Warrior Chronicles 3: Warrior's Realm (19 page)

“Just one, Heroc. Humans, our species of humans, only carry one child at a time.”

“Actually,” Cort said, “In my previous time, many women gave birth to two children at once, and on occasion, as many as eight. Though more than two was usually a result of artificial methods. It is only recently that we have evolved to having only one at a time.”

Kim understood that Cort didn’t want to tell Heroc about synthetics, so she changed the subject when Heroc said, “That does not seem like a good example of evolution.”

Kim said, “This planet is very early in its development. Exploring it has been an incredible opportunity to study evolution. Noble intelligence develops much earlier than we previously believed. The dinosaurs on this planet actually have identifiable languages.”

“I suppose it would depend on your definition of ‘noble’, Kimberly.”

“Self-awareness, perhaps?”

“Perhaps. I suppose we have worked our way through the expected niceties,” Heroc said as she turned toward Cort again. “May I ask why you have summoned me, General?”

“To save your species. We have less than a thousand planets to go before the world I have assigned you will be the only one left.”

“Truly? You have killed so many?” Heroc asked.

“Heroc, I destroy dozens of Cuplan planets every single day. I would like to find a way to stop doing that. Which is why I asked you here. I have two strategies I am considering. I would like to have your input on which will be most effective against your species.”

“Wouldn’t that make me a traitor to my people? I cannot do that, General.”

“It will make you a savior, Heroc. Hear him out,” Kim said.

“Very well, General, what is your strategy?”

“We raided several of your planets, killing all their queens, as well as primaries and secondaries. As a result of the attacks, Cupla has ordered that all planets send their queens to a secure planet, and keep only one on each world.”

“How do you know this, General?”

“That doesn’t matter, Heroc. What matters is that I am about to do one of two things. I am either going to kill the group of protected queens and then continue destroying planets, or I am going to kill the queens still on planet, and kidnap the rest of the queens.”

“Do not kill them, please.”

“Which strategy will end the war soonest?”

Kim touched Cort’s arm and signaled him to back off. “Heroc, he doesn’t
want
to kill anyone, but he knows he must do so, to end the war.”

“A war you declared.”

“No, Heroc,” Kim said. “A war we were asked to participate in because thousands of other species couldn’t defend themselves against your leaders.”

The group walked in silence for several minutes. They were just inside the outer perimeter and Heroc slowed to watch a small, squirrel-like mammal gather fallen leaves and nuts. “What are they doing?” she asked.

“It is almost winter here,” Kim said. “They are gathering food, and material for their winter nest. It will insulate them from the cold.”

“They plan for the future?”

“Even the lowest species do that, Heroc. Look," Kim pointed toward a trail of ants, each carrying morsels from the direction of the human structures. “Those ants are storing food for the winter.”

“I see,” Heroc said.

Several more minutes of silence ensued as they walked around the compound.

“Please do not kill our queens, General.”

“Some of them have to die. But if you will accept them on your planet, I will spare those I can.”

“H’uum will accept them.”

“Is that the best strategy to end the war?” Cort asked.

“For your victory, yes.”

“How will Cupla respond?”

“If you have all our queens, he will capitulate. Without the support of his queens, a supreme cannot rule.”

“Who will rule?”

“So long as he lives, he will rule. If he dies, and there are no queens for his successor’s assertion, there is no ruler. I do not know, it has never happened.”

“Would H’uum be the Supreme?” Kim asked.

“I suppose that is the most likely resolution, but as I said, it has not happened before.”

“Would H’uum be a good Supreme?” Cort asked.

“I would not have chosen him otherwise.”

“Thank you for your help, Heroc. You may return to your planet at your convenience. Of course you are welcome to stay here for a day or two if you would like,” Cort said.

“I would enjoy spending time with you, Heroc,” Kim added.

“My shame is complete. More collusion would not add to it. I would enjoy a stay with you, Kimberly.”

Cort said, “Heroc, give me your word that you will not attempt subterfuge, and I will not restrict you while you are here. In fact, you are welcome to stay in our quarters with Kimberly. But beware of the wolves. I don’t say this because I do not trust you, I say it because Kimberly is their queen. They have all killed, and would do so again if they felt she was threatened. Heed Kimberly’s instructions and your visit will be pleasant. Cross the wolves, and you will die here.”

Heroc turned to the wolves and regarded them. All three gazed at her steadily. Her stare settled on Bane.
You would kill me without hesitation wouldn’t you, wolf? You are an apt companion for your leader.

As the H’uuman turned back to the alphas, Coke and Zandra glanced at Bane. Silently, his body language communicated with them,
Her kind are the enemy. Watch her.

“I give you my word, General. I will not work against you.”

“Heroc,” Kim said,. “You are not colluding against your people. You have knowledge they do not. You offered only an opinion that will save millions of your species.”

“Did I?”

Cort answered. “Yes, Heroc. You did. We know where the Cuplans were going to hide the queens. My ships will be waiting for them when they arrive. Had you not talked to me, every single one of them was going to be destroyed. Then we were going to keep destroying your planets. I was going to kill hundreds of billions of you. Now, hopefully it will just be millions.”

Later, in the quarters Cort and Kimberly shared, Heroc sipped sweet water after she ate a meal of fruit and uncooked meat. The solid food was a treat and she said so. Kim was still working on her plate. “May I ask you something, Kimberly?”

“Of course.”

“How many of your people have died in this war?”

Kim thought for a moment before answering. “In combat we have lost forty of our people. There were a few dozen wounded in combat as well. We have also lost ten or so to non-combat deaths or injuries. And a ship. One of our ships was damaged by a comet, and we had to crash it into a planet.”

“You have lost less than one hundred, then?”

“Yes.”

“Were we really so blind? Did we really miscalculate so catastrophically? For thousands of years?”

“Heroc, I honestly think the entire universe miscalculated.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nobody planned on Cort.”

System 718

“How do they jump, JJ,” General Addison asked as they waited for the Cuplan transports to arrive.

“It’s similar to the transition system we use, but it works on the other side of
c
. They jump across tachyons using some sort of quantum entanglement. It goes beyond my physics knowledge, but Keith dumbs it down pretty good. The difference is, they can’t get too close to a star, or even a gas giant like Jupiter. If they do, their transition can be warped, sending them into planet, possibly distorting them on a molecular level.”

“So what’s going to happen then?”

“I have all of our stealth ships here except the squadron guarding our transition core at Speral’s planet. As each ship comes in, we will jam communications and hail the enemy. If they surrender, we will board each one with a company of Marines and small platoon of techs. Then they will be immediately jumped to 641. I have four non-stealth ships there to receive them. They will be held there until we are ready to send them to the planet.”

“What about the wet teams?” Cort asked.

“They are all in place and waiting for our transmission.”

The sensor tech said, “Captain, I’ve got a gravity bubble. I think they are here.”

“Black the ships, Ensign," James ordered.

“Done, sir. Ships are black.”

James turned to Admiral Jones and said, “We are ready, sir.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Six Cuplan warships appeared and began to disperse.

“Dammit. You were right Admiral. I owe you a beer. Magnify,” James ordered.

“Fuck. Those are not colony ships,” Cort said.

“They cannot see us, General.”

Cort remembered the stealth qualities of his ships and exhaled. “I have a hard time remembering that, Captain. Thank you.”

“I have assigned two gunships to shadow each of them,” Jones said.

“You planned on this, Admiral?” Cort asked.

“The captain and I had a bet on whether or not they would escort the queens, General. The captain lost,” JJ chuckled.

“I see.”

“Ensign Thoms, let me know when the enemy stops.”

JJ looked at Cort to gauge his response. He turned to face the sensor console and said, “Your name is
Thoms
?”

The ensign stood and faced the general. “Yes, sir. And yes, you killed my oldest brother and my uncle.”

“I’m going to ask you the same question I asked your uncle, Ensign. What are your intentions?” Cort flexed his fists and faced the ensign squarely.

The Ensign came to attention and saluted Cort. “I intend to serve the Ares Federation and General Cortland Addison to the best of my ability, in their efforts to defend our star system, and our allies, against all enemies.”

Cort saluted the young woman and asked, “How long have you been rehearsing that answer, Ensign?”

“It is a small world, or perhaps it is a small galaxy, General. Rand Gaines killed the man who raped me,” she said as the entire bridge crew turned to look at her.

Rand had been banished to Mars after killing a man who raped his mother, Kay. That influential man had been accused and exonerated of rape before. Cort traveled to and across the red planet to rescue Rand from being brutalized by the man’s family on Mars. An act which ultimately led to the formation of the Ares Federation. 

Cort was visibly shocked by the admission. Whatever instant dislike he had for the woman disappeared as quickly as it had formed. That the ensign not only openly admitted being victim of the sexual assault, but she used the word ‘raped’, spoke volumes. When Cort first arrived at that place in the timestream, Atlantica had softened the term to ‘coerced mating’. Reinstating the more abrasive term was one of Cort’s first actions as a leader of the Ares Federation. Making death the only punishment for rape was another. He himself killed the man who had raped Kimberly by throwing him out of an airlock on Mars.