Battlelines (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 14)

by T. R. Harris

  A robotic cart had scurried out to the Najmah Fayd just after landing and transported the frozen body of the Queen to somewhere within the complex. Panur didn’t seem concerned with her thawing, so Adam chose to relax. He was sure Panur wasn’t going to let her become a threat to him, not if he could avoid it.

  They entered Panur’s underground complex through a standard airlock—even though it wasn’t required at the moment. Adam and Riyad—and especially Benefis—had to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling in the corridor beyond the airlock. The complex had been built to Panur’s scale, but to their relief the mutant guided them to a larger chamber, this one with a towering ceiling formed by the natural dome of an underground cavern. It was simply a round room, with a few couches clustered to one side.

  “I must apologize, but you are the only other creatures to have ever visited. I did have crews deliver the heavy equipment and gravity generators, yet they never ventured here. The interior is completely of my design.”

  “I can tell,” said Sherri, surveying the perimeter of the room.

  “It serves my purpose,” he replied, his tone stern. “To other matters, I do have a single food processor. I have never used it, but some of its components could be useful in other inventions, so I salvaged it from a derelict outside. For now, it is operational. You may help yourself.”

  “Where’s J’nae?” Benefis asked, his nerves getting the best of him. The Queen terrified him—even just the mention of her name.

  “She’s been placed in a storage container twenty meters below us. You are quite safe from her.”

  “I am sure all the rest of you had the same concern on your minds.”

  “If you wish,” Panur began, studying the Juirean with narrowed eyes, “I have facilities for removing excrement. Are you in need of them?”

  Benefis bristled “Not at the moment…I have a digestive condition is all.”

  “Indeed, and a very pronounced condition at that.”

  “Why are all you aliens so insensitive to my plight? I will sit over here, far from the rest of you, if you prefer.”

  Of the six other people in the room, four replied in unison with an emphatic “Yes!” Only the two mutants abstained.

  “How long to complete the repairs on the Najmah Fayd?” Adam asked. He was growing impatient. He had the means to return home—as soon as the repairs were done—so all this superfluous conversation was just delaying things. “Anything the rest of us can do to help?”

  “You can remain out of my way—mine and Lila’s. I would have completed the repairs in transit if there wasn’t a need for certain replacement parts I have here. Please have patience. It shouldn’t be more than a day longer.”

  Adam bit his lip. “Fine. In the meantime, what’s there to do around here?”

  “Hopefully nothing!” Panur answered. “This is my refuge, not yours. And I would appreciate if you not tinker with things. Some are very delicate.”

  “Like you not tinkering with my stuff back on Earth?”

  “That was different. I was improving what you had. I doubt very much if you could return the favor.”

  The two creatures squared off—as they were prone to do quite often. Eventually, Panur snorted, turned and left the room. Lila looked awkward for a moment.

  “Perhaps I should leave as well?”

  “Be careful,” Arieel called after her daughter.

  “She’ll be fine,” Adam snapped. “Immortal mutant geniuses always seem to come out on top. Now…where’s that food processor? I sincerely hope it has a beverage feature. I could sure use a stiff drink…or four.”

  ********

  Lila joined Panur in the starboard engine room of the Najmah Fayd.

  “May I have a word with you?”

  “Of course…I have been expecting this conversation.”

  “Why are you misleading the Humans—and my mother?”

  “It is for their own good. There are pieces of the game that must be put into motion before the next gambit can be played.”

  “You are playing a game with your friends. Is that not in opposition to what friends do?”

  Panur stepped up to the Formilian mutant. She had grown a few inches taller than him, so he slowly adjusted his height so they were eye-to-eye. “It is a sad fact that you must learn, but we have no true friends. Yes, you have parents—or at least one who truly considers you her offspring.”

  “Adam considers me his daughter.”

  “Technically, yes. But I know Humans much better than you. He cannot feel the same connection to you as he would a Human offspring. Besides, you frighten and intimidate him—as you do the other Humans. That is why you will never be accepted by them. Believe me, it is the story of my life.”

  “Is that why you did not tell them the repairs to the dimensional drive are complete?”

  “I had to bring the ship here first—”

  “Because of J’nae!”

  “Correct. I needed sole custody of my creation, and in an environment I could control.”

  “What do you intend to do with her?”

  “Reprogramming at first. And if that doesn’t work, then we’ll see. Now I must go to her. Please remain in the ship and do not allow anyone to enter. Tell them there is toxic atmosphere present as the repairs are completed.”

  “You want me to lie to them?”

  In a moment of tenderness and connection, Panur took Lila’s hand. “There is more I will be expecting of you with regards to our guests. I am sure you are up for the task.”

  “I hope you are correct.”

  “I am always correct.”

  ********

  J’nae lay on what appeared to be a surgical table, her arms and legs secured by four thick metal clamps attached to the table. She had tubes stuck in her arms and torso, all connected to an elaborate equipment bank. A bright light was suspended from the ceiling.

  “Ah, I see my rapid thaw procedure has worked. Our friends upstairs still believe you to be frozen like a comet.”

  “You believe these restraints can hold me?” The muscles in her arms bulged and strained.

  “I know they will hold you.”

  “Then I will simply alter my shape and slip out.”

  “At which point your body will be injected with a paralyzing fluid of my own design. Please, J’nae, stop resisting. Remember, I created you, so it would stand to reason I also would know how to subdue you.”

  “Why are you doing this? Is it to save your mortal friends from my Sol-Kor hordes?”

  “The fate of the Sol-Kor has already been sealed.”

  “What has happened while I was…frozen? What have you done to my people?” J’nae’s voice was thunderous, matching the intensity of her struggling body.

  “I have done nothing to them. It is what they are about to do to themselves that is more significant.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Do not concern yourself with the Sol-Kor any longer, J’nae. Your future no longer resides with them. Together we are to embark on a great adventure of discovery. All that we have known before has only been preamble to what is to come. Now, again, relax. It won’t be long now.”

  ********

  Boredom—along with a healthy supply of potent intoxicants—was a great sleep aide, and soon the non-mutant members of Adam’s team were fast asleep in the main chamber, having commandeered couches and the few blankets Panur had around. Sherri had tried to board the Najmah Fayd to grab some supplies but had been turned away by Lila. She thought the excuse lame, but reasoned it was just a way of keeping the Humans from interfering with the repairs.

  Six hours later, they were all wakened by Lila entering the room and making a loud announcement.

  “Panur has left, and he has taken J’nae!”

  Adam bolted upright, instantly awake. “I knew it! That backstabbing bastard. Now how are we to get off this rock?”

  “He did not leave in the Najmah Fayd.”

  Adam blinked several times. “He di
dn’t? Why not…the repairs!”

  “No, the repairs are complete. The ship is one hundred percent operational, including TD-capable.”

  “Then why did he not take the starship?” Benefis asked, himself now wide awake as well.

  Lila suddenly looked sad.

  Arieel rose up and joined her daughter in the center of the room. “He did not inform you prior?”

  “No. I was surprised…as well as hurt and betrayed.”

  “Just goes to show,” Sherri said, “you can’t trust any male, even if they’re alien…and a mutant.”

  “But you say the Fayd is ready to go? Riyad, can you operate the TD engines?”

  Tarazi shook his head. “Panur—and Lila—did it the first and only time before. I wouldn’t have a clue how to program destinations and things like that.”

  Adam stepped up to his daughter. “I know this is a traumatic time for you, but I need to ask: what are you planning to do now that Panur’s gone?”

  “I will go with you and my mother, back to the Milky Way.”

  “Good, I was hoping you’d say that. Now, everyone to the ship. First we need to stop off at J’nae—the planet—and pick up Andy and his team. After that, it’s sayonara to the stinking Sol-Kor universe.”

  “What about the war?” Sherri asked as they all rushed for the exit.

  “Fuck the war,” Adam said. “The Hal’ic appear to have things under control, and with J’nae gone, the Sol-Kor are pretty much screwed. We shouldn’t have to worry about the Sol-Kor going forward.”

  “I hope so. And I hope Panur and the Queen stay gone for a very long time.”

  Chapter 19

  Callos Edei Fran had assembled the Echelon Group of the Council, the top nine members with the most superior intellect and experience. The other eighty-one members of the Applying Council would abide by whatever decisions this group reached. It was Edei’s job to provide them with enough accurate information to make such decisions.

  They were in a large conference room near the main combat center within the M-2 pyramid. Data stations were placed before each member, and a small cadre of support staff, all High Nosleads, were seated along the walls to provide additional information if need be.

  There were no power games being played in the room. Everyone knew Edei Fran ruled the Colony at the moment, and with each passing hour with no word regarding the welfare of the Queen, his position was gaining more and more permanence.

  “Let us begin,” he said, taking command of the room. “I shall cover three distinct topics today: our impending assault on the Hal’ic homeworld of J’nae; the status of the Colony in regards to population and replacement; and a discussion of the future of the Colony, as I see it. As always, comments are welcome and will be included in any decisions rendered. I will ask if any of you have pressing questions before I begin?”

  “Is it reasonable to assume that Panur will not release the Queen?” asked Council Member Uyra Kaz. He was the designated number-two in the Echelon Group, and Edei’s immediate replacement should anything happen to him.

  “It has been five days since the mutant left Silana. With the capacity of the Human vessel he was in, he could be halfway across the galaxy by now. If he was going to release the Queen, there would have been countless opportunities for him to do so. So far, there has been no contact. It is my opinion, as well as that of others, that the Queen is still Panur’s prisoner, or has been rendered neutralized by other means. Therefore, I believe it best that we proceed under the assumption that we have no Queen, not until one of Queen J’nae’s offspring reaches maturity and is designated such by her sisters.”

  “If there will even be another Queen. With the current reconfiguration of the Colony’s social structure, we may find having a Queen to be…unnecessary in the future.”

  “That is correct, Uyra, and a topic I will be addressing shortly. If no other questions, I will begin…”

  Edei spent the next hour explaining how the invasion fleet aimed at the Hal’ic homeworld was shaping up. These units were being called in from across half the galaxy, mostly the remaining contingents from the worlds that the Hal’ic had already attacked. Many of the defenders, when faced with overwhelming odds, had retreated, expecting to return to assist in the aftermath of the attacks. Now they were told to meet up with an ever-growing fleet of warships headed for the Hal’ic homeworld.

  The added consequence of this action was that the fleet was being assembled without fanfare or notice. Initially, nine hundred ships left Silanaen space and were joined by equal numbers from the five other population centers on this side of the galaxy. As the fleet moved towards Kor—and J’nae beyond—it was joined by ten, twenty, even a hundred additional ships at a time. It was estimated that the fleet would not have its full complement until it was just outside the Hal’ic star system. By that time it would number over fourteen thousand warships.

  Compared to the fifty thousand and larger fleets that had been assembled to engage the enemy previously, the fourteen thousand in this fleet seemed small. Yet it had only a single world as its target, one which had the bulk of its forces scattered throughout the galaxy. Even if it took every last ship in the fleet to destroy the planet J’nae, Edei would consider that a victory. With the homeworld of the Hal’ic destroyed, the remaining marauders would be without guidance and command. It would be enough to render the Hal’ic ineffectual.

  Edei smiled. That was what the Hal’ic had hoped to accomplished with their destruction of Kor. Now they knew differently. The Colony was not a single world, or a single location. The Colony existed wherever Sol-Kor existed. It would never be defeated until the very last Sol-Kor was dead.

  “The estimated time of attack is four hours from now,” Edei said, concluding this part of his presentation. “At the end of this meeting, we will adjourn to the neighboring command center to observe the battle in real time. If no breaks are required, I will continue?”

  No objections were voiced, so Edei steadied himself for the next phase of the briefing. This was the gravest of the topics, and one which would cause the most grief.

  “As you know,” he began solemnly, “with the death of the Eternal Queen and her Zygotes, the Colony was left without a viable and traditional Queen. Since that time, J’nae, the creation of the mutant Panur, assumed that role. It was her intention to breed a large number of females who would in turn breed more. The goal was to reach a time in the future of the Sol-Kor when the population was self-sustaining through billions of live births of both male and female genders. She began this campaign with the birth of one hundred and six females, before she was removed by Panur and his Human cohorts.”

  “That is all she produced?” Council Member Das Vosni exclaimed. “I was under the impression there had been more.”

  “No, that is all. They were all safely evacuated from Kor prior to the destruction of M-1.”

  “How does this small number bode for the future of the Colony?”

  Edei hesitated answering, surveying the clouded expressions of the other eight Group members. “It does not bode well…at least not for a Colony of its present size and complexity. My first assistant, High Noslead Mortis Fae, along with Group Member Uyra Kaz, have been tasked with this part of the presentation. So please, Uyra, proceed.”

  “Please refer to the graphs on the screens before you,” Uyra began, seamlessly taking over the meeting. “For convenience’ sake, I will round the number of offspring to one hundred. Each of these females will not reach maturity for six standard years. At that point they will be able to produce approximately one offspring every thirty-eight days. Allowing for the Kor year of three-hundred eighty days, that will be approximately ten new females per year per offspring.”

  “Assuming they are all female,” said another group member.

  “These females have the unique ability to control the gender of their offspring. Initially all will be female. Referring back to the charts, you can see that one hundred females will begin producing one
thousand new females per year. In the six years leading to the maturity of the first of these new females, there should be sixty-thousand females advancing towards maturity. When the first one thousand finish their first year of production, there will be one hundred thousand females, with that number growing exponentially from then on.”

  “We are speaking in six year increments, and longer,” said another member. “How long until the females can start producing replacement males?”

  Uyra looked at Edei before continuing. The sobering part was coming next.

  “In approximately thirty years, the females may be allowed to produce one male for every nine females.”

  “That will hardly keep up with natural attrition, not to mention the damage to the population suffered in the interim by the costly war we are currently engaged in.”

  “That is true. It had been estimated that by the time males can begin to be replaced within the Colony, there will be a thirty percent drop in the population as a result of non-resupply, not counting any future conflicts.”

  There were gasps throughout the room. Uyra continued. “Those are just the preliminary numbers. By the time a point is reached when new births equal deaths, the Colony will be no more than thirty to forty percent of the size it is today.”

  “We are doomed,” someone said from down the table. “How can we sustain the Colony with such a drawdown?”

  “You must realize, Councilmember Lanis, the needs of the Colony will be far less by that time.”

  “Let me join the presentation once again, Uyra,” said Edei. “As tragic as these numbers may sound, I am currently proposing actions that will help preserve the Colony into the future.”

  “Such as?”

  “Considering the average lifespan of a Sol-Kor of nearly one-hundred eighty years, we have accepted the fact that many of the older Sol-Kor will die before any substantial changes can be made. Therefore, I have ordered that all younger members of the various fleets be recalled to safer ground. Their lives must be preserved to help with the support of the females and their offspring, as well as breeding duties. It is a fact that by the time an equilibrium is reached with regards to gender and the population, none of the Sol-Kor beyond the age of fifty will be alive. The Colony will be in the hands of an entire new crop of Sol-Kor, and without the guiding and stabilizing influence of an Eternal Queen. I will now ask if the group concurs with my course of action with regards to the recall of the youth.”