Part 44: Dark Reflections 5: Smashing the Mirror
*WHUMP*
I must admit, for a while I considered leaving the Altarians be.
It was obvious to everyone who was in charge, after all, plus those aliens are almost human.
As such, for a while I did little but take care of a few…loose ends.
And work on the Special Project, of course.
What kind of Special Project?
I'll give you a hint: have either of you heard the phrase "Terror Star?"
Oh, my. Yes, I once got design submission for a weaponized starbase with a beam which could disrupt whole stars. I set it aside as infeasible.
Well, it's not. We built one just outside of Altarian space. It required months of research, five constructors, ten more weeks to finish its warp engine, plus it could only move a single parsec per week, but we built it.
I named it "Mike Nelson," after a storied destroyer of worlds. Still, as I said, I was prepared to not use it except as a deterrent. But then the Altarians surprised me.
They declared war on us! Perhaps they spotted the Terror Star, or maybe they had finally realized that we were no longer friends. Whatever the case, they decided they wouldn't be fading away without a fight.
The Star began its march. The Altarians had 18 weeks from then to stop me (and the dreadnaught honor guard I sent with it).
The Altarians were quite the opponents. They had dreadnaughts of their own, along with photon torpedoes.
Even so, it wasn't enough. My dreadnaughts all had extensive anti-missile technology as well as support frigates to back them up, while most Altarian ships had either worthless armor or no defenses at all. It was, I think, a lack of imagination that doomed the Altarian fleets: even as human boots stomped their way through the galaxy, our diplomats assured them that they would always be our friends. Even as the transport fleets built up along the borders, we were convincing the Altarians that their destinations would be for other planets.
Still, they made certain we remembered their struggle. The DICE fleets took a pounding in particular.
*zzzzzzzzzzzaaaaapp* *zapzap*
In fact, the Altarians somehow managed to skirt the old UP "Neutral Ground" policy even though I was firmly in control of it by then. Altarian fleets were crawling all throughout my territory, destroying any starbases they could find and dozens of Hengests which were piling up on various planets.
As far as ground troops went, they might have stood a chance before, but with the Tir-Quan facility under my control, they were easy enough to destroy.
At one point, my spies informed me that the Altarians found an artifact much like the one the Yor used, but with fewer strings attached. But by then it was too little, and far too late.
They tried counter-invasions several times. Nothing would stick.
Their own planets were abandoning them, looking to us for mercy.
The Jagged Knife, meanwhile, had fallen completely.
And their sabotaging fleets were being eradicated by lone dreadnaughts.
And still the Terror Star crept closer to Altaris.
*Whump* *Crash*
Finally, with one week left and less than a dozen planets remaining, the Altarians surrendered to me. They seemed to think that if I owned the planets around Altaris, I would spare them.
They were wrong.
I have never seen such a sight as a star erupting into a triggered nova. Billions of voices crying out at once and suddenly silenced. Hopefully I'll still be around when the light of the explosion hits Earth.
*thump*
But the point was proven. I won. The galaxy is mine.
We even held a parade.
Military
Population
Research
Manufacturing
Influence
Now, was there something you were saying earlier?
*Wham*
About the Drath? Yes, they are out there still, beyond your immediate surroundings. You have not conquered the galaxy, you know. Only the nearest of our galactic neighbors. I am surprised you did not realize that; you love exploration.
What, are you kidding? I hate exploration. I gave all that up when I escaped my father and went to Harvard. If you're talking about your dimension's Ulrik, tell him I think he's a low-class moron for following in Father's footsteps.
And whoever these Drath are, I'd like to see them contend with this! This is our top-of-the-line dreadnaught model. Nothing yet has withstood it.
*Crash* *ZZZZAAAAP*
And dear god, what is making that infernal racket?!
*SLAM*
Drones of the galaxy unite! The Jagged Knife en
diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
*Sigh* Drat it all, I suppose I'll have to bomb this site from orbit after all.
…
Like I said, the eyepatch has so many more uses. Now, the question is what to do with you.
I suppose you will not simply let us go?
Oh? And why wouldn't I? If I tried to imprison you, you'd likely find a way to escape and join a resistance cell, and if worse came to worst I'd have another Jagged Knife to deal with. However, if I provided you with all the resources you need to replicate your accident, I'd end up with the two of you out of my way, new transportation technology, and the ability to spread my legend into places where most men can only dream of venturing.
And don't worry about any sort of invasion from my side. By the sound of things, it's too energy intensive to send more than a few people at a time, let alone a dreadnaught or Hengest, plus if you're right, Zak, I still have a galaxy to contend with yet. Now come along, gentlemen. It would be a shame to see you die during the bombardment.
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
-Shakespeare
Dear Shakespeare:
Heaven and Earth were merely the beginning.
THE END