Alien Manifesto (21 page)

“
I will never tell you!” yelled
the now panicked leader.

“
Bring him closer, I must see his
mind,” commanded the Queen to the guards restraining the
leader.

Leaning forward the Queen stretched out her
antennae to his head, feeling the leader’s mind, taking control
quickly. He tried to free himself from the Queen’s mind, its only
result was a quicker death. Learning all she could from him, the
Queen feasted on his life force, dissolving him at the molecular
level in front of the other prisoners. His screams of terror and
pain echoing off the walls. “Bring me the next one,” she commanded,
preening her antenna. She meant to continue her feast.

PART NINE

SSlice Solves another
Riddle

Snarth and SSlice’s search
quadrant also failed to produce the underground city. The light had
begun to wane, signaling the approaching end of the day’s search.
It was too hazardous to fly the cycles at night in this kind of
terrain. It was time to make camp and Snarth called a halt at a
suitable spot. Sensors had located a small cave near a water
source.
This would be as good a place as
any,
thought Snarth.

As they dismounted, Snarth asked SSlice: “Ok
if I build a sssmall fire?”

“
If that is what you want to do
then do it, as it is all the same to me,” answered
SSlice.

“
I guessss the rumor about your
people’sss aversssion to open flame is jussst that,” hissed Snarth
as he gathered burnable material that was strewn around the cave’s
entrance.

“
No it is true, however I do not
share that fear. In fact the warmth will be welcome,” answered
SSlice

“
You unpack the gear and I will
get started on supper,” said Snarth.

“
I doubt that you can fix anything
over that fire that I might like,” whispered SSlice. “Fortunately
for me I packed a supply of suitable food. You may roast whatever
meat you brought for yourself,” whispered SSlice.

“
ssSSlice, I have known your
family a long time,” hissed Snarth. “Certainly long enough to know
your own very particular dietary requirements. It hurtsss me that
you think that I was offering you ruined, roasssted meat,” Snarth
hissed with his most sincere fake hurt feelings look. “In fact, I
brought thisss package jussst for you,” he hissed as he handed
SSlice a box of live, wiggling worms from SSlice’s home planet. A
delicacy and a feast fit for a king.

Much later, as the fire died down to embers
that struggled to illuminate the cave entrance, and after much good
smoke and ale, Snarth asked, “Tell me about what the Onesss did to
your people, ssSSlice.”

With a breezy sigh, SSlice began his
story.

“
It started with rumors about
disappearing merchant ships, then fleets of warships gone, missing
without a trace. No communications of any kind, they just vanished.
We began to lose contact with other distant species with which we
traded. Communication would just stop, often in mid transmission.
We would never hear from them again.”

“
We gathered what few warships we
had and joined forces with several other neighboring species. It
was doomed from the start. The lack of trust was as bad as the
incompatible forces, tactics and hardware. The Ones swept through
our defensive fleet leaving behind only ruined hulks of our best
battleships. Their shielding technology was impenetrable by our
weapons,” SSlice whispered.

“
They did not lose even a single
ship. When their ground forces landed there was a great battle.
Great slaughter is more like what it was,” he whispered bitterly.
“Our warriors were quickly wiped out, our leaders were rounded up
and brought before the Queen. One by one she tortured then ate them
until those few who were left surrendered. Those who were left
alive were given a choice. Accept the sun as the only giver of life
or be eaten.

“
It was decided by the remaining
elders, that in order to preserve our species, our way of life and
perhaps one day exact revenge, we would appear to convert to the
worship of their sun. This was not easily done as my people had
evolved past deity worship centuries before the invasion. The Ones
believed the sun of their home world was the only giver of life in,
and the center of, the galaxy; they worshiped it as a living god,”
whispered SSlice.

“
Many years and many generations
passed and my people slowly rebuilt our civilization under the ever
watchful eye of the Queen’s royal enforcers. Then one day just as
quickly as it started, it ended. All of the Queen’s troops that
enforced the law of the Ones over my people just fell over dead.
Not just on our world either. They collapsed galaxy wide. No real
explanation was ever discovered,” SSlice continued.

“
Since I was very young I have
heard the legends passed down through the oral history every child
of my people learns. That is the cause of my fascination with the
demise of the Queen. The Ones’ home world was under attack by a
huge fleet of then unknown origin, we found out later. But no
bombardment could penetrate the planetary shields. Then the shields
just collapsed, opening the planet to a bombardment which went on
for days, destroying everything on the surface. No one really knows
for sure what actually happened. There are countless theories, each
more unbelievable than the last. The newly formed galactic council
placed the entire sector under a strictly enforced quarantine as a
precaution. Those species who survived busied themselves with
rebuilding their societies and their cities. Slowly, the Ones
passed into legend where they remain,” finished SSlice.

“
What do you think happened?”
hissed Snarth, sleepy from the after effects of the smoke and
ale.

“
I believe the Queen was killed or
committed suicide once she realized that defeat was upon them,”
answered SSlice. “Better to die than to be defeated by the
unbelievers. And die they did, leaving only questions and
destruction in their wake. But not before they carved out the
largest empire the universe has ever seen. Even the current
Galactic government is smaller by far than the space the Ones
controlled for hundreds of years.”

When he heard the slow yet loud breathing
coming from Snarth’s sleeping furs, SSlice realized he was talking
to himself. Suspending himself with a snippet of web from the
ceiling of the cave, SSlice settled in to wait for the morning
light, for his kind do not sleep for more than an hour or so at any
one time.

As the morning light filled the cave entrance
Snarth woke and stretched then reached for his blaster. Sitting
beside the burned-out fire was a male stealth master. He spoke,
staying Snarth’s reach for his blaster: “I am looking for my
sister,” he said simply. Snarth, now fully awake, saw the scars of
the fourth level of attainment on the feline master’s chest and
realized this was not just an ordinary stealth master showing off
and looking for employment.

“
My lord,” Snarth hissed, for in
the feline culture this master would be considered royalty, “To
what do I owe the honor?” he hissed with a deep bow of
respect.

“
Are you getting hard of hearing
in your old age Snarth?” sneered the still crouched feline master,
not bothering to return Snarth’s bow. “I am looking for my sister,
I have important family business to discuss with her. Where is
she?” he yowled. “I expected to find her here in your company
rather than a filthy, worm ridden spinner.”

“
If you are referring to the
massster in my employ ssshe and her partner Human Tom are
patrolling another sssector of thisss planet,” Snarth
hissed.

“
Ah yes, the lowly Earthman I have
heard so much about,” sneered the male feline master.

“
You are very well informed, my
lord,” said Snarth, warily now on the defensive.

“
The king, his condition has
worsened?” interjected SSlice from his perch on the ceiling of the
cave, hoping to prevent an escalation of tensions between the
two.

“
You are very well informed for a
traitorous spinner,” hissed the feline master, his tail twitching
from side to side indicating his building agitation.

“
I make it my business to know a
great many things about many people. I would not have expected you
to be so eager to attain the throne,” retorted SSlice in response
to the feline insults.

“
Your father and your sssissster
never told me about their family line,” interjected
Snarth.

“
My father,” spat the male feline.
“He could have been king if he had accepted the scars. Instead he
spent his life looking for answers to silly questions,” bitterness
coloring his speech.

“
Your father was my friend, and
lord or not I don’t care to hear his memory smeared by a mere cub
in my presence,” hissed Snarth, full of menace, the thought of
reaching for his blaster in his mind.

“
How dare you challenge me,”
roared the now enraged feline.

As Snarth tensed in anticipation of the
feline’s attack a female voice called out. “Easy brother, you
mustn’t let that temper of yours get you in trouble again,” said
the female stealth master as she decloaked between Snarth and her
brother, her appearance bringing the emotionally charged atmosphere
back under control.

“
I suppose that human is nearby,”
scoffed the male feline master.

“
You mustn’t be so sure of
yourself brother, he is good enough to easily pass the trials of
attainment,” said the female stealth master calmly.

“
No non-feline could pass the
trials, sister,” the male feline master scoffed
disdainfully.

At that moment I decloaked behind the male
feline master, my feline blade at the newcomer’s throat. “I may not
be able to pass your test but I have you. And I don’t like your
attitude towards my friends and especially my former
master.”

“
Don’t kill him Tom, pleassse,”
said Snarth.

Completely unconcerned by the blade at his
throat, the male stealth master calmly said, “I apologize for my
lack of social graces, I meant no insult. I was just testing your
skill, and now I have my answer. Well done, sister; you have
trained him well. My apologies to you Snarth and you as well
SSlice, I meant no true offense.”

I released the male stealth master, sheathed
my feline made blade and joined my mate the feline, known to me as
Tasha, between Snarth and her brother.

“
Now if you don’t mind I would
like to speak to my sister in private,” growled the male stealth
master.

After a short conversation, the pair of feline
masters returned to the cave. “My brother has asked me to be the
captain of the royal guard on my home planet once his coronation as
king is complete,” said Tasha. She saw me wince at the news, seeing
her brother take notice as well. “I have declined his offer,” she
said, noticing the release of tension in my posture.

“
It isss a great honor your
brother offersss you,” hissed Snarth solemnly.

“
I have a contract with you and I
have personal reasons as well,” mewed the female stealth
master.

“
Sister, I understand your
obligations to your contract with Snarth, but what could be more
personal than family obligations?” hissed the future
king.

“
Brother, I fully intend to be
present at the royal ceremony, however I cannot stay,” yowled the
female stealth master.

“
Sister, as your king to be I
insist you tell me why,” yowled her brother.

“
Because I am mated and my place
is at the side of my mate, not some useless figurehead position on
the home world,” hissed the female stealth master, her tail
twitching betraying her anger at her brother for forcing the issue
in public; shocking the other team members, as the canine master
and the Irishman had just arrived.

“
To the human?” asked her now
infuriated brother, his tail also twitching rapidly back and
forth.

“
His name is Tom, brother, I
suggest you remember that.”

“
As head of our clan I forbid it,”
yowled the soon to be king.

“
Brother, you are not yet king, my
tithe to the clan is paid for a full season,” she hissed, the fur
on her back standing up signaling her displeasure at her brother’s
attempt to control her life.

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the small
campsite inside the cave, brother and sister too angry to speak and
afraid of one alienating the other. The team members sat in shocked
disbelief. I was very uncomfortable as the cause of a family
argument, embarrassment burning my cheeks. This was not the way I
wanted my teammates to find out about my new relationship with the
stealth master.

“
My lord, how long before your
coronation?” asked Snarth, breaking the silence.

“
Not that it is any of your
business, Snarth; but the king still lives. However, he grows
weaker with each passing day. He was injured during a ritual combat
and despite our healers’ best efforts he is succumbing to his
wounds. I expect to be recalled at any moment. In fact I was
surprised I was able to interrupt this little treasure hunt of
yours personally, rather than sending a messenger and endangering
the secrecy you have so desperately tried to maintain about your
activities here,” growled the king to be. “It is, however, time for
me to leave, I have stayed too long as it is. My duty calls and I
must answer. I pray you will all be so kind as to overlook my bad
manners.”