Void Wraith (The Void Wraith Trilogy Book 2) (25 page)

Delta nodded, moving to point and slowly advancing on the creature. Their withering barrage of fire kept the tendrils at bay, though Nolan had to dodge more than one that got a little too close. They pressed forward, inching their way closer as Delta used his rifle to create a hole in the membrane. He kept firing, widening the hole even as the creature struggled to close it. Nolan added his fire to Delta's, ensuring that they outpaced the regeneration.

Then they finally passed inside the thing, ducking through the membrane, and into a jungle of tendrils. They snaked from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, a fleshy latticework. Nolan ignited his plasma blade, and joined Delta in cutting a path.

"Over there," Delta said, pointing through the mass of tendrils. "Chu's body."

"Hannan, Annie, stay back and use your rifles. Destroy anything moving in our direction," Nolan said, creeping after Delta. They slashed their way across the last few feet, and had almost reached the corpse when a dozen tendrils all leapt at Delta. Plasma fire caught a few of them, but the rest wrapped around the big man, pulling him tight. One wrapped around his throat, cutting off the panicked scream.
 

Time slowed as Nolan's gaze alternated between Delta and Chu. The admiral's body was just a few feet away.

"Do it," Delta choked out.

Nolan nodded, darting toward Chu. He jerked his arm back, then plunged the plasma blade into Chu's lower spine. He did it over and over, quick motions that tore and cooked the surrounding tissue.

A high pitched squeal on the edge of hearing knocked Nolan to his knees, but he shook it off and kept stabbing. The keening wail grew weaker, then finally ceased. Nolan kept stabbing. The tendrils all around him went limp. Nolan turned off his blade and pulled out his sidearm. He held it ready to fire as he explored Chu's pockets. It was grisly, but Nolan forced himself to keep searching until he found a small black box.

The tendrils were still silent. Nolan leaned back, vaporizing Chu with three precise shots, then turned to see Hannan helping Delta free of the tendrils.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Nolan said.
 

Chapter 69- Aftermath

Dryker's hands were clenched into fists as he watched the battle unfolding. Casualties had been enormously high on both sides, and only a few dozen ships outside his fleet were still fighting. Most of the 11
th
had been destroyed, and the Leonis had paid a high price for it.

"Admiral," Celendra said, blinking. "Fizgig has just defeated the Leonis commander. As I understand it, she is now in command."

Dryker watched as the remaining Tigris vessels disengaged from the 11
th
. They limped their way back to the tiny Tigris fleet Fizgig had arrived with. Even after every vessel had made it back to Fizgig, there were still only three dozen. Thirty-six, out of over a hundred that had arrived.

The few 11
th
fleet vessels that were able to limped to Dryker's side, joining his own tiny fleet. He did a quick scan, counting seventy-one vessels. That meant that outside of the 14
th
, only about thirty ships had survived.

"Shall we intervene with Chu's vessel?" Celendra asked, gesturing at a pair of blue diamonds at the very edge of the sun's corona.

"I'm sure Nolan has it well in hand, but we'll take the
First Light
to assist. Give me fleetwide, open frequency," Dryker ordered.
 

Celendra nodded a moment later, wiping at a bead of green liquid leaking from her eye. The Primo version of a cold, maybe? Celendra had seemed increasingly unwell over the last few days.

"This is Admiral Dryker, and I'm addressing everyone who can hear this. Humans. Tigris. Primo. Everyone has a stake in what happened here today," Dryker said. "The Void Wraith won a great victory. They've severely damaged our military--all three militaries. But we've won a victory too. They didn't wipe us out, and those who survive are ready to fight back. To fight back as a united group.

"I invite the Tigris commander and all fleet captains to join us aboard the
First Light
," Dryker continued. "We'll schedule the meeting for tomorrow at noon. In the meantime, tend to your wounded, and bury your dead. Today we mourn. Tomorrow we go to war."

Dryker nodded at Celendra and she severed the connection.

Chapter 70 -Unexpected Complications

The Eye observed many things, floating in the darkness near the life-giving star that was ever-so-slowly being pulled into the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. A thousand thousand vessels dotted this galaxy, each linked to the Eye through one of the larva that would one day become true Gorthians.

Two vessels in particular had captivated the Eye's attention, both witnessing unexpected events. Such events were rare, though they'd been increasingly common since entity Nolan had become involved.

 
The Eye watched as its progeny was nearly born from the body of vessel Chu, then slain by entity Nolan. It watched as vessel Celendra spoke to Dryker, discussing the battle that had devastated their fleets. More of those fleets survived than should have, and the fact that entity Dryker was unifying all three races into a single cohesive fighting force was troubling.

Troubling...and intriguing. The Eye had learned much, watching entity Dryker through vessel Celendra's eyes. Entity Dryker was bold, cunning, and decisive. He demonstrated everything that made his species ideal servants.
 

The Tigris were powerful, aggressive warriors. They made excellent troops, perhaps even more so than the Primo. They had the added benefit of comparatively rapid reproduction, making them more ideal slaves than the Primo. Yet humanity eclipsed them both. They bred quickly, were highly aggressive, yet also demonstrated the ability to consider problems differently.

They were unpredictable, intelligent, and tenacious. They'd made perfect slaves, particularly as officers and commanders. Initial reports indicated there were over seventy billion of them, a sizable contingent if they could all be harvested. Add in the Tigris, and this harvest might be the best in history. The masters would be pleased.

Thankfully, entity Dryker seemed unaware that vessel Celendra had been infected. The Eye had ordered her larva to take no action that might call attention to itself, as the intelligence she passed was far more valuable than the short term havoc she could wreak. That might change, in time, but until it did he would continue to monitor entity Dryker's progress.

An unquiet voice reminded the Eye of the only harvest that might rival this one, the harvest in which it had first encountered the Primo. Those Primo had possessed technology most races never amassed, and had used that technology to devastating effect. The speed with which they'd created and modified new weapons was unparalleled, and the Eye was painfully aware that their greatest achievement was still out there somewhere, in some forgotten corner of space. Waiting for discovery.
 

That was what had brought it to this system, after all. Somewhere near the supermassive black hole lay the Birthplace, the research station where the Primo had created the Forge, the only vessel that had defeated every Void Wraith fleet sent to destroy it.
 

Still, that was a minor variable. Nearly fifty millennia had passed, and no one had discovered the ship. Even if they did, the Eye had countless contingency plans. It focused its attention on the vessels commanding its fleets. It saw them all simultaneously, over four thousand Void Wraith harvesters. Those fleets were superior to both humanity and the Tigris. They were the equal of the Primo, and they outnumbered them nearly a hundred to one.

Victory was all but assured. The chance of any other outcome was a statistical impossibility. The masters would be pleased.

Chapter 71- Meetings

Dryker was more than a little nervous, walking the corridors of the Void Wraith vessel. It had belonged to the enemy, and the fact that Nolan was in charge now didn't banish the sense of unease at being here. Yet it made sense. If they used the
First Light
, or even the
Claw of Tigrana
, then there would be warriors, technicians, and other crew there. Those people, any of whom could be a spy, would witness the outcome of this historic meeting, and right now secrecy was paramount.

Dryker was the last to enter. Celendra was seated at the far end of the room, awkwardly straddling a chair designed for humans. Fizgig sat two chairs down, her ears flicking as she groomed the fur around the cast on her arm. She wore a similar cast on her leg, both made from quick-sealing foam. It was very similar to what humans used to set bones.

Nolan was there, too, of course. He sat at the head of the table, giving Dryker a respectful nod. It was a gesture one gave an equal, not a superior. Dryker smiled, returning the nod, then walked to the other end of the table to take a seat.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, undoing the top button on his uniform. "There are more Fleet logistics than I'd have expected. If not for Lieutenant Juliard, I'd still be there."

"We are beyond pleasantries," Fizgig said, flexing her claws and digging them into the metal table. "Let us discuss what has brought us here. We three represent the significant factions: Dryker the humans, Celendra the Primo, and myself the Tigris."

"You're the leader of Leonis Pride?" Nolan asked. He didn't seem surprised, more like he was correlating a bit of data he'd already known.
 

To Dryker's immense surprise, Fizgig shook her head and looked down at the table. "No," she said a moment later, and looked up. "I turned down that honor. In order to stop Mow, I was forced to do something that has not been done in nearly two centuries: I've founded my own pride. Every prideless was invited, and now that we are pride I cannot abandon them."

"But you still speak for the Tigris?" Dryker asked.
 

"For two prides, at least," Fizgig said, her tail rising. "Leonis has not chosen a leader, but I speak for them until they do."

"What of the rest of the prides?" Celendra asked, blinking. "Are there not close to a dozen more?"

"Most of those are small, and those that are not are unlikely to seek alliance," Fizgig said, her irises narrowing to slits. "I will do what I can to bring them into the fold, but I make no promises."

"Some Tigris are better than none. Well done, Fizgig," Dryker said, resting his elbows on the table. "Now that we've dealt with pleasantries, let's get to business, as Fizgig suggests. We're not here to discuss troop dispositions, or combat strength. We're screwed, and we know it. Our combined fleets aren't strong enough to police known space, meaning the Void Wraith get to pick the playing field. We can only react, and we all know how that will end. They'll pick off our colonies one by one, until we have only the core worlds. Then they'll take those, too."

Dryker stopped there, though he could have added quite a bit more about current circumstances. He was especially interested in Nolan's report, and in his opinion on stopping the Void Wraith. Dryker had no idea how they were going to do that, but the kid was a tactical genius.
 

"If we are not here to discuss military deployment, then why are we here, Admiral Dryker?" Celendra asked. She wiped milky sweat from her forehead, blinking in what Dryker took for exhaustion.
 

"To stop the Void Wraith," Nolan supplied, drawing her attention. "As you saw from my report, I've learned quite a bit about them, and about their physiology. More importantly, we've learned about their history. The ancient Primo resisted them, and they did so using a vessel they called the Forge. It's the source of their technical miracles, a repository of everything the Primo had ever researched. Lena believes that vessel is still out there, and I trust her. If anyone can track down the Forge, it's her. That vessel may give us the edge we need."

"We'd better hope it does," Dryker said, grimly. "We don't know how many Void Wraith vessels are out there, but does it matter? They can keep building, harvesting our colonies to make more troops. We need a real solution, and if we approach this like a conventional war we're going to lose."

"Both Nolan and Dryker speak with wisdom, but whether this war is futile or not, it must be fought," Fizgig said. "The Void Wraith will come, and we will drive them back. We need to protect our people, even if we lose our worlds. We must fall back, and give Nolan the time to discover this Forge. Evaluate our respective citizens to humanity's core worlds, then hold there. That defense will take all of us to plan. Humans, Tigris, and Primo."

"Are you willing to appoint Dryker as the supreme commander of the Tigris fleets?" Celendra asked, fixing Fizgig with her unblinking stare.

"I will follow Dryker," Fizgig said, scratching the fur around her arm cast. "I've no doubt he will lead us to victory."

"Then it's settled," Dryker said, looking from person to person. "We'll go over the reports everyone has supplied, and come up with a defensive plan of action. Nolan will hunt down this Forge, and find out how they used it to stop the Void Wraith. It isn't much, but it's what we have."