Chapter Thirteen: I Come in Peace
July 23, 2016. Antarctic Research Station Delta.
"He's been asking for you specifically, sir," Rhodes reported, following Director Mills down the hallway. "Not by name, of course, but he has been very insistent about speaking with the head of BAINE. And yes, he is aware of what a cliche this is."
Mills nodded. "Cliche or not, an audience with an authentic extraterrestrial, especially one who claims to be an ally, is not to be missed. Has he said anything of note?"
"Oh, he's definitely said things," said Rhodes, sounding slightly annoyed. "I don't think he's been quiet the entire time we've had him here. He keeps telling us to at least give the info to our higher-ups, but to say there's been a lot to sort through is an understatement…"
"Still, I agree with the Director," said Gina, walking beside them. "No way would I pass up the chance to talk with a real live alien! …Well, there's the Gems, but I don't know if they really count."
"We'll call it a technicality." The three of them approached a large, magnetically-sealed door originally designed for holding radioactive samples; it now held their guest. Rhodes pressed his hand to a scanner, and the door slid open.
Within the containment room, almost everyone at the base was present, standing guard over the reluctant invader, who had been sealed within a glass cylinder in the room's center. "Ah, good, you're here!" Dr. Xu approached the Director and his two guides. "This guy's been asking for–"
"So I've been made aware," Mills said. "Now, why don't we hear exactly what he's been saying?"
"I think it would be best if you heard from the bot himself," said Xu. She walked up to a panel near the containment device, pressing a button to turn on a microphone. "Okay now, just tell him what you told us. Start from the beginning, please.
Without any moving parts on his face, it was difficult to tell what the robot was thinking. However, given his body language, plus the excitement in his voice, he was very glad to see Mills. "You are the one in charge here, yes?"
"I am indeed. Director Morgan Mills, current head of BAINE's North American branch. I would say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but these current circumstances are far from pleasant."
"Indeed…" he said, looking around at his cell. "I imagine you must be curious about who I am, and why I am here. For starters, my name is Valdain'i'Tramarkos. I am, as some might say, a dissenter."
"Uh…I see," said Rhodes. "So, this attack recently, was it from a rogue faction, or an official government-backed invasion?"
Valdain paused for a moment as if to think. "I'm not sure if 'government' is the correct term, but yes, the vessel that attacked your ships does represent the will of my people. Or rather, of one person. You see, my people, the Koh'i'Noor, are all ruled over by Primax Teptromina. It was he who ordered this mission."
Mills was about to ask something, but Gina spoke first. "Now, this Primax guy, why exactly does he want to invade Earth?"
"Oh, 'Primax' is not his name, it is his title," explained Valdain. "He has complete control over our entire race, almost literally."
"We will have time to learn more about the Koh'i'Noor later," Mills said. "But Ms. Packard is correct: why does he seek to invade?"
Valdain shook his head. "Oh, this isn't an invasion. This is a precise, controlled strike. The only reason we even attacked the Xevellans is because they were interfering." His tone became grave. "You see, Gemkind has a superweapon planted within this planet, and–"
"You mean the Cluster, right?" said Rhodes. "Yeah, we know all about that. The Gems already took care of it."
For the longest time, Valdain stared at him curiously. "I…see. Well, I suppose that is good. Now, what exactly caused the Gems to eliminate their own weapon?"
"No, he means the Crystal Gems," said Gina. "They're a rebel faction that broke off a few thousand years back."
"Yes, I have heard of the Crystal Gems," said Valdain, staring off thoughtfully. "To think that they are still active… But that is beside the point. Whether or not the Cluster was destroyed, Primum Alkaria will certainly still seek to complete the Primax's will."
"And this Alkaria" said Rhodes. "Is that your commanding officer?"
"Of course," answered Valdain, as though it were obvious. "First you have the Primax, and below him were the Alather and Lerother before Teptromina did away with those seats, then the Generals, and then the Primums…" He looked around the room, noticing everyone's stares. "...but I suppose you wouldn't have any way of knowing that. Yes, she is my commander. As well as an old friend, shall we say."
While Mills was deep in thought, Xu asked a question. "Not to sound mistrustful, but what exactly is your motive for turning on your own kind? Not to assume you have one beyond helping us, but…do you?"
"While I wish I could say that I am entirely selfless, I cannot," admitted Valdain. "While I am appalled at the destruction of an entire race just for a single victory against our enemy, I also wish to save my own people. Teptromina has…twisted us into something terrible, something no worse than the ones we fight. He seeks to destroy Gemkind at any means necessary, no matter how many innocent lives he has to ruin to do so. I…I could not allow his stranglehold on my people to continue."
The troopers standing guard watched the machine closely, even though he likely wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Even though he wasn't holding his gun, Rook seemed to pay him careful attention, hanging critically on his every word. His mistrust of Valdain was obvious, especially to Luke.
After considering, the Director spoke up once again. "Right, then… Mr. Valdain, can you tell us, in as much detail as you can, what exactly is the attack that this Primum Alkaria aims to launch against us?"
"I can. The knowledge of the Cluster was only relatively recently obtained by our scouts, and Alkaria was specifically deployed to deal with it. The Primax, shall we say, appreciates her devotion. She…actually, would some visuals help?"
The three overseers took a short break to discuss. "Indeed it would," said Mills. "And you have a way of providing them, yes?"
At their approval, Valdain brought a hand up beside his head. Light shone from his eyes, momentarily startling some of the guards into raising their weapons. However, it was simply a picture: a holographic image of a ship appeared from the light. Although its exact size couldn't be discerned, it was noted to have a hole at its front, likely some sort of weapon.
"This is Alkaria's flagship: a Class-Z dreadnought modified with a high-intensity mining laser," explained Valdain. "This laser is colloquially referred to as a 'crust-buster' because of its ability to penetrate into a planet's mantle. However, they are usually too weak for usage of large-scale destruction. Usually."
A grave expression was now being worn by just about everyone present. "I see," said Mills. "And your former commander seeks to use this weapon to destroy the Cluster?"
"Precisely," said Valdain. "On its own, I would not be opposed to this. But the increase in power needed to accomplish this will also cause a chain reaction that will annihilate this planet's biosphere."
"Well, that's…not good," said a worried Dr. Xu. "What if we tried explaining to them that we're all on the same side? We're worried about Homeworld as well, and the Cluster's already been incapacitated. Shouldn't we be working together?"
Valdain shook his head. "Even if Alkaria believed you about the Cluster, Teptromina would never even consider working with 'lesser lifeforms.' As I said, we have become just as bad as the ones we once fought against. I am afraid the only way to save your world is to fight."
"Thankfully, we've gotten pretty good at that," said Gina. "So, should we…" She beckoned Mills and Rhodes closer to speak quietly. "Should we bring this guy back to base? He seems trustworthy, but…"
As the three of them deliberated, Luke stepped over to James. "Hey, you alright, buddy?" he asked. "You've been staring at that guy like he's a bomb with a lit fuse that also insulted your mother."
Rook met eyes with him for a second before going back to glaring at Valdain. "Just being cautious. We just finished up with one hostile alien race, now we're onto another. A little bit of suspicion is healthy, right?"
Luke glanced around uncertainly. "I guess so. Just…just don't go overboard, yeah?"
With their debate finished, Director Mills spoke up. "Everyone: we have decided to move Valdain back to BAINE headquarters, where he will be better able to assist us in fending off the Koh'i'Noor attack. Be ready to transport our guest back to the States within the day." Some guards nodded at his order, others grumbled, but no further protests were raised. "We will need all the help we can get for the coming invasion."
Rhodes approached Valdain's cell. "If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Tramarkos, we know that your people are at war with the Gems, but you haven't said why yet. Did they invade your home planet?"
At the question, Valdain shifted uncomfortably. "...No, but they were, in a way, responsible for its destruction," he said. "As well as the reason we are now forced to use mechanical bodies. You see…we created them."
The entire room went quiet as everyone turned to stare at Valdain.
"...C-come again?" said Rhodes.
July 24, 2016. BAINE Headquarters.
Throughout the journey back to base, Valdain seemed to pay far more attention to the skies than to his technical captors. Every chance he got, he glanced nervously above, as though he expected a strike team to descend at that very moment. When asked about his paranoia, his only answer was that the Primax did not take kindly to traitors. This did little to make him appear more trustworthy in James' eyes.
"Welp, here ya go," said Gina, opening the door into Valdain's new accommodations. It was basically a sealed, featureless room lined with lead and only a few windows, none of which led outside. "It's not exactly comfy, but we still need to run a few tests. Make sure you're not radioactive, stuff like that."
Despite its minimal nature, he didn't seem to mind. "It's quite alright, we have been without such comforts for quite some time," Valdain told her. "In fact, it took the pulling of quite a few strings to even acquire a body of my own, let alone one I could customize. When you wish to begin, let me know."
"Will do," she said, before turning to Rhodes. "He's surprisingly okay with all of this testing and whatnot."
Rhodes shrugged. "If I had to guess, he knew we'd do something like this." The two of them stepped out of the room. "Personally, I trust him, but we can't exactly give him free reign of the place until we know for sure he's on our side."
"And let's hope he is," mumbled Gina. I was reviewing the footage from our aerial division…those Koh'i'Noor do not mess around. We'll need all the help we can get for this one."
As the two of them walked away, another pair remained near the room, watching Valdain as the alien sat in silence. Ichigo and Hester waited for him to do something, but he remained still. "So…" the former said awkwardly. "Aliens…"
"Aliens," Hester repeated with a nod. "And not just aliens: alien robots."
Ichigo opened his mouth as though to say something, but no words came out.
"You think he's telling the truth?" Hester asked him. "About helping us. I mean, we only have his word to go on."
"Shouldn't that be enough?" replied Ichigo. "From what little we know of his people, he's risking a lot just to be here. He could be executed for treason if they catch him–if robots can even die. Did he explain how that worked?"
"Not really. And who says he wasn't sent here just to gain our trust? I'm not saying that, but I'm not not saying that." Hester thought for a moment, before sighing. "You know what I mean. It'll take some time before we know we can trust him–for now, all we can do is prepare for his 'friends.'"
"Then if that's all we can do, I say we get started!" Ichigo and Hester walked away, something that Valdain apparently took notice of. With the two of them gone, he seemed a bit more animated, as though he was waiting for them to leave.
Once again raising a hand to his head, another holographic image was projected before him. A machine that looked very similar to the robots that BAINE had fought before, but, like Valdain himself, there were a few noticeable differences. Its proportions were just slightly larger than the rank-and-file units, and it had four spidery legs rather than the usual two.
The image spoke. "We want to do this as quickly and as quietly as possible," she said. "It will take some time for the crust-buster to arrive, so we'll just have to keep the locals busy."
Valdain shut the image off. "What are you planning, Alkaria?" he said in a hushed whisper.
