Aurora, Wayward Pt. 02

Justice Incarnate responded, * The Scrill race is being hunted now into extinction. *

---

Justice Incarnate sent a message to Hand of Justice. Spatial coordinates in Freenor space with a request that all recording devices be on when the ship arrived.

Johnathan went to the Captain's Chair, "All outside sensors and recording devices on; hybrids to the bridge for an emergency jump!"

Becca came onto the bridge with a group of others, "Focus on me."

He opened the wormhole drive himself to maximum size and pushed the ship through. A single beam went down and destroyed the dreadnought below it. The other three dreadnoughts fired on the Drakor but nothing got through.

One by one it destroyed them like burning tissue paper. Jack sat there in shock. He heard the Drakor, * You have 312 Scrill prisoners aboard. Take them to your docking bay and clear out your people. Once that is done, space the Scrill as they are now marked for extinction. *

He spoke to the crew, "Take all of the Scrill prisoners to the docking bay and then clear everyone out of the bay area. We are under orders from the Drakor that the Scrill have been marked for extermination. We have no choice but to comply or face retribution. Security, follow those orders. We have to do what is best for humanity at the moment."

Justice Incarnate spoke with him again, * The Freenor Ambassador needs to be returned to his homeworld after this. They have 30 hybrids left who were not on those ships. If the Freenor kill them their race would be eliminated. They are no longer considered to be graduated and have no valid Home Guard Treaty.

They have no ships or enough personnel now to use wormhole technology to support their outer colonies as their hybrids are scattered. If not for your race setting them up with communication satellites, they would have no means of informing those who are about to die why this is happening.

Because their Hybrid council and Hybrid dreadnoughts decided to turn on the Drakor for not surrendering the two red blade members of their council for facilitating the movement of the Scrill ships. The Scrill have been a plague on the galaxy for far too long.

Their hybrids are dead and their outer worlds are being destroyed as we speak. The Alien Alliance is barred from assisting the Freenor or the Scrill in this matter. Other than returning their ambassador and his staff. Along with the Freenor prisoners you have in hand. *

Johnathan heard from security, "They are all in the bay area. The Drakor coming to get them?"

He reached over and hit the controls to depressurize the bay into space. "I doubt if they wanted the bodies. Just to ensure they were all dead and ordered us to take care of that. I took the action myself so you do not have to bear the guilt of the loss of life. We had to...to save human lives, including your own."

Justice Incarnate spoke, * We want this new message sent to your new President and to the Alien Alliance. One other matter for you. Your daughter is hurting. A man she cared deeply for was aboard that destroyed battleship. Anything happens between her and Seeker of Justice Rocan Chess and she will be held as the accountable party as a human graduated hybrid.

This is the last warning on this matter. Human emotions are difficult for us to see at times. She was awash with guilt at never having told this man of her feelings and also not having the courage to talk to you about him. He was the Commander of that battleship. *

Johnathan held his head down for a second. He had bumped heads with him on a couple of occasions. A red blade who was a little too hot-tempered for his liking but a decent man. He finally thought back, * I will deal with this. *

He went to his office with Becca on his heels. The human President was calling in and he was late in answering. He picked up the call. She looked at him and could see he was upset, "I told you I would contact you at this hour 15 minutes ago. What is going on that you were delayed?"

He played the video for her and then delivered the message. He looked over, "They had 170 hybrids aboard those ships. They lived for centuries have a very low birth rate. They have 30 left and no means of supporting their outlying colonies or any hybrids who might be trapped there. We have been ordered to return the ambassador and his staff to their homeworld.

No Alien Alliance race is authorized to provide assistance. The spacing of the Scrill is part of their systematic extermination of the species. We happened to have Scrill prisoners on board. I will have the doctor work to get their Ambassador returned while the Alien Alliance looks over the events of today with his wife in attendance.

I will be returning to the Samar system. We lost a battleship that crashed into an invisible planet. The planet is like solid glass but made of a useless element we have known about since Jack's day. We called it Zero Element because it defied every form or attempt to scan it.

They are adding warning satellites into the orbit of this planet but from what the Drakor told Rocan; the only thing the material is good for is being able to make a psi sword. I have one that Jack made in his day. I, of course, cannot activate it without rebuilding it and that would seem to be sacrilegious to us after all this time.

He never had enough of the material to make more than the one blade. He kept it as a reminder; something created for evil could be turned into something good. The rest of it disappeared and there was not a lot found. They have a planet that is just a solid mass of this."

She asked, "If it is invisible and cannot be scanned then how did they see to know where it is?"

Johnathan nodded, "Aurora suggested radio waves and they used those to bounce the waves off of the planet and form a rudimentary map from multiple ships and frequencies. The material with bind with no known element. Other than being a hazard to ships it has no economic value. Rocan has loaned a good number of AI units to scavenge the wreckage for remains. The planet's gravity is 4x Terra normal."

She nodded, "Any likely technology they could gain from scavenging the wreckage?"

He shook his head, "The ship smashed into it at full speed while deploying satellites to this sensor net. The state of any remains being found will be minimal let alone any serious technology they do not already have in hand."

She nodded, "These actions from the Drakor are troubling."

Johnathan sat back, "What is troubling is they pointedly demanded that I ensured you saw this because we still have actors attempting to subvert the Drakor in this matter. It continues for much longer I will pull Astra back and be in the system to hack into every computer system in every colony to find them. If that is the only way to save humanity from being destroyed."

She sighed and shook her head, "I will send a request for a bill from our congress to hold hearings on those caught in this activity and then to put a bill in place barring them from doing business outside of the human systems with any alien investors or actors involved. With monitoring done by my own military if need be. They have three carriers back now that could use a new mission."

Johnathan shook his head, "Be careful, Military coups can get ugly as well. Jack had to deal with them is his day and we stopped a few more since then in some systems."

She nodded, "I will feel out our military's position on this. I might be forced to take the Home Guard offer if they are dead set on getting everyone killed."

He shook his head and looked at Becca, "Get Brenda to brief the Alien Alliance. We are headed to Terra. I need Lastra on the bridge. I have a bad feeling about this. I am contacting Commander Wright at the moment."

She nodded and walked out while he brought the Commander up on comms. He looked at him, "I know you are not the senior officer out there but I have a transfer order for you. I want my daughter pulled off the AI battleship and assigned to be in charge of one of your scouts to act as our liaison.

The Drakor are worried about her getting to close or involved with the Penan's. As we have ships in the system for the duration of a decision, we need to pull her back to have less of an impact."

He nodded, "Understood. Are you going to tell her, or am I?"

Johnathan smiled, "I am headed to Terra to deal with their military and AI manufacturers. You just got delegated the task."

He nodded, "Understood."

---

Commander Wright contacted the AI battleship and the AI put him straight through to Victoria. She smiled, "Commander, what can I help you with?"

He sighed, "I have orders to put you in command of one of my scout ships and aid with the sensor deployment. To still act as a liaison with Pena members but your father stated in no uncertain terms, he wanted you on a Terran ship as we will be staying here for a while."

She sighed and nodded, "Understood."

She turned around and contacted her mother directly. She answered, "Issues out there?"

She shrugged, "Father just ordered me off the Penan ship and onto a Terran ship. Do you know why?"

She thought to him and got the answers. She sighed, "We know you are in mourning for those lost on the battleship that crashed. Including a certain Commander. The Drakor fears in your grief you could end up in Rocan's bed.

They would hold you accountable meaning it would end your life. He is working to avoid that as they are also concerned that your presence is getting him to ask a lot more questions than they expect from a candidate that just became a hybrid."

Victoria sat back, "The Drakor tell you of the Commander? I told nobody, not even the Commander or his wife."

She thought for a second and then nodded, "Came from them, nobody else spilled your interest in them."

She sighed, "Alright I will pack up and wait for the scout to dock."

She ended the call to see Aurora, "I understand their reasoning but I wanted to say thank you for being here. You helped me with Gia and getting her started in Sword training. You got Rocan started on using his telekinesis more even before he knew he needed that talent for the swords. I am sorry about your friends dying as well. They are human and we try to protect all human life."

Victoria smiled, "You are not Astra but you are doing a pretty good job on your own. Probably making some of the same small initial mistakes she made. Do not feel sad for me. I will be docked with a crew of new faces to meet with. I have not met everyone in the Home Guard. I might find another love interest this way."

Aurora hugged her anyway before Victoria walked off the bridge and packed up. She left the ship before Rocan awoke.

He came to the bridge and Aurora and the AI units were monitoring everything. He looked over, "Where is Victoria?"

She sighed, "Reassigned to a scout working the sensor net. A lot of issues going on it came indirectly from her father."

He nodded and got on comms and contacted her father. He was in his office, "I just jumped into Terra space and will be busy for a while. If this is about Victoria, this has more to do with the Drakor's concern over her and the loss of life on that battleship.

She lost someone very dear to her and they wanted her not to end up in your arms. They would have held her accountable. They are dead serious right now. Sending you some files from a few hours ago. I am sending them to Astra as well to send to your Governors so they can see and hear what is going on."

He sighed, "Alright, are we still allowed to work with her?"

Johnathan nodded, "Still your liaison but she will be working from a scout and reporting back to a Terran battleship as they will be there for as long as this whole thing takes to work out. Look at the files and you will see my concerns."

The ladies were awake and on the bridge. He made the mistake of putting it on the main screen. There were gasps as they watched and listened to the exchange and the orders given to him by the Drakor.

He sighed and sat back down, "Those involved in the attack here being held to task. Some tried to fight the Drakor and paid for it with their lives and who knows how many other lives."

---

Brenda had just finished displaying the information on the screen and the Jantor Kingdom, a newer species to the council which had been there for less than a hundred years, hit the 'lottery' to be the first to respond.

"I am not a hybrid and I do not envy their job of protecting the people from outside hostile aliens to finding internal corruption. Our race is nowhere near this sector and our hybrids have only a cruiser sized ship to get me back and forth when the time arises for wormhole travel. Unfortunately, that time has arisen.

I need to read a statement sent to me to give if this type of action occurred. 'The ruler of our world, while keeping the hybrids in place and in no way threatening them has ordered us to withdraw our ambassador from this group until such time as the Drakor reign in these threats to the graduated worlds.

As that is likely to never happen, we will, after a period of one Terran year, sever all ties with the Alien Alliance and outside influences. If needed, we will resolve the matters directly when and if a conflict arises. This institution had good intentions.

But if our hybrids are no longer graduated and being treated in such a manner yet again, then we have never or will we ever truly graduate from this level of destruction being held over us. This body lacks any teeth to deal with matters in a civilized manner.

As long as the Drakor interferes at this level in our common goals. Peace among the races when the biggest bully right now on the playground is the Drakor.'"

He looked over. "This I am adding. The Terran's are right behind them in their actions in this matter. To take a position with a non-member race makes no sense in the slightest to us."

Brenda stood up, "I can understand your frustration at the situation. Humans have a history with these people. They are biologically human. This treaty that sent them into exile gets revoked and we get them to sign onto a Terran Home Guard Treaty then this problem goes away.

The issue is that they are considered a separate race based on a poorly written treaty that is 5,000 years old. Everyone, including members of our own government and one telepath who was executed this morning for his role in this matter, has all gone crazy because of this mineral.

If I had my way, I would forcefully move them to the other system and send that system Supernova to end this issue. I am not a red blade and was asked to brief you on this activity. I am a Justice. Johnathan had no idea why he was requested to go to that system until he arrived.

Then they had to comply with those awful demands to protect humanity. To prove loyalty. To confirm we still held the values of that Home Guard Treaty to heart. That included protecting our own when threatened. The only one who can answer your questions as to what the Drakor really want with their activity is the Drakor.

If it had been your race on the line, your hybrids, I know a lot of them. They would have followed that direction to save your people without hesitation. Withdrawing from this body is not tied to having hybrids and living by that code of conduct.

The only thing you accomplish by doing that is having no place to voice your future opinions on the matter. No place to find those who are just as concerned by how heavy-handed the Drakor are being in this particular matter. We need to understand why they are taking these actions."

The Drakor Ambassador looked over, * The humans know why we are being this heavy-handed in this matter but the current council may not have seen the reason behind our actions. In fact, I have been informed that is the case. They are unaware of a piece of their own history.

If a resolution is called for us to explain our actions and passes by a simple majority then that information will be provided. We will ask the Terran Hybrid Eternal Council to make available to all in the Alien Alliance. But the decision carries the weight of potential consequences for all races regardless of how you vote individually. *

The human Ambassador stood, "On behalf of the Terran President and the Terran people I will put forth such a question. To get the answers needed to keep this group from crumbling. To understand the purpose behind the Drakor's heavy-handed actions."

The Drakor Ambassador, * We abstain from this vote. It is up to you to decide if you wish to know the truth of the matter. If the risk is worth the potential cost. *

The Jantor Ambassador looked over, "While I am still standing here, I second the motion. All in favor raise a hand."

The Drakor Ambassador did not need to count them, almost 80% of them stuck up a hand to get an answer to this question.

The ambassador stepped forward, * We need to start at the beginning and you do not have this information. Our species is 147 millennia old. We are the only surviving species from that era in our original home galaxy.

All the others were destroyed in the war, not by one race. But by a faction of one race. The final battle of that conflict lasted 2.4 hours. You will need to contact Hand of Justice and Astra to get her to unlock the file of Jack Travus's detour from spouse hunting. Almost 300 years of hybrid service occurred with Jack before he saw and did this. *

---

She contacted Johnathan who spoke with Lastra who answered the question, "It can only be unlocked by 5 out 6 votes of the existing human hybrid council."

He brought them all online and included the President as well. She had gotten word that the Terran hybrids had the answer to this question. They agreed unanimously. They played the video of Jack Travis and then him jumping into the Drakor's old homeworld's system.

There were gasps from the audience as well as the human Eternal Council. They listened to the recorded exchange and then it all ended when he said that they had 'truly graduated. That other races would find their own way when they sought the answer.'

Profound Justice looked at the ambassadors, * The existing Human Hybrid Eternal Council had never seen this file. Only Astra knew of its existence but she had no reason to call it to attention until today. Jack's final graduation was an intense 21-minute journey into his mind in which he was forced to start the process all over.

It lasted 7 years to him. In the end, he got a glimpse of a future, where the Drakor was at war, taking the human hybrids down with it and just about any other race he knew about. This was not done by us, but a group of Drakor who worked to protect the timeline. His race is the only race to have ever had this test done.

It tore him up inside to the point that when he lost all of his wives in a terrorist's attack aboard his own ship. He blasted that race back over 2,000 years in existence. They are still no closer to graduating even today.

He came close to destroying them outright. He stepped back. He realized he had had enough. That while he set a strong foundation for the Human Hybrids his personal one was cracked and eroded. He judged himself and ended his own life for his actions.

He surmised from things he had been told that the swords were a status symbol. The purple blades were like royalty. The blue blades the aristocrats, and the red blades the arm of our military might.

That arm grew to outnumber the other two combined. They then waged war on every race in the known galaxy at that time if they were even perceived as a potential threat. The other blades tried to pull them back. To bring this to a stop.