Memory transcription subject: Chief Hunter Isif, Arxur Dominion Sector Fleet
Date [standardized human time]: December 17, 2136
Proxima Centauri was the site of many human endeavors, which I had guessed due to its constant ship activity. The nearest stellar system to Sol had once been where the Zurulian hospital fleet amassed, to tend to an ailing Earth. Now, it was a bastion of human ships and drones; rapid deployment was possible with a snap of their fingers. This went beyond the colony, which had temporary housing, and the hastily-assembled stations around the worlds.
The fleet that the Terrans were constructing was enormous, and ripe with novelties that I had never seen. Identifying these devices proved difficult, with how out-of-the-box humans could think. An excessive amount of patrollers prowled the system, ready to warp off to Earth or Venlil Prime at a notice. Anti-FTL buoys and other mines saturated the system.
Even Olek and Lisa were wowed by the sights in the viewport. Probes propelled by solar sails could maneuver without emissions. Asteroids had FTL drives strapped to them, and other debris had engines attached as well. Artificial rods and slabs of metal were ready to be slingshotted at an enemy. There were other projectiles I failed to classify, though I was glad none deigned to attack me.
“Fascinating. I thought that visiting a system outside of Sol would lessen the military presence,” I murmured.
Felra’s whiskers twitched. “I had no clue they’d built so many ships, so fast.”
“Our industrial power’s something else in a war economy, huh?” Olek rubbed his eyes, as he strained to make out the details. “Who knows what secret weapons the UN is ready to deploy? Maybe even those death rays they denied existed during the Satellite Wars.”
Lisa looked exasperated as ever. “Olek, the Grand Gulf meltdown and those fires were caused by hacking, not a death ray. And don’t tell me, ‘That’s what they want you to think.’”
“But it is!”
The Dossur giggled, as she paced back and forth across my console buttons. I couldn’t believe how quickly the prey animal had grown accustomed to me; she seemed determined to help me. Felra had drilled me on every aspect of Betterment, from their policy goals to the powers of a Chief Hunter. It didn’t seem that there was a suitable way out, but I was hoping the United Nations would have some advice.
I stiffened, as a blinking icon appeared on my data feed. “There’s a civilian transport approaching us, on an intercept course. Transmitting a looping message…”
“Well? What’s it say?” Olek prompted.
Lisa crossed her arms. “I hope it doesn’t say, ‘Isif is a fraud and a liar.’ If he isn’t what he claims to be, we’re guilty of dereliction of duty.”
“Hey! Siffy brought an entire fleet just to rescue me.” Felra swept her tiny tail across the console, and bared her teeth in an aggressive gesture. “If that’s not honest and caring, what is? Besides, he hasn’t eaten me yet.”
“I would not dream of such a thing,” I hissed. “The message says that humanity is sending a diplomatic envoy aboard.”
My blood burned, as I recalled the last boarding party to breach my ship. Waltzing into the heart of Terran territory again wasn’t my first option, but I was in hot water. There was no one else to turn to, except the lukewarm United Nations. Knowing General Jones, she’d been keeping tabs on me and expecting my visit.
It seems she was able to keep Zhao from siccing the dogs on me. Our shuttle hasn’t been attacked or confronted.
I brought my vessel to a standstill, and tried to trust that Jones had the situation under control. Making my shuttle easy to breach should signal my compliance. A thunk passed through the hull, as the diplomatic transport latched into the side. After affirming that the airlock was sealed and affixed to the UN ship, I unlocked the entrance from our side.
The two UN soldiers, whose formal names were Oleksiy Bondarenko and Lisa Reynolds, snapped upright. Their postures were as stiff as if someone jabbed a taser in their spines, and their flat palms looked glued to their foreheads. My maw locked with disdain, as I recognized the uniformed man flanking General Jones. She had the nerve to alert Secretary-General Zhao of my movements, and bring him to greet me?
“Chief Hunter Isif,” Earth’s leader proclaimed. “We’re pleased to welcome you to Proxima Centauri.”
General Jones offered a smug smile. “Everything you see here is only the tip of the iceberg. If the Kolshians think they can pick off our allies, one-by-one, and have us sit by and watch, they’re in for a rough week.”
“We can’t defend all of our allied territory with the full might of Terra. But we’re putting the finishing touches on our military spearhead. If we take the fight to them, they’ll have to withdraw their forces,” Zhao concluded.
I chuckled with derision. “You tried that tactic with Kalsim, and he let his own world burn. You humans have a saying about doing the same thing, and expecting a different result, correct?”
“Perhaps it is the definition of insanity. The difference is, the Kolshians care about control and defending their core worlds. Giznel even knows this, from what you passed along to Jones.”
“Zhao knows about me?”
“The SecGen isn’t blind, Isif, he’s not a Feddie,” Jones remarked. “Five Eyes had some knowledge pertinent to the Dominion’s upper echelons that we couldn’t explain. Zhao put two and two together.”
“As much as I’d like to chew her ear off for withholding intelligence, we can’t afford to be divided.” The Secretary-General clasped his hands behind his back. “Earth is fully committed to a total war. If we don’t demolish the Federation’s foundations, we can’t guarantee our citizens’ safety. Would you like to finish, spymaster Jones?”
“Gladly. In essence, we have no idea what we’re walking into. The Kolshians’ true strength, and any concealed weapons they have up their sleeves. They clearly believe that Aafa is impenetrable, and we’ll need to pass through other species’ space to get to them. They know our stealth tactics, so we have to fight.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So you have to work your way up to the top.”
“Precisely. The Farsul are the quiet conspirators, and got taken down a notch post-extermination fleet, but they still held out against an Arxur raid with minimal damage. They claimed to have committed their entire arsenal, yet that clearly couldn’t be further from the truth. We can’t discount their trickery either.”
“That’s what we’re up against,” the Secretary-General said. “We’re calling this operation the Phoenix Fleet. Built from the ashes of Earth. Might I give you a personal tour, Isif, as a peace offering between us? Your friends are welcome to join.”
The fact was, with my cover in shambles, I needed the United Nations’ direction just to survive the next week. My interest in interacting with Zhao was negligible, but I offered a grudging nod. Olek and Lisa were given permission to stand at ease, and relaxed their postures. Jones then sauntered up to the console, inputting a flight course that steered us around various sights.
That glint in her eyes…she already knows the trouble I’m in. Betterment will want my head.
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Just to cement her disconcerting omniscience, Jones handed Olek a pair of glasses. The male soldier looked taken aback, muttering something about matching his prescription. I was sure the fact that the UN was spying on me wouldn’t embolden his conspiracies at all. Lisa was studying me, and I recalled her suggestion on the shuttle ride for me to defect. As easy as that escape may be, it wouldn’t salvage my people’s future.
The two human soldiers annoyed me at first, but they were growing on me a tiny bit. They felt more authentic and representative of their kind than Jones or Zhao. With Jones especially, it felt like she was hoarding information as a weapon. The Arxur never plotted to the lengths that Terrans did; that’s why, even with Felra’s aid, I failed to recover my facade after saving Mileau.
As we glided into the Proxima system, Zhao gestured to a rocky planet. It appeared to be a testing ground for bombs, with occasional missile launches from the planet’s surface too. Felra squeaked in alarm, spotting the humans practicing orbital raids. I agreed with the Dossur, at least in pinpointing Earth’s motives. There were no uses for long-range antimatter besides pure destruction.
“We are practicing precision strikes from above with smaller warheads, and with larger-yield weapons too.” The Secretary-General pulled up some specs on his holopad, including a few cruise missiles that could be launched from airdropped platforms. “Rest assured, my Dossur comrade, there is a dual purpose for these exercises.”
Felra’s ears quivered. “You’re…practicing raiding Federation planets. Do you intend to let any survive?”
“The United Nations is prepared to reciprocate hostile actions, after what happened on Mileau. However, while civilians may wind up as collateral, they are not explicit targets. The smaller missiles are designed to contain the impact to areas and structures vital to military operations.”
“Then why are you practicing with full-scale warheads?”
“That is a training exercise. We’re attempting to construct a ground intercept system, which can detonate orbital munitions before they hit the surface. It’s the same idea as a missile defense system such as the Iron Dome.”
“We’re practicing how many planetary strikes we can intercept and improving our technology,” Jones added. “Also, with all the reverse engineering we’ve done, we have many new additions to our fleets. If I may…”
My shuttle continued on its charted course, peeling away from the testing ground. If Earth had been able to stop missiles before they impacted the ground, perhaps their losses would’ve been less severe. It was incredible how quickly the humans were improving. Their innovation was unsurpassed, and I could see the beginnings of a galactic superpower falling together.
If the Terrans had a few months to get everything in order, this would all be a different story. They are a driven species, to come from their first FTL ship to this in months.
Felra’s fear scent still lingered in the air, but her eyes glistened with curiosity. I could only imagine how she felt, touring a predator’s killing devices after learning that her friend was an Arxur commander. To exacerbate our dilemma, she had watched me tear four Kolshians apart like it was nothing! I reminded myself to explain to the Dossur that humans couldn’t have done this without allied manufacturing power. Even in war preparations, they proved themselves a social species that outshone the Arxur.
“Are you okay?” I whispered. “This is a more up-close-and-personal view of human killing abilities than you likely intended.”
Felra chuckled, though the nerves seeped into her tone. “I was curious about joining an exchange program, but this is more than I bargained for. I could do with a little more petting, and less bombs.”
Lisa coughed. “I heard that. Careful what you wish for.”
The shuttle approached a drone hub, which appeared to include self-piloted hospital ships. The Terrans wouldn’t need to divert any qualified helmsmen to ferry the medics into battle. General Jones fiddled with my console, determining how to highlight items on the viewport. Her binocular eyes sparkled with pride; the drone program was her brainchild.
“Not only are we experimenting with varying drone sizes, and with automating certain functions even in manned ships…but we’ve also crafted mini-drones.” The spymaster’s rosy lips turned up, and she highlighted a handful of specks. “Small enough to fit in my hand, and you can fly ‘em like steered bullets. Good luck targeting something so tiny.”
My growl vibrated with appreciation. “They could find chinks in armor and be rigged to explode. Or be used as scouts, alongside those solar sail probes you have.”
“I’m glad to speak to someone who appreciates our craftsmanship. Tarva, bless her heart, gets this blank look in her eyes when I delve into military details, and General Kam just acts like a cheerleader. I’m not sure he knows what he’s applauding.”
“You’ve learned of our shield-breaking technology, with how we kicked Shaza’s hind end with it.” Zhao flashed his teeth, insufferable in his haughtiness. “You see the drones in a simulated engagement, portside? They can take out enemy shields now, optimally, without human input.”
“Hrrr, shield-breakers. That’s all well and good until they turn that tactic back at you, yes? Element of surprise…gone.”
“Keep watching. The ships they’re firing at—look what happens during a shield outage.”
My pupils surveyed the viewport, and I parted my maw with curiosity. Felra climbed up onto my shoulder, getting a better view of the action. The human armaments were duking it out with phony weaponry, and that included a simulation of shield breaker input. They had accounted for such devices being used against them, after all.
Terran craft that lost shields deployed a platform in front of them, which assembled itself into a wall. These fortifications provided an extra layer of defense for human ships, and could absorb lethal munitions being used against them. It was easy enough for the UN to shoot through the gaps, while the enemy’s return fire couldn’t thread the barrier. I wasn’t sure if it was the simplicity or the far-reaching effects of their ingenuity that impressed me.
“That is clever, Zhao. Whenever you are done showing off, hrrr, I could use your help,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
The Secretary-General glanced at me. “The showing off has a point. We are aware of your troubles, but there’s no walking back what happened at Mileau. You should call for an open rebellion against the Dominion.”
“Zhao is right. You have access to the rebel forums to share what you know, and you have the confidence of two sector fleets,” Jones ascertained. “Remind them of how well Earth fed them. We’ve shipped the non-sapient cattle, which we agreed to at Sillis, to your headquarters. A start, if you’re smart with it.”
“That is madness!” My roar reverberated throughout the ship, making every human but Jones flinch. “We’re not ready to fight Betterment. Not without human help, which you won’t give! Food won’t fix that.”
“It’s the hierarchy of needs, Isif. Feeding your people will free their focus to fight intelligently. You have access to fleetwide communications. Perhaps you could offer sanctuary to ‘defectives’ as well.”
“What about human help, Jones? You refuse to fight a two-front war. And you say it has a point, but you haven’t expanded upon the purpose of your boasting either!”
The Secretary-General pursed his lips. “I’ll answer this one. What I’m showing you here is that we have a fighting chance against the Federation. We’re going to slay a giant, or at least try to. We can’t offer you anything today, Isif…but if we make it out in decent shape, humanity will aid you.”
“That’s not now! I’m supposed to campaign on hope and an empty promise?”
“I don’t make empty promises. Look at how far we’ve come; you must believe that we can end the Federation. You need to hold out, to keep yourself and your movement alive, until we finish this fight. Will you give it a shot?”
Felra twitched her whiskers, a sign of encouragement. If my Dossur friend thought this crackpot plan was worth the effort, then perhaps I could try to stand up to the might of Betterment. An influential Arxur like myself was the leader figure a rebellion needed; I’d proven my might in battle, and I knew how to command fleets. The question was whether I could convince enough soldiers to join me.
“I guess we’re going to try to overthrow the Dominion,” I sighed, ignoring Felra’s happy squeak. “Humans, if you believe we could ever have a better future, as I do, you will help me. Any way you can.”
“We will.” Zhao extended his hand, and I gripped it reluctantly. “Not to sound like Jones, but you can’t trust anyone. Keeping you alive will be key. You know that; that’s why you’ve wandered for weeks without an armed escort.”
“Your point is?”
“Perhaps you would trust human soldiers as your full-time guards? If Bondarenko and Reynolds here are up to the task, that is; I cannot give them that order in good faith. It’s a dangerous assignment, beyond the scope of what any soldier signed up for.”
Olek grinned. “Being on the inside of spy insurrection shit…sir? I’m in.”
“If it helps the United Nations, and swings the balance toward galactic peace, I’m in too, sir,” Lisa responded.
I narrowed my eyes. “I could live with keeping them around. Thank you. And Felra, do you want to stay with the humans? It won’t be safe, and there’ll be…lots of Arxur. War and death.”
“You’re not getting rid of me. I said we’d figure it out together. Someone’s gotta teach you how to express your emotions, and who better than a special gal like me?”
Zhao wandered to my console. “You’ve got yourself a crew then. Now, let’s help you draft your statements, shall we? Unofficially, of course.”
If someone had told me before the cradle’s fall that I would start a rebellion with generals of pack predators, I would’ve thought it was absurd. That was without mentioning the fact that I had one of the smallest herbivores perched on my shoulder. Our unlikely posse began penning the words of sedition, and I wondered whether any Arxur would come to my side at all.
The state of affairs in the galaxy was heating up in a hurry. I hoped that Zhao’s bluster bore tangible results; my species’ fate hinged on the humans’ success against the Kolshians and the Farsul. For all the primates had accomplished, while staring down insurmountable odds, this was the stretch that would determine victors and losers.
The military Earth had spawned in a matter of months needed to be enough to take down the Federation’s kingpins, or all of us were doomed.