Chapter 135: A Change of Pace

"Computer, inform the ship-teams to start preparing the refugees for transport, we'll be walking them through the docks of the station to the teleporter banks, to be teleported directly down to their accommodations," I said into my holographic wrist watch. 

I was greeted by the three-toned beep that I was fast starting to recognise as an affirmative from the device. 

It was nice to have everything go so smoothly for once. 

I had become used to daring exploits of bravery, with explosions sounding off around me and strange creatures trying to take my head off at the shoulders. 

To not have to worry about any of that for once, and for things to actually be going well, it was such a solid change of pace that I was starting to feel a little bit extra to everything going on. 

Still, I wouldn't mock the peace while it was around, no doubt it'd all fall to bits sooner or later. 

"So, after the refugees have been rehomed on Actaeon, my ship and I will be staying in the area," I explained to Admiral Lorenza. "Our primary remit will be attempting to keep Actaeon safe, both from on world aggression if there are any problems with the rehoming, and with any outside actors that may wish the planet harm. Primarily in the form of the Null Space Invaders or the uh… other Humans." 

"Yes, I am aware of your continuing mission in our sector," Lorenza stated, "And I can assure you that you will have any and all cooperation from the administration of Actaeon, up to and including the right of shore leave for any of your staff." 

I shot the alien sitting at the desk a smile. 

"Brilliant, thank you so much for your cooperation," I said, before turning sombre once more. Now was the time to ask some rather difficult questions, questions that I wasn't sure I even wanted the answer to. "Is there news of what has happened to Prespian City after we left?" 

The Admiral's smile dimmed somewhat as he prepared to deliver clearly bad news. 

"Shortly after you left the gravity anomaly that Guard Leader Adonis brought into being developed into a singularity," He started explaining. "After the singularity formed, things progressed quite quickly. It devoured the planet and the surrounding moons within moments, the event horizon opened up and began to drag in the system's stars and other worlds."

"Are we at risk when the stars fall into the horizon?" I asked. When stars get devoured by black holes, a lot of energy is released into the surrounding areas.

We may have been 12 light-years away from the black hole itself, but all that really meant was that there would be 12 years before any dispersed energy made it to this star system. Honestly, that wasn't very much time at all. 

"Fortunately not," The Admiral reassured me, "By the time the energy and radiation released by the creation of the black hole and the energy discharge from the consumption of that system's stars occur arrives here, it will be dissipated to the point that a lattice of carefully placed manna shielding will disperse it harmlessly." 

I didn't know the science behind any of that, but in my mind, it felt like a bit of a risk. I'd seen how easily a manna core could fall to null-space invaders. Still, considering we didn't have to worry about the eventuality for another 12 years there was always the chance that I'd have dealt with the Null Space threat by that point, and if I had my entire worry would be a non-issue. 

"In that case," I said, "Should we make our way to the ship, assist with the moving effort in any way that we can?" 

The alien gave me a look. One that was deep and contemplating. One that filled me, just a little, with a sense of foreboding. 

"You know, you're not what I expected Jacob Lyre, not what I expected at all," the Admiral finally said. 

"In what way do you mean, Admiral Lorenza?" I asked, guarded. I could feel my team behind me get ready for action, just a slight elevation in the tension of the room. 

"Well, you are a human, are you not?" He asked, I nodded in return. "Well, in that case, you should be violent and marauding. Instead, you seem to genuinely care about the people who you have brought to my world. It is a breath of fresh air to meet a human who genuinely cares about the other species around him." 

The tension left the room in an instant. It felt like I was about to get berated for being human again, with maybe worse consequences than usual, but this guy just wanted to compliment me for being different to the rest of them. 

Finally, someone who saw me for more than my species right from the beginning. 

<Definitely a nice change of pace,> BB weighed in, <Maybe this guy will actually listen to you in times of crisis instead of dismissing your opinions and getting people killed like that idiot Squadron Leader Belana.>

While I didn't like to speak ill of the departed, BB wasn't exactly wrong. We probably could have done much more to keep Prespian City safe if Belana hadn't been such a barrier. Working with Admiral Lorenza and his forces felt like it would be a positive experience. 

"Now, as you said, let us get down to your ship and assist your people in moving the refugees to the teleporter banks. It would do well for them to see those in charge mucking in with everyone else, it creates a sense of trust in the authority that they know what they are doing and are actually trying to help," the Admiral said with a smile before rising from his chair. 

"Computer, please lock onto the manna signatures in this room and beam them all to the shipyard, thank you," he ordered. 

In a blaze of white light, once again we were whisked away. 

xXx

IN DEEP SPACE, BEYOND THE ACTAEON DEFENCE WEB - 

A single ship floated in the inky blackness of space. As large as a small room, the ship was outfitted with thousands of weapons banks and magical shields that even the strongest of the Human's weapons would have trouble breaching. 

This was a Morde Kash carrier ship, and in its depths were vaults filled with thousands of the cybernetic beings, just waiting to be unleashed on a planet to convert its population to their cause. 

But the ship hung silent and empty, as dark as the deep space around it. 

This Morde Kash ship had been floating, derelict, through space for millennia. 

In the first Great Cyber War, this specific ship had converted billions to the cause of the Morde Kash, but it had sustained heavy damage, and the worker drones had never been able to complete it before their leader had been destroyed. 

Besides, without a nearby master signal to direct the actions of the drone, there was no way for them to complete their work anyway. 

A solitary light blinked in a desolate corner of the colossal ship. 

It blinked slow at first, the lights inside warming up after centuries of not being used, and then sped up as the circuits and receivers it was connected to confirm the data that they were now suddenly receiving. 

Morde Kash signals were incoming, for the first time in forever. 

Data was gathered. Checked. Double checked. Orders, at long last the ship had orders. 

In the depths of the Morde Kash ship, one by one, converted creatures stepped out of the vaults and moved to their workstations. 

The ship couldn't move, not yet, its engines were inoperative and had been since the onslaught of weaponry, both manna centric and mundane, had rendered the ship disabled in the first place. 

But now the drones had purpose again, orders directing their movement, a connection to a master-controller of the Morde Kash hive in orbit around a planet named Actaeon. 

The purpose of the Morde Kash was simple, now. 

They would first repair everything that needed to be repaired, an operation that would take many months. After that was done, they would activate the ships stealth field and fly on to Actaeon. 

From the readouts that the mind-hub of the ship was getting, the master-controller that had reached out to contact them had not yet successfully converted its host. 

That was fine and understandable, the Morde Kash mannamites would break through the defences of the being that they had latched onto sooner or later. 

When it did, they would lay dormant, waiting for the Morde Kash ship to arrive. 

Then? They would take the planet of Actaeon, and all who resided on it and restart their plunder of the universe. 

The Morde Kash would rise from the ashes once again, rivalling the pathetic Null Space invaders that refused their upgrades, and the Humans who were so woefully inefficient. 

The Morde Kash were coming, and they would never ever stop.