THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Officer, what is your name?" Williams kindly asked.

  "Nano Sanchez, sir."

  "Nano, I like you. How would you like to be my assistant?"

  Sanchez looked at Williams for a moment, trying desperately to see if he was being used or bamboozled, but he could always rely on his ability to gauge people, and felt Williams was authentic.

  "Yes, I would like that very much, sir."

  "Okay. The first thing I need for you to do is to assure the public that what we are doing is a good thing, and that we only care about their safety. Put a team together and start working with the community."

  Rhönen Dominion, 4268

  "Grigori? Weird name. You think they're behind all of this?" asked Max.

  "That is partly correct, my boy. They are nearly as strong as us. However, your lycan abilities may perhaps provide you with an edge unforeseen when we encounter them," said Draagh with some amount of satisfaction.

  "Well, where are they?" inquired Max.

  "That I have yet to ascertain, Max. But now that we have this poor fool in custody I am going to study him a bit. Why not return to Vera while I complete some tasks here?"

  "Good idea. I'm going to check on Buenos Aires. See ya!"

  Max blinked out of sight, leaving Draagh in the dark antechamber of Krynos' very quiet castle. He looked over at a cage in the corner, the vampire inside hissing and spitting like vampires would usually do.

  "Well hello there, my friend. My name is Draagh, and I will need a bit of your blood."

  The vampire started to lash out through the bars as soon as the ancient Primulus approached. Holding his head back, the ghoul's clawed hand nearly touched Draagh's beard. He kept his distance and looked at the poor creature. He pitied vampires. Not on the level that he pitied cannibals, but he felt some bit of compassion for them. They were nature's creation and it wasn't really their fault they were assholes. Still, he had a job to do. Quickly moving to the cage, he reached inside, grabbing the ghoul by the throat. He squeezed so hard that the creature immediately lost consciousness. He then took a large syringe out and extracted a few CCs of blood from the creature's neck.

  He had a plan to deal with the vampire threat. It was not the time to be delicate.

  ###

  Arriving in the center of the Buenos Aires Naval Base's grinder, Max's feet made a crunching sound as he touched down. He felt no need to camouflage himself and slipped to Gabriel's side without hesitation.

  "Hey Gabe, how are things?" he asked as soon as he was with his uncle.

  "Hello, Max. I believe we have everything under control. King Krynos seems to be enjoying himself."

  "Oh, and how's that?"

  "He has installed himself as base commander, with Bagatelle's permission, of course."

  Max looked at Gabriel's lapel and noticed the single star, denoting the discontinued rank of Commodore. Smiling to himself, he would say nothing. If anything, the archangel was above and beyond rank.

  "So… um, how many ghouls did you catch?" asked Max.

  "None, Max. Why do you ask?"

  "Huh? I thought you said they were all over the place!"

  "Oh, my apologies, Max. I did not capture any. I eliminated thirty."

  Hah, okay, but they were all inactive, right?"

  The archangel nodded his head as they looked at the shining buildings of Buenos Aires. The sun was starting to rise, and a beautiful golden gleam reflected off the countless structures made of glass and steel.

  "Gabriel, can I ask a question?"

  "Certainly, Max. What would you like to know?"

  "Who are the Grigori? Pops was kinda vague when he brought them up."

  Gabriel stopped and looked at Max. It appeared that he was startled by the young man's question, but he recouped rather gracefully and answered a question he had previously hoped would never, ever be asked of him.

  "Max, this is the name of the collective of fallen Prīmulī. They rebelled against Jah when it appeared He was creating new species in our image. While some, such as myself, were not initially fond of the idea, we accepted Jah's work without question. However, the Grigori left His graces and were punished quite severely."

  "Oh… I see. How were they punished?"

  "They had part of their genome modified. They can never again enter into Jah's realm at will, and further, they are lacking in certain abilities."

  "Well, they made an active vampire."

  "So I heard. Father has one in custody."

  "That's the last thing we need - active vamps on Azul."

  "If there are more it shall provide hunting opportunities for your people," suggested Gabriel.

  "What? Serious? I mean, they’re human! My god, man!"

  "Max, activated ghouls are less human than the lycan species, of which you are partly derived."

  "What do you mean, Gabe? They are less human than, say for instance, Jennie or Liliana?"

  "Correct."

  "You know that we lycans are part wolf. So, what are vampires?"

  "Their DNA was derived from an alien carrion-eating species."

  "No… way. Seriously?"

  "Yes. Although repulsive to some, carrion-eaters occupy a very important niche in every ecosystem. They are like nature's garbage collectors. And they weren't always short-lived and rotting."

  "They weren't?"

  "No, in fact, they used to function symbiotically with the lycans, who were their opposite - preservers of life."

  "Then, what happened? Why did they become such jerks?"

  "There were some particularly nasty ones, and through selective inbreeding made their strain dominant. Their hatred for the lycans grew, as they knew that their cousins were good of heart. They stopped praying to Jah and went on a global rampage, seeking to wipe out all normals in a feeding frenzy."

  "Oh wow," said Max, "so what made them so stinky?"

  "They would not cooperate, but were also an important part of nature, so we did what we could to control them without eliminating them from the ecosystem - we genetically shortened their lifespans and made them into constantly-rotting, half-lived ghouls, forever cursed to dwell in the darkness. It was a compromise between all Prīmulī, as it nullified the damage the creatures had previously dealt."

  Max thought for a moment, finding Gabriel's claim to be of sound reasoning. He had also previously equated the stench of vampires with rotting meat. But still…

  "Kinda like vulture people, then? So weird."

  "Max, as you learn to travel the universe you will find even stranger species." The Milky Way is a young galaxy - actually, one of the youngest. But at the same time there is some evidence, in other galaxies, that shows the Milky Way to be much older than it appears. However, we have been unable to ascertain why this is so."

  Max thought about his vampire friend Lennie, and wondered if the man and his wife were descendants of the original vampires, but he put that to the back of his mind.

  "Great info - thanks. But getting back to the Grigori. Pops thinks they're involved, and if they are we're gonna have to take them on. How are you feelings on that?"

  Gabriel momentarily looked at Max with what resembled pride and said, "Well, that really depends on their numbers, which should be few. So, assuming that… with the four of us… no sweat."

  "Okay, Gabe. Thanks for the update. Now, I've heard chatter over the comm, but it appears that Buenos Aires is pretty secure. Is there anything I can do to help here? We're dropping the Portlandia operation," said Max.

  "I believe we have achieved our objectives in this city. Would you like to visit with Krynos?"

  "I may go grab him soon. Bagatelle believes we're ready to address the politicos. I hope you'll be there. We may need to push the envelope in order to get them to cooperate."

  Gabriel gave Max an inquisitive glance before turning away. "What do you mean - push the envelope?"

  "We have a lot of information for them to swallow. You may need to reveal your presence to the world."

>   "Max, that is forbidden."

  "By who?"

  "By Jah, of course."

  "Um, okay," said Max, "and just where is Jah?"

  "I see your point. Very well. Notify me when you plan on confronting the tyrants."

  Gabriel shot up into the sky, becoming a blur streaking across the horizon, followed by a crackling sonic boom. It was only seconds before Max was shocked, seeing the archangel shoot down and hit the ground like a missile, causing what appeared to be an explosion.

  "Gabriel, are you okay? Please answer."

  "I am fine, Max. However, the ghoul I targeted has been eliminated."

  "Oh… groovy."

  Max decided to fly around the city, under camouflage, and look for any signs of unrest. The people of B.A. tended to be almost annoyingly boisterous, especially during politically tense situations. In this aspect they were very similar to their Earthly ancestors from centuries before. Given this, Max would have expected to see masses of people protesting in the streets. However, this was not the case. It appeared that business was going along as normal.

  "King Krynos, I am looking at Buenos Aires and it appears completely calm and normal. I believe the occupation has been successful."

  "Max, my boy! So good to hear you… in my head! Yes, the good people of this city were craving freedom from the tyrannical forces that had ruled over their lives for the past few months. What plans have you at this time?"

  "He's getting his ass over here and giving me a kiss before anything," comm-demanded Jennie.

  Max used his enhanced HUD and easily located Krynos and Jennie, both in the naval base's command center. Instead of slipping in, he chose to enter in a more flamboyant fashion, not even bothering to hide his wings. While all troops part of the occupation were aware of their genetic differences, as well as those of Max and his relatives, it was a completely new thing for resident soldiers. There were a few gasps from a crowd of enlisted personnel when Max landed hard onto the firm ground, one knee down, accompanied by his opposing fist. It was his most macho landing pose, and he used it to good effect. He had barely retracted his wings when his beautiful wife marched over to his location. Sailors watched, expecting the beautiful woman to salute the Captain, but instead were shocked when she threw herself into his arms, the two melding into a passionate kiss, which also happened to be a totally inappropriate public display of affection. But Max and Jennie were above and apart, and most knew it.

  "Mmm, good to see you, baby," whispered Jennie.

  "Damn, if there wasn't so much going on I'd-"

  "Shhh, there's plenty of time for that tonight, Max. First off, I think G is ready to march on the Senate. Can you slip us over?"

  "Sure sweetie, but I need to talk these guys up for a minute."

  As an activated lycan lieutenant named Vines approached, Max looked at the crowd of astonished military personnel, mostly sailors, and addressed them all, amplifying his voice with a simple cantus.

  "You have all done a fine job of securing this installation and el Distrito de Buenos Aires. It is critical you maintain order here, as we are going to free the people of Azul and her moons from the tyranny of Leonard Johnson and his ghoul cronies. Although he is currently listed as missing, his reign of terror is over. Today we give Azul System back to her people."

  The crowd cheered wildly, shooting their fists into the air, while Max and Jennie looked on at the massive throngs of soldiers. He gave his wife a grin, and said, "Pretty cool, huh?" slipping her from slight with a pop before she could even respond.

  Chapter 20 - New News

  Zorro News Studio, New Sydney, Oz

  "You will read this script during your broadcast, or I'll have you behind bars for thwarting the will of your leadership, do you under stand me?" screamed Senator Markus Collins, who also happened to have the recessive vampiric gene. His face contorted into an ugly visage of rage as he shoved the manuscript into the hands of Maria López, reporter, newscaster and secret member of the underground rebellion. The attractive dega looked Collins in his dead, cold eyes and nodded her head. She looked around, noting that her crew grew looks of dismay, believing she had switched sides, but Maria had a plan.

  "Very well, Senator. I would like for you to remain here so we may interview you after the announcement. I believe that would be quite conducive to your career, would it not?"

  Collins' face immediately relaxed and turned into a pleased smirk, so typical of those who carried the putrid recessive genes. But the one thing Collins didn't know was that Maria had a comm - a very special comm provided by Draagh, and it enabled her to silently communicate her intentions with the news crew.

  "I am going to add some bits of information to this script. Bruno, some of Admiral Bagatell's Special Forces will arrive in moments. You are to assist them in apprehending the Senator, where we shall put him in front of the cameras. Should be fun."

  Everyone stayed silent, but smiles grew throughout the room as Maria's producer started her backwards countdown to a live feed. Per the Senator's instructions, all channels were to carry the newscast. Fortunately, all broadcast stations were part of the underground.

  "5-4-3-2-" the producer said quietly.

  "Good afternoon. I'm Maria López, bringing a special emergency message to the people of Azul System. Through inter-governmental and private channel cooperation, this segment is being broadcast on all stations throughout Azul and her three moons. I have been provided with critical information from Senator Markus Collins, in response to the invasion of alien forces in Buenos Aires and New Sydney. However, before I begin to read what has been unceremoniously shoved into my hands, I am going to preface this segment with some critical information that is not included in this criminal piece of propaganda."

  Collins suddenly realized that López wasn't going to happily parrot the words of the dictatorship as they had willingly done so many times before. He started to move toward the cameraman when he felt a very large hand painfully grip his shoulder. Turning around, he saw an unusually large soldier - a lycan from the Rhönen Dominion, staring him straight in the eyes while baring his oversized canines.

  "Bewegen Sie sich nicht, wenn Sie leben wollen [Do not move if you wish to live]," commanded the huge lycan, while staring the smaller inactive vampire down. The senator looked around and saw nearly a dozen heavily armed Special Forces operatives stationed at the perimeter of the broadcast studio. There was nothing he could do, aside from forming a silent, contorted face of rage.

  "We in the media have failed you, the people of Azul System. Out of fear, we have willingly pushed the propaganda of the federal government, enabling them to dismantle the Constitution and take away our personal freedoms. So, as a parting gift to these tyrants I am going to read their ridiculous words, accompanied by truthful explanations. So, to begin, it says; Good Day Citizens. We have encountered a very grave situation. The traitor, disgraced former Rear Admiral Luigi Bagatelle is attempting to form a military coup d'état so that he can install himself as the emperor of Azul System."

  Maria stopped momentarily, visibly attempting to stifle a snicker, and then continued.

  "Okay, I have personally met Admiral Bagatelle, and he is most certainly not attempting a coup d'état, nor does he desire to be any sort of king. So, continuing… We are calling upon all citizens to fight these invading forces. Do not give them your cooperation, sabotage them where you can, and those who help shall be richly rewarded. These illegal actions shall not be tolerated, and I have personally spoken with Chairman Johnson, who is, at this moment, coordinating a counterattack, and his heart is with the people of Azul System. We must come together at this time of great tragedy, and fight the invaders, who have brought along savages from Earth, the planet of our ancestors."

  López stopped and gave the camera a deadpan glare before breaking out in hysterical laughter, which was followed by everyone else in the newsroom, save Collins. She motioned for the soldier guarding Collins to bring the wannabe tyrant to the news desk. Doi
ng so, he forcefully put the senator into a chair by the lovely reporter's side. Her laughter having subsided, Maria wiped a tear away from her eye and looked at the politician, starting an interview with the pale man.

  "Senator Markus Collins. Welcome to the broadcast. This manuscript that I hold in my hand - did you not give this to me?"

  "Yes," he hissed.

  "And did you not threaten to have me imprisoned if I did not read it verbatim?"

  "To not read the official statements of your leadership is treasonous in the least."

  López gave him a mischievous grin and then signaled to the camera crew by twirling her hand around in the air. "What the senator has forgotten is the most basic premise of the Constitution - it is that they serve us, not the other way around. People of Azul System, what the senator is doing is indeed illegal per our founding document. I can also tell you that we are indeed liberated. The majority of the media long ago realized the folly of our ways. We had been the supportive lapdogs of a growing, tyrannical regime, led by Leonard Johnson, who, by the way, is missing. The good senator here has not spoken with Johnson, nor is the self-styled chairman leading any form of resistance. That is a base lie, as is everything that I read off this farce of a public service announcement. Bagatelle has come back to liberate us, and is accompanied by some very special people. Yes, it is true that there are soldiers from Earth with him, but they have no interest in taking over. They volunteered to aid us - their cousins - in regaining our freedom. You see, they lost their liberty so many times in the past that it's almost second nature for them to fight back for the good of Mankind. So I say to you, fellow brothers and sisters - live your lives as normal, with the exception that you will not need to move in fear for saying the wrong things. Your Constitutional freedoms have been restored."