Galaxy of Heroes

Professor Mahlis floated upward from his seat and across the galley and then disappeared down a transport tube.

Spade sat alone at the chessboard. He groaned and leaned back in the chair and attempted to sit comfortably. Every muscle, bone and joint ached from the torture session he had so recently endured on Goff. He tried to rub the pain from his bones.

His thoughts returned to Naos. The little barren moon orbited around the giant planet of Roga, for which the system was named. Roga was a swirling mass of green, red and yellow gas, and had served as the backdrop to his life on Naos. Spade had often spent hours staring upward at the churning, roiling cloud formations that raced across the giant face of Roga. As a young man, he often dove his interceptor down into the gas clouds, jetting through tremendous lighting storms before hurtling upward against the intense gravity field that attempted to pull him into the abyss.

Naos held so many good memories for him—until his life there ended in a storm of metal and fire. He did not want to go back.

Two small green lights flickered to life in a dark corner of the galley.

“Tanaka,” Spade said, still rubbing his aching calf. “I didn’t see you back there.”

Tanaka’s frail figure was illuminated by the glowing green light from his eyepieces. His legs were crossed as he sat motionless in a narrow corner.

“What are you doing back there?”

“Reading knowledge that you wouldn’t understand,” Tanaka answered.

“What kind of knowledge?” Spade asked.

“History,” Tanaka answered. “I hacked into a Craaldan database and downloaded enough info, it will take me eons to sift through.”

“Good for you.”

Tanaka was silent for a moment. “I’ve been watching your Professor Mahlis,” he said.

“He seems like a good little guy,” Spade said. “I don’t see how he’s going to stop a war, but maybe he knows something we don’t.”

“But then, you’ve never been mistaken for being the smartest human in the galaxy, Captain Spade,” Tanaka said.

“I trust him,” Spade said.

Tanaka suddenly became excited, lifting and waving his hands. “Those psycho Craaldans have files a mile deep on these so-called peace-loving Noctish,” he blurted. Then he fell silent for another moment.

“Interesting combination,” Tanaka contemplated calmly, “the Craaldans and the Noctish.”

“No doubt,” Spade said.

“All is not what it seems,” Tanaka said.

Tanaka explained in his condescending manner what he had just learned from the vast Craaldan database that he had gained access to—about how the cultures of the Noctish and the Craaldans intertwined in a symbiotic relationship that was destructive to all those who came into contact with them.

At one time countless epochs ago, the Craaldans had been one of many great powers in the Inner Galaxy, and legendary for their martial prowess. The sheer size of their war machine necessitated rigid regimentation. This was their weakness. Once their adversaries understood Craaldan standard operating procedures, effective defenses could be mounted.

Tanaka explained across the galley how at one point during a period of chaotic warfare in the Inner Galaxy, the Craaldan Empire came close to annihilation in the face of a powerful alliance. Noctish advisers stepped in and offered the Craaldans intelligence on their adversaries. The intel from the Noctish allowed the mighty Craaldan war machine to gain the upper hand, and to eventually crush its foes in a series of stunning surprise attacks that turned the tide of war.

“The Craaldans conquered their way to dominance with guidance from the Noctish,” Tanaka said.

“The Craaldans owe their empire to them?” Spade asked.

“Obviously,” Tanaka answered.

“What’s in it for the Noctish?” Spade asked.

“The Noctish think of themselves as scholars and diplomats. But in reality they are shrewd traders who have been travelling the galaxy for millions of years buying and selling anything they find of value. In some accounts, they are described as obsequious sycophants in the face of power, while treacherous and ruthless to their rivals. When the Craaldans were up against a wall, the Noctish offered them a deal. For every civilization they helped the Craaldans destroy, the Noctish could keep the loot.”

Spade turned this over in his mind for a moment. “What do you think the professor is up to on Naos?”

“From what I gather, Professor Mahlis was not being entirely honest about the current situation on your moon,” Tanaka said. “The Craaldans are in an advantageous position. They have managed to consolidate their recent gains and their army and fleet are far stronger than the Diocon presence. The Diocon Empire is occupied with ongoing rebellions on several planets, which are tying up a significant portion of its forces.”

In the zero gravity of space, Tanaka was no longer wearing the mechanical prostheses that aided his movement back on Goff. He lifted his frail body from his seat and adeptly moved spiderlike across the galley.

Tanaka sat across from Spade and slid the chessboard aside. He lit up a map on the table that displayed this sector of the galaxy.

“Naos is here,” Tanaka said. “If the Craaldans seize it, they will have a foothold in the Roga System from which they can divide the Diocon Empire from all these sectors here. If the Craaldans strike hard, as is their nature, they can cut off the Diocon logistics chain. The Roga System serves as an ideal base for further Craaldan attacks, and the odds are good that these sectors can be broken free from Diocon control. The Craaldans could then collapse the Diocon domination of huge swathes of the Inner Galaxy. It looks to me that if the Craaldans are able to take and hold Naos, they’ll have the Diocons on the run.”

“But if Professor Mahlis is successful in his peace mission, the Diocons keep Naos,” Spade said.

Tanaka rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger and studied the map through his green lenses. “The Craaldans are dependent on the Noctish for intel,” Tanaka said. “It appears the professor has convinced the Craaldan commanders that the Diocons are more powerful than they truly are, and that a war now would be catastrophic. Since Noctish intel has gotten them this far, they are taking the professor’s word for it.”

“What is the professor up to?” Spade asked, studying the map.

“Hmm.” Tanaka looked down at the map through the green glow of his lenses. “I wonder.”