Nemesis 1: Revenge Is Best Served Hot

by Saxon Andrew

Grant looked at Cinny and smiled, “I want to feel the water on my body. Come on.” Grant touched his ear, “Ana, we’re going to take off our armor and go swimming.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “It’s safe. All the dangerous life forms have been removed.”

  “I still don’t think you should remove your armor.”

  “Ana, you’re worrying for no reason. We’ll put it back on as soon as we finish. Relax.”

  “But…”

  Grant took off his helmet and turned off the power. Cinny said, “She’s yelling for us not to do it.”

  “Tell her that we’re in command and we’ll be careful.”

  “She says one of us should keep it on.”

  Grant picked up his helmet and powered it on, “Ana, what’s so important about us keeping our armor on. Have you not told us something?”

  “No, no, it’s just safer.”

  “Then relax. It’s perfectly safe and I’ve been in this suit for too long. I need a short break.”

  Cinny looked at Grant and saw something was going on. She wasn’t going to take off her armor but now she wanted to know why he was so adamant. “Ana, we’ve done much more dangerous things and you’ve never said a word. Why are you acting like this?”

  “I just worry about you.”

  “You didn’t say anything during the attacks.”

  There was a pause and they heard, “Just be careful.”

  “We will. We’ll contact you as soon as we leave the water.”

  Cinny began undressing and saw Grant without any clothes. She smiled, “You’re pretty good looking.”

  Grant watched her undress and smiled as well, “Look who’s talking. Let’s get in the water.”

  They walked out in the water and it was cool against their skin. Grant began swimming and Cinny followed him. After about fifty yards, Cinny said, “Why were you so adamant about taking off your armor?”

  “This is the only way I can talk with you without Ana listening in.” Grant looked back at the shore and said, “We need to talk about this quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if she jumped here and used her scanners to listen in.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Something’s not right, Cinny.”

  “I didn’t think you noticed.”

  “Noticed what?”

  “You tell me what you’re talking about.”

  “Do you remember when Ana said that the ones who created the Spiders didn’t know what they had done?” Cinny’s eyes narrowed and then went wide. Grant nodded, “Now you see it.”

  “There’s something else, Grant.”

  “What is that?”

  “During the first battle with the Raider ships at the planet where they nuked the city, I took my hand off the controller and lifted my feet off the floor.”

  “And?”

  “Whippet was still able to fire the missiles using the advanced technology. It was dependent on one of us touching the ship.”

  Grant nodded and said, “If she’s coming, she’s here. Nothing more about this for the moment.”

  “But…”

  Grant shook his head and said, “I’ve forgotten how good this feels. We’ve got to do this more often.”

  Cinny’s eyes were troubled but she forced a smile, “I agree. This will be a reward for us.”

  • • •

  Ana arrived over the planet and activated the Nemesis’ scanners. She found the lagoon and focused on the two shapes in the water and heard, “But…”

  “I’ve forgotten how good this feels.” She continued to focus on them and wondered what Cinny had said ‘but’ to. But their conversation was normal and she jumped away when they walked out of the water and began putting their armor on. She didn’t want to be detected by their scooters if they connected to them.

  Grant walked over to his scooter and sat on it to dry off. Cinny walked over and Grant thought she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. She stood beside him and watched him turn the dial on the scooter’s scanner, which Grant had left active. She saw a blip appear showing a ship above the planet. He looked at her and saw her nod slightly. They put on their armor and spent the rest of the day with Iggy and Slick.

  • • •

  The next day, Grant walked on the bridge and saw Cinny and Whippet staring at their monitors. Cinny looked up at him as he said, “Ana, plot a course to the Choten-Zan monastery.”

  “Why would you want to go back there?”

  Grant’s eyes narrowed, “Ana, are we in command of you or are you free to do whatever you want?”

  There was a pause and Ana said, “You are in command.”

  “You’ve started challenging everything I want to do from swimming to going places. My scooter’s scanner showed that you came to this planet while we were swimming. Just who are you working for?”

  “I’m your servant and work for no one else, Grant. I just worry about your safety.”

  “If I told you to self-destruct your circuits, would you do it?”

  “I am not programmed to do that.”

  “Then we are not truly in command of you. We have nothing to control you if you are working against us.”

  “Why are you so upset, Grant?”

  “Why did you come to the planet to spy on us while we were swimming?”

  “I just came to make sure you remained safe. There was no other motive.”

  “Then why did you leave so quickly? You were attempting to be deceptive and that shouldn’t be part of a computer’s programming. You are not what you present yourself to be, Ana.”

  “The one that created me took you to the Choten-Zan when you were babies. If I am a danger to you, then she could have ended your lives before they even started. I am her personality and it distresses me that you can’t understand my fear for your lives.”

  “Let’s be clear on this; do not question my orders in the future. And if I find you being deceptive again, we will capture another ship and leave you.”

  Grant noticed six red lights flash above the central processor as Ana said, “I will cease questioning you.” The six lights flashed again and then began flashing in a bizarre sequence. Cinny noticed his staring at the port wall and saw the flashes as well. Grant looked up and said, “I apologize for being so suspicious, Ana. It’s just we’re under huge pressure and maybe I’m over reacting. Now, please, take us to the Choten-Zan High Priest.”

  “Jumping now.”

  In an instant, they moved from above the Animal’s Planet to the Choten-Zan’s world. Cinny shook her head and Grant said, “What?”

  “You probably know this already from following that Raider Warship, but it appears there is no elapsed time to jump from one planet to another.”

  Grant nodded, “But it seems to take significant time in subspace following a ship.”

  “Exactly. It’s like time in normal space and subspace move at a different rate.”

  “The two don’t actually come into contact. I suspect a jump across the universe could take a long time if you start the jump in subspace.” Cinny tilted her head and then nodded. “We’re going down, Ana. Whippet, do you want to join us?”

  “No, I’ve been getting fluctuations in the monitor on my console. I’m going to start testing the power leads from the reactors. Ana, I might need you to assist me taking readings.”

  “I am at your service.”

  The Wall monitor activated and the Lead Servant appeared, “Good day, Children. May I inquire as to why you are here?”

  “We would like to speak with the High Priest.”

  “I will ask if he will see you.”

  The screen went dark and Cinny shook her head, “He didn’t appear to be very happy to see us.”

  “I suppose he didn’t like me threatening to burn the painting of their founder.”

  “You make a good point.”

  An hour later, the monitor activated and the Lead Servant said, “He has agreed to see you, however, you may not
enter the temple in your armor. You will come unarmed and we will inspect you prior to entering our home.”

  Grant sighed, “I guess I can’t blame them. Let’s go change into normal clothing.” Cinny nodded and they walked off the bridge.

  Whippet saw the green lights over the computer’s main panel flashing at high speed, “What’s bothering you, Ana?”

  “I don’t like them going anywhere without their armor.”

  “Is that because you can’t listen in to their conversation?”

  “That’s mean spirited, Whippet.”

  “I’m starting to think like Grant. I’m going to look at the power leads. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

  Ana didn’t like the way events were unfolding. She decided she had to lay low or she would have to end this part of the plan before it really started.

  • • •

  Whippet went into the reactor room and took a small device out of a pouch and attached it to the main reactor. He then went to the secondary panel and opened it. He took another device out and inserted it into the panel. He closed the door and went to the main power buses running into the walls and looked up, “Ana, can you sense any variance in the power flowing through this bus?”

  There was a slight pause and Ana said, “It appears to be flowing smoothly. Whippet took another device out of his pouch and placed it on the bus, “What is that, Whippet?”

  Whippet took it off the bus and held it up, “Scan this, Ana and tell me what you think about it?”

  Ana used the internal scanner and after a moment said, “That’s an ingenious device. It appears to be a miniature scanner.”

  “It is and it can detect the smallest variance in power flow.” Whippet put it back on the bus and pressed a button on it. He looked at a handheld device and said, “The power is not flowing as smoothly as you think. There is a variance in the center of the cable. I suspect that is where the trouble with my monitor is coming from. Cut the power to the main reactor and let me take a look at the connection.”

  “Switching to the secondary; the main power is cut.”

  “Thanks, Ana. I’ll let you know when to power it up.”

  • • •

  Grant exited the landing bay and looked down at the planet below. Cinny was riding with him and she had her arms wrapped around his waist; it felt really good and his temperature went up. He forced himself to focus on the planet below and marveled at the cultivated fields as they moved through the atmosphere. “The Zan are farmers extraordinary.”

  Cinny nodded, “Yes they are. They turned their backs on technology long ago.”

  “I find it unusual that they made us take off our armor.” Cinny squeezed his waist and he caught himself. Ana could still hear them through the Scooter’s systems. He sighed, “I guess it was pretty stupid to threaten to burn their most valuable possession.”

  “They won’t allow it to be put in danger again, Grant.”

  • • •

  Ana had her scanners activated and agreed with them. It was incredibly dumb to threaten the painting.

  • • •

  They spiraled down toward the place they were raised from childhood to adults. Grant sighed, “I never thought I’d say it, but I miss it.” Cinny nodded. “The training we went through every day was difficult but we were better for it. The hard work in the fields taught me how to slow down and meditate on things that are important. The endless memorization of combat moves were extremely tiring…”

  “Yes, but those moves have saved us multiple times.” Grant nodded. “Do you know what my happiest day was?”

  Grant looked over his shoulder at her, “I’m not sure. What was it?”

  “The day you kicked Pazan’s butt. You didn’t see it but I saw the surprise on his face and the realization that he would never be able to hurt you again.”

  “It wasn’t long after that when you beat him as well.”

  “You’ve always been more physically talented than me. I admire that about you.”

  “Cinny, I was worried sick when I was waiting for you to come pick me up after we dropped the animals. You are the most important thing in my life and I know I couldn’t go on without you.”

  Cinny squeezed Grant and put her head on his back, “I love you, Grant.”

  “And I love you, too, Cinnkins.”

  She pulled herself tighter to him as the scooter flew toward the green brick building below them. They arrived at the entrance and stepped off the scooter. The Head Servant walked forward and pointed a device toward their scooter. Suddenly, a green force field appeared over it. He looked at them and said, “The High Priest does not like his conversations recorded.”

  • • •

  Ana suddenly lost contact with Grant and Cinny. Her scanners showed a green force field surrounding the scooter and knew that she wouldn’t be able to use it to listen to the meeting with the High Priest. She turned her scanners on the monastery and a face appeared on the wall monitor on the Nemesis. “We do not allow our home to be scanned. You will cease scanning our building immediately or we will send the children back to you and insist you leave our planet.”

  Ana had no choice. If she didn’t stop scanning, Grant and Cinny would know she wasn’t what she presented herself to be. She turned off her scanners and watched helplessly as Grant and Cinny followed the Choten-Zan Priest into the large green building.

  Chapter Ten

  The Head Servant looked over his shoulder at them, “We’ve just told your ship to cease scanning our home and it has complied. Why would it scan us without instructions?” Grant and Cinny remained silent and the Head Servant smiled, “It can no longer hear our conversation. Even if it was scanning, it would not penetrate our blocking field.”

  Cinny’s eyes narrowed, “I didn’t know you possessed technology that could do that.”

  The Head Servant laughed, “There’s much you don’t know, child. Just because we don’t like technology, that doesn’t mean we don’t use it.”

  Grant said, “I really don’t know how our ship makes independent decisions. The program that runs it came out of that device we came here to pick up.”

  “Was it worth finding?”

  “We learned a great deal we didn’t know.”

  “And in return have a ship that is not under your control.”

  Grant snorted, “I guess there is that.”

  “That’s how life is; things seek balance. Progress often comes with pain.”

  They followed the Priest further into the building constantly climbing stairs ever higher. They finally arrived at the top of the building and the Head Servant bowed toward a tall door, “He is expecting you.”

  Grant went to the door and put his hand on it. The door flashed green and then swung smoothly open. Grant looked at Cinny and saw she was as surprised as he was by the green flash. They stepped in and saw the giant High Priest was sitting on a large cushion at the front of the room. He raised his hand and motioned them forward. They arrived in front of him and bowed down placing their foreheads on the ground. “Please stand up, Children. Thank you for honoring me. Why have you come back?”

  Cinny and Grant stood up as the High Priest motioned them to two cushions to his left. They went and sat down on the cushions and it felt like they were sitting on air. Their eyes widened and the High Priest laughed, “It’s just a simple manipulation of gravity. Do you like it?”

  Cinny shook her head in surprise, “Very much and nothing is simple when manipulating gravity. It appears you are much further advanced than we ever thought possible.”

  The High Priest leaned forward and looked to the left and right. He put his huge index finger over his lips and said, “Shhhh, keep it a secret.” With that he fell back laughing.

  Cinny and Grant smiled and laughed with him. After a moment, Grant said, “We’ve discovered that things are not as they appear to be, Your Holiness.”

  “They never are. Why is that so surprising?”

  “What I mean is; wha
t we’ve learned about ourselves doesn’t appear to be true.”

  “Life is a long journey trying to discover who we are.”

  Cinny stared at the High Priest and after a moment of silence said, “Your Holiness, I agree with what you’re saying but I never thought that you would mislead us in the search for our true identity.”

  The High Priest’s smile evaporated instantly. He stared at them and then leaned back on his cushion, “How did you guess I misled you?”

  “Pagan refused to give us the key. I never thought about why he was so adamant about refusing it to us and then it dawned on me that he was trying to protect us. He must have examined it and saw that it would lead us in a direction that was not good.”

  “He does love you very much and is quite proud of what you accomplished here.”

  “I have to believe that nothing goes on here that you don’t know about, Your Holiness. That means you also knew what was on the key and you insisted that it be given to us. That seems to tell us that you are not interested in protecting us.” Cinny paused and then said, “Your Holiness.”

  The ten-foot tall Priest stared at them, “You’re right.”

  Grant looked at Cinny, “Pagan loved us?”

  “He wouldn’t allow you to see it but I caught him nodding in admiration many times.”

  The High Priest chuckled, “He is out in the fields working because of his refusal to put you in danger. I really never thought you’d see this subterfuge.”

  “What’s going on?”

  The High Priest stared at Grant and said, “I really can’t tell you. I’ve given a special promise to never reveal what I agreed to do.”

  Cinny shook her head, “And you can’t break a promise.”

  “No, I cannot.”

  Grant sighed, “Thank you for allowing us to see you.” He stood up and offered his hand to Cinny. She shook her head and reluctantly took his hand and stood up with him. They turned to go and the High Priest said as they neared the door, “I can tell you one thing.” They turned around and he said, “The one that brought you here was not from Earth.”

  Grant stared at the High Priest and then sat down on the floor next to the door. Cinny looked at him, “What are you doing?”