The K'ryth'ralli Conflict Part Seven

Posted on Sun Aug 9th, 2026 @ 3:24pm by Ensign Charalyne Blackwood

Mission: The Library
Location: Planets K'ryth'rall and Argella
Timeline: Year 2242

Contains profanity



The Awakening



I had no idea what mission time was, if there was even a mission. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious, or dead? I had no idea about anything. I felt...heavy. The world seemed to be moving in some straight line. I had trouble seeing as my left eye had something covering it. It was pretty quiet compared to...I wasn't sure what had happened. I saw the faint outline of a humanoid figure at my feet, facing away. I almost drew a breath to speak but pain stopped me. Whoever was at my feet heard me groan. He spoke, softly, "Lt Blackwood! Welcome back to the land above the dirt!" he said, almost cheerfully. Human. I groaned again, trying to breathe comfortably. He spoke again, "You're safe, but try not to speak. I'm Captain Walters of the UCMD, I'm a med tech. You've just been released from Critical Care!" The world was getting clearer and I saw that I was being gurneyed up a hall in a medical facility on Argella. I started recalling what had happened on K'ryth'rall. Where was my team? Where was Ch'rokha, Syr'alla, and Ch'rykhu? Were they all dead? Did I fail them? My attempted breathing sped up, excruciating pain shot through my chest. Walters stopped and turned, speaking to the other person. "She's going into pulmonary arrest and shock, 15cc's of tertamethyzine." Before I blacked out I felt a little sting on my shoulder...

I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or if I was in hell, being made to replay those last moments before I blacked out in the first place. Surrounded by imminent death and destruction while watching a terrified Syr'alla and unable to do a thing. Finally, blinding light. Blackwood finally got kilt in action. Nope, I opened my eyes but everything looked strange. My left eye was still covered or something, and it hurt like hell. Someone was holding my hand. I turned and saw a greyish figure. Breathing wasn't painful. Whoever was holding my hand seemed happy that I was waking up. "Gratitude to the educator! Awakened has Blaa-kuud!" Ch'rokha! I was suddenly uncertain of where I was because K'ryth'ralli hadn't ever been seen on Argella. Maybe I had been moved to one of their medical centers? I tried to speak but my face wouldn't work. Ch'rokha pressed a button on the bed frame and frantically told the nurse that I was awake. "Pleases, medical homani, the Blaa-kuud awakens!". A number of people ran into the room. Some human, some K'ryth'ralli. The human male spoke,

"Blackwood! So good to see you waking up!" It was Walters. The nurses and staff slowly raised the bed so I could be more in a sitting position. Syr'alla and Ch'rykhu were there, embracing each other in delight.




The Promise From Command



It took about two months for me to get to where I could sit up on my own. The pain and the scarring gave way to the newly installed bones and joints. Gotta love the nanotube parts; lightweight and 25 times stronger than human bone tissue. No word on what was happening with my missing left eye. Walters and Ch'rokha filled in the blanks. We had been overwhelmed by the K'ryth'ralli troops. Just as everything was about to end badly for the Blaa-kuud, UCSF forces turned up in the form of about 300 troops, several attack gunships, and a handful of aerial bombers. Medical teams had locked in our positions and were only able to get 6 of us. Petty Officers Garani and Fieldston died in transit. I was the lone human survivor. My K'ryth'ralli friends had also survived, with bumps and bruises. Meanwhile, the fresh troops cleared the site and finished out the campaign. The responsible parties were captured or killed while trying to fight back. The K'ryth'ralli people were very happy at the outcome and alliances were forged in the crucible of battle. About 9 weeks after those events, one of the Security chiefs of staff visited me. A debriefing. Not what I was up for but always a part of post mission protocol. Then the bomb dropped. He presented me with the UCSF Medal of Valor, and in the next sentence told me that my injuries had been too serious for continued service. Several fractures, lacerations, reconstructions to be done, and my left eye had been destroyed. My actions had been considerably above and beyond expectation. His version was that I was being put to pasture. My version is that they felt I fucked it all up by having tried to continue the mission before command had decided what my next actions should be. Well, gosh, given the length of time it took for communications to get from one end to the other, and the rapidly brewing situation, what real option did I have? I'd get a nice retirement bonus and some currency each month for the rest of my life, which they really didn't think would be long. It would be 4 more months before I would walk out of the facility, physically healed.





The Next Venture



Mission time...yeah yeah yeah fuck that. It's been two years since the events on K'ryth'rall that got me here. Ch'rokha, Syr'alla, and Ch'rykhu returned to K'ryth'rall after a few weeks to a quiet life after learning as much about homani as they could while they were here. They adjusted well to our gravity being heavier. They found our food remarkably difficult to eat. Synthetic vegetable matter didn't agree with them much. We said our goodbyes; I didn't think I'd be able to travel to see them very often, as the idea of going back to that planet makes my mind ache, but they're like family to me no matter what. I think they feel the same. We have coms a few times a week. With the bonus payout I received from the UCSF I bought a ticket on an outer world cruise. I heard people speaking of a place called Minerva Jewel and they rave about it.