by L M Lacee
She assured Darby; it was not as daunting as one may have thought. Her sister Fern, a biologist, organized scientists and Melody’s soldiers along with Warriors, and together they raided the worlds’ universities and other institutions of plants and seeds. They also raided the farming compounds that had been established when the world needed a simple automated way of growing crops without a large workforce.
They had elected not to raid the Svalbard Global Seed Vault; it seemed grossly unfair to the people remaining on Earth to do so.
TWENTY-NINE:
Melody, Hawk and Kerol accompanied by Willian and Lukkas followed Darby as she entered the kitchen.
‘Lady Darby.’ Hawk asked. ‘What is oh boy and should I move our ships?’
The women laughed until they realized the Warriors were serious. ‘Oh sorry, we thought you were making a joke.’ Melody explained.
Darby allied their fears. ‘No... No. It is a location and listening program. As long as there is a computer anywhere in her vicinity, we can find her and listen to what is happening. I designed it before you came. We were worried they would take one of us and we would not know where. Melody suggested this program, so now I can find anyone.’
Kerol said. ‘You are truly amazing, Lady Darby, with how you make such primitive technology do as you wish. It will be most enlightening to see what you can do with our technology.’
She did not take offense, she had learned the Warriors were genuinely amazed at what they called primitive technology. They did not understand how most of Earth’s technology worked, so to them it was as alien as theirs was to her.
She went pink, which they all knew meant a blush. It was a good thing the Star Daughter had said. Healer Heather explained about blushing. It had been enlightening for males who knew very little about female anatomy.
She sighed as she said. ‘Just call me Darby.’ She then asked Hawk. ‘How would you find her?’
‘We would scan for her bio signature then hunt her.’
Melody asked. ‘What if she is underground?’
Hawk raised a dark eyebrow. ‘It makes no difference to our scanners. They are more than capable of penetrating your structures and terrain. You do not have scanners?’
Melody told him. ‘Once we did, they seem to have been shelved as unimportant. No one was in a hurry to update them or make more. Food and survival took precedence.’
‘Although weapons were made.’ Heather mumbled. Melody shrugged one shoulder. ‘Well yeah.’
Hawk stated. ‘That is the nature of Governments, no matter what Universe you are from, armee’s must be armed.’ He noticed the look in Darby’s eyes and said. ‘Lady Darby, I will ensure one is made available for you as well as the schematics.’
‘Thank you Commander.’
She brought the program up on her computer and they all sat down with tea to wait. Ten minutes later, Heather asked. ‘Melody hon, who talked in your head?’
Melody broke up her conversation with Hawk on Warrior’s regulations to answer her. After fifteen minutes of discussion about the Star Child and then practicing in sending and receiving mind speech. The women found they were very good at mind sending. Almost too good, Hawk privately thought. He wondered how much the Star Child had influenced or tampered with these females. He also wondered what their reaction would be to the tampering when they found out. He did not know them well yet, but he was learning. These females were strong and independent, he was sure they would not like the fact they had been tampered with. He hoped the Star Daughter was prepared for that conversation.
Darby’s tablet pinged, she reached over and tapped the screen, instantly they could hear Peyton and two men speaking.
THIRTY:
The two Ambassadors walked into the windowless room, Ambassador Ian White nodded to the two soldiers who left without a glance at Peyton. For a moment she felt alone and vulnerable, then she gave herself a mental slap upside her head. Remembering her contingency plans if things went sideways.
Firmly pushing those thoughts from her mind, she looked the two males over; it seemed the similarities between the men stopped at the title Ambassador.
Ian White was at least six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a flat stomach. He had a narrow face with small blue eyes, and his blond hair was artfully styled, giving him a slightly roguish look. He carried himself as though he had been in the military and spoke with a European accent. When they had discovered who the Earth Ambassador was. Darby had done an intensive background check on him in the hopes they would have an official that could help them. What they found was a man of questionable character and uncertain loyalties. Melody had reached out to her military contacts to find out when and where he had served. Only to be told there were no military records for the Ambassador. Her exact words Peyton recalled were. ‘He is an elitist ass.’
Hawk had briefed them on Thanikis and his family not long after deciding to go to Maikonia. Thanikis was only a year or two younger than his brother, the Emperor of Jenersar.
Peyton gauged his height to be about six foot, he had a long lean body with surprisingly defined muscles. It was easy to see he trained. Hawk said he had been told Thanikis had been introduced to the art of boxing since arriving on Earth. Peyton did not believe that, he looked too much like the gym type. She thought he was slightly effeminate looking, which denoted prettiness rather than being handsome. His skin tone was light gray and his eyes were shaped more oval than round and were black without the ring of color the Warriors had. They were fringed with thick black lashes that matched his eyebrows and shoulder length hair, which was tied back with an elaborate silver knot clasp.
Hawk had also told them the Jenersar royalty had what amounted to a caste system, which was based on precious metals. Bronze was given at entry level to the royal household or family, every child born within the family was given bronze status. Silver designated a medium level royalty, for example mates and extended family or those who found themselves in favor with the Emperor and Empress.
Gold was worn by immediate family, siblings, parents and grandparents to the Emperor and Empress. Apparently, if someone displeased the Emperor or Empress, they could find themselves reduced to a lower level. Then they would have the arduous task of having to work their way into favor again.
Darby asked Kerol, what happened to a person who wore bronze and fell out of favour. He gently told her they were demoted in the usual Jenersar manner. Peyton thought Darby was the only one present, who did not realize he had meant killed.
Hawk informed them, the Emperor and Empress wore Luslian, which was the rarest and most valuable of precious metals found in the Indorino Universe. Thanikis was brother to the Emperor but out of favor at the moment, hence the assignment to Earth, and the silver hair clasp. Hawk told her with the disappearance of the Warriors, Thanikis would undoubtedly drop in rank to bronze. Regardless of his relationship to the Emperor and Empress, mistakes she was assured were treated harshly on Jenersar.
Peyton believed Thanikis was a dangerous man willing to do anything to make his mark and advance his standing in his Emperor’s eyes once more. She supposed in his place she would do the same.
There were a number of rumors on the Undernet about Ambassador Jenerika. It seemed Thanikis liked to bed a specific type of woman, and it was definitely not someone like her. He preferred tall, slim redheads and sadly there were many of them willing to be his bed partner. Peyton wondered what it was he promised them, if he promised anything at all. She had read that on occasion, he and Ian White shared women. She felt sad for the women if they were being exploited, and if they weren’t, she wished them luck and hoped they got out of the relationship what they wanted.
Both men took a seat as the Earth Ambassador tapped on his tablet. He saw her looking and smirked, saying. ‘For recording purposes. Do you mind?’
As if she had a choice, Peyton grinned, knowing Darby would be tracking her, and replied. ‘You do what you must.’
‘I am Ambassador Ian White.
This is Ambassador Senator Thanikis Jenerika from Jenersar. You are Miss Peyton St. Hill from Runnerdale, a town of the Americas.’
Peyton nodded. ‘Okay.’
He looked at her as Thanikis leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, a smile on his lips. He looked the picture of a contented male. Peyton did not react when she felt Thanikis’s mind reach out and tentatively scan her shield. She almost smiled when she felt his frustration at not being able to break through her defenses. Her attention was taken from Thanikis when Ian White asked. ‘Miss St. Hill, do you know why you are here?’
‘No clue, your guys picked me up and brought me here. No one told me anything, to be fair though I did not ask. I thought they were probably under orders not to tell me anything. I mean, if I was you, I would not tell them why they were sent to pick me up or if you told them. You would then, of course, order them not to tell me. See, that makes sense.’
A little baffled by her answer, he said. ‘Yes, right, well you are here because we believe you have subverted Ambassador Jenerika’s Warriors.’
Peyton opened her eyes wide and said. ‘I did what now.’
Ian White blinked at the startled look that came into the woman’s eyes and cleared his throat before saying.
‘It has come to our attention you have assisted the Warriors of Jenersar to go AWOL.’
‘AWOL. What is that?’
‘It means. Absent without leave.’
‘Really!’ She laughed. ‘Little ole` me. Why would I do that?’
‘This is what we are here to find out.’
‘I see.’
‘Miss St. Hill, I am sure you do not wish to cause an interplanetary incident.’
Peyton gave a little laugh as she shook her head. ‘I bet you never thought you would say that. Interplanetary. I know, I never thought I would hear it in my lifetime. Interplanetary.’
The Ambassadors did not share her amusement, Ian White nodded and said. ‘Right… Ahh no.’
Worriedly Heather looked at Melody and Darby saying. ‘She is going to get killed, if she keeps answering like that.’
‘Because they will just kill her to shut her up, is that what you mean?’ Darby muttered as Heather spluttered out a laugh.
Melody grinned, saying. ‘Darby stop that, if anyone kills her it will be one of us. I keep telling you that. Look, we know Peyton, she will have a plan.’
Darby challenged Melody’s theory. ‘I agree this is Peyton, but I scoff at your notion she has a plan. Because again, this is Peyton.’
‘Yeah… yeah.’ Melody replied with a laugh.
Thanikis was becoming more intense as he applied extra pressure on her shields. Peyton noticed a line of sweat appearing on his top lip.
Ian White’s tone was sharp as he asked. ‘Miss St. Hill, where are the Ambassadors Warriors?’
She leaned nearer and answered as near to the truth as she could, without lying. ‘I have no knowledge of where they are now. What I want to know is, how did he lose them? Surely that must be the question, not whether I have them.’
‘Look, you are not helping yourself here.’
His veneer of civility slipped as she asked her questions. Either Ian White did not have answers for her or was unwilling to share any he did have.
Peyton shrugged as she said. ‘You want me to answer a question I have no answer for.’
She looked at Thanikis when the pressure against her shield was suddenly removed. He seemed to be very irritated if his expression was anything to go by.
Now that she found amusing. Peyton asked. ‘Tell me why they wanted to leave the Ambassador, was he unkind to them?’
Ian leaned back in his chair. He knew this woman did not have the Warriors, but he would bet his last credit she knew something. Thanikis believed she knew where they were. Ian knew the only thing stopping him storming the town she came from, was the clause in the agreement, which stated no Ambassador was allowed to work autonomously on Earth.
He was more or less hindered in the same way, when he had made a discreet request of a General to have his soldiers enter the town and do a house by house search. His answer had been an emphatic no, he told Ian he did not have the soldiers to go against the Warriors. It would be a suicide mission and one he would not subject his soldiers to. He then said. These Alien Warriors had many years of perfecting the art of warfare compared to the soldiers of Earth, and unlike Ian White, he had seen the Warriors in training. He then had looked at Ian and said he believed if the Warriors had deserted en masse, as was stated, they probably had an excellent reason for doing so. His final parting shot as he closed down the discussion was to tell Ian, leaders were meant to protect their armies, not sacrifice them.
Ian had no wish to lose his promotion as Ambassador for doing an illegal search or by having his guards hurt or possibly killed. He and Thanikis had only thirty guards between them, certainly not enough to go up against trained Warriors. So he had proposed this alternative, to interview anyone who had been targeted for questioning or brought to their attention through their own sources. Ian hoped this would get Thanikis of his back about him not pressuring the Government to lock down the world to find his Warriors. Although why Thanikis was worried confused him; he kept telling the Government he was sure the Warriors would come to heel soon. Thanikis had made it plain to him he had a secret weapon to it ensure their return. But if that was true, then why, Ian wondered, were they wasting their time with this woman. She was of no importance, just as her dinky hole in the wall town was worth nothing. He looked at her and almost sneered in disgust, just catching himself in time and placing a disinterested expression on his face instead. The woman’s records showed her ability to produce children was average to nonexistence, and her DNA was unwanted. In fact, she was like every other woman he had met since he arrived in the Americas, plain and uninteresting.
There was nothing spectacular about her, although those eyes of hers gave him pause. They looked like glittering emeralds, and as he looked deeper. He was positive he could see tiny spots of starlight in their depths. Did she hold secrets in her eyes, would he find them if he looked even deeper? Ian felt himself move closer to the table as he delved into the pools of green fire. Thanikis’s demand for his attention finally penetrated the green fog overshadowing his mind.
‘Ian… Ian!’
Fear grabbed a hold of him and he tore his eyes from hers, blinking several times to clear his vision. He shook his head to dislodge the sensation and cautiously looked at her again and saw unremarkable green eyes in an unremarkable face staring back at him.
He flicked his eyes toward Thanikis to see him staring at him as well. ‘What did you want?’
Thanikis lifted an eyebrow at his surly tone but only said. ‘No matter.’
Ian returned his gaze to the woman and squinted at her, trying to rationalize a reason this small woman would have a need for the Warriors. When they had first arrived, Thanikis had assured the Government the women of Earth were safe from his Warriors. He told them the women would remain unmolested, as the males were uninterested in sex and could not perform intercourse. From everything Ian had been told, the Warriors were unable to overthrow a Government or join in a rebellion. Peyton St. Hill definitely did not look like the revolutionary type and he could not see her leading a rebellion.
So why Thanikis wanted to question her made no sense to him but she had been on Thanikis’s list, not his. So he had her collected and brought in for questioning, so far he believed it to be a waste of his time.
The way Thanikis told it, these Warriors were created living machines that had to be controlled and were little more than animals. Ian had his doubts about that; he had spoken with their Commander Roeah and found him intelligent and as frightening as he was reported to be.
Again Ian wondered why Thanikis did not call for more Warriors from their home world, soldiers went missing or were killed all the time and were replaced. Why not replace these Warriors? So far, Thanikis had avoided answering that questi
on.
THIRTY-ONE:
Peyton drummed her fingers on the table and asked. ‘So, I have a question for you.’
Melody gave Hawk’s arm a pat, when she felt him and the other Warriors tense. ‘No, don’t go there. She would die before she handed you over, wait and listen.’
They all nodded, but the tension did not leave their bodies and the women understood. They were so used to being betrayed and abused, it would take more than a few weeks for them to trust they would not do the same.
Ian White condescendingly gave her permission. ‘Please, ask your question, Miss St. Hill.’
Peyton dipped her head, not in submission but to hide the anger that flared to life in her eyes. When she had herself together, she raised her head and asked.
‘How many women are still on Earth?’
Thanikis answered and now Peyton could hear his accent was almost perfect. There was barely a trace of his own in his voice. ‘Why do you not tell us, I am sure you know? Perhaps we should ask the scientists you have working for you.’
‘Scientists working for me, I do not understand. I have no one working for me. Look, if you don’t know, that’s okay. I don’t know heaps of things, like where your Warriors are.’ She said this with a sympathetic smile toward the two men.
Ian White snapped. ‘At last count there were one billion women remaining. Why is that important?’
Peyton shrugged. ‘It is not, I was just curious that is all.’
Thanikis smiled. ‘Miss St. Hill, what does the little scientist Dabby something or other. What does she do for you?’
‘Oh brother, I have no idea who you are talking about.’
Melody said. ‘Okay, that is the signal. Grab your bags now. We are out of here.’
While the women did as she ordered, Willian and Lukkas took the backpacks and bags from the kitchen and hallway to the shuttle. Hawk and Kerol started securing the house.