Slavers of Antar

By DocPaul

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Chapter Ten: Gender

“Gender is in Everything; Everything has Its Masculine and Feminine Principle; Gender Manifests On All Planes.”

“How are you feeling?” Julia asked concerned. Maria looked up from where she was being violently ill. Wiping her mouth, she laid back on the medical bay bed pushing strands of sweaty hair from her face.

“How do I look?”

“Bad. Sick. Nauseated.”

Maria rolled over on her side. “Good. That’s about the half of it.” Groaning, she covered her eyes with her arm. “I think I’m dying.”

Julia quickly gave her a vitamin shot and something to help the nausea. “First trimester is the worse. It’s the trimester where the fetal hormones are the highest.” Julia quickly ran a monitor over Maria. “You’re starting to show appearances of pregnancy. The hormone running in your system is affecting your estrogen and progesterone levels.”

“Is that good?”

“Excellent. It means this is working.”

Three shots. In the last seventy-two hours, she had three injections. Her stomach felt like she was flying a ship without damper controls. “Do I need any more?”

“No. Or at least let’s hold off and retest your chemistry in forty-eight hours, if your body is doing the work, then we can hold off on the injections.”

Maria sat up and accepted a glass of water. “I’m going with Michael to the Commerce planets. I might not be back in forty-eight hours.”

“I’ll test you when you do.” Julia sat on the bed next to Maria. “This sickness, it’s normal, I promise.” The medical bay was quiet. The Shiva had moved through the Commerce planets of the Rim in hopes of spotting the ships of the Slavers. In three days, the area had been quiet. Auction blocks held only established trading flesh. “Maybe you should stay on board.”

Maria swallowed her nausea. “No. That wouldn’t be good. If Michael’s system is to compensate with mine, he needs to be exposed to me.” She fidgeted.

“What’s wrong?”

Maria shrugged. “I don’t like not telling him. When he suspects I’m pregnant, he going to think I decided to quit the birth control. That I broke my promise to him.” She rubbed her aching forehead. “I hate that. He should know better, but he’s not exactly thinking rationally right now.”

“We could tell him.”

Maria shook her head. “No. If we tell him and it nullifies the whole process, then it’s all for nothing. If it works, and he’s safe, then I’ll tell him. Not before.”

“The changes in him might be gradual, you realize that? He put his body through a lot of stress over the last few years.”

“I know. I’m prepared.” Maria felt dizzy and quickly sat back down. “Men, are they really worth this?” she asked quietly. Michael was. Now other men? That she would have to think about.

Julia snorted. “No! Men,” she spat out. “They’re childlike, insane, brash, delusion, crazed, and basically scary.”

Maria opened an eye and looked at Julia. The doctor was an attractive shade of pink. Her hands agitated.

“Sean?”

Julia rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to talk about that maniac! He’s insane. A goofball. His mother dropped him on his head.”

“Still not talking to him?”

Julia shook her head and busied herself with other things. “Hardly. He almost got me kidnapped, raped, and perhaps sold on the slave trade. If you and Michael hadn’t showed up...” Julia left it at that.

“Sean would’ve turned Heaven and Earth to find you, Julia. I promise you. He would’ve destroyed Dalax before he let anyone harm you.”

Julia made a face. “I don’t know that.” She looked at Maria. “I think he hates me.”

Well, that was a twist. Maria sat up weakly. “Hates you?” She shook her head.

“He tries to poison me. He ambushes me in the corridors. He finds the most ridiculous excuses to get into my face. I—I think he thinks I’m a threat or here under false pretenses. He watches me, pretending to be some type of buffoon or simpleton. Maybe he’s afraid I’m trying to take over Kyle’s place, or...”

“It’s none of those things.” Maria said, hiding a smile, she tried to look sincere. “Why would he think you’re here for anything other than be a doctor on the Shiva?”

Julia sat down heavily on the medical bay bed. “Because I am.” She looked at the door to insure privacy.

“Julia?”

Julia reached into a pocket and handed Maria the picture she carried. Maria searched the face of the woman. She looked beautiful, and very alive.

“Who is she?”

“My sister.” Julia bent her head. “She was kidnapped from our home world in a raid over a year ago.” She looked at Maria with bleak eyes. “I looked for her everywhere. No leads. No trace. Finally I heard that other worlds were being raided. I knew that the New Federation would intervene and try to stop it. I knew it would be the flagship, that the Shiva would be called to duty. I needed to be here when that happened, so I joined the crew at the first opening.”

Maria looked at the picture and said quietly, “You could’ve said something.”

Julia nodded. “I know that now. I didn’t know that then. The Commerce planet was my greatest hope. I had tried forever to get on the duty roster to go on planet missions, but the Captain kept me off because of my experience. I don’t even know how I got on the roster this time.”

“Sean. He put you on.”

Julia shook her head and stood up pacing. “I told you he hated me!”

“Julia, it’s not hate.” Maria licked her lips. She wasn’t going to do this. It wasn’t her place. “Look, I think he wants to spend time with you, get to know you.”

“He has a terrible reputation! I was told to avoid him when I came on board.”

Maria laughed softly. Yeah. Sean’s horndog techniques were a detractor. What he lacked in panache, he made up in enthusiasm.

“Julia, don’t confuse what Sean is with what he appears to be. He has a pretty easygoing manner to him, but inside, there’s a serious to him that he rarely allows people see. He buried too many friends and family along the way. If he stops too long and really thinks about it, he loses his ability to handle life. It’s his way.”

“He doesn’t hate me?” Maria shook her head solemnly. Julia seemed lost in thought and Maria watched her sympathetically. “Liz dropped some kind of timer wrench on his head in payment for her black eye.” Maria smiled. Neither of them noticed the figure at the door for a moment until a throat was cleared.

Maria turned first and her face lit up. “Kyle!” Rushing over to hug him, she kissed him quickly on the mouth and leaned back to search his face. He looked tired, but alive. It was the shifting of the young boy next to Kyle that made Maria refocus her attention. “Liam? You’ve come to visit?”

Kyle put an arm around his son. “He came to live.” Kyle gestured to Maria a no, asking her to wait for details. “Guess this qualifies me for a larger quarters and hopefully away from Sean!”

Maria snorted happily. It was so good to see Kyle. For a while, she had been afraid that he was gone forever. “Fat chance. Max will have you assigned to a large quarters for you, Liam and Sean. He wouldn’t want Sean left unattended.”

“He sounds like a damn poster child,” said Julia dryly. “I would rethink letting my impressionable young near him. He started a strip poker game the other night that ended in a full brawl.” Kyle chuckled. Damn. He really missed all the fun.

Liam seemed to finally notice when she spoke. His eyes widened, and then a look moved over his face, almost as if he was awestruck. Oh! Maria bit the inside of her cheek. She never saw a crush hit a person before like a ton of bricks. He quickly moved towards Julia with a blushing smile, shy, but charming. He definitely had his father’s deadly charm. “I’m Liam.”

“Julia. I’m a doctor. I work with your father.” Julia shook the young man’s hand, and became uncomfortable when he stared in her eyes holding her hand too long.

“Liam, be a good lad, and give Julia back her hand. She needs it to work.” Liam blushed deeper and dropped Julia’s hand quickly. Maria smiled slightly.

“So Kyle, it’s good to see you.” Maria searched his face. “Even if you are an evading lying sack of shit.”

Liam looked at Maria sharply and held his breath for his father’s reaction. “Don’t hold back, Princess. Tell me what you really think.”

“Michael.” Maria said simply.

Kyle nodded. “True. All true. I should’ve told you. You had a right to know, but patient-doctor confidentiality has rules.”

“I know that, but those rules don’t concern me when my husband is trying to puke out his internal organs and hangs on the verge of death.”

Kyle looked at Julia. “Is he...”

“He’s fine. I compensated as best I could. Maria found a solution.”

“A solution!” Kyle looked at expectantly at Maria.

Maria shrugged and headed for the door. “I’ve got to go pack for going down to the Commerce planet. Don’t tell me a damn thing, just think I’m going to share with you. Hack!”

Julia laughed softly.

~~~

“Michael, I’ve got a transmission about another world under attack.”

Michael swore. “Leave me and Maria. We’ll communicate with you if we pick up any leads.” Michael hit his brother on the back. “Don’t worry about us.”

“You communicate every seventy-two periods. I mean it, Michael.”

“Aye, Cap.”

Max rubbed his face, stroking his scar. “God, I hate this. I want my kids back onboard. Isabel is dreaming and something is up with her.” Max looked at his twin. “Don’t make me worry about you, and turn on the Zephyr’s tracking system. I don’t want you disappearing on me.”

“Understood.”

Michael didn’t wait. The Shiva would need to punch it fast to make the system under attack. Going to his quarters, he went to retrieve Maria.

~~~

“Where is Sean?”

Liz looked up from her work station. Julia. In Engineering. “Um, um—I, um—who?”

“Sean? The Chief Engineer. Scamp of the Universe. A man who has graced the insides of every jail cell across the cosmos, taking as many innocent people with him. Sean.”

“I—um,” Liz paused. Julia in Engineering.

Jonesy took pity on Julia. “He’s in the forward array realigning plasma injectors.”

Julia nodded, giving Liz a hard look. Maybe that black eye was more than a bruising. It could be brain damage. Either that, or there was some environmental issues to be looked into in Engineering. Maybe an oxygen depletion? That would explain decrease in mental acuity and dementia.

Sean was wedged in between two manifolds when she found him. His assistant quickly vacated the area, but it took a few moments for Sean to realize he wasn’t alone.

“Doc!” Sean slide out from where he was suspended a few feet from the floor.

“I guess I now know why I have to treat so many injuries for you. You take risks.”

Sean shrugged. “Not really. Safe as a baby.” His charm quickly converting to a playful smile. It was the first time she talked to him since the bar. All attempts on his part had been forcefully ignored. “You’re talking to me.”

“Yes, so it would appear.” Julia moved from foot to foot. This was all Maria’s fault. If she hadn’t said anything, then it could’ve been ignored. Now it was impossible. Julia took a deep breath.

“You hate me.”

Sean stepped back. Rubbing his neck, his brows furled. How the hell did she come up with that. “No, I do not. I’d say that it is more likely that you hate me.”

Julia frowned. “I don’t even know you!”

“That’s not true. I tried everything to convince you to spend time with me, and you’re more evasive than a...”

“Don’t finish that statement. I’m not evasive.” Julia shook her head. “You jump around me. You’re all over the place. The excuses you create are silly and transparent. I don’t hate you. Really I don’t. And as long as you’re not trying to murder me or get me raped and maimed or sold into slavery, then I might—talk to you.”

Sean seemed to think it over. “I thought you were getting to know me.”

“Know you? How?” No one could be this dense or unaware. “You never talk to me! I don’t know anything about you except you have a reputation to sleep with anything, you gamble, you drink, and you have a love of practical jokes. You’re never serious.”

Sean rubbed his face. “All those things, I’m them. It’s true.”

Julia stopped pacing and looked at him seriously. “I know it is. And it’s not that I don’t find those parts of you interesting and funny.” Julia looked away. “I know that men like Max and Michael, and even Kyle, they aren’t easy men to command loyalty from, or friendship. They chose their alliances and family.” The room was suddenly too small as Sean seemed to take up most the room. For once, he wasn’t moving around like a nervous tick.

“They are good friends,” Sean said. “I’d die for them.”

“I know that. As they would die for you.” Julia licked her lips nervously.  Placing a hand on his chest, she looked into his hazel eyes. “I could like the man they see, all part of him. Loyal friend, serious, and strong, and a crazy loon at times. That is someone I might like to know.”

Sean cleared his throat. “I—I’m not sure who he is.”

That was honest. “Maybe I’d be willing to find out, as long as he stopped trying to murder me with his cooking.” Sean laughed at that.

He nodded. “Okay, so you’re saying….” He scratched his head. Tipping his head to the side, he sighed. “Exactly what are you saying?”

“That I’m willing to meet Sean, the real Sean, if you’d let him come out.”

Well hell. Sean felt his stomach hollow. Shit. Double damn. He needed help. This was going to call for a night of male bonding to figure this one out. “How do I do that exactly?”

Julia smiled slightly. He really was cute in a clueless way. “You’ll figure it out.”

Sean watched her leave. Standing there, he was strangely silent. She had opened a door.

~~~

Praximus was one of the large of the Consortium of Commerce planet in the Great Outer Rim. All major trading was conducted there. If you couldn’t find something on Praximus, it couldn’t be found. The seaboards of the continents swelled with casinos, gambling, and trading houses. It was a world of fast credits and fast talking. The law revolved around the barter. Once a deal was made, there was no breaking the seal. Only crime punishable by the death penalty was the breaking a deal.

“You know that Zephyr is my ship, right?”

“Michael grunted as he prepared to enter the inner atmosphere.

“And whenever we go anywhere, you pilot.”

Michael looked behind him. “What’s your point?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Why can’t I pilot and you co-pilot? After all, it’s my ship.”

“If we got my ship done, we both could pilot.”

Maria smiled. “Are you telling me that once we get your ship done, we’re going to take two ships instead of one?”

No. Michael didn’t comment. “Is this your way of saying that I am domineering and a control freak?”

Maria moved her arms around him from behind scooting in closer. “You, my husband, are the poster child of control freak. I think that if we are going to continue to do this pilot and co-pilot thing, we might consider building a larger ship, with sleeping bay and a few more essential systems, especially if you want to go traveling.”

“You’re serious?”

Maria nodded. “I know you want to spend time away from everything, so how about after we solve this problem, that you and I take off into Karnak’s past, spend the time building your fighter, and a larger ship for us? We can test pilot it in the past, seek out past worlds, and bring it to the future to test run from one end of the galaxy to the other.”

Michael’s heart thudded in his chest. Time. She was offering him time. Time he didn’t have. Need and desire were the true soulmates. His need and desire to be with only her was something his world would never be able to understand. Strange that it was the only thing he did. “I love you. You know that, right?” Maria nodded her thumb rubbing his cheekbone. “I know I don’t say it often, but I try to show you…”

“You do much, Commander.” Maria’s eyes took on a special gleam. “So what do you say, that I pilot us back to Shiva after we find what we’re looking for?”

Michael was too smart for that, he quickly evaded. “It could take some work to find these Antar people. How do we know them when we find them?”

“Follow the serpent. They carry the symbol, so if we follow the serpent, we should find them.” Maria watched Michael smoothly line up for a landing after they were cleared. “It’s that second set of ships that emerged when we were there that worries me.”

“How so?”

Maria tried to suppress the need to reach pass him and make adjustments. “Who were they? The Serpent staff left was from Khivar’s world, Antar. We know that now. Or from the group of worlds he controlled. So those other ships were either them returning to do in other worlds or someone else. I vote for someone else.”

Michael smoothly landed the Zephyr. He powered her down. Looking back at Maria as the hatch opened. “We can’t know that. I could’ve been the same.”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think the raiders would leave a system until they’re done. Their technique seems to be dependent on surprise. Returning to a damaged system, they would already be known.”

“Their technology makes it possible for them to still use an element of surprise.”

Maria allowed Michael to help her out of the ship. “Perhaps, but I think it was someone else. Maybe the same people, but competitors. According to the Histories, Antar was in the midst of a civil war. Its solar system was in turmoil. Perhaps in all these centuries that hasn’t changed, and it is two factions pursuing the same common goal.”

“Which is?”

Maria shrugged as she straightened her clothing. “Who’s to say? Once we know that, we know everything.”

Maria quickly grabbed their traveling kits from the Zephyr as Michael took care of the landing bay fees. He came and relieved her of the kits, and led her to find accommodations for the night.

“Honey, pick us someplace with room service and a hot tub so we can get all hot and wet.” Maria said as she searched through her kit for a snack. She was starving. All the vomiting was depleting her reserves. She could eat half a wildebeest. Barbequed with peppers. Hot. Very hot. Spicy and sweet. “Lets find someone to deliver us a huge barbequed feast.”

Michael smiled big and cheesy. “Did I tell you that I love you?”

“There you go, getting all emotional again.” The man was a sucker for meat.

~~~

“Sire.”

“Report. You’re on an open communication link. This better be good.”

“My Lord, Thoth. The Princess of Anterra has arrived on Praximus with her Consort.”

The silence of distance was colder than the space between. “Are they alone?”

“Yes. The Imperial ship, Shiva has returned to New Federation territories in search of raiders.”

“Raiders? Do we have any employed?”

The Slaver looked to the area around him, up and down the deserted alleyway. The tattooed serpent on his arm almost glowed in the darkness. “Yes, Sire. All raiding parties have been pulled to the next location as determined. The Royals are there as well. Shiva must have followed the Royals.”

“I see. Than that bastard Zan must have decoded more possibilities. He is searching actively. We need to find the One before him.” There was a silence as the open Com was closed as the Council of Antar talked. “I need the Princess. She is the closest direct descendant. She is the greatest chance we have. Do not lose her.”

The Pirate waited for his chance. “I tracked them since Dalax. They are actively looking for the Slavers.”

Thoth laughed. “They look for us, as we look for them. Priceless. Then, Pirate, your rewards are multiplied should you conveniently let them find you, and follow you home to Antar. Disable any tracking devise that can allow Shiva to follow. I need the Princess and the Commander.”

“Understood, Sire.”

The Pirate closed his communication link. It would only take time for him to conveniently expose himself to the others. Settling back in the dark, he watched the lit window of the room that housed Michael and Maria.

~~~

“Captain, we are exiting to the system. There is evidence of active fighting.”

“Bring us in hard and to port. Go to full battle stations.” Max moved in his chair. He looked to the door as Isabel entered the bridge. “This is not the place for you.”

“Yes, it is.” Isabel went to stand beside the weapons and security station normally manned by Michael. “I can feel the disturbance in the fabric.”

Max looked at his wife. An Eminent. She sounded like Alex. “What does that mean?”

“That you should look hard to aft. They are coming up fast.”

“Malcolm!”

“I see them, Cap. Hard to port, do you want to come around?”

“Indeed. Push it hard, adjust your course to one-one-seven mark three. Drop to running speeds, full lights. Let’s find us a pigeon. I need a keeper.” Max spun in his seat. “Caleb, call to the deck officer, all fighter deploy. I need a live one.”

“Aye, Cap.”

Rafe looked over from his console. “Cap, planetary government is asking for assistance. They are under attack from ground forces approaching the capital city and three other major cities.”

“Mal, can you isolate approaching forces on the ground?”

Malcolm quickly checked his monitors. “Negative. They must be shielded. I can’t distinguish them from the indigenous.”

Max checked his monitors.  “Inform Flight Commander to send four squadrons to the planet. One per city. Locate and destroy approaching forces,” Max turned in his seat. “If they can take prisoners, that would be good. Inform medical we need full teams to the planet. There are going to be casualties.”

“Max...” Isabel motioned towards the monitor. “There is a ship emerging. It’s large.”

Max looked at the where Isabel was gesturing. “Full scanner to the forward array, power up the laser canons, and rotate our shielding. They can see us, but they can’t penetrate our shields.” Max looked at Isabel. “How big?”

“Very big. It is leaving a distortion in the space. I can almost see a distortion corridor opening.”

“Caleb!”

“I got them!”

Max stood up. “Then let’s take them down. Power up boys, aim small, hit big.”

“Aye, Cap. Going in.”

Max watched at his ship maneuvered into the opening space as a ship emerged. Before it was aware of them, they moved in close using trans-warp torpedoes.

“Target their main deflector control,” said Alex. Max looked over his shoulder to see Alex standing next to Isabel holding her hand.

“Helmsman, target us into that corridor. We’ll do a run and take out the deflector controls on our way out. Inform squadrons to follow us in.”

Max took his seat again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Isabel walking forward. As they closed in on the ship, he could see the decorative motif. Isabel raised a hand and pointed. “The Serpent.”

~~~

“Kyle, we’ve got three teams down!”

“What is holding up the other ones?” Kyle asked checking his med pad.

Julia looked over. “The shielding closed. The last three ships can’t transverse the phase shielding. They’re grounded until they can lower shields.”

Kyle nodded. “So that leaves only us and the other three. We’re already loaded. Inform engineering to contact the three remaining medical teams when they are lowering shields. They only need a small window of opportunity.” Kyle rotated around at a voice.

“Where do I sit, Dad?”

“Liam! I told you to stay put!”

“I wanted to go with you.”

Jonesy looked over from his console. “Kyle, we’ve got to punch out now. Shiva is moving in for a full run. Otherwise we’re trapped until they come out of the maneuver.”

Kyle cursed. Pushing his son into a chair, he strapped him into it tight. “Stay put! You understand?” Liam nodded. “Punch us out! We’ve got to go!”

Kyle quickly strapped in across from his son, and next to Julia. “Liam, you need to adjust your shields. I want you to avoid any confrontation or the wounded. This is going to be hard for you.”

Julia swore. She was so used to Kyle, and all that he survived, she forgot how hard it could be on a young boy that had no real experience with trauma and shielding. He came from a protective world where strong shields weren’t needed.

“We could medicate or sedate him.”

Liam’s face became stubborn. “I don’t want to be medicated. I can do this! My dad did it, so can I.”

Kyle shook his head. “It wasn’t easy.”

“You have two hearts. You’re more sensitive, and you survived. I have only one.” Liam reasoned.

Kyle looked at Julia. “Keep an eye on him.” He looked through to the command deck. “What city are we taking?”

“The Capital. The other three have employed to the others. The main Capital is currently under attack, and already half the city is experiencing devastation. They aren’t slaughtering. They’re snatching and running.”

“Thank God for small favors.” Kyle paused. “What do you mean, snatch and grab? Where are they grabbing to?” Kyle shook his head. He hit his Com badge. “Shiva! You’ve got cloaked ships within the world range. They are transporting from the surface, do you copy?”

“Understood, Kali, this is Shiva out.”

Kyle looked at his crew. “Full weapons, set to kill. Shoot first. Question later. No mistakes.” The world was coming on fast as the Kali hit the upper atmosphere and dropped into the lower stratosphere.

“We’ve got a bumpy ride,” said Jonesy. “The heat from the weapon discharge are heating a zone over the city. Pull straps in tight!”

Liz, who was in the back monitoring the systems came forward and quickly buckled in smiling slightly at Julia. “How did you avoid Sean grabbing you for his team?”

Julia smiled, ignoring the bouncing of the ship as her stomach took a dip. Liam was looking a little green. She passed him a strip of nausea gum. “Chew this, it might help.” Julia offered some to Liz who declined.

“I always get stuck on Sean’s team. He and Michael are by far the roughest rides. I’m acclimatized. This is nothing.”

“So how come you’re not with the Chief?”

Liz snorted. “He seems afraid of me lately since he gave me my black eye.”

“Hmm, and how did you do that exactly?”

Liz laughed, but she wasn’t sharing her secrets. If other people knew how to control the wooly headed engineering, they would be using it too. “So how did you get free of the Sean suck zone?”

Julia smiled. “He was all hot and bothered to get down here immediately. I was coordinating, so I was needed on the Shiva until all teams were set. Also, I’m not really cleared for this action yet, but necessity outweighed caution.”

Liz nodded. She looked fondly through the door into the command deck where Jonesy and the others were piloting the transport with squadron escort. “Jonesy was the same. That’s the difference I guess between us and them, they like instantaneous action, and I’d rather only deal with it if it happens. I rarely go looking for it.”

Julia nodded. There was a great difference between the genders, and it wasn’t all anatomical. Outlook was something to be considered. Julia refrained from commenting as they landed. Putting on a respirator mask, she passed on to Liam. The atmosphere was breathable to them, but with the weapon discharge, atmosphere ions would be super ionized and hot.

“Julia, you want to set up relief, surgery or triage?”

Julia grabbed her gear. “Give Liam relief and aid here in the Kali. Liz is onboard monitoring systems along with some of the command team. It’ll be easier. I’ll take triage if you can handle surgery.”

“Done.”

Kyle grabbed his son. “You work relief only. That is a comfort carry work only. Minor injuries, but keep your shields up and strong. They will be highly distressed, worried about their families, and you need to keep clear of the emotional wash. You understand?”

Liam nodded taking some of the medical supplies. “I’ve got it.”

Kyle took another glance at his son, reluctant to leave him behind.

“He’ll be okay,” said Liz. “I’ll keep him close.”

“Thanks, Liz. You have any problems, call immediately and have Jonesy dust off. We’ll call for pick up.”

“Understood.” Liz stood in the door of the transport as the ground crew moved away. Kyle paused, but he quickly followed the other teams, keeping low, and moving fast. The front movers were loaded with armory and cutting a path, clearing it of potential dangers. They had settled mere yards from the beginning of the Capital city, to the east. It was a hot LZ in the inner city, and landing was impossible. The front cutters were engineers who would create a new secure LZ allowing the Kali to move closer into the city.

They began running into bodies immediately. Some were still alive, but many were dead. Julia stopped and picked up a black devise, oval in shape, almost a teardrop that was flat on the back surface.

“Kyle?”

He stopped and took the devise. Scanning it, Kyle quickly turned over the instrument. “It’s a genetic sequencer. This devise can instantaneously sample DNA. They must sample and take what is a possible value to them, and destroy what they do not need.”

“That’s barbaric!”

Kyle couldn’t agree more. They had fought a war twice over the manipulation of genetics. Hybridization was the foundation of the strife of the first War. “Khivar was one of the first to suggest genetic manipulation and hybridization. He was highly interested in genetics, and the Anterraans were his goal.”

Julia moved as Kyle put the devise in his kit. They would analyze it later on the Shiva. Embedded within its sequence matrix had to be a sample DNA, the DNA that they were trying to match or complement. That information could prove the missing link in understanding what the Slavers of Antar were seeking.

They pushed on to the center of the city. Squadron fighters were patrolling overhead, and they could hear fighting to the west. Inner city near the main cathedral was under fire when they arrived. The front cutters and engineers quickly joined in the battle as they took out as many invaders as possible. Kyle pulled Julia along with him into cleared areas only quickly assessing the falling bodies of both the town’s people and the Slavers.

“Julia, we need to set up over here!”

Julia nodded, but ducked out of the line of fire. “It’s a little hot!”

“That it is!” Kyle screamed moving quick through the bodies as their support staff joined them. They collected the survivors moving the dead off to one side.  Afraid and nervous, Julia swallowed the emotions clearing her mind. Work. The task at hand was to save those who could be. She sat up her basic triage as Kyle set up surgery, and the other support team began to work.

~~~

“Cap! The main ship has an energy surge. Her reactor core is going critical!”

“Order all small craft fighters back and move Shiva to a safe distance. Concentrate on taking out some of the smaller ships.”

Max sat back. The larger ship was different. The ones they engaged first were not of the same design, but same basic technology. “They appear to be two different factions of the same race, or close. The technology and design is only slightly varied. I’ll need a sample of both.”

“Cap, we can’t locate the cloaked ship taking from the planet. They must be using some type of transport device.”

“Scan for energy distortions. Their engines have to run hot, and that leaves behind a finger.”

“Aye, Cap!”

The bridge crew worked fast and efficiently as they slowly cleared the space above the planet. The larger ship took some more work before she went. Her engines faltered, regained active inertial damper systems, but the stress on her cooling towers and rods proved too costly as she finally exploded into a large implosion ring.

Max saw the large chunk of what was once a ship hurling towards them in a fast moving vector directly upon explosion. “Dammit! I told you to move us a safe distance. Sound for collision! Increase the shields to the forward array.”

~~~

Julia moved from one survivor to another as quickly as possible. Mixed in with the victims were soldiers from an unknown army. Assessing and sending them into surgery, she marked them, numbering those dead or unlikely to be helped. Prioritizing the ones that were in immediate need, she watched as more people slowly found their way to the triage area. The fighting was near. The first trickling of Shiva members alerted her to the fact that Shiva must have sent in ground forces.

“Kyle, I’m running low. The new LZ is still too hot for Kali to move in closer, I need to go back to the ship.”

Kyle nodded. “Have them take off, return to Shiva for more supplies, and dump my son off there. I want him off this world.”

Julia nodded. She took a small group of helpers with her to make the three mile trek back to the Kali. The supplies would be heavy. She wasn’t gone too long when Sean appeared at Kyle’s elbow.

“Kyle...”

“She’s not here. She went for supplies.” Kyle indicated a place. “Put you damn finger in that hole until I can find the leak.”

“Where is the Kali?” Sean asked.

Kyle finally looked up at his friend. Sean was a wreck. His face was covered in grim and sweat. He had a torn sleeve, and his upper arm was bandaged badly. There was a crease across his forehead. The bleeding had stopped, and it was clotting.

“You look like shit.”

“Yeah, thanks. We saved two other cities. The third was a goner. It’ll have to be buried. The devastation was complete. As far as we can tell, no one was taken. They were slaughtered.” Sean rubbed the back of his neck. “We found evidence of two factions. The Serpent motif and a new one. Four squares. Whoever they are, the two factions were in a full warfare and the people were the victims. Collateral damage.” Sean moved his finger when Kyle indicated it was okay. “So where is Kali again?”

Kyle smiled slightly. “Three miles out, to the east. The LZ was too hot to come in closer. Kali was going to set to the center once the engineers cut a new landing zone.”

“Fat chance of that happening anytime soon. They moved in on the north, and three units are cut off to the east.” Sean frowned. “How many soldiers did Julia take with her?”

Kyle shook his head and he motioned for the patient to be removed. As quick as one was gone, another was put in his place. “I don’t know, Sean. Look, you want to check on her, and I need supplies, so be a good boy, go find the woman, and get the damn Kali in closer.”

“Yessah, boss!” Sean didn’t need to be asked twice. “Hey, is my Lizard there too?”

“Get the frick’ out!”

Sean grabbed his weapon and motioned for his men to follow. They lopped off through the city at a fast pace find a few skirmishes along the way. They made the Kali in double time. As it came in view, Sean caught sight of Julia struggling between two men, to have one grab her from behind.

“Julia!” Before his eyes, Julia dematerialized with two Thoth warriors, and with her, five other crew members, including Liz and Liam. They found Jonesy badly hurt, a few others dead. Sean stood there rooted to the spot where Julia had disappeared, his eyes moving upward to the skies.