Logic's End

by Keith Robinson

  Besides the group at the far end of the tunnel loading the mining car, there were several of the headless, mole-like creatures on the left side of the cavern huddled around what looked to be some type of computer or machine. Finally, interspersed throughout the pathways within the garden were several more of the aliens.

  As Rebecca was observing this last group, she saw a Modir swivel its neck toward one of the bizarre, tree-like aliens that comprised the garden. Suddenly, a gnarled and twisted branch began to move toward the mole-like being as if in slow motion. The Modir slave master, detecting the attack through its internal radar system, quickly held up some sort of device in its claw. Instantly, the tree slave made a cacophony of sound with its branches as it began to wilt and withdraw them toward its trunk at the same sluggish pace.

  Rebecca was so transfixed by the drama before her that she forgot her surroundings until the sudden monotonous tone of her translation unit brought her focus back to bear on Sikaris as it gave commands to the group. "The Modir must point their sound producer in our direction in order to detect us. Therefore, Tarrsk should be able to climb across the ceiling of the cavern without the Modir knowing. Tarrsk, can you carry Ch'ran while upside down?"

  "Yes, he is small enough," it replied while unconsciously scratching a particularly white patch of scales on its chest.

  "Good. When you and Ch'ran have reached the far side, wait for the signal and see to it that the Modir loading the cart do not escape."

  Ch'ran was nearly exploding from pent-up excitement at the prospect of the coming battle. "Nix will help too. Right, Sikaris?"

  "Sure," Rysth-nuul hissed. "Maybe it could make the wind blow away from you to save us from your bad stench. That would help."

  The little creature's mood was not affected in the least by the snide remark. "We are going to murder! We are going to murder!" it chanted in a shrill, sing-song voice, although the straight tone of the translator caused it to lose some of its macabre jollity.

  "As soon as Ch'ran and Tarrsk attack," Sikaris continued, "I will jump toward the machines with Prin on my back. Prin will make sure the Modir do not use the machines to call for help while I stop the others from escaping.

  "Once the remaining Modir are distracted by the attacks, Jorylk will attack the Modir in the garden. Rysth-nuul and Rebecca will remain here and cover Jorylk's charge with gunfire."

  The great spiked alien said nothing, as usual, but simply twisted its already crooked mouth into a grotesque grin.

  "Any questions?" Sikaris asked.

  Rebecca was slightly taken aback at the bloodlust she now saw in the eyes of her companions. Each one of them, including Prin, seemed eager to begin killing. These were not mere animals hunting for food or defending themselves, but these were malicious, intelligent beings who desired to kill simply for pleasure.

  Except Sikaris, she noted mentally. Although darkness obscured much of its features, it almost seemed to Rebecca that she detected a trace of sadness on its face. She immediately dismissed the notion, reminding herself that these creatures do not feel those types of emotions.

  With nothing further to be said, Tarrsk and Ch'ran moved toward the wall to begin their treacherous climb. "Watch that tail of yours," Tarrsk hissed as the diminutive armadillo alien climbed up its back, giggling madly.

  The rest of the group watched in silence as Tarrsk began slowly ascending the cavern wall. In a matter of minutes, Rebecca lost sight of the two aliens among the dark crevasses of the ceiling. After several minutes of anxious waiting with no visible sign of them, Rebecca was beginning to wonder how they were to know when the pair reached their ready position. However, before she could venture the question, Sikaris inadvertently answered it with a question of its own.

  "How is their progress, Rysth-nuul?"

  The alien's four misaligned eyes were fixed upon a point far above on the ceiling. "They are almost halfway there."

  "What about the number of Modir? Have you made an exact count?"

  Rysth-nuul shifted its gaze down to inspect the area. "I count two by the machines on the left, three in the back by the cart and another seven within the garden."

  Sikaris nodded in agreement. "Twelve."

  Suddenly, Prin's two right hands grasped Sikaris's arm in alarm. "Look!" it whispered urgently, its left hands pointing toward the machine station.

  Two large Modir from within the garden began walking toward the machines at the beckon of the operators stationed there. The four aliens huddled briefly over the devices, and then one of them pointed toward the cave entrance where Rebecca and her companions were hidden.

  "This does not look good," Rysth-nuul stated.

  As they watched with trepidation, their fears were confirmed. The two gardeners broke off from the others and began heading straight for them.

  "Blast it!" Rysth-nuul spat. "They must have found out that their machines are broken. Now what do we do?"

  "Everyone, down," Sikaris ordered. The group immediately obeyed and ducked behind the rocky shelf. "We stay with the plan." Reaching inside its skinfolds, the alien leader switched its translator to commlink. "Tarrsk, Ch'ran, we may have to attack sooner than planned. We have two Modir coming toward us, so we will have to attack first. Tarrsk, as soon as we attack, use your tentacles and try to stop them from escaping. Ch'ran, if you are low enough to the ground, drop and attack."

  Not expecting a verbal reply due to their precarious position, Sikaris switched off its commlink and turned to look at the others. "We will wait as long as we can. When the Modir come over the ledge, we attack."

  They all nodded agreement, then moved to the sides of the cavern and placed their backs against the cold cave walls. Silence reigned heavily around them until the pounding of Rebecca's heart became a roar in her ears. Then after nearly a minute of strained listening, she began to detect a slight clacking sound of claws striking hard rock and dirt.

  Sikaris held its claw up, gesturing for the others to wait. The clacking noise, which had been slowly growing louder, inexplicably ceased. For a split second, she saw Sikaris's eyes go wide in sudden realization, then it leapt to its feet, its jaws gaping open. This time, however, Rebecca was momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of sound that was produced by her alien companion. The effect on the two approaching Modir was even more profound. Standing directly in the path of the roar and being extremely sensitive to sound, the Modir were immediately rendered unconscious.

  The reverberation of Sikaris's attack echoed throughout the cavern for several seconds. As if choreographed, every creature in the expansive underground area turned toward them in the same instant.

  "What are you doing?" Rysth-nuul hissed in frustration.

  Sikaris barked out a command, ignoring the snake alien. "Attack now!"

  Several things happened simultaneously, leaving Rebecca breathless. First, Sikaris jumped the seven-foot shelf and headed off toward the left side of the cavern. Prin, instantly discerning Sikaris's intentions, matched the great alien's stride and leapt onto its back with the finesse of an acrobat. A second later, Sikaris's mighty muscles surged and launched the two beings into the air.

  At the same time, Jorylk lurched up and forward, its deformed mouth letting out a wild battle cry as it charged toward the garden, its heavy rifle spewing forth death to all in its path.

  In tandem with Jorylk's attack, Rysth-nuul let out a barrage of gunfire from its twin handheld pistols. Rebecca, following Sikaris's instructions, popped up over the edge of the shelf and added her weapon's harmony to the discordant melody of her companions' attacks. In the midst of the commotion, she barely took note of the shadowy form that dropped from the ceiling at the far side of the garden near the mining cart.

  The Modir, although startled by the sudden burst of sound, recovered quickly. The machine operators, detecting the large alien hurtling through the air toward them, abandoned their post and began running on two legs toward the nearest passageway while simultaneously attempting to extract pistol-like wea
pons from pouches on their hips.

  This proved to be their undoing; for had they simply run on all fours, they may have escaped into the nooks and crannies of familiar territory. But by running slower, they gave Sikaris the extra few seconds it needed to reach them.

  Altering its flight path to intercept the fleeing aliens, the Grinathian leader crashed full force into them. The weight of Sikaris's massive frame combined with the momentum of the leap snapped the first creature's neck, ending its desperate flight.

  The second Modir, although thrown from its feet, quickly regained its balance and continued running toward the exit. Sikaris recovered rapidly from the collision but momentarily lost sight of its foe as gunfire from the direction of the garden caused it to dive for cover behind a stack of crates. A second later, the gunner suddenly changed targets to focus on Prin, who had leapt to the ground just before the initial impact with the Modir.

  Taking advantage of Prin's diversion, Sikaris bolted from its protective cover and chased after the fleeing Modir. As the Grinathian leader reached the cave entrance, it could see the frantic alien turning around and beginning to take aim, the barrel of its weapon pointed directly at Sikaris's head.

  However, even as it prepared to fire, it continued to retreat farther into the passage. Suddenly, light exploded from every direction as the Modir outer defenses snuffed out the light of one of those it was designed to protect.

  The moment Prin's six limbs reached the moist earth, it ran swiftly toward the tech station. The ferret alien had barely reached its destination when several hard, metallic projectiles slammed into the machine, sending Prin diving to the ground for cover. Pulling an explosive from its bandolier, the alien scientist armed it with a flash of blue. Venturing a quick glance over the top of the machine, it located the Modir attacker standing not more than forty feet away on the nearby garden pathway. Pausing for a moment to aim, Prin launched the grenade at its opponent, then ducked back down behind the tech station. An instant later, the sound of a violent explosion rocked the area. After a few moments of silence, it peered around the side of its makeshift bunker to inspect its handiwork. Next to the bodies of several of the Hran and Lidrilian slaves, the mole alien lay motionless on its back, each of its shovel-like appendages bent at abnormal angles.

  Prin simply smiled.

  The instant Sikaris had roared, Tarrsk, still hanging upside down on the ceiling, sent forth a barrage of sharp pellets from its tentacles toward the startled Modir below. However, since it had not yet reached its intended position of attack, it was too far away to be accurate. Even with this disadvantage, Tarrsk's volley still managed to kill one of the three Modir as well as injure a second.

  The third uninjured alien stood up from behind the cart, which it had used for cover, and began running on all fours down the tunnel, ignoring the pleas for help from its companion.

  Ch'ran let out a loud "Whoop!" as it released its grip on Tarrsk and fell toward the floor some fifty feet below. The insane creature somersaulted in midair and grabbed onto one of the upper branches of a surprised Lidrilian. The plant-like being reacted by smashing its limbs together in an effort to shake off the intruder. However, the agile intruder had leapt to the ground, shrieking with glee, long before the garden dweller could attack.

  As soon as its rabbit-like hind limbs touched the ground, Ch'ran bounded off in hot pursuit of the fleeing Modir. Without even slowing its pace, it finished off the wounded alien as it passed with a quick thrust from its poisonous tail, even as the creature drew its weapon to defend itself.

  Drawing its own pistol from its waist pouch, Ch'ran entered the dark cave. Flipping on its flashlight, it searched the area for its prey. The beam of light fell upon a small but rapidly expanding cloud of mist near the wall. Taking a deep breath, Ch'ran plunged head first into it. Reaching the wall, the armadillo being reached out and grabbed the hind leg of the headless alien just before it could disappear inside the newly dug exit.

  The panicked alien kicked loose dirt in Ch'ran's face, trying desperately to dislodge its pursuer and seal up the exit. But the insane creature ducked its head beneath its hard shelled cowl for protection and then, with its free claw, thrust its pistol into the small hole and fired. Immediately, the kicking stopped as the leg in Ch'ran's claw slackened and went limp. Leaping back out of the mist, Ch'ran took a deep breath and cackled maniacally, its laughter echoing throughout the underground cavern.

  Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the cave, Rebecca, Rysth-nuul, and Jorylk pounded the edge of the garden with gunfire. Two Modir just inside the borders of the garden were mowed down instantly. Rebecca, unable to spot any more of the slavers, ceased firing and quickly scanned the area for new targets. Rysth-nuul and Jorylk, however, seemed not to notice the lack of primary enemies but continued to eliminate both Lidrilian and the animal-like Hran slaves that harvested the garden.

  Jorylk reached the pathway unchallenged. The spiked alien, now enraged with bloodlust, continued down the path in search of more of the underground dwellers. Its search ended when it reached the center of the garden, for huddled together in the small circular clearing were the three remaining Modir.

  Detecting the monstrous alien bearing down on them, they immediately opened fire, hitting Jorylk's armored hide several times. However, instead of stopping, or even slowing the giant down, it merely served to enrage it further.

  Throwing its heavy rifle aside in favor of hand-to-hand combat, Jorylk launched itself at the group. Two of the Modir succeeded in dodging the wild attack, but the third was crushed beneath the hulking body of the seven-foot being.

  Jorylk stood on all fours, turned its head to face its victims, and snarled viciously, blood oozing from the wounds inflicted by the Modir's initial attack. The two surviving aliens simply held their weapons up and aimed directly at Jorylk's deformed head, certain of victory.

  Suddenly, branch-like arms wrapped around the mole creatures from behind, causing them to lose their grips on their weapons. The Lidrilian held the squirming Modir tightly in its grasp, crushing the breath from its four-foot frame.

  One of the slavers managed to twist itself free from the death grip, only to stumble directly into the waiting arms of Jorylk. The incensed member of Clan Grinath held its victim in a crushing embrace, thrashing from side to side, driving the spikes adorning its armored hide into the scaly flesh of the Modir.

  In a last-ditch effort to prolong its life, the doomed alien extended a thin proboscis from the side of its headless neck and released a thin mist into Jorylk's face. Coughing and sputtering, the spiked reptilian alien dropped the Modir and stumbled backward. Both creatures collapsed in a heap on the garden floor—one mortally wounded and the other unconscious from the toxic gas.

  With both combatants down, the Lidrilian that had saved Jorylk began to move. Ripping up huge clods of dirt, it slowly extracted its massive roots from the dark underground soil. Once its entire network of roots was free, it used them to propel itself slowly toward the giant creature's body. Hovering over the motionless form, the creature raised its thick branch-like limbs menacingly.

  15

  Revelations

  THE TALL Lidrilian suddenly reeled back in pain, its thick limbs pulling away from Jorylk's body.

  Rebecca stood on the path beside Rysth-nuul, who was holding the slaver's control device pointed directly at the encroaching alien. "Get away from him, Lid scum!" Rysth-nuul commanded.

  Rebecca stared in wonder at the creature as it shuffled away. All around her were living, moving, intelligent plants! Although they did not resemble any particular species of plants on Earth, they did share similar characteristics. Most had a cylindrical trunk-like torso supported by a network of roots, which dug into the ground, anchoring them in place. Yet unlike any plants she had ever seen, these could uproot themselves and move about like some multi-legged insect. Their upper bodies contained anywhere between two and fifteen limbs, depending on the clan.

  Judging by the variety of colors
, shapes, and sizes surrounding them, Rebecca guessed that this particular garden contained a wide selection of Lidrilian clans.

  The creature that stood before them reached a height of almost ten feet. Its thick, dark purple trunk, which was spotted throughout with bumps and knobs of all kinds, split into three twisted arm-like branches. On the tips of each branch were several long and flexible tendrils that appeared to serve as fingers. Rebecca could see no mouth or head on this particular specimen or any of the other Lidrilian that inhabited the garden for that matter. I'll have to ask Prin about that, if he'll even speak to me, she thought.

  As they watched, the tendrils on the ends of the branches began to move, and a whistling sound emanated from their tips. "I will not hurt him. I would not want to make you angry with me."

  The sudden translation caused Rebecca to spin around, her eyes seeking out the speaker. It wasn't until Rysth-nuul responded to the tree creature that the truth dawned on her.

  "You lie. You probably have not had a good meal for a long time, and you are not going to get one from him, so back off!"

  The sound of approaching footsteps silenced any further conversation. Rebecca and Rysth-nuul were soon joined by Sikaris and the others as they each returned from their separate skirmishes. They quickly compared notes, eager to ascertain if any of the underground dwellers had escaped to alert the main Modir force.

  "Luck seems to be with us," Sikaris said finally. "Ch'ran, go back to the cave we entered from and finish off the two unconscious Modir before they wake up."

  The small creature nodded and smiled wickedly. "Sure. Just do not start eating the Lid offspring without me and Nix," it said as it bounded off down the path.

  "Prin, check on Jorylk," Sikaris said as Ch'ran quickly disappeared. "If he is still alive, see what you can do to help him."