HADRON Revelation

by Stephen Arseneault

  “She speaks English!”

  Jeff knelt beside Jenny and said, “Platypus.”

  The girl replied, “Platypus.”

  Jeff shook his head. “She doesn’t speak English. She’s just mimicking.”

  Jenny looked to her left. “That water is like 58 degrees. She’s not even shaking.”

  Jenny held out her hand as she smiled. The girl held out the fish, setting it in Jenny’s hand. A quick turn and a dive saw her disappearing into the deep dark water. Seconds later she sprang from the bay, landing on her feet where she’d stood before. Another fish wiggled in her mouth.

  Jeff said, “This is remarkable.”

  The girl took the fish in her hand. “This is remarkable.”

  Jenny turned to Mace. “What do we do? We can’t leave her here.”

  Mace gestured toward the shuttle. “If you can get her to go up the ramp, we’ll take her with us.”

  “And if she jumps back in the water?”

  Mace shrugged. “We can wait. We’re not leaving her, if that’s what you’re worried about. She’s the reason we’re out here.”

  Jeff said, “Interesting. She has little gills on her neck just behind her ears. Has to have Gorange DNA in her, the aquatic species. If we take her with us, we may have to fill a tub or something so we can keep her skin moist.”

  Jeff stood. “Which raises the question about her care. What she requires as a Human is obvious. Her other parts, we haven’t a clue as to what to do.”

  Mace said, “We just do what our instincts tell us to do, Doc. Or we have you to figure it out for us.”

  Jenny reached out, taking the girl by the hand. A friendly smile was returned.

  Jeff said. “I just realized something. We’re standing out here where it’s four atmospheres of pressure. If we take her back to normal what’s that going to do to her? A Human might end up getting the bends. We may have to isolate her and then lower the pressure slowly.”

  Jenny scowled. “We can’t take her from all she knows and just lock her away. What if she freaks out?”

  Mace sighed. “As I said, we don’t have to leave this minute. Maybe we take her back through the airlock and see how she does with it.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes. “Great, now we’re gonna run experiments on her?”

  Jeff said, “We could isolate her in a pressurized room, Miss Taub. You could stay in there with her if you like.”

  Jenny nodded. “I like.”

  They boarded the shuttle with the little girl continuously smiling at Jenny. A storage area was sealed off with the two inside. The ramp was raised and the cabin pressure slowly lowered as the shuttle dropped back into the ocean waters of Manijess. The craft emerged from the wet and was soon settling on the deck in bay one of the Rogers.

  As the pressure in the storage area equalized with that of the docking bay, Jenny opened the sealed door, carrying the young naked girl with one arm.

  After a short walk, they turned the corner into the room Vanessa and Tres had set up as a nursery. Jane was there with Zax. The three girls chased him around the room as they all squealed with delight.

  Jenny said, “We picked up another one for you.”

  Jane stood. “What? From down there?”

  Jenny nodded. “Yep. And she’s like this super smart mermaid. The logs say this place was shut down about six weeks ago. We found her… well she found us, in the pool of the docking bay. She jumped out of the water with a fish in her mouth.”

  Jane walked over, gazing at the smiling aquatic mystery. “How is that possible?”

  Jenny laughed. “That’s what I said. Anyway, she’s super smart, and obviously able to survive on her own. And she’s ours.”

  Jane smiled as she looked down. “Oh, look at those adorable webbed feet!”

  The girl, still carrying the fish in her hand, held it out to Jane. “For me? Why thank you.”

  As Jane, Jenny, and Vanessa talked, the little girl’s eyes were drawn to the other four children in the room, who by now were gazing at the new addition. The girl was clothed and then allowed to interact with the other children. Within minutes, the five were running around the room chasing each other as they screamed and laughed.

  Jane said, “What’s her name?”

  Jenny replied, “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. I suppose she doesn’t have one. She was alone down there in that complex. She’s smart as a whip. She can repeat any word you say and it sounds just like you said it. Personally, I’m just blown away. You know, we talk about rescuing those embryos, but they’re all still faceless. This little girl, and Zax over there, make you realize exactly what we’re fighting to recover.”

  The Rogers lifted up through the atmosphere, and a jump was made to the Zinka home world of Balidat. A comm was opened to the officials in charge, and the donor of the Zinka DNA in question, after threat, was identified. A major in the Zinka army, he had been found dead two months before.

  Mace sat in his captain’s chair on the bridge in contemplation as a wormhole opened back to Rhombia and a jump was made. A comm was opened to the local officials, followed by another connection to the Emperor’s spokesman.

  “Mr. Hardy, the Emperor will not be getting involved in any petty disputes such as yours. The unfounded accusations against Mr. Rassek, a strong supporter and personal friend of the Emperor, will not be brought to his attention. Such trivialities are beneath him.”

  Mace replied, “Maybe it’s time I paid the Emperor a personal visit.”

  The spokesman huffed. “A Human? Not likely. This conversation has gone far enough.”

  The comm was closed.

  Johnny said, “I’d like to squash that one like the roach that he is.”

  Mace replied, “He’s just doing his job. But I would now have to bet the Mawga Emperor is a simpleton who is being manipulated by his ‘strong supporters’.”

  Mace turned to Humphrey Mallot. “Do we know where that comm originated from? Where’s the Emperor’s palace?”

  Humphrey replied, “Passing the coordinates now. It seems the Emperor has a mountain retreat, far from the nearest city. It appears to be surrounded by plasma cannons, but not strong enough to hurt us.”

  Mace said, “Mr. Hobbs, take us down there. We’re gonna pay the Emperor a visit.”

  Geerok stood. “The Mawga people revere their Emperor, Mr. Hardy. I would advise against this move.”

  Mace nodded. “Noted, Mr. Geerok. I don’t plan on hurting him. I just want answers as to what Rassek did with our embryos.”

  The Mawga palace retreat was made up of round, domed buildings covered with green and gold marble. Tremendous fountains gushed thousands of liters of water per second as streams, ponds and waterfalls slipped under stone-covered footpaths. Blue and yellow flowers adorned the many shrubs that surrounded the buildings. Well-manicured foliage along the paths guided the Emperor’s staff and visitors to their destinations.

  The shuttle hovered over one such path as the ramp was lowered. Mace and Johnny walked out, first moving into the comm building, followed by a short jog to the main palace.

  Johnny said, “Now this guy knows how to live. I would say this place befits an emperor.”

  Two of the Emperor’s guard stood defiantly in front of the palace entrance.

  Mace leaned down to one of the guards. “It would be in your best interest to allow us to pass. We aren’t here to harm the Emperor. We just need to talk to him.”

  The guard refused to move, instead holding out his sword with a shaky hand.

  Johnny grabbed the hand, removing the sword and tossing it into the nearest shrub. The guard was picked up by the head and moved to the side as his feet dangled in the air. The second guard lowered his sword, taking a step to the left.

  The twosome passed through an atrium, followed by a long, grand dining hall. Large gem-covered doors were pushed open, interrupting a ceremony that was in progress. The two Mawga guards rushed past, joining six others as they surrounded their di
vine ruler.

  An official stepped forward. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Mace said, “I’m looking for someone name Rassek. Anyone here by that name?”

  A neatly dressed Mawga arose from the small crowd seated in the room. “I am Rafasek Rassek. You dare interfere with the Emperor’s official duties?”

  Johnny chuckled. “I don’t think they get it.”

  Mace walked up to the Mawga businessman, towering over his meter tall frame. “You stole four billion Human embryos. We want them back.”

  Rafasek squirmed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Johnny reached out, taking him in his hand by the head and lifting him from the ornate floor. “You do know what we’re talking about and I’m going to squeeze your little rat head until it pops if you don’t tell us.”

  The Emperor pushed through his guards. “You there. Unhand him. He is a trusted member of my advisory group and a personal friend.”

  Mace said, “Sorry for this intrusion… Emperor. Your adviser has forced our hand in this matter. Four billion Human embryos were harvested from Earth and are being sold on the black market by this “personal friend.” We only want what has been taken from us.”

  The emperor stopped in front of them. “Rafasek? Is this true?”

  Johnny turned the Mawga toward his ruler, tilting his head up and down in a ‘yes’ motion.

  Rafasek lowered his eyes. “It is true, your highness. I did this for the Mawga people, for you. It was done with the hope of building an army that would make us equals in the Galactic Union. It was done in your name, for you.”

  Johnny said, “If your plan was to build an army, why have you been selling off embryos to the Zinka and others?”

  Rafasek replied, “Building such an army takes funds. I could not ask this of the Mawga people. And my own wealth, while substantial, only accounts for a fraction of that needed. The clandestine sales were a necessary compromise. But not to worry, the embryos provided were all sterile.”

  Mace replied, “The embryos provided have all been gene-spliced with other species. Whatever you did to sterilize them might have been undone. We managed to recover two out of several million. How many did you sell and who did you sell them to?”

  Rafasek pulled a holo-image up above his arm pad. “The Zinka purchased three million. Our Dellus contact, two million. The Quelli, one million. Those are all the sales to other species.”

  Johnny said, “And what about to General Hamok?”

  Rafasek again lowered his eyes. “The general received two hundred thousand for his brokering of the other trades.”

  Johnny said, “That means most of those are still out there.”

  Rafasek replied, “No. Our birthing equipment is optimized for Mawga. All embryos were put into stations by my people. Many did not take and had to be replaced. I am aware of the raids on Reddack, Marigon and Manijess. We were unaware of the experimentation, the gene splicing, until after it had been done. Each party hoped to find the best combination of known species for their super-soldiers. They each hoped to purchase more when they had the most likely candidates identified. I had no plans of selling them any more.”

  Mace said, “Where are our remaining, Embryos, Rassek?”

  Rafasek Rassek looked up. “Trapped on Canto and Fombry. It was to be used as our base for creating our army of Humans. When the rift appeared and the United Front came through, we were in fear of moving the embryos elsewhere. Two thirds were destroyed in the UF attacks. Just over a billion remain, frozen in stasis.”

  Mace scowled. “Tell me you have the transports needed to move them back to Earth.”

  Rafasek nodded. “The transports are housed in underground bunkers. We only need fly them out to freedom.”

  Johnny set the Mawga back on the floor. “The UF hasn’t attacked again. Why haven’t you moved them?”

  Rafasek replied, “They were taken there through a wormhole provided by our Dellus contact. We don’t have the means to open such wormholes. The transports are large. We cannot risk flying them out with standard drives. It is far too valuable a commodity.”

  Johnny clinched a fist. “Commodity? Those are our people! And the women you left on Earth that you were supposedly helping… they are now barren. You stole all their eggs!”

  The Emperor took a stern stance. “Rafasek Rassek… you will take the Humans to Canto and you will return here to me for punishment. I can assure you, gentlemen, this was not of my doing, and all who were involved will pay dearly for their crimes. This deceit is not indicative of the Mawga people or our values. Justice will be served before this is over.”

  Mace replied, “We look forward to that moment, Emperor. Perhaps then we can work on positive relations between our peoples.”

  Rassek was taken to the shuttle and then up to the Rogers. A short ride back to the Gerty had the two ships moving through a wormhole to the Canto colony. Two Mawga cruisers offered no resistance as they arrived. The task of transferring Human embryos back to Earth was at hand.

  Chapter 27

  *

  The coordinates were given to the giant underground bunkers. Massive earth covered doors pulled back, revealing four large transports.

  Johnny grimaced. “There lies the future of Man. And I’d like to get them back to Earth as soon as possible.”

  Mace replied, “We have another problem to discuss first. When we get them home, what do we do with them?”

  Jeff said, “I talked with Rassek extensively about that. If left aboard the ships, they will be viable for a period of about five years. Afterward, they will be in natural decline, as they estimate any unused embryos will lose viability at a rate of 20 percent per year.”

  Johnny replied, “Sounds like we’ll be due for another baby boom. How we gonna feed and protect that many kids?”

  Jeff shook his head. “It’s obvious we won’t be able to support nearly a billion new mouths. That number will have to be scaled back dramatically. We also can’t force individuals to parent more children than they feel they can support. I suspect we will be lucky if only a tenth of those embryos are brought to term.

  “And to compound matters for future generations, there will likely be a number of years with few if any births due to a lack of viable embryos. Remember, maybe only a handful of women on Earth are able to conceive on their own.”

  Mace said, “We’re resourceful. We’ll figure it out. Mr. Hobbs, what will it take to move these ships to Earth… gatrellium-wise?”

  Liam replied, “Upwards of 40 percent of our reserves. We’ll be limited to a single round trip to Earth and back afterward. Any portal we open after that will be limited in size, duration and destination distance.”

  Johnny crossed his arms. “We should have hit up Dlukov for some before letting him run off to war. He’ll probably wind up dead now, and we’ll never know what happened to it. The little dirtball cheated us out of it.”

  Mace said, “Mr. Crawford, bring Rassek up to the bridge.”

  Jordan left, returning several minutes later with the Mawga businessman.

  Mace tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “I’m going to ask you a simple question, Mr. Rassek. I want a complete answer. Dlukov traded in a supply of gatrellium and you were involved. What happened to that material?”

  Rassek was silent for several seconds. “I received a small quantity for my work with the Dellus admiral. I have four tons in a heavily shielded warehouse on Rhombia.”

  Liam said, “That would buy us two round trips at most.”

  Mace nodded. “We’ll have to hold that in reserve.”

  Johnny said, “We have another fourteen days before Frado Knuttin is supposed to show. Do we wait it out here for him?”

  Mace shrugged. “I don’t think we have a choice. If we open a portal to Earth, we have to go. We can’t send these transports through unprotected.”

  Johnny cringed. “You know, I just realized that with Stark gone off to fight we have no prot
ection at home. What’s to stop some other Union member from attacking and wiping us all out?”

  Mace replied, “For one, they are all supposed to be at Harkoza. The Mawga ships are. And so are the Dellus. I couldn’t say about the Targarians though, since they supposedly left the Union. According to what we saw at Harkoza, all ships were ordered there to fight the Karthians.”

  Liam said, “Would it be worth the expense of opening a comm portal to Harkoza to get status from Stark?”

  Mace nodded. “I think that’s a good idea and worth it, yes. If he could send a couple cruisers back to defend these embryos, at least until they can be dispersed, that would free us from having to be there.”

  The order was given and a wormhole for a comm opened. Stark and his ships did not answer to a hail. A Sarkesian Dauntless responded to a general hail.

  Mace asked, “Has the fighting begun? We are in need of making contact with Malcolm Stark and the Humans.”

  The Sarkesian captain replied, “Six hundred eighty ships went out to meet the incoming Karthian fleet yesterday. They will be defending against more than fourteen hundred warships and several thousand small fighters. There is rumor of a second fleet behind that one. Only forty ships remain here in reserve. Your King and his ships left with the main fleet.”

  Johnny said, “Wait, they only have seven hundred twenty ships in all the Galactic Union? That doesn’t sound right.”

  Mace asked, “The second fleet you referenced, is that a Union fleet or another Karthian fleet?”

  The captain replied, “Karthian, but it has yet to be confirmed.”

  Mace offered a confused look. “There are only seven hundred or so ships in all of the Galactic Union?”

  The captain frowned. “No. The Quelli, Zinka, Dunden Heap and Targarians have refused to join the fight, keeping their ships home to defend their own colonies. It has caused a huge rift in the Union that will have to be dealt with at a future time.”

  The captain asked, “Will you be joining the others?”

  Mace shook his head. “No. We aren’t part of anyone’s army.”

  The captain replied, “If you aren’t now, you will likely be soon enough. We aren’t expecting a victory in this initial attack. The Karthian warships are formidable. Only the Muhatha are expected to survive. If they take Harkoza they will take half of the Union without much fight. The others will then be crushed one by one.”