Wednesday Briefs: Ancalagon Chapter 66

 

Garjah insisted on going out first, even though I was sure it was a bad idea. He was equally sure being faced with a human who didn’t look exactly human would bother them more.

“What are you waiting for? Come out! All four hands up, if you have four.”

“We are not a threat to you. Stay calm. We are coming out.” Garjah squeezed my shoulder. “Keep Bouncer calm. Maybe we should have sedated him.”

“No, it’s not good for him.” The cerops was leaning against my thigh, and I could practically feel him vibrate, but I felt shaky myself.

Not willing to argue further, or let the humans wait longer and get more nervous, I gestured for Garjah to lead the way. He squeezed past me, and I waited, my stomach in knots, for the soldiers to make the rash decision to fire.

They didn’t, but his size clearly made them nervous. They tightened ranks. I wasn’t sure if they saw me at first, but then I heard the whispers.

“I thought you said you were human.” Soldier One, as I’d taken to calling him in my head, was still looking for a confrontation.

“I am.” My helmet was off, so I knew they could see my face. “There are dangers on this planet. Our suits? Not as impervious as the Institute thinks. I touched a plant, and it ate a hole into the palm of my suit. It made me sick.” I gestured toward my second set of arms. “This is the most obvious sign of what their doctor had to do to save my life.”

“What plant? Are we in danger here?”

“No, it’s not on this continent.” Garjah waved a hand toward the plants that grew in a riotous abandon all around them, the fragrance of the thick blossoms on the vines growing between the trees heavy in th air. “These plants are not equipped with the chemicals that eat away at materials to get the soft flesh inside.”

“But I only had about two days before Garjah found me. I can’t guarantee there are not other dangers on this planet that could harm humans. There’s something about it that is different from anywhere I’ve ever been.”

“How different? The aliens?”

“No.” I shook my head. “They’re not natives. The planet is not inhabited, but they use it.”

“To do what?”

“Gather resources,” Garjah answered. “We have the ability to travel much farther than your ships, and we use many planets to harvest resources in a sustainable fashion on our journeys. It is the responsible thing to do.”

“We’re getting off the more important subject,” Soldier One objected in a loud, strident voice. “Where is his ship?”

We had to walk a fine line there. If we said it wasn’t there, the soldiers might think we were vulnerable and might attack. If we said it was nearby and the soldiers demanded to be taken to it, we’d be caught in a lie.

“The rest of my people are watching our interaction very closely to see how well this goes. My people have a policy of isolation from your many species, and yet some wish to change that. I am here, with Essell to begin that process.”

“Isolation? Even though you travel space? Most spacegoing species have long gotten over xenophobic tendencies.”

“We are a species with a… rigid society. It does not lend well to change. When I spoke with Essell he brought up many ways your Council decides laws and decrees to the rest of your planets in the Galactic, and how most of the time that is accepted. Making changes is something most of us cannot do, or are only capable of after many generations.”

I’d cautioned Garjah against mentioning their memories immediately, so he skirted that truth as well. Still, his words set off another flurry of hushed conversation.

“Stop,” the soldier said. He turned back to us. “Why are you here now?”

“We thought you’d come looking for me. Garjah’s people have sensors blanketing the planet, and after ensuring a peaceful contact was made, we wanted to make sure my family didn’t think I died here on Ardra, first and foremost. Then I thought it would be time to meet with council members, people from the Institute. Folks in charge.” As much as soldier man wanted to think he was in charge, he wasn’t. We both knew it would take one message from my skimmer to have a whole host of administrators down on top of the planet, and his entire team would be shunted to the side.

If not removed from the planet completely.

Territory in question as far as rights of use and settlement had strict laws. Ardra was a heavy planet; it had fascinating flora and fauna, but it wasn’t ideal for human settlement. The Institute wouldn’t be able to claim right of use either, if Garjah’s people could establish a prior claim.

If this team wanted to be a part of our introduction to the Galactic, they needed to work with us, not against us. I didn’t have to see their faces to watch their postures change and the subtle shifts happen as the soldiers began to ease their stiff backs and move their hands farther from their weapons. The scientists, lead by Dr. Vikrish, stood taller and nudged their way closer to the front of the group. One tiny scientist even stepped in front of the soldiers only to be caught by the shoulder.

Tiny, or a child? I squeezed Garjah’s hand. He glanced at the suited person and then away.

Was I looking at someone, much like me, brought along on missions despite their dangers? It would explain the hostility, including Soldier One’s continued interference. I was brought out of my questioning confusion by Dr. Vikrish removing his helmet. “I believe it’s time we heard a little bit more of this story and then helped you contact your family.” He raised one eyebrow. “And the Institute, of course.”

“Of course,” I echoed.

Want more flash?

Julie Lynn Hayes 

Wednesday Briefs: Ancalagon Ch. 65

 

“Records from last exam?”

That didn’t sound good. Were they running in-depth scans on the skimmer? “Look, I know you were probably all over the place looking for me, but I’m here. I’m safe. I have a lot of information I can share with you, but those weapons make me nervous, which make the cerops with me nervous. If we could all stay calm, I think things will go better.”

Dr. Vikrish had turned to face the younger scientist who had tapped on his shoulder. As I spoke, he turned back toward me, his head cocked to one side. “Looking for you? Mr. Deray, we didn’t even know you were here.”

The pit in my stomach sank to my feet, and I was glad I was crouching. I braced my lower hands on the floor. “What?” I said faintly. I blinked at the mix of Institute and Fleet staff. Institute because I was one of their own, and Fleet because I’d gone missing form a ship. Surely Sonez reported the theft of the skimmer.

“We are here to study the planet, and unusual energy pulses brought us to this area.” Dr. Vikrish hummed. “You can see why we are feeling so cautious.” He spread his hands and indicated the soldiers.

“You didn’t even know I was here? Sonez didn’t report me… missing?” I hesitated and then replaced the original word I planned to say. No need to implicate myself.

“If Sonez is responsible for overseeing your placement, then I am not aware of any report of a scientist of your name, description, or general location being missing. One would think the Council would have notified scientists that one of our own was stranded on a planet we were going to if they knew.”

“One would think,” I repeated faintly. Bouncer pressed against my side, and Garjah touched his fingertips to mine from where he was jammed just out of sight. I couldn’t decide if that made this easier or harder, to be honest. I’d had a little time to strategize, and one of the angles I’d thought about was using my family name.

Looked like that was going to be my number one plan moving forward. I cleared my throat. “Well. Be that as it may, whatever the miscommunication was, I am here now. As I said before, I am Essell Deray. You are probably aware of who my parents are?” Having parents who was so successful in their fields and sitting on the board of the Institute was finally going to work in my favor.

Something needed to.

“The Doctors Deray are your parents?” He sounded awed, and I wished I could see his face but none of the others had removed their helmets.

“They are. As such, I’ve been embroiled in Institute business and whisked off to locations unknown and unexplored my whole life. Ardra was my chance to discover the planet’s secrets for myself. Things went… sideways.”

“Did they?”

“No one here has touched the weeds in the desert region, right?” How many were in their party? Had they lost any to the same parasite that attacked me?

“No, we haven’t left this continent. There is too much to sample here, but we have sent drone flyovers there.”

Which wouldn’t show them the danger. “There are planets on Ardra that seem to be alive. They have the ability to camouflage themselves and have evolved into deadly predators. The wildlife is more so. For my sake, I was latched onto by a juvenile cerops who decided I was a better bet than his mother who must have recently rejected him for younger offspring.”

Bouncer huffed.

“His kind are predators, armed with claws, teeth, large ears and eyes. His skin is naturally armored. And he will not hesitate to act if we feel threatened.” He’d taught the Kardoval that. Maybe I needed to remember that and pay close attention to his actions.

“Who is we?” Dr. Vikrish posed his question again, waving away the soldier who tapped his back when he stepped forward between two of the imposing men.

Make or break moment. “Two days after I landed on Ardra, another ship landed here too. Or moved into range, because frankly I have no idea how their technology works. All I knew was Bouncer was scared, an alien showed up standing right in front of me in practically nothing, and then I was out. Knock out spray or injection or something I couldn’t feel.” I rubbed my neck. It still stung from time to time when I thought about it. 

“What?” Soldier one started snarling, and the remaining guards closed the scientists off with a high-wall of bodies.

“Quiet down. Quiet.” I tried a third time but was drowned out even faster. “Enough!” the scientist finally shouted. Silence fell over the chattingering boxes.

“Are you saying you made first contact? With this cerops?”

“I made first contact, but not with the cerops. I call them, Four Arms. I don’t quite think our voice boxes go low enough to make the sound of the word for their species in Galactic.” I took a breath, recognizing their tension and knowing this might be the truth bomb that set them off. “And they’re already a spacegoing race that knows all about the Galactic.”

“What?” That was the soldier in the lead, and he was reaching for the communicator at his side.

“Don’t do that,” Garjah said in his deep, gravelly tone. “It won’t do you any good. I’ve blocked all the signals in this area until we are sure you will not act rashly.”

Chaos descended, just what I was trying to avoid. Half the team wanted to know who Garjah was, why he could set the shields but not avoid detection in the first place, or better yet, if he was from a ship, where other ones were.

“I can only answer one question at a time!” Garjah was holding my hand now, and I had twined our fingers together in a death grip.

They whispered to each other. “I think it’s time you all come out,” the soldier said, and I couldn’t argue with hat.

Want more flash? 

Wednesday Briefs: Ancalagon Chapter 64

 

The soldiers immediately took positions against the skimmer, handhelds away and weapons drawn. “Come out now!” one ordered.

“Hold on, calm down! I’m Essell Deray, and you’re here looking for me.” I waved one hand in the doorway, but didn’t come out.

“Show yourself. Hands out.” The leader of the soldiers harsh orders were not unexpected, but I also couldn’t follow them.

“Um, I have a cerops here, one of the lifeforms from the planet. He thinks you’re hostile to me, and I’m holding on to him because he has a poison in his claws that could seriously hurt you. I don’t want him harmed.”

“We can stun it.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t even know what a cerops is!” For all they knew, I could have given that name to any number of creatures native to the planet. “Your weapons might kill him. I refuse to allow you to harm an innocent animal!” I couldn’t believe they would rush the situation and risk that. Bouncer was much calmer than I intimated, but I would use whatever means necessary “I came here to study this planet’s wildlife, not hurt them.” I called him a number of names in my head. “Let’s just talk for a little bit, everyone calm down, and then I can come out.”

Get a few truths out in the open, and hopefully start engaging with the calmer, less likely to shoot before they think ones. The scientists had been swept behind the security team the moment I spoke and they were being corralled there now. I needed them in charge.

“There is much more to Ardra than anyone knew. I’ve learned amazing things, but I wanted to speak to the scientist in charge. They need to run point on this.” Look at me, picking up some of the security lingo I’d been subjected to being around Garjah and the others.

“Like what?” a voice called.

“The surveyors said Ardra was a heavy gravity, undeveloped planet with no indigenous population of intelligent life.”

“You made first contact with a new species here?” The excitement in the question was palpable. “Where? How? We’ve been here for multiple days in their rotations and haven’t seen anything on our scans but animals.”

“It can’t be true. He’s just trying to get out of being arrested,” said another scornful voice.

I could tell it was the scientists speaking, but I couldn’t tell which ones. The soldiers still weren’t standing down. Should I tell them I could hear the second guy? I probably shouldn’t be able to. My senses were far more sensitive now, but what would they do when they realized that?

Who was I kidding? If they could get away with it, I’d be locked in a lab the moment they saw the second pair of arms. Good thing we’d used the ship to fire off messages to the Institute and my parents; I’d be impossible to make disappear, if they tried that.

Who knew what the government was capable of? Garjah’s was suppressing their entire species’ development and they weren’t nearly as capable of change as ours. That meant they were less creative, less capable of envisioning the benefits of change.

Other species weren’t so incapable. I just had to get them to stay calm and listen to me first.

“I have a plan,” I whispered to Garjah. “Just stay out of sight for a little longer.” Crouching down so just my head and upper shoulders were visible, I inched toward the entry. “Don’t shoot, it’s just me coming to the opening so we can see each other and talk.”

Bouncer crawled next to me. I put a hand on him, using my other lower hand to help keep my balance as I awkwardly toddled out. “Stay put,” I pleaded with him. The gleam in his eyes glinted in the light coming in through the open door, and a fine tremble shook his body, but he was calm and not growling or whining.

Eager? I was eager for this all to be over. It was like the instructional courses all over again. Give me an unusual creature, and I was all over how to approach studying it. Give me people?

Not so great. We really should have thought this through more.

They’re not people. They’re anxious creatures that may attack at any moment. That’s all I had to tell myself. Defuse the attack. Reassure. Assess. Move forward. I could do that. The security team hadn’t moved, but I could see the scientists through the gaps between them.

Moving lower was a good start. Low indicated less threat. The door was above the level of the ground, but I wasn’t standing over them, so it was better than nothing. “My name is Essell. Can I ask who I’m talking to?” Time to see if the security or the scientists were ultimately in charge.

“I’m Dr. Vikrish from the Nautil. This is my team and our security staff.” Good, good.

“Thank you, Dr. Vikrish. I’m so glad someone came to find me, though I can assure you that I’ve been safe.” Ish. Safeish. “Ardra is an interesting planet, and there is much for the Galactic to learn here.”

An older man tilted his head, the hard glare of the suit helmet in the sun reflecting into my eyes. “Is there?”

“I did.”

“I’d like to learn why there’s two extra body signatures inside that skimmer,” one of the scientists said, holding up his handheld. It was the same waspish tone from before, though his helmet rendered his face blank.

The soldiers all bristled, weapons that had started to lower coming back up. “Hold on, calm down.” I raised my hands a little higher, the palms out and fingers spread. “No one is in danger here. I need you to lower your weapons so we can talk.”

“Who is we?” Dr. Vikrish demanded. “Is someone in there with you? What is it?” Murmurs began to spread across the group. “What? Scans… match…?” 

Want more flash?

J Ray Lamb
Julie Lynn Hayes

Wednesday Briefs: Ancalagon Chapter 63

 

“Where did Bouncer go?” Sedating him again had not made him happy. He’d been so close to me for the last few days, his steady presence against my thigh, it was startling for him to be gone. I’d gotten a narrow-eyed stare when he lifted his head after we touched down and I revived him from the sedation, but this was the first time I’d lost sight of him.

“He’s outside.” Garjah peered out the door of the skimmer. A vine slithered over the metal and dropped into the space, and he brushed it aside. “Pacing.”

I didn’t blame him. The skimmer was too small, and all the space inside was taken up by the two of us. I would pace if I could, but there was no room. “Have you noticed how much calmer he is?” I’d called him Bouncer, and that had been all about the way he constantly moved. He’d been stalking the Resistance members or staring them down from my side.

From even earlier than that, actually. It started with the Kardoval.

“He is maturing. He was a juvenile when you found him, or he found you. His kind are deadly predators, ones even we avoid. It is in his nature to be less… bouncy.” Garjah turned from the doorway to stare at the blips on the screen. “Is that moving?”

One of them was. My stomach flipped. I gripped the arms of the chair and swallowed. “Yes. Turning on the skimmer caught someone’s attention.” I tapped the screen, turning on the display. The extra pair of hands was nice to keep me anchored, but I needed to work. They could come in handy outside of bed as well.

I snorted.

“What?”

“Nothing, just thinking stupid jokes in my head.” It wasn’t even really a joke. Just stupid. “It’s a jumper. Capable of holding a full team, though I can’t scan for life signs. Something about this planet seems to impact the scanning.”

“Maybe that’s why they didn’t find your ship?” Garjah suggested.

“Maybe. This place is strange. The gravity and the plant and animal life is just part of it.” Clearly, just looking at me. Yes, part of what had happened to me was what Timok had done to save my arm, but the bond I had to Garjah and even to Bouncer had affected that.

And that bond had occurred before Garjah saw me. He’d felt drawn to come out and find me. I should have been scared witless, and even if I’d acted like a brainless idiot several times, I hadn’t been nearly as terrified of an unknown alien species as I should have been.

More questions I wanted to answer that I couldn’t focus on right then because the jumper was moving fast. I stood. “They’ll be here soon. Let me go first. I’ll keep my helmet off.”

“Are you sure? That will leave your head vulnerable.”

“I’m known to them.”

Garjah pinched his lips together, his narrow nostrils flaring again. “You don’t look fully human anymore. You’ve changed. It makes me nervous.”

“The crew is not made up of humans; I know you only met me, but ships in the Galactic employ humans and aliens of all different species as long as they can handle similar conditions. I won’t stand out as the only non-human.” I wrapped an arm around his waist. “Along with you, I mean.”

“And Bouncer. We should get him in here.” I went to the door and called him. He stopped mid-stalk, swinging his head around to stare at me before looking back in the direction the jumper was coming from. I couldn’t hear it yet, but we probably would soon. “Come on, boy. Stand with us.”

He bounded through the small clearing, rushing toward the skimmer. I smiled. Well, maybe he wasn’t all grown up. Safe in my suit, I grunted but didn’t push him down when he jumped up and put his front paws on my shoulders. He rubbed his head on my neck and chin. I rubbed the pebbled skin on the back of his neck and shoulders, scratching the itchy spots he had a tough time reaching. He rumbled.

“It’ll be okay. Just stay with me and Garjah, Bouncer.” Good thing he’d come in when he did because as soon as he was with Garjah and behind me, the jumper’s thrumming engines filled the quiet with their distinctive whumping whirr.

I swallowed hard again. “It’ll be okay,” I whispered.

“No one will harm you. Remember, we upgraded your suit. Just don’t let them strike your head.”

Glancing over my shoulder at Garjah’s naked chest, I narrowed my eyes. “If you can make my suit with four arms, what about you?”

“I have something different?”

“Machismo?” I muttered.

“I do not know what that means. I have a shield. It will keep me safe.”

Sighing, I shook my head. “We need to work on our communication skills.”

“We will,” Garjah promised.

I had to trust we would. That we’d get that time. All the time. Once we faced the ships Sonez sent, and the first contact teams, and my parents, and then everyone else.

“Here we go.” The jumper powered down and the door opened. Soldiers filed out. They were armed, looking around, their suits glinting dully in the sun. Then came the scientists.

How did I know the difference? Well, they were in the same suits but they were armed with scanners and handhelds. They spoke loudly, and their glances around were done with avid curiosity and a desire to wander off if the cordon around them would allow it.

“The signal came from right there. Ahh, you can see it through the vines. They must have masked the skimmer before.” There was a scientist in the lead alongside one of the soldiers. They were both using their handhelds, but I guessed for very different things.

Time to surprise them. “Please don’t shoot me when you realize I’m here in the skimmer too,” I said.

Want more flash?

Julie Lynn Hayes