Of Myth and Legend

[Chirakis 1]

Of Myth and Legend

 

Having received notification at her CT console that Administrator McDowell was about to land, Cdr Chirakis reserved enough time in her schedule for a long consultation about the symbols that had apparently been found on TKR 117. She mentally ticked off the list of questions she would ask - where had they been found, when, approximately what age would they be, and what did they mean? Of course, more questions would be forthcoming during the conversation, but the essence of her curiosity was if this species had been here before, if there was any evidence, and, if so, did the evidence tell us anything of their intent? She highly doubted that there would be any definitive answers forthcoming, but she'd take any stab at information - however nebulous - at this point.

 

Two days ago, Chirakis had sent the Administrator images of the fighter and the large carrier that had brought them. She had seen craft similar to these a decade before on a planet not far from here, close to Breen space. It was the stuff of legends and, had she not forwarded information and images to Director Torak of SI-5, he probably would not have believed her. In fact, his initial response was that the creatures were a myth. "The Athra are a children's story," he had said, "invented by early spacefaring civilizations to keep the children from wandering at night, Like the Boogieman."

 

Boogieman or not, Kirel had now seen two similar creatures - or craft - with only slight variations. If Dr. Feretti's analysis was corroborated by the medical teams, the ones that attacked Aegis were guided telepathically. And if her analysis of the decade-old chip that Kirel had handed her proved to be some kind of transmitting device, the species Kirel had encountered a decade ago might have been related in some way - perhaps an earlier incarnation.

 

Yet, in all her thoughts as she prepared to receive Administrator McDowell, she was dealing in supposition and speculation, not fact. Myths and legends would not defend Aegis from this species should they attack again. Their bottom line - how to defend Aegis - was still unresolved.