Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

The interrogation was about to begin again. S’Tallen was getting impatient with this, and S’Olonny looked a little annoyed. This time S’Olonny knew that he would get the information from the prisoner. If not, then he would kill her. There was no more time for games, he had his men already on the move to destroy the last stronghold of human resistance. If the female wouldn't break, then she would have to be executed.

Manny woke up and knew that this time would be worse than before. She was still torn between giving in and having her and everyone else killed by not cooperating. She looked at the aliens with a look of distaste and waited for them to ask her their questions.

“Time is short and your usefulness is at an end. My soldiers have already found your last point of resistance. Your friends will soon be destroyed. You and your troops will live if you give me the location of your home system,” S’Olonny spoke through S’Tallen, and a wicked grin came across his face as Manny grimaced. So that's what this is all about, she thought and then her mind turned to Earth. They were unprepared for an alien attack and she wasn't sure if the entire fleet of Alliance starships could last a few hours against the alien dreadnought. If she revealed the location to the aliens, it would assure the destruction of mankind.

She knew now that Captain Shaw had failed and all of her men were captured. What good would there be in giving away the location of Earth? They were all dead either way. The aliens were waiting for her response, and she knew that the next time she was shocked, it would be fatal.

After several seconds of silence, S’Olonny spoke again in a mocking voice, “There's no use in fighting us, we'll find your planet eventually. Your race is already doomed to extinction. But if you cooperate then I will let you live, I give you my word as one warrior to another. You can stay on this ship; you are a most excellent commander and you could be there at my side as we conquer the universe. My people aren't out for territory, we just want bio‑energy to live on. All of the worlds we leave behind could be yours to rule. Think about it.” Manny stared at him incredulously.

What was he playing at? He should know that she could see the flaw in his logic. The worlds left would be barren and desolate, she would be ruler of numerous dirtballs. Besides, she would never turn her back on her entire race. Still, there was a small voice telling her that she should take his offer so that she and her men would survive. As she looked at the alien she thought about what he had said. An idea came to her mind.

“As one warrior to another, I want to settle this honorably in single combat. The winner of the duel gets what they want. You want to know where my planet is, and I want me and my people to go free. Those are the stakes, are you willing to challenge me?” She said haughtily in a mocking tone.

As anticipated, S’Olonny laughed mightily and sneered, “Very well, I will challenge you. However, I will supply the weapons for the duel. We will begin in twelve of your hours. Do not disappoint me by using this for some sort of trickery.” With that he strode away and then S’Tallen followed him, leaving Manny alone to plan her desperate gamble.

***

On another part of the ship, the shuttle carrying Arsa was docking. She stood and her head was bent in shame. She was shoved out of the shuttle and slowly her eyes adjusted to the light. The guards walked her through the ship and back to S’Tallen's lab. He wasn't there and the captain of the guard posted the two rookies at the door while he chained Arsa to the wall. He knew that she could probably break the chains if she chose, but in her condition the chains would be able to keep her in line. He left the lab and the rookies at the door shifted nervously, although they doubted that the creature would try to escape.

The captain strode down the corridors, looking for S’Tallen. He wasn't sure where the scientist was, but he knew that he had to find him. He would want to see his creation as soon as possible to see if this was what he had been searching for. The captain doubted that it was, the creature seemed pretty pathetic, nothing like the glorious Savior that S’Tallen was always preaching about.

The captain was one of the many aliens who had begun to believe that the only way for his people to survive was to go out and grab their destiny with both hands. There were still many who thought that the Savior would come and save them eventually. Most of the spacefaring soldiers and officers knew that there was no Savior. Yet S’Tallen and many like him at home still believed the old prophecy, only S’Tallen believed that he could artificially create this wonderful being.

The captain wasn't opposed to the experiments, it was a good morale‑booster for his men and for others on the ship who believed in the old religion. Still, there was something unnatural about the whole thing, it was tampering with nature. That would only lead to trouble in the end, the captain knew. He reached the bridge and looked inside. Technicians scurried about in preparation for the final assault on the humans. There was a lot of work to get done in a short time, forces from all over had to be coordinated and brought together. Support and logistics vehicles had to be positioned, and plans had to be laid for how the attack would be carried out. The captain wasn't interested in that though, he was simply interested in the bio‑sensors for inside the ship.

He went over to an empty console and then began to search the ship for S’Tallen. To his surprise he found that the scientist was a level below, in the War Planning Center. He sighed and went down to it. The doors hissed open and he saw a mix of different classes of soldiers. Over it all towered S’Olonny, and next to him in black armor was S'Revlar. He wasn't sure when the expert tracker had come back aboard, but he had heard from a few comrades that S'Revlar would lead the attack. In the captain's mind, there was no one better to carry it out. S'Revlar had been involved already in a battle against these aliens. The captain wished that he could be a part of the battle, but he was just a lowly guard. He looked around and then found the scientist. He brushed past a few soldiers and then saluted the small genius.

“Sir, the creature has been brought aboard without incident. Two of my men are guarding it in the lab,” the captain said.

“Excellent, I will go to her at once. There is nothing for me to do here,” S’Tallen replied and followed the captain out of the room. Indeed, there was nothing for him to do in the War Planning Center. This battle was S’Olonny's idea, not his. His special project wouldn't be ready in time for the battle, so there was nothing for him to do. He could use his time better by testing his experiment. He had to see if she had the special powers that would mark her as the Savior.

He went down the winding corridors until he finally reached the lab. He brushed past the guards and told the captain to wait outside. Then he looked inside and saw Arsa chained to the wall. She looked pitiful and he picked up the special instruments he had designed. Before he began to use them he looked her over. It looked as if the bonding process had worked, the DNAs of two different races had blended together. He touched her arm and felt the semi‑slimy texture of her skin. He smiled and then forced her chin up and looked into her orange reptilian eyes. Her tail was limp and her pale gray hair was hanging in her eyes. He brushed it away and smiled. She looked perfect. Now if she just had the powers.

He began to scan her, looking for some indication of the great powers the Savior would possess. His initial scans revealed nothing remarkable and he pricked her with a needle to take a tissue sample. She moaned a little and he noted that her disposition was better than many of his specimens. As he waited for the sample to be analyzed by his computer he daydreamed of all of the power he would control if she were the one. He would be a hero; he would be the one who would bring the Savior to his homeworld to save his people.

Arsa saw the alien scientist sitting there, looking at her, and felt her heart sink even further. She was just a sideshow attraction now, something for people to gawk at. All of her humanity had been stripped away by this alien. Her life had been destroyed. She tried to remember things from her past to cheer herself up a little, but she found that they were gone. All she could remember was a vague image of herself as a normal human and then the alien jabbing her with a needle. Then there was that awful blackness, and then she had woke up to find that he had changed her physically and destroyed her mentally. The scientist was still looking at her and she closed her eyes, feeling alone and very cold.

Flashes of memories appeared and before she could grasp them they were gone. She could barely remember something about a starship. There was a swarm of faces that blurred together before her, and then the memory surge was gone like a pounding wave hitting the shore. She grit her teeth as a searing pain ran through her mind. The scientist kept looking at her curiously, wondering what was going on. Her head lifted for a brief moment as the pain reached its climax, and then it sank wearily back down to her chest. Her eyes closed and she felt afraid with nothing but blackness around her. It was almost as bad as when the experiment had started, only that she could at least open her tired eyes. She heard something beep and then saw the scientist get up and go over to a computer.

S’Tallen looked at the results from the tissue samples. There was nothing to indicate any kind of special powers. In short, his experiment had failed miserably. He looked at Arsa in disgust and frustration. Yet another experiment had gone wrong, S’Tallen thought and then he called for his guards. The captain entered and saluted.

“Get this miserable failure out of my sight. Put it in with the other humans where it belongs,” he commanded and stomped out of the room, furious. The captain looked at Arsa and then unhooked the chains from the wall. He let one of the rookies lead the creature to the holding cells where the humans were kept. He found one with only one occupant and then opened the door.

Davis was in the midst of planning his escape when the door opened. He heard the rattle of chains and something was shoved roughly into the dark cell. There were a few moans coming from something huddled in the corner.

Davis felt fear rising in his chest. This was obviously another prisoner, but who could it be? He hoped that it was Manny, then at least she could help him find a way out of here. He stumbled over to the corner of the room and bent down, feeling for whatever was in there. He touched something scaly and slimy and quickly his fingers darted back. It had to be one of the aliens!

“Who are you?” Davis demanded.

“I...I don't know,” Arsa replied in a deep voice, feeling the words coming slowly for her. This was the first time that she realized that she didn't even know her own name. She just knew that she had been a person, and now she was a monster.

The voice was muffled and deep, and Davis didn't recognize it. He wished that there was some light in the cell so that he could see who it was the aliens had put in here with him. He sighed and went back to where he had been sitting. He was beginning to think again when he heard the strange voice again.

“Who are you?” It asked slowly and deliberately. Davis was surprised and looked back over at the corner. Was this some kind of trick? He wondered. Maybe they had planted this newcomer as a spy. But he knew it wouldn't hurt to at least give his name, that was pretty much common knowledge anyway.

“I'm Sergeant Alex Davis of the 5th Platoon. The aliens captured me and put me here, why are you in here?” He asked, hoping to pump some information from the thing in the corner. Arsa wasn't listening though, she was shivering and feeling afraid. Even with Davis in the cell it still seemed as though the darkness was closing in on her, threatening to swallow her up. Her eyes closed and the pain increased. Her mind began to spin and she felt like she was going to die. Then she saw and heard nothing more.

***

Terraz, Garren, and Sam were at the edge of the marshes. They were all wet, and the two humans were more than glad to climb out of the muddy water. Night was falling and they decided to find somewhere to make camp for the night. They stopped in a little area enclosed by trees. Since Terraz and Garren were both a little cold they built a small fire to warm themselves up. Sam leaned against a tree, making himself comfortable. Garren kept an uneasy eye on him and Terraz checked his bandages before trying to go to sleep.

She wasn't sure what to make of Sam. He had been helpful the whole way, helping to carry equipment and he had pointed out areas where the marshes were deeper so that the humans didn't get completely drenched. In all he seemed very nice, not at all like the merciless aliens she had seen so far. Garren, she was sure, didn't trust Sam, but she was beginning to like him. During their journey she had helped teach him some more English words so that he could communicate better. He was learning slowly, but he seemed eager to learn the human tongue. She hadn't tried to get any information out of him yet, he seemed like a young soldier who wouldn't be privy to any real useful information. Besides, her only concern was for finding Captain Shaw and Laurants. If Sam wanted to volunteer some information, she would be glad to hear it, but she wanted to make him feel comfortable being around humans, not threatened. They might need him before the end of the journey and right now Terraz knew that the humans needed every friend they could get.

She looked up at the night sky and thought of Manny, Davis, and the others. What had happened to them? They had probably been captured or else were dead. She knew that Davis had saved her life during the battle, and she longed to see him again. He seemed to be so much more than just a soldier, he was a kind, gentle, sensitive man. She wished that he were here right now to ease her mind and her heart. She knew that this trip was going to be difficult, and she really needed someone to be there for her. Garren seemed to be all right in his own way, but he was also aloof and distant. She hadn't seen him much before the battle at the edge of the forest, and she had never really been able to talk to him. Now he was the only human companionship she would have for some time. This quest was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done in her life and she wasn't sure if she would be up to it.

Her gaze shifted towards where she hoped she could see Earth. It was there somewhere, one of the many planets in the universe. But it was more than that, it was her home. It was the home for the entire human race. She shivered as she thought of the aliens finding Earth and enslaving the population. They had run over the few defenders at Rygan easily enough, the entire fleet of Alliance starships wouldn't be able to stand much of a chance. She began shaking as she thought of her home in flames as aliens and humans fought in blood‑stained streets. If it came to that, she knew that the human race would become extinct. There would be nothing left of it except the ruins of the once‑proud planet. She turned her gaze down and closed her eyes, knowing that the only chance now lay with her and her companions.

***

On the alien ship, a swarm of activity buzzed around the hangars. Shuttles and escort ships were readied for battle. Armed soldiers would soon be marching into the ships. Orange‑clad aliens loaded ammunition and supplies onto the ships and it seemed as if the aliens were preparing for Armageddon. S'Revlar watched it all from a monitor in the War Planning Center. S’Olonny had pulled him up here to plan the final assault. He had even brought up the soldiers on the surface for a reason that S'Revlar could not even begin to fathom.

The attack would come in less than thirteen hours, and minutes seemed to stretch into hours. He wanted another crack at the humans and their comrades, and he could feel his lust growing with each passing moment. He wanted to avenge himself and the scouts under his command for that humiliating defeat. He had known that the humans were great warriors, but they seemed to be even better than he could ever have imagined. They had led him and his men into a trap, luring them into their fortress. They would pay for that, soon, very soon. This time they would be crushed and the ship could leave this accursed planet forever.

He was beginning to hope to return to his home soon so that he could retire and make up the time he had missed with his family. He loved being a tracker, but now he was beginning to have his doubts. It was becoming too dangerous and he was getting too old. Eventually he would be killed if he didn't give the job up soon. His family barely knew him and he vowed to make it up to them in whatever way that he could. As soon as the ship reached the homeworld he would quit tracking forever. The government would give him a nice pension and plenty of bio‑energy to dine upon. He and his family would be taken care of, all he had to do was survive this attack against the humans and the others that would follow.

S’Olonny had told him that they would soon learn the location of the human's homeworld. As soon as they did they would conquer it and have more than enough bio‑energy to return home. The ship was already launching long‑range sensors into space, hoping to find any sign of the planet in case the humans didn't give up the location. He hoped that they would find it soon, one way or the other. He was tired of this planet and knew that the best way to avenge himself would be to kill as many of the humans as he could. Then he would be able to go home, a highly decorated tracker and warrior. He sighed and turned back to the planning table.

In the next thirteen hours, it would be his job to position and get the soldiers ready for combat. S’Olonny would coordinate the attack from the ship, positioning the escort ships to where they would do the most good. Since the humans were underground, he doubted the ships would be able to help until they were flushed out of their hole. He checked the time and decided that there was enough time for him to bathe, take a short nap, and to change into a new set of armor. His present armor was dirt‑stained, dented, and scorched. Besides, he had to get out his suit of warrior armor for this mission. He strolled out of the room, tail twitching anxiously as he thought of the best way to kill these blasted humans.

***

Lisa opened her eyes again and saw Laurants sitting over her. She struggled to sit up and then spied Lothgamm crouched in a dark corner. He seemed to be meditating and she wondered why he would be meditating at a time like this. Laurants watched her sit up and urged her to take it easy. She would have none of that and got to her feet with a grave look on her face.

“Those aliens are going to be back,” she began quietly, feeling as though she were talking to herself. “We aren't going to have much time to prepare a defense, and not nearly enough time to find the ExoArmors. We're going to have to make do with what we have, which isn't much.” She was speaking rapidly now and Laurants barely managed to keep up with her line of thought. He was glad to see that his captain was back. Maybe we'll get out of this yet, he thought grimly. He sighed as she slowly staggered to the door of the building. By this time Lothgamm had risen and eyed her warily. His healing powers had managed to keep her alive, and to make her able to walk.

He knew that there was little else he could do. Her wounds would be fully healed within a few weeks, but with an alien attack coming, he was unsure of what good she would be. He stood in the corner and watched Laurants hand her something to use as a crutch. She slowly shuffled outside of the door and Lothgamm grimaced. He could feel the change in her when he had first felt her presence. She seemed a little more hopeful on the outside, but he could sense the turmoil going on underneath the front. She knew as well as they all did that the aliens would sweep through their ranks like a sword through paper, and they would be lucky if anyone survived. Still, they had to try to defend themselves. There was no use running and no use fighting, but at least fighting would be the less cowardly of the two.

Still, there was something unsettling about her. There was something that not even his telepathic abilities could read. He could only feel the shadow of it, a shadow leading to a feeling so dark and deep that he could not even begin to guess at what it was. He moved to the doorway and looked towards the river. Beyond that, he knew that the Avenger was waiting. He wished that he could be aboard, but he also knew that it was not to be his destiny. He had to stay here. There were things for him to do here, to rebuild the city and to bring back his race.

As Lisa and Laurants ambled away from the building, Lothgamm stayed behind. He wondered if Lisa was truly meant to be the captain of the Avenger. She seemed to have suffered much, and her soul was still being tormented. But, then again, who better? The Avenger had been the last hope for many tortured souls, maybe it would lead her to peace. As for Laurants, he could sense that he too was troubled.

The young man seemed to have an inner desire for his captain that he was unwilling to share. That would only lead to trouble somewhere down the line, he was sure. He wasn't sure if she shared the same desire, but he hoped that someday he would express his love to her. Hopefully it would be before the battle. A troubled mind was never the best thing to take into a fight. It would end up getting him distracted and most likely killed, Lothgamm knew this from experience. He had seen a couple of his friends die that way. He wished that he could counsel the two young people, but he didn't want them to know that he could read their minds and feelings. They would never trust him then, and he wanted their complete trust. He sighed and then ambled over to the bed to catch some sleep before the fighting began.

Lisa's shuffling feet echoed throughout the city, and she was beginning to feel tired. The Glan were hiding in the shadows, unused to the city, and she could at times catch brief glimpses of them. She reached the river and sank down to the ground wearily. She stuck her injured feet into the cool water and felt a little refreshed. Laurants sat down next to her, struggling with his thoughts. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt, but he could sense that she was busy with troubles of her own.

“Do you think we'll make it through the attack?” He asked glumly.

“I'm not sure,” she breathed tiredly and now leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. She felt so tired, she wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for a long time. But she couldn't go to sleep, there were still a lot of things to do. “We could sure use the ExoArmors right about now.”

“Don't worry about that. As soon as this is over, we can go and find them.”

“And how are we going to do that?” She snapped bitterly. “I can barely walk, let alone go miles through a desert to God‑knows‑where.” She threw an angry glance at her crutch and then looked back up at the ceiling. It was just like back on the Explorer again. She felt so useless right now. She could barely walk and there was no way that she would be able to fight. All she was going to do was slow Laurants and the others down. She should have been left to die in the desert, at least then she would have stop burdening Laurants. She looked over at him and half‑heartedly smiled. He was a good man, he had followed her every step of the way. If anyone could find the ExoArmors, it would be him. He didn't need her. In fact, without her he probably would have already found them.

In his sleep, Lothgamm turned. He was beginning to see things now, dark evil things. Everything was abstract, but he was beginning to understand. He saw a form stumbling into a dark, deep pit. The pit was black and seemed to swallow the form. Then he began to see faces that he didn't recognize. The form was still falling and then he could feel that it was reaching the end. Falling, falling...

Lothgamm awoke and shot up in bed. He was sweaty and cold, shivering from the terrifying dream. He thought of the dream and realized that those weren't his thoughts, they were somebody else's. He gathered his robe about him and knew that he had precious little time to spare. There was still one thing that he could do to help. He had hoped that it wouldn't get to this point, but it had. He ran at full speed, hoping that he was in time.

He skidded to a halt near the river and saw two bodies laying near the shore. He could feel right away that they were Lisa and Laurants. To his dismay he realized that Laurants was asleep. He plunged forward just as Lisa began to move, slowly creeping forward on her hands and knees. Lothgamm shouted and just as she reached the water he tackled her and rolled her over onto her back.

“No, you can't do this,” he whispered to her. The dream had told him what Lisa's dark secret had been. She felt helpless and useless, like she was falling down a long, dark pit. He had come just in time, before she had killed herself.

“Let me go, please,” she begged. “I...I don't want to live anymore. I'm just a burden, I'm no good to anybody.” She burst into tears and Lothgamm kept her shoulders and legs pinned.

“No, you are not a burden. There are people who still love you very much. You must go on for them. You have a crew, a destiny to fulfill. You cannot shirk your responsibility now.” Lisa stopped crying, seeming to understand. With that, Lothgamm closed his eyes and gathered his strength. This would take nearly all of his telepathic power, but he knew that he could do it. His grip tightened on Lisa's shoulders and she winced in pain. Then she cried out in surprise and her eyes closed. A white light was all around her and passing through her. Almost instantly she began to feel refreshed and healed. After a few seconds the light faded and she opened her eyes. Lothgamm's grip lessened and Lisa watched him collapse, unconscious, into the sand. He seemed to grow older and looked feeble and frail. She sat up and then saw that her legs were nearly fully healed. She stood up and nudged Laurants, who moaned and woke up. She helped him up and gleefully danced around with him. She was no longer useless, she still had a purpose! Then she looked back at the old man on the ground and knelt down beside him.

“It is done,” he mumbled in a trembling voice. “Please...you must complete my work. In...in the main labs are...are tissue samples taken from the city's inhabitants. Start up...the...system. It...is...the...only...hope.” Then Lothgamm closed his eyes and his breathing stopped. Lisa nodded and new tears came to her eyes. Laurants held her and together they wept for their fallen comrade who had given his life to save another.