by Saxon Andrew
The Death Prophecies
The Coming of the Prophet
Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
Books by Saxon Andrew
Introduction
The Kindred were invaded by the Traugh War Fleet more than nine hundred years ago. Describing the arrival of the Traughs as an invasion was not entirely accurate. The Traugh were accustomed to having to fight to take possession of a planet but the Kindred were a peaceful species and there were no weapons on the planet. There was some technology but the Kindred were a farming culture who were gentle and peaceful beings that didn’t know the meaning of terms like conflict, war, and murder. The Traughs very quickly taught them what those terms meant. The Kindred were telepathic and all of them knew the moment the Traughs arrived; they blasted one of the communities on the planet’s surface to show the inhabitants that their lives were changing and not for the better. Every Kindred on the planet felt the thousands of deaths happen in their minds and looked up to see a sky full of warships.
The invaders were amazed at how easy it was to take possession of the planet and impose their will on the Kindred. They landed and issued orders on what the Kindred were expected to do and any one of them that showed the slightest hesitation was disintegrated by a Traugh blaster. It took about ten years before all resistance died and more than three hundred million inhabitants lost their lives during the Traugh training regimens. The Traugh had pacifying a planet down to a science. The Traugh controlled thousands of conquered worlds and learned how to use an iron fist to control the populations. The process called for millions to die to erase all hope from the servant species and they didn’t hesitate to kill the required number even if they weren’t required.
The first law imposed on the Kindred was that the first-born female of every family would be sent to the Traugh communities to serve them when they were fourteen years old. There would be no exceptions and the satellites placed in orbit tracked their communities. If a family did not send their daughter at the appropriate time, the family’s dwelling was disintegrated by a beam from the satellite. The Kindred were forced to build Traugh communities around the planet and to supply them with food they were forced to grow in large fields. Male workers were forced to dig metals out of the planet’s crust and the brutality in the mines was unimaginable. The Traugh masters killed on a whim and no one was safe in their presence.
The Kindred learned there was no escaping the Traugh’s dictates and they fell into despair at their plight. They wondered why the Great Creator of all chose to punish them. They began praying for forgiveness for the sin they had committed and for the Creator to send a prophet to come and save them from the demons that plagued them. After nine hundred years, their prayers were still unanswered.
Chapter One
The male Kindred looked up and saw the Traugh starship moving slowly overhead as it headed toward a landing berth in demon’s community. It must have delivered a shipment of metals to their central worlds, wherever they were, and was returning for another load. He heard in the Traugh’s minds, when he delivered the farm shipments, that this planet was making the Traugh very wealthy. None of the natural resources had been used prior to their arrival and the abundance of precious metals was something to keep them here for centuries longer.
He looked at the warship and saw the bright glow of an electrical field around it. He shook his head, none of the others in his community could see that field. He had seen it the moment he witnessed one of the huge warships fly over his community when he was five years old. His mate also saw the field and that was why he chose her. He tired of trying to explain to the others what he was seeing. At least she understood.
He looked at his five-year-old son and saw that he was also seeing the field. Whatever allowed him to see it must have been passed on to his children. He turned the hauler slightly to avoid a large rise in the worn out path. The Traugh provided the means of delivering the condensed farm products from the factory they had built to manufacture them. The hauler floated above the path and could hold a ton of the food demanded by his masters. Once a month, he made the trip to the Traugh community to deliver the food to their warehouse. He was bringing his son for the first time and hoped the master wasn’t in an angry mood. However, it was time to start training Kam to eventually take his place.
He worried about the hauler. It was getting worn out and shuddered several times during the trip. He couldn’t afford being late for a delivery. That meant death. He was also prevented from arriving too early. The Traugh did not tolerate a male near their community for very long. Poul wondered why. The Kindred males were no more dangerous to them than the females. He supposed that the Traughs must have decided somewhere along the line that males were more dangerous than females. Oh well.
Suddenly, the hauler moved over a washed out depression and the rear of the hauler hit the ground hard. It moved ten feet and fell to the ground. “Oh nooooo!” Poul jumped out of the hauler and ran around to the rear and lifted the cover over the complex machine under it. He stared at it for twenty minutes and knew he was going to be killed for not being on time. Kam climbed up on the back of the hauler and looked at the machinery. Poul sighed and looked at him, “Do you see anything?”
Kam leaned over and put his small arm in under the cover on the large engine. He felt around and found the wire hanging. He gripped the small cap on the end of the wire and pressed it against the post connector. The hauler immediately came to life and rose above the ground. Poul stared at his son and saw he didn’t really consider what he had just done as being anything special. Poul started to close the cover as he said, “We’ll never make it in time.”
Kam heard his father’s distress and thought, “Don’t close it.” Poul hesitated and left the cover open. Kam reached in his pocket and took out a small pair of cutters used to gather plants in the fields. He crawled over the huge engine and extended his left arm under the engine next to the front wall. He slipped one of the sharp blades into a notch and turned the screw to the right. He climbed back out of the engine bay and Poul closed the cover. He thought about leaving Kam behind but knew the satellite would see him and probably fire on Kam from orbit. He was too close to the Traugh community to be left standing alone out in the open.
Poul pressed the motivator pedal and the hauler accelerated at an incredible speed. He was barely able to control it as it flew along the worn path toward the Traugh community. He made up the lost time quickly and then slowed the hauler down to normal speed. He looked at his son and thought, “How did you know about the machinery?”
“I didn’t. It just appeared…” Kam shrugged, “Obvious what was wrong with it.”
Poul shook his head and wondered what was going on with his son. He saw the Traugh Community directly ahead and saw Kam staring at the giant starships in their berths. He looked at his son’s thoughts and couldn’t make sense of anything. Kam seemed to see through the giant ships walls. It
didn’t make sense.
They arrived at the Traugh warehouse and the Master was standing at the open door with a Traugh Poul had not seen before. Poul stepped out of the hauler and pulled Kam down to the ground with him. He grabbed Kam’s head and forced it to the ground beside his. “Why did you bring the child?”
Poul kept his head on the ground and said, “He is my son, Master. I’m going to train him to take my place when the time comes that you want another to make the delivery.”
The new Traugh sneered, “You’re hoping to keep him out of the mines!” Poul knew better than to question any Master’s statement and he remained silent.
The Master he had been serving for six years said, “Will you train him to do as good a job as you’ve done?”
“It is my hope that he will learn to do it better.”
“You may start unloading your delivery.”
“Master.”
The Traugh looked at Poul with agitation, “What?”
“The hauler I’m using has started to shake and stumble on the trip here. I fear that it will soon fail.”
The new Traugh looked at the other and shook his head as it said, “I’ll have a new one here when you make the next trip.”
“Thank you, Master.” Poul stood up and lifted one of the two hundred pound bags of condensed food.
The Kindred were slight in frame and stood about six feet five inches tall. They were almond colored with yellow eyes and brown hair. They were bipedal and were very flexible. Their elbows swiveled around a ball socket that gave them a huge range of motion. They didn’t appear strong like the short heavily muscled Traugh but they possessed incredible strength. The Kindred wore white shirts and pants to help with the hot temperatures working out in the sun. They had a flat nose and eyes that were wide. Their mouths had thick lips and their ears were slightly pointed and capable of moving in different directions. They had all the characteristics of animals that are prey. Their sensory apparatus did them no good against the Traugh. Technology trumped natural selection.
The Traugh looked like a cross between a Neanderthal and a short Big Foot. They stood a little over five feet tall but were heavily muscled. Their bodies and faces were covered by short black wiry hair. Their incisors were sharp pointed and longer than the others. Their foreheads differed from a Neanderthal in that it was high and not sloped. They were intelligent, quick to anger, and even faster to rage. Their hands had retractable claws that disappeared into their palms but were deadly when used against a victim. Many Kindred had died with the sharp claws ripping them apart.
• • •
Poul finished unloading the ten two hundred pound bags onto the conveyer belt and went to the ground beside the hauler and put his head on the ground. Kam followed his father’s example without being told. The Traugh waved at him, “You may leave.” Poul stood, pulled Kam up on the hauler, turned it around, and moved away.
The new Traugh looked at the other, “Why did you not kill it for wanting another hauler?”
“What would happen if it didn’t request a new hauler and the current one broke down?”
“You would kill it for missing its arrival time and put a new one in service.”
“And what would happen to me if I were late delivering the Supreme Leader’s food?” The new Traugh stared at him and he said, “Eleth would come and beat me with a nerve whip to teach me to not be late. Our commander doesn’t like being punished by the Supreme Leader. He then takes it out on me.” The Traugh looked at the hauler moving away and said, “That Kindred has not missed a delivery in six years. Before he started making the deliveries, I killed six of them and was beaten by Eleth each time.” The Traugh looked at the new one, “If you find one of the Kindred that can prevent your being whipped, you better hold on to them and do all you can to make sure they continue their good work.”
The new Traugh looked at the hauler as it disappeared over the horizon. “I didn’t consider that, Father.”
“Wait until you face the nerve whip. You won’t forget it.”
“I’ll go and purchase the new hauler.”
“That would be good, son. Like that Kindred, I am training you to eventually take my place.”
“You could have killed the son.”
“That would have been a mistake as well. It will be the son that will keep you from being whipped. You should do all you can to ensure they come to no harm.” The Traugh nodded and left to purchase a new hauler.
• • •
Fifteen-year-old Kam arrived on time at the warehouse with his father and went through the ritual of bowing before the Traugh. He stood and assisted his father in unloading the twenty heavy bags onto the conveyer belt and turned to go to the hauler. The Traugh said, “Stop.” Kam and his father stopped on the steps and the Traugh said, “I will go with you to one of our ships to unload a shipment. You will stay beside me throughout this process.”
Poul said, “Yes, Master.” They followed the Traugh to his personal hauler and climbed on the back of it. The hauler took off at high speed and came to a halt outside one of the giant warships. The Traugh stepped off the hauler and motioned them to follow. They lowered their heads and walked behind him.
“I appreciate your allowing me to use your Kindred.”
“You and your crew will do nothing to harm them.”
“Why is that?”
“They have prevented me from being whipped more than fourteen years.”
The warship’s commander’s head went back, “They’ve never been late?”
“They have not. If they are harmed you will pay a ten thousand penalty for each.”
“And if only one is harmed.”
“Ten thousand for each!”
The Commander lifted a device off his belt and issued instructions that the slaves would not be harmed or the penalty would come out of their earnings. When the crew heard the price, they decided that no Kindred was worth that penalty. The Traugh led them into the huge landing bay and pointed to a huge stack of boxes piled high on the floor, “Move them to the haulers outside the port.”
Poul walked forward and lifted one of the boxes. Thank the Creator that it was only seventy-five pounds. He worried that he would be worn out but he and Kam should be able to complete the task. Kam looked around the huge landing bay as he lifted a box and looked up as he walked toward the port. For the next six hours, he looked around the landing bay as he unloaded the shipment. At the end of the task, the Traugh that brought them took them back to their hauler and sent them away.
• • •
On the trip back to their community Poul looked at Kam, “Did you learn anything?”
“Every room on that ship has lasers designed to kill intruders.”
“What?”
“The stardrive they use is really quite simple.” Poul stared at him and Kam looked up, “It produces a field around the vessel that takes it out of normal space where the speed of light can be exceeded.”
“What is the speed of light?”
“It’s how fast the rays from our sun travel to arrive at our community. I absorbed their language from one of the databases in their computers and it explained how everything on the ship functions.”
“Kam, this is unnerving.”
“I don’t know how I do it, Father but I can see everything in that ship.” Kam paused and sighed, “I also saw more than fifty of our females killed by the Traugh they were serving on the trip back to our hauler. Their lives are miserable serving the Traugh.”
“All of our lives are miserable.”
“Our lives are paradise compared to what our sisters have to face living among the Traugh.” His father nodded and was silent for the remainder of the trip back. Kam closed his eyes and remembered all that he had seen. He focused on the huge panel that he had seen at the front of the giant ship and focused on each button and switch, individually tracing them through the vessel. Within six months, he knew how the ship operated and the technology used to build it. He put the i
nformation aside and couldn’t see any way that it would serve any practical purpose. His life revolved around working in the fields and taking the hauler each month to the Traugh community.
At the end of each day, the Kindred would gather and give thanks to the creator for their meal and ask for deliverance from the terrible demons persecuting them. Kam didn’t pray with them. His older sister had been taken two years earlier and she was killed within a month of arriving at the Traugh community. His mother died of a broken heart and had given up living in such a cruel existence. All he had left was his father. If the Creator existed, it had to be a cruel being to have allowed this pain to continue among his people. It didn’t deserve his respect or prayers. He began to hate it.
• • •
Kam worked in the field and looked at the red-colored star shining high overhead. It was midday and these working in the field were given thirty minutes to eat and drink before returning to their labors. He sat on the ground and began eating and heard the thoughts of two old Kindred males nearby.
“When will the Prophet come to save us?”
“When the Creator decides that it is time.”
Kam shook his head and thought, “This Prophet you think about doesn’t exist. Besides, what can a Prophet do to remove the Traugh?”
“What the Prophet says will come to pass. He will say the things that will save us.”
Kam snorted, “Words won’t kill the Traugh.”
“Words are the most powerful thing in the universe, child. You may understand that one day. I understand how you feel but there will be a Prophet and he will save us from this existence.”
Kam stared at the old Kindred and shook his head. He went back to his meal and wondered at the faith of the old Kindred. He didn’t possess any faith in the Creator or this so called Prophet. He only believed in the reality he was forced to endure. That reality changed on the next trip to the Traugh community.
• • •
They arrived at the warehouse and saw a new Traugh was there at the doors. The old one was no longer responsible for the food deliveries and this new one had a scowl on its face. They went through the bowing ritual and the Traugh sneered, “Get up and unload the hauler!”