by West, Shay
The wall erupted in fiery orange symbols outlining the portal. Forka could easily pick out those for his home world as well as those for the four worlds of the Chosen. From the sheer numbers of different symbols, it was obvious the portal could take them to many other worlds.
“What kind of trick is this?” Bill struggled wildly against his bonds, moving backward in the dirt.
“No trick. You need to hear what I have to say. This was the only way to get you to believe me,” Forka said.
Forka told the enemy leaders the same story he had told the Jhinn. Samson and Bill snorted in derision or merely shook their heads as he told them of his being from another world and the machines that would destroy this one.
“Don’t you see? The fighting between us is pointless. The only way to beat the machines is to stick together,” Robert said.
“If what you say is true, there isn’t a way to fight them. So why change our ways now?” Samson sneered.
“We don’t know that there isn’t a way to fight them. Perhaps we just haven’t found it yet,” Forka said.
“I think you are so desperate to save your precious Jhinn that you’ll say anything,” Samson said.
Forka turned to Robert. “Activate the portal.”
“For what world?”
Forka thought for a moment. He needed to bring them to a world that would make them believe the truth. Gentra? It’s strange enough that they couldn’t argue. Astra? They could get their first look at the Mekans but it would require travel.
The sight of the world he chose needed to be powerful enough to get the point across in a short period of time. There was no telling how long they would be gone. When they returned, the Mekans could have already destroyed this world. Wherever they went, they needed to be back quickly.
That left only one choice.
“Volgon.”
VOLGON
FORKA EMERGED FROM THE PORTAL followed by Samson and Wild Bill. He gave no aid to the men who were kneeling in the dirt, retching and dry heaving. Samson was the first to stand. Forka nodded in appreciation of the man’s stature on this world. On Earth, he was both tall and large, making him an intimidating man. Here, his height and girth were even more impressive. Forka didn’t know if he could take the outlaw if it came to a hand-to-hand fight.
Samson’s eyes widened and he growled in a strange, high-pitched squeal as he backed away from Forka. He stopped short when he ran into Bill. Both men snarled and backed away from each other, eyes wide in faces twisted with fear. Forka laughed, baring both sets of fangs, which sent Samson and Wild Bill into hysterics.
When Robert arrived and Forka saw his dark eyes filled with fear, he felt a little guilty for laughing at Samson and Wild Bill’s fear. The physical form of the Volgons was terrifying. Even without armor, their scaly, spiked skin and sharp teeth would make anyone cringe.
Especially those who had just found out humans weren’t the only creatures in the universe.
When the clone arrived, it managed to communicate with the terrified men. It explained that they were on a planet that had been ravaged by the Mekans. It took some time to get the men on their feet and moving. Forka didn’t want to be on this world any longer than necessary.
Samson and Bill stuck close to Forka, Robert, and the clone. So close that Forka’s ankles were taking the brunt of it.
--You don’t need to walk so close-- Forka said, growling his displeasure.
Samson flinched at the voice in his head. He put his hands over his ears, shaking his head from side to side.
--His thoughts are quite a mess. But he seems to think this isn’t real-- the clone said.
Forka stopped and turned around, looking with disgust at Samson who stood with his hands over his ears and his eyes on the ground in front of him. Forka balled up his fist and punched the leader of the Horde in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Samson’s eyes narrowed in rage. Forka braced himself for retaliation but the big warrior merely sat in the dirt and wiped blood from his split lip.
--Ask him if dreams hurt. Ask him if dreams bleed--
The clone communicated Forka’s words to Samson. The man shook his head.
--We don’t have time for you to get a grip on things. We brought you here to show you what will happen to your world if the machines aren’t stopped. They threaten the Horde and the Cowboys too. The fighting between your people and the Jhinn must end, or humans will be wiped from the Earth forever--
Forka reached for the Samson’s hand, though his skin crawled at the thought of touching an enemy who had killed so many. Someone had to be the first to cross the line.
Samson turned to the side and spit. Forka feared he would refuse his proffered hand, ending the peace before it had really begun. Wild Bill slapped Samson on the back of the head, drawing an angry growl from the Samson sitting on the ground. When Wild Bill looked pointedly to Forka’s hand, Samson rolled his eyes before reaching reluctantly forward.
Forka hauled Samson to his feet, wincing a little as his face met with muscular chest. He stepped back, giving Samson’s hand one more squeeze before letting go. He showed the big man his fangs before turning and leading the way.
--Where were the inhabited parts of this world?-- Forka asked.
--Unknown--
Forka sighed. He hadn’t thought about this when formulating his plan to bring Samson and Wild Bill to this planet. He had only wanted to show the men what was coming, what they would soon face.
He led the group to the top of a steep hill, thinking it would give them a better view. Forka marveled at the strength of the Volgons. His breath came easily as it would have had he been walking on the flat lands. He flexed his hands, reveling in their strength. With those hands, he felt he could conquer anything, fight anything, kill anything.
His breath caught in his throat at the sight that lay before them. The ground was torn with deep gouges, many of which were larger than the entire Jhinn encampment. Huge, gaping holes marked where the machines had drilled. Strange markings criss-crossed the ground, heading off in all directions.
--What happened here?--
Forka turned to look at Wild Bill. The man’s eyes moved from left to right, unable to stay on one thing for long.
--The destruction left behind by the machines--
--What do they want?--
--As far as we know, they dig for minerals and things. But they are so massive, they end up killing everything--
Wild Bill gulped audibly. –So the people who live here...--
--They are all dead. Only our companions and fellow Chosen survived--
--And these machines are on our world?-- Samson asked.
Forka nodded. --They are far from our people. But they will come--
--How do we stop them?-- Wild Bill asked.
--We don’t know. Our friends from this world had a weapon we were sure would work, but it didn’t hurt them at all-- Forka shook his head.
--There must be something. Another world with weapons that we can use-- Samson said.
Forka shrugged. –I suppose it’s possible. But if we had to pick a symbol of the portal at random, it could take too long to find a world with a weapon capable of killing the Mekans--
--So why did you bring us here? To show us our inevitable death?-- Samson fumed.
--I brought you here so that perhaps our groups could work together instead of fighting one another. Even if we can’t defeat them, we will need everyone’s help to move to a safe place--
Samson stared at the ravaged ground before him. –I fear nowhere is safe--
--You may be right. But we have to try to save our people--
--I don’t know that our group will listen to reason--
--You have to make them. If you keep attacking the Jhinn, the Mekans won’t have to kill anyone. We will have done their work for them--
--All we can do is try-- Wild Bill turned to face Forka. --This doesn’t change anything between our two peoples. I can’t speak for Samson but I still loathe
everything you Jhinn stand for. You sit up on your high horses and judge the rest of us for refusing to believe in your precious God--
--We don’t care if you believe in God! We care that you steal from us and kill for no other purpose than to bring you pleasure-- Forka gnashed his fangs. He had hoped to avoid any talk of the treatment of the Jhinn by their enemies.
--You may say you don’t want us to share your beliefs but would you ever welcome any of us into your homes knowing we didn’t believe in your God?--
--We welcomed the two you sent to betray us-- Forka said quietly.
Wild Bill snorted in derision. --You were no doubt hoping to convert them like you do everyone who strays into your little encampment--
--We welcomed them, fed them, and clothed them with no expectations. I don’t know what I can say to convince you otherwise--
--There’s nothing you can say. As far as an alliance between our people, our help only goes so far as to escape the Mekans. After that, all bets are off-- Wild Bill moved away from the group.
Forka looked at Samson. The big man grinned cruelly and followed.
--Did you really expect anything different?-- Robert asked.
--I guess maybe I did--
--You can’t expect a few minutes to change a lifetime of hate. They are twisted and cruel and will always be so--
--If this trip will keep them from attacking the Jhinn long enough for us to figure out some way to destroy the Mekans, it will have been worth it--
--Should we head back? I don’t think there’s anything else to see here--
Forka merely nodded, disappointed by the response of the two men. He only hoped they would hold true to their word and stop their people from attacking the Jhinn, and that they would lend a hand when it came to fighting the Mekans as a common enemy.
EARTH
FORKA WATCHED SAMSON AND WILD BILL as they put their clothing back on, still trying to shake off the effects of traveling through the portal. He turned from the others so they wouldn’t be able to see the indecision on his face.
For the first time in a long time he felt lost, completely unsure of what to do next. When the Gentran Masters had told him about his destiny when he was a youngling, he’d faced each day knowing he had a purpose and that somehow everything would be okay. When he had been forced to kill Sloan’s family to protect his secret, he’d done it knowing it was for the greater good. Each time one of his Chosen had been lost he’d remained steadfast, believing there was still a way to make it all right in the end.
But with the Mekans on two different worlds and with so few of the Chosen left, he didn’t know what to do. Did he stay behind on Earth and help lead the Jhinn to safety? Should he put someone in charge and return to Astra to help them in their fight? Should he leave Sloan and Brad on Astra with their new brides or call them home to help fight? No path seemed like the right one and whichever he chose was sure to end with their deaths.
“Tough choice you have, General,” Robert said.
“Am I that transparent?”
“Only to those who know you well.”
“I just don’t know what to do. These people have no chance. The Mekans are far superior to any weapons they possess.”
Robert turned to the clone. “Do your people have something we can use to fight the Mekans?”
--We don’t have weapons of any kind--
Robert sighed. That would have been too easy. “The Astrans have all of the plasma rifles.”
“They won’t do much good anyway. We’re better off trying to find a place to hide.”
“I’m not sure even hiding will save them.”
“I know. But what else can we do?”
“Nothing,” Robert sighed. “Are you going to let Brad and Sloan stay on Astra?”
“They need to be told of what’s happening here. I will let them choose whether to stay on Astra or come back here,” Forka said.
“The clone can contact them. There’s so much that needs to be done here. Traveling through the portal to our friends and back again will take too much time,” Robert said.
“Agreed,” Forka turned to the clone. “Contact the others and tell them everything that’s happened here. Make sure that Sloan and Brad know of the danger here and that their help would be appreciated, but that I will understand if they wish to stay on Astra. Did you get all of that?” Forka’s voice rose in annoyance as the clone just stood there with the same serene look on its face.
--Affirmative--
Forka waited impatiently while the clone communicated silently with their comrades on another world.
“While you three stand around, we are going to head back to our camp,” Samson said as he shoved past Forka.
“Remember your promise.” Forka locked his gaze on the leader of the Horde.
With a sarcastic salute, Samson left the portal cave, followed closely by Wild Bill.
“Do you want me to follow them?” Robert asked.
“No, let them go. We need to get to the encampment and tell the Jhinn to prepare to move out,” Forka said.
--Sloan and Brad said they will be coming here and will meet you at the encampment--
Forka breathed a sigh of relief. He had hoped the men would return here to help with the evacuation, but since they were newlyweds, he hadn’t been certain they would come home.
“Hopefully, we will have an idea of where to go by the time they arrive.” Forka looked hard at the clone. “Your kind have come to this planet before, yes?”
--Affirmative--
“Can you think of somewhere safe we can bring the Jhinn? Somewhere the Mekans will be least likely to go?”
--There is nowhere that is safe--
“I know that. We just need to buy some time.”
--I do not know of one place that would be safer than another place--
“Can’t you make a guess?”
--A guess?--
“Yes, put that knowledge to use and think of a place we can go that may protect us, at least for a little while. Somewhere far away from whatever it is they are digging for.”
--It is too difficult to ascertain where they may dig and what they may be digging for on this planet--
“There has to be something,” Forka said desperately.
The clone stood silent for so long that Forka feared he would never get an answer.
--There is a place south of here that may be suitable--
Forka waited for the clone to elaborate; when it merely stood there staring at him he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where is this place exactly and why do you think it will suit our needs?”
--It’s a large bunker built deep in a mountain. It was built to withstand nuclear weapons, has filters that will protect against airborne pathogens, and is supposed to be supplied with substantial amounts of food and water--
Forka was about to ask what a nuclear weapon was but thought better of it. “How big is this place? Can it shelter all of the Jhinn?”
--It’s more than adequate. However, I cannot guarantee that we will be able to gain access to the facility--
“Why is that?”
--The building has large blast doors that can be closed and locked. We would have no way of getting inside if the doors are closed--
“So you really haven’t solved anything. I’m not traveling with the Jhinn unless we can get into the damn thing.” Forka threw up his hands. “Is there anywhere else you can think of?”
--That is the only place on this continent that will provide the protection you asked for--
“Is there any chance the doors might be open?” he asked, not feeling much hope.
--It is possible but I have no way of knowing--
Forka turned to Robert. “I need some help here, my friend. We can’t stay here. The encampment is too exposed, too open.”
“This place the clone speaks of may be our only hope. Even if we can’t get into the building, we won’t be any worse off than we are now,” Robert said.
“I
hate to get their hopes up for nothing,” Forka said.
“We don’t have to tell them about the bunker. One of us could check the place out and bring word if the doors are open.”
Forka nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. Guess all that’s left to do is get them ready to travel.” He turned to the clone. “Are you sure you can find this installation?”
--The records on my world are very precise as to the location of this building. However, landmarks may have changed over time, making it somewhat difficult to locate--
“All we can do is try.” Forka felt better than he had in awhile. They had a plan —a shaky plan dependent on the clone being able to find a hidden bunker, but it was a plan nonetheless.
DARK PLANET
FEEROR WINCED AS A YOUNG TELCOR PUSHED and prodded his leg, nodding its head when Feeror would cry out or growl.
“It’s healing nicely. You will be able to walk on it soon.”
“Thank you.”
The Volgon warrior sighed happily. For the last three days he had been trapped in the domiciles of the telcor, unable to climb up and down the trees. People brought him his meals and came to clean up the plates and bowls. Moylir had stayed with him for an entire day but had made a point of staying away after Feeror’s temper got the best of him. Since he had nothing else better to do, he spoke to anyone he could, learning all he could of the telcor and practicing their language.
“When will the Makers arrive?”
“Any time now. You will be summoned as soon as they land.” The telcor bowed and left.
Feeror hobbled over to the edge of the domicile and peered down at the ground. He considered himself a brave warrior and not easily frightened, but the vertigo he got from these heights made his stomach queasy and his head spin. He backed away from the edge and moved back to the center of the floor. After a few minutes of sitting, he stood and paced around the floor, absently counting off the paces. Each step sent a deep ache up and down his injured leg but he forced himself to keep going.
“You keep walking around like that and you’ll wear a hole in the floor.”
He turned to see Moylir’s fuzzy face poking up from the trap door in the floor. She, too, had been practicing the language and was as fluent as he.
