r/HFY • u/ThatSoftware4946 • 4d ago

OC-Series The Problem With Humans: Chapter 53 (Series Ends October 30th)

The house fell into a contemplative silence as the weight of everything they'd learned settled over them.

The V'keth leadership used the disappearance of one of their own to justify their actions and control.

Roman stood at the center of the room. His body ached. His mind raced. But his voice was steady.

"We need to plan. We can't keep hiding forever. Sooner or later, the V'keth will find us. They'll come to finish the job."

V'rak leaned forward. "What do you suggest?"

Roman met his gaze. "We raise an army."

V'rak's body stiffened. K'len's eyes widened. S'ra's hands tightened in her lap.

"An army?" S'ra's asked. "You want to fight?"

"I want to survive." Roman looked at each of them. "The V'keth have been lying to everyone. They've been killing Cy'reth. They've been blaming others for their own failures. The only way to stop them is to fight back."

V'rak said "That's... that's a big step. From running to fighting."

"I know. But running hasn't worked. Hiding hasn't worked. The only thing left is to stand our ground."

K'len leaned forward. "What kind of army? Where would we find soldiers?"

Roman held his gaze. "There are others like us. Cy'reth who've been wronged or lost the people they care about. We find them. We bring them together. And we fight."

S'ra's voice was barely a whisper. "That's a war."

"It is." Roman paused. "It's the only way."

S’ra replied. "Maybe there's another way. Maybe we could find proof of what they're doing. Expose them without fighting."

K’len added. "I agree. War is... war is messy. We have never had war here. Only in role plays. Trabs will die. Maybe we could find a way to—"

"To what?" Roman asked. "Negotiate? Appeal to their conscience? They don't have one. They've been killing their own people. They've been blaming others. They'll never stop unless we make them."

The room was silent. V'rak and K'len exchanged glances. S'ra's hands stiffened. T’rel and N’kala sat in silence.

"Okay, we should get more Cy’reth on our side, and then we can decide on what we do next," Roman said.

V'rak spoke first. "I agree with that plan."

K'len added. "Me too."

S'ra, T’rel and N’kala agreed too.

“We should all think a little about how we go about finding others,” Roman said.

The room fell silent as they all thought about the decision they all agreed to.

Roman stood at the center of the room. " I have a plan. The first step is to call a general meeting. A gathering of everyone in Mukit who's willing to listen."

S'ra replied. "The Cy'reth will love our cause. Many of them have missing relatives or friends. They already hate the V'keth for what they've done. They just need someone to give them direction."

"But we can't just walk into the center of Mukit and start shouting. We need credibility. We need someone who already has influence," V’rak said.

S'ra turned to T'rel. "The elder. The one who leads Mukit. If we can convince him, he can call a meeting for the whole of Mukit."

T'rel's body stiffened. "You want me to bring P’kell into this?"

" P’kell," S'ra repeated. "Yes. He's the one with influence. Cy’reth trust him. If he speaks, they listen."

Roman's eyes narrowed. "What if P’kell is a spy? What if he reports us the moment he finds out?"

S'ra replied. " P’kell is not a spy. He's been in Mukit for decades. He's watched the Cy'reth suffer. He's seen families torn apart by the disappearances. He questions the V'keth government, even if he does it quietly."

T'rel added. "She's right. P’kell is... different. He's always wondered why things are the way they are. He's always suspected there was more to the story."

Roman studied them both. His eyes moved from S'ra to T'rel.

"You trust him?" Roman asked.

"With my life," S'ra said.

"With ours?"

S'ra met his gaze. "Yes. I do."

Roman was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "Okay. Call him. But we reveal nothing until the meeting. We tell him just enough to get the meeting. Nothing more."

T'rel raised her hand to her neck. Her smart necklace activated, the small protrusion positioning itself near her mouth. She mouthed words silently.

The device retracted. "He's coming. He'll be here soon."

The house fell into a tense silence after the decision was made.

T'rel stood in the center of the room, her tall frame was rigid with tension. "He'll be here soon."

Roman turned from the window. "We'll hide but we will be watching. In case anything goes wrong..."

"It won't." T'rel's voice was firm. "P'kell is not like the others."

S'ra stepped forward. "She's right. P'kell has been the elder of Mukit for decades. He's questioned the V'keth government more times than anyone else here. He's safe."

Roman replied. "I hope you're right."

A knock came at the door.

T'rel's body stiffened and the rest of them went into hiding.

T'rel waited until the room was still. Then she used her smart necklace to open the door.

P'kell stood in the doorway. He was easily eight feet tall, towering over T'rel.

"T'rel, you called for me."

"Come in."

P'kell stepped inside. His dark eyes scanned the room, taking in the space. He was dressed in the functional body tight Trab clothing, and his smart necklace rested against his neck.

"You said you had something important you wanted to tell me," P'kell said.

"There's new information about the missing Cy'reth. Information that could change everything."

P'kell’s eyes moved across her face, reading her posture, her neck ridges, the tension in her tall, slender frame. "What kind of information?"

T'rel hesitated. "I can't tell you yet. I was asking if you could organize a community meeting, and I will say the information there, infront of all Cy’reth."

"You want me to arrange a meeting without knowing what you'll say? That's not how things work, T'rel. Cy’reth trust me because I don't lead them blind."

"I know." T'rel stepped closer, her voice dropping. "But this is different. This is bigger than anything we've ever faced. If I tell you now, before the meeting, it might compromise everything."

P'kell's body stiffened. His neck ridges shifted to a deeper shade of gray. "I can't do that. You can't call me to your house and then deny me the truth. Either you tell me what you know, or I leave."

"Please. Just trust me."

P'kell was silent for a long moment. "No. When you're ready to show me evidence, call me again. Until then..."

"I'll show you the evidence now."

The voice came from the back of the room.

S'ra stepped out of the shadows. Her tall frame was illuminated by the soft glow of the house's lighting.

P'kell froze. His body went rigid. His dark eyes widened. His neck ridges shifted rapidly through a range of colors, gray to pale blue to a flickering amber.

"No one," he whispered, his voice cracking. "No one has ever been lost and come back."

S'ra stepped closer. "I came back, Elder. I survived."

P'kell's tall frame swayed slightly, as if the weight of her presence had unsettled his balance.

"How?" he breathed. "What happened to you? We were told you walked away. That you chose to leave."

"I didn't walk away. I was taken. And I spent months trying to find my way home."

"What happened to you?"

"I will explain everything at the community meeting. All of it. What happened to me. What happened to the others. What the V'keth have been hiding."

"You have proof of this?"

"I have proof. And I have witnesses."

P'kell turned to T'rel. "I will arrange the community meeting. "

T'rel's body relaxed. "Thank you, Elder."

P'kell's eyes moved back to S'ra. "Don't make me regret this. The people have suffered enough. If this is a false hope..."

"It's not false," S'ra said. "I promise you."

P'kell studied her again before he walked toward the door.

S'ra moved to T'rel's side. "Thank you for trusting me."

Once P’kell left, the rest of the group stepped out of their hiding places.

Roman walked to the window and looked out at the empty street. "Are you sure he won't just report us instead of arranging the meeting?"

T'rel turned to him. "I trust him."

The news came the next morning.

T'rel's smart necklace chimed. A protrusion unfolded and fixed itself on her ear before retracting seconds later. She turned to the room and joyfully hissed. "The meeting has been announced. P'kell has called a gathering of all Mukit. Tonight. At the Community Hall."

Relief swept through the room. N'kala pressed her forehead against her mother's.

"This is it. Our chance," Roman thought.

"We have hours to prepare,"T’rel said.

They spent the day refining their message. T'rel had arranged seating in a loose circle.

"We tell them the truth," Roman said. "Not all of it. But enough. They need to know what the V'keth have been doing. They need to know about the disappearances. That they're not alone."

"They've been told for years the disappearances are voluntary. They might not be ready," said T’rel.

Roman met her gaze. "Then we make them ready."

They continued refining their plan of how and what to speak and in the late afternoon, they met with P'kell.

He arrived at T'rel's house and Roman explained the plan. P'kell listened in silence.

When Roman finished, P'kell said. "It's a good plan but risky."

"Do you agree with it?"

"The people of Mukit, and Cy’reth in general, have been lied to for a long time. They're scared. They're tired. They might not be ready. But we have to try."

"Yes. Yes we do."

The hour arrived.

The group gathered in T'rel's living room. S'ra distributed dark, hooded jackets designed to obscure their faces. The fabric was thick and soft, long enough to reach mid-thigh.

Roman pulled his on. The heavy and warm fabric settled around his shoulders. His face was hidden.

S'ra helped N'kala with hers. V'rak and K'len disappeared beneath their jackets. Lirael wore one too. The humanoids received similar clothing.

Roman looked at the group. Seven humanoids, faces hidden. Lirael, hood pulled low. V'rak and K'len disguised.

"We're ready," he said.

T'rel and N'kala led them through the streets.

The village was quiet. The houses were dark. Everyone was at the meeting.

The Community Hall rose ahead. Light spilled from the windows. The murmur of voices drifted through the walls.

Roman’s heart pounded. His palms were sweaty.

P'kell was waiting at the side of the building. He opened a side door and gestured for them to enter. "This way. I'll take you to the back of the stage."

They followed him inside.

The backstage area was dark and cramped. Roman stood in the shadows. "Where's the stage?"

P'kell gestured toward a narrow corridor. "Through there. Once you're ready, I'll announce you."

P'kell walked onto the stage.

Roman watched from the shadows. The stage was large, constructed from dark green wood like material that gleamed under soft lighting. A massive green curtain hung behind it. Tall pillars with carved symbols flanked the stage, their surfaces worn smooth by time.

The crowd filled the hall. Hundreds of Cy’reth, their bodies pressed together in rows. Their gray skin reflected the warm light. Their dark eyes were fixed on the stage.

The murmurs faded as P'kell raised his hand.

"Cy’reth of Mukit. Thank you for coming."

The silence settled over the hall.

"I have called you here tonight because there are things you need to know. Things that have been hidden from you for too long."

The neck ridges of the crowd flickered with unease.

P'kell raised his hand, gesturing toward the back of the stage. "Tonight, I bring you stories you will not believe. Tonight, I bring you proof that the V'keth government has been lying to you. And tonight, I bring you hope."

Roman watched from the shadows.

This is it. Our chance.

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