“The first experiments failed miserably,” Laszlo explained. “The children produced weren’t right, mentally and physically. Not wanting a society filled with what the Council viewed as defectives, they banished the children to the forests in their fifth year.”
“Banished?” Alexa echoed, outrage in her voice. “That’s barbaric. A certain death sentence.”
“They did not die,” Laszlo responded with an understanding look. “Not all of them. In fact, those who survived formed a new species.”
“A new species? Intriguing.” Pitch’s eyes intensified and he leaned forward in his chair. “Are you talking about the Def’mal?”
“Yes. The Def’mal—the defective maladjusted ones. The Elder Council had hoped the children would all die, being so young. Then they’d have a relatively clear conscience about what they’d created. Instead, the Def’mal proved quite fertile, ironically.”
Brianna listened intently. She’d always believed the Def’mal to be native to the planet. Violent. Unsocialized. Intelligent but totally untamable and unwilling or unable to change. Every attempted negotiation over the years had proven futile, so they were now avoided at all costs. No contact, as decreed by law, for the protection of everyone.
“After years of experimentation, the first somewhat successful Super-breeder was finally created, so to speak, through drugs, DNA and hormone manipulations,” Laszlo continued. “Though not perfect, the Elder Council deemed the trial good enough to proceed to the next step. That Super-breeder was my mother.”
His mother? Brianna sat stunned and speechless. Impossible.
“Wait,” Erik interrupted before Laszlo could say more. “Our breeder problems date back centuries. Though rare, there have been successful Super-breeders since—”
“That’s right. The Super-breeder experiments had an unexpected side effect.
Longevity for those born from the womb of such a female. Isn’t it true that I am the only leader all of you have ever known?”
Yes, Brianna answered silently. But the age of a Xylon was hard to identify by sight alone. Xylons looked vital much longer than many species. A Xylon’s hair did not normally gray unless it was part of the natural color, and the skin did not wrinkle as much as, say, a human’s did, with age.
Laszlo was no longer a young man. Still, he looked quite impressive with his tall frame and long golden hair. His continued presence and leadership weren’t out of the line of possibility, at least in her eyes.
Besides, what he said just wasn’t possible. If true, his longevity would make him, hell, hundreds of years old. Not all those who grew old and died, well before Laszlo, would have stayed silent before their passing. Stories would have been passed down and remembered by the generations that followed.
“Why do you think there are few to no detailed public records or in-depth history available of Xylon?” Laszlo asked, looking around the table.
When no one else answered, Leila spoke, though hesitantly. “We were always taught that the records had been destroyed in the various uprisings throughout the years. Since no one recreated them, eventually the knowledge became lost.”
“No. The Council needed the information covered up. Kept secret. Too much sin, for lack of a better term, had been committed—the Def’mal and other atrocities as well.”
Laszlo paused and his brow furrowed a moment. “I’ve been on this planet for more years than I can remember. In power since the last Elder Council member died. I formed the new Xylon Council. Laid out and ordered the construction of the Lair, from where our Warriors would work to keep the planet and system secure. Set up outposts on the various moons. I protected Xylon’s secrets and helped our Warriors find breeder-mates. I fought against the Slave Masters and Daegal and built my power and strength as a Healer and as a Visionary. That power is now waning. Not from age but from the side effects of the inherited hormonal and DNA abnormalities.”
That’s how he must have stayed in power for so long. Through his Visionary powers. Visionaries were rumored to be able to control, in part, the thoughts of others.
Maybe even their memories.
Brianna hadn’t known he was a Visionary until recently. He’d kept that a secret. At least from the Warriors. Maybe the Council had known.
Was Laszlo’s power so strong that he was able to control a whole population of people, along with their perceptions? She vaguely remembered a few cases of insane ranting from people who had eventually disappeared—mysteriously disappeared—
after their accusations of control, manipulation, secrecy and lies. Maybe their words hadn’t been so insane.
Braden shook his head. “Torque, Brianna, Tar—” He paused, pain crossing his face.
“Tara and I were born of a Super-breeder. We’re aging normally, with no DNA abnormalities. You are aging too, given the small twitches I’ve observed in your hands and the dulling of your eye color. You really expect us to believe this wild story?”
“You have not yet reached the age to notice the effects. But soon. Torque, as eldest, will notice the change in his system first. You will still age, just at a much slower rate.
We are not immortal.”
Torque grunted.
Brianna couldn’t remain silent. “How did we not know any of this? No elder Xylons ever passed on the information that you were in power even when their elders lived. Not that I know of. Certainly no one in the Koll family ever mentioned it. It’s definitely not public knowledge, nor was it taught in our educational or military systems.”
“Some things are, or were, better left unsaid,” Laszlo responded. “Or maybe unrealized is a better word.”
Unrealized? And…? Brianna waited but he said nothing more. She glanced around the table. Nobody else spoke. Whether from disbelief or because they were in shock, she wasn’t certain. Their minds were probably reeling as much as hers.
If Laszlo was being honest with them, and she wasn’t convinced, she and her brothers would outlive everyone here by a very long time. Alexa’s babies would also have long lives, though Alexa would not. She’d seen the realization on the others’ faces, when Laszlo had related the news. And their ensuing emotions. Braden had squeezed his mate’s hand atop the table as pain filled his features.
“Laszlo?” Alexa asked, her voice sounding unusually scratchy.
“Yes, my dear.”
“If Super-breeders were created by these experiments and the ability passed down genetically, I’m assuming, how did I become one? My mother was purely human and my father, though a Warrior, wasn’t born from a Super-breeder, according to Leila.”
“Actually, your father did come from a Super-breeder,” Laszlo answered. “That’s why I asked you to sit in on this meeting from the beginning. You need to know the truth of how all this started.”
“Alexa’s paternal grandmother was a Super-breeder?” Leila questioned, a shocked look on her face. “I ran her family history after discovering her genetics. It wasn’t in the records. I assumed it to be a medical anomaly. A statistical rarity.”
“It wasn’t an anomaly,” Kam answered for Laszlo. “The data was altered in the record bases.”
Alexa looked over at Kam. As did everyone else. “Did you know of this all along?”
his sister asked him.
“No. Not all along.”
“But you’ve known long enough to tell us if you’d wanted, I’ll bet,” Erik said. “Shit.
Why am I even surprised?”
“Erik, I asked Kam to keep the secret until the time was right,” Laszlo said calmly.
“Doing so was not a betrayal of anyone here.”
“If the experiments were eventually a success, why aren’t there more Super-breeders?” Halah questioned. “Many more could have been created to strengthen the Warrior Society. Why—”
He held up his hand, silencing her and everyone else, who all looked about to speak. “I will address your questions but let me finish this first. It is k
ey and you must know. My mother, the first Super-breeder, gave birth to three boys.”
“Triplets?” Braden asked, an uncomfortable look on his face.
“Yes. Myself…along with Daegal and the Other—the man you know as the Top Commander.”
Brianna felt nauseous, as if she’d just been punched in the stomach. After announcing his mother’s Super-breeder status, she’d known Laszlo must at least have a twin somewhere. But she hadn’t expected this.
Erik’s face turned red. Torque looked ready to explode, his jaw clenched. Alexa seemed to be having trouble catching her breath. Braden slipped his arm around her shoulders. A wary expression lingered on his face as he studied Laszlo.
Only Kam seemed unaffected by all this and that’s when the truth hit her. He’d known about it all, not just about the database changes to Alexa’s files, but about the Elder Council, the triplets, all the medical experiments and who knew what else.
“Daegal and the Top Commander are your brothers?” Torque asked in a tight voice.
His hand fisted on the table. “You’re fraternal triplets, I’m assuming, like Alexa’s children.”
“Yes. The Other,” Laszlo shook his head, “he was never expected to live. He was not given a proper name or even reared with us. Many physical and mental abnormalities existed inside him, so he was kept in medical confinement. After the conflicts began, Daegal broke him out and they rose to power to overtake Marid.”
Brianna’s mind raced. This was not happening. Too many implications existed if what Laszlo said proved true. She squeezed her thigh, digging her nails into her uniform pants, doing her best to hold her tongue. This could not be happening.
“Son of a bitch!” Torque exploded, hitting the table with his fist. “You should have told us before this.”
Brianna jumped at Torque’s reaction. She expected him to lunge for Laszlo and she wasn’t sure whether to try to stop him if he did. But he remained seated. Had he been closer to the man, he might well have tried, given the hard-edged expression on his face.
Seemingly unaffected by the outburst, Laszlo looked around the room, his gaze falling on each of them, one by one. “If Xylon’s people had found out at any time over the years, there would have been an uprising. Civil unrest at best. Civil war at worst. I had to protect Xylon from an internal breakdown, which could have given Daegal a foothold to overtake the planet.”
“You didn’t tell anyone because you would have been stripped of your position and power,” Erik accused. “Isn’t that the real truth? You’d have been banished from Xylon at best, executed at worst. The Council and the people would have questioned your trustworthiness and loyalty. And the Warriors would never have followed you.”
Laszlo’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t immediately respond to the outburst. Finally he said, in a low but firm voice, “I did what I felt best at the time. For our survival.”
“What a pile of—” Erik quieted when Leila covered his hand with hers.
“Given our present situation,” Laszlo continued, “you all deserve the truth. And you will hear it. So be still and listen.”
Brianna shifted in her seat. How could they ever trust Laszlo again? He could be aligned with his brothers in some elaborate scheme for universal control. He could have allowed the destruction of Xylon. If he actually was aligned with his brothers, that would certainly explain all his secrecy over the years.
Her gaze switched to Kam. Given Kam’s knowledge and actions, where did his true loyalty lie? She had to wonder now—especially with him mated to Halah Shirota, a Class 1 Warrior of the highest ranking outside a command level, who had once turned on their people and worked for Daegal.
Kam had been initiated to serve as an Agent for Daegal while on the Sand Moon.
Supposedly, from something Leila created, they had counteracted the effects. But what if that had been a lie too?
A device had been implanted in Kam’s throat by the Slave Masters and Frost. A sonar device that gave him extra power. He’d received it in exchange for information he’d passed on to Frost. But that had been a trap laid by the Warriors so they could gain access to Marid’s weapons and security systems.
Leila had neutralized the power source of the device in the medical facility down here to protect Kam. Without proper training, trying to engage the power could have blown out his throat.
However, Leila and Kam were good friends. They could have concocted that whole scenario to secretly allow him to keep a very deadly weapon, which once mastered…
She shook her head. All these questions were driving her mad. She didn’t want to believe badly of Kam or Leila or any of them. Still, she felt ill at the thought of how deeply all this deception might truly run.
Chapter Two
Nav-Control Ship FSMF-36, Deep Space
Frost stood by the main navigational control panel and stared down at the insignia she had ripped off a Warrior’s jacket years ago. “Braden Koll,” she murmured.
Right after he’d received word of a long-awaited promotion, she’d pulled off his old patch to make room for the new one. The rise in prestige had been exhilarating. She’d been elated for her lover. And for herself. Unfortunately, that feeling hadn’t lasted. Nor had their tumultuous relationship.
“Such potential wasted. He could have had it all.” Instead, he’d sacrificed what could have been for an uncertain future at best. And that future hadn’t included her.
Braden had since Branded a DNA-compatible woman from Earth. A Super-breeder.
Branding joined two mates for life. They would be able to sense each other’s location, know each other’s feelings. For months, talk of Braden and Alexa had spread across Marid, even running down through the mining camps and through the Slave Masters’
sex camps on the Sand Moon, for the woman was with child.
Braden’s mother had also been a Super-breeder, so many were saying that he and his mate would likely produce impressive offspring. Little did they realize just how impressive those children were destined to be.
Their joining had been deemed quite a coincidence, given the rarity of Super-breeders. But actually, probably not a coincidence, from what she had uncovered.
If examined closely enough, one usually could find that more than fate played into the seemingly random events of life. She saw Laszlo’s hand all over this joining. One manipulator always recognized another. Or so she’d believed, up until she had become a victim of betrayal herself. Recently, she’d let her guard down. She never intended to repeat that mistake.
Her second-in-command approached. He kept his voice low as he spoke. “We remain on course. What if your assumptions are incorrect? Do you have a backup plan?”
“I always have a backup plan. And my assumptions are not incorrect. Braden and Alexa, as well as several other high-ranking Xylons disappeared before the bombing of Xylon. The missing Warriors still live. To believe otherwise would be foolish on my part. And I’m far from foolish.”
“Commander?” a technician interrupted from a nearby station. “I need the communication frequency information.”
Frost nodded and her second-in-command turned. Her own thoughts remained focused on her recent discoveries. The Triad would be protected. She knew the secret.
The relationships. And the possibilities, depending on the birth of Alexa’s children, which hadn’t yet been confirmed. She was working on that and intended to use the knowledge to her advantage. Regardless of Braden’s involvement. Any feelings she might have had for him had waned long ago. For the most part.
Still… She couldn’t help thinking about what might have been had things turned out differently. She and Braden could have been quite formidable together if his sense of duty hadn’t been so strong. He was so well respected, it would have been easy for him to lead an uprising and overthrow not only Xylon’s Council but Laszlo as well if he’d had the ambition. In her opinion. When she’d mentioned it seemingly in jest one day to gauge his r
eaction, he hadn’t been amused. She’d known then that things would never work between them.
So one night soon after, she’d stolen top-secret military base codes from him. With the codes, she or whomever she gave them to, would have massive control over the Lair and the planet. It always amazed her how much power and information a woman could attain simply by fucking a man.
After that night, she’d left Braden and aligned herself with Daegal to destroy the Warriors, in exchange for the promise of power. Real power.
However, destroying the planet itself and killing everyone on it had never been her wish. If she’d known Daegal’s ultimate plan, would she still have given him the codes?
Considering what he’d promised her, she honestly didn’t know.
Her second-in-command turned back to her. “The frequencies have been set.
Nobody should be able to tap into the system now. What do you think Daegal’s true motive was for the annihilation of Xylon? It seems an act of sheer desperation.”
“I don’t know. And that is bothersome.” She felt as if he’d killed a giant sea-spurter with an atomic space torpedo. It would do the job if aimed correctly, but the residual destruction would be excessive.
“Why he’s so unwilling to try to adapt to what the future could bring doesn’t make sense. All he would have to do is use the knowledge he’s gained to his advantage instead of totally devastating every obstacle in his path. More must exist to this than we know.”
“That’s certainly a possibility,” she agreed. Whether Daegal realized it or not yet, his plan of destruction had failed. He hadn’t aimed the AST correctly, or in his case, the PowerIIRad bomb. Sure, he’d destroyed most Xylons but not the ones he’d needed to destroy. She could almost guarantee it. “Daegal is not unintelligent. Maybe he eventually plans to destroy every moon and planet in the quadrant not under his reign.” She shuddered at the thought.
“He must have been tortured as a child. His brain has certainly gotten scrambled somehow. Abuse would at least explain all his evil actions.”
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