hypnoSnatch (Xeno Relations Book 2)

by Trisha McNary

  “Are you concerned about the conversation I’m having with M. Hoyvil?” he asked.

  “We can see that M. Hoyvil is upset,” answered Vorche.

  “Yes, he is,” said Master Meeepp. “I will not lie to you. Something very distressing has happened. His pet, Antaska, has been taken by the Woogah.”

  “I’m very sorry,” said Tabxi. “Is there any possible way to get her back?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid it doesn’t look hopeful,” said Master Meeepp.

  “Please try,” begged Tabxi. “If there’s any way to get her back, please try; please don’t leave her to that dreadful fate.”

  The three humanoids exchanged solemn looks in which the pain all three felt was clearly understood by all, but Master Meeepp made no promises, and then he turned back to M. Hoyvil.

  “Will you help me?” asked M. Hoyvil again when Master Meeepp rejoined him on the enormous sofa.

  Master Meeepp looked at M. Hoyvil and suppressed a gigantic mental sigh. M. Hoyvil’s hands were twitching as if fighting his efforts to restrain them from signing. His feet were twitching too, almost kicking the side of the couch. The tiny feral beast growled at Master Meeepp from M. Hoyvil’s pocket. Why any humanoid would want such a pet was beyond Master Meeepp’s understanding. If that creature wasn’t so small, it could be quite dangerous.

  It was clear that M. Hoyvil, so young and idealistic, could not understand the big picture in this situation, Master Meeepp decided. He took a moment to marshal his thoughts to deliver a lengthy explanation and then began.

  “Do not doubt that I share your belief in our species’ responsibility to care for the Earth humans. Not just because they are our pets but because they are our genetic relatives. Proof of our genetic link to Earth humans was the reason why the Universal Council allowed the Verdantes to make first contact with Earth. As you know, Earth is the nearest inhabited planet to the home planet of the Verdantes. Soon after our ancestors developed their first stealth ships, they traveled to Earth to begin the observation of Earth humans. The Verdantes were fascinated by this distant relative species barely remembered in their history books.

  “Common pets of Earth humans like cats and dogs did not appeal to the Verdantes because of their small size, but when they started watching the humans, they felt a sudden desire for pet ownership. The sight of the humans, similar in appearance but the size of small Verdante children, produced protective feelings in the Verdantes. The human’s sentient intelligence, although non-telepathic, made them even more interesting. Their charmingly passionate expressions of seemingly uncontrollable emotions only increased their appeal and the desire of the Verdantes to protect them.”

  “I know all this. I don’t need a history lesson right now,” M. Hoyvil interrupted.

  Master Meeepp leaned forward but restrained his irritation.

  “I know you’re anxious about your human, but allow me to explain my point of view in my way,” said Master Meeepp.

  “Right,” said M. Hoyvil. He crossed his arms and flopped back against the couch. The tiny creature in his pocket hissed.

  “Hut hum…to continue,” said Master Meeepp. “As you know, many sentient races do not survive to achieve telepathic sentience and interspace travel because they destroy themselves and their planet during the evolutionary period of developing nuclear power. That almost happened to the Earth humans, but some survived—two populations underground in the North and South Poles and one that left Earth in their sub-light space ships, never to be heard from again.”

  “If you know that I know this, why are you repeating it?” asked M. Hoyvil.

  Master Meeepp drew on 2000 years of learned patience to ignore the rudeness and continue. “As I was saying, the Verdantes began their observation of Earth humans at the time when the planet was starting to recover from their nuclear wars. The Verdantes grew fond of the Earthlings and asked permission from the Universal Council to oversee them in the interest of preventing another such disaster.

  “At first, the request was denied. No interaction with was permitted with non-telepathic sentient beings of another species. Interfering with a species below the level of mental telepathy could prevent them from ever evolving. This happened with the humanoids native to Central Planet, home to the Universal Court, after telepathic explorers contacted them. From that point on, the native humanoids of Central Planet stopped evolving in the natural path of sentient beings toward telepathy. Then, unfortunately, those native humanoids became bitter and desperate. They began genetic mutation experiments combining their own genes with those of a telepathic non-humanoid species of animals native to their planet. The result was a third species – a speaking, telepathic half-human, half-animal that many humanoids view as an abomination.”

  M. Hoyvil had restrained his impatience during Master Meeepp’s long speech. Adult Verdantes talked for hours at a time as if they had all the time in the world. But most of what Master Meeepp was telling him was a rehash of what he had learned in school. He knew that offending Master Meeepp wouldn’t get his help, but M. Hoyvil’s patience was wearing thin. Now Master Meeepp had moved from the topic of Earth humans and onto the non-telepathic humanoids of other planets. Master Meeepp could easily continue on for hours without stopping or realizing that his listener was not interested.

  At last, M. Hoyvil couldn’t stop himself from interrupting.

  “I understand what you’re saying about the history of Earth and the native humanoids of Central Planet,” said M. Hoyvil as deferentially as he could under the circumstances, “and it’s only increased my determination to rescue Antaska from the danger she’s in as soon as possible.”

  Master Meeepp let out a huge audible sigh that, coming from a being of his size, ruffled the fur on little Potat, still in M. Hoyvil’s pocket.

  “Grrr,” said Potat.

  M. Hoyvil looked down to see her swiping her claws at Master Meeepp, who didn’t seem to notice.

  “If you still insist on trying to get Antaska back,” said Master Meeepp to M. Hoyvil, “you can take the public shuttle that runs from here to Central Planet and file a request in court to begin negotiations with the Woogah for her release. Because you aren’t an adult yet, and she is only a pet, I fear the court may not consider your case, but there is a chance they will act based on your responsibility as her owner and the responsibility of the Verdantes as a whole to the Earthlings, whose welfare is our concern.

  “Unfortunately, the process, even if even successful, will probably take longer than her expected lifespan. You know one of the rules about pet ownership by adolescents is that if you lose a pet, you cannot have another one until you reach adulthood. I understand your remorse in the loss of your pet. In this case, I am convinced that you were responsible, and the fault is not yours. Therefore, I will allow you to obtain another pet from Earth or the Verdante planet to keep you company and help you get over the loss of this one,” Master Meeepp offered, spreading his arms wide and trying to look generous, thought M. Hoyvil.

  “No! That’s not the answer to this problem,” M. Hoyvil almost shouted mentally, now waving his arms too and lunging forward.

  He felt the tiny claws of Potat digging in to hold on, and he stilled himself. He set her on the couch next to him.

  “Maybe you’ll be safer here,” M. Hoyvil said to Potat.

  Then he turned and spoke to Master Meeepp again.

  “Even if I were to abandon Antaska, which I won’t, what about all the other humans? Have you forgot about them? There’s something wrong with them, and now any of our Earthling companions could be the next victims of the Woogahs. We need to go to the Woogah planet to get Antaska back and get to the bottom of this!” M. Hoyvil insisted.

  Master Meeepp paused for a moment and rubbed his chin, smaller in proportion to his gigantic head, with a huge green hand.

  “That’s right, you were saying there’s something wrong with the humans…?” Master Meeepp prompted mentally.

  “Yes,” said M. H
oyvil. “maybe they’re not psychopaths, but something’s wrong. Hmm.”

  He thought back to the scene in the dining hall and remembered the humans looking at their communication devices.

  “Wait! Now I remember,” said M. Hoyvil. “I think they were brainwashed or hypnotized or something like that. That must be why they were acting so crazy.”

  “Brainwashed!” said Master Meeepp. “By who? How? The Woogahs are the only species we know of that does that kind of thing.”

  M. Hoyvil paused before answering. Master Meeepp might not like this.

  “I think it was those Eeeepps,” M. Hoyvil said finally.

  “Mistress Bawbaw’s Eeeepps! How could that be possible?” said Master Meeepp.

  For such a gigantic man, he shot up quickly off the couch, shaking Potat and making her fall off too. She landed on her feet and growled.

  M. Hoyvil hopped off the couch and picked up Potat, then hopped back on. He placed her back on the couch next to him.

  “I saw the Eeeepp’s faces on the human’s communication devices when they were acting so strange. They were doing the same creepy things as the humans,” said M. Hoyvil.

  “So! What does that prove?” asked Master Meeepp, sitting back down and making waves in the upholstery. M. Hoyvil turned to see Potat clinging on with claws dug deep in the orange fabric.

  “I’ve been around those Eeeepps too, you know,” said M. Hoyvil, “and they tried something on me too. All together they looked into my eyes. I could feel some kind of pull starting, like a compulsion, but I broke the eye contact--with some effort.”

  “No! No! I don’t believe this!” said Master Meeepp, shaking his huge head back and forth again.

  “Yes!” M. Hoyvil insisted. “They’re almost half reptile--you know that. We don’t know much about the lizards and snakes native to the Verdante planet, but we know they have the power to hypnotize their prey.”

  “No! No!” Master Meeepp continued to mutter, covering his big green face with his hands.

  “Why wouldn’t they have that same power?” M. Hoyvil reasoned. “Mixing it with their human genes could have increased that power. They were an unregulated experiment. We don’t know what those creatures are and what they can do. But I believe they’re very powerful and very evil.”

  “No!” said Master Meeepp mumbled. His big body flopped against the back of the couch, shaking it again.

  M. Hoyvil scooped up Potat and put her back in his pocket.

  “Yes!” said M. Hoyvil. “Why do you think I didn’t tell you about this last night? I would’ve gone to you for help when I realized Antaska was telepathic, but you would’ve took her back to the Verdante planet. Those Eeeepps already bit her once, and their venom is poisonous. Did you know that?” M. Hoyvil asked.

  Still leaning back, Master Meeepp turned his head to look at him but didn’t answer. A small hissing noise came from M. Hoyvil’s pocket.

  “Mistress Bawbaw tricked Antaska into visiting the Eeeepps when I was out. She could have been killed! If she had to live on the Verdante planet, I couldn’t watch her every second. It would only be a matter of time before they took a bigger bite and killed her. At least with the Woogahs taking her, I’m sure she’s still alive,” his mental voice became bitter as he finished speaking.

  A tiny telepathic voice spoke up from his pocket. “So this is all your fault!” said Potat leaning out toward Master Meeepp and squinting her eyes threateningly at him.

  “What?” asked Master Meeepp. “My fault? My fault? Yes, I suppose it is.”

  “Whose fault it is doesn’t matter now,” said M. Hoyvil. “We have to take action! Get going!”

  “Yes! That’s right!” shouted Master Meeepp telepathically in his mind.

  Little Potat shook her head as if to clear it.

  New hope surged through M. Hoyvil. Finally Master Meeepp was seeing the light of reason!

  “We must return to the Verdante planet at once!” said Master Meeepp.

  “No!” said M. Hoyvil. “We have to go after that Woogah who took Antaska. We can track her by the chip in her ear.”

  “But Mistress Bawbaw is in danger from those Eeeepps! I must go to her!” insisted Master Meeepp. “And we’ll get you another pet while we’re there.”

  “No! No! No!” M. Hoyvil’s mental shout pounded in Potat’s tiny head, and then her head was banged again against his chest as he flopped back hard on the couch back.

  Clinging inside M. Hoyvil’s pocket, her whole body swayed with the violent waves the couch made as Master Meeepp’s abruptly lifted his huge weight off it. Potat watched him walk over to the two elderly humans and begin instructing them to prepare for immediate departure.

  M. Hoyvil dropped his head in his hands and continued to say, “No, no, no,” telepathically. Potat looked up and nervously watched M. Hoyvil’s big hands and head swaying back and forth within inches above her little head. She ducked down into his pocket and curled herself into tiny ball for safety.

  These humanoids are useless! thought Potat. Once again, it’s up to a cat to save the day. But what can I do?

  As if in answer to her question, a memory popped into her head. The message from the annoying sentient trees on the Verdante planet: “WHEN THE TIME COMES, SEEK THE JALAPENO.”

  Could this be the time? Potat wondered. Well anyway, it’s all I’ve got, so I’ll give it a try, she decided.

  She popped back up in M. Hoyvil’s pocket and looked over at Master Meeepp, standing towering over the two Earthlings and waving his big arms widely all over the place. The humans stared at him with enlarged eyes, nodding and turning their heads in time with his waving.

  No help there, thought Potat.

  She looked up at the hand-covered swaying head of M. Hoyvil.

  “Where is the jalapeno?” she shouted mentally in the direction of M. Hoyvil’s face.

  “No, no, huh?” said M. Hoyvil.

  He stopped swaying his head for a few seconds and then started up again.

  As his chin passed by, Potat reached up a paw and swatted it as hard as she could with claws pulled in.

  M. Hoyvil’s head stopped swaying, and he looked down at Potat.

  “Did you just tap me on the chin, little one?” he asked.

  “Where is the jalapeno!” she shouted again telepathically.

  “Huh?” said M. Hoyvil. “Where is the vegetable? Red? Green? Huh?”

  Oh no! thought Potat. M. Hoyvil was starting to understand my superior telepathic speech, but now his violent negative emotions seem to be reverting him back to a less advanced mental state!

  In desperation, she resorted to her most powerful form of mental telepathy. She created a mental picture of the cursed spicy vegetable and thrust it into his mind.

  “Ah ha! That’s it!” M. Hoyvil’s telepathic shout blasted like a strong wind into the back of Potat’s head.

  “What is it?” asked Master Meeepp from the other side of the room.

  M. Hoyvil was up on his feet and heading for the door.

  “Thank you for your generous offer, but I don’t want another pet,” he said as he pressed the button.

  Potat watched with impatience as the big door started to rise open, but she stayed in M. Hoyvil’s pocket.

  I don’t know where we’re going, but I guess he does, she thought.

  Finally it was almost open, and M. Hoyvil turned back to address Master Meeepp.

  “I’m going now to find the best way to retrieve Antaska without breaking galactic law. Goodbye, and thank you for your time.”

  Master Meeepp and the two humans stared back at him.

  “What?” said Master Meeepp.

  M. Hoyvil didn’t answer. He turned and walked out the door at a sedate pace, now showing the decorum that had been missing from their entrance. But once they were out in the hall, and before the door had closed all the way down behind them, Mr. Hoyvil picked up Potat and took off at a run.

  Chapter 11

  Back on the Verdante planet at
around the same time, Eegor sat in his favorite chair with a bowl of crunchy snacks and his favorite sports beverage on a nearby table.

  “Communicator, call Eeeepps,” he said, reaching for a handful of the snacks.

  The Eeeepps didn’t answer right away.

  ‘Lazy,’ he mused. ‘Ah, well, I’m in the mood to give them some slack after the great job they did yesterday.’ “Hahaha!” he laughed out loud remembering a humorous scene from Antaska’s harassment at last night’s dinner.

  “Doong,” a soft chime sounded, and he leaned forward to look across at the large screen lighting up.

  The bunched-up group of Eeeepps came into view with Iiooonaa in front, as usual.

  “Greetings, Eegor,” said Iiooonaa. “We have fantastic news for you!”

  Eegor smiled a killer smile at Iiooonaa. “Hey there!” he said. “That’s great. I’m ready for today’s entertainment. I don’t know exactly what time it is out there on the space station. It was kind of late when they were having dinner last night. So it must be about time for lunch now maybe?”

  Iiooonaa waved a dismissive long-clawed hand. “Oh, that stuff doesn’t matter now. We’ve got better news for you than that.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?” asked Eegor.

  “I’m not talking about that passive aggressive stuff you weren’t really interested in,” said Iiooonaa. “You let us have our fun, and we did.”

  The rest of the Eeeepps giggled. “Fun! Fun!” shouted the squeaky voice of Pooquali.

  Eegor’s handsome face tilted to the side along with its smile.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked again.

  “I’m proud to tell you that your plan, your most desired goal, has been achieved! Antaska has been kidnapped! She’s off to a life of suffering, never to be heard from again!” said Iiooonaa.

  “Yeah! Woo hoo!” the Eeeepps cheered and whooped, pumping their grey fists in the air. Tails came loose as they rushed and rustled through the greenery planted in the floor of their grotto.

  Eegor stared at them speechless.