Borne On Wings of Steel

by Tony Chandler

  But overall, the room echoed with talk and laughter and the sound of utensils striking plates. The majority did not yet feel the tension that began to fill the air around the tables at the far end of the room.

  It built quickly to an unstoppable climax.

  Kyle, momentarily forgetting the Harg, stifled a laugh as he continued to watch his friend's comically intent look of concentration.

  “What're you looking for, Jaric? Did you lose something?” Kyle asked, a smile on his face.

  Jaric shook his head, as if disappointed.

  “I was wondering where that big, fat, ugly alien with the attitude went.” He stabbed a few of the spiky vegetables. He faced Kyle. “You know, the one with the big, ugly horn on its nose—the Hammatt. But I guess he left."

  Jaric raised the fork to his mouth as a powerful growl shook the air.

  Jaric and Kyle locked eyes.

  “Don't tell me,” Jaric whispered in shock.

  A second growl filled the air, the source obviously right behind them.

  “I won't tell you. But get ready,” Kyle whispered back.

  Slowly, Kyle put his hand underneath his plate.

  Without warning, a mass of vegetables mixed with the living-meat rained down over Jaric's head. Jaric's eyes widened in panic as some of the crawling forms cascaded down near his mouth. He wiped them away quickly, shaking the squirming, worm-like things off his hands with a shudder.

  Jaric felt a huge form brush against his back as the mighty Hammatt stood.

  Jaric rolled his eyes at Kyle who looked back at him with a mixture of shock and suppressed mirth.

  A voice from somewhere above spoke.

  “Stupid, fat, and ugly am I? Why, you little..."

  At just that moment, Kyle threw his plateful of food up in the direction he figured the huge alien's face would be.

  He missed.

  Instead, the flying food drenched several aliens beside the huge Hammatt.

  “What the?” they shouted as they all rose angrily.

  Kyle lunged backward, swinging his elbow hard into the Hammatt's stomach.

  It felt like he struck a steel wall.

  He froze and groaned, rubbing his elbow painfully.

  Kyle and Jaric looked at each other again, shrugged with resignation, then slowly looked up.

  The Hammatt stared down at them, nostrils flared, his eyes burning blasters into them.

  Jaric began to laugh.

  “You know, there's something funny in all—"

  At that moment, the Hammatt reached down with both hands, lifted up two more plates of food from surprised aliens on either side of him, and flung them at the two humans.

  But Jaric and Kyle ducked just in time—falling down on their hands and knees.

  Behind them angry shouts grew in number.

  All at once, the air filled with flying plates of food aimed like missiles.

  “We've got to get out of here!” Jaric whispered urgently to Kyle as they hugged the floor.

  “No kidding, Einstein."

  A powerful hand locked on each of them with a vise-like grip.

  “Uh-oh,” Jaric and Kyle said simultaneously.

  Effortlessly, they rose into the air.

  “I think time is running out,” Jaric said with resignation.

  Kyle winced as he clenched his fists, eyes still shut.

  “Just follow my lead."

  “I knew you were going to say that,” Jaric shot back.

  “I'm not the one who insulted the biggest alien in the room."

  Jaric groaned. “Well, if I'd known he was right behind me, I—"

  Suddenly, Rok jumped up on the table and shouted a Kraaqi war-cry.

  The entire room went deathly silent.

  Reaching down, Rok grabbed a plate in each hand and flung them at the Hammatt's face.

  Rok leapt at the huge alien at the same time.

  But the big Hammatt simply lowered his body and with a sudden upward motion sent the Kraaqi flying over his shoulder while still holding the hapless humans.

  A fresh set of muffled shouts and the sound of new fighting indicated the airborne Kraaqi had landed.

  A new wave of missiles—more plates of food in addition to cups of liquid—flew through the air locked on target.

  Shouts mixed with growls filled the room. Everyone in the room lashed out at the alien next to him.

  Food quickly covered everyone—some of it still squirming as it slid down their faces.

  The Hammatt held the two dangling humans like a statue—and with each passing second another plateful of food covered its head and shoulders. The huge alien growled ominously as its whole body shook with his mounting anger.

  Kyle looked up at the mountain-like form and savagely kicked at its ribs.

  But nothing happened, except the faintest groan from the Hammatt.

  They still hovered helplessly.

  “Oh great,” Jaric shot at Kyle. “I think you've saved the day!"

  A mighty roar deafened them.

  First, the Hammatt took Jaric and slung him headlong down one side of the table like a bartender flinging a glass of beer. Jaric yelled with abject horror as he sailed down the table toward the end and then flew out into the open air.

  But his flight was short-lived.

  He screamed again as he dropped among a group of wrestling aliens. Immediately, he felt their hooves stepping all over his body.

  In the next instant, they all fell right on top of him

  With another mighty heave, the Hammatt flung Kyle as if he were a rag doll. The few plates and glasses still left on the other end of the table shot away as Kyle's body sailed down the entire length of the table—and beyond.

  Kyle launched into the air with such force that his personal flight took him square into a group of large, fur-covered aliens. His flailing body knocked them over as if they were bowling pins.

  They gathered themselves quickly, picked up his limp form, and began to buffet him with blows.

  In the next moment, the four Harg jumped these aliens while Kyle tried to defend himself from every direction with little effect. It felt like the air rained blows upon him from every side—and it wasn't a good feeling.

  Kyle continued kicking and punching as he recoiled from several blows at once. In a flash, he found himself flat on the floor, a heavy body pinning him down.

  He struggled, but to no avail.

  With his arms pinned, he was lifted up—and just as suddenly lowered as an alien flew through the air just over him and barely missed colliding with him.

  Kyle shook his head to clear his thoughts, although the rest of him was still held firmly. He looked around to get his bearings as he struggled vainly to free himself.

  With a groan, he twisted his head to see who held him fast.

  A savage Harg growled.

  The stout alien smiled. “Let's go, human. Somebody wants to—"

  The world suddenly spun upside down amid a Kraaqi war cry.

  Rok's blow sent the Harg hard to the ground and Kyle fell away free—bruised and hurt, but free.

  Kyle rolled and jumped up—finding himself beside the Kraaqi warrior.

  They were in the middle of eight or nine aliens flailing away with fists and claws.

  “What do we do now?” Kyle asked as he ducked a flying plate.

  Rok avoided a fist. Then he lashed out, sending the perpetrator down to the ground. He lowered his body, trying to watch every direction at once as the different fighters surged and faded.

  “It's time we leave,” he grunted.

  “No argument here,” Kyle replied breathlessly.

  And then the other three Harg jumped them from behind.

  Kicks and punches along with shouts and groans came from every direction.

  For the third time, Kyle found himself pinned motionless in a merciless grasp. He pushed his head over to get a view of Rok. He saw that his friend continued struggling on the floor with two Harg on top of him.
r />   “I don't think these Harg like us,” Kyle grunted as he flinched from another blow.

  Rok lashed out, only to be pounded with fists.

  The fourth Harg appeared out of nowhere and stood over Rok. He struck him with a mighty blow. Rok groaned as his body went still.

  “This is one tough alien,” one of the Harg holding Rok said to his allies.

  “No matter, we have bested him.” The Harg who appeared to be the leader looked over at Kyle. “Get the other human, the dark-skinned one. We must get to the ship.” He looked up as sirens began to wail. “And be quick, Mrad Security will be here soon!"

  Kyle's face was being mashed into the floor by a steel-like force on his neck while his wrists remained held fast behind his back. He struggled vainly to get free.

  Unknown to Kyle, two large reptilian forms suddenly appeared out of the crowds, shoving and wrestling everyone out of their way.

  Qirn looked at Jaan as they came upon the Harg.

  Both nodded.

  Like a flash of lightning, the two threw themselves at the Harg.

  Kyle felt the vise-like grips release. Instantly, he tried to rise, but a blow from another alien sent him back down.

  The food riot got into full swing as every alien attacked anything that moved.

  Aliens stepped all over Kyle now—punching him, kicking him and cursing him as he tried to lash back from his position on the floor—the worst place he could be in the middle of a riot.

  Kyle finally realized he couldn't defend himself from this position. He saw Rok's face appear between an alien's tree-like legs.

  “Crawl under the table over there!” Rok pointed as he continued crawling among the forest of alien legs.

  Their frenzied movements propelled them toward the protective cover of the nearest table. With a supreme effort, they threw their bodies the last meter until they were beyond the legs, feet, hooves and claws of the countless combatants towering over them.

  And once there, they found a long-lost friend.

  “Jaric!” Kyle shouted with happy recognition.

  But Jaric shook his head as he lay under the table.

  “Just follow my lead,” he muttered sarcastically to Kyle.

  “Well, who's the idiot that shouted loud enough so the entire universe could hear that the Hammatt is big, fat and stupid? While he sat just behind him!"

  They locked eyes.

  Suddenly, the table over their heads lifted and flew away.

  “Oh no,” Jaric and Kyle said together.

  Rok glanced up.

  And immediately slapped his hand over his eyes as he groaned in disbelief.

  A huge growl reverberated above them.

  But Kyle and Jaric continued to stare at each other with looks of utter despair.

  Finally, Jaric spoke.

  “Aren't you going to look up?"

  Kyle let his head fall with a thump to the floor in utter resignation.

  “This can't be happening—not again!” Kyle said to the floor.

  In another instant, they felt a familiar grip lift them easily into the air.

  “Well, well, well. Look what I found!” The Hammatt shouted with joy.

  He laughed heartily.

  But that's all he did.

  From every door dozens of uniformed Mrad Officers suddenly poured into the room with sirens blaring. Every food-covered combatant went still in mid-punch.

  A few minutes later and it was all over.

  * * * *

  “MMMMM.” ELISE TOOK a last, lingering bite of her dessert as her hair glowed with a deep electric blue sheen. She closed her eyes and let the exotic flavors melt inside her mouth with a delicious sweetness.

  “It is good, isn't it?” Krinia's head-tail swished back and forth excitedly as she savored her own final morsel of the same exotic-flavored ice cream.

  “Some variation of chocolate, I'd say—or several kinds mixed together,” Jysar muttered between bites.

  “The waiter said it was a triple chocolate—best of three worlds mixed together,” Krinia added as she wiped her mouth appreciatively.

  “The ultimate chocolate experience,” Elise said with a laugh. “I'm in paradise."

  “A chocolate paradise.” Jysar chuckled.

  Nearby, the two Harg whispered as they cast furtive glances from the clock back to the table where Elise set down her empty bowl.

  The restaurant seethed with patrons, while the broad corridor outside was literally wall-to-wall with aliens. The early evening drew nigh and with it a festive air urged the crowds to seek out RahajMr's best in food and entertainment.

  “Don't you think it's time to go?” Jysar looked ill at ease as he surveyed the growing crowds around them.

  “Why, don't you like crowds?” Krinia asked with a smile.

  “Not especially,” he replied. “I favor smaller, more intimate places to relax.” Jysar shuddered. “I feel like I'm trapped in a sea of alien beings!"

  Krinia rose. “I agree with you for once, Jysar. Let's...” A certain movement caught her eye.

  “Look,” Elise said, following Krinia's glance. “It's Minstrel. I mean, the Zuuk."

  The seven eye-stalks gazed in various directions, obviously searching for them. Krinia waved as the three made their way toward the multi-colored shell body of the alien.

  Minstrel-Zuuk looked relieved—as much as a Zuuk can look that way.

  “I've been looking for you for over an hour. We need to get back to Mother,” Minstrel-Zuuk said loudly enough to be heard over the crowd noise.

  “Oh, why is that?” Elise asked innocently.

  “Well, for one thing, the Mrad authorities suspect that someone tried to sabotage their precious computer system.” The Zuuk shook his head, causing the eye-stalks to wave from side to side. “And although I'm innocent, I'm the one they grilled with questions until I can't see straight. And that's saying a lot for a being with seven eyes."

  Jysar chuckled.

  “What happened?” Krinia asked.

  “They discovered that someone put a tracer program on my queries, as well as a kill code. Their internal security programs recorded some of its activity, but not the source. However, they did trace it to my query."

  “Why would anyone want to trace your search queries?” Krinia asked.

  “I presume they wanted to know the results as much as I did."

  “Well, we were on our way back anyway. Let's go."

  “But I wanted to check on my queries?” Elise asked plaintively.

  “No need.” Minstrel-Zuuk replied, holding up a data pad. “I have your results here—courtesy of Mrad Security. It seems the boys have gotten into some kind of trouble as well. Just when I was about to be released, more Mrad Security came in and informed me that we were all being ordered to leave RahajMr—immediately. They supplied me with the results of all of our queries—and told me to find you and get back to our ship—pronto."

  “Were there any matches for mine?” Elisa asked, full of hope.

  “I am afraid not."

  Elise's face fell with disappointment.

  “Don't worry too much, Elise.” Krinia patted her shoulder comfortingly. “You tried."

  “You can't expect to be a hero on your first attempt,” Jysar added.

  “I don't want to be a hero.” Elise looked from one to the other with a pleading in her eyes. “I just want Jaric and Kyle to know that I'm human too. That I want to find other survivors, just like they do.” She sighed deeply. “If I helped them find other survivors, then they'd like me."

  Krinia reached around Elise and gave her a strong hug of reassurance.

  “There'll be another time. And then you can try again.” Krinia smiled at her friend. “The biggest thing is to never give up trying. And one day you or one of the boys are bound to succeed. I know it."

  Elise's eyes brightened. “Thank you."

  They walked off together arm in arm following Jysar and the multi-colored shell of Minstrel-Zuuk.

 
; The two Harg held their position a moment longer at their table. Each typed brief notes into their handheld units reporting everything they just heard. They finished and quickly followed their quarry, always keeping them just within eyesight among the never-ending throngs.

  But as Elise and the others stepped into Berth B279 where Mother sat docked, the Harg following them walked inconspicuously past until they came to a corner. They ducked quickly out of sight and waited.

  After a few moments, they looked at each other with confidence. One of them took out a scanner and tuned it. Concealing it carefully under his shirt, he nodded to his accomplice. This time they walked slowly by Berth B279, long enough to obtain a good scan of Mother.

  They hurried on to report their findings to the Paum.

  * * * *

  SIX HOURS LATER, Rok, Kyle, Jaric and the Hammatt stood before the watchful gaze of Jodacis, Mrad Judge of the Law and the Chief Justice assigned to the Lower Court of Refugees.

  “What did they do with everybody else?” Jaric whispered. “I mean, they must've arrested a couple of hundred aliens back there."

  Rok slowly twisted his head from side to side as if he were trying to get rid of an annoying tenseness in his neck. He remained silent as he glanced up at the stern gaze of Judge Jodacis sitting at his station above them.

  “It has been determined that you four started this outburst,” the closest Mrad Officer said.

  Jaric looked down at the floor and sighed.

  “I trust you've been given the usual lecture.” The Judge's voice boomed out, breaking the silence of the large judicial chamber.

  Jaric and the others seemed to shrink under that voice of stern authority. And with the recent memory of the multitude of tedious words that verbally beat them black-and-blue, they had absolutely no desire to hear the lecture again.

  Even now, the words echoed inside their heads like a bad song you wish you could erase out of your mind but can't.

  Actually, the lecture boiled down to one important theme—if you did something stupid, like break the Law, then the Law would set you straight.

  “Don't fight the Law,” Kyle whispered to Jaric. “Cause the Law always wins, baby."