The Vinctalin Legacy: The Ovinka, Book 8 the Message

By Vanda Denton

In an attempt to be accepted as Vinctalin, Zondex has sent a message deep into space, offering for trade the very items that could maintain world security. While Pakow leads his fleet in defence of Earth, Stanzi must take charge of the battle against Zondex’s remaining super-Guards who are trying to take over the world independently of their creator.

Meanwhile the inhabitants of Earth’s one functioning town have scattered in evacuation unaware of the danger of one small ship that slips though Pakow’s defences in search of a piece of technology with a value the custodians can hardly guess at.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781326485078

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The Vinctalin Legacy: The Ovinka, Book 8 the Message

The Vinctalin Legacy: The Ovinka, Book 8 the Message

Vanda M Denton

The Vinctalin Legacy The Ovinka: Book 8 The Message

© 2013 Vanda M Denton

All rights reserved by the author. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers and/or authors.

This book is published by and available from:

VinctalinBooks

www.vinctalin.com

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-326-43291-1

ISBN eBook: 978-1-326-48507-8

The Vinctalin Legacy

A series of novels by Vanda M Denton

The Vinctalin Legacy: Survival

Book 1: Harvest

Book 2: Sacrifice

Book 3: Spawning

The Vinctalin Legacy: Retaliation

Book 4: Infiltration

Book 5: Alliances

Book 6: The Veekeren Element

The Vinctalin Legacy: The Ovinka

Book 7: Zondex

Book 8: The Message

Book 9: Veekeren

The Vinctalin Legacy: 0.0015%

Book 10: Alien

Book 11: Integration

Book 12: 0.00075%

The Vinctalin Legacy: Awakening

Book 13: Covert Operations

Book 14: Miss Kitty

Book 15: Humanity

The Vinctalin Legacy

The story so far

Survival

The Vinctalin arrived in the night, gassing the entire planet with the intention of harvesting it for many commodities, including human organs. The survivors of Earth were enslaved by a human-looking army under the leadership of an Emperor, in order to aid in the harvest. When they realized they were to be killed off at the end of the harvest the Earth Humans, led by Jonathan Trad-Williams and SAS veteran Benjamin Stanzini (Stanzi), rebelled, capturing the Emperor and slaughtering his Vinctalin masters. The surviving Earth Humans took their prisoners to hide in a town away from London. Large numbers of Guards also arrived there unaware of the existence of a truly alien species known as the Vinctalin, who ruled them through the Emperor. But with no Emperor now to control them, the Guards fought one another and in so doing infuriated other Vinctalin harvesting far-flung sectors of the world. With their clan chief, Halbolival, out of reach of communications the lower ranked Vinctalin on Earth slaughtered all of the human-looking aliens that had travelled here with them, except for the Emperor and a few members of his family who had secretly been captured by the Earth Humans. With few trained Guards surviving from the alien ‘human’ army the heroes of Earth were forced to battle the beasts themselves. It was a fight they could not win. However, there was a miraculous eleventh-hour rescue by another group of alien humans: the Disciples, led by Mettle. Long after the bulk of the Halbolival clan moved on, ignorant of the insurgency on Earth, the human rebels found themselves working almost as slavishly for their rescuers as they had under Vinctalin rule. The few survivors out of the Vinctalin slaves were released from captivity with a view to making use of them. Their powerful bio-engineered Emperor (Pakow Lam Fellen) discovered they and their rescuers were in grave danger from a spawning left by Halbolival. They realized they had been deceived by Mettle. They were to be the bait in a trap that would bring the Vinctalin hatchlings to Foundation, the town Mettle had moved them to. Working together with the Emperor they turned the tables on Mettle, making his Disciples the bait that enabled them to kill two hundred new Vinctalin.

Retaliation:

Mettle’s Home World was attacked by the Vinctalin and some of the refugees came to Earth. They tried to drug and recruit Earth Humans to fight in their war against the Vinctalin. Stanzi and Alex (psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Byefield) were away camping. With only a few of the allies of Earth unaffected by their drugs Pitlon Gowry (Pakow’s sister) went in search of them. Together they released their leaders from a state of suspended animation. They imprisoned the Leaders of the Advanced Human Society, eventually negotiating an alliance on their terms. A number of couples decided to have children. Alex remained on Earth to take care of the expectant mothers while the majority of the Earth Humans joined forces with various groups of Advanced Humans for specialized operations. Pakow and his brothers aided King Resh in the liberation of the AHS Home World. Stanzi went with Leader Tep to rescue Advanced Humans on Pressin Vol. Jonathan set off with Mettle to aid the Disciples in an attempt to prevent a Vinctalin spawning on Tosa. There Jonathan communicated with the slave Emperors left on the planet to complete the harvest and persuaded them to aid in the destruction of the hatchlings. Meanwhile a small rogue clan attacked Earth. Alex was tortured in an attempt to engineer him into an Emperor. Pakow’s beloved partner was killed protecting their twins from the Vinctalin on Earth. All but Pakow with his small crew and Mettle returned to Earth from successful space missions. Pakow made a virus he intended killing all Vinctalin with, but on hearing this Alex, left mad from the torture, made incoherent objections, claiming that the Vinctalin fundamentally were bio-engineered humans and such a virus would eventually wipe out all of humanity too. With Stanzi persuaded, and then others, a new urgent mission ensued. Earth Humans worked with Disciples, chasing after Mettle and Pakow to prevent the release of the virus. Unable now to attack the Vinctalin with this method but knowing the location of their Home World, Jonathan came up with a new plan of attack. They massed all of the forces including persuading the two Emperors left on Tosa, Zondex and Laxshoo, to fight with them. Only a few elite Advanced Humans were aware that their success in these battles was down to the unique science of a secret faction, the Veekerens, until Alex uncovered the identity of these clandestine leaders. They found that the large area of solar systems occupied by the Vinctalin was not the only zone they dwelt in. Pakow rounded up and recruited surviving Guards to serve him, after he assassinated their Emperors.

Book 7 The Ovinka/Zondex

Two of Pakow’s long lost brothers (Rosek Isolla and Quivep Mivon) were discovered, along with their battalions of Guards. Unrelated to this, Stanzi’s brother was found to have survived the culling and was brought to Foundation along with friends. The two Emperors who helped in the war, Zondex and Laxshoo, came back to Earth with their surviving armies. Both were known to be cruel and both were recognized as a possible danger. Along with the Guards he brought back from the Vinctalin Home Worlds Pakow Lam Fellen found himself in charge of a very large army of Guards who had been stunned to discover their real rulers were not their erstwhile Emperors but aliens known as the Vinctalin. And who had been raised and engineered to be loyal only to their own race. But his greatest threat came from the two Emperors who were given a home here as payment for their aid in the war. In fact, the allies had assumed they would fight one another. Their expectation was that there’d be only one of them left alive to deal with, but Zondex had other plans. He tried to engineer himself to become Vinctalin, with a view to trading with the beasts. Zondex committed horrific atrocities in this endeavour but Laxshoo showed signs of becoming a possible ally. Pakow severely beat Laxshoo for starting a relationship with Sensad (his youngest sister), but was forced to accept they would be lovers. The allies of Earth were appalled to witness how the Advanced Humans under the direction of the Veekerens treat their own children, and how they rescue survivors of Vinctalin harvesting only to trick and drug them into fighting for them. Caroline left Stanzi and he flew off to be alone in his new surveillance vessel. Zondex’s hideously transformed Guards attacked Foundation but Stanzi contacted Pakow’s newfound brothers who helped fight them off. After Foundation was liberated they realized that Pakow was missing.

Introduction

Some Vinctalin are more talented in their creations than others. A few engineer Emperors who rule over their slaves with efficient care, but all too often the evil nature of the beast is reflected in those men. Thus appalling violence characterises Vinctalite empires. Being an exceptional Emperor, one accustomed to ruling with efficient care, Pakow Lam Fellen is constructing a Planetary Defence System that will keep all his people on Earth safe. It will be superior in quality to anything the Vinctalin themselves possess. But he discovers that Zondex, an Emperor cast in the traditionally cruel mould, has ambitions beyond an alliance to defend Earth. In fact, Zondex’s foolish arrogance leads him to believe he can succeed in a plot more diabolically ambitious than anything Earth’s allies could imagine.

The Ovinka is the third major story line in this series of tales following the fortunes of the survivors of Earth. The Ovinka is presented in three parts the central volume of which, The Vinctalin Legacy Book 8, recounts the consequences of the flaw in Pakow’s plan. The Message is sent deep into space to a destination even Pakow had no previous knowledge of. Meanwhile, as his Guards are defending Earth, one small Vinctalin ship slips through in search of a piece of technology with a value the custodians can hardly guess at.

Prologue

Analysis coming through Chief Fonchesinon. Morgelleral activated its opal, and growled. The Veekenite abodes have repelled the gas and they thwart our sensors.

What data do we have?

There are unconscious Veekenites in the open. They are suitable for harvesting.

They were not here for the purpose of reaping human body parts but Fonchesinon disapproved of waste. It sent orders for a Second to prepare a team for that.

Morgelleral shifted the angle of its spine as the next bit of knowledge reached its conscious brain in the implant. I have analysis of the ash from a Vinctalin incinerator. Much of it is from Veekenite organic material, but much also is Vinctalin.

Fonchesinon snarled, How many Vinctalin?

Hundreds.

That is not possible! Get a team of Seconds down there, pull those feeble creatures from their nests and question them. Any that can give no knowledge of the Ovinka can be used to gain knowledge of Vrenopilod’s activities here. And seek out primitive data storage devices remaining from the Disciples of the Protectors. At the very least we should analyse the nature of a world that can provide protection from our gas, deflect our sensors and give false readings of Vinctalin deaths. In that alone we will gain knowledge for trading.

Morgelleral sent out the orders whilst Fonchesinon personally instructed teams for the capture and questioning of the Veekenites. In less than an hour it was watching holographic visuals of the brown-skinned Veekenites being dragged from their domes. It noted their colourful robes, the big mops of curly orange hair many were being pulled along by, and a close-up of the terrified lilac eyes.

Where is the Ovinka, Fonchesinon breathed into that image. Do you know little pet?

Chara Chatta cradled her young sister in her arms. The only poison they could find in this dwelling was a slow acting one. They had attracted some attention from fellow Sendrans when they took it from storage but had persuaded their companions they simply could not endure this second Vinctalin strike. They had been allowed to go to the very back of the dome to die together.

Did you tell anyone Powvy?

Chara’s urgent question piqued the interest of a frightened Sendran cowering nearby. He listened, slyly hoping for a scrap of bargaining knowledge.

I didn’t even think about it Chara. There has been so much to do since they left last time. If you told no one, our friends at least, are safe. There was a brief silence before Powvy whispered, Chara, I’m so afraid.

It won’t hurt Powvy. We’ll just go to sleep. Don’t think about it. Talk about our friends.

I liked them Chara: Gabrielle, Markos and Stanzi too. He said they might come back for us. Why do you think it was those others who came back?

Dignity? They wanted our help and we helped. We worked hard in those factories, making their weapons for them. We should have gone to their world with them when they offered to take us.

We expected Stanzi to come back. Leaving Pressin Vol seemed possible only if it was to go to his world.

Perhaps he will come back.

It will be too late, Powvy whispered in despair.

Chara said stoutly, Only we know the name of Stanzi’s world and we have told no one. They may not find him and so they won’t get the sacred Ovinka. We can die in peace.

I pray they are safe, Chara.

The Vinctalin have no reason to go to Earth, my dear Powvy. Sleep now, in the knowledge that our friends will live on.

With her last breath Powvy sighed, Stanzi will remember us.

And with her last breath, Chara assured, He will make our memorials, we will not be forgotten.

This felt to be in danger of turning into a farce. Morgelleral took charge of all procedures personally. Many of Fonchesinon’s Seconds were young. They lacked finesse. Too many Veekenites had died without giving an answer. Morgelleral began its demonstration.

These are timid creatures. They can die from fear alone. See me deal with the next one.

It studied the detachable sapphire implants with interest, thinking how easy they would be to copy, and how often they lost Veekenites by implanting their own sapphires. How the Disciples of the Protectors had managed to develop such technology would be a matter for future exploration, but in the meantime the device itself would achieve a valuable exchange of knowledge.

All Veekenites were now conscious, so the removal of their garments was more difficult than these Seconds had so far experienced. The female was writhing and screaming while the Vinctalin sliced through her robes with its talon. Morgelleral watched critically as the talon caught her flesh. It also observed the male closely as they placed his mate on the bench and implanted a sapphire. She had a number of cuts in that soft brown flesh, but they had caused no serious damage. Interrogation would be successful.

Morgelleral summoned the Seconds to watch its technique. Both Veekenites had, as was usual for this stage, quietened. The bloodshot, terrified lilac eyes of the female, stared into Morgelleral’s yellow irises, her eyes fixating on the elliptical pupils. It lowered its bony grey shutters, eliciting a gasp of horror from its victim. She began squirming and keening in pathetic resistance but the Seconds on either side held firm.

Morgelleral felt the energy surge as the fleshy base of its crest flashed electric blue, and it activated the poison gland in its talon. Its victim felt a cold, grey, leathery hand press down on her shoulder and the talon was extended before her panic-stricken eyes. While her friend’s voice screamed at them to leave her alone she felt her bowel releasing its hot contents, as the talon descended to her breast bone, slicing along the length of it.

In gaping disbelief she stared at the beast as it took a step back to observe her reactions. While her friend struggled pathetically against the power of the beasts, yelling at them to leave her and take him, the Seconds took note of their master’s subtlety and patience. It had used the fear that its very presence provided. In short, they had lost their samples because they had been too heavy handed.

Then with raised brows and serious nodding they displayed appreciation of its exquisite timing as the poison took effect. It explained to them that it had reduced the potency in order to not allow this female the escape of death. Even so, she had stopped breathing. It waited. Often these weak little creatures lost the autonomic respiration momentarily. The Seconds watched, listened and learned, while her friend became frantic both because of her condition and the animals’ cold evaluation of it. Her breath recovered in desperate gasps. While the man wept over the miserable knowledge that her survival simultaneously heralded further torture for her, the Seconds commented on how they had not given enough time to this part of the procedure.

Their master’s huge, powerful body stretched to full height as it returned its attention to the pathetic little brown and orange male. He still displayed too much fury and not enough fear. It threw back its head to release the ear-splitting roar. Now when it focused the yellow-tinged eyes on the creature, it saw the fear that was not too great to prevent the faculty of speech, yet great enough to tell all he had ever known. Morgelleral still did not proceed to ask its questions though. Along with their teacher, the Seconds watched as the agony of the poison slowly spread across her chest. Now that she had breath, she could scream.

The male became violently vocal again, but all Vinctalin were intent on watching their master. Easily his captors held the man as he watched his lover helplessly pleading for the torture to stop. Tears of desperate relief slipped down his cheeks when she lost consciousness. In pity, fury and love, he studied the glorious crown of ginger curls that had always been brighter to him than any woman’s. Through a mouth contorted in misery, he begged the beasts to tell him what they wanted. The Seconds were immediately still. Rather than demanding answers from a defiant Veekenite, the feeble creature was begging Morgelleral to allow him to give up that knowledge.

The Sendran stared stupidly at the Vinctalin monster that at once seemed intelligent and yet have no understanding of the horror it inflicted. He saw the general shape of a giant, genderless human being, but for the crest on the hairless grey head. When it opened its mouth, he found the strength to renew his frantic struggle, recalling the acid they spit. But it did not spit. Instead, at last, it asked its question.

Where is the Ovinka?

He tried giving the same answer everyone else had.

It is not at that location. Now tell me the truth.

He had met the humans who saved him from the Vinctalin last time. He had liked them. He had no idea why they would have taken the Ovinka. Chara Chatta knew why, but she was dead. He had one piece of knowledge that could save his love, and it didn’t take much imagination to guess at the consequences of divulging it. All of this would happen to the Home World of those good people.

Morgelleral watched the female’s eyes flicker open. She tried to shrink from its approach, but there was nowhere to go. She could feel little robots cleaning away her putrid mess, while she sobbed in pain and humiliation. Once clean, the Seconds turned her on to her chest.

Morgelleral extended the talon. The male watched the fleshy base of the crest flash blue.

Wait! he shouted.

Morgelleral held the talon above the top of her spine.

Earth, the Sendran whispered in shameful desperation. They took the Ovinka to Earth.

Chapter 1

Obviously the first issue is security. Jonathan cast his eyes around the serious faces at the table, while Stanzi marched back from the coffee bar with a fresh pot of coffee.

No one here was as confident as they had been a week ago. Alex stared bleakly at the area by the east window, where Zondex’s Guard had exposed his still raw fears to the men around this table. Stanzi leant across the table, filling the doctor’s cup, and catching his eye with an almost imperceptible affirmation of solidarity.

Jonathan continued, Having the town attacked in this manner will have severely panicked all our citizens, to put it mildly. We have to ensure we reflect only confidence in our safety.

By no means for the first time, was Jonathan immensely grateful to have Stanzi here. He also smiled warming thanks to Caroline as she took her notepad from the table when the soldier began his report. Stanzi’s vision turned to fog as he watched Caroline prepare to make headings for the newsletter she would be writing. He turned his heart and his eyes to granite as he began a clear report. His voice was more subdued than normal.

Isolla has taken half of what we’re now calling the English Guards, into hiding. They’re a safe distance away in the middle of the arse end of nowhere, and they’re using Pitlon’s ship to monitor for an energy surge of the kind I saw.

Why Pitlon’s? James wanted to understand as much as he possibly could. People in the town would be asking him questions and the better his answers the safer they would feel. He’d seen what some people could get like when they felt there was nothing to lose.

It’s one of the vessels with the best veiling. Pitlon’s certain those buggers can’t track it.

He sipped coffee while he looked around for any more questions on that lot, and then carried on.

Mivon is housing the rest of the English Guards on Zan’s ship. Domay, Rim and half of the Zanists are staying there too. Zan reckons she can set a shield around it that can deflect the blast.

Stanzi, straight backed and confident, repeated his assurances. "The worst that can happen to us in the town is getting zapped again, and being rescued. More likely though, is the buggers won’t get the chance to try again anyway. Tyro’s saturating the Far East with Pakow’s other Guards, winkling out the bastard and his army. If they so much as hiccough they’ll get bloody zapped like fairground ducks, except instead of one boy with a pop gun, they’ll be splattered with a bloody great bomb, just like roadrunner".

Caroline pursed her lips, tutting at the language and violent cartoon likeness given to a situation that was only too real.

Jonathan checked around the table. Only Alex was unhappy with that report, and that was because a whole lot more killing would be going on in his world. Ignoring that, the hardened leader asked James for his account of the mood of the town. Caroline placed her notepad and pen carefully on the table, biting her bottom lip while she stole a glance at Stanzi. Arms folded, and head high as always, her former lover focused on the wall behind Alex. She made herself listen to James’ pleasant Scottish lilt, knowing there was unlikely to be anything newsworthy in it.

Reactions vary, of course. Most of the newcomers are in a state of panic. I’ve got all the usual helpers making the rounds, calming people, promising they’ll have a proper newsletter this evening. Caroline has already circulated the emergency news sheet, which tells them basically that all Guards now in the town are on our side and here for our protection. Mivon is keeping twenty here at any one time. They’re paired with our fighters: mostly Rachel’s kiddies in fact.

He smiled at Jonathan. They’d had a chat earlier about how they admired those youngsters, wondering if they would have been as brave at that age. The smiles faded as both recalled the other part of that conversation. Tyro was satisfied that Isolla could make no attempt to usurp the Emperor whilst his fate was uncertain. What might happen later was open to speculation. For now he had at least accepted physical distance.

With the others still thinking about the youngsters, Jonathan added seriously, They’ve freed up Lizzy, Sam and Leo along with our other reliables so that they can do the rounds of dealing with the tricky ones.

James nodded his acknowledgement of their good work, but now his face took on a grave aspect for reasons not associated with Isolla. We have two major problems. A few of our citizens have left and I’m concerned about how they’ll survive and what will become of them, or more precisely, what they’ll turn into. A couple of them are particularly nasty characters. I’d rather have them where I can see them.

Stanzi nodded. They could be forming into gangs and they knew the comfort of this town. They could start getting ideas about taking it over, or more likely, raiding it.

And? Jonathan asked, sensing something more worrying.

A few have used this as an excuse to revert to the old behaviours.

Bloody hate bastards like that, Stanzi grumbled.

Alex asked quietly, What so far?

Mostly bullying in all its glorious forms. James’ normally pleasant tones took on a hard edge. Some men are harassing women. Just before I came over here Karen came home crying. A man tried to touch her in front of Emily, and although there were people around, no one went to help her when she shouted at him. It was obvious what was going on, and she’s not the only victim.

James never overreacted, even when his own daughter was involved. They all realised he had identified an ominous new element to their society.

Who? Stanzi growled. He watched the Scot through narrowed eyes. He had a number of methods for dealing with nasty gits like that.

Several groups, I’m sorry to say laddie.

His expression warned Stanzi that his best peacekeepers would be working overtime again.

Virtually all youths of course, but we can all help get most of them under control again. Some amongst the French, that vicious crowd over at Callows Yard, and that same blasted crowd near me. That is a real problem Jonathan. They’re no better than right back when Karen had Emily, and their kids are bigger and nastier than ever.

Jonathan gave him the knowing look. We’ll get Leo over there.

They watched Stanzi’s jaw set hard. Patrols would be stepped up, but worst of all his people were going to have to threaten and rough up Earth Humans who should be working with them. Everyone knew the fighters hated this even more than battling Vinctalin.

Jonathan had no doubt of the order of priority for the next few hours at least and in the next few minutes he must get some instructions given, because the last report would stop many of them being able to consider these necessary practicalities. He turned to Caroline.

After we’ve heard the medical report, I need you to get the comprehensive newsletter out. You’ll need Stanzi, James and Kresha for compilation, and then take anyone you need for production and distribution. This is our top priority. We have to get everyone feeling as safe and as settled as possible, and we have to make it clear that order will be maintained. That will get the majority of people under control.

She nodded to Jonathan before glancing at Stanzi, whose sombre gaze was back on the wall.

Jonathan added, Don’t put anything in it from the medical report. We’ll discuss how much of that to disclose at a later date.

Intense brown hooded eyes turned reluctantly to the doctor. He was not in his usual relaxed slouch. Instead he was leaning back in the chair with bowed head, folded arms, and an ankle on a knee. The foot dropped to the floor, the back stiffened, and the hands didn’t know what to do. Finally they were clutched in his lap, as he leant forward a little, accepting he had to get straight to the grimmest details they all had to hear, and that he didn’t want to say aloud to anyone.

I had Pitlon, Irena and Amrik working with me. We’ve reached an agreement in interpretation of their purposes and motivations. It was complicated until we realised they were not necessarily working together, and they were not necessarily all working with normal human reasoning.

Oh no, Caroline gasped, afraid of what she was going to be told.

Knowing she must hear it, but would be unable to sit through a long speech, he began with the part that most affected her.

I’ve moved Patsy’s mother into the hotel.

Poor Jean, Caroline whispered.

Kindly he told her, Chang has taken a room near her, and Tani is helping. Jean’s on heavy tranquilisers. She insisted on seeing the body.

He waited for the throat-clearing to finish, and passed Caroline his handkerchief to dab the tears.

Quietly he told them, They had removed both kidneys, the liver, heart and spinal column. Pitlon said they had the equipment prepared to begin extracting stem cells.

Caroline scraped back her chair and fled the room. Only then did Stanzi look at her. He saw only her small back, and golden bouncing curls.

Alex steadied himself. Three of the organs had already been transplanted to Guards. They all died. Patsy had been forced to consume the rinjinjin. Pitlon said if they had waited even another ten days her organs would have kept them alive a short time. We examined their bodies. They could not wait. They were dying, and most likely not rational. There was physical deterioration in all their brains.

Why didn’t they use Guards’ organs? Stanzi asked gruffly.

This