Chapter 30

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking around the settlement with Hertal as our guide. For the most part, the various members of the community were wary of coming near me. Given the origin of the colony, along with the news that there have been visits from the core worlds, there was a good reason for their hesitance. I still tried to be as polite in greeting them as I could, though it had mixed results. The settlement was large, at least when compared to Hertal’s home. Still, I remember driving through some towns larger than this place, but with the right help and time, we could help them grow and thrive.

The main issue that could arise would be from whomever had been coming from the core worlds here. There had been no set arrival period based on the records they had kept, but who was to say when the next arrival would be. We hoped to be long gone, but the upside was that we had brought the Ascent and they seemed to be aware and unconcerned by the existence of the ship.

Soon the sun began to set, and the mood of the settlement began to change. The hesitancy we had seen in everyone began to fade away and there was an energy we began to see in the people here. Hertal guided us back to the center of the village and I was amazed by the change. The open space was now filled with tables and chairs, with a stage in the center. It looked like there were various performers preparing for the night. I found myself looking forward to the festivities, especially when the smells of the various foods began to fill the air. I had developed a taste for Mac’skarian food and found my mouth watering. The council saw us as we neared and waved us over, the Jekrina were standing beside them.

“Ah, I hope that your tour of the settlement was to your liking,” Draniita stated with a slight smile. “Now that you have arrived, the Jekrina would like to speak with you before the festivities get under way. They are not one for revelry with us, so they hope to depart before then.”

“Yes, it was nice to travel through your settlement and see how it has differed, compared to Hertal’s,” I replied. “I would be happy to discuss whatever they wish, but given how things look here, we shouldn’t waste any time.”

Draniita guided us to a nearby structure that looked vacant at the moment. We entered and Draniita took her leave to allow us privacy.

“So what is it you would like to talk about before you leave?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“We watched how you have handled things, and we are surprised,” Gratilla said with a cock of her head. “We expected a more aggressive and overbearing approach. You seemed to be a peaceful person attempting to help. Not to say that you aren’t trying to help this place, but given the circumstances you currently find yourself in, we aren’t foolish enough to think you don’t have motives of your own.”

I shook my head, “You’re not wrong. I will do what I can to help them, as well as their reactivated AI unit, but I will not allow them to work against me. Regardless of the position Draniita has, I am currently the highest ranked member of the empire as far as the AI are concerned.”

Gratilla nodded, “A wise course of action, especially in this settlement, given their visits from Mac’skarians that are allied against you. I will convey your wishes with our leadership, and I have hope that they will agree to assist you. Bear in mind that the help will be limited at first, because we don’t want to risk the ire of the Neornith just yet.”

“Understandable,” I replied, relaxing my arms to my sides. “When you reach your ship, contact ours and they will send you codes to use the next time you are in our system. Panthro will confirm the transmission is for us and send it to us via our communications network.”

Gratilla bowed slightly, “Thank you for your patience and understanding during this encounter. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a new friendship between us.”

I smiled and extended my hand towards her. She glanced at it confused for a moment before realization hit her and she clasped my hand. I gave her hand a quick shake, before releasing it and I swear I saw a blush on her cheeks. She and her companions said goodbye and left to head towards their ship.

“Did you see the look in her eyes, Vish?” Ev asked with a teasing tone in her voice. “It looked like a slight blush came to her cheeks when she shook your hand. It could have been from embarrassment due to forgetting it was a way we communicated agreement, or she could have been enamored with Hugh, here.”

I expected Vish to ignore the slight jab at me and dismiss the claims of Evie, but I was mistaken.

“Oh, given the prowess of our mate, I think it was the latter, my dear,” she stated with a smug smile. “I can smell his pheromones and it seems like they are on full power right now. It’s made me soak the crotch of my pants, I’m so wet! I can only imagine what her sex is like, but I don’t know how their biology works.”

Ev laughed, “Ha, I don’t blame you, but I just get that way when he is in uniform. This is a diplomatic mission, so I have to be good, but once we are back on the ship I plan to see if we can wear him out.”

I sighed in resignation to their teasing, which only caused them to laugh. We left the building to return to Hertal and Draniita from the council near the center of the square.

“Welcome back, sir. I hope that your conversation, though brief, was what you were hoping for.” Hertal exclaimed with enthusiasm.

I knew that he hoped to see the same success here as we had when we visited his home, but that remained to be seen.

I had the sneaking suspicion that there were operatives that worked for our enemies here. Running on that instinct, I used my communicator to tap out a message in morse code to the Assent. Tigra and all the other AI would be aware of the system, allowing them to decipher the message without tipping off any enemies, hidden or otherwise. A few seconds later I received a coded reply letting me know that my orders had been received and they would let me know about anything that they found. I got confused looks from Vish and Ev but simply smiled.

“Now that your meeting is concluded we can discuss what your plans are and how it may benefit us,” Draniita began with a smile. “I am not unaware of the issues that are present and know that not all is as it seems with you already. So why don’t we start with honesty and work towards trust.”

I nodded and gestured to a nearby table, “Very astute of you, councilor. The other Mac’skarians that have visited, other than Hertal, are not affiliated with us. They are from the core worlds. You would think that they would be your allies, but if that were the case, why did they not assist you sooner? They should have the means to do exactly as I did and yet they have failed to do so. We also believe that they have placed operatives here that have been spread to the other colonies by traveling on the Ascent. Their motives are to ensure that you aren’t a threat to them or those who they serve.”

Draniita’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean, those they serve? Why would Mac’skarians serve anyone else? I am still surprised that you are in command, but your activation of the AI unit proved you carry some authority.”

“The Neornith are the ones who attacked the Empire over three hundred years ago,” I answered. “They did it swiftly and without much mercy. We believed that the only reason there were any survivors was due to collaborators within the central government of the Empire. Given that there ended up being an empire wide lockout of their most powerful and ingrained systems, we figured it wasn’t any members of the Liger council of the time. More than likely, it had been a group who coveted the council’s power and sought to usurp them. There is evidence they tried to remove the lockout but have been unsuccessful so far. Instead, they tried to hide their tracks so there was no way to know who exactly did it. Now those perpetrators are irrelevant, but their successors still pose a threat.”

“You said that they made an attempt on your life?” Draniita asked. “What is it about you that makes you a threat?”

I gave her a feral smile, “Because I am the only person who can reactivate anything that has been locked out. That means I have the ability to rob them of their power, simply because the Omega protocol has deemed me the highest-ranking member of the Mac’skarian empire.”

“So, you plan to use this power for the betterment of my people?” Draniita asked with a slight scoff in her voice.

“Believe what you will,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. “If I hadn’t stumbled onto a scout ship, I would be trapped; in in all likelihood with no memory of who I was. The scout ship would have stayed buried, causing Vish’ala to, one day, lose her life in the preservation of the AI core. The station that we found would have stayed a wrecked mess, eventually running out of materials to sustain the place, killing all those on board. Finally, you would have remained as you are now, limited due to the lockout and the lack of help from your own people. What will you do the next time that they arrive?”

Draniita thought for a moment, “With the link Panthro will have, as you call him, we should know in advance when they are coming. We can have him go dormant until they leave and pass on any information that we might glean from their visit.”

I nodded and asked, “What of their people who are currently here in the settlement as we speak?”

“What are you talking about?” Draniita replied with a tone of mild shock in her voice.

I gestured to the people around us in the square, “There are, no doubt, operatives in the crowd right now. They could have already sent a signal to say we are here, or they could be waiting to learn more before reporting to their superiors. That poses a significant risk to us and to you.”

“To be honest, we don’t know for certain,” she replied with a look of concern on her face. “We have never really tried to keep an eye on those that came, thinking that they merely had chosen to join the village and in time wanted to try a different one. How would they be able to reach their superiors, though?”

I leaned forward and whispered, “My attacker was using a cloaked suit that had the means to transmit communication signals. We were uncertain how far it would go, so we haven’t been able to find out the range. Even testing it seemed too risky, since there was a chance, we would be missing key information and it would result in them sending a fleet of ships to our station.”

“Oh,” Draniita exclaimed in surprise. “I can understand your reluctance, then. We will be careful to ensure that we don’t cause any issues. To be frank, we aren’t pleased with their visits either. Rarely do they drop people off, instead they take many of our able-bodied workers and we rarely see them again.”

I stared at my steepled fingers and said, “So that is why your settlement isn’t larger. I had wondered why your settlement wasn’t three or four times the size it is. You have more readily available means to procure what you need to survive. Given that this was a penal colony, which meant you already had the skills needed to survive, they just needed to be passed down.

“Hertal’s home had slightly harsher conditions and they didn’t have the skills prior to the fall. They had relied solely on machines and once those were taken away, their location became crippled. Much of what they knew prior to us finding them, was self-taught and they did well to make the Assent flyable. I cannot say when exactly, but I can promise that I will do everything in my power to keep your people here, and if I can, I will return those who have yet to come home.”

Draniita’s eyes watered slightly, “I know the people here would love for that to be so. My own brother was taken when I was but a child. I often wondered what had become of him and hoped one day they would bring him back, but that was a long time ago. For now, let us work to free this place from their influence and perhaps we can build a brighter future. For now, enjoy the evening and let us treat you to the culture we have built and maintained over the last three centuries.”

We got up and Draniita guided us to a different table, gesturing to us where we should sit. I sat in the left middle seat, with Vish seated to my left, Ev seated next to her and Hertal seated at the end of the table.

Draniita raised her hands, “Fellow Mac’skarians! We have guests tonight that have come to help us towards a new future. Let us thank them with food, song, dance, and mirth.”

There was a cheer from the crowd and people began moving towards various tables and the stage became alive with movement as the first act was preparing to go. Draniita and the two other members of their triumvirate sat next to us. Draniita to my right and her two companions next to her, with the final seat left empty.

“Draniita, why is it that you have been the only one to address us?” I asked, my confusion evident on my face.

“They are still wary of you, and they don’t like to speak in more formal affairs. Evritha works a good deal with the farmers and agricultural side of things, while Fortik is better suited with our housing and building development. They look to me to handle most of the public speaking as it makes them uncomfortable. In the old days, they wouldn’t have been given the chance to lead, but here they thrive and help the community in their own way. So, please don’t take their silence as an insult or a sign of distrust, they just choose the right time to voice their opinion.”