Trekachaw

by B R Flores

  Quizan physiology provided an immunity from most diseases, infections, and contagions. Health care facilities and providers were nonexistent. Sticking a foreign object inside your arm was disgusting and terrifying… to say the least. Exacerbating his fear, Cole hated needles.

  “Will it hurt? What happens if I turn to energy?”

  Victis was too tired to be amused, “Azha it doesn’t hurt. It’s an itty-bitty microchip injected into your forearm. And how would I know what happens when you’re in energy? Do you want the chip or not? Give him your arm, you big Chovo.”

  “Chovo? What’s a Chovo?” Azha asked.

  “A large bird that lays big eggs. Think of a cross between a vulture, an ostrich, and a chicken. Now, give Jacet your arm.”

  Azha’s stripes turned bright red as he grudgingly stuck out his arm. Jacet’s hands were shaking when he picked up the small black case and he dropped it twice. Azha pulled his arm back and gave Victis a dirty look. Eventually Jacet was able to remove a silver device that resembled a ballpoint pen from the case.

  “I apologize for being nervous. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t hurt me.”

  Azha nodded.

  Jacet placed the end of the device gently on Azha’s forearm slightly above the wrist and asked, “Ready?”

  Victis badgered, “Just do it.”

  Jacet closed his eyes and pushed down the top with his index finger to inject the Linguistic Chip. Victis leaned over to inspect the injection site.

  “See Chovo, it didn’t hurt. Turn into energy, let’s see what happens.”

  Azha flashed. There it was, a micro black energy dot floating amongst his energy. He flickered and bounced trying to dislodge the chip, but it held fast. Enough with Victis and his Ryquats, Azha floated up and streaked out of the battleship towards Palatu.

  KISMET EBB WAS BARREN OF life. Even the hardy Gruts were gone, and they could survive anything. Phera had to be hiding somewhere. She was too smart to have been captured. Azha vaguely remembered an underground lava cave where Quizans would hide when threatened. If memory served, it was not far from the surface and could easily accommodate eight-hundred Quizans. If not there, a few cold caves were occasionally used, but they were much smaller and deep within the planet’s core. Confident, he began his search.

  The lava cave was as grand as he remembered. It echoed hollow phantoms that bounced off the empty rock walls into the abyss. Disappointment came quickly; not a single Quizan was waiting to be rescued and there were no clues to follow. This was bad. Where would they have gone? Shaken by even the thought of the alternative, Azha streaked through molten rock into the nearest small, cold cave far beneath the planet. At last, he found a small group of Quizans huddled together in the dark. Though terrified, they were very much alive. Azha guided twenty-nine grateful Quizans from their looming grave to the surface. Weak from starvation, they collapsed upon the ground to absorb the Targus sun. Phera was not among the rescued.

  A wise, old Quizan tugged at Azha’s arm to get his attention. He told the legend of a secret, deep fissure beneath the floor of the lava cave. Ancient myths warned never to move the blue-slate stone that covered the entrance. Trespassers would enter an underworld of barren land and a sea of flames; evil monsters would rise, escaping from the hidden depths and infect Palatu with deadly plagues. Elders passed on the legend to scare young Quizans and Quieys from exploring the labyrinth of dangerous fissures.

  Years ago, Phera along with several other adventurous young Quizans, had followed one of the fissures to a small grotto deep within the planet. What they learned was there were no monsters or deadly plagues, thus exposing the legend to be nothing more than a superstitious myth. The old Quizan squeezed Azha’s hand, “Find the blue stone and follow the largest fissure. Phera could be hiding there.”

  Just as the wise old Quizan had described, Azha found the blue-slate stone and followed the fissure for miles beneath the surface to a small, cold, damp cave. From a crevice within a crumbling wall, three faint lights glowed. One light danced and circled him. At last, he’d found her. Phera had beaten the odds.

  Over nine-hundred Kismet Ebb Quizans had died. A mere thirty-two survived, and Pax was the only soldier. Phera forgave Azha, but he was ashamed and exasperated. He should never have trained the Quizans to fight. And Victis, with all his power, should have sterilized the Gystfins long before they attacked the village a second time. His eyes burned and tears streamed down his face; regrets, so many regrets. How arrogant of him expecting peaceful Quizans to do what was unnatural and impossible.

  Since there was nothing left of Kismet Ebb except for bad memories and the threat of another attack, Azha insisted they seek refuge at Cavern Village. While waiting for the weaker ones to absorb enough energy, Azha instructed them to cluster together and fly directly beneath him. This would be the best way to defend the small group. Next time, Azha would be ready with or without Ryquat Victis.

  VICTIS AWOKE FROM HIS SLUMBER unaware of the devastation at Kismet Ebb. He flew over the ocean and landed in a tree high above the Village. Azha appeared shaken and was talking to a group of Quizans in the center of the courtyard. Believing he would be greeted with open arms Victis called out, “Azha, up here. Are you ready to introduce me?”

  The Quizans flashed into red-energy and clustered into a tight ball behind Azha’s leg.

  “Go away, you’re too late to do anything except scare the shit out of everyone left.”

  Victis flew out of the tree landing in front of Azha. “Where’s the rest of the tribe. Why are you so red?”

  “I’m red, because I’m mad at myself, but even angrier at you. These few lights you see behind me, are what’s left of the tribe.”

  Victis walked in a circle with his hands clasped together on top of his head trying to think of something to say.

  “This shouldn’t have happened. Why weren’t they underground? I told Phera the Gystfins were going to attack.”

  Azha lashed out, “This was my home, I grew up here. My lineage dates back millions of years before you or the Humans. Everyone’s dead. My family, my village annihilated by vulgar Beasts. And for what? Quizans can’t fight these monsters. Look at them. Teach me how to use Ryquat weapons if you want to save us.”

  Azha thought he heard a faint voice crying for help and stopped talking. Following the voice, he discovered a shivering Quizan hiding inside the trunk of a hollowed-out Jackoe tree. Apparently, when Victis abruptly appeared the little guy was unable to remain in energy. Scared to death of the Ryquat, he crawled on his hands and knees through the mud to the safest place he could find.

  “Please don’t leave me in here.”

  Azha was careful not to show his shock. The Quizans body was caked with thick mud. Most likely the mud masked the true severity of his gruesome puncture wounds. There was something very familiar about him, something about his voice or how he spoke.

  “Do I know you?” asked Azha.

  “I’m Atue, I tried to fight them.”

  The shivering little Quizan was a friend and another brave soldier who had survived.

  “What happened, why didn’t the Quizans hide in the Lava Cave?”

  Atue kept shifting his eyes towards the evil Ryquat called Victis. Azha tried to reassure his old friend that Victis was a good Ryquat who was helping them defeat the Gystfins, but the fear on his face did not diminish. Azha reached into the tree trunk and gently pulled Atue out. Now being able to see his entire body, Azha cringed at his gruesome injuries. He dreaded having to move the broken little Quizan, knowing there was no good way of carrying him without causing more pain. As careful as one could be, Azha carried Atue slowly over to the other Quizans and laid him on the ground. Atue’s face was gaunt as he spoke of the nightmare to Azha with a sadness that even Victis found difficult to hear.

  “When this Ryquat captured you, Phera warned everyone to hide in the Lava Cave. All the soldiers hid in trees to ambush the Gystfins with our frickin rocks and spears. I’ve never seen so m
any Gystfins. They were in a killing frenzy. Somehow, they knew about the Lava Cave and had poisoned it with oxygen. The blue net was everywhere and trapped everyone escaping from the cave. We threw our spears and frickin rocks, but that barely slowed them down. They flew into the trees and trapped us with small blue nets that I’ve never seen before. We tried to escape in energy, but it was too late. We were paralyzed in body form. I was one of the first soldiers to fall out the trees. Playing dead kept me alive, but I’ll never forget hearing them laugh as they piled bodies on top of me. One after the other, their grey-death energy ascended and their bodies vanished. I could feel the Gystfins getting closer and closer as they ripped and chewed apart the last few bodies sheltering me. I was able to turn into energy and float underground just before they pulled the last soldier off. I deserted everyone to save myself,” Atue said ashamed.

  Azha listened in disbelief. How was it possible the Gystfins knew about the Lava Cave? All Quizans knew it was a matter of life or death to keep it a secret.

  “Atue, there was nothing you could’ve done. What happened then?”

  “I found a small crevice just under the surface. Before I faded, I re-surfaced over there next to a pod. Everyone had either ascended and vanished, or their bodies were sucked dry. I didn’t see any Gystfins, but you know that doesn’t mean anything. They could’ve been anywhere waiting for more of us to ascend. I flew to the Lava Cave thinking whoever had survived would be there, but it was still poisoned. I resurfaced to absorb the sun, then flew to the smaller cave where you found us. Lucky for me, Phera told me about the cave years ago. All of us were afraid the Gystfins were waiting for stragglers, so we decided to stay underground for as long as we could.”

  “Are you able to turn into energy?”

  “No, not yet.”

  Victis didn’t hesitate to volunteer, “I’ll stay with him.”

  Atue’s face dropped and he shook his head no at Azha.

  “Don’t look at me like that, the Ryquat will protect you better than I can.”

  Grateful for the offering, Azha stood up and thanked Victis, knowing the sooner they left Kismet Ebb, the better. Thirty-one frightened Quizans flew beneath the Trekachaw to their new home.

  THE CAVERNS WAS A WELCOME sight. The village was alive with bustling Quizans running to greet the Kismets with open arms. Released from his obligation, Azha escorted Phera to his favorite sunning spot at the top of a warm, flat mesa. As soon as Belton, Roon, and Zith spotted Azha, they ran to the base of the mesa and began talking loudly. Finding it impossible to ignore the fidgety trio, Azha whispered to Phera that he would be right back.

  “Did the Gystfins attack while we were gone?” Victis asked.

  “Yes! In fact, they attacked us twice. Our soldiers killed nine of the nasty Beasts. Everyone helped drag them to a ditch and cover them up with stink rocks. Roon came up with that name, Stink Rocks. Good name wouldn’t you say?” Zith said.

  Roon pushed Belton aside so hard, both stumbled and fell to the ground. “Move Belton. Azha, I stole a Gystfin shuttle,” Belton picked himself up off the ground and pushed Roon back. “Dumb-dilly-wad,” snapped Belton. Even though it was not presented very well, this was great news. From now on, other tribes would receive extensive training before being left on their own to defend themselves.

  Zith shoved Roon aside, “Roon move. Azha, I need you, Belton, Choan, Duro, Vopar and Roon to meet me in Cavern Hall.”

  WITH NO WARNING, VICTIS SWOOPED in from above and landed in the middle of the village with Atue by his side. Chaos erupted, with Quizans flashing into red energy and zig-zagging everywhere for cover. For a moment the village was silent, then spears rained down on Victis from all directions giving him a split second to shield Atue with his body until the melee ceased.

  Atue screamed, “STOP, Stop, STOP!” to no avail. The second wave of attack came with a hailstorm of rocks being thrown from the trees and a crossfire of boulders exploding across the ground. Victis dropped to one knee and pulled Atue beneath him in a desperate attempt to shelter his new friend from the deadly barrage.

  “I’m Azha’s friend! Stop throwing those things! You’re only going to hurt Atue, not me!”

  His screams fell on deaf ears, for no one trusted what the Ryquat had to say. Azha overheard the commotion and ran from the hall shouting, “Stand down, stand down, the Ryquat is my friend.”

  Hundreds of camouflaged soldiers on the ground appeared out of nowhere and the tree limbs bowed from clusters of angry soldiers staring down at the Ryquat. Standing next to Victis, Azha shouted to the trees and across the village for all to hear.

  “Forgive me, I failed to announce my friend’s arrival. Join me at Cavern Hall where I’ll formally introduce Captain Victis. This powerful Ryquat saved Atue from an agonizing death. Let’s show Victis our gratitude and welcome him to our village.”

  Looking out into the crowd, he was not surprised by their angry faces. In defiance, they blocked the narrow path leading to the hall. Azha gave them several warnings to step aside before shoving past them to allow Victis access. This was the first time a Quizan had come this close to a Ryquat and lived to talk about it.

  Zith, Belton, Roon, Duro and Vopar were still determined to fight the Ryquat at the hall entrance. Azha was losing his patience and worried about how much Victis was willing to tolerate.

  “Zith, accept his gracious offer, and command others to do the same,” demanded Azha.

  Zith frowned, “Why would you trust a Ryquat?”

  “Because Palatu will cease to exist without him and I will die fighting the Gystfins.

  Zith started to say something, then caught himself and reluctantly stepped back to allow them entry. A hostile crowd hissed to voice their hatred. Victis was showing an incredible amount of tolerance for their defiance. In doing so, Azha saw yet another side of Victis, giving rise to a profound respect and admiration for the alien. He was beginning to realize that he knew very little about the Universe and even less about what his enemies were capable of. If he had a future, perhaps he was meant to be with Victis.

  “Stop this hissing, unless you want me to leave Palatu. Then you can try to defend yourselves without us,” warned Azha.

  “No, do not forsake us. I accept this Ryquat,” Zith cried out.

  “Quizans, without this good Ryquat, you will die, and I will die trying to defend you. The bad Ryquat is no longer here, he’s being punished on his planet. Trust me, Victis is King of a mighty battleship.”

  Azha motioned to Victis that he had the floor.

  The hall was silent, and a grim new reality loomed over the crowd knowing that what Azha said was the awful truth. Victis saw fear on the Quizans’ faces and felt sorry for them. Maybe he should feel guilty for not stopping the carnage sooner.

  “Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. I’m sorry for what the Bad Ryquat did to you. But I am not like him. I will do my best to protect Palatu,” vowed Victis.

  Zith stepped forward, “I accept the Good Ryquat’s offer.”

  As a pledge of goodwill, Victis reached out to shake the hand of Zith. Apparently, his unusual movement startled Zith, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor. Soldiers rushed to defend their King by surrounding him with their spears pointed at the Ryquat.

  “Stop! or I swear the next Quizan who hisses or points another spear at the Ryquat will feel my Human wrath. I don’t care who it is.”

  Azha grabbed Victis’s hand to demonstrate ‘how to shake hands’ while explaining that it was an act of friendship and nothing more. The young King ordered the soldiers to lower their spears and then scrambled to his feet. Grudgingly, they obeyed. A low rumbling of hostile bickering continued to inflame the mob’s attitude.

  One small red light flickered above and landed in front of Victis. It was Atue. He would do everything in his power to defend Victis. The crowd gasped, shocked by his seeming betrayal, then screamed in protest. Atue screamed back just as loud.

  “This Ryquat saved my life a
t Kismet Ebb. He volunteered to stay with me when I was too weak to turn into energy. The second Azha was gone, five Gystfins flew into the village wanting to bite my head off. They circled Victis trying to grab me, but he killed all of them to save me. I saw what he did. A Ryquat could easily kill everyone here and no one could stop him … Not even Azha.

  Zith humbly apologized to Victis before addressing the angry mob.

  “Atue and Azha speak wisely. Do not judge Victis by the bad Ryquat’s hatred. Honor this Ryquat and be grateful to have such a powerful protector.”

  The young King whispered, “Tell me, good Ryquat, are there any other bad Ryquats we need to worry about?”

  “Not if it is up to me,” Victis reassured.

  Ending the crowd’s cold silence, Belton cheered, “Let’s celebrate our victories with our new friend. Twenty-two Gystfins died and not one soldier injured.”

  Choan chimed in boasting, “I led the attacks on the Gystfins. I told the soldiers to stay in the trees. Did the sneaky Beasts surprise us with their blue nets? No, this time we surprised them. What then you ask? Well, Duro pretended to be injured and the Gystfins chased him. We threw spears and broke their heads with rocks. I watched them suffer, just like they made us suffer. Together we dragged them to the fissures and pushed them in. One by one they fell, disappearing forever.”

  Belton shouted out, “Does anyone want to hear what I did?”

  “Belton, Belton, Belton,” the crowd roared. “Okay, Okay, Roon and I flew into their shuttle. Guess what we found? Yes, an ugly Gystfin. He was ranting to a voice about how we were revolting. Sounded like the other voice was furious and refused to believe that we had the courage to fight.”

  Victis shouted, “What were they saying?”

  “I didn’t understand all of it, but the Gystfin looked scared and was staring out the window. I think he was explaining what was happening to the voice. The voice spoke Gystfin but sounded different.”