Story:Sol I Dor: Raiding the Harvesters

For 4 years, Sol I Dor has been raging a massive war against the Harvesters, a cruel, vile race of monsters who kidnap aliens for use in their inhumane experiments. 2 years ago, they stole Sol I Dor's adopted Human Daughter, whom he named Galiana. All this time, he thought she was now dead, and feared the day he'd find her face on a Harvester Drone. However, a friend of his discovered that, maybe, just maybe, Galiana may be alive...

Now, Sol I Dor is desparate to rescue his daughter, but he may need help, the kind of help that comes from OUTSIDE Delson Space...

Prologue
For the last 4 years, she'd been held here. And all this time, they haven't killed her. Galiana can only wonder why.

Many years ago, when she was only 4, the Harvesters, the race that held her captive now, attacked her homeworld. They kidnapped many of the population for their insidious experiments. She herself was almost one such subject, until she was rescued by the Delson Fleet Commander Sol I Dor. After the incident, it was discovered that the Harvesters made off with much of the planet's populous, including her parents. Therefore, Sol I Dor, taking pity on her, adopted her. With the trauma of the incident making her forget her own name, it was Sol I Dor that named her Galiana.

It took some time for Galiana to adapt to the Delson way of life, but, with some help from Sol I Dor, she eventually adapted. Over time, he taught Galiana about the history of the Delsons. One of her favorite bits of history was the battle for the city she was named after: Galiana. In fact, she enjoyed the story so much, Sol I Dor used to tell it to her as a bed-time story.

He also taught her how to defend herself. Sol I Dor first attempted to teach her the only Delson Martial Art style, Belias, that did not require the Delson's built-in weapons. However, upon the suggestion of a friend of his, Rekal Vari, Sol I Dor had some weapons based on the Delson arm-blades and tail flail made for Galiana. Galiana soon proved to be a natural using bladed weapons, in the Delson Martial Art Style of Shemhazai, so Sol I Dor had a newer, more well-designed pair of swords fashioned for her to use.

Well, a lot of good that practice did me, Galiana thought sarcastically, looking around her cell. Only fed enough to stay alive, and forced to watch as her roomates are removed to be turned into spare parts for the Harvesters' soldiers. One hope kept her going, however: that Sol I Dor was out there...and was looking for her.

Chapter 1: Where the Heart Belongs...
Sol I Dor squated in his quarters, his saurian posture keeping him from 'sitting'. Again, he looked at the swords on his desk, and a wave of despair washed over him. It was almost 4 years to the day when he heard the Harvesters attacked the world he and Galiana were living on. By the time the Kalzira arrived, it was too late: Galiana was gone. He desparately brought up all the favors he'd accumulated during his career and had them try to find Galiana, specifically ordering them to not give up until they found something. Several of them gave up after the first month anyways, but a small number kept at it.

Those, I owe a favor for now, he thought to himself as he remembered them. Still depressed beyond recognition, he hauled himself to the bridge. As he entered the bridge however, the comm officer approached.

The eager young Delson Female then said, "Krilek, you should head back to your ready-room. We're rerouting a communication to you there."

"Why can't I just answer it here?" Sol I Dor asked, sadly.

"You...said to route any private communications to you over to your quarters. Especially if the caller said the codeword 'Rorqual'...among others..."

Immediately, Sol I Dor began to fill with hope. 'Rorqual' was the codeword from one of his contacts. He immediately rushed to his quarters again and received the transmission. The image of a Delson Scientist appeared. "Rekal Vari, what is it? Why are you contacting me?"

"Sol, I think I found her."

"Alive?!"

Rekal nodded. "Alive."

Sol I Dor loaded up the Drenzer, his personal courier, while Rekal, who arrived on the Kalzira an hour ago, explained. "I was watching the comm channels, like normal, when I intercepted an unencrypted Harvester Channel..."

"Wait, Harvester Comm Channel?"

"Yes, you know as well as I do that they are not good at hiding comm channels. Of course their comm channels are rarely used. Anyways, they mentioned something about 'relocating the human prisoner from the Delson Planet.' It's nothing truly definite, but, seeing as Galiana's the only human to have lived on a Delson world for an extended period of time..."

"It is her," Sol I Dor said, "With everyhting you've already told me, I can FEEL it."

Then, his second in command, another of his 'agents' in the search of Galiana, said, "I'll try and keep Command at bay, until you return. Good Luck, Krilek."

"Good Luck, Pel-Krilek." Then, Rekal and Sol I Dor boarded the Drenzer and the craft's landing gear retracted. A moment later, it was off, enterign the vastness of space. Do not fear, Galiana, Sol I Dor thought, ''I'm coming for you. After all this time, I am finally coming for you.''

The Drenzer hurdled through space, heading towards the source of the Harvester communication. Certain that if this wasn't where Galiana was, it could likely lead him to where she was, Sol I Dor put all he could out of the small courier in order to make it quickly there.

"So, this is finally it," Rekal said, "We finally have a lead."

"Thanks to you," Sol I Dor said.

"You know, you never told me why the girl was so important to you," Rekal said, "You said she'd been living with you for 9 years, but you never told me why."

Sol I Dor sighed. "It was about 13 years ago," he began, "That mission to that human outcast world. I had arrived on the battlefield, taking down the Harvesters and bringing peace to those tortured souls they call 'drones'. I had slashed my way through their forces, when I entered a small house. Inside, a Harvester was chasing a young girl. When the Harvester caught her, she tried to fight back. I was impressed by her courage, even against such a monster. I couldn't let her be taken, so I slew the Harvester on the spot. She seemed scared of me at first, then she readied to defend herself again. However, that's when I telepathically said to her, I will not hurt you. Either through youthful naivity or by actual awareness of the situation, she believed me. It was at that point that the battle turned in our favor. It was like the war with the Harbingers our ancestors fought a century ago..."

"So that is why you named her 'Galiana'..."

"Yes, in that battle she was our turning point, our 'Galiana'. I since adopted her, and treated her as if she were my own child. I taught her our history, I taught her how to fight...when I returned to active duty 5 years ago, I was already proud of her progress..."

"Then the Harvesters returned, I take it..." Rekal guessed.

"Yeah...4 years ago..." Sol I Dor said, "By the time I received the transmission and got to the planet..."

"She was gone..." Rekal guessed, not needing confirmation. Now he understood: Galiana was like a daughter to Sol I Dor, practically was his daughter, and she was kidnapped. All this time he knew she was likely dead, but kept hope that she lived...''And now that hope brings us here: chasing a Harvester ship with information on where she yet lives. Hope is always a mysterious thing,'' Rekal thought to himself.

The ship soon approached its destination...and Sol I Dor's heart sank as he saw the mangled remains of the Harvester ship.

Chapter 2: Alliance
...aboard the DD Garmatox...

The DD Garmatox had begun violently shaking while in warp space. An alarm sounded off.

"What in Athen is going on?" barked Captain Rorwin.

"Sir, some sort of external force is disrupting our warpspace," the pilot said. Not long, the windows began to crack and some pipes burst open with steam.

"We have to return to normal space immediately to assess the situation."

"But sir, who knows where in the galaxy we will appear if we stop midwarp?" An alarm went off elsewhere on the ship. One of the other windows had broken open and the oxygen was escaping into the vacuum of space.

"Look at this ship! It's falling apart. Drop out of warp for Kray's sake!"

The pilot flipped one of the switches and appeared in an unknown location. A fast starship with dexterous manuevrability had begun circling the Garmatox and bombarding them with missiles.

Zerif said, "What is that? I've never seen anything like it? Was it that ship that made us drop out of warp?"

The pilot said, "I cannot reach them via radio contact. They seem to be ignoring our signal."

Rorwin replied, "Return fire. It is unwise of these strangers to undermine the powers of the Dhragolon Federal Monarchy!"

With a few quick laser blasts and missiles, the Garmatox obliterated the unknown ship. Finally, the crew got a chance to catch their breath.

The pilot said, "It appears we are outside of the charted regions of known space. We're in another arm of the galaxy." Not long after, another ship had just dropped out of warpspace. The pilot readied the missile.

"Hold your fire," Rorwin said. "It's a different design ship than the one we just destroyed. They must be from another faction. Hail them."

Sol I Dor and Rekal Vari looked at the other vessel in the sector. "I've never seen anything like it," Sol I Dor commented.

"Neither have I," Rekal commented, "But to be able to take down a Harvester Warship, it has to be powerful indeed. Sol I Dor immediately went for the comm equipment. "What are you doing?!" Rekal asked incredulously.

Sol I Dor ignored him and sent a transmission to the unidentified vessel. "Unidentified ship! Identify yourself and state your business in this sector. Leave the Harvester Vessel alone and hope there is an intact computer onboard. These Harvesters stole my daughter and this ship was one of the last chances I have in finding her."

Rekal could tell the tone of his voice spoke volumes of his desparation. Hopefully, he thought, These aliens would recognize his voice in such a way...

"They're hailing us!" the pilot replied. "Decoding message. It appears to be some sort of new species. The tone of the message is...desperate."

Grandmaster Zerif began speaking a reply. "My name is Grandmaster Zerif Bazwuna of the Dhragolon Federal Monarchy. We carry out the will of Kray, god of balance and bestower of wisdom. Our warp space drive was disrupted presumably by the ship we just destroyed in act of self-defense. We are unaware of your affiliation with said ship, but we can assure you that we are not your enemy so long as your kind does not endorse the sins of murder in cold-blood or the destruction of planets."

"Murder?" Sol replied. "Murder is what those Harvesters do. They are my worst enemy! They kill other species to use for their own inhumane experiments!"

"These Harvesters you speak of? They hold your daughter as prisoner? It is very noble of your kind to rescue her, but how can be so sure that this is not some sort of trap?"

"Trap? Look, I know you don't trust us, but we have a common enemy. That was a Harvester vessel that attacked your ship moments ago. I desperately hope some sort of computer is still intact among those remains."

"You seem to speak truthfully. Since we recently arrived in this sector, we cannot provide a sufficient military force to assist you. What we can offer is one of our best soldiers to help you look for your daughter."

"Yes. Please, anything will do!"

"It will be some time before we can fully repair our warp space engine so we will remain in this sector. But be warned that we do not take double-crossers lightly. We've ran into far too many back home. We shall maintain contact via telepathy with our soldier at all times to be sure. Come back in one piece and you will earn some of our trust."

Later, Ahrganot Skizgo was called to the bridge. As he walked through the door, he saw a Sol I Dor on screen. That instant, he was reminded of his reoccuring dream of the four figures and the phantom. There was no mistakening it. Sol I Dor was clearly one of the figures. He kept the strange thought to himself and listened to what the Grandmaster had to say.

The Grandmaster explained the situation to him. As hesistant as he was, Ahrganot accepted the mission and was ready to be beamed aboard Sol's ship.

Ahrganot beamed aboard the Drenzer, and was met by Rekal Vari. "I am Rekal Vari, scientist of the Delson Empire and personal friend of Krilek Sol I Dor."

"Krilek?"

"Ummm...that's the name of our rank of Fleet Commander."

"I see. Now, Grandmaster Zerif told me that we are going to rescue Sol I Dor's daughter, but I need more details. Who is she?"

"Well, first off, it's more of an adopted daughter: a human off-shoot that he rescued from a Harvester-sieged world. However, the bond he shares with her is as strong as any Delson to their child."

"Humans? They are all the way out here, too? Interesting." Ahrganot responded. He tried to hide his slight puzzlement. He had never understood the true meaning of having a parent. He was all on his own after joining the Malinian Combat Institution as a mere child. It puzzled him even more why a Delson would be concerned over a species different than his own. It was a different culture for him, one that showed compassion.

Then, another Delson, this one's eyes covered by some kind of headdress emitting a glowing purple light, entered the room. It seemed to be a cross between desperate and relieved. This was obviously Krilek Sol I Dor. "At least one computer survived," he said with a breath of relief, "We have the general direction to the Harvester prison."

"Tell me more about these Harvesters. What are they and what reasons would they have to attack us?" Ahrganot asked.

"A monstrous race of beasts," Sol I Dor answered, "They raid planets, stealing people and resources, tearing their victims apart and turning them as parts to make their soldiers. The fact that they let Galiana, my daughter, live is as much a mystery as it is a blessing."

"So, what's the plan from here?" Ahrganot asked.

"We need to find more clues," Sol I Dor said, more to himself than Ahrganot, while still answering him, "Try and find the specific location of the Harvester Prison. We cannot head to some random Harvester world en route: they may kill her if they discover that we're looking for her. Now, if you'll excuse me," Sol I Dor began to break down in tears, "I need to be alone."

Sol I Dor held one of Galiana's swords in his hands. The weapon was designed for Galiana because, being a human, she lacked Delson Arm Blades, but was still skilled in the Delson Martial Art of Shemhazai. He had the forging of 2 such blades commissioned for Galiana. She seemed delighted when she received them, more because of the thought behind them than for what they were for, but her delight at them still made him happy. Now, however, with Galiana gone, all the memory brought was sorrow.

"So, is that sword yours?" It was Ahrganot. Sol I Dor already read that he usually doesn't open up easy, but was now just trying to find reason to trust Sol I Dor.

"No, it isn't, it's Galiana's," Sol I Dor responded, "As is its twin. Even at her young age, she's a master with a blade. I taught her well..."

"How old is she?" Ahrganot asked.

"By now, about 17 years in age...she was 13 when she was taken."

"At 13, she was skilled with a blade?"

Sol I Dor sadly nodded. "Yeah...I trained he since I adopted her. With the Delsons, it's normal for Delson parents to spend time with their children through combat training. Since she's the closest to me having a child...it seemed right. She came to enjoy our sessions. And it wasn't just fighting I taught her. I taught her about the history of my race. One such segment of history became her favorite bedtime story: the battle for the city I named her after..."

"You named her after a city?"

"Yes, the city of Galiana, where the Delsons drove the Harbingers off Delse."

Ahrganot pulled out a portable Telepathic Amplifier from his toolbelt. He grasped it with one hand and closed his eyes to relay his report.

"Log 001: I still don't know what to think of these Delsons. While having different motives, they certainly have good intentions. But it seems we live in a small galaxy. The daughter that was spoken of turns out to be a human. I'm unsure why the one called Sol I Dor is sentimental over a child not of his own, let alone from another species."

Chapter 3: Rendezvous
The Drenzer exited FTL over a small, rocky world. "So, where are we?" asked Ahrganot.

Sol I Dor answered, "Manomedeia, of the Aetura star system. This T0 colony is mainly a backwater world, but one of my contacts is located here. With any luck, we can pool his information with my own and maybe narrow down where they're holding Galiana."

The ship descended through the thin atmosphere of the world and landed within the shielded spaceport. Sol I Dor looked out at the lava lakes, as did Ahrganot. The latter noticed the former tearing up. "Memories of Galiana?"

"I remember how I'd tell her about this planet...and how she'd comment on never wanting to come here. All the lava, you see, not good for humans, I guess," Sol I Dor responded with tears in his eyes.

Rekal Vari then said, "We're touching down now, Sol I Dor."

Minutes later, Sol I Dor, Rekal Vari, and Ahrganot Skizgo exited the Drenzer and entered the spaceport. The place was more neat and tidy than most offworlders would expect: the streets seemed well-maintained, devoid of garbage, and most of the native Delsons seemed to be more savory characters than one would expect. Most of them seemed quite interested in Ahrganot though, making him nervous. "Why are they...staring at me?"

"You're the first alien lifeform to step foot on this world in over a century. Just by being here, you're already famous." This didn't make Ahrganot feel much better, but at least he knew he wasn't going to get pickpocketed here.

Finally, they approached a shop and a slightly-plump Delson exited. "Ah, Marquis Sol I Dor! Welcome back! Seeing your mood, I think someone's on the trail of their daughter!"

"Good to see you again, Mig El O, and I'm going by Krilek right now," Sol I Dor responded, "I'm here to see if you have any information I can use. Thanks to Rekal, I managed to recover a computer from a Harvester vessel that contacted Galiana's prison. I'm hoping you could narrow my search."

"AH! You came at the right time, old friend. Someone who claims to have escaped the Harvesters recently came to my store, and I agreed to help the person get back on their feet. And more, they ain't Delson!"

"Really?" Sol I Dor asked.

"Yeah, the man claimed he's something called...Etel...Eteh...Etoh...Eteno! That's right!"

"Eteno? Really?!" Ahrganot asked in surprise.

"What is it?" Rekal asked nervously.

"The Eteno Imperial Triumvate is one of the Dhrgolon Federal Monarchy's allies," Ahrganot responded.

"Ah, then it would be good if you come with us. May be able to get something from him." Mig El O led Sol I Dor, Rekal, and Ahrganot to the back room, and, inside, they saw an Eteno, missing its left arm, which was crudely replaced by a modified Delson mechanical arm.

The Eteno looked at Ahrganot and said, "A Dhragolon? What're one of you doing out here?"

Instead of giving Ahrganot a chance to answer, Sol I Dor rushed forward. "I heard you escaped a Harvester prison, I need you to tell me about it."

"Harvester? You mean one of those creatures that tore off my arm?"

"Yes!"

"Hmmm..." was all the Eteno answered.

Sol I Dor seemed on the verge of rage, but Ahrganot pushed ahead. "It is important to my mission for you to aid this Delson on his. He's searching for his daughter and found evidence that they're keeping her alive."

The Eteno was silent for a moment, but finally answered "I don't know about a Delson, but there was a human there. Said she'd been there a long time. However, she mentioned being raised by a Delson..."

"That's her! The human!" Sol I Dor said excitedly, "That's her! You remember where the prison was?!"

"No, when I escaped from it, I didn't memorize which way I went. I definitely remember what the sector looked like though..."

"That works!" Rekal repllied, "He has the sector's appearance, we have its general direction. We just need to know which system matches both factors and we can start searching."

Ahrganot then asked, "Will you come with us? We could use the extra hand...no joke intended, mind you..."

The Eteno thought for a moment, then his mechanical arm whirred to life. "Sure. I still owe those 'Harvesters' for taking my arm! By the way, the name's Zdravko."

"Thank you!" Sol I Dor said gratefully, "Come on, our ship is in the spaceport. So, Mig El O, up for another adventure?"

"Nah, this old Marquis is worn out. Good luck, my old Lur-Marquis."

As the group exited, Ahrganot asked, "What's a Marquis?"

Rekal answered, "A High-Ranking Position in our Marine Corps. One Marquis commands several squads of Marines."

"He called Sol I Dor a Marquis. I thought he was a navyman, one of those 'Krilek's."

"In the Delson Military, a single Delson can be a member of multiple branches of the Military. It mostly depends on how skilled they are, as well as how determined a Delson is to do the duty our race has carved for ourselves."

"Which is?" Ahrganot asked.

"To defend any race that needs saving, regardless of the direness of the threat, be it supernova or Harvester Invasion."

Ahrganot reported another journal entry.

"Log 002: We've travelled to a nearby planet, and I had the oppurtunity to meet more of these Delson. It seems this rescue mission isn't simply for the necessity of the prisoner, but rather out of...compassion. They demonstrate valiance to defend not only their own kind but others. What motivates them to do so is a mystery to me, but perhaps we can learn something from them just as we learned many things from the Eteno."

Chapter 4: Harvesters
Galiana watched as the humanoid that had been her cellmate for the last couple hours was dragged away. It had been the same thing for the past few years: many new aliens have been dragged into the prison and held by the Harvesters, only to be later taken to be 'processed'. She, for some reason, was the only exception. Over the years, she's seen representitives of many races: Eteno, Kklxin, Besala, and, recently, Dhragolon. She's even seen Delsons and other humans here (the latter in smaller amounts). She then overhear 2 of the guards talking. Despite the fact that she hadn't completely mastered it, Galiana believed she could understand at least part of the language the guards were speaking. What she could hear made her heart jump: she heard that one of their ships was destroyed and the surviving computers had been removed. ''It must be Sol I Dor! It MUST be!'' she thought.

Sol I Dor was now fixated on finding his last contact. He believed that if he could find him, then he could find that last bit of information he needed to find Galiana. However, suddenly, the ship began to rock.

"Shoot!" Rekal shouted, "Harvester Interdiction System!" Rekal swifty manipulated the controls of the Drenzer, and the vessel dropped out of FTL without serious damage. Suddenly, they were set upon by 3 unknown fighters and a cruiser. "Harvester Search Craft and an Interdictor!" Rekal identified.

"Sol I Dor then ordered, "Rekal, Ahrganot, Zdravko, on the manual guns! I'l deploy them monentarilly. Rekal, show the other where they are!" Without saying anything, Ahrganot grabbed one of the manual guns. He had no real training as an Alda'Kapura as melee combat was more of his thing. This was nothing he couldn't handle though.

"Right, you guys, with me!" From the hull of the Drenzer sprang 3 clusters of high-powered, autofire railguns. Rekal led the other 2 to the Gunner Positions. Once ready, Rekal shouted to Sol I Dor, "We're ready back here!"

"Ok, hang on, we're moving into that asteroid field!" Sol I Dor piloted the Drenzer into a nearby field of asteroids, the Harvester vessels in hot pursuit. Rekal, a master at Delson controls, spun his fighter around and aimed at one of the Search Craft Fighters. He fired the railguns, but the nimble Search Craft maneuvered out of the way, and the railgun shots instead detonated on the asteroid behind it. "This is getting us nowhere!" Rekal shouted, "I'm a scientist, not a gunner!"

"Don't complain, shoot!" Zdravko shouted, as he fired on another Harvester craft.

However, the Interdictor bore down on the Drenzer and fired, clipping the port side of the ship. "Port side hit, shields weakening!" Sol I Dor warned.

As the Interdictor came about, Ahrganot kept his eyes on it, while Zdravko and Rekal each finally downed a Search Craft.

Rekal exclaimed, "I got one...I GOT ONE!"

"Great, kid," Zdravko said, "Don't get cocky!"

However, the Interdictor opened fire, again, and, when the shots hit, Sol I Dor warned, "Shields collapsing!"

Rekal and Zdravko both aimed their guns at the last Search Craft and, firing at the same time, destroyed the craft. "I got him!" Rekal shouted.

"No," Zdravko exclaimed, "That was MY kill!"

"Quiet!" Ahrganot shouted at both of them, "It's not easy to focus with you arguing over who killed what." He tracked the Interdictor, until it came out from behind the asteroid...and fired. His shots hit the blue sphere in the center of the vessel, causing it, and the whole Interdictor to explode.

"Good work," Sol I Dor commented.

"Thanks," Ahrganot commented. "But I must say, you Delsons are nearly as skilled as the Alda'Kapura."

"Yeah, we make a great team."

"Yes, a team..." Ahragnot said to himself. Being a scout, he had always worked solo on his missions. It was a strange feeling of satisfaction working together with the other Delsons just now. A feeling he seldom experienced.

"Hey!" Rekal exclaimed, "You forget us?!"

"Yeah," Zdravko joined, "We took out the fighters! He just blasted that Interdictor and you just dodged their fire!"

"Whatever," Sol I Dor commented, "Just get back here."

Krilek Personal Log. Entry 3421 - Date 1-4-4371

It's day 4 of my search for my daughter. We were ambushed by a set of Harvester ships. It's very likely they know what we're up to, so, if we're gonna save Galiana, we have to work fast.

During the attack, the Eteno named Zdravko and Dhragolon named Ahrganot both proved valuable in defending the ship from our attackers. IT was Ahrganot who destroyed the Interdictor that held our ship in place.

We're now on our way to Color, in the Milla System, where my old mentor lives. I hope he can help me out with this.

We're so close...so close to finding Galiana, I can practically sense it. Maybe these last 4 years can be forgotten if I can just have my daughter in my arms again...

Chapter 5: The Sage
Despite the name, Color wasn't a colorful world: merely a grey rock with just enough atmosphere to sustain life, Color wasn't heavilly populated. Sol I Dor landed the Drenzer outside of a small hut. The group approached the house.

"This is it?!" Zdravko asked, "This is the house of you next contact?!"

"He prefers the pursuit of intelectual pursuits, over the hussle and bussle of the city," Sol I Dor answered. One the group stepped in, he said, "High Elder, I need your guidence."

For a moment, things were silent, then an old, gravelly voice answered, "They came fro the sky, in fire and light/All that could be seen in them, was determination, and might. I hear you, Psykeeper." Then, what looked like an ancient Delson approached: his hide was faded, only a mixture or greys left, no dark black; his facial 'whiskers' were drooping, as were his feather-like facial structures. "What is it that you require?"

"I have come to recover any information you may have found on my daughter."

The ancient Delson thought for a moment, before responding, "For they came down from the heavens, seeking blood/they pour down like rain, like a swarm, like a flood... I have little that could help, but one piece comes to mind."

"What is it?" Sol I Dor asked desparately.