Inheritance (Rise of the Empire Book 5) Read online

  ***

  Aileen twisted in mid-air and swiped with her leg towards Adrian’s head. He moved a step back, letting her foot pass in front of his head, and then he stepped close as she landed. The moment her leg touched the ground, she turned, throwing a wide punch. Adrian moved to the side and threw a kinetic blast at her shoulder, deflecting her punch. Then he reached for her other hand, turned, and threw her over his head and to the ground.

  She landed hard, but the armor took the brunt of it; she barely felt it. She threw a kinetic blast from the floor directly into Adrian’s head, which made him stagger back. Her Sha was nowhere near strong enough to do the things he was able to, though, so instead of him flying away as she would’ve, he took a single step back. Aileen rose to her feet in an instant and started attacking him with quick, short jabs, all of which he blocked. Then she saw him try to goad her into a trap, and remembering his training, she plunged into the trap, allowing him to counterattack.

  She took a punch to the chest, but as his fist connected, she made it stick there by expending the rest of her energy supplies. Then she threw a counterattack over his now defenseless side. Her punch flew and connected with his head.

  For a moment, both of them stood there frozen, and then he stepped back. His helmet retracted, and she saw him looking at her with pride. And that made her feel wonderful. She retracted her own helmet and grinned at him.

  “That was very good, Aileen. So you did listen to me,” Adrian said warmly.

  “I did, and thank you.”

  “It won’t happen again, naturally. But good job,” he said jokingly.

  Aileen narrowed her eyes and went to attack, but he moved away.

  “You want to fight some more?” he asked.

  “I managed to hit you, but it still means nothing...” Aileen said sadly.

  Adrian tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

  “I am nowhere near as strong as you are. That punch wouldn’t have even slowed you down,” she explained.

  Adrian studied her. “That is not true.”

  Aileen gave him a doubtful look. “Of course it is true, you must have noticed.”

  “You only think that you are weaker. And that comes from the simple fact that you are holding yourself back. You don’t know how to use your body, how to coordinate your muscles and movements in order to get the best results,” he said, and then sighed. “I think that I have neglected teaching you some of those things. I’m going to need to find a way to teach you how to control your own body, how to be consciously aware of everything your body does. But the biggest reason why you are weaker is because you think that you have limits, and that is what is holding you back. Limits are an illusion; the human body is capable of so much more. You need to let go of your preconceptions and allow yourself to push past that boundary.”

  Aileen’s face turned skeptical. “I would love to learn all that, but I doubt that I will ever reach the level you’re at.”

  “You will, in time. Now get ready, we are not yet finished.” He gave her barely a second before he threw himself at her.

  Chapter Thirty

  May – Sanctuary

  “The Trivaxians have been progressing well,” Tomas heard Nadia say, and he abandoned his place at the window, turned, and walked back to his desk.

  “How are their colonies doing?” he asked. The Trivaxians had expanded their territory greatly in a short amount of time. Which wasn’t surprising, really; they had the population, and with the help from the Empire, they had the technology.

  “Well, they have been setting up mining operations in systems rimward from Trivax, and are already in talks with Clan Dai Ven for trading agreements. As well as with Warpath in order to provide a steady workforce in the Sol sector. And they have taken a three life-bearing planets for themselves. They have a small number of people there, and soon they will start expanding and sending more people,” Nadia answered.

  “Good.” Tomas knew that adding the Trivaxians into the Empire would boost their colonization efforts and give them an enormous workforce. There were far more Trivaxians than there were humans or Nel—at least the Nel that were a part of the Empire.

  “And the people they sent to the Fleet and Army Academies are adjusting well, as is the faculty. In a couple of years, we will have Trivaxians fighting alongside our current troops,” Nadia added.

  “How are things going in their home system?”

  “The fabricators we provided them have sped up their plans substantially. In a year or two, they will have facilities to match Sanctuary, only with a greater workforce,” Nadia answered.

  “And I am afraid that we will need all that workforce. I’ve received a message from Adrian,” Tomas said seriously. “He has encountered another race relatively close to Sol. They appear to be a part of a larger group, and they also have advanced tech. At least on the same level that we have now with what we got from the sphere.”

  “Hostile?” Nadia asked.

  “No. But we still haven’t found the Ra’a’zani. And the galaxy is filled with intelligent races; not all of them will be peaceful. We need to be able to defend our people.” He paused, then turned to look Nadia. “I want to increase our colonization programs, provide incentives to the Clans to expand aggressively in all directions.”

  “I doubt that you won’t be able to convince them,” Nadia said with a smirk. “They will jump at an opportunity, especially if you give them incentives.”

  “I also want to bring the Guxcacul and Nel into the Empire, as fast as possible,” Tomas said.

  “I thought that you wanted to wait until they asked.”

  “I did,” Tomas said hesitantly, “but us meeting this new race that has existed in space for thousands of years before we even realized what stars were…it makes me nervous. We need to be strong. The only reason why we are strong is because of the technology we’ve gained from the sphere. And if I go to the Guxcacul and Nel and convince them to join us on our terms, we get more people and boost every area of our advancement.”

  “It is your decision, Tomas,” Nadia said solemnly.

  ***

  Seo-yun entered the room where Axull Darr’s sphere was held. Only a fraction of the data had been copied and transferred to other systems. There was too much for them to transfer it all, and more than 99 percent they couldn’t even understand. There was billions of years’ worth of data.

  “Hello, Axull Darr,” Seo-yun greeted the copy of Axull Darr’s mind, the hologram floating above the sphere.

  “Greetings, Seo-yun,” he responded.

  “I came down here to show you something,” she said, and sent a file from her imp to the holo in the room. A report came to life in front of her and Axull Darr. “What do you think?” she asked.

  “It looks good. The meld of human or Nel DNA and the Sha upgrades is going well. It will add a few days to the incubation times, but the children will be healthy, and they will have all the enhancements I intended for you, along with what you gained through your own evolution,” Axull Darr said.

  “That’s good to hear. We were pretty sure that everything was good, but I wanted to check,” Seo-yun said. The first group of embryos in the vats in the progeny center had been given the treatment to unlock psionics, and the body upgrades that allowed for their safe use. They wouldn’t need to go through augmentation in order to use their abilities.

  “You should still monitor the process closely. Even at the height of the People’s power, these things were delicate,” Axull Darr said.

  “Of course,” Seo-yun said. She hesitated. “There was one more thing I wanted to ask.”

  “Ask.”

  “The People had been adding psionics to their own genome from other beings, yes?”

  “That is correct.”

  “I couldn’t find any information on that topic in the data from the sphere available to us,” Seo-yun said.

  Axull Darr didn’t respond immediately; it seemed like he was thinking. But Seo-yun knew that he
didn’t really need the time. “The data concerning alteration of lifeforms has been restricted,” Axull Darr said.

  “Restricted why? Weren’t we supposed to gain all the knowledge that the People possessed?”

  Again, he paused. “There are things that you are not yet ready for. Things that not even we were ready for.”

  “You are referring to whatever it was that the last of your people created? The thing that made the original Axull Darr make us?”

  “Yes.”

  “But that occurred millions of years ago. Whatever they made is probably long dead. And we have you. You can warn us, keep us from making the same mistakes,” Seo-yun said.

  “You are wrong. You don’t understand. And you are not yet ready to understand. The thing that they created is still alive; I have seen proof of it. The threat is still out there.”

  “And what is that threat? Why won’t you tell us?” she asked.

  “Because you are not ready, and you can do nothing as you are now. In time, when you have grown, I will tell you. But now you need to focus on other things,” Axull Darr said, and Seo-yun could see that she wouldn’t be able to get anything from the ancient intelligence before he was ready to say it.

  “Fine.” She sighed in defeat. “Let’s talk about...”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  June; Year 54 of the Empire – Veritas

  Adrian stood in the control room with Gotu and Björn as their ship exited hyperspace and entered the Erasi system. They followed the regulations they’d received from the Sorvani, and had all their weapons powered down, although Adrian had their shields and field emitters primed just in case. The Veritas’s active scanners activated, and the holo in front of them updated.

  “Well, this is something new,” Björn said.

  And Adrian agreed. The entire system was full of traffic, with ships moving from hyperspace barriers and trans-stations towards and from the second planet in the system. The planet had its entire surface covered with buildings—large, city-sized domes, space elevators stretching from the surface to the stations in the orbit, and the stations themselves that filled the high orbit of the planet. But what really got their attention was the differences between the ships. Iris had identified more than two dozen types of ships that likely belonged to different species.

  “How do you think we should proceed?” Adrian asked the two.

  “We should follow the guidelines that the Sorvani gave us,” Björn said. “Announce our presence and then follow their instructions. Something tells me that this isn’t the first time they’ve had unfamiliar visitors.”

  Adrian nodded, agreeing. “Start with the communications. Establish us as new to the neighborhood, seeking to meet people interested in trade. Don’t mention the Ra’a’zani just yet.”

  “I’ll get the Comms Handlers on it immediately,” Gotu said. “Do you want us to skim to the planet? There is a lot of traffic; we will need to find a clear course.”

  Adrian thought about it, but then shook his head. “No, I think that we made an error when we showed that to the Sorvani. I don’t see any of the ships in system skimming. Let’s keep it to ourselves for now.”

  “As you wish,” Gotu said.

  ***

  Seventeen hours later

  Adrian and Aileen entered the briefing room on the Veritas control deck. Already there were Gotu and Björn. Adrian took the seat at the head of the table, with Aileen to his right and Gotu and Björn on his left.

  “So, what have we learned?” Adrian asked.

  Gotu stood up and took control of the holo, zooming in on the planet. “Tarabat is what the Erasi call this hub world. Trade with those outside of the Erasi is conducted on such worlds. Anyone can own properties on hub worlds; if we wanted to, we could buy a building here and use it however we wished.”

  Björn stood and continued for Gotu, “But, the laws on Erasi hub worlds are...very loose. From what I have read of them, pretty much anything is legal, from slavery to drug trafficking to weapons trade. The reason for this is because there are so many races, cultures, and different ideologies that it would have been impossible to make laws that everyone would agree to follow.”

  Gotu turned his palm, agreeing. “Yes. They use the hub worlds to trade and negotiate with other races. Their other worlds, those where only the member races of the Erasi are allowed in, are much different.”

  “So what does this mean for us?” Adrian asked.

  “Basically, we can do whatever we want once we are on their stations or on the planet. We are, however, forbidden form firing our ship’s weapons within the system. They have a flotilla that is there to punish any who break that rule. Although there are circumstances in which that is permitted, for example if we are attacked first, or if some outside force attacks the system. The flotilla is relatively small, twenty ships only. But no outside force would dare attack an Erasi system, especially a hub. One reason is that the Erasi have massive fleets in their core systems, and the other is that if anyone from the outside tries to attack a hub world, the other races that have business with the Erasi would turn against them in order to protect their interests. And there are thousands of warships here, protecting convoys that are doing trade with Erasi.”

  “If we can do whatever we want, I assume that they can do so as well?” Aileen asked.

  “Yes, Sentinel. There are guard forces, but they are in the employ of the trade guilds, and don’t really care about anything unless it concerns a breach in the validated contract. The Erasi are a conglomerate of many races, held together by thousands of corporations. These corporations establish offices on hub worlds and then make deals there. A deal made with a corporation or a private business on a hub world is binding. If you break it, the Erasi step in and enforce it. The corporations are so large that they deal with multiple races at the same time,” Björn answered.

  “Hm...So the only kind of relations we can establish with the Erasi is trade?” Adrian asked.

  “Yes, and they are very large, Lord Sentinel. If what we have read on their net is true—and I see no reason why it shouldn’t be—their territory stretches from our galactic arm to the next. They don’t concern themselves much with races that are not on their level. And they don’t know much about us, except that we just came onto the scene. In time, if they deem us worthy, or a big enough of a threat, the Erasi ruling council will reach out. Until then, we are able to trade freely with their corporations or other races that have representatives on their hub worlds,” Björn said.

  “Did you find any mention of the Ra’a’zani on their net?” Adrian turned to Gotu.

  “No, but there is just too much data, too many races. And their records for our area of space seem empty, at least their public ones. They do have information brokers on the planet, and as far as I can tell, those will be our best bet to learn anything,” Gotu said.

  “Much as the Sorvani said, then. Have we figured out how we will be able to pay them?” Adrian asked.

  “We have some materials on board, for use in our fabricators,” Björn started. “I have taken the liberty of setting up talks with a few small businesses that are a part of a local guild to which we can sell them. That will give us enough funds for us to be able to hire guides and to do a bit of trading. Maybe set up trading contracts for Warpath, or even the Empire.”

  “How do you think that we should go about this?” Adrian asked.

  “First things first, we need to get a shuttle to this station,” Gotu said as he changed the holo to show the station. “It is the base for the Erasi. As a new species in their area, we need to check in. They will enter us into their database with the most basic information—what we look like and our language. We will also receive a sample of five personal translation devices, to use and study in order to produce more.”

  “Translation devices?” Aileen asked.

  “Apparently they have a superior piece of translating tech. It is customizable for any intelligent race, and you wear it somewhere where
it is close to your brain. Every being on hub worlds wears one. It makes it so you hear anyone speaking in your language, immediately, not like how our implants do it where we hear an echo. And everyone else hears their own when we speak,” Gotu said.

  “That will be useful,” Adrian commented.

  “Yes. After that, we park Veritas into orbit around Tarabat and go down to the planet,” Gotu said.

  “Well, then, that sounds like a plan,” Adrian said. “Let’s get on it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Tarabat system

  Gotu and Björn watched from the shuttle as Veritas slowly reached the massive station in orbit of Tarabat. On their way here, the two of them had studied the system and the ships in it closely, evaluating threats and trying to discern their capabilities. The Veritas was the largest warship in the system; there were larger ships, but those were obviously cargo haulers. The other warships that were part of cargo convoys were smaller, none larger than 1000 meters, and ships close to that size were few. Most of them fell within 300 to 600 meters in length, in all shapes and forms.

  The Erasi flotilla, on the other hand, was a different story. They had twenty ships, and all were saucer-shaped. Ten were around 800 meters in diameter, another eight about 1500, and the last two were 2200 meters in diameter. Smaller than Veritas, but those ships were clearly of a much different make than the others in the system. They had no visible drives, which would indicate that they only used gravity drives, which didn’t need an exhaust. That could make them more maneuverable, but probably not as fast as his ship, which used both types of drives at the same time. And according to the info they’d gotten from the net, those last two ships were of a class comparable to the Empire’s new battleships, and were not the Erasi’s largest ships.

  When the Veritas got close enough, they received word from the station that they could come aboard, and Gotu and Björn, along with another three adepts in battle suits, left on board the shuttle towards the station. Adrian and Aileen stayed on the Veritas, as they weren’t sure if the Erasi would covertly take scans or samples, and they didn’t want to reveal their psionics and augmentation.