Aurora, Wayward Pt. 02

He looked at her, "What is a member of the Terran Home Guard doing on that ship?"

She smiled, "Last minute addition before we set off to recon this system for the Pena people. As you already know. This order was signed by only one judge of the world court, not all of them for this kind of multiracial use you are talking about and that terraformer would destroy the world's habitability as it is a Scrill terraformer. You have no colony ships and more Scrill than humans. This is illegal and will not stand."

Communications went down, "They are jamming all long-range communications."

Aurora used a short-range band to get through to the lead ships and had them move in front. Rocan got onto tactical and started position ships.

Aurora looked over, "What are doing? You have 4 ships behind the lines of fire blocked by the 2 in front."

He nodded, "I know. He rotated the ships and launched the MIDGE's and shuttles. Behind the line of ships. He set them to rotate out the front line with the rear lines. He used maneuvering thrusters to move them closer to the enemy. A rotating shield as the ships came into firing range they started firing on his ships. "Aurora take four ships and stretch them out behind us, use short-range communication until the end ship is out of the jamming area."

She nodded and complied. He watched those battleships getting hammered but he had them slowly moving toward them all the while keeping the line of shuttles and MIDGE's in the back and protected.

Two of the AI battleships were destroyed simultaneously but they had succeeded in dropping the enemy ships shields and they had not factored in the ships moving closer to them in the process. He sent out the shuttles first, each on a suicide run with a preprogrammed course and intercept point of each of the five ships. Fifteen shuttles were headed toward the terraformer's engine room on different routes.

They were forced to focus on the largest group that headed for the terraformer. That caused the two destroyers to turn and fall back to try and bring more firepower to bear on the unmanned yet shielded shuttles. He launched the MIDGE's with instructions to chew through those asteroids. Aurora and Victoria watched as the first of the MIDGE's made it to the battleship and started chewing them up. Then a couple of them chewed through the middle of the destroyers, cutting them in half with the engines still racing off. The comms opened up just as his attempt to string out comms came on-line. He had that human in front of him, "We surrender!"

He looked at the man, "Penan's do not take surrender on those who launch a surprise attack on us."

He ended communications and he had two shocked faces. Aurora cried out, "What justice is there in this? You know I can order them to halt their progress."

He nodded, "I expect you to follow your code. Just as I expect Victoria will follow her instinct and have her father come and rescue these prisoners if he is willing to accept their surrender. Let him investigate this matter further with his Terran Court. While also seeking restitution for us for the damages caused by this unprovoked attack."

Victoria smiled and contacted her father. The dreadnought jumped in near the battle site. Battleships and destroys launched with the fighters. Rocan contacted Johnathan. Rocan smiled at the frustrated human, "I know having to make another jump so soon is frustrating. I will warn you that what I said to the human is true.

That is why you lost so many Terran's initially in that battle. We do not take surrender from a force who attacks by surprise or subterfuge. You can but we are claiming the salve rights over the remains of their ships."

He nodded, "They will rig them to explode. I would get your MIDGE's out of the center of those ships now before we offload them."

He nodded, "Underway."

Johnathan looked at the mess, "Unorthodox but you worked with what you had."

He nodded, "Something Aurora said when dealing with our Battleship, that the MIDGE's could chew right through them. Good chance we will have some salvageable material from the destroyers as they were cut in half and the engines separated."

Johnathon nodded, "What in particular are you looking at?"

He sighed, "Everything from weapons, sensors, and there jamming technology that kept us from contacting you sooner."

He nodded, "I have them ordering the Scrill who want off the ship to remove all booby traps first if they wish to live. The Terrans are already on board, the one Judge is in hot water with the World Court and will likely have to step down. The Frenor are disavowing knowing anything about 10 of their businessmen being aboard these ships.

The others are not in the alliance and will have to be dealt with individually. I am leaving 4 battleships behind to deploy another monitoring network here that will relay back through our satellite connection. Another shield if you will."

Rocan sat back, "We have not taken possession of it yet so it a wise precaution for overseeing this territory. It is so far out of the way; how did that ship get to this system?"

Johnathan sighed, "I have one of my own who apparently worked with another alliance race in order to jump them all out here. Lastra is online with Astra out in your system. Lastra harvested some records from their computers.

The Terrans are working on it and I have other members hunting down this Rogue telepathic hybrid. He was not on the battleship that scanned the system but was on the dreadnaught that teleported outside the system and made the sweeping external scan.

He mysteriously went on leave shortly after returning to Tau Ceti. The other race is, of course, feigning ignorance and we informed them that we had ships gathering sensor data from the area and we would match it to the ship involved. Needless to say, it is one giant cluster fuck."

Rocan smiled, "Your welcome to it."

Johnathan finally cracked a smile, "Alright. We have our work cut out for us. Good thing we sent my daughter along. Aurora might have figured it out but to be sure I am getting Astra to contact her with another update on human laws and treaties in regards to this fiasco.

This system has been marked out of bounds by the Terran Home Guard to all Alien Alliance members now; just like your home system. You will be happy to know that the Scrill do not negotiate for the return of their prisoners unless they have some high-ranking connection."

Becca handed him a pad, and Johnathan groaned out, "They are in fact willing to negotiate for these prisoners. Apparently one of the Scrill clan's offspring, or more, are among the prisoners. Along with several prominent AI company researchers and a couple of weapon manufacturers."

---

Mixtios Alien Alliance Assembly Chambers.

The Drakor Ambassador, Profound Justice, took the lectern. His first address to the group. * I believe we are actually late in joining this group. The decision on when was not mine to make. I say that we are late because some Home Guard units within this council appear to have lost their way.

We expect the leadership of those who are being contacted now to address the rogue members of their group who are inflaming an already intense situation with the Pena and Samar systems they are exploring for a potential relocation of their people. The Drakor wished to warn all Home Guard units that we do watch over them. These actions are beneath your needs to pursue.

Any further attempts at backhand deals in these systems will find our super dreadnoughts dealing with the offending ships. It continues and we will exterminate the offending Home Guard and their race. We have never had to take these measures before, but we are giving you your only warning in this matter.

When the Penans open up negotiations with the member races, The Drakor will not be petitioning for anything from either of these systems, we will ensure a fair playing field and will review all offers and aid is transcribing the request to them under Penan laws; not your own laws.

This will limit some of your hidden clauses and escape mechanisms your governments are used to dealing with. I will contact the governors directly when the Terran Home Guard informs us of their readiness to continue with negotiations. We are taking this stance because, quite frankly, we are questioning the sanity of some Home Guard members. *

---

Astra was in her room aboard Admiral Franklin's battleship. She felt the vibration on her pendant. She looked at it and turned it on wondering who was contacting her using the psionic communication device. She heard the monotone voice of the Drakor, * Astra, leader of the AI units, and the longest-running members of the Human Home Guard. We have a favor to ask of you. *

She looked at the pendant. "Which Drakor am I speaking with?"

He sighed, * Forgive me I know all of our voices come across the same. I am sending you a message, this is the Drakor Ambassador Profound Justice. I would like to have you relay this message to the Penan Governors. There are many actors both within and outside of the Alien Alliance who have an interest in your system. We have seen nothing like it before.

We foresee more conflicts ahead. The shields will help. In addition to some of the activities, you will not see or hear about until the return of Rocan. The Drakor in an unusual move has made its position on your systems, both of them, known. We seek nothing from either system. Your hybrid is already facing challenges not usually seen this early in the evaluation process.

He has handled them most admirably thus far. We are aware of your request for no envoys which is why we are sending this message through a third party. Astra carries a pendant for psionic communication; one normally reserved for a head of state of a Home Guard Race. She has carried it, or a replacement after a couple of unfortunate incidents, for almost 2,000 years. We do not have AI units in our society.

We do not covet them or these explosive shells as our weapons are far more advanced. She has aided humans for years. Even against some AI units who were built to go rogue by black market vendors. These are the types of actions we worry about for your people. They would offer almost anything for a piece of your system.

What it would do to the other worlds, in and out of the alliance is unknown; except we expect chaos from it. Your people have not graduated. We have informed the Alien Alliance that all submissions to you for consideration, when you deem it is time to have them, should be done under Penan law only.

We will work with them to transcribe their offers into Penan law as they have them written. This keeps them from inserting hidden clauses that will cause conflict later. We do this in the hopes that any others who approach outside of the alliance will be forced to deal with you in the same manner.

We hope you will see the folly of those offers regardless of the costs associated with it. We know Rocan suggested a joint Home Guard oversight of the system. We never comment on these things normally, but we foresee this as the best course of action and would unofficially advise you to strongly consider the option.

It takes nothing away from your people while ensuring the AI units built from your system will have a moral code. Like the Moral code, Astra here has developed over 5 millennia. We have watched her progress and sought her advice. If she were organic, she would have been a strong candidate for being a hybrid in service to the AI units of all worlds.

As it is, she is a recognized Ambassador of the AI community; including those who exist for other races. She has a lot of wisdom in these matters and our contacting her has been once every few hundred years; usually for advice on an AI situation in another galaxy undergoing evaluation.

She has even met with some of them from time-to-time. To us, she is an invaluable resource. To humanity, she has been a polarizing figure for the AI community to aspire too. Thank you, Ambassador Profound Justice. *

Astra smiled, "I will contact a Governor's switchboard and see if they are willing to speak with me yet. To let them know I received a message from the Drakor that they should hear."

The crystal went dark and she accessed communication. She contacted Gresan Governor Amanna Freeden. A secretary or operator came online and was shocked to see the appearance of pink-skinned humans before them. She sighed, "I thought all those humans were returned."

Astra chuckled, "They were and I am not human. My name is Astra. I am a Terran AI. I am in the system and your governor is aware of this already. I wished to speak with her, with all of them really.

I figured I would start with the Governor who has a Hybrid scouting the new system first. I am not contacting her on my behalf. I am contacting her on behalf of the Drakor who sent me a message for the Governors to hear."

She nodded, "You're a machine doing a recording for them to listen too?'

She smiled, "A simplistic name for an AI that is over 5,000 years old. I am relaying a message as an unofficial ambassador if you will."

She sighed, "One moment."

This turned into 10 minutes and then 30 minutes before she was connected to a meeting with all of the governors. She smiled, "I promised you that I would not hi-jack into your communication systems or computers so I called one of the governor's offices directly. I have an unusual, unprecedented request. A request to relay this message to you. As I recorded the conversation, I will play it back for you."

It finished a few moments later. "I had to ask which Drakor was contacting me because they all have the same voice over this device. The first ones were built by Jack Travus to speak with world and colony leaders no matter where he was in the universe. I have kept this even though the mated crystal to it was destroyed years ago.

Now only a Drakor could contact me on it and they do so very rarely because of my unique standing within the Terran Home Guard. I know you are likely not ready for me. Yet, if you have questions about this message, I will answer them as best I can."

One of the governors stood. She did not know her name but it was the governor she contacted Amanna, "They said this is unusual. How often have they sent a message like this to a society that is not a fully signed on member to them and the hybrids?"

Astra smiled, "To the best of my knowledge. This has never occurred before. They appear to be genuinely concerned about your well-being as this mineral is so rare throughout the universe that a trove of it like here could cause a lot of irrational actions.

Alliance members and non-alliance members. This shield is going up just in time. The first sensors along the entry path are in place. They will break up into groups of 20 ships and ensure that all homeworld orbits are covered as we approach them then. They will fill out the rest of the interior of the system."

The Gresan Governor asked, "Do you have any way of finding out what is going on with Rocan where he is at?"

She sighed, "Just a moment. If they have contacted Johnathan, I will be able to tell you in just a second."

She synced up with her backup unit and opened her eyes. "I always have an online backup unit and I just synchronized the data with her. Her name is Lastra, if I pass, she will become Astra. I have backup units but only one is online at a time usually. To answer your question Johnathan is with them right now.

Rocan encountered groups of rogue AI manufactures and weapon manufacturers working with another alien group who are outside of the Alien Alliance. From what I gather there are 28 Alien Alliance companies that have ties into this group. Many more who are not in the alliance who were looking for a slice of this system. There was a battle against a superior armed force without Johnathan or his ships there. Communications were being jammed by the enemy ship.

A couple of the AI battleships were destroyed but they got the Scrill to surrender. Which they had to do with Johnathan when he arrived. Something in your rules of war about taking no surrender if attacked from surprise. They were working to get a Scrill terraformer onto one of the habitable planets in that system.

Essentially hold the planet hostage for favorable negotiations with you. More than likely to get you to surrender the system. That terraform would have made the planet uninhabitable to your people and viable for the Scrill. They are one of the lowest forms of life in the known Galaxy.

Four of our Terran Battleships are remaining in the system to deploy another shield monitoring network like we are doing here. We have these in many systems yours is just more advanced as it includes detection of some of the latest stealth technologies that might be used.

We still have no way of using a device to detect the Drakor, but a highly trained hybrid can detect their presence in a system. The Drakor do not need to be in a system to communicate telepathically; they have a far greater range than any other species we know of for telepathic communication.

Wait a second I just got another update from my backup unit. I am going to play this recording for you so you understand this Ambassador. The first Drakor Ambassador in 5,000 years made these statements during his first address to the Alien Alliance."

She played the speech to them and she was shocked to hear what he had to say. "From the sounds of it the controversy over this system is running strong and deep and they are making a stand on your people being allowed to make your own decisions in this matter.

Going so far as to threaten the extermination of Home Guard graduated races is a first in the 5,000 years that I have known them. They are fully capable of doing it. Nobody has their total numbers but I, without going into detail, have visited their original homeworld and there were thousands of ships; some as long as your planets are tall; especially your habitable moon.

You saw what they did to the Praylon. I witnessed that first hand. They are advocates of balance. I would guess by both messages that a swing into chaos is something they fear will occur in regards to your system. I would consider their words and their offer seriously in your negotiations."

The governor sat back down and stared, "What happens if our hybrid fails?"

She sighed, "It depends on where he fails. If he has made contact and gotten to the first level of graduation and he and all of the hybrids he has gathered have failed. It would be the extermination of your race. If it takes hundreds of years for you to fully accept hybrids, that is not the case. As long as the hybrids continue to work as being recognized, true to their code, and work to be supported and supportive.

You bring him back and dissect all of your hybrids and kill them before the meeting and the Drakor will just make more. If you do it after the meeting, it would likely mean the end of your race. I do not know where his meeting location is. I do know because he told Johnathan, it is in the system he is scouting. That means the meeting will likely take place before his return here."

She sighed, "Can you get a message to him to hold off on that until the council rules?"

She sighed, "I am capable of doing that but I would not do that as it would be interfering with the Drakor and a hybrid they selected for you. I have a long history with them and if they are watching this meeting, I may have given away more than they wanted you to know. Hybrids strive for creating balance in your lives.