Chapter 8

“Research Director Krennim, Log Entry 13/6/9856,” the recording began. “The missile station is gone. The organism we have come to know as the Beast has subverted it, and devastated our nanny fleet. Only hours ago had the First Admiral aboard the Keyol-Che convinced them to form a truce. I don’t know how long they will let us live, perhaps only up until after we repair the Naagarok, but we are safe for now. However, what those military people don’t know is that I have a piece of the Beast organism.”

The aged Taiidani scientist smiled, and presented the five people with a small, transparent cylinder, which clearly showed a fragment of red biomass hovering in the center of the vial. “I have it held within an anti-grav/electro-magnetic field, which we have deemed safe storage. We have made massively thorough scans of the organism, and have found it to be impossible to replicate. It utilises an anomalous, seemingly intangible energy source which is possibly derived from its connection to the Hive Mind. The planet is too hostile to get invaded by the Beast, and we are so far down below the surface that we are safe from planetary bombardment, so I am confident that we will be safe for now. We will conduct further tests in the morning. This is a very exciting prospect.”

The hologram faded out, and Mej’hol said, “I do believe that your men have found something very important, Admiral. Where are they?”

Admiral Liir Hra said, “Captain Soban is in his quarters, and Lieutenants Tek and Halen Liir Hra are both getting tanked in our ship’s bar. I don’t exactly blame them; we will definitely need some shore leave after this.”

The Turanic leader nodded, apparently disappointed in their lack of a warrior’s strength, and activated the next recording.

“Research Director Krennim, Log Entry 27/6/9856. Using controlled methods, we were able to stimulate our existing Beast nanoprobes to replicate into about twenty-kilograms worth. And we have begun the major steps of Project Fusion.” The scientist looked grim. “Our first five subjects have been total disasters.” Several holographs of disgusting, distorted wads of flesh and bone popped up. At once, they seemed to have been Taiidan, but now they were nothing of the civilised world. It then moved the focus back to Krennim. “The nanoprobes only metabolised their skin, and replicated out of control. They were quickly vaporised to avert the spread of infection. But the sixth…”

The scientist smiled, and said, “The sixth subject has been engineered almost perfectly. The biomass has incorporated itself with the patient’s skin, and already signs of rapid dermal regeneration and enhanced cellular efficiency have been detected. We have been able to suppress the communication with the Hive Mind, and we are attempting to remodulate the nanoprobes’ telepathic link to agree with our self-styled Hive Mind communications center, in the form of this computer.” He waved in the general direction of a small computer, and he explained, “Programmed to carry out our whims, this new breed of super-soldier, with enhanced inter-infantry communication and strategic planning, will bring our race back into the throne of galactic supremacy.”

It abruptly ended, and the warriors contemplated this meaning. Mej’hol said, “Well, it is an interesting concept. When you think about it, the perfect warrior race, one that never argued, one without greed, and one where all of the soldiers were constantly aware of the strong and weak points in their formation, it would be very easy to win a war.”

Magistrate Agam’nar looked at him. “Are you saying that using Beast technology is a smart military tactic?”

He glared back at this insubordinate worm. “Of course not. But the whole reason that the Beast win their battles is because of their hive consciousness. Even without their obvious biological advantages, they are still a force to be reckoned with. As a fighter, I have to admire them at least in part.”

Klu’koth remained solemn. “You won’t when you see the last log entry.”

He brought up the final log recording, and the scene was very different. Instead of in a sterile medical bay, the Project Fusion Director was in what seemed like a ship, and he was far more flustered than he appeared in his other log entries.

“This is Project Director Krennim! I am making this log to warn anyone who tries to repeat the mistakes we’ve made on this endeavor. We were able to create a half-dozen semi-Beast warrior creatures, but somehow the nano-probes did not respond to the new transponder signals. Not only did they link up with the Beast Hive Mind, but they also infected the battle computer we’d set up to control them, which seems to have coordinated them far more than any other Beast attack force we’ve seen!

“We were able to activate a complete security lockdown, and four of my team members along with myself have escaped in a shuttle. We began to vent toxic gases into the facility, but we don’t know if that will affect them in anyway. We must reach our HQ base, at the Imperial Research Station at Gozan. We have to warn them about the-“

At that point in the recording, something in the holographic room smashed in, and grabbed Krennim. They had little time to examine the monstrosity that was the Taiidan/Beast birthchild before the recording degraded into static, the screams of the scientist barely drowned out by the white noise of distortion.

Bu they had seen all they needed to see.

“Did your men bring any trace of the Beast onboard?” Mej’hol inquired carefully.

Liir Hra assured him, “They were massively sterilized before being allowed out of the airlock, and their clothes were burned. We are making thorough checks of their transport ship, but I doubt we’ll find anything.”

“Why?” Agam’nar asked.

Liir Hra shrugged. “If the Beast had gained the upper hand in this situation-“

“As they always do…” Klu’koth interrupted.

“-then why wouldn’t they infect the base? They had plenty of bio-matter to draw upon, in the form of those research animals, so why didn’t they use them? They seemed to leave with almost all knowledge of their existence, and didn’t even bother to take over the facility.”

Magistrate Dath’mir said, “A mystery…Have we any idea what they are conducting on Gozan?”

Klu’koth said, “The Somtaaw beat us to it. They arrived there and destroyed the facility. My experts believe that they were conducting experiments similar to those we saw here, but not at this calibre.”

“However,” said Agam’nar, “this does explain the disappearance of the missile station and the Taiidan fleet, and the Imperialists’ alliance with the Beast, but what is this Naagarok that the Research Director referred to?”

Admiral Liir Hra shook his head. “I know of no ship by that name, and none of our sensor sweeps of the nearby sectors have picked up anything. I even went out on a limb and hailed a Bentusi Tradeship that was passing by a few light-years from here. They don’t know anything about it, either. It must be incredibly ancient.”

Mej’hol said, “People, people, this is nothing of importance. We must focus on this Project Fusion. The Somtaaw appear to be tracking the Naagarok, so this is our chance to destroy a most dangerous part of the Beast. If we don’t act soon, the Beast/Taiidan warriors can overrun the galaxy, and be too widespread to eradicate.”

 

*****

The Taiidani soldier ran through the city’s streets and alleyways. He had watched as thousands of civilians and his fellow Taiidani Republican Guard get slaughtered by this new enemy. He dared not look back, since he knew there were several of the things chasing him already.

He reached a sand-weathered bunker on the outskirts of the city, and raced into the door. He bolted the door behind him, and rushed through the rooms. He was as far as the mess hall, with the smell of synthesized protein foods drifting through the air, when he heard the seemingly-secure front entrance blow inwards.

They were coming.

He looked down at his gun. The plasma rifle had 35% power left; hopefully enough to fight them back. He turned around and opened another door. And there it stood.

It towered above him. It was easily a foot taller than he, and far broader. It was covered in huge wads of red, palpitating flesh, which almost seemed to be crawling. Its face was covered in a dark visor, but the shivering combatant could see partially through it, where a distorted mess of flesh lay, with dark eyes boring into his soul. Where its arms should have been, there were twin projectile chain guns, which were obsolete, but no less deadly.

He raised his gun.

 

*****

The Individual felt fear.

Fear was weakness.

The Young One cocked his head. He watched as the Individual raised his weapon. The Young One heard the shots, felt as the hot energy poured into him, but he did not fear, and he did not hurt. Pain was weak, and the weak will be purged.

The Young One began to bleed from the hot energy, but he healed. The Ancient Ones always healed, and this Young One was no different. They healed quickly. But the Individuals did not heal so quickly. He raised his weapons and brought pain upon the Individual.

It bled too, but it did not heal.

It fell, screaming.

The Young One bent down, and caressed the Individual, and felt itself pouring onto the Individual, purifying it.

Making it part of the Greater Mind.

It watched as the non-Individual, the Younger One, stir to life.

The Young One was pleased, and it felt the Greater Mind feel even more pleased.

 

*****

The planet loomed over the holoprojectors.

“Amentoth?” Mej’hol asked. “Are you sure, Magistrate?”

Klu’koth said, “That seems to be the most logical place hey could go. It is the closest and most heavily populated planet in the sector with thin enough defenses to allow them to land safely. We couldn’t find any hyperspace wake signatures in the area to determine the validity of this guess, but if those hybrids are still alive, and they’d left the research outpost only days ago, this is the one place they could have conceivably invaded. My pilots are plotting a course as we speak.”

The older Turanic nodded. “What do we know about it?”

Klu’koth brought up a list of information on the Taiidan colony, as he narrated. “Originally colonised seven hundred years ago, it was picked by the Empire for its high content of tri-magnesium, which is, or more correctly was, an integral part of old starship engines’ conductor systems. It had to be atmosphere-engineered to support Taiidan life, but the old Emperor found it an acceptable cost. By the time the population had swelled to a hundred thousand, tri-magnesium was replaced by tapered copper in conductor coils, and the Empire lost all interest in the planet.

“Since it became politically uninvolved, none of the colonists seemed to care that the Empire had been overthrown when a small portion of the Republican Guard went down a few months ago to claim it for the new Taiidani government. Only about 200 soldiers for a planet of millions, and a very small number of starships to go along with them; nothing larger than an Assault Frigate. The Beast must have gone. They could have infected thousands of the colonists before the soldiers even were aware of their arrival.”

Mej’hol nodded, “Then to Amentoth we shall go.”

Klu’koth paused, and offered, “And…what of the Hiigarans?”

Mej’hol grinned, “Ah, yes. Them. Well, do we really need them anymore? We wanted their ships because we were expecting to face a large space fleet. However, this appears to call for a ground assault, and our people are far more adept at such things. Let them stay here, with their research, and their robot-crewed vessels. If we ditch them, we will get all the glory for this victory.”

Klu’koth considered this. He was an honorable man (or bug), but in the end, he was a Turanic at heart. And they would profit more from leaving Admiral Liir Hra and his men.

He agreed, “Alright. Let’s do it. Let the glory be ours, and ours alone.”