Adventures of a Greenie Green Marine Vol 3 Chapter 4 Betrayed
- 4 years ago
- 60
- 0
Geha melted and faded away, dissolved like a puff of smoke in a strong breeze. As they raised the helmet-like apparatus she had been under, it was as if she woke from a long deep sleep. She could remember everything and in a clear order. She also remembered what she had experienced while she was Geha. Including the lasting impressions of her ending up on Alvor’s Cove and meeting her new friends, Martha and Sister.
She remembered meeting them again in an old secretive satellite in an orbit around old Earth’s poles.
She recalled their flight aboard a most peculiar and odd-shaped space ship to a place called Shadow.
She did not trust the masked woman calling herself Cherubim, but at that point, none of them had many options left. If it weren’t for her friends she would not have agreed to the procedure. However, in her confused state she also had been in terrible emotional pain, caused by the confusion about herself, consequently she agreed to something Cherubim called reversed Psycho Surgery.
Now as she sat up and saw the faces of her new friends, she still felt emotional pain but the confusion was gone.
Martha asked her, “Are you okay, Geha?”
The blonde woman with the deep bronze tan nodded. “Yes, Martha. I am. However, I am not Geha anymore. I am indeed Sybill Putnam.”
Out of an impulse she reached out to touch the claw-like hand of the bright red creature with the truly fright inducing demonic features. “To see honest concern for me in your face, Sister convinces me that there is more than just hope for you too.”
Sybill gathered the thin cover and bunched it before her chest. It had slipped as she sat up.
With them in the room was Cherubim and a white-skinned short humanoid, that looked awfully like a Kermac, all that was missing was a robe and a false beard. That man stood behind a set of controls. “Ms. Putnam, please take it easy. We had to restore the original cell code and dig deep into your ego core. Just lay back down and rest a little more.”
Sybill did not comply right away. “My mind, it is clear. I recall everything.”
She kept holding Sister and now also reached out for Martha’s hand. “I recall and have not forgotten about you, but I do not remember him.” She looked towards the white-skinned man. “Are you Kermac?”
“Technically I am Ker. My professional credentials would make me a doctor. My name is Zweh-Zweh, I was born on a lost world called Koken but you can call me Doc Zee like everyone around here does.”
Martha glared at the Ker. “I might be neck-deep in trouble and a criminal, but I won’t go so far as to betray the Union and work for the enemy. Is that the secret behind you? You are Kermac?”
Cherubim were somewhat removed from the rest, her arms crossed before her chest, and standing by the door said, “I am impressed by your reaction, Martha. No, we are not agents or in any other way associated with the Kermac or the Galactic Council. I am indeed what I said I am, this is indeed an old and secret outpost of TSI. Doc Zee has been with us since 1988 OTT, he had ample time for betrayal.”
Sybil still sitting on the gurney said, “That would make him older than even McElligott.”
Cherubim sounded amused. “Doc Zee is older than I am and even older than Deepa, but he spent a long time in zero stasis. He is indeed a Ker.”
The white-skinned specialist sighed. “My story is long and how I ended up on Earth long before the Ascent is for another time. However I can assure you, I am not Kermac.”
Cherubim came closer. “I know it is hard to understand, especially with the little information you have. The Union is a good thing, the rise of a multi-species society where merit and character and not form or origin determine the value of social participation is a lofty but worthy goal indeed. The idea of the Union is the foundation of the next level of universal development. It cannot and will never make true sense to any of us but I will try to explain it in a few sentences. Please bear in mind that I am extremely limited in my own understanding of it all.”
The masked woman found a seat and sat down. “I received this explanation from the Narth Supreme, an entity in itself impossible to comprehend, so please bear with me.”
Martha also sat down on a chair while Sister leaned against Sybil’s gurney and it was she who grunted in her deep inhuman voice. “Speak then, I want to be like Geha ... I mean the woman who now is Sybil and has my voice in me.”
Cherubim sighed. “That is not the goal of my explanation now, and in your case, it is even more complicated than it was for Sybil. Be patient a little longer, we are working on helping you too.”
The Ker standing by the controls added. “We can only proceed with a good conscience if we can reduce the risks significantly, Sister. We need to do more tests and research before we can proceed. We want to free you by restoring you, not to harm or alter you.”
Sister growled. “Sister is confused and mixed up, but not simple. I trust you more now, as the truth is better than saying you can fix Sister. Now speak, Sister wants to know.”
Cherubim nodded. “This reality we are in is not the first one and if I understood things correctly, each subsequent universe is more complex than the previous.”
She made a waving gesture. “But it is a very important one. I am not claiming to understand more than the basics, but the Narth Supreme called this the Prime Universe. An event that has been in the making ever since the very first Universe collapsed, is about to happen.”
Cherubim repeated her gesture. “When I say “about,” it could mean tomorrow or in a million years. The passage of time has an entirely different meaning when it comes to these cosmic events.”
Martha had a skeptical face. “When you say cosmic events and prime universe, are you saying some conditions predate time and insist on the existence of parallel realities?”
“Indeed, Martha. You and I have no sense of time. Sure we have subjective ideas, but nothing in terms of an actual sense that tells us what time is and how it behaves. We are using spaceships that traverse space in alternate space. Ever since the discovery of the Second Spectrum, we know Tachyons do exist. We also know some civilizations achieved higher tech-levels than us and had technology affecting or controlling it. So yes, Martha there was a ‘before’, and consequently, by mere hypothesis alone there might also be a ‘next’.”
Surprising them all, it was Sister who slowly nodded. “There was a before. It feels true.”
Cherubim acknowledged with a nod and returned to her story. “Let us say there are those who transcend a single reality, entities, or beings if you will on a different level than us. Their agendas and motivations are beyond our understanding, at least that is what I believed when the Narth Supreme first tried to explain it to me, but he told me that there is a set of fundamental laws upon which the entire Omniverse rests. The Omniverse, according to the Narth Supreme includes all realities, all universes, past present, and future, and these laws are known as the RULE. Somehow or by something, that RULE got compromised or broken and an event in this reality called the DECISION will determine if and how this RULE is restored.”
Martha secretly wished for a drink of water. What she heard did not fit with her understanding of reality, but beneath her learned shell of man-made education, there was a fundamental part of her innermost self that sensed this to be true.
Cherubim was not done as she went on. “Now the Narth told me that there is a metaphysical manifestation he called the Voice of the RULE. An entity governing the conditions necessary for this DECISION to be made. The Narth conveyed to me that there is no event more important to the very existence of everything than this decision. A decision that can only be made by an entity that will resurrect in this prime reality.”
Sybil blinked. “That is all very difficult to understand, but even if there are Decisions, entities, and gods with all these problems. What has this to do with us? We are, as you say mortals with limited understanding at best.”
“This was my question as well, Sybil. The Narth Supreme responded by saying that every existence, regardless of nature or origin has a part in this. He believes that the Union will eventually and perhaps in a few billion years from now, evolve into a unified entity itself and meet other similar entities at the end of all times and space for the final conflict, ringing in a new Omniverse or something like that.”
Martha said. “That does not answer, Sybil’s question. What has this to do with us? Even if we are playing a part as you say, how would you know it is an important one?”
“I don’t know Martha. All I know is that Immortals exist, I was born 2700 BC into the First Dynasty of Uruk. I did not know my purpose until the day after the Immortal Warrior destroyed the Guardian. This Voice of the Rule I mentioned elected or chose, perhaps even created many beings from all across the universe and from different species to take the role of Cosmic Elders, guardians if you will to ensure the decision will be made.
Each Guardian has the task to guide that society, the act of Richard Stahl killed Earth’s Guardian before its task was completed and thus I was asked to be its surrogate. Not that I fully understand myself, but I am Humanities guardian. Part of my job is to make sure humankind does not disappear and is not pushed aside before it can play its role. Not everyone wants that Decision to be made or agrees with the choice of who is to make it. One such opponent was a being known as the First Emperor, he existed during the first Galactic Revolution and lorded over an empire that included every galaxy of the Virgo Supercluster. This society achieved technology that is far beyond our current tech level. This First Emperor wanted to be the one that makes this Decision, but he failed and somehow vanished. His empire crumbled and broke into many pieces. Many eons later a cast of Technocrats guarded remnants of this technology. As I mentioned before, Sister is the product of this technology.”
“But what about Green Hell and why is Roy involved?” Martha wanted to know.
“Before the end of the war that ended the First Age of Knowledge; before the Seenians vanished and the Saresii became a one planet society, the world you know as Green Hell was a luscious garden world with nothing more dangerous than a Terran Tiger perhaps. Then something changed and the most dangerous life forms from across the universe were gathered on that world and their natural abilities intensified.”
Martha was making big eyes. “That theory has existed for decades, as nothing else could explain the many thousand different paths of evolution co-existing and developing at the same time. Yet no fossil records sustain that sudden change. All Green Hell life forms share genetics, but none appear to be from the same source. Researching this is the very reason we came to Green Hell, but Roy?”
Cherubim said. “While you and your husband were considered victims of a pirate raid, I was on Green Hell during the Kermac invasion. You know about that, right?”
“Yes, everyone on Green Hell knows about it. From what I understand, the Kermac tried to find the wreck of an old Saresii ship, supposedly to retrieve its technology.” She waved dismissively. “Even if there would have been anything left of that ship, after all that time, what technology could there have been? The Saresii called our world Mrtgtha, which means Murder-All and there is a corresponding record in Saresii archives. They discovered Green Hell, about 8,000 years ago, and determined it too dangerous after losing an away team that never returned.”
“That is the official version, and the one they tell inside Ant Hill. The Saresii of 8,000 years ago re-discovered Mrtgtha. They had been there before, but records of the First Age of Knowledge don’t exist anymore. The Saresii of that time were as advanced as the Seenians and used weapons upon which we are basing our Translocator Cannons today. But all this aside, you do know about your son’s ability to travel through Green Hell’s jungles unharmed like no one else.”
“He has friends, real Greenies who met with him outside.”
“None of them would dare to penetrate the actual jungles. Roy travels anywhere.”
“I did not believe it myself, but I know it’s true. He is well trained and adapted.”
“You do know he was eight when he first showed up at Ma Swanson’s? He had no training back then, no Bioseal suit, no weapons. Yet he traversed many klicks of the deadliest jungle in the known galaxy.”
She opened her mouth without speaking and then whispered. “He was eight?”
“We know he met Sam Brown, a year before and I suspect he was even younger when he stepped outside for the first time, Martha. Something of this world is protecting Roy. I was on Green Hell at the climax of events. The Kermac on the ground were defeated before Admiral Stahl showed up. Like other worlds, a Guardian is watching over Green Hell. We know nothing about it, but we know Roy has contact with it. We know the ancient Saresii ship exists, and we know it contains technology that is of the same source as the one that created Sister.”
Sybil said. “I cannot be more thankful for what you did to me. I must process and think about my next steps, but what I do know is this is dangerous technology, why should we help you get it?”
“Not get it, but destroy it for good and make certain the Knorr is nothing more than a dead legend.”
--””--
SOL HUB
The filthy looking man who stepped into his field of view could not have been much older than Roy. “Remember me, Soldier Boy?”
Roy did not answer. The gravitation must have exceeded fifteen gees, even his friend Dirmon barely moved.
The man was not alone, he was accompanied by three, maybe more. Roy’s eyesight was severely affected as much as his breathing was. Each breath felt as if he had a Petharian sitting on his chest. Like the others, he traveled officially and that meant uniform. He had nothing in terms of weapons, he did not carry his personal gravo adjuster. The only thing not issued was his private Wrist Com. He had taken it out of his effects bag after they had been told to wait for whoever would take them to Earth. He had hoped to find a few moments to call his girl.
Another voice, harsh with a rasp said. “Why is this fekker still moving, Virr? The human should be dead already.”
“I don’t know. I can dial up to thirty, but you can’t get any closer until he is dead. The Gravs are already deadly.”
Roy wished he could see just one of them before it was too late. He had little hope he could concentrate on his psionic gift enough to make it work, but it was his last hope.
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The Admiral was gone, and so was the Devastator so the Silver Swan was once more on her way to its next destination. Roy was back in his suite, Cara sat next to him on his balcony. They had both watched the Devastator accelerate and go to trans light in a flash. Even though there was no sense of size in deep space as there was no reference. The immense ship had dwarfed the Silver Swan to insignificance hanging next to her and then as the most famous ship of the entire Galaxy accelerated they...
He did not know how long he had cried and he must have fallen asleep. This time there was no dream of his mother. He was certain he imagined things but there was a warm heavy arm on his shoulder and as he looked up a man sat next to him, the energy curtain was gone and the marine that mocked him stood there with a black eye and with a face of pure fright. “Everything is going to be alright, Roy.” The man next to him wore an all-black uniform, his calf-high boots polished to a mirror shine....
The view was awesome, absolutely awesome. He could see the entire ocean of trees and far in the distance the shimmering of an ocean, a river meandered in a green valley far below. He saw tiny houses there and on the side of a mountain, he saw tiny dots sliding down that white stuff. On top of the other mountain was a building of sorts. Connected with little gondolas traveling up and down suspended on cables. He wondered what they were doing and said to Partner. “It’s freaking cold up here...
Roy returned to the hotel to find Cara in the sitting room of their shared suite. She was lounging in a comfortable chair with her legs up gathered in a feminine fashion. A field screen displaying apparently local news floated before her. Cara had her long silvery hair open and wore something soft caressing her curves. To Roy, she had always been an exceptional beauty of exotic grace, but now his mind compared her to his Tanya, and in his mind, no female could compare to her. Just as he was...
Roy was quite angry, partially at the situation, partially at himself but mostly at Paul Masters, Yet he should have known better, he grew up sharing a home with Pau; Masters, who was according to human biology, Union law and common convention, his father, Roy, at first never saw anything unusual in the rather unsocial behavior of his father, but when he started school and heard about how other fathers treated and connected with their offspring, Roy knew his father was indeed not what one...
The Space Train terminal was located on the very apex of the truly gigantic station known as Sares Hub. Roy, while he started to become a seasoned traveler, still found places like this overwhelming. There was so much activity, this was by far the busiest place he had been so far. He had to admit he was glad Tanya was with him. She was not intimidated and seemed to know where to go. While he traveled with Cara, who also always seemed to know where to go and what to do, it was different with...
Ieshia pressed a sub-dermal contact on the base of her jaw and tapped it twice and with that she activated her Data Brain connection to GalNet. She now could make GalNet calls directly using her minds speech center without opening her mouth. It took a little practice to separate what you were thinking and what you wanted to say without using your vocal cords or your mouth, but she had been doing it for a long time and because of that she earned a very generous salary. She was an employee, but...
Roy never really thought he would ever meet the Eternal Warrior, the man Uncle Sam respected so much, and now he was sitting across from the legendary man and was questioned. Stahl appeared to be a normal human being but Roy’s back hair stood on end whenever he looked into the eyes of that man. It was just as if staring into deep space. The legendary Admiral wasn’t exactly friendly and his voice had a razor sharp edge. Cara had left to talk with the Wurgus delegates. Ship crew was starting...
“Nice to meet you, Sir. I have to tell you my mother is dead. She and my father were killed in a pirate attack, a little while ago.” The alien creature paid no attention to what Roy had said. “I am a very old Bellebee and I still get confused using the Avatar technology. This is why I wanted to meet you like this, young Masters. Let Cara and Ukdu talk while I show you a few magnificent sights.” Roy carefully adjusted the thrusters and slowly followed the huge being. “Alright, Mr. Moke-Die....
Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a picnic blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno City. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. “This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force.” Celyciia smiled. “Having a picnic in the park and eating while on duty?” He shook his head. “Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on...
Roy had learned that the ship he was on was a Saresii Courier and officially operated under the charter of the Science Council. It was a Henjiitah Class cruiser and 600 meters long. It had the outer appearance of an elongated bulbous plant leaf and reminded him of the thick water filled fleshy leaves of the Glow bush. The ship was not green however but had an iridescent color of pearly pale orange. The ship was called the Gayimeera and since it was not a Union Fleet unit it did not carry the...
The trip back to Belle Station was eventless and so was boarding another long-range shuttle to the outermost planet of the system a few hours later. The intersystem trip would take only 35 minutes as the shuttle did have FTL engines and would bridge most of the six light hours in Quasi space. Sobyr did not even bother finding a seat and went straight to the shuttle’s small lounge for a burger. Roy was too excited to eat or feel hungry, so he opted for a cup of water. “What are they doing...
Siebzehfie, a high ranking Wizard in the Ministry of Information just finished consuming a detailed intelligence report and then looked up and noticed a new participant just taking a seat at the perfectly round, white table at the top of the Ministry of Information tower. There was a shocked hushed silence because it was the Supreme Wizard himself. No one knew how to react, this was unprecedented. The Supreme leader of all Kermac was accompanied by two other Kermac. The one to his right was...
The ship must have gone trans-light, so far they had not spaced anyone. Roy and everyone else had been left behind in one of the destroyers cargo holds. As Cara walked by Partner he saw something his four-legged friend has never done, he flashed his formidable teeth and growled deeply at the Saresii woman. From his animal, he received emotions of confusion and anger towards Cara. She hissed at Partner. “Shut up, stupid beast.” Then she walked out the door. Partner had always liked Cara,...
There were those who doubted the Union could win this war. The Galactic Council led and controlled by the Kermac, was a powerful entity, with hundreds of Thrall species, massive fleets and many millions of warriors. The Larkami were no exception, difficult to control but tremendous fighters. Ninsibfiv, the High Wizard of the Military himself had traveled to Lark, the homeworld of the Larkami to coordinate. He planned to use Larkami manned Kermac warships to counter-attack several Union...
Space bus travel was subsidized and tightly regulated under the Travel Assistance Act of 2224. Union Citizens took this service for granted, as it connected virtually every possible destination within Union Space, but the envy of so many other societies. Roy had his head turned to the viewport on his right, rather than using the field screen he could have activated. The local sun was settling behind the distant horizon and sent its last rays of light over a sprawling orderly Union city....
Cara and Roy had left their seats for a ight meal in the main lounge. Partner insisted to be there as well. While the huge black animal never wanted for any sort of food, it was happily consuming the leftovers and wrappers Roy tossed its way. Cara had finished most of her Muuhn cakes, which were a traditional Saresii lunch item. She educated him, that these vegetarian-based air baked protein dumplings were considered spicy on Sares. He tried, and to him, it was as if eating something...
Paul no longer looked like a slave. He was clean, well-groomed and wore a loose-fitting, light brown colored shirt and pants combination underneath an open seamed dark brown dust cloak, that was so common on Alvor’s Cove. The belt pouch contained an Alvor’s Cove resident license, officially purchased and verified. The colony officials selling these and a host of other permits and licenses only cared about the Iridium chips or the Fullweights they charged and did not ask any questions at...
Kukur Nurop found himself covered with bruises from a severe beating and completely naked in the lizard scat composter. His hands tied to his back, it took him quite some effort to get his head over the lid, only to receive a shovel load of more of the revolting greenish lizard poop into his face. He yelled and cursed on the top of his lungs and his racket alerted an Oghr overseer. “What have we here? Trying to escape by hiding in the shit box? Couldn’t handle the stench eh?” I am Kukur...
The Unth had reached Bhrama Port and rested against the long mooring arm. Groghr nu Trrmphka, the Togar shipmaster stood by the open passenger hatch, accompanied by his Kakth Oghr mate. He watched the tall human debark. “Have a nice time on Brhama, Human and thank whatever gods you may worship that we actually made it.” Sam turned. “I noticed the alarms, but it seems you mastered the situation, whatever it may be.” The Togar shipmaster brushed over his whiskers. “Turned half my fur gray,...
Nijaii plaza was just like everything else, a perfectly groomed, perfectly clean open space multi-leveled space connected with sweeping two or three-step stairs. Interconnected with water features, gurgling fountains and more of those artistic shaped, but not very natural-looking trees. There wasn’t a single leaf on the ground, no one walked or sat on the carpet like grass. Some of the grass was not even green, but pink and peach-colored. The TMT Gazebo centrally located on that plaza had...
Martha and her new friends did not run into anyone as they made their way to the hangar deck. While the Union scientist would have never found anything on this alien ship. It was evident Geha did not have the same problems. She unerringly used elevators and corridors as if she had been raided on this Karthanian. Geha said as they emerged from an elevator shaft. “I wonder where the rest of the crew is. I am sure there are more than the dead goons up in Command and Control.” “There aren’t...
The subject of that angry interchange inside the hidden chamber beneath the tower of Wizards was strapped into his command seat, a good 60,000 Light year distance. Einulsiebzwe was a Kermac, and like the current Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu he could trace his roots all the way back to Koken and he was proud of his heritage. As his T-cruiser, the very latest of its kind with the finest and best technology the Galactic Council had to offer, was accelerating to punish that impudent Union Police...
Two hours just weren’t enough to find a man who knew this rock and did not want to be found. Sam knew the Bennett’s were quite serious about their warning. Even with Charles, he could not win. This wasn’t an open planet where he could hide in the wilderness somewhere. This was a closed environment with areas not accessible to him, and with too many eyes and ears. He had asked all the usual sources and while they all knew something about Dimon, no one really knew where he was. Sam did find...
Roy found himself waking in a huge bed, Tanya snuggled close to him, Partner behind them both like a giant living pillow. The window across the bed provided a vista over a green mountain meadow. It took him a moment to get oriented and remembered taking a shower and crawling more tired than he realized he was into this bed. A glance on his Wrist-com told him, that was six hours ago. The enormous bed, greatly expanded to accommodate Partner was part of this uber-lux master bedroom. The window...
This was the first time Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu noticed that the seven xenomorphs in their hidden chamber right beneath the Tower of the Supreme Wizard were not as arrogant and aloft as they usually acted. It almost seemed the seven were disturbed and perhaps even afraid. They had summoned him and he of course obeyed. “I have heard your call and here I am.” “Our assets, the eyes we have developed within the society known as the Union disappear at an alarming rate. We lost contact with...