textfiles/stories/SRE/srex.txt

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Historical Note: This story was originally in two parts, "SRE: X1" and
"SRE: X2." Later on, I combined the two stories into one, "SRE: X." It
probably was a little confusing to name this story SRE: X, because of
the Roman numeral logos I had been using. The "X" here does not mean
"10". SRE 10 takes place after the events of this story.

-( SRE: X is here. After the ultimate success with SRE 9, I have decided
to take SRE even farther into the future. This is one of the most
explosive journeys every embarked upon in the SRE universe. Prepare to
be thrilled. )-


Prologue

X. Simple letter. Great importance. The X Program, sponsored by Full
Admiral Rytek for years, had been officially discontinued when they
discovered it's deadly potential. Rytek had been looking for a powerful
chemical weapon that could melt the hulls of invader ships. They didn't
find one. Instead, they found Exochloranide (X). X was dangerous.
Dangerous indeed. Not only did it dissolve substances, it ionized. It
exploded. And it emitted psychia. And it had strange effects on the
fabric of time. Noone knew how it did these things. But it did. The X
formulas were immediately abandoned. After all, who would want the plans
to a weapon that could destroy trillions of lives?

-> 1 <-

Screams. Shrieks. Piercing metal. Explosions. Ruptures. Screams. Oh,
those screams! In a myriad of color, people died. They ran for the
lives, but it was to no avail. The deadly substance ate it's way through
the floors of the command ship. The psychia penetrated every part of the
ship. People died of brain hemorrages or they died of chemical burning.
Oh, those SCREAMS!! Etano jerked straight up. Sweat poured off his body.
The fog in his brain cleared. It had been that damn dream again.
Immediately, he got out of his bed and got something to eat.

"It happened again, didn't it?" asked Vedet. Etano nodded. "The same
exact dream. It's so awful! I KNOW that noone has died. X has been
disbanded, but I still have that feeling," replied Etano. Vedet
shrugged. "It was research. We all do it. It's just you happened upon a
dangerous substance. And noone was hurt by it. It was dismantled before
anything could happen," consoled Vedet. They turned, as the hall
intersected with another. They walked together in silence, each
imagining what COULD have happened if X had been manufactured. They
stopped at the Petros Main Lab and entered, each to his own station.

Screaming through subspace, a mysterious ship became invisible. Onboard
were forty pirates. Kazik pirates. Their target was inside the Tau
Galaxy; the wealthy empire of Ecstatic, representative of the UEA to the
Cyberian Group. Ecstatic's empire had been completely destroyed by the
Kazik eight years ago during the Kazik Wars. Ecstatic had been promoted,
and ended up creating a new empire. Over the years it had become very
wealthy. Many pirates had tried to plunder it, but failed. The famous
Ecstatic Military was always on alert, and caught every one. But these
pirates were different; they were Kazik. They knew battle. They grew up
in it. And Ecstatic's empire was doomed.

-> 2 <-

A violet sphere hurtled through space. It swept graceful among the
stars. And then it struck something. But the sphere had no mind of it's
own. It felt no remorse as people died. It felt no guilt as lives were
ended just as suddenly as they began. An entire planet was destroyed.
Two billion lives lost. The pirate cruiser turned and headed towards
Ecstatic's headquarters.

"So where is Ecstatic, anyway?" asked Yan, his mother. "At Petros in
some meeting or something like that," replied Relon, Ecstatic's son. Yan
shook her head. "Doesn't have enough time for his family, if you ask
me," she muttered. Relon's face grew red. "Father is IMPORTANT! He uses
his time to help the other empires! We all have to make sacrifices," he
yelled. The room shook. "What was that?" asked Relon cautiously. The
room shook again. And then a voice came over the AudCom. "Invasion
Status. All civilians to planetpods," it droned. Yan immediately ran for
cover.

The Kazik had done a good job modifying the stolen heavy cruiser. It was
outfitted with all the latest Kazik weaponry and shielding. It had every
illegal bomb one could imagine. It was a destructive machine. They
normally plundered helpless trade fleets, but this was different. They
were destroying an empire. And doing it easily. Their plazspheres easily
penetrated the enemy shields and slowly ate away at the structure. When
the headquarters was destroyed, noone had survived. Except the pirates.

-> 3 <-

Ecstatic was sitting in his office, buried in the depths of the United
Empire Association's Sree Outpost One. There was little to do these
days. There had been no incidents in the past fifteen years. Ecstatic
was lifted out of his reverie when the VidCom buzzed. He tapped the
Ready touchpad and looked to see who was calling. "Ecstatic, I've got
some bad news," began his chief-of-staff Nelid. "Your empire has been
plundered. And there's something else- Your mother and son were killed,"
continued Nelid. Ecstatic was devestated. "Oh my lord," he breathed.

Ecstatic was immediately on a heavy cruiser that was headed towards
Galaxy deCeti. He couldn't believe it. His empire had been destroyed
once before, during the Kazik War, when the Kazik invaded and completely
destroyed his home Galaxy. And now, after fifteen years of rebuilding,
his empire was gone again. And not only his empire; his family.
Depression washed over Ecstatic in waves. And it seemed like it would
never end.

Ashes. Faint plasma trails. Debris. That was all that remained of
Ecstatic's empire. The sight was not pretty or majestic as it had once
been. Ecstatic was going to find out who was behind this; and he would
make them pay.

-> 4 <-

"I heard that pirate activity is up again. Why?" demanded Krael. "We've
been focusing our energy into exploration and expansion, sir. It seems
we've overlooked a new pirate group," reported Admiral Jehai. "That's
all fine and dandy, but quell the uprisings; now. I will not have piracy
in this Universe," Krael said, sternly.

After the Admiralty met and discussed the situation, they left to board
their various command ships. Piracy hadn't gone on successfully in the
Universe in over fifty years. And they weren't about to let it go on.

Inspector Tecouk, along with his assistant and confidant T'hoj, had
thoroughly gone over the remains of Ecstatic's empire and found
conclusive evidence of piracy. It wasn't surprising either, since recent
pirate activity had increased tenfold. Ecstatic was not pleased.

-> 5 <-

The Kazik pirates flew through space. "When do we get real credits from
this venture, Tura?" asked her Teller. "Soon enough, Teller. You may
Tell the other Nameless crewmembers that their shares will come soon,"
replied Tura. The Teller nodded and left. It was not the answer he had
been seeking. But it would have to suffice; the Teller knew that
demanding more of Tura would mean his death.

"We've got unauthorized subspace activity, Herol," reported the chief
scanner. "Damn! Get an interception fleet out there. And prepare a
subspace bomb, just in case," Herol ordered. If latest information was
true, Herol had a case of pirates on his hands.

An intercept fleet of one hundred heavy cruisers met the pirate cruiser
in subspace. When the pirates didn't respond, the fleet took action.
They took up offensive attack postures and struck the pirates. As the
battle raged on, two more defense fleets joined the intercept fleet. The
pirate cruiser seemed doomed. The pirates gave a terrific fight, but
within an hour, they were subdued.

"Ecstatic, I have news concerning the destruction of your empire," said
Herol. "Tell me," Ecstatic said. "We apprehended a group of Kazik
pirates. They admitted destroying your empire, along with committing
several other crimes," explained Herol. Ecstatic cut off the
communications. 'Damn the Kazik!' he thought. This was the last straw.
The Kazik had destroyed his life twice. Ecstatic was not going to let it
go any further.

-> 6 <-

"Is it true that someone requested information on X?" asked Etano. Vedet
knew the question would be coming. He had hoped to find a way to avoid
it. "Yes," he said slowly. "Well! What happened?" Etano demanded. "It
was denied, just like all other inquiries into X. Noone learned
anything," replied Vedet. Changing the subject, Vedet began to ask about
Etano's plasma-soliton converter. "It's coming fine," said Etano,
curtly. He left the room, looking upset.

Ten hours later, the science lab was quiet. Most of the scientists and
researchers had gone to their rooms for the night. Except Etano. As
usual, he was possessed by the thought of someone trying to get at X. He
waited quietly in a corner, thinking someone might try to access X from
the lab. He had been there for about three hours when the door opened
without a sound. A dark figure went over to a VidTerm and slid an object
into the slot on the Term's side. Etano stood up straight and pulled out
his blaster. He carefully lined up his target and pulled the trigger. To
Etano's surprise, the beam dissipated into thin air. The intruder pulled
out the object and put it in his pocket. The figure then pushed
something on it's side. Etano watched in shock as the visitor
disappeared right before his eyes.

Aytori's mission was over. She was a member of the famed Feqh-Netur
underground terrorist group. And her mission had been successful. The
device she had been given was complex. It pulled guarded information out
of computers. And Aytori knew the information she sought was VERY
closely guarded. But she had it anyway.

Etano had gone over to the VidTerm and activated it. Nothing appeared to
be wrong. To his suprise, the Term told him that noone had accessed X
for over a year. Something strange was going on....

-> 7 <-

"The plan is so simple, even a Feqh-Netur could handle it," said
Ecstatic. Aytori resisted the urge to hit him. "Have you utilized the
formula yet?" she asked. "No, of course not. Someone was there that
night, as you know. The only way we are going to get that chemical made
is by synethesizing it in parts," he replied. "Then we will have to
wait, won't we?" sighed Aytori. "Yes, obviously. To pull off a project
this large you have to take your time. Would you rather be caught?"
Ecstatic asked.

"So what you're trying to tell me is that someone broke into the Lab,
pulled out the X information, and then just dissappeared? Etano, you are
spnding WAY too much time on this," said Vedet. Etano shook his head. "I
know what I saw. I think someone is going to use X, and it's up to me to
stop them," he replied. "Up to you? If all this is really true, then
it's up to Inspector Tecouk, or one of his underinspectors," said Vedet.
Etano shrugged it off and walked away.

"Have you had a chance to go over my report?" asked Etano. "Yes, I have.
Very well prepared; I wasn't aware that experimental chemical engineers
were so well versed in criminological reporting," commented Inspector
Tecouk. Etano felt his cheeks turn red. "Well, I needed to impress you
so I could get your help. Noone believes me; they think it's another
dream of mine. But this wasn't a dream. My blaster had no visible effect
on the intruder, and then he or she just vanished!" explained Etano.
Tecouk leaned back in his tall chair. "I'll look into the matter. I'll
wire your Lab, in case someone tries to use it again. In the mean time,
there is little I can do for you. Perhaps can be of further help," said
Tecouk. Etano nodded and left. This was one heck of a strange man...

-> 8 <-

"I can't believe you idiots! You have the ability to transport your
molecules through space, you can block any type of personal weapon, you
even have the ability to walk through solid objects. But you can't mix a
simple chemical? That's ridiculous!" screamed Ecstatic. Aytori was
rapidly becoming frustrated with this man. "If you think you can do
better, then go right ahead. We will -have- to break into that lab one
more time and utilize their intermix chamber," she replied. Ecstatic
pounded the desk. "Do it. But do it tonight, and get it done FAST!" he
ordered.

T'hoj was inside the Chemical Analysis Lab taking readings and making
notes on her portable VidTerm. Without warning, a deep red cast fell
over the room. A black oval of nothingness appeared, and then a lone
figure stepped out of the oblivion. The intruder noticed T'hoj and
flashed a vastator. "Make a move and your dead," she said. T'hoj
activated her portable scanner and her VidTerm's information buffer. The
figure pulled out three long canisters and set them into compatible
slots on a strange-looking device set into the wall of the Lab. After
several minutes, the person pushed a little button on the device's side
and a defensive grid appeared, containing a substance. The intruder
picked up a grid-transport device and clamped onto the defensive grid.
The figure tapped a switch on it's side and that strange cataclysmal
oval appeared once more. The woman stepped inside, and then was gone.

"Great video footage, T'hoj. The readings were most helpful, and so was
the information from the intermix computer. We have discovered that
young Etano's claims may have substance; Your invader synthesized
exochloranide," said Inspector Tecouk. "You mean X?" exclaimed T'hoj.
"That's right. X. And it's our job to stop these invaders. We ran a
trace on that transport and we came close to capturing the ship.
Unfortunately it got away and became invisible. We got a look at it's
configuration and it appears to be an updated version of a Feqh-Netur
fighter," replied Tecouk. "The Netur.. What do they have to do with
this?" asked T'hoj. "We don't know yet. Maybe nothing. This could be a
stolen ship. But if it IS the Netur... Well, we both feel the same way
about them."

-> 9 <-

"We have it. I've got X contained in a defensive grid. All you have to
do is use the voiceaux card to drop the grid. Once the grid is
deactivated, the X will fall and eat it's way through whatever is
underneath it, along with it's other side effects," explained Aytori.
"Perfect! How long until we can get to the Kazik Praetorial Palace?"
asked Ecstatic. "Not long now.. We have prepared a special plazsphere
weapon that will enclose X in a plazsphere and shoot it at the Palace.
You have helped us develop the greatest assassination weapon ever," said
Aytori. Ecstatic let an evil grin creap over his face, as the Feqh-Netur
ship hurtled through subspace.

"Etano, I'm not sure how to tell you this. In fact, I debated whether or
not I should tell you at all," began Vedet. "What is it Vedet?" asked
Etano. Vedet tried to control himself. "Inspector Tecouk informs me that
someone utilized the chemical intermix chamber yesterday. He also tells
me that this same person synthesized X and escaped with it," he said.
Etano stood in shocked silence. "Someone has X. I knew this would
happen. I KNEW IT!!" he screamed, slamming his fist on the desk. Etano
marched off, anger not far behind.

"We're sending out a general alert. Someone has synthesized X and
they're likely to use it. Nobody knows exactly what it's capable of;
except that if it's used, we're in big trouble," said T'hoj. Krael
looked alarmed. "Do what you must. Try not to create a general panic,
and get word out to the UEA," he ordered.

-> 10 <-

"We've got a message from Petros coming in on general distress channel,"
reported the Com officer. "Ecstatic?" said Aytori, turning over command.
"Patch me in, Universal overlay," he ordered. The Com officer complied.
"Your on the AudCom, sir." Ecstatic began. "Hello, Universe. Some of you
may recognize me as Ecstatic by my voice. Well, you probably just heard
about the theft and replication of X, otherwise known as exochloranide.
Guess what: I really have it. And I intend to use it. The Kazik had
caused me incredible pain. My pain will pale in comparison to what
they're going to feel when I unleash X. Rest assured, every last Kazik
that exists in the Multiverse will be destroyed. EVERY Kazik....."

Insanity. It made Krael wonder how things could go right. Right now a
wealthy, powerful, vengeful, and insane man was on the loose. And he had
with him the ultimate destructive power. X. Exochloranide, actually.
Inspector Tecouk and his investigative forces were on the alert,
searching frantically every trade vessel that passed through Cyberian
Armada-enforced space. Nothing had turned up yet. Would they be able to
find him?

-> 11 <-

"There's something worse about X being in the posession of a madman,"
said Etano. He was discussing the topic of Ecstatic with Vedet, chief of
Cyberian Group Science Division. "Because X emits psychia, it could be
feeding his neurological disorder," he said. "You mean X is emitting a
wave of particles that affects the nervous system?" asked Vedet. "Yes.
Psychia has been utilized in medical institutions for years by either
oral use with psyodide or inhalation with psiox. Psychia directly feeds
the brain with psionic energy," Etano explained. "Incredible. How could
one single substance do so much? And how could we be so foolish to let
an insane vengeful madman get his hands on it?" wondered Vedet, aloud.

The Feqh-Netur attack cruiser continued on it's journey through
subspace, via the thrustjump engines. "Status?" demanded Ecstatic. "All
systems normal. Tactical weaponry all in order. X bomb offline, but
ready for detonation," reported Aytori. Ecstatic leaned back in the
reclining commander's seat. The seat, at the rear of the command center,
afforded him a full view of the center's stations. "How long until we
reach the rendezvous point?" he growled. The chief pilot glanced at her
ETA VidTerm. "We're traveling at ninety percent of hyper-range
thrustjump speeds. We'll be inside the Feqh Galaxy within two hours,"
she reported.

Across the Multiverse, inside the Kazik Praetorial Palace (The 'Regime'
had been removed from the name after their defeat at the hands of the
Armada), serious action was taking place. Inside the royalty chamber sat
the Praetor. At his side was the Teller, ready to Tell everyone exactly
what the Praetor Told. "Teller, bring me a communications array and then
leave my presence," ordered the Praetor. The Teller, obviously surprised
by this action, complied anyway. The Praetor, upon receival of the array
and the departure of the Teller, opened a direct ComLink with Petros
Station, in the Tejas Galaxy. After rolling through several Com
officers, he found himself conversing with Krael, Director of the
Cyberian Group. "Krael, good to see you again," he began cordially. "And
you, Praetor," replied Krael. "I understand that there has been an
incident in your Universe. An incident that directly affects the
survival of my people," the Praetor said. Krael had been expecting this
call. "Yes, Praetor, there was such an incident. Everything is being
done to find the traitors," began Krael. "Good, good, very good words.
Do what you must. But do not be surprised when you find Kazik aljoms,
koors, and blaktas searching for our friends," said the Praetor. He
promptly ended the conversation.

-> 12 <-

Inside Sree Outpost One, the headquarters of the United Empire
Association, sat representatives of empires from across the Universe. A
meeting had been called to discuss the Ecstatic situation. Cavox had
been named Ecstatic's successor, as representative of the UEA to the
Cyberian Group. The meeting was very vocal, emperors and empresses alike
voicing their concern over recent events. After the meeting was over,
the UEA's position was clear. Find Ecstatic at all costs.

The Admiralty of the Cyberian Armada had been in conference on the
planet Avayo, underneath the orbiting Petros Station. The conference was
broken up when shocking news was announced. Full Admiral Rytek,
commander-in-chief of the Cyberian Armada, was reading a FaxCom message
from Krael.

"   To: Admirals Alrus, Jehai, and Dwool. Full Admiral Rytek. From:
Krael, Director of the Cyberian Group Re: Admiralty

Friends, your service to the Cyberian Group and to the Universe over the
past years is commendable. I am proud of the accomplishments we have
made together. However a new situation has arisen. A deranged former-UEA
representative has gotten his hands on the ultimate weapon of
destruction. For this, and other reasons, I am hereby creating a new
rank in the chain-of-command. The rank of Admiral-General is now the
official top of the chain. I am assigning to this position, a woman by
the name of Tarheil. Tarheil, you will find, is capable and competent.
She is an expert on criminal behavior, not to mention her expertise in
military matters. She comes to you direct from the Galaxy deCeti Defense
Force. This move is temporary. I am now giving you special orders. Under
normal circumstances, I am not authorized to give orders to the Armada.
But this is different. You are hereby requested and required to seek and
destroy the vessel containing Ecstatic. He may have X. He may not. Under
no circumstances shall he be left alive. The entire Armada shall
participate in the search. This is the reason Admiral-General Tarheil
has been placed in command. I wish you luck. Work together, and find
this madman. If we don't, we run the risk of having an entire species of
beings destroyed because of hatred.

Krael"

There hung a long silence over the meeting. Noone had expected Full
Admiral Rytek's power to be ursurped.

-> 13 <-

Sree Galaxy had changed ever since the commander center of the Cyberian
Group, the Cyberian Platform, had been destroyed. Now all the Group's
facilities were located in the Tejas Galaxy, along with Petros Station.
The emperors and empresses at Sree had dissolved the Empirial System and
formed the Commonwealth of Sree Galaxy. A growing movement had begun,
with membership climbing over the past few years. The Back-To-Sree
movement, headed by a man claiming to be the grandson of Dune, was
trying to bring the power centers of the Universe back to Sree Galaxy.

Admiral-General Tarheil stepped into the conference room with elegance,
yet she commanded respect with her stride. All four Admirals rose out of
respect for her. "Good day gentlemen," she said, sitting in her chair,
at the head of the table. "Admiral-General, we have been informed that
you were brought onboard to find Ecstatic," said Admiral Jehai. "Yes,
Admiral, I was. I have conclusive evidence that proves the Feqh-Netur is
in operation again, and that they are backing Ecstatic," she replied.
That comment brought a commotion from among the shocked Admiralty.
"Tarheil, where did you get this proof?" demanded Rytek. "I am sorry to
say that I can't reveal that information. But trust me, my sources are
quite accurate," she said. "Let's assumne you're right. What do we do
now?" asked Admiral Dwool. "We begin our search! Let's map out our plan
right now," said Tarheil.

The Feqh-Netur attack cruiser had reached it's destination. The Feqhican
Naval Port, based in the center of the Feqh Galaxy, had allowed them to
dock. The passengers of the cruisers poured out, into the Port, awaiting
their guest. As they sat in a cubicle, they saw a man approaching. He
pulled up to the cubicle and spoke. "Representative Ecstatic! How nice
to see you.. I hope you've gotten well-acquainted with my friend Aytori.
I am Relf Miga, leader of the Feqh-Netur," he said.

-> 14 <-

"Okay, so what have we got?" asked Tecouk. "Not much, Inspector,"
replied Vedet. "As Etano explained to us, exochloranide emits psychia,
which could be feeding Ecstatic's mental instability. Besides that, we
also know that the vessel he was on was headed towards a
Feqhican-protected section of the Universe. He could've changed course
at any time, though," explained Vedet. Tecouk nodded. "Do we have any
investigative teams out on patrol?" he asked. "Not yet, sir. However the
Admiralty has organized an entire search-and-destroy campaign. Sources
say they are going to the Feqh Galaxy," said T'hoj. "Hmm.. That would
correlate with our info. So, what do we do?" pondered Tecouk aloud.
"Well, I think we should begin work on how to disarm the X bomb. It may
be possible to disintegrate the exochloranide while it's under
containment," said Etano. "Excellent ideas, everyone. So, let's get to
it!" said Tecouk excitedly.

"So, Relf, I am quite interested in how you came to be the leader of the
Feqh-Netur. The latest reports on the Netur, which are 20 years old,
name Iseylon as the leader," said Ecstatic. Relf nodded. He shifted his
weight, as the two stood, waiting for Aytori to arrive. "Iseylon never
knew what she was doing. After all, when we had the Contest, my Second
Alliance was winning. So, having my own personal Feqh-Netur assassins, I
had her killed. When I was sure she had been eliminated, I took over. By
that time, the Cyberian Group had overrun us, and I was forced to take
the Netur into hiding. The past 20 years have been a time of rebuilding.
I have worked Feqh-Netur agents into every empire in this Universe.
There are even agents within the Cyberian Group. When the time is right,
we will begin our quest for power," explained Miga. As Miga ended,
Aytori approached them. "The cruiser is ready. We can depart from the
Port now," she said. Together, all three boarded the Feqh-Netur attack
cruiser and disembarked.

"Feqhican authorities deny knowledge of any Feqh-Netur activity. They
also deny spotting any type of ship holding Ecstatic, and they further
deny detecting any traces of exochloranide on their Port's scanners,"
reported Admiral Alrus. Admiral-General Tarheil pounded the desk. "We
were certain they would be here! Forget the authorities. I want you to
send in one HC squadron. Begin a complete search, and see what you come
up with. I have my doubts with these Feqhican 'authorities,'" ordered
Tarheil.

-> 15 <-

The Kazik Armed Force had been on invasion alert for the past week.
Still, there was no sign of Ecstatic and his famous X bomb. Aljom pilots
crisscrossed over the border between the Kazik Universe and the Other
Universe. Armed Force koor and blakta fleets had been stationed along
direct paths to the Palace, to make sure that nothing escaped
undetected. And so far, nothing had.

Risya, commander of the Commonwealth Persuasion Fleet, directed his
fleet towards the Kharq Construction Yards. The CPF was a branch of the
Back-to-Sree movement. Their goal was to 'persuade' Universal powers to
come back to Sree. He planned to knock out the largest Cyberian Armada
construction facility. With this base destroyed, the Group might begin
to recognize them.

"I've told you. We don't know anything about the Feqh-Netur," screamed
Perii. "Don't play games with me, mistress Perii. We know you have been
in contact with the Netur. Tell us about them," demanded Lakas, leader
of the interrogation. Perii's face contorted, as she writhed in pain,
straining against her bonds. "I," she began slowly and clearly, "know
NOTHING!!" Lakas slashed a hand through the air. "Kill her," he said.
The guards, clearly confused over this order, began to execute the
order. "You," he said, motioning to a courier, "make sure that everyone
knows she killed herself. You saw none of this."

"The leader of the Feqhican Naval Port refused to cooperate. We left her
in peace, and she killed herself. It is quite obvious the ship passed
through here," reported Lakas. "I find it hard to believe a Port
commander just killed herself. Are you sure?" demanded Admiral Dwool.
Lakas nodded his head. "Of course. There were no loose ends. I handled
everything myself," he replied. Dwool left the room, frustrated.

-> 16 <-

"Admiral! There has been another attack!" reported a courier.
Admiral-General Tarheil swiveled to face the courier. "Damn. Where was
it this time?" she asked. "In the Tejas Galaxy, at Petros Observatory
Two," he replied. "They are getting closer," whispered Tarheil. She
dismissed the courier with a wave of her hand. "What are we going to do,
General?" asked Rytek, defacing her title. "Nothing. We must focus our
efforts onto finding this madman," she retorted.

"Inspector! I've discovered the key!" shouted Etano. Tecouk rushed to
Etano's side, and glanced at a sleek device. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's an X detector, quite simply. It picks up the psychia emitted by
X," explained Etano. "Brilliant! Begin building several of these and
prepare to ship them to the Kazik Armed Force. You, Vedet, T'hoj, and I
will be going out there on a private transport in three days," said
Tecouk.

The Feqh-Netur attack cruiser hurtled towards Galaxy Sei. In two hours,
it passed right above the Sei Telescope Base. As they flew past, they
became visible. As soon as they were out of range, the brought the
invisibility grids back up.

"A Feqh-Netur cruiser was spotted in Sei Galaxy," reported an aide.
Krael got up. "What happened?" he demanded. "Nothing. They have
invisiblity screens, and got out undetected," the aide replied. "Inform
the Admiralty and begin preparations at once," Krael ordered.

-> 17 <-

Several days later, Inspector Tecouk's party had arrived at the
perimeter Kazik Armed Force's guard. They had briefed the Leader's
Teller of their intentions, and installed several of Etano's detection
devices throughout the perimeter guard. Tecouk had failed to inform the
Admiralty for one simple reason; he was unsure they'd handle the
situation properly.

"We'll be coming up on the perimeter in ten minutes," reported Aytori.
Miga looked good. "Status of X bomb?" inquired Ecstatic. "Everything
looks good. Systems are ready to go online as soon as we pass the
perimeter," reported the engineer. "Fantastic. I can't wait to kill
those animals," he seethed. The minutes seemed to pass fast. "We're
going past the perimeter," Aytori said. They all breathed a sigh of
relief. "Uh-oh. Something's wrong," said Aytori. Ecstatic was about to
demand an explanation, when the cruiser was raked by plazspheres.

People who were asleep aboard Petros Station didn't stay that way. Pulse
cannons beat at the Station's shields. The command center was a mill of
activity, as people tried to sort through what was going on. "We have
seventy heavy cruisers firing from optimal range. They appear to be Sree
models," reported the scanning chief. Krael figured out instantly what
was going on. It had to be those Back-To-Sree fanatics. "Bring the
heat-soliton emitter online and prepare to fire. Fire vortexers at
closest enemies," he ordered.

The swirling orange cloud of a vortexer swooped through space and
collided with an enemy heavy cruiser. The cruiser's defensive grids went
down completely. Another vortexer finished it off.

"Risya, we've lost eleven HCs to that heat-solition emitter. It's much
too powerful for us to withstand," reported the tactical officer. Risya
stamped his foot hard on the decking. "Order three HCs to arm their
ardonite impact devices, and prepare for kamikaze attack," he said.

-> 18 <-

The Netur attack cruiser was fending off Kazik vessels left and right.
Various aljoms tried to ram the cruiser, but Aytori's piloting skills
were too much for them. The much larger and more powerful blaktas were
proving to be more difficult, as their plazspheres continued to slam
into the cruiser.

The three enemy HCs had plunged into Petros' defensive grids and caused
power surges throughout the Station. The invasion fleet continued to
penetrate the shielding.

"Leader, may I try something?" asked Vedet. The Kazik Leader moved
aside, allowing Vedet access to the command powernode's weapons control.
Vedet rerouted several transfer conduits and began linking plasma relays
and ion grids. After a minute, he had converted on plazsphere emitter
into a talvite pulse cannon. He took aim at the X bomb's direct center
and fired the spread of talvite particles. The resulting fireworks were
an awesome sight through the vidport.

Inspector Tecouk was having a conversation with Admiral-General Tarheil
over the VidCom. "Admiral-General, Petros is under attack! You must go
back and assist them," said Tecouk frantically. "They will fare well for
themselves. I am more interested in Ecstatic and the ringleaders of the
Feqh-Netur, as well as finding out why you superseded my command by
coming here," replied Tarheil. The inspector was fuming now. "Admiral, I
am requesting, with all the civility I have, that you go back. I am in
charge of investigations here. I'll take care of the prisoners. You
should go back and stop the invaders while you still can!" he
near-screamed. Tarheil shook her head. "No. I am staying. Petros can
fend for itself. I will transport over to the command powernode in three
minutes," she said, finally.

-> 19 <-

Tarheil rematerialized inside the main chamber of the Kazik command
powernode. Seated were Ecstatic, Aytori, and Relf Miga. "Where has the
Feqh-Netur been these last twenty years?" demanded Tarheil. Miga just
smiled. "Why would you assist a crazy man like this?" she asked,
pointing at Ecstatic. "That's none of your damn business," replied
Ecstatic. "The Kazik are going to die, die, die!!" he screamed. He rose
from his chair, and pulled out a concealed vastator. One of the guards
fired his scattergun, killing Ecstatic. "Whoops," said Aytori. Miga rose
from his chair, making no sudden moves, with his hands in the air.
Aytori followed suit. "I must thank you, Admiral-General. I will leave
you to explain to our friend the Inspector," he said. He touched a pad
on his side, and then was swallowed by black oblivion. Aytori stepped
inside the sphere of nothingness, that seemed to emit crimson light.
Then they both disappeared. "Leader, they've transported to the cruiser.
Prepare to fire on them," said Tecouk. Then, red light poured in through
the vidport. Everyone watched in stunned silence, as they saw the attack
cruiser enveloped by a black oblivion. "They just mass transported an
entire ship," breathed Vedet. "Unbelievable. Where the hell did it
transport TO?" demanded Etano. Tecouk pulled out his blaster and whirled
to face Admiral-General Tarheil.

Krael's forces had destroyed the Back-To-Sree invasion fleet. He had
ordered the small squadron of fighters and HCs stationed at Galaxy Sei
to overrun the Sree Galaxy. They had apprehended all of the leaders of
the Back-To-Sree movement and they were being held at the detention
cells in the belly of Petros Station.

"Alright Tarheil, what the HELL is going on here," demanded Full Admiral
Rytek. "Something big. Very big," she sneered. "This was just the
beginning. The Feqh-Netur have power everywhere. We have the most
advanced technology ever, plus we now have the X bomb," she said. Rytek
ignored her comments. "That doesn't help me. What is going ON?" he
shouted. "Ecstatic, the Back-To-Sree movement, everything; they were all
pawns of a greater scheme. We've supported splinter groups, factions,
and individuals for the past 20 years, weaving an intimate tapestry.
This was just the beginning. When the time is right, we will spring the
final portion of the trap. You won't know how. You won't know when. But
it will happen," she said. Rytek momentarily looked out the vidport, to
see the vast array of Kazik vessels. Tarheil stood up and pressed a
touchpad on her side. She grinned evilly at him, and then stepped into
another Feqh-Netur sphere of oblivion, transporting herself to an
unknown destination. Rytek looked out the vidport again, not at all
surprised by her departure. But what he saw next chilled him to the
bone. The largest ship he had ever seen in his life materialized outside
the Station. Apparently this was the Feqh-Netur mothership. The attack
cruiser must have transported into it's cargo area. The behemoth vessel
opened up a subspace doorway and hurtled through to hyperlight speeds.

Epilogue

The Admiralty regrouped and destroyed the position that the apparent
traitor Tarheil had held. Full Admiral Rytek retook command of the
Cyberian Armada. Krael began briefing his aides, and informing the UEA
of the new situation. The Feqh-Netur, now more than just an Underground
dissident group, had returned, and Krael knew beyond the shadow of a
doubt that they would battle again. And he was scared. More so than when
Ecstatic had had the X bomb. He was terrified, because now the
_Feqh-Netur_ had X.

Conclusion

SRE 10 -- Legacies, the final episode in the SRE saga, will be available
soon. Until then, have a good time. Thanks for taking the time to read
this story. It is only because of your support that I continue to write
these. See ya!

-> Josh  Renaud <- The Author