by Saxon Andrew
Slick nodded, “You will take one of our newly hatched females.”
Cinny shook her head, “But…”
Slick went to his full height, “There is no but. We need to be able to communicate with the two of you and you aren’t telepathic with us. We need Gaylee because of how much she has learned while she’s been with you. So we’re sending another with you.”
Cinny looked at Grant and he shrugged, “We need to know what’s going on, Cinny. We’ll need to be able to communicate with them as well.”
Cinny looked at them and said, “She needs to know that she will follow our instructions and will not take independent action without consulting us.”
“I will do as you ask.”
Cinny’s eyes narrowed and a small Spider crawled out of her pocket. She shook her head, “How did you get there?”
“My name is Sneaky, my brothers and sisters say it fits me.”
Cinny smiled, “Alright Sneaky, welcome aboard.”
Grant looked at Sneaky and smiled, “We need to move to the Dream.”
Cinny shook her head, “My ship is not named, The Dream.” Grant’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Her name is Nemesis. That name is more appropriate now than before. If we can’t stop them, we will be their worst nightmare.”
Grant stared at Cinny and nodded, “Nemesis it is.”
Sneaky thought to them, “Let’s see if you can keep this one from being destroyed.”
Grant smiled, “You make a very good point. We’ll do what we can.”
Grant and Cinnamon moved out into the gathering and said goodbye to their many friends. Finally, at midnight, they boarded their scooters and lifted for the Nemesis.
Chapter Eighteen
“We request permission to speak with the High Priest.”
“Who is this?”
“We were trained in the Monastery as children.”
“I will ask.”
Sneaky looked at Grant, “May I go with you?”
“Can you avoid being seen?”
“Oh yes.”
“Go with Cinny.”
Cinny opened her front pocket and the small spider scampered into it. Cinny thought, “I want you to listen to the thoughts of those around us and tell me if there’s anything I need to know.”
“Do you want me to include Grant?”
“By all means.”
“Are the Choten-Zan telepathic?”
Cinny’s eyebrows went up, “I really have no idea.”
“I will be able to sense if they are without revealing myself. If I determine they are, I’ll press my legs against your chest and refrain from exposing myself to them.”
“That would be good.”
“Do you think they’ll allow you to go to the Temple?”
“The High Priest told us we would always be welcome.”
Grant heard Ana say, “They’re answering your request.”
“Put it on the speaker.”
“The High Priest wishes to know why you come here now.”
“Tell him I want to ask the survivors from Avalon about Orion’s Sword.”
Grant waited in his command chair and after ten minutes he looked at Cinny, “Do we go if he says no?”
“You’ve heard about the weapons they have on the planet.”
“I’ll remind him about his open invitation before I break down the door.”
“I think that would be wise.”
Suddenly their monitor illuminated, “I would caution you about coming here.”
“It’s been a long time, Your Holiness.”
“Yes it has. How did you learn about the Avalon refugees?”
“Actually, it’s not hard to figure out where you got the planetary defense weapons. I suspect they came here after Avalon’s destruction and the completed construction of the Orion.”
The High Priest smiled and he clapped, “Bravo, now that was an intuitive leap.”
“They would have built them on Avalon if they weren’t somewhere else. That had to mean they were building something else to defend their home.”
“You know they will try to use you if you come here.”
“There’s more important things taking place at the moment. I don’t think we’ll be able to do what they want.”
“What is more important than revenge?”
“Survival.”
The High Priest stared at them and said, “Come to my quarters.”
Grant pushed the paddles forward and jumped into orbit above the Choten-Zan’s main temple. They stepped on a scooter and Grant felt Cinny’s arms go around his waist. He smiled and looked over his shoulder at her, “This is something I’ll never grow tired of feeling.” Cinny squeezed him tighter and kissed him on the cheek. Grant looked up, “Ana, hold the fort while we’re gone.”
“I’m just happy the two of you are back on board. This is the way it should be.”
“Thanks, Ana. We’ll be back.”
The scooter extended its force field and activated the life support system. Cinny said quietly, “Have you seen anything?”
Sneaky spoke instead of using thoughts, “I’m not sure about that Priest. He hasn’t transmitted his thoughts but there’s something about him that’s different.”
Grant smiled, “I could have told you that.” He lifted the scooter and took it out of the landing bay. He looked at the Monastery far below and remembered.
• • •
They entered the High Priest’s quarters and found two humans waiting on them to arrive. Grant looked at them and the taller man stepped forward, “I’ve so looked forward to meeting you. My name is Arlin and this is my associate Kent.”
He extended his hand and Grant shook it, “I’m pleased to meet you. Exactly who are you?”
“We’re scientists that survived the destruction of Avalon.” Arlin held out his hand to Cinny and she shook it as well. “We were away when the Raiders attacked the planet.”
“What were you doing that would cause you to be away?” Arlin looked at Kent and Grant said, “You were building the Orion, weren’t you?”
Kent said, “We were.”
“Did you complete it?”
“We did.”
“Where is it?”
Kent’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head, “I thought you would know and that’s why you came here.”
“Why would we come here if we had the Orion?”
“You would need a crew to operate the various systems on the ship.”
Cinny said, “I’ve heard that only the two pilots that were genetically altered could safely operate the Orion.”
Arlin nodded, “That’s true but once the pilots have connected with the ship, others can safely operate the Orion’s systems.”
“Well, we don’t know where it is. We were hoping you could tell us.”
Grant saw their disappointment and said, “You were there when the ship was completed; surely you have some idea where it was taken?”
“No, an Admiral showed up with a transport and she towed it away. She would not speak with us and the ruling Council on Avalon gave her the authority to take it. We were incredibly disappointed that we were left out of the loop.”
“Why did the Council choose that Admiral to take it away?”
Kent shrugged, “I suppose they wanted it hidden until you came of age and could activate it. No one suspected the Raiders were going to attack that soon.”
Cinny shook her head, “Are you sure you don’t have any idea of where she took it?”
The two looked at each other shaking their heads, “No, we don’t. However, there’s something else we need your assistance on.”
Cinny tilted her head, “What is that?”
“The High Priest has forbidden us to build warships. We need you to take us away where we could start construction on advanced warships.”
“Why do you need warships? You’re safer here than anywhere else in the universe.”
“There is some unfinished business that need
s to be addressed.”
Grant looked at Cinny and said, “Such as?”
“The planet that caused the destruction of Avalon.”
The High Priest entered the room and said, “I see they’ve asked for your assistance.”
Kent turned on the High Priest and said, “This is a matter between humans. This doesn’t concern you.”
“Ok. Go ahead and have your discussion. I’ll sit over here and stay out of it.”
Kent stared at the High Priest and wondered what he was up to. He turned to Grant, “Surely you know Avalon should be avenged.”
Grant shook his head, “Are either of you aware of what’s taking place outside of this planet?” Kent shook his head. “The people on Earth learned about the treachery of the government in setting up Avalon to be attacked and they revolted against the Prime Minister and his government.”
“WHAT?”
“The Prime Minister and the Fleet Admiral were arrested along with all of their staff and tried for crimes against Humanity. They were tried and executed for their actions. Earth had used the destruction of Avalon to attack all of the known civilizations and had conquered thousands of planets.”
“That’s just like the scum.”
Grant lowered his head, “Earth freed the conquered planets and withdrew their forces after the revolution…but…”
“But what?”
“An aggressive civilization chose that moment to invade and landed on one of the capitals of the conquered planets. Earth sent its forces to fight off that invader. They have refused to leave those conquered planets defenseless against this invader.”
Kent and Arlin stared at Grant and Cinny said, “We’ve discovered that this Invader possesses a warship that is capable of destroying stars.”
“That’s not possible.”
Grant turned to the High Priest, “Do you have an image of Hoag’s Galaxy.” The High Priest pressed several buttons on his panel and an image of a galaxy with a band of stars more than a hundred thousand light years away from the core of the galaxy. Between the band of stars and the brightly glowing black hole was empty space. “They removed all the stars in the center of that galaxy. There are billions of planets still in orbit around the galactic center but they’re too small to see without getting close. That civilization is now searching for Earth to destroy it along with every intelligent civilization they can find.”
Arlin looked at Grant, “You should go and attack the ships they use to destroy stars.”
“They are protected by a force field that is level fifty in strength.”
Kent shook his head, “That’s not possible.”
“You’re wrong. We’ve measured it when we attacked.”
The High Priest spoke up, “If they find Earth, they will be close to our galaxy.”
“We believe this planet will be found by them and they will attack.”
The High Priest looked at Kent, “Will your weapons penetrate a force fifty field?”
Arlin shook his head, “I don’t know; I sincerely doubt it.”
“How long would it take you to build one of these advanced warships?”
Kent shook his head, “At least two years.”
The High Priest turned to Grant, “How many of these ships does this new enemy possess?”
“Hundreds of thousands.”
Grant turned to Kent and Arlin, “Earth is the only thing that’s holding this civilization at bay. If it’s found, no one will be safe. Many planets are starting mass migrations of their populations to distant galaxies to avoid the coming mass extinctions.”
Cinny heard in her mind, “You can’t allow them to build a ship.”
Cinny forced her face to stay neutral and she thought, “Why not?”
“They’ll take it and lead the Invaders to Earth.”
Cinny’s eyes widened slightly and she heard the High Priest say, “I think I can get you a ship to start construction.”
She immediately knew the High Priest was not telepathic. She looked at Grant and saw he had heard Sneaky as well. She decided to allow him to handle the situation. She was too angry to do it. Grant looked at the High Priest and said, “You will not give them a ship.”
The three turned to Grant and the all three said at the same time, “Why?”
“They will use it to lead the Invaders to Earth.”
Kent and Arlin stared at Grant in shock. Kent pulled himself together and said, “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we do that?”
“Hatred is a cruel mistress and once she has you in her embrace she’ll never let you go. One of my genetic abilities is to see what others are thinking by their expressions and body language. You wouldn’t build a warship to fight them off. You’d go to that galaxy and jump directly to Earth. Don’t pretend otherwise. Your body gives you away.”
Cinny said, “I see it as well.”
Kent’s snarl was immediate, “They all deserve to die in fire!”
A voice rang out from the doorway, “The two of you make me sick.” Everyone turned and saw a middle aged woman with bright red hair standing with six other humans.
The High Priest looked at them and said, “I didn’t call for you to come here.”
“You didn’t.” She pointed at Cinny and Grant, “But they did.”
The High Priest looked at Grant and Cinny, “Is this true?”
Sneaky quickly thought, “I did it.”
Grant shook his head and then looked at the High Priest, “I did have them invited to listen to this conversation.
The High Priest started to speak but was interrupted by the woman, “You would cause the destruction of all mankind to get your revenge?”
“We’ll be here. Our species will survive.”
“Are you deaf? They have a ship with a force fifty force field. It’s just as the Chosen said: no one will be safe. You would also endanger trillions for your selfishness.”
“You were not invited to this meeting. You should leave.”
The woman looked toward the door and eight more humans walked in. Kent turned pale, “You are no longer the senior scientist. We are unanimous in voting you out of your position.”
“YOU KNOW I’M RIGHT!! EARTH HAS TO BE PUNISHED!!”
The woman shook her head, “No, the ones that caused the tragedy are the ones that should be punished and it appears they were. You may leave and take that stooge with you.” Arlin opened his mouth to speak but stopped and followed Kent out of the room. The woman turned and said, “You wonder why our leaders chose that Admiral to hide the Orion? You need look no further than those two jackasses.”
Cinny said, “What do you mean?”
“Our leaders knew that if Avalon was attacked before the two of you were old enough to activate it, some of the survivors would use it for immediate revenge if they knew its location.”
“I thought only the two of us could use it?”
She looked at Grant, “It can be used as a standard warship without the most advanced weapon systems. It would have been able to cause massive destruction on Earth.”
“Why would the Leaders not want to exact revenge?”
The woman’s eyes softened and she shook her head, “Our leaders knew the people of Earth didn’t know what was happening. Their issue was with the Prime Minister and his close circle of friends that set this up. The Admiral knew she had to prevent the Orion from falling into the wrong hands.”
“How did she fly it away?”
The woman looked at Cinny, “She didn’t. She used her giant transport to tow it away. She activated the defense systems before she left making sure no one but the two pilots could enter the ship.”
Grant looked at her, “Do you have any idea where she took it?”
The woman said, “My name is Mariah and no, I have no idea.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Mariah slowly shook her head, “I know.”
The High Priest said, “Why do you say that? They didn’t want it found by those that wo
uld use it inappropriately.”
Grant sighed, “What good would it do if it couldn’t be found by the pilots developed to fly it?”
The High Priest shook his head, “Are the two of you still claiming not to be those two pilots?”
Grant stared at him and then said, “No, We now know we were created to fly the Orion.”
Mariah looked at him, “What proof do you have of that?”
Cinny smiled, “Both of us have been killed and our bodies regrew from pieces that were saved.”
Mariah stared at Cinny and looked at Grant, “Is this true?”
“I’ve actually died twice.”
Mariah smiled, “I remember telling your parents that you were the most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen.”
Cinny’s head jerked toward her, “Did you say our parents?”
“Yes.”
“We know nothing about our parents.”
Mariah looked at the High Priest and he nodded. She looked at Cinny and said, “Your father’s name was Orlando Wright Kennedy. Your mother’s name was Olivia. They were the lead scientists that developed the genetics that led to your development. We called your father ‘Big O’ because he seemed to fill any room he entered with his presence. Your mother was the smartest person I’ve ever known.”
“Did they give me a name?”
“They named you Diana.”
Grant said, “The Roman Goddess of the hunt.” Cinny quickly looked at him and he smiled, “That name is the most appropriate name for your destiny.”
Mariah nodded, “That’s why they chose it.”
“What about Grant?”
Mariah hesitated and then said, “His parents were the first two humans that were genetically grown.”
“What?”
Mariah looked at Grant shaking her head, “You don’t think we would do this just one time and hope for the best do you? Your parents were the first and they were a step beyond any human that ever lived. You were born naturally with only slight modifications to the embryo. Your father’s name was A.E. Alexander. Your mother’s name was Athena.”
Cinny stared at Mariah and said, “My history of Avalon says that the President of the Government was Paul Alexander.”
Mariah smiled, “You’re right. He was Grant’s grandfather.” Mariah stared at them for a moment and said, “The two of you are children of the best of us. It was your parents, Grant, that developed the advanced weapons used here and on the Orion.”