by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Ants moved in on each side of the wide path but didn’t move closer. The arrow led them deeper into the forest and after two hours they saw the forest starting to thin out. Grant looked ahead and saw a huge mountain ahead of them that had been blocked from view by the tall trees. They exited the forest and moved directly at it. Iggy said, “That high hill appears to be alive.”
Grant and Cinny focused on it and saw it was covered with ants. Grant whistled, “This must be their nest.” Cinny could only nod. The size of it was incredible. The arrow finally arrived at the base of the hill and melted into the millions of ants covering it. The ants following them closed in behind them but came no closer than a hundred yards. Grant looked at the huge mound and yelled, “What now?”
The ants on the mound in front of them began clicking their mandibles. Initially it sounded like a loud mating call but after a moment it started changing tone. The clicking took on a multi-tone and words could be heard. “I’ve been wondering how long it was going to take you to get here.”
Grant stared at the mound and said, “Who are you?”
“I am the mother of all those you see around you.”
Grant looked around and looked back at the mound, “You were brought here from Earth.”
“I was.”
“Why?”
“There was no natural creature to control the birthrate of the eight legged creature with you. I was brought here to insure it did not overpopulate this planet. This place was given to me to be my home and if it was left uncontrolled, this planet would be barren very quickly.” Slick heard the voice and began turning blue. “Tell it to return to its silver color or I will have my children attack it.”
Grant looked at Slick, “Calm down!” Slick looked at the millions of ants around them and his color shifted back to silver. Grant turned back to the mound, “I am here to take them to attack the ones that killed our home world.”
“And you need to leave one behind to make sure you don’t lose them in the fight.”
Cinny shook her head, “How could you possibly know that?”
“I was also genetically changed by those that brought me here. I’ve been programmed to assist you in your plans but I will not put my home at risk to do it.”
“That’s why you haven’t attacked my friends.”
“It is. I was made to keep them in the area they’ve been living.”
“If I take them with me, will you allow them to continue to live there?”
“Yes, but they may not hatch numerous offspring.”
“How many will you allow them to hatch?”
“I can’t control what happens to the larger of the two but the eight legged being may hatch six and no more.”
Grant saw Slick’s fear and he said, “Will you allow them to move around the forest?”
“As long as there are no more than six, they will be given freedom inside my area of control. They will not be allowed to move outside that area. If more than six are hatched, we will enter the protected area and remove them.”
Grant nodded and said, “We will respect your rules and thank you for allowing us to use your home.”
“I expect you to make those that killed our species on our home world to pay for their atrocity.”
Grant heard Iggy snort, “That is our intention. With your permission, we will return to the place you’ve set aside for us.”
The ants surrounding them moved away and the giant arrow reappeared behind them. Iggy waited for enough room and then turned around and began following the arrow. Cinny looked at Grant, “How did you know?”
“I didn’t know for sure. I just know they were also a creation from Earth. There had to be a reason they were put here.”
Slick said, “They were put here to hurt me.”
Iggy snorted again, “You should feel good that the ones that created us thought it would take this many to control you.”
Slick was silent for a moment and then started glowing, “You’re right. I didn’t consider that. I guess I’m more dangerous than I thought.”
Iggy shook his head, “His body is going to swell three times its size.”
Grant and Cinny saw what a happy spider looked like and watched as Iggy carried them back into the forest. They didn’t see any ants on their trip back.
• • •
Grant climbed off Iggy and caught Cinny as she slid down his side. Slick jumped to the ground and Grant said, “Are you now satisfied that your offspring will be safe here?”
“How do I know I can trust them to keep their word?”
Iggy closed his eyes and opened them, “You idiot. If they wanted to they could have eaten you at that mound.” Iggy turned to Grant, “How do I protect my hatchling?”
“We can put a portable projector to place a force field in the lagoon that would keep out the fish that would prey on them. You would have to remove those that are inside it.”
Iggy actually smiled, “That would not be an issue. I’ll need the small fish to feed him.”
Slick looked at Iggy, “How do you know it will be a male?”
“Weren’t you listening? All of our offspring will be clones of us.”
“Oh yeah; I forgot that.”
Grant touched behind his ear, “Whippet, will you bring a portable force field projector down to us?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Grant.”
Grant looked at Cinny and said, “Why is that?”
“Because I am not a creature that evolved on your planet.”
Grant looked at Iggy and Slick, “I have a member of my crew that isn’t human. You won’t attack him if he comes here would you?”
Iggy shook his head and Slick said, “No. Bring him down.”
“Bring it down, Whippet.”
• • •
Grant watched the sky and he saw the scooter moving toward them. He noticed it had the force field enabled and stayed above the trees when it arrived. Iggy and Slick saw the scooter above the trees and Iggy roared and went to his back legs and leaped at it. Slick turned blue and spit a fire ball at it. Grant yelled, “CALM DOWN!! HE’S ONE OF US!!”
Whippet’s scooter was pushed away from Iggy’s jaws and he kept it several hundred feet above the ground. Grant saw the two giants moving around under the scooter and knew they were lost to their anger. Grant yelled, “SHRINK YOURSELVES, NOW!!”
Iggy looked at Grant and suddenly shrunk to three feet. Slick was still blue but he shrunk to his smallest size. They immediately lost their aggression. They moved away from Whippet and hid behind a tree trunk.
Grant looked up at Whippet and said, “Come down here but be ready to hit your thrusters.”
Cinny grabbed Grant’s arm, “Why are you doing this?”
“How are we going to transport them if they attack Whippet on sight?” Cinny’s eyes went wide and she nodded. Whippet stayed high above. Grant said, “Get down here!” He walked over to where Iggy and Slick were hiding and said, “I need the two of you to stay your current size. Can you do that for me?”
Iggy said, “I want to kill that creature up there.”
“I know. You’ve been programmed to do it but he is one of our friends. The only way for us to work together is for the two of you to agree to remain small whenever you’re around him.”
Iggy was breathing hard but forced himself to calm down. After a moment, Slick calmed down as well. Whippet watched them closely and slowly lowered the scooter. He placed the force field projector on the ground and stayed on the scooter with his hand on the thruster control. Cinny looked at Iggy, “Come over here and do not change your size.” Iggy snorted but did as she asked. The small lizard moved up next to the scooter and Cinny said, “Whippet, be ready to hit the thrusters but I want you to reach down and touch Iggy’s head.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Do it!”
Grant put his hand on Iggy’s back as Whippet reached down and touched Iggy’s jaw. “Keep your hand the
re.” Whippet did as he was told and after several minutes Iggy said, “I’m alright now. He’s safe.”
“Get over here, Slick.” The Spider walked over and repeated the process. Iggy said, “What happened?”
“It appears the ones that created you put an aversion to all life that isn’t from Earth. You are going to have to learn to control your aggression or you will attack and not quit even when you should. You’re going to have to keep your rage under control or you’re going to put yourself in some dangerous situations. There are times when you’ll need to run.”
“How do I do that?”
“I think knowing the problem exists is the best way to start. You’re going to have to select a target, remove it, and then run. Keep the plan in the center of your mind and follow it.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then you better lay a lot of eggs.”
Slick looked at Iggy and didn’t like what he was hearing.
Whippet said, “Tell me what happened when you saw me.”
Iggy looked at Whippet, “I’m not sure. I just felt my emotions go to instant rage.”
“I’m going back up in the air. Once I’m above you, go to your full size and see if you can control yourself.” Whippet moved above the forest as Grant and Cinny moved away from Iggy. Iggy went to full size and started a roar that was suddenly cut off. Grant yelled, “What happened?”
“I knew it was coming and I closed my eyes and forced my heart to slow. I think I can control this. Let’s do this again.”
Slick and Iggy spent the rest of the afternoon shrinking and growing until they learned how to control the programmed rage inside them. At the end of the day, Whippet could approach them even when they were at their full size.
Grant looked at them, “Both of you need to prepare your hatchlings and get them ready for your departure. How long do you think that is going to take?”
Slick moved up on his legs, “Give me three weeks.”
Iggy looked at Slick and said, “I’m going to need six weeks.”
Slick looked at Iggy and turned back to Grant, “Truth be told, I could use the additional time as well.”
“We’ll be back in seven weeks. Be ready to leave.”
• • •
Iggy and Slick watched the three scooters move into the evening sky and Slick said, “Do you really want to do this?”
Iggy’s jaws formed a huge smile, “Oh yes.”
Slick looked up as the scooters disappeared, “Me, too.”
Chapter Six
“The High Priest has contacted us and said the operation is underway.”
“Did he send any information with his message?”
“No, he did not.”
“I’ve never liked depending on them. Is there any way to determine what he knows?”
“Not without real danger of discovery.”
After a few long moments, “Start the process.”
“Are you certain about this?”
“Who can be certain about anything? I know the High Priest saw something to generate his contact. I’m not going to risk seeing if he’s right. Start the process!”
• • •
Cinny walked down the street on Gildabond with a scarf around her head covering her mouth and nose. She entered the dark grey building and saw the bronze colored creature behind the front counter. It looked up at her and said, “Why are you here?”
“I’ve been told you have access to crylium.”
The being’s three eyes blinked and it looked behind her outside the front of the building, “Everyone knows that possession of crylium is a high crime. No one in their right mind would come near it.”
Cinny pulled a small bag out of her pocket and dumped four silver colored discs on the counter. The discs hit and a high frequency tone rose from them. The being’s eyes opened wide and he shook his head, “This is highly illegal.”
Cinny pulled the discs back into the small bag and said, “Suit yourself,” and turned toward the entrance.
“Wait a minute, don’t be so hasty.”
Cinny turned around, “Do you have it or not?”
“Not here.”
“Good-bye.”
“Will you please wait?” The being looked out the entrance again and said, “I can meet you somewhere to make the swap.”
“I’ll have my ship in orbit above your shop for ten hours. Send a ship with the crylium and we’ll do business. If I don’t detect it on board your vessel, I’ll go to someone else.”
“Wait!” But the being was talking to an empty room. Cinny walked out and disappeared. The shopkeeper knew he didn’t have time to call in the heavies to relieve her of the discs. He lifted his communicator and punched a number. “I have an interesting customer for you to contact.”
“Go on.” The shopkeeper told him and the huge creature smiled and ended the call. He looked overhead and punched a number on his communicator, “Get the shuttle ready. I want the Grudge Team on board.” The creature listened and said, “Of course I’ll be going. Now get moving and meet me on top of the building.”
• • •
The shuttle lifted from the top of the building and began a long spiral climb into orbit. The Boss looked at his pilot, “Do you see the ship?”
“No…but there is a small return directly ahead of us.”
The Boss looked out of the forward viewport and didn’t see anything. “Move toward it.” The shuttle turned slightly and after ten minutes they saw a small machine hanging in space. A small creature was sitting on it. “Now this is interesting.” The boss looked over his shoulder and saw the six members of his team move out into the landing bay. “Open the bay door.” The door opened and the Boss left the pilot’s cabin and moved out into the center of the bay. The six enforcers were against the front wall where they couldn’t be seen from outside the ship. The weak force field held the bay’s atmosphere in and he watched the small machine turn and move toward him. “Don’t fire until I give the order.” The six all nodded and waited for the visitor to arrive.
The small machine came through the force field and settled on the floor of the landing bay. The small being stepped off the machine and looked at him and then looked around the bay at the six henchmen pointing blasters at her. The Boss saw the being was wearing armor and it appeared to be quite functional. He then noticed the small force field surrounding the machine. How could a machine that small produce a force field? The being raised her faceplate and looked at the huge red colored being confronting her, “It appears you didn’t come here to play fairly. Tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll allow you to transact our trade fairly or I’ll blast you and your shuttle to dust and take what I want. What’s it going to be?”
The Boss lowered his eyes, “Do you think you and that small machine can handle my shuttle? This is a military grade vessel.”
The Pilot stuck his head out of the front cabin and said, “A ship has appeared just outside the landing bay.”
The Boss walked over to the still open door and saw a ship that dwarfed his shuttle. One of the Enforcers said, “Boss. She’s one of the ones the Raiders are looking for.”
The Boss jerked his head back and realized that the Raiders said the two creatures they were seeking were incredibly dangerous. He looked at the female and she smiled, “I really do hope you act stupidly. My scanners tell me that you did bring the crylium with you, otherwise I would have just blasted your shuttle to vapor for wasting my time.”
Suddenly, another of the small machines entered the landing bay and another being clad in armor stepped off it. He raised his faceplate and now the Boss knew his Enforcer was right. This was the two the Raiders were seeking. “I’ll trade you the crylium for the discs you showed my business associate.”
Cinny smiled, “Now was that so hard. How much crylium did you bring?”
The Boss was shaken and was thankful he had brought the crylium with him. He had worried that the marks would have fled if they didn’t detect the cryliu
m on board his shuttle. “I have three pounds.”
Cinny raised her eyebrows, “I wonder how you keep that much hidden from the local authorities; however, that is not my concern.” Cinny reached into her pocket and pulled out a disc and flipped it to the large red being. He caught it and tossed it to the pilot. The pilot took it inside the front cabin and after a few moments stepped back into the landing bay.
“It’s pure.”
“WHAT?”
“It’s absolutely pure. I’ve never seen any like it.”
Cinny smiled, “I’ll give you thirty discs for the three pounds.”
The Boss shook his head, “It will cost at least fifty discs.”
Cinny shrugged, “Ok, have it your way. We’ll go see another source.”
The two beings stepped on their machines and the Boss said, “Wait. What about thirty five discs?”
Cinny shook her head, “One thing you should know about us, we don’t waste time on trivial issues. You know as well as I do that twenty discs are a huge profit for you. I’m giving you thirty in hopes that you’ll want to do business with us in the future without all the drama of this first meeting.”
The Boss knew she was right and he began nodding, “I accept your offer. If you want to do business in the future just contact my associate again and you can make the exchange at the building.”
One of the henchmen brought a metal box over to the two machines and the male said, “Scan the box.”
He waited a moment and they heard, “There are three pounds of crylium in the box.” The Boss was shocked. How could the crylium be scanned through the shielded box?
The female took a bag out of her pocket and tossed it to the Boss, “There are twenty nine discs in the bag. We scanned your shuttle and knew you had three pounds before you arrived. We’ll be in touch.”
The Boss watched the two beings mount their small machines and exit the landing bay. He stared at their ship and knew he had never seen anything like it. He knew every inch of that vessel was designed for a deadly purpose. It suddenly disappeared and he looked at the Pilot, “Close it up and get us back to the planet.” He knew he had made a huge profit but had mixed feelings about future business with them. If the Raiders found out he was working with them…it would have to be a secret. When the ship landed, he pulled his blaster and shot all six of the enforcers. He saw the shock on the pilot’s face and he smiled, “Can you keep a secret?” The pilot nodded so hard he sprained his neck. The Boss knew he should shoot the pilot but his wife would never forgive him for killing her sister’s mate. Oh well. He guessed he was getting soft.