Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [121]
“Our appearance in their system was met with silence until a single cooperative expressed curiosity in studying us further in an effort to assess any threat we might pose. We were understood to be sufficiently advanced to warrant attempted destruction by the most efficient means they possessed.”
“Meegan?” Eden asked.
Seven nodded. “Yes, Captain. However, given the difficulty of trying to speak with the Indign, most of what I have learned about their society and history, I was able to glean while in conversation with the Old One we first discovered in the catacombs beneath the ancient Neyser colony.”
“How did she survive?” Cambridge interjected.
“The Greech were able to repair the damage. She has been moved to another colony on the fourth world and the site of the ancient city has been eradicated.
“I attempted to explain our actions to the Indign, but found the effort more disruptive than productive. When I learned that the Old One had survived, I was brought to her, and found her anxious to continue our communication.
“The Neyser have the longest life span of any Indign species. Consequently, it falls to them to retain both the cultural history of the Indign, and to transmit their knowledge through to successive generations.
“The Old One has lived for more than six hundred of our years, and is the oldest living Neyser. As such, she is accorded a certain amount of honor among all Indign, and she was tasked with the duty of protecting The Eight.”
“And Meegan was one of these Eight?” Barclay asked for clarification.
“Yes. Though Meegan’s description of the history of the Indign was clearly lacking in a number of important details, it was not completely fabricated. The Imalak, Irsk, and Neela were all indigenous to this system. The Greech came to the third planet longer ago than the Neyser can remember, but it is unlikely that they originated in this system.
“The Neyser originated in a system tens of thousands of light-years deeper into the Delta quadrant. Apparently, roughly five thousand years ago, they began to experiment with genetic alterations that would allow them to expand their already considerable life span.”
“They wanted to live forever?” Cambridge asked.
“Apparently. The result was a group of Neyser now known as The Eight. They were effectively immortal. In time, through violent means, they ascended to the leadership among the Neyser and immediately set about expanding their territories in the most brutal ways possible. Eventually, disagreements drove The Eight to make war upon one another. This fragmentation allowed the remaining Neyser to rise up and defeat them. Because The Eight could not be killed, their engrammatic essences were separated from their bodies and contained in the canisters we were accused of stealing. A group of Neyser volunteered to take the canisters to a distant world and bury them. They made it as far as the Indign system before they crashed on the third planet.”
“Once again proving that no good deed goes unpunished,” Cambridge remarked.
“Counselor,” Eden chided him.
“Did this Old One describe the nature of these engrammatic essences in detailed terms?” Barclay asked hopefully.
Seven said, “All I can confirm is that organic material was enhanced through genetic programming and the resulting mutation was The Eight.”
“What details about the development of the Indign did Meegan refrain from sharing?” Eden asked, bringing them back on track.
“After the Neyser crashed, there was bloody and brutal conflict between the Greech and Neyser because they lacked the ability to communicate with one another. Peace was finally achieved once the Neyser realized that the Neela and Imalak could be modified to serve their needs. Once communication was established, their conflict diminished.”
“So Meegan was only interested in painting a pretty picture of the Indign’s past?” Eden noted.
“She told us what we wanted to hear,” Cambridge added. “And what was most likely to limit our continued interaction with the Indign.”
“Where do the Borg