by T. R. Harris
Drasic had indeed never heard of M-32. Upon researching the pyramid community, he found that all official settlements ended with M-28. The other four were secret locations that had been unknown to him until he had asked. Then all information was provided. He found it interesting there were secrets kept even from him, even if the secret was maintained by simple lack of disclosure than any overt attempt to mislead or misdirect.
As the flying craft neared M-32, the structure jutted up from a bleak, white landscape, resting atop a small hill, its steep, black pinnacle standing out as sharply as a brilliant light would in the dark of night. Its construction was of typical stacked design, its black blocks covered in a perpetual coating of snow. As a result, most windows were closed off, and no support settlements existed in the immediate vicinity.
Only forty-eight hundred Sol-Kor occupied the desolate pyramid, themselves providing support for the facility’s illegal activities. Drasic had researched this before coming. He had been unaware of the regulation; the Sol-Kor maintained a very thin book of rules and regulations. The race existed in a very narrow and efficient manner, and had for centuries without the need for new or extensive laws or guiding documents. Yet one had been written several thousand years ago, and survived to this day. Only the mutant would have had the capability of violating the regulation, and apparently he had.
Drasic was leery of the claims Panur made in his recording. Even if they were true, he still wasn’t sure what to do. In his frustration, he cursed the mutant for putting him in this position. In one way, having forces and events beyond his control was a simpler solution; he could not be held responsible for making the wrong decisions. Granted, the ultimate fate of the Sol-Kor would be tragic, yet it would play out over a long period. But if he chose to follow Panur’s path, the position of queen would be compromised, at least when it came to tradition, and it would be left to him to help guide the Council in the right direction.
He landed on a platform near the top of the windswept structure, the craft needing to be secured against the wind before he could be allowed to disembark. His face scales shivered as he rushed the short distance to the open doorway and into the warmth of the pyramid. There he was greeted by the Administrator, a Level-One intellectual named Kanos Limfor. The elder Sol-Kor seemed unashamed by his position. Drasic assumed he had to know the illegality of his actions, yet he began the tour with pride and confidence, having been reassured by Panur that if the existence of the facility were ever revealed it would be in a major crisis, one for which their work here would help overcome.
For his part, Drasic would withhold judgement, at least for the time being.
“I appreciate the tour, Kanos, but I would like to see the cell now.”
“Yes, of course, High Chancellor. I just thought you would appreciate the background into our research here, in preparation for the moment.”
“I have found the tour enlightening, Administrator, up to a point. You must realize I have not made a final determination in this matter.”
Kanos’ expression was one of surprise. “Did not Panur explain?”
“He did, in a recording.”
“A recording?”
“Yes, the mutant is no longer with the Colony.”
This news came as a shock to the Administrator. “He cannot be dead, that is impossible. What has happened?”
“He is on a sojourn, as far as anyone can tell. He may return to the Colony, as he has in the past, or not. In any event, we are on our own at this point.”
“I understand now, High Chancellor. And I understand how impossible this may be to believe. By all means, let us go to the cell.”
It took the small entourage ten minutes to reach the lowest levels of the pyramid, even below the visible base of the structure and deeper, into the very rock of the mountain on which M-32 rested.
The corridors were dark, dank, and moldy.
“There is very little need to come down here, so we don’t,” Kanos explained, noticing Drasic’s expression.
“Food, water?”
“Seldom needed, but supplied when requested.”
Drasic was about to ask a follow-up question when Kanos stopped at a huge metal doorway. He keyed in a security code and the massive door swung open. The High Chancellor was disappointed when this only led to another chamber, dimly lit, yet with a huge viewing window set at the opposite end with a pale yellow light flooding the security room.
The Sol-Kor officials approached the window.
To his amazement, what Drasic saw inside looked to be a small yet comfortable-looking living quarters, including a bed, toilet facilities, and a workstation, as well as a computer monitoring screen.
Drasic looked at Kanos. “A computer?”
“Yes, Panur insisted.”
A figure moved from the shadows near the bed and walked confidently up to the window.
Drasic was mildly shocked by what he saw. It wasn’t what he had expected.
It was an obviously female creature, yet with a thin layer of pale scales covering her face. As it was with the Sol-Kor, the scales on the exposed arms had long since evolved to near microscopic size, allowing for a smoother, softer look.
Drasic had seen the females of a thousand other species, the majority being very similar in look and size to the males, only with subtle differences. By contrast, Sol-Kor females didn’t resemble the males at all, being huge creatures that most outsiders would consider to be an entirely different species.
This thing could pass for a Sol-Kor male, yet with the same subtle, gender-specific differences that were found in other species...
The creature’s laughing eyes revealed her amusement at Drasic’s reaction.
“Not what you were expecting?” the creature said.
“You do not resemble traditional Sol-Kor females.”
“That is because I am not traditional, and I am not completely Sol-Kor either.”
“Yes, I understand Panur provided part of your genetic makeup.”
“As did your queen—while she was alive.”
Drasic tried to recover from his shock before the creature would notice, but it was too late.
“You’ve likely kept the news from being disseminated, but the only reason you would be here is in the event of her death,” explained the creature. “Although I have many abilities you have yet to discover, it didn’t take any exceptional deduction to come to that conclusion.”
Regaining his composure, the High Chancellor fought to keep the upper hand in the conversation. Too often in the past he had been utterly defeated by Panur whenever the two of them got into an argument or a differing of opinion. He wasn’t about to let the same thing happen with this abomination.
“Panur seems to believe you could help the Sol-Kor in our time of need. What do you think?”
“I think you should start accepting that I am also of the Sol-Kor, if only half. And I would appreciate if you would call me by my name. I am J’nae.”
“That is all very interesting, yet you still haven’t answered my question.”
“There is no need to play your games of power, High Chancellor Drasic Reol. Yes, I know who you are. I have access to the newsfeeds, as well as all the records of the Sol-Kor. It’s also how I’m aware that news of the Queen’s death has not been allowed to circulate. And now to answer your question: Yes, I can help. I was created for just such an event. Now it is time I be utilized.”
Drasic studied the small creature and shook his head. “I should have known this would not be workable, especially coming from Panur. How can you possibly take the place of our Beloved Queen? How can you produce the eggs necessary to maintain the Colony? Just looking at you I see that you would be incapable.”
“In the traditional manner, of course. Perhaps we should wait for Panur—”
“Panur will not be here.”
“Why is that? He has come for every other interview I have had.”
“You have had other interviews?”
“Y
es, with other High Chancellors, five to be exact.”
“Five…how old are you?”
“Just over six hundred standard years.”
Drasic was shocked. In his recording, Panur had not mentioned this.
“You said it yourself, part of my make-up came from Panur. I have inherited his powers of self-healing.”
Drasic shook his head again and turned to the Administrator. “This will not be feasible,” he said in desperation. “The change would be too drastic, and this…thing…is too alien.”
“Yet the survival of the race…?”
“We will find another way, a more Sol-Kor way.”
“There is no other way, you fool!” The voice booming from speakers on the wall reverberated throughout the security room. Drasic turned back to see J’nae standing only inches away from the glass. He stepped closer himself.
“You are an abomination, the product of a wild experiment by an insane mutant. Indeed, you are a mutant yourself. The Sol-Kor would never accept…this…as our new queen.”
“Then you will all die.”
Drasic was livid—and scared. For the past few days he had held out hope that the mutant Panur had actually found a solution to the crisis facing the Sol-Kor. Now he knew that was not to be. His race was on the edge of extinction, all one trillion of them, and the reality of it was becoming more than he could bear. He was trembling, sweat forming on his brow and flowing down his face along the lines of his gray scales.
He caught sight of the steely gaze from the mutant female on the other side of the glass. It held no sympathy for his plight. He shuddered even more. Those eyes were colder than space.
“You will release me, Drasic Reol. You will allow me free rein to save the Sol-Kor. It is your only option.”
“What?” He was barely listening, lost in his own thoughts.
“I said release me…now. Or I will do it myself.”
Kanos Limfor rushed away from the cell with his two attendants. Where are they going? He watched them as they ran for a panel set in the wall. They were opening it and reaching inside.
He was showered in flying glass—striking the bare skin of his face, peppering pinpoints of pain all across his left side. He instinctively ducked as larger pieces of glass fell on him. He was on his knees as a brilliant flash of light erupted from the other side of the room.
The High Chancellor remained on the floor, covering his head and face with his arms. There was movement all around him. He saw another flash, and heard screams.
As quickly as the turmoil erupted, it came to an end, and all was quiet. He risked opening his eyes and looked up. What he saw turned his blood to ice.
The mutant J’nae was looking down at him, out of her cell and in the security room, the fire in her eyes even more intense than before. He chanced a look away and spotted the twisted and torn bodies of Kanos Limfor and the others. One hand—severed from a body—still gripped a flash weapon.
“Stand up.”
On weak knees, Drasic obeyed. He stood before the mutant, his sight impaired by blood flowing into his left eye. He wiped it clean.
“I did not want to do this,” J’nae said. “All I wish is to save the Sol-Kor, my people, from extinction. You cannot comprehend, High Chancellor, but I have waited for over six hundred years to fulfill my destiny. I was bred for a reason, for this reason, and this reason only.”
“But…but how can you save us? You cannot produce young like our Queen, like the queens of the past.”
“Exactly. That is why I am so valuable.”
Drasic was no longer afraid. If he was to die, then let it happen here. He would find that preferable to watching his people wither and die off slowly, with no way to replace the fallen.
“Do what you will with me, but I will not cower before you,” he said.
“I do not expect you to cower. I expect you to assist me. I will need your help.”
Drasic shook his head. “How is it you expect to save the Sol-Kor? What is this illusion you are living with?”
“It is no illusion. Through me the race will experience a new direction, a rebirth. In the past we have been vulnerable to these very circumstances. I will now make it possible for the Sol-Kor to live on without that threat ever arising again.”
“Explain yourself.”
The mutant smiled. “Now that is a better attitude, High Chancellor. I shall explain. Within me, I have the ability to select the sex of my offspring. In addition, my children, if I desire, can reach maturity in as little as six years. I will save the Sol-Kor by breeding an entire generation of females, all capable of producing even more females. And since a quarter of Sol-Kor males are capable of producing sperm, there shall begin a new phase in Sol-Kor evolution, one based on the species continuing through millions, and then billions of unions, rather than all being produced from one source. Surely you can see the logic in such a future? It is how nearly all other species across the multiple universes have survived and continue to survive.”
“But that is not the Sol-Kor way. We…we need our Queen.”
“You shall still have a queen—in me. I will be the female who not only gives birth to this generation of Sol-Kor, but I will plant the seeds that will give birth to all generations to come.”
There were benches in the room, one on each side of the room. Drasic staggered over to the nearest and sat down. He wiped more blood from his face. There was so much to think about, so much information to absorb and to contemplate.
He regarded the bodies and then the broken security window in the cell. The mutant J’nae stood nearby, watching him.
“You are curious,” she said. “In your new queen you will not only have a superior intellect but a superior being all around. I am stronger and faster than all the Sol-Kor males. I cannot die, so our race will have guidance and leadership from now until the stars burn out. And where Panur was the leading mind of the Colony, that will now be me. You will no longer have to rely on him. All his great inventions and developments will continue…through me.”
J’nae came to stand in front of him. “Drasic Reol, you must realize that at this time the Sol-Kor are attempting to dominate minor portions of only a few universes, such a miniscule slice of existence that it does not even register. With my leadership there will be nothing to stop the Sol-Kor. Over time we will become even greater than before. We will become the dominant lifeform in the universe.”
“What of the Humans?”
“The Humans?”
“Yes, the creatures who killed my—our—Queen.”
J’nae smiled while nodding. “Yes, what of the Humans? Panur told me of them when last he visited. I got the impression he liked them, as one would a pet.”
“Those pets managed to enter our universe, infiltrate M-1, and assassinate the Queen and all her Zygotes. And following that, they have managed to escape Kor.”
The smile vanished from J’nae’s face. “This is indeed intriguing information. I shall have to investigate these Humans further. In the meantime, High Chancellor, it is your task to get us to M-1 and introduce me to our people. While you do that, I will see about these Humans. They will not be allowed to return to their universe. They must pay for their deeds.”
“We are getting closer to finding them. It is only a matter of time before they are either captured or killed.”
“Please have at least one of them survive, Drasic. I would welcome the opportunity to study their abilities.”
“Panur says not to underestimate the Humans.”
“You fear them?”
“I fear the results I have seen.”
J’nae smiled again. “Let me assuage your fears, High Chancellor. Bring me the Humans and I shall show you just how insignificant they are, as individuals and as a race.”
“As you wish…my Queen.”
Chapter 19
“The convoy’s slowing down. Looks like the portal array is dead ahead.”
“Very good, Mr. Anderson.” Adam felt an itch on
the back of neck. Over the past few hours beamships had been zipping in and out of the mass of the convoy, not following any particular course. The communications challenges had also grown more frequent and fervent. Adam had moved the stolen starship gradually toward the outer edge of the massive fleet, preparing to make a run for it if need be. Even if no hostiles approached, they were fast approaching the time when they would leave the fleet rather than follow it through the portal and into another foreign dimension.
A fight was coming.
“Units lining up for an approach, Captain,” Connors called out from the nav station. “They’re being subtle about it, but there’s definitely a noose tightening around us.”
“This was expected,” Adam announced to the bridge crew. With only eight men left in his team, they were all in the room, stern-faced and square-jawed.
“Any place we can hide once we break away, Mr. Connors?”
“Doesn’t look like it. There’s only one stellar system ahead of us—the one with the portal—and just open space around us for about four light-years in any direction.”
Riyad stepped up to Adam’s command chair and leaned in close. “Maybe we waited a little too long to make our getaway,” he whispered.
“When you’re surrounded by five thousand alien spaceships…when has there been a better time? And unfortunately, we’re in a clone of the rest of these ships, so we have no advantage there. I was hoping we could have delayed the inevitable until most of the fleet was through the portal and in another universe. That may not be the case now.”
“Hopefully the bulk of the fleet will have schedules to meet and won’t join in the pursuit,” Chief Foster offered.
“Mr. Johnson, how much of an initial thrust can we expect out of this piece of shit?”
“As we’ve experienced in battles back in the Milky Way, these ships aren’t true warships. They rely on their beams to subdue an enemy, so speed isn’t a necessity, and neither is powerful weapons. We’ll crawl out of here at barely twenty light.”
“Movement, sir,” Connors reported. “They’re circling around in front of us.”
