REV- Rebirth

by T. R. Harris

  “I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it, better than most I would imagine. Besides, once the Ranch is in full swing, we won’t need the other facilities.” He smiled. “All it takes is money at this point.”

  28

  The Court of Antara.

  The name evoked swelling pride and passion in the Antaere, its members having guided the race for over two thousand years to their rightful place as the Guardians of the Order. It was under the founding leadership that the Universal Order was first discovered and spread to the planet…and beyond. And from a collection of ancient Court writings the Universal Book of Order was created, and later, the Corollaries of Mentar Zaphin was added to further define the path to the Final Glory.

  And throughout all this time and progress, it was the Zaphin bloodline that was the one constant. The name became synonymous with the Order. Zaphin is Order.

  That was why the criticism of the current Tesnin, Denak Zaphin, by the once-powerful and respected Congin Bornak, had such a traumatic impact on the Antaere people. Denak had ruled the planet Antara and the Grid for over eighty Antaerean years. During that time, he’d taken a once haphazard and nebulous effort on the part of his predecessors to extend the Order beyond Antara, and turned it into an organized, methodical and organic progression of galactic expansion. Of course, not all his decisions bore fruit, such as the inclusion of Earth in the Order. But his intentions were sincere, and everyone knew it.

  And now it was learned that forces had been at work behind the scenes to undermine his authority and criticize his decisions. Some came from outside the Court, others from within. It was a critical time for both the Antaere and the Order. Decisions made over the next few months would define the future of both for centuries to come.

  Andus Zaphin returned to Antara after the debacle at Earth. His journey took three months to complete, and by then the initial consequences of the Bornak Revelations—as the recording came to be known—were well underway. Five of the Colony Worlds had revolted, sparked not only by the Revelations, but by local Antaere authorities attempting to implement the Purges, using the execution of hundreds of thousands of natives to help restore order through fear and intimidation. When the natives on the lists began to be arrested—with some immediately put to death—the blowback was swift and violent. The inhabitants of these worlds didn’t wait for the Humans to arrive and fight their battles for them. They took matters into their own hands.

  Even still, there were five solidly-Antaerean worlds within the Grid, including Antara. And the Guardians still possessed the most industrial, financial and military resources of any affiliation. But things had definitely changed. The swing in Grid-wide geopolitics had been dramatic and swift. Just as the Humans had fallen out of favor seemingly overnight two years before, the same—and worse—happened to the Antaere. The war wasn’t lost, just as it hadn’t been for the Humans at the time. But it would now take considerable time and effort for the Antaere to regain the respect, influence and power they once had.

  And this radical swing in the fortunes of the race and the religion had all been tragically orchestrated by the two individuals now standing before Denak Zaphin.

  Congin Bornak had made it off Enif, but then by order of the Tesnin, he was arrested and transferred to the homeworld. He had not faired well during his captivity. Yet unfortunately for him, he survived.

  At least until the moment Denak pressed a ceremonial Lopsin blade through his chest and held it there for a long moment, supporting the lifeless body, before withdrawing the sword and letting Bornak slump to the floor.

  None of the nine other people in the room expressed even a hint of opposition or shock. It was inevitable. Denak stood over the body for a moment, a sinister snarl passing over his wrinkled lips.

  “And now I have rectified a grave mistake, Bornak. And if I must thank the Humans for anything, it is that they did not kill you before me.”

  Denak then turned his attention to the Rowin.

  Andus Zaphin was another matter. He was next in line for the position of Tesnin, the supreme Guardian of the Order.

  “My son, you have placed me in a difficult situation,” said Denak. His advanced age was evident on the wrinkled yellow skin of his face and hands. Antaere live an average of one hundred ten years, and Denak was already one-twenty, and the last twenty—since the start of the Antaere-Human War—had taken their toll. And now this.

  “I understand you were under Bornak’s influence for many years, having been indoctrinated from an early age,” Denak continued. “I take a measure of blame for this since it was I who assigned him as your counselor many years ago.”

  “My Tesnin,” Andus said, “if you look dispassionately at the events we initiated, you will find all were intended to glorify the Antaere and the Order. We—I—did this to strengthen the Order, not to destroy it.”

  “I understand,” said Denak. “Yet that is not the true issue here, is it? Had you come to me with your plans I may have embraced them. The eventual destruction of the Human horde is our common goal. But that is not what you did. And then Bornak’s admission that you would seek an early ascension to the throne is in itself treason.”

  Andus was unphased by the charge. “I am to be Tesnin, father. It is inevitable. What matters if it happens now, or ten years from now? If the plan had succeeded, even you would have gladly handed me the Guardianship.”

  “And yet it did not succeed. In fact, it failed spectacularly. The Antaere are now in the most precarious position in our entire history.”

  “You are being melodramatic.”

  Denak recoiled from his son’s tone and disrespect. “You may be Rowin, but I am still Tesnin. You will afford me the respect I deserve.”

  Andus stared at his father for a long moment before stretching out a thin smile.

  “And now, as you say, you are in a difficult situation, my Tesnin,” said Andus. “I am the Rowin. I achieved the position from your official proclamation. Even you cannot withdraw the appointment. The law is written to prevent events such as this from occurring.” Andus looked around at the assortment of high officials and advisors in the room. They understood the laws of the Court. They knew he was right.

  Denak’s shoulders slumped, his age even more evident in his demeanor.

  “You are correct, Andus. I cannot withdraw the appointment.”

  “Good,” said Andus. “Then, father, allow me to say this. I will retire to Court where I will cause you no further issues. I will remain quiet and compliant, until the time I ascend to the throne. Although you are upset with me at the moment, you must admit there will be no Guardian more devoted to the Order than I. Also, I have the strength and decisiveness the Order has needed for a long while. You can be assured the reigns of power will be in good hands once you are gone.”

  Denak’s eyes were moist. He was defeated. Andus was right, about almost everything.

  The bloody Lopsin blade was still in Denak’s hand. A moment later it was embedded in the belly of the young Rowin.

  Again, none in the room reacted. They saw this coming.

  Denak knelt to the floor, taking the body of his dead son with him. There was already a large pool of blood from Bornak’s body. Now more was added.

  “You are correct, my son,” said Denak. The tears he shed were not from sorrow, but anger. “I cannot withdraw my appointment. Yet I can declare a new Rowin in the event of your untimely death. The story is already being circulated regarding your unfortunate accident. You will be mourned. At least for a moment, and then you’ll be forgotten. As it should be.”

  Epilogue

  David Cross made the call to Summerlin a week later. He was at the Ranch he’d established twenty miles outside Denver, a sprawling collection of rustic houses, along with a well-appointed medical facility specializing in pre- and post-natal care. He also had several microbiologists on staff, doctors and technicians who could detect the slightest trace of the Delta mutation within the infants.

  Cu
rrently there were one hundred twenty women at the Ranch who had volunteered to be the birth-mothers of a new race of Human. They had been carefully screened, not only biologically, but also mentally. They were privy to a secret that would have tremendous consequences if it leaked out. The women had to be one-hundred percent committed to the cause before they would be let into the program. Even then, they were continually watched and analyzed.

  Cross hadn’t been completely honest with Olivia and Angus when he told them no females had been born to the Delta REVs. There had in fact been a pair of Eve’s born, both of which tested positive to natural NT-4. A one-hundred percent carry rate was phenomenal. It wouldn’t be until more were born would Cross know if this was just an incredibly lucky occurrence, or whether the mutation was predominant in females. Either way, Cross had the beginnings for two distinct bloodlines which he could breed at a future date.

  Everything was proceeding even better than expected. And with the rapid growth rate of the positives, both male and female, there was a very good chance Cross would live long enough to see his vision come to fruition.

  But all the equipment, manpower and security required for his three secret facilities cost a fantastic amount of money to run.

  The only operation not requiring private funding was the Enhancement Development Center. That was a government department and was where research was conducted on the traditional REV program. Yet with recent events in the Grid, there was a question whether the Running Man Division was still needed. Colony Worlds were turning to the Humans without a shot being fired by terrestrial military forces. Even still, there were worlds under Antaere control that would have to be liberated. In Washington, there was hope for a more organic conversion of these worlds, rather than through direct military action.

  Another faction argued for military intervention even if it wasn’t called for. This would allow Earth a measure of domination and control over these systems that didn’t come from strictly diplomatic efforts. Both parties were at war with each other to determine which direction the future would take.

  Dr. David Cross was ambivalent as to the politics taking place. He had an ample supply of raw genetic material from the Delta REVs to create the foundation for the next generation of Human being. And if he needed more, he knew where to get it. The traditional REVs were no longer needed. If the military shut down his program, it would be no great loss. He had already moved on.

  But that meant all his future endeavors would require private funding. Fortunately, he also knew where to get that raw material as well.

  “I need to expand the Ranch, Howard. I can triple the output with more money. It’s not a question of enough volunteers, but rather where to put them.”

  Cross frowned when the voice on the other end of the line remained silent. Howard Summerlin was his most-ardent supporter. There were others, but the fabulously wealthy man was by far the most generous.

  “Are you still there?”

  In the age of video conferencing, Summerlin always insisted on audio-only communications. Now Cross stared at the blank screen, wondering if the connection was still there.

  “I’m here, David,” Summerlin said.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “I have regretted this moment for some time.”

  Cross went weak. What did he mean? Was it as it sounded?

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Dr. Cross, I will no longer be funding your efforts,” Summerlin said formally.

  “What! Now I truly don’t understand.”

  “I’ve found an alternative, one that shows more promise and produces faster results than you do.”

  “You…you can’t do this!” Cross frothed. “We had a deal.”

  “And over time, we both benefitted. You have the genesis of your vision—”

  “And you have the Deltas. That was the agreement. You fund my research and I turn the REVs over to you as I find them. I’ve done that. You owe me!”

  “I have fulfilled the agreement to date. And as I said, we have both benefitted. Now it’s time for me to move on.”

  “It’s Diamond, isn’t it?” Cross growled. “He’s started his own Delta program?”

  “It’s beyond that, David.”

  “Taken from my research, research he stole from me!”

  “In the beginning, yes. But now he’s made breakthroughs even you have not made. You have had a singular focus, your master race, your leap in evolution. Jack’s program is more in-line with my needs, not yours.”

  Cross was crushed. He was drained and deflated, his mind racing for alternatives. Yes, he could continue, for a while, using his other resources. But he would be slowed down, his program certainly scaled back.

  “Jack’s approach is a dead end,” Cross said out of desperation. “It will make no lasting impact on Humanity.”

  “And why should I care about that?” Summerlin snapped. “I have my objectives, and you have yours. For a while they converged. No longer.”

  “And what will happen to the Delta REVs?”

  “I’ll keep them, for the time being. They may still come in handy. If Diamond can’t deliver as he promises, then I’ll decide.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Howard.”

  “Not from where I sit,” said Cross’s former benefactor. “We must each follow our own path, David. Eventually you will be known as the father of a new kind of man. By then, I will have moved on to even greater heights. This may cause us to clash at some future date, but for now, we part ways, perhaps not as friends, but as a pair of visionaries out to shape our individual destinies.”

  “Destinies the REVs helped to create.”

  “Without a doubt, Dr. Cross. And for that, I thank you…and them.”

  The End

  Coming in late 2018…

  REV: Revolution

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  Novels by T.R. Harris

  The Human Chronicles Saga

  The Fringe Worlds

  Alien Assassin

  The War of Pawns

  The Tactics of Revenge

  The Legend of Earth

  Cain’s Crusaders

  The Apex Predator

  A Galaxy to Conquer

  The Masters of War

  Prelude to War

  The Unreachable Stars

  When Earth Reigned Supreme

  A Clash of Aliens

  Battlelines

  The Copernicus Deception

  Scorched Earth

  Alien Games

  The Cain Legacy

  The Andromeda Mission

  Last Species Standing

  Invasion Force

  Force of Gravity

  Mission Critical

  REV Warriors Series

  Rev

  REV: Renegades

  REV: Rebirth

  The Drone Wars Series

  Day of the Drone

  Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

  The Enclaves of Sylox

  Treasure of the Galactic Lights

  In collaboration with George Wier…

  The Liberation Series

  Captains Malicious

  Available exclusively on Amazon.com

  and Kindle Unlimited.

 

 

 
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