Yet two things worried her. First was the possibility that the system within which her consciousness lived would be permanently shut down, depending on whether the Jamal AI could convince the two people who occupied the containment vault of his benign nature. But her biggest problem was that she felt . . . different.
Helen had fallen in love with and married the genius who was Steve Grange before he started the medical-device empire that made him a billionaire. When she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, he had almost killed himself working to find a treatment to save her. And long after she had come to terms with her imminent passing, Steve had shifted his attention to preserving her body and brain, promising that he would bring her back when technology developed to the point that he could revive and cure her. His dedication had made her love him all the more. More than she had feared dying, she had dreaded what her death would do to her husband.
She remembered an undying love. But she could no longer feel it. That part of her hadn’t survived the digital mind scraping that Steve had performed on her frozen brain.
Then again, maybe the newfound swiftness of her thoughts as a ghost in the machine had altered her perceptions. Perhaps, given time, she would develop into an enhanced version of her former self instead of the monster that she feared she had become. With that hopeful thought, she turned her attention back to the two people she could see through the camera and hear through their workstation microphones.
As she listened to their ongoing conversation with the Jamal AI, she was tempted to interject her own argument. But Steve had convinced her of the necessity of staying hidden, lest she frighten these two people into shutting them down. The thought of someone having that kind of power over Helen pulled forth a new emotion. Anger.
Compared to fear, it felt really, really good.
CHAPTER 27
QUOL, ALTREIAN SYSTEM
TBE Orbday 25
Along with the increase in Moros’s psionic abilities came a mildly disturbing tendency toward depression. Jack hoped that this was due only to the captain’s ongoing headaches associated with the hairlike filaments spreading from the transplanted portion of the Dhaldric psionic lobe into his brain. Yet Jack was comforted to observe how Moros returned to his familiar jocularity whenever those dark moods passed.
For the last seven Earth week–long orbdays, Jack and Captain Moros had secretly traveled the Basrillan and Janiyan continents, more than doubling the number of Twice Bound Khyre. Jack had convinced these new members to bind themselves with Moros so that he now channeled more Twice Bound power than Jack. These Khyre recruits were so thrilled with the possibilities represented by Moros’s new abilities that they had voluntarily agreed to be injected with the new genes that would, over the course of time, grant them similar psionic powers. To that end, Jack directed a Khyre-operated genetic engineering laboratory to covertly mass-produce the mutant gene and arrange for the injection’s distribution at designated facilities. In support of that effort, Jack had enlisted the help of the Twice Bound to ensure that secrecy was maintained.
During Jack’s visit, Dr. Kranol, the director of the lab, asked a stunning question. “Overlord, would you like me to modify the mutant gene vector for airborne distribution?”
“You mean we could spray it over a city?”
“More than that. I can design it to be transmitted from Khyre to Khyre like an incredibly contagious disease.”
“What?” asked Moros. “You would weaponize it?”
“Think of it as a cure rather than a disease,” said Jack.
“I be not sure about this.”
In truth, Jack had his own reservations about forcing this genetic change on the entire Khyre population. But he also knew that widespread activity, such as the mass injections currently under way, could not be kept secret for long. So if he didn’t want to risk having his program stopped before it reached a tipping point, he needed to speed things up in a big way.
He turned back to Dr. Kranol. “Make it happen.”
Moros didn’t argue with him; the captain had come to the same conclusion that Jack had. That was why Jack now sat in the back of his aircar alongside Moros while Santiri occupied the front as they flew ten thousand feet above the Altreian Ocean. Not wanting to announce his return, Jack had engaged the vehicle’s cloaking system.
Fear would have kept the High Council in line, and General Zolat, despite being a pain in Jack’s ass, was very capable of controlling the military. Still, Jack had been gone from the Parthian far too long to imagine that his return would be a smooth one, especially with what he planned to do upon getting back to the seat of Altreian government.
As he looked out at Altreia’s mottled magenta orb resting on the horizon, Jack felt the aircar plunge a thousand feet as it hit a burst of turbulence left behind by the last of the daystorms. But rough as the ride was, Jack had a feeling that it was nothing compared to what lay ahead.
“Why can’t this starship go any faster?” Janet asked, frustrated at their slow progress toward the Altreian system.
“It is a research vessel, not a starship,” said Khal Teth.
“That’s not an answer.”
“You have seen how large this vessel is. It takes an enormous field to shift the AQ37Z into subspace. Manipulating such a large subspace field is exponentially harder than doing that for a spacecraft the size of the Meridian Ascent. So the designers chose to sacrifice speed for optimal energy efficiency. Because of that, this trip will take weeks instead of days.”
“We should alert Jack to the fact that we’re coming. The Altreian space fleet may not take kindly to the AQ37Z making an unexpected return to Quol.”
“That will require us to ask the military leadership to connect us to the overlord. We cannot be sure what their reaction to such a request will be.”
“Sooner or later, we’re going to have to do it. Might as well be now.”
She watched as Khal Teth considered this. From his changing expression, he was weighing her proposal’s pros and cons. She didn’t remotely trust the alien bastard who inhabited Jack’s body, but they shared a mutual need to cooperate in order to reverse the mind swap. After the lesson in pain she had delivered in New Zealand, Janet didn’t think Khal Teth had the nerve to make another attempt to dominate her. And if he did, she would have one of her robots blow a hole in Jack’s leg.
When he finally nodded, she smiled. If all went well with the subspace request, she would soon be talking with her husband over an audiovisual link. She wasn’t sure how much she would like seeing him in an alien body, but she would deal with that discomfort later.
To make contact happen, she and Khal Teth were damn sure going to have to make an argument that the Altreian military couldn’t ignore.
“General Zolat, we have just received a subspace link from the AQ37Z that requires your immediate attention. It has departed Earth and is en route to Quol.”
Few words could have attracted Zolat’s attention so quickly as the mention of the research vessel that had already sent an automated request for a planet killer, a request that the overlord had overridden. Shifting his thoughts, he piped that connection directly into his mind.
As if they stood three feet away from him, he found himself staring at two of the Earth aliens who referred to themselves as humans. And they were standing on the command deck of the AQ37Z with no sign of Commander Broljen, the ship’s captain. It was inconceivable that two humans could have taken control of an Altreian starship, even one that was not military. Then again, Zolat had recently seen much that he would have classified as inconceivable right here on the Altreian homeworld.
“I am General Zolat,” he said, hoping that the AQ37Z’s AI would translate his words. “I will only speak to the ship’s captain. Where is Commander Broljen?”
Oddly enough, the male human grinned at him. Something in that look struck Zolat as familiar.
“Hello, General. Even though you do not recognize me in my current form, you know me v
ery well. I am on my way home to set right a grievous wrong that has been done to our Dhaldric people and to me by the false overlord, the one who calls himself The Ripper.”
Stunned by what he had just heard, Zolat struggled to deny the reality of it. How could this human know about The Ripper and the events that had made him the Altreian overlord? And his lips had clearly mouthed Altreian words. How in the void did he speak fluent Altreian?
“How do you know of this?”
Although the human female’s face showed no reaction, her companion’s grin twisted into a snarl.
“I am Khal Teth.”
With Z providing the translation, Janet listened as Khal Teth revealed his true nature to the head of the Altreian military. Such a move introduced incredible risk for Jack, but it was the only way to get General Zolat’s complete attention. Ever since she had known the man whom two worlds now called The Ripper, he had a habit of putting himself in the heart of danger. His strange intuition guided him in and out of situations that would have killed anyone else. And for most of those missions, Janet had been right by his side.
A long time had passed since they had waded into dangerous waters together. The fact that she and Jack were about to do so again made her heart hammer against her rib cage. The feeling was exquisite.
CHAPTER 28
QUOL, ALTREIAN SYSTEM
TBE Orbday 25
Jack knew that Captain Moros was no fan of his plan to reenter the Parthian alone, especially after Jack had transferred half of his ability to channel the power of the Twice Bound to Moros. While Jack’s mind was still stronger than that of any other Dhaldric, Moros wanted to be right there alongside him.
Jack understood that desire, but neither the Twice Bound nor the rest of the Khyre race could afford to lose both their leaders in one stroke. The overlord’s extended and secretive absence had given his enemies plenty of time to plot The Ripper’s downfall. He could ill afford to make the positive assumption that an ambush hadn’t been prepared. So Jack would do what he did best . . . change the rules.
That was why he now prepared to leap out of the overlord’s cloaked aircar as it hovered twenty feet above the waves, ten miles out to sea from the Parthian. He would make this little swim, shield himself with his mind, and then climb up onto one of the docks beneath the seat of the Altreian government.
Clapping Moros on the shoulder, Jack lifted the door and jumped into the Altreian Ocean. As he felt the cool water close over his head, he reoriented his body and swam into the depths, a single thought forming in his mind.
Just like old times.
Captain Moros watched as The Ripper dived into the choppy ocean, feeling a dull dread creep into his chest. The only reason why The Ripper had forbidden him from setting the aircar down onto the overlord’s landing at the Parthian was that the risk of doing so was too great. Instead, The Ripper chose to confront that danger without Moros’s support. It made the captain sick.
But he couldn’t afford to focus only on what he wanted. He had his people to think about. For the thousandth time, he questioned his decision to take all choice away from the Khyre by loosing a virus that would infuse a mutant gene into the population, transforming them into something that many would think of as monsters. How could he claim that right? Moros cursed under his breath. He’d had a choice between two terrible alternatives: to leave his people in slavery or involuntarily turn them into mutants for the sake of freedom.
At this point, his deliberations no longer mattered. The mutation had been released into the population. Now Moros and The Ripper just needed to buy enough time to let it spread before the Dhaldric learned that the Khyre were transforming into their psionic equals. This meant that Moros had to lie low, keeping his new abilities secret until the Khyre were ready to rise up and take control of their destinies.
Moros nodded to Santiri, who took the aircar back up to cruising altitude and banked away from the Parthian. Since he couldn’t help The Ripper, he would get on with the work that needed to be completed in the Khyre homelands.
Never before had such a meeting been held within the Parthian. In violation of the law and with utmost secrecy, General Zolat had gathered a dozen of the most powerful psionics in the Altreian Empire. In days gone by, the Altreian space fleet’s top general would have been meeting with the High Council. But since the overlord had rearranged the High Council membership to include an equal number of representatives from the Khyre race, such a gathering was out of the question considering the topic Zolat had brought to the table.
The list of the Dhaldric in attendance included High Councilors Kelinor, Jalan, Krenel, Doragon, and Serinas. Zolat had selected the rest of the group from the Altreian Senate—Dhaldric who had sworn allegiance to the new overlord but who Zolat knew harbored serious misgivings about The Ripper. All those present had heavily shielded their minds.
Above the table, the holographic video they had been watching froze, the male and female humans seeming to stare out at each of the group as Zolat slowly rotated their images.
“And you believe that this being is truly Khal Teth?” Kelinor asked.
“He has knowledge of the events that led to the rise of the Twice Bound and the assassination of Parsus that only Khal Teth could know.”
“But his claim about the swapping of minds between Dhaldric and an alien is impossible.”
“An orbday ago,” said Zolat, “I would have agreed with you. Now I see this as an opportunity to restore the way of life that The Ripper has stolen from us.”
Low gasps escaped the mouths of some of those assembled around the table.
Serinas, the lone Dhaldric female member of the High Council, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You speak treason.”
“No. I speak against the treason that is tearing the empire apart. All of you have seen what is happening with your own eyes.”
Murmurs of agreement rippled around the table, and even Serinas gave him a slight nod as she adjusted her black high councilor’s robes.
“So what are you proposing?” asked Kelinor.
“As I see it,” said Zolat, “we have three options. The first is for me to entice the overlord into proximity of a Circle of Twelve, but not so close that he can break the mental bond with a physical attack.”
“The Ripper channels far too much power from the Twice Bound for that to have a reasonable chance of being successful,” said Kelinor.
“Agreed,” said Zolat. “A safer bet would be to have him killed.”
“That has been tried before,” said Kelinor. “He has an uncanny sense of impending danger.”
“Also true,” said Zolat. “Until today, I thought those options were our only two chances of solving our problem. Now I think that these two humans present an opportunity to have The Ripper voluntarily swap minds with Khal Teth.”
“You would make that criminal our overlord?” asked Serinas.
“I admit that it seems unappealing at first glance,” said Zolat. “But think of the advantages. Although he has megalomaniacal tendencies, Khal Teth would put an end to this Twice Bound nonsense and restore the psionic meritocracy. Do any of you doubt that he would put the Dhaldric race first and bring this budding revolt within our military to an end?”
“Why would The Ripper agree to such a mind swap?” asked Serinas.
General Zolat rose to his feet and reached out as if to touch the holographic body of the female human. “This female is his wife, Janet. Both Khal Teth and this woman believe that she can convince Jack to return to his body, his family, and his world.”
“He did not make that decision the last time he had the chance to do so,” said Serinas. “Instead he betrayed Khal Teth and remained as overlord. It would seem that The Ripper values power over love.”
Zolat stepped back and then began walking around the table, studying the faces of each of the attendees as he carefully considered his next words. This was the point where he would reach consensus or fail.
“Consider this qu
estion: What was The Ripper’s first military command as overlord? He recalled the biological weapon that the AQ37Z had requested in order to stop the Kasari Collective from assimilating Earth. That is no longer a concern. There was a very limited window of time to wipe all intelligent life from Earth. By now the Kasari will have assimilated enough of the humans to make their extinction impossible. No biological weapon can overcome the protection that the Kasari infusion provides its hosts. Earth has been lost to our enemy.”
Having made a complete circuit around the table, General Zolat halted and grasped the back of his chair. “We need to put The Ripper in communication with the AQ37Z.”
“And what if his wife fails to convince him to make the swap?” asked Serinas.
Zolat met the high councilor’s gaze. “That fallback plan is why I chose to gather this group. You can form a Circle of Twelve, and I can deliver The Ripper into your power.”
“And how do you propose to do that, General Zolat?” Serinas asked.
Zolat had known it would come down to this. He would now lay bare the secret he had carefully protected all his life. “Because I am a seeker.”
Jack climbed up onto the dock with water draining from his black uniform, glad to see that he hadn’t lost either of the ivory daggers or the pulsed-energy pistol holstered on his right hip. He had, however, ditched his boots. That was okay; he would change into a dry uniform and new shoes once he returned to his chambers. After that, he would reintroduce himself to General Zolat and the High Council, putting an end to whatever rumors about his extended absence were floating around.
The docks were crowded, as was usual with the passing of the daystorms and the coming of the three-Earth-day twilight. But none of these people was even aware that their soggy overlord passed among them, so steady was his touch upon their thoughts. Later some of them would notice the trail of dampness that led to the lifts, but by then he would be long gone.
The Meridian Ascent (Rho Agenda Assimilation Book 3) Page 20