Infinity (9 page)

War was raging in The Twelve
Galaxies Cluster.
Koupiton Hoxenyth, the
Liberating King of the kingdom, sent one hundred squadrons of destroyer vessels
to the irregular galaxy of Terawasha to face the onslaught of The Subjugator
and his forces, now numbering in the millions. Terawasha was a protogalaxy that
had been taken over by The Subjugator six hundred of earth years before. Moving
closer towards the Twelve Galaxies Cluster, The Subjugator eventually intended
to conquer the kingdom and kill the Daxu Korth, Koupiton Hoxenyth and become
its new ruler. He had established his new base of operations on Togaran. the fifth
planet from the twin stars Futagor and Otomenoir.

The elusive
sovereign smokes one of his finest Panavian cigars, and sips Brandy from the
Star System of Sengedia, one of his conquests. He turns from his picture window
that gives him a panoramic view of his latest prize, The Triad Cities on the
planet Liasith, leader of the Dynastic Alliance of Planets in the Terawasha
Kotesha, or galaxy.
 
“This brandy,
Gutvry, is the finest I’ve ever tasted in all my eons.”

“Thank you, Lord
Subjugator,” Gutvry the butler replied.

“It’s from the Wertuxian
Galaxy. A planet I believe is named Condory, added the top general.”

“And when did we
conquer that galaxy?” The Subjugator looked with a long faced expression at his
highest ranked officer, General Genjri Retroblade.

“We haven’t
conquered that one yet, Sir.”

“Then why are
you still here?” Subjugator’s eyes widened and his grimace was menacing enough
to indicate to the general that he had better not be there for very much
longer. In fact, now was the time to leave. And that also meant the general’s
subordinates. “Now my darling,” smirks Subjugator, “We may have some time
together after all before my next conquest begins. How are your daughters
fairing?”

“They’re
adjusting very well to the changes, but I’m a little worried about my youngest
two, Ophelia and Yeralai,” Replied Dvora. “I really hope they can make the
change quickly.”

“Well, my dear,”
Answered Subjugator, “Things like this take time you know. When I found out it
was you who stole that Bird of prey from those no good double-crossing
Ergaddis, I wasted no time in sending a search squadron out for you. When they
did find you, you were half dead.

“I thank you
again, my darling. That wretched orange sun had weakened me. We should have
never landed on that horrible planet.” Dvora’s heavily made up eyelids shut
halfway. Her green eyes slowly shift back and forth as she purses her lips that
are painted with black lip paint. She wears a dark purple cloak with a high
collar and green flowing dress. She then continues to stare out the window
dreaming about the power she would now wield if she had only been in time to
save the Great Sorceress.

“Don’t be
melancholy, my sweet,” Says Subjugator. “When this war is over you will reign
supreme with me, and your daughters will be princesses. They will return to
their planets as heroines and to their former glory as rulers”

Dvora turns to
her rescuer with disdain in her eyes. “They already are princesses of their own
planet domains, and I am already a queen.”

“Well, my dear,
not according to the Interstellar news archives. We got them rather late, but I
imagine you have not received clemency, am I right?” Dvora takes a deep breath
and sighs. “Then you’re not a queen anymore, but after you marry me, you will
be.”

Dvora was
expressionless. Marrying Subjugator was the last thing on her mind, but she was
willing to do anything to take vengeance on Koupiton Hoxenyth; her ex.

“And I just
cannot wait to see the look on my brother’s face when he lies defeated beneath
my boots and sees you and your daughters standing by my side. Me as the new
Korth, and you as my new Reigus.” She shrugged and was revolted at the thought
of being his queen. She just wanted to be the queen without a king. She wanted
to rule by herself without having to share power. She knew she had to play
along with the brother of Daxu Korth, King and Lord of The Twelve Galaxies
Cluster until she could escape.

“I know it’s
hard, sisters,” Kyn said to Ophelia and Yeralai. “But mother says we have to
play along or it could mean our death; Mother’s too.”

“Knowing now
that The Subjugator is our father’s brother disgusts me,” replied Yeralai.

“And I am
completely sickened at the very thought of such a union taking place between
our mother and that loathsome beast,” remarks Ophelia.

“Watch your
tongue,” cautions Kathara, looking around the room.

“What are you
looking for?” Scorns Sarita.

“Anything that
looks like it might be a camera recording our conversation. I don’t believe
anything we say here is private,” replies Kathara in a whisper.

“I miss our
brother Cruise. He was never mean to me,” says Emedria. “He was always a good
brother.”

“You mean all
those eons hasn’t quenched the crush you had on your step brother?” Comments
Valenza.

“Quiet, shut up.
You’re going to get us all beheaded with your big mouth,” Kathara chides.

Dvora and her
daughters had indeed been rescued by Subjugator’s search squad and taken to
him. It was then that he revealed to Dvora that he was actually Koupiton
Hoxenyth’s brother. So bitter had been their parting that the Daxu Korth made
it a violation of the law to speak the name of Hyukitron Hoxenyth. Dvora never
knew the truth because their parting took place eons before Dvora became wife
of the king and thus the queen. Anyone who spoke the name of Hyukitron would
suffer the fate of being slowly eaten alive by the acidic parasite spores
inside the Xetronium Mines.

   
There was a young warrior
transporter and trader visiting Togaran whose family had been taken captive and
killed by Subjugator. They were half human. Some full-blooded humans still
existed, but they were old. They found that mixing races gave them longer
lives. Still they were half or partly human. The more generations that mixed,
the longer the offspring lived.

Chajux was not
as old as Ophelia, but she didn’t mind.
He was not of
Quewythian blood, but half human that had blended with the southern Quewythians
from the planets
Slatoid and Sheodel. Chajux
was from Slatoid. He had long wavy blonde hair and was tall and muscular.
 

He had met Dvora
and her daughters at a social gathering that had been held at a nightclub Dvora
now owned. Her daughters ran the nightclub. Valenza, Kyn and Kathara now were
in touch with all of the planet’s drug lords. Hallucinogenic and mind
manipulating narcotics were outlawed by The Subjugator’s new regime, unless
they went through him first.

   
Dvora’s scheme that put her
daughters in charge of the nightclub was primarily for the purpose of
discovering where all of the sorcerers and sorceresses were hiding out. She
realized that she had been trying to gain control of one sorceress, when she
could now have as many as she wanted She just needed to find out where they
were and make them an offer they could not refuse; compliance or death. Sarita
and Emedria were posing as dancers, but Dvora put them up to being spies for
her to locate men she could hire to kidnap the wizards and sorceresses when she
did find them, if they did not comply with her proposals.

Ophelia and
Yeralai had the most time on their hands and went around trying to find a way
to escape from Togaran and The Subjugator’s clutches while doing errands for
Dvora. They knew that their sister Emedria was on the fence. They needed to
pull her their way. The other four sisters were too far-gone and too much like
their mother to even care what happens to anyone but themselves. They also knew
that their stepfather the king was sending attack vessels to do battle with
Subjugator’s inferior spacecrafts.

Sure, he had
conquered thus far an array of under privileged galaxies with planets that were
either baby planets or well on their way to being swallowed up by nebula
storms. Others were in the direct path of asteroid showers and were doomed.
Still he moved closer and closer to the Twelve Galaxies Cluster, which was his
real goal. He now had the king’s former queen and her sly, conniving daughters.
Whether or not they would stay loyal to their mother still remained to be seen.

Under the
darkness of night Chajux Motwreq had come for the daughters. Ophelia was his
contact. Yeralai would follow her. Emedria was yet to be persuaded, but when
she saw the handsome young muscular squad leaders Chajux brought with him for
protection, her dreamy eyes soon made the decision to go with the men who in
her eyes looked like the greatest heroes she had ever seen.

   
Dvora had been out at the
club coaching her other daughters. She gave Emedria the night off since she
complained of a stomach ache. The streets amounted to cobblestone and slate and
were narrow. Most of the city had been built on hills. Buildings had been
painted in various colors but the tenement section buildings were all cramped
together; they were dark and foreboding.

 
Wires of all kinds and colors hung out of
windows and down the sides of the outside walls. Chajux Motwreq and his
comrades had to climb the cobblestone steps that were ornate and decorative,
but very ancient, being eons old. Doors and windows had been closed and the dark
metal correlated shutters embossed with decorative designs had been shut. Wind
and rain had made it difficult to see, but they found their way to the ancient
abandoned warehouse where Ophelia, Yeralai and a sceptic Emedria had been
waiting.

“When are they
going to get here? I’m shivering,” complained Emedria, as they sat in a leaky
room just off the main hallway of the building.

“I think I hear
someone coming now,” replied Ophelia.

“I hope it’s not
our uncle’s soldiers,” said Yeralai. “Ugh, I hate saying ‘uncle’.”

All three lit up
when they saw Chajux Motwreq and his fellows; especially Emedria.

“I didn’t know
they were all going to be so nice looking,” she said as she ran her hand over
the wet jacket of one of the ten men Chajux brought with him. Ophelia expressed
her gratefulness by kissing Chajux on the cheek. The rest of the soldiers
teased him about it, but two of them were especially interested in Emedria and
Yeralai.

   
“Shall we go, ladies?” said
Chajux. He promptly produced black cloaks for the women to wear to protect them
from the storm and to hide their identities. They made it to the other side of
the city. The twin suns would be rising again in several solar phases so they
needed to get to their spacecraft and clear their take off with the control
center. Chajux and his men were transferring medical and building supplies and
also seeds to plant for food to another nearby planet. The women would be taken
aboard hidden in crates filled with building supplies. The crates had already been
inspected and were cleared, but last minute security wanted to make sure there
were no stowaways. Seeing that their plan would backfire, Chajux thought fast.

   
He went to where the girls
were and opened their crates. “Quick, come with me and don’t talk.” He scurried
them to the maintenance section and the closets. He opened one of the doors and
hanging there were crew uniforms. “Quick, put these on. The ones on the right
are for female crew members.”

   
The crew consisted of fifty
able-bodied males and females. Emedria, Ophelia and Yeralai changed into the
uniforms and put their hair up just like the other female crewmembers. Each of
them went with one of the men, and did just what he did, checking the crates,
doing inventory, checking the instrument panels all looking like they knew that
they were doing.

   
The transport vessel was
cleared. It was not a fighter vessel and only had a minimal of defensive
weapons, and so it was cleared easier and faster than a vessel that had more
weapons. Ophelia, Yeralai and Emedria had successfully escaped Togaran and were
on their way to another planet at the other end of their star system.

   
Infinity had landed and
everyone disembarked after a briefing about the planet’s atmospheric conditions
and its current inhabitants. The inhabitants were somewhat challenged scientifically
compared to the Quewythians, but had some good scientists who had invented many
useful machines.

The leader Pauleos
was human as well as everyone else. They were a pure human breed. No other
space beings had come there to roost or mingle. They only passed by and did
trade. Pirates had tried to take people for their slaves, but due to the strong
defensive measures and techniques passed down by the ancients, the pirates were
running scared and left never again to return.

“We used both
real and holographic images,” said Pauleos, “and they couldn’t tell the
difference. There are dinosaurs, hideous and dangerous ones, and we know where
they are. We let the pirates chase us and led them right there. Our scientists
invented a type of material from some thread-like vegetation that we weaved
into all of our clothing, see?” He grabbed his collar for Cruise to get a
closer look.

“Yes, I see the
difference. It looks the same from back where I was standing,” responded Cruise.
“So what does it mean?”

“This material
keeps those dangerous and carnivorous creatures from attacking us. It puts out
a very strong smell. We can smell it just a little bit, but it’s overwhelming
to them. To them we smell like a vegetation they hate and is disgusting to
them.”

“So then anyone
who lives around this area would need to wear clothing made with this thread?” Cruise
reasons.

“Not only this
area, but all of the equator zone. The beasts never leave the equator zone.
They never venture north or south or they would starve,” says Pauleos.

“What is your
life span on this planet?” Asks Millennia.

“There is thirty
five percent oxygen in the air,” replies Pauleos. “We are protected from the
sun’s rays and cosmic rays by the thin layer of clouds you probably saw when
you approached. Also the electromagnetic field from the core creates an energy
field that repels any further invisible rays or solar winds and radiation.
 
Believe it or not, Captain, I’m three
hundred and forty five of Earth’s years, which is about the same here on this
planet we call Earth II.”

Pauleos warned
that people disembarking should stay close to Infinity, and also the only other
vessel from the original fleet, Fortitude, unless they had very strong weapons
and knew how to use them, or they changed into clothing like they were wearing.

Cruise believed
they were safe for the time being, after checking the area with his scanner,
which is directly connected to Infinity. It showed that the landings had
frightened the beasts and they went deep into the jungles miles away. It would
be months before they would start venturing back over to this section again. Cruise
assured them that by that time they would have built a barrier more than strong
enough to keep anything out.

He was curious,
though, as was Millennia, about what the rest of the planet looked like. As
they were approaching the globe, Infinity’s intense computerized cameras and
sensors scanned every inch of the planet on the surface as well as the inside.
Data about the planet would be made available upon request.

That night He
and Millennia talked with Yerne about the situation of Pauleos and his people.
“It’s strange that they never moved to more temperate zones”

“Yes, it’s true,
my love,” says Millennia. “They stay in this hot and humid equator zone as if
they’re afraid to venture out.”

“Pauleos says,”
adds Yerne, “that the greatest concentration of their people is around the
equator. He says they’re approximately three billion strong”

“That’s making
it pretty crowded,” says Cruise.

Cruise had
another talk with Pauleos. He voiced his concern about them being so bunched up
in only one zone when there was plenty of room on the planet to spread out. Pauleos
said that he left that up to the people. Those who wanted to go elsewhere did
and that’s how the whole diameter of the planet was populated. People who left
the Torrid Zone were never heard from. Pauleos suspects they met with disaster.

Cruise showed Pauleos
Infinity’s read outs, but he didn’t believe him. They showed that at least
forty percent of the planet’s surface was the Tropical Zone. The heat marks
showed where humans were living. Larger heat marks were the large animals and
dinosaurs. From the read outs, people had migrated north and south as well as
east and west inside the Tropical Zone. People were living in almost every
habitable zone, but they were sparsely scattered in cities. How they
communicated with each other, or if they even did, was yet to be known.

Pauleos
understood what Cruise was saying. People need hope and inspiration. The people
on the planet needed to be connected. They agreed to work to in unity bring the
people of Earth II together with communication. Using shuttles from the
accompanying spacecraft, Pauleos’ army could team up with Cruise’s people and
they could send out teams to find the other settlements and decide on how to
get them connected to each other.

Once communities
were located on Cruise’s map, he had Infinity print out copies for all the
teams with the locations and coordinates. Cruise had Infinity create and print
out 4-D GPS satellites and also send them into orbit around the planet. Pauleos
had never been so impressed.

After the teams
went out, they located one hundred and fifty communities spread out over the
globe. More than half of them were destitute, ten percent were barbarians, one
percent cannibals. The communities that had made the most progress were in the
temperate zones where they experienced four seasons like the data shows Earth
did, and countless other planets in the Twelve Galaxies Cluster.

The mapping of the
globe began and schools were set up to teach the illiterate. After doing all
they could to help Pauleos and the people he led, seeing he was a good man and
only looked out for the good and prosperity of the people, Cruise and Millennia
decided they would choose a place in the Temperate Zone to set up their own
cities.

“In time,
darling,” Said Cruise, “The people of this planet will multiply and they will
find each other. We can’t legislate how that happens.”

“You are a wise
and compassionate leader, my love,” replies Millennia.

According to Infinity’s
data, from what she learned after scanning all the people and creatures on this
planet, Earth II was similar to the original Earth in many ways. It had oceans,
mountains, rivers, lakes, glaciers and much more. There were jungles, forests,
woods, and a myriad of species of both animal and vegetation. Much of it was
like Earth.

Cruise and Millennia
said farewell, and took Infinity, the seven hundred other ships, and the
smaller vessel Fortitude to an area where some had settled. It was a continent
similar to what was called North America on Earth. The shores looked rounder
than the maps Infinity printed out of Earth, but the land mass was almost the
same. Mountain ranges kept some of the settlers from contacting each other
there.

The whole East
Coast had not been populated, though there were colonies and cities, villages
and outposts. Some communities had farms and ranches, raising whatever animals
they could. Cruise also learned from the archives and libraries Infinity had
scanned, that many thousands of eons before that besides Earth, Venus and Mars
also had sent out space vessels loaded with samples of every species of animal
and vegetation on Earth. Many planets had been terraformed to resemble Earth,
and he wondered if this had been the case with Earth II.

“But according
to historical data, giant reptiles had been extinct for millions of Earth years
before humans came into being,” Cruise told Millennia, who also marvelled at
the data that Infinity had been collecting from all of the outposts and
communities on the planet.

“Maybe they
somehow had fossilized DNA from some of them,” Millennia suggested.

They both
decided they would leave the geological and scientific conjecturing to their
own scientists. They had laboratories built in the Northeast and Southeast for
the scientists and supplied them with residential housing for them and their
families.

Everything else
concerning the inhabiting of Earth II Cruise and Millennia left up to Yerne to
work out with his aids and advisors, who thought it would be wise to break up
the one large population into smaller cities and districts.

“Let the people
choose their own leaders and decide where they want to live,” Said Yerne, who
would continue to be their paternal leader until the main centers got set up.
He was wise and intelligent. Cruise was proud of his firstborn son and felt
that the time had come to work on the new communications power revelation.