It's been a while since I've posted for The Son, years in fact but as the story is already up on the yahoo group I think it's well over due to include it on Nifty. So here's the next chapter for those who can remember.
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adultwritingworkshop/
Drake woke to the sound of his bedroom door being pushed open with a bang, causing Robert to jump up with a start. Sitting up, Drake saw Falcon enter, an angry scowl on his face.
"What does Joshua think he is doing?" Falcon demanded as he slammed his fist on a table, causing its legs to splinter into pieces.
"What happened, my lord Prelate?" Robert said as he stood up, covering his nakedness with one of the bed sheets.
"It seems Joshua and Vard have come out of whatever hole they were hiding in."
"Do you know where the counterpart is?"
"No... I don't. Not yet at least. I don't need to. I know what they are planning."
"Is my papa ok?" Drake asked nervously.
"Oh Joshua is fine... his lover just captured a half dozen worlds in a matter of days."
"Which ones my lord?" Robert asked.
"The Core Worlds... they are trying to cut Earth off from its supply lines and it looks like they will succeed." Falcon laughed sarcastically.
"What of our own fleets. Can't they stop them?"
"If we knew exactly which world they were planning to attack next, I could amass a superior force to crush them. The problem is that there are over a half dozen core worlds that are demanding my protection, dividing my forces."
"Then why not counterattack. That would keep the enemy armada pinned down protecting the worlds they have already captured." Robert suggested.
"True... I could take small units from each of the different defense fleets to form an attack force. But who would I send to command such a force." Falcon grinned as he stared at Robert.
"I would be honored to serve my Prelate any way he wishes," Robert bowed.
"Your Prelate wishes for you to lead this expedition force against our foes."
"Thank you my lord," Robert grinned widely.
It only took Drake a moment to realize what was going to happen... Robert would be going away to fight against his father. "No."
"Drake?" Robert asked confused.
"I don't want you to go."
"But I must... as a Star General it is my duty to defend the Guild. The Prelate has given me a great honor."
"What about me?"
Robert let his hand brush against Drake's left cheek. "You are not a warrior my love... I can not take you with me."
"You can't leave."
"You will still have Clive and myself." Falcon reminded.
"No... you don't understand. I don't want you to fight against my papa and Vard," Drake insisted.
"They are traitors Drake," Robert replied.
The moment those words passed Robert's lips, Falcon's fingers were around the Star General's throat. "Joshua is not a traitor."
"Then what is he?" Robert struggled to say as his face started to turn red.
Falcon lifted Robert off his feet before throwing him against a wall. "My son is only misguided. Remember that."
"How am I to fight against an enemy you will not let me kill?" Robert demanded.
Falcon's let his eyes dart to Drake as an evil smile grew on his face. "I think Drake can help you with that."
Joshua and John sat on the beach of the smallest of the Quills islands on Aquarius, watching the sun set.
"Thank you Joshua."
"For what?" Joshua chuckled.
"Convincing Vard to free my home world. I know Aquarius is just a pleasure planet, with little or no significance, but it is still my home."
"What other reason should I need, beyond you being my friend?"
"That is why I am saying thank you. You are a kinder... more generous person than I can ever hope to be."
"You are a good person John... never doubt that."
"Am I... am I really."
"John what is this all about?"
"Drake... it is all about my nephew. I tried to fool myself into believing this war is only about getting rid of your father, but that is not even half the reason. The war is not about freeing humanity. The only reason you and Vard left your hiding place was to get Drake back... the man Clare and I abandoned. For a long time I have hated Drake... wishing he had never been born, but if he had not my people would still be suffering."
Joshua wrapped an arm around John's waist and pulled him closer. "I have hoped for a long time that you would one day be able to forgive Drake."
"I still don't know if I can Joshua. He looks so much like Gerick. I promise however when we do get him back I will try to treat him better."
Joshua planted a kiss on John's forehead. "That is all that I can ask. Have they found Clare yet?"
"No... which has me worried. I am starting to think she might have been taken off world," John said.
"That Falcon has her?"
"Yes." John nodded.
"We'll get her back... I promise."
"I hope so Joshua... I really do."
As Joshua held John close to him, a shadow fell on both men. "You two have a nice chat?"
Joshua turned his head and smiled. "Yes we did, Vard."
"Good because we have to be leaving... the Guild has finally launched a counter attack."
Joshua jumped onto his feet. "Have any of the worlds we captured fallen?"
"No... not yet but we need to hurry. I have already sent most of the fleet back to Casova but the Santor needs to join the battle as well."
"I understand." Joshua said as he offered a hand to John.
John ignored the hand and lowered his gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry Joshua. I can't come with you."
"What?" Joshua said surprised.
"Aquarius needs me. I have been away for five years and during that time my people have been under the heel of the Guild. They have suffered while I have not. Not a few blame me for what happened. I need to make things right Joshua. I need to stay."
"I don't know how long this war will last John."
"I know Joshua. It might be a long time before we see each other again."
"I will miss you John."
"So will I you. When this war is over, and you have Drake back, promise me you two will come here and take a long vacation."
Joshua laughed. "I think we will need one."
"Good... take care Joshua." John said as he offered his hand.
"Take care John." Joshua replied, shaking John's hand.
Clare remembered the chaos during the invasion of Aquarius so many years ago, the fleets of heavily armored Sloth transports bringing the Guild's Inquisitors to her world. She remembered losing her husband. She remembered fighting her way to the space port and boarding a shuttle.
What happened afterwards was still hazy in her mind, however. All she knew was that for the past five years she and been alone... on an unknown ship, traveling aimlessly through the Void. She did not know who, or even what, her captors were. Food and water were delivered through a chute. For five years she had not bathed. Her once beautiful blond hair was now a long, oily, tangled mass. The loneliness, the isolation was near unbearable.
Days had become months, the months, years. To break the endless silence, Clare started talking to herself. It was close to the point where she felt madness was about to overcome her that things changed. The endless black of the Void outside the ship's windows disappeared with a flash, showing the blessed twinkle of tiny stars and the red glow of a small planet.
Clare's eyes, having long ago memorized every inch of the small confines of her cell, feasted on the new sights. Her hopes were raised further as the ship raced towards the planet.
"We are going to land... I know it." Clare said to herself as she felt her heart race.
Clare watched as the ship passed over forests, oceans, and mountains at an incredible speed. It was when she saw what she first thought was a lone mountain that the ship began to slow down. On reaching the mountain Clare saw that it was in fact a giant stone pyramid riddled with uniform holes on all four sides.
It was on the top level of the colossal structure that the ship landed with a shudder. Then, like the bud of a blooming flower, the ship opened up. There was no pilot and no crew; the entire ship had been automated.
Clare walked off the ship, the bright light of the double suns hurting her eyes. She found herself still alone, atop the stone pyramid... for a while at least. Just as the larger of the two sun reached it's zenith, Clare heard a low scratching sound... that grew louder and louder until it was a giant roar.
Looking over the edge of the platform, she was horrified to see tens of thousands, if not millions, of large creatures with insect like bodies but the legs of a spider. They climbed up the walls of the pyramid with ease. They swarmed around her on all sides but did not step on the top platform except for one which was twice the size of any other.
Clare stepped back as the creature approached, staring at her with its eight blue eyes. Eventually however she found herself cornered on one edge of the platform. "What do you want... why have you brought me here?" Clare demanded, her voice hoarse from disuse.
The creature did not make a sound, but spread out it's mandibles to show its fang filled mouth. Out of fear Clare took a step back and almost fell off the edge of the platform. She was stopped mid-fall by dozens of long blue tentacles that shot out from the creature's mouth, wrapping around her body. The creature lifted Clare up off her feet and brought her close so her face was only inches away from its giant eyes.
Clare knew she should be terrified, but after years of isolation, any company, even that of an alien, was a relief. The tentacles while tightly wound around her limbs did not hurt her. They were warm and pulsated, massaging her body. The tentacles must have been doing more, for Clare did not even feel pain when the creature bit her in the neck, sending her into a dream like state.
The large creature left her on the platform, but was soon replaced by three smaller aliens who wrapped her entire body in a tight cocoon. Encased by the thick threads, she started to hear the voices... millions of them... each one distinct. She wanted to join those voices, end her isolation... to become one of the many. The more this desire grew the stronger the voices became until she started to understand them. It was then that she comprehended what the creatures were doing... and why she had been brought here.
They called themselves the Chimera... a race many times older than humanity, a race that had long ago reached an evolutionary dead end. Knowing that their race was doomed to extinction in an ever changing universe, the original Chimera left their home worlds in search of new sentient life forms to which they could bind themselves. Their present insect like form was the result of thousands of years of merging, with dozens of different species.
It had only been when their probe arrived near Aquarius that the Chimera first became aware of mankind. It was through Clare that they found her connection to the other members of the Guild, especially to the birth kin. This intrigued them for even after discovering dozens of sentient species, the Chimera had long believed only a handful had the gift of telepathy. It was as if, after thousands of years of searching, the Chimera had finally found a race they could call their brothers.
By reading Clare's mind the Chimera knew humanity was still warlike and self destructive, lacking the unity that existed among their kind. On many worlds the Chimera had visited, they found the ruins of civilizations of species that had failed to evolve past internal conflict. The more the Chimera saw in Clare's mind, the greater their fear grew that humanity would meet the same end. The Chimera could not... would not, let a kindred species destroy itself. Humanity needed to evolve, its petty factions and hatreds erased. The Chimera knew that only through them could humanity achieve that end.
Clare, her body changing inside the cocoon, was to be the first of a new Chimera species that would usher in a new age for both races... the Chimera's gift to humanity. Told of their plans for her, she was filled with a great joy, knowing that she was to be their instrument, their ambassador to humanity, the key to peace.