The Deaths of Tao (28 page)

Before he could leave again, Roen tapped him on the shoulder. “One last request, Master,” he said as formal and deferential as possible.

Lin gave him a wary look. “Yes?”

“Can I borrow some money?”

 

TWENTY-FOUR

TIBET

Huchel, one of our brightest, once inhabited a scientist named Charles Darwin. His vessel claimed to discover evolution, but the truth is, all he discovered was our kind’s millions-year-old methodology. Humans are our children, and are only alive by our mercy. We made them the fittest to live, and for that we are owed everything.
 

Zoras

 

Enzo looked out the window of the Mi-171 transport as it buzzed over the canopy line of the thick Tibetan forest. Having grown up in the mountains of Costa Rica, he was reminded of his Central American home by this land. Sure, the trees looked different and the sharp biting edge of the Tibetan mountain air was a sharp contrast to the humidity of the jungle, but both were a far cry from the oppressive steel, concrete, and smog of Qingdao.

You miss your sheltered life at the Hatchery?
 

“Incubation had its pleasures, but Hatchery life was no life at all. I am now truly alive, fulfilling my destiny.”

We shall see. Your actions have been bold and successful to an extent. However, you assume too much risk.
 

“My apologies, Zoras. I shall work harder to earn your favor.”

A few minutes later, the dense forest opened into a clearing, and the tops of the internment camp buildings appeared. As the transport hovered in the air, Enzo took the time to study the camp below. The entire place was a mess.

He had assumed the internment camp was run like most Genjix facilities: controlled, uniform, and clean. However, the scene had no semblance of order. The buildings were a sad-looking bunch, made from wood and plaster. Several showed the blackened burns of battle while others seemed decrepit from lack of maintenance.

The center building was in much better shape than the smaller outlying facilities. It was a two-story structure reinforced with steel beams and riot control windows. Enzo watched as groups of men congregated at the western fence. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that some of the buildings on that side still smoldered. Approximately twenty meters of the fence had been torn apart as well.

We seem to have come at the right time.
 

With the helicopter still five meters from the ground, Enzo jumped out and landed gracefully on his feet. “You,” he called to the nearest officer directing a squad of men clearing wreckage. “Report.”

Looking irritated, the officer turned and stopped, his mouth dropped open. A man young enough to be his son was barking orders as if a general, and carrying himself as if a god. And in this case, he was right on all accounts. The officer looked him up and down and then noticed the helicopter still hovering in the air.

He did the rational thing and saluted. “Father.”

Enzo noted the tiredness around his eyes and the trembling in his hands. His left hand was wrapped hastily and blood seeped through the bandages. This man, a career soldier by his bearing, probably had not slept in over thirty-six hours.

Enzo saluted back. “What happened here?”

“Latest attack fifteen minutes ago, an explosion on the western perimeter. Six confirmed enemy dead, thirty friendlies. Seventy prisoners escaped.”

“Seventy!”

Newgard has lost control of the situation. That or it is much worse than we anticipated. You were right to come.
 

“How many of the escaped were vessels?” Enzo snarled.

The officer averted his eyes only for a split second. “Fifteen. The Prophus knew exactly where to hit us.”

Then Enzo frowned and scanned the field. Many of the buildings were damaged, and the ground was scarred from battle, but this couldn’t have been all from one attack. The Prophus had to be precise in their assaults to avoid injuring their own.

He assumed a softer tone to the officer. “How many attacks have there been?”

To the officer’s credit, he didn’t bat an eye when he spoke. “Sixteen in the past forty-eight hours, Father.”

Relieve that fool Newgard at once!
 

Enzo reached out and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Your performance is commendable. Get that hand seen to and stand down. Relieve the men in similar states. The remainder will be relieved in a few hours when my men reach the base.” He patted the officer one more time and watched as a wave of relief passed over him.

“Thank you, Father,” the man breathed before jogging to the fence and calling half a dozen men to follow him to the central building.

Your die has been tossed. Now take ownership. There is no backing out now. Expect blowback from Vinnick.
 

“Palos,” Enzo barked sharply. The head of his bodyguards approached and bowed. “Assume command of this rabble and clean this mess up. Send the men who are injured for medical care and have your team take their place. Seal this section by nightfall, and station guards at twenty meters. Pull all able-bodied men to establish a defensive perimeter until the rest of my forces arrive. Reallocate non-military personnel to double duty that the guards would normally have. I want fighting men to do nothing but fight, guard, and sleep. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Father,” Palos bowed again and signaled to one of his men.

Enzo stormed into the main building, followed closely by his entourage. The startled guards at the front door stood frozen with terror. The building was just as chaotic inside as outside. Personnel scampered around as if they were still under siege. A quick image flashed in Enzo’s head of Chateau Gaillard. Zoras’ host at the time was one of twenty knights who had held the castle for eight months before it finally fell.

The right wing of this building was a makeshift infirmary. There must have been fifty men lying on the floor, bloodied and battered. Enzo clicked his tongue in disapproval. This entire triage was a mess. Near the front, officers barked orders to soldiers and engineering crews in a large room serving as a makeshift command post.

An uncomfortable-looking aide approached him and bowed. “Father Enzo, we heard you were coming at the very last minute. Unfortunately, there have been several unforeseen–”

“Newgard,” Enzo said in a low, soft voice. “Where is he?”

The aide stepped aside and gestured down the left hallway. “In the war room, Father. Allow me to–”

Enzo strode past him down the hallway and barged into the war room, startling the fool commander of this sad camp. Newgard and the three men with him froze hunched over a map.

Enzo looked each in the eye and spoke one word. “Out.”

The herd nearly stampeded out the door. Enzo kept his face neutral, but a small piece of him was enjoying the intimidation and terror he inspired as a vessel of the Council. Only Newgard stood erect before him, simultaneously defiant and cowed.

His eyes met Enzo’s and did not flinch, but the nervous quiver in his voice betrayed him. “Father, this is a pleasant surprise. I thank you for your support. However, everything is well in hand.”

“Well in hand?” Enzo kept his voice so soft that Newgard had to strain to hear. “How many prisoners have been lost?”

“Six hundred and thirty–”

“I don’t care about the humans,” Enzo snapped. “How many vessels?”

Newgard averted his eyes. “Eighty-four.”

“And yet you believe matters are well in hand? Even after losing three convoys?

“Yes, Father,” Newgard stammered. “The Prophus have been raiding us continuously with the aid of the Tibetan Underground. Then a few days ago, they began making incursions into the facility. I have contacted Father Vinnick for additional support, which should be here in a few days.”

“At the rate you’re going, in a few days, you won’t have any prisoners left,” Enzo replied. “Newgard, I am relieving you of duty. You will report to Commander Palos.”

Newgard’s eyes flashed, and for the first time, Enzo saw real defiance in them. “Apologies, Father, but I will not abdicate my command. I report to Father Vinnick of the Genjix Council and am out of your jurisdiction.”

Careful how you tread. Push too softly and you will undermine your position in the Council. Push too hard and you risk conflict with the Council. If you take command of the facility and fail, Vinnick will have every right to remove you from your position and assume your holdings.
 

How dare this man question his order! Enzo took a step forward. “I’m on the Council, Newgard, and you will hand over your command.” He turned to Palos. “Send the rest of your men out.”

Palos bowed and complied. A moment later, it was only Enzo, Newgard, and Palos in the room. Newgard was still standing at attention next to the table while Palos guarded the door. The tension in the air was thick as each waited for someone to back down.

Perhaps it is best to hedge your bets and allow Newgard to maintain official capacity while you operate in the shadows. That way, a loss will not reflect badly upon you, but neither will a victory. However, a refusal to a member of the Council cannot stand. A lesson must be taught. You must act.
 

A line must be drawn. If not, Vinnick and the rest of the Council would believe he was a lion without claws. He could have Newgard detained, but what would that prove? He could order Palos to beat him. That would be humiliating to a vessel to have a human take him to task in such a matter, but the other vessels would disapprove.

The Blessed Ones would look down upon that and somewhere down the line, it might give humans ideas. If anyone was to do the deed, it had to be Enzo. But would this lesson be clear enough? Strong enough? Would the rest of the Council respect his standing then? Would they fear him? There was only one thing he could do to prove his might and resolve. Without taking his eyes off of Newgard, Enzo took a step back, drew his sidearm, and shot the man through the head.

No! What are you doing? There are lines that you must not cross!
 

“He insulted you, Zoras! I will not tolerate it!

Madness! Newgard and Zauw are not without rank, and have proven themselves in the past. There will be a reckoning for this.
 

“So be it. I will not be handicapped by the Council to do what needs to be done.”

You are walking on the edge, vessel. While I agree that the Council plays things too safe, there are other factors to consider.
 

“Those factors are irrelevant. You even said yourself. Only the final goal is important. The time for half measures is over. Politics should not affect our decisions.”

Your single purpose of mind is noble, but with experience, you will understand there is more to victory than just winning.
 

Enzo holstered his sidearm and watched as Zauw left Newgard’s body and floated just in front of his face, as if trying to scold him. Enzo averted his eyes respectfully. “I offer you the vessel of my trusted commander,” and gestured to Palos, who stood frozen by this sudden boon. Nearly all Genjix operatives hoped to be a vessel, but this must have come as a shock.

Slowly, Palos knelt. “I serve the Holy Ones,” he said, head lowered.

Zauw passed by Enzo and flitted around Palos, as if inspecting the flesh of a new horse about to be purchased. Then finally, he moved on top of Palos’ head and sank into his body. Enzo closed his eyes and waited while Palos gagged in pain.

When he finally recovered, he bent a knee to Enzo. “Thank you, Father, for this blessing.”

Satisfied, Enzo turned around and nodded. “Good. Let’s get to work. Take an account of all human prisoners. They are expendable. Place them standing three meters apart blindfolded, bound, and gagged along the perimeter fence. Let’s see if the Prophus are willing to shell their own people.”

Newly raised vessel Palos, with adulation now in his eyes, bowed deeper to Enzo than he ever had and hurried away. Enzo watched in satisfaction. He had effectively neutralized Vinnick’s hold on this camp and secured Palos’ loyalty in one move.

Enzo turned back toward the map of the surrounding area and began to familiarize himself with the landscape as he planned his next move.

What is done is done. Now, the first thing needed is a scouting perimeter three klicks out. And then we will need to send engineering crews to clear away the jungle. Next we need to consider supplies for our increased numbers.
 

For the next two hours, Zoras and Enzo alone planned their next defensive measures against the encroaching Prophus. If the notes that Newgard had were accurate, this could be the largest Prophus force on the ground in nearly a century. If Enzo could deal a crushing blow here, his standing would certainly be assured. He smiled as he listened to Zoras’ plan. This was going to be glorious.

 

TWENTY-FIVE

TRIP SOUTH

Empires rose and fell under our hands. It wasn’t until just before the birth of the Babylonian Empire, with Hammurabi at its helm, that we began to understand humanity’s potential. The Council observed that with every successive rise and fall of an empire, the primitive man evolved even quicker. Thus, the Conflict Doctrine became our method of developing humanity.
 

I was a Quasing of low standing during the early years of the Mesopotamian empires. We were still learning to adapt to the higher levels of human cognitive thought. We could not treat these humans as we did the dinosaurs or saber-tooth tigers or primates.
 

I did not rise to prominence until one day, I inhabited the second son of minor kingdom. His name was Shamshi-Adad.
 

Tao

 

The trip to the county of Kaohsiung in the southern tip of Taiwan proved much easier once the team secured financing. Roen didn’t realize it, but it seemed one of Lin’s many hidden talents was financial genius. Supposedly, his master had done so well on the Nikkei that he was a millionaire. When Roen asked what his secret was, Lin shrugged and said he picked stocks that rhymed. The old man was either full of it, or the greatest idiot savant stock broker in the history of trading.