by T. W. Embry
“They did not lose even a single ship. When their ground forces landed there was a great battle. Great slaughter is more like what it was,” he whispered bitterly. “Our warriors were quickly wiped out, our leaders were rounded up and brought before the Queen. One by one she tortured then ate them until those few who were left surrendered. Those who were left alive were given a choice. Accept the sun as the only giver of life or be eaten.
“It was decided by the remaining elders, that in order to preserve our species, our way of life and perhaps one day exact revenge, we would appear to convert to the worship of their sun. This was not easily done as my people had evolved past deity worship centuries before the invasion. The Ones believed the sun of their home world was the only giver of life in, and the center of, the galaxy; they worshiped it as a living god,” whispered SSlice.
“Many years and many generations passed and my people slowly rebuilt our civilization under the ever watchful eye of the Queen’s royal enforcers. Then one day just as quickly as it started, it ended. All of the Queen’s troops that enforced the law of the Ones over my people just fell over dead. Not just on our world either. They collapsed galaxy wide. No real explanation was ever discovered,” SSlice continued.
“Since I was very young I have heard the legends passed down through the oral history every child of my people learns. That is the cause of my fascination with the demise of the Queen. The Ones’ home world was under attack by a huge fleet of then unknown origin, we found out later. But no bombardment could penetrate the planetary shields. Then the shields just collapsed, opening the planet to a bombardment which went on for days, destroying everything on the surface. No one really knows for sure what actually happened. There are countless theories, each more unbelievable than the last. The newly formed galactic council placed the entire sector under a strictly enforced quarantine as a precaution. Those species who survived busied themselves with rebuilding their societies and their cities. Slowly, the Ones passed into legend where they remain,” finished SSlice.
“What do you think happened?” hissed Snarth, sleepy from the after effects of the smoke and ale.
“I believe the Queen was killed or committed suicide once she realized that defeat was upon them,” answered SSlice. “Better to die than to be defeated by the unbelievers. And die they did, leaving only questions and destruction in their wake. But not before they carved out the largest empire the universe has ever seen. Even the current Galactic government is smaller by far than the space the Ones controlled for hundreds of years.”
When he heard the slow yet loud breathing coming from Snarth’s sleeping furs, SSlice realized he was talking to himself. Suspending himself with a snippet of web from the ceiling of the cave, SSlice settled in to wait for the morning light, for his kind do not sleep for more than an hour or so at any one time.
As the morning light filled the cave entrance Snarth woke and stretched then reached for his blaster. Sitting beside the burned-out fire was a male stealth master. He spoke, staying Snarth’s reach for his blaster: “I am looking for my sister,” he said simply. Snarth, now fully awake, saw the scars of the fourth level of attainment on the feline master’s chest and realized this was not just an ordinary stealth master showing off and looking for employment.
“My lord,” Snarth hissed, for in the feline culture this master would be considered royalty, “To what do I owe the honor?” he hissed with a deep bow of respect.
“Are you getting hard of hearing in your old age Snarth?” sneered the still crouched feline master, not bothering to return Snarth’s bow. “I am looking for my sister, I have important family business to discuss with her. Where is she?” he yowled. “I expected to find her here in your company rather than a filthy, worm ridden spinner.”
“If you are referring to the massster in my employ ssshe and her partner Human Tom are patrolling another sssector of thisss planet,” Snarth hissed.
“Ah yes, the lowly Earthman I have heard so much about,” sneered the male feline master.
“You are very well informed, my lord,” said Snarth, warily now on the defensive.
“The king, his condition has worsened?” interjected SSlice from his perch on the ceiling of the cave, hoping to prevent an escalation of tensions between the two.
“You are very well informed for a traitorous spinner,” hissed the feline master, his tail twitching from side to side indicating his building agitation.
“I make it my business to know a great many things about many people. I would not have expected you to be so eager to attain the throne,” retorted SSlice in response to the feline insults.
“Your father and your sssissster never told me about their family line,” interjected Snarth.
“My father,” spat the male feline. “He could have been king if he had accepted the scars. Instead he spent his life looking for answers to silly questions,” bitterness coloring his speech.
“Your father was my friend, and lord or not I don’t care to hear his memory smeared by a mere cub in my presence,” hissed Snarth, full of menace, the thought of reaching for his blaster in his mind.
“How dare you challenge me,” roared the now enraged feline.
As Snarth tensed in anticipation of the feline’s attack a female voice called out. “Easy brother, you mustn’t let that temper of yours get you in trouble again,” said the female stealth master as she decloaked between Snarth and her brother, her appearance bringing the emotionally charged atmosphere back under control.
“I suppose that human is nearby,” scoffed the male feline master.
“You mustn’t be so sure of yourself brother, he is good enough to easily pass the trials of attainment,” said the female stealth master calmly.
“No non-feline could pass the trials, sister,” the male feline master scoffed disdainfully.
At that moment I decloaked behind the male feline master, my feline blade at the newcomer’s throat. “I may not be able to pass your test but I have you. And I don’t like your attitude towards my friends and especially my former master.”
“Don’t kill him Tom, pleassse,” said Snarth.
Completely unconcerned by the blade at his throat, the male stealth master calmly said, “I apologize for my lack of social graces, I meant no insult. I was just testing your skill, and now I have my answer. Well done, sister; you have trained him well. My apologies to you Snarth and you as well SSlice, I meant no true offense.”
I released the male stealth master, sheathed my feline made blade and joined my mate the feline, known to me as Tasha, between Snarth and her brother.
“Now if you don’t mind I would like to speak to my sister in private,” growled the male stealth master.
After a short conversation, the pair of feline masters returned to the cave. “My brother has asked me to be the captain of the royal guard on my home planet once his coronation as king is complete,” said Tasha. She saw me wince at the news, seeing her brother take notice as well. “I have declined his offer,” she said, noticing the release of tension in my posture.
“It isss a great honor your brother offersss you,” hissed Snarth solemnly.
“I have a contract with you and I have personal reasons as well,” mewed the female stealth master.
“Sister, I understand your obligations to your contract with Snarth, but what could be more personal than family obligations?” hissed the future king.
“Brother, I fully intend to be present at the royal ceremony, however I cannot stay,” yowled the female stealth master.
“Sister, as your king to be I insist you tell me why,” yowled her brother.
“Because I am mated and my place is at the side of my mate, not some useless figurehead position on the home world,” hissed the female stealth master, her tail twitching betraying her anger at her brother for forcing the issue in public; shocking the other team members, as the canine master and the Irishman had just arrived.
“To the human?” asked her now infuriated brother, hi
s tail also twitching rapidly back and forth.
“His name is Tom, brother, I suggest you remember that.”
“As head of our clan I forbid it,” yowled the soon to be king.
“Brother, you are not yet king, my tithe to the clan is paid for a full season,” she hissed, the fur on her back standing up signaling her displeasure at her brother’s attempt to control her life.
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the small campsite inside the cave, brother and sister too angry to speak and afraid of one alienating the other. The team members sat in shocked disbelief. I was very uncomfortable as the cause of a family argument, embarrassment burning my cheeks. This was not the way I wanted my teammates to find out about my new relationship with the stealth master.
“My lord, how long before your coronation?” asked Snarth, breaking the silence.
“Not that it is any of your business, Snarth; but the king still lives. However, he grows weaker with each passing day. He was injured during a ritual combat and despite our healers’ best efforts he is succumbing to his wounds. I expect to be recalled at any moment. In fact I was surprised I was able to interrupt this little treasure hunt of yours personally, rather than sending a messenger and endangering the secrecy you have so desperately tried to maintain about your activities here,” growled the king to be. “It is, however, time for me to leave, I have stayed too long as it is. My duty calls and I must answer. I pray you will all be so kind as to overlook my bad manners.”
“Sister, I remind you of your obligations to our clan and I hope you will put aside this doomed romance and do your duty.” Then he vanished, cloaking.
Fearing retaliation I vanished a split second later. Leaping up onto a nearby ledge I became as still as the stone ledge on which I was perched. Quieting my breathing and heart rate, concentrating on my surroundings, waiting for any sign of the cloaked stealth master, hoping desperately I detected none.
“Do you think Human Tom went after him?” the canine master asked Snarth.
“I hope not becaussse even I cannot help him if he killsss the future king of the felinesss,” Snarth hissed angrily. “They will send every fourth level assssassssin available to hunt him down. They will not ressst until he isss dead and anyone who helpsss him azsss well.”
“Where does that leave us?” asked the Irishman.
“That depends on what Human Tom does,” mewed the female stealth master. “I don’t think my brother will take vengeance on you because Tom is my mate. But my brother was as angry as I have ever seen him. I am not so sure that Tom will let my brother’s insults go, and he will claim vengeance,” she mewed worriedly.
“That is a fight I would hate to take bets on, as to who would win,” woofed the canine master.
“My brother has not been on a hunt for prey in quite some time, not since he was picked to succeed the king. He is no match for Human Tom in his current condition.”
“Snarth,” called SSlice from his perch on the roof of the cave, “My sensors just detected a small one manned cloaked ship leaving the planet surface. My apologies for missing it when it arrived It must be the stealth master leaving.”
“Never mind that now, that meansss either Tom isss dead or he let the feline go,” hissed Snarth.
As if in answer to the unspoken question of my fate I decloaked in front of my teammates.
“Neither, SSlice, I didn’t go after him. I didn’t know what to do. So rather than make things worse I jumped up onto that ledge and became a stone. I have no wish to fight, much less kill what may someday be my brother-in-law. I am sorry you had to find out about us like this but we didn’t have time to tell you.”
“Well thisss callsss for a celebration,” hissed Snarth with one of his huge tentacle-wiggling smiles.
“Hear Hear!” echoed the Irishman and the canine master in unison.
“However now isss not the time, we have a missssion to finisssh,” hissed Snarth, reminding the team why they were there. “ssSSlice, divide up what’sss left of the sssearch gridsss and let’sss get on with it, ssshall we. We are burning daylight,” hissed Snarth. “All teamsss ssshould have enough sssuppliesss for two more light cyclesss. If we haven’t found the underground city by nightfall tomorrow, we will rendezvous at the ssship to resssupply. You have your ordersss, now move out.”
“Tom, a word in private if you pleassse,” hissed Snarth. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I waited for the canine master and the Irishman to depart. “Massster feline, you and ssSSlice ssstart your patrolsss, Tom and I will catch up,” hissed Snarth.
The sinking feeling in my stomach turned to dread as the last two team members departed, I waited for what I felt was sure to be an ass chewing at the very least, perhaps even my walking papers. I had no idea what to expect.
“Well Tom thisss hasss been an interesssting morning hasss it not?” Snarth hissed.
“Yes sir it has,” I answered, standing at full attention, waiting, thinking it was coming and preparing to meet my punishment with the best military bearing I could muster.
“Well, I don’t know where to ssstart. I am not your father, but if I were I would asssk you, what the hell you think you are doing.”
“It just happened, sir,” I answered, staring straight ahead, still at rigid attention, prepared for the worst.
“You do realize that felinesss mate for life?” hissed Snarth. “There isss no divorce. The only way out isss death. It isss alssso accepted sssocial practice of the felinesss to kill an unworthy or unfaithful mate.”
“No sir, I didn’t know that,” I answered, still at attention and beginning to think I may have made one of those mistakes that haunt you for life. “For the record sir, you are the closest thing I have ever had to a father. If you think our being together is a bad idea then I will break it off before it goes any further.”
“Relax, Tom, I am jussst giving you a hard time along with sssome truthsss you will have to deal with if you continue your relationssship any further. You are both adultsss and azsss long azsss your relationssship doesssn’t interfere with any of the team’s missssionsss you have my approval,” hissed Snarth.
“Tom my boy, I offer you my congratulationsss. What you have done, it isss not an easssy thing to do, capturing the affectionsss of any female feline. Much lessss the heart of a female stealth massster,” Snarth hissed with his best leer.
Then, sobering, he added, “If I were your father I would be very proud of the man you have become.”
“Thank you sir,” I answered, suddenly choked up with emotion.
“Now get the hell out of here and get on with your missssion,” hissed Snarth with an obvious false bravado.
“Yes sir, right away sir,” I answered, with the beginnings of a grin on my face.
As I sped away on my bike I had a grin bigger than even Snarth could manage on my face, and a tear in my eye. From the speed of the wind, I told myself, as I raced to catch up with Tasha the feline.
Snarth’s voice sounded in my earpiece, “If I were you and I wanted to make a friend for life, I would consssider giving your pleasssure mech to the Irissshman. ssSeems he hasss fallen in love with it, poor devil. Do not tell him I told you. And by all meansss be dissscreet,” cautioned Snarth with his hiss.
“Yes sir I will. I may have not said so, Snarth, but thank you for this new life of mine,” I said.
“You earned it my boy, You know me well enough to know that I give nothing away for free,” Snarth hissed in reply.
Now comes the hard part, I thought as neared Tasha’s, the stealth master’s, my mate’s, my wife’s, I am so confused, location. I had no idea what her response to the events of this morning would be. She was just ahead according to her location beacon. I would find out soon enough. I know what I want to happen. I hoped she wanted the same thing, Snarth’s words rang in my ears. Felines mate for life. I am not sure I am ready for that kind of commitment but damn it I am going to try. Provided my new mate felt the same way.
We continued ou
r patrol in silence and that only made me feel even more anxious about her intentions. Still no sign of the underground city as the planet’s star moved lower in the sky, dusk was not far off. Finally, just before dark Tasha signaled to stop for the night. With her usual eye for natural beauty, she had picked another ideal spot for camp, close to a water source yet shielded from view by native vegetation.
Her silence continued as we quickly set up camp and started a small fire. My heart was hammering in my chest and the anxiety of this was making me sweat. What was she thinking? Every possible scenario kept racing through my mind.
Finally, she settled down by the fire and patted the sleeping fur next to her. “Tom, we must talk. Come sit next to me….Please,” she purred. As I sat, she folded her paws in her lap and said, “I am sorry you had to see my brother in one of his famous rages.”
Before I could register my reassurances, Tasha put her finger to my mouth, willing me to be quiet and let her speak. “It is true. He will be king of my people once the current king, my uncle dies,” she mewed. “He was not chosen for his stealth skills or his diplomacy but for the fact that it is he who mortally wounded the king in ritual combat. With his temper it won’t be long before he offends someone and they kill him in ritual combat. As is the customary way amongst my people for settling matters of honor. Now tell me what Snarth said that has you so upset,” she purred, waiting expectantly for me to answer.
To say that I had completely misread her intentions is an understatement. My mind reeling, scrambling for an answer, my heart, trying desperately to beat, after being squeezed in the vice of anxiety; “I….I…he said…he….” I stammered.
Tasha caressed my cheek gently with her paw and said, “My love, there must always be truth between us, no matter what, remember that. I vow to you that I will never again lie to you.”