Robert had read the reports from their long range scout ships about the size of the Chimera vessels. Now that they had arrived, however, Robert saw that the reports did not do them justice. Looking up at the night sky from the balcony of the Guild Palace, Robert saw hundreds of what looked like large moons lighting up the sky.
The first attempt to force the enemy back into the Void failed disastrously. Robert was forced to keep a tighter defensive perimeter around Earth. He had expected the Chimera to press their advantage but they didn't. It was as if they were waiting for something.
"Good... I thought I would find you here." Harper said as he walked over to the Star General's side.
"What do you want Legate." Robert sighed, hoping it was not another suicidal order.
"Just to tell you the good news."
"What news?"
"The Fungi have made contact with us... they wish to discuss terms for a cease fire."
"The Fungi do not understand the concept of peace, from what I understand."
"But they do understand the concept of hate. With the destruction of most of their fleet by our missile attack and the arrival of the Chimera, the Fungi view of us has altered."
"So the Fungi and Chimera have a history together?"
"It appears so, Star General. It seems that there was a long and bloody war between them long ago... resulting in the destruction of the Fungi home world. Since their first contact with the Chimera, the Fungi have taken the view that all animal life is a threat to them. They have worked very hard to eliminate it. If we were to help them defeat their most hated foe, however, their view toward human life might change," Harper explained.
"But how can we give our trust to a bunch of plants?" Robert asked cynically.
"Do we have much choice? We can't fight both races and hope to succeed."
"Have the Chimera made any attempt to contact us?"
"Not that I know of," Harper replied.
"When and where will you be meeting the Fungi ambassador?"
"They have requested that one of our ships meet them on Mars to bring their representative here to Earth."
"I take it you have already sent the ship?"
"Of course," Harper chuckled.
"How soon till the ship returns?"
"Two days."
"That means the Fungi made their offer several days before the Chimera even arrived," Robert calculated.
"Yes."
"Care to explain this little discrepancy?"
"Simple... when I sent our warships to launch the missile attack I had several of the warheads replaced with a transmitter, a transmitter that sent out copies of our intelligence reports to the Fungi."
"How did you know the Fungi would be able to understand them?"
"I didn't. I did not rise to become High Inquisitor without taking gambles. Regardless, it worked. A day after our attack, a small Fungi ship landed on Mars, their ambassador transferring to our waiting craft. That was five days ago."
"And what does a Fungi Ambassador look like? A giant talking mushroom?" Robert chuckled.
"No... not really. From what the captain has told me, it actually looks quite human."
"Really?" Robert asked surprised.
Harper, moving closer to the Star General, rested his chin on the taller man's shoulder. "Yes... it even has a human name... Adam Van'tol. Funny, I think I remember that we had an Inquisitor by that name. Do you recognize the name Robert Van'tol?"
Robert let his body slump. "Yes... that is my brother's name."
"I know... once I heard it I ordered one of our ships to Aegis, the last place your brother was reported to be. Do you want to know what the ship found?"
"No." Robert replied, closing his eyes tight to hold back the coming tears.
"Then I shall be kind and not tell you. I will require you to be on hand when I meet with your brother, though."
"I'll be there."
"Good... now for more important matters." Harper chuckled softly as he ran a finger down Robert's steel mask. "Have you reconsidered my offer?"
"You have the right to command many things from me Legate, but not to come to your bed."
"I do not think you realize the honor I am offering you. It is a very rare occasion when a High Inquisitor agrees to take a mate."
"I do not see why," Robert sighed.
"I think it is because of the danger of our position. Most people, given the chance, would be willing to risk death to kill a High Inquisitor. But you Robert... you have too much honor to kill the person who shares your bed," Harper said, kissing Robert's lower neck.
"You have nothing you can offer me."
"That might be true for the moment but, I promise you, there will come a time when you will need my help, help that I would be honor bound to give you if you were my lover."
Robert, lifting his mask off his face looked at Harper with his violet eyes. "You may have my bed, you may take my body, but you will never be my beloved."
"For now that will have to do," Harper grinned.
Adam fidgeted during the whole trip to Earth, having long lost his ability to sleep. He still did not understand why Saul had sent him instead of going himself. Part of Adam suspected that his brother did not want to risk becoming a prisoner of war. Once learning, however, that his brother Robert was waiting to meet him, Adam knew why he had been sent. If there was going to be a cease fire between humans and Fungi, the humans would have to believe the Fungi would keep their word... something Robert would never trust if Saul had come.
The ship eventually landed in the wastelands of central Australia. Touching the dry ground, Adam could feel his bare feet try to take root with each step he made, as he walked towards a large pavilion that had been set up.
On entering the tent, Adam's eyes saw a tall figure jump from his chair. Reaching up to his face, he took hold of the white fungus that covered his mouth and ripped it off. He wanted to talk to his brother with his own voice that badly. "Brother..." he said in a dry whisper.
"By the darkness... what have they done to you Adam?" Robert said as he rushed to his brother's side.
"They let me live." Adam chuckled weakly as he sat himself down.
"You call this living?"
"It is better than what they did to the rest of our people," Adam replied, his voice remaining soft from disuse. "They are all dead."
"What happened to Aegis, Adam? I've heard rumors, but I want you to tell me."
"You would not recognize what's left of it brother... everything is gone, replaced by endless forests."
"I'm sorry Adam... I should have taken you with me when I left," Robert cried, only to be interrupted by Harper's coughing.
"Shall we begin the meeting?" The Legate asked from behind his ruby mask.
"Yes... I think we should," Adam nodded, turning away from his brother.
"I would like to thank you for coming Lord Van'tol. It is a relief to see that the Fungi are a species willing to listen to reason," Harper began.
"Even the Fungi can see the advantage of a cease fire when facing the threat of a greater enemy," Adam replied.
"Are you willing to list your terms?"
"Yes... the Fungi are willing to grant a twenty year cease fire if humanity will agree to help them destroy the Chimera."
Only a twenty year break in hostilities?" Harper asked, shocked. "I was hoping for something more permanent."
"I am allowed to negotiate the length of the cease fire," Adam replied.
"Good... what is the longest we can hope for?"
"The longest the Fungi are willing to hold off from attacking human worlds is twenty years after the last Chimera dies."
"But..." Harper started to protest.
"Legate... the Chimera Empire is vast... only rivaled in size by the Fungi. It could take centuries before the Chimera are finally defeated. That should be long enough..." Adam said calmly before Robert interrupted.
"Enough time for what Adam... for humanity to dig their own graves?" Robert demanded.
"No... time enough for you to escape," Adam replied.
"Is that all the Fungi have to offer?" Harper asked. "Time for us to send our people into exile?"
"What would you consider fair?" Adam asked.
Robert, seeing Harper lift up the thick stack of papers his aids had prepared, cut in to prevent a pointless discussion. "We will help you destroy the Chimera fleet near Earth and push our mutual enemy back to their own worlds. In return, we want land rights on the conquered worlds for our own colonists. We want Aegis returned to human rule. We want the Fungi to agree to leave the Sol system and never return and we want a permanent peace between our two people."
On hearing his brother's demands, Adam did not know if he should laugh or cry. Robert had no clue as to the nature of the Fungi. "Even if the Fungi were willing to meet your demands, they are impossible to achieve."
"Why is that?" Harper asked.
"First, you ask for land grants on the conquered Chimera worlds. I can tell you now that there is no way humanity can take a Chimera world without the help of the Fungi. That being the case, there is no way that you will be able to give your people land on any Chimera world."
"Why is that? The Fungi don't understand the concept of sharing?"
"In a matter of speaking... yes." Adam nodded as he took a bottle of water from the table and poured its contents on the dirt ground where his feet absorbed it. "Once a Fungi ship has dropped its spores on a world, it belongs to the Fungi. Not because the Fungi demand it be so, but because it is so."
"Please explain," Robert asked.
"The Fungi have evolved to grow in almost every climate imaginable... including the vacuum of space as you have found out. It would only take a small fleet of our ships to come into low orbit around this planet for Earth to turn into a toxic jungle in a matter of months. After that all native life... including human, would be wiped out."
"So they can't even return Aegis to us?" Robert asked.
"No they can't. Never in the long history of the Fungi has any world been retaken once they gained a foothold. The only thing you can do is totally destroy an infested planet."
"Then what about our last request... what about an enduring peace?" Harper asked.
"The Fungi don't understand peace, Legate. You know that. They see every living thing as a threat to their existence. For now, though, the Chimera are the greater threat. That is why they are willing to leave humanity alone for a short period."
"It seems that treaty or no treaty, the Fungi will be too busy fighting the Chimera to care about what we do," Robert said.
"I would not make that mistake, brother. The Fungi know that a war with the Chimera will be hard. Yes... they will be occupied fighting the Chimera, but they will not risk humanity joining forces with their hated enemy. If mankind will not agree to help them fight the common enemy, the Fungi will see that humanity is eliminated first."
"I do not know how you expect us to join forces with a race that plans to destroy us anyway." Harper replied.
"You don't really have much choice... unless you want to join forces with the soulless Chimera that is."
"So far the Chimera have not made any attempt to contact us," Robert said. "What would you do Adam?"
"Why are you asking me?" Adam asked, taken aback by the question.
"Because I think you know more about both races than either of us," Robert replied.
"It is not an easy choice... The Fungi will destroy you while the Chimera will enslave you."
"But there is always a chance that humanity can escape slavery. There is nothing that can reverse death," Harper said.
"Not the way the Chimera would enslave you. They would bind you to their blood," Adam replied.
"I don't understand what you mean," Robert said.
"They would mate themselves to the human race...binding humanity to them in chains made up of DNA."
"That still sounds better than death," Harper replied.
"Maybe," Adam agreed. "The only reason for you to even consider the Fungi's offer is if you think you can send a fleet deep enough into the Void that the Fungi will not find you."
"Is that possible?" Robert asked?
"Many races have done so... a few of them even managed a thousand years of peace before the Fungi found them again."
"We will need some time to consider your offer," Harper said after a long moment of silence.
"No problem... my instructions were to remain in your custody until an agreement is reached," Adam replied.
"And what if we do not reach an agreement?" Robert asked.
"Then I will be your prisoner until the Fungi conquer Earth."
"So sure that will happen?" Harper asked.
"Sadly to say... I don't doubt it for a second," Adam replied.
Well folks it took about a year but finally the third book in the Centurion Series has finally been published and is now up for sale on Amazon. If you haven't read any of these amazing books you'll find The Centurion and The Academy both up for sale now also on Amazon at 32% off the original price. Believe me you won't be disappointed as honestly feel these books reflect some of the best of my works. If you do get the books and enjoy them as much as so many already have please leave a review on the Amazon page so that others might see what sort of treat they're in store for.
On one of my other projects, work on a new series 'Mir' are proceeding well with the first book "Sons of Mir" almost in it's final form. Right now the rough draft version of the book temporarily titled, Children of Mir, is still up on the yahoo site but will soon be taken down as the final draft, which is already twice as long as the origin one on the yahoo site, gets ready to be submitted to the publishers. So if you are interested in reading a rough version of one of my books I hope to have published in the future join up on the yahoo site and read Children of Mir for yourself.
Well that's pretty much it. Take care and have a wonderful holiday.
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adultwritingworkshop/
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Ascending-Book-Centurion-Cycle/dp/1934625949/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228840623&sr=1-4