Barbarians

Fly me up on a silver wing

Past the black where the sirens sing

Warm me up in a nova's glow

And drop me down to the dream below

'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass

Hardly anything there for you to see

For you to see

Linkin Park - “Castle of Glass”

Admiral Fujimoto contemplated the star display as she sipped her tea, and for the umpteenth time tried to get inside the head of her opponent. Ever since the war began the Khonhim had been one step ahead of them, and if they were to have any chance at a decisive victory, that had to change. The problem was that as the attackers, they held the initiative. There were multiple targets for them to choose from, and unless the fleet could arrive soon enough to make a difference that bloody equation would not improve in their favor.

Which begged the question...where would Jiyazh strike next?

The attack on ϒ12 seemed to vindicate Marshal Antuma’s belief they would strike at random, but the more she studied the map the more it seemed they were almost trying too hard to throw the Navy off their scent. So...someplace far from ϒ12, on the opposite side of the sphere of Triumvirate worlds. Someplace far enough from the central system she had been basing the fleet to launch their assault and then disappear before she could arrive on site. Hélène highlighted the possible targets on her display and crunched the numbers, but there were still too many possibilities to cover with any reasonable chance of success. Unless…

Admiral Fujimoto leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. It was a gamble, a huge one in fact, but if she was right her odds of finding the Khonhim fleet improved considerably. If she was wrong, however, she’d be committing one of the strategic cardinal sins...and court the destruction of her entire fleet. But the more she stared at that map, the more convinced she became it was the only course of action left that had any chance of success.

Pressing an icon on her display, her First Officer appeared on the screen. “I’m sending you coordinates,” she informed him, “I want the fleet ready for transit within the hour.”

Her XO looked at the information she’d relayed. “Are you sure about this, Ma’am?”

“I’m sure,” she nodded. “Let me know when we’re ready to get underway. Fujimoto out.”

She didn’t blame her First Officer for his skepticism, but unless they took the risk…billions more would die.

Dhyaksh Jiyazh Ghuuyaz stared out into the black and contemplated their next offensive. It had forced them to call a halt to their campaign to effect repairs, some of which due to the damage caused by the rogue human spies. Some of his officers believed their mission to be a failure, that given the explosion that had blown them into space they could not have survived, but he was less convinced. Repeatedly they had shown themselves to be a clever and resourceful species, if not their equals in combat. It was a pity they had allied themselves with the Triumvirate, for if they had sided with the Khonhim their enemy would have fallen in a matter of weeks.

The humans had pecked away at his fleet, though the bulk of his ships were intact and combat ready. Still, he was taking losses, and as far from home as they were, he needed to husband his resources. That was the primary reason they had anchored...but it also gave him an opportunity to consider their options.

When they had first departed on their Great Crusade, the way forward had been clear. Destroy the ancient enemy that had once tried to destroy them, and give their forebears justice, and peace. But while they had gone from one victory to the next, there was a growing sense of unease within him he could not dismiss. He had defeated the humans at every turn, but they were learning, and each time they met in battle they added a new wrinkle, a new tactic. Was it possible that one day they would unlock the stratagem that would secure victory for the Triumvirate? And if so...what would their options be then?

Part of him wished to dismiss that possibility out of hand, but honesty compelled him to accept the fact that reality was not his to dictate. If they were defeated here, could they retreat home? Would the Triumvirate allow them to, unmolested? Somehow, he thought not. The humans wouldn’t, and it had become clear they were the greatest obstacle to victory the Khonhim horde faced.

They had learned much about these humans from the prisoners taken on a handful of worlds. They had even secured three human corpses for study, though they had not yet captured one alive. But the more he studied the problem, the more he realized three very simple truths:

1. To defeat the Triumvirate, he would need to smash his way through the humans.

2. The humans were much smaller in number than the rest of the Triumvirate, though highly visible amongst their military.

3. The humans held only a small scattering of worlds...including their homeworld known as Earth.

Oh, it was tempting. Take the humans out of the equation, by attacking their homeworld. The Triumvirate would still be there waiting.

But they had not spent all these millennia planning the defeat of the humans, and he loathed the idea of diverting the fleet from their crusade. It would take a significant amount of resources to level their planet...resources already allocated for the Triumvirate. It would also widen the war to a degree he was uncomfortable with, and that was what stayed his hand.

Though if the situation changed, it might still become necessary.

The Ophipteran world Zaaronq grew larger on their monitors, and as they drew nearer Jiyazh searched for any signs of the humans...and found none.

“Locate the shield generators before we launch the Breakers,” he ordered, “and destroy them the instant the shield collapses. I do not wish a repeat of our previous attack.”

“Understood, Dhyaksh,” his tactical officer acknowledged, already searching for orbiting satellites.

So, another world falls to the faithful, Jiyazh thought with a satisfied smile. Soon they will all be reduced to cinders, and our work will be complete.

Her communications officer looked up from her screen in alarm. “Admiral, Priority Distress Signal!”

“...Where?” Fujimoto demanded.

“Zaaronq, Ma’am!” the officer replied...as a wolfish grin appeared on her face.

“Got you, by God!” she cried out, clenching her fists in triumph. “Fujimoto to all squadrons...best speed to Zaaronq!”

Zaaronq’s shields fell like the others before it, and soon after the generators were located, and destroyed. The bombardment was going well, and Jiyazh watched the devastation on his monitors with an abiding sense of satisfaction. It was almost too simple, and despite the problems they had caused for the crusade, he owed the humans a debt. Without them, their victories would have felt hollow, for the Triumvirate was not the dreaded enemy of old. They had grown soft over the millennia, and without the humans’ aid, it was clear they would have fallen without landing a single blow. There was little honor found in defeating an opponent unable to fight back, but there was a blood debt yet to be paid.

The humans, however, were an honorable enemy, worthy of their blades. They did not fight as well as the Khonhim, but they were clever and resilient. They at least offered a challenge, whereas the Triumvirate did not. In fact…

“...Sensor alert!” his tactical officer called out. “Multiple ships entering the system, on a least-time course for the planet.” He paused for a moment as he double-checked his readings and nodded in confirmation. “It is the Triumvirate fleet, Dhyaksh.”

Jiyazh fingered his blade. This was unexpected. How had the humans tracked them to this planet? They had not followed them, for any ship trailing them would have been quickly discovered. Had they left a trail of some kind? He could not imagine what kind of spoor the enemy could track in the coldness of space, but perhaps they had discovered something new. If so, that would force them to change their plans, though somehow he did not think that was the case here. Had they predicted this attack by some means? Possible...yet again the question would be how?

Questions for another time, Jiyazh thought. “Prepare for action,” he ordered, a cold smile appearing on his face. “We have faced them before and emerged victorious each time...and we will do so again.” His crew grinned at each other, eager to prove themselves once more as their great ships wheeled to face the enemy. The human ships began disgorging the small fighter craft, as expected, forming themselves into the familiar attack patterns they had seen before. “Advance the fleet, and engage the enemy,” Jiyazh ordered, as his ships moved forward, eager for battle.

But even as they advanced the enemy began to pull back, keeping the distance between them open as they stayed just out of weapons range. Jiyazh’s brow furrowed in confusion...why would the humans scramble to bring their fleet against him, only to avoid action once they arrived? It made no sense...and when something made no sense in battle, he was suspicious. Still, they were a known quantity, and if he pressed hard enough, he was certain he could crush them, or at least send them packing. “Increase to flank speed,” he ordered, “and fire the instant the enemy is within range.”

That proved easier said than done. Every move he made to close the gap; the humans would slither out of his grasp. They were toying with him, and that was a very dangerous game to play.

It also made him wary. Why? What was their plan? They most certainly had one, but how did this ridiculous dance serve that? Did they think they could somehow draw him away from the planet, by offering themselves up as a target instead? If so, it was a fool’s game, for they could not evade him forever. Oh, they were being clever about it, using the other bodies in the system to their advantage, but each turn they made brought him closer, and soon…

“...new contact!” his tactical officer cried out. “Multiple vessels entering the system, on a converging course!”

“What?” he said in shock, whirling around to view the monitors, as new icons appeared, one after the other.

Admiral Fujimoto’s eyes gleamed in cold satisfaction, as the rest of the fleet emerged in the system.

“Surprise, motherfucker,” she snarled.