(For Disclaimers and Warnings See the Notes page)
Earth Final Conflict: Last Days of the Human Race
Chapter One: Between Life and Death in the Castle in the Sky
The Mothership was cold the Atavan hybrid Colonel Liam Nevile Kincaide walked along the corridor infront of the cell quietly the thick coat doing nothing to reduce the chill. He knew he was up here because he had displeased the Atavus in some way. After all the only ones who ever got guard Duty for the Taelon Prisoner were those who had displeased the Atavus. He knew it would be another three hours before his meal was sent up and he knew it would be one of the scraggly old slaves only the Atavus got the healthy ones.
Ra'jel set calmly within the prison cell that he had been contained in for the past ten human years. "Is the cold getting to you." Kincaide turned a glare on the Taelon. "I see that is why your masters put you up here some part of you is still human enough to feel anger at me." Ra'jel watched as the hybrid turned away. "Does it trouble you to know that some part of you is still human the rest of your kind all threaten me when I tell them."
"It's not my job to threaten you it's my job to make sure you stay put." Kincaide said darkly. "So do us both a favor and shut up." He saw Ra'jel giving him a quizzical look and he turned away he hated the Taelon for speaking the truth he was still more human than Atavus and he hated that fact. All the other hybrids had begun to take on more Atavus like Features the older they got but he hadn't he'd stayed the same as the day ten years ago when he was hybridized.
Ra'jel was intrigued none of the other hybrids had retained so much humanity he wondered what it was about this one. He was about to attempt to get more information from the hybrid when the ship began to shudder and the energy field went down. "Atlast the waiting is over." Ra'jel said moving forward swiftly when the Hybrid tried to grab him he released a wave of Taelon Energy throwing the Hybrid to the ground. "I must be there when he returns." Ra'jel said ever since he had failed in his mission to help Renee Palmer save the human race he had felt them working to do the impossible. A dead race attempting to resurrect it's last child.
Liam Nevile Kincaide managed to right himself as the toxic energy charge faded from his body. He got up and pursued the Taelon knowing if he escaped he was dead the Atavus would kill him for his failure. He finally caught up with Ra'jel to find him standing in the remains of the Royal Stasis hub all the chambers had been relocated to earth but the energy pool and actual structure remained. He stared somewhat in shock as Nine rings pulsed and spun above the pool which glowed brighter. "What the hell is happening?" He said momentarily forgetting that he should be imprisoning the Taelon.
Ra'jel said nothing only watched as Light seemed to erupt from the pool as a body once destroyed as it completed it's final mission was reconstructed and restored to what it had once been. He watched as the form appeared first as glowing energy then solidifying into the form of a man who should have died years ago. "Welcome back Major." He said addressing him as all Taelons had known him.
Liam stood there in a daze he noticed Colonel Kincaide was here and that he was a hybrid. 'I'd better take care of him while I still can.' He thought his mind still connected to the place he had been as he moved forward reaching out toward the stunned hybrid who tried to shy away a moment to late. Liam grabbed him by the arm and placed a hand on his chest and focused accessing the infinite plane of energy for what he knew would be the last time to do what he could for Colonel Kincaide.
Kincaide stared in shock as he watched Liam approach. 'What the hell is going on he's dead I know he's dead so why did he suddenly reappear and why is he walking toward me.' he thought in shock he tried to shy away but the other man was to fast for him. As Liam touched him he felt a jolt run threw him then he blacked out.
Liam stood there above the collapsed form of Colonel Kincaide. "First we find me some clothes then we get to work." he said addressing Ra'jel. He noticed the Taelon was glancing at the man lying at his feet. "Don't worry he's no longer a threat when he wakes up he may even be an ally if he can live with himself."
Howlyn set in his chair again thinking of Renee Palmer he had owned her for nearly two years before she managed to escape and rejoin the resistance. He had offered a major reward no matter how useless any human that bought her in would be made into a Hybrid and rewarded well. "Pitiful creatures why are they so loyal to their own kind." He knew someone would eventually turn her in the problem was the humans who still resisted him protected her.
"We have a problem." An atavus said as he ran into the room. Howlyn grabbed him by the throat and he made a weak gasping sound. Howlyn waited for a few seconds then threw him to the ground. "Forgive the Intrusion my lord." He said knowing just how close to death he came barging into the presence of his king like that. Howlyn just gestured for him to continue. "The Taelon Mothership has gone inter-dimensional we have no idea where it has gone."
"What!" Howlyn jumped to his feet with a roar. "Portal an assault team up there and kill that Taelon." He said the word as a curse. "And if that Atavus Hybrid who failed to keep him contained is still alive bring him before me." He would take great pleasure in ripping the heart out of such an incompetent.
"We have already tried sir the portals on the mothership are nonfunctional." He saw Howlyn get up and pace toward him a feral anger shining in his eyes. "The engineers believe the ship will cease functioning soon it would have taken most of the remaining energy to power up the inter-dimensional drive." Howlyn turned and smiled darkly it was the last thing that Atavus ever saw.
Renee finished dressing in the long sleeved shirt as she heard alarms sounding. Grabbing her gloves to cover the scars on her hands she headed out to the main room of the resistance base she was currently in. "What's going on?" She asked she saw Street, Augur and the other techs working hurriedly at the consoles.
"The Taelon mothership just left Earth orbit and disappeared into Inter-dimensional space." Boone said coming up behind her. Gray hair just starting to show at his temples and a few lines around his eyes. "The Atavus are in an uproar about it they have gone on full lock down of all facilities."
"Ra'jel must still be up there he must have gotten loose." Renee said rather bitterly. "Of course he couldn't help us he just ran like the stinking alien he is." She noticed Street give her a sympathetic look. "Just keep me appraised." She said turning and leaving she hated seeing the looks of pity about what happened to her during those two years as Howlyn's prisoner. She repeated her vow to never trust another alien ever again.
Colonel Kincaide awoke to a freezing cold covered in blankets. "What's going on where am I?" He asked as he struggled to rise trying to push back the heavy load of blankets covering him. A hand drifted in and gently pushed him back down. He looked up to see Ra'jel and the past ten years flooded back into his memory.
Ra'jel heard the sick sounding moan from the hybrid. "You were not in control of your actions Colonel." The Taelon said calmly. "Were it not for the Major you would have remained under the control of the Atavus DNA in your system." He paused. "Unfortunately moving the ship away from Earth to a safe place to begin work on it has drained most of the remaining power and the environmental system is down as an Atavus hybrid you are extremely vulnerable to the cold." Ra'jel turned. "All three of us will die unless the Major can get the engines the Atavus tried to install five years ago working."
Kincaide set there listening quietly finally he asked a question. "What is the Major he's not human is he?" He saw Ra'jel blush. "I need to know if I'm going to die today I need to know what and who he is."
Ra'jel nodded. "Very well the major's origin lies millions of years ago with a race called the Kimera." Ra'jel felt Da'an drift closer to the surface of his memory as he related things only Da'an had known about the major's life to the colonel.
Liam groaned as he struggled to make the necessary connections on the first of the partially installed Atavus designed engines. "Figures the Atavus would give up before finishing the installation." He knew the Atavus had come to believe the two systems were incompatible and they were but it was because the mothership didn't understand the technology not because it couldn't use it. The Atavus like Zo'or had underestimated exactly how intelligent the ship was. He knew he could share his knowledge of the Atavus Technology that he inherited from Ha'gel which was gained when the Atavus on the home world had been saved from cannibalizing each other after the more violent clans left.
He finally finished and reached out to touch the wall of the ship. 'I'm glad Ra'jel agreed to watch Colonel Kincaide he might think I'm nuts if he knew I was doing this." Liam initiated a sharing with the ship focusing on showing it all he knew about the Atavus. He was truly surprised at how aware the ship was it seemed over joyed to see him. "I'm not Taelon" he said and his eyes widened in shock as he realized something. "I'll be damned."
"How long before you'll be able to initiate the engine." He asked as he removed his hand from the wall of the mothership. The ship responded verbally telling him approximately two hours and that the temperature would drop even more he should take precautions.
Colonel Kincaide looked up as Liam entered he was amazed to find the other man dressed in civilian clothes. "I thought the only things in the lockers were Volunteer Uniforms?" He was still trying to digest what Ra'jel had told him.
Liam shrugged. "All companion protectors kept extra sets of clothes on the mothership in case we had to stay overnight during a crisis." Liam said. "Just like I raided the Volunteer barracks to get those blankets." He turned toward Ra'jel. "Why did Da'an never tell me the Mothership was built around an Old Kimera vessel?"
"He felt your knowing would accomplish nothing." Ra'jel said noticing the hurt look on Liam's face at that. "I am curious as to how you have discovered major I did not think working to install one of those engines would reveal such a fact."
"I had to share my knowledge of Atavus Technology with the ship she revealed her origins to me." Liam said noticing the temperature was starting to drop. "Move over Colonel it's going to get a lot colder and neither one of us have the advantage of being immune to cold like Ra'jel." Liam slid under the covers and noticed how stiffly the other man was laying.
"I shall see if I may locate anything to assist with keeping your warm." Ra'jel said standing and leaving the room. He was troubled by a strange sadness he knew what the Kimera had done but the part of him that was Da'an was still deeply saddened at what the major had given up to help them.
Colonel Kincaide had to know. "What did you do to me?" He asked calmly. "The last ten years I was a monster and I only just realize it now." When he saw the other man wasn't going to answer. "Ra'jel told me all about you and I think I deserve to know what you did to me."
"I got rid of your need to feed and with it most of your Atavistic Urges." Liam said after a moment. "You can still feed and if you get seriously injured you'll have to feed on an atavus or an atavus hybrid to recover." He saw a question in the other man's eyes. "I can't do so to the other hybrids." He sighed. "I was only able to free you from the need to feed because I was still connected to the infinite Plane of energy that runs threw everything in the universe." He sighed sadly. "If only Ra'jel hadn't failed to stop Howlyn from firing the Mothership's weapons I could still be there or perhaps I'd have finally moved on to what comes after Death."
"I would think you'd know you've been dead for over ten years." Colonel Kincaide said wondering about the sad tone in Liam's voice. "I mean weren't you in the afterlife?" He saw Liam shake his head no. "Then where were you?"
"Between Life and Death I was supposed to wait till Renee needed me and then act as her guide in the final conflict but things went wrong." Liam closed his eyes and didn't say anything more.
Ra'jel choose that moment to return carrying two six inch wide three inch tall cylinders which he set on either side of the mound of blankets. Waving his hand over them fire appeared over top of them. "We Taelons do not use Fire for heat but it has an aesthetic appeal." He turned. "I shall go bring the rest."
And as Ra'jel left the room Liam spoke up again. "Now lets just hope the mothership can get that generator working and eviromental back up or you'll find out what lies beyond death." Liam said watching the colonel jump out of the corner of his eye.
"Don't you mean we'll?" He saw Liam turn away but something about Liam's posture told him that the other man wouldn't answer that question. He wondered why but then realized he probably didn't want to know the answer.
Liam set up with a shock when he felt Colonel Kincaide getting out. "Stop the cold will..." he trailed off a she realized it was no longer cold. "How long have I been out." He saw the Colonel checking a watch.
"You've been out about eight hours I just woke up myself." He offered a hand to Liam who took it and pulled him to his feet. "Lets go find Ra'jel and see what he's up too." He had in truth set there thinking long and hard about things after the other man had gone to sleep and decided despite him not being human he trusted him.
They finally found Ra'jel and were shocked to see a blond haired silver suited woman with him. "How did the Ship get a representation like the Kimera vessel?" Liam blurted out ignoring the confused look the colonel was giving him.
"This is not a Kimera representation." The woman spoke. "This is a Jaridian Replicant I can use to repair myself over the next few months and defend myself if the Atavus locate and board me."
"The Ship is so badly damaged it will take months for it to regenerate fully and since I haven't the core energy to survive that long; I will go with you and do what I can on earth before my passing." Ra'jel said calmly. "And this Replicant can see too it the Ship will be fully repaired."
Liam nodded and then noticed something he had thought was gone. "Is that what I think it is." He said gesturing to the blonde haired man held in stasis behind them. "Isn't that the original biosurrogate prototype." Once Ra'jel had confirmed it Liam smirked. "I think I have an idea."
To Be continued...