by Saxon Andrew
“Don’t waste your time. You should use it constructively and finish this project.”
“I know; if you think of anything else let me know.”
“You know I will.”
The Supreme Males were on a communication channel attempting to decide what to do. The Senior Male said, “I think we should hatch a new Nest Mother.”
“To what purpose? The command chamber is gone and without it the new Mother will be useless.”
“Then what would you suggest?”
“I believe that she has been taken to that universe that stopped our harvest. If they could come here and take her, that suggests that there is another way into it. I recommend that we scatter and scan our universe and find that other door.”
“I’ve never heard of two doors.”
“They are rare but they do exist. Otherwise, how did they come here? There must be another door.”
The Senior Male thought about the suggestion and decided, “We should at least eliminate it as a possibility. Recall all the families from harvesting and assign them a section to search. Let’s find a way into that problematic universe and destroy it.”
Another Supreme Male said, “Perhaps the universes closest to the target might have another doorway. Should we check those to see?”
“Yes, send ships to scan for another entrance. If they find one, come back and notify me immediately. If nothing shows up come back and help scan our universe. Are we agreed on this plan?”
Every Supreme Male voted yes and they began their search. They did not see the small, red screened, probe left behind. It listened in on their communications and once the ships began jumping out to begin searching, it jumped back to the Stars Realm and down loaded its information to Fleet Command, which passed it on to the Realm’s leadership.
Sprig looked at the code from the command chamber and ran the program through an independent system to avoid contaminating the main system. It would not be a good thing to have the compulsion program loose. Edison watched the program run and suddenly yelled, “Stop it right here.”
Sprig froze the data and then backed it up to the point where Edison shouted. He looked at the data stream and saw an odd line of symbols. “What are those, Edison?”
“Those are encrypted on my species electrical engrams. I think those are the compulsions.”
“That is a very short line of programming.”
“It would have to be, Sprig. It must be transferred easily and resist degradation over eons of time. This looks like a very compact virus that rides all the other programs.”
Sprig looked at the lines of the program and began to see a pattern, “It appears that the fiftieth line is where the main action is held.”
Einstein looked at the line and added, “It is the two hundredth line where the virus is inserted into organic substances.”
Sprig looked and did not see what he was referring. “How do you arrive at that?”
“The last six symbols on the third string match up with the frequency of our nervous system. I believe that this program was written strictly for my species. It won’t work on life forms that have a different frequency.”
Sprig looked closer and shook his main branches, “Whoever wrote this a genius at bioengineering.”
“I agree, but it allows an easy change. Most of the rest of this virus is designed to make the host resist any emotions that might be anything other than viciousness. The finer emotions of love, happiness, and friendship are held in check.”
“What do you mean easy to change, Newton?”
“All we need to do is change the frequency in it and then have it downloaded again into the host. It should overwrite the previous programming and replace it. Since the frequency will be different the new download will have no effect.”
Sprig thought about the suggestion, “What frequency would you use; we don’t want this program around to infect another species.”
“Just choose a frequency of an extinct life form. Do you have any DNA of a species that is extinct?”
“We have some from one of the planets that was harvested by your ship. That civilization is now dead, so it should only affect that now-extinct life form.”
Sprig saw the sudden sadness of the three small spiders. “Don’t blame yourselves for their death children; you were forced to do it. Perhaps this will lead to some good from that loss.”
“I know, Sprig, but we feel the terrible shame of what we’ve done.”
Sprig looked at the records in his main system and after several minutes looked up, “Here it is; this is the frequency of their brain engrams.”
Edison looked at the number and then began typing. The frequency was inserted into the virus and then downloaded into the leg receptacles. “Now we have to see if a certain angry Nest Mother will work with us.”
Sprig looked at the new code, “No, we are going to make her do it.”
Destiny turned his head upside down, “The Nest Mother is stronger than any male. Making her do anything is not going to be easy.”
“None the less, we will make her do as we want. You haven’t seen the power of our Red Warrior’s armor.”
Einstein looked up, “This I gotta see.”
“Me, too.”
“And me as well.”
The Nest Mother was out in the open thinking about how much longer she was going to be left alone when suddenly a silver screen appeared above her and she was teleported into the command chamber. She was also wrapped in some kind of field that kept her immobile and unable to move. She looked around and saw a male of her species, “I must assume you are the Ship’s Male from the missing main ship.”
“Yes, I am, Nest Mother. I no longer am bound by the compulsions you have placed in me.”
“That must be an interesting feeling. I just learned about them.”
Destiny flinched, “What?”
“Don’t act surprised. I was concerned about my safety and still found myself forced to send the families out to harvest. I discovered I could not control my actions and after a long search I discovered that we are a tool for another race of beings. I’ve tried to think about it but every time I try my mind is forced away from it. I also think they have made a new species to remove us. Did you bring me here to kill me?”
“No, Mother; I’ve brought you here to try and remove the compulsions from you.”
“Why?”
“We think you will see things differently once they are gone. We have to try; you are not responsible for what you have done.”
“I must tell you that I am fighting as hard as I can the urge to break free and kill everyone in this room and I don’t know how much longer I can resist.’
Destiny looked at Sprig, “Get her on the platform quickly.”
The Algean nodded to four Red Warriors and they moved quickly forward and lifted the large spider and moved her to the platform. She began quivering as two of the warriors grabbed her two back legs and inserted them into the back two receptacles. She then started fighting the restraints and moved violently back and forth.
“Is it working?” Destiny asked in alarm.
Edison looked at the readout and said, “It’s downloading; just a few more moments.”
The Nest Mother was beyond thought; all she could feel was extreme anger and hate. She felt the extreme urge to kill this insolent male in front of her. And then she felt nothing.
Edison looked at the Nest Mother and saw she had stopped moving, “Is she still alive?”
Destiny looked at the readout on his board, “Yes, she’s unconscious. Move her off the platform and send her back to the planet.”
The Nest Mother jerked and slowly came back to consciousness. She was hurting in all her legs where she had fought the restraining field and she stood up with great difficulty. She looked around, “This is a beautiful day.” She flinched at the thought; she had never had that kind of thought before. She looked around and thought about what had just happened and then she thought about the red
being that had said she would make a good tool. She immediately felt anger. “They have controlled us totally.” She then thought about all the members of her species she had ordered consumed and felt an over whelming sadness grip her. She had killed millions, no billions of her children. She lowered herself to the ground and wept for what she had done.
“We need to go now,” Destiny said.
The Nest Mother saw a silver screen appear a distance in front of her and nine beings appeared. Four of them were males of her species, three were still children. The other five were strange creatures with one looking like a tall bush. The four were in some kind of armor holding weapons pointed at her. She rose and waited as they approached.
Destiny thought to her, “Hello, Mother. How do you feel?”
“I have killed so many of my children that I cannot count them all. I despair at the memory.”
“You were made to do it. You had no control over what you were forced to do.”
The Nest Mother looked at the other beings, “You can put your weapons away; I will never kill again.”
Destiny felt her pain and moved forward before anyone could say anything.
“Stop, Destiny,” Sprig thought but he was beside her before he could order her shot.
Destiny placed one of his front legs on hers and said, “We also feel the pain and shame of all the civilizations we have destroyed. We have decided to try and make up for all the sorrow we have caused. Will you help us?”
The large spider with huge fangs looked at her son and said, “I do not think there is enough time remaining to repair all that I have made to happen.”
“We must try, Mother.”
Sprig thought, “Put your weapons away; she’s free of the compulsions.”
The three Red Warriors lowered their arms, but kept close watch on the huge spider and continued to hold their weapons.
The Nest Mother looked and saw the three small spiders and said, “You are some of my children.”
The three ran forward and she grasped them in her two front legs. I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you.”
The three spiders reveled in their mother’s legs and felt extreme happiness. She sensed their glee and held them close. Destiny said, “This is Edison, Newton, and Einstein; they are responsible for freeing you from the compulsions.”
She looked at them and said, “Thank you, my children. Thank you for my freedom.”
Sprig watched the family of spiders and pressed his com, “Matt, I think you should come and talk with the Nest Mother.”
“On my way, Sprig.”
Matt arrived to find the Nest Mother embracing her children. Destiny saw him walking toward them, “Nest Mother, this is the being that saved us when he could have destroyed my ship. He is the ruler of this universe and we owe him for what he has done to free us.”
The Nest Mother turned and faced Matt, “Thank you for what you have done. I know it must have been a difficult decision.”
“It was, but it was the right thing to do. I am trying to save your species from destruction but I fear time is growing short. The beings that created you are developing another species to replace you, and it is my belief that you will be destroyed because you will no longer be needed by them.”
The Nest Mother felt anger, “They have already killed one of my families and then killed the universe where they attacked us. What can I do to help?”
Matt was shocked. The Reg were right again. “When did that happen?”
More than sixty times the amount of time you’ve kept me here. The family was completely eliminated and then the rest of the universe was killed. We saw that whoever did it destroyed large population centers from space with some kind of energy beam. It also used the same beam to kill those on the planet’s surface. That beam went through our armor as if we were not wearing it. That universe was destroyed in one fifth the time it would have taken my family.”
“The beings that forced you to kill made the creatures that did it. I have it on good authority that your species will be the first target of these new creatures. I want to bring your families to my universe for protection if they can come here without the compulsions. Is that possible?”
The Nest Mother thought for several minutes, “It will be difficult. The Supreme Males control their families and as long as they live, my children are in danger of being consumed by them. I cannot remove the compulsions once they are in place.”
Matt thought, “Could you remove the Supreme Males from their families?”
“I believe I could, but then the Ship’s Males would just replace them. They also have the compulsions.”
What if you ordered them to bring their Ship’s Males with them for a brief meeting; would they then download the compulsions in the one’s left behind?”
“They shouldn’t if forced to attend quickly enough. What do you have in mind?”
“We still have Destiny’s ship.”
“Who is Destiny?”
“I am; it is my new name.”
“We can take his ship to your universe and have the Supreme Males come to that ship with their Ship’s Males in transports. Once they arrive, we will teleport you to another ship and then jump that vessel into a universe that has been recently harvested. We will set the universal drive to self destruct upon arrival so they will be stranded in that universe. There will be plenty of planets with food for them and they should survive.”
“I’m glad you have a plan that allows them to live. I will not kill any more of my children.”
“Will it work?”
“That part of the plan will. What do we do about the remaining ships?”
“Have the Supreme Males order them to stay where they are until otherwise ordered. We think the compulsions will fade in four weeks and at that time you will return and we will attempt to move their ships to our universe. There are enough uninhabited planets for them to settle on until they get themselves oriented to their new world view.”
The Nest Mother thought about the plan and finally said, “When do you want to do this?”
“The sooner the better; we have a limited window of opportunity before this universe is blocked from entry and we have to get it done before that happens.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Matt looked at Sprig, “Can you make this happen quickly?”
“With their help, we should be ready in two days.”
Chapter 6
The Green Ships were searching every foot of the empty universe to find another door. The Senior Supreme Male was watching his board for any reports of success when his Sensor Male shouted, “Universal Drive in the central region.”
“Go there now!”
“Message coming in.”
“What!”
The Sensor male sent it to the Supreme Male’s board, “Who has been in command while I’ve been gone?”
The Supreme Males were stunned; it was the Nest Mother. The Senior Supreme Male keyed his board. He could tell she was angry, “I have, Nest Mother.”
“Well no thanks to you but I have been rescued by the ship that was left in the other Universe. It was hiding from those creatures that abducted me and managed to save me. We are going to have to destroy those creatures. This Ship’s Male has found another way into their universe and we must act quickly and decisively. I want every Supreme Male and every Ship’s Male in their families to come to this ship immediately. Order all your ships to remain where they are, board transports, and come here now.”
The Supreme Males felt their compulsions kick in and wanted to consume their families but knew that they were not ordered to do so by the Nest Mother. They issued the orders and began boarding transports to come.
The Nest Mother looked at Destiny, “They are coming.”
“Nest Mother, should we download compulsions into the ones left in command?”
“You won’t be away that long, don’t waste my time.” She snarled, “I told you to come immediately!”
“Yes, Nes
t Mother.”
“Order your Ship’s Males to the surface of their vessels immediately for pick up by the transports. I will not tolerate a delay in your arrival.”
Some of the Ship’s Males were considering downloading the compulsions anyway but they felt their fear rise and scrambled from their command chairs and rushed to get to the surface of their ships.
The Nest Mother looked at Stem, “They won’t have time to do any downloading. It takes time to get to the surface of their ships.”