Arkapeligo- Rising

by Ma West

  No Tip’s vision was blurry, his mind numb to its surroundings. He felt his limbs flailing with the force of the impacts, but he had no more control. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, but once his mind cleared, he saw the beast tending to his wound. When he tried to move, the nerves reactivated and his entire body screamed.

  Aragmell’s voice boomed in his head. “For that little stunt, I think I will invest a little more into this.” His display showed the baroness. “Yes, I see here, her sexual organs are compatible. Maybe I will make you watch as I pleasure myself.” Aragmell pulled out a blade and set it next to the console before walking to the edge of the classism. The platform holding the baroness moved toward Aragmell.

  Anger overrode all his nerves, and No Tip hollered in pain and forced his legs to move. He walked toward the console and gathered his breath. “Baroness, I can’t save you from death, but I can save you from hell.” Then he pushed the button. The baroness’s limp body fell as the platform retracted and dropped deep into the darkness.

  Unable to stand fully erect, he grabbed the blade with his left hand. Dragging his right leg behind him, he moved as quickly and stealthily as possible. Pain had no recourse against the anger flowing through his veins. Fever gripped his mind, singularly focused. He sprang at Aragmell. The creature knelt and laughed, rejoicing in his prey’s decision, regaling at its agony.

  Together, surprise and position of favor were enough to topple the beast. Aragmell twisted and caught his opponent’s arm, but not before the knife drew blood. The force was enough to knock Aragmell onto his back. His opponent, No Tip, landed in a position of power above him. Aragmell screamed out in a horrible roar of pain as the sharp steel slowly pressed through the beast’s skin.

  He could feel the laboring of Aragmell’s chest beneath him. Blood ran out from his wound and weakened his resistance to his blade. Something had changed, but No Tip’s anger pushed him on without thought. He pulled the knife out and placed it at the neck of the great beast. With every labored breath, his blade moved closer.

  Dr. Fergie excused himself and asked for leave so he could prepare a report for the administrators. Dr. Fengie escorted the baroness back out into the common area and across a row of large cells, most of which were empty, but the baroness could have sworn she heard an elephant as they traveled. She was led into a long, narrow room. Several objects, she guessed chairs, were placed in a row on the near side. Fengie indicated for the baroness to sit and then left to inform the specialist of their arrival.

  A large bulk of a beast entered the room. The baroness jumped at the sight of his predator face, leather skin, and intimidating stature. The beast’s mouth moved, and unintelligible sounds emanated from his mouth. Several seconds passed before the baroness picked up a translation stone. The sound level rose as the words crossed her mind. “Must I repeat myself?”

  Her body froze. She had been sitting comfortably, processing everything she just went through, but now she was filled with horror and dread.

  With angry snarls, the beast asked again, “Must I repeat myself?”

  Fear coursed through her body, but she wasn’t alone and had to constantly remind herself of that. She repeated Dr. Fengie’s words over and over again in her head, and to her great surprise, she spoke them out loud. “This is a place of healing and recovery. This is a place of healing and recovery. This is a place of healing and recovery!”

  “Yes, it is indeed. Now must I repeat myself?” The beast again snarled.

  Encouraged by her ability to say anything at all, she took a deep breath and believed. “Yes, yes, you will have to repeat yourself. I wasn’t holding my translation stone.”

  “Very well. Know this, I am Aramethel, assistant to Aragmell, and should your mate fail, I will be conducting your evaluation.”

  The baroness found a named beast much less intimidating. “Evaluation of what?”

  “Your race’s ability to integrate peacefully into the Arkapeligo. We will have the ability to watch your mate’s evaluation. This room is adjacent to the examination room. Now, please sit. Dr. Fengie should be back soon. Her species requires that each mated or parental pair exchange pheromones every thirty hours or so. To miss an exchange would prove harmful, and missing two would be fatal.” The beast then entered the room, jumped up onto a ledge, and lay like a dog.

  “Please, stop.” The words came with blood from the creature’s mouth. “Please, you victor . . . poison from tail.”

  The blade now touched the skin of the beast, his anger boiled, and he prepared to do something he vowed never to do again.

  “My family . . . just goodbye . . . poison . . . please.”

  No Tip pressed the blade firmly against skin, but some internal force held him back. The rise and fall of the creature’s chest was struggling, and a dark-blue drip formed around his mouth. “Please.” Rise, pause, fall, pause, rise—the rhythm indicated he was dying.

  “It’s better than you fucking deserve.” He released the beast.

  Aragmell brought his wrist to his mouth and spoke into a small device. “End evaluation.”

  For the second time in as many days, she saw herself plummet to her death, both times at the hands of the man she feared she may have fallen in love with. The baroness’s stomach churned as she saw herself tumble from the pillar. Emotions so mixed and confused overcame her senses. The first sights of him being beaten had already worked her into a tizzy. The sight of her own death boiled the pot over, and now as she watched him prepare to kill her imaginary assailant, something clicked in her heart and all went numb.

  The lights in the area lit up, illuminating a large dome shape. The beast Aragmell, once near death, transformed and rose, holding his opponent in place as he did. It was all too apparent that the beast was in no real danger at all. A shiver of anger ran through her as she thought to herself, some protector.

  She was startled by Fengie’s tentacles rubbing her shoulders again. Aramethel announced that her mate had passed the test and she would not be tested. Then, after wishing her a good day, the beast left.

  The baroness turned to Fengie. “What just happened? I feel so numb.”

  Fengie smiled and let out a sweet smell, like hickory and lavender. “Something wonderful. Your race has just been chosen for salvation, and who would have thought a being with so many obvious deficiencies could pass a test of such inner strength?”

  A hissing sound drew the baroness’s attention, and she saw Aragmell enter the viewing room holding a limp, pale body as if it were a dirty diaper. She panicked and rushed to his side. Aragmell brought him over and dropped his limp arm over the baroness’s shoulder. She jumped as he cringed in pain at the placement of her hand upon his side. She helped him lie down on the piece of furniture Aramethel had occupied. He was obviously concussed, and his now-misshapen face brought out tears of compassion from her. She ran her hand through his hair and couldn’t be sure, but his head felt lumpier now. Her eyes met his as he stared blankly at her, and in that moment, she felt more sympathy than she had thought herself capable of. Then he spoke. “I’ll have the blonde tonight, mistress.” Then she simply wanted to kill him again.

  Fengie grabbed a tool out of a pocket and began shining a dual-layered laser with a blue interior light surrounded by a ring of red. Touching her wrist display, she summoned two small, black robots. Each rode an inch off the ground and was the size of a loaf of bread. The only noticeable sensor system was a round eye, which seemed to have limited independent mobility. Fengie commanded the bots as they entered. “MOPs, bring me the MendelaScope.” The two almost-cute little bots scrambled off with a chirp.

  Fengie spoke with a tone that was unmistakably like that of a mother catching her child being naughty. “Mr. Aragmell, it was not necessary to cause this much discomfort to this being. Really, have you no self-control? We are trying to save these pitiful creatures, not beat what little intelligence they have out of them. Now leave before I decide to file a report!”

  Aragmell’
s chest expanded, nearly doubling in circumference. His face snarled furiously, his legs widened in stance, and with a slight hunch, he let out the most intimidating growl. Aragmell slid his left foot back, causing the baroness to jump behind Fengie, brought his left foot forward, and left the room.

  “Pay no mind to him. They always get aggressive after a fight, but don’t you worry, they know their role as guardians of the fleet very well.”

  The machine Fengie had summoned was now being towed in by the two MOP bots and placed beside the patient. A cap ejected out from the top of the machine, and Dr. Fengie put it on the patient’s head.

  “There isn’t any permanent damage to brain tissue. However, I can’t say the same about the eye socket. I am afraid there will be quite a bit of short-term discomfort and longer-term cosmetic damage.” Then Dr. Fengie turned to the baroness. “My dear, I am so sorry you had to endure all this, but believe me that it really is in the majority’s interests that we thoroughly vet all new races into the Arkapeligo.”

  After several minutes of scanning, buzzing, and even some clicking, the cap ejected itself off of the patient’s head. Dr. Fengie stepped forward and looked deep into his eyes, examining before she stepped back and allowed the patient to see the baroness.

  “Oh my god, Baroness, thank God you’re alive! But how?” The words seemed heartfelt, but now that he had his right mind back, the baroness’s sympathy morphed into rage.

  “Twice, that’s twice in two fucking days you have killed me!” The baroness’s palm struck him hard. Then came another and another, and for the second time that day, she kissed him passionately.

  Chapter 11

  Captain Calling

  Dr. Fergie rushed into the room. “Quickly, quickly, my friends.” He rotated his body toward the bed, where the baroness stood holding “Patient 00” in her arms. “Bravo, patient double-zero, well done, but I am afraid there will be no time to celebrate, for we have been summoned to the captain’s quarters.”

  Fengie hurried to exchange tentacles with her mate. “What does it mean? We have never been summoned before.” A look almost reminiscent of worry accompanied by the reek of melting plastic gave the room an ominous feel.

  Fergie said, “Apparently my report has gotten the administrators all up in a tizzy.”

  With the tentacle exchange completed, Dr Fengie again summoned the MOP bots. The group then hurried into something called a “shaft lift,” which sped them up several flights and into the bridge of the ship.

  The room expanded outward in another dome shape, making the ship feel a bit like bubble wrap folded over itself. This was also the first room they had been in with permanent work stations installed. There were two new alien species operating interfaces in a cubical that adjoined a central circular platform.

  As the group exited the platform, a slick command room extended around and above them. Atop the platform stood a larger, duller Adrinoleen. His height was about the same, but his diameter was noticeably larger, and his tentacles, while longer, displayed little movement. He spoke with a slow, clear, monotone voice. “Patients 00, 01, and 02 of the human species, primary sentient species of your world, congratulations on successfully completing Aragmell’s tests. Now we must attend to business. Dr. Exquestobar, anything you hear in this room is on a need-to-know basis. No one outside this room will ever need to know. Do you understand?”

  While there was no audible reply, a mix of yeast and laundry detergent scented the room. The captain then looked directly at the baroness. “Patient 01, you are with child, a child with extraordinary potential. Never before have we encountered an additional genome, absent from the parents.” The captain then turned toward Dr. Fergie. “Doctor, summarize your finding for our patients.”

  A nervous-sounding Dr. Fergie said, “Due to the very young age of Patient 02 and the method of conception, we must assume that there are other forces at work.”

  The doctor continued talking, but Patient 00 bent over to whisper into the baroness’s ear. “Did that dog bastard touch you? I swear to God—”

  The baroness spoke when he swore. “It’s not exactly what you think. Just be happy for me, ok?” A tear fell, and a whimper shook her voice.

  Patient 00 grabbed her hand and said, “I’m sure you will be a wonderful mother.”

  Three large bangs sounded, and they looked at the captain, who was still speaking. “What Dr. Fergie was saying was for your sake, not mine. If you have no wish to understand, then you will answer.” Two large beast-like dogs entered from either side, and while they simply stood there, their presence felt tangible.

  The baroness wrapped her arm around Patient 00. “Don’t you dare get me killed for a third fucking time.”

  The captain continued. “We, meaning the Arkapeligo administration, have an urgent need to know, one, how this happened, two, what will be the result of this happening, and three, can we replicate this? Unfortunately, there are forces at work that are greatly rushing the entire process. So instead of completing our cataloging, we have been ordered to immediately escort you back to the Arkapeligo.”

  Dr. Fergie, with some confidence in his voice, asked, “What, sir, will happen to my research after the patients have been transferred?”

  The captain, still quite lifeless in his mannerisms, said, “Doctor, you will not be transferred with the patients. I can only assume they will bring you in for debriefing.”

  The assertiveness in Dr. Fergie’s voice was noticeable. “Sir, I must protest. As the discoverer of this genome, I claim my founding rights.”

  “Doctor, this goes beyond any sort of possible financial considerations. The Arkapeligians are proposing that this could lead to the total transformation of the political universe. It’s too early to say if this could be used as a weapon against the Wilde, but it has more potential than any discovery to date.”

  The baroness leaned over and whispered into Patient 00’s ear. “What are they saying about the baby? I can’t understand anything in this place.”

  Patient 00 spoke up. “Just a damn minute here, you are talking about things outside our frame of reference. We don’t give a damn about your administration, your Arkapeligo. What we care about is this right here.” He pointed toward the baroness and himself. “Now the only place we are going is back home, to Earth.”

  The captain’s color seemed to return a little. “Earth. I am afraid that won’t be possible. A Wilde ship is heading this way. Our transverse gates can allow us to travel great distances between destinations at near-instantaneous speeds, but we have no way of preventing their attack. You see, once that Wilde ship arrives, everything will be destroyed. You are now way too precious a cargo to ever let be destroyed. So we must therefore ensure your continued safety. In order to help accomplish this task, Patients 01 and 02 have each been assigned a private bodyguard. I believe you are familiar with Aragmell and Aramethel.”

  Both beasts turned and bowed toward the baroness. Then, pounding their fists against their chests, they let out a deep howl. “For the mission of life, so we gladly lay down our own!”

  “And what say do we have in this?” the baroness asked.

  The captain, while still idle, was slowly becoming more animated. “My dear Patient 01, you have the most important say in everything, for no noise can quiet a mother’s call.”

  The overhead light suddenly turned red, and a buzzing noise toned twice as the air filled with a humid itch. The group’s body language transformed to alert and focused. One of the aliens sitting in the cubical next to the captain spoke. “Arkapeligo has gone to battle stance. They are issuing an immediate recall of all vessels, launching the defense forces.”

  The adjoining alien continued as if finishing the other’s sentence. “Incoming slip stream, massive in scale, opening directly in front of us, one hundred thousand kilometers.”

  The captain twirled toward a console on the right side of the room. The cubical had several types of maps displayed, some celestial and others local, with specifi
c items actually moving in real time. “Navigator, get us away from that slip gate.” The captain’s podium then spun to the other side of the room, where he issued a command. “Defense force, prepare for boarding party.”

  A large image was projected along the top of the dome. Its spherical dimensions, upon study, revealed that each object was a ship, and the solid area around the edge appeared to be Earth. Patient 00 studied the image. It cast a spell on his eyes and built excitement inside him. The baroness held him tight, and he felt an awkward closeness to her. The feeling motivated him, encouraged his intuition, and expanded his perceptions.

  While much of what was occurring around him eluded his conscious grasp, he understood a ship at work. The captain was running, and the image of a large, intimidating vessel emerging from a circular formation in the center of the projected image told him why. One of the aliens in the cubical adjoining the captain’s platform announced the ship as an Imperial dreadnought, and the additional slip gates were forming, marking the locations on the map.

  The area map changed into an image of a humanoid alien, its face reptilian in appearance. Three tubular shafts ran several inches off the top of an arched bone outlining its forehead. Its eyes were that of a predator. A single piece of cloth ran from a pair of golden-leafed shoulder pads and down the center of its body.

  The alien image spoke its words, consuming the whole of the room’s attention: “This is Commodore Gaganious. I now claim this world and all of its inhabitants as property of the Xendorian Imperium. All subjects and information gathered by others from this world are to be relinquished at once. Noncompliance will result in penalties.” Then, just as quickly, the image reverted back to the area map.