Evolution's Essence (38 page)

Between two galaxies and outlying colonies
the whole Empire came to a silent stop. Never in all of the
Empire’s history could there be such silence. Even young children
seemed to understand the importance and didn’t make a peep.

After five minutes of this passed Markeese
ended the tie of quiet “Thank you all for watching. Very soon you
will watch the first aired feast with a Keptl Queen and hopefully
our new ally against the scourge.” Amanda Lockwell turned off her
floating cameras. “Shall we go?”

“
Why not, but I’ve got to go
grab something first. I’ve got a gift for her.” Said Oliver a he
used the chip to open the nano-wall to the room and stepped
outside.

“
Gift? What kind of gift?
Wondered the regal empress.” A glance to Renee had the redhead
shrug, but the smirk ruined the notion she was oblivious to her
man’s plan. “Well then I guess we should all be surprised. Queens
from the Milky Way, what are your plans?”

Queen Hellen of Fire pursed her lips before
saying “We’ll return to our homes to observe. No doubt these Feral
Keptl will be amassing soon due to the increase of Psionic
emanations of the Solarians of Andromeda. Since they control that
space so densely you need to move fast. No doubt they are preparing
or are already on their way to see what is going on and why your
new discovery just gut a massive increase in power. I believe they
cull White Blossom every decade to keep her prisoner so she can be
controlled. With so many powers such as Andromeda has at its
disposal, it won’t go unnoticed even if they wrap their power
tightly. So we will observe and prepare for war. It will certainly
happen when the Feral find out we’re intending to move White
Blossom. We’ll have need of our new ships we were amassing for the
portal. Now they’ll be used for something we know how to do
battle.”

“
Smart.” Isabella nodded as
they all proceeded outside. “I hadn’t considered that yet. I’ll
ready my fleet. Papa told me he wants to use the volcanic world
where I and my sisters grew up before reshaping the shell of this
city into a massive battleship for Her new home. It’s deep inside
our space and easily defensible. I better start getting my boys and
girls ready for some fun.” Bloodlust filled Isabella’s eyes and
everyone could tell she loved to do battle. It was natural for a
Terra Queen to love fighting.

Soifon bumped her sister’s hip. “Just don’t
go overboard like you did on PXY-767. My people are still trying to
fix that system and put those planets back together. Your people
tend to go more overboard than mine. And that is saying
something.”

“
Yeah.” Isabella sighed
dreamily. “It was such a great battle. Twenty Goliaths and eight
Queens to face against my one ship. They never expected me to grab
every planet in the system to knock them around before I let my
boys finish the job.

The nostalgia in her tone had them all
chuckling.

Oliver came running down the stairs with a
package under an arm, his Pride having fun running with the master
as they caught up to those staying in the throne room where Renee
sat comfortably stroking one of Rose’s new children. A sapphire
baby Drake that slept curled up in her lap, covering it entirely.
Rose and Sparky now has six new youngsters to deal with and were
very happy to do it. Oliver didn’t bother with asking where his
children went. All other queens were no longer aboard.

Approaching the throne he found Renee staring
at the screen scanning nearby space when suddenly the imperial
flagship and a fleet of two hundred plus enormous battleships
jumped into their space instantly. Renee’s voice carried. “See you
boys finally made it. Are you ready to go? I’m sending coordinates
now.”

Emperor Markeese appeared on the holographic
display. “Got it, Queen Renee. All ships teleport on my mark.” He
held up an antique Rolex wristwatch. Six seconds passed as everyone
had time to prepare. “Mark.”

Renee’s Valek merely had to touch the indent
in the armrest to control the massive city-ship and immediately the
stars changed to also reveal a blue jewel of a planet. The emperor
commanded the battleships form a blockade around the planet which
they did after finding the goliaths moved over to give them space.
White Blossom mentally touched many distant minds and soon as she
was satisfied she was in no danger she allowed passage.

It took twenty minutes for the invited to
teleport and gather on the planet’s surface. Emperor Markeese kept
a hand on the hilt of his blade at every moment. He was cautious,
but friendly. He didn’t make it as emperor all this time for being
a fool. Especially with his beloved wife near their Tracker and
Lisk guide leading them down a trail through the dark woods as
night had fallen. Oliver rode comfortably on the back of Nova who’s
massive paws padded silently across the ground like all other
Ligers. Renee flew on Sparky overhead with the Emperor’s Drake
Rider bodyguards.

Standing excitedly outside the hive in a well
lit clearing with strange Keptl with glowing abdomen that looked
like overgrown lightning bugs was White Blossom. Stretched over a
long tentacle pushed up from the ground laid the feast promised
along with every Human who had called this place home for over a
century with those who remained from earlier. Queen Vikki stood
beside White Blossom with Steven and a perched Visor watching
everything like… well… a hawk.

“
You came back and with so
many new friends!” White Blossom’s voice carried as it always side
and her big, silver glowing eyes were open and honest. “Come! Come!
I’ve food ready.”

“
Greetings Lady White
Blossom. I’m the Leader of the Empire. Emperor Markeese Coleson and
I’d like to start by saying it is a pleasure to meet
you.”

The Keptl Queen cocked her head almost like a
dog would. “So you are like Mativ’s brother then. You speak on
behalf of your kind?”

“
I do.” He inclined his
head.

“
Okay. Then enjoy company
and a filling meal. Let’s get to know each other. I would still
prefer any dealings are done with my old friends returned to me as
new people we can renew bonds all over again.” She pointed to Renee
and Oliver as they dismounted.

“
I hold no objection to
that. They are good at representing the will of my people for the
good of all. But since this is a momentous occasion I feel it
prudent you meet me as I’m sure our races will one day have a
correspondence.”

“
No.” White Blossom crossed
he long arms. “Correspondence isn’t enough. I cannot accept mere
words. I want relationships and friends. I want my brood to merge
with your people. I cannot return to being alone again. Words sway
too easily. We merge or you leave me to the claws of the
Feral.”

“
What do you mean by merge?”
The Empress said as her husband tried to decipher how to
respond.

“
Sit and I tell my
conditions.” White Blossom offered a hand and the ground churned to
break open as seats appeared. Everyone sat down and waited.
“Eat.”

Raw and cooked meat was the main course and
since all except the original Raptor Marquis crew had Solarian gene
therapy, eating raw meat wasn’t an issue. A quick scan showed
nothing dangerous lingered inside. The Emperor reacted out and
filled a plate with clearly different meats and a few steamed
tubers resembling a carrot shaped potato. Everyone else followed
the example. A Lisk slithered up and hissed, but not threatening
way. In its claws was a large seed with a plug in the top. A gentle
Psionic mind indicated it was a fermented liquid. Liquor. The
Emperor’s scan said it was an exotic type of rum and wasn’t
harmful, but it was strong. He accepted and held out an empty mug
on the table. The Lisk gently pulled the plug with vicious teeth
and carefully poured.

Renee used her chip to the orbiting city and
teleported some of her father’s finest ale to the surface and
personally filled White Blossom’s large bowl warning “My father
brews strong alcohol so be careful. I do not know how it’ll react
to your body chemistry so if you feel any effects…”

“
Not to worry, My Friend. I
enjoy strong rum my humans taught me how to make. I even produce
pure alcohol in glands under my tongue to make fire. My Lisks all
have it too.”

“
You spit fire?” Someone
asked and turned out to be Steven. “So Awesome!” he
laughed.

“
Can you give a
demonstration?” asked Visor who chirped.

“
Of course.” White Blossom
didn’t move from her plush seating arrangement as she lifted her
head back and the illuminating Keptl buzzing around parted before
she spewed a twenty meter stream of bright blue flame from her
jaw.

“
How long have you had the
ability? And why do you have it?” Oliver was curious about such a
skill.

“
I evolved the glands within
a Human year when Franky showed me how hot this purified liquid
burns.” One of the men down the row waved to indicate it was he who
taught her how to ferment sugars. “It has been invaluable in many
fights. As you know, my kind has tough shells my Human friends
cannot make. Their flesh is weak, but you invent many wondrous
things. When I found out how to make flame, it cooks the Feral in
their own shells. And when laced with my sparks it kills the Feral
no matter how well they evolve. It is a great weapon.”

“
I’ve found it to be true
too. I can mold my currents to make a plasma flame when I’ve faced
Keptl in a few skirmishes.”

White Blossom leveled a look
at her old friend and bristled. “They are
not
Keptl. I and my brood
are
Keptl. They
Feral.”

“
I apologize. I meant no
disrespect and won’t make the same mistake.” White Blossom softened
again.

“
Accepted.” She tore a chunk
of meat between sharp teeth.

“
So where did this meat come
from? I hope it isn’t from your brood.” The Emperor idly
wondered.

Melanie laughed. “It’s mostly from aquatic
Beasts since this world’s surface is eighty percent water. The
purple meat come from giant eels that live in the ocean’s great
depths with White Blossom’s Goliaths.”

“
Ah, the same kind that
thrive in Mereddia. Lots of meat there.” Oliver nodded, remembering
the first time seeing them when locating the aquatic city near the
core. “Delicious.”

Soon as everyone had their fill Emperor
Coleson asked “You never explained about merging, White Blossom.
Can you please elaborate your desires.”

“
Why certainly.” He eyes
flicked to a floating object among others she knew to be recording
and transmitting everything that happened here. “Merging requires
two indisputable and abiding ideas upon the highest honor. To break
this honor is to invoke my wrath. From one supreme leader to
another, if you agree and go back on your word, I get to eat you.”
Many gasped at her straightforward nature. “As would I become your
meal if I do not fulfill my two obligations. Knowing this, will you
still continue to listen.”

“
Until I hear your ironclad
demands I will say neither yes or no so long as you do not eat me
if I decline.”

“
If you do not accept, you
can keep your life, but say ‘Yes’ and we are bound, Human Leader.
For life and death. My Human friends taught me much on contracts.”
Markeese indicated for her to continue. “When my brood becomes
strong again on another world and my numbers are limitless, I want
to fight to feast on the flesh of the Feral. I want them
all
dead. They are left
unchecked and will only grow and consume till nothing is left. Too
many millennia has passed and I fear it is already too late. Only
together will my brood survive and your people. The Feral are
already limitless and will never… to my aching hearts… return to
what they were. Once Feral, always Feral. You need my brood’s
strength and I need your technology.

“
Evolution will never stop
progressing, but it is not as fast as your devices and
adaptability. In return for your technology I give my brood to aid
and slay my mindless kin.

“
Secondly, I need new
genetic material. For that I need a mate.”

“
Mate? But aren’t you
asexual?” This piqued Renee’s curiosity.

“
Quite so, but I need genes
not of my own to make a proper Queen like me. With the death of my
daughters I’m alone. If I birth a Queen as I am now she will not be
as strong as me. She will be as my friends call… a copy or a clone.
My brood is one matter, a leader of a new brood is another. In
other words I need a male to give me strong genes so I can receive
his genes. If I make a male, he has my genes and will make an
abomination for a true Queen. Had one of my daughter’s lived she
could hatch a male, give him to me and we’d create a powerful new
Queen. My child’s own evolution on another world would make her
male perfect for me to lay another without corruption.”

“
Do you eat the male after
mating?” Renee wondered as her mind churned.

“
If I was hungry, yes. If I
already fed and didn’t need the meat for my new life,
no.”

“
It’s up to the emperor, but
I can transform a Human into a male if you make a male for me to
study. If you feed beforehand and then mate, he should have no
fear. Wait… what if you became truly female like me and I make a
male king?”

“
Do not. Reten tried making
me wholly female and the results of my brood were near
uncontrollable and the male tried to eat me. A male king is
unstable genetically. It must be a male below me with one purpose,
to give me his genes for a proper new Queen. He cannot be a threat
to me, nor should you change me into female as you consider
yourself. I tried and things went terribly wrong.” White Blossom
turned back to the Emperor. “If you agree, I will produce a male
egg before light returns to this place and ask for a changed Human
to give me his strength.”