Star Force: Resurrection (SF84) (Star Force Origin Series) by Aer-ki Jyr

training as I have. That power is something civilizations with
your expendable philosophy will never achieve. You relegate your own powerbase
to that which you can take cheaply and quickly, while true dominance is forged
with time .”
    Paul smashed him back to the floor, but kept his
restraining hold on him so he couldn’t rip the Kich’a’kat off his chest. “ You are inferior because you do not see the
value in life. And you, personally, are someone who should see it, if only in a
combat perspective. Highly skilled troops that, if allowed to continue
development, will outscale the young 2 to 1. 3 to 1.
10 to 1. You know how damn effective we are in combat, but all of us are like
that because we have had time to grow stronger because we weren’t deemed
expendable. We keep our people alive in order for them to grow stronger and
kick your ass. Can you not get that concept through your feeble mind! ”
    There was a brief, but chilling silence that the
lizard finally broke. “ That is why you do
not push all advantages? ”
    “ Destroying the
enemy at the cost of ourselves is not an option. We would rather wait and
devise a way to kill you without any of us dying. I do not know how much
information flows back to you, but I have personally conquered several of your
planets without losing a single person. We take injuries, then heal them, but
if we do our jobs right none of our people will die .”
    “ We have cost
you lives here .”
    “ Some, yes. And
even one loss is unacceptable. A defeat .”
    “ Why then are
you concerned about our lives? ”
    “ Given time you
could learn, overcome your blocks, and realize that we are only fighting you
because you give us no choice. Stop destroying other races and we’ll leave you
alone. If you would just understand that the war could be over in an instant .”
    “ You think to
spare yourselves more losses via strengthening us? ”
    “ You could look
at it that way. Your strength is not a threat so long as you do not misuse it .”
    “ Strength is
always a threat, and there can be no security if others have the power to
dominate you. ”
    Paul sighed. “ There
it is then. That’s why you’re doing all this? You’re trying to take out threats
before they can harm you. You’re so scared of the galaxy that you want to
destroy it before it can destroy you. ”
    “ We are not
alone in that motivation .”
    Paul flicked off the energy shield and walked inside
the containment area, then turned it back on with him standing only a few
inches away from the mastermind. He wore a thin robe like Kara had observed
previously, but this one had been fashioned out of Star Force materials given
that the clothing he’d worn when the building fell on him had been torn and
battered upon recovery.
    “ If you are truly
dominant, you do not need to fear others ,” he underscored by tapping on the
lizard’s exposed chest next to where the V’kit’no’sat device was. “ I have no need to kill you. For all your
strengths, you cannot harm me. And if not for that medical device I would
release my hold on you to prove it. You would attack me and I would kick your
ass, over and over again until you understood that I do not fear you. I respect
your skills, but I do not destroy you because you possess them. My
responsibility as a leader of Star Force is to be the best. And if I am not the
best, I do not try to destroy those who are. I improve myself until I am the
best again, then I continue improving to increase my advantage. Destroying your
opposition instead of developing yourself is a telltale sign of an imposter .”
    “ I know my
physical skills are no match for your abilities .”
    “ Are you not
compelled to try to kill me regardless? ”
    “ Perhaps .”
    “ And what
purpose does that serve? ”
    “ I might get
lucky .”
    Paul smiled. “ Ok,
I can agree with you on that count. But wasting numerous lives by telling
everyone to do the same thing in the hope of you getting lucky