by Ma West
Dr. Fengie smiled. “My dear, your species’ primitive knowledge of medicine is already far inferior to our own knowledge of your species.”
Dr. Fergie snickered, filling the area with a scent of baking cookies. “Our foremost job is to protect life. If circumstances weren’t so dire, we wouldn’t have weaponized you at all.”
The ship rocked as screaming metal wailed from the top of the passageway. The baroness fell against the wall, only to see both the doctors tumble off the ledge. She yelled for her guardian to save them. “We protect you, my mistress. New doctors can be found along the way.”
“Could they be saved?”
“Yes.”
The baroness immediately jumped over the edge.
It was more than a moment before she asked herself why she had jumped. The baroness had no plan, no knowledge or justification, only fear—fear of being alone, fear of so much unknown, and fear of going forward through the unknown.
The rush of air across her face brought back her sense, if only long enough to be pushed away in fear of understanding the impending consequences. The doctors were falling much slower than the baroness, and she was closing the gap. Bright-red lights illuminated their deathbed as they neared the floor.
The cold came much too fast, long before the impact. A bone-chilling, breath-stealing, heart-stopping ice of a wind surrounded her body, filled her pores, and froze her breath. Then, as she prepared for the impact, the falling slowed even more. Two meters more, a meter for the doctors, and it would have been death. The cold froze them midair, and then—like a hand made of ice—it pulled them back up.
The baroness’s lungs gasped for air but found none. Her body shivered for warmth but created none, and as she rose higher and higher in the passageway, she readied for death. She felt nothing from the blow. The great beast had collided hard, first with her and then with the passage door going back into the ship. Roaring alarms and tentacles prodding her everywhere were not enough to fight off the cold, so she closed her eyes and waited for death.
The dread felt as thick as frozen butter. The Xendorian walked to the captain’s platform, kicked aside the captain’s carcass, and came toward Patient 00.
“Captains are not cheap, repairs will require docking, and I expect to be reimbursed generously. And God help you if you cause me to miss my deadline.” Patient 00 bluffed as he approached the Xendorian, using as much false bravado as he could muster. He launched his finger directly at the alien’s midsection. “Your piddlin’ little empire don’t mean shit out here, bud, other than I now know you got the backing to fully reimburse me.”
The burning came as instantly as the movement when a small, dark pus ball ejected from the Xendorian’s tongue and immediately ignited the side of Patient 00’s head in a wall of pain. Patient 00 tried to reach for it, but his entire body hit the ground, wrenching in pain, with his extremities locked behind his back. No longer in physical control, he was being manipulated like a child-sized toy. The Xendorian drew its face in close to his and hissed painful spits of pus as it spoke. “Where is your mate? Bring her to me now.”
The mention of the baroness brought back a flicker of excitement. “You killed her, you idiot.”
The Xendorian gave another hiss, this time very pronounced and elongated, as it visually scanned the room. Spewing more painful pellets of pus, it squeezed Patient 00 tightly. “Liar.”
Something about the underlying emotion of the Xendorian filled Patient 00 with more confidence. “You will release me, NOW!”
The Xendorian grabbed Patient 00 and held him like a folded box under his arm. He began searching the room and, after a quick survey, raised his weapon and killed an unfortunate and randomly chosen Adrinoleen. “No more delays, I don’t accept your answer.”
“Accept it or not, isn’t my problem. Procuring another human with that genome is my problem. Now, thanks to your reckless privateering, I am behind schedule and understaffed. I demand to speak to your supervisor immediately!” His bluff had obviously been called. “Four, only fucking four humans did we find with that genome, and now a quarter of them are dead. Dead! Thanks to you.”
On the verge of despair, Patient 00 finally got a sign of hope as the Xendorian raised one of his extremities and spoke. “Begin planetary survey. Check all humans.”
“Terrified” would only express the beginning of what the baroness felt as water rose and submersed her. She threw out her arms, only to make contact with a hard, clear surface. Drowning—she felt as if she was drowning in ice water. Her body seized and contracted, her lungs expelled the last of their air, and as the baroness expected the rush of water into her lungs, she felt only air. A terrible chill slowed her body as she took in deep breaths of stale air. Her skin was sweating, and her memory returned with the calming of her mind. Now she understood that the cold was inside her and the water was warm.
Both doctors, the guardians, and several new Adrinoleens surrounded her as the water drained. The baroness’s skin color had returned, and the room relaxed as she sat up and asked for some clothes.
With the passion of a mother, thankful after a child’s close call, Dr. Fengie moved toward the baroness. “What do you think you were doing? Do you have any idea how close you were to death? You need to start understanding something right now. You are more important than any of us. We are all now expendable—you are not. You are never, never, never to endanger yourself again.” Then, bursting with the smell of asparagus, Fengie thanked the baroness and hugged her tightly.
Dr. Fergie now closed in. “How are you feeling, my dear?”
While the cold had left her body, the baroness still spoke with a shiver. “I’ve never come close to experiencing anything that cold before. I’m not quite sure how I’m feeling. I guess I feel like I would like a blanket.”
After the baroness had finished with her clothes, she approached the great beast Aramethel and held out her hands like a toddler summoning a parent to hold them. “For such a physically inferior species, I am finding you and your mate to be surprisingly durable. I am yet uncertain how to ascertain which sex is the dominant sex.” Then he scooped her up in one hand and marched out into the hallway with her.
Aragmell could be heard as they followed behind. “Doctor, as this is no longer a medical operation, I am assuming command. Do you acknowledge?”
Dr. Fergie made a gesture with his tentacles and then addressed the beast. “I most certainly do not. This is a hospital ship on a mission of rescue.”
Aragmell growled. “This is a shipwreck, and we are on a mission of survival. Our best chance of avoiding the empire is to take a lifeboat to the surface and hide out until we can procure passage to the ark.”
The doctors released a smell of burning rubber. “No, we have not yet administered the weapon. We must continue on with the plan and head for containment bay.”
The two snarled and closed ranks, staring each other down. Dr. Fergie’s tentacles thrashed about wildly above him. Aragmell’s body seemed to grow slightly in all dimensions. The snarls and hisses reverberated through the corridors.
The baroness bent toward Dr. Fengie. “Isn’t this the containment bay?”
“Oh no, my dear, no. This is the animal wash station.”
The baroness stared blankly for a moment before hopping out of Aramethel’s arms. She stretched, stood tall, and walked out of the room.
“Mistress Baroness, where are you going?” Aragmell asked.
“To the containment bay. Now, if someone who knows the way would lead, it might be faster.”
The corridor was dark, but they moved with a coordinated effort, Aragmell taking up the lead while Aramethel came up last. The path zigged and zagged across a broad array of labs and holding cells, and they even passed a large water reservoir teeming with fish. An occasional flickering light or raised red lamp provided their only visual support.
Aragmell came to a stop at what appeared to be a dead end. “Mistress Baroness, I will have to force the door open. This
will delay us by some time. Do you wish to alter your instructions?”
The baroness approached the wall and slid her fingers across it. She never would have known it to be a passageway. “Compared to traveling another route, which would be more efficient?”
Aragmell grunted. “Difficult to say, alternate route would delay us by at least a third of the total.”
Not quite understanding the time reference, the baroness nodded, indicating to proceed with the door, and then sat next to the doctors along the corridor wall. She leaned back, rested her eyes, and waited.
She wasn’t sure how long she had waited when what felt like a paw pressed down on her thigh, and then another one on her other thigh. Startled, she felt fur press against her body as she jumped with surprise. The weight of the paw kept her in place as it finished walking across her. All she saw was some movement that looked like a big bouncy ball rolling down the corridor.
Feeling her heartbeat quicken, she looked for the others, all of whom were engrossed in a panel that had been taken off the wall. None of them seemed frightened by the creature as it walked to the center of their group and, with authority, took control of the panel.
Its fuzzy round body, about the size of a warthog, wiggled and giggled as it manipulated the panel. The creature wore something around its girth, and it turned its head around to fumble inside for something. The creature was actually very cute, and the baroness held back the urge to pick it up and start cuddling. It brought out a long, slender rod from its bag. Glimpsing its paws, the baroness saw a large pad on the bottom of the foot rise, exposing nimble fingers underneath.
She didn’t realize her staring had been observed. Dr. Fergie approached the baroness, causing a mild start, and said, “They are called Dognosis, or dogs for short. They were one of the first ten species to join the Arkapeligo project. Their world has a harsh surface, so they evolved as underground livers, and surface hunters. Their world had the most intricate tunnel system you could imagine. Rivers and seas have less power over the rocks of their world than the dogs. Alas, it is no more, destroyed along with all the other wonders of the universe at the hands of the Wilde or the empire.”
The baroness composed herself. “Doctor, it all seems so strange, like I’m really in a dream. I hear and can maybe even feel a little bit about these things you talk about, empires, something called the Wilde, but they don’t mean anything to me. Mere hours ago, I thought Aramethel was going to kill me. Now he swears to protect me. Doctor, really, I just don’t know if what I am doing is right or wrong, or a crazy dream I can’t seem to wake from. All I am sure of is that I am scared, very scared.”
Dr. Fergie wrapped a tentacle around the baroness’s shoulder. “My dear, I can certainly understand, so let me give you one concrete thing to concentrate on.” Dr. Fergie paused as if to clear his throat. “You are the mother of a very special child, and that child is going to need your protection for a long, long time. Keep yourself safe, and keep yourself healthy.” The doctor abruptly changed gears, indicating that the dog had repaired the door, and the group was ready to proceed.
The animal referred to as a dog began in the opposite direction, when the baroness knelt down and spoke to it. She still had a translation stone on her, but she had no idea if she could communicate with it. “Thank you, my friend, won’t you please accompany us to our destination?”
Pausing, the dog turned its head and blinked several times before letting out a little yelp.
“Now, what shall we call you, my cute little friend? Do you like Mittens?” The baroness bent over as she spoke.
Raising a paw, the creature reached out and touched the baroness’s translation stone. The words, while inaudible, came across clearly. “Mittens, are you serious? Mittens? That’s the stupidest . . .”
The baroness jumped back, causing the creature to lose physical contact with the stone. The creature yelped at her and continued on, but now in the same direction as the group.
The confusion and slight sense of horror must have been transparent, for Dr. Fergie answered her unasked question. “I believe that one is referred to as Logging, and it’s usually best not to engage the Dognosis. They are not known for their manners, but they are excellent engineers, electricians, and miners.”
Patient 00 dangled in the air like a rat held aloft by its tail.
“I have been robbed of my ultimate victory, but I shall still have my total victory.” The Xendorian hissed with its tongue as it spoke. It then spoke into a wrist device “Commander Lymphod, I need a search party to board and locate the specimen, and what is the current posturing of the Arkapeligo?” No audible response came, but the body movements of the Xendorian suggested acknowledgment of a message. “Send covert ops to test the humans they have already acquired. Have them focus on high-security and military locations. For the current time, plan B is massive force, but I want an update before you execute.” He ended the conversation with his wrist and grabbed his weapon.
“I am Commodore Gaganious. The lot of you will address me only as master, and from here on, you are now my property. As such, it is now my right to forfeit your lives as I please.” In another needless display of violence, the commodore fired his weapon, killing an anonymous Adrinoleen.
The platform extension again opened. This time, four Xendorian soldiers marched in unison, awaiting instructions from their superior. The commodore held Patient 00 up as a specimen. “Search the ship. Find this one’s mate. I want her and the unborn fetus alive, no exceptions.” He waved his hand and aimed at another Adrinoleen before addressing Patient 00. “Where is she?”
It was the targeted victim who responded, with noticeable wavering in its voice. “Please, master, spare me. They went down the shaft. Please let me take you. Spare me, my master.”
Patient 00 jumped in and marched on with his plan. “You might want to check his salary first. Let’s just say it’s commensurate with his skill. Now I’m a businessman, and I can see you are having a bad day, so why don’t you let me help you?”
The commodore hissed again, misting Patient 00 with a sting, and fired his weapon, killing the Adrinoleen. “Deceit is in your species. I shall enjoy the day when we can cleanse the universe of your kind. My species is far superior to yours.”
Patient 00 blinked through the stinging. “Yes, but so is greed, and greed is a universal language. Now, I might not be able to get you what you have already destroyed, but I can give you a lead on the other three.” The Xendorian squeezed Patient 00 so tightly that his breath seemed to escape permanently. “But it will cost you.”
The group scurried down the passageways, Aragmell taking the lead, followed by the baroness—with her new furry friend—and the doctors and Aramethel. The corridors were dark, yet light emanated from the fur of their new Dognosis companion. Dr. Fergie had explained that these creatures generated their own electrical power, a highly unique ability but one very well suited to a cave-dwelling species.
The group dutifully carried on, until Aramethel made an announcement. “We are not alone.”
Turning around, the baroness squinted in the dark but failed to see anything. The Dognosis growled and stood on his hind legs, while the doctors moved closer together and more off to the side.
“I don’t see anything,” whispered the baroness. “What is it?”
Shaking his body and moving his masses of hair, the dog began to spark lightning, illuminating the area well enough to reveal a large, man-sized, upright Xendorian. Three circular protrusions extended out of the creature’s head. His dark reptilian skin barely reflected enough light to show the outline of his body. The alien held a long staff upright, away from his body, and ignited his weapon.
Without consultation or orders, or to anyone’s expectation, Aramethel charged, lunging first at an angle and then directly at the reptile. A bright burst of light filled the corridor as a stream of yellow tubes, reaching out like arms, bear hugged the beast, trapping him. The arms finished wrapping themselves around the guardi
an as he fell to the floor. Again they flashed brightly and then hardened as they darkened. Aramethel grunted and struggled but failed to move.
The baroness stepped back and spoke to Aragmell. “Don’t try that. It didn’t work, so don’t try that.”
Ahead of them, another alien reptile raised his weapon. “Beast of Atone, lay down your arms. We come only for the girl and her doctors.”
Growling fiercely, Aragmell gave a reassuring answer. “Never.”
Igniting great sparks of energy on each end of their staffs, the two Xendorians took up fighting positions and slowly moved in. The baroness and the doctors huddled together while their new dog friend continued to light the area. The staffs moved with gusts of wind as pangs of colliding metal rang throughout the halls. Aragmell dodged, struck, and avoided with absolute grace and power, yet it was obviously too much for him to handle.
Fengie pulled on the baroness’s arm and sounded worried. “We must protect you. We must flee while we can. Aragmell cannot protect us forever.”
The baroness was awestruck by the devastating beauty of the weapons as they searched for prey. “No, that is not the way. The safest way is together. How will you protect me after Aragmell is slain? Solving problems together is the safest way forward.” She snapped her fingers to get Logging’s attention and spoke softly but firmly. “My friend, you must free the guardian from his trap.” She turned to the doctors. “I am going to place myself behind the closest reptile, at knee level. When Aragmell understands, he will push the reptile backward, tripping him over me. When that happens, I need you two to jump on the creature and help me hold him down.”