As They looked over the station Jeff commented. “Look, over here. This stand fell over, pinching off the blood supply.”
Jane grabbed his arm. “Well don’t move it until we know it’s safe!”
Jeff said, “We don’t even know how Human this fetus is.”
Jane took a deep breath. “Well, I’m not doing anything that’s going to kill it. Whoever or whatever he is, he’s innocent in all this.”
Johnny yelled across the room, “What number is that station?”
Jane replied, “ZAX225.”
Johnny replied, “It says 94 percent Human, 2 percent Karthian, 2 percent Sarkesian, and 2 percent Mawga.”
Jeff peeled back the drying pseudo-uterus skin with his fingers.
Jane grabbed Johnny by his forearm. “Oh. Look at those blue eyes! This is horrible!”
Jane turned away. Johnny took her by the shoulders, pulling her close.
Jeff said, “We need to get him out of there and back to the ship.”
Mace replied, “Tell me what to do.”
Jenny looked around. “There’s absolutely nothing in here to feed him.”
Johnny said, “We have another problem. You get him free from that contraption, how do we get him to the ship? We have fallout coming down out there.”
Jeff stepped back. “And our suits are covered with dust. We can’t touch this child without risking contamination.”
Johnny said, “Down this isle to the left I show crew quarters. You might see if there’s any kind of container in there.”
Mace grabbed Jenny by the arm. “Let’s have a look.”
Jane slowly pushed herself back from Johnny, peering around his broad shoulder at the blue-eyed hybrid. “He’s looking right at me. And he just moved his arm. Johnny, he needs to be held!”
Johnny held Jane tight. “He will be. We have to get something we can move him in first.”
Jenny came over the comm. “Jeff, how good would a standard shower be for decontamination?”
Jeff replied, “Not entirely effective, but far better than where we are right now.”
Jenny said, “Well come on in and wash up. I think I have a container we can move little Zax in.”
Mace turned, “Zax?”
Jenny shrugged, “Was his ID. ZAX225.”
Mace nodded. “Zax it is.”
The contaminated atmospheric dust was rinsed from the battlesuits. A metal chest was emptied and lined with a blanket from a Mawga bunk. Jeff cut and tied off the pinched umbilical cord as Jane cradled eleven month old fetus in her arms. Zax was carefully laid in the metal chest and the lid was mostly closed.
Jeff said, “We’ll shut it as we reach the surface. We only need to protect him going out to the ramp and up. The decontamination room on the ship will take care of any residual dust.”
The long trek up the stairs took close to three hours. Baby Zax was checked at several stops. His quiet demeanor and curious eyes had Jane emotional and irritated.
“Why can’t I carry him as we go?”
Jeff replied, “We don’t want any exposure to the fallout. At this stage of development he is most vulnerable. We’ll have him aboard the Rogers soon enough.”
Johnny said, “I copied the information from their database into my storage. When we get up there I’ll load it up and pull up his record. Should tell us all we need to know.”
The chest was closed as they came to the top of the stairwell.
Mace asked as they walked toward the ramp. “How we gonna feed him?”
Johnny said, “The data I gathered should have entry logs for supplies and such. Maybe it will tell us where the supply ship was headed.”
They walked up the extended ramp onto the lower deck of the Rogers. Fifteen minutes in decontamination saw five Humans and a metal chest that showed as clean. The lid was opened and Jane once again took the quiet infant into her arms.
“Oh, I think that’s a smile. Look. Johnny. He’s looking right at me!”
Johnny hugged his wife as they walked toward the near stairwell.
Jane said, “I’m going to see Vanessa. She’ll know what I should do.”
Johnny released the arm he had around his wife’s shoulder. “I’ll be on the bridge. Let me know if you need anything at all.”
Jane, accompanied by Jenny, turned off the stairs and headed for the dining hall. Mace, Johnny, and Jeff continued to the bridge.
Liam turned. “A new crew-member? Wasn’t expecting that.”
Mace replied, “He’s the only survivor. Not sure what we could have done had all those infants been alive. Some were grossly malformed.”
Liam shook his head. “it appears we live in a galaxy full of beastly beings, Mr. Hardy. Thought we had enough of those on Earth.”
Mace settled into his chair. “Mr. Hobbs, take us up to orbit.”
Johnny loaded the data from his storage onto the main system, pushing it to the display wall as he searched through it.
“Let’s see, subject ZAX255. Says he’s mostly Human. Possible enhanced mental abilities from the Karthians. Good night vision from the Mawga. And a final note says the Sarkesian in him should lead to advanced agility, among other possible traits.”
Mace said, “I just hope we’re able to feed him.”
Half an hour later Tres walked onto the bridge. “Little guy was hungry, all right. Ripped through a bottle of Vanessa’s breast-milk.”
Johnny chuckled. “We are to be feared in this galaxy.”
Mace asked, “Why?”
Johnny shook his head as he grinned. “Who else has breast-pumps in space? I mean, come on. We can do it all!”
Tres continued. “He’s sleeping now. Hasn’t let out a peep so far, though. But he definitely follows you with his eyes. How old did you say he was?”
Mace replied, “eleven months from an embryo.”
Geerok said, “That would put him at the equivalent of a four month old in your terms. The feed lines add a fair amount of growth hormone to the mix. Normally, when an infant is birthed at thirteen-month gestation, they would be similar to a one-year-old Human.
“And Mr. Dowda, I would again like to thank you for allowing me to watch the birth of your girls. It was a fascinating and humbling experience. And I have to say I have been impressed with the individual care given to your infants. I feel privileged to have witnessed the bonding that takes place between parent and child.”
Tres smiled. “I’ll have to say I like that part of it myself. Nothing I wouldn’t do for the three of those girls. Or Vanny, for that matter.”
Geerok bowed. “Your experiences have given me insight into why members of the Human species sometimes act as they do. I am envious of the Human family and the sense of belonging I see in each of you. It is a trait that is largely absent among my people. Death matters far less to us, as it seems we have far less to lose.”
Liam said, “Your people are barmy, Mr. Geerok. After seeing the result of those experiments down there, I would have no issue spacing the lot of you.”
Geerok replied, “Given what I now know and see of our barbarity, I could not fault you in doing so.”
The next few hours were spent searching through the data for the supply logs. The entries in question were located, and a new location found. After a short run back to the Gerty, a jump was made to Marigon IV.
Chapter 21
*
The Gerty and her two-man crew was left several hours away in free space as the Rogers went into orbit around the ocean-covered planet.
Johnny said, “Ever see anything so blue? Would love to get in some fishing down there.”
Jeff said, “Had you seen what brushed me on Reddack, you might think otherwise. I now believe the sea-life on Earth to be tame compared to what else may be out there. Perhaps that’s one reason mankind has survived as long as we have.”
Johnny laughed. “I’d rather think it was because we are more intelligent than the rest of the life on the planet.”
Jeff nodded
. “There is that.”
Humphrey pushed the image of the planet below up to the display wall. “We have a single land mass of only a few hundred square kilometers, Mr. Hardy. I’ll have a scan of that ready in a sec.”
Geerok commented. “The Gorange would like that world. They are aquatics.”
Johnny inquired, “Aquatics?”
Geerok nodded. “They live in and breathe water, much like your fish, Mr. Tretcher. They are the only such species in the Galactic Union. Other than the Zinka being quadrupeds, all others are similar to you and me.”
Humphrey said, “Scans do not detect any structure on the land, Mr. Hardy. If you’d like a deep scan of those oceans, we’ll need to go down there.”
Mace said, Any other planets in this system that could have been their destination?”
Humphrey replied, “The three innermost planets are too hot. The next two are gas giants with sizes on the order of Neptune. Marigon IV is the last planet in this system.”
Mace gestured. “Take us down, Mr. Hobbs.”
Humphrey turned to Liam. “Set us at ten kilometers following a grid pattern of one hundred kilometers wide.”
Liam nodded as the Rogers began to drop through the dense, moisture rich atmosphere of Marigon IV. The scans began as the ship leveled out.
Just over an hour into their efforts, the sensors returned a hit.
Humphrey said, “We have a small submerged city down there, Mr. Hardy. Four square kilometers at three hundred meters depth. It’s not sitting on the ocean floor, that’s another kilometer farther down.”
Johnny asked, “How are we supposed to get into that?”
Jeff replied, “Probably from underneath. We can take the shuttle down to explore.”
Mace turned to Jordan Crawford. “Mr. Crawford? You want to round up Jenny and take the shuttle to investigate?”
Jordan nodded. “Be happy to.”
Johnny turned and stared as Jordan left the bridge. “You keep throwing them together and something is going to stick.”
Mace replied, “Only if something was already there. Anyway, as I’ve said before, a relationship is a distraction at a time when I don’t need distractions. We still have five million Humans to rescue.”
Johnny chuckled, “Mace Hardy, defender of all Humans, superhero to the world.”
Jenny came over the comm. “We’re ready for departure. Any special instructions?”
Mace replied, “Just be careful. We don’t know what’s down there. And those Dellus ships could follow us here.”
Humphrey said, “No detection of wormholes, Mr. Hardy. We’re in the clear for that since our arrival.”
The shuttle slipped out of bay three, quickly splashing down through the waters of Marigon IV. A short dive had the crew investigating the bottom of the small underwater city. An opening signified a docking port.
Johnny sat back with his arms crossed. “I thought we were gonna get these chairs fixed. This one feels like it’s about to snap off again.”
Mace replied, “That’s a low priority.”
Johnny looked over the wall display. “Marigon… who names these planets anyway?”
Geerok replied, “That is a right reserved for the Emperor’s court. Marigon was the mother of Emperor Bazzeta, a successful ruler of the fourth Bazz dynasty of more than eight centuries ago. His heirs, I believe Holan Bazzeta, decided on the name.”
Johnny laughed.
Mace asked, “What’s so funny?”
Johnny replied, “I was just thinking about the Derwood system. Named after the first Dachshund in space. Ladies and gentlemen, we are arriving at your vacation destination on Derwood V. We hope you enjoy your stay.”
Mace shook his head. “Someone has too much time on his hands.”
Jenny said, “We’ve docked. Doesn’t seem to be any sign of anyone here. The bio-sensor didn’t indicate anyone alive in here.”
Mace nodded, “Just be careful.”
Jordan enabled a video feed from his helmet camera. “Any cargo coming on or off this ship would have come through here. And the mouth of the docking bay here was full of all sorts of sea creatures. They’ve either been feeding them or they’re drawn to the light. Other than this bay, the place looks to be largely shut down.”
Jenny pushed open a door. “Looks like a light switch over here. Hold on.”
Rows of lighting in the ceiling slowly switched on. The room was another birthing center with pseudo-uterus stations arranged in neat rows running back a thousand units to a row.
Jenny poked at a station with her plasma rifle. “I’d say we have a hundred thousand of these stations in here, Mace. All are empty. Judging from the dead skin still on most of them, though, I would say the fetuses were recently moved.”
Johnny said, “Check the consoles in the room. You should be able to log in and download the data. Might just tell us what happened.”
Jordan began to work over the console as Jenny walked the rows.
Jenny stopped in front of a station. “I’m seeing a lot of dried blood here. This place is a mess. If they came in and took these kids, they didn’t do it with much care.”
Jordan said, “I’m in. Copying the data… and… complete. This room is equipped with video recorders. Want to see what happened in here?”
Mace replied, “Sure. Send them up here to the display wall.”
Jordan enabled the first recorded file. “This is about five days ago.”
Images of two Mawga staff members could be seen as they walked up and down the rows of growing fetuses. Jordan sped up the footage, allowing three days worth of recording to pass before activity increased.
“OK, here we go. Looks like something is happening now. Hold on. Let me find the docking bay feeds while you watch this… got them. And we have a shuttle in the dock. I count eight individuals getting off.”
Jordan switched his view back to the main room. “Here’s where the eight enter. One is giving direction. Looks like some kind of search going on with this console.”
The sped-up video showed the Mawga leader pointing down the rows. Four of those who accompanied him walked off, returning seconds later with disconnected infants. The newly released babies were placed in four carriers and taken out of the room.
Jordan switched back to the docking bay. “They’re taking those four aboard the shuttle. And all eight of the Mawga that came in just left. The shuttle is gone.”
Johnny said, “So they took four? Where are the rest?”
Jordan replied, “Hold on. Another shuttle just came in. This one is bigger. Mawga soldiers are piling out. I’d say close to eighty.”
The view was switched back to the main room. The soldiers came in, briefly talking to the techs that worked the facility. Orders were given and their short Mawga swords were drawn.
Johnny flinched. “I don’t like the looks of this.”
The first solder walked up to the closest station, turning as if to instruct the others. The covering skin was torn away and the umbilical cut. The soldier lifted the child and carelessly tossed it to the next soldier in line. Orders were given and the soldier left the room, returning to the docking bay.
Johnny stood. “Tell me they aren’t doing this!”
The camera feed from the docking bay showed the fate of the remaining infants. One by one they were cut from their artificial wombs, walked to the bay, and tossed into the Marigon sea.
Jordan stopped the recorded image. “I think we have our answer, Mr. Hardy.”
Geerok shook his head. “I would not have thought our leadership capable of such. This is appalling.”
Liam said, “Those who are responsible for this deserve the same fate.”
The bridge was silent for several seconds.
Jordan cleared his throat. “Mr. Hardy, I think I have the location of the next delivery from the logs. The supply ship moved on to a planet called Veriica. I’m sending up the coordinates.”
Mace asked, “Mr. Hobbs, what do the starmaps
say about Veriica?”
Humphrey looked over the data as it came up from Jordan. “Mr. Hardy, the sensor logs show a wormhole opening an hour before that first shuttle arrived and another after the last departed here. The signatures match the Dellus ships.”
Johnny said, “I’d say it’s time we paid a visit to the Dellus colonies.”
Mace nodded. “I was just thinking the same. Mr. Hobbs, what can we expect in and around the Dellus capital?”
Liam replied, “Maps show five planets. One has a substantial population. Two others have smaller colonies. The maps also show a space station in orbit around the main planet.”
Mace said, “Pick out what looks to be an isolated location for us to jump to. Pass that info to the Gerty as we approach.”
Jenny called up. “Looks like they missed the last fifty or so on this row. They’re all dead. Again, they all look like hybrids, although I don’t see much Human in these.”
Mace took a deep breath. “Mr. Crawford, when you have all the data, the two of you come back up.”
Johnny asked, “What do we do with that facility?”
Mace replied, “We sink it. I’m thinking now that we should have destroyed the one on Reddack instead of just leaving it for them to reclaim and reuse.”
Johnny nodded. “I’d have to agree with those thoughts. Let’s not leave them the tools to make this any easier. They still have close to four billion of our embryos.”
The submerged center was ordered to the surface. Hans Mueller pumped a dozen high power plasma rounds into the structure, the remains of which disappeared beneath the waves.
The Rogers made haste back to the Gerty. A destination in the Dellus system was selected and a wormhole opened. The two ships moved quietly through. The Gerty was left on her own as the Rogers proceeded to move toward the Dellus capital world of Nineka. Five hours later, the largely green and brown globe showed on the sensors.
Humphrey said, “The Muhatha are here, Mr. Hardy, as are two Callista and a dozen Dauntless.”
Johnny added, “That would tell me the four infants they took are here also.”
HADRON Revelation Page 20
