Star People Legacy, Smith, T.L. [big ebook reader .TXT] 📗

areas. Why is it here, in these particular mountains? Do we have any better geo-surveys?”

Someone pulled up more maps, satellite geo-formation maps used to monitor aquifers in agricultural areas. “The processes have gotten better since they started this, but the mountains are probably too dense for the scans.”

Movement drew my attention away from the table. Casey had left the spot where he’d been quietly listening. He came up behind me. Eyes all shifted to him and he froze. “Sorry, not to interrupt, but I have a question.”

“Of course. You know this area, these mountains.”

Casey shrugged. “Well, maybe it’s a stupid question, but if this thing’s been here for ten thousand years, why is it only on this continent. Why not Mexico, South America, or migrated to China or Russia? There’s a lot of water on this planet.”

“It’s not a stupid question.” I looked around the room to see non-Ci’inkwia raising eyebrows here and there. “It just hasn’t been asked in a long time.”

I waved my hand at the tech handling the electronics. “Take this away and show the Maxa’xak.”

The hologram turned into the ugly snake creature that slithered out of the building. The tech froze it in the upraised position. The image exposed short appendages, looking like clawed paws, intended to hold down prey. It was poised over the humans, giving a good size scale. It had horrified my mortal side, but sickened my Ci’in.

“As you can all see, they are as large as their myths. However, their mobility is limited. So migration outward from their initial landing site was slow.” That got a few half-hearted nods from outsiders. “We also found out that they can only tolerate fresh water sources. Salt water is toxic to them, as in battery acid toxic. That was probably a huge disappointment for them, but a blessing for the planet. If they get within fifty miles of a coastline, just the higher saline in the air starts burning them.”

California confirmed that info with a nod. I could see he wanted to speak, so I relented the floor to him. He stood up. “They landed in the northeast shortly after the Clovis event. They would have left the planet in search of another suitable world, but their ship had reached its limits. The ship had enough energy cells left to prolong their stasis, so they slept as the continent recover. With the Folsom period, tribes arrived to resettle the Great Lakes area. That’s when they came out of stasis, spreading out and beginning propagation.”

“And it’s about the time we arrived.” My father spoke up. “They had scattered through the river systems by then. We found a few dead along the east coast and down in the gulf. Killed by the salt water.”

“The rest of them evaded us, making the hunt last for thousands of years. We were close to winning...” My mother spoke, her voice so mournful. “…until white people started migrating to this country. The population went up quickly, but whites had no appreciation for anything outside their one God. They created another level of threat. The Maxa’xak gave up their eastern hunting grounds and headed west.”

I saw Casey’s mouth open, but the Algonquin cut him off. “They went west because the north was too cold for them. The west was lightly populated and still innocent in their beliefs.”

“But not for long. Human migration and a quickly changing environment kept pushing them further and further west. We pursued the few that remained, evading the growing conflicts between the tribes and the new invaders. Even as the People were driven onto the reservations.” My mother looked to the Algonquin. “We kept a low profile and our pursuit.”

“It was understood our battles were not yours.” He bowed his head to her.

I remembered those years, the agony we felt as our friends were killed and oppressed. “Those times have finally passed and our war is close to ending.”

Casey nodded as he considered my last words. “So we have to keep it from reaching a third-world environment.”

“Which is probably why it’s here. It has a constant flood of hosts that no one will miss.” I finished his thought.

My father leaned on the table. “And it’s been here amassing the means to move further south. The vehicles, a helicopter, a small army of infected subjects. This location is now no longer safe, but it has to have a new hunting ground located before it attempts to leave.”

“Which means we have to take it out now, in case it’s already located a new hide-out. So we need to get on with the plan.” It was a bit less subtle than normal for me. My Spirit was getting anxious with the history lesson.

“Yeah, I get the migration and urgency, but…” Casey still looked unsure and didn’t back down. “I still don’t get the repopulation thing. Why are there only this handful of zombie-host men?”

My mother winced at the term and I regretted sharing that reference with Casey. She answered for me. “It takes over a hundred years for a single larvae to mature and humans haven’t proven to be prime vessels. Out of a hundred people, only one or two might accept the larvae. Then it has to actually survive to maturity.”

I looked around the edges of the room to the mortals. “You humans have done a good job at rejecting the larvae, keeping reproduction levels down.” They didn’t fully appreciate the compliment.

Mom took over again. “Once the larvae are introduced, they produce the hormones and cells needed to keep the body regenerating so they can live to maturity. Unfortunately the human brain is destroyed, creating what Casey calls zombies. These creatures aren’t good at maintaining control, so they rely on the telekinetic-type energy of the host.”

“Basically, they’re rather stupid. Hence zombies.” My mother didn’t look at me, knowing the reference came from her, not Casey.

“Yeah, so if you run into a zombie, zombie-kill it. Cut out the heart, blast out the guts, blow off the head, whatever is