Gabatrix: The Silver Rain

The major shrugged. "You want to turn me into the heartless criminal, then go ahead. You know the oath of the marines. In war, we are all expendable."

"Some are more expendable than others.....sir," she angrily countered. The words seemed to echo in him briefly before he scowled.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You heard me."

Bekra could see that even though Zalika might have been right in her accusations, it was only infuriating the officer. She tried to stay with the topic.

"Marshall," Bekra explained calmly. "I myself feel like you did over ten years. I dreamed of becoming an officer or an Adjunct in your human comprehension. There are all kinds of Itreans out there. Itreans get separated from the others as they order the warriors to their deaths. We let the excuses of our past hatred of the other clans become an excuse to go, fight, and gain glory from it. Glory is prestige, and prestige is life. Then Zilik's disease came. My father died, my friends died, and I was ready to claw my wrists to end it. My people had the wisdom to ally with the humans. The Yutilians were wise to let the Aksren and Shal'rein families move to their space. It hasn't been easy for me. Eutera has been a good home for me. I meet wonderful people.....friends,.....loved ones. I would die for them."

Zalika calmed down as she could see that the officer was calming down too. Bekra seemed to be the key for this hearing to not turn out into an all brawl. Her anger seemed to dwindle just a little bit.

"These people...." Bekra paused as she shook her head. "The day's events were tragic. I had no way of knowing that this was the Emphra. I felt the fear rise. I felt as if some ancient monster was going to eat me. There is no other way of describing that fear of yesterday. I believed that the Emphra were just.....as you humans describe as.... 'ghost stories'....but I know that it isn't true. I didn't know that it was them until it was too late. Now the many people that I call friends are dead." She paused as a tear fell from her reptilian eyes. "Now I have to live with that. I was ignorant not to realize it. You were ignorant just as I was. Zalika.....you were ignorant as well. You knew about the story I told you about the Emphra. You didn't suspect it was the Emphra as well until it was too late. We are all at fault, and now my friends are dead."

Zalika could see that Bekra's words seemed to diffuse the situation further. She felt ready to press this also, but she finally had to let it go. Further argument would just send her into a rage that would have meant breaking every bone in the officer's body. She was well aware of this, and she had to calm down. She could tell that Bekra was looking at her, almost sympathizing with her claims. She could tell that she knew that she was in pain. Hopefully, some of it would run off to the Major.

Instead, he took another deep breath as he closed down the projection. He looked away for a moment as he looked at the two.

"I will be passing all of this report to the UHN command......with the exception of you striking a fellow officer," Marshall explained. "Is there anything that you feel that needs to be passed along before I submit it?"

"Yeah, I can feel a couple of things that should be passed..." Zalika said. "Oh, I definitely feel like adding a couple of good o....."

"Major," Bekra cut off Zalika. "I feel that this is a new beginning of the Emphra. We may be facing a brand new threat that has never been eliminated. It is in my belief that the Emphra are still out there. These might be.....scouts....or they could be a part of something larger that is out there. They are preparing to strike, and it could be my people or yours."

"Centurion, I will pass that along, but might I ask why do you feel that way?" Marshall questioned her. "It sounds like to me that this is just some.....relic....." He looked at her hard. "If I am supposed to believe this, then these are stragglers from some large ship. The ship was either damaged or destroyed from some ancient battle. The debris floats in space, and the Columbus eventually finds it. That is all a big 'if' if it is all confirmed to be true. Even then, what would you suppose I do about it?"

"Start searching...." Bekra shrugged. "We search every sector of every section of space. Scour all the UHN. Kill them all....before it is too late."

"Bekra might be right," Zalika added. "This might be a sign that the Emphra are regrouping somewhere to strike again. After everything we encountered."

"Hard words to say," the officer said as he put his finger down to the table. "Are the T'rintar clan going to believe you?"

"I....have to try. They will be more likely to believe it when they see the evidence."

"They are more likely to believe that this is nothing. As tragic as the events were, these were only two of them."

"There are lots of them....." Bekra explained. "They made the clouds turn silver as they rained down. They used missiles to spread themselves from ship to ship. You think that a couple of them is something that is manageable? Each missile carried twenty of them. They get smarter too. Given the chance that these had, if it captured the Columbus, it would have full knowledge of you humans' technology. Getting from target to target would be easier and quicker...then they would reach a planet full of humans and life for the taking. Eutera would have been first and then all of the UWA."

"She is right," Zalika added. "The Columbus crew sacrificed themselves to stop the Emphra in their places. We need to have everything warned and start searching now."

The officer almost started to laugh at her. "With what? Do you realize how big space is? Do you realize how many ships the UHN have? There are five times as many T'rintar clan warships in orbit above this planet than there are UHN. We even just lost the Columbus to add to that. Meanwhile, we leave our planets vulnerable to attack." The major seemed to shrug. "I am sorry.....like I said, I will pass your warnings along, but they won't take it as seriously as they should. Like I said.....people died, but most likely it was from battlefield remnants. I am sure even your people will likely say the same thing."

"Then let me ask you this and.....make sure that you pass this along to the chain of command," Bekra continued. "That piece of debris that the Columbus recovered that started this whole series of events. Where was that debris recovered?"

"It was a light-year from here," he answered.

"And how did that debris get here?"

The question seemed to hit the officer like a ton of bricks. His face even went cold for a moment as Zalika began to think more and more about it as well.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Bekra, where was the nearest battle against the Emphra from Eutera?" Zalika asked.

"I don't know....but it must have been over two thousand light years away."

There was a cold chill as Zalika thought more and more about it. "How did a piece of debris from an Emphra ship make its way all the way to here?"

"When was the last battle?"

"About fifty years ago."

"I am not good at math," Zalika commented. "But, I don't think debris from some battle can travel space that quickly in such a given time."

The words seemed to make the officer think. He gave a short nod and simply shrugged. "I don't have anything else to comment on this. This base will be closed down until new personnel will be brought in. Then I will be back here again....but you won't be," he said as he looked at Zalika.

Bekra turned her head to look at Zalika. She seemed to give a short smile.

"I think...." Marshall paused as he thought about it. "That you need to go to a mental hospital to be evaluated and helped. I would press charges on you for striking an officer, but your mental anguish combined with the recent events' battle wiriness puts me into a situation that punishing you might actually get me into trouble for doing it. Of course....I know you well enough. If you come and hit me one more time right now, I will contact the authorities and arrest you. You can choose to go to a hospital.....keep your career.....and I will never have to see your face again."

"Don't they have a hospital to help her....and me?" Bekra asked.

"I can't speak for your situation. I don't know enough about your well being. Your leg?"

"Don't worry about my leg. I have a medical team that is growing a new leg to replace what I lost. It will take a couple of months, but it will work. As for the events...." The Itrean stopped as she looked at Zalika. "I will contact my people and ask to be removed from duty for some time."

"Hmmm....Zalika, due to Eutera having inadequate facilities, you will be sent to a mental hospital for psychological help. I can send you to Mars, Aphadus, or Cebravis."

"Aphadus would work. I can have my damaged arm sent to there to be fixed too," she turned to look at Bekra. "Along with a couple of modifications to it."

"Aphadus....I have heard rumors that the new Fleet Admiral there is stepping things up in how she is operating the place. I have heard an even odder rumor that she might have taken some defector under her wing. Might as well add to the pot and throw you to her. Let her decide what to do with you..."

Zalika nodded her head. "Good....I am ready to get off this place."

Bekra did a couple of quick nods in agreement.

"Then I don't have anything else to say on the manner," Marshall said as he stood up. "I have heard everything and don't need to say anything else."

"There is one thing else," Zalika said as she watched the officer fold up his arms. Bekra was a little concerned about what she was going to do, but she watched her open up her hand and toss something to the desk.

The item was a coin-shaped pendant. What was essentially a coin that linked up to a broken chain landed perfectly on the table. It was bronze and shaped like a small ancient former Earth penny. It had one significant difference to it. The bronze plate to the coin was smoothed out and replaced with a black pinwheel-like emblem. It looked like a black ink cross with a circle that wrapped around it.

"What?" Marshall asked. "Who gave this to you?"

"It belonged to the Staff Sergeant," Zalika explained. "I have no need for it. I think he wanted to give it to you, maybe?"

"I....don't want it...." He paused as he really looked at the coin closely. "Wait.....you said that this belonged to the Staff Sergeant?"

"Yes....you remember the third in command of the base?"

There was a look of bewilderment on his face as he ignored her snide comment. "This coin.....it belongs to a government organization. Do you know what this symbol is?"

"No."

"It is the symbol of Outreach."

"Outreach...." Zalika paused.

"Outreach?" Bekra asked. "What are they?"

"I heard Felix mention them. There was....I am trying to remember....umm the Nova Hamidou Pirates and Darkwatch that we thought might be involved in all this, but....I don't understand."

"Outreach..." the officer said as he picked up and looked at the pendant. "I don't know much about them. They are a small government organization. I would even almost call it a secret organization. The rumors abound that they are polytheistic, believe in mysticism, and have wild ideas about the New Olympians. Their agents have been spotted off and on in the UWA."

"Agents?"

"There are many organizations, political or nonpolitical out there. I would be more worried about Darkwatch or some other anarchist group that wants to see an end to the UWA government. I wouldn't get so caught up in it."

Without any further regard, he went and tossed the coin back to Zalika as she caught it with her right arm.

"Take it," he told her. "If somebody entrusts it to another without ever telling who they really are, then it was purposely given to you."

It was a rather odd comment to hear as she seemed to focus on the coin. The broken chain dangled from her fingers as she clamped it down in her hand.

"Dismissed...." he said to the both of them.

"Take care, Major," Bekra tried to be polite to him.

"Yeah," Zalika jumped in. "Make sure since you are the last one here, to turn off the lights of the base before you leave."

It was a comment that the officer took little attention to. Zalika walked up to the door as it slid open. Bekra hobbled on her crutches as she followed right behind her. She turned her crested head one last time at the officer that seemed to focus away from both of them.

When the doors closed, Zalika wanted to get as far away from it as possible as the two walked down the hallway together. There was a sense of relief in finally getting through this. She felt her gut get calmer as she could see a similar sense of relief from Bekra as well.

"I thought that you were going to be severely punished after you hit him," Bekra said.

"Me too," Zalika replied. "Just sick of officers and their political rhetoric. Everyone is dead, and the one that put everyone in it gets to walk away free of it."

"It wasn't just him but the others for doing it too. Why did he not carry out with punishing you?"

"Oh, I know why. He might have said that he was doing it because he would get in trouble but because it would bring even more attention to himself. Everyone would know him as the one who punished a person who just fought an alien creature that killed hundreds or is going insane. People would know him as the officer that lost a whole team under his command. People would know that he was incompetent and a jackass.....just like a lot of the officers that get a college degree and the cozy jobs out there."             

Bekra seemed to look away for a moment as they continued their slow walk down the hallway. "Hakizamana might be right....what he said yesterday."

"What do you mean?" She asked her.

"You know more about the law than you lead others to think. I think he started to realize that."

"Please.....I hate politicians. Oshun is nothing but a place of bought up, corrupt officials. They are crap."

"You don't have to be like them, though...."

Her thoughts went to the picture of the marines of the base as they walked past it. Bekra even had a chance to glimpse it as well.

"I....too much," Zalika said as she put her hand to forehead. "They didn't deserve it. They didn't...."

Bekra stopped as she used one of her crutches to tap Zalika in the leg. There was a look of sorrow as Zalika stopped as well.

"I know," Bekra replied. "I feel most of my sadness go to Chuang."

"Why him? What about the others?"

"I care for all of them. Chuang.....I liked him. If you were not my mate, I would choose him. He was braver than some of the Centurions that I know. The Emphra are.....they were becoming a myth to the Itreans. Now.....I don't know if they are going to take everything seriously or not."

"You really think that they will take notice of everything that happened yesterday?"

"They will look at it.....they will react to it like Marshall. A few will care and take note, but the others will be convinced that the Emphra are dead."

"That scares you?"

"What scares me is that if they don't, then the marines and crew's lives will be in vain. They would be dishonoring them."

"In other words,.....you want to make sure that I try to bring awareness of this?"

"Yes, Zalika. Yesterday, I believed in the threat of the Emphra for the first time. I want to honor those people that sacrificed themselves. I want us to talk about the good things that those marines did. I want to remember them. If we have children, I would like to name them after those that didn't make it out."

Zalika took a deep breath. "I can't think about kids right now. Too much shit. Too many horrors."

"Me too," Bekra calmly replied.

They continued their walk as they continued their conversation. The doors that led to the empty rooms were apparent. Zalika was doing what she could to not think about the loneliness of the place.

"I know what is going to happen to me," Zalika said. "What about you?"

"I go where you go."

"Just like that?"

Bekra shook her head. "I am officially mated to you. According to our rules and laws, the T'rintar clan believes in having a family together even in war. Regardless of gender, they share the responsibility in defending their home, raising the family, and defeating their enemies."

"I hadn't really thought of that. I wish the UHN thought more like that."

"It surprises me that they do that."

Zalika shook her head. "So....you will be coming with me to Aphadus?"

"Yes. I believe that you will be sent out tomorrow. I will send the request to be sent with you. I will be reassigned by next week."

"Your leg, though....."

Bekra shook her head. "Do not worry about it. They will regrow my leg, and it will be sent to Aphadus. I will be able to walk again. Besides....I know that you will be seeing doctors for some time. I will contact the families of the fallen marines and let them know of the bravery of their sacrifices."

Zalika seemed to smile a little bit. "Thank you for looking out for them. You would be doing more than I ever would."

"That does not have to be true. Speak out and assist me, and much would be done."

Zalika nodded. With her right hand, Zalika held the pendant up to look at the odd symbol. She felt a wave of memory hit her as she looked at the emblem. Bekra could notice her focus.

"It is odd," Zalika commented. "I feel like I have seen this symbol before."

"The symbol of....Out....Outreach?"

"Yeah....I.....," she stopped as she snapped her fingers. "I didn't really think about it till now. This symbol is similar to the New Olympian flag."

"I don't understand," Bekra replied as she stopped.

"The New Olympians.....when they were trying to adopt me on Oshun, I remember their flag. Each of the colonies has a flag. The New Olympians have a colored pinwheel-like cross. This coin symbol one is solid black."

"Could they be from the colony?"

"I don't fucking know," Zalika frustratingly replied. "I just know what Marshall said. It wouldn't make sense for this group to hound the New Olympians just to be using their symbol. Besides....., the pinwheel is shaped differently."

"The Staff Sergeant was a member of this group. He seemed to know your history. I overheard what he told you. He talked about this person that started with the letter S or Z."

"Zoe....." Zalika said as she gripped the coin hard. "Yes. I don't know how he knew about that, how he managed to get that information. Even I didn't know that. Kole had many secrets that he took with him to his grave."

"Did you get a chance to learn about.....I am assuming her?"

"I looked her up," Zalika replied with a nod. "There isn't much information about her. I went and looked it up on the UWAN by typing up her name, location on former Earth, and the time he gave me." She paused as she thought about it.

"What did you find?"

"Apparently, Zoe Aalieyah was born somewhere in Nimba in Liberia of former Earth. Liberia is this nation on a continent called Africa, and Oshun consists of most people from that continent. Hence where my family descended from. She survived through some sort of civil war and later became a political speaker in the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. She helped out a few politicians get elected and spoke out on the deplorable conditions of the poorest areas in the nation. She also married and had two children. In her later years, she became a politician and helped out in the African World Flood Relocation Program in moving and ensuring that Liberians had a place to go when the sea levels on Earth began to rise. She died in 2096. There is no other information available for her."

Bekra seemed to think about it for a little bit. "I do not know much on Earth or Itrea's history. It sounds like she was still important, though."