THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Which troops are you bringing in, Admiral?"

  "The Samurais. They're quick and efficient. We can't mess around with these clowns anymore."

  Max cleared out some space for himself and waved his hand out, creating a number of infoscreens, all viewing an empty warehouse. Whipping his hands up into the sky, the magical displays shot off and went to their individual destinations, dropping down perfectly in front of groups of people in inhabited structures. But Max had a trick up his sleeve. He made it appear that there were people in the displays. Numerous disheveled vagrants walked up to the screens, looking at them curiously. As soon as Max knew he had their rapt attention he dropped a small boulder on the vacant building in the view, mimicking the effects of a mass driver dropped from outer space.

  The building was vaporized. Instantly. In its place was a crater the size of a city block. It was all he needed to do.

  Hundreds of squatters panicked and ran out into the streets. Once they were all out, Max performed a complex barrier cantus that virtually locked them out of the warehouses. It was at that moment that dozens upon dozens of ground troops, led by Isamu's Samuari, came pouring out through a portal from Vera. They were supported by numerous gunships, hovering over the crowds, the noise from their anti-grav engine creating an ominous roar.

  Clean up was easy. In fact, there was no resistance whatsoever.

  "Brave souls when they have spray paint cans and a police force unwilling to quell rebellion, eh?" mused Bagatelle.

  "Yup, and no chanting stupid slogans either," said Max.

  The troops rounded up all of the vagrants in an orderly fashion, and led them down Oak Street toward the temporary housing that had been set up earlier. It was there they would be processed, tested for extra-genetic qualities, given a Prīmulī antidote for their drug withdrawals, and then provided with simple chores in a structured community. It was Max's plan to ease them back into the fold. He knew they would fail if they simply set them out into the streets. These people needed to once again find purpose and leave their excuses and addictions behind.

  "Now we need to find out who the shop owners are. We can give them a hand with supplies, as I'm pretty sure they're all wiped out," said Bagatelle.

  "Harder even, we'll need to find out who the original store owners were," said Max, "as I'm sure they had their properties confiscated by the local government all in the name of fairness and equity. They need to be reimbursed and given the opportunity to run their own shows again."

  "Some of the older women of the Haida tribe volunteered to manage commerce, and to make sure there's no price gouging by the store owners," added Alicia.

  "I think they would be perfect for the job," said Jennie.

  ###

  Back in Bagatelle's office at Blue Mil, the four naval officers were seated again at the round table in the middle of the room. However, this time they were joined by Jake Williams, who had been functioning as chief of police of the second-largest city on the planet and was slipped over for the meeting.

  "So, we've only experienced the usual - a couple of looting incidents, mainly on the homes of the gen-vamps who were incarcerated. And other than a couple of air car crashes, all is peaceful in the city."

  "That's certainly great news, Chief. I knew you would do a standup job when you volunteered for the position," said Bagatelle. "We four have a special spot in our hearts for Buenos Aires, being the capital city of the country of our birth. That being said, we now go to phase two. We need to start reinforcing some public structures and underground shelters. This won't be your job, per se, but you will need to assign some officers to make sure building supplies aren't stolen. We've already created a staging point in Puerto Madero."

  "No problem, Admiral."

  Bagatelle touched a small panel and the tabletop became a beautiful, three-dimensional white map of Buenos Aires. It already had glowing dots in seven locations.

  "We've already pushed these locations to your personal console. The SeaBees are bringing in their construction gear starting tomorrow morning."

  "Who are these SeaBees, Admiral?"

  "They're the naval construction battalion, Chief - a very old and respected segment of the Navy, dating back to hundreds of years before the Exodus to Azul. They'll reinforce superstructures and underground housing with hardened quadrinium and hypercrete."

  "Hypercrete?"

  "Molecularly-altered concrete, 35 times stronger than normal. We've been using it for building for the past 50 years. Unfortunately, most of the buildings in the main cities are much older than that."

  Max walked off to the side of the room to call on his father. Even though it was telepathic, he still felt it was polite to not look as if he were zoning off or daydreaming in front of everyone, as that was the typical expression one had when in the midst of a comm call.

  "Dad, how goes the hunt for the Grigori?"

  "We determined which planet they were on, but they fled once we arrived. Anaita also went with them."

  "Is that bad? I mean, she's a Primulus and all, but is she a formidable warrior?"

  "It is not that, Max. It is that she is our sister. It shall pain us to kill her."

  "Is the leaky comm still functioning?"

  "Yes, but the signal is fading. Your particles, once absorbed, are eventually dispelled."

  "Individuals… hey! Why not just take them down one by one? Why fight them all at once? How many are there, anyway?"

  "Excellent idea, Son. Samyaza and Gadreel are merely the leaders, and the sons of the Primulus whom Father banished to Purgatory."

  "What? Marnn is their dad? Aw man!"

  "And they currently have 114 in their ranks, but nearly all are of a lower caste than we."

  "Crap. 114. That's a lot."

  "Yes indeed."

  Max returned to his seat at the table, wearing a despondent look.

  "What the matter, Max? Are you okay?" Jennie asked.

  "Yeah, I'm good. It's just that the aunt I never met is now hooked up with the Grigori and Dad has to kill her."

  "Max," said Bagatelle, "if she has sided with the enemies of humanity then she needs to be eliminated with extreme prejudice. Once cannot take a blood relation into account in such a situation."

  "I know. It just kinda sucks. Anyway, I need to meet with my junior lieutenant in charge of cracking Johnson's infernal gen-lock on the space vessels."

  "I'm with you too, Max," said Jennie. She didn’t really have anything to do with the science aspect of the operation - she just wanted to visit with a friend."

  " Chief, we'll slip you back to Buenos Aires now if you like. We'll meet up in the Rhönen tomorrow."

  "I would be most grateful, Max."

  Their departure was accompanied by a light popping sound, and Bagatelle and Vasquez got back to work.

  ###

  Blue Mil Spaceport was enormous. Bigger than any airport or military base conceived in the known history of humanity. In fact, it was larger than the entire Los Angeles Metropolitan Area on Earth, and the only way to get around was to fly - or 3D slip, as Max and Jennie did.

  "Max, why are we in a broom closet?"

  "I didn’t want to startle anyone. Remember, it's still not common knowledge I'm a Primulus, my love." Max started for the door, but his fetching wife stopped him.

  "Heyyy, hang on a sec. Don't tell me you never made out in a broom close before…"

  "Actually Jennie, that was pretty much the only place where I ever kissed a girl before meeting you."

  "Wow, you really were a virgin. I mean, our first night together was so… amazing! Yet, you are so innocent. Gawd, I love you so much, Max."

  Jennie wrapped her arms around her husband and brushed her lips up against his - softly, delicately, breathing in the essence of her eternal mate.

  Three-quarters of an hour later, Max and Jennie entered the office of Josh Mannheim, LTJG; the man in charge of un-deciphering the complex algorithm Johnson had implemented in the hook drive ignitions.
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  "So, Captain, what we've found is that specific parts of Johnson's genome are required to instantiate the drive. We've gotten that far. However, every time we get close to pinpointing the exact sequence required, it… changes. Like… magic. I can't explain it."

  Max thought for a moment, and then had a brainstorm.

  "Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

  Max disappeared with a light popping sound, leaving Josh, Jennie and Becky behind.

  ###

  Max stood before the location on the mezzanine where Jennie had destroyed Ryder Johnson's head many months prior. The spot had been scrubbed over and over many times, but Max knew the Rhönen castle staff had only used their simple cleaning methods - brushes, soap and water.

  Kneeling down, he waved his hand out and thought a simple cantus.

  Undaincantatio Magnificare

  Max's view instantly zoomed in to a microscopic level and found what he was looking for. After a couple of minutes he had collected two grams of bone flakes and red blood cells. Encapsulating the remains in a small bag, he stood and disappeared just as two female servants approached.

  "I still have yet to become accustomed to that, Loren."

  "It is the same for me, Beka. But is Master Gunnarsson not dreamy?"

  The two giggled as they moved on to complete their chores.

  ###

  "Here, extract the DNA from these remains," said Max, as he handed the bag to Josh. The junior lieutenant grabbed the sample with lit eyes and ran over to some machinery, spooning a bit of the white powder onto a petri dish. Placing it inside a small slot, he touched a few icons on a panel and sat back, waiting for the equipment to do it job.

  "It'll be a couple of minutes, but we'll see what we have. So… what is this?"

  "Ryder Johnson's remains - bones and blood. I basically brought them back to a state of molecular reactivation."

  "Ewww, Max! That's so gross!" Jennie squealed. "So they're… alive?"

  "Yes, but they're not Len Jonson's, and we don't have any traces of his DNA. He wiped his DNA from the Federation databanks as a precaution."

  "But why not use his hair? I'm sure there's plenty of that in his office," queried Jennie.

  "No, Commander. Hair is not technically alive. What Captain Gunnarsson has done is retrieve something that only he could again make alive… again," said Josh.

  The DNA extraction equipment made a small sound, indicating it had completed its task. Josh rolled back over to the machinery on his chair and pulled a gelatinous card from a panel to its front.

  "This is it. Let's see how far we can go with this," said Mannheim.

  He stood up and walked over to the hook drive that had been extracted from one of the vessels, and slid the card into a slot they had built. To everyone's mutual surprise (and delight), the hook drive started to activate - something that had never happened before.

  "Captain, you are a genius! It looks like we…"

  Josh stopped short when the hook drive stopped in place, right before it would start to extend the massive hook up and out of the machinery.

  "Aw man! That's the furthest we ever got."

  "What happened, Lieutenant?" asked Max.

  "Don't know yet, sir. Let me check."

  Josh rolled to a massive computer console and typed in some commands, with a debugging readout appearing in the upright, semi-transparent display.

  "Johnson's son has some of his father's DNA, but there are some missing proteins," said Josh. "The first sequence read familiar code, but then stopped when it could not find the remaining pieces of the puzzle."

  "So, what does that mean?" asked Becky.

  "It means we'll need actual, live DNA from Len Johnson in order to activate the drive," said Max. "Lieutenant, I'm ordering you to commence with the development of new drives from scratch. We can't mess around any longer."

  "But sir! That'll take months!"

  "Yes, and there are many more before the Vrol arrive. Get to work."

  "Aye-aye, sir."

  "Damn, I thought that short-cut would have worked," said Max, relaxing on a couch in his office in the Military Scientific Research Complex. It was a large, expansive room, with ornate, carved wood panels similar to mahogany lining the walls.

  "It was a good try, Max. I guess we'll just have to trust that Michael and Gabriel can find the Grigori, and then hopefully Len Johnson," said Jennie.

  "Hmm, let's hope Len Johnson's still alive in the first place. Not for his sake, but for us. In any case, we still plenty of time."

  Jennie made for the door, and looking back, said, "Baby, I'm going shopping with Becky. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

  "Hmm, okay. What are you going to buy?"

  "A bikini. I promised your mom and Liliana that we would go to the Caribbean when we got back. Just a day trip, mind you."

  "But… you could have asked me, love. I can take you."

  "Pops promised to take us. I think he's been itching to run around in that infernal diaper of his."

  "Visual! Gross! Buy him a pair of board shorts."

  The two laughed as the gorgeous lycan female shut the office door behind her.

  Chapter 29 - Disrupted Vacation

  Liliana squealed in delight as she once again dove into the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, ten meters from the shore of the island formerly known as Grand Cayman. She was joined in her frolicking by a bottlenose dolphin, the species of which had been reintroduced to the world long before by the Prīmulī. Jennie was immediately concerned when she saw the wild animal near her daughter, but was calmed by Draagh, who put a hand on her shoulder.

  "Worry not, child. The creature has the purest of intentions. She only wishes to play with Liliana."

  "She? You can tell she's a female? How?" Jennie asked.

  "I can see many things, my dear, Yes, many things. Her offspring are close by, and she is emoting an extremely protective aura. In fact, she considers your daughter as one of her own."

  "Oh my god! That's worse! What if she tries to drag Lili out into the ocean?"

  Draagh laughed and shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. Dolphins are extremely intelligent, and she is well aware of Liliana's aquatic capabilities, or lack thereof."

  "Um, just how intelligent are they?"

  "Well, they were one of the species of life we introduced to this world, intending to make them the dominant life form had Mankind yet again failed."

  "They're that smart? Do they have a language?"

  "Oh yes! Well, it is quite rudimentary, but yes, they do communicate, and by extremely long distances too, I might add."

  Jennie looked out at Liliana as the young girl rode on the back of the dolphin, crashing through waves, much like one would ride a pony. It was an amazing sight, certainly never seen on Jennie's home world. Liliana was truly a lucky child. Dolphins weren't introduced on Azul as there were similar, yet less-developed aquatic mammals already inhabiting her oceans and filling the same ecological niche.

  Looking over to her left, Jennie watched as Janice combed Clarisa's long, brown hair. The two were more like sisters than the employer and servant they once were. Reflecting on their relationship, Jennie was happy Max's mother had her lycan genetics activated. She was now a woman in full bloom, appearing to be in her late twenties/early thirties, and drop-dead gorgeous. She was also reunited with the love of her life - Michael, who was Max's biological father. Thanks to their unauthorized union, Jennie had a most amazing husband, and many, many years to spend with him. Still, her lack of true immortality saddened her, but she pushed that to the back of her mind as she turned her attentions back to Liliana, who was splashing in the water while surrounded by two juvenile dolphins, their mother watching closely from a few meters away.

  "Where are Jessica and Pandy?" Jennie inquired, not seeing the two former residents of post-apocalyptic Hollywood anywhere in the vicinity, nor being able to detect their scents.

  "I slipped them over to what was colloq
uially referred to as Ray Bay, my dear," Draagh responded.

  "What's that?" Clarisa asked, cueing in on their conversation.

  "It was a place where a certain species of ray would play with humans. Boats filled with tourists would go there and they would feed the creatures by hand."

  "Rays? Like stingrays? Aren't they dangerous?" Janice cried out.

  "Oh no, not these. I took a sample from 21st century Earth and regenerated their species locally. These animals, these fish, have the same inclinations as their ancestors and only seek treats from the girls. Aside from that, I created a cantus that temporarily decreased the size and sharpness of their stingers."

  "So, they aren't dangerous?" asked Jennie.

  "Not in the least, my dear. Would you like to take Liliana there for yet another wonderful experience?"

  "Um, no. No thanks, Pops. I'll pass. From what I've seen in holo-vids, they're pretty creepy-looking things anyway."

  Draagh smiled and looked out at his adopted great-granddaughter, taking delight in the joys of youth - a youth he never personally experienced. It wasn't but a few moments later that everyone received a distress call over their comms.

  "Jen, Draagh, everyone. You have to get back to the Rhönen immediately."

  "Max, what is the problem, my boy?"

  "The Vrol. They've arrived at Azul System. Oh man, we're so totally screwed."

  Jennie ran into Draagh's chambers where the Primulus had earlier set up a large number of infoscreens. Max was moving frantically in between them, tracking foreign object movements throughout Azul System. Perspiration beaded on his forehead as he turned and said, "They're all over the place. It's like they're here and then they're over there. They've left thousands of ship that don't disappear - they're on a direct route to Vera."