by Ma West
Dr. Fengie grimaced. “That’s the plan I would have expected from your mate. Are you serious?”
The baroness made her move without waiting for Fengie to finish. Hopping left and right like a boxer, she readied for what she hoped was an opportunity. When the moment came, she lunged forward to her knees, landing mere feet behind the nearest reptile. She whispered a prayer under her breath and felt contact. It had worked. The Xendorian was off balance, falling backward, and then his legs wrapped tightly around the baroness. The doctors beat the reptile with their tentacles, yet his grip on the baroness got tighter and tighter.
Acid spewed from the face of the reptile, and one of the doctors turned and screamed in pain. Snagging a striking tentacle, the Xendorian grabbed the other doctor and flung them both across the hallway. The Xendorian gripped the baroness by the back of the neck and lifted her as a dog would its young. “Guardian, once again, our species has been proven superior in battle.”
Aragmell stepped back, obviously struggling to fight just the one Xendorian. His breast labored with intense rises and falls. “Release her, or you shall die, Imperial scum.”
“Brave words, too bad they shall be your last. Finish him!” The Xendorian closest to Aragmell brought his weapon up high for a powerful blow. Able to block the attack but unable to withstand the force, Aragmell flew backward, against the wall. Approaching the beast, the Xendorian held his weapon against Aragmell’s chest.
The sound of a weapon cutting flesh was followed by the baroness’s scream and fall. The Xendorian grunted with his last breath as Aramethel lifted it high enough into the air to draw the partner’s attention.
Anger filled the reptile’s voice as he witnessed the dark death of his comrade. “You will die, beast.” Taking advantage of the distraction, Aragmell shifted positions so that as the reptile drove its weapon deep into his chest, it missed vital organs.
Aramethel charged, striking the Xendorian and sending it back several feet. As if he’d lost no momentum during the attack, Aramethel executed a series of strong attacks, each one skillfully deflected by the Imperial at the cost of several feet. Aragmell grabbed a smaller weapon from his pouch and, from a seated position, threw the weapon into the reptilian’s leg. The creature twisted and reacted in pain, creating an opening. Aramethel lunged, landed on top of the creature, and stuck his weapon into the pit of his enemy. Aramethel lay there, squeezing every last bit of life out of his victim.
The baroness ran to the doctors, both of whom were still alive, if not injured. Aragmell removed the weapon and covered the wound with his hand as he returned to the group. “That, baroness, is the empire. Take great care to avoid finding yourself in their care. Now, our destination is right around the corner.”
Chapter 14
No Pain, No Gain
The commodore reached out, grabbed Patient 00’s injured nipple, and twisted it. Pain yelped from Patient 00’s mouth, and his head wobbled with dizzying pain.
“Where is she? No more delays.”
With his head flailing, Patient 00 closed his eyes. “In my heart.” He drooped as lifelessly as possible, but something in his fall must have given away his consciousness.
Bending down close to examine him, the commodore cackled. “You beautiful fool, you have a translation stone. Now you will see the true superiority of my species over yours.”
The commodore knelt on top of Patient 00. The center tubular shaft extended an organ that looked like a funnel, with a smaller circular opening at the top. The organ shifted and swiveled its end as if to make two fingers. The breath of the alien moistened Patient 00’s face, and as the organ reached out and touched the stone, Patient 00 howled.
The pain started deep in his spine, and his body jolted and writhed as it traveled up his back. Patient 00’s eyes rolled back into his head, and the burning crossed his brain, searching and hurting, burning and searching. At last, the commodore stood up, hissing in disgust. “Your primitive species hasn’t even developed a telepathic node.” He picked up Patient 00 and shook him like a baby. “You will tell me what I need to know.” The commodore then dropped him back on the floor, where his victim truly lay unconscious this time.
By now, the rest of the crew had managed to sneak themselves off the bridge. The commodore addressed his wrist device. “Search team 1, report.” After a short pause, he said, “Search team 2, report.”
This time, the response came through. “Approaching target. Location, lower-level containment bay. Last contact with team 1 reported engaging target.”
Rubbing his organ back into place, the Xendorian commodore spoke to himself. “How can such an underdeveloped species be so infuriating?” Then he addressed his wrist again. “Commander Lymphod, report.”
Commander Lymphod’s sound and tone were very uniform with his commodore. “Moments ago, contact with infiltration team was lost. Approximate five percent scanned with zero positive results.”
“Cause of loss of team?”
“Warrior, sir, the humans have a guardian.”
“Dognosis?”
“Negative, sir, a human guardian. She nearly single-handedly took down our entire team.”
“Impossible! Prepare the assault team, and contact the emperor. I need to give him an unfortunate update.”
“Understood, sir, for your information with the planetary assault underway, I will be using ship’s crew for the assault.”
“Fine, make sure to leave at least one warrior as rear guard. How is the planetary assault progressing?”
“As expected, the southern hemisphere will be under control shortly, and the rest of the planet within one planet cycle. Thirty percent of humans have been tested, with zero positive results.”
“Acquisition of the artifacts?”
“Progressing smoothly, science teams have already begun excavation and should be concluded well before we recall the troops.”
“Very well, continue as planned, and get me the emperor.”
The twitching had started, and with it he had regained some awareness. The throbbing in his head prevented any conscious thoughts from passing through, but at least he was now able to see his surroundings again.
An image of a family seal projected from the commodore’s wrist communicator. After several seconds, the commodore knelt as the image of another Xendorian, this one laced with gold elegantly wrapped around his tubular extensions, spoke. “Ah, Commodore, I didn’t expect to hear so soon. I trust, then, that all went smoothly.”
Staying in the kneeling position, the commodore spoke loudly and clearly. “I regret to inform you that a supreme victory was not attained. I am confident we can still achieve a total victory.”
“That is disappointing indeed.” The emperor hissed as he spoke.
“I am a simple soldier, sir. I am contacting you to seek your permission to engage the Arkapeligo, should they offer resistance to our objectives.”
“You were right to contact me, General. This matter does involve political matters, at least for the short term. Your orders, General, are to use all force necessary to accomplish your objectives, but your new objectives are to avoid and minimize all loss of life outside of the human, Annomite, and Pergenese species. Societies move on fast when soldiers die in battle. They ingrain hatred of marauding invaders who kill innocents.”
The commodore rose, smashed his chest, and was about to thank the emperor before his wrist was pulled to the side by Patient 00. “Finally, are you the man in charge around here? I have some serious damages to my equipment, facilities, and personnel, and we need to start talking about reimbursement.”
Again with the hiss, the emperor responded. “Who is this? When the empire claims something, it belongs to us. Commodore, why have you not executed this creature?”
Pushing Patient 00 down to the ground, the commodore quickly regained his position of attention. “That was father to Patient 02. The scientists have deemed him a high-priority target. I apologize for the interruption. I shall contact your
office upon completion of objectives.” The image faded, and the commodore walked over to Patient 00. Grabbing him by the throat, he lifted him several feet into the air.
Coughing out the words, Patient 00 seemed to smile as he spoke. “Happen to have a cigar?”
The group limped its way to the containment-bay entrance. Dr. Fergie, now blinded from the attack, was being led by his wife. Aramethel took the lead as a battered and injured Aragmell took the rear. The group’s new companion, the Dognosis Logging, also followed along. The baroness tried hard not to think of the creature as a pet. His attitude assured the baroness of his sentience, yet she still had a strong urge to pick up the creature and cuddle him.
Upon arrival, their dog friend rose to his hind legs and, lifting the pads under his feet, used his nimble fingers to remove the panel and begin fumbling inside. After several seconds, he walked over to a wall and removed another panel. Behind that panel was a large tube with a white fluid running through it. The tube hummed with the rhythm of great electrical power. Logging grabbed a tool out of his pouch, reached out with both arms, and completed the circuit with his body. He lit up, with small sparks emanating off his fur, and his body shook violently.
The baroness screamed and attempted to advance but was held back by Aragmell. “He will be fine, Baroness. Look, he has activated the bay for us. While he is in discomfort, he is in no danger.”
Dr. Fengie manipulated the panel and activated a green light above the entrance door. “As expected, one hundred physical containment is still in place, yet unfortunately with the system in safe mode, I will have to make the inoculation by hand.” Dr. Fengie then came to her mate. “I’m sorry, my dear, but you will have to wait. Why don’t you tell the baroness one of your stories as I ready?”
With a grunt, Dr. Fergie spoke. “Yes, yes, I guess you are right, my dear. Now, whatever shall I talk about?”
Aramethel waited outside with Logging as Aragmell tended to his wounds. The baroness, with nothing else to do, turned to Dr. Fergie. “Tell me about your abduction by the Arkapeligo.”
The doctor perked up. “Wonderful, wonderful suggestion. I couldn’t have picked a better topic. But, my dear, my species wasn’t abducted, as you phrased it. You see, I was head physician of a prestigious exobiology hospital on my home world of Migan. While not the most esthetically pleasing planet, it is a world of many wonders of beauty. Canyon City is a mega-metropolis built in something like your Grand Canyon, but on a scale you couldn’t image.
“As I worked in my office one day, in Canyon City as it were, this petite squirrel-sized aliens appeared out of nowhere on my desk. To this day, I have no idea how he got past security, but what he had to say to me changed the course of my life dramatically. This little fellow was quite amazing, full of technology beyond my comprehension. He spoke with a wisdom far beyond my own, and he radiated a powerful warmth that both intimated and comforted.
“‘A project for life, by life’ is what he called it. It was a mission to gather, collect, and—after the appearance of the Wilde—save sentient life. What doctor wouldn’t be intrigued by a mission like that? It took time, a significant amount of my prime years. It was only with age that I was relegated to such a menial position as ship’s doctor. I digress. With much pioneering, I was able to convince my kind to build a colony aboard this project ship. Initially I was head of the project, but as politics and skill sets applied themselves, I was happy to accept head doctor of the colony.
“I never saw that little guy again. I figured he would have been involved with the process, but he mysteriously vanished as easily as he had appeared. I do hope someday to meet him again, but I have no idea how long his life span would be, and it has already been so very, very long.”
The baroness smiled, happy for the distraction of such a fantastic story. “So what are you saying, your species built the ark?”
Dr. Fergie chuckled. “No, no, no, my dearie me. We built our colony for life here on the ark. You see, the beauty of our story is that we are the only species to seek out the ark.”
As the story ended, Dr. Fengie arrived, and with the baroness’s permission, she administered the serum. The group began to move on, when the room went dark. No sound carried. Only the baroness’s breathing filled the room.
“Aramethel has fallen. We must flee.” Aragmell moved as he spoke. He scooped up the baroness and deftly navigated the dark corridors out and away from their original entrance.
His entire body hurt, his head spun, and Patient 00 felt like he was about to puke. He lay there underfoot, too sore to move and too concussed to think. So he did the only thing he could do—he farted.
The door opened, and in stepped a Xendorian holding an Annomite and something that kinda looked like a dog. “Commodore, team lead has sent me with a report, sir.” The Xendorian effortlessly held his capture high in the air.
The commodore turned his attention to the soldier. “Report.”
“Team lead is pursuing primary objective and her injured guardian. I have brought you one of her guardians and another one of her companions. This soldier requests the pleasure of executing his captures.”
“Is that pleasure not the right of team lead?”
“Of course, Commodore, my apologies. This soldier is just anxious for battle and bloodshed.”
“That is understandable. I, too, must restrain myself from terminating such inferior beings. What of search team 1, did this guardian not present you with an adequate challenge?”
“Team lead suggested a more stealth acquisition. This guardian was captured without conflict.”
“A very wise move by team lead. Brute force is more fun but less efficient.” The commodore approached the Xendorian. “I sense great power in you, soldier, but mind your place, and apprentice close to team lead. Now, as for these two, if this guardian was no match, then they shall be fed to the warrior. Let the weak be eaten by the strong.”
The Xendorian soldier banged each of his captures against his chest and began to exit, when a scream interrupted him.
“Put down my crew, or I shall destroy you.” Patient 00 had managed to stand, fueled by the knowledge that the baroness still lived and that these aliens had helped her. Yet the twitching was becoming more noticeable, and he looked less than intimating with his now-slightly misshapen face and bloody nipple. His hands bounced and flopped.
The Xendorian lowered his trophies and faced the commodore. “Commodore, I have been challenged. This soldier seeks permission to set obedience objective on this lowly creature.”
The commodore almost seemed to sigh in disappointment. “Denied, this creature is an objective, but perhaps a demonstration is in order. Perhaps, once the scientists are done, we shall force Patient 00 to watch as you feed his friends to our warrior.”
Relifting his trophy catches, the Xendorian came over to Patient 00 and, with little resistance, squished him between the two and carried them off, up into the commodore’s ship.
The group moved with impressive speed. It was obvious that the doctors had other senses that allowed them to much more readily navigate the dark and narrow passageway. At last, they entered a long, tall room with several corridors breaking off on either side. A dim light came from the ceiling, creating a dusk-like ambience.
“Stop, stop here, Aragmell.” The baroness shifted her body as she spoke.
“No time, we must flee.” Aragmell slowed but didn’t stop.
Pointing, the baroness said two words: “Ambush. Bait.”
“It’s amazing that a species with such little regard for self-preservation can rise to the top of its ecological food chain.” Aragmell reached back and, with a tear and a howl, pulled off the sharp end of his tail and handed it to the baroness. The baroness clenched it between her teeth and then had Aragmell lift her up. Extending her arms and legs, she braced herself at the top of a corridor adjacent to where Aragmell would set the trap.
The two doctors stood there, helplessly watching as the Xendorian team lead a
pproached with haste. With each opening, it scouted and prepared, as no assault from the sides could catch it off guard. As the alien neared Aragmell’s corner, the beast’s assault utterly failed. Deflected, but with an astounding recovery time, the Xendorian launched his own counterattack, knocking Aragmell backward to the ground.
Charging with great bravery, the two doctors were scooped up with a single grasp and raised high in the air. The Xendorian held out his staff weapon and prepared to finish his prey, but the baroness lunged forward and downward, aiming her knife deep into the neck of the Xendorian. Grimacing in pain, the alien fired his staff weapon uselessly against the wall. Injured or not, Aragmell once again showed his natural grace as he tore his teeth into the Xendorian’s shoulder area and ripped off a substantial hunk of flesh.
The baroness dropped and ran. She hoped she had done enough, but it was now guardian versus soldier, and she was the prize.
The fur of the dog-like creature felt soft and comforting as it pressed along Patient 00’s backside. Aramethel’s shoulder made a nice headrest, but a quick look showed that the great beast’s hands were bound together, and a silver cover prevented him from speaking. His body hung limp as if unconscious, but the swelling and leakage from his eye told Patient 00 otherwise, like a dog who had just been caught in the act.
The three bounced and jostled as they were carried into a new, strange environment. The commodore’s ship was hot and muggy, and smelled of mold. The walls were green and leafy, the air misty. Strange, yet not totally foreign, plant life grew at various intersections, often even acting as a hedge or barrier. Their Xendorian captor held them high and proceeded to tilt them in what felt like the equivalent of a head nod each time they passed another Xendorian. Other creatures inhabited the vessel, but none seemed to merit their captor’s attention.
As they bobbed along, Patient 00 found it too difficult to track their path or concentrate much, but as they moved, his hands made contact with something on Aramethel’s backside. He had no clue what he was touching or doing but found a pouch hidden under the beast’s clothing. He fumbled inside and felt several objects, randomly grabbed the first one, and—careful not to make large body movements—took it out and secured it.