20.09.2722

"Gholians," Arius said flatly. "Those guys are deadly."

Arius's ship, the Dwarf Star, zipped through the negative matter highway, closing in on the Gholian Tribunal's last known location. Having served in Judgement's special forces for almost eight years before meeting Rehema, Arius's training and contacts often came in handy. In this case, Arius had a contact among the Gholian Tribunal themselves: a son of a Gholian tribal chieftain.

Rehema leaned on the wall of the bridge, watching Arius plot the course on his dashboard. Arius Pylius was a complicated man. The first time they'd met, Rehema had been a young investigator, hired by Judgement straight out of school. Arius, on the other hand, was a Martian colonist, who had served in Judgement for almost eight years as a member of their elite special forces. Somehow they'd ended up working together, not long after Arius was officially discharged from service. He was clearly enjoying the benefits of retirement, having purchased an annoying selection of clothes and outfitting a personal ship, which Rehema often borrowed for official excursions. Today, he was wearing a loud multi-colored shirt, giving off a bright mood that his glowering face didn't match.

"I thought you had a friend among them," she noted. "You are still friends, aren't you?"

"We are," Arius reminded her. "But that doesn't mean I'm not wary of their species. Ever since they lost their planet in the Great War, those guys have been known for their aggression, attacking every ship that strays too close to their fleet."

"Really?" Rehema asked, sipping on an enclosed mug of coffee. "How come they haven't accidentally started a war with some nation or other?"

Arius snorted, spinning his chair around.

"They're not the savages rumors make them out to be," he said. "They have starcharts too, you know. Besides, a war took their home planet. They're not eager to start another."

Rehema cocked her head and lifted her mug to her partner.

"That's good to know."

"Yeah?" Arius said. "Well, we're almost there, so strap yourself in."

Rehema crossed the cabin, pulling out another chair for herself. Placing her mug in a snug cup holder, Rehema pulled her straps tight, bracing herself for the deceleration.

Moments later, the ship lurched to a stop, giant metal walls appearing suddenly around the ship in a massive ring. Other ships, decelerating out of the highway, appeared beside them, lurching to a stop in similar fashions. Hypergates were integral in space travel, using negative matter to accelerate and decelerate ships beyond conventional travel means. Unfortunately, they were also always crowded, making extended trips long and tedious. Thankfully, Rehema only needed to get off here.

"Nearest exit is to the right," Rehema reminded Arius.

"I know," Arius scowled. "But I called ahead and was told to meet them at the third exit."

"Them?"

"A Gholian escort," Arius said, smiling slightly. "Friend, remember?"

Arius guided the Dwarf Star through traffic, weaving in and out of ships of all kinds. Merchant trawls, passenger cruisers, and luxury jets alike hovered in their lanes, slowly inching along in the crowded hypergate. Rehema sat up in her seat, peering ahead at the exit Arius mentioned. Built all around the ring, exit tunnels led out in all directions, allowing ships to exit at any point along their lane. Sure enough, two Gholian fighters hovered on either side of the third exit, guns lowered. A pair of crossed hammers adorned the fighter's torsos, indicating their tribal allegiance.

Rehema allowed Arius to navigate through the swarm of traffic, drawing them closer to their Gholian escort. As they neared the exit, one of them began hailing them with a message.

"Rehema, can you-" Arius began.

"Arius, really," Rehema sighed. "You always think I never see the message coming in."

She switched to the proper channels, opening up communication with the fighters on a nearby screen.

"For you, Arius," she called.

"Greetings, Captain Pylius," the Gholian warrior said in a gruff voice. "We are to be your escort until you reach the Taab council. Chiefson Tabal will meet you there."

Arius nodded.

"Now follow us," the warrior continued. "We will lead you there."

The Gholian fighters fired up their engines, turning around to face in the other direction. One fighter pulled ahead, leading the way, while the other lagged behind. The Dwarf Star followed the first fighter, allowing the second ship to close up the rear. Keeping formation, the three ships left the hypergate ring, flying out toward space.

"The Tribunal is meeting just beyond the planet up ahead," one fighter said. "The locals have been most anxious, so we are to make haste if we wish to avoid conflict."

"They talk funny," Rehema noted.

"Terran is difficult for them," Arius replied. "They haven't really updated their language structures in a while either."

"Oh? Why's that?" Rehema asked.

"Isolation," Arius answered simply. "They travel in packs and don't really venture off unless hired or collecting supplies. It's not like language is a priority for them."

Not far off, a small brown planet bustling with agricultural plantations appeared on the local starchart, getting closer by the minute. Rehema leaned forward in her seat, straining the belt as she attempted to get a better look at the upcoming planet. Just then, her view gave way to a group of enormous warships looming into view, all of them nearly identical to the one that attacked the Cadmus Institute. Each warship had two enormous wings rotating around the central hull, protected by thick armor. Hundreds of smaller ships, similarly designed, surrounded the warships. Including other vessels, Rehema estimated well over ten thousand ships moving together in a massive fleet.

"Well, we've come to the right place," Rehema said dryly.

"Up ahead," the Gholian warrior's voice said. "You will see open hangar doors greeting you. The Chiefson sends regards."

"Thank you," Arius replied, guiding the Dwarf Star forward.

Sure enough, one of the warships opened its hangar airlock doors, flashing green lights in their direction. Their Gholian escort dipped their wings, peeling off as Arius guided their ship closer. Just before they reached the warship, Arius fired up the reverse thrusters, slowing the Dwarf Star to match the rotating speed of the wing. Rehema could feel the centripetal motion sinking the weightless feeling in her stomach as the artificial gravity kicked in.

Their ship floated into the airlock chamber, the first door sliding shut. A loud hiss echoed through the chamber as the pressure was adjusted, and finally, the second door opened, revealing the hangar beyond. Arius guided the ship in toward a parking slot, gently firing the thrusters until they were in place.

"I always hated these landings," she growled, as Arius brought the ship to a halt.

"They're kind of necessary," he quipped, undoing his seat belt. "Meet me out front once you're good to go."

"Who said I wasn't?" Rehema shot back, getting up to follow her partner. The gravity in this environment was a little stronger than she was used to, so it felt as if she were walking with a wet blanket draped over her shoulders. The Gholians must have come from a denser planet, and so they had adjusted their wing rotation to instill a greater gravitational force to mimic their home conditions.

Arius was already lowering the ramp by the time Rehema caught up to him. From the nose of the bridge, she could see a small delegation of three Gholians approaching their vessel. Two were suited in heavy armor, but the third wore a yellow robe covering one shoulder, similar to a messy bathrobe, Rehema thought. This third Gholian stood slightly taller than the guards by only a fraction of a meter, and his muscles bulged out of his flowing robe. The Chiefson.

"Arius!" Tabal laughed, extending a massive hand. "It is good to hear from you!"

Arius smiled, striding down the ramp with his gangly legs to meet the Chiefson halfway.

"Good to see you, Tabal," he said, clasping the Gholian's meaty forearm in his hand.

"I received your message," Tabal boomed. "I appreciate the heads up, but if it's official business, then conduct your business by all means. I am for the law."

"Good to hear that," Rehema called, walking down the ramp. "Because this business is rather nasty."

Tabal's brow furrowed meatily, locking on to Rehema.

"Is this the woman you spoke of?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Arius muttered. "She's the Special Investigator from Judgement, coming to ask you a few questions."

The Chiefson glanced around the hangar, bustling with dozens of smaller ships and vessels and shook his head.

"Not here," he said. "Come. We will discuss in private."

The large Gholian bent his knees, then pushed off from the ground, his powerful leap carrying him up to the ceiling with ease. Up above, Rehema noted several wide tubes extending across the hangar, each with long ladders extending toward the ground, allowing the ground crew to travel between the main hull and the wings. Beside her, Arius pressed his fists to his side, blasting plumes of fire from his knuckles as he propelled himself upwards toward the tubes.

Rehema sighed and turned to the nearest guard, motioning for him to approach.

"You wouldn't happen to have lifts here, would you?" she asked.

The Gholians glanced at each other and shrugged, walking over to a nearby platform with a thick pole at its center. Rehema followed them, climbing up the steps as one of the guards activated the lift. With a hiss of pressurized gas, the platform climbed slowly, pulling itself to the top at a gradual pace. Rehema marveled at the smooth ride, noting the hangar number and the size of the platform as she ascended.

"Are these platforms used for cargo?" she asked.

"Yes, lady," one of the Gholians responded. "The lift is motion sensitive, which is good if we are transporting heavy liquids and other sensitive loads."

"Interesting," Rehema noted.

Moments later, the platform came level with the upper floor, where Tabal and Arius were waiting. Rehema waited until the platform stopped, then stepped off and joined them directly under the central tube where her companions stood.

"Jump," Tabal said, pushing off with his powerful legs. "I will meet you at the top to make sure you do not jump too hard."

Rehema watched as the Chiefson hurtled toward the central body, twisting around to catch himself as he neared the end. Beside her, she could feel Arius watching as well, waiting for the Chiefson to reach the top. She was also dimly aware of their escort coming around to stand beside them, preparing to jump when they did.

"Never been on a Gholian warship before," Rehema said to Arius, before jumping after the Chiefson.

As she ascended the tube, she spun herself around to look down at her partner. Not surprisingly, he was already in the air, floating closely behind her, alongside the Gholian guards accompanying them.

Just before she reached the end, Rehema twisted her body to latch onto the nearest ledge, pulling herself to a gentle stop near the Chiefson. Tabal nodded with approval, motioning her to move aside. Rehema pushed off with her arm, moving out of the way as Arius and the guards caught up, joining them on the ledge. They were in the center of the warship now, the section that didn't rotate. Without the centripetal force, they were weightless, drifting in place.

"This way," Tabal announced, waving a door open.

The group floated down the hall, following the Chiefson as he navigated the halls with an obvious familiarity. Other than their group, few Gholians roamed the hallways, all armed, but friendly. Many waved at their group as they passed, or greeted the Chiefson with a nod, going about their business.

Eventually, the group stopped outside a nondescript door, marked with a Gholian number on the doorframe. Tabal waved the door open and floated aside, ushering the group into the room. When the guards tried to follow, he held up a hand, signaling them to wait outside.

Rehema glanced around, thanking her morning self quietly for putting her hair into a bun before going into space. Tabal's room was sparse, occupied only by a cot, a desk, two monitors, and a window. On the wall, several pictures detailed memorable moments of the Chiefson's life, including a section of dangling war trophies.

"You must excuse the decor," Tabal said, sealing the room behind him. "It has been our tradition to live simply since we abandoned our planet many eons ago."

Rehema waved off his apologies, turning to look out the window.

"What do you know about the attack on the Cadmus Institute?" she asked, cutting straight to business.

"Oh, a tragedy," Tabal moaned. "I mourn with many a friend whose children and relatives attended."

"I'm not asking how you feel about it," Rehema said, eyeing Tabal in the window's reflection. "What do you know about it?"

The Chiefson shrugged his massive shoulders, sighing.

"Not much," he admitted. "I only heard that all were killed, and there were no survivors."

Rehema hesitated, sensing waves of regret coming from the Gholian Chiefson. Tabal was telling the truth, or at least what he thought was the truth.

"Well, what you heard isn't quite true," she said, turning to face the Chiefson. "Arius and I were assigned to investigate the Institute in the wake of the attack. There were survivors."

Tabal's dull ears perked up at her words, his eyes visibly brightening.

"That is good!" he said. "But why come here?"

"Tabal," Arius said calmly. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but we saw what happened to the survivors on the Institute's cameras. A Gholian warship captured them."

The Chiefson's eyes widened.

"Gholians!" he shouted. "Brothers did this?"

"We also were unable to determine their insignia," Rehema said. "Our only lead is their warship, which we hoped you might help us identify."

Tabal shook his head mournfully, turning his head away.

"I cannot do this," he said. "If it was truly brothers who committed this foul act, I cannot help you. I will inform the Tribunal of this transgression and we will hunt down our brothers internally, but we cannot help you."

"Please Tabal," Arius pressed. "Ten of our famous Career schools were also attacked. Many of Kingsfield's children are missing. Thousands of them are gone."

The Chiefson suddenly whipped his head around, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Ten?" he asked slowly.

"Yes," Rehema confirmed. "Ten. Does this number seem familiar to you?"

Tabal hesitated, visibly struggling over what to tell them. Rehema waited a moment, then prodded him gently.

"If your traditions do not prohibit you from telling us, any information you give can be extremely useful," she said. "It will save lives."

"Ten," Tabal repeated, lowering his eyes. "Ten warships. Ten missing."

"What?" Arius asked, leaning forward. "Missing?"

"Missing," Tabal said, looking up. "The Tribunal is in session now, forming search parties for their whereabouts. One of my friends is among the missing captains."

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Rehema stressed. "Maybe any assistance you can offer us?"

"No, I cannot do that," Tabal said.

Rehema bit her lip in frustration, working over another angle in her head.

"However," Tabal continued. "While the Tribunal debates, I will conduct my own investigation. You are free to join me."

Arius nodded.

"Thank you Tabal," he said. "What do we do now?"

"My people use our own frequency to access our navigation servers," Tabal murmured thoughtfully. "I may track the warships according to their pings. But I must be at their last known location in order to locate them."

"Not a problem," Rehema said. "Can you help us?"

"No, but you can help me," Tabal corrected. "Where should we go?"

Rehema turned back to the window, pointing out at the hypergate ring.

"The Institute," she said. "As good a place to start as any."

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