“Holy crapping shit!” Bulco gaped. “That thing has flaming tentacles.”

  “And a water jet,” Cattie added. “Not that it would do much good against Unity’s hull.”

  Bulco shook his head. “You’re wrong there. Pressurized water can cut through steel. Even from 500 meters and through our armor, that jet was strong enough to have an impact. I’d really hate seeing what it could do to us from close range.”

  A short line popped over the viewscreen displaying the raging aquatic beast.

  Warped, Broodmother, level 15

  “That’s a little above my pay grade,” Cattie chuckled nervously. “Unity’s drilling beam can probably still take care of her.”

  Nori shook her head. “Not with those burning tentacles flailing around. I’m not bringing Unity anywhere close to those things.

  “Good,” Nathan murmured.

  “You sure?” the Sharpshooter asked. “She looks smaller than the other broodmother you killed.”

  The captain frowned, looking at the beast.

  Several of the moving tentacles curled back toward the creature, wrapping around the monster’s head, creating a thick, oily armor. The rest of them were sent back toward the shore, slowly spreading over the ground.

  “Lana, can we change the picture on the viewscreen to infrared?”

  “Heat vision?” the science officer frowned. “I can detect heat signature with the sensors … hmm, I guess I can convert the signal into visual representation. Hang on.” She started fumbling with the controls.

  “What are you thinking, Captain?” Bulco asked.

  Nori shook her head. “It’s just a hunch. The other broodmother we killed was level 12, and Cattie’s right—it was bigger than this one.”

  “Got it!” Lana said triumphantly. “Sending to main viewscreen … Oh, my God …”

  Cattie blanched, Bulco cursed, and Serk’s green complexion turned gray.

  Red glowing tendrils came out of the reservoir, stretching for hundreds of meters in all directions, covering nearly half of the Central Park area. It glowed red on the viewscreen, like a root system of fiery tendrils. The ones the creature raised toward Unity were barely a tenth of the total mass it possessed.

  “How the hell are we going to take down something so huge?” Cattie asked weakly.

  The broodmother's head was now completely encased in the thick tentacles. Another stream of high-pressurized water erupted from somewhere between them but Nori managed to dodge it.

  The captain narrowed her eyes. “Serk, fire at the head.”

  The Aky nodded, and the asteroid cannon discharged. The high-speed, Mithril-tipped slug impacted the thick, oily layers and simply disappeared, leaving no trace behind.

  Nori shook her head. “It’s no use. We can’t penetrate this protection. We need to fall back and come with a plan. Maybe—”

  She didn’t get to finish her sentence as her wrist console suddenly chimed. Nori frowned and tapped the console. A hologram of a familiar, scaly faced alien formed over her wrist.

  Everyone stared at the tiny figure with open amazement.

  ***

  “NO_ONE,” Nori hissed. “How did you—”

  “It was quite fortuitous of you to purchase a master wrist console, Captain,” the oily alien said pleasantly. “It makes intergalactic communication with one’s agents much easier.”

  “We’re not your agents,” the captain said gruffly. “We had a deal which is now concluded. We have nothing more to say to each other. Don’t call me again.”

  “Well, that’s impolite.” NO_ONE said easily. “I thought we had an understanding. Well, I guess in that case I won’t feel obliged to warn you of a danger that threatens your entire planet. Too bad.” He smiled unpleasantly.

  Nori’s eyes narrowed. “Cut the crap. You don’t care about us or our planet. You want something, so spill it already.”

  “So rude … ah, very well. You remember my rival, the other Syndicate speaker? Well, it turns out that in an unfortunate chain of events, he had somehow discovered a habitable planet that is rich in aluminum with minimal defenses, less than half the distance to the next closest habitable system.”

  Lana felt her heart drop.

  “As you know,” the Sedumorph continued. “Galactic law prohibits contact with uninfused planets, which is why newly infused ones present lucrative opportunities. The prospect was not lost on my rival, and I regret to inform you that he adjusted his travel plans accordingly. He now plans to survey your home planet with the possibility of taking it over.”

  “No …” Lana whispered.

  “I estimate he’ll arrive in 10 minutes.”

  “You bastards,” Nori said quietly. “You tipped him off.”

  “Why, I would never …” NO_ONE’s wide grin indicated otherwise. Then his expression sombered. “I warned you.” He let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing. “That said, I’m not unsympathetic to your plight. I might even be persuaded to provide some additional help. And, of course, if you do manage to eliminate the speaker, I will feel obliged to uphold our original agreement concerning the whereabouts of several Inthidlon pilots—”

  Nori slapped her wrist, cutting off the connection.

  “That god damn, scaly, shit-eating alien set us up!” Bulco growled. “When I get my hands on him …”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Nori said. “Lana, use my wrist console’s access to send a distress call to our friends.” She grabbed the holo controls, and Unity shot forward.

  “Where are we going?” Lana asked.

  “To space. If that speaker really is only 10 minutes away, I want to head him off before he gets any closer.”

  “Head him off how?” Bulco said. “He’s part of a criminal organization. Guys like that don’t back down without a considerable show of force.”

  Nori eyes hardened. “He’s not getting through.”

  Unity sped on, leaving the ground far behind. Blue sky gradually turned into the dark of space.

  “I’m not picking up anything yet,” Lana said hopefully. “Maybe NO_ONE just wanted to mess with us?”

  Bulco shook his head. “No chance. He thrives on using his power to manipulate others. The ship will be here alright.”

  “Shouldn’t Unity change form,” Cattie asked nervously. “The asteroid cannon alone won’t do us much good in a fight.”

  “No,” Nori said. “I’d like to keep it as a surprise. Hopefully NO_ONE didn’t leak that information.”

  “I doubt it,” Bulco said gruffly. “He really wants us to do his dirty work for him.”

  “I’m picking up something,” Lana said suddenly. She touched her console, and all three viewscreens turned far into space.

  “I don’t see anything,” Cattie said.

  “There’s a spatial distortion just over there.” The science officer studied her monitors intently. “It’s clearing up … returning to normal … now.”

  Instantly, as out of thin air, a ship appeared in the center of their view. A heartbeat later, two more ships materialized behind it.

  The lead ship was elliptical and sleek, slightly smaller than Unity. The other two ships were significantly larger and meaner-looking, with harsh sharp angles, gleaming armor, and numerous gun ports.

  Lana swallowed hard. “Eh, Nori, maybe tone down a little when you talk to them?”

  Nori’s expression hardened. “Contact the lead ship.”

  Lana nodded and touched her console. The main viewscreen flickered, and the image changed, displaying a large and ostentatiously decorated bridge. A richly-dressed Inthidlon sat in the center seat, surrounded by several others of his species.

  He looked up. “Well, hello there. Who are you?”

  “Funny, that’s just what I was about to ask.” Nori said evenly. “This is the ship Unity, of the Earth Force faction. State your business here.”

  “They have spaceships already?” the Inthidlon asked, directing the question to the one on his left.

  The other alien studied his monitors for several seconds, then shook his head. “No, Speaker. I only detect this ship and another down on the planet whose signature matches a freighter that was detained on Hammerhead.”

  “Threat assessment?”

  “Minimal. Token weapon, basic plating armor, no shields. Their hull configuration gives off strange readings, but it doesn't appear dangerous.”

  The Speaker nodded and turned back to face Nori. “I commend you for obtaining your own ship so quickly. For a recently infused planet with low levels of technology that is quite an accomplishment.”

  “You still haven't answered my question,” Nori said.

  He shrugged. “I’m no one important, just a businessman looking for the next business opportunity. Your planet is rich in several types of resources that are in short supply in a nearby star system. So naturally, I came to investigate.”

  “We can certainly discuss trade,” Nori said carefully.

  “Wonderful,” the Inthidlon said. “How about a meeting with one of your human leaders? We can use the station that orbits your planet as neutral ground. Say in one hour?”

  Nori gave a curt nod. “We’ll be there.”

  “Good. See you in an hour.”

  The feed cut off, and the viewscreen switched back to the space around them.

  “I don’t like this,” Bulco said.

  “Yeah, what kind of a businessman travels around with two battleships following him?” Cattie asked.

  Lana shook his head. “It’s not just the battleships that are dangerous. The speaker’s own Corvette is powerful. It’s a little smaller than Unity, but they don’t have a huge hanger that takes up most of their space. They have a strong power source powering a multi-layered energy shield, several energy cannons, and a few more weapons I can’t identify. It might be even stronger than the warships.”

  “I don’t like them odds,” Bulco said grimly. “That kind of power lets him pretty much dictate any sort of agreement he’ll want.”

  “It’s better to go along with it and stall for time until we have more options,” Nori said.

  “So how you want to play it?” Bulco asked.

  “Let’s get back down and bring Diamond. Maybe his Diplomat path can prove helpful.”

  “And if not?”

  Nori looked at Nathan as she answered. “Then at least it will give us the opportunity to assess our enemy and prepare a few surprises.”

  22 - Diplomatic Immunity

  “I can’t believe I’m going through with this,” the heavyset man grumbled.

  Diamond, previously a shelter leader, and now a co-leader of the newly established town of Haven, was extremely nervous. His hands clutched the arms of his seats while his eyes were glued to the viewscreen in front of him.

  “Relax, old man,” Bulco said. “It's just a short flight to the space station. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Diamond shook his head. “My black ass was intended to remain on the ground. I’m not built for this sci-fi shit. And you want me to negotiate with freaking aliens on top of everything.”

  “We have to figure out what they have in store for us,” Nori said as she piloted the ship. “The Speaker asked to talk with one of our leaders, and that's you. Maybe you’ll be able to find a peaceful way out of this mess.”

  “Great, I always wanted to have a friendly chat with an alien crime lord,” Diamond said sarcastically. “How did you guys know? It isn’t even my birthday.”

  “He doesn’t know we know who he really is,” Lana said. “So you should be careful not to reveal that fact. Maybe it will give you an edge in the discussion somehow.”

  “What can a Diplomat do, anyway?” Cattie asked curiously. “I mean, Sharpshooter and Pilots are pretty self-explanatory but what does your Path let you do?”

  Diamond shrugged. “It didn’t come with a manual, so I can’t be sure. I did notice people are more readily accepting of my ideas and suggestions, especially when it comes to settling conflicts. At times of urgency—like when we were mobilizing against the broodmother—people followed my orders instantly, and I mean the ‘how high?’ kind of instantly.”

  Nori narrowed her eyes as she inspected the man.

  Diamond, Human, Level 4, Faction: Earth Force

  Path: Diplomat

  Highest attribute: Control 3

  No. of implants: 2

  Threat assessment: Minimal

  “Why are you still only level 4, really?” she asked. “I saw some of the guards were already level 5.”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t seem right to claim a larger share of the piTec when the guards on the front lines can use every bit of it to fight off the Warped. I mostly just tell people what to do. I don’t need to be high-level for that.”

  “You’re wrong. Every 5 levels a Path reaches a crossroad that makes it stronger. You’re going to negotiate with someone who’s much higher level than you are. You can use every advantage you can get.” From her pocket, Nori withdrew a teardrop-shaped crystal. “How much Tec do you need to reach level 5?”

  “I’ve got 9.2 right now.”

  Nori nodded. “Level 5 require 16 Tec, so you need 6.8 more. Good thing I have some hard currency on me. We keep most of it in a digital account. Here you go.” She handed him the crystal.

  He frowned as he looked at it. “There’s 12,000 piTec here. You’re sure?”

  “Yeah, I don’t need to carry them around anymore. My new wrist console can access our account everywhere.”

  Diamond nodded and closed his fist around the gem. Small arcs of light danced out of his fist, stretching over his forearms, then swallowed into his body. The beefy man stayed with his eyes closed for a long moment.

  “Well?” Bulco finally spoke up. “What’s the hold up?”

  “I’m trying to decide between two Path advancements,” Diamond replied, his eyes still closed. “Both sound useful: Mediator and Negotiator. The first is more of a people skill, the second is for business dealings.

  “Better go with the Negotiator then,” Nori said. “If we were dealing with honest traders, I’d say go Mediator, but with what we know, anything that can help us talk our way out of the situation is preferable.”

  “Alright.”

  A few moments later, Diamond’s face started to change. The sacks under his eyes disappeared, his skin tightened, and his graying hair turned a uniform silver. Over all, the leader’s appearance looked more distinguished.

  “What just happened?” Cattie asked.

  “I put all the ability points I saved from leveling up into Appeal,” Diamond said gruffly. “I thought that as negotiations go, that one would give the best return.”

  “Damn, old man,” Bulco said in admiration. “You look good enough to run for president now.”

  “The name’s Diamond, not Barack. I’ll stick to managing Haven, thank you very much.”

  “We’re approaching the station,” Nori said.

  Diamond gawked at the viewscreen. “That thing’s huge.” He frowned. “Does anyone else think it looks like a giant bong?”

  Cattie snickered.

  Bulco chuckled. “That’s what I said the first time I saw it. That thing is basically just a huge space bong.”

  Lana pointed at the shaft part. “That’s the docking tube. The blob at the end is the main habitat area.”

  The three ships they had encountered before were already docked along one side of the station.

  Nori carefully maneuvered Unity to dock parallel to them on the other side.

  A slight tremble and a whooshing sound followed as the station’s clamps locked around the ship, securing her in place.

  “We are docked,” Nori said. She got up from her seat, which folded back into the floor.

  The others followed her.

  “Not you, Serk.”

  “But—”

  “I’m sorry. I know you want justice for your fallen crew, but we need to hear him out first. If we can avoid bloodshed, we will. Otherwise, a lot of innocent people can get hurt.”

  The small Aky leaned back in his seat reluctantly. “Very well.”

  Nori nodded. “Let’s go meet our guests.”

  ***

  They led the flabbergasted diplomat along the docking bay’s corridors toward the main habitat.

  Diamond gaped at the new sights around him. When the gate opened, revealing the huge spherical, multi-level space, he just shook his head. “Damn, those aliens know how to build.”

  At the far side of the open space were several seating arrangements. The lounge area the station owner had recently created stretched along a wide window looking down at Earth.

  Two figures sat on the couches with half a dozen rigid-looking figures standing in attention besides them.

  “That’s NO_ONE and Alzigo,” Cattie whispered to the others, eyeing the far away figures. “For some reason, I don’t get any info on the others.”

  “Battle drones,” Bulco said in a professional tone. “High end. Durable and obedient. The perfect executioners.”

  “It’s a show of strength,” Diamond said automatically. “A way for that alien to assert his dominance and show he’s wealthy enough to afford top-notch guards. He’s letting us know he’s the one calling the shots around here.” The man paused, and his brow furrowed. “Huh, don’t know why I said that. It just came to me.”

  “That’s your Path at work,” Nori said. “You can probably interpret alien body language now too.”

  Diamond nodded slowly. “I think you’re right. Alright, let's do this.”

  “Just don’t be alarmed by the alien’s face,” Bulco warned.