After navigating for a while and passing through the space-time rift, the door opened in Genesis' command bridge. Captain Kirubi began to speak with Mirov, who was sitting in the command chair:
"Sir, why are we traveling across a space-time bridge to a constellation distant from the terrestrial solar system?"
"We could transmute ourselves and live among the Earthlings and no one would recognize us. We would be in peace and Merko would never find us," Radof said, entering the conversation.
The arrogant Mirov looked at them with contempt. He didn't accept being questioned, but he needed their help at that time. He couldn't waste his pawns during that play. So, he took a deep breath to hold back his anger and answered, with his self-centeredness rising:
"Do you believe that, after being the sole and absolute king of a planet, I would want to live hidden on Earth, like a mere insect to be captured or trampled on?" He started laughing at the thought of that simple hypothesis. "I, Mirov, wasn't born to surrender, but to step on my enemies' heads."
"But, sir, what do you intend to do?" Kirubi asked, raising his eyebrows suspiciously.
"Calm down, captain, and follow the coordinates I determined. In a few hours we will reach the hunter Orion constellation in the Milky Way. When we're there, I'll let you know what my plan is."
The captain looked at Radof, doubtful. They both didn't understand what their commander's real objectives were, but they suspected that something bad was being architect by Mirov's Machiavellian mind.
"Is the king mad?" They thought. But what good would it be to draw that conclusion now, since there wasn't any way to give up anymore?
***
While everyone was resting and celebrating the return of peace, Drako was at the base, researching the latest travel coordinates of Genesis ship. As soon as he could, Merko went after him:
"Any news about Mirov?" He asked as he entered the room.
"Sir, the information systems of all the ships on the planet are connected to the large central computer, located in the computing building. I'm trying to access the ship's destination coordinates, but this's going to take a while. What I could see, so far, was those minutes before they fled, the counselor's servant, Radof, accessed the entrance to the genetics laboratory of the scientific building. I think it's interesting to see the records of what he went there to get."
"Thanks, Drako. Your information is always very useful. Keep looking and let me know about all the news you have on Mirov," Merko said apprehensively. "I'll go to the scientific building personally."
"Yes sir. We'll be in touch."
On his way out, Merko called on Nicholas and Zara to accompany him. Her mainly, because she was a specialist in Genetics, and they went to the laboratory to check what Radof had been doing there before escaping. While they went, Drako sent them the recordings that the holographic cameras had captured. The doctor was able to compare, as soon as they arrived, the last records, and could see what Radof had removed: genetic materials resulting from scientific research. She was terrified at the hypothesis that it could be used for obscure purposes.
"What is this thing he came here for, Zara?" Nicholas asked.
"From the places he accessed, I can say that they are in part material that enables the cloning of planet Life's inhabitants and, also, giant reptiles or dinosaurs, which manipulation has been banned. The animals that survived the genetic experiments before they were abolished were sent to the Mutant Forest and there they live to this day, far from society."
"What could Mirov want with this?" Merko said, worriedly.
"Not a good thing, we can be sure of that," Nicholas said with an apprehensive face.
"Let's see what Drako finds out and we'll reunite the information to put this puzzle together," Merko concluded, before leaving with them.
At that same hour, Drako called him, telepathically, to talk in the central computer room of planet Life's government. He, Nicholas, Zara and Sivoc went to meet Drako, curious to know anything about the villain's whereabouts.
"I managed to access Mirov's ship's last coordinates. It seems that the last destination was the constellation Canis Major, in the hunter Orion, in Sirius' solar system. If we follow him, I can define better the coordinates once we get closer." He looked at Nicholas before continuing. "Do you know this constellation, Nicholas?"
"Yes. This system is located south of the Three Sisters: Mintaka, Alnilan and Alnitaka. They form the constellation Orion the hunter's belt. The Canis Major and Canis Minor helped the hunter, according to the Greek mythology that was used to give name to the constellations and therefore they are located at his feet. But why did Mirov travel to Sirius?" Asked Nicholas, curiously.
"I liked to see you're studying Cosmology on Earth. However, unfortunately, the question about the former counselor Mirov's whereabouts I can't answer." Drako snapped.
"Why would he go to that system and not to Earth to hide among its inhabitants?" Merko asked curiously.
"Maybe the Counselor Kenan can answer us. Let's ask him. As a counselor, he may have heard something about it. There must be a good reason for that," suggested Sivoc.
The commanders Sivoc and Merko went out looking for the Counselor Kenan. After explaining the whole situation, Kenan asked for time, for he would gather the Royal Council to obtain a satisfactory answer. Hours later he returned, finding everyone eager for a solution.
"I met with the experts in Physics and Cosmology, and also with other Councelors, and we came to a very intriguing conclusion: Mirov traveled to the constellation of the hunter Orion because he knew that from there it would be possible to create a space-time rift, linking it to Earth. Some of our ancestors had already used this passage to reach the past of planet Earth and thus follow important episodes in the history of man monitoring these events to avoid catastrophes and drastic changes in the terrestrial past, which would affect us. As the King's Counselor, Mirov knew the gravity-forming weapon design our engineers invented, which uses electromagnetic energy to modify gravitational curvatures, that is, they can create artificial wormholes. Me and Mirov were involved in this project. It's a new device that was in experimental use. With this, he could create portals that would lead to a remote place on planet Earth. However, since he didn't want to use our moon's portal to Jupiter's orbit arriving at the time of Nicholas birth, he probably wants to reach another time in the terrestrial past, perhaps in the early days of man's appearance. Before we came to the planet Life in Andromeda, our ancestors studied and traveled through all the solar systems of the Milky Way and we discovered that the first stellar travelers who went to Earth used a path linking the terrestrial solar system to the constellations of the hunter, Orion. They probably utilized the binary star Sirius' gravitational waves' forces to reach Earth easily and establish the seeds of human civilization. The former Counselor Mirov had this knowledge and, possessing a weapon capable of forming space-time rifts, must want to take advantage of it somehow."
"Let's talk and think about it a lot and we'll meet again to take the next step. We need to find out what Mirov's real intentions are," Merko said.
"I've just thought of something terrible," said Sivoc worriedly, in a flash.
They all looked at each other and wondered, curious, what the Science ship commander might have in mind.
"Please, Captain Merko, follow me," Sivoc said, wanting to talk to the experienced commander before sharing his concerns with the others.
Merko and Sivoc talked privately and then took their opinion to Kenan and the other counselors. It was decided that Merko would be the interlocutor of such insane news. Meanwhile, Sivoc walked through the hangar of the central anchorage, lost in thought, until the moment when Tibor interjected:
"Can you tell me in advance what you thought and what you talked about? What is the danger to which Mirov is exposing us, Commander?"
"I'd rather discuss this with the others. If what I'm thinking is the reality, all inhabitants of planet Life and the Earth, ancient home of the human race, are in real and imminent danger."
Sometime later, everyone was gathered in a room of the Royal Council, including Queen Isadora, who was also invited to attend the meeting, since Merko needed her endorsement to make a decision that involved the lives of all human beings of the past and the future.
"I summoned this meeting, for I think we know what Mirov's intentions are. Judging by his past behavior, I think we're right," Merko said apprehensively.
"Please, Commander, tell me what you think," said the queen curiously.
"I need to ask a question first. Zara, what did Mirov take from the genetics lab at the Scientific Building?"
"He took biological materials to clone embryos of evolved humans from the planet Life. Mirov himself ordered the genetic engineers to prepare them in our laboratory, as we discovered in our investigation. He also ordered them to separate organic samples from aggressive reptiles resulting from unsuccessful genetic experiments, whose chromosomes underwent several mutations."
"I'm not sure. Sivoc came to this conclusion and I also suspect that Mirov wants to destroy the humans of planet Earth by using these creatures that he took from the laboratory, those we call dinosaurs or giant reptiles. I saw many of these beasts in the Mutant Forest when I trained my men and believe me... They're not good things to see. They attack with great voracity and are born assassins," Merko said with a look of concern.
"He also took the electromagnetic gravitational conformation weapon, according to what Counselor Kenan has revealed to us. An artifact to be installed on the ships of our fleet, developed by physic-nuclear engineers," interrupted Drako.
"What a bastard, this Mirov! And what does this weapon do?" Asked Nicholas, indignantly.
"Drako, could you explain it better for us all to understand?" Captain Merko asked.
"Of course, Commander. It can create space-time bridges or wormholes connecting solar systems and distant galaxies. With our ships' warp speed, many places in the universe would be accessible. Instead of waiting for the stellar and galactic movements to form fitting situations to the formation of space-time bridges, according to the positions of the celestial bodies and their movements, it's possible to directly deform gravity with this innovative technology. Mirov used the weapon to form a bridge between our solar system and the hunter Orion system."
"Only the royal counselors and scientists who participated in this experiment knew this information. Captain Kirubi was the first commander to use this weapon for test in his missions. Of course, he passed the information to Mirov," Kenan commented, thus providing the connection everyone needed.
"Taking materials to clone monstrous reptiles could bring terrible consequences for humanity. If he uses them against humans, everyone can be decimated and we could disappear from the face of the planet Life forever. If the origin of life were modified, we simply won't exist! With the annihilation of the primordial human race, he would sow the embryos of the evolved beings of the planet Life on Earth, modifying the whole past of the Homo sapiens" Zara commented perplexed by Counselor Mirov's madness.
"We must follow him wherever he is and avoid the worst," Sivoc interjected.
"Captain Merko, you have my permission to use all the ships and soldiers needed to carry out this mission. What do you think, Counselor Kenan?" said Queen Isadora.
"Undoubtedly, Your Majesty. The situation calls for immediate action. We already know Mirov's insanity and what he's capable of. He took with him military men with great knowledge of interstellar travels, murderous robots, and genetic scientists. Certainly, he has dangerous plans. I agree that our reaction must be quick. As the chief engineer informed me, we have one more prototype of the gravitational modifying weapon. Install it on one of the ships, as this will give you a great time advantage; the second spacecraft may use the passageway opened by the first to penetrate deep space. For this you must follow them towards the Orion constellation and from there, to the terrestrial past, as our enemies are planning."
Nicholas looked at Zara, who had a worried countenance. He could scarcely imagine that the scientist was a bit paralyzed, trying to control the symptoms of her anxiety. She disguised it not to catch the others' attention at the meeting, but how to hide it from her husband? Nicholas seemed to recognize in her pale face the reactions she felt.
"Is everything okay, Zara?"
She simply nodded. The decisions they were supposed to make were more important than her reactions. Besides, he knew that somehow, he could solve them. The young man entered her thoughts, telepathically, in order to calm her:
"Don't worry, Zara. Lorena and Sophia are taking care of Helen. Everything will be solved, soon we'll be back and together, we'll be close to her."
Merko and Sivoc were tasked with commanding the mission. The first step would be to chase Mirov and track him to the distant past of planet Earth. For this, Drako would go with them to assist with his navigational knowledge. The ships Science and Star Hunter were prepared in record time, since everyone knew of the short time that they had. The two commanders selected the best military in the fleet.
Nicholas and Zara decided to go with Merko. Other soldiers with Crom would complete the ship's crew. Tibor and Drako would go on the scientific ship commanded by Sivoc.
It was everyone wish that Mirov didn't escape unpunished.
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