Andrew Saxon - Demon's sacrifice

Sprig looked at the code from the command chamber and ran the program through an independent system to avoid contaminating the main system. It would not be a good thing to have the compulsion program loose. Edison watched the program run and suddenly yelled, “Stop it right here.”

Sprig froze the data and then backed it up to the point where Edison shouted. He looked at the data stream and saw an odd line of symbols. “What are those, Edison?”

“Those are encrypted on my species electrical engrams. I think those are the compulsions.”

“That is a very short line of programming.”

“It would have to be, Sprig. It must be transferred easily and resist degradation over eons of time. This looks like a very compact virus that rides all the other programs.”

Sprig looked at the lines of the program and began to see a pattern, “It appears that the fiftieth line is where the main action is held.”

Einstein looked at the line and added, “It is the two hundredth line where the virus is inserted into organic substances.”

Sprig looked and did not see what he was referring. “How do you arrive at that?”

“The last six symbols on the third string match up with the frequency of our nervous system. I believe that this program was written strictly for my species. It won’t work on life forms that have a different frequency.”

Sprig looked closer and shook his main branches, “Whoever wrote this a genius at bioengineering.”

“I agree, but it allows an easy change. Most of the rest of this virus is designed to make the host resist any emotions that might be anything other than viciousness. The finer emotions of love, happiness, and friendship are held in check.”

“What do you mean easy to change, Newton?”

“All we need to do is change the frequency in it and then have it downloaded again into the host. It should overwrite the previous programming and replace it. Since the frequency will be different the new download will have no effect.”

Sprig thought about the suggestion, “What frequency would you use; we don’t want this program around to infect another species.”

“Just choose a frequency of an extinct life form. Do you have any DNA of a species that is extinct?”

“We have some from one of the planets that was harvested by your ship. That civilization is now dead, so it should only affect that now-extinct life form.”

Sprig saw the sudden sadness of the three small spiders. “Don’t blame yourselves for their death children; you were forced to do it. Perhaps this will lead to some good from that loss.”

“I know, Sprig, but we feel the terrible shame of what we’ve done.”

Sprig looked at the records in his main system and after several minutes looked up, “Here it is; this is the frequency of their brain engrams.”

Edison looked at the number and then began typing. The frequency was inserted into the virus and then downloaded into the leg receptacles. “Now we have to see if a certain angry Nest Mother will work with us.”

Sprig looked at the new code, “No, we are going to make her do it.”

Destiny turned his head upside down, “The Nest Mother is stronger than any male. Making her do anything is not going to be easy.”

“None the less, we will make her do as we want. You haven’t seen the power of our Red Warrior’s armor.”

Einstein looked up, “This I gotta see.”

“Me, too.”

“And me as well.”

The Nest Mother was out in the open thinking about how much longer she was going to be left alone when suddenly a silver screen appeared above her and she was teleported into the command chamber. She was also wrapped in some kind of field that kept her immobile and unable to move. She looked around and saw a male of her species, “I must assume you are the Ship’s Male from the missing main ship.”

“Yes, I am, Nest Mother. I no longer am bound by the compulsions you have placed in me.”

“That must be an interesting feeling. I just learned about them.”

Destiny flinched, “What?”

“Don’t act surprised. I was concerned about my safety and still found myself forced to send the families out to harvest. I discovered I could not control my actions and after a long search I discovered that we are a tool for another race of beings. I’ve tried to think about it but every time I try my mind is forced away from it. I also think they have made a new species to remove us. Did you bring me here to kill me?”

“No, Mother; I’ve brought you here to try and remove the compulsions from you.”

“Why?”

“We think you will see things differently once they are gone. We have to try; you are not responsible for what you have done.”

“I must tell you that I am fighting as hard as I can the urge to break free and kill everyone in this room and I don’t know how much longer I can resist.’

Destiny looked at Sprig, “Get her on the platform quickly.”

The Algean nodded to four Red Warriors and they moved quickly forward and lifted the large spider and moved her to the platform. She began quivering as two of the warriors grabbed her two back legs and inserted them into the back two receptacles. She then started fighting the restraints and moved violently back and forth.

“Is it working?” Destiny asked in alarm.

Edison looked at the readout and said, “It’s downloading; just a few more moments.”

The Nest Mother was beyond thought; all she could feel was extreme anger and hate. She felt the extreme urge to kill this insolent male in front of her. And then she felt nothing.

Edison looked at the Nest Mother and saw she had stopped moving, “Is she still alive?”

Destiny looked at the readout on his board, “Yes, she’s unconscious. Move her off the platform and send her back to the planet.”

The Nest Mother jerked and slowly came back to consciousness. She was hurting in all her legs where she had fought the restraining field and she stood up with great difficulty. She looked around, “This is a beautiful day.” She flinched at the thought; she had never had that kind of thought before. She looked around and thought about what had just happened and then she thought about the red being that had said she would make a good tool. She immediately felt anger. “They have controlled us totally.” She then thought about all the members of her species she had ordered consumed and felt an over whelming sadness grip her. She had killed millions, no billions of her children. She lowered herself to the ground and wept for what she had done.

“We need to go now,” Destiny said.

The Nest Mother saw a silver screen appear a distance in front of her and nine beings appeared. Four of them were males of her species, three were still children. The other five were strange creatures with one looking like a tall bush. The four were in some kind of armor holding weapons pointed at her. She rose and waited as they approached.

Destiny thought to her, “Hello, Mother. How do you feel?”

“I have killed so many of my children that I cannot count them all. I despair at the memory.”

“You were made to do it. You had no control over what you were forced to do.”

The Nest Mother looked at the other beings, “You can put your weapons away; I will never kill again.”

Destiny felt her pain and moved forward before anyone could say anything.

“Stop, Destiny,” Sprig thought but he was beside her before he could order her shot.

Destiny placed one of his front legs on hers and said, “We also feel the pain and shame of all the civilizations we have destroyed. We have decided to try and make up for all the sorrow we have caused. Will you help us?”

The large spider with huge fangs looked at her son and said, “I do not think there is enough time remaining to repair all that I have made to happen.”