The Starbird Hunt (1-9) (4)
“If I catch you eating one of those creatures, so help me…” “I’m kidding, milady. I’m kidding.” The couple entered the door. ***** “Man, it smells in here. Here, coony, coony, coony!” Seth called, his voice echoing off the walls of the Wild Thang’s engineering bay. “Come out, come out! We’ve got some special treats!” “You’re probably scaring the things off, moron,” Natasha said. Seth grinned. “Let me tell you, ‘coonies, Commander Kira’s legs look especially appetizing!” The commander aimed right at the pilot. “Try me, Urbante. You know I want to.” Seth‘s grin faltered. “Easy there, girl. Don’t want to be responsible for the loss of the galaxy’s greatest pilot.” “No, but I would like to be responsible for the loss of the galaxy’s greatest jerk.” “She’s right, Seth,” Tor said. “You don’t show the commander the respect she deserves.” “Oh, gag me. James, you have a pretty nauseating way of trying to get women.” “I wasn’t--” the engineer started. “I’d pick him over you any day, Reginald.” Natasha smirked. Urbante’s eyes widened. “Hey, no bringing in the middle names!” Tor had lost capability of speech. His face looked rather like an Aleen’s. He coughed and looked at the engines. “Um, wo-wow, these are pretty ancient. It must take months to recharge for a warp jump.” Kira looked at the engineer with those perfect blue eyes. “Really? I would’ve thought this wasn’t built for warp travel.” Tor stammered. “Uh, yuh-yeah, well, a sleeker shape is helpful for a smoother entry into hyperspace, but just about anything with warp engines can do it. Buh-besides, there aren’t any civilized planets on this side of the Sessari asteroid system.” Natasha smiled. “You know too much, Tor.” “Uh-I don’t think so. Thu-that is, I know eno-eno-enough te-tuh--” Tor’s eyes whirred while dialating, seemingly in frustration. Natasha blinked. “Is something the matter?” “Tor used to have a stuttering problem,” Seth said. “It only re-surfaces when he’s nervous.” Commander Kira opened her mouth and closed it, studying Tor’s blushing face. Her eyes widened in realization. *Two years with the boy and I didn’t even notice. Oh, Tor, if you only said something.* Tsewww! Sparks flew from the opposite end of the room. Seth had fired and had fixed his eyes beyond the engines. “Did you see one?” Tor asked, his stutter gone. “Definitely. That is one nasty-looking critter.” Natasha raised her own gun, alert. She sniffed. The smell had gotten worse. Skreeechit! She turned and screamed at the sight in front of her. It *was* a nasty-looking creature, almost reaching her knees in height. Its hair was thin and yellowish, hanging in an unsightly manner. The blood-red eyes were sunken, hungry, and evil. Sharp fangs were visible, reaching beneath the creature’s muzzle and dripping saliva. Its murderous claws gripped into the metal floor and it growled between screeching noises. Before Natasha could fire, it jumped at her. She screamed and raised her arm, which was the body part the raccoon was going for anyway. She tried to shake it off, desperately, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Get it off! Get it off!” “Okay, don’t get your knickers in a knot!” Seth raised his gun. “No!” Tor yelled. “You might shoot her! Commander, that suit’s made of resistant weaver fibers! Just stay still and it won’t break through!” Natasha followed his advice and breathed slowly, the giant, bloodthirsty rodent still on her arm. “It’s going to eat my face, I just know it.” “Calm down, Natasha. Just stay still and it’ll be all right.” Tor fixed his eyes on the slobbering space ‘coon. Commander Kira realized it was the first time he had called her by her first name. “I’m trusting you, Tor,” she said evenly. James focused on his target intently. He could almost feel the eyes translating the order from his brain into a targeting system. Tor knew that he wasn’t a good shot naturally. Before the incident that claimed his real eyes, he couldn’t pitch a ball into a mitt if his life depended on it. His father used to call him “hawk” teasingly. *Now I am hawk.* He fired. ***** “Nice room,” said Fletcher. “I painted the walls myself. Furnished it, too. That bed is the latest technology in comfort. Prevents nightmares and bedwetting.” Randy floated around his bedroom, keeping his eyes peeled for the rodents. Fletcher blinked and shuddered inwardly. He walked toward the large adornment at the desk. At first, he would’ve called it a mirror, after seeing the reflection of the room and himself represented fairly well. Then he saw the doctor, or what was in the doctor’s place. Instead of the scrawny senior in the floating chair was a large, buff man with a full head of hair and trim beard. The muscles rivaled Fletcher’s in size. Shim turned and saw the old man. He turned again and saw the bodybuilder. “What’s this?” “Wild Thang likes to make me feel good about myself. She rigged this up for me.” “Wild Thang or you?” Fletcher asked. Randy’s empty maw opened eerily. “No difference. We are one.” The High Commander turned and muttered to himself. “What an ego.” “Healthy ego leads to healthy lifestyle!” Sane turned and resumed searching the room for ’coons. Fletcher raised an eyebrow, disturbed by Randy’s hearing prowess. Suddenly, the doctor turned, thin fingers clenched around the handle of the large gun. Fletcher tightened the grip on his own weapon. Scrrtch! Scrrtch! Randy floated toward the mirror and looked at his own reflection. The scratching grew louder. Sane aimed at himself and fired. The mirror broke apart with a loud crash, pieces of glass flying everywhere. Fletcher shielded his eyes and crouched, defensively. “There you are, you good-for-nothing piece of---aaaarrrrrgh!” Benjamin clutched at the ferocious creature that head leapt at him from behind the broken mirror. Fletcher leapt to his feet, firing directly at the furry carnivore. The target screeched and flew off the old man’s face. Randy panted, a trickle of blood running down his wrinkled cheek. “I can handle him, son.” “I never said otherwise.” Shim smiled. “Besides, there’s no need to handle him now.” The doctor chuckled deeply. “Kill a space ‘coon in one shot? With THAT water gun?” Fletcher was taken aback. “This is the latest in defensive--” “Crap! That’s what it is. Look.” Sane motioned at the sprawled creature on the ground. It stirred. A growl came from its direction. The ViperX captain stifled a gasp. “What in the name of all that’s good…?” “Watch and learn.” Tsssssseeeeeeeeeewwww--BANG! ***** “What is this place?” Faytan sniffed. “It reeks.” “Of burning.” Juma confirmed. “So, it’s the furnace…or crematorium.” “Don’t say such things.” Juma’s eyesight sharpened in the darkness of the offending room. The eyes themselves glowed with a brilliance rivaling the flashlight on her weapon. “Why? ‘Cause you know it might be true?” “The man’s insane, not homicidal.” Tsewww! Rrrraaaaaagh! Juma screamed, clutching the gun until her knuckles turned pink. “What was that?” Faytan aimed the light at the huddled mass on the floor. “That *was* the doctor’s fearsome killer.” Juma shuddered. “It looks as bad as the stories make it out to be.” “No it doesn’t. It’s just a moving hairball.” Wok kicked it. It screeched. The couple gave a collective scream and jumped backward. They panted. Faytan toggled a switch on the side of the laser. “See you in hell, buddy.” BAM! Sccrrrrrrreeeet! Skrrrrrek! Rrrrrrrgh! Juma shrieked and fired into the air at the onslaught of space ‘coons repelling from the ceiling. Faytan joined her, his weapon firing in short, loud bursts. The space ‘coons crashed into the metal floor, some dead, some knocked out. One of Faytan’s shots missed and hit a switch near the infested area. Juma backed away as the wall slid upward revealing tall, searing flames. Suddenly, she screamed as a creature landed on her shoulder. Faytan acted immediately, grabbing the creature and flinging him into the fire. His wife panted, brushing her blue hair past her ears. “Let’s fry these things.” ***** “Well, I feel nasty,” Seth said, walking into the Wild Thang’s control room. Tor and Natasha followed, looking severely perturbed. The pilot’s hair was darkened with black blood, his neck had three, bright red scratches along the side. His gun was back in its holster. Commander Kira, as messy and exhausted as her male companions, slumped against the cold, metal wall, her blue eyes dulled. “Did you have to set it to maximum, Urbante?” Seth shrugged, leaning in the corner. “You saw it yourself. Tor fired and the stinker came back. As did the rest.” Tor shook his head, which brought pain to his temples. “Level five would have done the job *and* kept them in one piece.” “Who wants them in one piece?” “*I* do, if it means the pieces don’t get all over me.” Natasha glared. “Seth, you have a tendency of overreacting.” The entrance opened once more and the Woks entered, sweaty and disheveled. The humans grunted in greeting and were answered in turn. Tor noticed the blackened fur on Faytan’s hand. “You okay, Mr. Wok?” “Killed the things in the furnace,” the Takanori responded. “One actually *flew* out of the flames to attack me before it burnt to a crisp. Those things aren’t rodents, they’re demons.” Juma joined Natasha on the floor, leaning against her. “Worse than the campfire stories I heard as a girl.” “Worse than anybody could describe, missy,” came a voice from the north corridor. Randy Sane floated in, followed by High Commander Fletcher Shim, also looking put out. “Ruthless, stubborn, and evil are only words that touch upon what they really are.” “And yet you’ve done this before?” Fletcher asked. “Many times. Usually I activate the Wild Thang’s inner defense systems, but you guys offered to help…” A silence followed as the crew of the ViperX shot several types of looks at the sole inhabitant of the asteroid-ship. It was broken by an alarm. “DELETING, DELETING, DELETING…” Ssccccccrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeetchit! The hover chair turned abruptly and Randy screamed. “GET OFF OF THAT!” Tsewwwwwwwww-BANG! The space ‘coon on the control board dodged, leaving behind a crater spewing sparks and wires. It dug its claws into the metal surface, cutting into the buttons and pads. The screen lit up and image after image appeared on it, only to dematerialize and fizz out of sight. Tor took a step back when an artistic work of a gigantic bird of prey flying through the cosmos showed up, taking up the entire screen. It was erased bit by bit until nothing was left. Randy screamed louder, his eyes burning with rage. A sharp blade suddenly slid from the gun and the doctor sped toward the drooling creature, while all types of obscenities spewed from his mouth. The ‘coon hissed and leapt from the board, toward its attacker. A squeal escaped from its mouth as it impaled itself on the bayonet. In desperation, it brought its fangs down on the doctor’s ear. The old man, showing surprising strength, threw it to the other side of the room, beside Natasha. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Petrified until that moment, Kira scurried away, gripping her captain’s arm. Shim stood immobile and transfixed as more and more images of the feathered titan came into view and destroyed. Sane slammed his fist into a bright green pad. “DELETING, BROADCASTING, DELETING, BROADCASTING…” “NO, YOU STUPID THING, NO!” Benjamin clawed at his frazzled, gray hair. “NO MORE DELETING!” “What’s the matter?” Seth asked. “My files!” A sob racked through the old man’s body. “My work!” “FOUND TWO TARGETS, DELETING, BROADCASTING…” Randy looked up, jaw slack. “Two,” he whispered. “DAMN IT!” He turned to look at the ViperX crew. “ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU *ALWAYS* CHECK FOR MORE! THOSE VERMIN CRAWL EVERYWHERE!” Faytan growled, “Listen, old man….” “NO, YOU LISTEN…” Fletcher’s communicator buzzed, followed by Luciem’s familiar voice. “ViperX to away team. What’s up, guys? I’m getting loads of crippled data from your hunk of space rock.” Randy’s eyes moved frantically, his fingers twitching erratically. “Who’s the second? Who’s the second? How could I be so stupid?” The doctor swallowed, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. He sped once more toward a corner of the panel. “Goodbye, my sweet. Forgive me for yelling at you.” He pressed a small, blue button. “ALL ACTIONS CANCELLED, SELF-DESTRUCT PREPARATION IN PROGRESS.” “WHAT?!” Seth’s eyes widened. Dr. Sane turned to Shim. “You must. You must let me on your ship. We must all leave here, together. Far away.” Fletcher opened his mouth, in protest. Randy interrupted, apparently aware of the High Commander’s response. “If it weren’t for you and your crew, I wouldn’t be losing my home as we speak, would I? I wouldn’t have lost forty years worth of research and study! I wouldn’t have given myself away to the man who’s been hunting me for twenty! LET ME ON YOUR SHIP!” Fletcher bit his lip and looked into the other man’s eyes. He then spoke into the communicator. “Luciem, prepare the ship for boarding by seven.” “Seven?” came the response. “Now.” “Will do.” Randy floated toward the door. “I’ll lead you to the exit platform.” ***** Hyperspace. Dr. Sane hadn’t seen it since his journey to Sessari. It was, indeed, beautiful. Beautiful and strange. Otherworldly and magnificent. The magnificent swirls of bright colors that glowed on the main screen of the bridge were semi-hypnotic when the other lights were off and the crew alseep. Benjamin could see anything he wanted to in those colors. Including his beloved ship. Luciem silently played a song, having long since given up on talking to the old man. “Wild thing, You make my heart sing. You make everything. Groovy.” Chapter Seven: Legend of the Starbird High Commander Amos Talna stood on the bridge of the Catclaw, staring at the swirling colors of hyperspace, reflecting on the last couple of hours. His hazel eyes looked ahead intently. His hands were clasped behind his back, occasionally rising to stroke his black goatee, but for the most part staying as they were, giving him a dignified look. His sleek, dark hair was combed back behind his ears which was a style he had adopted recently. A style he had adopted after gaining the trust and loyalty of his crew. After making sure that there would be no one who would snicker behind his back. He had stopped the outright teasing years before when he climbed to the top of the military ladder. But there had been those who pointed and stared on his crew. They’d been taught. Nobody on the Catclaw dared say a word about the captain’s pointed ears. Talna chuckled as he recalled how close he had been to losing his dream. *Three days. Call me Columbus.* Not many knew who C. Columbus was nowadays. Not since the popularity of the Elven files had worn off. Not since planet Terra became something schoolchildren dreaded to study. The more a society imposed an idea, the less appealing it became. But history had always appealed to Amos Talna, so the High Commander was more enlightened than most. After all, what type of entertainment could a pointy-eared boy find outside his home? The images of the elves appeared in the swirling mass of multi-colored light before him. Creatures like him. Their ears made them appear handsome, god-like. When the Elven library first appeared, thousands tried to capture the image of an elf perfectly, and the majority of the renditions depicted them as regal, benevolent. Those were the good old days, the golden age of progression. In the wake of the mysterious reception of the Elven files, the people of planet Terra became examples of what humans should achieve. But Terra was one planet, a miserable dot too far away to fathom in a solar system too backwards to flourish. According to “the elves,” had more planets like Terra advanced, Sol might not have gone nova, giving the humans on the planet more chances to advance themselves. Back then, people took “the elves” seriously. Most people had believed, with a passion, that those majestic beings lived somewhere in space waiting to meet the Intergalactic Union and gather information on the humans in it as they did with the humans on planet Terra. Back then, a boy born with pointed ears would have been marveled at, respected, even revered. Not now. Now a pointy-eared boy was labeled as a freak. Ostracized and isolated, spat at, teased, insulted, traumatized. It was a living hell. Many times, the high commander had wished he was in a burning furnace, skin charring away and eyeballs melting into bubbling jelly, instead of in a classroom as spit wads were thrown at his head and significantly deadly creatures placed in his gym shorts. There were the jokes. Demon children asking if certain organs were as long as his ears. Disgusting kids clamping electro-shockers on the tips. Scum making cracks at his mother. *Wow, she sure does get around. Went and did the family mule!* And his mother…When your own mother shunned you, what was there to live for? Power. Power that resided somewhere in the vast universe. Power that was unimaginable and indescribable by mortal means. The power of the Starbird. Strange, how the Starbird was only a footnote in the Elven library. Of course, the only files that survived the Livblana galaxy war were those of Terra. The war was long before he was born and practically all the knowledge of the elves was erased by the Livblanans. Only the Terra files remained. And in those files, there was only one mention of the Starbird: an asterisk next to the “phoenix” myth entry which directed you to view the Mythos files. Those no longer existed. But there was one large collection of knowledge that lived and breathed still. A good friend who would have helped him out of any problem in the army. A mentor, a guide, a father figure (his own father had contracted spontaneous combustion disorder from a prostitute on Holga Five). The good doctor knew all there was to know about life. But he wasn’t willing to share. The bastard wasn’t willing to share. *I found you, Doc. Or at least your trail. You almost escaped. Board was going to bring my ship back. Even I didn’t think I’d find you in three days. So nice of you to SEND me your treasured info, crippled and incomplete as it is. You’re nailed, Doc. I’ll see you on Takanor.* Talna smiled and turned away, slightly disoriented. If he could have, he would have stayed there all day, meditating. But everyone knew staring at a hyperspace tunnel for too long made you sick to your stomach. ***** “HOO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!” Seth stopped, dead in his tracks, staring at the bathroom door. He blinked and tapped on the door. “Hello?”
Copyright © 2002 Phil V Infinite |