A Strange Thing Happened on the Way to the Warp Point

[background/related links: 
spaceempires.boards.net/thread/80/breaking-point
spaceempires.boards.net/thread/79/old-gods
]


"Three enemy ships. Larger than the designs in our database. They are accelerating to close the distance."

Rahza Teia spared a moment to glance around the command center at the rest of the crew. 

All of them were bold - they had to be to have volunteered for the dangers of interstellar duty. They were also competent; the admissions tests and training had made sure of that. What surprised him was that they were so young. Many had come with some experience from system ships and planetary vessels, but there must have been more seasoned crews available. So why us?

No families.

No children to leave motherless or fatherless. No partners to leave bereaved.

But even if they were too young for life bonding, at least most of the crew had parents and siblings - Solvani back home to think about them, worry about them. Rahza Teia had no one.

Rahza angrily squeezed the armrest of the custom-grown, high-G seat as he secured himself for battle. Rahza. Even his new name was a reminder of what he no longer had. They had stripped him of his true name when they cast him out of the clan. The rank of Rivaldar and the ship to go with it was a parting gift, so that he wouldn't make trouble. A final act of nepotism that had turned into a death sentence. They probably planned it this way, he thought.

He blinked heavily. He recognized the need to interrupt his negative thoughts earlier, before they festered. It was something which still required great effort. 

Few ships had a Rivaldar so young. He had an opportunity here.

And there was at least a chance that they would survive. 

Rahza pressed himself into the combat seat and spoke to the tactical officer.

"Stay out of their range. Weapons control, hit them hard!"


"Massive structural failure! They are coming apar-"

The tactical officer was cut off as her neural interface streamed the destruction directly to her mind.

"The third D'Kali ship has been destroyed." she reported superfluously, as Rahza Teia was already on the same neural channel and had seen the massive secondary explosion himself.  

The sound of the Solvani crew celebrating reverberated throughout the tactical center for a brief moment before the voice of the Combat Coordination officer cut through it.

"The Wisdom of Wo is heavily damaged. The command staff are believed to have died when their command center was destroyed."

No great loss there, thought Rahza. Politically-connected members of the upper classes, out for glory and inexperienced in space operations. But then, who really had experience with any of this? Rahza mentally chastised himself for his reaction. Unsuited though they might have been, they were fellow warriors and they had died honorably. 

"Prepare for transfer of crews from the damaged ships and begin recovery of enemy survivors." he said. "We have a mission to complete."

"No D'Kali escape pods detected, Rivaldar." 

Teia blinked his nictitating membranes in puzzlement. Was it because they did not have time to launch escape pods, or because the D'Kali did not believe in them?

His thoughts were interrupted as the Communications officer transferred a new stream to him via his neural link. The specific sequence of colors, smells, and tastes accompanying it confirmed it as an encrypted, secure neural command channel.

The thought-stream was unfamiliar and brusque. He struggled to regain his composure as the communication began.

"Rivaldar Rahza, you are to take command of the Tarsonis Pack immediately. Acknowledge."

"A-Acknowledged."

"We have received a message from the D'Kali, accepting the terms of the Treaty."

Rahza was puzzled. "That means nothing now. The Intendant has given the order, it must be obeyed." 

"No'Tala has given his life to Veto the attack."

The loud inrush of air through Rahza's nostrils caused several of the nearby crew to glance towards him as the command stream continued.

"You are to hold position pending further orders."

"It will be truth." replied Rahza.

As the stream faded from his consciousness, he struggled to make sense of the command.

Clearly No'Tala had felt strongly enough to sacrifice himself for the mere possibility of peace. The first time a Veto had been exercised in years. Rahza hoped No'Tala had known what he was doing. There would be much on which to meditate tonight. After doing his duty.

"Complete transfer operations and open streams to the other Rivaldar. Our orders have changed."