The Privateer

"Countermeasures." Admiral Fightsmart's hologram grimaced. It had been four days since the fall of Brilend Prime. The Krog looked tired. His pink skin looked rougher than usual, and his black greasy hair hung limply down his back. Still, he stood upright, his jutting jaw clenched. His snarl revealed sharp teeth, and his beady eyes burned with fury.

The bridge of the Random Encounter felt cramped. Lissa, Mims, Yvian, and Scarrend were all crowded around the holodisplay, but they'd made space for the holograms representing Admiral Fightsmart and the King of the Krog. Kilroy was absent, since no one wanted the krog to know about the Peacekeepers, but he was monitoring on the comms.

"I can't confirm it," Mims gestured at the paused sensor readings. Thousands of Vore Needles had just passed through the space the Vrrl fleet had vacated. Each Needle was half a kilometer long, and a third of a meter thick, tapering to a tenth of a millimeter at each end. "But I'm pretty sure the Needles were using some version of SHIELDBREACH. At the speed they were moving, they'd have atomized the Vrrl fleet when they hit."

"And Lucendian weapon?" King Tallest asked. The King of the Krog was leaned forward, elbows on the table in front of him. Even via holodisplay, Yvian was struck by the sheer mass of the man. The King was over three meters tall, and nearly two meters wide. His girth stretched the limits of his purple vest, and the plamsa turret he wore as a crown perched precariously on his oversized head. "That not stop it?"

"I don't think so," Captain Mims shook his head. "The anti-tech field disrupts complex technology, but anything that doesn't require active computing still works. Shields, life support and weapons aren't affected. I'm betting the Needles were set up so SHIELDBREACH would keep working. A full pulse would shut them down, but the range is a lot more limited, and it would have killed the Vrrl ships, too."

The human's voice was as steady as always. Yvian prayed to the Bright Lady it would stay that way. The Captain's two day bender had landed him in a med pod with broken hands and borderline alcohol poisoning. Yvian would not have insisted on being there for it if she'd known just how much seeing him that way would shake her. He'd come out of the pod as calm and composed as ever, but Yvian had not been reassured. The human's cold, professional calm was a lot less comforting now that she knew the broken mess beneath it.

"Mangy Vrrl can't kill Vore." The Tallest shook his head. "Even with Mimsey-cake, can't kill. How we stop?"

"We can't," the human admitted. "Even the Xill can't. That's why they joined up with the humans."

"What we do then?" The Tallest demanded. "What we do if Vore hit Krog Prime?"

"Evacuate," said Fightsmart. "Cut off Gates."

"No good," said the King of the Krog. "That only slow end of everything. Not stop."

"It's all we've got for now," said the Captain.

"We've only got one Lucendian ship," added Yvian, "but we're trying to grow more."

"And we're building up Pixa's military," said Lissa.

"The Vrrl Starfang Empire is on the hunt as well," Scarrend spoke up. "Every Mafdet from first to tenth is working on a way to kill the Scourge."

"Mangy Vrrl," Fightsmart grunted. "You really join stupid slutty pixens?"

"Call me mangy again," Scarrend growled. "See what happens."

"They're not insulting you, Scarrend," Mims cut in. "That's how their language translates." Yvian knew this wasn't technically true. The krog's formal words for species might be offensively descriptive, but they had shorthand versions that weren't. She almost said as much, but a look from Lissa convinced her to keep her mouth shut.

"Listen to wicked pervert human, mangy Vrrl." Fightsmart gave a growl of his own. "Not want fuck with Fightsmart."

"Oh, I think-" the Vrrl cut off as Captain Mims clamped a hand on his shoulder. The human gave a shake of his head. Scarrend glared for a moment, then chuffed. "Fine. Yes. The Empire has a treaty with the Pixens. A full alliance. We've even agreed not to eat them anymore."

"That why Mangy Vrrl raiding Confed so much?" King Tallest asked. "Many hairy flivvans dead. Many many dumbfuck trelg. Trying help stupid slutty pixens?"

"Not really," said Scarrend. "The planet the Scourge took held most of our food stock. We need more prey."

"Interesting." King Tallest shrugged. "Not important, Tallest guess. Mangy Vrrl don't border krog space. Eat all hairy flivvans and dumbfuck trelg you want. Not Tallest problem."

"You don't care?" Scarrend furrowed all three of his brows. "I thought the Confederation would be more... unified?"

The King shrugged again. "Tallest King of Krog. Take care of Krog. Other species High Council's problem. High Council want Krog help, they ask."

"Species under Confed answer to High Council," Fightsmart explained. "Have to allow trade, contribute to Military. Not mean we like each other."

"Let's move on," Mims decided. He typed into a console, and fast-forwarded the display. The Vore Needles changed direction. Splitting into groups of a few thousand a piece, they accelerated towards all three Jumpgates in the sector, as well as the Military fleets, the asteroid fields, and Brilend Prime itself.

The Confederation Military didn't wait. Their ships bulled forward at the maximum speed their destroyers could manage. Mims slowed the display down. The Military opened fire while the Needles were still several minutes away. A massive barrage of plasma and missiles reach out, a wall of death. Beam weapons lanced out, striking at the Vore at a third of the speed of light. Mims slowed the display down further, showing the Needles weaving around the beams and through most of the fire at extreme speed. Some of them took a few hits, but nothing their shields couldn't handle. In real time, the Needles entered the field of fire and smashed into the fleet in a matter of seconds.

"Too fast," Fightsmart remarked. "Conventional weapons no good."

"They'd be useless anyway," said the Captain. "The Vore have the strongest shielding I've ever seen, and blowing a hole in them doesn't do anything. They self repair in seconds."

The Needles tore through the largest of the defenders' capitol ships and kept right on going. The ships shattered and exploded on impact. A few seconds later, the debris wriggled and shot tendrils into the closest undamaged ships. In a matter of minutes, the entirety of Brilend's Military Defense Fleets had been converted into Vore.

Another group of Needles approached the South Gate. The Brilend Militia that was supposed to be guarding it had already used it to run away. The Military contingent backing them up opened fire, but there were only a few hundred thousand of them. Yvian knew they would be easy pickings.

About three minutes before the Needles would have arrived, the Jumpgate died. The Gate, a thirteen kilometer thick ring that stretched over two thousand kilometers across the void, released a single massive burst of radiation. The blue light that rippled inside the ring winked out.

"Close call," said Fightsmart. "High Command try stop Fightsmart fleet. Almost not killed Gate in time."

"Stupid," the Tallest remarked. "South Gate lead to High Rule Sector. Vore woulda killed High Council, High Court. Cut off head of Confed." He smirked. "Second thought, maybe Fightsmart did job too good. Maybe shoulda let Vore through."

"Fightsmart serve Tallest first," the Admiral chided, "but still Military. Can't let High Council die."

"Tallest know, Tallest know," the King sighed. "Woulda served 'em right, though. Dumbasses."

The Needles reached the East Gate next. This time, most of the Military had retreated along with the Milita before Fightsmart's fleets destroyed the Gate it connected to. Mims fast-forwarded another hour, stopping in time to see two thousand Needles reform themselves into Spheres, blazing past Brilend Prime's planetary defense to smash in to the world's surface. The impacts set off every volcano on the planet. Yvian was sure it would become uninhabitable even if the Vore weren't spreading across it.

The main force of Vore Spheres entered the system a few minutes later. There wasn't much left for them to do. Silvery tentacles stretched across the entirety of Brilend Prime Sector's asteroid fields. The only inhabited planet had been infected, along with nearly every station and most of the ships. The Spheres reconverged, forming back up into a moon sized mass and changing course to miss the infected world.

As Yvian watched, the last of the Military's fleets turned tail, retreating through the North Gate a mere eight minutes before the arrival of the last group of Vore Needles. As the last carrier entered the Gate effect, the recording ended.

"Killed third Jumpgate after that." Admiral Fightsmart grimaced. "All could do."

"Yeah." Mims shook his head. "I guess it was."

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble for that?" Yvian asked. "Since High Command tried to stop you?"

"Not worry, Blockhead," King Tallest clapped a massive hand on the Admiral's shoulder. "Krog charter says Krog Military Defense Fleet under control of King. Fightsmart following orders. High Command have take up with Tallest."

"That why Fightsmart only Admiral," said Fightsmart. "If Fightsmart transferred, Fightsmart be High Admiral by now." He smirked. "Plus not answer to Tallest no more."

"Who want that?" The King of the Krog grinned, clapping the admiral on the shoulder again. "All know King Tallest best King."

"You know," Lissa remarked, "you two are awfully chipper considering we just watched a planet die."

"Billions of people are dead," Yvian reminded them.

The King of the Krog shrugged. "Prissy Brilends. Not Krog."

"Brilend Prime was a major trading hub," Mims pointed out. "There were definitely krog there."

"Then their asses were dumb," said Fightsmart. "Should've got out." He frowned. "Where Vore going?"

"The Vore?" Mims rewound the display. The last few seconds showed the reintegrated Vore Sphere accelerating towards deep space. "High Rule Sector."

The Admiral's frown deepened. "High Rule? No planets there."

"No planets," agreed the human. "But it's only four light years from Brilend Prime."

"Gates." Fightsmart's eyes narrowed. "Vore trying to get back in Gate Network."

"Looks that way." Mims scratched his head. "Once they consolidate Brilend Prime, they'll probably send Spheres after the other sectors, too."

"Not good." King Tallest looked around the room. His gaze settled on Lissa. "New Pixa getting more crystal ships? Find way kill Vore?"

"We're working on it," Lissa assured him.

"Mangy Vrrl help stupid slutty pixens?" the King asked the Vrrl.

Scarrend's eye twitched, but all he said was. "Yes."

"Ok." The Tallest nodded slowly. "Krog help too." He held up a finger. "But quiet. High Council say New Pixa be pirates. No trade. Shoot on sight."

"Fightsmart put team together." The Admiral stroked his chin. "Scientists. Engineers. Meantime stupid slutty pixens make list. Materials. Ships. Tell Fightsmart. Fightsmart get."

"We appreciate it," said Lissa. "We'll take all the help we can get."

"High Council not get shit done," said the King. "Vore almost kill. To kill Vore, need people like Prettypants," he pointed at Lissa, then the Captain. "Like Mimsey-cake. Like Fightsmart and Blockhead." He put his hands on his hips. "Like Tallest. Good krog get shit done. You get shit done. That why you krog."

"Good speech, Tallest," Admiral Fightsmart approved.

"That why Tallest best King." The Tallest grinned again, adjusting the plasma turret on his head. "Meeting over now. Got shit to do." He dropped the smile, eyes deadly serious. "Work good. Get shit done fast. Not want krog eaten by Vore."