Tales of Nimrod: The Tree of Life Read online

lifespans and produced offspring to maintain their empires.

  The earthly Martians still had advanced technology, but rarely used it in battle. They did not possess the infrastructure to produce large quantities of equipment, and they did not trust educating their slaves in science and engineering. Again Mardock was the exception. He had the foresight to preserve embryos from the first generation. Using eggs from ovarian stem cells, he produced male slaves of high intelligence, but he reduced their strength by using the sperm of second generation men. These hybrids were sterilized when they were children to prevent their recessive myostatin gene from entering the gene pool. These geniuses served as Mardock’s scientists and engineers which gave him superior technology. It was said that he no longer needed the fruit from Asherah trees to produce the elixir of life, but this was not known for certain.

  The Martians on Earth had almost no support from their ancestors in space. Occasionally the Martians from the space station would send ships to Earth for resources and to see what had become of their genetic experiment. Sometimes they would trade technology with their brethren for natural resources, but their general policy was one of noninterference. This scarcity of technological resources demanded that battles were fought with humans using primitive weapons. The Martians would occasionally use their advanced technology for support if they felt it was necessary, and they were confident that it would not be damaged or captured.

  The Martians had vehicles both terrestrial and aerial, but they had only one manned weapon: the plasma rifle. It used an electrically accelerated plasma to push a projectile at high velocity, much faster than using a chemical explosion as with gunpowder. Weapons were not needed on a space station, hence these rifles were designed to protect the expedition from large beasts. They were also used for hunting during the early years of the resource extraction project. These rifles were in short supply, and the Martians in general did not trust arming their human followers with this advanced technology, so they were rarely used. The Martians also possessed nuclear explosives that were designed for deflecting asteroids. These weapons were not unlike our present day fusion bombs with the main difference being that they were triggered with magnetically contained antimatter rather than a fission reaction. There had been a few of these devices on board their ships when they had mutinied and in some desperate situations, these bombs had been used in warfare.

  Nimrod had knowledge of Martian technology. Three Martians lived under his protection, a male and two females. They had been exiled for their progressive attitudes toward humans and were later captured by Nimrod’s forces. Now they allied themselves to him. Nimrod had also captured five plasma rifles, but he had no method of recharging them. He used them sparingly in combat, only to disable Martian vehicles and aircraft. Nimrod had also taken another Martian captive. He was not cooperative and looked down on humans as inferiors. Nimrod kept him prisoner, and on more than a few occasions demonstrated the superior strength of the first generation human by giving him a good thrashing in hand to hand combat.

  From his Martian allies, Nimrod learned of the Asherah tree and the elixir of life. There had been old legends of a potion that greatly extended the lifespan of favored humans. This discovery tended to confirm those ancient stories. The first generation humans were becoming fewer in number due to intermarriage with “normal” humans. This meant they would eventually become extinct as a distinct race. The elixir of life could postpone this and give them time to take the planet from the Martians. Then mankind could progress and eventually develop science advanced enough to repair their genetic repression. It was decided that they would attack Jav and attempt to retrieve some ripe fruit and cuttings from the Asherah tree, the Tree of Life.

  Jav had been in a constant state of war with Baalack for over two thousand years. This extended conflict had stressed their resources, and there was now a lull in hostilities. Nimrod wished to use their animosity to his advantage; he decided that he would attempt to incite a battle between them. He had his men impersonate Jav’s and Baalack’s soldiers. They would raid outposts and supply caravans, leaving evidence that would implicate the other side. The plan worked better than expected, and the “gods” were warring aggressively once again. The Martians always underestimated the cleverness of humans. It was their main weakness.

  Jav had an orchard located in a narrow valley near the city of Edon. Edon was strongly fortified and the orchard itself was protected by a high wall that prevented entrance into the valley. They would have to take the city first and then circumvent the defenses that protected the orchard. It was said that the orchard was guarded by giants and great beasts. There were also legends that flaming swords protected it. Nimrod was familiar with Martian science and technology and from what he knew, these legends should not be discounted.

  Nimrod launched an offensive against Edon with his army pretending to be Baalack’s soldiers. Jav was not in Edon at the time of the attack, but he learned of it quickly. He commanded his generals to hold the city. There were three Martian couples living in Edon. Two of the females evacuated from the city in a flying vehicle similar to our helicopters of today. Of course, their power source was more advanced; the Martians were not using fossil fuels. The three males and one female took up arms and commanded their human forces. When their human army had taken heavy casualties, two of the male Martians took an aerial vehicle into battle. One piloted the craft while the other manned a plasma torch. This vehicle was not originally designed for combat, but it had been modified to be an effective weapon.

  They did not expect humans to be armed with plasma rifles and were greatly surprised when they came under fire. In short order, they were shot down and crashed in the battlefield. Both Martians were severely injured, but they had managed to survive the crash. Martians heal quickly even from major trauma, and their great recuperative powers are additionally enhanced by the consumption of the enzymes in the elixir of life. They attempted to stay in the safety of their craft until they could heal, but Nimrod had other plans. Suddenly the doors of the vehicle were blown off by a primitive explosive, and the Martians inside were helpless as men pulled them out. Nimrod showed them no mercy and had them beheaded.

  Nimrod’s forces possessed a primitive explosive made from animal manures and urine. It was crude but effective. When his troops reached the walls of Edon, they took heavy casualties from the city’s archers and slingers. Eventually they brought in enough explosive to take out the main gate. When it fell, Nimrod’s army stormed into the city. They were unstoppable. The city was soon overrun, and the remaining Martians were taken prisoner. Nimrod’s men started to loot the city of everything that was of value. Nimrod had brought with him specially trained men whose job it was to salvage all the Martian technology they could find. While this was taking place, Nimrod himself concentrated on the next step in his plan.

  He needed information about the orchard and its defenses, and he knew where to get it. He began to interrogate his Martian prisoners starting with the male. The Martian would not cooperate, so Nimrod beat him severely in front of the female. Watching her mate take such a beating did nothing to loosen her tongue. When Nimrod stopped his assault to question them, he could see the Martian heal before his eyes. This angered him, and he drew his sword and cut off the Martian’s hand. This was a permanent injury without Martian medical intervention. Martians could not regenerate lost limbs, but they could be reattached or a new one grown in a bio-lab if the medical facilities were available. Jav had limited medical resources. It was said he had only two fully functioning bio-labs, and that they were carefully hidden. Even after inflicting such pain and disfigurement, both Martians refused to give Nimrod any information. This frustrated him greatly, and in his rage, he beheaded the male. Now the female was ready to talk. She told Nimrod the orchard’s location and gave him detailed information about its defenses.

  The orchard was located in a small narrow valley close to the city. The walls of the valley were steep like cliffs, and in some places th
ey were excavated to make them so. Other than flying in, there was only one entrance, and it was blocked by a high wall with archers and riflemen employed at the top. Before you could even get close to the wall, you would be attacked by the giants. These were genetically engineered humans that had the bone structure of the brutish race, the muscularity of the first generation humans and the intellect of the second or common man. They were huge, averaging eight to nine feet in height and weighing over four hundred pounds. Their armaments were of primitive design being swords, axes, and shields, but they were fashioned from superior Martian metal. Their armor too was of high-tech design which made the giants very hard to kill. If this was not enough, the giants were also supplied with surplus elixir allowing them to heal fast and have long lifespans.

  On the other side of the wall were the cherubs. They look like lions, but are larger and more muscular. They have a membrane attached from their front legs to their sides giving them the appearance of having wings. These “wings” helped to extend their leap to over fifty feet! But what