HADRON Revelation

by Stephen Arseneault

  Jane asked, “The harvests? What are the harvests?”

  Geerok replied, “When the impregnation of the Human women was to be performed, eggs were harvested, inspected, and fertilized. A cellular division process was performed, yielding triplets in most cases. Many of those embryos were implanted in the Human hosts. The remainder were taken as harvests.”

  Jane returned a troubled look. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? What other embryos?”

  Geerok set his hands on the table. “Human females are born with a set number of eggs. The procedures performed enabled the harvesting of all eggs from each of the females in the program. All eggs were tested for viability before being fertilized. One of the fertilized, and then divided, embryos was implanted in each host. The rest were taken off-world to be grown using a specialized Mawga birthing center.”

  Jane turned toward Johnny with her jaw dropped. “Did you just hear what I heard?”

  Johnny nodded. “I did. Admiral, how many Humans were impregnated and how many embryos were taken?”

  Geerok thought for a moment. “I believe there are about seventy-two million Human females who are pregnant. Approximately two hundred million Human children will be born to those females. The harvest was closer to four billion embryos. They are at a secret center on our home world. I believe five million were set into the pseudo-uterus machines where they are now growing. The remainder have been frozen pending the outcome of the first set.”

  Jane sat back in her chair, still in disbelief. “Four billion? How’d you get so many? And what happens to those five million when they’re born?”

  Geerok replied, “Human females are born with several million eggs. By time of puberty they have several hundred thousand remaining. During a normal lifetime, three to four hundred will be released due to ovulation. Thirty-five billion of those harvested were determined to be viable. Four billion of those responded to the fertilization treatment. When matured beyond the uterus, a process that will take thirteen of your months, they will be raised and educated by the Mawga, to be our armies of the future. We have high hopes for the process. With accelerants, we expect to have fully trained soldiers in fourteen of your years. It is a long-term plan.”

  Johnny asked, “Did Montak know about this?”

  Geerok shook his head. “He did not. Given his attitudes toward much of what we were doing, he was considered a risk.”

  Johnny asked, “How about you? You didn’t have issue with this theft?”

  Geerok sighed. “I am a military officer, Mr. Tretcher. I follow orders. The harvest was fully sanctioned by the Military Council. To deny carrying out any tasks given would have been very much to my detriment, and to all those I command, or commanded, I should say.”

  Mace crossed his arms. “So we’re about to have five million Humans born on a distant planet, who won’t even know they’re Human. With another four billion to follow? Does Stark know about this?”

  Geerok shook his head. “He does not.”

  Mace asked, “And the Union? Do they know?”

  Geerok pulled back. “Certainly not. This operation was conducted before the Union became involved. The assets we possess are fully ours. The Union, under their own rules, have no claim to them and therefore will not be told.”

  Johnny took a deep breath as he looked at Mace. “I’d like to pound him through the grates of the floor with my fist about now.”

  Mace held up his hand. “He’s being honest, and these are things we should know. Admiral, what do you know of Stark and what they are planning with him?”

  The admiral replied, “King Stark and his ships are fighting on Miramont II. When that campaign is complete, they will return here for a short rest before being sent to Logust III. The Union will want to keep the pressure on the Karthians while they are still reeling from these two crushing attacks. I would expect Stark and his fleet to be back here within the week.”

  Mace turned to face the others. “I think we need to let Stark know about the harvests. If he has any Human in him at all, he might just turn his anger on the Union.”

  Jane scowled. “Wouldn’t that still pose an issue for our people and their two hundred million new infants? If Stark goes after the Union, where would they get food?”

  Johnny rubbed his temples. “This whole thing is twisted. We can’t act without risking everyone else. How are we supposed to get around that?”

  Mace looked at the admiral. “Fatso? You have any suggestions about how we might feed a billion people? Where is it all this food comes from to begin with?”

  Geerok replied, “The food colonies at Barika V and VI. We maintain enough in orbital storage to feed the empire for two years.”

  Johnny asked, “How many Mawga are there?”

  Geerok rubbed his chin in thought. “Six billion or so, I suppose.”

  Johnny frowned. Wait, you have all these colonies and only six billion people? We had more than that.”

  The admiral nodded. “Indeed. Union planets use birthing centers for population maintenance. Our colonies are stable, with very little change in population density. Only when a new colony is opened do births outnumber deaths. The lower populations come with the added benefit of sustainable resources. I dare say you Humans were headed for a difficult life of overpopulation. In the Union, we tend to limit an Earth-size planet to under a billion inhabitants.”

  Jane said, “Then why the growth in Humans when we were already at your ideal headcount?”

  Geerok replied, “Because Humans are viewed as an asset, a valuable asset that is renewable. Perhaps you will one day thank the Mawga for the harvest. The Union would otherwise exploit your fertility and breed Humans at a relentless pace until their military needs had been met. At the moment that process will not be viable again.”

  Jane tilted her head. “At the moment?”

  “Yes. The Humans who will be born in the coming days and weeks will be sterile. As to the harvests, their eggs will be harvested before maturity, leaving the females barren as a result.”

  Jane squeezed her armrests and released. “I think I’m going to explode. This is too much. All of these species, they’re sick.”

  Johnny moved over close to his wife. “I think our list of things to accomplish just got a lot longer.”

  Mace asked, “You mentioned the food storage. How heavily guarded is that? What if we wanted to steal some of that food?”

  Geerok tapped his fingers together in thought. “The orbital storage facilities are guarded by a pair of Union ships. Both Callista class vessels. And any number of Mawga cruisers.”

  Mace lifted his chin in question. “And these orbital facilities, could they be moved?”

  The admiral replied, “I suppose. But why would you want to?”

  Mace leaned forward. “Because we have a billion mouths to feed. As of now we just have to figure how to take it and how to move it.”

  Jordan Crawford said, “How about the wormhole generators? If we take the Callista, we could open a wormhole and send the food through to wherever we want. Maybe out to Proteus for starters.”

  Geerok shook his head. “The Callista class vessels do not have a wormhole generator. They were built as fighting ships, before the Muhatha were in design. The Dauntless were to be the ship used to transport fleets. The Callista are warships.”

  Jordan half frowned. “Sounds like we need to go take another one of those Muhatha.”

  Johnny nodded. “We have the shuttle to do that with. I’d volunteer for that duty.”

  Jane added. “Me, too. If the ape goes, I go.”

  Johnny frowned at his wife. “Ape?”

  Jane smiled, “Just filling in while Jasper’s away.”

  Mace asked, “Admiral, do the starmaps on your cruiser include all Galactic Union space?”

  Geerok nodded. “And the explored territories. Does your vessel not have the same, Mr. Hardy?”

  “We think the Kaachi scrubbed their maps before turning the ship over to us. We ha
ve limited listings of their colonies as well as a handful of Union founder locations. A full listing of your explored space would be a welcome addition.”

  Geerok gestured toward his arm pad. “If you’d like, I could transfer the data to you now.”

  Johnny said, “Mace, before you answer that, whatever he wants to send should be fully screened before being uploaded. We bring a virus or trojan on this ship and it might be the end of us.”

  Jordan held up a hand. “We have two crew members who are well suited to that task, Mr. Hardy. They worked computer security for our outfit before all this started. I can’t tell you how many strings I had to pull to keep them where they were. D.C. had requested them repeatedly for duty at Langley. Army brass kept them in place.”

  Mace nodded. “See what you can do about that, Mr. Crawford. And Admiral, when he’s ready, follow his lead for a transfer of that information.”

  Jane pushed her chair back, stretching out her legs. “Mr. Geerok, how would we get to the Barika colonies? How far are they?”

  The admiral pulled an image of a starmap up on his arm pad. “Travel to the Barika system will require a jump to the local rift, followed by a jump from the other end to Barika. A Dauntless would have the gatrellium required to get there, but not back. With a Muhatha, a direct jump could be initiated, items transported, and a return trip made. That assumes a full load of the gatrellium resource.”

  Mace clasped his hands together, resting his chin atop them.

  Johnny asked, “What are you thinking?”

  Mace slowly shook his head. “I’m thinking our long list is growing by the minute. We need one of those Muhatha ships. And we aren’t likely to see one unless it comes through to here, and I’m doubting they would send another one through for us to grab. I could see them sending through a Callista. If we took it, we’d still be stuck here. If they sent a Dauntless we’d have to use it to go find a Muhatha.

  “Now, supposing we manage to grab a Muhatha, what’s our next move? Do we try to go get another one? Do we go for the food? Do we first do a raid on the Mawga colony that holds all our Humans?

  “If so, how are we supposed to rescue them if they’re hooked up to those machines? And if we did manage to get them out, what would we do with them? How do we care for five million, not yet fully developed fetuses? Or, do we focus our energies on unseating Stark first?”

  Johnny chuckled. “I see where you’re going. And it’s starting to make my head hurt thinking about it.”

  Mace asked, “Geerok, what were your long term plans for Stark?”

  “Our role here has changed to one of custodian. There are no long term plans coming from the Mawga. Everything is now dictated by the Galactic Union. The Karthian wars, which have been stalled for centuries, will again pick up pace. I suspect Stark will be a busy man. He seems to enjoy killing. War with the Karthians will give him ample opportunity to do so.”

  Mace shook his head. “He’s a sick puppy. I wish we could catch him and end his rule before some other species like the Karthians, show up here to kill us all. Problem is, we can’t even find him when he’s here. Don’t know where to look.”

  Geerok said, “He will be returning shortly. I had asked that he stop by to brief me upon his return. I would expect him to transfer to my ship for that meeting. Perhaps you could wait for him there?”

  Johnny replied, “You know for sure he’s coming to your ship?”

  Geerok nodded. “That was the prearranged plan.”

  Johnny turned to face Mace. “We could wait there for an ambush. Maybe you, me, and Jane. We surprise him and the couple bodyguards he’s likely to have and he might roll right over for us.”

  Jane said, “I’d be up for that.”

  Mace rubbed his forehead. “I guess that’s it, then. We first go after Stark.”

  Johnny chuckled. “Geerok, I can’t believe you are so calm about all this. And that you gave up all that information.”

  The Mawga admiral replied, “As I said before, if given the opportunity, it is customary for us to attempt to atone for our mistakes. I see now that our inaction with your people when the electromagnetic interference arrived was a mistake.

  “We could have offered assistance at that time, saving billions from starvation and death. Perhaps even opening free trade with you, to the benefit of both our peoples. Instead, we allowed your people to die and we came in with thoughts of building our armies. I cannot reverse the damage done, but perhaps one day the Human and Mawga peoples can be allies and partners in trade.”

  A trip was made to the Bovika. The admiral had taken over a large meeting room, making it his office. A side door would allow easy entry from a small storage room once a meeting with Stark was underway. Johnny, Jane and Mace sat with the admiral in his office as word came in of a wormhole opening. Fifty-seven cruisers came through, followed by a Dauntless. The Rogers had previously been moved out of sensor range.

  Mace stood. “We’ll be in the closet over there, Geerok. And have no doubt that we will come out with guns blazing if anything sounds wrong. And you’ll be the first target. I’ll put a bullet in your brain myself.”

  The admiral waved his hand. “I’ve already made my peace, Mr. Hardy. I will conduct myself as normal. I have no allegiance to King Stark.”

  Johnny frowned as the door closed. “I still think one of us should have stayed out in the hall somewhere. If Geerok turns on us Stark will have what he’s been looking for… our heads on a pike.”

  Mace replied, “The Mawga are a strange crew. While they may at times be deceitful, they aren’t much for outright lying. Montak used to avoid answering a question rather than lie about it.”

  Johnny checked his AR-15. “Let’s hope you’re right. Any idea of how long we’ll be in here?”

  Mace checked the time on his arm pad. “Stark is on his way. I can’t imagine it will be long.”

  Jane said, “So what’s the plan again when he gets here?”

  Mace replied, “We listen to get a feel for how many guards he has, then we bust out, hopefully catching them by surprise. Keep in mind, though, these are Stark’s men. They won’t hesitate to kill you. We have to charge through that door and spread among them before they can react. Whoever gets closest to Stark, put a gun to his head. And try not to have too happy a finger on those triggers. We want him alive. I want to know what he knows about the Union.”

  Johnny grinned. “I can’t believe we’re about to nab this guy. Having him out of the way would solve so many problems.”

  Mace shook his head. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. He might be the reason the Union hasn’t just come in and conscripted people. That’s one of the reasons I want to talk first. Besides, it’s his organization that is managing our populace. Geerok might be providing food and technology, but Stark has the people doing all the work.”

  Johnny winced. “You aren’t thinking you’re gonna change his way of thinking, are you?”

  Mace slowly shook his head. “No. But I have been wondering if we would be better served by working alongside him, outside of the Union still. You know, seeing to it that they don’t gain full control of us all.”

  Jane said, “That’s the first I’ve heard of you wanting to ally with Stark. From what we know, the guy is no good.”

  Mace replied, “From what little we know of him I’d say you are right. However, would you rather be ruled by a bad Human or some alien species that totally views you as a resource to be used whenever they like?”

  Johnny scowled. “Neither. But maybe I’m just kind of a self-determination guy.”

  Chapter 7

  *

  Jane raised her hand as voices could be heard from the outer room. “Shh. Sounds like he’s here.”

  A muffled voice said, “Geerok. How are things here?”

  Geerok replied, “I am at peace. Must your two guards always be with you?”

  The voice said, “That’s an odd thing to say. Is something the matter?”

  Geerok held
up his hand. “No, no. Has just been uneventful down on the planet that is all. Deliveries have all gone as scheduled. Tell me about your exploits? Were you successful? And please, sit. Gentlemen, you too King, if you don’t mind. Guests standing during a conversation is distasteful.”

  A gesture had the two bodyguards sitting in chairs.

  Mace turned. “I think that was our cue. We go on three… two… one.”

  The door to the storage room burst open. Johnny and Jane hustled up behind the bodyguards before they could react. Mace had his Ar-15 aimed at the back of Geerok’s guest.

  Johnny yelled. “Either of you two move and you’re dead meat.”

  Malcom Stark said from beneath a black hood, “So. Mr. Hardy. We meet again.”

  Jane gestured with her AR. “Both of you. Lay down your weapons carefully.”

  Both guards complied.

  Jane continued, “Now, stand and walk over to that wall. Put your hands up on the wall above you.”

  Stark said, “Do as she says, please. No need for any of us to die here today. If they wanted to kill us, they would have fired first. Speaking of that, Mr. Hardy, what is it you would like to discuss? As I recall from our last meeting, you were not interested in joining my team.”

  Stark sat in a Human lounge chair, three meters in front of Fatso Geerok. Mace sat in a chair to his left. His weapon laid on his lap.

  Mace stared at the hulking hooded Human sitting near him. “Time to see who you really are. Take off that hood. Where’d you come from?”

  Stark replied, “Spend much time in smalltown Midwest?”

  Mace shook his head. “Can’t say I have. Ever been to Norfolk?”

  Stark thought. “Not that I recall. Anyway, you must have something more important on your mind than chit-chat.”

  Mace gestured. “The hood. And then let’s start with the Admiral’s question. How goes the campaign?”