"Can you leave this chamber?"
"Yes, I have the strength for two weeks, and then must sleep. I go eat with the different Captains at times. They afraid, or hope, I eat them. But if I did, then no company would I have."
"In that case, let's go wait with Taln. I think he is beyond lonely."
"Wise, we are all beyond lonely. No sky, only pictures of sky. So many different skies changed after we came here. Tell me you strong enough to put ANNU KI away a distance."
"We believe so. We also think you can help. Come on, let's sit with Taln and watch rebirth."
She and I walked alongside the cart which Tritchka found amusement in directing.
Tritchka observed, "Much better than horse."
I made a mental note to take her to a modern city and put her in a speedster.
The air didn't move in the tunnels, but it maintained an adequate mixture according to my equipment. I noticed Lillien breathed through membranes between her ribs. Curious, I asked, "Are your folk capable of breathing under water?"
"Was not chosen as a part of me, but we can breath in water and separate its parts. Stay under very long."
I commented, "That would be useful. Tell me, what did you do with your ship?"
"Back there." She said, motioning, "But ship no longer. Not right. Is ship, can put together, but it is almost all force field. We came here as energy and copied these forms and changed them. Now we have forgotten how to become energy again. We put ship together later. Need wide space, maybe on a sea."
"Plenty seas, but seas now are not safe. I will make an exchange with you. If you will allow a pair of dragons to remain here with me, and you and your fighter, I will send the rest of you to a place which is safer."
She said, "You just want me to lie with. You can't lay with him. Why do you want him?"
"To train our fighters." Letting go her comment about laying. Maybe she wasn't good about rejection. To think, who is?
"He is a good fighter. Many times I not kill him. Shame to lose seed."
I didn't want to go into that and was spared by our walk ending. Tritchka stopped the cart and it went to sleep- damn- shut itself off. I was adopting Lillian's thought pattern already. I understood Taln's comment about not caring.
We strolled inside Taln's observation room and sat around his low table. He had a small tea pot on a portable heat plate. He said, "No cookies, but it's hot and tasty."
I took some sweet rations out of my combat vest, "Try these." They approved. "Taln, another portable Med Deck will arrive in eight hours to bring your guests out of storage. You're going to have a lot of hungry mouths, and then they'll need sleeping quarters, until transportation is arranged. I know you'd be more comfortable aboard your own space stations, but that will take a bit longer to arrange. What will you need?"
"Food, clothing, boots, other small items, toiletries."
"We'll keep the groups separated initially. You two need to just relax and slowly think of what you need. Lillian, the dragons will have to be removed with two handlers since they're too complicated to feed here. They'll be safe. Now the two of you think. Don't be hesitant to ask. Something missed will be twice as much trouble to get in a hurry."
Their eyes glazed and I could see they were engaged in two way conversations.
Lillian completed first. She opened her eyes, "You are a powerful force. We may be safe. I only need to call 'Ensign Ben' if I needed anything. Do you know him?"
"Not personally, but I'm sure he's capable." That seemed to be such a simple minded statement, to be an Essence and Eternal and not capable, impossible.
Taln said, "I've got bays to unseal, codes to remember. Would you like to come along, Tritchka, see what dens mice build?"
I nodded my approval, and Tritchka said, "Certain, we go, take some water, refill canteens where?"
Taln led her to his small kitchen. They shortly emerged, waved, and got on the cart and disappeared down a tunnel.
Lillian stood. I did, too, thinking she wanted to explore, but she wrapped her arms around me, and before I could react, kissed me on my lips and with her energy she, at the same time kissed me all over, especially my sexual parts. My natural response was to kiss her back and hold her tightly. We stood, molded to each other I knew not how long, and on mutual agreement released each other and drew a deep breath. Taln's comment crossed my mind again. This female, whatever she was, was a force unto herself.
She said, "We are going to make much heat together. Fight long cold together."
I saw the pictures of her and me and thought, well, why not. I said, "We will certainly, when duty is gone. For now, show me your crossbow. I see the slotted tube the bolt inserts into. Draw it and I will stand close to see what muscles you use. She smiled knowingly, but did as requested. The muscles of her drawing arm grew to three times their relaxed size with the effort, though she didn't appear to be straining. I reached around her and felt her left arm. It was as solid as steel. She uncocked, and left off with apparent comfort. I had to know whether I could do this.
I said, "Are you permitted to take your bow off?"
"Sure, bow is bow, is not me. You try?"
Her face was doubtful, which made me even more determined. "I do. Will you strap it on me?"
She undid the bow from her left forearm and said, "Tell me when I have the straps tight."
I put casual watchfulness in my left arm and let her strap the bow on. She reached around behind me to see if she had it adjusted properly all the while sending me pictures of what we would do together. I was getting even more aroused about the prospect. My nipples were standing out and hard. She brushed one, half accidentally, and, from behind me reached her arms around and played with them ever so gently. I think they grew harder. For sure, I shifted my legs wider to open myself. Then came more detailed pictures. I was about to grab her and go into the kitchen when I realized she was coming to me through my private universe. That made me all the more excited, but my mind became involved, then my good sense, so I said, "How do you stand for best balance?"
She didn't comment, just showed me a slightly leaning forward stance, and stepped a half step back (after putting a bolt in the slide groove and shutting the guide cover). I pulled the string back trying to not go metallic, but for the last inch I had to, to complete the action.
We went out into the roundabout. She said, "Shoot the wall over there, and let your restraint go along with the bolt."
I didn't want to waste a bolt, I really didn't want to, but it became a token of surrender, and oh, how so much I wanted to surrender. I focused on a spot of covering and squeezed the trigger and climaxed slightly. That set my mind off onto wondering how many bolts that I would have to shoot to have a full blown orgasm. Then I became aware of her massaging my breasts gently, how nice, and pictures of her licking my nipples while she did something to me down below with something, whoa horsy. I was in the Vids.
I gathered some control and asked, "Could I perhaps have this bow long enough to copy. She stepped back and said, "Keep, I have more, more bolts. Let's go see if you hit your target."
No prize, but it was good enough for a first shot with a strange weapon by a lady who's getting raped and liking it. She was definitely not using telepathy. Telepathy you can shield against. This was coming from deep within me. I absently wondered how many kills she had made with that talent. (If you don't want the animals to run away, and they don't, how hard was getting supper.) I would know in the end. Meanwhile, she wasn't getting far away from me. Did her male have the same talent? I would know eventually.
We went back to the observation booth and sat a respectful distance apart. The pictures kept coming but so slow that I was able to file them away for my dream time. We spoke of the ANNU KI and how hard they were to find and kill. She was astounded about that. She said, "In the time, our time, recorded on star chart, Ben, read star chart, (he said to me that he did), the ANNU KI were all about. Need practice. Kill there, in that time. But small ships very fast,
go left, go right, go back, yes, go back, not know where they go. No pattern our ship pilots ever found anyway, then only five pilots left, back there (indicating her tunnel) with those asleep."
I said, "I grieve for your losses. We lost many, but fewer than you in a recent battle. But one denied the fullness of life is too many. We will defeat them. We don't know how yet, which is why I have sought you out, to learn from you. Maybe the smallest knowledge will be the advantage. That's why I want you to stay by my side. Your male, too, but he can walk behind for our protection."
Taln returned and reported, "It's all ready. I hurried back because your transporter approaches. Will they have your visuals FO?"
"Yes. Just open the portal when they're close. Then direct them by light into which tunnel to use. They are proficient."
"I see you are. I'd expect them to be no less so."
A chime took him to his booth where he remained.
I asked Tritchka, "How did you find the mouse warren?"
"So many tunnels, some made for fun. The digger is parked and ready says Taln. I learn much about strength from him."
"Evidently, they chose their leaders well back then."
While waiting for the first Med Deck, Lillian and I talked about how it felt to be energy beings and roam from one fresh planet to another. Upon arriving to take a form suited to that planet and when a society developed to withdraw and go on to another planet. She remembered it all back to some type of explosion where she first experienced consciousness. Not all ships that touched down on a world would use the same form. There had been thirty nine in her armada. There was no central leader. Each ship had a director. She was director of hers. Most of the other ships escaped but hers hadn't had time to disengage from their different bodies when the ANNU KI attacked. The enemy landed and engaged, hand to hand where Lillian's people tore them apart. Thereafter small ships hunted them. I still couldn't believe the tale of a ship which assembled from parts. I had passed out of my Vid Flick haze and started to think of how these people were going to help the cause. It surprised me how far I had gone away from the Ranger philosophy of disengagement to the point where everyone was potential (who cared whether they were willing) recruits in my Army/Navy. Of course it wasn't mine, but I always tend to obsessive possessiveness.
Taln came back, saying the Med Deck ship approached. "All is prepared. I will stay with them. Lillian, when your ship arrives I will open the outer door and put the direction lights on. When they get to this point, you two can take over. It has been communicated to me that your people will go directly to ARK IV when they're stabilized. That's simpler. If I don't talk to you before you go, I will stand beside you on the battlefield later."
They embraced. The chimes drew him to his control room again. Shortly the Med Deck ship came into the switching chamber. Taln was on his cart with lights blinking and soon they were gone. Thank whoever for 360 degrees anti-grav, and push/pull beams, saves a lot of tunnel coating in this instance. I supposed they would be going en-masse to their space stations when they were stable. Two tugs came into the chamber with rations containers, calling out on their speaker systems for instructions.
Lillian said, "I show them. I know tunnels not used."
She did, quite efficiently, and when the tugs departed, I saw her break open a container following the pictographs, and brought a box of rations to the booth. "Pictures make easy."
She sat them down, broke the box open with her talons, and handed a packet to me. "Must try first."
That seemed sensible to me. We munched together, introspection on her face.
She ate the whole daily ration to the last crumb. "Not a danger. Good small meal."
I started to think about that when Colleen, my aide said, TWO MORE CONTAINERS UNDERWAY.
I opened my mouth to tell Lillian and she said, "Heard."
I settled back and said to myself, 'I'm no more than a pair of eyes. I could send a remote viewer to do this. I thought I heard 'tut tut' from both Lillian and Collene, but that would be insubordination. I let it go. Lillian ripped a talon through another packet and I was back at the Vids. I just closed my eyes and jumped two feet above my head to see what my exterior preceptics were recording. (A trick I learned from Betty.) Nothing extra except waves of emanations, from Lillian's tunnel.
Lillian said, "No concern, just people breathing, making strong. When all breathe together make walls shake.
I asked, "Lillian, would others of your kind be willing to go far away and fight our enemy?"
"Don't understand plan, but if as you say, yes. Take two dragons along for young."
"For young?"
She sighed, "Story too long. Just know it must be to raise our young."
Colleen said, TRANSPORTATION IS BEING ARRANGED. A SMALL CRAFT WILL COME INTO THE CHAMBER TO PICK UP THE PASSENGERS. DRAGON FOOD REQUIREMENTS?
Lillian said, "I send molecular compounds."
RECEIVED, CAN DO.
I said to Lillian, "That is done. If we don't speak of this to your people, no one will know and the enemy gets no information."
"Sensible, arrange."
We spoke further of her time of arrival. There were only two continents and one major island at the South Pole. She said the ANNU KI had landed on that island first. Only years later had they spread out to attack the dragon people, driving them first from the small continent. The attacks spread to the large continent where they were hunted day and night. Numbers became fewer, and then Taln, who was on duty at that time, offered refuge for the last of them, accomplished during a terrible electrical storm. The ANNU KI found nothing after the storm but dead bodies of those who'd been killed before reaching shelter. After that, the enemy flew little, until they were gone. But no one trusted them to be gone, so they'd remained hidden. I had trouble comparing my few hundred thousand years in this universe, against her time expanse. I supposed most of her time had been spent in a sleep state.
She said, "Yes, sleep, but tired yet, no sun, no moon, no fresh air, just wait. Not do again."
I said, "You will have all you missed, then battle and glory and maybe final death, to go elsewhere."
"Ready."
She ripped into another daily packet as two more tugs arrived. With a cookie in hand, she went to direct them. They departed and Colleen said, THEY WILL HOOK UP TO TWO MORE CONTAINERS OF DAILY RATIONS AND BE READY. BY THE TIME YOU NEED THEM, WE SHOULD HAVE THE DRAGON STEW READY. IT IS A UNIQUE MIXTURE. THEY'RE GOING TO TRY IT ON THE MILK COWS.
'Never liked milk anyway', I thought.
Betty called out to me, I'M COMING DOWN THE TUNNEL FROM THE DOOR. GET READY.
Lillian had just returned and resumed eating Friday's rations, this being Wednesday. When I relayed the data she said, "Many impolite people, can't eat. Tell Betty follow me. Also make ready for sister and male and dragons. Come out tunnel by mine and go quickly away with your people. You wait for me until done?"
"Yes. I'll make ready to transport your people to ARK IV. Our scientist will come in with the first transport so you can explain your ship. Not to worry. Our ships can't be seen."
"Hah, ours too. Enemy sees. Do something about enemy seeing too much? Here Betty is. She can speak to me direct."
"I know. I'll wait for male and your sister."
Betty and Lillian went down the Dragon tunnel.
Wanting to keep my passengers in the loop, I called my ship, "Suzy, all of you, I will be in here for a while longer."
The General's voice came back, "Take your time. We haven't been through one percent of your library. We found directions for the film pictures. We're good for twenty years."
That was that. I remembered when I'd first arrived at Ranger HQ. I had been the same, coming from a planet even less advanced than this one. I wondered what Rafe and Pierre were up to. I'm sure it was bloody. Get two gunmen together, what else did they know? I thought of when, in this planet's history, the Christian had marched in a very civilized manner into the Roman Coliseums and been eaten. Civilized
behavior can be overdone.
Tritchka came back on the cart alone. She said all was going as wanted. Could she learn more here or on the Med Deck? I sent her back to the Med Deck and Taln. Then I started considering whether I wanted two dragons shitting in my cargo bay. Well, hell no. What was I going to do about it? Maybe they flew, and then shat. Nah, it couldn't be that simple, and on and on.
Finally Betty said, GET A GRIP, DRAGONS DON'T SHIT. THEY'RE INCINERATORS. THEY BREATHE OUT FIRE FOR RELIEF. DO SOME EXERCISES, BED SOMEONE, JUST QUIT RAVING.
I looked around, nobody to bed. Curious about how they'd lived, I decided to explore some of the unused tunnels. I was sure Taln wouldn't mind. I picked one at random. The lights came on when I walked in. The one I'd picked had evidently been a residential one. I went into one of the units, after knocking, one never knows, and found a standard residence from any planet, any modern time. I was still trying to come to grips with the elapsed time. I finally gave up trying. Further along the walkway, I came to a large circular room, which was set up as a community group room, small theater, a few kiosks, and sand box for whomever. They'd tried ever so hard.
My wanderings were again interrupted by Betty. I'M BRINGING OUT LILLIAN NUMBER TWO, AND HER MALE'S COPY, AND THE DRAGONS. THE DRAGONS ARE BARELY AWAKE. LILLIAN SAYS TO TELL YOU SHE WILL DIE WELL.
"Tell her I would best like to die alongside her."
SHE SAYS SHE KNOWS.
I sat on a park bench, not bothering to brush off the dust, and hated the ANNU KI even more. They would pay with their existences, or I would.
A while later, Betty said, THE DUPLICATES ARE GONE. SHE THANKS YOU FOR HER DIGNITY, BACK TO WORK. THE EXTREMITIES SHIFTING FROM HAND TO TALONS IS NOT DUPLICATING. LILLIAN SAYS SHE WILL FIX THAT LATER. SHE REMINDS ME A LOT OF YOU.
I thought back to when I had been in the time drop with my 'one hundred'. How the creativity had manifested. What could Lillian and I do with a co-mingling of our sciences?
Greener Green II: The Balls Brigade Page 11