Ruler's Concubine (3 page)

Lysett shoved his hand through his hair and released a weary sigh. Well over a year had passed since Trosan’s death, and what he’d hoped to be an uncomplicated task had proven onerous and frustrating. He had given the mission of finding envoys to General Ashtun, following that meeting after his concubine’s demise. That male found trustworthy individuals to travel to the planets Bast had located, starting with the closest planets after Bra’oor. DNA and other samples were taken from females. Lysett had no doubt much of the sampling was covert and done without even the females’ awareness. He chose not to concern himself with the minutiae or the subterfuge. Desperate times meant desperate measures.

He had been determined to keep Bast’s search private and expended considerable effort to keep the matter confidential. Those opposing him, however few, would use failure against him. And even if he succeeded… Well, they’d still take up the cudgels, citing racial purity or some such. But despite the attempt to keep the missions classified, there were still a fair number of individuals aware of parts of the bigger plan, and quite able to draw the inference. Those special envoys and the scientists tasked to examine the evidence were pledged to secrecy, but Lysett knew a secret remained a secret only until told to a second person.

“I had faith in Ashtun’s ability to command obedience, but considerable time has passed.”

Bast shrugged. “Indeed, enough for some to process our intent and decide if this is something to challenge your politics with, Master. Stirring unrest on primitive planets is an easy thing to undertake.”

“It might not be only about politics.” He paced the room, recalling his visit with the General—Liasion Ashtun.

The flight to Bra’oor had been uneventful, and he’d wished for some sort of diversion, an issue with the instruments, a surprise meteor shower, even a space pirate attack to deal with. Instead, he was left to his own devices and worse, his own thoughts, and he tortured himself with additional memories about his childhood and growing up with Trosan.

He eschewed the honor guard upon landing and was quickly escorted to meet with General Ashtun. The highly decorated officer was in place as more of a formality, considering the actual passivity of the population, and Lysett nearly regretted coming to Bra’oor. It spoke of a lack of confidence in the General’s abilities and he hoped the man had understood the need to cloak his real intent. He’d endured a long, tedious lecture by the General’s aide before he could sit down with Ashtun.

“I thank the Ruler for taking the time to honor us with his presence,” the General’s aide had kept repeating, and Lysett knew it was grating on Ashtun’s last nerve as well. The aide was a political appointee, from a smaller but powerful House, and it wouldn’t have done to alienate the man.

At the end of the presentation, he accepted an invitation to a very decent meal, tastes, and textures of Bra’oor he likely never would have enjoyed if it hadn’t been for this impromptu trip. It served to remind him of Bast’s announcement about other species possibly being compatible with their kind and encouraged him further. This led to an in-depth conversation with the General and some of his officers about other species and even touched on future assimilation.

“For the most part, our settled planets are stable and without any signs of discontent, Ruler. Bra’oor is a good example of our more recent excursions,” the General concluded. “Expanding our territory will expose us to other species, and we can afford the manpower given the stability. I salute your rule, Sir.”

Lysett had welcomed the broader point of view, albeit from the perspective of the fighting man. It had been years since Lysett had been on the battlefield, although he continued to train and keep himself in shape. Ruling didn’t mean losing touch with those who put themselves at risk in both the defense of Meridia and the necessary off-world campaigns. Lysett, at heart, was a warrior, but he needed to consider the future, and one without violence was the better concept.

“I would hope to hammer out trade contracts and build alliances as well as invite travel and commerce between worlds, rather than add to our conquests. Perhaps encourage interplanetary liaisons and consider interspecies … connections.”

The ensuing silence was smothering, and he wondered if he’d misinterpreted the mood of these men who surrounded him.

The General finally spoke, after quickly scanning the room and then clearly choosing his words carefully. “A future concerned with rebuilding the population of Meridia, saving our species, would be an accomplishment of the highest order, Ruler.”

The murmurs and chatter that followed had reassured him, once they’d processed such a foreign concept. It had been a test, and one he was glad he’d carried out. Those were the men who would bring about his will and reassure the populace, and Ashtun had found his envoys among them. Several raised their cups in his direction and he found himself lifting his own in return.

The General had pressed his hand in the traditional way for a significantly longer period of time than usual, and Lysett recalled the other man’s widowed status. Warriors didn’t necessarily show softer emotions, but he sensed the commiseration. It had made him all the more determined to find a solution—find compatible females.

“There will be those who will oppose you, Sir,” the General said quietly. “But you may count on me.”

“I leave Bra’oor in your capable hands, General, until the final treaties are filed,” he had said formally. “I will have need of you in the coming months if we are to implement changes.”

His last sight as he boarded his transport was that of Ashtun’s calm features, laced with anticipation and perhaps hope. To some extent, it soothed Lysett’s beleaguered heart and aided him during the ceremony to celebrate Trosan’s life.

He’d told Bast to promote General Ashtun, and put him in charge of recruiting those sent to procure future concubines. To title him Liaison.

His servant had made a note, and there was no further talk about Lysett’s impromptu trip, nor about the far more pressing issue of finding a compatible female to serve as his personal royal concubine. His first servant had known not to waste his time until there was something to present, and was well aware of the distinctive interest his Master had taken in the process. The discussion had then turned to politics, Lysett’s focused mind having considered certain alliances between minor Houses, and also on future events requiring his attention, and he’d began to rebuild his life.

He yanked his thoughts from the past and gave all his attention to Bast, who again watched and waited patiently, aware of his Master’s way of processing especially momentous decisions.

“Tell me,” he ordered his first servant.

“Do you recall the planet named Earth?”

Sifting through his mental files, Lysett nodded. “We conquered it over a decade ago, if one could call it conquering. The populace was already decimated and nearly doomed, so the decision was made to thwart their remaining technology and leave them to rebuild slowly. Give the planet a chance to heal, as it were, and consider it an outpost in the event we required a planet to stop by and resupply. Are you saying…?”

Bast stood and stretched, then pressed his screen, projecting an image onto the far wall. “Indeed. That most primitive place and one at the far reaches of our System has compatible females. It was by accident that an envoy took specimens there when he did, because Earth was near last on our list, and likely another ten months or more before any sampling would take place. His ship was thrown light years off course after an encounter with a rogue asteroid and forced to land for repairs. I understand he disembarked to walk about and happened upon a young female.”

Lysett studied the primarily blue planet for an instant before turning his attention to the outline of a female figure juxtaposed in the image. He reflected that while somewhat smaller, it appeared to mimic the shape of Meridian females.

“Continue.”

“I don’t know all the circumstances because I haven’t yet spoken to him. Sardan is his name. Of one of the smaller Houses, but holds a solid reputation both as a warrior and now as an envoy. He is a widower as well, and I suspect had puzzled out the true reasons behind the sampling. It seems he took the initiative and possessed the DNA as well as the ovum.”

Lysett held his breath. Both procedures sounded intrusive. They
were
intrusive, ethically, although with their medical technology it was doubtful the young female had even known what had taken place. He arched a brow at Bast, willing him to continue.

“The DNA is startlingly close to matching, so close our scientists suspect that whatever seeded Meridia, seeded Earth as well. Both of our species adapted to the differences in the environment, and advanced at different rates, obviously.”

“And the ovum?” Meridian ovum was not viable in the laboratory, despite all their vaunted technology, hence the inability to grow test tube babies. That might have been their answer instead of asking female Meridians to accept a veritable death sentence. Or to advance on this quest.

Bast’s face fell. “It appears healthy, but when infused with our sperm it is also not sustainable in the laboratory. We only have the sampling of the one female, of course, and it is difficult to extrapolate, but our scientists are most certain Earth females can birth Meridian babies. We simply require more data.”

“So sample more.” Lysett nearly growled the order, but Bast grew somber.

“That was our plan, Master. We sent out many envoys. However, the planet is very sparsely populated after their wars and plagues, not to mention the chaos that ensued when we dissolved what little technology remained. Females of childbearing age are few in number, and more difficult to find than one might anticipate. Then, there is the complication.”

“Explain.”

“Word has clearly gotten to Earth about a search for compatible females, Master.” Bast shook his head and quashed Lysett’s next question before he could voice it. “We don’t know who spoke it, though it, of course, had to come from one of the other Houses, but a kind of centralized government has recently formed on each of the populated continents of Earth.

“It appears propaganda has been circulated about our race once again descending upon the planet, and this time impregnating all females. Conquering by populating their world with our offspring—committing genocide in that manner. And it has created some kind of strange reaction.”

Lysett pondered the information. As an efficient way to conquer, it made powerful sense. If an invading force visited its offspring on the female population, that action would change the face of that planet. It wasn’t the original plan at all, of course. Any compatible females would have been offered the opportunity to leave their primitive Earth and take up residence on Meridia, to live in luxury and be cherished, worshiped as life-bringers. And surely those females who remained on the backward planet were true survivors, fit and healthy to have weathered the adverse conditions.

“What is the resistance you speak of?”

“The information is fragmented, and not totally validated, but we believe all females of childbearing years are being rounded up and either brainwashed to reject alien advances, or are being sterilized.”

Hearing the latter was like a punch in the gut, and Lysett fought for breath. Impossible. What kind of creatures did such a thing?
What kind of creatures in Meridia’s past focused on conquering other planets and taking that which appealed to supply—oversupply—their people’s physical needs while ignoring the falling birthrate? And look at the way we—I—made the decision to tumble Earth backward to mere subsistence in the event Meridia might use the planet at a later date.
He shoved aside his conscience and organized his thoughts to sum up the situation.

“So we approach a non-sterilized female and she rejects us because of the brainwashing, leaving us no recourse but to kidnap her and try to change her mind. A reprehensible choice, considering how far we’ve come from the bloody conquerors of our past. Or, worse, we find none who can conceive because of the actions of zealots. Xenophobes like we were—and still are in some regard, obviously, because you’re right. I definitely detect Meridian influence here. There is no such thing as a coincidence, Bast. I want an investigation into this sabotage. All resources. Put General Ashtun in charge of this as well. It will tie in with his present work.”

“
Liaison
Ashtun.”

Despite the circumstances, Lysett nearly smiled. Ashtun had been a good choice for Liaison, a new role in Meridia’s history, but the other male chafed at the relative sedateness of his position and longed for action despite his support of Lysett. This exercise in addressing sabotage would no doubt turn bloody, and Ashtun was the right man for the job. They had become friends over the past while, once the Liaison had gotten past the difference in their station. Lysett had needed a strong friend who understood the same issues, and Ashtun fit the bill. Not to mention his ally’s hope for his own concubine. “
Liaison
Ashtun,” he agreed.

Bast nodded in understanding and paused before continuing. “I suggest we make contact with every female on Earth of childbearing years and determine compatibility without delay. But of necessity, we must alter our original plan.”

“Go on.”

“It will mean gathering them all without ceremony and interviewing them in a place of safety, like on one of our ships. We can return those to Earth who refuse us for any reason. Unless…”