In the meantime Jared Kenyata, who had been chosen to rush the Ra ‘Na cleric to the meeting, bent to whisper in Blue’s ear. The historian nodded, whispered something in return, and turned back to the meeting. Sister Andromeda was in the process of wrapping up a long, mostly self-serving string of lies, and he couldn’t wait for her to finish. Here, at this meeting, history could be made. But only if the right information was made available at the right time . . . something that shouldn’t be left to chance.
Franklin was going to wind up as the coalition’s leader, there wasn’t much doubt about that, especially given the fact that Rul, Smith, and he had already committed themselves to the politician’s candidacy. Now, assuming that just one of the others did likewise, the question of leadership would be settled. So, looking ahead, what Franklin needed was a rallying point, something upon which everyone could agree, and Blue had it, or thought he did. The introduction of Med Tech Shu and the birth catalyst had set the table . . . now to serve the meal.
“And so,” Sister Andromeda said with what she hoped was the right amount of dramatic flair, “I wish to nominate Alexander Franklin to be the leader of our coalition!”
There was polite applause as Blue, Smith, and Dro Rul indicated their approval, and Storm joined in.
“I second Sister Andromeda’s nomination,” Blue said, “and move that we solicit other nominations.”
At that point the only other individual likely to make an alternative nomination was Doo-Nol, who, having been humiliated at the hands of slaves, no longer took the process seriously. So, with no other nominations to consider, Blue called for a voice vote and got one. “All those in favor of Alexander Franklin as president pro tem, subject to the laws of the United States of America and to the will of the people as made known through the will of their duly elected representatives, please say ‘aye.’ ”
Dro Rul could have made an objection, could have pointed out that he and his people weren’t citizens of the United States of America, but chose not to. There was a ragged chorus of “ayes,” followed by light applause.
Franklin, for whom power had long been something akin to a social aphrodisiac, waited for the rush. It never came. Not after so many deaths, not against such incredible odds, not without Jina at his side.
Blue watched the politician’s face, understood what he saw there, and felt a sense of rightness. Franklin had grown a great deal over the last few months. Who knew? Maybe the bastard could pull it off. The historian waited for the applause to fade and was quick to seize the moment. A leader had been chosen now for the focus. “If I could have your attention for a moment . . . Some of you know Pas Pol, the first being to discover the truth about the Sauron reproductive cycle and presently working with what Jared Kenyata refers to as the ‘skunk works.’ An intelligence organization dedicated to intercepting, translating, and analyzing Sauron communications. It seems there has been a rather interesting development, one which has relevance to earlier discussions and might suggest an area of focus. Fra Pol?”
Though not especially thrilled about the manner in which he had been rousted out of a warm bed, plopped onto the back of something Kenyata referred to as a dirt bike, and subjected to a fur-raising ride through the backwoods, only to be unceremoniously dumped next to a primitive road and forced to march through a swamp, the Ra ‘Na understood the importance of the part he was about to play.
What he didn’t understand, but was about to learn, was that Med Tech Shu was not only present, but standing in a shadow not fifty feet away. The diminutive Ra ‘Na stepped out into a pool of light, heard someone gasp, and staggered as Shu charged out of the darkness. She threw her arms around the cleric, knocked him off his feet, and fell on top of him.
There was a moment of confusion as Manning stepped in to help both individuals to their feet. Shu, thoroughly embarrassed by the scene she had caused, backed away, while Pol was lifted up onto the plywood table. Dro Rul cocked one ear forward in a sign of bemusement. “I’m sure we’re all glad to see Fra Pol—but suggest that we defer further demonstrations of affection until after his presentation.”
Confused and embarrassed, Pol stood frozen at the center of the table. Rul attempted to ease the way. “So, Fra Pol, tell us about your efforts to intercept Sauron communications.”
Pol’s robe had worked its way upward during the fracas, and he pulled it down. “Yes, eminence . . . Working with others, such as friend Jared, I sought to intercept messages that would help the resistance counter the Saurons.
“There have been numerous successes, but one of the most notable took place not sixteen hours ago. Thanks to a series of intercepted transmissions, we learned that a site near a place called Anacortes has been selected for some sort of new installation.
“The supplies being off-loaded there include tanks, pipes, and a large quantity of chemicals. We also know that some slaves will be sent there, along with contingents of Fon and Kan.”
“A factory,” Storm said thoughtfully. “The bastards plan to build a factory and spew even more pollution into the Great Mother’s bloodstream.”
“Not just any factory,” Deac Smith said feelingly, “but, given the type of materials mentioned, it sounds like a facility similar to what Med Tech Shu described earlier.”
“Yes,” Franklin agreed soberly. “A place where they can manufacture birth catalyst not thirty miles from the citadel itself.”
“Not if we stop them,” Blue put in. “This is the chance we’ve been waiting for, the opportunity upon which all of our efforts should be focused. Destroy the factory and we destroy them.”
“Yes, but not too quickly,” Andromeda put in. “The clock continues to tick. If we interfere too early, too effectively, the Saurons will build the plant somewhere else. A place we don’t know about or can’t reach.”
“That’s an important point,” Dro Rul added. “Knowing the Saurons as I do, I can assure you that my people will be ordered to repair the orbital facility.”
“Then order them to sabotage it,” Franklin said grimly, “or prepare to die.”
“I will,” Rul responded, “but the odds are against us.”
There was a long moment of silence which Cyan, silent until then, finally broke. “But what about what Doo-Nol said? If there are more citadels, ones we don’t know about, there could be more catalyst factories as well.”
Blue nodded. “Perhaps there are . . . But the fact that they plan to build a new plant at Anacortes, along with the fact that the skunk works team hasn’t picked up anything else, would seem to argue against it. After all, why construct a new facility if you can simply increase production at the ones you already have? Still, we should attempt to confirm my hypothesis, lest the bugs hand us another surprise.”
“What about the other citadel?” Storm asked. “What can we do about it?”
“Very little,” Franklin answered. “Until such time as we can deal with the one on Hell Hill. In the meantime, perhaps Doo-Nol can be convinced to share whatever he knows.”
“I’d be glad to have a little chat with him,” Storm offered grimly, “since we’re such good buddies and all.”
That drew a laugh, and Franklin smiled. “Your offer has been duly noted. However, odds are that the very possibility of such a conversation will be sufficient to loosen Doo-Nol’s tongue and get us what we need to know.
“In the meantime we need to wrap this session up, get the hell out of here, and prepare to fight. Because meetings like this one are extremely hazardous, Jared Kenyata, Fra Pol, and the other members of the skunk team will devise methods to solicit your views and keep you informed. In the meantime, remember this . . . As Lincoln once said, ‘United we stand . . . divided we fall.’ The future depends on you.”
Outside, beyond the metal walls, the Cascade Mountains rose black against the pink dawn, and a new day began.
ABOARD THE SAURON DREADNOUGHT HOK NOR AH
Willy had never been on a spaceship before. Hell, truth be told, Willy had never been
outside of LA before, except for the trip to Oregon when he was twelve, and that was a long time ago.
So, when the bug named Cam-Hoh ordered him to leave the shuttle, Willy, who no longer feared death, not after surviving so many things he shouldn’t have, was happy to comply. He was in a spaceship! Damn! Who woulda believed it?
The girl named Angela sat one seat away, arms wrapped around bony knees, rocking back and forth. She was singing, or moaning, it wasn’t clear which. Willy jerked her leash. The six-foot-long strap ended in a chromed choke chain. She struggled to breathe as the noose tightened around her throat. Grubby fingers worked to pull it loose. Willy tugged again. “Come on, bitch . . . it’s time to get off this tub and take a look around. Get your butt in gear before the bugs break out the whips.”
Angela pulled some slack into the choke chain and managed to stand. Her eyes were red, her nose ran 24/7, and her muscles liked to quiver.
Willy felt nothing but contempt for her. Angela was weak, Angela was stupid, and Angela had been put on Earth to use.
She was pretty, or had been, and still knew how to work it. Her father would have recognized the pout had he been there to see it. “Please, Willy, please? Just one line? I’ll give you a blow job—whaddya say?”
The bug named Cam-Hoh clacked his pincers impatiently, and Willy jerked on the leash. “What do I say? I say hell no! Are you crazy? We’re on a fucking spaceship for Christ’s sake. This ain’t no place for a blow job. Now come on before Mr. Hoh has a fucking heart attack. Jesus H. Christ, but you are one stupid fucking bitch.”
With both hands on the choke chain, fighting to maintain some slack, Angela allowed herself to be pulled along, only peripherally aware of her surroundings. Only one thing mattered, and that was the white powder in the purple fanny pack belted around Willy’s waist. For that powder, and the state it could induce, Angela would do anything.
Half a mile away, in a distant part of the ship, a pair of beings floated side by side. One, no less a being than Hak-Bin himself, was preoccupied by the fact that the nymph he thought of as “the little one” had been rather restless of late, something that caused a great deal of pain. Add the considerable demands of his office, the fact that things were not going particularly well, and there was little to take pleasure in.
Dro Tog, now honored by a position at the Sauron’s side, fervently wished he were somewhere else. Especially given the fact that Hak-Bin had been increasingly irritable of late, had frequent bouts of flatulence, and smelled like rotting garbage.
But it was his own fault, the prelate knew that, and cursed his own ambitious heart. Rather than the responsibility-free sinecure that the Ra ‘Na had originally imagined, it turned out that the position of Grand Vizier entailed actual work and the need to produce results. Not every day, thanks be to the Great One, but with a certain amount of frequency.
Like most of Tog’s better ideas, this one had not originated with him but with one of his subordinates, a rather useful operative named Dio. It had been Dio who, in his capacity of technical adviser, happened to be present when a Kan raiding party stumbled across a colony of human addicts hiding in the ruins of Los Angeles and had the sense to grasp their potential.
Later, in a brilliantly written thesis titled “A program of chemical incentives,” Dio had described a plan by which the subslave race could be motivated to willingly, even joyfully, bear the burdens for which they were so clearly intended.
Yes, the title was rather lengthy, but useful nonetheless, since it provided Tog with nearly everything he needed to know without the tedious necessity of actually reading the report, something the prelate was reluctant to do. Especially if doing so would interfere with his afternoon nap. Now, as the critical moment approached, Tog wondered if it had been wise to put so much trust in Dio’s summary and whether there was anything else that he should know.
But the lock opened, a pair of humans tumbled into the compartment, and it was too late for additional research. All the Ra ‘Na could do was try to appear confident and hope for the best.
Willy, who had never experienced zero-gee conditions before, and had not been warned to expect them, felt the leash jerk tight as Angela performed an unintentional somersault, slammed into a metal bulkhead, and struggled to right herself.
It took the better part of five minutes for the humans to discover that minimal movements worked best and position themselves in front of the ominous-looking Sauron. Angela, for whom the whole thing was more than a little surreal, wrinkled her nose. “Jeez . . . who cut the cheese? This place stinks!”
Willy, grateful that the addict had not been equipped with a translator, told her to “shut the fuck up,” produced the same shit-eating grin that had worked on Miss Cooper in the seventh grade, and eyed the strange-looking twosome that floated in front of him. The black motherfucker was in charge, no doubt about that, and the furry fuck was number two. “Hi! My name is Willy. Which one of you studs goes by the handle of Tog?”
“My name is Tog,” the Ra ‘Na said with every bit of dignity he could muster. “Grand Vizier Tog.”
Willy, who had no idea what a Grand Vizier was, said, “Cool. Okay, this is Angela. She’s a cokehead.”
“A cokehead?” Hak-Bin inquired. “What does that mean?”
“It means she has a Jones for coke. You know, cocaine, crack, snow, flake, or blow. She loves the stuff and can’t function without it. So, if you want cooperative slaves, and the Dio dude told me that you do, then feed ’em coke.”
It sounded good, like the very thing that could solve some of his problems, but Hak-Bin had been lied to before. “Claims are one thing . . . but reality speaks for itself. Look at your cokehead. She twitches like a being possessed. I need slaves who can work—not creatures such as this.”
Ironically, the nymph chose that particular moment to stretch, and it was Hak-Bin rather than Angela who produced an involuntary twitch. Willy continued his pitch. “Angela is a bit strung out,” the dealer admitted cheerfully, “but that’s without her blow. Give her what she wants, what she needs, and everything will be different. Watch this.”
So saying, Willy withdrew a packet of cocaine from the pouch at his waist. The dose was already sealed in plastic, which meant that by inserting one of the thin red cocktail straws that the dealer often provided to customers, and by sealing the opening with a rubber band, the pusher created a zero-gee delivery system.
Thankful that the pain had started to fade, Hak-Bin watched in fascination as the very sight of the packet seemed to fill the previously despondent addict with newfound vitality. She literally begged. “Please, Willy, please. I’ll do anything you want.”
“Sure,” the dealer said soothingly, “here take this. You’ll feel better soon.”
Oblivious to the aliens who were watching her, Angela took the rig with shaking hands, stuck the straw up her nose, and made a loud snorting sound.
Willy, who took pride in his knowledge of the products he sold, supplied the narration. “The short-term effects will appear in a matter of minutes . . . and last for minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts, say a hundred milligrams or so, the customer feels alert, energetic, and talkative. Then, assuming they receive the correct dose, many people can perform simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly—which enables them to get by on less sleep.”
And indeed, even as Willy spoke, Hak-Bin saw a look of pleasure steal across Angela’s face. Her eyelids fluttered, her color improved, and energy seemed to seep under her skin. Then, as if reborn, she smiled and took a look around. “Jeez, Willy, where the hell are we?”
The Sauron was convinced. Here, at the tip of his pincers, was the solution for most of his problems. Once addicted, the slaves would not only do whatever they were told, they would do it better, faster, and with less rest. “Grand Vizier Tog, I am most impressed. I really must congratulate you on bringing this substance to light.”
Tog had seen others promise more than they could deliver and ultimately pay the pric
e. He felt a sudden stab of fear. Had he taken the time to read the entire report, he would have been better positioned to gauge the veracity of the human’s claims. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, eminence. This, ah, medication does show promise. Nothing is perfect, however—as slave Willy will attest.”
The statement was a complete shot in the dark, an assumption based on Tog’s lifelong experience, but soon paid off.
Willy shrugged. “Sure. Users can experience mood swings, bouts of paranoia, and weight loss, but who gives a shit? We’re talking about slaves here.”
Hak-Bin was familiar with the cramps by then and knew when they were coming. He waved a pincer. “Slave Willy is correct. The trade-offs are acceptable. The proposal is hereby accepted. The audience is over.”
The Sauron waited for the lesser beings to leave, felt the cramps begin, and soon wished he were dead.
NEAR THE MAYAN RUINS OF NAKABE, GUATEMALA
Dr. Maria Sanchez-Jones felt a momentary sense of relief as the heavy metal door closed and the resulting thud reverberated down the temple’s long narrow hallway.
Having been a member of the day shift, and never having been inside the temple at night, Jones was unprepared for how spooky the inside of it could be. What light there was emanated from a lichenlike life form that Ra ‘Na technicians had sprayed onto the walls. It provided a green luminescent glow. How long would it be until the alien life form found its way outside the walls? And to what effect? Would other indigenous species be forced to fight for their lives as well?
But there was no time for ecological considerations, not with a horde of homicidal Kan warriors to worry about, so Jones waved her companion forward. “Come on! The bugs will come through that door any minute now—and I want to be somewhere else.”
Blackley followed. “But what about their promise? Dun-Dar said any slave who made it inside would go free.”
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