by T. R. Harris
There was a long moment of awkward silence around the table before Amber spoke up again.
“If all the startling revelations are over, I believe it is time to get back to the mission at hand. The four of you have been selected specifically for this operation based on the unique qualifications you bring to the table. It should be clear by now that this mission is vitally important to the survival of your race. Should the Ha’curn forces be allowed to combine with those of the Antaere, the fate of Earth is definitely in jeopardy. The simplest solution to this problem is to eliminate the Ha’curn from the equation.
“Continuing: To assist in the mission’s success, each of you will be given chemical injections that will turn your skin yellow, and you will be given gold contact lenses to wear. Humans and Antaere have compatible form and features, so the disguises will be sufficient. And with the learning program developed by Dr. Cross, you will go in knowing fluent Antaerean. In addition, the Zanzibar has been polished up since last you saw it, Major Murphy. It will be presented as a luxury yacht befitting the passengers it will be carrying. It will be the Antaere themselves who will give you access to the Andorium. And then under the cover of the coronation ceremony, we must seek out the location of the control facility and fulfill the mission.
“I understand there have been some disturbing revelations today, but it is time to put that aside and focus on the mission at hand. Dr. Cross will go aboard the Zanzibar and initiate the learning protocols. Afterward, we will depart on our mission. Utilizing the Zanzibar’s superior gravity drive technology, we will be at Antara in nine days. If the mission succeeds, in ten days the war with the Antaere could essentially be over. Keep that in mind as you reflect on this meeting and what is being asked of you. That is all for now. Ms. Hunter, you may now close me up.”
10
Zac was indeed shocked when he saw the revamped Zanzibar. When last he’d seen the starship, it was a beat-up hulk, disguised that way to not attract attention as it delivered a team of special forces to Enif in an attempt to rescue the President and his party at the time of the Betrayal. Now it looked like the luxury yacht he’d first seen at the airport in Colorado Springs so many years ago.
General David Cross was aboard and working with a tech, installing a bank of electronics in the common room. When he was ready, he called the team together.
“You will have to be in a cascading state for the program to access your minds on a subliminal level. I would suggest you find comfortable places to sit or lay down, but you must stay awake. You will not notice anything is happening; no Antaerean reciting phrases to you, that sort of thing. It’s completely in your subconscious. You won’t know it’s working until after each twenty-minute session. The data is fed at high speed, so the effects should be noteworthy. You will also experience visual recognition of Antaerean writing. There are forty sessions. That may be overkill, considering the duration of the mission. But in the end, you’ll be speaking and reading Antaerean like a native.”
“How is the data fed into us?” Angus asked.
Cross took a pair of ordinary-looking wireless earbuds from the table. “With these. Nothing fancy.”
Angus took the tiny white devices. “Are you sure this will work, general? We wouldn’t want to get going and find it doesn’t work on us.”
“Trust me, it works.”
“Thank you, sir,” Zac said. “Now, unless you want to go to Antara with us, I suggest you and the tech exit the vehicle. It will be tight as it is getting to the Coronation Ceremony on time.”
Cross scanned the faces of the team, his eyes wide and bright. Zac frowned. He looked … excited.
“Good luck,” said General Cross. “And please be careful. The four of you represent a substantial investment of my time and effort. Destroy the Ha’curn fleet and then get your asses back here. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir,” said Joanie Hollis.
Cross gathered up the tech and his tools and left the ship.
Once outside, David Cross looked back as Zac buttoned up the hatch. The two men made slight nods to each other; an acknowledgment of their … their association would be the best word to describe it. Friendship didn’t seem to fit.
Cross turned and walked from the launch bay.
So far, so good, he thought as he passed through the airlock portal, with a spring in his step and a grin on his face.
11
Nine days to Antara. That seemed like a long time, but in reality, it wasn’t.
Amber took control of the ship and engaged the hybrid gravity drive, sending the Zanzibar into a modified event horizon that warped space like no other ship in the Grid. Unfortunately, they couldn’t maintain this status for the entire journey to Antara. The strange gravity signature would stand out, raising questions. At a point, a signature mimicking that of an Antaerean stardrive would be created. At the same time, the transponder signal would switch, identifying the Zanzibar as a Simblaus-registered vessel, owned by the Melos Company.
Amber told the team they were going in as the Melos brothers and their wives, which considering the REV’s similar features and builds, wasn’t that much of a stretch. That wouldn’t have worked as well for the women, not with Joanie’s blonde hair and Ashley’s shiny black locks. Antaerean females rarely colored their hair.
In addition, a legend was created in computer databases that gave the agents the credibility needed to be invited to the most significant event in Antaerean culture—the passing of the title Tesnin to another. They were members of Antaerean high society, wealthy, but not so wealthy that they would be known to others.
Zac knew better than to ask a lot of questions regarding Amber’s mysterious owner. Several times in the past, he’d been provided with intel and hardware, which the unnamed source had no business knowing or have access to. But so far, he hadn’t steered Zac wrong. His anonymous assistance had been invaluable.
The current Tesnin, Denak Zaphin, had held that post for eighty-nine out of his one-hundred-nineteen-year lifespan. It was during his reign that the last four Colony Worlds were brought into the Order, including Earth. His son, Andus, was the first designated Rowin—successor-in-waiting; however, upon his death, Denak’s third-born son, Kallen, assumed the title.
Zac had met both Denak and Andus during his six months of captivity, although met was not the right word. It was a case of him being observed by the leaders of the Antaere people as they came to see their prized possession. Zac was introduced as a Human abomination, a product of insane genetic experiments, a monster who had slaughtered thousands of Antaere and their allies. The leaders also knew he had the Antaerean version of Rev in his body, but that information was not for public consumption.
Many of those coming to the Coronation would have been present at his various displays, although his body had changed dramatically since then. At the time, he was emaciated and jacked up on native Rev and kept at a safe distance from the curious, a dangerous animal, an oddity. Even so, his hair would be changed, and his face given a makeover so he would appear older. Add to that the yellow skin and golden eyes, and there was a very low possibility he would be recognized.
As for interpersonal relationships aboard the Zanzibar, that was another matter.
On their prior missions, Ashley and Angus became quite the item, with neither afraid to hide their attraction for one another. Almost as soon as the Zanzibar shot from the launch bay of the Valhalla, they were back at it again, claiming one of the two staterooms as their own.
Zac often wondered why the relationship didn’t continue after the mission to rescue him on Enif a few years back. Now he knew Cross was responsible, spiriting away the deep cover spy to become one of the first female REVs. He was still curious about the transition, mainly how it affected Joanie.
For their part, the first two days of the journey were spent at an awkward distance, until the unashamed frolicking of Angus and Ashley was too much for them to ignore their own attraction. The rest of the trip was a routine o
f carnal lust, language training and mission prep for both couples.
For her part, the AI Amber tolerated their trysts, as long as they paid proper attention to the mission. And now, as the Zanzibar began its final approach to Antara, the team members put on their mission faces and grew serious.
Unfortunately for Zac, his mission face wasn’t the only thing he had to put on.
“This is crazy,” he said for the umpteenth time. “Do the men actually wear this stuff?”
“You would compare it to a tuxedo,” Amber said. “It is not an everyday garment, but one befitting the ceremony.”
Zac looked at himself in a mirror in his stateroom.
He wore a crimson red jacket with a stiff collar so high on the sides that it was like wearing blinders. There was a strange cummerbund-like thing that was more like a fanny pack than an attractive part of the garment. Add to that the fact that the sleeves were bulbous and with tight wrists bands that caused the arms to balloon out, and he had to wonder how he could function. But bulbous seemed to be the word of the day when it came to Antaerean attire. The white pants mirrored the style of the jacket, and as Zac couldn’t be called fat by any stretch of the imagination, the pants gave him a bubble butt beyond compare. There was nothing either sexy or manly about the outfit.
Angus was similarly dressed, and similarly embarrassed to be seen in public.
“Are you sure you have the design right?” Angus asked into the air, knowing Amber was listening. She was always listening.
“It is appropriate. You will fit in perfectly.”
Joanie came into the stateroom, wearing her best prom dress and smiling brightly.
“You two look magnificent, so show it. You look like you just swallowed a frog. Relax.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Zac growled. “You and Ashley got the better of this deal.”
Unlike the men, the female gowns were incredible; white and lacy, with frilly necklines and billowing skirts. Their outfits were feminine and sensual, and quite the contrast from what the men wore. Females were an integral part of Antaerean society and culture, participating at all levels. It was also apparent they designed most of the clothing for the species.
“Arnu du jaoa,” Ashley said as she joined the others, crowding at the doorway to Zac and Joanie’s stateroom.
“That’s easy for you to say. You should try wearing this,” Zac answered in English.
“Say it in Antaerean, Zac!” she scolded.
“Sorry. Are you sure there isn’t a way to turn off the translators? I get confused listening in English.”
That was a problem they were all having, all except Ashley. She had more experience thinking and speaking in Antaerean. For the others, they heard the words in their minds, and mostly in English, although occasionally it was in Antaerean. But they had to make a conscious effort to convert their words into the alien language before they spoke. Cross’s program worked perfectly. They could read and speak Qwin almost better than they could English. However, it was a chore forcing their minds to think in Antaerean so they would speak the language. It was getting better, but they only had an hour or so left to get it right. Amber had the Zanzibar dropping through the atmosphere, aiming for the executive spaceport sitting a short distance from the Andorium.
Ashley then stepped up to Zac and stuck something into his skin just below his left ear.
“Ow! What was that?” he asked.
“Relax, you big bad REV. It didn’t hurt,” she said. “It’s a subcutaneous communication device. I have one for each of us. We’ll be able to hear all our conversations.”
“Great,” Angus said. “Just one more thing to listen to.”
After being poked by Ashley, and dressed in their best Antaerean formal wear, the team went to the pilothouse to watch the landing.
From here, they could see the full layout of the facility. Although Zac had been there before, he’d never seen it from the air. It put a whole new spin on his memories.
The Andorium was an artificial island sitting in the middle of a freeform lake and surrounded by a manicured park with groves of trees. The park was open to the public, and thousands of commoners now filled the area, wanting to share in the experience of the Coronation even if they weren’t part of it.
An octagonal, forty-foot-high wall encircled the complex, with ornate parapets at each turn of the wall. Brilliantly dressed ceremonial guards stood at the intersections, standing posts looking out across the water and to the boisterous crowds.
Within the walls was where the real significance of the Andorium was found. From the air, Zac could see the symmetry, the Order as it was called. And everything within the walls screamed Order and Unity.
At the north end sat three of the most impressive buildings Zac had ever seen. In the center was the one-hundred-story-tall Grand Temple of Light, a stacked pyramid capped by an enormous golden dome with a shimmering crystal lens at the peak. The lens was designed to let in the life-giving light from the Antaerean yellow sun, the most significant symbol in the Order, and the single-most qualifying factor for the Colony Worlds. They, too, must have been birthed from a yellow sun of the exact magnitude as the Antaerean life-giver.
Bordering the Temple to the east and the west, were two identical buildings, lower, block-shaped structures, the one on the right housing the Court of Antara and on the left, the Residence of the Tesnin and his clan.
The Court was where the elected and appointed politicians of the Antaerean government conducted their official business. It was thirty stories tall and flat-roofed, with hundreds of windows and an elaborate central doorway that match that of the Grand Temple and the Residence. It was designed this way to add unity to the scene.
Only members of the Zaphin family had ever occupied the Residence. For two thousand years, the family ruled Antara, beginning with Mentar Zaphin and continuing through to Denak and his offspring. Mentar discovered the Universal Order, and it was from his inspired writings that the Book of Order was assembled. He also wrote the Corollaries, which were a series of simple proclamations detailing how the Order was to be run. Although the Antaere people were considered the Guardians of the Order by their alien followers, that was simply an extension of the Zaphin family. To the Antaereans, the Zaphins were the true Guardians.
Along the front of the three massive buildings sat a pair of crescent-shaped lakes, forming a mirror image of each other. They stretched from side to side of the Andorium, where the two entrances were located. Bridges crossed the waters, as well as a pair of much longer bridges outside the walls that connected the island to the surrounding park.
Between the crescent lakes was a wide area featuring a large circular stage. It was here that Zac was put on display and where the official Coronation would take place. For the ceremony, several tiered bleachers were provided for the audience. Unlike before, this time Zac would be a spectator rather than the main attraction.
South of the Lakes sat a series of five buildings, a tall one in the center and flanked by a pair of ever-shorter structures. These were the administration buildings for the Antaerean stellar empire known as the Grid, although these were only the most important buildings.
At the side of both the Temple complex and the Administration center were wide entrances to underground parking. The Andorium employed a large number of Antaere, yet no transports were allowed to be parked above ground.
Along the sides of the walls and south of the Lakes, were eight smaller buildings that housed the Temple Guards. Specially trained and fanatically devoted, these soldiers were the best the Antaere had to offer. The two-thousand-strong police force served in the most revered location in the Order, and their discipline and skill were evident.
Beyond the forested park surrounding the Andorium was a large community devoted to the management of the empire, where workers of lower status went about their jobs and lived their lives serving the Grid. There was no poverty found in this community; that was not allowed. And as it was with every
thing involving the Andorium, Unity and Balance prevailed. The Antaere had an image to project to the Grid. The species was the ultimate symbol of the Order. They had to make the best impression for the masses.
Looking down at the impressive Andorium, Zac had a moment of doubt. The place was packed with thousands of fanatic Antaere, with thousands more camped out in the parklands. Somewhere in the crush of aliens, he and his team had to find a long-forgotten control room and bring it back to life. And then somewhere, a million living beings would die, beings who would never see it coming.
Zac knew all the logic and reasoning for the mission. The survival of his own race was at stake, as well as the lives of trillions of others who would fall as collateral damage in the continuing war for control of the Grid.
It seemed such a waste. But he also knew the Antaere and the Ha’curn would never leave the Earth alone, even if a peace could be worked out. That did not fit the Antaere plan for spreading their Order across the galaxy. Humanity wasn’t only an obstacle in their way, they were a symbol of defiance that had to be removed.
Only a few months before, the Antaere and the Ha’curn were racing toward Earth with every intention of killing off Humanity. Why should he not return the favor?
The Zanzibar was now on the surface, surrounded by other magnificent space yachts, with fleets of fancy transports shuttling arriving dignitaries and socialites to the Andorium. Any moment now, Zac and his team would leave the ship and begin their mission of destiny. Either they would succeed, or they wouldn’t. He didn’t know which. But what he did know was that trillions of beings throughout the Grid had no concept how important this night would be to their future.
The reality of the moment was humbling.
