Teerts I

Unlike many Race males living in the United States, Teerts owns an apartment in Los Angeles, where he makes a living as a stunt pilot for air shows. He shares his apartment with his friend, fellow pilot Alice Perry, who greets me at the door. Teerts offers me a seat as he pauses his soccer game, and we start our interview.

Q: Flight Leader Teerts, you were one of the first Race males to be taken prisoner in the war. How exactly did you end up in American custody?

A: I was deployed to the Chinese theater of the war during the first days of the invasion. I was actually rather anxious when I was deployed; I could not wait to start tearing apart whatever primitive aircraft was sent my way.

He hisses in mirth.

In retrospect, that was the wrong feeling to have.

Q: What happened then?

A: Chinese stealth fighters.

He mimes a plane flying by, accompanied by a surprisingly-accurate sound of missiles being launched.

Chengdu J-20s, I think. Didn't get a good look at them before they blew up my wingmales. I was understandably freaked out by the idea of Tosevite killercraft that was invisible to our radar. Started wondering if there were secretly a hundred of them trailing after me. When I saw a starship go down, and the others started retreating back up, I panicked.

So, I booked it. Put on my afterburners, and started flying away from the crazy not-empire with its ghostkillercraft. A few started chasing after me, but I had a head-start. Still didn't keep a few bullets from getting in my engines.

I ended up ejecting over the sea. Now, I'm not sure about you, but if you've never even swam in the little salt lakes back Home, and suddenly find yourself surrounded by nothing but water... it's a terrifying, alien experience. Part of you starts making up beffel-pellet that you know isn't right, but it's still freaking out, and eventually the animal brain takes over.

I was lucky. A destroyer fished me out of the sea, hissing and thrashing like a tsiongi, and I was taken into custody by the Nihonjin. I was astonished by the concept of warboats, once I stopped shrieking.

I wasn't in Nihon long enough to see anything, before I was transferred to their buddies in the US. Felt strange, being ferried in a C-130. The Tosevite guards looked like they had better gear than the troopmales, with all that body armor and high-tech trinkets.

Anyway, I ended up falling asleep, and woke up in a base in Nevada. The Tosevites were making jokes about me being there, but I didn't get it. "Looks like there's aliens in Area 51 after all, hurr durr hurr." Your laughter's hideous, even after all these years, but it was terrifying back then.

Q: What was your time on the base like?

A: Questions. Lots and lots of questions. They started with boring but important stuff, first. "What can you safely eat, do you need any special accommodations for your biology, ssa ssa." Then they started asking me questions about military matters. How many of me are there, how many weapons did we have, and other stuff. When they realized that I didn't have much to say on that they started asking me about killercraft.

Q: What exactly did they want to know?

A: They wanted to know about the hydrogen engines. Apparently, they'd managed to dredge up the remains of my killercraft, and were curious about how we didn't need to use petroleum or other fossil fuels for it.

I couldn't tell them much. I was a pilot, not an engineer. Eventually, more males started showing up in the base, and we were allowed to mingle with each other. I guess they found some who knew more, or were more willing to talk, because the questioning stopped after the first few dozen showed up.

All in all, it could've been worse. I was constantly afraid they were going to do something like put out my eye, or start twisting my claws off. I actually started gaining weight from how rich your food was.

All I did for a few weeks was eat, watch some pro-human movies in the rec room, and exercise behind barbed wire fences. Some Tosevite taught a male about soccer, and we got the hang of it pretty fast. I started looking forward to the games we held between each other. Sometimes we'd do Rabotevs vs Race, or Race vs Hallessi, and sometimes landcruiser crews vs troopmales.

Didn't get much news during that time. I kept wondering if landcruisers would suddenly smash through the gates and announce that the planet had surrendered, or if some soldier was going to announce that the Fleetlord had called it quits.

When the negotiations began, we were allowed to listen on the radio to the talks. I was anxious for the resolution. On one hand, it'd be nice if the not-empires surrendered, and I could get out of captivity. On the other... I was afraid that I'd be thrown right back into a meatgrinder if things didn't work out.

He hisses again.

Didn't expect what actually happened.

-/-\-

Atvar III

Q: During the negotiations, how often did the fithp get mentioned?

A: Very rarely on my side. The Americans were the most adamant about the threat they could pose, pulling up data that their observatories had gathered on the incoming ship. When they claimed that the ship was possibly pushing an asteroid towards the planet, I dismissed it.

Q: Why?

A: Partly because I was under the impression they were trying to present false data in order to gain the upper hand in negotiations, and partly because I could not fathom the implications if they were telling the truth. I couldn't understand why an alien species coming to conquer the planet would be ready to unleash a possible extinction-level weapon.

So, I simply ignored their warnings, and focused on the other parts of the negotiations.

Q: Did you manage to reach any agreements during the week that the negotiations lasted for?

A: The only agreement we managed to make during that time was that we would withdraw from Brazil. On everything else, we chased each other in circles. I had underestimated the... connectedness, that the various not-empires had, despite the lack of governmental unity across the planet.

He points to some highlighted nations on the African continent.

For example, during our conquests we had managed to seize Côte d'Ivore, Ghana, Nijeriya, and Cameroun. During the talks, we learned that these four not-empires produced more than half of the planet's cocoa, which was a highly-prized food. The question was raised if we would honor these trade agreements, or be forced to make new ones. To that, we replied that we had ended the child slavery in the region, and effectively ended the cocoa trade there.

That angered more than a few not-empires, who now had to contend with a reduction in cocoa. That was simply one of the many issues our arrival had caused with international relations. For example, the United States and the not-empire of al-Maġrib apparently had friendly relations, as al-Maġrib was the first not-empire to recognize their sovereignty. Therefore, the Americans demanded we pull out of there as well. Similar demands were made by other not-empires whose allies or trade partners had been conquered by us.

I was unwilling to agree to the demands. If I had, then I would've been forced to relinquish every not-empire, save for perhaps Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk. Er, North Korea. The matter came down to which not-empire could force me to give territory up.

Q: Is that why negotiations were breaking down?

A: Truth. The aggression left a bad odor for everyone involved. It was likely that the war would have resumed with almost no resolution... until the fithp came.

-/-\-

Yeager III

Yeager pulls up several telescope-based images, with false-color filters in the infrared and x-tray.

A: The bastards showed up ahead of schedule, while we were in the middle of the talks. They were clever, deliberately using their fusion flame to hide the Foot until they were orbit around the planet. Parked themselves about eight thousand miles up, in a higher orbit than the Lizard ships.

Q: What happened next?

Yeager shows me an image of several bright flashes.

A: They destroyed a dozen starships in half as many minutes. I swear, the swarms of missiles on the feeds in NORAD looked like something out of some Japanese cartoon. The rest of the Lizard ships began emergency reentry burns, and landed in random parts of their captured territory. Two more were destroyed during those burns.

Q: Why weren't more destroyed?

A: Because the snouts were also focused on what we had in the orbitals. They started taking out our satellites, especially ones that looked like they were military or communications. We'd dealt with such a possibility, and placed craploads of minisats around three years beforehand, but it was still not good to lose those. Russia and the NATO countries managed to keep the most vital of the channels, but outside... global communication ground to a screeching halt.

Once the snouts took down everyone's TV, they began the first stage of their planetary attack. All of their digit ships deployed, and began moving in quicker orbits. They began frying observation stations across the planet, starting over Asia. Once comms were down in those areas, they began the big bombardment. They hit power plants, dams, bridges, highways, power lines... However, that still left us nearly an hour to get ready, to put our asses into high gear.

Q: What happened next?

A: We got our Ow guns primed, and opened up our missile silos. The Russians did the same. We were ready to go all out on the big bitch in orbit.

I think we launched around a hundred ICMBs at the Big Mama. The Russians launched three hundred. The snouts managed to shoot down all but five. And the thing is, when you initiate a nuke in space, there's no air to carry a shockwave. All the damage comes from the immediate thermal energy in the blast, like if someone flashed a big lightbulb. So, instead of tearing the thing apart like a tin-can, which would've happened on the ground, we just managed to melt some armor along the flank.

Honestly, the Ow guns did more damage. The bigger rounds couldn't clear LEO, but they still could tear apart their digit-ships. We also had a few experimental Ow guns, where a laser would temporarily create a vacuum for smaller rounds to shoot faster, and those managed to actually hit the Big Mama, even if half of them were fried in the process.

All in all, we and Ivan managed to take down nine of their digit-ships, and give their mothership a few new pockmarks. Not enough to decide the war, not by a longshot, but it gave them something to think about.

Q: How did the fithp react?

A: They didn't bombard us like they did other countries, but we weren't entirely unscathed. We lost a CBG in the Mediterranean, and all of our naval bases in the Pacific got pulverized. Hawaii went dark. The Russkis lost parts of their Siberian refineries and railroads, but it wasn't a bad loss for them.

The rest of the world, however...

It was an hour before we managed to get any information from anyone in Asia or Africa, and the latter came solely from Race chatter we eavesdropped in on. That was when we heard scattered reports of landings in India and China.

At that moment, I knew we were in for a whole different kind of beast. The Lizards, they fought in ways similar to most countries. They had jets, they had tanks. We could fight them like we fought other countries, and beat them at it. I was expecting us to kick their asses within a year, with most of the casualties being focused in Africa and the Middle-East, and smaller than their own losses. Hell, when the talks started, I told myself I'd be surprised if they got to keep anything.

The snouts, though... they fight smart. They took full advantage of their position in orbit, and of their technology. No massive armies running into the meatgrinder. Just throwing rocks at the nervous systems and circulation of the planet, knowing that just about nobody could hit them back.

It was in that moment that I realized, in the words of the war's generation, shit just got real.

-/-\-

Wallafess IV

Wallafess decides to drive over to a local Chinese place known for its authenticity, and we sit down at a table. The owner is surprisingly friendly to Wallafess, all things considered, and we quickly settle in.

Q: I take it you grew fond of Chinese food while in Shanghai?

A: Well, it was better than eating the rations. When we managed to secure a good perimeter around the financial district, and the siege started for real, I didn't have much to do. I would take a station, firing potshots at any PLA trooper dumb enough to peek out of a foxhole or from behind a car, but there was only so much of that I could do. Half the time, I was just hankering up in the various buildings, trying not to freeze my stump off in the cold.

There were plenty of people trapped behind front lines, but most of them just kept their heads down. Sometimes, I would try to chat them up, ask them a few questions. A few were willing to talk, and sometimes they'd share their food with me in exchange for information.

Thing about zhōngguórèn, though, is they love putting ginger in their food. Doesn't affect me, though I think it's rather tasty. The Race males, on the other claw, went nuts over it. They started raiding food shops and those little food vendor carts, looking for the stuff. That meant I got placed on double duty to make up for the slip in protocol my fellow troopmales were having.

Combined with the growing PLA presence, and we were getting pushed back block by block. Even the landing in Chéngdū didn't do much to lift the siege. Things were looking bad. I honestly considered surrendering, and hoping they'd take a modicum of mercy on me, instead of just shooting me dead. Better than becoming the frozen bodies that were cropping up every morning, I thought.

Then the ceasefire came, and I could breathe easy again. The commanders started cracking down on the ginger problem, and I got to be more casual with the people still trapped behind in the district with us. One even gave me a few books to read in exchange for my camera.

Too bad it was only a week.

Q: What happened next?

A: Well, I was doing a patrol around some street, when I saw some flashes up in the sky. Looked like the world's biggest lightbulbs going off. Didn't realize it was the snouts blowing up some of our ships, followed by the nuclear reprisal by the US and Russiya.

Then, I saw a few streaks in the sky. Thought it was a meteor shower at first, until I started feeling the faint rumble beneath my feet. Started connecting the dots quick enough.

Then a few of the meteors hit nearby. Took out bridges, and the bigger streets. I still remember the sight of seeing the skyscrapers sway with the impacts. We all got on high alert, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The PLA was doing the same, but they got hit harder than us, since they held most of the city. Some tried to attack us, but didn't get past our perimeter before they were called back.

I think it was two hours later that I saw them. Little silhouettes against the night sky, coming down on gliders. Vaguely, I realized that they must've been the other aliens we heard about, since they looked more like those elephant animals I saw in the city zoo before it was taken back. I started laughing when I saw the big pink shoes they were wearing.

I stopped laughing when I saw the huge guns they had.

Q: What was your reaction when you realized that the fithp were beginning their attack on the planet?

Wallafess chews on a dumpling for a few moments, savoring the taste as he thinks. Then, he swallows.

A: "Welp, I'm fucked."

-/-\-

Joshi II

After finishing our tea at the café, Joshi orders a tall draught of 'Tau Ceti Slammer': a blend of German beer and Race brandy, with flavorball of ginger floating in the center. 'A drink anyone can enjoy', she jokingly calls it.

Q: Overall, you lived under Race occupation for nearly four weeks before the Fithp launched their attack. What was your experience during that time?

A: Once they took the city, and began spreading out to conquer more of the country, we were allowed out of Dharavi, though they still kept a close eye on us. People were allowed to go back to work for the most part, with some differences.

Q: Such as?

A: Schools remained closed. After all, the Race was planning on giving us their education, in order to make proper citizens of the Empire out of us. From what I gathered, the protocol was to destroy any materials they considered 'subversive'. That included essays on democracy, religious works, and any cultural items that would clash with the 'true culture' they intended to bring to us.

Well, that was what they intended to do, anyway.

Q: Why didn't they?

A: They were stretched thin, I suppose. Not to mention all of the ginger. I mean, imagine if we were to invade a planet where a common foodstuff is like magical mushrooms to us, it'd be bad to land in the place where most of the mushrooms grow. Mumbai'i was basically ginger-central.

Many people used that to their advantage during the occupation. My father became a bit of a ginger-dealer during this time, on a crusade to preserve as many works as possible. If he saw some Race males clearing out a library to burn the books, he'd offer up to a pound of the stuff in exchange for having the books put back. If he wanted to continue teaching without harassment, a vial per male every day was fine by him.

Q: What about the Rabotevs and Hallessi soldiers? They don't get high on ginger.

A: True, but they were a little less than half of the males present. If all of their friends were bought off, they just went with the flow. They were all so very tired by then, you see. Tired of having to patrol hostile streets, and tired of having to worry about when the next counter-offensive was coming. Even where I was, I heard them speak in hushed tones about the 'ghostmen' with curved knifes.

I saw a lot of this, working as a translator. I was being driven all over the city everyday, helping the Race establish their presence in the city. They had to manage food transport, since a major trading city went dark, and ensure they had cooperative workmen. After all, it'd be bad for the conquest if everyone train conductor refused to work, or if farmers refused to ship food into the city.

Q: Where were you when the Fithp attacked?

A: Helping some troopmales settle a dispute over whose cattle belonged to whom. It was evening where I was, and the weather was actually quite beautiful. No clouds in the sky, and I could see the stars.

A thing about that time was the lights in the skies. You could see the old International Space Station with the naked eye, if it was in your field of view, and the Race starships were far bigger and more numerous than that relic. I could see half a dozen of them at any time, moving across the sky, brighter than any star. Sometimes, there would even be a silhouette against the Moon.

So, I was surprised when I saw those lights flash brightly, then disappear. The males certainly where; they suddenly forgot about the whole debate, and began to call into their base, asking about what was going on. They packed me into a troopcarrier, and began to drive back to the city.

That was when the bombardment started. I couldn't see any of it, since I was in the troopcarrier, but I could certainly hear and feel it. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was like a steel rain, each one falling so closely after the other that it sounded more like rolling thunder than anything else.

Then I heard an impact that sounded very close by. The troopcarrier swerved, and I heard them hissing in curses as we began to roll over and over. I remember hitting my head on the chair, then blacking out.

Q: What happened after that?

A: I woke up to see a fi' standing over me. I suppose he dragged me out of the wrecked troopcarrier. At first, I thought some farmer's baby elephant had gotten lost, until I realized he was pointing a huge gun at my face. My memories are pretty hazy, due to the concussion I had gotten. I remember him pressing his foot on my chest, then being pulled up and brought towards a floating tank. I blacked out again after that.

When I woke up, I was being attended to by some young-looking white man. I was surprised to find that I was actually floating, and I recall having a small panic attack over it. The man calmed me down, and told me he was a first year med student from America who'd been stuck in China when the war started. It was him who told me where we were.

Q: And where was that?

Joshi finished the rest of her Slammer in a single pull.

The Flishithy.

-/-\-

After a while of wallowing in the mud, we climb out and wash ourselves off. I take the time while dressing to try and continue the interview, hoping that having to focus on two tasks may help pry details loose.

Q: What was your role aboard Digit Ship 23?

A: I was an infantry fi', part of an paratrooper octuple. I and the members of three other octuples were aboard the digit ship to serve as part of the landings in India, once it completed its bombardment run. We were one of two other digit ships instructed to perform a cursory bombardment of America, to try and test its defensive capabilities.

Q: Which evidently worked. What was your reaction to the US's strike?

Harpanet replies by sticking his truck in his mouth, pantomiming what the fithp usually do when panicked.

A: I was terrified when the first of us went down. We initially believed that any defenses used against us would consist of missiles, which our laser point defenses could simply shoot down. We were not expecting titanic guns powerful of reaching orbit. There was nothing our lasers could do against solid metal slugs.

The pilot made an emergency reentry burn, hoping to avoid the guns that way. It did not save us from a hit that tore off one of our wings. I had already been placed in the life-support sac-

Q: Sac?

A: It was a plastic bubble, meant to provide a short-term oxygen while we fell to Winterhome from the edge of space. It was the only thing that saved my life when the cabin was depressurized by the glancing shot. I was sucked out into the void, along with the rest. Some didn't have their life-support sac ready, and died in the vacuum. Others were perforated by shrapnel. Only I survived the fall to Winterhome.

Q: Where did you land?

A: Shreveport, Louisiana. I did not know the name at the time. All that I knew was that I was in the heart of enemy territory and without any support. I knew that I was hopelessly outmatched, and resolved to surrender.

Q: What was your experience on the ground?

A: I landed on a parked car in the downtown area, and I accidentally crumpled the hood when I did. I almost fainted when the alarm started blaring, as it only added to the alien terror I was experiencing.

It was indeed alien. I was one of the generations born aboard Message Bearer; the ship was all that I knew. I had never experienced a sky. I had never seen a street, or a chain-link fence, or graffiti on brick walls. The smells were strange, too; there was nothing recognizable about them. Even the soil smelled different.

My descent had been watched since Digit Ship 23 was shot down. By the time I managed to climb the fence out of the parking lot and into the street, there were cars rolling up to greet me. I had never seen a car before. I didn't know if they were simply transportation, or killing machines. I saw Winterhome fithp peering at me past barricades they had set up in the street, too; I remember staring at them, and them staring back.

Armed Winterhome fithp came out of the car, pointing their weapons at me. This was when I knew to surrender. Unfortunately, when I moved to roll, one of them shot me.

Q: Is that where you got the scar?

A: Yes. It was not as serious an injury as it would've been for you; I suppose I could compare it to being shot with those rifles children used to hunt birds with. It was still painful, however. I remember making a pained sound as I finished rolling over, baring my belly to them.

Q: What happened next?

A: I had been taught some scraps of various Winterhome tongues, in case I needed to communicate a surrender with them. Chiefly English and Hindi. I managed to tell them that I was surrendering, and that they needed to put a foot on my chest.

They were wary of that, but eventually one of the officers did it, and I was part of your herd.

Q: How long did you stay there?

A: Not long. By morning, I had been secreted away in one of your military trucks, and was being transported to Cheyenne Mountain. It was there that I would become an advisor to your President, a job I have had ever since.

Of course, there is still much more to tell.

We finish getting dressed, and continue on our way.

You have been reading:

Worldfall, Chapter Six: Messages Born