Part III

  7 – Propaganda

  I had grown during our short time together, both in understanding the truth of our world and in general wisdom. It already felt like an eternity ago that we fled Chicago for the open, desolate countryside. We filled those months avoiding patrols and sleeping under crumbling overpasses, but we shared stories, and we grew closer to each other. And now we had felile aiding us—or perhaps we were aiding them. They earned my trust long ago; it came once Kepper threw himself off his bike to save us.

  Our group was a diverse cast from very different backgrounds, but I could tell that there was something about Veli.

  Pelter Corin’s parents were killed during some sort of experiment gone awry at a facility just outside of Chicago. They were helping develop new rail-tank weaponry for the Empire when a misfire occurred, taking half the weapons lab down. My parents also worked and died for the Terra-Forces, so we had something in common.

  And yet, he was fascinated in their work. He explained to me once how the tank fired a metal slug at a fraction the speed of light, which then detonated on its target in an explosion produced solely by kinetic energy. It was hard to imagine a child of Pelter’s age could articulate the makings of an entire weapon system, but his findings were so detailed that Rupert even came to understand how the tanks powered such a cannon.

  Jess Lently came from a wealthy family that had stocks in the LCC; the Lunar Colonization Corporation. Mars was always seen as a location for an actual extraterrestrial city, but the moon was supposed to be a kind of gateway and spaceport between the two worlds. But after the attacks, the LCC dissolved, and the family found themselves running out of money.

  To relieve financial stress on her family, Jess went out on her own a few years later. When her home of New York City was trapped in a giant green shell—her parents still inside—she had to discover the reason. She became a contributor for the underground newspaper, and later sought her contact, Martin. Ruby joined soon after, and quickly became a good friend.

  She later found her white kitten during her last mission in Chicago, which helped her feel a connection to her past.

  Jessica also had her own family photograph, but she’s only shown it to me once. She couldn’t have been over ten when it was taken, dressed in a very formal outfit and standing between her parents. In the background was a grand hall of a mansion. In her arms was a large white cat.

  Sasha Bentri, like Martin, also came from far away—South Africa, a region devastated by unstoppable industrial growth. A once beautiful area was now the southern tip of an enormous factory chain that ran straight through Africa and ended at Spain’s border. She never speaks of her family, but Ruby told me recently that they had sent her away at an early age, so she wouldn’t have to grow up working in a factory like her older sisters. She was quite skilled with plasma daggers, and seemed interested in network espionage and engineering, following in Rupert’s steps.

  Rupert Jakobs once worked in what was now the Imperial Science and Engineering Division. Before his company was absorbed, he helped develop the tech for the first two-kilometer-high skyscraper, in Toronto. He was also knowledgeable in weapons research, and when the Empire asked him to join their cause, he declined—and had plans of his own.

  He used his connections in the imperial network to steal several blueprints, and then quickly fled his home, with a bounty on his head. One such device from the stolen prints was something he recently finished and had a trial run during our escape from the village: a psychosis-inducing weapon that fired sonic pulses to trigger mental breakdowns in its victims. I saw several soldiers simply drop their weapons, but a few actually began to shoot at their allies. If it was evolved, it could’ve been used to “reprogram” entire populations, or even the strongest-minded Resistance leaders.

  Martin Druvska had the most interesting story of all. He grew up in Russia, and like his brothers, went to the military academy at an early age. Serving for many years, he worked his way up to the rank of Sergeant. When the Empire suddenly stepped up their research and became even more power-hungry and controlling, the military was “purged of the weak” and rebuilt. Martin was asked to keep his position. He agreed. A mistake.

  He would experience the same terror all next-generation soldiers would go through. They performed genetic alteration to reduce empathy, increase aggression, and make their men stronger. They were turning Martin into a killing machine without emotion. But before he lost his mind, he escaped and made his way across the world, ending up in Barcelona. That was where he met a small band of felile Resistance members.

  Thinking that the felile were still his enemy, he attempted to attack the group, but was instead captured. They must’ve seen something useful in him, some promise for their cause, because they kept him alive and showed him what was really going on, exposing the lies he had grown up believing.

  He must’ve been as confused as I had been once—not knowing between good and evil, or why such strange people existed. But he simply compared how the Empire treated him to how a group of strangers in the Resistance had. His decision to change sides came quickly.

  As far as he knew, he was among the first humans to come into friendly contact with the felile. And slowly, their “species survival force” became a larger movement in which all were invited, in the attempt to push back the tyrannical Empire. Today, many years later, humans and felile worked together all across the world. Ever since Martin joined them, he has attempted to make his way to China and the heart of the rebellion, working in various groups until he began his own in Chicago.

  He treated his foolishness of being taken in by the Terra-Forces like a scar, and it was something he never talked about in detail. I asked him about the emperor once, and whether or not he had ever seen him. He said that even then, little was spoken of the emperor at all. But he did mention General Criks, a particularly cold and ruthless officer in his battalion. Martin had suspicions that he had connections with those in charge, of the military at the very least. One reason our leader wanted to get into the Rebel Core was to finally put an end to what he went through so long ago.

  I knew Ruby’s story the most, and there was actually nothing too unique about it; she was simply one of the few to open her eyes and ears and take in what the Resistance had to say. But judging by how rare of an occurrence that was, perhaps her own tale was indeed one in a million.

  Our goal was to spread truth, nonviolently if possible. Though more recently, peaceful solutions have thinned. The rebellion was growing from an annoyance to a threat to the Empire, an accomplishment that can be easily congratulated. But it meant stronger negative publicity campaigns against us, which make the road more difficult as we progress.

  And we’ve still been waiting for the moment that they pin the felile down as Earth’s greatest foe. It was inevitable.

  When we finally arrived in the felile village, I met Veli. Though our time there was brief, I learned quite a bit about their simple way of life. The day we showed up, we were greeted by almost all of the villagers, who looked a little anxious at first as we walked past the gates. But it wasn’t long before children and adults alike crowded around us, asking questions as if we were one of their own coming back after a long journey.

  After a welcoming party, we went to the elders’ chamber, where much was said between our groups. The village had been slowly migrating for the past decade, and now that they had passage to China, we reaffirmed our plans that we would accompany and protect them the rest of the way.

  They had been holding out for a long time, as it had always been a risky move to try and carry the entire village for long stretches. Now it was the moment for the big jump. Our ways were strange to the villagers, but we shared our expectations of the distant region with them. We had none.

  What little I knew about the place called China only whetted my thirst for knowledge. It seemed to be some vastly important area, where the secret to the Empire’s defeat awaited somewhere, in hiding.

  The day of the attack was important for me. It was the first time I’d seen the true might of the imperial army. And the first time I had killed another human. There was fearsome power in firing a weapon at a person, even more so because I seemed too young to do such a thing. But perhaps they weren’t even human anymore. That was Ruby’s mindset—she found it easier to focus under such a belief. I was still trembling hours later. These were people that until just months ago, I thought were protecting me. And I had ended the lives of three of them.

  Veli’s bravery, however, shone brightly. I couldn’t see myself looking down a tank’s barrel to rescue someone—even a child.

  Several days had passed since we left. The time went by incredibly slowly, as expected, having been cramped with dozens of others in a dark, unpleasant space. But Veli and I shared stories, helping to keep our minds active. I’ve learned much about him and his way of life, and he’s helped me in my pike handling when we train on rest stops. Though I would never pull off some of the stunts he could, even once I get my leg things off. The flexibility of the felile let them flip around more than humans, and their legs were able to bend and circle seemingly every way possible.

  But their real saving grace was their agility. Capable of running at a constant forty kilometers an hour on two feet, and even up to fifty on all fours, they could easily outpace any foot soldier. They had spot-on reflexes, giving them the ability to do something like toss their extended, burning pikes into the air and catch them again with ease. Their one real fault was their lack of raw strength. If they’re cornered by a soldier, they can easily be overtaken. That’s why they never let themselves get into such a spot in the first place. Every villager wore a flexible undercloak, designed to allow maximum maneuverability, helping to make them tricky to hit.

  We stopped with a jolt early in the morning. The sun was barely over the horizon, and the air was windy and cold, more so than usual. At first I thought it was another stop, but the sound of the gentle lapping of water sprung me up from my sleepless rest. The rustling of others grew louder, as everyone wanted to see where we had ended up this time.

  The doors slid open, and Martin, dressed warmly, waved us out. We were at the coastline, near a large pier that might have gone out for nearly a kilometer. Lanterns lit the way across as they burnt through the early fog, and distant bells on buoys were audible through the wind. I saw what must’ve been our way across the expanse: an enormous cargo freighter that loomed on the ocean a distance away.

  “Look at that…” I exclaimed as Veli caught up to me.

  “That is… much, much larger than our carriers,” he replied.

  “Stay here, I’m going with Furnlo to find our captain,” Martin said.

  I hopped onto the side of our transport and let out a yawn as Veli took in the sight of the ocean. We had come through a small pass with an old road barely visible under the snow, leading to the abandoned wharf on a rocky coastline beyond the mountains, where it was hidden in seclusion.

  A felile elder walked up to us with aid of his cane, Jeg at his side.

  “Master Tyu, should you be out in the cold like this?” Veli worried.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine. I wanted to see this big boat for myself,” he replied and took a seat near Veli.

  “Hey, Veli,” Jeg greeted. “So, we’re finally here… The ocean.”

  Kesha was behind him, rubbing her eyes with fatigue. Beyond them were the two other carriers that had just arrived and were already unloading felile and their belongings.

  Martin and Furnlo came back through the blanket of gray after several minutes, accompanied by another figure.

  “The captain’s a felile, correct?” Veli asked.

  “Should be, yes,” Tyu replied.

  But we saw otherwise. Emerging from the haze, we saw that our captain was a gruff and lean human in a long, blue raincoat that reached to his knees. Furnlo and Martin were at his side, awaiting a reply from Tyu.

  “You’re the captain?” Tyu asked after a pause.

  “Yes, indeed. This old rust bucket here, the ol’ Sea Pearl—she’s mine. I’ve been expecting you,” he replied with a grin and a hearty cough.

  “I’m sorry,” Tyu sighed and shook his head. “I was expecting a felile… Are there any here?”

  “Eh, no… ‘fraid not. They’re gone. Imperial naval patrols were all over the place, so they… Well, they left long ago, and I’ve been biding my time here. Fair warning—they will stop us at a checkpoint or two. But I’ve a perfect place for everyone to hide. The Pearl is one of the largest smuggling barges around, and it has secret compartments. I venture a guess it’ll do for you lot,” he explained, the moisture from his foul breath clouding the air.

  Tyu looked at Martin and Furnlo, an expression of anguish on his face that he quickly tried to hide.

  “Right, then…” Tyu replied. “Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Well… no. See, before they left, the felile explained I couldn’t be told, in case I got captured or something, you know.”

  “And you’re the only one who can operate the ship?”

  I looked over my shoulder. Felile were gathering up, waiting to get on board. Ruby had just come up to me.

  “I can promise you that—these old-world big girls, not so easy to tame.” The captain then looked at Ruby. “Ah, and who’s this fair lass?”

  She eyed him and stepped back.

  “Heh, oh, I was just joking. I get lonely out here. But don’t you worry about me none, the sea’s my only mistress.”

  “… Right,” Tyu said, clearly trying hard to accept this man. “After everyone’s on board safely, I’ll tell you of our destination.”

  “Fair enough. Oh, the name’s Fletcher. Been sailing for decades.” He extended a hand, which Tyu hesitantly shook, “Yeh, I just run fishing trawlers out here now. And live in my ship, refurbished scrap that she is. So, guess it’s time for a little adventure. Oh my, look at ‘em all, hoo…”

  After he looked over the felile, the captain walked us over to the barge. Jeg, Veli, Tyu, Martin, Furnlo and I followed at a distance.

  “I don’t want this guy anywhere near me…” Ruby muttered.

  “I’m not putting much faith in him,” Martin replied.

  “He seems the kind of man that deserves little,” Tyu added. “But what choice do we have? We nearly ran out of fuel coming out here…”

  “I hope the felile that came before us are safe,” Veli added. “This doesn’t feel right; they should have waited for us.”

  “We’re not in a good place here,” Furnlo growled. “We’ll need to keep a close eye on our new friend.”

  The barge was covered in rusted red metal. A barely visible pair of numbers read “14,” next to the ship’s name. Behind us, the footsteps on the long, metal pier could be heard in the fog as the villagers made their way across. We headed off into a gray abyss as a cold wind pierced through my coat, giving me endless shivers. But the felile didn’t look frigid in the least.

  “Think this ship can hold us? We have over two hundred villagers,” Veli questioned.

  “It should be fine, Veli, that’s not the problem. This captain may have other motives, so we need to keep close to him at all times. I’ll trust you two to do that,” Tyu replied, looking at Martin and the chief.

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  The towering bridge lit up the fog as we drew near. The captain opened a gate that led to a ramp, wide enough to carry two people inside at a time. After a series of sliding doors and narrow, musty, metal corridors, we came to the central part of the ship, our living quarters.

  The ceiling was lowered almost to the bottom, allowing only a meter or so of headroom. Giant hydraulics held up the lumbering storage sections above us, and the entire area below was empty aside from dozens of rows of cots, orderly aligned throughout.

  “Why’s the roof so far down?” Veli asked.

  Fletcher explained, “I lowered the cargo bays. They’re filled with tons of old machine parts—helps conceal everyone. Scanners shouldn’t be able to penetrate through down here, so you’ll be safe, nice and comfy below deck. I’ve smuggled people across before, as ya can probably guess. Oh, there’s a storage compartment in the back that should fit your elders… Just how many are there, again?”

  “There are four others coming, and they will appreciate the space,” Tyu replied, still trying to be friendly.

  “All right, then. The room is in the back corner.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Are there enough beds for us?”

  “There’s about three hundred. They’re all bolted down, too. Expect some rough waves for a while until we get out of the Arctic.”

  We proceeded down into our living space, where we would remain for at least ten days, as Martin had guessed. The felile started to pile in, immediately finding cots for themselves. This was the first time I had seen the entire village in good light. There were about twenty children in all, and around half of the villagers were trained hunters.

  “Oh, and there’s a fifty-gallon water tank right by the stairs. Don’t worry about refills, it draws water up from the ocean and ‘desalts’ it.”

  “Nice to know something’s modern in here,” Martin commented.

  “Ha, yes. Proper human, or felile smuggling requires the best equipment. In regard to survival, at least.”

  “Furnlo and Martin, please accompany me up to the bridge,” Tyu asked of them.

  “Er…” The captain winced. “What for?”

  “We need to set our coordinates. Together,” Tyu emphasized.

  “Oh, of course. Yes, be my guest.”

  After the other two disappeared with the captain behind the door, Tyu motioned to the rest of us.

  He whispered, “Veli, Vincent, Ruby, Jeg, and Rupert… I’d like the five of you to check the immediate area for anything suspicious—don’t leave the living space. If you do find anything, give it to Mr. Jakobs here to look over. There could be hidden dangers all over this ship. We have to handle this situation very carefully.”

  “Understood, Mr. Nemeca,” Rupert replied.

  Tyu nodded and turned to catch up with the others.

  We set off, looking for anything that could be a threat. Children were falling asleep, their parents talking silently amongst themselves. Many looked fearful, wary of the following journey. I picked up on some of their conversations as we went about our work, and most would’ve rather made a new village instead. Veli and I went together for a while, checking the walls, grating, and various control units and wiring.

  “Veli,” I tried to start up some discussion, “I feel like we haven’t made a difference at all, you know? All we’ve been doing is running.”

  “We’ve learned that one should know when to retreat. Sometimes you’re left with only one choice. Better to live and fight later.”

  “I had to leave home, traverse old roads and dead towns, and then I end up in your village… But the following day, it’s gone, too. The Empire wants everything either tightly controlled or simply erased. It’s suffocating.”

  “Hm… They are strong, and we may be outnumbered, but the larger the enemy, the greater their weaknesses. Eventually, they’re bound to make a mistake that will be their downfall, likely by their own hand.”

  “Another felile teaching, right?”

  “One of the earlier ones, yes.” Veli nearly chuckled. “Sorry if I bore you with them. I’m not a very good conversationalist.”

  “Veli… your brother, and our friend—I’m sure there’s a way of getting in and saving him.”

  He didn’t respond. Another few minutes passed as we scoured the ship, but there were few spots where anything could’ve been concealed.

  We found ourselves at the very end of the living space in the aft of the ship, shrouded in darkness due to the lack of any lighting, and with a higher ceiling separate from the lowered supply bay. We both rested on some simple foldout chairs, arranged to face the back wall for some reason.

  “Veli, what was hunting like at the village?”

  “Why do you want to know that?”

  “I wanted to learn a little more about how felile work together.”

  “Hm… There are fifteen groups, each with its own leader. We have nine male groups, six female. Then there are about a dozen or so expert hunters who work by themselves. We get different assignments every day. Sometimes… hopefully it’s something easy, like fishing.”

  “You don’t like hunting?”

  “I’m… not very good at it.”

  “You handled yourself well when we were defending the village.”

  “Which we lost…”

  “We did the best we could; at least no one died. Even if we did hold them back, they would’ve sent more. We couldn’t save it.”

  “… Yes, I know. I just hate feeling helpless.”

  I looked around and spotted something hanging from the ceiling.

  “What is it?” Veli asked.

  “There’s a projector up there.” I stood up and reached to touch it.

  “What’s a projector?”

  “It should display the news—current events, if it still works.”

  “Oh, I see… ‘News.’ I’m guessing it’s another way your empire manipulates the people they’re supposed to be protecting?”

  “Yeah, it’s mostly lies, but we should still see what’s been happening in the world. I’ll tell Martin later… It’s been a while since any of us have had any updates on what’s happening in the world.”

  Behind us, rows and rows of felile-filled cots led back to the entrance. At the other end, I spotted some moving figures approaching us, slowly becoming more visible in the dim light.

  “Veli, look. The elders are making their way back here.”

  As the elders grew nearer, they exchanged humble waves with the felile they passed, none of which looked happy about their recent decisions.

  “We still have to check their room,” Veli reminded.

  The two of us walked up to the large, metal door in the rear of the vessel and swung it open. A small VIP room of sorts was inside, complete with five proper beds and various necessities. But Rupert, Ruby, and Jeg were already inside and finished with their search.

  “Forget it, kids,” Rupert said. “Did some scans, looked everything over. There’s nothing in here—completely clean.” He scratched his head. “If this Fletcher has something planned, it isn’t already down here.”

  “I’ll advise Furnlo to keep a good watch on this room,” Jeg replied. He noticed me, and then looked at Veli. “What’d you find?”

  “Nothing,” Veli replied, “nothing at all.”

  “Guess that ends it.”

  We stepped back outside. The elders had taken seats about halfway down the rows. Ornue came running up to us, the feather in his headband falling out as he approached.

  “Jeg, Veli, the rest of ya—they’re about to announce the travel plans, hurry up. Back to the front.”

  We proceeded back to the front and took seats near four of the elders, who were looking at the only exit out of the place and waiting for the announcement. A few minutes passed before Furnlo, Martin, and Tyu emerged and spoke from the top of the stairs. There was no reason to speak too loudly, as any sound echoed throughout the cargo hold.

  “Listen up, everyone,” Furnlo started. “We’ve worked it out, and having deemed this vessel… secure, we will proceed to China. We may make a stop on the way there to replenish our supplies, if necessary.

  “The village will likely have to remain in the cargo hold the entire time, but depending on the weather and strength of Terra-Force patrols, we might have a chance to enjoy a few moments above deck.”

  “The elders will take the rear storage room, and we will be available if anyone needs help,” Martin continued. “We’ll be shoving off in a few minutes, so please keep quiet until we’re in safer waters, following several checkpoints. That is all. You can sleep now if you feel like it.”

  The elders stood up from the chairs and continued to the back, where Jeg greeted and opened the door for them. Furnlo and Martin followed closely and caught up to us.

  “So is it safe in there?” Martin questioned.

  “It checks out, Boss,” Rupert answered.

  “Martin, there’s a projector in the back. Think we can get it running?” I mentioned.

  “Fletcher told us about that. Definitely worth a try—we’ve been in the cold for a long time on world events.”

  “I am also very interested in what’s happening, as I’ve only ever seen imperial television once,” Furnlo added.

  “You’ve seen it before, Chief?” Veli asked.

  “Ah, yeah… Long time ago, when I ran with my Resistance cell. That’s where I learned how to handle a rifle, too.”

  The twelve of us gathered, Martin and Rupert looking over the device as the rest of us unhooked some cots and placed them around the viewing wall. I was nervous. Any possible breaking stories could easily devastate plans or our relationship with the villagers. It was always like that, Martin had told me. Watching the news was a painful but important task.

  After some tinkering, the projector flickered on, brightened a section of the hull across from it, and tuned into the network automatically, although the signal was weak. An anchor appeared on screen.

  “—yet another Resistance group was captured today in France—the third this week in the region. Its leader had this to say.”

  A clip of a human rebel officer being carried off by the Urban Guard appeared on screen, looking valiant and victorious—not the least bit fearful of the likely torture that lay ahead.

  “Have they ever shown felile on this?” Jeg asked.

  “Not yet…” I answered. “Martin, do you know this person?”

  Martin didn’t say anything at the moment.

  “Wake up, everyone! They are controlling you! They are the enemy—our government! Do something!” the man yelled boldly as he was thrown into a Vyper craft, which quickly fired off into the sky. I easily noticed that about half of his dialogue had its audio removed.

  “Acturus Gretel, traitor to the Empire, will be charged with treason and could face the death penalty,” the anchor continued with little emotion.

  “Gretel…” Martin murmured. “I used to talk to him all the time in the earlier days of the Resistance.”

  “This is what happens to group leaders?” Veli wondered.

  “All the time,” Jess replied. “And they’d do the same for Martin.”

  “And what about the other members?”

  “The same treatment, I’d expect… And the felile, they’d get shot on sight if they were ever caught in a city,” Martin added. “And then their bodies would be quickly removed. And witnesses, people who got too curious—they would mysteriously disappear.”

  Veli looked to the floor, emotionless. I turned back to the screen. The painful truth hadn’t taken long to come at all.

  “The scheduled press conference today is about to begin, so we will switch over into the press room at the imperial public hall in what remains of St. Petersburg, Russia. We have word that the former sector chief of the Terra-Force unit in Chicago—Seretin Inkens—will be making an important announcement today. Mr. Inkens was rushed out of the city the day before a protective dome went into place, after the city’s officials had reason to believe that a massive attack was about to commence. This is Inkens’ first televised broadcast since the incident.”

  This of course got our immediate attention.

  “So, old Seretin flew the coop before the city was converted; that explains a lot,” Rupert commented. “If he were any kind of real leader, he would’ve stayed with his people.”

  “Think he has a higher position in the Empire than we thought?” Jess asked. “Someone up at the top obviously likes him.”

  “I think it’s likely,” Sasha replied. “He’s always been a devious, ambitious one, hasn’t he?”

  The screen switched to a large, familiar chamber where many of the Empire’s announcements were held. The decorated hall was filled with people, many of them important imperial officials. Normally, the three high bishops who served under the emperor himself would be present, but today they were not. The highest-ranking officials on scene were the capomen, the ruling leaders of each of the six territories. The emperor hadn’t made any public appearances in a long while for “security purposes,” and now even the bishops were staying away from public view.

  A small group of reporters, only five of them with microphones, stood under the stage’s podium. Flags labeled with the Terra-Force logo—two giant letters reading “TF” above intersecting lines—spread downward, draped over the columns of the large chamber.

  And then there he was, the man from the emerald tower. His long face held no expression; his eyes were dark and elusive. He had betrayed the city he had presided over and its millions of people, us included.

  “Yes, yes. Greetings,” he started as the applause quieted. “Yes, I do have a very important announcement, but first, I have promised these five members of the state media the rare opportunity to ask one question each before I begin. Please begin. I am ready to provide you with your answers.”

  The foremost reporter asked her question first, “Is there any word on Chicago’s super shield, and how long it will remain in effect?”

  “We believe that the alien menace views Chicago as another prime and vulnerable target. The shield will remain active until further notice, but it will steadfastly protect its inhabitants. Unfortunately, our actions dictate that no one is allowed in or out of the city. There is also no further notice on New York, but we are controlling the situation as best we can and delivering aid to the people in these cities. Next, please.”

  “Some answer,” Rupert scoffed.

  “Kepper’s in that place,” Veli said quietly. “I don’t even want to think about what they might be doing to him in there.”

  “Chicago’s home to one of the largest investigation agencies in America,” Martin sighed. “I wonder why they would do this to themselves.”

  “They always need a reason for the lies, right?” Ruby replied.

  The reporters’ questions continued. “How is the hyper-cannon situation progressing? And what cities might they target next?”

  “We find and destroy more of these vile weapons every day. The difficulty is that they are very sophisticated, and we must make visual contact to see them, as our detection systems cannot. However, we know that there are less orbiting Earth, and the attacks are decreasing in intensity. They only target major cities, and fortunately, most now have a class-eight forcefield. It takes many impacts to break through a forcefield, and once—if they get through, damage is minimal. The satellites disappear quickly after an attack, but we will soon discover their origin, and then prevent these weapons of cowardice from entering orbit in the first place.”

  “Would you believe that garbage?” Rupert grumbled. “Even I can detect one of them orbiting above us with the most minimal of equipment. Their technology is easy to trace, and you know why? Humans are building them, not this ‘alien menace’ they always fall back on!”

  “What is the latest on the Resistance?”

  With this question, Inkens smiled brightly and took on a more dignified pose. “Ah, yes. I can tell you that we are making great strides in eliminating these traitors and ensuring that their wretched ad campaigns, filled with absolute lies, are not getting through to the public. We feel that in a year, all rebel groups will finally be shut down. With evidence that they are aiding our enemy, taking them out will bring us closer to total victory.”

  “If I ever come across this man,” Furnlo said, his usual calm demeanor gone, “I’d throw him in a corner and ‘sort things out.’”

  Imagining such a “meeting,” I barely suppressed a laugh.

  “Vince… I’m starting to understand your world,” Veli whispered.

  I didn’t know quite what to make of this, so I didn’t reply.

  Suddenly, the entire ship shuddered and a deep groan echoed all across the hull. We were leaving port.

  The next question, “Yes, there have been reports of imperial aircraft being stolen by the Resistance…”

  “Those reports are unfounded. All of our brand new Fawloc attack helicopters and harriers have been accounted for—there have been no thefts, and the crafts have counter-measures that will render them unusable if stolen. There is nothing to fear on this subject.”

  The last reporter stepped up, cleared his throat, and asked his question, “There have been rumors that you have been promoted, and you are now working with territorial-level imperial officials?”

  “Unfortunately,” Inkens chuckled lightly, “those are only rumors. However, if I were offered such a position, I would gladly accept. Now it’s time to move on to the real reason you are all here.” He took out a sheet of papers, looked them over, placed them down again, and gazed straight into the camera. “We have captured, alive, a group made up of the alien menace. And we are now ready to finally reveal their identity. This is a bold step in the war against them; against a previously unnamed, unknown foe.”

  A large gasp, followed by soft chatter spread through the hall.

  “Oh, no…” Sasha murmured. “It’s finally happening, isn’t it?”

  “What? What’s happening? Something about this menace you humans are fighting?” Jeg asked.

  “I do believe I know who that ‘enemy’ is,” a familiar voice said.

  I turned to see Tyu, his small eyes gazing sadly at the screen.

  Inkens continued, “The wall behind me will show you a recording from a holding cell, where we are studying the creatures, and our attempts to receive a simple explanation as to why they wish to destroy us. It seems that they have analyzed our language and speak it fluently. At the moment, we’re unsure of what else they know about us.”

  The lights dimmed, and the giant screen behind Inkens came on to show a small room with no windows. And, just as feared, a felile sat across a table while speaking with a Terra-Force interrogator, who actually looked like a friendly, modest person—probably purposefully so. Two armored guards stood behind him, poised to open fire on the slightest provocation.

  The crowd gasped again. Perhaps many of them weren’t expecting this to be the enemy. It looked human-like, seemed peaceful and calm, and lacked any apparent lust for violence. The Empire was going to have to really push the idea that they were evil, and they had the power to do such a thing. The felile sat in the chair, gazing at the guard. He had no constraints and was, at first, seemingly cooperating with his captors.

  “What?!” Veli and Jeg shouted at the same time.

  Furnlo was still. He knew that this had been coming, as well.

  “Hmm, the obvious solution…” Tyu murmured. “The humans created us, and now they try to cover up that mistake in a most drastic way. It’s taken a hundred years to do so, but we’ve become too big a problem now. They have taken us out of hiding and made war with us.”

  “So… there really is no other enemy,” Ruby added. “It’s all true. The Empire is fabricating everything. Everything.”

  I had expected this as much as everyone else, but I still didn’t believe that it was happening at last, or even in my lifetime.

  “This was inevitable…” Martin sighed. “A setback that we’ve been waiting for. And it will assuredly hinder our efforts…”

  I could see the anger rising in Jeg and Veli’s eyes.

  “You call yourself a felile, correct?” the guard on the screen asked.

  “Yes…” the felile replied.

  “And the rebellion is just another operation of yours, isn’t it?”

  “No.”

  “It isn’t? Why would humans fight for your survival? I would like to know what the connection is, between you and them.”

  “All I can tell you is that I am not your enemy like you claim me to be. I am no monster.”

  “… Let’s move on. Where does your species come from?”

  “You know already. We’re little gray men from Mars,” the felile said, with a smirk.

  Felile usually had gray coats, and they were indeed from Mars. The comment nearly made me laugh, if only a little bit, at the wit of the prisoner. At the same time, I greatly respected his lack of outward fear.

  “I don’t find that humorous. People are terrified, cities are being locked away. Why are you attacking us? What is your objective?”

  “You should know—you created us.”

  This angered the interrogator, and he promptly asked for the recording to end. The lights turned back on, the crowd below them already ablaze with conversation.

  “As you can see, they aren’t cooperating with us very well,” Inkens said. “I am of course aware of the decades’ old stories about the roaming ‘beastmen’ that steal children and are behind countless disappearances. Now that the truth behind these tales has been revealed, I can tell you that even the worst of these urban legends is friendlier than reality.

  “Don’t be fooled by their stoic demeanor, as these creatures are ruthless and cunning. They brainwash captured humans into assisting them. They can lie flawlessly, able to say anything they wish without so much as raising their pulse. If you see one, call your local police unit immediately. They are extremely dangerous and will kill on instinct. I know you have many questions, that I cannot address them at the moment. But I will share more information about what we know and don’t—”

  “Rupert,” Martin interjected after noticing the look in the eyes of all our felile friends. “Enough.”

  Rupert touched the projector to turn it off.

  “Tyunishi, I think this is a matter best discussed apart, for now,” Martin said. “Obviously, this impacts both of our people.”

  “Yes, I agree. Jeg, Furnlo, Veli, come with me,” Tyu replied and turned around towards the elders’ room.

  “See you later, Veli,” I said, offering a small wave.

  Veli looked back at me, nodded very slightly, and followed Tyu.

  “Vince, you can go if you wish,” Martin told me. “I only need to talk with your sister and Rupert. Veli and the others need to learn more about our empire if we want to ease this sting. He’ll be… indifferent to you for a few days, I would expect. Don’t take it the wrong way. I’ve seen you two become close. He just has to come to the realizations you have.”

  “Thanks, Martin,” I replied, “I guess I’ll just go to sleep…”

  “‘Night, Vince,” Ruby said softly.

  I slumped into a cot and slowly drifted off. The world and our rebel movement had just taken another turn—one that would not make for an easy adjustment. The only thing I could think about was the hope that Veli wouldn’t be hurt as much as I had just been.

  Valice has plenty of shoutout slots open. DM if interested.