Evolution's Essence (19 page)

“
Wish I could help her. I
feel her pain.”

“
Yer Ma was just as
sensitive till I spliced her so she would fit in with kids her age…
Empathy is strong in you too. ” Jake said, holding baby David in a
single arm too.

“
Grand Papa, where is Ma and
Grand Mama Andrea anyway?”

“
Don’t know Lass. I’m not
their keeper. Why don’t ye go play a holo-game if yer bored
already.”

“
Can I, Daddy?” it was damn
near impossible to say no to such an adorable child with big,
innocent eyes.

“
After your homework is
done. You need to work on astrology a bit more. When I get your
report you can play your Hunter simulation game and I’ll even let
you pretend hunt a Tortoise.”

“
Yea!” She squealed, kissed
his cheek and jumped down to run inside, Rose following the child
with immeasurable eyes of love for children.

“
She’s already simulated
hunted up to D-rank Beasts already?” Elder Javelin said while
rubbing her five month round belly. Next month was the new full
term for those having the gene therapy. “How can that be when she
just learned to walk… what? Two and a half months ago?”

“
Sure did. My little girl is
going to be a great Huntress.” Oliver was filled with love for his
daughter. “The holographic game I had to modify a little so she
could play. She has a little blunt dagger that is practically a
sword in her grip. It’s fun to watch her stalk through the forest
inside our home. She still can’t use her powers beyond reading
surface thoughts and can’t Gather enough to make so much as a
spark, but you’ve all played the game so I’m sure you know
launching a slicing wave isn’t needed as much as the motions are…
she may be tiny, but she’s fast and full of energy. If Renee and I
didn’t buy that game she’d make us pull our hair out. Izzy only
sleeps all night if she plays that game or a racing game. Otherwise
she won’t go to bed and cuddle with her dolly.”

“
What new thing has she
decided on now, Brother?” Scythe couldn’t help showing off his
white teeth. Isabella grew so fast mentally that she constantly
changed her mind.

“
Oh, she’s going to become
the Queen of Terra here on Zerika when she becomes an adult.” They
talked normally with the soundproof barrier between them and the
ritual being underwent. He had to so as to not endanger the ritual.
“And take Dav…” he paused, slipping more than intended on a
sensitive matter.

“
And what?” Talon asked as
even Jake Dorgen and the Drakes grew uncomfortable. “What has you
four so unsettled? Especially you, Oliver. You never get anxious
unless the little spitfire is around us.”

Oliver leaned against the wall and couldn’t
believe it still had happened. “It’s why Renee and Andrea are back
on the Dorgenox. We’re lying to Izzy to keep her oblivious till
decisions are made. Isabella met Davan Took face to face two days
ago?”

“
What’s the harm in that?
He’s a good man all things considering. Did he hurt her?” Vanishing
Claw was instantly gripping his blade. Isabella was a doll whom
everyone fell in love with on contact.

“
Not at all. It’s
just…”

“
Just get it off yer chest,
Lad. It’ll be alright later. Visitations will be strictly monitored
if it must be done as that old journal says.” Jake said, sitting
down, keeping an eye on the too stiff scene beyond the gate and
wall. If not for breathing and twitching tails it could have been a
paused scene in a movie.

“
Davan didn’t hurt her and
it was so unexpected I still don’t know what to do… or even how to
process how to deal with the situation.”

“
Tell us, Brother.”
Vanishing Claw didn’t know how to react. He chose comforting
between brothers in arms.

“
Apparently it’s very rare
in my kind and was noted in the journal Renee has read from the
Queen of Wind called Fru… but rarely is too light a word. It is so
rare only one in a trillion Solarian children can know their Match
at a glance. Queen Fru in all her many children only had one with
Izzy’s condition… Isabella took one look at Davan the other day
when we visited the ship. The little brat ran right up to him after
jumping off Nova and kissed him full on the lips to say ‘You’re
mine. If you ever smell like another woman I’ll kill them.’” He
closed his eyes and chuckled darkly. “Renee has already discovered
Davan is without a doubt Isabella’s ideal mate by chemistry alone.
Before I pulled her off the poor man she was already buck naked and
rubbing herself all over him like a damn monkey. Covering him in
her scent. Renee had to put her to sleep and I brought her back
here and am letting her figure out what to do. If anything I feel
bad for Davan.”

Sparky picked up the
rest.
“I’ve read Isabella and though she is
too young, she sees him as a possession, a toy that belongs to her
and her alone, but not a love interest yet. Renee sees Oliver as a
possession as well, but the hatchling cannot comprehend sexual
impulses. But Renee has read in Queen Fru’s diary of children that
Isabella
must
see
Davan regularly or be driven insane with longing. It is a
requirement now. Davan is terrified and Renee is keeping calm
considering her child has found her Match. The man doesn’t know
what to do, but is terrified Oliver will kill him, if my rider
doesn’t first. Renee is very territorial and has thought of many
terrifying tortures to deal the man if he so much as looks at our
hatchling wrong.”

“
I haven’t decided yet if
I’ll beat him senseless before her, but he’s the first person I
haven’t tried to kill for touching her when I’m staring right at
them. I guess Izzy’s possession of him makes him immune to my
fatherly instincts.”

“
As I was saying…”
slit eyes noticed the balled fist with knuckles
turning white on the large father.
“Renee
is attempting to figure out how it came to be and maybe alter
Davan’s chemistry so Isabella no longer claims him.”

“
She’ll be full grown in
nine years right? Sexually mature in seven or eight?” Talon asked.
“Why bother with more than chaperoning like most adults do when
their teen visits the sex centers for the very first
time?”

“
Far as we know, Lass, me
granddaughter’s claim is absolute and when puberty hits, Isabella
will mount the man as soon as she gets the chance. The journal of
Fru said it’s impossible to separate those like her. Ye know me
daughter will kill herself if Oliver does. Right now Isabella
likely has the same suicidal quirk because she too has found her
perfect mate.” Jake said grimly. “This is new water we’re treading.
We don’t…” on the conversation went. Isabella finished work and got
to play her game. Even the Hunter Elders watched in delight by how
she was a perfectly capable young huntress. She didn’t beat the
Tortoise as the image spun like a saw blade the size of a small
boulder and hit her, but she stalked the room designated for the
holographic game. Three more attempt though and she got the kill,
but lost an arm in the fight. Progress was progress
though.

Six hours and nineteen
minutes later the ritual of pain ended and Collu was released. She
collapsed into unconsciousness for a short while and her vision was
liquid for some time till it cleared and she said
“I’ve at last passed… Her name is Wind-walker. She
chose that name.”
The Queen of the Pride
whined and licked the deep wounds.
“They
are so beautiful and strong. Marvelous. So this is the feeling I’ve
only heard stories of. ”
A round of purring
resulted.
“I will never forget this, Oliver
Void. May you live long and die well in battle.”

“
Same to you. You better go
home and recover for a few days. I know I needed peace and quiet
after it was all said and done.”

“
I will, but before I do,
Beyleez Netul says the world is cleaned and you may leave.”
She closed her eyes and Collu and the new Pride
vanished.

“
Time to get ready. Captain,
are the FTL upgrades I gave to Jacob complete?”

“
Again, Lad, aye. That was
two days go. Just ye relax and get some sleep…”

“
So this is our final stop.”
Renee said on the screen of his Flare as they took another week to
arrive in the new system now Keptl free. Nothing except scorch
marks on the planet surface shows signs of a battle that raged for
seven longs months till the Creelin won by battle of attrition,
tactics, superior firepower, strategy and advanced technology won
without any loss of life.

Black and orange colors undulated on the
planet’s surface swarming with Fire Wyrms, Salamanders and other
extremely dangerous Beasts who feed on fire and noxious fumes. It
was a volatile planet to say the least.

But floating high above the surface were
giant boulders, many were greater in size than mountains. Powerful
planetary magnetic fields kept the iron rich floating giants
perpetually aloft. The environment was by far the harshest Oliver
and Renee had ever seen with their naked eye.

“
What a dangerous
place.”
Commented Rose over in the River
Skipper.

“
Seems Olly’s plan to fly
the city away is a necessity. The fluctuating gravity fields will
do serious neurological damage if exposed for a prolonged
period.”

“
Thank Netul for telling us
that the field has increased to dangerous levels since I was put
asleep. We should be safe for a day tops. At least till I modify
the fields to get the city away from the planet so I can create
engines and fly the city to another world more stable and safer to
call home. Red, activate the field generators to repel the magnetic
fields that will damage ship systems.”

“
Glad Papa is keeping the
Dorgenox far away from this world. Solar radiation will only make
this world more dangerous. If we had come far later we’d be royally
fucked with the star now a red giant.”

“
Says the queen.”
Sparky quipped.

“
Ha. Ha.” She barked dryly.
“In and out quick. Olly, I’m on your six.”

“
Countdown to final approach
in five. Four. Three. To. One. Go!” he hit the accelerator and made
a beeline for the unnaturally round giant rock that dominated the
planet’s sky. It’s shell a hot red and rippling with waves of
heat.

Halfway there a man in a pair of cracked
charcoal pants, leather jacket trimmed and decorated with jagged
gems appeared out in space. On the ship’s receiver came the gruff
voice of “State your business.”

“
You must be Laxus. AI for
the city of Fire.”

“
And you are the newly
crowned King and Queen of all your people.”

“
You’ve been watching?”
Renee asked as they weren’t stopped.

“
I have.” Said Laxus staying
equal distance in front of the ships and matching speed going
backwards. “I will permit you because I
have
been watching. Unlike my
counterparts, not all of my core was wiped so I have more system
operational control and personality. I also know you carry Vladamin
and Jenniviq, My Lady.” The dark skinned man bowed in vacuum. “And
I know your intent and shall allow entry. Follow me to the safe
entrance of my city.” A string of light replaced the man and they
flew fast and safely to the great floating giant. Then suddenly the
hot wall pulled away like a cork pulled from a barrel cask and they
flew inside, the cork being replaced behind.

Jaws dropped at by far the most beautiful
city to date. Being made inside the largest geode on record made
the city dazzling. Spotlights from the two ships made the city come
alive with every conceivable color from the geode gems. Violet
amethyst, blue sapphire, milky quartz, black diamond, yellow topaz
and so on covered the entire dome ceiling. Thirty five kilometers
across was the city of flame. The dwellings were exactly pyramid
shaped and the same geometric layout as all the previous cities
with a dominating citadel castle pyramid standing heads and
shoulders above all else in the exact center of the circular area.
Remarkably the haphazard geode’s walls and ceiling, though a dome,
had gems so large it could house multiple families. They were
sharp, dull and completely random as nature would intend, but so
many gemstone types made it known they were unnatural.

The biggest geode in all of recorded history
had clearly been created by artisans with an asymmetrical canvas
brought out to perfection.

In the city below burned towers of real
flame. Blue, green, red and white pillars formed intricate works of
art around statues of formidable men, sensual women and Liger.

“
Change is certainly the
theme in here huh, Olly?”

“
Is that wistfulness I hear
in your voice, Red?”

“
Girl’s
do
love shiny gems… the size of
fucking houses.” She giggled as she turned the River Skipper around
midair before lowering the landing gear and touching down gently.
“The atmosphere is a bit warm, but the air is clean for us. Not
like the toxicity outside this big geode.”

“
By
us
you mean…” he landed beside her
shuttle.

“
We’ll need to purge the air
like we did in the wind city. The air is bad for humans. It’s near
identical to what made us so sick for a little while back when we
started the city hunt and found Fru’s wind city. And as expected
our coms are blocked like back then too.” She began powering down
her ship.