Chapter 2

Palace of the Ex-Jumo King - Office of Nimrod Khong - Leader of the Mob - Mob core planet, Yimza, Parzoon Capital City.

“We are very pleased with this deal that you have struck with the priests, but I regret to inform you that their planet has been captured. They would have been a great prize for our friends,” Yesteg Krimpt the intelligence Liaison to the Priests said. “It’s of no consequence to us, but they are unhappy as they were expecting to be able to acquire the people of Nirvana. We were forced into a compromise as we couldn’t deliver what we have promised. I’ve been instructed to tell you that the operation on the planet Virgil will have to involve our allies. General Namenal Kabilaqa who is in charge of their operations will join you on the planet, specifically to acquire at least ten million Empire humans and other species for purposes unknown. They will try to take up to forty-million, if they have the time. He will be entirely in charge of their operation. They are happy to take soldiers, children, men, and women. We still remain significantly in our allies debt. They will not contribute forces to our efforts and will remain entirely independent of what we are doing,” Yesteg Krimpt emphasized.

“That puts our entire operation at risk and may well make it a failure,” said Nimrod Khong.

“That is complete bull dust. Our allies have formidable ground forces, and they will take a lot of pressure off you. You know they cannot attack the planet themselves.

“What happened on Nirvana was a disaster from our point of view, in that we couldn’t deliver on what we promised to our very good and long-term allies and friends. They have worked with us for hundreds of thousands of years, and we would have never succeeded in obtaining power without them. We have done very little for them to reciprocate over the years. Now it’s time for us to deliver. They understand that Nirvana was not under our control yet. They know it was attacked by ‘Warlord Duke Kargo.’ They know of the family and the fleet assets they have in the house Kargo. We have told them that in time the house will be ours, and we can give it to them later. Our plans progress well in that regard.

“Your objectives and their objectives are entirely different. You do what you intend to do and once you have conquered the planet you take the technology and they take as many of the people as they can. If anything they will be forced to help you. If he is going to take the people he has to bring a substantial force with him, and that will undoubtedly help you subdue local opposition. He has to land close to where you land, and we have said to him that he is responsible for the security of the areas in which he operates. They will not be seen by the fleet defenders as they are entirely cloaked, except when they are operating on the ground,” said Yesteg Krimpt.

“I know that they have acquired people over a long time from Nirvana and from elsewhere. I wish I knew what the hell they did with them. Do you know?” Nimrod Khong asked.

“I’m not sure that I want to know. It’s above my pay grade!” Yesteg Krimpt replied and grimaced. “I’ve always assumed that they ate them, or worse. I know we eat a lot of stuff that others wouldn’t touch, but I’m not sure that human flesh appeals to me that much. I know nothing of the food they consume. One of my people collected the Queen from her ship. He is positive he saw a husk of a humanoid being, thrown aside by the Empress as she left her ship. He thinks they suck out the insides somehow as they eat, leaving an empty husk.

“There is no way I’m going to ask about it. They scare the daylights out of me. I’ve met the Queen at one meeting and she is one crazy, scary bitch. The General is one big scary guy as well. He is an arrogant bastard, but you can feel his power when in his presence. Your people don’t want to get on his wrong side. I don’t know what tech level they are at, but it’s way ahead of us.

“In this matter we see we have little to lose and a lot to gain, we need every bit of goodwill we can find. It’s a dangerous universe we live in, and allies need to be looked after.”

Basil the dog handler

Jason awoke. Rosie was standing upright against the pod. She was licking his face, and Lilly was standing on the other side, watching and looking very cheerful. It was 2 AM when Lilly sent him images that she wanted him to get on her back and go to the hold where they ran and played ball. Jason sent images back that he was too weak to get up.

Seconds later, he saw a massively built, ugly, hairy creature that looked like a nightmare giant sized ape from ‘The Planet of the Apes’ ... hostile apes. It was on the humanoid ape spectrum, but the creature was at least three times his height as it towered over the pod. He noticed that the eyes were black. The iris was a different shade of black and was catlike. He noticed it’s irises were elongated horizontally, rather than vertically, as in a cat. It had larger more expressive eyes than he recalled with chimps. The being had a solid and powerful muscular build, and he looked like a weightlifter on steroids. His muscles were clearly defined. His upper arm was as large as Jason’s waist. He leaned over Jason.

Jason had a holographic feed looking down from the roof. He could see the whole of the person. The creature was wearing sandals, and what looked like an ancient Roman toga. Jason thought that he was dreaming, but he wasn’t quite sure if it was a nightmare, it was threatening so far but not yet a nightmare. When he thought about it he didn’t feel threatened, but he wondered why the being was not picked up by the security cameras. He could clearly see its form on his hologram.

The creature introduced itself telepathically. The name was totally incomprehensible. He heard gibberish with a Basil sound in the middle. He asked if he could refer to it as Basil and introduced himself as Jason.

Basil reassured him telepathically, that he was invisible to the ship.

“I’m a trainer of dogs. I trained your dogs who tell me they are very happy with you. They told my other dogs that I train, all about you. My dogs seek a master who is a Warlord. Porquenta tells me you are known as Lord Kargo. I am informed you are still in the early stages of development, but are involved in a war. He regards you as a Warlord in the making.

“My Lord I see you have been grievously injured. That is of no import. My people are able to offer medical treatment very far in advance of this society. I can help you.

“Porquenta recommends you to me and that in itself is almost sufficient. The dogs hope you may be suitable,” said Basil in a very serious telepathic tone. “I will take you with me now. You can be there with the dogs for two months.”

“Basil, I hardly qualify as a warlord. At best I’m an apprentice warlord. I’m too weak to leave this pod after being shot with a weapon that did me a serious injury. I cannot leave for two months, as we will be in battle in eight hours and I want to be on board for that battle. Thank you for the offer. I will be happy to meet these dogs and spend time with them at some future time. I need a month of rehabilitation before I’m fit to go anywhere. We are fighting The Mob who are attacking Empire planets. I cannot see that I will have time in the short term.”

“Jason, this can be done. I can take you to receive our more advanced medical care. They will get you on your feet quickly, in an alternate time. You can then spend two months with the dogs, while less than an hour of time will pass here. Call your woman, Linda, and tell her that you’re leaving the ship for an hour. This is important for you, and for your future. You must also do it for your women. You will understand, soon.”

Jason thought about faster medical care. He wanted to be up and about and participating in everything that was going on. This proposition sounded like a great idea. Another few dogs would be great, too. Especially if the new dogs were as fierce as Lilly and Rosie. If they were also rage hounds, they could add to his security and to that of the women. He couldn’t see any downside. The dogs seemed to know him, and were keen to go.

“Linda, I’m sorry to wake you. I’m going to leave the ship with a friend for approximately an hour. The alarm will go off when I leave. You don’t need to panic. I will be away for a few months, my time; but I will be back in an hour, ship’s time. My guide looks strong enough to break a battleship in half with one hand, so I suspect I’m in ‘good hands,’ with him. He trained the dogs for Porquenta. I will answer all your questions when I get back. If I’m not back in two hours, I give you permission to panic. Not that I expect it will help. I’m going to get some advanced medical treatment, and a few more dogs. Bye, see you soon!”

Hospital - Unknown Location, deep in an ice moon near a planet with a dying sun. Technology level 73 society.

Jason saw vague images of stars and planets blurring past, and had a perception of traveling at great speed, then slowing and going down through a whiteness. He saw similar creatures to Basil in a beautiful garden city for a brief instant, and then went into a large building, through the wall. He then had a sensation of great comfort and reassurance, and fell into a very deep sleep.

Jason woke feeling fantastic. He had no perception of how much time had passed. He felt rejuvenated. He looked around him. He felt a bed beneath him that was soft and was gently supporting him and saw a white cover over his legs that seemed to have negligible weight. He looked down but there was no bed. He was floating in midair. The room was all white but he couldn’t see a floor. Light emerged from below and he could see his body glowing. The light was gentle and diffuse. He lifted his arm, and it leapt into the air. He lifted his leg. He felt strong and energetic. He was raring to go. He wondered where the door was. And then he saw a very tall door open.

A creature similar to Basil entered the room dressed in a pale green garment that concealed more than it revealed of the creature. She was carrying a flat panel much like Stan used. The telepathic voice was very feminine.

“Welcome to our facility, Jason. I am Yona, your doctor. You are in a medical machine. Your eyes cannot see much of it, other than an attachments on your legs.

“My name, Yona, is a contraction of my true name, for your benefit. Your friend Basil brought you in here for rehabilitation.

We were not entirely happy with the medical component of your care, and revised some of the work. That is an understatement. We were very unhappy with your treatment. We have also optimized your genes a few steps further. Some of that work was done sloppily and at technology level twenty-six, at best. Your crystal tried its best, but it’s not state of the art. We have regenerated the crystal. It was not helping your ancient DNA. We have accelerated your developmental path. This facility is a more advanced clinic than you have ever experienced, and this is not complex work for us.

“Your rehabilitation has been completed. I cannot understand why it was so slow.

“You are an interesting mix of a fragment of a primitive people, an older society a little ahead of those people and a very ancient people who have long since ‘ascended’ or more accurately moved on to a different universe. ‘Ascendancy’ is an illusion and a fraud.

“You, sir, are royalty through and through, both ancient and more recent. Very pure, very fine. It’s my pleasure to meet you. You have blessed us with your presence and honored us in being able to be of assistance. You must have a special purpose to have returned. Excuse me for nattering on.

“You are ready for the meeting with the dogs. Basil tells me they are looking forward to see you.”

“Many thanks to you, I feel very good, strong and quite healthy. I hope that I can reciprocate your help someday.”

“There is no need. Your people gave us this wondrous technology and trained us in many things and gave us a leg up when we needed it. I recognize your DNA and psychic signature. We owe you and your people far more than we have given you. The debt we owe you is incalculable. What I have done for you, is nothing in the scheme of things. It was a pleasure to serve you, my Lord. I must move on. I have said more than I should. We will undoubtedly meet again.

“There is food that is suitable for you through that door. Your friend will fetch you in half an hour. I bid you farewell, and wish you all the best for the future.”

Yona left the room before Jason could say another word. A second door opened. Jason could see a table that was at an appropriate height for him, and a chair. He could see steam rising from food on the table. He suddenly realized he was famished. He moved his legs to the side of what looked like a bed. His feet found a surface, and he walked through the door.

Jason thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of the feast on the table, and ate far more than he usually did.

Basil awkwardly entered the room bending over to bow in front of Jason.

“My Lord, I suspected that it was you, and that you have forgotten who I am on your return. That happens with those that descend. It’s a sad fact of the transition. It’s necessary to start again and evolve and then the memories will return. If you are ready, I will take you now to meet the dogs. I hope some of what we do will remind you of our past. Let us now go to see the dogs of war!”

Jason was impressed that there were beings that could travel across long distances without impacting on time as he knew it. He knew they had traveled a great distance, but didn’t know how he knew it.

He found himself on a planet where the air was quite thin. He felt as though he was at a high altitude on Earth. The temperature was very warm, but tolerable though he felt himself sweating. There was little vegetation in the valley where Jason found himself surrounded by mountains, but he couldn’t seem to judge the distance. The horizon seemed a long way away, but he didn’t feel the heavy gravity one would expect of a massive planet. He saw sparse, purple colored spiky grass, and a few odd yellow trees with mauve leaves.

Dogs emerged from the ground. There were thousands and thousands of them, extending into the far distance. There could have been millions of them and some of them were much bigger than Lilly and Rosie.

“Jason, these are called demonic war hounds. They are also known as The Hounds of the Apocalypse. In the past, you had both The Hounds of the Apocalypse, and Warriors of the Apocalypse. They were bred for war. They live for war. They live to serve a powerful master, and they have not had a true master for a very long time. Many imposters have vied for their loyalty. As they have encountered many pretenders, they are very cautious about you. They want you to spend some time with them.

“They are bored with their lives. They feel that they are wasting away by living the indolent life of a pack of dogs with no purpose. They don’t need to spend a lot of time to hunt. They can hunt very efficiently and quickly. They can eat, but they don’t need to eat, as they absorb energy from another dimension.”

“They want to fulfill their purpose with a credible leader.

“Porquenta suggested that I transform and train your dogs as he felt you needed the help. He also suggested that you were a suitable master. The dogs respect him and the people who made him, but they don’t trust easily. They have lived an eternity, but they live for war and they thrive on war. Death, for them, is a way of fulfilling their purpose. Fighting for a great leader is their purpose, and that is the meaning of their existence.

“They have slowly wasted away living the life of an indolent pack of dogs, as have I. They want to consider you and want you to consider them. They have worked for a single master as well as great leaders and warlords in the early stages of their development. Porquenta has told them that you are ‘a warlord in progress,’ and that it may be too early for you to take them on. They are impatient, though, and wanted to meet you. Porquenta told them you have been involved in recent battles and were to face many more. They are excited to hear of this, and don’t want to miss out, even if you are early in your evolution.”

“Basil, I think that they will be disappointed. I see myself as a very early warlord and one by an accident of fate.”

Basil paused for a few moments apparently receiving a communication.

“They ask if they can assess you”” Basil asked curiously.

“Certainly, they can. I’m sure I will disappoint them, but go ahead.”

“Can you, in an instant, get from one place to another?”

That was pretty easy for Jason. He ‘hopped’ 500 yards. Basil and the dogs appeared at his side an instant later.

“They have their homes underground. Are you able to get to them?”

“If they or you take me to their home, I can get to the surface and get back to their home,” Jason said after a few moments thought.

He found himself in a very dark place. He could see eyes glowing around him and then his vision improved quickly. He took himself back to the surface then back underground.

“Can you make a hole in the rock?”

Jason used his impact power to shatter the rock in front of him. The ground shook and trembled to the massive shock. He then slightly turned to another section of the rock and burned a series of deep holes into the rock. The melted rock poured out of the hole. Jason then sent balls of fire that exploded against the rock progressively blasting outwards rapidly enlarging the volume of the cave. He then decided to try warp. He had never done it before, but he had seen it used. He imagined twisting and tearing the face of the rock. The rock shattered, and he bored his way forward. He then alternately froze the rock and then shattered it.

“Anything else,” Jason asked.

“Not for the time being, let us eat, and you can try to communicate with them. I am very amused that you have called me Basil. I have not had a nickname for a million years or longer,” Basil made strange grunting noises. Jason assumed it was laughter.

“I am delighted to be called Basil. I will tell my friends. My Lord you have impressive powers. The dogs are stunned. They have never seen such power in one who is so young.”

“The dogs were manufactured by an ancient race. They are biomechanics and feed on trans dimensional power. They are semi-sentient and can replicate themselves as do dogs. They can transform themselves into regular dogs from being war dogs.

Jason felt overwhelmed, the biggest problems that he had faced throughout his life so far, had only included the death of his wife and miscellaneous trivial work and latterly the trials of an aging body. Other than the death of his wife, none of it was of any great import. His life had felt empty and boring. The trip to the Empire had changed all that, and he felt as though his life had meaning. It was more than meaning. It was terror, which shared time with planning to deal with the next onslaught. Now he was excited and invigorated, but very intimidated by ancient dogs and ancient peoples. Every time he heard about his ancient people, and having ‘descended,’ it gave him goose pimples. It was creepy.

Since he left Earth on the Empire battleship, he had met some amazing characters. He was just over three months into the trip, and wondered who and what he would meet in a year, if he survived that long.

These war dogs were extraordinary. It was hard to imagine how a metabolism worked allowing them to live on energy from another dimension.

So much had happened to shock him. The idea of an artificial intelligence as part of a ship was bizarre. An AI as part of a planet, was a different dimension of bizarreness. What kind of species of alien would have made an AI with such extraordinary powers, and then restrict it to being a part of a planet.

Now he’d encountered Basil, the ancients and the dogs. How can Basil be older than a million years? He even laughed at a nickname, saying that he had not had one for a million years, and found it very amusing. Basil obviously needed to get out more!

Jason idly wondered how far he had traveled. He had the feeling that it was a very long way. Jason’s attention returned to Basil, who was looking at him carefully.

“My Lord, my apologies for my disrespect, I didn’t realize who you were.” He bowed his head and bent his knee upon the ground in front of Jason. “My Lord, you have my service again, and I will serve you with all my heart.”

Jason was beyond confused. This ancient being was again calling him my Lord and indicating that he had served him in the past. He was an old man, now a rejuvenated ‘young man’ not past eighty but not someone more than a million years old. How could Basil recognize him? He had no memory of the ancient people from whom he descended.

“Basil you don’t need to kneel in front of me. I’m very grateful that you trained the dogs. I’m also truly grateful that you’ve brought me to see all of these astounding dogs in their natural habitat. I can easily see how they can be used in the forthcoming combat.”

He had the feeling of the ancient one arising within. He heard his voice address Basil by his full name or as much of it as he knew and recognized. He felt himself rapidly grow bigger and reach the top of the cave. He was significantly bigger than Basil, and the Warhammer was slung over his shoulder. The dogs knelt in front of him looking at him with awe. He heard delight in the voice that seemed so much unlike his own and so powerful and commanding. He heard himself express his joy in meeting his old friend and loyal dog trainer. He indicated that Jason was still weak but was slowly coming into full possession of his powers and could possibly do so in the next ten thousand years. It was slow and frustrating for him but he had millions of years of patience.

“Young Jason has collected the Warhammer, which is one key. The hounds are another key. He will soon meet The Warriors of the Apocalypse. The rest will follow in due time,” Jason heard the voice say slowly and confidently.

Jason had tended to think that his big size transformation was part of Porquenta. Porquenta even suggested him to the dogs. He began to recognize a primeval power within himself. He knew he’d known it for a long time, but it was hard to accept.

It was hard to accept he was not who he thought he was.

Whether it’s me or whether it’s from Porquenta, I will find out. It’s going to take some time. Maybe it’s not me.

Basil was smiling and looked very happy. The dogs looked as though they had been given a large meaty bone. Jason felt himself return to his normal size.