Memory transcription subject: Chief Hunter Isif, Arxur Rebellion Command
Date [standardized human time]: March 5, 2137
The Yotul warships had split from our formation, and attracted the ire of the Kolshian drones. It was impressive, in a way, that herbivores were able to organize proper movements, but this demonstrated reckless abandon. These craft were fresh from Leirn’s shipyards, and weren’t automated like the enemy; no biologic could reach decisions as quickly as a computer. Terrans could circumvent this by stumping the onboard programs with new technologies and strategies, yet it was absurd to anticipate exceptional advances from a vegetation-munching species who hadn’t shown war mastery.
The enemy drones swiveled their railguns with perfect precision, and plasma lances spooled out from the barrels as the Yotul drew close. The marsupials were unflinching; they seemed to be flying themselves directly into the weapons’ path! Were these Technocracy pilots suicidal, or did they assume out of inexperience that shields would prevent any damage from seeping through? My eyes zeroed in on one allied vessel, knowing I couldn’t get my own people killed to bail out herbivores dabbling in stupidity. An arc of brilliance was racing to greet the vessel, which was forging ahead with no thought to self-preservation.
The Yotul vessel was strangely shaped, looking more like a cube than a sleek, aerodynamic contraption. The blocky form made it more of a target, rather than one that could twirl away or place lengthy guns along a slender back. With an inbound munition hellbent on its demise, the Technocracy ship bobbed as though riding a wave. The hull plating unclasped before my eyes, revealing a normal-looking craft below. The metal shell propelled itself into the plasma beam, immolated while the ejected fuselage remained intact.
The outer layer acts as a decoy against the targeting systems, while the key mechanisms can break from the hold—the way primitive rockets detach stages after their purpose is fulfilled. Were humans involved with building these Yotul ships?
The leaner boat released from within the shell had its weapons ready, though it wasn’t utilizing traditional plasma, kinetics, or explosives. The Yotul’s chosen weaponry was almost like a cannon protruding from its belly, but there was no trace of any visible munitions being fired. The flash was only perceptible as something struck the Kolshian drones, scorching their hull from the close-range vantage point. It was an invisible force which seemed to leap across space in an instant, like it was traveling close to light speed in realspace. Without shields, the enemy was unprotected from the heat generated on my readout from the unseen impact.
The enemy drone I was focused on wasn’t alone in having its plating liquified and the sensitive circuitry within fried in seconds. There was nothing the Kolshians could do to fight back or defend themselves; they were blindsided by this vicious innovation. Though our foes’ initial count had been ten thousand strong, they were dropping like flies. With my rebels and the Terran line hounding them, the automatons began a hasty retreat. The disbelief over the Yotul’s showing was palpable on my bridge, and Arxur voices on the comms channels, chastising the marsupials for venturing off, had died down.
Kaisal looked astonished. “How could prey have come up with a new weapon? What are they even doing?!”
“I do not know, but I see that the humans have not led us astray with their chosen reinforcements,” I remarked. “Olek, Lisa, can you offer any insight on this development?”
Olek whipped around, with his signature “I knew it” grin on his face. “Particle-beam weapons! This is what the death ray that melted the Grand Gulf reactor was; I looked into the proof a ton. We’ve had them since 1989. Charge up in a particle accelerator, shoot quantum shit at near light speed, and voila!”
“Olek is off in crazy land again, but he’s right about what it is, according to my contacts,” Lisa sighed. “The Yotul worked closely with the UN on their shipbuilding, and apparently, were able to make a feasible ion cannon. Unlike lasers, a particle beam can’t be reflected, and even with shields up, the charged particles disrupt the current.”
Kaisal relaxed his posture. “I see. It is a human development that you gave the prey, because you do foolish things like that.”
“We worked hand-in-hand on this, just like…you know who we worked in tandem with, when we came up with shield disruptors? The Yotul. They’ve been excellent, not only to bounce ideas off of, but to expand on what we give them.”
Perhaps these herbivores are more capable than any of us assumed. Humanity always had an ability to see a species for what they really are. It is remarkable; this makes taking Mileau much more feasible!
With less worry bogging down my heart over the Arxur lives that would be lost in the battle, I ordered our vessels to press the advantage. The Kolshians had given up fending off the Terrans they’d been stalemated with, and were getting overrun as they retreated. The Yotul took a few hits, despite their crafty countermeasures, but their particle beams also rendered missiles lobbed at them useless. More than once, I saw warheads erupt well before their intended target, picked off like syasaras in a riverbank. The particle accelerators didn’t seem to have the cooldown requirement that standard plasma weapons did either.
The Kolshians fired off parting shots, as their numbers dwindled; few enemies had escaped the Yotul’s invisible net, with their ships disabled within seconds. Our weapons station was scouring for stragglers, and I saw our gunners take some iffy shots in the hopes of scoring kills. The Arxur vessels had been outshone, though our sheer numbers helped to clean up any remaining foes. However, there was still a chance to test our prowess by Mileau itself. I wouldn’t expect the resounding success we’d had against the battle line, now that particle beams weren’t a surprise. Still, with my thirteen thousand ships and the Terrans’ long-present drones, there was a good chance we could come out ahead.
“There’s forty thousand ships total,” I announced. “So there’s loads more waiting at Mileau’s heart, and foot soldiers occupying the land. Let’s go hunt them down.”
Kaisal issued an awkward tail lash. “Er, what should we say to the Yotul, sir?”
“I’ll handle it.” I switched on my microphone, tuning into the joint comms for a brief second. “This is Chief Hunter Isif. I wanted to congratulate the Yotul Technocracy on a well-fought battle; might I add, we are delighted that you are on our side.”
A few barks of laughter came in response. “So much for being primitives that are beneath the wider galaxy. The Yotul will never be mocked or taken for granted by anyone, after today! We’ll lead the way to Mileau.”
“You deserve to champion the hunt. I shall be quite pleased when the Dossur are fully liberated, and only then, but I wished to acknowledge your display of acumen. Good fortune.”
I switched off my transmitter, and did a brief survey of my bridge team. There had been a handful of grumbles, when I agreed to let the herbivores lead, but it was the Arxur way for the strongest to take charge. I disliked that the newcomers to the galaxy already had a leg up on my fleet, though I didn’t expect Zhao to work so closely to provide us weapons; the waters were muddied, in terms of any relations between humanity and us. We couldn’t afford to be complacent anymore. A new goal of the rebellion needed to be what the Yotul and the Terrans had achieved: bringing together scientists that could innovate and grow our technology.
We did it once, before science was a distorted field and we were steered toward a forever war. Giznel didn’t want us to get stronger, but I wish to see us victorious. Technology could be a key field in helping us best the Dominion…if we can’t get the Terrans’ help soon enough.
My ragtag band of rebel ships mobilized behind the Yotul craft; the detachable, blocky layers the marsupials had sported were gone, but having lost only a few dozen ships, I trusted them to find new ways to stay effective. Kaisal was busy combing sensors, as Olek turned the focus of the comms array to broadcasts from the planet. I squinted at the scruffy human, whose expression had shifted in an instant. Knowing we had time before reaching the system’s heart, I wandered over to his station to peek at his viewing materials.
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“What is this issue, Olek?” I asked.
The human pursed his lips. “Sir, the Dossur are claiming they have control of their broadcast channels again. The Kolshians packed up shop and just…left the occupation, with quite a few local prisoners in tow. Apparently, they targeted troublemakers.”
Lisa cleared her throat, while absent-mindedly fiddling with her brown locks. “I’m hearing the same thing. My UN contacts are telling me that the local government re-established contact, and that they’re being apprised of Ambassador Alar’s decision to join the Sapient Coalition.”
“I see. The Kolshians are fleeing, surrendering the planet, and acknowledging they lost?” I hissed. “That is excellent news! Felra will be pleased. There’s not much we can do about the Dossur prisoners, but there’s no way the enemy can initiate a total evacuation and vacate the system before we get there. Perhaps the Yotul can disable and board the prisoner ships, and—”
“Sorry to interrupt, but that’s the thing, sir. It seems they started making preparations to leave, and…left, days ago,” Olek mumbled.
Kaisal smacked his tail on the floor. “I’ve adjusted the sensor settings, and observed the breadth of the planet’s spaceports on the viewport, at maximum magnification. There’s not a trace of any Kolshian ships left here, sir. I can detect some subspace trails, suggesting they left within the hour. Mileau is free.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That does not make sense. They started leaving days in advance of our arrival; the Kolshians would not have expected a thorough trouncing. It must’ve been some ulterior motive, yes?”
“The fact that they continued to hold us at bay is telling,” Lisa mused aloud. “They didn’t want us to know they were gone; we’re only picking up communications now, so the drones were jamming various channels. Why keep up the illusion, unless you don’t want humanity to know your thirty thousand ships have relocated?”
Olek’s brown eyes widened with realization. “Holy shit. They left because they were given orders to attack somewhere else. The question is, where have they gone?”
“I haven’t a clue, but I suggest we relay a warning to the United Nations.” My head turned toward Olek, and the human seemed to pick up on the message to open a channel. “Your intelligence may have a better idea of this, yes? It is also your jurisdiction how to proceed, with Mileau freed; Zhao will wish to hear of our success.”
“Already on it, sir. Give me a moment.”
I did my best to avoid crowding the male human, though I was impatient for him to pass me along to the Secretary-General. With this new information in mind, there were decisions to be made about what roles the rebel fleet should play. From what Kaisal imparted, we had just missed intercepting the Kolshians; since they had warped out mere hours before, we could follow the subspace trails and see where they led. The goal of this mission was already accomplished, with Felra’s world liberated, but I was torn over whether to intervene. Zhao’s words from our conversation about the war plans were still fresh on my mind.
Should the tables turn at Mileau, I imagine the Kolshians are biding their time to hit human territory. We know they want to cure us, so I’d find the use of biological weapons against a civilian populace likely, the Secretary-General had said.
The last thing that Earth wanted was a repeat of the months-long hostage situation in this system, but with human prisoners in tow. Regardless of what actions I would personally take, I needed to pass along a warning about Zhao’s speculation looking more like prophecy. Perhaps the death of Nikonus had accelerated the Kolshians’ aggressive timeline, or perhaps his successor carried out what was already planned. Either way, Venlil Prime and Earth should be on their guard for any incursions. I donned a look of seriousness, as Olek beckoned me over to the screen. The Secretary-General was staring back with interest in his brown eyes.
“Hello, Isif. I hear your mission at Mileau has been a massive success. I’ve been in touch with the Zurulians, and their doctors and aid workers are en route from Colia,” Zhao said. “However, I’m hearing that the Kolshians left before your arrival.”
I chuckled. “As usual, you know things before they have been relayed; General Jones’ department, yes?”
“In this instance, it was simple enough to piece together a timeline of events, with Mileau able to reach out to us. We’ve been in communication with our people aboard your ship too. Regardless, congratulations on your success; there are many bright-eyed humans toasting your accomplishments back here on Earth. The United Nations appreciates your help…we would’ve sent more to fight alongside you, but we’re stretched thin.”
“I know, Mr. Secretary-General. I’m not sure I ever misjudged someone so thoroughly as I did the Yotul; you sent us worthy fighters. That was enough aid, and it pains me to profess, but it was the reason for our success. I wished to get in contact to apprise you of these developments, and also to warn you that the Kolshians may have left to attack another target. It should be seen to that Venlil Prime, Earth, and anywhere else that is strategically important to humans is vigilant.”
“I swore a promise that ‘not one more’ civilian would perish on Earth—not under my watch. Twenty percent of the deaths during the attack were in my home nation. I lost family, like many other people, and for that, I will do anything to protect Earth. I have done everything I could think of to protect Sol, and there are no lines I wouldn’t cross to keep us safe. Skalga is also under our umbrella of protection; the Venlil are treasured by humanity. You need not worry.”
“Good. I do not know whether I should pursue the Kolshians, and offer aid.”
Zhao’s eyes, which had darkened during his previous remarks, rolled back in thought. “Isif, you’ve done as much as you promised to do. I won’t ask any more of you; if you wish to help, we’d welcome your assistance, and your swift response time could make a difference. The Yotul have already agreed to chase the subspace trails, and continue the battle wherever the Kolshians have gone. What course of action do you wish to pursue?”
“That depends on where they are attacking. Do you have any guesses?”
“I…have a sneaking suspicion, but I genuinely have no desire to manipulate you. Please, whatever my colleagues might do, know that I respect your goals and autonomy.”
“You are blunt and forthright with your aims. I find that to be a respectable quality in most instances, except when your aims are perpendicular to my own. Fortunately, we find ourselves in agreement for our peaceful aspirations, is that not correct?”
“We both seek a long-lasting peace, for all species. First off, I don’t know this; it’s based off my interpretation of the data. My best guess for where the Kolshians are heading is Liberty’s Bastion, since to the Federation, it symbolizes ‘predator expansion’ outside our own space.” The human’s words caused my heartrate to spike, hearing that my Dossur friend was in the line of fire again. “To be clear, I’ve asked for the Mazic patrollers to fortify our defenses, and we’re moving colonists off-world. Now, before you worry about Felra, I got in touch with her hosts and evacuated them. You don’t need to swoop in and rescue her.”
“Why would you bring my friend to safety, before tending to your people?”
“Felra doesn’t take a spot from a human. She’s tiny, she can fit in a cupholder.”
“You could’ve left the Dossur there, and manipulated me into helping. It would benefit you strategically.”
“I don’t want to win that way, or to treat humanity’s friends as tools. Like I told you on Earth, moral principles give you integrity, but you can’t just hold onto them when it’s easy or beneficial. I won’t abuse emotions or use lives as bartering chips.”
Remarkable. Zhao could’ve all but ensured that I would show up at Liberty’s Bastion, but he chose to get Felra to safety. The Dossur means a lot to me, so perhaps I do owe him a favor in return.
I dipped my head in gratitude. “Thank you. I’ll have my fleet follow the subspace trails with haste. We’ll chase the Kolshians to Liberty’s Bastion or wherever they may be heading.”
“Your aid is appreciated. I promise I’ll remember this, when it’s time for us to bring our full might to your side. You may not be a member of the Sapient Coalition, Isif, but you’re just as much of an ally.”
“I desire for you to win. I desire for the Federation to lose even more.”
“Where I’m from, we call that spite. We’ll bring their leaders to their knees before the sun sets on this war. There’s no stopping what’s in motion now.”
“I have faith in your abilities. I will be in touch if we have additional intel, or if we need to converse with UN forces at our destination. Take care, and fight well, Secretary-General Zhao.”
“Just Míngzé is fine. We’re friends. You called Elias by his first name, didn’t you?”
“Actually, I referred to Elias Meier as the sum of his two full names. Human nomenclature is most confusing to the uninitiated.”
The Terran general chuckled. “I see how it could be confusing. Regardless, I won’t waste anymore of your time; I know you’ve got to be present while you track those assholes down. Take care and fight well yourself.”
The arboreal alien disconnected from the call, and I swept a gaze around the bridge. While I was certain the Arxur crew had overheard the bulk of our conversation, there didn’t seem to be any objections over following the Kolshians. We were fortunate to escape Mileau with few casualties, largely thanks to the Yotul stepping up. However, we didn’t want to be outshone by plant-eating marsupials, who were willing to come to Earth’s aid as often as needed. My goal was to make a positive impression on the United Nations, and I also could respect that they had taken the honorable road with Felra. Altruism was a novel concept, but it was worth it to attempt to reciprocate the kind gesture.
The rebel fleet pressed closer to Mileau’s inner sanctum, and we locked onto the subspace trails left by the fleeing Kolshians. Wherever the Federation planned to strike, my forces would help prevent them from getting their tentacles on any other humans. If there was one thing the Terrans had in common with my entire race, it was that we both had no interest in being “cured.”