Pretty Pink Planet

by Joy Smith

licked her lips nervously. She was a little closer to the water. He moved towards her, pushing the gun forward a little and smiling still, giving her more excuse to move back. She was almost in the water now.

  Taking another step back, Lori stumbled, fell forward, and grabbed for the gun. She had one hand on the barrel when he yanked it away. She went down on her back, caught his legs in a scissors kick, and flicked open her belt knife. But he kept going backwards. She rolled sideways on her shoulders and came up wet and blinking, knife in one hand and her boot gun in the other. What she saw, however, was a great green tangle of tentacles encircling her opponent, pulling him under, and separating him from his weapon.

  As she watched, amazed, he disappeared; and the tentacles approached her. She lost no time in removing herself from the water. She was backing away from the water's edge, where the green tentacles floated, when she became aware of the chattering at her feet. It was Grefl; he had one of his big claws clamped around Starff's ankle. That explained why the two Webbies were still on the beach. He gave one last, exasperated chitter before scuttling over to Rangor and leaping up to hang on to the translator.

  "It's he. It's he," said Grefl excitedly as he swung back and forth on the translator. Lori reached out to hold the translator firmly, ending up with Grefl in her arms and standing in unexpected intimicy with Rangor as Starff clung nervously to them both. Then they were somehow sidling into the water, as long, ropy, dark green tentacles surrounded them. Grefl felt wet and rough, the Webbies smelled faintly tangy, and the tentacles were strong and firm with little hairs brushing against her arms and face.

  "Welcome, Lori, to my world,” a deep voice said. Knowing the limitations of the translator, she was surprised that it sounded so deep and strong. "That other has been taken to a place of safety. I understand you have come to help us."

  "I told him. I told him." It was Grefl, falling onto the beach in his excitement, jumping up and down on his long legs and wagging his short tail. Strange but cute, Lori thought, for something that otherwise looked very much like a big red lobster, claws and all. Grefl was still jumping up and down when a long tentacle wrapped around him and held him gently on the sand. Lori hastened to respond, her hands now empty and open in friendship.

  "I represent SOESFOL. We Search Out and Establish Sentient Forms of Life. It's our job to monitor newly discovered planets to ensure that any intelligent life-forms there are not harmed or taken advantage of. I’m sorry that your people suffered on account of certain greedy humans wanting to turn your planet into a tourist mecca. We sent an investigator earlier, but I fear he was killed. Do you know what happened to him? Rangor says he was taken away... “

  "He was thrown into the water. I regret we were unable to help him, but his body is in a safe place and shall be returned to you also."

  Also, Lori wondered, but asked instead, "What is your name and the name of your kind. I see that there are at least three kinds of intelligent life-forms here."

  There was a pause before he answered. Possibly, speculated Lori, he didn't care to be lumped with the Webbies and Grefl's kind. "I am called The Great Kahuna," he told her. "I dropped my birth name when I became the First of the Sea People."

  The Great Kahuna?! Lori decided she'd have to check with the translator later. "It is my privilege to invite you all to accompany me in my ship to present your case. Your planet must be reclassified; it is always best if you speak for yourselves."

  "Is it possible to take us with you?" wondered The Great Kahuna. "I cannot leave the sea of life, yet if it were possible, I would like very much to go with you."

  "That is not a problem," Lori assured him. "My ship is prepared to transport different life-forms. All I need is some of your water and whatever else is necessary. The ship can carry all that is needed or reproduce it. I'll contact Sword immediately. It should be within range by now."

  Sword's shuttle picked Lori and her new friends up two hours later; it didn't take long to siphon up enough water to make the Great K'huna (Lori used that spelling in all her records) happy. Not long after that they were settled on Lori's ship. Though Grefl was eager to go ("Yes! Yes! Go now. Go now."), the Webbies had to be persuaded to do so.

  Alone in her quarters, Lori turned her attention to the translator she'd finally been able to retrieve. She removed it gently from the carrying case. The brown strap immediately separated into two long brown arms; the small fingers flexed as two short and stumpy legs slowly extruded from beneath.

  "How are you doing, Chiing?" Lori asked sympathetically as the squat brown creature scrambled off the bed. Two eyes popped out on their little stalks and eyed her balefully.

  "I've been mauled even more than usual," he complained in his normal chirping voice.

  "Well, you didn't fall in the water and have to fight off that thug," she said. "Now tell me, really, The Great Kahuna?"

  "Well, what he said was ruler of the waves. It just popped out," Chiing said, a trifle apologetic.

  "What did you think of them?" Lori asked. "I can't always tell from what they say."

  "The Great, uh, K is the most intelligent, as are the rest of the Sea People, I assume. Grefl, a speaker, is able to function on land and water, though he has to return to the water for renewal--both of his body and his species. He is at least as intelligent as a dog, probably more so." Chiing didn't think much of dogs since his experience with the retriever. "The Webbies, or those-who-no-longer-live-in-the-water, are completely free of it. They are probably as intelligent as most humans."

  Lori nodded and ignored his last statement. He'd be more accurate in the official report. "I'll do a preliminary report before I turn in and send it out."

  Chiing gave a chirping sort of snort. "I am going to the facilities," he announced and disappeared into same. Lori had given up worrying about how he managed, since all the equipment was about four times his size, long ago, but sometimes she still wondered.

  When he emerged a short time later, Lori was searching through the contents of her closet. "Supper's on the table," she said absently. "I ordered up some chocolate ice cream for you too--your favorite." He'd learned about ice cream and things like the great kahuna on his trips to earth with her.

  "About The Great K," Chiing said slowly as he attacked his ice cream. He was more amiable now. "He is not only more intelligent than the others, but more powerful."

  "Yes, I saw that when he persuaded the Webbies to come along. They didn't want to." She looked at Chiing curiously.

  He looked back, round brown eyes with their narrow white rims intent. "You observed your attacker when he was returned to us. He had suffered a severe shock. I don't know if he'll come out by himself; and I don't intend to find out," he told her.

  "No need," she reassured him. "I'll have the ship check him out. I assumed," she said thoughtfully, "that it was because they had stored him with Paxson's body. I thought it was some sort of poetic justice."

  "Perhaps." Chiing sounded doubtful. "But there's latent power there. You must have noticed it when he spoke; his voice resonated. I even wonder if he suspects what I really am."

  "Put that in your report. Chronberg always wants to know everything." She looked back at the gaudy robe she now held with satisfaction. "This was a gift from a Crayolan. I proved his race was intelligent even though they communicate through color. That was before your time. Red meant peace, blue meant welcome, and black meant--you're dead meat. We have to be very careful what we wear on that planet; and their art is incredible. This was the tenth robe they offered me. Some gave me shivers; one even made me throw up. They considered it a compliment to the artist's ability." She swirled the robe around her. "I think I'll wear this until I can look at the color pink without twitching."

  "I think I'll rest till you need me," Chiing said. He made his way unsteadily to the door of the room that adjoined hers. Maybe I'd better cut back on the ice cream, Lori mused as she headed for the b
ridge of the Avenging Sword. She'd named it when she first joined SOESFOL. Now she just called it Sword.

  The End

  About the author:

  Joy V. Smith’s stories, articles, and interviews have been published in print magazines, webzines, and anthologies; and her SF has been published in two audiobooks, including Sugar Time. Her books include Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook; Aliens, Animals, and Adventure, a collection of some of her reprinted stories available from Anthology Builder; and a children's book, Why Won't Anyone Play with Me? Her e-books include Hidebound, a SF adventure/romance, and Remodeling: Buying and Updating a Foreclosure. She lives in Florida with Blizzard the Snow Princess and Bryn the Flying Corgi.

  Links:

 

  Her writing blog: https://pagadan.wordpress.com/

  And her media blog: https://pagadan.livejournal.com/