by H. T. Kofruk
What was not expected, however, was the presence of two Chinese naval vessels not a stone’s throw away in astronomical terms. Two more weapon locks were detected, clearly from the Chinese ships, both of which were seen opening their missiles shafts and powering their lasers.
“Send out the peace signal” said Rick.
“Aye, sir” replied the communications officer.
The ship’s external indicators all gave out white blinking light at three second intervals, the universal signal for non-aggression. A holograph showed the Red Sea doing the same.
***
Fann almost shouted out in frustration. He needed the power and influence of Admiral Liu and the talks with his most trusted lieutenants had been going relatively well. The sudden unwelcome apparition of two sword-shaped Atlantic Alliance war vessels was almost like suddenly discovering an assassin’s knife at your throat in the middle of negotiations. He was afraid that everyone would start distrusting everyone else and weapons would be pointed haphazardly, a situation only requiring one mistake for a bloodbath to ensue.
He was only partially correct; weapon locks from six Carulio-Tzak battle satellites were detected and warning messages flashed in red. The other Chinese vessel, however, not only didn’t aim weapons at the Zheng He, but went as far as to firing its thrusters to position itself between the Imperial dragonship and the two newly emerged Atlantic ships. When the two ships started flashing white lights, he was more confused than anxious.
“Your Highness, the Carulions are hailing us” informed the Zheng He’s communications officer.
“Put them through” replied Fann.
The communications officer was incorrect for the long, grey, hairless snout of a Tzak appeared as a holograph. Fann had never met a Tzak in person but could tell this one was rather old and blind in one eye. Its long jaw limited its pronunciation to sounds resembling barking, growls and throaty noises. The alien bared its fangs and engaged the crewmembers in its harsh language. The ship’s computer automatically provided an overlay translation into Imperial Chinese, the soft female voice sounding ridiculous put together with the menacing alien’s head.
“What is the meaning of this?” said the Tzak. “We were informed in advance of two of your ships convening in our territory. Our agreement with the Renden empires is simple; stay out of our domain or you will be destroyed!”
Fann rose slowly and purposefully from the command chair. “I am Han Fann of the Imperial Family. You have my word that the two newcomers were not invited by us, and if it comes to it, we will destroy them ourselves.”
“What assurances do we have? How do we know that you are not the first of an invasion force?” said the suspicious Tzak.
“My word is the only assurance and the only you will need. You know as well as I do that the Six Empires of Earth and all their combined resources would be hard pressed to overcome your impressive technological prowess” said Fann, knowing that a little flattery could go a long way.
The Tzak barked several times loudly. Fann thought that perhaps the ship’s computer had misinterpreted his words to insult their host. He looked towards Tuul and saw the Mongolian release the tension in his shoulders by slouching slightly.
“We will give you one more hour before you and all other Renden ships will be destroyed” said the Tzak through the ship’s female voice before disappearing.
“Courteous fellow” said Tuul, a jest that Fann appreciated to relieve the hot atmosphere.
“What do you make of the Atlantic Alliance ships?” said Fann. “Do you think they followed us here?”
Tuul looked thoughtful before speaking. “I doubt it. Not even elements within our own military or intelligence organisation found out about this meeting, otherwise we’d be dead. I don’t give the Atlantic intelligence enough credit to smell us out here.”
“I agree. What do you think they want?”
“Given that this is the only refuge from the other Empires in the known Yinhexi, I presume they’re seeking just that.”
Fann nodded his head. This was something he had never expected and he constantly felt the gaze of Tuul judging him, evaluating him. He had to show the crewmembers, of which the majority was older and more experienced than him, that he could make decisive and correct choices. He imagined what the crewmembers of the two sword-shaped ships were thinking; they were probably as clueless and nervous as he was. He felt a strange kinship with them, thinking of them as confused people trying to make it in a confusing universe rather than blood thirsty killers of his compatriots.
“Stand down and hail them” he ordered.
The face of an elderly admiral with specks of grey in his dark hair appeared. “Admiral Rick Hernandez, 31st Fleet, quadrant 602, Atlantic Alliance Navy” he introduced himself in the One Tongue.
“I am Prince Han Fann of the New Han Imperial Family” Fann responded in Imperial Chinese.
If the elderly admiral was surprised at coming face to face with the Imperial heir to the most powerful empire in the Yinhexi, he didn’t show it. “You’re far from home, Your Highness” he simply said, again in the One Tongue.
“What I am doing here is not your concern” said Fann. He immediately regretted his words, however, since to the astute listener it must have sounded awfully guilty. And he could tell that the old man was astute.
Rick squinted his eyes for a split second but didn’t say anything.
An awkward silence followed for a few seconds before Tuul opened his mouth in the One Tongue; he had had enough of the visible animosity shown by not speaking the other’s language. “Admiral, your uninvited arrival has put our operations in jeopardy. You did not have prior clearance to this territory and have arrived just moments later than us. Given the current war between our nations, we can only consider you as hostile despite the signs of peace you are emanating.”
“Who am I speaking to?” asked Rick.
“My name is General Tuul of the Imperial Army.”
“Army? Why are you commanding a naval vessel with the Imperial Prince? The only explanation for your presence here that I can think of is to borrow Carulion technology for the war.”
“We don’t need Carulion technology to win the war!” blurted out Fann in the One Tongue.
Rick smiled serenely as if to suggest he had found something out. “Then why are you here?”
Tuul also found something out; the two Atlantic vessels had been out of touch with the rest of their empire for at least the last couple months. They had no knowledge of the events within the Imperial Family such as the death of the previous emperor and the renegade status of Prince Fann, news covered widely by all of Earth’s media. Were they deserters and purposely keeping off the Atlantic Alliance communication network in fear of discovery? Could they be made into allies?
Chapter 21: Knowledge
‘Our ability to communicate with other intelligent beings, startlingly similar behavioural aspects despite scathingly dissimilar environments, the almost universally dominant humanoid form among intelligent beings… Could we all be bound by a common consciousness, perhaps a god?’ – Marcela Zuniga-Gomez, xenologist,
Haseeb and Heera watched Bin’ja settle down after thrashing around in his light sleep. The symptoms triggered by this ‘Second Mother’ were troubling to say the least. Heera could clearly see the nervousness and the aggression that hadn’t been characteristic of the large alien. The other day, he had almost lashed out at Weirdo who had come sniffing for a wrestling opponent.
“I’m worried” said Heera as they walked out of the hut.
“I can see why. He’s becoming dangerous” said Haseeb.
Heera nodded. Ever since the first fit, she was becoming more and more aware of what he was going through. When she slept, in particular, she could almost feel purples vines entering her mind and squeezing it like a child’s toy. She was certain that what he was going through was much more tormenting, that a weaker mind would have broken
under such pressure long ago.
The Hummers largely ignored the two Rendens as they strolled through the grey gravel paths though youngsters often paused to stare momentarily. An elder stopped them before they entered the male area of the village. Heera put on her goggles after seeing Haseeb do the same.
“The hard-backed alien must leave” hummed the elder.
“He’s not dangerous” Heera hummed back.
The elder turned to look at Heera with eyes turning grey from age. “You must also go.”
“What?” hummed Haseeb, enclosing his shifting shapes within a red circle to show exclamation.
“The hard-backed one represents a power that we cannot understand, a dangerous power. And you also have been affected by it” said the elder.
“What are you talking about, old one? The female sky-person is not a threat. We will take care of the hard-backed one” said Haseeb.
This time Heera shifted her look of disbelief to Haseeb. What did he mean ‘take care of’? Was he thinking of killing Bin’ja? Haseeb looked back at Heera and shrugged.
“If you don’t, I will order the males to do so. We can no longer permit such dangerous beings to remain with us” said the elder before walking brusquely past them.
Haseeb walked on as if nothing had happened leaving Heera to ponder a few seconds before she hurried to catch up. Grabbing him by the shoulder, she spun him around leaving him shocked at her strength.
“What was that?” she inquired.
“I just told him what he wanted to hear” replied the planetologist sheepishly.
Heera pointed at the direction towards which the elder had gone. “Did he look happy to you?”
Haseeb didn’t know what to say. Why was she angry at him? Why did she care so much for the alien anyway?
“I thought we had talked about this, Haseeb” she continued. “You agreed to help us off the planet.”
“Does he seem in a state to travel in space?” said Haseeb. “In an isolated environment, how do you propose we overcome him if he threatens us?”
“He won’t threaten us. You’ve already spent months with him; did you ever feel threatened?”
Haseeb shook his head and smiled, a gesture that looked very patronizing to Heera. “You say he’s already killed many humans. What makes you think you’re off the menu? Because of the so-called ‘bond’ that you share?”
Heera grabbed Haseeb by the collar. “So, what are you proposing? Do you want to murder him while he sleeps?”
The scientist was taken aback at this sudden aggression. Although he knew that Heera had received military training, he had no idea how strong she was. He could feel the wiry strong fingers grabbing his shirt. “No, no” he said with a frightened expression as he waved his palms in denial.
She released his shirt and stormed back towards Bin’ja’s hut. Haseeb looked on for a moment before heading towards his ship.
***
His vision had a purple tinge. It pulsated rapidly. He lifted his hands to see them burning in a purple flame. Why was she doing this to him?
“What do you desire from me?” he said.
She didn’t immediately reply. He felt claws trying to scratch the surface of his mind, trying to find a crevice. “You” she replied. Different shades of purple rippled in his eyes when the powerful being said the words.
“I serve the True Mother, and my brothers.”
She hissed angrily.
“I know not who you are. You are toying with the power of Mother for insincere goals. My mind is my own” he said again.
“You are mine!” she shouted, her voice rumbling deeply in anger.
This time he didn’t cower as he had done before. He stood his ground, leaning into the purple rippled wind that threatened to blow him over. “I am my own!” he shouted back. “You will not break me!”
Another hiss of anger followed by even stronger winds.
He dug his clawed feet into the dark soil of home and threw up his arms to guard his face from the windy onslaught. He felt anger towards the abuser of Mother’s power. She did not deserve such a gift, only to use it to torment others!
He put his arms down, and released a deafening rumbling sound that drowned out the howling wind. “I AM MY OWN!”
Heera was sitting in his dark hut when Bin’ja awoke. He was grateful for not being alone when the clutches of purple darkness released him. The new being that was asserting itself as Mother was growing stronger though he could smell the faint scent of corruption from her visions. She could also sense that he was different from the multitude of other Nikruk born from Renden breeding facilities and was looking to subdue him.
Bin’ja knew that everyone around him was in danger as long as she was grasping for control over him. Hers was not a benevolent power that sought to create and thrive in harmony, but one full of nervous self-preservation. The constant sentiment of being threatened had disfigured her from a warm pink energy to a harsh purple one. She needed information on whatever was threatening her and she was trying to pry open Bin’ja’s mind, her only reliable source of information.
“You slept slightly calmer” remarked Heera.
“This Second Mother is trying to control me. She’s beginning to realize that she can’t” said Bin’ja with a slight smile.
Heera was glad. She hadn’t seen him smile in weeks and he seemed more confident and stronger. “Have you figured out what she is?”
Bin’ja stood up and stretched his limbs and back, creating squeaky sounds of leather as his thick skin rubbed together. “She isn’t the only one to probe my mind. I have probed hers. I think she’s a corrupted version of Mother.”
“Corrupted by who?” she said, realizing immediately that she already knew the answer.
“How is our friend?” asked Bin’ja after a brief pause.
“He’s…fine.”
Bin’ja looked at her questioningly.
“I don’t think he wants to leave” she said after Bin’ja’s silent interrogation. “And he thinks you’re an obstacle.”
“Of course. It’s the first time he has seen one of his own in many years. If I am correct, you are the moon and the sun of the same species, both necessary for your race to continue. Is it not normal that he is attracted to you?”
Heera nodded awkwardly but said nothing.
“But your heart is with the other one, the brave one you were with.”
“I need to get to him. I need to let him know that I’m alright and find out how he is.” The mention of Terry gave her reinvigorated strength.
“Your race is full of emotion. We Nikruk have a less diverse range of emotions and I sometimes find it difficult to understand your actions. Perhaps your need to find this other one, even though you have another perfectly good specimen nearby, is similar to my need to find and help Mother and my brothers.”
Heera suddenly felt childish and selfish. Here she was with an alien who had lost his home, all his natural-born kinsmen and perhaps even his god, and she was thinking about finding her long lost love like some bad romance v-reality experience? In truth, she had barely been with Terry a couple months. But why did she miss him more than her parents or siblings?
Three knocks on the wall sounded in rapid succession, characteristic of Haseeb. Heera could see the slightly pudgy scientist’s shape through the curtain of beads at the entrance. She really wasn’t in the mood to see him at the moment and was tempted to tell him to go away. But then she remembered that he had saved her life and she should be more understanding of his idiosyncrasies. After all, he hadn’t had human company for almost eight years!
“Come in, Haseeb” she said, trying to sound calm.
The grey beads parted and he entered with an anxious expression. Heera thought that he might have come to apologize for his earlier suggestion.
He coughed a couple times to clear his throat. Glistening sweat reflected the dim light on his forehead. Heera looked at Haseeb and then at Bin’ja who was looking very tense, as if he sens
ed danger. She turned her head back at Haseeb and saw that his right hand was hidden behind his back.
“Haseeb, what are you doing?” she asked carefully.
“I…I’m sorry, Heera. I really didn’t want to do this…”
“Do what? What do you have behind...”
An electrical bolt lit up the room in a violent shade of blue for a fraction of a second. The smell of burning rubber rose from the smoke. She turned to see the body of Bin’ja smouldering from the lethal discharge of electricity. His chest area was badly burnt and he had lost consciousness.
“What the fuck are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” screamed Heera.
Haseeb was standing frozen with the bolt pistol still aimed. He was sweating profusely and taking rapid breaths.
“Haseeb!” yelled Heera.
Hearing his name seemed to bring him out of his trance-like state. “I’m sorry. This was the only way. I really didn’t want this to happen but you gave me no choice.”
Heera wanted nothing more than to punch him and break his jawbone. She got up shaking with anger, staring at him with eyes full of venom.
Haseeb looked nervously at her and pointed the bolt pistol at her. “Please, don’t come further.”
She halted. “Are you going to kill me? Was that your plan? Or was it to keep me here as your prisoner? Your little doll to keep you company?”
“You have to believe me, I have no intention of killing you. Look, I’m dialling the power down”
She watched him turn a notch on the arcane weapon that was only used by some law enforcement officers on Earth. “What do you want, Haseeb?”
“I just want you to love me. That’s all.”
The way he pronounced ‘love’ was disturbing. Shaking her head, she took another step towards him. “I can’t just love you, Haseeb. We barely know each other.”
“Because you won’t even make the effort to try! You just want to get off this planet and use me and my ship.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying? There’s a war going on. For all we know both our homes have been destroyed. Genetically augmented aliens are probably walking around on our home planet killing Rendens. And you’re talking about getting to know each other?”
