Memory transcription subject: Recel, Kolshian Liaison
Date [standardized aurigan time]: Fall 18, 1 AA
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It'd been over two weeks since the Aurigans and the Venlil pardoned Sovlin, but I still had a hard time facing him. I should never have opened my mouth about his past work with Cilany. Now the predators wanted me talk to him, and use him to get to Cilany. Hopefully her journalistic integrity would allow her to uncover any dirty laundry that my people might've hidden from the rest of the galaxy. On top of that, I was to send the Chiefdom a message that the Aurigans were not going to accept any more false pleasantries or attempts at sneakcraft.
Steeling myself, I knocked on the door to the captain's office, waiting for someone to open the door. While the rebuilding efforts were underway, Sovlin was stationed in the capital, working behind a desk as an overseer and organizer. Not quite the same prestigious position he had before, but the charges being dropped let him keep some modicum of respect.
As soon as he opened the door, his eyes grew wide in shock, his cornea practically invisible. They looked like dark wells filled with fossil oils. I could tell that a million thoughts were racing through his head, and I was worried he'd have a breakdown if I didn't say anything.
I awkwardly tried to speak, but a lump formed in my throat, and it took me a good few seconds to compose myself. "Hello, Captain." I managed to squeak out, and he tried to stifle his emotions as his eyes grew damper.
"H-Hello, Recel. Please, come in. Sit down..." He managed to croak out, awkwardly stepping aside as he invited me into the spartan room.
I sat on the visitor's ottoman across from his chair, and drew a shaky breath to calm my nerves, while he shuffled over to the chair. Neither of us really knew what to say. I couldn't forgive him for using me like that, nor for harming a friendly alien, but we needed to work together on this, or at the very least I needed him to get to Cilany.
"Captain, I-" I began, my voice shaky, but he cut me off with a raised hand.
"Before you say anything... You were right... About everything. I was a damned fool. I walked down a road to hell paved by my own good intentions. I can never atone for such a sin. Anything you need from me, I'll give you." I could tell he was having a hard time resisting the urge to cry, his hands trembling.
"Captain..." I began, not sure how to express my thoughts, betrayal, anger, and pity swimming through my head. I gulped down the spittle forming in the back of my throat, before finally continuing. "You held me at gun point."
"That was a bluff! I thought I was rescuing you from the predators! I thought- I thought they were going to turn on us just like the Arxur!" The captain began to sob silently, straining to speak through his sniffling. It took all my strength not to yell at him, but the Aurigans trusted me with this mission, and I had to see it through, uncover why my own people tried to kill me.
"W-Well... I didn't ask to be rescued. I didn't NEED to be rescued. Especially not at the barrel of a gun." I echoed Tarva's words, driving the point home that his gunhoe desire to rescue me was fueled by the same attitude that got him captured in the first place.
"I... I know that now..." He replied meekly, and I sighed, slumping over in defeat.
"Listen, Captain... I'm still angry, livid even. This isn't a social visit. The Aurigans need help investigating the Federation's duplicity. And since their own people can't exactly go around Federation planets unmolested, your connection to Cilany sparked their interest. They want her to work for them."
Sovlin swallowed down tears and tried to compose himself, nodding as he wiped snot away from his nose. "Cilany? You told them of our past connection? That was supposed to be a secret..." The captain then sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter if the predators know I was an informant of hers. There are bigger things to worry about."
I gave a solemn nod, and the captain moved some files off his desk, before pulling up his pad. "I'll give you the details on how to get to her, and how to prove you know me, but you'll have to get there yourself. I can't abandon my position here for your... secret sneakcraft mission. My government needs me."
"I understand sir, I just need whatever help you can provide, then I'll be out of your hair." Which thankfully couldn't come any sooner. I was already straining my diplomatic spirit, every part of me wanting to give Sovlin a verbal beatdown for his actions and foolishness.
The captain nodded again and passed me his datapad in silence. "You can find her on Blissful Modernity, one of the Harchen colonies, at the Blissful Network offices there. Tell her I sent you, and if she asks for proof, tell her that the first time we met up to exchange information, I slipped in her bathroom and broke a tooth, and that she got so freaked out that she kept changing color. That'll prove we really talked."
The mental image of that almost made me snicker, and I couldn't help myself from letting out a small snerk of amusement at the description. "I'll be sure to mention your dental mishap to her then." Another small snerk escaped me as I took the pad and got up to leave.
"Will I see you again, Recel?" Sovlin asked as I was walking out of the office, making me stop. I wasn't sure what to say, or if he even deserved an answer, but part of me missed him.
"Maybe, Captain... Maybe." I breathed in a loud whisper, not turning to look at him, before finally departing.
I'm going to need some strong alcohol after all that.
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Memory transcription subject: Recel, Kolshian Liaison
Date [standardized aurigan time]: Fall 20, 1 AA
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The Harchen were one of the species that were hostile to the Aurigans, so their systems were likely going to be heavily fortified, seeing as they were amongst the races to dedicate part of their fleet to the assault on Venlil Prime. They were also going to not be receptive to anyone flying a mezari, venlil, gojid, or zurulian shuttle, so I had to make my way to the Blissful Modernity with one of the shuttles we got on Aafa.
The fact that this very shuttle had nearly been used to kill me made my skin cling uncomfortably to my muscles, almost like it wanted to peel right off. But I had to focus on the present, not on the past. The future depended on it.
Pulling into the system, there was no subspace disruptor to greet me, nor any verbal message. That could only mean one thing, and it wasn't good.
Then I turned on the ships radio receiver, and the blood in my veins grew cold. “Requesting immediate assistance from any Harchen vessels in the vicinity. Harchen Command... do you copy? Our evacuation ships are being slaughtered!”
There was a brief pause, before a reply came through. "This is Captain Zuris of the Transient Novelty. Hold on, Blissful Modernity, we're on our way."
Then another voice crackled through the channel, butting in right after Captain Zuris of the Novelty. “This is Harchen Command. Blissful Modernity is not a priority, Zuris. The Arxur are only attacking it to draw ships away from Fahl. We need to keep our homeworld's defenses strong.”
"You were able to hold out against their head-on assault without me. You don't need me there now any more than you did before. And I will not abandon millions to die just because you're scared, even if it's a risky gambit." The Harchen captain replied.
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This was the same captain that surrendered at Venlil Prime, and limped back to Fahl to lick his wounds. Since he was the one to lead the Harchen part of the Coalition fleet, he was no doubt braver than most of their other commanders. Hopefully his fleet was enough to save the colony, but for now I had to figure out how to actually land on it past all the arxur.
"Good luck, you brave man." I whispered under my breath, before pulling up my pocket portal device. "This is Recel, does anyone copy?" I spoke into the device, and waited for an agonizingly long minute, before a reply came.
"This is Kata, report, Recel."
"Captain, the colony is being attacked by the Arxur, I need a way to sneak past them. I don't suppose your super fast ships can teleport in for a distraction?"
"Negative, Recel. Your shuttle would still be detectable, and look like an easy target. You need to hide your approach. Try the gravity wells of the planets and moons."
"The gravity wells?..." I whispered loudly. Of course, that would hide my gravitic displacement from their sensors. "Understood, Captain. Thank you, that's genius."
"Don't thank me, thank the scientists teaching our warriors how planetary physics work."
"Right, then give them my thanks. Time to put their solution to the test then."
I slung my ship from planet to planet, hiding in the gravity wells, until I was able to pull up behind one of the planet's moons. Now I needed to get down there, and thankfully, a shuttle was small enough to go unnoticed.
Sighing, I imputed the co-ordinates of the press building Cilany worked at, using autopilot to cruise down to the planet below. The grays were focused entirely on shooting down anyone leaving the planet, rather on anyone flying down to the surface, and the trip down was thankfully a smooth ride.
I slinked back out of the ship once it was on the ground, activating the mezari shield strapped to my back, wearing it like a protective shell, before pulling out my rifle. My tentacles wrapped tightly around the weapon, and I readied myself to use it in close quarters against any gray that tried to get close.
The air was thick with ash, and antimatter detonations dotted the horizon, but thankfully the coast seemed clear, even though I could hear screams in the distance.
Making my way to the press offices, I climbed my way up through an emergency exit. The building seemed abandoned, but I made my way through the empty offices and hallways, ready to defend myself if need be. Then I stepped on a piece of paper, and when I stopped to make sure I wasn't heard, I could see movement behind the frosted glass of one of the press rooms.
I steadied my gun in one tentacle, and pulled the shield out from behind my back, strapping it to my other tentacle, using it as intended. I then wrapped both tentacles around the rifle, holding it in an awkward grip over the top of the shield. Awkward, but functional. Then with every bit of courage I could muster, I burst into the room, ready to gun down any gray I saw.
Shrill screams filled the room as I burst in, terrified harchen shrieking in terror, They were all hiding under desks, one of them covering their neck with a cushion. "Oh, thank goodness, we thought it was the grays." One said, as I was lowering my weapon.
"Who are you? What's that on your arm?" Another one of the reporters asked, pointing at my shield.
"It's a personal plasma shield. I don't have time to explain, I'm looking for Cilany. I need to rescue her. You can all fit in my shuttle if you want off this planet. Or you can wait for Zuris to come and break the Arxur blockade. Either way, I need to find Cilany."
"I am Cilany." The same reporter responded. "What do you want with me? And how do you have that... shield?"
"Isn't that Aurigan tech?" One of the other reporters whispered, causing Cilany to grow more suspicious of me.
The fierce reporter glared at me with one eye in response to that information, and whispered accusingly at me. "Are you working for the predators? Who sent you? Are you here to assassinate me?"
"What the- No, I'm not here to assassinate you. I'm Recel. Captain Sovlin's former XO, the one who rescued the Aurigan ambassador from him. Sovlin told me where to find you. I'm here to recruit you, because the Kolshian Chiefdom tried to assassinate me, as well as all the other diplomats that left for Venlil Prime to meet with the Aurigans. We need your investigative skills to get to the bottom of why."
"What? Chief Nikonus did that?" Cilany was surprised, her eye growing wider at the news.
"Or someone else with power in the Chiefdom. We even have a witness, and he saw them shoot the Takkan ambassador when the latter tried to stop them. Please, help us."
"I don't trust the Aurigans, they sent the Arxur after us. All the coalition worlds we could contact are under attack. For all we know, Fahl has already fallen."
"Fahl is holding, and captain Zuris is coming here to lift the siege of the Modernity. That was the whole point of telling the Arxur about the Coalition, to get your fleets to go home and defend your systems instead of trying to bomb Venlil Prime."
"So you know they're responsible for this and you still want me to help them? Why?"
"Because I've seen things, things that make me question the Federation. I don't just mean the assassination attempt. In footage from the Cradle we saw the Aurigans rescuing children, vomiting at the sight of carnage, tending to wounded prey, and allowing surrender.
Even Captain Zuris is only on his way here now because the Aurgans let him leave, unharmed, with his entire surviving force, after he surrendered. And I saw something else... A gray, one of their leaders, admitting prey were sapients. If you don't belive me, you can watch the recording yourself."
I handed over a datapad to the reporter, one that was given to me in confidence by Zolya. Only the Aurigan leaders, Tarva, and myself knew about this conversation, and getting Cilany to trust us relied entirely on it and it alone.
Cilany watched with horror as the chief hunter moved on camera, even in a recording he was terrifying to behold, but I could see the gears turning in her head as he spoke, and the skepticism on her face turned to horror, then confusion, and finally determination.
"This... this can't be right... Something's not right here. We didn't- We wouldn't- Did we do that?" She thought aloud, betrayal in her voice, before looking up at me.
"That's why we need your help, we need someone like you to uncover the truth about the Arxur uplift. And whatever else the Federation might be hiding."
"Ok... You have my attention. Let's get out of here, and uncover the truth." Cilany was determined, if scared, either of the truth, or the situation, probably both. But I could tell she was honest in her conviction to uncover the truth about the Arxur.
I nodded and motioned for the emergency exit that was on the opposite side of the building, where I entered from. "My shuttle is over there. Let's get out of here." I signaled with my head for the reporters to follow, and Cilany had to encourage them to do so, but soon enough we were making our way out of the building.
I led the small group down the hall to the exit, and I took point, the harchen following behind me. When I got down to the ground level, my blood grew cold once more, as five arxur were waiting by my shuttle.
The first reporter to come up behind me screamed and fainted, and I had to push her back into the building, shouting for Cilany to grab her. I then poked my head back out the door and started shooting at the Arxur as they started to gallop towards me on all fours, undermining my aim.
I barely managed to get a bead on one of them, shooting it down, before another slammed into my shield, clearly having not gotten the memo after the Cradle battle. It hit the shield with its full weight, knocking us both down, and I was able to unload a burst into its abdomen, killing it instantly.
The other there were on me though, and one bit my dominant tentacle, the grip on my weapon faltering. It dragged me out of the doorway, while the other two rushed into the building, chasing down the reporters.
NO, no! This was a disaster! I had to think fast!
"Gaahh! Stop! I work for the Aurigans! These reporters are priority targets! Zolya wants them alive!" I screamed, which gave the arxur pause.
The one grabbing me sniffed me with a snarl, and my heart was pounding in terror, blood seeping from the bite mark even faster.
"Why would they send cattle on an important mission?"
"Because they didn't know you were here! They expected you'd attack Fahl, not this colony! They just want the reporters for their knowledge!"
The predator hissed a low hiss and grabbed my tentacle, yanking me to the side. "Well it's too late! You killed two of our own, so we're taking you w-"
The Arxur's speech was cut short as a three foot long blade was sticking out from its chest, a moving cloud of black wisps visible behind it. Then the other two arxur's throats suddenly burst open, as if cut by blades, and another cloud of wisps appeared between them.
I thought I was hallucinating for a moment, as the clouds turned into mezari forms, their skin as black as the void, markings as white as snow covering their bodies. One was a male, with a great, two handed sword, the other a female, wielding two daggers. The male pulled his weapon out of the gray's chest, and walked up to me, offering me a hand.
"It's not wise to travel alone." The man said, his voice as whispy as his body, which seemed to be in a state of superposition between flesh and smoke.
"You should get your reporter friends, before they run off." The woman then added, twirling her blades. She then moved over to the man, partially becoming vague and indistinct, like ink on paper, as she moved. It was as if her existence was only a suggestion, and reality had to abide.
"W-who- What are you?" I managed to ask as the man helped me up, and I picked up my gun again.
"Oh, we're just your shadows. Forget you ever saw us~" The man added in a myrthful tone, before both of them seemingly vanished.
Shuddering from the experience, I went to get the Harchen, leading them to the shuttle, and finally getting off the rock. Thankfually, captain Zuris was already here, and his efforts allowed us to slip past the Arxur forces along with the other evacuees. Hopefully this was all worth the risks, to both myself and Cilany.