by John Walker
“Thank you both for coming. We’ve already given this briefing to the commanders stationed here but I was told to specifically provide you with the same information. Before we go on, I want to extend my heart felt appreciation for everything you did. Locating this data has meant a great deal to the alliance.”
“We look forward to hearing what you have to say,” Gray said. “I’m glad it panned out. We were worried it might not turn out so positive.”
“Quite the contrary, not only did we find what we were after but we uncovered additional information we didn’t anticipate.” Crole grinned. “We discovered a recording from one of our own pieces of technology. It was drifting near the system your coordinates led us to and it contained the first contact with this culture from our perspective.”
Clea’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying you know what happened? To start the war?”
Crole nodded. “Yes, and a great deal of information about our enemies as well. We now understand not only what caused the conflict but how it has been sustained and why we are stuck in this brawl until the conclusion of it. Some of it may not be entirely shocking but even confirming suspicions can be disturbing. Shall we begin?”
“Please.” Gray gestured. “Are we watching the recording?”
“Indeed.”
Crole tapped a button on the table and a holographic image of a young woman with black hair appeared. She wore a uniform much like Clea’s but with slight variances. The colors were the same but the cut was old. Not quite vintage but definitely several generations of fashion back.
“My name is Erais Qu’Villes and I represent the crew of the Distant Horizon. We have made contact with a new race called Devarans, one of extraordinary talent and cleverness. I have never seen such devotion to professional tasks and each of these men and women dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to whatever they are assigned to accomplish. This extends to engineering, building or even the lower professions of janitorial detail and manual labor.
“Before meeting their leaders, we were allowed to observe their activities and routines. None of them would speak to us but neither did they shy away from our scrutiny. While they look much like us in that they have the same physical features, they have an odd sense to them, a demeanor I cannot fully explain. Something between apathy and severe focus and they seem totally devoid of emotional responses to outside stimuli. Almost as if they do not feel at all.
“Their architecture differs greatly from ours. They do not favor high buildings but rather spread out. I saw nothing built over four stories and even those were somewhat rare. They do, however, build underground and though we did not see these places in person, scans indicate some structures plunge more than fifteen stories below the surface.
“The name of their race comes from their religion. The prophet who initially taught the scriptures was a man called Devar and he supposedly survived encounters with the worst predators on the planet. These trials have gone down in their books as what separates them from common animals, the crucible if you will. It’s one of the reasons we’re having a hard time gaining their cooperation.”
Crole paused the recording. “We’ve confirmed this message. Things have not changed in all these years. However, they have added something which is never mentioned in this recording. When this expedition made contact, the culture had no space station. Now, our current scans have found a massive structure orbiting the home world and another over their nearest satellite.”
“Do we know the purpose of those?” Clea asked.
“The one near their moon is a fabrication facility. They must be producing their ships there…though I’m guessing they have more than one considering the sheer number of them out there.”
“At least we have a name to call them now,” Gray said. “What about the other one?”
“Staging area for troops and supplies,” Crole said. “At least, that’s what intelligence stated. Our scans needed to be subtle and could not breach the hull of those places.”
“I see.” Gray rubbed his chin. “How much anthropology is in the recording?”
“Oh, they go on for a while about that type of thing,” Crole replied. “Our enemy seems to have come from a similar place as us. Clea, have you discussed the theory of precursor races with Gray?”
“The humans have their own theories about it,” Clea replied. “But yes, we’ve talked about ours as well.”
“Many believe some other race seeded all of our planets, which explains our similarities and why we’re compatible linguistically. After watching the holo video, we made some assertions about why these people act the way they do. Their planet has all the same types of climates as ours but their predators are far more…aggressive.”
Gray’s brows lifted. “What do you mean?”
“Your planet had large beasts roaming it long before you were born but they died off, giving way to the rise of humanity. These people did not have the benefit of a million years parting them from such monsters. By our reckoning, there are still predators which eat their civilians alive today.”
“I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t have wiped them out,” Gray said. “Especially with their technology.”
“Intelligence suggests they haven’t tried to commit genocide in order to keep their people strong. The threat of death coming from nature gives them an edge. It’s why they’re so fearless in battle. They’ve grown up knowing they could die at any moment outside their homes. It’s why our people thought they were acting strangely when they watched them work. They simply grow up accepting mortality.”
“What’s more to the recording?” Clea asked.
Crole moved it forward a bit and started again, Erais picking up at a different point in the story.
“We spoke to the leaders and discovered a deep, religious belief system bordering on total obsession and unhealthy zeal. Morality means a great deal to these people and many activities are considered illegal, punishable by the harshest means. We were allowed to witness a woman who transgressed against their laws be flayed alive by her family, a warning to all of them not to repeat the mistakes.
“Their list of laws is extensive and I’ve uploaded it to our recording. Suffice to say, it took me nearly two hours to get half way through them and we were informed we will be held accountable to not breaking them after today. For this reason, we’ve decided to depart the planet until we can better understand these people so as to not cause a political issue through some obscure breach of a law.”
“They left?” Gray hummed. “I’m surprised.”
Crole frowned. “The part she left out is that nearly every method of punishment for these people involved death. Just to highlight some of what they consider criminal behavior: no birth control, honoring elders, obeying a superior, wearing the appropriate clothes, performing duty at the expense of survival and attending all designated worship regardless of activity.”
Clea spoke up, “are they doing that aboard their ships? Do they worship in stages? I don’t understand how this works to be honest. It sounds impractical. And are they killing people on every one of those situations you just described?”
“If you’re maimed, you’re considered to be useless to the culture,” Crole explained. “So yes, they don’t just hurt you. You’re going to die…or become beholden to another. They don’t have any problems with slavery of their own kind.”
“And we thought Orion’s Light was bad,” Gray said.
Crole nodded. “At least they’re our own people. We can predict them somewhat since they came from our culture. These fiends…are completely alien in their thinking. Their world bred a profound system and as a result, when their ire was raised, they are bound by divine statement to come after us.”
“What did we do?” Clea asked. “What happened?”
“Our people made the mistake of sharing our own religious beliefs,” Crole said. “Or at least, theirs in particular. They talked about the precursor theories with their religious leaders and inadvertently
roused suspicion. Upon further research, the enemy found us to be moral deviants. The ambassadors were all killed…their ship seized and the war began…only we didn’t know it.”
“How long between this recording and the first attack?” Gray asked.
“Several generations,” Crole replied. “This is where history gets sketchy. Someone made it back from that expedition and was able to bring back the bauble hidden at the monastery. I don’t know why all this was kept a secret to be honest. I suspect they were sent back prior to the destruction of our people and perhaps they wanted us to stay away because they knew the volatility of the culture might lead to war.”
“You needed a warning,” Gray said. “Notice that these jerks decided the entire galaxy needed to be cleansed…all people, not just yours. They’re not even trying to discover if anyone else follows their beliefs.”
“That may not be true,” Crole replied. “We have reason to believe they do probe new cultures before attacking them. If that’s the case, then they may have observed your planet…perhaps even destroyed that first fleet trying to leave your solar system. What they discovered from your computer banks may have even been enough to decide you needed to be destroyed. Remember, they need little provocation.”
“Apparently.” Gray rubbed his eyes. “When do we attack?”
“We’re…preparing.” Crole looked uneasy. “There are some other dilemmas preventing us from bringing the full force of our fleet against them. Believe me, we’re working through these problems even as we speak. It’s foremost in high command’s mind.”
“I’d love to help,” Gray said. “If I can.”
“I…believe you have another summons,” Crole replied. “The both of you. There are some other tasks we need to accomplish. Perhaps you’ll be able to help to expedite the completion of these requirements. It would not hurt.”
Gray nodded. “Thank you, Crole. Can you send us the recording so we can watch it later?”
“Yes, it’s in your accounts. The rest is quite long but you’ll see to the end what I said. Their final journal entry is disturbing because I think they knew they’d crossed the line…they wanted to depart the system but could not. It’s a tragic conclusion, to be sure.”
“Lovely.” Gray turned to Clea. “I have a strange meeting at a florist nearby. I’m thinking of skipping it.”
Clea’s eyes narrowed. “I have the same.”
Crole grinned. “You’ll both want to go. It’s…illuminating. Sincerely, I recommend attending. I believe it’s set to high priority.”
“What do you know about it?” Gray asked.
“Enough that you don’t want to miss it.” Crole stepped over to the door. “Good day to both of you.”
Clea shrugged. “Shall we go see what the flowers are like then?”
“I guess so. Most mysterious moment of floral action I think I’ll ever have.” Gray paused. “And I doubt I’ll ever have a chance to say those words together in a sentence again. Come on, Clea. I’ll buy you whatever passes for a rose in this place.”
Chapter 2
Gray and Clea arrived at the florist shop and exchanged a confused glance. It looked like every other retail space on the strip and sat nestled between a shop selling some kind of soup and a shoe store. The way Crole acted made it clear they were there for an official reason but whoever used it as a cover definitely had a sense of irony.
After all, if they were somehow involved with the military, then they appreciated the gentleness of the flowers and all they represented. Apologies, special events, funerals and romantic interludes didn’t speak of covert operations. Which was precisely what Gray realized they must be walking into as they arrived.
A branch of the alliance intelligence community must’ve been operating out of the place.
They entered to a heady fragrance, thousands of flowers lining the walls and covering shelves. A young woman looked up and smiled, gesturing for them to head toward the back. “We’ve been expecting you, Captain Atwell…Su-Anthar An’Tufal. Just head right through the door and into the storage closet.”
“Um…okay.” Clea took the lead, pacing into the tiny hallway and over to the door in question. She opened it up and stepped inside with Gray close behind her and as it closed, lights burst to life in the corners of the room both on the ceiling and floor. The room shook and began to descend, an elevator plunging deep underground.
“Didn’t expect that part…entirely,” Gray said. “This is pretty elaborate.”
“I have no idea what this is,” Clea replied. “Intelligence, I assume but this is pretty elaborate.”
“No argument there. I wonder if they own the whole block or if this is it. Of course, I have a feeling we’re going to be wowed by what we find down there.”
“I have friends in intelligence and they’ve never talked about any secret bases on the home world.” Clea’s cheeks flushed. “Of course, I guess that’s how they stay secrets…”
“I figured you’d work that one out. These types of things are very popular for our sneaky groups, going way back in history. Spy organizations the world over create nooks and crannies to hide in, keeping themselves totally off the grid.”
The elevator stopped and when the door parted, they saw a massive, high tech room with computer banks and hallways leading off to other parts of the complex. Gray stepped off, taking it in with no small sense of awe. It must’ve taken them decades to dig this all out and get it built. What a sight.
Clea stood beside him, taking in the area with wide eyes. “I wonder if they’d be offended if I scanned the room.”
“I wouldn’t pull out any electronics in here,” Gray replied. “Even if they’d work.”
“Greetings, Captain!” A woman’s voice sounded from the far side of the room as a set of footsteps came closer. “Su-Anthar as well! I’m glad you both made it. I know our summons can be somewhat…disconcerting sometimes. Even odd. Especially considering our current cover. Welcome to our base. My name’s Siva.”
As Siva drew near, Gray realized she must be in her middle sixties, with gray hair and vibrant, yellow-green eyes. She wore civilian clothes, black slacks and a matching jacket with a white blouse beneath. She shook hands with them both before gesturing over the technology dominating the primary part of the room.
“So? What do you think of our little operation?”
“There’s nothing little about it,” Clea replied. “It’s fabulous. I can’t believe you’ve had this hidden down here and no one knows.”
“Not even the council,” Siva replied. “The walls and ceiling are all shielded and the plants help provide some obfuscation from deeper scans. You’re standing in the nerve center for our intelligence gathering operations throughout the galaxy. Few people will ever see this. By allowing you to visit, I’m hoping you recognize exactly what that means.”
“We won’t divulge anything we see,” Gray replied. “We understand the need for top secret. That said, I’m curious what’s warranted the honor of the invitation.”
“I’ve called in a favor with the council, pulling some strings to get some help with something. We have an operative that’s gone into deep cover in an attempt to infiltrate the Orion’s Light terrorist organization. Sadly, before you reported it to the council, we knew of their existence. We just didn’t realize how dangerous they’d become…or powerful for that matter.”
“You didn’t report it to the council?” Clea asked. “That seems…pardon my saying so, but somewhat irresponsible.”
“I understand why you might think so but again, they hadn’t really performed anything nearly as brazen as to attack colonies. Sure, they’d performed some piracy here and there but their threat level remained in the up and coming section…not set for a major performance. Our attempt to infiltrate them came at the idea we might be able to deal with their leader.”
“So you sent an assassin to kill Krilan,” Gray said. “Hoping that the head of the snake would kill the body, is that it?”
&n
bsp; “Yes, pretty much. Our person is highly skilled, highly trained…and he’s been forced to do some pretty terrible stuff in order to get where he needs to be.”
“What do you need us for?” Gray asked.
“He’s gone missing,” Siva replied, gesturing for them to follow. She approached a computer console and tapped at the keys, bringing up an image of a rough looking man in his late twenties with orange hair and teal eyes. A thick beard covered his cheeks and moved down his neck. Gray saw men like this in the marines, tough and thick, born for real action. “This is Trellan En’Dal.”
“En’Dal,” Clea repeated. “I know one of his family members. She was friends with my sister when they were in secondary school. She went into the science division and works at a research outpost.”
Siva nodded. “Correct. Trellan joined the infantry and had a distinguished first tour. We recruited him shortly after he returned for leave and put him on this assignment. Turns out he was pretty clever. He’s survived a lot of dangerous stuff. I couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments. However, this leads us back to my concern.”
“When did he disappear?”
“Three days ago, he put in a final message to us. We only received it yesterday. He took a job which he was convinced would put him in touch with the Orion’s Light.”
Gray frowned. “What kind of work?”
Siva shrugged. “Technical smash and grab with some elaborate obstacles. They had to go into the middle of a war zone and steal some data. I don’t know if you’re aware, but one of our allies is in the middle of a civil war, one we believe the Orion’s Light helped initiate. Our forces have been too busy prepping to fight the Devarans so we haven’t been able to intervene.”
“Do we have any idea what they were going to steal?” Clea asked. “What specifically did the message from Trellan say?”
