Memory transcription subject: Raudd Klapatch, Vaulter Seeker
Date [standardized aurigan time]: Heather 27, 1 AA
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After we took the merchant settlement, waves of gojid came trying to recapture it. We were able to use the dawn officers to keep them at bay, while marines sniped them from afar. Our allayi allies had to be grounded after the first day though, as the gojids began carrying handheld missile launchers.
We made sure that any attempt to advance on our position was costly, setting up overlapping killing fields like we used to on Auriga when defending our own settlements. Every gojid charge on our position was a laughable failure. These aliens clearly lacked any real combat training.
Soon enough they stopped coming, and simply encircled us in a prolonged siege. I was thankful they didn't shell us with cannon fire, and I assumed the concept was probably foreign to them.
As if to make me reconsider that, I saw two bright flashes on the horizon, clear signs of long distance bombardment. I thought for a moment that maybe the gojids had started shelling us, only to see two ships fly overhead. The designs were neither Gojid nor Aurigan, and knowing we weren't intending to bomb the planet, that could only mean one thing.
"This is Kith 1 to all ground forces. Prepare for extraction. The Arxur are attempting to invade the planet. We are struggling to keep them from reaching the plant, after our fight with the Gojid fleet. Watch out for stragglers."
Great, now we had to deal with the gray lizards.
"Let them come!" Came a shout from one of our gauran entourage. "I will happily die fighting those monsters!"
Mulling the situation over, as more bombs fell close behind, striking points across the skyline of a nearby city. More crafts then coursed across the sky, dispersing interceptors to avoid being shot down. Judging by the flight pattern, they were looking for a flat place to land.
"This is Kith 6 to Kith 1. We are taking the fight to the grays. Over."
"Kith 1 to Kith 6. May the mother be with you. Good luck, Raudd."
"Thanks, Rill. Give them hell in orbit."
"Already on it."
"You heard the lady! We got grays incoming. Allayi seekers, get your spears ready. I want you to take out as many of their aircraft as you can. All wyverns with functional wings, join them."
"Gaurans, drakkenlings, sisters, take the injured and the gojid survivors to extraction. Everyone else is with me, we're marching on their landing site."
We fanned out as we made our way towards the Arxur landing zone. The dawn officers were moving ahead on our flanks, using whatever cover they could to hide their advance. The rest of us were moving down a wide avenue in the center, spread out in fire teams.
Up above us the allayi and wyverns were doing their best to attack transports, spearing pilots in their cockpits, or smashing into them using snouts in the latter's case. Damned grays deserved what was coming.
As we made our way to the edges of the landing sites, we saw dozens of ships unloading small groups of three to five arxur. Besides the small transports there were larger ships, which didn't unload troops. Something told me they were there to haul off survivors to be eaten. The arxur fire teams were spreading out and heading into the city, obviously hunting for survivors. They were not as well organized as I expected, in fact, they seemed to want to stay as far away from each other as possible. I could even see them bicker.
"Dawn officers, encircle them, push them away from the city. Marines, get ready to execute any that flee this way."
I could see that the arxur were sniffing about with curiosity, possibly having picked up on a new, foreign scent. Ours. I hoped we could maintain the element of surprise long enough.
Many of the marines climbed up into trees and took position there, while I took cover behind a large log. The dawn officers circle around the perimeter through the trees, moving through the canopies in most cases, before a large wave of them leapt out of the woodline.
The element of surprise was sadly not kept for long, as the reptilians trained weapons on the surrounding woodlines right before the officers lept out, axes and shields at the ready. The grays were still shocked by the speed and resilience of their foes though, as the shields blocked incoming bullets, and the officers dashed with Dust enhanced speed towards the enemy line.
Many of the grays took cover the best they could, shooting at officers from temporary safety. Some of the officers were shot down in the scuffle, but enough chaos was generated that the grays began to retreat towards their ships. Those were to be our targets.
As soon as the enemy started routing, the marines began taking shots at them, sending them tumbling to the ground. The grays started firing back, blindly blanketing the tree line with bullets. Most of us were safely in cover or in the canopies, but we still took further casualties from the blind spray.
Overall the plan was a success, and all the fleeing arxur were executed before they could reach the safety of their ships. "Marines, move in, clean up the stragglers." I then ordered, before vaulting over the log.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Making our way to the outskirts of the city, weapons raised, we saw that the enemy ships were beginning to take off, leaving behind their own people to be killed in our crossfire. Hopefully this would make them think twice about taking the planet.
"Kith 1, this is Kith 6. What's the status of the Cradle?" I radioed in to Rill, while discharging a burst into the back of one of the reptilians as we swept the outskirts for target.
"Kith 6, we have clashes all over the planet, they've taken some of the cities, but most of our men chose to stay behind just like you. We have dozens of reports of failed landings."
"And the space theater?"
"We're holding, but it's hard. They have us outnumbered, but our technological differences are keeping them on their toes. Hopefully the ground turnabout will show them we mean business in taking the Cradle."
"Understood, Kith 1. Kith 6 out."
I walked over to one of the dead reptilians, examining his biology. He was clearly malnourished, skin clinging to the bones. Something didn't click right with me, who sends half-starved corpses into battle? I made a mental note to review the old footage of arxur attacks that the venlil had shared with us. If I had to guess, the grays were a starving race, but why?
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Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, Federation Fleet Command
Date [standardized aurigan time]: Heather 28, 1 AA
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Inconceivable! Preposterous! The predators were prancing about the Cradle doing Protector knows what. I had to stop them. Ignoring Piri's objections, I assembled a fleet to take back our home from the beasts. Thankfully my rank carried enough weight that I could round up several dozen ships. I feared what would happen if we were too late.
Our ships lurched as we exited from subspace, and the scene that greeted me was one I did not expect. The mezari and the arxur were fighting over the skies of my home, the two predators at each other's throats. This must've been a gift from the Protector.
"Seems the two empires are squabbling over who gets to eat us first. We should strike at them both while they're busy mauling each other!"
"Sir, I'm picking up a transmission from the surface." Zarn spoke up, catching my attention.
"A transmission? What is it?"
"I don't know, sir. I'll play it for you."
Piri's face came up on the screen, hidden somewhere in a bunker.
"People of the Cradle, the Arxur are here. Please, follow the nearest Aurigan to extraction. If they are not heading to extraction, keep close to them, they will protect you. In our preoccupation with fighting off the Aurigans, the Arxur slipped past our orbital defenses, and so we thought our world doomed.
When the grays first arrived we were sure they were working with the aurigans, but instead of joining together to enslave us, our video feeds showed them fighting each other. We saw aurigans risking their lives to drive off the arxur from our cities, from small towns, and from convoys of survivors. For the last 24 hours the Aurigans have been trying their best to keep the Arxur from taking the planet.
Since the aurigans first occupied our planet, we've intercepted many of their broadcasts. They were disgusted and shocked at the aftermaths of stampedes. They were distraught at how we abandoned our children. And then when the arxur came they were disgusted to see them devouring our dead. Since then they've been organizing attacks against every gray landing site they could. They broadcast warnings, pleading for survivors to evacuate the planet. And we heard every word.
It could have all beeen staged, but they seemed surprised that the arxur were here. Perhaps they were fighting over who gets to keep us, but the idea of giving the arxur eternal punishment was one often repeated in their broadcasts. But now I no longer doubt their intentions.
This was the last bit of footage I saw. I can’t conjure a reason that such sacrifice and tenderness would be present in predators, other than true empathy. If this is a ruse, it is the worst one imaginable.
Should we fall, should the Arxur take this world, send his message to the Federation, and all data enclosed within the broadcast. Show them the footage, and let them judge for themselves.”
The footage showed a mezari warrior with an axe in one hand and a shield in the other. He leapt over a small piece of rubble and smashed with his entire bodyweight into a gray that was about to bite a gojid child. He then turned to the child and shouted for the kid to run, as more mezari were rushing over to them.
The mezari then raised his axe and swung down, ending the gray's life, while another member of his kind picked the child up, completely ignoring the spines. He held the child close to his chest, and carried it using his own body as a shield, protecting the child from oncoming bullets, while the axe carrying madman dashed towards the enemy lines, using the shield for protection.
Another recording showed a group of mezari marines defending a rural school from grays. Many of their own number were already dead, but the stragglers kept fighting, even through injury. I saw one of the axe wielding madmen sacrifice himself to keep the reptilians at bay, keeping them distracted in close quarters so that his pack mates could finish them off.
As soon as there was a moment of peace, a Gojid child raced into the open and knelt by said mezari’s corpse. He jabbed a claw into the predator’s stomach, sobbing in hysterics. The kid showed such feeble emotions in front of those beasts, and their lips didn’t even curve into a snarl? Two primates stooped to the ground, and…attempted to console him?
A third recording showed red-skinned reptilians defending horned herbivores from arxur attack, as the horned aurigans helped the injured and the elderly onto evacuation craft, many giving their lives to protect the evacuees.
As I watched I couldn't reconcile what I was seeing with what I knew of predators. What if the aurigans really were creatures of empathy?
Every fiber of my being tried to refute the concept. Predators were evil! Predators killed your family!
I collapsed into a prone position, weeping. Recel was right, I'd let my past control my thinking. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was just projecting the arxur's identity onto the mezari. I was seeing them as one and the same, because I needed someone to hate.
The aurigans only attacked us because we wanted to exterminate them. And the moment the grays showed up they fought to protect my people from them. They rescued children first, the same children we abandoned. When they took me prisoner they didn't even approach the colony, I only found that out later from Piri herself. Maybe Serz wasn't lying, they just wanted a new home. And we greeted them with guns aimed at their heads.
This had to change. Someone had to be better. I had to be better. "Zarn... Open a channel to the mezari." I ordered, barely able to form the words.
"But they-"
"Enough, Zarn! Unless you have some scientific evidence of their evil, I suggest you keep your trap shut! You saw the footage. They protected our people from the grays! Now it's time we returned the favour!"
With a deep sigh the takkan did as asked, and I moved my face towards the microphone.
"This is Captain Sovlin of the Gojidi Union. We are here to help."