by J. D. Tew
Sprinting up the hill like a pack of wolves starving from a lengthy winter, the pirates hunted me. The Liams stood at attention on the base of the hill, frozen from fear, and the aliens charged up the incline. “Get him!” they hollered.
Three of the Skirofs ran past me as I plastered myself against the flat rock slab, holding my breath. All I could think about was: should I make a move? I nearly exhaled noisily out of fear when I heard one of the pirates next to the rock say, “I heard something right here!”
Some of the Skiorf guards peeled off from the contingent, searching about for the source of the hacking sounds. Finding nothing, they returned to their positions, waving everyone on.
‘False alarm. Keep those Sepherans in line! Where’s my human?’
‘Right here, boss.’
‘Good. We will need him for the exchange with Odion’s operatives.’
Oh my God! I thought. That’s why the pirates kidnapped Liam; they planned on handing him over to Odion. The Skiorf pirates of Karshiz tended to barter their booty with undesirables, Odion being the Supreme Undesirable.
Hand Liam over? Not during my command!
I waited for the soldiers to march ahead in front of the tail of lingering dust before moving an inch. When their leader led them forward, the forced chant continued—tepid and dispirited, because the Liams were whipped much too rough. I marked the direction of the group to memory while they marched away, so that I could present my nanocom’s image to the group. One of the Liams from within the mid-sized army looked back at the hill with a longing glare; I knew, without hesitation, it was Liam, and moreover, I would risk everything to get him.
I ran toward the rear of the ship, the hatch lowered automatically, and I ran up the ramp shouting orders, but no one could hear me within their rooms.
I activated my trusty robot with my voice: ‘ED power up! Compute! I need all members of the crew in file, outside of the ship in ten minutes, with full battle-rattle! I will brief you once everyone is in formation. Now move!’
‘Yes Theodore!’ ED connected to the inboard mainframe to communicate the orders. ‘Attention! This is not a drill. Dan and Nilo, equip all gear for battle readiness and report in file outside of the ship in ten minutes. I repeat; this is not a drill. Ten minutes, outside, full gear!’
Upon entering my room, I immediately slipped on my Elon suit, which was a pliable living plant armor; a gift from a good friend. I attached all of the necessary accessories, and stood rigid in front of a glass circuit board in my room, observing my mirror image. It showed a resolute leader, ready to take command.
I admired my armor, then directed my attention to my sword, Wrath. After I ignited the wicked tritium phosphoritite and magnesium blade, the sword glowed teal against my pale skin and discharged flaming curlicues. It was as volatile and threatening as always.
It was time.
I changed the setting on my sword to standby, and then activated my door to exit. As I walked down the hallway, I yelled, ‘You have two minutes! Let’s go-let’s go! Move, move, move!’ Cluttered with gear, Dan and Nilo ran past me, nearly tripping. As I walked down the ramp, exiting the ship I saw my two colleagues standing in file.
‘What’s goin’ down dude?’ Dan asked.
‘Awaiting your instruction, Theodore,’ Nilo said.
‘I saw a marching formation on the other side of this hill led by a group of Skiorf pirates. They have Liam!’
Excited, Dan shouted, ‘Are you fricken kidding me? Liam’s here? What’s the plan to save him?’
‘We are going to fly ahead of the pirate unit and stage an ambush, then rescue Liam. Is that clear?’
Mariah exited the ship wearing full battle-rattle, meaning all of her gear was donned and ready, including her prized plasma rifle. ‘Liam!’ She shouted. ‘Really? Count me in!’
‘You sure you’re up to it, Mariah?’ Dan asked.
Mariah quickly answered, ‘I wouldn’t miss this.’
I interjected by saying, ‘ED please scan Mariah’s vitals and ensure she will be able to participate effectively.’
‘Yes sir,’ ED said.
‘C’mon, Ted. Let’s go get these guys!’ Dan shouted.
‘Hang tight for a second. We cannot just barrel after these guys. Line of fire and position need to be established, so listen up!’ I puffed my chest out, as if I was emulating King Trazuline. I said, ‘This is the plan. Nilo, you will stay with the ship; I’ll get to why in a second.’ I kneeled down to grab some props. ‘These rocks represent Dan, ED, Mariah, and I. Dan and Mariah will hold position here, behind cover and in front of the enemy’s outfit. Dan, you have the strongest projectile weapon in our crew; you will use it to suppress the enemy, and Mariah, you will take out single threats with your rifle—keep an eye out for the leader. ED and I will post here, at the enemy’s flank. Dan, you will fire on the enemy from the front.’ I drew a line with my finger, showing my prescribed direction of fire. ‘They will likely quit, but if they don’t, we will push forward sooner. You must keep this direction of fire. You don’t want to hit us by accident. If we need to press forward, I will go, and ED will relay a signal flare to let you know to shift your fire to the left of the enemy. ED and I will press our efforts against the enemy’s flank. Once we have them against the ropes, Nilo, that is where you will come in. You will pilot the ship to our location, on my command. Be prepared to impose the ship’s might on them! Liam is human; ED should be able to analyze something to tell the difference between Liam and the Sepherans. Right?’
‘I can check for inconsistencies. It is possible the body temperatures will differ greatly. The Sepherans will be able to function at a much cooler temperature. Your human friend will more than likely be closer to ninety-eight-point-six Fahrenheit.’
‘We are running out of time. Is this all understood by everyone?’ I ask.
Dan, Mariah, and Nilo shouted, ‘Yes sir.’
‘Theodore. Some advice? We may be able to rescue Liam, but these pirates were marching, which could mean this formation is part of a larger military force. There may be more platoons that we’re not aware of.’
‘It doesn’t matter if there is an entire army guarding Liam. We will not let another member of this team go! Everyone stand by for equipment check!’
While standing in front of Dan, I rattled his gear and said, ‘Let’s see. Two, four, six, is this going to be enough plasma cartridges?’
‘I can get fifty blasts from one cartridge or ten bursts of four.’
‘And your board? Is it operational?’ Dan started sprinting, threw his board in front of him, and jumped onto it, skimming the ground and showing off his agility and balance. ‘Okay. Get back in formation! Nilo. I want you to remain in full gear. Protect the ship and wait for my verbal signal over communications. ED, you are fully charged, correct?’
‘Affirmative, Theodore. I am currently at ninety-eight percent.’
‘Mariah, can your rifle generate enough laser beams to facilitate this attack! We will need you for support by fire.’
‘Piece of cake... And yes, I can generate enough beams to take out all targets.’
‘This is it people! Do or die! Do not hesitate!’ I yelled. ‘Um... Break...’
Dan and Nilo started laughing and Nilo said, ‘I guess I wouldn’t know what to say either.’
Dan leaned in close to me and said, ‘I am with you until the end broseph!’
‘Let’s do this!’ I yelled.
We launched into the air, Dan on his board, ED with his jetpack, carrying Mariah, and myself using my lifters. Looking back, I saw Nilo walking up the ramp of Freebird, as I disappeared into the sand filled air.
After soaring against the wind for about twenty minutes, we arrived at our position, which was about five hundred meters ahead of the Skiorf pirates. We had to take a round-a-bout path to avoid alerting the Skiorfs with our flight devices.
‘This is it. We use our nanocoms now. Radio silence, only mind messages from here on out. Roger?’
‘We read you, Lima-Charlie dude.’
‘That was weird,’ I said. Dan’s misuse of the coms was funny, but ill-timed.
‘I heard it in a movie. It means loud and clear.’
‘I know what it means. Next time just say loud and clear. Or something similar.’
ED broke us up like a father separating out two bickering children. ‘Are you gentleman finished?’ he asked. We began our telepathic exchange of communication.
There they are—to your twelve-o’clock position, Dan. Twenty-five Skiorfs. All of them carrying weapons, I thought.
Dan telepathically responded: I have them in my sights dude. Locked and ready to fire on your command.
ED pressed against me and whispered, ‘Patience Theodore—patience.’
Their heads were bouncing up and down beyond the horizon. Visibly, the group was becoming clearer. Their chant was close enough to hear: ‘Det moret, subufolot moc het, det moret!’ They were at perfect range.
‘My calculations prove NOW is the time to strike, Theodore!’ ED whispered loudly, as he was sitting close to me.
Quickly, using ED’s calculations against my own discernments, I thought out my orders: Dan, fire ten-feet ahead of their position.
Dan: Yes sir. Brace yourself!
‘Skewwwww-BOOM!’
‘Skewwwww-BOOM!’
The plasma projectiles screamed out of the muzzle of Dan’s cannon, slamming thunderously into the ground only about three meters from the marching pirates. The blasts sent a forceful wave of air and land debris toward us, jostling us slightly. I flexed my abdomen from the shrill sound and the crashing boom, jamming my fingers into my ears in an attempt to stop the ringing and the sensory overload. The smell of burnt sage bush, bursts of high pitch ringing, and the blasts of sand granules shattered my focus momentarily.
‘We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons! Place your hands above your heads!’ Dan yelled, as if he was repeating an episode of his favorite police show. Dan’s voice was distant, but it at least gave me an idea of his position in relation to my team.
Yet, the Skiorfs weren’t dropping their weapons.
The pirates paused, then dropped to assume the prone position. The lead Skiorf pointed and shouted at his men. Upon his command, the troops fought into our ambush, firing controlled laser beam bursts with assault type laser rifles.
Dan, put all you got into the two aliens positioned at your ten, I thought.
Our linear assault had begun.
“ED, we press forward now, suppressive fire on the leader!” I shouted. The projectile gun position of my sword, Wrath, wasn’t functioning, so I needed to get close enough to use it as a sword, rather than as a gun. Weapon malfunctions were common in battle; it was how one reacted that made him an effective soldier.
I could feel ED and Dan’s blasts rocking the ground near me, as their balls of hot plasma collided with the desert landscape, causing my ears to ring. I pressed forward madly, running from rock to rock and bush to bush. I tripped and my sword escaped my grasp. As I ran to it, the Skiorfs’ laser beams skimmed my shoulder. I shouted with pain, their weapons system’s laser beams pierced my armor and burned my skin, stunning me momentarily.
Hiding behind a rock, I made a wild dash for my sword, only feet from their position. Dan’s next blast had forced the two Skiorfs apart, sending them flying through the air. Due to Dan’s overpowering force, one of the Skiorfs died as a savagely dismembered wreck, and the other lay unconscious, perhaps dead.
There was no time to think. I lunged up a steep incline. As I crested the hill, the alien in charge was positioned in the prone, firing in Dan’s direction.
I thought, Mariah clear a path! Nilo! Bring the ship to our coordinates now; engage all pirates that are separating from the group.
I’m on it, Theodore, Mariah relayed telepathically over her nanocom. Nilo acknowledged my order, saying that he would arrive in seconds.
Mariah was dropping targets with her laser rifle and expert marksmanship. Freebird soared over the battle scene. After laser blasts from the ship annihilated a couple of escaping Skiorfs, Nilo gave me thumbs up through the observation deck window. I could feel the heat of the ship’s turbines; he was that close.
The Skiorfs shouldn’t have felt even the slightest bit of hope after we started decisively overtaking them. Bursting through a thick cloud of roused dirt, I thrust out my sword, guarding against any advance from the Skiorfs. After the whirlwind of sand cleared, the tip of my sword hovered inches away from the triple chin of the Skiorf in charge. He turned, his eyes on the verge of submission.
I thought my orders out to Dan and ED—cease fire!
The wild fire of Dan’s cannons halted. Mariah’s rifle ceased to zing laser beams, and ED was soaring toward me.
‘Drop your weapons! Don’t move a fricken inch! Or I will cut you down! You hear me?’ I shouted into the face of the leader. ‘Press forward, ED. I don’t think these guys understand what I’m saying. Can I cue up a translation on this nanocom?’
The Skiorf in charge growled at me, coldly calculating his blowback. Ne derelinquas es de spiritu erumpit; I give you the spirit of my army, not surrender. His eyes said it all. Suddenly, he reached for a dagger, snatching it from his boot and thrusting it in my direction. I tried to parry his blade with Wrath, but in doing so, I severed his hand at the wrist. Although he was now helpless with only one good hand left, he knew he was, courageous in defeat and valiant until the end. And for him, that was enough. I defeated him because I had to, but left him with his life.
‘Take your leader and get the hell out of here!’ I shouted.
Only six of the original twenty-five Skiorfs remained alive; one running for the dunes, and the four others carrying their severely wounded leader—the sixth one—off to safety. The aftermath of battle clouded the area. The Liams remained frozen from fear. ‘Theodore!” cried out ED, “We must act now, before they call in reinforcements!’
‘Do your bio-analysis, then,’ I said.
I walked among the Liams to see if I could detect the one that was my friend. While the Sepherans’ ability to mimic life was astonishing, for us, it was enigmatic. ‘Please remain calm,’ I said. ‘We are only looking for our friend, who is the original.’ As I made my way through a group of four Liams, one started walking toward me, shivering from the cold. I started motioning towards him, excited, as if I had found him. It couldn’t be that easy, as another Liam stood up to mirror the previous Liam’s actions.
One of the Liams asked me, ‘Is it really you?’
Another shouted, ‘You’re an idiot, I am Liam—buzz off!’
A group rallied together and said, ‘I am Liam.’
Are you kidding me? I thought.
One irritated replica barged through the group, like a tractor through a herd of cattle. ‘I will squash you dorks like grapes if you claim to be me one more time!’
‘Test this one ED, quickly!’ Only my pal Liam would reference “grapes” when discussing brute physical contact. Dan flew over on his board. The Liams all looked so similar. Tall, buff, and rugged as if chiseled out of stone.
‘Which one is he? Shit, you weren’t lying, there’s an army of him!’ Dan shouted over the wind.
‘Dan, you and I will maintain security until ED is finished with the analysis,’ I said. We had to block the other Liam replicas off, to avoid another confusing switch with the one that ED was scanning, the one that uttered out loud, “grapes.”
Another Liam replica shouted, trying to close in on ED. ‘It’s me, you turds! I am Liam!’
‘Everyone, sit down right now. I don’t want to hear another word from any of you!’ I shouted at the Liams.
The whole experience went from chilling excitement of victory to a lull of madness and frustration. I was welling with anticipation, and my patience was dwindling. I started pacing and trying to focus on the task of security.
‘Well! I can’t take it anymore! Is it him?’ I asked. Fortunately,
the one we had chosen was still isolated, smiling and winking at us. It was as if that individual couldn’t wait to connect to us once more.
‘Thirty seconds, Theodore,’ ED returned.
‘Concentrate on your sectors. We don’t know if they have communicated the attack to their superiors. This could be a satellite element of pirates. There might be a larger group en route.’ After about thirty seconds, ED let us have the results.
‘He is human!’
I shouted, ‘That’s it! We move now!’ I turned to address the now free but confused Sepherans. ‘Everyone else... You’re free to go! Move! I don’t care what direction you go, but you shouldn’t stay here!’
One of the Sepherans grabbed at his restraint shackles, riding his hand along the chain and shaking it to demonstrate his dilemma.
‘I see,’ I said, while igniting Wrath’s blade. ‘I’ll cut you loose.’ I walked the file of Liam replicas, slicing their shackles easily. Except for one. ‘ED, I want you to disassemble this set of restraints from the others. You never know when you’ll need to restrain a Sepheran.’
ED collected one of the Sepheran restraint systems and placed it into a compartment in his back. The Sepherans, now free, all dissembled into their microscopic form, scattering and propagating like seeds into the air. I heard a whisper in my ear as they disappeared in the upward curls of dust: ‘We’ll be around.’ I felt a grand feeling of relief, letting the Sepherans go free, but at the same time, I felt uneasy. What did they mean by that?
I secretly blamed myself for Liam’s capture and detainment back when I escaped from Zane’s ship, and finally I was alleviated of that self-inflicted burden. I felt the urge to grab Liam and squeeze the life out of him—to give him the love I knew he was dying to absorb. I didn’t want to embrace him—call it a male hang-up—so I remained professional and tucked it away. ‘We will get you home bud. My lifters should work just fine.’