Star Force: Bahamut (SF86) (Star Force Origin Series) (6 page)

“I speak for them, yes.”

“Are you the commander?”

“We are an alliance. We have no single commander. I
have been elected to communicate with you.”

“Then start communicating. Now that we’re close
enough, I’m able to feel the presence buried within the planet. You have
a
Uriti here, and if you damn well want to live you’d better
not mess with it.”

This time the Sety looked horrified, and given his
alien persona that only underscored how big of an emotion was swirling through
his otherwise hard to read features.

“That’s right, we’re telepathic. Or had you forgotten
that?”

“You are not…” it began, then suddenly there was a
delay with his image remaining. He was talking to someone else but the words
weren’t being transmitted. Riley waited it out, then another hologram popped up
beside the one of the Sety…with a mist-like apparition coalescing into an
indistinct body and face.

“You can feel the Hamoriti as well?” it asked,
obviously using a similar translation program that the Sety were using.

“They’re called Uriti, and yes I can.”

“I am unfamiliar with that word. What knowledge of
this do you have?”

“Plenty. More than you, I’d imagine. For starters,
there are a lot more of them left over from a war millions of years in the
past. Who are you? I am unfamiliar with your race.”

“We are Yisv, and telepathic as well. Are you aware of
the danger this god possesses?”

“I am acutely aware. What is its current condition?
How is it being contained?”

“If you do not know the answers to those questions
then you do not possess as much knowledge as we do. If you do not know then you
are ignorant.”

“Far from it. If this Uriti awakens and roams free,
we’re the only ones with a means to control it.”

“Control it?” the Yisv asked, with a quiver of mist
that was unreadable. “Of what do you speak?”

“A secret we possess, and one that I am not inclined
to share with those who will not even do me the courtesy of explaining why you
fired on my ship.”

“We cannot let anyone awaken the Hamoriti. We will
keep all away from this planet no matter what the cost.”

“Why are the Li’vorkrachnika involved?”

“They helped us locate this one.”

“This one? You’ve found others then?”

There was some hesitation as the Sety and probably
others were conferring with each other, but the Yisv pressed on anyway. “Yes we
have. We know the dangers they possess and are committed to protecting the
galaxy from them. The Li’vorkrachnika’s assistance was necessary.”

“Even though they’re the enemy of The Nexus?”

“That is immaterial given the greater threat.”

“How many have you found?”

“Nine.”

“How many are on this planet?”

“Just one. The Ancients would not risk imprisoning two
at the same location. How can you be so ignorant and possess this knowledge?”

“Who are these Ancients?”

“The ones who imprisoned the Hamoriti long ago.”

“Our knowledge comes from those who created them.”

That revelation hit like a bomb, and both the Yisv and
the Sety were completely frozen. Before they could speak more holograms began
popping up in front of him until nine different races were visible.

“Who created them?” a twin
headtailed
alien that Riley recognized as a Trinx asked.

“A race called the Chixzon. We have recovered
considerable knowledge from their…remains.”

“How many Hamoriti did they make?” a small
triped
alien asked that he didn’t recognize.

“Spread across the galaxy, there were a total of 118.”

A string of curses that didn’t fully translate were
uttered by half of the aliens, but it was the Yisv that responded the most
calmly, though that was largely a false demeanor, for its words betrayed its
dismay and worry as well.

“One has been released, and we are doing everything in
our power to keep it from spreading its minions across the galaxy at great cost
to the nine races represented here. We needed expendable troops, for which the
Li’vorkrachnika were commissioned for, but we cannot imprison the god. We can
only hope to kill its minions as it produces them and follow it as it travels
from system to system, destroying all in its path. If you have knowledge of the
Hamoriti, I beg you to give it to us. We are helpless to stop the god on our
own.”

6

“Commissioned…how?” Riley asked, realizing the
probable answer even before the Yisv could respond.

“They provided us with expendable soldiers and ships
in sufficient quantity to defeat the minions soon after they were created. None
of us could have kept up with the level of production necessary to accomplish
that.”

“And what did they get in return?”

“Technical assistance.”

Riley glared at the hologram of the Yisv, then at the
other 8 races. “You gave them tech upgrades that made them far more deadly. Do
you have any idea how many people have died because of that?”

“Far less than would have perished had the Hamoriti’s
minions run rampant across the galaxy,” the Yisv explained unflinchingly.

“Did you have a plan? Or were you just going to
continue feeding them technology until they reached your level?”

“We did what we had to do to preserve future options.
Doing nothing would have meant disaster. Combating and losing our own forces
would have seen the Hamoriti run free eventually. Only with the
Li’vorkrachnika’s assistance have we kept it contained to a single system.”

Riley noted a Star Force jumpship breaking off from
Paul’s fleet, then a quick personal message from the trailblazer informed him
that it was going back to get word to Earth and send for Nefron.

“And what did you plan to do when we destroyed all the
Li’vorkrachnika’s worlds?”

“There are two they constructed specifically for the
purpose of supplying us with the troops we need. We were not going to allow you
to destroy those worlds. If you have a way to deal with this disaster, please
share it with us. For the sake of the galaxy, something must be done beyond the
stalling that we have maintained.”

“
A
Uriti can only destroy one
planet at a time,” Riley said angrily. “The Li’vorkrachnika can savage
thousands at once. You wrongly presume the greater threat.”

“If you had fought one, you would not say such things.
They cannot be defeated, the Li’vorkrachnika can, as you’ve demonstrated.”

“And you’ve made all the harder. And the H’kar? Were
they part of the deal?” Riley asked, looking at the Sety.

“No. The Trinx brokered the deal. The Li’vorkrachnika
had no knowledge of our involvement until recently.”

“Did you hold back your counter campaign against
them?”

“There was no counter campaign. The H’kar are a minor
member of The Nexus, and were fortunate that we assimilated them, else they
would have been destroyed. We never intended on defeating the Li’vorkrachnika,
even before this bargain was struck. The H’kar were to hold their border, if
they could not, then they would fall.”

“The Nexus philosophy is that a strike against one is
a strike against all.”

“The Li’vorkrachnika are not that serious of a
threat.”

“You stupid morons.”

“We apologize for the difficulty we have placed you
in,” the cyborg said. “We have reviewed our actions numerous times, but we have
never found an alternative choice. We do not like aiding a potential enemy
until they are strong enough to threaten us, but the Hamoriti is by far the
greater threat. I do not like what we have done, but there was no other
choice.”

“Die honorably,” Riley said flatly. “And why can’t you
kill these minions yourself when they try to leave the location the Uriti is
at?”

“If we wait that long they will mass a far greater
number. They are not easy to kill.”

“Perhaps I’ve underestimated your technological
assets.”

“No, it is not a lacking on our part. The Hamoriti’s
creations are simply too persistent. If we do not cut them down as soon as
possible, our task will become much harder.”

“Forgive me, but that is not entirely true,” another
of the nine races said, this one a mass of hair and teeth that looked very much
like a bear. “The fact is that we have focused our efforts on containing the
captured Hamoriti rather than building militaries to fight them. We believed
that if one awoke there would be nothing we could do about it. Our lack of
preparation is why we have had to rely on the Li’vorkrachnika.”

“How long since the one awoke?”

“Approximately half a century.”

Riley frowned. “You’ve been feeding the lizards
technology for 500 years? You fucking bastards. We could have wiped them out by
now. And how in the hell haven’t you been able to retool your militaries in the
past 500 years?”

“Because we are not sitting and watching as the
Li’vorkrachnika do the fighting,” the Trinx said, his anger suppressed at even
the slightest possibility of a solution. “We fight with them and suffer losses
in the process.”

“That doesn’t stop research and development,” the
Human argued.

“Our focus,” the Yisv said, taking helm of the
conversation again, “has been day to day to prevent an outbreak of the minions.
When the Hamoriti leaves a system and travels to another we follow. We cannot
stop it, nor direct it, and every system it has landed in has been utterly
destroyed. Most of the worlds have been Li’vorkrachnika.”

“How did it get free?”

“The Li’vorkrachnika did not know what they had found,
and we did not know of any more than the original 7 Hamoriti. Their locations
were documented and we have secured as many as we could. Why there are others not
listed we have not discovered. We are near to accessing the aperture that will
allow us to enter this one’s prison, and hopefully the Oracle will tell us the
answers we seek, but the Ancients could only sedate the Hamoriti, they could
not control them. By what means do you claim to control them?”

“We didn’t know for sure that any were still alive,
but we know how their masters directed them and should be able to do the same.
In theory. We’ve never had cause to test it.”

“How was this achieved?”

“Very carefully.”

“Please give us the means to do this. Even if it is
short lived, we may have enough of an opportunity to sedate it again.”

“Where is the free one now, and where are the
locations of the others that you are aware of?”

A few moments later a navigational marker was
transmitted that highlighted a lizard system in what used to be H’kar
territory, but no other markers were forthcoming.

“And the others?”

“Their locations are kept secret for a very good
reason,” the Sety said, drawing a glare from Riley. “Until you have offered
some proof of your claims, we will keep that secret.”

“I’m beginning to dislike you,” he said bluntly, then
turned his attention back to the Yisv. “Are there others you’re searching for?
How did you know to look here?”

“Artifacts of the Ancients are rare, but we have been
looking for them in earnest since the Hamoriti was released, hoping they would
shed some light on the secrets of how to recapture it. We discovered vague
suggestions that there might be one hidden within this region, so we asked the
Li’vorkrachnika to look. They found the one on this planet and informed us of
it before trying to access it.”

A message from Paul filtered its way into Riley’s
mind.

“With whom in the Li’vorkrachnika did you negotiate
with?”

“We did not get names, but it was with their
leadership caste.”

“Is there one present in this system?”

“Yes.”

A happy thought came in from Paul, then the
trailblazer told him to continue on with the conversation and ignore the
templar while he dealt with that.

“Do you have an image of the Hamoriti that is free? We
need to know which it is.”

“Do you have files on them all?”

“Yes.”

“May we have those files?”

“May we have the locations of the others?”

The Yisv didn’t reply, then nodded. “We must begin to
trust one another first. I understand. My race is telepathic and adversely
affected by the Hamoriti’s presence. Were this one not sedated we would not
even be in this star system. We will not go to the surface. If it is the same
for you, I suggest you find one of your empire’s races that is not telepathic
to serve as an observer and accompany us when we access the aperture and go
inside.”

A few stares came from other holograms, but none of
the Nine voiced their displeasure.

“Explain what you mean by adversely affected?”

“The telepathic aura of the god affects us more than
others due to our sensitivity.”

“Interesting. I can feel it now, but I wouldn’t say
it’s interfering with my abilities.”

“The power level increases with proximity.”

“Then I think I’ll test the range limits. When do you
estimate you will have access?”

“Within a few days.”

“Then shall we cancel the upcoming battle?”

“It was you who were going to attack. Will you stand
down?”

“We’ll stand by…and take up a holding orbit.”

“Can you tell us nothing of this control method?”

“Only that it requires a specialist from our
homeworld. We have dispatched a ship to send for that which is required. It
will take some time before it is here.”

“We have waited a very long time. We can wait a little
longer. Please do not say you wish to wake this one to test your abilities, for
we will not allow it.”

“No. But I do want our specialist to inspect this one.
Then we will deal with the one roaming free. What is it doing exactly?”

“Feeding and spawning minions.”

“Continuously?”

“For the most part. Sometimes there are lulls in
minion production, but it never stops its attempts to spawn an army that can
march across the galaxy on its own. The minions do not need the Hamoriti to
conquer, and they are far more dangerous than the Li’vorkrachnika on their own,
which is why we had to keep them contained and in as few numbers as possible,
for they will spread rapidly if given the chance.”

“How often does it switch systems?”

“Randomly. It has passed between 39 since it was
awoken, not counting those merely for transit. When it attempts to spawn
minions it lays waste to whatever planet it is on, coring deep into the world’s
mass and consuming whatever corovon and other valuable materials are there. Two
such worlds have imploded as a result, with the surface crust being consumed by
the magma within, then
rehardening
into a new surface
with all traces of the forming having been obliterated. As you know, many of
the Li’vorkrachnika worlds are heavily populated.”

“No, really?” Riley said sarcastically. “Has it hit a
non-Li’vorkrachnika system?”

“Not an inhabited one, but it has planted itself in
several unclaimed systems. It does not require atmosphere, and has taken to
several airless worlds. Most of its minions will not grow there, but a few
varieties will.”

“How did you fight them there?”

“We have a machine army,” the Trinx answered. “They
are costly to produce, and are reserved for situations the Li’vorkrachnika
cannot handle.”

“And why haven’t you been able to produce more over
the past 500 years? That’s enough time to expand and build up multiple planets
for the specific purpose of housing the industry to create them.”

“We would never be able to field enough units to
replace the Li’vorkrachnika.”

“You could have tried,” the cyborg responded, breaking
the bit of decorum they had. Apparently there was some bad blood between these
races.

“I need a list of assets,” Riley said before they could
start arguing. “Your assets. Your planets, fleets, territory…all of it. I want
the full history of the past 500 years since this one got free and how you’ve
dealt with it…and how it’s adapted to you. Do not hold anything back. I’m not
asking for the schematics to your technology, just a tally of it and its
abilities so I can assess what’s been going on,” he said, looking first at the
Trinx, then the others, “and how seriously you’ve been dealing with it.”

“Our entire civilization has been devoted to stopping
these beasts,” the Trinx said, holding his anger in check.

“Then my request should be fairly simple. Are you
interested in stopping this one, or playing games with me?”

“We will pursue any chance of stopping the Hamoriti.
But so far all you have done is talk.”

“He has knowledge that he otherwise should not,” the
Yisv disagreed. “I do not doubt his claims. We will gladly provide you with the
information you requested. But I do have a question. Do you know the origin of
the Hamoriti?”

“Yes.”

“Where did they come from? You mentioned they were
created? How?”

“They are alterations, massive alterations, to
creatures that inhabit the deep core of the galaxy. A wayward one was captured
and experimented upon, then the Chixzon altered it to turn its offspring into weapons
they could use to crush their opponents. Each Uriti is unique, and the older
ones are far harder to control than the newer ones, thus I need to know which
one has been released.”

“And these Chixzon? What happened to them?”

“They were destroyed by a galactic uprising against
them.”

“The Ancients,” another race said reverently. “They
must have had numerous allies across the galaxy. That’s why we didn’t know of
the others.”

“No,” the cyborg differed. “The Ancients built this
prison, like the others. Yet there is no mention of it. That question is not
answered.”

“Were any of them destroyed?” the Yisv asked.

“We only know of two, early on, when the Chixzon sent
them against too strong of opponents out of arrogance. After that point they
deployed them more wisely. We do not have information of what happened to the
Uriti after their civilization fell.”

“So there could be 116 left in the galaxy?” a
shape-shifting lump of mass asked as its head rippled with distortion.

“Possibly.”

“And you haven’t sought to find them?”