Children of Terra 02

Chapter 2

“Rescued by the Sarans”

Aaron was still lying on a gurney type contraption but in a different place, a hemispherical room of considerable size. He was no longer shackled, he could freely move.

The walls that curved seamlessly into the ceiling part of this dome-shaped hall, had the appearance of white marble, divided into equal orange slice shaped segments by round columns, following the curve of the dome and joining in a star-like pattern right above Aaron at the apex of the dome, centering on a single gold or brass lamp with a bright white light.

Gone were the dark gray, somewhat greenish surroundings he remembered last. He did not see any of the gray aliens with the black almond eyes either.

He propped himself up, noticing many similar gurneys occupied by boys and girls of about his age and in various states of gaining consciousness. He counted them and including him there were exactly thirty.

There were shrieks, mumbled and yelled questions, sobbing and crying voices, but most of them weren’t English and some of the languages were utterly foreign to him.

The gurneys were roughly pedal shaped, had golden frames and dark blue, soft vinyl-like upholstery. The most unusual part was the fact they seemed to float in midair without any sort of support.

Just like everyone else, he too wore a two-piece tunic-like garment made of a soft white gossamer-like fabric and equally soft and white heel less slippers. Very similar to the kind ballet dancers wore.

The boy on his left was black and mumbled in a language Aaron had never heard.

Despite the utterly surreal situation, Aaron stopped breathing after he turned to see who was to the right.

She was nothing short of an angel. Long blond hair, a supermodel face of utter perfection with large gray-blue eyes, a small tilted nose and beautiful red lips. That she was crossing the thresh hold from girl to woman was very evident in the perky breasts shaping the thin fabric of her tunic in a most delectable fashion. She had propped herself up and looked around just as he did with an expression of confusion on her face. She did speak English and with a deep Texan twang. “Where in the Lord’s name am I now?”

Aaron caught his breath and swung his legs over the ledge and touched the marble-like floor, “I do not have the slightest idea. There is the possibility we are dead and this is the afterlife, we are dressed like angels and you look like one no doubt.”

It was obvious she was as confused and disoriented as him or any of the others as far as he could tell, but his comment caused a fine smile to dash across her lips. “If we are dead, then afterlife is just as painful and physical as life. I just tangoed with a gaggle of gray-skinned bastards that weren’t from good ol’ Earth.”

“I remember was riding my bike through Central Park in New York. I too remember those aliens, they were about to torture or probe me or something. Then there was a violent jolt shaking everything and I lost consciousness.”

He kept looking around. “This place does not look anything I have ever seen before.”

“I was fixin’ some fencing on the range before all this, and this sure doesn’t look like Texas.”

The black kid from the other side was talking to him in an agitated, angry fashion but Aaron understood nothing.

Everyone seemed awake now and everyone was on their feet. Everybody was talking, gesturing and many still cried. Others screamed for help or at least something in that direction as Aaron understood the gestures and urgency but not the words.

The black kid threw himself forward, in an attempt to attack Aaron but collided with something invisible right between them. Stumbling back with a dazed and mystified expression the black kid caught himself from falling and then reached out, touching something like a reflection-free glass barrier.

Aaron too reached out and while it seemed there was nothing between his and the black kids hand, he could not touch it, instead felt something like a spongy plastic film of incredible tensile strength.

Still amazed by the strong, invisible barrier he almost missed the sudden appearance of two tall adults. Both female and both dressed in similar garments, except theirs were garnished and embellished with golden seams and ornate geometrical embroidery along sleeves and collars.

Both women looked exactly as Aaron would have guessed ancient Egyptian women might have looked like. He came to that unusual conclusion because of the suntan complexion, the black Cleopatra helmet-like hairdo and the expressive eye make-up framing their eyes in thick black lines.

While they looked very much alike, one of them was a little taller, had more angular features and a more pronounced nose that made her look older than the other; older and more unattractive in Aaron’s eyes.

The shorter one was much more feminine in appearance, with pronounced cheekbones, wider hips and two considerable assets underneath the thin fabric of her tunic.

The appearance of the two women made everyone focus on them, with the effect of sudden silence. Well almost, there still was mumbling, sobbing, and sniffles.

The black boy next to Aaron seemed to be very aggressive and impulsive. He darted towards the women, with the obvious intent to attack them.

His swift action was thwarted just as before, he again collided with something invisible, yet apparently impenetrable. The black guy pounded that insubstantial barrier with his fists, but there was no sound of him hitting anything despite the visible evidence of his powerful blows.

The taller one raised her hands and smiled in a benefiting sort of smile. Then she spoke: “Children of Earth, please calm down. It all must be frightening and quite confusing for you, but you have been abducted by a technologically advanced society that is not native to your home planet.”

She let her statement sink in. It was clear many didn’t believe her, but it seemed even the black kid understood what she said.

Someone yelled in French, Aaron could clearly identify the language, but what he heard was English. “Whoever you are, you are committing a crime! Release us, please! My parents will pay the ransom, I am certain.”

The woman had a sad expression on her face. “We are not the ones that captured you. You are not prisoners, as soon as we know you won’t harm one another and accept the rules of our society, you may freely move about.”

A very muscular, young man also spoke very loud, his was a Nordic language, Aaron was certain, yet again he clearly understood each word as if it was English. “I am Sigurd Olafson from Norway, are you in cahoots with those Gray skinned beings?”

“No Sigurd, we are Sarans. The beings, you and the young golden-haired goddess of Texas have so bravely fought were Freons. These are the ones that took you from Earth. They have done so before, but never so many at once. We intercepted them and freed you.”

The shorter woman now spoke. “We are Sarans and as you can see we are very much alike in terms of biology. Some of our scholars believe your Earth was populated by colonists of our civilization many thousand years ago, some dismiss this idea, but all agree that we share a common origin. For the biological and cultural similarities are too many for mere coincidence or parallel but independent development. Whatever the answer might be, we are certainly relatives of each other.”

“Where are we?” wanted someone to know.

“You are aboard the Samoteth War Barge, a well-armed vessel of war in the mighty fleet of the Saran Empire and under the command of Ammothep the IXth, queen and god born daughter of Ra .”

The blonde from Texas said. “Mighty fine then, sure appreciate you kicking these Gray bastards to Kingdom come, but if you could bring us back home now, that would be greatly appreciated, Ma’am.”

“Sadly this cannot be done. The Galactic Council prohibits the rising of cultures to the Galactic stage before their time, before they discover Faster-than-light technology. The same treaty prohibits us from landing there, returning thirty individuals. Returning you would be seen as breaking the convention against interference. We cannot risk that, not even for all of Earth. You are precious and important to us, but Sares welfare must come first.”

Aaron addressed the alien women for the first time. “Meaning exactly what? You do not take us home?”

“Sadly it is so. I just told you, by the same treaties under which we pursuit, destroyed and detained the surviving Freons for what they have done, we cannot violate commonly accepted and ratified treaties among the space-faring civilizations of the known galaxy.”

A girl with fiery red hair and porcelain complexion started to cry. Her voice was thick with a Gaelic accent, Aaron was not sure if she was Scottish or maybe from Ireland. “What about our parents, what about us?”

Both the Saran women made sad faces and the shorter one was wiping a tear from her eye. “They will suffer your losses, but eventually go on with their lives. It is cruel we know, but as mighty and powerful we Sarans are, there are others more advanced than us and those who like nothing better than see us destroyed. We cannot risk intergalactic war for thirty teenagers from a civilization that is not yet on the Galactic stage. Earth would suffer even more, perhaps being invaded or depopulated. Without the treaty, there is nothing stopping others from invading. Your technology is not advanced enough to even stand a chance against a foe that could simply drop asteroids on all cities on Earth, or evaporate them with beams from the sky.”

The taller one said. “You are maybe orphans now and feel abandoned, helpless and overwhelmed in a new world you do not yet understand, but you are by standing decree of the Queen, wards of the Empire and you will attend school, to prepare you for your new life as welcomed subjects of the Queen and as fully accepted members of the Saran society.”

The other one nodded slowly and in agreement with the other. “Embrace your new lives and perhaps all this will give you the tools and knowledge to become guides and ambassadors for Earth when your planets time has come to ascent upon the Galactic stage and take its place among the many civilizations.”

--””--

Once again the sound of Alarm Drums vibrated throughout the Samoteth. The scanner operator revealed the reason she had activated battle alert. “Two Pan Saran ships of war have jumped in the system.”

Moheepata was concerned but not overly worried. Two Caligulus class Pan Sarans were a serious threat. She was confident in her skills and her crew and if it came to a fight, she would take out at least one and damage the other before the Samoteth was no more.

She hoped the old treaties were enough to prevent a confrontation.

“Communicator, send them a complete and open report as what we have encountered and why we have a Freon ship in tow.”

Moments later the message came. “We honor Saran rights to patrol this planet and ensure the wellbeing of our unsuspecting brothers on Terra. It is the same reason we are here.

Do you need assistance with these cursed interlopers?”

Moheepata ordered her crew to stand down from alert and responded personally. “We are enemies and one of us will die the next time we meet, but indeed the old pact is honored. We have defeated the Freons and do not need further assistance. Your offer, however, honors you and pleases us.”

--””--

Almost 200 light years away, underneath the surface of a once beautiful garden world, Xyxiy’tax provider of information scurried from the administration chamber in a great hurry to the next transport pod. The queen had summoned him and that commanded all urgency.

The succession war was over, the old defeated and destroyed. The new one had been born and exalted and now she would soon grow and lay eggs.

Here in the warmth and safety beneath this brood world a new queen of the Xunx had been born and the yellow Xunx had fought with the green Xunx for supremacy. A fight that broke out every time the Xunx brought forth a new queen. The queen was connected to all and her will was supreme. Individual thought ceased to exist beyond the will to serve and die for the queen.

In the distant past these fights, these terrible wars reverted Xunx technological advances and the new hive had to reinvent and redevelop. But one queen in the distant past, regulated and codified the war and fighting between the rising and the fading hive.

Because there could always be only one queen. Collective thought had no room for two opposing supreme lead minds.

Xyxiy’tax managed to get a mover pod and enticed the carrier bug to its faster speed. The speed he requested would most likely kill the carrier bug, but Xyxiy’tax did not waste a single thought on it. A new one was already being bred.

While he never served any other queen, he was born to serve the yellow hive, all the experiences and necessary skills were part of him since he broke out of his eggshell. He thus knew young queens tended to be cranky and uncomfortable.

The carrier bug did die, before he even made it to the nucleus chamber, but had broken a record getting him that fast, that close.

The next carrier bug took him on the main trunk path and past massive blast doors that could be lowered in an instant to secure the chamber of the queen. These blast door had never been lowered, the enemy troops of the green Xunx never made it even to this planet.

Inside the dimly lit queen chamber his feelers detected the musky earthen smell of the queen. It instantly triggered genetic protective responses in his behavior. He would have attacked anyone or anything with uncurbed ferocity and he of course also could never hurt the queen.

He rose onto his hind legs and walked up right now. The spiraling ramp circling the queen mound in the very center of the chamber was covered with dark red slime and he actually almost slipped and fell before he reached the queen herself.

He could clearly see the reason for her foul mood and irritation. The young queen had already tripled in size and was only able to crawl in the slowest pace if she had to move. Soon she would not be able to move on her own or move at all for the rest of her entire life.

Useless pretty bugs and admire flies surrounded the young queen in a fussing chattering matter by the dozen already, Showering her with compliments and soothing words.

It didn’t work, the queen ordered three pretty bugs to be killed. Queen guards responded instantly and tore the handsome and ascetically perfect Xunx to pieces. Spreading their innards and body liquids all over the platform, explaining the goo on the steps. These weren’t the first she had killed today.

The chief physicians were also with the queen. One was examining her abdomen, the other was attaching the golden wires to her body that connected her to everything.

The queen had just finished crawling in her final resting place, where she would remain for a  thousand years if no new queen was born earlier.

She was surrounded by a bank of view screens that allowed her to see everything that went on in her realm. That this was no empty boast but reflected the truth was the responsibility of Xyxiy’tax. The queens will whispered in his mind an in the minds of every Xunx alive and he trembled in utter dedication and mindless devotion as he dropped on all six legs awaiting her acknowledgment.

“The resources growing thin.” She addressed him but every Xunx would receive the Queen’s will.

“Resource consumption has been adjusted to compensate.”

“I am Xunx, I know all that is Xunx. Workers and fighters consumption has been adjusted. But the next age grows in me. Cursed to immobility, I must produce those who advance Xunx and I will not adjust consumption!”

In the somewhat distant administration chamber, the decision to reduce society’s consumption by twelve point four percent appeared to be a sensible decision. The war against the Green Xunx had been exactly twelve point three percent costlier in terms of resources than projected.

Now, so close to the queen he could not come to any other conclusion that his decision could have harmed the queen.

Xyxiy’tax ended his life right there and then, by swallowing the seed of death.

The Queen in a sublayer of her multi-layered mind, contemplated Xyxiy’tax fate and wondered for a  brief moment if such rigid behavior might one day present itself to be a problem.

She needed to grow, this was her purpose and nothing else mattered. Soon the warriors she bred would fill the Breed Mountains and when the time had come they would swarm and devour everything in their path to feed and expand the Xunx reach.

Chapter 3 »