Bad Seed

Chapter14

Wren watched as the distance between her, and her brother increased. She needed to get back to the master's planet to release more. With the four females out, she'd felt the power of the planet start to balance out.

She felt it was very important that she got more out of the Chrysalis. The males alone were very powerful, though the addition of the four females had almost doubled that.


"Stay out of range. Keep moving us to the border. You need to repair all the systems, then I can upgrade them more," Wren said, as the portal opened before her. "I will return as soon as possible."

"Watch your levels, Master Wren. You have a lot of power, though it is still new to you. You still don't know if it is indeed deadly or not," Trigon said.

Wren nodded then stepped through. Flugret was the only one there to greet her, "little Wren," he said, then bowed.

"I am here to release more from the Chrysalis. The sooner, the better, Wren said.

"That is great news though, are you strong enough? The last two times I remember that it seriously weakened you," A concerned Flugret said.

"I should, I feel far stronger than I did both times before. I'll visit more when I have finished," Wren said as she moved off through the door.

A concerned Flugret notified the others as quickly as he could. A few minutes later, all twenty males and four females walked into the Chrysalis room.

Wren had touched the Chrysalis as soon as she entered the room. All the masters knew better than to interfere, several remembered the painful lesson.

Wren felt a great deal of power flow through her, far more than she ever felt before. Then she felt further. Is it enough, she thought, we'll soon find out she thought.

All there stood by ready to render aid if needed. Then, quite suddenly, they saw that there were not one but two glowing sections of the Chrysalis.

Rena started to yell, "Wren, you aren't strong enough yet!" All those there could only stare at her 'til Wren started to glow.

Several of the masters had gotten in front of the female Cetians, trying to push out the doorway. Wren kept at it 'til two areas on the Chrysalis seemed to detach from it.

"Wren!" Rena started to yell, "you have to stop! This will drain you!"

Wren looked over to Rena and the other females, "I am fine. I have more energy than you think," she said.

A moment later, two spheres of light separated from the Chrysalis. They then started to slowly elongate. "Come on damnit, I know you are in there!"

Rena and Lota tried again to get to Wren, only to be rebuffed. They looked at each other then raised their arms, energy flowing from them to Wren.

Wren looked back, nodding to them, then pushed harder, the elongated spheres of light starting to form more female-like shapes. A few moments later, two more Cetian females were lying on the floor gasping.

Wren nodded at the two females, "I think that should help," then took a step and stumbled. Rena and Lota both grabbed Wren before she hit the floor.

"Well," Wren said, "I thought I was stronger than I was. A bed?" To which Rena and Lota nodded, taking her out of the room.

As the door closed, they heard two happy male voices, "Mates!"

Rena and Lota carried an almost limp Wren to the same room she'd been in before. "Sorry," Wren said, "I thought I was far more ready than I actually was. For some reason, I feel that it is imperative I get as many out of there as I can. The balance of Ceti-5 is so bad it is just now starting to support life outside these walls."

"That may be true though, it won't mean much if you die before you complete your mission," Lota said.

"My mission?" Wren asked. "What mission is that?"

"Why to," Lota started, then quickly quieted at the look of Rena.

"To do what?" A barely conscious Wren said.

Rena turned toward her with a smile, "why to do what you have been doing," Rena said, then gave Lota another warning look.

Wren just nodded, then her eyes closed.

"What was that about?" Lota asked.

"She doesn't need to know that she will sacrifice her life for all of us. Haven't you noticed that the Chrysalis has grown far weaker in the last few years? Even with us out, it still continues to decline. Soon, if she doesn't remove all the rest of our people, they will perish. What she did today has helped greatly, though not enough."

Lota turned toward Rena, "You really think that she is that stupid? I heard others say that she's already at the level of the lowest masters. Do you really think that you will have the power to force her?"

"Force her? No, never would I do that, more subterfuge than anything else," Rena said.

"As I said, she is far smarter than you think. Also remember, her guardian, Flugret, is closer to her than you think. He might have something to say about it," Lota said.

"I will handle him when the time comes. His loyalty to our people is deeper than you think," Rena said.

"As true as that is, he is far more dedicated to her than you think. I'm sure that you can feel the gnawing, deep loneliness that has settled in him. The fact that he replaced his mate with her presence is paramount," Lota said.

"What, you didn't realize that? Flugret was closer to his mate than you thought. He might not betray his people; he won't betray her either. Remember, she lost everything as we did, he has grown far closer to her than you think."

A shocked expression on Rena's face surprised Lota. Rena was staring at Lota, considering all she had imparted. "Perhaps, we should prepare for this possible betrayal," Rena said.

"You can if you want, though you should remember, Wren is far smarter than we thought. I have already felt that she has became suspicious. You should give her a chance, she might surprise you with her ideas," Lota said.

Rena sighed, she so wanted to do that, though the simple fact was that the future of their people was at stake. "I so wish that we had time to allow her to come up with something. We are just starting to have enough people to finally restore our race and planet."

Again, Rena sighed, she also could feel another shift in the energy of the planet. It wasn't that great though there was hope. They had to save others, no matter the cost. She was more than grateful to Wren, they had to save the others. The two today had significantly dropped the drain though, it was still there.

An hour later, they both watched the rest of the females as they entered the room. "How is she? Asked both the new females.

"She appears to be recovering far faster than we thought she would," Rena said.

Wren herself was in the grip of a nightmare. She could see Rena, Tiane, Vasie and Lota as they were begging her to save them. The thing is, the harder she tried, the more they screamed. The two new females were about to speak again when Wren's body convulsed, then arched upward.

All six of the females immediately held her down only to be thrown against the wall. They all quickly regripped Wren, thrown away again like they were nothing. Less than a minute later, they were all holding her a third time. Again, Wren's body arched up as she screamed, then dropped back to the bed, her eyes flying open.

"You're all alive! I thought that the higher powers, all of you perished. I thought..." Wren started looking at the two new females. "I'm sorry I don't recognize either of you," Wren said.

"Before you lost consciousness, you released us," The nearest said. Wren noticed that they were both blonde, a definite difference. The tallest that had spoken slightly bowed to Wren. "I am Effie," Effie said.

The second shorter blonde also bowed, "I am Terra, thank you so much. It was good to see my mate again, many of us were starting to lose hope." Pointing to the first four females, she continued, "even after they escaped, hope was low."

Wren nodded as she could only imagine what it was like. "I need to rest a bit before I try again," Wren said, then laid back, her eyes closing.

Rena motioned all the others out of the room before she spoke. "We are indeed stronger than we were. I have to council all of you, our failed experiment is the Empress. It appears she has a stronger attraction than we thought."

"Esmerelda is still alive? How is that possible? She should have expired hundreds of years ago," Terra said as she went through her part of the information. "I was sure that we programmed her to do this."

"We have been comparing all that we have, you both need to add your data, so we can formulate a plan," Rena said.

"Yes," the others said as they all left to enter another hidden room. After an hour, all six of their faces were wearing a grim expression.

"It is far worse than we thought, even with six, there isn't enough. We need the last two of our group. There is too much information missing, though I can see a definite pattern," Rena said.

The others agreed they had also seen a bad pattern starting to emerge.

Esmerelda was still shaking after she had seen two of the females that were responsible for her being as she was. Here she thought they were still within the Chrysalis. Again, she cursed herself. She knew then, as she did now, that she should have destroyed it.

A thought came to her as she reviewed all that she remembered, it had to be that weak Flugret. He was the one that had been training Wren. If all eight were out then, she had a serious problem. They knew what and who she was. They could destroy her without a second thought. If what she had seen of Wren was also true, she felt fear for the first time in a very long time.

She shook her head, the readings she had indicated that Wren was beyond level twenty. There was no way in hell she could kill the bitch now. Well, not alone, she thought.

A sigh escaped her throat. She needed her son Thomas here. If they were going to destroy that little bitch and Ceti-5. If all eight of the Ceti-5 females were out, it would take both of them to achieve her plan. She thought that they should kill her husband, the emperor. They only had three passwords after five years, too long.

The problem was that the bitch had disabled her son's ship a few times. He was still pissed that she had slightly better technology. Hmmm she thought, "Master Engineer, I need a report NOW!"

"I am here, Empress. What may I do for you?" the man asked.

"I need all the advanced weapons that you have. I need to give my son all the advantage that I can" she said.

"I have advanced more since we last spoke. I am hoping that they give us and him a lot more power to destroy our enemies," the engineer said.

"Ah good! You have once again proved that your value is still great. Keep this up and you might be free of death at the end of all this," Esmerelda said.

"Thank you, my Empress," the man said as he bowed 'til she shut off the communication. A smirk came to his lips as he shook his head. He wasn't safe, no one was. She'd kill them all given the first chance.

He thought about all this, not saying a word. Everyone was scared since the princess had returned. The princess was the only one that had no fear of the Empress at all. Unbeknownst to the Empress, at least he hoped so, almost all the empire's subjects were for the princess.

The engineer shook his head again, at the moment he didn't see much of a chance for the princess. He turned to start working on increasing the power of the weapons, without killing him and his whole staff.

It was perhaps an hour later, Wren rolled over and groaned. Six females moved forward concerned looks on their faces. "Gods, I feel like I've gone a few rounds with Temprotron again," Wren said.

Almost all the females there were visibly shaken, "did you say Temprotron? Where did you hear of that name?" Rena asked.

"Who Temprotron? I got it in confinement on my ship, why?" Wren asked, confused.

"That...that monster killed a few of the masters before it was captured, several hundreds of years ago. How is it you were able to restrain it?" Rena asked.

"Oh, the human race is immune to it. I have several weapons and confinement systems," Wren said.

Rena only looked at the others, then nodded. "We didn't realize that any race was immune to it."

"It's OK, I have it secure, I need to go to the Chrysalis. I have to get another one, I am afraid that I am still too weak to do two," Wren said, then left the room.

Wren was quickly followed by the six females, then a moment later most of the male masters. Laying a hand on the huge crystal-type structure, Wren then started to glow.

Less than a minute later, a shape came out of it. A moment and the shape was humanoid, Wren stopped looking down. "There, you should be OK soon. What's your name?"

The tall female could only stare at Wren a moment, then said, "I am Kell, are we solid?"

Wren smiled then said, "Yes, you are as they are."

The female saw the other six females, then grew excited.

Wren was about to speak again when she heard Trigon. "Master, I am afraid that your brother has managed to gain distance on us."

"Alright Trigon, I'll be there in a few moments," Wren told him. Turning she said, "I'm sorry I have to go, it appears that my stepbrother is causing trouble again."

Wren looked at a spot in front of her as a portal opened, then she stepped through as it closed, and she was gone.

The others turned to Kell, their faces holding grim looks. "As soon as you feel better, we need your input. It appears that our experiment failed and still lives," Rena said.

Kell gasp, "Esmerelda still alive? Yes, I will be along as soon as I can."

Rena turned toward Tiane, "it appears that the Chrysalis is at its most stable."

"Just how stable?" Tiane asked.

"Enough that we might not have to sacrifice Wren. We'll have to keep an eye on it to make sure, I hope it holds," Rena said.

"As do I," Tiane said.

Wren appeared on the command deck of her ship. "Alright, what've we got? Wren asked.

"I'm not sure how, your brother has somehow gained on us," Trigon said.

"Show me, Wren said as the view screen blinked. "What's the status of the trans-warp?"

"At the we are at fifty percent again, I have examined the drive finding another leak," Trigon reported. "I have managed to maintain distance, though each jump yields less distance."

Wren quickly went through the readings, seeing not one but actually four trans-warp leaks. "I have to go in. If I can't repair the leaks, my bastard brother will catch us."

"Master Wren, though you are highly resistant to trans-warp energy, even you aren't immune," Trigon said.

"I realize that Trigon, they have to be repaired. They are far too small for the auto-repair to fix," Wren said. "After the first door, deradiate the room. I just hope I can repair enough," Wren said.

A moment later, a repair kit in hand, she nodded to Trigon. Once Wren entered the engine room she started to repair at near inhuman speed. At ten minutes, she had the worst repaired. At twenty-five, she had finished three. The only thing was that she was starting to feel the effects of the energy permeating her body.

"Trans-warp at eighty percent, we... warning, warning. Master Wren, you need to evacuate the space levels are beyond safe even for you," Trigon warned.

"I have to," Wren started, though she was panting hard. "I just started on the last, if I can get enough," with that, Wren started to fall even as she was trying to apply more sealant.

Several alarms were going off, Wren tried to stand getting a little more of the leak sealed. Damnit, she thought, almost all.

A male voice sounded on the command deck. "Trigon emergency override Franklin Andrew one prime," the voice said.

"Imperial code recognized, orders sire?" Trigon said.

"Evacuate Wren to the section between, start deradiation after sealing her within a bio-bubble," the voice said.

"As ordered, she has already been evacuated, bio-bubble sealed. Her body is already at eighty-five percent and falling. Her body has absorbed more than we at first thought she could, though levels are still dangerously high," Trigon reported.

"Monitor her, keep the treatment going 'til she has fallen below fifty percent. Her body is far more resistant to the energy than we thought," the voice. "Status of Trans-warp?"

"She managed to repair all but a millimeter-sized leak. Trans-warp is at ninety-five percent," Trigon reported.

"Good engage Trans-warp, put as much distance between her and her stepbrother. If at all possible, lose him," the voice said.

"It will be as you ordered, sire," Trigon said.

"After this, execute prime one delete of this conversation," the voice said.

As soon as it got quiet, there was a moment of stillness, then, "prime one delete commencing."

It was perhaps three hours later when Wrens eyes fluttered open. "Ugh, what in the hell happened? Trigon! How in the hell did I wind up here? I need a radiation scan immediately. If I am at a high level, isolate me," Wren said.

"Scan commencing now, all levels are within tolerable levels. I am not reading any adverse effects from your exposure before," Trigon said.

"What!? That's impossible. How is this possible?" Wren asked.

"I have no data on this," Trigon said.

"What of my brother?" she asked.

"With the Trans-warp at ninety-five percent, he was rapidly left behind. Long range scanners are still detecting him in pursuit. He is not gaining on us at all. In fact, he is losing a thousand miles every half hour," Trigon said.

"Can we transport to Ceti-5? I might need to have the masters look me over," Wren asked.

"It is possible, though I am afraid it will take two jumps, the first near the imperial fleet, Trigon said. "Plus, we'd need a few minutes to recharge."

"Do it as soon as possible," Wren said. Trigon nodded, then vanished. It was only a few minutes later that Trigon warned Wren, then a portal opened which they slipped through, then were gone.

Thomas Tygoron laughed evilly as his engineers had managed to upgrade his engine. They were after his bitch of a stepsister's faster than anything he'd seen. Fast enough that his ship was actually gaining on her.

The ship's shields, weapons and engines were the most powerful of any ship other than hers. A harder laugh came from him as his ship was gaining. Then, they started to pick up strange energy readings from inside her ship. What the hell was that? It was almost like a door opening then closing.

Thomas had all his scientists analyzing every bit of data on the phenomenon. He knew that she had some severely advanced equipment. He was almost salivating over that fact. Hell, he could slap his mother down with all that he was reading from her ship.

Finally, they had a visual of her. They had traveled a lot closer, a lot faster than they ever had. The trip back to the imperial galaxy was shortened to just a few weeks instead of a few months.

Thomas was watching eagerly when they detected that strange energy again. Then, to his horror, her ship gained speed, then vanished into a glowing portal.

The only strange thing this time, was the fact that he could almost track her.

A mere minute later, Wren's ship exited Trans-warp space a few trillion miles from the imperial fleet. Several alarms started to go off on her ship as well as the fleet.

Esmerelda smiled, "now we have the bitch. Fire all we have as soon as she is in range."

"How long?" Wren asked.

"Two minutes at the most," Trigon said.

"More than enough time," Wren smiled.