It didn't take her very long to realize that they were, in fact, nothing like the armored giants of the Imperium, the brutal Space Marines. No, the Hyperboreans moved in an oddly smooth manner, fluid and flexible – utterly unnatural, but in a different way. The first time she saw a Space Marine, she'd been struck with an odd sort of dread at the inhuman speed with which they moved, the sort of speed that should not have been available to them, given their immense weight and size. Her fellows quickly came up with a name for it: transhuman dread. It was the crippling fear of laying eyes on something that should not have been physically possible, something so inhuman that the mind could not help but freeze as it tried to process the information. Unlike the Space Marines, however, the Hyperboreans were graceful and lithe in their movement, almost as though they were floating, despite their immense bulk.
What truly baffled her was the fact that these didn't look like they were soldiers at all, but diplomats, scientists, and professors – men and women who've never seen war and death and desolation and horror. She saw it in their faces. None of them were warriors. Their leader, however, was an entirely different matter. Aside from the fact that this must've been the tallest human being Jadan had ever seen in her entire life, standing at a height close to ten feet tall, the man exuded an aura of supreme and absolute control. And his eyes were not green with peace. No. The tall man had the eyes of a warrior, the eyes of one who'd weathered numerous battles and seen the deaths of comrades and, perhaps, even family. Still, there was a warmth and kindness to him that just made her lower her guard.
There were six of them, in total, a single member more than Jadan's own team, which made her wonder where the tallest one, whom she assumed was their leader, was going to sit down.
"Greetings, weary travelers and distant kin," The tallest of them said, holding out both arms in a human gesture of peace and warmth and acceptance, a metaphysical hug of sorts, an embrace between two friends. It felt nice. It felt wrong. Jadan shook her head, suddenly realizing that, whether or not it was consciously done, their leader was using some kind of psychic ability that made him appear friendlier than he actually was. It was too late to warn her fellows, however, as Jadan saw it in their eyes; they'd already fallen under the tall man's sway, even before they began their exchange. "I am Argall Thraggson, High Chancellor of the Hyperborean Nation. Accompanying me are: Kyeleer Rokkson, Chief Diplomat, Rikardt Helson, Chief Engineer, Shyerees Helsdottir, Chief Agriculturalist, Loragar Jarokson, Chief Economist, and Leerani Shalahasdottir, High Admiral of the Fleets. We bid you welcome."
Jadan's eyes narrowed. Psychics were notably dangerous individuals, especially ones who weren't collared and properly trained. She'd seen even the weakest of them fall under the sway of the denizens of the Otherworld, wreaking havoc before they were finally put down. This one was, perhaps, the most powerful Psychic she'd ever encountered, though Jadan hadn't met many of them. Dangerous.
Still, she had a job to do for her people and, honestly, dealing with a powerful psychic was, all things considered, really not that big of a deal, compared to all the horrors her people had already, thus far, faced. So, Jadan breathed in, forced a smile, and stepped forward; she was the leader, after all. "I am High Admiral Jadan Nkash. With me are: Doctor Roland Yao, Chief of Medicine and Mathematics, Doctor Taric Nzar, Chief Engineer and Chief Micro-Biologist, Professor Lin Martin, Chief Diplomat and Keeper of Records, and President Lahar, Civilian Representative."
"We are honored to be welcomed by your people." Jadan finished, lowering her head. The delegates who accompanied her did the same. They practiced this, she mused. It was meant to show total submission and deference. Normally, her pride would not have allowed such a thing. But, at this point, pride was nothing compared to survival. And, what little pride they did possess was tattered and broken, crushed under the weight of the Imperium's war machine.
The tall man, who introduced himself as Argall Thraggson, turned to his fellow delegates and back to her and gestured towards the chairs. "Please, take your seats and we may begin this First Contact Diplomatic Meeting."
Jadan breathed in and gestured at her fellow delegates and all of them did as told, stepping forward and taking their seats. Jadan sat at the center. Curiously, High Chancellor Argall did not sit down and, instead, opted to stand at the rightmost edge of the table, looming like a living statue. And then, just like that, the High Chancellor's presence receded to such a degree that Jadan almost immediately forgot that he was just there. Sitting across her was Kyeleer Rokkson, their Chief Diplomat, who smiled and gestured at her. The man himself was the shortest of them at a flat seven feet tall. Ridiculous. Still, the man looked good and, height aside, even charming. "Greetings, honorable delegates of the Volimar Republic. Please, if you'd be so kind as to retell the story of your people for all of us here, High Admiral Jadan, we'd be honored. Tell us: what happened, exactly? How did your people become involved with this... Imperium of Man?"
Jadan breathed in. She'd expected that question. She remembered everything that happened as though all of it happened yesterday. She was rather certain that many among her fleet felt the same. No doubt, there were thousands of them who'd lost or left behind people they loved and cherished, those whom they fought for. The war against the Imperium of Man destroyed all of them, one way or another. And so, despite all the pain that bubbled in her chest, all the anger that simmered in her mind, Jadan began recounting the tale of the arrival of the greatest enemy ever faced by the Volimar Republic. She told them of how entire planets suddenly went dark and silent, entire fleets disappearing into the void, as though plucked and eaten by some great predator. She told them of how her people, at first, thought that they were under attack by a hostile race of aliens, here to enslave or conquer them. Instead, they found that their enemy were, instead, fellow humans. And the worlds and fleets that disappeared had been massacred, its populace butchered to the last. Jadan didn't know all the details and, as high up as she was, she doubted anyone else did. But she did know that the armies of the Imperium of Man were led by a brutal warmonger known as Angron and that the tip of their spear were the Space Marines, whom she described with great detail.
And so Jadan spoke of their brutality, their inhumanity, their unwillingness to resort to diplomacy, and their willingness to kill even innocent children. She described their gargantuan ships, their seemingly numberless legions of ordinary men and women. Jadan described a war machine so unfathomably large and powerful that it simply devoured everything in its path, human or otherwise. How or why they inspired loyalty among their soldiers with that sort of behavior, Jadan didn't know. It was entirely possible that the Imperium of Man was comprised entirely of maddened brutes, who reveled in war and violence.
As she spoke, the Hyperborean Delegates simply listened silently. Her story ended with the pitiful exodus of those among her people who chose to leave, while they had the chance. There were many who wished die in heroic last stands, like the heroes of old. Jadan wasn't nearly as stupid as they were. The only thing that truly mattered was the survival of her people and the continuation of the Volimar Republic, tattered and battered though they were. They lived on, despite everything they've been through. Where others would've chosen to lay down and die, Jadan and her flock chose to run away and live. As long as they survived, then the chance to rebuild and start anew would always be there; hope would always be there.
"She's not lying," The High Chancellor suddenly spoke just as Jadan finished speaking, making himself known and startling just about everyone on her side of the table. How High Chancellor Argall managed to come to that conclusion eluded her, but she was grateful all the same, because she hadn't been lying or exaggerating. If anything, she downplayed a few of the events, simply because she couldn't bear to go through the horrors again.
The Hyperborean Delegates nodded and agreed with their High Chancellor, no questions asked – nothing. There was faith there, Jadan noted, borne of repeated trials and tribulations. The glimmer in their eyes told her that, to them, the High Chancellor was more than just a mere man or mortal, but an idol or a symbol to strive towards, closer in position to the idea of divinity than a simple public servant. Kyeleer Rokkson smiled and placed his hands together. "Very well, your story is sound and true. Please, tell us exactly what your people need and we can begin negotiations. I trust that, by the end of this, all sides will be satisfied with whatever arrangement we arrive at."
Jadan very much doubted that. The Hyperboreans held all the cards and even they knew that. The most difficult part was figuring out exactly what they wanted and what exactly did her tattered little fleet have to offer them? Doctor Taric was more than happy to provide the Hyperboreans with a general list of things that they needed immediately, alongside a list of things that would improve their quality of life. The man had no shame and Jadan really should've checked his list, before he handed it over to the Hyperboreans. But then, as the Hyperborean Delegates each took a turn reading the list, she found herself utterly flummoxed when their Chief Diplomat, Kyeleer Rokkson, declared. "These materials are easy enough to acquire. In fact, and no offense to your people, we consider many of these to be useless, primitive junk."
Oh, that stung. Though, if anything the Hyperborean's words only seemed to invigorate the Chief Engineer. Their Chief Diplomat continued, "Yes, I believe the Hyperborean Nation can provide all of these for your people, though some will have to be altered, somewhat, for your own convenience. Now, what can the Volimar Republic offer the Hyperborean Nation in return for these materials?"
Jadan turned to Professor Lin Martin, who nodded at her, before turning towards the Hyperboreans. "Honored delegates, allow me to be blunt and honest with you; if you were hoping to gain some form of material wealth, then I'm afraid we do not have anything that you may find interesting or valuable. I understand that you've scanned all of our ships the moment we entered your system and it is my understanding that you've found nothing at all that would interest you. I humbly ask that we do not waste each others' time on pointless platitudes. What would you have of us, in exchange for the materials?"
The Hyperboreans all turned to their High Chancellor, who simply nodded back at them. Curious. "What we are about to offer will only be offered once. The people of the Hyperborean Nation would like to extend a hand of camaraderie to its fellow humans, in need of aid. In that regard, we are prepared to offer your people a permanent place within the Hyperborean Nation, full citizenship under our utopian society. Your people will never want for anything. They will never starve or lack in education. They will have fresh water to drink whenever they feel the need or want to do so and protection from all threats, alien or otherwise. They will become Hyperboreans and will be treated as such, granted all the rights and privileges enjoyed by all citizens of the Hyperborean Nation. Of course, those among you with suitable skills will be given a suitable role in our society, be it civilian or otherwise. You, for instance, High Admiral Jadan Nkash, will be offered a role within the Hyperborean Admiralty; your experience in the field of void combat will be greatly appreciated by our naval officers."
Jadan's eyes widened.
"If you refuse this offer, then all the materials you require will be given to you for free as a gesture of goodwill among fellow humans. In fact, we will aid you in upgrading your vessels and the systems within – free of charge." The Chief Diplomat continued. "After which, of course, you must vacate our system posthaste. We urge you to spend some time to consider this offer; convene among yourselves or host a referendum of some sort. You have five hours to make your decision."
AN: Chapter 33 is up on (Pat)reon! (Thragg is back and he might've met a new friend)