In her terror, Antaska didn’t notice the large speeding blur of blue and green that traveled from the area of M. Hoyvil’s class to just a few yards away from her. It was followed by a larger speeding blur of red and green. And she didn’t notice the heavy thump sound of two huge bodies landing on the cushioned floor. Eegor didn’t seem to notice either. His grip on her didn’t loosen.
“Enough!” a loud deep bass voice boomed from behind Antaska.
Eegor froze and then let go of Antaska. He dropped away from her, and Antaska turned around to look behind her. There, pinned to the floor under the massive weight of his gigantic green-skinned adult Verdante instructor, lay M. Hoyvil.
M. Hoyvil couldn’t move because the much more powerful Master Mytaar held his arms in a tight restraining grip.
“I’ll let you go if you promise not to break any galactic laws on the treatment of protected species,” Master Mytaar said to him telepathically “Can I trust you now?”
“Yes, I promise.” M. Hoyvil answered.
Master Mytaar released him. M. Hoyvil sat up and looked at Antaska. He saw her taking some deep breaths. He knew it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to speak to her vocally now. For the first time, M. Hoyvil wished that Antaska could somehow understand telepathic speech.
Antaska looked at him and smiled. Once again, unknown to M. Hoyvil, the mysterious bond of affection that can exist between two members of two different species had been strengthened by his actions, and words weren’t necessary.
“The exercise portion of class is over for today,” announced Master Mytaar to the entire gym out loud in his resonating deep voice.
Antaska’s classmates stood looking with wide eyes and open mouths at the sight of the gigantic blue-green man in their midst.
“As for you,” said Master Mytaar, turning to M. Hoyvil and speaking telepathically, “I hope you appreciate how fortunate you are that I stopped you when I did. Instead of continuing on your trip from the home planet to outer space, you could be on your way to Central Planet for a long, drawn-out court case. As you know, those often last a lot longer than a mere one hundred years.”
M. Hoyvil answered his Master’s criticism. “The laws about protected species say we must protect them before our own species, even before our own children. That’s exactly what I intended. I knew that my action could result in legal penalties, but Antaska called for help. I put her well being before my own.”
“In a way, that’s quite admirable,” said Master Mytaar, “but as I have told you, my pets are well trained to know their limits. She isn’t hurt, and she wouldn’t have been hurt in excess of what can be expected in martial arts training. I would order you not to interfere again, but I know you won’t listen. In fact, I’m not sure how to advise you.”
The master paused for a few moments.
“I’ll have to meditate on this situation,” he said finally.
At that moment, the gong announcing the end of class chimed loudly.
In M. Hoyvil’s opinion, what Eegor had done was more than what should be expected in a martial arts class. He didn’t say that to his teacher. That would be disrespectful. But he thought some less than respectful thoughts.
It’s so annoying that the adults must always think about a problem forever before they take action. Can’t they see that bad things can happen while they’re sitting around thinking?
M. Hoyvil was so bothered by what had happened to Antaska that he didn’t really care if Master Mytaar heard these thoughts. Still, he kept his mental shields up, as was expected when around others of his species.
“Well, everyone has calmed down here, so I’ll be on my way,” said Master Mytaar out loud.
The gigantic instructor turned and walked to the other side of the gym.
However, one person had not calmed down. Eegor acted calm, but he burned with rage after the embarrassing intervention of Master Mytaar. He added his master and M. Hoyvil to the list of people he was mad at.
Someone’s going to pay for this, he told himself. Someone’s going to pay with some broken bones. At least. But who?
He thought about Master Mytaar and M. Hoyvil.
No, that won’t work. M. Hoyvil’s only a foot taller then me, but they’re both way too much stronger than me. Supernaturally strong. Like punching a tree. It wouldn’t be a fair fight, he decided.
Eegor looked over at Tilde. She sat surrounded by three of the Earthling males—taller, blonder, and gorgeous—chatting away. It was like she hadn’t even noticed what just happened.
What about Tilde? he wondered. She’s really pissing me off right now. She’s a good fighter, but I’m stronger than her. Hmm. Nah, maybe not. She’s tough enough to hurt me back, and the master and mistress will get mad at me if I do anything to her.
That left Antaska.
Yep. She’s the one, he decided. She’s a lot weaker than me, and the master never cares if I break a few bones. Or do other stuff. All I need to do is get her alone.
After class, Eegor hovered several feet away from Antaska and a group of her friends. They were making plans for later that night. Eegor’s genetically enhanced hearing was superior to theirs. He could hear what they were saying from a farther distance than they would expect.
“Are we meeting to practice tonight?” Pablo asked Antaska. “Will you be up to it after what just happened with Eegor?”
“Yes, for sure,” Antaska answered him. “We need to start practicing some wresting moves too. I’ll see you all back here tonight at 1900 hours.”
Got it! thought Eegor.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a big blue and green blob moving closer. The Verdantes were coming to get their humans. Eegor turned and walked away.
Chapter 17
After dinner that night, back in the main room of their quarters, Antaska and M. Hoyvil sat on the large couch with Potat in between them. M. Hoyvil noticed the little cat’s loud purring. She flicked her tail against first one and then the other of the humanoids. But M. Hoyvil was too distracted by what Antaska was saying to pay much attention to Potat.
“I’ll be going out to the gym soon to practice with the other humans in my class,” Antaska told both M. Hoyvil and Potat.
M. Hoyvil felt uneasy about that. He hadn’t stopped worrying about Antaska since Eegor’s aggressive behavior in gym class. Now he was convinced that Master Mytaar was in denial about his human pets. Things could only get worse before they got better.
Even though M. Hoyvil was against calling human companions “pets,” he thought that Eegor and Tilde’s animal-like behavior had earned them that title. But M. Hoyvil respected Antaska as a sentient humanoid. He wouldn’t give her orders as if she were a pet. Still, he tried to talk her out of going.
“Are you sure you’re up to that tonight after what happened today?” M. Hoyvil asked her. “I’m kind of worried about you. Maybe it would be better for you to stay here and rest tonight.”
“After what happened today, I have to go,” Antaska answered.
M. Hoyvil could hear the determination in her voice.
“The others are being targeted too, and someone else might get hurt tomorrow. I could never forgive myself if that happened, and I could have made a difference. I know there’s only so much we can do if those trainers really want to hurt us, but learning some defensive moves seems to help.”
M. Hoyvil sighed in resignation. But Potat growled and dug her small claws into Antaska’s leg.
“Ouch!” said Antaska.
M. Hoyvil watched her gently removed the claws and stand up. Then she went into her room to change into exercise clothes.
Antaska had always felt safe walking alone through the tall, curved hallways of the space ship. The Verdante space ship was enormous, and it was a long way from their quarters to the classrooms and gym. Usually, Antaska liked the exercise on the long walk. But on this night, a nervous chill crept up her spine.
She told herself that M. Hoyvil and Potat’s behavior had spooked her, and there was nothing to
worry about. She tried to calm down by focusing her mind on the soothing humming noise that was always heard softly throughout the space ship.
The hallway was empty. Antaska tried to ignore the feeling of increasing dread that tightened her chest. She approached a dark shadow along the wall.
That’s nothing. It’s just the door to the astronomy classroom, she told herself. It’s always open.
Antaska passed by the doorway. She turned and peered nervously into the darkness. But nothing was visible except the vague outlines of empty desks.
Suddenly, a large figure erupted from the doorway. With superhuman speed, Eegor, who had been hiding behind the inner edge of the door, lunged out at Antaska. He wrapped both of his long arms around her. At first stunned, Antaska overcame her shock and began to yell, kick, and twist, but he easily pulled her into the classroom.
“Yell as loud as you like. No one will hear you,” Eegor said in a voice that made her feel sick.
Antaska stopped screaming, but she continued to fight uselessly. Eegor dragged her past the desks to the clear space at the back of the class. It was well out of the sight of anyone who might pass by, although that was unlikely at this time of night.
Eegor pushed Antaska down on her hands and knees. He bent himself over her, taking the same position they had been in earlier in gym class. Antaska felt and smelled his hot breath. Eegor spoke with a panting voice into her ear.
“Things will be different this time, now that your Verdante is not here to help you.”
Antaska swooned in terror and disgust. She felt overwhelmed by the repeating nightmare she found herself in. She had escaped from Eegor earlier that day, but now she was trapped again. And this time, the situation was a hundred times worse.
Just before Eegor tightened his arm around her chest, Antaska shouted as loud as she could. “Help!!”
Back in the squeeze of Eegor’s vice-like arm, Antaska once again experienced a terrifying shortness of breath. But through her pain and fear, all she noticed—strangely—was the clear sound of a woman’s voice saying, “bite, bite.”
If Antaska wasn’t so overwhelmed by her situation, she would have told herself, as usual, that she wasn’t really seeing Potat’s face in her mind. But there was no place for the luxury of denial in this situation. Then Antaska saw Potat’s small mouth open to reveal tiny, sharp teeth.
“Bite, bite,” Antaska heard the words again.
Antaska was desperate, and she didn’t hesitate. She turned her face up toward Eegor’s closest available skin surface. It happened to be near the underarm, revealed under his short-sleeved workout top.
All the fear and other negative emotions that swirled through Antaska’s heart and mind focused into her intention. Then Antaska bit with all her strength into Eegor’s pale, white skin. She was surprised that his skin was so soft and easy to pierce.
Something wet dripped on Antaska’s mouth. She noticed the metallic smell and taste of blood. That was quickly followed by the release of Eegor’s grip around her chest.
“Arghhh!” He pulled away with a loud cry of rage and pain.
Antaska spat repeatedly. Then she wiped her mouth roughly on the short sleeve of her tan workout t-shirt.
Eegor dropped down onto the floor. He moaned and glared at Antaska as he cradled his left underarm in his opposite hand. She stood up and backed away from him.
Eegor wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of pain, and he didn’t handle it well. He sat on the floor recovering and thinking about the best way to punish Antaska.
He heard the sound of rapid pounding feet out in the hallway. The sound grew louder, closer, and Tilde came flying through the door of the classroom.
Oh, great. Just what I need, thought Eegor. I thought she seemed suspicious of my reason for going out tonight.
Dressed in his gym clothes, he had told Tilde that he wanted to go to the gym and work out alone to calm his mind. He had used this story many times before when he was going out to meet another woman. But in the past, she had always believed him or acted like she did.
Why would she come looking for me this time? She’s been so busy flirting with the Earth males in class. She’s been acting like she doesn’t care what I do. Could that be an act to make me jealous? he wondered. Yeah, that must be it. She seems to hate Antaska more than the others. She wouldn’t just stop caring. And this shows that she hasn’t.
Eegor smiled and waited to see what Tilde would do next.
Just inside the door to the classroom, Tilde paused to look around. Her beautiful face twisted in fury.
“What!” she shouted at Antaska. “You have harmed my mate? You inferior Earth woman?
Still sitting on the floor, Eegor held his upper arm and moaned. Tilde charged across the short distance to where Antaska stood. The enraged Tilde stopped in front of her, grabbed Antaska’s upper arms in her powerful hands, and shook her roughly.
“You! You! You!!” she shouted. “You slut! I can’t decide whether to punch you or kick you because the urge to strangle you is so strong.”
Tilde’s tight-squeezed, twisted mouth marred the beauty of her fine-boned face. Her eyes pushed together, making a deep indent in her forehead.
Eegor sat watching and waiting. Antaska looked drained. She stood still as if frozen.
She must realize it’s futile to struggle, thought Eegor.
Finally, Tilde made her decision. She released one of Antaska’s arms. Then Tilde pulled back her own powerful, lean-muscled arm. She balled her hand into a fist and aimed it straight for Antaska’s nose.
Chapter 18
Shortly before that time, back in their quarters, Potat had become more and more worried about Antaska. She had tried to tell M. Hoyvil that Antaska was in danger, but his intelligence was limited. He could only understand a few words of the cat telepathic language.
“My pet is in danger! We must go get her!” she told M. Hoyvil.
“Did you say, ‘Get pet, get pet?’” he asked Potat. “I’m worried about her too, but I can’t just go out and force her to come back. She’s got the right to make her own decisions, and I’m not going to treat her like a pet.”
“She’s my pet, and she is in danger!” Potat insisted. “Someone’s hurting her! We have to go get her!”
“Did you say, ‘My pet. My pet. Get my pet?” M. Hoyvil asked. “I’m not saying that she’s not your pet. But even if she is, I still can’t go get her. That would be treating her like she was my pet. She’s not going to believe that I was just doing what you told me to.”
Potat grew frustrated at his obstinacy. It was clear that he didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. So she used the same drastic measures that were often necessary to get Antaska’s attention.
Meowing loudly, Potat stuck her claws as hard and deep as she could into M. Hoyvil’s thigh. He didn’t seem to feel the claws, but at least he heard the meowing.
“It’s okay, little cat,” he said.
I know he doesn’t really believe that, Potat thought.
M. Hoyvil lifted her up and hugged her.
Potat kept meowing and struggled with all her might. Then she attacked M. Hoyvil with a whirlwind of all four scratching paws. He let her go, and she dashed to the hallway door. She stood up on her back legs and scratched the door furiously with her front paws.
“Bad boy! Bad girl!” she shouted at M. Hoyvil telepathically, hoping he would finally get the message.
At last, M. Hoyvil gave in. “Since you insist, I guess it won’t hurt for us to at least go check on Antaska. I won’t tell her she has to come back, I’ll just say you seemed worried.”
He opened the door, and Potat ran out and down the hallway toward the gym. But M. Hoyvil was much faster. He scooped Potat up, dropped her in his pocket, and rushed toward the gym in a blur of speed that was faster than even the most powerful Earth human.
Finally, he gets it, thought Potat.
Chapter 19
Back in the classroom, the sound
of more pounding feet came from the hallway. Then a big green and red blur flowed into the room, stopped, and appeared as a gigantic male Verdante. But Antaska didn’t pay any attention to that. All her attention was on Tilde’s rage-fueled fist. Frozen in time, Antaska watched the fist move as if in slow motion toward her face. Antaska knew there was no escape this time. She closed her eyes and waited.
“Thud!” Antaska heard the sound of Tilde’s fist hitting something hard. But she didn’t feel anything. Not even the slight thump she would have felt in a virtual game. Antaska opened her eyes.
M. Hoyvil was standing between her and Tilde. He rubbed a big green hand on a spot in the middle of his chest.
“Ouch!” he said loudly but telepathically.
Antaska heard but pretended not to. She peered around M. Hoyvil and saw Tilde standing there rubbing her bruised fist with her other hand. Tilde’s mouth was clenched shut, and a drop of wetness appeared in the corner of one eye.
Eegor was still sitting on the floor looking up with wide eyes and a wide-open mouth.
A loud, deep male voice came from the middle of the room. “What is going on here?” demanded Master Mytaar.
The gigantic green man stood there dressed in the usual bright red ship suit worn by Verdante adults. He’d arrived in the room just in time to watch Tilde throw her punch. Master Mytaar towered over them all in the middle of the room.
“Master Mytaar!” said Eegor and Tilde out loud.
And M. Hoyvil said the same thing telepathically.
“Tilde! Why did I just see you aiming a punch for this human’s face?” Master Mytaar said with a gesture toward Antaska. “And Eegor, why are you there on the floor? And you, M. Hoyvil, what are you doing here?”
Tilde and Eegor both lowered their heads, but M. Hoyvil, even though he was two feet shorter than the big man, kept his head high.
This was all very dramatic, but Antaska looked over to the front of the room and saw someone who was even more important.
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