The Dreadcommando had already taken the planet and the defenders are forced underground. To make matters worse, it was discovered from sorties on prisoners and intel that the planet itself hosted an ancient prison that hosted a monster that will devastate this part of the galaxy. Entire team were devastated by this news as they were essentially trapped while the agents plan to unleash the terror upon the galaxy. Suddenly, the Mech-Marquess looked at Riko’s ancestral sword brought by her as an unofficial badge. He was bemused by its intricate yet powerful design, which he knew its craftsmanship. He then called upon his techno-smith who knew about schematics of such weapons. Riko was reluctant, but she had to hand it over for her sword’s repairs. Soon, the blade was returned with its handle and blade refined by hours of work. The Mech-Marquess told her to click on the jewel on the sword. Upon activation, a sheath of energy covered the entire blade.
“It was fortunate that this blade had been the rare broken ones that can still be repaired.“ said the Mech-Marquess. According to the cyber aristocrat, the blades had been masterpieces of galactic swords but a majority had been presumably lost, if not becoming inert junk. In addition, the blade can defeat the creature if it was released along with its capability to allow a fighter to use it against gunners. The team was rejoiced and proceed to reach to the region where the Dreadcommandos had started their excavation.
The team managed to board a convoy truck that had been waiting for the drill to bore through the mountain to reach the ancient weapon. It has been days with two drills broken from stresses made to bore through the ancient defensive walls The team had to hide and reduce elimination as to prevent the guards on searching for them. Finally, they broke through but the horrors began to pour out from the breach. The Dreadcommandos took losses, but they managed to break through to gates of the ancient vault.
The entire landscape is made of flesh and tentacles, which the entire environment is grotesque yet alive. The team. made up of Kitty and a former EFI security, attempted to trudge away from Dread Commando’s convoys. The journey was treacherous, but the team made it through save for Kitty who was wounded when a fly-like creature detonated near her. Even in such desperate times, Riko refuses to leave Kitty to her fate. But they reached the chasm and found that she had to go there alone. Riko had to bid farewell, as Kitty and the guard began to help her hoist down. As she reached the bottom, she had to worry about two of them as the guard is the only one capable of defending Kitty with few ways to return save for the possibly arrival of Dreadcommandos who would not have prisoners.
Riko travelled the underground of the vault, filled with ichor and more tentacles. Then, she met the leader of Dread Commandos, Annette Naxos herself. Riko yelled at Naxos and charged at her. The two entered to a duel, which lasted for three minutes. Both of them were at a contest, now taking themselves a brief break as they prepare for second strike. “Ms. Naxos, why would you resort to such tactics? Isn’t your people suffered already by the invasion? The Realms, the resistance, the humans, and even neutral colonies are planning to defend against the tyrannical primates.” as Riko attempted to reason with her.
Naxos just huff and puff, before replying, “Bah, you were naivete, Ranger. I’ve seen what Primate are capable of. Even the best fleet that my corporation had fielded were annihilated. And do you think what’s left of the board at EFI would care other than profits? We Dreadcommandos are only functioning asset here. And we will not give advantages to the upcoming rivals in your so-called alliance. In fact, those apes didn’t know what they just did when we called for a truce, and this is our window to retialiate against them. This creature is the only way, the Untapped Frontier will be left for no one.”. Riko found her to be a narcissist and a selfish commander who deluded herself as an extremist commander. Then suddenly, the creature awakens with Annette looking at it with joy.
“BEHOLD, THE OCULUS MONOLITH!“
The beast’s eye began to fire its beam at Riko and mad Naxos.
The beam was intense and blinding, yet Riko managed to dodge it for some reason. Annette Naxos was left as a burning husk. As the creature flail its tentacles, Riko was busy dodging and parrying until she saw an opportune moment. She then ran up to the tentacle before hopping towards the creature’s eyes as it began to glow to open fire again. It was a Riko gamble as the beam and the tip of her energy blade began to contend.
As the blade pierces through the creature’s eyes, its energy contained behind the pupil begins to explode. Riko dropped down, and became exhausted as she look upon her deed to save the Untapped Frontier. The entire area began to crumble. On this moment, entire Dreadcommandos lost their effective fighting force save for a small portion of vehicle fleet parked out at the excavation that managed to escape at the moment the land rumbles. The convoy managed to reached the rim and only 9 out of 100 personnel remained, with the rest perished at the breach, excavation, fighting wildlife, and eventually the sundering the region. Other than the nine, Kitty and the guard managed to sneak at the back of the car during the Dreadcommandos’ panic escape. Now they quickly retreated to the directions of the ruined castle to reunite with their comrades.
It was a lucky day for the two, but not for Riko as she sacrificed herself in order to save the galaxy. But it was just an official report and an assumption based on the general devastation of the region. It took 3 days for the survivors to reach to Mech-Marquess, who was emotional as he hears her demise. Soon, the remnants of Dreadcommandos surrendered as their leadership was destroyed and their fighting forces was battered when the defenders returned to deal with them. The Piscean Royal Ministry rewarded the Tideseeker family for the heroic deeds of their scion, leaving behind her siblings to carry on their legacy. The colony that Riko built would become a fully fledged town with the EFI remnants finally getting their normal lives with a functioning habitat. A month after the EFI announced their bankruptcy and Primate Hegemony halted its massive offensive due to resistance, the Humans’ core worlds began to plan to assemble an expedition back into the Untapped Frontier with the aid of Frontier Corps.
Note: The new work schedule had made me post my Tumblr stories on Sunday and Monday instead of usual Wednesday and Thursday. Also, I am going to wrap this story up tomorrow.
A wounded and a dead, former being the gold-haired human and a latter being the tribal mercenary, is the report for the quarrel with the Dreadcommandos at the avian temple. As they tracked the convoy from their last point from the temple, they were hailed by a robotic feudal lord from his personal fief that he enriched by a combination of agricultural goods and tolls on passing ships in exchange for rest and refuel. The group visited the aristocrat, or by his preferred title “Mech-Marquess”, who was pleased to have a visitor with news and wealth brought to him for his gratitude of hospitality. Riko began with a bow as her entourage flanked around her.
“A Piscean Ranger” exclaimed the Mech-Marquess, “A pleasure to meet someone from the Realms known for diplomacy and fine culture”. Both of them shared a conversation before finding an icebreaker on the Dreadcommandos, which the mere term made him open to give a write-off of toll for Riko’s team. According to Mech-Marquess, he had issues with Dreadcommandos just as he was about to relax from the demise of Expansion and Foundation Incorporated when they launched a series of raids on his planet. He wanted Riko and her group to put a stop to their glorified banditry before a coincidence arrived. Riko called her group on a battle station and they began battle near the wall of the castle. It took hours as endless waves of robed soldiers dropped from their shuttles and countered with the arrival of Primate resistance. It was rather a large battle, but they managed to put the former EFI agents on the retreat after a big push near the castle’s citadel. The broke siege equipment, various weapons, and bodies were strewn across the castle. Riko just sat near the entrance to find respite.
Then a giant dragon approaches from the horizon, but a human is riding it. As the creature landed and roared, the rider revealed to be the leader named Annette Naxos. She began to lead the second assault with the Dread Commandos as they assailed upon the weary defenders. Riko pulled out her blade and grenades to focus her attacks on the dragon. Riko dodged and strike as the dragon began to attack her, where her infliction upon it revealed its metallic underneath its cover. Then finally, a bomb was lodged near the spine, which its came loose and dismantled as the bomb exploded. Unfortunately, Annette Naxos escaped and still managed to lead her troop as Riko’s forces was pushed back.
The Mech-Marquess called Riko and her group to follow him as he led the defenders to retreat to the chambers below where he explained his well-prepared moment for such a disaster. Riko reluctantly called a retreat and forced to give the ruined castle to the Dread Commandos. Then, they were guided across the secret door away from the sight of Naxos and her commandos. Finally revealing strange ruins with the Mech-Marquess and his treasures and supplies waiting for her.
“I think they got to the gates to their goal, Ranger. Now we wait for the moment to plunge the dagger upon their vulnerable moment,“ said the Mech-Marquess.
Riko had visited the committee on the city she frequented for reports on her surveys and diplomacy. The committee members were aghast at such treatment of their delegation and intention to treat them as obedient vassals. They promised to Riko that they will delegate to the government at core regions and muster their defenses on incoming Primate Hegemony raids. In addition, they were blessed with the existence of resistance who would aid them in mutual goals of their discontent against the authoritarian regime. Riko was also allowed to visit the temple on an arid planet. She assembled the team and began their journey.
They were greeted by a local clergy who had tended the temple. He was glad to have a visitor other than Talonian pilgrims or religious leaders. He then guided the three into the sanctum of the temple while allowing them to see the impressive sight of their architecture. The setting seems contradictory, at least by more technologically inclined civilizations like Piscean and Humans, which the temple may seem ancient and yet blended with modern technology. The temple is made with brown clay bricks and cobblestones yet self-powered electric light dotted the temple. Ancient sarcophagus and religious symbols in a room with what seems to be computer screens. To further the anomalous mixture, they also saw a group of warriors armed with well-made clubs with a few carrying hi-tech rifles. Riko took note of such culture before reaching the atrium.
Then the team was reunited with the large Talonian priest, who was glad to have new guests. Riko then conversed with the priest about their cultures, which she learned about Talonian’s rise from their unchanging religious culture into the spacefaring culture in a span of forty years. The priest told about a phenomenon where their annual celebration coincided with a crashed starship with schematics for spaceship manufacturing and infrastructure. It was also fortunate that the curious priest was more interested in learning rather than ignoring or dismantling the crashed ship. As a result, his discovery allowed the Talonian to construct starships and advance to galactic culture barring a strife between traditionalists and modernists beginning over his trial of heresy as his invention grew the ire of older hierophants. Currently, things had not been as well as the Dread Commandos had subjugated into a tributary subject and now loading their wealth into their starships. Riko then asked if they would wish for a liberation, which the Talonian priest nodded and asked the team to assault as the Dread Commandos had been declared as “enemy”. The assault begins with the team swimming towards the underground river before reaching the cave. Riko opened up her weapons and caught them by surprise. It would seem to be a victory except the soldiers rallied and managed to halt their advance. Three hours passed and Riko was glad that the Talonian was able to bring their temple guards to break through their makeshift hangar. Except it was gone, and the group along with their loot escaped.
Riko and a group of Primate resistance fighters had made their way to a starship anchorage. It was pristine and fortified. If Riko were to liberate her starship, they must break through the defenses and take the ship. As the Primate Hegemony had incarcerated Riko under duress during a negotiation, she had the right to defend herself since Piscean Realms would have a conflict with the Hegemony even if she made it out without harming the soldiers due to these reasons. In addition to the assault, Riko needs to secure additional documents to further prove the unjust nature of her arrest. First, the rebels launched a pronged assault as Riko take the path to the administration building. They relied on blades, shotguns, and automatic weapons in close combat of the interiors, which Riko found the use of the electro-spear. Then she made it to the top layer where she opened up her shotgun on an approaching commander leading the garrison. She collapsed immediately and her retinue was suppressed by her fellow fighters. She then proceeded into the building.
Riko and the rebels pressed forward. Automatic fire into the corridors as the Primate soldiers got pinned while those who managed to forward were cut down. It was sluggish and brutal but they reached the terminal that retained documents needed for evidence of her perils and Primate Hegemony’s “diplomacy”. Riko received the news of the liberation of her ship along with procurement of a few by the rebels, which Riko’s group breached into a Primate warship that is going to launch.
The group almost had a confrontation before realizing that they are in fact the resistance group with Primate Hegemony’s equipment. The two groups talked about their success and Riko was given a mecha for her safe return to her ship.
An hour after she reached the ship and the data from the raid returned, the team held a meeting for their next move after their return to a nearby Piscean colony. They knew that the Realms would face the wrath of the Simian Supreme’s imperial ambitions but they at least gave their state time to prepare. As the team discussed on this topic, one of the members--a fellow Piscean--shared an important data. The Primate Hegemony had a truce with Dread Commandos in exchange for safe passage to an ancient temple belonging to Wingtalonian culture. She was no stranger to the concept of realpolitik, or at least the ideas of pragmatic choices in contradiction to their goals, but she feels that the two groups had already been too close for a ceasefire. Everyone agreed that they should head to the temple after delivering their captured document to Piscean colony.
Riko was awakened in a cell after a blackout. She then looked at her cell and saw a hologram of a Primate officer, this time a large male with more sophisticated uniform than the liaison.
“Greetings, Lady Tideseeker. I, Captain Peelinvich have finally got you detained for your refusal of our agreement. True that Lt. Plantainova had to have a long discussion, but it did gave us some insight of your diplomatically way of saying ‘no’ to our terms. we not only found your disagreement to be against the need of our Hegemony, but also your harboring of Primate dissidents and former EFI employees without our permission.“ Riko was angered at the statement, “We have no waged war on you, and it is perfectly fine for neutral countries to accept refugees and hold fugitives until requests of trial was made. And those EFI employees that I have are simple colonists, they are too few to be your threat.“ The Primate Officer just grinned, showing his pointed teeth, “Ahh, but the Hegemony demanded these new subjects for their labors in our work camps to further the cause of Simian Supreme in bringing order in this chaotic galaxy of pirates, warlords, and corporations. A fine exchange of gift as a reward for their liberation and stable life“. Riko then retorted, “I think I may say otherwise, the escapees said that they were given small amounts of food while being toiled to hard labor with little safety. Plus, you broke the common law of surrender by having the surrendered citizens shot or enslaved rather than the right of passage.“ The officer retorted, “Well, their corporate masters shouldn’t have established colonies within our boundaries then“. Riko just found him to be stubborn and stayed silent until..”Now for the progr....”BOOM!
“THE PENAL SECTOR IS UNDERATTACK!“ comes the PA system, “The rebels, Apex and Humans, are bearing arms. All units for battle station.“ And the floor of her room collapsed and into the laboratory. It was dark except for the light of the bio tanks. She then quickly ran away when suddenly, she saw a mutant Primate attacking her. Fortunately, she had a flamethrower where she doused the creature with the flame that allowed her to escape even if she left it screaming out of pain. Riko didn’t have time to regret as the guards and the crumbling fort is forcing her to focus on escape. Finally, she reached to the end of the security room where she had to contend with a hologram and turrets, which she quickly outran it before it got her. In a coincidence, a door was blasted open by the invaders who covered her retreat.
Among the attackers, she met her crews who were glad to be reunited after their ship was compounded. The escape is not over yet since the resistance has a score to settle with the commander of this compound. Riko was glad to finally attack the horrible officer with her weapons being secured. The team climbed upstair and met a well-dressed Ape captain. He had a darker fur and face with the gray uniform with medals on his chest. He was well-equipped where he sprayed the team with assault rifle. The team provided cover fire as the melee goes to overwhelm him and his guards. Finally, Riko finished the captain with her ray gun. Disintegrated. They then tooked the papers and maps before exfiltrating from the room.
After the assault, both Riko’s team and the resistance went to the exit when they finished their raid. There she saw a scarred Primate with a red scarf.
“Greetings, Lady Tideseeker. I am Sonya, the leader of the resistance against the Primate Hegemony. It’s safe to say that you find their country unnegotiable, ya?“ which Riko nodded at her as she is too tired to speak.
“So I am glad to finally getting off this planet.“
Previously in her administrative colony for the refugee camp, Riko had been called to meet with the Primate Hegemony officials on one of their colonies. She stepped aboard an official ship for Piscean Delegates and landed on the colony’s space port. Entire setting of the colony felt odd for Riko, who found the colony’s bland design and pre-arranged layout that emphasized the totalitarian culture of the Primates. The inhabitants were neutral in emotions with guards and surveillance cameras watching for any wrong doings. Only few decorations, but most of them are the reminder of their supreme ruler and their strict obedience. She was reminded about an argument with Kitty over the similarities, or rather a dark contrast, of Piscean’s collective culture yet her culture was vibrant and showed varieties beautiful imagery unlike the Primate’s monotonous nature. As she and her party reached the administrative office, she was invited into meeting with the officer.
“Welcome to this collective, Piscean.“ bowed the primate officer, “By the Simian Supreme, we are glad you came by“. Riko bowed and thank her, which she replied, “Thank you for your state’s welcome, madam. The Piscean Realms is willing to talk with her fellow neighbors.“ It was a simple diplomatic gesture, Riko thought yet she is beginning to speculate about the Collective. “Appreciate your gesture, Piscean Ambassador“ she give a smile, “we hope to make the best with the talk between our collectives and your realm.“ Riko simply said yes, and asked her about the reasons.
“Recently, this Untapped Frontier had found promises in natural resources and communal sectors. We have already established many collectives but also had to contend with the vile corporations gone loose from human’s grasps. It was a decisive victory as we destroyed their ill-trained military and caused the corporate leaders on the run towards their core sectors. Of course, the Simian Supreme was wise that it was a punishment for their leaders to reign in the results of their unchecked individualism, so we consolidated our claims. We still find their colonies to be well-maintained and profitable even not to our standards. In addition, we are also planning a partition negotiations with your people in the future.“ responded by the Primate officer in her speech. But Riko then asked about the terms, hoping to learn with out directly asking questions problematic to them. The more she spoke with her, she realized that both Primates and Pisceans are similiar if the former is more bellicose.
The Primate was silent at first, but then, “Consider the new colonies and claims as a gratitude by our Simian Supreme to our race, ambassador. In exchange, we are to sign a defensive pact for mutual cooperation.” Riko asked about the pact, which was responded. “First, Piscean military are to be sent for Primate Hegemony’s defense and vice verse. Second, All military operations are to be led by Primate’s military command due to Piscean’s complacency in such matters. Third, cessation of all sanctuaries for enemies of the state by all states.” Riko feel reluctant to agree with it since the treaty is basically a stranglehold methods, but she sighed and asked a final question “what do you define by enemy of the state, we Piscean Realms are known to allow extra judicial activities for dangerous individuals. Why the word enemy?”
The officer was starting to frown but answered “If you want more validation, here I go. Deserters, traitors, and the conquered subjects who ran away you instead of embracing our Simian Supreme”. Riko just replied, realizing the contrasting aspect of her and Primate’s culture instead of Kitty’s argument, “I agree that we are dealing with fugitives, but I don’t agree with some of your definition. Many of the enemies are civilians who wish to live a normal life, but I hear reports about them being put to work at your state’s labor camps.I also have issues with the forcing neutral colonies over punishment over harboring refugees is unfair along with the demand of giving leverage to your states. Until we can get a better agreement, I think I disapprove your terms”.
The officer snapped her finger, “I admire your integrity and disagreement, but the Primate Hegemony wanted to have you for something” dropping her obedient bureaucrat behavior and the guards began to come in. Riko was surprised but she was tranquilized and captured.
The officer stated to the guard, “Take her to the penal sector.“
A young Primate woman was wandering in the wilds near the USMC colony. Still wearing her standard issue military uniform, she had tracked through the dangerous wildlife and terrains on her own for days. She is exhausted and ran out of consumables a day ago. Then she saw two figures coming from the vegetations and hide in the cave. Unfortunately, she faced a four-legged beast intend to spray its fiery breath before being shot by one of the figures. The primate woman intends to run away but later relieved when the figures turned out to be Riko the Piscean Ranger and Kitty the Human Mechanic.
“Who are you?” Riko said, hoping she wasn’t Primate Hegemony scout intend to attack the USMC and EFI refugees in their aggressive campaign. “Name...Yulia. Officer for Hegemony Army. I ran away and will be executed if found.” stated with a broken Piscean tongue and tone of fear but managed to say, “I seek sanctuary”. Riko was still unsure and order Kitty to search for any hidden trackers and such. Kitty only found a photo, loose coins, and a pocket knife; all of them all checked to not include anything secret tracker hidden. It allows Riko to see that she was, in fact, defecting. But, Riko answered “I know you are a defector, Yulia. You still have to stay at the guard house temporarily until properly inspected. Understand?“ which the young Primate nodded and guided to the hill base where Riko had made an administration and city for the refugees. It is still under construction but rudimentary features like stores and offices were built with law and order provided by armed volunteers and Piscean military. Yulia was placed in the guardhouse to be questioned by ironically another Primate male known as Ivan. As both of them meet, the guard was surprised by her appearance and began speaking to each other in their native Pryrillic tongue. Kitty seems confused but Riko was able to understand their speech enough to translate it for her away from the two defectors.
Kitty was told by Riko on the conversation between Yulia and Ivan, who were revealed to be close friends. Yulia and Ivan were soldiers for the Primate Hegemony, an authoritarian state led by the seemingly omniscient dictator figure known as Simian Supreme. They have been raised to remain loyal to their state without question and had taken part in the war against Human’s EFI colonies and USMC fleet, which its shortcomings in warfare and lack of proper officer corps was easily exploited. While Expansion and Foundation Incorporated exemplified the darker side of human entrepreneur culture with its monetary exploitation and disregard to underlings, Yulia and Ivan soon learn about Hegemony’s dark representation of its discipline-based culture on its crushing of individual freedom and brutal repression in the name of order. Ivan was the first to leave, but Yulia took longer as she still believed in the promise of stability brought by Simian Supreme while being blind to the EFI civilians and prisoners who were either killed or enthralled. Then Yulia’s defection came when she found herself to take part in massacring a native populace who were simply settling on their mineral site. As her company fell asleep, she took to the armory and went to aid to natives before assassinating her superior officer and wiping out her own company with the help of natives. Sadly, it was all moot as the natives were massacred with another Primate company with new orders to execute Yulia for her treason. Since that event, Yulia had to hide and run for a long time, but she only had brief respite under the protection of a Piscean emissary grounds. Kitty was intrigued by the story and feel sorry for Yulia, which she was confused why Primates would embrace in such rigid and brutal lifestyles. Riko then stated that a person’s belief can be hard to dissuade and would prioritize livelihood and survival over moral objections of society.
It was all good until Kitty brought up the similarity between Piscean Realms and Primate Hegemony, which Riko find disgust but allowed her to speak. Like Primate Hegemony, Kitty pointed out that Piscean Realms is operated by a hierarchy with their Royalty acting as a paramount and demand respect to the superiors. Riko retorted that the Realm’s culture actually respects its citizens’ needs, allowing local area autonomy that may include democratic committees, used state examinations for social mobility of brilliant commoners, and tolerate individualism, unlike the Hegemony’s culture. But Kitty found that point to be admired, but she still countered with the rulers’ paternalistic nature that seems to distract the people from self-reliance, the majority of Piscean being arrogant towards other species with most of the displays given to individualistic and tribal cultures along with majority of administration being done by state ministries, the factor of wealth and aristocratic ties still being the few factor of good position, and the fact that Piscean culture still emphasize collective values despite its tolerance of said individual values. Riko realized that it had turned into a debate as she countered against any Kitty’s points. The accusation of paternalism led to social harmony, which then led to stories of power abuse by less-benign nobles, then to punishments given by both subordinates and the higher ups, and continued after Kitty talked about “who oversees the oversight function?” Even if the debate was long and frustrating, Kitty soon finds Riko to be the best of Pisceans once she learns of her openmindedness complimenting her speech and intellect while Riko learning about the flaws of Piscean culture beneath its perfect facade from an individualist like Kitty. While the debate is still active, they realized that the culture’s positive and negative nature depends upon how they practiced it with Pisces being on the mostly good representation through compassion and pragmatism while the Primate Hegemony on absolute negative representation with fear and blind obedience.
Then the debate ended with an arrival of a message to meet with the Primate’s delegation. She then boarded on the starship, heading for one of their major colonies. As she landed, she sees the sterile and rigid city with the symbols of Simian Supreme reminding of their discipline.
Riko is helping the refugees of the failed colony ventures, which the corporation abandoned the colonies as the Primate Hegemony pushed and destroyed their assets. She had already defeated a former military officer who had turned to banditry and currently escorting two prisoners to their home camp. Once they reached there, they were happy to be reunited with their relatives and friends. Kitty, the young girl who had been with Riko, was touched as she too had the similar experience. On the related subject, she looked for her lost friends in the camp, but to no avail. Soon, the group began to distribute food and build fortifications for the colonists. They began to carve out a nearby hill to create stronghold from where they can organize a defense properly. Riko then received a message on her computer, which Council of Sumumizu had called upon her for the report on the library attack and the state of humans after the collapse of their two founding corporations
Riko had arrived on the Piscean city of Sumumizu, where she had answered and provided reports of her findings on their questions about the raid on the library and the human remnants. She talked about the perpetrators being Dread Commandos, who had been EFI’s elite securities under Annette Naxos as their defacto leader. While the council seems to assume that it was EFI’s action, they still asked about if the unit present at Arashi are part of them. Riko then explained that the Dread Commandos may have been a unique case of post EFI crisis unlike many of its military units in the Untapped Frontier. She showed the documents about the units from abandoned colonies and the former staff. From the statements, Dread Commandos were not only an armed force but also a faction formed from its autonomy by the EFI’s hands off policy. Riko deducted that Dread Commandos may have been acting as a self-proclaimed successor group as they were stranded in the area with their high command as acting superior. In addition, the Dread Commandos had already fought against larger former EFI bandit groups and already had a functioning state to fund their agendas with Arashi’s elder memory core being a store of knowledge to advance their tech level. The committee then argued that her statement is interesting, but have no obvious clues as evidence had been meager and consisted of meager data files and anecdotes. However, the Pisceans authority had reluctant to push a war against EFI as it had been dying as it held its dwindling holdings in the core region, which meant an unnecessary and expensive action that would drag in the Human’s government into the war. Riko also asked about the fate of refugees left behind and already shown to be independent of their control along with a request for aid to build a settlement in their lands. The committee confirmed but wish to oversee the humans if they will remain loyal or not. Riko agreed and the meeting was concluded.
Riko visited the Sumumizu’s graveyard which is actually a collection of names on stones as the colony was too small for burial space and Piscean’s practice of cremation-esque techniques as they had in their homeworld. Riko bow down as she see the name, “Toshiro Tideseeker, founder of Sumumizu and a great Ranger for Piscean Realms. May the celestial kingdom honor you as you sacrificed againt the pirates.” The grave of her ancestor was respected and given a blessing of “I’ll make you proud”. Later, she visited the library and the gallery. For the first part, she read the Piscean diplomatic account of their visit to human nations of the galaxy, which provided into its culture of entrepreneurship and individualism, which Piscean culture are familiar with them but felt odd towards the humanity to value them as major focus even if it created corrupt institute like the crumbling EFI colonization company. At the gallery, she observed the paintings of the mountains and vistas of her homeworld that she felt missing for sometime. Finally, she visited the city’s power plant, which had defended the colony with its channel of energy towards the forcefield. She took a look at it humming and wondering at the marvels of Piscean engineering.
It had been two days of visit before she left to over see the construction of the administration area at the human refugee camps.
