Monster

by Patrick F. Johnson

  “New weapon?” Robert asked. “Can I ask what it is?”

  “This is truly an inspired idea. She thought of exploding shuriken.”

  “Holy shit! That is awesome.” Robert said.

  “Wait a minute,” Michelle interrupted. “What is shuriken?”

  “Throwing stars, babe,” Robert answered. “They can't shoot guns because of their shields but they can throw stuff. Shuriken are a really good mid-range weapon.”

  “Frank is really good with them,” Phildan added. “Now that I think of it, I do not believe Constanthos has ever thrown one.”

  “Maybe I can rig up a target for her,” Robert suggested. “If we situate it diagonally in the room she's in, it will be a good distance to get her started.”

  “That is a fantastic idea. I will make a few dull, non-explosive shuriken for her to practice with. Hopefully they won't damage the boat too much.”

  Before Robert could say another word, Michelle nudged him and thumbed toward Gladys, who was coming down the path. “I have spoken with the Mother of Rhoshe,” she said. “She can not commit any troops at this time.”

  “Well, shit,” Robert replied as they all began following her toward the boat that Constanthos had claimed.

  “She has provided us with valuable information though,” Gladys continued. They crossed the garden very quickly and found Denise and Cindy standing outside the door of the boat. Denise was leading Constanthos in a series of exercises. Gladys nodded in approval before she said, “The bugs are unable to offer any troops. The Mother doesn't want to put Sungara at risk, as there is a warship stationed in orbit there. She has also learned through her network of spies and informants that the Gotes have sent a warship to reclaim Korbaal.”

  “They are obviously unaware that Frank insisted on relocating the entire Mingrein population there,” Phildan said.

  “Let me ask a question,” Robert interrupted. “Are the Gotes good with the heat?”

  “No, Robert,” Gladys answered.

  “Then there's no way they can succeed on Korbaal.”

  Gladys seemed to consider his thought. “I agree. They might resort to nuclear weapons though. Korbaal is dangerously close to Gotoreo. They might feel threatened.”

  “If that is the case,” Robert added, “then we are probably too late to save them.”

  Constanthos was about to speak but Denise beat her to it. “We need to check up on our friends first,” she said.

  * * *

  “Shh, listen,” Nera ordered in the Nuunian language. The distant explosions had stopped as she led her people toward the caves, but now a new noise seemed to be drawing closer. “There are more ships coming! Hurry!” They were at the clearing and she urged everyone to cross to the caves as quickly as possible. “You two, come with me,” she said to two of the warrior caste. “The rest of you, spread out at the edge of the forest. Ready your bows. Stealth is the key.”

  Nera was acclimated to Earth's gravity so when she saw a young child struggling to keep up with her mother, who was also carrying a baby, she scooped up the child and easily carried her toward the caves. The sound was getting louder, but they all managed to cross the open space and made their way into the caves. One of the young warriors ran in with the crowd and Nera initially cursed his apparent cowardice. But then he emerged, carrying a metallic bow.

  “The Risen made this for us as a gift, but none of us are strong enough to draw and shoot,” he said. He handed it to her and unslung the very full quiver of matching arrows that completed the set.

  “Have the arrows been treated?” she asked as she accepted the weapons.

  “I did it myself,” he replied.

  She nodded in admiration of the set. “You two are the only thing standing between them and our people, if we should fail. We will pick them off before they can get close. But be ready, just in case. Do not fire arrows from inside unless one of them is coming in. I don't know what they have seen, and those people need to be kept safe above everything else.” The young warrior nodded in acknowledgment and he and his brother-in-arms slipped into the mouth of the cave to observe. Nera looked up and could see the drop ship getting very close to landing. She looked around and found a spot in the side of the mountain that had natural vertical cuts in the rock. She donned her face-plate and slipped over to where she hoped the bow would blend in with the surroundings.

  * * *

  Bett broke the surface to catch a quick breath and survey the scene. The ramp of the drop ship was lowered and Gotes were filing out. He could tell that they were looking for him. He submerged and thought over his options. He could try to wait them out. They would surely wreck his equipment in the meantime. His flier would be discovered and destroyed. And these Gotes would take his friends. He quickly decided that none of that was acceptable, so he drew his larger gun and once again broke the surface. He took careful aim, and with one shot, killed the Gote that was farthest from the drop ship. The splatter of brain matter on the sandy ground sent the Gotes into a panic. Bett submerged again and hoped they noticed the direction that the shot had came from. He rose up once more, and fired upon another Gote. While he wasn't willing to take the time to aim carefully, he managed to hit the alien in its massive shoulder, causing a severe wound. After that shot, he dove as deeply as he could manage. He could see bullets hitting the water all around him, but luckily, he was able to get deep enough to evade them. Now the kyles were all above him, for the most part. He could clearly see where they had anchored themselves upon the rocky bottom of the ocean floor with their tentacles. Looking around, he realized that he had to swim over and around a particularly large kyle to find the surface again. After doing so, he came into the open air again, fired a shot, and quickly submerged. He held his breath and waited. Nothing happened for a few moments, and as Bett was expecting another volley of bullets, something else happened. The tentacles began shooting out, and large bodies were being pulled into the water. Bett found himself fighting hard against the new currents that were now pulling him in every which way. He glanced over to where the largest kyle was pulling its prey into its large, tooth-lined mouth and witnessed a Gote being eaten whole. “I am never going to eat these creatures again,” he thought to himself as the currents continued to toss him about under the surface. In his excitement, he realized he didn't refill his lungs the last time he rose to take a shot. Things were beginning to quiet down, so he rose to the surface. He sneaked a quick glance, and was surprised to see the beach was clear of Gotes. Somehow, his shots had drawn them close enough to the water for the kyles to take them all. He swam to the left and came onto the shore so he could keep the ramp covered. He marched in a circular route toward the drop ship. Far to his right laid the mostly headless victim of his first shot. His second victim was laying on his back, pleading in some alien language as he came upon him. One round to his face silenced his pleas, and Bett moved into position to raid the ship. He peered up the ramp, and found the ship to be deserted. “Gotes are stupid,” he said out loud to himself as his technical mind quickly formulated a new plan. Glancing all around as he quickly moved toward his camp, and most importantly, toward his stores of torpedoes, he set out to build his bomb. He grabbed two torpedoes and a coil of light wire. Stowing a few tools into his belt, he sprinted back toward the drop ship. Removing the casings of the torpedoes was easy enough for his deft hands, but setting the trip wire took every bit of finesse that he could manage. After that part was done, he tossed the scrap onto the beach and went inside the vessel to probe its computational systems. Just like the scout ship, he located the option for the Lianese language and he installed a nefarious subroutine into the ship's programming. He pressed the final button and ran out, diving over the wire diagonally, and barely missed the ramp as it was raising. The sand below didn't provide a very soft landing. He raised his head up in time to see the drop ship raising. He laughed out loud as he walked back over to his camp to stock his flier with his remaining torpedoes.

  28.

/>   “We are here,” Constanthos said.

  “What is wrong?” Gladys asked, noticing the color was still gone from her eyes.

  “There is a Gote warship in orbit,” Constanthos said.

  “Fuck!” Robert exclaimed as he turned and sprinted toward the boat that was just to the right of Frank's. Michelle hurried after him.

  “Shall I destroy the warship?” Constanthos asked.

  “No. Not yet. We have no way of knowing if they have any humans on-board,” Gladys replied. “I need to get to the control room. I'll communicate with you from there.” Gladys turned to sprint toward the finished section. Denise rushed to try to keep up with her. Phildan went straight for Frank's boat and waited.

  * * *

  “Just what are you planning on doing with that thing?” Michelle asked, almost angrily, as she and Robert entered Frank's boat.

  “This is a sniper rifle, babe. I'm going to shoot the bad guys.”

  “And just how are you planning on doing that from inside a space ship?” she asked. “You can't just go down there and start shooting. There is disease cross-contamination to think about.”

  Phildan had been observing their conversation and found himself impressed with her insight. He glanced back at the television just in time to see the warship suffer a blow to its lower bow. “Did we do that?” he asked into the open air.

  “Negative,” Gladys' voice replied from a nearby orb that was parked upon the refrigerator. “Look!” More explosions were cascading across the entire length of the warship until finally the entire vessel broke apart. Phildan could make out Gotes among the wreckage as they were dying in the vacuum of space.

  “I certainly do not know what to make of that,” Phildan stated in his normal serious tone. “Perhaps we should go to the surface and help them clean up.”

  “I certainly agree,” Gladys replied.

  * * *

  Nera was pacing herself. The warriors on the opposite end of the clearing were doing very well against the Gotes. She only spent her own arrows against any Gotes that ventured toward the caves. But several of their drop ships had landed, and Gotes were also coming from out of the forest. She couldn't see her warriors from where she was stationed, but once their arrows stopped flying, she picked up her pace and began exterminating Gotes until her quiver was empty. It had been easy as the bow was outstanding, and she only needed to graze her targets, as the venom that the arrows were coated in would kill almost anything. She double checked herself, assuring herself of her invisibility as she drew her swords and began her charge. But more explosions in the distance caused her to pause. She stood, confused and trying to decide her next move, when the drop ship right in front of her exploded. Shielding her eyes, she finally lowered her arm to look over the clearing, where nothing seemed to be living. Charging forward, she made her way to check on her archers, extinguishing any Gotes along the way that were still clinging to life. A few loud cracks were bouncing off of the trees and rocks, but she felt somehow comforted by them, as she was sure she knew of their source. Her suspicions were confirmed when an orb uncloaked before her.

  “We are here, Nera.”

  * * *

  Frank was exercising and trading jokes with Jard when he heard the familiar voice speaking Lianese. “Greetings, Mr. Ford.”

  “Ottwan. I was wondering when you would return.” Frank didn't care if Jard could hear them or not.

  “There is a situation that might interest you on Korbaal.”

  “The Gotes failed, didn't they?” Frank asked in a cheerful tone.

  “Yes, just as you had predicted. They destroyed the warship somehow.”

  Frank laughed out loud. “I really don't know what to think about these Gotes.”

  “I am inclined to agree with that sentiment, Mr. Ford.”

  Frank paused for a moment. “Ottwan,” he said finally, “are you truly concerned for your race?”

  “I am.”

  “You said before that Korick was supposed to receive nukes from Earth as part of the agreement. Does that mean he currently has no nukes?”

  “The threat of nuclear annihilation has been the basis of Korick's campaign to expand Gote Space.” Ottwan seemed to pause for dramatic effect. “Korick has no nukes.”

  “Called it!” Jard yelled from the next cell, still in Unified Taltosh.

  “I guess I can't really call them stupid,” Frank said. “I fell for it too.”

  “You must win the tournament,” Ottwan said in a serious tone. “Once you are away from this cell, you will have the opportunity to act.”

  Frank was debating with himself about how much information to share with Ottwan. He decided that less is better. “I'll keep that in mind. You're still hoping to talk me out of killing you, right?”

  “Very much so. What can I offer you?”

  “For starters, you can describe the outside of this door to me. I was unconscious when they brought me in.”

  “Well, okay. There is a massive locking mechanism. It takes a key, and once it is unlocked, the lever will turn and release the thick rods that are currently recessed in both the ceiling and floor.”

  “So it's pretty stout then?” Frank asked.

  “Very much so, I'm afraid,” Ottwan replied.

  “What about the hinges?”

  * * *

  Bett was flying low and fast, searching out drop ships to destroy. He overshot one and as he came around to target it, it exploded. He thought he could see the trail of what had been a torpedo, but it seemed to originate from out of nothing. He realized that his friends had arrived and were assisting with their Gote problem. Hoping they would see him and avoid a collision, he turned his flier back toward the caves and punched the throttle. A short time later, he was setting it down just outside the primary entrance. A warrior ran out to greet him.

  “Risen, help has arrived. They are driving the invaders North, into the wetlands.”

  “Good, good,” Bett replied. “I will see what I can do to help.” He nodded to the young man and raised his flier.

  * * *

  Crouching down in the lower vegetation near the edge of the forest, Hiro and Miyako uncloaked long enough to try to communicate with Shik. Hiro pointed all around as if to ask which way they should go. Shik pointed North and shook his head almost violently.

  “He doesn't want us to go that way,” Miyako said in a light tone.

  “Obviously,” Hiro replied with a chuckle. “Are you having a good time, my bride?”

  “This is the greatest honeymoon ever. These will be special memories for us to cherish always. That is, if we survive.”

  Hiro paused, and held his hand up to gesture for silence. There was a lot of noise coming from the south. He looked over to Shik. Shik shrugged and showed his empty quiver. Hiro motioned for him to hide. Shik looked around and found a tree and very quickly began climbing until he was out of sight. Miyako returned Hiro's nod and they activated their cloaking, and waited.

  Within a minute, the Gotes came into view. They were trying to run, but the low gravity had them stumbling all over themselves and struggling to move with any efficiency. It was very clear that they were absolutely terrified. “We should try to stay within ten meters of each other,” Hiro whispered as he held the handle of his sword, ready to draw it. Miyako nodded again and took a few steps to his right and readied herself. When the Gotes were upon them, they drew their blades and began the slaughter.

  Shik had shifted his position in the tree so that he would have a clear view. He watched in awe as the bodies started piling up, noting the difference in the approach between the man below and his wife. Hiro was removing heads mostly, with a disembowelment every so often as his natural rhythm dictated. Miyako on the other hand, tended to remove arms and slice tendons. Most of her victims were alive when she was through with them, only to lay there to slowly bleed to death. But all he really saw of them was their blades, their horrific efficiency both grotesque and beautiful. An arrow came in from the Sout
h, finding its mark in the back of a Gote that was dangerously close to his invisible allies. He called out for the warriors to hold their fire. Looking to the South, he only caught brief glimpses of them as they were pursuing the invaders, but no more arrows followed. And then he saw her. Or rather, he saw her blades. Nera had joined in on the slaughter from the South and the panicking Gotes began firing in all directions. They mostly just shot each other. Only a handful managed to escape and continued to clumsily run to the North and into the wetlands.

  “Thanks for saving a few for me,” Nera joked when the action had died down.

  “Shall we pursue those that escaped?” Miyako asked.

  “No one ever returns from the wetlands,” Nera replied.

  “Ah, yes,” Hiro said. “The 'stay away from water' rule.”

  “I would feel better knowing for sure that they are dead,” Miyako said, almost pouting.

  “I would like to send one home,” Hiro said with a laugh. “You know, to tell the tale.”

  “That is diabolical.” Miyako said. “I love it.”

  The three of them were sharing a laugh when Bett's flier screamed by. After a few moments there were two explosions to the North, followed by the hum of his projectiles. “It would appear that Bett has granted your wish, Miyako,” Hiro said.

  Shik had made his way back down from the tree when Bett returned to set his flier down near the scene of the slaughter. As he was climbing down, an orb uncloaked near him.

  “Greetings,” Bett said.

  “Hello,” Gladys replied. “It is good to see you all well.”

  “Thank you for your assistance,” Bett said as everyone gathered around.

  “You are very welcome. Phildan and Robert are sweeping this entire land mass.”

  “It would be more helpful if they swept the other continent. If there are drop ships over there, they could use them to get over here. We can sweep this area in the meantime.”