Evolution's Essence

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  “He would need to volunteer, but I see no drawbacks forming an alliance. But I’m cautious. I will not give you a definitive ‘Yes’, but would rather speak a slight modification. We make a temporary alliance on say… five years. If you uphold your end of all you said I will ensure it with all the power of my office. We must hold a trial alliance and find if we are compatible.

  “You wish to fight with us, but many of my people, hundreds of millions, have dies at the ferocity of the Kep… the Feral.” He corrected himself. Many Humans want all Feral dead and that will likely include you due to similarities. Humans are passionate creatures and quick to anger. Mush blood has shed and many will wonder if this is some new ruse or tactic to make us vulnerable with allies, only when we turn our back to be taken out. We do not truly know if you have been manipulating what you call Feral or if you are the mastermind behind everything.” Many of the Keptl growled, but White Blossom silenced them with a thought without showing anything outwardly. “I’m merely speaking broadly and is why you must understand my position. If you prove a true ally, it will sway opinion, but resentment isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is prejudice.

  “We still offer relocation and protection in our secured space on the condition we observe, but I leave it up to you to consider a temporary alliance with the hope of solidifying a permanent alliance.”

  For a time White Blossom and Emperor Markeese stared at each other equally before she extended a long arm across the table made of a tendril from Hard-shell. “I accept. I gain much by leaving and fighting again. Five years is nothing to me. A blink. As my friends say, Deal!”

  Black hand shook white claw, sealing the agreement.

  “I have a gift, White Blossom.” Oliver said after the hush and brought out a sealed box.

  “Gift? I love gifts!” she got up swiftly and moved to take it from his hands to try and figure out what it was and what lay within. She pursed a bottom lip when he pulled back. “But you said it is a gift?”

  He shook his head. “If you opened it here you would crush or fling everyone aside and possibly injure many here.”

  “Oh… so I’m guessing something inside grows rapidly?” her curiosity renewed.

  “Correct assumption. Since we’ll be relocating you, do you mind if I level about four acres of land?”

  “By all means.” She permitted it easily and excitedly watched him wave a hand and it was as if a powerful square dropped from the skies and flattened the trees and shrubs near perfectly flat. Crushed.

  The box in his hand levitated out and was placed in the center if the area with all watching with great interest. Soon at it landed the top parted and like a tornado a funnel blasted out and seemed made of pure light. Then as the spinning vortex reached a certain height it seemed to slam into a wall and spread. Filling the entire newly made field the light stopped again and bled down flat sides. The energy field of white light soon became res halfway down and became a circle until below it was a blue archway reading inside ‘Enter’.

  “What is this big box?” the Keptl Queen approached carefully and laid her hand on the wall and pushed. The light coming off resisted her touch as if made of stone.

  “It is a portable Zero Ball game field. Inside it cancels all gravity so pick four people or Keptl you want to play with.”

  “But Zero Ball can’t be played on world… can it?” someone spoke.

  “I merely isolated the gravitational field inside the space to counteract gravity. I merely apply the same principal my Valet implied into my body so I’m always in a constant ten G aspect to keep me from jumping around and trying to get from one place to another. The light you see is merely the stored energy interacting with gravimetric nanite particles that allow for the walls inside to remain solid. I had it made years ago, but was saving it for something special.” Said the inventor scratching his pointed ear. Oliver then asked “Do you know the rules of the games, White Blossom?”

  “I do from Renee’s memories. Two groups of five enter a weightless area. No power can be used to move except bodily. Only one of the five may protect the colored circle. Renee believes it is the only game you can play fairly with the Humans because you are so much faster and smarter than any of them. She enjoys watching you play very much.”

  “Too true.” Renee boasted. “Always gets me so damn horny when he plays this game. It is the only game ever invented where he doesn’t get an advantage or can predict whether or not he’ll win. So what do you say, Big Girl? Want to try this game out?”

  The Keptl Queen’s head nodded so fast others would have gotten dizzy otherwise. “Oh please. Out of all your memories, I found this recreation the most fascinating. Solarians had a very similar game, but the shape was spherical and spin around dizzyingly. The scoring area never stayed in one place, but it is just as brutal as this game. I love this gift and want my brood to join me. It would be good practice and much fun.” Shiny armored Keptl approached. A large Tracker, slithering Lisk, a rolling Defilier and floating Dragoon came forth to their queen’s summons. All wore polished armor and were exceptionally fearsome as she said “I choose these as my players.”

  “Red, Steven, Sparky and Visor. I want you four on my team. Visor, you hold down the goal. Steven, you’re my second striker. Sparky, you are the central. Renee you’re the supporter.” Oliver called the positions as he stepped through, under the blue archway and went from ten G’s to zero the moment he came through. A simple kick off the ground launched him off to the back area where a handhold on the wall let him stop. Along the way though he scooped up the ball and held it under an arm. The rest of his team followed his example and weren’t strangers to the absence of gravity.

  White Blossom willed her brood inside and felt their discomfort as the abrupt change imparted itself on their bodies. She had fought for eons and was no stranger to weightlessness even though it had been so very long. Her legs carrier her and she took a few breaths before coming inside to find the light inside wasn’t blinding and she manipulated her body to flatten out and fused he les together, literally. Her insect-like legs molded together and resembled flexible oars oddly enough. Her bulbous rear remained the same, but instead of joined to look as if she sat up at an angle all the time, her connected torso came in line with her body. Much more streamlined. Her long arms flailed as she tried adjusting to the differences as her body continued altering. Her horns and spiky body continued to extend till she looked more like an evil white pincushion, but then the spines oddly flattened and began lifting and falling along her body. Those spines made it so she could fly in the very air and gain serious advantages as she managed to take her place as the supporter.

  As everyone got in place Amanda Lockwell flew through the opening with her cameras saying “Mind if I referee this unorthodox game that will make I into our history books?”

  “Nope. Just be sure you stay back, Mandy. Your armor won’t be much use if a Tracker’s claws get in. You’re still a Class Two.” Renee said as her sexy attire rippled itself into full combat. Sexy and badass. Sparky’s modified collar was patterned after a Liger’s and his Drake body became encased in dark green metal, including all four wings. Only Visor was left out wearing armor.

  “For those of you turning to GNN to witness this unprecedented broadcast I, Amanda Lockwell, am bringing you this feed Live. As a Gift to this alliance, Consort Oliver Void, mate to Queen Renee of Fire, revealed a new invention. A portable Zero Ball room which has led us to this historic day. Bringing us to a highlight to today’s amazing culmination. We will witness the Keptl Queen White Blossom play in our second most bloody sport. The only rule in the game is no use of Psionic. The only game where there is no advantage except pure skill. As the challenger, Oliver Void, he is the primary Striker in control of the ball. His adversary is a Dragoon… um what is his name?”

  “Heavy-wing.” White blossom supplied. “My second striker is Long-fang, the Lisk. Warm-squirt is my goal safety and my Tracker Run-ready is my center.”

  “W
ell with the names and positions ready,” She paused as everyone on the walls tensed “GAME START!” she shouted.

  Amanda Lockwell provided commentary while using her powers to drag herself around and say out of danger. “Oliver takes a direct leap to the roof and spins to throw the ball to Steven as Heavy-wing bites down on his leg and throws him away… and Oliver rebounds when Renee intercepts, using her own back as a platform to let him jump back into the melee where he sends a fast uppercut under Heavy-wing’s jaw. Wow, what a shot!” Heavy-wing’s head bounced off the roof with a metallic clang after such a hit.

  “Steven Metts avoided a tackle from the Lisk Long -fang and manages to circle around before connecting with White Blossom who managed to grab hold of his ankle, but not before Steven threw it into the mouth of Sparky glowing with excitement. White Blossom follows her grab of Steven and uses her extra mass to throw the large warrior in Oliver’s direction in an inescapable spin. Her throw was perfect.” Hearing that White Blossom gave a toothy grin to the Referee before using her body to fly out of range as Renee came in to double kick the other queen.

  “Fuck!” Renee called out when her attack missed.

  “Sparky hits the wall to rebound and slap Heavy-Wing with his finlike tail while passing the ball back to Oliver who intercepts, but rather than grab the ball he does a powerful kick to shoot for two points behind the halfway line… and it’s no good. Run-ready intercepts with his own mouth and uses all four legs to pass I to Long-fang, but he gets hit HARD by Sparky who manages to tear it out of his claws. Sparky flips away before Long-fang can regain his senses and spits out the ball to shoot it to Oliver who again flip-kick’s it to the goal which is wide open. Hold on, Warm-squirt comes out of his corner and from his mouth extends a barbed tongue to keep the ball from reaching the goal. He passes it to Heavy-wing who uses his serpentine body to coil and fling the ball with a straight opening to the goal… But Visor deflects with his whole body and hits the goal instead of the game ball. It’s free… Renee gets to it long before White Blossom and both Queens are fighting together. Visor interferes and rakes his claws over White Blossom’s face to no effect, but the distraction gives Renee the opening she needed to pass to Steven who id deep in the opponents area… and the pass is good. He throws… it’s a FEINT!” Amanda called in surprise as the Defilier Warm-squirt extends his barbed tongue where he imagined the trajectory to go. As he was retracting the several mete long tongue Steven this time threw it during a kick off the wall. “This time the throw is good and Warm-squirt can’t retract his tongue quick enough to launch it again… It’s good! First point Empire!”

  Amanda reached out and telekinetically pulled the game ball to her hand as the two teams floated back to their sides. Soon as everyone held onto their open holds dotted all around the room she tossed it to Heavy-wing who snatched it in rather flexible leathery wings.

  “And we’re back to the action as he Dragoon throws himself into a whipping motion to knock Oliver aside, but Oliver grabs hold of both the tail and the handhold to throw Heavy-wing at White Blossom, but the Dragoon spits the ball to Run-ready sprinting across the roof using the hand holds for added speed, but Steven comes in quick and kicks his opponent in the gut, getting Run-ready away from the wall.

  “Sparky’s wings fly him to tackle Run-ready and both their powerful jaws pull on the ball, but Sparky can’t dislodge from the Tracker’s locked bite. Any warrior of Terra can tell you once a Tracker lock’s its jaws it’ll never let go till it wants to. Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Zero! Disengage! Run-ready, return to the place Steven kicked you.”

  The Tracker gave a nod, his tail wagging as he went back into position as all the contestants clung to the walls eyeing heir opponent and the coveted ball. “Resume!” and the game did.

  Biting, kicking, clawing, punching. The full contact sport proceeded for hours. It was close in number and both teams gave their all, but stayed within the limits of the game.

  It was a tie game with forty three seconds remaining when White Blossom and her brood went completely still. So too did Oliver, Renee and Sparky.

  “What’s wrong?!” Amanda said as the change that overcame them was so instant, as if they all were shocked by a an electric shock.

  Sparky’s glow increased three fold as he sent a wide range telepathic warning “To arms! I sense many enemies entering the system! Many!”

  “Feral!” White Blossom transformed again, but this time she assumed a fearsome visage. “They attack and come early.” She ripped a hole in the area and dropped to the ground as her entire brood readied and began pouring out of the hive by the millions. As if someone kicked an ant hill.

  The cube sucked in all the particles as soon as the wall was breached.

  In orbit the battle cruisers and Goliaths spotted hundreds of rainbow Subspace openings and out of each slipped a Goliath. Samuel sat in his grandmother’s throne as Laxus sent the warning and used his Valek to turn the great city around and began firing the long range blasts as his readings showed the heavily armored Golaiths also in orbit began shooting the explosive spines they kept along their massive claws.

  The Emperor yelled “What’s happening?” as armored Keptl swarmed out in doves all looking up into the starlit night sky.

  Renee made herself do a short range Teleport to say “The Feral are attacking. After meeting these Keptl I can assure you I can sense a difference. We got hundreds of signatures coming. Olly was right, this deep in their space they detected our signature and realize something is very wrong with the space around their prisoner. I feel several Queens and they are projecting they are through dealing with White Blossom. They haven’t learned a thing from her in thousands of years and realize they won’t. they are coming to kill her and our presence made them come from every nearby system in this forsaken galaxy. I can feel it, Markeese. They come for extermination sensing White Blossom has gained allies. As a Drake Rider, you know we excel in telepathy and none of those bitches want us to help her.”

  “She’s right, Emperor.” Said a man landing with a Silver glowing Drake hissing. “I sense their hatred and hunger. I’ve never felt such single-minded focus. Every Keptl in this galaxy feels like it’s moving in this direction. Drawn to the Solarian signature here within this carefully watched over system. Emperor, we need to get you out of here.”

  Markeese looked up seeing bright beams of light firing deep into space and every ship in the system using every means to slow the threat. “Fine, but we’re relocating White Blossom. If they want her dead then I sure as hell want her alive. We need to send her to Andromeda, deep in our space where she can’t be detected so readily as she can here.”

  “Go, I’ll deal with matters here. My city can hold those fuckers off indefinitely.” Renee boasted and it wasn’t lightly said either. It was a firm and well documented belief. “You deal with fallout, Emperor. Just incase you know.”

  “Very well.” He saw reason and was rushed away with his beloved.

  “White Blossom!” Renee yelled as she flew over to the busy Queen being carried by five Trackers while she focused on important matters of survival. The Keptl queen blinked and met Renee’s gaze. “No, recall your swarm back inside the hive. I’m getting you out. Let my Grandson and the other battleships and fighters hold them off. Have your Goliaths grab each other and have one use a claw to grab the biggest ship you see up there. Its big and red.”

  “It is very powerful. Through my many eyes it is destroying many before my attackers’ spines even reach. Eleven already are torn apart.” Her glowing eyes brightened for a moment and eerily every Keptl in sight with now glowing eyes did an about-face and ran back inside the hive. She also caught Renee’s projected thought to say “Not to worry. Hard-shell can close up her body to be moved where nothing can breathe and is very cold. My brood will be safe once Hard-shell pulls back her limbs so she can be moved.”

  Renee turned to find what they used as a table for the feast churned the ground as it sank back and the enormous
hive made deep groaning sounds as it prepared to be moved or the first time in over twenty five millennia.

  The trackers carried their mother inside the wide opening as the Humans were gestured to be more than safe and secure inside by the people who had loved her more than a century. It was an evacuation and time mattered.

  Oliver flew down after producing a barrier around the entire planet and his eyes now burned like two small stars. “Go to your seat. I’ll Teleport the hive and make sure everyone is in contact with it. Since it is alive I can do that much mass quite well. I’ve already used Nova and my pride to realize the travel. I did it during the meal and I’ve made all calculations. I’ll meet you to that system.”

  “Alright. Steven! Visor! Get your asses over here!” she yelled as she mounted Sparky and held out a hand the warrior took and soon as the hawk latched in Renee teleported directly beside her throne to watch her eldest grandchild ripping apart all incoming enemies with rapidly moving eyes rotating around a full three hundred and sixty degree hologram he used to fire upon all aggressors. Seeing him occupied she contacted the residents of her city and explained the plan in a calm voice. The ship barely shook as an armored Keptl Goliath used a pincher to clamp onto the ship.

  “Sammy, Teleport us five seconds after your grandfather goes. White Blossom told me her Goliaths can go about an hour before losing themselves without her touch, but I don’t wish to test that theory.”

  “Neither do I, Grandma.” Samuel said as the first explosions from returning fire was absorbed by the city’s shields effortlessly. “Neither do I.”