First Contact (1995)

Backstory

2012-06-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Like any great (and not so great) space opera series this had to be a trilogy. This trilogy kicks off with "First Contact." (I was annoyed when the Star Trek movie by the same name appeared the next year.) As you might expect from the title, it's about the first contact between humans and aliens--in this case the reptilian S'Parnians, who are sort of vampires. Instead of sucking down your blood they feed upon your life force that they refer to as bio-energy.

Their own world devastated by wars and natural disasters, the S'Parnians took to space in order to find new sources of bio-energy. Over a distant planet destined to become the first human colony outside the solar system, the first contact between humans and S'Parnians takes place.

Needless to say it doesn't go well.

Please enjoy "First Contact..."

Epilogue

2007-06-12T10:26:00.001-07:00

Epilogue

The humans gathered around the shuttle. Sam and Garren had searched for Laurants and Lisa and had found them struggling towards where the shuttle had crashed. No one had spoken since the crash, because no one knew what was going to happen now. The ExoArmors landed and Lisa brushed herself off after the ride. Laurants sat down on the ramp.

“We’re going to destroy them,” Lisa announced and Manny and the others nearly laughed.

“How?” Davis asked.

“While we were underground, we learned of a ship, a starship. It’s ready and waiting for us now, all we have to do is go and find it and board it. I know the location already, so the sooner we start, the better.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to find them first,” S’Tallen said. Everyone, save Arsa, looked at him.

“What are you talking about?” Manny demanded, hand going to her S’Zai.

“I’m talking about that they left orbit. That boom you heard was the sound of the main engines pulling the ship out of orbit. They’re gone.”

“We’d better hurry to that ship, Captain,” Manny smiled at her. They were no longer rivals or enemies, they were allies in a common fight. “I’ll be glad to serve under you.”

Lisa smiled and she looked her new crew over. They were definitely an odd assortment, but maybe Lothgamm’s people had already known that. There weren’t just humans, there were aliens, and Arsa. There were many different kind of personalities, but she saw by looking at their faces that they were all willing to accept her as their captain. Any grudges they had held against her for losing the Explorer were gone.

Tears came to her eyes as she replied, “Thank‑you.” Everyone looked back to S’Tallen and Terraz voiced the obvious question.

“Where are they going?” No one was ready for the answer. Even as S’Tallen answered their faces paled and they knew that their mission was more important than ever.

“To Earth,” he answered simply.

Chapter Thirteen

2007-06-12T10:24:00.001-07:00

Chapter Thirteen

Laurants wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. He could feel his strength waning and knew that when it did, his fingers would lose their grip and he would fall. The white, still form of S’Revlar lay far below and Laurants had no wish to join him. He shouted for help, hoping that maybe a Glan would hear him and pull him up.

Lisa groaned and stood up slowly. The whole left side of her face was swelled and painful to touch. Dried blood was splattered on her uniform and skin, some of it not her own. She stood in a daze for a few moments, unsure of what to do. The two alien bodies lay nearby, but there was no sign of Laurants or the other alien warrior. Then she heard a shout coming from an open window. She thought that was odd; all of the windows were supposed to be closed. Then the thought sunk in and she dashed to the window and saw Laurants hanging on.

“Lisa! Help me!” He called up to her. She nodded and extended an arm out to him. His hand enveloped hers and she pulled with all of her strength. Slowly he was hauled up until his knees lay on the ledge. He crawled inside and then panted, exhausted. He saw Lisa’s bruised and puffy face and he laughed. “Looks like they did a number on you. That’s what you get for taking on two of ‘em at once. Look at me, I took on just one of them and I’m fine.” She shared his laughter and then she turned serious.

“What happened to the other one?” She asked.

“He fell out the window and couldn’t fly. Poor guy, I’m really going to miss him.” Laurants wiped his brow and Lisa helped him stand. “What about the Glan?”

“I’m not sure. We should get down there and help them.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” They went to the lift and took it down a level. The doors parted and they were surprised by the silence. There were many bodies lying there, some Glan and some alien. A few Glan milled about, but there were no aliens. Gethol came up to them.

He spoke in his language and Lisa translated. “He said that the aliens left suddenly. He didn’t pursue them. I don’t think that the city’s in any more danger.” She turned and spoke to Gethol. Then he and the thirty or so remaining Glan went into the lift and Lisa and Laurants followed them. It sank to the ground floor and Lisa led them from the building. When they were outside the Glan hurried off towards the river. Gethol gave a final wave to them and then he disappeared through the tunnel that the enemy had used.

“They’re leaving?”

“Yes, their work is done. They are going back to their lairs and try to go on with their lives. It’s not going to be easy, most of their people are dead. As for us, it’s time that we left too.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to find those weapons.”

“I suppose you have an idea where they are now, right?”

“No, but we’ll find them. Or maybe they’ll find us. Who knows.” She started off to the main entrance of the city and Laurants took one last look at it. He remembered everything about it and knew that it had been a city worthy of defending, or even dying for. Lothgamm, many Glan, and a lot of aliens had already died for it. He and Lisa had been in the middle of everything. It didn’t seem fair that they had to leave now, but they still had a mission to carry out. He turned away from Glan Point and followed after his captain, ready to finish the mission.

***

Garren sat up and looked around. He still felt weak, but he was feeling a little better now. He heard and saw the ocean and the cold gray water pounded the beach. A fire smoldered next to him, but there was no one around. He wondered where Terraz and Sam had gone, and then he heard the sounds of engines. He knew that it was the aliens coming to get him. A minute later two shapes appeared and landed on the beach.

One was turquoise and the other black. They both resembled armored spacesuits and carried large rifles in their fists. He knew that he was a goner now. Then the things came closer and he saw a human face peering out of the helmet of the turquoise machine. It was Terraz and she smiled at him.

“You’re looking better, soldier,” she said and laughed. He smiled and she helped him up. He recognized Sam in the other spacesuit.

“Hey, why don’t I get one of these things?” He joked.

“Actually, you do. Let’s go!” Terraz called and, with Garren in hand, she activated engines mounted on the lumpy back of the ExoArmor and leapt into the air. Garren shouted in surprise and then they were flying over the water. They soon came to the island and Garren could see the blackened remains of an alien ship. They landed near a large crate and then Terraz carefully set him down. He went into the crate and saw the ExoArmors hanging. Terraz helped him figure out how to get inside of one and he crawled inside and yelped as he put the helmet on and the suit closed in around him. Then he stepped outside, enclosed in a dark blue ExoArmor.

“These things are great!” Garren said, and already he felt better. Terraz told him how to activate the engines and he realized that most commands were voice‑activated. They took off and even from this distance he could see a swarm of alien ships taking off. “Let’s get ‘em!” Garren shouted and commanded the engines to go faster. He dashed towards the grouping of alien vessels. He lowered his rifle and the other two were behind him. He dove upon the first escort ship, the one that belonged to S’Figthl, and fired.

The veteran pilot expertly pulled the ship around in a bank and the first shot missed. S’Figthl was angry, having heard of his friend’s death, and was more than willing to take a little of this anger out on someone. The modified ship was a little heavier and more lightly armed, but it was still able to fight. He fired at the blue ExoArmor and it was Garren’s turn to dodge. He fired again and this time he hit the escort ship in the middle. The shot did little except scorch the armor plating. Garren lowered the rifle and stored it in a leg holster. Then he grit his teeth and dove straight at the front of the ship.

S’Figthl had no time to react as the armored shape crashed through the front viewscreen. He leapt from his chair and Garren rolled to his feet and drew his rifle. He fired, but S’Figthl avoided it and instead the shot hit the ship’s controls. It lurched and Garren knew that it was going to crash. The alien pilot grabbed Garren and the ship fell rapidly. Garren cut in his engines and S’Figthl let go, fire scorching his scaly flesh. Then the blue ExoArmor burst through the viewscreen and into the sky as the escort ship went up in a fireball that destroyed two other ships still on the ground.

Terraz blasted one shuttle through its underbelly and it lost altitude. She had taken down three of the transports already and looked for another one. Sam was destroying an escort ship and she knew that he had already taken out more than his share of them. But then again, he was an alien and he probably knew some kind of weakness. Then she was knocked forward by the exhaust from a transport that was breaking loose. She was about to chase after it when it cut in its main engines, which were meant for interstellar travel. The shockwave threw her to the ground and she blacked out. The rest of the alien ships followed suit and soon all three ExoArmors lay motionless on the ground, their pilots unconscious.

***

S’Tallen’s shuttle was being bombarded on all sides. Escort ships and even a few transports, all that were left in the hangars, chased after them and fired mercilessly. There were no weapons on the shuttle, and everyone knew that their chances for survival were small. Manny sat uneasily in her seat as Sanders and Klein maneuvered through space, still trying to get free.

She finally undid her straps and went up to the cockpit. Sanders and Klein were both sweating and she knew that they were doing all that they could to keep the ship in one piece. There was no way that they could get free to break the speed of light and race back to Earth. They needed to get down on the ground.

“Try and get us down to the surface,” she said and Sanders nodded. She gripped the backs of their seats as the pilot put the shuttle into a hair‑raising dive. The co‑pilot put the throttles to full and they broke through the atmosphere. Manny struggled backwards to her seat and finally fell forward and hit the deck. She crawled up to her seat and strapped in. Explosions hit all around them and she knew that they weren’t in the clear yet.

Sanders was almost sure that she would be able to land, until Klein pointed out a flock of alien ships heading for them. They both gulped and knew that they were done for. The alien ships were moving fast and in a last ditch attempt to make it to the ground, Sanders pulled the throttle past full and was able to get a little more speed from it. To her surprise, the alien ships passed over them without even a shot. But their pursuers kept to their tail and a shot hit the rear of the shuttle, blowing up one of the engines. The shuttle slowed, still over five thousand feet from the ground.

Sam was the first to wake up. He stood up and nudged the others. Garren groaned and slowly got to his feet. They had only been out for a few minutes, giving them a chance to catch up to the aliens. They leapt into the air and gave chase to the enemy. They were going as fast as they could, but Terraz still wasn’t sure if the ExoArmors could catch up.

The three ExoArmors passed over the desert as Lisa and Laurants emerged from the tunnel. It had been a treacherous climb, but Lisa had known the way. Seeing the weapons she shouted for joy and waved at them. They didn’t seem to see the two small figures below and passed overhead. The two humans cried in happiness and hugged each other, knowing that there was still a chance. When they pulled away from each other Lisa looked to the sky while Laurants stared at the sand, deep in his own thoughts and feelings for his captain.

The first shuttles and escort ships began to dock and the probe completed its scan ahead of time. The technician gave the report to S’Olonny. There was interference that prevented the sensors from scanning the entire system, but there were at least four planets and signs of human life. Now it was time to wait for everyone to get back. An officer from one of the first shuttles to dock came up to the bridge.

“Sir, I bear bad news. Assault Commander S’Revlar is dead,” the officer said. S’Olonny held back a sly grin, just barely.

“That’s very disturbing news. How did he die?”

“He was thrown from a building in the human city.”

“Oh, what an ending for so great a leader!” S’Olonny replied in a mock-sad tone. The officer left and S’Olonny felt happiness wash through him. All of his enemies would die on the same day, it really was the best day of his life.

Terraz saw the shuttle smoking as it plunged towards the ground. Alien ships were firing on it, which meant that it was a friendly ship. It could be the prisoners. She thought of Davis and headed for it. She needed some kind of long‑range weapon if she was going to save the shuttle. It was being pounded on all sides and she knew it wasn’t going to last long. There were no weapons other than her rifle, and that wasn’t nearly accurate or long‑ranged enough to use.

“I need some missiles or something,” she said to herself and then she saw the crosshair on her display change to a box.

“Long‑range missiles activated,” a computerized voice said and she wondered where the missiles were. Then she saw the arms of her ExoArmor were changing. The shoulders and upper arms were reconfiguring, the armor swinging around and revealing hidden parts. Finally the arms became boxes with gray missiles sticking out. She swung her arms around until the box centered on the aliens. “Fire!” She shouted and the missiles streaked off.

The shuttle had lost nearly all of its engine power. The aliens buzzed around the stricken shuttle, firing at will. The transport was becoming unresponsive and Sanders was about to hit the intercom and tell everyone the bad news. Just then she saw plumes of smoke in the distance. Seconds later one of the escort ships exploded. The pilots looked around for their savior, but saw nothing. Then three more of the alien ships blew up. The shuttle bucked a little, but Sanders and Klein were able to get control. The rest of the aliens were looking for their attacker, but saw nothing. They broke off the attack and headed for the alien ship.

The shuttle hit the desert sands with a thud and slid until its inertia ran out. Klein and Sanders unstrapped and hugged each other joyfully. Everyone cheered and Manny lowered the shuttle’s ramp. As they emerged, the ExoArmors landed, their arms turning back to normal. Terraz was about to speak when there was suddenly a loud boom that shook the entire planet. Then there was silence once again.

Chapter Twelve

2007-06-12T10:22:00.002-07:00

Chapter Twelve

It was the moment that Lisa had been waiting for. The aliens began pouring into the tunnel. Laurants was at her side and they were standing in the middle of the city’s main street, waiting nervously. When the aliens were at the end of the tunnel she signaled that it was time for their grand performance.

“Where the hell are the Glan? They said that they’d be here!” Laurants shouted, hoping that his plan worked. Lisa had tried to assure him that it would, but he still had his doubts. It was such a simple ruse, even the aliens might see through it.

“I don’t know, it’s not my fault! They must have left us. Oh no, it’s the aliens!” Lisa shouted and pointed. They both feigned surprise as the first aliens emerged from the tunnel.

“Let’s make a run for it, we don’t stand a chance!” Laurants shouted and they both took off, running for dear life. Lisa turned and defiantly shot off a short burst from her pistol. The aliens shouted in anger and joy and then charged to take the hapless prey. The humans turned a corner and waited. The aliens followed and found themselves surrounded by buildings. Suddenly the Glan appeared from everywhere and brutally assaulted the invaders.

Gethol charged out from behind a building, waving his pipe in the air. The surprised aliens were taken aback, but the Glan were upon them before they could retreat or even really realize their folly. It was a slaughter right from the start. Unable to raise their weapons, the aliens were forced to fight hand‑to‑pipe. The heavy pipes easily smashed the alien armor and Lisa watched from a distance as the Glan easily swept through their attacker. Laurants was running to Glan Point, getting it ready just in case. He rode the service lift up to the top and then looked around from the building. He saw the battle, but then he saw something else.

To his horror he saw a white figure and a horde of red‑clad aliens emerging from near the river and heading straight for the battle. He hurried and grabbed his make-shift bombs, knowing that they were the heaviest weapons he had. He hurled all three out the window in quick succession and watched them explode, obscuring the troops in dirt and debris. He waited for the dust to clear and to his horror saw the red tide still streaming through the city and towards Lisa and the Glan. He cursed and knew there was little else he could do, except to grab one of the long‑range rifles and pray. He took a few shots at the aliens and a couple fell, but then the aliens dispersed and began moving along the buildings, looking like red ants from his vantage point. He slammed the wall in frustration, knowing that he was too late.

***

Terraz emerged from the dark tunnels and saw a vast sea. She smelled salt and sunlight poured down. She helped Garren into the light and he smiled slowly. Then she saw the dark stains on his uniform and remembered to check his wounds.

“Sam, find a way to get some water and firewood. I’ll need fresh water to clean these wounds,” she commanded and he obeyed. He took Garren’s helmet and rushed off to fetch the water. She held him close as Sam playfully dashed into an oncoming wave and took a helmet full of water. He scurried back and handed Terraz the helmet. Garren groaned as Sam brought back a few twigs. Terraz searched for something to light the fire with and found a blood‑stained lighter in Garren’s breast pocket.

“Gave up smoking a long time ago, but I kept that...just in case,” he coughed and shivered; she could tell that he was weakening. They needed to give him some food and clean clothes. They lit the fire and a small stream of smoke rose into the air as Sam held the helmet over the fire. After several minutes the water began to boil, and Sam gingerly removed the hot headpiece. He gave it to Terraz, who ripped away another strip of cloth from her own uniform and began soaking it in the water. Sam stripped Garren’s clothes off, and for the first time he saw a naked human. He admired Garren for a few seconds, until the soldier gathered enough strength to shoot him a dirty look. Sam backed away, but Terraz couldn’t help but laugh.

She began dabbing the cloth at the wounds, hoping that nothing had already been infected. Garren sighed and his eyes closed, and for a few moments she thought that he was dead, until she heard him snoring softly. She set him down in the sand, trying to make him comfortable by the fire. Then she walked away and looked out at the steel‑gray water.

It reminded her of Earth, and she had always loved water. But she had loved space even more and that had led her here. The ocean was beautiful, but cold. Off-shore was a small island that looked insignificant from the distance. As she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm she heard the sound of approaching engines.

Escort Ship 17 hovered into view of the beach and the co‑pilot pointed out the smoke and the figures that looked vaguely human. The pilot swooped down for a closer look and saw a human standing by the water. Then he saw the smoke from a fire and two figures, one of which looked like one of their people.

“Arming weapons systems,” the pilot said and the co‑pilot smiled. They were going to see some action now. He tightened his straps as the pilot began firing the ship’s laser guns. Below, the humans near the water scattered and he turned to pursue it.

Terraz ran down the beach, hoping to draw the alien’s fire. She had left her own weapon behind, and then she stopped for a moment. The beach was running out, and there was nowhere for her to go, except into the sea. She ran towards the water and dove into it, instantly feeling cold. She swam with all of her might and the alien ship followed. She heard a splash and for a brief moment she saw Sam following behind her. She kept going, seeing the island looming before her. She felt numb and swam more slowly. The water around her heated up as the alien’s lasers hit all around her. Steam rose and she wearily plunged onward. Still, she was going slower and slower, and knew that she wouldn’t make it. Water began boiling in front of her and she floated through a cloud of gas. Her lungs burned and her arms wouldn’t move. With one last effort she paddled forward and then she began to sink. The world turned gray around her and water stung her eyes. Then she felt something solid beneath her. It was soft yet firm and her brain told her that it was sand and tried to nudge her forward.

Her exhausted and numb limbs responded slowly and she pulled herself onto a rocky beach. She coughed and shook and then Sam was at her side. The alien ship was hovering nearby, a ramp lowering. There wasn’t much time, and she forced her freezing body to move. The island was rough and there was a tiny passage leading up from the beach to the higher ground. They stumbled up, Sam’s body moving more quickly than Terraz’s. Aliens shot at them, but sharp rocks protected them and they continued to climb. The aliens were moving up the passage now, and Terraz knew that they were done for. Then she stopped in her tracks as she saw a large object looming before her. It was a crate and it had markings in English. She smiled and ran towards their only hope.

***

All over the alien ship alarms sounded and red lights flashed. Manny and S’Tallen went unnoticed in the corridors as aliens rushed about, looking for the intruders. They were on the level of the holding cells, and Manny felt a little nervous as she thought of the odds of getting her men out alive.

“What’s going on?” She asked over the raucous.

“An intruder alert. I’m not sure why, though,” S’Tallen replied, trying to be as helpful as possible. They entered the holding area and a guard rushed forward. He recognized the scientist and glared suspiciously at Manny. “Who is that?” The guard asked.

“This is an assistant of mine. Captain S’Olonny directed me to take a human for experimentation.”

“Where are your orders?”

“I have none. This is a private, top secret matter. You are not supposed to know that I am here.”

“I see. Mind if I confirm these top secret orders?” The guard reached for his comm and Manny sliced his hand off with her S’Zai before he hit the button. She quickly slashed his throat and he dropped noiselessly to the deck. S’Tallen looked wide‑eyed at her.

“You bloodthirsty animal! There was no need to kill him!”

“He was going to betray us, I had no choice.” She shoved him forward and put the bloody S’Zai away. There were no other guards around and Manny stepped over to the first door and hit the release button. It asked for an identification code and she nodded to S’Tallen. He reluctantly gave his code and the door opened. He went inside and she heard him gasp. She followed him and saw two bloody, decomposing alien bodies on the floor. She looked around and drew the sword from her belt. The glow of the crystal showed her the blown open air shaft. She smiled at the human innovation.

“It’s obvious that at least one of your human friends is running loose. Probably why they called an alert,” S’Tallen said and Manny agreed. At least one, but were there more? She quickly jogged out of the cell and had S’Tallen open the next one. She went inside and found the weak bodies of two Explorer crewmembers. They groaned and struggled to stand. Manny helped them up and she saw the fear in their eyes.

“It’s all right, we’re going to get you out of here,” Manny told them soothingly.

“No, you’re just lying to us! This is just another alien trick!” One crewman whispered wildly.

“That’s not true, we’re here to help you.” The crewpeople went with her uneasily and she began the slow process of releasing all of the prisoners. They were all in the same shape, even the battle‑hardened veterans of her platoon. They were weak and paranoid, but the stronger ones could at least toddle along on their own. Getting them out was definitely going to be a challenge.

“Before we leave, there’s something that I need to get,” S’Tallen said.

“What’s that?” Manny inquired warily.

“I need to get some supplies...food. My digestive system isn’t compatible with human nutrition supplements. I’d die if I ate your food, it would be like taking poison.”

“Fine, better to have you alive than dead, but make it quick. I’m not sure how much longer we have.” They slowly headed for the supply room where S’Tallen had built up a stash of bio‑energy for his personal consumption.

***

The tube that they were crawling up led to another security post. This was unmanned also and they took a brief rest. Arsa wanted to activate the computer to see exactly where they were, but Davis knew that would tell the aliens where they were. They already had the entire ship looking for them, there was no need to push their luck. Arsa agreed reluctantly and closed her eyes.

Again bits and pieces of a life she no longer recognized floated by her. She couldn’t latch on to anything and she felt lost and afraid. She wanted to know who she was, what kind of life Commander Arsa Veranda had led. She knew now that there was really no way to restore her life to what it had been, she was too changed. Scientists could change her appearance back to that of a human, but there was no way to really restore her memory. Things that she had once felt and experienced would now seem like just cold, distant events. Still, she needed to know what her life had been like or else she would lose her identity forever. Her name would lose meaning because she would never really know who she had been. As images floated by she reached out her hand and seemed to latch onto one. But just as she did, Davis shook her awake.

“No time to sleep, we’ve got to move,” he told her and she stood wearily. She had been so close, she had almost latched onto a memory. If she could grab one, then others would follow, or so she believed. She just needed that first one. She trailed Davis out into the corridor and they both heard the sirens and saw the aliens rushing around. They blended in with the crowds, unsure of where they were heading. Arsa looked at the maps and then realized that they were near the hangar. From there it was only a short trip to the forward areas, where there were more than likely the explosives that Davis wanted. She tapped his shoulder and whispered this to him. He nodded, deep in thought.

There was a good chance that they could find the explosives, but the ship was abuzz with activity now, and security around the containers was sure to have been beefed up. It might not be possible to set the explosives even if they found them. That left him with a choice. They could continue with their present mission, or they could try and find a way off of the alien ship and try to make it to Earth. There was a high risk involved with either option, but he knew that even if they did make it to Earth, there would still be little that they could do. They had to try to take the aliens down now. Besides, they had already gone this far, why turn back?

“Let’s go,” he said and continued going forward. They stopped at a hatch and Arsa looked at the map.

“This is it...the forward weapons room,” she announced. He nodded and then he tried to open the door. It refused to budge and he tried frantically to open it. Arsa shouted and he turned to see guards approaching. Angrily he pulled his gun and shot the door controls. It yielded a little and he used all of his strength to push the doors open. Shots hit around him and he pulled Arsa through the door with him. The weapons room was dimly lit, but he could see racks of weapons everywhere. The door hissed shut behind them and Arsa punched an emergency seal button that instantly locked the door. She helped him look for explosives.

Racks of armor and weapons hung all around them, but there didn’t seem to be what they were looking for. Davis slammed his fist against a crate in frustration. The aliens were at the door and he knew that he had led them to their doom. There was no way out, they were cornered. They had to find a way out, but there was no way to break past the alien forces amassing at the door. Then he saw something in a dark corner. It was a large dark tube and on closer examination he realized that it was a heavy laser weapon. A tripod was nearby and he hefted it upon the tripod and motioned for Arsa to help him. This just might be their only hope for escape.

***

S’Revlar shot the furry thing at close range and it fell to the street of the city. The Glan were easily being pushed back now, yet a few foolishly fought on. The rest were retreating deeper into the city and S’Revlar knew that it was now a simple mop‑up operation. The humans and their allies had foolishly taken a gamble, and they had lost. The last opponents on this world would be annihilated, as would their homeworld as soon as it was located. The end of a pathetic little race that had dared to take on the vast, superior forces that faced them. He nearly laughed out loud, but instead snapped the neck of a wounded Glan that had tried to grab a fallen weapon.

He would soon be home again, to see his family. Only this time when the ship docked he wouldn’t have to board it again. He would stay home forever. He shook away these hopeful thoughts, trying to concentrate on the battle. He was the leader, he was expected to be paying attention. He sighed and then pulled aside some of his unit commanders. His men were pursuing the humans’s allies, which gave him time to plan his next moves.

“All right, the humans and their friends are falling back farther into the city. Our men are pursuing, but I’m going to call them back soon. There are probably traps and other things set for our troops and I’d rather save my men for the attack on their pitiful homeworld. Therefore, we’ll pull all forces back to this point and see where the humans retreat to. Then scouting parties will clear the area of any traps or surprises. Questions?” S’Revlar ordered.

No one had any, as he had anticipated. The pursuit was called off and soon the soldiers were gathering and the scouting parties were being organized. Since he was the leader, he couldn’t go scouting, as much as he wanted to. Instead he went inside a building and sat down, waiting for reports from his commanders. He smiled and thought of going home.

Lisa and the remaining Glan straggled into Glan Point, tired and blood‑stained. Lisa took the lift up to the top floor with as many Glan as could fit. The door opened and an ashen‑faced Laurants stood and looked at her, surprised that she was still alive.

“You’re alive! I thought that they had you for sure,” he said and she wearily sank into a chair as the Glan took the lift down a level. She wiped sweat, grime, and blood from her forehead and sighed.

“They almost did have us, we were lucky that at least some of us got away,” she replied gravely, her face without emotion. He wanted to take her hand and reassure her that everything was all right, but he couldn’t. Instead he looked away.

“There isn’t much we can do now but post guards and wait for them.”

“Yes, I know. I’ll take care of it.” She got to her feet and he could see how tired she was. She had been in the middle of the fight, hitting, kicking, and shooting whenever she could. It had been a whirlwind nightmare that she wished she could just forget. Blood, screams, and death were everywhere. She gripped the back of the chair and for a second she closed her eyes and tried to push these horrible visions from her head. When she opened them Laurants had an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“No, I’ll take care of it. You get some rest.” He led her over to a cot he had set up in the room and she lay down without protest. Her eyes closed and he pulled a blanket over her. He knew that it was the last time she would get to sleep for a while. Then he turned away and went to the lift and took it down to where the Glan had gathered. Using his compad’s translator, he was able to give out guard assignments. He took charge of watching over Lisa while she rested, cradling a pistol in his hands and waiting for the enemy to come.

The scouts had cleared all the traps and blockades leading to the building where the humans had taken refuge. Someone pointed it out to him on a map and he nodded. It looked like a defensible place, but it could be easily breached.

“We will launch a full frontal assault on their base. When we get inside I want to search the entire building for humans and their allies. I want them all dead. Let’s move out,” he grabbed his weapon and went outside. A column formed behind him and the alien force marched towards Glan Point, intent upon destroying it. It took several minutes to get there, but when they did S’Revlar saw how imposing it looked. Still, he had to destroy the humans, and that meant breaking their pitiful defense. He gave a cry and charged the main entrance. He threw his shoulder into the door, but it didn’t budge.

He signaled a couple of soldiers forward and they heaved themselves into the steel door all at once. It finally creaked open and then S’Revlar motioned for them to move in. He followed them, weapon ready for trouble. It was dark and hard to see even with night‑vision sensors. He listened for any sounds but heard nothing. He went through a door at his right and heard a loud twang. He ducked just in time, before poison darts could have stabbed him through the neck. He motioned a pair of soldiers forward and they searched the room, finding nothing. He had to admire the humans for their cunning trap. It had come very close to killing him; in the future he would be more careful.

Two of his commanders told him that they had swept the floor and found nothing. S’Revlar nodded and began to look for a way up. The lifts were down and inoperable. The stairs were blocked. There seemed to be no way up. Then he noticed a tiny passage off to the left. It was some kind of access corridor, large enough for one person to fit through at a time. He led the way and the others followed behind. The corridor led to a service lift and S’Revlar smiled. The humans had just made their first mistake.

He punched the lift button and the doors opened. Inside were three Glan, wielding their bloody pipes. They leapt upon S’Revlar and he threw them off. The other soldiers quickly shot them all and S’Revlar stood and brushed himself off. Some of the sticky blue blood had stained the gleaming white armor. He stepped into the lift with twenty of his best men. The rest would wait until the lift came back down. He knew that this was a strategic risk, but he had no time to find another way around. The humans had to be destroyed expeditiously and without fail. He was confident that twenty could take the humans out. If not, the rest of his troops would have to find a way up. The lift rose and S’Revlar fingered his gun’s trigger nervously. It stopped on the second to last floor and the doors opened.

Glan guards were waiting and the first five soldiers out of the lift felt the sting of their pipes. S’Revlar waved all of his troops out and they rushed the guards. The Glan fought valiantly and more joined them as they awoke from a short rest. S’Revlar was still in the lift, the doorway being blocked by the embattled warriors. He barked for two soldiers to join him and then the doors closed and the lift rose again. He hadn’t seen the humans in the fighting, and he suspected that they were somewhere else. He wanted to find them. The lift stopped and the doors opened.

Laurants turned to see three aliens in the lift. He raised his weapon, but the aliens were quicker. He ducked down to the floor as shots flew over his head. At the sound of fighting Lisa sprang from the cot, ready for battle again. She threw herself at the two soldiers while S’Revlar headed for Laurants. Laurants scrambled to his feet and saw the white‑clad alien coming for him. He fired a shot, but it was hurriedly aimed and went wild. S’Revlar began firing and Laurants dove to the floor. The alien broke into a run and jumped on top of the startled human.

Meanwhile, Lisa was entangled with the two other aliens. She grabbed one’s helmet and slammed it against the floor. The helmet shattered but the soldier reached up and got a hold of Lisa’s neck. His fingers closed around her windpipe and she gasped for air. The other soldier got to his feet and kicked Lisa in the side. She groaned and the other alien let go of her throat and she rolled onto her stomach, wheezing. She heard one of them laugh and she tried to get to her feet, but a boot slammed into her ribs. Then one of the aliens grabbed her and hefted her to her feet, clutching her shoulders. The other, the one with the smashed helmet, removed his helmet and smiled as he punched her in the stomach. She groaned and then a fist smashed into the side of her face. Blood streamed down her cheek and then the fist hit her in the jaw. She could feel herself weakening, plunging into unconsciousness. In a desperate attempt to get free she kicked at the alien hitting her. Her foot struck him in the midsection and he staggered backwards. This gave her the opening she needed to elbow the other one in the chest. She could feel his grip loosen and then she burst free. She dashed past the other alien and then from the cot she grabbed her gun. She whirled and fired, cutting first one and then the other alien down. Then she dropped to her knees and darkness claimed her.

Laurants struggled to free himself from S’Revlar. He vaguely saw Lisa fighting the other two, but there was no time to help her. The alien grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet. Laurants wasted no time in whipping around and smacking the alien commander in the face. Surprised, S’Revlar relinquished his grip on Laurants and took a step back. Before he could recover, Laurants’s shoulders slammed into his middle. S’Revlar hit against the wall and swung down with his fists, striking Laurants in the back. Laurants groaned and fell to his knees. S’Revlar kicked him in the ribs and he shouted in pain. He fell to the floor and lay, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. S’Revlar was ready to finish him off, reaching for his gun. Seeing his dead troops and Lisa he snarled in anger and turned his weapon towards her. Laurants hefted himself to his feet and charged wildly.

“No!” He screamed and tackled the alien. They both hit the floor, but this time Laurants was quicker. He got to his feet and socked S’Revlar in the face, energized to save the woman he loved. Then he looked for the fallen weapon, but it was nowhere to be seen. S’Revlar was already recovering and Laurants knew that he didn’t have much time. As the alien stood up groggily, Laurants rammed him in the midsection. They both fell backwards and punched through one of the fortified windows. For a moment Laurants was suspended in midair with the alien, but then they began falling. Laurants reached for the window and his right hand just caught the ledge. The white form of S’Revlar fell towards the ground and Laurants hung on for dear life.

S’Revlar saw the human catch the ledge and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die. Of course, had he been wearing his scouting gear he could have cut in his jetpack and saved himself. But he had to wear this stupid white armor. He fell quickly, not flailing about, but instead he was as stiff as a board. Before he impacted upon the ground he had just enough time to think of his family and how he would never see them again. Then he slammed into the street and his world went forever black.

***

The crate was huge and Terraz studied it for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to open it. Then she saw a touchpad on one side and she pushed a green button. The touchpad lit up and she pushed a button that told the crate to open. It demanded an access code, which she didn’t have. She swore and punched a few more buttons, trying to override the code.

“For Christ’s sake, this is an emergency!” She shouted at it and then she heard Sam firing at the aliens below. She gave up on the pad and looked for a way to pry the crate open. She saw a crack that had formed from the impact. She used her gun to hammer at the crate, widening the crack. The crate was laserproof and there was no way to blow it open. The crack finally split into a hole just wide enough for her to fit herself through. She scrambled inside the huge crate and instantly dim red lights flicked on.

The crate was really more of a mobile base for the ExoArmors. She looked around the volumous crate and saw bulky spacesuits hanging on racks. There were helmets and large laser rifles hanging by each one and she knew that these were the ExoArmor suits. She felt one of the spacesuits that was made of a cold, hard material that felt almost like plastic. She climbed a small ladder up to the top of one of the space suits and saw no way in. Then she saw near the rear a little opening that was just big enough for a person to crawl through. She slid through the opening, feet first, and then stood. The suit fit around her loosely and she wondered how maneuverable they were. Then she raised a bulky, gauntleted hand and grabbed the helmet. She used both hands and managed to put it on. Instantly displays inside the helmet lit up and she heard a hissing sound. The suit contracted until it fit tightly around her.

She reached up for the laser rifle and found that now the suit reacted a lot easier and that her movements were much more precise. She held the rifle and heard the sound of fighting close by. She remembered Sam and stepped forward. She reached the bottom of the crate and then raised the rifle. A green crosshair showed on her helmet display and she pulled the trigger. A thick red laser fired and she took a step back, a little surprised at the firepower.

Sam was behind a rock, firing desperately. The aliens were closing in and he was sure that he was going to die. Then he heard a loud boom and the crate burst open in a hail of debris and smoke. The aliens stopped their attack, and a few seconds later a turquoise thing that resembled an armored spacesuit appeared, carrying a large, smoking rifle. Sam cheered and Terraz stepped forward. She fired and the aliens ran. There was an explosion of rock and dirt and screams of the aliens. Sam saw that the aliens were all dead and shouted with joy.

“Climb into one of the suits and let’s go,” Terraz shouted over the ExoArmor’s speakers. Sam nodded an ran inside the crate. Terraz knew now that they had a chance to beat the aliens; they had found the weapons!

***

Manny herded the former prisoners and the alien scientist down the corridor. They were still moving slowly, but S’Tallen’s presence had allowed them to go unnoticed. They finally stopped in front of a small room and S’Tallen opened the door. He rushed inside and she followed him.

The prisoners seemed to be gaining strength with every new step. Some were even able to run now, their fear and weakness draining as they realized that they were free. The effects of the alien’s torture were leaving them, and soon she would be able to count on them to help her steal a ship. She watched S’Tallen open a crate and take out a bag filled with something. Then she saw him stuff a little clear bag full of bright, multi‑colored ooze which she knew was bio‑energy, into a pack. The same kind of bio‑energy that had brought her back from the dead. She felt a chill run down her spine as she thought of her near‑death. It still seemed unreal to her, yet she knew that it had happened. For a moment she closed her eyes and again saw her bloody and broken body lying there on the container. Then she opened her eyes and the scientist looked at her strangely. She motioned for him to move forward and he turned around. They emerged from the room and then heard a huge explosion. Manny raised her S’Zai and they began to move as fast as they could, expecting the aliens to catch them at any moment. Manny knew that it was time to give up subtlety and just take a ship. “Which way to the hangar?” She demanded. S’Tallen pointed and they hurried towards their one chance at escaping.

Davis fired the huge weapon and the door exploded. Aliens screamed and then he and Arsa charged forward through the smoke, firing their weapons wildly. They burst past the alien forces and ran for the hangar. Suddenly Arsa stopped and looked at something to their left. Davis wondered what she saw and he looked in that direction.

Before he could stop her she charged at whatever she had seen, and Davis followed her. The aliens were regrouping and he could hear them behind him. There was little time left now; they had to get a ship and get out of here. Arsa pounced on an alien and then he saw something bright red flash. A thing in a white suit held what looked like a flaming red sword. He rushed forward to stop it from slicing Arsa in two. He gripped its hand and it fought with him furiously. It was then that he saw the human prisoners against the wall. He stopped fighting and flipped up the visor on his helmet.

“Davis! What the hell are you doing here! You look like one of them!” The thing that he had been fighting with took its own helmet off and he took a step back. He vaguely recognized the pale face looking at him, but he was still shocked.

“Manny? What the hell happened to you, you look like shit,” he said half‑jokingly.

“It’s a long story, so let’s get out of here.” He nodded and saw that Arsa was still grappling with an alien.

“Arsa, stop it! He’s a friend! We’ve found the others, let’s get out of here!” Arsa stopped and she looked at Manny and the others. She stood and flipped up her helmet visors, sniffling and moaning. “He’s...he’s the one. He hurt me,” she sobbed and leaned against Davis. He patted her on the shoulder understandingly.

“I know, we’ll make him pay, when we get to Earth. Let’s go,” he spoke softly and she nodded. Manny helped S’Tallen up, but Arsa still stayed away from him.

“Is that Commander Veranda? What the hell happened to her?” Manny whispered.

“It’s an equally long story,” Davis replied and then shots hit over their heads. The aliens had found them and closed in for the kill. Manny put her S’Zai to S’Tallen’s neck and the aliens stopped firing.

“Stop or he dies!” She screamed and the aliens lowered their weapons. They knew that S’Tallen was someone important, S’Olonny would kill them if they killed the scientist. They watched the humans go past them and into the hangar.

S’Tallen directed them to his personal shuttle and they moved towards it. Mechanics stepped back and let them past. The procession of humans moved quickly and Manny stood at the ramp of the ship with S’Tallen until all of the humans were aboard. Susan Sanders, the Explorer’s former helmsman, and Ensign Jerry Klein, the ship’s navigator, took the helm of the shuttle and the engines revved up. Then Manny pushed S’Tallen up the ramp and it closed behind her with a clang. “Can you fly this thing?” Manny asked Sanders and Klein.

“We can fly anything,” Sanders answered confidently with a smile. The hangar doors opened and the pilots took off, gunning the engines. The shuttle shook and Manny threw the alien into a seat and strapped in beside him. The shuttle shot out into open space and a cheer went up from the ex‑prisoners.

***

A relief watch technician on the alien ship watched his console with disinterest. He was monitoring the probes that had been sent out all over the galaxy, trying to find the human’s homeworld. Nothing had happened for all six hours of his watch so far, and he was looking forward to the end of it in another two hours. He leaned back in his chair and saw that the other bridge officers were monitoring the battle that was being fought on the planet below. He had heard that it was a success so far.

Something beeped and he turned to his console. The deepest probe had found something and he told the computer to give him clarification. Suddenly a small world appeared on his monitor. From the readings it was mostly ice and had one tiny moon. The probe was picking up lifeforms in the proximity of the planet’s orbit and he commanded it to match the lifeform scans with all races stored in the computer’s databanks. This took a few minutes as the computer took the data and tore it apart, comparing it to everything in the library.

The results were shocking. The lifeform scans from the probe identically matched the basic structure of humans. There weren’t any on the planet, so it couldn’t be their homeworld. But still, they were close. He ordered the probe to do a long‑range scan of the star system. This would take hours and he copied the original report to a pad and then left the probe to scan by itself.

The technician gave the report to S’Olonny. He read it and smiled. They had at last found the humans, or at least a colony of theirs. In time they would find the rest of their race, but for now they would have to go after this new clue.

“I want all forces on the surface to be immediately recalled. We’re leaving as soon as they are aboard,” S’Olonny commanded.

“Yes, sir!” The technician scampered away to relay the orders. Just then an officer approached the captain.

“The humans have taken S’Tallen’s shuttle. Should we let it pass?”

“Of course not. Destroy it at once.”

“Sir, the scientist has been taken hostage aboard the shuttle.”

“Yes, I know. You have your orders.” The officer ran towards the hangar and S’Olonny knew that this was the best day of his life.

Chapter Eleven

2007-06-12T10:22:00.001-07:00

Chapter Eleven

The tunnel was dark and Terraz thought for a few moments that she had gone blind. She signaled Sam to stop and they set Garren up against the tunnel. She felt his wounds and blood drenched her hands. She tore off some strips of cloth from her uniform and tried to stop the bleeding. Not being able to see made it extremely difficult and she wasn’t sure if she had done anything.

She sat down next to him; suddenly feeling exhausted. Her arms and legs were bruised and she had cuts all over. Sam wearily dropped down and slept. She put her arm around Garren, feeling for a pulse. She finally found it and to her relief it was still strong. His breathing was shallow, but she hoped that he would pull through.

He had tried to save them; he had given them the opportunity to escape. But she didn’t want to leave without him, he was a part of the team and the only human other than herself. She didn’t know what she would do if he had died. Sam was nice, but he still wasn’t human. She needed contact with other humans, she couldn’t stand being alone. So she needed Garren around, and she needed Sam too. He was a good fighter with an equally good heart, and he would come in handy if they met up against any aliens. They were a team, all of them, and they would be a team until the end.

Right now, the end seemed close at hand. They were lost in a dark tunnel on a foreign world. Garren was badly wounded and she and Sam weren’t in great shape either. There were aliens and creatures all over who would kill them upon sight. Their only hope lie in finding the secret weapons that Captain Shaw was looking for. It was the only way that they could even try to take on the aliens and steal a ship to get back to Earth. Terraz’s eyes closed and she wished that she was back home.

She didn’t really have a home anymore. The Explorer had been her home, but it was destroyed. She had no family or friends on Earth, that was why she had joined the military in the first place. Still, just to see familiar cities and smell familiar smells would be close enough to being home. She drifted off to sleep, thinking about returning to Earth.

***

All Manny remembered was the long fall down after the catwalk broke, and the sound of glass shattering before blackness took her. The second that she was unconscious, she knew that she was dead. There was no way that she could have possibly survived that fall. For a few moments she was suspended in some kind of limbo, and then the white light appeared.

It closed around her and she felt warm and good. The light then changed colors rapidly until it seemed as though a rainbow were swirling around her. She felt so safe and secure that she never wanted to leave the light. She felt herself being pushed forward, the light still all around her.

She stopped moving and looked down, seeing a bloody and broken body. It took her a few moments to realize that she was looking down upon herself, and she knew that she really was dead. Her skull looked shattered and blood stained the area where she had landed. There were strips of fabric clinging to her corpse and she wished that she could turn away, but she could not. Her legs stuck out at odd angles and her left arm was pinned beneath her crushed spine. It was the most disgusting thing that Manny had ever seen.

The light around her seemed to be fading and she was again pushed forward. Now instead of joy and happiness she felt sadness and pain. She was accelerating rapidly and the light had vanished. She spun out of control and the white light ended and again she was plunged into blackness. It was then that she saw a faint light again, but it wasn’t the white light. It was very dim and red. She focused on the object and realized that it was a light bulb. Then she became aware of her body. She nearly shouted with joy, she was alive!

She sat up and looked herself over, noticing that something had changed. There were no cuts or bruises, but that was the less disturbing part. She gasped as she examined her left arm. It flexed normally, but her skin was extremely pale. It was only then that she felt the sticky liquid beneath her. She touched it with her fingers and saw that it was a clear liquid that seemed to dance with many colors. She remembered her out‑of‑body experience and tried to piece together what happened. There seemed to be no explanation other than she had been brought back from the dead somehow after she had smashed into whatever held the strange liquid.

As she stood up, she saw something gleaming beside where she had lain. She picked it up and saw that it was a S’Zai. There were drops of the strange fluid on it and she dried them off with her hand. The weapon shone bright red and there was a fire seeming to radiate from it. She held it and as she looked around near where it had been she saw a few blue crystal fragments. Could it be? She asked herself. Could her S’Zai somehow have been brought back with her? It seemed that both she and it had undergone a complete change. She held it and then looked for some way out from where she was.

She stood at the base of a huge container, and she couldn’t see the catwalk from her vantage point. There was a metal beam attached to the container, presumably holding it in place. She slowly made her way across the beam and then touched the metal wall, feeling for a door. A small hatch opened and she stepped through. The hatch closed behind her and she tried to determine where she was.

A metal tunnel, large enough for one alien or human to fit through at a time comfortably, led upwards. It appeared to be some kind of disposal shaft or else an engineering tunnel. She began to climb up slowly and carefully, putting the sword in her belt, which was nearly all that remained of her tattered clothing. It seemed that whatever had brought her back hadn’t seen fit to give her some clothes, so she was still clad in the same bloody rags as before.

She stretched one pale arm up and reached the top of the shaft. She pulled herself up onto a ledge and saw that from here the tunnel went horizontally. She walked forward, ready for action. No one was around, and in a way she felt glad. She stopped when she saw an equipment locker along the tunnel, confirming that this was in fact an engineering access tunnel.

She opened the locker and found something to wear. It was a heavy garment that was white with a squarish helmet which looked like some kind radiation or space suit. She put it on, glad to strip off the rags, and attached her S’Zai to the belt. It was a little large on her, but otherwise it fit perfectly. There was nothing else of value in the locker, and she closed it before moving on. Inside the suit she was sweating and she stopped as the tunnel branched out. One branch went upwards while the other continued horizontally. She decided to climb up higher and gripped the handholds of the tunnel and began her ascent. With the bulky suit on, it was slow work at best and she was grateful when she reached the top. She sat on the ledge for a few moments, panting and sweating. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and thought for a few moments, reliving the battle with the alien captain.

By now she was certain that she had climbed up several levels. She needed to find a way into the ship itself, into the main corridors. She still had a mission, to rescue her men. But first she was going to pay a visit to someone. She looked for a hatch and saw a button. She stood and pushed it and suddenly a panel slid aside. She stepped through the opening and recognized a corridor. She looked around and saw only a few aliens milling around, talking to each other. She eased into the corridor, hoping to go unnoticed. The red S’Zai might give her away, but it was also her only weapon. No one paid her any attention and she began looking for something familiar. Seeing nothing she looked for a lift. One way or another she would find what she was looking for, and when she did she was going to surprise these aliens.

***

S’Revlar climbed up to the hatch by the river and opened it slowly. He smiled when he saw the city. He had found what S’Olonny was looking for: a second way into the city. Now he had to get out of here and prepare the assault. He was sure that they were going to win now, they would simply drive the humans and their allies between two forces and slaughter them in the crossfire.

He jumped back down to the tunnel and knew that he had to hurry back with the important news. He wanted to look around the city and spy on the humans, but there was no time. He had to move quickly and take them completely by surprise. He activated his jetpack and flew through the tunnel at as high of a speed as he dared. It would still take him an hour to get back out. He knew that it was useless to try and contact the ship from here, there was too much interference from the rocks.

He stopped at the latest battlesite and carefully stepped over the Glan bodies. Than he ran forward a few steps and took to the air again. It was a long, dull journey in the darkness through the tunnel. When he reached the cavern, S’Revlar shot up to the lip of the canyon and then ran to the opening of the mound.

He eagerly dove through the entrance and emerged into the darkness of the planet’s night. He checked his fuel supply and saw that he would have to call S’Figthl to come and pick him up. He activated his comm and waited a few seconds while a secure channel was activated.

“S’Figthl, this is S’Revlar. I need you to come and pick me up at the drop site as soon as possible. I have very important information to deliver to the captain at once,” he commanded and waited for a reply.

“I’m on my way, S’Revlar. I assume this isn’t something you want to discuss, not even over a secure channel,” his friend answered.

“Exactly. I’ll tell you when I get aboard.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” They signed off and a few minutes later the escort ship can into view. S’Revlar jumped into the open hatch and took the co‑pilot’s seat. He sat down and took off his helmet.

“I found our way in,” he began as the ship leapt into the night sky.

“I see. So, will we be able to take the humans now?”

“Well, things are definitely looking up. This is something they’ll never suspect until we spring it on them.”

“Great, the sooner we finish this, the better. I’m looking forward to eliminating these pests, they’ve set us back substantially already. From what I heard while you were gone, one of the human prisoners tried to take S’Tallen hostage, but the captain took care of it before it could do anything.”

“Good. One of those things running amuck aboard the ship is just what we don’t need right now.”

“I also heard that the captain’s real angry and he’s probably going to execute the lot of them very soon.”

“More than likely. Just where do you hear all of this stuff from anyway?”

“I have my sources,” they both laughed as the ship entered the atmosphere, the mother ship coming into view. S’Revlar prepared himself to deliver his good news to S’Olonny.

It wouldn’t take long to get the forces redeployed and reassigned for this new attack. He just hoped that the humans would still be caught by surprise when they popped up through the hatch at their backs. It sounded like a good plan, but the humans were crafty creatures, they might be able to anticipate this move. Still, it was their best shot. He sat back and took a deep breath, not anxious to don the white armor again. But that was the burden of command, he thought as the ship docked and the hatch opened. He walked down the ramp and was met by a young ensign with a powered cart. S’Revlar jumped into the cart and waved farewell to S’Figthl as it sped down the corridors and to the bridge.

“Sir, Engineering reports a breach in Number Four Bio‑Energy Chamber,” an officer reported to S’Olonny.

“Has a crew been dispatched to repair it?” The captain asked, uninterested in a minor breach.

“They’re on their way now, sir.”

“Very well. Do we know if any bio‑energy leaked from the container?”

“Scans seem to indicate a minute loss of bio‑energy fluid from the container.”

“Have the human prisoners drained and use their bio‑energy to replace what was lost in the container. Then give the bodies to S’Tallen for...further study.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir, S’Revlar’s ship has landed and he is on his way to meet you,” another officer reported.

“Good. Have him shown up here.”

“Yes sir.”

S’Revlar entered the bridge a few moments later. S’Olonny showed him to a chair and they quietly discussed his findings. “We can use this back entrance to place a team in to flank the humans,” S’Revlar concluded after briefing S’Olonny.

“Yes, that should work. Will you need additional troops for this new attack?” S’Olonny asked.

“No, I’ll just take away a few of the platoons that are already scheduled for the assault. It will just be a matter of minor reshuffling. There is something else that I’d like to suggest.”

“What’s that?”

“I’d like to have a tunnel dug near the second entrance so that we can have easier access, and a quicker retreat if things go wrong.”

“That will require retrofitting an escort ship with heavy mining tools. Very well, I’ll order one prepared; it will only take a few minutes. Anything else?”

“No, sir. However, I would like to dispense with formalities for this attack.”

“I don’t think that you can do that. Some of the troops are superstitious, it would be bad luck to break tradition. We don’t need them any more nervous than they already are. Proceed with the attack...and the formalities.”

“Yes, sir. The attack will be launched within five hours.”

“Excellent, keep me informed.” With that S’Revlar left the bridge and S’Olonny sat and thought about destroying the humans. He checked the status on the probes searching for the humans homeworld. So far there was nothing. He hoped that after the battle they might have their answer.

***

The final preparations were being made for the defense of the underground city. Lisa worked with the Glan, finding fortifications as well as things they could use for body armor. In the end they began to heap furniture into flimsy barricades and used jackets lined with metal plates for protection. Lisa had wanted to find better weapons, but Gethol insisted that the Glan would use no weapons except their clubs. She reluctantly let the subject drop and looked at the finished product.

It looked like a weak defense, but Lisa knew that it was suitable. The buildings themselves could be used as fortifications and in that respect she thought that Laurants had done well. He had taken it upon himself to mark rallying points as well as to stock food and ammunition in several buildings, all far away from the hidden laboratory. The central headquarters was a tall, conical building that gleamed silver in the dim light. There were medical supplies there as well food and weapons. Although neither he nor Lisa was a medic, they both knew basic first aid. She just hoped that it didn’t come to that.

Laurants was on the top floor of the central point which he dubbed “Glan Point”, because it would be where the Glan would rally to if their plan failed. He covered the windows with metal plates taken from other buildings, he drilled holes to fire weapons from and in a closet sat rows of supplies, and he had scavenged what weapons he could find and these were lying against the wall. Lothgamm’s pistol was among the half‑dozen pistols that he had found. There was a pile of knives and pipes across the room and sitting in prominent places were the three long‑range laser rifles he had found while scavenging through the homes of the ancient race that had dwelt in the city. All in all it was a very meager defense against the onslaught that they would face. Still, he and the others could easily entrench themselves and force the aliens to come to them. He figured that there was enough food for at least a month, so they could afford to wait the aliens out for a while.

He looked out one window that he had left open, the one that faced towards the entrance to the city, and saw the barricades blocking the streets. Lisa had done her best, and from here it looked like it might just be enough. They had blocked all of the major streets and so the aliens would find it difficult to make any progress. He turned away and sat down in one of the chairs in the room.

Glan Point was a fortress now. He had dedicated the top room to storage with a small table and three chairs for command purposes. On the next floor down were sleeping quarters and a board room as well as more gunports. The building had six floors, and the remaining four held only guard posts and boobytraps in all empty rooms. He had cut all but one of the lifts, the service lift, for Lisa and the Glan to use if they needed to come to the building. The fire escape had been destroyed and the stairs would be guarded if the need arose. The aliens would find it equally difficult to storm the fortress as they would getting to it.

On the table where he sat were maps of the city that he had hastily drawn, and his compad. There were also several bottles of explosive material that could be lit off and used as primitive bombs. There was no guarantee to the bombs’ accuracy and so he had decided to leave them in reserve. He sighed and tried to think of anything that he had missed.

He had done what he could for Glan Point, because he knew that all of their lives might depend on it. He had fortified two other buildings with a few basic supplies, but nothing on this scale. This was where he intended to make his last stand, if it came to that. He hoped that it wouldn’t, but if it did then he would die here. If the aliens took this place, then nothing else would matter. Glan Point was the center of their defense. If it fell then there would be no where else to go, except if they could somehow make it to the Avenger. Even if they did, there was no way to take off in it without a crew, which they didn’t have. So if the fortress collapsed, all hope was lost. He put his chin down on the table and closed his eyes, trying to rest before the storm hit.

***

Terraz helped Garren to his feet and he leaned against her as he stumbled forward. Sam was in front of them, acting as a scout. The tunnel was still dark and she wasn’t sure where they were going. They were moving slowly down the tunnel, and Terraz felt the walls closing in on her. It was so dark and she shivered.

She wasn’t sure how Garren was doing, but he seemed a little better. He hadn’t spoken yet, but he was still weak and she had advised him against trying to talk. She didn’t feel any fresh blood on him, and she hoped that meant that his wounds had stopped bleeding. Still, there was a very good chance of infection, so she wanted to hurry through the darkness to get to the surface. But he couldn’t move very fast and there was no other way to transport him. She was surprised when Garren nudged her.

“We’ve got to go faster,” he whispered hoarsely. She nodded and he coughed painfully. She felt something cold hit her arm and knew that it was blood. Still, he began to shuffle along faster and she moved along in pace with him. She could imagine his pain and wished that there was something that she could do for him. He had sacrificed himself for them, and she knew that he didn’t deserve this. Tears stung her eyes and she held them back, not wanting Garren to see or hear her crying.

This whole thing is my fault, she thought gloomily. She had led them down here, where they had met the Glan. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t insisted on climbing down the canyon, then Garren would still be all right and they wouldn’t be stumbling around in this dark hell. They might even have found Captain Shaw and the weapons. They could have been on their way home, if only she hadn’t made the wrong decision.

These thoughts plagued her as they struggled on for the next few hours. As she and Garren stopped to rest, Sam went on ahead, scouting the area. He turned a corner and then stopped in his tracks. Then he turned and began to run into the darkness. He tripped over Terraz’s foot and hit the ground. That didn’t matter though, for his finding was more important.

He motioned furiously, too excited to speak, and Terraz stopped him. “What is it?” She demanded, feeling too tired and sorry for herself to really care.

“Light! Light!” He shouted and pointed towards where he had seen it. Terraz shouted for joy and felt new hope surging as she helped Garren back up.

***

Davis looked the containers over and saw that most of them were empty. There were three that were full and he took a good look at it. This was definitely the most important thing that they had found yet. If they destroyed the alien’s food supply, then they would starve to death before they could reach Earth.

“We’ve got to find a way to destroy that container,” Davis whispered to Arsa.

“How? We don’t have any explosives,” she said with annoyance. The area where they were at was a vital area for the aliens, guards were sure to find them if they stayed too long.

“I don’t know, but we’ll find a way. Come on, we’ve got to go foraging for supplies.” He turned away from the containers and then stepped through the slashed door. The corridors were still dark, and he wondered where weapons were stored. From the looks of this level, it would be somewhere else. He began to look for the lift when suddenly a group of aliens approached. Several were clad in white suits that looked like an old‑style radiation suit. There were three guards in green, carrying rifles. Arsa saw them too, and she threw herself against the wall, hoping to hide in the shadows. Davis quickly followed her example, but the aliens had seen them.

“What are you doing here? You are not supposed to be here,” a guard said.

“We were just...lost,” Arsa replied, but Davis could tell they weren’t convinced. The alien guard reached to activate his comm and Davis charged forward, springing on him. Arsa raised her gun and blasted another of the guards as well as two technicians, who were on their way to stop the leak in the bio‑energy container. The other technicians dove for cover and the lone guard covered them, firing a burst from his gun. Arsa ducked to avoid the blast and then tried to get a bead on the guard and techs, but they had retreated back through the door. With a loud blast Davis finished off the other guard, but already klaxons were sounding. They ran for the lift, but it was locked down. They were trapped!

They sprinted farther down the corridor, turning a corner. Then they saw a small room ahead and Davis slapped a button. The door refused to yield and finally he shot the controls and it opened. He dashed into the room and saw that it was a small unmanned security post. Computers were all around him, but nothing was on. Arsa, who was covering him, looked at the computers.

“A secondary...security station. Probably in case...someone boards the ship,” Arsa bit out as she sat at a console and read the controls. She stabbed a button and power blinked on. Screens flashed alien words and she read them slowly and then tapped a command into the computer. A heavy rolling sound was heard and then a clang. A security door had rolled into place, sealing the room. “We’ll be safe...for now.”

Davis wasn’t so sure about that. Once the aliens found them it would be easy enough to blow the door open. And then they would be captured. There had to be some way out. He looked around and saw the weapons sitting in a rack against the wall. He picked one up and examined it. It was a heavy laser rifle with a scope on the top and something below the barrel. When he looked closer he saw that it was some kind of projectile launcher. He slung his gun on his back and took the rifle. It was fully charged and ready, and he hoped that it came in handy. There were also suits of some kind of body armor hanging. These were olive green with large helmets. They looked more heavily armored than what he was wearing and he stripped off his old armor and put this new suit on. He had to admit that it did feel better, and even fit better. He saw that the suit had some kind of receptors that automatically adjusted to fit him. He flipped the helmet’s solid visor up and saw Arsa still working on the computer.

“What have you found so far?” He asked.

“Nothing...much. The security door is...blast‑proof. We can hold out here...for a long time. But there is...a way out. There’s an...emergency tunnel leading out. We could use it to...find a way out. But first I would...like to get some maps.”

“Sure. I’ve found some armor and weapons that we can use. Is there any way that you can find out where we can find explosives.”

“Sure thing.” She began typing information in and he nervously waited. “Level 3...forward section is a weapons room. Explosives...may be held there.”

“Good. Let’s hurry and move out.” Arsa nodded as maps of the ship printed out. She moved over to the rack and quickly undressed, then she grabbed a rifle. It was then that they heard the aliens at the door. Arsa quickly opened a hatch and then dove through it. Davis followed and closed it after him. They were in a dark tube and the hatch clanged shut behind him. As the aliens burst into the room they began to crawl forward.

***

S’Tallen sat in his laboratory, still in shock after nearly being killed by the human. He was too distracted to work, or to even remember that his guard captain was supposed to bring Arsa to him. He just kept thinking of the S’Zai blade at his neck, and the death he had almost suffered.

He was slumped in his work chair, staring at the displays for the control device he had designed for drained humans. S’Olonny wanted him to begin manufacturing the devices, but he couldn’t concentrate to load the specs into the computer. He sat up as he heard something move near his door. He stood, fear gripping him, as the door hissed open.

Standing at the door was a human, or at least it looked like one. Except that its skin was abnormally pale and its black eyes burned with an unnatural hatred. It was wearing an engineering suit, but it did nothing to hide its demon‑like appearance. Its eyes glared at him menacingly and the long jet black hair and flaming red S’Zai gave it a devilish quality that he found greatly disturbing. He shook and fell to his knees, pleading for mercy. The human came closer and then with one hand hefted him to his feet.

“Remember me?” It hissed, its voice laced with anger.

“No...I don’t! Please, don’t hurt me!” S’Tallen whined and in an instant the S’Zai was at his neck.

“Maybe this will jog your memory.” His eyes went wide as he understood.

“You! But you’re dead! S’Olonny killed you, he told me himself!” Manny smiled grimly and laughed hoarsely.

“He didn’t kill me, because of this,” she showed him a drop of bio‑energy on her sword. “What is it?”

“It’s...bio‑energy. We suspend it in a liquefied form and store it in containers. But its harmless, it can’t bring back the dead!”

“Oh, but it did. Or at least in some form,” she noted gravely as she thought of the drastic change in her appearance.

“It’s impossible! But, what does this line of questioning have to do with me? I didn’t kill you! Just leave me alone, I won’t tell anyone! Please!” He moaned, and she let him drop to the floor.

“You’re going to get me and my men to Earth. Now, or else.” She motioned with the flaming red sword and he nodded.

“That could be a problem.”

“How?”

“Your friends have been scheduled for execution, S’Olonny already told me that he was going to drain them and have me study them.”

“Then we’re going to have to hurry,” she replied and motioned him forward.

***

The attack was at hand. S’Revlar watched the escort and transport ships begin to take off. His own, the special mining one with S’Figthl at the controls, was waiting. Since he had already been in the tunnels, he decided to lead the second attack force. He shifted uneasily in the white armor and then boarded the escort ship. S’Figthl grinned at him and the engines began to rev. There were three technicians and twenty soldiers crammed into the ship as it slowly backed out of the hangar. They emerged in the open blackness of space and then S’Figthl killed the engines and they dropped like a rock through the atmosphere.

No one was really sure how much fuel and energy it would take to carve a new hole into the secret passage, but just in case S’Figthl was using an engineless drop‑landing to conserve their limited supplies. The escort ship was falling extremely fast, but S’Revlar’s stomach was rising even faster. He felt nauseous and a look back into the rear of the craft showed that the others were also feeling sick, one poor technician had even thrown up, vomit staining the floor of the ship. Through it all, S’Figthl wore a smile and even laughed when he saw the regurgitated material on the cabin’s deck.

“Nothing like a good old‑fashioned drop‑landing! Remember when we used it to surprise those primitive creatures? Dropped my ship right on top of them without any engine noise and then you went in and cleaned ‘em up. Those were the days,” the pilot reminisced. S’Revlar vaguely remembered that attack, but he remembered the hellish drop in best. Still, S’Figthl was the best pilot there was, drop‑landings were an old hat to him. The sky was spinning madly through the canopy and S’Revlar’s stomach continued its churning. They were at nearly a thousand feet and S’Figthl began to call out the numbers as they continued to fall. When he reached five hundred he pushed a button and the engines came back on. The ship rocked violently and then slowly descended.

S’Revlar took his helmet off and wiped away the sweat. Then he called up a map and pointed out where they would begin to drill. S’Figthl placed the ship over the spot and then the technicians went to work.

Energy packs alongside the ship charged and began to send power to two long rods mounted on the front of the craft. Then red beams struck the rock and began to melt it. The first few layers were tough and used up a lot of power, but the lower ones were much easier. S’Figthl looked at his friend worriedly.

“We’re going to be tapping into my energy reserves in a few seconds. We’ve only got about a minute more of drilling before I won’t have enough energy to get back. So, you’d better hurry it up.” A minute was all it took, and soon S’Revlar and the others were on the ground. S’Figthl waited inside the escort ship, all of the power off, waiting for them to return. He flashed S’Revlar a parting smile and he grinned back as he stood at the base of the hole.

“Units Three, Five, and Seventeen, the way is clear. Repeat, the way is clear. Report at once,” S’Revlar ordered and in less than a minute two shuttles and an escort ship were at the scene.

The pilot of Escort Ship 17 hesitated for a moment, looking nervously at his sensors. “Sir, we’ve detected a strange signal coming from a location nearby. It seems weak and human in origin. I’d like to investigate for possible human forces,” the pilot said shakily. It was his first real mission and his stomach was heaving. The more veteran co‑pilot nodded encouragingly at him.

S’Revlar thought for a moment. It could be a human trap, or it may be some kind of supply base or outpost. Either way, he could spare a single unit. “Go ahead Seventeen. Report your findings immediately.” The escort ship zoomed away and then S’Revlar gathered the nearly one hundred and fifty aliens that comprised his attack force. He chanted a guttural chant that was an ancient ritual, and then he jumped into the tunnel. The tunnel wasn’t very long and it was an easy fall. He rolled and came up to his feet, brushing dirt from the white armor, and then adjusting his night‑vision sensors, he moved forward. It took nearly a half hour for the entire group to form up inside the passage, but when they did, S’Revlar motioned for them to move out.

They were trotting along at a good pace and S’Revalar wasn’t tired after going for twenty minutes. The passage was still dark and they stepped over the bodies of dead Glan and continued their trip. S’Revlar knew that the main attack force was waiting for them, and he was determined not to make it a long wait. He increased the pace and it only took another ten minutes to reach the opening. Everyone stopped and S’Revlar contacted the main group, using an ultra‑high frequency that could transmit through the rock. His simple message read: Time to kill the humans. The battle had begun.

Chapter Ten

2007-06-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Chapter Ten

Manny sat in her cell, waiting. Now that she had her plan worked out, she would have to wait to execute it. She looked down at the floor and tried to estimate her chances.

Her plan was risky to say the least, but she was used to taking chances. Ever since she had taken command of the 5th Platoon she had taken chances. During the Martian War her platoon had taken many chances. They had risked going into battle without waiting for reinforcements, and because of it they had caught the enemy by surprise and the battle had been a rout. She knew that it could easily have gone differently, but that was the risk she had taken. Now, the risk she was taking was for her own life and the lives of her men. If she failed then the aliens would soon torture and kill them all, and she would be killed with them. If it succeeded then she would be able to free her men and escape, at least temporarily. She had no doubt that the aliens would find Earth eventually. When they did, she would be there and she would battle them once again. But then they would be fighting for the existence of humankind. It would be a battle that they couldn’t lose.

Manny stood and paced the cell. The aliens seemed to be extremely overconfident, on the outside. Yet she could sense that they were moving cautiously for some reason. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Manny’s small force had destroyed several of their platoons before being captured.

Her heart still ached as she remembered the battle in the marshes. She had led them there, and that had been a risk that had gone against them. She should have recognized the trap, but she had been too anxious to find Commander Veranda and prove Shaw wrong. But instead she had gotten many of her men killed and the rest were captured and being tortured even as she stood in the cell. It had been the biggest mistake of her life and it had been all her fault. She couldn’t blame Davis or the others for not spotting the trap, they had been busy and they had been tired. The responsibility was hers alone.

She sighed, knowing that she shouldn’t have gotten into that fight with the Explorer’s captain. They should have all stuck together, or at least discussed things rationally. Instead she had practically ripped out Shaw’s heart right then and there by having her own crew walk out on her. Then she had left the captain and one of her crew walk all alone into the desert. That fight had distracted her a little, driving her to prove the senior officer right come Hell or high water. Because of that, she and her men were trapped on this alien vessel, being tortured and probably killed sooner or later.

She would make up for her error in judgment now. She would save all those that were left and she would find a way back to Earth. She wasn’t about to fail her men again. As she paced, the door opened and two guards stood at the door. They silently chained her hands and led her from the cell.

***

S’Revlar sat in the co‑pilot’s seat of the escort ship. The pilot was a veteran who S’Revlar had known for many years. They had fought together a long time ago and had been friends ever since.

“So, S’Figthl, do you think we’ll find what the captain seeks?” S’Revlar asked his friend.

“Ha! You’d sooner find a well of bio‑energy before you find another way to attack the humans. We should launch the attack now before we give ourselves away,” S’Figthl snorted.

“The captain doesn’t want to risk our lives with a frontal assault. I think that he fears these humans. I have fought against them and found them tough opponents, but our superior numbers would soon overwhelm them.”

“I have heard that the captain is planning for a much wider campaign against these humans. Perhaps he doesn’t want to waste troops on so few enemies before he finds and destroys their homeworld.”

“Maybe. I can hardly wait until we find their world. It will be a historic battle to say the least if these humans are half as strong as I think they are. It’ll be great to be in battle again. Scouting is good, but I’d really like to see some action.”

“I think we’ll have more action than we can handle soon enough my friend.” The pilot revved the engines as the hangar doors opened. He pushed forward on the controls and the escort ship leapt out into space. For a few seconds S’Revlar looked back towards where his home planet would be and then turned away as the ship nosed down into the atmosphere.

S’Revlar fiddled with the sensors and began to map the planet’s crust with the computers on board the ship. S’Figthl leveled the ship off just after breaking through the atmosphere and S’Revlar saw him put the ship on autopilot as it casually flew over Rygan.

There seemed to be no unusual fissures or cracks in the surface or underground that would lead them to the city. The sensors swept across the prairies of the largest continent and S’Revlar saw something unusual. There was a large mound jutting out in the middle of the prairies that suggested something unnatural. He pointed it out to S’Figthl and smiled.

“Tell the captain that I may have found something. Keep us at this altitude, I’ll go alone.” With that he went to the back of the ship and opened the airlock. Strong winds bit at his armor and he made sure that his helmet was on tightly enough. Then he jumped out the door and for a few seconds he free fell, plunging away from the escort ship. Then he activated his jetpack and dove for the mound, hoping to go in unnoticed.

His feet soon reached the ground and he cut the engines of the jetpack. Then he pulled out his pistol and carefully eased forward. He stopped at what looked like the opening of the mound. There was a large opening there and as S’Revlar knelt down he could see signs that someone had been through it recently. He smiled to himself and then dove through the opening. More heavily burdened than Sam, S’Revlar barely got his head through the opening. He grunted and then activated the jetpack. He burrowed his way through the opening and finally landed inside the cavern. He cut his engines again and then switched on his infrared lenses. He could see where someone, likely more than one, had been only a few hours ago. He stepped over to the lip of the canyon and bent down. He looked, but saw and heard nothing. He jumped down the canyon, using the jetpack to land softly.

He looked around and then spotted the ashes from a fire and everywhere around him were blood and tracks. A large group had been in here and some kind of battle had been fought. He took a handful of ashes and let them fall between his fingers. They were spread about in a circle, usually some kind of primitive funeral rite. All of this told him that he was on the right track. He saw the opening to the tunnel and went through it, knowing that he would soon find the humans.

***

Arsa and Davis were sitting in the shaft, making sure that their plans hadn’t been discovered yet. Soldiers walked on the deck below, not noticing them. They didn’t say anything, too nervous to speak.

Arsa was sure that they were going to be captured again. The fact that the aliens hadn’t brought them in yet scared her even further. She knew that they were just playing with her, waiting for her and Davis to feel confident that their plan hadn’t been discovered before they pounced.

Sweat poured down Davis’ brow as he waited. He could feel that they had gotten away with it, but he wasn’t sure. It could be a clever trap, but he doubted it. He hadn’t heard or seen anything that would indicate that they had been found out. Some of the soldiers did seem tense and he wondered why. They had nothing to be tense about. They had captured nearly all of the humans and those that weren’t dead were languishing in a dark cell. For all practical purposes they had won. All they needed to do was find Captain Shaw and Laurants and then they would have destroyed the humans on Rygan I. Then suddenly hope came to him.

Maybe Shaw and Laurants had found the secret weapons! If they had, it would tip the scales the humans’s way, for a little while. It might even distract the aliens enough so that they wouldn’t notice a pair of escaped prisoners. He hurriedly began to crawl towards the launch bay. Arsa struggled to keep up behind him, unsure of what he was going to do. She still felt scared, but she was glad to be moving.

Davis looked down into the hangar and then he saw the red‑clad soldiers filing into ships. He wasn’t sure where they were going, but he knew that now was their chance. Even with their bad disguises they still stood a chance of blending in. He began to crawl back, hoping to find somewhere where they could drop in unnoticed. They went back to the equipment room and saw no one there. Davis removed the grate in front of the shaft and then he jumped down, Arsa nervously following him. She replaced the grate and then Davis went to the door. It hissed open and he saw no one around. He quickly stepped into the hall and Arsa followed. When they got to the corner of the corridor a bunch of soldiers came passing by. They waited and then followed, trying to blend in as much as possible.

Davis wasn’t really sure what he was going to do when he got to the hangar. He knew that stealing one of the alien ships would be suicide, he didn’t know how to fly anything. Arsa might have known if she hadn’t had her memory destroyed. But he knew that someone would know, he just had to rescue the others and then one of the Explorer’s crew could get them down to the planet. In the meantime he hoped to at least be able to find where the others were kept so that he could plan his next moves.

The confusion in the corridors with all of the alien soldiers moving around would hopefully mask their activities so that they could do a little reconnaissance without anyone figuring them out. They reached the hangar and then he saw the soldiers piling into one of the ships. He quickly dropped into the shadows and pulled Arsa close to him. Then they began moving quickly out of the hangar, staying close to the wall.

Davis was watching the soldiers and ship handlers, trying to figure out what was going on. Whatever it was, it was big. There seemed to be hundreds of troops, and more were coming every minute. He had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with Shaw and Laurants. Whatever he did, he would have to hurry. He turned away from the hangar and quickly darted back into the corridor, Arsa following behind him.

As another group of aliens flooded the corridor, Davis threw himself against a doorway and then pressed the button for the door to open. It opened with a sharp hiss and he ducked inside. Arsa watched the procession of alien soldiers in awe and Davis had to yank her through the door.

Seeing how much firepower and strength they had, Arsa was unsure if the humans stood a chance. She felt a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach, the feeling of despair. Being a part of both races now, she hated to think about them obliterating each other. She knew that the humans would never give up, they would fight to the end, and so would the aliens. Neither side would give in and all that could happen was for one side or the other to eliminate their enemy, or maybe they would both go down. Either way she didn’t like thinking about it.

The room they had entered was another equipment room and Arsa hunkered down next to Davis behind some crates. She wasn’t sure what they held, but it didn’t look like weapons. Yet, it couldn’t be food either. The aliens didn’t eat anything...except bio‑energy. She had heard that word before and she vaguely knew what it meant: the energy that was the very soul of a lifeform. The bio‑energy was what they needed to survive.

She nervously used her claws to open the crate and inside was a tiny pile of clear bags that glowed with a multi‑colored swirl. She looked at it and then remembered what the bio‑energy was. Davis gazed at it in astonishment.

“What is that?” He demanded.

“This is a ration pack that they use for food. It’s called bio‑energy,” Arsa replied, handing him the ration bag. She wasn’t sure why the aliens would keep these here. She had thought that the bio‑energy was precious to them, why would they leave it here in a crate? Then the answer came to her as she saw what was written on the crate. It was stamped “Medical Kits” and she knew right away that someone was hoarding their own supply of bio‑energy. Her thoughts turned instantly to the scientist that had experimented on her. It seemed like something that he would do.

“What’s bio‑energy?” Davis asked.

“It’s the...the soul of a being that they drain from them. Where I was...held they drained humans of their bio‑energy. That’s their whole purpose for attacking us...to scavenge bio‑energy for their people.”

“In other words they’re a race of fucking vampires,” Davis hissed in disgust. He threw the bio‑energy ration back into the crate. “So that’s what this is all about, huh? They’re turning our people into dinner for themselves. They’re destroying our entire goddamned race just so they can have breakfast in the morning!” He pounded his fist on the crate and glared at her. Then he opened the door and stomped out into the corridor.

Arsa wasn’t sure where he was going, but she couldn’t stop him and so she merely followed behind him. She knew that he was angry, she was angry too. But she also didn’t want him to get them all killed by doing something foolish.

“What are you going to do?” She asked. He stopped and turned on her.

“I’m going to find a way to blow these bastards up when we go,” he replied with a fire in his eyes. His fists were clenched and he kept looking around. “I need to find some kind of weapons room so that we can find some explosives or something. I want to blast these guys back to their home planet.”

In her armor, Arsa shivered. What he proposed was next to impossible. How could they rig the ship with explosives without the aliens knowing? She didn’t really know that much about the aliens or bio‑energy, she just remembered parts of what the scientist had said. Still, there was no way to stop him now, he was too angry. She kept up with him as he moved quickly down the corridors, looking for something to help him.

They were moving down a maze of corridors and she noticed that there were less and less doors around them. The corridor seemed to be getting larger too, and she wondered where they were. They stopped at a large door that was marked with some alien scrawl. Davis slapped the door release mechanism and then a red light flashed.

“Access denied, you are not authorized to enter this area. Please turn around and go back to your designated quarters,” a computerized voice warned.

“Where are we?” Davis mumbled and Arsa shrugged. He looked around and saw that no guards had been alerted. He took a few steps away .

“What are you doing here?” A harsh alien voice growled. Davis turned, not understanding the question. “You are not allowed near the bio‑energy storage containers.” An alien wearing blue armor was at the end of the corridor, and Davis quickly tried to think of something to say.

“We were lost, sir,” Arsa replied in the alien tongue. Since receiving the alien DNA she knew a little of their language; she hoped that it would be enough.

“Get back to your unit then,” the officer ordered and Arsa marched past him. Davis followed and then the officer shouted for them to stop. “You, what happened to your tail?” He asked Davis.

“He lost it in a...battle,” Arsa said slowly.

“I see. Did he lose his tongue too?”

“Yes, sir. I speak for him.”

“Very good, carry on then. I don’t want to see you here again.” Arsa nodded and she and Davis hurried away. They stopped in the corridor and Davis opened a door that led to an empty barracks. They sat down and he patted her on the back.

“Way to go! I didn’t know that you knew their language. That really saved our butts.”

“I don’t know...much of it. It just comes from having...alien DNA,” she stammered. Davis nodded and thought of what to do. Whatever was behind those doors was sure to be important. He would have to find some way to get in there and see what it held.

“Do you know what was behind that door?”

“No, I didn’t catch that part...of the conversation. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. We’ve got to find some way in there. I have a feeling that it’s the key to all of this.”

***

Manny was led to a large, empty room that looked like it was a cargo hold. The alien captain stood in the center of the room, with the scientist standing next to a rack that held something. The guards led her over to the captain and he smiled at her. He motioned the scientist over to translate for him.

“It is time for our battle. You and I will fight to the death with the traditional weapon of warriors: the S’Zai,” S’Olonny gestured to the rack and Manny wondered what a S’Zai was. S’Olonny went to the rack and pulled something out. It was a gleaming sword made entirely of some crystal that seemed to blaze with a green fire. Manny gulped, having hoped that they would use knives or guns, or something she was more familiar with. S’Olonny smiled and then pulled out a blue S’Zai for Manny. The guards undid her restraints and she held it in her hands. The sword was heavy, but when she swung it experimentally it felt good in her hands. The sword was made of blue crystal and she saw that it was carved entirely from one crystal, there was no evidence of having been manufactured from separate ones. The S’Zai was beautiful and when she ran her finger across the blade she saw that it could be deadly too. The edge was extremely sharp, and so was the point. She hated to think what would happen if she was hit with one.

“Let’s get on with it,” Manny said and raised the sword. S’Tallen stepped back to the rack and Manny kept a close eye on him. S’Olonny held his sword at ready and they assumed fighting positions.

Now was time for Manny to put her plan into action. As S’Olonny charged at her and swung his blade she dove out of the way and scampered out of his reach. He quickly recovered and lunged at her. This time she didn’t have time to get out of the way and blocked his swing with her S’Zai. The blades met with a grating sound and then Manny spun away from S’Olonny. He came back at her and this time she was ready.

As he swung at her she gathered all of her strength and then leapt into the air. She pulled up her legs and she flew right over him as his blow came up empty. He fell on his knees and turned, expecting her to be at his throat. Instead, she landed on her feet a short distance from him and then turned and began racing across the cargo hold. S’Olonny wondered what she was doing and the guards brought up their weapons.

S’Tallen was standing by the rack, watching the battle, when all of the sudden he saw Manny racing towards him. He wasn’t sure what she was doing and he looked around for a weapon, but there had been only two S’Zais. As he was about to flee she reached out and grabbed him, with her momentum carrying them both to the floor. He flailed about him, but then a strong hand pulled him up and he felt something cold at his throat. Manny stood a little behind him with one hand grabbing the back of his tunic, and the other holding her S’Zai to his throat.

“Now, let me and my men walk out of here or else he gets it!” Manny shouted. S’Olonny stared back in shocked silence.

“You! I took you for a true warrior. You are a coward!” S’Olonny bellowed and S’Tallen translated.

“Yeah, and when have you aliens ever played fair? You attacked us unprovoked! That’s cowardice! Now let me and the others go or I’ll kill him!”

“You realize that if you kill him, I’ll kill you,” S’Olonny hissed.

“Of course, but what do I have to lose? He’s important to you, I know that he is. But he’s not important to me. Now I want my men and I to be able to take a ship back home. Now!” S’Olonny stared at her and then motioned for the guards to lower their weapons. He dropped his S’Zai to the floor, feeling like a fool. He had let this human take advantage of his weakness, his sense of honor. Now there was nothing that he could do, except one.

“I’ll let your men go. A ship will be prepared for you. Now, when will you release him?”

“Will the ship have an escape pod?”

“Of course.”

“Then when I’m out of your ship’s weapons range I’ll put him in the escape pod and you can pick him up.”

“How do I know that you aren’t lying?”

“What choice do you have?” She replied coolly and walked past the guards and S’Olonny. He watched her leave and then smiled. She was tricky, but he could play dirty too. He motioned the guards over and then gave them orders.

***

Terraz woke up and found herself entangled with Garren. Sam was sleeping just a few feet away and the tunnel was still dark. She nudged Garren awake and he groaned. She stood and tapped Sam on the shoulder. His eyes opened and he stood up. Garren stood slowly and then they made ready to continue their journey. They began to walk forward, Terraz vaguely remembering the events of last night.

She remembered the surge of passion between her and Garren and she wondered why she had fallen victim to it. It was probably from spending days with an alien and a man providing her only company. She missed Davis and the other soldiers and her friends from the Explorer. She was beginning to feel lonely and longed for the others. She kept moving and snuck a quick look back at Garren. His face was a mask of unconcern and she scowled. She wished that he would at least pretend that he had felt something!

Garren was at the rear of the party, trying not to look too long at Terraz. She was a beautiful young woman, but he wasn’t sure if she deserved him. He was just a soldier, a nobody. He felt his heart being split in two, but he wanted to try and hide his feelings from Terraz. One part of him had really enjoyed last night, the other part knew that it would just complicate the mission further. He looked at the ground and tried to think about the mission.

Terraz turned her mind back to the mission, hoping to find some comfort in it. The creatures from the cavern were sure to be on their tail, she had to keep ahead of them. She just hoped that the tunnel came out somewhere, and that it didn’t lead them into more trouble.

They trudged along in silence, no one wanting to speak their thoughts. Sam stopped all of the sudden and sniffed the air. He turned back and pointed. Terraz saw nothing, but a few seconds later she saw the first creature. They didn’t carry torches this time, but Terraz could see fury in their eyes. She unslung her rifle and Garren threw himself against the side of the tunnel. For all practical purposes they were trapped. They couldn’t outrun the creatures, and they didn’t have any cover. More of the Glan filled the tunnel and Gethol let out a battle cry and led the charge. The Glan lunged at the humans, hate filling them for the attempt to desecrate the body of Lothgamm. They wielded their pipes and the three defenders knew that the end was near.

Hoping to spare his comrades, Garren threw himself into Gethol, knocking him down. He got to his feet and vainly grappled with other Glan, trying to hold the tunnel. “Run!” He shouted to Terraz. She saw the look on his face, the grim resolve and the concern in his eyes. She knew that he couldn’t last long, the creatures would soon overpower him.

“No! We’re all going to stick together!” Terraz cried back and threw herself into the fray. Sam was beside her, lashing out with tail, claws, and teeth. The Glan finally knocked Garren to his knees and then Gethol grabbed him by his shirt collar. Blood streamed down Garren’s face and his breathing was shallow. He could barely raise his head, and with his last strength he spit in the creature’s face. Gethol growled angrily and threw the soldier aside like a rag doll. Garren landed a few yards away, bleeding heavily.

Seeing him go down, Terraz screamed in despair. She threw aside the Glan assaulting her and then dove at Gethol. She bowled him over and then punched him in his jaw. He snapped at her hand with his jaws and his sharp teeth left a deep scratch on her hand. She came back with her other hand and hit him repeatedly. Deep blue blood oozed from below Gethol’s eye. He wrapped his arms around Terraz’s back and then butted her with his head. He kicked her aside and she lay dazed for a few seconds. She wearily scrambled to her feet and then charged at him. As she neared him she swung out with one leg and kicked him upside the head. Gethol fell and Terraz looked back over at the dying Garren, knowing that she had to get them out of there.

Sam was once again knee‑deep in Glan, wading amongst them and striking left and right. He was tiring rapidly and saw that the one human had already gone down. Part of his mind told him that now was the chance to run, to flee. But he still owed the humans and he would fight to the end to protect them. He saw the woman fighting with the Glan’s leader and knew that she didn’t have a chance. He wished that he could find his gun, but it had been pulled from him during the fighting. A Glan warrior near the end of the tunnel threw its pipe at Sam, trying to knock him out with a long‑distance blow. Sam knew that he couldn’t duck and instead he raised an arm, claws sinking into the flesh of a Glan. He held the creature up like a shield and the pipe smashed its head. Sam snarled and threw the dead thing away, looking for some way out of this desperate situation, knowing that the next pipe might hit its target. Yet there seemed to be no way out.

Terraz went over to Garren and struggled to move him away from the battle. He looked dead and his body felt heavy. She dragged him over to the tunnel wall and her back hit the rock. Suddenly she was falling backwards. She landed on her rear and saw a small opening carved into the rock. It was too dark to see in the fighting, but now it might be their only way out. She saw Sam vainly fighting, but she knew that soon the creatures would overcome him. She saw a gun lying useless on the ground and a plan came to her.

“Sam! Fall back!” She shouted as she put the gun on overload. She ran to the opening as Sam struggled to meet her. The Glan didn’t see Terraz or Garren, it was as if they had vanished. The gun built up its final charge and Sam finally broke free. He dashed towards the opening as the gun blew. A blinding flash of light erupted and Sam threw himself into the opening. The Glan, not being able to see because of the flash, had no idea where the defenders had vanished to. Gethol stared, dazed, and then led the remaining Glan forward. His lust for the humans’ blood died down and the Glan were peaceful once more. They marched forward and soon the opening was far behind them.

A shadowy figure trailed behind the Glan, moving cautiously. He knelt down beside a dead Glan, noticing the drops of orange blood on the creature’s fur. He sniffed the blood and frowned. He moved forward and found a pool of red human blood. He thought for a few moments, trying to piece together what had happened. Then he saw the blast area and examined it. He recognized the pattern of a gun exploding due to overloading and filed it away in his mind. Then he loped off after the Glan, anxiously hoping to find battle soon.

***

Manny confidently walked to the cells where her men were being held. S’Tallen staggered ahead, the point of Manny’s S’Zai grazing against his shell. They stopped and Manny waited for the doors to open. Slowly one door hissed open and before she could react, S’Olonny shot out of the cell door like a bullet, his S’Zai poised to kill. He swung down and Manny had no choice but to push S’Tallen aside and swing her blade to block the attack.

Sparks flew as the swords clashed against each other and Manny’s body reverberated from the force of the blow. She staggered backwards, but S’Olonny was not about to let her rest. He came at her again and she struggled to block him. The S’Zais met again and then Manny swung hers upwards. The swing was weak and S’Olonny easily deflected it. She stumbled back and threw her S’Zai up in defense once more.

S’Olonny’s mind burned with anger and hate as he furiously assaulted her, not letting her take even a few seconds to dart away from him or to regain any strength. He would drive her back as far as she could go, and then he would mercilessly strike her down. The corridor soon ended and Manny’s back was against the wall. S’Olonny went for the kill, but she dodged and wearily rolled away from him and into an adjacent corridor.

S’Olonny gave her no time to think, though, as he lunged at her again. She felt herself tiring and knew that she could not last much longer against such an attack. She looked for a way out and saw a lift at the end of the corridor. With her last strength she turned and ran for the lift and slapped the button. When nothing happened she slashed the doors with her S’Zai and the doors rumbled open. Seeing S’Olonny running at her, anxious to carry the fight to her, she stuck the sword in her belt and then jumped down the shaft.

S’Olonny cursed and stood at the lift door for a few seconds, looking down the shaft and trying to catch a glimpse of his opponent. Then he hurried to find a way down. He ran for an emergency stairway and impatiently gave the computer his access code. The doors, painted to blend in with the walls, parted and let him through. The emergency stairs were designed in case power was cut or the ship was boarded. He ran down the stairs a few levels and emerged in a similar corridor. He hurried to where the other shaft was and ordered the computer to open the doors. He looked down into the darkness, searching for Manny.

Manny was falling quickly, and she hoped that she found something to break her fall. As she free fell she tried to think of a way to stop herself. She flailed about with her hands and then her left hand hit upon something, presumably some kind of power conduit. She grasped it with her one hand and then felt it burn as her momentum carried her down. She reached out with her other hand and gripped the conduit with her right hand. She jerked to a stop and for a few seconds hung there. Then she began climbing back up, looking for a floor where she could get off. She finally spotted one and then cautiously jumped to the ledge. Her hands caught the metal of the ledge and she groaned as she pulled herself up. She lay there, panting for a while. Then she stood and hacked the door open. She stepped out into a darkened corridor and instantly had a bad feeling. Little did she know that she was in the very bowels of the ship, on one of the last floors that were not inhabited by anyone and were used by no one other than officers and bio‑energy storage technicians. To conserve power the floors’ lighting was kept dim.

As she moved along, she heard heavy footfalls approaching rapidly. She saw a large dark form coming straight at her, almost as if she were in a nightmare. She turned to run, but her legs felt like lead. She looked back and saw green fire coming for her. She pulled her S’Zai and with grim determination turned to defend herself. Sparks jumped as the battle continued unabated.

S’Olonny was once again driving Manny back, and this time she knew that she would die. She desperately fought back, but S’Olonny easily turned her blows aside. One of his own struck Manny’s arm and blood gushed from the wound. She screamed and blindly moved backwards until the corridor ended and the green fire filled her vision. S’Olonny swung downwards and she ducked down. To her surprise a door opened and she scrambled to her feet and sprinted through the door.

She saw that she was standing on a metal catwalk surrounding several lantern‑shaped containers that were enormous. She didn’t have time to admire the scene as S’Olonny pressed his attack. She was growing weaker and could hardly stand. She feebly warded off his swings and slowly edged backwards. Her feet dragged and she could feel the end coming. Still, she kept her sword up and valiantly fought on. Another of S’Olonny’s swipes hit her, this time tearing open her side. She screamed in pain and her knees buckled. She pitched backward and fell against the rail of the catwalk. She threw her S’Zai arm in front of her face and S’Olonny slashed at her. With one final swing the crystal blade of Manny’s S’Zai shattered. There was a horrible sound as the blue flame died and the catwalk shook. The railing collapsed and Manny’s barely conscious form tumbled into the dark abyss below. S’Olonny stood at the rail, a grin on his face. He turned away, knowing that his enemy was destroyed.

***

Lisa and Laurants were walking through the city, inspecting it before the aliens attacked. Most of the buildings were very strong and any one of them could be a fortress. But Lisa wasn’t interested in fighting a defensive battle, she was more interested in wiping them out in a swift, decisive slaughter.

“We need a trap,” she murmured. Laurants nodded, deep in thought. He was still unsure if the Glan would arrive in time, but he knew that if he and Lisa could hold long enough, they might be able to come and join the fight.

“We could block the entrance to the city, that would buy us plenty of time. Or we could boobytrap it and kill a bunch of aliens as they try to enter,” he suggested.

“Yes, we’ll have to do that. But I was thinking more along the lines of a ruse, one to lure the aliens into a trap that they couldn’t possibly see through. And then we would spring the trap and wipe them out, or at least a lot of them. I’m just not sure if we have anything that could really hurt them.” She looked down at the ground and they both avoided eye contact at all costs, neither wanting to betray their thoughts. Lisa found it hard to concentrate, thinking of Laurants and everything else that had happened. She felt pressured and nervous, unsure of what to do. She had walked through the city several times now and still she didn’t know what to do; her thoughts were too confused. She sat down near a building and kicked a rock. It went flying off and she heard it land a short distance away. Laurants slumped down next to her, trying to come up with some kind of plan.

Time was running out, they both knew that much. If they didn’t come up with something soon, the aliens would be upon them and catch them unprepared. It wasn’t a comforting thought, and it made Laurants feel extremely uneasy. Part of this was due to Lisa’s presence. If he had been working with any other woman in the universe his task would be a hundred times easier. But they were stuck together, and if she couldn’t think of anything than it fell to him. He wasn’t any kind of strategist, but he had seen these aliens in action. There had to be some weakness that they could exploit. Then he heard a clatter in the distance and stood up, ready for action.

Popping up from the trap door by the river was Gethol and the other Glan. They marched in single file and Laurants was shocked to see blood coating some of their pipes and fur. There was orange blood like the alien’s, and red blood like human blood. He gasped and felt the urge to vomit. Lisa ran over to Gethol and began talking to him rapidly. He wondered when she had learned the Glan’s language, but then he figured that it had something to do with the time she had spent with Lothgamm’s knowledge in her mind. He raced over to her side and her face was a mixture of disgust and hope. “Gethol says that two humans and an alien disrupted their burial ritual. They attacked and then fled into the tunnels. The Glan fought back, but he doesn’t think any of them are dead. They’re probably wounded, but they disappeared in the tunnels. The good news is that we aren’t the only humans here. Lieutenant Rosaro must have made it to the alien’s headquarters. But the alien with the humans worries me,” Lisa said and Laurants digested the information.

“They’re probably captured,” Laurants put in.

“That thought occurred to me, but when I asked them about the alien they said that he wasn’t dressed like a soldier. That may mean that the humans captured the alien. At any rate, we may get some help if they find us.”

“But we can’t count on it. Now that we’ve got the Glan, we can make some new plans.” He thought for a moment, toying with an idea as he thought about the encounter between the Glan and humans. He suspected that the aliens knew as little about humans as humans knew about aliens. If they could capitalize on that, then they might be able to set a trap for the aliens. “Hmmm, I think I have an idea.” Lisa smiled at him as he explained.

***

Davis snuck around the corner of the corridor, Arsa covering him. He saw no one around and headed for the door where they had been stopped earlier. He examined the door and saw the sensors where the computer would identify who was seeking entrance to the room. There was no way to get in from this way, but maybe there was some kind of access hatch or something that they could use. He went back to Arsa and shook his head.

“Let’s try the shafts and see if we can find anything from there,” he said and they were soon crawling around in the shafts again. He was parallel to the corridor, hoping to find something. Arsa trailed behind him, doubtful as to whether or not this would yield something. He stopped suddenly and stuck his hand out. Energy crackled and he yanked his hand back. The shaft was blocked here, there was no way to get to the room from here. A room so heavily guarded had to hold something valuable. Something that the humans might be able to use to destroy the aliens or if not, anything of value to the aliens was well worth obliterating. He motioned for Arsa to turn around and they began to crawl back the other way. They stopped to rest for a moment and Davis thought.

He snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. Maybe they could get below the room and use their weapons to make a hole. Then they could crawl in and see what was so secret. But first he needed to find a lift. He jumped down into the corridor and Arsa shrugged and went after him. She was tiring from all of the jumping and climbing, and getting impatient. Still, she hoped that whatever they found would be able to help make her normal again.

That’s all that she wanted anymore. She didn’t care about aliens or humans, she just wanted to be normal again. She wanted her life back. She knew that it was a low priority to Davis, but then again he hadn’t been turned into a hideous monster. She followed him, but what she really wanted to do was find the alien scientist and make him change her back.

They were moving cautiously down the corridor, passing a few straggling soldiers. No one paid them any heed and it didn’t take long to find a lift. Davis slapped the button and the doors opened. The two intruders stepped inside and Davis studied the lift. There were no buttons, meaning that the system must be voice activated.

“Down...please,” Arsa said and the lift began to move quickly. Davis’ stomach dropped to feet as the lift screamed down the shaft. Arsa felt sick and gripped the rail inside the lift, feeling her knees buckle. Then the lift screeched to a stop and Davis’ stomach shot up to his throat. He doubled over and nearly vomited, but managed to get control as the doors opened. The level they had stopped at was dark and quiet. He and Arsa entered a corridor, ready for trouble. No one was nearby and Davis shrugged. He looked around, but it was too dark to see much.

He stopped as he heard heavy footfalls approach and he dove into the shadows as a large shape passed. There was a green glow coming from the figure, and it went by swiftly, not seeing them. Davis sighed with relief and then he crept forward. He neared a door, and felt it. It felt rough, and Arsa tapped his shoulder.

“Something slashed the door open. I think we can get through,” Arsa, with her better eyes, had seen the damage to the door, and couldn’t help but wonder if that thing they had passed had something to do with it. She pried the doors open and then peeked through and gasped. She motioned Davis forward and they entered the room. Davis’ jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief.

There were many huge lantern‑shaped containers in the room. They were on a metal catwalk and Arsa knelt beside a piece where the rail had given way. The metal was hot and she pulled her fingers away quickly. She looked down and saw nothing, it seemed like a bottomless pit. She stood and they looked around for any guards. On the far end of the cavernous room were computers and the tiny forms of technicians scurried about.

“What are those containers for?” Davis asked in wonder.

“Bio‑energy,” Arsa said and his face lit up.

Chapter Nine

2007-06-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Chapter Nine

“There’s not much time,” Lisa remarked softly and she turned away from the body. It was then that she noticed the Glan standing in a semi‑circle nearby. Seeing their friend lying dead, they slowly marched forward. Gethol was the first one there and he slowly picked up the body, with the help of several other of the creatures. They bore him away from the river and the Glan formed up protectively around him as they marched towards the cavern. Laurants rushed to pursue them, longing to see the old man one last time. Lisa grabbed his shoulder. “Where they are taking him, we are not allowed to go.” There seemed to be something mysterious in her voice as she spoke, and Laurants watched the Glan drop out of sight.

“Where’s that?” He demanded with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“To the burial grounds,” she replied simply and then looked towards the city. “We must hurry to carry out his last request.”

“What are you talking about? We don’t even know where the lab is, let alone how to start the system!”

“No, but he does,” Lisa winked and tapped her temple with her index finger. Laurants’s jaw dropped and he understood.

“My God! You mean...you mean that he’s alive?”

“Yes, but we must hurry.” Then she dashed off and he struggled to follow. He knew now what would be in that lab. Lothgamm had said that he was the last of his people, but there had obviously been something that he had neglected to tell them. He had never fully understood the strange man, but now he knew for sure that there was much he had neglected to tell Laurants about.

Lisa rushed along, feeling very strange. It was like there was this other voice in her head telling her where to go and what to do. It was almost like someone else had possessed her body and she was now just a passenger along for the ride. Still, she felt this aura of total peace around her, allowing her to keep completely calm. She just hoped that once they got where they were going she could get rid of what was in essence Lothgamm’s soul. Her thoughts stopped as that other voice told her that the objective was nearby.

Laurants followed Lisa around a corner and then she stopped. Ahead of them was a glass‑domed, oval‑shaped building. Laurants stood next to Lisa for a moment and she smiled. “This is the place,” she remarked.

“This is the lab?”

“Yes. Let’s go.” She moved at an unbelievable pace and they entered through a circular portal that slid aside at their approach, almost as if it knew that they were coming. They went down several long corridors and then they came to an ancient staircase. Lisa began to descend it slowly and Laurants thought that it looked like it wound down into the core of the planet itself. They began to move faster, and then Lisa was running at breakneck speed. Laurants struggled to keep up and then she dropped out of sight in the darkness of the staircase. He stopped and then heard a door open and beams of light cut through the dark. He hurried to the source of the light and then stopped. At the bottom of the staircase was a huge laboratory complex.

The room was massive and lining the white walls was a row of glass cylinders. What these were, Laurants couldn’t even guess. In the center of the room sat computers and some strange lab equipment. Lisa seemed to know what she was doing, and Laurants just watched with fascination.

“The system is old and worn, but I think that it’ll still work,” Lisa mumbled to herself.

“What’s going to happen?” Laurants asked.

“The tissue samples. The system was made to clone them when the race had died out. Lothgamm was the last of his race, only he could reactivate the system. When he died, he telepathically gave me all of his memories and knowledge.” As she talked, Lisa’s hands flew across the computer screen. Finally the lights dimmed and Laurants could hear the whirring of equipment.

“Is the system running?”

“It is now, but it’s going to take a while to complete its task.” Laurants felt a chill run through him, this whole thing was beginning to scare him. Lothgamm had given all of his knowledge to Lisa. How was she going to get it out again?

The answer came when she stepped over to one of the lab machines and punched a few buttons. A headset with wires dangling from it appeared and Lisa grabbed it. She put it on her head and then punched a few more buttons. Laurants shielded his eyes as a white light flooded the room. In a few seconds it was over and Lisa stood hunched over the machine, a dazed look on her face.

“Are you all right?” Laurants asked.

“I’m fine,” she smiled, sounding a little out of breath, and motioned to the glass cylinders. Something was beginning to happen. The cylinders were flooded with the same white light that Laurants had seen only moments before.

“What happened to Lothgamm?”

“He’s in the system. It’ll take years to finish, but someday his race will reappear and reclaim the city.” Lisa sighed and then turned to leave.

“What I don’t understand is: why didn’t he just turn this thing on sooner?”

“He was waiting for a sign. A sign that his race could come back in peace and hope. We were that sign. When we came, he knew that it was time.” She turned back, a gleam in her eye. “Let’s go, we’ve got a battle to prepare for.” Laurants smiled and followed her up the staircase.

***

Terraz shivered and wished that she had brought a heavier jacket with her. Sam had suggested that they keep south and head around the desert and mountains where patrols were sure to be searching for any other humans. Unfortunately this change of direction had brought them to the colder plains where harsh winds whipped at the three travelers.

Garren barely seemed to notice the cold, although she had seen him stumble a time or two from it. No one had said anything since coming out of the marshes and into the prairie and Terraz was sure that the relationship between Garren and Sam was even colder than the weather. Garren kept his rifle raised and ready, but Terraz and Sam weren’t expecting any action.

The aliens were sure to be combing the area between where Arsa had been captured and where Manny and the others had been taken, looking for stragglers or reinforcements. But they were going in the opposite direction and three lifeforms wasn’t going to show up on any orbital scans. So, for the meantime they were safe. Of course, they still had to somehow find Captain Shaw and Laurants.

They had been heading through the desert, chasing after the homing signal from the ExoArmors. Terraz hoped to find the ExoArmors and the captain and then rescue Arsa and the others. The rescue was an entirely different thought and Terraz tried not to think about it too hard, that was Captain Shaw’s department. When they found her the young ensign would gladly turn this mission over to her. She shivered again and looked up at the sky, trying to judge what time of day it was.

She thought she saw something glimmer in the light and signaled for the company to halt. Garren and Sam were both looking around with their weapons ready to attack. The glimmer was gone and Terraz saw nothing more. She began to walk again, nervous about what she may have seen. It could have been anything, some creature indigenous to the planet, a stray piece of debris from a battle, or an alien scout. She strapped her rifle to her back and trudged ahead with her hands in her pockets, trying to stay warm. Whatever it was hadn’t attacked, but Terraz wanted to hurry away from the scene and put some distance between her and the mysterious glimmer that had suddenly vanished.

The sun would soon be setting and the temperature would drop even further. She looked for some kind of shelter. Sam, whose eyes were better than hers in the dwindling light, stepped forward and pointed to his left. In that direction was a large mound of dirt and grass that seemed unnaturally placed. Terraz nodded to the alien and they headed for the mound. Garren kept the rear guard and looked around warily.

Terraz was surprised to find a hollow opening in the mound. It was just big enough for her and the others to squeeze through, although she knew that Sam would be a tight fit. She moved aside a little loose dirt and then took a few steps back and dove through the hole. She landed on her stomach in a dark place and waited for the others to come through. Garren made Sam go first and the alien ran back and then tried to imitate Terraz’s dive. His head fit through the opening, but his hump‑like shell and broad shoulders wouldn’t fit. Garren groaned and began to push Sam through, forcing him through the narrow opening. Sam struggled to get through and with one last effort Garren stepped back and then ran at the alien soldier, throwing his shoulder into Sam’s rear end. Sam shot through the opening like a cork out of a bottle and landed somewhere in the vast, dark opening. Garren shouldered his rifle and easily dove through the enlarged opening and landed with a grunt near Terraz. A faint light shone as Garren found his flashlight and examined the area. Terraz and Sam homed in on the light and soon the three companions sat next to each other.

The cave they had squeezed into seemed huge and they soon realized that they were on the edge of a vast canyon plunging downwards into the planet’s crust. Terraz motioned for Sam to look down into the cavern.

“I see...I see nothing,” he reported in his broken English.

“Great, now what do we do?” Garren grumbled.

“We’ll rest here until daylight and then maybe we’ll be able to see what’s down there,” Terraz said hopefully.

“Sounds good to me,” Garren growled and threw himself on the ground, snapping the flashlight off. Terraz shrugged and soon was dropping into a fitful slumber.

***

The aliens had moved Manny from the laboratory to a tiny cell which had once been some kind of storage room. She sat on a pile of vile‑smelling rags that served as a temporary bed and thought of her plight.

She would be soon going up against an alien warrior much larger than she and who probably had twice her strength. Manny smiled grimly as she thought of the alien. His sense of honor would be his Achilles heel, and all she had to do was to find some way to beat him or distract him long enough to escape and free the others.

That was her other problem. She didn’t know anything about this ship, she would probably end up getting lost. She needed to find some way to get around that problem too. She sighed and then she heard a distant thumping sound. It seemed to be coming from the back wall of the room and she crawled over to investigate. She pressed her ear to the wall and listened.

She heard a voice growling and cursing and throwing things. As she listened closer she realized that she was behind another laboratory. She recognized the alien scientist’s voice being the one doing all of the shouting and she smiled. An idea was forming in her head, one that would gain freedom for her and her men.

S’Tallen threw the computer into the wall in a blind rage. He kicked his equipment and howled curses, so angry and frustrated at the failed experiment. He had been so sure this time, so sure that this was going to be the one. Instead it was another failure. He pounded a console and then sank to the floor, exhausted.

The only consolation was that the creature that had given him all of his false hopes would live out the rest of her pitiful existence amongst her former people, living a life of terror and shame. For the rest of her life she would be a humiliated freak of nature not fit to live among his people or the humans. He smiled cruelly as he thought about that. He almost wished that he could deliver her back to her homeworld himself, just to watch her wretched life as she was daily tortured by her disgusting reflection in the mirror. Yes, it would be his ultimate revenge.

He shook his head and realized how futile that hope was. Her homeworld would soon be obliterated, and her along with it. But, what if he could have her sent to his own world? Yes, he thought optimistically, she would be as much a freak on his world than as on her own. Even more so after her race was annihilated.

He could see it now. She would be put on display in a zoo, a curiosity for adults, a living nightmare for children. She would be gawked at by the masses and forced to live a life of constant humiliation. She would be held by electrified bars in a cage and he could see her driving herself mad trying in vain each day to escape. Yes, that was even better. He slowly rose to his feet and then went to find the captain of his guard. He would need a shuttle ready to take her back to his homeworld. He left the laboratory with an evil grin on his face.

***

When Arsa came to, she saw a strange face hovering over her. She reached out an arm and something warm touched her shoulder and she dropped her arm.

“It’s all right,” Davis said gently and he helped her sit up on the bed he had set her on. He had gotten over his fear of her when he had went over to her and found her lying unconscious. He had then painstakingly moved the heavy creature over to the bed and set her there. He himself had sat on the floor, thinking of Terraz down on the surface and of how to get out of this cage. He wanted so much to get back down there and to see how she was faring. He hoped that she was all right and that somehow she would find a way to save the rest of them.

As for the thing lying in the bed, he could only feel pity for it. It was locked up in here and it seemed deathly afraid of the darkness in the cell. If he could escape, he would take it with him; no one deserved to be tortured like this. Now that it was awake again, he wanted to calm it down and keep it awake.

Arsa looked at the human standing over her and for a few short seconds she hoped that this was all a dream and that she would wake up and find that she was still human. She soon realized that that was just a dream and that she was still the same as when she had blacked out. She sighed, which to Davis sounded like the hissing of a snake, and he backed away.

She stretched out one hand in desperation. “No...please don’t leave me. I’m...” Before she could finish the cell door burst open and the captain of S’Tallen’s guard stood there with one of the rookie soldiers. A slim dagger of light pierced through the darkness and Davis could see Arsa for the first time. He cried out in surprise and the captain came closer. Davis smiled grimly at Arsa and then spun and ran at the captain. He rammed him with his shoulder and they tumbled to the cell floor. The rookie soldier hefted his rifle and Arsa leapt at him. He fell over and her hands ripped at his neck. The young soldier battered her arms aside and landed a glancing blow to her head. She groaned in pain and fell off of the guard. The alien struggled to its feet and looked for its gun. Arsa whipped him across the face with her tail and lunged at him again.

The guard seemed ready for her and got his hands just under her breasts and heaved upwards, causing her to lose her balance and fall. Then the guard smiled and kicked her in the face. Arsa screamed in pain and could feel blood leaking from a gash on her face. She seized his legs and with a tug the guard collapsed to the floor. Arsa quickly jumped on top of him and stared deeply into his eyes as she raised a clawed hand. She could see the terror in his eyes, a mirror reflection of her own when she had awaken and seen herself for the first time. “Vengeance...begins here,” she growled and slashed him across the neck. Orange blood squirted out and the rookie soldier lay dead.

Davis felt the captain’s hands tightening around his neck. He saw Arsa fighting with the other soldier and knew that she couldn’t help him. He flailed about with his arms and landed a solid blow on the side of the captain’s helmet. The alien guard grunted and for a moment the hands loosened. That was just enough time for Davis to get his legs up and push the captain off of him. The alien rolled over onto the floor and Davis shot to his feet. The captain came at him, but this time Davis was ready for him. He crouched down low and then came up with his shoulders and arms just under the alien’s reach. The alien fell and Arsa pounced on him. She clutched the other guard’s rifle and pinned the guard. She delivered a shot to his neck and his helmeted head lolled off his torso. Davis turned away, feeling violently sick and then stepped over to the rookie guard.

He stripped the guard and put on its armor, trying to disguise himself as best he could. His lack of a tail and the blood stains on the armor would make it less than passable. Arsa, not having any clothing at all, was grateful to strip the captain and don his armor. Then they heard the pounding of heavy feet coming down the corridor and looked for a place to run. Arsa’s keen eyes spotted an air shaft in a dark corner of the cell and she shot it out with her rifle. She quickly catapulted Davis through the opening and then sprang into the shaft. They began to crawl like mad, hoping that their escape wouldn’t be noticed for a little while.

After they had gone on for a while they stopped to rest. Davis panted and removed his helmet. He noticed that Arsa didn’t take hers off and he wondered why.

“Who are you?” He inquired again.

She stared at him for a few moments and closed her eyes, trying to think. “I...I don’t know who I am,” she replied slowly.

Davis could feel that she wasn’t lying, her voice was too sincere. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened to you? You obviously aren’t human or alien.” Davis asked quietly.

“I was...human. I was captured by the aliens and...and experimented on,” her voice was sad and hollow. A thought struck Davis and he gasped.

“Commander Veranda!” He blurted out. Arsa closed her eyes and thought about it deeply. She tried to see if any part of her had ever heard that name before. Then a tiny voice, seeming to shout from a million miles away, answered her. Arsa...Commander Arsa Veranda, she had heard that name before.

“Yes, that’s me!” She half‑shouted triumphantly, remembering where they were. Davis could feel that was who she was, and all of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit. “Do you know me?” She asked.

“Not really, but we were on the same ship together. You see, I’m a soldier and you were the second‑in‑command of a starship, the one that brought us to this planet.”

“Now I’m just a monster,” she burst out glumly.

“No, you’re not. You’ve just been through a lot. We’ll find some way to make them change you back.”

“How? We’re on a ship...full of them. Them, how can I say that? There is no them...and no us...not for me. I’m not human or alien anymore. I don’t belong anywhere.” Her head sank down to her chest and she closed her eyes. Davis looked away, knowing that there was nothing that he could say to make her feel better. Their chances were slim as it was, there was no way that they would be able to make anyone do anything. Still, he had to try. He would try to restore her and to rescue the others. But first he would need to find a ship.

***

Lisa looked over the empty city from one of the taller buildings. Laurants stood with her and she turned to him. He had noticed a change in her since they had gone to the river, she seemed more energetic and alive than when he had ever seen her.

Even since the incident at the river, Lisa had felt weird. Even after Lothgamm’s presence left her, she still odd, like she wasn’t herself anymore. Some part of Lothgamm seemed to linger on inside of her, giving her extra energy and wisdom. It was as if she were looking through the world with two sets of eyes now. She hoped that after all of this was over she would have some time to sort things out.

“They’ll have to come in through there,” she pointed to the opening to the city. “We’d be able to easily bottleneck them there for a while...until they overrun us. No, there’s got to be a better way to hold this place.”

“Are we going to be able to count on the Glan to help us? With Lothgamm being dead and all, I wouldn’t think that they’d want to help us,” Laurants grumbled.

“They’ll come back as soon as they’ve completed their funeral ritual. They owe not just Lothgamm a debt, but this entire city. They are sworn to defend it, and they will...with our help.”

“Good, I like those odds a lot better. So exactly what are we going to do? There’s going to be a lot of them and they’ve got all of the firepower.”

“We’ll find a way,” Lisa said and sat down on the floor. She closed her eyes and mumbled, “I’m tired, I’m going to rest for a little while.” Laurants nodded and let her sleep. She had been through a lot, and maybe sleeping would help her think up some way out of this hopeless situation.

Laurants decided to take a walk to clear his head, and his heart. He went down a lift car to the ground level and then began to walk along the street with his hands in his pockets and his head bowed.

He wasn’t sure what to make of Lisa anymore. She had changed so much, so rapidly, and his head was spinning. He didn’t know now whether to love her or to be in awe of her. She seemed to have that air about her like Lothgamm had, one that demanded respect. It seemed to put her on an entirely different level than him.

He loved her, or used to, but she never seemed to return his love. Until she gave him some sign that she cared about him, then he wouldn’t be able to tell her what he felt. But, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up. His heart seemed to be bursting and he wanted so desperately to tell her. There was so much he wanted to tell her. He wanted to say how he could understand how terribly alone she felt, he had always been overshadowed by his brother and his death in his family. He wanted to tell her that he would always be there for her, that he loved her and always would. But it seemed that he would never get the chance.

He stopped walking and sat down in a shadowy alley. He buried his face in his hands and wept, letting it all out. After a few minutes he lifted his head, tears streaming down his face, and thought of the city and the lab that set under the underground city. He knew that he and Lisa as well as the Glan were the only thing that could keep the aliens from finding that place. He wiped his eyes, knowing that there was a lot of work to be done.

***

Terraz awoke and saw a faint light in the cavern that they had spent the night in. She yawned and woke the others up. Garren moved his stiff joints and groaned.

“Morning already? It seems like I just went to sleep,” he grumbled, rubbing a sore shoulder.

Terraz too felt like she hadn’t been asleep for long, but it had to be morning, there was light now. Just to check she looked at her watch. The numbers said what they had all been thinking: they had only been asleep for two hours. “What?” Terraz gasped and went over to the canyon. She went to the edge and peered down. There seemed to be light coming from down there and Sam bent down next to her.

“Movement, people!” He shouted and pointed down into the canyon.

“Is there a way down there?” Terraz asked.

“Wait, wait a minute! Am I the only one here who doesn’t think that we should jump down into this canyon? There’s only three of us and God only knows what’s down there! It’s suicide!” Garren said harshly. The other two ignored his protests and Sam nodded to Terraz. He pointed along the side of the canyon and Terraz could just barely make out what he was pointing to, a ladder carved into the rock.

“Let’s go,” Terraz whispered and swung herself over the canyon. Her foot searched for a foothold for a few moments, but finally she found the ladder and began the slow descent. Sam came after her and with a shrug Garren followed. He didn’t want to go down there to face whatever was waiting, but he knew that he had no choice.

Terraz concentrated on climbing down, but the back of her mind was hoping that they found Captain Shaw and Laurants down there, waiting for them with the ExoArmors. It was a slim chance, but there seemed to be no other life here except for humans and aliens, so there was the possibility that it was them.

As she thought, she got distracted and then her foot missed a step in the ladder. She slipped and her hands barely managed to hold on to the rock. She hung in the air, at least twenty feet from the ground. Sam and Garren stopped and looked down helplessly. Terraz gritted her teeth and with all of her strength pushed herself up. Her foot found the foothold and quickly flashed a thumbs‑up at the other two to show that she was all right. Then she began the painstaking descent once more.

After what seemed like an eternity she reached the ground. She looked around for the source of the light and then with a start jumped against the rock to hide in the shadows. Sam and Garren joined her and they both stifled gasps.

The light was coming from hundreds of creatures carrying torches. At their sides they wore clubs and from their mouths came a strange, deep wail. They paraded around in a circle and Terraz tried to see what was in their midst. She slowly moved along the edge of the canyon, sticking to the shadows. Finally she was able to see between a crack of two furry bodies and instantly her legs felt weak and her stomach heaved.

The creatures were dancing around a body that was on fire. To Terraz it looked human and she thought that it could be Laurants, but it didn’t appear to be the captain. She thought of her friend, dead and being burned in some hideous ritual by a group of primitives. She dropped to her knees, feeling sick, and Garren put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get ‘em,” he hissed.

Before she could stop him he charged into the light. With his weapon drawn he snarled and cried out, “Bastards! Die!” The creatures drew their clubs and dropped their torches. The light from the burning body threw eerie shadows around the cavern. Instead of shooting, Garren charged into their midst and wielded the gun like a club. He laid it about him like a whirlwind, knocking down the Glan left and right. Gethol, nearest to the body, unleashed a bloodcurdling snarl and lunged at Garren, who was heading to the body. The two met halfway between it and Gethol used his club to knock away Garren’s weapon.

By now Terraz and Sam had joined the fray, not bothering to use their guns either. Terraz punched a Glan in the middle and then let go an uppercut, knocking it to the ground. She stripped it of its weapon and then smashed another of the prairie‑dog creatures in the legs. It went down and she jumped over the groaning body, trying to reach Garren and the burning corpse.

Sam was surrounded by Glan, who attacked him in fury, knowing that he was an alien like the ones who had invaded the city. He took the full brunt of the assault with Glan clinging to his legs and arms. He moved forward, dragging them along with him. His tail lashed out like a whip in his wake and his claws tore into any Glan that got into his reach. Like Gethol, he let out a war cry of his own, a deep hiss that caused several Glan to let go of him and fling themselves away. Sam was going away from Garren and Terraz, trying to draw away as many attackers as possible.

The fray was turning bloody now as many of the Glan lay with wounds. Sam was bleeding in several spots and Garren’s wound had opened up again. Garren was on his knees now as Gethol tried to smash his skull in with his club. Garren flung up his arms in defense and then with all of his remaining strength he pushed himself up from his knees, taking a firm hold on Gethol’s club. He ripped it away and then flung it aside, having reached the body. He punched Gethol across the jaw and then looked into the flames. For a few sickening seconds he saw the features of the man and realized with a start that it was not either of the people that they were looking for.

“Stop! Stop, it’s not them!” Garren called and Terraz and Sam stopped instantly. Terraz, holding the throat of a Glan, let it go and looked around her with a dazed look on her face. Sam stood straight up and gazed towards the body. Even the Glan had stopped fighting, sensing that something was going on. For a few seconds no one moved. And then Garren saw the opening to the canyon. He motioned for the others to follow him, holding his bloody wound. Terraz and Sam scooped up their weapons and ran towards him. The Glan reformed their ranks and let the humans go. Then, as the flames leapt higher, they took up their clubs and continued their funeral ritual.

***

S’Olonny sat on the bridge of his ship, deep in thought. He had tired of the War Planning Center and had withdrawn to his command chair to think. From what S’Revlar had said, there was only one way into the city and it involved a substantial drop. A large invasion force could be held off for hours or days by a determined foe before they even got into the city. They would have to find another way in to get an invasion force inside the city. Still, it would take a while to search the planet and to find another way in. But, the only alternative was to commit his forces to a long and bloody battle, something that he was unwilling to do. So, he would have to send S’Revlar and the rest of the scouting troops to find a new passage. At least a two‑pronged assault might allow them to get in easier.

He had to admit that by putting themselves underground the humans had created a fortress that would be nearly impossible to penetrate. Still, once a foe got in, it would be hard for them to escape. They had backed themselves into a corner, albeit a well‑defended one. He stood up and then walked back to the War Planning Center. He found S’Revlar sitting in a lonely corner, wearing a set of white armor that indicated a dress attack uniform worn only by the commander of a large attack force. He strode over to the corner, pushing aside a few junior officers until he reached the scout turned field commander.

“S’Revlar, it is imperative that we find another way into the humans’ headquarters,” S’Olonny said frankly.

“There is no other way, only the one,” S’Revlar bit out. S’Olonny eyed him furiously for a few seconds and then hissed quietly.

“Still, it will be your task to find one. Now then, get out of that armor and into your scouting gear. I am pushing back the attack until you find a new opening so that we can take the humans by surprise. Hurry, there isn’t much time.” S’Olonny walked away and S’Revlar slowly stood. He would be glad to get rid of the armor. While he was anxious for battle, he also preferred his scouting armor, it was more comfortable and flexible. The commander’s armor seemed stiff and rigid, besides which it was old and didn’t have all of the latest gadgets like his scouting armor.

He knew that he was getting old, he liked things to be the same, routine. It was time for him to leave, but not until the humans were destroyed. He sighed as he went to his quarters and stripped the armor off. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned. Already some of the scales around his eyes were falling off. It wouldn’t be long until he shed his skin again. He had already shed it at seventeen when he had become an adult, and now he would shed it again to signify his passage into becoming a mature adult. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but it was something that he couldn’t stop. He turned away and found his scouting equipment. He donned it slowly, not savoring the task at hand. He would take an escort ship and use its sensors to look for flaws in the planet’s crust that might create caves or tunnels that could be used. As he fastened his helmet, he wondered whether there was another way in. Then he thought of it: he had heard water while in the city, maybe there was an underground river or stream that could be used to attack from. His lips turned up in a grim smile as he exited his quarters, pausing only to look at the picture of his family that he kept on his desk. He looked longingly at it and then pulled himself away and stepped out the door, which hissed shut after him.

***

When Laurants came back, he found Lisa still sleeping. He looked down at her and saw that she looked totally at peace. He sighed and stepped away and wished that he could have some peace, even for a little while. Even in his sleep he had dreams about her turning him away. There was never any peace from this daily torture of his heart. He slumped down against the wall and wondered when she would wake up. She had been asleep for a long time now, at least so it seemed. There were still a lot of things to do, and there was no sign of the Glan. He wished that they would come so that final plans could be made.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and when he opened them he saw Lisa standing over him. She laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “You need to get some sleep,” she said and then turned to leave.

He grabbed her hand, and said, “Maybe you’re right.” He abruptly let go of it, cursing himself for his weakness. He curled up on the floor and she sat down a short distance away, watching him sleep. He tossed and turned and almost seemed to be fighting something. The look on his face was one of anguish and she knew that he was deeply troubled by something.

She too was troubled. While Lothgamm’s personality and knowledge were gone for the most part, she still felt that she was not herself. She had hoped that an hour or two of sleep would help, but it hadn’t. She could still hear a different voice in the back of her head, almost like an echo of his. And while he had strengthened her mentally and physically, she still felt weak at her inner core. There were still doubts in her mind, she just tried now to keep them to herself.

While she had been asleep, she had felt this inner turmoil more acutely. It was almost as if she were two different people now, one the strong and confident woman that she tried to be and had always aspired to be, and the other the weak and doubtful child that she had been. She was deathly afraid of what would happen if the child won out. She had almost killed herself, had been only a few inches from doing it, and she shivered at the thought of doing that again.

Still, she didn’t like this new person she was trying to be all that much either. Laurants seemed to be looking to her for all of the answers now, and she wasn’t comfortable with that. He had been the one who had gotten them here; he had saved her life on several occasions. It wasn’t fair for him to think that he was inferior to her. He would be a great commander someday and she hoped that he would get the chance. She had known his brother for a little while, something that she never told him about. They had even had a brief affair, falling madly in love with each other. She had only been a commander back then, attached from Earth to inspect the readiness of ships patrolling the Mars-Earth trading corridor, and he had given her some advice on how to be a good captain someday. He had encouraged her to try and get away from her job with Alliance Command as soon as possible and get into the stars. But soon she had been promoted and the Martian War tore them apart. When he had been killed she had cried for an entire night.

When she had first read the new roster for the Explorer she had been shocked to see the name Ensign Jack Laurants on it. She had wanted to tell her mother to replace him, that she didn’t want to be haunted by those awful memories. Ultimately she had told herself that it wouldn’t be fair for her to exclude him because of his deceased brother. She remembered when he had come on board and her heart had nearly stopped. He looked almost exactly like his brother. The same dark brown hair, baleful hazel eyes, and handsome physique. For that reason she had made sure to keep away from him as much as possible during the voyage.

She hadn’t been very surprised when he was the only to stick with her after the others had abandoned her. She had known that his brother was a very kind, warm-hearted person, and it was no surprise to see that it ran in the family. She had been more than grateful for his help so far, how he had pushed her along and kept her going when everything seemed doomed. She was only now beginning to realize that she was starting to feel something for him. That was something that she didn’t want to admit even to herself. She had only fallen for a couple of men in her life, why did two of them have to be in the same family? She sighed and wished that this adventure would be over soon so that she could settle down and get her life back in order.

Until then, she would have to be careful with her feelings around Laurants. She didn’t want him to know about what she felt for him or what had happened between her and his brother. She closed her eyes and again felt the pain of that night when she had heard of Brian Laurants’s death. Tears came to her eyes and she quickly left the room.

When she got outside she stumbled blindly for a few paces and then sat and cried. She thought of all of the pain and torment of that night, when she had known that she would never see him again. After that night she had felt a slight bitterness and anger towards him for a few days, cursing him for staying with his ship when it was destroyed. Hadn’t he cared enough about her to get to an escape pod? But when she had been on the bridge of her own dying ship she had wanted to stay with the vessel until the end. If Arsa and Laurants hadn’t pulled her away, she would have died like him. She shook her head and looked with a tear‑stained face towards the forest where Arsa had been captured. Was Arsa still alive? She wondered and sobbed anew.

***

Arsa slept in the air shaft, trying desperately in her sleep to grasp the images and sounds whirling around her. Faces, places, and names seemed to spin about her madly and all she wished for was to catch just one of them and hold on to it, just one memory to hold. Finally she reached out her hands and caught something...

“Lisa...” Arsa whispered in her sleep and then woke up.

Davis, sitting across from her and nearly asleep himself, bolted upright and looked around. “What?” He asked.

“I’m not sure. I thought that I had remembered something...and then when I woke up I...couldn’t remember it anymore,” she spat out bitterly. She had been so close! “I wish that I could...remember something...anything. This is so confusing...and frustrating. Just when I think that I’m...going to grasp onto a memory...it floats away.”

“Don’t give up, you’ll remember something eventually. Just don’t try to force it.” He smiled and continued, “Let’s get going.” They crawled carefully along the shaft and soon they reached a point where it branched out. Davis kept going straight ahead, hoping to find something. He thought that he saw light ahead and motioned for Arsa to stay back. He crawled forward and then noticed that the shaft ended. He eased over to the end of the shaft. He looked out and saw to his delight that he was above a hangar. He saw orange‑suited aliens directing the ugly ships around. They were just like the one that had taken them captive and he winced at the thought. For an instant his thoughts turned back to Terraz and he longed to see her again. Then he shook those thoughts away and looked for a way to go unnoticed into the hangar.

There seemed to be now way down there except through the main entrance. If they went through that way their phony disguises would be seen through easily. There had to be another way to get down there. Seeing nothing, he crawled back to where Arsa was and told her the bad news. She nodded and thought for a moment.

“We should try...and get better disguises, or to get someone...to secure a ship for us. I’m not sure how...but maybe we should try one of those other shafts.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, let’s go.” They moved back to where the shaft branched off and then took a different tunnel. At the end of this shaft was an equipment storage room. “Bingo!” Davis whispered and then looked for a way down. Finally he smashed the shaft open with his gloved hand and then positioned himself to jump down. When he hit the floor he looked around and saw racks of armor hanging. Quickly he stripped down and put on a suit of red alien armor. He heard footsteps and hurriedly grabbed a set of red armor for Arsa. He threw it up into the shaft and then Arsa leaned down and helped him up. He held the grating to the shaft in one hand and hurriedly replaced it. Then they crawled backwards and at the intersection Arsa changed awkwardly.

While she changed, Davis noticed the gash on her face that had left a smear of brownish blood. He turned his head away, thinking that she would probably look pretty if they had met under different circumstances and she were fully human. He had never actually seen Commander Veranda before now, but he had heard of her. He tried to picture her as a person and then sighed. She had been put through so much, this torture had been worse than any he and the others had suffered when they had been captured. They hadn’t lost their memories, their identities. She had lost everything that had once been important to her. He still pitied her, but now he found himself wishing that it had been him instead of her. He hated to see her in so much pain, he would rather take it himself. This kind of chivalry didn’t usually occur to him; he had worked with lots of different women in the past and this was the second time that he had really felt this way. The first was during the battle in the marshes when he had saved Terraz. He sighed and leaned back against the shaft, hoping that this would all be over with soon so that he could get back to Earth where things were a lot simpler.

***

Terraz and the others were moving quickly down a dark tunnel. She didn’t know where they were going, but she wanted to put as much distance between them and the cavern as possible. They were all tired and hurt, but they kept going nonetheless. Garren struggled along in the rear, with a makeshift bandage covering his wound. He kept looking behind him, trying to see if the Glan were pursuing them.

Terraz signaled a halt and they sank down in the dark tunnel, huddling against the walls and trying to keep out of sight. Terraz went over to Garren and examined his wound. The blood had dried and he seemed all right, but she hoped that it didn’t get infected. She redid the bandage and then gave him a hopeful smile. He didn’t move and she saw that he was falling asleep.

It was a rest that he had earned. He had saved them back there by finding out that it wasn’t Laurants or Captain Shaw burning. He had paid the price for it, but he seemed to be taking it well. She slumped down next to him and turned her head towards Sam.

Sam had proven his loyalty during that last battle. He had unflinchingly fought for the humans, drawing many attackers from Garren and herself. Orange blood stained his skin but he hadn’t complained at all. He acted like he was in better shape then both humans, never faltering as they fled the cavern. She saw that his eyes were closed, but when she touched his arm his lids shot open and he looked warily at her.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did back there. Anyone else probably would have fled, but you stayed. Thank‑you,” she whispered.

He gave her a grin and she could almost feel him blush. “It was nothing...You saved my life,” he replied slowly.

“We didn’t do anything, you surrendered to us.”

“You kept me from...taken captive.”

“Would they have come back for you?”

“Yes.”

“And then they would have punished you, right?”

“No, kill.”

“They would have killed you! Why, because you didn’t fight?”

“Yes, think me a...coward. Not like cowards.”

“You weren’t a coward, you were scared. I was scared back there in that cavern, but that doesn’t make me a coward.”

“But cowards...no fight.”

“You aren’t a coward Sam, you saved our lives back there. You’re a hero.” She smiled at him and he smiled back. She understood now why he had surrendered. If he hadn’t then the aliens would have found him and executed him. Just because he hadn’t fought them in the marshes. Because he was young and scared. She could understand his pain; he would be dishonored amongst his own people. He closed his eyes and she sighed.

She had never intended to take command of people during this mission, she was just an ensign, she didn’t really know how to lead. And yet she had been thrust into leading Sam and Garren through this planet. It was beginning to feel overwhelming. As she thought of Sam she grinned grimly. She wasn’t much older than he was, and yet he seemed to look up to her like a child to its parent. It was really too much for her to handle. She closed her eyes to doze, hoping that this was all over soon.

It was then that Garren touched her arm and she looked sleepily over at him. “He really isn’t one of them, is he?” Garren asked quietly.

“No, he isn’t. I hope that there are more like him,” she whispered back.

“I hope that we find the others soon. I don’t like thinking about what’s happening to the lieutenant and the others up there. I’m sure that the bastards are torturing them. Unless they killed them. The sooner we get them back and leave this dirtball the better.”

“I know what you mean. It seems that we’ve been going for days and yet those things are the first sign of life that we’ve seen. This place is starting to give me the creeps. You know,” Terraz looked off into space for a few moments. “This wouldn’t be happening if we had just stuck together.”

“Yeah, then they could have taken us all instead of getting us piecemeal. I think we’re better off with a smaller group, we’re harder for them to find. But with these weapons in our possession we might be able to rescue the others.”

“Still, five against however many isn’t good odds. We’re going to need a miracle.”

“Amen to that.” There was a feeling of desperation and loneliness in the air around them. They both began to wonder if they could even make it to the ExoArmors and save the others. Another fight like the one with the creatures back in the cavern and they would be dead. Maybe they would never make it and never see their friends or family again. It was then that their eyes met for the first time. They could each see something there, some flame of passion just beginning. They were two of the last humans left on this planet, and they might never see anyone else again. It was then that she leaned towards him and he towards her. Their lips met and they wrapped their arms around each other, knowing that this might be the last chance they got to touch another human being.

Chapter Eight

2007-06-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Chapter Seven

2007-06-12T10:15:00.002-07:00

Chapter Seven

The thing stepped out into the light, and Laurants took a step back, clutching his gun. The creature that emerged was almost comical looking. It was a furry animal that resembled a prairie dog standing on its hind legs. It wielded a heavy length of pipe that was stained with alien blood. It began to squeak in some kind of language that Laurants didn't understand. He looked at it in a daze for a moment and then remembered his compad. He pulled it out and fiddled with its buttons, trying to activate the translator. The compad was a little banged up from the journey, but eventually the translation program came up. As the thing spoke, the translator compared it to any known language or dialect on Earth.

The native creature spoke for several minutes and made some gestures with its pipe and its four‑fingered hands. Even without the compad, Laurants could guess that it wanted him to follow it. Looking towards where he had left Lisa, Laurants reluctantly followed the direction that it was waving its pipe. He wasn't sure if any more of these things were in the shadows, and he didn't want to kill it until he found out something more about it. It seemed to be the only intelligent life that was native to the planet thusfar.

The prairie dog walked ahead of Laurants and then it stopped at a branch of the river. At the water's edge the city seemed to end abruptly. He wondered where they were going, and then the creature moved something aside and revealed a trap door buried in the dirt. It motioned for Laurants to go down the hole. He shrugged and then complied, slinging his gun on his back. At the base of the hole, the prairie dog took the lead again and led Laurants down a system of dark, winding tunnels. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and he saw that the tunnels were lined with stones that seemed to be arranged in some strange order, almost like signs pointing the way to somewhere. He checked his compad and was dismayed to see that they were traveling away from the ExoArmor signal. The trip seemed to last forever, but eventually the prairie dog stopped and pointed to a doorway carved into the rock. Laurants stepped into it and saw a dim light casting a faint glow in a huge cavern.

A beeping came from the compad and Laurants grinned in the darkness. The compad had been able to decipher parts of the alien speech, enough so that he might be able to communicate with the prairie dog alien. The creature stood in the doorway and then it went down on one knee, bowing to some unseen figure. Shadows seemed to blur and whirl until finally Laurants saw a shape coming towards him. It seemed tall and mean‑looking and Laurants fought the urge to pull out his gun and begin firing. The shape finally stepped into the pale light and Laurants was shocked.

It was an old man standing there, human in appearance. He stood a few inches taller than Laurants and had a shock of white hair that seemed to cast its own faint glow. For a few seconds the two stood there, sizing each other up. It was only then that Laurants saw more of the prairie dog‑like aliens standing behind the old man. The man began to speak in a high, nasal voice and it took the compad only seconds to figure out what he had said.

“Welcome, friend,” he had said. Laurants saw on the compad that the old man was using a language similar to the ancient Greek tongue on Earth.

“Hello, sir. I am from a distant planet and come in peace,” Laurants raised his hands in a symbol of goodwill and the old man nodded.

“I am Lothgamm, the last of my race. To whom am I speaking?”

“I am Ensign Jack Laurants from the starship Explorer. I come from a planet called Earth that is far from here.”

“I see. You seem like a decent enough lad. Come and sit down so that I might tell you why you have been brought here and why you are so desperately needed.” Lothgamm motioned to a chair made of stone that had until now been hidden by shadow. Lights came on as candles were lit, and Laurants saw that a small army of pipe‑wielding prairie dog creatures were standing in the cavern. Lothgamm sat in a similar chair and Laurants wondered what was going to happen now.

“Gethol saw you fighting those despicable aliens in the old city. I instructed him to bring you here so that I could gain your help in driving these aliens from off this planet,” Lothgamm began.

“But what happened to the people who built that city in the first place? And why haven't you just attacked the aliens yourself?” Laurants interrupted, knowing that each minute wasted was a minute that could be used to rescue Lisa.

Lothgamm leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling of the cavern. “A long time ago my people were like yours, exploring the stars, building cities, making scientific and technological achievements. But then a great war erupted as various factions fought in a brutal civil war. Almost the entire planet was destroyed, and all of our once great fleet of ships was destroyed.”

“Those who wanted peace came down here, to live under a barren desert. Here we lived for a long, long time. Then scouts were sent to the surface, myself being one of them, to see what had happened to the planet. In our absence we found everything obliterated. There was no sign that anyone had ever even existed. Forests took over the rubble of our cities and deserts covered the battlefields. I returned to the city with the other scouts and found that the city's people were gone. A mysterious disease had killed them all in the years that we had been gone.”

“Amidst all of our pain and sorrow, we found one cause for hope. We found a map that showed the way to a secret place where the Last Ship, the Avenger, was berthed. It was the last of the great fleet of ships and we boarded it eagerly. But we soon learned that we didn't have enough people to man it, and it couldn't fly. In the memory banks a message had been left. It said that one day war would again ravage the planet and a great race from the stars would come and claim the Avenger and lead her into victory over evil. Your people are that race; we must help you free them so that the Avenger can take flight.”

“It was after we left the ship that we found Gethol's people. They lived in primitive holes underground and were the only animals left on the entire planet. At first we left them be and went back to the city, where we destroyed all of the dead bodies and lived in a pitiful existence of scavenging. A couple of my friends went mad from this lifestyle and killed themselves. There were soon only a few of us, and we knew that we weren't going to make it. We searched the city for supplies and then drew lots to see who would be the one to wait for the race from the stars. I won and watched the rest of the group plunge daggers into their hearts. I disposed of their bodies and then left the city. I sought out the Glan, Gethol's people, and lived with them. I learned their language and customs and befriended them. We have lived in quiet isolation since then, waiting for you. Now that you have arrived, we must hurry and free the rest of your people or else soon these aliens will find you, me, and the Glan and exterminate us all.” With that Lothgamm pulled a small black pistol out from the dark blue folds of his coarse robe. Laurants could almost feel the excitement in the air, and knew that he could rescue Lisa now. Lothgamm led the way out of the cavern with Laurants and Gethol following behind him. Further back was a swarm of Glan, all of them clutching pipes.

***

S'Revlar was worried. He couldn't raise the other two scouts on the comm. He was alone with this prisoner and was afraid that there was someone else in this city. He looked down at the human female and grimaced within his helmet. She looked so pathetically pale and frail, much like all of this species. They had shown themselves able to fight, and yet their bodies didn't seem well‑suited to it. His people were stronger, better, and smarter, and yet they kept being defeated by these puny things. The prisoner stirred and he helped her to her feet, wanting to get out of this city. When he got to the surface he would be able to contact S’Olonny and then the city would be swept by a horde of soldiers. Then whatever else inhabited this area would be destroyed.

Lisa felt her head clearing and she looked up at the menacing black‑clad alien soldier. She stood weakly and brushed the dust off of her uniform. Then she looked around for the other aliens that she remembered seeing, or any sign of Laurants. Not seeing either, she hoped that he hadn't been caught yet. He was their only hope for escaping, unless she could find some way to get away from this alien. She looked for a weapon but there was nothing that she could use. The alien pushed her back towards the entrance to the city and she stumbled forward, still feeling a little weak.

It was obvious now that the other two aliens were either dead or had been sent on some other errand. It was just her and this single enemy soldier. If she could take him down then she would be free. This strengthened her will and resolve and she quickly made a plan. She pretended to fall forward, and when the alien went to grab her arm she turned and slammed into him with all of her weight. They both toppled over and she tried to grab a hold of the alien's neck. S'Revlar grabbed her wrists and tried to push her away. Doggedly she stayed on top of him, her hands clawing at his throat. Finally he jerked a leg up and his knee crashed into her midsection. She fell sideways and he stood. Lisa got to her feet, determined to fight to the end.

Enraged, S'Revlar charged at her and took a swing with a gauntleted hand. Lisa ducked and went under his blow and landed a punch on the base of his helmet. Her knuckles cracked and bled and she knew that they wouldn't do any good against the alien's armor. So she tripped him with one leg and pushed him to the ground with both hands. He fell face‑first and she sat down on top of him. Then she looked around for his gun, but it was nowhere to be seen.

S'Revlar struggled to free himself, feeling the human on top of him. Just then he heard a shout and a laser blast flew past and hit the entrance. Lisa turned and saw Laurants at the head of a large column of creatures. Using the distraction, S'Revlar triggered his mini‑jetpack. The heat burned Lisa's legs and she screamed, falling off of the alien. S'Revlar shot into the air, surveying the crowd below, and then rocketed out of the city and up to the surface. It was then that he stopped and landed, activating his comm.

“Captain S’Olonny, this is Tracker S'Revlar. There is a large group of aliens under my position. The others have been killed and I am requesting that you send reinforcements at once.”

On the bridge of his ship, S’Olonny digested this information. He had suspected that there were more of these humans, and now he knew that he had been right. He would have to send most of his troops to deal with this menace. From S'Revlar's report, these humans were underground. The ship's sensors had been unable to penetrate much of the planet's interior, but that was chalked up to volcanic disturbances under the crust. Obviously the clever humans had shielded some kind of underground fortress where they could stage a counterattack.

“I'm putting you in charge of a half division of men as well as escort ships, should you need them. I want you to make sure that they are destroyed and their base obliterated,” S’Olonny commanded.

“Yes sir,” S'Revlar mumbled.

“The assault force will assemble at the collection plant. I want you to meet them there.” S’Olonny broke off the communication and S'Revlar calculated that he had enough fuel left in the jetpack to get back to the collection facility. He took off, knowing that he would soon be back.

On the ground, Lisa was sprawled out, unconscious. Laurants was at her side, examining the burns. They looked bad, at least second‑degree but probably third-degree burns. Lothgamm knelt down next to him and shook his head. “The poor girl, take her somewhere where I can tend to her,” he ordered and Laurants and Gethol hauled her to a house and laid her down.

“You're a doctor?” Laurants asked hopefully.

“A healer of sorts, but I'm not sure that I can help her, her wounds are very serious. I'll do the best that I can,” he began to chant some strange words and Laurants wondered what was happening. To his astonishment he saw the burns begin to heal. “My people have telepathic abilities which can be used to heal damaged body tissue. The chanting is really nothing more than a formality. I'm afraid that's all I can do for her for now.” He leaned back against a wall, tired. The wounds on Lisa's legs looked better, and Laurants was almost certain that she would pull through now. He couldn't remember being so scared then when he saw Lisa lying on the ground, her legs and uniform scorched. He was beginning to think that neither one of them was going to make it through this mission. They had already cheated death too many times, eventually there was going to be that last throw of the dice, and then they would lose it all. He clutched his rifle and looked outside of the house at the flock of Glan milling around outside.

That brought him back to the problem at hand. That alien was probably going to come back with a lot of friends. They had to move soon to get the ExoArmors, or stay and fight. Either way seemed hopeless now. If they fled then the Glan, Lothgamm, and he and Lisa would be hunted down and killed. If they stayed then they would face an enemy horde with superior firepower that would eventually overwhelm them. Looking back at Lisa, he knew that they couldn't run. She was in no shape to travel in the kind of high‑speed chase that would be required.

And what about Lothgamm and the Glan? It was because of he and Lisa that the aliens had found the underground city, so he had the responsibility of making things right again. And to add another wrinkle to the whole mess, there was the strange ship that Lothgamm kept mentioning. To man the ship they would need to find Lieutenant Rosaro and the others and rescue Arsa. No matter what they did here, they had to survive in order to make that happen. Laurants wished that Lisa would wake up again to help him find a way out of this dreadful mess that he had gotten them into.

***

Manny woke up and saw the aliens waiting for her. The short one grinned at her and then signaled to the tall one. She knew that she was in trouble now and closed her eyes, trying to play possum.

The aliens weren't fooled and S’Tallen signaled for S’Olonny to begin the interrogation. He nodded and knew that he would get information from Manny this time. “Are you ready to cooperate?” He asked her with S’Tallen interpreting.

“Never,” Manny hissed, feeling a cold feeling in her stomach. Just then S’Tallen pushed a button and something extremely hot and painful jabbed her. A blunt rod sparked with electricity and sent a charge through her body. Manny winced and barely kept the pain under control, not wanting to appear weak.

“It seems they are tougher than we thought,” S’Olonny grumbled. “Increase the voltage.” S’Tallen nodded and S’Olonny asked the question again.

“I'm not going to cooperate with you, even if you kill every last one of us here. Some day you bastards are going to meet your match!” She spit at the tall alien and he laughed amusedly and then signaled for S’Tallen to shock her. Manny felt pain in every nerve in her body, overwhelming her mind so that she let out an unearthly howl. S’Olonny merely laughed and then S’Tallen turned the rod off. Manny's head sank to her chest and her world began to go gray. She felt dizzy and light‑headed.

“Next time it will be higher,” she heard the alien say before she blacked out.

In his cell, Davis sat and mused about the battle in the marshes. He should have spotted the trap, but then again so should have Manny. The problem, he knew, was that they had both been pressured by having to care for the bridge crewers and tired from several nights with little sleep as well as the many firefights they had been in. Now they both would be able to catch up on their rest.

The cell was dark and it seemed at if days were passing. The effect was maddening and he could hear whimpering from the other cells where several less‑experienced soldiers were breaking. Before long they would all be broken and there would be little hope for escape. He thought of Terraz and hoped that she would find a way to rescue Arsa. Maybe she could even find Captain Shaw, but as for them, they were finished. Shaw had been right after all, they should have gone for the weapons.

Davis slammed his fists against the wall and knew that he couldn't give into self‑defeatist thoughts like that. If he did he would soon be nothing but a mere shell of a man and his spirit would be gone. No, he was going to do something to raise not only his spirits, but the spirits of the others as well. He was going to get them, and Manny out of here, and he didn't care what it took. With new determination his mind began thinking of a plan. He would have to somehow find out some things about this ship and the guard schedules. Only then would he be able to make a clean getaway. He smiled to himself grimly and wondered how he would get out of this place.

***

The maddening darkness was coming abruptly to an end and Arsa saw a myriad of colors flash past her. The colors were spinning around her and she felt dizzy. At last she could begin to feel things again, tangible things, as the procedure was completed. The DNA had been reworked and all of the gaps were filled. Arsa knew none of this and she opened her eyes suddenly. She looked around and saw that there wasn't anything to see.

She was still strapped down where S’Tallen had left her, and she couldn't move any of her limbs. There were no mirrors around and no way that she could see what had happened to her. All that she knew was that she was alone in this quiet room, but at least she was alive. Still though, she felt as if a piece of herself was gone forever after the seemingly years she had spent in a dim, black world with no sight or sound.

As she lay there, she realized that now was her chance to try and escape. If she could find some way to get these bonds free, then she could be able to escape and find Lisa and the others. She tried to move her hands and found that she could move them slightly. With a great effort she tried to break free and then something snapped and her hand was able to move about. She used her free hand to remove the other bond, and then she concentrated on getting the leg restraints off. It was about then that she stopped and realized that there was something wrong with her.

Her skin wasn't smooth anymore. It was the same color but now it was scaly and slightly slimy. There was a green tinge to it and she gasped. Now she knew that the alien scientist had done something to her; he had done some kind of experiment on her. She recalled his speech and then she began to understand what was going on. Anger rose in her and she was able to easily snap the leg restraints. Now she was free and sprang off the table. That was when she noticed the long tail dragging behind her. She stopped and looked at it in disgust. It was clear what he had done, he had tried to make her into one of them. He had tried to make her this Savior that his people believed in. She wasn't going to let him keep her like this, she was going to find him and make him change her back.

Enraged, she broke down the door and then two guards skidded to a stop a few feet away from her. They gasped and raised their rifles. She barely noticed the green‑armored aliens, her mind was thinking only of finding the alien scientist. A laser sizzled past her and she stopped. The guards were terrified and shaking miserably. They were fairly recent additions to S’Tallen's guard and were unused to seeing the byproducts of his experiments. All they saw was a naked and scaly human with a long mane of dull gray hair and large orange eyes filled with fire. Her tail seemed to crack like a whip and they thought that she was some kind of evil demon coming to get them. The aliens bumped into each other as they scrambled to run away.

More guards came, these ones more experienced. They immediately realized what this thing was that was looking evilly at them. The captain of the guard took a step forward and sized up the creature before him. It looked dazed and angry, like many of the things that had just awakened from one of S’Tallen's experiments. He held his rifle up in its face, trying to get it to snap out of it. Then he signaled for someone to call S’Tallen and tell him what was going on.

S’Tallen got the call on the ship as he was readying Manny for another round of interrogation. This time he was determined to keep her conscious no matter what. He listened to the voice of one of the panicky rookies and a smile came to his face. She was awake, and ahead of schedule.

“You've got to get down here, sir,” the rookie guard squealed.

“I can't leave the ship, but I want you to stun her and bring her to me. Put her in my lab until I can deal with her,” S’Tallen broke off the communication and turned back to his work, knowing that his moment of triumph was at hand. With control of the Savior, all the people of his homeworld would praise him as a hero and he would have power nearly beyond mortal means. Then S’Olonny and everyone else would have to bow down to him. He looked at Manny and wondered what he could do with her after his experiment came aboard.

On the surface, the captain of the guards turned his rifle to its lowest setting. The creature was still standing there, unsure of what to do. The anger had left Arsa and now she was left confused and disoriented. Before the captain even took a shot she fell to her knees, her head in her hands. She wanted to cry, but she didn't have any tear ducts and all that came out was a pitiful moaning sound. The captain signaled for two guards to put restraints on her. They slapped shackles on her hands and feet and then tugged the chains. Feeling very much like a wild animal, Arsa got up and meekly followed them to a shuttle. Waves of pain and sadness overwhelmed her and in the shuttle she was able to catch a glimpse of herself in a wall of the shuttle.

The alien had turned her into a monster. She wasn't a person anymore, she thought and moaned. One of the rookies, emboldened by her sudden change in attitude, hit her with the butt of his rifle. “Shut up!” He screamed. She reached up to grab him, but then she held back. It was no good, there was nothing that she could do. The alien guard laughed and sat down across from her, realizing that she was no longer an evil demon, just another experiment gone wrong. Or right, he mused. He wasn't sure what S’Tallen was trying to create, but it couldn't be good. He had heard horror stories from some of the older guards about the experiments the scientist had conducted. Hideous monsters that would kill and rampage until they either destroyed themselves or were brought down. At least this one seemed a little tamer. The shuttle climbed into the atmosphere, heading for the alien ship.