Never Surrender (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 16) Read online

  Nice technology and it wasn’t super expensive. Shi-tan wasn’t sure what the catch was, but he was sure there was one. Going through the different levels of applications, he found one that searched for people.

  He raised an eyebrow, “Why not?” he grumped and plugged in Aerolyn’s name. One hit came up, with a note the photo was withheld.

  He clicked the information and found out that the person (or alien) in question was on a thirty-day visa for possible political asylum.

  Shi-tan started laughing, his grin was infectious. He looked up and noticed two of those humans had lifted their glasses in his direction, he grabbed his Coke and returned their salute.

  He upended his glass and finished the round in one long drink. His eyes got big when his stomach tried to expel the gas in the drink, and he finally belched loudly. There was one female off to his right that did something with her hand under her nose, but to his left, three of the darker Torcellan looking aliens started clapping their hands and smiling at him.

  He lifted his now empty glass in their direction, and they returned the favor, everyone smiling.

  He wasn’t expecting to be able to get Aerolyn back from these humans, but the bounty had a conditional clause. He could receive half the bounty, in exchange for providing the location of where the little runt had run off to.

  Now, with this new alien group’s own technology, he could prove to the King where his little bastard had run to, and receive half the award. Which, considering it was only a two gate jump back to his home planet would mean a seventy-percent gain on this trip.

  “Are you done, sir?” the human interrupted. Shi-tan turned to his waiter and asked, in halting Yollin.

  “Do you have a barrel of this Coke I can take with me?”

  “Yes, do you want it here, or shall we deliver it to your ship, sir?”

  Shi-tan thought about it, “What is the charge?”

  “No charge if you buy a barrel, sir. We just need two hours to deliver.”

  Shi-tan grimaced, “How about a charge to make the delivery quicker?”

  “That is 10% of the barrel charge,” the waiter replied.

  “Yes, let us do that,” Shi-tan grabbed his tablet. He was going to use the alien’s own technology against them. “I need to close out my tab.”

  “Then we can run this against your ship, sir.” The waiter pulled up a smaller tablet and hit two buttons, “There, if you will confirm the bill, I appreciate you joining us here at All Guns Blazing.”

  Shi-tan looked at his tablet, then confirmed the charge. He headed out and walked through the bazaar area again. It was, he had to admit, very impressive.

  Too bad it would probably be destroyed when Aerolyn’s dad came over here to retrieve his son. He hadn’t started a bar fight this time, but he had to admit.

  Starting an Intergalactic war sounded damned impressive.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  QBBS Merideth Reynolds, Special Operations Room

  E’Kolorn looked around the large operations room in shock.

  While the experience of having an alien and another Yollin search his mind was horrifying, it was something he could compartmentalize as being ‘alien’.

  The moment he stepped into the transportation room in the building was disturbing.

  The Empress walking with him through the Etheric was exhilarating.

  The sophistication and sheer abilities of this group to make war, however, was frightening.

  “Those screens,” E’kolorn pointed to three of the displays in the lower left-hand corner of a complete wall of displays, “are slaves to our defense systems,” he turned to look at the Empress’s General, “right?”

  “That is correct,” Lance agreed, “There isn’t a reason for us to route that through the planet, and then up here, so we pull it directly from your satellites.”

  “How? Did you have the ability before you came into our system?” He turned back to the displays, “It would be nice to know if you saw everything we did, and yet I would have a feeling of betrayal, as well.”

  “No,” the Empress walked up beside the two men. She had changed clothes again, E’kolorn noticed. These humans changed their outer garments more often than the weather changed down on the Planet. Which is to say, multiple times in a day.

  There were seven displays across the top, and five going down, Bethany Anne pointed to the upper two displays. “Red line numbers one and two, those two starting on the left, are sensors we used coming out of the gate. They were some of the first passive sensors we had online in this system. We didn’t have access to the Yollin internal network until our efforts to take over Yollin 21 succeeded.” She turned to look at the Defense Minister, “That was our identifier for your main command ship coming to attack us from behind.”

  He nodded his understanding.

  She continued, “When we got on that ship, we were able to plant our connections into your ship-link, then your communications link. We had studied everything on the G’laxix Sphaea that we could. This was without Kael-ven’s help just so you know.”

  It took a moment longer for the previous Defense Minister to register what she was explaining. He pointed to the input coming in and turned to face Admiral Thomas and General Reynolds, “Why show me all of this?”

  “Because,” the General admitted, “We want to know if you would like to accept the responsibility to keep your planet safe, once more.”

  This time, it was E’kolorn who blinked and wished desperately to have the ability to read the alien’s minds.

  Bethany Anne looked at the taller Yollin, “E’kolorn, you did your job, and you protected your people. What you did wasn’t appropriate to our way of thinking based on what we wanted to accomplish, but who were you to know this? You had been led by a modified Yollin, with a Kurtherian master. Under those circumstances, you did your job appropriately. Your intent was to protect the planet. That was your role.”

  “If I…” E’kolorn stopped for a moment, but nodded and then continued, “If I should take on this role, the act will provide legitimacy to your present leader.”

  Bethany Anne stayed silent for a moment, but the pause allowed Admiral Thomas to ask, “So what?”

  E’kolorn turned to the human advisor, “Is that not a reason for offering me this position?”

  Admiral Thomas looked over to Bethany Anne, “Is it?”

  “Not really,” she admitted, “Oh, we know it is a byproduct of the move, but frankly I care less about that. Long term, the benefit of having E’Kolorn in the role supports Kael-ven about 2% on the positive side while benefiting us 12% on the military side.”

  The Yollin military advisor turned to the Empress, confused. “Only 12%?”

  Instead of answering him, Bethany Anne looked up and spoke louder, “Merideth?”

  “Yes ma’am?” a voice floated to E’kolorn’s ears, and he looked up and around for the speaker.

  “Please put your face on mid-screen,” Bethany Anne commanded the EI

  E’kolorn stopped looking around when a human face, someone who looked like the Empress, perhaps older but with red hair, was displayed on the middle fifteen monitors. “Yes, ma’am?”

  Bethany Anne waved to the screens, “E’kolorn, please meet Merideth, a very advanced Entity Intelligence which runs a very large portion of our non-defensive operations. Presently, she is also working on running the three main space stations around the planet more efficiently as well as other projects down on the planet.” Bethany Anne turned to the screen, “Thank you, Merideth.”

  “You are welcome, Empress.”

  E’kolorn missed Bethany Anne’s annoyed glance at the screens when the EI blanked out.

  General Reynolds stifled a snort.

  Bethany Anne turned back to E’kolorn. “I introduced you to Merideth first, so you understand we have a massive EI helping us run this space station, but …”

  “She isn’t your military?” he guessed.

  “Correct,” she agreed, “Merid
eth isn’t our military EI” She turned back to the video screen, “Reynolds? Please present yourself on the screen.”

  Bethany Anne laughed as the General grunted, “Well, shit.”

  Bethany Anne asked the face that was now on the video screen, “I guess we haven’t ever asked you to show your face, Reynolds.” She jerked a thumb towards her dad, “What made you decide to look like him, but older?”

  “Because,” the General’s older, gruff voice came out of the speakers, “it seemed appropriate that if the female EI in residence chose a modified Empress look based on her mother, as the male of the duo, and a Reynolds, I would select the General.”

  “Please Reynolds,” Admiral Thomas asked, “Would you change your voice back to your previous voice? If I have to listen to both Lance,” he pointed to the General next to him, “and you with that same voice, I’m going to start drinking.”

  “You already drink,” Lance retorted.

  “I’ll drink more.” Admiral Thomas corrected, and there were a few snickers from those sitting at their desks in the large operations room listening in on the conversation.

  “You are more… open… with each other,” The Yollin haltingly commented to the three humans.

  “We do what we have to do, for the operation,” Bethany Anne answered. “These two men are responsible for our space navy, and our overall military operations.” She looked around and smiled at those who weren’t even pretending to try to work while she was present, “These people, who should probably be looking at screens or something, are responsible for making sure information is collected and reviewed. Those who are in the field have their communications streamed back into the nexus here.”

  The Yollin opened and closed his mandibles a few times. Bethany Anne waited for him to speak. “I understand the purpose of the effort,” he finally said. “What I don’t understand is the humor with each other. It borders on disrespect.”

  “Ma’am?” One of the specialists seated a couple of chairs down from where the four were talking interrupted with a barely audible whisper. Bethany Anne turned and leaned back to view the person, both men also turning, and the Yollin followed the eyes of those he was with.

  “Yes, Franklin?” She answered.

  “May I answer the question?”

  Bethany Anne nodded, and the two leaders stepped back to allow the Yollin, a clear view of the speaker.

  A younger looking human with blond hair smiled to the Yollin visitor, “Humans, sir, are capable of much. However, you will find that when we follow willingly, there is little that we allow to stop us. There are a lot of stories in our history where a small number of humans beat a larger group because they trusted their friends and compatriots, and believed in what they were doing. Just because we joke, doesn’t mean that any person in this room right now wouldn’t charge into a barrage of weapons fire to protect our Empress, the Admiral or the General,” he nodded to Admiral Thomas and General Reynolds, “without hesitation. In fact, you can say it is because we have this relationship with them, that we do it. Humans, as a rule, don’t like to be told, but we will fight like hell for those we follow.”

  E’kolorn thought back to his discussions with King Yoll, and his attitude and method of rule. He turned to Bethany Anne, “Why did you introduce me to the Entity Intelligences?”

  “Because either of those two could do your job better than you can,” she told him.

  His mandibles opened, stayed that way a moment, then closed, “Why have me here?”

  “Remember that comment about supporting Kael-ven and the Military?”

  He nodded.

  “Having either of the EIs, or another human, in the position is a negative to supporting Kael-ven, but a net 25% boost to the military. However, if you understand that we wish to support the planet Yoll, not be a detriment, then the numbers slide to net 8% boost to Kael-ven and a 34% boost to the military.”

  “Why not 37% if I am 12% and the EI is 25%?”

  The General spoke, “Not all of the benefits are cumulative. Further, it isn’t even the same 34%. Some factors change and will cause you more troubles.”

  E’kolorn nodded his understanding. The four were interrupted, “My Empress, may I continue with the presentation?”

  Bethany Anne turned to view the screen, “Yes, Reynolds. Please show E’kolorn the present dispensation of the ships in the Straiphus system.”

  The visage of Reynolds disappeared, to be replaced with a stellar map of the Straiphus system. E’kolorn moved forward, his four claws making little noise on the floor as he got closer to the screen.

  Bethany Anne spoke up, “Reynolds, take over all screens and display the map.”

  All screens changed to show the expanded map. The labels pointing to certain ships grew, and E’kolorn’s eyes opened wide. He turned to the men, “Where is the Yollin Super Dreadnaught, Empires Broken?”

  “That,” Admiral Thomas answered, “is the same question we have.”

  Straiphus System, Yollin Capital Ship Bridged-ael

  Those in the room quieted down as the recently elevated Admiral of the Straiphus fleet arrived and walked to the head of the long table, his protection detail taking up positions behind him. When he took over the fleet in the Straiphus system, those who supported the existing Caste system quickly located and executed the higher-ranking officers who were part of the lower caste systems or were known to harbor sympathy for those in the lower castes.

  They would not be trusted to run the future of the Yollin systems.

  Their bodies now floated in space. Some of the ships used the bodies as targets for firing practice.

  They needed to clean the area of potentially harmful objects, right? Couldn’t have bodies that might slam into unsuspecting ships causing damage.

  “We are now,” Admiral Thlock-nod started his speech, “only waiting on the last few ships to move into positions naturally. We are assuming the aliens have spies in this system. Unfortunately for them, they cannot find what isn’t here.” He looked around the room and then took in the cameras pointed at him, streaming his speech to the other ships in the fleet.

  “I have waited,” he continued, “to unveil the truth, that the Super Dreadnaught Empires Broken did not run out on us, but rather was sent on purpose out of the system immediately upon receipt of the information sent to us by Defense Minister E’kolorn!”

  There was a loud banging of feet on the ground in support of the brave Defense Minister. “The aliens have sent their memo’s and their demands, but they dare not send in their ships. Do you know WHY they dare not?”

  Admiral Thlock-nod smiled, his mandibles wide open, “BECAUSE THEY FEAR THE STRAIPHUS FLEET!”

  The Admiral paused to allow the roaring of approval from those in the room to wash over him and then subside before he continued.

  “We will force their Empress to surrender under the might of the Straiphus Fleet. We have spies even now in their system, acquiring support on the ground, in the Space Stations, and on the two moons.” He slammed his hand on the table in front of him, “We will take these aliens apart piece by piece, ship by ship and decimate their Space Station.”

  “Now, we have time for this last war council, to confirm we all know our parts to play in this attack. The humans thought themselves smart, let’s teach them how nasty Yollins can be!”

  QBBS Merideth Reynolds, Special Operations Room

  Help, or go back to his prison cell?

  The humans had allowed E’kolorn to retire to a room off the massive operations complex after answering all of his questions, and some he didn’t think to ask.

  The real question, and the answer only he had to personally answer was, did he trust them?

  Further, did he believe that Yollins would be better as a member of the Etheric Empire, the only member so far. Well, that wasn’t true. The Empress deemed the three other systems that had been part of the Yollin Empire were each now independent members of the Etheric Empire.

  Not that Eubo
s be considered anything but the most unruly member of an unruly bunch. The Empress didn’t say much, except to say she had sent an emissary to start, “Whacking that bunch of children into shape.”

  Whatever whacking meant. He assumed it meant something violent, but not deadly. He hadn’t received the impression that these aliens used a punishment that would kill their children in order to correct them.

  He reclined on the Yollin couch in the meeting room. He found himself studying the seat and thinking.

  This is where Kael-ven had sat. This was, for better or worse, a seat that supported the overthrow of his King, and those that supported the previous system. It was that support which was causing the most trouble down on the planet, and to some degree inside the Space Stations.