Evolution's Essence (35 page)

“
Yes, do not react
dangerously. This female is going to see my memories and I would
prefer you not to harm her from the intrusion, little
one.”

The pink eye blinked at Renee and said “I’ll
try, Mother. It has been a very long time since you allow someone
to attempt to see the past.”

“
Yes, but she isn’t Human.
Their minds cannot navigate mine without getting lost. Hers and the
Drakes I believe can. Just behave.” White Blossom smiled gently and
the blinking eye disappeared back inside the hole it came
from.

“
What… or should I ask who,
was that?” Renee approached while glancing at the massive chamber
that was comfortably warm, well ventilated and steep. Easily a
kilometer high and filled with rather organized bumps going up the
walls.

“
It is Hard-shell. My Hive.
What you see from the outside, it is all her. Her shell protects us
and she is our home. My hive is as alive as any of my children.
Come sit with me. There is plenty of room for all of us.” White
Blossom patted the bed.

Soft would be too light a
word when Renee ran a hand over the bed before climbing in. and it
was more like a waterbed as it undiluted as she got comfortable.
Sparky was careful and it made White Blossom daintily laugh as she
told him his claws wouldn’t even scratch Hard-shell’s tough skin
even as plush as the bed seemed. He though worked a long neck to
find tendrils up at the top of the bumpy room. asked
“What is this room exactly?”

“
My chamber. My friends call
it my library. It is where I can relive all my memories and why I
believed I was dreaming when I thought I saw Reten alive again. It
will be where I lay the egg for a new queen for all true queens do
not let their children go without teaching and sharing all they are
to their young. It will take Renee many centuries to see all my
memories for I’ve lived longer than any known creature. Unlike the
Feral who share their collective minds, true queens are more like
individuals. It is why you find me unique and more open than what
is expected of me being a blood-thirsty demon.” White Blossom held
out her hands and from high above, the distant tendrils dropped
freely and precisely laid two purple tendrils. “Renee, I will guide
you through my memories so you do not get lost and I will put a
distance block so you do not think you are actually me when we’re
inside.”

“
What about Sparky?” emerald
eyes met the Drakes.

“
It would be prudent he
remain aware. Within my ancient memories, you leave your own body
in a way and join my collection. Hard-shell must sometimes force me
back when danger threatens. Being alone for thousands of years at a
time means I spend most of my time in here… before my Human friends
arrived that is. When I’m not in here I’m birthing my brood or
feeding. It is how I keep from being lonely.

“
Sparky will stay aware. I’m
sure he will stay linked to your mind, but he will not lose his
body and will protect you. He is cautious and it is wise. You do
not know me and I am different. Different can be dangerous so leave
him here to keep you safe. I swear I’m not a danger to anyone so
long as I’m not in danger. I’m a queen. I love sharing and
learning. My brood shares this drive. But it would be wise to be
safe.”

“
I take it Solarians tried
taking advantage of you?”

“
Until Mantiv came and slew
those trying to exploit my ignorance. Solarians are a proud and
predatory species, but have their faults like the Humans, but
Mantiv, Reten and the royal peace-keepers showed me respect I’m
due. Rather than the first Solarians who found me and tried
stealing a way to use my heritage to further their technology,
Mantiv and his mate worked
with
me.” White Blossom handed a tendril with a rather
familiar sucker end to Renee. “Which memory would you like me to
lead you through, My New Friend?”

“
I’ve changed my mind. Show
me the first time you met Mantiv and Reten.” For years she had
wondered about the woman who was with Oliver’s former self and what
he was like.

“
It would be my pleasure.”
White blossom attached the sucker end to the middle of her
overlarge forehead and closed her eyes.

Renee followed the example and soon as the
hot and dry end touched she was mentally ripped from her body. She
remembered the sensation of darkness from Phantom training and
stayed calm till the darkness changed.

Moments later the world changed colors
slightly and she floated like some kind of ghost actors pretend to
be in movies. The scene was hot and humid. A place with volcanoes
spewing ash and magma constantly. Around some places grew alien
trees adapted to the harsh environment. Down below she watched
Keptl playing in the rolling lava and seemed to be having a hell of
a blast. Watching from an outcrop was a strange black ship clearly
not made by the Empire. A dozen Solarians in familiar armor that
was in silver form to reflect the intense heat stood watching
beside a dazed heap.

“
That was me.” Said White
Blossom Renee just realize floated beside her. “They fed me a
strange leaf that made my body uncooperative, but my mind worked
well.”

“
They paralyzed you?”
Renee’s question was answered by a nod. “Why?”

The guide shrugged. “Never understood, but
they always ran lights over me and took scrapings of my shell and
drops of my blood each time they visited. At the time I thought it
was a strange custom… But here is when I learned they were bad
people.” She pointed and Renee looked up.

Out of a smoky sky dropped a huge ship that
didn’t waste a second opening fire on the black ship’s engines. The
new ship was solid brown of Terra and the people on the ground all
began to fly in different directions, clearly to escape.

Just two figures left the landing ship and
took off. One burly figure Renee would know anywhere even without a
familiar cutlass being freed from the waist. In seconds the
swordsman killed thirty trying to flee, but their power wasn’t near
the man’s and thus neither was their speed.

The other carried a bladed
rapier and Renee’s jaw dropped. The woman was an identical twin.
Flaming crimson hair, but cut short and spiked much like Isabella
often wore hers. She was full figured in the chest and hip area and
her eyes seeped grey mist and glowed continuously. Yet unlike
Renee, this woman like to kill up close and personal. And she was
vicious in a frightening way. A woman who took shit from
no
one. Those she killed
fought back, but the kinetic barrier surrounding her like an aura
was impervious to their measly attack.

Resistance didn’t last even a minute before
the two flying Solarians landed beside White Blossom. But by then
Her brood all stopped playing in lava and were surrounding their
queen. Mostly Trackers and Lisks with more thundering closer,
fearing these two frightening warriors. The new brown ship landed
as the pair did. Cutlass and rapier were wiped before being
sheathed. The redhead pointed to the black ship and said “Garaklic
flou garuccuv, Mantiv.”

Renee heard her own voice behind the mask and
asked “What did she just say?”

“
Oh, sorry. One moment. I
forgot. Reten told me you can all read the odd circular language
from birth, but speaking isn’t inherited.” The scene reversed
several seconds as if someone hit rewind.

Reten said “Check the ship, Mantiv.” This
time in clear English. Mantiv in full armor didn’t even spare a
glance at the growling Keptl and walked inside the ship. Reten
though walked right up and Renee could tell the woman wanted to
slice these protective Keptl just for the fun of making something
bleed. “And what do we have here? Keptl that won’t play with me?
What a shame. I haven’t had my fill of death yet. Hmmm, what is the
matter with you? Why don’t you play?”

She took another step and just before a
Tracker was about to pounce Mantiv was suddenly standing beside
Reten and pulled her back by the shoulder. “I told you before I
sensed this queen is different. Her struggle and confusion called
to me as we passed this system to then detect these outlaws. This
queen is sane. Read her and these Keptl. They aren’t mindless
animals. They’re truly sentient.”

The voluptuous redhead arched an eyebrow, but
narrowed her eyes at the gathering force. In seconds her eyes were
wide. “Mantiv! You were right! She’s a progenitor. We found
one!”

“
I explained five hundred
and sixty three cycles if one existed we’d locate it.” Renee
couldn’t help noticing the cool similarities between her Oliver and
Mantiv. They had a way of calming things, but his tone with Reten
was nothing like Oliver said when speaking with herself. It cleared
up her confusion when his mask pulled back and revealed his eyes.
Eyes that have seen civilizations rise and fall. Eyes that have
seen too much and couldn’t be forgotten. A true ancient. Mantiv
then sat down to not appear threatening in any way and spoke calmly
while Reten huffed and crossed her arms over her
breasts.

Renee mentally wiped her
brown and thought ‘whew’. It was a difference. Renee crossed her
arms
under
her
breasts, not across. It was a difference and it proved her entire
life wasn’t some dream.

“
We will not harm any of you
without cause. I am General Mantiv Garig Hay Jamibix Of the
Solarian Peace keepers of the ground. Know I am the Elder brother
of the Galactic King and supreme general under his leadership.
Those we killed moments ago were black market thieves and murderers
on a world called Havannir. Know I felt your discomfort and
confusion. These people were not friends. On behalf of my people,
do not judge us by these few.”

From then on Renee floated
and watched as Reten gained permission to remove White Blossom’s
paralysis and the following weeks Mantiv and Reten spent earning
White Blossom’s trust. It was clear to Renee that though Reten and
Mantiv were powerful, they were cautious and moved gradually. It
was a give and take relationship. Reten was hot passion personified
and had a wicked temper while Mantiv’s calculating mind tempered
her aggression. Renee got mad when White Blossom showed the memory
of when she watched Mantiv and Reten make love to show her how
Solarians’ procreate. It took many breaths to try not to reach out
and strangle the bitch on
her
cock. Needed to keep reminding it was just an old
memory. Lifelike sure, but a distant memory nonetheless.

After more realistic visions Renee said “She
me the last visit you had with them please.”

“
You want to see how she was
slain as well?” White Blossom still floating at her side
asked.

“
If you don’t mind. Oh and
before that though, about those Invaders. I want to know more about
them.”

“
Hmm, that last meeting
covers both I believe. If it doesn’t satisfy your desire I can
search for more specific details.” At Renee’s nod the scene
shifted.

This time on a different world made mostly of
desert under binary stars. One red and the other a deep blue. White
Blossom’s ghostly body said “I was brought here by Mantiv after
some unforeseen issues with a dangerous energy from one of the big
gas balls exploding and was in need of a new world to start a new
hive and he brought me here for heat and lack of moisture. It was
perfect to harden my brood to evolve a way to not be so reliant on
water. As you can see I’ve only had twenty Lisks, two Behemoths and
a dozen Trackers left. The rest died, but this would be a fresh
start while my eggs incubated in the hatcheries. Hard-shell was put
here on this same soft world as a temporary stay. By this point I
knew Mantiv and Reten for over twenty million Human years. And
before you ask, it was on the Galactic King’s order my identity and
my childrens’ be kept from the Creelin. During those many years
they were fanatical in killing Keptl on sight. They would have
killed me if they knew. Never mind, this is what you wanted to
see.”

Renee looked down just as
Reten teleported from inside the same brown ship in the initial
visions, but now it was fortified with innumerable weapon ports. It
seemed the change was due to higher military needs. She said “White
Blossom, this will be goodbye for a few thousand cycles. I know
you’ll miss us, but it cannot be helped. The enemy
cannot
be able to detect
our consciousness so we must sleep heavily for no more than five
millennia if all stays according to plan.”

Past White Blossom started to cry. “I know
you must go, but I hate being alone. The Invaders are bad,
bad.”

“
We know. It is why my Match
designed contingencies if something unfortunate happens. But we
need to only tell those we trust with our greatest secret. Those we
trust can be counted in one hand.”

Mantiv, wearing a thick, yet
handsomely trimmed brown beard now nodded. “There is a ninety six
point six eight four percent chance my brother and our entire race
will
not
be able to
beat the Invaders. Being native hyperspace entities of the fourth
dimension means they cannot die as we experience it in our central
space. All we can do is scatter their collected forms with
subatomic blasts to temporarily stun their physical forms. You’ve
seen my memories at their destructive capabilities. Already we’ve
lost fourteen galaxies in just the past eight millennia. Our only
advantage is they mostly stay in a large group. Like a school of
fish. And my people are their primary prey… for now.