Tribes Gather - Chapter Five

It was most definitely an alien species. We ran a check on the brain wavelengths and it matched no known race, said (or thought) Kiyana. Infrared scans indicate that it was a bipedal.

Match no known race? Ouyina’s emphasis on ‘known race’ was unmistakeable. His raised eyebrows made it more pronounced. Well this is certainly unprecedented. Did we manage track where it went?

That wasn’t possible Ouy. One moment it was registering normally on our scans, the next moment it was gone. And so was a battledrone.

Ouyina’s eyes light up with interest. A battledrone was missing too?

Kiyana nodded.

So our unknown friend is interested in this war. He said while absently scanning the vista of the Ruulinian outpost. Situated on the Tenth Planet of this star system, it was by far the most hostile to life, if you weren’t a Ruulin that is. For this sturdy and steadfast species however, taming it was a piece of cake; especially if the taming was undertaken by the best of its military and technology.

From his observation bay Ouyina could see numerous ships docking at the main hangar. No doubt they were returning what was left of their hydroldiers. High speed tunnels zig-zagged their way through the hastily built structures and compounds to make a capable transport system. Within these tunnels one-ruulin or two-ruulin jets shuttled between the major camps. Tycine powered lamps made up for the fading light of the distant star that ruled this system.

As he saw the entire machinery and military on work, preparing for another attack, or a retreat, or maybe both, Ouyina wondered what the arrival of a new species on the scene meant. This is surely something to get the superiors agitated. I’ll relay it to them and let them worry about. My concern is regarding our hydroldiers Kiya, so what can you tell me?

Yea we’re making progress on that. We detected some foreign implants in a few of our hydroldiers- a chemical residue that was sticking to their analysers and interfering with most of their processes. It wasn’t something about that planet that was working against us, it was someone or something from outside.

Ouyina took a deep sigh. Why is all this becoming so complicated right before my eyes oh Krishna? Hydroldiers failing, indications of tampering, alien species and missing battledrones. This was supposed to be a routine engagement. Cleanse the planet of Yitakus and establish a Ruulin base.

This is no time to despair Ouy. You’ve been through worse haven’t you? Do you not remember the Hol assignment?

Another sigh, this one much deeper. I remember it well. It was on that Krishna-forsaken assignment that I lost my brothers. I saw the extent of Yitaku viciousness and the depths to which they will sink to have things their way. Memories flooded Ouyina. Memories that he had long buried in some deep cavern of his mind. Memories that Kiyana had now caused to surface.

Hol, megahub of the Ruulin race, pride of its leaders. Home to thirty five billion adults alone, let alone the children. Within its gigantic and imposing utam-glass shroud, Hol was the center of Ruulin arts and culture. It had never in history been attacked, and any attack was only likely to fail. It was on Hol that every uber-technology ever conceived was given shape and application. Knowledge of the ways in which it was protected was not known to its own people; that was the privilege of a select few: the Ruulin Elite.

To the adolescent Ouyina, residing with his family on a remote asteroid on the outer fringes of the Hol star system, planet Hol was no less than a mythical figure of awe and wonder. When he applied to join the Ruulin intergalactic protection force, he secretly hoped that one day he will get to visit Hol itself. The hope was only strengthened (partly by envy) when both his brothers, Uuyina and Euyina, were short listed by the Hol Megauniversity for their higher studies. While Ouyina struggled through the military, jumping from planet to planet warding off Yitaku attacks or penetrating into their territory, his brothers were living their common childhood dream of walking among the terraganglions of Hol.

You look disturbed Ouy. Was I not supposed to bring this up? Many Ruulins would have given their right arm (or both) to hear such a concern for them in Kiyana’s voice.

Ouyina chuckled gently. Perfectly all right Kiya. Maybe I needed that, to remember how much I hate these Yitakus. Maybe I can use the angst to find new ways of damaging them.

But as he lay in his sleeping chamber that night, Ouyina was reminded that the memories of Hol also brought nightmares. The same ones everytime. Young Ruulins, drenched in the blood of their parents, running away from the monsters the Yitakus had sent. Their dead parents lying scattered in the cities, their internals ripped out without discrimination. Screams of terror threatening to break the utam-glass shroud itself, and the numerous artificial streams turning red even as he stood helpless in his ship, waiting for a command that never came.

And in his nightmares, within that chaos, he would see his brothers, bleeding hearts held in their fists, and a hollow look in their eyes. But the nightmares would show him what was behind that hollowness. Each time he would see that, Ouyina Ruul, Campaign Commander for the Ruulin efforts in the Milky Way, would wake up with a piercing scream that rivaled the screams of those long dead children.