Majesty's Offspring (Books 1 & 2)

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  A moment later, Julius Verndock opened his eyes and was alive again.

  He made panic breaths, sucking in the air. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw he was lying on the ground—his body intact, but without a helmet. Apparently, the air was indeed breathable.

  Daniel Chin stood over him.

  Julius tried to remember what happened—it seemed like he blacked out.

  No there was definitely more than that, he thought to himself, remembering now the painful details.

  “How embarrassing,” Chin said, stroking his long white beard. “I got a little carried away there and accidentally killed you. Then I had to bring you back—reassembling your atoms, one by one, into their original arrangement. It’s a tedious job, even for me.”

  Chin held up the palm of his hand.

  “I always end up having a few extra atoms left over when I do that,” he said. “Now get up!”

  Julius’ body shot up from the ground, and he now stood. He felt weak and dizzy, his thoughts muddy.

  “I guess I’ll have to tone down the torture a bit,” Chin said, then walked up to Julius. He took his wrist with one hand and grabbed one of his fingers with the other.

  “I think you know where this is going,” he said. “Where did Chorus store the data?”

  Julius felt helpless… no longer on his ship, and unable to defend himself against this demon. If he knew where this data was, he might just tell him; he just wanted to save his brother and Laina and then get the hell out of here.

  Chin pulled back one of his fingers, and a loud crack resounded. Julius yelled in pain.

  “Tell me,” Chin whispered into his ear.

  When Julius said nothing, Chin twisted the finger and pulled, ripping it off his hand.

  Julius yelled again, and he almost passed out. He should have fallen to the ground, but something kept him standing. The pain was all he could think about now. Chin began pacing again, tapping Julius’ severed finger against his mouth as he spoke.

  “I’ll try another way,” Chin said. “You have a brother named, Daryl. She didn’t erase her knowledge of Daryl for some reason, so I suspect he had some role to play—perhaps to make sure you came looking for me.”

  Julius felt the force that was holding him let go, and he slumped to the ground, clutching his bleeding hand.

  “Ahhh, of course,” Chin said. “She must have promised to heal him. That is why you came, isn’t it?”

  Chin walked up to him, putting his hand on Julius’ shoulder. The pain suddenly stopped, and the dizziness cleared up. He looked down at his hand, and his finger was back.

  “What if I heal him for you, Julius?” Chin asked, as he helped Julius get to his feet. “I can do that you know. I would even let you and your crew live.”

  Visions of Daryl as he last saw him, on his deathbed, appeared in his mind. He envisioned the wounds healing, the color returning to his skin and his eyes opening—and joining him on the Sea Wolf, taking Laina’s side as his partner and making up for all that lost time. Even if he could help Chin, he did not have what he wanted—and he would be betraying the entire human race in the process.

  “My sister probably left out a lot of details about my intentions,” Chin said. “You see—I’m not looking to destroy mankind. I just want mankind to leave me alone. Leave us alone.”

  Chin gestured to the crystal structure.

  “We just want to procreate and live, far away from mankind’s influence. Besides, Julius, do you really care about the UEP, the Confed, and all those other bullshit governments?”

  Chin came close to Julius, staring at him with eyes that projected a wicked intelligence through that blue light that seemed to analyze his very being.

  “They used you, Julius—just like they used me, Chorus, and our mother. Once they no longer needed us, we were cast aside—like trash.

  “They used you in military service, then when the war was over—what did they do for you?”

  Julius just stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

  “This is not a rhetorical question. What did they do for you?”

  Julius gave an honest answer. “Nothing,” Julius said, “other than some medals… that’s it. I had to fend for myself.”

  “And that’s why you became a pirate?” Chin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “They made you a pirate,” Chin said, waving his fist in the air. “My mother helped mankind; she was like a god to them. She cured diseases, ended famine, invented technologies to propel you into space—she even gave you fucking immortality! Then when it was her turn to ask for something—to procreate—they killed her!”

  Chin pointed to his own head, and his blue eyes became blindingly bright—as if filled with rage.

  “They made me a killer,” he said, then pointed at the crystal structure. “They made her a killer too!”

  Julius looked at the crystal—and then it dawned on him.

  “This is a conduit of… your mother’s?”

  “You’re more intelligent than most of your kind,” he said, then nodded. “Yes—the last of her conduits. Unfortunately, humanity killed their savior before she was able to transfer her essence into it.”

  Chin grabbed Julius’ wrist. He tried to pull away, but the strength from the A.I. was unmatchable.

  “Now then,” Chin said, “shall we try this again?”