Inherited War 3: Retaliation (35 page)

“Why an hour? I thought the antigravity net only took forty-five minutes to deploy,” Sky asked.

“Because the slowest of those ships takes one hour to recharge for a warp jump. We have to stay, so as many that can get out, do get out. But I will sacrifice every one of those ships if I have to in order to win this war. My own, too.” Cole gave the jump order and left the link with his ship.

“Are you really going to be on
The Resurrection
when she jumps in?” Sky asked. Cole snorted.

“Not a chance. I am a ground pounded from way back; I plan on being in the mud with your people. They don’t need to know that though, so if it makes them braver to think I will be up there with them, then so be it.” The ships made the jump to warped space. It wasn’t a far journey to link up with the rest of Cole’s fleet but his ship made it first. In fact, all of his ships would have to slow way down when they jumped to Nixa. He wanted everyone to arrive at the same time.

Cole reconnected to his ship and looked around local space. It was a beautiful sight. Races from all corners of the galaxy had come together to stamp out a blight that for too long clouded the galaxy with fear. The Esii died today and if the Roche didn’t surrender, they would meet the same fate as their masters. Cole linked up with the transport that would be taking himself, Sky, and his security team down to the planet. They also had one of the shield generators and power plants on board. He looked at all the humans and Worlders crammed into the transport. He held up his fist and turned on his com. A Patton quote came to mind. He didn’t remember it perfectly but if Patton had been alive to hear it, Cole didn’t think he would mind if he screwed it up a bit.

“Today we face long odds. Do not mourn those who die this day, but thank God they lived at all.” Someone must have taught the Worlders the military word that meant everything. The ship was suddenly filled with thousands of voices all shouting the same thing.

“HOOAH!”

Split stared at the planet in front of their fleet of transports. Its surface was cold and dead. Why wouldn’t it be? It was ten thousand light years away from the nearest warmth and light giving star, not to mention the rest of the galaxy. A planet outside of the galaxy with no solar system. No star to shine its light on it. An invisible planet. A dead planet. They didn’t know why they had decided to move an entire planet all the way out here. They had to have known it wouldn’t survive long without a star to warm its surface. Yet here it was.

“The good news is,” Hal interrupted Split’s thoughts, “there were machinery and buildings on its surface. Well, is, but they are long abandoned. One looks like it might have been massive shield generator at one point. Big enough to cover the world in a insulating layer. It’s pretty weathered though.” Hal paused for a moment. “I think we should go. Everyone here is dead.”

“We don’t disagree, but we want a closer look,” Split answered. Hal muttered some choice words under the audible level of the Worlder. He was tired of this quest. He wanted to be back in the action helping Cole. Not out here wandering the galaxy, looking for scraps left behind by the ancient humans.

“Fine, one low heavy sensor sweep then we go back home,” Hal said.

“We agree,” Split responded. Hal parked the fleet of transports in orbit around the planet, brought his sensors up to full power, and got down low enough to increase their effectiveness but still high enough to cover a lot of ground.  An hour later, they got a weird reading. Heat and power coming from a big cavern near the north pole of the planet.

“Land.”  Hal didn’t hesitate. He recognized the firmness in Split’s voice and was loath to argue with the odd Worlder again. Hal did as he was told while Split went to the storage closet and changed from his standard spacer suit to a combat hardened deep space suit. Split was at the ramp and ready to go before Hal had settled the ship on its landing struts.

“I won’t be able to reach you on the normal com channel down there. That cave is all iron and lead. Take a portable point-to-point with you.” Split patted their pocket.

“We thought of that. We will keep in touch. If we can.” Split opened the hatch and extended the ramp. They walked down and onto the harsh surface of the planet. Absolute zero—you couldn’t get any colder than this. Their suit could handle it for a time, but they better hurry. Starting off at a trot, they ran down into the cavern and followed it for about a half a mile before it suddenly ended. It ended at a massive steel door that plugged the entire tunnel. Split spent a moment in quiet contemplation before they shrugged their shoulders and reached down for a large rock. Picking it up, he crossed the final feet to the monstrous door and began to bang it as hard as he could on the surface of the steel.

They beat on the surface for a good ten minutes before stopping to wait. They didn’t have long. A small door shaped piece of the steel separated itself from the rest of the wall and swung silently inward. Split walked over to and through the door. After all, these were supposed to be allies. They found themselves in what looked to him like an air lock. The door swung shut behind them and they felt themselves buffeted by the sudden inrush of atmosphere. Their suit read it as breathable and of a temperature conducive to life.

So they hadn’t died out after all. They had retreated underground and saved themselves from extinction. Good, a resourceful ally was always a boon. The interior door opened and as Split stepped inside the cave, they retracted their helmet back into their suit. They found themselves staring above the heads of thousands of short, massively muscled beings. They stared in disbelief. Split had remembered the beings that had been chosen for this duty. They had been tall strong creatures with quick reflexes and cunning in battle.

Now they were faced with evolution in action. They had shrunk to fit into their new home, and the hard work of keeping their people alive in these tunnels had made them bulge with muscle. Their skin had turned a ghostly white and all of them, every single one, had long facial hair and a shaved head. They had a typical humanoid face, eyes, nose, mouth, but the eyes were deep-set and were more pupil than anything else. Their noses had grown large and bulbous, their sense of smell over-developing to counter the low light. Their mouths were completely hidden by their beards and moustaches. All were decked out in shiny glistening armor that flowed and moved with their body’s movements. One took a step forward and began to speak. It was a language Split hadn’t heard in eons.

“You are not the one promised to find us and release us from this prison.” He crossed his arms on his chest. “You are foolish to have stumbled where you are not wanted.” Split regarded the short stout being for a moment before they spoke.

“You are correct. We are not he, but we represent the ancient’s offspring. We have been sent here by the returned humans to mobilize the forces of our allies,” Split stated openly, still operating under the belief that these were friends.

“Hah, we no longer will be summoned by the fiends who locked us in this foul hole. We have seen your ships and we require their services. We will be leaving but not to fight in any battles for our jailors,” the dwarf stated.

“We had forgotten about your kind,” Split said. “The humans were too kind to you in the past. They had you beaten, theirs to wipe from the universe forever. It was you who chose to answer for your crimes by bonding yourselves to the humans. It was your crimes that landed your people here. It was your deal that gave you a second chance.” Split stared at the squat figure, anger running through their veins. Theri memories of these beings flooded back into his mind.

They had been a horrid race of beings. In their language they called themselves Verge, to the rest of the galaxy they were called the Nomads. Cunning and merciless, they had abandoned their home when they had destroyed it and wandered the stars as nomads. They raided and plundered worlds with no defenses. Captured free beings and sold them as slaves. They had caused the extinction of two separate races of beings that they had discovered before the humans. They had spread death and disease wherever they had gone. It had been their depravities that had forced humanity to form a central government to deal with threats like them. Humanity had tracked down their wandering fleet and without having to attack the fleet, they had captured every last one of them.

But, the ancient humans had been at a loss as to what to do with them. They would not condemn them to the same fate that they had chosen for other races, and they could not be turned free to roam the galaxy once more. They settled on relocating them to a world far from the normal lanes of space faring beings, and removing their capabilities for spaceflight. When the war had come many years later, Jarrod had secretly gone to meet with the descendants of the original nomads. He had offered them a deal. Hide away from the galaxy until humans returned. Perfect their warring and battles until they were an indestructible force. Learn honor, respect, and mercy. To that end, he would leave a handful of his own people there to teach and guide them. In return, they would be allowed, after humanity was safe from their ancient enemies, to return to the galaxy as equal partners in whatever system was enacted after the war was over. They had agreed to be allies and work with the humans left behind, and promised that when the time came to venture forth they would fight with the human army. They seemed to have forgotten that promise. It was Split’s job to remind them.

“Did you learn nothing from those who chose to stay behind and teach you honor and respect?” Split asked angrily.

“Honor? You speak of honor to us? Our ancestors agreed to the terms provided and we honored them fully. It took hundreds of years and much fighting to change the course of our race. We were brutal, merciless killers who care for nothing but battle and booty. Now thousands of years later, we hold honor above all else. But we were abandoned here. Left to die by those we thought had higher morals than anyone. The humans with our people died, our shield machines slowly broke down, and we were forced underground. No one came, and we had no way to contact anyone. For fifteen thousand years, we have lived our lives under the rock and minerals on this planet. Lived and died. The pact forced upon us is null and void.”

Split ground their teeth and clenched his fists. They were about to offer a sharp retort when their point-to-point chimed an incoming message. Hal sounded frantic.

“We’re done! Get out of there, we have to go!” Hal was shouting in his ear.

“Please, allow us a moment. We are receiving a call from our ship.” The leader of the dwarves nodded a curt nod of acceptance. Split tuned and walked a short distance away.

“What has happened?” Split asked.

“Cole’s recall code. I just received it. We have to get back whether you found anything or not,” Hal said hurriedly.

“Do not go anywhere yet. We have found what we came for and we are loath to leave prematurely,” Split replied.

“One hour, no more. If I don’t have you inside me in one hour, I am leaving you behind.”

“Agreed, now leave us alone.” Split ended the call and turned to face the angry crowd again.

“So the old agreement is voided because the terms no longer meet the suffering your people have endured? Is that correct?” Split asked. “What would suffice then? In one hour, my ships leave with or without us on them. The humans have recalled us and that means only one thing. War with the ancient enemy.” Split looked at the leader calmly.

“You would amend the agreement?” he asked.

“We would,” Split responded. These people were too important, and Cole needed them badly. They were probably the galaxy’s perfect ground troops.

“We want our planet moved back into the galaxy. As much as it has tormented us over the millennia, it is our home and we wish to keep it.” Split smiled inside. He had brought the very device needed to accomplish just that feat. “Ships for my people, schools and teachers to instruct our children, and those adults that want knowledge of the galaxy at large. Medical and technical aid, and finally, a place of honor at the side of humanity.” Split looked at the leader of these hard people and smiled. They extended their hand and took the leaders in a mighty shake.

“We can agree to all changes except the last. It will be up to the leader of the humans on the roll you will take after the war.”

“You have dealt fairly and with honor. We can accept those terms and look forward to discussing them with our allies.”

“Now prepare your people. We will land the transports and load the warriors. When your planet arrives in the Nixa system, it will not move again. You will need to be ready to deploy quickly. I can fit one hundred thousand of you in my ships. Are there that many?” The dwarf laughed deeply.

“Aye, I can put that many on the ships, but what will the other few million do?” Split’s smile broadened into a wide grin.

“Oh, we will find something for them. Do you think they will like killing Roche?” Both beings laughed at that, and Split told Hal to land and settle in to wait for the planetary transporter to power up.