Exploration (Galactic Neighborhood Book 3)

by Alexander Elliott

  The majority of their fleet was looking forward to a glorious victory on the battlefield. The scientific teams manipulating the genetic materials found in the cradle were confident their secrets would remain. In the midst of it all was an unsuspecting group of women who were unaware of the intrigue all around them. That was about to change.

  Bax now had a reasonable amount of data, giving him a feel for the daily routine of the house slaves. He felt a little guilty watching and listening so closely, but it was ultimately to their benefit. Before his team arrived, the women endured humiliating and uncomfortable conditions, as well as a number of disgusting chores the Silestri were not interested in doing. Apparently, they were not regularly beaten or sexually abused, but they were treated without any concern for their well being or overall health.

  Inadequate scraps for meals, cold sleeping quarters, rags for clothing, and continuous toil made up their sad existence. From what they discussed in their chambers at night, their treatment actually improved over the last several days. Unbeknownst to them, it did so at the behest of Prime Yarmew, who believed it would improve negotiations if the slaves appeared to be in better shape. She ordered additional food, easier chores, daily baths, and new clothing for all of them.

  The women were intelligent enough to be suspicious after so many years of abuse, but none of the conversations they overheard gave them a clue as to what might really be going on. Some tidbits suggested a coming battle, but this told her nothing about who was involved or if it would affect their situation. Marina wisely encouraged the others to enjoy all the good things which came their way so unexpectedly. If they eventually figured it out, so much the better, but for now they were less hungry and far more comfortable than ever before.

  The palace staff seemed on edge, and yet treated them with a careful deference the slaves were not used to. Bax knew Marina was still very suspicious and was fully expecting harsher treatment to return, though she had no intention of discouraging the other women. All she could do was adopt a wait and see attitude, and enjoy their improved conditions while they lasted.

  Alerted by one of the buoys, Bax was able to witness the strange events which played out this morning. The slaves, startled awake by the lights coming on early, were further surprised by the hurried sounds of the door being unlocked. Only later he would learn that in all their years of captivity it never happened before. Marina and the others began to sit up just as the door was yanked open. A half dozen armed and agitated Silestri entered their chamber. The room filled with exclamations of surprise, as the women clutched each other in fear.

  Whatever their captors expected to find apparently did not manifest itself, and he could see the Silestri visibly relax. They called for the main guard, whom the slaves nicknamed Sid. He hurriedly entered and counted the frightened humans, reassuring his comrades all of them were present. The whole entourage swept back out the door, leaving the confused women to wonder what in the world was going on. Bax continued to wait, watch and listen without interfering – yet.

  Since the lights remained on, Marina encouraged the others to follow their normal pattern and get ready for the day. Eventually, they gathered near the closed but unlocked door and waited for Sid to reappear. No one dared try to open it, nor did they raise their voices above a whisper. Someone near the door gestured for Marina to come closer. Conversations stopped as she leaned closer to listen. Sid was arguing with the guards, apparently angry they disrupted his routine. When he was told Prime Yarmew ordered the inspection, he growled in annoyance but said nothing more. Soon they heard Sid making his way back down the stairs, still hissing curses as he went.

  The slaves quickly moved away and lined up as though nothing unusual happened. When Sid opened the door, he came up short in surprise, finding the slaves ready and waiting for his signal. He backed out of the room and went back up the stairs without waiting to see if the slaves would follow. They did, each one passing a fidgety Sid at the top of the stairway. Marina gave him her usual smile and was rewarded by the chuffing sound Silestri made in place of a laugh. For the very first time, he refrained from impatiently growling at her in response, and she chose to take it as a good sign for the day. She was unaware a stealthed EMR was right behind her.

  They seated themselves on the floor as usual, waiting for the palace staff to finish their meal. When they were finished, the women rose to clean the tables, benches and floor as they always did. Sid examined their work closely and then told them to line up in rows for their own meal. Breakfast was again much more bountiful and less hurried than in the past, though none of the slaves were bold enough to dawdle.

  Instead of meager leftovers and scraps, they were given the same freshly prepared foods the staff already enjoyed. Bowl after bowl was passed containing meat, bread, and fruit. Instead of plain water, they were given extra servings of fresh, cold fruit juice to drink. This too was something special and never before seen. Marina enjoyed every morsel of food and every drop of the delicious juice, and it was evident by the smiles around her the others did as well.

  Instead of calling out small groups for various tasks, Sid beckoned all of them to follow him through the side door. This too was unusual, as there were very few tasks which required eighty one slaves at the same time. They followed the gardeners path around the building until they reached the edge of Prime Yarmew’s private gardens.

  The scene was as unexpected as it was chaotic. Evidently the nasty storm they experienced a few days back caused a lot of damage. One of the tallest trees was broken in half, the top having crushed one of the gazebo-like structures into splinters. Branches and leaf litter were everywhere, creating a huge unsightly mess. All of the regular gardeners were busy removing the largest pieces of debris, creating centralized piles to be picked up later.

  Sid led the slaves over to one of the gardeners who endeavored to explain what he wanted them to do. They were split into two groups at opposite sides of the garden wall, and facing each other, begin to pick up everything in their path. The groups would eventually meet in the middle, where they were to pile up all the collected debris. It was an easy task, and since they were not being closely supervised, the slaves engaged in whispered conversations as they worked. It was certainly better than scrubbing stone floors or cleaning out animal pens, plus they were able to enjoy a rare day outside together as a group.

  Marina reached an area which was heavily littered and began to gather up the leaves and branches. She turned when someone quietly called her name, and was startled to see a fellow slave she did not know.

  “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

  The stranger spoke up quickly.

  “Keep working while we talk, and I will explain.”

  Marina nodded warily, and afraid of calling attention to herself, bent to pick up more branches.

  “My ship is in orbit above the city. We have come from the Sol system to help you. We know you are part of Exploration’s crew. The men who were marooned on Hathor have been rescued, as have the other group of women in this city.”

  Marina’s eyes widened as her mind caught up with what she heard.

  “How did you get in here without being seen? How do I know you are telling me the truth?”

  The stranger shook her head.

  “I am not what I appear, and have been following you since this morning. Observe.”

  The stranger disappeared and then reappeared further ahead. Marina gasped, and looked around quickly to see if she were being watched. The nearest Silestri was busy hauling large branches, and not even looking in her direction. She caught up to the stranger and reached out to touch her arm. She felt solid and quite real, but Marina knew what she saw.

  “All right, you’ve made your point. I don’t know who or what you are, but you know too much for this to be a hoax. If you have already rescued the others, why are we still here?”

  The stranger continued to talk as she worked.

  “The Silestri are planning to attack us tomorrow.
They expect to lose, and Yarmew intends to use you as hostages to extract concessions from us after the battle is over.”

  The stranger disappeared just as Marina heard someone approach from her other side. Linza stopped short with a look of surprise on her face.

  “Who were you talking to? I’m sure someone was there!”

  Marina shook her head and motioned with her hand.

  “Keep working, Linza! There is no one here but the two of us. Are you feeling well?”

  Linza flashed her a sour expression, but resumed her labor. When she walked ahead to add her branches to the bigger pile, Marina whispered loudly, “Are you still there?” The answer came over her right shoulder.

  “Yes. I will remain here with you in stealth mode. There is much you need to know. Will there be an opportunity to speak to everyone at one time where we will not be overheard?”

  Marina thought for a moment and then offered a suggestion.

  “The only opportunity until tonight would be during our bathing time, which is now after the midday meal. Sid will be the only one guarding us, but he never leaves us alone.”

  The stranger was quiet for a moment, and Marina almost jumped when the disembodied voice spoke up once more.

  “I will speak to you then, if possible, but will remain with you for the rest of the day. We have placed stealthed machines called buoys in and around the palace to watch over you. If I am called away, you will still be protected.”

  The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up the gardens, which gave the stranger plenty of time to explain to Marina what was happening. She was still careful not to allow anyone to see her speaking into thin air, though a suspicious Linza persisted in glancing her way at regular intervals.

  By the time the slaves were finished with their task, Marina’s head was swimming with new information. The strange events of the last few days now made sense, and she carefully hid her frustration and anger with her captors. She was unsurprised by Yarmew’s ploy to use her and the others as pawns in her twisted power games. It gave Marina a large measure of satisfaction to know her plans would never come to fruition.

  The total loss of Earth at the hands of the Silestri was too horrible and shocking to consider for long. She would have to come to terms with it at some point, but it would have to wait until this ordeal was over. It intrigued her to know the three colony ships, once separated by time and space, were now to be reunited as the only remnant of humanity.

  Though uncertain who Admiral Perry was, she hoped he knew what he was doing. His plan called for the slaves to await rescue until after the battle was over sometime tomorrow. She yearned for her freedom, especially with their liberation at hand, but it was reassuring to know she and the others were being closely monitored.

  The frustrating part was not being able to share her joy with anyone just yet. She understood this would have to be handled carefully. If the knowledge of their impending freedom was revealed to the Silestri, the resulting change in Yarmew’s plans could put all of them at risk. Marina used every smidgen of self control to remain calm and patiently wait for things to fall into place.

  ####

  Following their evening meal, Sid escorted the slaves to their sleeping chamber in the bowels of the palace. The slaves hurried about their nighttime preparations as usual, quietly rejoicing this would be the last time. They were indeed visited by the stranger during their daily bath time, which meant they all knew their captivity was nearly over.

  Once Sid was encased in an energy field, the stranger appeared to them as a group and gave a brief overview of the situation. After the women settled down, they were warned not to reveal anything, nor change their behavior or attitudes in front of the Silestri. With a promise to return after lights out, the stranger disappeared once more and Sid was released unharmed and unaware of the alien visitor. With the day finally over, it was time to have all their questions answered as promised.

  As the women finished their ablutions, they hurried to their rag pile beds and arranged them in a large half circle facing the chamber door. This gave everyone a good view of the spot the stranger would occupy while she spoke with them. No one, even Marina, heard anything from her since the conclusion of their bath this afternoon.

  Marina apologized to Linza soon after the stranger departed, explaining she dared not risk telling anyone of her experience while the Silestri were nearby. Linza harbored no hurt feelings, and they enjoyed a good laugh together. With everyone settled in, the women spoke in hushed conversations while they waited for lights out. Suddenly, the stranger appeared once more, standing in front of the door and wearing a military style uniform. She placed a finger to her lips, and as soon as everyone was quiet, pointed to a spot in the center of the ceiling overhead.

  Several women gasped in surprise as a strange column-shaped device appeared, hovering silently in position over their heads. This must be one of the buoys the stranger mentioned earlier in the day, though it looked neither as impressive or as powerful as they were led to believe. Without warning, Sid shut down the lights and the chamber went dark for a moment.

  Almost immediately, the buoy filled the room with a very low soft light, giving the women just enough illumination to see the stranger and each other clearly. No one spoke as they waited, listening for the sounds of Sid locking the outer door. When it seemed certain he was gone for the night, the stranger somehow projected a force field against the door which shone and reflected like clear glass. Finally, she spoke.

  “The shield on the door will block any light or sound from leaving this chamber. We may speak together freely without fear of discovery. Before I answer your questions, I have a message from the captain of my vessel.”

  The stranger disappeared and the image of another uniformed woman took her place. She was of average height and looks, with an impish smile on her face.

  “I am Captain Artesia Sorrell of the battlecruiser, Zephyr. We have been in orbit above the city since before dawn this morning and are monitoring you very closely. I know you have many questions, and the unit with you now will be able to answer most of them. If operational security allowed it, I would have snatched the lot of you out of that miserable place the minute we arrived. You have my sincere apologies for making you wait another day, but I believe you understand why it must be done this way.”

  “Let me assure you no matter what transpires tomorrow, we will not allow any harm to come to you. You will be surrounded by buoys who are able to physically remove you from the planet in the blink of an eye. Even as we speak, our people are making final preparations to meet the Silestri fleet in battle, while your new home on Pacifica has been prepared to receive you. Ladies, your servitude is nearly at an end, and I honor you for your courage and patience. I look forward to meeting all of you in person one day soon. Goodnight.”

  The image changed once more, returning the now familiar soldier.

  “The information I will share with you now should answer many of your questions, but if not, I will address additional inquiries in a few minutes. Is this acceptable?”

  Most heads turned in Marina’s direction, and she spoke up.

  “Please continue. I’m sure there will be time to get to everything. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m too excited to sleep anyway!”

  Everyone laughed and then turned to face their guest and listen to what she had to say. Marina heard it all earlier in the day, but she was content to listen to it again. The soldier spoke of the slaves being sent to Pacifica, of the efforts to retrieve the cradle from Exploration, and of the promise of a new world for them to settle. She gave them an abbreviated history lesson of the formation of the Alliance, and even altered her appearance to show them what a Vingah and a Rxyl looked like. She then explained the destruction of the Earth, the subsequent efforts to restore it, and the new incursion into the Sol System by the Silestri.

  It was a lot to take in, but it made the slaves feel less in the dark about all the things they missed. Simply knowing
they were no longer alone in the galaxy and had powerful allies was a huge confidence builder. Some of the women asked about how the Silestri would be punished for their crimes, but the soldier simply stated she was not programmed with that information. Others wanted more detail on where they would be living until a suitable world was found for them to colonize.

  It wasn’t much longer before the questions wound down and the slaves began to feel the effects of a full and exciting day. Before she left, the soldier promised to return in the morning and stay with them through the day. She assured them they would never be alone or in danger, and would be watched closely. She disappeared in a wink, though the buoy continued to project the soft light until the bedding could be rearranged in a normal pattern. When everyone was settled in for the night, the light slowly dimmed to total darkness, and the slaves slept peacefully.

  ####

  After a full day of investigation, Cole brought the EMR back to the ship, leaving buoys to watch over the building. As expected, there was good news mixed with the bad once all the data was collated and reviewed. The bad news, of course, was the Silestri were indeed creating genetically altered human fetuses for consumption. With the use of growth cylinders, much like artificial wombs, they were creating different ‘crops’ of mutated babies, distinguished by the type of flavor and texture desired.