He watched as Vol finished gathering her things, and left the meeting room in a flourish. The door barely closed when Phl’intaal hit the desk in front of him with a force that did not equal the slightness of his thin arms. The pain in his hand allowed him to quickly let go of the memory Vol's words eluded to without further action, however his burning anger and hatred continued its strangle hold on his chest.
If Vol only knew what was not in the records, she would be far less adversarial. That night, a night that cost him so much. All thanks to one creature. 'Curse you Orkemlis!' He had not heard from or of Orkemlis since his act of betrayal all those years ago, but that was to be expected. Phl’intaal had long ago discovered the truth of his old ‘friend’s’ real identity. A persona steeped deep in myth and legend, a tall tale to scare small children that had become all too real, the Betrayer. He had haunted the galaxy for close to two thousand years; playing his endless and often deadly games on the innocent and unaware. Phl’intaal counted himself lucky that he had slipped out of Orkemlis’s grasp with his skin intact.
Since that fateful evening, Phl’intaal had scoured the Frontier for as much information as he could gather on Orkemlis’s past and had found more than he had expected. In his research, he had discovered that the Star of Life had given Orkemlis his longevity and power. A power Phl’intaal wanted with a hunger that had tainted his every thought and action since. With the Star of Life, he could reclaim his birthright and rule his people and the galaxy for centuries. He would be worshiped as a god. But how to get the Star of Life for himself?
He had to kill Orkemlis obviously, though that was a tall order as many had tried and failed. How then? It was a question that had gnawed at him for a long, long time. He knew one thing though; he would kill Orkemlis someday and take the Star for himself. He would have all the power he truly deserved and his name would be spoken across the stars with the respect it was due and the pathetic Vol’s of the universe would have no choice but to bow before him. “For now, indeed,” He muttered at her retreating back.
* * *
Back in his main lab, Phl’intaal once again pondered the question of how he was going to fulfill his own extinction directive. He needed a massive amount of pre-transgenic compounds, compounds the station had in limited supply. The material was strictly regulated among the worlds of the frontier and it would be almost two years before he could see any making its way to Kopae from his homeworld’s bureaucracy. There would be mountains of requisition work not to mention endless meetings just to beg for something that was his right to have. So again, how should he go about getting it?
He walked through his lab, tech’s running back and forth from one experiment to the other, all trying to please him in their perfection and efficiency. Beyond the lab, a towering wall of windows looked out on to a lush blue-green sphere that was speckled with wisps of white clouds. The planet was Kopae, his race’s world completely devoted to genetic engineering and experimentation. However, the sight of such a beautiful world could not sooth the memories that Vol had rekindled in him. His hatred for Orkemlis knew no bounds and his desire to kill the Betrayer was even stronger than his desire to implement the extinction protocols. Phl’intaal sighed and shook his head. There were far too many things to consider.
As he continued, Phl’intaal came to the last small row of lab tables and his star apprentice Attar. As Phl’intaal watched, Attar moved a small sphere in one hand while writing at a lighting pace with the other. This scene lasted for several sub-units with Attar failing to notice Phl’intaal’s presence. Phl’intaal quickly put a lid on his building rage as Attar was a highly gifted scientist and was allowed a measure of social lapses. Ultimately, Phl’intaal had to lower himself to gently clearing his throat to get his pupil’s attention.
Attar looked up suddenly from what he was doing, greeting Phl’intaal with a pale-yellow face that was covered with a set of magnifying goggles, making Attar’s eyes unnaturally large. “Oh, Sir, I’m terribly sorry I, I didn’t see you there.” Attar put the sphere down, pulled off the goggles and turned to look at his teacher in an insipidly kind expression.
“What is this?” Phl’intaal nodded his long yellow head towards Attar’s work.
“Sir, it is a new project I’ve begun based on some research I discovered. Research that you had started and abandoned ten years ago.” Attar looked down, submissively. “It was to be a surprise, to honor your personal sacrifices in teaching me.”
Phl’intaal did not hear the last of Attar’s words for his mind filled with shock at what he was seeing. He reached out and looked at the notes that Attar was using and quickly had to stifle an outburst of utter frustration. Was he going to be reminded of what Orkemlis did to him so long ago all cursed day? In neat stacks across Attar’s desk were long tablets with mathematical equations written in a perfect, controlled hand. On other databoards were notes…familiar notes that he swore would never again see the light of day, for they had caused him too much pain and humiliation.
Nevertheless, as he moved past his anger, Phl’intaal realized that Attar had not only taken his quantum jump refinement project to the next level, he had surpassed it by several magnitudes of inventiveness. Phl’intaal now added jealousy to the list of searing emotions he was feeling.
He had never seen anything like Attar’s innate talent in anyone-ever. That was saying something considering that his race controlled its genetic potential to a high degree. When one was born it was already determined what caste, vocation, and talents one had. There were almost never any aberrations. Most of those unexpected instances were destroyed when the defect was discovered, to save the purity and genetic integrity of the species. But some aberrations had been deemed beneficial and, like Attar, even encouraged once uncovered in the hopes that the desired traits would be passed on.
“What have you done?” Phl’intaal’s voice was chillingly neutral as he fought to control his raging passions to do any number of unkind things to Attar, all for simply being so gifted.
Attar, unaware of his teacher’s true emotions, continued with his stammering explanation. “…so, you see my Lord, this device has the potential of harnessing any energy source no matter how dangerous.”
Something went off in the back of Phl’intaal’s head. “What?”
“Oh, I said that this small chamber has the potential of harnessing any energy source. The device will have the ability to shield and reconstitute any form of radiation and make it useable. A child could play with it while it held the deadliest form of radiation known. Think of it, we could power a ship indefinitely from its own jump discharge. Trans-galactic travel could finally be possible, quick and practical.”
A smile crept across Phl’intaal’s face; that was it. That was the way to cut off Orkemlis from his source of immortality. His voice was now all-silk, “Where does the project stand now?”
“Only in the earliest stages my Lord, I was simply working on it as a side project in the hopes you might one day allow me to finish it,” Attar said quickly. “But that would take considerable time, and right now the Extinction Phase on Kopae is about to begin.”
“Forget the Extinction Phase Attar; I’m giving you full authorization to start this new project. Not here, however, I do not want you distracted. I have a personal lab on Ricanthis Prime, I want you to gather your things and any equipment you need and get underway immediately. I will have my personal ship take you there once you are ready to leave.”
“Thank you, Sir!” Attar beamed with unrestrained joy as he gathered his notes and departed the lab. Phl’intaal watched him leave with quiet hunger. He had waited a long time for an opportunity to strike at Orkemlis and now the universe had given him one on a neutronium platter. Phl’intaal turned away from the lab and walked over to the titanic windows that opened onto the unparalleled view of Kopae. He would need to have someone keep an eye on Attar in case Orkemlis got wind of this. The Betrayer was not known for being dimwitted or uninformed. Plus, he still needed those transgenic compounds. Whom in this chaotic galaxy could he trust to do both jobs and do them quietly? He pulled his personal com unit from his belt.
“Yes, my Lord?” asked a dull, obedient voice.
“Get me a secure channel to Averaus Dorrn,” Phl’intaal said evenly.
“Working, My Lord. That will take a few moments to complete.”
Phl’intaal looked out into space, a dark smile on his face. “Understood,” He finished walking back to the windows and his racing thoughts. ‘Let it take as long as it has to.’ For once, he was in no hurry.
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