Alien Shadows
Page 22
A line of hieroglyphs indeed appeared upon the ship, each of the seven Alien Hunters depicted as an animal. Riff was pretty sure that the scorpion was Nova, and that the bat was Romy. He was less sure about the others, but he liked to imagine that the lion was him. Beneath the hieroglyphs appeared letters in Earth's common tongue, painted gold: HMS Dragon Huntress. Beneath them, in silver, appeared the words: Alien Hunters Inc.
Riff turned toward his fellow Alien Hunters. He took a deep breath and began a pre-prepared speech.
"We are seven, yet there is an eighth among us, a great huntress of the sky. From fire and ash, the Dragon Huntress is reborn. She will rise as a phoenix. Our great mother, companion, guide. The new dragon will be a new home to us, a ship to sail to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, to explore wonder and secrets, to fight our enemies—together, a family, sharing bonds of fellowship and love and—"
"I think I'm the lion," Romy said, still staring at the engraved hieroglyphs.
Twig tugged one of the demon's bat wings. "You're the bat. I think I'm the lion."
Romy rolled her eyes. "You're probably the puppy."
"That's a wolf," the halfling said. "I like wolves."
Romy mussed the halfling's hair. "Cute little puppy pup."
"I'm not a pup!" Twig growled and leaped onto the demon.
Piston roared and tried to separate the two "clod-headed scoundrels." Nova tugged her hair with frustration, and Steel crossed his arms and glowered.
Riff sighed. "So much for my inspiring speech," he said to Giga.
The android smiled at him. "I thought it was a good speech, sir, but you did seem lost a bit at the end."
Riff opened the airlock, and the staircases unfolded, leading into his new home.
"After you, Gig?"
She nodded. "Happy to comply."
Giga entered their new starship, her kimono—the black silk embroidered with silver dragons—rustling with every step. Riff and the others followed.
The new main deck looked just like the old one. A dart board hung again on the wall. Pillows topped the couches. A new goldfish swam in a new bowl. There was even a board of counter-squares on the coffee table. On a side table, a rose bloomed in a clay pot, its petals glowing.
Romy flounced onto the couch and yawned. "This is my new place. Everyone—attic!"
Piston groaned and grabbed the demon. "Hush, you. Up! Into the attic, demon."
Romy wailed, and soon a fight broke out again, everyone shouting and wrestling. Riff sighed and left them behind. He walked down the corridor, passing along the rebuilt rooms. And each place was a place of memories. His bedroom—where he would sleep with Nova every night. The shower—where he had made love to her, the hot water steaming around them, after battling the alien spiders. The kitchen where he and his friends had shared so many meals and laughs. The crew quarters where he had slept, side by side with his friends, that time Giga had been possessed and locked in his chamber. The escape pod where he had kissed Giga, then shot down to fight Grotter on a forested world.
So many memories here, he thought, trailing his fingertips across the walls. So many memories of pain and fear . . . yet joy too.
For years, the Blue Strings had been his only home. Now he had a new home. A new family. One he would not give up for all the power in the cosmos.
Yurei tempted me with a galactic empire, but everything I need is here inside this giant, creaky dragon.
He entered the bridge. The control panels gleamed. The hula dancer and bulldog bobble heads, retrieved from the wreckage, stood on the dashboard again. Three beige chairs faced the windshield. Riff sat down in the middle one, the suede creaking. Steel sat to his right, Nova to his left, while Giga took position by a control panel.
"Nice to look out a windshield without any cracks," Nova said.
Giga tilted her head. "Cannot compute, ma'am. There is no wind in space. Did you mean the front fused silica viewport—"
"I meant windshield!" Nova cracked her whip. "We fly through the atmosphere too, you know, and there's wind there. Fragging aardvarks."
"No more fighting," Riff said. He turned toward the android. "Let's test the speakers on this new boat."
She smiled. "Bootstrap and the Shoeshine Kid, sir?"
"You know me too well."
"Happy to comply!"
The soulful sounds of Bootstrap's guitar filled the cabin, accompanied by the Kid's ivory tickling. To the sound of "Moonshine Blues," the new Dragon Huntress roared and soared into the sky.
* * * * *
The lights were dimmed, the others were sleeping, and Giga roamed the halls of the new Dragon Huntress. She could feel the ship connected to her wireless network—a new body. The engines, the cannon, the wings . . . all still felt different, tickly. But as Giga wandered the ship, soaking it in, she smiled.
I will like it here, she thought. My new dragon body.
The others, perhaps, would not understand. To them, the Dragon Huntress was a starship, a home. But Giga had always been a piece of the ship itself, its Human Interface. To the others, she was just Giga, the sweet little android. But Giga had always known that her true form was different. She was more than a petite geisha in a kimono.
"I am a dragon," she whispered.
She was walking across the main deck when she noticed a tall, silent figure by the viewport. She stepped closer. In the dim light, she saw that it was Steel. The knight was staring outside into the darkness of space.
She approached him. "Sir?"
He turned toward her. "You can call me Steel, my lady. You know that."
She smiled. "And you know that you can call me Giga." She came to stand beside him. "Why do you stand here so often, Steel, looking out at the stars?"
He returned his eyes to the distant lights. "When we look at the stars, we're not really seeing them. We're seeing the past. Light that left the stars years ago. We're looking through time. That is why I look at the stars. To look at memories. To remember . . . her." His voice was soft. "Lenora."
Giga leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It must hurt so much to lose her."
"I thought that, over the years, I could overcome the hurt of losing her in our youth. Now those wounds feel open. Fresh."
Giga reached up, hesitated, then stroked his hair. White was invading his temples, but the rest was still deep brown, soft around her fingers. "New stars are always born. There will be new love for you, Steel."
For so long, Giga herself had suffered the pain of lost love. She remembered how she had kissed Riff outside the escape pod. How she had loved him, dreamed of him at nights, how much it hurt when he had chosen Nova. Perhaps her words to Steel were true for her, as well. Perhaps new love could still bloom. She thought of other memories: how Steel had saved her from the Singularity, and how she had saved him from the wreckage on Kaperosa. And those memories warmed her.
Silently, she slipped her hand into his. His hand was so much larger than hers, coarse, rough, a hand that had wielded a sword for so long.
Let me bring you some healing, Steel. Let us heal each other.
They stood together, watching the stars, creating new memories.
* * * * *
Riff yawned and lay back in bed. "Well, that was a nice little adventure. Think I'll sleep for a week."
Nova leaned over him, frowning. She grabbed his shoulders. "You're going to stay awake for a week at least. We have some catching up to do."
"Hmmm . . ." He nodded. "You're right. I did miss a few Space Galaxy episodes."
She growled, gripped his hair with both hands, and kissed him hard on the mouth. "Shut up and ravage me."
He considered for a moment, then nodded. "Okie dokie."
He had dimmed the lights, and he was pulling off Nova's armor, when the door to their bedchamber slammed open.
"Captain, sir!" Romy burst into the room. "Sir! Sir. A message came in, and—" The demon froze, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Are you two . . . wrestling? Witho
ut me?"
Nova cursed and pulled a blanket over herself. Riff sighed and thumped onto his back.
"Romy, knock. Knock next time." He groaned. "What do you want?"
"Werewolves!" the demon said. "Alien werewolves from outer space! They're attacking Mars! The message just came in. They invaded a golf course, and they're digging up all the grass, and—" She paused and tilted her head. "Do you think there's such a thing as werepoodles? Do you think they're tasty? I'm hungry. I think we should take this mission."
Riff groaned. "Oh shenanigans. Werewolves on Mars." He stretched and rose from bed. "I'm not even surprised anymore. Fine! We'll fly over."
Romy grabbed his hand. "Come on. Come on! To the bridge. Let's set course right away. Oh, and will you wrestle me?"
"Not if he wants to survive the night," Nova muttered.
They stepped onto the bridge together. Yawning, Piston and Twig wandered in, both in their pajamas.
"What's all this ruckus about, you clods?" Piston grumbled.
A huge yawn stretched Twig from toes to fingertips. Little wrenches were sewn onto her pajamas. "You're all so noisy. Let a halfling get some beauty sleep."
Steel and Giga entered the bridge next, walking close together, and shared a glance and smile.
"Looks like we're heading to Mars," Riff said. "Something about alien werewolves. Seems normal enough." He yawned. "Gig?"
The android smiled. "Setting course to Mars, sir. Happy to comply, as always."
"You lot are mad," Piston muttered. The gruffle lolloped off the bridge, grumbling all the while. "Damn kids won't let an old gruffle sleep. I'm too old for this nonsense, I am. Damn young ones with their werewolves and flying around all night long. Twig! Come on, you clod, we better calibrate the engines you keep dropping wrenches into."
Twig raced after him. "Maybe they're out of tune because you keep getting your beard caught in the gears."
"My—my beard—?" Piston sputtered. "Why you little, halfling-brained clod!"
The two vanished down the corridor, their voices fading.
Riff sighed and sat in his seat, still wearing his pajama pants. Nova stood beside him and mussed his hair.
"No rest for the weary, eh?" she said.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Riff replied.
His choice of words shot painful memories through Riff. Nova—vanished into the black hole. Steel—dead in his arms. What danger did they fly to now? What more loss would he endure? As he looked out at the stars, he prayed to whoever might be listening: Let us never know more heartbreak. Let us know only joy, only adventure, only love.
The hyper-engines roared to life, then eased into a content purr. With a blast of light, the Dragon Huntress shot into hyperspace . . . flying toward a new adventure.
THE END
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AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading Alien Shadows, the third book in the Alien Hunters series.
I hope you've enjoyed this series so far. If you'd like me to write more Alien Hunters novels, please let me know! I'd love to write more, and I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: Daniel@DanielArenson.com
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Thank you again, dear reader, and I hope we meet again between the pages of another book.
Daniel
NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON
ALIEN HUNTERS
Alien Hunters
Alien Sky
Alien Shadows
THE MOTH SAGA
Moth
Empires of Moth
Secrets of Moth
Daughter of Moth
Shadows of Moth
Legacy of Moth
REQUIEM
Dawn of Dragons Requiem's Song
Requiem's Hope
Requiem's Prayer
The Complete Trilogy
Song of Dragons Blood of Requiem
Tears of Requiem
Light of Requiem
The Complete Trilogy
Dragonlore A Dawn of Dragonfire
A Day of Dragon Blood
A Night of Dragon Wings
The Complete Trilogy
The Dragon War A Legacy of Light
A Birthright of Blood
A Memory of Fire
The Complete Trilogy
Requiem for Dragons Dragons Lost
Dragons Reborn
Dragons Rising
The Complete Trilogy
OTHER WORLDS
Eye of the Wizard
Wand of the Witch
Firefly Island
The Gods of Dream
Flaming Dove
KEEP IN TOUCH
www.DanielArenson.com
Daniel@DanielArenson.com
Facebook.com/DanielArenson
Twitter.com/DanielArenson