Mihn huffed in annoyance as yet another chime went off in the villa she was renting. After all the recent events involving Reya, Yara had graciously gifted her a getaway weekend in a quaint little seaside town with breathtaking vistas and views. Though Mihn had originally turned down her friend’s offer, she’d ultimately accepted at Yara’s insistence.
She had to admit, the retreat had done her the world of good, and it was being ruined by some blubbering, mannerless imbecile that refused to leave her poor doorbell alone. She rose up off the lavish couch with a huff and marched towards the front door, ready to remind her newest annoyance of their place.
Mihn swung the door open, her eyes smoldering, only to stop short when she saw the large group of people waiting on her doorstep. “What do you want?” she asked, uncertain. “If you don’t need anything from me, leave.”
One of the men stepped forward. “Good afternoon,” he said politely. “I am High Diplomat Annkor, of the Rukkan. May we come in? There’s much to discuss with someone as important as yourself.”
Mihn’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I have no business with the Rukkan, let alone a High Diplomat,” she said harshly. “Take your scam elsewhere.” She swung the door closed, only for it to be forcefully stopped right before it clicked shut.
The door was forced back open with a surprising amount of strength and Mihn had no choice but to back away lest she lose her balance and fall down. “What do you want?” she asked, trying her best to conceal her fear. “I said leave!” She tried shutting the door again, but one of the people in the group held it open with a surprising amount of strength.
“Please,” Annkor said patiently, “allow me to prove to you that I am who I claim to be.” He fished around in his pocket and produced the special badge only the High Diplomats of the Rukkan were permitted to have. “This badge proves I’m a High Diplomat.”
“That’s a very nice replica but there’s no way somebody of such an important stature would be concerned with the likes of me,” Mihn insisted, trying her best to make the strangers leave before something bad happened to her. The whole affair reeked of fakeness and alarm bells were ringing inside her head.
Annkor took a step forward and Mihn backed off. Unperturbed, he marched right past her into the villa, followed by the rest of his guards. He made his way to the couch and motioned for Mihn to join him.
Trembling, Mihn did as she was told. One of the men had brushed past her and she’d felt the telltale sign of a concealed weapon. The strangers in her abode were armed, and that didn’t bode well for her safety should she not listen. She sat down on the couch and Annkor took the armchair across from her. The door clicked shut behind her and she knew she was trapped, her fate in the hands of the strangers that were making themselves right at home.
“Miss Mihn,” Annkor started, “the reason somebody of my stature is interested in you is because I’ve seen your heartfelt interviews and am aware of your relation to Reya Ayala, the newest Silver Star holder. You have charmed the people with your story, and they respect you immensely for your trials and tribulations.”
Mihn couldn’t help but preen over Annkor’s praise. Finally, somebody was recognizing her for the greatness she’d had all along. “I’m happy to hear that,” she said, “but that doesn’t explain why you’ve come to see me during my vacation. How did you even find me?”
Annkor waved off her concern. “I am a High Diplomat,” he said. “If I couldn’t find the location of a well-known celebrity, how would I ever accomplish anything? My network is vast, and this was of no issue for them.”
Mihn sat straighter at the mention of her being a celebrity. At long last, she was getting the status she deserved. “I understand that for a man of your station, finding me must have been child’s play,” she said. “How may I help you, High Diplomat?” she asked. Though still wary of being scammed, Mihn decided to play along to see where the discussion would bring them.
“As you’re probably well-aware,” Annkor said, “your Tribunal has given themselves unprecedented power using botched first-contact protocols as an excuse for their actions. Their introduction of humanity leaves much to be desired, and they claim a video of an experiment performed on the only human they’ve made contact with was enough evidence to support an all-out war with the gru’ul.”
Mihn’s expression darkened. “I’m aware of these developments. Can’t say I’m pleased with their actions lately.”
“Neither are many others,” Annkor said empathetically. “Everybody knows just how much more advanced the gru’ul are. A war with them is just plain suicidal. Your Tribunal seeks to wipe out their own faction to cover for their mistakes. And somehow, they strong-armed the rest of the world into compliance.”
“I understand that. Why come to me, then?” Mihn couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s clear that Reya’s nomination as a Silver Star was due to her involvement with discovering Adrian. She may have done some impressive things since her return, such as her music, but ultimately she’s responsible for unleashing the series of events that led to the war. The two of them are the cause of recent events.”
“It’s unnatural,” Mihn huffed. “My daughter should be with a proper a’vaare and not some alien that looks all wrong! But instead she chose that thing as her partner. And to make matters worse, the man claims to be a musician. Reya didn’t even have the decency to date somebody with an actual future.”
Annkor took stock of the new information he’d just learned from Mihn. He hadn’t been aware that Reya and Adrian were in a relationship, but he knew that it would only work to his advantage given how upset Mihn was. “You’re absolutely correct. It’s abhorrent. Somebody needs to put her in her place and remind her what it means to be a proper a’vaare,” he said. “Which brings me to why I’m here. You’re the person best suited to denouncing your daughter and reminding her what her values should be. We want to give you the means to voice your message and be heard. Together, we can show the world how wrong your Tribunal is and strip not only them of their power and influence but also Reya of hers. Together, we can restore proper order to Verilia once and for all. Will you help us?”
In but a moment, Annkor’s words lit a fire in Mihn. The world wouldn’t be able to ignore a High Diplomat. She was finally being given the opportunity she’d been waiting for. Especially since that gods damned reporter that had interviewed her originally was nowhere to be found after the army had stormed her news station during her emergency broadcast that revealed the Tribunal’s failures. A smile slowly stretched on her face. “What do I need to do?” she asked.
Annkor smiled back, knowing that he’d found the face of the movement that would cripple the Tribunal and allow him his revenge for his fallen comrades.
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“What do you mean he’s escaped?” Nessah asked the soldier on a holoscreen before her sternly. She’d just received news that Annkor had escaped his holding cell and that many of the guards assigned to watch over him were dead. “His security detail should’ve been ironclad.”
“After not receiving our regular report from the facility High Diplomat Annkor was being held at,” the soldier replied, “I dispatched a team to investigate, and they reported an utter bloodbath. Dead bodies litter the compound, and my team is in the process of identifying the dead.”
“Was it external forces who stormed the compound or internal forces?” Nessah asked. She needed to know if there were Rukkan sympathizers in their midst. Now was the worst time for them to decide to liberate an enemy of the faction. Especially not when they didn’t know the full extent of the situation. Half-informed idiots were a force to be reckoned with, especially if they had access to weapons.
“I believe it was internal forces,” the soldier said. “There are no signs of forced entry and it’s clear that there was infighting based on the positions of the bodies and the damage to the building. Additionally, there seems to be a group of soldiers assigned to the compound that aren’t accounted for among the dead. Given that we’ve heard nothing from them, I believe it’s safe to assume they’ve gone rogue.”
A soft ding alerted Nessah to a file sent by the man she was talking to. She opened it and scanned the list of names. She continued to question him about details, only to receive little in the way of useful information. An abandoned convoy had been found with discarded armour inside of it. She ordered for his team to begin surveilling the surrounding area and to tap into any street cameras that may have spotted any vehicle in the vicinity. Orders given, she was about to dismiss her soldier when an emergency signal from Cyrix appeared before her. Recognizing it as an enemy attack, she immediately ended the call she was on and called Cyrix.
He answered immediately, his face grim. He wasted no time on pleasantries and jumped straight to the point. “A gru’ul swarm has entered our solar system,” he announced. “Ready the troops. I doubt they come in peace.”
“Gods damn,” Nessah swore. “They’ve finally come for us?” She knew they’d been running on borrowed time, but she’d hoped for a bit more to finish their preparations. Already, she’d mobilized an immense amount of ships to protect the flagships and the planet. Upon seeing the readings Cyrix forwarded her, she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
“It would appear so,” Cyrix said. “I’ve already ordered all available the soldiers stationed on the flagships to prepare for combat. They’re getting ready as we speak.” He thanked his lucky stars that a decent number of the soldiers under his command were already out patrolling. He knew better than to wait until the gru’ul were upon them to act.
“I’ll inform the Tribunal,” Nessah said.
“Already done,” Cyrix replied. “Organize the ground troops. It’s time for war.”
The Highest’s many eyes took in the multitude of screens floating around its head, absorbing various streams of information at the same time. Images and diagrams of the enemy’s formations flashed before it, and the status of the first wave that appeared in the Verilian solar system indicated that its brood mates and brethren were ready to fight.
It clicked in surprise at the prepared response the experiments had to their arrival. As though they were expecting them to arrive at any minute. It was of no matter, however. Their pitiful swarm would buckle under the might of the gru’ul. Such was to be their fate.
It only took several minutes after the gru’ul dropped out of hyperspace for the enemy’s ships to be upon them. Not a single attempt was made by them to communicate before they launched an opening salvo, intent on destroying their betters. From the safety of the Hive, the Highest shrieked in anger that the experiments would dare fight back.
It directed its troops to attack, sending orders to the commanders on the three motherships it had sent. Massive in size, they were beautiful weapons of war, unlike the disgusting designs the experiments had come up with for their measly two motherships still circling their home planet.
The fight started in earnest, and the Highest remarked that the enemy’s shields held strong, even in the face of overwhelming gru’ul might. Its anger morphed into utter fury, as the Highest recognized the technology the experiments used to defend themselves. Their shields were derived from gru’ul technology.
The Highest cursed its predecessor. It had foolishly given the experiments the opportunity study and replicate proper technology. They had learned secrets they would never have been able to without gru’ul brilliance. The thought incensed the Highest.
If the experiments had advanced their understanding of the universe enough to replicate their shield technology, what else had they learned? The Highest’s antennae twitched in annoyance as it pondered the conundrum. It let out hiss upon realizing that it didn’t matter. At the end of it all, the experiments would be taught the folly of their ways before being wiped out.
An alert stole the Highest’s attention. A different wave it had dispatched had made it to another one of the a’vaare’s home planets. It had come the Highest’s attention that those a’vaare had somehow learned of one of the two chemicals, as well as their success’ existence. Such a thing could not be tolerated. Orders given to the swarm in Verilian space, the Highest focused its attention on the second wave.
It watched with satisfaction as the swarm tore through the nonexistent defenses of the defending a’vaare populace, as was only natural. It only took an hour of carefully guided tactics for their fleet to be utterly decimated.
With no defenses left, the Highest gave the order to glass the planet. They would be the first example of what defiance wrought. The mothership started charging its main weapon with the energy needed to accomplish its task. When enough power had built up, it launched a brilliant blue beam towards the planet.
Upon hitting the atmosphere, the beam expanded rapidly before hitting the ground. The immense impact zone evaporated a sizeable chunk of the planet, and the resulting shockwave that grew from the epicenter bathed the planet in a heat so intense the surface that the oceans evaporated, and anything left on the surface melted.
The planet turned into a molten, lifeless ball of matter orbiting its sun in but several minutes. Fires ravaged the planet, ensuring that nothing remained. Satisfied, the Highest turned its attention back to the main battle, knowing that once the planet cooled down, all that would be left was a glassed surface, where no life would ever flourish again.
New screens winked into existence to supply the Highest with updates on the fight in Verilian space. Its satisfaction once again turned to anger as it beheld the debris from gru’ul ships littering the surrounding space. There was also debris from a’vaare ships, but far less than the Highest had expected so late into the fight.
Nonetheless, any resistance would be stamped out when the second wave full of mutated gru’ul failures arrived. If the a’vaare were putting up a fight, the Highest might as well drain their resources by sending the expendable gru’ul to their deaths, thereby ridding that particular blight upon the universe.
Knowing that it had to find the successful experiment on the planet’s surface before glassing it, the Highest sent out probes. Countless small, undetectable probes were released from the motherships and sped towards Verilia unimpeded. The a’vaare were unable to do anything as they began scanning the planet’s surface for their experiment.
Yet, such a method was remarkably inefficient. In a flash of brilliance, the Highest recalled that its predecessor had granted them access to what the successful experiment saw. Having the probes scan for similar topography and vegetation would speed the process up immensely. It clicked in excitement as it brought up the protocol required to grant access from the safety of the Hive.
It wasn’t long until a new screen floated before the Highest, displaying a tranquil scene of the experiment sitting outside near one of their primitive fire pits. There was no fire, as it appeared to be midday wherever the experiment was located. Not long after, the experiment stood up and looked around, giving the Highest all the information its probes needed to locate it.
Seconds turned into minutes as every identifiable landmark the experiment saw was transmitted to the probes, and it wasn’t long until the Highest received a set of coordinates. It shrieked with joy and immediately dispatched a mass of troops to test the obvious planetary defenses. While the ships were heading towards their destination, the Highest decided to would further terrorize the a’vaare. And so, it dispatched a single message on every frequency the a’vaare used to communicate, hijacking communications for but a moment. Across the planet, a single ominous sentence rang out from every phone, data slate and holoscreen in their hideous a’vaare language.
“We found you.”
