Evolution's Essence (4 page)

“
What do you mean by
not yet
?” She was
curious.

“
I think once I solve it,
it’ll fade. It has taken up a great deal of my memory. About three
percent. When it is solved my gut is telling me it will begin to
fade like normal memories so I’ll need to act fast. My memory is as
eidetic as yours, Captain, but not even you can remember every
explicit detail of your life.”

“
Small things, No, but any
iota of importance I can recall quite vividly.”

“
What I want to know is why
Keptl spores?” Breena ventured into the conversation.

“
Two purposes I suspect.”
Renee replied with a toss of her fiery crimson locks as her cheeks
and nose began turning a little pink. “Dependence for one. He had
to keep up constant injections to halt the growth of infestation.
Daily to be accurate. Able to teleport made it easy to return home
after recon. He had no idea the serum was actually killing him. The
other side of the coin is Ten K stored his energy in them like Olly
and I do with our toys.” Her fingernail flicked the bracelet. “The
infestation was in the last stage so he could hold and store all
his energy like a Queen. It’s why he didn’t get winded after using
such a tremendous amount. But there is one thing I neglected to
share with everyone.”

“
Don’t leave us in
suspense.” Satellite chirped, perched on a ring over Stone’s left
shoulder.

“
Well…” She smiled after
another long pause had had everyone leaning in and losing patience.
“Ten K, as a test, was sent to a known Keptl overrun planet and
naked at that. The advanced spores under the skin must have tricked
the swarm to make them see him as one of their own. Not a single
Keptl even snarled let alone attack as they normally would. If I
can synthesize a pheromone I believe duplicates the same result
then so long as a Queen isn’t looking we will have gained a new
weapon. A masking solution to disguise humans so we can gain a new
advantage.”

“
Can you do that?” Breena
asked in genuine surprise.

“
I’ll not take that
personally since you don’t know a damn thing about me.” Renee sent
over a lovely wink. “This is
what
I do. I love biology and figuring things out. It’s
why I saved a couple of Ten K’s spores and froze them for private
study so I can find whatever it is that disguised him. Whether or
not it’s a pheromone or some kind of subsonic or ultrasonic
vibration that lets them communicate who is friend from foe, I
don’t know right now. Searching for that answer is what makes it
all fun. Just remember I’ve personally found cures for multiple
diseases conventional medicine hasn’t discovered using my own body
to create the cures and I also gave you the Solarian splice. It’s
all me baby. Olly’s not the most dangerous person alive, I am. I
can make poisons untraceable or cures from my own antibodies. I’m a
walking synthesizer with a genetic IQ humans can’t
quantify.”

“
Correct me if I’m wrong,
but aren’t Solarian women hardwired like you?”

“
Far as I know, Huntress. It
is my life regardless. Despite my hardwiring, I did it to follow
Ma’s footsteps. I know I’d not be this good if I didn’t study my
ass off even with my quirky brain.”

“
Yer Ma would be proud,
Lass.” Jake grabbed her shoulder affectionately without stopping.
“What of the fighters and pilots you took care of while the lads
fought the bastard hounding us?”

“
On their way to Verard as
we speak, Captain.” Visor chirped, perched too on a shoulder.
“They’ll be tortured and interrogated along the way. As for the
fighters, your loyal subjects and leading engineers are going over
this new model. They are exceptionally advanced. Likely a Galicom
funded, under the table program. The accountants must be really
good to have not aroused suspicion with the open exchange of
information laws.”

“
We’ll get them too. This
conspiracy will be put to an end. I’ll make sure those undermining
get what’s coming. I may have no right, but what they are doing is
beyond wrong.” Oliver vowed.

Renee wove her fingers in
his large hand to show her support, but it was Stone who said “You
have every right, Brother. You may not be exactly human, but you
live and interact with us completely like any other person I’ve
ever met. Without you we’d be dead and Chandler has the
means
and
will to
kill hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters. As far as
I’m concerned you are just a really smart person with a gentle
nature.”

“
Except when that stick up
his ass gets twisted when someone gets near the kid.”

“
You know I cannot help it,
Steven.”

“
Just busting your balls,
Brother.”

“
If anything concerns my
Match’s balls it’ll involve me.” Renee joked and it lightened the
mood considerably as they came up upon the great ice pyramid. “I
love the statues.” She noted as the literal ice sculptures were
dressed in fur coats and varying cuts that promised warmth and
class. “I choose… you.” She pointed and willed her armor to alter
into the cinch waist heavy dress done completely white, her
favorite color. A leather-like belt buckled around her round hips.
Fur lined the bodice, shoulders, cuffs and hem of the dress with
leggings underneath. She looked through Oliver’s chip and said
“Classy, sexy and warm all at the same time. These women of ice
sure knew how to keep warm and show off cleavage… Olly, look like
that man, but no hat.”

His armor changed to a caped individual made
into a cloak with a thick suit beneath just as they spotted Andrea
bouncing around from place to place taking pictures of the artwork.
Stephanie and Jacob sat over by a bench with all the gear. Andrea
was a bundle of energy when facing something new. Ever since giving
birth to a son, David, her energy returned to normal. She had the
enhancement of ligament and Solarian and couple that with her
Olympian gymnastic background and she near succeeded in being
everywhere at once.

“
Thank the stars you’re
back!” Jacob said, tired of watching Andrea going crazy around the
city.

“
Olly, open the place up,
get the next piece and let’s go home to rest before heading back to
the most humid planet I’ve ever been to.”

“
Hello Quelette.” He greeted
as the blonde interactive illusion appeared about the time when he
and Renee were near the sealed front entrance to the pyramid
castle.

“
Master Void. Mistress.” She
replied, inclining her head to both. “Thank you for saving my
sister city.”

“
Not over till we nab
those
really
responsible.” Renee said as she laid a bare hand down next to
his. The nano-wall rippled and everyone hurried inside to be caught
breathless.

Unlike the other lost cities, this main hall
wasn’t decorated with statues of individuals or couples locked in
passionate embraces. Not wild looking or in simple gowns. The hall
merely gently snowed. Great trees and painting of landscapes broke
up the emptiness. The pillars still had winding staircases to the
upper levels, but the lifelessness held a harsh beauty.

“
I got it now.” Stephanie
said quietly, but everyone had pointed ears and acute hearing.
“Sorry.” She said to everyone taking it in. “I just realized what
these people embodied. Wind were explorers. Terra were warrior
caste. Water was life and birth. Fire is primordial change, but
till now I didn’t realize why Ice loyal Solarians
existed.

“
It’s the emptiness. The
harshest reality we all had to face. Death. The literal
cold
we feel when thinking
about death. But they made it beautiful.”

“
I see it too!” Andrea
paused and lowered her crystal recorder. “But they didn’t embody
death as much as accepted the reality. This must be for the
really
old Solarians.” She
couldn’t help glancing in Oliver’s direction.

“
Don’t look at me. I don’t
like this place. If anything… I feel more drawn to
Fire.”

“
Does it have anything to do
with me perhaps?” Renee played with a curly strand of vibrant
crimson hair meaningfully.

“
Perhaps, but it’s more like
a feeling. Even though my memories were completely taken… I’m drawn
to it over this place. It’s too cold and beautiful. I adapt and
change constantly. This place doesn’t. I can feel it. Fire is where
I belong had I lived with my people. I know that almost for a fact
if Mantiv is anything like me.” He personally admitted.

“
Then it is not just me
then.” Renee shivered. “They have lovely clothing styles, but I’m
feeling the creeps too. Go do your thing. I’m going home to find
our daughter and sit with Sparky for awhile.” She kissed his shaven
cheek and immediately vanished without any more warning.

“
You guys know the drill. No
tampering with anything or the defenses will kill you. I’ll disable
them real quick and send word when it’s safe. Quelette, please lead
me to your core.”

“
This way, Master.” She
turned and began to walk towards one of the pillars. It was
disconcerting seeing someone, but not hear the snow crunch
underfoot, hear fabric rubbing together and for someone like Oliver
who relied on an acute sense of smell scenting nothing made the
tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. A glance
showed Jake Dorgen was following him. The Hunters would watch over
his bride-to-be, sister-in-law and chief engineer recording visuals
only of the hall.

Twenty minutes later and a long idle chat on
various subjects the tall men came to the top floor of the ice
fortress and walked a long hall for about two hundred meters lined
with murals depicting vast lifelike landscapes to either side.
Eventually the AI came to a stop and raised a hand to a seemingly
unassuming painting of a mountain during an avalanche. Jake Dorgen
removed a disc-like coin that pulsed with light and placed it on
the ground in front of the program.

“
See you in a little
bit.”

“
Aye, I’ll be checking out
the royal bedchambers while ye do yer thing.”

Oliver laid a hand on the
mountain and stepped
through
the wall to enter the core room. The city’s brain
for all intense of purposes. The core was a large clear sphere made
of some form of grown gemstone roughly two meters tall. Being
completely clean wasn’t out of the ordinary after twenty five plus
thousand years. To either side rested orbs with a barrel, weapons
with a serious punch to defend the core. The only thing left in the
square room was a large sculpted seat. A circular impression in the
armrest designated for a Valek interface. He took a seat as
Quelette reappeared by her unit.

“
Begin destruction of all
offensive technology beyond human advancement, but retain the same
protocols as I did for Aquerril.” As he said it the tendril shot
from his wrist and he was connected to the entire city.

Smoke rose from the drones to either side of
the core and the blonde woman in thick clothes simply said
“Successful.”

“
Show part four of five of
the puzzle left behind.”

Not much of a talker, Quelette activate the
program and fragments of light appeared in front and moved fast and
bright like streaks of light. Oliver’s mind though absorbed the
broken letters of his people as it seared into his mind, filling
more of the gap. It took minutes to absorb the influx and for a
mind which processes at nanoseconds meant the information was
vast.

Throbbing headaches were common after the
download, but as he tried piecing the parts together he knew he
still needed the final part to make any sense of what he was
thinking of. Deep steady breaths soothed the throbbing temples.
Then he tapped his ear’s communication crystal. “Captain, the city
is yours. I’m going to bed.”

“
Thank ye, Lad. Ye rest up.
We’ll discuss future plans before ye leave.”

Oliver left, gathered the Pride and the large
cubs around his ship and their personal ones called Sun Spots to
fly home. Nova always rode behind in the same fighter as his
master, filling the cushioned space while purring in satisfaction
at today’s thrilling events.

Home being a gigantic sailboat just over ten
kilometers long that sails the very stars themselves. He docked and
instantly found his beloved already asleep with their tiny daughter
clutched soundlessly in her breasts. Contentment filled him finding
them safe and cuddled as loving mother and daughter. He smiled
fondly and went to bed, hugging his family and kissing each without
rousing either. His eyes closed, knowing neither parent had gotten
much sleep recently. The download just made it easier to sleep for
him.

Chapter 2

Springs in the bed screamed in protest and
made the mattress shake, jerking Renee from a pleasant sleep. Sharp
green eyes barely glimpsed a muscular male running from the room
followed by the three male Ligers. Nova, Fluffy and Flurry. She
named the other Ligers aside from Nova and always got ridiculed at
her naming process. She dubbed her own Drake Sparky for how quickly
he can make his body glow and his mate Rose for the pinkish
coloring of her own scaly body. The only name she wasn’t made fun
over was her daughter.