Cutlass Sharpened (67 page)

“
If you both place your
palms on the table.” The AI looked between Oliver and Renee. They
looked between each other and though they were inundated by
thoughts they placed their hands on the table. Like at the door, a
light grew around their bare palms. “Restricted species information
release, access granted. Would you like a detailed visual playback
of the events leading to the destruction of my body?”

“
Yes.” Oliver said
first.

Alleia’s form disappeared and the room
darkened to show the Solarian battle cruiser Calleiteim in its
prime, just appearing out of nowhere somehow in this solar system.
It was massive to say the least, three or four times that of the
Dorgenox, and colored a reflective white trimmed in gold. It didn’t
show what went on inside, but outside was chaotic. A deadly battle
already in progress. The ship was shaped quite like a smooth
coconut, but was leveled with over eighty launching bays sending
out tens of thousands of Solarian fighters, arrow shaped with four
cannons on a pair of wings that moved a lot like the Flare, but had
a hammerhead shark’s front with a long narrowing body.

As the fighters were all scrambled and
launched into combat it showed another battle cruiser show up to
the aid of a third currently being attacked by more than fifty
Keptl Goliaths, an oversized living creature that resembled a cross
between a crab and a tick that shoots thousands of explosive spines
from its eight legs and two oversized pincers. Each creature being
the size of a Solarian battle cruiser. Judging from the extended
abdomen of the Goliaths, they carried millions more of the violent
creatures inside itself, basically pregnant creatures able to
manipulate gravity to fly as well as go into FTL under their own
strength.

Between three carriers and over a hundred
thousand fighters blasting massive beams of blue-white energy in a
continuous stream, they destroyed every Goliath before they could
escape. But even with Solarian power and shielding the Keptl
Goliaths had grievously crippled the Calleiteim and completely
shredded the first under attack. The now scrapped ship had been
lost to the nearby gas giant’s hunger. Being so big, the battle
cruisers weren’t nimble at all enough to avoid the spine-like
projectiles. Shields could only take so much damage. But the
gravity of the gas giant as well as this moon’s pull forced the
entire crew of the Calleiteim to abandon ship. The third cruiser
which survived collected all survivors.

The last scenes were of the burning crash
landing that destroyed what little life remained on this moon. How
life returned is anyone’s guess.

Alleia returned as the spectacular show
ended. “And that is the last I recorded until you all arrived to
reawaken my systems. Only by design of extreme reinforcement has my
system remained semi-functional. Not fully functional mind you, but
functional. The crash still broke many vital tasks I was
responsible for maintaining.”

“
Damn, did you see that!”
Visor clicked his beak. “They took down
fifty
Goliaths when we need an armada
to bring
one
down.
Their fighters’ had cannons able to crack those hard ass
shells.”

“
What systems are not
functional, Alleia?” Jessica asked to keep from going off
subject.

“
Navigation, personal logs,
war council and technology information. I do have control of basic
personnel files, data statistics on universal principals and
physics. Nothing more.”

“
Then you wouldn’t be able
to tell us where the Solarian home world is located and every
planet they colonized would you?”

“
Sadly you are
correct.”

“
But what of all the
galaxies? Surely you can highlight…” Stephanie began.

“
Only seeded worlds tasked
to instill primordial life are in my functional records.
Colonized
ones are too
damaged to bring up. The data is too corrupted to retrieve. All but
one, the primary birthing world under Wind’s domain in this
galaxy.” She created another world, but its oceans were a murky
brown. Its landmass was rather covered in wooded
forests.

“
We know that one. We call
it Havannah. Only recently did we find it to really be the nursery
center.”

“
Maybe we better take
another look, Babe. It seems Solarians had tech that can hide
important things. Take Oliver’s hiding place or even this room for
example. If we didn’t find the door we
never
would have guessed something was
inside.” Jessica told Stephanie who saw the merit in the idea now
that they had more information into how well the ancestors could
disguise something scanners could not detect.

“
What can you tell me of
myself? Do you know why my memories were wiped?” Heads turned back
to the largest of the pair sitting at a desk.

“
I’m sorry, General, I do
not believe it was done till long after I shut down. I’ve gone
through your memories, but cannot determine for what reason it was
determined you would be placed in stasis. To be cleansed of mind
and power is highly unusual. I also do not understand how your
match goes by Renee Dorgen when she is General Reten. Maybe my
sensors were slightly damaged after all. She must be close enough
to fool me, but such hadn’t happened in my lifetime.” The sultry AI
exhibited confusion perfectly.

“
Then do you know of this
enemy the Solarians faced or where they may have went or come
from?”

“
Only by permission of the
reigning Galactic King can such information be permitted to be
revealed. From your memories I know there isn’t one.” Her
expression was firm suddenly. “As for where they would go?
Solarians must have met their end against an unknown enemy if they
have been replaced by the Creelin as the eldest honorable race,
tasked to watch over our bid to fill the universe with
life.”

“
Is there a way we can
download her and take her with us...” Jessica began
asking.

The provocative hologram turned to say
“DENIED. Taking from records will result in immediate self
destruction of all records in my possession unless by command of
six generals, the five ruling queens of this galaxy or by the
explicit authority of the Galactic King. Top secret information is
stored within. Dangerous information. Theft will force me to
destroy all in attempt to keep classified data sealed.”

“
Well if Oliver is the
king’s brother doesn’t that make him now…”

“
No, Satellite.” Oliver said
to the falcon. “Law six of the three hundred states that the king
is
crowned
by the
hundred eldest surviving Solarians or one day chosen by the single
most eldest of one hundred
completely
different species. It isn’t
a birthright to be passed along. It is an ironclad law. Five
sentient races won’t cut it. Creelin, Drake, Humans, Solarians and
Keptl.

“
Whatever my rank was, can’t
get higher without the real elders’ to be around to grant it.
Human, two remaining Solarian, Drakes, Creelin and Keptl only make
five sentient species.”

“
He is correct.” The AI
explained with a slow smile.

“
Then begin talking on all
you can speak of and we’ll record it.” Stone said and touched the
tiny camera on his shoulder.

“
Very well, but my already
diminished energy is rapidly depleting. In one hours and eleven
minutes I will run out if all I must do is speak.” A metallic
handle lifted out of the desk. “If you wish to do this, please
spare some power.”

Renee grabbed hold and her eyes burned a hot
green to pass on a great deal in a short amount of time. The AI
began speaking and moving too fast for human ears to pick up or
watch, but no one interrupted her. Lips moved too fast to read.
Jessica only let it go because she found she could slow the words
down to understand what was said.

Sparky met Renee’s eyes to
say
“I do not believe in reincarnation, but
for now just remember you are who you are. It is proven in twins
that DNA is identical. Perhaps you are like a twin to this mate the
hologram believes you to be. Besides, she even said her sensors may
not function accurately.”

“
But if this is real then
Oliver is over eighty three
million
years old… he did have one hell of a family with
this Reten…”

“
But he is
Oliver
, not
Mantiv
. Just as you are my
Renee, not Reten. Put it from your mind and focus on the here and
now. He is yours. You are his. Your life with him is new, not like
what the computer speaks of in the long distant past. Now I do not
want to hear
any
more doubt come from you. Remember, she is broken like the
ship. Not all can be answered, but in your heart I know you too
feel my words are truth.”

“
But…”

Sparky hissed and looked
closer to say
“No buts unless you want me
to bite yours. Pity is not the partner I know. You’ve never pitied
yourself and I’m not going to allow such now. The fierce bitch is
who you are. Yes, I said bitch. Get over it.”

Renee chuckled and hugged his head though it
was still covered in plated armor. The deep rumbling sound he made
calmed her as it always had. A cross between a purr and a growl
more felt than heard.

“
Thank you.” She whispered
in his ear hole and let go.

“
Everyone!” the short Jacob
Wrench gained attention as the AI continued the rapid speaking
sounding more like a high pitched squeaking blur. “I can tell this
is going to take awhile, but I think we should split up. Jessica,
Oliver and Renee should stay here while the rest find the undamaged
areas of the ship for anything we can salvage as well as any
additional information. Stephanie, you should come since next to
Jake you are the foremost Solarian expert in artifacts and
antiquity.”

“
He’s right. Sitting here
wasting time isn’t a good idea.” Remarked Stone.

“
We better let you out.”
Renee said and with Oliver’s help they reopened the nano-wall and
would go in and out every fifteen minutes to keep in constant
contact. Sparky went with them as it was found that inside the
restricted room that com’s didn’t work, but Sparky’s telepathy
wasn’t hindered. It was a back up if any scheduled check-ins needed
immediate contact to the oblivious three who remained inside the
dome.

Jessica remained focused on recording every
motion and sound coming from Alleia, but knew already it would take
many days to go through once slowed down to be legible.

Behind her Renee turned to Oliver and said
“So I’ve actually been fucking an eighty three million year old
man?”

“
You aren’t the only one who
is freaked out. Did you know Solarian’s
made
stars telekinetically and that I
held the record? How about that I
did
have a family and fourteen
thousand children and who knows how many descendants. Did you think
about them all being dead? I did. What about this Reten he had?
What happened to her? Stars… do you think she was the writer of the
Geo Record who left clues for your mother figured out…”

“
To make sure I would keep
you company…” Renee looked down and gnawed her bottom lip. Thinking
furiously. “Makes sense, because if I knew I was going to die and
you weren’t, I know I would leave something of myself behind so you
weren’t alone. Stars, I feel sad for what this Reten must have went
through. I can’t blame her if she was who did it. The amnesia I
mean. I couldn’t live knowing I’d leave you and we’ve only been
together little over a month and she was with the old you for
millions and millions of years. Fuck…” she said breathlessly and
found herself held tight to his chest.

Oliver needed human contact as much as Renee
as he tried to come to grips that some answers were finally found.
It was almost too much to take in, but he didn’t know who Mantiv
was, nor Reten. It was difficult to process to say the least,
especially with a rapidly speaking hologram with a feminine
personality. He felt Renee’s armored arms wrap around his wide
chest under the cape and just held on.

When touch settled the nerves Renee pulled
back to say “I’m oddly thankful.”

“
For?” he didn’t let go of
her sensually spiked shoulders.

“
Everything. I’m extremely
powerful and through my mother and whoever left behind a way for me
to keep you all to myself… I’m rather content. Your idea has merit
and I think I know why you had your memory taken. If Reten died and
you knew, you would have followed her. Just as we would for each
other. If you were the last fallback plan you needed a way to get
over her. What better way to do that than to never have remembered
anything? And the Geo Record blueprints gave me everything I need
to be who we need each other to be.”

“
I don’t believe it.”
Jessica said having spun around. “That is the most mature thing
I’ve ever heard you say. It seems Oliver’s lovin’ finally got rid
of more than the cobwebs between your thighs.”

Very slowly Renee lifted an arm and in a
classy way unrolled her middle finger in the universal language.
Jessica chuckled and went back.

Outside, Sparky and the others traveled
through a rainstorm that had arrived loud and fast. Suits kept them
all safe and dry from the mildly acidic rain from soaking through
the skin and helmets to safely breathe toxic air. Sparky began to
glow again from lingering Keptl scents though none was fresh enough
to know any were still alive. The rain was an added help to wash
the foul odor and dilute it. It was all that kept him from wanting
to seek and rip them apart. They were natural enemies after
all.