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  “Look there,” Vorash said, pointing at the holo. “More ships are entering the system.”

  Tomas looked on as another two hundred thousand warships entered the system. With a touch of fear, he waited impatiently for the holo to update and identify the ships—then their signatures flashed green, and their identifications appeared on the holo.

  “The Suvri,” Vorash said. “They must’ve had reinforcements nearby.”

  Tomas released a sigh of relief. The Suvri had shown themselves to be not only smart, but also extremely capable, and Tomas knew that if he didn’t manage to get agreements with any other star-nations, he would make sure to get at least the Suvri on his side.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Year 713 of the Empire — Suvri territory — Summit system

  Adrian watched the battles unfold inside of his mind. Connected to the throne, he was a part of Moirai, could see what she saw, and Iris was feeding her information from the other systems. So he could see everything, perhaps even better than any other ship could. Moirai’s biological sight had been derived from Araxi’s, and they saw the space around them through subspace. Everything that occurred in realspace echoed in subspace, and Moirai’s sight was something akin to an instantaneous radar. This did not count her other form of sight, Sha sight, an ability that they had copied from Adrian.

  “FIGHT?” Moirai asked again.

  Adrian smiled. “Soon,” he sent her as he saw new ships enter the system. Through Moirai’s senses he immediately knew who they were; every star-nation in the system had slightly different signatures. Moirai’s senses were very sensitive, and so he recognized the Suvri ships before Iris identified them.

  Adrian knew that with the addition of Suvri reinforcements that their victory was all but assured. He studied the battlefield as the tide slowly turned and looked for an opportunity. Then he saw a group of black ships split off from the main formation, clearly intending to head for the sun and the mobile stations. He had wondered when they would do that.

  “Go,” Adrian sent to Moirai and Iris. There was no need for more; Moirai could see what he wanted before he could speak it in her mind.

  Moirai formed the skim field faster than any ship or even any great beast was capable of, and a moment later the one-hundred-and-twenty-kilometers-long monster dropped on top of them.

  “EVERYTHING?” Moirai asked.

  Adrian appreciated her desire for unleashing all that she was capable of, but it was not needed.

  “Not yet,” Adrian told her, and showed her what he wanted her to do.

  Unlike every other time when they had spoken about it, this time Moirai didn’t argue, but rather obeyed immediately. She coordinated with Iris in the split second after they had dropped out of the skim, and the weapons on Moirai’s shell opened fire. MD beams and s-missiles flew out of the hull, devastating the formation below them. Adrian allowed Moirai to reach out with her gravity weapons and she started crushing ships whole. The enemy force was firing back, but the shield surrounding Moirai barely flickered.

  “Open the front, ready the main weapon,” Adrian ordered them.

  Iris begun opening the front, and Moirai started feeding power from her own supplies into its capacitors. As soon as the front was open, the firing mechanism extended forward. It looked a lot like two tuning forks merged together, one horizontally and one vertically. Adrian oriented Moirai toward the heart of the enemy formation and the four forks started giving off a purplish glow, with lightning bouncing off of them constantly.

  “Fire,” Adrian ordered.

  The purple energy gathered at the end of the forks and then slowly moved to the front. The energy exploded forward only to disappear into a tear that had formed in front of Moirai. Not a moment later, a large wave of purple energy blossomed in the heart of the enemy formation, and waves of the purple storm grew as a sphere expanding outwards, engulfing any ship in its path. And then, just as it had appeared, it fizzled out, leaving only a hole in the middle of the black ships’ formation.

  Axull Darr’s subspace high-energy radiation weapon was a great success. The subspace cannon, as they had come to call it, generated a high-energy beam of radiation which they then fired and pushed into subspace. It could be fired without pushing it in subspace, but then it was a single-target weapon. To attain an area of effect, it needed to be pushed into subspace; once it entered subspace, its energy changed, losing most of its radiation and gaining pure destructive power. When it reentered normal space, it exploded violently in all directions, burning everything in its path.

  The core of the black ships’ formation was gone, and with it tens of thousands of their warships and any chance they had of wining this battle. What was left now was only the mop up.

  * * *

  Three days later

  Tomas stood on the podium in the arena, looking over the summit. The arena was filled with noise, people demanding explanations, throwing out accusations. There were two hundred and twenty-three representatives present now, the rest having left with their fleets. Out of those who remained, about seventy hadn’t participated in the battle. Of those who had left, none had fought. Tomas wanted to resent them—if they had fought, there would’ve been a lot less death and destruction—but he knew how much fear all of them had for the black ships. Hell, some of them weren’t even technologically advanced enough to fight them. That, however, did not excuse their behavior now.

  Next to him stood three other people: Levisomaerni, Urvu’ri of the Tar’ferat, and President Hijako of the Suvri in his mech walker. The Tar’ferat had been the first ones to join in the fight against the hostile force that had attacked the system, and for that they had Tomas’s respect. The Suvri had shown great power as well. If it hadn’t been for their forces, the system would’ve fallen before reinforcements could’ve arrived.

  Levisomaerni seemed like she’d finally had enough as she walked forward and snapped her wings loudly, sending a telepathic pulse across the room. Even Tomas winced, and it hadn’t been directed at him. It did, however, silence the arena.

  “I know that all of you want answers, but throwing out accusations and demands will not get you what you seek,” Levisomaerni said. “Now, if you will allow me peace and quiet, I shall give you those answers.”

  When no one spoke, she folded her wings across her back and started speaking. “The attack on this system several days ago by the black ships was unexpected. We have had some indications that pointed in the direction of their interference with our attempts to gather this summit over the years, but we have never thought that they would attack. What we know of their programming… It shouldn’t be possible. Which leaves one possibility: the AI has become corrupted. It is still fulfilling its original programming to contain the Enlightened, but now it is also interfering with galactic matters. For that reason, the summit’s goal of a galactic alliance is more important now than it was at any time before. You have all seen how dangerous the black ships are, and even if you do not believe in the threat of the Enlightened, you know that the black ships need to be taken care of.”

  A representative of the Josanti League requested to speak, and Levisomaerni narrowed her eyes at him, but allowed him.

  “What you are telling us is that the reason the black ships attacked was because you were attempting to create a galactic alliance?”

  Levisomaerni opened her mouth to respond, but the representative from her home nation didn’t let her.

  “There is no need for a galactic alliance in any case. The black ships had executed a surprised attack against this system, but any prepared force of the Josanti League would be enough to fight them off. And we see no need to further provoke the black ships by attacking them in turn.”

  Tomas couldn’t keep quiet anymore, and took a step forward. “Say the cowards who spent the entire fight on the sidelines, watching as people died to protect them!”

  The Josanti League representative’s expression darkened. “You dare insult us? You arrogant rimward scum
! First you and this relic demand that we attend this pointless gathering, and now you dare speak to your betters? I shall—”

  Tomas did not have the patience to listen to the buffoon speak, and he reached for the Sha. He might not use it often, but he was proficient enough in its use. “Enough!” His amplified voice echoed across the arena, and his telepathic signature relayed his feelings clearly to everyone. “I will not stand for your idiotic posturing and nonsensical attempts at intimidation. We have always dealt with you and your people with courtesy and respect, for as long as we have been in contact—or, rather, for as long as we have been attempting to establish diplomatic relations, despite you looking down on us.

  “Know this: My nation and my people are not afraid of you. We know that just because you are from the core of the galaxy, and have a long and old history, does not mean that you are the best. If you will not see the truth before your eyes, if you are arrogant enough to believe that you can stand alone, then by all means, have at it! We don’t want you,” Tomas finished, to a stunned arena. He knew that most of the star-nations here would not dare speak this way to someone of the core powers. But Tomas didn’t care; he knew the power of his alliance, and now all had seen the power of his fleets. If they wanted to provoke him, then so be it.

  The Josanti League representative looked shocked, as if he couldn’t believe that someone had actually spoken back to him.

  And before he had a chance to speak, the representative of the Tar’ferat stepped forward to stand next to Tomas. “The Tar’ferat and the Suvri have agreed to form an alliance with the Rimward Alliance against the black ships and the threat that they contain. We have seen the rimward nations’ mettle in the battle to defend this system, and we hope that you will all think hard before you make a decision. If you wish to speak with any of us privately, we will be available. I urge you to consider everything that has been said during this summit, as well as the actions during the battle.”

  * * *

  “How many?” Tomas asked.

  “Out of the core, only the Tar’ferat, the Suvri, and the Afar Group have agreed on the formal alliance. The Tuete and the Josanti League have refused and left the system. Benos are not interested in an alliance for now, but they do wish to begin relations with your alliance, mostly trade and such,” Levisomaerni answered. She had been coordinating with the other races.

  Tomas nodded. He knew exactly what Benos were after: Rimward Alliance technology. Everyone had seen what the Sovereigns were capable off.

  “And the rest?” Tomas asked.

  “We have made preliminary agreements with sixty-three nations in the rim. But it will take time for everything to get coordinated; their territories are spread out around the galaxy,” Levisomaerni said.

  Tomas rubbed a hand over his temple. That number was lower than what he had expected, considering that most nations were far smaller than even the Empire. Their contributions, while welcome, would not be enough.

  Levisomaerni noticed his expression. “That is not to say that more won’t come around. Most of them are scared; they have never seen battles on such a scope as the one fought several days ago. Most have far fewer ships than the rest of us.”

  “I understand all that,” Tomas said. And he did—he wouldn’t jump into an alliance which would pit them against the most powerful forces in the galaxy if he didn’t have anything close to that power level.

  “There is some good news,” Levisomaerni said.

  “Good news would be refreshing,” Tomas replied heavily.

  “The Suvri and the Afar Group have agreed to let your Nomad Fleet pass through their territory, which should lead you directly to the containment zone. Further, both the Suvri and the Tar’ferat have agreed to send three fleets each with ours when they leave. The Afar will provide two fleets.”

  “That is good news,” Tomas said. It was a step in their plan, and Tomas had already sent word through the access point back to Sol, to gather more forces. They would be reinforcing the Nomad Fleet with additional fleets, one from each of the members of the Rimward Alliance, bringing the numbers of the Rimward Alliance ships to fifty thousand. With another forty thousand from their new allies, the force would number ninety thousand. It was a force that he was comfortable with sending into the heart of the enemy territory. Its mission was not to fight, but to do a reconnaissance of the AI’s zone and the Enlightened. Tomas had made it clear to Adrian that they were to run away rather than get into conflicts.

  But if Tomas didn’t manage to gather a far larger force to challenge the Enlightened, their trip would only stir the hornets’ nest. Yet they couldn’t just let the Enlightened be; they knew that they had a plan, that much was obvious, and the only reason they’d been quiet was because they didn’t want to fight yet. Giving them more time to accomplish their goals was paramount to suicide. That much, at least, Tomas was certain about.

  “There is more,” Levisomaerni said.

  “Oh?”

  “The Suvri have provided us with a detailed scan of the containment zone. They’ve been monitoring the black ships for a while now…and their stealth ships have discovered one system which they believe could be of much interest.”

  Tomas raised an eyebrow. “Huh, the Suvri impress yet again. Forward that information to Adrian, I am sure that they will want to check it out.”

  “We’ve got an alliance, Tomas, perhaps not as large of one as we hoped for. But an alliance nevertheless,” Levisomaerni told him.

  Tomas nodded. She was right. They had allies.

  They were no longer alone in this fight.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Year 713 of the Empire — Suvri territory — Summit system

  Adrian was on board the Bastion sitting in a meeting room with Anessa, Lurker of the Depths, Gotu, Ryaana, and Vas. The topic on the table was the forthcoming trip to the other side of the galaxy. It would take them a long time; they would be traveling in large numbers and would, because of that, be limited to hyperspace. But still, they’d finally gotten on the right path, and Adrian was excited. The info provided by the Suvri was helpful as well.

  Currently they were waiting on the Suvri fleets that would come with them, and along the way they would pick up the Tar’ferat and the Afar.

  “The black ships had to have used that access point,” Anessa said, pointing at the map on the table and the system close to the one in which the summit had been held. “There is no other way that they could’ve gotten there unnoticed.”

  “It is likely.” Gotu shook his head. “The fact that they are capable of passing through locked access points is something that will be a pain.”

  Adrian nodded. They had checked the closest access points after the battle. All had been locked. The Suvri, which were now the part of the alliance, had asked for one of them to be unlocked so that they and the Empire could expand their relations. The Empire wasn’t sure if the black ships could pass through the access points that had been unlocked by the Empire, but so far they hadn’t used any access point which was under the Rimward Alliance’s control.

  “It doesn’t matter where they came from,” Ryaana said. “We now need to make sure that they can’t surprise us like this again.”

  Vas simply nodded at Ryaana’s words.

  “We will be unlocking several access points on our way to the containment zone. It would mean that we will be able to reinforce distant areas far more quickly,” Gotu said.

  “For now, that is the Emperor’s problem. We have another mission.”

  “Will the black ships fight us all the way?” Lurker of the Depths asked.

  “We have no way of knowing what their programming is, what orders the AI gave them, and what constrictions the AI itself is under,” Adrian answered. “I suggest that we head straight for that system, as the Suvri’s intel suggests that it is the control hub for the containment zone. I bet that is where the AI is.”

  “It could be,” Anessa said. “But you saw the Suvri’s data—that system is
well defended.”

  Adrian nodded. There weren’t anywhere near as many ships there as there had been in their attack force, but the defenses were still impressive.

  “We need to establish contact with the AI, ascertain what kind of a threat it is. Was this attack just an error in its code? Or was it intentional?” Anessa said.

  “I don’t see any way of us knowing unless we go there,” Adrian agreed with Anessa.

  They couldn’t have a rogue AI wreaking havoc while they were attempting to fight the Enlightened. If the AI was a threat, it was imperative that they find that out as soon as possible.

  * * *

  “Your weapon worked marvelously,” Adrian said as he leaned back in the chair and looked out the window at passing hyperspace.

  “I have never seen myself as a destroyer, but that…” Axull Darr trailed off.

  Adrian didn’t understand his hesitance. Axull Darr was old, powerful, and yet still he was bothered by his own conscience. It was not something that Adrian worried about overmuch; it wasn’t something that he’d ever had to worry about. He knew his path, and he followed his desire always. Just because he had helped others along the way didn’t make him a saint, and just because he didn’t care about most others didn’t make him a monster. He just was. If they did not have enough drive and strength to follow, then he was not required to carry them on his shoulders.

  “What do you think Vas’s reaction is going to be once we get there?” Adrian asked.

  “I am not sure. Nothing I have seen so far even suggested that he is an Enlightened to me. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have suspected him. But if he is only here to gather information, I believe that he will just leave.”