Chapter 5

"Aaron may I come in?"

Aaron looked up as he heard a voice at the entrance to his tent and raised an eyebrow when he saw Emiaj there. He nodded and beckoned her in.

"Emiaj? How'd you get here? Who's watching the kids?"

She held her hand up to quiet him before he started panicking.

"A friend that I would trust with my life is watching them. I came here because I feel there's something you should know. And I'm the one who should tell you."

Aaron frowned, but nodded and sat back down.

"All right. Have a seat."

He gestured to an empty space in front of his desk and watched her. Once she was settled, he nodded to her and she took a deep, steady breath.

"Gyirks and Cogians aren't a... cosmic coincidence. We aren't the subject of random evolution and we weren't created by some godlike being. But we were created."

She looked over at Aaron, waiting for his reaction. It took a moment for the news to sink in before his eyes widened and he sat forward.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. The Gyirks and the Cogians are... are escapees from The Island of Dr. Moreau?"

Emiaj frowned and shook her head as she tried to figure out his meaning.

"Oh, um... It's a book from Ancient Earth. A work of fiction. Dr. Moreau was a genetic scientist who isolated himself on an island and was trying to turn animals into humans. Basically his excuse was he was doing it because he could. He had his own methods for controlling the creatures he'd already created, but eventually he lost control and they all killed him."

Emiaj listened silently as Aaron explained his meaning and she nodded a little.

"Well then... In essence yes. Only our creator was trying to accomplish something specific. He was trying to create the perfect weapon. One that would kill without thought and reproduce at such a rate that it could never become extinct.

We were a failed experiment. His first. So we became food for his later experiments. He altered us into fast breeders to keep populations up, but he also made sure we're naturally peaceful. We're still not entirely sure how, but it was many generations before we could even think about fighting anything once we colonized. But I've lost track..."

She closed her eyes, then nodded and continued.

"The creatures he created started becoming more and more complex. He would add arms, add heads, add anything he could. The Cogians are actually one of his more simple creations. One head, four arms, two legs. He had actually attempted them once before, but the first died and he moved on from there. Eventually, he realized what he'd done wrong and tried again. That was when he successfully created the first mating pair of Cogians. He trained them, taught them, and began integrating all that into what he called 'genetic memory'. The skills and training he gave them became instinct. Kill what you're told to kill and do what you want with the corpses. But, to understand his commands, he had to give them intelligence. Because of this, the Cogians turned out to be too much of a success. They started to envy his science, his ability to create anything he wanted with a simple injection into an embryo. They ambushed him using his own plans and killed him.

The biggest mistake our creator made was to make them breed as quickly as we do. They spread like a plague. It wasn't long before they started to reverse engineer ships of their own from our creator's own crashed vessel. That's when they started to invade neighboring planets. At first, they conquered with just brute strength, preying on weaker planets. We continued to feed them for several generations, living on the planet we had started on while they moved their kind to the planets they had conquered. Our home had become a farm.

After countless generations, the Cogians began experimenting with their new genetic serums using us as... I believe your term is 'lab rats'. The majority of the experiments were failures, ending in the death of the test subject. Sometimes it took the scientists with it. In the generation before my father’s, they finally managed to perfect their serum and started changing entire planet populations into their own kind. The plague became a Galactic Pandemic.

At first, they only changed their bodies and the genetic instincts took over, leaving the creature’s mind trapped in a small corner. They were just mindless drones that followed the orders of the intelligent Cogians. They decided that couldn’t remain a permanent problem. They began working on... Cerebral altering. Manipulating the impulses in the brain to create a new personality. Independent, yet obedient and completely Cogian. There were several failings of course. The subject would be obedient, but the original memories would remain. I don’t know how... but they eventually made a breakthrough.

The first several successful subjects worked perfectly. The only thing they needed were names. It took the Cogians a while to figure that out. The subjects just kept referring to themselves as ‘one’ or ‘servant’. It didn’t occur to the Cogians to name them until they started trying to integrate them into the larger society. Once they were given names to imprint into their memories, they developed personalities.

After that, the Cogians began to gather up large groups of Gyirks to transform them and make their army even larger. My... my husband, Darjan, was rounded up in one of the first. He resisted, so they injected him right then and there. I had to watch as my husband was turned into a monster. When it was finished, there was nothing left of the man I loved. Just a cold hearted killer. I memorized his new face, the name they addressed him with. And I vowed that if I ever find him, I’ll put him out of his misery.”

She was silent for a few moments, her eyes closed, before she continued.

“Those of us on the planet here only escaped because I managed to sneak aboard one of their... food transports. I wasn't meant to be in the shipment, so I managed to get on the bridge instead of the cargo bay. I killed the pilots, took control, and rescued those aboard the ship. It was all I could do for our people. The rest..."

She closed her eyes as her voice trailed off and she lowered her head. After a moment, she continued.

"We don't know what their fate was. How they were punished, but we do know that the Cogians would save some for food, maybe even cut them off from all things that could give them intelligence again. Make them idiotic cattle. I was revered as a hero once we arrived on this planet. They wanted me to lead. Take them into a bright new era. All I wanted was to live in peace and give birth. Raise my son in freedom."

She ran her hand over her lower back as she remembered her pregnancy. Aaron sat up a little bit as she mentioned that.

"You were pregnant when this happened? Then... Darjan's father..."

He didn't have to continue as Emiaj closed her eyes, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks.

"It's because he was taken that I finally gained the courage to try something. He never saw his son. I loved my mate. Darjan meant more to me than anything. We were planning on naming his son after my father."

She laughed, a bit of hysteria in her voice. Aaron stood and walked around to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Thank you Emiaj. I know this must have been hard for you. I promise that your son, Darjan's son will be raised in freedom. We won't allow the Cogians to take your people."

...

It was quiet in the cell. All the creatures there had quickly learned that there was no point to screaming and begging for freedom and mercy. Their captors saw them as little more than animals. Xander looked around as the Cogian guards paced through the halls between cells. Jasu was curled up in his arms, trembling from fear and weariness.

The Cogians had been interrogating the Consortium creatures all night, trying to find the secrets of White Space technology. Jasu had gotten the worst of the interrogation, being one of the techs. Xander had yet to be interrogated, so he didn't know what the Cogians had done to his friends. He just knew that the Risous had broken easily. That frightened Jasu and himself more than anything, as the Risous had a reputation for being the strongest and hardest to break out of all the Consortium species. It also didn't help that Jasu was so broken that she could hardly speak comprehensive sentences.

Xander looked down at Jasu as she shifted in his arms and whined a little. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and shook her.

"Wake up, Jasu. It's just a dream. You're not in there anymore. You're here with me. You're ok."

Jasu whined a little and opened her eyes and looked up at him, blinking with her large blue eyes that were slightly darker from crying. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Xander closed his eyes and held her gently. The small creature reminded him so much of one of his twins in that comforting her like this was almost second nature.

"Jasu, I need you to be strong ok? They're going to come for me soon."

"No! No no no no no! Jasu need Xander! No good without Xander!"

"I'll be fine, Jasu. I'll be back soon."

He looked up as he heard clawed feet approaching his cell and looked down at Jasu, gently unwrapping her arms from his neck. He lay her down in the pile of sheets the Cogians called a bed and wrapped them around her snugly to help her feel safe. Jasu looked up at Xander, her eyes wide and sad like she was saying goodbye to a friend on their deathbed. Xander sighed and stroked Jasu’s tiny head gently.

“I’m going to come back, Jasu. I promise. And when I do, I’ll be myself. Ok?”

Jasu closed her eyes, but nodded and curled up in the blanket, trembling fearfully and sadly. Xander sighed a little and paused for a moment, then leaned over and gently kissed Jasu’s tentacle ears, a sensitive area that Danoo used to show affection. She looked up at him, surprised. He smiled and pat her arm as the door opened.

“I promise.”

His voice was a whisper as he made the promise. He grunted as he was yanked back, his arms restrained by four strong, clawed hands. They tightened cuffs around his wrists, making him wince, and dragged him out of the cell. He was a little surprised that they didn’t blindfold him, but then it occurred to him that it didn’t matter if he saw them in the long run. They were planning to change him anyway.

He was taken to a small dark room that smelled like blood, vomit, and feces. His nose wrinkled a bit at the smell, but he was used to it after years of working as a nurse. They chained his arms behind him to the wall and forced him into a chair. Xander looked back as he felt the back shifting and changing. As he watched, the back of the chair opened up, creating a hole for his arms. The Cogians pushed him back and held him there as the chair closed around his arms, locking them in place. He pulled a couple times as the Cogians released his wrists, experimenting. His arms were firmly, but painlessly locked in place.

“Fascinating...”

He yelped as his hair was grabbed and his head yanked back. A soldier came into his line of sight holding his neck microphone. It reached down and secured it around his neck. The microphone activated upon contact with Xander’s DNA. He had no idea how bad this was going to be, but he had to keep it together. Jasu held the secret to White Space technology, but that wasn’t really very useful since they had a ship equipped with the technology that they could pick apart. But Xander knew every species in the Consortium and their biology. He was the key to making the change into Cogian faster and more efficient. His hair was released, but the same hands grabbed his chin and held his head in place as a halo was placed around his head.

He looked around as the lights started to get brighter and he could see a winged Cogian standing in front of him. There was a control panel behind It with another Cogian standing at the controls. The winged one cleared its throat to get his attention. He looked up at it and it walked closer. Its voice came out distorted through his damaged ear bud, but the translation was perfect.

“I am Chrak. I am the leader of the Cogians on this base. The small blue one told us you are something called Human. Is that correct?”

Xander nodded as he examined Chrak. He compared it to the one behind the control panel. Other than the wings, he noticed shorter horns and a slimmer form, but also longer claws and sharper teeth.

“And you... would be the female of the species am I correct?”

He looked up at her and a baring of teeth that could only be a smile or smirk crossed her face. She nodded and started pacing around him, eying him curiously.

“You learn quickly, Human. Tell me, how did you figure it out?”

Xander narrowed his eyes suspiciously and looked up at her.

“It doesn’t take much to tell male from female if you know what to look for. You’re slimmer than he is, your horns are a bit shorter, plus you have wings. Females mostly have the best traits of the species.”

The female smirked and chuckled a bit, walking closer to him.

“One might think you’re trying to compliment me, Human. But I know better. You’re trying to stall aren’t you? You think that if you make us circle around meaningless subjects, that will give your friends time to save you. Well,” she chuckled darkly, “guess again, Human. You see, this little device isn’t just meant for show.”

She tapped the halo they had placed on his head.

“This will make you talk. Would you like a demonstration?”

She gave him a fiendish grin and stepped back, gesturing with a hand to the soldier behind her. The soldier smirked in return and pressed several buttons on the panel in front of him. Xander’s eyes closed as he groaned and slumped over, pain coursing through his body. He grit his teeth, trying to keep from screaming, but the creature behind the panel just smirked darkly and turned a dial. Xander’s body screamed at him, every nerve on fire, the messages sent from the device on his head. He finally couldn’t contain it anymore as he let out a piercing scream of pain. The Cogians made satisfied grunts in their throats, letting the pain last for a few more moments before Chrak made a gesture to her partner. He turned the dial the other way and the pain faded, but a dull ache remained behind.

“I can end this for you, Human. I can end all of this for you.”

She moved close to him and put her hand under his chin, lifting it so he was looking at her through tear filled eyes.

“Just tell me what I want to know. Tell us about the creatures of your galaxy. How they function. How their bodies process chemicals, their brain functions if you can, everything you know. Tell us and your changes will be painless.”

Xander panted and looked up at her, his eyes narrowing in anger and defiance.

“You know what you need, Chrak?”

He looked up into her eyes, which were narrowed suspiciously as she looked at the human.

“You need to take that tail of yours, give a good hard swing, and see how you like having your brain punctured.”

Chrak growled and slashed his face, leaving long, deep, bleeding gouges running from his temple to his chin. He grit his teeth, then flexed his jaw a little to let the blood flow and stave off infection. He looked up at Chrak and chuckled a little.

“What’s the matter, Chrakie? Did I strike a nerve?”

Chrak growled angrily and turned to the Cogian behind the panel. He nodded and turned the dial again. Xander’s scream rang through the room and the hall outside as the pain returned, increased twenty fold. Every muscle in his body tensed as his spine went rigid. He wasn’t sure what it would feel like if his molecules were ripped apart, but he was fairly certain this was what it would feel like if it was even close. It wasn’t long before his body started to convulse and seize, his mouth starting to foam. Chrak let this continue for several more moments before making a slicing motion with her hand. Her partner cut the pain and Xander doubled over, choking on the fluid his mouth produced as it leaked back into his throat. Chrak grabbed his chin and dug her claws into his cheeks, causing even more punctures.

“Listen to me, Human. You can cooperate with us, or we will start experimenting on you and your people. And trust me, that will hurt! Tell me what you know NOW!”

“Chrak!”

A deep voice came from the entrance and Chrak turned in surprise before snapping into a salute, her hands clasping into an X shape across her torso.

“C-Croka! F-forgive me, sir, I didn’t hear you enter!”

A large, imposing figure stood in the doorway, filling it with his large frame, nearly twice the size of Chrak. He slowly walked in, his footsteps heavy and loud in the metallic room. Xander watched weakly as Croka stepped into the light. He was certainly the largest of all the Cogians Xander had seen thus far. His horns and spikes were longer and thicker, his blue hide rippled with every movement of the massive muscles beneath.

Xander looked up and watched Chrak’s reaction. She was terrified of this creature, probably a superior officer of some sort, proven in battle. The newcomer looked over at Xander to gauge his condition. It didn’t take a biologist to see that if Xander was treated like this any longer, he’d die. Croka’s eyes narrowed and his hand lashed out, slashing Chrak in the way she had slashed Xander. She screamed and stumbled back, holding her face in pain.

“Are you TRYING to kill any chance of getting information we have!? Cokna!”

He turned to the other male behind the panel, who snapped into a salute to match Chrak’s.

“Take this alien back to the cell block. See that he is restored to full health.”

Cokna nodded and released Xander’s arms. Xander fell forward onto the floor, too weak to even try to break his fall. Cokna rushed over and picked the Human up off the floor before running out to escape Croka’s wrath. Croka watched Cokna leave, then turned back to Chrak.

“I’m disappointed in you, Chrak. I thought you had better control over yourself. Tell me, what did the creature say to make you react in such a way?”

Chrak was silent for a moment before answering.

“He told me I needed to spike myself.”

This coaxed a chuckle from the superior Cogian as he walked over to the chair and took in the Human scent.

“Odd creatures, these Milky Way inhabitants. I heard that even the little blue creature resisted interrogation. We may have to try some new way of getting what we want from them.”

He turned thoughtfully and walked out of the room, leaving Chrak alone. He continued down the hall and into a room with a symbol showing a maroon circle within a triangle and topped with a line crowning the circle like horns. Inside was the science lab, the symbol on the door being their biohazard sign. He walked over to the Cogian working over a table.

“What do we have on the new aliens?”

He crossed two arms over his chest as the other two rested on his hips. The scientist looked up and walked over to some charts.

“It appears that the aliens we should start with are the Risous. They are the closest to us. Reptilian in origin, strict carnivores, and cold blooded. The next would be the Humans. While they’re not cold blooded or reptilian, they do have more mass than the Danoo, that would make the change easier. But we’re still working on the Danoo cells. Our recommendation may turn out to be livestock for food. They’re just too small for the transformation.”

Croka nodded silently and put his hand to his chin in thought. He walked over to one of their testing stations.

“Develop a serum for the Risous. We’ll use the one we have now for the first test. I’ll deploy more warriors in that teleporting shuttle to obtain more samples. If your projections are correct, we’ll have new species to add.”

He smiled sinisterly and turned, walking out the door. He turned down the hall and started towards the command center. The soldiers in the room snapped to attention, saluting him as he entered. He waved them off and walked over to the communications array.

“Retrieval unit 52, this is Croka. Report to the alien teleportation vessel and retrieve ten of the Risous aliens for testing. Retrieve any Gyirks as well. Leave all others alive and in their vessels.”

“Affirmative, Croka. Reporting now.”

...

“How many have we lost?”

Aaron lifted his head from the report in front of him. It was showing him that eight ships had been attacked and over a dozen personnel taken. As Aaron watched, the medium sized purple creature in front of him straightened up a bit from its natural hunched form. It was another predatory species, with spikes protruding from both its forehead and its tail, but these ones preferred to monitor communications mostly.

“We have lost ten Risous, six Gyirk, and one of each species listed there. White Space systems and schematics have also been taken, but the ships have been left relatively whole with the remaining crew simply stunned. It’s as though the Cogians are... harvesting.”

Aaron’s eyes closed a little and he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking on this new turn. The Cogians were reportedly a reptilian race and there was at least one reptilian in their first captured ship.

“They’re gathering test subjects. They must be readying serums to alter our people. The Cogians are reptilian, so they must be starting with the closest possible species.”

He looked through the reports and examined the findings on the damaged ear buds. He tapped his chin, thinking.

“Have the Danoo create a non electronic tracking device small enough to fit in our earbuds and have them placed in all buds belonging to reptilian creatures not on this list as well as all Risous and Gyirk. We can’t stop these attacks, but maybe we can find out where they’re being taken.”

The creature nodded and turned, loping out. Aaron sat back and started looking through the report again. His mind was always on where Xander might be and his condition. He wanted more than anything in the universe to be able to storm in and rescue his husband, but of course the only thing keeping him from doing so was not knowing where Xander was.

With a sigh, he set the pad down and rubbed his eyes, trying to massage a bit of a headache away. He sat back, his hand resting on his eyelids as he sighed. With all this going on, he felt drained. Mentally as well as physically. As a knock came at the door, he sighed and lifted his head.

“Come.”

A large yellow creature ducked into the tent, keeping its head ducked to avoid hitting the horizontal bar holding the roof up. While this species, known as Yevien, was rather simple when it came to most things, they had a strange ability when it came to emotions. They could create a calming aura over their target, making hunting as easy as walking up and taking it. They only ever approached other officers when they sensed trouble or turmoil. Aaron couldn’t help but give the creature a small amused smile. The creature managed to return a faltering lift of the lips meant to be a smile.

“Help Aaron feel better?”

Aaron sighed and closed his eyes a little. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to take the time necessary for the Yevien to do its thing. He was tired, sure, upset, definitely, but he knew the way he was feeling was keeping him alert and focused on the task at hand. But on the other hand, he knew if he kept going like this he would regret it in the long run. With a sigh, he sat back and nodded, telling the Yevien to go ahead and use his power.

It stepped forward and reached out, its hand hovering a couple inches away from Aaron’s forehead. It started sending calming waves out over Aaron’s mind. Aaron’s eyes closed and he relaxed back into the chair as visions of days with his family started running through his mind, helping him fall asleep. The Yevien smiled and turned, walking out as Aaron rested.

A few hours later, Aaron sat up and stretched, yawning, and rubbed the back of his neck. He paused as something occurred to him and he smiled. He sat forward and started tapping on the console, issuing a few orders. There would now be one Yevien on every shuttle. They were given orders to use their calming effect on everything within range, even the ones on the ship to keep them from panicking so they could fight back.

This was also in hopes that maybe, just maybe, they could calm the Cogians enough to capture one at the very least, then they would have a true prize. They could run tests, find out if there was any way to turn them back to their original species. If they could identify that, or even some way to neutralize the Cogians, they’d have a fighting chance.