Aboard the Wanderer-class Lockhead, on the surface of Satryon IV,
Sector (-25, 8 )
Shortly after Keb returned, the leaders and important officers who were aboard the ship were summoned to a meeting on the bridge. Ensign Keb Diden, Lieutenant Sih Ledif, Pilot Eja Sijed, and the two Second Lieutenants were all there. Also present was the ship's Occultist (an elderly woman by the name of Ihe Kenom), as well as the Army Major, flanked by two Scouts.
"Alright, I'll skip to the formalities and get straight to the point," began the Lieutenant. "I trust you all have some idea of why you are here. Although I am, of course, the commanding officer of this mission, and although my word is final, I have summoned you here because of the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in. Each of you here has experience and knowledge that will assist me in making the right choice, both for the Exodite Dominion and for our species as a whole. Is that understood?"
"Aye sir," those present answered almost in unison. Lieutenant Ledif nodded.
"Good. Right now, we have two options: carry on with the Scouting raid, or leave immediately and return to the fleet to alert the Admiralty. Ihe? What is your opinion."
The elderly wanderer woman stood up, her lip quivering. "What should we do?" She scoffed angrily. "Sir, we shouldn't even be on this planet. We should have turned around this damn spaceship as soon as we saw those... creatures! You and that bastard Ensign doomed us all!"
The room went into an uproar until the electric whistle of four laser pistols charging up at once was heard. "ENOUGH!" Lieutenant Ledif roared, holding a gun in each of his hands. "Occultist Ihe, you have made your opinion perfectly clear. That is one vote for leaving immediately. Now, Major Jiden, what do you think?"
The Major, an older man, paused for a moment. The Lieutenant and the Scouts were suddenly preoccupied with their arm computers. "I can certainly see Ihe's point of view but..."
"Excuse me, sir," one of the Army Scouts interrupted, "but I just received word from the other Scouts. Three reentry signatures were detected, and they landed about ten kilometers away."
"The signals and detection Ensigns have confirmed this as well. We're being followed."
The Major was silent for a moment. "Well, I don't believe they will stop us. What would they care about a lone tribe of primitives? Frankly, we should be rushing to beat them to the punch."
"I agree," Keb said. "Worst case scenario, they try and intercept us, we engage their dropships, and we make a hyperspace dash for the fleet. Best case scenario, we do a raid, come back, and tell them what we saw here." Noises of agreement echoed through the cabin, notably absent from both the Occultist and the Pilot.
"I'm liking this plan," the Lieutenant admitted. "Eja, do you think we can do it? Do we have enough fuel reserves?"
"I think you're all a little crazy, sir. We should be tracking these guys down and studying them, forget the primitives." She brushed back her hair. "However, it's definitely a possible plan. We have enough fuel to fly over every inch of this planet, and then some."
Lieutenant Ledif nodded. "Very well, it's settled. Major Jiden, where is the closest primitive settlement? We'll fly there."
"I don't know, I think-"
Suddenly, the sound of laughing Soldiers and an alien voice crying for help could be heard as the main door opened. A terrified, blue-skinned humanoid in a loincloth and tattoos was dragged into the ship before the surprised council and suddenly fell silent. A triumphantly smirking Scout spoke first.
"Sir, we've captured one of the natives who were snooping around our landing site. I think I know where the settlement he came from is. That would be a good place to do the Raid, wouldn't it?"
The Major and Lieutenant, along with most of the officers, chuckled. Keb only grinned slightly, and Eja and the Occultist frowned. "How fortunate! There's the answer to that question! Very well. We attack tomorrow night, and then we leave immediately. In the meantime, keep your guard up and watch for those interlopers. Dismissed! Take him to the Cells." The officers departed, and the Soldiers took the still struggling primitive away.
Hours later, Keb was pacing the ship when he passed the Cells. The Cells were unique to Scout ships, secure places where they kept seized items and life from other planets. Already they were beginning to be occupied by plant life, soil samples, and small animals. Through a small airlock window, he saw Occultist Kenom cleaning a small amount of blood off her examination table and packing away her instruments. He decided to enter.
"Good evening, ma'am."
"Oh, Ensign Keb. Welcome! Sorry for the mess, I was just cleaning up here. Do come in." The door shut behind Keb as he entered the Cell.
Behind the Occultist, the captured primitive was curled up on the cold metal floor of his containment, naked except for some bloodstained bandages on his arms and legs. The chained alien watched the two Damli warily with tired and broken eyes. This slightly disturbed Keb, who decided to turn and face Ihe.
"The life here is... strange. Especially that one. Looks similar to us."
"Interesting specimen, is he not? Superficially similar, yes, but they also have similar biochemistry, too. At the cellular level, anyways. A very fortunate discovery."
"Indeed." He coughed. "By the way, ma'am, I forgive you for calling me a 'bastard' at the assembly today."
"That's very good, young man, but I never offered an apology, nor do I intend to."
"I know."
Keb watched as she stowed away the last of her tools. Scalpels, scanners, and a variety of filled syringes were put into a padded metal box for safekeeping and for purification.
"I'm afraid I don't exactly understand your logic, ma'am. Why should we run? Yes, I was concerned too, especially after I saw their ship, but I steeled my courage and-"
"You misunderstand me, Ensign," the old Occultist said sharply. "It is not any mortal aliens that I fear."
"Then what is it, ma'am?"
"I fear what will happen to us in the near future." She pressed a button on the storage box, sealing it and sending in a burst of super hot steam to purify it. "Are you aware of the legend of the men of the shadows?"
Ensign Keb folded his arms. "I am."
"How they hide in the darkness, waiting to strike at the haughty and evil?"
"Yes. You believe in such superstitions?" Keb started laughing. "Do you really believe that demons wait in the shadows, like a child would? How backwards! To think that you're a military Occultist!"
"The demons in our stories hardly ever are such, young one." She waved her hands and shuffled over to a computer and started entering some information. "Oh, no. They're nothing that simple. Let me explain the parable to you in simple terms: we are the evil men, and the shadows are the unknown. Those 'lizards' are simply a small, infinitesimal facet of that unknown."
Keb raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I follow... How are we the evil men, ma'am? We're the pinnacle of civilization, the defenders of our species-"
"Keb, let me ask you something. Are we the only species with souls? Are we the only species with a psychic presence?"
"Uh, yes. Why?"
The Occultist shook her head sadly. "Then you've fallen for the propaganda." She turned and looked Ensign Keb directly in his eyes. "Each of these intelligent species, every primitive we've ever exterminated or lorded over, has a psychic presence. And only sentient, feeling beings have such presences. Yes, even that primitive humanoid in the corner over there, even he has a soul. A large one, too."
Keb stepped away. "That... That can't be true... You're lying! You're planning some kind of sedition!"
"You know it is true, deep in your heart. This is something every Occultist knows and will tell you if you ask in private, but they are not allowed to proclaim. Every war fought, every planet conquered, every life enslaved is another mark against us. One day, maybe not soon, but one day, we will get what is coming to us."
The box stopped hissing, and Occultist Ihe picked it up with surprising strength. Keb stepped in front of her, hand on his laser pistol holster.
"Renounce what you said immediately, or I'll report you to the Admiralty. They'll kill you for your treasonous thoughts!"
She sighed. "Keb, I am a old woman. I am on the threshold of death already, and my life has known all kinds of pain. There is nothing you can say or do to get me to renounce my words. What you think of as 'treason' is merely the truth. Turning me over to some Marine brute will never change that." Ihe walked past him with a grunt. "Besides, telling the Admiralty might not actually be such a bad idea. If they believe you, and if that vile Admiral Henod admits what he along with all other Occultists knows, then maybe we will have a chance at redemption. Good night, young Ensign."
Occultist Ihe Kenom exited the room and the door shut. Keb stood there, dumbfounded. He slowly turned towards where the primitive had been earlier and looked at him.
The naked blue humanoid was now standing, tears coming down from his large eyes, holding his tattooed hands in silvery chains out towards him from behind the plexiglass screen. He was begging the Ensign to let him go home, promising to be a good person if he could leave, crying for his family and asking Keb to take him if it means we will spare them, all in a language that Keb never would understand.
Despite that, he understood everything.
Suddenly overwhelmed with horror, Ensign Keb stumbled back, knocking an empty metal stand over, and ran from the room. As the door shut behind him, he fell against the mithrillium walls, covered his head with his hands and closed his eyes.
I have to continue my mission. I'm
among the Admiralty, damn it! She's wrong, she's... It's old age. That's it. She's beginning to doubt herself as death approaches. Can't blame her for that. I'll... I'll file a report when we go home, get the Lieutenant to sign it. The Army can give her an honorable discharge, and she can retire somewhere nice. A good forest planet like this one, maybe...
After his breathing calmed and he settled down, Ensign Keb Diden stood up and left the hallway, returning to the officer's quarters. Tomorrow was a big day, the first Scout Raid he has ever been a part of, and he couldn't let something like this get to him.
