His companion was a touch shorter with short, vibrant red hair and mint green eyes. She dressed the same, though she had an empty holster on her left side. Of the two, she wore a wary expression while the male took in his surroundings… grinning as he pointed things out that the woman didn’t bother to look at.
All her attention remained on the security guards.
“Commander!” The man put his arms out to either side. “I’m Griel Pas Dain and this is Operative Niva Lon Tilas. I thought we should talk in person before you throw out a message to whoever you report to. We’ve got a lot to discuss and not a lot of time to do it. Um… you are Commander Titus Barnes, right?”
“I am.” Titus extended his hand. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”
Dain looked at his hand. The woman leaned close to him, whispering something. “Oh! My apologies. I’m not as familiar with the nuances of your people.” He shook Titus’s hand. “I think that’s the way it goes.”
“It is.” Titus gestured to the doctor. “This is our Chief Medical Officer Anders Brett.”
“A pleasure,” Anders nodded while shaking hands. “We’re pleased to make your acquaintance and to find out there are other people out here. We’ve been looking for a long time.”
“I’m sure you’re not thrilled about the Kahls,” Niva muttered.
“Probably not,” Dain said, “but there are a lot of wonders beside those animals. However, we’ll get into all that later. Is there somewhere we can speak?”
“Yes, right this way.” Titus led them into the hallway then down to a nearby conference room. The lights were off and when he hit the panel, it didn’t respond. He sighed, taking them to the next one. At least it was illuminated but smelled vaguely of electricity. Gesturing to the chairs, he had a seat then waved off the security guards. “Wait outside, please.”
Dain flopped in one of the chairs. “They’re just like ours, Niva!”
Niva rolled her eyes before sitting beside him.
“Can you explain,” Titus said, “what’s going on? Why did the Kahls attack us?”
“That’s what they do,” Dain replied. “They’ve been crusading against every species in the galaxy though not all at once. We’ve been at war with them for a time. A tough one too. But they lack something we have… something that gives us a distinct advantage, even if we haven’t been pushing back as much as we’d like.”
“And what’s that?” Anders asked.
“We’re friendly,” Dain replied. He paused, glancing at Niva. “Well, most of us. Anyway, we can make alliances. And we have some with the other cultures. The Kahls conquer, they take slaves occasionally but they never employ others to help. We recognize everyone’s under threat. So our goal is to unify them into a fighting-force that can end this once and for all.”
“So you’re seeking allies.” Titus frowned. “Is that why you intervened?”
“We’re not barbarians,” Niva said. “We found out about this senseless slaughter and came to assist. We hoped to save more lives. I’m sorry for the loss of your colony… for the civilians. The attack happened before we could mobilize properly. I’ve tried to take responsibility…”
“But,” Dain interrupted, “she wasn’t even on the tech station. Niva’s an overachiever when it comes to intel. Works for our military’s observation league. Which basically are a bunch of soldier spies in your culture. Is that accurate?”
Niva nodded. “Similar to your TCN Operational Agency.”
“You know about that?” Titus lifted his brows as he leaned forward. “How is it you know so much about us and we never even had a clue about you?”
“Oh, we’ve been keeping an eye on you for hundreds of years,” Dain replied. “Since long before you had reliable space transportation. I’d say we were roughly flying ships like this one when you were probing the stars for signs of habitable planets. We’re a bit ahead but don’t feel bad, we had a head start.”
“How so?” Anders asked. “What do you mean?”
“Our homeworld,” Niva explained, “housed more Founder technology than yours. You were a true seed planet. One where your people thrived without the benefits of high tech gadgetry. Ours was… less hospitable in the beginning. Which may be why we focused so strongly on survival and military ideals.”
“Yeah, the actual Prytin military?” Dain shook his head. “They’re pretty intense. I tell you, my current post is vastly superior. It lets me lighten up. A lot.”
“Yes,” Niva muttered again, “you definitely needed that.”
“So what happens next?” Titus asked. “I mean, we’re in serious trouble here. Our fleet can’t hope to stop the Kahls. Why did they even attack?”
“You came too close,” Niva replied. “You’re encroaching on the galactic theater for the war. The Kahls probe new discoveries, find out if they’ll be an easy conquest then decide when and if they should attack. You see, while they are bound by their religion to dominate the galaxy, they find no fulfillment in a simple foe.”
“Meaning they might not come after you,” Dain added. “At least, not right away. But it’s only a matter of time. And if you wait, then many of your potential allies may not even be alive to join you. Which is why we’re here talking right now.”
“I don’t follow,” Titus said.
“Simply put, we need you.” Dain put his hands on the table. “Our other allies have spirit… the contribute as they can but yours. You’re warlike. You’ve been fighting battles for centuries. Even your tactics here proved you might’ve held your own if only your gear had been up to the task.”
“Which means,” Niva continued, “we would like to bring you into the alliance. We want you to fight the Kahls with us. To that end, we have resources waiting to be delivered. Equipment
