I made good time to the brig. Much better than I expected to, given the sheer distance involved in moving from the dining areas to the brig.

As I entered the hall outside the cell with the Rif'nay'fex, I slowed and approached the guards.

"Report," I said immediately

"The prisoner woke and the doctor was here," one of the guards said. "When the doctor moved to examine them, the prisoner attacked before the doctor could get the shield down and we had to remove him from the room until the prisoner had calmed down."

"Any other trouble?" I asked.

"No sir," another guard answered.

"Good work," I told them. "Doctor, come with me and do as I say."

Without checking to see if the doctor was following me, I opened the door to the cell and entered the private room that the Rif'nay'fex was in. There crouched on the bed, glaring at the doorway I'd just come through, was the alien prisoner. As they saw me, they began to speak in their language and I knew Cai was running it through the translation program we'd made. After a moment he spoke to me.

"The Rif'nay'fex language has not changed overly much in the time since the obelisk was placed. I am confident that you will have no issues with understanding them," Cai told me.

"Doctor, you have a Cyber, yes?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Who doesn't?"

"You'd be surprised," I said. "I'm going to have my Cyber send yours the translation program for the Rif'nay'fex language."

"That would be very helpful," the doctor said gratefully.

"I'm also going to give your Cyber access to the room's holographic displays so that you can communicate with your patient," I told him. "From everything I know, the Rif'nay'fex don't have anything like the Cybers to translate others for them."

"Thank you," the doctor said as I turned my attention back to the Rif'nay'fex.

"Greetings," I said. "We mean you no harm."

Cliche, I know, but it got the point across more easily than charades did.

"This man beside me is a medical professional," I said. "He wishes to examine you to determine if you have any injuries or illnesses. Will you allow this?"

As I was speaking, Cai was writing my words out in the holo display so that the Rif'nay'fex could read it. Eventually, it spoke up.

"I will not allow it," the feminine voice answered me. Guess they were female. "I have neither injury nor illness. Where am I? Speak quickly."

"You are on a starship under the control and command of the Nephilim Army," I told her. "You might know us better as the Second Strain or the Grand Enemy."

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"Truly?" she demanded. "You speak the truth?"

"I do," I nodded as I waved the doctor out of the room. He wasn't needed for this.

"Excellent," she said. "I rebelled and snuck aboard an emergency exit pod. I have been hoping to seek you and yours out for a most grave matter."

"Please," she said, desperation coloring her three eyes. "Destroy what is left of my people. Before they cause more destruction and harm."

"They really asked you to do that?" Sarah asked as I finished explaining to her and Carrie what had happened when I questioned the Rif'nay'fex prisoner.

"They did." I confirmed.

"They didn't ask you to save them, not to teach them the truth or to be better? They just asked you to destroy them?" she asked again.

"That's how it went," I nodded. "Even confirmed that was what they wanted"

"Why?" Carrie asked. "Surely you asked why."

"They claim that their people have the true history of what happened and that they went a different route than everyone else did after Hyn'bel was executed," I said. "Rather than start preparing for trying to slow down the Scourge, they started preparing to destroy us. The one we've got is one of a very small minority that's seen the history of it all and agreed with the choice the others made. They've all been waiting for the day they find us so that they can start to save their people. That's where things get screwy."

"Because of course they do," Carrie groaned.

"All the ones that didn't buy into the CoH cult nonsense were rounded up and executed," I said. "She only claims to have survived because she was young and they thought that they could break her. She's been spending her entire life living a lie and pretending to worship the Scourge and Hyn'bel. Waiting and hoping for the day that she can escape and find us and finally end the Rif'nay'fex for good."

"We're not actually buying that are we?" Sarah asked.

"Not for a minute," I said, shaking my head. "Rif'nay'fex are an unknown for us. The majority of them wanted us to evolve to the point that we could fight the Scourge. The rest wanted the Scourge to sweep us away. I think the only reason Earth wasn't destroyed so long ago is because we were hidden. All they knew of us was that we were somewhere in a newer galaxy on a new planet that orbitted a new star. The rest was deliberately removed. Then there's the change in Scourge capability that came about because of the Wardens of Life. They learned more varied forms for hunting and fighting and that's made them more dangerous, so we had to evolve ourselves to fight them more evenly."

"All that happens and then we have a cult that worships Hyn'bel come out of the woodwork and starts to raise hell for us?" I asked. "Then we just so happen to have the one member of that cult that's been hiding in it her whole life manage to escape, and we stumble on her and she's got all the information we need?"

"Someone on high thinks we're gullible or we've just hit the luck quota for our entire species for the rest of time," I said. "Either way, we're not believing anything we're told without thouroughly examining every inch of it all."

"So what are we doing with the Rif'nay'fex in the brig?" Carrie asked.

"We're keeping her comfortable and healthy until she either slips up or we kill the rest of her species," I said. "That doesn't feel good to say."

"I should hope not," Sarah said. "That's the kind of stuff they used to make horror movies about."

"I'd imagine they still do," I sighed. "Come on, we've still got work to do."

"Did we get coordinates for where they went?" Carrie asked.

"We did," I nodded. "And for the two planets they live on that they use as home until the Scourge accomplishes what they want them to."

"Which is?" Sarah asked leadingly.

"Clear the Universe and die off so that the Children can inherit the Universe and all planets and bring the glory of Hyn'bel and the Rif'nay'fex to all corners," I said.

"Lovely," Carrie sighed. "We were already dealing with a race of killing machines that it was revealed we were made to fight, literally. Now we can add on the creator race having lost their marbles and getting ready for some promised time brought about by the destruction and murder of all sentient races across the Universe."

"Any chance we can go home, take a nap, and wake up from this crazy nightmare?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"I'll let you know if it ever works," I promised. "This is all a bit much even for me, and I started this trip."