The Dogs of God

by Chris Kennedy

  “What are you doing, Captain?”

  “Hang on.”

  The Skampra was stuck under a large piece of marble, clearly in pain. Some blue blood was under one of its paws. That brought really bad memories to the surface of Russell’s mind, especially of the day he had to say goodbye to his own pet.

  “Ah, screw this,” he said as he leaped forward to help the Skampra from under the heavy rocks while the ground continued to shake around them. “Hang on, Daisy. I’m coming for you.”

  “Daisy?” asked Alby.

  “Not now, Alby.”

  It took some serious effort to lift the rock and allow the wounded Skampra to free itself. It limped out and licked its wound, which turned the gushing blue injury white, as if its tongue crystalized the wound. Soon, it walked normally, looked at Russell, and mewed.

  “That’s a cat.”

  “No, it isn’t, but have you noticed what happened?”

  Russell had not. The ground had stopped shaking completely. Russell took a step to the side and back, and nothing happened. The Skampra walked toward him and rubbed itself against his leg before climbing on him with such speed and agility that Russell barely felt anything. It was as if the Skampra was weightless.

  “This thing is as light as a feather.”

  “It’s not, but it can generate magnetic fields, allowing it to feel nearly weightless.”

  “Fascinating,” said Russell as the Skampra installed itself on his shoulder and rubbed its head against Russell’s face.

  “It likes you.”

  “Seems like it.”

  “That’s a good thing; a Skampra is a very fierce creature. Not sure you’d survive the encounter if you were perceived as an enemy.”

  “Now he tells me.”

  Russell walked out of the corridor and went toward the artifact. There it stood, unscathed, still hovering on its own atop the altar. Russell bent to grab a small rock and threw it toward the artifact. It passed through and bounced off the artifact.

  “Guess the force field is gone.”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  “I don’t suppose you can beam it out?”

  “I can’t establish a lock on it, or you for that matter. The shielding around you is too strong, and I wouldn’t recommend it, anyway.”

  “Why not?”

  “This was clearly a test of some kind to determine if you were worthy of owning the artifact; beaming it out might change the parameters of the room and it may believe foul play was used to win the test.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “That’s why you bring me along on your ship, after all.”

  “I do have a soft spot for wounded beings, I’ll admit that.”

  “And I’m forever grateful, as I believe this Skampra is.”

  “Daisy.”

  “How do you know it’s female?”

  “I don’t, really, it just reminds me of my first pet.”

  “May I suggest you grab the artifact and return to the ship, Captain? Long-range sensors have detected a Terran Empire battle cruiser heading our way. We don’t have much time until it gets here.”

  Russell grabbed the artifact and ran out the other way.

  “Should I beam you two separately?”

  Russell thought about it. The idea of having his DNA tangled with that of the Skampra was not a comforting thought, but he wondered how the animal would react if they were separated.

  “Right now it likes me, and I’d rather that stayed the case. Just divert as much power as you can to the transporter and make sure you can beam us safely.”

  “Understood. Stand by, Captain.”

  Everything around Russell became covered in green-blue steaks of light, and his vision changed from a dark cave to the familiar walls of his quarters.

  “Everyone in one piece?” asked Alby.

  Russell patted himself to check. “Looks like. Good job, Alby.”

  “Good, you may want to holo-presence yourself to the bridge. The Terran cruiser is hailing us.”

  “Very well. I’ll be there ASAP.”

  The Skampra jumped off Russell’s shoulder and looked around the quarters, smelling everything it came in contact with. Light appeared on her fur, some sort of bioluminescent ability, making the Skampra no longer look like a typical cat. The pattern of green and blue shades was cycling slowly all over her previously gray fur. Looking at it was soothing to the soul, but Russell had to get going.

  “I gotta do something,” said Russell as he dropped the artifact on his desk. “Keep that safe for me, will ya?”

  The Skampra looked at him and nodded.

  “Wait, you can understand me?”

  The Skampra resumed her exploring of her new surroundings. The speakers in the room didn’t seem to bother or startle the feline.

  “Captain to the bridge.”

  Russell sat in his desk chair, put the holo-presence device on his temple, and closed his eyes.

  * * *

  As Russell’s hologram materialized in his chair on the bridge, the viewscreen filled with the Terran Empire cruiser.

  “Shields up,” said Russell.

  “Already up, Captain,” said Jena. “They’ve been hailing us for a while.”

  “On screen,” said Russell.

  The holo-screen came to life in front of the viewport and displayed the face of a scarred Terran officer. His hair was gray, as was his neatly-trimmed beard. The multiple scars on his face told a story of their own as to how many battles this soldier had engaged in throughout his life of service.

  “Captain Philips, you have something that belongs to us. Hand it over, and you may leave the area unscathed.”

  “You have me at a disadvantage, sir,” said Russell. “You clearly know who I am, but I don’t know you.”

  “I’m Fleet Commander Everest of the Terran Empire, Section 8. Hand over the device you stole from the surface, at once.”

  “I’m unaware of the device you’re mentioning.”

  “Captain, I have no problem obliterating your little ship.”

  “And destroy what you came for? I don’t think so. What I’d like to know, though, is what is it to you, and how do you know about it?”

  “I don’t have to answer your questions, Captain Philips. I have my orders, and I’m following them.”

  “And my crew hasn’t been paid in weeks, so I’m not about to hand over our prize.”

  “And yet, you can’t escape, and you can’t defeat my ship in combat. I would recommend you don’t test my patience, Captain. In the absence of recovering the device, my secondary objective is to destroy it. Trust me when I say I’m good with either outcome.”

  Russell leaned forward. “You’re bluffing.”

  The holo-screen turned off.

  “They’re targeting us,” said Knurr.

  “Evasive action, now! Get us out of here, Del-Ron.”

  “Aye, Captain. Engaging hyperspace engines in three…two…one.”

  The ship made the usual humming sound it did before jumping, but the sound fizzled.

  “They’ve erected a jump interdiction field, Captain,” said Del-Ron.

  “Did you get what we came for?” asked Jena.

  “Yes, and I’m not about to give it away without a fight.”

  “That’s preposterous,” argued Knurr. “We’re no match for a Terran cruiser.”

  “Options?”

  “Give them what they want,” insisted Knurr.

  “Besides that!” shouted Russell.

  The ship rocked as the first volley of laser fire impacted the shields.

  “Shields down to eighty percent,” reported Knurr.

  “Let’s try to lose them in subspace, then. Del-Ron, you’re up, let’s see what I pay you for.”

  “Pay?” said a baffled Del-Ron.

  “Poor choice of words. Lose them, if you please.”

  “Hang on to your seats,” said Del-Ron as he took the Fenix into a series of wild spins, avoiding enemy fir
e and trying to make a run for it.

  “They’re locking on missiles,” exclaimed Knurr.

  “Noted. Keep going, Del.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Missile away,” said Knurr.

  Del-Ron took the ship into more crazy evasive maneuvers and dodged the incoming missile before Knurr shot it after its first pass.

  It exploded too close to the Fenix and sent it into a wild spin that Del-Ron was quick to recover from.

  “Shields are down,” warned Del-Ron.

  “What the hell are you doing!?” screamed Russell at his tactical officer.

  “I had a lock on the missile. I took the shot.”

  Russell’s hologram rose and pointed a finger at his Vor crewmate. “You’ll do what I tell you to do. Do not take action based on your disillusioned initiative. Remember your place.”

  Knurr growled. “Very well, next time I’ll let it blow us up.”

  “Except I had everything under control,” Del-Ron complained. “Captain! The cruiser has fired two more missiles.”

  “Del?” asked Russell.

  “I got it,” said the pilot as he went evasive again and engaged countermeasures, which one of the enemy missiles fell for.

  “Jena, mind taking over tactical?” asked Russell.

  “Not at all.”

  The Fenix dodged the second missile, and Jena waited until it was a safe distance away to shoot it down.

  “Shield status?” asked Russell.

  “Nine percent and recharging,” said Del-Ron. “But slowly. I’m using too much power avoiding their fire.”

  “We need to get the hell out of here,” said Knurr.

  “On that we can agree,” added Russell. “Options, anyone, and Knurr, if you say give the artifact to them, I’ll space you myself.”

  Knurr stayed silent. A channel from engineering opened up on the bridge.

  “I have an idea, Captain.”

  “Let’s hear it, Alby.”

  “We surrender.”

  “Not you as well.”

  “Let me rephrase, Captain. We appear to surrender while we formulate a plan. Buy some time while I try to figure out a way to disable their interdiction field, at least.”

  Russell thought it over. He didn’t like the idea, but they were out of options at the moment. The Fenix simply wasn’t a strong enough ship to take on a cruiser, no matter how insanely talented their pilot. Eventually, they’d lose in this game of cat and mouse.

  As much as he hated the idea, yielding might be the only option. Hopefully, Alby would find a way for them to make a run for it. But one step at a time.

  “Jena, take over the bridge, hail the Terran scum, and let them know we’ll be sending the artifact soon, but request they cease firing. Tell them we have injured crew and need to tend to them.”

  “They have way better sensors than ours,” said Knurr. “They’ll know we’re lying.”

  Russell looked at Jena in a way that didn’t leave any room for interpretation. She twitched slightly, but then sprang to action. She grabbed her blaster and shot Knurr three times in the leg at max power.

  Because the scales on a Vor are so strong, it barely resulted in a minor flesh wound, even counting her precision in hitting him in the same spot three times.

  Knurr roared and jumped over his console, running toward the first officer. She switched to maximum stun and unleashed a flurry of shots that slowed the Vor down, but he kept advancing.

  The captain’s hologram turned off as she kept firing over and over.

  “I’d help,” said Del-Ron, “but I can’t pilot the ship and shoot Knurr at the same time.”

  “Keep flying the ship,” screamed Jena as she retreated from Knurr while unleashing more shots.

  “You’re next, Del,” roared the Vor between clenched teeth.

  Knurr got dangerously close to Jena, extended his claws, and swung them at her. She jumped to the side and rolled before taking aim and resuming fire again.

  “Damn it, Knurr, just go with the plan!” she ordered.

  “You’re firing at me. This is no plan. It’s treason!”

  “Next time, I vote we ask him politely before we shoot him senseless,” said Del-Ron, avoiding yet more incoming fire.

  “Duly noted!” said Jena, still firing.

  Her weapon was nearly useless against the Vor’s scales, and soon, her back was against the bulkhead, with nowhere to go next. She could read pure rage in the Vor’s eyes and swallowed hard as he launched himself toward her with his sharp claws.

  The lift’s door split open, and Russell burst into the bridge, running, twin blasters in hand, unleashing a flurry of stun shots on Knurr’s back. The Vor fell to his knees as both Jena and Russell kept shooting until Knurr lost consciousness.

  Jena sighed heavily as she let her blaster slip out of her hand and sat on the ground, not too far from the unconscious Vor.

  “Thanks for the assist,” said Jena.

  “Don’t mention it,” said Russell.

  “Nice to see you, Captain,” said Del-Ron.

  Russell nodded before activating his forearm communicator. “Doc, beam Knurr to the med-bay, and make sure he stays sedated for the time being.”

  “Sure, Captain,” said Doctor Egon over the comms before the Vor’s body beamed out of the bridge.

  The main holo-screen filled with the image of Alby’s brain inside his hovering vat, lights blinking in and out as his synapses fired.

  “Next time, just beam his arm into space or something. That was a dumb move.”

  “That seems a little bit extreme,” argued Jena.

  “Except, it isn’t,” agreed Russ. “It would have grown back…in time.”

  “Sure, next time you give me a crazy look, I’ll just dismember a crewmate.”

  “You three are crazy,” complained Del-Ron. “If we survive this, count me out. No money is worth serving with a batshit crazy crew.”

  Jena gave Russell a stern look, and he shrugged.

  “Hail the Terrans, please, while I decide what to do with the artifact,” said Russell.

  “You’re not seriously considering giving it away?”

  “We may not have a choice, but let’s see what Alby can come up with.”

  “I’m still here,” said Alby on the holo-screen.

  “Then you may want to consider getting back to work disabling the interdiction field that stands between us and our payday.”

  “Not to mention our lives,” added Del’Ron. “Just saying.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” said Alby.

  * * *

  Russell paced in his quarters. The Terrans had temporarily agreed to stop firing at the ship. They had given the crew ten minutes to comply. To make things worse, another cruiser was on its way. And as much as Russell trusted his soon-to-be ex-pilot’s abilities to dodge incoming fire from one cruiser, it would not end as well if a second ship were added to the equation.

  “Tell me you found a way around that damn field,” said Russell.

  “I’m afraid not, Captain. The schematics we have on file don’t match this version of the technology, and we’ve spent too much power anyway. My initial idea was to use our deflector dish to try to parasite the signal, which is no longer an option.”

  Russell sighed as the Skampra brushed itself against his leg.

  “All of this for nothing,” said Russell.

  “It looks that way. I’m sorry, Captain.”

  “And now I’ll have to deal with Knurr when he wakes up.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how did it feel taking him down, even temporarily?”

  “I’ve always suspected he was behind the accident that cost me my arm and nearly my life, so all-in-all, pretty good.”

  “I had a feeling.”

  “Trust me, if I’d had proof he was behind it, I would have spaced him a long time ago.”

  “This is hardly the time, but I stumbled onto some erased logs while I was searching the computer for schema
tics and couldn’t find a specific one.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “A transmission was sent from Knurr’s terminal after we disabled the Vor ship. It’s encrypted and will take hours for me to crack, but…”

  “Son of a bitch. He’s the reason we’re in this mess? Are you telling me he’s a spy?”

  “Looks that way, but we may want to see the decrypted message to get the full picture. He might have had reasons we are unaware of.”

  “I couldn’t care less for his reasons. I should have shot his head off.”

  “Doesn’t matter now, does it? We still need to find a way out of our predicament. For the time being, Knurr has served his purpose of buying us more time.”

  Russell’s brain ran hundreds of scenarios, but none resulted in them getting away in one piece with the artifact.

  “I guess we can give that damn thing away and call it a day. At least we’ll be alive to fight another day.”

  The Skampra beast hissed in response.

  “Doesn’t look like your new friend agrees with this course of action.”

  “I haven’t asked its counsel. I’ll do what needs to be done so we survive.”

  The Skampra hissed again and scratched Russell’s leg.

  “Hey!” he complained. “Cut that out, Daisy!”

  Daisy ignored the warning, and its eyes turned red.

  “Why do I get the feeling it’s pissed at me?”

  “Because it is, Captain. Fortunately, I’m not detecting any poison in your system, so I think that was a friendly warning.”

  “Poison? What poison?”

  “I told you earlier, I don’t think you can survive an encounter with a Skampra if it considers you a threat. They can unleash deadly poison through their claws.”

  Russell took a few steps to the side, distancing himself from Daisy.

  “You may not want to appear confrontational with your new pet.”

  Yeah, well…you just told me that thing can kill me at will, thought Russell.

  Russell tried to grab the artifact from his desk slowly, but Daisy was faster. She leapt into the air, grabbed it with her fangs, and ran up the wall and onto the ceiling, staying up there without falling off, much like a spider would.

  “Definitely not a cat,” said Russell.

  “I don’t want to say I told you so, but…”

  “Yeah, yeah, got it.”