"What do you mean?" Tashana asked, her face lighting up with hope. "Do you know some way of recreating Valada's lost data?"
Shaking her head Alyssa smiled as she replied, "No, your sister's the software expert, I'm a telepath." She approached the confused Maliri girl and reaching out to her with her hand, she gently brushed her temple. "Now just relax and open your mind to me. I might be able to recover the memory of what you've seen."
Closing her eyes, Alyssa reached out towards Tashana's mind as the Maliri girl obediently lowered her defences, making no effort to try and resist her matriarch's mental intrusion. The psychic blonde had already delved into Tashana's subconscious before, so she knew the way around her map of memories. It didn't take her long to find the one she was looking for, and nodding in satisfaction, she withdrew her spirit-form and returned to her body.
"I'll need you too, beautiful," she said, beckoning towards Irillith who was hovering protectively near her sister.
"Is this going to leave me with a ringing headache?" Irillith asked, arching an eyebrow as she glanced warily at the blonde.
Alyssa shook her head and replied, "Trust me, you'll be fine." Reaching out towards the second twin, her fingers caressed Irillith's temple and she purred, "Just relax; this won't hurt a bit."
Following those simple instructions, the tension left Irillith's shoulders and her face smoothed out as she relaxed. Alyssa concentrated as she channelled the memory through to Irillith, whose violet eyes flew open, filled with an inner purple radiance. A moment later, light blazed outwards, forming a projection in much the same way as she'd done so with the Progenitor schematics that had been locked in Dana's mind.
This image wasn't a blueprint though and Valada's familiar face filled the image, her expression cast in a violet glow. She was seated in a high-backed throne and wearing long, layered ceremonial robes, which were not too dissimilar from the style Edraele favoured. When Valada began to speak, it was clear that this once bright and cheerful girl was no longer the same effervescent young woman they'd seen before.
"My name is Valada, and I was once Matriarch to Mael'nerak," she began in a sombre tone, staring bleakly at the camera. "I'm recording this message to warn future generations of the threat the Progenitors pose and my dearest hope is to save the Maliri from future enslavement."
Her expression turned furious, her eyes flashing with anger as she continued, "Mael'nerak is gone and it's been six months since we last saw him. He abandoned me when forced to confront one of his fellow Progenitors and I can only assume both were slain in the battle, ending the pointless and brutal war. Billions slain, whole planets obliterated... the Maliri must never be abused in such a way again!"
Valada's eyes narrowed as she said ominously, "Their nature is to enslave, conquer, and destroy, in an endless cycle of carnage that's been repeated for countless millennia. Mael'nerak told me that before he established what is now the Maliri Regency, there was a thriving civilisation that existed here. They were a peaceful people called the Achonin and while their mastery of technology was impressive, they were not a warlike species. Mael'nerak smashed the ill-prepared Achonin fleets, then proceeded to commit genocide on a vast scale, destroying entire worlds and slaying billions in the process. Their entire civilisation was exterminated, the last remnants facing a lingering death on scattered outposts."
Her expression was haunted with grief as she murmured, "Then it was our turn to witness that level of savagery and I can only pray that the Maliri are never again subjected to such terrible loss." She looked despondent as she continued, "Mael'nerak and his ship have disappeared, taking his technological secrets with him. None of the Thrall vessels that accompanied him have returned, so I've ordered a vast shipbuilding program at Genthalas to replace our losses and ensure the Maliri are not left defenceless."
After a lengthy pause for quiet reflection, she slumped back in her chair, her robes gaping slightly and revealing her heavily rounded abdomen. Valada let out a long sigh, running her hands over her pregnant belly as she said, "I've recalled the outlying colonies, consolidating our people so that we might begin our recovery. Despite everything that the Progenitors have done to us, the Maliri will remain strong and resilient."
With that the memory ended and Irillith blinked rapidly to let her eyes recover.
"Are you alright?" Alyssa asked, rubbing her back comfortingly.
Irillith looked relieved and she replied, "I'm fine, there wasn't any pain."
Tashana gave her sister a brief hug, then turned to look at John and said, "I'm sure you can see how I drew the conclusions that I did. Valada was angry at Mael'nerak but only because he left her and not for the more obvious reasons."
Calara nodded in agreement. "The poor girl was grieving for him - she obviously loved him very much. Having the bond broken like that must have been horrendous for her." She looked sad as she continued, "Having to bring up his child alone must have been heartbreaking."
Looking thoughtful, Rachel said, "Actually, considering her size at the end of her second trimester, Valada must have been carrying twins."
There was quiet in the room as everyone tried to process what they'd just seen and heard, until inevitably their eyes were drawn to Irillith and Tashana.
"So we really are related to Mael'nerak," Irillith said, sharing a searching look with Tashana.
Her sister smiled at her and replied, "At least we know he redeemed himself in the end; that he truly loved Valada and sacrificed himself to keep her safe."
Irillith nodded, returning Tashana's smile as she drew comfort from her words.
"Oh! There was another recording!" Tashana blurted out, turning to glance at her blonde Matriarch.
Alyssa smiled at her and said, "I know, I just wanted to check Irillith was okay. Are you both ready to do the same thing for the next one?"
They both nodded and Alyssa reached out her delicate hands for them again, brushing her fingers through their hair as they waited patiently. The two Maliri girls relaxed at her soothing touch and Irillith's violet eyes were filled with light once more.
When Valada reappeared it became obvious that this recording had been taken many decades later. She looked considerably older now, but despite the worry lines around her eyes, she was still a striking woman. Although she was no longer so tense and angry, it was clear that something else weighed heavily on her as she gazed at the camera.
Clearing her throat, she began in a confident and measured tone, "My name is Valada, leader of House Valaden." She paused for a moment and looked slightly embarrassed as she added, "Just for the record, it wasn't my choice to name this House or our homeworld after myself, but everybody insisted."
Looking away for a moment, Valada frowned and said, "Now, where was I? Oh, yes! I wanted to add to my previous message; the warning I left for future generations." Staring into the camera, she continued, "There has been no sign of a Progenitor in well over a century, giving the Maliri time to rebuild and recover. Our borders are strong and well protected, our fleets mighty and unchallenged in this quadrant of our galaxy."
