Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva Baol of the Venlil Republic

Date [standardized Aurigan time]: 30th Day of the Month of Braying, Year 1 After Auriga

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The grays accompanying Isif to the camp gave me a wide berth as we made our way to the ship. They'd never seen a venlil walk without fear before, and were visibly confused by my countenance.

The ship still exuded a sense of dread, even with my newfound confidence in the face of danger. I couldn't help but shudder as we approached the boarding ramp, my wool standing on end, like a prickly mane, even more golden light escaping through it.

"Careful now, you're letting the darkness win. Remember what I told you, you have to push through the fear, else it will control you."

Yes, Baol, I know. It's still difficult though.

"Nothing worth doing in life is easy. Now step foot on that ship and save your people."

Taking a deep breath, we followed after Isif and his guards, while the other grays on the ship glared at us in misbelief. I had half the mind to snarl at them, but the last thing we needed was to ruin the entire plan for the sake of revenge.

The cattle ship was full of tight, tall corridors, and the smell of blood and piss filled the air. I was starting to regret being able to smell, and I tried not to gag too much as we made our way the cargo bay.

When the doors opened, I could see cages both along the walls and beneath the floor, venlil packed in tightly, their fur dirty and matted. Many were terrified at the sight of the arxur, but a few merely had blank stares in their eyes.

I closed my eyes, trying to restrain my rage, my wool ruffling as if in a heavy wind as my skin twitched. "I've seen enough. Free them."

"But they'll stampede-" Isif argued, and I let out a low hum.

"Then move your people out of the way and leave it to me." I pushed past the anger, the fear, and the stench, and knelt down on top of the floor grate, looking down at the terrified venlil below.

Extending my fingers through the grate, trying to prove to them that I was really here, I whispered to the huddled masses. "Don't be afraid, we're here to free you."

Several hands reached up to touch my claws, finally recognizing them as venlil hands. I let them linger there for a few seconds, before pulling away and grabbing the metal hatch, opening the floor cage.

The venlil in the wall cages were starting to gather at the bars, staring at me in disbelief, while I reached down into the floor cage and helped an old woman out of the cage, golden motes wrapping around her to help me support her weight.

Isif had already motioned for his people to leave, and so it was just me and the prisoners by the time I started helping them out of their cages. Seeing them all like this made my heart ache even harder. Isif clearly picked older or weaker venlil for the exchange, probably to avoid the ire of his government. It would likely be a while before we could rescue anyone younger.

"Are you... are you a spirit?" A trembling male asked as I was helping him out of the cage, keeping his posture low like the grays did when showing subordination. I pulled him fully upright and wrapped my tail around his wrist.

"No, but also yes. It is complicated, friend. You do not need to grovel, though. You are free now. You are the first, but you won't be the last. Today will mark a new chapter in venlil history, today will be our first step out of the darkness."

A few from the crowd inched their way towards me, unsure of themselves, before hugging their arms or tails around me, or just placing their hands on my arms and shoulders. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a dozen souls all trying to hug me or touch me, croaking weak words of thanks.

"You don't need to thank me, please. Thank me when there's no more people left to rescue. Until then, my work is not done."

I struggled to free an arm from the crowd, before gently trying to push them off of me. "We need to leave, the arxur are waiting to have their ship back." I then said in a soft tone, trying to keep them calm and responsive.

The reminder that the arxur were still around snapped the rescues out of their gratitude, and I did my best to guide them through the ship's bowels. Thankfully there were no more arxur on the way, and I had no doubt they were instead following our movements on cameras.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Once the venlil were outside, I pressed at the small device in my ear, establishing communications with the other side of the colony.

"They're outside. Activate the aurora device." I gave the simple order, and within seconds a luminous ball of plasma formed on the other end of the field, slowly expanding until it collapsed in on itself, creating a portal to the refugee camps set up for the rescues.

"Don't be afraid, just follow me." I once more spoke softly, gingerly taking one of the rescues by the hand and guiding them towards the portal. Venlil and zurulian medical staff awaited on the other side, with prefabs prepared to serve as a field hospital.

A few of the rescues were reluctant, but I didn't want to force them. Thankfully, they too followed suite after the first few were safely through to the other side.

Once everyone was secured, I gave the drakken the go-ahead on their end of the plan, and went through the portal to the other side. While the drakken were returning the gray prisoners, I stayed with the rescues, making sure they didn't panic as they were processed.

This was only the first step in their reintegration into society, and the road ahead was going to be long for all of them.

As the doctors looked the rescues over, one of them kept staring at me, until he finally spoke up. "Y-you're... you're not a hallucination?" He asked in disbelief, reality finally settling it in.

"No, my friend, I am very much real. Now rest, you've earned it."

"How did... How is this possible? Why would the grays release us?..." He asked as the doctors were helping him up into one of the beds.

"Because they're not as powerful as the kolshians would have you believe. Much has changed since you were taken, but if you're willing to listen, I'm willing to explain."

"I... ok." He nodded weakly, though his eyes looked more focused than before, no longer as glassed over and vacant.

"Let's start with introductions. I am governor Tarva, what's your name?" I offered, pulling a chair closer and sitting down next to his bed. I then picked up a brush and started carefully untangling his messy fur.

"I think... I think it was G-Glim. I was... an extermination officer, doing colony work. It's how they got me..." He looked over at the brush, staring at it for a few seconds, as if trying to process what was going on.

I awkwardly cleared my throat and spoke up again after a few moments of silence, switching to a finer comb. "You might want to keep your profession to yourself. Extermination officers are frowned upon these days." I gave his shoulder a gentle pat, trying not to come off as harsh in that statement.

"W-what, why?..." Glim croaked out in surprise, shying away from the touch for a moment, before leaning into the combing again, his eyes darting around the tent.

"Because the Federation lied to us. Fear of predators is manufactured, and the war with the arxur is their fault. The kolshian High Chief admitted to everything live on camera. They erased the cultures and histories of species they found problematic, and replaced them with propaganda. And they even made gene edits to all the species that they thought were a threat to their falsehoods, even us."

"W-why would we be a threat, I don't understand." The rescue pulled himself up in his bed, one of his eyes falling back on me and his head tilting to the side.

"Because our ancestors fought off predators, as well as fighting each other, rather than cower at the first sign of danger. That didn't fit with their lie that prey were fearful creatures. So they removed our sense of smell, which helped us detect predators, and bent our knees so we couldn't fight properly. And then they taught us that we should cower in fear from predators."

"Is that why you look... different? Is that how you freed us? Fighting the arxur?"

"Hmmm... no, not us. The aurigans fought the arxur, and secured your release in exchange for arxur prisoners captured at the Cradle. The aurigans are the reason that the conspiracy began unravelling, and it led to the High Chief revealing the truth. Which caused the Federation to splinter into a civil war."

"I don't understand... Our fear is a conspiracy? We could've resisted the arxur if not for the Federation? And how did these aurigans cause it to unravel?"

"We don't really know the reason yet, since we're at war with the kolshians and their allies, but the way High Chief Nikonus spoke about it on camera, it seems that the conspiracy want to make the galaxy peaceful by eliminating all aggression. In reality they just removed our ability to defend ourselves against threats like the arxur, and then unleashed those very same arxur upon us.

As for the aurigans... the Aurigan Federacy is an alliance of multiple species that didn't fall into the Federation's ideological mold. Their sheer existence proved the Federation propaganda wrong, and caused people to start questioning everything that was taught to them. Then a reporter finally confronted the kolshian leadership about the whole thing, and Nikonus openly bragged about everything they'd done."

"What did they do, exactly?..."

"All will be explained in time, it's complicated, a lot has happened in these past few months. What's more important is that you rest, recover, and regain your sense of normalcy. Just know that there's people here for you now. You're finally safe, Glim."

I wrapped my tail around the rescue's wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze, before standing up from my chair. The former exterminator gave me a weak nod, his tail twitching slightly.

"I- I will try. Thank you." He said weakly, before returning to gazing around the medical tent.

I motioned for a medic to come tend to Glim with my tail, before giving the rescue one final touch on the shoulder.

"You sure you should've told him as much as you did? Your people are very irrational, he might leap to conclusions." Baol spoke up as we left the tent, heading to the shuttle meant to take us back to Skalga.

I'm not, no. But there's only so much lying I'm willing to stomach. In time he'll learn about omnivory, but until then, I hope I've satisfied his curiosity.