Chapter 467 (1/2)

T'Nok was a warrior caste Treana'ad. He was nearly as tall as a Terran and massed twice as much. His four legs were not only heavily armored by his carapace, but they were strong, with thick and wide foot pads that let him run across sand as fast as some species air-cars could drive. His grip was impressive, his bladearms long and sharp, his intellect was as honed as his natural blades, and his education was expansive.

He had been educated on Terra, at a prestigious university in the nation of Bongistan.

Once, he and his frat Treana'ad frat brothers had watched the fearsome and intimidating changing of the Chromium Queen's Guard, admiring their fierce uniforms, their dominating and aggressive fur hats, their crisp movements, and how nothing seemed to affect them.

According to the tour guide, even the attempting glassing of the city by the Mantid had been ignored by the Queen's Guard, the energy of the orbital plasma strikes ignored as inconsequential compare to their duty of keeping the Chromium Queen imprisoned in order to spare the populace her undying wrath.

After his education, T'Nok had applied his natural talents and education, working hard to make contacts with people who would not only appreciate his efforts but be able to pay for them.

Within a few years his work was all the rage. Matrons wealthy and poor sought him out, powerful and meek both.

He built larvae and egg chambers.

Melding beauty, technology, and science with an eye for the pleasing, his work was appreciated by all. He had even appeared in several magazines and had once been interviewed for ”Classy Matron Today” and another time ”The Cattle Queen's Digest” about his methods.

He kept his bladearms sharp, even had a small bit of work done, so that he could use them in what he considered the most important part of his designs.

His ability to carve crystal.

He had spent five years learned about the different kinds of crystal in the universe, how they formed, their appearance, their properties, and how they interacted with their evironmet.

To T'Nok, a crystal was less inanimate minerals and more a living thing.

He had even visited several planets where there were crystalline life forms in order to observe them in their natural habitats.

Which was why the big male Treana'ad was standing in egg and larvae chamber of a wealthy young Cattle Queen, unworried about his head. He had taken proper precautions. He wore his nifty Bongistand University beanie, the propeller on it gently whirring and sparkling, distracting any female from his actual head to the complex pattern the 4D propeller wove on top of the multicolor shifting hat.

”The bushes are from Leebaw, their complex roots will interweave with one another to form a root wall between the sand of the main part of the chamber and the small creek,” he pointed out.

The young female nodded. Her abdomen was swollen with eggs and she felt slightly dreamy. The laying chamber was amazing looking, the air was perfect, with just a hint of cattle's unique scents, the light flowing into a dreamy whole.

”By the time the larvae hatch, the roots will be intertwined closely enough that you do not have to fear exploring larvae finding the creek and drowning in it.

There was a chime at the door and the Matron looked slightly put out, almost pouty, as she turned to see who was entering.

A worker caste, wearing her family's colors, stood there. She could see his anxiety and she frowned.

”Yes, Krikaklat?” she said, rubbing her wings together in worry.

”Matron, there are visitors,” he said.

”Visitors? But there are no appointments for the rest of the day,” she said.

”Uh, they are not here for you, Matron,” Kriky said. He pointed at T'Nok. ”There are Space Force officers to see the most honorable T'Nok.”

T'Nok raised his antenna. He could not think of what they would want with him. There had been no conscription, the state of emergency was over, and the closest he had come to the military was designing a contemplation chamber for one of the War Matrons.

”I do not know what they might wish of me,” T'Nok said. He turned to the Matron. ”If you will pardon me, I will see what is so important that they would disturb you rather than waiting for our appointment to end.”

”Of course,” the Matron said. She fluttered her wings slightly. ”It is so beautiful in here. I think I shall sit by the stream and watch a Tri-Vid.”

”By your leave, Matron,” T'Nok said. The Matron gave a lazy, sleepy wave, and T'Nok followed the servant.

At the front gate of the Cattle Queen family manor a gray unmarked wheeled vehicle sat. Grav and hover vehicles were strictly forbidden near the vast cattle ranches, as many believed the noise and vibration could sour the milk. In front of the car were two Mantids in Space Force uniforms, as well as two Treana'ad in the same uniform and what looked to be one of the War Matrons.

When he left the estate the War Matron stepped forward.

”You are T'Nok the Architect?” she asked, as if her implant would not have informed her.

”I am,” T'Nok said. He nodded respectively. ”How may I be of service, War Matron.”

”Not here,” she said. She stared at him. ”The Confederacy and its allies need your expertise.”

”Mine? I'm an architect and artist, how can I help?” he asked.

”You are the foremost expert of crystalline structures,” she said. ”I will explain more when we arrive, suffice to say, your skills are needed by Smokey Cone, your people, and the entire Confederacy.”

T'Nok rubbed his wings together in slight agitation.

”As long as it has nothing to do with a power rifle, I consent,” he said.

”We'd rather a talented and intelligent male did not shoot off his own genitals by accident,” the War Matron smiled.

T'Nok felt better as he moved over to his rented vehicle. He was started when he saw two Saurian Compact Kobolds standing there, in adapative camouflage with density enhanced padding, both of them carrying a rifle.

They also had psychic shielding wraps on the back of their head.

”I take it you will be riding with me?” T'Nok asked, looking pointedly at the magac rifles they held.

Both nodded silently.

”Well, I hope you like High Plains Bandit Rap,” he said, opening the door to the car.

During the drive, as he followed the gray vehicle, the Kobolds stayed silent, watching outside T'Nok's rented car rather than pay attention to what he was doing.

It had been months, nearly a year, since the last of the Lanaktallan guerrilla forces had been apprehended, and T'Nok felt slightly anxious at what they might be watching for. The silent ride did not help, and eventually T'Nok turned off his music, finding that it was beginning to stress him out more rather than relax him as it should.

He was taken to a Space Force facility. His car was searched twice, he was searched four times, including an in-depth scan that made his mandibles itch. He was given clothing to wear, and when he changed into it he found that it was designed to not only protect him but to ensure that the security personnel of the facility could keep track of him and his biometrics at all times.

T'Nok felt nervous as he was finally shown into a laboratory deep inside the facility. He knew it was below ground, and that made him slightly nervous. The laboratory also bothered him. It was clean, sterile, and reminded him again of why the Materials Science courses were the hardest part of his studies for him.

The other thing that bothered him was the sight of the petite Terran females, with brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin, and black suits that stood still at doorways and against the walls of the rooms. There were even two wearing clean suits, their sidearms wrapped in steriplas bags, inside the laboratory staring at everything with cold dead eyes.

”Honored N'Tok,” a russet Mantid said, moving forward. She gestured at her collegues, which was an eclectic mix of species. All of them were doctors of science, all of them were undoubtedly experts in the fields.

Phasic energy interactions. Metallurgy. Exotic Matter. Strange Matter. Geology. Mineralogists. Strange Physicists.

He raised his antenna.

”I am indeed amid learned company,” T'Nok said softly.

That seemed to satisfy everyone present.

”Are you aware of what is happening in the Confederacy?” one of the black suited Confederate Security Agents asked.

”Just that we are at war. The Lanakatallan, who invaded our home system,” T'Nok gave a shudder. ”That was a terrible month huddling within the shelter unsure of how it was going outside.”

Everyone looked at each other and there was some murmuring.

”You don't know?” A Kobold researcher asked.

T'Nok shook his head. ”I'm a nervous person. The news services make me anxious, so I prefer my solitude and have engrossed myself with my work.”

A few looked at one another and back to T'Nok.

”The Terrans are all dead,” a Treana'ad worker caste with excellent coloring said.

T'Nok reached out and steadied himself against the wall, hyperventilating. ”The Lanaktallan?”

The worker, who held three PhD's in scientific disciplines, shook his head. ”We have suspicions, but no. A new species, that had remained hidden.”

”But, all of them?” T'Nok's head was swimming.

Another Treana'ad moved up and handed him a menthol cherry cigarette. T'Nok puffed on it a minute, trying to banish his anxiety, no, his fear.

”Virtually. As of today, we know less than two million, outside the primitivism worlds, remain above the age of 25,” one of the Agents said, her voice dead and inflectionless as she spoke of the near extermination of her species.

”Surely you didn't bring me here to tell me this terrible news,” T'Nok said.

They all shook their heads.

A Treana'ad female, with odd coloring, moved forward. ”You studied mineralogy,” she stated.

”Yes, and so did they,” T'Nok said, pointing at the two others.