The Phoenix Conspiracy
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"- and from what Senator Daxera had told me the Assembly staff are all getting another security check by orders of Chancellor Nasinrasa." said Senator Cassandra. She represents that planet of Orianas in the United Alliance of Earth. She was like most humans; passionate, stubborn, and idealistic.
"Again? This is the fourth one this week. Why is he so concerned? Security has everything under control as it is. He is only doing it to show his concern about safety since the of the bomb in the Promenade A-03," I replied. Our conversion went silent for a minute as we both took a drink from our crystal glasses.
"So hows that coffee with the sweetener?" she asked with a smirk.
"Much better, especially since it's cold. Your human drinks are bizarre. You did say people drink this without sugar?" I asked. She laughed then said, "Yes, my husband does all the time. I can't stand it myself. Coffee, in general, I mean. I'm surprised you liked it."
"It's taste is incredibility unique. Now how is the Lapinta Juice with lemon slice?"
"It's completely disgusting," she said giving me a small laugh, "It's actually very good. The combination with the sour lemon gives it a very bold flavor."
She took another drink and I began to stir my drink with the plastic spoon given to me.
"Hows Vepasba? I know she was..." she said and her voice trailed off.
"She has been better. After the session, I hope to make home before the end of the month... It was hard on her," I said.
"I hope you know that if you or her need anything that I'm just a call away," she said.
"Yes, I know... You will be the first one we call," I said with a smile, "Anyway enough of that, should we make our way back to the Assembly Chamber? The vote should be beginning soon."
"I suppose you are right. Our conversions are always too short," she said and got up. I joined her and we made our way from the bar down the hallway. The other senators looked to be doing very much the same.
"Same time next week?" she asked as we began to split ways.
"Of course," I said as I walked to my room. It was not far and in a perfect post. The entire chamber was like an upside down pyramid. Each layer had a set of chambers for them to gaze out into the Garden of Democracy. The Garden is a magnificent place of vegetation from around the galaxy. It contains stone statues dedicated to the people of democracy. In the center is the Chancellor's office and his discussion room during debates. Each discussion room is a typical sitting room. Chairs set just right to gaze out into the Garden. Podiums setup for debates and their ability to project your voice and image into the garden. Artwork from ours worlds as well has a small bar for hosting. Luckily for me, I had the whole room to myself since my partner passed away last month and elections have not been held to replace him. I took a seat and began to wait for the signal for the voting to begin.
The lights darkened as voting process to begin. Tapping my claws on my chair, I knew my panel would activate soon. The assembly chamber was filled with the noise of the bickering senators deciding how to proceed with the vote. It was clear that my speech before the break created some discourse between some of the planets. Luckily with the myself as the only senator for my planet Concordia there was no need to debate.
The screen lit up and asked in a womanly voice, "Please scan your identification card." I pulled out my card from my robe and tapped it to the screen. In seconds it lit up green and said, "Welcome Senator Iasica Torvinia. What is your decision?" The two buttons of ACCEPT and REJECT appeared. I tapped accept and waited.
BEEP
"Come in," I said and turned my chair to the door. Who entered was an older age human man, slight balding black hair with strains of grey throughout. He is slightly overweight, but clearly doesn't lack for physical ability. Wearing his usual dark jacket for concealing his weapons, It was clear that something was amiss.
"Senator," he said.
"Joseph," I said as I turned back to the screen with it on a 60 second countdown.
"Are you still planning on your trip," Joseph asked as he took a seat next to me.
"After this session," I said as the countdown ticked by, "nothing has changed from last night."
"Did you not look at the galactic news?" He asked as he crossed his arms. From knowing him for so long, he was clearly upset.
"No," I replied which didn't help things. Any concern I did have vanished as the screen changed to signify the voting process. It showed two sides, two empty lists for the accepting and rejecting the legislation. In the center is the image of the senator, name, and their planet.
"Here are the results..." It announced. "Senator Tanji Tadako ACCEPTS, Senator Fabrice Leavitt ACCEPTS, Senator Bogatyryov Sergei Antonovich REJECTS,Senator Iasica Torvinia ACCEPTS, Senator Cassandra Molnár REJECTS ... REJECTS, ... REJECTS, ... ACCEPTS, ... ACCEPTS,... ACCEPTS, ... REJECTS, ... ACCEPTS, ... REJECTS".
I glance over to Joseph, who had began sending messages out on his communicator. His face had sunken into a deeper frown then normal. "I told you everything would be fine," I said as I stood up to gather my things.
He looked up, "You are purposely ignoring what is going on and the consequences of this vote," he said then put his communicator away.
"You worry to much. What is there to be concerned about? I'm in the most protected station in all of the Assembly and I have one of the best protectors in the galaxy," I replied as I put my FaLPCS into my bag.
"You're tasinara and yet you keep painting a big red target on your back for the cartels. They have the people rioting-" he said as the screen interrupted him.
"The voting has concluded. The legislation has passed. Have a great day," announced the screen.
"I don't let fear rule me like many of the less educated tasinara. I'm am not going to be intimidated by them as I said during my election campaign. We have come this far without them and I am not going to be the one to have it happen again! Come on, it's time to go," I said and walked out. As a tasinara, we were a avian race from the planet of Kessnar. We are covered in feathers all our the body. Our upper body is slender and lacks much muscular strength. Our feathers are white, but with a light tint of blue or red. We have arms with three fingered claws which are prehensile. The lower body is slender and built for running with the rough outer skin on the feet. Our head has a beak like structure with sharp teeth inside. The beak can range from a white to baby blue coloring. We have fours eyes, two on each side with a crest in between the eyes with the feathers around the eyes the same color. Along the top of their head is a dark blue set of feathers. The front two eyes are see within the visual spectrum while the back two eyes can see within the NIR parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Our history is not as glamorous as for decades we were run by Silent Syndicate. They controlled all aspects of our government until liberated by humanity. We have tried to put down the Syndicate, but it just broke into the smaller sects of cartels. My home planet of Concordia is plagued by the Phoenix Syndicate, the most prominent cartel in Kessnar space. If I give a little they will take all of the planet.
"Sir," said Joseph as he followed me out, "The cartels will not stand by while you do this. If you go home, I don't know if I will be able to protect you."
"Come on now. Have a little faith in yourself," I replied. We had exited my office into the Corridor of the Senate, a square hallway that connects all the offices of the different senators. Assistants and guards roamed the hallway along with some of the other senators. When we approached the elevator, there waited was Senator Tanji Tadako, Senator Morgan Harrison, and Senator Poriinza Zoxcailia. Senator Tadako and Senator Harrison are humans whom represent Earth in the Assembly. Humans have been the longest known space faring species of today. They desire to expand and explore all reaches of the galaxy and have been very successful in doing so. Senator Zoxcailia was a fexian from Azeban. The fexian people made contact with us during the conflict over the planet of Azeban which founded the Assembly of Stars. They are very militaristic and desire all species to have liberty and social equality.
"Good morning Senator," said Senator Harrison, "are you done upsetting the entire Assembly."
"Upsetting? I am discouraging the smuggling of Xoc," I replied and Joseph shook his head.
"Surely taking two weeks of our time was not necessary" added Senator Zoxcailia with his surprisingly gruff voice.
"I had to get it done. If you firmly believe the cartels won't make their way on to your planets, you are clearly mistaken. This will make any offer to our people even more dangerous to accept," I said.
"Really?" asked Senator Harrison, "I have little reason to believe the pro-tasinara group would enter a primarily human demographic."
The elevator arrived and opened up. With the amount of people who need to travel up and down the station, these spacious elevators can hold up to ten people comfortably. Monitors and cameras kept an eye who was travelings about as well providing the new. We all stepped inside and Senator Tadako, who had been silent up to this point, asked "The cartels have expanded outward. However, they have stayed away from planetary populations. It was made clear during the discussion."
"We were all there for the five hour interview with the researchers, " added Senator Zoxcailia.
Senator Harrison looked over to her and said "So we should focus our efforts there!" The elevator made a stop and she and Senator Tadako stepped off leaving the three of them behind.
"It nice talking with you." said Senator Tadako then the elevator continued on it's way.
"I understand your concern, but it seems overly dramatic," said Senator Zoxcailia.
"Sir, you would understand if you were on Concordia," said Joseph.
"Concordia is dancing on the edge between the cartel's and the local government. If either backs downs, the other will install the change," I added.
"I hope you made the right choice... for all of us," he said as the elevator came to a sudden stop. We waited in silence until Joseph took the initiative. He went to the panel and pressed a few buttons. When nothing happened, he pulled out a set of small electric tools.
"Let me see if I can't get the door open," he said and began to pry open the panel.
"Are you sure that's safe?" asked Senator Zoxcailia who was shifting back and forth.
"Yes-" he began just as the lights shut off. Within seconds emergency lights went back on flashing.
"You made this worse! I apol-," I said and turned to Senator Zoxcailia to see him drawing a gun.
"Flame to ash-" he began before Joseph intervened with a quick strike to his arm. I took a step back to avoid the fight. The senator recovered to make a shot, but it was completely off aim. Taking the opportunity Joseph struck his paws to disarm him. While he may have been disarmed, he began making unarmed strikes with surprising precision. Joseph took two to the gut and one to the face before defect the next set of strikes. Knowing he had the size advantage charged him down slamming him against the wall. The lights turned back on and the elevator began to move again.
"Get ready! AHH" shouted Joseph as he stepped back clutching his side. The senator had a concealed knife in hand, ready to strike again. Watching the battle unfold, I quickly began searching for the dropped gun. Seeing it by the door, I edged closer with the hope to help win the fight. The senator began making swift jabs, but Joseph did his best deflecting them. I reached for the gun only to be shoved back against the wall.
"PLEASE listen!" shouted Joseph as the door suddenly opened. In a quick succession of movements the senator was thrown into a hallway of surprised engineers and workers. "Iasica! Get to the hanger, I'll meet you there!" he shouted as he grabbed a gun from his jacket and started firing at the attacker. When he departed the elevator, it shut behind him and continued downward.
I stood in silence as the elevator music played the cute little ditty as we moved. I was frozen in shock. The station was one of the most safety places in the galaxy. How was he able to get past security. It only meant one thing. The station was compromised and now whomever sent my attacker wants to send a message. Shaking off the shock I pulled out my communicator and called security. It wasn't long before they answered.
"Senator, we are aware of the situation," replied the chief of security. An older human who had worked here for years.
"Yes, but who sent them? Am i safe? Are you sending guards to protect me?" I asked.
"Hold on there senator. The whole station isn't under attack. You are fine, but with the nature of recent events I recommend you depart the station to your own government. They would understand the situation more," he replied.
"Yes, but what about NOW," I asked.
"Now, I'm sending a detachment to move you to your ship. Follow their orders and you will be fine," he said then ended communications.
"Okay," I whispered then put the device away. I waited a few more minutes as the elevator contiuneed downwards. When it reached it's destination, the doors opened. There stood three people, a male tasinara, a Ralonian, and a female fexian. Ralonians are a recent species in galactic politics. They have an embassy on the station and our diplomats hope to bring them into our fold in the coming years. The are large with distinctly long necks. With purple skin and round heads, they are very noticeable within a crowd. All three were dressed in blue military uniforms.
"Sir, are you alright?" asked the tasinara. He wore a medical badge with the name tag of Vecana. He began to scan my head and body as I was pulled along by the ralonian.
"Yes... I'm fine," I replied.
"Good," said the fexian. She was clearly the high ranking officer here. Her badge and sharper design of uniform suggested as much. "Command, we have the VIP, we are moving to the extraction point."
As we moved the ralonian with the name tag of Loatbabba, said with no expression, "stay close." We were in the main atrium where most of the people go to for leisure activities. It was constructed to give a planetary feel with high ceiling and buildings constructed about just like the most beautiful cities.
"Where are we going?" I asked and quickly tried to take in my surroundings.
"Your original exit was comprised, you would have been dead in seconds," replied the fexian. "We are moving you to the secondary hanger. Your ship has been moved there and is being prepared to launch." People were hurrying around. Many were talking and whispering to each other. They knew something was going on.
Vecana stopped his scanning then said, "You are in perfect health. Lets try to keep it that way." He then replaced his medical tools for a gun. "South east building rooftop," he said as he pushed me forward in to be in front of Loatbabba.
"I see him," said the officer as a shot rang out bouncing on an invisible barrier around us. Before another shot could be fired we ducked behind a set of smaller buildings.
"We won't make it through the next gap," stated Loatbabba. We were almost to the exit, but it was past a large plaza. With no cover, we would be completely exposed.
"Vecana, give me eyes on the sniper. I'll take him down," said the officer as she began to retrofitting her weapon.
"Excuse me, but how are you going to do that," I demanded as the three gave me a courtesy glance then returned to their work.
"Loba can you give him something to shoot at," she said finished attaching the last piece to her bizarre looking weapon. He nodded and made a mad dash for the exit.
BANG
A shot rang out and miss him by a meter. "He's marked," said Vecana.
BANG
This shot pierced right through his barrier hitting his arm. He fell straight to the ground. "I've got him. When I fire... run," the fexian said as she pointed her gun at the target. In a split second a purple beam of light pierced through the air and exploded the rooftop. Vecana grabbed me and together we ran for the exit. However, he stopped and helped up his ally and I kept running to the exit. The officer was right behind us.
BANG
Another shot rang out missing me by mere centimeters. Startled I stumbled on to the floor into the passage to get out of his sight line. Not long after the rest of the crew made it through with Vecana examining Loatbabba's wound.
"Nice one, Pelinc, " said Vecana said to their officer.
"I'm surprised it didn't kill him. They are more prepared then I thought," she replied and helped me up, "We are almost out of this mess senator."
We walked onward. Engineers and security guards ran about in panic. It must be worse then the Chief of Security thought. When we arrived at the hanger Joseph was waiting with a bandage plastered to his side. He was organizing the various engineers on my ship, the X-11 Starscape, along with my personal android who was organizing supplies. The X-11 Starscape is an X series yacht built for evasion, stealth, and comfort. It would be perfect for excaping to tasinara space. When we approached, Pelinc gestured for Joseph to come over. The other two went off to the ship.
"He made it here in one piece," said Joseph shook her paw.
"Yes, but the entire station is compromised it would appear. He needs to leave now," she replied.
"I agree, some of the personal has been impersonate for this assassination attempt. Getting him out has become our top priority," he said then turned to me, "Didn't I say to be concerned."
"You can not seriously believe this is the cartels can you?" I said and crossed my arms, "They have never been this bold."
"Unless they have united like I predicted," Joseph said, "Imagine the chaos that would ensue if many of their key opposition were killed in the heart of the Assembly. This is why we need to get to Concordia, there you have more experienced security for this sort of attack."
"Didn't you disagree-" I began.
"Plans change when you are almost killed five times. Pelinc, escort him inside and prepare for launch. I'll be along shortly." he said went back to talking with the workers. I was escorted on to my ship before I was able to object.
I took a seat in the lounge of the ship as Pelinc went to check on the others. The lounge was one of the bigger sections of the ship. Containing a bar, comfy leather chairs, tables, and decorations from around the galaxy. If the syndicate was truly behind this then the Council needs to hear about this, but due to the security regulations it must be in person. Impersonating officials and making fake messages is a usual tactic. While waiting for departure I pulled out my tablet and began to browse the news. It was clear what Joseph meant about traveling. Concordia was rioting due to the political upheaval from a lack of an additional senator. More xoc exports have been increasing as I predicted too and certainly pushed forward by the cartels. I should have seen this coming. "Hey," said Joseph. He must have entered while I wasn't looking. I exhaled in frustration. "Are we ready to leave?" I asked as I glanced up at him. "Yes, the last preparations are finishing up. Now have you thought about what you plan to do in Concordia? This... event doesn't look good." he asked. "I think we should change course to Kessnar," I replied. "It took a coordinated assassination attempt to get you believe the cartels are a threat, " he said and snickered. "You gave me rumors and speculation last time. This is real and tangible." I said and leaned forward. "Let's keep this to ourselves, but when we make the second jump change the course there. The Council needs to know. They need word of an official and I am the most qualified to speak on the subject." "If you say so," he said then went towards the control room. Now it was only a matter of time before I would arrive. I turned on some delightful music, but not too loud to be distracting. The news was now all about the attack on the station. Nothing new besides that occasional witnesses and body count. After about an hour, officer Pelinc came over from the front of the ship. She saluted then said, "Sir, I am here to give you the tactical report." "Ms. Pelinc, Joseph handles that sort of thing. Why don't you go bother him," I replied. "Yes, but he suggests I also discuss it with you as well," she replied. "Fine. You might as well give me crew composition, ship condition, and mission report along with the tactical assessment," I said and leaned back in my chair. "Yes sir! We were not able to gather your usual crew from the trip. Only Joseph and your personal android were able to make it aboard. My team was assigned to protect you, so we will continue to do so. I am their commanding officer Anlican Pelinc and just assigned recently to lead the team," she said maintaining her posture. "Welcome to the team then," I huffed. "Thank you sir. Our medical officer is Resinlora Vecana, who worked as the medic for the team. He is highly trained and worked on the frontier for sometime before joining the Assembly. Loatbabba is the Ralonian. He is an expert in explosives and heavy weaponry. Before joining the Assembly he claims to have worked as a covert operative," she said. "And you trust them?" I asked. "If you could count one month of work enough to say you trust them. They do good work, but that is all I can evaluate," she said. "Fine, continue," I said. "We have two new pilots. Qiuvailia, a Quiva who is the co-pilot." she said. "We have a Qiuva... As a pilot from the empire... Who approved that transfer?" I asked. "I did," Joseph said as he pass through the room, "He was the most qualified." "Our main pilot is Bazina Fyodorovna. She worked as a pilot for a travel company for several years. Our ship appears to be in great condition from the quick service provided at the station," she replied. "And the tactical analysis?" I asked. "Everything appears green as long as we do not need to make any stops. You are safe among this crew," she said. "I would hope so," I said and pressed a button in my chair, "T5 - X01, can you get up here. I haven't seen you since we left." T5 - X01 was my service android. He acts as a butler when I travel. After a moment or two he responded back, "Sorry sir, I was processing an firmware update. I will be up momentarily." With the officer still waiting I looked back to her, "can you keep me updated with any changes." "Yes sir," she replied. With a quick salute, she walked out as X1 walked in. These androids were based upon the Constructs, ancient robots that act as curators of the galaxy. They take the form living animals such as Libertiza Worm or the Earth Robin. This model is considered a Neo-Construct, robotics used today based upon the design philosophy of the ancient Constructs. My model took the two legged lizard, while not as efficient as some of the multi-armed models, this one was able to adapt to social situation with ease. X1 is a little shorter than me and with a green color palette. "Mr. Torvinia what would you like today? Aperol Spritz or maybe a Sparkling Balna Sangria?" he asked as he began working at the bar. "My usual please... I wasn't aware there was a new update for you?" I asked as I went back to my tablet. "I was working on it before our departure, but it was interrupted, so I had some errors. I am sorry of the inconvenience," he said. "Okay, whatever you need to do." I said as there was a slight jolt on the ship. I pressed a button to talked with the control room, "What was-" "Here sir," said X1 as he placed my drink on the table next to me. I picked it up and asked, "Is it a lighter blue then normal?" "No, sir. It is the same as normal," he said just as the ship violently shook again. I looked around wondering what was going on. After setting the drink down, I got up. The ship shook again, so I took one step forward toward the front before the entire left side of the room exploded. I fell to the ground as air was sucked out into the vacuum of space. Luckily the emergency force fields were still working and cover the exit before I would have entered the vacuum as well. X1 was nowhere to be seen and half the compartment was ripped apart. The lights shut off prompting the emerging backups to turn on illuminating the two exits. As I tried to get up, I quickly discovered we no longer had gravity. I tumbled into a wall and tried to balance myself before looking for the magnetic footwear. Before I could even spot the supply cabinet, the force fields fell of a split second causing the air to suck towards the breach causing me to float back out into the open. The front door opened revealing a humanoid man in a spacesuit with a gun in hand. The visor was dark, but I quickly identified the man after he spoke. "Iasica we need to get you to the pods." He walked forward without being hindered by the lack of gravity. "What is going on?" I asked as he grabbed me by the waist. My head was getting light headed with the low oxygen, but with the help from my rescuer, I was carried to the back. "The ship was sabotaged. Some-" he began before just as the fields fell again, but for a few seconds this time before closing again. Knowing that time was of the essence, he picked up the pace and hurried into the hallway. There floating nearby was a set of magnetic boats. He helped me put the on and we continued forward. "Are we... Even near... a planet..." I huffed. He said something after but I back out for a minute or so. "-are are getting you to a pod," he replied. The next room was a set of four pods. There was only three left. Loatbabba and Vecana were there waiting, each with oxygen masks on and magnetic boots. "Get the senator to the surface. I'm going back for anyone else." he said then left back into the ship. Alarms were going on at this point. Whatever was going on it wasn't good. I took two steps forward before almost collapsing. Vecana hurried to my side and put his mask on me. I took a few breaths. "Sir, we are going to put you in the pod. It has its own oxygen tank," he said and put his mask back on him and took some breaths before giving back to me. Loatbabba looked to be working on a pod as we were speaking. "An assassin is aboard the ship. The ship has locked out most of the controls and is heading for the nearest star. We only have a 25 minute window for you to jump. You will be fine." He took his mask back and disabled my boots. Loatbabba grabbed me out of the air and tossed me in one of the pods and closed the glass window. It was made for one person with displays and straps inside to ensure you don't move during departure. With myself encased inside oxygen filled the tank allowing me to breath normally. The pod lit up and complex instructions and commands began to echo in the pod. Nothing of which I understood. Officer Pelinc entered the room and began to assist her squad mates. From a main console they began pressing buttons. It looked as if she order the other two into pods. After a few minute and with the other two in pods. Vecana launched first. The ship shook again and then I was launched. Red warnings erupted on the glass as I shot into space. However now it was unreadable. I gripped on to my seat for dear life and closed my eyes. For awhile I could only hear the warnings blaring. It didn't last long as the ride got bumpier. The entire pod shook and I was jostled around the entire time. I peeked my eyes open briefly to see the fiery ball around me from the contact with the atmosphere. I shut my eyes again. The shaking eventually stopped as well as the alarms. It was mostly quiet for a minute or so. Only then did the pod crash onto the planet's surface. The abrupt landing smashed my head against the side and everything went black.
I woke up in the pod. With how gravity felt, I assumed I had my back to the surface with my face to the sky. My glass view was covered with snow and all the lights were off. It was also cracked and bloodied from where I smashed my head. My restraints were snapped. I pressed a few buttons. Nothing happened. I tried pushing on the glass. Nothing happened. It was cold and if I didn't do something I would certainly freeze to death. I gave the entire pod a good look around. There was a emergency release clamp at the bottom and top, but just opening the pod would spell certain doom if I didn't know what was beyond it. I knew there were basic systems on board for this sort of thing and while the power appeared to be off. Life support system were still working since I could breathe just fine. With my search, I did find a reset button. I pushed it and held for ten seconds. Suddenly all the systems went back online. The heat also turned on as well. "Okay now what," I said to myself. I found a button that said communications. I pressed it. "Communications offline," It answered. I pressed another button that said beacon. "Beacon is online. Activating..... The beacon has been activated," It said. I pressed a button that said manual. "You have landed at your 96km from your destination. Manual Guidance is unavailable." it replied. Most pods land within a 5km distance. Whatever happened to my pod certainly was not good. If the beacon was working then someone will find me. I'll would just have to wait. One hour later and the power shut off. There was no other option now; I had to leave the pod. I reached down and pulled the lever. I went for the top and pulled. However, it was jammed. "Damn it! I am not going to freeze to death in here!" I shouted and banged on the glass. At this point the glass was completely covered in snow and the light was barely shining through. I bashed on the glass again. Nothing happened. I took my legs and tried to kick it off. Nothing happened. I tried one more time and the glass was ripped off. A wave of cold air smashed against me, freezing me to the core. Standing above me was Loatbabba. "Sir, It is time to go," he said as he ripped open a compartment above my head. He grabbed a some supplied and threw a bright white arctic coat and a pair of combat boots at me. "Put this on. It will keep you warm." I nodded and got out of the pod. I was completely under dressed. My species is from a warm arid planet which is nothing like this snow covered rock. I put the coat on as well as the boots, but it wasn't going to protect my legs or face. "Where are we?" I asked as he began adding things to his makeshift sled. "Not where you should be. I redirected to find you," he said then pointed to a mountainous region not far from our location. "We must go there. There is a cave were we can wait for rescue there" "What happened to the ship?" I asked as I followed him through the snow. He was pulling along the sled, but even with the snow a weight of the sled; he was moving at a good pace. "Save your breath till we are somewhere safe," he said. I waited a few minutes before asking another question, "Is anyone else alive." "Sir, please remain quiet before I seal your mouth shut," he replied. I didn't say a word for the rest of the journey.
I could barely walk when we arrived. His makeshift base camp was already set up. He walked over to several machines and turned them on. Space heaters, communications array, and some computers lit up and began to process his inputs. He went to the array and said, "Beta team to Alpha team, please come. Please come in Alpha team." Loatbabba repeated the message again then pressed a button on a nearby computer. The message began to repeat every few seconds. I sat myself down right next to a heat to warm up. My body was cold and numb from the journey. "You okay sir?" Loatbabba asked. "I am just cold... What happened up there? Everything was fine until the attack. Who found us?" I asked. "We were not attacked. Someone had sabotage the entire ship," he said. "Sabotaged? How is that possible? I was on my ship just last week and having the hull of the ship ripped apart doesn't seem possible!" I asked. "From what I understand, a mechanic put in several programs to overload the ship's systems, so when the saboteur was ready they could activate them and possibly kill you," he said. "But... who could have done this?" I asked. "I don't know Pelinc and Taylor were looking into it before the attack," he said. "Taylor?" I asked as I began to feel somewhat better. "Joseph Taylor? Your bodyguard?" He asked. "Oh yes, I just never use his last name... ha... Well who made it off the ship? Wait! What happened to Vecana?" I asked. "Vecana made it to the ground but is trying to make his way here. If he lives, he should be here in the next day or so. Pelinc was killed in the pod-" he explained. "What?! She was fine when I dropped!" I shouted. "Yes, but not anymore. Taylor, Fyodorovna, and Qiuvailia were unaccounted for until I sent up communications. They made it to the crashed ship and have been trying to find the rest of us. When I set up this camp, I made contact with them and they gave me your location," he explained. "So what now? Do we wait here?" I asked. "Yes, we have four days of rations. If we are not rescued then we will have to travel to the ship," he replied. "Okay, what should we-" I began as the communication array had gotten a response. "Beta team this is Alpha team come in," said what sounded like Joseph. Loatbabba hurried to response. "This is Loatbabba. I have recovered the senator," he replied. "For once something went right," Joseph replied, "Iasica, I need you to listen to me." "YES?!" I shouted hoping he could hear me. "The Syndicate has found us. Whomever betrayed us sent out a message just before the attack. You must stay safe and don't take chances. Hope the Assembly will get here before they do. " he said. "I will keep him safe until you arrive. I will ensure we have no uninvited guests," Loatbabba said as he worked on the array. "We will .... way over... keep..." he said as his voice fell into static. Someone must be blocking our.... [ERROR: CONNECTION LOST] [PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ADMINISTRATOR] [WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE] >> INITIATE ENHANCEMENT ALGORITHM 1.31.B [APPLYING ADAPTIVE CONNECTIONS ] [CONNECTING........] [CONNECTION ESTABLISHED] "What should I do if they find us?" I asked. "You point then shoot gun," Loatbabba replied as he finished his preparations. "I will be back." I nodded and clutched the gun in my claws. If the syndicate was truly coming then I would need it. I paced the around the cavern. This was coordinated on such a large scale that would have taken years and almost unlimited resources, but even then they still infiltrated the team. If one was the traitor who would it be? Joseph was out of the question, he has worked for me for years and discouraged everything I was doing. It would have been simpler for him to kill me at home with the privileges he has at his disposal. What about Vecana the medical officer? He is currently missing and in this weather he certainly wouldn't make it back alive unless... He is the traitor or luck. Otherwise I can't make a good conclusion on him. Pelinc is another option. She kept me alive since we have met and gave a full report on the ship. Joseph seems to trust her as well. However, her convenient help and almost completely wrong assessment is suspicious. She had control over my pod, so the evidence could suggest her actions nearly killed me and Vecana. However, she was attacked and killed according to Loatbabba. There was was the two pilots the human Fyodorovna and the Qiuva Qiuvailia. Each had access to all the ships systems and my android. Either one could easily tamper with them. Without meeting them it's hard to gauge them. Finally there is Loatbabba who has kept me alive this entire journey. He couldn't be the traitor unless that want me alive. A light suddenly lit up further in the cave. I knew it wasn't from anyone from the crew. They would have used the front entrance. I pointed the gun in it's direction. "Who's there!" I shouted. The light grew brighter. It turned from blue to yellow to red. in matter of a few seconds. A screech echoed and a robotic voice spoke out in an unfamiliar language. A screech echoed again then the light went back to blue and kept coming closer. As it approached the light dimmed to reveal a Construct with the design of a bird from Earth. "Who are you!" I shouted. It beeped and buzzed in some sort of language before a blue stream of light was projected at me. After a few seconds it fluttered over to a rock nearby. "Hello male tasinara. You are in a restricted zone for sapien life with a level 6 technological level," it said and titled it's head. "You can speak? I thought-" I began. "Of course! I am what you call a Monitor and you must leave!" It shouted and flew around me, "Why do you have a camp set up in this cave!" "My ship crashed and I am stranded here," I replied as I tried to get out of it's flight path. It scanned our equipment then took a perch to analyze the situation. "You must leave!" it announced again. "I can't," I replied. "You will disrupt the life present here!" It shouted. "I told you I can't!" I shouted back. "Then I will force you to leave," It said then flew over to our communications array and plugged in. "Wait! I'm sure you don't have to do that!" I shouted, it didn't move. BANG I shot my gun at it. It missed completely and the Monitor turned it's head towards me. "Your resistance is acknowledged, but unnecessary. You will be rescued by others in orbit and leave the planet," It said. "But they will kill me!" I pleaded, but it was to late. It had sent a message. A screech roar from deeper in the cave. The Monitor flew over and landed on my shoulder. "What is your designation?" the Monitor asked. "What does it matter?" I asked as I pushed it off. It flew around landed a few feet away from me. "A ship has contacted me to keep you safe until they arrive. To ensure you do not tamper with the world project, I must follow you," it said the looked to the origin of the screech to screech back. "Alright, my name is Iasica Torvinia," I said as the screecher grew louder, "What is that-?" Before I could finished a group of white hair primitive monkeys rushed out of the darkness and swarmed me. These four armed two legged creatures were armed with spears and weird metal armor or maybe jewelry. Two restrained me and the others smashed the equipment in the room. None of them tried to disarm me. One which was covered in robes of cloth stepped forward. "Flok rif norc bita zarc," he spoke. The monitor landed on my shoulder glowing red now. "Rith ma Baf!" It squawked. As they spoke, I tucked my gun in my robes. "Valh!" screech the robed one and the others followed suit. My two guards grabbed me by the arms and neck then pushed me forward down the hallways with the robed one in the lead. On the way they blindfolded me. "I demand you let me go!" I shouted. They didn't respond. "Iasica Torvinia, these primitives our under Construct protection. You will not influence them while you are in their possession. "I'm influencing them by being here," I replied and struggle in their grip. "Correct, but they see you as a divine entity blessed by the Constructs," it said, "you will not exploit this. If you do, you and your bloodline will be exterminated." I quickly went silence to make sure not to antagonize them.
It was hours before I was allowed to see again. When they remove the blindfold, I was in front of a large assembly of the primitives. In the center was looked to be a large holographic image of the galaxy. There was what looked to be three exits to the chamber. One large one in the back and two smaller ones on the sides. Tents were scatter about as if this place was their home. I looked for the Monitor, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Ifada bloc gita zarc!" roared the clothed one who found me. "Kickala Woba!" they coward cheered. "Yi zarc popliga rinc," shouted the clothed one as he took my claw and brought me down to the base of the holographic projection. "Zarc, popliga," he said and pointed to hexagon stone. "What?" I asked. He frowned and took my hand the pressed it to its surface. The room lit up and the hologram spun around images of a ████████, a ██████, an ██████, and feelings of dread. Flashes of these images burned into my mine, but they faded. I couldn't even remember what I saw. The hologram turned off and a T shaped device was released out. At first I didn't know what the device was, but then it just came to me. It was a █████████ ███. The robbed one took it and handed it to me. "Isama," it whispered and bowed to me. The rest followed suit. I had to get out of here. I still had my gun, but nothing else useful. I put the device away and tried to head of the exit. Before I could even take my second step. The guards grabbed me. "Flic!" they growled just as the entire room shook. The holographic projector exploded and five armed mercenaries walked down the far back doorway. I had never seen their uniform before, but whomever it was, they were not apart of the Assembly. "Senator!" shouted whom I assumed was their leader. He was a human male, taller than me with a balding head. I refuse to respond. He continued, "The syndicate sends their regards and a ship full of credits for your head!" The primitives rush to attack the intruders, but they had no idea whom they were facing. Within seconds the mercenaries unloaded their weapons upon them killing any who stood in their way. The rest began to flee, even the ones guarding me. Out of a hallway the Monitor flew back in. "Please halt your attacks!" It demanded in flew in front of the human. "What the fuck are you?" he said before taking a few shots at it. They all were deflected by it's personal shielding. "I am the Monitor of these creatures. Please halt your attack or I will be force to remove you," it retorted and flew in his path. "Get out of my way! Tym! Do somethin to this pest!" he shouted another dark skinned human stood forward and threw two metal disks. They spun around and attached themselves to the bird forced it to the ground. The Monitor fell silent before blaring a high pitched ring. I turned around to check for another exit. A large tent was built in the back. There might be an escape there, so I ran for it. "You can't run!" shouted one of the mercs as he took some shots in my direction. They missed, but I think that was his intention. I drew my gun and fired back. I missed of course. "Duck! Incoming fire!" shouted their leader as they dove into cover. "Wow, " I said told myself thinking I scared them, but I certainly did not. As I reached the tent, I pushed through to find Loatbabba coming down an open passage. All the primitives laid dead. "Sir! Come with me!" He ordered. I took a step forward before a voice caught my attention. "Senator, we are here!" shouted Joseph. I turned back to see him to see him, Qiuvailia, and Vecana firing at the mercenaries. Joseph shot some sort of energy weapon at the leader killing him instantly. Qiuvailia fire his pistol, but wasn't doing very well. Vecana was projecting some sort of barrier around them. "Wait, we have to help them!" I shouted then turned back. However, Loatbabba grabbed my arm. "No, we must hurry," he said and pulled me along, "Must get you to safety." I had no choice in the matter. He dragged me along as I struggle. "I order you to let me go!" I demanded as we came to a crossroads. "Sorry sir, but I was ordered to move you out of here," he said. BANG A shot rang out from one of the passages. There stood Pelinc, rifle pointed at a dead primitive. She quickly adjusted and point it at Loatbabba. Loatbabba reacted quick and drew his gun at her. "How you alive?" He asked. "A bash to the head can't keep me down," she said, "now lower the gun. I'm here to help." "How can i be sure. You could be traitor!" he said. I took my own steps away and readied my weapon. "Are you insane!?" she growled. "No, just smart," he said, "How you alive. Ship blew up." "As your superior officer, I order you to stand down!" she shouted. "No," he said, " Senator, get behind me." I didn't move. Sounds of shouting grew louder from behind us. "Senator, I'm on your side. You have to believe me!' she said. "It is weird that you are still alive," I said and pointed my gun at her. "What are you talking about? Who said I was dead?" she asked then turned to Loatbabba, "You did." He nodded. By now the rest of the team caught up. Joseph drew is gun at the stand off. Vecana was carrying the wounded Qiuvailia. "What's going on. We need to keep moving," he said, "Stand down!" "Sir that's the traitor!" they both shouted. "Does it matter! We all need to leave!" I shouted. "It does..." said Joseph. "if one of them is the traitor then if we take them along. We'll be found. It would be best to kill them both," then he drew another another gun. "Wait! We can't!" I said and stood in his way. "Then WHO IS IT! Iasica we don't have time for games!" he shouted. I turned back the two of them. It was clear I had to make the choice or both would be killed. One of the two had to be the traitor. Joseph's group had fought off the mercenaries. Anyone of them could have fought in the battle and killed my allies, but didn't. It had to be one of these two. Loatbabba has protected me from the very beginning of this crisis, but his claims against Pelinc are claims at best. Without evidence his claims could just as easily be lies. Pelinc had lead me out of the Assembly Station, but mysteriously disappears then reappears now at this specific time. Do I choose Pelinc who was certainly dead. Or Do I choose Loatbabba who has no proof of his claims. BANG >> END CONNECTION [CANCELLING CONNECTION] [CONNECTION ENDED]
I took a seat in the lounge of the ship as Pelinc went to check on the others. The lounge was one of the bigger sections of the ship. Containing a bar, comfy leather chairs, tables, and decorations from around the galaxy. If the syndicate was truly behind this then the Council needs to hear about this, but due to the security regulations it must be in person. Impersonating officials and making fake messages is a usual tactic. While waiting for departure I pulled out my tablet and began to browse the news. It was clear what Joseph meant about traveling. Concordia was rioting due to the political upheaval from a lack of an additional senator. More xoc exports have been increasing as I predicted too and certainly pushed forward by the cartels. I should have seen this coming. "Hey," said Joseph. He must have entered while I wasn't looking. I exhaled in frustration. "Are we ready to leave?" I asked as I glanced up at him. "Yes, the last preparations are finishing up. Now have you thought about what you plan to do in Concordia? This... event doesn't look good." he asked. "I think we should change course to Kessnar," I replied. "It took a coordinated assassination attempt to get you believe the cartels are a threat, " he said and snickered. "You gave me rumors and speculation last time. This is real and tangible." I said and leaned forward. "Let's keep this to ourselves, but when we make the second jump change the course there. The Council needs to know. They need word of an official and I am the most qualified to speak on the subject." "If you say so," he said then went towards the control room. Now it was only a matter of time before I would arrive. I turned on some delightful music, but not too loud to be distracting. The news was now all about the attack on the station. Nothing new besides that occasional witnesses and body count. After about an hour, officer Pelinc came over from the front of the ship. She saluted then said, "Sir, I am here to give you the tactical report." "Ms. Pelinc, Joseph handles that sort of thing. Why don't you go bother him," I replied. "Yes, but he suggests I also discuss it with you as well," she replied. "Fine. You might as well give me crew composition, ship condition, and mission report along with the tactical assessment," I said and leaned back in my chair. "Yes sir! We were not able to gather your usual crew from the trip. Only Joseph and your personal android were able to make it aboard. My team was assigned to protect you, so we will continue to do so. I am their commanding officer Anlican Pelinc and just assigned recently to lead the team," she said maintaining her posture. "Welcome to the team then," I huffed. "Thank you sir. Our medical officer is Resinlora Vecana, who worked as the medic for the team. He is highly trained and worked on the frontier for sometime before joining the Assembly. Loatbabba is the Ralonian. He is an expert in explosives and heavy weaponry. Before joining the Assembly he claims to have worked as a covert operative," she said. "And you trust them?" I asked. "If you could count one month of work enough to say you trust them. They do good work, but that is all I can evaluate," she said. "Fine, continue," I said. "We have two new pilots. Qiuvailia, a Quiva who is the co-pilot." she said. "We have a Qiuva... As a pilot from the empire... Who approved that transfer?" I asked. "I did," Joseph said as he pass through the room, "He was the most qualified." "Our main pilot is Bazina Fyodorovna. She worked as a pilot for a travel company for several years. Our ship appears to be in great condition from the quick service provided at the station," she replied. "And the tactical analysis?" I asked. "Everything appears green as long as we do not need to make any stops. You are safe among this crew," she said. "I would hope so," I said and pressed a button in my chair, "T5 - X01, can you get up here. I haven't seen you since we left." T5 - X01 was my service android. He acts as a butler when I travel. After a moment or two he responded back, "Sorry sir, I was processing an firmware update. I will be up momentarily." With the officer still waiting I looked back to her, "can you keep me updated with any changes." "Yes sir," she replied. With a quick salute, she walked out as X1 walked in. These androids were based upon the Constructs, ancient robots that act as curators of the galaxy. They take the form living animals such as Libertiza Worm or the Earth Robin. This model is considered a Neo-Construct, robotics used today based upon the design philosophy of the ancient Constructs. My model took the two legged lizard, while not as efficient as some of the multi-armed models, this one was able to adapt to social situation with ease. X1 is a little shorter than me and with a green color palette. "Mr. Torvinia what would you like today? Aperol Spritz or maybe a Sparkling Balna Sangria?" he asked as he began working at the bar. "My usual please... I wasn't aware there was a new update for you?" I asked as I went back to my tablet. "I was working on it before our departure, but it was interrupted, so I had some errors. I am sorry of the inconvenience," he said. "Okay, whatever you need to do." I said as there was a slight jolt on the ship. I pressed a button to talked with the control room, "What was-" "Here sir," said X1 as he placed my drink on the table next to me. I picked it up and asked, "Is it a lighter blue then normal?" "No, sir. It is the same as normal," he said just as the ship violently shook again. I looked around wondering what was going on. After setting the drink down, I got up. The ship shook again, so I took one step forward toward the front before the entire left side of the room exploded. I fell to the ground as air was sucked out into the vacuum of space. Luckily the emergency force fields were still working and cover the exit before I would have entered the vacuum as well. X1 was nowhere to be seen and half the compartment was ripped apart. The lights shut off prompting the emerging backups to turn on illuminating the two exits. As I tried to get up, I quickly discovered we no longer had gravity. I tumbled into a wall and tried to balance myself before looking for the magnetic footwear. Before I could even spot the supply cabinet, the force fields fell of a split second causing the air to suck towards the breach causing me to float back out into the open. The front door opened revealing a humanoid man in a spacesuit with a gun in hand. The visor was dark, but I quickly identified the man after he spoke. "Iasica we need to get you to the pods." He walked forward without being hindered by the lack of gravity. "What is going on?" I asked as he grabbed me by the waist. My head was getting light headed with the low oxygen, but with the help from my rescuer, I was carried to the back. "The ship was sabotaged. Some-" he began before just as the fields fell again, but for a few seconds this time before closing again. Knowing that time was of the essence, he picked up the pace and hurried into the hallway. There floating nearby was a set of magnetic boats. He helped me put the on and we continued forward. "Are we... Even near... a planet..." I huffed. He said something after but I back out for a minute or so. "-are are getting you to a pod," he replied. The next room was a set of four pods. There was only three left. Loatbabba and Vecana were there waiting, each with oxygen masks on and magnetic boots. "Get the senator to the surface. I'm going back for anyone else." he said then left back into the ship. Alarms were going on at this point. Whatever was going on it wasn't good. I took two steps forward before almost collapsing. Vecana hurried to my side and put his mask on me. I took a few breaths. "Sir, we are going to put you in the pod. It has its own oxygen tank," he said and put his mask back on him and took some breaths before giving back to me. Loatbabba looked to be working on a pod as we were speaking. "An assassin is aboard the ship. The ship has locked out most of the controls and is heading for the nearest star. We only have a 25 minute window for you to jump. You will be fine." He took his mask back and disabled my boots. Loatbabba grabbed me out of the air and tossed me in one of the pods and closed the glass window. It was made for one person with displays and straps inside to ensure you don't move during departure. With myself encased inside oxygen filled the tank allowing me to breath normally. The pod lit up and complex instructions and commands began to echo in the pod. Nothing of which I understood. Officer Pelinc entered the room and began to assist her squad mates. From a main console they began pressing buttons. It looked as if she order the other two into pods. After a few minute and with the other two in pods. Vecana launched first. The ship shook again and then I was launched. Red warnings erupted on the glass as I shot into space. However now it was unreadable. I gripped on to my seat for dear life and closed my eyes. For awhile I could only hear the warnings blaring. It didn't last long as the ride got bumpier. The entire pod shook and I was jostled around the entire time. I peeked my eyes open briefly to see the fiery ball around me from the contact with the atmosphere. I shut my eyes again. The shaking eventually stopped as well as the alarms. It was mostly quiet for a minute or so. Only then did the pod crash onto the planet's surface. The abrupt landing smashed my head against the side and everything went black.
I woke up in the pod. With how gravity felt, I assumed I had my back to the surface with my face to the sky. My glass view was covered with snow and all the lights were off. It was also cracked and bloodied from where I smashed my head. My restraints were snapped. I pressed a few buttons. Nothing happened. I tried pushing on the glass. Nothing happened. It was cold and if I didn't do something I would certainly freeze to death. I gave the entire pod a good look around. There was a emergency release clamp at the bottom and top, but just opening the pod would spell certain doom if I didn't know what was beyond it. I knew there were basic systems on board for this sort of thing and while the power appeared to be off. Life support system were still working since I could breathe just fine. With my search, I did find a reset button. I pushed it and held for ten seconds. Suddenly all the systems went back online. The heat also turned on as well. "Okay now what," I said to myself. I found a button that said communications. I pressed it. "Communications offline," It answered. I pressed another button that said beacon. "Beacon is online. Activating..... The beacon has been activated," It said. I pressed a button that said manual. "You have landed at your 96km from your destination. Manual Guidance is unavailable." it replied. Most pods land within a 5km distance. Whatever happened to my pod certainly was not good. If the beacon was working then someone will find me. I'll would just have to wait. One hour later and the power shut off. There was no other option now; I had to leave the pod. I reached down and pulled the lever. I went for the top and pulled. However, it was jammed. "Damn it! I am not going to freeze to death in here!" I shouted and banged on the glass. At this point the glass was completely covered in snow and the light was barely shining through. I bashed on the glass again. Nothing happened. I took my legs and tried to kick it off. Nothing happened. I tried one more time and the glass was ripped off. A wave of cold air smashed against me, freezing me to the core. Standing above me was Loatbabba. "Sir, It is time to go," he said as he ripped open a compartment above my head. He grabbed a some supplied and threw a bright white arctic coat and a pair of combat boots at me. "Put this on. It will keep you warm." I nodded and got out of the pod. I was completely under dressed. My species is from a warm arid planet which is nothing like this snow covered rock. I put the coat on as well as the boots, but it wasn't going to protect my legs or face. "Where are we?" I asked as he began adding things to his makeshift sled. "Not where you should be. I redirected to find you," he said then pointed to a mountainous region not far from our location. "We must go there. There is a cave were we can wait for rescue there" "What happened to the ship?" I asked as I followed him through the snow. He was pulling along the sled, but even with the snow a weight of the sled; he was moving at a good pace. "Save your breath till we are somewhere safe," he said. I waited a few minutes before asking another question, "Is anyone else alive." "Sir, please remain quiet before I seal your mouth shut," he replied. I didn't say a word for the rest of the journey.
I could barely walk when we arrived. His makeshift base camp was already set up. He walked over to several machines and turned them on. Space heaters, communications array, and some computers lit up and began to process his inputs. He went to the array and said, "Beta team to Alpha team, please come. Please come in Alpha team." Loatbabba repeated the message again then pressed a button on a nearby computer. The message began to repeat every few seconds. I sat myself down right next to a heat to warm up. My body was cold and numb from the journey. "You okay sir?" Loatbabba asked. "I am just cold... What happened up there? Everything was fine until the attack. Who found us?" I asked. "We were not attacked. Someone had sabotage the entire ship," he said. "Sabotaged? How is that possible? I was on my ship just last week and having the hull of the ship ripped apart doesn't seem possible!" I asked. "From what I understand, a mechanic put in several programs to overload the ship's systems, so when the saboteur was ready they could activate them and possibly kill you," he said. "But... who could have done this?" I asked. "I don't know Pelinc and Taylor were looking into it before the attack," he said. "Taylor?" I asked as I began to feel somewhat better. "Joseph Taylor? Your bodyguard?" He asked. "Oh yes, I just never use his last name... ha... Well who made it off the ship? Wait! What happened to Vecana?" I asked. "Vecana made it to the ground but is trying to make his way here. If he lives, he should be here in the next day or so. Pelinc was killed in the pod-" he explained. "What?! She was fine when I dropped!" I shouted. "Yes, but not anymore. Taylor, Fyodorovna, and Qiuvailia were unaccounted for until I sent up communications. They made it to the crashed ship and have been trying to find the rest of us. When I set up this camp, I made contact with them and they gave me your location," he explained. "So what now? Do we wait here?" I asked. "Yes, we have four days of rations. If we are not rescued then we will have to travel to the ship," he replied. "Okay, what should we-" I began as the communication array had gotten a response. "Beta team this is Alpha team come in," said what sounded like Joseph. Loatbabba hurried to response. "This is Loatbabba. I have recovered the senator," he replied. "For once something went right," Joseph replied, "Iasica, I need you to listen to me." "YES?!" I shouted hoping he could hear me. "The Syndicate has found us. Whomever betrayed us sent out a message just before the attack. You must stay safe and don't take chances. Hope the Assembly will get here before they do. " he said. "I will keep him safe until you arrive. I will ensure we have no uninvited guests," Loatbabba said as he worked on the array. "We will .... way over... keep..." he said as his voice fell into static. Someone must be blocking our.... [ERROR: CONNECTION LOST] [PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ADMINISTRATOR] [WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE] >> INITIATE ENHANCEMENT ALGORITHM 1.31.B [APPLYING ADAPTIVE CONNECTIONS ] [CONNECTING........] [CONNECTION ESTABLISHED] "What should I do if they find us?" I asked. "You point then shoot gun," Loatbabba replied as he finished his preparations. "I will be back." I nodded and clutched the gun in my claws. If the syndicate was truly coming then I would need it. I paced the around the cavern. This was coordinated on such a large scale that would have taken years and almost unlimited resources, but even then they still infiltrated the team. If one was the traitor who would it be? Joseph was out of the question, he has worked for me for years and discouraged everything I was doing. It would have been simpler for him to kill me at home with the privileges he has at his disposal. What about Vecana the medical officer? He is currently missing and in this weather he certainly wouldn't make it back alive unless... He is the traitor or luck. Otherwise I can't make a good conclusion on him. Pelinc is another option. She kept me alive since we have met and gave a full report on the ship. Joseph seems to trust her as well. However, her convenient help and almost completely wrong assessment is suspicious. She had control over my pod, so the evidence could suggest her actions nearly killed me and Vecana. However, she was attacked and killed according to Loatbabba. There was was the two pilots the human Fyodorovna and the Qiuva Qiuvailia. Each had access to all the ships systems and my android. Either one could easily tamper with them. Without meeting them it's hard to gauge them. Finally there is Loatbabba who has kept me alive this entire journey. He couldn't be the traitor unless that want me alive. A light suddenly lit up further in the cave. I knew it wasn't from anyone from the crew. They would have used the front entrance. I pointed the gun in it's direction. "Who's there!" I shouted. The light grew brighter. It turned from blue to yellow to red. in matter of a few seconds. A screech echoed and a robotic voice spoke out in an unfamiliar language. A screech echoed again then the light went back to blue and kept coming closer. As it approached the light dimmed to reveal a Construct with the design of a bird from Earth. "Who are you!" I shouted. It beeped and buzzed in some sort of language before a blue stream of light was projected at me. After a few seconds it fluttered over to a rock nearby. "Hello male tasinara. You are in a restricted zone for sapien life with a level 6 technological level," it said and titled it's head. "You can speak? I thought-" I began. "Of course! I am what you call a Monitor and you must leave!" It shouted and flew around me, "Why do you have a camp set up in this cave!" "My ship crashed and I am stranded here," I replied as I tried to get out of it's flight path. It scanned our equipment then took a perch to analyze the situation. "You must leave!" it announced again. "I can't," I replied. "You will disrupt the life present here!" It shouted. "I told you I can't!" I shouted back. "Then I will force you to leave," It said then flew over to our communications array and plugged in. "Wait! I'm sure you don't have to do that!" I shouted, it didn't move. BANG I shot my gun at it. It missed completely and the Monitor turned it's head towards me. "Your resistance is acknowledged, but unnecessary. You will be rescued by others in orbit and leave the planet," It said. "But they will kill me!" I pleaded, but it was to late. It had sent a message. A screech roar from deeper in the cave. The Monitor flew over and landed on my shoulder. "What is your designation?" the Monitor asked. "What does it matter?" I asked as I pushed it off. It flew around landed a few feet away from me. "A ship has contacted me to keep you safe until they arrive. To ensure you do not tamper with the world project, I must follow you," it said the looked to the origin of the screech to screech back. "Alright, my name is Iasica Torvinia," I said as the screecher grew louder, "What is that-?" Before I could finished a group of white hair primitive monkeys rushed out of the darkness and swarmed me. These four armed two legged creatures were armed with spears and weird metal armor or maybe jewelry. Two restrained me and the others smashed the equipment in the room. None of them tried to disarm me. One which was covered in robes of cloth stepped forward. "Flok rif norc bita zarc," he spoke. The monitor landed on my shoulder glowing red now. "Rith ma Baf!" It squawked. As they spoke, I tucked my gun in my robes. "Valh!" screech the robed one and the others followed suit. My two guards grabbed me by the arms and neck then pushed me forward down the hallways with the robed one in the lead. On the way they blindfolded me. "I demand you let me go!" I shouted. They didn't respond. "Iasica Torvinia, these primitives our under Construct protection. You will not influence them while you are in their possession. "I'm influencing them by being here," I replied and struggle in their grip. "Correct, but they see you as a divine entity blessed by the Constructs," it said, "you will not exploit this. If you do, you and your bloodline will be exterminated." I quickly went silence to make sure not to antagonize them.
It was hours before I was allowed to see again. When they remove the blindfold, I was in front of a large assembly of the primitives. In the center was looked to be a large holographic image of the galaxy. There was what looked to be three exits to the chamber. One large one in the back and two smaller ones on the sides. Tents were scatter about as if this place was their home. I looked for the Monitor, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Ifada bloc gita zarc!" roared the clothed one who found me. "Kickala Woba!" they coward cheered. "Yi zarc popliga rinc," shouted the clothed one as he took my claw and brought me down to the base of the holographic projection. "Zarc, popliga," he said and pointed to hexagon stone. "What?" I asked. He frowned and took my hand the pressed it to its surface. The room lit up and the hologram spun around images of a ████████, a ██████, an ██████, and feelings of dread. Flashes of these images burned into my mine, but they faded. I couldn't even remember what I saw. The hologram turned off and a T shaped device was released out. At first I didn't know what the device was, but then it just came to me. It was a █████████ ███. The robbed one took it and handed it to me. "Isama," it whispered and bowed to me. The rest followed suit. I had to get out of here. I still had my gun, but nothing else useful. I put the device away and tried to head of the exit. Before I could even take my second step. The guards grabbed me. "Flic!" they growled just as the entire room shook. The holographic projector exploded and five armed mercenaries walked down the far back doorway. I had never seen their uniform before, but whomever it was, they were not apart of the Assembly. "Senator!" shouted whom I assumed was their leader. He was a human male, taller than me with a balding head. I refuse to respond. He continued, "The syndicate sends their regards and a ship full of credits for your head!" The primitives rush to attack the intruders, but they had no idea whom they were facing. Within seconds the mercenaries unloaded their weapons upon them killing any who stood in their way. The rest began to flee, even the ones guarding me. Out of a hallway the Monitor flew back in. "Please halt your attacks!" It demanded in flew in front of the human. "What the fuck are you?" he said before taking a few shots at it. They all were deflected by it's personal shielding. "I am the Monitor of these creatures. Please halt your attack or I will be force to remove you," it retorted and flew in his path. "Get out of my way! Tym! Do somethin to this pest!" he shouted another dark skinned human stood forward and threw two metal disks. They spun around and attached themselves to the bird forced it to the ground. The Monitor fell silent before blaring a high pitched ring. I turned around to check for another exit. A large tent was built in the back. There might be an escape there, so I ran for it. "You can't run!" shouted one of the mercs as he took some shots in my direction. They missed, but I think that was his intention. I drew my gun and fired back. I missed of course. "Duck! Incoming fire!" shouted their leader as they dove into cover. "Wow, " I said told myself thinking I scared them, but I certainly did not. As I reached the tent, I pushed through to find Loatbabba coming down an open passage. All the primitives laid dead. "Sir! Come with me!" He ordered. I took a step forward before a voice caught my attention. "Senator, we are here!" shouted Joseph. I turned back to see him to see him, Qiuvailia, and Vecana firing at the mercenaries. Joseph shot some sort of energy weapon at the leader killing him instantly. Qiuvailia fire his pistol, but wasn't doing very well. Vecana was projecting some sort of barrier around them. "Wait, we have to help them!" I shouted then turned back. However, Loatbabba grabbed my arm. "No, we must hurry," he said and pulled me along, "Must get you to safety." I had no choice in the matter. He dragged me along as I struggle. "I order you to let me go!" I demanded as we came to a crossroads. "Sorry sir, but I was ordered to move you out of here," he said. BANG A shot rang out from one of the passages. There stood Pelinc, rifle pointed at a dead primitive. She quickly adjusted and point it at Loatbabba. Loatbabba reacted quick and drew his gun at her. "How you alive?" He asked. "A bash to the head can't keep me down," she said, "now lower the gun. I'm here to help." "How can i be sure. You could be traitor!" he said. I took my own steps away and readied my weapon. "Are you insane!?" she growled. "No, just smart," he said, "How you alive. Ship blew up." "As your superior officer, I order you to stand down!" she shouted. "No," he said, " Senator, get behind me." I didn't move. Sounds of shouting grew louder from behind us. "Senator, I'm on your side. You have to believe me!' she said. "It is weird that you are still alive," I said and pointed my gun at her. "What are you talking about? Who said I was dead?" she asked then turned to Loatbabba, "You did." He nodded. By now the rest of the team caught up. Joseph drew is gun at the stand off. Vecana was carrying the wounded Qiuvailia. "What's going on. We need to keep moving," he said, "Stand down!" "Sir that's the traitor!" they both shouted. "Does it matter! We all need to leave!" I shouted. "It does..." said Joseph. "if one of them is the traitor then if we take them along. We'll be found. It would be best to kill them both," then he drew another another gun. "Wait! We can't!" I said and stood in his way. "Then WHO IS IT! Iasica we don't have time for games!" he shouted. I turned back the two of them. It was clear I had to make the choice or both would be killed. One of the two had to be the traitor. Joseph's group had fought off the mercenaries. Anyone of them could have fought in the battle and killed my allies, but didn't. It had to be one of these two. Loatbabba has protected me from the very beginning of this crisis, but his claims against Pelinc are claims at best. Without evidence his claims could just as easily be lies. Pelinc had lead me out of the Assembly Station, but mysteriously disappears then reappears now at this specific time. Do I choose Pelinc who was certainly dead. Or Do I choose Loatbabba who has no proof of his claims. BANG >> END CONNECTION [CANCELLING CONNECTION] [CONNECTION ENDED]
I see that Triangulum Galaxy in the thumbnail there! Very good taste in galaxies!
Thank you!