Void Wraith (The Void Wraith Trilogy Book 2) (19 page)

"Possibly," Lena said, uncertainty. She found the older Primo scholar intimidating, and felt like a prideless next to a Leonis matriarch. "I have a theory, anyway."

"Let's hear it," Atrea said, waving a hand over her tablet. The screen went dark. "I'm sure whatever you're about to say is more interesting than Miffar's interpretation of the Void Wraith 'myth.' "

"Well," Lena began, curling her tail in her lap. She took it in both hands, speaking slowly. "The myth says that the Elder Gods did battle with the Void Wraith. I can't find many references to these Elder Gods, but those stories that do reference them claim that they gave birth to the Primo. That certainly sounds like an earlier group. It's possible that these Elder Gods are the first Primo empire, and that this tells the tale of the first war with the Void Wraith. If that's the case, it sounds like the Void Wraith were defeated by the Forge."

"That's a logical interpretation," Atrea said, giving a tiny smile. "If you are correct, that might mean that the Forge was a real vessel, and if so it might be one we could still locate."

"That's it exactly," Lena said excitedly. "The myth says the ship returned to the birthplace. If I'm right, that birthplace corresponds to a celestial body somewhere. Maybe the original Primo home world?"

"Quite possibly," Atrea said, bobbing her head. "I know of a number of potential sources of information on the birthplace, but all are among our most ancient lore. I do not know if we salvaged enough to provide the actual location."

"I have an idea there," Lena said. She spoke to the air around her. "Ship, can you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Lena of Pride Leonis," Ship said, cheerfully.

"I'd like you to reference all mythology you have access to, and have it sent to this terminal," Lena commanded, grinning at Atrea. The scholarly woman hadn't made the connection yet, but she would.

"You can't mean..." Atrea said, her tiny mouth falling open into a comically small O. "You possess a data cube from the second Primo empire?"
 

"We do," Lena said, grinning. Her tail writhed anxiously in her grip "This VI doesn't contain an entire archive, but its knowledge is considerable. Since the second empire wasn't as far removed, they may have clearer information about this Forge."

Chapter 49- Into the Fray

"Sir, the
Veracruz
is reporting drive issues," Juliard called. She sat at the makeshift CIC station Dryker had had assembled the previous day. Now that he was running a human fleet in addition to the Primo, he needed the instrumentation necessary to command them.
 

"Tell them we're moving out in ten minutes. If they can't get the problem isolated they're to effect repairs, and get there as soon as possible," Dryker instructed, shifting uncomfortably on the Primo throne.

He'd considered taking one of the few capital ships from the 14
th
as his flagship, but had ultimately decided it would be better to stay aboard the
First Light
. Being aboard a destroyer again would be wonderful, but it wouldn't do much for cohesion between the two races.
 

"Sir, the
Orion
is on the line," Juliard said.
 

Dryker connected his comm, audio only. "This is
First Light
actual; go ahead,
Orion
."

"Sir, if the
Veracruz
stays behind, we're losing our only battleship," Sheng said. "The
Orion
is a frigate. We could have our generator moved to the
Veracruz
in under an hour, if
Veracruz
gives us a little more manpower."

"You're willing to sit this one out?" Dryker asked, more than a little surprised. Sheng had a bloodthirsty reputation, which was why she'd ended up in the 14
th
.

"No, sir. I figure my crew can be distributed to other vessels. I also think you need a first officer," Sheng said, bluntly.

"All right, I'll notify the
Orion
. Have your drive wired up to the new Primo weaponry. Their main core can handle normal ship functions, which should remove enough of the load for it to work," Dryker said, musing aloud. He turned to Juliard. "Have Sheng brought aboard and get that drive shuffled, Lieutenant."

Juliard bent to her station with a nod, and Dryker enjoyed a full twenty seconds of silence before Celendra spoke. "Admiral, I've received word that all Primo are in place. There is some hesitation about having our people aboard your ships, but I have reassured them that we will not be treated as expendable."

That last was part question, and Dryker knew she was looking for reassurance. He wasn't good at this crap, but he did his best. "Let them know that we'll keep them out of direct combat. All they need to do is ensure their weapons keep working. That's the only possible way we're going to be able to reach Mendez." Turning to Juliard, he asked, "Lieutenant, have we heard from the
Essels
yet?"
 

"Negative, sir," Juliard said, then corrected herself a moment later. "Strike that. They're entering the photosphere now. Captain Ygris is hailing us."

"On screen," Dryker said, forgetting there was no screen on the
First Light
.
 

Celendra waved a hand, and a portion of the dome shifted to show Ygris' grizzled face. The man looked like he'd been through a wood chipper, scars criss-crossing both cheeks. "I've got that data you wanted, sir. Broadcasting it now."

"Give me the short version," Dryker said, stepping from the throne and approaching the part of the dome where Celendra was displaying the captain's face.

"The 5
th
, 11
th
, and 4
th
are already here," Ygris explained. "They're in a defensive position, orbiting Tigrana. Sir...it's bad. They conducted a sustained orbital bombardment. The entire southern continent is gone, sir."

"And the Tigris forces?" Dryker asked, stifling the hot surge in his belly. Were they too late?

"It looks like the entire Leonis Pride is moving to engage. At least seventy ships, sir," Ygris said, scrubbing thick fingers through his bristly hair. "I'd lay odds on the Tigris. They're pissed off, and even if they're a little outnumbered, they're fighting for their homes."

Ygris was right. If the battle played out, both sides would be savaged so badly they'd never recover. They had to stop this. Had to.

Chapter 50 -Begin the Assault

Fizgig strode through the halls of her ship, shoulders squared and tail held high. The ship would never recover, and entire sections were open to space.Yet she still flew, and Fizgig was proud of her. The
Claw
had a soul of her own, and that soul would never give up. No matter the odds.

Fizgig made her way deeper into the ship, the whir of power tools and the shouts of techs coming from up ahead. She strode purposefully onto the deck, pausing to survey the fighter bay. The handful of remaining darts had been gathered into the area closest to the functional launch tube. The few racks of ordinance were stacked near them. There were precious few of either, but at least her crew had been replenished.

They stood in neat, even ranks. The only notable exception was the techs, and even they paused in their work. Every last pair of eyes was on her. She stared back, proud and a little sad. These people had been marginalized for so long that they were willing to risk everything just to earn something she'd taken for granted her whole life: a name.

"Mighty Fizgig," the crowd chorused, nearly three hundred Tigris throats booming together. Every last soldier snapped to attention, and if there were a few stragglers, at least they'd made the attempt.

Fizgig stalked forward, prowling back and forth in front of the crowd. She studied them in silence for long moments before finally speaking. "We are Fizgig Pride. We are family. The first thing your family will teach you is honor. You are the equal of any Leonis. Remember that, and hold your head high."

More than one soldier straightened at that, and most adopted proud expressions. For many, it was the first time they'd been acknowledged by an officer, let alone a Pride leader. The ember of pride that had taken hold in each was delicate, and would need to be stoked, until it became a raging inferno. The way to achieve that was simple: victory.

"Our plan is simple, but devastatingly effective. We will allow the Leonis to engage the humans." She stopped pacing and raised her Primo rifle to her chest, displaying it proudly. "Admiral Mow will lead from the rear, like the coward he is. We will ambush him, and wrest the fate of our people from his bloody corpse."

She stabbed the pistol up into the air, firing a blast at the ceiling. Answering blasts rippled through the crowd, mostly slug-throwing weapons, stolen or purchased from humans. Eventually Fizgig raised a paw, waiting three seconds for silence. Most fell into line, but a few still fired and laughed.

"Silence!" Fizgig roared, cutting off the stragglers. "Today you will learn discipline, the coin with which you will purchase greatness. Act like warriors. Dismissed."

Fizgig turned on her heel, stalking from the barracks and into the
Claw
'
s
aft corridor. She circled around to the top of the ship, taking the only remaining route to the bridge. The
Claw
was just as bedraggled as Fizgig's new pride.

That didn't deter her. If anything, it seemed fitting. She was old, and she was weary. So, too, was the
Claw
old and weary. Both should have returned to the home world long since, to foster the next generation of kits while waiting for Tigrana's embrace.

Fizgig took her time reaching the bridge, using the time to visualize Mow. She pictured her paws around his throat, saw herself biting down savagely and ending his life. That had always been the way of it for her, seeing the kill before she made it. It gave her a certainly, a knowing of sorts. She knew Mow would die, and that she'd be the one that took his life.

Chapter 51- Scan

Nolan suppressed his agitation as Kathryn's tube filled with pink light. Lena manned a terminal near Edwards, bent almost double to scan some sort of readings. Kathryn gave no outward sign of discomfort, peering curiously at the light surrounding her. Of course, no outward sign didn't mean much. If Lena or the ship had misjudged the proper amount of radiation, Kathryn would die within days.
 

"Nolan," Lena said, finally straightening from the panel. She clasped her tail in both paws. "The test will take roughly two minutes. During that time, there is something you need to know. Atrea and I debated telling you, as we aren't positive, but we think we've found something important."

"Something that could help us?" Nolan said, perking up slightly. They desperately needed a win at this point.

"During the original Primo empire, they utilized something called the Forge. Sometimes this is referred to as a place, other times as a weapon. It's unclear precisely what it is, but several myths from the second Primo empire suggest it was a vessel," Lena explained, blinking those feline eyes. "If I am correct, that vessel was never destroyed. The myths say that it was returned to the birthplace."

"And you think this Forge could help us against the Void Wraith?" Nolan asked, intensely curious. "And that it's still around, even after so many thousands of years?"

"Yes, and yes," Lena said, nodding. "The Primo built the Forge after they were first attacked by the Void Wraith. They used it to create the technology that later became their ships and weapons. The Forge was part research vessel, part weapon. By itself, the ship would be incredibly formidable, but it likely contains technological secrets beyond even the Primo's most advanced levels."

The implications were staggering. Nolan suddenly understood one of the possible motives this Eye might have. Assuming it was overseeing the creation of an army in the Milky Way, it would be just as interested in the Forge as they were. Nolan couldn't be certain, but this certainly seemed like a reason to blow up the Primo libraries. If a ship like that existed, you'd definitely want to prevent your enemies from finding out about it.

"You said it returned to the birthplace?" Nolan asked, his excitement mounting.

"I did," Lena replied, ears drooping. "Atrea and I have no idea where the birthplace is, not yet anyway. We'll continue to study, but some of the data we needed was destroyed back at the library."

Nolan stifled a surge of frustration. Just when he'd thought they might have a leg up. There was nothing for it, though. They had to fight with the weapons at hand. If they managed to end the war between humans and Tigris, maybe then they could find this ship.

The console behind Lena began beeping. She turned to face it, raising a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my. Nolan, you need to see this."

Nolan hurried over, bending to study the data Lena was looking at. It showed a mass of red tendrils spiraling through Kathryn's body, a thin latticework that traced the nervous system and led to a thick mass centered around the base of the spine.
 

"Can we remove it?" Nolan asked.

Lena shook her head sadly. "This is way beyond my capabilities," she said. "Our best neurosurgeons would be hard-pressed to do anything. This thing has effectively merged with her nervous system. I have no idea how we'd kill it without killing her."

"All right," Nolan said, taking a deep breath. There had to be a way to fix this, not just for Kathryn's sake.

Though, he had to admit, it was mostly for her sake.

"There's more bad news," Lena said, swiping the screen until it showed another graph. "That's the rate of advance. This thing is taking over more and more of her body. If the process continues, I'd guess she has no more than six to eight weeks before it kills her."

As terrible as it was, Nolan didn't give in to it. They had a job to do. He couldn't help her, but he'd already helped Delta, and could help countless others.

Chapter 52- The Plan

"So that's the story," Nolan explained, resting his hands on the conference room's chrome table. "We need a way to disable the chips, something wide-scale enough to affect them all at the same time. We're some of the best and brightest out there. Suggestions?"