The Tschaaa Oracle, Seer, psychic and shaman-like character was near glacial in her movements as she inched closer to Madam President. At the same time, her fingers were twitching, twisting on her feminine hands. Sal could not control the tears that began to run down her cheeks. She knew it was crazy to feel sorry about causing the death of offspring from a species that would just as soon kill and eat her as look at her. But it would be like killing feral kittens when she was a child. You knew they would grow up to devastate your chickens and ducks, but they were so innocent as babies. It was not their fault they were born wild.
“You…shed water…from your eyes.” Cassandra spoke through her translator. “You shed tears, like the other.” The Sibyl slowly reached her right social tentacle out, touched Sal’s cheek. It felt like the wisp of a feather as the Alien removed a tear and brought it back to her equivalent mouth.
All the others, Tschaaa, humans, were transfixed. It was if the Tschaaa Sibyl had a psychic al hold on everyone. Then Sal broke the trance.
“I am so sorry, Cassandra. It is my fault the young in your care were killed. I have done something evil, terrible…”
Cassandra jerked a bit. “No. We females did not start this. My Crèche had been content to live in our ocean, eat the bounty there for tens of thousands of our years. Then male prophets had us taste the dark flesh of the two legs on our home planet. It was never the same again.”
“My God and Lord Jesus,” Abigail was heard to whisper over the communication link. “Adam and Eve and the apple. They were cast out of Eden…”
The Tschaaa Oracle then began to sing. It was the like best parts of every Earth deep sea whale song ever recorded.
Out of the blue, Brynhildr stepped closer. With her beautiful Wagnerian voice, lately demonstrated at the last Christmas pageant, she began to sing along with Sibyl, somehow making music that was similar to whale songs. Cassandra turned her attention to the tall Shield Maiden, began to sway back and forth in rhythm. Brynhildr began to match her, sway for sway.
Aleks teared up. “It is about children. I can feel it,” the Russian Spy said out loud.
“It is about all the lost children,” Elizabeth the Breeder then said. “We sing for the sadness of their passing. Also about the joy that we knew them, cared for them. Plus the secure knowledge that they have returned to our Ocean Mother.”
The Tschaaa Female looked intently at Sal. “This is something the males never understand.”
Cassandra finally ended her song and began to slowly approach Brynhildr. She held out her right hand and the Shield Maiden took it.
“I never thought I would say ‘well met’ to an alien Squid, but I think. Cassandra, you and yours are an exception.
“You are strong, honest,” Cassandra replied. “You sing well for a two-legged land dweller also.”
The Oracle then looked at Abigail.
“May we touch?”
Now it was Abigail’s turn to move slow, as she approached Cassandra. Memories of what the grays had tried to do to her, what was done to her on orders of the Tschaaa flooded in. She forced herself to touch the Oracle’s digits. After she did, the Special Female began to moan.
“I sense you were used, hurt by Lords claiming they were doing right. You also have great losses, your Crèche was decimated. You suffered a shock…went away…” The Oracle began to shake. Abigail surprised herself and stepped forward, grabbing the other hand of the Tschaaa.
“Cassandra, what is happening?”
The female had closed her very large eyes. Now they popped open.
“There is hope for me. If you can come back from the Gone, I may someday also.”
Abigail sucked her breath in. “You sensed it, my little death.”
“Yes. You are Sibyl also. I greet a sister.”
The ten limbed creature now turned her attention on Aleks. The Russian operative stepped forward and clasped hands with Cassandra.
“You recently…gave birth. You rejoice in your young. May they grow.”
“One of the creatures your males brought almost took my sons. So, to say I trust you all would be an overstatement.”
Cassandra looked deep into Aleks’ eyes. “We no longer trust our own kind either.”
The Oracle, one who had been “touched” as some human societies would describe it, began to speak to all the assembled personages.“Elizabeth and I knew we must stop this killing of young. It is no longer a matter of eating meat, it has become an instrument of hate and revenge. Innocents are killed for the sins of others. It must stop.” As she finished, Cassandra seemed to be exhausted. One of the female warriors moved, helped to support her and moved her back to an area behind all the rest where she could spread out on the floor like an Earthly octopus.
“She is exhausted,” said Madam President.
“Yes, Sal. It is…hard being her. She should have died from the shock of the loss. She did not. As you did not from the loss of your young.”
“You sensed I had a loss also, Elizabeth. Yes, I lost a daughter and a son during the Invasion. I have a daughter by blood left. But I was just told recently that I have thousands of sons and daughters by adoption. So I will never be alone.”
The Tschaaa breeder paused, then spoke. “In that way humans are tougher than Tschaaa. You seem to handle the unbelievable and unbearable so much better than us.”
Sal had smiled. “We are mean, nasty. Which is why we will not surrender to Lord Neptune, become his servants.”
“I must tell you now that I am Lord Neptune’s favorite breeder,” Elizabeth replied. “He has told me that our offspring are smarter and stronger than all others. So, unlike many sires, Senior Lords, he seems to listen to female opinions about matters other than raising young.”
Sal weighed her reply, then spoke. “So, you plan to influence Your Lord to end this slaughter. I question your ability to do that, based on this…addiction they have to eating us. But I am willing to stand by as you try.”
The alien continued. “Within the next three of you humans weeks, there will be a large meeting of all the Lords still on Earth off the area you call the Bahamas. At that, Lord Neptune will try to keep the other Lords form demanding a complete eradication of all humans not contained and confined in areas such as Cattle Country. Ferals will be hunted down and harvested, the Unoccupied States and Free Japan and Free Russia will be destroyed, by rock strikes if necessary. The idea of treating you as clients such as those you call lizards will disappear.”
The President of the U.S.A. stood straight on her Spine of Steel. “You know there is a high probability of Mutual Assured Destruction for both species if that is attempted. We still have some nuclear weapons, as well as other Weapons of Mass Destruction.”
Elizabeth began to move her tentacles in certain patterns.
“She signs extreme frustration, with some anger tinged with fear.” Mikhail broke in as quick as he could.
“I know, Madam President. But our males are often stubborn and stupid, to the young’s detriment. And we do not have the knowledge and practice of total war as do you humans. ”
Sal took a deep breath before she spoke. “We humans of both genders can also be stubborn and stupid. I also know that your older Lords and many family members are about to leave the solar system by using our sun to slingshot the remaining Crèche generational starships on the long trip home. On those ships are at least two billion human corpses, as well as some human breeding pairs to try and save those you left behind.”
“You are quite well informed, Sal.”
“Humans have always been good at snooping into other people’s business. No, let me be very blunt and honest. This is not personal. I take no pleasure in even considering these actions.”
Sandra ‘Sal” Paul paused for a moment. ‘One shot, Lady, that’s it,’ she thought. Then she answered.
“I will arrange a very secure system of communication so that you may contact me directly. I must plan for the worse, so if you fail, I will have to tell m
y fellow Homo sapiens that it is a fight to the death. Millions will die, the Earth will dissolve into a Long Winter that will last decades as we two species fight. I believe even those under the Director’s control will fight, not accept total imprisonment awaiting being harvested. You will be lucky to have any warm oceans for your young, Elizabeth. I am sorry. But we cannot accept total enslavement. We are not Cattle, contrary to what Lord Neptune believes.”
There was quiet. Then Cassandra stirred from behind them.
“I will make the Tschaaa Lords understand. They always listen to ones such as I.”
“I hope you are right. I hope with all my heart.”
Sal reached her hands out and took Elizabeth’s long alien digit hands in hers.
“No matter what happens, I think we are friends.”
“Yes Sal, I agree. A first in Tschaaa history I believe.”
Madam President glanced at Cassandra, who was laying down again.
“She said she met, touched a human years ago, and is still hunting for her.”
“Yes. About one of your years after the Lords attacked, Cassandra met a female breeder in a sea craft outside of the area you call Miami. The Sibyl said she thought she had heard the term ‘Coastie’ as she had seen this Breeder before, in the local bay. The breeder was crying. Cassandra said she sensed she had just lost a young, a child. She tasted human tears for the first time, said she knew even then we two species had a connection through the care we show our young.”
The Breeder known as Elizabeth reached up and gently touched Sal’s cheeks.“I hope Cassandra finds this breeder, so they may be friends as we are becoming. But now, we must go. If we are gone too long, questions will be asked.”
“I was going to ask who flew the Falcon here.”
“The warrior Dorothy there, with the other, Helen is the name she took, assisting. We were allowed to borrow it by a cyborg, what you call a robocop.”
“Did this benefactor have a name? I understand many do, having been human quite recently.”
“His name is Andrew.”
The Four were subdued after saying their farewells. Everyone else knew they were still in one piece due to the real time monitoring. The monitors also knew how draining it was to converse with beings whose members had been killing and eating humans for some seven years. As they were back aboard the V/STOL and headed back to Grand Forks, Sandra Paul called Colonel Bardun on a special encrypted cellphone.
“Yes, Madam President.”
“The…item. How efficient is it against adults?”
“Fifty percent fatality rate, with about another twenty percent being badly crippled for months if not years later.”
“Over ninety percent fatality with the young and the very old, correct?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Colonel, there is going to be a bit of a change in plans…”
“Yes Madam President. I already figured as such.”
“Well, the reason…”
“Ma’am, begging your pardon, I don’t need an explanation. One, you are my Commander in Chief. Two…well, the idea of killing the equivalent of puppies and kittens because they might grow up and bite me always rubbed me the wrong way.”
CHAPTER 37
CATTLE COUNTRY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
As Madam President was having the historic meeting with the Tschaaa females, Malcolm Carter was trying to stay alive. He and his comrades also tried to fight back against the invading forces. It was a severe uphill struggle.
Bashir Gupta and Reggie Adams homegrown and improvised weapons had been surprising in their effectiveness. Crude but powerful black powder rockets at close range were a danger to even the robocops. Extreme mechanical ballistae based on Roman designs launched metal bolts that even pierced the sides of the wheeled battle and harvester robots. And of course the firearms they had took a toll of the renegade human Krakens. But the enemy kept coming. A Falcon was used to collapse a building being used as a stronghold. The Warrior/Soldier Class of artificial beings, called Poor Man’s Robocops, were deadly with their electromagnetic automatic bolt guns. The energy charged projectiles penetrated the limited body armor and cover of the surviving residents of Atlanta with few problems. The traitor human Krakens were better organized and trained in small unit tactics than before. They moved and cleared areas at a steady rate, left many bodies in their wake. There was little effort on the part of the Squid minions to harvest dark meat, nor preserve it. Survivors quickly learned there was no surrender. Show yourself, you were shot down, your body left where it fell. The only exception was a few cooking pits the Krakens set up for their more ‘hardcore’ followers. The Tschaaa seemed to look the other way as a species ate its own members, contra to the Aliens supposed core beliefs.
Malcolm was in one of the many pre-planned bolt holes, hiding with Red, Big Joe, and Dawoud. Red had just finished bandaging Big Joe’s arm, the result of a ricocheting bullet.
“Is Joe going to live, Red?”
“Hell, Boss,” Big Joe answered. “I’m too big and ugly to die. I’d scare even Saint Peter at the pearly gates.”
“If God really cared about how we or others looked,” Dawoud interjected. “He would not have made the Djinn Squids. I find it hard to believe the Squid mothers think their offspring are attractive.”
“Well, my lapsed Muslim Friend,” asked Malcolm. “How did little Squids come about if their parents find other individuals so repulsive?”
Big Joe had laughed and flashed a large grin. “Boss, you’ve heard of a three bagger, right? One bag over the females head, one over the body…”
“Now if you men are through with your rude and crass jokes,” interrupted Red. “What is our next move?”
Malcolm smiled. “Sorry. Humor sometimes helps keep your head from exploding from the stress.”
The Mayor and Leader of the Atlanta Insurrection looked at Dawoud. “Any more communication with the outside?”
“No, sorry. We managed to get some short wave information out this morning to the U.S. listening posts, but then the building the short wave was in was attacked by a Delta Fighter. That is the last I heard from that communication team.”
Malcolm grunted. “Where are the white folks when you need them?”
“They suffered a vicious attack of their own, Malcolm.” Red said. “They have many of their own problems.”
“Oh yeah? That little set two that had at Malmstrom is peanuts to this,” Malcolm began to fume, then stopped himself. The Free Areas had tried to send aid. They had even gotten Dawoud into Atlanta during the siege. But that did not detract from the danger the people of color in Atlanta were facing now.
“Sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to snap. I just think everything was too little, too late. Way too many people just walked into our Cattle Country. Everyone should have fought more.”
“Fear, my leader.” Dawoud answered. “Most were afraid, hoped they would be spared after the initial massive assaults had stopped.”
“Yeah, Dawoud. And all it did was delay the inevitable for many. Fools.”
Everyone was silent for a few moments. Then Malcolm spoke.“Alright, so much for the pity party. Now, gentlemen and gentle lady, let’s see who else is alive and functional. We may still be able to break the circle, get some people out…”
CHAPTER 38
GREAT FALLS MONTANA,
FORMER UNITED STATES FEDERAL COURT BUILDING
Special Agent Brynhildr Jorgensen sat cooling her heels outside of Commissioner Paul Miller’s office. He had asked to see her as soon as she was able to after her part of the history making meeting of the Four and The Breeder. So of course, after she had gotten back and cleaned up, she had contacted their Sector Communications and found out where the Commissioner was hanging his hat this week. He did not stay in one place too long, unless it was to visit Emily Anders at her Great Falls Veterinarian Clinic in Great Falls.
So, when she heard he was here, she made an appointment to see him. She knew the
President had already briefed him on what at happened at the warehouse in Duluth. Even now, it still seemed surreal to her. Actually communicating, forming an initial bond, albeit a very tenuous one, with females of a species that kept trying to eat you, without Brynhildr taking a battle ax to them, was not something she had ever imagined. After Hell Day, it seemed even doubly bizarre.
Paul Miller opened the door to his office and greeted her.
“Agent Jorgensen. Glad you all made it back in one piece. I had extreme doubts which I had communicated to Madam President before you all left.”
Brynhildr stood and shook his hand.
“And of course, Sir, Madam President ignored them.”
The Commissioner chuckled. “Yes, she has her own way of doing things. But, judging by the way things are turning out, her path seems to be the right one. Now, come on in. There is someone here with whom you need to talk.”
Brynhildr walked in and saw the very large and muscular Dogman, Abigail’s Uncle Buck, sitting in one of two padded chairs near the Commissioner’s desk. Lying next to him was his huge mastiff, Matt.
“Hello Sir. That is a large dog you have there.”
“Call me Dogman, I’m no sir. And this is Matt. Say ‘Hi’ Matt.”
The huge canine rose and stuck his muzzle out to Brynhildr. She let him sniff the back of her hand, then she began to scratch his ears. Matt gave an appreciative groan.
“He likes you. So I like you.”
Brynhildr looked at Dogman. “That simple, huh.”
He shrugged. “My dogs are a good judge of character. So I don’t question them.”
Brynhildr moved over and sat in the other chair.
“So, Boss. What do you want me to do?”
“It’s what I want you and Abigail’s uncle here to do together,” the Commissioner answered.
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