by T. R. Harris
“Tobias!” Riyad said.
“Exactly,” Adam responded. “I wonder if he realizes what he has on the other side of his portal?”
“How could he? We all assumed there were multiple portals on this side feeding all those on ours.”
“There’s another thing, Captain,” Chief Foster began. “If each Sol-Kor target universe is linked by only one master portal, it would make sense that all harvests are being shipped back to a central location for processing, like that huge complex by the spaceport on Kor. If that’s true, then why not locate all your master portals as close to the processing facilities as possible?”
Adam turned to Harix. “Are all these master portals close to Kor?”
“You can tell how close they are by the transit time it is taking us to reach Master Portal Two.”
They had been in space for five days.
“How much longer before we reach it?”
“Not long—tomorrow sometime.”
Adam turned to the other Humans. “So Andy’s portal is only six days from Kor.” He looked hard at Harix. “Do you know the location of the master portal to U-5?”
“I only operate in U-3. I do not have that information.”
“Would your brothers know?”
“They are like me, assigned to only one universe.”
“Could you locate it if you had access to the navigation computer?”
“I may be able to locate the master portals, but I would not know where they are tuned.”
“Why not?”
“Why not what?”
“Why couldn’t you tell from the computer?”
“Because that information is not part of the navigation programs. Each section of the Colony assigned to a particular universe knows where that portal is located and where it is tuned. There is no need to know the others.”
“Excuse me, Captain,” said Chief Foster. “But if there are only four universes beyond this one where the Sol-Kor operate, and the one for U-3 is designated number two, wouldn’t it stand to reason that Master Portal Four would be the one to the Milky Way?”
Adam turned to Harix. “Did you understand that question?” he asked sarcastically, knowing that his tone of voice would be missed by the alien.
“Master Portal Two is its designation. That is why. I know not why it was assigned that number.”
“How many universes do the Sol-Kor harvest?” Riyad asked, seeking confirmation of the information they had been lead to believe was true.
“I do not know. That is not my concern. I’m concerned only with the welfare of the harvesting fleets within U-3. Why would you assume I would know more beyond my responsibilities? Owning such knowledge would be counterproductive.”
“Can you pull up the locations of all the master portals in your universe?” Riyad asked.
“I can. However, I just said I know not of their destinations.”
“That’s fine. Leave that to us.”
Once the alien had provided the Humans with the list of master portals, Adam had Connors take him back to his cabin. When he was gone, Adam, Riyad and the chief huddled before the screen.
“I see six master portals,” Riyad said. “Either that means the Sol-Kor have invaded more universes than Panur let on, or else our friend here is wrong about only one portal supplying each universe.”
“Maybe Panur was wrong?” the chief said.
Both Adam and Riyad looked at each other. “That’s not the case, Chief, but that also doesn’t mean he was truthful in what he told us. He was always operating by his own rules.”
“So what do we do, begin a systematic check on each portal on the list until we find the one Andy’s in control of?”
Adam nodded at the chief. “What else can we do? They’re all clustered in the general area.”
Riyad tapped the screen. “We know this one is number two, which is linked to U-3. Do you suppose there’s a logical progression along the line? U-5 is newer than U-3, so it would naturally be further away, maybe along here.” He used his finger to circle the portal locations near the end of the line, beyond number two.
“That’s as good a plan as any,” Adam said. “I also have to believe that our friend Harix may not have all the information regarding the portals. The Sol-Kor are too deliberate not to have backups. That could be the reason there are more than four arrays; Harix just doesn’t know better. For the time being, let’s go along for the ride. Once we get to MP2, we’ll slip away and continue along the line.”
“If they let us go,” Riyad pointed out. “And if we’re not traced to this convoy over the next twenty-four hours.”
“You just can’t leave well-enough alone, can you, Mr. Tarazi?”
“Being a buzzkill—as you call it—carries with it a heavy burden, my friend, yet one I take seriously. You would expect nothing less.”
Chapter 17
Drasic Reol was the High Chancellor of the Sol-Kor Applying Council. He had been selected for the post when he was only nine standard years old, when aptitude testing placed him in the top one-tenth of a percent of all the Sol-Kor for intelligence and analytical ability. Forty-eight years ago, he had replaced the aging former High Chancellor, and from then had served as the second most powerful being in the Colony. Following the assassination of the Queen, he had assumed complete leadership authority, although he did so with mixed feelings.
Having spent so many years on the Council, he was used to dispensing orders and directives from the Queen. That was why it was called the Applying Council—its members were tasked with applying the Queen’s wishes to the rest of the Colony. Now he was the one making the decisions, as well as having to issue the applying orders. He felt he was up to the task, yet until he experienced it first hand, he wasn’t sure.
The meeting taking place in his chambers was one of those tests.
The High-Noslead before him had some very important information, and Drasic was having to modify his thinking process as he listened. He not only had to absorb the information, but he had to come up with a course of action to provide to the security officer.
“An unauthorized mainship left the spaceport,” the Noslead was saying. “Although we have failed to locate the ship’s transponder signal, we believe it may be traveling with a convoy that left around the time of the assassination destined for U-3.”
“A convoy typically consists of eight thousand ships,” Drasic stated. “Of those eight thousand, there are normally five hundred mainships, along with the harvesters and beam platforms. How difficult will it be to query each of the mainships in the convoy?”
“That is already underway. Most vessels have already responded, although six are experiencing communications breakdowns. This is common within such a sizeable fleet.”
“And of the ones who have responded, how confident are you of their authenticity?”
“Virtually certain, High Chancellor, so we are concentrating further inquiries on the remaining six. Of those, four have responded with the proper codes, while one is completely out of communications, with another attempting to communicate, yet there are issues with their link.”
“Instruct the security units to isolate and stop the mainship that has failed to respond in any way. Be cautious, High-Noslead. These may be the creatures that killed our Queen. I would like them taken alive for interrogation. I must learn the extent of the threat they pose to the Colony.”
“Very wise, High Chancellor. And if this ship proves to be controlled by Sol-Kor, I will direct the force to the other ship with the defective communication link.”
“Excellent.”
When the officer remained standing before him, his eyes narrow and intense on the new leader of the Colony, Drasic questioned him: “Is there more, High-Noslead?”
“Nothing of an operational nature, High Chancellor. I am just curious as to what happens now? News of the Queen’s assassination…along with the Zygotes…will soon spread. There will be many more asking this same question, and as the lead secur
ity officer for the Colony, I suspect there could be panic among the population. Was a marker passed on to the new eggs?”
“I understand your concerns, High-Noslead Fanso. Testing is still underway of the recent lays, but I can assure you the integrity of the Colony is secure. I have assumed temporary leadership as I have been trained to do. The Colony will experience no major disruption, although I admit the population will mourn the loss of our Eternal Queen. Yet we are Sol-Kor. We are organized and disciplined. There may be isolated instances of concern, but it will not be widespread, not when continuity is maintained. As the Noslead of Security, you must not overreact to the situation. The aliens who committed this act will be caught or killed. Whatever conspiracy or further action the beings from U-5 are planning, we will stop them.”
“I have reports of the master portal to U-5 yielding to the control of the Humans. Through it, a larger invasion force may enter.”
Drasic laughed. “That is a matter for the military, Fanso, yet be assured the Humans cannot mount a large enough force to threaten the Colony. Unlike you, I have seen all the reports from U-5, and I know they are few in number and resources when compared to the Sol-Kor.”
“Yet a small number of them did kill our Queen.”
Drasic’s face grew rock–hard. He glared at his subordinate. “That was unexpected. From now on the Humans will not be underestimated and the Colony will be better protected. To that end, the security of Kor and the Governing Complex are your responsibility, High-Noslead Fanso. I would suggest you concentrate your thinking on your job, and let others do theirs.”
“Of course, High Chancellor. Forgive me, it is just that this is such a unique time in the history of the Sol-Kor. I am having some difficulty grasping this new reality.”
********
After Fanso left, Drasic found himself repeating the High-Noslead’s last words. “I am having some difficulty grasping this new reality.”
A thin smile came to Drasic’s face. He was feeling the same.
Although he—like all the Sol-Kor—had been assigned his present position, he was nevertheless a unique member of the Sol-Kor race, with a more universal perspective of the Colony and its function. He could see the larger picture, and his superior intelligence allowed him to speculate on what the future might hold for his people. Mostly these were mind games, and he had been playing with such scenarios since long before the Queen’s death.
Now everything had changed. Without an heir-apparent to replace the Queen, Drasic was suddenly faced with the seemingly impossible task of finding a new direction for the Sol-Kor. His past mental scenarios were being resurrected, and one-by-one he was finding most of them to be completely unworkable.
The main problem he faced was procreation. The Queen was the only female in the Colony. Unless Drasic could find a way to stimulate the cache of young eggs awaiting fertilization to produce a suitable replacement queen, the race was destined for extinction.
Drasic lived in a small enclave off the Queen’s Chambers and had been confused by the strange noises of the attack unfolding. By the time he reacted, the killers had already dispatched the Queen, and when they moved on to the Zygotes, he was caught off-guard. These young females were the backups, the guarantee that the Colony would continue should anything unforeseen happen to the Queen. Now they were dead as well.
Never in his scenarios had he imagined such a circumstance…
He was distracted by a flashing light on his computer screen. Although he understood the basics of how such devices operated, there were others who had more specific training. If the light didn’t cease, he would call them in. But then he leaned in closer and noticed the light was spelling a word. It was very small, but readable. It spelled: Important.
Drasic’s computer was highly secure; any unauthorized communications would be met with severe consequences. He clicked on the obnoxiously blinking word, anxious to discover its source and deal with the perpetrator accordingly. Punishment for this breach would go far beyond customary means, as he was determined to make up for his feeling of helplessness in the current crisis.
Yet instead of a reaction of anger, Drasic found himself being jolted back in his chair by the image that appeared on his screen. He recognized the smiling creature immediately, wondering for the moment whether this was a live broadcast or not.
“Panur! This is highly unusual,” Drasic called out. A moment later, when no direct response came from the screen, he realized it was a recording.
“High Chancellor, if you are watching this recording it is because a catastophic event has taken place within the Colony, an event which I have foreseen for many centuries, however uncertain as to when it would take place.” The image on the screen hesitated, allowing for the viewer to grasp the meaning of Panur’s introduction. Drasic sat quietly even as his heart raced. What was the meaning of this recording, especially coming at a time like this—an event the mutant had foreseen?
“The Queen is dead,” Panur said next. The thin smile on his face vanished. “As you—through your current rank—and very few others are aware, the Queen was my mother as well, so, High Chancellor whatever your name, we are brothers, and as such we would both be mourning her passing. I do not know the circumstances of her death, although I have a near certainty that it was not at the hands of the Sol-Kor, precipitated by her failure to the Colony. Outside forces must be responsible, in which case the Colony is facing the gravest threat in its long history. Yet even I cannot imagine an enemy strong enough to oppose the Colony, not in a traditional manner. Therefore, it must have been from a more clandestine action that our Mother has been killed. Not only that, what has triggered this embedded recording is also from the inconceivable reality that there has been no successor produced for the Queen.
“I must be honest with you. I amended this recording at a point. I do not know at which point you are watching it, so I do not know whether this amendment came within recent times or much later. I made this new recording following a recent—in my time—event where beings from another universe infiltrated the Queen’s Chambers and attempted her assassination. Only through my efforts was her life spared. As the current High Chancellor, you should be privy to this information, even if you must use secure methods to find references to the event I cite.
“This hostile act came at the hands of race of beings from U-5 called Humans. The circumstances leading to their near-successful assassination of the Queen are inconsequential at the time. However, in its aftermath, I have concluded that another such attempt could be successful. Knowing the size of the Colony and what it would take to defeat us, I have concluded that only another targeted assassination attempt could be the cause of my Queen’s death. And having had recent experience with the Humans, I would not be surprised if her death came by their hands. They are a most remarkable race, even if they do not recognize so. They must not be underestimated.
“Now I return to the purpose of this recording. Without the Queen or any of her Zygotes to carry on the procreation of the Sol-Kor, the race is destined for extinction. There is no avoiding this. I have attempted in the past to stimulate the lay of the Queen to produce female Zygotes, but have been unsuccessful. Even with my genius, I was unable to decipher the mystery of the required chemical to produce such an offspring. I’m sure I could have isolated this chemical if I had been there at the very moment it was excreted. Yet in my lifetime the Queen produced only two other batches of Zygotes, plus the batch that resulted from the Human’s assassination attempt, and without invasive surgery on the Queen I was unable to find the solution.
“I’m sure that at this moment you are feeling very overwhelmed, if not impotent, by the reality you and the Colony now face. In addition, the fact that you are seeing me in a recording rather than in person means I am no longer with the Colony, which in itself is a significant event which opens itself up to a multitude of questions. But I leave that for another time. The most pressing issue is how do we—both you as High Chancellor and I, as th
e Colony’s leader of technological innovation—how do we save the Colony?”
Panur’s image froze on the screen as he gave time for his words to impact the viewer. Drasic had been High Chancellor during the past crisis with the Humans, so he knew this recording was relatively recent, within the last standard year as a matter of fact. The mutant’s presumption that the Humans might be responsible for future attacks on the Colony and the Queen was indeed prophetic. And yet implied within Panur’s last statement was the notion that he had a solution to the current crisis. Drasic’s heart raced even faster as he waited nervously for the recording to continue. Although the High Chancellor resented and despised the odd creature, he was willing to listen if it meant saving the Colony from extinction.
“Now that I have your attention, let me preface the next part of this recording with an assumption: You will not like it.” Panur smiled. “Knowing this will be true, it is perfectly within your power not to follow my recommendations and come up with your own solution. Just let it be known that whatever solution you may think will work, it will not. If you believe yourself to be of an equal intellectual level as I, then by all means follow your own path. Wherever I am, I will gain much satisfaction in seeing the Colony die as a result. However, if you wish for the Colony to survive, you will follow my recommendations exactly.”
Again Panur hesitated, but only for a moment.
“Good, so let us proceed. You are to journey to M-32. You may not even be aware of this settlement. It’s on Kor, in the southern hemisphere. It is small compared to M-1, yet within its walls you will find salvation for the Sol-Kor race. Now, I will give you more information on what you will find in M-32, and how this all came to be…”
Chapter 18
Two days after viewing Panur’s recording on his office computer, the High Chancellor of the Applying Council took a private flying vehicle to the southern part of the planet, to a place where savage storms racked the area constantly.