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Outside - The Reflection
:: 01-01-31 ::
Chapter 1: Tasiin
Tasiin Limandatt surveyed the vast fleet that had gathered over thousands of kloms, swarming the area. Already, he had counted twelve carriers, five of them Republican Taiidan. A wall of heavy cruisers slid past the corvette-turned-transport he stood on. As the transport approached its destination, Tasiin could easily see the center of it all. Flanked by two Somtaaw Explorer warships was Galactic Shipyard 0. Galactic Shipyard 0 grew in the viewscreen, eclipsing the local red dwarf. Finally, the transport arced past the forward-thrust arms of the base. Six Bentusi tradeships surrounded the masterpiece.
Inside the base, a monster peered at Tasiin.
"Welcome to Galactic Shipyard 0 of the Rim Void. You will remain here until the alliance launches the ship. Security is tight," Dolann Kaalel stated. "We cannot let anyone know we are trying to rebuild the Naggarok."
Dolann Kaalel sat with representatives of the races that worked on the project, some of whom Tasiin had only read about: Taiidan, Hiigaran, Frrern, X'n, K'naldeq, Zaala, and I'ao. In addition, a Somtaaw also appeared in the semicircle.
"Tasiin Limandatt, please sit down," Dolann Kaalel said, offering a chair.
Tasiin made no motion.
"As you wish," Kaalel sighed. "I am project coordinator for the Hiigaran team. I chose you to join our project because of your work on Kharak. You predicted a sort of trans-hyperspace mathematically. Investigation has revealed the Naggarok might have used it on its journey to our galaxy before it was subverted."
"My predictions were merely musings," Tasiin said. Truly Tasiin did not think that, but it was what he was accustomed to saying as a Limandatt, if a distant one.
"I am not sure there are many 'musings' with rigorous tensor proofs in them."
"Some of my kiith dream in images or words. I appear to do so in equations."
"And I thought Manaan were impractical," a Hiigaran dressed in the deep red of Kiith Soban mumbled.
The Somtaaw glared at the Soban quite fiercely, but probably more of their dislike of the giant kiithid's arrogance than because Tasiin’s kiith was innocent of being impractical. The Soban, however, smiled knowingly at the Somtaaw.
"You Hiigarans can waste time efficiently with your internal struggles," a X'n hissed. "We have used much resources for this project."
"We donated our Shipyard Psi for this undertaking," the Taiidan replied. "We do not complain. Pukna Somtaaw, will you explain the project further to our Hiigaran friend?"
"When we slayed the Beast," Pukna began with an air of triumph and pride characteristic of Somtaaw of late, "We had to des
troy the 'parent' ship - the Naggarok. As we engaged it on two occasions, we managed to send Recons past. This allowed us, primarily, to study its inertialess drive so we could stop and destroy it. However, we also managed to capture glimpses of its hyperdrive. We also managed to buy second-hand information of Imperialist Taiidan scans of the Naggarok. For the past few months, the races here have been working on rebuilding its hyperdrive and mounting it on a new ship."
"I presume I am here because I designed something similar," Tasiin said.
"You seem to have an understanding of the physics involved," Kaalel stated. "You accepted our request to use your knowledge. There aren't many Limandatt around, and there are not many opportunities for Sleeper clans, not until kiith Somtaaw and kiith Paktu push reforms in the Daiamid. That will take months, if not years. By the time we finish work, however, your kiith should have enough say for other opportunities to appear."
Tasiin pitied Kaalel for thinking that all kiithid were as lucky as Dolann's, those who had survived the Burning of Kharak with hundreds or thousands of members. Kiith Limandatt had survived with a mere 28 members, and only about half of them actively called themselves the name, the rest having resigned to becoming part of Kiith Manaan, who favored the Limandatt's flair for musing. At most, they might have been granted a light frigate out of sympathy for the once great poets and philosophers, if they all joined together. However, he had turned his back on the Limandatt, on Kharak, on the whole Universe before the Mothership had even left the Scaffold.
And now the Universe was calling him.
"What choice do I have?"
The reply was far stronger than he expected.
"Your Bound mind is full of contradictions. Your abilities touch those of ours, yet your song is troubled."
"Who, if I may ask, was that?" Tasiin asked, shaken.
"The Bentusi," Dolann Kaalel said. "They monitor everything that goes on everywhere in the station, the prototype and the fleet. They allow no risks in allowing the Beast to come back."
Tasiin Limandatt took it all in.
"It is always interesting to wonder what exactly the Bentusi are watching if they see everything here," the Soban quietly remarked.
"So the warrior is a joker, a K'naldeq said. A majority of the Hiigarans, however, including Kaalel and Somtaaw smirked, one even whispering a mock answer to the Soban. A few of the Taiidan seemed amused as well.
"Kiith Somtaaw forced us to see that Bound persons can exceed us in courage and sanity. You seem to prove that the Unbound are lacking in your strange sense of humor. It is regrettable we do not understand it better," the echoing Bentusi response came.
"I am not sure you would regret not understanding it," the K'naldeq said.
The Bentusi were silent this time.
Tasiin, however, did not pay any attention.
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