Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Date [standardized human time]: October 6, 2136
There was a heaviness in my heart, as the four diplomats were ushered into the briefing room. The Mazic had been creating quite the scene outside, accusing his human hosts of kidnapping Laulo. Apparently, no amount of tact could prevent that; the uplift’s disappearance was noted within minutes. President Cupo’s dramatic theories, that the predators intended to poke and prod every diplomat, were generating panic among the others.
That meant we had to brief everyone, about the sabotage and the missing craft. The information needed to be turned over to the media as soon as possible too, since Cupo’s outburst occurred in front of live cameras. How could we persuade such a paranoid individual? His mind longed to believe that humanity was up to something.
I wasn’t sure how much of this briefing the Sivkit would remember, given that she was drugged with a light sedative. The Mazic, who had been quite gentle with Axsely, had to carry her into the room. The humans couldn’t breathe without spooking the fluffy representative. Noah had accused the Sivkit Grand Herd of having a poor choice of personnel, and I’d begun to agree.
I should order her to return home, and request that the Herd send someone else. With behavior like this, it’s impossible to establish any relations with her species.
Tossa was oddly quiet, and her gaze darted across the waiting predators. Despite her disdain for uplifts, her snooty attitude slipped when Laulo disappeared from their ranks. The Nevok had been trying to hawk her planet’s refined metals and microchips to any Terran that would listen, but now, that interest had subsided.
Even Chauson looked curious at why the Yotul had vanished from their ranks, though he had more of an inkling what was going on. We had told him, in no uncertain terms, that someone on the ship could be involved. A scientist of the Zurulian’s intellect might put the pieces together.
“I knew from the beginning that we couldn’t trust you predators!” Cupo spat, as he took a seat on the floor. “You were just waiting to get us here to turn on us.”
Chauson’s whiskers twitched. “You should wait to hear what they’re going to tell you, before you start with that nonsense. It’s not what you think.”
“Wait, you know? So Tarva and Noah have been selecting who to spin their yarns with. Who to hide things from,” Tossa growled.
The Mazic president flared his trunk. “Half the shit that comes out of a human’s mouth is a lie! Who knows why they want to manipulate us, but I bet it’s about control. All their species has shown they care about is power!”
The UN diplomats fidgeted with their visors, clearly uncomfortable with the accusatory rhetoric. This couldn’t have been their expectation when they greeted the landing party. I winced, as I saw the anger on the Terran generals’ faces. They lacked the poise and the patience of their diplomatic counterparts; it was tough for them to shrug off insults.
“You know what: fuck the Federation. You can fuck right back off to your ship,” General Zhao stood from his chair, and leaned across the table toward the Mazic president. “All you care about is where a person’s eyes are on their head.”
General Jones reclined in her seat. “And these are the ‘friendly’ species, Zhao. Who needs enemies, with friends like these?”
Axsely’s chest was wracked with sobs, as the primates’ tone escalated. The military humans shifted their annoyance to the sniveling animal. Their binocular eyes smoldered with indignation; the generals’ tolerance for predator bigotry had been tested for the last time.
“And you, with the white pelt…you can’t even look at us! Why are you here?” the Chinese general spat.
Jones bared her teeth, intentionally pointing them at the Sivkit. “Get a grip. You’re embarrassing your race.”
To be honest, if the brunt of a human’s anger was directed at me, it would make me clam up too. When their jaw muscles were clenched, it showcased their flesh-tearing bite force. The lack of fur made the protruding bones and bulging veins more obvious; translucent skin confined the rage bubbling beneath the surface.
I can tell they’re in control, but I don’t think any other alien can.
“THAT IS ENOUGH! All of you are acting like children!” I screeched. “Let’s agree that we’ve all messed up, in one way or another. We shared our information with Chauson, because he’s the only one not looking for an excuse to spout predator nonsense. You lot just proved my point.”
Noah squeezed my paw under the table. “Also, you guys tend to freak out at the slightest sign of danger. It was hard enough to keep everyone calm on the ship.”
The Nevok diplomat sighed. “You get one chance to explain yourselves. The truth.”
“Anti-human plotters in the Federation tried to kill us all with a cooling shaft malfunction. Recel’s ship is missing, probably for the same reason,” I replied.
“We’re trying to figure out who’s responsible, and hold them accountable,” Noah added.
Tossa snorted. “And you think it’s little, primitive Laulo?!”
The Terran ambassador tensed beside me; clearly, recent events hadn’t stopped his defensive reaction to any “primitive” jabs. I gave Noah a look that warned him not to interfere. He swallowed hard, and inhaled a series of deep breaths.
This was not the time for him to give the Nevok an earful. Especially when she was the most level-headed person here, not named Chauson.
I offered a non-committal tail swish. “We’re suspicious enough to ask questions.”
It was plain to see from the representatives’ faces that they were worried about how those questions were being asked. I swiped a few buttons on my holopad, and cast the security feed of the cell to the projector. The marsupial was seated alone on a bench, with his head in his paws. It was the predators’ suggestion, to let him wait for awhile; to “give him time to marinate”, was their phrase.
I didn’t like that wording. But as long as the humans didn’t suggest physical harm, I was happy to let them try out their techniques.
The feisty uplift raised his head, and stared at the camera. “I know you’re listening, Ambassador Noah! I can see that red light blinking. I want to talk.”
“Too bad. I don’t,” the astronaut muttered to himself.
The Mazic president settled down, once he saw the Yotul in pristine condition. I was surprised that he hadn’t suggested that humanity could have staged the sabotage. Cupo was a strange case, and it was tough to pinpoint what he hoped to gain from diplomacy. Telling the Terran military, to their faces, that he thought all humans avaricious liars; that could only stem from remarkable disdain.
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The fact that the leader came himself could be chalked up to an attempt at honorability. Cupo didn’t want anyone else to die, for what he believed was a foolish gamble. Was it simply a desperation play, like he told Noah? I didn’t know if he’d ever see humanity as anything more than predators.
General Jones tapped her earpiece. “Governor. A United Nations scout ship recovered a data buoy within the search perimeter. Almost missed it on sensors.”
My ears perked up. Standard Federation vessels were equipped with two data buoys, which could be ejected if a ship was in distress. They contained information about a ship’s function, and could be encoded with a message from the captain.
The buoy emitted a distress signal for a week, or as long as any nearby starlight replenished its power. Common scenarios for their usage included emergency landings, mechanical failures, or after sustaining damage in battle. It could offer insight to a vessel’s fate, or point rescuers in the right direction.
I was uncertain whether to view a buoy’s deployment as a positive, or a negative sign. It meant that the ship had incurred trouble, but it also meant Recel had been aware of the problem before a drive meltdown. Maybe they were in the process of mending considerable damage; all that mattered was whether they were alive.
“Alright. Was your team able to extract the data?” I asked.
“Yes. There appears to be a short video log included.” Jones scrolled through the file archives, and tapped the mentioned item. “Shall I clear these interlopers out, so we can review what it says in private?”
My ears flattened against my head. “They’re not ‘interlopers.’ At some point, we have to start acting like friends. I’m counting on humanity to take the first step.”
I muted the feed from Laulo’s cell, and moved that window into background processing. The American general frowned, as I gestured to the projector. Her gaze drifted to the skeptical Mazic; that first impression didn’t make her eager to share intelligence. There was no telling what was on the video file, and it might not take much for such individuals to jump to conclusions.
A smog-filled cabin was depicted on the projector, with a delirious Kolshian at the helm. Recel dabbed a damp rag against his forehead; the internal temperature must be sweltering. The smoke was so thick, that gray tendrils seemed to curl around the Federation officer’s form. His orange eyes were listing and unfocused.
I glimpsed a few Federation diplomats behind him; all were wearing vac suits to avoid the toxins. That would only be good while the half-day’s oxygen supply lasted. Upon closer inspection, Recel had set a helmet down, out of the camera’s focus. He must’ve taken it off so that he could be seen and heard on the recording.
“This is Recel of the Kolshian Commonwealth. A few hours ago, we noticed signs of a fire in the warp drive compartment. With the core ablaze, repairs are impossible.” The officer burst into a coughing fit, and paused to catch his breath. “Emergency shutdown has been unsuccessful. Once it reaches a certain temperature, it’s going to go off like a bomb.”
As panicked as Recel had been around humans, his tranquility in the face of impending death was remarkable. I don’t know how he’d kept the diplomats calm, or why they hardly reacted to those words. It helped that their ship didn’t have a predator around, to add fuel to instinctual fear. Still, perhaps we just couldn’t hear their cries from beneath the suits?
The Kolshian pilot grimaced. “I know we have mere hours, at most, but I’m at peace with my death. I spent my final days seeking the first real chance the Federation’s had at ending the war, in my lifetime. Isn’t that a beautiful thought?”
Water swelled in my eyes, as the finality of their predicament sank in. Recel’s contributions to galactic peace were monumental, and rarely received full acknowledgment. When push came to shove, he found the courage to support humanity. It was his belief in diplomacy, encouraging us to attend the summit, that led Noah to speak to the Federation.
If it weren’t for that heroic veteran, it would still be the two of us against the galaxy. Sovlin’s actions could’ve been the catalyst for war. Humanity would’ve never seized the opportunity to voice their side of the story, or opened themselves up to new partners.
Recel might be the person who saved Earth. Who deserves as much credit as my dear Noah, I mused.
“There are some people who want to silence my version of events, regarding the torture of a human prisoner. I want it known that all I regret is that I didn’t act sooner,” he sputtered. “That I never had the courage to check in on Marcel, and apologize for my part in it. I hope he’s doing well.”
The Kolshian could hardly speak between coughing outbursts; his eyelids fluttered with exhaustion. He huddled over the console, and rested a grasper over the send button. The lack of clean oxygen had pushed him to the brink of unconsciousness.
Recel gritted his teeth. “Humans…if you see this, I remember what your leader said, about desiring co-existence. I hope people give you a chance, and that you won’t lose faith. The things you endure would be too much, for any other species, but you’re not them.
You’re strong. You’re predators. Maybe that is a good thing.”
The Terran ambassador’s mouth was agape with horror, as we observed Recel paw at his throat. This was someone we had traveled with for days, who offered his unique perspective on Federation history. It wasn’t all that long ago the Kolshian greeted us in the hangar bay, and thanked Noah for reminding him what courage felt like.
“Agh…time’s up,” Recel whined, in a pained voice. “Kick some Arxur ass for me, humans. Leave a little less ugly in the galaxy. I have faith in you….”
The transmission cut out with a final beep, and was replaced by a grim static. The Federation diplomats looked aghast at what we just witnessed; even Axsely was showing signs of lucidity. The Terran generals dropped their scowls, and bowed their heads in a solemn display of grief. There was something sobering about a person’s last words.
“We have to help them!” Cupo spat. “Send a ship.”
Ambassador Noah nodded. “I will fly it myself if I have to. Those are our allies, and they’re in trouble.”
General Jones’ lips curved down. “This video is time-stamped three days ago. There’s no vessels on sensors. Only a few stray energy readings, which suggests…”
The only trace we’d find of the occupants was their atoms scattered across local space. Humanity’s first interactions with those six species, would be the unenviable task of explaining how their diplomats died. I didn’t know how we would convince their leadership not to fault the predators.
Condolences and words might not cut it. We need concrete proof.
The words the Krakotl uttered, that anyone who stood with humanity was dead to them, lingered in my ears. It was difficult for me to process that parties in the Federation would murder civilians, for the crime of speaking to predators. I wouldn’t blame our new allies for not wanting to believe it was their long-standing friends.
My claws flung the prison surveillance back onto the projector; I was trembling with outrage. A taped confession would be a start, even if others accused us of coercion.
“Forget waiting.” I switched on the intercom function, and leaned into my holopad. “Why did you betray us, Laulo? Why?”
The Yotul glanced up with a hopeful expression. “I’m so sorry. Saving our shuttle seemed like enough to spark gratitude. I just wanted to impress Noah, so humanity wouldn’t discard us…like everyone else.”
A chorus of gasps echoed from our Federation contingent. The predator generals looked mystified by his rationale, and their eyes narrowed to intimidating slits. None of us expected such a straightforward confession, especially when I was hoping we’d pegged the marsupial wrong.
“Impress me? You killed Recel, and almost killed us!” Noah snarled over my shoulder. “You’re a homicidal psychopath!”
Laulo blinked. “What? Were you not listening to what I said before? I…I didn’t do it. I just saw who did, and used the opportunity to, um, prove myself.”
The human squinted. “Why should we believe that? Why wouldn’t you come forward straight away?”
Murmurs of agreement came from the alien diplomats. It was bizarre to see the Mazic nodding along to a Terran argument, but it was natural to suspect the Yotul’s claim. On one paw, it seemed like a lousy attempt to dodge responsibility. On the other, it made more sense than an uplift plotting a complex, technological scheme.
“The Takkan representative saw them too, and tried to intervene. Didn’t you wonder why one friendly species never made it to the shuttle?” Laulo hissed. “Besides, we were on their territory! If I spoke up sooner, we would’ve never left Aafa.”
Confusion stirred in my chest. “You’re saying it was…”
The uplift swished his tail. “The Kolshians wanted the human ambassador, and his friends, dead. Not me. Who would have unfettered access to the shuttles? Who planned the whole trip, and saw Recel as a loose end?”
I fell back on my haunches, stunned to silence. Those words synced with the facts a little too perfectly. If Laulo was telling the truth, a touch-DNA sweep by the core should corroborate it. However, it didn’t add up, why an influential species would grant humanity a public audience and seek a military alliance, only to kill us.
Was it even possible for our predators to track down a Kolshian official, and demand answers? Chief Nikonus was secure, at the heart of Federation territory. As much as I wanted to avenge the fallen vessel, nothing good could come from blazing a trail of destruction.
My expertise would focus on the diplomatic side: salvaging our relations with the victimized species. The choice, of how to respond to a personal and cowardly attack, belonged to the humans.