by Guerin Zand
“I know they’re an aggressive race, like the Trogans, and have been quarantined as well.”
“Well that’s the simple version, I guess, but it’s a lot worse than that. Their real weapon is their genetic sciences. They don’t abduct slaves from other worlds like the Trogans, no, they make them. There are two types of Alacians. The true-born and the synthetics. Their genetic engineering is so advanced, they create these synthetic slaves and soldiers using artificial DNA in combination with their own natural DNA. These synthetics are soulless creatures, simple programmable husks. They do the true-born’s bidding without question. They’re no more than machines made of flesh. The soldiers are physically and mentally enhanced. They’re smart and deadly. I had a close encounter with a couple of them, and if I hadn’t had my 45, I wouldn’t have survived.”
“So, that just means you’re probably the best one to deal with them, Dad.”
“You don’t get it, Maria. If they were to share this genetic technology with humans we’d become just the same. It’s too tempting. We’ve been fighting with the ethics and morality of genetic research for the last few centuries, and we’ve managed to avoid letting it get out of control. Maybe the Collective doesn’t understand how little difference there is between the good in men, and the truly evil, but you should. Give the wrong leader this kind of technology and the wars to follow will decimate our worlds.”
“That’s exactly why we need you, Guerin.” Milly was pleading with me. “You understand what’s at stake here. You know the enemy.”
“No, Milly. What you need to do is quarantine Ganymede and any other colonies that have had interactions with the Alacians.”
Julie shook her head. “We can’t do that, Guerin. This is a human problem and we can’t step in.”
“Don’t throw your bullshit rules in my face, Julie. Even with a shuttle, I can’t do that on my own, and you know that this will spread if we don’t stop it. The other alternative is to wipe out the entire colony, the Alacians, and any others that have been touched by the Alacians.”
“Or, you can go there and talk to Mei.”
“You want me to go there and get myself killed? That’s your solution, Milly?”
“No. Mei’s daughter, Huiliang, will go with you. We think by sending the two of you we can open a dialogue, find a way to prevent conflict, and remove the Alacians.”
“I’m not going to bring someone else with me to get killed as well. What are you people thinking? If the Alacians are there, then you have to know that the true-borns in control won’t let us anywhere near Mei. They’ll have more than a few synthetic goons there to make sure their plans succeed.”
“Do you have a better plan, Guerin? One that doesn’t involve killing millions of people?”
“No, I don’t, Julie. But your plan is too stupid even for me to consider. I need to talk with Roger and the rest of my old team. I need to know what they know, and I need to know what military options we have. If I’m going there, I’m going in with a force large enough to get the job done. Maybe we can limit the casualties to the Alacians, but there’s no guarantee. Off the top of my head, I’d say we use overwhelming force to remove the Alacian threat up front. Then we can ‘talk’.”
“So, you’ll help?”
“Like I have a choice, Milly. If I refuse, then you’ll just put my daughter and friends at risk again. I’m not going to let that happen. But I’m not going to be nice about it and play by your bullshit rules this time. I’m going there to eliminate every last Alacian synthetic without any hesitation or remorse. I’m done fucking around with aliens. If we can capture a true-born alive, then we will, but I’m not going to risk our lives for it.”
There was no response from anyone in the room. They knew I was serious and I wasn’t going to repeat the mistakes that cost me my wife. I don’t think anyone there truly understood the threat these synthetics represented. I got lucky when they came after me and I wasn’t going to underestimate them again.
I pushed my seat back and looked at the others at the meeting. “So, are we done here?”
“I suppose so,” Julie replied.
I got up and left the office, leaving the three of them alone.
Chapter 4
Catching Up with Friends
I was sitting at the kitchen bar, enjoying an iced tea when Milly and Maria walked in. I acknowledged their presence with a simple nod. Maria threw me one of her looks. I looked up at her and said, “What?”
“I’ve called the twins to come and clean you up. If you’re going to behave like a child, then I guess we’ll treat you like one.”
“I don’t need the twins help. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”
“Well, then I guess they won’t be needed, but just in case, there still coming over.”
“Whatever, Maria. Don’t you have something better to do than nag me?”
Maria left the room in a huff. Milly had made herself a cup of tea and she joined me at the bar.
“You haven’t seen your daughter in a while, Guerin, and this is how you act towards her?”
“She’s more Bree than my daughter any more. I don’t think she understood anything I was saying in the meeting, just like you and Julie.”
“What’s wrong with you, Guerin? We gave you time to deal with your issues, but your attitude and behavior seem to have gotten worse. What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong with me? It’s the universe that’s fucked up, not me.”
“You didn’t find what you were looking for out there?”
“At first, I thought I had. I was so happy when I first set foot on Trinix. I finally got to see an actual alien world, and it was beautiful. I started working on a cargo ship and I was happy, or at least not unhappy. Then the Trogans appeared again. I didn’t go out looking for a job seizing Trogan smuggling vessels, and I didn’t know that was going to happen. I guess knowing Froshjen, I should have suspected something like that could happen but...”
“But what?” Milly asked.
“When you abducted me,” Milly shook her head and smiled. “I thought how cool. I was going off into space with a hot space babe. I was going to get to see this wondrous universe and be free from all the human bullshit. I figured advanced people who could travel between the stars would be peaceful and living this idyllic life. I thought God had created this universe with vast areas, void of intelligent life, on purpose. For a race to advance to the stage where they could cross that vastness of space, and meet other races, would also require them to advance beyond all this pettiness. Maybe I got God all wrong? I figured it was just us primitive humans that were so screwed up. We always referred to our vices as human failings, but what I found out is that these failings aren’t unique to humans.”
“That surprised you?”
“Yes, I mean, I could deal with a race or two like the Trogans, but they’re maybe just one of the worse. There are some worlds that were what I expected, but even they couldn’t avoid the reality out there. I saw things that made me sick. Not just sick but enraged. A rage so ugly that I hate myself for being capable of such anger and hatred. One time we boarded a Trogan ship. I walked into the Captain’s quarters to find him doing things to children, things I want to forget but can’t. I beat him to death with my bare hands.”
“So, you feel guilty about what you’ve done?”
“No! I mean, that asshole had it coming. I don’t feel bad about that, and maybe that’s the problem. That’s not who I was. You said you’re not trying to make me be anything, but you are, and you have. You called me here to clean up this mess because you know what I’ve become, and you need me to be that person.”
“That’s just not true, Guerin.”
“Please stop lying to me, Milly. You started this the day you sent me to meet Heesa on Trogan. The first lesson in the training for your new attack dog. Then there was the Chinese incident, and finally you let me loose on the universe like a guard dog. Each step along the way I became a little har
der and colder. I’m not much different than the Alacian synthetics.”
“You can’t believe that, Guerin. We put you in these situations so you would learn from the experiences, and yes, we wanted you to become involved. Before you met us, you lived your life sheltered from what was going on all around you. You just kept your head down and sat around waiting for your life to end. You have so much potential, and you were just letting it go to waste. If you’d just listen to what you said you’d realize there is a world of difference between you and those synthetics. You may not want to admit it, but you care. It’s the fact that you have such a strong moral core and a conscience that you feel the way you do. You may not be happy with what you’ve seen and done, but if the violence and killing made you happy, I would be concerned.”
“So, I’m just fine then?”
“No, you need to get over this self-pity phase and move on. You ask why we don’t get involved. That’s because the younger races, including humans, have to work through these issues. We did, and we all must if we’re to advance. You often compare us to parents, and that may not be a bad comparison. Could you imagine having parents that did everything for you and never let you make mistakes? Humans are at a stage now where the children are ready to move out and start their own life. A parent can offer advice, but that child needs to learn to make it on their own. The parent can only sit back and hope they did a good job raising that child. There are new races emerging in the universe continuously, Guerin, and one day, humanity may find themselves where we are today. As parents are often fond of saying, you’ll understand when you grow up.”
Milly stood up, walked over and placed her empty cup in the recycler. “You should get ready for dinner, Guerin. You don’t want to disappoint Maria.”
“Thanks for the little talk, Milly. I’d say I feel so much better now, but that would be a lie. As usual, you aliens aren’t all that helpful.”
“See, you haven’t changed that much. You’re still an asshole.”
“Only because you haven’t found a cure for that yet.” I gave her my best asshole smile and walked off to the shower.
When I walked out of the shower the twins were waiting for me. “Hello, Guerin.”
“Hi Seca.”
“You got it right for once. How could you tell it was me?”
“You always talk more than Prima, so I guessed. It’s nice to see you both. I’ve missed you.”
“Maria said you could use our help getting cleaned up for dinner. Sorry we missed the shower.”
“Not a problem.”
“Well, have a seat anyways. You definitely could use a haircut and a shave. Your new slave girls must not have been that well trained.”
“Their accountants, not slave girls Seca.”
“Yes, Maria said you’d say that.”
I rolled my eyes and the two ladies started to work on me. It was nice to see them both again. They had aged a bit, but they were still totally hot. Seca went to work on my hair while Prima started with my nails. They were right. The accountants weren’t as well trained.
Seca finished the haircut and shave. Then she asked if I wanted a drink. I said no and thanked her. She headed out to the kitchen to check on the caterers for the night’s dinner. That left me alone with Prima.
“It’s nice to see you again, Guerin. I was worried you wouldn’t come back like you promised.”
“I’m sorry it’s been so long. I missed you as well. How are things with you?”
“We’re still running the bar and several restaurants, but it’s not been the same without you. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Could I go with you when you leave?”
“Why would you want to go with me? I’m sure you’d get bored with life on a little shuttle.”
“I want to spend time with you.”
“We can spend time together while I’m here.”
“That’s not what I mean, Guerin. I want to be with you, and not just whenever you decide to drop by. Don’t you want to be with me.”
“That’s a ridiculous question, Prima. What living, breathing man, could possibly say no to that.”
“I’m serious, Guerin.”
“Prima, you know I care about you, and I definitely enjoy being with you, but it’s more complicated than that. You’re not the only woman who is interested in something more serious with me. I don’t think I can have that kind of relationship anymore. I was married once, and it didn’t work out that well for my wife. I don’t think I can go through that again.”
“I don’t care about the other women, Guerin. I’m not looking to be your wife. I just want to be closer to you than just a friend. You definitely could use the help from the way you were looking.”
“What would you do?”
“Well, like I said, from the way you looked you could use some help. I’d make a great Captain’s steward.”
I hadn’t even considered that. She was obviously prepared to address my objections. This is when I would usually say something stupid and regret it later.
“If that’s what you really want, but I think you’d be better off finding a man that you could call your own. In all this time, you haven’t met a man who loved you the way you deserve?”
“There have been men, but they don’t see me like you do. Most of them just see an attractive woman. Not someone they truly care about.”
“You think I’m different?”
“Yes. When you rescued us you could have just kept us and done whatever you wanted with us. Instead, you asked Milly to help us out.”
“Yes, I always regretted that in hindsight. If I knew Milly was going to dump me I would have kept you.”
Prima smiled. “No, you wouldn’t have. I think I know you better than that. You wouldn’t be trying to talk me out of it if you didn’t truly care about me.”
“What’s Seca going to do without you? Aren’t you two partners in these little businesses?”
“She can take care of all of those on her own. Besides, she found a man that cares for her. He’s one of Roger’s team. He really is good to her, and I’m sort of in the way. I don’t like coming in between them, but Seca will always put me first. It’s best if I were not around so much for her sake.”
“Ok. I think you’ll be disappointed, but it’s your choice.”
Prima finished up with my nails and laid out some clothes for me to change into for dinner. She then came over to me and gave me a cute little kiss.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” The way that sexy little vixen looked at me said what she hadn’t.
“NO! Now stop that. If we’re going to be spending more time together you’re going to have to stop teasing me like that.”
“I’m not teasing.”
“Exactly!”
Prima laughed at me and she left the room so I could get dressed. Oh, I knew agreeing to this was a mistake, but it wasn’t like some of the other mistakes I’ve made. What was the worst that could happen, right?
Chapter 5
The Welcome Home Dinner
Prima and I were seated at the bar talking after I finished dressing. Maria came out from her suite and joined us. The two exchanged greetings and Prima excused herself to go get dressed for dinner. That left me alone with Maria. She was wearing a beautiful dinner dress. At times like this, it was hard to look at her. She was the spitting image of her mother, and that just resulted in this terrible mixture of feelings whenever we were together now.
“So, did you need much help, Dad?”
“Very funny, Maria.”
“Oh, come on, Dad. Lighten up a little bit.”
I just rolled my eyes in response and took a sip of my iced tea.
“You’re not drinking?”
“What’s the point?”
“You know you’re being a total downer, right?”
“What do you want from me, Maria? I’m here, and I’ve cleaned up.”
“Do you really nee
d your gun hanging in its holster up on the bar?”
“It’s my security blanket. I feel more comfortable when it’s around. You never know? Maybe Bart and Gladys are going to bring their daughters.”
Maria laughed. “At least your sense of humor hasn’t abandoned you.”
I simply shrugged my shoulder.
“What is your problem? It’s been almost 30 years since we were last together, and you have nothing to say to me?”
“What’s there to say. You probably know everything I’ve been doing, and since you decided to convert to Bree, we probably don’t have that much in common anymore.”
“That’s it? Because I’ve been spending my time with the Bree and learning about them. This offends you? Don’t tell me you’re going to hold this against me like my vegan conversion?”
“Well? I mean, first off, we never really determined that you are my daughter.” Maria simply sighed. “You look like your mother’s twin. I don’t see a single physical trait that you can attribute to me.”
“I’ve got your eyes.”
“That could be pure coincidence. It’s unnatural how much you look like your mother. Who knows what Dr. Julie did to my little swimmers.”
“That’s right. You finally figured it out, Dad. The Bree like to abduct males from other races and do things to their little swimmers. Then they send these males back to their homeworlds so they’ll breed and create superior mutants such as myself.” Maria shook her head and laughed.
“I’ve seen stranger shit in the universe.” I shrugged. “Why does everyone just think I’m paranoid and ignore my suspicions? What if I’m right? Who’s the one having a problem with reality in that case?”
“You’re right, Dad. Maybe I am a Bree because I don’t understand you at all.”
“See?”
“Can you stop joking around long enough to have a serious talk with your daughter?”
“You do remember that I’m the parent here, don’t you, Maria?”
“You could probably find a lot of people that would be surprised by that. You’re acting childish. I’m trying to be serious here. What’s going on with you, Dad? What’s wrong?”
