Chapter 15: Plans for Horti

“We continued to investigate the student. Finally, we got into her file. She has potential. She is one of the few who wanted her natural form as defined by her DNA. Her family and friends are the same,” said the general’s aide.

“Why did we struggle to access the files?”

“She and the others in her group are part of a trial looking at how those from her planet adapt here,” the aide explained.

“Have you made the request?” The general asked.

“It is done; her supervisor authorized it and will not get in our way.”

“He remains as lazy as before?”

“Yes, he won’t put more effort into the investigation than previously. We don’t think he will change. He won’t work on the problem, and he won’t tread on any toes.”

“Let her start on the project and keep her from me for three months. If she is a suitable candidate, I will see her then and explore recruiting her to the cause.”

“Are we ready for tomorrow?”

“Yes, we are ready to go.”

“There is no way they can trace this action back here?”

“No, general, our communications are secure, and there are many layers between you and the cells in the other civilizations?”

“Why did Genada’s people not succeed in the Collective?”

“General, we have not completed the investigation.”

“You must have some idea by now; you have had two months.”

“General Genada Bontara went off the rails entirely. She became irrational, trying to protect her drug-abusing son. She overreacted and used excessive force. She deployed the elite Special Forces Unit 5 and Cyberwarfare Unit 2. She sent them together with a command unit into the Collective.”

“Yes, that is enough people to alert even the four armed Ordreg abominations.”

“They sent them in with UnterNefar explosives. They carried enough to destroy the hospital and several city blocks. She intended it to be a suicide mission. They packed and labeled the explosives as Offer-Lekta. Even then, it was gross overkill. The Collective sensed the UnterNefar. It is easy to do so. We suspect they laid traps for them in the hospital and ambushed our people.”

“Kemel, do you think they knew we were there?”

“Oh yes, we discovered intelligence here warned them. The Collective troops wore armor, so the gas did not disable them.”

“The fool, she did not even know her target was here and has excellent potential to be our star recruit. I would have killed her myself had she succeeded.”

“General, that is not all. There is more. The intelligence service buried it so deep we battled to find what I was about to tell you. She did us untold damage!”

“Kemel, spit it out for heaven’s sake; what did that crazed woman do? What is so terrible that you are dipping in and out of the atmosphere while trying to avoid telling me?”

“General, Bontara mobilized our Collective assets and tried to kill Orma Chatzke and take over parliament.”

The general went scarlet and screamed incoherently.

She sat panting for several minutes, her brow furrowed. Kemel stood patiently.

“I will take her ashes and kill her a thousand times. Retrieve the son from Komogar and torture him. Make him last until I tell you to kill him in a thousand years. Make sure every single family member dies painfully. Kill the children first, beginning with the youngest. Cut off an arm, then a week later, a leg; the usual routine. I want to make the parents know helplessness and the depths of despair. Put out some eyes randomly—break bones. Use your imagination. Free up your creativity.”

Kemel, her favorite aide, a young woman hardly aged by her ten thousand years of service, petite, with a lovely angelic face and a cute snout, smiled. “It will be my pleasure, general.”

“That’s my girl Kemel; you will go far!”

“Hi, Grandpas, Grandmas, and miscellaneous parents,” Horti called out as she saw them in front of their rooms.

They stood to hug her.

“Horti, we haven’t seen you for a week; how are you going?” Asked Vivian. “You were always busy when I called.”

“Fine, so far. My supervisor gave me a project and told me it was impossible. No student has succeeded. I also don’t need to succeed. I have until the end of next year to demonstrate what I would do and how I would go about it,” said Horti. “My supervisor appears lazy and indifferent but promised he would score me well if I showed him I could create a plan of action. He doesn’t offer much help and supervision. How are the mushrooms progressing?”

“We are making slow progress, but we finally found some media they can live on. It is slow,” said Grandpa Chuck. “The university people are supportive. They are different from the people you and your friends encounter. They see us as having much to offer. Despite the positive university environment, we find going into town unpleasant; in town, people turn up their noses and are offensive.”

“Have you completed the taste tests?”

“The Dinnion love our mushrooms. We are also growing Mexican and Thai chilis. We must find a farm where we can produce our products in bulk and make some money. The army is keen to support people who can reliably produce food for the military. They allow you to make some money, but you must buy a property, produce reliable products, and show you can make your farm work. The buyers come along and do trial orders. They then buy in increasing bulk as you gear up production. The army supplies no initial capital but offers loans once you prove you can deliver a reliable product. They favor massive producers,” said Grandpa Chuck.

“How much land do you need?” Horti asked.

Chuck waved to Jenny.

“We could start with a thousand hectares. We want to work with a hundred times that size in time.”

“What else will you grow?” Horti asked.