by Shawn Jones
“We have to install H’uum as their Supreme, Kimberly. If we don’t, this war will last a lot longer. Give me some extra time tomorrow. I’ll give my orders and turn things over to JJ and Lex for a while.”
“Promise me you will step down for a while,” Kim demanded.
“If you give me one hour tomorrow, I will take one full week off afterwards. I won’t even use my comm system. After that, no more than two hours a day until the docs release me. Is that good enough?”
Kim looked at Lex and said, “You get one hour tomorrow. After that, I want his comm taken offline for a full week, Lex. Everything goes through me. Are we on the same page?”
“Yes ma’am. We are clear.”
Cort said, “I want H’uum and Heroc here with Admiral Jones at 0900. The H’uumans, the other H’uumans, are to be given full military respects and treated as dignitaries. If the meeting goes well, offer them our temporary retreat on the isthmus to watch the migrations.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Lex, I mean it. If a single Marine shows even the slightest disrespect to anyone in their party, he or she will answer to me. So be careful who you assign to their details.”
“I will, sir.”
Kim said, “Now get out before I change my mind about all this.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Lex stepped over to Kim’s side of the room and reached down to the baby’s tiny hand. As it squeezed his finger, he said, “You two made a good looking kid, sir.”
“Thanks, Lex. I can’t wait to see him.”
“Just a few more days, baby, and you can hold him.”
Eleven
Bergh Station
Lex made good on his word. When H’uum and Heroc arrived on Solitude, they were treated like the heads of state they were. The only thing missing was Cort. Kimberly and the baby met them, with Lex representing the Marines, Admiral Jones there for the Navy, and Dar Sike representing the Federation as a whole.
After greetings and formalities were completed, the two visitors were taken to Cort. He said, “I am sorry I cannot stand to greet you properly, Planetary Supreme H’uum. Our last battle with the Cuplans was more intense than was expected.”
“Am I to understand we have found a way to resist you, then, General?”
“No, H’uum. We just stumbled upon a Cuplan invasion force. Let’s back up though. Has Heroc told you of our plan?”
“Yes. Queen Heroc says it is your intention to capture all of our queens and to install me as the Empire Supreme.”
“Not exactly, H’uum,” Cort said. “You are already the Empire Supreme. Your planet is the only planet in your empire, but you are the Supreme, nonetheless.”
“That will change the moment any primary asserts throughout the Cuplan Empire, General.”
“We have all of the Cuplan queens as well.” Cort turned a display around to show H’uum images of the colony ships in orbit around and then the queens on those ships.
“You probably don’t recognize the planet, but it is the one I have ceded to you.” Cort chose his words very carefully as he spoke to H’uum. The insectoid had to be confident that he wasn’t a puppet to the Ares Federation. “You may have the captured queens for your empire, H’uum, but you must sign the treaties we require of you.”
“As I have made clear before, General Addison, I do not have the authority to enter into a treaty on behalf of the Cuplans.”
“You don’t understand, H’uum. The Cuplans no longer exist. There are fewer than a thousand Cuplan planets remaining, Many of them are young in their development and have less than a million inhabitants. Only thirteen of the remaining worlds are from the original, pre-expansion, empire. All told, there are twenty-three billion former Cuplans still alive. None of them are primaries or queens. Not a single one, H’uum.”
The tall insect turned to Heroc and looked at her quizzically. “My Queen, do you know if this is true? Are there so few of our people left?”
Still unable to see, Cort turned his head to what he thought was the sound of Heroc’s voice as she said, “They were Cupla’s people. Our people are on our planet, Supreme H’uum.” In reality, Cort’s face was turned toward a blank wall.
“I understand, my Queen.”
The humans didn’t understand what had just transpired, but H’uum did. He turned back to Cort and said, “I accept the queens, General. What of the remaining Cuplans?”
“Do you want them for your empire, H’uum?”
“I cannot support so many. According to our estimates, the planet is capable of supporting eleven billion, uh, H’uumans.”
Cort said, “Yes, we are taken aback by the irony of your people’s name as well, H’uum.”
“I cannot take so many people. A billion perhaps. Maybe even two if you were to offer material support to us, General. But I cannot take in over twenty billion more. Will you cede us another planet?”
“I’m sorry, H’uum. Until you prove that you are no longer a threat to the Collaborative, I can’t allow that. You, of all your people, being on Government World for so long, know that other species have held lotteries to decide who will live and who will die. The Cuplans will have to do the same.”
“I see.”
“We have records from Cupla Prime. I would suggest you go through them and select specialists and other people who can help you build your new society. The remaining slots you should fill by lottery, and make sure you take a higher ratio of the young. I’m not ordering you to do so, H’uum. I am just suggesting it.”
“How will you dispose of the remaining billions?”
“That hasn’t been decided yet. And it won’t be until the treaty between our peoples is signed.”
“What are your terms, General?”
“They are virtually identical to what you are already subject to, with just three notable changes. One, you will provide the Ares Federation with access to all of your technology. Two, you have to claim your place as the former empire’s leader. That will keep the peace until everything is settled. Three, you have to turn your back on the remaining Cuplans if they resist. At some point moving forward, you may be allowed a place in the Collaborative, and the Blatterians may even want some sort of reunification with you, but it will be on our terms, not yours. You may not leave your planet without the permission of the Ares Federation. You may not leave your atmosphere.”
“I understand.” H’uum turned to Heroc and asked, “Do you have any input, my Queen?”
“Supreme, as long as we have queens, we are alive. You must do whatever is necessary to preserve our species.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
--
“I am Empire Supreme H’uum. I asserted to the Vagabond Queen Heroc seven cycles ago. This dawn I was informed by the military leader of the Collaboration, that I am the last planetary Supreme of our species. I have since asserted to four queens captured and returned to us by the Ares Federation, and now claim my right as H’uuman Empire Supreme. All empire planets are to notify me of their status within one sun. So say I, Empire Supreme H’uum.”
Heroc looked at H’uum as he spoke. When he was finished, she took the comm and said, “I am the Vagabond Queen Heroc. H’uum asserted to me seven cycles ago. He has been my planetary since that time. This day, I have seen him assert to four more queens, and accept him as leader of the H’uuman Empire.”
Heroc handed the comm to another queen, who then clicked and chirped, sending a similar message across the remains of the fallen empire, before handing it off to yet another of the queens H’uum had asserted to.
Kimberly watched the ceremony from beside Cort’s bed, and leaned over him, grabbing his groin. “Don’t even think about it. I am your only queen,” she whispered.
After the comms were broken, H’uum and his four new queens were taken on a tour of Bergh Station by Heroc, who had spent many days there getting to know Kimberly. She explained the various creatures and plants to the best of her ability, answering the others’ questions about both the lower s
pecies of the planet, and the humans who had taken their previous empire.
--
Kimberly took the General’s comm a few minutes after the ceremony ended. She knew that Cort wouldn’t be able to remove himself from daily updates or some sort of work unless she took his ability to communicate with others away. Rather than tempt him with time restrictions, she took his normal comm away completely. The temporary comm she replaced it with was only able to communicate with her and the medical team. They also knew the limits she had placed on him and would not betray her trust.
It was two more days before Cort’s synthetics turned their attention to his less critical injuries. His internal organs were nearly healed, and he was processing food correctly, so more of his energy was available to repair the rest of his body. First his hearing was restored, and soon after, his sight began to return.
His first clear sight was waking up to see Kimberly feeding their son. Her left breast was bare, the edges of its areola barely visible around the hidden teat that gave the baby nourishment. Cort smiled a little, painfully. The action somehow alerted the wolves, causing all three of them to look at him. Kim followed their gaze, still not understanding that Cort could see her until she too, realized he was smiling.
“You are beautiful,” he said. “I wish I could have a picture of the two of you right now.”
The baby’s suckling stopped at the sound of Cort’s voice, and he detached, exposing the rest of Kim’s breast to Cort’s eyes, before the little one turned his head inward again and snuggled against the softness and warmth of his mother’s body.
“Your daddy can finally see you, little one,” Kimberly said to the infant. “I think he is proud.”
“Bring him to me. Put him in my arm.”
Kim stood and walked to Cort’s side, leaning over him to place their son in the crook of his good arm. When she did so, Cort leaned down and gently kissed the top of the boy’s head, then shifted to look at his son’s face for the first time. “He’s as hairy as I am.”
“I know. The docs were surprised. They had never seen a human baby with hair. I guess that hasn’t happened since a few generations after the Cull. He was also big, even though he was premature.” Kim remembered the day in System 322. “I was so scared, baby. Bane wouldn’t leave you though. He even bit Lex.”
The wolf had been watching the scene unfold between its alphas and their pup. When he heard his own name, Bane stood and walked to Cort’s other side. Without the negative pressure framework in place, the oversized wolf was able to rest his head on the man’s chest. Cort couldn’t pet the animal, but he did turn his head to the other side and nuzzled him momentarily before turning back to the baby. Bane accepted the touch and returned to his place with the other two wolves.
“I never opened the safe, baby.”
“Why not?”
“I wouldn’t accept that you were gone until I saw your body.”
Cort longed to hold her hand, but his usable arm was wrapped around his new son. He settled for giving her a long smile. “Say, what day is it?” he asked.
“Here? March thirteenth. Friday. Why?”
“The day I first saw him is the day he was actually due.”
“What will you name him?” Kimberly smiled. It had long been a tradition in her family, that the father of the child named his offspring after holding him or her for the first time. Kim had been terrified that the task would fall to Dar if Cort really had perished at 322.
“Dalek.”
“Dalek. What does it mean?”
“Lots of things. But for us it is an old Czech name. It means ‘from a distant battle’. Of course people from my time would think of an old science fiction show.”
“Dalek really was born from a distant battle, if you think about it,” Kimberly said.
--
Late the next night, Cort finally talked Kim into giving him a mirror. She had been avoiding letting him see himself since his sight returned, and what he saw was frightening. His face was different, even when he considered the swelling that was still prominent. “My face has changed.”
Kim hesitantly said, “I know, baby. You will look a little different now.”
“Why?” Cort asked as he studied his new face. He couldn’t be certain because of the lingering damage, but he thought he cheekbones were narrower, and something wasn’t right about the shape of his chin.
“Your synthetics had started healing you before Bane found you.” Kim looked at the dire wolf with something akin to gratitude before adding, “At the time, your face had been smashed by the Alamo shockwave. They did their best, but your bone structure suffered for it.”
“So it’s like Wynn’s accident. He was in that cave too long before someone found him, so his spine healed in the shape it was bent.”
“Exactly. It will be okay though, Cort. I’ve see the models of what your face will look like now. You will still be handsome. And you will be younger looking. Maybe people will quit thinking you are my father,” Kim smiled. It was a weak one, but it was sincere.
“Who thinks that?” Cort feigned shock to lighten the mood. Kim was upset, and he didn’t want to add to it, so he said, “Don’t worry, baby. It will just be another scar. It’s no different than the external ones.”
Kim smiled again. “Cort, I am just glad you are okay. You could look like a monkey and I would still be thankful. I was just worried you would be unhappy.”
“So what else do I need to know about my condition?”
“More of your scars are gone. The long one on your leg and what was left of the one on your right arm are completely gone. You can see the one on your face is already smaller. Really, only the ones on your back are still prominent, because you were on your back when you hit the ground. They were more protected. The one on your chest, from the sword, is much less visible.”
Cort thought about Kim’s words before speaking. “More old friends lost, I suppose.”
“You said something like that to me after the attack on Mars. About them being a roadmap to your past.”
“Yeah, that’s how I have always thought of them. Some of them were tied to old comrades, too. When I saw them, I thought of lost friends. The friends who were with me when I got them. The one on my arm was from the fight when I found Sköll. That bastard pulled a Bowie knife on me.”
“What’s a Bowie knife?” Kim asked.
“Just a big knife. Back then a lot of guys thought they were the thing. Mostly idiots, though. Unless you are going to fight a grizzly, a smaller knife is smarter. You know that.”
“He got you with it, though,” Kim jibed.
“He was eaten by the remaining wolves that day.”
“Touché.”
--
The week went both too slowly, and too quickly, for Cort. He needed to be monitoring what was going on with the H’uuman empire, and Kimberly wouldn’t even answer basic questions. On the other hand, his bonding time with Dalek was much too brief.
It was the third day of the week before Cort could use his other arm, and the fifth day before he could begin walking again. Thanks to the biosynthetics, his physical therapy was more about making sure everything worked properly, than strength or endurance.
On day seven, Kimberly found him at lunch time, walking toward her office at Bergh Station. One arm was curled around Dalek, and Cort was wearing the small backpack that usually contained their lunch when they picnicked. Bane and Zandra were with Cort, and Coke left her side immediately to greet the other wolves. Kimberly smiled and said, “This is a nice surprise.”
“It’s the first day I really felt up to getting out and about,” Cort said as he handed the little boy off to Kimberly and kissed her. “Ready for lunch?”
“Really? You aren’t just here to get your comm back?” Kim said as she played with Dalek’s nose.
Cort looked at the two of them, Kimberly greeting their son, Dalek not quite able to smile at her, but clearly content and happy to be back in his mother’s arms
. “Is there anything going on that I need to know about?”
“No. I would tell you if there was. I know you are ready to get back into the thick of it. But things are fine. H’uum is consolidating his power. He has mated a few dozen more queens, so there is no chance of anyone being able to question his authority. There are a couple of planets refusing to recognize him, but JJ is watching them closely.”
“Then keep the comm for another week. I will probably start working out again, but I can do that without being connected. I have already lost too much bonding time with him.” Cort pointed at their son. “I need to catch up some. So I’ll play Mr. Mom for a while longer.”
“Mr. Mom?” Kim asked.
