by Jack Challis
‘Pork pies says you – red meat says I, our males like blood on their Terasil flesh – not pastry!’ the Matriarch sniggers.
‘Now listen here – you mangy, malignant overgrown, rats! You wait, the two Lings – my protectors, will be back soon.’
‘Change….Lings!’ the Matriarch exclaims. It was obvious she was not told of the Lings! Blodwyn realized too late – this information only made the female Rills more desperate to get the job over with quickly – before the Lings’ return! She watched the Rills tie their tails around their waists – ready for action! “This is it!” Blodwyn picks up her rucksack with one hand, holding the torch in the other, deciding to make a dash for it! Too late – the female Rills attacked en-mass, squealing and screaming gibberish in rampant, rodent rage!
What happened next – was a blur. Two flashes of coloured light appeared from the gloom. The smaller Bitch Rills fled – dropping their cauldrons. The two Lings concentrated their attack on the two largest Bitch Rills – who squirmed on the sand squealing in pain: snapping at their attackers. However, Lings were much too quick – even for the agile Rills. Painful bites and stings were given in good measure by the Lings.
The two Lings stopped their attack and hovered overhead; flashing red in anger like fireflies. The two biggest Bitch-Rills limped towards the dark side of the Moon; rubbing their painful wounds. The Lings had not used their venom! Before disappearing, the matriarch Rill turns. ‘This battle is not finished – the red meat of the Terasil is ours by rights.’
‘Then,’ answers Boochi, the Sisling, ‘we will give you poison – by rights!’
‘We should move,’ suggests Boodi, the larger Mayling, ‘the female Rills may return with their males – who are spear throwers!’
‘Why didn’t you use your poison?’ Blodwyn asks.
‘There is an order of things in the Antares Cluster,’ answers Boodi. ‘The Advanced Races and Advanced Primitives such as we Lings should not kill low Primitives like the Rills and Terasils – unless there is dire need!’
‘Whose order?’ asks Blodwyn?
‘The Alter Dom’s order’ replies Boodi. ‘Without it anarchy will reign – the Alter Dom is the only life-form that can control the Advanced Races! They fear its power – and its anger! That is why Earth has remained safe.’
Blodwyn had no intention of continuing her quest; but this information now changed matters – there was an order of things – which protected Earth! ‘Why are Terasils classed as low Primitives – along with Rills?’
‘Terasils,’ answers the Mayling, ‘breed like Rills, have only one heart like Rills, a short lifespan like Rills – and worst of all, Terasils kill their own kind – like Rills!’
Blodwyn had to concede, but added weakly. ‘We Terasils have a space program.’ The two Lings howled with laughter. ‘Terasils litter space with pieces of metal,’ answers the Sisling. ‘You drop pieces of metal on the moon, for Rills to make Amour. The piece of metal Terasils dropped on Mars fell into a small hole and broke! Terasils don’t even know there are Rills on the Moon.’
‘Maybe life on Earth evolves at a slower rate,’ says Blodwyn. ‘We Terasils will get there in the end.’
‘There is no time left – the Malis Afar are coming because you have destroyed your atmosphere with global warming, making it ideal for the Malis Afar Cold-bloods.
Blodwyn now understood how important it was to find the Alter Dom!
Blodwyn decided to move. It was now very chilly. Reaching a rocky outcrop, they stopped. ‘We can rest in the shadows here,’ says Blodwyn climbing into her sleeping bag. The two Lings faced Venus; linked hands and tilted their heads backwards – for Lings adsorb energy from its rays, this combined with radiation from rocks – gave them their power!
‘Why did you take so long returning,’ asks Blodwyn, ‘I was really scared.’
‘Nectar is scarce, we returned because we smelt Rills’ scent, mixed with yours,’ says Boodi the Mayling.
Blodwyn gave each Ling a barley sugar from a paper bag.
‘Sweet rocks!’ exclaims Boochi the Sisling, excitedly. Both Lings fell on the sweets; their over-long tongues licking; their needle sharp teeth scraping, splintering the hard sweets. Blodwyn watched her two protectors; it was difficult to believe they were aliens of insect origin, with three hearts and no backbone – in short, invertebrates!
(The delicate and fragile Galla Qualls of Quilla Prime: the most intelligent and inquisitive of all the Advanced Races were forced to maroon Nemesis (still in cocoon) on Venus – then a beautiful green planet inhabited by Lings. Nemesis was dying of dehydration in cocoon, until the Lings found and tended her – she became their first Queen. The two deadly sisters of Nemesis continued to search for her.) “But that is another story.”
All Lings have vertical pupils and are eagle eyed night and day.
The two Lings were now replete and began burping loudly. ‘That is very rude,’ scolds Blodwyn. ‘Grunwalde makes rude noises,’ answers the Sisling.
‘It’s still bad manners,’ replies Blodwyn. ‘Sleep now, I will keep watch.’
Her thoughts drifted. “What would her friends be doing now? She missed her room. She missed the stunted mountain ash in whose shade she wrote her private thoughts down. Had the repulsive rodents found easier prey?”
Blodwyn awoke with a start: something was touching her face, she opened her eyes; the Lings had found Blodwyn’s make-up, the three of them now looked like the tart-loving tart Aunt Sally! The Lings’ keen noses soon located a small spring, but refused to wash – enjoying their new image.
Blodwyn washed her spare clothes, topped up her water bottle; took a bath, washed her hair and changed into more practical attire; of jeans, jumper, and walking boots. She did all this under a barrage of awkward questions about her naked body from the two Lings. She now understood what Grunwalde had to put with. Blodwyn was not going to be unpleasantly surprised again!
‘What are the dangers on Tarrea the next Planet?’ she asks.
‘There are many animals and Pixle Noops,’ replies Boodi the Mayling.’ ‘What kind of animals?’ Blodwyn insists. ‘I mean dangerous animals!’
‘Saber-tooth cats and Dire wolves!’ answers Boochi the Sisling.
‘Brilliant,’ says Blodwyn, ‘how did they get there?’
‘The Galla Qualls left them,’ answers Boodi the Mayling.
‘Any other dangerous creatures?’ persists Blodwyn, not satisfied.
‘Most dangerous is the Blind Tamasic!’ the Mayling declares. ‘They are the colour of ice – only coming out at night – during the storms.’
‘And they love tender Terasil meat!’ the Sisling adds with glee. Blodwyn was not upset by the Sisling’s callous reply; Lings do not possess human emotion or subtlety. ‘How can I protect myself?’ Blodwyn asks.
‘When a Blind Tamasic is near,’ replies Boodi, ‘do not breath out, stay still!’
‘I don’t like the sound of that,’ answers Blodwyn.
‘We will leave before the Blind Tamasic emerges,’ the Mayling assures.
‘But why do we need to go to Tarrea in the first place?’
‘Because the Alter Dom often lingers to bathe at the sulphur springs with a beautiful Mar-Lissa,’ answers Boodi. ‘They make little Ora-Pellas.’
‘What’s a Mar-Lissa?’ Blodwyn asks.
‘A higher being,’ answers the Sisling,
‘Well let’s get on with it,’ announces Blodwyn, ‘before I change my mind. When I leave the Energy Band next time – I want to be turned around immediately – not at the last moment, otherwise I will throw up over both of you!’
CHAPTER SIX
The Blind Tamasic of Tarrea
A Flash of strobe-like sheet lightning.
Through the purple, brooding Tarrean sky.
The shivering leaves softly murmur warnings!
In whispering, urgent sighs:
Tamasic – blind Tamasic!
After they had rested, Blodwyn handed the Lings anoth
er barley sugar each and listened to their sharp teeth splinter the rock hard sweets. She knew the sweets would have to be rationed – Lings could be greedy, just like their Queen Grunwalde Angharad. The Lings had told Blodwyn that the journey to the planet Tarrea from the Moon would be longer.
Each Ling grasped one of Blodwyn’s hands and she felt herself rising. She again marveled at the power of the small Lings. Blodwyn was beginning to enjoy this mode of travel – and wondered when humans would discover Energy Bands, and Prism Widows? The answer came to her quickly. The people who accidentally found them – never came back to tell!
High above the moon, Blodwyn began to feel the pull from the mouth of the Energy Band. Soon they were sucked into the surge – she was flying again! Blodwyn looked down at the cratered surface of the moon a mile below her feet; she had no regrets at leaving after her deadly ordeal with the Bitch-Rills. Little did she know worse was to come. This time when the Energy Band banked steeply: Blodwyn was ready. After hours of travelling, in safe suspended flight they passed a red desolate planet. Blodwyn knew this was Mars. Soon they were approaching Tarrea, a small satellite of Mars similar to Earth. Blodwyn prepared for landing. Suddenly the two Lings appeared in front of her face, grinning.
Their make-up smudged and running – they looked ridiculous – like two little Ling-tarts. Blodwyn wanted to laugh but was too scared. The two Lings obeyed Blodwyn’s request and turned her feet-first as soon as they were shot out of the Energy Band – she landed safely. This time Blodwyn Jones was the first Terasil to set foot on the planet Tarrea; but she was not elated only afraid; she was now further away from mother Earth!
Hovering in front of her face the bug-like Sisling grins, eyebrows raised above button eyes. ‘Berries.’ It pointed.
‘We smell sweet berries,’ called out Boodi the lovely Mayling. Blodwyn closely followed the Lings towards a clump of bushes close to the edge of a vast dark forest.
She took in her surroundings. The single small sun in the sky above Tarrea had a purplish tinge – strangely so did the grass on the plain and the distant mountains. Many striped antelope, and a herd of Quagga (extinct on Earth) grazed in the distance. Vulture like birds circled above with the patience of undertakers: “Where there are eaters of grass, there will also be eaters of flesh,” Blodwyn knew. A shiver rippled through her body. “This time I will not go around investigating strange noises, but keep a low profile,” she told herself. Reaching the small clump of bushes, Blodwyn saw what looked like very large colourful winged insects buzzing around the berries bushes. As soon as these flying insects spotted the two Lings, they became excited and buzzed around them; making high-pitched noises and playfully diving at them. ‘What are they,’ she asks, ‘do they bite?’
‘No, they are sweet-lipped, Sap-suckers,’ answers the Sisling Boochi. ‘Pixel Noops – are our Kin.’
The two Lings fell on the sweet berries – stuffing their mouths full, only stopping to burp and laugh. The berries tasted delicious. Blodwyn ate, while filling a small plastic bag for later; she had to conserve her own rations. ‘We must now go to the sulphur springs; where the Alter Dom sometimes lingers to bathe,’ says Boodi the Mayling, her mouth smeared red and stomach bulging. ‘Wait here.’ Blodwyn could have died at the thought of being alone again.
‘Take me with you,’ she pleads.
‘The Sulfur springs will kill a Terasil,’ answers the Mayling.
‘Can’t just one of you go?’ Blodwyn asks.
‘No!’ replies the smaller Sisling, without emotion. She knew the Lings were social creatures, and like their distant insect ancestors; hated being alone. ‘Please don’t be long,’ she pleads. Blodwyn gave the Lings another barley sugar each, to stop them dallying, in case they became hungry while away. The Lings demolished the sweets in seconds.
‘Hide here,’ says the Sisling, ‘we must leave Tarrea before the nightly storms – that’s when the blind Tamasic comes to the surface.’
With that, the two Ling Changelings turned into ring-necked doves by quickly breaking down then rearranging their molecules – true Changelings. Blodwyn watched fascinated. Rising, the two doves disappeared into the warm purple tinged afternoon sky of Tarrea.
Blodwyn watched the antics of the Pixel Noops. They seemed to communicate in high pitch chattering. One landed a foot from her face, observing her. “My god,” thought Blodwyn, “they are in the process of evolution; insects evolving into something that looked a quarter bird; quarter insect and half human!”
She gently reached out to touch the strange creature – but in a flash they where all gone – she was alone again. Blodwyn felt vulnerable and afraid.
After her nasty experience with the repulsive Bitch-Rills, she decided to remain inconspicuous. She looked up at this alien sky hoping to see the comforting sight of Earth. But now the pristine looking blue planet with white swirls was completely hidden behind Mars. She suddenly felt exposed in the open – like the small, distant helpless ancestors of man when they found themselves alone. Not much had changed since then she thought; even a modern day human with a large brain and all that acquired knowledge, was still helpless when alone and unarmed. What good was a large brain and intelligence if you could not run fast or lacked natural defenses against fang and claw?
Pushing her way into the berry bushes, she pulled and adjusted some branches, making herself a perfect hide. Blodwyn needed to replace her stick as soon as possible, after the female Rills had shredded it with their sharp teeth – a good stick was always handy to fend off something nasty.
She then opened her rucksack and took out a delicious pork pie – she was starving. As she ate, Blodwyn wondered why all the grazing animals avoided the area she was in – by the edge of the forest – was this a bad sign? It was!
From the moment Blodwyn had landed on Tarrea, hungry, intent eyes had watched her every movement!
Meanwhile, some four miles above Tarrea, a large dark sinister shape of a Na Idriss predator battleship appeared and began to orbit. Suddenly the battleship disappeared – it had clocked!
On the flight deck; burly, dark veiled feline Na Idriss warriors moved around with cat-like grace. All carried samurai swords on their backs attached to leather habergeons; the ancient skill of swordsmanship was still greatly practiced and admired among the aggressive space travelling, advanced races.
On the bridge two humanoid figures studied a screen. One was a Na Idriss, Captain Timasek, – his yellow golden cat eyes unblinking. Next to the Na Idriss stood a tall pale striking muscular figure; a long tuft of black hair sprouted from the top of the alien’s head tied in a topknot. His light grey eyes had the vertical pupils of a reptilian. This alien humanoid was Commander Karak a Malis Afar – a ‘Cold-blood.’
Commander Karak the Cold-blood was in charge of the Na Idriss battleship and the only Malis Afar aboard. Lt Jibba a Na Idriss, approaches. ‘Commander, we have traced a single Terasil female life-form below on the forest’s edge.’
‘Brain capacity of the female Terasil life form – is she tripled hearted?’ the Mails Afar Cold-blood, Commander Karak enquires.
‘Brain large and active Sir,’ replies the Na Idriss, ‘but only a single heart, that is beating rapidly. The Terasil female seems to be under stress – she could be the Queen of the Lings sir – just like the Harpies says!’
‘Never believe the word of a Harpy, Lt Jibba,’ answers the Malis Afar, ‘what are the female Terasils radiation levels?’
‘Negative sir,’ answers Lt Jibba. ‘But it must be the Queen of the Lings.’
The Malis Afar Cold-blood Karak looks puzzled. ‘Difficult to say, I have never dealt with three-hearted Changelings before. Grunwalde Angharad is half Terasil, but gains her power from radiation and starlight – but she is also a true Changeling – so must have three hearts to cope with the molecule adjustments when she changes shape – but she could also be posing as a harmless Terasil.’
‘Sir!’ exclaims a Na Idriss monitoring a screen, ‘There are also two
small, triple-hearted life forms with high radiation levels – at the sulfur springs – Lings!’
‘Then it must be the Queen of Lings below us commander,’ says Capt Timasek. ‘Shall we capture the two Lings Sir?’
‘No,’ replies the Malis Afar Cold-blood – looking down at his less intelligent ally and henchmen, ‘you underestimate the Lings, Captain.’
‘But they are without weapons.’ Captain Timasek answers.
‘Their bodies are weapons enough,’ answers the Malis Afar Cold-blood Karak. ‘As fluctuating invertebrates, they can make their bodies as hard as rock or as soft as rubber. At high speed, they can fly straight through an enemy like an ancient bullet! They also possess a neurotoxin venom – as deadly as an Aquillian mamba – there is no known anti-dote!’
‘We can kill them with proton lasers,’ says Captain Timasek.
‘You, Captain are obviously not aware of the speed at which a Ling can travel – at top speed they are just a blur of light.’
‘Then how do we force the Lings to leave Earth?’ Captain Timasek asks.
‘Their half Terasil Queen is the weak link! Capture their Queen and the Lings will do anything to get her back – for they are still insects by nature, a Queen is vital in their society.’
‘Ah yes – then we kill her,’ says the Captain.
‘Certainly not,’ the Cold-blood answers.
‘I am now confused Sir,’ says the Na Idriss, scratching his head.
‘Then let me un-confuse you Captain,’ says the Cold-blood, impatiently! ‘All we have to do when we capture Queen Angharad is persuade her to take her Lings to Paxis Minor, a green planet in the Polaris Quadrant.’
‘But Paxis Minor has only a life span of two years,’ answers Captain Timasek, ‘before the asteroid Quintus seven collides with it.’
