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“Hopefully the plan will work, and we will have a guess as to where they will appear,” Alvon said.
“It is not a bad plan,” said DDO Silvas vin-Aptu’s hologram. “That was not a bad idea.”
“Unfortunately, if it nets no results, things may be bad,” stated new Deputy Director of Logistics (DDG) Kli’gra Juupamn’s hologram.
Hectir’s hologram sighed. “All of this is speculation. If we get no advanced warning or the bare minimum, we will lose another planet to the Ditufgne weapon.”
“We have run a thorough analysis,” began DDI Jeck Baryorn, “and even with the best-case scenario, we estimate a 75 percent probability that another planet will be sent to the void when next the Ditufgne employ the ring-ships’ weapon.”
Everyone was silent a moment
Alvon was on the command deck of the Dawnstrider with Tara Kreth. She was not a hologram; instead, she sat across from Alvon on the starship’s bridge.
Hectir’s hologram broke the silence. “That’s distressing.”
DDI Baryorn said. “Yes, it is. But if the ring-ships cannot be fired upon once they begin to separate until they have discharged the wormhole by sending a planet to the void, this is the best we can hope for. Unfortunately, that’s our best-case scenario. Worst case is that we cannot stop them, and they send all the planets they choose to the void.”
“There is another option,” said Canta Berna’s hologram.
“That’s much worse,” said DDI Baryorn. “Instead of just losing a planet but not all its people, the planet is destroyed—as well as potentially a whole solar system or two. You of all people have to recognize that there is no way the IITA will condone that option.”
Alvon had been surprised that the idea was floated by the deputy director to the Interplanetary Interspecies Treaty Organization.
Canta Berna shook her head. “It has to be on the table. I know that the IITO has the Xorcerizts working on projections about the blast radius. But they may be wrong.”
“Possibly,” agreed Alvon. “But we have seen data from both the Xorcerizts and the Zarahn Imperial Brigade. Nobody in the galaxy has encountered an artificial power source of this magnitude. If we see an explosion of that much power, it will be devastating. On the other hand, I’m given to believe that if you implode it, the singularity could be even worse. But I am not a scientist. Neither is good.”
There was, again, silence among the directors of the CSA.
“Our place is to advise,” said Hectir. “The creation of the IITO and IITA drops such matters firmly in their hands. We are still a part of this because they cannot also be a neutral source of galactic law enforcement. DDCSA Gargarm will accompany the IITA when they go to meet the Ditufgne and their weapon. He will be there to advise as they need.”
None of the other deputy directors said anything. Alvon understood what Hectir was working to do. The CSA was also a bridge between the IITO nations and the rest of the galaxy. If the Ditufgne incursion spilled over into the territory of a race, sector, or nation not part of the IITO, the CSA would be able to work with both parties.
“Do we have anything more to discuss?” asked Hectir.
“There is one more piece of business,” Alvon replied.
Alvon took a deep breath. “What I am about to share does not leave this circle. This is priority zero, eyes-only confidential.”
Alvon began to relay to the heads of the Cosmic Security Agency what Tara Kreth had gotten the Xorcerizts to finally reveal about the Ditufgne motivations.
––––––––
<—>
“There is one more question I would like an answer to,” Tara Kreth began. “Through all this briefing, more than once it became clear to me that Nallatrum, Araihs, and Arryl were holding a private conversation between them. Glances back and forth, carefully chosen remarks, considered responses.
“Hence my question: what are you still not telling us? What motivation is making the Ditufgne expend surreal amounts of energy to banish whole planets to the void between galaxies?”
Alvon realized that he had also noticed this during the briefing, but had not given it as much thought or importance as Tara had.
Nallatrum sighed. “Very well. Please take a seat, and, to my and my peoples’ shame, I shall explain.”
Alvon found himself leaning forward in anticipation.
“As you know, the Xorcerizt people are evolved from the Humans, Ravusq, Zathru, Doolari, and Yalifira that made up Project Outbound,” Nallatrum started. “But that’s not entirely true, in that none of the races could interbreed with one another. Interbreeding between the races has always been impossible.
“The original peoples who made up Project Outbound were unique from normal individuals of their races - with the exception of the Yalifira. The Humans, Ravusq, Zathru, and Doolari crew all had what we think was a genetic mutation that gave them scientifically inexplicable abilities.”
It was Ashira who interrupted the narrative. “Are you trying to say they possessed mythological abilities? Sorcery?”
Nallatrum took a deep breath. “Our scientists have always striven to seek explanation for the prowess the members of Project Outbound possessed. But science cannot explain what was recorded. Their forebearers, when they met in space away from their homeworlds, created the Intergalactic Credit Exchange and its protections, the original translator nanodroids, and stable instantaneous hyperspace communications.”
“That’s impossible,” Navarch Dromm said. “As an adolescent, I read tall tales of sorcery. But all they have ever been is myths.”
“Not impossible,” said Nallatrum. “But quite improbable. The creation of the first Xorcerizts, via the combining of the DNA of four species that breed only among themselves, and one that does not breed at all, cannot be replicated by science alone. The explanation—which our best and brightest will not agree to be the truth—was that an improbable, long-lost art was employed to make us.”
Alvon was never all that good at science. But he knew enough about the basics of DNA to understand why this concept was so improbable.
Nallatrum continued. “The people of Project Outbound left this galaxy not only to explore beyond, but also to remove their abilities from their respective peoples. The believed that their continued presence would hamper the natural growth of their species. We believe that they also intended to work together with science and their arts to create a new lifeform that blended them all.”
“Why?” asked Tara.
“We believe that it was to foment peace,” Nallatrum said. “There was conflict between the races due to prejudice, misunderstanding of culture, and other tensions. If all these races could be brought together literally, they could be brought together figuratively too.
“The experiments to create a viable race with the DNA of five incompatible races were proving impossible. They could not stabilize the genes in a manner that made life viable. That is, until they encountered the Ditufgne.”
Alvon found himself holding his breath. He let it out.
“They had encountered other lone solar systems in the void and other primitive life,” continued Nallatrum. “But the Ditufgne were unique. First, because they were sentient and had evolved to be not unlike the races of Project Outbound. Second, because they were comprised partially of raw Universal Source Energy. And third, because they and all aspects of their solar system showed no signs of evolution past a certain point for hundreds of thousands of years.”
Nallatrum paused. Alvon had never seen him, nor any other Xorcerizt, tentative.
Then Nallatrum continued, “When Project Outbound encountered the Ditufgne, they had just explored their entire solar system and were beginning to try to work out some means of faster-than-light travel. They had, before then, believed themselves truly alone in the Universe.
“Prior to this, Project Outbound avoided contact with the primitive species. But the Ditufgne intrigued them. Did a race comprised partly of energy have DNA coding? How had they evolved technologically over time without doing so genetically? The leadership of Project Outbound wanted answers. But more than that, the scientists wanted their genetic coding.”
Nallatrum sighed. “This is where it all went wrong. There was trickery involved. Getting the DNA of the Ditufgne was deemed too important to disregard. The Ditufgne saw that Project Outbound not only came from a galaxy across the void, but they did so faster than the speed of light. As we said before, they wanted the ability to travel across the void to see more. But that was not technology the people of Project Outbound would share.”
Again, Nallatrum took a deep breath. “Noncommittal promises of sharing the ability to travel faster than light were hinted at as payment for sampling multiple male and female Ditufgne individuals. Hence, though they had no intention of sharing the ability for faster-than-light travel, the scientists of Project Outbound took the Ditufgne’s DNA.”
Alvon was caught off guard when it was Araihs who took up the narrative. “The DNA and Universal Source Energy that combined to make up the Ditufgne species was the key that Project Outbound needed to stabilize the combined DNA of five incompatible races. That was how they created us.”
Alvon had feared that was the conclusion this would reach.
Nallatrum resumed the narrative. “When the Ditufgne realized that Project Outbound was not going to make good on trading faster-than-light travel technology for their DNA, they became angry. Very angry. They attempted to threaten and attack Project Outbounds’ ships—but their technology was inferior.
“At first, they begged for the promised escape from what they had come to consider the prison of their solar system. Then, they demanded Project Outbound make good on their false promises, even though they were long gone.”
Now it was Arryl who spoke. “The Ditufgne had been determined before. But after this, they put all of their resources into learning to travel faster-than-light. They developed wormhole technology to achieve this. What’s more, they cast all blame for their isolation on Project Outbound. They knew that they had been used—and why. This was either because they figured it out for themselves, or Project Outbound’s scientists told them what they wanted their DNA for—if not both.”
Nallatrum resumed the narrative. “When our progenitors came into being, it was not until they began to reproduce and outnumber the races that left this galaxy as Project Outbound that they learned of this. When the last of the Humans, Doolari, Zathru, and Ravusq passed on, the Xorcerizt people chose to take no action. But we knew that should the Ditufgne find their way here, it was our responsibility to help you to stop them.”
Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Ashira asked, “What became of the Yalifira?”
Looks passed between the trio of Xorcerizts. After a moment, Arryl said, “Project Outbound occupied a hyperspace generation starship. While it was capable of holding an ever-increasing number of peoples, over time, additional ships were built as they traversed the void. As our progenitors became numerous, the Ravusq, Humans, Doolari, and Zathru were fading. The Yalifira, however, continued their lifecycle. They and the last of the non-Xorcerizts went their own way in one of the other ships when we reached our destination.”
“So you did reach another galaxy?” questioned Tara Kreth.
“Yes,” replied Nallatrum.
“What did you find there?” asked Jeck Murtsharn.
Again, the trio of Xorcerizts exchanged a look. “That is something we would prefer to share at another time.”
<—>
Alvon and Tara had completed their recounting of the discussion.
It was Hectir who spoke first. “That...is a very complex computation.”
If Hectir—an advanced Android—would admit that, it must have been truly mindboggling.
“Deputy Director Gargarm, SSA Kreth,” began Kli’gra Juupamn, “do you believe them?”
“There is no reason not to,” replied Tara Kreth. “I, for one, understand their reluctance to share this. That they are evolutionarily linked to five of our races and the Ditufgne—a race we cannot even communicate with—is distressing. The inability to interbreed gets stood on its head by this revelation.”
“What does this mean for all that is happening?” asked Jeck Baryorn.
Alvon had been asking that himself since he’d learned it. “It means that the Xorcerizts are indirectly responsible for this, as the heirs to those who made up Project Outbound. Though it was long, long before any of us came into being, we are being punished for the sins of long-passed ancestors. And like it or not, the Xorcerizts are us, and we are the Xorcerizts.”
“Yes,” Hectir added. “For good or ill, we are forever linked—and the Ditufgne see nothing but offenders to be punished in us all.”