by Aer-ki Jyr
“It is produced by each individual?”
“Replicated, yes.”
A virus, Paul realized. Humans had many viruses that affected them, but most of the negative ones were simply malfunctions in a genetic sharing program of their own. People once thought genetic information was passed from Human to Human via reproduction alone, and it wasn’t until Davis had gained access to the V’kit’no’sat database did they realize it was actually a way to interlink individuals and allow them to spread operational genetics between those living in proximity to each other.
Viral illnesses were malfunctions, often caused when one individual had something wrong with them and then passed it on to another. The positive sharings were almost never noticed, but omnipresent…which was why people who lived together often began to mesh into an equilibrium. If you had a bad grouping, it’d drag you down. If you had a good grouping, it’d pull you up. But in this case, it looked like the lizards used something similar in a much larger and more specific case.
Memory transfer.
2
“I really don’t know how we missed that,” Paul said, intending to send some not so nice messages to the medtechs on Earth. Somehow even Nefron had missed that.
“Why would you know?”
“We have some very good genetics experts…supposedly.”
“It’s not present in any of their genomes. Only mine.”
“But we still should have discovered it when examining corpses…” Paul said, immediately realizing why they hadn’t.
“You studied our scouts,” the mastermind surmised. “Then didn’t bother to examine the others because you thought they were identical. Such things have been so designed.”
“Clever,” Paul admitted. “If a messenger was sent here from another mastermind, how would command be clarified?”
“We do not interfere with one another, so unless they have priority orders they obey whichever one of us is present.”
“Can those on your homeworld monitor events here?”
“To some extent.”
“How difficult will it be to shut them out?”
“You don’t want them to suspect a surrender.”
“I don’t want them coding their troops to block you out. I’d prefer not to have to kill them all.”
“That will depend on how soon you plan to invade. If your assaults stall here they will notice even if the data links are severed.”
“We still have ongoing assaults on three worlds and the shipyard ring around Yamitar. If you sent a messenger to those on the ring, could you assert command?”
“Possibly. But they would know immediately when orders were no longer followed. They would undoubtedly recode all following that. Those on the ring would not fully be converted in time.”
“And if we severed the ground access first?”
“You would lose any hope of converting those on the planet.”
Paul glanced down for a moment, staring at the alien floor as he thought. “If they see us capturing and hauling away individuals that are then shipped to this world, what will they assume is happening?”
“They will assume you have plans for them, but they will not suspect my involvement. We are loyal without exception. Apparently the blocks ensure this, and will provide a window of opportunity for you to exploit. But if they have data to suggest a transfer of markers is occurring, they will know immediately.”
“What of the possibility that we could have detected and manufactured the markers ourselves?”
“The result would be the same. We do not assume control over each other’s forces when the others are present. Whether it be by a rebel or an enemy, both must be countered in the same manner.”
“Killed?”
“Yes. They will not betray their marker, and therefore must be destroyed.”
“No,” Paul said firmly, knowing what he was thinking. “I’m not weaponizing your marker, but out of curiosity, what would your people do if deemed needed for eradication?”
“They would defend themselves and the true orders they have been given until informed otherwise. Were your troops not so difficult to kill, I would argue it would be a necessary tactic.”
“And you would have no qualms about that?”
“It would not be my decision, for as you said, you could manufacture it.”
“I was speaking theoretically. You won’t assist me with that anyway.”
“No.”
“But you will help me retrieve those on the ring?”
“You will simply kill them anyway. I can put them to use here.”
“Do you have any living food sources here?”
“No. All such things were imported.”
“Do you eat each other?”
“We die at the hands of the enemy or based on necessity. We would only do so out of necessity.”
“And they’d kill themselves?”
“You persist in asking me questions you already know the answer to.”
“Seeking clarification. If you pour your efforts into foodstuff production, how rapidly can you expand current facilities on this planet?”
“Faster than we can grow new population.”
“We will withdraw from this world save for a few temporary bases, then establish starports in orbit. We will stay above the atmosphere and you within it, though we will not hesitate to come down here if needed. You are to rebuild and retool your infrastructure to support massive levels of immigration. You are not to produce starships or interstellar communications.”
The mastermind looked at him coolly for a moment. “Shall I be remaining here constantly?”
“No,” Paul said, respect for the speed that his mind worked. “Once this system is secured you will travel to other worlds without masterminds and assume control of them. They will then be evacuated back here. We’ll get you jumpships to use, so your people don’t kill themselves in our custody. That fleet you will be permitted to maintain for that purpose, though we will escort you at all times.”
“Can I collect resources from those other worlds?”
“So long as you agree to not compromise the databanks during the evacuation.”
“And what will you do with the worlds that are under control of masterminds?”
“The same as we have already been doing.”
“You aren’t going to try to capture and convert any of them?”
“Are two of you necessary?”
“For a single world? No.”
“Why are so many of you here?”
“The templars wished it so. I am capable of running a system of this size and density solo, but they deemed otherwise. I do not know why.”
“Are there any records on Yamitar that would be useful recovering?”
“Most likely they are already destroyed, but you now know where to look,” he said, knowing that Paul would see the locations within his mind as soon as he asked the question and they came to the forefront. The mastermind did not try to cloud his thoughts, but Paul also knew he would not assist him willingly in the assault to destroy his kin.
Talking about and advising him to what was already known between them was one thing, but had he the ability to resist Paul’s telepathy he would have. The Archon had him at a serious disadvantage, to which the mastermind had decided the best course to proceed would be one of simple honesty. That did not make him an ally, and they both recognized that, but for the moment, at least, he was not the enemy that Paul had lived most of his life fighting. He was…undetermined, in his own mind.
This lizard wasn’t sure what to do, but knew he didn’t have the luxury of waiting without taking action else he’d be destroyed, so he was playing the angles and knew that Paul wanted to deal, and even as Paul was explaining bits and pieces of his plans to him, he sensed the mastermind deducing the rest and seeing that it worked for him as well.
“This shipyard ring will be off limits, but you will begin repairs on the base so we won’t have to overcompensate with orbital engi
nes to keep it aloft.”
“What other tribute do you require?”
“None at this time. Your first priority is to enlarge your capacity to receive additional population and maintain them.”
“Have you negated all interstellar transmitters within the system?”
“We’ve already bombarded Yamitar and eliminated all obvious means of communication. Are there others?”
“Courier ships must not be allowed to leave. And if the homeworld discovers what you have planned, they will attempt to build a new transmitter hidden beneath the surface in order to alert other systems so they may prepare markers to block my own.”
Paul smirked. “No signals are going out from this system. We’ve got all the linkages blocked.”
“How so?”
“Cancellation nets sitting on line of sight to the nearest Li’vorkrachnika systems. This system has been dark for some time now, unless you have hidden receivers elsewhere?”
“You know that we do not. They are too big to easily hide. So the neighboring systems have not fallen since your arrival here?”
“Your big ones haven’t, no. We’ll get to them after we finish here.”
“And where are these nets located?”
“Far enough out in the system that they can block the signals from multiple planets. They are sensor stealthed so you cannot detect them.”
“A useful technology.”
“Expensive, but occasionally useful. Are there any other prison facilities in this system besides on Hemratik?”
“That facility was unique. I do not know if the templars constructed others elsewhere, but there is nothing like that on this world.”
“Where are your research facilities?” Paul asked, knowing that they hadn’t plucked anything from his mind in that regard during their telepathic interrogations.
“Not here. Updates have arrived from beyond this system, but the system or systems where the advanced research is being conducted were not revealed to me.”
“Faster than normal?” Paul said, picking up on a stray thought.
“Our rate of progress has increased considerably. It is possible we have recovered technology from a conquered race, but I do not know of any that could account for the advances we have seen in recent centuries.”
“That research center has probably been moved towards the core?”
“Most likely. Why have you not pressed your attack in that direction?”
“Priorities. And you guys expand so damn fast.”
“But you allow us on your doorstep. I would not do that.”
“There are other factors to consider unknown to you.”
“A treaty with the Skarrons?”
Paul laughed. “Oh, they hate us as much as you do. We’d never negotiate with them.”
“Yet you negotiate with me?”
“The templars made a tactical mistake…they made you too smart. Such intellect cannot be fully contained and controlled. It allows us to have a bit of common ground on which to negotiate.”
“And you have leverage.”
“Not over someone who has no qualms about killing themselves. You would not be here if you did not choose to be.”
“True. How do you plan on transporting those on the ring to this world?”
“Your command won’t allow them to travel on our ships?”
“They are ingrained to seeing you as the enemy,” he said, gesturing to those behind him. “Even these have a hard time not firing on you. If not for my presence, they would be seriously conflicted. It will take time and experience for them to learn otherwise. My marker can only do so much.”
“Very well. I’ll figure something out. How long does it take for you to alter your own marker?”
“A matter of minutes, but it requires extreme meditation. For security reasons the scientists are not allowed to know the specifics of it so that no tampering can occur.”
“If they are trustworthy, why the precaution?”
The mastermind considered that. “In the past I would not have considered that. The defense is sound, but against what threat it was meant to guard has never occurred to me. Now I’m beginning to theorize the templars were guarding against a revolt. Why such a thing would occur I do not know, but there are many small safeguards in place, and I cannot ascertain another reason for them.”
“Give it time,” Paul cautioned. “And as of now, you have plenty of it…”
9 months later…
Eight lizard jumpships rushed in past the Star Force defense fleet arrayed around part of the shipyard ring at Yamitar and did not attract an intercept. They decelerated near a section of the ring that had had its defenses stripped but otherwise was still under lizard control. One of those jumpships was further ahead of the others and carefully maneuvered its massive bulk over the even larger ring and nestled itself down into a groove that was meant to be a massive docking port designed to save the time and effort of kirby and larger craft making cargo transfers by allowing direct access to the ring.
The jumpship settled in closely, then proximity triggers activated and thousands of short range tractor beams latched on and held it in place a few meters away from making physical contact. A number of retractable umbilicals rose up and mated with the jumpship’s hull, allowing a few dozen crew members from the ship onto the station.
When those librarian variants boarded they met a reception committee that was thoroughly confused as to their presence and waiting along with a mass of soldiers to repel boarders that might be onboard the lizard ship that unwittingly got past the enemy defenses, but as soon as it was known that these were emissaries physical contact was made via a rubbing of arms that allowed a quick passing of the markers they carried. It took a few minutes to take effect, but the emissaries were already being escorted to various portions of the ring by that time, for the protocol in such matters was well known and there was to be no delays.
When the marker did kick in the lizards had a short set of memories and orders given to them…
They were to defend the ring where the incoming ships were docking and ensure that the evacuation of the ring was not interfered with by the invading forces. Everyone on the station was to sever links with the planet and evacuate immediately. Those on the planet could not be saved and would slow down the invaders as much as possible before their eventual deaths, but those on the ring were needed elsewhere and had a short window of opportunity to evacuate.
With those orders in place the lizards did as they normally would…they carried them out, including ignoring all further attempts at communication from the planet below that would eventually start incoming as the mastermind that was being deposed noticed his troops moving in odd fashions. He’d make other comm calls, locating still loyal troops on the ring that did not know what was going on, but slowly even those would fall silent as the offworld mastermind marker confiscated them as well.
By the time the planetbound mastermind sent physical runners up the ring’s lift columns along with the flow of reinforcements the ring was completely black, save for automated sensors that hadn’t been blinded. He could see the evacuation taking place, but the ships in orbit weren’t responding to his comms either. Their path could be traced to the star easily enough, but they were circling around it to the far side then disappearing, though there were also two other convoys of jumpships inexplicably passing through the enemy fleet and arriving at other planets.
Eventually one of his runners with portable comm equipment made it up and reported back in a short burst transmission what was happening, detailing that their own troops were now screening those incoming to the ring and passing on a new marker.
The mastermind on the surface did the only thing he could do…alter his own marker and begin sending up troops to retake the ring, fighting their own corrupted ones if needed, though he didn’t know for sure what the source of the contamination was.
Soon after the first batch of the ‘innoculated’ troops went up, the lift systems wer
e shut down and his command of the ring was completely gone.
Week after week went by with the jumpships now abandoning their ruse and only traveling directly from Yamitar to Michra and back again. There were hundreds of them, captured from other campaigns and some from the battle in this system, those still heavily damaged but patched up enough for the surrendered lizards to use for the short haul from planet to planet.
They were allowed docking and repair work on the ring orbiting Michra, then were shipping the incoming lizards down the single attaching column that had been hastily repaired into minimal functionality. The structural supports were the bare minimum to allow lift connection, with the orbital gravity drives still having to support most of the column’s weight as repair work on the heavily frame pieces still continued with many factories having to be built anew in order to fabricate the huge structural segments.
The lizards packed into each jumpship, still unsure what the orbital conditions were and not knowing that there was now a cease fire on Michra. They wouldn’t know that even after they landed, simply being incorporated into the mastermind’s legions and put to work immediately. Word eventually got around that the planet was no longer under assault and that some deal had been made to keep the enemy off what was left of it, but that only made sense. If this world was now a safe haven, then pulling as many of them off Yamitar before it fell was necessary.
There were no defectors from the cause, for it had been bred into them and subsequent marker updates insured they were following the mastermind’s orders and imperative that this world be repaired as quickly as possible. They would not be getting imports of raw materials and this world’s natural resources had all but been expended, so they would be mining the destroyed cities and repurposing the rubble for what they needed. No lizard was allowed to leave the atmosphere, and no enemy was to be fired upon if they came down to the surface unless they were given specific orders to do so. Even if the enemy attacked them they were not to return fire, merely retreat from whatever location and await orders.
