Chapter 7: Chak Version Two

“How are you doing, Horti?” Craig asked as they settled in their silk hammock to sleep a few weeks later.

“My biggest concern remains. How will my people behave when they are here?”

“I feel the weight of responsibility as well. I am my father’s proxy, and if we mess it up, I hate to imagine his thoughts,” said Craig.

“We are unprepared for our mission. I don’t think another year will help us to be more prepared. The language is easy, but the political system is a nightmare. I know how it evolved, but it is complex. We don’t know how we will get the portals to work. Can we trigger the gate from the other side to return?” Horti asked.

“We can’t rely on Chak and are lumbered with Lisirra. How my father tolerates her, I can’t imagine. I feel my hands itching to strangle her. I had the same feeling you did. Somehow she is critical to the mission; both sets of priestesses agree. It is a puzzle,” said Craig.

“How do you feel about standing by my side as we help my mother sort out the kingdom?” Horti asked.

“My knees buckle when I think about it. I remember telling my father I could never run anything bigger than a small company. I told him I knew he hated running anything and asked him how he rules as Emperor.”

“What did he answer?”

“He told me he makes only huge decisions. He said the first decision was who was to be the group who ran the Empire. Next, he said he told them he only wanted to help decide the big stuff. He said it would kill him if he did it any other way. He also told me he relied heavily on Orma Chatzke, Cassius, Alana, and others,” said Craig. “I watched all his presentations, which showed how the others helped him control the Uzliumbax Empire. It is well worth watching.”

“What is your impression of your father’s management after seeing the presentations?” Horti asked.

“It is much easier to run an Empire and more challenging than a small company. It is easier because he can delegate to outstanding people. It is more challenging because the decisions he makes are tough. I realized he has impeccable judgment and acts quickly and decisively. We will not have time to mull through our problems when we return here. Time is short, and the countdown is close to the end. I will do my best to help you, Horti,” said Craig.

“I will watch it bit by bit from tomorrow. I must make the time. I hope I can rescue my mother. I can’t imagine running the Enphaet Dominion without ever having run anything other than my car. I will need an extraordinary amount of help. I will find the good people I can rely on as soon as I can,” said Horti absently. “Make love to me the Azloc way; it feels wonderful, though I find it hard not to eat you afterward.” Horti laughed.

Craig inserted his pedipalps into her genital openings.

Horti shivered.

They fell asleep, closely entwined.

“Today, Chak comes out of stasis. We gave her memories that show she did what she was supposed to do. She derailed me and has done what she should have done,” said Horti.

“What are her memories of what you said?” Lisirra asked.

“We are enthusiastic about the other side but are not ready. We must wait six months until the end of the term. She will return, and Zyla will believe we will be too late. We will go through unexpectedly a week ahead of her,” said Horti. “Mother Superior will delay her return until we get back. She must believe it is all-natural. We will put her back into stasis after she returns.”

“Do I need to go through it again?” Horti asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

“Mother Superior, bring her through when you are ready!”

Holograms changed the area to look like Horti’s house.

Five minutes later, the Mother Superior, as a human, called Horti to the bedroom.

“Chak, thank you for all the help you have given me. Your multiverse looks excellent. While you were asleep, my friends and I talked, they all wanted to come along, but we couldn’t do it for six months. Please tell them what the people are like and what they can expect. They want to hear it from you directly,” said Horti.

“Horti, you can’t wait that long; you must come back to save our people; time is running out!” said Chak. She looked puzzled and shook her head with her eyes closed. “I don’t recall telling you all that garbage about how beautiful it was. What is going on?”

Chak closed her eyes.

Lisirra’s face reddened.

Horti put her hand on Lisirra’s shoulder.

Lisirra shrugged it off.

“Chak, you are a traitor,”—Lisirra screamed, reaching for Chak’s throat.

Craig grabbed Lisirra’s arm before she could reach Chak.

“You pretend to be all pleasant and lovey-dovey, and you try to get us there to capture Horti. We know you are in the pocket of that Zyla witch woman.”

“Thank you, Lisirra, is it?” Chak asked, then continued.

“You did what Zyla thought you would do. I did what she wanted. Did you find the implanted devices?” Chak asked Horti.

“Yes, and we removed them.”

“Excellent, that was the only part of this sorry business that worried me, though I was unhappy with how I behaved last time. I intend to set up Zyla Grep Vandran. She threatened to wipe my memory and instructed me to ensure you did not get there. When she told me she would give me her delightful memories to confuse you, we set up to capture her full set of recent memories. We wanted to know to whom she has offered places in the small multiverse versus those she will take with her. She used the lure of paradise in another multiverse to gain a hold on many, but she intends to take few,” said Chak.

“Where are you spouting this garbage from? We know what was in your memories on both levels, past and given, and we know what was on your crystal past and present,” Lisirra screamed, her face red and blotchy, her hands on her hips. Craig held her shoulder firmly.

“I will explain in some detail, sweet Lisirra. Unlike Horti’s mother, Zyla is not interested in technological advancement. Horti, your mother, could see the future and plan. She knew there were traitors in the court but was unsure who they were and their motivations. She suspected Zyla but could only find Zyla corrupt. She could not eliminate her as her family is powerful, and civil war would have weakened us.”

“Chak, I think you are making up stuff. None of this was in any of your memories. You are sucking new garbage out of your big toe,” said Lisirra irritably.

“I have a secondary crystal in another dimension. I will tell you how to see it and interrogate it. It is technology our counterintelligence created. They created a slot for it. I know my real memories are there, as is a valid version of our education systems, which I will give you. Zyla hoped you would be greedy and scared. She thought you would be as selfish, narcissistic, and psychopathic as she is and believe you had all we know and be less motivated to save your mother and your people.”

“You understand we might be more inclined to trust you now, but I want to verify what you have told us,” said Horti. “Chak, please go with the Mother Superior to download your crystal. When you return, I will be interested to hear what you say and discuss the implications,” said Horti.

The Mother Superior beckoned to Chak, who followed her.

Several hours later, they again met with Chak.

“Thank you, Chak. Do you have any other surprises?” Horti asked.

“Horti, if you come, it will be hazardous, but only you can do something,” said Chak.

“That is garbage; why didn’t Horti’s mother send scientists and troops through after the gate was installed? Why does it rely on Horti and you?” Lisirra asked.

“Horti’s mother programmed the gate so that only Horti and her friends could activate the gate from either side. Zyla took your mother hostage after your mother installed the portal. Zyla wanted control but couldn’t make it work.”

“Why does Zyla not want to go to our Universe?” Lisirra asked.

“She wants to go her way as she cannot find out how to get here. Zyla can’t find out by examining me. Zyla wants control so she can prevent you from coming back.”

“What is Zyla’s problem?” Lisirra asked.

“She is a horrible person. She hid it well until she became a Grep. Her parents were awful people. She disliked Horti’s mother but turned to hatred when your mother accused her of crimes against the Enphaet Dominion,” said Chak. “She stole as much as she could from the planets she ruled. The Enphaet tightly monitors the planets’ finances, so she didn’t get an enormous amount. Horti’s mother does not tolerate corruption. She suspended Zyla from her role.”

“So, how did Zyla get away with her crimes?” Lisirra continued.

“Horti’s mother moved carefully, as Zyla’s family is powerful. Before she could act, Zyla took Horti’s mother hostage and installed an imposter as Empress. The imposter pardoned Zyla. I don’t know how Zyla did it. Zyla took my mother at the same time. She was another Grep. Another imposter is in her place. Zyla warned me if I spoke out, she would torture my mother. I discovered Zyla intends to kill both of us as soon as she gets her hands on you, Horti,” said Chak.

Chak sat back, ate a pastry, drank a glass of water, refilled it, and drank a second before continuing.

“Are you serious about not wanting to go for six months? If you do that, it will be nearly over. You won’t be able to save anyone. We have six months at the most in our time there. The time there is slower than here and will further slow in the following months. It will be too late if you don’t go across soon. Our shields and tractors are straining to protect us from the supermassive black hole growing at the center of our universe. If you started to build the gates and a bridge today, we would lose almost no one. In nine months here, we will lose ten percent of our people. After that, the rate of loss goes up exponentially.”

“How did Horti land on Earth, and the gate was on Dinnio Prime?” Lisirra asked.

“I will start with some background. Zyla denied the warnings of the scientists who told of the impending apocalypse. Nevertheless, she planned to move to a miniature multiverse discovered by her pet scientist. Your mother secretly sent you to this multiverse on a long trip with friends. We knew from past scout probes it was a newer multiverse to which we could adapt. Your ship took five hundred years to build and cost as much as a developed planet. We couldn’t make enough ships to carry our people. It is tough to survive in the void between Multiverses. Our AIs selected this universe as one to which we could adapt. They installed the gate in the most advanced civilization they found here that was like us. The AIs were programmed to deposit you along with the gate, so there would be plenty of time to transfer our people. Once you activated the gate, your mother intended to send scientists and engineers to start building the gates and the bridge.

“Zyla had a contact who discovered what your mother was planning and programmed the AI to take you to a primitive society that would become like us and to wait until they sent their first rockets to the heavens. Zyla’s contact explained that she did not intend you to return; if you did, it would be too late for your mother and all of us,” Chak explained.

“What must be done?” Annjus asked.

“Over millions of years, we moved all our planets and best solar systems into one segment of our galaxy. Our scientists will create nets allowing us to pull those planets through the gates. Once the gates fire, they establish bridges to gates on the other side. We can move the planets through the gates nearly as fast as we can move a ship, and once we are through, we will take them to similar solar systems in this universe,” Chak explained.