HOMEWORLD2: INTERSTELLAR ODYSSEY

CHAPTER 26: STRATEGY SEVEN



"Templar, I suppose the nova pulse isn't ready yet?" Ein asked as he quickly considered what few options they had.

"Negative, energy cells are still recharging," came the grim reply, "Remaining time to full charge: forty-two minutes."

"Then we have no choice but to flee," Ein uttered as he faced Templar to give his next order, "Stand by to cut us off from the tractor beams and prepare to go to hyperstream…"

"So you will leave the Arkeans here to die after all?" Talos' voice came from the opening bridge doors.

"In case you were unaware – those same people just tried to commandeer this ship, even after all that we had done for them!" Ein countered angrily.

"So hundreds of thousands will die for the mistake of one misguided admiral?" Talos commented calmly as he walked straight up to the captain and stared him in the eye.

"Sir Talos, even if the Arkeans had not suddenly turned hostile we'd still be unable to fend for ourselves, much less protect them!" Ein answered, his patience wearing thin, "Right now there are four full Rebel fleets out there and altogether they have enough firepower to destroy Templar a few times over!"

"What about the nova pulse weapon?" the unconvinced Frerrn asked, "Surely that'd be enough."

"Mr. Talos, if we had that option I'd have used it long ago!" Ein nearly yelled at the prime minister before calming himself once more, "So if you please – return to sickbay immediately and…"

Before Ein had a chance to finish, Talos had already stepped to his console and slammed his fist down on the communications controls, activating the open broadcast, "Rebel forces, stand down immediately! Or was one nova not enough?"

"What do you think you're doing, Talos?!" Ein exclaimed as he grabbed the Frerrn by the shoulder and pulled him away roughly. Just as he was about to shut off the broadcast, Driss interrupted in a voice filled with disbelief.

"I don't believe it sir, the Rebel forces are standing down!"

"What?"

"It's true – they are powering down weapons and releasing their locks on the Arkean mothership!" Driss repeated, "I have an incoming transmission from their command carrier, patching through."

"…Filthy follower of Sajuuk, what do you want?" a rasping voice came in over the channel.

"Safe passage, for both ourselves and the Arkean mothership," Talos spoke into the channel as he shook himself free of Ein's grasp.

"You demand too much for your own good," the voice answered coldly, "The Arkeans must die for what they have done."

"If you do not comply then we will simply destroy every single ship that is stationed here," Talos countered confidently, "We have the means, and you have probably seen it yourself."

"A weapon that creates a star… a most dangerous weapon indeed," the Rebel commander admitted.

"Then lower your inhibitor fields at once and let us jump!" the Frerrn demanded.

"Very well… lowering inhibitor fields…"

"Hyperspace inhibitor fields are dissipating captain," Driss reported, "The Arkean mothership is clear to jump."

"Send a message to the Arkeans – tell them to set a course for M63 and engage hyperdrives," Ein ordered, stunned by what Talos had just done.

"One more thing – you will not send any ships to pursue us," Talos added with a smile, "If we so much as see a frigate within a hundred light years of the mothership, you can be assured of a new star in your neighbourhood."

"Don't push your luck Follower!" the voice spat angrily in return.

"Well, we have a weapon and we won't hesitate to use it if need be," Talos answered calmly, "Do you comply?"

"…We comply," the voice gave one last reluctant answer before it ended the transmission.

Whereupon Talos turned around and walked calmly towards his seat, ignoring the incredulous gazes of the Progenitor captain. Only when he was completely strapped in did he look up squarely in Ein's face.

"Sometimes, all you need is a simple lie."


"We're now fifty light years away from the Rebel fleets," Driss reported from her console, sounding very relieved at the fact, "The Arkeans' quantum waveform is operating within normal parameters."

"What of the Arkeans?" Ein asked cautiously, "They've been rather quiet all this while."

"It would appear that they are more interested in repairing the damage to their mothership rather than try to commandeer this ship," Templar answered in a bored voice as it summoned up a holographic display of the hangar bay they were in. Sure enough, the Arkeans were completely ignoring Templar's presence and were instead attending to the internal damage caused both by Templar and the Rebels' attack.

"Keep the nova pulse armed once it's fully charged – I've a feeling we'll still need it anyway," Ein said as he leaned back slightly in his chair and sighed.

"You know, now would be a good time to reinitiate negotiations with the Arkeans," Talos spoke up from his seat.

"Negotiate? Again?" came the exasperated response.

"They may have had second thoughts about their Admiral, especially after what he did to us – their allies," Driss added thoughtfully, "Though, you would do well to go with a full security detail this time."

"Remember that we could still use their intelligence on the Rebel presence in M63," Talos reminded, "Besides, I am sure that their terms will be more… favourable to us, given that we have saved their hides not just once but twice…"

As if on cue, Driss' console began beeping as it indicated an incoming transmission from the Arkean mothership. Quietly, she tapped a button and opened the channel before Ein could respond.

"…Attention Captain Ein, this is Ambassador Lacrima," came the familiar voice of the Arkean diplomat, "On behalf of our people, I apologise for the dishonourable deed of our former admiral Sir Tetyth."

"'Former admiral?'" Ein raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Let us say that his act of hostility against you and your crew was the final straw for our people, who unanimously decided on his immediate dismissal and incarceration," Lacrima explained, "For the ex-admiral's behaviour had become increasingly, shall we say, 'erratic' since a week ago."

"So I guess you want to restart the negotiations anew?" Ein asked bluntly.

"I understand that you have no obligation to comply, given the heinous crime that we have committed against you and your crew," Lacrima conceded, "Still, we hope that you will put these past events aside in favour of a long-term friendship between our people and your own empire."

"In that case, I'm all for the idea," Ein responded, to the delight of the Arkean.

"…You are a magnanimous one, Captain Ein," Lacrima stated gratefully, "Perhaps we could arrange a meeting at a time which is convenient…"

"I'm fine with right now," came the quick reply, "Unless of course you need more time…"

"Not at all! It is a perfectly reasonable request!" Lacrima quickly answered, "An escort is en route to your ship even as we speak. That said, I look forward to meeting with you in these improved circumstances."



"We meet again, Captain Ein," Lacrima greeted warmly as he bowed slightly before the Progenitor.

"Good to see you're fine, considering these circumstances," Ein returned the bow politely.

"I thank you for your concern," came the diplomatic reply, "Once again, I must apologise for our behaviour earlier on…"

"Please, let bygones be bygones," Ein interrupted, "Seeing as time is of the essence, perhaps we should resume our conversations now."

"But of course," the Arkean agreed wholeheartedly, directing Ein towards a seat at the table.

"Thank you for your understanding," Ein began as he made himself comfortable, "I'll get straight to the point - you claim to have intelligence on Rebel positions in this galaxy. Perhaps if I could have a look…"

"Certainly," Lacrima nodded, producing a data drive and plugging it into a port on the table. The lights in the room immediately dimmed as the table lit up like a viewscreen, displaying a map of the spiral galaxy M63 and the various positions of the Arkean fleet and any hostile forces.

"You are free to confirm the validity of this information however you want."

"I appreciate that," Ein responded as he tapped on his wrist communicator. The device lit up and proceeded to absorb all the information via a laser scan. As the scan concluded, the communicator's audio output crackled to life.

"Driss here, we have the information. Commencing extended range scans now. Will get back to you when I have confirmed its validity."

"Thank you," Ein answered before turning back to face Lacrima, "The validation will take a few minutes. In the meantime, I'd like to enquire as to the status of Sir Tetyth at the moment."

"He is in one of our prison cells right now, and we will be passing judgement on him once we're out of danger," came the reply, "That is all I can reveal at the moment."

"But you did mention that Sir Tetyth suddenly became erratic since a week ago…" Ein decided to try and pry further.

"Yes, before that he was the most respected military man in our society," Lacrima elaborated sadly, "We do not know for sure what caused the change, though we suspect a physical ailment. We will, of course, arrange a full medical examination before the trials."

"Captain," Ein's communicator activated again, "Driss here. Preliminary scans seem to show that the information is indeed valid, at least regarding fixed Rebel positions in the vicinity."

"What about fleet movements?"

"Seeing as this intelligence seems to have been acquired quite some time ago, I wouldn't vouch for its accuracy in that aspect. I say this after considering our own scans of Rebel movements in the area."

"Thank you for the work then," the Progenitor captain spoke before he closed the channel, "Sir Lacrima, the information is certainly adequate for our needs. Now, there is no free lunch in this world. So if there is anything in particular that…"

"You've done enough for us as it is," Lacrima refused quickly, "We could not possibly demand even more from you…"

"An equivalent exchange then," Ein quickly answered, "You see, we desire more information as to the schematics and origins of your own hyperdrive technology. In exchange, we will be willing to grant you the design and operational details of our own hyperstream technology."

The Arkean diplomat seemed to gawk at Ein's offer. Inhibitor-defying hyperstream technology in exchange for their supposedly more primitive hyperdrive plans?

"You must be thinking that this offer is too good to be true, and that your own hyperdrive is too obsolete for this to be considered an appropriate exchange," Ein chuckled slightly, "However, you did mention earlier that it was derived partially from Bentusi blueprints. Therefore, however obsolete it may be in relation to our own FTL drives, it is still of tremendous interest to us."

"I… I require more time to deliberate on this matter," Lacrima managed to give a reply.

"By all means," Ein stood up from the table as he said so, "In the meantime, if you would excuse me – I have need to return to my ship to discuss our future plans."

"Certainly," Lacrima acknowledged as he too got up to see the captain off, "It's been a pleasure speaking with you, Sir Ein."


"You will release me this instant!" the trapped admiral demanded from behind the bars, "Do you know who I am?"

"With all due respect Admiral Tetyth, you don't even have the title of 'Admiral' any more," the bulky Arkean guard answered as calmly as he could.

"On whose authority?"

"Rest of the Military Council, that's who."

"Ridiculous!" Tetyth exclaimed, "I am the military! The Council has no power over me!"

There was a roar as the guard finally lost it and dashed to the admiral's cell, holding a large rifle to Tetyth's temple.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut, admiral, then you'll have more to worry about than just the Council."

Strangely enough, the admiral didn't even cower from the threatening weapon aimed at his skull. Instead, he began to smile, his reptilian mouth stretching into a deranged grin.

"Dooming your kind with bold words – oh, the tragedy!" Tetyth declared as he began to laugh insanely, causing the guard to move away in disgust.


"I trust the negotiations must've gone well?" Driss asked when she saw a visibly relieved and pleased Ein step onto the bridge.

"Sir Lacrima is certainly a far more reasonable person than his superior," Ein answered as he walked leisurely to his seat. As he sat down, he looked around the bridge for a while, as if he were searching for someone, then frowned slightly.

"Sir Talos is in the ship's garden," Driss explained, "Said he needed to get a breather."

"Quite the daring character I must say," Ein admitted, "Lying through his teeth just now…"

"A gamble that paid off in the end," Driss finished for him.

"I have asked the Arkeans to provide details on their own hyperdrive schematics in exchange for hyperstream technology," Ein continued, "No doubt that Sir Talos will be able to provide valuable insight given his people's direct encounters with the Bentusi."

"And the Arkeans agree?"

"Lacrima is still considering the offer," answered Ein, "Though I am quite confident they will take it up. Hyperstream technology will make their life in M63 far easier."

"Speaking of which, sir, what do we do once we get back to M51?" Driss suddenly asked.

"Simple – we bring Sir Talos to see Master Sajuuk, assuming of course the situation has remained unchanged. Then we continue with the war."

"What about the Arkeans?" Driss added, "Do we simply leave them here to fend for themselves?"

"I don't think we'd have the resources to spare to deal with the Rebels as long as the Agemo are still around," came the reply.

"Perhaps we could let them through the gate…"

"No," Ein quickly replied, "As dangerous as the Rebels are, the Arkeans are probably much safer here than in M51."

"But we could use the additional help…"

"My mind is set," Ein repeated his stand, "It would be irresponsible of us to let them through. Given their technology… the losses they'd take would be unimaginable!"

"With all due respect sir – failing to stop the Blight would have consequences that are far more dire…"

"Lady Driss – if you continue I will be forced to dismiss you from the bridge," Talos cut her off sternly with his ultimatum, "Is that clear?"

For a few moments there was an uneasy silence on the bridge as captain and first officer stared at each other in some kind of face off. Only with the sudden beeping of the communications console did the icy atmosphere have a chance to thaw.

"…It's the Arkeans sir," Driss reported coldly as she patched the transmission through.

"Ambassador Lacrima I presume?" Ein greeted.

"It is I, Captain Ein," the diplomat answered.

"I presume you must have reached a decision regarding my proposal?" Ein asked hopefully.

"After some deliberation, I am pleased to announce that the Council agrees to your terms," Lacrima responded, "We will transmit all information on our hyperdrive systems in exchange for your hyperstream drive schematics which you were so kind to offer."

"Excellent! I shall begin the transfer…"

"…However the Council would commit to the transfer on only one condition."

"Which is…?" Ein sighed slightly in exasperation. Was this going to end like his conversation with Tetyth?

"That you will let us jump with you through the hyperspace gate node."

"Out of the question," Ein quickly snapped, "You have no idea…"

"Please, hear me out first captain," Lacrima requested, waiting for the captain to stop before continuing with his proposal, "The urgency of your quest to reach the gate implies that there is something significant going on, something that we as allies should assist you with. I believe you understand that every ship counts in a war, whether they are primitive or not. Therefore it would be… tactically helpful if you would allow us to fight your enemies rather than leave us here to flounder with a foe that you do not deem worthy of attention."

"You have no idea what we're dealing with Ambassador Lacrima," Ein answered swiftly, "By staying here in M63 you will be far safer, I guarantee you."

"We are even prepared to provide you with whatever research data we have in exchange for the right to proceed through the gate," Lacrima persisted.

"No offence intended Ambassador, but I doubt your people would have anything of… significant value to us scientifically…"

"Please, at least have a look through our research archives. Perhaps there may be something of interest."

The Progenitor captain let out an exasperated sigh. He had to admit that the Arkeans were a persistent, perhaps even stubborn, bunch. He could also scarcely imagine how naïve they must be to even think that they had research data of significance to the Progenitor Empire. Nonetheless, Ein wished not to offend Lacrima by turning him down outright.

"…Very well – I will have Templar do the necessary analysis," Ein spoke into the channel, gesturing to Templar to commence the task at once, "It will take a bit of time, therefore I ask for your patience."

"Perfectly understandable – I eagerly await your reply," Lacrima answered happily before closing the channel.

"Arkeans…" Ein muttered under his breath as he turned and started heading for the bridge doors. No sooner had he reached it did the ship's klaxons start wailing again.

"Rebel ships on intercept course via hyperspace," Driss reported instantly, her voice still frosty from her exchange with the captain, "The Arkean mothership is disengaging hyperspace – presumably to prevent jump interrupt damage. ETA: Two minutes."

"How nice of them to drop in," Ein uttered as he returned to his position, "Templar, launch and prepare to engage."

Templar nodded in silence and with a single command sent the Keeper-Destroyer soaring out of the mothership's hangar bay and into open space. There was a flash of vermillion as Templar's energy shielding was activated, surrounding the hull in a brilliant glow of light. Then the ship turned sleekly around to face the zone where the Rebel fleets were expected to disengage hyperspace.

Sure enough, a multitude of yellow hyperspace windows opened before the lone Progenitor ship, depositing into normal space their cargoes of Progenitor Rebel warships. The sight of nearly four Progenitor battle fleets hanging before them with full heavy cruiser escorts was something that caused worry to even the experienced captain. Still, things were different now.

"Forgotten our arrangement this quickly?" Ein began sarcastically.

"Silence – I will speak only with the captain," the Rebel commander snarled back.

"I am the captain of this ship and you will speak only to me," came the quick reply, "Now will you leave, or will you stay and be defeated?"

"It is you who will be defeated," the commander spoke in a rather ingratiating tone now, "Perhaps you are somehow unable to deploy your nova pulse weapon. Perhaps it is all a simple lie…"

"Correction," Ein cut in and smiled when Templar indicated that full charge had been reached, "It was a simple lie."

Before the Rebel commander could respond, an aqua arc of quantum energy linked Templar to the gathered fleets, disappearing as the gathered ships were engulfed in a mighty sphere of violet plasma.

"Deception can be quite a handy thing to have around in war, captain," Talos mentioned as he watched the stellar spectacle from the bridge entrance, "To use feints and later on create something from nothing is invaluable in battle."

"It certainly is, Sir Talos," Ein nodded respectfully in return, "I will certainly bear your words in mind."

"Sensors confirm the complete destruction of the Rebel fleets captain," Templar mentioned, watching intently as the artificial star burned itself out, "I have also completed preliminary analysis of the Arkeans' research archives."

"…And I presume there was nothing of interest?" Ein shrugged his shoulders, "Then I suppose we should contact Lacrima…"

"…Actually, captain, I did chance upon something… curious," Templar admitted, the AI's voice sounding slightly awed and perhaps even dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?" the captain demanded, his voice quavering slightly with surprise.

The ship did not answer, but instead dimmed the bridge lights as the main holographic projector was activated. Templar's avatar vanished and was quickly replaced with what seemed to be the detailed schematics of some sort of energy transference device.

"…An energy conduit?" Ein asked after a quick scan of the design plans, "But the dimensions and capacities are far too limited for any kind of industrial use."

"Partially correct captain," Templar answered, "However, this particular system shuttles not just any energy, but…"

"But what?"

"…Bio-quantum energy," the ship continued with great effort, "Consciousness transfer so to speak."