"The L'Traisan Civil War"

[Cptn Elias Moore 0]

"I have L'Traisan Ambassador Miriola standing by." Lieutenant Westler reported, looking up from the tactical station. "She speaks Human."

 

"'She?' Intriguing. Put her on screen." Elias walked over to his chair. The face of an attractive female appeared on the viewscreen, identical to a human's save for barely perceptible ridges behind the cheeks. Her face was twisted in what seemed to be confusion. "Ambassador Miriola, I take it?"

 

"Yes." Miriola answered in a soft voice with an impressively accurate accent. "I admit that I am surprised by your transmission, Captain...?"

 

"Captain Moore. Elias Moore of the Starship Challenger. I apologize for any disturbance or inconvenience this call has caused, Ambassador. If I am not mistaken, you have, in fact, received two transmissions from our location?"

 

"It was the first of the two that surprised us." Miriola reached out of view to retrieve a datasheet. "It is in our language. But the dialect is obscure."

 

Elias nodded. "Reports from my linguist indicate that the dialect comes from your... I believe eastern continent?"

 

"Clearly, yes, but..." Miriola looked down in concentration and shook her head. "The language of L'Traisa has been universal for over a life cycle. This dialect was used by the Eastern Alliance... so long ago... three hundred Earth years. You sent this transmission to us?"

 

"We did not. I'm gathering, Ambassador, that you don't know anything about the facility in this system?"

 

Miriola looked back up and simply shrugged. "The transmission mentions a tomb?"

 

"A very well defended tomb." Elias answered with a frown. "One that may be responsible for the spread of an illness throughout the surrounding region. We were trying to establish a colony there, but now we're just trying to figure all of this out. Could you, perhaps, put me in contact with someone from this Eastern Alliance? The transmission may have been meant for them."

 

"Captain, that is not possible. The Eastern Alliance no longer exists." Elias slumped slightly in his chair as he realized how much more complicated this matter just became. There appeared to be a hint of regret on Miriola's face as she continued. "The Alliance consisted of three noble Houses--this was during a time of feudal government on L'Traisa, you see--that rebelled against Bo-Fang, the ruling House, one of the most ruthless that L'Traisa had ever known. It was a bloody period in our history; we had only just discovered the mysteries of light-speed travel, but I must admit that we were not yet responsible enough to wield it. The Alliance rebellion may have been the worst internal conflict in L'Traisan history, one of only two with worldwide span. The Alliance was eventually crushed by House Bo-Fang and its supporters... but not before they put up a gallant fight. Their Houses were resourceful, and their warriors were legendary combatants."

 

"There were interstellar engagements in this war?" Elias asked.

 

"Most of the fighting was interstellar, if not all of it. Battles erupted in other star systems over natural resources, strategic advantages, even alien cultures that could be exploited for support. Here on L'Traisa, the war was waged mostly via modes of espionage."

 

"Was this system, Nequencia, hotly contested?"

 

Miriola paused as she considered this. "An interesting question, Captain. Very interesting. Nequencia was not contested at all, you see. All of its planets uninhabited, no resources to be harvested, and so close to L'Traisa that it couldn't have served either side's interests to hold it--this was not a traditional form of warfare, Captain, no, it was based more on outsmarting the opposition through secrecy than on open conflict for territory."

 

"So why was a tomb placed here?" Elias asked. "And so well defended? Was tomb-raiding a problem in the war?"

 

"Oh, goodness, no." Miriola answered. "One mindset shared by all in the conflict, even the notoriously corrupt Bo-Fang, was a respect for the dead. The Alliance had no reason to fear that their tombs would be desecrated. By all appearances, they did not--there are still gravesites on the eastern continent that prominently display the names of important Alliance nobles. The crypt of Grand Vizier Moro-Gotu is a popular tourist attraction; if the Alliance wished to conceal or protect any of their burial sites, his would have topped the list. I've never heard of any L'Traisan House looking off-world for sites to put their deceased to rest. Certainly not to a place like Nequencia, largely ignored by our people."

 

Elias raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps that's exactly why they'd have placed a tomb here. Perhaps they wanted it to be ignored. The particularly large weapon jutting out of the ground would support that theory."

 

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I do not know why that would be."

 

"We're going to continue looking into it." Elias said. "But you can still help us. I would appreciate any background information you have on the war. Technical schematics of machinery used during the time period would help. And my linguist is still having a bit of trouble translating the Alliance language; if you have a translation guide on hand, it would make his job easier. You surprise me, Miriola... you sound far more intelligent than most Ambassadors I'm used to."

 

Miriola's face reddened slightly and she chuckled. "The Alliance conflict is an integral part of our education curriculums, it is common knowledge. But I know only the basics. I will contact the museum in Trigola Province. They should have all the information you want."

 

"Thank you, Miriola. You have been very helpful. A refreshing change of pace from most of the people we encounter out here." Elias grinned suggestively. "Perhaps I will visit L'Traisa some time and show you my appreciation."

 

The Ambassador appeared to be offended by this at first, but she covered it with a smile. "Umm... no, that will not be necessary, Captain, I will take your word for it. You will hear from us again shortly." She cut the transmission.

 

Elias sighed. "Can't I win with the women of any planet?"

 

Lieutenant Walker glanced over his shoulder, but Elias cut him off before he could answer. "Mr. Westler, let's make sure the transmitter is the only thing down there, then we'll head back to the third planet. We've got to figure out what that weapon is really protecting..."