Another chapter done, despite real life's best attempts to distract me from my writing. This chapter gives further insight into Lantrisi culture, and the start of the action as well. Expect a lot of battles in the coming chapters.
Chapter 17
The Sol system was finally fully fortified, and the Lantrisi finally began gearing up for conquest.
"Report, admiral." Harry opened the meeting of the senior officers involved in their operation.
"System defenses are fully operational, and all our ships report full tactical readiness. The auto refineries are currently undergoing a final diagnostic check to ensure optimal harvesting rates once we've secured our targets." Arella reported.
"Excellent. Have we identified the primary targets?"
"Yes, sir. We will strike at two systems under Darkiin control that are both rich in hysperil and relatively close to Sol. The Rakool have pledged to attack along with us and thereby further reduce the resistance the Darkiin can muster against us." Another officer reported.
"Do not think for a second that this campaign will be easy. They might be inferior, but the Darkiin have vastly superior numbers, even with the Rakool on our side. Our best tactic is to rapidly produce ships and use crew reinforcements from Hashera to build a rapid military force to combat the Darkiin." Harry warned them.
"And once we do crush them, we'll take all these ships and cut a path through the Alliance all the way to Terra." Arella smirked. It was a future they all looked forward to.
"Quite right. Any other issues we need to address before we begin the tactical planning?"
"Well sir, the crew have been working really hard ever since we've arrived in this sector. It would be a good idea to give them some R&R before the fighting starts." One of the commodores suggested.
"It is a good suggestion. Hermione, contact Earth, and arrange for a suitable location to be provided for our use. Commodore, prepare a fleet-wide announcement that a week long festival will be held two days from now. All interested participants should register before then." Harry grinned.
"The standard festival arrangements?" The man asked.
"Yes. Two days of music, three days of duels and a two day Blood-Ball tournament. Can you construct the necessary buildings in two days?"
"A lot faster than that, sir. We'll have everything ready in time." The man grinned.
The Earth governments had created a Lantrisi liaison office, so Hermione's request was quickly passed along to the relevant departments, and an hour later, their construction crews descended like a cloud of locusts on a large flat piece of land in the US Midwest.
"We are very grateful for your invitation, your Lordship." Harry was standing with a large detachment of diplomats from various states that he had graciously invited to witness this important part of Lantrisi culture.
"Please, there's no need to stand on ceremony. You can call me Harry." Harry grinned.
"Now gentlemen, the fun is about to start. The first two days will be mostly one long concert, with various groups from across the fleet competing for the title of best band. The winners will have the honor of having their music played on all ships as we go into battle." Harry grinned.
"Won't that make communications difficult?" One man asked.
"Between ourselves, we communicate telepathically. Now, Lantrisi music is split into two general styles. This stage will be where the fans of lokor-isha music will gather, while the stage on the other side of the field will be where the gar'shik music will be performed. Feel free to attend either performance." Harry replied.
A small source of embarrassment for Harry was the fact that Hermione was a gar'shik listener. No one would dare tease Harry in person about the fact, but he was aware of the comments that were floating around the crews.
The two-day concert was a smashing hit, and recordings of the performances were spread across Earth, causing a wave of new musical styles to emerge in human culture as well. As bands tried to get close to the sheer passion and fury of lokor-isha, so did other musicians strive to mimic the elegant, uplifting tones of gar'shik.
After their experience with Lantrisi music, the diplomats were offered a glimpse in Lantrisi sports, starting with dueling.
This was done in large circular pits, with rows of seat arranged around them, much like old Roman gladiator arenas.
The comparison was quite apt, as the duelers did their best to kill their opponents in the most brutal fashion possible.
"You actually condone this level of violence?" One of the humans turned away with a wince amidst the cheers of the crowd as one of the duelers lost an arm.
"He can grow it back. In fact, I think he's actually turning this match around." Harry shrugged. True enough, the contestant that had his arm hacked off managed to get the upper hand on his opponent as he rammed his dagger in the woman's throat and pinned her on the ground with her face into the dirt.
The judges were quick to declare him the victor, and they both walked out to the medical facility to replenish their blood levels and regenerate in peace.
"I'll give you this. Your people are certainly fond of violence." The British ambassador commented as they watched the final duel taking place. Both duelers were doing all they could to beat the other, and already, the floor around them was slick with their blood.
"We are a predatory species. It was imperative we find ways to vent our desires for violence in order to maintain a stable society." Harry replied.
"That does explain a great deal." The man nodded.
"Ah, finally. The fight is over." True enough, one of the duelers had collapsed from blood loss, and the medics were quick to carry him off before he died from it. The winner was in very poor condition as well, but managed to walk to the medical area on her own power.
"So, the duels are finally over?" The ambassador asked.
"There's one more duel. As the winner of the tournament, she has earned the right to stand against the sponsor of the tournament, which in this case is myself. Once she has recovered, we will fight. If you'll excuse me, I will go and prepare. To give her any less than my best would be to belittle her accomplishment." Harry stood up.
"Can he beat her?" After watching the female blaze through the tournament, the human guests were quite impressed, and they also noticed a lot of betting going on around them.
"The outcome of the match is absolutely certain. Harry will win. What everyone is betting on is how long she will last against him." Hermione replied with a smirk.
"He's that good?" The humans were shocked at this revelation.
"He is a Sector Lord. He's far from the most powerful fighter in the Collective, but he is one of the best. At one point of time he was even the Second in the Order of Death."
Any doubts the humans had in this claim were shattered as the match began thirty minutes later.
Harry fought the ship captain facing him with all his skill, evading even her best attacks without even a scratch, and cutting through her defenses with brutal efficiency. Still, as the woman could not use Form Dancing, he did not use that ability.
The crowd burst into cheer as the woman, used a desperate feint that ended giving her five inches of kershin in her right lung and grazed her second heart, but the feint was a success as her thrown blade made a shallow cut on Harry's cheek. The wound barely managed to bleed before it closed up again.
A stunned gasp passed through the crowd as that happened.
"She actually managed to draw blood. I daresay some people got very rich about now." Hermione grinned. Drawing blood was a really rare event in these matches, and few bet on them.
Now, while the basic necessities were provided for free to all citizens of the Collective, Lantrisi or not, the Collective still had currency, mostly used to purchase luxury items or special customized weapons, pay for travel on non-military transports, trade with other civilizations and a number of other things.
Lantrisi currency was even used in a few smaller interstellar powers in the Lantrisi universe because of its great stability.
"I didn't expect her to draw blood." Hermione commented once Harry was back in his seat in the VIP section.
"It was a big gamble on her end, but it paid off. If she runs her ship even half as good as she duels, I daresay she'll rise quickly through the ranks." Harry grinned.
At last, the final event of the festival was set to begin, and the Lantrisi swarmed to the massive arena to witness the Blood Ball tournament.
"Can you explain the game to us?" The human guests looked curiously at the massive field before them. Half a kilometer long and a quarter wide, it was a lot bigger than anything used for human sports.
"Certainly. As you can see, the field is divided into two halves and a semi-circle on each end where the goal is. This is called the guardian circle. Each team is divided into one guardian, two defenders, three chargers and a retriever." Harry began.
"I'll explain each position and the rules associated with it one by one. The guardian is self-explanatory; he guards the goal and tries to prevent the chargers to score a point. Now, he is not allowed to leave the guardian circle, or touch the charger. If he blocks the shot and the ball falls inside the circle, he is allowed to pick it up but he can only pass it to the retriever.
The defenders are the players that try to stop the chargers to get to the goal and their sole restrictions are that they cannot leave their half of the field, they are only allowed to attack a charger one-on-one, and if they get the ball they must pass it to the retriever.
The charger is the player that tries to get past the defending players and score a goal. The ball is a hollow sphere made of polished kershin metal a bit bigger than a hand. Since it's polished, it can be very difficult to get a good grip on it when it's time to throw it. Also, the goal is only an inch wider than the ball, making it very difficult to score a point. Now, the chargers are not allowed to move back, and if they pass the ball, it must be done to a charger ahead of them. Second, only one charger is allowed to enter the guardian circle at any given time.
The final position is the retriever. His task is to retrieve the ball if it falls out of play and pass it to the chargers. If it touches the ground or falls out of the field, only the retrievers are allowed to bring the ball back into play. This can be a risky position, due to the following rule. Chargers cannot take the ball if it touches the ground, but they can take it from the retriever." Harry finally finished explaining the game.
"Let me get this straight. It is perfectly legal to tackle down an opposing player if he carries the ball?" One man asked.
"Completely legal. Weapons are not allowed of course, but other than that it's anything goes in this game. Oh, I almost forgot. The game ends when a team scores ten points. Of course, sometimes it is difficult to score even once, but we'll see how the teams perform." Harry shrugged.
Blood Ball was every bit as brutal as its name implied, and the players fought each other as much as they played the game, causing cheers every time a player was smashed, tackled or punched into the ground.
True to Harry's prediction, the games stretched across the whole day, with the four teams working hard to be the best teams in the tournament.
The next day was even more brutal, as the teams fought for the first, second and third spot.
It was well over midnight when the final point was made, and the tournament concluded. Again, the award for the top two teams was the honor of having the ships they represented take the point in the upcoming attacks.
"I take it that everyone is well rested and eager for more action?" Harry greeted his command staff the following day.
"The crews are practically on fire. All ships are running at optimal efficiency." Arella grinned.
"Then it's time we proceeded with the attack. Contact the Rakool." Harry addressed the ship's AI and a moment later, the hologram of a Rakool wearing a rather ornate uniform appeared on one end of the table.
"Admiral, I trust your fleet is prepared for the coming assault?" Harry asked.
"Indeed we are, Lord Storm-eye. We can attack as soon as you give the word." The bird man replied confidently.
"Excellent. Cross the border in one hour. We will strike first and draw their forces to give you an easier time of it." Harry grinned.
"With your aid, the tyranny of the Darkiin will soon end. May your ships bring swift death to all your enemies." The admiral ended the transmission.
"Bring all ships into formation and bring us out of the system. Divide into battle groups on exit and proceed to your objectives." Harry instructed his captains, and as one, the Lantrisi fleet headed out of Sol and towards the Darkiin systems.
"We are entering the targeted solar system."
"Bring us to subluminal speed and deploy all fighters. Set course for primary Darkiin installations." Arella instructed. The Koraash carrier was designed to be the spearhead of Lantrisi attacks. A massive section of its hull was actually hundreds of remote-controlled fighters that could be deployed as the primary attack wave that would not only harass the enemy, but would also screen the Koraash from attack as it brought its sizable weapons batteries to bear on the enemy. Two dedicated AI served solely for the task of controlling the hundreds of fighters.
"Fleet reports full tactical readiness. Should we give the order to attack?"
"No. Let them make the first move." Arella grinned. She didn't have to wait long, as the comm. officer accepted an incoming transmission a moment later.
"Unknown armada, this world is under the sovereign authority of the Darkiin Alliance. You are to leave at once or we will open fire on your ships." A gorilla-like alien with four arms said that with a vicious sneer.
"Our fleet is here to take control of this system for the Lantrisi Collective. Surrender and your lives will be spared." Arella replied calmly. The Darkiin officer released an angry screech and closed the comm. link. A moment later, the Darkiin defenses opened fire.
"All ships, return fire." Arella smirked as the battle was over before it even began. The Darkiin had little ships in this system, since their fleets were stationed at what their leaders considered more important locations.
"All ships, set up overlapping patrol fields. Report in as soon as you detect Darkiin ships. Status on the refineries?" Arella turned to her subordinates.
"They will arrive in two hours, ma'am. There is a slight problem, though. The planet with the highest amount of hysperil is populated."
"How many people are down there?" Arella asked. With the amount of hysperil and other valuable minerals on that planet, they were going to strip as much as they could from it without destroying it, which would render the world uninhabitable.
"Over one hundred fifty million people. Our scans have determined the colony is only a few generations old."
"Is there another world in the system we can relocate them to?" Arella sighed. When they conquered the system, its inhabitants became their responsibility, and Arella was not about to slaughter millions of civilians if she could simply find them a different home.
"The fifth planet of the system can be made to support them with relatively little work."
"Alright. Begin working on it and have the engineers start constructing habitats. Contact all ships and have them begin deploying their soldier companies to get all inhabitants prepared for evacuation. Inform the refineries on the change of plans and have them begin mining operations in different locations of the system." Arella instructed her crew.
"This is a most unwelcome complication." Harry sighed as he and Arella discussed the issue in Harry's chambers, which also functioned as his ready room.
"The delay is negligible. We anticipated civilian presence; we just didn't expect their numbers to be so high." Arella replied.
"Well, there are a number of asteroids rich in hysperil in the system, so we'll still be able to begin construction operations within the week. How did the other group and our allies fare?" Harry asked.
"The other group ran into much heavier resistance, and two Akrosa frigates suffered some light damage. The Rakool lost several ships and several more suffered heavy to moderate damage, but they secured their objective as well. They are currently bringing in more reinforcements to help them secure the system."
"Any word on Darkiin retaliation?" Harry continued.
"Long-range sensors reported some scouts, but nothing more than that. Still, we know they have significant military assets, and we can expect a heavy assault in the coming days." Arella replied.
"I agree. Keep everyone on alert. When they come, we'll be ready for them." Harry smirked.