Karrin Warrior Child

by Sahara Foley

  He'd been enjoying the skirmish until one of the Calen ships fired a weapon never seen before by Peps. He watched in amusement as the thin, white beam approached his craft. Lurga figured the armor plating around his fighter would be more than adequate to withstand the blast. But, to his consternation, the beam breached the hull, and then proceeded to bounce off his chest and upward, out the top. Thank the One All, the beam didn’t hit any vital parts in his ship. It was with extreme satisfaction he blew the thin-skins back to their Makers.

  Now, he went from contract to contract, anticipating a worthy opponent, but receiving nothing but disappointments. Lurga didn't have to accept every opportunity offered to him. However, leaving was preferable to sticking around the Home World, watching the fat, lazy Kargan and his sister during her breeding time.

  If I had any interest in the political running of our people, I would have challenged Kargan for the throne decades ago. Maybe I still will, just for the fun of seeing the fear and defeat in his eyes while I tear out one of his hearts.

  He stared at his reflection, noticing the restlessness and dissatisfaction in his eyes. His discontent had more to do with him than his sister and Kargan. For as long as he remembered, he never felt a part of his own people. Where they thrived only on death and mayhem, he preferred solitude and intellectual pursuits.

  And, he had yet to find an Ispepyein female to mate with. His sister ribbed him all the time about finding a breeding partner. After every successful contract, he had plenty of women flaunting their charms. But, none of them made his blood boil. None of them made him want to make a life commitment. He also wanted nothing to do with the breeding games and putting up with whiny, manipulative females.

  Is there something wrong with me?

  He was interrupted by his sister mind-speaking to him. *Brother, dear, our Great Leader has a new contract for you. Please, come see us as soon as you are refreshed from your last battle.*

  *I am on my way, little sister." Lurga slung a belt over his broad shoulder. It was filled with the rare element, called Quads, the price agreed upon for fulfillment of the contract to eviction the Grotons.

  With long strides, Lurga marched down the hall into the Leader's Throne Room. As he ambled along, he hissed through his clenched teeth, creating a melody he heard during one of his conquests. He grinned when he spied the grimace of annoyance on his King's ugly face. None of the other Peps understood Lurga's penchant for hissing between his teeth, but he found the high pitch noise pleasing to his ears. On his long voyages, from contract to contract, he made up some new tunes.

  "Will you tell him to stop making that infernal noise," Kargan snarled at his mate.

  Zelka rolled her eyes at her brother. *Will you please stop whistling, big brother. You know how sensitive my lover becomes before my breeding time.*

  Lurga stopped in front of the double thrones and flashed his fangs at his sister. *Why do you think I persist?* He glanced over at Kargan. The Pep leaders scowl made Lurga flash his teeth even more.

  Among Ispepyeins, only those of related blood communicated telepathically. It irked his Leader when Kargan couldn't hear the mental exchanges between his mate and her brother.

  Lurga bowed, then slipped the belt of Quads from his shoulder and laid it on a massive scale sitting on the floor next to Kargan's throne. "Payment in full, your Greatness. Does Leader Kargan require my services?"

  "So, you finally evicted the Grotons. Why did the battle take so long, great warrior? Maybe you have exceeded your prime," Kargan said with a sneer.

  Lurga gritted his teeth in anger as his fingers itched, yearning to feel Kargan's beating heart in his hand. He glanced sideways at Zelka. She stared back, eyes gleaming in anticipation of a possible confrontation. Lurga shook his head, and took a deep breath, expanding the three lungs in his broad chest.

  He was not, yet, ready to leave his sister mate-less, though Kargan wasn't much better than the Peenas he enjoyed feasting upon.

  Lurga rolled his shoulders, let out a sigh, and bowed his head. "No, Leader Kargan, they were not a worthy opponent. The Grotons were easy to slay, but the fools tended to flee. I wasted time chasing them down. My further delay was caused by my stop on Deseption for payment and to have my Seeder pistols and rifle re-worked. Did I miss some important event in my absence?"

  Kargan shook his massive head. "No, nothing of importance." He tapped one long claw on the armrest of his chair. "However, an envoy from Calen did visit us. They have formed a paltry conspiracy with those four-armed Eilsels and wish to hire our services. I feel their contract is not worthy of YOUR talents, but your sister has asked me and, as always, I honor her wishes."

  If you want to live through another day, you better, thought Lurga as he gritted his teeth. I have no idea what my sister sees in you and your sloppy breeding.

  *Lurga.* his sister telepathically admonished. *He is my mate. Take care that your opinions do not get the best of you.* She smiled at him, exposing all her long, jagged teeth.

  Lurga sniffed the air, then growled to himself. When Zelka was this close to her breeding cycle, she craved the sight and smell of blood, whether his or her mates, she did not care. All female Peps lusted after blood during their breeding time, and most of the scars their warriors bore came from the fighting among themselves over possible partners.

  Lurga turned back toward Kargan, who was watching with irritation. Kargan couldn't read their thoughts, but he squirmed in frustration, knowing they were discussing him. Lurga bowed his head again. "I would be honored, my Leader."

  Kargan rose from his throne and lumbered over to a star chart mounted on a pillar behind their chairs. Running a long claw across the graph, he stopped and tapped a small dot on the map. "Lurga Pukani, on this insignificant little planet is a female child the Calens fear. They have offered a contract to have her disposed. This will be a minor contract and easily handled by our Greatest Warrior, but what we are interested in is the world itself. Your sister and I would like a detailed report of this Earth. We have thought to expand our domain and this small, defenseless planet may be perfect for our plans."

  He strode back to his throne, picked up a cube, and held it in the palm of his open hand. “Here is a picto of the beings that inhabit the planet." The cube floated gracefully from his hand and landed on Lurga's outstretched palm. "What say you, Warrior?"

  Zelka’s brother studied the cube, noting with disgust another race of squishy, thin-skinned people. Where is the honor in fighting this world? No more than bugs, they would be effortlessly squashed underfoot. But, Kargan and Zelka hungered to expand their kingdom.

  Lurga shook his head. Ispepyeins would make terrible leaders, with no patience for boredom, let alone the tedious everyday matter of state that would be necessary as conquerors. Peps get very dangerous when bored. That's why they started their contract for hire services, to help curb their aggressiveness by fighting other races’ battles.

  We have earned a reputation as fierce, mighty warriors and, now, Kargan wants to turn us into fat, lazy, and smelly caricatures of himself.

  *LURGA.* Zelka mentally reprimanded, her fang-filled mouth frowning in disapproval.

  Lurga smirked at her and gave a slight shrug. *I speak only the truth.*

  Just as Zelka had eavesdropped on his private thoughts, Lurga overheard snatches of his sister's as she privately fumed. She was thinking about some powerful beings protecting. . .something. Then, her breeding lust took over and the rest was lost.

  He straightened up, excitement and anticipation making his double hearts beat stronger. Is it the child these beings are protecting? Will I finally see a real battle with a deadly opponent? He fervently hoped so.

  "Is there more to my contract with the child that I need to know?" Lurga asked.

  Kargan studied Lurga for a moment, causing the warrior to shift impatiently. "Your contract for the child is as stated, Lurga Pukani. No more information is necessary. How say you, Warrior? Will you accept the agreement on the femal
e Earthling?"

  Lurga’s eyes narrowed in disgust as the Great One speared another Peena with his claw, then bit the head off as blood dripped down his chin. *I will take this contract, sister, so I will not have to see Kargan slobber over you in his lust, and grow fatter and smellier.*

  Bowing to Kargan, he said, "I will go.”

  Zelka growled, her black eyes flashing with anger. “I hope this little girl EATS YOU.”

  Kargan's gaze traveled from Lurga to Zelka. The Leader wouldn't interfere with their sibling spat as Kargan wanted to keep Lurga in his good graces. He didn't want to fight his greatest warrior for the throne. They both knew who would win that short-lived battle.

  Lurga grinned at Zelka. "My Leader's Mate's wish is my command. I go to be eaten. Kargan, upon completion of the contract, will you exact payment or will I?"

  With a look of relief, Kargan rose and faced Lurga. “I shall. Good battle, Warrior." Clenching his right hand into a fist, he brought it to his scaly lips, kissed it, and turned his fist, opening it as he extended it toward Lurga.

  Lurga mimicked the action, then turned away, muttering, "Good battle? Against a small, helpless child? Once more, I go alone to be bored."

  As Lurga left the Throne Room and headed toward his private chambers, he smiled to himself. At least, I won't be around to see Kargan pawing all over Zelka. She was too close to her breeding time for his comfort. Kargan was so undisciplined that, sometimes, when the lust overcame him, he didn't even wait for them to be alone. Lurga shuddered in revulsion.

  Kargan won't be the leader for much longer. Lurga saw some of the other warriors looking at Zelka with lust, power, and greed in their eyes. Soon, she'll be mating with a new male, whether she likes it or not.

  Turning down the corridor toward his rooms, he anticipated the long space voyage. He loved reading, an uncommon practice among the Ispepyein Warriors, and had stored thousands of reader chips in his personal fighter. He found a few new books he was looking forward to delving into.

  Once Lurga arrived at his quarters, he gathered his Seeder pistols and rifle. As he strode to his spacecraft, he examined his weapons, again. While on Deseption, he had them re-worked with a new power source their people acquired from the damn Calens. He couldn't blame the people of Deseption for trading with them. They were a small race of peaceful beings that happened to be the richest in the galaxy. Renowned for their work on the Seeder guns and the drives of the small, personal ships every Ispepyein warrior owed.

  The ships ran off PSI power eighty percent of the time, but when the pilot was asleep, the power drive kicked in. When Lurga learned of the new element the Deseptions discovered, he had them rework his engine to accommodate the powdered form of silver ore from a planet, called Lear. This silver alloy, which came in the form of a small rock, was so full of raw power that a tiny amount lasted an incredibly long time.

  While Lurga waited for his ship to be converted, he popped a small, silver nugget in his mouth. To his amazement, his taste buds found it delicious. Now, every nook and cranny in his ship was crammed with the silver ore. He smacked his lips, looking forward to feasting on his new favorite snack.

  Lurga chuckled to himself. No one else knew about this new power source from Lear. Once he discovered how well the silver ore worked with his Seeder guns, and how well it tasted, he bought every ounce the Deseptions traded Calen for.

  The people of Deseption didn't care. Money was money, and besides, he saved their thin-skinned asses plenty of times over the years. They owed him, and they knew it.

  Lurga climbed into his fighter, then strapped in. After doing his routine pre-flight checks, he took the picto-cube of the girl child out of his pocket. He studied it intently.

  The picture wasn't very sharp. Either it had been acquired from too far away or under the wrong sunlight. Regardless, the image was clear enough that when he got close to his target, he would recognize her by her eye and handprints. Though, it could take days to find her. He sighed as he slid the cube back into his pocket.

  "Another unworthy opponent," he grumbled to himself. He had no remorse over the killing of the child. She was just another contract, and once he accepted one, he would not stop until it was completed.

  As his small craft shot into the air, Lurga contemplated the beings that inhabited Earth. Will their thoughts be open to me? It will make finding the child so much easier if they are. Usually, he could only read the minds of beings that had some form of PSI powers, but very little information had been given by the Calens.

  Within minutes, he raced out of Ispepyein’s atmosphere. He looked in amazement at the rear screen as his homeworld quickly dwindled away. One God, but that new ore from Lear really has some power. Even with all the extra weight I've loaded on board, I'm traveling at a higher speed than before.

  With that thought, he reached beside his seat and pinched off a small chunk of the silver rock and threw it in his mouth. He crunched on the ore, savoring the flavor as his tongue tingled. A pleasant sensation.

  His long claws flew across his keyboard as he set the course and locked the map into his computer, called a Contruda. Once his fighter was aimed toward Earth, Lurga inserted a reading chip into the machines drive and settled back into his seat. The story was about a space being who roamed the Universe, riding a flaming beast and who fought with a sword instead of a proper Seeder pistol. Lurga shook his head at the silliness of using such a weapon, but these were his favorite types of stories.

  When the story was finished, the Contruda, a semi-sentient program, informed Lurga they were six hundred days from Earth. Lurga opened a side compartment and took out several sleep capsules. One tablet would keep him asleep for one hundred days. He tossed two of them into his maw and swallowed. He didn’t intend on sleeping the entire trip as he enjoyed his reading too much.

  Setting his chair into reclining mode, he donned his sleep helmet and inserted a tube into his mouth. This would reduce his body temperature and metabolism to the point of near death. The machine would also feed him nutrients necessary to keep his body alive. Though, he hated waking from the deep sleep as he always had to piss like there was no tomorrow.

  Such is the life of a deep space Ispepyein warrior, Lurga thought as the sleep capsules did their job, and he drifted off to a dreamless slumber

  Ten hours into the flight, multicolored lights on the control panel began blinking erratically. Contruda had made a mistake. When it calculated the speed and time of the trip, it had not taken into account the power emitting from the Lear ore. As the fourteen-foot fighter streaked through space, Contruda recalculated its figures. They were now traveling above the speed of sound, a blur among the stars. At this speed, instead of six hundred days to reach Earth, it would only take seventy-eight. Its warrior would still be in a deep sleep when they arrived.

  Concerned with the integrity of the outer hull, Contruda did some further scanning. Against all logical explanations, it found that the standard greenish-gray ship was slowly, centimeter by centimeter, turning silver.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Several weeks later, Claudia Giroux, formally known as Cook, stood in the front yard of her new home, located at the south end of what used to be London. Squinting eyes, she took in the pale blue, two-storied, wooden-framed building. Buckingham Palace it wasn't, but it had enough room for her and her two helpers to get lost in.

  Running her thumb over the key to her new home, she glanced down at her helpers. It's incredible how much they look alike. They almost look like twins.

  Each had short, dark hair, with dark complections, and they wore the same dresses. From a distance, she could pick out Karrin by the half an inch in height she had over Tanya. Up close, Claudia had no problems, as it was the color of Karrin's eyes that set her apart.

  "Humph!" she grunted to herself. "Come on, girls. Let's get you squared away with your rooms."

  "Yes, Cook," Karrin dutifully responded.

  Claudia frowned down at the girl. "I ain't a cook no more, s
o just call me Claudia. You got it?"

  With round, solemn eyes, Karrin nodded, then took Tanya's hand and headed toward the door.

  Claudia sadly shook her head. That wee girl has been through too much for her age. And, now, she's making it her duty to take care of Tanya.

  Being spiteful, as always, when Matron assigned a new worker to the kitchen, she sent Tanya. She was another unwanted retard who couldn't talk, other than gibberish and silly noises. However, Claudia saw a spark of intelligence in her dark eyes that reminded her of Karrin. Tanya had no problems following orders, she just couldn't speak. So, when Claudia took her final step out of that hell-hole of a Home, she took Tanya with her.

  Though Karrin was quiet and reserved, she took Tanya under her wing like a little mother hen. Claudia's eyes misted up as the pair walked away, hand-in-hand. "Humph," she snorted, then followed them to the door.

  Over the next year, Claudia watched with amazement as Karrin worked with her protege. She discovered Tanya wasn’t retarded, nor was she mute. As the girl learned to speak, her sad story came to light.

  Tanya’s mother was a deaf-mute, so she’d never been taught how to speak. For the first four years of her life, the only semblance of language she heard was the whining and barking from the dog she shared her room with. Kept in isolation, the child never saw another person, except when her mum brought her food each night.

  The first words Tanya heard were from the State Workers when they came to take her away. Branded as a deaf Unwanted Retard, no one from the Home bothered to find out if she really was. No one cared.

  Claudia's eyes prickled with unshed tears. She managed to save two children who’d been misjudged. How many others were unfairly branded and tortured at the hands of Matron and Warden?

  Peeling potatoes at a table almost the size of the one at the Home, Claudia smiled to herself. Her two girls chittered and chattered, back and forth, while they washed up the dishes from breakfast. The sound warmed her heart, especially since Tanya was the only person Karrin interacted with.