Part 41: INTERLUDE: KOKEN

It was easier than he thought. Larthop was on Koken. The place crawled with scientists, Xeno archeologists and scholars. The Union had found the planet of origin of the Kermac. Back when they were split into five societies and sub species. The Ker and the Mac united and tried to eradicate the others. One of those species were the Blue and forced into exile.

The Blue, after a trip that lasted generations eventually reached the Andromeda galaxy became a thriving and somewhat mysterious society with a high tech standard. When the Union reached Andromeda via the Bridge, the Blue joined the Union.

Larthop had read and uploaded as much as he could about that subject, as there were many Blue scientists now on Koken. Larthop knew they were Psionic gifted, at least as talented as their distant modern Cousins the Kermac. However there was surprisingly little info about what Psionic powers they had. He was not concerned of course and kept a dual mind shield one that was easy to bypass and read and there he kept his writer identity. If someone would probe all they saw was a harmless eager writer for a well-known magazine.

The eager and friendly Tinkehel had kept his word and needed very little persuasion.

Koken for over a million years, a quite grave like world, bereft of the sentient civilizations it brought forth was now as busy as a Klack world during a sugar water sale. Not far of the ruins of Esscas the old capital City of the Ker a new town had sprung up, mostly stacked living modules, but as always with scientists came technicians, engineers, laborers and shop keepers. He wondered what his special friends the Kermac would say if they could see that.

Security was reasonably tight coming here but, now on the surface, there was virtually none.

No one paid any attention to him, he had rented a little multi-purpose flyer and followed the directions he had received from the Shadow of the Brotherhood and on a mountain plateau about thirty klicks away from the ruins and the center of attention he found the spot were rumble had been moved recently. As he went closer he found the badly decomposed bodies of at least eighty Plato slaves. They all had been shot. There were no insects and almost no rainfall on this side of Koken but the remains were not ancient but could not be older than perhaps a year or two. Someone had been here recently and it wasn’t the Union. He felt cheated and feared the Kermac had been here and taken the disc he needed, but he came that far so he would follow the directions of the Shadow to the end, maybe he could find clues who took the disc if it wasn’t there no more.

For a moment he felt as if he was watched, but the rocky and dusty plateau was bare of life as far as he could see. He had to use his Telekinetic powers to remove a few big boulders that blocked the entrance to a tunnel. Here at the entrance he found the remains of two Hythagh. The talented and industrious civilization of Engineers that was one of the core Thrall species of the Kermac. Their uniforms and their equipment dirty but their tools showed virtually no decay. Both Hythagh were still armed with Kermac Line blasters, but their necks twisted in an unnatural way. This is how Kermac used their Telekinetic powers to kill. There was no doubt now, Kermac had been here only recently.

He turned on the light he had brought along and followed the long corridor. The ceiling height dropped the further he went, and then he came across three elaborate decorated chairs with pillows and blanket. Each chair had carrying handles. It was easy to piece together what happened. Three Kermac were carried by slaves until the ceiling became too low and they had to walk.

After he had walked for at least two klicks, he came across yet another body. This one was mummified and to his astonishment a Kermac. Judging by the robes and the elaborate get up, this was not just any Kermac but a one of the Wizards! He had been killed by a small weapon beam hitting him between the eyes. Did they fight over what they found coming out?

Larthop studied the arcane and the mystic arts all his life and was not easily spooked or scared, but again he could not help himself feeing being watched. His mental powers did not detect anything, but the feeling was strong.