Warrior Chronicles 3: Warrior's Realm

by Shawn Jones

  Bane was beside Cort and nuzzled his thigh. The man reached down and stroked the wolf’s fur, wondering about the artist or artists whose work he had just experienced. It wasn’t just a visual experience, though. Cort felt the images in his very being. It was a visceral, almost spiritual experience to him.

  How old are the images? There were some kind of humanoids here at one time. How long ago did they die off? Maybe they left. But why leave him here? I have to get this to some archaeologists. Maybe John’s old friend in Asia. The one who gave me Bane. Tsao, I think. Yuan Tsao. Better yet, I have to get him here. John trusted him. He will protect the world.

  --

  Cortland Addison was in his dress uniform when Dar escorted Kimberly Point down the aisle, between their guests. The last time he wore dress blues, the stripes and chevrons of a sergeant’s rank were on its sleeves. This time, his epaulettes bore the stars of a general. His chest bore a myriad of medals, awarded to him by a thankful government that hadn’t existed for over a century, but Kimberly insisted he wear the uniform. “It tells the galaxy that you are special,” she had said.

  As sharp as Cort looked, Kimberly was stunning. Her lithe frame bore the caramel colored dress like the royalty she was to the audience that had gathered to watch the couple formally become one. Its fabric was form fitting and highlighted her shape well. But as she walked, it sparkled, giving her the effect of a living jewel. Cort had to fight his own arousal as her hips shifted with each step she took toward him. When she was finally beside him, she handed a bouquet of native and Terran flowers to Heroc, and turned to Cort.

  He lifted Kimberly’s hand and slid his mother’s golden ring onto her finger, where it joined the diamond band she already wore. Once the ring was in place, he said, “Kimberly Point, I have traveled across the very fabric of time to find you. It is your comfort that I seek, and my only peace will be in your arms. You are my destiny, and I will love you until I draw my last breath.”

  Kim lifted Cort’s hand and slipped a simple gray band onto his ring finger. Looking up to him, her voice was filled with emotion as she said, “Cortland Addison, from our first kiss, I knew that our fate was forever joined. You have been my savior and my protector, and I take you as my husband, now and forever.”

  Dar said, “Ladies, gentlemen, and honored guests, it is my pleasure to present to you General and Mrs. Cortland Addison. General, you may kiss the bride.”

  Cort lifted Kim’s veil, said, “This is such a good idea,” and kissed her.

  Later, during the reception, Kim leaned over and whispered in Cort’s ear, “I cannot believe I didn’t think about a minister or someone to conduct the ceremony.”

  “I think we handled it just fine, Mrs. Addison.”

  “Gods, but I love the sound of that.”

  They danced and visited, with the celebration extending hours into the darkness of Solitude’s night. Once the planet’s moon dipped behind distant mountains, Admiral Jones tapped an order into her flexpad and directed the gathered audience's attention to the sky. With a backdrop of a red, cloud-like cluster of thousands of stars, several ships of JJ’s stealth fleet began destroying drones that floated high in the atmosphere. Each explosion illuminated the sky in a plethora of colors that dazzled the onlookers. The beings with single lenses in their eyes saw a beautiful display that rivaled the Aurora Borealis back on Earth, but to the various species of insectoids, with their dozens and even thousands of lenses, the kaleidoscope that just moments before had been the star-studded fabric of Solitude’s night sky was transformed into an emotional experience that left many weeping.

  Even with her single lenses, Kim was one of those with watery eyes. “This night is perfect,” she said as held herself against Cort’s arm. “There will never be a more perfect wedding in all of the universe. I’m standing on my own, beautiful planet, married to the most powerful man in the galaxy, surrounded by people who love me. You gave me the whole package, baby. You really did. Thank you.”

  “I found something else for you, Kimberly Addison. Tomorrow morning, before we have breakfast with everyone, I want to take you someplace. Just us. Not even the wolves, okay? Heroc can watch Dalek for a little while for us.”

  “Where are we going?” Kim asked.

  “Not very far. I, well, Bane found something at the isthmus. I want you to be the first to see it.”

  “What is it, baby?” Kim was excited now. She had explored the entire planet. That Cort might have found something she didn’t know about on Solitude was intriguing.

  “The past.”

  --

  “Oh my gods!” Kim said as Cort lit the main cavern and pointed her to the beginning of the mural. “Where did this come from?”

  “I have one of John Wills’ old friends from Asia waiting for your okay to start trying to find that answer.”

  “It’s like the old cave drawings in Europe. But where are they now? Where are people who drew this?”

  “There’s so much more to it. Wait until we get to the end, hon.”

  When Kim finally saw the drawing of the grave, she had the same question Cort had when he and Bane reached the spot. “Where is the grave?”

  “I don’t know, but it might be there.” Cort pointed to a shallow depression in the ground just a few feet from where they stood. “I didn’t want to disturb it. If it is the grave, opening it should be left to Tsao and his people. When I was here before, I was in a FALCON, so I didn’t have the sonar capabilities of the other suits. But Bane did hit on this spot.”

  “If it’s true, Solitude’s history is different from other evolutionary planets. How do we find out about it?”

  “I asked Bazal about it last night. His archives don’t have a record of any noble species on the planet, and their knowledge goes back eons. Speral doesn’t have anything on it either.”

  Kim turned to him and said, “Oh, Speral. Did you see her and Jeff Pence last night?”

  Cort laughed that she turned to another topic so easily. “Yes. It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out. I can see that he is smitten with her, but I can’t read her well enough to know what she thinks.”

  “You haven’t asked Bazal?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Cort. It’s clear that he is telepathic. Even if I didn’t know that myself, I hear the scuttlebutt about him around the Academy. Does he know if she feels anything for Jeff?”

  “I haven’t asked.” Cort wasn’t surprised that Kim knew what she did about Bazal, but he didn’t think she knew about the extent of the octopod’s mental abilities. “I do know that he doesn’t share what he knows unless it is necessary for our purposes. I don’t think he would betray their thoughts or feelings for the sake of idle gossip.”

  “I suppose he would have to have developed some sort of ‘code’ to guide his telepathy,” Kim acceded.

  “It’s almost time for breakfast. Let’s get back to our guests.”

  “Okay, baby.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Cort’s cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here before the scientists get to it.”

  Thirteen

  Bergh Station

  Yuan Tsao was preparing his findings when Kimberly entered the office and lab he had been given. Cort was on Phobos finalizing the transfer of Marine training the academy on Solitude.

  “Good afternoon, Doctor Tsao,” Kimberly said as she walked to the table Tsao was working at.

  “Kimberly, may I move to Solitude?” he asked.

  Taken aback by his abruptness, Kim replied, “Of course. I take it that means you want to continue to study the cavern?”

  Tsao had been working in the cavern for weeks, and found a caved in side chamber that appeared to be the living quarters for the people who had once lived there. The main cavern alone would have been more than enough to warrant a long term stay on Solitude, but the discoveries uncovered in and as a result of the living area, could easily become his life’s work. “It is so much more than just the main cham
ber. I have found an attached living area, and drawings there led me to a separate location which I have only been able to scan so far. The race was highly intelligent, rivalling humans in every aspect, and would probably have even passed as human. If not to post-cull humans, then certainly to General Addison, given his experience with multiple variations of the human genome.”

  “So you are saying they would just appear to be ethnically different?”

  “Yes. I cannot be sure unless I excavate the grave and look at the DNA of the body, but based on the information I have so far, as well as the tools I have found, I would be surprised if the species could not pass as an aboriginal of an island nation.”

  “When will you exhume the body?” Kim asked.

  “I was waiting for your permission. So far, only myself and my wife have worked the sites, and I would like to know what parameters you would like me to follow.”

  “Of course.” At that point, Kim had only given the man permission to observe the areas, but he was not allowed to dig or disturb the site in any way. “Doctor, My primary concern is the sanctuary. You may dig, you may study, and you may work the sites you find any way you choose, so long as you do not disturb the fauna. Beyond that, use your best judgment. And if you have doubts, talk to me first.”

  “Thank you so much, Kimberly. I would prefer to have only myself and my wife participate, if that is acceptable. She knows my, uh, methods. Or perhaps I should say, my peculiarities.”

  “That is fine. There will be a security team assigned to you. The native species of Solitude can still be very dangerous. You will also be required to work in a flexible armor suit. It is similar to the FALCON but not as robust. I believe you will appreciate its enhancements, though.”

  “I see. Will I be trained in the use of the suit?” Tsao asked.

  “Of course. I have already made an appointment for you, this afternoon. I will add your wife to the appointment as well. After being fitted, you will have a short class about suit use, while they are being printed.”

  “Kimberly,” Tsao was hesitant with his question, “Will the suits inhibit my tactile senses?”

  “I anticipated that question, Doctor. Your suits will not be as effective at stopping bullets as the military versions are, but they are much thinner and still quite strong. The gloves will be similar to wearing prophylactic gloves.”

  “Ah. Thank you for that consideration. And Mrs. Addison, Kimberly, thank you very much for this opportunity.”

  “Thank General Addison. He made the decision to ask you here. His words were, ‘John Wills trusted him, so I do.’ John was a great friend to him, and you have no idea how close Cort and Bane are.”

  “Bane? Who is Bane?”

  “Bane is what he named the dire wolf.”

  “Oh, yes. I see. A very apt name. You know, Bane bit the General that same day. The day I gave him the animal. I thought he would refuse the gift.”

  “Yes, I heard about that. It actually made him appreciated the wolf even more. He feels like Bane is his kindred spirit. They are both out of their time.”

  “General Addison is quite a man. He seems to love his wolves more than he does humanity,” Tsao said.

  “I hope I am an exception to that, but for the most part, it is true. Other than Dalek and me, I doubt there is living being in the galaxy that means more to him than the wolves.”

  “That is why, uh, Bane, was the perfect gift for him.”

  --

  Two days later, Doctor Tsao commed Kimberly as she was getting ready for bed. Cort was watching her undress and hoping Dalek would stay asleep for another hour or so. Kim stopped undressing as she listened to Tsao. When she started dressing again, Cort’s heart sank. Unfortunately, his desire didn’t.

  “Doctor, I appreciate your zeal, but could we go over this in the morning?” Kimberly was clearly trying to delay meeting with Tsao. “Of course, I understand. Would you like to come here? Okay, we will see you in a few minutes.”

  Turning back to the bed, she saw that Cort was already dressing, and it appeared that it was going to be a difficult task. “We have about ten minutes, baby.”

  “That’s about eight more than I need right now, woman.”

  --

  Cort was thinking about a time when he explained who Batman was to John Wills, when he opened the door to admit Doctor Tsao. “You know, Doc, John Wills had much better timing than you do. It was almost comical. You on the other hand, are damned near what we called a ‘cock-blocker’ back in my time.”

  “What is a ‘cock-blocker’, General?” Tsao asked as Bane recognized him. By the time the greeting was over, the joke was lost, so Cort moved on.

  “He remembers you, Doc.”

  “He is huge. The projections did not anticipate him getting this large.”

  “I’m sure. In the wild, wolves didn’t eat as well as ours do. The constant training and consistent food supply add twenty percent to their average mass.”

  “That makes sense. Is your wife available, General?”

  “Not one for small talk, eh? Call me Cort, and Kimberly will join us in a minute. We were about to go to bed when you called.”

  “I’m sorry for that, sir, but I received the genetic map a few minutes ago. It is amazing.”

  Kimberly walked into the room, and greeted the archaeologist. The trio sat down at the dining table and Tsao began to reveal what he had learned.

  “Thanks to Wynn Black’s work, we know that Solitude is approximately four billion years old. Life has existed here in one form or another for almost three billion of those years. We have documented three mass extinctions in the planet’s geologic history. The last of these events occurred almost one hundred million years ago. That event was the explosion of a nearby quasar. One hundred percent of all life on Solitude was destroyed at that time. The gamma burst would have killed even single cell life, as deep as one thousand kilometers below the surface. We have that to thank for the condition of the cave.”

  Kim had poured the three of them drinks, and Tsao paused to take a sip of the hot tea she offered him. “Thank you, Kimberly. General, until you and Bane broke through the wall there had not been even a microbe in that chamber since the quasar event.”

  “Wait, Doc,” Cort interrupted, “Are you telling me that chamber has been untouched for a hundred million years?”

  “Yes. That man died over ninety-seven million years ago.”

  Cort thought out loud, “But without microbes, he never decayed.”

  “That is almost correct, sir. The body did begin to decay before the gamma burst reached the planet. Based on the condition of the body, I would guess he died about twenty hours before the event. Because he was covered in dirt, the radiation from the burst did very little damage to the corpse.”

  “Doctor,” Kim said, “What can you tell us about the man?”

  “He was almost human. His genetic code shows two additional chromosomes, compared with humans.”

  “So they look like humans, but are not,” Cort said.

  “No sir, they are not. But they are compatible.”

  “Compatible?” Kim asked.

  “They could mate with humans, theoretically,” Tsao said.

  “So they were anatomically similar as well.”

  “You do not understand, Kimberly. Genetically, the species was so close to homo sapiens that the two could produce a sterile offspring, much like a mule hybrid produced from a horse and a donkey.”

  “My gods.”

  “Would you like to see him? I mean what he looked like?” Tsao pulled a table top holographic projector from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

  “Yes, please,” Kim said.

  Tsao touched the small, washer-like disk, and a thirty-centimeter image appeared between the three of them. The man that appeared was human, or at least he appeared to be. A projected scale beside the image showed him to be one-and-a-half meters tall, thin, gray-haired, and his skin had a weathered look that reminded Cort of nineteenth
-century tintypes of elderly Native Americans.”

  “That man lived a hard life,” Cort said.

  “There had to be more of them, Doctor. What happened to the rest of his people?”

  “I do not know yet. But I hope to find out, Kimberly. With your permission, I would like to ask a small team of colleagues to join my wife and me here. I have found more sites, and we need help.”

  “How many more people do you need?” Kim responded.

  “I would like to ask twenty to join us here. Truly, I need more, but I know of twenty that will respect your requirements without question, Kimberly.”