Chapter 148: Project Harvest

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Project HarvestMeanwhile, deep within the Krill command center, in a hexagonal conference room shimmering with holographic displays, several Krill officers sat around a large, central table. Their conversation, guttural and resonant, filled the space. The Krill Captain, Jhur’nah, a larger, more imposing figure with duller silver scales than a Duke, presided over the meeting, his multi-faceted eyes constantly shifting.

"The quotas are increasing," one officer grumbled, its clawed hand thumping the table. "But our own shares of Anu-blood are decreasing. The Emperor’s needs consume all."

"Indeed," another added, its voice rasping. "It is not only us. Other sectors suffer. The Emperor’s demand for Anu-blood has increased exponentially in recent cycles. A glutton."

A smaller, younger Krill sneered. "That old bag should just die already. His endless hunger will ruin us all." Several other officers murmured agreements, their thoughts bordering on heresy.

Captain Jhur’nah’s single eye-stalk snapped to attention. His voice, a low rumble, cut through the dissent. "Silence! Do not be so obvious with your thoughts. Such sentiments could be seen as heresy. If you want your families to live, you will endure. We all will."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each officer. "However, I bring news that offers hope, and a path forward. Lords Khians and Kahn have ordered us to increase our forces and to discreetly infiltrate other harvest zones’ units. Our Harvest Lords, Lords Khians and Kahn, have planned an alliance against the Imperial family. The nobles back on our home planet have planned to stage a coup while the Empire is now at full war with the Federation. Their strategy: run from the frontlines, let the Federation invade the capital. Their mission here, along with other allied harvest leaders, is to hold back their quotas. To not deliver the full amount to the Emperor."

A buzz of excitement, tinged with apprehension, filled the room.

"Chancellor Shuha’dar and other harvest leaders loyal to the Emperor will fight back against us," Jhur’nah continued, laying out the treacherous game. "But Lords Khians and Kahn have engaged in subtle diplomacy with other harvest leaders, bringing them to our cause. Our orders are clear: save up Anu-blood, as much as possible, and prepare for wars against other harvest leaders. A retreat to the next star system is open for contingencies in case of emergencies, a fail-safe should the coup fail or the Federation war turn against us entirely. This is the reason why we have to save up. The timeline for the coup’s initiation is six Earth years from now."

Jhur’nah then slammed a clawed hand on the table. "Now, to solve this immediate matter of increased quotas and the need for hidden reserves, we have human specialists who have devised a plan. Bring them in."



The conference room doors hissed open. McKnight, still in his combat suit, and a human scientist in a pristine white lab coat entered the room. They bowed deeply to the Krill officers, a gesture of deference.

"I greet the Lords," McKnight intoned, his voice even.

Captain Jhur’nah sneered, a flicker of disdain in his eye-stalk. "Start now, human. We have no time for your pathetic rituals."

McKnight merely smiled, a thin, almost predatory expression beneath his visor, and bowed again. A holographic projection of Earth materialized on the central table, overlaid with complex data maps. The scientist, with McKnight providing chillingly precise details, began to explain.

"There are ways to steal more units from other zones without alerting the loyalist harvest leaders," the scientist began, his voice dry and academic. "One particular method is to initiate a controlled global pandemic."

A ripple of interest, grim and detached, passed through the Krill officers.

"Our zone, the US, and other allied zones," McKnight added, his voice cold and steady, "will prepare a contingency for public order. The humans showing symptoms of the pandemic will be the ones targeted for harvest. They will be guided to what the public perceives as ’secure quarantine facilities’ or ’treatment centers.’ In reality, these will be our harvesting hubs."

The scientist continued, "This strategy allows the allied harvest leaders to secure a massive human population—at least 300% of all usual monthly harvest—without the public’s knowledge of disappearances. The media and local enforcement agencies, already under our influence and will handle the public order, containing panic and redirecting scrutiny."

"Furthermore," McKnight explained, his smile widening imperceptibly, "this method allows us to push the blame to one of the loyalist harvest leaders. China’s harvest leader, for example, Krill Shen or Krill Kai, could be implicated. Not only will he be punished by the Emperor for failing to contain the ’pandemic’ and having his harvest stolen, but he will potentially be replaced by someone compliant to our cause."

The Krill officers leaned forward, their eyes gleaming with cold agreement. This was efficient. This was ruthless. This was cunning.

Captain Jhur’nah, however, remained silent.

He merely watched McKnight, his massive form still. He thought of the plan, the cold, calculating efficiency of it. He had always known humans could be useful tools, but the sheer, horrifying ingenuity of McKnight’s proposal, the chilling detachment with which he plotted global chaos for profit... it made Jhur’nah think how terrifying humans really were with their efficiency.

Lords Khians and Kahn, he realized, were right about them. The humans, despite their perceived weakness, possessed a dark cunning that could rival even the Krill.

McKnight and the scientist continued. "The second strategy targets zones with existing geopolitical tensions. We can discreetly influence countries under loyalist harvest leaders to escalate conflicts. Russia and Ukraine, for example," the scientist gestured to a holographic map of Eastern Europe, where faint red lines pulsed along the borders.

"With Ukraine’s harvest leader’s compliance, we can inflame the situation on their border with Russia. Or the India and Pakistan zones. Or the Middle Eastern zones, Syria, for example—we can use groups like ISIS and other terrorist organizations to inflict chaos."

A burly Krill officer, Kril’dox, grunted, his scales shifting. "It make sense since the chaos makes the disappearances... less noticeable."

"Precisely, my lord" McKnight confirmed. "With their respective governments focusing on war, we can collect as many units as we want. We simply brand them as ’war zone victims.’ Not only that, we can collect a percentage of soldiers from either side, whether killed in action or captured. Their governments will classify them as casualties."

The Krill officers around the table shifted, their guttural murmurs indicating approval. The sheer scale of potential harvest was immense.

The scientist then cleared his throat, his demeanor turning more cautious. "The third option carries significant risks, but offers the largest potential harvest. It addresses the Emperor’s escalating demand directly, albeit with a long-term consequence for the human race." He paused, letting the implication hang. "Nuclear war escalation."

A collective snarl rippled through the Krill officers. Jhur’nah’s eye-stalk swiveled sharply.

"I will not agree to that, human!" one officer hissed, its multi-faceted eyes narrowing. "The last thing we want is a nuclear war, human. It sterilizes the harvest zones. It’s inefficient in the long term. Our Emperor would destroy us, before the coup even starts."

"Indeed," another added. "The radiation also makes the Anu-blood unusable. A wasted resource and it would take a few centuries for the planet to be cleaned out from radiation."



McKnight remained impassive, allowing the Krill’s immediate rejection of the concept. He knew their core directive was to maintain the harvest, not destroy it. The scientist, however, took center stage again.

"Which is why I present the latest iteration of the prototype: the artificial womb," the scientist announced, tapping a new holographic schematic into existence.

It showed intricate pod-like structures, glowing with soft, bio-organic light, nurturing developing human forms. "We can grow as many units as required. Our latest prototype has been stabilized. There is a reduction in Anu-blood concentration, yes—from 5.47% down to 2.36%. A sixty percent reduction."

Some of the Krill officers expressed immediate, guttural disagreements. "Sixty percent reduction? Unacceptable! Each human yields so little Anu-blood as it is – a mere 5% from every five liters! A sixty percent reduction on that meager amount is catastrophic for the reserves we are building!"

Their concern was not the Emperor’s demand for purity, but their own desperate need to smuggle and save as much high-yield Anu-blood as possible for their impending rebellion against the Imperial family in the coming years. Yet, others, more pragmatic and long-term focused, nodded slowly. A guaranteed, automated supply, even at a lower yield, was tempting if the alternative was unpredictable shortfalls.

The scientist continued, undeterred. "But the advantage is automation. We can automate the entire process, from growing babies in pods to accelerating their development into adults. With CRISPR technology, we can shorten the growth genes, reducing maturation from eighteen years to a mere eight years. Hence the sixty percent reduction in Anu-blood, yes, but we can grow as many as we want, without any resistance, without any human ’complications’ like public outrage or defiance. A constant, reliable supply."

A consensus began to form among the pragmatists. "Automation huh... no resistance..." Kril’dox muttered, his earlier objection fading. "A constant flow. This is actually good."

"We can initiate a colonized human farm on the Trappist star system, Captain," one of the officers suggested excitedly. "With eight billion of them, it’ll give us a much greater increase, a consistent supply for cycles."

Captain Jhur’nah, however, raised a clawed hand, silencing the burgeoning enthusiasm. "No. Not yet." His voice was low, laced with caution. "If the Imperial loyalists caught whiff of this, all of us would be in trouble. We’ll have to classify this technology as much as possible, limiting access. We can add this to the contingency protocol. It’s still a little too early. At least now we have an option, a fail-safe, in case we can’t capture as many humans required to colonize a planet before the coup and the war starts."

He looked at McKnight and the scientist. "Your plans are... satisfactory. Initiate the first two protocols. The pandemic. The proxy wars. Discreetly." The Krill officers exchanged knowing glances, their multi-faceted eyes gleaming with cold, calculating anticipation. The harvest would swell. The Empire would bleed. And Lords Khians and Kahn would gain the advantage they needed.