Annihilation: Book 06 - Demon's Sacrifice (10 page)

The transports began entering the ship and after five hours all of them were in births. Destiny checked his board and announced, “That’s the last one.”

Edison hit the universal drive key and the huge ship disappeared and reappeared just above a planet in another universe. The Nest Mother’s board immediately lit up with questions from the Supreme Males. Stem looked at the Nest Mother, “The devices are armed, move to the teleport circle. The four moved and stood on a large silver circle on the floor of the command chamber and Stem keyed his com, “Ready to port.” A silver screen appeared above them and moved down on them just as the first Supreme Males entered the room.

“What’s going on?” a Supreme Male yelled just as the universal drive console and download panel shorted out and blew apart.

The Stars End hung in orbit a hundred miles from the huge green ship. Sen-Gen looked at the Nest Mother, “Is there anything you want to say to them before we leave?”

The nest Mother looked out at the green ship hanging above the planet and sighed, “No, they won’t understand because of the compulsions and hearing it will only make the compulsions hit them harder. Let’s leave them to find their own way.”

Sen-Gen saw her sadness and nodded to Captain Mendel. Mendel hit the jump drive and the Stars End disappeared.

The Stars End appeared above Ross and the four teleported to the map room. Destiny looked around and saw Matt and Melanie along with Sprig and Twig looking at the map of galaxies. Sprig turned, “Welcome back. I trust your plan was a success.”

“Yes it was. Why did you want us here?”

“We are going to bring your families to our universe and we need to find planets for them to live on. The planets need to provide the necessary food for them to survive and we want to have them located close to each other.”

The Nest Mother turned her head to the left, “What are you doing?”

Matt looked at her, “Your families are going to have to stay in this universe until we find a way to defend ourselves against the new species being developed to replace you. They will not be able to leave to harvest other universes and I suspect they will no longer desire to do any harvesting. They will also need time to evolve into what they choose to be. A planet is the perfect place for them to accomplish those things. They will still have their ships if they want to go out and explore but they need a place to call home.”

“Do you have enough planets for us?”

“Come over here and take a look, Nest Mother.” Matt stepped aside and let her come and look at the walls of the map room. “I have marked every system with a planet that possesses the proper atmosphere, no intelligent life, ample food, and good climate with a green light.”

Sprig brought galaxy after galaxy into sharp focus and the Nest Mother saw millions of green lights glowing in them. She stood amazed at what she was seeing. “You’re going to just give us those to live on.”

“Yes we are; it is our belief that if your children develop like the ones we have here now that your species will contribute more to our life than you would ever imagine. It is in our best interests to have you in our community.”

The Nest Mother looked at the wall, “Will you help me find the best place for us?”

“I think I already have,” Sprig thought. A galaxy grew larger and the five spiders in the room saw a huge concentration of green lights out on one of the spiral galaxy’s arms. “There are more than eight million available planets on that arm all within two hundred light years of each other. Your family will all be close to each other and can support each other as your children grow up. I would highly recommend that one of those planets become a university for your brightest children. We will provide instructors and the necessary technology to help them learn all that we know. I would also suggest to our King that a ship building industry be set up on another planet. We will provide you with all of the teleport technology necessary for your many worlds to stay in contact.”

Matt smiled, “We will certainly provide you everything you need.”

Destiny looked at the galaxy and felt his heart sing. “With the teleportation system we will only be a moment from each other. It is a perfect choice Sprig.”

The Nest Mother looked at Destiny and said, “Until I learn enough, I am placing you in command of our families, Destiny. Please make the best possible decisions for my children.”

“I will, Mother. We have good friends that I trust with my life to help us.”

Matt smiled at the spiders and then nodded at Melanie, “We have delivered a thousand Defender Class ships to the planet where your children are waiting for your return; they are yours to use as you want. If this galaxy pleases you, you may start moving your family there whenever you are ready.”

The Nest Mother was over whelmed by the compassion of the beings that she had sent ships to destroy. She decided that these new friends were going to be protected like they were her own children. “We thank you for your generosity and I look forward to building a close relationship with you. I can already feel the changes taking place in me and I know my children are feeling like me.”

Sprig looked around the room, “We need to begin our plans to bring your families to our universe and acclimate them to their new life.”

Einstein stood, “I have already designed a small red generator to attach to their universal drives to jump their ships here.” He handed a device that fit in his leg to Sprig.

“This generator makes enough power to vaporize a planet?”

Einstein turned his head upside down and said, “And then some.”

Matt shook his head and said, “Life as we know it is about to change dramatically.”

The five spiders just looked at each other thinking about all that they wanted to see happen.

Four weeks had passed and the millions of ships left behind by the Supreme Males waited for instructions. No one dared leave and violate the order to remain but changes were taking place among the inhabitants. The Sensor Males left behind began contacting each other questioning what was happening.

“Why have they not contacted us?”

“I don’t know but the warriors are undergoing some kind of change. They are questioning why we kill so many races and quite frankly, I don’t have an answer.”

“Nor do I; it just seems wrong what we have been doing. I’m not certain the warriors will follow the Supreme Male’s orders even if he did come back.”

“It is problematic.”

“Attention all my children.”

Every ship grew silent. The billions were uncertain about what to do if ordered to harvest.

“I have removed the Supreme Males from the families in order to remove compulsions that have been placed in our species to kill other intelligent life. I have discovered that we were actually designed by advanced beings to be a tool to remove any possible competition for them. We had compulsions placed in us that forced us to go out and destroy life. I’m sure by now that some of you have started to question why we have done it and some of you may even be considering refusal to do it again.”

On all the ships the warriors looked at each other and wondered how she could possibly know they were not going to follow her orders.

“I have had the compulsions removed from me and I am not going to ever kill another intelligent being and I will not allow you to do so either. Our killing days are over. The only ones I would ever consider killing are the ones that forced us to perform the horrors that we have committed. We are going to stop our warlike ways immediately.”

The inhabitants of the green ships began feeling something alien to them: happiness. Then the Nest Mother continued, “I have learned that the beings that created us are going to destroy us with a new species they have developed. I have made new friends with the inhabitants of another universe and they are going to block that universe from attack. We must move there immediately to be safe. They have given us planets to live on and we will be going there momentarily. In the interim, I am appointing the Sensor Male on each ship as the new ship’s commander and I will be sending an engineer from our new friends to modify our universal drives. Once the drive is modified, jump your ships to the new universe. You will arrive at a location where there will be ships waiting to direct you to your new homes. The engineers will begin to arrive momentarily. Please take them from the ships outer surface to the command chamber. I will contact you again once we are all safe in the new universe.”

Six weeks passed and only half of the families had been moved. Destiny looked at Stem, “We’re running out of time. We only have five days remaining before the Reg’s barrier is put in place.”

“There’s just so many, Destiny and we can’t manufacture Newton’s device fast enough. We have to jump them to our universe, go to the surface, teleport to another ship to jump back here and start the process again. My engineers are starting to get tired from the continuous work.”

“Will the Reg delay?”

“They say the barrier must go up on that day. I suspect that whatever the beings have cooked up to replace you will arrive at that time.”

Destiny looked out at the millions of ships remaining and said, “Please hurry and save as many as possible.”

“We’re doing our best, Destiny.”

The last day arrived and there were still more than a third of the families waiting to be moved. Destiny looked at Stem and said, “We must have them jump away and try to flee what’s coming.”

Stem’s leaves were brown and he showed his sadness at so many that would not join their families in safety. “We just don’t have enough time. You’re right; they shouldn’t be here when the time is up.”

Destiny keyed his communications board when suddenly Eyes said, “Universal Drive breaking normal space ten miles out.”

“That is a very close emergence,” Stem said.

“Father, gather the remaining families as close together as possible. We are going to try and move them all at once.”

Destiny looked at Stem, “Einstein, that’s not possible. They will cover an area more than half a light year.”

“We have to try; we have a device that will expand the jump field to cover the ships and then we’ll initiate the jump.”

“What happens if it doesn’t work?”

“We may lose our lives. However, we have to try it. Call them together now!”

Destiny struggled with the possible loss of his two children but knew if he didn’t allow them to try they would blame themselves for what followed. So would he. He looked at Eyes and said, “Issue the instructions. Tell them to get hull to hull and move quickly.”

The green ships began coming toward the ship that had just arrived. Eyes took Destiny’s ship away since it had a drive that would allow them to jump. Stem watched the mass growing by the second and marveled at the numbers. “That’s a lot of ships, Destiny.”

“We’re leaving millions of them behind from families that were consumed. This ship is not quite as familiar as the one I gave to remove the Supreme Males but I’m getting used to it.’

The mass continued to grow. “Newton, we’re running out of time. If we’re doing this, it must be done now.”

“Einstein is adjusting the field now. We’re going to have to extend it further than we planned to include those not in the mass yet.”

“Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t lose the mass to save a few more ships.”

“They are all important, Father.”

Stem and Destiny watched the huge mass of green ships as a violet field began moving out from the center of them and extended in a globe big enough to cover them all. “I hope my children survive this.”

Suddenly the huge mass disappeared. “Take us home, Eyes.”

Destiny’s ship disappeared.

An hour later a giant fleet of white ships appeared and rushed toward the green mass and found only empty ships floating in space.

Matt and Melanie were in the map room watching the map of the dark galaxy. “It shouldn’t be long now. The time is up that the Reg told me they were going to move us.”

“How do you feel, Love?”

“Fine, the baby is not ready to come at this moment but it will be soon.”

“I love you, Melanie.”

Melanie waited with Matt and watched; she turned to ask Matt if he was sure of the time when suddenly the dark galaxy disappeared from the map. She smiled, “I imagine there will be some disturbed beings today.”

Matt smiled, “I imagine.”

The red being was viewing his new creation enter the universe of the old tool and he jumped up from his display shocked at what he saw. They were gone. “What have you done?”

“What do you mean; I just sent my new tool on its initial run to destroy the old one and they are not there. They have disappeared. Only derelict ships remain.”

“They are not the only thing missing.”

“What!”

“A universe has also disappeared and we cannot find it.”

“That’s not possible. We’re connected to every universe in existence through the interdimensional plane.”