About the Author

Hello everyone, my name is CMed. I will make it brief and quick about me. I was a college student who got a Major in History before going into the realm of the military. I am a Navy Veteran that has served for six years and wanted to become an author and book writer near the end of my military contract. 

Serving aboard ship was a long and challenging life. It is not for the faint-hearted, but after being taken off of it, I now had more time than ever. I used my time wisely to begin writing books. Writing had and continues to serve as therapy for me. It helped me through my times, even way before diseases or social unrest ever became the main headlines of modern media. 

Writing is something that does not come overnight. Most writers require at least two years of writing before they are even going to be marketing. Needless to say, make sure that you set the time to do so if you wish to be a part of that hobby. If you know somebody that wishes to become an author, make sure to give them that support. Writing is an extension of us and our imagination. Without imagination, our civilizations would never exist. Without imagination, we would have no empathy towards the next person. We all come from different walks of life. Each one of us can tell a story, and it all comes down to our will to survive through the best of times to the worst of times. 

I have designed Tales of Heroes and Gabatrix to be a system that expands itself. If people like my stories, then they can help out that cause. With the help of you, the audience, the system will get bigger and bigger. If you like my stories, then come and support me on my Patreon. Thank you, and enjoy my stories. :)

 

https://www.patreon.com/TheUniverseofCMed

https://www.gabatrix.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimers

Tags: Swearing, Space, Science Fiction, Future, Sex, Love, War, Violence, Blood, Interspecies, Male Human, Female Alien, Scalie, Human/Alien Sex, Rough Sex, M/F

Disclaimer 1: This is the sixth story of the Gabatrix series. It is highly recommended that you read the other Gabatrix stories to enjoy the full experience before getting into this story. This story deals with a war between humanity and an alien race and does contain violence. 

Disclaimer 2: This story is meant for adults as it contains sex, violence, cursing, and blood. 

Special Thanks to my Patreon supporters:

John Dewey, Jordy, Michael Englyst, Frank Nordhaus, Nindahr, Joshua Nelson, Mr. Darknut, Darklord Sengir, Lynn A Sines, Vlad Emanuel, Cristof Bradford, Nightsound, Russell Mead, Mike Nixon, and Anthony Kestle for their generous donations for their generous donations

And, of course, the other patron supporters for allowing me to write and supporting the universe that I write. :)

By CMed

Prologue

 

“There are many iterations of a perfect plan. One requires the utmost patience. The most successful of plans are ones that take the longest to implement, and they warrant the largest amount of variables when the action is made.” Shira, 2347 AD.

……. Humanity and the Itrean clan known as the T’rintar share a steady alliance. It tries to hold strong despite the attempts to undermine it from within…….

…….Piracy and the other Itrean clans have not ended their struggle to win a long-standing conflict. Threats can be anywhere and arrive at any time…….

…….Each colony stands at the ready. Sometimes the smallest of threats pose the greatest dangers to any ship captain or crew that travel through the void of space…….

Chapter 1: The Fading Light

We stand at the precipice of the black void of space. In the distant starlight, we see a single yellow dwarf star glowing, providing its great radiance to a small, habitable planet in the solar system. On it is a shade of green, blue, white, and yellow. It is a sign that there is life in this world. A single moon orbits it, as you can only see the very faint signs of distant worlds that orbit around the star itself. We hear nothing and only feel the cold emptiness that space is. Instead, we simply gaze upon the planet. Only the distant stars provide any signs of illumination besides the star closest to here.

It is often said that Earth is a lonely planet in the cosmos. A fascinating concept is that this world was a latecomer in the development of life. While the supposed name of “The Milky Way Galaxy” is approximately 13 billion years old, the star known as “Sol” is only about four and a half billion years old. While this may sound significant, a million years is a fleeting span of time. Some believed that the planets Venus and Mars were among the first to harbor life, while Earth was still struggling to develop. If this were true, then the Sol system was a place where three habitable worlds all coincided with one another. Two billion years ago, we would look at Venus to see a planet that slowly spins in reverse from Earth with a beautiful shade of blue, white, orange, and possibly green. Mars would have been a small planet with more landmass but still carrying sizeable oceans of water.

So what happened? In today’s sense, Venus is a runaway greenhouse effect. To go there is to be crushed by the immense pressures on the ground. Meanwhile, Mars had its water and atmosphere almost stripped away, leaving a red and orange barren rock with only dust storms to indicate any outside activity. It is apparent that these worlds have the ingredients to have life. A common popular aspect is that Venus might have had early life develop on it, but would be slowly cooked by Sol as it expanded in size when it reached an earlier mid-stage. Earth is expected to eventually resemble Venus, albeit in a distant future, but that is not within our lifetimes. 

Mars might have been another case where life could have developed, but something happened to prevent it. The magnetosphere on Mars is very weak, which means even Sol can slowly rip the atmosphere off of it in time. Technically, Mars’ only moons are too small to render much assistance if a moon is needed for life to develop. All is not lost for the tiny planet, however. It is still there, and by the 22nd century, it would become the capital of the human race. If a means can be found to stop the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus, even that planet can be fully colonized in time.

Of course, the problem is, however, we are not in the 24th century, and I'm not “The Cicerone” who's been giving you the exploration of the cosmos like the past beginning of every story so far…..

……The question is…….who am I? What is that deep, slow, methodical female voice that echoes in your ear while you stand floating in the cosmos above the orbit of Earth? You do not know, but it is the only source of comfort that you have as you continue to learn more about the universe around you. It is unknown who the Cicerone is and what his purpose and goals are. Instead, you have me to give you the word of the cosmos. It is I that will bring you that information that you haven’t had before. Perhaps the guide will one day return to bring in more information that will help unravel the universe further. For now, you have me to help you along your way.

Instead, we look upon the world that we once called Itrea. It was a place that humans called “The Land of Dinosaurs. It was a turbulent time period. Over two hundred million years would pass, and seemingly little happened to occur for developing life. It is the tragic tale for many habitable worlds in the galaxy. Life can develop, but anything with our form of intelligence to evolve randomly is seemingly insignificant. So many worlds with potential life…..so few intelligent species that we know of…..so few civilizations....

For a very long time, Earth has been the center point for life to develop, regardless. Even my personal beliefs had been transformed for some time once the human race was discovered. The history of the Itreans has been one that has been considered a great mystery and based only on theories. There are many good reasons for this. 

That world of what we know as the Mesozoic Era is much different in appearance from Earth as it is now. The continents known as South America and Africa are nearly touching each other before continental drift would pull them away. North America is split in twain due to flooding waters. Australia and Antarctica are practically together. Europe is nothing but islands that stand between Asia and North America. This was the world that my ancestors supposedly came from. Our people originated from all of the continents, and it was a world where you ate the other to survive. The fight for dominance was ordinary and seemingly commonplace. 

With that being said, it is obvious why the humans felt that nothing intelligent could have developed during that time period. The skeletons and bones all told the same tale. Bones would show that creatures slashed and cut into one another. Skulls would have tiny sockets for brains when compared to the humans of the 24th century. What made matters worse was that something happened to mark the end of the Mesozoic Era, which would occur with an asteroid that was expected to be almost 80 kilometers long. Itrea had been hit by many asteroids before. The curse of being almost alone was that nobody was going to help you. The benefit is that few giant rocks would come careening into your world, either. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, this was when their luck would finally run out.

The humans call this enormous crater the Chicxulub Crater. It is the second-largest asteroid impact to ever strike the planet and would only be surpassed by the Verdefort impact of over two billion years ago. It is the location where Armageddon had come to Itrea. So much death…..the asteroid would leave a crater that spanned over 150 kilometers long. It would be responsible for causing massive disruptions to the climate. In the end, 75% of all life would become extinct. It would mark the end of the era for the age of “Dinosaurs.”

We watch as the planet unfolds after such a tragedy. Itrea undergoes its transformation. The asteroid impact shatters the planet's internal crust. Volcanic eruptions are common, while ocean water is sent all over the globe. A new atmospheric layer of dirt, sulfur, and ash is jettisoned into the air. This massive amount of gases and dirt would block out the thermal radiation of the world so severely that massive cooling on the surface would begin. 

To the humans, it would be known as the Paleocene Era. With 75% of wildlife extinct, many of the plants that survived would grow with little hindrance. The continents begin their long journey to what would become more familiar as it is today. Surprisingly, we see that Itrea recovered seemingly quickly after the asteroid impact. For a time, the temperatures were actually higher than now, with almost double the amount of carbon dioxide. With little wildlife to hinder the plants, flora, and trees, the world began to regrow at an alarming rate. Mammals that were struggling to survive suddenly had a world of their own. 

Were the dinosaurs truly gone? Not entirely. Even if three-quarters of life were wiped out, many of the species that survived on Earth prior to the Orange Muck had qualities similar to dinosaurs. Among the greatest contenders were those of the birds. Sharks, amphibians, insects, and other reptiles survived to continue evolving. The asteroid had been devastating, but it was not the end of Itrea. If anything, it was merely an opportunity for something else to begin.

The real question is, could it have been possible that some of the few non-avian dinosaurs to survive? Evolution is a fickle concept at times. Velociraptors, Oviraptors, Allosaurus…..the humans had long claimed that they all ceased to exist the moment that the asteroid came barreling down upon Itrea. Most likely, all but a few made it in the end, and those who struggled to survive on a planet were undergoing rapid changes.

The only proper way of answering that question is to look for signs of civilization. Were there any signs of past civilizations before humanity? Unfortunately, that is a difficult question to solve. If the human race were to depart from Earth, like most of them have, then within thousands of years, the great buildings would erode and return to nature. Within hundreds of thousands of years, those structures would be gone entirely. Was it possible for the dinosaurs, the sharks, and other life to begin forming an intelligence and ultimately a civilization?

Unfortunately, seemingly little is there. The past achievements of my people are all but guesswork to the Itreans and Humans of today. We continue to watch Earth as it goes through the Paleocene Era. The continents are moving farther and farther apart from one another. It is fascinating that at one time, almost all of the continents were supposedly together. 

What is hypothesized is that sometime after the asteroid impact, my people worked with the other surviving growing intelligent sharks and dinosaurs. We had small towns where we harvested the food, developed our own religions, and even had what you called a civilization. Supposedly, it took almost six million years for the human race to become what it is today. The Itreans had plenty of time for 66 million years to finally progress to what it is now before the arrival of mankind. Where those bones of my people are is a mystery, but perhaps it lies in the great ocean depths, waiting to be uncovered. 

This leads to the inevitable conclusion of an intelligent, growing civilization on any world. What happened to them? It is a theory that I best surmise of my people that the peak of our society was during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. This was a time when Itrea was the hottest, with an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. The asteroid impact still left lingering consequences upon our people. CO2 emissions were higher than expected, causing the temperatures to be on par with the era of dinosaurs. Life was starting to adapt to this increased amount of heat and supposedly flourished. However, all good things eventually come to an end. The humans, unfortunately, have no fundamental belief in what caused the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum to come to an end or what started it. All that my people must have known was that everything was getting colder. 

It must have been gradual, but the effects were substantial. It is my firm belief that the Itreans evolved much slower than humans. Even if we did have brains to think like them or beliefs that coincided with them, we operated differently in the end. We were at one with the environment, and we lived as simple people would. We survived until we started to see that our world was getting colder and colder. Desperation leads to innovation. All the civilizations got together and finally lifted up their hands to try to find out why the world was changing. It was here that we created the first rockets that eventually began to traverse orbit. Our technology was still primitive, but we had enough that we were learning about the Sol system. 

There is an ancient religion that no longer exists in the Itrean clans. This is known as “Itrea’Nolala’Ko” or “The Slow Armageddon of Itrea” in the human tongue. This belief would span into other religions, but the common belief must have been where the Itreans had learned of the same possible fates of Venus and Mars. These were worlds that once supposedly held life on them, at least to the Itrean beliefs at the time. Itrea was slowly changing, and the Itrean people experienced a traumatic event of an asteroid collision that would decimate trillions in the deep ancient past. To them, the Itreans must have felt that the world of Itrea was doomed to be destroyed or made uninhabitable. More resources were being devoted to the developing civilization to encourage outer space travel and find new places to live before Itrea would experience the true Apocalypse. 

While most of this is still guesswork, there is another aspect in the ancient Itrean history that suggests something interesting. The humans never invented space-folding gate travel. They instead reverse-engineered it from alien wreckage on Mars in the 23rd century. Was the technology Itrean? Unfortunately, we don’t have that answer. So little information is available…..in the end, we have to go by legends and myths.

It is my belief that the ancient Itreans never really reached Mars or even Luna, for that matter. Their technology was even more basic than that of humans. Something fell into our laps, and all of it rests on a single legend that we simply know as The Kiline.

They are often looked at as “The First Ones.” This name resides in the Itrean language because they are believed to be the first sentient alien race that we ever encountered. To some of us, they are gods. To some, they are travelers with incredible power. We generally look at them as the guides to the universe. Perhaps even the Cicerone that has been guiding you in the first several stories might actually be one of these Kiline. In the end, I have no answer to provide.

Whatever their true names are, the Kiline must have had pity for the Itrean people. They provided something to us that would revolutionize our civilization forever. It was so important that it would even help the human race well into the future. The technology was that of gate folding technology. With it, we could open up wormholes and jump to new solar systems. Even if it was the only piece of equipment, the gift of the travelers was one that we would remember in legend, even if others claimed we simply discovered it ourselves. 

Whether it is true or not doesn’t matter. With the ability to fold space, the Itreans and their ancient belief that their world would come to an end drove the people to space exploration. With gate folding technology, they eventually found new worlds to settle on. The ancient religion of Itrea’Nolala’Ko would help push the many developing clans to abandon the planet. However, this was not a simple task. Unlike the 22nd-century “Earth to Mars Exodus,” for the Itreans, everyone began to pack up their belongings as they got on the ships. New awaited worlds were available that were far better than Itrea was ever imagined. The Promised Land awaited, and Itrea was to be forgotten. For those who possibly stayed on the planet, it is apparent that they never made it.

Instead, we say goodbye to this world. We begin to leave this planet as it would eventually have a new name…..Earth. A new civilization and intelligent race, known as humanity, would emerge as the world underwent a Great Ice Age, further challenging life. To give credit, humans managed to do well, considering they were able to survive such low, hostile temperatures and still become what they are today. Perhaps they managed to do something that even the Itreans were too fearful of overcoming. 

Earth shrinks in the background. We reach speeds faster and faster. We move faster than the speed of light as Sol begins to shrink down to a tiny speck in the galactic background. Just like everything else, the small yellow dwarf star is just a glowing dot in the vast amounts of other bright dots in the blackness of space. We move at faster and faster speeds as the dots start to move. It is like driving through a three-dimensional light shower. We see the heated gases of star clusters in the center, and even see that the Sun is just part of a massive moving series of star filaments orbiting the galactic center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Our destination is one that brings us through the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. We pass through a massive yellow and orange light. The distant specks of light begin to fade, and the surrounding environment is so bright that we can barely see anything……with the exception of those that absorb light. It is here that we see clusters of black holes. Most of them are small but are in synchronized orbit with one another. Eventually, these black holes and pulsars would fly into one another to grow in size. We pass by one that is utterly enormous. Perhaps this is Sagittarius A that is part of the heart of the galactic engine that drives the millions of stars around it.

It is an unusual feeling. To see such bright light replaced with black stars rivals what we see of everything else. If sentient life could develop here, then it must feel that the outside is empty nothingness, devoid of life, and devoid of light. 

But our destination is not here, as we continue to traverse through the heart of the galaxy. Giant stars began to fly past us that are utterly enormous and make Sol seem like a speck of dirt when placed next to them. Beautiful and bright, these stars burn brighter and hotter, but they will fall like so many things….often with a rather large explosion.

Where did the Itrean civilizations travel and develop? Our answer finally comes closer to us. We watch as our eyes adjust to the new light that comes before us. We leave that vast assortment of light and gases that illuminate the cosmos. We continue to watch stars zip past us at an alarming rate. In the end, we have traversed tens of thousands of light-years. We are essentially on the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy. For the Itreans, the Itrea’Nolala’Ko drove us to get as far away from the planet as possible. It made sense that the opposite side of the galaxy was the prime choice. 

The time period is now. It is the 24th century, and we have left the past behind us. The stars began to slow down as we neared our destination. Technically, we have no surviving names of the first worlds other than Itrea, the first homeworld in history. However, we keep the coordinates recorded, and with them, we know where we are heading. Space has become the black void once again as we see the numerous glowing dots all around us. A single binary star comes into view. One is a yellow dwarf star, and the other is an orange dwarf that is in synchronized harmony with the other. 

We have a number of planets that orbit them, everything from gas giants to tiny moons. We focus on the area known as the habitable zone. This is an area where the temperatures are very similar to those of Earth’s orbital range of Sol. It is a standard method for the search for life that even the Itreans are guilty of doing. It must have worked in the end because they found a world of paradise.

That is……of course……until we begin to zoom in on the planet. We finish our travel as you stare upon a world that has been ravaged. It isn’t even spherical, but it is easy to tell that it once was. The world has been shattered into three pieces that still try to be in orbit as much as possible. We see floating hulks of ancient destroyed warships also in orbit. Even the two moons have been bashed repeatedly. The world’s cracked surface holds numerous nuclear impact sights. Massive craters even show powerful weapon bombardment with enough firepower to smash mountains, the crust, and the mantle like it was nothing. There was once life here, but not anymore.

The Itreans call these sectors “Kota’Itrea’Nolala’Ko” as a fitting testament of the birthplace of the first colonized worlds of the Itrean clans. To the humans, we also call this “Dead Space,” as it is nothing but a graveyard of death. Nobody comes here, and the fear of the deceased, ghosts, or spirits looms that we don’t wish to be here. The question is, what happened? All seemingly went well for the Itreans, and to have the gift of interstellar travel is one that should be celebrated. Yet, that wasn’t the case.

Humanity matured… or at least that remains a hope. With the gift of interstellar travel comes the haunting of the past. For the Itreans, the past remained in everyone’s hearts. Ambition and greed yearned, and we came from a place where we had to kill and eat each other to survive. While there was a respect for nature, there was also the desire to bring harm to others. Racism and discrimination were all but expected. Itrea’Nolala’Ko had transformed from a religion of finding paradise to keeping the paradise. Species began to form clans, and the competition for resources combined with religious feuds, autonomy, and politics. This would finally drive the Itreans to commit genocide on a scale that humanity has never seen before. It was believed that powerful cannons were so enormous they could crack planets and were used against the other. It would become known as the Era of Death.

There is not even an Itrean word to define it. Such a waste of resources, as habitable worlds were obliterated just because a war would come forth. Countless lives and experiences were discarded. Civilians and military were both alike, while powerful anti-matter bombs and shells were used to destroy and kill everything just to prevent the enemy from getting a hold of it. Even the humans would call this “Scorched Earth Policy gone horribly wrong.” It didn’t happen all at once since the destruction of worlds was gradual. Regardless, the Itrean clans would unleash these weapons just to prove a point and to wipe the others out. As new colonies were founded, the surviving Itrean clans ventured away over hundreds of thousands of years of eroding recorded Itrean history. The search for living a peaceful life would be shattered as the warmongers bring about a new conflict to destroy planets again and again. The cycle continued for what some believed to be millions upon millions of years. 

It was once believed that there were numerous clans among the Itreans as a whole. Some thought that there were once eleven different species, all from a single planet. These clans remained determined to eliminate the other. Speculation resides in who these other clans were due to the loss of history and destruction. From what is known, there was the Yip’Turin Clan or the “Long Neck Walkers” that died out almost 900,000 cycles ago. There were the Gesh’Ot Clan or the “Tiny Dancers” that were smaller than the Yutilians. The Noo’dort Clan that were supposedly similar to the Yutilians, were all but gone within 200,000 cycles. For more recent history, it consisted of only five clans. The Palieran clan was next as they all but vanished. Finally, the Alara’jal clan would be the final victims, leaving just the T’rintar, the Aksren, and the Shal’rein. Our fates are now left to each other.

This is one of the prime reasons why the Itreans barely expanded in technology. The cycle of finding peace to outright destruction was like a pendulum swing. We never learned and rarely ventured outward. I do not believe that the Itreans are psychotic but only misguided over a maturity that never arrived. There must have been close calls for a final peace that came for some time. The desire for non-violence is a strong movement that has saved the lives of countless billions, to even trillions. Regardless, the outcome was one that would punish us time after time. If only the humans can prove better than us……..

Something did, however, occur that brought an end to Itrea’Nolala’Ko. Naturally, it was time itself that eroded it away, but it was also the fact that clarity towards the religion itself was lacking. For the many descendants, wisdom prevailed, and the people were beginning to realize that the destruction of worlds was not necessary. The first example of this was hundreds of thousands of years ago, when a warlord Shal’rein decided to forgo unleashing a powerful volley that would obliterate a planet just because the opposition wanted autonomy. At the time, some questioned him why he did it, as he said, “A conquered world will reward you even if it does not happen overnight.” He instead conquered the planet with ground troops and well-placed weapons fire, resulting in years of brutal fighting. The conquered people supposedly gave the warlord prized fish in thanks for not destroying their world during the conflict. 

It is the first example of a colony world that would be spared from destruction that survives to this day. The people place a statue of the Shal’rein in honor of the man who spared them countless years later. It would highlight the region in the Milky Way Galaxy of conflict enlightenment that we know as “Old Space.” While many of the worlds would be later abandoned in time due to the exhaustion of resources, some still have populations that find ways to restore and keep their planetary environments working correctly. 

The search for the Promised Land had only brought death to us. It had failed, and Itrea’Nolala’Ko would eventually be buried. Ironically, new ancient religions formed that even promised to find the first homeworld that had become lost to history. There was a supposed planet from which all the Itreans came. Upon its rediscovery, a new era of peace, happiness, and prosperity for all forms of life would begin. Regardless of who you were or what you were, Itrea would be a new home of unity. What was a planet that the Itreans left millions of years ago lurked in our minds, that perhaps one day, Itrea would be found again.

For a time, even before finding Earth, wars still persisted while we tried to find new ways to kill each other. Biowarfare and bioengineering were a prime example. New diseases would be used over and over again, as we found ways to improve our bodily defenses against them. While conflict enlightenment was apparent, the desire to wipe out other clans still persists to this day. Violence is still in the hearts of all Itreans, myself included. This is a tale that you must learn if you are to continue with my story and understand what it is to be Shal’rein or any Itrean.

In order to learn about who I am, you must first realize the truth of the universe. You watch as the destroyed planet, the stars, and the floating debris all begin to turn dark. The light is fading more and more. One by one, each star starts to fizzle out. It is the envelopment of darkness.

The fact is that eventually, one day, the stars will begin to burn out. Known as entropy, the concept is that regardless of what will happen, the universe will eventually become nothing but solid black in the next several trillions of years to come. Light will become exceedingly rare as only pulsars and red dwarfs will remain until even they eventually become black husks of matter to float in an ever-expanding universe. Black holes will be dominant, and there will be no illumination. While it is true that we will never have to worry about the end of “The Era of Light” in our lifetimes, this fact remains something that brings the mildest form of anxiety to any known Itrean or human being. 

You watch as everything goes dark, till you only see nothing but black all around you. It is a first fact of my accepted truth of the universe. Entropy will happen no matter what. No light is here, and none of it will ever again. Our eyes, which were expected to see, have permanently failed, and there is no hope of ever regaining their function. We have essentially gone blind. Fundamentally, this is what reality is and what it will become. To fear it is a waste of energy and resources. After accepting this reality, you have now committed to the second step.

This is what I foresaw long ago, the moment the bomb detonated near me, and the contaminant struck my eyes. The darkness was all around me. I remember the fear that entered me as I knew that I could be permanently blind. The light was gone while the eye patches remained. The engineered disease was spreading, but the ad hoc cure introduced had stopped it. The destruction that it left on my right eye was something that could never be redeemed, and the doctors worked around the clock to save my remaining eye. For weeks, I walked around and could see nothing. I begged for anything and everything that I could finally see. It was the first step that my father had taught me just after Zilik’s Disease had taken his life. I took deep breaths and listened to audiobooks to help me continue to learn of the Itrean race, military strategy, and military history. 

Through here, I learned more and more about what my father believed in, and that was 'emotional control threshold.' It was the fact of embracing what could happen. I accepted that I would be blind for the rest of my life. My hearing had improved significantly during my hospital stay. I even used my tilon to give off sonar pings so that I could track the environment around me. Entropy had entered me, and I realized that it had become my religion. I learned to control most of my emotions and to keep myself under control regardless of whatever happens. In the end, I had nothing to fear. The darkness had become my companion while the others naturally feared it. I would sit in that hospital, as I had found an inner power that most would never discover. In the end, my enemies could never truly stop me in battle. 

I learned about something else that my father had also pushed onto me, and that was to use all your senses prior to battle. Among one of the things that resided with me at the hospital was the fact that I began to ponder the universe more and more. While sound was an ally to help me track things, there was an obvious fact about how the universe operates. This brings forth the third important factor of the universe, and that is the lack of audible sound. While in space, I myself cannot see and cannot hear those who wish to bring harm to me. This alone presents numerous problems in combat that I spent some time thinking about before the solution came to me, which I later discovered in an audiobook. It was an actual event that occurred over ninety thousand years ago. 

On a distant colony world of Old Space lived a Shal’rein music composer and nuclear physicist named “Ton’Kor.” This composer was famous for many melodies and songs that were dominant on his planet. Ton’Kor was well known by many. He was privileged with the ability to come up with beautiful themes that were on par with Beethoven on Earth, and even had a similar life as well. He lived a life of luxury while he helped promote minor improvements to the Direct Fusion Drives used on our ships. Sadly, much of his scientific achievements have become lost to time, but his music has survived and is still being played to this day. 

Sadly, Ton’Kor is one that always seems to get a pass by many of the Shal’rein. In a clan where trillions of lives exist, even famous individuals can naturally become muted in time among the seas of people. In his world, he was well known, but to other places, he was just another Shal’rein. He didn’t desire fame, but the ninety-six pieces of songs would be sung both on land and at sea. Among one of the famous composers, he even had one song that could be sung both in the water and on the beach, allowing the Shal’rein lungs and vocal cords to reside in perfect tones. The music is rather interesting and beautiful to hear that words alone are not enough to describe it. Ironically, Ton’Kor wanted to be remembered more for his achievements in science rather than his music.

Unfortunately, wishing for such a thing would happen in the most unique way. The Yutilian clan had detonated a powerful bio bomb in the town where he lived. While the disease was quickly contained, Ton’Kor was not so fortunate. Designed to cause blindness, failure of the respiratory system, and death, the Shal’rein had few options. Much as to my predicament that happened to me, this famous composer was told the news. While the disease had been temporarily halted, it was slowly eating away his vision. He would be completely blind in an Earth year, and in another few months afterward, he would be dead. Nothing could be done about it, and even regenerative abilities could not restore it.

It is said that upon being told of such news, Ton’Kor simply took a deep breath and walked into his laboratory alone. In a couple of Earth days, he went to the public and turned to his fans worldwide. He politely requested access to the largest nuclear laboratory ever built. He told them of his predicament and claimed that he had one last song that he wished to make. He promised that it would be the best-composed music that ever existed. Interestingly, they gave him what he requested. He had access to a space station laboratory where they conducted tests on small mini nuclear bombs that could be safely produced and detonated. 

What happened would become one of the more interesting aspects for a composer to ever exist. Ton’Kor utilized his skills as a nuclear physicist to the best of his abilities. Witnesses observed as he used a shuttle to create microblasts in space. Visually, the sight was impressive, and there was much debate about whether he was going to use up the entire arsenal of nuclear warheads at the time. His skills were incredible, and he himself was creating a form of art that none ever realized. He even managed to create miniature versions of the Direct Fusion Drive core, which would operate in space for months at a time before burning out. Meanwhile, he would continue to create micro pulses utilizing anything that emitted radiation.

The world watched the Shal’rein continue with his work. Some asked to have it stopped, while others were curious as to what was going on with this character. Was he going crazy with his light show? Was he already insane? Was he trying to prove something? All that the witnesses could foretell was that he would progress by doing the same thing over and over again for months. Space was littered with multiple micro explosions. Ton’Kor is even said to have introduced the uranium and depleted uranium atom assembler. This would revolutionize the way that nuclear fuel rods and warheads could be manufactured, making things easier than having to find the fuel and mine it on some planet. When asked, Ton’Kor said that it was for his music composition.

Even with these inventions, the Shal’rein was still looked at with much regard and skepticism. What was the goal of his year-long escapade in the magnificent light show that he made? There was no sound in space. People could only see the light emissions from the tiny bursts and explosions. Each day, more and more of these were happening. The shuttle would get radiated over and over again. Even the Shal’rein regenerative abilities could not withstand the massive amounts of radiation he was pouring onto himself. In the end, it didn’t matter as his disease was slowly eating away at his body. He continued to promise that he was creating a masterpiece. Refinements were made over and over again in how he did it. His obsession was pushing the foundations of known Itrean technology to its limits. The mystery of Ton’Kor was on everyone’s minds. Other planets were getting to know him more and more and wanted to see what he was creating.

Regardless, Ton’Kor was suffering. His vision was worsening as each day went by. Within half an Earth year, his vision was down to 60%. Within another two months, it was down to 40%. He had assistants who would help him walk around and provide any assistance he needed. He purposely kept them away from the shuttle while he worked. 

The year-long light show in space was carefully recorded, and it survives to this day in the libraries of the Shal’rein and T’rintar clan libraries. It was getting to the point that Ton’Kor was coughing and hacking more and more as his lungs were giving out. By the eleventh month, his vision was down to 15%.

Finally, the final day had arrived. Ton’Kor had made the announcement that his composition was complete. Fans had believed that he created the great silent audio masterpiece celebrating the universe. He notified them all that he had one more thing to accomplish before his eyesight was gone entirely. With his assistants, he was brought to the grand theater of his world. With a chair and a button, he told everyone that his masterpiece was fully finished and ready for all to enjoy. By now, he could barely see the audience, as his eyesight was down to 5%. He lifted up his hands and pressed the button while he sat down on his chair.

The theater watched as the Shal’rein’s eyes had gone dark. The projection screen displayed the recording of every pulse of light. While the explosions, pulses, and blasts were never that large, they produced a wonderful array of blue and orange light from his shuttle. In the distance was one of his floating fusion drive cores. A slow audio sound began to fill the auditorium. For the Shal’rein, it was something they had never heard of before.

“It was beautiful……” Ton’Kor remarked as he had but his ears to listen. He could not see the faces of the audience when the symphony had begun, for his vision had grown black. Instead, the melody consisted of a low hum that would play. Each pulse or explosion would produce a pleasant buzz or melodic charm to them. Meanwhile, the camera of his shuttle would focus on the fusion core to create a harmonious reverberating tone. Not only was the audience watching one of the most extended composed pieces of music, it was indeed the greatest ever made.

Using a filter in his shuttle, Ton’Kor had converted electromagnetic radiation into a sound that was being played to everyone. The light show was only the disguise of what he was truly creating. It was the sounds that he was harvesting from those blasts. He smiled from his chair as the audience stood up and raised their hands to honor the blind composer. 

The song would officially be called “The Fading Light,” and it is officially the longest piece of music composition, lasting almost a year. It opened up the thoughts of the Shal’rein people about their universe and its purpose. Astronomers and explorers would be inspired for generations by his work. Ton’Kor would later pass away a month later. His song was still being played during his funeral. It is said that the Shal’rein who worshipped him did not finish the funeral until the melody came to an end almost eleven months later.

What is the Cosmic Melody? It is the music of the universe. By the time my eyepatch on my working eye was removed, I knew the answer to that question. I was able to see again with the story of Ton’Kor in my thoughts. It is the guide through the darkness. We pick up electromagnetic radiation all the time in space. Once it is converted to sound, the melody can be beautiful. It was what guided the great composer as well. The pleasant white noise remains in my thoughts. I can look at the stars and listen to their songs. I can look at the black holes and know what they were telling me. I might have had only one eye, but I could now see more than any Shal’rein could. I was able to foretell what was going to happen next. I had terrain and environmental advantage because of this single realization. As the universe eventually goes black, we have nothing to fear as we open our ears and listen……

With that said, there is only so much that I can tell about my story or my people. A war is ongoing, and I know what my plan is going to be. I know my position in the universe and where to guide the others. We must return to reality. The Itreans are at war with one another. The humans have allied with the T’rintar clan, and with this, we have a chance against a more dangerous creature than anything we ever imagined. We bring ourselves away from the opposite side of the galaxy. Once again, the lights return. We must hurry along now as the stars zip past us at phenomenal speeds. We fly past the center of the galaxy while the beach of floating dots runs past us.  Everything goes from bright orange and yellow to black as we get past the galactic center. Everything starts to get darker and darker as we begin to see what the humans call “The Aquarius Constellation.”

Through here, we zoom in on a single tiny star known as Gliese 849. The single glowing ball of red is an M-Type star. As we get closer and closer, we see two far orbiting gas giants that are far from their parent star. A single planet comes into view as our journey through the cosmos comes to an end. From what I know, you're already aware of the planet Aphadus. The single world has life on it. It's tidally locked, causing one side to forever point towards its star. This hasn’t stopped the planet from having life on it. The humans have made quite a home here…..even though I already attacked it once. In their wisdom, they forgave me and let me serve as an enlisted member of the UHN. I'm one of the few Shal’rein who help amongst the humans besides the T’rintar clan allies. 

We fly into the atmosphere as we go towards the north polar region of Aphadus. This is where the temperatures are just right, being neither too hot nor too cold for them. Here, the purple lakes are a common, favorable sight. It almost reminds me of my home that I had long given up. Eventually, you see a large dome structure and the capital city that resides next to it. From here, our journey begins……

Chapter 2: September 14^th, 2350 

“That is enough about me,” Shira said to herself in a calm, emotionless voice. 

Staring at the restroom mirror was none other than an anthro shark-like woman. Her slick grayscale skin reflected off the overhead light. Shira was busy checking her hair and her hollowed-out right eye. She fitted the eyepatch over it as the elastic band fit snug on her head and under her dark purple hair. She didn’t have to look upon the damage that the disease had done to her. Even with her hair blocking it, there were subtle hints that black vein protrusions were going outward from the right eye socket. The combination of the hair and eyepatch was more than enough to discourage the wayward individual who would question her ailment. 

Shira seemed satisfied with the way her hair was set up before she moved it over the eyepatch. The hair would flow downward and over the right side of the jaw and cheek. In the end, her only working yellow shark-like eye was what she could see from. She monitored any signs of the halted disease on her right side. Her pointed shark-like jaws and snout looked alright to her. 

She remarked on her appearance one last time. Her blue and red UHN jumpsuit uniform was more significant than that of the average human. With her almost seven-foot-tall frame, the Shal’rein were titans of the Itrean subspecies. Regardless, her eye carefully noted any crevice or crinkle that may show on the uniform itself. Carefully crafted, her attire even had a cut-out portion for her large shark-like tail to swing around without hindrance. Even the boots were painted blue to fit over her digitigrade legs and feet. She looked much like any human being in most aspects. Being from a subspecies of long-evolved sharks, Shira knew that she was rather impressive when compared to the human beings of Aphadus. 

Of course, there was one inevitable problem that Shira was all too aware of. Even her uniform hinted at the faint outline of a protruding object in her back pocket. She gave no recollection of it and instead simply maintained a calm composure as the events of the day unfolded. 

“Good enough……” Shira said to herself. With almost no accent in her voice, she swung her tail to see the large fins. She gave a brief nod as her eye spotted a speck of dust on her right shoulder. She used her four-digit fingers to carefully pluck it before tossing it off of her. 

The restroom was nothing impressive. It was just past lunchtime, and she knew that she had to return to work. She slowly stepped away from the mirror, leaving only her gazing single eye to show her serious side. Impressions were always important, and it was best to always appear as the prim and proper officer even if she was only enlisted. Only a couple of people were supposed to know who she truly was, and despite significant efforts to prevent it, rumors had spread throughout the military base on Aphadus. 

With that, the sliding door of the restroom opened up, and the Shal’rein stepped out into the central passageway. The great dome consisted of numerous hallways and rooms for every military personnel. Shira herself was pretty used to the constant commotion of everyday work. Humans who passed by would always look up at her. She was not dressed up like the Shal’rein that served in the T’rintar clan. If there were any of them, they would be in green, black, and purple armor. She preferred them to see her as indomitable. If they were impressed, then they were impressed. If they feared her, then so be it. She did not care about what they felt about her. It was something that she was always used to.

Shira began her long trek down the passageway, typically keeping her hands behind her back. In reality, Aphadus’s military base had a large, almost circular hallway. The center portion consisted of areas advocated for the hangar facility and the top chain of command. Aphadus was not precisely the top-notch base as it should be, something that Shira was all too aware of. The damage she helped incur to the base had been long repaired by now. 

As she walked, she could see a couple of men who looked up at her before she proceeded past them. Her protruding fin ears were tuned to their direction. She could overhear them as they whispered their questions to one another. "Who was she?"....."Who's the Itrean stranger?"...."Why was she wearing a UHN uniform?" It was commonplace, but it was something that she knew was part of a long process for mankind itself. She could even recount seeing a Yutilian that was dressed in a UHN uniform as well. The longer the alliance stood, the more likely the humans would start to see Itreans in their day-to-day lives. 

For Shira, it didn't matter either way. She only had one destination as she made a right turn in the hallway. She could overhear the day's announcements, but they were just superficial background chatter. Everything was set according to the day, and she had carefully established her schedule. The long walk was something that she was all too used to, keeping a relaxed composure while she moved. Her tail would never sway, unlike the other Shal’rein. She was meticulous in ensuring that it didn’t bother anyone. 

More people walked by her. One gave her a mean look. It was a human woman. Shira’s eye caught her looking at her. She was well aware of the suffering that she brought to the people at the base. Of course, this never seemed to bother her. That time, she was their enemy, now turned ally, whether everyone agreed with it or not. Shira always kept this in mind. It was up to the humans to forget about any past grudges.

Shira walked past the woman and didn’t give any further thought to the woman. It was like background noise to her as the human whispered her curses to the towering alien. 

Instead, the Shal’rein continued her walk before she made a left turn down the passageway. Something did catch her eye. It was both a human woman and an Aksren. This alone was a more curious sight for even Shira not to ignore. She knew immediately that this was an Aksren that was raised in the T’rintar clan. This was hinted at by her red and green spandex-like uniform. Unlike the Aksren clan, the Aksren of the T’rintar were friendly and passionate toward everyone. They looked like anthro oviraptors with crested snouts. The other woman, who had a dark complexion, was wearing a red and blue marine camouflage uniform. The two were walking together, almost as if they were close in some way. Interestingly, the Aksren woman did not even notice Shira until her close proximity naturally caused her to move a little bit away. 

“I'm telling you we should go outside and get drunk!” the human woman told her companion in a faint accent. The two walked by Shira, who could see that the Aksren woman was smiling from her small, pointed beak. The Shal’rein’s face turned lightly towards the two, which was enough for her shark-like eye to note their appearances and attributes. 

“Hmmm….most interesting…..” Shira commented almost quietly to herself. “An Oshunian and an Aksren……most noted indeed.”

She remained quiet as she continued her long walk. She could see other UHN staff members. Most of them reacted the same way as they looked up at her. Her fin-like ears could hear their words. As she began to move closer and closer towards the hangar section, she could overhear something that was coming behind her.

“Ah…….” Shira calmly reacted. She whispered the words to ensure that no one could hear them. “I believe I'm being followed…….”

The Shal'rein knew precisely where to go and passed by an open door. The foot folly was growing slightly louder. This was not like the other people who were passing by. Shira was tracking the specific type of boots and shoes that were tapping the ground. She could tell that it was at first one individual who had now grown to three. She knew that these were not regular staff members trying to get from point A to point B in their day-to-day work. Upon turning to the right, she could tell that the three were in a hurry. She could confirm now that these humans were after her.

Shira briefly seemed almost pleased while she walked down the long passageway. Unlike the other hallways, she could tell this one led directly to the hangar bay. There was only one sliding door that was between the entrance of the bay and the crossway that she was leaving behind. This area was devoid of personnel except for the people who were closing in behind her. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. She could see a wall panel before she slowed down in her pace upon nearing it.

“There she is……,” a male voice came from behind Shira. 

“That's as far as you go,” another female voice added. 

Shira came to a stop. There was no scent of fear on her face as she slowly turned around to face the people that were following her. 

The Shal'rein looked down at the three individuals: two men and a woman. All of them had somewhat bronze complexions that were commonplace for the people of Aphadus. Some of the people in the colony had descended from former nations such as India and Pakistan of former Earth. Each person was dressed in the UHN red and blue jumpsuits. It was evident that the man that spoke to her was in the center. In his hand was an M70 pistol that was aimed directly at Shira. The other man was carrying a stun baton in his hand while the woman had a holstered pistol ready to brandish it at a moment’s notice.

“Is there a problem?” Shira calmly asked them in her deep voice. 

“No accent at all……,” the lead man said in an Indian accent.

“Quite interesting to be wearing a UHN uniform, aren’t we, Shal’rein?” the woman added. “Hey! I think we found her!”

The woman had raised her voice as another person, a man carrying a submachine pistol, came walking behind Shira from the open slide door. He had a pale, muscular complexion and was dressed in a marine camouflage uniform. The man was at the ready and had perfect aim at Shira’s back and tail.

All four individuals were at a pretty fair distance. They were cautious in their actions, ensuring they weren't close enough for her to reach them. Even Shira knew that she was at a slight disadvantage in the situation. However, she remained disinterested.

“Your observations are quite astute,” Shira commented in a collected composure to the three in front of her. “May I ask why you have a gun aimed at me?”

“There is only one Shal’rein that we know that wears a UHN uniform that serves at our military base,” the woman replied before she unholstered her pistol. She didn’t aim it at Shira but had it at the ready.

“Is your name Shira?” the lead man asked the Shal’rein woman.

“Yes….., but you have not answered my question,” Shira replied. “Why do you have a gun aimed at me?”

“For all good reason,” the man angrily replied. “It's true…..we heard the rumors. We know that Fleet Admiral Anaya commissioned you to work for her. You're the one that lead the attack on Aphadus!”

“And your point is?”

The man’s face snarled a little bit. Shira could see that the three in front of her displayed looks of anger. “Do you know that you killed my friend from that attack!?”

“They let you go……you're a fucking butcher,” the woman added. 

“The events that unfurled were unfortunate,” Shira replied to them.

“You can’t just think that you can get away from it.”

“Quite the contrary,” the Shal’rein said to them. “It's true. I defected to the UHN after that attack. It was the only action on my part that could be completed with perfection.”

“Bullshit,” the man replied. “The Fleet Admiral might forgive you, but it doesn’t bring back the dead that you killed.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Shira coldly answered.

The man looked at the woman and almost laughed. “So you freely admit that you were responsible for all the deaths that happened here?”

“Yes, I did. Your planetary defenses were inadequate. My forces were freely able to…..”

“Shut up!” the woman stomped her foot down. “Dalbir, we should shoot her…..”

“It is why we came here,” the man replied behind Shira. “It wouldn’t take much.”

Her tail twitched very slightly to hear the man behind her step back a little bit. 

“Hmmm……most interesting,” Shira calmly replied. “You decide to outnumber me, but your actions are foolish.”

“Oh, and how so, Shal’rein?” the lead man asked her.

“You do realize that I'm a member of the UHN? While possession of a firearm is not a crime, to brandish it and point it at any citizen or military staff without probable cause is a felony that can warrant the arrest for all of you. This does not include the fact that the other man holding the baton plans on threatening me with physical violence.”

“Yeah? You do realize that there's four of us? We outnumber you, and it’s our word against yours.”

“Hmmm……indeed you do, but you have also made another grave error. There is not enough of you to stop me in combat.”

“Fuck you, Shira!” the man replied behind her. “I have a gun aimed at your back. I can gun you down in a second.”

“You are not correct. Even if you all attacked me now, you do not possess enough power in those guns to kill me quickly. I could still easily dispatch or harm many of you. You do realize that you're threatening a Shal’rein?”

She turned her head to look upon the marine behind her. Her single yellow eye and pointed snout showed no hesitation of anger or malice towards him, but she kept a fierce gaze that could intimidate most people. Even the marine seemed somewhat taken aback.

“Think about your actions very carefully,” Shira continued with an almost articulate, emotionless tone. “Even with an SS-30 rifle that you hold, it won’t do enough to save you before my jaws sink into your throat. If you turn around, I'll let this pass,” she turned her head back to the three in front of them. “If anything, I admire all of your bravery, but it's misguided and will only lead to more problems in your future.”

“Ah…..Dalbir,” the man behind Shira continued. “I think I see something that's in her back right pocket.”

“Relax and think things through,” the Shal’rein said. “Watch very carefully. I'm still willing to let this go.” Their entire gaze was focused on Shira’s right hand as she slowly reached her hand to her back pocket. She was conscientious and slow with her movements, while her hand went and pulled out an object. The protrusion that she had was nothing more than a small, uncompleted magnum big enough to fit her four fingers. 

“She has a gun….” The woman replied.

“Very astute observation,” Shira continued. As their attention was focused on the gun, Shira’s left arm stretched outward and towards the panel. Technically, the earmfire naturally drew everyone's attention to it. She made sure that the barrel was pointed away from the three and towards the wall.

“They let you have a gun?” the lead man asked.

“No. They confiscated mine when I defected to the UWA months ago.”

“You think that's supposed to scare us?”

“It's only there to ensure that I have the means to protect myself.”

“It doesn’t even look like it is functional,” the woman said.

“Oh, I assure you that it works,” Shira answered. “I have one bullet ready to fire.”

“Only one?” the lead man asked.

“I only need one.”

Shira could see that the three in front of them had hesitated briefly. The man with the stun baton was looking nervously at the other two next to him. The woman was shaking her head as Dalbir was intent on his actions. The Shal’rein simply kept a calm composure as her hand was away from the panel. For a moment, the Shal’rein could see that despite her efforts to dissuade them, they were still persistent. 

“Dalbir…..I don’t think this is worth it,” the man told the two next to him.

“Don’t wuss out on this,” the lead man countered. “We know it's her. The UWA let a murderer go and serve amongst us. It’s up to us to take care of it.”

“I agree,” the woman said as she lifted her pistol and aimed it at Shira. “We came here for a purpose. She can’t stop us all.”

“I, however, disagree with your assessment,” Shira answered before she pulled the trigger on her gun. 

With that, a powerful round exploded from the chamber. It took them off guard as the gun had gone off. The shot traveled to exactly where it was aiming. It struck the wall and penetrated it enough that it hit something inside. The chain reaction was monumental as the entire passageway section sent off an explosion of shrapnel and debris. Most of the blast was more of a concussive force that resulted in expelling the three directly into the other side of the wall. All of them were knocked out immediately. The explosion was deafening. It was enough that even Shira felt it and was briefly disoriented. She was expecting this, however. Her hearing physiology even allowed her to handle some of the explosive blasts from the gunshot and the explosion. 

Simultaneously, Shira knew precisely what she was doing as she hunched over and turned around as quickly as possible. Her large shark tail swung around to her rear. She threw the uncompleted magnum directly into the marine’s face. The man behind her was momentarily shocked. She had to get out of the way of the aim of the rifle. Much to her expectation, the marine was stunned by the combination of all the things that happened at once. Shira was onto him before she leaped at him. Amazingly, the man managed to pull the trigger of his rifle, but the Shal’rein was quicker. It barely grazed the right portion of her right breast as the bullet continued to travel forward, outward, ricocheting around.

Before the marine knew it, Shira was on top of him. Despite how strong he was, Shira was more prominent and more robust. Her left hand grabbed and ripped the rifle from his hand while her right gripped his throat very carefully.

The marine's eyes went wide. Shira could see the fear in his eyes, knowing that she had him. The man's ears were still ringing as she shoved him to the ground with a decisive toss from her arm. His body went sliding as he could still see what Shira was doing. The alien woman went and placed her hands on the rifle, pressing the magazine release switch, removing the magazine, and tossing it behind her. She then pulled the charging handle back with her two fingers to eject the unspent caseless round to the ground. When she was done, she threw the gun to the side. 

As the sound of the base's alert signal sounded off, Shira decided to rest her back against the wall. Her tail fin stuck to the side as she stood comfortably to the back. There was no fire from the explosion. It was exactly what she envisioned would happen. Most of her attention was directed at the three who were unconscious, while she kept an eye on the marine occasionally. He was in no position to fight as he had been appropriately disarmed. The Shal’rein then decided to reach into her back pocket to pull out a small tin container. She opened it up to reveal a series of large cigarettes. She took one and put it to her mouth. Using a laser lighter, she lit it and slowly inhaled the delicate burning tobacco-like material. Taking a deep whiff of it, she relished the thought of everything that was about to happen. There was no remorse for her actions. She only envisioned everything that she had to explain as she waited for the authorities to arrive…….

 

*******

           

“What the hell?” Javier said to himself as he was walking down the passageway. “I really hope this doesn’t have to relate to me somehow.” 

The Lieutenant was well dressed in his red and blue officer’s uniform. The red cloak-like piece behind him waved around slightly as the other working personnel would nod their heads or briefly look at him. Most were used to seeing the officer’s face by now. 

It was about thirty minutes after the warning alarm had been called out. An explosion had occurred at the base, but it was nothing significant. The overhead announcement had told everyone that an accident had occurred near the hangar bay passageway. He could hear somebody mention that military police were arresting several individuals. The accident was something more than it apparently seemed.

He was being summoned to the Fleet Admiral’s stateroom. The fact that he was called in had to be related to the recent incident. He could not go to the passageway that had the explosion while he tried to find the hallway that led to the top COC’s room. Eventually, he found it. The floor was carpeted with red and blue. It had both the UHN emblem and the seal of Aphadus woven into it. The sliding door near the carpet was transparent colored. It was the only hint that it was best to be on your best behavior when going down this area. The Fleet Admiral may be watching you.

Javier took a deep breath. He was not in the mood for the events that most likely needed his attention. He put his hand to his neatly trimmed beard. His face had a very light tinge to his complexion. It was not uncommon for people to mistake him for a Paloran colonist due to his mixed ancestry from people of Central and South America on former Earth. He briefly looked at his uniform before he reached the door, ensuring he was in his best. His red boots looked pristine. It was a habit that he knew was becoming of an officer. 

“Stop stalling,” Javier said to himself. “There has to be a good reason you're being called to the office. Why do I have a feeling that it has to be about ‘her’ somehow?”

He gripped his knuckles. He was not necessarily afraid of the fleet admiral, but he knew that anything that could upset the status quo wasn’t good either. His position was good enough at the military base as it was. 

Javier stopped thinking about it as he walked up next to the door. He saw the panel by the door and tapped the button on it. There was no time wasted before it slid open. That alone almost took Javier by surprise. Usually, Anaya would keep it closed and wait to see who it was before she let the person in. Javier almost poked his head in before he snapped himself out of it and stepped in. He had a brief glimpse of the interior before he stepped inside.

“Lieutenant Javier, reporting as requested, Ma’am,” Javier addressed himself as he rendered a proper salute to the top chain of the command. Fleet Admiral Anaya was sitting behind her metal, enshrined desk. She wasn’t too pleased, even though she was the type who was reasonable to many. Her bronze complexion and short black hair reflected that of a woman directly descended from former India of Earth. Her twin star rank was one that represented an overseer of the entire Aphadus defense fleet. While he had rarely seen her in the last month, he knew one who was all too familiar with her. 

The room itself was the typical stateroom of a Fleet Admiral. It was spacious and featured numerous plaques and awards displayed on the walls. It had multiple projection screens near her desk that showed the camera feeds throughout the interior and exterior of the base. Anaya was dressed in a similar officer uniform, but her rank said it all. The stateroom consisted of numerous chairs that allowed officers to arrive and depart regularly. 

“Lieutenant Javier, you may have a seat on the right,” Anaya coldly told him. She didn’t even bother to render a salute in return. Javier could already tell that she was somewhat emotionally disturbed by whatever had happened. 

“Understood, Ma’am,” Javier replied as he dropped his salute. He turned to look at everything in better detail. The room consisted of four individuals who were in shackles. He could recognize that three of the personnel are UHN members, with the other being a marine. Shira was sitting in another series of chairs, but it was away from the four people. There were a series of guards who were also in the room, who were all properly armed. The severity was all but apparent as Javier went and found a comfortable chair closest to the wall.

Immediately, Javier’s mind was aghast at the situation. The rumor was indeed true. The man would have sighed if he could. He knew Shira all too well and most likely would have to come to her defense……if she needed it. The fact that the four were in shackles had shown the worst, but he could tell that Shira was alright. He went and had a seat, knowing what was going to happen next and having a clear view of the Shal’rein woman. She briefly looked in his direction but showed no emotion as she always did. Instead, the man almost shook his head at her.

“Right…..” Anaya explained in her thick Aphadus accent. She had a severe tone to her voice as she folded up her hands on the desk. “I want to make things clear on what has happened just now and why all of you are not in the hospital right now. I have to figure out why I just had an explosion on my base. Petty Officer Dalbir, Seaman Harshil, Petty Officer Lopa, and Lance Corporal Landen, and Petty Officer Shira……I want to know right now what just happened. Why the fuck do I have a hole mark in the passageway of junction 3B-H?”

“We were……..we were…….,” the arrested woman tried to answer.

“You were what? I have eyewitnesses that saw you following Shira.”

“You……” Dalbir tried to answer, summoning the courage to respond. “We were trying to……”

Anaya went and pulled out a tablet on her desk. She tapped a few buttons as she began to review the data carefully. 

“They tried to assassinate me,” Shira answered calmly. “And they failed...”

“Yeah…..I can tell,” Anaya said as she slapped the tablet on her desk. “I can’t believe this……what the fuck were you four thinking!?”

Shira briefly looked to her left. Javier face-palmed as he realized what had just happened. Even Anaya could see some emotion from him. Meanwhile, the four arrested individuals were reserved as if they had been caught red-handed. 

“Shira is a dangerous person to have….” Dalbir said stoically.

“She's a member of this base and a UHN staff member!" Anaya exclaimed, slamming her palm to her desk. "You tried to assault somebody on my base! I have an eyewitness that says that they saw you with guns pointing at her.”

“She had a gun!” argued Lopa. “She was going to kill us.”

Anaya turned her head to look at Shira. There was a look of surprise. 

“It is true,” Shira answered. “I was armed.”

“Hmmm…..”Anaya remarked. “Still. That gives the four of you no excuse. I should have all four of you flogged in front of the entire base! You attempted to assault a member of my crew. Seaman Harshill…..I know your grandfather, and he would be shaking his head in disbelief in your actions. You had a baton in your hand. What were you planning on doing with it?”

The man reacted appropriately as he lowered his head down. He couldn’t answer.

“Thought so….” The fleet admiral continued. “I will not have racial hatred and bickering on this base. All four of you are going to be locked in the brig for attempted assault on my base. Lance Corporal Landen, according to the report, there was a rifle round that was discharged from your rifle. I am also aware that this was taken from the armory as well.”

“Yes…..it is, Ma’am,” Landen said.

“There was an explosion. How did it happen?”

“You already have the answers….”

Anaya slammed her fist on the desk. “I want to hear it from all of you!”

“Shira had a gun, and she shot the wall,” Lopa answered. “I…..don’t know how it happened, but the whole bulkhead blew apart…..we don’t even remember the rest of it.”

“It's true,” Dalbir added. “She….we tried to…..we wanted to see her brought to justice for the actions she did. Fleet Admiral,....you're a fool to let this alien serve under you. She was responsible for the actions that would lead hundreds to their deaths.”

“No excuse for your actions,” Anaya continued to explain. “You had the intentions of assaulting another. If it were Shira or any other human being, you'd only proven to be dangerous. All four of you…..I'm beyond ashamed at what just happened. I can’t even stand to have you here. I’m holding all four of you under the brig, pending a hearing and court-martial. I’ll make sure you spend years in a military jail on Palora. Guards, take them away. Get them out of my sight!”

Javier had never seen Anaya so angry as before, but she was doing what she had to do. Even then, the events had shaken her to the core. 

With Javier, he felt emotion too. Somebody had decided to try to harm Shira, his wife. This alone had him almost shaking his head at the four as they stood up. The guards kept a good hold on each one while they were brought out of the room. Even for Javier, he did his best to remain composed and professional. Shira didn’t even bother to look at the four. Eventually, the room was left with just Shira, Javier, and Anaya.

The fleet admiral waved her hand before taking a deep breath.

“Do you wish to press charges against all of them?” Anaya asked Shira.

“No, Fleet Admiral,” Shira replied.

“You don’t deny that they had the intention to kill you?”

“They were well committed to doing it. I would say, however, to offer some lenience towards Harshil. He was very reluctant on the intention to hurt me.”

“I’ll keep that under note,” Anaya said as she tapped a few buttons on her tablet. “I’m afraid that I can’t let you go so easily, though.”

“That is quite understandable, Ma’am.”

“How the hell did you get in possession of a firearm?”

“For simple reason. When I was arrested, my SH-80 was confiscated by the authorities.”

“I know that!” Anaya almost snapped at her. “I was the one who ordered it, and I remember that I told you that you can’t possess any form of firearms……is that correct?”

“Yes,” Shira calmly explained. “I made requests to get my gun returned to me. You would deny it, but at the same time, more and more personnel were learning about me. Retaliation against my actions on the assault of this base was inevitable. Everyone else was allowed to possess their own firearms except myself. My opponents saw that they had a potential advantage. I decided that it was best to start producing a copy of an SH-110, the new, improved Shal’rein clan magnums, that……”

“You started to build your own gun?” 

“That's correct, Ma’am. All Shal’rein are taught as children to build their own firearms. I assembled my SH-80 when I was around seven or eight Earth years old. I even know how to create the bullets as well in both case and caseless forms too.”

Anaya almost shook her head as she looked at Javier. “This is one of the reasons why I called you here. Did you know that Shira was producing her own firearm?”

“I didn’t, Fleet Admiral,” Javier answered. “I had no idea that she was doing that.”

“You cannot blame my mate,” Shira added. “I was doing all of this when we weren’t together.”

Javier could tell that Anaya was taken aback a little bit by Shira’s actions. He somewhat had underestimated her engineering skills. She seemed more to blame herself for not catching it. Regardless, she was not wholly impressed. Others on Aphadus could easily do it. Gun ownership was quite commonplace. The right to bear arms on this planet, Palora, and Oshun were allowed under different circumstances depending on place to place. It had also been the goal to try to keep Shira’s true identity somewhat muted to the base. Efforts were made to ensure that her defection wasn’t spoken too much, but it was evident that it was failing. How much of the outside colonies knew about the one that successfully attacked Aphadus to serve there later?

“I want to know how you managed to put a hole near the hangar bay that is over a meter in diameter,” Anaya demanded from Shira.

“It was quite simple,” Shira explained. “I had gotten word that Petty Officer Delbir had planned on attacking me. He was gathering supporters. Knowing him, he wanted to make sure that his assumptions about me were correct. Meanwhile, I had learned of the base’s internal structure and components. Hangar bay hallway 3B-H had a faulty oxygen tank air converter. While the four individuals were watching my gun, I had reached over and accessed the panel. I increased the flow rate. While technically, the tank is harmless even in its faulty state, it is enough that a well-placed shot from my magnum could cause a focused explosion, exactly where they were standing.”

“You lead them to there?” Javier asked her.

“Yes,” Shira said, keeping her relaxed composure. “I was limited with my resources. I wanted to ensure that my targets would be incapacitated. The explosion would not be that powerful, but it would be enough to render them unconscious if they were not careful. I stopped right where I wanted them to be. Even touching the panel controls would not appear to be harmful to their own detriment. My gun was aimed directly at the converter’s location. One-shot was all that was needed.”

Javier could see a form of amazement on Anaya’s face. On the one hand, she was distraught, but it was still an excellent form of maneuvering on Shira’s part. Even he knew how well Shira excelled in things like this. Finally, even Anaya had to shake her head.

“I……I don’t know what to say,” Anaya explained. “I let you serve under me as a member of the UHN. I gave you the rank of Petty Officer and secretly let you serve as an advisor to me. Your actions have proven to be of great effort. You helped expose a cloaked Shal’rein warship that was in this system…..hiding at Kope. You’ve given valuable intel on the different warships and projects that your clan has. Hell, you’ve even provided future construction projects to help improve the defenses of this colony. Regardless, I have to look at this situation with grave concern.”

“It is quite understandable, Fleet Admiral,” Shira explained. “It is under your benefit and an act of wisdom that you employed my services. I like to think that your actions have greatly improved this base against further attacks. On the other hand, you feel that what I did endangers that and makes you look weak. You attempted to, as you humans would say, “sweep it under the rug” when it came to commissioning somebody who is infamous, like myself.”

Anaya sighed. “Yes…..that's true. I don’t know what to do about it. As an advisor, I don’t suppose that you have an idea on what I should do next?”

“I actually have a solution to all of that,” Shira replied as she leaned forward. “You're left with a situation in which having me here on this base is proving to be a problem. Some of the personnel see me as a threat regardless of whatever action that we take. You giving me the rank that I have is the only path that suits me best, as it makes me look like most other Shal’rein that have just joined the UHN service. It doesn’t make you look like you hired a possible criminal.”

“You’re not a criminal,” Javier countered.

“Those four individuals that attacked me would disagree with your opinion,” Shira said, briefly turning her gaze to him before looking at the fleet admiral. “I have my own proposal that would help all of us in the end. The best solution is for me to simply not be on the base at all.”

“Umm…..what?”

“Explain,” Anaya asked.

“I propose that I be assigned to the military transports or ships. As I recall, there's a military transport by the name of the UHN Jian Seng that was recently assigned to the Aphadus defense fleet. It is expected to conduct a transport operation from Palora to Picaro as of tomorrow. Or, I can be reassigned to any other form of ship.” 

Javier was somewhat surprised by the concept. The idea of having Shira moved might be a sound one, but one that he was not exactly thrilled with the more he considered it. He could tell that she momentarily looked in his direction while Anaya was tapping the buttons on her tablet to confirm her idea.

“It's true that I have the Jian Seng under my command now,” Anaya replied. “Hmm….an old Fu Yi class Military Transport commanded by Lieutenant Commander Lifen. Yes, I know it. It was recently pulled out of mothball status from Titan over a month ago. Does it matter what ship you'd be assigned to?”

“No. It does not matter to me,” Shira replied.

“Ugh…..I’m not too keen on this idea. I would lose an advisor.”

“There would be numerous reasons as to why this is the case. The first reason is to remove me from the base and onto a place where there would be less knowledge of my identity. The second reason is to remove me from a place that could result in further violence against me or cause more destruction of property to the base. The third reason is that the recent events have affected you and me. Regardless of my actions in self-defense, I have disobeyed your prior order.”

“I admit that I’m not too pleased about it,” Anaya commented.

“All the more reason for me to not be here. I believe it would be in your best interests to have me reassigned. This will essentially discourage further individuals from conspiring against you to bring harm to me. It will also lessen the political impact that others may have towards you in commissioning me as a UHN member months ago. Even with the benefits that it may curtail, your opponents would still use me against you. Having me moved would help silence that opposition.”

“Spoken almost as a true politician…..”

“You wanted me as an advisor. The politics in the Shal’rein clan are not much different than the UWA. I would not have become an Adjunct at my age without that knowledge and experience.”

“True.”

“I do have to voice some opposition to this,” Javier interjected. “I…..I apologize for interrupting, Fleet Admiral.”

“You may speak, Lieutenant.” 

“Shira, I can’t agree with this idea. You would be removed from this base. I….can’t….no.”

“You are letting your emotion cloud your judgment,” Shira told him, turning her pointed snout at him. Her one eye gazed at him until she turned to look back at Anaya. “However, I believe that it would also be in the best interests to have Lieutenant Javier assigned to the ship as well.”

“What?” Javier asked in surprise. 

“Why?” Anaya asked.

“For simple reason. You need a person to watch and ensure that I'm not committing misdeeds or maleficent actions on the UHN that could lead back to you. Javier would be the perfect person that could do that.”

Both of the women looked at Javier before the man sighed. He practically facepalmed as he felt that he was led into a perfect trap that Shira had established. Anaya seemed to think about it carefully and ultimately relented.

“Very well,” Anaya agreed. “It's in my best interest and decision that I should have you removed as soon as possible. I'll assign you to the Jian Seng. Javier, you will join her. According to the ship, they do need additional officers as well.”

“I…..ah…..aye, Ma’am,” Javier stumbled a little bit in his words before accepting his fate. He knew he couldn’t argue with the orders of the fleet admiral.

“Don’t worry about it either, Lieutenant,” Shira added. “There will be somebody else who will take up your position on this base.”

“All too soon, I'm afraid…..” Javier practically grumbled. He tried to keep a calm composure as he could see Shira's brow lift a bit.

“Unfortunately, I can’t let you take your gun,” Anaya told Shira. “The right to bear arms depends more so on the location. It also depends on the Captain of a ship more than anything else. It will have to be confiscated.”

“Very well, Fleet Admiral,” Shira replied. “Make sure not to destroy it.”

“No promises,” the fleet admiral almost scuffed her.

“Might I also offer one last suggestion towards the four that tried to attack me?”

“Go ahead.”

“It might be in your best interest to have the four assigned to repair the damages to the passageway rather than necessarily have them tossed into the brig indefinitely. They can also repair any other faulty converters to make sure that no…..freak accident like mine would occur again.”

“You know more?” Anaya asked.

“Two other converters are faulty.”

“You're asking that their punishment be reduced, then?”

“Not so much, Ma’am,” Shira affirmed her. “You have the right to do as you please to them, but the more extreme the punishment gets, the more it is likely to attract further attention as to why the four personnel on this base have been arrested. Something that would lead back to you. I also believe that the marine, Landen, is due for better combat training. He tried to shoot at me but missed the moment the blast occurred.”

“He tried to kill you, though,” Javier argued.

“That is still inexcusable. The enemy will not have that argument in turn.”

“I’ll consider it…..Petty Officer Shira,” Anaya said. “The situation that happened on my base was a sign of mistakes on everyone’s part. In the end, it is my responsibility for taking you in. As you would tell me….. ‘the leader bears the responsibility for their actions.’” She calmed down more and more. “In the end, I was the one that took those actions that got all of you here. I hate to have to put you on some obscure ship.” The fleet admiral stood up as and crossed her arms. “I feel that by putting you on such a ship…..it degrades you.”

“I admit, it's not exactly the most desirable of choices,” Shira commented. “However, I must move on.....”

“I see. Very well. Both of you will report to the hangar bay with your belongings. Both of you ship out at 0900. Dismissed....”

With that, both of them stood up and saluted the Fleet Admiral. Anaya responded in kind, saluting them in return. Both Javier and Shira proceeded to leave the stateroom. Javier’s mind was ablaze with the thoughts of what had just happened. A part of him was concerned with Shira, and the other part was the reassignment. The door slid open as Shal'rein was the first to exit, with him close behind her. As they reached the passageway and the door slid closed, Javier decided to unleash his frustrations onto Shira.

“What the hell?” he told her. 

“You are distressed. You don’t need to be,” Shira replied to him, her hands placed to her back. They slowly walked together as they got further and further away from the main office. They walked side by side while the man looked up at her.

“Distressed? You practically had people try to kill you, and you think it was nothing?”

“Nobody was seriously hurt. I made sure of that.”

“No….of course….you shake it off like you always do.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Javier,” Shira calmly tried to calm him down. “It is a waste of energy.”

“Hey…..” Javier put his hand on her arm. It caused her to come to a stop as her working left eye looked down at him. “I want to make sure that you are alright, ok?”

“I assure you. You have nothing to be worried about.”

“Hmmm…..I still can’t believe that you managed to get away with all of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You virtually got away with making your own gun and blowing a wall in the base like it was nothing.”

“It is my responsibility to utilize my terrain before combat. Allowing everyone else to have a firearm besides myself only places me at a larger disadvantage. Don’t forget of my previous life prior to coming here.”

“How could I forget?” Javier seriously countered her. “Look….” He waved his hands at her as they resumed their walk. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, that's all. Next time you suspect that there's individuals that plan on assaulting you, go and report it to the authorities instead.”

“With what proof?” Shira countered. “I considered that option, but I would have to explain the reason as to why, further spreading my identity throughout the base. In the end, however, it is important for the prey to sometimes bite the predator in the nose. It makes the predator hesitate in trying to attack the prey in return.”

Javier was well aware of what she meant by that. It reminded him of the attack on her ship a while back and having to try to overpower a Shal’rein woman far stronger than he was. On the other hand, Shira was used to living a different life that consisted more of strength and brute force to advance. Of course, with her, she relied on pure cunning and shrewdness to get what she needed.

“Maybe…..” Javier replied. “Still….you do realize what you have done to me, right?”

“I do not understand the question,” Shira said.

“Just like that……you get in trouble and decide to get yourself resigned to a spaceship. Then, you drag me along with it.”

“Why would you be upset with that? I ensured that you would be with me.”

“That……” he paused momentarily. “That isn’t what I mean. Yes, I want to be with you.”

“It's always the goal of two mated individuals to remain together in whatever environment that exists,” Shira explained to him as they reached a crossway. They both stopped as they looked at each other. “I was simply making sure that would be the case for the both of us.”

“That isn’t what I’m complaining about. I'm just…..upset to be removed from this base.”

“You have been removed from this base before. The end result is that I'm now with you.”

“Forcibly removed,” Javier remarked with a frown. “My point is that I prefer to be here and not on some ship.”

Shira tilted her head slightly before she gave the nod to him. “I see…..you feel that you should be in a more comfortable environment than a ship.”

“Yeah,” Javier said.

“You also prefer to, as the humans would say, ‘Play it safe.’”

“Eh…..um……yes. Being on a ship is more dangerous than on the ground.” He raised his finger at her. “And don’t try to call me a coward either. I fought down here when your troops came raining at our doors. I just prefer to be away from the shooting.”

Shira’s left brow raised a little bit. “That would not be possible. No location is truly safe. With your own argument, I have proven that even on the ground, this world is not completely ideal for security. If anything, the crews on those ships that reside in our defense fleet have seen less bloodshed than here.”

“Ugh……I was just getting used to relaxing and not having to worry about getting my head blasted off…..that's all.”

Shira went and calmly placed her large hand on his shoulder. “Follow me into battle, my mate. I'll do everything I can to ensure your safety and health. It would be even foolish in my regard to say that I can’t do this alone without you.”

“That coming from you is at least worthy of some celebration.”

“Then I would encourage us to get things ready for tomorrow. Tonight will be our last night on this world.”

There was no hint of a smile on her face, but Javier had been with Shira long enough to see some glimmer of happiness buried under the stoic look that she always gave. He couldn’t deny her wishes.

“Alright,” he replied as he put his hand on hers. They both parted ways for the day to get things wrapped up and prepare for the move....

Chapter 3: Final Night on Aphadus

 

“I think that should do it,” Javier remarked as he Velcro closed his uniform bag. “I went and notified my staff that I'm being moved to the Jian Seng. They understood....”

“They will adapt,” Shira replied, blowing out her smoke from the bed.

He looked over to her. Much like him, she didn’t have too many belongings. Most of it was really just allocated to the essential hygiene items and her uniforms. With Shira, Javier knew her well enough. If she wasn’t in her uniform, she was naked. She barely had any form of civilian attire in the late hours after the main shift. It didn’t matter so much to her because she preferred to be in one place where she could be at the most peace.