Allies Against a Common Foe
01 Sep 2020LilliSWE
"Many thoughts run rampant through my mind as I make my way to the selected coordinates. Instead of bringing my battleship, the Adjudicator, I brought my smaller Imperial Courier, the Empire's Might, to show that I'm not here to blow them away. I have no idea what to expect when I arrive. Am I going to be the first human to visually see a Thargoid in person? Is this truly a set up to eliminate a high ranking Imperial officer? Who knows? All I do know is that I need to be ready for anything."
The site looks like something out of a horror movie. The abandoned facility glows green in the night sky. Nothing moves about the complex. I land right on the outer perimeter of the complex and exit the ship. Walking on a low G planet is something I hardly get used to. The area glows brighter as I approach it. I finally reach the designated location and look all around me to see if I can spot signs of life. Nothing. Not a damn thing.
Off in the distance, I see a glowing red eye slowly moving towards me. My initial motive is to ready my sidearm, but I need to remain unarmed to project my willingness for peaceful discussions. As the eye draws closer, the outline of the scavenger becomes present. Just a lone scavenger approaches this time. It comes to a halt inches from me and begins to hiss incoherent verbiage. I can't make out a single thing it says. I shout, "I'm sorry but I can not understand you." As I finish my sentence, its speech starts to take form. With a raspy hiss, the jibberish becomes words.
"We are not friends. You have slaughtered many of my family. We simply want to escape from our warring counterparts. We do not wish to warm humanity. We simply want to continue to exist. However, what you call AEGIS is working against our race to fund their own initiatives. A figure simply referred to "the man in black" has visited Klaxian hive structures on several occasions. This individual is working with Klaxian Thargoids to wipe us and humanity out. The Oresrian Thargoids wish to leave human space and the Klaxian threat behind. I speak for my Queen who wishes that you allow us safe travel in exchange for the proof you need to eliminate Aegis and the man in black."
How do I know you will keep your word? And how am I, let alone the rest of humanity, going to spot the difference between Oresrian and Klaxian Thargoid vessels? I mean, you all look the same! I am merely a soldier. I personally can't guarantee safe travel through humanity. I can't police the entire Milky Way.
"We will keep our word because we know you will keep yours. There have many times our ships could have destroyed you. We closely followed your progress through the Navy. Your people trust you, as my family trusts me. The same people killing your citizens are the same ones killing mine."
Ok. You allow me to view this "proof" you have on Aegis and I can devise a plan to get you safely through human space. I can't promise anything as of this moment, but this is why I have the best minds on my team. May I see the proof?
"The proof you seek lies within a Klaxian cartography structure in HIP 19026. I can not control the scavengers as they are linked to the Klaxian hivemind. They will see you as a threat and attempt to kill you. I can, however, provide you with a sensor to allow you entry into the structure. Once inside look for the birthing chamber and you will be provided with a Thargoid link. Take it, the sensor and a probe you find laying around to the center chamber. Deposit them in the proper nodes and you should be provided with the proof you seek. We await your return."
And just like that, the scavenger implodes. Proof that Aegis is working against humanity would send Senator Patreus into a war with them. The exploding scavenger dropped a "Thargoid uplink" with coordinates to the base. I walk back to my courier and begin preparations to head to the structure.