Star Force: Bahamut (SF86) (Star Force Origin Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

allies.
They will purge us from existence, for all the races within the V’kit’no’sat
cannot leave. You are part of the group, or you are destroyed. There is no
middle ground. No rogue factions. The V’kit’no’sat do not suffer rivals in any
way, shape, or form. If we are discovered, we are dead .”
    “ Why entrust me
with this knowledge? If I were able to get word to the other Li’vorkrachnika
they could simply find these overlords and bring them down upon you, then they
could reclaim all the worlds you have taken from them. ”
    “ You have no
transmitters here, but it is possible you could find a way to slip something
away when outside this system. Do you want to do that? ”
    “ I believe you
already know the answer to that question, otherwise you would not have told me. ”
    “ You said you
needed a purpose. Everything the Li’vorkrachnika have built, conquered, and
expanded into is for naught if the V’kit’no’sat mark them. Grow too powerful
and they will take you down. Granted, they’re a long way from even poking up
into their vision, but the Li’vorkrachnika will never conquer this galaxy. Not
even close. The templars may be ambitious, but there are other races out there
beyond the V’kit’no’sat that they will not be able to touch. If they simply
want to expand to expand they will not be able to do so indefinitely, and
should they be stupid enough to attack one of the greater powers they will do
to them what we are doing, only far worse. They will not fight honorably. We
have the means to generate biological weapons that could easily wipe out the
population of your worlds without us having to invade, but we don’t fight that
way. Others would .”
    The mastermind regarded him quizzically. “ You have weapons that could easily destroy
us, yet you do not use them? For what purpose do you have those weapons? ”
    “ We have the
ability to create them, but have not .”
    “ Still, why risk
your own troops, a few of which have died, when you could have prevented it,
let alone the massive amount of resources you have expended? ”
    “ Do you not
already know by this point? ” Paul asked.
    “ No, I do not.
You have regarded the preservation of your own troops as your highest priority.
Why lose some of them and give us time to grow and spread when you could more
quickly defeat us? ”
    “ Not defeat.
Destroy. Why did I not kill you? ”
    “ I still wonder
about that. I know your stated reasons, but something about them never fully
rang true .”
    “ We do not kill
you because we want to. We kill you in order to stop you. If we can do so via
other methods, then we will .”
    “ Surrender. This
is all about giving us a chance to surrender. You’ve prolonged this war to give
us a chance to live, one that we would never take. Are you insane or clever
beyond my reasoning? ”
    “ We are
honorable. And we will not hold every Li’vorkrachnika responsible for the
actions of the others. To do so would be …”
    “ Inaccurate .”
    “ Yes .”
    “ You kill those
who deserve it, not their kin .”
    “ That’s another
way of putting it .”
    “ Yet you sparred
me when I was the one giving the orders opposing you .”
    “ Sometimes the
past must be avenged. Sometimes it must be let go. Are you still a threat to
me? ”
    “ If I was you
would have killed me by now .”
    “ Then if your
threat has been eliminated, I have succeeded in my mission. Your destruction
was never the goal .”
    “ But yours is,
by these overlords of yours .”
    “ Yes it is, or
would be, if they knew we existed .”
    “ And they are
not honorable, so you do not wish to emulate them? ”
    “ There is a mix
of honor and dishonor within them. More of the latter, but they are not wholly
degenerate. I have no illusions of negotiating with them. They are compulsively
loyal and arrogant. More so than even you. When they place a death mark, they
will not be swayed from it. And the more resistance given the more it