2952-11-06 – Tales from the Service: The Plea of the Kyaroh, Pt. 1 

During the holidays last year, we were able to have a lengthy conversation with a Kyaroh representative, Lved of their delegation to the Seventh Fleet. Advisor Lved departed from Sagittarius Gate in January, but he and his associates reappeared in the system in September, and he wanted to sit down for another interview 

We did sit down the same day I talked to Lieutenant Reid, again with Commander Monaghan; though he is no longer the ASWO on the Sprawl as of August, the Kyaroh seemed to insist on her presence rather than that of her replacement. This time, however, I was there alone, while Nojus remained here. I would have run this interview when I published the other, but I was waiting for Naval Intelligence approval (as you will see, Lved predicted I might have this sort of a delay in publication). 

This interview was conducted in-person on 3 October, but for security reasons, the location of the interview is being withheld.

D.L.C. - Duncan Chaudhri is a junior editor and wartime head field reporter for Cosmic Background.     

S.A.L. – Senior Advisor Lved is a close associate of the chief of the Kyaroh delegation to the Sagittarius Gate system, and speaks in this interview as a private individual of his people, not as an official representative of his government. Lved’s grasp of Anglo-Terran is quite good, but not perfect; in this transcript his words will be presented verbatim, without correction. 

T.B.M. – Commander Tory B. Monaghan is the outgoing Alien Sapient Welfare Officer for Kyaroh on the Sprawl. She has learned the language of her charges and in this interview will act mainly as an interpreter to smooth over language and cultural differences. 

[D.L.C.] – Adviser Lved, I was surprised when you reached out to me so quickly after your return. 

[S.A.L.] – I very much cherished our last conversation, Journalist Chaudhri, and since I have returned from the scene of the crisis with much your people wish to know, I could envision no better venue to release this information. Where is your associate? 

[D.L.C.] – Mr. Brand is aboard Ashkelon with the rest of our team. He told me to ask you if you had read up on Orson Card. 

[S.A.L.] – I am gratified that the Brand recalls our conversation. His recommendation was welcome, and I collected several works of this author before my travels. Alas, I could make little of it until the computer on my ship read it aloud; I read your Anglo-Terran glyphs not well. By listening I was able to complete three stories. 

[T.B.M.] – Yes, the difference in our written languages is vast. That you can make any sense of our writing must take significant effort. 

[D.L.C.] – A lot of us listen to classic books anyway. The language is just different enough that it’s pretty slow for us to read too. 

[S.A.L.] – Your words are very kind, but I do not read this literature to humor the Brand or your species. It is entirely to the benefit of my mission and people to understand this mythology. 

[D.L.C.] – Candid as always, Mr. Lved. You mentioned you traveled to the scene of the crisis – would that be your home-world? 

[S.A.L.] – Yes. As you were told on our last meeting, our home world is occupied on the surface, but our government and many people still resist underground. 

[D.L.C.] – You also said this was a situation many years old, not a new crisis. 

[S.A.L.] – At the time, this was true. It has developed since that the Incarnation has launched a renewed attack on the remainder of our people, when they were content to merely trod the surface of our worlds before. 

[T.B.M.] – When did this start? 

[S.A.L.] – It had already begun before I returned, but it has grown in intensity. Our leadership’s pleas before were for your Seventh Admiral to push his offensive, but it is now more urgent. We have need of direct aid. 

[D.L.C.] – Direct aid? You want the Seventh Fleet to send ships and troops to Kyaroh space? 

[S.A.L.] – It is not a question of want. Our mutual foe has devoted vast numbers of troops to an assault on subterranean Kyaroh enclaves. If there is no assistance, entire cities will be wiped out. Perhaps entire worlds of cities. We understand that this will require the will of your Confederated populace, not merely the assent of the Seventh Admiral. 

[D.L.C.] – I am terrible at astrography, but I don’t think the Seventh Fleet has a secure lane along which to send this aid. 

[T.B.M.] – You are correct, Mr. Chaudhri. Individual long-range ships can travel there, but larger forces cannot be supplied for operations there. 

[S.A.L.] – Your concern for logistics is predicted. But we have heard of a formation which operated alone in Incarnation space for more than one of your years. A formation whose elements were incorporated into the Seventh Admiral’s forces. 

[D.L.C.] – Hold on. You are talking about the Lost Squadrons. That wasn’t an intentional tactic, it was desperation. Most of the vessels involved were written off even if they survived. 

[S.A.L.] – It was desperation, and it is desperation now. My government's proposal was submitted to the Seventh Admiral only a few days ago. We do not wish for secrecy in this, from our foes or our allies. It would not be so dire a condition for your ships as the first time. This formation would not be fully without supply; our colonies would provide them any available resources. 

[T.B.M.] – You didn’t forward this request through the ASWO’s office. 

[S.A.L.] –  We did not. Your replacement is polite but his way is not toward urgency. 

[D.L.C.] – Even if your people did supply those ships, they’d be away from proper maintenance facilities for months at minimum. They’d be out of line for months afterward just undoing all the emergency patching the crews would have to do. 

[S.A.L.] – We do not ask this ignorant of these facts. We do have something to offer which the Seventh Admiral lacks. Our people can supplement your ground forces for the invasion of the Incarnation worlds. 

[T.B.M.] – Infantry, Lved? When you were here last your government insisted it had nothing to spare for ground operations. 

[D.L.C.] – Infantry? Kyaroh ground troops? I hadn’t thought of this as something Seventh Fleet needs. 

[S.A.L.] – I have verified this is open information with your intelligence service. The main infantry formation used on your side of the Gap cannot be deployed to this side; the infrastructure to house and supply it does not exist. Only the fleet infantry formations are available until this is rectified. Your admiral requested Kyaroh troops for planetary assault as a price for direct aid, and this was refused. 

[D.L.C.] – Right. The FVDA is a regional force. Its troops didn’t sign up for offensives in enemy space, and they probably don’t have ships capable of moving useful formations this direction either. 

[S.A.L.] – There is much risk, but this why I was sent to make this need public to your people. We would not accept this arrangement if extermination were not a present danger. 

[D.L.C.] – I am honored you would bring this through our media company, and we will see what we can do to release this information to the public, but publication is subject to Naval Intelligence approval. 

[S.A.L.] – They will approve, Journalist Chaudhri, but it may be after some delay for negotiations to progress.