by Justin Sloan
Valerie was glad her faceplate wasn’t see-through right then, because she was scowling like a tiger about to rip a face off.
“It’s not like that, not for us. We were vampires, but still had some control. A lot of humanity believed vampires were demons or had something to do with the dark arts. That they were evil, and so many of them acted the part. Plus the whole power corrupting thing—but not us.”
“Let me guess, you used your powers for good?” Arlay scoffed. “Spare me.”
“But…” Valerie turned to Robin for help, but the younger woman shrugged.
“How can I trust someone who feeds from their own kind?” Arlay asked, gesturing to the rowers to stop.
“What are you doing?” Valerie asked.
“I didn’t know what you were when I agreed to this,” Arlay explained. “Now I do, and I’m not sure how I feel about taking you out here. So start explaining.”
Valerie glared, not sure how to respond to that, when she noticed one of those montroque creatures making its way down a lower part of the cliffs. “We might want to—”
“Answer me! You have about three shifts of the sands before I abandon this mission and leave you out here to rot.”
“Listen, you want to know about me? Fine, I’ll tell you, and then I’ll finish saving your ass from that monster who looks ready to pounce behind you. The quick version—I left everything I had back there on Earth to come here. Well, everything but Robin. And she left her parents to come up here and fight for Earth’s survival, so that she could defeat evil and help all alien races who might be on the side of justice. Do you understand? I had a family of sorts, and I saw them doing evil so I rose against them to stop it. I saw people abusing power, so I took them out of power. You want to know who I am? That’s who the fuck I am. Now duck!”
Just then the montroque leaped, green liquid spraying from its mouth and smoking as it hit the boat.
Valerie shoved Arlay out of the way and reached out to take the beast on with her bare hands. It was inches from her grip when a metal oar slammed into its mouth, pushed it into the river, and then pulled back and pushed them away from the cliff face.
“I had it!” Valerie exclaimed to the soldier next to Arlay, who still had the oar at the ready.
“It was a valiant effort,” Arlay explained. “Except for the fact that, had that beast’s saliva gotten on your armor in large quantities, you would’ve been quite fucked. Let’s just say you were lucky.”
Valerie turned from one to the other, wishing she could see their faces but sensing warmth from them, so that she assumed they were telling the truth.
“Well, thank you then,” Valerie said to the soldier. “I’d hate to have died.”
The soldier chortled, but a tilt of Arlay’s helmet sent him back to his position.
“It’s not far now,” Arlay stated, turning to point at a mountain ridge ahead with rocks that seemed to form a gateway at its top.
“We’re going up there?” Garcia asked.
“No, through there.” Arlay indicated a place where the river dipped, the cliff face dark and extending outward.
As they approached, it became clear that this was almost a cavern. It wasn’t until they were pulling the boat onto the rock surface, however, that they were able to see how the cavern curved back to lead into a sort of hidden passage. Soldiers appeared, helping to pull the boat to the water’s edge so that the passengers could climb onto shore.
“Another outpost?” Robin asked.
“Outpost Alpha, and home to Talrok at the moment.” Taking the lead, Arlay entered the dark tunnel, the lights from her armor kicking on to emit a gentle glow. Soon the tunnel led to a wider passage, and then they were in an entirely underground open area with glowing pools of water and seemingly-sculpted stalactites and stalagmites. The farther they walked, the more movement Valerie noticed. She imagined they thought nobody could see them, not realizing that vampires could see in the dark.
It was definitely more soldiers, and they were taking offensive positions around a door on the far side of the cavern.
“They know you, right?” Valerie asked.
Arlay turned, her eye line a soft blue glow, and she hesitated as her aura sent off a spike of anger.
Oh, shit, Valerie thought, realizing this was a trap. At a signal from Arlay as she leaped back and the others formed a crescent around them, weapons at the ready.
“Surrender your weapons!” Arlay commanded Valerie and her friends. “We don’t mean to kill you, just ask some questions.”
“We have a mission,” Valerie replied, hand on her sword hilt. “If we don’t see it through, everyone suffers. The Skulla, you… Everyone in this system, and soon, beyond.”
“Right, your mission.” Arlay scoffed, pulling her own rifle now to aim at Valerie. “Again, your weapons.”
Valerie considered the situation. They could possibly take them all down, true. That didn’t worry her so much as the fact that they would have to kill them in the process, or at least some of them, and her people might get hurt as well.
And once she defeated Arlay and her soldiers, what would be next? Could she get through that door without their help? Find Talrok? Not likely.
Her best bet, she figured, would be to get in there now, then retrieve her weapons and fight if it came to that.
“Val?” Robin asked, hand at the ready next to her thigh pistol. “What’s the call?”
“Hand over your weapons.”
“You can’t be serious,” Garcia countered.
“Do it.” Valerie’s voice was stern, unwavering. “We need the good commander here to understand that we’re on the same side.”
The others hesitated and the guards started to shift nervously, but finally Robin unhitched her pistol and handed it over, then they commenced with the rest of their weapons.
When it was done, Arlay nodded and two soldiers approached to put cuffs on each of them.
“This is bullshit,” Robin grumbled.
“You want to see Talrok, this is how it’ll have to be,” Arlay replied. “He doesn’t meet with outsiders. Either you are who you say you are, in which case maybe he’ll listen to you, or you’re creations of the Aranaught and he’ll destroy you.”
“Let’s hope he’s smart enough to see which of those is true,” Valerie said.
Arlay nodded, then gestured for her soldiers to open the door. When they went through the pressurization chamber they came into another metal building.
They approached the far wall and climbed the stairs that led up to another room much like the first, with secure doors on the far side. Vents along the ceiling circulated air and Valerie was glad for the freedom to breathe when they took her helmet off, though annoyed that she didn’t have it in case she needed to make a fast escape.
In this last room, a desk and chair sat against a wall with a window in it. Valerie half-expected the chair to swivel around and some fat, bald male to threaten her, but instead there was a burst of laughter from above.
They tilted their heads to see a figure walking along one of several metal beams. He was a short male Skulla clad in thick robes of blue and white, some tied around his neck and head, others hanging from his shoulders, and a pair of black military-style pants underneath. This wasn’t what she had been expecting at all.
“Visitors or prisoners?” Talrok asked, lowering himself to hang from the beam and look at them. He let go and landed in front of Valerie, staring at her with curiosity.
“Visitors,” Valerie said at the same time as Arlay said, “Prisoners.”
“Ah, a bit of both then.”
Talrok turned to the others, flinching at the sight of Garcia and then laughing again. “A big boy like you, I’d hope it’s more visitors, but we’ll see… We’ll see.”
“Me?” Garcia laughed, then nodded to Valerie. “It’s her you’d want to be afraid of. Size isn’t everything.”
“At least they’re smart prisoners,” Talrok said with a chuckle, then tur
ned back to Valerie. “You’re the leader of this bunch? What can I do for you?”
“They claim to be on a mission to take down Aranaught,” Arlay interjected.
“Indeed, indeed.” Talrok paced, examining their armor. He stepped forward and stared into Valerie’s eyes, then tilted his head and flinched again. “If you’re with her, she did a damn fine job.”
“Her?” Valerie asked.
“Aranaught. What, did you think she’s a he?”
Valerie shrugged. “I thought it was an it. Robot or AI, and all that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Talrok replied. “See, they’re as real as you or me, and associate with a gender as much as either of us do. But then, I’ve known my fair share of Skulla with the dangly bits who refuse to accept themselves as male, so there you go.”
He leaned back and placed his hands behind his back with a broad smile, as if having proved something very complicated.
“This is the one who’s supposed to help us?” Robin asked, then clicked her tongue. “I have my doubts.”
His eyes flicked to her, then back, and he licked his lips. “How to test you, how to test you…”
“Test us?” Valerie asked. “You mean you’ve seen robots that look as real as us in the past?”
“More real, even.”
“You can’t be more real than real,” Garcia argued.
“Plus,” Valerie leaned in as if sharing a secret, “why would this AI thing make us look like humans? ‘Wandrei,’ as your people like to say. It makes no sense. We’d be the least likely to earn your trust, since you’ve never met any of us.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. Since I’ve never met humans before, I’m more likely to trust you by simple relativity. You see, I know I can’t trust anyone else, so sending an alien race I’ve never encountered is the best hope she has of tricking me.”
“I’m telling you,” Robin interjected again, “that if his computer skills are anything like his deductive reasoning and argument skills, we’re royally fucked.”
“ENOUGH!” He turned on her, shouting, “Grownups are talking!”
Valerie wasn’t taking that, potential ally or no. She lunged forward, placing her foot behind his and her shin against his leg as she pushed into him to knock him onto his back. Then she put her foot against the soft part of his neck.
“Watch yourself,” she said, ignoring the guns in the room as they aimed at her again. “That’s my teammate and friend.”
“And you, good madam,” he said with a grin, “have passed my little test.”
“What?” She glanced at Robin, who looked just as confused as she felt. “What do you mean?”
“The friendship test. No AI or robot would act as you did. It was an emotional response, one which you embraced, and thereby earned my faith that you are not an enemy.”
“Just like that?” Arlay asked.
“Release them,” Talrok replied. “Set up a feast so that I can hear them out proper style. I’ve never had humans as guests before!”
“Sir, you should know that they’re vampires, or at least the two females are.”
“Are vampires robots?” He glared.
“Uh, no, sir.”
“Exactly. Do it.”
“I have to say,” Valerie nodded to the guard as he undid her bonds, “this whole journey so far has been nothing like I expected.”
“What did you expect?” Talrok asked.
“Mostly just me killing robots, I guess.” She shrugged. “I guess I’m a simple girl. Point me in the direction of the bad guy, give me a sword, and let me do my thing.”
“You and I… We’re going to get along fine.” He waved Arlay off. “Go on then, prepare the feast. The finest meats from—”
“Er…” Valerie let the noise escape without really meaning to. When they all looked at her, she said, “I don’t know if we can stomach eating any of those creatures we saw out there. Not to be rude, it’s just…you know, alien to us.”
He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Come now, come now. Vampire vegetarians?”
“Just…for now.”
“No skin off my back…or flesh.” He winked, which Valerie was surprised to see was a thing here. Maybe he had met humans before?
“Gentry here will show you to your rooms,” Talrok said, gesturing to a soldier to his right. “Relax, and we’ll talk over food and drink. We don’t have much out here—always on the watch—but what we do have is certainly yours.”
They thanked him and followed Gentry. The others seemed at ease now, but not Valerie. She had no idea if her suspicions were warranted or not, but something about this whole situation felt wrong.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tol’s Moon: Outpost Alpha
Kalan would have thought being on a secret moon base would have been more exciting. As it was, he was entering his third hour sharing a cramped room with Jilla, Bob, and Wearl, with little to do other than stare at the wall.
If it had been just Jilla, he wouldn’t have minded so much. He had to admit, she looked as good now as she had the last time he’d seen her, when she was eighteen and just aging out of SEDE. He’d been seventeen, and back then that year had seemed to be an eternity. Neither of them could imagine being apart for so long, so they’d decided to break up.
Kalan still believed it had been the right decision. It wouldn’t have been fair to make Jilla spend her first year of freedom waiting for a boyfriend back in prison.
Still, looking at her now, he felt a pang of regret. He knew there was no way they could go back to the way things had been then, but maybe they could start something new? Assuming, of course, that Jilla decided to stick with him after they left this moon base rather than rekindling things with Talrok.
Wearl spoke, rousing Kalan from his memories. “So, Kalan, your first girlfriend was a shapeshifter. That must have been…entertaining.”
Jilla grinned. “Oh, it was. If only you knew some of the shapes he asked me to take.”
“I can only imagine,” Wearl replied.
Kalan felt himself blush, and he turned to Bob. “A little help? As the other male here, you’re legally obligated to have my back.”
Bob shook his head. “Sorry, man, you’re on your own.”
Kalan grimaced. Wearl and Jilla’s razzing was getting to him more than it normally would. Spending hours in this cramped room was putting him in a foul mood.
After they’d left the training auditorium where Kalan had defeated the robot, Daschle had brought them here. He’d told them he was going directly to Talrok, and that he’d set up the meeting for them as quickly as possible.
They hadn’t heard from him—or anyone else—since.
The room’s door wasn’t locked, so technically they could have left and wandered off to find Talrok themselves. But between the labyrinthine corridors and the guard at the end of hall, Kalan had decided it would be a better idea to sit and wait.
As if he’d been summoned by Kalan’s thoughts, Daschle appeared at the door.
Kalan glared at him. “So you remembered we existed?”
“My apologizes. I had no intention of leaving you alone for so long, but something came up that required my immediate attention.” The Skulla was talking fast, and he looked frazzled.
Jilla started to stand. “Do I need to remind you that you owe us a meeting with Talrok today? If you’re going to make an excuse—”
“I’m not,” Daschle said, holding up a hand. “This was as surprising to me as it is to you. I will deliver the meeting I promised, it’s just the setting that has changed.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Kalan asked.
“We have unexpected visitors. Besides yourselves, I mean. Talrok is holding a feast to welcome them.”
“Oh, sure,” Jilla said. “When we show up, you stick us in a room. These guys get a feast?”
“You’re welcome to attend too, of course. In fact, I believe I can get you facetime with Talrok during the feast. What d
o you say?”
An hour later, Kalan and his friends found themselves entering the dining hall.
“Is it possible the term ‘feast’ doesn’t mean the same thing on this moon as it does on Earth?” Bob asked.
Kalan didn’t know the answer to that question, but he did understand the sentiment. When he thought “feast” he didn’t picture a barebones dining hall with metal tables and benches.
“There,” Jilla said, pointing to a table at the front of the room. “That’s Talrok.”
Kalan raised an eyebrow. “That’s the guy you dated after me?”
“Well, that’s one of them,” Jilla replied with a smile. “Let’s head over there.”
“You sure he’ll remember you?” Bob asked.
Jilla shot him a look. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m not the kind of female guys forget.”
The Skulla at the head table was a bit taller than the average male of his species, and he and the Skulla around him were all dressed in flamboyant colors. He was laughing and talking, oblivious to the rest of the room or the guards in front of the table.
“Okay,” Kalan said, “let’s go talk to him.”
He started walking, but Daschle quickly stepped in front of him.
“I’m sorry, I should have explained. Your table is over here.” He gestured to a spot far across the room from the head table.
“Huh,” Kalan said. “We’re going to have to talk really loudly to hold a conversation with Talrok from back here.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“So you keep saying,” Kalan pointed out.
“You will get to speak with him, but he needs to spend time with the other guests first.”
“The more important ones?” Kalan asked.
“Yes. I mean, no! Not more important, just… Their business is more official and less personal.”
Resigning themselves to yet more waiting, they sat at their assigned table. A server came around with a tray of meat and placed a slice in front of each of them. The meat gave off a scent that reminded Kalan of ship exhaust.
“What is this?” Kalan asked the server.
He hesitated. “What’s your favorite type of meat?”
