Thrynn and Humans
The Crucial Link

In 4594 the Thrynn had broken through the orbital defenses above Illthsh. A single battalion of Thrynn shock troops made planetfall at Frmfl. The Elowan reaction force had been a mere hour away, but it was simply too far. By the time they arrived, the Thrynn were already gone, on their way back into the sky. Forty minutes had been more than enough. The carnage had been horrific, the destruction absolute. It was the darkest moment of a century, it was sheer evil. The Thrynn were capable of such madness and treachery, such cold, brutal murder. And yet, buried deep beneath their frigid cruelty was a small core of incomparable nobility.

When the Uhlek cracked the Axe defense perimeter, a fledgling Elowan colony world was left bare and defenseless. There seemed no hope of salvation. From the shadows of despair, against all prejudice, it had been a badly damaged Thrynn destroyer that came down from the heavens. A reinforced rifle platoon of Thrynn had run down the loading ramp a heartbeat after the ship had landed. The burly ground troops had plucked a nursery of young seedling plants from the dirt. Through black plumes of smoke from the ship's plasma burns, they carried the young in their arms and escorted the Elowan nurses onto the ship. On the perilous escape voyage they replanted the young in the only makeshift containers available, empty ammunition crates. Of the precious cargo of Elowan young, all bearing the headfruit, not a single bud had been harmed. Not one leaf, not one vine.

The difference had been the Humans. The Thrynn were unaware of the connection and even if they had been, they were fundamentally incapable of probing its depths. Perhaps the Humans were capable of understanding the connection, but only in a peripheral way. It was the Elowan who truly grasped it. The Elowan word for it is Ollsrl. A direct translation is impossible, but the effect was powerful. Something in the Human demeanor, something in temperament and behavior stirred the Thrynn. They consciously resented the Humans for all manner of thing: for their strength, their resilience, their flexibility. But at some animal level, in some long forgotten corner of their minds, the Thrynn perceived the very heart of Humanity and saw in it a reflection of themselves. The Thrynn might claw at the Humans or rasp under their leadership, but they couldn't break the connection. They couldn't perceive their own image and rebel. The presence of Humanity calmed the Thrynn, harnessed their fury. It was such that the Human-Thrynn alliance had been the great strength of the Empire, much as the Human-Elowan alliance had been its intellect. The Veloxi were also close allies of the Empire. It was upon this visceral link, this Ollsrl, that a small germ of hope depended. Coreward Plowshares was founded upon it.
 

The Dead Zone
Unnamed System: DZ241,157
Aboard ISS Belfast Windfall

Biggs, Arella, Alowala, Mack, Grx'bzzgah, Biss and the rest of the command officers were standing in the observation lounge. ISS Belfast Windfall was just entering the outer edges of system around the star at 241,157. The dim sun itself was still distant, little more than an exceptionally bright star. The main attraction was the uncommonly dense asteroid belt. It was immense. Commander Biggs Hilsfar turned to his officers. "Okay geniuses. Now all we have to do is find that Nomad Relay."

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Next: "Signals"

The Nebula Lounge where the chips are down, the deck is stacked and the prospects are bleak. Don't miss "Tuesday Nite Karaoke" featuring the lovely Iabloogus Yuppo singing Wayne Newton's greatest hits! Door prizes include G'Nunk puppets, dirty looks and MVT replicas for your dashboard.

"HILSFAR & COMPANY: Because Biggs, Arella and Mack have suddenly recovered fully and completely."