East of Eden (Private)

"I understand the necessity for precautions, especially in a situation such as your own. From what I've read in the report filed to me by Talent Ahmed, the missionary in question, your men came in an unusual bioship, which indicates that their mission appeared to be successful. From his count two others were present, he recorded their names as Koen and Genevai, who was injured upon arrival and was given medical care in the station's medbay. If you would like verification that this is the truth, perhaps I can connect them to this commlink briefly. I fully understand if I am not fully trusted, being in the position I am currently in, but I wish to do nothing more than provide help to our fellows in the Lord."

"'Two others were present... Koen and Genevai...'"

"Only four survived? Of eighteen boys and girls, only four-"

"Yes, sir. We've heard correctly."

"I want- shit, I need to get back on the line," Andri Ayub-Stinley rasped as he shoved the headset to his ear.

---

"It would be preferable if we speak with Samsir and Gieffrei to reestablish contact; We trust the integrity of your claims, though it is our duty to keep in contact with our deployed soldiers. As for the bioship, it seems that the mission was done- at least with regards for capturing the docked Aurelian vessel. We need to speak with- yes- Gieffrei and Samsir over the line to verify that the first half of the mission was fulfilled among other reports pertinent to any casualties."

---

"Very well," Miriam said. "Give us a few minutes and we'll have the two on line."

Temporarily disconnecting, she proceeded to reactivate the communications expert system, and commanded it, "Contact Missionary Post East of Eden, reroute to current commlink."

After a brief few seconds, she could hear on the other side Talent Ahmed's voice. "Talent Ahmed speaking. Orders, ma'am?"

"Put the two Tantalans on line, Talent Ahmed. Commodore Ayub-Stinley wishes to speak with them. Leave the room to them, while you're at it: allowing them private communications should allow us a good impression."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before long, Talent Ahmed retrieved the two from the barracks, and Sister Miriam reconnected to the commlink.

"Samsir and Gieffrei will be connected in a moment. For the purposes of your discussion, I will disconnect, and Talent Ahmed will leave them alone in his office and soundproof the walls to assure our goodwill."

"Zzzzt. This is Gieffrei reporting-"

"Gieffrei! What the hell is going on down there? I hear that only four of you survived. What happened to the rest of the crew?"

Perhaps out of respect, no one else dared to speak into the central intercom as Cmmd. Ayub-Stinley hunched over his own transmitter.

"We actually have one guard staying in the bridge keeping watch over an Aurelian chap we captured- But yes, only the five of us survived-"

"Dammit, I want to know what happened to Valdorin and the others! I want to know if the ring was crippled."

Several seconds passed once more, owed largely to signal latency, but Gieffrei's voice returned:

"Valdorin was ambushed by an Aurelian guard aboard the station while running to the extraction zone- a Bugger swarm woke up and signaled those chemoalarms, forcing us to abort the mission."

Shit, was the only thought Andri could grasp when Gieffrei's voice continued.

"The remaining 13 men and women perished aboard our docking vessel when an Aurelian Sparrow patrol, having received word of the intrusion, opened fire on our bridge, hold- you name it- killing most of us in the first three minutes. Samsir, Koen, Grigsby-Feldin, and I fled just in time to the transversal axis: That was when Valdorin's leg was cut open by those bastards."

(OOC: Pass, my guys are waiting until the conversation is done.)

General Ayub-Stinley kept his clasped fingers together as he seethed through Gieffrei's transmission.

"If there is any hope, however, I will remind you that we captured the Aurelian scientist accountable for something which warrants our attention: For months, we have infiltrated an Aurelian 'grazing field' where they were working on something big. Something which imperils not only our own destinies but also that of any civilization within at least two hundred lightyears."

"Brakkus-Yesimov, do you hear that-"

"Sir," the younger gentleman pointed to the tabletop speaker-grille. "It's still going on."

"This ship confirms our suspicions. The Aurelians are developing warp drives. Alcubierre-tier, if you recall what scant physics lessons we were taught."

"Damn son of a bitch!"

Brakkus-Yesimov felt his loins sink inward, keeping his eyes focused so as to not give more reasons why Andri should be upset.

God, how long have we not known?

I pray that I'm accepted into the proper afterlife...

Silence returned just long enough for the Leader to realize the brevity of his shouting: Everyone's faces studied Andri's, waiting to see if he would erupt again. He didn't, and instead cleared his throat after noticing a minute-long lull of chatter.

"I... Brakkus-Yesimov-"

"None of us blame you, sir," replied one of the drab women as she darted around for hints of feelings others probably felt. Roentgen-Xiv, Lorrid, Fillmoor-Dyne... Andri's shoudlers, hips and waist were surrounded with imagined pressure when he spoke again into the transmitter.

"Forgive us for the delay, but Gieffrei? You are promoted if what you s-said is true. Does your captive have any more information on this project?"

"No- not which we have extracted yet. The bloke keeps deliberating even after Samsir scars him up with the edge of his knife; we actually had to transfuse blood from a corpse into him after Sam gave him quite the treatment. I'll spare you the sordid details, but we were unsuccessful on his end. Koen, when Samsir took over Valdorin's stabilization, did find some stone tablets in the hold, but our captive again refused to translate them."

"Tablets-"

"Brakkus, I want to ask a question: How in Hell are these stone-smashing brutes achieving what we sought a long time ago?"

"I don't know! You ask them!"

Defensive kiss-up and senior-ranking officer glared towards one another. Recirculated air burned the linings of Andri's nasal passage as his lungs expanded.

"Dammit! Someone's on to our archives; If what I suspect is true, that Rockefeller kid is costing us our lives! Gieffrei, here are your men's orders: Leave behind Genevai for medical treatment and proceed to interrogate that red bastard lounging in your bridge. On the same token, do not show him mercy by taking his life immediately; If you make him realize that his pain will last for a long time, he should speak up. For starters, amputate his extremities and work your way up as possible without, but don't send him unconscious or into shock- lob off sections of this Satan's tail and shove them down his throat if you have to. Loan or steal a blood circulation pump if possible, but keep the sucker alive until he speaks. That is your first and only briefing on terminal interrogation techniques, Gieffrei."

---

"... That is your first and only briefing on terminal interrogation techniques, Gieffrei."

"Did you hear that right, Samsir?"

Both men sat across from each other as their ears strained to pick up Andri's gravelly voice. The mentioned man gazed up at Gieffrei with nauseous eyes.

"Well, we had better get on with it. However, it's best for us if we catch some sleep first. I don't want to have to hold down a whopping creature with rage issues while we slowly butcher him up. Koen should make sure that Valdorin's deep asleep when we finally question Y'lin-something."

"Fair enough. Commodore Ayub-Stinley is correct as well: We will need to rig up Y'linl to keep him alive until he's no longer needed."

---

"We will do so tomorrow after we load up the first supplies. More importantly, we will have left the station when we extract more information from this ruby-skinned bugger; Meaning, we will ensure that nobody gives the wrong impression."

"Good. Do whatever you want with your captive after you tell us who's our spy and where your ship was developed. Deliver the supplies between 11:43 and 12:21 TSC no later than the day after; Sources show that there should be the fewest ships in the system and leave you free from hassle. Please return me to Sister Miriam if there are no more questions."

---

"And we are done," said Samsir.

"Excellent," Talent Youssef said. "The link will be passed back to Sister Miriam, then."

***

With that, Sister Miriam reactivated her connection, and said, "Commodore Ayub-Stinley, I do hope that your conversation with them has verified our grace and magnanimity. I repeat, that our resources are available for immediate deployment at your half: we are capable of providing at the very least provisions and medical supplies to restock your own, and then several thousand surplus fusion laser rifles for the use of your ground soldiers, as well as an adequate supply of charge packs to last at least two years of sustained use. Additionally, we are preparing the elite unit of the Flagellants for deployment on your behalf, and may seek to secure political recognition of your people in the wider galaxy as a whole. Do you accept our offer of aid?"

"Sister Miriam, we have long struggled to find a name for ourselves: With your assistance, dedication and perseverance, we will reverse our projected trajectory from one of failure to victor. Hearing that your selfless soldiers are prepared endears our hopes that we will be taken seriously by our region of the Galaxy. With regards for the logistics, however, we must warn you that our star system is under increasingly restrictive surveillance. Movements into and beyond our system require realtime coordination between those in the helm, airstrip and streets. Provided that your boys and girls are capable of the task, we accept your aid offer in exchange for expanded access to our operations."

"It is not impossible," Miriam replied confidently. "We are no strangers to covert warfare. I believe our pilots and men quite capable of landing without detection, if we could so coordinate it, and perhaps you could discuss the details with one of my commanders in the coming days. I am afraid, however, that my time is limited and that I have other matters to attend to. God be with you, and may your belief be true and your strength indomitable."

***

True to her word, the Tantalans are contacted not too long after by Colonel Maite Vinci, the commander of the Flagellants tasks to coordinate the efforts to aid the Tantalan resistance. Together, she and the Tantalans arranged a specific time in which the transports will be able to surreptitiously run the Aurelian blockade, and before too long the date had come. Using nothing more than commercially available cloaking devices and the skills of some very talented pilots, the transports make their landing, unloading the force of five thousand Flagellants as well as the generous supply of rations, medicine, and arms that come with them. Of course, it was the presence of these hardened and heavily-armed elites amongst the Believing Crusaders which was the real aid here. Chosen for a combination of zeal and martial prowess, as well as the immense willpower necessary for the self-flagellation in their various rites, they were a name to be feared on Chiron, and for good reason. However, with an operation as large as this one, complete secrecy is not always possible...

***

Brother Lal's Office, UN Headquarters

Brother Lal sighed as the visage of Sister Miriam Godwinson appeared before him on the holoprojector. It was a few days ago that his agents reported the movement of a large amount of supplies and of a Believing military force off of Chiron, and into deep space. Reports suggested that they were sent in order to aid a group known as the 'Tantalans', in deep space, possibly against the Aurelian Kh'uunate, but he was aware of little else. As such, he felt he had no choice to call a meeting with Sister Miriam, to discuss what exactly the nature of her activities were, as he found them nothing less than subversive. Though he maintained a calm and even voice, he was nothing less than furious at the nature of her activities.

"So, Sister Miriam, my agents have uncovered the movement of a group of your soldiers - Flagellants, no less - as well as supplies, including fusion lasers into deep space, and towards the core region. Can you explain what exactly is going on?"

With the smallest hint of a smile, Miriam replied, "I only knew you would catch on. It is quite simple: I have dispatched aid and soldiers to aid the free Tantalan forces, who are currently occupied by the Aurelian Kh'uunate. I believe that you have made contact with them before, and Talent Zhang's report was nothing less than deplorable, was it not? If you stand for human rights so much as you would lead me to believe, you would offer your own assistance in this righteous struggle, or otherwise not intervene."

Clearly not satisfied, and his displeasure self-evident, Brother Lal replied, "That perhaps might be so, but that does not change the subversive nature of your activities. If the Governate were to permit independent military action such as this, a dangerous precedent would be set. Insubordination would be rife. You must back out of this - this is impermissible!"

"Brother, do you think you rule Chiron all to your own? Though in recent years you may have advanced your powers, and presented a unified front to the foreigners, you know that the true power lies with the seven of us, not the one of you. I do not wish to topple your regime as Governor, nor am I a power-hungry woman, as much as some of your memegineers may wish to portray me. I merely see true Belief where it does lie and wish to help our brothers in spirit, the Tantalans. Surely you cannot simply sit back and watch them suffer? If a man such as yourself were to read the reports, you would join us in a heartbeat."

With a sigh, Lal replied, "I have. I have. And that, Sister, is what makes this decision so difficult. This is a matter of principle: I cannot allow such foreign adventures from factions, not even my own, lest our fledgling galactic power be torn asunder and thrown to the vultures that do inhabit this galaxy. Miriam, you should know of all people the dangers posed by opportunistic expansionists, and powers like the Veridians and the Rheans would so gladly devour our planet in a heartbeat if they so could. You must relent. There is no choice in it."

Still, Miriam did not back down, and in fact smiled as she replied again. "I agree that unity, in our present political situation, is a badly needed object. And which better way to do this than to aid me in these effort? I know that you would like them as much as I would, perhaps even more. We can cooperate on this, Brother, and in doing so confirm the unity that you so love to present, as well as demonstrate that the Governate might have something to offer yet to your fellows. Do you not lead by example, Brother?"

Lal was quiet for a brief moment, and rubbed his forehead, clearly unsure of how to proceed. Eventually, it seemed he came to a decision, and he said, "Very well, Miriam, but only this once. Let it not be made a precedent, only a favor. I shall provide you with military-grade cloaked transports, and lend you some more supplies for which to aid the Tantalans. But that will be it, Miriam, and for the rest you will have to fend for yourself. If there is any backlash from all of this, I will disavow all responsibility, and the result shall be on you. Am I made clear?"

"Yes, as the purest crystal. God be with you, Brother, for His light can reach even you at times."

With that, Miriam disconnected.