Evolution's Essence

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  Currently Renee sat in her fiery gilded throne of rubies and other gemstones staring at Callier, the new Mothership commander given within this year who sat on the other side of the star. Beside the holo-screen of the Creelin woman she called friend approached her youngest grandson Blake, seven years old yet liked thirteen and was a gifted analyst and engineer like all her grandsons. All eleven of them. Blake was the son of her daughter Jamie, also of Fire.

  “Grandma, you said to find you as soon as I finished my report.”

  “One moment, Callier.”

  “Take as much time as you need.” The Bezlin female turned her head and telepathically spoke to another aboard the bridge of her massive ship.

  The redheaded queen smiled and patted the extra space beside her usually reserved for her Match. “Show me what you have, Sweetie.”

  Blake approached in leather pants and an open vest like most boys in the city and was just the latest trend. He climbed the steps and sat beside his grandmother to concentrate a little and Renee’s neural chip blinked in the corner of her vision. A thought opened the file where Blake synchronized a link between them and brought up a hologram only their eyes could see. “Grandma, This star is highly unstable. My micro drones and other detectors relayed the information I analyzed for this visual. Even if you, Grandpa and my aunts didn’t plan on harvesting the matter of this enormous star, it would lose stability in seven months, three days, six hours and eleven minutes from now.” At the corner of her vision was the countdown. “The forces of explosion and the star’s immense gravity is in critical stages and will explode regardless if we did nothing. But if we do nothing this star will vaporize ninety one nearby star systems within this century before stabilizing the core into a super massive black hole and further draw in two hundred systems within the next four thousand years. Two of which systems has the makings of sustainable worlds. One of which has shown convergent evolution life on Earth had during the Precambrian age. Right now the smartest creature looks like a jellyfish, but life is life and must be protected.”

  “Then I guess we came at the right time. What of the radiation levels?” She asked because she was still a medic, the very best.

  “Extreme is putting it mildly. No one has ever detected levels this high. Our armor can’t withstand it, but Grandpa’s upgraded suits are more than capable of withstanding such, but here is the issue. Time dilatation.”

  “How bad is the ratio?” she knew about time dilation alright. Gravity affected time itself. Stronger gravity literally slowed time as it is commonly perceived.

  “To put it in layman terms…” Blake had to pause and think. His mind quickly calculating the numbers. “For every year that we experience you will feel maybe five hours and forty five minutes. The event horizon even without it being a black hole is that strong. And since Grandpa said it’ll require fifteen hours to charge up the gateway. You, Grandpa, Mother all my aunts and the strongest Creelin brought here will be gone almost three years.”

  “Well done.” She kissed his cheek.

  Blake paused and was confused for a moment. “You knew, Grandma?”

  “Yeah. Olly told me that almost a year ago after just looking at the selected star for five minutes. I, the other queens and the Archivers were warned beforehand by your grandfather what it’ll take. This isn’t an easy endeavor. When we go, Samuel will run my city till my return. Since this will be the largest controlled hypernova in human history, it will be well documented. I’m proud you still only took less than twenty four hours to find the same solution as Olly at your age. It even took your cousin Sammy two whole days to figure out a similar problem my Match put on him at your age.”

  “Grandpa was testing me?” Blake was hurt and proud at the same time.

  “Of course. He’s been testing all his grandsons since you all were weaned of your mother’s tit.” Renee laughed at his blank expression. “You boys are wired mentally different and being half human he has been making sure there are no defects or anomalies of that union being a detriment to your health and mental foundation.”

  “What about my sister and cousins of the female gender? Do you…?”

  “Better believe it. Just like Oliver has his skills, so do I. Just as you can crunch numbers full humans can’t grasp, my girls are skilled in anatomy. I too make sure they aren’t too affected by diluting pure Solarian with Terran unions. So far the effect is minimal considering our family history. Especially my being a genetically modified Solarian off the Geo Record’s walls.” She looked up at the grey glowing eyes of Callier. “Did you get all that, My Friend? Blake did another independent verification your people and my Olly tested.”

  “I would like to read his analysis before we take our positions and begin the processes.”

  His grandmother just gave a glance and Blake squinted, used his Valek to send the information through the city and it transferred to the Creelin Mothership. Callier nodded her thanks and quickly nodded. “Well done, Youngling. Your numbers are correct and are not showing any deviations from ours.” Blake’s chest swelled and he blushed from the praise. “We will begin preparations. Renee, when do you wish to begin the operation?”

  “In three hours. Zero two hundred hours. It will give time for my daughters’ mates to say goodbye for the years we’ll miss one last time. I’ll also need to find my enormous moron and find out what he’s up to. Likely yours is still with him too.”

  “Likely. Netul has yet returned to my ship. We begin in three hours. Callier, signing off.” The holographic visual winked off.

  Renee said “Laxus, where is Oliver and Netul?”

  The city AI appeared and smiled. “In the Silent Chamber with Samuel and a dozen other Creelin boys and girls, My Queen. Would you like me to summon them.”

  “Quite alright. I need to stretch my legs. Been sitting on my ass too long as it is.” She stood. “Blake, go play and relax for a few hours.”

  “Can’t, Grandma. I’ve got a report I need to finish in Creelin Stellar mathematical studies on gravity alteration dictated by mass variances.”

  Renee’s face went blank as t always did when met with too much jargon. She smiled when her grandchild laughed, kissed her cheek and walked away.

  She though moved away from the throne room and went upstairs to easily find a nano-wall with a light above showing it was in use. It was easily opened by her hand touching it and she entered a silent room with calming green walls that allowed for minimal distraction. On the floor were plush cushions where a group of prepubescent Creelin youths sat cross-legged before the two large adults. Samuel sat off to the side, eyes glowing orange like his hair. Renee immediately realized it was training day. Her man always took one day a week to guide children in use of Psionics. Oliver and Netul sat side by side nearly naked like everyone. Only a loin cloth covered their shame. Renee had to control herself. Oliver was a prime male specimen layered in taut, corded muscle.

  “Now try again, Children.” His deep bass voice coaxed with soothing calmness that lessened anxiety. “Calm your breathing to reach for the power within all living beings. Your cells already know what to do. Now use your mind to direct that power towards your hands and lift the sphere. Do it slow. You needn’t rush.”

  In front of every Creelin was a baseball size sphere of steel and they followed Samuel’s example by watching the flow of energy with their barely misting eyes.

  Shakily each ball began to rise under the ten times gravity they were all comfortable with.

  “Havij, do not force it. Use less power. It will accomplish this exercise and not tire you out when you return home.” The boy with the highest floating sphere did as told and used too little and the ball dropped to the ground. The youth cringed, but relaxed when Oliver smiled and gestured to try again.

  Renee noticed Nova stare directly at her and the Ligers, all this time, gave her a unified wink. Letting her know Oliver saw her standing in the dark corner watching the lesson. It put a smile on her face.

  “Movin
g objects is the simplest form of Psionic as you all know and most commonly used. It is also the most useful. It is what allows your parents to figuratively fly. It is an electrical extension of our body. By manipulating the electrical field we all generate, almost anything can be accomplished.”

  “What do you mean, Oliver?” a little grey girl projected to everyone.

  “He means that telekinesis can not only move objects, but mold them by rearranging an objects particles without destroying the object.” Netul answered instead with a similar lecturing tone. “The sphere each of you are lifting can be reshaped into anything you can imagine just by rearranging he molecules. A master of the power can do this without forcing the sphere from the outside like you would use your hands sculpting clay.”

  “Can you show us?” another, even younger girl mentally voiced. She had cute, short hair-like antennae.

  “Certainly, but you will need to watch carefully and remember to never do this to another living being.” Oliver warned. “Doing it to any living creature is punishable by death. Except plant life. That is the only exception. Use even on an insect carries the same punishment if you did so on a peer.” The children all promised they wouldn’t.

  Without using a hand as the children did, two flew off the wall where other spheres were kept and floated in the center of the room between the two groups with Samuel by the Ligers observing the lesson. “This is eternal modification.” Oliver pumped more power over the smooth surface and forcibly turned a solid sphere into a large ring. The metal was red hot afterwards. “And this is internal, by forcing molecules to move together.” Again he made an identical ring. This one didn’t glow at all. “Can anyone tell me what was different.”

  Hands shot up. Netul pointed and called a name. “The first way made tremendous heat I feel all the way back here. And it required far more power than the other.”

  “Did anyone see anything else?” Oliver prompted and by the expressions on everyone’s faces spoke volumes. “Then here is what you need to study and train at home under adult supervision. You can levitate your toys and objects on your own somewhere nothing will break, but modifying structure is not permitted alone without someone of experience. You train, but study up on molecular bonds. Not one of you except my grandson focused on the molecules themselves. You only allowed your awareness to brush the outside of the metal. None thought to feel inside.”

  “But it is hard to see in dense objects, Oliver. It hurts.” Thought a boy with a smoothly sloped head yet to begin growing ridges.

  “Psionics do not hurt. Using your energy merely tires you so you must train it to grow to your potential. What you think hurts is just being unfamiliar of the object your mind isn’t used to feeling. The only thing you likely do not and may never be able to manipulate are objects with molecules so dense they are locked in place and do not vibrate. Like my weapons or the hulls of the Empire’s ships. Even with all my power I’m unable to manipulate those molecules.”

  “Not even you?”

  “Not even me, Kalaak.” He told the boy. “Now this is it for today.” He reformed the rings back into spheres and floated them back to the shelf recesses. “And remember what I said. When next you see me will be in two years, eight months, five days and sixteen hours. If by thin you haven’t entered the fifth tier of your training you will be banned from my city and none of you will make it as Zeelin.”

  “He is correct. I want all you younglings in the seventh tier when I return though. I see all of you are well gifted for your ages. I want to see great things happen upon my return from each of you.”

  “Beyleez, Netul, when you were my age, what tier were you?” another asked as they all stood and put the spheres away.

  “I was a prodigy. I was an eighth tier when I was seven. I became Zeelin when I was ten years in the Terran calendar. My record is available if you search.” Fresh awe lit the children’s features hearing this. “Now return home and make me proud, Younglings.” One after another there was a flash and the children were taken from the room back to their homes. Netul inclined his head to Renee as he began donning his armor and paused when her hand touched his chest and he inhaled.

  “Broken rib. You and Olly fought again.” She stated before her bracelet injected the Creelin with synthesized bone to aid healing. “Better?”

  “Much. Thank you for the concern.”

  “I’m used to it when I leave you two morons alone. How’s your boy? Is he having fun researching becoming a Warden on the new colony?”

  “Indeed. He has taken well to learning about ecological systems and has especially been grateful for the very last litter of Ligers being bestowed. They have helped him much in keeping the wildlife of the new world from collapsing before it is self sustaining.”

  “We’ll you’ve got two and a half hours left before the mission starts. Blake verified again the numbers and impressed your Match. That boy doesn’t blush much, but he went beet red at her acknowledgement. Better be worried, that boy fancied Creelin women.” She laughed richly. “I swear when he hits puberty he’ll find a pretty Creelin female and have some fun.”

  “And she will likely enjoy it.” Netul slapped Renee’s back as they sent mental pictures back and forth trying to outdo the other. “Ah to be young and enjoy ones first love.”

  “What would happen if I told him I found a way to allow your silicone physiology to breed with our carbon base?”

  This sobered Netul so fast Renee doubled over just by expression let alone how his mind seemed to stop. Eventually he returned to himself and asked hesitantly “Do you speak true?”

  “Yup. It’s just a tiny genetic tweak a wanting mother needs and she can bare the babe of a Drake of they wanted. I found it ten years ago when I was breastfeeding Erin ad Gwen and came across a Human/Creelin couple and thought they looked good together. So I figured the method and ran a genetic composition of the hybrid offspring and found that the union will give the child more muscle mass than Creelin do and have a slower metabolism. They’d still eat oxygen and nitrogen, but require solid food needed to fuel the muscle mass requirements. The child would have few weaknesses because my tweak will bring out the best traits in both parents. Stars! I’m so good at modifying genes I could become a Creelin, but I like having boobs all the time. When it comes to biology I have no limits. I could even physically become a Keptl Queen if I wanted.” Netul stepped back and gave her another surprised expression.

  “Do your daughters know how to do this?”

  “Angie and all those hellions who are of Water do. We’ve kept it secret because we’ve yet to stabilize the Splicer market from all our ideas. Last thing we need is announcing this idea and the upheaval it’ll cause. Olly ran the numbers and said there was a hundred percent chance your people would be threatened the loss of their identity and would war against the Empire.”

  “He would be correct. We are a slow people. Careful people. Terrans are young and dangerous. If the blending became common practice too soon and you became a threat to yourselves and others we would be forced to bring the Empire to heel and impose heavy restrictions. A race’s identity is what makes us unique. Blurring the evolutionary process is dangerous psychologically to a people. Loss of ones identify will cause strife. It would be wise to keep such ideas from public knowledge for many millennia.”

  “Seven thousand years minimum.” Oliver guessed. “Human history isn’t careful. Its messy and tragic. It took a hundred years to quiet after finding the Geo Record and meeting the Creelin for the first time. Since I was found twenty five years ago, my return still has yet to quiet their minds. So until relations settle I’ll put a block on Human/Creelin hybrids. Just look at clothing trends.” He said while sheathing the cutlass, dagger and hooking the shield behind his back. “They changed quarterly. My own grandchildren can’t figure out a style that they enjoy most. My daughters didn’t have this issue.”

  “Grandpa, does that include me?”

  “No, Samuel. I apologize for the generali
zation. You were mature for your age all your life. It was bound to happen having Davan as a father and me as a grandfather. Your sisters though.”

  “Enough said.” Samuel laughed. “I need to go get ready to start my duties while you all ready to contain the star. Wish I could watch with my own eyes. It would take a year for it to reach us here and vids aren’t going to work right when you are slowed to a crawl.”

  “Can’t be helped.” Renee shrugged. “You’re the most responsible grandkid I got to run my city properly while we’re away. Hop to it, Sammy. We got to get ready.”

  “Take care, Grandma.” He kissed her cheek on the way out the nano-wall.

  “I must ready too.” Netul left in a bright white flash.

  “Docking bay?” Oliver asked.

  A wicked grin crossed Renee’s lips. “Nope! We have an hour and I’m horny. I keep forgetting you train near naked. Let that dick out to play. I’m hungry.” His clothes immediately went away and his weapons fell, but not before Renee popped his length in her mouth and got him ready before climbing up, locking her legs and getting roughly hammered into the wall by a jackhammer of a male.

  She climaxed a dozen times before flicking his nose and panted “Stars… twenty five years and we still fuck like the first night we did it on Verard.”

  “No, it isn’t the same. It gets better and better. Especially after you learned keagle exercises that milk me better than your mouth.” He withdrew and loved how her cheeks flushed each time they came together. It was also a bittersweet disappointment when she willed clothes on. He loved her puckered nipples and pink core. Even perfect memory wasn’t enough to keep the urge to stare from going stale. Yet the greatest draw was neither her body or beauty, but her scent. It set the blood afire. Especially when aroused.