Book of the Week: SLIPPING THE WEAVE

A Commonwealth Universe novel

A Khybors story

From Writers Exchange

Khybors fled to Norbra for a safe place to raise their children, far from enemies who wanted them declared non-Humans, and either enslave them or annihilate them entirely. 

Like the selfish, arrogant queen of legend for whom the planet was named, Norbra had a reputation for destroying all life. Elin and those who settled the planet believed and hoped that no one would want the planet, and their enemies would leave them in peace and wait for Norbra to destroy them.

However, Khybors were made to survive. They made Norbra their home and used the dangers of the planet for their own defense. Then as the generations went on, they made a long-range plan for survival, because they knew their enemies would not give up. 

The only way for Khybors to survive as a race was to go so far away that the Set'ri and other enemies would never find them, and in time, maybe even forget about them.

Rorin Pace came to Norbra to win Elin's heart, follow his dream of pilots "becoming one" with their ships, and find a way to protect all Khybors.

Kheeran, their daughter, reached new dimensions as a pilot.

Banjer, their son, dove deeper within the computer world and discovered the vital element in the long-range plan of escape to the far reaches of space for Khybors.

Zeph, a Wrinkleship pilot, allied with the Khybors in building their fleet and brought them a damaged ship full of prisoners and pirates and a growing artificial intelligence: the Nova Vendetta. 

Errien, Kheeran's daughter, led the pilots who searched for new gateways to other universes.

Meanwhile, their enemies grew stronger and came closer, and the countdown began to the destruction of the Central Allied Worlds.

Book of the Week: KHYBORS: IN THE BEGINNING

            “You will be seeing the latest generation,” he continued as he led the military representatives into the central lab of the family compound.

            The monitor bracelet on Kerin’s wrist buzzed twice, in the simple code used when unwanted visitors showed up without warning and their scientist family had no time to check on the status of the various projects before dealing with them. She tapped the tiny screen on the bracelet twice, pause, twice more, signaling that all was well. The bio-crystal hadn’t produced any new strange outgrowths or let off any new frequencies suspiciously like brainwaves. That was the goal after another ten generations of growing, programming, and tinkering: mimicry of Human brain activity, so crystal would augment the body’s natural healing ability and bridge the gap where there was nerve damage, to give movement and feeling back to the paralyzed, hearing and sight to the deaf and blind.

            She looked upward, in time to see her father step onto the edge of the clearsteel dome over the pit of the growth lab. What were her chances the visitors would content themselves with staying on the observation level today? Dr. Nicorazon’s voice came through the speakers as he rested his hands protectively on the clear shell that provided the growth lab’s outer defenses.

            “The scanners must clear all of us for entrance.” He smiled and gestured at the spectrum camera directly below him. Behind him, the lights dimmed and took on a faint bluish cast. Kerin went back to her work, satisfied that the lab’s defenses hadn’t been overridden by the military, and the sensors were checking for spying mechanisms, bacterial intrusion, and weapons. “The crystal is presently in the fourth stage,” her father continued, the changing location of his voice indicating he was walking around the dome toward the short flight of stairs down to the growth lab, “transferring to the fifth stage of growth and testing. Thus far, our readings are well beyond our expectations.”

            “What happens in the fourth stage?” Colonel Areyzi asked.

            Kerin flinched at the sound of his voice, and looked up to the monitors. His gaze roved, focusing everywhere and on everything in the room, except for the face of the man he spoke to. That was typical. Colonel Areyzi trusted no one, and scientists least of all. Kerin wanted sometimes to shake him and shout in his face until he listened -- just because the Nicorazon-Leto family were scientists studying the Human body did not mean they supported the extremists who had begun to make themselves heard, advocating total control -- legislated and mandatory -- over the definition of what made someone Human, what gave them value. Bad enough that for the last two generations the government of the Central Allied Worlds required citizens to earn the right to reproduce, either through the contributions they made to society or their genetic perfection and inborn gifts. Her parents had brought her and her brothers up to believe in making full use of all the variations in the Human genetic spectrum, not culling and pruning and taking authority out of Fi’in’s hands, to decide what was truly Human and what should and could be destroyed.

Book of the Week: KHYBORS: IN THE BEGINNING

The Central Allied Worlds

Fifth generation since gaining spaceflight

Colony world Paskal

Third colonization ring

            Kerin watched the visitors coming down the long hallway by way of the monitor strips in the ceiling. Not that she paid much attention with all the work she had to do in the growth lab today, but enough to feel annoyance at the intrusion of the military into her family’s sanctuary. Why did they have to arrive now, when the bio-crystal had started showing signs of reacting beyond her father’s hopes or projections? Maybe there were spies, despite her brothers’ best anti-spy ‘bot devices. Maybe, just like the rumors said, the authorities would confiscate every new development once crucial progress had been made, and hand them off to more loyal -- meaning more easily controlled and intimidated -- researchers?

            “They’re perfectly balanced between organic and mineral, neutrally charged and programmable to adapt to any tissue needs. The more advanced we become in our control of the growth process, the more delicately we can guide the uses of these crystals.” Pride filled Dr. Nicorazon’s voice as he lectured on his brainchild.

            He gave the same lecture every quar when the military or other government representatives showed up. He gave the lecture whether the various officer and officials had returned, or there was someone new. There was no guarantee anyone would bother to remember what they had been taught the last time they intruded on the Nicorazon-Leto family’s research, and every chance that someone would use the slightest change as justification for cancelling their funding, their research licenses, confiscate all their work, and other major and minor punishments.