Shariah finished sending her FTL communication, it took her hours to send the purely text-based report back home, but she got a response nearly immediately as it is one word,

Classified...

She frowns and begins searching for her actual answer in the civilian science vessel files but finds nothing, just like on the Catfish and the few other vessels she had visited. Thinking back she does remember a few of the captains wanted her as a permanent member on their ships as a "Diplomatic Advisor". Shariah isn't stupid she recognized their stares and also knows she is outside the US Navy code and relations are technically legal, except she is certain that Commodore Hollander would probably skin the offending captain alive if they tried anything on her. That is something she likes about the Commodore, aside from the one time she tried to "convince" him when they first met, he has never stared at her in that way.

Disregarding the respect she has for the paradoxically old man, she doesn't trust him one bit. She grits her teeth and quietly cusses as once again she cannot find a single shred of information on her Commanding Officer. He only exists in the sense he is accounted for in naval records, but no history, no birthplace, and no previous stations. What really bothers her is that he is in his sixties and has admitted he graduated from one of the Naval Academies rather early for some reason, therefore he has had at least a forty-year service record. Being a Commodore is great and all, but being in the navy that long and seemingly being as respected as him, he should at least be some form of admiral. It makes no sense to her so she can't trust him.

She leans back in her chair the plush fake leather of the civilian ship's chair sticking to her bare skin as she sits in her room half-nude and desperate for information. Her distrust becoming worse now that the Commodore has practically adopted the alien girl. Mostly Shariah worries he will be abusive to her in some way, purposefully or not. Taking the last swig of astronaut drink in her glass she sighs and gets up from her chair, her feet hitting the carpet of her room. She pulls a diplomatic corps tank-top over her torso and leaves her room. The heated floor makes it so that she doesn't need to wear socks as she walks toward the kitchen area of this section of the ship. Since it is considered "night" for the civillian ship the overhead lights are turned off so the walkway is illuminated by the soft warm, yellow-green glow that the floor tiles produce. Entering the kitchen area she finds Doctor Kelly sitting there in nothing but her underclothes and socks, and she is eating what could be considered a family-sized meal.

The doctor greets her in her normal expressionless way,

"It's a little late for you to be up Miss Jamestown. What are you after this late?"

Shariah huffs in amusement as the icy and beautiful blonde shovels another heaping bite of food into her mouth before Shariah responds shaking her empty glass,

"Drank all of my tang. "

The scientist nods and continues eating as Shariah opens the fridge and grabs the pitcher. While pouring herself a glass she asks Uriel,

"So, doctor... I know it's your genetic line that gives you an appetite like this, but how do you keep your amazing figure? I mean I feel bad even drinking this artificial stuff."

Uriel huffs in amusement, swallows, and then answers,

"Well, it's partially my lineage too, basically we have huge appetites, but we are like steam boilers we burn through calories like wildfire. Something about an intense metabolism. Apparently, it allows for some better brainpower and sometimes better stamina recovery but all I see it as is I can eat and drink and still remain proper sized.

Plus I work out for two hours every day because that energy has to be released somewhere."

Shariah is stunned for a moment at the response of the woman, expecting a purely clinical explanation as she normally does, but this was oddly human for her. Uriel then scoots her chair back squeezes a pinch from her gut and laments,

"But as I get older I find it hard to keep my pooch off."

Shariah makes a small stunned noise at this, never had she ever thought Dr.Uriel Kelly would be self conscious. Her icy yet dignified expression, good build, and incredible accolades made Shariah feel almost inadequate, but at the same time, Shariah really liked this more human side of her. She actually feels like a person to her, rather than some pillar of perfect womanhood. Shariah nods as Dr.Uriel cocks her head and still speaking flatly asks,

"Is something bothering you Diplo-Colonel? Feel free to speak about it with me. As much as I seem to be disinterested in everything and keep things professional, I would like to be friendly with my fellows on this ship.

Plus, how can a grandma ignore such a young sweet thing?"

Shariah feels her hair damn near stand on in as she exclaims,

"You're a grandma?!"

Uriel cracks a slight smile and answers,

"Yes, Josef and I have three children who are all grown up and have their own lives on different planets, and recently two of them gave us our first grandchildren."

Shariah now sits down across from the woman who she just remembered was in her mid-sixties despite her late twenties appearance. She is interested in this now. She leans forward and asks,

"So why did you accept this task despite having grandkids?"

She shrugs and responds flatly as ever,

"Well, as much as we do love our kids and grandkids, they wouldnt forgive us for letting an oppurtunity like this slip away just to see our grandchildren at an age where they won't remember us. Plus each one of our kids have families on different planets so it's rare we get to see them anyway. "

Shariah exhales sharply in amusement at how absurd this information is, but the old woman catches her,

"Well, you sat down. Now tell me what's on your mind?"

Shariah realizes she has been trapped, lulled in by the conversation, and now is forced to share her information after Uriel had shared it with her already. With a sigh, Shariah starts,

"Well... it's about Commodore Hollander..."

While Uriel's expression remains flat, through the darkness Shariah can see mischief in the eyes of the blonde as she says flatly,

"Ohhhh? Is this young lady falling in love with the dashing naval officer?"

Shariah sighs, not reacting and giving the woman any satisfaction before explaining,

"No, quite the opposite. I can't trust him. He is a paradox and I don't like being so unsure about a person. It goes against my training and the way I was raised. Plus there is the alien girl. She is quite attractive and I'm worried he may use his position of absolute power over her to do something wrong."

To Shariah's suprise Uriel breaks her normal stoic demeanor and starts quietly laughing, covering her mouth as her whole body heaves in amusement. When she collects herself Uriel explains,

"Well, if it's that last part that's bothering you don't worry about it. Barnabas is a very special breed of man. Yeah, he'll get unprofessionally attached to her probably, but not in the way you worry about. He'll probably take her in as a daughter most likely, hell he's been looking for something to fill the whole for a while since he lost his kids."

Shariah feels her jaw damn near fall to the table and Uriel notices that before explaining,

"Sorry, while yes he was technically a father, none were biologically his and he's never had a girlfriend past two dates, much less a wife.

Back on our homeworld his family eventually came into money and he unfortunately inherited it far too young but he did lots of philanthropy with it while the business expanded before his younger brother got old enough to take it over. One of his biggest projects was running a sort of orphanage or temporary living home for kids who lost their parents to the curse, or otherwise, since our homeworld was a shithole. He got really attached to all of the kids and you can't imagine how he blubbered on and on when one got adopted or the foster system finally found a foster family for them."

Shariah for a moment feels bad about distrusting the Commodore. If Uriel is telling the complete truth it sounds like he is a completely upstanding and kind person. There still is one issue in her mind though as she asks,

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Tell me Dr.Kelly, why is he only a Commodore despite his long service time? His entire file is missing and classified no matter how high of a person I ask for the information. "

She stops for a moment but before Uriel and respond Shariah remembers,

"And you called him the Eater of Worlds. What is that about, is it related?"

Uriel doesn't show any emotion but in her eyes, Shariah can see sadness. Uriel then responds,

"I see that has been bothering you and I can't say I blame you. I won't explain it as I will not talk about negative things about my friend behind his back, but I will tell you this.

If you haven't had any luck looking him up, check the database on this ship, not under personnel records but public ones. Make sure you look up that nickname. You'll find something."

Shariah nods and thanks the woman before heading back to her room. Once inside she removes the top gets back to her computer and types in,

"Eater of Worlds."

Immediately she gets lots of results. She kicks herself out of frustration having neglected searching those exact words.

Every image is of what looks to be a chimera of derelict ships that crashed into one another over time after being in a debris field for a prolonged period. If the glow of the fusion engines wasn't present, this would probably be the case. Shariah notes everything is strapped to a central vessel, an American battleship of some sort, through image enhancement she can see the nearly completely scraped-off word,

"USS Starwish."

Looking at that central ship she can see most of the main turrets were blown clean off with long gouges in the many-meter-thick armor before and after the destroyed weapon system. The front of the ship looks to have been obliterated by something incomprehensibly powerful, somehow melted, sheared, and shattered all at the same time easily halving the ship's entire length. Most of the other attached ships are smaller and seemingly were only attached as replacements for the main weapons systems. Shariah has the science vessels onboard damage control and identification AI take a look at it to see what hit the ship. It quickly reports,

PROBABLE CAUSE OF DAMAGE CONFIRMED WITH 80% CERTAINTY

NATIVE WEAPON SYSTEMS DESTROYED BY RELATIVISTIC WEAPONRY 95% CERTAINTY

MAIN BODY DAMAGED BY RAMMING ACTION AT HYPERSONIC VELOCITY 99.5% CERTAINTY

VARIOUS MUNITION STRIKES 50% CERTAINTY

NUCLEAR DETONATION 70% CERTAINTY

IMPROPER SHIP MODIFICATIONS 100% CERTAINTY

RECOMMENDATION: HAVE THE SHIP SENT TO A SCRAPPING STATION TO BE RECYCLED.

Shariah leans forward interested in her find, whatever happened to this ship was catastrophic and it is some sort of answer to her questions about the Commodore. looking through all the information she notices they are all news reports from the Reconquest War, where the UNCA tried to come back after a good hundred years to reconquer. Then there is the headlines themselves.

"Millions Dead...

Planet left uninhabitable for Hundreds of years scientists say...

Monster...

US Navy leaves no comment...

Seas boiled away in nuclear fire...

Gomorrah capital of UNCA remnants turned to ash as atmosphere burns..."

Shariah's eyes go wide as she reads about the atrocities committed by this so-called "Eater of Worlds", she can't see Commodore Hollander doing this. Then there is the final headline mentioning the Eater of Worlds,

"Court declares Eater of Worlds not guilty of genocide, instead found guilty of disregarding Naval codes and going AWOL. The actual sentence is unknown, but the Admiral of the entire Navy states that he will be punished severely for a long time."

All of this floors Shariah, it makes no sense, not one bit of it. Yet at the same time it does make sense. She is confused and quite worried about this mission, most of all she worries about why the Navy made him the head military officer of the operation.

Unfortunately, she cannot think of an answer. If he really is this Eater of Worlds, he is also the only one willing to eradicate a potentially hostile alien race in order for humanity to survive...

The council of nobles is in an uproar. They are arguing over one another about the strange beings from an area of space life shouldn't have formed, much less a space fairing species. Lots of allegations of conspiracy, outright lies, and the validity of one another's mothers' marital statuses get thrown around before finally, a shrill bird-like whistle causes the room to be silent immediately. Lady Skarshoul then speaks,

"Enough squabbling like chicks awaiting their mother's beak!

Now let us let those who came aboard the Human vessel speak first as they have also the most experience in diplomatic talks with the humans."

One of the nobles stands and begins,

"The Humans are a crude and plain species. Clearly, they have no room for aesthetics in their culture and society. This means they are quite primitive, but still space-capable which is worrying. I believe they will have some novel concepts for us to learn once they join our glorious kingdom."

They sit and another speaks,

"Their ships are constructed entirely of metals, both steel and unknown. I believe their home systems are quite rich in mineral resources and they have the means to harvest them and utilize them in grand quantity. This alone means bringing them in will be quite a boon. I also believe any compliance issues will be solved easily as their level of magic is so naturally low I could barely sense it, and the richness of our natural auras would kill them!"

This one sits and another speaks,

"Another early star sailing species. Nothing new, but entertaining nonetheless. "

No others speak until Lady Skarshoul looks right at the Shipmaster and asks,

"Shipmaster Gharlguts, you have been quiet yet you are the most familiar on a personal level with the human leader. Tell us what you recommend."

The Shipmaster sits quietly for a moment, the fire in his beard a dull smolder and he says,

"I recommend cooperation with the humans rather than outright annexation and assimilation. We should strive to bring them in slowly."

The whole chamber gasps in shock and Lady Skarshoul raises a wing before questioning mockingly,

"Has old Gharlguts gone soft in his eighth century? Tell me, did a novel spell catch you off guard."

He sighs and then answers,

"No. I had it explained and shown to me. Those attacks from the sky were not rare for them. Those were mass-produced weapons, and they consider them nearly standard-issue for their soldiers and navy. Their ships, while quite stark in appearance are outdated and mass-produced, the Commodore could not give a number of total vessels they field. Most of all I saw their ship armament. Their flagship, while small easily matched mine in firepower from a single weapons system. Then changing the projectile they fired they outdid my ship many times over in capability. I fear that weapon as it could shatter my vessel in a single shot, and I have reason to believe that this so-called Yue-Ess-Ess Kot Feesh is not their heaviest-hitting vessel as it is purely a mobile command center.

Their planets number in the thousands with millions of populations each. What worried me the most was how their Shipmaster Commodore saw the slaughter he committed. He considered it in the same way a skirmish should be considered and he highly insinuated that their battles most likely cost thousands upon thousands of lives.

So pardon my cowardice, but we should seek cooperation until we can either counter their weapons or they willingly join us."

The room is silent as their most respected warrior and military officer speaks in a sad and defeated tone. The Shipmaster was known for being prideful, and in this moment he admitted he not only felt afraid but felt as if his ship would be easily defeated. No one speaks for a while unitl the shocked Lady Skarshoul decrees,

"We will not engage the humans in conflict. We should send for a royal inquisitor to advise us on this whole human situation. We should allow the royal family to decide the fate of these humans. Raise your right hand if you agree with this vote."

All hands raise, and the deal is done.

A magical message is sent to the capital. One reading,

"Unknown species found. Novel magical concepts are believed. Send Inquisitor for advice."

It is accepted by the king himself by the end of the day...

End Operation Courtier

Begin Operation Inquisition

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End of Operation Force Composition

1 Viking Class Large-Cruiser- USS Catfish- Role: Flagship and Fire Support

3 SF-21 Fighters- 6 support wingmen each

2 UD-12 Dropships- Gunship Configuration

Marine compliment- 100

2 Preist Class Support and Fabrication Vessels- USS Shovelnose, USS Palid- Role: Auxillary

Marine Compliment- 50

2 MacArthur Class Heavy Cruisers- USS Terrapin, USS Snapper- Role: Battleline

2 UD-12 Dropship

Marine Compliment -100

4 Bowman Class Missile Cruisers- USS Quillback, USS Hognose, USS Redhorse, USS Buffalo-Role: Long Range Combat

Marine Compliment- 100

4 Cutter Class Destroyers- USS Bluegill, USS Longear, USS Redear, USS Shellcracker- Role: Escort

Marine Compliment- 80

4 Teach Class Destroyers- USS Largemouth, USS Smallmouth, USS Spotted, USS Neosho- Role: Backline Disruption

Marine Compliment- 100

2 Hellstorm Class Frigates- USS Eel, USS Lamprey- Role: Naval Raiding

Marine Compliment- 50

1 Arsenal Bird Class Drone Carrier- USS Heron- Role: Drone Carrier

400 MQ-25 "Parasite" attack Drones

20 MQ-30 "Plover" Bomber Drones

Marine Compliment-25

6 Boohag Class Marine Transports- USS Bullfrog, USS Peeper, USS Daddys Belt, USS Toad, USS Newt, USS Salamander- Role: Marines

8 UD-12 Dropships- Gunship Configuration

1200 Marines

800 Shipbreakers

4 M3A1 "Stonewall" MBT

24 M8A3 "Gavin" IFVs

8 M112 MRTWP (Multi-role Transport Weapons Platform)

12 M8 "Bunny" Fast Attack/Recon Vehicles

Total Force:

26 Capital Vessels

12 Dropships

3 Manned Fighters

420 Drone Fighters

2505 Marines (Including Shipbreakers)

48 Ground IFVs (Crews included)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________