Alien Wars Read online

  The darter was a fighter-bomber with a Kresh commander and several human crewmembers. They weren’t deep-space vessels, but could reach what the Kresh considered Pulsar’s gravitational border. Bigger than Earth fighters, they were more akin to patrol craft.

  “I’ve been computing tonnage,” Skar said. “The cyborgs have one and a half times the Kresh mass.”

  For a time, Cyrus studied the situation. He asked Skar about the Chirr fleet headed for Glegan. He wondered how much damage the cyborgs had done in the outer asteroid belt. Slowly, an overall star system picture emerged.

  “It looks bad for the Kresh,” Cyrus said. “Heenhiss is gone. The bugs have destroyed the space habitats and fleet. Who knows how many Kresh remain on the planet with their Vomag armies?”

  “I would say a considerable number,” Skar said.

  “I’m sure you’re right. How many Kresh will survive in the Glegan system?”

  “That will depend on the Chirr in Glegan,” Skar said. “If they can launch a similarly sized fleet as the others did on Heenhiss, the Kresh are doomed.”

  “I’m surprised the Glegan Kresh haven’t begun bombarding the planet.”

  “Maybe the underground ports are buried too deeply,” Skar said. “The Chirr are clever. They must have realized the Kresh would expect a second launching after witnessing the first.”

  Cyrus pursed his lips. “I think we’re missing something. Klane saw it when his mind went to the nests.”

  “Are you talking about the Chirr adepts Klane once faced?” Skar asked.

  “Yeah. They’ll have a big effect on the space battle around Glegan.”

  “Don’t forget,” Skar said. “The Kresh have their Bo Taw.”

  “True. Maybe it will depend on what the Chirr have underground in Glegan. So that leaves the first planet and Pulsar as the major Kresh population centers. If Glegan falls, the first planet won’t be able to resist the Chirr. You said the cyborg ships split up in the outer asteroid belt, destroying habitats. Pulsar might be the last refuge for the Fenris Kresh.”

  “That’s why the Kresh Pulsar fleet is coming out to do battle,” Skar said. “They want to save the habitats.”

  “Yeah.” Cyrus glared at the screen.

  “What troubles you?” Jana asked. She stood behind his chair as she rubbed his shoulders.

  “I wanted to trust the Kresh,” Cyrus said.

  “You did?” asked Skar, looking outraged. “For what possible reason?”

  “Uh, the Eich Empire, for one,” Cyrus said. “Maybe the Chirr for another.”

  “We can’t trust Dagon Dar,” Skar declared.

  “He made that pretty clear,” Cyrus agreed. “The Eich craft has some unique powers, but I don’t know if it can take on every alien fleet in the system. That’s one reason I wanted to make an alliance with the Kresh.”

  “I don’t see how this ship you describe can take on even one enemy flotilla,” Skar said.

  “I’m still wondering that myself. The Eich’s memories are difficult to decipher. I’m hoping being there in the silver ship will fully unleash the old thoughts.”

  As Skar watched his panel, he stiffened. “The cyborg ships are doing something.”

  Everyone in the chamber fixated on the main screen. It was slaved to the passive sensors. The Tal drones still had a long way to go to reach their optimum firing range.

  Gigantic laser focusing systems poked out of the armored dreadnoughts. The tips began to glow. Then, on one cyborg vessel after another, vast beams speared outward. They traveled at the speed of light, reaching many millions of kilometers.

  “Impressive,” Skar said.

  “I’d say,” Cyrus agreed.

  The Tal drones were heavily armored. Even so, one after another winked out, annihilated by the cyborg beams.

  Afterward, the laser systems withdrew and the ports closed. The five dreadnoughts continued to drift toward an engagement with the Kresh fleet.

  “Well?” Cyrus asked Skar. “Do the Kresh have equally long-ranged beams?”

  “The hammer-ships will,” Skar said. He’d spent much of his time during their stay in Pulsar’s upper atmosphere studying military information. He had scoured the ship’s computer banks. “Yet how do we know the cyborgs fired at their maximum range?”

  “We don’t,” Cyrus said.

  “The Kresh are gambling everything.”

  “All right, let’s do some computations. We’re going to have to assume the cyborgs don’t sense us. If they do, it’s all over anyway. Luckily for us, they’re not accelerating. That would have made things very difficult. As it is, we’re going to have to not only slow our velocity, but try to gently land on the selected dreadnought’s outer hull.”

  “How will we get inside the ship?” Skar asked.

  Cyrus tilted his head. “You know, I’m not sure.”

  “So you’ve just admitted that you haven’t thought everything through,” Skar said. “I suggest we use the Battle Fang as a ram, smashing through the outer hull. Preferably, we should get as close as we can to the Eich scout. Can you sense where on the dreadnought it is?”

  “I can,” Cyrus said.

  “We must ram them there.”

  “And how are we going to survive the impact?” Cyrus asked.

  Skar looked thoughtful. “Ah. We have construction foam. I suggest that we build crash cocoons for each of us. Before we ram, we will secure ourselves in the cocoons. Those of us who survive the crash will boil out and help you fight your way to the silver ship.”

  Cyrus thought about that.

  “It’s better than trying to break through the hull in vacc-suits,” Jana said.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right,” Cyrus said. He was thinking about High Station 3. Too bad he hadn’t been able to spring the space marines and Argon. He could have used them. Instead, he had Skar, Yang, Jana, a few other seeker-augmented Berserker Clan warriors, Niens, and the shuttle and Attack Talon crew who had finally thrown in their lot with them. Only Skar and the Berserker Clan members had really trained for combat.

  “Interesting,” Skar said. “Look.”

  Cyrus glanced at the main screen. Five hundred and thirty Tal drones launched from the Kresh fleet. The big missiles accelerated at fifty gravities. Then, dark gels began spraying out of the hammer-ships that had remained behind.

  “What are they doing?” Jana asked.

  “Creating a space shield for the fleet,” Cyrus said.

  “With gels?”

  “Those will absorb the enemy lasers,” Cyrus said. “At least, that’s what something like that is supposed to do in theory. I used to read about the Doom Star War. Such gel clouds used to be quite common in the solar system. I’m surprised the cyborgs haven’t already done that.”

  “Maybe they will,” Skar said.

  “Okay,” Cyrus said. “We’re going to have to reconfigure our approach. Because of our super-null, we’re invisible to both sides. That doesn’t mean we have shielding against their weapons. If enough Tal drones explode close enough to us as they pump their rods, it’s possible the heat or radiation will wash over our Battle Fang. That might end it for us.”

  “What do you suggest?” Skar asked.

  “I’m open to ideas.”

  Skar scrunched his brow, putting lines there. “I suggest that the sooner we reach the cyborgs the better.”

  “So . . . ?” Cyrus asked.

  “If you can mask our acceleration,” Skar said, “I think we should speed up.”

  “That means massive deceleration near the cyborg ships later,” Jana said.

  “Will that use of our thrusters affect the super-null?” Skar asked Cyrus.

  “Maybe.”

  “Accelerating is a risk then,” Skar said.

  “One among many,” Yang said. “However, concerning co
mbat situations, I think we should listen to the Vomag.”

  “I’m inclined to agree,” Cyrus said. “But if the cyborgs see us too soon, they’ll shoot us down. Better to accept the right number of risks and make it to the prize.”

  They glanced at each other, obviously wrapped in their own private thoughts. If he wanted to, Cyrus could have read them. Klane used to do that. Well, that had more been the Eich in Klane. The old rules from Earth still held for Cyrus. He didn’t like to read people’s thoughts because it seemed wrong. Since he’d never done it much in the past, it wasn’t difficult for him to rein in the desire now.

  “I think you should make the final decision,” Skar said. “You know more about the individual risks than we do.”

  “Okay,” Cyrus said. “Let’s try it your way. If I have to strengthen the null . . . I think that’s better than gambling about getting caught in the middle of a shooting war between the cyborgs and the Tal drones.”

  “So be it,” Skar said. “We will ready the ship for acceleration.”

  34

  From a central node on his hammer-ship, Dagon Dar watched a monitor. Darters maneuvered Tal drones just behind a gel cloud.

  The gel wouldn’t stop the mighty cyborg lasers for long. The gelatinous substance had a different duty. It was a sensor screen. The main Pulsar fleet readied for acceleration. It would leave twenty drones behind. If the Pulsar fleet failed to annihilate the cyborgs and, instead, perished, these final drones might save the Pulsar habitats.

  The last twenty Tal drones would wait behind the gel cloud. The cyborg sensors probably would not be able to pierce the gels. If the enemy dreadnoughts moved near the cloud, the drones would ignite their warheads behind it and fire X-rays, at a hopefully arrogant, unsuspecting, and heavily damaged enemy.

  “The Tal reserve drones are fully deployed, FIRST,” a Kresh subcommander informed him.

  “Begin acceleration,” Dagon Dar said.

  He already leaned his bulk against a padded board. The grav-plates hummed, the great engines began creating thrust, and the hammer-ship gained velocity. He pressed against the board. Grav-plates didn’t work as well on a big ship as on a small one. An inverse square law meant they needed too many grav-plates to make the hammer-ship react like a Battle Fang. That limited the size of a major Kresh warcraft, the hammer-ship the ultimate in possible mass.

  The rest of the Pulsar fleet followed Dagon Dar into battle. The plan was simple. Actual war maneuvers always were. Logic dictated a maximization of firepower at the critical point. That point would be the first engagement with the cyborgs.

  When the five hundred and thirty Tal drones reached firing position, he wanted the hammer-ships to begin long-range laser fire. The cyborgs would no doubt attempt to destroy the drones. As they did so, they would also have to deal with the Kresh heavy lasers.

  The Kresh would lose space vessels, likely many of them. The existence of the Race was at stake. The Chirr sneak attack combined with the outer space assault—

  The universe conspires against us. Dagon Dar knew that wasn’t true. The universe was made of inert matter. Such substances did not reason. Therefore, it did not act with a will. No. That mandated intelligence. The timing of the Chirr meant they had an alliance with the cyborgs. That was fascinating for several reasons.

  How had the Chirr communicated with the cyborgs? What commonality did the two races possess? Chirr were uncommunicative and aggressive. Cyborgs devoured others to make more of their species. That made the machine-flesh melds incredibly dangerous. They could feed off the defeated and grow. Chirr could only feast off the dead.

  Just like Red Bronze the 232nd desires to eat her foes.

  As the hammer-ship accelerated toward destiny, Dagon Dar considered the implications of the Red Metal heresy. Even with the most sophisticated species in the universe—the Kresh—barbarians thrived among them. How important would stamping out the heresy be . . . if they survived the coming battle?

  What will mark my rule of the philosopher kings? Perhaps this was the wrong moment to think about such matters. Maybe, though, times like this focused one’s thoughts. The universe was a dark place, filled with unknowns.

  It is good we seek the Codex of All Knowledge. How sad will be the day of our passing. It is imperative we win.

  A low-ranked Kresh turned from her station, indicating she wished his attention.

  I must learn to isolate myself more. As FIRST, I have an obligation to the Race to give myself time to think. None here can match my intellect. After this is over, I will begin to modify my daily structure. Without deep thought, how can I guide the Race with precision?

  The low ranker made another wave.

  “Yes?” Dagon Dar said.

  “Red Bronze the 232nd would like to speak to you.”

  “Put a hologram here,” Dagon Dar said, indicating an alcove. He would speak to her in as much privacy as possible.

  As Dagon Dar took up a station, a holoimage appeared in the alcove. It showed the Red Metal freak’s head.

  “Does your hammer-ship proceed on course?” Dagon Dar asked.

  “FIRST?”

  “Your hammer-ship—”

  “Of course,” Red Bronze said. “Yes. We are accelerating.”

  “Excellent. Your heavy lasers are ready for extreme range?”

  “I have asked for this communication to report a troubling possibility,” Red Bronze said, “not to discuss trivia.”

  “Proceed,” Dagon Dar said.

  “The original Tal drones, the five, I mean, irked me.”

  “In what manner?” Dagon Dar asked.

  “I have made an imprecise statement. I mean the malfunctioning drone troubled me.”

  “The one that destroyed the hijacked Battle Fang?”

  “That is the question,” Red Bronze said.

  “What is?” Dagon Dar asked. Had he missed something?

  “Did the drone destroy the hijacked craft?”

  “I fail to appreciate your humor,” Dagon Dar said. “Perhaps it is because I’m so busy.”

  “Red Metal doctrine encourages laughter,” Red Bronze said. “However, that was not my intent here. I speak to you with absolute sobriety.”

  “Frivolity aids logical thought?” Dagon Dar asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Absurd,” he said. “That is illogical.”

  “In a strict sense, you are correct.”

  “In a total sense I am correct,” Dagon Dar said.

  “Please allow me to profoundly disagree with you,” Red Bronze said.

  “You need never agree with me ever.”

  “I am not your enemy, FIRST. I seek our Race’s survival.”

  “As do I,” Dagon Dar said.

  “We are not at odds.”

  “Yet apparently we are.”

  “FIRST, frivolity or laughter helps logic by acting as an emotional release. I believe orthodox doctrine forces its practitioners into rigid modes of behavior. That builds tensions within the person, who is unable to find release. Red Metal doctrine takes our . . . imprecision into account.”

  “You skate perilously near an insult,” Dagon Dar said.

  “That is not my intention. Rather—”

  “Enough!” Dagon Dar said as he lashed his tail. “I have pressing matters to attend to. Please, state your opinion concerning the Tal drone and the hijacked Battle Fang.”

  “As you wish,” Red Bronze said. “I have gone over a recording of the encounter many times. I believe the warhead’s AI must have malfunctioned. Unless you sent a second signal I am not aware of.”

  “I gave the humans my word as FIRST. I sent no secret signal.”

  “Ah. Forgive me, please. I had forgotten about your solemn word.”

  “Perhaps if you placed more value in extended mnemonic training . . .”
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  “Now you attempt to insult me,” Red Bronze said. “May I ask why?”

  Dagon Dar held himself still. He realized Red Bronze irritated him. What could cause such an emotional reaction? Disgust filled him as an idea formed. Could he find Red Bronze sexually alluring? Did he wish to procreate with her?

  Foolishness! My progeny will not be Red Metal heretics.

  As with most reptilian forms of life, the Kresh young either fended for themselves or survived under the watchful eye of their dam, never the sire.

  “Please continue with your observation,” Dagon Dar said. What a time to find sexual allurement.

  “As you wish,” Red Bronze said. “The Battle Fang vanished seconds before the Tal drone ignited. Because of the distances involved, none of us must have noticed this, at least initially. Something kept bothering me about the sequence. Following this unease—as our doctrine encourages—I studied the encounter.”

  “What is the significance of your find?” Dagon Dar asked.

  “Why, the Battle Fang cloaked itself before the Tal drone fired its X-rays. That is critical.”

  Dagon Dar thought about her logic. “Yes. I see what you mean. The drone would have still destroyed the Battle Fang, though.”

  “That is an assumption. If your thought is correct, where was the Battle Fang’s debris?”

  “The debris is cloaked, of course, just as the vessel found itself.”

  “What produced the original cloaking?” Red Bronze asked.

  “I have no idea,” Dagon Dar said.

  “I believe you do. The humans, the psi-able, used a null earlier to help them hide in Pulsar’s atmosphere.”

  “True. Now we understand this null. Our Bo Taw would have sensed the use of the null to hide.”

  “Perhaps this was a new form of null.”

  Dagon Dar analyzed the concept. She was right. It was amazing he hadn’t seen this. “Of course,” he said. “The cloaking could not have been mechanically applied, as there is no indication of new technology. Therefore, whatever cloaking occurred, with our known givens, would have probably originated with human psionic abilities.”

  “Such is my own conclusion.”