by Ruby Ryan
"I'll do my best." I hadn't thought about going back to base after this. Mountain Home was about to get a whole lot more interesting. And to think last night's "false alarm" had been the most excitement we'd seen in decades.
But more importantly: Kerix and Tyrix were staying for the immediate future. I hadn't realized how much I had been dreading them returning home until I asked the question. But would they stay with me at the base, or head to Washington, where I'd never see them again?
I tried to wave it off. Get it together, Brandi. You're just a Lieutenant Colonel. Of course they won't stick around a base in the middle of fucking Idaho.
I would just enjoy it while it lasted, however long that may be.
The two Karak began shimmering, and then they were back in their human forms again, chiseled men with eyes that stared intently.
"It is time for us to finish the Wolvae. You must stay here with the ship."
I gave a start. "Wait, what? I want to go!"
"It is dangerous," Tyrix insisted. "Our Karak forms are safer against the Wolvae ship weapons, but your fleshy human body would be ripped apart by a stray shot. This is the only way, Brandi."
His voice was as hard as steel. I shook my head and said, "Then why are you two in your human bodies?"
"Because," Kerix said softly, "I wanted to give you a proper human hug."
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight against his body, and I melted. I just melted, like a girl on fucking prom night, my entire body relaxing and sighing into him. He smelled like raw human musk, sweet and strong, and while I was wrapped in his embrace it was easy to forget he was an alien.
Kerix let go, and then it was Tyrix's turn. I savored the feeling of his blond hair brushing against my face, and he gave me a sensual kiss on the lips before pulling away.
And then they were shifting back into their Karak bodies, and moving outside the aircraft.
We will return soon, Kerix said.
Keep an eye on our ship, Tyrix added.
"I'll keep both eyes on it," I whispered.
I watched their bodies disappear into the forest.
18
TYRIX
It was difficult to leave her.
I felt my brother thinking the same. Even though we would not be gone long, and would be spending far more time with Brandi after this, it caused me physical pain to depart. My human heart ached in a way that was completely alien.
In a way that was completely human.
It is evidence of why they are such a passionate species, Kerix said to me as we moved through the trees. Their emotional bonds are strong.
Strong indeed, I replied.
Brandi aside, knowing that our work was nearly complete was an extreme relief. If the Wolvae had captured our aircraft, we would have been stranded on this planet until Karak reinforcements arrived. We would have failed our mission, and been dishonored in the process.
My worries faded away like the light of a dying star.
Yet we could not allow ourselves to grow complacent. One Wolvae remained, and inside an aircraft he would be formidable if we did not take care. We needed to focus and eliminate her before we celebrated.
I felt a pulse of a similar thought from Kerix.
The urge to reach out with our consciousnesses was strong, but I held back. Doing so would alert the Wolvae that we were near. With luck, we would be able to attack the ship while she was in the cockpit, preparing the departure procedures. Such requirements were extensive on our older Karak aircraft: much needed to be done manually. Not like our modern craft which could fly almost entirely automatically.
Yet still, the desire to reach out to detect what the Wolvae was doing was strong.
A dark shape appeared through the trees in the distance. Somber silence came over us as we neared, pausing a safe distance away.
The Wolvae ship was an abomination of what had once been a beautiful Karak craft. The once shiny exterior had been dulled with age, and was black enough that it seemed to absorb the light unnaturally. Modifications had been made to the exterior: patchwork repairs that left the aircraft with hard angles and sharp weaponry. Simply gazing upon it with my consciousness filled me with disgust.
And reiterated how we could not allow a fleet of them to descend upon this unsuspecting planet.
I detect three automated turrets on the exterior.
I did a quick count, spotting them: two on the left, and one on the bottom-right. The latter appeared as though it could not tilt up to shoot horizontally across the ground (for it was designed to be used while flying,) but I could not be certain. A fourth turret, manual instead of automatic, was set inside a bubble-shaped compartment on the top of the ship.
Kerix and I shared a quick plan. The Wolvae was nowhere to be seen, because of course she was inside preparing to launch. We agreed on the plan, then turned our attention to the aircraft.
Our beams shot simultaneously, striking the two automated turrets on the left side of the ship. Both exploded instantly, sending shrapnel careening across the air to strike the wooden tree trunks, but I was already turning my focus to the third turret. It tilted up and aimed at us, having just enough range of movement to do so, and I fired another beam at it just as it shot a volley of three of its own.
Kerix and I easily avoided its lasers, and mine struck home, destroying it in a puff of fire and smoke.
Go!
We left the protection of the forest and moved straight at the enemy craft. We could have shift-teleported forward, but doing so would have left us vulnerable in the seconds after, so we preferred to take things slow and cautious. The aircraft rose before us, a dull grotesque that began to block out the sky.
We were halfway to the craft when the Wolvae appeared inside the manual turret.
Kerix and I saw her black shape within the bubble just in time. If we shift-teleported forward, the Wolvae would be able to fire upon us from close range as we re-materialized. The only option was to shift backwards to the woods.
We did so just as the turret began to fire.
The high-pitched sound of the turret was like metal scraping against metal. Thin lasers hissed through the air, kicking up fountains of dirt where they struck all around us. And then we were back in the forest, a safer distance away though still within sight of the Wolvae.
She let out a loud howl, and sent more lasers in our direction. We positioned ourselves behind two trees as the lasers pummeled the area, sending wood splinters flying in the air.
Our beams will not damage that protective bubble.
True, but she cannot prepare the ship while she is firing on us, Kerix said.
We have the advantage, I agreed. I can move around to advance from another angle while you remain here.
Excellent plan. I will draw her fire and attention.
I moved deeper into the woods away from the enemy ship, all the while listening to the PING PING PING of constant fire. When I was far enough away I turned right, making a wide circle around the enemy ship, which was hardly visible from this distance. I felt a discharge of energy as Kerix returned fire, keeping the Wolvae's attention without doing any real damage.
I moved fast, keeping the perimeter of my Karak consciousness as small as possible. The Wolvae would not be able to see or detect me from this distance, so long as I didn't reach out farther than I needed. I circled the ship until I was at a 90-degree angle of attack compared to Kerix's position, then slowly advanced. From here, the side of the Wolvae ship blocked the view from the bubble turret, which continued sending thin beams toward Kerix to the right.
There was nothing to stop me as I approached the side of the ship, where a door stood open to me.
I was thinking of the best angle of attack--should I go inside the ship and attack up at the Wolvae, or climb the exterior and hit her from the side?--when the second Wolvae appeared.
It was a complete and total shock to me. The manual turret still fired, which meant the Wolvae was still there, yet...
> The Wolvae was not as shocked as I was. She wore reflective armor over her torso and head, the latter of which came down over her eyes like some human gladiator. She opened her mouth in a snarl as she pounced. Normal physical interaction would have passed through my photon body, but the Wolvae warriors wore electronic rings on their fangs and claws. The pounce knocked me back, took me off-balance before I could fire a beam.
I tried to scramble the blow into a quick retreat, but the Wolvae was already on top of me, pinning me to the ground.
She snarled again and snapped with her jaws, and I was only barely able to shift a thick block of air to shield myself from her teeth. Rage filled her eyes as she snapped forward again, plowing through the barrier while I reinforced it with another, saliva glistening on her enormous teeth. Then she was scratching with her paws, the long claws tearing terrible rends in my photon body. There was no physical pain, as Karak had no nerve endings, but it was an emotional and conscious pain nonetheless.
NO, I screamed at the animal attempting to tear me apart.
Her jaws were immensely strong; each time she bit down it ripped apart the thick air I was using as a barrier, and I had no time to shift-create anything more substantive. I tried an attack beam but was cut off as she sank her fangs into my chest, the electronic rings on her teeth dealing immense damage to my body. She pulled back for another bite just as I shifted more air to block her jaws. And in her rabid bloodlust she attacked faster and faster, smashing through my defenses as quickly as I could create them, and all the while her hind legs tore at me like an animal digging a deep hole.
HELP, I screamed to my brother, hoping he heard my plea.
I could feel myself growing weaker with each passing moment. The Wolvae claws were wearing me down steadily, my energy draining out like blood gushing from a human body. In moments, I would not be able to fight back at all, and then she would finish tearing my photon body apart.
The light of the world began to dim at my peripheral consciousness, until all I saw was the Wolvae's face above me.
I am sorry, brother, I sent in all directions. I could not sense Kerix, which either meant my strength was too low or he had been killed by the other Wolvae. Forgive me for failing.
And then I thought of Brandi. The human we had only just met, had bonded with so quickly. Failing her filled me with immense sadness. We had failed the entire planet, if the Wolvae were able to escape, but it was Brandi's life for which I cared.
As I prepared to die, to give in and let the Wolvae jaws devour me entirely, it was only Brandi that occupied my mind.
Without warning, the Wolvae flew sideways away from me. I didn't understand until I saw a thick green beam shoot across the air above me, striking the Wolvae again in the side armor, sending her tumbling across the ground like a boulder.
I am here, brother.
Kerix appeared above me, firing beam after beam at the enemy who was trying to regain her footing. Each beam would have been a killing blow, but with the armor it only had the effect of a concussive blast, which was enough to save me. I focused on my body--my crippled, injured body--and began to shift-heal myself.
Kerix hovered next to me, keeping the Wolvae at bay. She had regained her feet and was dodging the blasts, but they kept her at distance while I healed myself.
She almost got me.
Kerix didn't respond; he focused on hitting the Wolvae. Each beam missed now, easily dodged by the cunning lupine beast, but she dared not get closer. I could see the fury in her eyes, the desire to throw aside caution and charge straight at us, but it would surely mean her death.
I focused on healing myself, mending the photon connections one by one. It was far more difficult--and painful, if you could call this temporal discomfort pain--than shifting anything else into existence.
And then, without warning, the Wolvae turned her tail and fled. She ran sideways across the space into her ship, darting into the safety within.
Kerix kept his focus on the ship, but allowed a few motes of attention to drift toward me. Are you okay?
Barely, I said. My atoms would have been scattered on the wind if not for your intervention.
The Rabid Wolvae are terrible indeed. He hesitated a moment, then said, I must finish them.
I flinched as I did the calculations. You cannot defeat two Wolvae in such close quarters.
There is a chance, he insisted, pulsing in the air. Unlikely, but a chance nonetheless.
No! You will die!
And yet I must.
I struggled to think of something to say to stop him. Allow me a few minutes to heal; then we may attack the ship together.
I felt the mirth of bitter laughter from within Kerix, a remnant of his human self. Brother, it will take hours for you to regenerate. You are barely alive as you lay there.
I wanted to argue, but I knew the truth. And what other choice did we have? We could not allow the Wolvae to escape.
Fight well, I said, sending a final pulse of confidence into his consciousness.
I will try.
Before he could move, there was a deep rumbling in the ground. The air itself seemed to vibrate terribly, unnaturally. The trees around us trembled and lost their leaves, a steady rain of foliage.
The sound of the Wolvae ship's engines increased in pitch. Slowly, it lurched into the air, and the door in its rear closed tight. Kerix screamed a battlecry in his consciousness and fired three heavy beams at the ship, but they bounced off the hull ineffectively.
Oh no, I said as the ship pulled into the air. We are too late!
19
BRANDI
It was boring being the spaceship babysitter, so I daydreamed about what would happen next.
First, we would need to get word back to the base. I'd almost certainly have to walk into Mountain Home on foot, and then allow the Karak aircraft to fly inside. There's no way they wouldn't shoot it down otherwise. I mean, that's what I would do if I were a perimeter guard, or an Airman manning the AA guns.
Oh man. Everyone would flip out. So long as nobody lost their cool and started shooting, that would be a fun sight to see.
Base Commander Elliot would probably end his vacation early when he found out. He was somewhere in Central America with his family--Costa Rica, maybe? I couldn't remember. It'd probably take him the better part of the day to return, if he even believed the message when it came. "Hey boss, an alien spaceship landed at base, so you should come home ASAP. Oh, did we mention there are aliens? Because there are aliens. Just FYI." That kind of call wasn't one a lot of people would immediately believe.
Now that I thought about it, he'd started all of this by canceling those candidate interviews. If those had still been on my schedule I probably would have been at the base cantina having late drinks with the candidates instead of alone at home. I doubt the aliens would have chosen me then, since they'd been so concerned about people going crazy. A crowded bar full of sloppy Airmen was probably a terrible place to suddenly appear out of thin air.
Maybe things happened for a reason after all. My mom had always insisted so, but I'd never believed it until now.
And then all the stuff that would happen after we escorted the Karak onto our base. The defense of our planet! Surely the Karak would share technology with us humans. Aircraft like this for everyone. I rapped my knuckle on the bulkhead and listened to the dim echo deep inside.
If we were invaded, what would the battle lines even look like? Would we fight the Wolvae in orbit? I assumed this thing could fight in space. Or maybe we'd battle the Wolvae closer to the surface. Idaho might suddenly become an awfully exciting place.
Shit, what was I thinking? War wasn't exciting, especially not the kind that could suddenly appear on our doorstep. America hadn't had a battle in its own territory in nearly a century. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to get a whole lot more interesting. Forget paperwork: I'd have a lot of work to do helping the Karak.
At least, I hoped I'd ha
ve a lot of work to do. Surely as the Lieutenant Colonel to make first contact--and the first to fly one of their ships!--I'd be involved in the process of--
All hell broke loose.
The cockpit flashed with bright lights and a high-pitched noise like an undulating siren. I flinched, hit my head against the wall, then covered my ears with my hands. The HUD on the cockpit window showed a map of the nearby terrain, and an angry red symbol began moving.
"What the..."
And then I saw it through the window. Above the trees, maybe half a mile away, the Wolvae aircraft rose into the sky. It was a hideous thing, like a jagged piece of charcoal with engines glowing on its back and underside, yet it moved through the air swiftly.
How was that possible? They said it shouldn't have taken off for 30 minutes!
"Kerix? Tyrix?" I called. "What's happening?"
For a moment I indulged an optimistic thought: maybe the Karak had captured the ship and were flying it back here. But somehow I knew that was not the case, and the Wolvae ship began soaring in the opposite direction.
I looked around for Kerix and Tyrix, expecting them to burst through the trees and join me at any moment. But they didn't. And the enemy ship was growing smaller in the distance.
So I did the only thing I could.
"Not today, motherfuckers."
I strapped myself back into the cockpit chair. Sparing a moment of concern for the Karak's lives, I grabbed the control wheel and pulled the ship into the air with the foot pedals.
When I was above the trees, I really opened her up: I leaned forward on the controls hard, which shot our ship forward with ludicrous speed. Like a jet fighter, but smoother and easier. The Wolvae ship grew in my view, a stain of black against the beautiful Idaho sky, my sky goddamnit, and I wasn't going to let these fur-covered alien assholes take it from me.
