The Hated Reveal

Adam was standing in front of the local spaceport a week after he sent the application with visible tension. He had quickly gotten the message from the Steel Soul fleet that his application had been accepted. However, they did not indicate his rank, and reading some of the rumors about fleet applicants who were accepted but couldn't pass the troop inspection? He was having many second thoughts about his decision. The crowd didn't help the feeling at all as he inched ever closer to the registration manager, a giant 16 armed being who was using its many arms to scan tickets and let customers onto the required shuttle.

To his surprise though, the species that manned the registration booths moved so fast with their mass of limbs that he was processed quickly and placed onto the shuttle headed for Steel Soul fleet's capital ship. On the shuttle he saw many different species, and to further his anxiety even more, barely any of them were bipedal. The one being that caught his eye was a Vanid, she didn't have the carapace of a matriarch so she wasn't some official here to weed out the weak. She began to stare at him and he could feel the hunger in her gaze.

"Which one of you owns that human over there. I am hungry and would love a quick meal when we arrive at the fleet," she called out, the aura of complete control dispelled somewhat by the lack of reply, many looking at the young man but no one recognizing him or who he belonged to.

"Why is no-one speaking up? I am willing to pay well for your slave, even a slave as pathetic as this."

Once again, silence. No one wanted to bring up the idea that the human could be free, as irritating this future officer would harm them greatly.

"If you are not willing to come out and sell me the slave, I will eat him anyway. With my matriarch's bloodline you will not get a penny in compensation."

"No, but you will receive 20 years of manual labor and will be left with no funds after your sentence has been served." Adam had no chance of avoiding conflict now, this Vanid was willing to commit a crime and pay her way out of the consequences, so he needed a way out.

"What right do you have to talk back to me, slave? Your death wouldn't even count as murder."

"Section 48 of the Species Freedom Empirical Act states that all denizens granted freedom through the reclamation of Chosen territory will be protected from any sort of predation and any who break this law will face between 20 to 50 years of manual labor and immediate seizure of all assets."

Whatever divine being was truly out there, because fuck the goddess, Adam was thankful to them that his university degree was in law. He had a threat that even a Vanid wouldn't take lightly, however it would not work if his opponent was knowledgeable enough.

The Vanid looked around at the others before turning back to the insubordinate human.

"A free human?"

It glared at him for a few moments, though one couldn't tell if it was glaring or staring.

Finally it turned away, the clicking sound made as it tried to move to a seat on the shuttle a far more obvious sign of irritation. All that mattered to Adam was that he was left alone for the rest of the trip, as no one would interact with him after that encounter. Adam got his wish and no one talked to him until he reached the capital ship, watched over by Gramu and Alluris…Well watched over was a simplistic description, they finally got over the event in the shuttle.

"Who under the Goddess' gaze would outright lie about something as important as that, to a Vanid of all species?" Alluris finally expressed her surprise, the mirth they both felt keeping them unable to communicate for a good minute.

"Did you hear him? He spouted enough truth with his nonsense that it looked like he believed it himself!"

Gramu however, was still buzzing in mirth. Lies were almost universally unnecessary in the Empire and if one did lie it was obvious what was the truth. But the human's lie was believable because of the force behind it.

"Now I understand why you want him. If all humans can lie and make others believe the lie, he could do so much under the radar of the other fleets."

"I didn't realize that part myself, that legend was more unbelievable than overcoming one's fear."

Humans were becoming a bigger and bigger enigma the more Gramu found out about them, their actions were so unfamiliar to the species norm that he could probably pull off stunts she couldn't even think up.

"Either way, get out to the parade grounds, we have an officer introduction to undertake."

Despite telling her second in command to head out presumably before her, Gramu left the room to arrive at the spot she would begin the introduction to Adam and his future employees; keeping an eye on everyone else to ensure they were all ready. As everything was set into place, all the Vanid proudly stood at the front of the group and she couldn't even see the human in the crowd.

"ATTENTION!" Yelled Alluris with no audio enhancers, her voice still reverberating around the room from the force alone. On either side of the recruits, multiple soldiers marched in wielding laser rifles,mading a line along each wall before turning to the group and saluting. Everyone in the group, even the multiple Vanid, stood at what could best be called attention for civilians.

After this minor display, the small Gramu slowly walked up to her position underneath a large screen with her four legs. Unlike Alluris though, as she began to speak Gramu used a microphone so she could be heard through the speakers.

"Welcome, every single one of you to the Steel Soul fleet," was Gramu's first introduction as the flag of the fleet flew on the screen behind her. Visual aids would improve the experience of the introduction.

"As you all have proven in your background checks and applications, you will be this fleet's new batch of officers, leading the troops and ships of the fleet to war and being instrumental in the conquering of the planets the Chosen has taken from us."

Gramu's words were backed by multiple species in the act of commanding and the victories won by ground troops or destroyed enemy fleets on the display behind her.

"For your leadership efforts you will be rewarded handsomely with high wages, capital, and glory. However, it is coming close to my retirement, and after a suggestion from the Golden Arms fleet I have decided to let the younger generation have a chance to prove itself," Gramu announced as a picture of her in the commander's seat appeared behind her, slowly darkening as she announced, "that the greatest of you recruits will become the new CEO of Steel Soul fleet."

This caused uproar in the audience. The less well off races cursed Gramu as they knew the amount of Vanid in a Steel Soul recruitment was skewed. Gramu would inevitably give the fleet over to the Vanid and the disadvantaged political groups would be hit hard. However, there was one person whose thoughts were both far more dire, and far more simple…

Adam's thoughts as he listened to Gramu giving away her CEO position to someone else at the end of officer training could be summed up in one word…. Fuck!