Planet Hate, page 26
“But Little Quav’s only value is in her genetic heritage,” Lakesh said incredulously. “There’s no possible reason for Brigid to remove her from Agartha.”
“What’s her heritage?” Rosalia asked, unaware of the full history the Cerberus people had with the infant.
“She’s a hybrid,” Lakesh explained, “which means she houses the genetic capabilities to evolve into an Annunaki—in her case, a specific member of the royal family called Ninlil, in fact. But for her to evolve requires an external trigger, and that trigger—so far as we know—can only come from a sentient spaceship called Tiamat.”
“Which is where?” Rosalia asked.
“Destroyed,” Grant and Domi said in unison.
Rosalia thought about this for a moment before she spoke, her outsider’s perspective allowing her to see and question things the Cerberus rebels hadn’t perhaps considered. “If that’s true,” she said, “then why was the girl in hiding?”
“Because,” Grant began, “the Annunaki have…a nasty habit of coming back to life.”
“Then you’ve answered your own question,” Rosalia said with a patronizing smile. After a moment she turned and made her way from the room, heading for the bathrooms of the winter retreat for a much needed shower.
“What did she mean by that?” Domi asked.
Lakesh spoke hesitantly, still working through the implications. “To us, Quav is just a little girl,” he said, “but if Tiamat were still alive then that would change the whole game board. It’s possible that the genetic download could be engaged and she might be turned into Ninlil, and thus ascend to her rightful place in the Annunaki pantheon.”
“Is Ninlil a nasty—?” Domi stopped herself, snapping her fingers as if remembering. “Wait, of course she is. She’s Annunaki, right?”
“But what possible benefit would that be to Brigid?” Grant asked.
“To Brigid Baptiste?” Lakesh mused. “None. And that’s why it’s so puzzling.”
“I have another puzzle to add to the list,” Domi said after a moment. “The people in Luilekkerville were celebrating the coming of Ullikummis like he was some great savior. They were talking about how love was the future, and how its strength was the strength of a rock. They were worshipping Ullikummis, but they didn’t need the obedience stones anymore—these people were choosing the stone thing, like they really believed it. It was kinda scary.”
Lakesh pondered this for a few seconds, considering the possibility of a growing congregation who would worship and follow Ullikummis, royal scion of the Annunaki.
“If Ullikummis no longer needs to recruit people by force, then there’s no telling how large his potential army might become,” Lakesh said, unable to hide the concern from his voice. “And if that is the case, we may very soon find the whole world turned against us.”
Grant laughed cynically. “Yeah, what else is new.”
“I suppose the real question,” Lakesh declared, “is just how many people have now been converted to Ullikummis’s church? There’s no way of knowing, is there?”
* * * * *
ISBN: 978 1 472 08425 5
OUTLANDERS: PLANET HATE
© 2012 James Axler
Published in Great Britain 2012
by Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
Back Cover Text
Introduction
Title Page
Quote
The Road to Outlands
Acknowledgment
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Copyright
James Axler, Planet Hate
