Cutlass Sharpened (71 page)

The gun began to shake as he concentrated,
but through perseverance it lifted up out of its stand. It was
extremely wobbly, but he made it levitate closer till it fell in
his hand. Sweat had beaded across his forehead and his breathing
was labored, but “I did it.” His deep voice had gone soft staring
at the medics’ standard pistol.

“
Not bad, me Lad. Rather
rough and shaky, but ye
did
move it.”

“
Under standard gravity no
less.” Jessica said smugly.

“
Don’t go stroking his ego.”
Renee show the least hesitation as she took it from his hand
telekinetically and suddenly the injector dissembled midair into
hundreds of individual and intricate pieces. And just as fast, she
put it all back together perfectly. “This is what a disciplined
mind can do with the amount of power you just pulled
off.”

“
Really?”

“
Aye, Laddie. She used
nearly the same quantity ye did, maybe a fraction less.”

“
How the hell is he getting
stronger psionically?” Deegen asked out of sheer curiosity. Hands
rested on the throwing rings hung at either hip.

“
More Beast essence I
consume the stronger I get. It seems Solarians reach their ideal
strength through eating Beasts. It was why I was so drawn after the
Fire Wyrm and Salamanders.”

“
Essence? What is
that?”

“
What do I always eat first
from a Beast?”

“
Brains… wait, you mean to
tell me that their brains increase your potential?”

“
Apparently my former self
was the strongest of them all and I held the record for
making
a star by myself.
What is wrong with you? You were there with us.”

Deegen’s eyes flew wide like Jake’s, but for
different reasons.

“
A real
Star
?” Jake had to ask.

“
Yes, Papa. An artificial
intelligence known as Alleia said it was in his records… as well as
Ma unknowingly recreating my DNA to match Oliver’s first woman who
went by Reten.”

“
Before everything goes
around in circles… Brother, you better watch what I recorded.”
Jessica took out her oval hand crystal.

“
While you do that, Oliver,
Steven and Sparky have a task to accomplish for me.” Stephanie
stood. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable
first.”

Jessica looked down at her own skintight suit
to say “Good idea.”

“
Don’t know about all of
you, but I’m hungry.” Jacob said as he rubbed his bald
head.

“
We’ll hold off then.” Jake
said. “Jessica, I’ll meet ye in yer room to go over
recordings.”

“
Then everyone get out of my
area. I’m going to take a shower. Oliver, you and Sparky go get
things ready. I’ll pitch in when I’m done.”

Over the next few hours and three exhausting
trips, the shuttle was emptied and its contents transferred to
Stephanie’s second lab beside the main one. The second was used as
it had more storage space. Renee did help out, especially in safely
transporting the weapons without touching a thing. Jessica and Jake
weren’t seen for a long time after they disappeared in her
quarters.

Once the goods were all accounted for Steven
was tasked in washing off all the weapons and carefully placing
them on wooden stands Stephanie had grown for each individual
treasure. The cubes were easier to manage and even easier to
stack.

While he did that, Sparky left to go be with
Rose as Oliver and Renee were too curious to see what laid within
the containers.

“
Time to crack them open.”
Stephanie giggled as she lowered the clear door to the airtight
clean room. Oliver and Renee stood to either side of her as her
hands made the console light up. They had to open the containers
inside a sealed environment because they couldn’t get clear
readings on the contents. The only positive reading was no known
explosive materials. The reason they opened them is there could be
old and deadly microbes or other deadly contaminants that haven’t
seen the universe in tens of thousands of years. Being sealed was
the only reason these chest high containers were brought
aboard.

Stephanie used two orb scanners as sanitary
white robotic arms lowered from the ceiling like tentacles
descending. Ten arms in all, each with a different purpose and use
for precise and careful extraction of precious objects. She began
talking during the recording. “This is Stephanie Menann aboard the
starship Dorgenox. Today’s date is the 19th of, 3217 at twenty
hundred hours eighteen minutes.” The basic requirements to pinpoint
the discovery examination.

“
Inside quarantine are fifty
two metallic barrels, or containers. All are still completely
sealed, intact and initial scans indicate their age to be 79,611
years old. Integrity was maintained due to a sealed environment
aboard a derelict ship before being excavated. Material is made of
a dense tungsten-carbon steel alloy perfectly blended. The sealant
is made of an unknown resin that remains intact, showing barest
indication of decay and is hard as aged amber from prehistoric tree
resin, but purified to indicate being unnaturally
processed.

“
Beginning archeological
extraction with precision lasers calibrated to the resin frequency
to remove the lid beneath the sealant.” One arm moved its languid
joints to aim a thin red laser overhead of the first drum and made
two precise cuts before going around in a circle. The pieces were
coded with a series of numbers as they were lifted individually and
placed down. “Now extracting the lid.” A robotic human hand came
down and lifted a rounded handle to remove it and set it with the
removed resin. “Scans read pure silica sand. Age is similar to the
container. Seventeen years younger to be accurate. Grains are
uniform meaning they weren’t naturally created nor refined from
industrial separation. Depth scan reads the entire contents are
silica sand… Moving to second.” The process was repeated with the
same amount of care and would be applied to every single piece.
“Inside container two is the purest graphite I’ve ever been able to
look at. Most likely used for repair of crystal damage or as extra
mass for building purposes.” Four more also contained refined
graphite. It was impossible to know what was inside as the painted
writing had been lost to the ravages of time. “Number eighteen is
filled with purified gold. No traces of other elements make up the
grains. The metal is pure. No traces of silver or other minerals.
Purity alone at market price per weight in trade will equal four
point three billion credits… Number twenty two is made of pure
carbon in the form of diamond dust. Price at market value,
seventeen billion five million credits…” they found food pellets
and were tested to be from different Beasts still alive to this
day. Further testing would categorize the rest later to find if any
Beasts had gone extinct or was currently still
undiscovered.

Yet by the forty third Stephanie opened the
container to gasp as her gaze read the screen “Contents reveal
amino acids, proteins and the basis for gradual DNA mutation.
Inside are dormant single celled organisms that will live off
photosynthesis… resembles algae, but is more complex. I’ve just
confirmed a seeding solution that will be the basis for new life.
I’m going to reseal it after extracting a sample for further
analysis by a qualified research facility and store it in cryo for
future research.” Stephanie turned to find Oliver, Renee, Steven
and Visor also grinning and understanding why she was so excited.
“We at last have proof. If we can compare it to early life on Earth
it’ll prove one of these or more were dumped in our primordial
oceans that gave us the chance to evolve. This will be the first
definitive proof since the Geo Record’s discovery proved the
existence of Solarians being our real ancestors.”

“
Give me two CC’s and I’ll
run a genetic test profile while you keep working… and be sure to
remember the triplicate policy.” Renee excitedly offered. The arm
that took the sample came over to them and sealed three test tube
vials fully before they came outside the room. Renee took one and
went running from the room to get down to her lab. Stephanie locked
the remaining two in a biometric vault keyed only to her
life.

Proof was verified in twelve
different methods which all clearly proved early organisms were
dropped by another civilization. It took three days to do them all.
It wouldn’t change the views of science nor the idea that had been
around for centuries, but the proof would at last clarify
the
how’s
as well
as
why
evolution
was possible. A single piece in the DNA showed it absorbed
radiation which would carefully allow gradual mutations through
genetic exchange between organisms sexually to eventually change
creatures and allow them evolve into complex beings in
time.

There was a knock on the bedroom door on the
fourth morning of FTL and Renee barked “If it isn’t an emergency
let me SLEEP!” she snuggled closer and laid her head back on
Oliver’s bare chest. She sighed as his arm rubbed her bare
back.

“
It’s ten in the morning,
Sweetheart and I need you to get off your ass and get out here.
I’ve got something you need to see.” Jessica’s voice traveled
through the intercom since their bedroom door was soundproof. She
had the speaker since her room was linked to the med
bay.

“
Auntie, I pulled a fifty
six hour shift. Let. Me. Sleep.” Renee groaned, but knew that tone.
It wasn’t a suggestion at all.

“
Now, Renee. After you get
up, meet me in Jake’s quarters. Bring your boy-toy too.” With that
Jessica left sounding chipper.

Oliver sighed and looked down to his
grimacing beauty. His touch gently did the trick and had her head
draw back so he could look into her mesmerizing eyes in the color
shifting room. The wall/window to the outside showed the FTL
rainbow, but was dimmed just enough that it didn’t blind them and
allowed for a semblance of night. He still couldn’t believe how
beautiful she looked cuddled up against him. She was so soft
pressed up against his hard flesh, but her softness didn’t disguise
her own solid muscles and frame. The way the silky white bed sheet
lay over them allowed him a splendid view of her breasts and just a
peek of pink areola of her left breast.

“
What is that smile for?”
she couldn’t help noticing it or how his gaze devoured her in the
most delicious way.

“
Nothing you don’t already
know.”

“
Olly, I’m tired, cranky and
sore. I’ve snapped my thin amount of patience for far less. Don’t
make me dig around your head. Tell me what is so damn
funny.”

He couldn’t stop staring. “Not funny. I’m
just very content with all that has happened. I at last got your
heart and am at peace. When my eyes opened from a bad dream the
first thing I saw was my beautiful lover and smelled how happy she
was using me as a pillow. You are just so beautiful, especially
when your lips are swollen from my kiss.”

Renee smiled and comfortably put her head
back over his chest to listen to the steady rhythm of his beating
heart. From it she knew he wasn’t intending the words in any sexual
reference, nor did it skip during a lie. He was too honest to begin
with, but she said “Stop being all mushy, but I guess I kind of
like it coming from you. You think we have time for me to chop some
morning wood?”

A moaning groan left Oliver’s lips as cool,
slender hands slid down his abs to stroke his thick member which
jumped the moment it knew it was going to receive her attention.
“Stars, Red… you’re evil.”

She could not hide a smirk. “And your point
being? I can’t help myself when I’ve got a cock this big to go
along with my horny nature.” Renee’s desires had her throw the
sheet off them and flipped herself around to kneel across his chest
and take him with her mouth to taste the remnants of herself from
before they fell asleep exhausted.

Only she wasn’t as in control as she believed
when a long tongue lapped her slit till her swollen nub of
concentrated nerves found his teeth graze over them to send a
tingle up her spine stronger than the constant gathering she always
did to hide thoughts. Oliver could not help feasting on such a
delicious spread put right in front and thoroughly enjoyed her loud
moans and quivering her body does when he finds the right spot. But
before he was in full control, she consumed him to the base, his
shaft deep down her throat as her tongue rolled around before her
own teeth grazed the flesh all the way up before loudly making a
sucking sound.

Not to be outdone he hooked his middle and
ring fingers in her channel to get her screaming and soaked in a
few well timed moves before she turned around and drove her pussy
straight down his cock that had her green eyes roll all the way up
till all that remained was white. Oliver loved how her fingers
curled and drug her perfectly shaped nails down his chest. He was
again struck by her beauty as she did squats, joined to him in
carnal bliss. She panted “So good… Olly, please take care of my
nipples.” He was right there and she threw her head back as he
began to suckle and tease her most sensitive parts. Her hands
rubbed his short hair before she looked down to be even more
aroused as he knew just what to do to her aching nipples wanting
his undivided attention.

In twenty minutes she unlocked her ankles,
but didn’t get off his lap as she licked the sweat off his neck.
“Stars, you sure can fuck me senseless.” Renee rubbed her abdomen
where he still filled her deep.