Next on the list of surprises this day was an encounter with a creature so large that the ground trembled under his feet when it first noticed him and charged. Caught by surprise, he had no choice but to turn and run for his life, abandoning all other precautions in his sole pursuit of speed. At first he thought of using his makeshift lance, but he estimated the beast’s hide to be at least three to four times tougher than his own. In the end it was another trap that saved him, as he lost his balance while climbing a tree and fell directly into the folds of a large miklied web. Entangled and dangling helplessly above the ground, he watched the huge horned beast glare at him balefully for a few minutes with its five beady black eyes, snorting and howling balefully with frustration a few times before finally deciding to move along.
Bok’s next task was obvious, that of escaping from the web before its owner returned. Although his chameleonic capabilities would not serve him in this regard, he was able to take advantage of another seldom used Kuth trait. Carefully checking the web for signs of the slayer who had constructed it, he watched patiently until he was satisfied that the miklied was out and about, checking other traps it had set. Then he began to fight and squirm and kick and generally force his body to move as quickly and aggressively as possible. Additional, smaller strands of the web wrapped around his arms and legs, driven primarily by the wind and non-stop motion of his body. These were really nothing to worry about, since it was the larger, much stronger strands that he needed to find a way out of. He lost control of the lance during his struggles, and it fell several dozen meters before landing cleanly in another web.
Bok continued working his body hard, and as he did so he began to perspire. He smiled as he saw the first small wisps of white smoke begin rising from the webs touching his tough hide. Fortunately, Kuth sweat contained a mild acidic chemical compound, and its effectiveness against this kind of webbing was well known to his people. Only minutes after escaping the larger creature on the ground by falling into a second trap, he snapped the major strands of webbing still holding him with ease and dropped silently to the ground below. He landed on all fours, the claws from his fingertips digging into the soft dirt, teeth bared in a silent snarl. Resuming his journey toward the city, he stopped along the way to drink some water from a stream and took a few extra minutes to devour some of the smaller rodents living along its shores. The taste of blood and the crunch of bones invigorated him, and upon resuming the journey he found little in his path to threaten him this time. By late afternoon he could see the outer walls of his home.
*
The graduation ceremony was a crucial honor in the development of a Kuth, but the exact details of the actual Ascension process were seldom talked about. Those older members of his race who had actually undergone the process were especially secretive and always reluctant to discuss specific details. That left the younger Kuth frustrated and eager to undergo the Rite as soon as possible. This type of ambition played right into the hands of the Caucus and so they traditionally continued to encourage it. Bok remembered how visibly perturbed his peers had become as their day drew closer – they were eager to get the life changing ritual over with and begin their new adulthood. As usual, he kept his wits about him when others didn’t, and this type of self-discipline always served to grant him an advantage that the others did not have. He studied while they sat in small groups complaining about the Elders and the strange ways of the Caucus.
Proudly he stood atop one of the highest walls in the city along with five others who had managed to return safely, his gaze reaching out to scan the gray, dully lit sky and its sparse cloud cover. The sun was a faint orange blob in the east, whose rays just barely managed to pierce the thick, dull planetary atmosphere. Even though everyone knew full well that casualties were inevitable during any Ascension, Bok was still somewhat stunned by the results of this particular outing. There had been at least thirty, probably closer to forty of them on the shuttle when it left the city walls and began dropping them at various points within the surrounding forest and hills. Even so, with all of the strength and natural chameleonic abilities available for Bok and his peers to draw upon, only he and five others returned alive.
“Normally we have hand-to-hand combat encounters in order to determine the final winners,” stated one of the Caucus Elders as he paced back and forth in front of them. “We didn’t tell you at the beginning of this journey, but only FIVE may Ascend during any given contest. So we usually allow the survivors to fight it out amongst themselves, sometimes with weapons and other times with their bare hands.” He smiled wickedly at the six Kuth standing in front of him, the nine lengthy horns on his head curving backward slowly to emphasize the strength of his words. “On this occasion however, there are only six of you, so I believe that a test of self-control will be sufficient to reduce your number down to five.”
Continuing to pace in front of them, he drew a knife from his belt – an object with multiple sharp points along its blade that glinted in the faint sunlight. “Who shall it be?” he continued, moving in a gradual circular trot that brought him behind the six Kuth initiates. All of them stiffened their resolve and waited patiently, hoping beyond hope that they would be one of the men still standing when the sun ended its current cycle. Bok felt no fear, because to him this was the same kind of test as the journey through the forest. He would survive to live another day or he wouldn’t – worrying about matters he could not change would only add to his problems.
At least three of his companions obviously felt differently. Using his Kuth peripheral vision, he could see the fear in their faces as the Elder silently paced behind them, watching and waiting. It was an interesting experience, because Bok felt truly sorry for these three – their weaknesses were blatantly obvious and dumb luck had no doubt brought them safely through the forest. He had survived through careful study of the plants, animals and terrain of his home world along with a lucky chance here and there, while these three still lived primarily because they had managed to run the fastest while others were run to ground and feasted upon. He didn’t know which one of the five would pay the final price of the Ascension right here and now, but he suspected it was one of these three and reasonably confident that it would not be him.
His instincts proved to be extremely accurate. Everyone relaxed at least a little bit at the sound of the Elder sheathing his knife. And yet only seconds later he picked up the Kuth standing next to Bok and heaved him over the wall, toward the distant ground below. The man’s unexpected shriek of pure terror lasted only until he hit the ground, cut off instantly as his neck snapped and his spine fragmented. The other five relaxed as the Elder once again moved to stand in front of them, his smile this time considerably more cheerful. “Congratulations Kuth warriors, and fair luck to you on all of your future endeavors!” he exclaimed with a leering smile, waving them graciously back into the city. “If you continue to follow the orders and guidance of the Caucus without question, all will turn out well for you.”
As they moved to leave, the Elder caught Bok by the arm and held him back for just an instant. “Keep a close eye on the other two,” he hissed softly. “I think you know which ones I mean.”
Bok nodded briefly in response and responded with a simple “Yes, sir” while watching the Elder’s crimson eyes fix solely on him.
“Normal duties for you would be wasted,” the Elder told him firmly. “You are a giant amongst tiny nehrub, one who is destined for greatness. Work hard for us, labor long and you will eventually be assigned to a project of the utmost importance, one that strives to guarantee a long-term future for the Kuth!”
“Yes, sir.”
The message of the initiation rite was simple and undeniable… make yourself worth something to the Caucus or the Caucus would eventually decide that you were worthless. For all the remaining days of his life, right up until that final moment when Adam Roh caught him by surprise and killed him with wrist guns set to lethal intensity, Bok had done precisely as he was instruc
ted to do by the Caucus leadership.
There were further visions that Adam bore witness too also, mostly of Bok’s years spent serving in the Wasteland after his eventual transit across ‘the Bridge’ between universes. Somewhere the Yakiir had indeed gained a foothold, more than likely in quite a few star systems. Adam watched subconsciously as visions of Bok’s trips to at least four populated worlds flashed by, one after another. He spotted large cities with buildings very similar to those on the home world from the other universe, but these looked newly constructed. Scores of humans dressed in the black and green uniforms of the Yakiir marched in large complements, many of them boarding ships bound for the war’s front lines. Others wore the clean, white uniforms of scientists serving in ultra-clean environments. It was at this point where even darker images began to surface, causing Adam to begin a furious struggle to wake himself up. To his dismay, he found that he could not and the images continued flashing through his mind, one horror after another.
Bok had done terrible things in his life, committed atrocities that made even the rape of Ali Rinai look tame by comparison. Sometimes he did it to his own people, taking out even Ascended Kuth that the Caucus deemed to be uncooperative or sometimes just the overly ambitious. But his truest, most terrifying cruelties and barbarism were reserved solely for the humans that fell out of favor or failed to carry out their assignments. Those who studied hard and learned the sciences that were needed to build cities and construct ships and weapons received a decent life on those planets in return for their services. Their loved ones, however, were a different story entirely and deemed by the Caucus to be completely expendable. Now and then, some of them mysteriously disappeared in tragic instances that the Elders blamed on regrettable accidents or a sudden rise in uncontrollable criminal activity by the humans against each other.
Adam’s fear and revulsion only deepened when he finally realized how the Kuth made their final decision… that they chose his universe for their exodus primarily because they enjoyed the taste of its raw meat.
Planet Tranquility in the Proteus Galaxy…
Seated in the electronic lap of the Sentinel chair, Noriana Roh watched a floating visual image of her husband snap fully awake, kicking away sheets soaked with his sweat. His dreams were already fading, most of them just dull images and brief flashes of color, but for the moment if he focused and concentrated hard enough he was right back in them. Wanting to be rid of them completely, he rose to his feet and sat on the end of the bed for a few minutes. [“What the hell was that?”] he wondered curiously, allowing the thought to carry through the link to his wife. He waited almost desperately for a response. [“It felt like I was actually there, living Bok’s horribly violent life.”]
[“That, unfortunately, is what you did to yourself,”] Noriana replied after allowing him another few precious seconds to collect his thoughts. [“It’s why everyone here at Tranquility Base has officially given the ‘thumbs down’ to future use of your really ill-advised thought extraction idea, regardless of what that damned tactical database suggests. I’d recommend you be wary of that thing and only use it when absolutely necessary.”]
He was truly perplexed by her stance on the matter. [“Why?”] he asked her with interest. [“It assisted me every step of the way and helped us to capture this ship. Without it…”]
[“It helped you WIN,”] she countered, correcting him sternly. [“There’s a difference. The database provides you with options to improve the probability you will succeed in your endeavors, but the software doesn’t take into account your mortality and vulnerability to damage – emotionally and physically.”] Her lips pursed into a tight line of concern. [“It will help you win, even if you yourself get killed or severely disabled in the process. It doesn’t – can’t – care about you personally; it only seeks to meet your objectives.”]
What she was driving at finally hit home. [“Bok’s memories are a part of mine now, aren’t they?”] he asked her, already knowing the answer to the question deep down inside. [“They’re in my head.”]
[“That’s right.”] Her tone softened a bit, but not by much. [“You didn’t provide any specifications other than to try to read information from his mind. You attempted to do something that has not yet been tested, and it might well have read some or all of his memories – there was no way to predict what the software would do without detailed testing.”] She paused, allowing him to digest the information. [“Adam, do NOT try to do anything with your implant that hasn’t first been thoroughly tested on our end.”]
He was hesitant to admit that she was correct. [“It worked… the implant didn’t read all of his memories, just the strongest ones…”] he pointed out, knowing as he did so that he was completely wrong on the matter but defiantly refusing for the moment to admit it.
[“That’s right. And have you asked yourself yet whether those memories overwrite some of your existing memories, or did it use so-called ‘free space’ in that noggin of yours?”] Her mood soured noticeably again. [“Thomas is running tests right now to see if you will suffer any long-term consequences from that little stunt of yours. We know for certain there has been short term damage to your thought process, because all of us were sitting here, watching that twisted dream of yours. We activated the video feeds as soon as it became obvious from your anxiety levels that something was wrong.”]
[“Understood.”] He was tempted to try and lighten the mood with some sort of off the cuff joke, but he knew her well enough that he didn’t dare make the attempt. With his wife’s quick temper already in play, there was no way to predict how she would react. [“So far it has been just this one dream. I can’t really remember anything while I’m conscious, other than pieces and fragments of information here and there.”]
[“We think that’s because it was a data stream, but it was a data stream that passed through the implant after first passing through your brain. Obviously, something of what was there has burned itself into your memory. And if you continue to use that thing on other people, Dr. Simmons thinks you could develop all kinds of psychological disorders, up to and including forgetting who you really are.”]
Nori watched him wipe the sleep from his eyes, still sitting on the end of the bed. [“For the record, I officially offer an apology. I was wrong to attempt the thought extraction, and very glad that I didn’t have to face that creature without protective technology. It would have killed me easily, without a second thought.”] Mulling matters over for a moment, she allowed him the time he needed to think. [“Did you guys find anything useful in the data from this ship’s computers?”] he wondered after a prolonged pause. [“I would like to be able to offer the new crew of this vessel some sort of objective.”]
Standing behind Nori, Kaufield’s arms were folded while he waited patiently for them to finish their personal conversation. She turned and nodded, causing him to link himself into their long-distance conference. [“There is no information of any kind pointing to any of the home worlds,”] Kaufield began slowly, glancing down at a typed crib sheet. He did not want to make any mistakes with information so crucial. [“Undoubtedly that is deliberate and probably true for all Yakiir warships. When you get a chance, send us the data from the supply shuttle. We’ll have to verify to be sure, but I expect the same will hold true for that vessel as well.”]
[“Can do. It’s still sticking out of the starboard side of this ship,”] pointed out Adam somewhat dryly. [“Do you have anything that we can use? I’d like to find at least some link in the chain that will lead us to one or more of these home worlds. We can’t cause any more trouble unless we know where to look.”]
Chuckling, Kaufield shook his head. [“Now don’t go losing all of that steam you had going for you prior to your nap,”] he suggested, mildly amused. [“We didn’t find anything regarding home world locations, but there was quite a bit of information as to the pair of targets those quashing weapons were meant for.”]
Adam’s interest piqued noticeably. [“Oh?”] he qu
eried in response.
[“Using the supply ship to bait other clan ships was a secondary objective, as your brief adversary Bok so violently pointed out to his Captain,”] continued Kaufield. [“The Captain actually made the right call, because normally a wild card like you would not have been on that supply ship. The warship should have taken out a Clan rival on its way to destroy a pair of stars out on the perimeter.”]
He appeared genuinely puzzled by the news. [“How does this help us?”]
Kaufield glanced over at Nori, waving his hands in a ‘why don’t you tell him’ gesture. Adam’s wife smiled at him gratefully. [“Adam,”] she began, [“we’ve discussed this quite a bit while you were sleeping, and we want you to proceed to your first target,”] she told him. [“Noah agrees with our assessment.”]
[“And then what? It might be a long wait before someone checks up on us.”]
[“Then we want you to proceed as scheduled and use one of the quashing weapons to destroy the first star,”] stated Kaufield curtly, completely stunning Adam.
His expression was one of shock and dismay. [“Are you serious?”]
[“Think about it more carefully,”] the Council President instructed coolly. [“If you destroy the star on schedule, the Yakiir leadership will think everything is still proceeding according to plan. This Caucus that rules the Kuth likes things to go well… they do not tolerate failure. If you do not destroy the star, other vessels will be dispatched to run you down. That won’t help us.”]
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 55
