Teaser

The sudden attack in the Aurora lounge took everyone off guard. The moment Shai'jhur went down Julia's hand was already going toward her omnitool. It lit up around her left forearm and allowed her to key the intraship communications system. "Andreys to Security, I need a full tactical response and medical team to the Lookout!" She went over to Shai'jhur. Kaveri was kneeling beside her, horror written over the older woman's face. Nah'dur came up and knelt beside her mother. "Let me see!" she hissed.

By this point Lucy was in action. Julia looked up in time to see the dark clad figure she was fighting shimmer into appearance. Even as the metal blades formed from the back of his wrists, Julia recognized his face.

Lucy's voice filled the room. "What are you doing here?"

And James Hawk answered, "What do you think? I'm here to kill bad guys." The interuniversal rogue and vigilante lunged forward, his wrist blades - formed from the Darglan-made nanites that infused and enhanced his body - whistling in the air.

Technical augmentation met metaphysical augmentation, and the latter won. Lucy met Hawk's enhanced speed with her own. The blue of her lightsaber blade came up to parry Hawk's wrist blades. The Darglan nanites didn't fail right away to the lightsaber, but the metal they were forming immediately turned red. Hawk withdraw his arms and moved for another attack.

Meridina struck before he could. In one motion she lashed out with power and sent Hawk flying into the wall. While he tried to stand and recover she focused on him and intoned "SLEEP". The Psi Corps telepath from the Huáscar widened her eyes at sensing the power behind the mental compulsion.

Hawk sneered as he got back to his feet. "Sorry, lady," he said. "That won't work this time."

Meridina blinked. "I see," she said. Telepathically she communicated her findings to the others. His mind has been hardened against compulsions. Someone has trained him how to resist telepathic commands.

Lucy nodded and kept her lightsaber in a defensive position. Meridina stepped up beside her and ignited her lightsaber as well.

The bizarre shadow-puppet fight continued between the two cloaked rivals, Hawk's comrade and Shai'jhur's defender. The smoke from the smoke grenades that had been loosed to complicate the picture was beginning to spread extensively through the Lookout, as shadowy forms revealed by the particulate matter whirled the air particles in their wake.

Unable to target each other except by the flash of weapons or the feel of breath or movement, and with the Surgeon-Commander and Kaveri having rapidly dragged Shai'jhur out of the lounge, the assailant was trying to finish off the other cloaked foe. It was a half comedic fight of whirling blades that were invisible, slashes and feints and blood dripping on the carpet from people who could not be seen, and could not see each other.

Hawk noticed Nah'dur and Kaveri pulling Shai'jhur through the starboard door to the Lookout and threw his hand forward. Slivers of nanite material hardened into metal zipped out. Meridina caught them with her life force while Lucy advanced. Hawk got his left hand blade in place just in time to catch her attack. He counter-attacked with his right hand, but Lucy's lightsaber caught it in a fluid movement. Hawk had to withdraw it as it started to glow red. "That's a fun new toy," he said to her.

"You're insane," Lucy shot back. "You really infiltrated the ship and thought you'd get away?"

Hawk smirked confidently. "I got away before, didn't I?" With his speed he kicked at Lucy. She saw it coming and moved just quickly enough to avoid a kick that, given its power, would have easily broken her jaw. She swept her lightsaber at his knee and barely missed.

Hawk's evasion turned into a roll of necessity when Meridina's lightsaber caught him. She moved in on his right while Lucy kept to his left, pinning him up against the Aurora's Memorial Wall. "Why are you attacking us now?" Meridina asked.

"Not you," Hawk said. "Her."

Even with his newfound mental protections, both picked up the image in his head. "You want to kill Warmaster Shai'jhur?" Lucy asked. "Why?"

"Well, for one, the title's kind of a giveaway on what she's about, isn't it?" Hawk's blades came up again. This time he advanced on Meridina, who quietly parried his attacks despite the smoke obscuring them. Lucy went in for a swipe at him this time, but Hawk again rolled away. The smoke was not thick enough to obscure the lightsabers, allowing them to be spotted easily, unlike Hawk's own weapons.

In the meantime, the strange shadow-fight continued. There was a simple reason for it: The first to drop their cloak would be at a massive disadvantage, neither one of the still-cloaked fighters did. Julia couldn't tell who was winning, or even who was fighting, though she assumed that it must be Fei'nur, the ominous Dilgar commando who had always been at Shai'jhur's side in the meetings before and clearly had her own cloak.

People were scrambling and fleeing as chairs and tables went flying across the room without apparent cause. As they did, the lounge opened up enough, and heavy gunfire cracked the air, aiming for a twirling figure outlined in the smoke which now wreathed and choked the entirety of the Lounge. As it did, the cloak flickered and vanished, and revealed with a hole in her side dripping blood, but lunging up with wrist blades and a ferocious expression, was Hawk's ally Helen. The large woman was built like an Amazon of legend, tall as well as muscled. She flung herself for cover as the gun spoke again.

Hawk fell back toward her position. It was fairly close to the port side door. Meridina was moving toward the same while Lucy remained to her right. Julia imagined Fei'nur would take their cue and watch Lucy's right, boxing the two in. "Your friend is wounded," Meridina stated. "Surrender and we can provide medical…"

There was a sharp laugh in reply. Even through the smoke, both could already sense the wound healing abnormally fast. The Darglan nanites within Helen were rebuilding the damaged tissues cell by cell and stopping the blood loss. What had been life-threatening a moment ago was quickly only becoming critical.

All three sensed the attack that came next. Meridina and Lucy with their talents, Fei'nur from the sense that one fighter had for another. Hawk and Helen came out of the smoke, blades swinging defiantly. Meridina parried Hawk's strikes. Lucy, sensing the sheer rage building in Helen, let her come forward by giving not quite a meter in space. Not enough to risk Helen getting away.

More than enough to give Fei'nur room to tackle her now-visible foe.

While Helen went flying through the smoke, Lucy brought her lightsaber blade up and readied to fight either foe. She wasn't needed; Meridina was aptly handling Hawk and, despite the healing, Helen was weakened enough from her wound that Fei'nur was now easily overpowering her. A solid blow sent Helen flying into the bar. A sharp snap of bone and a cry made the extent of her injury clear in the second before Helen hit the ground. Only now did Lucy move in. Not with her lightsaber, but with her life force. She summoned the energy within her and directed it at Helen, pinning her to the ground. "She's down!" Lucy directed a glare toward the direction of Fei'nur, invisible to the eye but not to the Flow of Life. "She's down, she's a prisoner," Lucy repeated, sensing the killing intent in the Dilgar woman.

But they attacked the Warmaster…! Still… she… fought with us. The Warmaster would not wish me to be cause of a conflict with these people. Grudgingly, Fei'nur forced herself to relax and re-sheath her knives.

That left Hawk. Meridina waited patiently to see what he would do. His confident look was replaced with an angry snarl. "What are you doing protecting that monster anyway?" he demanded. "I thought you Knights were supposed to protect the innocent."

"To my knowledge and experience, Shai'jhur is not a monster."

"What, because she says so?" He laughed bitterly before lunging at Meridina again. This time his crossed blades met her lightsaber. They pressed against each other. Within two seconds his blades were glowing red. "You're on the wrong side!"

"You ruined an entire world," Meridina reminded him. "Your judgement is suspect."

A moment later the standoff between their weapons ended. Hawk's blades lost. The lightsaber finished melting the nanite-forged material until it fell away. Hawk stepped back, desperately trying to reform his weapons, but Meridina was too quick. Given a moment free from his speedy blade attacks, she concentrated with her power and gripped him, slamming him into the wall by the port door. He struggled in her grip but couldn't move. Meridina was too powerful for him.

The smoke was clearing with the aid of the ventilation systems for the Aurora. Julia looked around at the mess of their reception. Many of the diplomats and delegates had fled. Jarod was kneeling beside Tessa Holloran. The ISA Director of Covert Intelligence was still on the ground. After a tense second of worry Julia could see she was moving, but slowly. Fei'nur and Helen had slammed into her during the fight.

The doors to the Lookout opened and security teams marched in, pulse rifles raised. Lieutenant Commander Phryne Richmond, their Melbourne-native chief, had her own. "Secure the prisoners!" she barked in a fine Australian accent. Four of her people did so. Restraint cuffs were locked around the wrists of Hawk and Helen.

Julia had her own worry. "What happened to Shai'jhur?" she asked.

"Doctor Gillam's teams are already taking her to medbay," Richmond replied. "She's still alive."

A mutter of "Dammit" came from the wall. Security were placing leg-cuffs around Hawk's ankles to fully restrain him. He was snarling in frustration.

If Julia looked in a mirror, she'd realize her expression almost matched his.

Undiscovered Frontier
"Yesterday's Enemies, Part 2"

The Lookout was a mess. Set up for a reception for the diplomatic teams meeting over the fate of the Dilgar of Tira and Rohric, the crew lounge of the Starship Aurora was a mess of toppled anti-grav serving tables and chairs. Most of the attendees were now in the corridors outside being escorted into spare quarters nearby until matters could be dealt with.

Captain Julia Andreys surveyed the damage with her peer, Captain Li Ming-Chung of the Starship Shenzhou. The Chinese woman's dark hair was disheveled from her part in helping deal with the chaos, but she seemed otherwise intact. She certainly acted like it. "That was the renegade from the vessel Avenger?" she asked Julia. "The same people who bombarded the 19th Century Earth of Universe C1P2?"

Julia nodded. "It was. His girlfriend was commanding the Avenger in that fight."

"Then their ship may be nearby." Li frowned. "It will take both of our vessels together to have a chance against it."

"Which means that the Drazi and the Huáscar get to fight the Dilgar without distraction." Julia thought back to their prior battle with Hawk and his people, over Earth of C1P2. "We did beat them before, but it was with superior tactics. And given what we think they're doing to themselves…"

"I recall the report," Li said. "The Darglan brainwave infuser devices. They are overusing them."

"That's what Leo says." Julia sighed. "Damn. And we were wondering just who was stoking things around here. With their access to Darglan technology, I can buy Hawk and his people being the ones to betray Rohric to the Drazi and Brakiri. They may even have helped them find Tira."

"Why? What do they gain?"

"Beating the 'bad guys'," Julia said, sighing. "What else?" Her eyes scanned the room until she found who she was looking for. The Brikari captain Tabir was standing with his fellows in a corner. She approached. "Captain Tabir," she said.

"Captain." He smiled thinly at her. "Quite the rush of excitement. Although I had anticipated far better security by your people than you've now evidenced."

"These rogues have access to the best Darglan technology," Julia answered. "I'll make sure my security people find ways to prevent them from doing this again."

"I see. But I was not simply referring to the shooters. There was also the matter of the other cloaked fighter. The one using a concealment field based off technology native to our universe."

Julia considered pointing out that, by definition, that's what Darglan technology was, but she understood the context. "I see what you mean."

"I hope our future meetings are more secure. Perhaps we should hold them on my vessel? Or on Tira."

"I can assure you that we don't need to worry about this problem now. Measures will be taken now that we know the extent of the threat." Julia smiled thinly. "Speaking of said threat, I am wondering how they came aboard. The Abbai and Minbari allowed themselves to be beamed, but you and the Hyach and the Drazi all insisted on shuttles. Since our sensors show no sign of transporter activity, the infiltrators had to have come by ship."

Tabir's look was smug. "Are you accusing us of being responsible for this attack? During a diplomatic summit sanctioned by President Sheridan? I trust you have proof?"

Julia felt an irrational temptation to say yes, she damn well knew they brought Hawk aboard. Either the Brakiri themselves or the Drazi. With Darglan-tech cloaking for shuttle-sized ships, Hawk and Helen could have easily evaded notice in warping in and boarding the Drazi or Brakiri before the meeting. But that was not how diplomacy was played. What she knew was different from what she could prove, which was very little at the moment. "I was wondering if they may have slipped aboard one of your shuttles before you left," Julia lied. "After all, your internal sensors would do even worse against their Darglan-made personal cloaks than our own do."

"A plausible theory, I suppose. But I can assure you that the Brakiri shuttles were not boarded in this fashion."

"If you say so, I'll trust your judgement, Captain." Another lie, which was sadly a part of diplomacy.

"Do you intend to resume the negotiations?" Tabir asked. "If not, I wish to return to my ship."

As much as Julia wanted to get the diplomatic wheels turning, with Shai'jhur in the medbay and this new complication it simply wasn't possible. "My security people will clear you once statements are completed and arrangements for your return to our shuttle bay can be completed. The talks will be resumed when possible."

"Of course. Until later, Captain." With that same slimy smile that made Julia wish she could punch him, or even worse, have Angel punch him, Tabir walked away.

Julia sought out Commander Richmond. She was busy getting statements from the Abbai. The finned humanoids, both female, were gracious enough, and Julia let them finish their answers before saying, "Commander, if you have a moment?"

Richmond gestured for them to go and turned to face Julia. She was not as tall as Julia. While Julia had a fairly normal tone to her Caucasian complexion, Phryne Richmond's skin was almost porcelain in its coloring. Her green eyes were striking, like emeralds, while Julia's tended toward an aquamarine coloring. A head of dark hair was cut short, almost to a bowl cut. In some ways Commander Richmond looked like she would be at home in a period piece set in the 1920s, although her Alliance Stellar Navy uniform, with the olive brown of security as the trim color at the level of her shoulders and along her cuffs, was nothing like what a flapper would be wearing. Two gold strips and one black strip with a gold border were fixed to her collar, identifying her rank as the four gold strips on Julia's collar identified Julia's. "Yes, Captain?" she asked.

"Find out anything more?"

"We have no indication of how they got aboard, if that's what you're wondering," Richmond said. "My best guess is that they came on with the Drazi or the Brakiri. Internal sensors are all functioning properly and show no sign of a transport."

"But they couldn't see them through their cloaks," Julia noted.

"Unfortunately not. Just as they don't see our people when they're using them. Our friends are using our own technology against us."

"You don't know the half of it," Julia murmured. She remembered the fight with the Avenger, and how Hawk escaped. "You've made sure that their cells are isolated?"

"Of course," Richmond said. "While I wasn't here the last time, Commander Meridina's notes on Hawk's escape were most thorough. The brig was refit to surround each cell with a forcefield cube. Hawk's nanites won't be able to drill through and access systems this time."

"Good. I'd like to be there when you question them. With Commander Meridina."

"Of course. I have just a couple more statements to finish, Captain, then we'll be ready." Richmond's green eyes glistened. "We'll see if a taste of their future will make them cooperative."

Remembering the last time they interrogated Hawk in the brig, Julia sighed. "Don't count on it."

The excitement had been quite a surprise for Yonatan Shaham. He mused that he would never have to worry about such things on the Eagle. Nor did he envy his father for having to handle these sort of things as Captain of the Alliance's Enterprise.

Although even hosting diplomats is preferable to how life was before all of this, he pondered. Twenty months of living as commander of the Eagle and resident of New Liberty Colony didn't compare to the twenty-five years he lived on the vessel Tikvah, one of a dwindling population of surviving Jews trying to stay one step ahead of a triumphant, interstellar Nazi German Reich. Their vessel's name proved to have been fortunate in the end. Though Tikvah herself was gone, crippled and then destroyed by being rammed into the Nazi SS-crewed dreadnought Adolf Eichmann, her population of five thousand - the last Jews native to Universe S4W8 - were still alive and residing on the New Liberty Colony of Universe H1E4. Their largest surviving ship, the Eagle, was herself now part of the New Liberty militia force, dividing time between helping the Alliance's war effort against the Nazi Reich and providing security for the colony's solar system.

This situation… this was something different. And Yoni was excited to be a part of it, even with the boredom of diplomacy. Not just from helping the Aurora's crew - assisting those who saved his people was a choice he would always make - but from the chance to participate in making history for an entire galaxy.

And that didn't count standing against a genocide in process.

From what he could tell, security was in the process of sending everyone off to be returned to their ships. He was therefore surprised at seeing the blue-uniformed Earthforce commander approach. He recognized Major Foster from the earlier talks. Foster was the First Officer of the Earthforce destroyer Huáscar, which he had seized from its Captain after she intervened in the planned Drazi attack to annihilate the Dilgar population on Tira. It perplexed Yoni that Foster was doing such a thing. His commander had thwarted genocide, but he was declaring his intention to side with the Drazi and fire on the Aurora and her ships (including Yoni's own Eagle) if they interfered. He couldn't quite keep the disgust he felt at Foster's choices from showing on his face.

If Foster noticed it, he didn't mention it. The Earthforce officer spoke with an English accent, one from the Midlands of that country. "I recognize you," he said. "ISN did a story about you and your ship. Yonatan Shaham of the Eagle."

Yoni nodded. He remembered having to ferry that blond-haired reporter woman around, at the request (order) of Governor Rankin. It had been irritating with the woman constantly demanding access to his bridge even during combat alerts. "You have the advantage of me, Major," he replied.

"I suppose I do," Foster replied. The innate hostility he'd shown toward Captain Andreys wasn't visible now. "I'm part Jewish on my mother's side, actually."

Yoni blinked at that. He was still getting used to the idea of people who could be part Jewish. The idea of non-Jews being willing to have families with Jews was something he could never have imagined growing up. "I see," Yoni replied after remembering himself.

"What are you doing here, Commander?" asked Foster.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What are you doing here, helping these people protect the Dilgar?" Foster asked, this time with some heat in his voice. "The Dilgar are monsters. They made even the Nazis look humane with the way they treated other species. I don't see how you can defend them, given how close your people came to extermination."

Yoni's eyes focused on Foster. He tried to imagine what this man thought, about his people, about right or wrong. "That is why we must," Yoni said. "Genocide is wrong."

"Not in all cases," Foster said. "Sometimes it can be the only way. Some species are simply too aggressive to be allowed to survive. They're threats to everything we are, everything we hold dear."

Yoni thought back to what he had heard about this universe. "You refer to their war on the rest of this galaxy. Or perhaps another war you remember?"

That caused a glower to form on Foster's face. "You've heard of the Minbari War, then."

"Something, yes. They brought Humanity in this universe to the brink of annihilation before showing mercy."

A scowl formed on Foster's face. "'Mercy'. That's what people say. I think they got tired of having our people fight them to the death. Why annihilate when you can enslave, and do it with subtlety?"

"I do not follow."

"They left Earth prostrate. Reliant upon their aid and good grace. Then they encouraged us to trust them. After all of the good men and women they killed." Foster seemed to catch his excess zeal and restrain himself. "Some of us weren't fooled. We learned the lesson of the war. Humans have to stick together. We can't rely on aliens, even those we thought were our allies. And we have to be ready to do anything to survive."

"Including genocide?" asked Yoni.

"If it's them or us," Foster answered. His face was stony in its resolve. "We can't be squeamish. Not when it comes to the survival of Humanity."

"The Nazi say things like that," Yoni remarked. "That life is only about survival, and survival is for the fittest. But that is not how I wish my life to be led."

At that Foster openly scowled at him. "So you're one of those sentimentalists. I'm surprised. I would think someone with your background would understand what I was saying. Or are you telling me you wouldn't wipe the Nazi Reich out to save your people from the same fate?"

Yonatan didn't answer right away. He couldn't. Growing up, yes, there had been that dark section of his heart. The idea of wiping the Germans from the face of existence so his people could stop running, could stop dying. As he'd grown older and the rest of the fleet had been picked off, one by one, those thoughts had persisted. Even when he learned they were wrong.

Those thoughts made him see Foster in a new light. Foster had felt the same things. The difference between them was that Foster hadn't recognized those dark feelings as wrong. Yoni's dark dreams were Foster's earnest ones; annihilate the enemy before he annihilated you.

"Do you believe the Dilgar are such an enemy?" Yonatan asked. "They deserve to be wiped out?"

"I think they could become one," Foster remarked. "We already have enough threats to the existence of the Human species."

Incredulous at such an argument, Yonatan pointed out the obvious. "The Human species is the most plentiful in the Multiverse."

To that Foster laughed harshly. "And how many of them are already bonded to aliens? The Humans of the Federation are subjects of the alien majority who sacrifice them to alien interests. The Maquis prove that. The Allied Systems? The Gersallians and the Dorei will be running that show, given their widespread use of telepaths without protections for the Human majority. The Inner Sphere are backwards feudalists that the aliens can crush at leisure. Earth in M4P2 is already subject to the rule of the Asari and their puppets." Another laugh was bitter. "And so are we, now. Sheridan's selling us down river for his Minbari wife and alien friends."

The tirade caused Yoni to shake his head. "You've allowed hate to root into your soul, like a poison. You ask me why I protect people who once committed the same crimes as the Nazis? I suggest you look in a mirror, Major, and that you consider yourself. Because whatever the Dilgar did, you are far closer to the Nazis than they are now."

"You don't get to judge me!" Foster barked. "The Minbari slaughtered my parents and my brother! I watched their ships annihilate everything we could muster! We came to the precipice of extermination!"

"Indeed? I have been there with my people as well, Major," Yoni answered quietly. He looked at Foster and felt guilt. He could remember similar feelings of hate against those trying to exterminate his people. Could he have let it turn him into this? A man more than ready to permit genocide? It was with this thought still in his mind and heart that Yoni added, "And yet, we still have our souls."

At that, Yoni did the only thing he could do. He turned and walked away.

Julia and Meridina entered the brig in the company of Commander Richmond. Given what happened the last time, no chances were being taken. Six security personnel were on duty inside the Brig and another six were outside, ready to help the moment anything happened.

The brig was a large chamber with about twenty cells, arranged along each wall save for the wall with the door. Along the walls to the right and left - bow and stern, given the place of the door - six cells were lined up. The port side wall across from the door was where eight more cells existed. A central pit area near the door was for the brig control, where security officers observing the brig could monitor their prisoners and the brig systems.

The cells with Hawk and Helen were on the port wall. One cell separated them from each other. Each had the appearance of only having one forcefield-sealed side - the entranceway - but in truth each cell was contained by a forcefield cube that would be revealed if someone tried to go through the wall. The measure was a complicated technical problem, and one that increased the energy demands of the brig. Hawk himself had proven the necessity of it during their first encounter due to how he escaped from the brig.

Now he was sitting quietly on the bench of his cell. His compatriot Helen was pacing her cell like a great cat, an angry snarl on her face. Her dark combat suit had a massive hole on the right side of the belly that revealed fair skin that was faintly pinkish, all that remained of the wound Fei'nur had caused with her gunshot. Muscle rippled there. Helen looked like she could challenge Angel in terms of building muscle, and she matched Julia in height easily. Her gray, East Asian eyes flashed with anger when she looked toward them.

Despite everything, there was a confident gleam to Hawk's brown eyes when he looked to them. "Ah. The cheerleader. Well, not that anymore, I see. You get to be in charge now." He glanced toward Meridina. "Fun new toys you and the other one have now. Laser swords."

"What are you up to, Hawk?" Julia asked. "Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? We're here to do what we always do," Hawk answered. "Kill bad guys."

"You mean you're after the Dilgar."

"You are aware that they will be exterminated by the Drazi, correct?" asked Meridina.

"Not all," Hawk said. "I told the Drazi to leave some alive. Just where they can't hurt anyone. That species is one I wouldn't trust with any kind of advanced technology." He crossed his arms. "What confuses me is why do-gooders like you people are protecting the scum."

"They asked us to stop the Drazi from committing genocide," Julia said. "We barely got here in time."

"The Dilgar deserve what they get," growled Helen. "After everything they did, they don't deserve to live."

"That is a rather extreme position, and one based on hate and fear," Meridina noted. "Certainly beings like yourselves, who insist that you are thwarting evil beings, should recognize that."

"Helen's always been in favor of permanent solutions," Hawk remarked. "And the fact is the Dilgar are rotten to the core, and always have been. It's hard to stick around with a species that sees everyone else as an animal to be tortured and enslaved at their whim." Hawk kept his eyes locked on Julia. "Even your new buddy the Warmaster is a piece of crap. You didn't think the title was just for show, did you?"

"It's a rank of political and military power for them," Julia pointed out.

"And how do you think she earned it?" Hawk spat. "She earned it fighting in Jha'dur's fleet, that's how. Helping that evil maniac bomb planets and infect entire worlds with plagues."

"Do you have proof she took part?"

"We can show she was in the fleet," Hawk said. "Besides, she's also a rapist piece of crap too."

To that charge Julia furrowed her brow. She glanced to Meridina, who nodded. "He believes the charge."

"What, you didn't know?" Helen cackled. "Boy, that's rich. You naive idiots will believe anyone, won't you?"

"You say she's a rapist. How do you know?"

"It's in the Earthforce records," Hawk said. "We hacked into them while setting up this op. It's how we know Warmaster Shai'jhur deserves a pulse blast to the brain, not a damned medal or whatever it is you want to give her."

"Who did she assault, then?" Meridina asked.

"That Hindu woman sitting with her at the talks," Helen said.

Julia visibly started at that remark. "You mean Captain Varma."

"Kaveri Varma? Yup." Hawk nodded. He nodded to the security desk. "Check our omnitools. I had the records loaded on mine. Earthforce investigated Varma when she was rescued from that island. They found the evidence. Shai'jhur raped her while they were stranded."

Julia exchanged an uneasy look with Meridina. Behind them Richmond activated the systems to scan their omnitools. She swallowed when she saw the results. "Captain," she called out.

Julia turned and approached the security desk. Richmond helpfully displayed the results for her. The Earthforce physicians who examined Varma after her rescue found indications of Dilgar microbes on her body and in her system and other signs of sexual contact. A report from the debriefers came to the conclusion that the Dilgar then-Lieutenant Kaveri Varma had been marooned with had overpowered and assaulted her and essentially used her as a slave for both fishing and personal pleasure. "'Lieutenant Varma has not responded to requests for further detail on the attack'," Julia read. "'We believe this is due to her strict adherence to conservative cultural and religious beliefs. Recommend investigation end at this point for sake of the victim and further close observation at initial future postings for psychiatric reasons.'"

"See?" Hawk said. "Did you think we went to all of this trouble just because the Drazi have a bug up their ass about the Dilgar? Nope. It's that stuff that convinced us. You want to talk about the Dilgar not being evil anymore, but you're setting up a rapist to take over."

"Why would Varma be sitting with her then?' Julia demanded from him.

"Abused people do things like that sometimes. Thirty years of Stockholm Syndrome, maybe? All I know is what was done to her."

"So if it wasn't Shai'jhur begging us to save her people from genocide, you expect me to believe you'd leave this situation alone?" Julia demanded.

"We wouldn't be helping the Drazi fight Rohric, that's for sure," Hawk said. "Tira? They're run by people who think the old Imperium just needed to be more democratic toward other Dilgar. You didn't think they were producing clone babies by the million because they like kids, did you? It's a forced repopulation measure. And they damn well would have tried something eventually." A harsh laugh came from the renegade. "Face the facts, blondie. You're on the wrong side of this thing. And you need to get righteous soon, or our ship's going to blow holes into all of your pretty little ships before we wipe the floor with the Dilgar."

The threat reminded Julia of what they were dealing with, in more ways than one. Hawk and his followers were compromised, she remembered. They were frying their brains with the Darglan brainwave infusers from the Facility they'd taken over. She would have to bring that up.

But for now… she needed to find out the truth of this. It didn't change the facts of genocide, as far as Julia was concerned. But if Shai'jhur was a predator…

She motioned to the door. Richmond and Meridina joined her in the corridor outside. "Do you believe it?" she asked them.

"The records seem convincing," Meridina noted. "But the Earthforce analysts could be wrong."

"I'm not sure we can take that possibility at face value," Richmond said. "We need to investigate further."

"You do that. Meanwhile…" Julia turned to leave. "Meridina and I will confirm what happened."

"How do you intend to?" Richmond asked. "Even if she is cooperative, Captain Varma may mislead you consciously or subconsciously out of shame or loyalty to Shai'jhur. Her testimony by itself will be insufficient given the Earthforce findings."

"There is still a way to confirm the truth from her," Meridina said. The look on her face was uncomfortable. "But it is not an easy choice for us to make. Or, rather, for me to take."

Julia nodded grimly. She knew precisely what Meridina had in mind.

On the bridge of the Aurora Jarod was sitting in the command chair. Lt. Sabiha Neyzi, a young Turkish woman and operation officer, was manning his usual station with professional quiet. From the command chair all he saw of her was her dark hair pulled back into a bun. The helm was manned by Nick Locarno for the moment, although his watch would shortly end and Violeta Arterria would take over.

Jarod glanced over to science, where Lieutenant Amira al-Rashad was observing the sensor systems' data. "Nothing new?"

"No sir," the Arab woman replied. "No new vessels have arrived through the jumpgate or any other method."

"What's the status on the Huáscar?"

"Her repairs are continuing. It looks like their shield systems are fully restored, although there may still be some damage from their fight with the Drazi that aren't showing up on sensors. For that matter, the intact Drazi Sunhawks all seem to have finished repairs. The ones still damaged have pulled back toward the jumpgate."

"Of course they have," Jarod murmured.

"This is quite the situation, isn't it?" Locarno asked. "Especially with that lunatic Hawk and his crew mixed up in this."

"That's the worst news we've had, I think," Jarod said. "I wouldn't be surprised if everyone he's got working with him is frying their brains trying to learn everything from the Darglan technology. There's no telling what the brain damage they're suffering will do to them, psychologically or physiologically."

"Well, it certainly doesn't seem to make them more sociable," Locarno remarked. "I'm more worried about what's going to happen when that ship of theirs shows up. If the Earthforce dreadnought sides with the Drazi too…"

"...then we're in a lot of trouble," Jarod agreed. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

But, given the way these things usually went… it probably would.

Julia didn't want to wait. She knew it could be cruel to Kaveri to bring up the past, and that it might bring back old painful memories, but she had to know what her version of events were. Otherwise… otherwise it meant she really was supporting a monster. A monster trying to keep her people from being genocided, but still…

"It might be best to seek further analysis of the Earthforce records," Meridina suggested as they walked toward the entrance to medbay.

"It would take time to find the officers who debriefed her. If they're still alive." Julia shook her head. "No, this is something we need to deal with now."

"You are worried that you have supported the wrong side?"

"No, genocide's still wrong," Julia said. "But I want to make sure I'm not helping a rapist become the undisputed leader of her species."

Once in the medbay they found Nasri treating one of the servers from the Lookout. "Smoke inhalation," she confirmed. "He will be fine."

"We need to see Kaveri Varma," Julia said. "It's important."

"She is in the critical care ward with Shai'jhur," Nasri replied. "I will go get her."

"Is Doctor Gillam in his office?"

"No. He is with the patient, the radiation dose she received..." Nasri immediately understood. "I will inform him you need to borrow it."

"Thank you."

Julia and Meridina went to Leo's office. It was comfortably furnished. Leo had a copy of his medical doctorate on one wall, along with an image of him as a child with his late parents. Another image on a side desk was of everyone together in the early post-Facility days, celebrating the second anniversary of the New Liberty Colony.

The retired Earthforce captain stepped in, her face pinched and pale. "The doctor said you needed to speak to me urgently Captain, Commander…?" Her eyes glanced between the two of them, and there was a guarded look in her gaze.

Meridina gave Julia a concerned look. She sensed the severe strain on Kaveri's emotions. The subject was bound to make it worse.

"This is a… delicate matter," Julia said. "And I'm sorry if it dredges up painful memories. Would you like to have a seat?"

"That is not exactly the best opening to any conversation… very well, however." She moved to sit, her eyes narrowing, as if she could somehow sense the direction of this conversation.

Julia swallowed as she struggled, even at the last minute, to choose her words carefully. "During our interrogation of the prisoners, they mentioned that they gained access to the Earthforce records on what happened to you. And they repeated the charge in those records. That you were assaulted by Shai'jhur during your time with her during the war." Julia kept her hands together in front of her, as if ready to take Kaveri's hand in support. "We need to know if this is true. And I'm sorry that we have to ask something so private."

Her face went blank, and her mental walls slammed up reflectively, anti-scanning training taking over. "No." Her voice was flat and cold. "And your apology is not accepted, Captain."

Meridina was quick to send her mental impressions to Julia. Including the mental walls. Julia nodded once. "I see," she said. Julia found that she wanted to believe Kaveri's denial, if only because Hawk's charge being true would make this entire situation even worse. But Kaveri's defensive reaction… she didn't know what to think, and it showed. And this situation was certainly too delicate to plunge ahead thoughtlessly. She looked to Meridina for help.

"I will not enter your mind if you do not wish it," Meridina assured her. "Gersal does not have your Psi Corps, but we have our own code of conduct for mindwalkers. Telepaths. I shall provide you the contact information to the Farisa Genut to issue complaints if you feel I have violated your mind."

"Almighty, you think I am afraid of the Corps?" Kaveri seemed incredulous of their words. "I am uneasy, yes, at the thought of being scanned, but I trust the motivations behind their actions more than your people's, if only because of uncomfortable familiarity with them." She grit her teeth. "You do not trust my denial, do you? You actually believe Shai'jhur could have done such a thing? Do not you understand the old Dilgar Imperium's views of such things?" Hurt flashed in her eyes, and a defensive tone had crept into her voice.

The heat of Kaveri's denial was unavoidable. It didn't feel like a defensive protest to protect an abuser. At the same time… Julia shook her head, trying to get a feel for what her own instincts were telling her. "The Earthforce records insist you were raped. The evaluations all list your religious beliefs for why you refuse to talk about it. I don't want Shai'jhur to be guilty, but with the situation like it is, I have to know, Captain Varma. I have to know the truth of what happened to you on that island. Because Hawk? He believes it, which means his followers do, and Foster probably does as well, and the Drazi and Brakiri will damned well believe it. And that means this situation will become a shooting war, and if Hawk's ship shows up - and that is very likely - it's… well, it's a battlecruiser, Captain, a battlecruiser bristling with the most powerful weapons the Darglan ever developed. If it joins with Drazi reinforcements we will lose, and every Dilgar on Tira will die. Possibly followed by the ones on Rohric. I need to be able to show they're wrong, or if not, that Shai'jhur isn't the same as she was thirty years go."

"She is exactly the same as she was thirty years ago! Perhaps older, more worn-down by the weight of the crushing duty that pulverized Jha'dur before her, but her heart is the same! She tries to follow Dharma, as she did before she even knew the word! It…" Her gaze fell, and her tone shifted to grow more quiet. "It… was consensual. That is why there are the laboratory results supporting the charge. I let Intelligence believe it for the sake of my career, and for my little Zhengli's sake."

Julia bowed her head in reaction. She felt horrible, like she had just violated Kaveri as well… which was quite accurate in one sense. She felt Meridina's mind gently brush her own. Their contact allowed her to understand that the mental walls kept Meridina from confirming the truth of Kaveri's words. Only a deliberate telepathic scan could confirm the truth. There was a hesitation in Meridina's thoughts on that. She did not want to do this.

"What more do you want, Captain?"

"We need to be able to say you're not lying. That you're not covering for Shai'jhur," Julia said. "We need to know for sure." She didn't need to say how. Kaveri would know the one certain way.

"Very well, Captain." Her shoulders sagged, and the woman let out a deep sigh. "I have avoided this, avoided any duty that would require this, ever since then…" It took a moment's effort, and a soft humming sound as she centred herself, and willed her mental blocks away.

It was with great trepidation that Meridina pulled up a chair to sit in front of Kaveri. She closed her eyes and focused upon the woman. Felt her instinctive anger and displeasure at the situation, her continued worry over the ones she loved, for wounded Shai'jhur and imprisoned Zhengli, and most importantly… her determination to protect them.

There was only a moment's instinctive resistance, like skin resisting a needle, before the mind of Kaveri Varma opened to Meridina. Meridina's training, her personal discipline, ignored the memories that drifted past her. She focused on that critical moment in the life of Kaveri Varma. The escape from the dying Denali. The island. "Human… can you fish?" Days and nights spent working together, her and this alien woman who coughed up blood every so often, who's frail form belied a power of will, an understanding of the universe that Kaveri came to realize was the same as her own. From that a bond grew. An impossible one. Love in defiance of a universe torn by war to the knife between their respective species.

Meridina felt the immense closeness Kaveri felt toward Shai'jhur. She had been willing. Shai'jhur had been. They had learned something together, shared something on that island, and they shared it still. Meridina felt an affection that she had never felt before in another being.

With careful deference to the tender memories she had accessed, Meridina pulled her mind out from Kaveri's. To her surprise, tears had formed on her eyes in sympathy for Kaveri's tears. "It was real," Meridina said in a low voice. Not "she's telling the truth". Not "she's not delusional". Those three simple words. "It was real."

Julia nodded. "Thank you."

"I shall provide you contact information for the Farisa Genut on Gersal," Meridina said to Kaveri. "I ask that you inform them if I have caused you any harm or discomfort."

There was a flash of skepticism, that of a woman from the Earth Alliance, who had known all she had, but it faded, and she nodded. "It was… something that apparently had to be done."

"I'm sorry it came to this," Julia said. "I understand if you can't accept my apology. It's still there."

"Words cannot make up for actions, I fear. Shai'jhur and I have both learned this lesson very well indeed. May I return to her now, Captain?"

Julia nodded quietly. "Yes," she said hoarsely.

She nodded and stood, making a namaste gesture in valediction, before turning silently to return to the Dilgar Warmaster's side. She paused at the door. "Zhengli remains in danger, Captain. I would again ask if there was anything you can do, or else…I fear for what may come next."

"I'll do whatever I can. I'm just not sure of what will help her." After watching Kaveri go, clearly distraught at that reply, Julia mumbled, "We just did something horrible."

"Sadly necessary, but yes," Meridina agreed. "I will report this to the Farisa Genut."

"If they find you having acted badly, what will happen?"

"At the most extreme, they would assign a farisa to accompany me and keep my mental gifts suppressed, or require me to take drugs to suppress my mindwalking. The latter would also disrupt my ability to access my swevyra."

"Would they…?"

"The situation provides enough amelioration that I may be simply required to provide compensation to Captain Varma. Perhaps an oath to refrain from all use of mindwalking until the Farisa Genut determines I am not a danger to others." Meridina was still shaken. "Power is linked to responsibility, as you know. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility, lest society be unbalanced. Farisa on Gersal accept the need for the Genut on these grounds, just as those with swevyra accept the need to answer to the Order of Swenya."

"At least they don't force you to walk around wearing black uniforms and gloves," Julia murmured. "Did you see that telepath from the Huáscar?"

"I saw and felt," Meridina confirmed. "I would invite her to come to Gersal if I thought it would not endanger her or our purpose here." Meridina rose from her chair. "We should speak to the others about our interrogation of Hawk and his compatriot. And make preparations."

"For the arrival of the Avenger, yes." Julia sighed. If they were lucky, maybe the fighting on S4W8 had let off enough that Maran could send reinforcements.

The thought made her snort in derision. They were never going to be that lucky...

The Aurora and Koenig command officers met once more in the conference lounge off of the main bridge. Everyone listened to Julia and Meridina relay what happened after the attack.

"So great. The nuts with the Darglan battlecruiser are back," Angel muttered. "This entire situation is beyond screwed up."

"I think it was that way when we caught the mercs slaughtering babies," Lucy remarked darkly. "This is just further evidence of the screwed up-ness of the problem."

"We have to assume the Avenger is going to show up. Suggestions?"

"The last time we fought, we were able to use our speed and tactics to beat them," Jarod said. "But now we can't leave orbital space."

"Can't we?" Locarno clearly had a thought on that point. "If they're gunning for us again, it might actually be best for us to run. Then we draw them away from the other ships."

"That means we leave the Shenzhou and Shai'jhur's ships to fight dozens of Drazi ships and an advanced, deflector shield-protected Earthforce warship," Jarod reminded him. "The Shenzhou's not built to fight the same enemies we are. Shields and technology might let them mow through the Drazi, but the Huáscar may be too much for them. Even if the Magaratha is helping."

"Besides, we might need the Shenzhou's help to fight the Avenger," Julia said. "I'm not sure we can take our last victory for granted against them. They've had over fifteen months to train and learn new tactics. Or download them into their brains, given how much they're using that Darglan infuser technology."

"I'll keep all departments on combat standby," Jarod promised.

"The flight wing is on ready status. All pilots are prepared to launch within five minutes of the order," added Lieutenant Commander Patrice Laurent. The Aurora's Wing Command Officer, or CAG as some called him, looked to Julia with his light brown eyes. He and his sister were among many they had helped out in the days that they, like Hawk, operated out of a Darglan Facility. The two had been rescued from a beleaguered jail in their native Central African Republic, and both leapt at the chance to leave their divided homeland behind and see their families settle on New Liberty. Given that Patrice was now the commander of eighty-eight starfighters and his sister Madeleine captained the Starship Challenger, another Discovery-class starship like Li Ming-Chung's Shenzhou, their decision had clearly paid off. "I am worried about our new pilots. Virtually all of them are without prior combat experience. I have paired them in wings with combat veterans where possible, but the veterans are not happy with the arrangement either…"

"I understand, Commander," Julia said. "I would have preferred giving the new pilots more time before their first combat op too, but I'm not sure they'll get it."

"If a fight breaks out in orbital space, my Marines on the planet will probably get attacked as well." Major Gabriel Anders was sitting between Lt. Commander Richmond and Lt. Commander Laurent. The Commander of the Aurora's Marine Troops had both Caucasian and Cherokee background to him, with a tint to his otherwise fair complexion and dark hair. "I'd like to give our positions in those warehouses extra supplies while we can."

"I imagine the Brakiri will react badly if we are clearly digging in," Meridina noted. "It may be best to show caution in such reinforcement."

"We wouldn't be down there if the Brakiri weren't having their mercs slaughter the children the Dilgar were growing in their facilities," Julia pointed out. "If they don't like it, Tabir can bring it up with me. You'll get your supplies, Major."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Hopefully the mercenaries will remain quiescent until we resolve the situation," Richmond said.

"I hope so too," Julia murmured. "If there's nothing else, let's get to work."