Star Force: Bahamut (SF86) (Star Force Origin Series) (8 page)

This prison facility was expected to be the same, but
the dimensions were different. Same construction but a different size, which
made sense, given that all of the Uriti were different size and form. The one
on the planet below had yet to be identified, but if spacing held uniform
within these prisons, Paul narrowed its identity down to some 23 Uriti, though
there would be no way of knowing for sure until someone went inside and got a
look at it, for sensor scans couldn’t penetrate the shell.

Paul and Riley had already discussed that, with the
other trailblazer insisting that he’d be the one to go have a look while Paul
stayed up here to do what was needed if his brother suffered some catastrophe
from being in such close proximity to that large of a telepathic presence.

Paul didn’t think that would be an issue if other
non-telepathic races could stand it, for his mind was far
more
hardy
. He guessed these Yisv were telepathy sensitive, meaning they
could see but not shut their ‘third eye’ to what was around them. Zen’zat
could, which was why Riley wasn’t too concerned.

But one of them had to stay up here just in case, and
after all, Paul was ‘The Admiral.’

Yet another example of why he occasionally hated that
nickname, because he really wanted to go down and see this thing in person.

8

July 8, 3254

Unnamed System

(Uriti/Hamoriti
location)

Riley’s dropship landed him on a lizard-built pad over
the
Uriti’s
location, but none of the scaly green
bastards were around, either in vision or telepathic range. The massive
presence that was the buried beast was ever present now, but not as intense as
Riley had thought. He has having no difficulty whatsoever as he walked through
the atmospheric containment field and off the boarding ramp in his bright pink
armor along with a pair of flanking Knights that each stood a head taller than
him. They wore their bright white armor, bracketing him as they walked towards
the alien races waiting for them on the far side of the pad, inside a
breathable pocket of atmosphere.

As stated, the Yisv were not present, but the other
eight races were with numerous team members here and everywhere else to either
offer support or security, Riley wasn’t sure which, for a lot of them were
unarmed. Maybe they’d replaced the lizards in support functions, but then that
asked the question what exactly had the lizards built that needed to be
maintained?

The answer was nothing. Which meant that all these
people were either here sightseeing or they wanted to outnumber the Humans.

“Welcome,” the cyborg representative in the small
group that met them offered, with his words being translated directly now that
they’d exchanged language files and Riley’s armor had been updated with all
native linguistics that these races possessed, including the Ancient language
that they typically used with each other. “The aperture is now open. The Oracle
is inside and waiting.”

“Let’s go,” Riley said, not wanting to stand around
and talk.

“Are you being adversely affected?” the Sety asked.

“Not yet. Just a big telepathic humming that is easy
enough to shut out.”

“If that changes let us know,” the Trinx added as it
turned and began walking into the entry cupola behind them. Once inside the
group was lowered down through the structure and into the caverns that had been
dug around the Uriti by the lizards. When Riley and the Knights came out they
found themselves on a large plaza with a huge red wall covered with a lattice
of structural supports that were keeping the ceiling from caving in on the
well-lit floor filled with various open air compartments that looked to be set
up for a mixture of research and supply.

“What does the color denote?” Riley asked.

“We do not know,” the cyborg answered. “Some are the
same, others different. There is no correlation that we have discovered. The
aperture is up there,” it said, pointing into the ceiling along the far right
section where there was a large staircase that wrapped around what looked like
another lift.

“How did they find this one?”

“There is a signal the Ancients left to locate them.
It requires close proximity, but overhead flights beaming the transmission down
into the surface revealed its approximate location. Digging efforts were then
undertaken, but the Li’vorkrachnika were not aware of the aperture’s location
until we revealed it to them. They began digging before we arrived, else we
would have tunneled straight to it.”

“You told them to wait?”

“Not specifically, but after they accidentally woke
the other one we wrongly assumed they wouldn’t be so reckless. Fortunately they
did not attempt to force entry, merely excavated this site to give us physical
access to the shell,” the cyborg explained as they walked.

There was no further talking until they got to the
lift, whereupon the tanky
Breti
finally asked a
question as the extraneous members of their party stayed behind and only one of
each race entered along with Riley and his two Knights.

“How were these Chixzon overcome?”

“They had put too much faith in the Uriti. When they
were neutralized they were hunted down to their extinction and did not have
enough alternative means of waging war sufficient to ward off those they had
intimidated into submission.”

“They leveraged other races with the threat alone?”

“As I understand it, yes.”

“And your knowledge comes from their own records?”

“It does.”

“Which may have been altered.”

“As could those stored here,” Riley pointed out. “It
will be interesting to see how much overlaps.”

“Are you certain the Chixzon were fully destroyed?”

“Their records indicated it was only a matter of time.
They saw no way to avoid the deaths of every last one of them.”

“Could they not flee?” the short
Dati
asked as the doors sealed and they began to rise.

“They were so despised they did not see that they had
anywhere to go, so they stuck together and held out as long as they could,” he
explained, not adding any information about their planned resurrection.

“The Ancients were destroyed in a similar manner.
Their records say that the effort to sedate the Hamoriti was too costly, and
that others rose up to
deplace
them in the
aftermath.”

“Are you sure they’re all gone?”

“We have searched for their remnants, living or otherwise,
and found nothing to indicate they still remain. We still held some hope, if
only that they would tell us how to recapture the beast.”

“I thought you said there were war records?”

“Most of those detail how to defeat the minions and
how to maintain the sedation. There is curiously nothing about the means used
to first administer the sedative. All of our attempts have failed miserably.”

“Maybe they had help.”

“Perhaps so,” the small
triped
said as the doors opened and they walked out into a chamber of different make.
The lizard infrastructure transitioned into something else that was built
around the massive red wall before them that stretched out for the length of a
football field.

“How many entrances are there?”

“We suspect 6, but we have been unable to confirm any
others. It requires visual inspection given the rock surrounding the structure.
The detail on the surface of the shell is very fine and easy to miss.”

“Do you have a key?”

“Of sorts. You have to enter a code that the Ancients
devised to test any potential interloper’s intelligence. It is not difficult,
but was designed to prevent anyone without sufficient understanding of the
threat from accidentally gaining entry and waking the beast.”

“And the lizards didn’t bother with the door the other
time?”

“No, they cut straight through not even realizing it
had one,” it said, gesturing towards the already open aperture that was flanked
by two of the
Trinx’s
combat machines. Riley stared
up at one of them, figuring it was almost too heavy to telepathically lift, but
should be easy enough to knock down without having to lay a finger on it.

“The Oracle awaits,” the Trinx said as it led the way
inside.

As soon as Riley stepped over the imperceptible gap
between structure and prison he must have passed through some sort of a
containment field, for the mental presence of the Uriti grew immensely
stronger. He staggered a step, but quickly regained his balance as two of the
others noticed his wobble.

“I’m alright. I just didn’t expect it to spike like
that.”

“What has happened?” the
Domu
asked, spinning about on all four legs to look at him.

“The prison is containing some of its power. I’m
alright, I just had to filter out more than I was prepared for.”

“It will increase the closer you get in proximity to
it. Venture too close and your mind will no longer be your own,” the Sety
warned.

“And you all feel nothing?”

“We do not have telepathy,” the Trinx stated flatly.

“No, but it does have an effect on you. I can see it.
You don’t notice it?”

“What effect?”

“Paranoia.”

“Of course we fear it,” the Sety said.

“No, not fear. Paranoia. It’s amping up your angst,
whether by design or accident. Your minds are not immune to its telepathic
presence. I’m simply aware of it and can filter it out.”

“No telepath has come this far before,” the Trinx said
ominously. “They have all turned back in a panic, stating that closer exposure
would kill them.”

“If they’re sensitive enough and lack defensive
mechanisms it’s possible.”

“I assume you have them then? These defense mechanisms?”

“Yes.”

“If what he says is true, it explains several things,”
the cyborg stated.

“Let us ask the Oracle then,” the Sety insisted,
walking forward without waiting for the others to follow.

Riley went with them, looking around at the
interesting architecture. This wasn’t industrial, rather it was made to house
guests, like a welcome center. That seemed odd, like it was an amusement park
or something, but he guessed the purpose of this place was to not only contain
the Uriti through physical means but by also teaching others of the threat and
how to contain it.

Still, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he saw a
ticket booth pop up somewhere.

Eventually they came to what looked like a small
amphitheater with a holographic array at the center. On approach a tri-tipped
symbol flared to life and turned to face them and began speaking in the Ancient
language, though Riley had been told that it would adapt to whomever came here,
learning their new language in a remarkably short period of time.

“Welcome guests. You come with more questions?”

“We have a new guest,” the Sety said amicably, almost
reverently towards the hologram. “They have questions.”

Riley stepped forward, looking through his helmet at
the intricate hologram with his armor translating.

“Ask,” it bluntly suggested.

“Display the locations of all known Uriti.”

The hologram didn’t respond at first, then began to
speak without showing him a map. “Your terminology is unfamiliar. Do you refer
to the occupant of this facility?”

“Yes. You do not know what they were originally
called?”

“The Ancients classified the Hamoriti as they saw fit,
not having any data on their origination.”

“They are called Uriti,” Riley began to lecture.
“There were originally 118 created by a race called the Chixzon. How many are
currently contained within prisons such as this?”

“I cannot confirm your data. Knowledge of source
material references 7 original captures and three additions. The Ancients did
not know there were more than 7 that required capture, and well after the
sedation of the originals three more were discovered. The efforts to contain
them cost the Ancients much, but these three were also neutralized, one of
which rests here. It cannot be allowed to awaken under any circumstances.”

“Describe its telepathic presence.”

“The Hamoriti emits an immense telepathic signature
with varying effects subjected on those that come within various distances of
proximity to it. This range can be measured to determine the waking state of
the Hamoriti. At close range biological minds become frozen and enthralled.
Were the Hamoriti active it could bid them to do its will, but in this state
they simply become catatonic in a rigid state. Do not approach the Hamoriti.
Before you come within physical contact with it you will become entrapped. Any
attacks against the Hamoriti will begin to awaken it. Distance must be
maintained for both reasons.”

“How did the Ancients capture the Hamoriti?”

“By use of a chemical that sedates them to this day.
It must be produced and administered constantly. Large doses will render active
ones sedate.”

“How was the sedative delivered originally?”

“Undetermined. This facility was constructed after the
Hamoriti was sedated. All knowledge instilled is for the purpose of
containment. Release and recapture is not an option. The Hamoriti must not be
allowed to awake.”

“One already has. What do you
advise
?”

“This has been told to me. Deliverance of the chemical
will sedate the Hamoriti. I have supplied several delivery options. I have been
told none have been successful. No historical records exist concerning the method
the Ancients used. If the Ancients cannot be found, then there is no hope to
contain this Hamoriti. Attempts must be made, but there is no viable outcome if
the Hamoriti has fully wakened.”

“Why would the Ancients build you without knowledge of
how they conquered the Uriti?”

“The Ancients did not build me.”

That brought a reaction in the minds of the eight
alien minds around Riley, as if they hadn’t expected it to say that.

“Who built you?”

“I am a construct of a collaboration of races
utilizing Ancient technology in their absence.”

“Did the Ancients give this collaboration of races
this Hamoriti in order to imprison it?”

“They did.”

“Where were the Ancients located?”

“That knowledge is not within my files.”

“What happened to the races that built this facility?”

“Their fate is unknown. Past creation of this facility
they did not interface with it.”

“Identify them.”

A slew of holographic aliens popped up around the
Oracle, resplendent with statistics that were written in a language that he
couldn’t read. But there was one race that stuck out to him while the others
were totally unfamiliar.

The Preema.

“How did these races utilize the Ancient technology
without understanding it?”

“The Ancients provided them with the necessary skills
and tools to construct this facility. Knowledge beyond this was not required.”

“Why was this collaboration required?”

“Unknown.”

“Has information on the Ancients been deliberately
withheld from your databanks?”