Rising Tide: Peacekeeper Series, #3

By Paul Haedo

The events on Takalu had changed the Terran Republic forever. The admittance of the Eranian Union into the republic, a civilization that was the equal of the republic in every single conceivable way, is a testament to this fact. However, with great blessings, the universe tends to follow with great misery. 

The Zalu superweapon had been uncovered thanks to the efforts of the Calyster and her crew, and when the weapon is deployed against the republic, the crew of the Calyster is quickly called back into service, as the republic finds herself at war with the Zalu Empire. Now retrofitted with the best gear that the republic can cover, the Calyster is sent on a secretive mission, a mission that may prove as eventful and important as the one that led the Calyster to Takalu. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Solan Publishing
• Release date: Nov 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223358268

Paul Haedo

Paul Haedo is an author, poet, philosopher, and all-around free spirit, who enjoys the twin joys of writing and reading in his spare time. Paul believes that there is no limit to the number of genres and topics that one can read and write about. An all-around reader and author is something to aspire to according to him, not shy away from.  Such a sentiment is reflected all throughout Paul's total body of work. It is reflected in the many topics that he writes about, in the different arguments that he proposes, and in the worlds that he creates. No matter the topic, or the book, Paul tackles it just the same, with an intense passion for wisdom, and a great desire to see others share in the wisdom and joy of reading and writing.  

Book preview

Chapter One

"I t is better for you if you do not know something, because the truth is more painful than not knowing." I’ve always heard that saying all throughout my life, and I never understood the meaning until now. Oh, how true it is!

Xander! How’s the swimming coming along? Asked a familiar voice.

It was a woman’s voice. It had a tone of sweetness, yet behind the sweetness was great strength. It was clearly an Eranian woman, but the neural transmitter had not captured the nuance of the voice, so I had no idea who it was. The coldness and density of the suspension gel that was all around me did not help much either, there was no way that I could make out a distinctive voice, much less hear it clearly, through the gel.

It is going well, I understand now why babies cry when they are born, they have to endure nine months of this! I replied, my neural transmitter quickly zapping my thoughts back to the woman.

I see. In that case, be patient my little peacekeeper, after all you only have a few more weeks, and then Era’s blood will flow strongly through you!

Was it Lillya, Entalia, or Kutli? It had to be one of the three.

I shall be patient then. I replied.

Do you know who you are talking to Xander? Retorted the Eranian.

No, unfortunately the neural transmitter does not capture your voice in sufficient detail in order for me to determine that. I know that you are an Eranian, and a woman as well. I replied with a mighty smile, even though there was no way that she could see it.

Oh, how do you know that? Teased the Eranian woman.

The predator energy is strong, I feel like a calf who managed to escape up a tree, staring down at a hungry lioness with piercing eyes.

You are very wise my little peacekeeper, very wise.

A few moments later, I could hear small vibrations through the gel as the Eranian woman walked away. I could not move, nor could I breathe, all that I could do was think. The Eranian doctors told me that the genetic augmentations have to be done under suspension, especially when they are done to an adult. Still, the wait until my return to the land of the living was agonizing.

No one talked to me regarding the Zalu Empire, and whether the war had started. I was still aboard Alpha Station alongside the rest of the Calyster’s crew, and we were more or less on shore leave until the experimental retrofits were installed. Lillya had pulled a few strings and gotten me on the list for the first Terrans who were to be genetically augmented with Eranian technology. My recent conversion to Eranianism, followed by my exemplary service on my previous mission to Takalu, made me an obvious choice. The good word put forth by Lillya, practically guaranteed my place in the augmentation roster.

I’ve been here for over a month, according to the doctors who constantly supervise me. I’ve had tens of thousands of needles enter my body in every single possible place that one can imagine, yet the needles were so thin that I felt nothing other than a slight tickle, a feeling quite similar to that of an acupuncture needle. Everything about me was to be enhanced, the best genes delivered to my cells in the form of viral infection, slowly but surely transforming the trillions of cells in my body into Eranian cells.

I have to float in a chamber of goo because I lack an immune system due to the genetic augmentation process. If I were to get an infection, my days would be numbered. I breathe the goo, which keeps me alive, and helps to infect my lungs with the viral agents that are needed to augment my cells with the new genes. I’m connected all over with tubes and cables, which serves as supplementary support to my respective organ systems, as I float aimlessly and helplessly day after day.

I’m visited by people from time to time, but the solitary existence is unbearable. I drift in and out of sleep, and I feel like I’m always falling, since I have no sense of up or down. The only thing that I can feel from the outside are the vibrations in the goo, which occur whenever someone walks near me.

I woke up one day to a great disturbance in the goo. It was humming and buzzing with great intensity, and I jumped out of my sleep without any delay. I cannot move or even open my eyes; I have no connection to my body. I cannot feel anything other than a vibrating buzz all around me, and I frantically yell through my neural transmitter, in order to get some answers.

Hey doctor, what are you doing? I demanded.

We have just introduced a new viral agent into your liquid matrix, and we’ve powered up all of the auxiliary systems in order to help disseminate it all throughout your body. Replied the doctor through the neural transmitter.

Are we at war with the Zalu Empire?

Xander, I know that you have a million questions, but as I’ve told you a dozen times previously, you are to be kept in the dark until your augmentation process is finished. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news once again.

How much longer?

You’re getting close soldier. The Eranian augmentation doctors who are working alongside me tell me that it’ll just be a few more days, and then you’ll be ready for your final cybernetic augmentations. After that, you will be set to seduce half the galaxy peacekeeper. Replied the doctor, and I could swear that he chuckled as he uttered that last sentence.

Very well doctor, I shall remain ignorant until then.

I’m putting you to sleep soldier, you’re doing great, just hang on a little bit longer, the next few days will pass like a peaceful flash.

The doctor was a damn liar. The final few days were utter agony, as my freshly augmented organic body systems came online one by one. Strong and intelligent, thanks to the Eranian genes that they contained, they demanded to be let out of this liquid tomb with all earnest. My skin burned, my mind raced with several emotions and thoughts at the same time, and my sensation to sound and vibration waxed and waned with the hours.

This continued until everything went blank, and I couldn’t feel or think all that much. No doubt that ordeal was a reboot test, to see if the augmentations took and that the body was healthy. I asked several times for an update, at least I think I did, but I received no response. All that I could do was drift through the goo, wondering how the war, if it had started by now, was going. I was confident, the Zalu Empire had the Atomi Confederacy under their neural acclimator thumb, but we had the Eranian Union in our republic.

I woke up, but this time I opened my eyes. It was cloudy at first, but I could see white light in front of me, until my eyes sharpened, and I could see the ceiling lights of the room. A face entered my field of vision, it was a man, with a face that would attract a thousand different women. It was an Eranian face.

Xander Martin, follower of the goddess Era, and peacekeeper serving aboard the vessel Calyster, welcome back to the land of the living.

The Eranian man smiled as my eyes locked in and analyzed him. I could not move my body, but I could tell that he was clearly one of the Eranian augmentation doctors that was assigned to Alpha Station. My curiosity begged me to ask the following question, and I allowed it.

How many Terrans are being augmented aboard Alpha Station?

100,000 Terrans. They are mostly marines and scientists.

Are they up and about?

A few, but you are among the first that have completed the process.

I see, what now?

The Eranian man smiled for a moment before replying: Well Eranian, now you live your life in service to Era. Spread her blood throughout the universe through your seed, find her long lost children that are scattered throughout the stars, and finally, convert as many as you can into our family.

I see doctor. There is a small problem, I am unable to move my arms or my legs. Actually, I can’t move anything other than my eyeballs. I replied.

One second Xander. Said the Eranian doctor, and he walked out of sight. After a few moments, I felt as if a massive weight had been taken off of my chest, and the Eranian doctor reappeared.

Alright, try to get up and sit on the bed, slowly.

I did as he instructed, although it was clearly not ‘slow’ enough. I almost jumped out of the bed headfirst, before the Eranian doctor grabbed my shoulders and stopped my movement. I was utterly confused.

What the hell was that? I asked in disbelief.

That was you. Do not forget that you have just been augmented. Your old gauge of strength and power is no longer accurate. Try to do everything as if you were a sloth, very slowly, and with as little strength as possible.

Obeying his instruction, I lifted my arm as lightly as I could. It skipped up, as if I were lifting it up quickly out of reflex. I smiled as I saw the sight.

Alright, I’m going to need to relearn my body, there is no way that I’m combat capable in this state. I said honestly.

I agree with you, that is why you are being sent to physical therapy, I estimate that you’ll be back on your feet in two weeks to a month, tops.

Now that I was free of the liquid tomb, I wanted the answer to the question that I’ve been asking for the previous month or maybe two, I could not recall the number of days that have passed since I started this process.

The Zalu Empire, are we at war? I demanded.

The Eranian doctor sighed before replying: Yes. We never got an official diplomatic ‘declaration of war’ from them, but they started to raid the borders of our republic a few days after you went in. The Terran Republic declared war, and the Atomi Confederacy declared war against us around ten hours after we sent out the official declaration. Replied the Eranian doctor.

Let me guess, in defense of the Zalu Empire.

Indeed. They even went so far as to broadcast to the rest of the galaxy their intentions. They wish to defend against ‘overwhelming aggression from the Terran Republic’, I swear this entire station collectively roared in laughter when we saw their press conference.

I like the sound of it, overwhelming aggression from the Terran Republic, I hope that is our current war strategy, they need a good kick to the face for all the pain that they have caused over the centuries.

Sadly, that is the point where my knowledge ends. I’m an augmentation doctor, not an admiral of the fleet. You’ll have your answers soon enough, once you clear physical therapy and report for duty.

Very well, where’s physical therapy aboard this massive station? I asked, as I started to turn to get up. I did not go anywhere however, since the Eranian augmentation doctor grabbed me before I could step off of the bed.

Not yet my young Eranian, we have a bunch of tests to do before I can clear you to stand, much less walk to physical therapy.

He wasn’t lying, over an hour of tests, vision tests, hearing tests, cognitive tests, general limb dexterity tests, there was a test for everything. Each and every test however, I passed perfectly, and the tests were helping me to get acquainted with my new body.

After a while, a woman walked in. She was plain in appearance, just an average Terran woman who wore a nurse’s uniform. But I felt something much different than what I would have felt before my augmentation. It was a very strong sexual desire; for my new body, this plain jane was a woman that needed to be pleasured and loved for all time. She caught my gaze, and immediately blushed when she saw my face and eyes.

I’m to help with the patients physical doctor. Said the nurse.

Go ahead, I’ll man the scanner. Replied the Eranian doctor, and he went to the back of the room.

The woman took out a few instruments from the shelf to my right, placed them on one of the medical tables, and then wheeled the table towards me, until it was at my right. She grabbed my right arm and started to place several electrodes along my forearm. She repeated the process with the other arm, as well as my legs. The entire time, I stared intently at her ever-reddening cheeks.

The patient is ready.

Understood, beginning Test Series A.

I could feel my arm and leg muscles spasm in regular intervals, as the electrical signals from the electrodes forced them to contract. At first it was very slight, almost undetectable even, but they quickly increased in intensity, until the spasms caused cramps and irritation.

Test Series A is good, ready the patient for Test Series B nurse.

Right away doctor.

The nurse removed my hospital gown shirt, and started to place electrodes all over my shoulders, chest, neck, back, and abdomen. My body was very lean and muscular from all of the augmentations that have been done to it over the past month, and my Eranian face certainly did not help as the nurse continued to blush. I could swear that her hands trembled as she placed the final electrodes on my pectoral muscles.

He’s ready doctor.

Beginning Test Series B.

The contractions started slightly, the same as in Test Series A, and increased in intensity until my muscles started to cramp. The nurse stared intently at my spasming muscles, while I stared intently at her beautiful cheeks, which blushed crimson red. This went on for around a minute or two.

Patient passed Test Series B, prepare him for Test Series C.

Yes doctor.

The different test series went from A to E and took around a half hour to complete. The poor nurse had bright red cheeks, which she luckily did not realize or else she’d be mightily embarrassed. The Eranian doctor looked at her and understood immediately what the issue was.

The patient has responded well to all five test categories. He’ll need a final checkup in the evening once he finishes his first day of physical therapy. I’m assigning you to do the checkup, report the result to me once you have gathered the data. Ordered the doctor, who looked at the nurse.

I’ll be glad to do so, be well Xander. Replied the nurse, and she promptly left the room.

You are one cruel Eranian. Hissed the doctor to me.

What? What did I do? I replied.

The poor woman was begging for your Virtus, and all that you could do was give simple answers when she asked how you were doing.

I’m sorry doctor, but in the Terran military, intimate relations with fellow sailors and soldiers are not exactly, what’s the word, permitted.

Luckily such draconian regulations are being removed at light speed. Either way Xander, Era has given you many gifts through this augmentation, your relationships are going to rapidly change. The doctor abruptly stopped.

I turned around to face the doctor, and I saw that he had went to the back of the room and grabbed a hand-held mirror. He walked back to me and handed me the hand-held mirror.

Look at yourself. He ordered, and I did.

Wow. That was the only word and reaction that I could come up with. My face was perfectly symmetrical, with an incredibly sharp and strong jaw, mighty cheekbones, and eyes that could pierce the armor of a battleship. If I were to go back home to New Italy, I would no doubt be plastered on every single modelling magazine and advertisement in existence. The more that I stared at my face, the more that I fell in love with it.

You can see why the nurse was blushing with an intensity that was hotter than the sun. Now look at your chest and arms. Ordered the doctor.

I did so, and the muscles were perfect in appearance. The augmentations have vastly increased my strength, all while enhancing the appearance to be as perfectly attractive as possible. I could see no fault, every muscle group was prominent, but within restraint. Not a single flaw in sight.

Chapter Two

The doctor wheeled over a stool, and sat down in front of me, taking the hand-held mirror from my hand. He said: Xander, you no doubt have been asking throughout your peacekeeping career, why do the Eranians ‘look’ the way that they do?

I’ve had that question come up several times, aye.

The answer is quite simple my young Eranian. In the old days, back before genetic augmentation was perfected by the Eranian Union, there was a great imbalance in the distribution of Virtus. Both sexes, men, and women, never received the Virtus that they needed, all because the mutual sexual attraction that is needed for the exchange of Virtus was so rare. There is a reason why such attraction is mentioned in terms such as star-crossed lovers. It is so rare, that only the rare crossing of stars can make it happen.

I’m familiar doctor, the attractive people go on to model and star in entertainment mediums; they use their attractiveness for wealth and power.

An utter corruption of what it should be! Everyone else never finds their ‘star-crossed’ match, and they settle for the best that they can get. Settle for the best that they can get, how is that in any way love? Or mutual exchange of Virtus? Asked the doctor, with some passion in his voice.

Forgive me doctor, but my religious knowledge regarding Eranianism is still miniscule. The Virtus, that’s the life energy?

Yes, it is a faint flicker of the god energy that all Eranians had before our heavenly thrones were stripped from us. Depending on your sexual orientation, you need either the masculine or the feminine Virtus, others need both in varying amounts. Some lucky souls can get all of the Virtus that they need from a single partner or polycule. The vast majority of us, however, need several sources in order to make sure that we have the Virtus that we need.

I see. And the augmentations that make all Eranians insanely attractive, that is to make sure that the maximum possible combinations of mutual sexual attraction between two or more people occur? I asked.

Exactly Xander. Now we can freely flirt with each other, and only rarely find a situation where the sexual attraction is not mutual. In those rare cases, we move on and wish the other individual all the best in their search for Virtus. I take it that you have not had much mutual sexual attraction in your previous flirtations and searches?

Barely anything at all, unless you count Eranian women of course. I replied, and we both laughed strongly for a few moments before settling down.

"Well, your life is going to be much different now. Take things slow, but not as slow as I saw you do just now. That poor nurse’s heart was at the point of bursting, do not make her suffer