by T. W. Embry
As we neared the main house, the birds peeled off and disappeared. I readied myself for whatever came next. I did not have to wait long as two large carnivores suddenly appeared right below us. They had spotted motley fur and were four legged, much like hyenas, except for the fangs, which were like a saber - toothed tiger’s. As a precaution, I floated higher, not knowing how high they could jump. They obviously knew we were there as they growled and pawed the ground directly beneath us.
As the feline master and I circled the main house, the beasts followed. “Report,” flashed across my wrist pad. It was Snarth wanting an update. As I filled Snarth in on our situation, he instructed us to tranquilize the animals, not stun them, as blasters may set off the alarms.
I heard a soft pop of escaping gas as I sighted in on one of the beasts and pulled the trigger, releasing the tranquilizer dart. I scored a direct hit on the beast’s haunch, at the same instant as the feline master. Both animals immediately slowed down noticeably and were soon immobile. Now we were free to enter the main house and disable the security system so the rest of the team could land. If only it had been that simple.
After we managed to open the door using the codes supplied by SSlice we found not only a security mech but also remote blasters guarding the main corridor as well. We only had a few seconds to find the remote security access pad and enter the security code, in order to prevent the security mech from challenging us and keep the remote blasters from firing automatically. I barely noticed the scorch marks on the stone walls of the corridor as I hurriedly looked for the remote security pad. Fortunately for us, it was right where SSlice said it would be. The main computer then accepted the code SSlice had procured, deactivating all the security systems. Now the rest of the team could join us.
As I watched, SSlice made his way up the wall then turned upside down and moved, in that eight legged gait of his, across the ceiling, heading toward the main safe where the map was hopefully stored. SSlice secured a web to the ceiling and slowly let himself down in front of the safe. He then produced several electronic gadgets from his vest and attached them to the safe. Within seconds, he had the safe open.
The only thing in the safe was a document. It was scorched on one end, with only a few words on it and several drawings. Quite a letdown after all we had been through to get it. I had expected to see it was made out of solid gold or something like it.
“Well ssSSlice, isss that it?” hissed an impatient Snarth.
“It would seem so but I will have to decipher the words once we get back to the ship, as there are a couple of letters I don’t know the meaning of because I have never seen them before,” answered SSlice in his whispery voice.
“Then make the copy and let’sss get out of here before thossse petsss of ssSniggle’sss wake up and caussse trouble,” hissed Snarth.
We had brought along a way to cover our tracks. It was Shorty’s bad luck that he was it; because when those beasts woke up they would be hungry. I felt no sorrow for Shorty. He had killed my friend the feline master. Where he was now, he brought upon himself.
I do remember the sight of Shorty being brought down by Sniggle’s pets as the shuttle exited the energy field. I did not shed a tear or look back, for that might mean I cared which I did not. I now had my revenge, bloody and terrible. I had seen many men die when I was with S.E.A.L.s. It did not bother me then and it did not bother me now. Better him than me, that’s what I think about the whole thing.
Later at Snarth’s estate in the dining room after much food and drink, I smiled as the Irishman mimicked how Shorty had run from the beasts.
“A toassst,” hissed Snarth, “To a sssuccessssful raid and vengeance all in one. Now azsss sssoon azsss ssSSlice hasss deciphered the map we leave for the forbidden planet or wherever the map sssendsss usss. I can tell you that it will be no easssy tasssk. We will not have the pleasssure of fressshersss or mech ssservantsss to cook our mealsss. If we get into trouble no one will come to our ressscue. We have all trained hard for the lassst couple of monthsss and I am confident we can overcome any obstacle thrown at usss,” he hissed. “ssSo get sssome sssleep, training ssstartsss at 0400.”
~
0400 came and went several times with no word or sight of SSlice, and Snarth was getting impatient. After dinner, he paced the dining room instead of joining the team in the usual Belgian ale nightcap, quite unlike him.
The tension affected the other team members in different ways. The feline master sharpened her claws completely oblivious to Snarth’s pacing. The Irishman cleaned and sharpened the team’s weapons. The canine master practiced his roundhouse kick and shadow boxed an invisible opponent. I had another glass of Belgian ale and a smoke, waiting and watching my teammates, practicing my patience.
Just as suddenly, the waiting was over; SSlice appeared, putting a halt to Snarth’s pacing. All eyes turned toward him in anticipation of an explanation for his absence. In his breezy whisper of a voice, SSlice began an explanation of his activities over the last couple of days.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting, my friends,” he whispered, “but those symbols on the map nearly drove me insane. I almost admitted defeat until I realized it is a riddle in the form of a question and not directions.”
You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet in the dining hall. “A riddle you sssay,” hissed Snarth in puzzlement. “I am correct in assssuming you sssolved the riddle?” he hissed, demanding an answer.
“Yes I did, well the first riddle anyway,” answered SSlice.
“You mean there was more than one?” asked the Irishman.
“Yes, and I solved that one too. That was the clue I needed to decode the directions to the treasure planets and their vaults.”
“You said planets and vaults, as in more than one?” I asked.
“How many are there?” hissed Snarth completing my thought.
“Dozens of planets with multiple vaults on each one,” whispered SSlice. “Each of those symbols on the map is a star chart where a treasure planet is located. Each treasure planet is the Queen of its system. They use the home planet of the Ones as the starting point as that is where the sun they worshiped is. Each of the systems has a very similar star at its center. All we have to do is find the Temple of the Sun on the Ones’ home planet and finding the rest of the star systems should be easy.”
“And the Onesss’ home world isss located where?” hissed Snarth.
“As I feared, the forbidden planet and the home world of the Ones are the same,” whispered SSlice.
“That adds a wrinkle to the plan,” growled Rowl.
“Yesss, but how much of a wrinkle dependsss on how closssely the Galactic Council monitorsss the forbidden planet,” hissed Snarth, musing his thoughts aloud. “If we are lucky the monitoring sssystem isss antiquated and easssily fooled by current technology.”
“We can hope that failing to ssshow the planet on any ssstar chartsss for the lassst 500 yearsss isss the main defenssse mechanisssm,” hissed Snarth as he shook off his muse, giving his full attention to the problem. “ssSSlice, find out what you can through the galactic databasssesss and any nearby sssystemsss that are populated,” he hissed.
“The ressst of you load the gear on the ssship including the new toysss I had delivered. I think we are going to need them if we have to sssearch an entire planet,” he hissed. “We leave azsss sssoon azsss the gear is loaded. It will take a week to reach a sssafe jump point for the forbidden planet. We will ussse that time to analyze the data on how clossse an eye the galactic council keepsss on the Onesss’ home world. Or even if they ssstill do,” hissed Snarth.
The next several hours were filled with the practiced precision of an experienced military unit preparing for a mission.
I paused, admiring the newest additions to the team’s gear. Six cycles like the one Snarth used the day he recruited me. A shiver of excitement ran down my spine at the memory of that first knuckle-whitening ride. Snarth says that these are much more sophisticated tha
n his old cycle. Complete with ground penetrating sensors and better stealth technology.
Seeing my pause at the new cycles, Snarth clapped his hand down on my shoulder and with his best tentacle-wiggling grin said “Don’t worry about the ssspeed Tom, it jussst takesss practice.”
“I am not worried,” I said; “just admiring such beautiful things. Remember it wasn’t that long ago that I had no idea such things existed. Now I am getting ready to ride one of those on a planet that’s very existence is a state secret of a state I didn’t even know existed. It makes me wonder what’s next on this roller coaster ride my life has become.”
“You are a trusssted friend and a talented, well trained member of thisss team or you wouldn’t be here,” hissed Snarth with one of his best grins. “Try and remember that and don’t worry about the sssmall ssstuff like riding a bike. Besidesss I wouldn’t asssk you to go anywhere I wouldn’t go myssself. After all, I have managed to live several of your lifetimes and plan on living several more,” he hissed, his grin getting even bigger if that was possible.
Changing the subject Snarth hissed, “Tom, I noticed that you haven’t brought Tasssha on board. Are you feeling all right?” he hissed, again with the out of character fatherly concern, his hand still on my shoulder.
“I didn’t know I could bring her on the mission,” I said.
“Of courssse you can, my boy,” hissed Snarth with what I had come to recognize as a leer, “After all I can’t have you getting frussstrated. It might ssslow you down. Unlessss you are indeed after the feline massster’sss affectionsss,” hissed Snarth, his leer growing larger.
Red-faced, I stammered, “She is a feline and I am human.”
“What doesss that have to do with anything?” hissed Snarth, his leer now taking up his whole face.
“Everything,” I shot back hotly.
With a chuckle Snarth said “Then go get Tasssha my boy, it’sss time to leave.”
~
Watching the human Tom disappear into the main estate house to find Tasha, Snarth thought to himself: I really should not tease the boy so. However, when he acts like a primitive I cannot help myself. He will grow out of it if I have anything to say about it.
The team quickly established a routine during the week’s travel to the jump point. The mornings were taken up with physical training, followed by a high calorie lunch and weapons drill in the afternoon. Even SSlice joined in. However, SSlice was quite unable to find any mention of security around the forbidden planet. This worried Snarth increasingly as the team neared the jump point.
By the time jump point was reached, it was obvious that a scouting party would have to be attempted before the jump to the forbidden planet by the main ship. Snarth and SSlice departed for the forbidden planet in the military style shuttle Snarth’s ship carried, once the jump point had been reached, leaving the rest of the team on pins and needles, anxiously waiting until they returned.
Snarth and Slice were gone two days and with no word, and the team was getting anxious with only the daily training routine to distract them. Rowl tried to train us to exhaustion, giving the rest of the team little time to worry. At last, a signal from the shuttle was received. Snarth signaled ahead to have everyone gather in the dining hall for a briefing immediately upon his return.
Within a few minutes, the shuttle docked and SSlice and Snarth joined the team in the dining hall. “Well friendsss, it isss not azsss bad azsss it could be,” hissed Snarth. “It ssseems the planet isss monitored by an automated, orbiting, sssensssorsss platform. Even though it iss quite out of date it isss ssstill very sssophisssticated. ssSSlice and I were able to gain accessss through a maintenance sssub routine in the platform’sss operating sssyssstem,” he hissed. “We were able to insssert a command in the platform’sss operating sssyssstem that will allow my ssship to enter the planet’sss orbit without being reported to whatever galactic department overssseesss the forbidden planet’sss sssecurity,” Snarth hissed. “ssSo we can come and go azsss we pleassse. Our preliminary ssscansss have located a sssuitable canyon to hide the ssship in. With itsss camouflage on, the ship will be invisssible to any ssscansss that platform isss capable of performing ssshould sssomeone dissscover our command.”
“Now get some ressst, we jump in 8 long time unitsss.”
With a whine as they spun down, the repulser lifts brought the main ship to a perfect landing in the canyon Snarth had spotted on his scouting mission to the forbidden planet. Now the hunt for the biggest treasure the galaxy had ever seen began in earnest.
I am not sure what exactly I expected to see as I stepped out of the ship and into the open atmosphere of the forbidden planet for the first time. While beautiful, I was let down by the lack of ruins near the canyon.
Hadn’t the Ones waged an intergalactic war from here? Weren’t they defeated by force? I guess I expected to see more destruction. Instead, I saw a few ruins in the distance, which were of an industrial nature, no cities. Perhaps tomorrow, at the beginning of the light cycle when the team headed out on the bikes for the first time, I would see more evidence of war.
In the morning, Snarth assigned search areas and broke the team up into three groups. I would search with the stealth master, the Irishman and the canine master were paired as always, and finally Snarth and SSlice.
“What exactly is it we are searching for?” I asked at the morning briefing.
“The Ones lived underground so we are looking for subterranean chambers or cities,” answered SSlice. “I am not as concerned with finding the temple of the sun as I am the Queen’s chambers,” he added.
“Ok, you have all got your sssearch gridsss, keep your patternsss tight,” Snarth hissed. “Report anything sssignificant you find immediately. Keep in conssstant contact with your partner. Remember the underground city will be massssive and hopefully not too ssseverely damaged,” hissed Snarth. “Above all elssse remember where we are.”
With a closing of his helmet visor, he accelerated his cycle straight up the cliff wall then off the lip of the canyon into the valley below, followed closely by SSlice.
As I looked straight up to the canyon ridge I wondered how in the hell I was going to get this cycle up there. I should have known my Earth upbringing was showing as the feline master, the Irishman and the canine master all followed Snarth’s example and disappeared over the canyon’s rim, leaving me astride my cycle and unsure how to proceed. Snarth’s voice sounded in my earpiece, “Tom, let the cycle do the work, just hold on and point it where you want to go and pull back on the accelerator.”
Drawing a deep breath, I pointed the cycle at the wall of the canyon and twisted the accelerator. I was amazed at how fast this cycle accelerated mere inches from the canyon wall. I overshot and flew past the canyon lip and into open air. As the ground rushed up to meet me I almost panicked before I remembered to roll back on the accelerator, saving myself from a nasty landing, then coasting to a stop, my knees shaking.
I looked around for the Stealth master only to find her right behind me. I expected some teasing but all she said was, “Not so much acceleration to start. Take it easy until you get the feel of the cycle.” To demonstrate, she slowly pulled back on her accelerator. Taking her advice to heart, I soon joined her and our search was under way.
After a couple of hours, the fear subsided as I realized I was not going to fall out of the sky. Finally, I began to relax and enjoy the ride. This planet was beautiful on such a perfect day, the sun was shining, but it was not too hot, with a beautiful, cloudless, blue sky. It was stunning. Just miles and miles of thick vegetative growth similar to the trees back home.
The Stealth master and I covered most of the first day’s search grid without any returns on the cycle scans, just lots of trees and rocks. I had not seen any life forms larger than insects and I was curious as to why, so I asked SSlice via communicator.
“This planet was under siege for quite some time and the Ones ate every living thing before their mass suicide. No one reall
y knows why. The leading theory is that the Queen was killed and the rest of the Ones just lost the will to live without her. I’m not even sure the army that defeated the Ones even searched for the Queen’s body. They were just glad the Ones were dead and not concerned with how,” was his answer. That posed as many questions as it answered.
On our first night away from the ship, the stealth master and I lounged around the small campfire at the entrance to a large cave we had found. “Are you sure a fire is wise?” I asked the feline master, edgy from the memory of our hunt of the rodent mercenaries. They had made the same mistake, overconfidence. It made me nervous.
“Will you relax, Tom? Come, sit beside me and have some Belgian ale,” purred the feline master, holding a tankard of ale in my direction.
Where had she gotten that, I wondered. No harm in sharing ale together, we have done it many times before. In silence, we enjoyed sharing the fire for a short time.
“Why haven’t you tried to bed me?” purred the feline master; making me very uncomfortable and suddenly very warm.
Stammering, I answered “I didn’t think you were interested, for one. And I am human and you’re feline.”
With a laugh the feline master asked, “What does that have to do with anything?” The laugh burned my ears, deepening my embarrassment at being such a primitive, and at the same time exciting me wildly.
“I know you know I am attracted to you. I know you smell my musk.” With a blinding movement, she was on top of me, pinning me down to the ground. Her breath was hot and rapid on my neck, her purring loud, lusty and exciting; savage. I responded with equal passion, not as an Earthman but as any civilized male of the Galaxy would.
In the morning as we lay cuddled in the sleeping furs I asked “What about the canine master?”
“I was just trying to make you jealous, nothing happened between us,” teased the feline.
“What am I going to call you now? I mean, I can’t keep calling you master,” I asked.