by B R Flores
The deep-space tracking sensors did not detect anything. If they’d been warned, maybe it could have made a difference. A flash of light in the sky was the first sign of the invasion, and watching their research ship disintegrate into a thousand pieces was the next. Before leaving Zaurak, Victis had programed an auto-distress signal just in case his ship was destroyed. Trinite was at the edge of civilization; therefore, reinforcement would not arrive for days. The colony’s only hope for survival was that the Crozins were satisfied with destroying the ship and wouldn’t bother to invade the planet. The last thing Victis remembered was running towards his home to find Connie.
He awoke in pain, peering through blood-soaked eyes at the devastation. The Crozins were methodically stunning all life in the vicinity and feasting on young children. He heard fathers and mothers screaming for mercy, begging the Crozins to eat them, not their babies. Jacet and Bruce were bound together and tied to a fence post outside the commissary. Their faces were white, and in shock as they struggled desperately to free themselves. Victis’s wrists and ankles were hog-tied together and staked to the ground not far from them. They were forced to watch the horror and could do nothing to stop it. They knew Crozins never showed mercy. The vile Beasts preferred raw livers, hearts and brains while they were still warm. Thus, many of the children were alive while their bodies were dissected, and their organs removed.
Bruce stiffened and pulled at his restraints screaming in agony, “No, stop I beg you. I’ll do anything you ask,” as the pack of Crozins dragged his wife and two small children across the walkway in front of him. He called out to his wife that he loved her and told his children to close their eyes. His wife heard him, despite their loud clicking and shrills, and was trying desperately to scream back that she loved him, too. A Crozin shoved her youngest daughter’s severed foot down her throat to shut her up. They had yanked her pants down to her knees and she could feel a cold hand groping inside of her. Bruce cried out, begging for the Crozins to stop, but in his heart, he knew they were going to die. With every muscle in his body he tried to free himself, and when that didn’t work he chewed the plastic bindings that held him prisoner. His wife’s screams excited the Crozins and more of them swarmed to rape her. His children were being ripped apart and his wife was thrown to the ground making it difficult to see. Nonetheless, he knew by their screams the end was near.
When he could not stand to hear them any longer, he screamed to deafen the sounds of their torture. Jacet was moaning and had turned his head to look away from the carnage. Bruce slumped forward, gasping for air before he passed out. Victis felt dizzy and sickened by the savage attack and began concentrating on staring at the dirt between his legs. Nothing he did blocked the agonizing screams. It was a blessing that Bruce could not hear the end.
Victis had not seen Connie or Heidi, nor had he heard their screams. He shuddered to think they had died before he woke up. He kept telling himself that Connie was smart and resourceful. It was possible that she’d slipped out of the compound and was hiding with Heidi. His thinking was flawed in so many ways. Being in denial would not change the facts. He saw the carnage that had occurred while he was unconscious. Most of the adult Ryquats were already dead and were being laser-sliced into food containers.
A High Ukaru Crozin walked over to Victis, licking blood off his fingers. “Captain advise Fidus Achates this planet Galak territory. For this reason, I spare two lives as witness when Ryquats test us.”
The Ukaru waved his hand at a group of Crozins standing in front of their shuttle. “Victis of Zaurak, I have not eaten.”
A Crozin carrying Heidi stepped out of the shuttle and walked down the plank towards the Ukaru. She wasn’t crying or struggling to escape, but he could see the fear in her blue eyes. Judging by her expression, it was clear that even at her young age she knew her father was unable to save her. Victis burst into tears, pleading with the Ukaru not to kill his daughter. This seemed to please the vile creature. Nothing Victis said was going to change the outcome. The Ukaru reached out to the Crozin holding Heidi, and gently took her away from him. Victis calmed himself before asking Heidi to look at him and then told her how much he loved her with all his heart. With those last words, the Crozin sliced open her chest and yanked out her heart. As she took her last breath, he dropped Victis’ precious little girl in the dirt and walked over to him. From what he could see, there were four or five Crozins fighting each other as they ripped her body into pieces.
The Ukaru slowly opened his bloody hand, “You love her with all your heart. Here, I give you hers.”
Before Victis thought to look away, the Ukaru’s throat fluttered as he placed her small heart in his mouth and swallowed. His eyes were cold and pitch black. If Crozins possessed a soul, his was gone. He waited, wanting to enjoy Victis’ grief. When there was none, he threw a knife into the ground within Victis’s reach and walked away.
Victis quickly cut himself free and ran to Jacet and Bruce to free them of their restraints. By the time he found a Neco, the Crozins’ shuttle was nothing more than a speck in the sky. The smell of death in the air and signs of devastation in the compound was overwhelming. Victis ran across the housing quarters screaming for Connie. What he discovered inside their home was painfully evident. Her shoes were in the entry way as if she’d stepped out of them while running. He saw her blouse and shorts she’d been wearing that day. They had been ripped from her body and were in bloody shreds strewn about on the floor. Behind the couch he found what was left of her bra and underwear. That’s where she had lost the fight and was raped and murdered. He felt weak and the room seemed to darken and spin. Victis sat down on the couch holding the blouse he had given her on Mother’s Day. Jacet and Bruce sat down on the couch next to Victis.
Far out in space, an Umdul Battleship sensor detected the signature of a ship being destroyed in Trinite’s orbit. They cared enough to check on the Ryquats. Little did the Crozin Ukaru know, that someday Bruce would become the Special Ops Sergeant of Victis’s battleship and upon Jacet finishing his medical training, he too would join the team. The Ukaru made a colossal mistake picking those three to live; they were destined to become Trekachaws.
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO intercept the cargo ship. Cpt. Victis, Cody, Zeta, Nikki, and Clyde turned into energy and flew through the hull onto the bridge. Cpt. Atue couldn’t wait to hear all about the battle. So far, all he knew was everything had gone according to plan, except that Azha had died. Seeing Victis in person, it was obviously too soon to ask. Instead he updated Victis with Palatu’s status.
“Five hours ago, Cpt. Pify reported two Crozin and one Gor battleship en route to Palatu. I deployed twenty-four Trekachaws to intercept and take possession of them.”
Victis’s stripes turned red and his yellow eyes narrowed, “Captain’s office, now.” He followed Atue in and slammed the door.
“Why didn’t you clear this with me first? Human Trekachaws are not ready to fight Crozins or Gors and they don’t know how to navigate a battleship. Your stupidity will get them killed.”
“No… I didn’t think. What have I done?”
“How long ago did they leave?” Victis asked.
“About three hours ago. They’re probably already there.”
“Do any of them have transmitters? Does Cpt. Pify know you deployed the Trekachaws?” Victis asked.
“No, I didn’t want the Crozins to intercept the transmission.”
“From now on… do nothing unless you clear it with me first. Understood?” Victis ordered sharply.
“Yes Sir,” Atue answered, ashamed.
Victis stormed out of the captain’s office shouting orders for the cargo ship to disengage and remain at their coordinates until further instructions. There was no time for explanations. He ordered Nikki, Cody, Zeta, and Clyde to immediately return to the Battleship with him.
In a flash, they were standing on the bridge of Victis’s ship with Akio.
“Atue deployed twenty-four Human Trekachaws
to intercept two Crozin Battleships and one Gor Battleship. These are the last coordinates for their location,” Victis advised Akio.
Victis gave Akio the cue and the ship disappeared at hikari speed to intercept the alien ships.
THE GOR AND CROZIN BATTLESHIPS appeared dead in space. Upon closer inspection, they could have been sterilized. There were no life signatures and no damage to any of them. Victis felt confident that if they were going to attack, they would’ve already done so. The Crozins and Gors were arrogant and had no patience.
“Roon, stay on ship with Akio and Pax. If things go bad, escort the cargo ship to Palatu. Zeta, you Clyde, Cody and Nikki are with me. We’ll clear one ship at a time. You’ve killed a Crozin, but a Gor is different. They’re much faster and they’ll curl up in a ball that is as tough as a ship’s hull. Set your lasers on maximum and hold the beam on one spot. That’s the only way to penetrate their scales. Make sure they’re dead. If not, they’ll uncurl and return fire. One last thing, their Necos are not fitted like ours. Anyone can use them. We’ll clear the two Crozin ships first and regroup before we breach the Gor ship.”
The first ship’s bridge had Crozin bodies piled on top of each other, reminding Victis of the frickin rocks the Quizan Soldiers used to stack. Wherever they found dead Crozins, they’d find them stacked in the same neat piles. Besides looking weird, he wondered why they bothered. Nonetheless, the Human Trekachaws were thorough. Not one live Crozin was on board.
The second ship was the same as the first. No Trekachaws, and the same stacked piles of dead Crozins. So far, so good, but they still had to clear the Gor battleship. He was nervous about that one and with good reason. Victis briefed the new Trekachaws before they left the Crozin ship.
“The last ship is the Gors. They are fast, relentless, and do not care if they die. Normally they keep their lasers in an armory next to the bridge. That’s where we’ll go first. Remain in energy until we are inside the armory or if I morph into body form.”
Careful not to attract attention, they entered through the belly of the battleship. The docking platform was enormous, and there were far too many shuttles to count. Not one Gor was in the docking bay. That was unheard of, especially during an attack. Victis morphed into body form.
‘Something’s wrong,’ Victis warned. “Follow me to the bridge and stay close.”
They turned back into energy and floated through walls and layers of decks until they entered the bridge. Victis wished he’d been wrong, but he was not. Two of the Trekachaws had died from laser wounds. Several more were gravely injured and in need of emergency care. Victis remembered how good it felt to save the brave veterans from the hospital and how happy the Quizans were before they merged. Angry, he stood over them wanting to blame someone else. He’d saved them, only to have them die in space and cursed with Aeon Devotio. The Quizan soldiers had lost their eternal life needlessly.
“Unko, where are the Gors?” Victis whispered. He’d not seen one, dead or alive.
“Does anyone know where the Gors are?” Victis asked the Trekachaws.
A young Trekachaw tending a severely injured female Trekachaw stood up.
“We jammed the bridge door. They were trying to breach it just before you got here. I don’t think we even grazed one of those things. The aliens on the other ships were easy. These things kicked our butts. We voted to take a stand in here.”
What’s your name?” Victis asked.
“Quizan or Human?”
“The one you want to be called.”
“Human. I’m Takeda.”
Victis heard movement behind the walls and in the vents. It wouldn’t be long before the Gors breached the bridge.
“Good to meet you Takeda. Listen everyone, if you’re unable to fight but can turn into energy, do it now and return to my ship. Those who can fight, stay.”
Nine Trekachaws turned into energy and disappeared through a bulkhead. Thirteen remained. Victis transmitted a coded message for Pax. With any luck, the Gors would not decipher it.
Takeda had crossed the bridge and was kneeling over another Trekachaw.
“Captain, this one’s dead, too.” He sounded defeated. Victis could not soften the blow. The new Trekachaws needed to be tough if they were going survive.
“I must sterilize the ship. There’s no time to transport their bodies.”
An energy light floated onto the bridge and morphed into Pax.
“Captain, Akio scanned the ship. There’s over two-hundred Gors on board and they’ve transmitted their location and status. The only reason they’re not attacking is because they’re waiting for reinforcements. Per Cpt. Pify, several more Gor and Crozin ships are en route with a Ryquat Battleship following them. Captain Pify believes the Ryquat Captain is Smyth. Choan recognized his uncle’s voice. They need you back as soon as possible,” advised Pax.
“I hear you. Help the three Trekachaws over there, they can’t turn into energy. The other three Trekachaws by the display interface are dead.”
“If they can’t turn, they’ll die. I’m out of my element. All I can do is first aid and try to stop the bleeding. Trekachaw physiology is nothing like Ryquat. What they need is energy from the sun or artificial sunlight on the ship,” confessed Pax.
Clyde started tearing a weaved side-panel into strips. “I can wrap their wounds with this and slow down the bleeding. Five minutes might be enough for them to turn into energy.”
Victis warned, “Five minutes, no more. The rest of you go now.”
Pax, Zeta, Cody and Nikki asked if they could stay to help Clyde. He appreciated their loyalty to one another, but Victis knew better than to endanger them needlessly.
“No, go now,” order Victis. “We won’t be long.”
Clyde was able to slow down the bleeding. The Trekachaws were showing significant signs of improvement, but they were out of time.
“Clyde, I can’t jeopardize my ship. Tell them to turn now, or they’ll die,” demanded Victis.
Two of the Trekachaws heard Victis and turned into dull-blue lights and floated through the bulkhead. The bloody bandages Clyde had so carefully wrapped, fell onto the deck floor into a tangled mess. One Trekachaw remained. She looked scared and wouldn’t let go of Clyde’s hand.
“Captain, she’s almost ready. Can I stay just a little longer? A couple of minutes, if not, I’ll leave her,” pleaded Clyde.
“If you wait too long, I’ll be forced to sterilize the ship with you on it,” warned Victis.
“What does sterilization mean?” Clyde asked.
“All you need to know, is that you’ll die.”
En route to his ship, Victis questioned his decision. For both their sakes, he hoped he was wrong. He liked Clyde and didn’t want him to sacrifice himself trying to save her.
Akio had intercepted a Gor transmission and was advising Capt. Pify via the bridge monitor. It seemed the Gors were no longer waiting for reinforcements and were close to re-routing the bridge controls to the main interface. Hearing this made his decision easy. The Gor ship had to be sterilized immediately.
Clyde caught the faint sound of a laser on the other side of the bridge door, then a red-hot line slicing across the top. He had an idea. Not a great one, but it was worth a try. He turned into energy and entered her dying body. He could feel his life force being drained and hers gaining strength. She turned into energy and together they floated through the ship into space. Slow and steady they flew towards Victis’s battleship. Half-way home a blue-beam shot out from the bow and began rotating back and forth across the Gors’ battleship. He wondered if the blue-beam was the sterilization Cpt. Victis had warned him about. She was in pain and fading away, and he was growing weaker by the minute. He flew directly into the Quizans’ chambers and separated from her. They morphed into body form and collapsed on the floor. The artificial sun felt good and he could feel himself gaining strength. Her stripes were blue, and she was unconscious, but very much alive. Clyde absorbed enough energy to carry her to a cot
and laid down beside her to rest. He wanted to be there when she awoke.
CLYDE WOKE UP REFRESHED, BUT he’d completely lost track of time. He raised his head off the cot to look at her face. She looked peaceful and no longer in pain. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. While he was asleep, she had died. Clyde laid back down and held her in his arms, “I’m sorry.”
He prayed for her, then let go of her cold body. Clyde trudged down the corridor towards the bridge. Along the way, several Ryquats patted him on the shoulder and told him that Cpt. Victis would be pleased that he’d survived. This was not the first time he’d lost a comrade in battle. Nonetheless, it was the first time a woman had died fighting beside him. He found this to be incredibly disturbing and was angry at himself for going to sleep. Directly in front of him was the bridge. He needed to get control of his emotions before entering. Clyde was old school. He believed a good soldier was a strong soldier and showed no weakness.
Indeed, Victis was pleased. He wanted to ask Clyde what happened after he’d left, but right now was not a good time. Akio had sterilized the Gor ship twice. The first Crozin ship was sterilized, and the second ship was in progress. Victis assigned Akio and Zeta to board the three sterilized battleships and program the auto-pilot to Palatu.
In less than fifteen minutes Akio transmitted, “Gor ship completed, en route to assignment two.”
Victis watched as the Gor battleship disappeared on the monitor. A few minutes later, one of the Crozin battleships disappeared. Akio and Zeta were amazingly fast. The tiny shuttle flew around the last Crozin ship just before it disappeared on the monitor. Victis clapped his hands, “That’s how it’s done. Wish you could’ve been here to see that, Azha.”
With everyone back on board, Akio set coordinates to the Cargo ship at Hikari speed.