The Autumn War Vol. 02: Remnants

***

Their captors led them through the ruined city, weaving through rubble-strewn streets and patches of wild forest. They came to a stop beside a collapsed building that had fallen over a road, blocking it entirely with debris, fragments of carbcrete and bent support beams scattered everywhere. The ever-present plant life had colonized it, mosses and lichens not able to distinguish the wreckage from boulders, trees taking root in the exposed soil where the massive fragments had shattered the asphalt.

Two of the women moved ahead of the procession, weaving between the massive pieces of carbcrete. They crouched, gripping rope handholds on the ground, Xipa watching as they dragged a wooden panel aside with some difficulty. It was covered in red mosses and plants, camouflaged so well that she'd had no idea it was there. Beneath it was a large hole in the street where it had given way beneath the weight of the building, leaving a gaping opening wide enough to swallow a good-sized truck. It wasn't unlike the sinkhole that had nearly claimed Ruza's life.

Xipa felt the prongs of a handgun against her back as the masked woman urged her forward, pushing her to the edge of the precipice as though intending to throw her off. As she looked down into the sinkhole, Xipa saw the exposed maintenance tunnels and broken water pipes, along with the open sewer below. Unlike the tunnels at the edge of the city, where everything had flooded, this sewer was dry. She could see the smooth stonework, a small trickle of dark water trailing out of view beneath the street. Someone had rigged up ropes that led down into the shadowy depths, knotted for climbing. The two women at the front of the group shimmied down into the tunnel, aiming their weapons up to keep a bead on those who would follow.

"We go down," the woman hissed in her ear, giving her another push. Xipa crouched, taking the rope in her gloved hands, using the knots as footholds as she lowered herself into the sewer. When she reached the bottom, she felt cold water and wet stone beneath her feet, standing aside to clear the way as her captors eyed her suspiciously. Next came Bluejay, the survivors lowering him down into the tunnel via another rope, still cocooned in the sticky web. It was covered in leaves and twigs that it had accumulated while being dragged around, the expression on Bluejay's face one of annoyed resignation.

More of the Valbara'nay descended, then came Ruza and Fletcher, the feline holding the dangling Earth'nay by his rig so as not to put any strain on his arms. The rope wasn't going to hold Gustave, Xipa watching as he peeked his long snout over the edge of the hole.

"Gustave must leap," he announced, the tinny sounds of his translator drawing curious looks from their new friends.

"Clear the tunnel," Xipa warned. "He's going to jump down."

The survivors did as she asked, aiming their weapons where he was going to land, still wary. With a shower of dust and small pieces of debris, Gustave came crashing into the sewer, having apparently dug his claws into the side of the sinkhole to help slow himself. There was an impact powerful enough to shake the ground beneath their feet, more dust raining from the curved ceiling above their heads. He shook his leathery hide, sending errant pebbles bouncing along the smooth floor, the cloaked figures sharing alarmed glances beneath their masks. What must they think of Gustave, having never seen a Krell'nay before? He was like an ancient legend brought to life. They didn't know it yet, but if he had wanted to clear the tunnel, they would have been able to do very little to stop him.

"This way," the masked woman said, gesturing down the dark passageway. Xipa glanced up to see two survivors pulling the wooden cover back into place over the sinkhole, plunging them into darkness. The pair must have another way of getting underground. If these people were using the sewer system to get around, as Xipa was starting to suspect, there could be entrances all over the city.

They began to walk, their feet splashing in the shallow stream of water, their footsteps echoing down the tunnel. Its circumference was just large enough that Gustave could walk without having to duck. They ignited flashlights, illuminating the darkness, Xipa sweeping the beam from her helmet around as she examined her surroundings. When the city had been thriving, the sewage of thousands of buildings would have come rushing through here, but it was completely empty now.

They reached a junction and took a left, Xipa noting that there were objects on the tunnel floor ahead of them. It was some kind of supply cache, crates and old containers that had been stacked one on top of the other. They were sitting on top of crudely fashioned wooden supports that followed the curve of the walls to create level platforms, lifting them clear of the trickling water. As they passed between them, she spotted wooden boxes full of spare plasma canisters and battery packs, along with what looked like canteens and jars of preserved food that were partially covered over by tarps. Perhaps they had caches like this near all of the entrances to the sewers. There was nothing slapdash about this - those platforms had been built to be used long-term.

The path that they took was winding and circuitous, the survivors leading them down side passages and around cave-ins that blocked the tunnels with rubble. The sewers and storm drains ran for kilometers beneath the city, and who knew how many had become damaged or flooded in the time since the invasion. It wasn't just sewers, either. Their path eventually intersected with maintenance tunnels that housed the city's power delivery system, plumbing, and information network. These passages were large enough for a whole flock of engineers and a small motorized cart to pass through, making them ideal for underground travel. Unlike the stained carbcrete of the sanitation system, the maintenance tunnels were whitewashed, cables and valves glimpsed through exposed access panels as the group passed them by.

"How are they even finding their way around down here?" Fletcher muttered, daring to whisper to Xipa. "It's a fucking maze - it all looks the same."

"A Valbara'nay would only need to be shown the path once to remember it," Xipa explained. "They probably have the entire layout of these tunnels mapped. No documents can fall into enemy hands if you commit them to memory."

"Does the same goes for you, too?" Fletcher added as he leaned in conspiratorially. "I get the feeling we might need to make a quick exit if your new friends don't change their tune once they realize that we're here to save their sorry arses."

"They must have been the ones who set up the distress beacon," Xipa replied. "I'm sure they'll come around once I explain who and what you are."

"Forgive me if I don't give them the benefit of the doubt," Fletcher grumbled, straightening up again as one of the women gave him an encouraging jab with the barrel of her gun.

"You needn't whisper," Xipa added with a sigh. "They don't speak English."

"They will soon if the rest of you are anything to go by," he continued as he turned to glare at his captor.

***

They descended deeper, following the service tunnels far below the foundations of the city. They eventually came upon a closed door that was guarded by a pair of cloaked figures, the two exchanging alarmed glances as they saw the odd procession approach. They half-raised their rifles at the sight of the aliens, but lowered them again when the masked woman signaled to them with her feathers. They seemed to know her, stepping aside to let the group pass by, one of them pulling the unpowered door open for them on its creaking hinges.

Xipa followed her captor out onto a raised platform, the sight before her taking her breath away. She was standing on a catwalk that overlooked an expansive room, as large as a factory floor. Below her were two dozen massive vats that were partially filled with water. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. This was the city's wastewater treatment plant, an underground facility that connected to all of the sewers where the water was processed and recycled for later use. These round vats were the clarifiers that would once have held sewage, the lids and gas outlet systems that would once have covered them now removed.

The clarifiers were maybe five meters deep and thirty meters wide, the central columns around which the skimmer blades had once turned now repurposed. Branching off of each one was a series of a dozen tall shelves, which were long enough to reach the edge of the vat, and perhaps six meters high. They were vertical farms, plant life overflowing from them, creating walls of red and orange foliage that trailed down into the water below. UV lights mounted on tall stands that sat atop the central pillars fed them, long, insulated cables that were patched with electrical tape trailing off out of view. At least parts of the facility seemed to have power.

As she looked closer, Xipa noticed movement beneath the algae-covered surface of the water, seeing the silvery shimmer of a shoal of fish. These weren't just farms - they were aquaponic farms, where the nutrient-rich aquaculture water was fed directly to the plants that grew in the vertical racks. Rather than use expansive fields to grow food and graze livestock as some other species did, the Valbara'nay did most of their farming in the industrial band of the city. Many of the 200-meter-tall structures housed hydroponics, aquaponics, and insect farms that produced the fruits and vegetables, fish, and insect protein that made up the bulk of the Valbara'nay diet. It allowed them to grow a lot of food in a very limited space and to minimize their impact on the local ecosystem.

The survivors must have raided those old farms for supplies, recreating them deep beneath the surface, out of view of the Bugs. The insects had no use for such things, so they would have been able to scavenge everything from ultraviolet bulbs to pumps and piping.

There were more survivors down there, too. They walked between the vats, checking on the systems, tending to the crops. There was a whole civilization living right under the noses of the Bugs. How were they generating power, and how were they reducing their emissions and waste enough to avoid drawing unwanted attention? An operation of this scale couldn't have been set up overnight - they must have been surviving down here for rotations.

"You can admire our farms later," the woman chided, leading Xipa down the left side of the catwalk. She heard Fletcher whistle in surprise as he walked through the doorway, the sound drawing the attention of a few of the farmers below, who paused to stare at the strange sight. The rest of the team were led off to the right, the masked woman blocking Xipa as she tried to go after them.

"Where are you taking my flock?" she demanded.

"To a holding cell," the woman replied. "They'll stay there until you've explained yourself to our satisfaction."

Xipa wanted to argue, but she held her tongue, giving her companions a reassuring nod as they were led away at gunpoint. Her captor aimed her pistol at her again, and Xipa got the picture, continuing along the raised platform. They exited the room through another door that led off the catwalk, emerging into an office. It was filled with rows of consoles that must have once controlled the now inactive systems of the plant, their blinking lights and holographic projectors long since dark. There was a window that took up the forward wall, looking out over the vats, giving the occupants a view of the farms. The numerous chairs and desks suggested that a couple of flocks had probably manned this place when it was in operation. As an Ensi, Xipa knew of similar facilities in her own city back on Valbara, though she had never needed to visit one in person before.

There was a table towards the back of the room around which were sat three women wearing old civilian clothes. They fluttered their feathers in a formal greeting, one that Xipa returned after a moment of confusion, her suit panels approximating the display. Her masked jailer stepped aside, keeping her weapon at the ready as Xipa slowly made her way over to the trio. One of them gestured to a chair, and she sat down opposite them, sliding off her helmet and shaking out her sheaths. She felt as though she had just transitioned from a hostage situation to a job interview.

"Who are you?" the middle woman asked, her tone curt but polite. She looked to be about the same age as Xipa, maybe a little older.

"I am...Xipa'tla'nemi," she replied, glancing between the three. "Ensi of Anabar and commander of the Consensus fleet."

"What is the name of your ship?" another asked skeptically. This one had darker scales and an ugly scar on her lip that exposed some of her pointed teeth.

"I captain the battle carrier Vengeance," Xipa said. The woman looked her up and down, examining what was to her unfamiliar clothing and equipment. The masked stranger stepped forward now, producing Xipa's XMR from beneath her cloak, setting it down on the table. The scarred woman leaned over to pick it up, turning it over in her hands curiously.

"Why is an Ensi responding to a distress signal?" the first woman asked. "What are those...creatures that you brought with you? Why are you in the company of an insect?"

"Much has happened in the thirty rotations since the invasion," Xipa began, wondering where she should even begin. "If you will allow me to explain..."

"That is why we have brought you here," another replied. "We are the Ensis of this city, and we are the stewards of its people. When our gravitational wave detectors warned of a fleet jumping into the system, we worried that it might be another hive, but our telescopes saw a force made up of ships of unknown configuration."

"Some of those vessels were clearly evolutions of Valbara'nay designs," the scarred Ensi added, setting down the XMR that she had been examining. "Others were not. We debated how to proceed - whether we should attempt to signal this fleet - but consensus was reached when we saw you bring down the tethers."

"The foe of my foe is a potential ally," another added.

"We activated our beacon and waited, hoping that you would make contact," the scarred Ensi continued. "After many days, what arrived was not a Valbara'nay flock as we had anticipated, but a collection of unknown alien species. Our scouts watched you as you made your way to the city center, and when you located the beacon, we sprung our trap."

"You were watching us before we arrived at the beacon?" Xipa asked, narrowing her eye. "Why not announce yourselves?"

"What would you have done if faced with unknown aliens in the company of an insect?" another of the Ensis replied. "For all we knew, Valbara had fallen, and our kin had been taken as slaves by some marauding empire. We formulated a plan to bring you in for questioning, and here you are."

"The Consensus is now a member of the Coalition," Xipa explained with an exasperated flush of purple. "It is a military alliance of six distinct species who have banded together to counter the Betelgeusian threat. The insects," she added, realizing that these people would have never heard the term before. "We jumped into the system with a combined fleet of Earth'nay and Valbara'nay vessels, and we fight alongside auxiliaries from several other races. Those strange ships that you saw were the UNN. They invested considerable resources into helping us liberate Kerguela."

"You can understand our apprehensions, we are sure," one of the Ensis replied. "We have posited that alien species are most likely to cull potential rivals as a preemptive measure, judging by our experiences with the insects. Our philosophers once believed that any species that could colonize planets would have no need to claim the resources of other civilizations, and so interstellar war was unlikely. Now, we know that the evolutionary principle of survival of the fittest is not suspended once a species reaches space. The competition only becomes more brutal. We thought ourselves the intellectual and moral equals of anyone we might meet, but we are merely mice scurrying beneath the feet of Teth'rak. Remaining hidden has been our one saving grace."

"Let me tell you a story," Xipa began, steepling her fingers as she leaned on the table. "After Kerguela fell, and we retreated back to Valbara, we started a project to protect the planet from an invasion that we all knew was coming. We built new ships, designed orbital battlestations, raised an army millions strong. When the insects came for us, it was all for nothing. They would have smashed through our defenses and razed our cities just like they did here if it wasn't for the Earth'nay."

"Which ones are they?" the scarred Ensi asked.

"The furless mammals," Xipa explained. "A UNN carrier and its escort fleet happened upon us during our time of need, and they didn't hesitate, they didn't ask anything of us. They joined the fight, and with their support, we were able to defeat the hive. There are aliens out there who are willing to help - who act selflessly based on the moral guidelines that our philosophers once outlined. The Bugs are an aberration, and we need no longer fear them now that we have powerful allies. We are equal partners in a Galactic alliance, and we came here to scour this moon's surface of the insects, to reclaim it for our people."

Xipa leaned back in her chair, letting her trio of interrogators mull over her words. In her bid to convince them of the Coalition's value, she had heaped her praises upon the Earth'nay, too. When she had set out on this venture, she had been more resentful than grateful towards the aliens due to how they had invalidated her life's work, how they had swept in to humiliate her civilization with their superior technology. Nothing that she had told these people was a lie or an exaggeration. The Earth'nay really had acted selflessly, and they really did embody the values that the Valbara'nay had once been certain would rule their interactions with other sentient races. Maybe it was petty pride more than any genuine grievance that had colored her opinion of them until recently. She had wanted to prove herself, to prove that her people could keep up with the aliens.

She had seen those pilots take down the hive ship in a daring raid over Valbara's skies, and she had seen Fletcher all but tear his arms out of their sockets trying to save Ruza. How many thousands of Earth'nay had been killed in the fight to retake Kerguela so far?

"And...these other species," one of the Ensi asked after a few moments. "What role do they play in this Coalition? Who rules them?"

"We share equal responsibility through consensus," Xipa explained. "There is a security council, and each member is permitted to vote on policies. There are six members. The founders are the Brokers and the Krell'nay - the giant reptile that you no doubt saw on the catwalk. The Brokers are elusive, providing only technology and resources, while the Krell'nay are noble creatures of incredible strength and loyalty who they elevated. There are the Borealans, fierce feline warriors. They come from a primitive world, but they are valued for their fighting prowess and their keen senses. The Earth'nay rule a vast interstellar empire with dozens of colonies, and they have the ships and armies to police it. They are hundreds of rotations more advanced than we are, and we now incorporate their technology into our own forces. Then, there are the Jarilans, insects that have been domesticated and genetically altered to serve us. I was skeptical too," she added hastily as she saw the Ensis exchange glances. "They have proven to be invaluable tools."