Homecoming by Max Foster

Author:Max Foster [Foster, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17 - Ath'tal – Fall of a house – 2

‘You need to explain this Ath’tal.’

Looking at the message, I could feel the pit of my stomach dropping, already making me want to retch. There was no forging a royal seal. The message had come directly from the queen’s consort.

“I’m dead.”

“My entire house is dead.”

Looking at summaries of decades of research, there was no way to lie my way out of it. My hubris had demanded I try to find out what the queen could not. I had gotten so fucking close. Within a matter of months, it wouldn’t have mattered.

When the ringing started, the video conference system telling me I had a call, I was already archiving everything. Sending it to the private servers on an out of the way space yacht, I was still sweating when I saw the second message twenty minutes later.

‘Your house affairs are no longer a concern.’

“FUCK.”

Shouting would not do anything though. Initiating the transfer of all house assets, I looked at the public grids. Somehow the Brood mother had known about the private labs and all the research. Not only had she dumped large portions of my research on the public information grid, but she had also copied it to the extra-planetary ones. The minute she had, all of the other houses had grabbed it, including the queen’s consorts. With the queen having open evidence of my disregard for her orders, all I could do is run.

Grabbing encrypted portable terminal with all of the house assets, I just headed to the spaceport. My only hope was getting off world because the queen would likely vaporize this one.

I had to hand it to the Iktomi, they had always been technological masters and played what little hand they had to devastating effect.

As the air car headed to the spaceport, I almost pitied the fools left behind. As black as my heart was, I shuddered at the reports that came across my desk.

Docking at the station, I just ran to the ship, the only thing in my possession that mattered being the research. As the space plane took to the skies though, I could already imagine the warning lights going off at the station.

“Thank you, you glorious dead bastards.”

I never knew if the Wacasica created the blackholes surrounding the system, but they might give me just enough time if I hurried. That, and all the dead that were left behind.

Acceleration throwing me back in the seat, I had the space plane flat out, heading for the dark side of one of the moons. A single racing yacht waiting on the surface with an oversized gate drive. While the backup sites for the Iktomi strains might not have the luxuries I was accustomed to, they still offered a chance, something I’d lost here.

Looking at a video on the portal terminal, I watched as the subject screamed himself hoarse, his vocal cords damaged beyond repair.

“Who is your handler?” the consort asked.

Collapsing on the floor in one of the interrogation chambers, the agent could only mewl.

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