But that was many years ago, and the exercise of authority produced physical changes among the Voth. Dominance hormones flooded the bloodstream, darkening and reddening the skin, lengthening bone and bulking out muscles, until senior commanders like Stannark were immense, carrying with them the literal weight of authority: Voth Doctrine made flesh.
Stannark strode onto the bridge of the Gendratis, and settled himself on the command chair. Reinforced though it was, it creaked beneath him. His yellow-eyed gaze swept across the bridge of the Bulwark-class battleship. All seemed well.
"Status?" he asked.
"Ship is holding station at designated rendezvous point, one seven point five gigametres from central command," a lieutenant reported. Someday, Stannark reflected, they would have to rebuild central command - or move it to an intact spire. The treacherous Undine attack had interfered with Voth organization. "Ship is in readiness at alert level two. No hostiles on local or long-range scan." The lieutenant appeared nervous, though, somehow. "There is, ahh, as yet no sign of the Sartulphus...."
"Hmm." Stannark shifted his vast weight slightly in his seat, and stroked his chin in thought. His fingertips rasped on his scales. "Commander Varrotz is not often unpunctual. Signal command. Make enquiries."
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant turned to a comms console. Stannark leaned back and thought. His ship was adequate, itself, for the planned investigation - but it would be useful to have the Bastion-class cruiser Sartulphus as a backup. What could be causing the delay?
He busied himself with routine reports and preparations. There was always much to do, and his ship was a model of correct organization and discipline. Stannark took great pride in his attention to detail.
The lieutenant at the comms console was joined by another figure, now: the dark and sinister shape of the Special Ops intelligence analyst, Davrak Karzis. Stannark looked down on the two, quizzically. Karzis bent his black-scaled head over the console, the ocular implants glowing blue-green in his eye sockets. Stannark frowned. If Intelligence was involved, something was amiss....
"We have reports from forward monitoring stations towards the primate incursion area." Karzis spoke in clipped and precise tones. "The Sartulphus detected a primate vessel and engaged it in a routine act of pre-emptive self defence. Unfortunately, primate treachery on this occasion overcame the Sartulphus's natural advantages, and the ship was damaged beyond utility. A repair vessel was activated, but it was intercepted and destroyed by another primate vessel. Any survivors are captives of the primates. I have additional information."
"Speak," growled Stannark. His benevolent mood was punctured. The primates had destroyed the Sartulphus? How dared they?
"Level three security. For the Commander's attention only," Karzis said.
Stannark muttered irritably and stood. "My office, then." He stomped off to the ready room, and the Spec Ops analyst followed silently at his heels.
"Well?" Stannark demanded, as the door hissed shut behind them. Karzis turned, checking the door seals, then stood at attention.
"We have intercepted communications traffic between the Federation ships involved in the action, and Alliance Joint Command. We have something of a picture of the individuals involved." He held out a datapad. "The senior officer, supposedly, is one Admiral M'eioi...."
"What sort of a name is that?" Stannark demanded. He took the datapad, studied the images. "What? This must be a deception... some servitor species, perhaps."
"Conceivably," said Karzis. "There have been incidents before where the primates have claimed to use feline species as officers of rank. I have heard reports concerning an 'Admiral Bobo', but I am unable to confirm any details of that one. This may be another of the same."
"It must be a front," said Stannark. "No furred primitive carnivore could command a starship. This is some mockery, some farce - the animal M'eioi is displayed for show, and there is a primate somewhere taking the real decisions. Do they think we are so easily deceived?"
"In this connection," said Karzis, "we should look at the other officer, the one primarily involved in the destruction of the Sartulphus. A primate, a human. One Commodore Daniel Fallon." He leaned closer to Stannark. "Intel analysis division has a file on this particular primate. He has drawn our attention... and this is another incident in his career. Comms traffic analysis suggests that this Fallon has acted deliberately to maximize loss of life among our people."
"What?"
"He has deliberately set out, not just to thwart our benevolent objectives, but to kill us," said Karzis. "He is consciously determined to destroy Voth lives. He has done so on this occasion, and it is not the first time."
"This is insupportable!" Stannark roared.
"Quite."
Stannark slammed his fist down on the desk. "Something must be done."
"Intelligence agrees," said Karzis. "In this context, I note something which touches on our current mission. The Circle of Particle Physics has an interest in the anomalous tetryon pulses we are to investigate -"
"How does this bear on the matter of the primate Fallon?"
"Our physicists have entertained certain conjectures, relating to the tetryon pulses and the historical catastrophe which overwhelmed the Solanae interlopers within the sphere," said Karzis. "They have, indeed, devised a mechanism which might take those anomalous pulses and use them to re-create that catastrophe - on a smaller and more manageable scale." Karzis's eyes were unreadable behind the ocular implants, but there was quiet satisfaction in his voice as he continued. "Some insolent primate - this Fallon, for example - might make an ideal test subject for this mechanism."
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