Memory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem Scientist
Date [standardized human time]: March 20, 2160
With my vision obscured by fabric, it was difficult to tell where the Tseia were taking us. It seemed they loaded us onto some sort of vehicle, which rattled along a bumpy road for some time; there was no chance for me to glean anything about the nomads’ carefully hidden settlements. If not for Naltor’s periodic complaints and the occasional grunt by Dustin, likely from being handled roughly or being jostled around the floor, I wouldn’t know my companions were still with me. By the time we reached our apparent destination, I hadn’t worked myself down from the panic at all—and I had no more ideas to solve this predicament than I did before. My captors yanked the bag off, revealing where they had taken us.
Naltor and I were standing in an observation room, in what appeared to be a silo—one of their nuclear missile silos doubling as a holding cell, perhaps? Rather than peeking at a warhead, we were gazing down at Dustin; the human had been strapped into a chair. Several Tseia guards and scientists were conferring below, inspecting the alien like he was an animal specimen. My features contorted with outrage, eyes wheeling around in search of anyone to berate. I found a calm military officer hovering over a microphone, observing us from his periphery as well. His yellow head feathers were a dull shade, but his body glistened as if he had coated himself in our natural waterproof oil—always ready for a swim. This must be Zalk, from the Coast Guard.
“Dr. Tassi,” the familiar voice confirmed my suspicions about his identity. “I’ve obtained permission to brief you on everything related to the Starlight Incident, and for you to watch our proceedings with your friend. Soon enough, when we question him, you’ll see these freaks for exactly what they are.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what is that? Flawed? Troubled? I’m already aware.”
“No, you’re not. They haven’t told you what they’ve done, but don’t worry. We’ll find out what they’re really playing at; their true intentions for Lassmin and the rest of us. The audacity of that monster, to try to approach us!”
Naltor struggled against his flipper bindings. “I can tell you what they want. The aliens chose to contact us now because of the critical state Ivrana is in. They want to introduce us to their union—the Sapient Coalition.”
“Dustin wanted to convince you that he’s not a threat,” I added. “He truly cares, enough that he was willing to die to try to smooth things over. Whatever you think of the feast incident or whatever you’ve learned—”
“That thing thinks he can pretend what happened a hundred years ago never happened,” Zalk spat. “We haven’t forgotten what they think of Bissem lives, or how the Tseia were singled out.”
“Zalk, what are you talking about? I’m not following.”
“I’ll give you the short version. Back in the 2980s, an unidentified flying object crested into the atmosphere above Alsh. Before we could so much as scramble fighters, they dropped a bomb on one settlement. Then another…and a third. Bastards zip in to admire their flipperwork, arrogant as Kail, and we nail them broadside with a nuclear missile. Managed to take the thing down and recover it.”
The Tseia official leaned back, after recounting that bombshell story like it was nothing; to say that I was appalled would be a vast understatement. I wasn’t sure what I’d just heard, but none of that casual account computed. Aliens had not just visited Ivrana before, long before any of us were born—they attacked Alsh? What reason could there possibly be to slaughter Bissems en masse, beyond our carnivorous diet? There was no way of knowing for certain whether that was the work of the Federation or the Arxur, though it didn’t make sense why a single ship would unload bombs with no follow-up; if it was Federation, Dustin would’ve mentioned it, given that he’d be open about the fact they would kill us. If it was the Sapient Coalition’s predecessor, then that made it all too real what their intentions would’ve been with Bissems.
I need more information to figure out who was responsible for this, and why the Tseia would never tell any other nation about something of that magnitude. That’s if it really was aliens, and not some Vritala stealth ship up to no good…that is horrifying. They should’ve tried to stop FAI from calling to them!
Naltor maintained a flummoxed expression. “Let me get this straight. Aliens fucking bombed you, you recovered a ship—presumably with extraterrestrial tech and information that could be useful for all of us—that could threaten all of us…and we’re only just hearing about this now. What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
“The aliens targeted us, and we had a chance to reverse engineer their technology: to get ahead in ways that finally gave us an edge over the Selmer and the Vritala. There was no Lassmin back then, only Bissems who’d be happy to turn alien technology against us,” Zalk responded. “I wish we understood more of their gizmos, but there’s so much we don’t know. It helped us far surpass our competition in terms of computers, and develop advanced spacecraft.”
“So why tell us this now? Selfish motherfuckers! They could’ve come back and killed us all, at any point! You let us send out probes—”
“Which attracted them back. A mistake, in hindsight. Look, our plan was to get Bissem Unity, just like you want now, through strength, but the Global War didn’t go as planned. If the aliens came back to finish the job, it wouldn’t have made a difference if we told any of you or not. However, at this stage, they’re up to something, so it might be best that you’re playing with a full deck.”
“You don’t think we had a right to know, the second another species attacked Ivrana?!”
“It wasn’t your cities bombed, so no, I don’t. In many ways, I imagine it’s best not to know.”
“That wasn’t your fucking decision to make! This goes so far beyond any one nation’s—”
“How do you know it was Dustin’s people?” I blurted. “They weren’t even spacefaring themselves back then. That human shared a lot about how messed up the galaxy is: a massive war, with atrocities and devastation. He was quite open about it…and I got no impression he knew any of this. You’re blaming the wrong aliens.”
“Even if humans didn’t pull the trigger themselves, they affiliate with the beings who did. We recovered a few corpses from the wreckage.” Zalk fiddled with his tablet, before pulling up photos of charred, mangled husks being carried out by Bissems in hazmat suits. It was obvious none survived the fiery impact, likely why the Tseia were thrilled at a live specimen like Dustin, but the spikes made them recognizable as Gojids. “Does this species look familiar to you, Tassi? I bet they didn’t divulge this.”
I recoiled, uncertain how fervently I should defend the Gojids when I lacked any knowledge of their prior slaughter of Bissems. Nulia’s species had initiated the attack against Ivrana? I supposed that made some terrible sense, with what I knew about them attempting to wipe out the humans, and having their homeworld destroyed as the Terrans tried to stop it. According to the first contact party, that Gojid government was long gone; they were now allied to the novel, peace-seeking Sapient Coalition. I wasn’t sure that Zalk would care whether the Gojids had reformed, but I did. It also mattered whether genocide was still their intention in the present; Ivrana needed these visitors to be here on a benevolent mission.
We couldn’t hold the Gojid sociologist accountable for deeds done under the predator-hating Federation…though I found myself wondering why the bombers hadn’t even tried to “cure” us. Dustin claimed it was standard practice for them to abduct and alter pre-FTL races, and that they would’ve sought to kill us after failing in that regard. I had been able to process that claim as a hypothetical, but not as a plan once intended to be carried out. Why had their actions against Alsh been so atypical, and why had the Terran not mentioned it? I doubted the Coalition was senseless enough to send a Gojid, if they knew the Tseia would recognize Nulia’s kind. It also seemed odd for the Gojids, who’d amassed a massive fleet to throw at Earth, to send a single vessel that was shot down, and never follow up.
“I know you think I’m naïve, Zalk, but there’s zero chance Dustin…or in all likelihood, humanity…knows about any of this!” I decided. “I saw what their kind was put through by the Gojids, through media depictions; humans were attacked by them too! They did tell us about that. If the Gojids had set out to kill you, they would’ve followed up with a fleet, like they sent against Earth. There has to be a reason it ended with that one ship. A rogue vessel of some kind: it’s possible.”
Zalk cast a second glance at the miserable-looking human below. “The Gojids attacked his planet, you’re saying?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Not just them,” Naltor commented. “Humanity went up against the entire Federation, and Dustin told us they assimilated or neutralized hostile parties, left and right. Other races hated them, because of their diet, which was likely their quarrel with us.”
“I beg your pardon?”
My eyes widened, sensing that Zalk was listening to our words. “What we know from Dustin is the organization humans took down hated anything vaguely ‘predatory.’ They would attempt to alter genes and culture. It might also be worth mentioning the only other obligate carnivores eat people. Both of those things tied into Haliska’s breakdown.”
“And before you start casting aspersions, I believe Dustin’s telling the truth, if only because it’s too fucking deranged to be made up,” Naltor grumbled. “The humans seem genuine in trying to be better. It sounds like they’ve had to sort through a mess of lies and cover-ups to have any semblance of truth to return to all foreign peoples.”
“Dustin might be able to make sense of what happened to the Tseia—especially if you have anything left over from that Gojid ship to be analyzed—but you have to give him a chance. Earth and Alsh were in the same position. You’re not enemies.”
“That animal-loving nerd is fucking harmless. He was willing to die for you, when I told him you shifty fucks weren’t worth it.”
Zalk scoffed. “Bold of you to say that to me directly.”
“After you covered up a Hirsdamned spaceship, and everything you gained from it, I am more sickened by you than ever. I’m only still engaging with you because Dustin doesn’t deserve to be gutted by you savages.”
“We’re not savages. The savages are all around us: every visitor we ever got from the outside world and universe was there to take what was ours!”
“That’s enough fighting!” I shouted. “You want to prove you’re no savage, Zalk? Act out of reason, and gather all the facts like a scientist. Don’t hurt someone who came here to be your friend unless you’re a hundred percent sure they’re lying. Is that too much to ask?”
The Tseia Coast Guard officer paced back and forth, studying the military personnel who were guarding the captive human. I could understand their glee at having an alien at their mercy, because of a desire for retribution—especially if they believed the Terrans were teaming up with the people who bombed their continent. If I had failed to persuade Zalk not to associate Dustin with those unspeakable sins, and to try “extracting” information in a civilized way, there was nothing I could say that’d convince the nomads. I shared everything we knew about the galaxy’s bleak past, and about the Coalition’s fresh start. It was possible the Tseia would never be willing to talk to outsiders, even if Zalk’s people had finally spilled the truth to Lassian visitors.
Maybe I was right the first time around, about the Tseia just being afraid—terrified that the aliens would swoop back around to finish the job. The Tseia have made terrible decisions that kept them more isolated than ever, but that doesn’t mean what was done to them isn’t unspeakable.
“Leave it to a Selmer and a scientist to be a bunch of loudbeaks,” Zalk huffed. “You’re going to talk me to death, but you paint a convincing picture. I really wish I believed those promises of peace the way you do, Doctor Tassi. Problem is, even if I pause for a minute, you think my comrades and the leadership will accept me going easy on him?”
I drew a shaky breath. “You’ll regret harming the wrong person more than not harming the right one, Zalk. You’re calling the shots, so you’ll have to live with it; you can always share what you were told, assuming Dustin doesn’t convince everyone with his kindness. If you don’t want innocent people getting hurt, stop it before it’s too late.”
“I…I’m not sure about this, but I’ll pretend he doesn’t know. I’ll tell him what I told you, and hear what he has to say. No promises beyond that.”
“Thank you. That’s all we can ask for.”
“Don’t thank me yet. If your friend is lying, you’re not going to like what I do to him. Come on. Follow me down the stairs, and we’ll see how this all plays out.”
Relief washed over my feathers, alongside the still-present horror that Bissems’ true first contact had been a senseless assault. Our captor undid the bindings on our wrists, finally demonstrating some goodwill. I followed Zalk out a rear exit, noticing that he shared some of Naltor’s twitchiness on the first day that we spotted aliens. The Tseia knew of their existence, but none of his kind had ever interacted with extraterrestrials either. The three of us trundled down a set of noisy metal stairs, dismounting near the chair that Dustin was strapped to; his eyes darted over to us, visibly brightening at the sight of his Lassian friends. The Tseia Coast Guard leader raised his beak to acknowledge his underlings, before walking up to untie the human. The alien looked surprised, as he gingerly shook out his wrists.
“Tassi, Naltor,” Dustin breathed, his voice sounding hoarse. “Are you okay?”
My stressed heart warmed a little, noting how that was the first thing he asked. “We’re fine. Are you?”
“I’m unharmed, though I, um, could really use some water—especially to talk and answer questions.”
Zalk reached out to hand him a water flask. “Here you—”
“Dustin can’t drink saltwater,” I interjected. “He doesn’t exactly have salt glands in his nonexistent beak.”
“Right. Let me get some freshwater from the faucet then.”
“Thank you,” Dustin offered. “What’s your name?”
“Zalk. The one I assume you heard on the radio.” The Tseia finished filling a disposable cup from a nearby sink, before giving it to the human, who gulped it down gluttonously. “Now that that’s settled. Would you happen to know anything about ‘Gojids’ dropping bombs on Alsh a hundred years ago?”
Water spewed from Dustin’s mouth, with some spurting through his nostrils; there couldn’t be a more obvious, biological display of shock. General Naltor leapt back, more than a bit disgusted that some of it sprayed all over him. The human coughed and retched, his face turning red as he choked on the water he had been swallowing. His binocular eyes watered, while he desperately shook his head from side-to-side in an attempt to communicate. If I recalled correctly from the Terran TV shows and the body language I’d gleaned from that media, that was supposed to convey the negative. I watched as he struggled to clean himself up with his chest fabrics, mopping water off his upper lip; for a moment, I’d been worried about how flushed his cheeks had turned.
Zalk inspected the xenobiologist with skeptical eyes. “I’ll take that as a no. Tassi vouched quite strongly that you didn’t know, so perhaps I need to explain. An alien ship bombed three of our cities, but we managed to shoot it down and use it for study and growth. Your party member ‘Nulia’ matches the species we identified via the bodies in the wreckage.”
“What?” Dustin sputtered. “My God. That’s how you made that surprise launch…and why you don’t think Bissems should trust us. I…don’t know what I can possibly say, other than that I’m sorry…and that I understand the terror of being attacked.”
“Yes, I’m told you do. But how the fuck would you not know one of your own people did something like this?”
“Er, I highly doubt Nulia did this personally; she wasn’t even raised on the Gojid planet, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m as shocked and confounded as you are, though I swear I’ll do what I can to piece together what happened. What an awful thing to do to an uncontacted species. What I can say for certain is there’s no record of Bissems in the Archives, so it wasn’t a Federation-sanctioned hit.”
Naltor raised a flipper, like a kid speaking out of turn in class. “The Archives?”
“It’s…the Federation wasn’t aware of you. They kept records—no, a changelog—of every species they found. Meticulous documentation. I don’t know how much you know about them, but something like a predator race being found: that wouldn’t have gone under the radar. As for how we don’t know this happened, truth be told, Zalk…everything we know about the galaxy’s past is either things we’ve witnessed, or based on liberated documents from the Archives. I wish I could give you a more satisfying explanation, but I’m giving you the truth.”
“So you know nothing?”
“Apart from what the Gojidi Union was like, and the fact that they wouldn’t have sent one bomber alone, in my opinion: no, I don’t, on what little context I’ve been given. If you have more data on what the ship looked like, I might be able to analyze it…perhaps even against the Missing Starship Registry, which goes back quite far. The ship manifest would tell us who they are. It might be possible to analyze any data that survived the crash too? We can translate their language—Tassi and Naltor can understand it now as well, as a second pair of ears to verify what I would tell you.”
“Just how is that possible?”
“Translator implants. I’d be happy to share the schematics.”
“So that’s what the metal chips that fused with their skulls in the crash fire were. I can’t believe the Lassians let you…never mind. There was some intact data on the ship, but we haven’t been able to decrypt much of it. A few thumbnails from log files is all.”
“Sir, why the fuck are you telling it this?” a soldier spat, seeming to understand Vrit, but speaking in a Tseia native tongue. I grasped the meaning through the handy translator. “You don’t actually buy its ignorance, do you?”
Zalk sighed. “We should hear his side of the story before we reach our judgments. Dustin seems to have intimate knowledge of our enemies, and has yet to avoid any questions.”
“I understand your anger. A billion people were killed on my planet because they didn’t like our eyes pointing straight at them. Would you please translate what I just said, Zalk?” Dustin waited, while the Tseia officer relayed his words. “Is there any chance I can see these thumbnails…and perhaps later, the crash site? Even just a glimpse of the ship layout might help me tell you if you nabbed a military vessel.”
“Let’s start small; I want to hear your thoughts in real time. Here’s the clearest render we obtained, though they were wearing some strange gear.”
I circled behind Dustin’s chair, as Zalk handed him a tablet. The human’s eyes inspected the image, of a Gojid beneath a metallic suit that seemed similar to what Bissems wore in flammable work environments. Some unwieldy contraption was slung across the figure’s back, though I couldn’t hazard a guess as to what it was. Something resembling horror flashed in the primate’s eyes, suggesting that this garb was enough for him to identify Alsh’s bombers. I watched him hand the tablet back to the Tseia officer, and don the same distraught expression he had when he told Naltor and I about the Arxur. My heart sank into my chest, not sure how much abominable knowledge I could have weighing on my mind.
“I know who your attackers were…or at least, who they worked for,” Dustin said. “This vessel was crewed by exterminators.”
Curiosity gleamed in Zalk’s eyes, and the Tseia leaned forward. As for myself, I heard a faint chime of recognition in my mind; hadn’t Nulia told us Dustin studied animals for an occupation going by that name? Was that why he was distraught learning who was culpable—out of some sense of partiality to the job he started off with? Asking him about his former occupation might get him strung up though, after what he just said, so I kept my questions to myself. Hopefully, the human would be able to provide some insight into these exterminators’ motives on his own.