Alien Manifesto (33 page)

“
We must talk first, my
love,” she mewed softly, just out of easy reach. “We have much to
discuss,” she added solemnly.

“
What’s on your mind?” I
asked her, relaxing against the whirlpool jet, hands behind my
head, listening intently.

“
If we are to have children
you must take the trials of attainment on my home world.” As I
started to protest, she held her fingers to my lips, silencing me.
“If you are to pass the trials, you will have to learn the way of
the assassin. I offer this great honor to you. Many have tried but
only a few non-felines have ever passed the trials. They are legend
and known as Ja Ha Don. My brother in his anger will see to it that
you fail even if he has to change the rules that have been in place
for a thousand generations,” she mewed “If you formally declare
your intentions to take the trials, you are untouchable by any of
my people, even the king himself.”

“
Do you think I can do it?”
I asked my mate. She answered with a question: “Tell me again how
you defeated my father and stole the object from right under his
nose.”

As I related my story once again, she
put her hand to my mouth when I got to the part about becoming the
stone.

“
After the hours of
concentrating inward, becoming the stone, could you not see the
whole room in your mind?” my mate asked.

“
Now that I think about it,
yes I could,” I answered.

“
And when my father entered
the room cloaked you sensed him, did you not?” she
mewed.

“
I did,” I answered, “That
is when I floated up to the ceiling on the anti-grav glider. I
cannot explain how I knew he was there, I just knew.”

“
I suspected as much,”
purred my mate with a smile. “Yes my love, I think you can pass the
trials.

“
My father was teaching you
much more than you realize. I believe he was grooming you as his
student, which is also a great honor, you would be his first,”
purred my mate. “I am not sure why, as your front kick is still
off, and you do not bathe enough,” she purred playfully splashing
me.

“
The way of the assassin is
a spiritual path to stalking and killing prey. It involves the mind
and feeling your prey, not depending on the ordinary senses,” she
mewed returning to seriousness. “I am not sure I can instruct you
properly. However, I do know someone who can, if he will
help.”

“
And who might that be?” I
asked, dreading the answer.

“
The assassin master who
instructed me, my uncle; he is the greatest master assassin
currently alive. My father is the only one who ever defeated him in
ritual combat. My father spared his life in return for training me
against my family’s wishes,” my mate answered. “My love, I do not
offer this lightly. Our children will have no honor and no place in
society on the home world if you fail.”

“
Then I will not fail,” I
said choking up. “I will do whatever it takes to provide for you
and the twins or die trying,” I answered hoarsely as my heart
swelled up in my chest, nearly bursting with emotion.

PART
TWENTY-FOUR

The Assassin
Master

It was early in the light cycle when
the team arrived at Snarth’s estate. It was a very busy place over
the next few light cycles, with deliveries arriving nonstop. Snarth
called a meeting early the next light cycle.

“
My friendsss,” he hissed,
“the party to celebrate Human Tom and the feline master’sss
upcoming birth will begin in two light cyclesss. I have invited
many very prominent beingsss from around the galaxy, sssome for
reasssons of my own. Even though my sssecurity sssyssstem isss the
bessst available, I need you each to be on extra alert lessst
thisss party turn into a political disssaster, or worssse, a
bloodbath,” he hissed.

“
Human Tom, you need to be
essspecially careful and alert,” Snarth hissed, cautioning me. “I
have invited the king of the felinesss. I do not think he will
come. Or caussse any trouble or sssend any. However, he wasss
pretty angry with you for taking hisss sssissster away from him,
ssso be careful,” he hissed.

“
Yes sir, I will,” I
answered, my cheeks reddening at the implication that I could not
handle the king or anyone he sent.

“
Many of the guessstsss
will ssstart arriving in the next few long time unitsss,” Snarth
hissed. “I want all of the sssuppliesss that arrived ssswept with
sssensors before then. There isss no need to invite trouble in by
being carelessss. ssSplit up in your usssual teamsss of two, report
anything you find immediately. Now get to it, you are all
dismissssed,” he hissed.

As my mate and I scanned the newly
filled storage room, I asked her, “Do you think your brother will
come?”

“
Yes,” she answered,
“Because I asked him to.”

“
Do you think that was
wise? I mean, he was pretty angry with me the last time we met,” I
asked, surprised by her answer.

As she turned to look me in the face
my mate answered, “It is to him and only him that you must declare
your intention to take the trials of attainment. You must do this
before he finds out about the twins. That is why you will meet his
shuttle without me,” she mewed. “You must not give him the chance
to claim ritual combat to restore the family honor. Once you claim
the right to take the trial neither he nor any of my people may
challenge you until you either pass the trial or die trying,” she
finished simply.

“
If I die trying, what
becomes of you and the twins?” I asked.

“
We will become outcasts,
disowned by my clan and forbidden to ever visit the home world
again.”

“
Then I will not fail you
or our children,” I said. “When do we begin training?”

“
We already have, my love,”
my mate mewed cryptically.

Suddenly I felt that tingle that told
me someone who was cloaked was close to me, too close. In an
instinctive move, I cloaked as I did a high backward flip, landing
behind my unseen opponent. To my amazement, my mate remained
uncloaked patiently waiting for something. I immediately guessed
that the master who had trained her was the one I felt. I felt the
urge to show my stuff too late as I felt the assassin master’s
blade at my throat.

I relaxed in order to lull him into
revealing himself. I did not have to wait long. “You should not
give up so easy, boy,” growled the assassin master in my ear as he
decloaked, his feline blade still at my throat. Sensing my chance
to strike I used some of my S.E.A.L. hand to hand combat training
to disarm, then completing the move with one I had learned from my
mate, threw the assassin master over my shoulder and into the
wall.

To my surprise he rebounded instantly
off the wall, jumping directly at me with the most graceful flying
front kick I have ever seen, he seemed to float towards me. I was
so amazed by his grace he almost connected, almost. I managed a
barrel roll out of the way, throwing a short upward kick that
connected on the assassin master’s abdomen, causing him to grunt in
pain and land off balance.

As I sprang back to my feet into a
killing stance, my feline blade drawn, I heard my mate yowl, “Stop,
both of you.” I held my stance, waiting on the assassin master’s
next move. It never came. As I watched, my mate bowed deeply from
the waist. From her angry glance, I knew that I must also bow to
the master assassin. Therefore, I bowed from the waist as well,
waiting to be acknowledged.

“
So this is what my best
student has become, the mate for a human,” growled the assassin
master in a deep gravelly voice.

“
Master, it is good to see
you,” mewed the stealth master, her head bowed in
respect.

“
So is that your best,
boy?” growled the assassin master as he circled me, sizing me up
further.

“
No sir,” I answered. After
I answered, I stood my tallest and glared down at the assassin
master, watching him circle me.

He was only slightly larger than my
mate, only thin and wiry, not bulky and muscular, his jet-black fur
greying around his ears and nose. “I hope not, for your sake,”
growled the assassin master. “So, my niece has finally decided to
mate,” he mewed as he continued to circle me. I knew he was waiting
for my attention to lapse so he could strike. My gaze never
wandered as I settled into a practiced, patient on
guard.

Still the assassin master circled,
looking for an opening. I was tempted to give him one. However, I
knew how much this meant to my mate so I patiently waited for the
assassin master’s move. It never came.

“
I have never been detected
by any of my prey before, boy. How did you know I was going to
strike?” the assassin master hissed at me.

“
The same way I evaded your
brother, Master. I felt your presence when you got too close to
me.”

“
You speak of the Way of
the Assassin, boy. What do you know of this?” the assassin master
hissed angrily, pausing in his circling.

“
Only what your niece and
her father have taught me, master,” I answered.

The assassin master whirled around to
face my mate. “It is forbidden to teach an outsider the Way,” he
hissed, even angrier. My mate was still as stone, her head bowed in
submission and in a low mew, she said simply “I believe he is Ja Ha
Don.”

That brought the assassin master up
short and rigid in surprise. “He is going to declare his intention
to take the trials to the king when he arrives,” my mate
continued.

“
The king is coming here?
Why?” hissed a suddenly icy calm assassin master.

“
Because I asked him to, he
is my brother after all.”

At that moment the feline master’s
communicator squawked; it was Snarth.

“
The king’sss ssshuttle
will be landing in ten ssshort time unitsss,” he hissed.

“
The king must not know
that I am here, not yet,” growled the assassin master. “Niece, I
swear you to silence, and you too, human. I think I have uncovered
a plot to kill the king but I have no real proof. In fact they may
try to kill the king while he is here and not on the home world. It
will be easier,” he hissed coldly. “It would seem that the Way has
other ideas or I would not be here with you now,” growled the
assassin master, as much to himself as to the two of us.

He had settled into an icy calm that
would have given any one of my former S.E.A.L. team members pause.
“Snarth can help,” I said quietly.

“
This is a private matter,
boy,” snarled the assassin master, turning his gaze on
me.

“
Tom is right, Uncle,”
yowled my mate.

“
SSlice can find out
anything about anybody,” I added.

“
Now you want to bring a
filthy spinner into this,” snarled the assassin master through
clenched teeth.

“
Uncle, SSlice saved my
life. He is an honorable spinner. Snarth has known his family for
generations.”

“
Very well,” hissed the
stealth master, his jaws still clenched. “As I seem to have no
choice: Human Tom, you and my niece must meet the king’s shuttle
and declare your intent to take the trials. That should cause
enough of a stir as to keep everyone’s attention on the king. I
will speak to Snarth and this spinner. Remember the king must not
know I am here.”

“
His name is SSlice and he
saved my life too,” I said, my anger rising at the assassin
master’s disrespect of my friend.

Our eyes locked, his had an odd
intensity to them. I gave him back my best icy stare. I felt my
knees begin to weaken in a flee response to the assassin master’s
glare. My mate had warned me of that stare. The master was using
his power of the Way on me!

“
I will let your challenge
pass this time, boy, since you are new to our ways,” hissed the
assassin master as he broke our stare, and disappeared, silent as a
puff of smoke. I instantly felt strength returning to my legs. I
realized I had been holding my breath and I let it out with a loud
whoosh.

As I looked around I saw my mate
staring at me intently, smiling, “You did very well my love. Very
few felines can resist the master’s urge to flee. I know of no prey
that has ever resisted it. Now go and declare your intentions to my
brother,” she mewed. “Remember, formal ritual is strictly adhered
to. It may be all that keeps my brother from challenging you to
ritual combat to the death as soon as he realizes what you are
about to ask. He cannot refuse you in front of so many witnesses
without losing face. He will have the high advisors and his guards
with him. Be careful, my love,” whispered my mate in my ear as she
gave me a fierce embrace, then a gentle push toward the formal
entrance to Snarth’s estate.

PART
TWENTY-FIVE

A Request of the
King

As I stood in the king’s receiving
line, butterflies in my stomach, I mentally recited my speech to
the King. Snarth, who was at the head of the line, caught my eye,
giving me a nod of encouragement. Suddenly the King was right in
front of me, it was time to declare my intentions.