The Turquoise Queen, page 15
part #1 of Coalition Series
Erchtria made a brief pause, to give her listener a chance to ask questions. Natalie knew about Veshirra. She was a big enough deal for someone from another species to commit to memory. For an ambassador like her, it was basic knowledge.
Veshirra had used first contact with alien life as a premise to unite the planet under a single nation. Hers. During her long rule, there had been prosperity and progress. In old age, she had overseen the transition from absolutism to democracy. A heroine, as legendary a figure as there was on Raichr.
"Most times," Erchtria continued, "Veshirra negotiated the annexation of other islands to her unified Raichr. But when that didn't work, she went to war. That was the case with the queendom of Arishirrai. Gishr really didn't want to join in, but she knew her army was puny compared to her opponent's. However, Arishirrai is a vast, cold island. So, every time the enemies invaded, she had her forces retreat, burning towns and crops, and poisoning the water supply as they went. Leaving nothing for the invaders."
"We have stories like that on Earth too," Natalie interrupted, remembering some notorious, failed campaign to invade Russia during winter.
"Exactly. At the point we are now, most good strategies have already been invented eight times over. We just have to make a few adjustments. For example, modern technology allowed me to set the city on fire with a few of the invaders already inside."
She smiled again, this time with a hint of sadism at the thought of burning Sencris soldiers alive.
"Except it didn't work in Gishr's case, right? Veshirra did conquer the whole planet."
"Yes." The regent's response came swift and defensive. "But it took her a whole lot longer to do it. It cost her a lot more than it had to. Gishr made Veshirra pay dearly for every square meter, for every tunnel of Arishirrai she took."
Erchtria had stopped smiling. There was a long silence, until Natalie spoke again, in a reassuring tone.
"Hopefully, this time our tactics will be enough to actually win the war."
They both agreed on that. The Earthling put her hands behind her back, on the pillow, the drink induced haze starting to dissipate from her mind.
"You know, I also just watched a pronouncement from the Rageris," She continued. "One about clandestine weapon shipments," she added with a smirk. "Were your people really that careless?"
"Yes, I watched that too." Erchtria rolled her eyes as she answered. "If I were trying to incite a rebellion on Urvasat, that ball of sand, I would have covered my tracks. What you saw was fake, fabricated evidence, all of it!"
Her good mood restored, her tone was of exaggerated indignation, though both women knew the accusations to be true.
"I heard you're heading back to Earth," the Raiac said, changing the subject.
"Your man onboard told you that, right?" Natalie tried to remember his name, failed. "Yes, I am. All ambassadors on Sencris space have been recalled in a hurry. Because of Sirpratl, obviously. A lot of fleeing tourists here too. I don't think anyone on this ship was planning to leave Illuminated Ocean so soon."
"I didn't need him to tell me that, its common knowledge." Erchtria sounded defensive again. Then a smirk. "He did help me know when to contact you though. How was the vodka and lime?"
That did it. She had been avoiding the issue, but now she had to ask.
"Why are you having me followed?" There was no humor in her voice. The Voldrajuh's bulging muscles, his likely military training came to mind. He could be dangerous, for all she knew.
The Raiac recoiled in mock indignation. Her layers of jewelry tinkled loud enough to be heard through the communicator.
"He's not there to spy on you, if that's what you're implying. I told him to follow you out of Illuminated Ocean because I didn't need him there anymore. I just figured you could use an extra bodyguard. Not that I think you're a target for anyone. It's just that we are officially at war now."
Her voice was apologetic, timid even. The former ambassador was stunned by this demonstration of concern for her safety. Then an entirely different question started forming in her mind.
"I can tell him to leave, if it makes you feel better." The regent sounded almost offended, as if talking to an ungrateful houseguest who'd just refused a present.
Natalie shook her head, said that it was alright, that he could stick around. She felt embarrassed to have even complained in the first place, despite her concerns being perfectly justified. Then that other question surfaced.
"What do you mean? You didn't need him on Illuminated Ocean anymore?"
The big, confident smile returned to Erchtria Kreshalti's face. She had something to gloat about again.
"Our plan is about to become a reality, my dear. I don't need him there anymore, because soon I will be getting news from that planet from a much more direct source."
Fear suddenly overtook the Earthling. Something occurred to her, and she was terrified that neither of them had brought it up this whole time.
"By the way, you do realize the encryption on this line is not impervious, right?"
The reply was quick and full of confidence.
"There's no need for keeping any of this secret anymore. It's already happening."
Six Red Stars
The Galxij warrior peeked through his telescope. It was an old, compact model, it's metallic surfaces dulled and scratched from years of intense use in the harsh local weather. The lens, however, and all the other bits that mattered, had been kept in pristine condition. Its knobs, buttons and dials were tiny in his paw-like hands. Designed for a more delicate species, though which he could not tell. It made for an annoying exercise in patience and fine motor control. Fortunately, he didn't have to change the settings too often.
Another, more technically inclined man had programmed the thing for him and instructed him on how to act in case any parameters changed. He had pulled the warrior aside, away from the noisy brawlers and roaring females, to the quiet of his workshop.
It was a room filled, as expected, with disassembled machines and exposed circuitry. The more fragile looking pieces were neatly stacked on shelves or work tables. Gears and heavy parts hung from the ceiling like meat on hooks. This being a Galxij hideout, there must be another room somewhere with actual meat on hooks.
From one of the shelves, the technician had pulled a large box. Others were dusted over, but this box had been cleaned recently. With great care, he had unpacked the telescope, assembling it with trained ease.
In a voice oddly soft for his species, the techie had demanded the warrior's full attention. He'd stared at him a long while, until he was sure he had it. This was a prized possession, the techie had explained, so the warrior must be very careful with it, and return it unharmed. Most times, he used it for astronomical observations. On a clear night, one could count the nearest gas giant's rings with it, he'd added with pride. This night, however, it was to be aimed at something a lot closer.
He had shown the warrior select portions of an illustrated manual, written in an alphabet he did not understand. The techie had been very thorough with the instructions.
"If the target goes out of sight, press this button, then keep turning this dial until you find it again. Like this, see? This other dial is for adjusting focus," and so on. He'd made his pupil rehearse all the motions, repeatedly. This was a small yet crucial task. Since it was still morning, there was plenty of time to practice.
Satisfied that his teachings had been properly understood and memorized, the techie had patted him on the back and told him, again, to be careful, and return his treasure unharmed.
The warrior peeked, then pressed the button and turned the dial. Servos in the telescope's base whirred, changing its point of interest ever so slightly. He looked again, took note of what he'd seen. The Sencris dreadnoughts were still both there, undisturbed.
He darted around, checking for undesired company, and found none. He sat alone on the sand, feeling the cold night air on his thick hide. His young dermal plates were smooth and white. He was atop a tall dune, at the desert's edge. In the horizon, the lights of the capital's outskirts gleamed, tiny and far apart.
After the invasion of Sirpratl, protests on the streets had become routine. Locals roared that the Empire had enough resources for an unprovoked invasion on some distant world, but not enough to grant them decent standards of living. In response, imperial troops had been more predatory of late, conducting random searches and arresting perceived troublemakers. They could feel something bigger was coming but did not know where from. It made them nervous.
It made Arjosat's Galxij population angry, a fact Uljer Nourdolvi never failed to celebrate. The crackdown had bolstered his guerrilla's ranks more than clandestine propaganda ever could. But it also forced them to be more cautious than ever.
Because of all this, the warrior had waited for sunset to exit their hideout. In a heavy backpack, he'd stashed the disassembled telescope and a few combat rations. He'd wanted to take a shield generator and pistol too, but his superiors had advised against it. Such gear could draw attention. It would merit incarceration if a patrol decided to search him.
He'd protested that. If a patrol stopped him, he would take them out. He and his colleagues had ambushed Sencris soldiers before. From the first time, it had been exhilarating, empowering. This night, however, killing was not the mission. A killing might draw enemy backup, they explained, and compromise his objective. Better to be furtive, and to appear innocent.
Thus, when he had seen a pair of guards skittering across the street, he'd steered clear of them. He'd hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley and waited until the clattering of their mechanical legs was far enough away.
A muscular, young, homeworld born Galxij, walking alone at night. With his big backpack. He was a suspicious figure. Suspicious enough, these days, to merit a cursory search by the Imperials. They wouldn't have found anything incriminating on him, only a telescope. Still, the warrior hadn't been sure he'd be able to convince a Sencris that he was an amateur astronomer.
He'd kept walking, until tall buildings gave way to short ones, to none at all. Until there were only dried bushes on either side of the road, then just rocks and sand. He had marched into the wilderness, checking around once in a while, to make sure he wasn't followed.
The warrior had found this nice spot, on a tall dune with an unobstructed view of the night sky. Were he interested in watching the planets and stars, he'd have had to walk a while longer, to get away from the city's light pollution. For his objective, however, this was just fine. Here, taking great care not to break anything, he'd unpacked and assembled the telescope, as demonstrated by the techie.
He'd turned it on, configured the necessary parameters, peeked and seen empty space. He'd scratched his head for a while, remembered a little adjustment he'd forgotten, done it all again. There they were, shiny and gold in their stationary orbits over the planet's largest population center. Two giant guns pointed at their collective heads, the warrior had thought.
He'd waited a little, then peeked again. They were still there, undisturbed. His mission was to observe them, and immediately report any unusual behavior. Simple but crucial, he'd been told, yet could not understand why. Theirs was a large but ground-based movement. Those ships were all-powerful and beyond their reach. They just weren't a part of his reality. But Uljer Nourdolvi himself had told him to look for the techie, who, in turn, had told him to stare at those ships through a telescope. So that was what he was going to do.
Disciplined, he repeated the procedure several times, for hours. Always minding his surroundings for some stray patrol or nosy bystander.
Meanwhile, their hideout brimmed with activity. In one corner of the main hall, a lieutenant shouted instructions to a band of fighters. Some had armor, a few shield generators. Weapons ranged from stolen Sencris lances to shoddy riffles to cutting-edge Raiac pistols.
Men drank, bantered, wrestled in improvised arenas. Some made a meditation out of disassembling and cleaning weapons. Some took stimulants. There were several little preparation rituals being performed.
With visible effort and haste, a burly man carried a vaguely cannon-shaped object. Others made way for him, presuming his task to be important. It was, he was taking a Raiac mortar to be mounted on an armored vehicle they had stashed away nearby.
In his workshop, the techie was frantic. A growing list of last-minute maintenance requests pilled up on his desk. To assist him, he had recruited an old man, body covered in makeshift metal plates, who claimed to have some limited engineering experience. The old man was trying to repair a lance's firing mechanism, while the techie operated on a life support machine. Soon, both pieces of equipment would be seeing extensive use.
Orchestrating it all, Uljer Nourdolvi leaned over a table covered in projectors and screens, with a communicator attached to his ear. The table showed a map of the city, teeming with geometric shapes representing troops, vehicles, and fortifications. Through the communicator, he barked orders at one regional leader, then received updates from another, somewhere else on Arjosat.
He spoke fast and loud, cutting through the noise of readying troops. He seldom had to address the fighters there in the room with him. They already knew what to do. He knew them all by name, some had even helped him elaborate the tactics they were about to put in practice.
Earlier, he'd received a transmission from his ally on Raichr. After a quick exchange of courtesies, she had informed him of the exact day she intended to act. She had asked him if he would be able to mobilize his forces by then. He'd smiled an enthusiastic smile, and said that yes, his men would be ready to act. And they were. All that was left now was for her to give the signal.
As his comrades in the hideout prepared for battle, the lone warrior on top of the dune chewed on a chunk of ration. His task had grown repetitive long ago. He peeked again through the borrowed telescope at the first dreadnought.
Then, as he prepared to point at the other one, he saw something different. A red star shot out from a circular orifice on the ship's side. Five more stars followed, in rapid succession, from the other launch tubes.
Startled, he followed their path across the sky, slowly turning a knob on the telescope's base. From such a distance, they seemed tiny and slow, but he knew them to be, in fact, huge and dizzyingly fast. He tracked them until the other dreadnought entered his field of view. Its defenses must have come online as they were about to hit, because railguns came alive, shooting down one of the torpedoes. That is what the red stars were. The following three splashed against the shields, and the final two tore through the hull.
The second dreadnought's explosion made the warrior leap backward. It was visible to the naked eye. A new, expanding orange star in the night. He stabbed his temple with his finger, in a hurry to make the call. He had just seen what he'd been sent out to see.
The answer was almost immediate. The voice on the other side of the line belonged to Uljer himself.
"You are sure the shots came from the Sencris?" The leader of the Urvasatij rebellion shouted, despite all his men having quieted down to listen to the conversation.
The warrior confirmed that indeed they had. His hands were busy disassembling and packaging the techie's prized possession, which he'd promised to return intact. After an extended silence, he was told to pack up and hurry back to base.
Uljer Nourdolvi was troubled. This was not what the Raiac regent had promised. Not exactly. She'd said both dreadnoughts would be destroyed, that that would be his signal to act. This could still be part of the plan, her way of making good on that promise. Or it could be just some bizarre Sencris internal dispute, a coincidence.
Around him, the troops had dropped their preparations, focusing their undivided attention on him and his next words. He had to make a decision, fast. What was happening far above would throw the Imperials into disarray. He knew there would not be another chance to take Arjosat. Not in his lifetime. But if he went on with the rebellion, and that surviving dreadnought turned out to not be on their side, they'd be slaughtered by the next sunrise. He parted his lips and the crowd held their breaths.
"My brothers! The empire's warships have been destroyed! Go out there now, and take this world from the Sencris! Take this world from the Arjosatij who worship the Sencris, and call themselves our betters for it! Go and take this world!"
He roared. They roared. The gamble was taken. His words had just been broadcast to dozens of resistance cells across the planet. They marched out of underground bunkers and residential buildings alike. Wielding whatever instruments they had managed to get their hands on, in the previous decades. What they had stolen from ambushed Sencris, what they'd smuggled or built themselves. More recently, what the Raiac military had provided them with.
It had all been planned carefully. Each band of guerrillas had their target, be it the house of a low ranking official or a heavily defended fortification. To Uljer Nourdolvi's group, the main prize had been reserved. They were to capture or kill the Sencris viceroy himself. For that, they had five armored vehicles, each with a brand new Raiac mortar strapped to it.
The warrior arrived to find the hideout mostly deserted. The females had calmed down, a few were asleep. Of the men, only the techie remained, still tinkering with the insides of a small golden machine. He did not turn to look when the warrior approached, unpacked the telescope and replaced it on its shelf.
"Aren't you coming with us?"
The techie grunted a negative and waited a bit. Then, annoyed to be having to explain it further, added:
"Personally, I'd rather we'd found some other way to get what we want. Now I apologize if my job doesn't put me in harm's way like yours, but I am working on things you men will need." He sighed. After a final adjustment, he sealed the device he'd been working on. It was rounded and about the size of his hand. "Just a moment, I've got something for you."
With a faint click, he attached the object to the base of another. A long, thin cylinder which was nearly two meters long and grew thinner at the tip. It turned out he'd been repairing the power cell of a Sencris lance. With pride, he presented it to the other Galxij.
