Star People

Chapter 18

New Arrivals and a New Threat

Nov 10^th, 12 AE…

The Conference Chamber of Prime Directors…

“You know, we really can’t put this off forever.” Benjamin said to his fellow Directors. “The dwarven nations are waiting for a response.”

“The question is how do we respond to a petition to become part of the Star Alliance?” Anida asked. “It’s a scenario that’s never come up before.”

“As you are all aware, the sole reason for the formation of the Star Alliance was for all races menaced by the Cryterians to band together and share technologies in order to defeat them.” Nerto stated. “That goal had been achieved and there was no reason to disband the Alliance afterwards since we all call this world our home now. Though we come from five different worlds, we are all the same in the Alliance.”

“And the dwarves are not being threatened by the Cryterians.” Viska commented. “Unless you count that time with the Planet Ravager. And to be completely honest, there’s really no gain for us to make them a member of the Alliance.”

“I don’t want to sound condescending towards them, since I do like their spunk, but Viska’s got a point.” Nasaak remarked. “As hard-working and intelligent as they are, their overall technology is still far behind us and they don’t have anything of value to offer to us. If we made them a member, then we’d have to bring them up to our technological level. We would be doing nearly all the work and they would reap all the benefits. That’s not exactly what I’d call as a fair exchange.”

“You make a valid point.” Anida stated. “Each member of the Star Alliance had contributed something for the greater good. The Terrans had advanced computer tech and hyperspace propulsion. The Kyteeri had influenced Starfighter designs. The Catians had the Battle-Mech. The Velor excelled at data storage and communications. And the Nemonians were number one when it came to medical technology. And now we have the Dwarves and they have… nothing. Like you said Nasaak, I don’t want to sound condescending, but from a pragmatic point of view, there’s no value in letting them join.”

“And there’s another thing to consider.” The Terran Director pointed out. “If we do accept the Dwarves into the Star Alliance, then the other nations of this world might get the idea to apply for membership as well.”

The Council fell into a long stretch of silence as they considered what to do. It was at that point they received an alert call from one of their surveillance space stations in orbit. The main holo-viewer lit up and displayed a female Catian officer.

 “Lieutenant Felis? May I ask the reason why you are contacting us?” Benjamin asked.

 Felis nodded as she replied. “Forgive me for suddenly contacting the Council, but I thought you would like to know that our planetary sensors have picked up a very large distortion field emanating from the the Vidaras Ocean, some 1900 miles west of the Bisra coast.”

“That would put it between Bisra and the Merdov continent.” Anida remarked.

“Can we see it on screen?” Ben asked.

The feline officer nodded as she patched in the station’s systems with the Council’s. “As you can see, the distortion seems to be some kind of disturbance in the space-time continuum. It looks like the dimensional fabric of reality is breaking down.”

The main holo-viewer displayed an image of the ocean and a large mass of swirling clouds and ripples of energy. The disturbance was about the size of Europe and seemed to be forming a circular pattern.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep on transmitting this data to us and we’ll contact you later.”

“Acknowledged, Sir. Observation station number 6 signing off.”

After ending communications with the station, the Council members discussed among themselves about this new development.

“Could this be a dimensional-shift?” Nerto postulated.

“Dimensional-shift?” Nasaak asked. “Is that possible?”

“Oh it’s quite possible.” The reptilian Director stated. “As you know, in certain areas of the universe, the fabric of reality is quite unstable and can rupture. As a result, objects, people and even whole areas can be displaced from their natural locations. We tend to avoid using our hyperdrives in these areas since they could cause the dimensional wall to break down. I must say, this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of phenomena on a planetary surface.”

“It could be because this planet has a higher-level of psions than normal.” Anida suggested.

“That theory did occur to me and is most likely the case.”

“So what do we do about this distortion?” Viska asked.

Benjamin looked at his console and studied the readouts of the phenomena. He shook his head and responded. “At this point, we can’t do anything but wait. Our sensors can’t penetrate that distortion field. Normal visuals by the naked eye are possible, but I wouldn’t recommend sending in a reconnaissance team there. They would run the risk of being caught up in that distortion field and suddenly being transported somewhere else.”

Nasaak nodded as he read the readouts on his console. “The distortion seems to be localized and isn’t spreading out. We’ll just have to tell the other nations to steer clear of it until the distortion subsides and we’ll be able to see what or who was transported to this planet.”

 “That might take months. According to our sensor readings, the rate in which the distortion field is decreasing is less than 1%.” The Nemonian Director stated.

“Well, it’s not going anywhere, and neither are we, so we’ll just leave it for now. However, we should keep it under surveillance.” The Terran Director said. “Presently, we still have to decide whether or not to consider the dwarven nations for membership in the Star Alliance. Not mention that if we do allow them to apply, then will that enable the other nations to apply as well?”

The Council continued to discuss the matter but came to no decision hours later. As a result, they had to delay giving the dwarves their answer.

----------

Meanwhile, in the middle of the Vidaras Ocean…

The continent of Zedan…

“Have you determined what has happened to us?”

“No, my Liege. We are completely surrounded by ocean, with no recognizable landmasses in sight. We are currently trying to determine what had occurred during our final confrontation with the Medosians, when we detonated the Ender Bomb. However, our scientists have come up with a hypothesis. The Ender Bomb, with its tremendous power, not only annihilated our lifelong enemies, but also threw the entire continent of Zedan and its people to some other place.”

“Some other place?”

“That is their best hypothesis right now. In fact, we may no longer be on our world of Velane.”

“So our lifelong enemies are no more. And now we have a new world to explore… and conquer!”

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Nov 15^th. 12 AE…

Nation of Atlans, Richlike Airbase…

“And here I thought the Warhawk was beautiful!” Captain Lenns Hodder said as he and Lieutenant Akar Jans watched the new, silver-colored plane being rolled out onto the runway.

After pushing the rugged P-40 Warhawk to its limits with enhancements, the Kingdom of Atlans had petitioned Free Land for a new fighter design. They had hoped that the Star Alliance would give them the plans to a jet, but the Council had decided that Atlans wasn’t ready for that level of aircraft technology yet. The Kingdom of Naran was already stretched to its limits in building and maintaining a small number of their new, turbine-equipped jets. In any case, the people of Bisra and Excra didn’t yet have the resources or technological knowledge to build and maintain a jet air force.

So the Council had decided to give the technological nation one of the best propeller-driven fighters ever designed, the P-51 Mustang.

Akar nodded as he began listing all the advantages the Mustang had over the Warhawk. “The bubble-type canopy gives the pilot a far better, all-around visibility. The airframe is more efficient at faster speeds and higher altitudes. The range of this plane is unheard of at over 2,600 km with external fuel tanks. It’s able to reach top speeds of over 700 km/hr! The Warhawk is still a good plane for ground attack and defense, but the Mustang could probably take on anything but a Starfighter and win!”

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Nov 30^th, 12 AE…

The Island Nation of Creos…

Vargas let off a yawn as he looked from his post from a cliffside overlooking the ocean. Ever since the Empire of Sath lost its superpower status and the rise of Free Land, things began to change all over the world. Just about every nation, including the former topmost superpower, Naran, now looked to the Star Alliance as the future of this planet.

As his shift was about to end, his eyes caught sight of something coming in from the horizon. He couldn’t make it out with his eyes, and then took out his binoculars. This was an advanced product, created in the Merdov continent, thanks to some technological help from Free Land. The finely-ground lenses produced a much clearer view and magnification. It was far easier to use, rather than squinting with one eye through a telescope.

His eyes widened as he beheld a huge, metal ship. It had huge cannons and was moving at an unbelievable speed. And there was only one metal ship he knew of. It had to be the legendary Missouri of Free Land! The ship that had defeated 31 ships of the Sath without even being fired upon! The ship that had saved the port city of Grevel from starvation with its miraculous Instant Ration Packets!

As he began to wonder why such a famous ship would come to this small nation, he saw the guns of the ship turn toward his direction. Then his consciousness faded away a minute later as those guns fired off a salvo.

This would be the first of several incidences in which the Empire of Zedan would show its strength and tyranny to the world of Istaria.

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Dec 20^th, 12 AE…

“This is the tenth incident in the last twenty days.” Benjamin commented as he and the other Directors were in an emergency meeting.

“Yes, it’s getting to be quite annoying to be blamed for crimes that we didn’t commit.” Nerto commented with an irritated tone. “In every incident, there have been witnesses who said that we had sent the Missouri to raid the island nations between the Merdov and Bisra continents. Ridiculous! The Missouri hasn’t left New Pearl Harbor in over two months!”

“The reports are all the same though.” Anida pointed out. “There seems to be some kind of fleet of metal ships, led by a huge battleship that witnesses say looks like the Missouri. So far, these raiders have only been sighted in the Vidaras Ocean, but that may be because these raiders are only testing out the local areas, before moving further out.”

“I’m rather surprised that we haven’t been able to spot them through the satellite surveillance or drone networks.” Nasaak commented.

“Whatever these ships are, they seem to be emitting the same type of distortion field that we had detected a month ago. Our satellites and drones can’t give us a clear image. We’re going to have to modulate their sensor arrays, and that’s going to take some time.” Visak explained.

‘Plus it doesn’t help that these raiders leave very little to give us a clear picture of what they look like.” The Terran Director added. “Since these raiders appeared at about the same time as that dimensional-shift, we can probably assume that they’re related to each other.”

“We have been finding some traces at their crime scenes. Bullet casings and shell fragments indicate that their technology, at least their weapons, are somewhere around the World War 2 level of Earth.” The Velor of the Council pointed out. “Plus their ships are described as similar to those found in the same time period; hence I could understand them for mistaking that battleship for the Missouri.”

“If they do have the equivalent of World War 2, then that makes them even more dangerous.” Ben stated. “That was around the time that we discovered how to split the atom.”

“So that would mean that these new arrivals might already have nuclear capability.”

“There’s a scary thought.” Nassak commented. “We should be able to handle them, but it’s a sure bet that the natives of this world won’t be able to. Even a single atomic weapon is enough to hold this entire planet hostage.”

“For now, our top priority is to be able to track these newcomers. We can’t wait for the distortion fields to dissipate naturally. We need to see this new threat.” Benjamin let off a tired sigh.

“I’ve already sent new orders to the space station and satellite surveillance crews to begin reconfiguring their sensor arrays.” The Nemonian Director said. “They gave me an estimated completion time of 0800 hours tomorrow. Once they come up with the correct frequencies and modulations to see through those distortion fields, we should be able to reconfigure all other sensor arrays easily.”

“And once we know the face of this new enemy, we will be able to deal with them.” Nasaak stated.

 ----------

The Empire of Zedan…

“My liege, it has been more than a month and our exploratory fleets have seen enough to determine that the natives of this world possess little to no firepower to oppose us!”

“That is good news, Hirad. Exactly how far behind are they in comparison to us?”

“Their so-called navies are laughably slow in comparison to ours. We have seen mostly sailing ships and a few steam-driven ones, but most can barely move at about 10-12 knots. We’ve seen some examples of cannons, turrets and coastal guns, but they seem antiquated. At least 20 to 25 years behind ours.”

“Excellent! And are there any aircraft?”

“That is the most laughable thing about them! We’ve seen a few biplanes and some people are riding giant, flying beasts of all things! They’re no match for our Rakerat fighters.”

These assumptions were based on the fleet encountering a long-range Wyvern scouting group from the Merdov continent. They were also unaware that their nearest neighbor, the Kingdom of Atlans, actually had aircraft that could match their fighters.

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Dec 21^st, 12 AE…

“So they finally found a way around those distortion fields?” Benjamin asked as he and the rest of the Directors met in the Conference Chamber.

“Indeed. After studying the distortion field of the dimensional-shift we detected earlier, we determined that it was emitting distorted psion particles, which gave off false and erratic energy signatures. Anything emerging from that area had those psion particles clinging to their surfaces, thereby giving out the same erroneous readings.” Nerto explained.

“This was the reason why our satellites, drones and other sensor equipment couldn’t get any clear images or readouts.” Anida stated. “So what did the technicians do?”

“They developed a new psion-filter that could be easily installed on any sensor apparatus. It’s able to ignore the false energy emissions of the distorted psions to give accurate readouts and clear images. We’ve already finished with all the orbital satellites, drones, stations and nearly every ship in the fleet is equipped. And they’ve been transmitting some very interesting images.”

Nerto demonstrated as he had the main holo-viewer project a blurred image of an object in the middle of the Vidaras Ocean. Once he activated the filter, the object became clear.

“My God, is that what I think it is?” Benjamin exclaimed.

“Indeed. Though there are some slight differences, what you are seeing is very similar to what was developed on Earth during the Second World War. This would be categorized as similar to the Japanese super-dreadnaught battleships. I believe they also called it the Yamato-class.”

“And here I thought we’d never see anything similar to the Missouri. No wonder those smaller nations mistook this thing for Captain Delan’s ship.” Nasaak commented as he noted the guns of the battleship. “Those look to be about 18-inch guns.”

“They are. Those guns are capable of hurling a shell up to 40 km or better.”

“And what was the range on the Missouri’s pulsar guns?”

“If you’re referring to firing the kinetic shells, then we’re looking at about 2,000 km or just over 1,240 miles, give or take. And of course, the anti-proton beams have 10x that range. No contest whatsoever. Judging by that battleship and the other ships that we have sighted, it’s almost for certain that these newcomers have at least late World War 2 technology.” The Velor said.

“It’s not just their ships.” Anida pointed out. “We’ve also begun sighting their aircraft as well.” She changed the image on the holo-viewer to show an object flying through the skies. “This is an example of their fighter craft. See how similar it is to the P-40 and P-51 that we had given to the Kingdom of Atlans?”

“It looks a lot like the Focke Wulf 190 with some elements of the Messerschmitt BF 109 of old Germany.” Ben commented. “I can see some armor plating and its engine seems comparable to the P-51 Mustang’s.”

“If these people have late World War 2 technology, then that would mean they have rocket and jet propulsion, correct?” The Catian Director asked.

“It’s a possibility, but we haven’t 100% confirmed it yet.” Viska stated. “We have been able to tune into their radio transmissions. They’re pretty much on reliant on vacuum tube-based technology for all their electronics.”

“The most important thing to determine is whether or not they have developed the atomic bomb or some kind of nuclear technology.” Nerto stated. “If they do have that capability, then their threat level is substantially greater than the Empire of Sath was.”

“You say you’ve been monitoring their communications?” The Kyteeri Director asked her Nemonian counterpart, in which she nodded. “Have we learned anything else about these newcomers?”

Viska thought for a moment before changing the image, displaying the continent that had recently appeared. “The inhabitants on this new landmass are humanoid. They call their continent Zedan and their civilization as the Empire of Zedan. The continent is considerably larger than Bisra or Excra separately. The language they speak is basically the same as the Fundamental dialect we use, or English as it was called. They are led by someone called the Grand Leader, which we assume is their king. What is most disturbing about these people is their outward attitude toward other nations.”

“Xenophobic?”

“To an extreme degree. There have been a few messages that concern us the most. Some words of conquest and enslavement.”

“That is not promising.” Anida stated.

“It’s without a doubt that we could handle such an enemy.” Benjamin commented. “However, the same can’t be said for our neighbors. It is true that their overall technologies have risen to around the late 1930s to early 1940s of old Earth, but they have little experience in using that tech in battle.”

“I could see the Kingdom of Atlans and Merin putting up a decent fight, but they will be defeated eventually.” Nasaak added. “I can’t say much about the Kingdom of Naran since we haven’t seen much about their war capabilities.”

“They do have proper jet capability now.” Nerto said. “Reports say that they’ve mastered the concept of the turbine technology that we taught to them.”

“Having the tech and using the tech are two different things. Those Naran pilots are still rookies when it comes to aerial combat.” The Catian Director pointed out. “I’ve read the reports on the mock battle we had a week ago between the 21^st Sky Blade Wing and the 124^th Star Hawk Wing. The results were not very favorable for the Naran pilots. The simulators we gave to them have improved their on basic tactics, but they lack the experience and instinct that all fighter pilots need. They’re relying too much on the power of their aircraft, rather than on their skill. As of now, they would even be outmatched by a competent pilot in a P-40.”

“What about Zedan’s ground forces?” Anida asked.

“It’s just about what you would expect from this era.” Viska replied. “We’re seeing tanks and armored vehicles, heavy artillery and small arms. And we do see some evidence near their testing facilities and runways of blackened streaks, which may indicate jet or rocket testing. Again, we are not 100% certain but the signs are there.”

“So I guess it is fortunate that we decided to give the other nations the equivalent of World War 2 technology.” Ben remarked. “Is there any chance that we could peaceably co-exist with the Zedans?”

“All signs point toward conflict. The Zedans are clearly the aggressors and they have made no attempt at peaceful negotiations.” The Nemonian Director sighed. “The radio chatter and overall surveillance of this new continent and civilization all indicate this is a very hostile and extremely expansionist country. They seem to have a very long history of conquest from their original world and of course their military-first attitude.”

“Not exactly the kind of traits you want in a new neighbor.” The blue-skinned Director commented. “The Empire of Sath was the same. However, unlike them, this empire has a lot more firepower.”

“It’s still not enough to overcome us, but I fear the other nations won’t fair very well against them.” Nerto said. “And with the possibility of nuclear weapons, the stakes are even higher.”

“So what should we do at this point?” Viska asked.

“The only things we can do are to watch and wait. It’s very likely that we may have to get involved in the near future.” Ben stated.

“What is it with this planet?!” The Catian Director exclaimed. “If it isn’t the natives going to war against us, it’s a new threat from another world!”

“Well, there’s no sense complaining about it now. We’re already heavily invested in this world and it’s our home now.” Nerto said.

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Dec 24^th, 12 AE…

The Empire of Zedan…

“Grand Leader, it is our combined opinion, based on the observations and information gathered by our reconnaissance fleet that the people of this world are no match for our might.” Prime Minister Vorkar announced.

“Excellent! And their fuel resources?” Emperor Vargil Zendara smiled.

“Since they have internal combustion engines in the east, we can safely assume that they have access to petroleum reserves and other fossil fuels. Therefore, once we conquer and colonize these areas, we will be able to make use of these resources.”

“And what about that larger landmass to our west?”

“They are even more primitive than our eastern side. They’re still riding giant beasts of all things! They will not be an issue. And their land is plentiful with natural resources we can take.”

“So be it! We shall be making preparations to subjugate this world to our rule! Once we have amassed enough firepower, we shall announce our presence and show the primitives of this world who holds the supreme power!”

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Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Merin…

“So Free Land still hasn’t responded to our petition for membership into the Star Alliance?” Vulkar asked as he adjusted the new camshaft on the Gigaran’s engine.

“No, they haven’t.” Clurke replied to his son. “It’s all politics and you how complicated and slow that can get.”

He was currently installing a new feature into the prototype Mech’s control dashboard. The dwarves had just started integrating their first electronic devices into their machinery in order to automate some of their functions. As such, they were dealing with simple radio equipment and vacuum tubes to redirect electrical signals. Clurke and Vulkar had learned that it was much simpler and easier to have their controls done by electrical signals, rather than by mechanical means. There was still manual guidance involved, but now the reaction time was faster and machines became easier to use. This cut down on the amount of levers and other control surfaces needed to do certain tasks.

Of all the things the dwarves had learned from Free Land, it was the field of electronics was seen as the most ground-breaking. Being able to harness the power of lightning and use it to enhance their mechanical creations gave the dwarves a sense of wonder and fed into their creativity. Free Land had decided to hold off on showing them the transistor, as the dwarves did not yet have the resources or the knowledge to build such a device. Their glass-blowing artisans and wire-making facilities were already hard at work, churning out various sizes of vacuum tubes, cables and other electrical components.

However, once they are able to create a machine or process with the ability to build a transistor, then Free Land had no doubt that dwarven technology will experience a huge jump in its growth. Compared to the people of the scientific nation of Atlans, the dwarves were more exceptionally gifted in terms of creation and invention. They absorbed basic scientific principles like sponges and were able to apply those principles in numerous ways. All they really needed was a little push from Free Land.

This was one of the reasons why the Star Alliance was so reluctant to allow the dwarves to join them. It wasn’t that they feared that the dwarves would eventually catch up to them. It was their concern that the dwarves may not be ready mentally and morally, to handle the complexity and responsibility of such technology. The Terrans had just barely avoided destroying themselves after the atomic bomb was invented. The Kyteeri, Catians, Velor and Nemonians had also evolved past their eras of warring amongst themselves. Though the dwarves have shown themselves to be fairly united, they still had some conflicts among the other races on the planet.

Clurke nodded as he finished installing the new control system and put the panel back in place. He then told his son to start up the Mech’s engine.

Vulkar nodded as he inserted the crank and started turning it. In just ten revolutions, the engine turned over and his father put the Mech through its paces. After a lot of tinkering and modifications, the machine acted more fluidly and the cockpit didn’t vibrate as much. The controls now had better response times and most importantly, the fuel efficiency was good enough to last for a full thirty minutes of constant operation.

Clurke happily chuckled as he picked up heavy test weights with ease and moved the Gigaran about with no difficulty. It wasn’t totally perfect, but it operated within all acceptable tolerances. After a few more minutes, he powered down the machine, climbed down from the cockpit and waved to his assistant and son.

“We did it, Vulkar! It works!”

“So have we equaled the Scrappers?”

“Well no we haven’t. However, we now have a viable Mech! Think of how much of our mining, transport, construction and demolition operations will change once we begin mass-producing the Gigaran!”

“I have to admit, I never thought we’d get this far.” Vulkar stated as he gazed upon his and his father’s work.

“Indeed. You have done well.” A new voice said.

Before Clurke and Vulkar could react to the new voice, several metal canisters were tossed into the area where the Gigaran stood. Huge, noxious clouds of purple gas were ejected from those canisters, causing both dwarves to choke and gasp for air. In seconds, the two Miran engineers were knocked out. As they fell to the ground and were rendered unconscious, several Dreanat operatives appeared on the scene. Their leader immediately began giving orders to prepare transport for the Gigaran, its two inventors and all of their equipment. As much as he wanted to take the Scrapper that was parked nearby, he knew from prior attempts by other agents, that all Free Land technology was equipped with anti-theft devices.

Within two hours, all of Clurke and Vulkar’s hard work, and Clurke and Vulkar, were taken away.

----------

Several hours later, both dwarves awoke to find themselves on a ship heading toward some unknown destination. They were in chains and locked inside a holding cell. The guard was dressed in a black body suit and wore a mask.

“W-Where are we?” Clurke demanded.

“Who are you?” Vulkar asked.

The guard said nothing and continued to watch over the prisoners. His job was simply to keep them fed and alive until the end of the journey.

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Dec 31^st, 12 AE…

The continent of Vados, somewhere near the ruins of the Euracon capital…

Both Clurke and Vulkar looked about as they were led into a large, underground cavern. As they headed deep into this secret facility, they could see several large, metal, humanoid statues standing in a row. However, they could tell that these weren’t just statues as they had complex joints and devices that were meant for motion. They started to suspect why they had been kidnapped and brought to this place.

They were ushered into a large building which seemed to be some kind of warehouse and testing area. They were surprised to see the Gigaran standing in front of them, but their surprise turned to shock when they saw what was beside it.

Even though it was badly burned, damaged and missing a good deal of its lower body and one arm, there was no mistaking it. That was definitely a Free Land Battle Mech. And it wasn’t one of the smaller Scrapper Units. This was one of the full-sized models. Both father and son wondered just how in the world their kidnappers got a hold of it.

“I trust your trip wasn’t too unpleasant?”

Both dwarves looked over to one side and saw two figures come out of the shadows and approached them. They were flanked by several members of the Dreanat. Clurke and Vulkar’s eyes widened as they recognized the two newcomers. It was the former Emperor and First Prince of the Empire of Sath, Garres Lorcran and Vexor Lorcran.

“You! So this is where you and your boy slithered off to!” Clurke growled. “I can see the irony here. The underhanded former emperor and his son taking refuge in the Underhanded Country.”

“Watch your tongue, dwarf!” Vexor sneered. “You are in the presence of the Emperor and First Prince of Sath!”

“You mean, the former Emperor and First Prince.” Vulkar corrected.

“My son is correct.” Clurke said. “Last time anyone saw you two, Empress Lexina had banished you from the Merdov continent. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say! After the Empress took the throne and gave the two of you the boot, the Kingdom of Merin and all the other former vassal states got a whole lot better when dealing with the Empire of Sath.”

The younger dwarf nodded as he began listing all the benefits the dwarven kingdom gained after Garres and his son had been banished. “No more outrageously high taxes, no more corrupt nobles bleeding the poor dry, no more brutal oppression or exploitation, no more innocent citizens being bought or kidnapped against their will into slavery, no more unreasonable tributes…”

“SILENCE!” The former Emperor shouted. His son scowled at the dwarves’ defiance.

Clurke let off a sigh. “Even though I can pretty much guess as to why you went and kidnapped me and my son, I still gotta ask. What do you want?”

“I want you and your son to build my army of Metal Soldiers.” The former Sath Emperor stated. “I hear that you have actually succeeded in building a working copy of Free Land’s machines.”

“So what? It’s not gonna do you any good. The Gigaran doesn’t even hold a candle to the Scrappers.”

“Perhaps. However, if I were to implant your Gigaran’s movement technology into the bodies that we have already constructed, then I would have a force that no other nation in the world could match!”

The elder dwarf snorted a bit. “You mean those giant garbage bins standing outside? Good luck with those shoddy pieces of work!”

“Ahhhh…. So I have an expert opinion.” The former ruler of Sath smirked. “So in addition to giving my Metal Soldiers the power to move on their own, you and your son will also improve on their designs as well!”

“Like Hell we will!”

“Never in a million years!” Vulkar growled as well.

The defiance of the two dwarves was starting to wear down Garres’ patience, so he decided on a different tactic and appeal to their curiosity about machines. He gestured toward the ruined Star-Gladiator.

“Think about what you are turning down. I have actual Free Land technology before you. You would be free to study it and decipher its secrets! I know that Free Land has forbidden you from dismantling their devices and learning how they work. Here you have a golden opportunity to advance dwarven technology and raise the status of your nation!”

Clurke and Vulkar were silent for a bit as they let Garres’ words sink in. Then Vulkar’s father spoke up.

“I will admit, I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t curious on how that thing works….”

“Then you will consider my offer?” Garres asked with expectation.

“Who said I was considering your offer?” Clurke shot back. “I said I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t curious. And that’s another thing we dwarves don’t like doing. We don’t like lying to ourselves and to people whom we consider as good friends.”

“What?!”

“It’s like my father told me before.” Vulkar stated. “A dwarf isn’t worth his hammer if he breaks a promise, especially to a friend! Free Land didn’t forbid us to take apart their stuff! We promised not to do it! And we won’t do it!”

“Good for you, son!”

“Do you realize what you’re turning down?” Garres asked as his anger began to rise again.

‘Yeah, I do. We both do, right son?”

Vulkar nodded. “We’re turning down the offer from a couple of walking pieces of trash!”

Lexor immediately drew his sword and was about lop off Vulkar’s head when he was stopped by Garres. Both men glared at the two dwarves.

Clurke turned to his son. “What was that old saying from Free Land again?”

“I remember.” Vulkar then addressed Garres and Vexor. “UP YOURS!”

Garres was about to order the two to be executed when he heard those words. Then he calmed down again as he gestured to one of the Dreanat to pull back a curtain, which revealed several dwarves gagged and in chains. Both Clurke and Vulkar gasped as they saw who they were. They were Clurke and Vulkar’s family and friends, which included Clurke’s wife, his two best drinking buddies and his younger daughter.

“Mom! Sis!”

“You bastard!” Clurke snarled.

“Let them go!” Vulkar cried out.

The dwarven engineers were immediately silenced as the Dreanat operatives unsheathed their swords and pointed them at the necks of several of the hostages. Garres smirked as he relished over the fact that he held the upper hand. He walked over towards the remains of Commander Vandelin’s Star-Gladiator and ran a hand over its surface.

“I will either have my army of Metal Soldiers, or your family and friends will pay for your defiance… with their blood! Do we understand each other?”

Clurke and Vulkar could only drop their heads in defeat and nodded.

--------

Meanwhile, in Free Land, the Council of Prime Directors and every citizen of the Star Alliance, began celebrating the arrival of another new year, and dread the almost certainty of another war.

 

To be continued…