Defiance

by Sean Liebling

  The entity, comprised mostly of energy mixed with carbon and silicone matrices, thought about what had happened and was not pleased. The restrictions should have forced the new inhabitants to coexist together in harmony. At least that had been the general consensus by its fellow creatures. Each of the peoples they had deposited here had been carefully selected from a variety of racial cultures to fit together nicely. Each group had also been placed on separate continents that they would eventually tame and make their own. Instead, these humans had spread all over the globe and all of the different racial types had mixed. That was unprecedented, unexpected and dismaying.

  For a suns rotation, the great being thought about a solution to this dilemma as it studied the experiment. The peoples of this world were now so mixed that they would be impossible to separate. This was not according to plan and steps might need to be taken to wipe the inhabitants and start anew. It was slightly distressed, in that these humans were incredibly consistent at screwing up the best-laid plans of the overseers of the universe. However, for all their faults they were by far the best at assimilation and colonization of all the other races discovered. It was simply amazing how adaptable these humans were but the need to police their creations taxed the great beings to no end. Any laxity resulted in chaos and planet populations going off script. Off script meaning not for the greater good of the plan.

  The Gentes were a classic example of this type of aberrant behavior. Before the advent of strict controls on a world's scientific breakthroughs, the Gentes had developed at a pace far more rapid than anticipated. By the time they were checked ten thousand years later, they had not only developed star travel but had also colonized over twenty other worlds the Great Beings had not bothered with as they preferred to build new and not adjust other worlds, which were already capable of sustaining life. To make matters worse, the Gentes had developed energy state weapons that could even remove a Great being from the cosmos and dozens of creators had perished in an attempt to bring that errant race under control. They were forced to remove themselves from the engagement, much to their chagrin as nothing like this had ever happened before in untold millions of years. Their creation had gotten the best of them for now, and was not giving up its freedom.

  To say the beings had made peace with this race would be a flawed understatement. They were at war, even though that concept had no parallels in the thinking of the Great Beings, known as Creators. It simply was. Already, over three hundred of their worlds had been taken by the Gentes in the last one-one hundred thousandth of the galaxy's turning. The bad part was that the process seemed to be accelerating.

  Once a planet was taken from the Great Beings, they had no recourse but to leave it alone or suffer extinction as those systems were heavily fortified with defenses even the Great Beings could not penetrate. It was irritating yet acceptable for now as there will still millions of worlds under the control of their control in just this galaxy. This galaxy was a large place, but the Creators also reigned over other countless galaxies, each with millions of inhabited planets. Still, even though this would be considered less than the bite of a flea, the Gentes were an irritation that must eventually be stamped out. It was equally unfortunate that their ships were able to slip into pocket dimensions at will. A feat even the Great Beings could not perform. However, they were working on a solution to that problem. Only time would tell.

  Energy transferred and new probes were sent to orbit the planet. These were red and pulsed slowly. This was a failsafe against any incursion by the Gentes. If they arrived, the world would simply cease to exist. The Great Being was satisfied with its preparations and slowly moved onto the next star cluster where another project waited. He would check back in exactly three thousand years.

  *****

  Henricus Ketchum slowly surveyed the new solar system they had stumbled across through the small periscope protruding from the fabric of the pocket dimension they currently traveled. Even though their window into this universe was heavy with sensors, it was too small to show up to a casual scan by the Malum. As the Captain of the Odyssey, he was tasked both with intelligence gathering and planning for another takeover. He watched as one of the Malum, the only one in system, deployed destructor drones. Those were a bitch; hard to take out and could explode with a command from tens of thousands of light years away once the signal reached them. He decided not to risk any personnel on this mission, but only drones. The new AID's, or Artificial Intelligence Drones, were truly a marvel and capable of a wondrous variety of deeds and he would task them to their fullest on this mission. Besides, the inhabitants were a bit bloodthirsty. he knew this because he had already sent down a tiny probe. It was with this they learned the language of the inhabitants, the name they called their planet and the bloodthirsty nature of those same peoples.

  "Tell me Andros, what do you think of this situation?" Henricus inquired of his first officer.

  "Honestly?" asked Andros, in surprise at the question.

  "Honestly. Tell me what your gut is saying." Henricus had learned long ago to trust Andros's gut instincts. After almost two hundred years together on the same battleship, he found that his first only became sharper with age. While he did not think he could hold onto his first officer for much longer as new battleships were being commissioned all the time, he would still take advantage of the other's insights until that day Andros assumed his own command.

  The Gentes lifespan, while finite, was practically one thousand years with the new genetic manipulations and therapy. Henricus himself was just over four hundred years of age and who knew how long he would actually live, as he appeared to be in his early thirties. A rough guess from the scientists indicated perhaps an eventual lifespan of ten thousand years with increased biomedical advancements. Henricus was fine with that as his wife and children were back on Earth. He missed them terribly, even though this mission was for a short span of only twenty years. That he would be redeployed after six months of leave was a given but he looked forward to that and the challenges imposed. He still had access to them on a daily basis and even helped his children with daily life issues. He simply could not hold them in his arms. He sighed.

  "Alright. These on the world they call Paradise are heavy gravity humans. Their gravity is two and a half times greater than sols. Why the Malum made the world so heavy I have no clue but it's a departure from most of their usual terra-forming and seeding but we suspect they are attempting to develop worlds that can feed a split of the evil ones in one bite, instead of the normal five to ten worlds. I would surmise that somehow the soul is meatier on a heavy worlder? Really, I have no idea how all that works and our scientists barely do. Now as you know, we have a great many battles in play at this time, attempting to pacify worlds we have acquired from the evil ones. In all honesty, these of Paradise do not yet realize how lucky they are that we stumbled upon them, nor do they realize what it might be like to be harvested." Andros paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts, but Henricus waited patiently.

  The Malum, or Evil ones, needed these worlds. Everything was the nature of the universe to them, including the harvesting of souls of those planets they seeded. Souls are like food to these great creatures, or devils as Henricus considered them. Once they had a planet in play, they would harvest roughly every ten thousand years. The Malum always left enough behind to rebuild and came back at that interval for more harvesting of energies. The Gentes had narrowly escaped that fate. Even then, they lost four of their twenty worlds to these vile creatures before they could enact defenses. The only reason sixteen of their worlds survived is because the Malum only moved at light speed, thus it took them time to go from one planet to the next.

  The Gentes understood the Malum. The Malum were beings that existed since the dawn of creation and preyed upon the souls of the helpless in an orgy of feeding. They called it the universes natural way of life. However, it was not. It was an abomination. The Gentes knew of the soul, which was the primary food source of the Malum. Th
e Gentes had also researched and perfected their sciences in alternate universes and discovered a single one of those that was protected. If you went in, you never came out. Yet there was chatter, and feelings of contentment and love emanating from the other side, like an empathic signal. They could read it and listen to it, simply not enter if they wished to return. Closer examination upon deaths saw what was defined as souls, a tiny bit of beautiful energy, going to this dimension. The Gentes called it Heaven, but the Malum did not see it that way. They saw the soul as an energy source and simply something to consume and make them stronger. They did not even think of it as a soul as they had none, they thought of is as an internal food supply. Hence, their millennia long war with the Malum, because the Gentes quickly discovered that those souls, that energy the Malum consumed did not go to that special universe. They simply ceased to exist. Upon this realization the Gentes of those times made a pact with other peoples and races to see all Malum in this universe destroyed.

  "My point is that those of Paradise would make fantastic shock troops in pacifying the new worlds we have freed from the Malum. It would surely make our jobs easier if the inhabitants here were on board with our designs for a united galaxy and then universe. In all likelihood we could quadruple our seizures at a minimum and that pace would be accelerated as more of them were put to work."

  "Yes, but first we need them to unite under one leader. We've learned our lesson, which is why we are battling on something like a hundred and thirty three worlds," remarked Henricus.

  "Then send down the new AID's with specific instructions. We must find a leader amongst their people that is capable of uniting all of Paradise. I cannot stress the extent to which this planet would be an asset."

  "I agree and it will be done. We will stay on station for now and send out the drones, simply observing for now. Beware those red sentries of the Malum though. They will destroy this world if we are discovered."

  "I know. Cross your fingers."

  *****

  Chapter 1:

  Viceroy Gur looked up from his scrolls and paperwork as four guards entered. A typical royal entrance for his first advisor Jezol, who always remained under the guard's protection. Turnin could be an unhealthy place, full of crime, death and hunger, so guards were always best.

  "What is it, Jezol? " he inquired, as he pushed the parchment aside and waited patiently.

  "The offspring of the former regional potentate is still alive. We just received word from sources of this development."

  "You mean Richard the Strong's kid? How can this be? Who are these sources?"

  "Most of our informants are merchants that we give a premium to within our own city. Yes, Richard the Strong's daughter has been spotted in at least three cities now. The last being Ashton and I have no idea where she is now, but she is somewhere. The birthmark is quite distinctive as are the general features, hair, eyes and etcetera. So how can it be? We only assumed she died in the fire. But remember, we never did recover her body, we simply assumed it turned to ash."

  "Fair enough, what do you suggest? She is the only one that could challenge my rule, obviously she must be eliminated." The last sentence was said emphatically as Gur stared at Jezol with an angry expression on his face.

  "I suggest we send out teams to at least 8 cities that are nearby. She must be in one of them. She will be penniless and probably working as a servant in a kitchen somewhere. Or perhaps, in the fields as a gatherer, competing with slaves for sustenance."

  "I agree Jezol. Who do you suggest for the teams?"

  "I will use our spy guild initially. They are very good at this kind of subterfuge. They can blend in as merchants or warriors and put out the word for her. Once they locate her, I would use a quick reaction force of one hundred of our best men. They can be in and out quickly with minimal casualties and we'll dress them as Turnin's, that should throw those of Ashton off if they capture any or view the bodies. I would also suggest a bounty. Perhaps fifty gold crowns for her capture for thievery in your castle."

  "Why so little? I would think at least five thousand crowns initially," sputtered Gur.

  "Because, my liege, you cannot offer that much for a common free. If you did everyone would know she was important and then look for an advantage."

  "I see and yes, you are right. Okay, see that it is done," commanded Gur as he turned away. A slave girl had just entered with his afternoon repast of meats, cheeses and fruits along with a large mug of red wine and she was quite lovely with nice thick lips. "Begone Jezol, and see that it is done. Keep me informed." Turning to the girl, he remarked.

  "Set the plate down here, then crawl under the table and please me with those beautiful lips," he smirked. He settled down to eat as he read his daily scrolls and enjoyed both the plate of food, and the slave's lips upon his cock as she sucked him dry.

  *****

  "We have identified a strong leader in a city state called Turnin. He appears to be viable and capable of bringing the other city states to heel." The report came in from the drone and Henricus was perusing the contents of the upload. He then frowned as he continued to read through his neural implants. This man Gur was a sadist, with no respect for authority other than his own.

  "No, he is the antithesis of what we need. We need someone that is loved by their people, not scared of them. Find me a senior warrior of their culture that embodies all I programmed into you."

  "It will be done," said the mechanical voice as the connection severed.

  Henricus rubbed the short bristle of hair on his head in irritation. For something so advanced as to have human like intelligence and intuition, these drones really needed work. He vowed to have a little chat with the engineers when he returned to Earth.

  *****

  Chapter 2:

  Ivy quietly watched the interior of the inn through a window of the building facing the side alleyway, the other side having a small courtyard where paying guests could sit at their ease in the shade of the overhead awning. It seemed like a dumb idea to have a window actually facing into an alley, but in all likelihood the inn was built before the building next door arose. She crouched silently and waited for the innkeeper, a large burly man behind the desk in the back to use the bathroom. Currently he was poring over what appeared to be a ledger. Earlier, she had slipped a laxative into his drink by paying off a slave who delivered his meals, the same slave that gave her intimate details of his horde of gold. Although she had promised the girl an equal split, Ivy did not intend to honor that agreement. She knew the girl would say nothing as it would mean her death if she were to do so.

  It was early evening but late enough to be fully dark and the streets were crowded but not in this particular alley as it was a narrow avenue of travel with no outlet. Still, the windowpanes, cleaned daily, were clear which was surprising but she used this to her advantage after dragging a somewhat large crate before her to hide from anyone traveling along the main road. As her eyes roamed across the room from her perch at the corner of the pane, head barely raised enough to see inward, she smirked as she saw the innkeeper's slave giving a blowjob to what was obviously one of the guests, his trousers all the way down to his ankles and head thrown back in ecstasy. Ivy knew the slave was available free for the price of a room or full meal and her eyes watched them with mild fascination while paying attention to the girl's technique and nodding as she saw the girls hand stroking up and down the veined shaft of his penis with each rise and fall of her sucking mouth. The nod turned to one of approval as the girls hand began to rotate left and right on the shaft as it rose and fell. Faintly, she could hear sounds through the thin glass and the man was moaning and obviously close to orgasm.

  Looking over again, she saw the innkeeper glance at the pair with obvious irritation, then hitch his pants up, look towards the front entrance and disappear through the back door of the room to what Ivy already knew was the rear courtyard where the privy was placed. She wasted no time and rising quickly, walked out of the alley then open
ing the front door she quietly slipped inside unnoticed. She crouched low her gaze snapping to the couple as she heard his groans become louder. They were more intense and now accompanied by thick slurping sounds from the girl's mouth sucking harder, trying to force him to cum. Ivy smirked again as she saw the girl's mouth and hand go into overdrive as her efforts to please this nameless master intensified. A great shout rang out as the man came while Ivy was approaching the storeroom door and looking back again, she saw the master holding the slaves head down tightly over his groin, forcing himself all the way in her as he spewed his load down her throat. She paid no further attention to either the man or the slave who was now gagging and choking, her legs thrashing, when Ivy turned back to her objective.

  Ivy silently parted the curtain to the storeroom when she was sure the door to the back entrance remained securely closed. She knew she would have only moments to find the cache of horded coins the innkeeper kept stored away and the slave girl Ivy talked to indicated its secret location was somewhere within this room. Her well-muscled sensuous body slithered through the curtain sideways when no other guests were watching and with the grace of a panther, she started her search, her gleaming blonde hair swaying with the movements of her thin yet voluptuously gifted body with its large breasts and sturdy hips.

  Ivy was a thief. A good thief, as her ears remained without slits, although caught several times, or her neck supporting the weight of a collar. It was common practice to slit the ear of a thief so that both average citizens and the cities guard could more readily identify them in a large crowd. A second or repeat offense always earned a collar and was not a prospect she was willing to entertain. Ivy was also, arguably the most beautiful thief in all of Ashton and she was clever and lithe, able to squirm into the tiniest of spaces a child might not even fit, even with the large breasts that she often used to her advantage. Many a customer thought to purchase her services for the night, or hour, only for Ivy to slip a sedative into their drink to knock them out and relieve them of their coin purse on her way out.