by L M Lacee
‘Of course they did,’ Peyton said, ‘think about it. Someone definitely programmed you while you were growing, and I for one do not see why they would have stopped at that. It seems easy for me to believe they made it so you never even thought to ask questions or at least not to ask questions about that. As for the council, politicians never ask relevant questions because what they don’t know they cannot be responsible for.’
All three women stared at her, a little bemused at her reasoning. For Peyton, it was fairly succinct, which they had learned since living together was unusual.
Noticing the three women were staring at her, she growled. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
All three women grinned as Heather replied. ‘No reason.’
Melody muttered. ‘Just surprised you understand politics.’
‘Just so rude.’
While they bickered, Hawk thought about what Peyton and the others had said and decided they were probably right. He asked Darby, cutting off the argument brewing. ‘Do you know where the Warriors are and did you find out how many of us there are in actuality, awake and functioning?’
‘Yes and yes, out of the fifty-thousand that are recorded as being created. On assignment are just over fifteen-thousand Warriors. From what I found on the Ambassadors computer, it appears there are around thirty-five thousand in tubes somewhere. You realize there are probably more. Also, I do not know how many were reportedly saved from the fire. I am hoping you will enlighten me on that number. Obviously Warriors Lukkas and Willian are young. So I am guessing they were matured after the destruction of the compound.’
Hawk nodded to Kerol, who told her. ‘Add another fifty- thousand to your list, we have placed them on differing worlds.’
Unsurprised Darby asked him. ‘You can contact them?’
‘Some, not all.’
‘Okay.’ She tapped on her tablet then told them. ‘The Warriors in stasis still count as thirty-five thousand. Now with the added fifty-thousand, we should have sixty- five thousand active. I would be unsurprised if more Warriors were not placed in stasis. That possibility is there.’
‘Agreed.’ Commander Roeah stated.
Melody asked. ‘So Darby and Heather’s supposition, that no Warriors were killed in the attack on the compound was correct.’
Kerol smiled and inclined his head. ‘That is so, all Warriors created as well as embryos were saved before the fires destroyed the compound.’
Melody asked him, but her eyes remained on the Commander. ‘Was it you, who did that?’
Kerol shook his head. ‘No, we were not there.’
‘I see, thank you.’
Hawk was the one to tip his head as he stated. ‘You are worth the truth, so I will tell you, as Kerol said we did not attack the compound but we know who did. I will not give you their names.’
Melody smiled conspiratorially. ‘I will not ask for them.’
Hawk let go the breath he was holding and said to his Warriors. ‘We are going to need ships, lots of ships if we are to leave this world and rescue our Warriors.’
‘As to that.’ Peyton said. ‘I agree we need ships for transport and for protection, but for finding our Warriors. Hopefully, we will have help in locating them.’
They all looked at her as she tapped her head. ‘We have a network of stars and planets to hunt our Warriors for us. What we don’t have is a plan to get off this rock.’
Every one of the four Warriors smiled as Hawk Roeah reassured the women. ‘That is as easy as sending communications to my people. I have put in place many, many plans. In the hope that the day would come, when I could take my Warriors safely out from under the yoke of our oppressors. Although I will admit this situation, I do not have a plan for.’
Kerol assured them. ‘With a small amount of rearranging we should be able to leave this rock, as the Star Daughter says, by the end of four weeks.’
TWENTY-ONE:
What seemed to the women to be a monumental task, was in fact quite simple once the Commander and his Warriors got on board. The systems they had put in place over many years took only a few well-placed communiqués to the right Warriors and allies. And once the orders were verified as genuine, Commanders started evacuating Warriors from worlds and sending ships and personnel to Earth.
Darby supplied the code to Hawk so he could disable the kill switch for all the Warriors on Earth. Then he reached out to as many of his Warriors off world as he could, who reached out to others and the chain started and continued up into the heavens. Where the Stars picked up the importance of the missive and broadcast it further into the Indorino Universe.
Encoded starlight spread into hidden valleys on moons and planets and even on dead stars, in the hope it would reach sleepers and render the kill switch inert. It was a fine piece of surgery to disable the switch but not wake the occupants of the tubes. The Stars remained smug in their accomplishment, even more so when Peyton told them how very grateful she was. They had been a long time without a Star Daughter; it was gratifying to see the one chosen was full of praise and willing to share it with them.
Two nights after the meeting with the Warriors, Darby was in one of her favorite places, sitting on the flat section of their roof, overlooking the town. From there she could see the night skies and watch the ever present shuttles overhead. Although she had to admit there were fewer tonight than previous nights. It looked like the frightening Commander Roeah was starting his withdrawal already.
She took a sip of her drink and sighed when it gave her a slight burn. She loved the hundred-year-old scotch Peyton somehow got for her and Melody. With at least half a glass already gone, she felt melancholy and took the brakes off her memories. Allowing her mind to wander back over the past two years and how she had changed the world.
Her heart hurt for what she had helped achieve, but looking back on it now. She wondered, as she had many times over the years, had there really been a choice? Even now it appeared as though a program had been running and the world got caught up in someone else’s experiment.
It was almost two years since a representative from the Government commissioned her to research the possibility of sending a message for help out into the Universe. She shook her head in disbelief at her naivety and arrogance, then snorted as she realized Peyton’s honesty was rubbing off on her. She could see now how blinded by the challenge she had been. Not once had she stopped to think of the consequences.
Honesty compelled her to admit a few words to stroke her ego, and she became the Government’s puppet. Anger at how she allowed herself to fall into line, annoyed her and added to her sorrow. Heather called her unworldly, and she was probably right, but damn it. She should have known it was never going to be that simple, even with a new Government in control. They were never going to pass up the chance to have more, to know more. She took another drink and thought sarcastically, well I didn’t, so why would they.
They had formed the first one world Government only after years of the Virus ravaging the world. Once, many years ago, the world used to hold elections to select a new Government. There had been talk of starting that again, but with the Coalition here now, Darby thought that would be unlikely. She wondered if they would maintain the status quo. She had been told that when members of the Government passed away or just decided they did not wish to serve any longer, like former president Powers. They were replaced, usually with like-minded people.
Darby smiled when she remembered reading, how when they had first gathered a Government together, they had been inundated with immediate and far-reaching problems. From what she had read, deciding on where to govern from had taken months to agree on. Eventually, they decided on the general assembly building that had housed the United Nations in New York City. Their next order of business had been to divide the world, and that had taken almost three years. Then it had taken them five years to decide on a plan of action to combat the Virus and then countless years to enact it.
Fear, Melody told her one nig
ht, was a double-edge sword. On one edge, fear could cripple a person physically and mentally. On the other edge, fear could be a great motivator. Darby knew this to be true, she had faced both edges as it seemed the Government had.
Not knowing when there would be another outbreak of the Virus and if it would mutate again, haunted the Government and the people they were responsible for. The fear they wrestled with had held Darby hostage since she was old enough to understand life was tenuous at best. Sadly, her fear had not been for the world but entirely for herself. She had been stalked every waking moment with the thought that she would be the one remaining person left in the world. Now she no longer feared that would happen, and she definitely was no longer alone. No one could coerce or guilt her into doing their dirty work again. It was amazing how having people who understood the world better than you and cared for you. Helped to keep you from falling off the right path and changed your outlook on life.
Sighing, she leaned back on her elbows, such a short amount of time had passed since that time. And yet so much was different, daily she struggled to cope with all the changes. What she was going to do now though, this change was enormous and scared her more than any of the others so far. Even the thought of death did not freak her out as much as leaving everything she knew and knowing she was never going to return. Now that was big.
A slight noise alerted her to someone’s arrival, it never ceased to amaze her she was always found by one of her friends. Not that she hid intentionally, but years of living on her own made the constant presence of someone always in the house with her, hard to live with at times. And that was when she crept up here to her sanctuary. Now, as she thought about that, she realized she wanted less alone time than she had in the past. Maybe she was growing up.
TWENTY-TWO:
Melody’s head emerged from the attic steps, causing Darby to sigh in relief it was her. She was still a little annoyed with Peyton, and Heather’s brand of comfort would be too soft tonight. Melody, on the other hand, was tough and usually fair.
As she climbed the rest of the way on to the roof, she called out. ‘Hey girl, you brooding?’
‘Yeah, it seems to be a night for it.’
Melody walked carefully along the roof’s edge, heights irritated her for some reason. She assumed that was why she had chosen the Army and not the Air Force as some of her family had.
With an empty glass in one hand and another almost full bottle of scotch in the other. She found a comfortable seat on one of the large cushions Peyton had placed here when they had discovered Darby sneaked up here.
She said as she poured herself a drink. ‘Yeah, I get that, so what have you been thinking about?’
Darby looked at her out the corner of her eye, saying softly. ‘Sending the message.’
‘Well, no going back now.’
‘I know still…’
‘What Darby… you and your team did nothing wrong. No one, least of all you, would have... could have known what the Government, the treacherous, back-stabbing bastards that they are, were going to do.’
Darby laughed a little. ‘Say it like it is general.’
Melody smirked as she answered. ‘Ha-ha. It is still true.’
Darby sighed heavily. ‘I know you are right. I really do. It is just I didn’t believe there would be an answer. You know?’
‘I know sweetie, I know…’
Melody trailed off, keeping her thoughts to herself, as Darby remembered she really had not thought there would be an answer. She was like all the others on her team who had thought it was a foolish hope. But to their and the Government’s surprise, within a few short months after the message had been sent, an answer was received.
‘Seriously Darby.’ Melody reproved softly. ‘Who knew they would sell us all out, that is on them, not you.’ She took a healthy swallow of her drink and felt the anger she kept buried surface to the forefront of her mind. Who would have thought the government she had respected and trained so hard for, given her youth to, would sell her and the people of Earth out for technology? The same technology the world would eventually have discovered for themselves. When, as Darby said, they would be ready to understand and use it.
TWENTY-THREE:
At the same time, Darby and Melody were staring morosely at the flying shuttles overhead and discussing the next few weeks of work they had to do.
Heather was at the medical clinic finishing up for the night and listening to the news from the Undernet. While she sipped her tea, she once more read the report she and Darby were compiling to broadcast to the populace.
Peyton wanted something to let them know what was happening to the women of Earth and why. They were using the information Darby had stolen. As well as disclosing the secret agreement between the Coalition and the Government, which had started them all coming together.
Heather had been saddened and angered at the audacity of the Government’s actions. These people were supposed to care for their people, not auction them off. It made no sense to her why they were doing so and she could not shake the feeling there was something else going on. Secretly she believed this Entity, the Star Child was solely responsible for what was happening, part of her thought they caused this, so Peyton would have to leave. In her quiet moments she wondered if after the Star Child met Peyton, they realized unless all of them were allowed to go with her. She would not take on the mantle of the Star Daughter. That was if she had a choice, and she was assuming Peyton did. It all seemed plausible to her divinity ran by their own rules.
Shaking her head to dispel those unwanted thoughts, she began reading what Darby had written so far...
Thanks to a quirk of genetics, the women of Earth have become a very sought-after commodity. Due to one simple inescapable fact; Human DNA is malleable.
It has been proven that human women can and will be able to breed with almost any alien species. It also appears we have been doing so since humanity started walking upright. Races of aliens have been coming to our planet for centuries and abducting women with or without past Government's knowledge and or approval.
What the Coalition’s scientists have discovered is that breeding can potentially start as soon as women are introduced to a new planet. In some cases, while they are still in transit, of course eggs can and are being fertilized on Earth. As we compile this document…
That was all she had completed, Heather had not even started her report yet. Each time she went to write it, sadness assailed her along with her doubts and anger.
Again, she thought it was unfair that Darby got to write about facts. Her contribution was to write about how women were being used and what was eventually going to happen, to not only them but to the population of Earth. What she wanted to write about was the rage and hopelessness she was feeling and the guilt she lived with daily. She brushed the hair from her face as she sighed. She was just like Darby and all the other scientists who had given up looking for a cure to the Virus. She bitterly laughed as she thought back on the last years of her life.
She had been the only girl born in over four generations to her father’s family. In some ways, she would admit she had been pampered and protected. She was lucky enough to have been educated alongside her cousins in countries all over the world. Either with her parents or other beloved members of her family.
When the Virus appeared, she had been a happy, carefree ten-year-old, her path into the world of medicine decided, and as the years passed, it never wavered. Even when she lived through all of her family’s deaths. She like her parents had believed they were all resistant to the Virus.
Sadly, this was not to be, thankfully her mother and father had lived long enough to finish her education. Both of them finally succumbing to the Virus on an island in a remote part of the world, which until then had been unaffected by the Virus. Her parents, along with the twenty-two hundred inhabitants, died before Heather could reach them.
Until she had come to live with Peyton, Melody and Darby, who had dislodged the ice
around her heart, she had not realized how much she had quarantined her feelings. Not allowing herself to love or to feel anything other than bitterness. She knew it was her unreasonable anger at her parents for being fallible, for being human and dying. That had made her keep her heart encased in ice. Her only reason for existing had become her determination to find a cure, which she would never do now.
She groaned in frustration, rubbing her tired eyes as she thought about what had happened and what was going to happen. She and everyone else on Earth were here today with what amounted to an alien invasion and would have been termed so when she was a child. They, the aliens, were supposed to be here to eradicate the Virus and make the world whole again. Now she and the others knew it was not a normal Virus and there was no cure. Even before the appearance of Sunshoona, Darby had discovered the aliens were not here to help; they had another agenda, and it was just to pillage the world of its DNA.
Heather felt her heart clench when she remembered her arrival in town. Was it really just a few months ago? So much had happened since then, it felt like it had been years. She thought about Melody, who was filled with anger at being dismissed from the army and Darby’s fear of change and her deeper fear of being left alone. Peyton’s worry that she would disappoint everyone. She wondered if she still worried about that, what with her being some wondrous Entity, who was going to rule some far off Universe.
Dear heavens, should she be worried about Peyton or herself, and the others who were planning on following her to that same Universe. She shook her head in dismay; they were about to go off into the unknown, with men she did not know whether she liked or not. She acknowledged she felt sympathy for the Warriors and their enforced servitude, but was she really willing to leave her world and the people who needed her here. Just because they tugged at her newly awakened heart strings. She was so confused and so tired of not knowing what was right and what she should do. She wished she had a sign that said. Stay or go.
