The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (97 page)

He felt humbled.

“Azogas my name is Aria and I’m a class seven AI created by the Alterans.”

“Alterans?”

Aria noticed the confusion in his eyes.

“The ancestors of the humans, or better said a small group of them that fought the Dacarians and their masters twelve thousand cycles ago.”

As she said those words Azogas felt his mind spinning. Twelve thousand cycles…his race was probably still fighting with swords at the time when humans were a space faring race.

He realized now why the legionaries always showed respect towards the humans, he realized also the hatred that he could see in their eyes, a hatred that came in equal measure from the humans.

“I know I’m dying I can feel my life force slipping away.”

He turned towards the others.

“If you can save them I would be grateful.”

Helen looked at the Zerg.

“We managed to stabilize them for now but we know nothing about their physiology, about your physiology, considering that he is one of your people.”

As she said the words she pointed towards Hof. The youngling was not looking good. As he saw him Azogas knew that he was also beyond help. Even if they knew everything about them there was nothing they could do.

“Help me up. I will tell you all you want to know but I’m afraid there is nothing you could do for us now.”

He noticed the pained look in her eyes.

“At least nothing more but trust me you did more then enough, more then enough.”

As he stood up he almost fell down. One of the human soldiers came close to him and supported him.

He turned towards the doctor.

“Do you have any scans of our bodies?”

Aria was the first to answer.

“Yes Azogas we do.”

A moment later a hologram appeared showing his physiology.

Azogas slowly came close and started listing the organs and their function.

As he finished he could feel his strength fading. But he also noticed the smile on the face of the humans.

“Mr. Azogas if you would just lie down I would come to you in a second.”

He watched the human female as she hurried away and started talking with the other doctors.

A moment later two of the doctors lifted Hof and put him on a second bed which they ushered in one of the other rooms. Two other doctors went in after them.

He turned towards Aria.

“What are they doing?”

The AI looked at him and smiled.

“The same thing that they will do with you, they are saving his life.”

“But…”

“There is no but Azogas. They are doing their job, something that they feared they wouldn’t be able to do considering that they knew nothing about you just a few moments ago, nothing but the name of your race.”

She noticed his face darken as she said those words.

“My race…We might have been great once but we are almost gone now. I grew up with stories passed from generation to generation but with each passing cycle our numbers are diminishing. I fear that my race will soon be nothing more then a distant memory.”

He could see the sadness in Aria’s eyes.

“Since the day I was awakened I learned that many races have perished. Your race still has a chance. You might have wronged them in the past but they will do all they can to help you survive. And they will make the dacarians pay for all they have done.”

Azogas looked at the humans.

He could see their determination but then he remembered what he knew of the dacarians and their empire.

“I wish that they win with all my heart but the chance is small for that AI. The empire is enormous.”

Aria looked at the strange creature.

“The odds may be against them but the dacarians never faced an enemy like them before. Not even my creators, their ancestors were as merciless and capable for war as they are. Most of the races I know of had their wars but managed to unite early in their history and advanced in peace through long periods of stability and slowly. They have been at war with one another since the day they climbed down from the trees their ancestors lived in. They were at war between each other even the day the dacarian ships appeared on their skies above Earth. And then they united and crushed the enemy even though they didn’t have the technology he had. And now they do. They make huge leaps advancing in a few cycles in fields that your and many other races needed centuries to do, just as the dacarians did in the past when they were a young race. That is why they will win.”

Azogas watched her and said nothing.

He noticed the human female approaching again.

Aria smiled.

“It’s time for your surgery.”

As he watched her he felt a stab in his hand. He felt his conciseness slipping away. The last thing he saw was the face of Helen.

The surgery lasted for two hours.

It was the hardest surgery each of the doctors did in their lives. In the end they knew they saved one. But there was no hope for the younger Zerg. Even though they managed to close al his wounds he was slowly drifting away.

Ganak woke up with a start. He rose immediately noticing the strange room he was in. He could feel the stitches on several parts of his body, and he felt that he had inner injuries that were treated. He awoke almost an hour ago but he meditated allowing his body to heal faster.

As he rose to his full height he noticed a dark robe very similar to what his race wore in the past on the chair next to the bed.

He slowly put it on and felt the warmth as the strange material touched his skin.

As he watched the room the doors opened and several humans entered.

As they approached Ganak watched them with surprise but he managed to hide his shock.

Jennings watched the Sicarian. It was strange to see the alien alive. He watched thousands of videos of the images Aria had of them, and he remembered seeing the bodies of the two dead ones back on Earth. This one was older, much older then them. He was sure of that. In the past few hours he studied the language of the race and their history at least the one Aria and Anaya had. It was old data but considering the lifetimes the Sicarians lived he doubted that the language changed much.

“The waters are deep but life they mean…”

“Even in darkness there is light and life is strong.”

Ganak watched the human with surprise.

“It was a long time since the last time an alteran said those words.”

“And yet my ancestors considered you friends till the end.”

Ganak bowed.

“For what wrong was done I gladly will die, for I Ganak fourth Makon of the second army of Sicarian have no honor before you.”

Jennings watched the Sicarian with stunned look. He knew that Makon was a high rank in the Sicarian society something similar to a general in the human terms. The Dean was the highest position.

He approached slowly and touched the blue creature on his shoulder.

“Rise Ganak there is no need for this. What ever wrong was done in the past it has long been forgotten and forgiven. Our ancestors were your friends and we are the same.”

Ganak slowly rose. He was surprised by his own reaction as he heard the greeting of his own race spoken by the human. And as he watched him he knew that he must be a human. He noticed the weapons they carried and he knew that even though they were lethal they were too primitive compared to the weapons the Alterans used.

As he watched them the human spoke again.

“I’m admiral Jennings commander of the federation battle cruiser Excelsior.”

Ganak sat down on the bed.

“You come from Earth.”

It was a statement not a question. Jennings blinked for a second surprised.

“Yes we come from Earth.”

Ganak watched the human. He turned and observed the room he was in. It was well equipped but as their weapons primitive.

He knew that the Lacarian alliance had plans for contacting them, plans that were postponed as the war became more brutal. The plans were almost put in motion before his capture. That was seven cycles ago.

A lot must have changed since then.

The humans had no space technology at the time so they must have been given. But as he looked at them he was surprised by how calm they looked and there were none from the races of the alliance present.

“Where are the other races of the Alliance? What are the latest news of the war?”

The humans watched him with surprised look.

“What war? What Alliance?”

He could see the shock on their faces. He realized his mistake at once. And yet it was all strange and he admitted impossible. The humans were an advanced society but they had no technology that would allow them to be here now without the help of the Alliance. And yet as he watched them he knew that he was wrong.

A lot must have changed in the seven cycles that he was a prisoner.

“When I was captured you had no technology to leave your solar system. And the Lacarian Alliance had plans for contacting you and giving you advanced technology in order to acquire your help in the war.”

“When were you captured?”

“At the battle of Lukasa seven cycles ago.”

Jennings nodded.

“A lot can change in seven years Ganak. I don’t know about that alliance. As for the technology it seems that it was always there waiting on us. And even with the help from the AI’s everything you see was thought by humans. We tend to advance in long jumps when the need arises. And an alien invasion will do that. The dacarians mistake was not that they attacked us. It was that they underestimated us and lost.

They had their chance. Soon it will be our turn.”

This time it was Ganak’s turn to be surprised.

“Your world was far from any front line with the Dacarians, to far.  Even the Alliance found it by pure luck by stumbling on a warp point that took them close to your system. There was no way that they could know the location of your world.”

“And yet they do. And they did attack us. A hundred million dead are the result from that attack, hundred and seventy if you add their dead as well.”

Ganak watched the human.

“If they know the location of your world nothing will stop them from attacking you and destroying you.”

“Nothing but attacking first Sicarian and that is what we will do. Yes we know of the past and why they hate us so much. There is a saying on my world that the best defense is offence.”

“Do you know the power of their empire? You will stand no chance.”

Jennings smiled. So did the other humans.

“There is much that you don’t know about my race Ganak. Our ancestors failed to stop them because they had mercy. They were naïve. I told you before that it’s our turn now. Humans know of war Ganak. There are times when we wish we didn’t. But we do. We know every little secret it has, every terrible thing. We have done it, we did to our self. War was our friend since the day our ancestors got down from the trees. It is part of who we are, of what we are. And soon they will learn that.”

Ganak watched the human with interest. It was strange to see them like this. To hear them speak in this tone. And yet he couldn’t feel anything else except pride. He was born long after the ancient war finished. But he remembered the words, the teachings. He could remember the old ones, the ancient ones speaking of those times, of the glory of seeing the Alterans fight. And as he watched these humans he knew that they had that same spark. They were true descendants of those ancient allies his race betrayed. He once again felt the shame from that knowledge.

“Our elders said that the galaxy trembled the last time an Alteran and Dacarian fought.”

The human smiled.

“It won’t tremble this time. But when the empire crashes that crash will be with a roar.”

Ganak smiled and extended his hand in a greeting. He could feel his force slipping away piece by piece. He knew he was dying besides the best efforts the human doctors made but there was no sadness in his eyes. There was only pride.

“Thank you for this.”

Jennings looked straight at his eyes.

“If you want we can give you a death with honor.”

Ganak looked at him with surprise.

“How do you know of our rituals?”

“You are not the first Sicarian we met. We know of two more that died on our world, two members of your race that warned us of what was to come. The one that warned us was named Agnail Makon Curas.”

As Jennings spoke the name he saw something stir in the sicarian. Ganak’s eyes flashed. For the first time the humans saw a sicarian show pain.

Ganak knew Agnail. And he knew his father. He was there when Agnail led the last defense on the Homeworld as the refuge fleet escaped.

To hear that he survived that battle…

He rose to his full height for the first time and looked directly in to the eyes of the human.