by Karl Morgan
Lauren, Mitch and Wally had joined the group, and Lauren sat next to Bandy. “Bandy, always remember while there is life, there is hope,” she said as she stroked his head. “There are those who will stop at nothing to find us. Take Zakamar Vondee for example. Then there is my fiancé, Captain Jon Lake and Mitch’s sister. They will find us; we just have to be optimistic.”
Jake flew over to the pallets and removed a second bottle of brandy. After opening it, he inserted a tendril and drank heavily. “Wow, this is great stuff!” he exclaimed. “There has been little for me to eat since I got here.”
Faloo shouted, “What kind of Predaxian is that? He can fly?”
Jake flew over to Faloo, saying, “Sorry Faloo, but I’m not a Predaxian. I am a maklan from the planet No-Makla in the Earth system. We both can trace our ancestry to Ai-Makla and the Great Rebirth, but obviously we have changed a lot since then.”
Kanka walked over and poked Jake with one leg, “Wow, this think looks like glass, but it’s soft and warm. That’s freaky, man! What other tricks can you do?”
“I wouldn’t call them tricks, Kanka,” Jake frowned, “But I can jump without a portal. I’d jump out of here but there is too much iron and other metals between here and the surface. I can also communicate telepathically with others of my race.”
“That’s why they picked this place, pal,” Bandy said. “Our mind control won’t work through this much rock either. Pan here has the strongest mental control ever recorded, isn’t that right?”
“I think that was a rumor my dad started to make me seem superior to other Predaxians,” Pan said. “Frankly, I gave up those powers long before my father sent me here. I think we are abusing many other civilizations and making them our unwitting slaves.”
“I’ve been hearing many people saying that recently,” Kanka replied. “I was in a bar not two weeks ago with a gorgeous woman who kept saying that same thing to whoever would listen. Come to think about it, she mentioned you, Pan! She said when you became emperor, you would prohibit mind control and free all the other races. Several friends of mine agreed and left with her just before the secret police arrived and started asking questions.”
“Zak sure gets around, Cousin,” Dok said to Pan. “I told you she was running the rebellion. It’s amazing she would have the courage to recruit active duty soldiers on Predax.”
“What makes you think it was Zak?” Pan asked.
“Come on, Pan, we both know it had to be her,” Dok replied. “She’s not afraid of anything.”
“That was Zakamar Vondee in that bar?” Kanka asked in disbelief. “You are a lucky man, Pan. She is super smart and beautiful. That’s a deadly combination.”
“I doubt it could have been Zak,” Pan replied. “I mean it could have been her, but how would I know when I’m stuck down here. I hope it was her, showing my father that the rebels are not afraid of him and his secret police right in his own backyard.” Pan took another long drink of the brandy. “Dok, remember what you said the last time you were here to deliver supplies?” Dok shook his head. “That woman is smarter than both of us combined. I’m starting to agree with Captain London over here. With Zak out there looking for us, we will be found, I guarantee it.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Bandy said. “I heard the emperor will have one hundred star cruisers when he attacks Localus. That’s a lot more than the Galliceans and rebels can muster in a short time. If the emperor regains Localus and can then take Nom-Kat-La, I think sentiment could turn in his favor.”
“Perhaps, Bandy, but when I was imprisoned, almost half of all Predaxians wanted to end our mind control activities,” Pan replied. “Now, my father is acting like a mad man, killing his own generals. That has to take a toll on the rest of the military. How long will they accept that? Then there is Zak and the rebels. If they were in a military hang-out bar on Predax, you know they are everywhere convincing others to join their cause. How long can my father hold on when the vast majority of his military and civilians are against him?”
“Bandy,” Lauren said, “now do you see what I meant? If the emperor falls, our friends will find us. If the emperor wins, supply ships will return here and rescue you three at least.”
“Let’s just hope the Pyrrians on the cruiser up there didn’t stop the self-destruct, or at least don’t know how to use the portal. It would be unpleasant if they reached us first,” Bandy sighed, drinking another gulp of brandy.
Chapter 28
Four days had passed since the Nightsky and Kong-Fa had resumed their trip to Tak-Makla. Dave and his core team were meeting in his ready room to discuss the findings from the teams who had been investigating the maklan ruins they found in the system near Golden Dawn.
“Dave, so you know, Cara is presenting this same information to De-o-Nu and his team now,” Jake began. “Let’s start with Planet 3, as those ruins seem to be the oldest. About sixty-five percent of the planet’s land surface appears to have been inhabited by maklans similar to those who built Station 801. Most of the structures are extremely old. We estimate that the most current ones are at least six hundred million Earth years old.”
Dave sipped his coffee and took a bite of a cookie, “What does that tell us, Jake?”
“Cara and I have a theory that this was the original planet the maklans from Tak-Makla jumped to during the Great Rebirth,” Jake replied. “Similar to my own race’s situation, we think something occurred around six hundred million years ago that caused them to move to Tak-Makla. It’s only speculation, but fortunately we should learn the answers in a few days. There were fragments of ruins much older, but our equipment could not gauge accurately. We feel confident that none are older than the Great Rebirth.”
“What about the other planets, Jake?” Darlene asked.
“Let’s look at Planet 6 next. The maklans living there grew to enormous dimensions. The antiquities we found ranged from six hundred to two hundred million years old. It also seems the maklans grew larger over time. The oldest building remnants were similar in size to the rooms on Station 801. The twenty-foot maklans could never have lived there. The older ones were also much more developed and modern. It seems they were devolving over time instead of evolving. The elegant structures of the distant past had been replaced by rough huts as time went by. We haven’t had time to understand what happened or why it turned out that way. We hope to send more teams to all the planets soon,” Jake reported.
“Now we are coming to the meat of this discussion. Tell us about Planet 5 and the apparent Predaxians living there,” Dave said.
“This is the most bizarre part of the story,” Jake began. “Maklans lived on this planet for about fifty million years, ending about two hundred million years ago. They never built much infrastructure, only a few towns and factories scattered about. The atmosphere was always very thin, and we found evidence of massive domes that covered groups of towns over perhaps a ten mile radius. If we look at the dissipation of the atmosphere, we estimate that it became hazardous about two hundred and twenty million years ago. By two hundred million years ago, we doubt that even the domes would have offered much protection from gamma rays or solar flares.”
“So, they burned to death on their planet,” Aria shivered. “That’s a horrifying thought. But what were Predaxians doing there anyway?”
“That is an excellent question, Aria,” Jake replied. “Perhaps further exploration or help from Tak-Makla will help us under-stand the mystery of the three planets.”
Alarms sounded. Dave and Jon rushed back to the bridge. As they entered, Jon shouted, “What’s going on, Donna?”
“Something is affecting both ships. We have slowed to dead stop. Engineering reports nothing wrong down below, but Kong-Fa and this ship are not moving,” she replied.
Lia said, “Captain, we are being hailed by Tak-Makla.”
“From twelve light-years away?” Jon asked. “Never mind, put them on the screen.”
A pale blue maklan appeared on the screen smili
ng. “Greetings, I am Zee Gongaleg, and I am High Consul for Tak-Makla. I am now speaking to both ships approaching our planet and would like to know your intentions.”
“Consul Gongaleg,” Dave opened, “I am Admiral Dave Brewster of Earth. Our ships are bringing ambassadors from Earth, Greater Gallia, the Kalidean Federation and the planet No-Makla to offer peace and trade agreements with your planet.”
“Thank you, Dave,” Zee said. “I know you understand we must be cautious when war ships are approaching our planet, even though your two ships are hardly a threat.”
“No threat was ever intended, Zee,” Dave replied. “Space can be a dangerous place as you know. The ship carrying our ambassador from Kalidus was attacked on his way to join us four days ago.”
“I certainly hope the ambassador was not injured, Dave,” Zee said.
“He was slightly wounded, but will be completely recovered before we arrive at your planet,” Dave responded. “May we have your permission to continue?”
“Not just yet, Dave,” Zee said. “It is our custom to invite a few individuals to our world to learn their intentions more clearly before we allow ships to enter orbit. I am certain you understand.”
“Not really, Zee, but it is your planet and you can follow your customs,” Dave said. “I am certain our ambassadors would be happy to join you there.”
Zee frowned slightly, “I understand they are best suited to negotiate, however, we prefer to pick our first visitors based on other methods. If you agree, we will jump four or so from your two ships to my office. You have my guarantee that no harm will come to any of them or your ships. After a few discussions and tours of our world, if further collaboration is deemed worthwhile for both sides, we will invite your ships to come here. If either side decides not to pursue further discussions, we will jump our guests back to their ships and you may return home. Is that agreeable?”
The rest of the team from the ready room had arrived on the bridge. Dave said, “Zee, please give me one moment to talk to our leaders here.” The Consul nodded, still smiling.
Dave stepped to the communications console and tapped a button. The Consul’s image was replaced with De-o-Nu. “Brother, what do you think?”
“I don’t like it, brother,” De-o-Nu scowled. “The maklan ambassador says we must accept or go home. I don’t think we have much choice, but it is not a good choice.”
“Opinions?” Dave asked the rest of his team.
“We have no choice, Dave,” Jake said. “This is a great opportunity for all of our civilizations, and all good things require some risk.”
“I agree, honey,” Darlene said. “I just wish I knew what the Consul meant when he said they select by other methods. I say yes too.”
Dave pressed the button on the console again, and Consul Zee was back again, still smiling. “Zee, we agree with your kind offer.”
“That is wonderful, Dave,” Zee said. “Please don’t worry, we can be trusted. If we were evil, we could have already crushed your ships. We have already given you the planets of Beacon Station 801 as a sign of our good intentions. We moved our home world to Tak-Makla long ago for very special reasons, which I will explain to our guests. This place is sacred to us and the entire universe. Once you see its wonders, you will understand.”
“Very well, Zee,” Dave said. “What do we do now?”
“In a moment, when I find out who has been chosen; those four will disappear from your ships and be here,” Zee continued. “Unlike the portals of your time or our relatives the maklans of No-Makla, there will be no flash. They will arrive here, and your crews will be able to see them here with me with their view screens. They will be allowed to communicate with your ships every few hours,” Zee said, then paused. “Ah, I have the list of guests, please be prepared and thank you.” Zee kept smiling.
“Where’s Dave and Charlie?” Darlene shouted. They had disappeared from the bridge. She looked up and saw them both with Zee, along with Jake and De-o-Nu.
Chapter 29
De-o-Nu was stunned. He was only slightly taller than Dave now and had no pressure suit, yet he was alive. “I don’t understand, Consul,” De-o-Nu said. “Why have I become so small and am able to breathe the same air as Dave?”
“I am sorry, De-o-Nu, but we have made some minor adjustments to enable us to work together more closely,” Zee said. “When you return to your ship, you will be back to normal. Details like physical size and atmosphere are divisive in the universe. We have temporarily eliminated them.”
Charlie laughed, “Brother, I don’t think you could carry me right now! But it is good to look at you eye to eye.”
“Zee,” Dave started, “I don’t understand why you picked the four of us. Could you let us know?”
“Of course, Dave, but please sit down and let’s have a drink to celebrate the occasion of our first meeting. It is another custom, I’m afraid. We tekkans are the product of our customs,” Zee answered. He looked at Jake, saying, “Jake, we are maklans to our souls, but with the grand variety that now inhabit our galaxy, we have given ourselves the name tekkan to differentiate ourselves. I hope that does not offend you.”
“Not at all, Zee,” Jake replied. “We have always called ourselves maklan because we never found any other maklan planets. As far as we knew, we were alone.”
“Except for the Predaxians, Jake,” Charlie reminded him.
Zee shuddered, “Please do not remind me of them. They have been a black mark on all maklan species for a long time. Thankfully, that reign of terror may soon end.”
“How do you know that?” Dave asked.
“I do not know, Dave, but The Hive tells me that will likely be the case,” Zee replied as he poured large glasses of liquor for each guest and himself. “Please let us toast our future together.” They lifted their glasses and drank heavily.
“This is really excellent, Zee,” Dave said. “What is The Hive?”
“It is a magical drink, Zee,” De-o-Nu said, “but I was wondering the same thing.”
“We will discuss The Hive in due course,” Zee replied. “Dave asked why we picked the four of you. Let me answer that first. The Hive selected your group. They base their selection on the closeness of your mental bond, what you may call friendship or love. While we could certainly detect love and friendship within each species, such as Dave’s love for Darlene, or Charlie’s for Aria, when they saw how close the four of you were, and that you represent three different species, they knew they had made the right choice. Such bonding is extremely rare in our galaxy. We have no other species on Tak-Makla, and I must admit I am jealous of you.”
Dave smiled, “We are very fortunate, Zee. Circumstances pushed us together and we have become as close as brothers.”
“Dave saved our home world,” Jake said.
“Well, you saved my life twice, Jake,” Dave replied.
“And then Jake and other maklans and humans helped us stop the Predaxian invasion of Greater Gallia,” De-o-Nu said.
“It’s amazing to see you four together,” Zee smiled. “When we made the decision to form The Hive, we feared we would be unable to form real bonds with other planets. The Hive became our obsession, and all of our resources continue to flow into it.”
“But what is The Hive, Zee?” Jake asked.
“Very well, we can talk about that now,” Zee replied. “Better yet, let us take a shuttle and I will show you my planet. At the end of the tour, we will visit The Hive. Is that acceptable?”
The wall of the Consul’s office opened to reveal a dock where a craft was positioned. The group approached the small shuttle, which was virtually transparent. The non-maklans were very apprehensive as it seemed they were stepping into open air, several hundred feet above the planet’s surface. Sensing their feelings, the pilot touched a panel and the floor and walls turned metallic. When everyone was secured in their seats, he pushed the panel and the ship became like glass again. On the Consul’s order, the ship left its dock and floated noiseles
sly down toward the surface. The high spire that held the Consul’s office appeared to be alone in the center of a massive forest. The craft leveled off twenty feet above the tree tops, which stretched in every direction to the horizon.
“Zee, other than the one spire, there don’t seem to be any buildings around here,” Charlie asked. “That seems odd. Shouldn’t your office be in the capital city?”
“My office is in the capital, Charlie. Please enjoy the voyage and all will be explained soon,” he replied. “I have been in contact with my wife and she has asked you all to join us for dinner. I hope that is acceptable to you all.” They smiled their approval. What choice did they have anyway?
After ten minutes of flying, the craft settled down in a large clearing. The walls and floor became solid again and the Consul led them out of the ship. They walked toward the nearest edge of the forest. Soon they could hear the sounds of wildlife nearby. Monkeys jumped through the trees. Hundreds of colorful birds of different sizes and shapes flew among the trees. After another ten minutes of walking, they were deep in the woods. Sunlight dappled the forest floor. Lines of ants moved leaf debris along a path toward their nest. Spiders made giant webs high up in the trees. Dave stopped dead when they entered a small clearing. In the center were twenty large wolf-like creatures like the one that had attacked him on Golden Dawn.
“Zee,” Dave said, “those things are very dangerous.”
“Nonsense,” Zee replied as he walked up to the wolves. One rose to its feet near Zee and rubbed itself against his legs. “There’s a pretty boy. How are you today?”