The Red being looked at his console and felt his anger rise. Then he heard, “Your project must be causing you problems to be this angry.”
“I wanted this particular tool because they are more vicious than our current tool. The current tool must be forced to kill even though they are gifted with a form that makes it easy. I also want this new tool to pass the compulsions genetically so they’re not dependent on machines. Unfortunately, they turn on each other when another life form is not available. These creatures were naturally territorial in their original environment and now I’m forcing them into close quarters. I gain one thing but another problem arises. This tool loves to kill and I have to build in restraints.”
“That may not be a bad thing.”
“I thought about that but there is time spent traveling to different universes and they cannot restrain themselves from attacking each other that long.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure; I like their viciousness and don’t want to restrain it but it appears I might not have a choice. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Why not make them suffer severe pain whenever they touch; that should cut down on their attacks. If the pain is severe enough they will avoid contact unless the final compulsion is activated. You’ll also have to make them immune to that beam weapon you’ve given them.”
The being thought a moment, “That idea has merit. I think I’ll build the final compulsion to make them the tastiest meal they can eat but possibly cause them to burn if they touch each other without the compulsion. I’ll also enhance their territorial instinct so that when the time comes to remove them it will happen very quickly.”
“That’s almost funny. The last survivor will end up eating himself.”
The red being smiled, “You’re right; I really want to actually see that happen. I might make a sample and see if it works.” He thought a moment, “It will require them to wear armor most of the time to prevent damage to each other.”
“Just make sure they have the capability to rip through the armor when the time comes to remove this tool.”
“I’ll do it just as you’ve suggested.”
“Another benefit of this tool over the current is there is no time needed to digest what they’ve killed. They can leave one universe and go directly to another. Once they start killing it will be continuous.”
“Have you looked in on your current tool?”
“They are so boring; no, not recently. I’ve been too busy working on the new one. Besides, they won’t be around much longer. I might even let them be the first meal for my new creation and that problematic universe the second. However, these new tools will resolve those issues quickly. As soon as I rework the new structure into them, I’ll look in on the old ones.”
“Don’t waste your time. You should use it constructively and finish this project.”
“I know; if you think of anything else let me know.”
“You know I will.”
The Supreme Males were on a communication channel attempting to decide what to do. The Senior Male said, “I think we should hatch a new Nest Mother.”
“To what purpose? The command chamber is gone and without it the new Mother will be useless.”
“Then what would you suggest?”
“I believe that she has been taken to that universe that stopped our harvest. If they could come here and take her, that suggests that there is another way into it. I recommend that we scatter and scan our universe and find that other door.”
“I’ve never heard of two doors.”
“They are rare but they do exist. Otherwise, how did they come here? There must be another door.”
The Senior Male thought about the suggestion and decided, “We should at least eliminate it as a possibility. Recall all the families from harvesting and assign them a section to search. Let’s find a way into that problematic universe and destroy it.”
Another Supreme Male said, “Perhaps the universes closest to the target might have another doorway. Should we check those to see?”
“Yes, send ships to scan for another entrance. If they find one, come back and notify me immediately. If nothing shows up come back and help scan our universe. Are we agreed on this plan?”
Every Supreme Male voted yes and they began their search. They did not see the small, red screened, probe left behind. It listened in on their communications and once the ships began jumping out to begin searching, it jumped back to the Stars Realm and down loaded its information to Fleet Command, which passed it on to the Realm’s leadership.
Sprig looked at the code from the command chamber and ran the program through an independent system to avoid contaminating the main system. It would not be a good thing to have the compulsion program loose. Edison watched the program run and suddenly yelled, “Stop it right here.”
Sprig froze the data and then backed it up to the point where Edison shouted. He looked at the data stream and saw an odd line of symbols. “What are those, Edison?”
“Those are encrypted on my species electrical engrams. I think those are the compulsions.”
“That is a very short line of programming.”
“It would have to be, Sprig. It must be transferred easily and resist degradation over eons of time. This looks like a very compact virus that rides all the other programs.”
Sprig looked at the lines of the program and began to see a pattern, “It appears that the fiftieth line is where the main action is held.”
Einstein looked at the line and added, “It is the two hundredth line where the virus is inserted into organic substances.”
Sprig looked and did not see what he was referring. “How do you arrive at that?”
“The last six symbols on the third string match up with the frequency of our nervous system. I believe that this program was written strictly for my species. It won’t work on life forms that have a different frequency.”
Sprig looked closer and shook his main branches, “Whoever wrote this a genius at bioengineering.”
“I agree, but it allows an easy change. Most of the rest of this virus is designed to make the host resist any emotions that might be anything other than viciousness. The finer emotions of love, happiness, and friendship are held in check.”
“What do you mean easy to change, Newton?”
“All we need to do is change the frequency in it and then have it downloaded again into the host. It should overwrite the previous programming and replace it. Since the frequency will be different the new download will have no effect.”
Sprig thought about the suggestion, “What frequency would you use; we don’t want this program around to infect another species.”
“Just choose a frequency of an extinct life form. Do you have any DNA of a species that is extinct?”
“We have some from one of the planets that was harvested by your ship. That civilization is now dead, so it should only affect that now-extinct life form.”
Sprig saw the sudden sadness of the three small spiders. “Don’t blame yourselves for their death children; you were forced to do it. Perhaps this will lead to some good from that loss.”
“I know, Sprig, but we feel the terrible shame of what we’ve done.”
Sprig looked at the records in his main system and after several minutes looked up, “Here it is; this is the frequency of their brain engrams.”
Edison looked at the number and then began typing. The frequency was inserted into the virus and then downloaded into the leg receptacles. “Now we have to see if a certain angry Nest Mother will work with us.”
Sprig looked at the new code, “No, we are going to make her do it.”
Destiny turned his head upside down, “The Nest Mother is stronger than any male. Making her do anything is not going to be easy.”
“None the less, we will make her do as we want. You haven’t seen the power of our Red Warrior’s armor.”
Einstein looked up, “This I gotta see.”
“Me, too.”
“And me as well.”
The Nest Mother was out in the open thinking about how much longer she was going to be left alone when suddenly a silver screen appeared above her and she was teleported into the command chamber. She was also wrapped in some kind of field that kept her immobile and unable to move. She looked around and saw a male of her species, “I must assume you are the Ship’s Male from the missing main ship.”
“Yes, I am, Nest Mother. I no longer am bound by the compulsions you have placed in me.”
“That must be an interesting feeling. I just learned about them.”
Destiny flinched, “What?”
“Don’t act surprised. I was concerned about my safety and still found myself forced to send the families out to harvest. I discovered I could not control my actions and after a long search I discovered that we are a tool for another race of beings. I’ve tried to think about it but every time I try my mind is forced away from it. I also think they have made a new species to remove us. Did you bring me here to kill me?”
“No, Mother; I’ve brought you here to try and remove the compulsions from you.”
“Why?”
“We think you will see things differently once they are gone. We have to try; you are not responsible for what you have done.”
“I must tell you that I am fighting as hard as I can the urge to break free and kill everyone in this room and I don’t know how much longer I can resist.’
Destiny looked at Sprig, “Get her on the platform quickly.”
The Algean nodded to four Red Warriors and they moved quickly forward and lifted the large spider and moved her to the platform. She began quivering as two of the warriors grabbed her two back legs and inserted them into the back two receptacles. She then started fighting the restraints and moved violently back and forth.
“Is it working?” Destiny asked in alarm.
Edison looked at the readout and said, “It’s downloading; just a few more moments.”
The Nest Mother was beyond thought; all she could feel was extreme anger and hate. She felt the extreme urge to kill this insolent male in front of her. And then she felt nothing.
Edison looked at the Nest Mother and saw she had stopped moving, “Is she still alive?”
Destiny looked at the readout on his board, “Yes, she’s unconscious. Move her off the platform and send her back to the planet.”
The Nest Mother jerked and slowly came back to consciousness. She was hurting in all her legs where she had fought the restraining field and she stood up with great difficulty. She looked around, “This is a beautiful day.” She flinched at the thought; she had never had that kind of thought before. She looked around and thought about what had just happened and then she thought about the red being that had said she would make a good tool. She immediately felt anger. “They have controlled us totally.” She then thought about all the members of her species she had ordered consumed and felt an over whelming sadness grip her. She had killed millions, no billions of her children. She lowered herself to the ground and wept for what she had done.
“We need to go now,” Destiny said.
The Nest Mother saw a silver screen appear a distance in front of her and nine beings appeared. Four of them were males of her species, three were still children. The other five were strange creatures with one looking like a tall bush. The four were in some kind of armor holding weapons pointed at her. She rose and waited as they approached.
Destiny thought to her, “Hello, Mother. How do you feel?”
“I have killed so many of my children that I cannot count them all. I despair at the memory.”
“You were made to do it. You had no control over what you were forced to do.”
The Nest Mother looked at the other beings, “You can put your weapons away; I will never kill again.”
Destiny felt her pain and moved forward before anyone could say anything.
“Stop, Destiny,” Sprig thought but he was beside her before he could order her shot.
Destiny placed one of his front legs on hers and said, “We also feel the pain and shame of all the civilizations we have destroyed. We have decided to try and make up for all the sorrow we have caused. Will you help us?”
The large spider with huge fangs looked at her son and said, “I do not think there is enough time remaining to repair all that I have made to happen.”
“We must try, Mother.”
Sprig thought, “Put your weapons away; she’s free of the compulsions.”
The three Red Warriors lowered their arms, but kept close watch on the huge spider and continued to hold their weapons.
The Nest Mother looked and saw the three small spiders and said, “You are some of my children.”
The three ran forward and she grasped them in her two front legs. I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you.”
The three spiders reveled in their mother’s legs and felt extreme happiness. She sensed their glee and held them close. Destiny said, “This is Edison, Newton, and Einstein; they are responsible for freeing you from the compulsions.”
She looked at them and said, “Thank you, my children. Thank you for my freedom.”
Sprig watched the family of spiders and pressed his com, “Matt, I think you should come and talk with the Nest Mother.”
“On my way, Sprig.”
Matt arrived to find the Nest Mother embracing her children. Destiny saw him walking toward them, “Nest Mother, this is the being that saved us when he could have destroyed my ship. He is the ruler of this universe and we owe him for what he has done to free us.”
The Nest Mother turned and faced Matt, “Thank you for what you have done. I know it must have been a difficult decision.”
“It was, but it was the right thing to do. I am trying to save your species from destruction but I fear time is growing short. The beings that created you are developing another species to replace you, and it is my belief that you will be destroyed because you will no longer be needed by them.”
The Nest Mother felt anger, “They have already killed one of my families and then killed the universe where they attacked us. What can I do to help?”
Matt was shocked. The Reg were right again. “When did that happen?”
More than sixty times the amount of time you’ve kept me here. The family was completely eliminated and then the rest of the universe was killed. We saw that whoever did it destroyed large population centers from space with some kind of energy beam. It also used the same beam to kill those on the planet’s surface. That beam went through our armor as if we were not wearing it. That universe was destroyed in one fifth the time it would have taken my family.”
“The beings that forced you to kill made the creatures that did it. I have it on good authority that your species will be the first target of these new creatures. I want to bring your families to my universe for protection if they can come here without the compulsions. Is that possible?”
The Nest Mother thought for several minutes, “It will be difficult. The Supreme Males control their families and as long as they live, my children are in danger of being consumed by them. I cannot remove the compulsions once they are in place.”
Matt thought, “Could you remove the Supreme Males from their families?”
“I believe I could, but then the Ship’s Males would just replace them. They also have the compulsions.”
What if you ordered them to bring their Ship’s Males with them for a brief meeting; would they then download the compulsions in the one’s left behind?”
“They shouldn’t if forced to attend quickly enough. What do you have in mind?”
“We still have Destiny’s ship.”
“Who is Destiny?”
“I am; it is my new name.”
“We can take his ship to your universe and have the Supreme Males come to that ship with their Ship’s Males in transports. Once they arrive, we will teleport you to another ship and then jump that vessel into a universe that has been recently harvested. We will set the universal drive to self destruct upon arrival so they will be stranded in that universe. There will be plenty of planets with food for them and they should survive.”
“I’m glad you have a plan that allows them to live. I will not kill any more of my children.”
“Will it work?”
“That part of the plan will. What do we do about the remaining ships?”
“Have the Supreme Males order them to stay where they are until otherwise ordered. We think the compulsions will fade in four weeks and at that time you will return and we will attempt to move their ships to our universe. There are enough uninhabited planets for them to settle on until they get themselves oriented to their new world view.”
The Nest Mother thought about the plan and finally said, “When do you want to do this?”
“The sooner the better; we have a limited window of opportunity before this universe is blocked from entry and we have to get it done before that happens.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Matt looked at Sprig, “Can you make this happen quickly?”
“With their help, we should be ready in two days.”