"My name is Colonel Doug Jenson. I'm a Human from the planet Earth."
Peregrine was intrigued by the creature. It was obvious he was a male of the species and not that bad looking for an alien. His eyes were too small and close together and his poor nose was far too short, but from a distance she could mistake him for a male Asiddian.
"The Asiddian Empire has never encountered a Human in its entire history of galactic conquest. The logical conclusion under the circumstances is that your race is from some backwater part of the galaxy we have yet to explore and control."
Doug was formulating a response when the crisp thoughts of Becky Chang interrupted him.
"Is it just me or is every alien lifeform in the galaxy born an egotistical maniac?"
Relief swept through Doug as he welcomed Becky's familiar thought patterns. She was conscious and sharp as ever. He thought he felt an inner shiver of delight when her telepathic thoughts entered his mind but decided the feeling had to be his imagination. Taking a couple of seconds, he telepathically brought her up to date about what had happened since he regained consciousness. They decided she would remain quiet and help Whatsit, Miguel and GooYee recover from the effects of whatever had knocked them out.
Interpreting the lack of a response from the Human as fear, Peregrine smiled haughtily and said, "It appears the Human is physically strong and mentally weak. I see no reason to keep any of them alive."
"You might want to ask Captain Wren to explain how the mentally weak Humans in a tiny Chrysallaman scout saucer destroyed her Asiddian battleship in a little less than one minute," Doug responded with a glint in his eyes.
The look of stunned disbelief on Peregrine's face was comical. Turning her head toward Hannah and Ramona, she commanded, "Explain."
"Princess, I don't know what manner of shielding they used, but a ten-fold disintegrator beam deflected away from their ship without causing any damage. They used a ray of dazzling white light to cut through our armor plating as if it was so much tissue paper. The ray was so powerful; they cut out the entire center of my ship from stem to stern, killing every crew member except Science Officer Crow and myself."
Peregrine remained silent for a moment as she absorbed the information. Hannah was her childhood friend, and she trusted her implicitly.
"Do you have anything to add Officer Crow?"
"Your Majesty, without examination of the power systems in the scout saucer, I have no idea how they were able to deflect our disintegrator beam but I can tell you their shield is not impregnable. Every time we hit them with more than three combined rays, their shield weakened, and they had to flee."
Hesitating for just a moment, Peregrine pulled back the left sleeve of her gown, touched a diamond studded button on her wrist communicator and said, "Dr. Corvus, come to the Interrogation Chamber."
After a brief moment, a raspy voice replied, "On my way Majesty."
Peregrine glared at Doug and said, "Dr. Corvus is Director of my Technical Research Team. His intellect and scientific knowledge are unmatched. He's been studying your scout saucer and undoubtedly has uncovered most if not all of its secrets."
Trying his best to look nonchalant but worried the unique design of the FLIT gen was in jeopardy of being disclosed to the enemy, Doug was about to respond to her when a familiar voice behind him said in the Asiddian language, "My God you're beautiful."
Twisting his head around to confirm who'd spoken, Doug saw Miguel staring at the Princess. Miguel's hands had been tied in front of his body, and he had levered himself into a kneeling position with his backside resting on his heels. His head was shrouded in a black bag, and Doug surmised he was using his bat-like sonic vision to see the Princess.
Peregrine was taken aback. No one ever had the temerity to address her in such a personal way. Motioning to her guards, the bag covering the Human's head was jerked off. Blinking his blue-green eyes to adjust them to the bright lights in the room, Miguel focused on the Princess, smiled and stared into her golden eyes.
Peregrine had never seen eyes with such a unique color in her life. She felt as though the Human was reaching into the very deepest part of her soul, and she was temporarily transfixed by his gaze. Feeling a pleasurable twinge just below her navel, she pressed her palm to her belly.
An awkward silence continued for about five seconds until Peregrine tore her gaze away from Miguel, cleared her throat and said, "Colonel Jenson. Just who is this ruffian who dares interject himself into our conversation? Do you have so little control over your subordinates?"
Doug looked back again at Miguel and saw the young man still looking raptly at the Asiddian Princess. Shaking his head in amazement, Doug turned back to Peregrine and said, "Dr. Miguel Roemer is a civilian advisor. The chain of command on my vessel doesn't restrict his comments and opinions. It may well be he's still suffering from the effects of whatever rendered us unconscious."
Doug thought he saw a flicker of disappointment in Peregrine's eyes when he mentioned the lingering effects of unconsciousness on Miguel.
"What the Hell?" he wondered to himself. It was like watching two teenagers peer at each other with cow eyes.
Just then the carved door opened and the shortest Asiddian Doug had seen to date strutted into the room.
Pulling her gaze away from Miguel, Peregrine said, "Dr. Corvus, please come here."
"Human, this is Dr. Emil Corvus. He is the most decorated research scientist in the Asiddian Empire."
Doug was unimpressed. Corvus was the first male Asiddian he had ever met. Standing only 6 feet tall, Corvus was much shorter than any Asiddian female Doug had met. He had light brown skin and black eyes whose pupils were tinged with purple highlights. His eyes seemed to bug from his head and move back and forth as if he suffered from a nervous twitch. His nose was too long in proportion to his short body. He wore a white, long sleeved pantsuit with a frilly bright green scarf wound around his neck and knotted under his large Adam's apple. The man's demeanor screamed of effete intellectual snobbery.
"Tell us what you have learned from examination of the scout saucer," Peregrine commanded.
"Nothing," Corvus answered in a raspy nasal voice. "The damned heathens must've destroyed every power generator on the ship. The fusion reactor is completely missing from the engineering bay. All the ship's exterior weapons are destroyed and a thorough search of the vessel found no handheld or shoulder-fired weapons. The ship is a true derelict."
Doug, Becky and Miguel were stunned and relieved by Corvus' report. On the one hand, the scientific discoveries related to the FLIT gen and the FLIT space drive were safe. On the other hand, the total destruction of the generators and weapons meant they were prisoners of the Asiddians on Chrysalis with no clear way to escape.
Whatsit and GooYee were now sitting up and glaring balefully at the surrounding Asiddians. Whatsit's mind was seething with anger and a deep feeling of helplessness. Doug sent him a silent telepathic message.
"Be strong my friend. I need you focused. We'll get our turn and give them more than they ever bargained for. Calm down."
"These are the monsters who're systematically wiping out my people," he cried.
"I know, but we can't fight them all. Tom will come for us soon. In the meantime, we have to survive."
Corvus surveyed the prisoners and declared, "There is not a spark of intelligence showing in the eyes of any of the prisoners. Since their ship is useless, so are they."
Becky didn't like the arrogant Corvus. He was like Heinbaum only without the controlling factor of McPherson. McPherson knew how to handle Heinbaum and keep his massive ego in check. The comparison gave her an idea.
"Hey Corvie," she challenged. "How does it feel to be unable to discover the scientific secrets of a backwater race of Humans who make your weapons and tech look like children's toys?"
Corvus' fright wig blossomed from his scalp and with a snarl he advanced toward her. The guards didn't know how to react. Their responsibility was to keep the prisoners
under control, not referee Dr. Corvus.
As their attention waivered, and Doug, Becky and Miguel acted as one. Easily snapping the zip restraints binding their wrists and ankles, they lunged at the guards, killing all five of them with karate chops, kicks and fists. Their blows were so powerful, the guards' armor dented inward like tin foil pie plates. The attack was brutal. Only Princess Peregrine, Hannah Wren, Ramona Crow and Dr. Corvus remained unharmed.
Miguel stepped up to Peregrine, gently grasped her arms and said, "I'm afraid you're my prisoner now."
Regarding him with an odd look in her eyes, the Princess replied with a coy smile, "Enjoy it while you can Earthman."
Doug heard the exchange while he was removing the restraints from Whatsit and GooYee.
"Young people!" he thought as he helped the Chrysallamans to their feet.
Becky walked up with a concerned look and touched Doug's forehead, "You're injured. Are you okay?"
Aware his headache still lingered, Doug touched his forehead and felt the dried blood where his scalp was cut.
"I don't think it's serious. Just annoying as the devil."
Caressing his cheek, Becky said, "I'll help you get cleaned up later. We sort of have our hands full right now."
Clasping her warm hand in his, Doug smiled, "I'm looking forward to that."
Miguel tore his gaze away from Peregrine's eyes, removed the diamond studded communicator from her wrist and handed it to Whatsit. He then patted down Wren, Crow and Corvus, confiscating their communicators and everything else in their pockets. He had no idea what their tech looked like, so better safe than sorry.
Whatsit tossed the wristlet in the air a couple of times like it was a baseball, turning it over and shaking it near his ear to see if he could hear any rattles.
"Looks like bling is a standard in any culture. I think I saw something similar to this being worn by an actress at the last Academy Awards."
Asking Whatsit to hand him the device, GooYee pulled a small tool kit from one of his inside pockets and selected a thin flathead screwdriver.
"That's not a toy you ignorant lizard!" Corvus exclaimed just as GooYee popped the back off the gadget.
Ignoring the Asiddian scientist, GooYee regarded the electronics for a couple of seconds before declaring, "The Chrysallamans abandoned this design over 50 years ago. While the transmitter is extremely powerful, there is an inherent flaw in the F1CB2 circuit that fails after 600 hours of use."
The Asiddians couldn't perceive telepathy because their brains were genetically encased by a substance akin to lead. Becky took great pleasure in delivering GooYee's analysis verbally to the haughty Dr. Corvus.
Corvus reacted with sputtering indignation, "That's the latest high-tech transmitter design. Your evaluation is absurd."
Acting as a translator, Becky told GooYee and Whatsit what Corvus said.
GooYee looked up from his work and smiled at Corvus before returning his attention to the transmitter.
"Ah! Now I see it. This is a short range Alpha frequency transmitter. My guess is the frequency is limited to use by the Royal Family. The authority of anyone using this transmitter will be unquestioned."
When Becky told Corvus what GooYee surmised, the scientist's eyes bugged so far they threatened to pop out.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Why he's Dr. Jamins GooYee, the leading Chrysallaman scientist in high energy physics," Becky answered.
"I dare say your antiquated tech will be the subject of backroom jokes for the next ten years."
***
"We can't remain here. This room is a deathtrap," Doug said as he helped Miguel search the bodies of the Asiddian guards for anything useful. Hearing a muffled laugh from behind him, Doug turned his head and saw Peregrine covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle her amusement.
With an air of supreme confidence, she said, "I have no idea what manner of creatures you Humans are, but I can assure you that leaving this chamber alive is impossible. The moment you open the door, the Royal Guards in the hallway will kill all of you. Not a single Human or Chrysallaman will escape death."
"Then you'll die as well because we're going to use you as a Royal Shield. I don't believe your Guards will kill you just to eliminate us."
Laughing again with genuine delight, she responded, "You are just so deliciously naive, Human. I have implants that nullify disintegrator beams coming within four inches of my body. My Guards know I'm shielded. They'll saturate your group with hellfire, leaving me completely unharmed."
"I don't like where this is headed," Becky said. "Goldilocks is way too confident."
As if her words were a signal, the sound of stone grinding on stone came from the alcove behind the table. Moving in tandem, Becky and Doug crouched on either side of the alcove pointing the dead guards' weapons toward the opening, ready to defend their comrades with a withering crossfire. Miguel stepped close to the Princess in case she tried bolting for freedom. Tension filled the chamber as the stone wall behind the heavy wooden table pulled backward to reveal a dark passageway.
Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then with a muffled shuffling of cloth on stone, a female Chrysallaman perhaps 40 years old crawled out from under the table. She was clothed in a filthy ragged dress, and it was apparent she hadn't bathed in many days. Her gaunt body was undernourished, but her eyes glinted with sharp intelligence.
The look on Princess Peregrine's face indicated she had no idea the secret passage existed. She clutched Miguel's arm in fear. Her actions didn't go unnoticed by Hannah Wren or Miguel. Wren was shocked speechless. Miguel felt a warm electric-like shock move up his arm as Peregrine's fingers touched him.
Directing her attention to Whatsit and GooYee and gesturing for them to join her, the female Chrysallaman said, "You two follow me. Bring your pet animals with you if you like. We'll deal with them later. Hurry!"
Becky stood up and said, "Whoa there Missy! We're not going anywhere without the Princess. She's too valuable a hostage."
Stunned by the unexpected telepathic response from a lower animal, the Chrysallaman rescuer backed away and bumped into the table causing several of the torture instruments to rattle around.
"What's your name?" Whatsit asked as the female's eyes grew wide with fear.
"Cherree."
"Well, Cherree, my name is Whatsit and this is Dr. Jamins GooYee."
Motioning toward Miguel, Becky and Doug, Whatsit said, "These Humans are our friends from Planet HG-281. Colonel Jenson is in command."
Looking at the Humans with a dumbfounded expression, Cherree said guardedly, "The Princess is not part of the rescue plan. If we take her with us, the Royal Guard will destroy the entire palace in an effort to find her. I can't allow the risk."
"It's not your decision," Doug said. "We're taking her. End of story."
As Miguel put his arm around Peregrine's waist and began walking her toward the alcove, Wren, Crow and Corvus leaped to her defense and began struggling with Miguel. In seconds the Asiddians' claws had raked several deep cuts into Miguel's left arm. A sudden blast from Becky's weapon chewed a hole in the ceiling above Wren's head, startling the attackers and bringing an abrupt end to their attempt at rescue.
As dust from the new hole sifted down on Wren's head, Becky warned, "Don't try to follow us, or the next blast won't make a hole in the ceiling."
To everyone's surprise, Peregrine seemed to be more concerned about the bleeding cuts in Miguel's arm than in being kidnapped. Pulling a silken scarf from her bodice, she carefully wrapped it around Miguel's arm to staunch the bleeding. The concerned look in her eyes as she bound his wounds was obvious to everyone.
"Thank you, Carolyn," Miguel said.
Peregrine smiled.
"Let's go kids! Arriba. Ándale!" Doug said, breaking the spell.
Whatsit and Becky, armed with the dead guards' weapons, crawled under the table first. GooYee and Cherree followed next. Then Miguel and Peregrine.
Doug he
sitated and then decided there was no alternative if his group was to have any chance at escape. He'd been considering killing Wren, Crow and Corvus because they knew the secret tunnel existed. The thought of terminating them for no good reason repulsed him, and he believed he had an alternative.
Focusing hard on the three Asiddians, he insinuated his mental probes into their spines and up into their brains. Quickly moving into their memories, he wiped the last 15 minutes of data from their minds. Doug realized his efforts were clumsy since he had no prior experience with deleting memories and hoped he hadn't destroyed any fundamental brain chemistry in the process. As their current memories swirled into emptiness, each Asiddian fell to the floor in a dazed stupor.
Dawn of Chrysalis (The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. Book 2) Page 21
