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“Why the fuck would they do that?” I asked, flabbergasted. “And what led you to that conclusion?”
“The preliminary simulations indicate that the sterilizing chemical’s concentration increases when a Kalrin’s enzyme breaks down those pods into melia,” Maeve explained.
“And then the Kalrins compact that melia into nuts that they bury throughout the land. In this case, they would infuse the soil with it, including the crops!” I exclaimed, horrified by that sudden understanding.
“Exactly,” Maeve said grimly.
“It’s not only the land,” Taelen said, anger audible in his voice. “We eat raw melia nuts as treats, for energy boosts, or as condiments with certain dishes. So if those chemicals affect us the same way, they will indeed exterminate us as well.”
“Why are they so hell bent on killing the Syllens?” I asked, baffled. “They’ve already stripped the ground of all the melia stones. So clearly they were getting some significant financial gain from it. Why exterminate the very creatures that create them to begin with? The Kalrins only rise when the Syllens do. So they would want to protect both and just get creative on harvesting in secret.”
“That’s the thing,” Tedrik said. “The melia stones are valuable, but I don’t believe that’s what they’re after. For some reason, they want ferruginous soil. The Kalrins burying the melia nuts that drain the iron from the ground defeats that goal. By eliminating them, they get the soil they wanted. And once the Syllens are no more, the moratorium on developing their lands will be lifted.”
“So they’re ruining the land just to appropriate it?” I said, incredulously.
“No,” Taelen said. “They’re wiping us out to get the resources they want. The dark-haired human said they were looking for Crimson Datura. We call that flower Danatus. It is normally a soft, whitish-beige color. But once the soil becomes saturated with iron, it turns dark red.”
“Do the flower’s properties change when that happens?” I asked, perking up.
“Its natural properties to combat cancerous cells are greatly enhanced. But the cup of the flower also fills with a thick nectar. A single drop of it mixed with the right activation agent will cause a devastating explosion.”
“That’s it!” I exclaimed. “That’s the missing link!”
“What is it?” Taelen asked, intrigued.
“Procrea dabbles in a vast array of products,” Tedrik said in my stead. “Its military division used to specialize in medical and protective equipment, specialty treatment for the unique types of injuries and toxins intergalactic soldiers must contend with, and highly nutritional rations for the troops. But recently, they announced the opening of their weapons development taskforce within that division.”
“It cannot be a coincidence,” I said.
“Agreed,” Tedrik replied.
“Danatus nectar is dangerous!” Taelen exclaimed, looking flabbergasted. “If mishandled, the contents of only one or two flowers could obliterate your entire human colony here! Accidents happen. Why would anyone want to play with this level of destructive power?!”
I glanced at him over my shoulder with a mix of shame and empathy.
“Specifically because of that destructive power,” I said dejectedly. “Although many species have come a long way on that front, there are still many individuals, organizations, or species that thrive on conflict or who are obsessed with the need to dominate and subjugate others.”
“Dominate for what purpose?!” he asked, still stunned by such a mindset.
“To appropriate the resources that they covet, to claim more lands and territory, to enrich themselves, or simply to stroke their egos and sate their need to crush others,” I said sheepishly.
“Off-worlders are a disease,” Taelen growled with such disgust and contempt that it felt like a physical blow.
I perfectly understood that his words weren’t aimed at me or most of the other off-worlders from the UPO that he’d interacted with. I also understood that he was stating this as a generalization, not that he believed every single individual from those foreign worlds were monsters. But it still hurt knowing that there were little arguments I could present to counter that very valid negative perception.
“Some people are indeed terrible,” I said softly. “And now that we are aware of the destructive powers of this Danatus nectar—on top of its cancer healing properties—I can guarantee that even the ‘good’ people will try to secure their own reserves of it. It’s not to threaten others, but as a deterrent against those who might want to use it as pressure tactics.”
“So we have to prepare to fight your people as well now?” he asked in a dangerously low voice.
“No,” I replied, slightly offended that he should jump to that conclusion. “It means that the UPO will want to negotiate with the Syllens to request permission to secure some of those plants in a fashion that you will be comfortable with.”
“Why in the Goddess’ name would we agree to something like that?!” he hissed.
“Because the people who are trying to eradicate the Kalrins and Syllens may already have an arsenal of these explosives. If they decide to bombard your villages with it from the sky, the Enforcers won’t have comparable firepower to push them back with. But knowing that we have the same weapon will keep them away,” I said in a reasonable but passionate tone.
“So if bad behavior threatens us, we should emulate our oppressors to protect ourselves?” he said, disgusted.
“Not emulate,” I gently corrected. “They’re stealing and trying to commit genocide to achieve their goal. The UPO will want to negotiate in a transparent fashion with the Syllens, not for financial gain and not through coercion to protect Mazeria and other worlds. A threat requires a defensive response. You didn’t have naxia weeds throughout the forest and orchards prior to this. You added them after we discovered the strip mining that took place. And see what tragedy it averted?”
