Galaxy of Empires- Merchant Wars Episode #1
Page 8
Zach could sense the mood changing, so he went and sat next to Eve on the sofa.
“So it is up?” Zach inquired.
“I found that laboratory where I was created. I went there and found some other discoveries that you might find interesting because they have to do with you. I destroyed the entire place after I obtained a few items. Remember when the telepath police captured you?”
“Yes.”
“They took a sample of your blood, several samples, as a matter of fact. They shipped them off to that secret lab where they were doing experiments with telepathic DNA that had high PSI ratings.”
“I do remember them taking blood samples and never knew what they were for.”
“Well, they combined my DNA with your DNA and created two half-breed girls—our daughters. They were doing experiments on them that involved torturing them.”
“What…that is horrible…well, I don’t mean the part about the daughters, I mean the torturing part. What happened to them?”
“I saved them and they are with me. I only found out yesterday that you were their father. They are very intelligent and have extremely powerful telepathic abilities. They also have other skills, for example, they are both good engineers. Their names are Xaqu and Chaca. They are very well educated and speak many languages. And you did see the Android who look like me created by Xaqu. She has a gift for creating Androids.”
This was a lot for Zach to absorb all at one time. He sat there motionless and not knowing how to react to this news. Then there was a pause of deadly silence when no one spoke.
“Well, that is a lot for me to absorb at once. On the bright side, it appears that we can make babies, so that means we get to play Doctor more often, right?” Zach says in a humorous manner to break the tension that appeared to be building up.
Eve laughed and said, “So you are okay with this? They are 17 and 18 years old.”
“Of course, I am okay with it, why would not I be? Two awesome daughters with the woman I love. I am just kind of upset that we did not get to play Doctor to make them the old-fashioned way…wink-wink, nudge-nudge.”
“You are so silly sometimes,” Eve giggles. “There is more.”
“Oh my goodness, there is more?”
“Yes. There was a young female arachnid warrior who was being experimented on in that laboratory as well. They injected her with some of my PSI enzymes to see what would happen to a non-telepath with a high dose of my enzymes. It had a couple of unusual effects on her, and she survived only because of her high regeneration ability that she got because they made her undead.”
“Well, that is really creepy, as that place sounds more like a dungeon than a laboratory. Is she okay? You don’t see arachnids too often in this part of space.”
“She is fine; I adopted her as my daughter. She is a very skilled warrior with weapons. She is my little space cowboy. I was hoping you would accept her as she is.”
“Sounds intriguing for sure,” Zach states. “I was going to wait to do this later, but now seems to be a more appropriate time.” He pulls out a small box and opens it, and there is an enormous ring made out of diamonds. “Eve, I love you, and I want to marry you, no matter what.”
Eve was caught off guard, not expecting this scenario in any fashion. A moment of silence took hold in the room. Zach was getting worried that she was not responding in any way.
“Yes, of course, I will, Darling.” Eve hugs and kisses him. “Oh, I forgot our daughters are waiting out the limousine. Need to go, are you coming?”
“Sure, let’s go. I want to meet my children, even my adopted one.”
They collected themselves and went outside and got in the limousine with the girls.
“Xaqu and Chaca, this is Zach Blem. He is your father.”
They are both surprised. Eve could feel their excitement. Even Zach could feel their excitement.
“My, my, I have such beautiful daughters and never knew it. Your mother has said that you are smart as well. I always knew that we would have beautiful children,” Zach says as the girls blush.
“They are a little shy at first, but they will grow on you. Speaking of shy, Gothica you can stop hiding now. She is super-shy around new people.”
Gothica slowly appears and sits next to Xaqu.
“Wow, invisibility, and super cool. I like your orange hair, it’s neat. I guess instead of high-fives it will be high-20s with you. I wish I had four arms, then I would get so much more accomplished. You are a cute little arachnid,” Zach remarks, trying to lighten the mood. They all giggle.
“Zach has asked me to marry him so all of you will officially have a father,” Eve says with much joy.
Xaqu says, “Oh, that is fantastic. When is the wedding, Mom?”
Chaca asks, “Can I be a bridesmaid?”
Gothica says, “I’ve never been to a wedding this will be this fun. Can I bring my blasters or is that inappropriate? A real father was something I have never had before and I have always wanted one.”
“We will work all that stuff out later, girls,” Eve assures them. “Henry, go to the house.”
After a short trip, they pull up in front of Eve’s house. They all get out and start toward the door. Zach notices a reflection from a shiny object out of the corner of his eye. He turns his head and sees the end of a rifle protruding out of the bushes next door. At that exact moment, the sniper fires as Zach lunges forward to block the beam from hitting Eve while at the same time yelling, “Ambush!”
Zach is hit in the side and knocked backward into Henry, who was just closing the door of the limousine. In a split second, laser fire was coming from all directions—too many to count. The girls instantly put up force fields surrounding themselves.
“Henry, get him in the car and get out of here,” Eve yells out as heavily armored men come running around both sides of the house and from across the street firing different types of weapons at the four women. The force fields absorbs the energy beams and make their shields stronger. Realizing the energy beams are having no effect, the leader yells out, “Change to projectile weapons!” The complete front side of Eve’s house has huge blaster holes in it.
Eve sends out telepathic instructions to the girls. Xaqu decides to make the mercenaries on the right side of them her friends. Suddenly, all of them start firing at the other men in front. She has mass charmed them. Chaca releases a huge cone of dagger-shaped ice shards that fly straight at the large group of men in front of them. The ice daggers slice through the armor they are wearing as if they were butter. They scream in agony as they fall to the ground.
On the left side, there are about 20 or so mercenaries rushing from various positions and firing their weapons. Henry got out of there with Zach, fortunately. Gothica turns to the right and changes into arachnid form with her spider legs sprouting out into the ground. She blankets the entire right side with a gargantuan size web that encases most of the soldiers who were advancing. She dodges the bullets from the few who were left as she pulls out her blasters and fires back with all four guns blazing.
Eve turns around when machine gun fire starts coming from her rooftop. She sees men tossing explosives. She grabs the devices in the midair with telepathy and sends the explosives back to where they came from. A huge explosion rips up large portions of the roof, causing it to collapse along with the men standing on it.
Eve sees four armored hovercrafts coming in their direction above the top of her home. Their twin-cylinder rail guns are firing through her home at her and the girls. Large-caliber bullets rip through the house as they fly over it firing down at Eve’s location. Eve lifts her house from its foundation and crashes it into two of the armored hovercrafts. The entire mesh of hovercrafts and house parts gfall to the ground and began sliding off the back side of the edge of the hill. As a ball of flame crashes down to the bottom of the hill, it causes more explosions.
Gothica turns around after dispatching the few stragglers over on her side and sees the hovercrafts comin
g. She activates her visor and releases a horrific green energy blast from her eyes that roars across the scene and hits the nearest hovercraft, obliterating it completely.
Xaqu has her small charmed army shooting at the last hovercraft. Chaca releases a massive lightning bolt that hits a hovercraft’s engine and sends it thundering down on the house below where it erupts into a ball of fire.
Eve scans the scene and looks for more enemies to kill. The area is filled with unfathomable carnage and destruction.
“Are you okay, girls? Anybody injured?” Eve asks.
“We are okay. Who would send this many people to kill us? What do you want me to do with these guys that I have charmed?” Xaqu inquires.
“I don’t think any of them are leader types. They probably do not know who hired them as grunts, but we can try to find out. Bring them over here and I will scan their minds.”
She scans all 11 soldiers, but they are all foot soldiers and have no idea who their employer is.
“They do not know. They also have no marks on them that indicate which company they are from, which is unusual, and they humans. A human mercenary unit is not something that you see in the Reptilian Republic, but I suppose is not unheard of. As far as what to do with them, these mercenaries they knew the risk—kill them all. Make sure there are no survivors. We do not want people knowing how powerful we are.”
“You think this was one of the merchant groups we are at war with?”
“No dear, a low-level licensed company would not have the resources or even spend the resources on an attack of this magnitude against my company that has only a level 8 license. Apparently, I have created an even greater enemy that appears to be unseen. That is okay. I will find out who it is, and they will learn just who they are screwing with. They attacked us and shot your father and they will pay. This is only the beginning, even if I have to hunt them down to the ends of the universe.”
***
A tall snake man dressed in leather and high boots with blasters on both hips walks down a hall decorated with elegant paintings. He stops and knocks on a large door with a gold handle.
“Enter.” A deep-voiced person says with firmness.
The snake man enters the large, elaborately decorated conference room with a big table and several large chairs made of gold and velvet. There is a huge chair facing the other way and looking out the window with someone sitting in it. The snake man can only see a hand and goblet from his vantage point.
The figure in the chair says with impatience, “Well?”
“Sir, the Strikeforce was annihilated and the targets suffered no damage. There was one person who was collateral damage in her party and some other people in surrounding homes.”
“Hmm…I suspected as much. I guess my informants were telling the truth. Dracka does not invest time on people who are insignificant.”
“Do you wish to send another Strikeforce, Master?”
“No, it is not necessary. The Strikeforce was a test to see if Lady Eve is worth my time. She may be exactly what I am looking for as well as her three daughters. Who was injured or killed?”
“Our sources say her boyfriend who others say may be the father of Eve’s daughters.”
“That could cause some complications. Did he die or is he still alive?”
“He is in intensive care and looks like he should pull through, at least they are hoping.”
“Very well. I will have to figure out solutions to either scenario. Keep me informed.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Now get out.”
The snake man leaves the room.
The person sitting and looking out the window says in a firm tone, “So you really think she is the one, eh?”
“Yes, I do,” The arachnid Weapon Master appears after shedding his invisibility.
“Then get that lame excuse of a pirate to report to me.”
To be continued in Episode 2