Republic Orbital Complex, 2174 A.D.

90,000,000,000 miles from Barnard's Star

Commodore Therax sat stone still as he re-read the report that was handed to him by the Republic Intelligence officer, still trying to understand the words he was reading while his mind rejected them.

The insectoids had launched a devastating assault on the core system of V’rn, and he focused once again on the estimated death toll.

Over five hundred billion dead, the V’rn home world was now a rapidly spinning ball of magma, and every orbital and space structure in the solar system was destroyed.

In one fell swoop, the Insectoids wiped out almost a third of the industrial capacity of the Commonwealth and over 20% of its population.

The V’rni were now a refugee species, adding a further burden to the already deteriorating state of the Commonwealth government as it tried to tamp down on internal dissent and threats of rebellion from the more fractious members.

The intelligence officer waited a little longer, and then he sat down across from Therax and waited for him to come to terms with the report. After a few moments, Therax looked at him.

“Colonel, I thank you for allowing me access to your intelligence reports and for taking on the burden of informing me. This is a devastating blow to the Commonwealth; the V’rn were one of the founding members and the very embodiment of the spirit of the organization. They were also the first to vote yes to grant your species entry, and now the very heart of the Commonwealth is gone. I do not see how they can recover from this.”

Colonel Mgabi sighed softly and pushed another data pad across the table. “Commodore, this is another report detailing the efforts of your government to maintain control of their remaining members. The news organizations have been muzzled, and the Commonwealth is currently under an undeclared state of martial law. And please call me Bob; I have asked you repeatedly to do so when we are alone.”

Therax picked up the report and quickly scanned it, the colors of his cheek scales changing to a bright red as he fought down the growing anger that was rising as he read the intelligence report on the increasingly despotic measures of the government. Protests and peaceful assemblies were outlawed.

Curfews were being instituted, and taxes were being levied for “emergency defense funds” without parliamentary approval. Billions of citizens were waking up to find their bank accounts drained and defense bonds promising repayment with interest inserted in their place.

Businesses involved in manufacturing, mining, and other critical industries were abruptly nationalized, and their assets were seized. Anyone who spoke out was visited by the security bureau and interrogated, or they were arrested and never seen again.

At the bottom of the report were detailed files on a rebellion by the Filatin, who succeeded in capturing or destroying the Commonwealth garrisons on their world and successfully convinced the planetary defense flotilla to disobey orders to bombard them into submission.

The flotilla crews negotiated with the new Filatin government for transport to Xenxin or Eleani space, where they could apply for moral noncombatant status and escape the death penalty for mutiny if the Commonwealth regained control of the planet. The newly created Filatin Defense Forces then took over the abandoned ships and rechristened them the Filatin Liberation Navy.

Therax noted with pride and sadness the actions of his people when a Commonwealth task force arrived at Filat Prime with orders to wipe out the rebellion and seize control of the planet. Of the one hundred and thirty ships in the taskforce, forty-two were captained by Nekuli officers, and every single one of them refused orders to attack the Filatin ships and bombard the planet.

They and any other Nekuli officers who refused orders were arrested by the bridge crews for mutiny and executed on the spot by being spaced out of the airlock.

Stolen story; please report.

When word of what happened reached Nekuli crewmembers on the ships, they went into a rage and mutinied, managing to seize a few vessels and turning their weapons on the other ships, destroying and damaging a few of them.

Some mutineers that failed to take over the bridges and seize control turned their efforts to the engineering and weapons sections, setting core overloads or self-destructing the warheads of the plasma torpedoes, destroying or crippling almost twenty more ships.

The Filatin Liberation Navy took advantage of the chaos within the task force and launched an attack, and their barely trained crews of naval reservists managed to destroy and render combat-ineffective another thirty vessels before they were wiped out to the last ship.

The surviving Commonwealth task force ships then turned their weapons on Filat Prime and destroyed the capital and every military installation and base on the planet. They hit every large concentration of troops they could locate on the surface before issuing demands for surrender.

The Filatin government remained defiant, rejecting the surrender demands and launching what few orbital defense missiles they had, destroying another two ships. The taskforce then began large-scale planetary bombardment.

They destroyed a major city every six hours until the next solar day, when what remained of the Filatin government sent pleas of surrender and agreed to submit to arrest and prosecution for charges of treason.

In the end, almost two hundred million Filatin were dead, and over half of their major cities were completely obliterated. News of the Filatin rebellion was suppressed, and the task force crews were interned in camps at an isolated military outpost on the border to prevent knowledge of the events from getting out.

Therax, his hands shaking, put the report down and bowed his head. He quietly prayed to the ancestors to usher the righteous souls across the river and into the afterlife. After a few moments, he raised his head and looked at the colonel.

“Bawb, I am grateful to you and the Republic for your honorable conduct towards the survivors you rescued under my ill-fated command. I wish there was some way to let my people know the truth about the Commonwealth government; they would rebel immediately and overthrow them."

Thera flicked his head in disgust before continuing to speak.

"We are the largest faction within the navy and the ground forces due to our warrior culture, and knowing that most of them continue to ignorantly serve this evil government because they do not know the truth pains my soul.”

Colonel Mgabe smiled. “I might be able to help you with that. There is someone here who wishes to speak to you if you are willing.”

Therax tilted his head to the left, indicating that he was willing. The colonel pressed a button on the table, and a few seconds later, two dangerous-looking marine pathfinders stepped into the room, scanning it and the two occupants for threats.

Detecting none, they stepped to the sides of the door and assumed guard positions, turning into deadly statues. Admiral Thompson walked into the room and returned the salute from Colonel Mgabe.

“Bob, I would like you to stay and offer your input and thoughts on what I am about to propose. You have been instrumental in establishing a good working relationship with Commodore Therax, and I trust your gut just as much as mine.”

Colonel Mgabe smiled. “Of course, admiral. Thank you, sir.” He pulled out both chairs and waited for the admiral to sit in one before he sat down in the other. Therax had remained seated, warily eyeing the new human who had just sat down across from him.

He dipped his head slowly in a sign of respect and waited. Admiral Thompson returned the gesture of respect, suppressing the instinct to offer a handshake to the commodore as the Nekuli only touched hands for mating.

He did not want Therax to get the wrong idea again, an embarrassing moment for colonel Mgabe when he first interviewed the commodore three months ago. The admiral pulled out a data pad and slid it across the table to Therax. “Commodore, please take a moment and look over the contents of the data pad.”

Therax took the pad and read the contents. He quickly looked at the admiral, confusion in his eyes, before reading the contents one more time, slowly. When he was sure of what he was seeing, he put the pad down and resumed looking at the admiral.

“This is a list of all Commonwealth Navy ships currently under your control that the Xenxin seized during their rebellion and the surviving ships of my task force. I see that you have repaired them, and they are listed as fully combat-capable. This is a powerful force of Commonwealth ships at your disposal; may I ask what your intentions are with them?"

Admiral Thompson looked at Colonel Mgabe, who nodded almost imperceptibly. He looked back at Therax. His eyes locked onto Therax’s, and they seemed to bore into the very depths of his soul for a few uncomfortable seconds as he tried not to look away from those intense orbs.

He saw the moment of decision around the eyes of the admiral as the folds of skin around them relaxed slightly and took on a calculating expression. The admiral leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “I want to give them back to you, Commodore Therax. How do you feel about leading those ships back to your home world and telling them the truth?”

For the first time in three months, Commodore Therax really smiled, baring all of his teeth in true happiness.