Gauntlet Wars: House Phoenix (Star Force Gauntlet Wars Book 3), page 13
And of course the Vargemma obeyed the Neofan without question. He’d been surprised when any of them had sided with Star Force during the Temple Wars.
But now he’d gotten word, and damage results, from the third new race to hit this galaxy…the Bru’son. They’d bypassed Greg’s defensive lines using a type of cloaking device that most sensors would not penetrate, but fortunately he’d just gotten an update that they could be picked up with a Ghostbane sensor…but it was one that most ships rarely used, it had to be recharged in high gravity wells, and only detected artificial gravity…such as in deck plates or a gravity drive. So inert ships with 0g decks could still be missed.
Apparently the Bru’son still used gravity drives to move around with, so Davis was glad that they weren’t totally blind to this new enemy…but running Ghostbane sweeps constantly was going to be problematic, and Davis had already asked the Kiritak to start mass producing more of the sensors so they could get them out to the ships that didn’t have them, as well as double and triple up the ones on the warships so they could store more charges of the sonar-like pings that ignored all matter, meaning you could thankfully scan right through a planet and into orbit on the far side in the case of planetary defense sensors.
As for the places the Bru’son had hit so far, they were not sticking with the Asferja to help them. Davis believed they were being sent to torch ‘safe’ Star Force systems and get them on the defensive everywhere…with their ships already having hit in 6 different Kingdoms while the Asferja were pinned down to just the two where the Galactic Threads exited.
The lack of information on this race was also concerning, for neither the Progarren, nor their forebearers, had noted their existence. He wasn’t sure if that was because they’d never faced them or because they couldn’t recover their technology, for their ships appeared to either have a self-destruct system or were constructed in such a way that hull hits destabilized whatever crystal-like material they built their ships out of. They were clearly all-in on shield technology, but them vaporizing…including the crew…when they took even a small amount of hull damage suggested a deliberated mechanism rather than a material weakness, for the Empire hadn’t been able to recover so much as a single intact body piece from the few destroyed ships they’d managed to take down during these hit and run attacks against Star Force ships.
And that was also curious, for they were not hitting planets or orbital habitats. Only ships, and usually civilian ones. They’d hit some convoys with warship escorts, but most of their attacks were on the regular shipping lanes and they were racking up a huge amount of damage before a patrol ship eventually got to them.
And that was causing the civilian populations to go crazy. Who wanted to travel between planets when an invisible ship might poke in to blow you up at any time?
He didn’t want to tell them they had found a way to track them in a limited fashion and give away their advantage, so Davis was just going to let the fear ride itself out. Besides, he expected the T’fen to have a lot more tactical tricks like this in their Gauntlet War bag. After all, they’d apparently been perfecting the art of civilization removal for a very long time.
Davis got the ping in his desk system that his guests were arriving and would be up in less than a minute, but he kept working for most of that minute, reviewing reports from the warfront trying to discern more of the T’fen’s overall strategy and not disappointed in the least at what they’d sent after them thus far. These were not probing attacks. The T’fen were going for a gut punch right off the bat, and would need to in order to establish beachheads to get more troops and races into the galaxy later.
It's just that those damn Jaegers had blown right through the V’kit’no’sat lines even if they hadn’t been able to take Zatria, for there was no way for Mak’to’ran to bottle them up and play for time as more and more fleets from multiple Factions were headed that way now that they had some idea of what they were facing.
And Davis knew the trailblazers weren’t going to allow any conventional fleets anywhere near those baseships without Materia-carrying warships in support. They needed more Essence than the Vargemma here could produce, and while that wasn’t a problem now, for the Temples had a huge reserve built up over millions of years, this war wasn’t going to be decided in a century, and the Director knew he had to be thinking ahead…as he always was…before the Essence reserves got anywhere near the depletion point, which the Temples wouldn’t allow anyway, for they needed some for their basic functions.
But fighting ships the size of planets…that ate up a lot of the little donations made daily over the course of millennia in a matter of seconds.
“Director,” a small quadruped said as it cleared the top of the stairs into his office, followed by four more representatives of races in the Bond of Resistance.
“Harvi,” Davis said with a nod. “I’m afraid I don’t have much good news to offer you.”
“I expected not,” the Gorsheen said, sitting down on its hind legs while the other four bipeds all took chairs around the perimeter of Davis’s desk.
“The third race to arrive is bypassing our lines and hitting our civilian traffic. They haven’t made a single attack against a military vessel or facility or planet without them. We’re starting to get a handle on how to fight them now, but there’s no way we can contain them to an area like the Asferja.”
“Then it’s a good thing your Empire made a point of heavily reinforcing all of your worlds,” the Meiu Ambassador noted. “At least your ships have somewhere to run to when attacked.”
“Most aren’t making it that far,” Davis said with a wince. “And I’m starting to organize convoys to those civilian ships that want them in the affected areas, but the Bru’son appear to be spreading out. They could hit anywhere in the galaxy after a few years.”
“Tying up your warships everywhere in fear of an attack,” the carapace-covered Chas’den said with a click of its mouth appendages. “You must hunt the hunters instead.”
“We’re working on that. Clan Teemo has our best cloaking technology, so they’re going to try and deal with this one invisible ship to another. I’ve also got them going to the Core to employ some irregular measures against the Jaegers. Their baseships are too damn strong to confront directly without a massive amount of Essence weapons.”
“We were amazed at what the Veloqueen did,” Ner’as’bix said, referencing the battle footage that Davis had provided them. “We always knew they were powerful, but they are quite scary. I am glad they are on your side in this war.”
“As am I. Now, what is it you wanted to speak with me about?”
“We disagree with the Denogi’s position,” Harvi said with a hint of anger in his turtle-like face. “The Bond of Resistance needs to stand with the Veloqueen, Neofan, and you. All five of our races are in agreement with this, but transporting troops across the galactic void is problematic, as your enemies well know. They don’t have enough resources to do more than damage you at present, but rather seeds to be grown into larger armies later. They are playing a very long term game, as all must who do not have local ships available to fight.”
Davis held up a finger to correct him. “That may not hold for very long. Some standard ships can make intergalactic jumps. Just not ours.”
“Regardless, they will have to face your fortified worlds, and you have so many redundant pieces of your Empire, they could destroy 90% of it and you’d fully rebuild afterward. Even hitting here at your capitol is almost meaningless. You don’t rely on any world, or even any of your Kingdoms. We believe you have a good chance to survive this Gauntlet War, and we want to ask you how we can assist beyond what we are currently doing?”
Davis knew that meant their already existing colonies here, that many in the Bond of Resistance had requested permission to set up to facilitate communication and trade. There were some 700+ systems that belonged to their varying races out in the Rim, fortunately far from the Asferja invasion zone, but they didn’t have resources on any of them to be of much help.
“I think the greatest help anyone can be is to start thinking outside the box. Ways to interfere, slow down, or out think the enemy. But the most obvious way you can help is with Essence, for those of you who can produce it. Right now it’s about the only way we are effectively penetrating the Jaegger defenses, and we’re drawing on a lot of it, as are the Veloqueen. Even if you could get some to them so they could absorb it, it would be helpful.”
“Shipping it would be easy,” Ner’as’bix said, thinking. “But the greatest source is the other Temples. Are they being tapped?”
“Not yet, but they have the ability to ship Essence containers between galaxies already, so you wouldn’t have to send ships to do it. You could just deposit it in your local galaxies and it would eventually get to us.”
“Why not drain them all?” the Mieu Ambassador, who had no pronounceable name, asked. “Survival of your Empire and the Neofan is of far greater importance than preserving that Essence for a time of need. This is the time of need. It will only be a matter of time before the T’fen send their armies to take down us as well, even if it is a few million years distant before we catch up with you technologically and geographically. If they always eradicate the most advanced races, then we have no reason to assume they’d spare us later. We need to stand together now, and if that means draining all the Temples of Essence, I see no problem in it. The Vargemma there will slowly replenish all the wells.”
“I am glad to hear you say that, Mieu,” he said, addressing her by her race as was preferred. “Because as many servants as the T’fen send against us, every ally we have likewise strengthens our side. If you can spare any Essence, please do, but all of your races combined cannot equal the output of a single Temple, so it is something of value, but not of extreme consequence. I do not believe any of you hold the key to our survival, and if you want to help, then I suggest you pick a little corner of this conflict, whether that be geographically, technologically, or strategy wise, and see what you can add to our three civilizations. This is going to be a massively long war, and the details matter greatly over time.”
“Are the Veloqueen under attack in their galaxy?” Loqui asked, tapping one of his eight long fingers on the clear desk for emphasis.
“Not at present, and I wouldn’t expect them to be until we’re wiped out…but I also wouldn’t expect the T’fen to ignore them after this either. They know all our survival is dependent on winning this war…and down the road, we’ll have to go after the T’fen and their servants in their galaxies to put an end to this entirely.”
“Wishful thinking at this point,” Harvi said, throwing water on that bonfire.
“It’s my job to think very far ahead, as well as immediately,” Davis noted, pulling out five data chips and telekinetically sliding them all across the table to the Ambassadors. “The Neofan have agreed to join with us as a civilization. We’re not annexing them the way we have other races and turning them into Factions, this is more of a merger. House Atriark will live in this galaxy, and the newly former House Phoenix will live in Andromeda, both serving as the Essence protectors for Star Force. And while we’re not exactly weak in the Essence department, they have far more experience and knowledge than we do, and that role fits them well, even with their now diminished population.”
“What are these?” Loqui asked, fingering the data chip.
“Paul-024 was able to board one of the Asferja Threads before destroying it. The Asferja then rebuilt it, but before he destroyed it he had a look around and pulled a lot of data from the device. These are the blueprints to it, along with a few modifications…theoretical ones…that we’ve added.”
“For the Bond of Resistance?” Harvi asked, excited at the implications.
“No,” Davis said flatly. “The Bond of Resistance is obsolete. The Neofan have all but been destroyed, and the Denogi do nothing to help while the Veloqueen fight. The Founding Bond of Three has been broken, and the rest of you have already been developing trade relations with me for some time despite the fact that we are not part of the Bond of Resistance. What is also on these data chips is the layout of a new organization. The Bond of Resistance controls the intergalactic transit network that is based off Essence. Thanks to our enemy, we now have the ability to start building a non-Essence intergalactic network for a new Alliance that will run concurrently with the Bond…though to be part of it you have to adapt to Star Force basic principles, which the five of you already did for your colonies here. These principles would have to be enacted throughout your civilizations for membership.”
“We already are in compliance,” Harvi stated, though it hadn’t required much change for the Gorsheen. They were plant eaters anyway.
“I know, and the rest of you aren’t far off. House Atriark, when coming to this galaxy, had to adhere to these principles, and House Phoenix does as well. The Veloqueen can just fly between galaxies already and don’t really want visitors in theirs, so you can sort of consider them to be an honorary member on the civilian side, but they’re militarily part of this Alliance as well, which I am leading. No Councils or Triumvirate. Everything flows through us, and will flow back out, such as these blueprints. If you wish to officially join, you can assist the distant war effort by helping us to further design our own version of the Galactic Threads, and these blueprints are the base we are starting off of. As I said, I like to plan very far ahead.”
“This is an alliance with your Empire, not membership in your empire?” Loqui asked for clarification.
“Correct. All the details for the Alliance are contained there for you to review. The requirements and responsibilities are not negotiable.”
“What is this alliance to be called?” Ner’as’bix asked.
“We now know the T’fen have been destroying advanced races longer than any of ours have been in existence. What is required to defeat them is not simple or quick. It is a commitment to right past wrongs and to protect those who cannot protect themselves. This will not be a passive or economic alliance. It will be made up of those races that choose to act for the common good rather than sitting back and considering what is only in your own self-interest. It is an alliance of protectors who will go out and find enemies to fight rather than waiting for them to hit us first. We will have to be pro-active, assuming we can hold this galaxy, and not develop a defensive mindset. We mean to interfere, not just for those in the present and future who are under threat, but also for those who have already been lost. We aim to avenge them. Thus, Star Force and the Neofan are the two founding members of the Avengers Alliance…and those data chips are your invitations…”
12
EG29
October 23, 158438
MILKY WAY GALAXY
Lioth Kingdom
Starva Kinipi System
Pliu
Lan-go-no sat plugged into a terminal using the port in his left hand alongside a sea of other Noskva, a cyborg race that Star Force had annexed some 72,103 years ago as a ward on a small planet called Utinis. Back then his race had been dying out, for their cyborg implants were slowly killing them with radiation and toxins. Their lifespan had been reduced greatly by the implants, but their population had still embraced them due to the myriad of uses they allowed, most notably their ability to connect to a datanet that allowed them to almost instantly contact every other person on their world, bringing their population together in a way that had been impossible before.
They could also virtually experience many things, so those living in what were little more than shacks could be of equal virtual standing with everyone else so long as they had the implants and a landline connection. Where there were no landlines, wireless connections were added with lesser connectivity, and it was those that had killed so many of his people in those early days, for every bit of data that flowed through radiation in the air also slightly damaged the people it passed through, and given that the transmitting antennas were inside or on their body via their implants, they got the most of it when they were sending data.
It wasn’t enough to notice immediately, which was why so many fell for the technological trap. Those that knew did not care, for the benefits to their race were considered to outweigh the negatives, so their leaders back then had allowed people to be slowly poisoned by the radiation and die of a myriad of causes, all of which were labeled as something other than the true cause, and as a result the Noskva population had been steadily decreasing despite an increase in the number of births.
The people simply didn’t last long enough to keep up with the demand, and whereas their original population would live to be at least 150, if not 180 years old, they had been reduced to an old age of 70, and as a result the workforce on the planet had been cut in half.
They’d tried to adjust by using more automated factories, created drugs to try and counteract the damage to their bodies…without admitting the true cause…and while none at the time wanted to admit it, their race was slowly dying because no one would even conceive of going backwards to a time before implants. Even their children were given their first implants immediately after being born to allow for constant status updates and medical intervention early when needed, which had eliminated almost all infant deaths from medical causes.
When a Star Force scout ship had made contact, it had immediately identified the cause of their physical degradation and cured several Noskva on the spot using a magical piece of technology called a Regenerator. Then they’d given the Noskva a very harsh lecture on how they were misusing their technology at the expense of their own bodies. When the Noskva military had then attacked the scout ship in order to keep the secret quiet…well…the Empire did not respond well to such things, and the overzealous liars who ran the planet soon found themselves prisoners and Utinis was immediately annexed into a part of Star Force under ‘Ward’ classification.
