Seventeenth Year of the Nomads

Eight Hundred and Forty Seventh Year After the Battle of the Sol System

Kokko’Liekki Laiska’Vanha’Verta looked around the bridge of the CV Viimein’Laiva’Elossa. His crew looked back in stunned indecision, wondering what the message from the Valo’Haltija meant for all of them. They had expected something, but this… for the Emperor himself to sanction their executions? For the Valo’Haltija to tell The Emperor, in front of every sapient in the Empire, to pound sand? For the Valo’Haltija to proclaim that both the Emperor and the Heir were unworthy of the throne? Laiska’Vanha’Verta twisted his head, and looked about the bridge for a second time. All of these Sapients looked to him as their leader. They all were waiting on him to make a decision.

“Kokko’Liekki, Cryer. Make an all ships missive channel. I would speak to the crews of all of the ships at the same time.”

“Cryer, Kokko’Liekki. All ships, all sapient missive channel is live.”

“My fellow sapients, we stand at the decision point. As the Valo’Haltija said before he left his post, the Empire will never be the same again. You know this. I know this. We will not lie to ourselves any longer.

“In many ways, we stand with graspers in the shadows already. We stand condemned for doing our duty, for defending ourselves against the insane. I propose that we willingly go beyond the reach of the Empire’s Light. I purpose that we travel to join the wandering humans, to join with them in their cause.

“I know that not every sapient on these ships is willing to do that. Those that do not wish to go with me will take to the escape boats. There will be no violence, for there is no need for any. There will be no coercion, for there is no purpose in it. In one tuhan, I and the CV Viimein’Laiva’Elossa will be leaving the Toinen’Maailma system. Any ship that is willing to follow will form up in FTL formation.

“ ‘From now on these eyes will not be blinded by the Light.’[7] ”

“End Missive.”

Kokko’Liekki Laiska’Vanha’Verta looked about his bridge. The officers and ratings looked back at him, unblinking. “Is there any sapient here needs to leave?”

Scopes twisted her head, “Kokko’Liekki, Scopes. I think that I speak for every sapient here when I say that I wish to stay. Better a free life in the Darkness then a death in the Light.”

“Thank you Scopes.

“Kokko’Liekki, Cryer. Incoming missive from CV Tuho’Vuosi’Tuuli. Missive begins: ‘We would follow where you lead. Battle group forming up for transit.’ Missive ends.”

“Cryer, Kokko’Liekki. Did you send that missive link to every ship in the system?”

“Kokko’Liekki, Cryer. Yes I did Kokko’Liekki.”

“Cryer, Kokko’Liekki. Heard and forgiven. Missive to CV Tuho’Vuosi’Tuuli and her battle group. Missive begins: ‘Standard FTL formation, if you would follow us beyond the Light.’ Missive ends. We have a messenger to meet.”

Nukkua’Pohjoisessa’Leijona, the Heir to the Crown of the Empire, glared at the terminal in a mixture of disbelief, anger, horror, and raw fury. Disbelief that the Valo’Haltija would dump this information onto the uneducated public in such a manner. Anger that the resulting confusion and outright chaos would cause such a disruption to the Empire. Horror that the Bureaucrats who saw to the smooth running of the Empire would forge both his and his father’s signatures. And raw fury that the Fleet, that stalwart guardian of the Empire, the Sword of the Emperor himself, would inevitably see this as a total betrayal by their lawful civilian commanders in the face of the enemy.

Word had already filleted back that things were seriously amiss. Carrier battle groups were reported as suffering internal damage and casualties from mutinies. Two of the peaceful client races were rioting en masse. The Kuud’Estoista’Maailma shipyard and forge station was beyond salvage. Repair would cost more then simply tearing the whole thing apart and rebuilding, and while that was going on the Empire would have very limited raw resources with witch to build and grow.

Most disturbingly, two entire carrier battle groups were outright missing. The Kuud’Estoista’Maailma battle group was bad enough, with the CV Viimein’Laiva’Elossa, four light cruisers, and four destroyers gone missing. Nukkua’Pohjoisessa’Leijona was not surprised, given that the CV Viimein’Laiva’Elossa and the Kokko’Liekki that commanded it were the targets of the forged execution orders. Far more concerning was the fact that the Toinen’Maailma battle group was also missing. It only had one CV, the Tuho’Vuosi’Tuuli, instead of the usual four that were assigned to the system. But it did have eight battlecruisers and twenty destroyers in attendance. All of them had up and vanished, leaving a glaring hole both in the Fleet’s order of battle and in the defense of two critically important systems.

The most dangerous concern for the Heir was not the current weaknesses in the Fleet or the unrest in the Empire. Ships could be rebuild, sapients retrained. Rebellious planets without navies could not stand against an attack if it came to that. The Heir’s real concern was the wandering humans. Outsiders with no stake in keeping the Empire intact, no reason to trust it now that their ranks would be swollen by the betrayed portions of the Fleet, and a history of using world breaker class weapons.

Nukkua’Pohjoisessa’Leijona looked out on the grey skies of the Crown World and, for the first time in his life, afraid of what the future might hold.

Admiral Supesu looked up as Tracking cried out in alarm.

“Tracking, Report!”

“Admiral, Tracking. Multiple incoming FTL signatures, multiple Twisted capital ships. Ship count as follows: two Carriers, four battlecruisers, four light cruisers, and two four destroyers.”

“Admiral, CIC. Twisted Fleet formation is in keeping with standard transit patterns, not attack formation. Out.”

“Admiral, Communications. Incoming message, text only, human standard. Message begins: ‘Words had fallen on all ears. The banner is raised in regret, the silence has been broken in sadness. We should speak, you and I. Face to face and eyes to eyes.’ Message ends.”

“Communications, Admiral. Send them the meeting place, and remind them that environmental suits would be a good idea.”

“Admiral, Communications. Wilco.”

“Flight Control, Admiral. Notify the diplomatic team and prepare my cutter if you please.”

“Admiral, Flight Control. Cutter will be ready in boat bay alpha in one five minutes. Diplomatic team is being notified. Out.”

The meeting place was an oval disk of metal floating in space halfway between the two fleets. On one side was a minimalistic gravity generator and a solar panel array to power it. On the other was a pair of landing markers, one human and one copied from the Empire, set at the far ends of the oval. There was nowhere to hide, no atmosphere, and no shielding. It was not a place for deception, nor for prolonged discussion. It was also a clean place, both in that there was no dust or debris to clutter the deck, and in that it was a place for new beginnings.

Kokko’Liekki Laiska’Vanha’Verta and Polo’Liekki Sata’Vanha’Verta, the commanding officer of CV Tuho’Vuosi’Tuuli, shrugged on the heavy survival suits that the humans had suggested. Both were not in favor of wearing the suits, and their security detail even less so. They restricted movement and any breach signaled the imminent death of the wearer as life sustaining breathable air vented uncontrollably. But the atmosphere less nature of the meeting place required them for any sapient walking its surface. Both officers and the security team took grim solace in the fact that the humans would be in the same position as they were.

As they exited the shuttle and took their first tentative steps onto the meeting place, they were surprised to find the gravity comfortable. It was slightly on the low side, but not by an uncomfortable amount. The security detail quickly spread out, heads twisting atop necks, eyeing the empty areas of the meeting place with ingrained caution.

Laiska’Vanha’Verta stopped to take a good look at the human shuttle. Empire shuttles tended to be short cylinders that took advantage of the way sapients flowed between horizontal and standing positions to minimize the need for ‘extraneous’ corridors and compartments. The human shuttle, on the other hand, was a blunt wedge shape. The rear of the wedge hinged open and Laiska’Vanha’Verta saw a human for the first time. They had the same two legs, two arms, one torso and one head of a sapient, but the joints were all wrong. They hinged and swiveled, with only the neck and hands twisting they way a sentient’s body did. Laiska’Vanha’Verta was instantly envious of thier enviromental suits. Where his was bulky and inflated with atmosphere, the humans suits were sleek and hard. The human protective detail that fanned out, matching his own security detail, wore suits with layered plates of some non-reflective metal over a tight body covering. The human officers wore suits with less hard edges and metal plates, but the human second in command had legs that seemed as hard and agular at the human protective detail’s suits.

Laiska’Vanha’Verta shrugged this off and stepped forward with his one grasper extended in greeting.

Master Chief Petty Officer Donn MacBrash stood at Admiral Supesu’s back and watched the twisted walk across the meeting place. His artificial legs ached in the environmental suit, but it no worse than his aging bones ached just from being old. By all of the old Terran United Countries Merchant Service and Void Guard regulations, he should have been retired long since. But Admiral Supesu valued him for more than just his skill as a small-craft pilot, she also valued him for his experience and steady mind. As he eyed up the Twisted Admiral, or whatever they called their carrier commanders, he could not help but notice that Twisted medical technology could use some improvements. The second officer of the two was whole and healthy, but the officer in the lead was clearly missing an arm at the shoulder, and the strip of cloth visible through the environmental suit’s vizor indicated a missing eye as well.

Donn keyed her personal com, “Ma’am, I wonder if medical aid might be a good opening offer?”

“Along with helping then convert or build some logistical support sips. I don’t know how much you know MCPO, but they don’t have a single support ship in that fleet. It’s all warships.”

“Sounds like they took everything that was ready to sail and left Ma’am. Did not even wait to take on supplies, just upped anchor and split.”

“That also means no no-combatants MCPO, which at least means fewer mouths to feed. Depending on their automation levels, they may even have the bodies to spare to man logistical support ships.”

The leading Twisted extended its ‘hand’ in greeting, so Donn fell silent and let his Admiral take the lead.

Admiral Supesu took the outstretched hand feeling the small, unsure trembles in the Twisted’s grip. She extended a portable terminal in the other hand, the words on its screen in both human standard and Empire common proclaiming it to be a prototype Empire-human voice translator.

“Greetings Admiral. I do hope this translator works.”

“Greetings Kokko’Liekki. I do hope this translator is functional.”

“It does, Daughter of the Void. And well indeed for a first prototype.”

“Thank the stars, that will make this discussion much more useful to us all.”

“It makes it easy indeed. The heart of the matter, of course, is on what terms we will work together Daughter of the Void. Do we sail parallel courses? Or do we forge ourselves into a single fleet?”

“You have no home to go back to, and we have left ours behind three times. Whatever else happens, we should both have the option to walk away. To sail into the depths of space and make a new beginning. I see that you have brought only warships with you?”

“I had thought to bring only my own battle group, but my Cryer spread the message just a little further and my relative decided to follow me. We are, or rather were, both Empire Fleet officers, and so we commanded no food carriers. Our warships carry enough food for a hundred crownworld orbits, but I see that you think this is not enough.”

“That is impressive indeed, but no, it is not nearly enough to sail freely. If you would forge your fleet with ours, I would offer to help you build the food grower ships that you would need, as well as sareing healing works. I see that you are missing a grasper and an eye. It may take some thinking, but that should be healable.”

“I thank you for your offer. Should we stand around here to discuss the details, or should we go back to our ships and sit in comfort?”

“Back to the ships I should think. And take the translator with you. We can make another if we must.”

“Thank you, Daughter of the Void.”

“Thank you Kokko’Liekki.”