Alliance of Serpents Read Online Free PDF Page B

The
researchers had given no real explanations for its incredible rate
of growth, only stating that the stone was indeed a living organism
and one of the most basic forms of matter they'd ever had the
privilege to study. They theorized that, with the right tools, the
lephadorite could be used to create anything from living tissue to
titanium plating for a starship. How that could be possible, Kindel
didn't understand, but science had never been his forte.
    Behind him, Barrine was babbling on about the
cellular makeup of the stone and how intriguing it had been to
study such an unusual artifact. Kindel waved him away with a
dismissive hand, and he was quickly replaced by Lieutenant Petreit.
Scimitar and Kalibur had been ordered to keep all unauthorized
personnel out of the Research Laboratory during his visit, so
whatever Petreit had to say must've been important enough for them
to go against orders. "What is it, Lieutenant?"
    "Sir, I've searched every lead I could come
up with in an attempt to hunt down the origin of the stone. So far,
I've been unable to come up with a clear answer. However, a few
comments made by some of my colleagues set my search in a different
direction. Given what Dr. Barrine has found regarding the cellular
structure of the lephadorite and the infinite possibilities it
seems to possess, a few of my contacts at several biological
research outposts suggested that I research something called
Lifestone."
    Kindel's ears perked at the name, and he
faced Petreit with renewed interest. "Go on."
    The soldier cleared his throat and flipped
through several pages on his clipboard. "As I'm sure you know, of
the thousands upon thousands of religions scattered throughout the
universe, several have striking similarities in their mythology.
The fall of a great city, the duel between an angel and the fallen
one, the Maker's victory over evil, the taint of darkness that
remained upon his Creation; all of it is described in similar
fashion, different only in trivial ways. One of those stories deals
with the initial forming of the universe itself, from the stars,
planets, comets, and meteors, right down to the plants, animals,
and people that inhabit them."
    "The origin of matter itself," Thorus nodded.
"The stories vary in how it was all done, but in the end, they each
claim that the Maker began by creating an enormous stone, and it
was from that stone that he formed every single planet, star,
quasar, plant, animal, and everything else we see around us."
    "That's right," Petreit said, smiling.
Obviously, he was proud of himself, though he'd proven nothing thus
far. "He took pieces of that stone, called Lifestone in the human's
version of the story, and molded each piece into another planet or
tree or rabbit or whatever he wanted to make. Everything is derived
from it, or so the stories go."
    "And I suppose you expect me to believe that
the lephadorite is, in fact, Lifestone?"
    The Lieutenant's smile vanished. "Well, Sir,
you have to admit, it is certainly an odd find. I mean, you said
yourself that many historical stories hold at least some  truth to them. Perhaps this is an example of
that?"
    Kindel purposely narrowed his eyes. It wasn't
that he found Petreit's suggestion to be unbelievable—quite the
opposite, considering the other artifact he kept covered on his
cabinets—but if it was indeed true that the lephadorite was a
fragment of unaltered Lifestone, then he could allow no one to know about it. For now, Petreit had to be driven away from the
possibility. "Or perhaps this is an example of a man with no
answers grasping at straws?" Petreit took a step away from him,
whether he'd realized it or not mattered little. "What I see,
Lieutenant, is a soldier who has failed to complete the assignment
I've given him, and instead has offered me a flimsy excuse of an
answer that only a fool would believe." Regardless of whether the
lephadorite was Lifestone or not, it still had to have come from somewhere. And Kindel was