“What is the total on the vouchers?”
“One point six two billion Commander.”
“Divide up ten million for each crew member and set the rest aside for the primitive race protection fund.” I stepped up into my armor crate and dismounted my armor. I was mentally and physically exhausted. “Is Tria awake I would like to speak with her before I get some sleep?”
“Yes Commander, as you predicted she is irritable and wishes to speak with you as well.”
I knew an irritable Chaalt female warrior was probably not a good thing. Rather than stop to change out of my suit liner and take a shower, I went straight to the med bay. When I entered the room, I noticed two unoccupied chairs next to Tria’s pod. It was hard to get a good read from the way Tria was looking at me because her pretty face was so badly bruised. I couldn’t tell if I was getting a partial smile or a grimace. She held her hand out, and I started to take it but instead she grabbed the front of my suit liner and pulled me down close to her face. She whispered into my ear. “I have never asked for anything from you, but now I have a request.” I was a little confused but said “Sure Tria whatever you need. If it is within my power, I will give you whatever you want.” I could tell I was getting a small smile now and was surprised when she kissed me hard enough I knew it hurt her to do it. Then she whispered in my ear again. “Nathan you will not go on another combat operation until I am able to go with you.” I wanted to say what I thought about that but she kissed me again and then put a finger on my lips. “This is the customary Chaalt greeting to members of my race. She put her hand on my shoulder. If I am facing you my hand on your right shoulder is hello. My hand on your left shoulder is a parting gesture meant as goodbye. It is always customary to greet relatives by touching both shoulders and then a quick touch on your right cheek. It is the same in my race for males and females.” I gave her a warm smile and nodded. She returned my expression and then said; “This is an intimate gesture meant for mating or life mates, it is usually done with two hands” She put her hand on my cheek and held it there. It felt cool at first and then felt almost hot after a few seconds. Without even considering what I was doing I reached out and gently placed my hands on her cheeks and held them there. She smiled and pulled me close again and whispered. “I like your custom much better.” She kissed me again and then let go. I stood upright and felt like it was well over a hundred degrees in the med bay. I could think of nothing else to say except “OK Tria, no more unnecessary combat missions until you have recovered.”
Turning around I was startled to see Tria’s Father sitting in one of the chairs. It felt like my face was on fire. I could not begin to guess what the alien was thinking, his face was neutral. I was relieved he was not terrified of me anymore. I started to apologize for treating him so rough but he held up his hand. “Nathan Myers you did what was necessary to save my daughter and me, for that I thank you. Please sit we have a great deal to talk about. I know you must be exhausted and I will try to be brief. We can carry on our discussion once you have rested. For now I must tell you it is imperative we get back to your base as soon as possible. There is a small chance the Grawl scientist at your complex might inadvertently cause a disaster that could have galaxy wide ramifications.” The Chaalt had my attention now, and I sat down to listen. “My daughter has told me of your many discoveries and this ship is one of the most amazing ever discovered because it is intact with a fully functioning A.I. No one has ever recovered anything this important. The A.I. of this ship is the key to unlocking hundreds if not thousands of precursor artifacts. I can fully debrief you after you have rested, but it is vitally important to reach your base as soon as possible.” The look on the Chaalt scholar’s face troubled me. “Tell me what kind of disaster we are talking about Patriarch Burlor?” The look on the Chaalt Patriarch’s face grew even more disconcerting. “Prule Commander, if what Tria has described is in fact a containment vessel which has not been breached, you could possibly have a functioning Prule hunter gatherer. If this is the case and the Grawl tamper with the containment vessel and manage to release it, the scientist will be killed and harvested.
The Prule hunter will then start gathering resources and attempt to find a reproduction unit. Reproduction units have been found by my people twice in the past one hundred and twenty solar rotations. There could be hundreds of them hidden throughout the galaxy. If a gatherer activates just one reproduction facility, they are capable of multiplying at an incredible rate if they have the resources.”
The joy I was feeling moments ago was washed away by the news I just received. “Patriarch, has your race come into contact with any live Prule?” The Patriarch shook his head. “No Commander only the remains we have gathered from long ago battles. The information we have been able glean from the remains indicates the Prule are able to detonate their power cores on command. We believe if captured the detonation is a failsafe command encoded into their processors. That is why it is vital to find out the nature of your discovery and determine if you do indeed have a functioning specimen.”
I looked at Tria and then back at her father. “So your people have discovered containment vessels elsewhere?” The Patriarch didn’t hesitate to reply. “Yes Commander, but all have been breached from the inside by a powerful explosion.” I gave him a questioning look. “Are you actively asking other races to look for containment vessels and reproduction factories?” The Chaalt held up all four of his hands and gave me a sad look of despair. “No Commander, few races even know of the Prule’s existence. If a live specimen is found and accidentally released, it will covertly collect resources and then locate a reproduction facility. If the Prule infestation is not discovered in its earliest stages and the process goes unchecked, it might be too late to stop them. Most of the technology developed to destroy the Prule disappeared with the Guardian fleet or is still undiscovered. Most all races will have no idea what is happening until they are subjugated or eradicated. If this comes to pass, it may be too late to save this galaxy.”
My sense of accomplishment was being tainted by past events that had nothing to do with a primitive Earth boy from a backward thinking planet. The day’s hard earned victories should have been more rewarding than me silently cursing the day I foolishly agreed to leave Earth. The burden of knowing the perilous condition of our galaxy was something that should be shared by all races, but it seemingly sat alone upon my shoulders. I leaned forward putting my elbows on my knees and placing my hands on my face. An overwhelming feeling of dread came over me. Was all the death and destruction that has occurred by my hand just my maker getting me warmed up for the even grimmer task of facing the Prule?
I felt Tria’s hand touch my back then pull at my suit liner. I stood up and turned to her. She pulled me down and embraced me. I’m sure it was uncomfortable for her to so with one arm. Her uncanny ability to sense my emotions and know what is on my mind was an extraordinary gift. She quietly whispered in my ear. “Do not despair Nathan Myers our maker is standing with us. Your aura now shines as bright as the purest starlight. Her words drained the venom from my soul and the weight that was crushing down on me moments ago seemed like a distant memory. I gently kissed her and turned back to her father. He had his eyes closed and his hands stacked. I had seen Tria do the same thing, and I knew he was meditating and processing all that had recently happened. He opened his eyes in anticipation of my coming questions. “Patriarch Burlor what was the Sentinel races going to do with a captured gatherer?” The Chaalt Patriarch slowly stood and began pacing. “It is believed by me and other scientific scholars, if given enough time to study a functioning specimen, it might be possible to introduce a virus that could damage or possibly destroy the Prule race. Many scholars theorize that something along the lines of a false self-destruct code has great potential. This is our thinking on the best case scenario. The worst case is they could possible use the unit as an agent that might be able to penetrate a supercarrier’s security defenses.”
I thought a
bout it for a moment then asked; “What would be gained by penetrating a supercarrier rather than just destroy it?” This time there was a small hesitation when he answered. I had a feeling he was about to pass on classified information. “My race has information that some members of the Galactic Union wish to keep secret. I profess I cannot fathom why this particular information is sensitive to them but as part of our unique pact with the Union, they have leeway when it comes to the dissemination of certain data. That being said, I intend to tell you regardless of the rules that apply to what I am about to tell you. The supercarriers are where huge bio machine hive minds reside. The hive mind is made up of thousands of bio machines that have somehow melded their minds together to create a massive biologically enhanced machine intelligence. They are the masterminds that determine how the rest of the bio machines conduct themselves. It is also believed that somewhere in the neighboring galaxy your race has named Andromeda there is a ruling bio machine intelligence that is so massive it could be considered a planetary object. In order to stop the Prule’s conquest of this universe, it will be necessary to terminate the so called super mind.” I was confused why anyone would want to conceal the information I had just heard. All races should know the threat that faces all species of this galaxy. Regardless of the insanity of the Union’s mindset, I would hold the data close until I felt I could pass it on to the right people in hopes of it actually helping the situation rather than hinder a solution. Tria’s father let me chew on it for a few minutes then told me what he thought would happen next.
“The Chaalt military was standing by waiting to hear from me before Tria and I were taken by the pirates. A containment team was waiting and ready. Tria would not disclose the location of your base without speaking to you first. Once Eiger captured us, it effectively put me out of contact with my people. They will assume the worse and I am sure a full military mobilization has taken place. There are only so many members of the Galactic council who can be trusted to use this information. The majority of races will not think what will happen is even possible. Many races will perceive our actions as a precursor to war. The entire galaxy will be thrown into disarray and disarray will only help the Prule if they are indeed out there to accomplish their goals. It may all be too little too late if we don’t get back to your base immediately.”
I knew it was unnecessary, but I called out to Justice, anyway. “Justice, we need to get back sooner than later!”
“Commander I have already ceased core maintenance and deep charge cycling. I have calculated the minimum accumulated dark energy necessary to safely transition the Legacy back to Alfa one. Due to the lack of maintenance over an extended period of time, re-energizing the charging matrix will require four hours of extended charging and diagnostics.
I didn’t feel embarrassed at all when I kissed Tria. I turned around and put my hand on patriarch Burlor’s left shoulder then headed for my cabin. As I walked to the lifts I met my crew mates. They both looked haggard. Coonts looked up at me. “Commander, do you have news of Tria’s prognosis?” I gave them both a weary smile. “She is doing as well as can be expected and Justice has assured me she will make a full recovery.” The relief on my crew’s faces was apparent. I leaned down and put my arms around their shoulders and gave them an Earthman hug. “We should get some rest. Patriarch Burlor has informed me we might have a serious security problem back at Alfa base. It concerns one of the artifacts we recovered from the Alliance freighter. Justice is preparing the Legacy for its first DEHD core transition. If all of the Legacy’s systems check out, we will be back to base in about four hours.” As we walked to the lifts I could not put the notion out of my mind, every time I thought all was well, all was not!
THE END
I want to thank you for reading my book. As with any first time work there is always room for improvement and refinement. I can assure you I am working diligently to do exactly that and future work will reflect this determination. If you like what you have read please leave me positive feedback. Encouragement fuels the imagination and imagination is the father of creativity.
Thanks again!
Marc Stevens
First of my Kind Page 55