chapter 3 - germinated

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“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!”

The leader of the Centauri Right smiled as he looked down at the crowd of people shouting his name. As he started his speech, the masses lurched forward to hear every word spoken.

“My fellow Centauries, with this broadcast to the entire Alpha Centauri system, I bring you news of great joy! The enemies of the Centauri Right from the sixth planet have surrender in full defeat!!” 

The roar of pleasure from the crowd was deafening. “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“With the destruction of the Swashkinese and this glorious victory, the whole Alpha Centauri system is now under the control of the Centauri Right!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“Peace has finally come. Peace is here because we have proven ourselves strong and determined and by showing no mercy to those who fight against our Centauri Right!!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“I give for your pleasure, the king and queen of Diaden, the sixth planet!” 

The king and queen were led out to face to maddening crowd with their hands tied behind their backs by the soldiers.

“We gave them a chance to surrender and become subjects of the Right. But they chose to fight instead of joining us!” 

“Boooo!!”   “Boooo!!”   “Boooo!!” 

“And here is their most precious daughter, the Princess of Diaden!” 

The Princess was led by the soldiers to join her parents on display before the crowd. 

“O Lord of the skies,” prayed Kosnos. “Please hear our prayer. Thank you for your Divine blessing in delivering the enemies of the Centauri Right into our hands. We know with your guidance we will fear nothing. We will not fail with you as our God. Bless us as we strive to do your will. Amen.” 

“Amen.” 

“Hail the Right!!!” 

“Hail the Right!!”  “The Right!!”  “The Right!!” 

“I ask you good people of Centauri what we should do with such arrogant people?” 

“Death!!”  “Death!!”  “Death!!” 

“I see our brave soldiers have posted three stakes with plenty of firewood at their base!” 

“Burn them!!!”  “Burn them!!!” 

“But my dear, dear people of Centauri, should we not show mercy to these poor pitiful representatives from Diaden?!?” 

“No!!!”  “No!!!”  “No!!!”  “Burn them!!!” 

“The people of Centauri have spoken. King, Queen, and Princess of Diaden, I condemn you to death by fire! Death for your arrogance! For your rebellion against the Right! For the lives of the Centauri soldiers that died while conquering your world!!!” 

The soldiers immediately led the three to the stakes. The Princess was sobbing and had to be carried by the soldiers. Their hands were tied behind the stakes and their feet were secured. 

“No, please,” begged the Princess. “Please. Please don’t.” 

“Ah, the gently sobbings of one so young,” mused Kosnos. “But do not be misled by misplaced sympathy. Once a rebel, always a rebel. And her rebel ways against the Right stop here today! No matter how young and precious, a rebel’s arrogance is still a fool’s folly!! Light the torches!!!” 

The soldiers lit the torches. 

“Burn them!!!”  “Burn them!!!”  “Burn them!!!” 

With a nod of his head, Kosnos gave the consent for the soldiers to light the wood at the base of each stake. The roar of the crowd sufficiently drowned the screams of panic and pain that came from the three burning at the stakes. Kosnos smiled approvingly as the crowd roared with delight at the sight of the flames consuming their victims. The odor of burning flesh rose into the moonlit sky. 

“Ah, the sweet smell of victory,” offered Kosnos. “Let all in the system of Alpha Centauri take heed! We are the rulers!! It is the Centauri Right that dictates that all living beings will subject themselves to our will! We are the true and only children of light. It is our destiny, it is our Right to rise above all living creatures. All hail the Right!!!” 

“The Right!!!”  “The Right!!!”  “The Right!!!” 

“I speak now to all the planets within our realm. Do not let your fate become the same as the ones who defied us today! Go and live in peace. Continue to subject yourselves to the Centauri Right. Willingly join us in becoming the most powerful and important species that has ever existed in the universe!!!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“And to my fellow Centauries, I give you this: With our system in our control, we can now venture even further into the cosmos. With God on our side there will be no stopping us Centauries! It is the Centauri Right!!!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

With the crowd’s chanting roaring in his ears, Kosnos waved goodbye and turned to enter his palace for the evening.

############### 

“Sire, the Chief of Generals requests an audience.”

“Please show him in,” ordered Kosnos.

“Your Highness,” offered the Chief as he bowed to Kosnos. “I come at your bidding.”

“Have you finalized the plans for our expansion?” inquired Kosnos.

“Yes, sire, we have,” replied the Chief. “We have recovered and analyzed all the data from the unmanned probes that have returned.”

“And what have you concluded?” asked Kosnos.

“There is a planet in the Sol system that has great potential,” revealed the Chief. “It is the third planet from Sol.”

“Hmmm,” pondered Kosnos. “What makes this world desirable?”

“It has huge portions of land beaming with minerals and life, and most important, it is rich with oxygen,” offered the Chief. “But there is one drawback.”

“And that would be?”

“It is covered with 70% water,” revealed the Chief.

“That is a waste of good land,” reflected Kosnos. “Can the water be drained?”

“Yes, we have the capability,” replied the Chief. 

“With the water gone, it’s no telling what we can find in the land left behind,” pondered Kosnos.

“That is indeed true,” agreed the Chief. “But unfortunately, the unmanned probes can only tell us so much. It would be unwise to send an army based solely on the data collected from them.”

“How long will it take for a team of scouts to go there and back?” inquired Kosnos.

“The target is about 4.2 clicks away,” calculated the Chief. “I would say no more than six weeks at the most.”

“I want a top notch team,” ordered Kosnos. “I want you to send our best. We are at a crossroad, and I do not want to take the wrong path.”

“Yes, sire,” agreed the Chief. “I have four of the best ready to go. All they need is your blessing.”

“So be it.”

############### 

“We’ll be back within six weeks,” offered Valdi.

“Six weeks without my woman,” complained Moshnos. “That is going to be awful hard on a man in love.”

“Well then, by the time I’m back, you’ll really appreciate me,” teased Valdi.

“Appreciate you?” mocked Moshnos. “Why, when you get back, you’d better take a long leave of absence. I’ll want you so much, it’ll take weeks to pry me away from you.”

“I’ll be counting the days,” laughed Valdi.

“I know you can’t tell me where you’re going,” offered a somber Moshnos. “But can you tell me if it’s going to be dangerous or not?”

 “Well, you know, ‘danger’ is the nature of my business,” reflected Valdi. “But we’ve trained so much, it’s coming out of my ears!”

“It just seems that it’s a lot to simply satisfy the fancies of Kosnos,” offered Moshnos.

“Please, be careful of what you say,” warned Valdi. “Kosnos shows no mercy to dissenters.”

“I’m not a dissenter,” objected Moshnos. “It’s just that I sometimes wonder how wise it is to blindly follow one man.”

“Oh, I don’t think he’s being blindly followed,” offered Valdi. “People follow him because of his wisdom and his greatness. There has never been a greater leader.”

“Well, I just wonder, if given the chance, who the people would really choose,” mused Moshnos.

“I for one have no doubt it would be Kosnos,” reflected Valdi. “He is going to lead us to show the universe the Centauri Right. The gods themselves will be in awe of our might. That is what people see in Kosnos.”

“Well, all I ask is for you to come back safely to me,” offered Moshnos.

“I give you my word.”

############### 

“Hello, Harold.”

“Well, hello Bill,” replied Harold. “Pull up that chair over there and have a sit.”

Bill brought the chair over to join Harold. “You must be feeling better to be sitting out here on the front porch.”

“Yeah, this is one of the good days,” declared Harold. “The doctor said I’d have the good ones and the bad ones.”

“I’m glad this ones a good one,” offered Bill. “How long is it going to last?”

“They say four to six weeks,” replied Harold. “I’ve done put up with it for three weeks and I’m already tired of it.”

“Well, at least you do have some good days,” offered Bill as comfort. “Boy, I don’t know how you stand it out here very long. These bugs are terrible tonight.”

“They sure have been plenty of them this year,” agreed Harold. “I just get so tired of staying inside that I thought I’d come out here for a while.”

“You know, one of these days you’re gonna look back at this and have a good laugh,” offered Bill.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know this is suppose to be a young person’s disease,” explained Bill.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” smiled Harold. “Maybe it just proves I’m young at heart.”

“I just want to know one thing,” laughed Bill. “Which little girl did you kiss to get mono?”

“If I did then I wish I could remember it,” mused Harold. “Then maybe all this sickness would have at least been worth it.”

“Yeah, that is pretty bad,” offered Bill. “You get all the pain and none of the pleasure.”

“That’s the story of my life,” laughed Harold. “My goodness, look at that horde of mosquitoes. That’s a mess of them.”

“Whew, it sure is,” agreed Bill. “The bats and frogs are gonna be eating good tonight.”

“I seen on TV one time where a horde of them killed a full-grown cow,” offered Harold.

“A cow?”

“Yeah, it was in Africa or somewhere,” mused Harold. “The reporter said there had to be a million or more of them swarming together.”

“Man, you’d think they’d been happy just spreading some germs like they usually do,” reflected Bill. “They must’ve been awful hungry to kill a cow.”

“I don’t know,” offered Harold. “You know it’s only the females that suck blood.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” agreed Bill. “They use it to help lay their eggs.”

“Well, I guess it’s like you’ve always said, Bill,” mused Harold. “It just proves females are blood suckers.”

“That’s the way my ex-wives are,” laughed Bill. “They sure have sucked me dry!”

“Oouw,” yelled Harold. “That one got me before I could get her.”

“Well, Harold, look on the bright side,” smiled Bill.

“What bright side?”

“You done helped her make babies tonight,” offered Bill.

“It’s not because I wanted to,” smirked Harold. “Biting me, I hope she gets mononucleosis from me and stays sick ‘til she dies.”

“It might be time to go back inside the house,” offered Bill.

“Yeah, I’ve had just about all I can stand of these bugs tonight,” reflected Harold.

“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” declared Bill. “You have a goodnight.”

“Thanks and goodnight, Bill.”

############### 

Valdi steered the craft to a gentle and silent landing near a small pond. This was an excellent location on this foreign planet to set up camp for their clandestine maneuvers. As she killed the power to the engines, she noticed how bright the earth’s only moon shown in the water. 

“I still say you’re the best pilot in the fleet,” offered Joshnos.

“Why thank you, Commander,” replied Valdi. “The rich oxygen in this planet’s atmosphere made it an easy landing.”

“You’re being too modest,” mused Joshnos. “Do you see anything about the other team?”

“I got word about five minutes ago that they were safely on the ground,” replied Valdi. “We’ve got about two hours before we need to move to the next station.”

“OK, let’s move out,” ordered Joshnos. 

Valdi and Joshnos ventured out onto the planet’s surface. They stood for a few moments to reflect on the strange sights and sounds of this foreign world. 

“The surface is quite soft and nice,” mused Valdi.

“I have never seen a place beaming with such life,” offered Joshnos. “It’s somewhat beautiful in a weird sort of way.”

“Well, once it’s part of the Right, maybe you can have a summer home here,” smiled Valdi.

“I could see me retiring to a place like this,” mused Joshnos. “But I don’t think my wife would like it here.”

“She’s a homebody?” inquired Valdi.

“No, not really,” replied Joshnos. “She just hates to travel, and she definitely doesn’t like to be around water. There’s too much water here for her.”

“Moshnos, my husband, wouldn’t like it either,” offered Valdi. “He likes it where we’re at, which is fine with me.”

“Well, I’m going to head north,” offered Joshnos. “You head south. Be careful.” 

Valdi made her way along the shore of the pond. She stopped and gathered samples as she walked around the water. The different odors made her gasp from time to time as her senses tried to adjust to the foreign smells. 

“Commander, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Valdi,” replied Joshnos. “Your signal is very strong.”

“There’s life everywhere on this planet,” observed Valdi. “There’s even life flying in the air.”

“I know,” offered Joshnos. “I just took an injection. I suggest you do likewise.”

“Yes, sir,” agreed Valdi. “I don’t want to take any foreign germs back with us.” 

Valdi opened the pouch on her belt and removed the syringe. The fruit bat flying over her head at first recognized the syringe as a tasty meal. In an instant, he flew down to catch his prey. Valdi saw the bat flying at her at the last moment, and in panic fell to the ground crushing the syringe and vial of medicine. The liquid quickly disappeared into the soil. 

“Commander, I just had a low life form try to attack me,” reported Valdi.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, it flew away without doing any harm,” replied Valdi.

“Good,” offered a relieved Joshnos. “Were you able to take your injection?”

“Uh, yes, I’m OK,” replied Valdi as she took a deep breath. “I was just startled for a moment.”

“All right,” reflected Joshnos. “Take a few more samples and then get back to the ship. It’s not going to be long before we have to head to the next station.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Valdi quickly gathered the last few samples she needed. As she was securing the last one, she felt a small sting on her cheek as the mosquito finished her sucking and flew away. 

“Ouch.”

“Valdi, are you OK?” asked a concerned Joshnos.

“Uh, yes, everything’s fine here,” replied Valdi. “I’m heading back to the ship.”

############### 

Cindy poured the water at the base of the flower. She looked up at the moon and smiled. She always liked the waxing crescent moon. It always made her think of a crooked grin. Cindy did not feel the mosquito’s bite until she was almost finished sucking all the blood she needed. 

“Ouch,” yelled Cindy as she swatted the insect. The mosquito’s lifeless body instantly fell to the ground at the base of an anthill. A signal went out from the worker ants that food had fallen from heaven. Before long, the tasty morsel was being dragged down the tunnel of the anthill.

“If you came inside with me, you wouldn’t be swatting bugs all night,” offered her husband Ted.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” laughed Cindy. “Oh yeah, by the way, the test shows tonight is a good night.”

“You mean this is baby making night?” asked an excited Ted.

“It appears so,” answered Cindy. “That is, if you still want to be a father.”

“Want to be a father?!?” mocked Ted. “What are we doing wasting time talking about it?”

Cindy walked over and gave Ted a kiss, “You’re gonna be a good daddy.”

############### 

Valdi and Moshnos kissed and held each other for a long time.

“It feels so good to have you home,” revealed Moshnos. “For some reason, I was actually afraid this time.”

“I told you I’d be coming back,” offered Valdi.

“Yeah, but word got out that you and the rest of the scouts were actually on a mission outside of Alpha Centauri,” explained Moshnos.

“Now, you know I’m sworn to secrecy,” teased Valdi. “I can tell you, that we were a long way from home.”

“Oh, I wish you could tell me what it was like,” reflected Moshnos. “To see a strange new world has to be fascinating, to say the least.”

“The main thing is we brought back some good intelligence for the Right,” offered Valdi.

“No, the main thing is that you’re back in my arms again,” corrected Moshnos.

“You feel that way just because you’re horny and want to see a little action,” smiled Valdi.

“Not at all,” asserted Moshnos. “I don’t know where you get that. I don’t want to see a little action. I want to make wild, passionate, hot, and sloppy love to you all night long.”

“All right, big boy,” teased Valdi. “You’re on. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on you every since we touched down. Let’s see who wears who out!”

Moshnos’ reply was inaudible as his mouth was covered with Valdi’s kisses.

############### 

“I’m told you headed the scouting mission,” remarked Kosnos.

“Yes, your Highness,” replied Joshnos. 

“I have the complete report from the Chief of Generals,” responded Kosnos. “But I wanted to hear directly from you.”

“Sire, I believe it was a very successful mission,” offered Joshnos. “Sol’s third planet is the one we need to concentrate our efforts.”

“Is this planet worth expending our energy, or should we look elsewhere?” inquired Kosnos.

“This planet is rich,” replied Joshnos. “The Right can use its resources for ages to come.”

“And were you impress by the inhabitants?” asked Kosnos.

“They are a weak species,” offered Joshnos. “They barely have explored their one and only moon. A small base is all they have there.”

“So they haven’t ventured out to the other planets?” pondered Kosnos. “With them concentrated in one place, it will be much easier to disarm them and keep them in check.”

“I don’t see any problem with that whatsoever, your Highness,” offered Joshnos. “There is one thing I would be concern about, though.”

“And what is that?”

“I have never seen such an array of life in one place,” reflected Joshnos. “We must be fully prepared to meet and overcome anything.”

“We will make sure before we leave on the mission that all our soldiers are fully inoculated,” offered the Chief. “The scouts were and there have been no problems.”

“I want to go forward on this with full speed,” ordered Kosnos. “What timetable do you estimate?”

“In practical terms, I’d say a full year is needed,” reflected the Chief. “We must plot a plan of action with backup plans in place. Also, we want to build the army up to have enough soldiers so we’ll not jeopardize our interest here in the Centauri system.”

“I also want to go to the masses with this as soon as possible,” offered Kosnos. “I want to give them hope. I want them to concentrate on the Right. That way I can keep any dissension to a bare minimum.”

“Expect to do so within the month,” offered the Chief.

“Very good, then,” smiled Kosnos. “And Commander, I want to personally thank you and your fine crew on a job well done.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” replied Joshnos. “We gladly give all for the Right.”

“Yes, indeed,” pondered Kosnos. “Yes, indeed.”

############### 

“I’m going to take a leave of absence from the army,” declared Valdi.

“Why?!? What for?” asked a bewildered Moshnos.

“Because you got me pregnant,” offered Valdi. 

Moshnos stared in disbelief at his wife. “How?!?” was all he could muster.

“What you mean, ‘how?’” mocked Valdi. “I have to tell you ‘how?’”

“I know how,” replied Moshnos. “I mean how did this happen? I thought you were protected.”

“I was so busy with the mission I didn’t think about it,” explained Valdi. “Besides, I thought you were protected.”

“Without you here I didn’t think I needed it,” reflected Moshnos. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, I for one am going to have a baby,” declared Valdi. “And as for you, you’re going to be a father.”

“But our plans for the future, and your career,” protested Moshnos.

“Plans can and will be changed,” reflected Valdi. “And there’s nothing wrong in temporarily interrupting my army career to raise a little soldier.”

Moshnos took his wife tenderly into his arms, “You’re the best wife, which means you’re going to be the best mother.”

“With the best father and mother, this kid’s going to have it made,” mused Valdi. “Honey, you seem to be a little warm. Are you all right?”

“Well I have felt somewhat tired,” revealed Moshnos. “And now it seems my throat is getting sore.”

“I believe you’ve got some fever,” observed Valdi. “Tomorrow you go see the doctor.”

“I think I will,” agreed Moshnos. “Oh, god excuse me, but I’m getting nauseous.”

Valdi watched as her husband ran to the bathroom. “And I thought I was the one pregnant!”

############### 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“My fellow Centauries. And to everyone who can hear me in the Centauri system, I give greetings from the Right. I come before you with the most outstanding and glorious news of future events.” 

The crowd of people watching Kosnos speak from the balcony of his palace pushed forward in respectful silence to listen to their leader. 

“With the fulfilling of extending the Centauri Right throughout this system at an end, we have made plans to extend our influence into other regions of space!” 

A roar of approval arose from the crowd which gave way to the shouting of “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“About two months ago, a small group of heroic scouts landed on the third planet of Sol. Because of their bravery and the information they gathered, we can now announce our plans to bring that system under the control of the Centauri Right!!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!”  “Right!!”  “Right!!” 

“As our armies advance our cause, we will gladly offer all beings the chance to avoid destruction and surrender to the Right. But if history is repeated, they will at first not recognize our superiority. They will make puny efforts to resist. Many will die unnecessarily in their futile attempt to avoid the inevitable. But our armies will prevail! The Centauri Right will be victorious!!” 

“Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” “Kosnos!” 

“O Lord of the skies,” prayed Kosnos. “Please hear our prayer. We ask your blessings on our efforts as we strive to do your will in bringing all living beings under the control of the Centauri Right. Bless our soldiers. Bless our people. Bless the Centauri Right. Amen.” 

“Amen.” 

“Hail the Right!!!” 

“Hail the Right!!”  “The Right!!”  “The Right!!” 

Kosnos turned and entered his palace leaving the people cheering in wild adoration of their leader.

############### 

“What are you talking about?” asked an angry Kosnos.

“With deep regret, your Highness, but we are looking at an epidemic,” explained the Health Director.

“How was this allowed to happen?” asked Kosnos as he closed his eyes to help calm his emotions.

“We are not sure, sire,” revealed the Director. “It caught every health specialist by surprise.”

“I do not like this surprise,” barked Kosnos. “What have I got to do to get through to you people. Must I burn a hundred of you at the stakes before you understand?”

“Sire, please, this was beyond our control,” begged the Director. “We had no clue that this could happen. We don’t even know where it came from.”

“How bad is it?” asked the distraught dictator.

“About 40% of the population,” explained the Director. “The outer worlds have been hit even harder. With their harsher climates and a shortage of medicine it has, well, it has taken its toll.”

Kosnos turned and pounded his desk with his fist. “All my plans!!” he shouted in anger.

“Sire, the good news is that there have not been that many deaths reported,” offered the Director. “It appears only some elderly and infirm have succumbed to the disease.”

“What about the army? What about my army?!?” shouted Kosnos.

“I believe they have been infected as well, sire,” replied the Director as he bowed his head.

“Get me the Chief of Generals!!” ordered Kosnos. “Get him now!!”

In a few moments the Chief of Generals’ image was displayed on the teleprompter.

“Chief, is my army sick?” asked Kosnos.

“Yes, sire, I’m afraid many of us feel like ‘walking death’,” replied the Chief.

“But we’re only a couple months away from launching our invasion force to Sol,” whined Kosnos.

“Sire, we’re going to have to postpone any action,” explained the Chief. “We barely have enough soldiers well enough to secure the outer realms of the Centauri system.”

“This is unacceptable!” yelled Kosnos. “This is totally, totally unacceptable!!”

“Sire, please, no one can fight when they are this sick,” pleaded the Health Director.

“Fortunately, I believe any resisters are as sick as we are,” offered the Chief. “When we get well we can regroup and go forward with our plans.”

Kosnos folded his arms across his chest, closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Director, you and your people had better work day and night on a cure. If I don’t see quick results, I swear by God above, I’ll burn every last one of you to death!”

“Yes, sire,” replied a shaken Director.

“Your Highness,” interrupted the Chief. “I’ve just been handed an important message.”

“What is it, now?” asked a weary Kosnos.

“Fighting has broken out on Diaden,” reported the Chief.

“Fighting?” asked a stunned Kosnos. “I thought you said the resisters were sick, too.”

“They are sire,” responded the Chief. “These early reports are showing it is not the resisters who are fighting.”

“Then who else could it possibly be?” smirked Kosnos.

“Sire, we are being invaded,” replied a surprised Chief.

“Invaded?!?”

“Yes, sire. Aliens. We’re being invaded by aliens!!”

############### 

“Push, dear, push!”

“I am pushing!” screamed Valdi.

“Here it comes,” smiled the Doctor. “Here comes your baby!”

Valdi screamed again and with a mighty push her baby was born. Moshnos hugged and kissed his wife as the baby’s first cries filled the air.

“It’s a girl,” declared the Doctor. After cleaning the baby and wrapping her in a blanket, he gently laid the newborn in her mother’s arms.

“Oh, Moshnos, she’s beautiful,” cried Valdi.

“Just like her mother,” beamed Moshnos. “Though she does kind of have skinny legs.”

“They’re not skinny,” corrected Valdi. “They’re just slender.”

“Do you have a name picked out?” asked the Doctor.

“We’re naming her Khosnos,” declared Valdi. “We’re naming her after our fearless leader.”

“That’s nice,” offered the Doctor.

Without warning a nurse came bursting through the delivery room door. “Doctor, we’re being invaded!”

“What do you mean?!?”

“Aliens have conquered Diaden, and are on the march toward here,” revealed the distressed nurse.

Valdi, Moshnos, and the Doctor looked at each other in disbelief. “How could this happen?” asked a shocked Moshnos.

“They’re probably taking advantage of so many of our soldiers being sick,” offered the Doctor.

“I should be out there defending our world,” declared Valdi.

“No, no, dear, you can’t,” protested Moshnos. “You’re too weak. We must leave it in the hands of others.”

“Nurse, give the order to put the hospital on full alert,” ordered the Doctor. “We’re going to have to be ready for the worse.”

Valdi gave her newborn daughter a gentle kiss and then grabbed her husband’s hand. “Kosnos will preserve us. It is the Centauri Right.”

############### 

Kosnos sat at his desk with his head buried in his hands. From his palace he had received report after report showing the alien invaders were steadily advancing toward his world. What resistance his army could muster was quickly met with weaponry and skill that he had never seen before. The reality of his empire crumbling right before his eyes was slowly settling in.  

“Sire, the aliens have landed on our world,” came the dire message from the Chief of Generals.

“Can no one stop this monstrosity?” begged Kosnos.

“I’m afraid, sire, the best we can do is pursue for peace,” offered the Chief.

“Why is God letting this happen?” pondered Kosnos. “I’ve done everything in his Name. We have followed His will in securing our Centauri Right. What has brought his displeasure on me? I know! I see it now! I was too weak. I was too lenient with the enemies of the Right. No, wait. I wasn’t weak. It wasn’t me. It was the ones around me. I wanted to be strong, but they talked me into showing mercy. People like you, Chief. People like you are the reason God is punishing me.”

“Your Highness, I’ve been most loyal to you and the Right,” protested the Chief.

Kosnos opened his desk drawer and pulled out a blaster pistol. “Don’t lie to me, Chief,” ordered Kosnos. “I am tired of all the lies. I am tired of all the weakness.” 

“Sire, please, I’ve been strong for you,” begged the Chief. “I’ve done everything you’ve wanted. I’ve given all for the Right!”

Kosnos stared at the Chief and then pulled the trigger on the pistol. The blast hit the Chief directly in the chest. He slumped to his knees and mouthed, “Why?” before falling face first to the floor. Kosnos watched with disinterest as the Chief took his last breath. 

Before Kosnos could react, the doors to his office were shoved open. In marched a horde of alien soldiers bearing arms. One of the palace guards raised his weapon and was immediately shot by three alien soldiers. 

“Please, please,” begged Kosnos. “There’s no need for that. Please put down your arms.”

The rest of his palace guards laid their weapons on the floor. Kosnos was taken back by the determined look the alien soldiers had. He had never seen a fiercer group than the one that stood before him. Like a clap of thunder in walked the General of the aliens followed by his entourage. He surveyed the scene before him. 

“Which maggot is in charge here?” asked the alien General.

“I am,” replied Kosnos. “I am Kosnos, leader of the Centauri Right.”

The alien General looked Kosnos up and down for a moment and then burst into laughter. All the other alien soldiers joined in the laughter as Kosnos’ face turned red with rage and embarrassment.

“Well, well,” smirked the alien General. “Kosnos, leader of the Centauri Right, let me be the first to welcome you to the Krogan Empire.”

“Krogan Empire?!?” pondered a bewildered Kosnos.

“We received your signal for help,” offered the Krogan General. 

“I never sent any signal,” objected Kosnos.

“Well, one of you maggots did,” reflected the Krogan General. “We had just finished our business in the Molligari system and, besides, we Krogans are always willing to help.”

“I’ve never heard of a Krogan Empire,” revealed Kosnos.

“Too bad, that’s just too bad,” mused the Krogan General. “If you had you could have welcomed us instead of making such a feeble attempt at resistance.”

“I have prepared myself to reach a treaty with you,” declared Kosnos.

“Treaty? You want a treaty?” smirked the Krogan General. “I make no treaties with slaves.”

“Slaves?!?”

“Oh, yes, slaves,” replied the Krogan General. “But that’s all right. You can be Kosnos, leader of the Centauri Slaves! That is your Right.”

“Surely we can make some sort of arrangement,” protested Kosnos.

“Please, I tire of such talk,” ordered the Krogan General. “There is no arrangement to be made with the maggots of Centauri. You are slaves. We will take what we want when we want. This castle is my castle. Your food is my food. The air you breathe is my air. Your women are my women.”

“But, I. . . .”

“Shut your stinking low life mouth,” yelled the Krogan General as he pulled a saber from its sheath and held it to Kosnos’ throat. “You did not and cannot defeat the mighty Krogan Empire. We defeated you. That just shows that you have only the intelligence of a slave. You don’t have the intelligence to be free. You don’t have the intelligence to compete with us Krogans. You’re slaves! You’re maggots!”

Kosnos stared in silence at the overwhelming presence of the Krogan General.

“Now if you want to spare your miserable life,” continued the Krogan General. “You’ll do exactly as I command. I want you to go out on my balcony there and speak to your maggots and tell them to throw down their arms. And by the way, tell the women to quit resisting my men. I am totally amazed at how they can resist our advances. You would think they would hold open their arms to welcome us. I just don’t understand.” 

Kosnos and the Krogans ventured out onto the palace balcony. The crowd of Centauries gathered below gave their undivided attention to their fallen leader. 

“My fellow Centauries,” declared Kosnos. “I speak to you with a heavy heart. Due to events beyond our control, we have reached a peaceful agreement with delegates of the Krogan Empire.” 

Kosnos gasped as he felt the pain in his back. Slowly he looked down and saw the blade of the sword protruding from his chest. The Krogan General jerked the sword out of Kosnos giving it a twist to further the damage. Kosnos grabbed his chest, looked at the crowd below, and then collapsed into his own pool of blood. 

The Krogan General held the saber dripping with blood high over his head for all to see. “You Centauri maggots are slaves of the Krogan Empire. I will kill every one of you and your entire family and your neighbors if you even think of anything else. Now, everyone drop your weapons and get on your knees.” 

The stunned crowd obeyed the Krogan General’s orders and surrendered. 

“From this day forward, when you are approached by a Krogan, this is the way you are to prostrate yourselves. Any maggot standing in front of a Krogan without permission will have his head immediately severed!” 

The Krogan General slowly licked his lips and smiled through yellow stained teeth, “Centauri maggots, be good slaves! You can be nothing else.”

############### 

“Push, dear, push!”

“I am pushing!” screamed Cindy.

“Here it comes,” smiled the Doctor. “Here comes your baby!”

Cindy screamed again and with a mighty push her baby was born. Ted hugged and kissed his wife as the baby’s first cries filled the air.

“It’s a boy,” declared the Doctor. After cleaning the baby and wrapping him in a blanket, he gently laid the newborn in his mother’s arms.

“Oh, Ted, he’s beautiful,” cried Cindy.

“Just like his mother,” beamed Ted as he let the baby grab his finger. “Boy, he’s got quite a grip on him.”

“Just like his daddy,” smiled Cindy.

“No, I’m serious here,” cried Ted. “This kid’s gonna break my finger. Doctor, help me!”

The Doctor rushed to the bedside and with great effort he and Ted forced the baby’s fingers open.

“Oh, man, what a grip,” declared the Doctor.

“Man, that smarts,” cried Ted. “That hurts pretty darn good.”

“Nurse!” yelled the Doctor. “We better do some X-rays on it.”

The nurse came into the delivery room. “Take Ted and get some pictures on his finger,” ordered the Doctor.

“Are you gonna be OK?” asked a worried Cindy.

“I’ll be fine,” Ted reassured her. “You just watch nursing that kid.”

Cindy looked at her newborn son and smiled, “Mommy’s little strong boy.”

“I tell you, Cindy,” offered the Doctor. “I’ve never seen a baby that strong before. After you get home and rested, we might had better run a few test.”

“Oh, doctor, don’t be silly,” laughed Cindy. “What do you think, that I was abducted by aliens and they impregnated me or something?”

“No, I don’t,” smiled the Doctor. “I just think it would be wise to check things out.”

“Well, we’ll see,” mused Cindy. “But I’m telling you there’s nothing wrong with my baby. He’s normal. He’s as normal as normal can be.”

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