Agile, Anubis twists his body to avoid the blade. Reynard brings the sword left in a wild downward thrust. Anubis evades with a slight alteration.
“You want me. Come get me. I tire of these mind games.”
Anubis avoids angry swing after swing as Reynard creates a trusting pattern of attack easily avoided. Until he pivots on the ball of his left foot, craning his arm to catch the jackal in the ribs. The sword shatters the liminal being into a shard of sulfur mist.
Diogenes rises, metamorphosing into Archimago. “You have no understanding, Commander, of what you do.”
“I understand I’m going to kill every last one of you creatures that enters my reality.”
Four Sandmen materialize. Two secure Archimago to prevent an attack while the others tackle Reynard, tumbling him through a Riftgate.
THE CARGO SHUTTLE storage bay houses dozens of isolated computer station cubicles. Answering questions on computer screens are teen Asym citizens.
Admiral Maxtin inspects the testing from the catwalk encircling the bay. Accompanying him are Summersun representatives.
“You will be placed under the jurisdiction of one of the other four VP Admirals.”
“We would request Admiral Kantian.”
“He has not been elected as a VP Admiral. His position is to assist Admiral Easter.”
“We must honor Admiral Kantian and his fallen crew for their sacrifice in liberating our planet,” Ambassador Travners says.
“All his crew has earned honors. Once we have power restored to the capital city I’ll have the ceremony scheduled.”
“My people wish to honor them now.”
“Many of the surviving soldiers are still receiving medical treatment, and your people need economic restoration underway.”
“I’ve come to understand Zayars always view the large picture.”
“We naturally envision future events as a long term process. Our longer life spans mean we must live with our choices three times as long as the average humanoid,” Maxtin explains. Travners seems to grasp the concept—most Osirians live in the now.
“How many of the children will you test?”
“As newly inducted into the UCP, the Academy accepts a larger proportion of appointees. This will balance out the command, prompting interspecies equality. Each semester after a full application process will allow a limited number from each planet to enroll citizens,” Maxtin says.
“We will get to select those appointees?”
“You send as many applicants as you wish. All are tested. The highest scores on five aptitude tests are offered appointments.”
“Five tests?”
“The smartest citizens on each planet have not always been accepted. To be an officer, many elements are examined, including the ability to reason and interact with other species,” Maxtin explains.
“What about enlisting in the military? Many of my people are ready to drive the Mokarran from other worlds.”
“Ambassador, the UCP priority is restoring your planet’s economic structure and rebuilding the infrastructure. Both are contingent on the growing of crops. Your exports feed many planets. The Mokarran left having destroyed much of the current crop yield.”
“We are a temperate planet. Crops grow all year round. Once planted, we will have only lost a half season of food.”
“But one season’s yield fed how many millions?”
“The UCP doesn’t have an export treaty with the Tri-Star Federations where our food once was shipped. The Confederation feeds its people.”
“Your addition will allow some worlds to reduce production and spend a growth season allowing fields to fallow and naturally restore themselves.”
“To fully restore our economy means opening up trade back to the Mokarran worlds we once fed.”
“Once you have elected your representatives to the UCP Senate they will move for consideration to open an export treaty. As long as UCP citizens have an equal share of food, any surplus should be sold to the Tri-Star Federation,” Maxtin concludes.
“Even the Zayars? Your people never seem to export or import much.”
“They pride themselves on being self-sufficient, but some have discovered a taste for Bannis Root.”
••••••
SUSPENDED FROM A chain, attached to a metal roof joist, a dirty humanoid coughs blood. The rippling chest skin is marred with bruises, cuts and burns.
“You found this arms dealer on Summersun?” Maxtin undoes the top collar button on his white uniform.
Vlad, still unshaven, waves a computer pad. “I’ve recorded the interrogation. This path~oth~ left the company of his regiment.”
“He was loading IMC weapons on a transport.” Eli steps from the shadows. On her vest is the cartoon image of a female vampire. Her sigil designates her placement in the Monster Squad Lance.
“I’ve interviewed many cargo workers.” Maxtin loses the next two buttons.
“This one’s dead.” Vlad yanks the suspended alien by the hair, twisting the creature’s face toward Maxtin.
“Once you’ve extracted the required information I accept nothing less.” Maxtin unclasps the last button.
“No. He is dead. They burnt away his DNA bar, but a few fragments of the cells remained.”
“It was good skim job, but there are always one or two cells remaining.” Eli takes the computer pad. “He was once an IMC colonist.”
“He paid to destroy his identity to escape indentured servitude.” Maxtin slips his uniform jacket off, hanging it on the back of a chair before approaching the hanging man.
“If you escaped, would you return to work for the same company?”
Maxtin examines the back of the hand. “Hiding in plain sight?”
“No,” the suspended man moans, blood oozing from bore holes in his chest.
Eli notes the red lines tattooed on back of the Admiral’s left arm. Body modification—another unforgivable sin among Zayars.
“He’s shared much of his second career with us, Admiral. Ask him. If you don’t like the answer, I’ll reanimate the Tepian bore worms currently sleeping in his chest.”
“I prefer more surgical methods,” Maxtin says.
“You mean cutting his smerth’n balls.” Eli snorts. “Hammeriods don’t have external ones.”
“Cutting anatomy would cause a hemorrhage. Bore worms burrow into central soft tissue and eat toward the outside, allowing the host to live. For such tiny brains, they avoid lungs and heart, allowing the food source to live for weeks. Micro bursts of Telnor radiation stimulate them to sleep or wake.”
“Not many Hammeriods in the UCP. Close relatives to Osirians—most differences are internal biology.” Maxtin muses over his innate
