Star Viking (Extinction Wars Book 3) (8 page)

“No,” the Starkien whispered. “That is blasphemous sacrilege. You would be branded an outlaw, and your people hounded to the ends of the universe.”

I laughed. “Do you hear yourself? You threaten to destroy my people, extinction for mankind. That doesn’t matter to a race already slain. Do you plan to kill us twice?”

“You do not possess the means to destroy the artifact,” Baba Gobo said.

“I assure you, I do.”

“You’ve fitted nuclear warheads onto the relic?” he asked.

“Among other things,” I lied.

“You
are
an animal,” Baba Gobo said. “It is vile to destroy an artifact of the First Ones. It is unclean to set explosives on the shrine. I abhor you, beast. Listen to me well. Many think lowly of the Starkiens. But today I will sacrifice my flotilla to rid the universe of monsters like you and your ilk. Prepare to die, Creed-beast.”

“The explosions will destroy you, too,” I said, surprised at his reaction.

“I have no interest in your—” The Starkien paused, and he glanced to his left, my right.

“Commander,” Ella said. “I’m receiving a communication from Ceres. Doctor Sant would like to address the two of you.”

Baba Gobo regarded me. “I have received a call from Doctor Sant, a Lokhar of Orange Tamika. Did he not return from hyperspace via the artifact?”

“He did,” I said.

“Let us hear what the noble Lokhar wishes to say,” the Starkien told me.

Why did Doctor Sant call now? Could he have been listening to our two-way conversation? Did the Lokhar have military-grade spy devices on Ceres? What did that say for Ella’s assurance that Sant would favor us?

The split screen changed. The image of the Starkien fleet disappeared. In its place Doctor Sant appeared in his orange robe.

Like the Starkien and me, Doctor Sant used a universal translating device to communicate with the two of us.

“I thank both of you gentlemen for taking my call,” Sant said.

Baba Gobo stiffened. “I hope you are not equating the
beast
with me. Do you not realize he has just threatened to destroy the Forerunner object?”

“Yes, I know,” Doctor Sant said. “It is why I wish to address you both.”

“You are a Lokhar,” Baba Gobo said. “Of all the races, I know you serve the artifacts with the greatest zeal. Surely, you realize that we must expunge mankind from the star lanes.”

Doctor Sant said nothing, although he turned his yellow eyes onto the Starkien. There was something unsettling about Sant, something I’d never noticed before. It was a new majesty, perhaps, an extra weight or gravity to his bearing. Was that due to the Jelk machine?

“You weren’t with us in hyperspace, Baba Gobo,” Doctor Sant said. “I joined the humans as they battled down the portal planet to the artifact in the center of the great Forerunner machine. I saw Commander Creed in his element. What is more, I saw him walk the curve toward the ancient residence in the inner torus of the object. He disappeared into an olden building. There, he did communicate with the relic, learning the construct’s name. He bargained with the tool of the First Ones. In a moment of time, the object now in the solar system’s Asteroid Belt left the portal planet and came here. The object has blessed the humans with its presence. It judges them, Baba Gobo. The Lokhars await the artifact’s word on the nature of man. Are the humans beasts as you subscribe, or should mankind join the civilized races as guardians of life?”

“He threatened to destroy the ancient shrine,” Baba Gobo said.

“He is the object’s appointed guardian,” Doctor Sant said. “He uses what weapons he has. Yes, Commander Creed is crude and bloodthirsty, yet he saved our universe from destruction.”

“We Starkiens will make better guardians,” Baba Gobo said.

Slowly, Doctor Sant shook his head. “This cannot be. The object has chosen its residence. Here it must stay until it choses otherwise.”

The Starkien’s eyes gleamed wetly. “I acknowledge your rank, Doctor Sant. You are a chosen one of the relic. I bow before you. Yet, you should know, acolyte, that you have just sealed humanity’s fate. I will annihilate them and take up residence in this star system.”

“Then you must slay me as well,” Doctor Sant said. “The Lokhars will, of course, learn of this. Then, you will have to pay the price for spilling my blood.”

The Starkien stared at Doctor Sant seeming deflated. “Is this your final word?”

“It is,” Doctor Sant said.

“You would do this for these beasts?” the Starkien asked.

“I would do it because the artifact has told Commander Creed its name.”

“This is true?” Baba Gobo asked.

“It is true,” said Doctor Sant.

The Starkien sniffed several times. He avoided looking at me. “We will leave the solar system, Doctor. As one who journeyed with a Forerunner construct, you have my envy and highest regard. Your words have weight, acolyte. I cannot carry them on my shoulders. Thus, I retreat before your glory.”

Doctor Sant bowed his head, and then his image disappeared from the screen.

Finally, Baba Gobo glanced at me. There was venom in his eyes. “This isn’t the end of it, beast. When the Lokhar—” The Starkien snarled. Then his image vanished.

That left me alone with my thoughts. Doctor Sant had ridden
on
the artifact when it teleported away from the portal planet. I had gone
inside
the object and actually spoken with it. Yet, I was the beast and Doctor Sant the holy acolyte.

In that moment, with a burning in my chest, I vowed to make the aliens of all stripes recognize that humans were equal to any other race in our galaxy.

The Starkien flotilla left the same way it had come, through the Neptune jump gate.

Seven months later, Doctor Sant informed me that he and his fellow Orange Tamika Lokhars were going home. After what had happened with Baba Gobo, that sounded ominous. Other extraterrestrials feared the Lokhars but had nothing but contempt for us humans. With the last Lokhars gone, what would stop bloodthirsty aliens from ransacking the solar system?

An Orange Tamika starship docked near Ceres. A day later, Doctor Sant and I walked along an underground corridor jackhammered from the asteroid’s rock.

I wore my navy uniform, complete with a military cap and sidearm, my .44 Magnum.

I’d finally gained back all my lost weight and felt strong again. The last of Sant’s needler venom had disappeared from my system. At no time had he shown any inclination to recall his assassination attempt against me, nor did he ever speak about the Shi-Feng.

Doctor Sant wore his former silver and black garment with orange chevrons. With his greater height, the tiger towered over me.

“I’m not sure I understand why you’re leaving,” I said. “I thought you wished to continue studying the artifact.”

As we walked down the rock corridors, with the stark lights shining down from the ceiling, Doctor Sant glanced at me sidelong. Since going under Ella’s mind machine, he had become less talkative and more contemplative.

His strides lengthened and his furry brow wrinkled in thought. I even noticed that his whiskers twitched. Finally, in a grave voice, he said, “Rumors have percolated from deep within the Jelk Corporation.”

“What kind of rumors?” I asked.

“They have invasion troubles,” he said.

“From where?” I asked, thinking about my nightmare of Abaddon. “And how did you learn of this?”

“Yes, that is the question, from where, I mean. The captain of
Royal Sovereign
—the Orange Tamika warship docked outside—has told me these rumors. They are food for serious contemplation. The captain told me some believe Center Galaxy aliens have invaded down our spiral arm into Jelk territory. Others think that a secret cabal among them is attempting a Jelk coup. A small number of religious adepts believe Abaddon has escaped from hyperspace with a Karg taskforce.”

I felt cold inside. “Abaddon is in our universe? You’re sure of this?”

Doctor Sant shook his head. “I make no such claim of surety. I relate to you rumors, nothing more. This we do know. Something has shaken the Jelk Corporation. What’s more, various Saurian fleets have departed their jump-off points. By this, I mean those fleets no longer poise like spears to jab into Jade League star systems.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” I asked.

Sant stared down at me.

“I’m not talking about Abaddon and some Kargs making it into our universe,” I said. “That would be terrible—unless they brought Jennifer with them. Then I could try to free her.”

“No!” Sant said, horrified. “You must never attempt such a thing.”

I snorted. “Are you kidding me? She was my woman. If I have a shot at freeing her, you’d better believe I’ll take it.”

“That would be ill-considered indeed. The omens all point to one conclusion. If you ever meet Abaddon face-to-face, nothing will ever be the same for any of us.”

It was my turn to stare. I hated this oblique stuff. Besides, could Sant really be serious about this? What would that make my dream? Would it be a coincidence, or could the demon-lord speak across a thousand light years?

The Lokhars had an oracle, their greatest Forerunner artifact. It liked making ambiguous statements. I think the policy had rubbed off onto Doctor Sant.

“Do you think the Jelk problem is with Abaddon?” I asked.

“I have no way of knowing,” Sant said. “I believe it highly unlikely, though. The Center Galaxy invasion sounds more plausible to me.”

I nodded. “Sure, Doc—I mean, Doctor.” Like all Lokhars I’ve ever met, Sant was a bear concerning protocol. They disliked informality. “The Jelk are having trouble with someone or something. It has caused them to pull back Saurian-crewed taskforces from the frontier. Now why’s that a problem again?”

“I did not say it was.”

“Come on, Doctor. You’re acting worried over this. Sure, you’re trying to hide it, but I know you, remember?”

His whiskers twitched. “You are observant and rash, a unique combination. I wonder if that is the source of your remarkable strength.”

“No, it’s a bowl full of Wheaties every morning,” I said.

“I do not understand,” Sant said with a frown.

“It doesn’t matter. What’s troubling you? Is there something I can do to help?”

Doctor Sant halted and fingered his gaudy ring. His stare became intent as he studied the rose in the bubble. With a swift move, he took off the ring, holding it up to a ceiling light. “Do you know what this ring signifies?”

I wanted to say a lack of artistic taste. Instead, I just shook my head.

“It is an ancient heirloom, my family symbol. My father gave it to me. His father gave it to him. My great-grandfather accepted it as a token from the Orange Tamika Regent-Emperor.”

“Wait a minute. I thought all Lokhar emperors belonged to Purple Tamika.”

“
No
,” Sant hissed. “The Purple are upstarts. Over two hundred years ago, they purloined the throne from Orange Tamika. It almost brought open revolt among the Lokhars.”

“What stopped it?” I asked.

“The Saurian fleets poised to strike deep into Jade League territory,” Sant said.

I blinked several times. Sure. That made sense. Historically, what kept allies together? A larger threat. During World War II, the Soviets and Americans joined hands against Hitler. Once the Furhur died and Nazi Germany lay in ruins, the Russians and Americans soon began the Cold War. They didn’t have a larger threat binding them together anymore. In this case, the once threatening Saurian fleets were like Nazi Germany.

“Do all Jade League members like each other?” I asked.

“No,” Sant said, “many loathe the very scent of other races.”

“What about the different Tamikas?” I asked.

“You are shrewd, Commander. The Purple Tamika Emperor has moved openly against Orange Tamika. Our dreadnoughts and their elite crews died in hyperspace. Because of that, we have become weak. Some believe the Emperor will attempt to eliminate Orange Tamika altogether, securing the throne for generations to come.”

“And he’s making these moves now because the Saurian fleets no longer wait to attack?” I asked.

“You ask that as if the Emperor is foolish. The Saurian fleets have not only retreated but also traveled deep into Jelk Corporation territory. In some fashion, the Jelk are divided or under assault. There has not been such an occurrence for time immemorial.”

“Maybe it’s a Jelk trick,” I said. “They’re cunning enough to do something like that. I mean pull everything back and leak rumors that a terrible invasion has brought this about. Then, once the Jade League breaks into conflict, the Saurian fleets will return with a vengeance, cleaning up.”

“I agree that is a possibility,” Sant said. “It’s what makes this a difficult decision.”

“You mean your leaving the solar system?” I asked.

Instead of answering me, Doctor Sant raised the gaudy ring a little higher. “This is my most precious possession. I have worn it with pride. Now, Commander Creed, I give it to you.” Sant extended his long arm, shoving the ring in my face.

I reacted hastily without really thinking about what I was doing. “Oh, well, thanks,” I said, taking the ring. “Yeah, this is something,” I said, hefting it. The ring was heavier than it looked. “I’ll treasure this all my life.”

Sant closed his eyes, nodding with seeming appreciation, as if this was a holy ceremony. Maybe it was. When he opened his orbs, he watched me expectantly.

“Uh, oh,” I said, beginning to understand. No doubt, I was supposed to give him something equally precious in return. This was a swap. I happened to be wearing my .44. I began unbuckling my gun-belt.

“No,” Sant said. “I could not accept a weapon of war, especially one that killed the Emperor’s daughter-wife.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well, I’m not sure what I could give you then.”

Doctor Sant smiled serenely. “There is a boon I would ask of you.”

“Sure,” I said.

“You know the name of the Forerunner artifact.”

“I sure do,” I said.

Doctor Sant waited expectantly.

Maybe I should have just told him. I didn’t want to, though. The tiger had shot me with poison slivers. Screw him. He was supposed to aid us, not us him.

“I do not ask for such a thing for myself alone,” Sant said. “It is for Orange Tamika that I ask, the brother-in-arms who died for you and your assault troopers, allowing them to reach the center of the portal planet.”

“How does knowing the artifact’s name help Orange Tamika?” I asked.

Doctor Sant’s serene look became strained. I don’t think he liked my question.

“I am not here to bargain,” Sant said.

Of course you are, old son
. For all I knew, the ring was bric-a-brac, a worthless piece of junk. Sant might be pulling a fast one, and I didn’t like it.

“Several months ago, I saved you from the Starkiens,” he told me.

“Yes, you did,” I said. “And you have my most profound gratitude for doing it. I’m the one the artifact spoke and listened to, yet the baboons weren’t impressed with me. You just rode on the relic, and they seemed to think you were some holy man because of it. Why did they have the difference of reactions between the two of us?” I asked.

Doctor Sant stiffened, and his fingers twitched. Had I hit a nerve? Maybe I should just make up a name and give it to him. I rejected the idea.

“You need to let me know exactly what’s going on here before I give you the artifact’s name,” I said.

The tiger seemed to consider that. “You are a wily—” I think Sant almost called me a beast, barely stopping himself. “You are a wily dealer,” he said. “Because of my journey with an artifact, I am an acolyte now. The Starkien recognized the change in me. I have begun a holy trek, a soul journey. As the speaker for the Sol Object, my words have gravity.”

“Wait a minute. Why are
you
the speaker? If anyone should be the speaker, it’s me,” I said, jabbing a thumb against my chest.

“No!” Sant said, horrified.

I raised my eyebrows.

“Forgive me, Commander Creed. Even after these past years, you are new to the Jade League. You have an exalted post as guardian of the object, but you are not an accredited acolyte. I am Lokhar. I have ridden the relic. I have studied it and now will return to the empire to speak my words to whoever will listen.”

This was rich. After all humanity had done for the Lokhars, we were still little more than beasts in Doctor Sant’s eyes.

“In other words,” I said, “you’re going to create trouble for the Purple Tamika Emperor. But you’re going to do it with religious coloring, hiding behind your new status.”

“Please, Commander Creed, I ask that you speak with decorum and forgo your crudities.”

I kept thinking about Sant pulling the trigger seven times and the Shi-Feng blowing themselves up to kill me.

“That’s right,” I said, hotly. “I’m only a barbarian guardian, one of the only people an artifact has ever talked to. Oh, by the way, how many artifacts have told a Lokhar their name?”

“Only the highest priests would know such a thing,” Sant said, stiffening.

“You know what I think?” I asked. “If an artifact talked to me, that means I outrank everyone in the acolyte department.”

Sant’s eyes darted away from mine. I wondered if I’d hit another nerve. Frankly, I hardly cared.

“Look, Doctor,” I said. “You and I have been through a lot together. I saved your bacon on the portal planet. The assault troopers saved the universe. Yet, what do we find: insults by everyone who thinks we’re nothing but beasts or barbarians. Well, I’m sick of it. No, I’m not giving you the object’s name. You can take your ring back if you want.”

I thrust it at him.

Sant’s eyes widened and his whiskers stood straight out. With a lightning move, he snatched his gaudy ring, stuffing it in a pocket.

“You have insulted me,” he said.

“Yeah, right,” I said. I almost told him how he’d shot me seven times. Instead, I said, “You’ve insulted me throughout this entire conversation. You don’t see me sulking about it.” I told myself to calm down. The tiger was an ally. He’d helped us just seven months ago with the Starkiens. “Look, Sant, you gave me your ring to try to bribe me. I’m betting knowing the name of the artifact would be just about the biggest thing to hit the Lokhar Empire. And you want me to just give it to you. I don’t think so.”

Doctor Sant hissed with outrage, and needle-thin claws popped out of his fingertips.

I stepped back, thinking:
Here we go again
. I drew my .44.

“You have committed a grave error, Captain Creed.”