Those words spoken by his friend, Seril-kor, caused everyone to tense up with a persistent unease.
The traitor dogs, the hounds of the empire, were the only enslaved race with a higher status within Viltrumite civilization. They were the elite slave race, exclusively destined to carry out repression against the other enslaved races, disguising all of this under justifications of imperial order control.
They were a terrifying race, surpassed only by the Viltrumites themselves. They possessed extremely impressive physical capabilities, second only to the Viltrumites, but even more peculiar, they seemed to possess the ability to project energy through their eyes, as well as absorb energy to recover and maintain their strength. They were despicable and feared beings on both sides.
For that reason, fear did not delay in coming from the members of the resistance.
"By the ancestors. What if they got in? What if they are in this very place? Cursed gods, we are surrounded."
"Cursed gods, calm down, calm down," Veth-ak shouted. "We are not being surrounded. Nothing has happened. Calm yourselves." He said, showing the sensors all around the entire area. "We are safe, don't worry."
"No—no they didn't," added the weak voice of Seril-kor, with a genuine smile. "They are—ve-very slow." He said, weakly but firmly.
His large eyes fixed on Kaelen-Thor.
"I left them behind. I ran faster than ever, but the radiation... I no longer have any hope of getting out alive. They might be close, but the contamination will delay them for a while."
"That is even more concerning! You could reveal the secret of the resistance!" One of the Lithari shouted furiously.
"We will all die in a few days, is it worth being so meticulous?" Seril-kor replied back, before coughing uncontrollably.
"Damn it, have you gone mad?"
"Enough!" Kaelen-Thor interrupted them, looking at everyone seriously.
After calming the members, he turned his gaze toward Seril-kor, hoping he would give him an answer.
"In the name of the cursed gods, Seril-kor, a Celorian like you. What made you end up in such a pitiful state?" He asked, because he knew that this guy, as a rule, never got himself into trouble as serious as what he had experienced.
"Ha, I am asking myself the same thing," Seril-kor replied with a smile. "But actually, I believe this risk was worth it. This risk, this information, is worth it, my friend. It is worth everything."
"To give your life for information. What is worth so much that you would give your life?" a Lithari asked him with a frown.
"Hope," Seril-kor replied back.
Everyone remained silent at that response. Hope? What hope did they have at this moment? They only felt raw, unfiltered hatred, and all that remained for them, in these ruins where they had been confined, buried, was revenge. Nothing more.
Almost one segment passed before Seril-kor was stable enough to speak clearly. The Lithari had done everything possible to stabilize him, using an obsolete tissue sealant and a cardiac stimulant formulated for their own physiology, which by some miracle worked.
When Seril-kor could sit up, leaning against the wall, Kaelen-Thor knelt before him.
"You said you had information for us," he said, awaiting answers.
Seril-kor nodded weakly. His trembling right hand extracted a data crystal from a sealed compartment in his suit. The crystal glowed with a faint light, and was engraved with ancient Lithari symbols.
This surprised those present.
"This is a message," he said. "From the Lithari who wait, hidden at the borders."
At those words, everyone remained astonished, in absolute silence.
However, beside him, Veth-ak began to shake his head.
"Your words make no sense, my friend. Outside this demonic planet, there are no Lithari anywhere. Neither at the border, nor in the most horrible sectors of the empire, nor outside the galaxy," said Veth-ak, his voice barely a whisper. "They were all executed centuries ago, you know that, my friend. In ancient times, we were powerful enough to pose a threat to the demonic race; allowing us to see the sun and reproduce outside strict supervision could pose a potential danger to the empire. That is why we are here, dying, slowly in this hell."
Despite those arguments, Seril-kor smiled at him, shaking his head.
"I tell you it is not so, my friend. Rejoice, at least your race still lives; I am the last of my species, and soon I will see my family again," Seril-kor said offhandedly, feeling his body begin to die, very slowly. "I am just buying time, for the good news. Your people still live, though they dare not stick their heads out."
One of the Lithari thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, I... I find it hard to believe that such a fact exists. We have sent so many messages, so many encrypted ones. So many."
"They were answered, every single one of them. But things are precarious both here and where they are hidden. The Viltrumites wanted you to believe you are the last, because they fear you," Seril-kor replied. "Some escaped during the great purge of the resistance, and they hid in an asteroid belt. They have been waiting for decades, waiting for an opportunity to escape the imperial borders."
Kaelen-Thor took the crystal with trembling hands. Upon activating it, images began to project directly into his mind. His eyes filled with clarity, even becoming moist from the entire vision presented in this crystal.
Everything was true; there was hope.