After Basillius mentioned making contact with their government the Atteni all looked moderately confused before the startling revelation hit them, and they all gasped and cried out, "Oh! Oh no! I forgot!"

Basillius heaved a sigh and marveled at how these guys seemed just as irresponsible as Catherine. So'Ran habitually tapped his old cane against the floor as he thought about the possible consequences of Catherine's entrance and Vrillex's hurried escape. He thought about the absolute shitstorm that must be brewing and he turned to Basillius with a panicked expression.

"E-Emperor Basillius! If Vrillex showed them the recording of the Amaryllis... Goddess above several races amongst the Compact that would declare war out of fear for your great power couple with Miss Catherine's appearance during first contact! The High Council is probably still debating! We may have time! Goddess preserve us if the Rasen Councilor or our own manage to convince the rest of the Compact..."

Basillius started working out the speeches and strategies he could use to placate this alien species that resembled mice. In the middle of formulating these thoughts, his mind ground to a halt, "I'm sorry? The Rasen? The Compact? There's more? How many species are in your Compact and how many other Polities exist that you have made contact with?"

So'Ran blinked in confusion for a moment as he fought with his previous panic to provide an answer. "Uh... Seventeen? Including us. A-and as for other governments, the big ones are the Razerian Alliance and the Fellid Empire. There are a lot of other civilizations that are either still primitive or are rather isolationist."

Basillius's eyes widened. "All this time... Our only contact was the Azarians so we thought we might be alone. Yet here we are... Finding the galaxy to be so... so full. It's kinda surreal. Can you show us images of those belonging to your Compact at the very least?"

So'Ran squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, "Ahhh... No... I neglected to bring much of anything with me when I left. I-I apologize, your majesty."

Basillius felt an exhausted look creep across his features as So'Ran stumbled over finding the right superfluous title. "There's literally no need to worry about something like my title. Just call me Basillius. Please, I really don't need the stuffy titles. Also, I assumed you might not have managed to bring anything with you if you used the escape pods. I can have the nanites whip up an AR headset that will be able to project your memories. I will need your permission for it if that's alright with you."

So'Ran inwardly berated himself over his blunder and tried to center himself. "Yes... Sir Basillius? I give you permission."

Basillius grunted out a small chuckle at sir and set the nanites to complete the headset. A small cluster of nanites formed in the air and started assembling the headset. The process from start to finish was barely a few seconds piquing Valthan's curiosity. "Basillius? Why are the nanites here faster?"

He looked down at the diminutive mouse with a surprised smile, "Very perceptive, Valthan. Catherine here likes her retro feel. Her whole ship hasn't been updated in a couple hundred years. Those nanites run slow." he said as he handed the freshly printed headset to So'Ran.

As soon as he slipped the headset on it whirred to life projecting a standby screen. Moments later a picture of what looked like a Doberman standing on two legs appeared at a podium. "This is Azariah. The Zenni High Councilor." The figure behind the podium shifted to the form of a bipedal Rabbit next. "This is the High Council for the Rasen, Venn. He's likely the biggest fearmonger regarding your contact."

Basillius nodded in understanding but So'Ran couldn't figure out why he had such a concerned expression. "Well, moving on." The figure once more shifted to what seemed like an almost normal crow were it not for what seemed to be hands extended from the end of the wings and a golden inlay on its feathers depicting what looked to be some sort of battle. "This is Atrenta. He's the High Councilor for the Askari."

Basillius put out his hand signaling him to stop. "Go ahead and think of them all grouped together. I have something I need to confirm."

So'Ran had a sudden feeling of apprehension but did as he was instructed. An image of all the Councilors standing in their respective seats before some cameras. There were a wide variety of creatures... But all of them originated from Earth. With his answer confirmed Basillius leaned back, sucked in a huge breath of air, and whispered. "What in the actual fuck? They're literally all earth animals... Foxes, crows, moles, sharks, whatever..."

He brought his gaze back down to see Catherine practically drooling at the sight of so many 'cute' creatures. "So'Ran? Those are all species from your Compact? Catherine didn't take you to some furry website... right?"

The incredibly confused look on his face was all Basillius needed. "Fuck... Oh this smells like soooo much more work... Catherine? Did you bring a fragment of Terminatus with you?"

In response to his question, a projection of the AI appeared in front of them. "Lord Basillius? How may I be of service?"

"I'm sure you scanned the Atteni already, so tell me. What's their relation to mice?"

Terminatus waved a wall of data into existence, "They are so close in genetic relation to the Mus musculus that they might as well be cousins. On that note, it really doesn't make much sense for them to be so wildly different from Earth's mice. Yet, here they are. Gigantic, Bipedal, and fully sentient from birth."

Basillius pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "So... Do you know your religions of past or present? Anything that might explain why you are all related to creatures from our cradle world? By the way, we've only been space-faring for a thousand years. Most of that was spent balls deep in combat with henty tenty the tentacle monster too. "

The three Atteni gasped in shock. So'Ran quickly crossed his chest in some odd hexagonal pattern, "A-are you sure... We were delivered unto this galaxy the Lady of Life, Lunisia. She created perfect worlds for every race and seeded them with the beginnings of life as we know it. She used her wonderous magicks to breathe life into dead soil and to wake sleeping planets. We were seeded from her planet. She taught us so as she gave us the tools to till the earth and start our lives. She wanted us to remember her and her people. Claiming that we originate from your world has... implications. So... Are you truly certain?"

Basillius sighed deeply and tossed a freshly printed datapad to him with pictures of every Compact race preloaded. "Did you Goddess resemble us but with long ears and wings?"

So'Rans eyes started watering. "Yes... Finally, we have found those who must be passed the torch of remembrance."

Basillius quickly shut down that train of thought. "Nope. Miss angel/space elf didn't originate from our world. Though she did make her final stop there. We found what was left of her final words during the Azarian assaults in the Sol system. A stray mass driver round made it through the point defense systems and magically struck the building she spent her last days in. Much of it was destroyed but our archeological efforts after the invasion was repelled showed some interesting facts."

"So... You are not her people? She must have seeded the life on your world then?"

"Also no. She just modified something referred to only as 'The Template'. It apparently took the last of her energy to do so, after which she passed away. Her people were recorded as slaughtered by the very threat we've been dealing with. She was searching the galaxy for a solution. It was recorded that she seeded life on over one hundred worlds. Though after all this time we assumed her experiments failed and the galaxy was void of life. Was not expecting space zootopia."

Basillius stood to his full height and let out a deep, rumbling groan before turning to a nearby bulkhead and slamming his head into it. With his face firmly imprinted into the Basillian steel bulkhead, he yelled, "Fuck! This is confusing... So... So unnecessarily confusing. This has to do with 'The Template'... But I have literally no clue... How did she get earth life that's evolved over billions of years on her planet? Is her planet Earth? No, her records said otherwise... Fuckit."

His rant finished he pulled his face free from its steel embrace with the wall creating an odd sound between a 'pop' and a 'clang'. "Lets... Lets just go. I'll think about this later... Might have to see if she's still awake in the veil..."