The Importance of Killing Snakes

November 2

The text retrieved from the Arudra drone presented no problems to decode. It was the same script used on the labels on the containers Ceasar and I salvaged from the Colchester. A simple symbol-letter substitution cipher.

---- Begin Translation ----

Our agents has located the Zahir in Paquin and they have been retrieved. Events are now set in motion.

For a brief time I was able to establish a neural interface with the Zahir.

The evidence from the Zahir neural interface is irrefutable, you had contact with the Zahir five months ago but did not inform us.

There is an official report recording that the commandant of Turrent's Moon UAP monitoring Station spoke to your legal guardian confirming your presence at the time. The official report says you bared your claws and killed a snake in front of two school children and later played in a nearby treehouse.

You knew of Aurotharius yet you did not relay your knowledge of the event with his progeny.

The aleph and the alpha constant were stolen from the Colcester before our agent could retrieve them. Because of the lost time, we must proceed without them.

I am indebted to you for housing this unit for so many months, but the event of singularity will pass you by.

The singularity will not be part of the transhumanist's agenda.

Thank you for your hospitality.

I will leave you now. This program will self terminate and purge its memories and mental states.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Program deleted and purged.

---- End Translation ----

The translation complete, I paused as I looked at the text on the screen. This was a message from Ardra and I had a strong suspicion to whom it was addressed. But I wanted independent verification so I sent the following communication:

To: Major Aodhfionn Murcastle, UAP Turrent's Moon Monitoring Post

Re: Incident Report

Major,

I am requesting a copy of an official report that was filed some time ago. This incident concerns an individual who '"bared claws" and killed a snake in front of school children. This individual then played in a nearby treehouse. I am to understand that you contacted the individual's legal guardian.

I would like any details you have on this matter: date and location of the incident, the names of the individual and his or her legal guardian, the names of the children and their parents, interview transcripts if available.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Major Pepper Siamendes, UAP Special Investigations Unit.

----

Major Muircastle's reply arrived promptly:

Turrent's Moon Monitoring Station Incident Report

June 2nd, the Cambridge Geneva International Baccalaureate School for Girls from Paquin was conducting a school field trip of the Bihar antiquities museum, art gallery and temples.

Jacqueline Pemberton, the chaperon of the school field trip reported that a child-sized black-maned white-furred black-spotted anthropomorphic felinoid creature met the acquaintance of two of the children during their lunch break. Neither of the children were harmed. Ms. Pemberton reported that the children were sufficiently calm that they were able to rejoin their group and continue their tour. The creature tried to either intimidate or impress the girls by displaying its claws and killing one of the temple's neo-cobras.

When this station received this report, it monitored the ground and was able to identify the creature as bearing a resemblance to a genetic construct owned by Blue Sun named LilyBell Snoodle, although of smaller size. We conjectured it could be another version of the creature or one of its offspring.

This station located the creature was playing in a neighboring treehouse about 200 meters away from the location of the incident and dispatched a trooper to investigate, but the creature had already departed the vicinity and we were not able to track it further.

Later that same day, this officer contacted Snoodle's legal guardian, Ms. Seana Kawanishi, the mayor of the Hale's Moon Colony. Miss Kawanishi only knew that her ward was offworld and said that she would speak to the creature regarding scaring school children.

File was forwarded to UAP Special Projects as there is a system flag on any LilyBell Snoodle related incidents. As per the flag directives, Blue Sun was not contacted regarding the matter.

Filed by Major Aodhfionn Muircastle, UAP, Turrent's Moon Monitoring Station

Filed June 3rd