Cutlass Sharpened

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  Then Jake noticed she carried her synthesizer on her lower back and before he could say another word she pulled the cartridge out, and her bracelet activated to take and inject it straight into her wrist. It was Oliver who asked “How long will it take to work?”

  “Couple days at least. My body will gradually regenerate itself to how it should be. Now all I need it to wait.”

  “Tell me about yer multi-tool. I’ve never seen one like that. What does it do?”

  “Couldn’t you just steal my research?” she countered hotly.

  “Not anymore. When ye connected to the ship I initiated the closure of yer chip to me. If ye want, Jessica can confirm me chip is no longer allowed to link to yers without permission.”

  “I’ll believe you for now. We need to hurry. If you’re going to spill that we’re Solarians to everyone then we need to hurry.” They picked up the pace and found the bridge completely empty already and made way to the elevators.

  They boarded and were away as soon as it arrived. Along the way Renee could not help hearing the excitement in her father’s gravelly deep voice about how far his life’s work had come.

  Outer bulkhead doors opened out to the sprawling deck where every single individual looked rather perturbed to put it mildly. The reason for the unrest was discovered soon enough as Davan Took stood behind Abdul. Around them were the Hunters and their companions idly standing, but the crew stood back, not daring to butt heads with the three impressive men, two birds of prey or a rather large wolf sitting proudly.

  A long green neck lifted above the crowd and Sparky told the three newcomers “Do something soon about this situation. Dissent is upon us and I cannot placate it this time.”

  Jake did just that. His barreled chest swelled and Renee suddenly shoved her fingers in her ears and squeezed her eyes. Oliver noticed and followed her example and yet it still didn’t prepare him from the captain’s voice. Jake’s yell shook the very ground and those nearest fell back from the minor shockwave of “SHAAADDD UUUPPP!!!!!!!!!!!”

  SHIT! Oliver mentally cursed as he took steps away from the man much larger than himself. That yell reminded him of the time with the Fire Wyrm and he could not shake off a slight tremor that rushed down his spine.

  And he wasn’t alone as the crew went completely silent and looked to the entrance closing behind the Scottish giant. People that fell picked themselves up and listened as he said “I couldn’t hear meself think over yer bickering. Abdul, is everyone here?”

  “Yes, Captain. All four hundred sixty three with your arrival.”

  “Listen up ye dogs!?” Jake’s hand rested on the axe at his hip. “Ye know the rules of me ship. I do not tolerate this behavior. I tell ye this once, do not believe all ye saw in the news about Davan Took. Aye, he killed his assistants, but he was controlled. I give him me protection, just as I gave a few of ye when yer necks were about to be chafed by the noose for a crime ye didn’t commit.” Steely green eyes glared and flashed with his anger. “Now I do not want to hear another word unless ye wish to be thrown out past the barrier and see just how long ye can hold yer breath.” The promise in his words were clear as day he would follow through. “Jessica, where are ye?”

  “Right here, Brother.” She came around the group, already changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt that showed off her pale neck.

  “I need ye to initiate the blackout protocol.”

  Jessica raised an auburn eyebrow as they sped through space, already exiting the Verard solar system. The primary star was now as small as any in the vastness around them. She pulled out her handheld gem and it activated in her hand to make a screen to then type away till it turned from blue to red. She hit the screen one last time and put the object back in her pocket. “Alright, we can’t be tracked, call out or be found till you tell me to take down the cloak. We can still take from the net, but can’t send anything.”

  “I’ll only say this once ye dogs!” Jake’s voice carried after seeing his little sister was still irritated with him, but would deal with him in private, later. “Each and every one of ye are family to me and ye’ve all given me respect. Ye’ve followed me command, some of ye for centuries. A few were even born here.” He pointedly looked at Vanessa cradling her newborn as well as little Chloe standing on Sparky’s back to get a better view. “Many of ye have doubted me in recent years in searching around unknown planets, acting more like scouts in exploring this vast galaxy than seeking treasure to divide up. I tell ye now that I had a purpose to start a plan I’ve worked on for five centuries. Only now is it possible to begin.”

  Jake’s meaty hand clamped down on Oliver’s shoulder and brought him closer. “Most of ye suspect this lad here is much more different than normal. Aye, but not as ye can imagine. In fact he is the last pureblood Solarian.”

  The reaction floored the crew. Even the casual standing Hunters seemed hit by a bolt of lightning. Those closest backed away and whispers abounded.

  “Solarian? You cannot be serious!” Davan Took was the first to voice.

  “Aye. Ye saw it for yourself in his movements, Laddie. Have ye seen a man move so fast, jumps so high or carry both a Star-saber and a Multi-tool as well as have malleable armor? Oliver, change into the one that is basic for combat.”

  Few had seen the true alteration and eyes flew wide as the silver and black edges came out, the cape flowed down his back and the helmet that instilled fear covered his head. With this armor applied he was larger and more intimidating.

  “This is Solarian armor depicted on the Geo Record that we could never find.” Jake motioned to the swordsman.

  “But he has a double helix. Ms. Dorgen said so.” Deegen said as he fingered the chakram on his hips.

  “Not anymore.” Renee spoke up. “Not since eating the Fire Wyrm. His DNA has mutated and he’s a Class Four in psionics when he was a One when we found him sealed inside the volcano.”

  “To further prove it, he can read Solarian language even though they had taken all his memories. The unknown message on the Geo Record was a warning about him.”

  “Warning? What kind?” someone asked as eyes fell on Oliver as he let his helmet retract. He didn’t like all the attention, but he endured it to find out what Jake was up to.

  “That me theory was right and the Solarian people were killed by an enemy, but Oliver was left behind to be revived should that enemy return. His translation of the Geo Record called him their greatest warrior and the Creelin would watch over any species that his people seeded across fifteen thousand galaxies. We knew Solarians were ancient and were spread far and wide, but not by that much. And I can assure ye his translations in the past four hours are correct. I found six words and without knowing which ones, he found them to verify his origins. Aye, he had his memory wiped completely, but this proves the Solarian written language is innate to learning without needing to be taught.

  “Ye’ve all seen how fast he learns and we all know only Creelin can do it that fast. Oliver is no experiment, nor is he human. He is the last of his people, but not the last of his kind…” Jake began to choke up.

  “Captain?!” Abdul went to approach but a hand stopped him.

  “Papa, if you can’t say it I will.” Renee took charge and rolled her eyes as his emotions were getting the better of him. “Look everyone, I can validate Oliver is Solarian. Auntie, turn on your tablet and let me access it.” Jessica took out the device again and hit a few things to nod. Renee linked to it via her chip and increased the holographic display to be twice that of a human’s height. “This was Oliver’s DNA strand when we first found him and this is what it looks like as of yesterday morning before we went back to deal with Galicom and Davan’s mess. As you can see in the comparison, his DNA has altered… and this is my own DNA.” She input the third strand and if eyes could get any wider, they did. “As you can see, I’m not human either. My mother was dying from infestation, but she modified her ovum to that of a Solarian which produced me. Yes, it’s true, I’m a h
uman born Solarian. And to prove it you need only look at my pointed ears. If you look up the splicing registry you’ll find I’ve never had hearing augmentation. I’m also a Beast-eater though I’ve never told anyone.

  “It’s also why Oliver was so attracted to me. I’m the child of two Class Twelve psiocicist parents on top of being modified into a Solarian. Vanessa, it’s why I always liked my meat raw and enjoyed your strong marinades. Normal food is bland when I crave Beast like you’ve seen Oliver do after the Stingrays, Salamander and Fire Wyrm incidents.”

  “You’re not kidding are you?” Vanessa shifted her baby as she spoke.

  “No. I wish it was all a trick, but Papa came clean last night. Ma was going to die, but just in case Papa found the Solarian warrior, she wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone. And don’t feel bad for me. After I cried my heart out I saw the logic in it. I’ve known about my DNA for years and told no one other than Sparky. And Oliver isn’t all that bad. I may be hurt about all this, but you’ve all seen he is a good man as well as a pain in the ass. Then again, what man isn’t?” She chuckled and some other women did the same to release the tension. “Look, we may have extra DNA strands, but we are still the same as a person. I’ll still punch you in the throat if you come to me for a scratch,” said man in the back rubbed his neck in remembering the incident. “but I’m the same Renee Dorgen who you all love and respect… or fear if you piss me off.” To increase the point her clothes transformed to battle readiness and mask over her mouth and nose. Fierce beauty was revealed.

  More chuckled lightened the mood as they began to realize Renee was still the hellcat they all knew for years.

  “Aye, it is all true. It is why I waited so long to divulge me plans.” Jake admitted to the sobering crew. “From here on out my grandest plans truly begin. For the safety of me ship, me crew, me daughter and son-in-law we have gone dark. We go to collect the spoils of knowledge and treasure and will need them to lead the way.” Jake put a hand on each of their shoulders. “We all know what would happen if word got out if Solarians still lived. But more than that we need to find more about our ancestors.

  “To find it, one of me earlier exploits discovered a derelict Solarian battle cruiser that lays deep within Keptl space. I doubt anyone other than I know of its existence.” This additional information made many begin to shake in fear. “I never reported its discovery nor has there been any news of it, but it lays in a dangerous area. Most importantly I detected faint power coming from said cruiser, but nothing I did would let me inside. I believe with Oliver’s help, the ship will recognize him and reveal its secrets.”

  “What shape was the cruiser in, Captain?” someone asked.

  “Seven centuries ago it showed signs of age, but also it was in a major fight. Most of the cruiser is in shambles, but what did remain was still stronger than any means I threw at her to crack its shell.

  “It shall take a month to reach the planet the ship is on and it will give each of us time to recover from this revelation I’ve kept from each of ye. Right now I need everyone to ready the ship in event we run across the Keptl when we exit. I’ve already resupplied the ship and Jessica has installed a few upgrades. Are ye with me?”

  “You’re the captain and you’ve yet steer us wrong. I’m in.” Someone in the crowd said.

  “You know if there are artifacts to find I’ll kiss a rabid Keptl to get it.” Stephanie said and the image of her kissing a Keptl had more lighthearted chuckles.

  “Kicking Keptl ass is my favorite game.” Steven Metts said with a twirl of his lance and grin on his face. “Next to things going ‘Boom!’ that is.

  “If there is treasure, I want it. Maybe there are Star-sabers in the armory… if they had an armory.” Another said.

  The crowd quickly got excited at the prospect despite the real danger they were facing.

  “If we are agreed, Abdul, plot a course into Keptl controlled space and send us into FTL. I’ve already uploaded the coordinates. I’ll be busy with Oliver translating Solarian text so ye have command of the ship.”

  “Aye aye!” the jaguar looking second in command accepted responsibility.

  “Lad, let’s go back.”

  “You idiots go on and don’t bother me for the rest of the day. Just because everyone is onboard with your plan, Papa, I’ll need all month to figure out how this damn thing works.” She flicked her bracelet.

  “If ye need anything, Lass, let Papa know.”

  “If you’re still in a generous mood, send me Ma’s data on how she made me and how my DNA can combine to multiple helixes in a single strand. I take it I had a basic double when I was born.”

  Jake could only nod as he turned around. Renee then saw an alert through her chip which showed an incoming encrypted file which opened specifically for her. They walked away back into the ship and she began a preliminary search through her own origins. Her logical thinking process was in control rather than emotion and she was fascinated by how carefully her mother actually managed to recreate their very ancestors by manipulating genes so carefully everything fell into place without any variation of genetic corruption. In the elevator with the two men watching her like Visor to a mouse she said “I had heard Ma was a splicing genius, but this is something far beyond anything I’ve ever heard of.”

  Jake smiled with a sad sort of pride. “Yer Ma wanted her daughter to be the very best ye could be. If only she could see ye now she would be prouder than I am… if anything of the sort could be possible.”

  Oliver and Jake exited on the bridge and she remained to go to the lab section of the ship. Level eight. It was on the same level as her aunts’ room and their labs, but instead of going left she turned right.

  Half a kilometer later she walked into the spacious testing area where Renee solely had her own private laboratory she hadn’t been to in close to a year when she was learning a new medical procedure she was replicating. It was isolated and quiet. The outer door opened and closed her within a confined space where organic mist filled and readied her to enter the clean room. Taking a chance she imagined the facemask and it flowed right into place. She smiled as the chamber didn’t find her breath exhaled any foreign particles other than carbon dioxide. At another thought of going into a vacuum a clear film covered her head and proved nothing entered or escaped the armor. A viable space suit. She was really starting to like her armor. When cleared that she was clean of all contaminants, the inner door opened and she stepped in. This lab was more metallic than wood and had much more specialized equipment. Surgical instruments, scanners, test tubes, beakers, labeled solutions, holographic charts and other medical necessities filled her room. She thought Wow, everything survived the crash landing. I didn’t even think this place would be a mess till about now.

  Squeaking of mice were placed in individual acrylic boxes in the far side of the room. All of the small and furry specimens were ready and the only way they could be in their boxes is if only one person could enter and only her father had that access. No one was allowed inside her lab, not even Sparky. She merely expected to find the shipment in the inner scrub room. Papa must have did this in event I was furious, or to do something with his hands before talking to my aunts. I’ll forgive him. After all, he did save me a few hours sorting the mice.

  Renee linked to the room’s private systems and smiled as music that set fire to the soul began to pulse. Her head began to bob to the rhythm as she plopped her butt in a chair to start with analyzing just how potent the chemicals she’s made were. She grabbed a full stack of glass slides. Thin, rectangular, clear pieces of glass. Renee carefully lined them up in rows of ten by one hundred.

  From there she willed her bracelet into action while being scanned by two hovering drones for extra accuracy. A third watched as she placed a single milligram’s worth of solution her body has stored separately onto each slide as the rocking music made such tedium more interesting.

  Her bracelet’s needle was remarkable to the fact that each sample was pur
e in the regard that each droplet didn’t mix with the previous. It didn’t need to exchange fresh sample slides with each use. As she worked she multitasked in reading the potency of each and every chemical composition while allowing the system to first approximate how much would be needed for every ailment before working with mice. As of right now each and every milligram droplet on each slide would outright kill the mice as well as a human at such unbelievable concentrations a dozen times over.

  As she finished placing the final component in the last slide covering her entire desk, said through the mask “I need to find a way to dilute these things or else I’ll do the opposite of my intentions. Raw is too concentrated and won’t circulate properly in the patient.”

  Renee felt the link with Sparky widen and comfortably accepted his thoughts. “Perhaps you have missed a vital step.”

  “I’m drawling a blank.” She admitted in silence.

  “You are so fixated on the potency you forget how it is suspended between your bones. You told me that the plasma filling your bones are pure and clean. Empty of your personal genetic makeup. I believe that the plasma is the dissolving solution that will allow the patient’s body to absorb the neutral plasma rather than reject it.”

  “So that is what Netul warned me of. I would run out of plasma before the solutions. With the endorphins alone I could numb five thousand full grown adults… Give me a minute to try out your idea.” Renee’s will stole an endorphin molecule with the thought that the concentration of it was one thousand and sixteen percent stronger than normal that the plasma would need to be one thousand and sixteen parts to the one endorphin and placed the droplet on a fresh slide.

  What she saw had her jaw drop. The solution of plasma metabolized the concentrated endorphin like a catalyst and evenly distributed it throughout the droplet. “Sparky, you were right. I’ve just gotten the signal that the droplet is safe to administer and is comparable to eight hundred milligrams of any common painkiller.”