The Tomb World Ch15

Fezzen watched Dan-yalz face off with the looming alien with thick pulsing blood veins in its neck. The alien was a whole head shoulders above the hyoomahn and yet Dan-yalz stood with utter confidence.

Granted Fezzen had only met the hyoomahnz a few days ago and hadn’t really gotten a handle on their body language, but he felt like some things were universal. Dan-yalz held himself to his full height, his stance was solid and didn’t shift about on those long legs of his, and he met the alien’s eyes with unflinching resolve.

The alien for its part appeared to be trying to cow the hyoomahninto submission. Fezzen wasn’t sure why he felt that way, the aliens’ low buzzing words didn’t speed up or slow down during their conversation, and his posture remained the same, but something about it all seemed domineering.

“They do not like each other.” Fezzen noted quietly as the two aliens spoke.

“Yes” Foric said, “but look at the fuzzy ones, they seem afraid. And the bugs ones look to be arranging themselves into a defensive posture. They see Dan-yalz as a threat.”

“But why, they’re so big, they must be a lot stronger right?”

Foric looked unconvinced, “maybe, Dan-yalz looks weary of the bugs, but not the others.” Foric then reached out and tugged on Dan-yalz leg clothing.  “Dan-yalz, while we appreciate you might have some things you would like to say, we should be the ones to engage these strangers.”

Dan-yalz dipped his head in the hyoomahn sign of assent then barked something at the bigger aliens. There was a short back and forth between them before the taller aliens were translated. “Greetings, I am Noskin of the yooyun Science ship 406.”

Foric stepped forward. “I am Foric, captain of the Watchers, welcome to this world that is now our tomb.”

It was part of an old quote from shortly after the swarm was unleashed. It went something like ‘We came to make a home on the tomb of those long gone, and in our trespass, we unleashed death. Now we know this world isn’t a second home, it is our tomb.”

It was a somber statement from when the reality of the of what the swarm meant set in.

“What is a… Coffin world?” Noskin asked.

Dan-yalz made a barking sound that he tried to cover with his hand.

The tall alien glared. “What is so funny helh worlder?” it demanded.

Dan-yalz grinned, exposing his oddly flat looking teeth, alien recoiled. “None of your business.”

The alien stared at Dan-yalz with greater intensity and then looked back down to Foric. “My apologies for the Deathworlder’s behavior. Please believe me when I say we are not all like them.”

The translator did not add any inflections to its words, maybe because that kind of thing was hard to read even between members of the same species. But even still Fezzen heard the extra weight of meaning on the ‘them’ in that statement.

Dan-yalz eyebrows rose, but Noskin continued on. “Please tell me none of your people who have met with the Deathworlds have gotten sick, has one gone wild, did they-?”

“That enough.” Dan-yalz interrupted.

Noskin turned back towards Dan-yalz and straightened up, before his posture had seemed hunched as if under a heavy burden, but now he rose to his full height and loomed. “Have you not explained what you are to them, helh worlder?”

Dan-yalz glared “We’ve shown them our strength, speed, and endurance, but we haven’t exactly gotten to explaining the planetary grading system, mostly because we feel it’s a stupid.”

“Stupid-?” Noskin began.

Foric hooted aggressively, Fezzen felt his tail curl in on itself from the volume. “Enough of this bickering.”

Both aliens turned to look at Foric, Fezzen noticed how Noskin stepped back while Dan-yalz dropped his aggressive posture.

There was something to be said about their reactions, one reacted in fear, while the other seemed to show deference for Foric’s authority.

Foric looked to Noskin. “Those words, Deathworlder, and helh worlder, what do they mean.

Noskin stooped back down, “Not all worlds are equal, in the great spiral galaxy a vast majority of worlds are uninhabitable. Barren rocks, gas and ice giants, and several other niche world types. Temperate life barring worlds are rare, many factors have to be just right for life to arise on these worlds. Surface gravity, atmospheric conditions, distance from the local star, the type of star, and many, many more need to be just right for life to arise.”

Dan-yalz continued to glare at the Taller alien, the Zxx’thi he had called it. Fezzen knew he would have trouble pronouncing that word.

Noskin continued “My people were some of the first to start exploring the galaxy, in those days it took many decades to reach nearby stars even with warp technology folding the fabric of space time. We met other thinking beings like ourselves, beings like the Drohodron of Vorias. In the centuries after first contact we exchanged knowledge, culture, and even began t o trade. It was back in that time when the habitability scale was formalized to explain the difficulties in colonizing other worlds. At the time it was believed that worlds that exceeded that scales parameters could not give birth to life, the factors just couldn’t allow for life as we knew it.” He glared at the hyoomahn“Then we discovered the deathworlders.” He said bitterly.

“Your people met the hyoomahnz?” Foric asked.

“Not at first, no, we met the Kruhur. Beings unlike any we thought possible from worlds we deemed unsuitable for life let alone sentient space traveling lifeforms. Deathworlders.” He said, and Fezzen imagined there were notes of fear and disdain in his voice.

Foric’s tail was straight as he thought, “you said it was impossible for creatures to live past your scales.”

Dan-yalz cleared his throat. “Many worlds, even barren ones have simple microbial life, hardy, and simple lifeforms. On a temperate world the microbial lifeforms can evolve and become more complex and change the environment around them into something kinder to life. Life then takes the easiest path to survival and dominance, on a low-class world that means silicate bone structures, complex muscles, and some other characteristics. But above a certain point those features simply don’t work, so the evolution goes down a different path, tougher bones, simple but versatile muscles. Worlds higher than ten on their scale are deemed deathworlds because creatures like them could never have evolved. And that doesn’t even account for toxic worlds where life has to account for large amounts of methane and ammonia in the atmosphere, or the worlds where crystalline life evolves.”

“So it’s a difference of biological factors. A division between creatures who evolved around different paradigms of life.” Foric said slowly.

“Yes” Dan-yalz said.

“No” Noskin said at the same time. “the Deathworlder here has greatly underplayed the severity of the differences. Deathworlds got their name from confluence of extreme factors, surviving on a deathworld is almost impossible for any extended amount of time. Infectious and deadly diseases, extreme weather, instability in the planet’s crust causing earthquakes and molten rock to flow to the surface, and that’s not including the natural flora and Fauna. Plants and animals that evolve on a Deathworld are in a constant state of predation and competition, fighting for resources while caught in an evolutionary arms race.”

Foric frowned “I do not know what much of that meant. But that doesn’t sound different from our home world. Our ancestors first began to climb the Flortops to avoid ground base predators.”

Noskin nodded “Some worlds below the level of deathworld also have predation, mine did not. We existed within a cycle of codependence and harmony until we began to develop our brains. But every Deathworld is caught within a cycle of biological competition, every thing there is looking for ways to kill and steal from others, they compete and war without end.”

“For the captain of a science vessel that is a very crude and inaccurate assessment.” Dan-yalz sniped.

The vein along Noskin’s neck began to beat faster. “But that’s just the simple lifeforms, the thinking ones are a whole different matter. They developed higher functions as a means of better understanding their prey, hunting better, making weapons to fight, taming beasts to help them hunt. And that doesn’t go away as they civilize. Deathworlders are built for aggression and killing, they wage devastating wars as easily as they draw breath, they sweep across swathes of the galaxy wiping out all weaker lifeforms. Left unchecked they kill and destroy everything in their path. The yooyun has found the remains of many civilizations wiped out or enslaved by deathworlder empires. And the Hyoomahnz are some of the worst we have ever met.”

“That’s a lie!” Dan-yalz growled “You conquered our world while we were still struggling to colonize Mars.”

“Conquer” the Zxx’thi said, vein pulsing harder. “We offered you partnership and cooperation. We accepted you into the Interspecies Yooyun and your kind has a plague on galactic civilization ever since, crime, rape, piracy, terrorism, and worse. Wherever hyoomahnz go misery and death follow.” Noskin turned to Foric and Fezzen “Do not be fooled by their lack of claws or vicious fangs, these are some of the galaxies cruelest creatures. Just look at him, even now you can see the murderous rage in his eyes, his hands are already clenched into fists that would crack my skull with contemptuous ease.”

In that moment they all turned to see that Noskin was right, Dan-yalz hands were clenched into fists and trembling with rage. He seemed to realize this as well, and a second later his hands opened and pressed against his side firmly.

Foric grunted. “We have much to think about. Go back to your ships, both of you.” He said grimly.

“Foric” Dan-yalz said pleadingly.

“Enough!” Foric shouted, he turned to Dan-yalz and looked up at him. “You hid this from us, why?”

Dan-yalz looked shocked “We didn’t hide this from you, we showed you our strength, we-,“

“On the watch tower, when Sahmbegan to question us about our homeworld, you two realized that we were not like you didn’t you?” Fezzen said. “You didn’t have time to tell us.” He said as things began to click.

Dan-yalz looked side long, “That’s where we figured it out, but we had some suspicions.” He admitted.

Foric’s tail twisted in discontent. “You have still hidden much from us, I think this is as far as our discussions go, we need to involve the council.”

Fezzen was worried “Un… Captain, are you sure we need to involve the council.”

“The Watch has done as much as we can, from here it should be up to the council.”

Fezzen tail drooped “Yes Captain.” He said.

Foric looked up to the two giant aliens. “Return to your ships and do not come out without our permission.” He ordered.

“But Captain Foric, we have done nothing wrong, we-“ Noskin tried to say.

“No?” Foric said incredulously “Do not think us blind to your games. We know why you made a point of telling us all of this. You are trying to drive a wedge between us and the hyoomanhz. Even if everything you said is true you said it all out of malice, and there was no honor in the way you said it. Your words were like knives in the back. Go back to your ship before I get upset.” Foric growled that last sentence.

Noskin looked down on Foric, but turned and walked back into his ship.

Dan-yalz glanced to Foric, and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. He then opened it again. “If you need anything from us just ask. I never intended to hide things from you or your people, not after how you saved us. There was just too much to say. Any information you want we’ll turn over.”

Foric grunted. “I want to know everything. Your history, their history, and whatever you might have on the swarm.” He said.

“I can do that.” Dan-yalz said before walking away.