Kallim sat in his main chamber chair as his fellow council argued the latest issues from their territories.
“We have seen their warships and their destructive power!” Reka argued, “What are the scientists doing to curb further destruction of our fleet, Breka!”
“I do not know. Whatever it is, it's not something we can create out of nowhere. We have nowhere to begin,” Breka replied.
“Do we have anything that can be synthesized to replicate the properties of their munitions? Or perhaps an increase in shielding technology?” Reka asked pleadingly.
He referred to the video that played before them on the central floor. It was broken and chopped but an image of a Terran vessel fired a volley into the broadside of one of Dalogon's ships. The result of heavily armored ships were reduced to molten debris with bits and pieces still aflame as they were thrown from their original location aboard a vessel. The video played in a loop during their exchange.
“As I said, Reka, if we don't know the basis on which it is founded, we can't research the specific effects you want!”
Reka fumed, but resigned to his seat.
“How are we with our ship production? Do we have a total?”
“I do,” Breka started, “Current production over the last two years has yielded a bountiful supply of ships.”
The screen changed from the older footage to a chart.
“We are sitting at fifty Corvettes, fifty destroyers, one hundred frigates, and four carriers. We've also been able to increase production in the Torkin System for fighters. Due to their help, we have over ten thousand in fighter craft. Six thousand are dedicated to the fighter class, three thousand are bombers and a little over one thousand are interceptor class.”
Breka took a deep breath and took his seat to recapture his breathing.
“Monetarily, we are at a severe loss, but with this production, we can recuperate some several years by selling or leasing planets we take from the Terrans.”
The council members were pleased with that assessment. They reviewed the documents before them and agreed that while now they were in the red, they could maintain for a few years longer. They would just need to retake whatever fell to their enemy and beyond.
“What of the status of the Verbus residents?” Councilman Polas inquired, “As far as I'm aware, the footage we saw was in orbit of Tola by a scout ship. I fear they will soon be upon Sellia and we must curb their advance! At all costs!”
“I couldn't agree with you more, Polas,” replied Galem, “But we received verification that the masses are unharmed.”
“From who or where did you hear that?” called out Polas, “We have not been able to make direct contact with the Verbus System!”
“C-calm down, Polas,” Galem said soothingly, “It was out of control, but a video leaked on the Net.”
He changed the monitor, and it was a forum with all manner of topics popular with the citizens. The Forums were screened periodically for anything relating to the Union of the Terrans but lately, there's been a wealth of sightings and stipulations online that had to be forcibly taken down. No matter how hard they tried, they kept popping up.
Kallim looked upon the display. It was a live feed of Galem browsing the site. He opened several topics that were earlier topics that spoke in dissent of the war. There were many topics like that and many topics would get particular systems investigated because of mysterious happenings such as the Lassus worker droid malfunctions.
Upon investigation indicated that the maintenance droid was a line cook that went on a stabbing spree before being neutralized by station security. The comments had dubbed the droid Mr. Stabby. He noticed how many had taken to the name, and it was a hot topic for a time.
That was until the page updated that revealed a new topic that was rapidly gaining attention in the thirty minutes it had been up.
When they clicked on the topic, it opened with a video. The author of the topic was someone who called themselves “The Owl of Justice And Law”. Galem, curiously clicked on the video, revealing a new snippet of humanity.
It started on a handheld device from whom they assumed to be a fellow Sellian as they made their way through a town square. In the center of the square was a singular ship that was painted in a drab green with evidence of scratches on the hull to reveal the steel gray beneath. The ship was surrounded by men in green and blotch-colored grays with brightly colored tinted visors over their eyes. Their faces were revealed and showed all manner of color from light pink to dark brown and sometimes beyond that. Their teeth were white when they smiled, revealing how similar they were.
Kallim thought they were going to watch a slaughter but instead, they were mingling with the locals. The children ran up to them and were gifted sweets. Some had even held them in their arms along with the family and pictures were taken.
Then the video turned to the individual being met by one of the soldiers. This time they wore black colored armor with a blotched gray and black pattern beneath with a full visor tinted purple and the reflection of the individual was apparent.
It was a young female that was gifted with a souvenir. She held it in her hands to observe it. It was a wooden figure of a Sellian draped in a flowing gown made from wood.
“…”
They were at a loss when Polas brought them to the forefront.
“Quickly! Block it! Scrub it!”
A tech scribe that sat on the side of the chamber manned a series of computers and quickly went to work. He tried his hardest to remove it and with the help of the server technicians, they were able to finally remove the video. However, even though they had removed it, the view counter revealed that just about 40% of the Sellian citizenry saw it. 25 Billion.
Kallim, along with the rest of the council, slumped in their seats. They had removed it but how many saved it? Kallim knew of the latest programs that were coming out for entertainment. It's possible many had saved it sharing it through who knows what.
“Can we recover from this, Polas?” Kallim said, “It won't be good if the enemy we tell them about are good people. It'll defeat the purpose of your speeches.”
Polas nodded, “I-It's fine! W-we can spin it as Terran propaganda trying to win the masses! Besides, if it is from the Verbus System, how do we know it's not already fake?”
The rest agreed with a nod.
“We've had no communication in or out from the system, and the fleets in Trill have not reported anything in the system.” Reka added, “Polas might be right. It could be a trick.”
The council surmised that it indeed was a doctored video, and they had somehow managed to crack their net security.
“Breka, how is our net department?” Kallim asked.
“We've had decent developments in expanding the net and security has been tight. Probably better than those Yun'ni. Granted, it's been a while since we last…corroborated.”
Kallim's eyes narrowed in thought.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
If they were able to remove the account so quickly and its topic, then perhaps they had a hole in their security and ordered it to be looked into.
Kallim was about to dismiss the council when a call from a guard came from the doors that led to the diplomatic landing pad.
“C-Councilmen!!” he came ragged and winded. He took a moment to catch what air he could, “M-M-Mistress!! T-the Union Mistress!!!!!”
Kallim was put on guard immediately. His fellow council members were ignorant of the title and were left confused. The Union Mistress was inbound and from the direction the guard arrived; she was already here.
“You will all follow my lead, am I understood?” Kallim demanded.
It was a tone of voice they had not been subject to, and they silently nodded.
“Good. Guards! Secure the chambers and ensure no one enters!”
A set of guards nodded and went about their duties with urgency. Kallim stood from his seat and fixed whatever issue there was in his clothing, which was subsequently followed by his subordinates. Their throats ached and felt dry from anxiousness. Kallim felt his heartbeat to the point where he thought it was going to explode. A thought Kallim hoped would actually come true only for his dreams to betray him.
Silence filled the room and overhead skylights were dimmed revealing a dimly lit scene with only the fluorescent to light the main walkway and the area just below their seats. He found it dramatic, but he couldn't risk word getting out, so the only power that ran through the chambers targeted only the doors and floor lights.
A single guard then came from the landing pad door,“Council,” The guard said with loudly hushed tones, “The Union Mistress requests an audience!”
Kallim gulped, as did his colleagues, and motioned for the guard to direct them in. He wondered if the Mistress and her guards could have been seen but remembered that the diplomatic landing pad was an enclosed space. He couldn't risk Union forces being found out by the masses who had also visited the Council. It was a headache he would leave for later.
The door that the guard was posted opened. A large group of creatures entered, and their frame was too large for the doors that they were forced to hunch below the top of the frame. There were approximately six individuals in a circle as they walked down the aisle to the chamber center floor. The light illuminated their body, sending shivers down their spines.
The two in front and back walked on their hind legs while their two kin on the sides prowled on all fours. They were scaled on the dorsal side of their body giving a texture of thin chitin that looked like a segmented oval pattern. The spine had a low-profile series of rounded spikes trailed to the rear. Their underbelly was soft with the same oval pattern but was a lighter color than the scales on top. Their overall color was brown and gray. When they snarled, rows of razor-sharp teeth were present and exposed. Their snout was relatively short, but it was long and big enough for Kallim and his colleagues' heads to fit perfectly. It was nothing short of fear and with each step, their tails waved; thick enough to deliver a defining blow with a tip thin enough to act like a whip.
They made their way onto the area below the councilmen. Kallim and the rest bowed fervently, “It is our pleasure to finally be met with your presence, Union Mistress,” stated Kallim.
A slam from the leading beast's tail rocked the chamber, and they raised their heads. The beasts had moved and revealed a much smaller individual in their center. She was dressed in layers of lavish garments, brilliantly colored with expertly crafted floral designs complimentary to the colors presented. The garments themselves were obviously too much for any one person the extra fabric trailed around and behind. The outfit was colored in orange, red, white, and black. The designs themselves were threaded with what looked like metal and gleamed gold and silver in the available light.
The individual, however, was mammalian in nature with triangle ears and a similarly tapered snout with white and orange-colored fur. Her garments were worn just below the shoulder, revealing the top parts of her fur-laden chest.
She was just a few inches taller than the average Sellian and her race was notorious for being the largest portion of warriors in the Union.
“To w-what do we owe the pleasure?” Kallim said meekly. She began to pace the center area with the anxious council. The threat of the beasts beside her drove into their being.
“I hear that you are having a little problem in your section of space,” the Mistress said in a sweetly pitched tone that would discard worry from the unsuspecting, but they remained vigilant.
Kallim nodded in affirmation, “You may be correct in your assumption. But what is the Mistress of the Union doing in Sellian space?”
“That Is the question, is it not? I know why you seceded oh so long ago, but I believe it's time we bring things back to the way they were. We could really use your help right about now.”
He was confused. What could the Union possibly be going through that they would induct the Sellians back into their territory?
“You see,” she started, “I've seen the supply of those beings from beyond the other side of your space. Poor things. We find it much more profitable if you join us in your campaign against, oh what do they call themselves? Ah! Terran.” she snarled revealing her teeth and her yellow eyes narrowed to slit like a predator prepared to pounce.
“W-what do you plan to do with them?” Breka interjected, in opposition to Kallim.
She recovered her posture to the previously elegant pose, “They are quite well-rounded as a species and their genome is surprisingly malleable to some mammalian races, such as mine. We've already had some successful breeds from those slaves you had captured. So, we're hoping you can help us with that!”
She said with a high pitch, indicating some form of joy. Kallim looked at his councilmen and answered, “As you know, it hasn't been long since we left the union, and we intend to keep it as such. Our relationships with The Toska can fill that gap with the Terrans we supply.”
“Well, If you say so. Perhaps in a few generations, we can have Terrans of our own,” She said before turning, “By the way, this was just a courtesy visit. The Union Masters know nothing of this. Are we to be understood?” They nodded.
“Good. I will be in touch and as a gift, I will have a small detachment of my Runians to act as your guards. I have a feeling you made need them.”
She left with the Runi'ans in tow before being called out by Kallim.
“Mistress!” She turned to meet his gaze, “Are you really not going to press us into joining?”
“Really Kallim?” she said nonchalantly, “I'm sure you’ll come our way, especially with the storm brewing near you. Those of Run'ia will fight to the death on your behalf. Use them well. And Kallim, you may call me Neela.” She winked and turned with a wave.
When they left for that landing pad and the doors closed, they were now stuck with the deafening silence that permeated the chambers. The natural lights began filtering through the previously dimmed windows and the whir of auxiliary technology came to life with blinking lights and constant intervals.
Kallim sighed heavily, “To think we would be visited by Neela herself…”
The rest of the council was still confused about her exact status and Reka was the first to address their ignorance.
“Head Chief Kallim,” he started, “Who exactly is this Neela? And should we be worried?” His brethren agreed with a nod.
Kallim then took a large breath before he spoke, “Yes…”
“Have you ever wondered who the Union Mistress is?” to which they shook their head's no, “You are all aware of the Union and their forces, correct? Their space-faring vessels all belong to the Flag Union and are largely made up of the races led by the Union Masters. They're weak, but by conquering the lesser more savage races early on with their ships, they created a separate force to enlist them in.”
“The Legion…” Galem said softly.
“That's right,” Kallim affirmed, “The Legion is made up entirely of their conquered races and make up their infantry and armored division. But that's not what we should be worried about. It's Neela.”
“Then can you get to the point, Head Chief?” Polas said sharply, patience visibly waning from his tone of voice.
“Fine,” Kallim replied curtly, “Neela is not her name. It is a title, and we were visited by the Union Mistress of Neela; she commands both Flag and Legion. We met with the sole commander of the Union Military.”
Breka raised his hand to quietly interject, “Why doesn't she just conquer us if she has that much power?”
“Simple,” interjected Polas, “They have a treaty that the ones above her must recognize, and even with all that power, she must obey the Union Masters,” he said confidently, “Believe it or not, those from the Legion are born and raised to fight solely for the Galactic Union.”
“This is why it's imperative we move forward with the production of ships before the Terrans reach us. Expedite the process, Breka.”
He nodded and departed for his duties. Galem and Reka did the same. However, Galem had a look of worry on his face as he left and Reka mentioned changes to the training regime to quickly fill spots for finished ships. Polas was last to leave and stated that he was to prepare a speech to further increase the urgency of their immediate threat while also alluding to an upcoming conflict with the Union. It was a mess, and it made Kallim's head spin.
“I do wonder if it truly is too late for diplomacy…” He said softly before retiring to his quarters.