The Alien's Rules

by Maggie Carpenter

  “I don’t know where to start,” she replied, placing the mug on the coffee table and shaking her head. “It’s just terrible.”

  “What is?” Ellie pressed.

  “The Sparians planted a transmitter under her skin,” Valodar replied.

  “What?” Ellie exclaimed, shocked by the news. “That’s terrible.”

  “They have my brother and father,” Endolin whimpered, her face crinkling with emotion. “They told me if I didn’t do as they said, I’d never see them again.”

  Valodar’s heart sank. The Sparians were brutal, and Endolin’s loved ones were probably already dead.

  “I’m so sorry, Endolin,” he said tenderly. “How did this start?”

  “I received a letter, and when I opened the envelope a huge insect jumped out and burrowed under my shirt. It was an ugly, horrible bug, and it was crawling all over me. I pulled off my clothes as fast as I could, but all I found was the bump. At first I thought it was the insect itself but it was too small, then I thought it was an egg.”

  “What the hell?” Ellie muttered. “Ugh, you poor thing, that’s disgusting.”

  “It must have been a burrow bug,” Valodar remarked. “I’ve heard stories, but I didn’t know if they actually existed. When was this, Endolin?”

  “On our third orbit, just before I was due to come here to help the ambassador with preparations for the banquet.”

  “Tell me about your father and brother.”

  “They were away on an extended exploratory mission, so out of contact range. I’m used to not hearing from them. I never thought…”

  “Easy,” Valodar said gently. “How did the Sparians communicate with you?”

  “I picked up the envelope to throw it away, and that’s when I found the note. It explained about the transmitter, and how they’d be monitoring me, and that they had my father and Landin, and if I didn’t do as they said…”

  As her voice trailed off, Valodar put his arm around her, trying to offer comfort.

  “Take a breath,” he said softly, “then tell me what they asked you to do?”

  “They knew I was coming here, and they said I was to cause as much trouble around the embassies, all of them, as possible, especially for you and Commander Tavlon, and there was—”

  “Excuse me for interrupting,” Valodar frowned, “but let me guess. You ran into Raven, she told you that I had an Earth female here, and Raven was upset because I was no longer interested in spending time with her, but then she hinted at how you could cause trouble for Ellie and me. You knew the Sparians were listening, so you had to agree.”

  “Exactly,” she chirped, her voice high and squeaky. “I would never be so mean. I couldn’t believe Raven had suggested it, but then I had no choice,” then pausing, she added, “Valodar, it’s so much worse than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There was a small pouch in the envelope holding poisonous powder. I’m supposed to be using it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, and I couldn’t tell anyone because they could hear everything and they’d kill Daddy and Landin.”

  As Ellie had listened to Endolin talk about her dire circumstances, she’d been overwhelmed with guilt. Valodar had been right. She should have waited to hear what Endolin had to say, not jumped to conclusions, but watching him trying to calm her, a thought began percolating through her brain.

  “Endolin,” she began softly, “may I ask you something?”

  “Y-yes, and I’m s-so sorry,” Endolin sniffled, “really I am.”

  “No, I’m the one that’s sorry,” Ellie said quickly. “I rushed to judgement, and I shouldn’t have. I regret it, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  “Of course I do. It was horrible what you heard. What did you want to ask me?”

  “How do you know the Sparians have your father and brother?”

  “Because they told me in the letter,” Endolin replied, clearly confused by the question.

  “But you don’t know the Sparians have them. You said yourself your father and brother are out of contact range, and if the Sparians are capable of doing such awful things, they’re certainly capable of lying. Did you ever ask them for proof?”

  “Proof? Uh, no, I was too shocked and scared, it never occurred to me. The letter said if I mentioned it to anyone, Daddy and Landin would be executed immediately.”

  “I’ll bet it’s nothing but a big bluff,” Ellie declared. “I’ll bet they were counting on you being so scared, you’d do exactly as they said without giving it any thought.”

  “Ellie,” Valodar said, rising to his feet, “you could well be right.”

  “You mean…” Endolin whispered, almost afraid to believe it, “you think Father and Landin are all right? You think they’re still out doing their work?”

  “It’s certainly possible,” Valodar replied. “I’ll go to Commander Tavlon’s quarters right away. We have secure methods of communication. Do you know the call codes for your father’s vessel?”

  “Yes, I do, but what if the commander is working with the Sparians?”

  “Not even remotely possible,” Valodar said gently. “The Sparians have you totally paranoid. Don’t you think it’s interesting that you have no way to speak with them?”

  “It did cross my mind,” she nodded.

  “It’s designed to keep you off balance.”

  “It worked,” she chirped. “I kept thinking, if only I could talk to them somehow.”

  “Precisely. You stay here with Ellie, and eat something while I’m gone. Do you promise?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “Everything is going to be fine. This whole mess with you and Raven and Ellie has become a blessing. It’s told me that the Sparians are a serious threat. Thank you, Endolin. You trusted me, and I’m extremely grateful. Ellie, a word?”

  Rising to his feet, he reached for Ellie’s hand and led her swiftly into the bedroom and closed the door.

  “One moment,” he said, removing one of the cylinders from his necklace.

  Unscrewing its cap, he tilted back his head and dropped a clear liquid into his eyes. Ellie nervously waited. Was he making her wait on purpose? If he wanted her to feel uncomfortable and apprehensive, it was working.

  “That’s better,” he muttered, placing the cylinder back onto his necklace. “Now then, I don’t really have time for this, but I can sense your guilt is eating you up.”

  “It is,” she nodded, looking into his eyes, watching the lavender film disappear. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “It probably will,” he sighed. “It’s in you to be impetuous and impatient. Place your arms around my neck and lock your fingers together.”

  “Is this a warm hug,” she softly asked, doing as he said, “or are you going to punish me?”

  “Both,” he replied, raising her skirt. “Some hot hard swats. I will not be holding back. They will sting. Do not cry out.”

  Clenching her teeth, she buried her head in his shoulder.

  “I’m doing this to appease your feelings of shame. You know your behavior was completely unacceptable. You must learn to trust me, and you must never speak to me with such disrespect, especially not in an ambassador’s office at an embassy. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, Sir Valodar,” she mumbled, her voice muffled against him.

  His wide palm and long fingers landed with a hard, painful smack. His hand, merely warm when he’d first touched her, was now literally hot, and as it rose and fell, she kicked her feet and gyrated her hips in an effort to squirm away from the peppery punishment, but the spanking was a volley of swiftly delivered swats impossible to evade.

  “There!” he declared, dropping the hem of her dress. “I believe I have made my point.”

  “Ooh, yes,” she gasped. “Oh, I’m on fire.”

  “As well you should be,” he said sternly, clutching her hair and pulling her head back to stare at her. “Make sure you don’t tell Endolin the Sparian ship is lurking, and don’t
tell her about our lack of defenses. Be a listener, not a talker. Pay attention to everything she tells you. She may remember more.”

  “Will do,” Ellie replied, wishing she could rub her backside. “You were right about not making judgements until hearing all the facts. I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot.”

  “Your apology is accepted, you’ve been punished, and now it’s behind us.”

  “It’s certainly behind me,” she said ruefully.

  “Be kind to Endolin. She’s been through a terrible ordeal, and thank you, Ellie. Your keen instinct and logic kicked in, and it was invaluable.”

  “But not enough to get me out of that spanking. Ouch… it’s stinging like mad.”

  “One has nothing to do the with other,” he said firmly, then kissing her softly, he added, “and I do adore you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “I adore you too, Valodar,” she said softly, and as she watched him go, she murmured, “I do, I really, really do.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Commander Tavlon listened to Valodar’s hastily told information, and immediately contacted the communications center to covertly search out the location of the vessel belonging to Endolin’s father.

  “It won’t take long. I hope it’s where it’s supposed to be,” Tavlon said solemnly. “Even if it is, they should initiate their cloaking device, leave deep space, and head back to Quillian.”

  “They might be better off staying where they are,” Valodar remarked. “We don’t know if the Sparians have ships cruising inside the other quadrants.”

  Tavlon didn’t respond, but rising from behind his desk, he moved across to his drinks cabinet and poured himself a glass of an elixir that helped settle nerves and aid in clear thinking.

  “You might be right,” he finally said. “Let’s just hope they locate the vessel. The next order of business is to make sure no one else is carrying a transmitter. The residents and visitors on the other side of the station aren’t of concern, just the staffs of embassies and the casual workers, especially in the sensitive areas, like the Terminus and the transport pod docks. I’m going to put out an alert that a flea was found and all residents must pass through a decontamination unit.”

  “A flea?” Valodar frowned. “We never have to worry about fleas.”

  “Most everyone knows you brought a human on board.”

  Valodar thought about protesting. He didn’t want Ellie being tainted by the suggestion that she may have brought a parasite onto the station, or that he had not sufficiently cleansed her.

  “It makes sense,” the commander declared, sensing Valodar’s hesitation. “I understand your reservations, but the fact that a flea bite can cause paralysis, and sometimes even death, will make it scary enough to make sure it’s done quickly, and everyone cooperates.”

  “You’re right, of course, you are,” Valodar agreed, “and it’s a good idea. We have to be sure there are no other transmitters here, but if we find some, how do we handle it? We have to assume if someone is carrying one they’re under threat.”

  “Hmm,” Tavlon mumbled, sipping his drink. “If they face the same dilemma as Endolin, it’s irrelevant. Their loved one will be dead, agreed?”

  “Sadly, yes, agreed.”

  “So the answer is clear. We remove it, pretend we don’t know what it is so the Sparians will believe their covert operation is still running with Endolin, then take the victim somewhere private and find out how the transmitter found its way under their skin.”

  “And what the Sparians are using to coerce him, or her, as the case may be,” Valodar added, “though I think we should keep any victims separated and somewhere comfortable. If they’re under the same stress as Endolin, they’ll need support, and we don’t want them discussing this.”

  “Excellent suggestion! I’ll have some rooms readied in the medical center. I’ll contact the ambassadors,” Tavlon said, returning to his desk, “and you supervise at the Terminus and the docks. They’re vital. I’ll have someone round up the workers at the eateries and shops. Not too many, thank goodness. If anyone else has a transmitter imbedded, we’ll know very soon.”

  As Tavlon finished speaking, a red stone on his multi-layered necklace began to pulse. Touching it, Tavlon stood still as he listened to the message, then nodded across at Valodar.

  “The vessel belonging to Endolin’s father is exactly where it’s supposed to be,” Tavlon said, relief clear in his voice, “and it does not appear to have been damaged. There are no reports of any distress signals, and it’s so far out, it is beyond even our communication. The Quillians are going to send a vessel to within range to make sure the inhabitants are safe, and they’ll use coded messages in case the Sparians have set up intercept channels.”

  “Perfect,” Valodar said gratefully. “Endolin will be so relieved. Now she’ll be in a better frame of mind to help us. I’ll contact Ellie know on my way to the Terminus so she can tell her.”

  “I’ll meet with each of the ambassadors and check them, then they can begin the screening process on their staffs, but first we should check each other,” the commander declared. “It might be possible to be carrying something and not know it.”

  “Yes, of course!” Valodar exclaimed. “I’m embarrassed. I should have suggested that the moment I came in here.”

  “I should have as well,” Tavlon nodded. “I’ve been a commander for a while now, and I’m still finding gaps in my knowledge base. No one knows everything.”

  “Something I must remember,” Valodar said as he removed his trousers. “No one knows everything.”

  * * *

  With the flea alert sent out, the diplomatic side of the station was placed on lockdown. No one was allowed in or out, and all residents not at their place of work had to immediately report to their nearest decontamination chamber. Reaching the Terminus, Valodar touched his necklace to open the heavy steel door that led into the bowels of the station, then sat still in his transport pod as a purple scanner moved around it, then cloaked his body. The Terminus had tight security, and was the place where the Consortium’s almighty military was housed.

  Moving down the corridor and stepping onto the landing that overlooked the platform where the small, super-fast fighters were based, he felt a wave of dismay. With half the fleet gone, it looked almost deserted. How could such a thing have happened? It had been an error of judgement on Tavlon’s part, but it struck Valodar as odd that the maintenance dock where the weapon upgrades were being done could have been so empty. It served all four stations, and there had been talk about building a second location to keep up with the workload, or at the very least, expanding the existing one. Something wasn’t adding up, and the moment the decontamination of the Terminus and dock workers was concluded, he was going to contact the man in charge, the man Tavlon had said was his dear friend.

  “Monitor Valodar,” a voice said, breaking into his thoughts. “Our workers, and everyone from the transportation pod dock is here. It will save you the trouble of going over there.”

  “Excellent, thank you, Chief Bandel,” Valodar said briskly, shaking the hand of the Xan who was in charge of the Terminus. “I appreciate that. Time is critical.”

  “A flea may be small, but its bite is no small thing,” the chief said gravely as they marched swiftly back down the corridor. “I’m glad you got wind of it. If it’s on any of us, its biting days are over.”

  “How many workers are there?”

  “Thirty-two.”

  “Does that include those who were off duty?”

  “Yes, I ordered everyone over here, and they’re all accounted for.”

  Entering the dimly lit room, Valodar stared through the glass at the workers clustered together in the waiting room. All they had to do was walk into the chamber one at a time, enter the large humming machine, turn slowly around, and walk out. As far as they knew, if there was a flea on them, or any kind of unwanted parasite, it would be killed by the violet light that pulsed around them. They didn’t n
eed to remove any clothing, there was no discomfort, and the process took only seconds. What they didn’t know was that the decontamination process had an option that would allow Valodar to view them as an X-ray; if anyone had a tiny transmitter embedded in their skin, he would be able to see it.

  “You first, Chief Bandel,” he said briskly.

  “Me? I don’t have a flea on me.”

  “Can’t be too careful. We must check everyone.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose,” the chief said with a sigh.

  Valodar saw nothing on the chief, then one by one the workers moved through the decontamination unit. With only a few left, Valodar was relieved that it appeared there were no other victims in such an important area of the station, but his solace was short-lived. He spied the dot on a youngish-looking Xan.

  “Who is he?” he asked Chief Bandel, as the youthful-looking worker began to exit the unit.

  “His name is Polar. He’s been here a while now. He works in the transportation dock, but I’d like to bring him over here to the Terminus. He’s very knowledgeable and a hard worker.”

  “Has he been off the station recently?”

  “He has. How did you know? He got back just a short while ago, but he hasn’t been very well. I’m glad we did this decontamination. He may have picked up a bug.”

  “Could you please have him wait? I’d like to speak with him.”

  “Is everything all right, Monitor? You seem concerned.”

  “I think I saw something. He might have a parasite, not a flea, but something else.”

  “He’ll be grateful if you find out what’s been ailing him, that’s for sure,” the chief said, touching one of the panels on his necklace.

  “You need me, sir?” Polar asked, approaching the counter where Valodar and Chief Bandel were seated.

  “Please stand aside and wait. We may have found something,” the chief replied.

  “I do hope so,” Polar said fervently. “Something is definitely wrong with me.”

  Intrigued by the statement, Valodar was glad there were only a few workers left, and finally completing the last check, he rose from the table and headed across to the young Xan anxiously waiting.