The waves were calm today, as a Sulush sat on the beach with its three pups, their wet skin of their heads padding up against their father's hide. The waves always held rich bounties, he always told his children, and it always gave them what he told them it would: rich bounties of whatever the tribes needed. Today was no different, as a large beast of the sea, with long, frond-like legs sprouting from its armored underside, and a bristle-filled mouth, had drifted ashore, dying in the night before. To any human, they would describe it as a mix between a whale and a shrimp, but the Sulush of this tribe simply called it a Wo-gamor, or "Water giant" when roughly translated to English.

The giant amphibian let out a low, calm rumble, before muttering in its language to its three young pups. "My children," it said, "Feed upon what the wave gods are so kind to give us. But before, Nrakun, please get Nyel. He is not fed since last night's gathering at the fire." Nrakun, an average sized pup with a mottled brown skin, nodded, before scampering into the underbrush behind the log she was standing upon next to her father. She scurried quickly through the bushes, passing by several scrumptious-looking insect nests, but continued on her course until she reached the hodgepodge of straw and log houses, smoke rising from the dead bonfire. "Nyel! Father has feed for you!"

Out of a small pile of hay made from the local beachgrasses came a smaller Sulush pup, about three quarters the size of Nrakun, with a weak blend of sandy tan and a light blue blended over his tiny body. "Feed? Alright!" he yowled. Nrakun was worried that Nyel's yips would alert the entire tribe to their little treat, but she then remembered the males were out in the waves fishing, and the females were in the groves gathering berries and small animals. The runt of the litter let out a little yap as he boasted, "I will beat you to the beach!" before jumping into the brush.

The two pups rushed back to the beach under the brush. During the heat of the race, a loud boom emerged from the sky, but they did not notice it, too enamored in their challenge to care. They only noticed when they burst out onto the beach, seeing their father and their two brothers standing beside them. The three were looking to the sky in the far distance, silent and motionless, paralyzed in fear. What floated their was a massive object, slowly descending past the highest clouds, its bulk casting a shadow over the sea, as the other males began to slither from the ocean, immediately turning their eyes back onto the mass lowering from the sky. They could not believe their eyes.

~~~

Grand Inquisitor Krieg looked over the seas and islands that were the surface of Panlin. "This is a wonderful world. Are there any habitants?" He asked one of his recon units, which informed him that all across the surface lived a species of humanoid amphibians which was extremely divided based upon language barriers. Of the quarter of the planet they had surveyed, they had found 300 different dialects being spoken, and over a thousand dead languages. They also informed him of a small scientific outpost near the northern pole, which was merely a large open grassland with rather unpredictable hurricanes letting no forests pop up. "This may become a problem, but if we can secure relations with some of the indigenous population and the research base, we can easily bring them under the Reich's cowl. Prepare an escort team, and bring me to that research base. Also, send a few scientists to any of the tribes of alien below us. We must come to know them and let them know us before we can let them into the fold."

On board the IRS Dawnbreak, the Reich cruiser that had just entered Panlin's atmosphere, the scientist Veronica Rishal, worked busily on her current project. The Reich had acquired a sample of the planet's fauna, and she was tasked with analyzing it for potential virus bombs in the future. It was a fascinating species, albeit not as fascinating as the Akreozinsians. Still, it was a pleasure to examine such a thing as the creature under her knife for the Reich.

Suddenly, the doors to her laboratory burst open. She glanced up, growing angry at the sight. A Reich Marine in full armor walked in, covered in filth. She slammed her knife down, standing up straight. "Out! Get out with your filth! You'll contaminate the specimen, and then my work is ruined. If you don't leave immediately I'll report you to the Grand Inquisitor Krieg himself!"

"Actually, ma'am, Grand Inquisitor Krieg sent me here to retrieve you. You are to accompany Director Alden Wells to the planet's surface, to speak with the tribes below and try to convert them to the Reich."

"Well why didn't you say so? Prepare my ship for departure now, and get my assistant to clean this mess up. Hopefully he knows how to handle the specimen.' she said, making her way to the dropship. No doubt the Director was already on the planet, she boarded the ship, sitting down and preparing for the flight.

The three nearest tribes quickly called for a meeting, with their Shamat meeting at a single fire. The Shamat of Tribe Kalat, a navy blue colored Sulush, spoke first. "Now, let us all calm ourselves quick. This must be the gods of the sky and stars. All aspects have come together and formed the thing that floats high." "I do not believe this! This thing cannot be of the gods!" shouted the Shamat of Wo-lat, "You did not hear the sounds it made! The roar it made falling.. that is only from the gods of the deep earth and death who could make such a sound. My own children stood beside me as the thing fell, and I could see fear in their eyes. Whatever you think, I think this; this will not end well..." The arguments continued into the night, as a crowd of tribal members from all three tribes stood around their respective Shamats, listening silently to their leaders.

~~~

A small colony stood in the cool plains of Panlin's northern reaches. A woman sat on a patio overlooking a long stretch of land, a few deer-like creatures in the distance. She was the founder of this installation, and was surprised when a transport vessel roamed over her small living quarters, landing in the middle of the colony, releasing soldiers out into the plains. Grand Inquisitor Krieg stepped out of the ship following a small tank, as the woman, her hair slightly graying, stepping up to the man of authority. Several mechanized troopers followed her up to Krieg, as she spoke. "What rights bring you to my property, sir?" She asked, "This is private property, this entire planet is." Krieg chuckled, "Well, it is now under the jurisdiction of the Reich, so no, it is not private. I am just here to make the process much smoother."

Veronica was quick to step in front of the Grand Inquisitor. She was here on Mordeci's orders, so she had his protection at the moment. "Ma'am, what I think he means is that we are placing our dominion over this planet.That mean's you'll have to give us what you have on your research base, and in return you will have the entire Reich's support in future endeavors, with brilliant minds such as the science director Alden Wells, who should be here soon. In the mean time, I would like to discuss what you've discovered down here privately. I find the biology of these creatures fascinating."

She gave Krieg and apologetic look. He wasn't going to be happy about her stepping in like this, but she wanted to cut to the chase and get to the research. She was, after all, a scientist at heart and in her soul.

Krieg stepped back a few steps, annoyed, but content not to harm one of Mordeci's lieges. "Of you insist on assisting, miss Rishal, Then by all means," he grumbled, "I shall secure the perimeter. Vilkas! Move out!" The light tank deposited rumbled to life, quickly rolling away to guard the base from would-be attackers.

The older woman laughed. "I'm afraid to tell you, but there is nothin' out there but the razor-teeth that will hurt your men. And razor-teeth are a type of tall grass." She held out her hand, "My name is Lin Anderson. We began this station as an independent project thirty years ago and have built it into a surviving settlement. Miss Rishal, was it? Come with me while your leader here takes a look around for himself. She began to slowly walk towards a small elevator in the middle between two colonial houses. "Well? Are you coming?" She asked, inside the elevator.

Veronica smirked after the grand Inquisitor turned away, making sure he didn't see it. Mordeci's protection only extended so far. As he led his troops away, Veronica took the researcher's hand- Lin, she had said. "I am Doctor Veronica Rishal, head biologist of the IRS Dawnbreak. I'll be glad to come with you and examine your research." she said, following the woman to the elevator.

"Don't mind him. He leads our faction's political matters. Our other leader, the second Grand Inquisitor, is responsible for the navy and military tech for our people. He's much less... refined than Krieg, so you got the better of the two. Now, what do you have for me, Doctor?"

Lin smiled, "Your leader's name is literally War? No wonder he's such an asshole. Anyways, I'll show you to the examination quarters immediately." She ordered the elevator to descend until they reached a brightly lit, sterile white room. It was unnervingly cold, like a morgue would be when holding bodies. This made sense, as there were several large carts on one side of the room, each having a large body bag on them. "These are our only specimens for now. They all came from different regions, but they all called their species Sulush, even when the rest of their language was completely different from one another. They seem content with their lives as tribals, and care little for development. You can take a look at the bodies, if you like." Lin said, walking over and pushing a cart back to Rishal.

~~

A series of booms rained over the Sulush village, as dozens of objects descended. The Sulush at the fire stared in both fear and awe at the massive lights that flickered off the things that slowly loomed overhead. "More of the demons! I told you they would be of death! And they will!" the Shamat of Wo-lat gurgled adamantly, as the rest were too busy admiring what they believed to be graced by the star gods. The Shamat of Wo-lat, Zamol, hissed, before growling, "My children, come. This meeting has its end."

All of his pups minus Nyel came to his side. The runt was still sitting on the log, staring at the blue streaks that trailed lazily behind the metal objects in the sky. Zamol, annoyed, stomped through the crowd of amphibians. "Nyel, we must take the leave," the Shamat said, grabbing his son by the arm and toting him away. The five went to the beach, where they might find calm in the coming waves.

Veronica shrugged. "For all I know, he named himself that. Fits just fine though- He and Grand Inquisitor Mordeci are creating the most powerful war machine in the sector. This planet isn't the first they've taken- Others include Sansisk and Thenna." She followed Lin to the lab, taking a look at the bodies. "I didn't know there were natives on the planet! On Thenna, they had me dissecting giant man-eating sentient spiders. Even now they oppose us wherever they can."

She approached the bodies, unzipping the body bag that held one and opened it up. A deceased Sulush lie dead inside. "From a purely observational standpoint, they seem to be some kind of amphibian. Almost like frog people." she said, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Their culture- how much do you know about it? Or their language? We are hoping to avoid an uprising such as those on Thenna, and would appreciate it if you could help us in any way."

Lin chuckled. "On a further examination, they seem more akin to a salamander. The large tail acts as a paddle for them to traverse the seas. As for their culture, most of the examined tribes all share a similar ideal: that all aspects of life have a god backing it, from the tiniest drop of water, to the biggest wave." She went over to a bookshelf, pulling an orange-covered folder from a shelf. "If I can correct you, Rishal, languages. Every tribe of Sulush develops its own language, different from one another. However, we have seen that they all share a similar global language when conversing with members of another tribe. If you wish to talk and befriend the Sulush, you must learn that language." She placed the folder down, opening it to reveal a myriad of symbols and pronunciations underneath them. "This is all we have of the shared language. It's limited, I know, but it will be enough to make first contact."

Veronica nodded. "I can see the salamander, too. Never was a fan of those things. Too close to a newt. Let's take a point from ancient history and not pretend to be their gods- that thing never works well for long." she looked around, spotting an assistant. "You! Bring be the autopsy tools. I'm cutting him open." she said, turning back to Lin.

"This language is universal among the tribes? teach me what you know, and send me a PDF so I can send it to whatever scientist is unlucky enough to be on translator duty."

Lim handed her a PDF of the folder she had shown Rishal and then looked over at a console screen. "Look's like your Grand Inquisitor wants you back on surface... gimme a moment." She began to type into some sort of messaging system. "Well... Looks like someone named Alden has called for you to be on the translation team, unless there's another V. Rishal on the... Science Foundation? Seems like a very coverall name. Anyways, let's get you back on the surface. You'll have plenty time later to look at these specimens."

The elevator quickly ascended back to the surface. She was met by both Krieg and Director Alden Wells. "Veronica! I was beginning to think you were too enthralled with.. whatever they call the local population. Anyways, I shall let Alden take control of the situation at this research base, while He has assigned you to head translator and negotiator. Hop on the ship and get down there at once. Whatever Miss Lim gave you there, I'd read up quick.."

She muttered to herself. "Son of a bitch. Whatever you do, don't let a crotchety old man into this lab. He's a damn vulture. He's boss and completely full of himself." she said, walking quickly behind Doctor Lim. As the elevator rose, she grimaced at the Director. She muttered to the Doctor. "I'll wire you some credits if you keep him away from my job. As a fellow scientist, I'm sure you get where I'm coming from."

She put on a smile, grimacing on the inside. "Actually, I was hoping I would get even a little bit of time to examine what she's accomplished, but I'll do it on the ride I guess." She walked past Alden, giving him a dirty look, before climbing into the ship and taking a seat, muttering about bureaucracy.

Lim chuckled. "I'll do what I can, Rishal. Now, better get to work before War does something over the top. Like come to a peaceful world with ships armed to the teeth." She stared daggers at Alden, "My research will remain mine until further declassified. The date of declassification is to be decided." Alden frowned, looking back at Veronica as the transport she was on lifted off. Slowly, it rose into the sky, before heading south, past the beaches that were visible from the base.

~~

The Shamat of Wo-lat hissed as several shimmers of light streaked across the sky of the beach, moving so close that the sound of a loud humming could be heard. "More of Death's tolls..." he whispered to himself, his kids cluttered tight around him. "I am scared, father," cried Nyel, to which Zamol hummed a calm tribal children's song. The song itself would detail a Sulush who braved the waves when the tribe angered the wave gods, disappearing after defying the gods. However, since he was not saying the lyrics, Zamol calmed his runt child, though he could not calm himself. "This is only the beginning of great change..." he told himself, looking on as the lights lowered on a nearby peninsula that connected to this island.

Several calls came from the village. "Shamat Zamol! We need your guidance in this hour of dark!" the Sulush let out a gurgling sigh, before communing with his pups. "Go back to the village, you four. Tell them that the Shamat has to have time to think about the coming storm, and how to halt it." Nyel looked almost as if he was to protest this action, but said nothing, following his three siblings back into the brush towards the village. Zomat let out another sigh. "Pyel... I miss you so.. when my people no longer need me, I am assured that the gods of life will bring us together once again. But until then, the gods of all are who I must yearn to please." He sat down, seemingly like a sunning bird, his arms extended slightly, before closing his eyes and going into a deep thought.

~~

As Rishal's transport opened its doors once more, she was seemingly on another world. The air was much more humid, and the calls of exotic birds and insects filled the air, accompanied by the soothing wash of ocean waves on the beach. However, she did not have much time to experience any of this, as several more transports landed, bringing soldiers and supplies to set up a forwards-operating-camp here. Among the soldiers was a lone Guerran Knight, a new contraption designed to keep important soldiers alive long past their prime. It stomped up to Rishal, a voice with a slight echo coming from several eye slots on its front. "Good evening, Miss Rishal, I am General Grenwind of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. I was recommissioned here from Thenna after securing several locations from the enemy. After some reading, I gotta say ma'am.. I like your work. But, that's not why we're here. As ordered by Grand Inquisitor Krieg, we will enter the nearby village of natives and converse with them in 18 hours. I assume they have given so much time so that the translator... you... can figure out what to say without them going in a rampage."

Rishal stepped out onto the now vastly changed landscape, admiring how varied the environment was on Panlin. Such diversity allowed for dozens of tiny changes in the genes of creatures, making even an identical species living in different areas subspecies of the first. It was a truly fascinating thing. regardless, she didn't have much time, since Alden was being lazy and assigning her his job, while he got the fun stuff. She nodded her head to the general. He was well known in the Reich- the General who had jeopardized the meeting with the Nypherians, and was deployed to the jungle hell of Thenna to be punished. Apparently his penance was up.

"A pleasure to meet you, Grenwind. But if you've truly read my work, you would know three things. First, I don't care for flattery. Second, I don't enjoy people getting in the way of my work, so while we're negotiating, let me do my job. And finally, you would know if you want a peaceful meeting, you don't bring a small army's worth of troops and support to the meeting. It's seen as a threat or a show of force in many a culture."

"We got no idea what's in that jungle, ma'am. The only reason so many forces have been deployed is both to maintain that the natives stay where they're meant to be, and for us not to have another Thennan Massacre. I lost a lot of good men in that terrible place, some of my friends... hell, look at me. Technically, I should be with them in early graves." Grenwind stated, moving the machine he was stuck inside out of Rishal's way. "And it wasn't meant to be flattery, ma'am. That report on the Thennan spiders.. it helped us clear out a few of their bigger nests with less casualties than usual for the Reich, while over doubling the enemy loss, not counting the unhatched eggs. So, I'd get to work on those translations. Don't want to make another civil war?" He retorted, before stomping towards one of the Transports as a Taurus tank rolled from its interior.

~~

Zamol slowly lumbered into the village, the fire having turned to cold ashes, and silence in the air. He had finished his thought, and had decided to return back to the village. He sat at a log, grabbing a branch and stirring the ashes with it. Slowly, the fire rekindled, revealing the Shamat's sad, worried face. He had heard the sounds of things moving and shouting from across the island, the sounds of metallic growling running through the night. Several more of the lighted masses had came and went throughout the night. Zamol was almost tempted to see what was going on, but did not wish for an early death.

The sound of something rustling in the bushes startled Zamol, as he turned its snout to see what it was. "Father..." Nyel cooed, crawling from the underbrush with a large maggot with many short legs in its mouth. "Son... come here..." the Shamat replied, letting the runt child scramble up to his side, pressing his head into Zamol's thigh. "Is death to come?" Nyel asked his father, having completely dropped his snack. The Sulush Shamat held his son close with his tail. He nuzzled his head with Nyel's, holding back tears. "No, my son... this tribe is safe... you are safe... just stay with me through its longest hours..." The two sat silent, continuously watching the flames, as in the distance, dark clouds of rain and lightning roamed closer.

[END]