Cutlass Sharpened (14 page)

With the therapy of eternal youth, population
restrictions were put in effect on only what a world can
sustain.

An age called the Age of Logical Reasoning
came as a result to the therapy and still remains unchanged today.
After its enactment, it abolished nearly all popular religions as
new discoveries and insights were made. It didn’t stop religions.
The newest Age’s government would never take away a person’s
beliefs. Religions were just picked so much apart, most stopped
fighting reality when universal truths were proven beyond doubt.
Especially with alien words teeming with life being found.

Only some preferred to age naturally. They
are knows as naturalists.

Religion wasn’t also to become mostly
extinct. English was finally chosen as a worldwide language
everyone spoke in the three years of FTL’s publishing. But the
metric system became the universal means of measuring, ending
mathematical conflict. English and Metric had a purpose. Meeting an
unknown alien civilization needed complete cooperation. Different
nations, factions, languages and math measurements were confusing
enough. To another race would be devastating without a single
united way of understanding.

Oliver did though do the
other conversions just for fun. In Standard he would weigh on Earth
a hundred and seventy eight kilos and stood two twenty six
centimeters tall. Translated, turned those numbers into three
hundred and ninety two pounds and stood seven foot five inches
tall. Absently he thought
Renee is six foot
even in one measure and one hundred sixty seven point six four
centimeters tall in Standard. The math is simple now that I know
it, but I’d better not ask for her weight. She’s liable to kick me
in the balls again judging by interactions I’ve read so far between
social gender standards between sexes.

Then came the greatest discovery and the
worst when on the fourth year of FTL exploration came face to face
with the discovery of Beasts that greatly resembled Earth Fauna.
Animals. But larger and deadly. Some of the deadliest though were
fundamentally different. One thing all Beasts had in common was a
hunger for human flesh and technology which picked up the use of
electricity and drew the near unstoppable predators to humans.

Humanity learned their projectiles, missiles
and beam weapons only served to infuriate the creatures and draw
more Beasts like blood to a school of sharks. Many ships fell to
the Beasts who seemed to be on more than ten percent of all planets
capable of support life. It was originally thought an alien
civilization placed them until a person witnessed a Beast being
shot out into space by another Beast with powerful back legs.
Called a Skipper. It wasn’t a sign of complex intelligence. It was
symbiotic. Skippers were weak and never hardly moved. Other Beasts
brought it food and gave security. It exhibited a queen ant, but
did nothing other than eat, kick Beasts through space and lay a
single Skipper egg every decade. It didn’t give any direction to
other Beasts.

A year and six months after humanity met and
futility battled against the fearsome Beastly creatures, an
interstellar pioneering ship detected an anomaly to discover proof
of an advanced species.

Proof came in the form of a great pyramid of
mountainous proportions. Inside the alien structure was a great
writing in metal. It would be in six months time commonly called
The Geo Record.

The Geo Record was impossible to decipher
without a reference, a Rosetta Stone reference, until one scientist
accidently cut himself and his blood touched the great object.

Blood made the random scribbles into the most
basic forms of communication. On one side revealed every element in
the galaxies by molecule. The other sides had DNA double helix’s.
But it was more. Largest of the many strands showed twenty five
pairing chromosomes. Beside it was instructions on genetic
manipulation. How to bind and unbind. Only one corner held writing
none has deciphered.

Experiments were made all over to do blind
studies. Each and every geneticist team returned with the same
incredible results. The twenty forth discovered chromosome that
allowed immortality was exactly like the Geo Record’s
blueprints.

Only the twenty fifth’s addition showed
something unexpected and varied person to person.

Psionics were created.

Psionics is the term used by harnessing the
electrical synaptic response of a human’s brain. The extra pairing
allowed one to express themselves outside their own body. Ranged
from classes one to twelve, twelve being people who can do
extraordinary things. Dangerous things. Things that could devastate
entire city blocks with ease. Only those were rarest cases. It made
pseudo science fact. High psionic capable people could move objects
at no less than class five with their minds. Shields could stop
physical momentum in class six. Sevens’ could focus their synaptic
energy to a point and discharge what is called a kinetic blast.
Devastation increases the stronger the class.

But psionic people made a major discovery in
the fight against Beasts. The first survivor was an class eight who
killed a Beast out of fear and got out alive without drawing more
creatures. The ability proved more valuable than every missile and
bullet ever created.

Around that time the first Star-saber was
discovered quite by accident when a mining crew searching for
graphite found it buried. Scientists figured out how it would work,
but couldn’t make it function for themselves.

Years of reverse engineering coupled even
with weak psionic individuals allowed absorbing of energy to
discharge. Making it an invaluable weapon against Beasts who were
basically immune to human technology.

Recovering the sword had dual results and
advancements. One, it gave birth to Hunters. Two, it made way for
crystal technology. Leaving metal and electrical circuits
obsolete.

Crystals could absorb and
channel psionic energy efficiently
and
could be engineered to grow, store
information, transfer great quantities of information and could
bind to other forms of matter. Crystals became new nanites as well
as brain-chips. Class eight and above could now be implanted with a
crystal neural chip compatible with the human brain. But their
programming is strictly regulated and limited to the point it would
not overwhelm the individuals brain. It is also regulated against
illegal misuse such as invading private information without
authorization as well as remotely taking control of
weaponry.

The Empire was instituted shortly after FTL
was proven. Governments gave up petty grievances when the galaxy
now opened and territory was no longer logical to fight over. An
emperor was named by world election, to act when the senate
bickered too much to accomplish anything important. He still
remains the emperor, and oldest living human, keeping his position
only because he is a man of compassion as well as action. He serves
humanity as a whole and has done a job that most of his people
agree with. He relies on logic and hasn’t been forced to step down
because he’s the right man for the job.

When he learned how psionics were effective
against Beasts he let volunteers go to heavier worlds to train the
elite guardians with the sole purpose of protecting humanity. They
became the first Hunters who made their own laws and rules, but
only to benefit humanity’s survival through exploration.

In the year 2371 mankind met its first
extraterrestrial sentient species. The Keptl. Only they proved to
be anything but friendly. They were an evolving based society
controlled by ancient psionic minds. They were sentient because the
minds behind the deadly creatures showed complex lateral thinking.
Using overwhelming numbers and terrifying tactics resembling a wolf
pack mentality. Most attempts to make contact end up being sent
back with a massacred crew and minimal pilots too shocked to
respond. They then hunted, liking humans. It was a war with no
end.

Until the Drake home world was discovered and
they liked humans and hated the Keptl with a burning passion. Every
confrontation between Drake and Keptl found one dead, the other
triumphant or too wounded to live long after.

The latest species were met seventy nine
years later.

The Creelin. A civilization far more advanced
than humanity could understand. Like Drakes, Creelin are a
telepathic race and loathe the Keptl with every fiber of their
being. But they are highly evasive, not wanting to seek any
exchange with a race not even a full two millennia advanced from
finding Faster Than Light travel. Several times rogue factions
tried stealing their warp and space powered technology. Those
responsible were sent back unharmed, but only if they complied.
Hostility was met with superior weapons and numbers humanity could
not defend against. Any meeting done pleasantly was reciprocated in
kind, but aside from themselves, they gave no information away that
could be assimilated in a young race. Creelin were immortal as
well, were humanoid, but easily distinguishable. Their eyes glowed
always. They had two legs, arms and a single head. Human height on
average, but they had no mouths, a ridged forehead that swooped
back, were pale due to silicone biology and were thin. A hundred or
so limp antennae resembled hair, but was theorized to aid their
advanced psionic ability. And they had a psionic system similar to
humans, but those weaker seemed to enjoy what they had and used it
as best they could. How they ate was still unknown.

Oliver learned every pivotal historic event
since the twenty first century to the day he found himself in, all
in four tenths of a single second. Eight hundred years of fantastic
history absorbed in an eye blink.

In the time of twelve
minutes for Renee to step through the door Oliver was learning
every form of advanced schooling science discovered and was
learning biology and anatomy. She grumbled internally.
It hasn’t even been a whole hour since the
overgrown baby left my skirts. What the fuck has he done now… at
least I feel better from the shower.
Her
gaze took in her scaly partner and the Hunters in the corner.
Lazing as usual, but something was off. They were tense. Over at
the desk sat Jessica and Stephanie to either side of Oliver in
front of a holo-screen. The two women were busy doing scans of his
suit, sword and forearm protector. Only she too stiffened as Oliver
showed an expression of complete calmness in front of fifteen
passing screens. “What the fuck is he doing now?”

The views stopped flashing as soon as his
left hand stilled. He turned around and got up rubbing his jaw. “I
now understand why you were all so frightened of me.”

“
Come again?” Renee asked.
Then gasped as she now saw a profound change in his eyes. He no
longer held the ignorant innocence. He had a dark, brooding setting
in his gaze of a man of intellect. And when his amber gaze fell
upon her fully, she no longer saw a lost puppy, but a great alpha
wolf.
Fuck, he just made me cream my
panties again. I hate the bastard more than ever.

“
Renee, I’m sorry I felt the
need to take you as my mate. Your pheromones called to me, but I
had no right. You confuse me and I do not need that problem at this
time. Excuse me, but I need to be alone.”

Too shocked to let it soak in, she couldn’t
even breathe as he walked past and out the door before it slid
shut.

Oliver moved down the halls as if he had knew
them all his life thanks to the elevator diagram Jessica explained.
He didn’t care Stone and the other two trailed him, but he was
grateful they were silent and left him to his thoughts. He reached
the elevator, waited for it to arrive and took it from the eight
level full of labs, to the deck on level two, but not in the
direction of the mess.

Crew paused as they took in the giant frame
of Oliver. None were ready to see him in person so soon. And not a
single person approached him because his expression showed an
internal struggle and need for solitude. Most wore pants and a
shirt, but some crewwomen opted for short skirts to show off their
shapely legs. Oliver saw every man was roughly his age and every
woman was in her blossomed, late teens prime. There was not a
single overweight person aboard. None though were as tall or
muscular as himself or the Hunters behind. Most carried a dagger
somewhere on their person. Passing one hall he spotted a woman
staring up at something. He too followed her line of sight to find
her psionically levitating a sprayer which applied wood stain to a
patch of the ship.

In an hour Oliver reached a great set of
wooden door also used in emergencies as an airlock. The first large
door opened from the floor up and closed as they passed. Forty
meters ahead opened the outer hatch which let him step out to the
deck.

Wide space opened to the Dorgenox’s roomy
deck ten kilometers long and half as wide. The central mast was a
half kilometer in diameter and reached high above. Ropes thicker
than grown men were long were woven into nets along with riggings
were mostly for aesthetic purposes in space, but worked in docking
on planets. The mast was so large, Oliver could not see around it.
But the sails from before were now unfurled. They were silvery
solar sails.

Solar sails captured light photons to get the
ship out of a planet’s gravity well to conserve engine power.
Conserving energy for FTL.

But Oliver wasn’t interested at the moment
staring at the ship. He knew what calmed him before and turned
portside. Though in space there is no up, down, left or right, he
looked up.

A galaxy of stars arrayed above and at once
he was relieved. It took his mind off Renee and all the information
adjusting itself in his head. The vacuum of space lit all over,
drawing him into an embrace of sorts. Only the ship’s shield kept
atmosphere in, but didn’t steal away too much of gazing with a
distortion. It was translucent enough.