I was sitting in my office, drowning myself in reports. The door was locked to keep out unwanted visitors. No matter how hard I tried not to, I found myself pulling the damage and casualty reports again. Every battleship had sustained moderate to heavy damage. Four were dead with a dozen other seriously injured. The only reason they were still among the living was the medical advances we had gained as a result of our alliance with the Tuleeriri.
Along with the battleships, several cruisers were damaged with some minor injuries to their crew. I cringed as I saw the reports on the fighters. Almost all were damaged in some degree with four being completely destroyed. Of the four, we had only managed to rescue a single pilot. Finally, there was the Unity. Our shields were offline. The second capacitor bay went offline shortly after our fight with the Zrynt. We had three large perforations in the hull with light to moderate damage to the rest. I sighed and pace. I knew this next part by heart. Casualties: three technicians, four marines, one mechanic and two engineers were dead. The medical bays were inundated with those suffering moderate to severe injuries.
Truth was, as bad as I thought we had it, the Xroex were in a much more severe position. Three quarters of their ships were gone. Without knowing how many personnel were on each ship, it made it hard to accurately say how many had laid down their lives in defense of their home. I estimated the number of dead was over ten thousand.
At the end of the day, nobody was excited about the outcome of the battle. Sure we had won, but that victory came at a steep price. The Tuleeriri arrived shortly after the battle had ended, with the ancient ship on board. At least we wouldn't have any surprise visits from the Zrynt for the next several days.
I walked back to my desk and closed out the reports. The next screen that came up was our current location. The Xroex still weren't communicating much with us, but the little they did say indicated they wanted us far away from Brixxepsua. In order to maintain what little good will we had going, we were on the far side of their star, in a lower orbit than I was comfortable with, but our repair crews needed all the energy they could get. A notification arrived indicating the Stargazer was finally able to dock. The other seven battleships were either too damaged, or their docking locations were too compromised to allow them to fully dock. We had been able to shuttle the injured to the Unity for treatment luckily. It was going to take round the clock work for a full week before we could even begin to be fully functional.
I found myself pacing again. The needless loss of life weighed heavily on my shoulders. It was an oppressive blanket that threatened to drag me down into oblivion. Worst of all, I was reminded that no matter how many technological advantages we had, the Zrynt could beat us by their overwhelming numbers.
I was ripped from my musings when Sarah barged into my office. "You know, when somebody locks a door that generally indicates that they do not want to be disturbed," I said, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.
"I can leave you to you moping if you'd like, but I have some great news," she said, purposefully ignoring my attitude. "Judging by your troubled mind, I would say you could use some good news."
I sighed, realizing she wouldn't go away. "You're absolutely right about the good news. What do you have for me?"
"I have finished analyzing the data from the Tesslani."
"Tesslani?" I asked.
"It is the name of the ancient vessel," she answered, looking slightly annoyed at being interrupted. "As I was saying, I have finished analyzing the data. It told the same story of the demise of the Adeosmorix and the rise of the Zrynt. However, there was an additional entry that caught my attention. It foretold of a ship that would come from the stars and unite all people in defeating the Zrynt."
"Wait, wait, wait... Are you suggesting that they knew the Unity would show up?"
"As impossible as it seems, it would appear so." She let me sit in silence for a moment as I tried to grasp the implications. "That is not the only thing I discovered on the ship. There are schematics for a communication device that would allow instantaneous communication without the use of subspace."
"Is that even possible?" I asked.
"At first glance, I was skeptical. The device is based on the same technology as our jump drives. Essentially, it bends space to allow two points to overlap..."
"I know how our drives operate," I said cutting her off. "I was under the impression that the drive creating the field to draw the two points together had to be within the bounds of the field."
"That is true when transferring matter, but it appears that transferring energy has its own rules."
"Essentially, we would be using a modified drive to send an electronic signal?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, it is not that simple. There needs to be a device on the receiving end to intercept the message. Consequently, the precise location of the receiving device must be known."
"Exactly how precise are we talking?"
"Slightly less than one of your kilometers," she answered. "Do not burden yourself with the details. I have been working hard on a solution."
"Of course you are. You have already contributed much to this mission alone. I value your insight."
"I propose that we seed these devices throughout the galaxy in secure locations. The location of each device will be known to any ship equipped with its own device. This allows messages to be relayed through the devices if the one you are attempting to contact cannot be reached. These can be paired with subspace transmitters as well.
"It sounds pretty incredible, but I am concerned about the safety of those around the device."
"Matter, or in this case energy, can only travel in one direction," she explained.
"But what if that one direction just happens to be in the same location my head is occupying? I don't think that amount of energy is conducive to a healthy brain."
Sarah seemed to stop and consider what I had just said. "I haven't worked out all of the details yet. The important thing is that the technology is there. We just need to figure out how to best utilize it. There was something else on board as well. One of the crates was packed with cubes made from an unknown alloy."
"Have you found any special properties or uses?"
"I have not. I do have a theory though. The intelligent species on these planets rely heavily on psionic abilities. It would make sense that the alloy would be useful to them."
"I agree that it makes sense. The next chance we get, let's give them a sample and see what they make of it." There was silence for a moment. "Doesn't it seem strange?"
"What?" Sarah asked.
"The ancients had all this technology at their fingertips, yet they didn't even attempt to use it to save themselves from complete destruction. Instead, they created these ships and send them off, not knowing if the life the carried would survive, let alone find the ancient ships and gain the knowledge waiting for them. The whole thing just seems too incredible to be true."
"I have considered this at great length as well," she replied. "The only logical conclusion I can come to is that there is more to the story than is being told. Unfortunately, those that could answer our questions were destroyed millions of years ago."
"I don't like it. If feels like we are being manipulated." A somber mood settled in as my thoughts strayed to the casualty reports I had been reviewing.
"Stop that right now!" Sarah demanded.
"What?"
"You dishonor the sacrifices made by your actions. Those who perished knew the risks, yet the followed you anyways. They gave their lives in what they saw as a noble cause. There is no greater honor than that. Honor the fallen by carrying on their legacy, not by selfishly indulging in your grief."
I was taken aback by the passion she displayed. She was right though. I couldn't let their deaths be meaningless. Those who laid down their lives in the line of duty since the Unity launched had always felt like a burden. Perhaps Sarah was right. I did not honor them by grieving. I resolved to honor their memories with action. With my resolve strengthened, I felt my spirits lift. It was time to act and the Xroex was my first priority. Sarah left the room as I sent a message to Shahae, requesting her presence in my office.
I wasted no time as Shahae entered my office. "I think that it's time to pressuring the Xroex into a decision. Now that they have seen the dangers out there, I think they will be more open to an alliance."
"It is true they have seen firsthand the threat posed by the Zrynt. Perhaps it shall be the catalyst that causes them to join our cause."
"My thoughts exactly, although I still believe it is going to be a tough sale. They are a very reclusive race after all." We spent some time brainstorming on how to best approach the subject as well as how to present the message.
Finally, we had a final draft ready to be sent to the Klixrax. It read: Honored Klixrax, rulers of the Xroex, you have now witnessed the dangers lurking in the galaxy. The Zrynt desire nothing more than to destroy. Though we defeated this single fleet, countless more will follow. We ask you to reconsider your position and accept the offer of an alliance. As you have seen, we sustained heavy damage and suffered losses as well. This will be our final offer. If you refuse, then we will not save you a second time. We await your response."
It took almost an hour to receive a reply. I couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through their minds. When their reply came in, Shahae and I eagerly huddled over the screen. "We have been considering the idea since the battle was ended. It seems rather interesting that you predicted a battle and then were conveniently close enough to lend aid. If not for the extensive damage and to your ships, we would have considered the entire event staged. However, we have to take into account your willingness to defend us. We agree to an alliance with your respective races under strict conditions. Neither of your people will have direct contact with our people unless sanctioned by the Klixrax. In addition, no ships will be allowed in the vicinity of Brixxepsua, unless deemed appropriate by the Klixrax. We will require the derelict ship returned to provide safety from those you call the Zrynt. We accept your previous offer of sharing all technological advances and add that we may use them without intervention, so long as it does not danger either of your peoples. Finally, we shall provide ships to fight the Zrynt on our behalf. We shall give you command of those ships for all combat related matters." These are our requirements."
"This isolationist attitude of theirs is really starting to grate on my nerves," I said after we each had read the message a second time.
"They are simply trying to preserve their status quo," Shahae replied.
"I get that. What I really struggle with is the way their people are treated. I understand that it is their choice, but that is a very tough moral pill to swallow."
"I agree that their methods do differ from the Tuleeririan method, but we have no choice but to accept these conditions if we want their assistance."
We sent our acceptance and quickly received a startling reply, "We now consider both parties bound by the contract. You may maintain your current position while your fleet is undergoing repairs. It shall be some time while we rebuild our strength before we can send the promised ships to battle. We request the presence of the android to facilitate the transfer of data as per our agreement."
"Looks like Lisa is high in demand," I said.
***A/N***
I want to apologize for leaving you all hanging like that. I have been extremely busy as of late, and haven't had time to sit down and write. I had to resort to carrying around paper and a pen and writing a few lines here and there when I had time. I'm hopeful that I'll have some time next week in which to pen a chapter or two. Thanks for all those who have waited, patiently or not. As always, I appreciate your support.
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