{"id":2474,"date":"2018-06-23T07:26:15","date_gmt":"2018-06-23T12:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2474"},"modified":"2018-06-30T07:12:33","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T12:12:33","slug":"master-of-violence-part-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2474","title":{"rendered":"Master of Violence – Part 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 21<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The door opened to the office as Belru looked up from going over reports.\u00a0 Reports from the Dark Race had been quietly lately which was highly unusual for them and concerned everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the news?\u201d he asked looking at the officer in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe intercepted an interesting message, it makes no sense to us,\u201d the reply came.\u00a0 \u201cThey hoped you might be able to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belru looked up as the report was placed in front of him.\u00a0 The message indicated, from what he could make out, that they had attacked another target but something strange happened during the invasion.\u00a0 Looking it over some more he deciphered a bit more from the message.<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting, and unknown,\u201d he finally replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt appears they attacked a new target, one we were unaware of.\u00a0 But this one has caused them trouble.\u00a0 From what I can decipher they had to retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRetreat!\u201d the reply came back sounding surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we must figure out what happened and where,\u201d Belru said urgently now.\u00a0 \u201cIf they were forced to retreat something major happened to them.\u00a0 I can\u2019t ever recall such a thing happening to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShall I inform the council?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we will need to meet with them at once,\u201d Belru said watching as the officer left the room.<\/p>\n

His knowledge of the Dark Race meant he was the top official for gaining such knowledge as he could read and understand some of their language.\u00a0 It had been a tedious task without knowledge of a translator.<\/p>\n

Somewhere out there the Dark Race had encountered another race.\u00a0 They must know who this race was, and were they as bad as the Dark Race.\u00a0 Were they about to become caught between two powers making them chose who to be a slave to?<\/p>\n

His communicator activated much quicker than he expected and looked at the screen to see one of the council members, Tzittif.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelru, what\u2019s this information we\u2019re getting?\u201d Tzittif asked.\u00a0 \u201cSomething about the Dark Race encountering a new race which they lost to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be true, I\u2019m going over the information now,\u201d Belru replied.\u00a0 \u201cI can only get a bit of their information so far.\u00a0 What I have learned is the Dark Race had another target we didn\u2019t know about.\u00a0 It appears this new target race has given them problems.\u00a0 One invasion, it seems, was actually beaten back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is that possible?\u00a0 We\u2019ve never been able to do anything more than delay them,\u201d Tzittif stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but this group did,\u201d Belru answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I like this bit of information Belru.\u00a0 Are we about to encounter another race like the Dark Race?\u201d Tzittif asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my thought,\u201d Belru replied wondering how things were going to go.\u00a0 Would the council want to meet with this unknown group at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be worth it to meet up with this unknown group,\u201d Tzittif said.\u00a0 \u201cThat will be my recommendation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIts risky, the rebellion is still weak after that last battle,\u201d Belru replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know, but something has to change or else we will cease to exist anymore.\u00a0 That last attack on the Simian homeworld nearly cost us everything we had,\u201d Tzittif said.<\/p>\n

Belru had not been part of that, having stayed behind to continue his work on translating some information.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did we miss this target?\u201d Tzittif asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently reports have been sketchy, but I think I can have a location soon,\u201d he said back hoping he could do what he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to your report then.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that the line went dead.\u00a0 Belru had no idea if his work would result in anything useful or not.\u00a0 There really wasn\u2019t much there he could go on as the battle report was very different than anything he had encountered before.\u00a0 Even the Dark Race\u2019s response seemed unusual, as if they didn\u2019t know what to do next.<\/p>\n

Taking the reports he looked more for their location so he could give that information to the council.\u00a0 With that they could decide what to do next.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Mark made his way to the bridge having been summoned there by Hans who wanted him there right away even as the ship went to yellow alert.\u00a0 That made Mark wonder what happened even as he reached the bridge which was bustling with activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the situation?\u201d Mark asked moving over to where Hans stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnknown ship just dropped out of a jump,\u201d Hans said.\u00a0 \u201cNo identification as of yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe O\u2019krad,\u201d Mark asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t match any known ships of theirs,\u201d Hans replied.<\/p>\n

Mark considered it all wondering what move to make.\u00a0 One ship was not something he expected to see at all.\u00a0 The fact it didn\u2019t match any of the known O\u2019krad ships didn\u2019t ease his sense of caution one bit.\u00a0 If anything he was now more cautious than anything else.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was to allow a O\u2019krad ship this close to the planet and scan their defenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cMove out, prepare to engage, but hold fire until they fire first,\u201d Mark ordered even as Joaquin reported getting a communications from Earth HQ.\u00a0 \u201cPut it though,\u201d he ordered moving to the command console to see Richard looking up at him from the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Richard asked, no introduction at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnknown ship approaching,\u201d Mark replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cO\u2019krad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know, doesn\u2019t match anything we have,\u201d Mark said.\u00a0 \u201cGetting a more detailed scan coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what all of their ships look like,\u201d Richard replied, something even Mark considered which was why he was moving more to battle than anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncoming message from the Pakkara,\u201d Joaquin stated.\u00a0 \u201cThey can identify the ship, say its part of the rebellion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark froze at that bit of information and looked back at Richard.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, hang on,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone page Toncor at once, bring him here, and update the President.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay on alert, but don\u2019t do anything.\u00a0 They could be potential allies,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

Mark considered that and recalled what he had heard about this rebellion from intelligence.\u00a0 They had delayed the O\u2019krad from invading Toncor\u2019s homeworld but that was about it.\u00a0 They had failed to stop it though.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelm, slow to quarter speed, maintain scanner lock on the ship, last thing we need is to be taken by surprise,\u201d Mark said to them all.\u00a0 He would wait for Toncor to arrive and try and make contact with this unknown race.<\/p>\n

It seemed like a long time before Toncor appeared on the screen.\u00a0 Mark watched as he spoke and the computer translated making it appear strange as the words didn\u2019t match what his lips said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, you stated my ship recognized this unknown ship?\u201d the computer generated voice said for Toncor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, something about a rebellion,\u201d Mark said as Richard spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we need to communicate with them we\u2019ll need your help,\u201d Richard said speaking up.\u00a0 \u201cIf you know them they\u2019ll have you\u2019re language, but they won\u2019t have ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, that makes sense,\u201d Toncor stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunications channel open,\u201d Joaquin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime Toncor,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Toncor of the Simian race speaking for the human race, do you receive,\u201d Mark heard Toncor say.<\/p>\n

Now they would have to wait.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Belru stood on the bridge, an unusual position for him as they approached the planet.\u00a0 It seemed no different than anything else he had seen.\u00a0 Scanners indicated it was the right conditions for life.<\/p>\n

He listened as reports came in from everywhere about what was going on around the planet.\u00a0 They discovered several ships in orbit around the planet along with several space stations.\u00a0 The captain decided to cautiously approach the planet in case they were hostile while getting the jump engines ready to go.<\/p>\n

He looked on seeing nothing out of the ordinary, in fact it appeared as any other planet they had been to and nothing seemed to stick out that this planet had managed to beat back a Dark Race invasion.\u00a0 Perhaps there was something else going on that he somehow missed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything on the scanners?\u201d he heard the captain say.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing yet sir,\u201d the reply came back.<\/p>\n

The silence stretched and it worked on Belru\u2019s nerves.\u00a0 He expected something by now, some sort of action.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, incoming message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSend them our language information,\u201d the captain said.<\/p>\n

Belru waited knowing this moment would determine how the meeting would go.\u00a0\u00a0 The exchange of languages so they could communicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, sir, we\u2019re getting this in Simian.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Belru said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelaying the message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Toncor of the Simian race speaking for the human race, do you receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belru ran a hand though his grey hair wondering if this was some sort of trick by the universe.\u00a0 He looked down at the communications officer nodding that he would take over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Belru, Toncor is that you?\u201d Belru replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelru, its good to hear your voice,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou managed to escape, we heard your ship was destroyed, too close to the planet to jump,\u201d Belru said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe jumped anyways, damaged our jump engines, ended up here at Earth,\u201d Toncor stated.\u00a0 \u201cThey were kind enough to repair our engines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you still there, we have reports of the Dark Race attacking this planet,\u201d Belru said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did, it\u2019s a long story,\u201d Belru said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, contact, three ships, they just appeared,\u201d the scanner operator said.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t get a lock or see what type of ships they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Belru asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe humans have re-engaged their signal enhancers for their warships,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

That bit shocked Belrus.\u00a0\u00a0 This race had managed to keep their warships hidden from their scanners and they were within weapons range.\u00a0 It caused all types of question to race though his mind.<\/p>\n

Who were they?<\/p>\n

He quickly went to the computer scanning though the archives of explorers in this area they might have some information about.\u00a0 It took several seconds as the captain of the ship continued to talk to Toncor and the decision was made to send information back to the council and let them decide what they might do next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d The captain asked interrupted any further searching.<\/p>\n

Belrus gave it some thought before finally answering.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to figure out who they are, we make contact with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d the captain said turning back and scheduling a way to talk with each other.<\/p>\n

Even as the captain was doing that Belrus continued looking though the old archives for any reports about this world and the humans here.\u00a0 Surely someone had seen them, or studied them and gave a report.<\/p>\n

Finally he found an obscure article by the Kradicians, a race who went extinct about fifty years ago.\u00a0 They had been through this area almost three hundred years ago and studied the system which they described as unworthy of further study.<\/p>\n

He looked though the report, seeing that the scouts described the planet as hostile despite supporting life.\u00a0 Many animals on the planet were dangerous to life.\u00a0 It seemed most animals on the planet were able to attack and many ate other animals.<\/p>\n

Those words chilled Belrus a bit.\u00a0 Eating another living thing seemed barbaric.<\/p>\n

As he thought that he ran across the description of the highest living form on the planet:<\/p>\n

The \u2018intelligent\u2019 race of the planet is barely more than barbaric in nature.\u00a0 They make war with each other as easily as sentient beings breathe air.\u00a0 Their entire existence is centered around war, even praying to gods to help them in war.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

The most disturbing part is despite their barbaric nature they adapt technology to the use of war and killing very easily.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is the advice of this explorer that this planet is left alone as this race will surely destroy themselves long before they reach space faring technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

The words were not what he expected to see.\u00a0 And it seemed the conclusion was wrong and they did make it to space faring technology.\u00a0 But were they helped out?<\/p>\n

He prepared himself for the meeting and wondered what might happen next when he met with the humans.<\/p>\n

End part 21<\/p>\n

Continued in part 22<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence by AJ Marks Part 21 The door opened to the office as Belru looked up from going over reports.\u00a0 Reports from the Dark Race had been quietly lately which was highly unusual for them and concerned everyone. \u201cWhat\u2019s the news?\u201d he asked looking at the officer in front of him. \u201cWe intercepted […]
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