or two, and being dragged out onto the
dance floor, I couldn’t help but start to enjoy myself. I did try not to
dance with anyone outside of my best friend, but that was difficult as well
without being rude. It was awkward, the harmless flirting while dancing
with a man was completely out of the question for me, but I managed to have fun
anyway.
That night, it took me a while to get to sleep after we got
home. I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling feeling guilty for the fun
I’d managed to have. I also knew the next time I went dancing, that it
would be a little easier to let go, and have fun. Of course, knowing that made
me feel guilty even before it happened…
I looked at the data on the screen and frowned. I’d
made a few guesses, and tried to open up a passage into subspace using slight
modifications on the wormhole drive. It was ultimately a failure, but I’d
gotten a lot of data out of it. I was hopeful once I combed through it
all, that it would lead somewhere. I also wished for the umpteenth time I
could consult the Drenil, who we couldn’t even get to count to three for us.
Al interrupted my thoughts, “Bug update, and a few other
things if you have time.”
I sighed and wondered why I even bothered. It wasn’t like I
could do anything about it. But the curiosity would keep me checking up with
things.
“Go ahead Al.”
“We found two more, for a total of five hive worlds.
They, like the other three are set up similarly in numbers and functions, and
seem to be overbuilding at both new sites as well. There is more, the
races have finally agreed to a sortie type raid on one of their systems.
Get in, start trouble, and then get out. The objective is to figure out
how they’ll react to an attack.”
“When?” I asked feeling conflicted. I wanted to know
too, but we only had a little over three thousand platforms right now, I wanted
twice that number or more before we went.
Al replied, “One week, the various forces will be gathering
at the Seltan system that was attacked. There is another interesting
piece of news.”
One week meant another three hundred more platforms, I guess
I could deal with that. I snorted at myself, as if I had a choice? I supposed
I could stay behind, I didn’t have to go at all, but I rejected that thought.
“What’s that?” I asked dubiously.
Al replied, “The stealth sensor net in our arm of the galaxy
has found a non-humanoid FTL race.”
“That’s strange,” I thought out loud. The seeders
seemed more… competent than that.
Al said, “I believe based on the Seltan’s vague descriptions
of the Reilan race, and the planets they lived on, that this may very well be a
colony or outpost of that believed extinct species.”
I took a deep breath, Al’s voice was so clinical, he had no
idea he’d just dropped a bomb of sorts.
“The Reilan, you mean the ones that were destroyed by the
bugs in the galactic arm next to us, those Reilan?”
There was a brief silence, and Al said, “Yes. Or if
not that specific race, one of the same race type from that arm who either fled
here, or explored before the bug attack. I believe the council has
ordered a first contact probe to the system, obviously they are an ancient FTL
race, and we have no knowledge of their technological level.”
“Keep me up to date on that. Anything else?” I asked,
almost hoping he said no.
Al informed me, “Only that the talks with the Gelnott are
not going well. They seem to be both an arrogant and aggressive
species. Things may change, but right now I find it unlikely they will
sign the treaty and give up their right to do whatever they want.”
I frowned and said a little on edge, “You’re just full of
useful and wonderful information today.”
I hoped it would be a long time before the new treaty was
tested. If we had to, we would quarantine that world. Not back to
the stone age like the Knomen did it, but kept out of
dance floor, I couldn’t help but start to enjoy myself. I did try not to
dance with anyone outside of my best friend, but that was difficult as well
without being rude. It was awkward, the harmless flirting while dancing
with a man was completely out of the question for me, but I managed to have fun
anyway.
That night, it took me a while to get to sleep after we got
home. I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling feeling guilty for the fun
I’d managed to have. I also knew the next time I went dancing, that it
would be a little easier to let go, and have fun. Of course, knowing that made
me feel guilty even before it happened…
I looked at the data on the screen and frowned. I’d
made a few guesses, and tried to open up a passage into subspace using slight
modifications on the wormhole drive. It was ultimately a failure, but I’d
gotten a lot of data out of it. I was hopeful once I combed through it
all, that it would lead somewhere. I also wished for the umpteenth time I
could consult the Drenil, who we couldn’t even get to count to three for us.
Al interrupted my thoughts, “Bug update, and a few other
things if you have time.”
I sighed and wondered why I even bothered. It wasn’t like I
could do anything about it. But the curiosity would keep me checking up with
things.
“Go ahead Al.”
“We found two more, for a total of five hive worlds.
They, like the other three are set up similarly in numbers and functions, and
seem to be overbuilding at both new sites as well. There is more, the
races have finally agreed to a sortie type raid on one of their systems.
Get in, start trouble, and then get out. The objective is to figure out
how they’ll react to an attack.”
“When?” I asked feeling conflicted. I wanted to know
too, but we only had a little over three thousand platforms right now, I wanted
twice that number or more before we went.
Al replied, “One week, the various forces will be gathering
at the Seltan system that was attacked. There is another interesting
piece of news.”
One week meant another three hundred more platforms, I guess
I could deal with that. I snorted at myself, as if I had a choice? I supposed
I could stay behind, I didn’t have to go at all, but I rejected that thought.
“What’s that?” I asked dubiously.
Al replied, “The stealth sensor net in our arm of the galaxy
has found a non-humanoid FTL race.”
“That’s strange,” I thought out loud. The seeders
seemed more… competent than that.
Al said, “I believe based on the Seltan’s vague descriptions
of the Reilan race, and the planets they lived on, that this may very well be a
colony or outpost of that believed extinct species.”
I took a deep breath, Al’s voice was so clinical, he had no
idea he’d just dropped a bomb of sorts.
“The Reilan, you mean the ones that were destroyed by the
bugs in the galactic arm next to us, those Reilan?”
There was a brief silence, and Al said, “Yes. Or if
not that specific race, one of the same race type from that arm who either fled
here, or explored before the bug attack. I believe the council has
ordered a first contact probe to the system, obviously they are an ancient FTL
race, and we have no knowledge of their technological level.”
“Keep me up to date on that. Anything else?” I asked,
almost hoping he said no.
Al informed me, “Only that the talks with the Gelnott are
not going well. They seem to be both an arrogant and aggressive
species. Things may change, but right now I find it unlikely they will
sign the treaty and give up their right to do whatever they want.”
I frowned and said a little on edge, “You’re just full of
useful and wonderful information today.”
I hoped it would be a long time before the new treaty was
tested. If we had to, we would quarantine that world. Not back to
the stone age like the Knomen did it, but kept out of
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