***
This was the first time Gaelon had been to the Legion's Zophitan base since they had put their plan into motion. He was being led around the facility by its commanding officer, General Harmond.
"General, this is all very good," Gaelon interrupted Harmond during her tour, "but I am here for one thing only. Please escort me to the lab."
"Of course, Triumvir," Harmond replied with more irritation in her voice than she wished. "If you will follow me." She led him directly to the lab containing Kamseth's sarcophagus.
Gaelon looked for Lakeisha but did not see her in the lab. "Where is Triumvir Lakeisha Johnson?"
"Resting in her quarters," Harmond replied. "Shall I wake her?" The Valuvian shook his head. "Very well, sir. Over there is Dr. Haspla, our chief researcher."
Dr. Haspla was studying the readings from the container of the ancient Morgalan leader.
"Triumvir Gaelon, I was wondering when your curiosity would bring you here," the lead scientist said with a smile.
"Dr. Haspla, how is your research going?" Gaelon asked the Sciurine man.
"Better than we could have hoped," the furry scientist answered. "If this is indeed the body of Kamseth, it is remarkably well preserved in stasis. As though his followers intended for him to outlast the universe itself."
Gaelon looked at the Morgalan man inside the glass container. The body was in perfect condition.
"Can you get any vital signs?" Gaelon inquired. "Is he still alive, or just a remarkably well-preserved corpse?"
Haspla shook his head. "We have not yet discovered a way to get any reading from the body inside. Something about the container is blocking every attempt we have made at scanning him. We are getting energy readings from the container itself, and those are interesting."
"How so?" Gaelon urged the scientist to continue.
"The energy source is slightly pulsing. Which gave me an idea, so I asked one of our Morgalan friends to assist me," Haspla elaborated. "It appears that the pulse rate of the container is roughly the same as the heartbeat rate of a living Morgalan." The furry man could barely contain his excitement. "If it is a stasis chamber of some sort, it would appear to still be functioning! Whether or not the person inside is alive or not, I cannot tell, but just being able to study this ancient technology is astounding. It can help us understand more about the ancient Morgalan culture."
"All of that is well and good, but there is only one technology that I am interested in," Gaelon replied. "Kamseth was said to be able to control people through the sheer power of his will. I believe that he had some kind of mind control technology. That was what helped him launch the Morgalan Empire to start with. That is what we need most from your research."
"Mind control?" Haspla chuckled. "Triumvir, you have listened to far too many legends and tales if you believe that such things exist. Many researchers throughout time have studied the functionality of the brain and attempted to devise ways of taking control of it. Drugs, hypnosis, even cerebral implants, but none of them had any real success. If Kamseth could do what legends credit him for, then, in my opinion, he was a very gifted speaker that could incite his audience to do his will. If you study the history of any world, you will find examples of people such as that."
Gaelon was disappointed. He had invested a tremendous amount of resources into finding Kamseth in hopes of learning his secret. Now it seems that it was all for naught.
"Perhaps you are right, Doctor," Gaelon sighed. "Carry on your research, and do let me know if you uncover anything of merit." The Valuvian turned to leave the lab.
"I will walk you out, Triumvir," Haspla said. "It is getting late, and I could use some rest. I will attack this challenge with fresh eyes in the morning." The Sciurine man switched off the laboratory lights and locked the door as they exited.
They had not taken a dozen steps until an alarm went off. Harmond touched the comms device in her ear.
"Intruder in the lab!" Harmond shouted and raced back to the lab door.
"That is impossible!" Haspla snorted. "We just left there. It must be a malfunction." The scientist entered his key code into the door lock, and the door slid open.
Harmond turned on the lights, and then froze looking into the room.
Gaelon stepped in and couldn't believe what he was seeing. The stasis chamber glass had shattered and the fluid had spilled onto the floor. The body inside the chamber was gone!
The three Legion members then saw something that they would never forget. A Morgalan man in ornate garb stepped out from behind a piece of lab equipment.
"I am Kamseth," the Morgalan's voice boomed. "Bow before me and live."
***
Danielle lay in the bed on her side looking at the stars through the window. Somewhere out there is Mars. The planet that I used to call home. So much has changed in my life in such a short time. The Sovereign Angels used to be my family until they were killed by No'tok. The person that I thought was my best friend turned out to be my enemy. The people that I had been told were the greatest enemies of all time are actually the only people willing to stop the real enemy, the Legion. She felt K'oron turn over in the bed, and she smiled. But the biggest change has been in meeting the man I was destined to love. The universe still has its problems, and the Legion still has to be stopped, but for this one moment in time, I choose to be happy. We'll take care of tomorrow's problems tomorrow.
Hart Of Vengeance: A Danielle Hart Novel (Book 2) Page 26
