• Prologue

    Distant arguing could be heard through the doors of the large room, despite the size of the lounge. The arguing ceased and the doors creaked open and a small woman dressed in business attire entered.

    ‘I’m sorry Mr. Richards but a woman is here saying that you requested her immediately’ the small woman said timidly.

    ‘Out of my way’ a voice said from behind the door.

    A woman began to step into the room pushing aside the business woman.
    ‘Ah, Lara, so glad you could make it on such short notice’ the man smiled, ‘I trust you know why I invited you here?’

    ‘It’d better be good Richards if you had me take a shuttle all the way from Farion and then deal with your secretary’ Lara replied, a hint of hostility in her voice.

    Richards chuckled. ‘Remember you’re in my office now, show at least some respect to my employees’

    Lara had never been to Richards’ office. It was quite extravagant, the floors were solid polished wood and some of the walls were made of a rare type of metal. There were several bookshelves that extended to the ceiling, which was at least twenty feet high. The room had many taxidermy animals from all over the galaxy, some of which Lara had thought to be extinct. Richards began to rise from his desk. Lara’s eyes made their way over to Richards, Richards clearly noticing that Lara had never been in his office before.

    Lara’s gaze went back to examining the room.

    ‘We need to talk Lara.’ Richards said interrupting Lara’s focus. Lara’s attention returned to Richards. He motioned for her to take a seat in front of his deck. Lara figured if the rumors about Richards were, she was about to be lectured so she chose to take the seat with a particular reluctance towards the coming speech. Richards noticed the subtle hesitation.
    ‘
    As a member of the United Terra Alliance, I think you need to be reminded of our history!’ Richards exclaimed with an increasing aggravation to his voice.

    ‘In 2176, the growing populations and lack of food ignited a massive global war. The UTA saved earth from total destruction by uniting all world governments under a single banner. Because peace had finally been obtained on earth, the UTA decided that it would colonize the final frontier. Over a few decades all the worlds’ researchers began to work together to develop a faster method of space travel and the Ether Drive was born. It made travel between even the farthest stars possible in just days by creating a wormhole between locations’ As Richards spoke his oration Lara couldn’t help but wish those rumors had no
    truth to them.

    ‘And so the UTA became an empire spanning millions of worlds across the galaxy.’ Richards continued ‘We lived in a golden age of unprecedented scale for hundreds of years. The T-Net was invented to unite all the worlds in a network of communication and knowledge, new engine designs arose, and a new fuel source was discovered, Cora. But now the years of prolonged exposure to alien environments and genetic alteration starting creating random mutations in the humans across nearly all worlds. Can you imagine a UTA where people that can warp tanks with their minds or read your minds? Although it happens to very few we need to cull them from the population before they reproduce and
    make more of themselves.’

    Lara opened her mouth to speak but Richards noticed this and silenced her with a wave of his hand so he could continue with his lecture.

    ‘I’ll be damned if I will be the man who lost all we have worked to accomplish. I’ve run the UTA from the shadows for years and I will make sure I don’t lose this control government to these...these…’ Richards was at a loss for words but unfortunately for Lara it was only a brief respite. ‘…Freaks!’ Richards finally exclaimed, ‘and your little social experiment has been going on for the past three hundred years on that little shithole you call Farion. The past leaders may have put up with you, but I won’t. We need to destroy all these so called Elix or whatever they call themselves instead of ferrying them to some backwater colony and letting them spread. The normal humans there weren’t even taken off world and we can’t let them off now, they’ll talk. The public must never know about these things!’ Richard prepared to continue on his rants but Lara couldn’t stand it any longer. She sat up from her chair and slapped Richards across the face. Richards stood there stunned; he gently moved his fingers to the red handprint that now resided on his left cheek. Richards quickly
    shot a glare at Lara.

    ‘They are people Richards!’ Lara exclaimed, now furious and slightly emboldened by her actions. ‘And if you forget, you’re talking to an Elix!’

    ‘Don’t forget Lara, your own people refer to you as one of the “Damned”. Your longer lifespan doesn’t make you better than me, in fact the only thing that makes you any different from those common killers is that you don’t die in the sun so don’t act as if you’re better than me or anyone else!’ screamed Richards.

    Lara tried to come up with a rebuttal but words seemed to escape her. Richards’ words hit her harder then she could have possibly anticipated. She fell back into her seat; tears began to build in Lara’s eyes. Richards moved to consol her but chose not to lest he gain another imprint. Lara stood back up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

    ‘I will keep Farion running’ Lara said with a slight trembling in her voice. ‘The data gathered is more than enough to justify it’
    Richards smiled. ‘Fine, but I will only accept one more batch Elix’s. The Colonies Terra’s Glory, Vorn II, Isles, and Yor III are the last scheduled for screening. Seeing as I have experience on Vorn II I suspect some Elix might be existing there, so that will have to be your last subjects the rest will be terminated’

    ‘Oh yes I almost forgot about your brilliant teacher disguise.’ Lara remarked ‘Fine, but I
    intend to ferry them personally this time no more of your grunts killing my subjects’

    ‘Then we’ve reached an accord.’ Richards said, ‘Goodbye, oh and if I hear there are any problems on Farion I’ll attend to them personally.

    ‘Fine.’ Lara replied trying to keep the anger out of her voice as best she could. Lara stood up and stormed out of the office finalizing the argument with slamming the door.

    ‘I really hate that woman’ Richards chuckled to himself while gently examining feeling the still red hand print on his cheek