Those Vayra had been hard to convince, but Vahlok had finally done it. All he needed to do was go and visit them in person, to show them what his Lordship could do for them. The Fenirk Nest was always a rather progressive nest, with more rights to Kalsa Warriors, better treatment of Varga and a lot of technological progress, but that meant they were rather stuck in the mud when it came to beliefs.
With a small smile, Vahlok slipped off down a corridor to the main security room, where the head Kalsa Warriors were normally located. He wanted to talk to them as well, just in case the Vayra’s beliefs started to waiver. Having been a head Kalsa Warrior himself, he knew what he was doing.
The nest had four Kalsa Warrior teams, but only two leaders were present in the security room. That was fine with Vahlok. Gave him more of a chance to slip in his data tracker, which would hopefully pick up buzzwords and record conversations. It wasn’t really necessary, Vahlok was sure the Fenirk Nest would comply, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
“Hello,” Kalsa Warrior Partak waved as Vahlok entered the room. He’d forgotten how large he was, and his horns felt cramped against the ceiling. He was careful to move his tail as the door slamed shut behind him. The other Kalsa Warrior, a purple Vohra by the name of Cahtak, grunted, not happy with Vahlok’s presence.
“Hello, Kalsa Warriors,” Vahlok explained with a cheery voice. “I am here to make sure you understand the new order around here.”
Cahtak tutted. “You and your damn religion.”
“You have little choice in the matter!” Vahlok smiled as he ran his claw along one of the control panels, leaving behind the tracker. “But you can make this much, much easier for yourselves and talk to your fellow Warriors, so the Queens don’t have to.”
“If the Queens decide they want to enforce it, then I will do as they demand. But until then, we are still free to believe.”
Vahlok sighed. “You don’t understand.”
“Oh, we understand perfectly!” Cahtak growled. “This religion of yours, you are handing us back to the Deitics. You are not from here, you would not know. But the Pista Nest contacted us about the exact same thing, and they have clearly forgotten the Destruction of the Pillars, the war we fought over two thousand years ago to be free from your false gods.”
“You’re a touchy one…” Vahlok smiled weakly. “The Deitics are changed. They are equals, not masters.”
“They have yet to prove it…” Cahtak paused. Partak was tapping him on the shoulder. “What is it?”
Partak pointed at a monitor. “We have a bogie. Something tripped an alarm. Kalsa Warrior on that level thinks it was a Varga, but we don’t know.”
Cahtak blinked. “A Varga? They are all…”
“Exactly. But if it was a Varga, it would have tripped other sensors as well!”
Vahlok inspected the monitor. “Perhaps I can assist. Can you show me any footage?”
Partak opened up a tab on a spare monitor and loaded the footage. Whatever it was, the creature moved so fast, all it left was a small trail of black shadows.
Behind them, something beeped. Partak spun around, as if he was expecting it. “That should be Keflik… Wait…”
The door behind them opened up and something that definitely wasn’t any sort of Vohra stepped in. The creature paused, then leaped forward, pinning Vahlok to the ground.
“What the-”
“None of you move…” the being growled as the door closed itself behind them. “Vahlok, you are being rather naughty, forcing this nest to let go of its progressiveness…”
Vahlok tried to get up, but the creature’s claws were around his throat. He tried to flail his arms, but found himself too weak to do so. The monster was suffocating him.
“Don’t hurt him!” Partak exclaimed. “He is-”
“Just doing his job, ruining your lives,” the creature smiled. “You are right, little Cahtak, the Deitics are reclaiming their grounds…”
After a few more seconds, Vahlok collapsed, his eyes closing. Once he was unconscious, the creature let go, then stood up straight. It wasn’t really that large. Definitely larger than the Kalsa Warriors, but not muscular, not heavily built. Just yellow, black and shadowy. The being walked over to the console that Vahlok had stood near earlier, then cracked its claws and smiled. It ripped something off the console and threw it on the ground between the two Kalsa Warriors.
“He was going to spy on you.”
Partak and Cahtak looked at each other.
“Why?”
“Because the Acolytes do not believe in freedom, only control. You though, you all know better. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep asking questions.” The creature kicked Vahlok’s unconscious body, then walked off.
“What about Vahlok?”
The creature glanced at the Vohra and laughed. “Stick him on his ship, set it on autopilot then leave him. Tell your queens he threatened you. If he tries to hurt you, well… I’ll come back and hurt him…”
The door opened up and the creature walked through. Partak and Cahtak both stood in place, dazed with confusion. Cahtak finally snapped out of it and rushed outside to see where the creature had gone, but it had already disappeared.
“What the fuck is going on?” Keflik asked as he saw the panicked look on the two Warriors’ faces. “You look like you’ve seen death itself!”
“I think we did…” Partak muttered, not really sure himself.