by B R Flores
Victis eyed Azha, “Belton, how long ago did this happen?”
“A while ago.”
Choan jumped up and down waving his arm, “My turn, the Gystfin is alive. We threw frickin rocks at the shuttle and broke it.”
Belton chuckled, “Yeah we did. He screams and growls a whole lot. Every time the nasty Beast looks out the window, he shows his fangs at us. We fly into the shuttle when he’s sleeping and wake him up. That drives him crazy.”
Azha sensed Victis was uneasy. “Take me to him,” Victis said lowering his brow.
Why was this Gystfin so important to Victis? Belton and a trail of soldiers led them to where the shuttle was docked beneath the trees.
Sure enough, the exterior was riddled with dents caused by the frickin rocks. Dozens of soldiers were perched on limbs waiting to kill the Beast if he dared step foot out of the shuttle. Wasting no time, Victis jumped onto the hull and peered through the cockpit window.
“Tell your soldiers, I want this Gystfin alive,” he said with his jaw clenched.
Terrified, the Gystfin locked eyes with the Ryquat and moved away from the portal window.
Victis yelled, “Open the door!”
The Gystfin aggressively shook his head.
Azha volunteered, “Let me fly in, I’ll throw his ass out the door.”
Victis jumped off the hull, “No, open the hatch and let me in.” Then whispered, “When I’m finished, kill him.”
Azha flashed into red energy and streaked through the hull. The Gystfin snarled and swung a metal plate at him. Thinking the Gystfin pathetic, Azha simply floated out of the hull and then floated back through on the opposite side. Again, the Gystfin tried to swat Azha with the metal plate. This time, Azha morphed into body form and jerked it away from him. His linguistic chip worked perfectly. Azha understood every foul word that spewed from his drooling mouth. Azha reached down to open the hatch and the Gystfin lunged forward. Azha pushed him aside yelling for him to get back.
“No, Ryquat kill me.”
Feeling no mercy for the Gystfin, Azha opened the hatch.
Victis stormed up the ramp and slammed the hatch closed behind him. The Gystfin stiffened and stumbled backwards to the far end of the cockpit.
“Too late Ryquat, warned Crozins. Cargo ship coming. You…”
Victis grabbed the Beast by his throat and slammed him against the cockpit wall.
“Lie to me and you’ll die a slow painful death. Tell me the truth and I’ll let you go. No one will ever know.”
Choking on his words the Beast gurgled, “Ryquat lies.”
He stuck his thick wagging tongue out as far as he could to lick Victis’s face. With a flick of a wrist, Victis sliced off the Gystfin’s crusty ear. The Beast grabbed the side of his head screeching in pain. Victis stomped the bloody ear into the floor with his boot, then kicked it across the floor. “Next thing I’ll cut off is your balls. I’ll give you one more chance to talk.”
The Gystfin twisted his body sideways shielding his testicles the best he could. “What you want Ryquat?”
“How many days has it been since you contacted the Crozins and the cargo ship? And when will they arrive?”
“Five days, Crozins here two weeks, Cargo ship three weeks. Crozins know you’re alone. Take everything Ryquat, battleship too.”
Victis ignored the comments and let go of his throat. “How many shuttles and Gystfins are on Palatu?”
“Four hundred, two shuttles. Why sterilize Gystfins at Kismet Ebb?”
Victis did not answer, “How many Gystfins need grey-death energy, and are there weapons on Palatu?”
The Beast snorted and grinned to display his razor-sharp, stained fangs. “We eat death energy. Palatu’s boring. Pleasure hunting slimy parasites.”
While blubbering about his cruel and unjustified treatment, the Gystfin bent over to search for his bloody ear on the deck floor. Victis ordered him to sit down and shoved him backwards. The Gystfin cried out in anger, “Where’s my cargo ship, Ryquat?”
Azha smirked, “I took your cargo ship, right out from underneath you. Should’ve paid more attention to your ship instead of hunting defenseless Quizans.”
The Gystfin’s fangs chattered, “What are you? Why fight for slimy parasites?”
Victis interrupted, “Azha, don’t answer that. Do you have any questions regarding the mission?”
“Yes. Who are the Crozins and why are they helping the Gystfins?”
The Gystfin straightened up in his chair, “Crozins’ reward is good profit. Raw materials superior, no cull extracted. You get nothing, Ryquat.”
Victis came face to face with the Gystfin. “Fine by me, you’ve done all the labor. Since our contract is void, I’ll take the ship and materials for nothing.”
The Beast hissed and curled his upper lip to suck out the thick snot dripping from his nostrils. Victis warned that if he spit, he would die. You could see the Gystfin thinking about it and if it was worth dying over, but then he swallowed.
“Crozins destroy your battleship and Palatu. Payback for sterilizing Gystfins. Ryquat lie, promise to kill Trekachaw.”
In defiance, the Gystfin gyrated his hips forward, spraying dark yellow urine across the cabin. Howling with laughter, he bolted past Victis to where his severed ear was lying on the floor. Seeing that it was disfigured beyond saving, the Gystfin kicked his bloody ear into the air, deliberately hitting Victis in the chest with it. The Ryquat did not flinch.
“Crozins promise new profit. Fidus Achates territory planets, Earth and Mars,” boasted the Gystfin.
Azha questioned, “Why Mars and Earth?”
Victis glared at the filthy arrogant Gystfin, “Because Ryquats came from Mars and they know we protect Earth.”
Having heard enough, Victis raised his hand into the air. The Gystfin screeched knowing what was about to happen. With a flick of Victis’ wrist, a thin blue beam cut off the Beast’s thick head.
“We’re out of time. Azha, where’d you hide the cargo ship?”
Azha was already half-way down the ramp carrying the Gystfin’s head and dragging the foul-smelling carcass. Skunks on earth smelled better than a Gystfin. At the bottom of the ramp he dropped the head and let go of the body.
“Soldiers, wherever you’re dumping the carcasses, take this one there,” shouted Azha.
Right away the soldiers began to bicker amongst themselves, “It’s your turn. No, it’s not. You do it. I can’t do it by myself!”
Victis was at the top of the ramp waiting for an answer. Without the Ryquat, Palatu, Earth, and Mars would be doomed.
“The cargo ship is orbiting Europa, one of Saturn’s moons.”
Victis nodded his head, “Not bad, Trekachaw. Europa was smart. No one would’ve ever thought to look for her there.”
ten
SEMPER PARATUS
“UNDERSTANDING IS THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE”
THE cargo ship full of raw materials was pivotal in the war against the Crozins. Now that Azha had revealed its location, the sooner he could secure it, the better. A Ryquat battleship could easily reach Europa in less than ten hours, whereas, a Gystfin’s cargo ship could take several days. Another problem: the ship was the size of a small moon and required a skeleton crew of sixty. Victis could spare fifty-five bodies without compromising his battleship. All options considered, recruiting and training Quizans was the only logical solution.
In the eleventh hour, Victis requested a village meeting at Cavern Hall to pitch his proposal. As expected, the mammoth cavern and its passages filled with curious spectators until there was no more room. Clustered outside the threshold, Quizans stretched their necks to see and strained their ears to hear what was being announced. Zith, Victis, and Azha positioned themselves on the Kings Ledge and waited for the crowd to quiet. Eventually the loud buzzing became a soft hum and they began to hush each other. Not until then did the Ryquat begin to speak.
“A mighty war is coming. The Gystfins and their allies are
determined to exterminate you and destroy your planet. I will protect and fight alongside you, but right now I need five volunteers to go with us to Europa. Who will join me?”
Most looked terrified, some were somber, and others began to weep. No one dared to speak, and no one volunteered. Angered by the pathetic silence and by their unwillingness to commit, Azha demanded,
“Five volunteers are all he’s asking for. Someone step up. This Ryquat is trying to save us. I’m ashamed to be half-Quizan. He should’ve let you all die.”
One hand at the back of the hall raised above the sea of heads, then another, and another until six volunteers had raised their hands. Roon, Duro, Choan, Atue, Vopar, and Vious made their way through the crowd to the bottom of the Kings Ledge. Victis clapped his hands, “Thank you… Thank you.”
Vopar valiantly lifted his crippled brother up, “Good Ryquat Victis, my brother Vious and I volunteer. Vious cannot walk, but he is smart and brave and can turn into energy. We will be loyal and do anything you ask.”
Victis stepped off the ledge next to Vopar and Vious. “I am honored to accept you and your brave brother.”
Frustrated and embarrassed by the lack of volunteers, Azha shouted at the crowd to get out. Zith and Belton lingered behind asking for a moment to explain their reasons for not volunteering and profusely apologized, begging for forgiveness.
Zith feared what his father might do if given the opportunity to regain his position as King. Belton could not bring himself to abandon his wife and young quieys. Victis accepted their apologies and reassured them they would serve the war best by holding down the fort. Belton was relieved to hold down a fort but didn’t know what it meant. “What’s a fort?”
Azha held in a smirk, “It’s another word for village. Take care of the village while we’re gone.”
King Zith and Belton chimed, “We will hold down the fort.”
The thought of Palatu being the epicenter of a galactic war unnerved Azha. In hindsight, perhaps King Myosis was wise not to fight. One thing was certain, there was no going back now. Victis snapped Azha out of his doom and gloom by shouting into his ear, “Palatu to Azha, are you on lunch?”
“What? Where on earth did you get your one-liners?”
Victis smiled, “I get them from watching shows and movies broadcast from Earth. Why heck cowboy, half the Ryquats are named after famous actors, celebrities and legends.”
Azha’s jaw dropped, and he found himself listening to Victis spout gibberish for the next ten minutes about his favorite TV shows and movies. Some sounded familiar, but not how he remembered them. Victis let out a yackety, yackety, yack and punched Azha in the arm. “See stump, that’s funny.”
‘Aha!’ So, that’s why Victis thought it so hilarious to punch him in the arm. “Do you realize you’re not quoting any of them correctly?”
“I don’t care Azha, spoil spit. Anyway, it’s time to go.”
Six buzzing, nervous Quizans were waiting for Azha to brief them and begin their adventure.
“Follow me to the Ryquat battleship. Once we’re inside, remain in energy until I say so. Victis modified a chamber where you can morph into body form. That’s the only place. The rest of the ship has oxygen.”
Needless to say, Victis was excited to board the Gystfin shuttle and engage lift-off. Hearing noise from the hull, he twisted his chair clockwise to stand up, flung the hatch door open and stomped down the ramp. A quick visual inspection of the exterior hull revealed several rocks lodged in the solar vents. Pulling with all his might, he jimmied out several of the rocks and kicked free a few more. Upon another inspection, it appeared the vents were clear of debris.
“Good job jamming the ship,” Victis said, praising the Quizans soldiers as he tossed several rocks down to them.
One last look, and all was good. Victis ran back up the ramp and slammed the hatch door behind him. The shuttle sputtered, engaged, then hummed, rising above the trees. There it hovered for a second, then in a flash was gone.
Victis arrived long before Azha and the flock of slow Quizans. Liquefying his space suit never felt so good. Nearly colliding with several crewmen, he ran naked down the ramp to his locker, threw on a jumpsuit and then sprinted through the hallways to the Quizan chamber to check on Pax. Congregating in the corridor were a bunch of curious crewmen. Victis hollered at them to scram, knowing the shy creature would be terrified of so many Ryquats. He peered through the window of the guest quarters searching for his little buddy, but the room was empty. He knocked on the door and waited, he knocked on the door again… then banged on the glass.
Where was Pax? It would be prudent to inform him that six additional Quizans were en route to share the habitat. Most likely he’d turned into energy and fled the area to avoid all the crewmen. And now, despite ordering them all to leave, an obstinate crewman was tapping on his shoulder. Irritated to the point of boiling, he refused to respond or acknowledge the crewman. But, being subtle wasn’t working. Gritting his teeth, he firmly advised, “Unless it’s important… go away.”
A strange baritone voice spoke, “Turn around.”
“You’d better have something important,” Victis said, turning around. Towering over him was a new Trekachaw. How was this possible? Was Pax a Trekachaw? Victis choked on his words, “Pax, what have you done?”
“I merged.”
His transformation was incredible, he was magnificent. Now there were two Trekachaws. But with whom had Pax merged?
“Captain allow me to explain.”
A flood of questions entered Victis’s mind. But it was too late. Six dancing white lights floated through a wall into the corridor where they displayed a spectacular show of spinning lights before entering their new home. He watched through the window as they morphed into body form, all the while cursing under his breath, “Unko, unko, unko.”
Pax had no idea what unko meant, but it sounded as if Victis was very upset. Before the last crewman disappeared around the corner, the new Trekachaw asked him what it meant.
“Unko means shit in Japanese.” Red-faced Victis scowled, “Go, wait for me in the lounge.”
Pax couldn’t have taken more than two steps when Victis yelled, “Stop. Who’d you merge with?”
“Jacet.”
Victis could feel his blood pressure rise and his face twist. Never had he felt this rattled or angry towards a crewman. “Unko, unko, unko.” Trying to calm himself, he paced back and forth asking, “Jacet, Pax, shit, do you remember how to be a doctor?”
“Yes, I remember everything, nothing has changed. With your permission, I’d rather be called Pax.”
“Why not Jacet? Fine, Pax it is,” Victis said with a curt nod.
Victis yelled at a crewman who had made a big mistake of walking around the corner to find out if the Gystfins’ campsite communications station had been destroyed yet. While yelling at the crewman he noticed another energy light following Pax down the corridor towards the lounge. Running as fast as he could after them he shouted, “Pax, wait up.”
The light spun in circles, then streaked back and forth before morphing into Azha damn near on top of him. Caught off guard and still trying to process the ramifications of his reckless decision to bring a Quizan on board, Victis immediately became defensive.
“I did not approve this merge, nor was I advised of it.”
Azha’s poker-face seemed to be starring past him. Shifting his eyes slightly he warned no louder than a whisper, “Victis, look at the Chamber.”
All six Quizans had their faces pressed up against the window watching the show.
Victis grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and his brow was dripping with sweat.
On the other hand, Azha was so excited he caught himself doing a little Quizan dance and glowing green.
“I couldn’t get up off the floor after my merge with Cole. How’d you recuperate so fast? Come to think of it, the only source of energy in the winery was my flashlight. The batteries must have saved my life. Wi
thout them I would’ve vanished in that cold dark cellar.”
Pax shrugged his shoulders, “For me it was easy, Jacet asked me. Remember he’s the one who injected your chip. We talked about it, I flew out and merged with him over there, next to the door.”
“Can you remember everything about your Ryquat and Quizan life?” Azha asked.
He whispered, “Most of it, but don’t tell the Captain. I told him I could remember everything,” admitted Pax.
“Don’t worry, I won’t. In time, little things will jog the rest of your memory. I’m glad you merged, it was lonely being the only Trekachaw.”
Azha raised his voice, “Victis, nice to know it’s possible to create more Trekachaws.”
A crewman peeked around the corner distracting Victis from sharing a few choice words, “Captain I have an update on your request.”
“Now… would be good,” Victis snapped.
The Gystfins communications were destroyed.”
Victis let out a sigh of relief, “With any luck, no one knows what I’ve done.”
Inquisitive crewmen had returned and were blocking both ends of the corridor again.
“Ready your stations, we’ve got two hours before we’re en route to Europa,” ordered Victis.
Even with that said, several continued to linger asking if they could volunteer to become Trekachaws. Victis barked, “No, there will be no more Trekachaws. Go to your stations.”
Azha interrupted, “Why not?”
“Because I said so. Why would you ask?”
“Why wouldn’t you? Think about it, the merge would solve the oxygen problem on both ships. Trekachaws are superior and far more efficient than Quizans or Ryquats. Logically, we’re exactly what you need to win the war.” Azha poked Victis, “Don’t be such a Chovo, Ryquat.”
‘Why not?’ was indeed an excellent question. He had violated a long list of laws punishable by imprisonment or death. With nothing to lose, he might as well.
“You do have valid points. However, any crewman who merges will remain under my command until the end of their enlistment. Make sure the Quizans understand what that means. We’re running out of time. Do whatever is necessary quickly,” warned Victis.