Heirs of Planet Life 2 - The Origin Of Life

XIV - Merko's Suspicion

The powerful transmitter of the spacecraft Star Hunter used lasers to transmit data at rates 100 times faster than radio frequency waves, but with less mass and energy. Merko knew there was a risk that his communication would be intercepted by the government of planet Life, but it had to be tried. Only his friend would tell him the truth.

What he had no idea was that Sivoc's team had been dismantled by Mirov shortly after he took the throne. The villainous king had monopolized every contact the planet made with outer space, and Drako secretly dedicated to creating alternative communications systems that used frequencies capable of contacting other life forms in outer space. He had married a communications engineer named Felgaci, who was at his side on this project. Together, they have also developed a technology capable of contacting deep space. And who knows, maybe contact Merko for help.

Until now, contacts with other planets were restricted to the equipment of the scientific building of the capital, Perfectio.

On Earth, Merko couldn't just but wait. A hunch made him uneasy. He knew something wasn't right on planet Life. So, the next day, he returned to his ship to try to contact Drako.

"There's something very strange about this story and I need to know what's going on..."

In Drako's lab, high-frequency antennas were directed toward the Milky Way galaxy when a new signal flashed into a holographic panel. He verified that the message originated from Earth and was filled with hope that it was Captain Merko. He touched the hologram and was surprised by the image that appeared:

"Commander Merko, at last, we finally meet!"

"How are you, my friend Drako?"

"I wanted us to meet with better news, sir."

"Why? What happened?" Merko asked, the bad feeling inside of him only increasing.

"Sir, King Zador is dead."

"But how?" Merko paled in the face of such tragic news.

"A mysterious illness affected him and he couldn't resist..."

"What a strange story. One of the things that the king prided himself on was his good health. How could he get sick? What about the princess? Has she taken the throne yet?"

Drako hesitated for a while, making Merko more and more nervous. When he would ask again for more news, his friend said:

"We have a new king, Counselor Mirov." Merko screamed and struck the ship's panel in a state of fury. Why didn't that surprise him? "He invaded the palace, arrested the king and the princess in the dungeons. We couldn't defend them, because the first thing he did was to dismantle our team and expel us from the capital. I came to the region of Zaturga, with my wife, Felgaci. She's an engineer."

"And why didn't you contact me?" Merko said desperately.

"We had no way of communicating with you without running the risk of being intercepted by the capital. Dead I couldn't help," Drako explained sadly. "With the help of my wife I began to create communication systems, secretly. Through unconventional frequencies, we've been trying to establish contact with you for days, so that you stay away from planet Life. Don't let Mirov find out exactly where you are."

"How can I leave my people?" Merko screamed, feeling helpless.

"The king will want revenge on you, Commander. It's too risky... How could you reverse this situation?"

Merko remembered his previous conversation with the counselor. He decided to learn more through Drako.

"What did counselor Kenan do about it?"