Remnants of the Earth

<The ones nearest the impact point are dead. By my estimate, almost a quarter of the crew would have died almost instantaneously, either due to hit by debris from the impact, or killed by concussive force. Another third would have been fatally wounded, and probably died in the time we've been speaking, by the shockwave from the impact passing through the water, the concussive force I just mentioned.>, Rhevi answered, <The rest would be in varying stages of shock and varying states of critical injury, possibly bleeding internally until their organs regenerate from the concussive wave, but still alive, for about the next four minutes, unless they are rescued before they suffocate. Those are the ones the enemy is after. They'll be recovered and sent to that ship's medbay to be immersed in whatever water the enemy can recover from the wreckage. From there, they'll be interrogated as soon as they're healthy, then, if those humans are true to form, they'll be ransomed to our military in exchange for whatever human prisoners we have on hand. There probably won't be enough survivors to ransom for anything else. Those that were in the pieces that made it through the gate are doomed, unless the captain of that ship ignored protocol and beelined it for our battlegroup.>, he continued, his 'tone' closer to that of a professional reciting facts from memory than of someone who had just watched the better part of a scout ship crew under his command die, though there was a note of sadness to it.

<Our ships' hulls are designed to redirect the forces of collisions around the exterior, which is why any at all are still alive, but a hard enough impact will still shatter them, and will still send a strong enough shockwave through the ship to do some damage to the crew, as you just saw, even with the dampening fields reducing kinetic energy transfer in the water.>, he explained, <Human kinetic weapons on a ship that size are more devastating than antimatter weapons. A projectile the size of that last shot fired at maximum velocity would shatter even most heavy cruisers and vaporise anything less. They are formidable weapons. This is another good lesson for you: Know when retreat is your best option. There will likely be times you will find yourself up against an enemy you cannot overpower. There is no shame in running from such enemies and regrouping elsewhere to come up with a plan.>.

<Captain, I would recommend the space station known as the Cancer. The Alliance generally doesn't bother with pirate stations unless said pirates give them a reason to. I can find my own way back to my unit from there.>, Rhevi recommended.

Lucky number 13!

<Hanarik willing, Sitara. And I'd be careful, Captain Maxwell. If you thought Sarah was against your advances...>, Rhevi said as he headed for the hatch. Only to trail off, coming to a full stop as he sensed it.

Human warp gates were known among Hestari for one property in particular. When one opened, it created an electrical field that increased in size and strength exponentially to the size of the ship passing through it. This field ranged from barely perceptible in the case of a corvette or frigate, to large enough to cause arcing on the exterior of ships and, due to the spatial properties of the gate, mild discharges inside small ships in the vicinity for heavy cruisers and dreadnaughts. Experienced Hestari naval officers could often identify the class and number of Union or Alliance vessels before their ships, a useful skill in countering ambushes.

And this one was huge. Larger even than his own Teshari. Its size, for a human ship, would easily put it in the heavy cruiser or even dreadnaught size, though it would be somewhere in the middle range of Draconian cruiser-weights.

<Captain Maxwell, check your scanners. I know what you'll see, but I hope I'm wrong.>, Rhevi stated, a slight note of tension in his 'voice'.

No sooner had he spoken than the ring of light appeared, nearly 110 kilometers in diameter, then filled in to form a circle with sunlike brightness, its light so intense that the small squadron of fighters that issued forth from it was almost invisible against it.

"Fleet hunter... We have incoming. Warp gate size suggests... Talsak... It's the Alliance newtype. I say again, With Joined Hands is incoming. Fleet Hunter-", the digitized voice spoke from Rhevi's wrist terminal in Hestari.

<Disengage docking. Immediate dive! Rendezvous with Battlegroup Teshari and inform them of the situation. I'll find my own way back. You have your orders. Do not, I say again, DO NOT read back. Execute immediately!>, Rhevi commanded privately. <Captain Maxwell, get us out of here.>

As the Valari Hesta-class scout ship began emergency separation procedures, a massive warship emerged from the gate, which closed behind it, firing a small shot from one of its massive mass accelerators at the Hestari vessel with almost surgical precision, targeting the top of the vessel in such a way as to avoid damaging the Sassy Juice.

The pirate's discomfort, while hidden from human senses, did not quite go unnoticed by Rhevi, and the Hestari's antennae perked slightly as he found himself wondering if he'd just hit upon something with his prodding. With over a third of his life spent in a sometimes-cold, sometimes-heated war with the Union/Alliance, it was difficult for Rhevi not to try to look for leverage when dealing with humans, and he filed away the suspicion accordingly.

<Actually, my sister came up with it. Sarah's just the one executing it. As for where they'll go, the idea is they're going nowhere. Jeth is their home, after all. It's the ones enslaving them that will be leaving. Or dying.>, Rhevi answered, <The idea is to do enough damage that the Feylini can take their world back. Your involvement will be as brief or as great as you choose, after dropping Sitara off.>. For now, Rhevi kept the fact that he'd given Sitara the medallion to himself. If the pirate needed assurance he wasn't about to strike a hornet's nest, he would reveal it, but he saw no use in telling him about it if he didn't need to. The fewer who knew, the fewer to think it valuable and possibly ruin the message her having it was meant to convey.

<Perhaps. Though I can't say that I do like what I see, either. At least in the way you're trying to imply. You're human and I'm not, after all.>, Rhevi replied, his 'tone' still jovial, but with a slight note of warning, <And I'll pass her message along, though she would do well to heed Ranah when she says to read the entire message before acting in the future.>, he continued, taking the touchscreen back and reattaching it to his wrist terminal.

Rhevi motioned for Sitara to stand front and center as he spoke, <Ranah arranged for a guide for Sarah. If she tore off without reading the post script, I have no doubt she neglected to close the message as well, and you don't strike me as the type not to get nosy. I'm sure you understand how the arrangement was made. Sitara will be that guide, and she will earn her freedom in the process, an arrangement Sarah will recognise, as learning and mastering her skills was how she earned hers.>, he explained, <Sitara also has a case of filecards with information Ranah was not able to include in her email>, Rhevi indicated the floating case, <It is to remain on or within two meters of her person at all times. You do not want you or your crew to be responsible for it going missing.>.

<The case is a filecard carrier. It's basically a briefcase for data cards. It will follow you as long as you're wearing that collar.>, Rhevi explained as he motioned for her to follow and headed for the docking port, <Unless you or someone else puts in a lot of effort to destroy it, it's not going to break. It's designed to survive a ship up to heavy frigate weight hitting the surface of a world at terminal velocity, and its designer made sure it would need as little maintenance as possible. It's next service date is well beyond your natural lifespan.>, he continued.

<As for the medallion, it's made from the wood of a tree native to Hesta. Sarah will know the scent, and will know whose it is. As for what happens if the case is lost or stolen... You were briefed on that before you came aboard. Captain Maxwell will work out that letting the latter happen would be suicide, and, so long as you aren't trying to lose it, the former isn't going to happen.>.

"Captain Maxwell, Schoolmaster Sehnah. Docking is now complete. Our instruments read all seals good. Permission for the Fleet Hunter and cargo to come aboard, over?", the XO sent as the docking completed without a hitch and the docking port sealed tot he Sassy Juice's. As he waited for a reply, Rhevi stood at the docking port, performing his own visual inspection as he waited for the all-clear to board the Sassy Juice. Now came the possible hard part. How would Maxwell react to learning what he was picking up, and what would he need to convince him that Sarah would understand.

<I'd love to, personally. The Rivideans should not be permitted to carry on as they do, and there are few in the higher packs who would not take the first opportunity to put them in their place.>, Rhevi answered, choosing his words carefully, <But I have other pressing matters to attend to. There are...>, Rhevi continued, pausing to find the best way to indicate there were other, more pressing threats without giving away classified information, <...situations that require my immediate attention. Opening a new front would be... detrimental to handling those situations. Therefore, it cannot appear as though any Hestari are involved in the freeing of your world. Not until the other situations are resolved. Also, as a military officer, I have my orders.>. As he spoke of his orders, Rhevi's hands edged toward his back. He'd been briefed on the Ulthane abominations, and to say he did not look forward to facing them was an understatement. Personally, he would have been happy to go to Jeth if it meant not having to send troops to die in the hopes of pushing back an enemy uniquely suited to countering the main advantages of Hestari naval strategy, but orders were orders, and him not getting the short straw, as the human expression went, would have meant someone else would. The only consolation was that he would be on a command ship, but even those had been breached, infected, and converted before. <To be perfectly honest, you will be far safer where you're going than I will be where I'm going. You don't want to know what I'll be up against.>

"Fleet Hunter. We've arrived at the surface point. Nahlirha probes have been deployed, report negative contacts. Time is T-10 minutes to rendezvous, assuming the recipient is on time.", a voice, the digitized copy of the XO's telepathic 'voice', reported from Rhevi's wrist terminal, speaking in the Hestari Northern Sea dialect.

<Remain submerged until the recipient's ship arrives, then surface parallel 50 meters starboard mirror, request docking, and roll ship 90 degrees to port. ETA T-20 SHM. Repeat common.>, Rhevi ordered, holding up his hand for Sitara to wait.

"Remain submerged until the recipient's ship arrives, then surface parallel to, 50 meters starboard of, and oriented bow forward relative to recipient, request docking, and roll ship 90 degrees to port. Estimated time of arrival is T minus 20 Human Standard Minutes. Aye, Fleet Hunter.", the XO repeated, understanding full well the information was for the Feylini's benefit as well as to confirm his orders.

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Two small ripples, like tiny splashes in the vastness of space, spread to just under a meter diameter before shrimp-shaped probes burst forth, the rifts closing in a fashion that looked like the splash of objects jumping out of water. As the Valari Hesta scout ship waited for the Sassy Juice to arrive, the probes continuously scanned the area and sent the data to their parent ship.

Rhevi shook his head as he listened. <Letting your emotions dictate your plans is the surest way to get one or more of your friends killed. You as well, and then there's no telling when your other friends will be rescued. You also fail to consider that, without making sure you've at least got somewhere secure with room enough to take them, they may end up right back in Rividean hands, and you along with them, and the Rivideans, if they've even an inkling of intelligence, will move you all elsewhere. Somewhere Sarah won't have someone with tracking skills specific to your world to help her find and scout. No sense keeping slaves in a camp that has already been raided once.>, he pointed out when she'd finished speaking, adding in a clause that Sarah was to help her rescue her friends as he spoke. <Not only that, but, when you let your enemies dictate your timetable, it's that much easier to back yourself into a corner and be forced to tip your hand much sooner than you want to, and make it all the harder to get rid of them. They'll be on their guard at other places, and may even be able to figure out what they face. Every choice, every non-choice, has consequences, and rebellion and war are rarely forgiving in that department. I understand the urgency fully, but, to be blunt, dead is dead, and you help no one by trying to rush things.>

<Ideas? Hmmm... Keep in mind I say this with only secondhand knowledge of Jeth and the situation there, so take this as a starting point, not an end-all be-all. First step is to find allies. Having allies means having access to whatever supplies, information, weapons, and shelter they can spare. It also means more manpower, and possibly skills you and Sarah don't have. For instance, someone's going to have to learn to read and speak Rividean, assuming they don't speak and write a similar language to common, and Sarah is completely illiterate in any language other than a few Hestari written languages and a couple Draconian written languages. I understand there is a resistance in place? My first move would be to try to establish contact with them. With luck, as hesitant as I am to rely on it, they may know where your friends are being held, which will save you the trouble of tracking them down. Even if they don't, they should at least know where some of the camps are. If the Rivideans organise their camps anything like the Hestari do, hitting the camps could lead you to others. Slaves on Hesta are usually moved to where their skills are most valuable soon after processing. Even if that isn't the specific way the Rivideans do it, they ought to keep logs of who they sell to and where they move any they can use for more than just food and torture. What order you hit them in, if you have to go that route, is up to your judgement. If you know how long it's been since they were captured and can find out what type of vehicles they use to move slaves around, you can figure out how far they could have been taken in the time that's passed, which may narrow down the list considerably. One of the main problems you'll face finding them is that you can't just put up wanted posters and ask everyone you meet if they've seen them. Even on Hesta, slaves aren't encouraged to go asking after family or poking around for information, and nothing's more out of place than a slave tying to find out where other camps are. Discretion is the better part of valor here, and you'll do your friends no good if you end up caught in a trap.>, Rhevi answered, scratching his lower jaw thoughtfully.

<Use Sarah for recon as much as she'll let you. As you'll soon find out, she's quite suited to it. And try to get her to take at least a few ranking slavers alive, for interrogation. Use my name if you need to. As for your role, when not directly helping Sarah, I would suggest you being the intermediary with any Feylini groups, and Sarah be the face of your group when dealing with Rividean sympathisers. As you yourself can attest, other Feylini will be understandably reluctant to trust her, and fear a trap, and you would do well to be wary of any Rivideans offering aid, and not take the risk of meeting them face-to-face until they can be properly vetted. Working quickly is a necessity here, but you need to be cautious, too. When on a hunt, following too quickly can destroy the very tracks you seek.

Once you find your friends, determine if they can be moved, and spend at least a day observing the patterns of the guards, if feasible, paying special attention to shift changes, patrol routes, check-in times, bad habits, even meals and how often and for how long they relieve themselves. It will be painful to wait, but knowing where and when you are most likely to encounter resistance will better prepare you to overcome or avoid it, and could mean the difference between life and death for any friends who are too injured or too sick to move quickly. Even if they are in perfect health, not studying the guards is an excellent way to get ambushed, so don't go in right away unless you absolutely must, and be ready to face stiff opposition if you do. Either way, you'll have to make the call when you get to that point. As I said before, I'm working off of much less information than I'd normally make sure to have.>, he continued.

<One more thing: Keep them simple. the fewer the steps and the fewer the number of things left to chance or requiring things to be just so, the less likely the plan is to fall apart, but always be prepared for the Lieutenant to spill his breakfast. Ask Sarah how that one came about, if you're curious, but it's basically a catch-all for those little things that no one sees coming that can completely shatter any plan.>

<Yes. Enough on that subject.>, Rhevi stated, his 'tone' angry. Were it not for the situation with the Ulthane and the recent tensions with the Maraki, both enough to sideline the Alliance as far as concerns went, Rhevi was almost certain the Rivideans would be being put in their place. Races such as theirs were rarely tolerated by the Hestari, as their ilk tended to cause other races to be less willing to associate with the Hestari, and had, in the past, even driven worlds to ally with their enemies. As the Feylini closed her eyes, the temperature of her face fell from the blood draining in fear, and her breathing began to quicken, Rhevi resisted the urge to put a hand on her shoulder, knowing that being touched by an alien hand at that moment would make her fear even worse.

<Do you have any other questions?>, he asked, <Once we surface and make the transfer, there won't be any other opportunities to ask for a while.>

Rhevi nodded slightly, lower jaw plate sliding down slightly. <Says the Feylini who came in here pretty much kicking and screaming, determined to fight me tooth and nail.>, he remarked with a slightly amused 'tone', <Granted, a lot of that was meant to distract me, and possibly yourself, from your fear, but there are many who, in your situation, would have been frozen with fear, too afraid to so much as speak out of turn. I highly doubt your first reaction was to run. Even now, you cooperate out of practicality, rather than meekness or desire.>, he continued, his 'tone' more reassuring.

<I've seen a lot of slaves in my time. By human reckoning, I'm just over a millennium and a half old. I've seen everything from mindless beasts like the valari hesta, barely fit to serve, to willful beings that, in a fair universe, would never know the bonds of slavery. If there's a personality type I've never seen, it doesn't exist in any known part of the universe.>, Rhevi explained, <Unless I'm slipping in my age, you are not the type to simply turn tail at the first hint of trouble, pardon the expression. That's just the guilt talking.>

<You won't.>, Rhevi stated, <You might stumble, but you have the skills. It's your confidence that needs work.>