Evolution's Essence (17 page)

Chandler’s broken nose made it difficult to
breathe, but he followed the command and felt the cold metal seal
his fate. Vanishing Claw spun him around and came face to face with
the giant armored wall with amber eyes. “Had you not been alive I
would have won… as I always do.”

“
Did. Past tense. You are a
bitter fool who needed more spankings. You brought this on
yourself. All the bad things you have done are in the open and I’m
glad to help. You are selfish and you destroyed Jenniviq and
Vladamin, two priceless treasures of my people.”

Chandler laughed. “Who said anything about
destroy? They’re in safe keeping. Take my execution off the table
and I’ll tell you where they are.”

The room listened, but didn’t wait long for
the smooth reply from the giant. “No. I’ll just take your memory
and the Valek so you cannot break free as you are planning.”

Chandler screamed madly as his mind was
broken into by a far greater telepath. In the recent memories he
saw Chandler use his Valek on the cores and used it to transfer the
data to a Human model storage crystal before breaking the core’s
link to the cities they operated and reused the materials for other
things since each core was the purest crystal ever found. Chandler
wanted to preserve the puzzle pieces in event the clones failed.
After Oliver found where the units were stored he reached out with
his right hand and linked his Valek with Chandler’s. He discovered
the removal code weeks ago and everyone watched at the vambrace
that had been on Chandler’s arm for centuries broke apart like ash.
“Take him, Claw. I’ve got some faces to see again.” Oliver walked
to the corner of the room, typed in a code and from the wall slid a
case that opened and the artificial units appeared. Jenniviq said
in delight “Master, you found us!” Vladamin merely nodded.

Chandler and the detainees eventually were
led to a dock where the Emperor waited. “Hello again, Chandler.
Seems this time you can’t worm your way out. You’ve got no one to
blame but yourself. I must say you look prettier now.” Coleson
touched his own nose.

Chandler spat and missed, but the Emperor
came in and clocked Chandler in the jaw so precisely and hard the
man was out cold before hitting the ground. “Damn that felt good.
Vanishing Claw, put him in isolation and post round the clock
guards till all the Elders show up and he is put on trial and
executed. I’ve got a ship to inspect and a promise to uphold. Davan
Took, are you ready?”

“
Yes, Emperor.” The man came
up, no longer in cuffs after willingly being vouched by the Emperor
that he was innocent and would never harm anyone unless in defense
of children. Multiple telepaths verified the truth. Markeese
Coleson even telepathically did it and pardoned the man. Together
with Marines, personal agents, scientists and engineers they went
deeper in the enemy vessel. Coleson’s first order of business was
“Destroy the clones, their facilities and…”

Chapter 5

“
That ugly mug of yours
hasn’t changed a bit since I last saw you in the flesh five
centuries back, Jake.”

“
Aye, and yers still
couldn’t be loved by yer own mother, Markeese.” Jake Dorgen took a
knee as both men laughed and embraced warmly as old friends. “How’s
me lass been treating ye?”

“
I’d swear she was you if I
couldn’t tell she was a woman. She’s like you in every other way.
You Scotts certainly are a passionate lot without a filter for that
mouth.” The Emperor stepped away, taking in the full impact of the
giant’s appearance. “Still wearing skirts?”

Jake playfully slapped the man upside his
bald head as Andrea laughed off to the side, cradling their son
David.

It had been a month since the former
president of Galicom was captured along with his two mates who all
conspired together for more power and influence over their fellow
man. Oliver walked away from old friends reuniting and scooped his
woman up into his arms, missing her from his mind for over a day
after going to collect the captain and Andrea Loke as well as their
son. Renee yelped at his stealthy capture and loved his deep laugh
before giving him a kiss. She then slapped his chest to be put down
and said “Don’t scare me like that!”

A soft gurgling laugh drew both their
attention to stare down at Isabella sitting between Rose’s claws
staring right up at her parents with innocent eyes a mix of green
and gold. In the month that passed, Isabella now looked more like
the average of a ten month old baby, but could understand things as
if she were between two and three years. Renee’s breast milk had
all but dried up in the past four days and Isabella ate a compacted
Beast pill about the size as a grain of rice as before, every week.
Her appetite at this age was enormous, but would taper off a little
when puberty settles in. As the naked baby girl, already potty
trained on command, sat between Drake claws playing in the lush
grass, she raised her arms for Daddy to pick her up.

“
There’s my little girl.”
One large hand swooped down and threw her up eight meters high
before catching. Isabella shrilled as only a baby could. Renee put
a hand on a hip, admiring him playing with their child and blowing
raspberries on her little tummy. Eliciting another gurgling laugh
that warmed the heart.

“
She’s grown even faster
than David.” Andrea said as she came inside the gate where lays the
pyramid they had been residing for a month and a half.

“
Hey there, Andrea.” Renee
turned at the woman who was a descendant of India. Caramel skin,
black hair. “I see you’ve been hitting the equipment down in level
ten.”

“
A woman’s figure is her
life. I’m still not back to my Olympian precision, but I’ve lost
all my pregnancy weight finally.” Andrea said as she was a renowned
gymnast despite being more importantly known for the discovery of
Havanna’s Solarian nursery center and a foremost expert scientist
on many historic topics.

“
Never had that problem.”
Renee gloated, patting her solid stomach under a white
dress.

“
Screw you. You didn’t have
to worry about carrying to full term. You went a few months, I
suffered over half a year carrying your brother.”Andrea looked down
at her arms to the dark redheaded baby boy contently asleep in her
arms.

“
He still got that cold?”
she asked, ending the banter early, trying not to wake
him.

“
Yeah, and a little colic.
The herbal tea in his milk tends to help. It did with my other
rugrats too. At least his fever is down a bit.”

“
I was sick a lot Papa tells
me. We should try a little Beast blood mixed in too. Isabella seems
to sleep better two weeks ago when she had stomach
problems.”

“
You sure raw blood is
safe?”

“
When she was fussy I had
some blood on my fingers during a meal and she latched on like she
did my nipple before I went dry. She had no bad reaction. It didn’t
change her double helix, but it did bolster her immune system and
digestive tract when she started eating soft solids.”

“
We can try… highness?”
Andrea flicked the crown and yelped when it suddenly opened and
clamped on her finger like a small animal before letting go. “That
hurt.”

“
Don’t screw with the
Solarian Queen of Fire. I’ll burn you crispy. It’s not real silver.
It’s a part of my armor.”

“
Think long and hard on that
did you?”

“
Oh screw you.” Renee
grinned, glared in a playful way and returned to watch her daughter
and man bonding. “How’s the freezer city?”

“
Same as ever. Seems
Stephanie and I were spot on. What artifacts remained in the
dwellings proved that Ice was like a retirement place, but we
discovered something else and are assuming based on evidence that
Ice held the least power among Solarian society, but conversely
they were those who gave wisdom and were the watchers. The Elders.
They had the least military presence, but they, pardon the
pun,
coldly
dealt
out wisdom and law. We also discovered a chamber displaying the
three hundred governing laws around what appears to be the queen’s
throne and a place for a council of judges of some sort. Quelette
wasn’t too helpful, but there is no other explanation Stephanie and
I could come up with.”

“
No wonder why you and
Oliver felt so out of place there.”
Sparky
said, sniffing David and giving the baby’s cheek a little lick in
greeting. Andrea didn’t fear he’d ever harm her son.
“Greetings, Andrea.”
She
smiled at the great Drake.
“You are alive
with passion. Cold and calculating you are not.”

“
And it was too bland and
lifeless for my tastes. I need a little color. If my favorite color
is black or white, I couldn’t live long in snow. Waiting for Izzy
was hard enough to test my patience.”

“
Yet you would do it again
to be a mother. It suits you.”
Complimented
Rose, sending uplifted emotion as Isabella began squeezing Oliver’s
cheeks while being blown in the face.

“
True. Having Izzy changed
my whole world. Hormones really alter personality. And she’s just
yummy.”

“
She like her toes nibbled
on too?” Came’s Jake’s deep voice as he entered the room. “Yer
brother loves it.”

“
Hey Papa, glad you could
come.” Renee hugged his waist.

“
I’d not miss the execution
for much more than a family emergency. Ye can be assured there is a
line wanting to do the honors Stone and Steven were granted. All
this week the crew ate popcorn during the trial televised on GNN.
By the way, Lass, ye did good when the news broke about… well ye
know.”

“
We kept it a secret for
over a year, Papa. Markeese made it too difficult to say no after
showing us footage of a focus group given all the information
except about us. The group realized someone had to know Solarian to
break the code you spent your whole life trying to uncover. And by
how fast we’ve been finding the cities… well it was time Olly’s
story was told. I rather liked seeing the faces of people as the
story broke about how we found him. And getting calls from old
classmates realizing I’m now a queen…”

“
It is just a title, Lass.
I’m king of the pirates, but so long as ye do not let it make ye
think yerself above anyone I won’t put ye over me knee.” He was
serious.

“
Don’t worry. I don’t like
people enough to deal with a whole lot of their bullshit. But it is
great the five-some are my bodyguards.”

“
Talking about us?” Flew in
Satellite who landed on the granite dining table. The falcon folded
his wings and walked over the table and Renee didn’t hesitate to
give a scratch under the chin.

“
In a good way, Satellite.
You know I never have a problem with neither you or Visor. It’s
your counterparts that tend to get in trouble.”

“
At least Stone isn’t like
Steven.” He chirped.

“
You simplify too lightly
his benefits as a thinking creature.”
Snorted Sparky.

Satellite laughed and glanced when the
Emperor’s secret agents preceded the man inside. “The council of
Elders decided that the executions will begin in two hours. Oliver,
Elder Claw also wants me to ask if you’ll create a pain device like
Archiver Tammat wore. He’s finally decided to take you up on the
Pride offer and knows it’s an honor… even after remembering what
Nova did back then.”

“
Did he say what kind…”
Oliver began and was cut off.

“
Oh, right, he wants an
earring. One that won’t get in the way of his armor.”

“
No problem. It’ll be ready
when we meet topside.” Satellite flew off with the message as the
family and friends spoke of the events in a month’s separation and
cleaned up before leaving the underground city.

At high noon on Zerika, tens of thousands
stood in the once crater now flourishing with grass and life. Great
shuttles were clearing the skies after depositing Hunters, Marines
and imperial officials as well as reporters.

A silence fell over the masses not for the
first time when the majestic Ligers stood proudly in sunlight as
soon as leaving the heavily guarded stairs. But what silenced all
except the Hunters, was Oliver and Renee holding hands in their
battle armor without a helmet on. Him black and hers a pure white
that highlighted her crimson hair. She’d only turn it back to black
when she believed it necessary. Till then she’d keep it white.
Beside them, arm in arm was the Emperor and Empress chatting with
Jake and Andrea on either side. Rose never liked crowds and was all
too willing to look after the two young children and keep an eye on
a posted Hunter detail outside the building.

An exceptionally wide path was established to
a growing field of sapling Inferno Trees where stood all the Elder
Hunters as well as a train of men and women bound together by
chains in a train for execution. Over four thousand long were
proven to be irredeemable. A hundred thousand that were captured
and verified were shipped across the two galaxies for immediate
retraining.

As suspected, Davan Took found his life’s
work was indeed stolen to finish work on instantaneous travel from
point to point, but another group that predated his work made a way
that required only one point as anchor to send and receive living
and nonliving objects rather than two points being anchors. He also
stood three weeks ago, when data was recovered from the enemy
dreadnaught database clearly detailing Davan Took having his
morning coffee gradually laced with nanites that ultimately
controlled him.