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  “No, we are worthy,” Tallos said defiantly. “We will rebuild, and we will rise once more. But we do not need you to do it. You were banished from this galaxy. Stay banished.”

  As if Tallos had spoken some incantation, the three figures faded, becoming translucent until finally vanishing.

  Tallos continued to stare at the spot where the Antikitheri had been, fearing they might reappear. He breathed heavily, and his heart pounded like a piston against his chest. Had he actually just thrown the Antikitheri off Diakus? Did any of it really happen?

  Despite his questions, he knew it had all been real. The Builders had come. They had sought his fidelity, and he turned them down. A sense of pride pushed away the anxiety he had just experienced.

  Suddenly, a memory returned to him. On their quest to find the Antikitheri they had encountered a Guardian protecting a great jump gate. The jump gate connected the Milky Way galaxy with the Andromeda galaxy. The Guardian had told Tallos, Everything you have ever fought for will turn to dust. This will be your legacy. It saw this destruction where no one else could. Not the Great See’er, not the Antikitheri. How? That was an answer he might never know.

  Turning back to his property, he eyed the spot where his house once stood and began planning its replacement.

  Chapter 8

  The cloaked Taymati warships covertly entered the remote star system on the fringes of the Empire. This once underserved system was now a bustling military outpost due to the jump gate connecting the Empire with a system near Diakan space.

  When Emperor Kriss converted the Empire to the worship of the Antikitheri, the race known as the Freen had helped them build the jump gate, teaching the Imperial engineers their secrets in the process. The Freen considered this holy knowledge, whereas Emperor Kriss saw it as vital technology for the Empire’s expansion.

  Kriss’s father had warned him that the Empire had been stagnating, living far too long off the glories of past generations. Such stagnation would lead to corruption and the Empire’s inevitable fall. Kriss heeded his father’s words and seized the opportunity to secure the secret knowledge.

  Once the gate had been built, scouts reported that the Juttari had conquered what should have been Diakan space. Kriss instantly knew that these Juttari would be the vehicle to usher in a new Age of Glory. He ordered the preparation of an invasion force, readied and made plans for the seizure of the Juttari occupied systems.

  Up until that point, the Empire had expanded as far as it could. The portals were discovered long ago and were used to grow the Empire’s size. They had ushered in the famous Age of Glory that Dvorkans so often referred too. Each portal discovery brought with it the discovery of a new civilization. The new race was told to bend the knee. Those who refused were mercilessly crushed.

  The history books were filled with accounts of heroic battles, where the mighty Dvorkan Empire prevailed against its fearsome enemies. Kriss read between the lines and knew that in most cases the battles were lopsided, their opponents woefully outclassed by the Empire’s military might.

  Still, the population did not want to hear of easy victories. They wanted heroes and righteous causes. Life and death struggles where victory proved the nobility of the Empire’s cause. Dvorkan history was replete with such stories, the historical accounts all embellished with the victor’s brush.

  These stories sustained the population for centuries, and the boon to trade fueled endless prosperity. But that prosperity had slowed, and the Empire fell on uncertain times. Uncertainty promoted conflict, and eventually civil war.

  But Kriss took the first step towards ending the civil war today. Taking the gate would secure his position and prevent any unwanted intervention. Then he could pick apart his opponents at his leisure.

  He would not sit back and wait for the Generals to attack. If his opponents wanted to break apart the Empire, then they would know his wrath. He would bring the fight to them, and they would beg for mercy before he was done.

  “All ships are in position, Majesty,” General Kiith, commander of the Taymati, said over the Emperor’s comm. “We await your command.”

  Kriss sat in the throne room on his Imperial flagship, surrounded by endless displays providing up to the minute information on the fleet’s deployment and all relevant statistics. Under normal conditions, an Emperor would not endanger himself by being present on the battlefield. But Kriss did not consider himself an ordinary Emperor. He was a warrior and preferred to fight alongside his troops. He hoped that his presence would encourage his loyal Taymati to fight harder.

  “Very well, General,” Kriss said. “Engage the enemy.”

  Emperor Kriss settled back into his seat and focused on the tactical displays before him. The cloaking systems had been used for some time, and they always favored the aggressor. Traditionally, this helped Dvorkan ships against alien enemies. Today, however, Dvorkans used their technical prowess against each other.

  Jon Pike had introduced the Empire to other technical advances, including the jump system, jump bombs, and shields. Those advances mitigated the advantage a cloaked attack gave an aggressor somewhat. Nonetheless, a first strike was always preferred.

  General Kiith began the battle with a coordinated nuclear jump bomb attack, meticulously targeting each visible enemy vessel’s shields. At first glance, it appeared that Kriss’s forces outnumbered the enemy, but that did not consider any cloaked ships, or those guarding the other side of the gate.

  The jump bombs struck, and white halos flashed across the enemy ships as the shields absorbed the full force of the blasts and inevitably failed. The jump bomb strike used nuclear weapons to hasten the enemy shield collapse. Their supply of nuclear warheads was limited, but they did not know how many ships were stationed on the other side of the jump gate. Better to swiftly deal with the ships stationed in this system before word of the attack was sent through the gate.

  The enemy responded by flooding the area around them with ionizing radiation, disabling the loyalist cloaks. Jump bombs had a maximum range of two-hundred-million kilometers, so once each enemy ship flooded that area around them with radiation, all Kriss’s ships became visible.

  The enemy was not immune to the radiation, and the tactic revealed their own cloaked assets. Those ships had not been targeted in the assault, and they joined in with the rest in launching a counterattack. Jump bombs were launched in retaliation, targeting the Taymati fleet.

  General Kiith had expected the response, however, and initiated a tactical jump. His fleet had synchronized their jump systems to his, and all ships jumped as one. The enemy jump bombs detonated in empty space as the loyalists appeared behind the rebels. More jump bombs were launched by Kiith, this time directly targeting the enemy vessels.

  With the nukes disabling most of the shields, Kiith now used conventional warheads. The bombs landed inside many of the rebel warships and detonated with such force that they breached the hulls spewing bodies and debris into open space.

  Those quicker to react jumped out of the line of fire. The result was a disorganized reaction with battle groups appearing in different locations and some ships ending up isolated. Unlike Kiith, the rebel fleet had not synchronized their jump system, choosing to do so only as battle groups, or not at all.

  Some ships were so severely damaged in the surprise attack that they fled the battlefield entirely and jumped to safety outside the star system. Emperor Kriss watched the rout with mixed feelings. The initial assault had gone well, but he was annoyed that they had no way of tracking the escaping ships.

  There had to be a way to figure out where a ship went if it wasn’t cloaked. Jon Pike’s scientists had developed a way to identify disturbances in jumpspace, notifying them of a ship jumping into nearby space. Cloaking the ship prevented the notification. Still, if an uncloaked ship could be detected jumping in, then there should be a way to track the same vessel through jumpspace to its destination.

  With battle information streaming through the many disp
lays around Kriss, he became engrossed with the jumpspace puzzle. All of it worked the same way. Whether a portal, a jump system, or a jump bomb, they all folded space to travel to their destination. The humans called that fold jumpspace. Surely there must be a way to know the end point of any jumpspace portal without physically moving through it.

  If he had such knowledge, then his forces could run down those ships fleeing the battlefield. The crippled battleships would have no hope then. They could not flee, nor could the enemy repair them. Faced with certain destruction, their only viable option would be surrender.

  Kriss jumped to his feet, gripped by a revelation. He hurried out of the throne room, with his Taymati guard rushing to keep up. All around him the crew manned their battle stations, focused entirely on the raging conflict taking place before them. But Kriss ignored all of it, interested only in getting to his destination.

  When he arrived, he ordered his guard to remain outside, and he entered alone. The room was devoted to the worship of the Gods. Kriss, however, had another reason for being there. He stepped into the center of the room, took a knee and beckoned for the Antikitheri to answer.

  Anyone else in the Empire would consider this prayer. For Kriss, it was the only way he knew to speak with the Builders. Would it work? He couldn’t be sure, but his determination kept him on his knees, well past the point when discomfort and pain set in. He ignored his aching joints and blocked out any thought of the ongoing battle.

  The hours continued to pass, and doubt eventually took hold, but he fought its grasp and pushed on. He didn’t know how, but he felt confident that the Antikitheri could hear him. They were probably testing him. It seemed odd that these supremely powerful beings cared so much about being worshiped. Yet, time and again it proved to be the case. So, he would persevere until they granted him an audience. He eventually lost track of time and had no idea how long he knelt, but his perseverance paid off.

  “We have granted your request,” a booming voice responded.

  Kriss looked up with bleary eyes to see the now familiar swirling forms appear. Three sets of great eyes looked down at him as if appraising the actions of a curious insect. “I have done as you ask,” Kriss said. “The Empire remains faithful.”

  “Your Empire is divided,” the red Builder said. “You do not speak for its entirety.”

  “A temporary problem,” Kriss said. “I will destroy my enemies and reunite the Empire.”

  “What is it you seek?” the blue Builder said.

  “You promised your help-”

  “We promised advice,” the green Builder said.

  “I understand, and advice is what I seek.”

  “State your request,” the red Builder said.

  “There must be a way to track ships when they jump. I desire that knowledge.”

  “This is not advice,” the red Builder said. “This is intervention.”

  “No, you are not intervening, you are merely sharing information. Did you not do so in the past? Before the direct involvement of the Erinyie, was information not shared with the races of this galaxy?”

  “There are many treaties governing these matters,” the blue Builder said. “Always there is a cost.”

  “What kind of cost?”

  “Balance must be maintained. If we gave you such knowledge, it would need to be offset.”

  “Are you talking about the Erinyie?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, if you gave me this knowledge, the Erinyie would also share the knowledge with their followers?”

  “They would be thus entitled, although they would not be obligated to share the same knowledge.”

  “You mean they could give an entirely different advancement to the Juttari? One that we don’t have?”

  “Precisely. This matter is further complicated by the presence of the Cenobi in this galaxy,” the red Builder said.

  “You mean they can share an advancement too?”

  “No. They are not included in this treaty. Yet, they may see it as a provocation. Their response, if any, is unknown.”

  “I see, then you will not share the information because you fear provoking the Cenobi?”

  “There is no fear, mortal,” the green Builder said, electricity beginning to ripple within its swirling form. “The Cenobi cannot harm us.”

  “Then what is the problem?”

  “Uncertainty,” the red Builder said. “With the Erinyie there has always been balance. The Cenobi are unconcerned with such things.”

  “There are limits as well,” the red Builder added. “Knowledge is not simply given each time you ask. This too is a cost, for if we grant this request, we may not grant another.”

  “How many requests am I allowed to make?”

  “Only you can answer that question,” the red Builder said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Indeed.”

  Kriss gave up trying to figure out what the Builder meant. “Then you will share the knowledge with us? You will show us how to track a jump ship or anything else to its destination?”

  “The price of this knowledge has been explained. Do you accept the terms?”

  The Emperor thought quickly, weighing all his options. The Juttari were not an immediate threat and he did have the humans and Diakans as buffers. Whatever advancement the Juttari obtained would affect them before it touched the Empire. Strategically, he saw that as a benefit, not a cost.

  “I accept the terms,” Kriss said. “I want the technology.”

  When Kriss returned to the Imperial flagship’s throne room, he found General Kiith’s forces mopping up. They had dealt a decisive blow to the rebels during the time he spent trying to contact the Antikitheri. When they were finished with the rebels, he would control this system and its valuable jump gate.

  With his forces victorious, Kriss would then reveal the secret knowledge obtained from the Antikitheri and order its implementation. The only thing left would be to send Miira through the gate to secure a peace treaty with Jon Pike. Kriss could then focus on the annihilation of his Dvorkan enemies once and for all.

  Chapter 9

  Sergeant Mosby gave his combat suit a once-over, ensuring everything was functioning correctly. He looked over his weapons and triple checked his supplies. He didn’t like leaving anything to chance, especially when others counted on him. He and his team were on a UHSF battleship in orbit around the planet Kem.

  A message appeared on his visor, advising him of insurgent activity and ordering his team to the surface to deal with the bad guys. Bad cats? he wondered. These were Kemmar, and they looked more like weird upright tigers with extra teeth than they did anything human.

  “Okay everyone, activate your cloaks and prepare for a surface jump,” Mosby said, knowing that his men all received the same message.

  Everyone activated their cloaks but remained visible to each other.

  Satisfied that all cloaks were operating properly, Mosby said, “Initiate surface jump.”

  He activated his personal jump system and walked through the shimmering portal appearing in front of him. He emerged with his team on the planet Kem, cloak on and weapon ready. His team and others like his were part of a new, rapid reaction force tasked with suppressing the insurgency on the planet.

  There had been reports of insurgent activity in this area, and it was Mosby’s job to hunt the insurgents down and neutralize them. Yet, despite the reports, the area they jumped into was quiet, seemingly abandoned. Bombed out buildings surrounded them like ghouls waiting to swallow them up.

  The team lumbered down the empty street in their combat suits, still cloaked, invisible to anyone not on their cloaking network. Mosby scrutinized the nearby buildings with suspicion, wondering how many insurgents were holed up in them.

  As far as he was concerned, the planet’s entire population was involved in the insurgency. Some wondered why the Kemmar didn’t just accept their fate. At least then they could get back on their feet. They could rebuild their
homes and cities and start anew.

  People who asked those types of questions were usually from the colonies. Mosby wasn’t one of them. He knew the Kemmar would never give up.

  Hell, look at Earth. It was occupied by the Juttari for five-hundred years. Did the resistance ever give up the fight? No. Even those who didn’t actively participate in the resistance sympathized with its cause. How could they not? That was what made the collaborators so loathsome.

  If anyone thought the Kemmar would behave differently, then they were fools. Every last one of them was a vicious killer and would sooner rip out your jugular with their sharp teeth than accept UHSF rule.

  It made sense, but so what? The Kemmar waged war against humanity and lost. If the reverse had happened, it would be Kemmar troops patrolling in Mosby’s hometown, and he was sure they wouldn’t be nice about it. In the end, the UHSF was here to stay. The Kemmar didn’t have to like it, and Mosby expected them to fight, just as they should expect his team to do the same.

  This was his second tour on this cursed planet. Luckily, he had never laid down any roots. Never got married, didn’t have any kids. Otherwise, he didn’t think he could bear being away for these long stretches.

  He sometimes wondered how long the UHSF was prepared to stay here. He had been here too long to have any misguided thoughts about the Kemmar becoming their friends one day. No, they would always be their enemies and would rearm the moment the UHSF left. But was the UHSF willing to be here for the long haul? Would they spend centuries occupying Kemmar space? He shrugged. These questions were above his pay grade.

  Movement suddenly caught Mosby’s eye. A Kemmar insurgent? The sergeant wasn’t taking any chances. Whoever it was, they were fast. All the Kemmar were. The natural speed of this race of predators consistently impressed him.

  He used hand signals to let his men know and to coordinate their response. They needed to capture the runner and force it to reveal the whereabouts of the local insurgents.

  The runner ducked behind a nearby building and his men closed in. They broke into two groups and came at the runner from opposite ends of the building, using their combat suits’ speed to cut the runner off.