Rise of the Star Ch. 03

In the distance, they could see the white trails of the drop pods coming down to be glaring distractions, the first being White Company, who employed all-terrain vehicles as well as artillery. Ten minutes for them to advance with not a modicum of stealth before the other drop pods would come down just as they had engaged the enemy, their position opposite of their own. Green company had plasma and power armor, leaving Black to do the subterfuge with much more traditional kinetic. They needed to confirm that the furries had taken the bait. The Gull were acting as scouts as well as heavy snipers.

The furries took the bait. They must have felt so clever at that moment, spotting the other drop pods, turning their defenses around to give moderate focus to the "main" force while going for the "real" assault, leaving their butts open to them. Confirmed and sent to the troop which could move forward, less worried about being spotted and now wary of the mines, which could be observed and avoided before cutting a hole in the defense wall to get a quiet way in and once they had some proper cover inside... and took care of some support staff quietly... the first sniper shot was a signal to stop fooling around.

Melly watched through the binoculars as the troop could carve their way in with focused and relatively silent thermal charges, the marked path through the minefield followed with sanctity until they were out of her sight, her crew gone to murder some Raff silently behind enemy lines before they'd set up to flank them like they had never been flanked before.

That first shot had an anticipation in her like one could not believe. The trigger could not be pulled by a human for safety reasons. She squeezed it down once it looked like the troop was in position, the other snipers doing it at just about the same time. The sound was deafening, the shock could blow open a car, a remarkably heavy bullet sent into spiraling flight with a force almost fitting for artillery, the target being their artillery. The reinforced guns of the Raff received a butt-fucking by a plasteel dildo sharpened to a point where it carved its way straight through the firing chamber, leaving a hole you could reach an arm through. As one, the other ground forces began to properly pound them.

From the west, their position, they had several soldiers right inside their defenses killing their troops, from the east came the power-armor-clad heavies toting plasma rifles, and from the south came the vehicle assault that started to show they had been holding back, shells fired to start bringing that wall down and tear them to bits. Why were they still using kinetic when they had developed plasma? Because there are many types of energy you can throw at your opponent and each might find its match. A bullet could also carve through several targets and hit people behind cover while a plasma shot could explode right before a thermal-resistant cover. Can't just keep to one energy.

It was a massacre... and the first of several victories to help them take this planet. Many more bunkers to hit with different tactics to keep them on their toes, and a few defeats when the furries truly did have a better edge. James was still helping, mostly by going off on his own to murder armies that came from nowhere, hundreds of Raff taken out by a dude dual-wielding heavy pistols and mocking them while doing so.

They needed just this world to show how it was going to go.

*

Anna was getting so much hatred from across the table and yet the Raff were truly fucked. The meeting did not occur on any neutral ground, rather having them come right into the capital palace of the furries, grudgingly allowed to do so even with a company for protection. But they would not cause trouble, despite wanting to, despite so much inside them telling them to bare their fangs and hurt the enemy. No, they got the message.

Her opposite was the absolute ruler of this empire, the military dictator. A bear. His features were more ursine than human, but those fingers were capable enough of holding a pen. This treaty was humiliating. That was the point. Fifty years of non-aggression between them, which meant that not just the Raff would have to stay down, but so would the empire hold peace or suffer some consequences. One million of their people to go with them... of their choice. One million slaves lost. The scarred bear felt his blood boiling under that well-tailored outfit that barely contained his muscles. Even as he towered over the woman, there had to be an admittance done... that prey had learned where they belong on the chain. Yes, that was in there too, a full admittance from them, signed by their leader, that the Raff have learned they were beneath their enemies in strength. Theoretically useless, but death might be preferable to signing that. No, death was a surety. This leader would be challenged soon.

As tempting as it might be for James to come down and be part of this conversation, possibly calling the other ruler Sir Bearington or such, the Outsider knew when it was time to be serious and he would not disturb this delicate moment. Just a bit too much mockery could turn it into a massacre and he might never live that down. James was not stupid.

She expected some final fight, the reason for the fifty men behind her with weapons at the ready, not pointed his way, but making a point. And then the leader surprised her by showing they got there not just because of strength. That rage bubbled to the surface and just... evaporated... a final sigh before focus was in those eyes.

"Well done." He said that in perfect English. "Do you know that there is a second half to that saying? That prey shall learn their place in the chain."

"I was not granted it. So, what is the second half?"

"And a predator shall learn their rulership is not guaranteed." A breath. "Prey can be deadly as well, and only by staying sharp can one still overcome them. Which do you think you are? A dangerous prey or a predator?"

He was not contesting their victory. No, there was almost respect in his words. Quite philosophical. One might be tempted to declare they were the predator, that they were the danger that rules above... but...

"Dangerous prey. We do not prey on others, yet hunting us is a terrible idea."

A chuckle under his voice. True enough. Maybe that line needed some rewriting, but not because he hated to adhere to the spirit of it. But it still had value and truth.

"And you have learned where you belong on the chain. He was not wrong. Perhaps we needed this. A moment to show that the unstoppable advance is not the answer." A smirk. "We'll come back from it."

The bear looked down at the treaty again. Perhaps this was the cost of stupidity. The cost of being taught some new lessons. The cost of progress.

"Peace. Done. We might be back after it, and I can make no promises either way. I'll be long gone by then." The document needed only one signature and he would agree to it all. "The people... done. Take them. Maybe we need a challenge to grow." He smirked toward her, as if to show they were not ignorant of their ways. "And that we learned our place. For now, this is our place. For now."

He signed on the dotted line, the ruler's seal placed on top to show it was not just an empty forgery. The original would go to the empire and the auto-copy to them. No need for further words. That was the extent of his politeness. Anna carefully stored that document away before standing and giving a curt nod, the woman turning right after and the army right behind her.

That could have been more difficult.

*

And so, the empire was at peace again. The conflict lasted for two years and a half, with some stragglers breaking off from the military ranks to prove some point and strike at their space once more, defeated easily by the even more fortified station. No care was given to them by the Raff Junta. Handling them was just a test to make sure the empire was not working on borrowed strength. Minor annoyances that even James might enjoy hunting.

The home-grown Raff and the ones taken from their overlords would find their place in the empire, mostly in showing their endurance, but they had other abilities as well. Some had a false idea of it and might get some funny plans like using that strength to claim what they thought was theirs by right... other Raff would be more than willing to pummel those down. No more of that bullshit here. If anything, the empire was a place where strength was used to protect those who needed it, those who could give what they couldn't offer. Some might say they did the same in the Junta, but it was really not the same.

When those fifty years were up there came no instant declaration of war, nor even some probing disagreements. The Raff had learned their lesson and in those fifty years, the empire just got stronger. It was their last chance to hit it before they hit their stride and outshined everyone, but the furries decided to turn their gaze to other neighbors that might actually warrant some preying on. And there was still enough space to expand. Astoria could never think to call the Junta a friend, but there could be worse neighbors. Soon enough they might discover that you can actually get even worse than the Raff and these guys were rather reasonable.

But, it was a new time of peace, a new time to focus their efforts both outwards and inwards, to break new technologies either from a fresh perspective of this unique biology or from findings out in the void... and space still had plenty of surprises. The Raff had just been a very heated chapter in their ascent. There was an ascent.

James noticed how progress was slow compared to civilizations where the wide dogma was adhered to, with their administrators having to carefully balance resources and finance extra projects to make do, often borrowing just a bit today to live tomorrow and careful to pay that debt before it soured. But no matter... they were getting close. That wall was just ahead... okay, not just ahead, but they were getting there. He could see the steep climb of this rollercoaster coming, and they were not coming down from that.

The Raff were not the only empire to be discovered... the Wayfarer had still gone out, away from the conflict and isolated from it, breaking new grounds as it could discover new ships for them to start to analyze and broach first contact with other species. There was a populated galaxy out there and it was ignorant to consider they were alone in it. In far corners of the galaxy there have been wars and cooperations, glories and crimes against sentient life... but the empire had no idea because that was like on the other side of a very big galaxy.

But they would find them soon enough.