The Last Resort

[Gill_Bates]

The Arilou rescue party, membering about 20 skiffs and 3 Umgah drones exit a shimmering portal near the Zulcaer system.
There, they are met with a large force of Utwig Juggers blockading the dangerous region.

<Then a voice is heard in all of the juggers:>
Greetings,my bright Utwig friends, we are the Arilou rescue party.
I am captain PinyWiny in command of this mission.
We have also brought some of the Umgah medical research team that was doing a research near our home world. They are led by the knowledgeable reasearcher I'buba.
Please,my suffering childern,  transmit all available data so we can begin working...

[ErekLich]

At about that time, a contingent of Druuge Maulers warped into the system.  The following message was broadcast on an open channel, in all known languages:

"Greetings from the Crimson Corporation.  In accordance with our Permanent Business Agreement with the Axiom, we have coem to render assistance regarding this plague.  Please inform us as the nature of your needs, especially those related to the movement of supplies."

[fluffy_banana]

This message is transmitted to all ships in the system: "The disease is air-born, so we suggest you not to land. It may not be infectious to other races, but we must use caution.

The infected Utwig look completely healthy, except they are very weak and cannot even move a Scorboc, or so say the reports from the surface. We have no other information on this plague currently."

[Gill_Bates]

<One of the Arilou ships dares to approach the diseased colony bringing back with it a plagued Utwig. The Arilou utilize the examination equipement already installed on their ships to review the status of the sick Utwig who has lost conciousness in the process>

Then, a voice is heard by everyone around the perimeter:

To all of the children around us:
This is PinyWiny, captain of the Arilou rescue party.
The disease is very dangerous. We have 2 Arilou already infected.
Do NOT approach the diseased specimens, my dear children, they are harmful to all of you:
Utwig, Arilou and Druuge.
The disease is nano-biological and is designed against humanoids, like us, the industrious Druuge, the beautiful humans and the clever Utwig.
It is of unknown make as of now, and has almost no cure... except one:
We, the Arilou have come up with this one solution.
All those infected must be gathered in one place and radiated with a strong EMP source.
This will destroy every device around them, but will also save their lives.
All of your ships must depart this region or be left without power.
We require the clever Utwig's phasing technology to create such a powerful device.
My children, it is up to us, the Arilou now.
Go now to a safe distant place so you will not be harmed.

[Tweety]

<As the events unfold in the Zulcaer system, the Pkunk's massive fleet is on the move yet again, travelling back from the Yehat Sphere of Influence.
The Pkunk do not answer any hail and move with determination.>

[ErekLich]

The Druuge send a transmission acknowledging the Arilou:

"Very Well.  Our ships will now depart this system.  We will return with supplies, which will of course be needed after the EMP burst.  WE will provide these materials at highly reasonable rates, of course..."

At that, the Druuge fleet left the system.

[Gill_Bates]

<For a week the arilou toil on some weird device.
The device looks like a red glowing tube with long antennae coming out of it in all diretions.
The device resembles something of the innards of an Utwig jugger.
While the construction goes on most of the Arilou forces, along with the Umgah, leave the sector>

<At the end of the week a voice is heard again on the surface and the nearby space region:>

This is Patooti, second in command to PinyWiny.
We are about to operate our wonderful device,
Please, my children, gather near the statue at the end of your colony and wait for our signal.

<The Arilou wait for some time while the tube's glow begins to grow brighter and brighter. Then a flash blinds everyone in the region.
After the flash comes silence...
Nothing moves...
The sick Utwig begin to wake up at the now defunct hospitals. Those who had the plague are immediately cured. The other unfortunates who had other diseases still lay in the darkness of the powerless hospitals..
Two Arilou Skiffs drift soundlessly near the dark tube, Their lights and engines cut off.>

[Tweety]

<While the Utwigs rescue continues the Pkunk forces arrive to Alpha Centauri.
They are appearing to be massing their forces.
As they gather there a Melnorme trader leaves the Centauri constelation with some haste.
At the same time, scores of Furies appear near the Vela system. The colonists receive this message:
>

Our good human friends. We have come to visit you and make sure you understand what your race has done to our people!
Therefore I happily inform you that you have about 36 hours to leave this lovely planet and return to earth.
If you choose to ignore this, we shall send our love to you in the form of fire.

We do not wish to harm you, please follow our advice.
The stars have aligned today and your sign as just entered the black moon period.
Do not be alarmed but it means you might suffer some harm at the hands of a misguided race of lunatics.
Therefore we will remain here to intercept them should they come to hurt you.
Please go.

[Unknown Forces]

I'buba, lead Biotech of the Umgah force present at the site, makes a discovery. The plague is designed to run it's way through a single stomach-instestine gastric system. Since all Umgah have at least three stomachs, it is decided that the Umgah are immune to the bug. The Biotech group begins reverse-engineering the nanite technology within the plague to glean some information about it, hopefully how to kill it.

Meanwhile, Chez`ef arrives at the High Council and tells the councilmembers the goings on at the planet.

During this time, the Umgah complete the reverse-engineering of the nanites, and discover a cure past the EMP. They begin work on constructing their own version of the plague nanites, but wired backwards and given a method of consuming the plague it originated from.

[fluffy_banana]

The Utwig send this message to the Umgah Biotech team: "We are very grateful for your discoveries, and we wish to give you some information our own scientist have gained. The disease seems to go dormant when exposed to AbsorboShield radiation. The plague unfornately returns when taken away from the AbsorboShield generaters. We hope this will help your research. Thank you."

[TheWizard]

34 hours after the Pkunk ultimatum, a few ships are seen leaving the surface, and heading in the direction of Earth.

[Tweety]

<The Pkunk Furies take orbit around the planet as the Humans depart. The leaving ships receive this message:>

Hellooo to all of our good human friends.
We will guard your homes until your glorious return when this small matter is resolved.
Until that great day, we shall tend to your gardens and water your plants.

May the good spirits of the universe guard you on your journey.

We will not take even a single resource, we are the Pkunk, birds of higher calling and we require no such simple thing ... although a new nest would be fine... umm... so worry not, dear friends and allies.

[Gill_Bates]

<About a day later a smaller fleet, consisting of 2 scores of Drugge Maulers, 2 scores of Avatars, two Dozens of Utwig Juggers and 2 scores of Skiffs enter the Alpha Centauri System

The Pkunk receive this message via the usual telepathic medium:>

Greetings, fellow alliance members and friends, the Pkunk.
I am PinyWiny, of the Arilou, and I represent the Axiom.
Please, dear hatchling friends, tell us what do you intend to do in this system and beyond it with your remarkably large fleet.

We are not here to attack you, for you are our allies.

[Tweety]

<The Pkunk immediately respond:
On all of the comm screens appears the image of a ruffled and sick looking Pkunk.>

Greetings, friends and allies, we are here to solve a mystery. One of the many mysteries of the universe.

This one's however involves our good friends, the Humans and the Arilou.

We are here because we cannot look into the Future.
We are here because we cannot look into the Past.
We are here because we suffer a great pain.

I woke today and I had no desire to leave my nest.
My spouse brought me worms, but had no desire to eat it.
All of our fortune cards show a circle.
What is this circle!
Why are the Arilou not dead?
Will we return to be the worry-less benelovent stellar birds we always were?

I want to sing! I want to laugh, I want to dance!
but I cann...

<A single shot is heard and the comm screen turns black.
Outside, the flare of an explosion can be seen.
No one knows who fired the first shot, but as the Fury explodes, the entire Pkunk fleet disperses and takes offensive positions facing the Axiom's fleet.
The Arilou have someway vanished from sight >

[ErekLich]

The Druuge fleet separates from the Axiom main body.  Pulling far enough away to avoid debris, the Maulers sit in space and wait, refusing to engage until fired upon.