she
would see him again.
Chapter 7
“I
wonder if they got the signal,” Antash said as he walked around
with the communicator in the air. “Hello, is anyone there?”
he called.
“Maybe
it is broken again,” Jalicia said.
“I
wouldn’t say that. This thing has always had a wiring problem.
Hello!” he barked again. Still there was nothing but static.
“Just
leave it on a little while longer,” Jalicia said. “Maybe
they got the signals crossed or something.”
Antash
walked around a while longer until he threw the communicator on the
ground. “This is useless,” he said.
“Let
me see,” said Ned, who had come along this particular morning
to see the spaceship and wave Antash goodbye. “It seems fine to
me,” he said as he examined it closely. “Oh, I see the
problem,” he said as he reconnected a wire in the back that had
gotten loose. “Here, try again.”
“Hello!
Jaquar! Mekhi!” he called repeatedly, but other than the
crackling, there was nothing else.
“And
hello to you too,” they heard a voice further away say. But
there was no one there, and the sound did not originate from the
radio.
They all
looked into the nothingness until they heard a hiss, the same hissing
sound they had heard two days ago. Then two Brocoy aliens stepped
onto the grass and started walking towards them.
“Run!”
Antash told Jalicia and Ned as he sped across the clearing and
towards the barn.
In a
flash, one of them materialized before them, its ugly face contorted
into what should be conceived as a smug smile. “Not so fast
Solarian,” he said to Antash, even though he was sporting his
human appearance.
“Let
us go,” Antash demanded as he tried to push Jalicia away from
the creature.
“On
the contrary,” one of them said. “I know you,” he
said as he walked over to Antash. “You have grown up,” he
grinned, revealing slimy matter between his teeth. “Now what
are you doing here?”
“I
don’t believe that is of any concern to you,” Antash
replied.
“Oh
but it is,” he replied. “It was you who was there that
night outside of Varen. You heard us didn’t you?”
“I
heard nothing. I only saw you and ran,” Antash said.
“Oh
you only saw us and ran,” he echoed. “That easily scared
for such a great warrior?”
“I
couldn’t take you on alone. I tried to pass, but you were too
many,” Antash replied.
“And
so you ran, further into space, and then you disappeared. I told them
you must have come to Earth, but we couldn’t follow you that
night until we refueled. But you kept ditching us.”
“That
was the idea,” Antash replied boldly.
“Oh,
I see. So, tell me,” he said as he came close enough for Antash
to inhale the stench of his breath. “What have you told your
leaders?”
“Nothing,”
he was quick to say. “I’ve been stuck here for days.”
“But
I see you made some human friends. I wonder how slippery your tongue
would be if I took hers,” he said as a wicked gleam came to his
eyes and he dashed over to Jalicia.
“No,
don’t hurt her,” Antash said. “I only got the
communicator fixed yesterday. I told them what I had heard.”
“And
what did you hear?” he asked impatiently.
“Something
about taking over Solaris,” Antash said, his eyes focused on
Jalicia. “That is all I know.”
“But
that is everything. Because of you, we lost the element of surprise,”
he glared. “Now, what to do to make up for that,” his
voice boomed. “Maybe we will take the girl and force their
surrender.”
Antash
started laughing then. “Take the what? Do you really think the
Ackach would trade Solaris for one human girl? That may be a better
situation if you were holding her ransom for me, but not Solaris, and
they wouldn’t hand over Solaris for me either.”
“Well
then, I guess there is no use for you three after all,” he said
as his sword started to blink blue and a light escaped it, hitting
and burning a black hole in the