Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Date [standardized aurigan time]: Heather 10, 1 AA
----------------------------------------
"Tarva, wake up." Serz whispered as he shook me awake, startling me. His helmet was back on, and he was crouched over me. "The Kolshians have given us the go-ahead to leave the ship."
Looking around, I saw that Recel was already gone, and I hoped they hadn't carted him off to face justice while we weren't looking. I wondered what would happen to him after all this, since there was a clear treason case against him.
Serz offered to help me back up, but I politely declined and stood on my own. I took a few moments to regain my bearing, before heading over to the exit hatch. "We need to be careful, I doubt Nikonus was bluffing when he said even a slight mistake will get you shot."
The mezari nodded and took a deep breath, before adjusting his mantle around his shoulder. The pelts he was draped in were a mix of white on black, with tints of orange. The fact it was similar to venlil blood was a coincidence, but I worried that the federation representatives would think it symbolic.
After I opened the hatch, we climbed down the ramp together, and into the terminal. Immediately we were greeted by dazzling lights, likely intended to blind the mezari ambassador. I could see his head moving uncomfortably, and no doubt his eyes were straining under the helmet. I turned my head towards the light, so they didn't fall on my eyes as directly, and noticed that Kolshian soldiers were carting Recel off in cuffs, a goad around his neck. No doubt they feared he had predator disease.
One of the guards then tripped the poor lad, before giving a terribly fake apology. Concern stabbed at my heart, and I began to worry for our safety. But Recel was at least able to plead his case for longer than five minutes. The two of us, on the other hand, had basically been already written off.
A kolshian female in the front then raised a megaphone towards us, and sharply ordered Serz to "Take a slow step forward. Then walk until we tell you to turn."
The intention to blind him was now showing its purpose, they wanted to lead him around like a beast, rather than let him roam free. I couldn't believe the irony, that a predator was being ordered around like cattle.
The pacifist began shuffling forwards, and I could hear him whisper to himself, counting his steps. It was barely audible, and as soon as he was a few feet away it was gone from my register.
Judging by the way his head stopped turning, he had closed his eyes altogether, relying on his other senses to move. Seeing cameras turned on us, I started to walk besides him, trying to appear confident, to assure everyone that the man by my side was no danger to anyone.
The cameras zeroed in on me, and I took the opportunity to wrap my tail around Serz's wrist, as if he were one of my own brothers and sisters.
As we walked, soldiers directed us down a series of hallways, and I tried to stay as calm as possible, despite having guns trained on us. No doubt the onlookers thought my antsiness was because of Serz, rather than the weapons mere inches away from me.
I wondered how the leaders would react, when we reached the governing chamber. The announcement of a mezari’s arrival must’ve come as a shock; that wasn’t what they imagined when they planned this visit. It was one thing to talk about a predator in the abstract, but another to see a waking nightmare in person.
The Aurigan ambassador better have a damn good speech at the ready. Somehow, I didn’t think the Federation gentry would welcome him with open arms.
Once we were in the governance hall, serz strode up to the microphone, his helmet obscuring his features. He did his best to look at everyone with sideways glances, as every guard in the room trained weapons on him from as far away as possible.
"Greetings, people and leaders of the Federation. My name is Serz, and I represent the Aurigan Federacy, the last people of a dead world."
The silence in the room was deafening, and many representatives had seemingly left before we even got here. They were probably viewing through remote camera feeds.
"I am sure you have many ideas about my people, and what we are like. Most of them due to the "grays", as you call them. But I am here to show you why we are not like them. For thousands of years my ancestors, the vaulters, lived in isolation underground, in deep vaults. When a great earthquake unearthed ancient artefacts containing our language and iconography, we knew that our ancestral stories of having come from the stars were not mere myths."
"So we made a great exodus onto the surface of our planet, and there we found war. We found death. And we found disease. There we found the Morgawr, ancient bioweapons with psychic power, wishing to enslave everyone and everything. We found the Forgotten, a group of violent maniacs who distrusted all outsiders. We found the Cult of the Eternal End, fanatics sworn to destroy the technology of the past and all traces of our history. And we found the Necrophages, a hivemind whose sole goal was to consume all life and create more drones for itself."
"But we also found the Drakken, peaceful scholars, who merely sought to understand and learn, and yet they were carnivores. We found the Allayi, the natural children of Auriga, a race whose sole duty was to protect it and keep it safe from disaster. They had side facing eyes, yet also sharp teeth, but they fed on the natural energies of the world, not plants, nor animals. They were made to reflect all aspects of nature, and were able to change with the seasons."
"We also found the Gauran, large herbivores that were braver than any of us, despite being prey. And we found the Sisters of Mercy, a mezari nation dedicated entirely to the medical arts, as well as the Magtay, a monastic society that eschewed meat, and lived entirely off of farming."
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Merely seeking the truth of our ancestors, we found a world embroiled in conflict, with both good and evil peoples on all sides. We found a world slowly freezing over, with each winter longer than the last. And in that world, we sought only to belong."
"In that world we fought alongside predators, alongside prey. We fought alongside doctors, and alongside vegetarians. We fought not because we sought to, but because we were surrounded by enemies. By the horrors of the Morgawr, by the all-consuming necropage, and by the all destroying cult."
"In the end we welcomed the Gauran and the Sisters into our flock. And the Magtay, and the Jotus, and the Geldirus. By the time we left Auriga, we were no longer Vaulters, nor Mezari. We were Aurigans, half a dozen races unified under one banner."
"We may not all be herbivores, like you, but the Aurigans are not like the Arxur. We survive through companionship, not cruetly. We help one another, and others, and we seek to strengthen and protect the weakest amongst us, not shun them. We do not discriminate based on diet, or appearance. And we do not seek conflict, merely defending ourselves should it come."
"But we all have a thing in common, something that binds us. We only seek a chance to rebuild, to begin again, in memory of our dead world, our dead mother -Auriga."
The reporters in the upper decks were filming every word. Commentators spoke in soundproofed booths, offering live opinions on some of the most influential political shows in the galaxy. The public viewing balcony was almost empty, so most of the citizenry would witness this display secondhand.
The anxious murmurs rippling around showed this wasn’t what anyone was expecting. They were expecting the mezari to come here, brandishing mocking footage and lobbying threats. It was clear they were concerned how close I was standing to Serz; a few tried to signal ‘Run’ to me with tail language.
"You come here and speak hollow words, predator!" Came a shout from the stands, Captain Sovlin bursting into the hall. "You expect us to believe any of that? It is obvious to any rational sapient that these are merely twisted lies!"
"And you come here, wearing a helmet. Hiding your nature. You know fully well you are a predator. Nothing can change that!" Jerulim, the Krakotl ambassador, then added.
The nearest dignitaries glanced at the avian, and signaled their agreement with tail-waves and ear flicks. It seemed to embolden others to vocalize their opinions.
"By your own admission, your history is embroiled in wars. Your whole planet was a war zone!" Darq, the Farsul high elder, joined in.
Serz raised his hands in a defeated gesture, his voice softening. "We merely fought to defend ourselves, as I've mentioned before."
"Were you defending yourselves when you attacked the Gojid people!" Came a response from Sovlin, the hall starting to fill with raucous agreement.
"You were, and still are, planning to exterminate us. As I have said, we only fight to defend ourselves." Serz remained unusually calm.
"We should execute the beast! Let's see its head roll!" The Mazic ambassador tutted.
"You kidnapped our people!" Came a cry from the Godjid ambassador.
"We were taking them in as prisoners of war. They're still alive, awaiting trial." Serz spoke up, fruitlessly, the gathered ambassadors speaking up over him, drowning out his words.
"SILENCE! I said we would let it speak, and I don’t break my word. Can you not hold your tongues for a few more minutes? It still has two on the clock!" Chief Nikonus roared.
Serz sighed and nodded in thanks at the Kolshian chieftain. “Thank you. As I said with the magtay. Our kind can eschew meat, we are omnivores. In fact, we primarily eat plants, and only need meat for certain vitamins and minerals. While we do have some carnivores amongst us, they have never, and would never, eat a sapient. In fact, the idea of sapient carnivores eating sapient herbivores made the Gaurans laugh, as they have been friends with us for decades. We find everything about the Arxur anathema to us, especially after we survived the Necrophage. We do not condone, and never will, the eating of other people."
"But do you eat flesh?" Jerulim called from the crowd, ignoring the chairman’s glare. "You personally."
"Well, not since we left Auriga."
"And why not since you left Auriga?" Jerulim further preseed.
"We need to wait for our livestock to repopulate..." Serz answered, Judging by the strain in his voice, he knew that the truth would cause a reaction. But what else could he have said?
"You heard it! The beast admitted it! They need livestock! That's why they're here! We'll all end up as cattle if we don't kill them all!" Jerulim shouted, elicting panicked gasps from the others.
"The Venlil have fallen right into their trap!" someone shouted.
"I told you they were liars!" Sovlin added, walking to where Piri, the Gojid leader, was sitting.
The shouting match was interrupted by Nikonus, who tapped his microphone loudly again.
"That's enough, from everyone! Mezari, your time is up. You two are to exit the chamber. Slowly. And then follow the emergy lights to your alloted living arrangements. I expect you to remain in your room, predator. If you are found wandering around, you will be shot."
Serz gave a formal bow and turned around, and I had no choice but to follow him. Once outside, we followed the lights in silence, and I could hear Serz once more counting his steps.
Soon enough we were inside our room, a full diplomatic suite, complete with a kitchenette and en-suite. Two trays of fruit mash with algae and grain garnish waited for us on the bedstands. Serz took one of them up and looked over it curiously. "Why mash the fruit?" He mused out loud, before calmly sitting down to eat as if nothing had happened.
"How. How in the name of all that is divine. Are you so calm?" I finally broke and spilled my thoughts. "That was a disaster!"
"Simple..." The predator replied with a mouth full of mash. "Worry, don't worry, the outcome is the same. I was taught that by the Sisters. Worry, or rather fear, is but an adversary, one that attacks judgment. You saw in that hall, how they were controlled by fear. To truly be rational, one must first defeat fear itself."
A small voice then chimed in from the door. "Very wise! As they say, idiots speak the loudest, but cooler heads keep quiet. People with cool heads is something we need more of."
Both Serz and I tilted our heads in confusion, and Serz did his best to use the prey side-eye when looking at the speaker. One of the Zurulians had walked into the room, oddly unconcerned by the presence of my mezari companion.
"I'm sorry, we weren't expecting company..." Serz spoke slowly, mouth full of food, while putting his helmet on with haste.
"Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t have to apologize. Please, leave the helmet off. I’m Chauson, behavioral scientist with the Galactic Institute of Medicine. May I come in?"
"Of course. Unless they'll shoot you for being in here." Serz responded, eliciting a chuckle from Chauson.
"No, no. I'm the Prime Minister's brother, they wouldn't dare. Anyways. those Venlil experiments are irrefutable. Your member species sympathize with our plight, and you take no joy in the suffering of others. With that new evidence in mind, we’re willing to change our position on the aurigans."
"You are? I’m thrilled to hear that someone can grasp the truth." I replied in shock, feeling a tinge of hope for the first time since we arrived.
"At long last. The Zurulian government expresses our desire to begin anew, and I only hope that doesn’t come too late. Would you like to open diplomatic relations?"
Serz finally took his helmet back off, now that he was done chewing, and he gave a courteous nod to the Zurulian. "Yes, we would like that, very much. The Federacy's door is always open to diplomacy."