At a time that no sensible person would be awake at, Miarre set down her tea at her desk with a long sigh. Ever since her big scoop about the Silver Star, she’d shot from just another face in the crowd to well-known and highly respected. And therein lied the problem. Her fame came with even more unreasonable work hours than she had before.

  She glared at her clock accusingly. She’d barely slept the last few weeks and today was no different. Still at her office, she continued answering her backlog of missed calls and messages. It was still unreasonably early in the morning when she finally finished. Salivating at the thought of getting a couple hours of sleep before her shift in the morning, she went to turn off her holoscreen for the night when a popup appeared on her screen.

  She eyed the title with a frown. In need of help, please read, she read. That’s strange, she thought. Nobody should be able to send me unsolicited messages. Our network has fantastic coverage for that.

  The suspicious message inviting her to click on it could be a virus for all she knew. Reluctantly, she sat back down and pondered her newest situation. It could’ve been anything. Either a genuine plea for help or a threat against her life. She had no way of knowing. Minutes passed as she sat in silence, until eventually, her curiosity got the better of her.

  She opened the link and an image a strange man dressed in very official looking clothes appeared in place of her screen.

  “You’ll have to excuse me for contacting you in this manner, but if you’re receiving this message then something has happened to me and my life is in danger,” the person said. “I am High Diplomat Annkor of the Rukkan Faction, and I have come to Verilia as an official envoy. This message is a failsafe should anything happen to me. I’ve sent one copy to you and one to my ship, which you can find in orbit near the outer rim of your star system. It was the closest we could come without risk of immediate destruction.

  “I was sent to Verilia to learn of a strange man who is the wrong colour that your Tribunal has kept secret. Enclosed with this message is a transcript of my time since arriving as well as video proof of what this man looks like. Do what you will with the information but know that time is of the essence if I am to survive my stay on your planet. Your Tribunal has been hiding things from you. From everybody. I believe this man is the key to their recent actions and I’m giving you the chance to force their hand. The world listens to what you have to say. Let my message be heard. You’ve been lied to.”

  The image winked out of existence and her screen returned to how it was, though this time with two new files sitting at the front conveniently called Transcript and Proof. Miarre sat in her chair, trying her best to determine how true the message was. Their faction hadn’t been in contact with the outside world for some time and the arrival of a High Diplomat would’ve been announced if an official envoy had arrived. That it had been kept secret was suspicious since diplomatic channels normally go through the civic government first unless directly related to military affairs.

  And their military had been acting strangely recently.

  She wasn’t the only one to notice. There was plenty of speculation online about the disappearance of one of the flagships from orbit along with a large portion of their fleet. People knew something was up but not what. The message she’d received could very well be her ticket to learning.

  Nessah’s warning wormed its way into her mind. While she didn’t want to be made an enemy of the faction, she doubted even the military could casually do that to a citizen reading an unsolicited file with no ability to discern what it contained at first glance. Miarre bit her lip. A chance from the gods had fallen right in her lap.

  That was enough for her.

  She put on headphones and opened the transcript. It took her hours to sift through the conversations, as a good portion of it was idle silence. She overheard Annkor’s conversation with Jyn and their trip to whatever undisclosed location their destination was. But still, with no video recording, it was hard to determine if what she heard was the truth.

  When Annkor finally arrived at the safe house, Miarre listened with bated breath as he entered. “Unnatural,” she heard somebody say. “The gods would never tolerate such an abomination.” The sentence made Miarre sit straighter in her chair, attentive for what came next. Annkor’s comment about somebody being the wrong the colour matched with what the initial automated video mentioned. And so she listened.

  And learned.

  The transcript ended after the shooting and Annkor being placed in his cell. Miarre stared at the screen slack-jawed and shocked. The Tribunal was hiding a new species? One that didn’t venerate the gods? Had they discovered their home planet and sent the flagship as a precautionary measure? Her mind sought answers to an ever-growing list of questions she had about what she’d heard.

  But was any of it true?

  The music she’d heard was made of sounds she never thought possible. It was strange. Alien, even. She knew of no faction that could produce such a thing unless developments had been made in recent years. By the sound of it, the Rukkan hadn’t developed the instruments either. Reya had mentioned during an interview that she was learning a new instrument. Although Miarre had glossed over it at the time and never gave it much attention, Reya’s reluctance to speak of any specifics clearly didn’t stem from embarrassment like she’d first thought.

  It was because she wasn’t allowed to disclose the existence of the alien instruments.

  Miarre eyed the other file warily. If what Annkor said held water, then that it contained undeniable proof. Or it could be a trap to get her further in trouble with the military. She hesitated. I’m a reporter, gods dammit! she thought. My job is to uncover the truth, and anybody can tell something big is happening. This is my chance. Taking risks is part of the job.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  She got up and made sure the door to her office was locked. While she doubted anybody would come in, she didn’t want to take that chance. Not for something so important. She sat back down and adjusted her headphones, her mind made up.

  She opened the video file.

  Immediately, an image of a strange, tan man surrounded by gru’ul appeared onscreen. Miarre gasped. If there truly were no special effects at work, then Annkor spoke the truth. But why were the gru’ul there as well? They were highly reclusive and almost never came into contact with any of the factions.

  She studied the still image, taking note of the syringe filled with something purple in one of the gru’ul’s hands. Given the stranger’s utterly terrified expression, she guessed that he knew what it was and what it would do. That the Rukkan’s High Diplomat had specifically asked about it told her that whatever it was, it warranted only their highest-level emissary.

  Deciding that no use came from waiting around any longer, she started the video.

  The man’s utterly nightmarish screams of pain were something she never thought a living being could produce. Miarre immediately held back her bile, disgusted by what she’d been sent. She tried pausing the video but to no avail. Nothing she did made it stop. Nothing made those horrible screams stop.

  Unable to handle it any longer, she tore her headphones off and simply let the video play itself out while she ran towards her trash can where she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach. Pale and shaken, she returned to her desk only to find the video still playing. She knew not who the man onscreen was, but she didn’t need to. Nobody deserved to go through something like that, not even the most heinous of criminals. She let out a sigh of relief when the video finally stopped.

  Miarre knew of no program that could simulate such a visceral expression of pain. Not like that. Never like that. By the gods how she pitied whoever had undergone exposure to whatever had been in that syringe.

  The Rukkan’s interest in such a vile thing suddenly made a lot more sense to her. She shuddered at the thought of it ever being used against another person. Or worse yet, weaponized. She couldn’t let the Tribunal get away with bringing something so awful into existence. If they truly were collaborating with the gru’ul for such a thing, the world needed to know and put a stop to it.

  Never could that chemical see the light of day.

  Miarre was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Annkor spoke the truth. He’d been captured because he dared approach the Tribunal for nothing but the knowledge of the purple chemical’s existence.

  Whoever that man was, he needed to be saved from the gru’ul.

  Miarre knew she couldn’t do it alone. The Tribunal had secrets that demanded answers, and she was going to force them out, the gods be damned. But before exposing their lies, she needed to be absolutely certain everything was true.

  She picked up her data slate and made a call to one of her contacts. He was an astrophysicist she’d known during her time studying journalism. Her program encouraged its students to make new contacts any time she could. Never had she been more grateful.

  A man with bone-white hair and burnt orange eyes appeared before her. “Miarre,” he said, evidently surprised, “it’s good to hear from you.” He took a moment to study her frazzled expression. “Something happened,” he deduced. “Are you in trouble?”

  “Tolann,” Miarre replied, trying her best to calm her nerves, “I think I’ve discovered something. It’s big. Really big. I can’t tell you what it is yet, it’s too dangerous.”

  Tolann snapped to attention, his gaze alert and focused. “If it’s that bad, you need to contact the police. Are you somewhere safe?” he asked.

  “The police won’t be able to help,” Miarre said quickly. “I’m at my office and I need to confirm something. Did a Rukkan ship enter our solar system recently?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Tolann said with a frown. “Space is big. Can you give me an idea where to look?” He typed away on a keyboard that Miarre couldn’t see. “I’m at work right now, so I have access to my equipment. Tell me everything you know.”

  “All I know is that the ship is located at the edge of the solar system,” Miarre said. “I have no idea where, though.”

  Tolann paused. “What do you mean by that?” he hedged.

  “Exactly what I said. I don’t know anything else except that they sent a diplomat to Verilia.”

  “Without waring?” Tolann asked. “They would’ve been blown up as soon as the military found out about them.”

  “Apparently they sent one of their High Diplomats,” Miarre explained quickly.

  “Maybe they military might’ve given them a chance,” Tolann replied, unsure. “Hold on, let me scan for signs of any recent explosions towards the edge of the system. It’ll take a few minutes, though.” When Miarre nodded, he quickly got to work. His lab’s sensor’s were state of the art and could scan vast swaths of space at incredible speeds. True to his word, three minutes later the scan was complete. “I’ve got something,” he announced.

  Miarre perked up. “What did you find?”

  “There appears to be traces of metal clustered together just past the last planet of our system. There could’ve been a collision for all I know.” Tolann studied the readings further, homing in on the oddity. He accessed powerful satellites and telescopes that were in orbit to look at the exact spot his scan indicated the debris was at. “That’s a ship, alright,” he said. “More like was a ship. There’s hardly anything left of it. I don’t know what could’ve caused such extensive damage. I’m also picking up the presence of other ships around the area. They appear to be our military’s.”

  Annkor’s warning about his life being in danger came rushing back into the forefront of Miarre’s thoughts. “They blew up the ship,” she realized. “Our military removed any chance of that knowledge spreading. The High Diplomat was right.” Her heart palpated in her chest. “Tolann, can you confirm whether the ship was one of ours?”

  “Already on it,” he said distractedly. “Based on the material composition, it must belong to another faction. Our ships don’t use those materials, although it’s hard to say. Given the size of the chunks floating around, the ship’s reactor must have malfunctioned.”

  “Or been deliberately targeted,” Miarre interjected. “You’re sure it’s another faction’s ship?”

  “Positive,” Tolann said. “You were contacted by their High Diplomat?”

  “Yes, but that’s not important,” Miarre said. “I have to go,” she said urgently. “Be sure to check the news really soon, I have an emergency broadcast to make.”

  “Your station is going to let you make an emergency broadcast?” Torann said, surprised.

  “They won’t have a choice,” Miarre replied. “Goodbye Tolann. Thanks for your help. I’m so sorry for what I’m about to reveal to the world.” Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call.

  And immediately contacted the head of the news station.

  It was a boring job, watching one person’s every move. Most people didn’t realize how little they varied their routines and Miarre’s was no different. The group of soldiers responsible for monitoring her usually passed the time playing cards.

  The game they were playing was long forgotten in the wake of what they’d overheard. They were so shocked that they didn’t think to immediately contact anybody. After all, what supervisor could they contact after learning some of the Tribunal’s secrets without being silenced for it?

  “By the gods,” one person said. She looked at the others for insight on what to do next only to notice they were as paralyzed as she was. They all exchanged unsure glances. “We’re so fucked,” she croaked.