They Answered The Call

Ominian System

Automated Border Outpost 1D-25

1,893 light years from Earth

Hreth’nir waited outside the medical suite as the Ma’lit doctor finished running its scans to ensure that the awakening process had not caused any harm to the human child.

The light above the door changed to a steady blue, indicating that the doctor was granting it access. Hreth’nir palmed the scanner and quietly entered the suite when the door slid to the side.

The doctor was monitoring an array of holographic medical screens and started speaking without turning away from the displays as its suit hands moved gracefully over multiple screens.

“The human child will regain consciousness shortly, ambassador. The procedure was a success, and there are no signs of any lasting damage from the aborted engrammatic transfer procedure.”

It was wearing a medical exosuit, a smaller and refined version of the suits normally worn by the Ma'lit. The specialized suit allowed for precision and the fine motor skills necessary for surgeries and medical treatments.

“Thank you, Doctor. I will wait here for the child to awaken; I think it is important that there is someone familiar with him when he wakes.” Hreth’nir replied as it approached the bed.

“As you wish, ambassador. I am finished here for now and will monitor the human child’s condition from my office outside. Do not hesitate to call me if you need assistance.”

The doctor tapped on one of the screens and then left, the door hissing as it slid shut behind the physician. Hreth’nir stood by the bed, looking down at the human child’s face as it waited for him to wake up.

Within moments, the human’s eyes started moving rapidly under his still-closed eyelids, and his lips parted slightly as he softly moaned. Another minute passed, and then his eyes fluttered open.

Hreth’nir leaned slightly closer, unsure how the human was going to react to its true nature. He had yet to see a Ma’lit outside of their exosuits, and it hoped the human would not panic as it spoke softly to him.

“My human child, it gladdens me to be here for your awakening. I made many prayers and supplications to the creator for your recovery. It seems the creator deemed my efforts worthy.”

The human turned his head in Hreth'nir's direction, following the source of the voice as he looked at it with unfocused eyes. Slowly, Hreth’nir could see as the human’s eyes adjusted to the light and finally focusing.

“Who-mmggh. Thirsty.” The human said, his voice cracking from the long term disuse of his vocal cords.

Hreth’nir reached over to the side table and picked up the small hydration cup, bringing it to the human child’s lips. He drank from it greedily, spilling most of the contents down the side of his face and onto his chest.

“Take it slowly, my human child. I will get you more.” Hreth’nir said soothingly as it turned to the side again and refilled the cup from the spigot by the bed. Turning back, it saw the human staring at it intently.

“Honored Elder? I recognize your voice. Where-Where am I? What happened to me?” The human said as he stared at Hreth’nir with wide eyes that roamed all over the implants before settling on its eyes.

Hreth’nir felt very self-conscious about itself as the human child continued to inspect it closely. At least he wasn’t reacting with fear or revulsion, it thought to itself as it responded to the child.

“Yes, my human child. I am Hreth’nir, and this is my true form. I hope you do not find me offensive to look upon. You suffered a catastrophic neural displacement from the unsanctioned use of the engrammatic transfer device. Your brain was severely damaged, but you have been fully healed.”

“I remember; I was Shillan Domreth. I felt my youngling’s bodies crack as I forced their frozen arms and legs into their death repose. I grieved for my mate Yregna, who suffered at the hands of her overlord and never came back to me.

I remember everything—all the pain and suffering, the regret that the saviors did not come sooner to save my family. The fear in Yan-gith’s eyes as it ordered me to enter the bunker and seal the door behind me.”

Tears were falling down the human’s face, and Hreth’nir wanted nothing more than to embrace the child and soothe him. Instead, Hreth’nir tentatively placed its heavily modified right hand on top of his.

The human child gripped it tightly without hesitation, surprising Hreth’nir with the strength of his grip as he continued to silently sob. “I’m sorry, Honored Elder, I cannot help it. I can’t seem to-“

“Do not apologize, my human. And please, call me Hreth’nir. It is going to take some time for you to process the trauma your mind and your soul underwent. Is there anything you wish to know?”

“How long was I out for? Why are you not in your suit?” he asked as he tried to use his arms to push himself up higher on the slightly elevated bed. They trembled from the exertion, the muscles struggling after the months of inactivity.

Hreth’nir helped him by grabbing two extra pillows from under the bed and placing them behind the child, helping the human prop himself on them. Once the child was settled, Hreth’nir answered him.

“One hundred and seven of your Earth days as of today. As for not being in my suit, a lot has happened since we put you into an induced coma to prevent further damage to your brain.

The Balrikans have returned, my human child. We estimate they will reach the quadrant in less than three of your months. I have decided that it was time for humans to know the truth about the Ma’lit. Just like the Magnati, you share a common heritage with the Ma’lit. We are your cousin-kin.”

The human child stared at Hreth’nir, his eyes roaming over its heavily modified face. After a few moments, he spoke again.

“I see it; you look human despite... your modifications. I’m sorry for staring at you, Hreth’nir. Are you cybernetic, or are the modifications biomechanical in nature?”

“Both.” Hreth’nir replied. “When the Magnati first went into space and colonized worlds, a splinter culture left as well to pursue their own desires for augmentation and the joining of both organic and synthetic. After millennia, we developed a unique culture and forged our own path in the galaxy.

We never forgot our shared heritage with the Magnati, and we naturally were the greatest of friends and allies with them. The Magnati and the Ma’lit joined together, and the Wan’sho and the Slikaath joined with us a few hundred cycles later.

This alliance of the four species formed the core of the Galactic Federation, and it was our unshakable bond with the Magnati that sustained it for millennia before the Balrikans destroyed it. Ma’lit is derived from Magna’lit, which means Kin of the Great Ones in the ancient ancestral tongue.”

The human child listened as Hreth’nir spoke, and he was quiet for some time after it finished speaking.

“Wow. I was not expecting that; I always imagined you as either little gray aliens or something crazy like a sentient octopi species. Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, cousin.” The human child said as he timidly held out a hand towards Hreth’nir.

Hreth’nir responded as it took the human’s hand with its own and moved it up and down like it had seen done in the Republic cultural archives.

“Ah, yes. Humans, just like our Magnati kin, like to shake hands. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, both as kin and as a friend, my human child. If you are tired, I can depart so you may rest more.”

The human laughed at Hreth’nir’s offer to leave before replying. “I’ve slept enough, Hreth’nir, and I will be sure to tell you when I wish to rest. Would you mind staying with me for a little longer?”

“Of course, whatever you wish, my child.” Hreth’nir responded, secretly pleased that he wanted it to stay. I missed talking to you, and I am so grateful you have recovered. Glory to the creator, it thought, mindful of the creator’s blessing as the human started speaking again.

“Hreth’nir, please call me Ray. I think it is time we use each other’s names when it is just to two of us, don’t you agree?” The human said, looking into Hreth’nir’s biomechanical eyes as he spoke.

“I agree…Ray. So, what would you like me to talk about?” Hreth’nir asked as he sent a thought command. Out of the floor emerged a nanobot swarm that quickly assembled into a chair, and Hreth’nir sat in it as he waited for the human to reply.

“Why don’t you finish telling me about how the war ended and the plagues? What happened to the Magnati, the Wan’sho, and all the others? How are we descended from the Magnati?”

Hreth’nir was unsure if it was appropriate to discuss such things so soon after waking up, but the look on Ray’s face changed its mind. It waited for the human to finish shifting his position before starting.

“I will skip forward to the events you wish to know about, and you can fill in the gaps later. The Federation pushed the Balrikans off the worlds they had conquered and liberated the poor souls of those brutalized worlds.

Deprived of their bases, the surviving Balrikan fleets once again reverted to a guerilla-style campaign that caused much death and destruction. Balrikan ships continued to cross the expanse between the arms and replenish their losses, and we continued to build up our forces.

We successfully prevented them from reestablishing bases, and the conflict settled into a form of stalemate that continued for many cycles as our fleets continued to hunt and destroy them. Still, more came, and still, we fruitlessly tried to pin down their forces and destroy them once and for all.

By this time, we had finally built enough ships to fully defend our territory, limit the depredations of the hateful creatures, and form an expeditionary force large enough to invade their territory.

A combined fleet of over 60,000 warships and supply vessels was launched, and they crossed the expanse to end the war. This was also the first time we used the new stellar null torpedoes we had developed.”

“What? Stellar torpedoes? What are those, Hreth’nir?” Ray asked.

“Stellar null torpedoes. These were specialized null devices that could exit null space within the core of the targeted sun. Utilizing multiphasic shield technology, the torpedoes would keep the aperture open and allow a large volume of core matter to be displaced into null space.

This would create a large void as the core material flowed through the aperture, much like what happens when a ship enters or exits null space within the atmosphere on a planet.

When the shields finally failed, the null space aperture would close, and the gravitational pressure around the void would collapse into the now empty space, triggering an implosion within the core.

The resultant shock wave would further compress the core, and the targeted sun would go critical within a day, sometimes hours depending on the age and composition of the sun.”

The human’s eyes and mouth kept getting wider as Hreth’nir described the weapon. It could see the horror the human was experiencing, and it took some time before he could speak again.

“Jesus Christ! Are you telling me you made a weapon that could destroy the sun? Multiple suns? That—no one should ever have that much power. If you could make them, others could, right?”

“The Ma’lit did not build the weapons; your Magnati ancestors did. A team of fifty-two preeminent scientists and theoreticians collaborated together to develop the weapon system in secret.

They were completely isolated from all others, even their families, and they did so willingly to help end the war. They built fifty of the devices and notified their superiors that the weapons were ready.

When the military and government officials arrived to collect the weapons, they found all fifty-two of the researchers dead in the secret labs they had been working in for almost two cycles.

They destroyed all the research and knowledge they had accumulated during the development of the weapon before committing ritual suicide with a poison they synthesized for themselves.

Besides farewell letters to their families and their wills, they all signed a joint declaration explaining their actions and asking for forgiveness for what they had created in their search for a weapon to end the war.

They felt the weapon they created was too evil to exist, and they decided among themselves to ensure the fifty devices they built would be the only ones ever made by the Galactic Federation.”

Sadness crossed the human’s features, and Hreth’nir waited as he bent his head and whispered a prayer before looking back up at it and speaking.

“They killed themselves? That’s terribly sad, and I hope they were recognized for their willingness to sacrifice themselves to ensure such abominations could never be made again.”

“Some were incensed that they presumed to know better and judge the morality of the weapons, but many were greatly affected by the suicides and vowed to make the sacrifices of the scientists mean something. All fifty devices were taken, and the labs became sacred tombs.

Where was I? Ah yes, the expeditionary fleet was now in enemy territory, and they fought many battles as they made their way ever deeper into Balrikan space to find appropriate targets for the fifty devices.

Entire solar systems were laid to waste as the fleets swarmed through them, using kinetic bombardments and anti-matter bombs to destroy the populations and infrastructure that supported the Balrikan war machine.

Systems with only Balrikans were wiped out entirely, some with the devices, others with the bombardments I spoke of. It depended on the level of infrastructure and population numbers.

“And systems with conquered populations that suffered under the Balrikan occupations? Did you exterminate those poor victims as well? Ray asked accusingly as he stared at Hreth’nir in horror.

“Ray, this was a war for our very survival, and we were well within our rights to do what was necessary. However, the Magnati and the Wan’sho commanders leading the forces refused to kill innocent species.

The few species the Balrikans did conquer were spared extermination, but their infrastructure was destroyed, and strike teams were landed with weapons and equipment to arm the populace and lead uprisings against their oppressors.

They volunteered to be left behind, and the fleet continued to press deeper towards the more developed regions and Core Worlds as they fought off numerous Balrikan counterattacks.

After many solar months, they finally reached the heart of Balrikan space, and the remaining 42,000 warships of the expeditionary force split themselves into four large fleets of over 10,000 ships each.

Dozens of solar systems were purged, dozens of suns were destroyed, and still, more Balrikan ships came to fight us and prevent further penetration. It was only then that we realized our error.”

“What error, Hreth’nir?” Ray asked as he reached for the cup of water without looking away from Hreth’nir’s visual implants. It waited until the human finished drinking before responding.

“We had been operating under the assumption the Balrikans would have a home world that was surrounded by a network of Core Worlds in the center of their territory. We assumed they would have a unified government that controlled them and their war effort.

It wasn’t until we captured and interrogated a high-ranking clan leader that we realized what we were truly facing and the futility of our eradication efforts. They could never be forced to surrender, and there was no true central government to decapitate.

They are a clan-based species, and they are nomads, Ray. There was no government to destroy, and they left their home world because they destroyed it themselves, rendering it uninhabitable during their first crusade against their own species.

They took their clan system and nomadic lifestyle into space with them. That is what we faced.”

Ray’s brow furrowed in concentration as he looked away from Hreth’nir and thought about what it just told him. Hreth’nir waited patiently as it allowed the human to analyze the situation with the Balrikans.

After a few moments, Hreth’nir could see the understanding dawning on his face as he realized what the Galactic Federation was dealing with, and he looked towards Hreth’nir again.

“I see it now, Hreth’nir. Unless you hunt down and kill every single Balrikan in the galaxy, they will always return. Since they are nomadic clans, there are no governments or worlds you could destroy to deliver the final killing blow and end the war.

You would need to kill every one of them to end the war, and if even a few of them escaped, they would just move to another area and rebuild. Only their total extinction would end them and prevent another war.”

Pride surged through Hreth’nir at the insight the human was able to quickly glean from limited data despite not being of the warrior class. They truly are worthy inheritors, Hreth’nir thought as it responded.

“Precisely so, my human. If even a remnant survived, it would not be us who would be dealing with them again. It would be our descendants who would have to deal with a resurgent Balrikan crusade.

Faced with this daunting reality, the expeditionary fleet set about on their task of the complete eradication of the hateful creatures. The noble warriors of the fleet became exterminators as they cleansed entire worlds.

Scouts were sent to find the solar systems with the largest concentration of Balrikan populations, and we used the last fourteen devices on those suns, committing great evil to finally end the war.

By this time, the fleet stocks were running low, and much of the fleet needed repair and refit. The decision was made to conquer a system with the infrastructure and resources necessary to establish a viable base.

A system was found that suited our purposes, and the fleet retreated to it and invaded. After wiping out the inhabitants, we seized the infrastructure and retooled it for our purposes.

We fortified the system, built the necessary support infrastructure to repair and resupply our ships, and we fought off repeated attempts by the Balrikans to eject us from the heart of their territory.

They went into a frenzy, my human. It seemed as if our seizure and occupation of a system within the heart of their territory was sacrilegious and an affront that they could not tolerate.

Fleet after fleet after fleet came, and the expeditionary forces suffered severe attrition despite our victories. As our warship numbers dwindled, the fleet commanders grew increasingly concerned about the success of their mission.

Ships and drones were sent back to the Federation to gather additional forces and reinforce our depleted fleet, which now numbered just over twenty thousand combat-capable warships.”

Ray’s mouth opened in shock at the losses suffered by the powerful and advanced Federation forces. “They lost 2/3rds of their combat power? How many Balrikan ships did they destroy during the invasion?”

“Over 200,000 Balrikan ships.” Hreth’nir answered, holding up a hand to stop the human from responding.

“That is not to say 200,000 warships, Ray. Remember, they are nomadic. We noticed a marked decline in actual warships after the many battles fought during the invasion, and now they were using... technicals, as you so aptly termed them during one of our previous discussions.

There were still warships, but most of what we were facing during their attempts to reclaim the system were locally available ships that had basic weaponry and armor plating quickly installed, and most of their combat power was still fighting the Federation forces in the Orion Arm.

I came across an expression during my studies of your conflicts. I believe it is ‘Quantity has a quality all its own’ and was said by one of the evilest humans to ever exist in reference to a war of attrition.

Such was the case here, my human. Despite the technological disparity and the severe disadvantages, the hateful creatures would still eventually defeat the expeditionary forces because they simply had the numbers to do so.

It was at this time that the ships we sent to bring reinforcements finally returned. Only two thousand additional warships accompanied them, and those would be the last they would ever receive due to th-.”

A confused expression on his face, Ray rudely interrupted Hreth’nir again. “Why only two thousand ships? Surely there were more warships available to support and reinforce the expeditionary forces?”

Hreth’nir carefully modulated its voice to hide the anger it was feeling before answering him coldly. This was the third time the human had interrupted it, and Hreth'nir was incensed by the repeatedly rude behavior.

“Do not interrupt me again, human. It is disrespectful, and I will not tolerate such inconsiderate behavior from you again. You may be kin and a friend, but I am still Ma'lit and an Honored Elder of the governing council."

The human looked surprised and then deeply hurt before looking down as Hreth’nir scolded him, and he did not respond or look back up after Hreth’nir had finished.

It could see the human’s hands start to tremble slightly as he continued to avoid looking at Hreth’nir. After a few moments, the human child turned away from Hreth’nir and presented his back to it as he lay on his side.

Regret for what it had done filled Hreth’nir as the child finally spoke, directing his words at the wall he was facing. “Please leave, Honored Elder. I am tired, and I wish to sleep.” he said softly in a quavering voice thick with emotion.

Hreth’nir stared at the human’s back, feeling terrible for scolding the child. It was just about to apologize when it heard the door slide open and the doctor came over to stand next to Hreth’nir.

“You will depart at once, Honored Elder. My diagnostic equipment is showing signs of elevated emotional distress from my patient. Leave us, now!”

Hreth’nir backed away from the doctor, surprised by the anger as it demanded Hreth’nir leave at once. The raised volume of the doctor’s med suit only reinforced its command.

Ma’lit doctors were well known for being extremely protective of their patients, and Hreth’nir knew better than to defy the one that just ordered it to leave, honored elder or not.

Hreth’nir turned around and exited the medical suite, stopping to look through the clear polyglass at the human child. The doctor looked back and noticed it looking into the suite from outside and flicked a finger.

The polyglass privacy function activated, and Hreth’nir found itself staring at its own reflection on the now silvery surface. You are an arrogant fool, it thought accusingly to the reflection staring back at it.

Hreth’nir sadly turned away and headed back to its quarters, feeling like its friendship with the human child it loved deeply was irrevocably damaged.

Ignoring all the other Ma’lit it walked past along the way, Hreth’nir entered the quarters and stopped in front of the chair it had specially made for the human child by a Ma'lit artisan with imported materials.

It had let the chair remain where it was in the hopes that the human would recover and use the gift again. Regret filled Hreth’nir, and it sat in the chair for the first time, using the lever to extend it and lay back.

Now fully extended and looking up at the shimmering ceiling above it, Hreth’nir flicked a finger. A holo screen appeared, the time index displaying the date and time of the holo video.

It was a recording of their first time meeting each other, and Hreth’nir activated the playback. As it heard the human child introduce himself for the first time, Hreth’nir felt ashamed of its arrogant behavior.

I hope you forgive me, my human. I am sorry, Hreth’nir thought as it continued to watch the holo screen above it. A deep loneliness entered its spirit, and Hrethnir allowed itself to be swallowed by the emotion.