Following the maps on their Gauntlets, the away team marched through the lush woods for nearly 10 minutes before coming upon the fences of the outskirt town, Maggs.
The small town housed the most impoverished and unemployed. There was sparse housing in this area, with some even living in makeshift tents and cots.
Vaulting over the poorly constructed fence, they continued to trudge through the town, weapons drawn. Some residents ogled the aliens, but most who had seen the group before knew better than to stare for too long.
A foul stench wafted through the air as they pressed on. Poor hygiene was common in the Maggs due to a scarcity of clean water. Ironic since the Tesh are a water-based species being so close to the ocean. Though perhaps it’s that irony that made the village all the more tragic.
And the Tesh dare to call us savages? Just look at this place. Ugh, just smell this place. They don’t care about anyone, not even their own orphans, Korban thought in disgust.
As they continued forward, the ambassador gagged and retched as the odor shifted from uncleanliness to downright repulsive. Turning a corner revealed a sight that was too grotesque for even the soldiers to ignore.
A pile of corpses was stacked in a deserted part of the village. The bodies ranged from any stage in the decomposing process. The Tesh’s dark, almost scale-like skin was all dried up in the sweltering sun. Insects swarmed around the bodies as unknown fluids drained out, leaving an undesirable smell to fill the air.
Throughout all his years of service, this was one of the few times Korban felt a pang of sympathy for the Tesh. Differences aside, he couldn’t help seeing his wife’s face lying in that same pile. Judging by the sizes, he could swear he saw some children lying amongst the piles.
It’s not like anything I say will make a difference, Korban thought dismissively. It’s just a fact of life. Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand. But it’s what you get for being born into a corrupt government. – At least, that’s what the Sovereignty had taught them since they were children, and what he desperately wanted to believe right there in that instance of helplessness.
Over his shoulder, the silhouettes of the other villagers surrounded them. They watched the group with mixed expressions of shame and irritation.
A look he could very well see turning to blame towards them.
Turning his attention to his troops, he silently rallied them. Gesturing with his hands alone, they carefully pushed past the crowd until they were out of the village.
Within minutes of leaving the Maggs, they strolled into a sprawling metropolis. Flourishing vegetation complemented the teeming sidewalks as buildings towered overhead. The streets were lined with motorized transportation, and the skies were filled with flying vehicles. City denizens were draped in everything from religious robes to suits. Youths were out with friends and family just outside restaurants and shopping centers.
If these people didn’t have scaly skin and cat eyes, they might have passed for Sovereignty citizens, Korban fantasized.
As they approached Shirsha Plaza, the Capitol building came into view. The massive structure was shaped like a shard, with a right slant that made the left side of the building jut into the sky. It stood facing out toward the town, which was unusual since traditional Tesh homes faced the water.
A medium-sized crowd of around 100 people was gathered just outside the building as Tesh police stood in a formed perimeter along the sidewalk. Some protestors held signs that read “aliens go home,” or “Sovereignty beware!” while others chanted in a foreign tongue. Either way, their sentiment was clear. The Sovereignty wasn’t welcome on Daria Prime.
It’s no surprise to anyone. The Sovereignty and Tesh were on-and-off adversaries until just two years prior. That, and with recent political movements around the eastern border, there was bound to be some resentment towards the foreigners on their planet.
The crewmen closed ranks with the ambassador encircled at the center.
The taunts spewed louder from the crowd as the Sovereignty troops passed by, like a crashing wave on a beach.
Finally, they escaped the boisterous mob, up the stairs, and into the building, only to be stopped in the lobby by Capitol security. The commanding officer approached the aliens with a fervor.
Korban, approximately 6’1”, stood a good five inches taller than the man before him. Taking his right hand, he gave the formal Tesh salute. He placed it over his chest and bowed, keeping his head and eyes locked with the officer. “We are here for a meeting with Minister Voss,” he said slowly. “Might we come in?”
Without moving his head, the officer scanned through each of their faces, eyeing them carefully.
When he had finished, he pulled out a tiny device from his belt satchel and talked into it in Anautom, one of the most commonly used Tesh languages. Radio chatter echoed throughout the great hall where they were standing. The officer spoke again into the device. With another response, he signaled to his team and pointed down the hall.
As they marched away, he faced Korban’s group with his hands at his side. Gesturing for them to follow him.
“Please,” he said with a gurgled accent. He led them to an elevator where his men were waiting inside.
The two groups stood opposite each other in complete silence as they ascended to the topmost floor of the building’s pointed peak. Reaching the Minister’s floor, the head officer led the visitors into the hallway while the Capitol police brought up the rear, tactically carrying their weapons.
This would be Korban’s fifth meeting with Minister Voss, yet he never grew tired of Tesh art. The wildness and ferocity of their portraits, the vastness of their great halls. Everything about their architecture lacked uniformity, as if it were screaming for independence, screaming against the Sovereignty’s belief in strict order. While he detested the Tesh and their politics, he couldn’t help but admire their boldness and spirituality.
Everyone came to a halt in front of two lofty, immaculate teal doors laced with strips of gold along their trimmings. Standing at attention in front of everyone were three Vanguards in navy blue military vests and blacked-out helmets.
The Tesh royal guard. There’s no way they’d be here for a third-rate politician like Voss. Korban’s mind raced with all the possible implications this could mean.
Unlike the Capitol security, the Vanguards were an elite detachment of the Tesh military. They were hand-chosen to protect the monarchy and other high-ranking government officials. These specialized units were trained in several forms of martial arts, and all must have proven distinguished service records.
For the Vanguard unit to be dispatched to a mere colony on the frontier can only mean the Tesh government was taking the Minister’s threats seriously this time.