Shadow Sun Progression: Shadow Sun Book Four

by Dave Willmarth

  Harmon nodded. “It is their way. To their thinking, you are either predator, or food. They waste nothing here, including their own bodies. The dead are fed to the young, or used as fertilizer if there are no hatchlings. Adults who are too weak to feed or fend for themselves are left to die, becoming a resource rather than a drain.”

  “Just another reminder that the other species out here in the universe don’t share our views or morals. That’s going to take some getting used to. I keep catching myself looking at everything from a human point of view.” Allistor kept his eyes on the doorway as he spoke. “I could drop a lightning storm out there and take the pressure off of them. Since they’re in our raid group, it wouldn’t hurt them.”

  “Do not.” Harmon warned. “The queen needs to claim victory here, or perish, on her own. Her strength and judgement have been publicly called into question. Many of her people will feel the same as Ixam did – that this chaos is her failing. She would not welcome your assistance.” He looked at Allistor and winked. “But be ready, should she ask for it.”

  The group of visitors stood their ground near the dais, watching as araneae died by the score. For every few hundred of the hatchlings killed, one of the adults would fall. Even worse, the hatchlings that fed on the corpses seemed to grow right in front of their eyes. They quickly became stronger, and more voracious. Some even turned on their fellow hatchlings, finding them much easier prey than the adults. Allistor noticed that the adults rarely attacked the cannibals, wisely leaving them to their grisly work.

  About five minutes after the queen charged into the fray, the sounds of battle began to decrease. Another minute or two, and the corridor grew silent. The guards at the door parted, and the queen limped through, her body completely covered in blood, more than a little of it being her own. She climbed atop the dais and settled down amongst the cushions, staring down at the nearby females.

  “Anyone else wish to challenge me today? I am weakened from battle, now is your chance.” Her head shifted left and right, scanning the crowd. No one stepped forth.

  “Emperor Harmon, Emperor Allistor, my most sincere apologies for these unfortunate events taking place during your visit here. You have witnessed my greatest shame.” She lowered her head, blood still dripping from her chitin armor onto the cushions.

  “There is no shame in doing what must be done. We have all found ourselves in impossible situations, forced to make decisions that we’ll regret, whichever option we choose. You had the strength and courage to act swiftly in the best interests of your people.” Harmon bowed his head slightly. “Your people should appreciate your actions, and honor you for them.” He eyed the quiet crowd around them.

  Allistor nodded his head. “As you know, I’m new to the responsibilities I hold now. I can’t imagine how I’d handle a situation like this. I just hope that none of us will ever have to again.”

  The queen’s head drooped. Allistor suspected she had lost a considerable amount of blood. “I am afraid I must cut our visit short. There are yet more feral hatchlings to be hunted down and dealt with. But before you go, I wish to make an offer of friendship and formal alliance with you, Prince Allistor of Earth, Emperor of Orion. And ask that our factors discuss mutually beneficial trade agreements.”

  Allistor’s screen lit up with notifications, including a couple level up notices. He bowed at the waist toward the fading queen. “I am honored to accept, High Queen Xeria.” He panicked briefly, not having more words, until one of the phrases in his notifications caught his eye. “May you rule long and wisely.”

  The queen nodded once, then rose unsteadily from her cushions. Three of her guards escorted her through a door near the back of the room. First Warrior Artax, himself covered in blood and bits of hatchling, motioned them toward the main door. “I will escort you back to your ship.”

  When they reached the corridor, Allistor and the others were shocked by the sheer number of bodies piled up. There were tens of thousands of the hatchlings, and hundreds of adult corpses, many of them wearing the armor of the queen’s warriors. As they waited for the hoverpads to arrive, Harmon took a couple discreet steps to the side, and whispered something to Artax. The warrior nodded grimly, and turned to face Allistor.

  “It is known that the blood of hatchlings has value as a component in various crafts. I am sure our queen would be honored if you were to harvest some to take back with you.”

  Surprised, Allistor stammered. “Th-thank you, First Warrior.” He glanced at Nancy, who immediately got to work. She enlisted Andrea and her airmen to assist her. When Artax turned toward the approaching hoverpads, Allistor discretely bent and grabbed a hatchling corpse, quickly sliding it into his inventory. When he caught Amanda’s stern look, he whispered, “I’m bringing back some spider legs for Meg.”

  *****

  The trip back was mostly quiet, everyone absorbing what had happened. After the encounter with the blue millipedes, and the losses that came with it, the battle with thousands of low level spiderlings had struck a chord with most of them.

  Bjurstrom tried to lighten the mood. “So, Prince Allistor, what are the rules for challenging you for your throne? I’m asking for a friend.” He grinned as a few of the others chuckled.

  “Challenge me? Right now, I’d just give it to you. Just leave me Orion, and Lady Amanda here, as the start of my harem.”

  Bjurstrom recoiled in mock horror. “And take on all that responsibility? That’s for officers and foolish kids who run around saving people!”

  Allistor held up his inventory ring, then made like he was about to reach into it with his other hand. “You positive? I’m sure I have a crown in here somewhere for you…”

  “I’ll take it!” Helen held out her hand as if to accept the crown. “My first act as Princess Helen will be to have Lilly make cute lil leather outfits for all the cowboys.”

  Andrea snorted, then held up a hand for a high-five. “I vote for Princess Helen!” Selby nodded in agreement.

  The group became a little more talkative for the remainder of the trip. Nancy spent a little time examining the hatchling components, mumbling to herself and Ramon occasionally. The airmen and Andrea got into a discussion about proper names for murder chickens. Amanda convinced Harmon to let her scan him with Internal Analysis. Ten seconds into the scan, she said, “Damn. I thought Allistor had a lot of injuries. There’s hardly a part of you that hasn’t been damaged at some point.”

  “I was a front line fighter for several decades.” Harmon shrugged. “And orcanin children begin combat training at age four.”

  Reflecting back on the day, Allistor asked Harmon, “Will they be asking to send a harvester to Orion?”

  Harmon shook his head. “Not for several years, I would imagine. This hatching was an anomaly, with a much larger than normal number of broods hatching at once. Hence the rush to obtain resources, even at the risk of forfeiting a harvester and crew.” He looked down at his hands. “The loss of life was… significant, from what I could see. And we only observed the one segment of the battle. There would have been food for some percentage of the hatchlings, but those were likely consumed by the ferals soon after. And many breedable females likely lost their lives to the ferals as well. I am confident the queen, and her replacements, will ensure that this situation does not arise again.”

  “And the harvester’s cargo? You sounded surprised that it was seized.”

  “Indeed.” Harmon’s bushy eyebrows furrowed. “The Collective’s forces should not have been able to respond so quickly. Unless they already had a fleet in this system, for some reason. And there was no reason that I’m aware of, prior to the harvester incident.” He took a deep breath, looking thoughtful as he rubbed his chin with one hand. “Even then, the enforcers should have allowed the resources to be delivered once the situation was known, rather than endanger the lives of millions. The seizure of the harvester, punishment of the crew and the colony world it originated from, are all that the System’s rules demand. I
suspect someone is behind this.”

  Allistor looked thoughtful himself. “You’re saying someone maneuvered the enforcers to be here in time to take the resources, meaning that they alerted the enforcers before the harvester actually visited Earth?” When Harmon nodded, the room grew quiet.

  “Which means that whoever alerted them… might have had something to do with either the lack of resources, or the anomalous timing of so many simultaneous hatchings?” Amanda ventured.

  “And potentially the fact that the harvester was sent to Earth, which has already had more than its share of odd occurrences.” Harmon confirmed. He looked around the room, then sighed. “There is something you should know. Earth was acquired centuries ahead of schedule. During a time in your development when the pollution and ecological damage you humans were inflicting on your planet was sure to trigger a harsh response from the System.”

  “What do you mean, ahead of schedule?” Allistor’s face was growing red, and his hands squeezed the arms of his chair so tightly it creaked.

  “Like all of the worlds within the Collective, your planet has been visited and… guided by the elder races. Likely since the early stages of life on Earth. It is why they appear in so many of your myths and legends. It was the same with my world. The ancient ones foster growth and evolution, monitoring the worlds until they are deemed ready to join the collective. In the case of Earth, you should have had several more centuries to develop before the planet officially joined the Collective. Time to advance your science, art, and physical characteristics to a point that would have put you on a more even footing with the rest of us.”

  Allistor’s rage was building, his heart racing as he let go of the furniture and clenched his fists. Getting to his feet, he began to pace.

  “And why did these ancient ones claim our world early? The way you phrased it, you made it sound like the extinction of the human race was the goal.”

  Harmon shook his head. “Not the ancient ones as a group. Earth wasn’t acquired via the normal process. We suspect one of them, or a small group of them, went rogue and triggered the early acquisition of Earth. And whether or not genocide was their goal, they would certainly have been aware of it being a certain consequence of their actions.”

  “We?” Allistor growled. “Were you somehow involved in this?”

  Harmon leapt to his feet, towering over Allistor, his eyes blazing and his tusks bared as growled. “I should kill you for even suggesting such a thing!”

  Everyone else in the room was instantly on their feet, weapons drawn, as the two Emperors glared at each other, breathing heavily. After a long moment, Harmon blinked, and stepped back, relaxing his posture. “But I will not. I understand your anger, and forgive you for the accusation.”

  Allistor took longer to come to his senses. He stood there glaring at the giant orcanin, his fists and jaw clenched. He could hear the blood rushing through his veins. Amanda moved to his side, putting an arm around him and pulling him close. “Allistor. Take a deep breath.”

  Slowly, Allistor calmed. His jaw loosened, and he unclenched his fists. He took a few deep breaths, lowering his gaze. “I’m sorry, Harmon. Truly. You have been a friend and mentor to me since the day we met, and did not deserve to be accused. I… it’s hard for me to hear all of this after what we’ve gone through this year.” He returned to his seat, pulling Amanda down with him and squeezing her tightly.

  Amanda asked the question that she knew Allistor would ask next. “Harmon, you said ‘we suspect’. Allistor’s question is valid. Who is ‘we’?”

  Harmon took his seat as well. After a moment of careful thought, he answered. “I have lived a long time, and seen many things. I am emperor of an entire race, and as such I have had contact with ancient and powerful beings like Master Daigath. And yes, that includes some of the Ancient Ones.” He paused to gauge Allistor’s reaction to this news. When the human just nodded at him, he continued. “I have spoken with them on more than one occasion since Earth was taken. They have suspects, but no proof, as yet. I ask you to trust me when I say that the perpetrators will be found and punished. I will also tell you that some of them have worked on your behalf over the last year, though the laws of the System prevented them from acting directly.”

  Allistor was still breathing hard, but was trying to calm himself. He thought back over the major events of the year. “The yacht? The titan scroll?”

  Harmon nodded. “Though I have no direct knowledge, I would say that both are correct. Though the scroll itself was likely generated by the System as a reward for killing the elite void titan, which had no business being on a planet still in stabilization. I expect his presence was arranged by the same renegades.”

  Allistor knew better, based on the letter that accompanied the scroll. The scroll was deliberately placed. But another thought came to him. “The message I got, the one reminding me to use the titan scroll, and to equip the Prince’s Seal.”

  Harmon grinned. “Again, the System severely limits any direct action on a stabilizing world. But a simple anonymous reminder of an action that the System itself had taken, in this case a reward waiting to be used…”

  Allistor’s thoughts spun. He had been pretty sure that the scroll had been placed by the person or persons that had sent the titan to destroy him. Which meant that whoever sent the reminder message had figured out a way to help Allistor use his enemy’s actions against them. Whether that was just by sending the reminder, or it was also them that provided the titan scroll, he needed to take some time to think things through. For all he knew, it could all be the same person or persons just messing with his mind.

  The fact that beings with nearly unlimited power were messing with him, and had potentially killed hundreds of thousands of araneae in some scheme that included him, was terrifying. Not just because they might simply decide to kill him, though that was a major fear. But because in doing so, they might kill Amanda, or others close to him. Or the whole human race, for that matter. They didn’t seem to care what consequences their actions had.

  The rest of the trip home was mostly silent. Allistor eventually stood, offering his hand to Harmon. “I truly am sorry, Harmon. For calling your honor into question.”

  Harmon stood and engulfed Allistor’s hand in his immense paw. “Let us forget it happened, my young friend.”

  “Ha!” Amanda poked Harmon in the ribs. “Not likely. I don’t know about Allistor, but when you jumped up and growled at him, I nearly soiled myself. I won’t be forgetting that anytime soon.”

  *****

  Baldur entered Loki’s chamber without warning, the mists practically fleeing ahead of him as anger radiated from his entire being.

  “Loki! You go too far!”

  Frightened by his brother’s rage, but keeping a calm outward demeanor, Loki responded. “What is it this time, Baldur?”

  “Are you so petty as to destroy an entire generation of araneae just to strike at the human I showed an interest in?”

  “I don’t know what you’re-”

  “Do not finish that statement, brother. You are no innocent. I have had enough of your games! The enforcer command ship Retribution and its fleet were ordered to that system a week ago. Yet no one seems to be able to verify where those orders originated, or the purpose of their mission. And the orders to refuse communication with Xeria, while confiscating the resources that might have saved her hatchlings?”

  Loki’s upper tentacles waved in his species’ version of a shrug. “Lay your accusations elsewhere, Baldur. It was not my doing. Though I admire the ingenuity of whoever was behind it. A masterful bit of manipulation, that.”

  “More lies!” Baldur’s stumpy legs shuffled as he stomped toward Loki, leaning in close. “I give you notice, Loki. Should more mysterious mishaps happen to, or around, the human… I will end you myself! System be damned! I will sacrifice my own mortal existence to end yours! Do you hear me?” The righteous rage pouring from Baldur nearly boiled the mists between them. Loki qua
iled, flinching slightly despite himself.

  “I do not lie, in this case, brother. It wasn’t me.” The mists that transmitted his reply seemed hesitant to even approach Baldur, who ignored the words in any case.

  “Were I you, I would use my resources and cunning to ensure that nothing untoward befell the human. You have known me long enough to know that I do not make idle threats, brother. I tire of the limitations of the physical world. It would be no hardship for me to follow our elders into the next plane of existence, and to take you with me.”

  Loki had no response as Baldur turned and stomped back through the exit. When the door closed behind his brother, he cursed long and loudly to himself.

  In another chamber not so far away, Hel watched the feed from a cleverly concealed monitoring device. Baldur, and likely Odin as well, had reacted exactly as she’d hoped.

  *****

  Back on Earth, Allistor was restless. He paced back and forth on the rooftop of the Invictus tower, his thoughts confused and angry. He’d already tried heating some steel and trying to forge a weapon, planning to test a new enchantment theory that had come to him recently. But he found he couldn’t focus enough to even shape the metal properly, and abandoned the work.

  He gazed up at the evening sky above, the density and brightness of the stars so much more than the sky he’d grown up under. The nearest and brightest of the stars were even visible under the light of the dual suns in daytime.

  Moving over to the rooftop lounge area, he retrieved a bottle from under the bar without looking. When he’d taken a seat and went to open the bottle, he found it was one of the bottles of Brandy that George had given him.

  With a sigh, he opened the bottle and, not bothering with a glass, took a sip. He imagined how offended George would be by the action, actually hearing the old man’s voice in his head saying, “Respect the quality of the drink, boy!”. He took another swig, staring up at the sky.

  By the time he stumbled on unsteady legs into his bed, the bottle was nearly half empty.