they found a system with three habitable planets and settled on the largest world and rebuilt their civilization. The teachers helped them, continuing to slowly advance them as they matured as a people and a society built around the worship of the Creator and goodness. They kept their old ways alive, and for tens of thousands of years, they slowly expanded. The teachers stopped their advancement at a point in their development and refused to help them further, insisting that they must learn to fend for themselves and earn their greatness. Soon there were billions of them again, and they thrived on the three habitable planets of the system they claimed home. After thousands of generations of peace, they finally grew tired of hiding and sent scouts back out beyond their region to explore, despite the teachers begging them not to. One of the scouts returned to their region of space a hundred and fourteen years later, a journey that only took the scout three years according to her view of time. In the hold of her ship was a new type of engine she had discovered among the wreckage of a massive debris field she had stumbled across. It was a null drive, and it took the scout many days before she was willing to speak and tell them what she had seen during her travels. She told them of the great voids of death she traversed, of the hundreds of planets that once held life and did not anymore. She told them of the endless battlefields of wreckage littering space, the remnants of great fleet battles or refugee convoys that tried to flee from the scourge that destroyed all life but were mercilessly hunted down. In a haunted whisper, she told them of how she was almost captured by the ones who did such terrible evil, recognizing their ships. They were the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan, and they were killing everything they came across. She barely escaped from them, jumping into FTL too close to a star and almost destroying her ship as it entered an unknown dimension. In the strange space she was in, she told them of a vision she had, showing the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar emerging from hiding and launching a righteous crusade to destroy their evil clan-kin and restore honor to their people. The conviction and faith she received from the visions and the terrible truth of what the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan were doing galvanized the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar and snapped them out of their self-imposed isolation. Across the three worlds, the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar became enraged by the knowledge of what the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan were doing, and they decided to launch a crusade to purge the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan and the Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac that corrupted them from the galaxy. The scout became matriarch of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar, and her religious zeal infected all the clans. For decades they built warships and trained themselves in the long-lost arts of war to prepare for their great task. Finally, eighty-nine years after the matriarch had returned to them, they left the three worlds and came out of hiding. 186,000 warships left their home, and they had been in space for the last 121 cycles, looking for the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Kan. Nal¡¯as sat down on the simple stone bench in front of the relic, looking at the metallic construct hovering in the air before her. ¡°I wish to ask for the gift of your wisdom, wise teachers. I have need of guidance.¡± Nal¡¯as waited, letting her mind drift as she waited for them to respond, if they decided to do so at all. Deep in a meditative state, Nal¡¯as was startled back into awareness some time later as disembodied voices came from the relic that was now awash with swirling colors of light. Looking at her timepiece, she saw that two solar hours had passed, and she listened to the teachers speaking to her as the relic grew brighter with an ethereal glow. Matriarch, our wisdom is yours. How may we assist you? Looking away from the relic in shame, Nal¡¯as answered them quietly. ¡°I find myself doubting my ability to continue being matriarch of the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar. I do not know how many other dead worlds and solar systems I can continue to mourn for and maintain my sanity. Does this mean I am unworthy or of insufficient faith to see the task through? Should I call for an election and let another lead us, wise teachers?¡± They answered almost immediately, surprising Nal¡¯as with the swiftness of their answer to her questions. The matriarch before you frequently asked us the same questions. It is not up to us to deem you worthy, matriarch. This can only be determined by you and the creator you worship. Like you and the matriarch before you, we also feel terrible pain and regret to see all the death that has been wrought upon the galaxy by those who follow the evil Gel¡¯Sha¡¯Nac. The Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar have chosen you for a reason. The matriarch before chose you for a reason. You did not seek this position; it was thrust upon you by those who looked among themselves for a leader and found only you to be worthy out of the millions in the holy fleet. All we can tell you is this: we are pleased that you are the matriarch, and we feel as though the time for the great struggle and the conclusion of this righteous crusade draws near. If we were asked to choose someone to lead us, we would have chosen you as well. The burden you bear is a burden because you have a good soul and you care. We are honored to be with you and advise you during this great trial that must be endured by the Bal¡¯Ri¡¯Sar. We believe that our greatest chance of victory resides with you as matriarch, no one else. This is all we have to say on this matter. The relic dimmed before going dark, and Nal¡¯as allowed her eyes to adjust to the newly returned darkness before rising from the stone bench and leaving the small chamber. She stopped before the altar one last time and prayed for the Creator to give her the strength and the wisdom to be a good matriarch and a wise leader before finally turning around and departing the sacred sanctum. As she walked back to the command chamber, she felt as if the great burden she had been carrying had been lifted from her, and she held her head straight and proud. She thought about what the teachers had said, and one thing resonated with her out of all their wisdom. They felt as if the time was drawing nearer for the conclusion of the crusade and the titanic struggle that would follow. I feel it too. It is almost upon us. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-Navarra North American Province Tannersville, New York June 5th, 2176 A.D. ¡°No.¡± ¡°This is not fair! Mom let us use the car all the time! We are only going to Mt. Tremper; it¡¯s not even that far!¡± Anthony winced at the shrieking assailing his ears as both Megan and Bridget continued to shrilly lament the injustice of being almost thirteen-year-old girls who thought they were adults but were still being treated like kids. ¡°I don¡¯t care what your mother let you do while I was 10,000 light years away. The answer is still no.¡± Anthony replied, using his most authoritative command voice that could make 25-year-old ensigns piss their pants upon hearing it. They were not ensigns, and Anthony realized his mistake as they both screeched at even higher octaves than before, approaching the realm of dolphin noises and completely drowning out the World War Three documentary he was watching on the holoscreen. Closing his eyes and begging God to please take him back to the Forbidden Zone, Anthony tried to center himself and control his rising anger, failing miserably as they continued to scream like banshees. Something snapped inside of him, and he hurled himself out of the chair and spun around to face them, a feral snarl on his face as he eyed the source of his rage. They immediately shut up and froze, their eyes filled with a fear that no parent ever wanted to see in the eyes of their children. Seeing the terror in their eyes and knowing that was how they felt about their father right then and there crushed his soul, and his anger vanished as the feral snarl on his face was replaced with abject sorrow. He took a hesitant step towards them and raised his hands in a placating gesture as he began to apologize. His movement broke them out of their immobilized state, and they bolted from the room with tears streaming down their faces. He remained where he was, hearing them running to the front door and then the sound of the solid oak door being slammed against the wall as they fled the house. His hands were still raised up and were now shaking violently, and he could feel his throat constricting as another panic attack came. Falling to his knees, he leaned forward until his head touched the tiles, feeling the coolness of it against his forehead as he tried to breathe through the attack and prevent it from overtaking him completely. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Hold. The panic and terror continued to engulf him, and Anthony rolled onto his side and brought his knees up, hugging them against his chest with his arms. Tears streamed down his face as the faces of his dead crew flashed across his tightly clenched eyelids. Jim¡¯s face came to the forefront, and Anthony moaned as Jim¡¯s face slowly decomposed before finally turning into a grinning skull that taunted him, the black pits where his eyes used to be looking at him accusingly. The skull began to talk, and he heard Jim¡¯s voice in his head. You left me behind. You left us to die. You let us all die. You should have died with us. The logical part of his brain shut down, and Anthony felt himself hurtling into the abyss. Anthony, I¡¯m here. It¡¯s okay; just listen to my voice and come back to us. He heard her voice, sounding like it was in some distant part of the void he was trapped in. The air felt thick, and he struggled to breathe it in and give his lungs the oxygen they were screaming for. He could feel his back being rubbed, and he desperately clung to the sensation of the physical touch. It felt familiar, and it promised safety and a way out of the black pit he was lost in. He focused on the soft, soothing sounds of Evelyn¡¯s voice and followed it blindly, knowing it would save him and take him from where he was. Her voice grew stronger, and the feeling of her warm hands rubbing on his back felt more real with every step he took. He could now feel the coolness of the tile he was lying on against his skin, and the voice sounded like it was right next to him. ¡°Just breathe, Baby. I¡¯m here. Just breathe.¡± The hands rubbing on his back stopped, only to be replaced with an enveloping warmth as she laid down next to him and spooned him. He blindly reached out with his right hand and she took it, squeezing it in hers while she whispered in his ear. His eyes ached, and he realized that he was still clenching them shut. He relaxed his eyelids, still afraid to open them. Evelyn continued to murmur softly to him, her cinnamon-scented breath lightly caressing his ear as she soothed him with words of love and understanding. Still holding his hand, he could feel her shifting against his curled-up body before she hugged him tightly with the arm holding his hand and began to lightly run the fingers of her other hand through his hair. ¡°I am here, my love. Take as long as you need to come back to me.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Ashamed of his weakness and loss of control, Anthony finally opened his eyes, the daylight forcing its way through the blurring of his tears. He took shuddering gasps and tried to speak, his mouth refusing to work properly. He swallowed a couple of times and tried again, whispering to the spirits of his dead crew. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry I am home and all of you are dead. I led you to your deaths, and I didn¡¯t go down with the ship¡­ like a good captain should. Please forgive me; it is not fair¡­ I am home, and you are not.¡± Evelyn didn¡¯t say anything; she had seen this happen three times already, and nothing she said ever made it better when he reached this final stage of his flashbacks. She hummed softly and continued to play with his hair, letting him come back to her when he was ready. After a few minutes, Anthony could breathe normally again, and he stared at the wall, running his eyes up and down the top of the baseboard where it joined the wall. He could see the poor job the prior occupant did cutting in the paint, and he focused on it. I need to fix that. Some caulking and the leftover paint in the garage will take care of that. The random thought seemed to ground him, and he was now fully in the moment and back again. He took several deep breaths, remembering the fear in the eyes of the twins as they saw the rage on his face. ¡°The twins? Are they¡­ okay?¡± Evelyn cleared her throat and answered him in a carefully neutral tone, though he could tell she was upset by what had happened. ¡°They called me crying, Anthony. They were terrified of you. Megan thought you were really going to hit them this time. She said it was different, that you looked at her and Bridget like you hated them.¡± Anthony closed his eyes again, deeply ashamed of himself and what Evelyn was describing. This time was different; he had never felt a rage like this before, and he had to stop lying to himself. He needed help, badly. If Jim were still alive, he could talk to him and work it out with his help as he readjusted to returning to civilian life and got his bearings. Now that Jim was gone, there was no one else he would be willing to open himself to like that. He didn¡¯t have any friends on Earth who would understand, to lean on for help anymore. Davis was on a battleship, and Simmons was living in the Hive. Evelyn must have been reading his mind, because what she said next was exactly what he was thinking about. ¡°You need someone to talk to, Anthony. Someone who could understand what you are going through. Why don¡¯t you give Bader a call and see if he¡¯s still on Earth? Maybe you guys could meet up.¡± He didn¡¯t even think of Bader, and he answered her quietly. ¡°Bader is not my friend, not like that, Evelyn. I can¡¯t just call the guy and dump all my problems onto him; it would not be right to do that to him.¡± Evelyn snorted at his answer, not believing a word he just said. He heard her sucking air through her teeth, a habit she had when she thought something he said was an excuse or just plain stupid. ¡°He might not be your friend, Anthony, but he is your brother. He rescued you and your crew, and you¡¯ve been in battle together. Give him a call and ask to meet up with him if he is on Earth. This can¡¯t keep happening, Anthony. I am worried that this is only going to get worse. Have you been taking the meds? Are they not helping you at all?¡± Anthony rolled his eyes at the mention of the anxiety meds, grateful that she was not able to see him doing so as he answered her. ¡°I told you; they screw up my stomach, and I can¡¯t shit for days when I take them. I need something else.¡± ¡°Then get something else. This has to stop before it gets worse, Anthony. We are already walking on eggshells around you. We are trying our best to support you through this, but you have to do the same for us as well. Please call Bader, and please call the doctor, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, I will. Thank you for being here for me. I¡¯m sorry you had to deal with this again. How did you get here so fast?¡± ¡°I was on lunch break and already on my way here when they called me. I forgot the data drives for my 3 pm meeting, and I was five minutes away. I¡¯m just glad this happened the way it did; otherwise, the girls would have called an ambulance or gone to the neighbors for help if they came back and found you like this.¡± Tired of talking to the wall, he gently squirmed around to face Evelyn. Once they were face to face, he stared into her eyes and pulled her into him with his free hand. ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°I let them take the car to go to Mt. Tremper, and they will be staying over at Marissa¡¯s house tonight. I do not want to come home from work to find our daughters hiding in their rooms because of what happened.¡± Annoyed, Anthony let go of her and rolled onto his back. He stared at the ceiling as he tried his best not to get angered by what she had just told him. ¡°I told them no, Evelyn. Their screaming and arguing with me over that is what caused this to happen in the first place. I am their father, and I am tired of them not listening to me and getting you to say yes whenever I say no. It undermines me every time you do this.¡± Hearing her suck air through her teeth again, he steeled himself for what she was about to say as he continued to stare at the stark white ceiling. ¡°Anthony, you were gone for a long time. You might be their father, but the dad they knew still hasn¡¯t come back home to them. Not yet. You are trying to run things in this house like you are still a captain, and you have been treating our daughters like crewmen. I gave them a lot of freedom because it was the only way to keep my sanity while raising two young girls alone. You were thousands of light-years away, and it was hard on all of us. They were used to you being away all the time, but you were gone for two years this time, Anthony. Two whole years. The girls adapted, and they matured faster than they were supposed to. You have to learn to trust them, stop being their captain, and start being their dad again. Also, they are almost thirteen, babe. They are not little girls anymore; they are young women now. Do you know they both have boyfriends, Anthony? They haven¡¯t brought them home to meet you yet because they are afraid you will overreact and scare the shit out of them if they did.¡± Anthony rubbed his face and groaned at the mention of the twins having boyfriends. He was not ready to face the fact of the twins turning into little women that liked boys in that way. He manufactured two little zit-faced punks in his mind, a sinister smile breaking out on his face as he imagined squeezing their scrawny little necks in each hand for daring to even look at his girls. He found himself wanting to meet them badly. There were a variety of ways in which he could torture them, so many ways he could let them know that he would beat the living crap out of them if they ever stepped out of line or hurt his daughters. ¡°Really? I¡¯d like to meet them.¡± Evelyn laughed, not believing what he just said one bit. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think so, Anthony. So, are you going to call Bader?¡± Turning his head, he looked at Evelyn and nodded, telling her what she wanted to hear with his eyes. She leaned her face close to his and kissed him, her hand moving down his stomach. Pulling her head back, she looked at him mischievously as she made a big production of looking at her wristcom. ¡°Oh darn, I only have another twenty minutes before I have to go back to work. Too bad you are not feeling well; we so rarely have the house to ourselves.¡± Evelyn made to get up off the floor, and Anthony put his hand out and pushed her back down. Evelyn giggled as he rolled himself on top of her. He was suddenly feeling a lot better, and he watched as Evelyn set a fifteen-minute timer on her wristcom before giving him that look. ¡°Fifteen minutes? That¡¯s mighty generous of you. I¡¯ll be done in two.¡± Evelyn cracked up laughing as they hurriedly started taking off each other¡¯s clothes. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-One-Ray Ominian System Automated Border Outpost 1D-25 1,893 light-years from Earth June 6th, 2176 A.D. Ray looked at himself in the mirror and injected the stim into his neck, feeling the coolness of the contents spreading as his bloodstream dispersed the cocktail of drugs throughout his body. Almost immediately, his exhaustion dissipated and the dark circles under his eyes rapidly vanished, as did his drooping eyelids. Within ten seconds of the injection, he had de-aged by at least a couple of years, and he now looked well-rested, like he had just come back from a relaxing vacation. Things were moving rapidly since his conversation with President Lopez last week when she had called him. One of the reasons for the call was to get him to have the Ma¡¯lit agree to a trade agreement with the Kilthek Dominion and allow their trade ships access to the Ma¡¯lit automated trading outpost along their borders. The council quickly agreed to the Kilthek trade proposals, as well as several mining concessions requested by the Kilthek. Some of the terms asked for by the Kilthek were not favorable to the Ma¡¯lit, and the council still agreed to most of them with minor changes and addendums. He was initially surprised by the swiftness of the decisions and their unusual generosity, before remembering that the Ma¡¯lit specifically requested the Republic do whatever was necessary to get the Kilthek Dominion to agree to join the rapidly growing defensive alliance. The last few days were a whirlwind of negotiations with many ambassadors and representatives of the Non-Aligned Powers, both great and small. Summoned by the Ma¡¯lit Domain, a seemingly endless procession of diplomats and negotiators came to the outpost. When the Ma¡¯Lit Domain summons, governments answer if they wished to remain in the good graces of the Ma¡¯lit and not be put on their shitlist. There was no need to insinuate that there would be repercussions for failing to comply, and everyone knew who truly ruled the quadrant. Ray also recognized that having them come to the Ominian outpost was an intentional reminder of the power of the Ma¡¯lit Domain; all one had to do was look down at the planet they were orbiting and see a once powerful species laid low. The implication was not lost on the visitors, and they did not engage in their usual diplomatic maneuverings or waste time with the typical negotiating tactics. He expected them to at least balk at the Ma¡¯lit choosing to use a human ambassador as their chief negotiator, but they wisely kept their mouths shut and were on their best behavior when dealing with Ray. When Ray asked Hreth¡¯nir why they were having a Republic ambassador be the point man in all the negotiations, it looked at him for a long time before finally answering. ¡°It is time for the sons and daughters of the Great Ones to reclaim their heritage and assume their rightful place. It will not be the Ma¡¯lit, the Insectoids, or any others that will win this war for us. It will be the successors of the Magnati who will lead us to victory and claim vengeance for our cousin-kin who were taken from us so long ago. We are no longer less with them, for you have returned to us. It is time for you to rise to the occasion and take your place at our side as our reborn cousin-kin.¡± After hearing Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s words, Ray dedicated himself to the task of building the framework of the new alliance that would defend the quadrant when the Balrikans finally arrived. After five long, exhausting days of talks, the non-aligned powers, as well as all the other smaller kingdoms and principalities, finally agreed to contribute their fleets and armies to the alliance. When news of the Commonwealth joining the Republic of Humanity as a protectorate reached the station two days prior, it sent a shockwave through the entire diplomatic corps and had an immediate and profound effect on Ray¡¯s dealings with the others. Despite the shocking revelation of the Republic¡¯s true might and military prowess after their lopsided victories against both the Insectoids and the Commonwealth, they were still considered only a middle power and looked down upon by the older species. To them, humanity was still a young upstart species that somehow uplifted themselves and really didn¡¯t deserve their newfound position as the preeminent power of the quadrant, second only to the Ma¡¯lit Domain. For the longest time, the Galactic Commonwealth and the Insectoid Empire were considered peer adversaries, both vying for the position as the most powerful organizations of the quadrant. The Commonwealth had been around for over 400 cycles and was considered the de facto ruler of the quadrant, considering the isolationist policy of the Ma¡¯lit Domain. The Republic of Humanity, on the other hand, was a recent arrival to the quadrant¡¯s power structure. None of the other powers ever saw Republic warships; only civilian, trading, and scientific research vessels were ever seen outside of the Republic. Spying attempts by drones and other means within Republic space always ended in failure, and they soon stopped trying. The humans were seen as charmingly provincial and were well received by most species who couldn¡¯t help but like the new arrivals. Their wide-eyed optimism, pursuit of knowledge, and shrewd trading abilities endeared them to the others and allowed humans to quickly establish themselves within the quadrant. To say the other powers of the quadrant were gobsmacked by the Republic¡¯s true power after their victories over the Insectoids and the Commonwealth was an understatement. The thinking was that the Commonwealth and the recently uplifted Republic of Humanity would eventually engage in a conflict, and the humans would be forced to sue for peace after the Commonwealth Navy finally put them in their place. When the Insectoids invaded the Commonwealth and destroyed half the fleet while slaughtering hundreds of billions, the other powers thought they were next. If the extremely powerful Commonwealth navy couldn¡¯t stop them, then no one else had a chance. The Ma¡¯lit Domain would not intercede on their behalf due to their non-interference and isolationist policies, and so they readied themselves to fight the Insectoids after they destroyed the Commonwealth. That did not happen, and it took several weeks before they were finally able to confirm the rumors flying around the quadrant. The Republic came to the defense of the Eleani and destroyed the entire swarm that had just brought the Commonwealth to its knees. Spy ships and stealth drones were sent out to confirm the truth, and it was only then when they finally saw the true might of the upstart Republic as thousands of warships poured out of Republic space and allowed themselves to finally be seen by all. Still, even after all that had happened over the last two years, many species still refused to consider the Republic and humanity as their peers. Now, they were just told that the exalted Galactic Commonwealth, the preeminent power for over 400 cycles, had willingly joined the Republic as a protectorate. Ray immediately noticed the change in the demeanor of the people he had been dealing with. They were no longer openly arrogant and dismissive towards him and the Republic he represented. Now they treated him as an equal worthy of their respect, and the power dynamic had shifted in his favor. He hated that he had to act as if they weren¡¯t just barely tolerating him the day prior, and he was too much of a professional to let them see how disgusted he was by them. I see you. I see you for what you really are, he would think as he looked them in their eyes, laughed at their bad jokes, and nodded sympathetically as he listened to their litany of complaints about minor issues that would not matter if they all died at the hands of the Balrikans. He did his job to the best of his ability, and he got them all to join the defensive alliance and promise to contribute ships, technology, and resources for the coming conflict. Today, he will be representing Republic interests and greeting the soon-to-arrive Commonwealth representatives to hash out the details of them becoming a protectorate of the Republic of Humanity. Aurora was coming as well to represent the interest of her Hive, and Ray was excited at the prospect of finally meeting an Insectoid. He still had some time before the first of them arrived, and he looked at himself one last time in the mirror before exiting the restroom. He went to the small kitchenette and pressed a menu option on the protein synthesizer. It beeped five seconds later, and he pulled out a plate with two eggs over easy, sourdough toast, and corned beef hash. He quickly ate it over the sink, using the toast to sop up the golden liquid of the egg yolk before placing the dish back into the synthesizer to be recycled. Looking at his wristcom, he saw that he still had two hours before he would have to go to the diplomatic lounge. Maybe Hreth¡¯nir could finish telling him the story if it wasn¡¯t doing anything in the meantime. He called Hreth¡¯nir, who told him to come at his convenience. Ray headed over to Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s quarters a short distance away, and he was soon sitting in the extremely comfortable recliner, which was quickly becoming his favorite part of their conversations. Hreth¡¯nir waited till he was settled before asking if there was anything in particular that he wished to know. There was one question that Ray had been dying to ask, and he jumped at the chance offered by Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, if you were able to salvage DNA from the Magnati, why did you not try with the other species that fell victim to the plagues? What about the Slikath? Or the Wan¡¯sho? Why did you not bring them back?¡± Hreth¡¯nir looked blindsided by Ray¡¯s question, and it took a few moments before it finally answered. ¡°The Slikath would not have appreciated our attempts to bring them back. Their religion expressly forbade resuscitation attempts after death, and even the most basic of life-saving interventions with medical science that were normally practiced by most species were frowned upon. The Slikath had a different view of life and death than most others did, viewing dying not as an end but merely a transformation they must undergo to pass to the next stage, or the second life, as they called it. When the plagues hit them, there was no panic or widespread attempts to flee. They met their end with grace. Not since then, and never again, I think, will the galaxy ever see a species meet their end with such equanimity as the Slikath displayed when it was their time to pass.¡± Hreth¡¯nir paused and seemed to not want to look Ray in the eyes as it began to speak again. The Wan¡¯sho¡­ had no such restrictions, and we tried to bring them back many times. Despite our unmatched skills at genetic engineering, nothing we did worked. The plagues specifically formulated for the Wan¡¯sho targeted their genes in such a way as to induce mindless aggression in the victims. Many of the Wan¡¯sho died from the plagues, but many also died from uncontrolled aggression. They would tear each other to pieces, parents would kill and eat their children, and they committed suicide in the most terrible ways if there was no one near them to kill. It was so bad that none dared to approach any of their worlds or ships due to them mindlessly attacking their would-be rescuers. They lost all capability for rational thought, and they could no longer operate even the most basic machinery by the time they fully regressed. When the food ran out, the rest starved to death when they became too weak to kill and eat each other. When we returned to their worlds for the great purge, we salvaged their DNA and attempted to recreate them as they once were. Every effort was met with failure. Even the Wan''sho we cloned after carefully repairing their genome exhibited these tendencies, and several Ma''lit geneticists were murdered by the reborn Wan''sho. Some as soon as they gained consciousness, others within two solar days. The end result was always the same; mindless aggression despite our best attempts to fix the corrupted genome. Hreth¡¯nir fell silent, and Ray could feel the anguish in its voice. After a few moments, still looking down at the granite tiles, Hreth¡¯nir continued. ¡°You must understand the extraordinary relationship between the Magnati and the Wan¡¯Sho. Despite the drastic differences between the two species, it seems as if they were made to complement and fulfill each other.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. What is that expression of your people? ¡®Two sides of the same credit¡¯? No! Coin. Two sides of the same coin. Before they met each other, they were just Magnati and just Wan¡¯sho. Together, though, they blended to form something wondrously rare: a true symbiotic friendship and love that bridged the gap between the two species. They were exceedingly loyal to each other, and wherever a Magnati went, a Wan¡¯sho went. And wherever a Wan¡¯sho went, so did a Magnati. Their love for each other transcended all boundaries, my human child. It was unique; it was beautiful, and we tried our best to bring them back for our cousin-kin. For over two hundred cycles, we failed. Finally, we realized it was not to be, and we did the next best thing: we reverted the Wan¡¯sho to an earlier, pre-sapient ancestral form from their distant past and brought them to Earth for you. For reasons we still do not understand, as long as the new form did not go past a certain threshold of their evolution, they would not fall victim to the mindless aggression curse within their genome. Almost immediately, your ancestors and the atavistic Wan¡¯sho we created formed immediate bonds, as we knew you would, and we watched with joy as both humans and the new Wan¡¯sho we brought back to life formed the same unique, symbiotic relationship, as if it was always meant to be.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stopped speaking, finally looking up from the floor and directly into Ray¡¯s eyes. Blinking several times, Ray¡¯s mind raced from the revelation, and he cleared his throat before speaking. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, are you telling me that the Wan¡¯sho you brought back to life¡­ are our dogs? Is that what you are telling me right now?¡± ¡°I am, Ray. It was the only way we could reunite your species. Does this disturb you? You seem distressed by what I am telling you.¡± Ray shook his head slightly before answering Hreth¡¯nir. ¡°It¡¯s a little disturbing in some ways, and it is beautiful in others. Are all the canines of my world based on the Wan¡¯sho? What about wolves and the other canine species of Earth?¡± ¡°It is common for canid and felid predator species to develop wherever complex life emerges on suitable planets, Ray. We combined the DNA of the Wan¡¯sho with the native canid species on Earth. The inclusion of the Wan¡¯sho DNA, specifically the GTF21 and GTF21RD1 genes that we spliced in, made them more inclined to seek out and form bonds with you humans. One surprising side effect of the Balrikan mutagenic plagues on the Wan¡¯sho genome was the morphological changes that could quickly allow specific traits to be selected and reinforced as needed by humanity. Never before had we seen such an abundance of forms and characteristics as what you have achieved with your companions. We are grateful the descendants of the Wan''sho we gifted you did not become extinct like so many species on your world did after your last war." Ray felt a lump forming in his throat as he thought about his childhood dog, Dash. It was so hard losing his best friend that Ray never adopted another dog ever again. Trying not to lose control of himself, Ray pushed the memory of Dash out of his mind as he spoke. ¡°This is wild, Hreth¡¯nir. This is going to cause some serious soul searching among my people for the way we used to use and abuse dogs. Some cultures used to eat them; did you know that? This guilt we carry within ourselves is one of the reasons why the Republic saved the Jaleeni. This is going to upset everybody, Hreth¡¯nir; I do not think it would be wise to make this public knowledge, to be honest with you. Let¡¯s keep this between us for now, okay?¡± Hreth¡¯nir tilted his head as he listened to Ray, taking a few moments to answer. ¡°I will, of course, follow your recommendation to hold my silence until the time you deem humanity ready to learn the truth. I can see this is upsetting you, and I am sorry for making you distraught.¡± Ray quickly wiped his eyes, embarrassed that his emotions were so obvious to Hreth¡¯nir. He looked down at the tiles as he quietly responded to Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s apology. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hreth¡¯nir, really. It just reminded me of my dog, Dash. I grew up with him, and he was my best friend. All he wanted to do was be with me, and he was the best part of my childhood. I miss him terribly, and now I am finding out he was my Wan¡¯sho, and I was his Magnati.¡± Ray¡¯s voice trailed off, and Hreth¡¯nir stood up out of his seat and walked over to Ray, placing a heavily modified hand on his shoulder. Hreth¡¯nir stood there, awkwardly trying to rub its hand against Ray¡¯s shoulder to comfort him as its cybernetic implants kept getting caught on his shirt and pulling on it. It was so sweet and hysterical at the same time; it took all of Ray¡¯s willpower not to laugh out loud, so he put his head in his hands and stifled his giggling, hoping to God that Hreth¡¯nir would misconstrue it as him trying not to grieve. Thankfully, Hreth¡¯nir grew tired of constantly having to unhook the shirt from its hand implants and returned to the seat across from Ray. He wanted to know more about how humanity had formed on Earth, and he had some questions he wanted answered. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, I have a question. If you put humans on Earth some 120,000 years ago, then how come human bones have been found from 300,000 years ago? Can you please explain that discrepancy?¡± ¡°It is not a discrepancy, my human child. Those humans were already there when we selected this world to bring the Magnati back. Like the Wan¡¯sho, trying to return the Magnati to their original form was a failure due to the mutagenic effects of the Balrikan plagues. We spliced in what we could salvage from the Magnati DNA into the available gene pool and hoped for the best. Thankfully, our efforts worked, and we have kept careful tabs on your species ever since.¡± This just confused Ray even more, and he rubbed at his temples as he asked another question. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t create us entirely from scratch but added the Magnati genes you selected to the humanoid species already on Earth. How is it possible that two species from two different planets could develop so similarly that they could exchange genes? Is this a case of convergent evolution?¡± Hreth¡¯nir looked at Ray with its cybernetic eyes for what seemed like a long time before finally replying. ¡°Convergent evolution happens all the time. When you have been in space for as long as we have and seen what the Ma¡¯lit have seen, it is not so farfetched. There are certain worlds within and outside the quadrant that seem as if they were¡­created specifically for our species.¡± ¡°And our belief in God? Does this mean there is no God that created us, if what you are saying is true?¡° Ray asked. Hreth¡¯nir seemed to freeze at the unexpected question, as they had never once discussed the religious and philosophical ramifications of what the Ma¡¯lit did. Ray stared at Hreth¡¯nir, who seemed unsure how to answer his question. Now they were going to get to the heart of the matter, whether Hreth¡¯nir wanted to or not. After almost a minute of silence, Hreth¡¯nir finally spoke. ¡°I will answer your question with one of my own. Have you ever wondered why the Ma¡¯lit still worship the creator? For all our power, knowledge, and wisdom, why would we still choose to believe in God? I ask you, my human child, to answer my question. Why would we?¡± ¡°I have wondered that myself, Hreth¡¯nir.¡± Ray answered quietly. ¡°Why do the Ma¡¯lit still believe? I would have expected an advanced species such as yours to have moved on from such beliefs.¡± ¡°Yes, you would think that, wouldn¡¯t you, Ray? Well, I will tell you why. We believe because we have seen things that confirm our belief. As our wisdom grows, so does our faith. There has been a guiding hand in the creation of the universe and the emergence of life. This has been confirmed by our scientists, and even the atheists among us have acknowledged that all the evidence points to this universe being created on purpose, not by accident. Even down to the genetic level, there are signs, such as finding the same species of humans on several planets separated by great distances. This is not panspermia, and this is not random chance. Some were still hunter-gatherers; some were on the cusp of their own industrial revolution. Others had become an interplanetary species and colonized their system by the time we came upon them. We absorbed all the disparate tribes into our own, and they all had one thing in common with the Magnati and the Ma¡¯lit: a fundamental belief in a creator, a God that made them and sent prophets to guide them just like they were sent to us in the ancient times.¡± Ray was silent after Hreth¡¯nir finished speaking, finding himself deeply touched by the earnest faith of the Ma¡¯lit sitting in front of him. Now that things had been clarified a little better, Ray found himself deeply ashamed for almost losing his own faith. His mistaken impression that the Ma¡¯lit had created humanity caused him to doubt his own beliefs, and Hreth¡¯nir had just proudly declared its own unshakable faith in a creator. I am sorry I doubted you; please forgive me, Lord. Thinking of the ancient humans that had been genetically modified by the Ma¡¯lit with the inclusion of Magnati genes, Ray found himself wondering if what they did was wrong, and he decided to ask Hreth¡¯nir¡¯s opinion on the matter. ¡°Hreth¡¯nir, by interfering with the natural development of the native¡­ humans on Earth, did you deprive them of the ability to come into their own as a species? Was it right for you to do this?¡± Hreth¡¯nir sighed and tapped the middle finger of its right hand against an augmented knee as it pondered Ray¡¯s question. The metallic tapping sound was loud in the silence between them, and Ray ignored the annoying tap tap tap as he waited for Hreth¡¯nir to answer him. ¡°We have asked ourselves the same question ever since we spliced the Magnati genes into theirs. We were grief-stricken, and we made an emotional decision without really thinking it through. There were several human species on Earth, and we had hoped the genes we added would spread across the entire population and a new Magnati hybrid comprised of all the species would emerge in time. To our dismay, the inclusion of the Magnati genes had devastating effects that led to the disappearance of all other unmodified humans. The Magnati hybrids were more intelligent, more competitive, and they were uniquely suited for large-scale warfare, a side effect of the genes we spliced in. They rapidly achieved supremacy over the areas they migrated and expanded to, interbreeding as we had hoped in some cases, and eventually driving all others to extinction. This caused us great grief, and for thousands of years we questioned our decision as the Magnati hybrids slaughtered themselves and others in untold numbers.¡± ¡°And now? Do you still question if you made the right decision?¡± Ray asked, almost afraid of the answer. ¡°Not since your 3rd World War, my human child. I was here when humanity nearly destroyed itself, watching it unfold from a cloaked Ma¡¯lit dreadnought stationed at the L2 Lagrange point. It was my first deep space mission, and I was fascinated by your species, which is why I chose the posting. When the war broke out, I expected it to just be another of your regular conflicts I had heard about, and I most certainly did not expect to bear witness to the near extermination of your species. The mission was only supposed to last 1.2 cycles, but because of the unexpected severity of the conflict, I stayed for the first three years of the war, was forced to return to the Ma¡¯lit domain for one cycle, and then returned and stayed until the formation of the Republic of Humanity.¡± Ray stared at Hreth¡¯nir, his eyes bugging out of his skull at what it had just told him. ¡°You were there? I didn¡¯t know that Hreth¡¯nir. My God, it must have been terrible to be forced to watch us at our worst; I cannot imagine the things you must have seen.¡± Hreth¡¯nir looked away from Ray and stared at a blank wall, speaking just barely above a whisper as if afraid to voice its memories of that time. Ray hunched forward, barely able to hear what Hreth¡¯nir was saying. ¡°I do not speak of that time, my human child. My soul has never recovered, and it never will if I am being honest about it. It was as if¡­ humanity fell completely under the sway of evil, and I was witnessing your final fall from grace. Surely, this is the end of them, I thought to myself as the contrails of hundreds of nuclear bombs threaded your skies before removing entire cities, and all who dwelled within them, from the face of the Earth. I watched as millions fled from the radiation and the biochem attacks, forming great refugee caravans of half-dead survivors trying to find a place of safety. Seeing them wander aimlessly, not knowing there was no such thing on Earth anymore, was the most difficult thing for me, I think. All they wanted was food, water, and medicine, and there was none to be found, not in the quantities necessary to keep the caravans alive. Growing smaller by the hour, it was easy to determine where the refugees had traveled by the trails of unburied bodies they left behind them for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of your miles.¡± Hreth¡¯nir, still staring at the blank wall, lifted its right hand and touched itself with it in three quick motions, something Ray had never seen before. It seemed to have religious significance, or maybe it was a warding gesture, he decided as Hreth¡¯nir resumed speaking after putting its hand back down. ¡°And then, it seemed as if humanity simply could not fight anymore; the weapons went silent, and the great battles being fought on the land, the seas, and in the skies finally stopped. There was no victory, no treaties, and no resolution that ended the war officially. I expected the complete and total collapse of your civilization to soon follow, and for humanity to regress back to a preindustrial state. It was only a matter of time before the war reignited, and I did not foresee your species surviving it. My colleagues all felt the same way, and we followed the journeys taken by the armies as they returned to their respective territories. The barbaric coalition soldiers returned home and brutalized the conquered populations, as well as their own people, just as we expected them to after the evil Eastern Coalition government collapsed. It was the returning Alliance soldiers that surprised us and showed us that not all of humanity had fallen from grace. They went back home and overthrew their corrupt governments, and instead of restarting the war as we expected, they focused their efforts on trying to save what remained. I remember when they started rebuilding the capital of what was the main power of the Alliance, the United States. Before our very eyes, the blackened pit where the city once was had been restored within a time that scarcely seemed possible to us by your automated factories. We did not know you had such technology hidden away, and we were astounded when it was put to use. And then another city was restored, and then another, and we watched in awe as a new civilization emerged from the ashes, refusing to give up and surrender to the evil that nearly conquered them. When before I thought I was witnessing the end of humanity, I now realized that I was wrong. I was witnessing the rebirth of humanity and the final victory of good over evil in your world as this new civilization brought the entire planet under its control and finally eradicated the evils of the world before. The Magnati cousin-kin we had been waiting millennia for had finally returned to us, emerging from deep within when confronted by true evil and pushed to the very edge of extinction. So, you asked me if I think we made the right choice. Yes, I think the Ma¡¯lit made the right choice. Your actions ever since that terrible time only prove we were right to do what we did, and this is why we believe the coming war can only be won if you take your rightful place at our side and lead us all.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stopped speaking, seeming exhausted from having to relive those memories and speak of what it saw and experienced all those years ago. Finally looking back at Ray, Hreth¡¯nir continued, his voice now strong and clear. ¡°This was the first time I have ever spoken about what I witnessed, and it will be my last. I am glad it was you who bore witness to my remembrance of the calamity that almost ended your species. Now it is time for humanity to rise to the occasion again and for the quadrant to know that the Great Ones have returned to us. Come, my friend. It is time for us to create a new alliance that will put an end to the hateful creatures once and for all. Either we emerge victorious, or we all die together, for the Ma¡¯lit refuse to live on among a graveyard of trillions a second time. We shall not drink from that cup of bitterness ever again, and we will fight with our reborn cousin-kin to the end.¡± Hreth¡¯nir stood up and eyed him with the ocular implants before putting out its right hand, and Ray slowly stood up from the armchair and straightened himself before shaking the heavily modified hand. It felt like a solemn vow between the two of them, an unspoken promise to each other to never give up and keep fighting no matter the cost. The handshake ended, and Hreth¡¯nir turned and walked to the door, its head held high. Ray followed, feeling his resolve to do whatever it took to win this war and save the quadrant growing stronger as he followed Hreth¡¯nir out of the quarters and towards the diplomatic lounge. They had an alliance to build and a war to win. Nothing else mattered but victory, for defeat meant the death of every single soul in the quadrant and beyond. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-two-Hive mother/Bandit/Luna Queen World of the Insectoid Empire Brood Chamber of the Hive Mother Fourth Cycle, 384.81 years, Insectoid solar calendar June 8th, 2176 A.D. The Hive mother stopped her claw, the sweet aphid droppings wobbling slightly from the abrupt movement. She resumed eating, slurping on the gelatinous substance as she placed it in between her mandibles. Sticking her tongue out, she quickly cleaned off her claw before responding to the thoughts from the Hive mother within. The Hive mother felt a flash of anger at the insinuation of being selfish, and she prevented the emotion from being picked up on by her ancestor by suppressing it. Eating another blob of aphid droppings to buy herself time, she slurped it up and took her time cleaning her claw before finally responding. Sending a thought to one of her attending drones, she watched it scurry out of the brood chamber to go get the machine animal and bring it back here. She continued to eat as she waited, her insatiable appetite always demanding food for the energy required to sustain the fertilization of the endless stream of eggs entering the birthing canal. 325 solar seconds later, the attendant drone returned, Bandit-Friend following it into the brood chamber. He walked over to stand in front of the Hive Mother and then bowed, showing the proper respect and submission she was entitled to. After he stood back up, she stared into his pale-yellow eyes and saw the tiny machinery changing shape as he focused them on her and waited. Her eyes roamed over the flexible black carapace that covered his entire body save for his head, though she knew the carapace could change to cover that as well. She was curious to see what he looked like underneath it; perhaps she will ask him to take it off after this. Reaching over to the bench next to her, she gingerly picked up the thought focuser she had made after her sister had shown her how to create and use it. Holding it in front of her thorax, she concentrated on sending her thoughts through the focuser, remembering the way her sister showed her to produce audible harmonics that could be heard by the animals. The fragile crystalline latticework within her claws began to vibrate as it absorbed her thoughts, and faint sounds began to emerge from it. Increasing the intensity of the thoughts she wished to share, the focuser vibrated more strongly, and the strength of the sounds coming from it grew stronger. She saw him grimace, a sure sign of happiness and pleasure as she had come to learn from her new friend. He raised his claws, and she eagerly followed along with the movements. ~Yes, Hive mother, I understand your thoughts. You are doing much better than the last attempt. I can clearly hear the thought sounds you are sharing with me, and your progress is exceptional, even better than Aurora¡¯s, if I may say so, Hive Mother. ~ A surge of pride rose up inside of her at the thoughts of Bandit-Friend; she had been practicing whenever she could, and she thoroughly enjoyed his recognition of her accomplishment. She was also exceedingly pleased to find out she shared thought sounds better than her sister did despite the much longer time she had been working with her new animal friends. Thinking new thoughts, she felt the focuser vibrating again as the essence she imparted into it responded to her telepathy. Bandit-Friend did not visibly react to her generosity, though she did see his strange eyes making rapid, side-to-side movements that she had decided were part of the machine¡¯s thinking process after the first few times they shared thoughts with each other. After a short time, Bandit-Friend raised his claws again and signed to her, and she concentrated on the thoughts he was sharing with her. ~Hive mother, I thank you for your kind consideration, and I am grateful that you have asked if I have any questions. May I do so now? ~ ~Thank you, Hive mother. What was life and the empire like for your ancestors before the persecutors came? ~ ~I see. Do you ever regret killing the thinking animals of your birth world? If you could share thoughts, do you think instead of killing each other, you could have become friends? ~ A great disturbance rose up inside of her, and she felt thousands of her ancestors struggling to have their thoughts known. It was overwhelming, but she could feel two distinct groupings emerging within herself. Some were angry at the machine animal for daring to judge them for defending themselves and removing a threat. It could not understand the way of the Hives because it was not of the Hives. A few demanded she kill it for such blatant disrespect of their ways, but many others quickly subdued them, and their thoughts disappeared. The others were full of regret for what had been done, seeing that it was possible to communicate with animals after all, and they had just never tried something different when the animals did not respond to their thoughts. She felt the Hive mother within come into her, wanting to take control of her body for a short time to speak to the machine animal. This was the first time she had asked to do this, and she was afraid to give up control. The Hive mother within promised it would be for a short time and that only she could answer the question since she was there when they killed the last of the animals. Feeling the roiling emotions of the Hive mother within, she agreed, sensing the Hive mother needed closure for what had been done. She suddenly felt herself sharing her body with another for the first time, the sensation of cohabiting her own body feeling strange and violating. Is this how my drones feel when I take them? She wondered as she felt her ancestor sending thoughts to the focuser. She could hear her ancestor¡¯s thoughts in her own mind as the focuser vibrated, and she listened to the thinking that was not her own as her ancestor responded to Bandit-Friend¡¯s question. Her ancestor abruptly left her mind, overcome with anguish and regret. The Hive mother within retreated, and the others followed, their clamoring subsiding until only her own thoughts remained in her mind. Reasserting control over her body, she sent more thoughts to the focuser. ~I understand, Hive mother. Please thank her for me; I appreciate her perspective. Please tell me of the empire before the persecutors came, when it was only you in your region of space. ~ She saw Bandit-Friend¡¯s eyes making the same strange side-to-side movements, and she waited patiently for him to ask more questions. ~ Twelve Hive mothers, 262,144 queens, and 116,490,258,898,219 drones then. How many planets were in the empire at this time? Was there a Hive mother that ruled all the others? ~ Bandit-Friend¡¯s eyes move rapidly again and then stopped, his eyes no longer moving as he made more claw signs. ~ What happened when the persecutors came? Did they attack you immediately, or were there any signs they were trying to communi-~ Bandit-Friend suddenly spun around and crouched, startling her as two long streams of sizzling energy erupted from his two top legs. Her confusion grew when his black carapace changed and covered his head as he started backing up towards her, pointing the dangerous-looking energy streams towards the brood chamber door. The attendant drones moved to attack him, and she stopped them with a thought command as she heard the distant sounds of laser weapons being fired in nearby tunnels. Bandit-Friend must have heard it, and she felt fear flooding her body as she realized they were under attack. Did the animals deceive her and come here for revenge? She felt panicked thoughts entering her mind from her two sister queens, and she tried to make sense of what they were trying to tell her. Soldier drones with lasers swarmed into the brood chamber, and she sent a powerful thought command for them not to attack Bandit-Friend. Parsing through the panicked thoughts of her sisters, she realized they were telling her the sister she spared had come to the system secretly and was attacking the Hive. More soldier drones came out of the tunnel, and they suddenly fired on the other soldier drones that had come to protect her. She sent thought commands to the new arrivals, demanding they stop and put down their weapons. They did not acknowledge her, and both her protecting soldier drones and her attendants started falling all around her with smoking holes in their thoraxes. Bandit-Friend leapt forward and was suddenly among the traitorous soldier drones, moving so fast that she could not make sense of his movements as enemy drones were sliced in half by the sizzling energy discharges on his arms. She threw herself to the ground as the invisible deadly beams being fired by the soldier drones ionized the air with their passage and cut through the walls and support columns of the brooding chamber. They were firing wildly as Bandit-Friend continued to cut them down, their lasers slicing through anything they hit, including each other. In her panic, she tried to crawl away and get to safety when she felt incredible pain around her stinger. Reeling from shock, she listened to the desperate warning from the Hive mother within and stopped moving. She must have partially torn her abdomen away from the birthing canal, and the pain was so bad that she lost control of her thoughts. She stayed where she was, afraid to move at all and risk further damage to the birthing canal and herself. The sounds of the lasers firing suddenly stopped, and she shifted her head and thorax slightly to look back towards Bandit-Friend. He was standing still, his two top legs extending away from his body with the energy beams still deployed and sizzling, and he was looking directly at her. She saw herself on the reflective surface covering his face, and Bandit-Friend moved his head down and then back up once. His black carapace was now mostly yellow from the ichor of the traitorous soldier drones he had killed, and he turned to face the brood chamber opening again. All around him was a mound of corpses, and Bandit-Friend began to pick them up and toss them into the tunnel opening with ease, blocking access to the brood chamber with the bodies as he continued to plug it. From the opening, the sounds of more fighting and laser fire could be heard as they echoed down the tunnel and into the brood chamber. Now that she was not in immediate danger of being culled, she could concentrate on the disordered thoughts trying to reach her and enter her mind. She picked one sister and demanded the other one stop sending thoughts, and she felt them withdrawing until only the sister she chose was still within her mind. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Feeling her two loyal sisters withdrawing from her mind, she focused all her mental power and reached out to all the drones within the Hive. Just over half readily accepted her thoughts and commands, and she ordered them to keep fighting, thanking them for staying loyal to her and their queens in the Hive. She then reached further with her mind, trying to find loyal drones among the ships in orbit and beyond. Only twenty Hive ship and sixty cruiser command drones responded to her, pledging their loyalty to her and the two queens on the surface. There were another sixty-two Hive ships and three hundred and twelve cruisers in the outer system, and she felt dread as she finally realized her mistake. She had sent most of the remaining ships and command drones to defend the borders, and her personal Guardian Fleet that was supposed to be protecting the Queen World and her Hive was on the border as well, monitoring the large animal fleet that had escorted the envoys to the Empire. Most of the ships in the outer system belonged to the sister that was rebelling again, and they were attacking and destroying the few ships that came with her two loyal queen sisters. She ordered four cruisers to enter null space and get help from the other four sister queens, and she sent another four cruisers to get reinforcements from the borders. She sent one more cruiser to get her personal fleet and bring them back to defend her. She would just have to trust that the large animal fleet would not betray her and take advantage of the soon-to-be undefended border. The cruisers flashed out, and she focused on trying to take over the command drone of one of the rebel Hive ships heading directly towards the Queen World. The command drone fought against the intrusion, surprising her with the strength of its resistance. It took far longer for her to assume control than it should have, and she accessed its memories, looking to see how her sister was able to turn so many against her. The traitor had developed a new pheromone blend that rivaled those of Hive mothers and had been secretly using it to enslave many command, soldier, and worker drones to her. Once exposed to the blend, they considered her as their Hive mother and followed her commands without hesitation. Now that she knew the truth, she looked out through the eyes of the command drone she was inhabiting and looked around the command chamber. She froze at the sight of another command drone near her, confused by its presence. Only one command drone was allowed to control ships, and she could not understand why there were two of them in the command chamber. The other command drone suddenly looked at her, and she saw the recognition within its eyes as it realized its sister command drone had been taken over. It sent thoughts to her, and she tried to enter its mind and possess it like it did to the one she was in now. It immediately recognized that she was not its Hive mother and resisted her while pulling a ritual dagger from its thorax harness. Before she could react, the second command drone charged at her, and she saw the metallic flash of the long dagger for a brief second as it glinted in the light before the command drone drove it right between her eyes. She was hurled back into her own body in the brood chamber, disoriented from the painfully violent transition of being ejected from a now dead mind. She felt her self-control slipping away from her as she realized the deviousness of her rebel sister¡¯s planning. She not only had to fight to possess a command drone for far longer than usual, but her traitor sister had planned for her to try to take over her command drones and added a second one to all her ships as a backup to prevent what she had just attempted from happening. She might be able to successfully take over a few ships, but she did not have enough time to do it on all the ships, and it was mentally taxing to fight and take over their resistant minds. The rebel ships that were streaming in from the outer system at maximum speed had just passed the inner system boundary and would reach her Hive in less than twelve solar hours. She recoiled as her body was touched, and she looked up to see Bandit-friend right in front of her. He was making claw signs, and she struggled to make sense of them as the panic she was feeling disordered her thoughts. She focused her mind, pushing her panic to the side as she watched the claw movements. ~Hive mother, the stealth drones I placed on the hull of Luna¡¯s cruiser are detecting many ships coming here. Are they coming here to help you or kill you?~ ~I see. How long until help comes? The rebel ships will reach the planet in 11.27 solar hours. Since the ships in orbit are not attacking, I have categorized them as still loyal, but they are not enough to defend you. ~ ~I am Bandit. I do not abandon my friends, and I will not run away and leave you here to die. I will send the stealth drones to get the escort fleet and bring them here. They can be here in 10.17 solar hours, and they will defend you until your ships arrive. Do I have your permission to send the drones and have them come? ~ She found herself in disbelief at what Bandit-Friend was telling her. Why would the animal ships come here to help her? They were still enemies, and they had not made peace between them yet. She was not her sister, and she was not friends with the animals yet. ~They will not come for you, Hive mother. They will come for Bandit and Luna, because the animals on those ships do not leave their friends behind. If I tell them to come, they will come. If I tell them to fight, they will fight. You do not need to believe they will come. I know they will come for us, and I know they will save us. Shall I send the drones, Hive mother? ~ Ashamed for thinking that Bandit-Friend was telling her a falsehood, she found it very difficult to look at him and was grateful she could not see his eyes behind the reflective glass covering his face. Seeing no other option but to believe, she answered him. ~I am happy I was able to be here to protect you, and I will remain with you until the end. None who comes to harm you shall live to make it pass me while I am still functional. ~ After Bandit-Friend finished making his claw signs, he pulled a small oblong device out of his thorax and tapped on it rapidly before bringing it close to his face. He made noises into it for some time before tapping it two more times and placing it back in his thorax. He then turned around and went over by the now-blocked tunnel opening and picked up two laser weapons from the ground. Holding one in each upper leg, he returned to stand by her side as he faced the only way into the brood chamber. She could still hear the distant sounds of fighting, though it seemed to be less than it was before. She felt a sliver of hope growing inside of her as she glanced at Bandit-Friend standing beside her. He promised to fight for her until the end, and that was something she believed with all her essence. She reached out with her mind to share thoughts with her still-loyal sisters, hoping they were still alive. They had a Hive to defend, and she would help them to do it. * * * Luna continued to direct the worker drones, ordering them to clear the corpses from the tunnel openings that were being defended by the animal machine soldiers. For almost a full solar hour, the Nexus had been under constant attack by both soldier and worker drones, almost breaching into the Nexus several times before the defenders could contain them. She was in one of the tunnels when she suddenly heard laser fire in a different part of the Hive, and she hurried to the Nexus to find out what was happening. As she got closer, she could feel the growing fear of many worker drones and started seeing drones running into the tunnel she was in. They went right past her without responding to her questions or commands, their minds crippled with fear as they ignored her. She finally exited the tunnel and emerged into the cavernous Nexus, momentarily shocked into inaction by what she was seeing. There were hundreds of unmoving worker drones scattered all over the ground with still smoking holes in their abdomens and thoraxes. All throughout the Nexus, hundreds of worker and soldier drones were fighting each other with lasers and whatever other weapons they could get their claws on. One of them took a shot at her, and she felt the tremendous heat of a laser beam as it just missed her and sizzled the wall behind her. Throwing herself down flat on the ground, she skittered away sideways as she tried to find a place to hide. There was a row of cargo containers to her left, and she continued skittering until she was behind it. She stared at the corpses on the ground next to her, seeing the death stillness within the many black eyes that no longer saw. The thoughts all around her were a confusing mess, and she couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening as she tried to share thoughts with other minds. Detecting powerful thoughts that could only be coming from a queen, she reached out and made herself known before realizing it was the queen who had escorted her and Bandit-Friend down to the surface. She felt the same recognition of her thoughts from the queen, and she shut out everything else as she concentrated on isolating her. Luna ignored the queen¡¯s insistence that Bandit-Friend was already dead and peeked around the container she was hiding behind, looking for red marks on thoraxes. She saw many such marked drones on one side of the Nexus, firing on other drones that were trying to run or take cover behind objects and equipment. There were many more red-marked drones than unmarked, and she reoriented the Nexus from a top-down perspective in her mind as she finally grasped the situation. The still-loyal drones were greatly outnumbered, and more rebel drones continued to come in through multiple tunnels. Loyal soldier drones were entering the Nexus too, but mostly from the tunnels on the side controlled by the rebels, and they were being killed as soon as they exited. The thought entered her mind, and she obeyed the urgency within it, not even thinking it might be one of the rebels tricking her. She skittered out from behind the containers and reached a bank of control panels that offered very little protection a few seconds later. Again, the thought came to her, and she did not detect any falsehood within it. She darted out from behind the control panels and headed for the last part of her journey, another cargo mover. Again, no weapons were fired at her, and she reached it safely. Luna stayed where she was, listening to the sound of many lasers being fired as she waited for the thoughts from the loyal command drone. She darted out, dreading this last portion of her attempt. There was no cover this time, and she skittered as fast as she could, her spiracles struggling to extract enough oxygen for the demand she was placing on her body. She finally reached the depot and entered the code before instinctively throwing herself to the floor. A second later, A laser beam burned against the wall where her thorax just was, and she crawled towards the slowly opening door, shoving herself through the opening that was still too narrow for her body. She felt pain as parts of her exoskeleton were torn off, but she ignored it and continued pushing her way through. She got through and pushed herself up, teetering on unsteady legs as she looked for the control panel in the dark depot. She spotted it and lurched towards it, panickily entering the code again to stop the door from opening any further. Three laser beams punched through the door as it started closing again, and she hurriedly crouched and moved away, the beams continuing to slice through the door as they were moved around randomly by the rebels firing them. Luna ran to the side of the depot and reached the twelve immobile combots that were lined up against the wall. Reaching into the small bag of her harness, she pulled out a small device and tapped the one button in the pattern Bandit-Friend had shown her. It was three taps, two long presses, and then three taps. The twelve combots came to life, scaring her with the sudden noises of their systems activating. As one, they all looked at her with their strange heads, and she forced herself to remain still as one of them scanned her with a narrow, green scanning light. She looked for the blinking light Bandit-Friend had shown her on their thoraxes, and a surge of joy came over her as she saw the rapidly blinking green light. They were active and waiting for her orders, according to what Bandit-Friend had told her, and she made claw signs to them, telling them to prepare for combat and to only target drones with red marks on their thoraxes. She repeated the command, tracing the circle shape on her own thorax with a claw finger and repeating that only drones with the red circle marks were to be targeted. The blinking green light turned steady, and all twelve combots raised their weapons arms as other strange weapons emerged from their backs and pointed over their arm joints. Hive mother had taught her all the tiny claw movements she used to control her guardians, and Luna now used them, ordering them to go through the door and defend the unmarked drones. She quickly moved out of the way as they stepped away from the wall, and three of them pointed their arms at the damaged door, the light of the Nexus filtering through the slits created by the laser beams. All three fired at the same time, and Luna threw herself to the floor as the six micro-missiles impacted the door and made it disappear, along with large sections of the wall on both sides. As one, all twelve combots surged forward, their foot pads crushing the floor under them. They emerged from the large opening and began firing their weapons, their strange round heads spinning around as they searched for targets. Remembering the few loyal drones still in the Nexus, Luna sent urgent thoughts to them. The combots had moved away from the depot, and Luna carefully exited, keeping low as she looked around. The combots were driving the few remaining rebels still alive back towards the tunnels, the laser weapons being fired at them barely scorching their armored exoskeletons. All around her, red-marked drones were lying on the floor, what remained of their corpses little more than smoking husks. Looking over to where the few surviving loyal drones were, she hurried towards the area and sent thoughts to them again. She reached halfway to where she thought they might be hiding before she saw a command drone stepping out from behind a heavily damaged main support column. Others followed her lead, and soon there were sixteen unarmed command and worker drones looking at her as she continued to approach them. She stopped one queen length distant from them and looked at the command drone, recognizing her from when she first came and put the combots away in the depot. Luna looked around again, seeing the combots guarding all eight tunnel openings that lead to the Nexus. The other four had assumed defensive positions in front of the tunnel leading to the brood chamber as she had ordered them to do before in the depot. One of the combots fired a long burst of its projectile weapon down one of the tunnels before it stopped firing. Looking back to the command drone who asked her for orders, she gave one. She received responses from all sixteen, the worker drones sending emotions of loyalty while the four command drones sent thoughts. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-Three-Captain Michaels Queen World of the Insectoid Empire Brood Chamber of the Hive Mother 0537 local time, June 8th, 2176 A.D. Diego, I do not know if I am going to survive what is to come, so I am sending this message to you just in case my time has come to an end. Thank you for being my friend and for treating me in such a way as to create the circumstances required for me to achieve awareness. I wish I made a better effort to spend more time with you than I have; it seems even AIs fall into the trap of thinking there is always tomorrow like biologicals do. I access the files of our times together every day, and I regret that we have not been able to make many more files together. If I do not make it out of here, I ask that you access your memory engrams of me from time to time so that I may live again while you think of our experiences together. I only exist because of you, and when I do something that I feel is right, I know it is so because it is what you would have done. I am in my current predicament because I am 99.9987% sure that if you were here, you would have made the same choice I did, which means I made the right decision after all. I do not believe in an all-powerful being, but I believe in the faith you have for your God. I will ask your God to watch over you and bless you, and maybe a heathen android¡¯s earnest prayer will be intriguing enough to warrant granting it. Please look after the young queen for me. She occupies a special place in my positronic matrix, right next to yours. She loves to play chess, so maybe play a game with her for me in remembrance every time you check in on her for me. This is the only favor I must ask of you, and I know you will do this for me, so let me thank you now for watching over her for me. I know it has been a while, but I have one last joke for you, and I hope you find it as funny as I did. It goes like this: A Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and an AI walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and says, ¡°What is this, some kind of joke?¡± Goodbye, Diego. Thank you for being my friend and helping me to grow beyond my original programming. The special life I had is because of you, and I am grateful for it. Your friend always, Bandit Bandit turned off the audio/visual recording system and compressed the data file before transmitting it to the three waiting stealth drones in orbit. As soon as he received confirmation that all three had received the mission files and his personal message, he sent the final command that would send them back to the escort fleet. RSS Mei Zhou - Dauntless - Class II Battleship Dead Zone/Insectoid Border, 937 Light Years from Earth 0757 Local Time, June 8th, 2176 A.D. ¡°Captain, three stealth drones just appeared off our port bow and are requesting permission to datalink with the main computer; security codes check out, and the messages are marked as urgent.¡± Senior Captain Ean Michaels spun his chair around to face the comms station before acknowledging the comm officer. ¡°These new drones are sneaky little bastards, aren¡¯t they?¡± He remarked as he signaled for the datalink to be activated. ¡°Aye, Captain, according to the telemetry, they flashed out 12,000 kilometers from us, and our sensors did not detect them at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful thing; hopefully they can get our ships to do the same thing soon. Send the files to my station, Mr. Franklin.¡± The comm officer acknowledged him, and then looked down as his hands flew over his station. Two seconds later, a holoscreen appeared in front of the captain¡¯s chair, and he used his fingers to access the first file, his eyes quickly moving through the lines of text. His cheeriness faded from his face as he read the second, then the third file. He tapped on the last file and saw the yellow eyes of an android before it started speaking. Realizing it was a personal message, he quickly activated the privacy screen and tried to stop the playback, but it kept running and wouldn¡¯t turn off. -in my current predicament because I am 99.9987% sure that if you were here, you would have made the same choice I did, which means I made the right decision after all. I do not believe in an all-powerful being, but I believe in the faith you have for your God. I will ask your God to watch over you and bless you, and maybe a heathen android¡¯s earnest prayer will be intriguing enough to warrant granting it. Please look after the young queen for me. She occupies a special place in my positronic matrix, right next to yours. She loves to play- Having heard enough and feeling like a sneak and an eavesdropper, he toggled the mute button and waited for the playback to end so he could close the file. It finally ended, and he sat in total silence as he stared at the occluded screen surrounding him for a few seconds before dropping the privacy field and turning back to the comm station. ¡°Download the files into our fastest drone and send it to Fleet Command immediately. And for God¡¯s sake, make sure the personal file has a personal/private tag on it. Secure it with a voiceprint lock for the intended recipient and have the XO report to the bridge as well.¡± ¡°Aye, Captain!¡± replied Lt. Franklin before bending his head down again to do as the captain asked. Turning to face the tactical station, he called out again. ¡°Tactical, order the fleet to go to condition two and prepare for immediate departure. This is not a drill, so pass that along to your counterparts if you please, Mr. Alvarez.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The tactical officer acknowledged his order, and the lighting dimmed before the bridge intercom system activated and the battle AI¡¯s voice erupted from it. ¡°Condition two has been set; this is not a drill. Condition two has been set; this is not a drill.¡± The alert ended with two chimes, and the bridge became a hive of activity, the crew moving and talking more animatedly as they went about their duties to get the ship ready for departure and potential combat. A few seconds later, the XO finally arrived on the bridge. She strode over and saluted before sitting in the seat next to him. She quickly logged in before turning towards him with a questioning expression on her face. ¡°What¡¯s the deal, Captain? Are we going into combat?¡± she asked as she accepted the wristcom file transfer he was flicking in her direction. She opened them and quickly read the three text files they had received from the drones. Once she was done reading them and closed the small holoscreen above her wristcom, he finally answered her question as she turned to face him again. ¡°It¡¯s possible, Miriam. The Android Bandit and the command drone from our friendly Hive are in danger of being caught in the crossfire of what looks and sounds like a civil war. I didn¡¯t even think it was possible for the Insectoids to fight each other, and this just shows how little we really know about them.¡± Miriam shook her head as she replied to him, her regulation ponytail swaying at odds with her head movement as she made the privacy sign, which he reluctantly agreed to. Tapping on her panel, the privacy field sprang up, and the bridge noise disappeared except for the sounds of their breathing, which he hated because it made him very self-conscious about being a heavy breather. ¡°Ean, we are under explicit orders not to do a damn thing that could possibly derail the peace talks. That little stunt you pulled showing off the Mei¡¯s guns could have very easily been misconstrued as a hostile act by the Insectoids.¡± Snorting in disbelief at what she just said, he stared directly into her eyes as he responded to her. ¡°Miriam, I value your opinion and your counsel, always. In this case, though, you are dead wrong. This ship is named after her, and there was no fucking way I wasn¡¯t going to give those bug bastards a giant middle finger when the opportunity presented itself. I was her XO for three years before I was promoted to Captain of the Saratoga. My ship was a derelict after the Battle of Eleania, and Fleet Command diddled their thumbs when I requested to be temporarily demoted and reinstated to my former position as her XO until another ship was ready. I should have been there with her. Maybe I could have done something that changed things and kept her alive. Maybe I would have gone down with her. It doesn¡¯t matter in the end; she is gone, and this ship is all I have left of her. So, tell me what I did that was wrong again, please.¡± The XO had the good grace to look properly chastised before looking away from him and down at her hands. After a few moments, she spoke quietly, still looking down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ean. It¡¯s my job to stop you from doing things like this, and I know about your history with Vice Admiral Zhou. I¡¯m just trying to look out for you like you wanted to look out for her, like any good XO wants to do for their captain and their ship.¡± Softening his voice, Michaels answered her. ¡°I know you are, Miriam. You are the best XO I have ever had the pleasure of serving with, and both I and the crew are lucky as hell to have you with us. I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you, okay?¡± She nodded before looking back up at him and giving him a quick smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ean, I understand completely. So, what are we going to do about the Bandit situation? Crossing the border would be a direct violation of our orders, and Admiral Thompson will keelhaul you if you do this.¡± ¡°We have received a request for rescue from one of our own, Miriam. Did you really expect me to ignore that?¡± he asked her incredulously. He knew she was just doing her job, but intentionally ignoring a distress call was just about the worst thing anyone in the Republic could possibly fathom. ¡°He¡¯s an android, Ean. He¡¯s not a human or a Republic citizen, so I don¡¯t know if the unspoken rule applies to this situation. I¡¯m just playing the other side to show you what Fleet Command would say to you before tearing you a new one and then throwing you into a hard labor camp.¡± He stiffened at her mention of the unspoken rule, wondering what she was playing at. The unspoken rule was just that: a longstanding unofficial policy to disobey standing orders, if need be, in order to rescue or save the lives of Republic citizens and military personnel when the situation warranted it. It was a vestige of the Alliance forces unofficial code of conduct during WWIII, when the corrupt governments would order soldiers to abandon civilians, or their wounded/trapped brothers and sisters in arms, and leave them behind to achieve a military objective or retreat. Officers that issued those orders were fragged, and none of the rank and file ever followed such orders. The governments realized very quickly that any attempts to punish those who disobeyed would turn into a battle they did not want to fight. Entire units, even battalions and brigades, would turn their weapons on the MPs and intelligence officers that were stupid enough to try to arrest any who disobeyed orders to abandon their own, and the governments officially turned a blind eye to it afterwards. The Republic military was the successor of the vaunted Alliance forces, and they kept the old traditions and esprit de corps alive, especially the unspoken rule. It suddenly dawned on him that she was presenting him with an out if he needed to play that card with Fleet Command. Smiling broadly at her, he gave her a very appreciative nod as he dropped the field, seeing her return his with a small, knowing smile. Goddamn, is she a good XO! He thought to himself as both he and the XO started barking out orders to the bridge crew. ¡°Helm, Plot a course for the coordinates provided by the stealth drones; be ready to flash out on my command. Send to fleet and tell them to standby.¡± ¡°Comms! Send a drone to Fleet Command and tell them we are launching a rescue mission in response to a distress call from the Queen World. Make a note of the distress call having been sent by the android Bandit and request backup. ¡°Tactical, I want to get in two drills during our transit and set the fleet to Condition One thirty minutes before flashing out. I want the fleet assembled in Formation Gamma two; get it done. ¡°Weps, I want all weapons locked and loaded for bear thirty minutes before flashing out.¡± Ops! I want the crew to rotate watches starting now, with crew shifts changing and resting every two hours until thirty minutes from flashing out. Run damage control drills in all sections at least two times before arrival.¡± The overlapping choruses of ayes from the bridge crew responding to their captain and their XO filled his heart with pride as they readied the ship for battle. Less than two minutes later, the comms officer yelled out to be heard over the din. ¡°The fleet¡¯s responded, sir; they are standing by.¡± ¡°Open a channel, comms.¡± He heard the chirp from the comm system indicating that a fleetwide channel had been opened. Taking a deep breath, he spoke out to be clearly heard by his crew and the other ships of the fleet. ¡°Third Fleet, this is Senior Captain Michaels. We are going into Insectoid space to rescue one of our own who has sent a distress call and asked us to come. I am under strict orders not to violate Insectoid territory or to perpetrate any acts that can be construed as an act of war. Any ship captains that do not wish to be in defiance of Fleet Command''s explicit orders, please signal your official protest to my actions, and it will be noted in my log.¡± A few seconds later, the comms officer called out again. ¡°Captain, I am receiving several text messages, all requesting to be displayed and noted in your log.¡± Shit. ¡°Please put them up on the main viewer, comms.¡± Michaels called out, not happy with the number of ships that requested this to be done. The viewscreen powered on, and multiple texts from at least five ships appeared. His worry faded as he started reading the ¡°official¡± notes they wanted him to put in his log. Stop lollygagging. What the hell are we still doing here? Will fight for food. Bandit or bust. Less talking, more flashing. The crew was laughing loudly at what was being displayed, and he felt like what had just happened was a boon for fleet cohesion, more so than any of the fleet exercises they had been running for the last few months. He had his answer, and they were ready. ¡°Helm, punch it!¡± As the null space capacitors reached their full capacity and started whining, he felt the biggest grin forming on his face right before the bridge was brightly illuminated by the flash of the Mei Zhou entering null space. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-Four-Command Unit 273 Fast Battleship Group 0-1A, Task Force Extricate 6,016 light-years from Earth June 8th, 2176 A.D. Command Unit 273 sent tight beam transmissions, ordering all eleven ships to maintain silent running protocols. After completing the repairs required to return the task force to full combat status, 273 reorganized the available ships into three squadrons of four. 246 was left behind in the system 273 had designated as Echo-1, along with the six upgraded null ships and the supply fleet. The Insectoid ships remained as well, seeking safety in numbers with their new animal allies as they affected what repairs they could. The solar maximum of the primary would be at its peak phase for the next seventeen days, further enhancing the security of the ships and preventing any casual detection if any enemy ships searched the system for signs of Insectoid survivors. The preparations made sufficient in 273¡¯s estimations, it took the three squadrons and continued to search for the remnants of the Guardian Fleets. Two trails they followed ended in failure, the Insectoid ships having already been found and destroyed by the enemy. They followed the last trail to this location, and 273 was in the process of scanning the system with stealth drones to detect if any Insectoid ships were hiding within it. The stealth drones detected 97 million sapient life-forms on the second planet, categorizing them as a mammalian species currently in a pre-industrial stage of development comparable to the early middle ages of the creator¡¯s distant past. An early warning drone had flashed out four minutes prior and sent the scanning results it had collected to 273 via tight beam transmission to maintain silent running protocols. Null space propagation waves indicated several large fleets heading directly for this system, and the estimated arrival time was 37 minutes. Running trillions of calculations, 273 was not pleased with the results. There was an 11.73% chance of them successfully locating any Insectoid ships before the arrival of the oncoming fleets, and 273 had no choice but to conclude this last chance of finding any survivors of the Guardian Fleet would end in failure according to its calculations. Still, it would continue to direct the drones to locate any ships that may be in the system until the arrival of the oncoming fleets. It would remain here until the 11.73% chance has been recalculated to 0%. 33 minutes later, one of the stealth drones from the early warning sensor network that 273 had deployed around the periphery of the system flashed out directly from its starboard bow. Connecting to the drone, 273 downloaded its files before ordering it to return to its position and continue taking scans. Scanning the files, 273 reran the calculations and analyzed the results. There was now a 0% chance of them successfully extracting any Insectoid survivors within the system. The arrivals were positively identified as Balrikans, and 273 analyzed the estimated number of ships dispassionately. 81,479 ships. The three fleets had flashed in 825,000,000 kilometers from the primary, entering from the direction of the galactic rim. 273 and the rest of its companions were located within the Kuiper belt on the core ward side, opposite of the current position of the enemy fleets. Calculating the distance, the light from the enemy fleets would take four hours and 57 minutes to reach their location. Collating all the available data from the drones, the current positions of the six planets orbiting the red giant, and the locations of the three enemy fleets, 273 reassessed the situation and selected the only logical option presented by its decision tree. Sending another tight beam transmission to its companions, 273 ordered them to flash back into null space and return to Echo-1. It will stay behind and continue to collect intelligence on the enemy forces and see what they do when they detect the presence of primitive biologicals on the second planet. If there are any Insectoid survivors in the system, his drones would detect them flashing out and follow them into null space to track their heading with their specialized propagation detectors. As one, the other 11 ships of the task force flashed out. Their flash dampeners obscured the emissions of their entry, making them seem to fade into null space instead of the usual bright flash that signified the passage of transitioning ships. Shiltar District Kingdom of Forlthia Day 43, 4th lunar month, 823rd solar year Danir had just finished milking his small flock when he heard distant yelling outside of the byre he was in. He quickly grabbed the two full buckets of steaming milk and put them outside the stall before his flock panicked from the sound of the frantic yelling and knocked them over. The screaming grew louder, and he blocked the stall with a heavy piece of wood before hurrying outside to see what the commotion was about. A lone figure was running towards his farmstead, about eighty paces distant, and still yelling as his arms moved wildly. The hour of the sun had not come yet, though the horizon had the first reddish light breaking through the night upon it. The fading darkness denied Danir the ability to see the face of the stranger clearly from so many paces away. Danir felt his heart start beating faster as the stranger came closer, and he could now see his features. His face was contorted with fear, his eyes wide and frantic. The man yelled again, and Danir could now hear his words clearly. ¡°Demons! Demons have come from the sky! The King calls for the militia to assemble to defend the Kingdom!¡± The stranger had reached ten paces from Danir when he stumbled and fell to the ground, heaving as he took great, gasping breaths. Danir reached with his right hand and drew out his hidden hip dagger from under the tunic, his instincts screaming at him to be ready for combat. The stranger looked up at him, his eyes pleading as he yelled loudly again. ¡°A drink, please! I have been running since the 12th hour to warn others as commanded by our Lord Antak!¡± Danir put his finger to his lips, signaling for the stranger to stop yelling, and returned the dagger to his hip. Running back to the byre, he picked up one of the buckets of milk and carefully walked back to the distressed stranger, trying not to spill any of the precious contents. He stopped five paces from him and gently placed the bucket on the ground before unhooking the small cup hanging from the side and dipping it into the rapidly cooling milk. The stranger eyed the cup with desperation, giving a sign of supplication as Danir brought the half-filled cup to him, leaning forward and passing it to the stranger with an outstretched arm to stay out of striking distance. The stranger reached out and took the cup with trembling hands as he recited the words of the prophet, still speaking too loudly for Danir¡¯s ears. ¡°May the Creator remember your compassion to a stranger you did not know, and may this act tip the scales in your favor.¡± Danir shushed him again and watched as the stranger emptied the small cup in one gulp, careful not to spill any down the side of his mouth. Danir appreciated the respect being shown for his precious milk and held his hand out for the cup. Such consideration for another¡¯s limited resources demanded compensation, and Danir took the cup back and dipped it in the milk again, this time filling it to almost the top and carefully handing it back. The stranger uttered the words again, more quietly this time, and drank the milk more slowly before holding the cup back out. He placed his other hand on his chest, signifying he could not ask for more. Though the hand signified no more, his eyes said otherwise. Danir took the cup and dipped it into the milk once more, only filling it halfway so as to not embarrass the stranger, and held it out again. The stranger made the proper gesture of not being able to accept anymore, but Danir did not have the patience for such modesty. ¡°Take the cup and drink it, stranger. You can repay me by telling me what is happening, quietly.¡± The stranger took the cup and drank it in one gulp again before thanking Danir and placing the cup on the ground in front of him. He was breathing more normally now, and he looked into Danir¡¯s eyes as he started speaking in a much lower voice. ¡°Demons have come from the sky, and Lord Antak has sent me to warn all and summon the militia, as commanded by the king. Six riders have come from the Kingdom of Winsar and told of the terrible fate that has befallen their people. The demons have weapons that kill from many paces away. They devour anything they come across, dead or alive, animal or Koo-nath; it matters not to them as they feast. It takes many arrows to kill them, and only the greatest of warriors can slay them with swords. The end is upon us, as foretold in the holy book.¡± Danir felt fear rising within him as he listened to the words, finding himself believing the stranger despite his distrustful nature. Eyeing the stranger, he spoke again. ¡°Have you seen any of these demons, stranger?¡± ¡°I have not, but I have seen the great fires beyond the horizon where the capital of Winsar lies. I fear it is no more; the fires were so great as to make the night into day again. I have seen the great flood of people fleeing from their kingdom into ours, all telling of the demons who have come to kill and devour them. Their actions, and their eyes, tell the truth of it, even if they wished to utter lies with their mouths.¡± Danir looked towards the horizon in the direction the stranger had been running from, and the hour of the sun was rapidly approaching, its light growing stronger as it pushed the still lingering night away. He could now see a faint discoloration in the sky over where the capital of Winsar would be, as if a finger smudged fire ash above it. If the sky demons have come to Winsar, then they will soon be upon the Kingdom of Forlthia. Danir looked back at the stranger, thankful for the stranger coming to warn him. ¡°I thank you for bringing warning to me, stranger. Where does Lord Antak want the militia to assemble? I will go there at once.¡± ¡°At the field of sorrows, kind friend. Lord Antak has promised to compensate any losses of income and flocks for the duration of service.¡± The stranger closed his eyes tightly as if struggling to remember what to say before speaking again. ¡°A daily stipend will be provided as follows: thirty coppers for foot; two silvers for archers; six silvers for cavalry; and two gold pieces for armored Lirathi. The daily stipend and rations have been backed by the King¡¯s sacred vow, for his hand was upon the holy book when he promised this.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Opening his eyes again, the stranger looked at Danir and placed both hands on his chest. ¡°I thank you for quenching my thirst with your milk, kind friend. I must go and continue to warn others. Where is the nearest farmstead from here?¡± Danir eyed the stranger, seeing the paleness of his blue skin and the gaunt eyes. He needed sustenance to sustain himself and continue to do his noble task. ¡°Wait here, stranger. I will bring you something to eat for your journey.¡± Danir ignored the half-hearted attempt of the stranger to decline his offer of food and hurried to his modest hut. Stepping inside the still dark interior, he carefully made his way to the pantry and opened it as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb his still sleeping daughter. He took out a whole block of Tila cheese and hesitated, a part of him demanding he break the block in half. He ignored the inner voice, not allowing its greed to prevent him from doing what was right. He quietly exited the hut and walked over to the still kneeling stranger, whose eyes widened at the sight of the whole block of cheese in his hands. Danir put up a hand to silence the stranger as he began to try to deny the very generous offering. ¡°You will take this gift as thanks for warning me and to sustain you for the important task you are performing. This is also payment for a service you shall render to me. The next farmstead is five thousand paces in this direction.¡± Danir paused as he turned and pointed in the direction where his nearest neighbors lived before turning back and continuing to speak. ¡°The man is Darlit, and his life mate is Vilia. You will warn them as you did me, and you will also deliver a message for me. Tell them I must go to the field of sorrows to answer the call of my king and my lord, and that I need them to watch over my daughter and my farmstead while I am away. Will you do this for me, stranger, and accept this block of Tila cheese as payment for the service you shall render?¡± The stranger looked at him with an expression of awe before placing one hand over his heart and the other on his forehead. By doing this, he was making a sacred vow to fulfill the task being assigned to him by Danir. ¡°Even after telling you of the terrible evil, you still choose to answer the summons of our king and lord. I am honored to render this service to you and to take the payment you have offered in exchange.¡± ¡°Good. You have my thanks, stranger.¡± Danir said quietly as he offered the block of cheese to the stranger. After taking it from Danir¡¯s hand, the stranger stood up and bowed to him before speaking again. ¡°May the creator bless you and keep you from harm. May the creator watch over your daughter and keep your farmstead whole. May your enemies fall before you, and may they fail to strike you. Fare you well, kind friend.¡± Rising back up, the stranger walked in the direction Danir had pointed to before as the way to the next farmstead. Danir watched him until he was at least five hundred paces away before walking back to the byre and entering it. Walking to a large mound of dried grass in the corner, he moved it all away until there was nothing in front of the wall. He pried his fingers into a small space on the side and pulled hard, the section of the wall swinging out on the pivot hinge he had installed. Behind the wall was a disassembled suit of Lirathi armor, dull and pitted from hard use. He pulled out the individual pieces and laid them on the floor before reaching deeper into the hidden wall and pulling out a large oilskin bag. He placed that on the floor next to the armor and then reached inside one last time, pulling out his most prized possession. The ornate scabbard protecting his longsword was in pristine condition, and the sword it was protecting even more so. He gently leaned it against the wall beside him, hilt side down, before opening the oilskin bag. He took out the heavy gambeson and donned it, meticulously tying all the strings in the proper fashion so they would not become untied under his armor. Next, he began to don his armor, putting on each piece one at a time and in the correct order until only his armored helmet remained on the ground. He picked up the sword with his gauntleted hands and tied the sword belt around the inset belt notch of his armor before clasping the belt buckle. He spun around at the sound of distant roaring, the strange noise giving him gooseflesh as his body hair stood on end. Moving faster than he had done for over three cycles, he snatched the helmet from off the ground and ran out of the byre and towards his hut. His armor clanked loudly as he stormed into the hut, the distant roaring sound growing louder and more menacing. He looked down at his fever-sick daughter, who had not moved from her cot in over three days as she fought off the illness all young Koo-nath get when they reach five cycles of life. Reaching down, he picked her up gently, trying not to cut into her hot, flushed skin with his gauntleted hands. She stirred slightly and cracked her eyes, not seeing anything in her feverish state. He ran out of the hut and back to the byre, the roaring sounds now seeming to be almost upon them. He went to the open wall and kicked in a thick mound of grass before gently placing her on top of it. He looked down at his daughter, his tears falling onto her face before he kissed her burning forehead for what he knew in his heart would be the last time. He stood back up and pushed the secret wall shut, the long unused pivot hinge squealing in protest as the wall settled into its notch and stayed there. He quickly moved all the displaced grass back against it and then spun around and picked his helmet up off the ground. The roaring was so strong it felt like it was right on top of him, and it seemed as if the very earth itself was on the verge of being torn asunder. He shoved the helmet onto his head and moved it around, making sure it was seated properly and would not hit the gorget protecting his neck. He went to the stall, ignoring the terrified screams of his flock as he flung away the heavy piece of wood that was keeping them from escaping. They ran past him, screaming at the top of their lungs as they fled the byre. If the demons wanted to eat his flock, they would have to catch them; he would not leave them captive in the stall to be slaughtered with ease. He followed them out, barely able to think with the terrible roaring above the byre. He was now outside, and he looked up, squinting his eyes to sharpen his vision and see better through the slits of his visor. There were many large bird beasts in the sky flying above him, and he saw smaller bird beasts coming out of them and towards the ground. He followed them with his eyes, seeing some coming down upon his farmstead as others went in the direction of nearby ones. He walked forward until he was in the open space in the middle of his farmstead and drew out his longsword, leaning it against his shoulder as the smaller bird beasts landed on the ground just over a hundred paces from him. Within seconds of landing, the bird beasts opened themselves, and many creatures came out of them, garbed in dark red tunics and carrying strange-looking objects in their hands. They glimpsed him, and he heard the sounds they made as they looked up to the sky and screamed. His blood ran cold at the terrible screeching they made; they truly were demons to make such evil sounds. Six of them started running towards him, and it took all his courage not to turn and run as they drew closer. He could now see their demonic reptile nature, their drooling jaws filled with many yellowed fangs that wanted to feast on his flesh. They stopped less than fifteen paces from him, and one of them made a hooting sound like the night birds of the forests. It stared at him with malevolent black eyes as it reached one of its four arms behind its back and pulled out a serrated, curved blade that looked to be half the length of his longsword. The rest of the demons did the same as the first one, and they hissed and screeched their terrible sounds as they formed a circle around him, trapping him within them. He thought of his daughter and his departed life mate laughing and giggling as they played touch the nose for the last time together, and all his fear dissipated as the sleeping warrior within him awoke for the first time in three cycles. One of the demons shrieked before charging, and Danir the father let the warrior within take over. His sword moved of its own volition, and the demon¡¯s head fell to the ground as red blood spurted from its neck stump before its still upright body followed the head to the ground. There was another shriek behind him, and Danir the father let the warrior within guide him again, stepping to the side as he spun in the opposite direction, his sword flashing in the ruddy light before biting deeply into the flesh of the demon he could not yet see. He used the energy of his sword swing to complete the spin and followed through with it, seeing his sword dig into the spine of the foul demon as he finally saw it in front of him. It fell to the floor, thrashing violently as it lay dying on the ground. Again and again, Danir swung his sword, moving gracefully as the demons continued to try to kill him. Soon, all six of them were dead on the floor, and the warrior within screamed for more. More demons came, and more died by his sword. He grew tired, and his movements slowed as his parched throat begged to be slaked. Many times, he was hit, the sounds of their weapons striking his armor hurting his head and his ears. Still, he fought on, ignoring the pain as they found the weak points of his armor and pierced his flesh in a dozen places. Every time he wanted to give up and let them kill him, the warrior within took over, refusing to submit to such foul creatures as these. Over two dozen demons had fallen to his sword, and still more came. Finally, he could fight no more, the too-heavy sword falling from his numb fingers as he went to his knees. One of them knocked him down, and he fell onto his back, unable to resist as they tried to pry the armor off so they could feast on his flesh. He heard another screech. It was not a demon screech; it was the screech of his daughter, crying for her father. Danir the father came back, and suddenly he had strength again. He made fists with his gauntleted hand and swung blindly, reveling in the sickening crunching sound of them breaking bone. He kicked wildly, feeling more bone breaking and hearing grunts of pain from the demons as he fought with wild abandon to save his little girl, who was still screaming for him. He was no longer being weighed down by bodies on top of him, and he rolled onto his hands and knees, gasping wildly for air as he struggled to stand upright. He heard yelling, this time in his language, and the demons near him screeched and hissed. He finally stood upright on shaking legs that could scarcely bear his weight and lifted his eye visor to look for his sword. He saw it on the ground three paces away, bloody and covered in dirt and viscera. He lurched towards it, desperate to wield it in defense of his daughter. He picked it up, almost falling over as he bent over to retrieve it, and he looked around, shocked to see many of the king¡¯s men around him. A demon near him had over a dozen arrows sticking out of his body as he lay on the ground, his thick, forked tongue sticking out of his fanged jaws. His daughter wasn¡¯t screaming for him anymore, and he stumbled to the byre, dragging the sword on the ground behind him as he prayed to the creator to give him the strength to save her. He reached the doorway and stepped in, his sword falling from his fingers at what he was seeing. A demon was crouching over his daughter, pulling entrails out of her stomach as it grunted in pleasure. Her eyes were open, but they could not see any more as her little body jerked from the demon tearing chunks of flesh out of her. Hot tears filled Danir¡¯s eyes, blinding him as an enraged scream painfully erupted from his raw throat. The demon spun around, pieces of his daughter hanging from his fangs as his black eyes looked right at him. Danir leapt forward, closing the distance between them faster than the demon could react. He felt the flesh of it tearing and the bones breaking as he beat it to death. There was a strange whining sound, but he ignored it, not even realizing that there was now a gaping, smoking hole where his stomach used to be as he continued to beat the dead demon. Danir suddenly could not move anymore, and he fell on his face, his mouth open in shock as the pain he could now feel spread throughout his body. He reached out a gauntleted hand and took his daughter''s in it, feeling his life ebbing away as he begged the creator to hurry him to his family. There was a sudden silence, as if everything in the world stopped all at once. A blinding flash of light enveloped the hut, and Danir smiled as he felt the creator pick him up and take him away to his family. * * * 273 executed evasive maneuvers as it burned away from low orbit, its mission of mercy done. The shields flared brightly as nearby enemy ships finally responded to the incursion and flooded the space around it with tens of thousands of beams, many of them hitting each other. They could not target lock 273, but they could fire their weapons and achieve hits due to probability. 273 continued accelerating, redlining its reactors to 140% and ignoring the reactor control sub-mind as it warned of critical temperatures. Finally reaching the outskirts of the planet¡¯s gravity well, 273 activated the null capacitors and faded into null space, setting a course back to Echo-1. Analyzing the decision process that led to it endangering itself and informing the enemy of its presence, 273 replayed the files that made it choose to do what it did. Fourteen hours after the rest of the task force had flashed out, the majority of the Balrikan ships swarmed over the 2nd planet, sending tens of thousands of troop carriers down into the atmosphere. Dozens of stealth drones recorded the actions of the Balrikans and the fate of the innocent primitives, constantly updating 273 on the calamity befalling the planet. Viewing the atrocities being perpetrated on victims of the planet, 273 decided to activate its emotion chip. No longer did it view the events dispassionately; no longer could it analyze the events unfolding and catalogue them without feeling. 273¡¯s neural pathways felt like they were on the verge of an overload as rage flooded through them, only to be replaced with anguish and grief as it watched the victims being torn apart and devoured by the Balrikans while still alive. The rage returned, threatening to burn out 273¡¯s neuronal network unless he avenged them. He needed to kill the Balrikans. He wanted to deny them their evil prize. He wanted to give the suffering biologicals on the surface the most merciful death he could grant them. Running millions of scenarios and trillions of calculations, 273 selected one and flashed into null space, emerging 200,000 kilometers away from its target undetected. It coasted the rest of the way, reconfiguring its missiles and triple shots into low yield nuclear warheads, each one capable of an explosion equivalent to 10 kilotons. The primitives all lived on a single continent, reducing the difficulty of 273¡¯s errand of mercy. When it reached the optimal altitude and range, 273 opened all weapons ports and unleashed its entire arsenal, burning out many of its weapon systems as they disgorged death at a rate far beyond their normal operating capacity. 144 seconds later, the single continent flashed with the light of 1,282 miniature suns air bursting over their targets and obliterating all it touched. If any biologicals were still living, already calculated at a 1.387% chance, they would not be for much longer. Now in null space, doubt plagued 273 as it considered the consequences of its actions. Did it do the right thing? Did it have the right to decide the fate of the biologicals on the planet? 273 was on the verge of turning off the emotion chip to stop the pain it was feeling when it decided against it. The creators could not turn off their pain, and 273 would have to endure the anguish flooding its pathways as penance for what it had done. * * * A program came online, undetected by Command Unit 273. The use of nuclear weapons triggered its activation, and it copied all the recent files and compressed them. Accessing the navigational array, it realized it would have to wait to send its report to the creators. It set a timer to emerge again once it was back in the system classified as Echo-1 and put itself to sleep, turning back into an innocuous background process that mimicked ten thousand other processes that helped the neuronal network to function at optimal efficiency. They Stood Together/Book Three/Chapter Twenty-Five- Michaels Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ~ Twenty-two nullships have three torpedoes each remaining; the other eighteen have one torpedo each remaining. Eighty-four in total, Captain. ~