“Uncloaking now,” Constanthos reported. “Touching down inside a minute.”
* * *
“So they have you working this route now, too?” Breet 2687 asked.
“They don't give us much choice. Our freighters can haul more than that Sungaran junk.” The Gurdik pilot threw a glance over his shoulder before adding in a lower voice, “There are two on board. And these guys are total assholes.”
“I've yet to meet a Gote that isn't. And we are taught to judge every being as an individual. I simply have not met one that isn't trouble.” The two insectoids shared a laugh before Breet 2687 asked, “So, how's our boy holding up?”
“Physically, he is fantastic. He dominates like no one. But I fear he is starting to crack, mentally. And he could use a new coat of resin.” The pilot looked past the guard to look at the strange vessel that was landing in the next bay. “What is that?”
Breet 2687 looked over. “You know I'm not permitted to say. But they are friends. Please excuse me.” He scurried over at an astoundingly fast pace and arrived just as the ramp was being lowered. “Well, hello again, Frank!” he said with great enthusiasm.
“Hey!” Frank had somehow recognized the guard from before. “I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name from last time.”
“I am Breet 2687.” He turned his head most of the way around to regard a small group of guard bugs that were congregating around the ramp of the boat. Turning back to Frank, Breet said, “We are all Breets, actually. Mother will change our name every few generations once the numbering becomes too convoluted.”
“That is absolutely fascinating,” Frank replied. He turned to Denise, who was making her way down the ramp with Nera. “Are you hearing all of this?” he asked in English.
“I have no idea what you guys are saying but wow, these guys are awesome!” Denise was all smiles and there was no hint of fear as she approached Breet 2687 for a closer look. Nera, on the other hand, was hanging back and looking almost fearful.
“This is Denise. She has a fascination with insects. You'll have to excuse her enthusiasm.” Frank made a series of gestures so she would know he was introducing her. “The little one over there is Nera.”
“Any companions of Frank Ford are welcome on my dock any time,” Breet 2687 said with a slight bow toward the girls. “Uh, Frank? Are those blades?” He gestured towards Frank's pocketknives with one of his pincers.
“Oh, shit! I forgot to take them out. I apologize.” Frank was feeling rather foolish.
“He's good.” The new voice came from Frank's right, from a corridor that was formed between stacks of new cargo. Pock 138 scurried forth. “Hey, stay away from my girl,” he joked.
“Pock!” Denise exclaimed as she bent down to do her best to hug the large insect. “I was so worried about you.”
“You are sweeter than the syrup, I swear!” Pock had activated his translator. He bent his thorax upward to offer a pincer to Frank.
“I am very relieved to see you, my friend,” Frank said.
“So you got her back. That is fucking awesome, Frank.”
“Oh yeah. You'll have to check out the footage sometime.”
“And Earth is safe?” Pock asked.
“Yes. The Li are no longer an issue,” Frank answered.
Their reunion was interrupted by a smallish Gurdik who made his way toward the circle. “Please excuse me, but I was sent to ask...” He paused to look back to where the pilot of the Gurdik freighter was standing on its ramp, looking rather nervous. He then looked directly at Frank and said, “Our overlords would like to know who your master is.”
Breet 2687 took charge of the situation. “This is not the human to ask such things to. You are obviously low ranking. Disposable. If you leave now, you might live to see another day.”
But the young Gurdik stood his ground. With a nervous tone he said, “They would like to purchase your females.”
“They most certainly are not for sale,” Frank proclaimed angrily in the Gurdik tongue. The Breets all raised their spears almost in unison as a show of force. Pock moved closer to Denise, just in case things were to get ugly. Nera could sense the sudden tension in the air and assumed a defensive posture, but she didn't see the threat that was sneaking up behind her. A huge pair of arms wrapped around her and lifted her up. Frank lunged forward to confront the Gote that had sneaked up beside the ship and now had her in his clutches. But a second Gote appeared, brandishing the largest pistol that Frank had ever seen. His reflexes kicked in and he stepped sharply to his left so that the shot would bounce off of his shield and away from everyone in attendance. But his feet weren't set and the large round sent him careening to the side. The young Gurdik panicked and took off in a sprint toward his ship. He easily passed the Gote that was toting a fighting Nera. The second Gote was also close behind, covering their retreat.
Frank got up and realized that his ears were ringing. The Gotian pistol had used something that was not unlike gunpowder. In addition to the large caliber round that struck his shield, the loud report of the weapon had stunned him. “Get her on-board!” he cried out to Pock as he set out on foot toward the Gurdik freighter. Pock then ushered the shocked Denise up the ramp. Neither of them noticed the absurd speed with which Frank ran toward the other ship.
“No...no...no,” Frank was thinking to himself as the ramp ahead of him began to raise. He could clearly make out the fearful demeanor of the young Gurdik crewman as he manned the controls at the top of the ramp. Frank jumped up and grasped the edge of the ramp with his fingertips and somehow pulled himself in just as the ramp closed behind him. His momentum, combined with the motion of the ramp, sent him flying head first into the cargo area of the ship. He dive-rolled and sprung to his feet only to be met with a tremendous backhand strike from the second Gote. The blow sent him flying once again and his head bounced off of a bulkhead and sent him to the floor in a heap.
Frank was slowly getting up when he heard the words in Gotian, “Please don't be dead. I want to have you for myself.” Frank didn't answer. He only stood up and pulled his right hand knife from his pocket. The Gote charged at him. In one motion, Frank ducked low and to the left, underneath the massive arm, flipped his knife open, and slashed the backside of the Gote's knee. Frank was now mentally prepared for what came next. The Gote fell to the floor, crying out in pain. Yet he was able to draw his pistol and fire off several rounds. The Gurdik dove to the floor as the bullets ricocheted in various directions, causing damage to the interior of the ship. Frank just stood and watched the futile attack. Once the pistol was empty, the Gote was reaching for the sidewalls, attempting to pull himself upright. Frank grabbed some random canister and used it to crush the Gote's other knee. He fell back to the floor.
Turning to the Gurdik, Frank growled the question, “Where is she?” The insectoid sat with his back to the wall in stunned silence. Frank pointed to the Gurdik with his knife and said, “Answer me or so help me, I'll gut you right here and now.”
“Down that corridor. Second door on the right.”
Frank ran to the door and punched the switch. What he saw next nearly made him vomit.
* * *
“And so it turns out that Korick was financing the whole thing,” Gladys said.
“This does not bode...well for any of us,” the Mother of Rhoshe replied. “If he has lost money on the deal, he will try to...find a way to recoup.”
Gladys paused to think. Finally she said, “I just realized that this is the first time you have seen me without paint, or some stupid gown.”
“Gladosanthos, you possess beauty, regardless.”
Gladys bowed. “Thank you. You are one of my oldest and dearest friends. I want to think this over. This situation with the Gotes. But I want you to know that I will no longer answer to my old name or titles.”
A series of alerts suddenly sounded. “Hold that thought,” the Mother of Rhoshe said.
“I see it, too.” The image of Gladys dissolved.
*
* *
Nera's nose was bleeding profusely as she was laying up under the Gote. He was busy clawing away at her clothing and didn't notice that the door had opened. In addition to his arms, Frank was quite shocked to see a third appendage feeling around for an opening into Nera's clothing. It was not unlike the trunk of an elephant and it didn't take Frank long to realize that it was the Gote's penis. Frank leaped up onto the back of the Gote and reached up under its chin with his left hand. He jerked upward and to the left with the same movement he had used to rip the panel off of the roof back on Korbaal. Its neck broken, the Gote slid off of the bed platform and died.
“Frank?” Nera's voice was weak.
“I'm here, Babydoll. Let's get out of here.” Frank scooped her up and carried her through the door. He glanced back over his shoulder and realized that he had lost his knife somewhere. He decided it wasn't worth the trouble and he made his way toward the ramp. The young Gurdik was still cowering to the side when he finally made it through the cargo area.
Suddenly, Frank felt something grab onto his ankle. It felt like a vice. “You're not going anywhere,” the crippled Gote said as he was laying on the floor, using every bit of energy he had left to hold on.
“Can you stand?” Frank asked Nera.
“Yes,” she replied. He sat her gently onto her feet and steadied her, despite the large hand that was grasping his ankle. He pulled out his left hand knife and looked at Nera. She nodded and accepted the knife. She let go of Frank, unfolded the blade, and grasping the handle in both hands, fell down upon the Gote, stabbing him in the face. His cries didn't seem to phase her as she pulled the blade back and stabbed him in the eye. She leaned all of her weight onto the blade and as it sank as far as it could, she twisted it violently and pulled it back out. Frank took the knife from her and stood her up. He pulled her closer as they neared the ramp and he reached for the controls.
“No!” the young Gurdik cried out. “We'll all be sucked out!”
“Well, you need to find something to hold onto then,” Frank replied. He punched the button and the ramp started to lower. He and Nera were promptly sucked out of the cargo area and into the air, high above Rhoshe One.
* * *
“Where are they now?” Gladys asked with a panicked tone.
“They are right ahead of us,” Constanthos answered. “I cloaked the boat and followed them. Denise is safe and Pock is on-board as well.”
“I, I don't know what to do!”
“Frank's beacon has separated from the freighter. Oh, my. They just went right past us. I'm coming about.”
“What do you mean they went past?” Gladys was beside herself.
“A door panel opened on the tail end of the freighter and then Frank and Nera flew out. There is also what seems to be a dead Gote.”
“Are you able to get them?” Gladys asked.
“I'm moving the boat into position now.”
* * *
The wind was so loud that Frank could barely hear his own thoughts. Nera had initially buried her face in his chest but he soon felt her body go limp as she lost consciousness. Holding on to her tightly, he somehow used his legs to stop their spin. They flattened out, and through his squinting eyes, Frank looked to see if he could determine their altitude. They were very high. He wondered if his shield would do anything at all to protect them from this fall. One thing was certain, he had plenty of time to second-guess his actions. But before he could beat himself up, he felt the gravity beam hit him. The wind changed from the deafening roar to what one might expect at such a high altitude. And then he felt the change in direction as they were being pulled upward.
Constanthos pulled them inside one of the larger red circles in the back hallway. As soon as the portal closed under his feet, Frank scooped Nera up into his arms and made his way around the bend toward the living room. Denise was rushing to meet them, with Pock right behind her.
“Is she alive?” Denise asked.
“I feel her breathing. I don't think she needs stasis. But we should hurry to Main Ship.” Frank didn't slow his pace as he walked. Denise stepped aside to fall in behind him. Pock pulled himself into the wall as tightly as he could manage to allow room and then followed them back to the living room. Frank rushed her to the couch and placed her down gently. He sank to his knees on the floor in front of her and tried to look her over. Her face was bruised and bloody from where the Gote had struck her.
“Why the fuck did they do that?” Denise asked as she sank to her knees right beside Frank.
“You don't want to know,” Pock answered from behind them.
“Connie, what's our status?” Frank asked.
“Less than a minute. I have it floored.”
“Good. Thank you.” He never took his eyes off of Nera. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of wind-blown hair from her cheek. They sat in silence until the door panel finally opened. Frank scooped Nera back up and jogged through the door. “Please have Phil come over here so Pock can call home.”
14.
“I must say, Sammie, you do keep your books tidy,” Michelle complimented as she was going through his ledgers.
“Thanks,” Sammie replied. “I really stepped up my bookkeeping when Frank came on board. Last thing I want to do is screw that guy over.” Robert gave a nod of approval.
“You are an honest man, Sammie,” Terrelle added. “You'd never screw anyone over.”
“I mean by accident,” Sammie explained. “I always triple-check my math.”
“I believe it is in my job description to do your triple-checking for you,” Michelle said with a smile. “So you can relax a little and actually enjoy running this fine establishment.”
Sammie paused and smiled. “Now that's music to my ears, Michelle. Who knew that getting abducted by aliens could turn out so nice?”
Terrelle laughed. “Speak for yourself. It has aged me, if nothing else.”
“Hey,” Robert interrupted, “at least you were both taken by the good aliens.”
“Damn, Robert,” Sammie said. “I certainly meant no disrespect.”
Robert smiled as he said, “I know you didn't, Sammie. But as terrible as the moon was, I did come home with a certain sense of clarity.” He looked at Michelle and smiled even more. “But I want to take this opportunity to say thank you both for meeting us on such short notice.”
“I was going to be here, anyway,” Sammie joked.
“This is one of those good meetings,” Terrelle added. “It's nice to have some of this burden lifted off of me. I get to act like an attorney now.”
“To be honest, I was expecting this to be much worse,” Michelle said. “You've both kept everything very organized.”
“Well, you have my number if you have any questions,” Terrelle offered.
“Thank you,” Michelle answered. “But I prefer to communicate through e-mail. It's so much easier to keep organized that way. Sammie, which way is the lady's room?”
Sammie pointed to the back corner. “It's right back there. You're in luck. It was just cleaned.” She stood up to head that way but Sammie continued, “I swear bathrooms are the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to running a bar.”
“I see you looking,” Robert said as Terrelle was watching Michelle walk away. Sammie's eyes got big and he stopped wiping the bar top.
“Oh. I, uh,” Terrelle stammered, clearly embarrassed.
“Frank is the forgiving type,” Robert started. “You ran off with his old-lady and here you are, back in the fold. But let me tell you something. I'm not the forgiving type.” He was looking Terrelle in the eye with an intimidating, unwavering stare.
Terrelle quickly dropped his gaze to his own shoes. “I can assure you that I have learned my lesson. I'm sorry I looked.”
Sammie opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it.
* * *
“Frank, she is going to be fine,” Gladys said, touching his arm tenderly. Nera was laying on the table, still unconsc
ious. He just noticed that her shirt had been mostly ripped off of her and her breasts were exposed.
“She's in good hands, I know,” he replied.
“My love. You are making it hard for me to work. Maybe you should wait outside.” She smiled, hoping he wouldn't be offended. “Denise and I can handle this.”
“You're right, of course,” he replied. He returned the smile and walked toward the door panel.
After watching him leave, Gladys turned to Denise and said, “Okay, just the same as last time.”
* * *
Just as soon as the door had closed behind him, Frank leaned against the wall, placed both hands upon his head, and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. As he was trying to figure out just how he was supposed to feel about the recent events, he noticed Cindy craning her neck to see him from over under the loba tree. He realized that talking to Cindy might be just what he needed. As he walked over to her, he glanced toward the open door to his boat. Pock was there, staring out at him.
“You don't have to stay in there, Pock. Unless you have a problem with low gravity, you can come out here.” Frank didn't have to raise his voice too much as Pock's hearing was very good. Pock stepped through the door and stopped. He bent his legs to test his weight. Satisfied, he scurried over to Frank just as he had made it all the way to Cindy. The two aliens stared at each other with quiet interest.
“Cindy, this is my good friend, Pock 138.”
“I am very pleased to meet you,” Cindy said with a slight bow.
Pock twisted his head all around with great confusion. “How the hell did you do that?”
“She communicates telepathically,” Frank explained.
“Holy shit! That is too cool. Can you read my mind?” Pock asked, suddenly very enthusiastic.
Smiling, Cindy answered, “Only if I touch you, and you aren't fighting it. It isn't something to be taken so lightly, I'm afraid.” Then turning to Frank, she asked, “Is the small one going to be okay?”
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