Gabatrix: The Violet Wave

"Hmph....." Simmons seemed to grunt. He leaned back on his chair as he folded up his arms.

"I am curious, Shira. What things can you help us out on?" Anaya asked her. "We need every edge that we can have against the Shal'rein clan fleets. Would you be willing to provide data to help benefit the UHN?"

"I would, Admiral. I can even start out with your own system. I can provide the details of a cloaked Shal'rein battleship that is using the distant gas giant to gather surveillance."

Javier was surprised to hear that. Anaya was right during the battle. There was a ship that was watching the whole battle.

"I knew it...." Anaya said as she sighed.

"Do not feel bad," Shira commented to her. "Cloaked ships are designed to gather information. They are very hard to detect even with our sensors unless they get too close. I will provide the location of the cloaked ships, including all your systems."

"Wait....there is more?" Annika asked.

"Of course, Fleet Admiral. Much like the Aksren clan or my former clan," she turned her head to look at Li'lo. "Or the Trintar clan....." She turned to look back at the other admirals. "All the Itreans have learned to observe and gather data. It gives us the maximum advantage in a battle. Not always....but usually."

Javier looked at Li'lo. She seemed anxious as she had no comment on that. The other admirals even gave a skeptical look at the Yutilian. Could it be true? Were the T'rintar clan using cloaked ships to spy on their own allies when their main ships were not present?

It seemed that everyone was afraid to ask Li'lo. Perhaps the alliance was more important than anything. Regardless, it was Anaya that continued to question Shira.

"You would be willing to provide us the locations of the cloaked ships. Would you be willing to provide any intel that you know on Shal'rein clan fleet movements? Any secret projects or anything to help the UHN?"

Shira turned her head a little bit. "I will provide all available data."

"Nonsense," Simmons jumped in. "Even if you knew the locations of the cloaked ships, what good would that do for us? The Shal'rein clan would just send in replacements. The information would be useless, think clearly Admiral Anaya...."

"That is true," Shira replied. "It is even possible with the data and my defection that the ships have already altered their positions to be difficult to find."

"So, you really learned to betray your own?" Simmons seemed to mock her. "You would be willing to go to lengths to establish your own credibility. Meanwhile, you provide us with useless and useless data."

"Ummm.....Admiral," Li'lo interrupted. "On the defense of Shira, I would like to add that the T'rintar clan can coordinate Shira's data with any acquired data that we have. It would help verify her claims."

"True. Good point Li'lo," Annika replied.

"There was something that you had in your report," Anaya asked. "You had a chance to see one of the New Olympian dreadnoughts opened fire. Could you provide any more comments than what you wrote in your report?"

Javier noticed that Anaya's curiosity was getting the best of her. Shira's eye seemed to look down as she slightly leaned her back to her chair. Finally, she seemed to explain something.

"The.....New Olympian colony has developed powerful weapons. They are capable of vaporizing fully laden Shal'rein dreadnoughts in one burst. It is beyond all Itrean technology. I have never seen that before. It was beauty......such strength and power for a world that seems more than it seems. Our fleets that tried to attack their world never stood a chance."

Fleet Admiral Annika seemed to put her hand to her chin. Even Javier knew that the recent mission several months ago saw a dreadnought almost fire but didn't. The New Olympians were nothing but an enigma.

"What does it matter?" Simmons asked. "We already know the New Olympians. They choose not to fight. They choose to let the other worlds suffer as other Itrean clan fleets come and bring harm. Why worry about this information? It is irrelevant......"

"For this hearing, you are correct, Admiral," Shira replied. "However, the data that I provide should be noted. The New Olympians are the only hope of defeating the Emphra when they return."

There was an eerie silence that seemed to bounce around the room. Each of the Admirals reacted differently when they heard the news. Javier only felt more anxious. It was Li'lo that responded first.

"The Emphra?" Li'lo seemed to react with fear. "What......I wasn't....you didn't tell me anything about this before this hearing."

Shira simply gazed at the center of the podium. There was no emotion in her face. "Do you truly want to know why I defected......all of you?"

There was simply silence. Simmons seemed more annoyed, but even his curiosity was getting through.

"You don't realize the threat that they pose," Shira explained in her calm pose. "Do you think that I am evil? I attacked one of your colonies. I resulted in the deaths of 117, but you have never seen death like the Emphra do. Endless, ruthless, operating under a single purpose......the search for food. They don't care what they eat or what they devour. They keep coming, and they keep coming. Within twenty years, all the clans had to unite to defeat them. All of them.....think of the size of the T'rintar clan. It dominates the human worlds by a factor of a hundred. The Emphra do not care. All of us are meat. They don't care if you are a child. They don't care of your gender or your age. They don't care about your literature. They don't care if you are sick or injured." She leaned her body towards the table as the handcuffs still allowed her to clasp her hands. "The time is ticking. They are coming, and they will target everything. What do we have? We have a disease that kills the males of our species. Half of our population is gone. Our fleets continue to engage with one another as we continue to weaken ourselves. The Emphra will not care about our state."

The admirals remained silent. Even Javier had known about this, but it seemed to be the first time that the admirals truly heard about them. Even Li'lo was scared, but it only seemed to make sense.

"Do you wish to know why I defected? I had no choice. The Emphra are going to return, and there is only one hope.....you.....all of you. The humans can provide children that bypasses the disease. Tactically, the best method is to go and raise an army of warriors. Grab every ship that is uncrewed in the dockyards of every Itrean base because the disease wiped out half of our entire population. Grab every human, every bullet, every weapon you can. It is the only hope that you have before they arrive......if it isn't already too late. My goal was to return Ensign Javier immediately with the confirmation. Humanity cannot perish, or we will be wiped out by them."

"That couldn't be possible," Li'lo countered. "The Emphra are dead. Our ancestors went and destroyed their worlds. Their homeworld was.....they can't be alive. We haven't seen any more in fifty years."

It was the first time that Javier could see aggravation in Li'lo. Her anxious nature and fear were being replaced with protest.

"The choice is yours," Shira commented.

"Do you have any proof on this, Lesser Adjunct?" Annika asked.

"Why are we bothering with this?" Simmons protested. "Li'lo made a point. We are worried about ghosts, and we are getting lost in this hearing. If this.....Emphra is so dangerous....then why haven't we seen them yet?"

"Unfortunately, Fleet Admiral, I do not have definitive proof," Shira said as her one eye looked down before she looked back at her. "The only evidence is deduction. Only studying the patterns......the movements of the fleets of the long-distance past......their numbers.....and their behavior in battle. The Emphra are not intelligent, but they know how to survive, and the galaxy is a very big place. They are waiting....."

"Ugh....." Simmons waved his hand at her. "She is just trying to scare us and delay this hearing. Even she admitted that she had no definitive proof. What are we supposed to do? Go and send scouts to every corner of the galaxy? The resources for that would be insane. This is just her trying to divert our resources to things because of this.....'Itrean boogieman.'"

Li'lo seemed to give an annoyed look at Simmons as she protested. "The Emphra are no......I don't know what the word means....., but I lost my grandfather to them. Every...."

"Alright, alright...," Annika said as she waved her hand up. "I must side with Simmons on this. This is getting us nowhere. So, in the end, you believed the Emphra are going to return, and it motivated you to defect. That is the important part of this," Annika said, trying to regain control of the hearing.

Javier noted that everyone besides Shira had to put aside whatever emotional turmoil they may have. He did notice that Anaya, however, seemed to be in deep thought as her eyes were looking away.

"So the question is, what do we do with you, Lesser Adjunct?" Annika asked her. "We are in a difficult situation for your case. Regardless if you may have committed a good action or not, you are responsible for killing the lives of the UHN."

"I am not convinced that she be given any hope of being pardoned or freed," Simmons commented. "I also question the roles of your crew. This is just a tactic to spread spies through our ranks."

"It should be noted that some of the Shal'rein that were not loyal to Shira wish to be in an asylum," Li'lo commented.

"And your point is?"

"Ummm.....I don't know."

Javier sighed as he heard her say that.

"Many of the Shal'rein on my ship wish to go to Itrea," Shira commented. "Even the ones that were loyal to the clan still have some hope in them. Faith is a powerful weapon, and even if Earth isn't Itrea, it is still Itrea. We are all females, ivon and all. If we were told that humans had the cure, then they will go to Earth and live that life. Return back to the world of origin and become mothers as nature intended us."

"Do you share this belief?" Anaya asked.

"I do not. While my desires are personal, I do believe that my crew wants a new life, Li'lo," she said as she kept her hands together. "I believe I may have the best solution on what to do with most of the former crew of the Garja. To help the Admiral who is easily angered and swayed, I believe that the crew should be sent to Earth to help clean up the mess that the humans had made to it. They will not be allowed to leave the planet until the world is cleaned up."

"How dare you?" Simmons replied, clenching his teeth upon hearing her comment about him.

"Earth or....Itrea," Annika replied. "It was given to the T'rintar clan. That world with the exception of the humans that are still there is under their control. If Li'lo has no objections, I see no harm to that. It helps reduce our time in having separate hearings for each one. Understand that cleaning Itrea will take considerable time to clean, though. Would they be willing to wait for twenty years?"

"It would allow time for the crew to prove themselves to the humans, Fleet Admiral."

"Are you sure they want that?"

"They were willing to fight and die to achieve that. Of course, I can't speak for all my original warriors."

Annika turned to look at Simmons. "What are your thoughts?"

"I don't care," he replied. "Just keep them away from Mars, thank you."

"Your thoughts on this, Li'lo?" Annika asked the Yutilian.

"I.....don't think I have a problem with that. I can pass that along to Ambassador Ifra. I am sure she would agree. Even if Itrea is a part of the T'rintar clan, the crew would still have their own version of......freedom? Without having to feel like the T'rintar were breathing down their backs."

"It would also avoid another problem....." Anaya commented. "Itrea is its own place. It is away from Aphadus. I am afraid I wouldn't be comfortable with having the former troops that assaulted my world to go free where they can end up on Aphadus. It would be......problematic."

Shira looked at the Admiral and gave a single nod to her.

"Enough about asking the other crew of the Garja," Simmons waved his hand. "We are here to talk about her."

"We agree," Annika remarked. "I figure that it is time for us to evaluate our thoughts on this matter. Li'lo, do you have anything to add?"

"I do," she said. She opened up her tilon and rolled it open on the table. The projection screen activated as it showed text appear. "I have received a letter to be passed to all of you. It was written by Shira's mother."

Javier watched as Shira seemed to tilt her head slightly. Did she know about this?

"The message from Veleshar is a plea that her daughter be released. She passes good word for her and makes a formal request that any charges against her to be dropped."

"Dah....." Simmons countered. "Mothers will do anything to save their children. Besides, I know the report. Shira denounced her several times. It was from her own words."

Javier almost shook his head. He was beginning to see a dislike to him. It almost felt like a hit below the belt.

"It is noted from what Veleshar wrote," Annika commented.

Li'lo shrugged. "That is all I have." She closed her tilon up as the projection faded.

"Lesser Adjunct, do you have anything else to add before we continue?" Annika asked.

"No," Shira replied. Javier nodded.

"Then we should wait no longer. I need all our thoughts so we can come up with a verdict."

"I think that she be held in prison," Simmons remarked. "She is a traitor to her own people and can turn on us at any time. She is here to cause as much damage with her lies as possible. I don't see enough evidence to free her."

"Ensign Javier," Annika asked him. "What are your thoughts on Shira? Do you believe that Shira should be punished for her acts on Aphadus?"

All the admirals focused their attention on him. Shira turned and watched him with her one eye. She had a light gentle smile on her face as if she already knew. Li'lo seemed clueless.

"I believe that Shira had the full intentions to bring harm to us," Javier commented. "I believe that she was just a soldier following orders. Can I forgive her for attacking and killing the few that I knew? I don't know. I do know that she should not be punished. I believe that she should be set free and allowed to operate in the UHN. Her intel could be vital."

Anaya was reminded as she nodded her head in response.

"I am in debate of this," Annika commented. "On one hand, I believe that justice should be done on this. The lives of the 117 will remain no matter what. There is another dilemma for this tribunal. Shira has defected. At this time, her actions may have opened the door for more and more defectors to come pouring in. Even now, we have had occasional ships pop in. Shal'rein clan and Aksren clan all request to be with the humans and to cohabitate with us. Even if it is marginal. Even if only the tiniest amount believes the T'rintar clan news and media, we need to ensure that we set a good example to the defectors. By punishing Shira, we could end up discouraging that process. Word will pass that Lesser Adjunct Shira and an entire carrier left. It will spread, and more will come. For this sake alone, I can't decide to have you punished. It is your desire to remain with us and not the T'rintar clan. For the loyalists on your ship, I feel like sending them to Earth. For most of rest.....I feel the same. Let them have their world of hope. It is the only solution that I can see."

One for Shira and one against her. The rule of having three judges is always decided well under the system. No ties would occur as all eyes went to Anaya. She had the last word.

"It is under my opinion that Shira be set free," Anaya remarked. "I am compelled to agree with Annika, but I have to look at things in a much bigger picture. I can watch Shira right now and how she behaves. There is no remorse because she holds it back. There is no laughter or anger because she holds it back. I have seen how the other Shal'rein operates, and Shira is unique. There is wisdom in her words. This is the sign of one that considers her actions well and goes with it. If she was a spy, then why would she go to such great lengths to conduct the strike like she did? Fleet Admiral Gray was a fool in his actions, and Shira saw right through it. If I was in charge, the action would not have happened as you may hope. You knew that well, didn't you?"

Shira nodded.

"I don't know what to say about the lives of the 117. Is the trade-off in having intel? Is the trade-off in having someone that can provide advice on the enemy? I don't know. I have my own thoughts, but" she pointed her finger at her. "She did save a fleet in getting wiped out. Her action was executed perfectly. With that sort of tactics and strategy, I could have used that knowledge to wipe out the defense fleet instead. It was her goal to mitigate the loss of life as much as possible."

"How?" Simmons protested. "The Shal'rein clan fleet was smaller than Aphadus' fleet."

"Yes, but the Shal'rein have hundreds of thousands of warships. That fleet could have been fifty ships or thousands instead of eight. With her attack, the Shal'rein could have just as easily stayed on the ground, and we would be fighting a very long battle that would last for weeks to even months with just some additional enemy troopships. Shira, how many troops can that assault carrier hold alone?"

"5,000, including vehicles," Shira replied.

"And there was only over 300 Shal'rein crew and soldiers that made that attack on the ground," Anaya remarked. "So few....and so much damage. We must be a joke to you."

"Quite the contrary," Shira remarked. "All soldiers, regardless if they are Yutilian, Aksren, Human, or Shal'rein are capable of fighting in different ways and contribute all together. Shal'rein may have the best guns, but without proper training, they are worthless."

It seemed to surprise Javier a little bit, but it felt like a relief for Anaya to recognize it. He felt like he was at her wavelength, and she saw it.

"Then that is all there is to it," Annika remarked. "Shira, you are to be released. Under the tribunal, we see that you are not here to engage in espionage or be someone that intends to bring harm to us." She raised a finger, though, as she tried to make a point. "There is a price, though. Your information is vital to us. Failure to provide that will bring us back here again. There is another price as well, and I am sure that you know it as well. Your mother defected to the T'rintar clan and not us. You defected to the UHN. She may hold some rank, but here you won't. You are stripped of your rank of Lesser Adjunct as a result."

"I understand, Fleet Admiral," Shira simply replied.

"Then, I consider this meeting closed." With that, Annika got up and began to leave the room.

Admiral Simmons had nothing more to say. He simply got up and began to walk out of the room. There was a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

The rest of them stood up as Anaya seemed to get up slowly. She didn't leave the room though and instead watched Shira intently.

Li'lo seemed to hop a little bit on her clawed toes. "We did it! Yeay...." She said as the final word was very faint and playful.

Shira simply turned her head and looked down at her. She only gave a faint smile as it quickly faded before she walked forward.

Javier walked up as he could see that Shira was still in handcuffs. The marines approached her as they undid the locks and retrieved it. They stepped back and remained at the door.

"I guess they will escort you to get some better clothing than what you have now," Javier remarked.

"Yes," she replied.

"It is good to see that you are alright."