Welcome to the Journal of Now and Forever. This Journal is a collection of my Star Control and Star Control 2 fiction. Note: Some of this material is, by necessity, extrapolation from the slim information provided by canon sources.

New fiction is posted first at My Livejournal before it appears here. This story is in response to 15 Minute Ficlets' Challenge #87.

First time in a week I've been able to get to my journal. Not quite the first time. Too tired most of the time. Keeping very busy.

The Consuls and Advisors are in an uproar. I side – if such a thing can be said – with Dina, of course, because of our Reproductive Research team together. But now Jack and Consul Kurt are at odds, and Dina reports that the rest of the Advisors have to act as go-betweens.

Everything was fine until the aliens showed up.

Consul Gary has been returned. He looks much older – he was always one of the oldest-looking Androsynth, stuck about mid-40s in appearance I'd say – but now he looks much older. He was taken prisoner during the – we can't really call it a war, can we? Skirmish? Defeat? Not sure. At any rate, Consul Gary has been returned to us, but Consul-elect Thad continues to act on his behalf, so...

We've seen the Ur-Quan, in pictures at least, videos, and heard what it had to say to us – to the Consuls first, then all of us – and we know about the other races in the Hierarchy. At least, in this part of space. The Hierarchy has... been around a very long time, I gather. It's only recently they've arrived here. Which means they've got a huge number of slave species. And I wonder about it. Wasn't it ancient Rome (or Greece maybe? Can't think) that had slaves outnumbering citizens? Those empires fell. Often you had slave revolts, and they were serious because the slaves outnumbered the citizens. Has there never been a slave revolt against the Ur-Quan?

On the other hand, "Disobedience will not be tolerated!!" So maybe there haven't been many revolts. Or, given the Hierarchy slaves in this region, maybe they're along for the ride because they like enslaving others.

(Side note: It's weirdly refreshing that the Ur-Quan outright call us, and the others, slaves. They're not going to mince words, they're not going to use some euphemism. At least we know where we stand.)

Briefly: The Hierarchy slaves here – our fellow Battle Thralls – are mostly the types that you'd expect to want to become Battle Thralls, if I'm making sense. The Ilwrath look like giant spiders. Giant evil spiders. Of course, spiders in and of themselves can't grow to man-size, just because that's not how spider physiology works. So they're not exactly spiders – but that's what they look like. Giant red evil spiders. Early reports indicate they have two gods of pain and terror, or pain and destruction – death and pain, maybe? You get the idea. I think they're waiting for us to mess up so they can make sure "disobedience will not be tolerated!". The spacers who were prisoners say the Ilwrath went on at great length about how they made sacrifices to their gods. Yay for more religion.

The Thraddash – they're all war-minded too – sort of look like... well, my first mental correlation regarding their heads is sort of like those of warthogs, or hippos – or – you know what's strange? We always thought aliens would be indescribable, something we can't imagine, and when we finally find aliens, the first thing we do – the first thing I do, anyway – is try to come up with Earth analogs for them. Because it's easy. It's a frame of reference – if I say the Ilwrath look like giant spiders, anyone can immediately imagine what that looks like, even if it's not entirely true.

Anyway. Thraddash. War-minded and stupid. That's what the other Hierarchy species say. We don't know for certain because no Thraddash are here, but we have to know what they look like in case they come by. We're in the process of overhauling the Starbase, so other Hierarchy ships can dock here and resupply and refuel. Just as we will know what Thraddash ships and crew look like, I presume their Starbase will get messages announcing the weird sterile ape-things that have now joined the Hierarchy, and this is what they and their ships look like, so don't shoot them automatically.

If we'd gone just a bit farther out in range – if we'd had a resupply station farther out, so the Guardians could go farther – we might've stumbled on the Hierarchy earlier. I don't know. But the Spathi aren't far off from us. We're neighbors, if anything. Not that the Spathi want anything to do with anyone. I don't understand them – they're – okay, they're actually a weird species. Sort of – like a clam and snail combined, with long eyestalks and claws, and they're – there's no other way to put it, they're cowards. They just barely obey the Ur-Quan, word is, and only because they expect the Ur-Quan to kill them at any moment. They're scared of the Ilwrath like you won't believe. They're actually scared of us. Why in the universe did they choose to become Battle Thralls?

Last (at least in this region of space): The Umgah. Blobs. Weird blobs with multiple humanlike eyes, which gives me the creeps, personally. And mouths. And tentacles. Flat-out: They're just hideous. They also think they're funny. Those mouths all grinning... either they don't speak Anglic very well, or the joke's on us, ha ha. Nightmarish.

Speaking of nightmares. Need to get to sleep. Been helping to retrofit the manufactories for Hierarchy needs. They say we're going to need to do a lot of work before we can properly serve the Hierarchy.

I hope this isn't true – just checked for news – reports are that the Guardians, the remaining ones, are to be brought in to Starbase for "modifications". And the Ur-Quan want to inspect our pilots for "Hierarchy use." As if we haven't lost enough?

Damn it, can't sleep now...

~Personal journal of CRC-16 "Grif" Reproductive Researcher

Comments? Email me: laridian at aol dot com