Slavers of Antar
By
DocPaul
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Chapter
Two: Trismegistus
“Isabel?” Maria took one of the twins from
Isabel. It was late. The twins were sleeping soundly despite being dragged to
Michael and Maria’s quarters. “What is it? Max?”
“No, he’s fine.” Isabel moved into the
staterooms quickly. “Can I put them in your bed?”
“Of course.” Maria took Alexander while Isabel
carried Michael. Maria gently put the small child in her bed. She had come in
from the Astrolab, and Michael was still on the bridge. The bed was still unmade
from when they had been disturbed.
“I have to ask a great favor from you.” Isabel
fidgeted. She was highly agitated. Running her hand over Mikey’s head, she
bent and kissed him. “Can you watch the boys for a little while?”
Maria looked at the two quickly, and then at Isabel
in horror. She quickly covered, taking long deep breaths. “Of course.” She
squeezed Isabel’s hand. “You could’ve left them in their own bed and
called for me. I wouldn’t have minded coming over.”
Isabel breathed hard. “I know. I feel better
knowing you’re with them.” She kissed Maria’s cheek. “Thanks, Maria.”
She rushed out with no explanation.
Maria stood looking at her two nephews, her hand
covering her mouth. Oh well, goodness. This was a fine pickle she got herself
into. Covering them both quickly with the covers, she looked at their lax
bodies. They looked uncomfortable. Rearranging their limbs, she covered them and
stood back. Frowning, sweat broke out on her forehead. Gathering more cushions
and pillows, she surrounded the bed just in case one of them rolled out. The
floor could be hard. She knew. She and Michael had rolled out of bed a few
times.
Maria watched over them, her stomach nervous. Pacing
the floor, she kept watch and guarded them. Her stomach really hurt. She took
out her weapon and checked its load. Good. She was ready for—anything. Maria
wiped the moisture from her mouth. Almost. What if they woke up?
~~~
Michael looked up from the command console on
Max’s chair. He frowned. Standing he paced the floor of the bridge in front of
the helm and navigation, staring out at the planet.
Geneja was the fourth planet in the Talmar solar
system, which consisted of fourteen planets. Six of them sustained humanoid life
in some form. Their society was agrarian, post-industrial. They had once
practiced a more advanced lifestyle, but after the war there was a cultural
revolution demanding a return to a more simplistic culture. The Genejaans were a
peaceful people capable of space travel and intergalactic trade. They opened
their main cities for large marketing, but the main economic base was
agricultural and thus, more rural. One major city was destroyed, and three
smaller ones burning.
“Shiva,” Max said, waiting for his ship
to respond.
“This is Shiva, Sarasvati.”
Max turned away from the devastation. “I need full
recovery teams deployed. We have over ninety percent annihilation.” He rubbed
his smoke blackened face. “Send the death crews.”
The Shiva was silent. Sam glanced at Michael,
whose jaw muscles flexed in anger. He nodded.
“Max, this is Michael. Do you need help scanning
for survivors?”
“Negative. Keep the long range scanners on, and
keep our sixes clean. We’re setting up temporary shelters and base camp. The
medical evac unit will send the survivors to Shiva as needed. Have
communications contact the other large cities. Full alert will be needed to
return the survivors to their family members.”
Michael gestured to the bridge staff to comply.
“Max, what’s the loss in the larger city?”
Max paused. “Total. We’ll clear the remaining
survivors we can find. Once we’re clear, Shiva needs to seal the city.
Flatten into nothing.”
“Understood.” Michael entered orders into his
command module. “Recovery teams are enroute. A full med evac unit is with the Kali.”
He frowned at the crew manifest. “Max…” Michael turned in his seat and
lowered his voice, “Isabel is on the Kali.”
Max voice was silent. “Why the hell…” He
stopped himself from asking. “Michael, you need to keep Maria off the surface.
Whatever it takes. I’m sending Kyle back up to the Shiva. This isn’t
a good place. I’ll get Isabel.”
Michael shut his eyes. He could feel it. Max was
wavering as well. “Understood. Maxwell….”
“I’m fine. Sarasvati, out.”
Michael turned in the chair. “Caleb, organize the
staff. I want skeleton staff on the Shiva. All movable personnel need to
be added to the rescue and recovery. We need to move fast.” He stood and
stared at the stars from the upper atmosphere of Geneja. “Sam, full range
scanner. Send out third class long range probes. I want to know what enters this
system before it gets here. Send the short range reconnaissance fighters.
They’re to scan and monitor the other worlds of this system.”
“Michael, we’re getting contact from the other
worlds. They are offering their assistance.”
“Tell them it’s appreciated. That if they wish
to help, we need all their scanning information pertaining to the time period of
the attack. Coordinate the efforts. Ask them to please come to the Shiva,”
Michael looked at the time index. “In twenty-three hours. The Princess will
meet and talk to them.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Michael.” Maria’s voice came over the COM.
“Not now, Princess. I’m busy.”
“I feel—”
“I know. I feel them too.” Michael swore. She
wasn’t known to sit still.
“They are off the forward array, 30 parsecs out.
They just came into the system.” Maria’s voice went out.
“Sam, you get that?” Michael asked.
“Scanning now. It’s beyond our sensor range.”
Michael nodded. Beyond their sensors, but not beyond Maria’s. It was a few
more moments before Sam picked it up.
“Michael, I’ve got four ships, configuration
unknown. They’re moving into the system fast.”
“All stations battle ready! Close the aft port
bays! No more transports! Inform the recovery teams they we are engaged and will
be back for them!”
“Commander, the Captain is hailing us.”
“Belay that. Inform him, I’m busy.” Michael
checked the sensors. “Helm adjust course to three-six-one-mark-seven. Running
speed. Bring up foiled shields, and open a channel to the approaching
vessels.” Michael waited for Maria, but she never came.
“The lead ship is hailing us, Commander.”
“Open a channel.”
“This is Celzia of the Royal Antarian Fleet. We
request entrance into this system.”
Michael looked to his science command center. Maria.
He expected her to appear, but she did not. Frowning he nodded to the
communications officer.”
“This is the Commander of the Shiva, the
flagship of the New Royal Federation. This system has been attacked and is
currently under our protection. Admittance can only be granted through us. State
the nature of your business.”
There was a silence.
“Michael, they’re scanning us and the planet
below in full range... especially the planet below.”
Michael nodded and he waited. Then suddenly the
ships disappeared. “Sam, come about on the helm. Where are they?”
“They cloaked. They’re not showing on our
sensors.” Michael and the crew quickly went into a search mode for the ships.
Nothing. Michael’s eyes narrowed. They were still there. He could feel them.
“Maria! I need you.”
“I can’t come to the bridge.”
“Maria—”
“They are returning to the point they entered the
system. I believe they are preparing to jump.”
Michael swore. It was their best opportunity to
track the raiders. “Helm, make those coordinates your mark.” He quickly
entered data into the console.
“Aye, Commander.” The Shiva moved fast,
but they were too late.
“Commander—”
Michael slumped back in the command chair. “I
know. Dammit!” Michael rubbed his face. He turned to the science module.
“Tell me you got active scans.”
“As many as possible, Commander.” Michael
nodded. Good. At least something.
“Lay a course back to Geneja. Contact the Captain.
Inform him of the incident. Continue full scanning. I’ll be in my quarters.”
Michael quickly left the bridge. Maria. His
irritating wife. When he didn’t want her underfoot, she was there constantly.
If he needed her there, and she refused to come. Contrary. The woman was
contrary.
“Maria!”
“God!” Maria rushed out of the bedroom. “Lower
your voice!” Maria said in a panic, her voice equally loud.
“What the hell is going on? I needed you.”
“Michael, there are babies in our bed!”
Michael paused in shock, then peered into their
bedroom. His nephews. Sighing he looked back
at his usually unflappable wife, suddenly in the middle of a full
breakdown.
“You—you’ve got to help me! Isabel, that saucy
wench! She knows I’m powerless to say no.” Michael snorted at that. “Shut
up! This isn’t funny!”
“Maria, you’ve watched the boys before.”
“Not alone!” Maria flapped her arms
expressively. “They—they, um, they’re small.”
“Babies tend to be small.”
Maria twisted her hands. Obviously she had been
obsessing for a while. “They could wake up! They could need something. Water.
You have to water them!” She pleaded with Michael in fear. “What if they
need water?”
“Then you give them water.”
“They can fall out of bed. Kill themselves.
Suicidal babies! I—I put cushions around them.” Maria said distractedly.
Michael looked at the sheer number of cushions around their beds. Where hell did
she get all of them? He didn’t remember them owning that many pillows. He saw
her weapon.
“What’s with the gun?”
“What?” Maria quickly went to retrieve her
weapon. “They might’ve been attacked, and—”
Michael rubbed his face. Now he knew why she
couldn’t come to the bridge. Babysitting. His wife, the nightmare babysitter
from
Everything about the twins made Maria panic. She was
okay with them as long as Isabel and Max were with them, but once they were in
her care, she flipped out. As strange as that was, the twins felt the most
comfortable with Maria. They adored her. Tended to take every opportunity to
pile on her.
“What is this unnatural panic over children,
Maria?” Michael hated it. He wanted kids. Maria said she wanted his children,
but they were three years into marriage and the thought of children still made
her hyperventilate.
“They smell.”
“They do not smell!”
“Yes, they do!” Maria whispered dramatically.
“I—powdery. And other things.”
“I smell.”
Maria sniffed. “I’m used to your smell.”
“You don’t want children with me?” Michael
asked softly.
“Sure, when we’re ready. In a few years or two.
Maybe fifteen or twenty.”
Michael stopped and looked at her in shock.
“Fifteen or twenty?”
Shrugging, Maria moved closer to him, her hand on
his chest. “Well, I have a long life expectancy. I’m still pretty young. My
people rarely had children until they were in their sixties or so. I’ve not
even had a thirtieth birthday. Plenty of time to talk myself out of it.”
“Sixty?”
“My parents were over a hundred. That is a little
late in life. My people tended to want children when they were young, and…”
Michael scratched his eyebrow. “My people judge a
person’s worth by their propagation into the next generation. Keeping the
family line strong and alive is an honorable and desirable thing. The more
children, the more prestigious.”
“Michael—” Maria paused, not knowing what to
say. Children were important to him. He had been unbound to a mate for his
entire life until her, therefore children had been beyond him. Now? That was no
longer true.
“We’ll talk about this later, okay?” Maria
nodded. It was unavoidable. “Now, tell me what you felt.”
She knew what he meant. He wanted to know what she
felt before the ships appeared. How she knew it was going to happen.
“They,” Maria frowned. “Michael, they felt
familiar to me. Something I’ve felt before.” She shook her head. It was hard
to describe. “I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Empty. I felt—” Dizzy.
Maria closed her eyes, but she shook it off. “I—I felt evil. Evil that never
dies.”
~~~
Isabel trudged slowly through the carnage. The
burning city was too painful to see. Buildings—Businesses—Lives—Gone.
There had been an agenda. Something sought. Something found. It had to have been
found or the raiders would’ve systematically destroyed city after city.
Whatever they were after, they had found it, and thus, the rest of this world
and the neighboring ones had been saved.
It was there. She knew it. Walking, almost
reluctantly, she followed an instinct. Max located his wife from the distance.
Moving fast, he went to intercept her before—
Isabel stopped. She stood there with her hand over
her mouth. Women. Children. Babies. Men. Old and young. Nothing had survived.
Nothing.
“Isabel.” Max held out his hand. “Honey, come
away.”
Isabel shook her head. She couldn’t. Not yet.
Moving through the stench and disease, Isabel moved through the bodies using her
own hands. Find it. She had to find it.
“Isabel!” Max rushed to her side to pull her
away from the death. Bodies. Everywhere. An entire city pilled in a heap of
death, their bodies stripped of flesh. The blood—it covered his wife, and she
walked almost in a nightmare.
“Max—thrice great. It rises.” Her voice was
like a wound.
Max pulled her away, but not before her hand reached
out and found a staff. He dragged her from the very sight that toppled Kyle, and
from what he tried to protect Maria. They were too sensitive. Kyle could feel
the echoing cries of the people in his head. Maria would feel them in her body
like a disease. But Isabel. He hadn’t thought of Isabel.
He shook his wife out of some trance that held her.
“Isabel! Wake out of it! Wake!”
“Max,” Isabel handed him a staff buried in the
blood and flesh. “Thrice great, Max. It rises!” Max stared at her in
confusion. Looking at his hand, he stared at the staff she had found. Long. It
wasn’t a rod. It was a staff weapon. Ornate and decorated. Two serpents
entwined along the length, with the heads of the serpents on either side of the
power base.
Isabel collapsed at his feet.
~~~
Michael caught Maria as she stumbled and then
collapsed.
“Maria!”
She was out cold. Her skin was moist to the touch as
a fine sweat covered her body. Maria didn’t sweat. She had no internal
regulatory system. She moderated to the environmental temperatures. Wrapping his
body around hers on the floor of their quarters, he tried to warm her skin.
“Maria, honey—open your eyes.” Michael’s
hand moved over her face. Confused, he tried to think of something to do.
Something—
“Medical bay, this is Michael. I need assistance
in my quarters now!”
His hands moved over her frantically. He held her in
his arms, gently rocking her, more to comfort himself than her. Closing his
eyes, he could feel his bond with her, strong. Sighing in relief, he calmed a
little. There. He could feel Max as well, and—Isabel.
Michael’s eyes opened immediately. He had opened
up for a moment searching for Maria. Instead, he found Max and Isabel. Isabel
was faint. Far away. Max was confused and almost hysterical. Michael shook his
head. Hysterical? Not a word he ever associated with his brother.
Picking up his wife, Michael couldn’t wait. He was
taking her to the medical bay himself. Before he could leave the room, he heard
a small frightened voice.
“Mommy!”
The twins.
~~~
“Dammit, Julia. An answer would be nice!”
Julia continued her examination of Maria. Michael
was pacing the room, holding his small nephew. Alex was holding onto him,
afraid. He had tears on his face. Michael was upset, Alex was upset, and soon
Mikey would wake up, also upset. The gift of being a twin.
“Julia!”
“Hold your damn…” Julia looked at the
distraught child, and bit back her response. “Give me a moment, okay? She’s
fine. Nothing is wrong. I can’t find anything wrong.”
“And yet—” Michael gestured sarcastically
towards Maria.
Julia looked at him in exasperation. “There is
physically nothing wrong with her. Mentally? Well, she married you!” Michael
ignored that jab. He liked Julia. She had grit.
“Maybe she hyperventilated. The twins tend to do
that to her.”
“No.” Julia frowned. “The sweat is a mystery.
It’s not cooling her. It’s a reaction, like a fear response. Nerves?”
“From watching the twins?” Michael could see
that.
“Michael, I can’t say.” Julia started to make
arrangements to have Maria transferred to the medical bay, which was already
bulging with survivors.
Maria’s eyes suddenly opened, but she seemed to be
seeing something off beyond their sight.
~~~
Pater omnis telesmi totius mundi est hic.
“Maria?” Michael knelt down still holding Alex.
Maria seemed to shake her head as if to clear it,
trying to speak, but no words came out. She cleared her throat. “This is the
father of all paths and all the world.”
“What?” Michael looked questioningly at Julia
who shrugged. He frowned down at his wife. “Princess, do not start that Eminence talk with me. You know I hate that crap.”
“Crap!” came a small child’s voice below his
neck. Michael looked at his nephew sharply. Well damn.
“Stuff. You know I hate that stuff,” he quickly
amended.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying.” Maria struggled to
sit up, but Julia put a hand on her shoulder keeping her down. “I
got—dizzy.”
“Stay down, Maria. I’m running a few more
diagnostics.” Julia frowned. “Could you be pregnant?”
Michael’s heart stopped in his throat, looking at
his wife sharply. She wasn’t? Maria quickly shook her head, avoiding
Michael’s eyes. “I’m not. Positive.”
Julia quickly scanned Maria again. Nope. She
definitely wasn’t pregnant. The scan had shown negative the first time, but
there was a small time period that scanner didn’t pick up the changed
chemistry. The expectant mother was usually better at confirming. “Then I’m
stumped. All the scans show you in perfect health. Nothing out of the
ordinary.”
Julia helped Maria finally sit up, and another small
voice woke in the other room, afraid. Michael handed Alex to Maria, and he
quickly went to get his namesake. Mikey was crying for his mother and for Alex.
Maria got to her feet with Alex, and sat down in a
large chair snuggling him close. He had both his arms around her neck, and she
was rocking him gently whispering to him in comfort.
“Maria, come by the medical bay later, okay?
I’ll run better diagnostics. You probably dropped your blood pressure or
something. It happens.”
Maria nodded meeting Michael’s eyes when he entered the room. “I’m okay. It was just…” Michael raised an eyebrow. “Someone opened a door.”