《He Stood Taller Than Most Book 2: Conspiracy》


 Chapter 1: Delicious Business

    Chapter 1: Delicious Business


    Paulie sat on a low stool obviously made with the large plethora of different alien shapes and species of the GGI in mind. It was not uncomfortable, but neither was it particularly relaxing. He shifted and looked around the large open space, he was in some sort of alien mall. What looked remarkably similar to one he might have seen back home on Earth had he been teleported there in that instant.


    The walls were plastered in decals, advertisements and holographic projectors that spilled their aggressively colored alien advertisements across any and all available space like some kind of artist''s nightmare. He had to blink and look away to clear his head of the dazzling and often startling displays. Some of them had looked as if they might have emitted into spectrums of light he couldn''t see with his human eyes.


    The meanings of the pictures and words flooded his mind as if it were a small town under a collapsing dam, complete chaos. The falling lines of alien text still meant little to his mind, the translation parasite that was embedded deep in the grey matter of his brain seemed to deal only with verbal speech and not visual language.


    He shook his mind to clear it as he felt that all too familiar squirming in his mind. He cursed at the parasite silently and slapped the mental cage he had erected around it. It shrieked in fear and what might have been embarrassment and slung down deeper into the shadows of his subconscious.


    He shifted on his seat, uncomfortable despite the mundane nature of their setting. Across the small square table from him sat Jakiikii and Mack, the man had recovered well from his plasma-bolt wound. He barely even winced when he moved and only emitted low grumbles of pain when he shifted the wrong way in his long dapper greatcoat. Despite his difficulty Paulie knew the man was absolutely excited to get out of that hospital bed. And likely even more excited to finally eat some decent food, he smirked at that. It didn¡¯t matter where in the universe one was, it seemed that all hospital cafeterias had the same criteria for simple and unseasoned food.


    He looked around, wondering where their server was. They had already been seated for nearly five minutes. As if thinking it made it appear, an inexplicably young looking alien walked up. The female vishu¡¯uieum¡¯s body was oblong and covered in a thick layer of colorful downy feathers that seemed to move slightly as of their own accord. As the female alien took down their order he looked at her head, at least where he would have expected the head to be on any other species. Instead there was just a slightly pronounced hump between her shoulders from which trailed two massive muscular arms she used in conjunction with her stubby legs to move about in a manner almost comically similar to a silverback gorilla.


    She seemed to notice him staring and turned his way with one of her eyes, both of the orbs being set on large fin-like protrusions that sprouted from the top of her muscular shoulders. Her upper chest was dominated by a large mouth around which was arrayed six fleshy tendrils that he knew were her peoples equivalent of noses. She spoke, that large mouth moving as she enunciated her low grunting coughs.


    Despite the abject alieness of the women''s speech patterns, Paulie found that he could intrinsically understand her as though he had some deep seated understanding of her language. He cocked his head, intrigued once more by the strange biological translator that had been implanted into his brain when he had been abducted.


    Something tapped his shoulder and he jerked. ¡°Huh? What, what happened?¡± He said in a startled manner, his eyes once more roving around the table.


    Mack and Jakiikii were looking at him in mild concern. Jakiikii¡¯s six bright orange eyes blinked independently of each other and looked at him in what might have been either concern or mild annoyance.


    She gestured towards where their server had been standing with one of her second pair of arms. The other five still resting by her sides or on the table. ¡°She was wondering if you wanted to get it fried or baked? I know how you love greasy food so I told her to just fry it while you were staring off into space like a lost goorf.¡±


    The last few weeks had been a bit troubling to him, all truth be told. He rubbed tired eyes and shook his head slightly. His short brown hair was just one step shy of shaggy after a while without a haircut. Looking towards the termaxxi he waved a hand and picked up his argonated frubble juice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mind was wandering again I guess.¡± He took a sip of the drink, the coolness and sweetness of it soothing his nerves as well as his throat with tiny bubbles.


    He set it back down just as Mack started in on him. ¡°Paulie, I understand that you had no previous law enforcement experience before you were abducted, but I have nevertheless been mightily impressed with your results.¡±


    Paulie smiled thinly and ducked his head. Praise from the man was nevertheless rare and generally preceded the miriam detective telling him something he had done wrong recently. Paulie made a gesture towards Jakiikii and asked, ¡°What about the thing we were talking about earlier?¡±


    Mack¡¯s large expressive grey eyes strayed from him to Jakiikii and back. He folded his arms. ¡°What, you want a weapon carry license? I told you, you need to pass your last certification exam and then improve your marksmanship dramatically before I am ever trusting you with an electron gun, human.¡± His addition of the term felt a teensy bit derogatory, but Paulie snorted and retorted quickly.


    ¡°Yeah? And what am I supposed to do when Ooounoo¡¯s thugs rock back up on me again, because we both know they are simply waiting for an opening.¡± He glared back at the Censec detective who shifted nonchalantly. ¡°What about my other request?¡±


    Mack shrugged. ¡°We will just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, Paulie. But for now, you have three officers on escort and Jakiikii to keep an eye on things as well. I assure you, you are as safe as I can make you while still allowing you to move around in public.¡± Mack frowned as he said it.


    And there it was. The reason the man was so grumpy with Paulie. It had come up on multiple occasions now, but things had slowly been building to a head and he could feel the instant tension that the comment had injected into their conversation. He still thought that Paulie would be better off cooped up in some tiny little apartment without windows. But he was tired of that, nearly sick to death of it in fact.


    He sat up straighter as he felt his fists clench in mild anger. He pointed to the miriam and saw his neck quills shiver as Paulie demanded, ¡°Yes. And until such a time that I am proven to be a real and present danger to the public I see no reason why I can¡¯t walk around like anyone else.¡±


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    Mack shook his head. ¡°You know why I can¡¯t let you do that. And I am getting a little annoyed with you asking me thirty-two times every day. I told you a million times, Paulie, once we get the matter behind us then I will feel comfortable getting you a citizenship permit. And then you can go back to some semblance of a normal life. Until then, you are only allowed out with an escort.¡±


    Paulie sat back on the stool and crossed his arms. ¡°I want to go home.¡± He grumbled.


    Jakiikii, who was seated to his immediate left around the square table, reached over and patted his shoulder with one of her longer upper arms. ¡°Oh you will, I believe in the system. It helped me, it can help you too. You just have to be patient.¡± Now he snorted out loud in response causing her to frown slightly with her little slash of a mouth.


    Paulie slapped a hand on the lightweight polymer table hard enough to make their drinks jump as he retorted angrily, ¡°The only reason I had agreed to help in the first place was because I thought I would be helped in return¡­¡± He stopped as he said it though, almost immediately ashamed of the selfish words.


    He tapped on his head and ducked towards the table as he tried to regain control of the rampant negative thoughts in the back of his mind. Inside his head he thought he could hear a faint cackling. But it faded nearly as soon as he noticed it, and he shook his head. Damn parasite.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mack.¡± Paulie said quickly. ¡°I know you are just trying to take down Ooounoo, and please believe me that I want that too more than anything. I want the killing and kidnapping to stop too, how long has she been doing it, and for what purpose?¡± Paulie spouted in a rush as the alien detective pulled out a small datapad and tapped on it for a moment.


    He seemed to look for something and then turned it to show Paulie. ¡°Here. look, this is why I wanted to meet you in public anyways.¡± He reached out and handed the tablet to Jakiikii who was closer and she in turn leaned towards Paulie with it.


    He watched as she manipulated the alien text on the screen and pressed the orange circle that appeared. After another moment and a few more button presses he was graced with another wall of falling alien text. It flashed orange though instead of the normal blue and he glanced at Mack before shrugging.


    ¡°It means nothing to me, might as well be calculus.¡± Jakiikii snickered, her lower torso gills fluttering as she covered them with her middle pair of arms.


    Mack frowned, his sharp pointed teeth flashing in the bright light of the public space. He reached out and took the device before stowing it in one of the many hidden pockets of his coat. ¡°Well, I figured as much. But I wanted to share it with Jakiikii and you anyways. It is a verification of resources to form a task force with the express purpose of raiding Ooounoo and her companions. After they got the data crystal and tried to kill me I think they went back into hiding, but they must not have known I made a copy of the date.¡± He leaned forwards, his arms lying flat on the table as he whispered more conspiratorially, ¡°You need to keep it quiet though. There are only about sixteen people besides you and me that know about this impending raid. And I want to keep it that way, I want them getting very comfortable in their golden towers before I come to kick the doors in.¡± He nodded in a satisfied manner before clapping his hands, his gaze turning to look past Paulie.


    ¡°Ah, here is our food.¡± He nodded and Paulie turned to look.


    He saw the large knuckle walking alien approaching again and tried his best not to stare rudely. He had apparently already made a poor impression according to Jakiikii, but as the large colorfully feathered vishu¡¯uie reached them and set down a large tray on the table he couldn''t see any animosity in her behaviour. He felt like apologising anyways but stifled it, he had already been enough trouble for the large alien woman.


    She looked around the table, that large tentacle ringed mouth on her upper chest spoke quite dexterously in her native tongue. ¡°Here is that order of double breaded and fried caallc you wanted, with some of the house brown sauce too. Another roll of steamed mokku and the sweet and spicy agual broth is for you dear.¡± She spoke as she handed a large steaming pitcher and cups to Jakiikii who took it with glee.


    Their waitress stood back on thick legs and tucked the two smaller arms back into the hidden recesses at her sides. ¡°Well, if there is nothing further I can get for you all?¡±


    Mack gave her a nod. ¡°No, this will be quite alright. Thank you, miss.¡±


    Jakiikii quipped, ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She elbowed Paulie and he nodded courteously before giving an awkward little wave. Jakiikii hissed low as the alien lumbered away, ¡°What was that?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have anything to say, I have never tried kalp before.¡±


    ¡°Caalc.¡± She corrected him as she dragged the dish in question to the center of the table and opened a small container that seemed to be full of some thick gelatinous fluid. Though it looked about as appetising as boot polish, he saw Mack smile and immediately grab one of the small breaded bites and dip it into the container before popping it into his mouth with a satisfying crunch, a little puff of steam exiting through his sharp teeth as he chewed contentedly.


    He murmured, ¡°Oh, hot! Mmm, yes, that¡¯s good.¡± He gestured towards Paulie who grabbed one of the unknown mystery blobs and inspected it closely.


    Jakiikii let out a chuckle as she slurped her own meal through the long hollow tongue that had slipped from her dainty mouth like a snake from its burrow. The appendage was nearly forty-five centimeters in total length, though she had only extended about half its length to dip into her steaming mug of agual tea.


    She pointed to the delicacy he held with one of her shortest third pair of arms and giggled even while her mouth was occupied, her laughter coming from deeper in her torso than a man¡¯s would have. ¡°You are supposed to eat it, not try and determine the meaning of life from it.¡±


    He shrugged. If he was going to hate it then he might as well get it over with. He had found through much trial and error that there were in fact things he was incapable of eating. He reached forwards to dip the morsel into the sauce when Mack stopped him from taking a bite.


    The detective gripped his arm suddenly, not strong enough to restrain him but firm enough to immediately halt him in his progress. ¡°Hold up, wait a minute. I almost forgot, I remembered that little problem you admitted you were having the other week at the complex. So I asked Flurn to whip this up for you in his spare time.¡±


    Mack reached into his cavernous inner pockets once more and pulled out a slim handheld device that looked like something straight out of a 1980s science fiction television show. He took it gently as if it were as fragile as a glass spider''s web, but he needn''t have bothered as it seemed quite durable on closer inspection.


    ¡°It¡¯s a multitector. Not really common hardware nowadays as everything is generally so sterilised. But they come in handy from time to time, I had yours configured to read in your native tongue based on the data I have been scraping from your literacy exams.¡± Mack said proudly. ¡°You can use it to see if something you want to eat is going to cause you internal issues. Among other things.¡±


    He nodded to Paulie as he switched it on and was immediately delighted to see the screen light up with familiar Latin-script letters and numbers. He pressed the main menu button and saw a great variety of options, several of them which made a little less sense than he would have cared to admit. But all in all it was a legible, serviceable device.


    Paulei looked up to Mack and smiled widely, the alien ducking his long neck as the blue sensory spines that ran down its length clattered slightly from the motion. ¡°This is incredible.. Thanks, Mack!¡± He held the device over the breaded morsel. ¡°How do I use it to test things?¡±


    Jakiikii pointed to the screen. ¡°You need to go into the detector menu, there..¡± He followed her instructions. ¡°Just there, now choose the scan external option and test for harmful contaminants.¡±


    He did as she had instructed. The small device whirred and beeped for a moment before the screen lit up a solid blue and a list of the caalc¡¯s molecular and elemental makeup seemed to scroll across the screen. On it there was also a readout that told him it was safe to eat and should cause him no distress. He smiled and popped the morsel into his mouth.


    The double fried and dipped caalc was tasty indeed, the crunchy outer shell contrasting nicely with the tender sweet flesh beneath. That combined with the savoury brown sauce that reminded him a lot of real soy sauce, it was a pleasant and satisfying dining experience.


    Paulie nodded to the other two, his voice muffled slightly by his full mouth, ¡°Mmrpph.. igs reawy gudff.¡±


    Mack chuckled as he reached for another piece and gestured to the other dish. ¡°Wait till you try the mokku.¡±


    Paulie nodded at the man¡¯s words and reached for another piece of food as he set the multitector down. He was content to try a few more pieces just to make sure he really liked it, apparently Mack had ordered the largest portion size the place served. And Pauie was determined to clear the plate.

 Chapter 2: Simple Instructiions

    Chapter 2: Simple Instructions


    Paulie sat heavily on his seat, the fact that the stools had no back support was a point of lamentation now that he had finished the last bite of sweet and tangy meat from the platter before him.  Had he been able he would have lounged like a stuffed tiger in the afternoon sun.


    ¡°Ouuphff.¡±  He grunted as he held his lower chest.  ¡°I think I ate too much.¡±  The comment was punctuated by a loud burp with such deafening volume that other nearby tables went silent to stare at him.


    Mack¡¯s neck quills shivered as he exclaimed, ¡°By the hairs of zalc¡¯s behind, boy!  What was that?¡±


    Jakiikii seemed to chuckle, the low husky sound emanating deep from her lower chest as Paulie answered.  ¡°It was the sound of ultimate culinary satisfaction.  A compliment in my native culture to be sure.  It proclaims to the world, that was a good meal and I would like everyone to know it.¡±  He was bullshitting of course, but Mack didn¡¯t have to know that.  The patrons around them went back to their own conversations and the brief moment of relative silence was swallowed up in the muted buzz of a thousand indistinct conversations once more.


    Mack shook his head atop his long slender neck, both large grey eyes fixating on Paulie with a mild scowl plastered across his normally flat features.  ¡°Well, it was also incredibly uncivilised behaviour.  I guess I should have learned to expect that by now.¡±  The miriam muttered, brows crinkling in his consternation.


    Paulie shrugged.  He had needed to let one out regardless of what the others thought, better to let it out than hold it in as one of his favorite movie characters had always said.  He leaned back as far as he could and let out a groaning stretch as he readjusted his button up shirt, this one was a simple solid grey.  He had finally convinced Mack to get him different clothing than the plaid blue business casual he had been wearing, he had also picked up a long brown great coat similar to the miriam detectives complete with its endless bounty of internal pockets and a pair of heavy grey tactical boots.  The coat was almost like having another dimension to store just about anything he wanted, what he had jokingly started calling his pocket dimension.


    He stood and grabbed the coat from where he had stashed it under his stool and pulled it on, he left it open at the front though.  Wearing it made him feel vaguely authoritative, like those no-nonsense cops from bad 80s police action shows he had used to watch as a younger man.


    Jakiikii gave him what seemed like an appraising look as she stood as well.  She had been sticking closer to him lately he had noticed, maybe it was her general assistance in his training, maybe it was something else.  Either way he was glad for her presence, she was as intelligent as she was deadly.  And he had seen enough of her marksmanship to know just how incredibly efficient she was, her six eyes and arms gave her the kind of precise stability that a human marksman could only ever dream of.  He swore he had seen her split the hairs on a flea at two hundred meters with that electron rifle of hers.


    He noted the lack of juice in her pitcher and smiled.  ¡°You were certainly thirsty.¡±


    The termaxxi woman smiled and cocked her head a little.  ¡°Yes, you know how much I have to drink to keep up my calorie requirements.¡±


    He nodded.  She was right, as a nectarivore she survived mainly off of sugar and protein rich fluids.  The major downside of which seemed to be her need to eat constantly, almost a dozen small meals per day.  Well, per Gikean day that was, which he had discovered was highly variable due to their orbital period around the large gas giant of Trellan IX that the moon orbited.


    He tested his footing as he thought of it, had he wanted to he could have sprang directly over the table, Mack and the other nearby patrons of the establishment in a single bound as the world''s low gravity was mere childsplay to his high gravity muscles.  But he had already learned the kind of unwanted attention that attracted, hell, he was already a target purely for his race.


    Paulie looked around the social shopping center as Mack stood and made his way to his side of the table.  He was the only human around, maybe the only living one on the planet.  Well, that was what he was going to find out anyways.  He jumped slightly as Mack interrupted his thoughts.


    The alien nodded to Jakiikii and thanked her, ¡°Okay, that was nice.  Thank you for the meal, Jakiikii.¡±  She nodded with a smile, a few of her eyes tucking close to her head in mild embarrassment at the open compliment.  Mack turned his flexible neck back to look at Paulie without moving his body causing the long sensory quills that sprouted from the back of his neck to shiver and clatter against each other.  ¡°You need to be getting back to the new safehouse.  Remember, try not to get caught out.  And if things get dangerous let your escort handle things.¡±


    Paulie opened his mouth to protest but it seemed like Mack had anticipated his response as the man tutted.  Paulie nodded slower.  ¡°Okay, but I am not just rolling over if they try to come for me again.¡±  He paused, ¡°Besides, they haven''t seemed to bother me since the attack on your apartment.  Maybe I finally scared them enough to leave me alone?¡±


    Jakiikii shrugged from his other side.  ¡°Maybe, I saw what you did and I will admit that it scared even me a little.  A whole planet full of big scary apocalypsers like you?  I shudder at the thought.¡±  The way she looked at him when she said it made him feel as though she did anything but shudder, at least not in fear.


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    He pushed her mild teasing aside and gestured to the table.  ¡°I understand the need for security, trust me Mack I do.  But this still seems a little over the top.  I mean, Jakiikii alone would really be all I need.¡±  He heard her make a small noise but ignored it, ¡°No sense pulling three additional adjudicators off the street..¡±  He didn¡¯t get to finish as Mack pointed at him and butted in.


    He didn¡¯t sound exactly angry, but neither did the dapper gentleman seem all too pleased as he barked quietly.  ¡°Hey!  It wasn¡¯t my idea in the first place.  Orders direct from Major Mauk, so there isn¡¯t any way for you to jeavl your way out of this.  Just accept it and wait till your credentials are accepted.  With how fast you made it through the tests you should be cleared for active duty like Jakiikii in another few days.  Then we can move on with the raid.¡±  He gave another grumble and then nodded to Jakiikii before turning and striding away on his four legs.


    Paulie hunched, sufficiently cowed by the man¡¯s remarks.  He glanced at Jakiikii who was scowling at him.  She had no eyebrows, but the upper curl of her flower-petal-like eye flaps curled down in a fine semblance of a furrowed brow.


    She placed her two middle arms on her wide hips and asked, ¡°Why do you have to antagonise him like that?  You know how much stress he is already under, and the strings he had to pull to keep you from being locked up in an isolation cube just because of what you are.¡±


    He ducked his head as he followed her away from the busy eating area.  The slight ache in his overfull stomach only worked to make him feel even worse about the whole situation.  ¡°I know, I know.  But it is so hard to understand the bigger picture sometimes, Jakiikii.  Surely there have been times where you questioned his intentions?¡±


    She stopped, two of her eyes turning all the way around to look at him while she remained facing forwards.  She shook her head slightly.  ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand.  He took me in from nothing, I had nothing, Paulie.  I was nothing.  I might as well have been dead, I had lost everything that mattered to me in the world..¡±  She choked up a little and he stepped closer to her, but she put out an arm to stop him before he reached her side.


    ¡°No, not everything.  Even at my lowest point I still had my own sense of self-worth, and it was Mack that helped me realise that.  I have suspected for a while that Ooounoo was responsible for what happened to me.  She is the most powerful criminal overlord on Gike after all, but not even a virus in the eyes of what holds sway over the Greater Galactic Intercession, Paulie.  There is a sickness..¡±  She seemed to stop and look around.  ¡°No, this isn¡¯t the time or place.¡±  She spoke quietly, as if to herself.


    Paulie was a little confused.  She could be an enigma at times, her past as tragic as a movie and three times as convoluted.  He stepped to her side and gave her a friendly nudge.  ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be all bad right?¡±  She glanced at him with a single pink and orange eye, the slit of it narrowing like a cat¡¯s.  He smiled and gestured to himself, ¡°You have me now too.¡±


    She smiled a little at that, a short wheeze escaping the breathing slits under her lowest pair of arms.  He grinned as she nodded and elbowed him back.  ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    He motioned for her to accompany him.  ¡°Come on, I want to get back home, neighbor.¡±


    Jakiikii smiled again, her dainty little mouth opening slightly to reveal a portion of her bubblegum pink tongue inside.  ¡°Yeah.  Neighbor.¡±  She rolled the word around, clearly still not used to its connotation.  She had only been permitted to stay in one of the adjudicators complex¡¯s holding rooms and the temporary safehouse apartment that Mack had once leased, but now with some prodding from Paulie she had been permitted to live fully autonomously in the same building that Paulie was being held in.  Under the same guard detail he had of course.


    He nodded to himself, it was only fair that she had a place to call her own.  He dodged around a krakkan as it slithered along the walk outside the dining plaza, the small clamshelled alien¡¯s long red eyestalk nearly popped out of its body as it shimmed back on its array of muscular yellow tentacle feet as Paulie stumbled and almost fell.


    ¡°Oh my!  Please accept my most sincere apologies.. uh, I am sorry.  I am not familiar with your kind?¡±  The small alien said in a burbling gurgle.  Only Paulie¡¯s jargon worm allowed him to understand the alien¡¯s slurry speech.


    He waved a hand at the small molluskian alien, ¡°Not at all.  I was the one not watching where I was going, be well stranger.¡±


    The small creature seemed to pause and then the eyestalk gave a little bow.  ¡°Truly you are most courteous.  I bid thee be well and have a good day.¡±


    Paulie smiled.  He liked the strange little clamshelled aliens.  They were disturbingly polite and well known for their near fervent adherence to their social code of politeness.  He watched as the small creature waddled away on those thick tentacles, its striated shell looking like something one might find at the bottom of the sea.  Not wandering around the sidewalks of some alien shopping center, that long red eyestalk bobbing about like a curious snake.


    He shook his head and glanced at Jakiikii.  She just pursed her lipless mouth slightly, nothing to comment on the matter.  Paulie got the impression that she wasn¡¯t as big a fan of the strange little creatures as he.


    As they took another few steps out into the mall they were met with a trio of dark blue suited figures of various shapes and sizes.  Primarily amongst them a snake-like alien woman with two long trifurcated tentacle arms, one of which waved in their direction as she reached him.  Officer Sasfren¡¯s fleshy display petals that were arrayed around her feline face like a flower flashed a muted green as she gave them a nod.  ¡°Oh, you are done already?  How was lunch?¡±


    Paulie nodded and gave her a smile, he had originally been distrustful of the alien due to her standoffish nature and seeming suspicion of him.  But over the last couple of weeks he had started to see her as a person rather than a vague alien authority figure.  She was generally charismatic but could be quite timorous when around new and dangerous situations.  She had lamented to them more than once about her section twenty-two violation that she had received for what her superiors saw as a dereliction of duty during the attack on Mack¡¯s quarters.


    While she had not been exactly blamed for the disaster that had nearly seen the loss of both a key witness and a senior Censec detective, her lack of direct action had still seen her censured and punished.  He had noted the irony of her punishment was to continue doing exactly the thing she had been doing when she had been cited.  That being guarding him as a witness and unregistered, potentially dangerous individual.


    Paulie reached into one of the pockets of his coat and pulled out a small plastic bag which he handed her.  ¡°Here, I saved you Jakiikii¡¯s after-dinner cookie.  She didn¡¯t want it.¡±


    Jakiikii butted in, ¡°Can¡¯t eat them anyways.  Figured Paulie might want it for something.¡±


    The maggastium adjudicator¡¯s head petals flushed a muted purple as she took it.  ¡°Oh, thanks!  I used to love getting these as a hatchling.¡±  Her sharp teeth flashed as she said it, the cookie quickly disappearing inside alongside the sounds of happy chewing.


    He gestured towards the open street in front of them.  ¡°Well, I am ready to go home.  If you would lead the way?¡±  The alien nodded and signalled to her two underlings situated nearby.  As a small and rather conspicuous group, they moved out towards the exit of the large enclosed structure.

 Chapter 3: Complicating Matters

    Chapter 3: Complicating Matters


    Paulie gave the other two officers a look as they walked out of the building and into the relative hustle and bustle of the packed market streets beyond.  While he was familiar with the four-armed insectoid viltess as the alien had been on duty with officer Sasfren before, he had not yet met the other vekegh officer that walked to his immediate left.


    He nodded to them and tried to strike up a conversation, the pink-furred alien¡¯s long fuzzy tail lashed angrily as they hissed, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.  You are under supervision apocalypser.  You shouldn''t even exist..¡±  It sounded like the hostile officer wanted to say more, but they were cut off as Sasfren chirped at them loudly.


    ¡°Officer Visk.¡±  She turned to look at him while her lower body continued to slither forwards.  ¡°You will refrain from harassing your charge, do I make myself clear?¡±  Her expression petals flared wide and flashed a deep scarlet as her anger was broadcast wide.  Paulie saw more than one casual bystander recoil from the display as if stung.  It seemed that more than one knew what it meant and nobody wanted to get in the way of a pissed off adjudicator if they could at all avoid it.


    The new officer, apparently named Visk, grunted and flared the breathing slits at the base of their neck as their small otter-like earls flicked.  Apparently not amused nor acclimated to Paulie¡¯s presence.  Paulie shook his head and looked at Jakiikii who just shrugged all six of her shoulders at once at the display.


    Officer Sasfren glanced back at him and then remarked, ¡°Officer Visk, take point.  You know where we are going.¡±  The vekegh man complied without a word, but the longer hair on the back of their neck stood on end, the thick pink fur clearly showing their stress.  As she slowed to walk at his and Jakiikii¡¯s side, she turned her feline face towards them.  ¡°Sorry about that, he is new on the force and already had to go through a double round of rejuvenation treatments to fix some injuries incurred in a shootout.¡±


    As she said it, it reminded Paulie of her injured friend.  ¡°Hey, Sasfren..¡±  She looked over towards him with a flat expression, ¡°How is Jexx doing?  I heard he came out of the coma from Mack, but nothing else.¡±


    Sasfren tilted her head slightly as her expression softened before taking on a decidedly more worried air before she nodded slowly.  The universal gesture seemingly understood across the vast species and cultural divides that separated their respective peoples.  ¡°Jexx is doing much better.  His mate and three pups were in to visit him today, he still thanks you for saving his life.  He wanted to see you actually, to thank you in person.  But even with me and Mack asking we didn¡¯t get clearance for you to go to the hospital.¡±  She glanced away, her normally stoic voice cracking as her hissing speech stuttered a little from emotion.  ¡°He, uh.. he doesn''t blame me for freezing up.  But zalc, I did.  I should have been there at his side, not watching him get shot!¡±  She swore again under her breath, too low for even Paulie¡¯s hearing to catch it.  But her tone was clear.


    He couldn''t just sit there and watch the alien beat herself up about the whole thing, especially when it was all his fault in the first place.  She had done what anyone might have done in that situation.  He tried to tell her so, but she waved his words away.


    ¡°No.¡±  Paulie frowned as the maggastium woman¡¯s petals flushed a dark indigo.  ¡°No, it is his right to forgive me.  But I have not yet forgiven myself.  I¡¯m not sure I can.¡±


    Jakiikii leaned past Paulie to pat the woman on the upper part of her tentacle arm suddenly.  ¡°I know what it feels like, to feel like you could have done something better.. or different?  But I am here to tell you, hold onto the feeling.  Hold it tight, but don¡¯t let it consume you inside.  Instead turn that anger and pain into a driving force to be better, to find the ones who made you hurt.  And to make them feel each and every ounce of that hurt a hundredfold in return.¡±  She growled the last part darkly, Paulie¡¯s eyebrows raising as she said it.


    Officer Sasfren looked a little surprised too, but if she objected to the notion then she didn¡¯t raise a complaint.  Instead she just looked off to the left as if seeing something in the distance that required great scrutiny.


    He had to admit, it was solid advice if you wanted to go on some sort of vengeance quest.  That thought gave him pause, was Jakiikii really so consumed by the pains of her past?  He really needed to take the time to ask her more about her childhood.  Maybe if he could help her to pass on some of the pain then she would let go of the anger that she had shown, he realised just how self-centered he had been acting around her for the last few days.


    Paulie shook his head at the thought as they rounded another busy corner.  The streets were just as packed as they always seemed to be, full of vibrant alien shapes and sounds.  The smells of a thousand worlds assaulting his senses like a physical force.  It took him a long minute to really get his mental bearings back, his emotions wandering along a tangent like it were a guided tour of his subconscious.  He felt the jargon worm embedded in his brain squirm as it tried to reach a dark mental tendril out towards him but he slapped it down with a thought.


    ¡°No, not today.¡±  He muttered aloud.


    Jakiikii gave him a sideways look, two of her six eyes turning upon their flexible petals to peer at him curiously.  ¡°What?¡±  Was all she asked.


    He waved a hand.  His errant emotions slowly being brought back to heel, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.  Really.  I was just lost in thought.¡±  But he wasn¡¯t.  He hated lying to her, but he wasn¡¯t sure he really wanted to involve anyone else into his internal problems with everything else that was going on.  From what he had been able to gather it wasn¡¯t exactly common for the biological translator parasites to act in such a manner, if at all.  But act up it did, and constantly.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    In fact he had noticed the parasite getting more and more brazen with its mental attacks.  Just three days before he had been interrupted in the middle of a verbal interview to wrestle with the stupid thing, much to his own embarrassment and the confusion of his interviewer.


    He growled and shoved the dark shadow back from the walls of the cage he had built for it in his mind.  It seemed to be getting stronger all the time, pushing up against the bars of its prison as if it were growing too large to be contained.  So he did the only thing he could think of, he layered on another wall to contain the one that was crumbling.  Thus delaying further the inevitable.


    He didn¡¯t like thinking about it, maybe he was supposed to let it out?  The others didn¡¯t seem to struggle so much with their jargon worms.  Were humans simply incompatible with them as the zen¡¯kkalkians had alluded to?  No, there had to be another explanation.  He couldn''t believe that he was the most unlucky bastard in the universe, karma couldn¡¯t be that cruel.  He snorted to himself, sure it could.


    Paulie¡¯s attention turned back to the problem fast approaching, namely the fact that the raid on Ooounoo was drawing ever nearer.  He shifted uncomfortably as they walked, glancing at Jakiikii.  She seemed so confident about the entire matter.  The fact that she had been on numerous smaller but similar raids over the years had likely bolstered her resolve on the issue, but he had no such experience to draw from.  No, the closest thing he had to such conflicts was the recent attack on Mack and some playground brawls he had been in as a youth.


    He stepped over a crack in the grey pavement and swallowed heavily.  The tension in his gut only magnified the solid knot in his stomach.  He felt nauseous as they walked through the brick and concrete labyrinth that was the bustling streets of Korscam.


    Jakiikii seemed to notice his discomfort as she made a small gesture to get his attention and then asked quietly, ¡°Are you feeling alright?  You look a little pale, and normally I am the one who is supposed to change colors.¡±  She chuckled a little, eliciting a small smile from him in return.


    Paulie rubbed the back of his neck as he let out a heavy sigh.  He adjusted his great coat and nodded at her sharply.  ¡°Yes, I am.  I just feel a little..¡±  He stopped, a bit at a loss for words.


    She stepped a little closer and nudged him with two of her arms.  ¡°Not to worry, you have the rest of the day off.  And you are going to need it, you are assigned to officer Tell¡¯eal tomorrow remember?¡±  Paulie groaned slightly and Jakiikii giggled horsley.   ¡°Oh come on, she isn¡¯t that bad right?¡±


    He shook his head as they moved through the crowded street and around a corner to what looked like a set of stairs that disappeared below the surface of the road.  ¡°It isn¡¯t that she is bad.  In fact she is very very good at what she does.  But what she does is push me harder than Sisyphus pushes that boulder of his.¡±  Jakiikii cocked her angular head, a few of her eye-petals moving as if trying to look through him.  In all fairness, the mendagoonian woman was well known for her strict nature and ability to drag the best from people, usually kicking and screaming the whole way.  He chuckled.


    They started down the steps, Sasfren and officer Visk taking point with their hands on their belts as the unknown viltess officer took up their rear, their insectoid eyes scanning the street for potential threats.  As they reached the bottom Jakiikii spoke reverently, ¡°I have worked with her before.  She isn¡¯t easily impressed, that one.¡±


    Paulie nodded sadly.  ¡°You know I beat my PR in the hundred-meter sprint two days ago, I shattered the complex¡¯s record by such a large margin it wasn¡¯t even funny¡­¡±  She nodded.  Paulie threw up his hands and spoke a little heatedly, causing the vekegh officer next to him to jerk slightly and hiss in annoyance.  ¡°You know what she said when I asked her what she thought?¡±


    Jakiikii shook her head and he heard officer Sasfren laugh from the other side of the termaxxi.  The maggastium¡¯s feline features poked into view, her colorful display petals flashing a silvery orange as she asked, ¡°Let me guess, she asked if that was the best you could do?¡±


    Paulie smiled wide.  ¡°Yeah.  That¡¯s exactly what she said.  I am guessing you had to deal with her too?¡±


    Officer Sasfren nodded, one of her boneless looking arms pointing them down the grey tiled hall they had entered.  ¡°Yes, many times.  Down the left hand side please, I don¡¯t suspect anything is going to happen but I would rather not get another strike.¡±  He thought he could hear a bit of bitterness in her hissing chirps, but even with his parasitic translator it was hard to be certain.


    They had come through a very similar place to get to the mall in the first place so he knew the drill.  The subterranean chamber they soon found themselves in rumbled ominously, the sound of metal on metal and the pinging expansion of steam pipes could be heard over the muted conversations from the crowded room.  The damp, grimy floors were bare duracrete and the tiled walls were rust stained and covered in faded holographic advertisements that promised any number of fantasies to be granted should one simply swipe their cred-ident and transfer a few osmir.


    Presently, a large object trundled slowly into view.  It was huge, its grimy outer skin the color of bleached bones with a long red stripe down one side.  It was some manner of public transportation he had discovered upon their first excursion.


    He had heard one of the others refer to it as the underbus, but as it seemed to levitate over the track without any support that he could ascertain he was more inclined to think of it as a floating train.  He thought about it as he tried to remember the correct term, ¡®A maglev.¡¯  He said inside his head, silently.


    Another thought seemed to answer him, a dark finger of self doubt that scorned him.  ¡®Primitive.¡¯  It was the parasite again, he turned his mind¡¯s eye upon it and the thing slunk back into the dark corners of his mind with an insane cackle.


    He shook it off, he wasn¡¯t about to let something as simple as a testy brain inhabiting parasite get him down on a day like today.  That wasn''t to say that he was ignoring the danger it seemed to pose, but he was not going to live in fear.  No, he pushed the fear and panic back down alongside the anger and hatred that seemed to always buble just under the surface of his mind like a poisonous ocean of raw emotion.


    Taking just a moment to recollect himself, Paulie followed Jakiikii as she and the officers boarded the third car of the underbus.  He sat in the seat that Sasfren indicated and leaned back into the wall with a small sigh of relief.  He wasn¡¯t exactly tired out, it was only about midway through the day after all.  But he was feeling a little more drained than usual and he looked forward to getting home so he could relax and watch more of the various alien television shows he had discovered.


    It turned out that with thousands of years of entertainment history at his fingertips, he could find just about anything he wanted to suit his viewing pleasure.  And right now he was three quarters of the way through what he assumed was some manner of fantastical survival show.  Though not knowing the specifics of the wide variety of worlds the GGI had under its umbrella of control, it could very well have been a reality TV show and he would likely not have been able to tell the difference.


    The underbus hummed and then with a sharp jolt, it was off.  The windows slowly changed from a view of the large crowded terminal to the enclosed and darkened walls of the transport tunnel it moved through.


    Paulie looked around, the car they were in wasn¡¯t too crowded.  But it was still full of citizens all going about their daily business as if there was nothing strange about the profusion of alien forms that surrounded them.  And they were right.  He was the alien, a concept that he was still coming to terms with even all these days later.  It brought a frown to his face and doubts to his heart that settled deep down next to the despair that he had hidden at the back of his mind.


    After all, what was a man to do in such a strange environment where even the familiar was alien and every other person was potentially a threat in disguise?

 Chapter 4: A Hold-Up Holdup

    Chapter 4: A Hold-Up Holdup


    The trip through the underground tunnels took only a few minutes.  Before he knew it, Paulie was getting up and walking into another terminal just like the one they had left only minutes before, complete with the shining holograms of advertisements plastered across the walls and the flickering halogen lamps swinging gently overhead.  It was a strange contrast of futuristic and old-style tech, one of the many contradictions he had seen in his short time in Korscam.


    He couldn¡¯t quite place it, but the entire city felt as if it were a fusion of old and new tech.  Like an old canvas covered wagon with a fresh set of modern rubber tires.  It just didn¡¯t seem to fit at times.


    He shook his head to himself as their small group exited the underbus all at once and moved through the diminishing crowds towards the exit hall to the right side of the grey tiled room.  The transportation vehicle began to hum behind them and he saw that it wobbled slightly before setting off towards its next stop, a ceaseless cycle that had likely seen it around the entirety of the huge city more times than he could count.


    Jakiikii¡¯s six eyes roved all around the surrounding space as they climbed the stairs towards the main street.  She seemed a bit worried and so he reached out and touched her shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring manner causing the termaxxi to jump and let out a small whoosh of air from the breathing slits on her lower torso.


    She frowned, her dainty little slash of a mouth turning down on the edges as she spoke.  Her husky feminine voice emanated from somewhere deep in her chest instead of her mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t think we are alone.¡±  She hissed.


    He shrugged and gestured towards officer Sasfren and her two subordinates.  ¡°Correct.¡±


    She grumbled as he gave her a smug smile, the skin around the base of her many eyes wrinkling slightly.  ¡°No, I mean it.  I keep getting..¡±  She paused and then looked at him directly with all six of her bright orange eyes.  He felt at once transfixed and a little nervous, to be fair he still wasn¡¯t entirely used to the way each and every one of her six pupils moved independently of the others.  It was as if an entire crowd of one eyed people were staring at him all at once.  It kind of set him on edge.


    She continued, ¡°Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched?¡±  She asked him seriously.  He almost snorted at the question coming from her.


    He wanted to make a joke, to quip that he was feeling that way right at the moment.  But as if she had manifested something in the air, he felt the small hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  He shuddered slightly and just nodded.  Even more disturbingly, he felt the presence of his parasite recoil as if he had struck it.  But he had not touched it, no, it had felt something too.


    He whirled, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that had set off his instincts.  But all he saw was the pervasive bustle of the streets.  The shifting mass of strange alien shapes and colors, the eye searing profusion of organised chaos that was the busy street.


    As if detecting his thoughts, officer Sasfren had also turned to look in the direction he was, one of her trifurcated tentacle hands wrapped around the weapon at her waist.  ¡°What!  Did you see something?¡±  She seemed a little on edge as well.  And he supposed it made sense, she had on multiple occasions displayed a higher than average perceptiveness.  Her two companions seemed largely oblivious though, either unworried or unable to feel the tension that had filled the air.


    He scrutinised the street which had started to clear of people, it was nearing one of the few slower times of the day.  With the generally packed streets briefly approaching a measure of calm which was the reason they were moving when they did.  It was easier to scan for threats when one could see more than a meter in front or behind themselves.


    It was as he was scrutinising the surrounding area that he saw what must have been capturing his attention.  Across the street and about thirty or so meters away stood a person wearing a dark cowl-like covering.  Their body shape was only vaguely humanoid, the various lumps and wrinkles in the long cloth covered their form.  But it was apparent that they were some manner of alien.


    They might have been looking at him, their head seemed to be turned their way.  He couldn¡¯t tell, but he got the gut-wrenching feeling that he was being watched.. Intently.  Another odd thing he had noticed was the large void in the otherwise crowded street.  The masses flowing away and around the figure like water around a large boulder in the middle of a stream.


    He leaned towards Jakiikii and asked, ¡°Do you see that hooded guy across the street?¡±  She looked around without moving her head or body, the flexible petals that her eyes were on could move independently of each other with surprising dexterity.  He prompted, ¡°In the dark cloak, thirty meters to the left.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure if the measurement translated, but before he could correct himself he saw all six of her eyes lock onto the suspicious figure.  She tensed and he saw the covered figure jerk as if stung.  Clearly they had been watching, and now that they knew that they were spotted the situation potentially became a hell of a lot more dangerous.


    He was about to turn to officer Sasfren and point them out when he tensed up too, there was another figure nearby to the first.  Another alien in long dark clothing that seemed all at once far too conspicuous when taken with the much more vibrant surroundings.  It made them stick out, not like a sore thumb exactly, but certainly more than they may have been anticipating.


    He watched for a few seconds as the other figure seemed to speak towards the street vendor they stood by, the cloak moving as they gestured out of sight from Paulie¡¯s position.  The vendor looked around, but didn¡¯t seem to notice Paulie¡¯s group and shook their scaled head.  They looked distressed, and with the way the two suspicious aliens were dressed and acting he was thinking he might be witnessing a robbery in progress.  Of course, he could have been wrong, but Paulie had gotten this far by trusting his instincts.  He wasn¡¯t about to stop doing that now.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He wanted to shout something at them, to give warning to the crowd around them.  But he was unarmed, he had nothing to defend himself with much less to subdue the two hooded figures.  The option was taken out of his hands when the first alien shouted in anger towards the vendor and struck them across the counter, the shopkeep flailing in pain and falling out of sight.


    Jakiikii and the officers jumped collectively, but not nearly as much as the few bystanders near the roadside structure.  Several of them jumped bodily to the floor and at least one krakka snapped its shell closed with a loud clack.  The two potential robbers reacted in very different ways however.


    The nearer one that had not yelled jumped about a meter into the air in seeming surprise, the long dark hood it wore was thrown back from the action and he saw an alien species he had not yet seen before.  It was vaguely humanoid, with a head over shoulders from which hung at least a pair of arms.  But aside from that they were entirely inimical to his understanding.


    It had a face of sorts, a long vertical gaping maw of a mouth opened wide in a scream.  Their two sideways V-shaped eyes blinked quickly in alarm and its body hunched as it dove for the cover of the stall.  He had only gotten a glimpse of it, but already he felt a sort of mild horror at the sheer bizarity of its form.  He supposed he was likely being prejudiced as he had no other reason to believe these creatures were all so criminally inclined, but first impressions were first impressions.


    It was the second alien however that grabbed his attention, the strange thing threw aside the cloak and whirled to look their way while pulling something that looked a little like a rounded axe with a crossbow-style arm made of ribbed copper on the front.  They held it in their strange stacked grip with deadly intent and he heard the viltessian officer screech loudly as a bright beam of ghostly green light seemed to strike them.  It projected from the weapon in the criminal¡¯s hands, the ribbed copper arms of the strange gun beginning to glow a dull cherry red from waste heat as the beam played over the doomed adjudicator¡¯s carapace.


    ¡°Bultesians!¡±  Officer Visk shouted as the vekegh dove for cover behind a low duracrete wall.


    Paulie saw officer Sasfren hunker her upper body down towards the ground as she slunk backwards towards the exit of the stairs, the maggastium dragging a protesting Jakiikii with her as she drew her sidearm.


    Jakiikii yelled for him to move, to take cover or run.  But he didn¡¯t, transfixed as he was by the awful fate that had just befallen the viltess adjudicator who had been standing next to him only a moment before.  But where the insectoid had previously stood, tall and proud in their dark blue peace officer uniform, there was a pile of charred chiton and a dark purple mass that must have been their insides leaking outside.


    The gun or whatever it had been seemed to have cooked the poor creature from the inside out in a second.  Flash boiled with such speed and violence that their entire body had ruptured like an over microwaved hotdog.  And now that horrible device was being turned his way.


    Paulie heard Jakiikii screech again, he had no intention of getting shot though.  In a flash he dodged to the side and used his overpowered muscles to dive to the far side of the street.  He heard a loud hissing pop behind him but didn¡¯t stop to look.  Instead of continuing on around the low-walled structure he crouched and then sprang up atop it.


    The metal sheeting of the roof crackled under his feet, but held.  From his heightened position he could see both the street thugs clearly, he peered over the lip and saw them loose a few more shots in the direction of the others.  The street was rapidly clearing of screaming citizens, only the still hunkering clamshell of the krakka he had seen earlier remained nearby.  The rest of the street was clear as the first bright eye-searing blue electron beam lanced out from the other two officers.


    He could see them from where he was, officer Visk and Sasfren were taking turns popping up from their cover to loose potshots at their aggressors.  But it was risky, the other bultesian pulled a weapon from under their robes and fired towards the hunkering officers as well, another deadly green beam of coruscating energy joining the first as they left bubbling molten craters in the wall where they struck.


    He heard Sasfren curse loudly, his jargon worm only translating every other word as the section of wall she was using for cover cracked with a loud pop and the sound of pinging shrapnel.  The weapons that the two criminals were using seemed to act like some manner of directed heat rays, the sections of wall or street that were impacted glowed white with heat.  Their surfaces vitrified and running like molten glass as the spots slowly cooled into pockets of dark black obsidian.


    He needed to do something, but he didn¡¯t have a weapon and even with his superhuman strength and reflexes he wasn¡¯t keen to try himself against two psychotic aliens holding death ray guns.  No, he needed to do something clever, something unexpected.  But what?


    He heard another loud sound, this one more akin to a sizzle than a pop and he watched in horror as one of the green beams caught the edge of the cowering krakka¡¯s shell.  Immediately the shell glowed white with heat and began to blacken as the innocent bystander was cooked alive in less than a second.  Their clam-like shell split down the middle as their insides flashed to steam, the sound as sharp as a firecracker and punctuated by a terrible gurgling scream that died almost as soon as it began.


    ¡°NO!¡±  He shouted as was forced to duck back into cover, at least one shot directed his way and heating the metal under him so much that a portion of it slagged inwards.  He grunted as his hands were scorched and he was forced to roll off the roof to fall slowly to the ground behind the stall.


    He cursed as he regained his footing, ¡°No!  Bastards!¡±  The krakka were some of the most friendly creatures he had ever met, not once in all the time he had been a resident of Gike had he heard one of them so much as raise their voice in anger.  In fact, he wasn¡¯t even entirely sure they were capable of displaying the emotion.  And they had killed the poor creature out of spite or cruelty, it mattered little to him as to their motivations.


    His burned fists clenched involuntarily, but he ignored the pain of it.  No, he wasn¡¯t going to just stand by idly while these two potentially affected an escape.  Jakiikii and the officers were in danger too, they had likely already called for backup.  But it could not arrive soon enough.  He swore, all this would have been avoided if he had a gun.  He could have easily taken out both of the aliens from his vantage atop the stall had he been so armed.


    He stood to his feet and looked at the gap between the brick wall in front of him and the corroded metal wall of the roadside stall he was in cover behind.  He peeked around the corner but could no longer see any of the action from where he was.  He dashed forwards to the next bit of cover and was forced to duck as a bright blue line crossed in front of his path not more than a few meters from his chest.  The line broke apart quickly, fizzing like electrical discharge as the plasma afterglow boiled away.  It seemed that he needed to be as aware of his own allies'' fire as that of his enemy.


    Paulie heard a buzz as the street¡¯s lighting flickered on.  He looked up and realised that the sky was darkening from its normal teal color to more of a midnight green.  The rich hue punctuated by the subtle lighting of the huge half-moon of the gas giant the planet orbited around, the giant sphere of Trellan IX was covered in flickering super lightning storms and the ghostly glow of titanic aurora that seemed to reach out from its outer atmosphere like spectral fingers.


    He had to tear his gaze away from the phantasmagorical sight in order to focus once more on the task at hand.  He slunk around the back of the stall he was using for cover and heard garbled speech coming from the next stall.  He cocked his head as he noticed something odd about their speech.  It took him a second to realise that he couldn''t understand what the aliens were saying.


    He shook his head and looked inwards, had the stupid parasite stopped working for him again out of spite?  No, that made no sense.  Mack had informed him that if he were to die that the parasite would die with him, so there would be no logical reason for it to try and get him killed out of some misguided hatred.  So that left only one other obvious alternative, these bultesian crooks must not be using jargon worms.


    Now that was interesting, he thought.  He wondered why they would forgo the usefulness of the internal biological translators, did they know something he didn¡¯t?  Or were jargon worms expensive and maybe they could not afford them?  Come to think of it, he had not felt so much as a stir from his own brain inhabiting symbiotic translator for a while either, there had to be some connection.  It seemed as though he would soon get the chance to find out as he heard the sound of crunching footsteps from the far side of the roadside stall he was next to.


    And they were getting closer.

 Chapter 5: Fight or Flight

    Chapter 5: Fight or Flight


    Paulie looked both ways in mild panic before spotting what he assumed had to be the rear door to the stall itself.  Without hesitation he grabbed for the handle and tore it open before ducking inside.


    He almost tripped over something as soon as he entered, but he managed to close the door regardless as he tried to regain his bearings.


    ¡°Oh zalc preserve us, please.. I have offspring, there is no need for this violence.¡±  Paulie nearly jumped out of his skin as a voice sounded from right under his nose.


    Paulie lurched back and tripped, landing hard on his rear even in the lower gravity of the small moon.  In front of him, cowering on the floor behind one of the many small shelves was the shopkeeper he had seen earlier.  It was a strange creature, all spindly arms and long shaggy fur.  It wore something almost akin to a light blue toga, though the clasps were all in the wrong places to accommodate the six arms and six legs it had.  Almost as if it were imitating a style it had seen another species wearing.


    He cocked his head as he tried to remember its species, but he was coming up empty.  As he did so its four bright eyes blinked and it seemed to realise that he wasn¡¯t one of the bultesians.  It shivered in what could have been terror or pain, maybe both, and asked quietly in a shaking voice.  ¡°Are you here to hurt me too?¡±


    Paulie¡¯s mouth opened.  Who the hell started a conversation like that?  The poor creature must be absolutely terrified.  ¡°What?  No, I was trying to hide from those psychopaths outside.  What the hell do they even want with us?¡±  He asked, trying to pry a little while he was here.


    The strange creature shook its head.  The longer fur under its chin and cheeks fluttering in the dim light of the room.  ¡°They are looking for..  No, I cannot say.  I am already threatened enough simply for what I am.¡±


    Paulie cocked his head and looked around the cramped space.  They were in some back storage area, he could see a small workbench and what looked like a hammock in the back under a single flickering worklight.  He turned back to look at the cowering alien.  ¡°And what is that?¡±  He was genuinely curious as to what the alien meant.


    The man, for he assumed it was a male by its speech, shifted till it knelt instead of cowering.  ¡°What.. what do you mean, you don¡¯t know?¡±  Paulie shook his head and shrugged.  The gestures must have conveyed the proper meaning as after another moment of staring at him wide eyed, the creature let out a heavy breath.


    Another trickle of their dark rust colored blood leaked from their cracked teeth as it answered his question slowly.  ¡°I am yelquian..¡±  It paused to see his reaction, Paulie just blinked slowly.  ¡°Okay, so you have never heard of the cult of the Infinite and Divine?¡±


    Paulie was now additionally confused and a little on edge.  He didn¡¯t really like the sound of cultish activity, anytime zealots showed up it was pretty much guaranteed to be a dark time for any involved.  ¡°Cults?  No, I haven¡¯t heard about anything like that before, what is it?¡±


    The yelquian cowered again as there was a sound outside the door.  ¡°Bad news, very bad news.¡±


    The skinny alien bolted for the back of the store and Paulie had just enough time to turn back towards the door before it suddenly glowed white hot and was kicked in with a heavy blow by a pair of spider-leg-like appendages.  These were revealed to be the lower legs of a bultesian as it stormed through the door, its weapon raised and ready to fire.


    Paulie was standing close to the door and was almost struck as it burst open in a shower of molten sparks.  He ducked involuntarily, and that likely saved his life as a bright beam of shimmering energy passed through the space his head had just been.  The beam bored a slagged hole through the wall behind him with a loud hiss.  The popping of molten metal hitting the damp floor sounded like firecrackers and lit up the dim room like a crazed lightshow.


    He took a heartbeat to thank his lucky stars and lunged for the alien, trying to settle this fight with a close range grapple and overpower the weaker alien before they could get another shot off.  He stepped close, fast enough that the alien¡¯s eyes seemed to flash in surprise.  That sideways mouth opening as he reached in and punched it as hard as he could in the chest, that turned out to be a mistake.


    He had expected the alien to be dispatched with that one blow, to be sent flying back into the wall to collapse in a tangle of broken limbs as its life essence leaked out upon the cold duracrete floor.  What he had not been expecting was for something in his hand to snap and for the alien to crawl painfully back to its sharp stabbing legs with a loud gurgling hiss of rage, a thin line of dark green liquid drooled from their looling mouth as they shook their lumpy head.


    ¡°Shit!¡±  Paulie swore, holding his broken hand in his other as he took a step back.  He felt bad, and not just because of the shooting pain in his hand.  No, he realised that he felt hollow, empty.  As if a piece of himself that he had never noticed before had suddenly gone missing.


    On the bright side, the enraged alien cultist had lost their weapon in the struggle and now the fight was much more even.  He looked around quickly, and one of the shelves nearby caught his attention.  It had the semi-modular look of a snap-together furniture piece and so he grabbed one of its supports with his uninjured hand and ripped it free with a grunt.  The rest of the shelf collapsed, spilling its inventory upon the floor with a loud crash.  He was less worried about the mess than he was about becoming a mess himself, like that viltessian officer.  He shuddered.


    The odds may have seemed poor at first, given the alien¡¯s resilience to his first attack.  He had felt some manner of heavy subdermal armour or perhaps bony plates when he had injured his hand and he was not keen to repeat the experience.  But now he had a weapon, the heavy metal pipe felt like it was made of aluminum in the low gravity.  But he could almost immediately tell it was fashioned out of some manner of mild or low carbon steel.


    The bultesian warily eyes the pipe, the thing taking a few steps to the side on those long spider-like legs.  They were covered in a glossy grey skin at the tops, but the last thirty millimeters or so seemed to be bone or chiton, it was a dirty copper in color and the clacking sounds they made as they walked informed him that the substance was likely very hard.  Certainly hard enough to cause him irredeemable harm should they make contact with his body.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Clearly the strange creature thought so as well as they lunged at Paulie with their two forward most legs in a stabbing motion.  Paulie just managed to rear back, twirling the steel pipe as he did so to smack the closer leg away with a loud clang.  The hostile alien moved back, clearly wary of his agility now.


    Paulie hefted the pipe, ready for anything.  He winced as he stepped on something that rolled under his foot, momentarily losing his footing.  The bultesian hissed a challenge in its native language, or maybe it was a vapid curse.  He couldn¡¯t tell either way as he didn¡¯t speak their language.  It lunged at him, this time with its own closed fist.


    Paulie could have avoided it, dodged out of the way.  But he didn¡¯t.  Instead, he stepped closer to the alien as it threw it, raising an arm to block the blow as he had learned in his younger fighting years and counter swung the pipe at one of their nearer legs.  The metal pipe hit the appendage with a satisfying crunch of sometime being broken under the surface.


    He pushed down the dark emptiness that was threatening to swallow him whole and leapt back as the alien screeched loudly and favored its right side.  He had hurt it, but not mortally.  But maybe enough to swing things in his favor.  The blood rushed in his ears as he felt his heartbeat quicken.  The adrenaline flooding his system numbed the pain in his hand and lowered his inhibitions, the pure fire of instinct taking hold over his mind.


    He looked at the alien, his mind noting lapses in its defense.  Exploitable openings where he could break another leg or arm, bruise and sunder flesh, incapacitate and kill this threat.  His fight or flight kicked in hard, and he chose fight.


    He decided that the only way he was going to win would be to take the fight to the enemy directly, and so he quit circling and rushed the alien with a roar of primal rage.  The cultist was almost entirely unprepared for the assault and tried to jump to the side to avoid him.  A task that they likely would have done easily had their leg not been injured as it was.  A tiny gap in the thing¡¯s defense.  A microscopic gap, but a gap nonetheless.


    Paulie roared again and brought the heavy steel pipe down on the alien¡¯s exposed head with all the force his body could muster.  He used both hands, the broken bones shifting painfully as he felt the rod impact the downed butesian with bone shattering force.  There was a loud crack and he screamed again, this time in pain as the feedback shock of the impact traveled up the pipe and into his already damaged hand.


    He dropped the pipe instinctively, all thoughts going to the center of his agony as he fell forwards to his knees and cradled his hand.  Blood dripped from his fingers, but it was not his own, the strong scent of copper filled the room as the remains of his attacker¡¯s head pooled out upon the duracrete floor of the room.  He felt a little sick looking at it, he had killed more than once now.  But none had been so visceral, so gruesomely brutal.  So full of personal venom and spurred by hatred.


    He turned away, sick to his stomach as he looked around the room and stood shakily to his feet.  His heart continued to beat at his ribcage as if trying to escape, he felt the adrenaline spike again in response to his mental state and tried to take deep calming breaths.  He was getting too accustomed to this feeling, the depths of his personal disgust only outshone by the deep hollow feeling that still filled his core.  It had subsided a little as the alien had ceased to be, but the strange feeling persisted like a bad smell he could not block out.


    He made his way towards the open doorway, the remains of the door itself were still splashed across the floor.  Droplets of steel crunched under his booted feet as he pulled his greatcoat tighter with his good hand and exited out into the gap between the market stall and the tall brick buildings.


    The narrow sidewalk area was dark, the light from the street lamps was muted.  Blocked for the most part by the surrounding structures.  Not for the first time he remarked to himself as to the shoddy and slapdash nature of the roadside stalls.  Many of them looked as if they were converted shanties, their corroded steel walls mixing with the dark grey plastics and partially rotted wooden struts.  They gave off the distinctive look of decay and rot, the style of hastily built and poorly maintained buildings.


    When he got out of this situation he would be sure to ask Sasfren or Jakiikii what that was all about, but for now he still had the issue of another deranged cultist loose somewhere on the street in his very immediate vicinity.


    He heard another series of strange cracks from the area in front of him and moved to the corner as quickly as he could manage without hurting himself more.  What he saw when he turned the corner made his heart sink.


    The wall that Jakiikii and the others had been hiding behind was slagged, the grey duracrete shattered and melted from the tremendous heat of many energy blasts.  How the small gun the bultesian cultists carried could deal such damage was beyond his human understanding, but clearly they had the ability.  He was looking at the after effects now after all.  No, what really brought a pang of fear and anger to his heart was the additional steaming corpses strewn about the far side of the street.  Clearly additional civilians had been caught up in the attack after he had been forced from the roof.


    But where was the other one now?  As he thought it, he heard a slight sizzle from behind him and reacted, dodging to the side as fast as he could.  Almost fast enough, almost but not quite.


    Paulie gritted his teeth as something seemed to slap his side hard, the feeling of terrible freezing pain spread across his upper thigh and lower stomach as he heard the sound of something crackling.  Then he hit the ground and rolled into a heap, slamming into the nearby stall with enough force to dent the thin metal of the wall.


    A gurgling sound reached him as he cracked open eyes misted with pain.  The alien approached, its face seemingly contorted in anger as it gestured towards him.  He was a little confused as to why it didn¡¯t just shoot him dead on the spot, it seemed to be staring at him.  He looked down at himself and realised he was splashed with the blood of the other cultist.  Clearly it recognised the fact and seemed to be enraged.  It approached him and loomed over him, the deathray crossbow-looking weapon aimed straight at his skull as it screamed indecipherable obscenities at him.


    He smirked, if he was about to die then he would do it with curses on his tongue and a smile in his eyes.  ¡°You know, you look a lot like a big sideways slug had sex with a spider.¡±


    The alien cocked its head a little, seemingly confused as to his lack of fear.  He smiled at it and spoke, ¡°Are you going to kill me now?  Because I really wanted to go and try to make a lasagna with the ingredients I have been working with.  I think I can do it, the sauce just isn''t right yet though.  I have not found anything..¡±  He was cut off as the bultesian kicked him in the side, hard.


    ¡°Ouugh!¡±  He grunted, curling instinctively towards the pain.  ¡°Bastard.¡±  He grunted as he held what felt like a fractured rib.


    He glared up at the alien and was a little dismayed that he saw what looked like some manner of grin cross its strange features.  He was a little upset he had to admit to himself, there were so many things he still wanted to do with his life.  People to help and things to say, his thoughts turned toward Mack and Jakiikii.  His only two real friends in this strange new place.


    He blinked slowly and then closed his eyes, receiving another vicious kick for his trouble as the alien shouted something at him in its native tongue.  He looked up, the barrel of the alien gun had once more descended towards him.


    He wanted to cry out in pain, rage or anger.  But in reality, he was simply too tired to muster the energy.


    He heard a faint noise and looked up, well, up from his perspective of lying flat on his back.  He grinned as he saw the source of the noise, it was officer Visk.  The pink-furred vekegh man had stepped around the corner, electron pistol raised and ready to fire upon his torturer.  But he didn¡¯t.  Paulie saw the man seem to hesitate for a bare moment, their eyes flicking from Paulie to the bultesian cultist and back.  He saw the hint of hatred or anger cross their otter-like features.  Small ears twitching as their lips pulled back in the barest hint of a snarl.


    Whether it was anger or disgust he didn¡¯t know, but he had just enough time to recognise the look of somebody at war with themselves before they pulled the trigger.  The deathray wielding criminal had likely not even heard the man approach, preoccupied as they had been upon Paulie.  As a result a tiny hole was bored into their head via the near light speed beam of accelerated electrons, the energy dumbing into their skull as the remains of the beam exited the other side.  Their body was snapped sideways slightly, the alien cultist going limp as they crumpled to the ground next to Paulie with a thud.


    Paulie¡¯s eyes were momentarily dazzled by the afterimage of the blazingly bright electron beam.  The fizzling blue motes of its ionised track shimmered in the air like fireflies for another second or two and he soon found himself being inspected by gentle hands.  A husky voice spoke concernedly from somewhere nearby and impossibly distant at the same time as he lapsed into unconsciousness.

 Chapter 6: Whats Up Doc

    Chapter 6: What''s Up Doc


    Paulie was having the strangest dream.  He had been abducted by short green lizard people and then shipped across the galaxy to become an alien punching bag in a retrotech looking city all while being pursued by angry aliens of every conceivable shape and proportion.  As he ran he stumbled over a small clam no larger than his boot that tipped a top hat to him and told him to have a great day before seeming to scream in agony and boil alive inside their own blackening shell.


    Paulie turned in fear, all around him were corpses now.  There was the man from the bar when he was only sixteen, there was Krissh and the unknown viltessian officer.  There was the horrible bultesian cultists and his Aunt Magret.  A tear rolled from his eyes as he turned again and froze.


    ¡®No..¡¯  he cried out in the depths of his nightmare.  On the ground lay two more figures, their forms at once alien and familiar.  It was Jakiikii and Mack, no.. they couldn''t be dead.  He had gotten them both killed simply by existing, why did Ooounoo want him dead so badly?!


    As he wondered it, the sound of hungry laughter sounded from behind him and he turned to see a titanic alien behind him.  They had six tentacle-like legs with two more boneless arms sprouting from wide shoulders under a horned head with too many eyes.  The thing seemed to laugh at him again and he yelled as he tried to run.  But the air seemed to turn to molasses around him as he ran in place.  Meanwhile the massive tentacled hand of the thing seemed to wrap around him tightly.


    Paulie thrashed, fighting for his very life against the thing that had him bound.  But it was no use, his arms were pinned to his sides and a weight was settled on his chest making it hard to breathe.


    Suddenly his eyes flew open and he found himself staring into six bright orange orbs only a few centimeters from his own.  It took his panicked mind a few additional seconds to recognise them.


    He croaked, ¡°Jakiikii?¡±


    She seemed to sigh and nodded, her head close to his as she held his upper body in place.  ¡°Yes.  Are you alright?  You started thrashing and I thought you were having a seizure, I called for the doctor.¡±  She spoke quickly, the hint of panic in her voice.


    He shook his head.  ¡°No.  No.. I¡¯m fine.  Really.¡±  He spoke a little awkwardly, suddenly aware of just how close the termaxxi woman was to him.  She was pinning his arms and upper body, her uppermost four arms holding his shoulders and biceps while her third and smallest pair pressed down on his chest.  She was breathing heavily, likely from the exertion of keeping him contained.  He was far stronger than most aliens he had met, though Jakiikii was also an apocalypser like him and his closest match.  Or so he had thought till meeting the bultesians in the market.


    As his eyes locked with hers he thought he heard her breath catch slightly, once more he felt a subtle pressure in his mind.  Like somebody brushing fingers through his hair gently, the sensation was not at all unpleasant.  But it was no longer unknown.  He had figured out that it was something she was doing, some manner of psychic power maybe?  He had no idea what alien capabilities she had, she could literally turn invisible after all.  What else could she do?


    He cleared his throat and pushed back against the pressure with his own mind.  For a tiny moment he thought he could hear her voice though she was not speaking.  The words ¡®very compatible¡¯ seemed to echo in the corner of his mind as he recoiled from the sensation, ¡°You can let me go now.  I assure you that I am no longer trying to escape.¡±  He blinked, what had just happened?


    She seemed to realise herself that she was still holding onto him tightly and she blinked several eyes all at once.  ¡°Oh!  Oh, yes.. sorry.¡±  She released him and stood, taking a step away from the bed and shifting from foot to foot in that amusing manner she did while excited or nervous.  She brushed herself off, as if trying to untangle herself from spiderwebs or something.


    He looked at her, she seemed none the worse for wear, not for the first time he noted her skin-tight attire.  The stealth-suit outlined her toned features and left little to the imagination.  The sixpack of pectorals that supported her six arms, her flat belly and her attractively flared hips.  He jerked as he realised he was staring and turned to look at the bedside table.


    Upon it sat some of his personal effects, the wallet that he had still not managed to lose after everything chief amongst them.  He also saw a large bottle of water with a straw and reached out for it before wincing as his bandaged hand made itself known to him.  He looked down at it and saw it was in some manner of hard cast.  He supposed that made a certain amount of sense, given that he had broken it on a criminal¡¯s chest.


    He tried to sit up but Jakiikii hopped to his side and placed a hand on his chest again.  ¡°No, you cannot.  Not again.¡±  She worried aloud, referring to the first time he had skipped his rest after being injured.


    He grunted and allowed her to force him back down despite the fact he could likely have lifted her up and tossed her across the room had he wanted to.  Instead he settled back into the bedding, it was rather comfortable anyways and he smiled as she reached for the cup and held it to his lips gently.


    ¡°Here, drink.¡±  She said, her mouth cracking slightly into a smile as her eyes all focused on him.  He shivered under her gaze slightly, this time it felt a little more predatory.  A little more piercing.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He obliged though as he was thirsty, the lukewarm water soothing his parched throat like nothing else could as he heard a loud clattering coming from outside of the room.  He felt a bolt of adrenaline shoot through him, Jakiikii herself whirled and raised the cup in what could have been either an aggressive or defensive posture.  It was hard to say with her profusion of arms.  But he didn¡¯t have to worry as through the door emerged a trio of figures.  The first two were tall and slim, their long shaggy white fur looking like it would have been more at home on the end of a mop handle.  The third figure was much more interesting, they plodded into the room much more slowly with heavy thudding steps.  They gave off the impression of being very heavy, much heavier than even he himself.


    At first he thought they were wearing some manner of strange environmental or protective suit.  But as they got closer he started to realise that the suit itself seemed to be moving in a manner that didn¡¯t make sense.  The body plan was strange, four jointless legs and four equally jointless arms that ended in complex looking mechanical instruments.  There was no head, instead the suit''s chest had a large open porthole-like window.  As he looked at it he was at first confused, the window looked to be full of something almost like dark television static.  No, not static exactly, but something else.  Something that seethed and roiled like it was alive but didn¡¯t look like any substance he could put his finger on.


    Jakiikii had stepped out of the way as the two shaggy furred aliens reached his side.  He had seen them before, these two were the equivalent of nurses or maybe doctor¡¯s aides.  They or others like them had taken care of him before after physical exams for his adjudicators training.  The nearest one reached over to him with what passed for an arm that emerged from under their obscuring white fur, the long fingers clutching a small humming device that it moved over his lower torso and thigh.  The same ones that had been injured the night before, the day before?


    He found that the harder he tried to remember details of the event the more they seemed to slip away into the farthest recesses of his mind.  He cursed under his breath and the nearer nurse spoke up, ¡°I am sorry, what was that?¡±


    She asked it so sweetly that he didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her what he had actually said.  And so instead he just gave her a winning smile and said, ¡°Thanks.  I was thinking you were doing a great job.¡±  The furry hobulite was tall, nearly as tall as he was, and they ducked their long furred head and stepped aside to let the strange suited thing closer.


    Paulie tensed as the tentacled monster reached him, but before he could even speak the suit¡¯s strange window lit up and alien text scrolled in a falling motion across the screen.  A small pink crystal embedded in the side of the small computer screen next to it lit up and a synthetic monotone voice spoke up.  ¡°Please, do not be alarmed.  I do not wish to be scattered throughout this place.  My name is Doctor Ssillssskks, but you may call me Doctor S if it suits you.¡±


    Paulie was a little more taken aback now, not by their tone or strange alien name.  But by the fact that he had finally gotten a closer look through the large glass porthole that covered their chest.  Inside the walking talking suit was a boiling mass of what he could only describe as sharp black sand, it pulsed and swirled like cold mist on an early winter morning.  But somehow more intelligent, more alive.  He could hear it shifting around inside the suit, grinding against itself with a strange low nearly infrasonic moaning sound like the wind over sand dunes or shifting scree on a mountainside.


    Likely taking his silence for the curiosity it was, Doctor S tapped on the porthole and asked Paulie in a calm yet somewhat jovial feeling monotone.  ¡°What is the matter urrenian?


    Have you never seen a cryssid before?  I must admit, you are the first talking apocalypser I have ever seen, so I can understand what you must be feeling.¡±  There was a sharper grinding sound, maybe its version of a chuckle?


    Paulie shook his head slowly.  ¡°N-no.. never seen anything like you before?  What is that?¡±  He asked, maybe a bit too abruptly as he pointed at the porthole on its chest area.


    The doctor just tapped its chest window with one of the four tentacle-like suit arms.  ¡°Me.. I am a cryssid.  You must have taken a pretty hard knock to the head, you seem a little dazed.  I am prescribing you some anti-inflammatories and another bout of quickheal.  I gave your hand a *crackle-moan* injection to help your bones heal back together faster.¡±  There was a moment where the translation stopped, the doctor clearly using a word that had no equivalent in his vernacular.  ¡°You should be back up to one-hundred percent in a day or two with how fast your body heals.¡±


    Paulie nodded slowly.  ¡°I thank you, I do seem to have a habit of getting myself into dangerous scenarios.¡±


    Jakiikii snorted from his other side and he shot her a smile.


    One of the nurses tottered over to the doctor and handed them a large datapad.  ¡°His biosigns indicate a tremendous amount of internal microbiota.  They seem to be symbiotic in nature however so we left them.¡±


    Doctor S made no physical indications, but they did utter aloud.  ¡°Curious.  How curious.¡±  Turning to gesture to the other nurse, ¡°See to it that he is taken care of and discharged when he feels able to move freely.¡±  The storm in a suit turned to face him again and spoke quickly, ¡°I must apologise for leaving you so soon..¡±  They paused and checked the data pad, ¡°Paulie.  But I have others that require my more immediate attention.  Please don¡¯t hesitate to ask for anything you think you might need.  And thank you for the lives you saved, I heard what you did.  Quite brave of you.¡±  And with that, the good doctor and one of the hobulite nurses left the room in as much of a rush as the bulky containment suit allowed.  Its slow thudding footsteps making the floor shudder ever so slightly.


    The other nurse seemed to smile, but not with her mouth.  Instead her beady black eyes somehow gave off the impression of mirth.  It must be his parasite helping to translate their body language into a form he could recognise.  He felt a squirming in his mind as if thinking about it had summoned the stupid worm.  But no, it simply stirred fitfully and then retreated of its own accord, the encounter with the two bultesian cultists had seemed to have a stark effect on the jargon worm.  And he was growing curious as to why, he remembered the dark hollow feeling he had felt around them.  Maybe they had some sort of correlation?


    The nurse was still standing by his side patiently and so he waved for her to come closer.  She did so, ¡°Um, I am curious.. do you have any jello?¡±


    She twitched, the long shaggy fur that covered the majority of her body nearly completely obscuring her body language.  But he got the indistinct impression she was confused again.


    He reiterated.  ¡°Jello.  It''s a sort of gelatin-like sugary snack that is easy for the body to digest and served in hospitals back on earth.  It''s kinda clear and you eat it with a spoon?¡±  He shook his head slightly.  What the hell was he even saying?


    Jakiikii on the other hand seemed to perk up a little.  ¡°Oh, I know.  Nurse, could you get us a couple containers of kluggsgoft?  Fruit flavours would be preferable, frubble or sniap if you have them?¡±


    The long haired woman seemed to deflate a little in relief.  ¡°Y-yes.  I will, right away.¡±  She rushed out of the room as if her hair must have caught fire, clearly in some manner of rush.  What had that been all about?


    He asked the only remaining person in the room.  ¡°What is kluggsgoft?¡±


    Jakiikii smiled at him as she leaned on the side of his bed near his legs.  ¡°It¡¯s good is what it is.  Trust me, you will like it.  And if you don''t, I will have yours.¡±  She chuckled huskily as she said it, her voice reverberating deep in her chest as she said it.


    He had no choice but to sit there and take her at her word.  Though from the way her two lowest hands seemed to rub together unconsciously and the tip of her bubblegum pink proboscis protruded from her mouth like a dog''s tongue, he was sure that she was telling him the truth.

 Chapter 7: Talking a Little

    Chapter 7: Talking a Little


    Paulie and Jakiikii sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, he noticed that her eyes kept flicking to his face and then away as she noticed he was watching.  Every time one of those petal-like eye flaps looked at him he smirked slightly.  He wasn¡¯t sure why she was acting so abashed all of the sudden.  As far as he knew she hadn¡¯t done anything to feel embarrassed about, but that was the distinct impression he was getting from her behaviour.


    Before he could muster up the wherewithal to ask her what she was on about, the door to the room swung back open and the shaggy furred nurse pushed her way back in pushing a small cart with several packages or boxes piled up on top of it.


    Jakiikii immediately stood and rushed the nurse, causing her to freeze slightly like a deer staring into headlights.  But Jakiikii either didn¡¯t notice the hobulite female¡¯s consternation or didn¡¯t care as she pilfered several of the containers and then hesitated, grabbing a plastic spoon from the cart as well.


    She shot a clipped, ¡°Thanks!¡± over her shoulder as she approached Paulie and loosed her captured treasures upon the bedding beside him before plopping herself into a sitting position next to his waist.


    The nurse just seemed to nod and then waved, ¡°I will just leave this here for you both.  You can message for me if you decide that you need something else.¡±  He nodded his thanks and watched as the hobulite nurse scurried from the room as quickly as it seemed she was able on her stubby legs.


    Once more he turned his attention to the termaxxi woman seated on the side of his bed.  Her six eyes roved around the room freely as if they had minds of their own, but four of them locked to his face as she noticed him looking.  She grabbed one of the small boxes with a brightly colored label and ripped open the top.  To his surprise this was immediately followed by a little catchy jingle that seemed to play in response to the box itself being opened.


    He saw her grin and nod.  ¡°Ahh.. I love that sound.  Reminds me of older times.¡±  As if the joy was suddenly sapped from her, her face saddened.


    He shifted in the bed and asked, ¡°With Gillm?¡±


    She nodded sadly, one of her eyes shining as a tear threatened to leak from it.  But it folded and rubbed itself against her neck and she sniffed through the breathing vents on her upper back.


    She coughed slightly, the sound of it a little wet before then reaching into the box.  He watched as she extracted a small container covered in the same bright alien script as the box itself and he half expected a jingle to play again as she held it.  The art and lettering was clearly cartoony in nature and aimed towards children, but he had to admit that it held a certain daft appeal to him as well.  Bringing to mind those old nostalgic as-seen-on-tv ads for snacks and treats he had grown up watching on the telly.


    She handed it to him and reached over to grab a single spoon from the cart.  ¡°Here, try the frubble first as I already know you like this flavour.¡±


    He nodded his thanks.  ¡°So, it''s just got like a peel top or something?¡±


    She shook her head and smiled.  ¡°A peel top?¡±  She giggled.  ¡°Where is the fun in that?¡±


    If he had been curious before he was downright captivated now as he watched her hold the container in her left middle hand and then grab something from under it with her right lowest hand.  She seemed to produce a small cord that she unspooled from one side and once it was almost three centimeters from the bottom she gave it a small tug.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what he had been expecting, but certainly not for the top of the container to glow bright orange and then seem to disintegrate into small floating motes of light that flitted and drifted like lightning bugs.


    He was flabbergasted, bamboozled and delighted in equal measure.  For a few seconds he swatted at the glowing motes like a kitten with a ball of yarn but they eventually faded and he blinked.


    Shooting Jakiikii a wide smile, he asked her in mild wonderment, ¡°What in the name of all that is holy was that?  I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.  Some sort of hologram?¡±


    She grabbed another container for herself as she handed him the one she had opened.  He watched as she popped the second one, this time a cascade of blue sparks spilled over her hands like electric water and he found himself grinning as wide as a schoolboy again.


    She nodded towards the container as she uncoiled her bright pink proboscis and dipped it into the container directly.  She had no need for utensils when she had her own straw it seemed.  Even with her mouth preoccupied she spoke, her husky voice rattling from deep in her chest.  ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it is.  But I do know it has something to do with some manner of photoluminescent material that is energised by a tiny electrical dynamo that when pulling the string, activates.¡±


    She gave him a smile as he dipped his own spoon into the container.  To his mild surprise the kluggsgoft had a texture much like custard and he eyed it suspiciously as he looked around.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He gestured to Jakiikii, ¡°Hey, is my coat in here?¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°Yes.  It¡¯s by the door.  Do you need it?¡±


    Paulie shook his head as he answered, ¡°No, not the coat itself anyways.  But can you grab my multitector from it?  As she stood to get it he nearly rolled himself out of the bed as he made a grab for his commie off the bedside table while balancing the kluggsgoft cup in the other.  He watched her carefully as he did so, she was totally focused on the task at hand.  All six of her bright orange eyes were turned away from him, but that could change at any instant.


    He grunted from the effort, his ribs and side smarting as he settled himself down into the bedding once more.  The medical technology that the GGI had access to was incredible, but even super advanced alien technology couldn''t heal broken bones instantly it seemed.  Before she had gotten back he managed to settle himself so as to look like nothing had happened and placed the communication gadget back upon his right wrist.


    Jakiikii walked back over presently, her face growing suspicious as she looked at him.  He scratched his cheek with his right hand and she frowned as she saw the device.  ¡°Paulie!  How are you expecting to heal properly if you insist on these acrobatics of yours?¡±


    He smiled wide, giving her his best shiteating grin.  ¡°Light work in this gravity.  And you are the last one to talk about acrobatics, I have seen you run up a sheer wall like it was a staircase!¡±  She ducked her head a little as her skin flashed a pale white, as opposed to its normally mottled brown and tan tones.  He had begun to recognise the tell as a sign that was her equivalent of blush embarrassment or something similar.  What he had come to realise as well was that he quite enjoyed flustering her from time to time.


    He shook his head slightly and reached for the small device she was offering out to him.  It was his multitector, it should tell him whether or not he would experience any troubles from the small cup of kluggsgoft.  He tapped a few buttons, the controls in English, not the strange falling alien text.  He would have to try and read it eventually, he couldn''t stay here for the rest of his life and remain illiterate.  Luckily for him he had taken Spanish and German in school and done reasonably well, so there was at least a passing chance he would be able to figure yuuvian out as well.


    The multitector didn¡¯t seem to think there was any conflict between his physiology and the treat so he set the device to the side and grabbed the spoon back out of the container.  He glanced at Jakiikii who was watching him intently, no doubt supremely curious as to what his thoughts would be.


    ¡°Alrighty, here we go.¡±  He muttered at her, still not entirely sure about trying new things.  He took a bite, the spoonful of creamy paste surprisingly like unto that of tapioca pudding.  It even had the small round things in it, though he was a little afraid to ask what they were at first.  But as he gave it an experimental chew he found that the small orbs burst with flavour, and one he was now familiar with.


    Paulie¡¯s face lit up as he exclaimed, ¡°Oh!  It¡¯s good!¡±  He took another bite, same result.  A smooth start with little bursts of flavour and then a pleasing aftertaste of fresh fruit that made his mouth water.  Before he knew what he was doing, he had polished off the entire container of the frubble kluggsgoft and found himself a little disappointed that it was gone.


    Jakiikii chuckled, the raspy sounding laugh shaking him out of his pudding-fueled torpor.  ¡°Well, I would assume that you enjoyed it as much as I do.  You ate that like you hadn¡¯t eaten anything in a day!¡±  She laughed again, two of her arms patting her upper thigh in mirth.


    He grinned, ¡°Yeah.  I guess I was a little peckish.  How long was I out for?  I never asked.¡±


    While he feared the worst, his fears were assuaged immediately as she told him simply.  ¡°Not more than a few hours.  You lost a fair amount of blood, took a direct hit to the leg from a bultesian flayer.  The doctor was amazed that you survived, he said something about your muscle density protecting you like a giant heat-sink.  Though you may have a bit of a limp for a few weeks, so try not to jump off the tops of any tall buildings or anything like that.¡±


    He looked at her suspiciously.  ¡°Why would I do that?¡±  She shrugged.


    ¡°Why do you do anything, Paulie?  I have nearly given up trying to understand that alien brain of yours.¡±  She leaned forwards and tapped his forehead gently as she said it, her eyes smiling though she was trying to remain straight faced.


    He waved her away in mock annoyance.  ¡°Gahh, no such thing.  You are the alien, look at you.  You got too many arms!¡±  He joked.


    She tucked her lower four arms behind her back and spread her longest pair wide.  ¡°How about now?  Could I pass for a human do you think?¡±


    He just laughed and glanced towards the open box on the cart.  Pointing to it he asked a bit sheepishly, ¡°Hey, could you hand me another one of those?¡±


    ++++++++++


    He spent the rest of the day resting, Jakiikii had to leave after a while and he soon found that he missed her presence dearly.  Her witty quips and bright disposition brought some much needed mirth to the dry clinical nature of the room he was in.  As he was lying back, his eyes closed and his breathing slow, he heard the door creak open slowly.


    Looking towards it he saw two pairs of huge grey eyes peek around the corner on a very long neck covered in blue quills.  Smiling wider, Paulie gestured towards the figure and spoke loudly, ¡°Mack!  Oh it is good to see you.. please come on in.¡±


    The miriam detective stepped around the corner on his four legs, shutting the door behind him gently as he meandered over his direction.  He seemed a little worried, his face flat and his expression sour.  He wanted to ask the alien man what was the matter but Paulie knew Mack would tell him in due time.


    Mack reached his side and leaned heavily on the bedside table, his breathing a little shallow as if he were under a great deal of stress.  Paulie reached out and gestured, ¡°Hey.  What¡¯s up?¡±


    Mack shook his head.  ¡°The raid is set for three days from now, and you are injured.  It is like we have a spy in the department.  It is simply too much of a coincidence that you are injured just before the raid is planned.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±  Paulie asked sharply.  He really hoped this wasn¡¯t going back to the ¡®Paulie isn¡¯t a citizen and might be a traitor¡¯ route again.  He was mighty tired of the distrustful side looks he was constantly getting from many of the other adjudicators back in the complex.  He wasn¡¯t an officer yet of course, but he would have liked to become one, or maybe even a detective like Mack in the future.


    Mack interrupted his thoughts.  ¡°I have long suspected that there was a turncoat in or two in the complex, somebody willing to sell out their oath for the highest bidder.  And I know for a fact that Ooounoo is likely the highest bidder there is on Gike.  She has her tentacles in smuggling, racketeering, fraud, drugs and extortion..¡±  He glanced at Paulie, ¡°And kidnapping of course.¡±


    Paulie nodded slowly.  ¡°So, who is it?¡±


    Mack gave him a cold look, those twin grey orbs of his boring through Paulie¡¯s soul.  ¡°Well, I know it isn¡¯t you.  Or at least I know that there was a traitor long before you came along.  So rest assured in that, but the bad news is that the assault is likely going to be rough.  She will know we are coming, but not from where.  The specific plans of the assault are private, mine and the Major¡¯s eyes only till the raid is underway.¡±


    Paule raised a hand and Mack stopped to give him a very pointed look.  He asked, a bit sheepishly, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make things unnecessarily chaotic?¡±


    Mack nodded, a smile cracking his lips for the first time since he walked into the small hospital room.  ¡°Yes.  Yes it will.  I¡¯m counting on it.¡±


    He chuckled and Paulie cocked his head.  He hoped the man was alright, the lack of sleep showed lines under his large grey eyes and his long greatcoat was rumpled and stained.  But he seemed to be genuinely happy about the upcoming raid and Paulie didn¡¯t have the experience to tell him if he was making a mistake or not.  So he let it go, smiling a little and nodding to the man as he stood by his bedside in companionable silence.

 Chapter 8: Convincing Argument

    Chapter 8: Convincing Argument


    It only took another two days for Paulie to largely recover, Jakiikii and even Flurn visiting him several times while he waited to be well enough to leave the hospital.


    He was sitting up on the side of the bed talking to one of the various nurses as he received yet another checkup when he heard the door open slowly and smiled as he saw Mack enter the room.  His padded feet made little sound on the white speckled flooring as the miriam detective approached.  He waved to the nurse to leave and stopped in front of Paulie with a slight smile as the sillo¡¯an trotted out.


    Paulie noted Mack¡¯s condition had improved.  Gone were the dark patches under his large grey eyes, and his clothing had been pressed and laundered.  Mack spoke slowly, ¡°The raid is going to be happening in two days.  I want you back in the safehouse when it happens, are you well enough to move?¡±


    Paulie nodded and then froze, ¡°Wait.¡±  Mack looked up at him sharply, a short flash of annoyance crossing his otherwise calm features.  ¡°You want me in the safehouse?  Are you not taking me on the raid?¡±


    Mack waved his hands, taking a step back at the anger in Paulie¡¯s tone.  ¡°No, no I don¡¯t.  You are injured, you are her main target right now and I can¡¯t have you injured again or worse in the raid.  You are still my key witness in all of this, you provided the data and know key details as to its origin.  If you were too..¡±


    Mack¡¯s explanation was bullshit, and Paulie cut him off to call him out on it with a snap of his fingers.


    He stood shakily to his feet, the deep tissue damage in his thigh and side had mostly healed at this point.  But the difference between mostly and completely was still apparent in the slight wobble of his legs and the sharp intake of pained breath.  He pointed to Mack and asked, ¡°What?  What do you mean, you know that¡¯s all horse manure..¡±  He coughed lightly and hunched over slightly.


    Mack breathed out and glanced towards the doorway.  ¡°Ok, you¡¯re right.  I don¡¯t want you to get hurt anymore, Jakiikii doesn''t want to see you hurt anymore.¡±  He spoke hesitantly.


    Paulie looked at the man incredulously.  He couldn''t believe what he was hearing.  ¡°What in the name of St. Paul?!  Don¡¯t tell me you are pulling me off this because you are afraid of hurting Jakiikii!  I know you love her like a daughter..¡±  Mack raised a hand, ¡°No, no.. don¡¯t try to deny it.  I may have been born at night, Mack.  But it wasn¡¯t last night.  I see the way you two interact, and I know there is no romantic entanglement there.  You two are as good as family.¡±


    Mack looked around as he said it frantically, his head ducking as if he were afraid.  ¡°For the love of Zalc.. watch where you say stuff like that Paulie.  This entire place is likely bugged.¡±


    Paulie smiled smugly now.  ¡°You''re right, it was.  Was being the operative word, Jakiikii swept the entire place on the first night.  Found six, two of them were very well hidden.  I have been keeping an eye on the nurses and using that special function on my multitector to look for more.  We are clear to speak freely.¡±


    Mack hunched, a sharp exhalation escaping his lips as he straightened.  The long blue-grey sensory spines that ran down the back of his long neck clattered against each other as he shook himself.  ¡°Yes.  She is the closest thing I have ever had to a child, I just.. never had the time to start a family of my own.  And now I¡¯m a little too late in the game to get on with it."


    Mack seemed sad, and Paulie immediately reached out to the man and placed a gentle hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder.  Mack gave him a small grateful smile as he spoke, ¡°I think you make a great adoptive father to her Mack.  Truly, you do.  You gave her family and purpose when hers had been taken from her, you have given her hope in a hopeless place.  I admire you, truly I do.  I have no family left back on Earth, nothing is familiar here and everything seems to want to kill me or turn me into cocaine.¡±  He chuckled and Mack gave him a little wider smile.  His thin blue tongue flicked lightly between sharp teeth.


    Paulie patted him again and sat back into the bed, leaning on an arm.  Mack nodded and muttered something to himself before turning towards the door and folding his hands behind his back.  His stumpy rear legs tapping in his apparent consternation.  He seemed to look up towards the low tiled ceiling and then finally spoke.  His voice was low and full of emotion, but he seemed to gain strength as he continued.


    ¡°I agree with you Paulie, truly.. I do.¡±  Mack turned with a loud sigh causing Paulie to cock his head.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°You do?¡±  He said dumbly.


    Mack nodded slowly and stepped closer to the side of the bed.  ¡°Yes I do.  And while it pains me to admit it, you are the best weapon I have against Ooounoo and her criminal forces.  I don''t have access to any royal guard or military decimators.  So you will have to do, but you are still hurt.. are you sure you could even do it?¡±


    Paulie stood slowly and walked to a large cart that was parked by the wall without answering.  It seemed to be some manner of refrigeration unit, or at least that is what he had gathered.  Glancing at a clearly curious Mack, he stooped and gripped it before lifting with contemptuous ease and tossing it across the room to impact the far wall with a tremendous crashing sound.


    Mack jumped into the air in surprise, his body leaving the floor in the lower gravity of the moon as Paulie threw the heavy appliance like a softball.  ¡°What the shit was that for!?!¡±  he yelled as the door slammed open and two Censec security personnel leapt into the room with drawn electron pistols.  Their eyes scanning for threats and their collective hackles raised.


    Mack waved a hand towards them to be calm and they lowered their weapons gradually.  ¡°Paulie.  I stress once more, why did you feel it necessary to kill that poor innocent icemaker?¡±


    Paulie gave it another glance, it was battered and dented, some manner of bright yellow liquid leaking from its coolant unit as it sat there on the ground, broken and making bubbling noises.  He shrugged.  ¡°I was just proving a point.  I am better on my worst day than Ooounoo¡¯s people are on their best.¡±


    Paulie puffed out his chest and looked towards the security guards, they looked at him and then each other in what he hoped was mild intimidation.  Though how intimidating could he be in a hospital gown?  He was wearing boxers sure, but the rest of him was still flapping out the back.


    Mack waved at the security officers.  ¡°You two, I am fine.  Go wait outside for me please.¡±  They hesitated and he gave them a rather pointed look, reminding Paulie that the relatively short grey-skinned alien was actually a relatively senior member of the local planetary peacekeeping forces.


    As the door closed with a subtle hiss, Mack turned back to Paulie and shook his head.  He chuckled after a second and then shook his head, moving to the bed to lean against the frame.  ¡°Ahh, Paulie.  That¡¯s what I like about you the most.¡±


    Paulie shrugged.  A bit annoyed by the whole situation.  ¡°What?  Me breaking shit?¡±


    Mack laughed again.  ¡°No.  Your brutal straight forwardness.  You don¡¯t mince words and you don''t try to hide the truth just because it¡¯s unpleasant.  It''s pretty refreshing actually after all the bureaucracy I have to deal with on a daily basis.  It¡¯s what I admire most about you, you aren''t afraid to tell people what you think and hang the consequences.¡±  Paulie shifted uncomfortably.  He wasn¡¯t perfect, that was true.  But he had lied before and likely would again, but Mack wasn¡¯t finished it seemed.


    The miriam gestured to the broken appliance.  ¡°Stuff like that, while I don¡¯t condone it, it¡¯s what this place needs.  A healthy dose of anti-goorfshit to spruce the place up.  That¡¯s why I agreed to take you on as an aide.  But to tell you the truth Paulie..¡±  Mack paused, his tone changing subtly to become more serious as the man walked towards him.  Paulie looked at the man¡¯s nearly featureless face, generally so impassive but now etched with lines of deep emotional hurt and past trauma.  ¡°I am getting tired of this game.  I want out, I am planning to retire soon.  This is a young man¡¯s game, and I am not really a young man anymore.  I guess what I am saying.. is that I haven¡¯t been training an aide, I have been training my replacement.¡±


    The silence after his last statement filled the room like a palpable thing.  The gentle hum of the overhead lighting and slight gurgle of the still dying ice machine seemed to fill the void left by Mack¡¯s words.


    Paulie was the first to speak.  ¡°Your.. what?  What are you saying Mack?  You are retiring, but aren''t you only like..¡±  He paused to do the mental math.  ¡°One-hundred galactic years old or something?¡±


    Mack shook his head.  ¡°No, I¡¯m one-hundred-and-nineteen give or take a bit for some FTL trips I took as a younger man.  I am well through the middle years of my life.  And I don¡¯t plan on doing this forever Paulie, I want to travel the galaxy.  I have always wanted to see other places.  The world of Prisma Prime in the Yelowscale nebula, the seven suns of Siccra near the galactic core as they dance endlessly around the neutron binary at their heart.  Their overlapping matter streams create the most spectacular view of dazzling lights I have heard.  But I have only seen it over the psi-net..¡±  He seemed to pause.  ¡°There is so much that I regret in this life, but meeting you wasn¡¯t one of them.¡±


    Paulie¡¯s eyes misted up a little at the man¡¯s heartfelt admission in spite of himself.  He swallowed heavily.  ¡°I am sure that you will see them in the future.  But do you really want me?  What about Jakiikii?  She has been your aide for far longer..¡±


    Mack waved a hand.  ¡°No!  Not her.¡±


    Paulie ducked his head.  And Mack continued.  ¡°Not her, she has suffered enough without me putting her into that unenviable position.  I wanted somebody that I knew and trusted.  But up until now I hadn¡¯t found anyone else that I trusted enough but didn¡¯t like too much to do that to.¡±


    Mack chuckled and Paulie smiled.  ¡°I guess I fit the bill then?¡±


    Mack patted the bed and Paulie walked over slowly to sit by the four-legged alien.  ¡°Yes.  You fit it nicely.  What¡¯s more, you are smart enough to ask the right questions and not easily intimidated.  Hell, you can kill defenseless ice machines with but a single toss, Ooounoo doesn''t stand a chance.¡±  he joked.


    Paulie scowled, but it was for show.  He was actually pleased that Mack trusted him so much.  They had only known each other for a month or so by his reckoning, though it was hard to tell as time worked differently on Gike.


    Paulie asked, suddenly sobering.  ¡°So, the raid.¡±


    Mack nodded slowly, his own sharp-toothed smile fading.  ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°I am going.¡±  It wasn¡¯t a question this time and Mack sighed.


    He shook his head, large grey eyes looking at Paulie with a mixture of mild annoyance and pride as he folded his arms.  ¡°Why do I get the feeling that even if I told you no you would find a way to be involved anyways.¡±  Paulie smiled cutely at the man, causing him to grunt.  ¡°Okay.  Fine, but if you are going to be officially involved then you are going to do what I say when I say it.  None of that.. what did you call it?¡±


    ¡°Yee-yee cowboy shit?¡±  Paulie offered helpfully.


    Mack chuckled.  ¡°Yeah, none of that.¡±


    Paulie shrugged.  ¡°No promises.¡±  He paused, ¡°Hey, I want body armour this time.¡±


    Mack cocked his head.  ¡°Body.. armour?  Like what, a tank?¡±


    Paulie nodded.  ¡°Yes, exactly like that.  You don¡¯t have body armour?  No wonder yall are always getting shot so much.¡±


    ¡°What do you want us to do, strap a piece of metal to your chest and give you a pat on the head?¡±  Mack asked, clearly joking.  His jovial nature slowly evaporated as he saw the serious look Paulie was giving him.  ¡°Wait, no.. hold on.  You can¡¯t possibly tell me that you zalc-brained humans are running around with metal plates strapped to you like some sort of dark age savages to block gunfire.  It wouldn''t even do anything against most of the weapons you are likely to encounter anyways.¡±


    Paulie smiled again as he stood and gestured towards the crumpled ice machine.  ¡°Sure it will.  If you make it thick enough.  And as I have made apparent, I can carry a lot of weight.¡±

 Chapter 9: Trial Run

    Chapter 9: Trial Run


    Paulie was wearing his regular clothing again and standing in what he had started referring to as the arming room as he tried on his newest piece of equipment.  Though the other peace officers called the room something more diplomatic, he elected to stick with his word for the sake of brevity.  Besides, it was what it was.


    He looked around, the walls were lined with locked racks of various weapons, arms and destructive devices.  To the far side of the cavernous space was a large shooting range and there were adjoining rooms for maintenance, repair and rearming of equipment commonly used by the adjudicators and regular peace officers.


    He shifted a little uncomfortably, the heavy weight of his newly fashioned armour having met with both the disapproval and annoyance of the armorer that stood behind the table in front of him.


    The armorer was tall, nearly as tall as he was.  But where he was relatively lean, they were bulky with blubber or maybe just fat.  The slight whirring of their motorised mobility disk contrasted with the loud pops of the officers honing their skill at the range in the near distance.


    The barnumite armorer snorted, their nostrils flaring as their voice gurgled from their sinusal vocal chords.  ¡°So, what do you think?  Heavy enough for you, human?¡±  The large slug-like alien¡¯s four eyestalks seemed to bore into Paulie¡¯s face at the question, clearly dripping with as much sarcasm as they were with mucous.


    Paulie shifted his shoulders and took a few experimental steps.  It fit well enough, and it certainly felt heavy enough to stop bullets.  Not so much as to be a hindrance, but definitely enough for him to notice even in the much lower gravity due to the thick armour¡¯s sheer mass.  He smiled at the ten tentacle-armed alien, ¡°Yeah.  Yeah, I like it.  You tested it out?¡±


    The barnumite shifted their legless lower body, the wheeled disk they were sitting atom groaning in protest at their bulk.  ¡°Yes..¡±  they gurgled wetly, clearly a little annoyed by his question.  ¡°It is good to stop just about anything they will throw at you, except electron rifles and hypervelocity sluggers at close range.  But if you see any of those then there isn¡¯t much else you could do anyways.¡±  He bobbed the strange eyestalks atop their head and muttered, ¡°Not that you could carry that effectively anyways.¡±


    Paulie didn¡¯t really care overmuch.  It was just good to feel the weight as it settled across his shoulders like a weighted blanket.  He turned around and then back to the large wide-bodied alien.  ¡°So you called it a laminate material?  What does that mean?¡±


    The large alien, whose name he understood to sound like a wet sneeze, gestured to the vest he wore.  ¡°It is made of an energetic-ceramometallic alloy laminated polymer film and coated in a lining of spall-resistant hyperdiamond-buckyweave.  It would stop a meteor impact from killing you, though the kinetic force that it can absorb will still hit like a jaakl trampling you.¡±


    Paulie nodded slowly.  He got the picture, if not the specific reference.  He could take a hit, but it wasn¡¯t going to be for free.  He would still need to be careful, he gave the large alien a nod and jogged over to the other side of the room.  In front of him was another short hall that he followed into another even larger room filled with all manner of exercise and weight lifting equipment.  And in the middle of it all was a pair of huge climbing towers and the ever changing obstacle course that had been the bane of his existence these last few weeks.


    He saw a large familiar shape at the center of it all, the strange furry white creature that seemed to supervise the legion of struggling Censec officers looked like some manner of huge overgrown caterpillar to him.  They were tall, taller even than Paulie himself by a few centimeters.  But he knew that it was an unfair comparison, though he still smiled as they turned to look his way as if alerted by some sixth sense.


    He heard the large medagoonian woman¡¯s chirping burble as she slowly waddled over his way on her six stumpy legs.  He couldn¡¯t understand her speech, but she wore an additional device around her thick neckless body that he recognised as her personal translator alongside a loose fitting Censec emblazoned robe.  Apparently her people were not compatible with the jargon worms and had to use archaic digital translators instead of the biotech parasites.


    He saw the strange devices tapes spin as it clicked and whirred softly, the mechanical voice that the translation unit synthesised lacked emotional overtones in its monotone drone but it was better than trying to read the sharp hand symbols she was throwing at him seemingly unconsciously.


    The device spoke flatley, ¡°Paulie the human.  It is good that you have come for I wish to once more test your mettle against my newest arrangement.¡±


    He gave her a little nod and answered slowly.  ¡°It is good to see you too, Officer Tell¡¯eal.  Though I will admit that I did not come to test the new course.  I wanted your opinion on the maneuverability of my new body armour.¡±


    The large insectoid¡¯s pitch black eyes gave nothing away and her flat, nearly featureless face was as impassive as stone.  For a long moment he wondered if he had somehow offended the large alien woman, but his fears were assuaged as she let out a low creaking groan and shuddered slightly.  He recognised it for what it was immediately, she was laughing at him.


    Paulie scowled and smacked his chest.  ¡°What is so funny?  I am bulletproof now!¡±


    The buzzing of the translator chipped in, ¡°You think yourself faster than a plasma blast and stronger than the tides.  Paulie, you may be the strongest being on this world, but even you are not this superman you seem to aspire to be like.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    He scowled again, he should never have tried to explain hero comics to her because she now liked to throw the references back at him on a regular basis.  He grumbled, ¡°Yeah, well I would still rather be me than some stick-limbed alien.¡±  If she heard his grumbled comment then she didn''t call him out on it, instead she made a simple hand signal.


    ¡°You may proceed when ready, recruit.¡±  It wasn¡¯t said in jest, in fact he had a hard time telling if the large fluffy alien liked or hated him.  What with her monotone synthetic voice and near complete lack of facial expression.  She did have a pair of large feathery antennae that stuck out from her head like a pair of floppy bunny ears.  These perked up a little as she said it, he wasn¡¯t sure if this meant she was happy or angry, but he decided that it didn¡¯t really matter either way as she had given him permission to do what he had wanted to do anyways.


    He nodded and stepped past her, the mendagoon¡¯s four short arms flashing in another series of signs that he didn¡¯t know the meaning of.  But she chittered and the translator whirred away.  ¡°I will observe, be sure not to let that hot blood of yours boil your braincase.¡±  This was followed once more by a chuckle and he shook his head slightly.


    Paulie walked to the obstacle course that had been painstakingly rearranged again since the last time he had seen it.  What had once been a course of low sloping tunnels and pipes was now a towering enfilade of large walls interspersed with openings and engineered hindrances.  The tops of which seemed to be a part of the exercise as much as the parallel doorways that peppered their bases.


    He checked his feet, the course was always marked out with a thick blue line.  Following the line would show the course¡¯s path as well as allow for one to take the least possible risk of hitting a dead end.  Most of the time anyways.


    He took a moment to limber up, winching slightly as his still healing muscles pulled tight.  He was a bit stiff, but not mortally so.  And so Paulie ignored it and continued loosening up for another minute before he turned towards officer Tell¡¯eal and gave her a thumbs up.  The four-armed insectoid gave him a sign in response and he took off towards the first set of partitions at an easy run.  The armour jostled slightly, but he had strapped it tight and it caused little issue.


    Paulie smiled, he had always liked a challenge.  In high school he had been a track star, first at the relay and then later at discus and javelin.  While he had let himself go a little over the years, he had never truly lost that core of skill and drive that had seen him a state champion three times over.  If only he had taken his skills with him to college instead of dropping out to pursue a career in welding, he lamented internally.


    He felt a slight buzz at the back of his mind.  The negative thoughts rousing his parasite.


    He snorted as he dodged around a series of tight pillars, bouncing off one of them with a muffled curse as he misjudged his new mass.  The body armour was heavy, but in the lower gravity of Gike it didn¡¯t feel all that bad.  It still had inertia though, and he kept misjudging it.  Either taking turns a little too late or cutting too early, he swore again as he completely missed the next doorway and instead plowed right into the side of one of the towering wall causing it to shudder under the force of his impact.


    Another officer high up on the top of the wall yelled out in alarm and nearly lost their footing, the uniformed alien shouting down at him to be more careful.  Paulie cocked his head and gave a nod before turning around and exiting the course with his shoulders a little hunched.


    Officer Tell¡¯eal was there, her impassive face staring at him.  Those pitch-black insect-like eyes giving nothing away, the barest twitching of her antennae and the tapping of a single wide foot showing her consternation.


    He reached her and let out a heavy sigh, ¡°I can¡¯t do this.  I am not used to the gravity, it keeps throwing me off..¡±  He didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his excuses.


    She stomped her foot in what he assumed to be frustration, he was a bit taken aback by that.  She rarely if ever showed such blatant emotion in his experience, her translator beeped and crackled as it tried to keep up with her groaning speech.  ¡°You are not feeling the weight of your own body, this added mass is dragging you back like resistance bands.  You must learn to anticipate your own movements, I see you and am amazed.  Do you hear me, human.. amazed.  That you can move like the lightnings of Trellan but still hit with the power of a mokku¡¯s kick.  You are like no other I have trained before, and it is for this reason that you have become the core object of my disquietude.¡±  She paused, the sides of her body expanding as she took a large breath.


    ¡°Paulie.  You have the power to do great things, but you need to believe in yourself.  I have seen you flip weights that I would struggle to budge.  Seen you leap over obstacles that most are required to climb with a single bound.¡±  he shifted a little, suddenly uncomfortable with her heaped praise.  It was not like her, she was generally so sparring with any type of compliment.  She continued unabated, ¡°So it is with a deep satisfaction that I tell you, I know that you can bear this weight.  But I want to see if you believe that too.¡±  She stepped back a pace, all four arms locking fingers as she looked at him with that strange flat expression.


    Paulie stood there in silence, not really sure how to respond.  She had never told him anything other than what she seemed to believe was true.  Any time he had slacked she knew, anything he didn¡¯t do his best at she would call upon him to improve.  And he had, in these short weeks he had honed himself like a blade.  Taken the weakness and turned it to strength, burned away self doubt and cultivated confidence.  So if she said he could do it, then he could.


    He straightened, his confidence bolstered by Tell¡¯eal¡¯s words.  Paulie gave a sharp nod.  ¡°Okay, you are right of course.  I just need to stop acting and start reacting.  I know what I can do, so let''s see what happens.¡±  Officer Tell¡¯eal¡¯s antennae perked up again, the motion much like that of an attentive hound.


    He strode back towards the course with a newfound sense of composure.  He could do it, and he would.  Or he would die, not today of course.  But at some point in the future.  If he let himself go unprepared, he would slip up and fall ill to the ravages of this harsh new reality.  He wouldn''t, couldn''t, allow for that to happen.  He had too much to do and too many things he still wanted to figure out.  And so Paulie toed the line, his focus narrowing to a laser-point.  All other thoughts pushed out of his head, no doubt or fears had room in this new zone.  He quashed the dark presence in the back of his head that whispered self doubt and fears to him.


    He heard a countdown and tensed.


    He breathed out.


    ¡°Zero.. begin..¡± Somebody spoke in the distance, the sound coming from miles away.  Or was it right behind him?  He didn¡¯t care.


    Paulie shot forward like an olympic sprinter, his arms and legs pumping.  The thick soles of his combat-style boots hammering the ground like artillery fire as his blood thundered in his ears.  His heart pumped a potent cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins that worked to heighten his perception and strengthen his body¡¯s own high tolerances as he moved with a grace and speed entirely unlike his earlier performance.


    He dodged through the pillars again, no longer seeing them as obstacles and instead mapping a path through them as if they were no more trouble than walking through a door.  This time he managed to take the last corner correctly, throwing out a leg to slow himself before catapulting through the next partition.


    Paulie smiled wide as he ran, the feelings of stress and anxiety seemed to melt away as he hurdled a low wall and dove through a duracrete pipe without slowing.  He rolled back to his feet and used the corner of the tower in front of him to leap a full three meters into the air, grabbing a handhold and pulling himself atop the climbing tower in seconds.  But he didn¡¯t stop to revel in his victory, for the course was only half completed.


    Paulie took a second to suck in a huge breath and then ignored the other descending wall entirely as he judged the distance to the next tower.  An image of his first flight from Ooounoo¡¯s goons slashed through his mind.  His jump from across the street from roof to roof, this was nearly the same distance.  But now he was no longer suffering from the pains of malnourishment, near death and incarceration.  No, he was fit and healthier than he could remember being in years.  A biological machine.


    Paulie smiled wide, and rushed the edge of the wall before leaping into empty space.

 Chapter 10: A Simple Thing

    Chapter 10: A Simple Thing


    Paulie was flying through the air, less gracefully than a bird.  Maybe more like a shot fired out of a cannon.  The wind rushed past his ears and his face was torn into a crazed grin however, the gleam of his eyes fueled by the cocktail of hormones that flooded his system as he sailed towards the other obstacle tower.


    For a moment he was weightless, and then reality reasserted itself as he slammed into the side of the other tower, his arms catching the lip as his booted feet hit the side and his knees bent to absorb the kinetic energy of his wild maneuver.  In the background of his mind he heard a chorus of gasps, chirps and surprised yelps.  But he ignored them.  Let whoever wanted to watch him.  He was still focused on the task at hand, he had always been good at directing his focus.


    Paulie glanced around, he was atop the other tall tower, the other side covered in protruding handholds that one might painstakingly grasp to scale or descend the tall tower.  He shook his head with a jerk, why waste the time?  He took a millisecond to judge the distance and then stepped off the edge, aiming for a point about a meter below him.


    He bent his knee as he used the climbing hold to slightly redirect his fall, another point pushing him to another and another till only a few heartbeats later he slammed into the ground hard enough to strain his knees.  But he was feeling good, and so he took but a second to recatch his breath and jumped back into the course.


    Nothing that came was nearly as strenuous as the towers had been.  He leapt across a gap like it didn¡¯t exist, bowled straight through a series of inflated canvas bags and then under a roped off area before coming to his feet at the foot of a rope wall.  He pulled himself up and over the top in a few seconds before sprinting the last few meters to the finishing point.


    As he skidded to a halt, breathing heavily, he heard a series of chittering barks, yowls and barks.  He straightened and saw that officer Tell¡¯eal was already standing near to the finish line, waiting for him apparently.


    He let out a whoosh of air and walked over to her, ¡°So.. what do you think?  Good enough?¡±


    She shook her neckless head slightly, a low chuffing emitting from her plate-like mouthparts.  The translator buzzed as she spoke in that same groaning alien tongue.  ¡°I would be forced to concede the win to you.  You have smashed aside all previous records and expectations.  Even after all this time you continue to surprise me, Paulie.¡±


    She surprised him by reaching out a chitin-covered, four fingered hand towards him.  He tentatively grasped it and gave it a shake, ¡°Alright.  So you think it checks out?¡±


    The large mendagoonian shifted from side to side a little.  ¡°On you it does.  More testing would be required before I gave the clearing for others to wear anything similar.  I fear that you may be one of the only ones capable of using that armour to its maximum potential.¡±  He smiled again.  That was about the highest praise he had ever heard from her.


    He looked around, there was a small crowd gathered around them, watching as they generally did whenever he did anything.  Apparently his actions were as superhuman to them as they would have felt to him back on Earth.  These aliens all seemed adapted to the much lighter pull of the worldlet¡¯s surface.  Maybe that was the real reason they continued to call him an apocalypser behind his back?  The very pull of Earth would have sufficed to crush or maim many of them.


    Paulie nodded and gave a small wave to some of the onlookers before settling the weight of his new armour across his shoulders again.  ¡°Well, I think it fits well enough too.  I need to go and talk to Mack about my carry qualification.  Thanks for.. everything.¡±  He smiled at the large alien woman.


    Officer Tell¡¯eal¡¯s antennae dropped as she signed at him.  Her translator clicking with minor static, ¡°It is well that you came to be here.  I think you are just what Mack needed to see his life¡¯s work through.¡±


    The way she said it she could have been talking about doing the laundry.  But somehow he got the impression that she was getting at a bit more than she was letting on to.  Though he had no way to know for sure and didn¡¯t really want to ask in front of a small crowd of curious rubberneckers.


    So instead he just acknowledged the remark and walked away.  Nothing too dramatic, he was not always the center of attention and he liked that fine.  All the eyes being on him had always made him a bit nervous, and so he strode from the room with determination.


    The walk from the obstacle room back to the armoury was quite short, the sounds of distant gunfire growing in intensity as he reentered the large space and checked his communication device.  The commie lit up, the English text telling him that it was near to midafternoon.  About five minutes before he had been scheduled to meet Mack and Jakiikii in the armoury for his final qualification.


    Truth be told, Paulie was a bit excited.  He had never owned a gun back on Earth.  He had never seen the need, but here, in this place where danger seemed to lurk around every street corner.  Well, he was looking forward to strapping himself up.  Would be nice to be the one doing the shooting for a change.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He chuckled a little at that, he wasn¡¯t looking forward to more fighting.  Not really, but he had to admit that with his unique abilities he was pretty good at it.  Looking around quickly, he saw Mack and Jakiikii entering the far side of the room from another adjoining hall.  Jakiikii seemed to notice him immediately, the termaxxi lifting one of her many arms to point his way while another jostled Mack¡¯s shoulder at the same time.


    Paulie walked their way and they met near to the middle of the large open chamber.  Mack nodded towards the range area, ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the range.  I have something for you again.¡±


    That was exciting.  The shooting range combined with the promise of some new trinket perhaps, probably the latest variation of his special project?  He was practically bouncing on his toes as Jakiikii sidled up beside him and nudged his side with one of her longer top arms.


    ¡°I heard you wowed the crowds in the obstacle course this morning.  Officer Tell¡¯eal was practically babbling about your performance over the local channel.  She said you jumped the tower gap?¡±  She gave him her equivalent of a sideways glance, two of her petal-like eyes glancing his way surreptitiously.


    Paulie gave her a smile and shook his head, chuckling as he spoke.  ¡°I guess, I was just trying to push the envelope, you know?  Like Tell¡¯eal is always trying to tell me.  I am built for a lot tougher gravity than this, it wasn¡¯t really anything all that spectacular truth be told.¡±


    He noticed her looking at him strangely.  A pulse of white flashing over her exposed skin as she slowed her pace ever so slightly.  ¡°Nothing spectacular?¡±  She seemed to mutter, so quiet that he almost didn¡¯t pick it up.  He glanced at her and she pulsed white again as she ducked her head slightly.  She looked over towards him with all six eyes, turning her head towards and up to his taller frame.  ¡°I mean.. I would have considered it pretty spectacular.. to see you.. do that.¡±  She grumbled to herself a little as she finished speaking.


    Paulie smiled and nudged her back.  ¡°Well, thanks.  I am happy that the armour fits well, it¡¯s pretty heavy so I was just making sure it wasn¡¯t going to slow me down too much.¡±  He shifted a little.  ¡°You know, I think it¡¯s actually helping me more than it is hurting.  Makes me feel heavier, more normal.  I am supposed to be three times heavier than I am here you know?¡±  He shifted again as they neared the shooting range.  The two of them walked side by side, near enough to almost be touching.


    Before they were allowed to approach the main floor of the range they had to go through a checkpoint manned by a bored looking vishu¡¯uieum female with brightly colored plumage.  Her two eyes were set wide on fin-like growths that protruded from her shoulders and these dark orbs locked onto Paulie and Jakiikii as they reached her.


    Jakiikii started, ¡°Oh, hello Mee¡¯dri.. we were meeting Mack to..¡±


    A pair of small arms appeared from under her thick covering of feathers.  Where they had originally been concealed under the coverings she now waved them at Jakiikii with what must pass for her species'' version of a scowl.  Her large tendril-ringed mouth spoke sternly, ¡°Oh no.  I know exactly what you are here for.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±  Paulie asked her sweetly.  Smiling as he said it.


    She shimmied side to side on her oversized gorilla-like arm-legs as she waved one of her smaller arms at him.  ¡°You are here to stir up trouble.  If it isn¡¯t her shooting the bolts off the target resetters it is you firing one of those oversized cannons you seem to like so much.  The ones that make my head hurt from here.¡±


    Paulie shrugged.  ¡°It isn¡¯t my fault that hearing protection wasn¡¯t required before.  None of your guns are really all that loud, back where I am from..¡±


    Mee¡¯dri butted in.  ¡°That savage underdeveloped apocalypse world..¡±


    Paulie gave Jakiikii a glance, ¡°Yeah.  that¡¯s the one.  You know, it isn¡¯t like I am firing off a .50 BMG anti-material rifle or a main battle tank¡¯s cannon after all.¡±


    The alien¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly and she just reached down to press a trio of buttons.  The first two seemed to clear them and open the main gate while the third caused a low buzzing tone to sound from the main shooting area followed by a flashing green light that easily grabbed attention on every different shooting position.  She reached down and then handed them a series of small dark disks that they accepted gratefully before nodding their thanks to the vishu¡¯uie.


    ¡°Hey, thank¡¯s Mee¡¯dri.¡±  He said genuinely.  The woman snorted, but it seemed a little half hearted.  He suspected that she acted grumpy as a matter of course but was likely quite a sweet person in reality.


    He noted that many of the others that were currently on the range had stopped their shooting activities to look up at the alert and then back towards him and Jakiikii.  Instead of shying away he put on a wide smile and puffed out his chest a little as if to say, ¡®Yeah it¡¯s me.¡¯


    Jakiikii herself hunkered down a little and crept closer to his shoulder as if trying to hide.  She could have hidden almost perfectly if she had wanted to, her species camouflage abilities combined with the enhancing effect of her stealth suit could render her nearly fully invisible to most forms of light.  Though he had noted that she was still slightly visible as a shimmer in the air, almost like that of a heat mirage.


    He felt her wrap a hand around his arm as they walked and glanced at her.  ¡°You okay?¡±


    She nodded.  Though he could see from her odd behavior that she didn¡¯t like the attention.  He had seen her act like that before, usually around other officers that he didn¡¯t know.  He frowned, had she been mistreated so badly that she couldn¡¯t bear to be the center of attention?  Paulie felt his fists clench involuntarily at the thought and he forced himself to take a deeper breath to calm down a little.  The pushing sensation from his parasite making his emotions more difficult to control, he smashed the dark shadow in the back of his mind back down.  Was it his imagination or did it resist his mental attack a little more this time?


    He was brought back to reality by a squeeze of his bicep from Jakiikii as she tried to get his attention.  ¡°Paulie..¡±  She hissed, the sound coming from somewhere low in her chest.  ¡°Mack.¡±  She gestured to the miriam detective who was looking at him with poorly concealed annoyance, his large grey eyes boring into Paulie.


    Paulie nodded to the man, ¡°Hey, you wanted to show me something?  Is it the new model?¡±  He asked excitedly.


    Mack placed the case on the side of the range, the man had no need for the sound dampening disks it seemed.  His sensory spines must not be as susceptible to loud noises as Paulie¡¯s own ear drums.  He glanced at Jakiikii who had placed her own sound dampeners over the two small smooth patches just behind her eyes.  Otolith crystals as he had learned as her ears were largely internal.


    He placed his own dampeners over his ears as Mack clicked the case open and then stepped to the side.  The world took on a slightly muffled quality as he stepped up past Jakiikii and Mack to look at what was contained within.


    Inside the case was a gun.  Not like the sleek electronic designs of the MDF guns or the plasma casters he had seen others use.  No, this gun was much simpler.  Its simple exterior, a gunmetal grey with little adornment save the single English word engraved upon the barrel of the large bore five-shot revolver.


    As Paulie reached forwards to gently cradle the gun, he looked at the word and read it aloud with reverence for its meaning was multi-layered to him.  Paulie whispered it reverently, the word falling from his lips like a promise.


    ¡°Nemesis.¡±

 Chapter 11: Passing the Bar

    Chapter 11: Passing the Bar


    Paulie hefted the large revolver and smiled as the weight settled in his hands.  Under the planet¡¯s lower gravity the weight felt inconsequential, as if the weapon were a toy.  But if it was anything like the prototype versions he had already tested then it was the farthest thing from a toy he had yet encountered on this world.


    Mack nodded to him.  ¡°Ticcik thinks that this is the final production, they told me that it should meet all your requirements of power and reliability as well as be safe to use.¡±  He paused, ¡°Well, for you anyways.  The recoil that monster puts out would shatter my arm.¡±


    Paulie nodded.  ¡°It¡¯s what tells you that you are alive, Mack.  You need to feel things, the weight of your armour, the power of your gun in your hands.  I never fired a large revolver back on Earth, but this is all that I imagined it to be.  Well, with a few modifications of course.¡±  He smiled and glanced at Jakiikii.


    Offering the weapon out to her, he asked, ¡°Here.  Want to feel?¡±


    Jakiikii stepped a little closer and nodded.  Her normally mottled skin flashing a dark greyish brown as she took the weapon from him.  ¡°Oh, it''s much heavier than it looks.¡±


    Mack shrugged.  ¡°The Earthman wanted it to be heavier than it needed to be.¡±


    Paulie nodded.  ¡°Yes I did.  For more than one good reason too, the weight helps me to manage the recoil.  And in this gravity I could afford to have it even heavier than I would find comfortable back home.  Though the underbarrel weight is removable in case I do find myself under normal gravity.¡±


    Mack snorted at that.  ¡°This is normal gravity.  You are a genetic freak, no offense.¡±  The man said, clearly jesting as his lipless mouth cracked into a sharp-toothed smile.


    Jakiikii smacked Mack¡¯s shoulder gently.  ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not very nice.  He can¡¯t help that he is a freakazoid.  I mean, look at him.¡±  She chuckled raspily as Paulie scowled in mock annoyance.


    He couldn''t keep a straight face though and soon broke into a wide smile.  ¡°So, you like it?¡±   He asked the termaxxi as she handed it back to him.


    She seemed to glance around for a moment before nodding her angular head, her dainty mouth curling into the semblance of a smile.  ¡°Yes, I think it feels more finished than the others have.  More.. deadly.¡±


    Now Paulie was grinning.  ¡°Deadly, oh yes.  Not like those little light guns of yours, this baby packs the boom.  I whip this puppy out and every motherfucker in the room instantly knows I mean business.¡±


    It was at this point that Mack interjected.  ¡°I still do not see the reason for its limited shot capacity.  Five shots till depletion?  Would it not be better to have a weapon capable of firing hundreds of shots without worrying of its capacity?  In this manner my fusion pistol is still superior.¡±


    Paulie paused, the man had a point.  And it was one which had been voiced before more than a single time.  ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the inner workings of automatic weapons, but I told Ticcik how they work and he said he would try to figure it out.  A revolving mechanism on the other hand, much simpler.  And I have speed loaders, so I can reload this baby in like.. a second or something.¡±  He noted that Mack seemed unimpressed.  Paulie grumbled under his breath, ¡°Just wait till you see it in action.¡±


    Mack gave him a look saying he wasn¡¯t convinced and Paulie shrugged.  ¡°It¡¯s all about sending a message.  I may have only five shots, but each one of them is another bad guy in a black bag.¡±  He hefted it again and muttered quietly, ¡°Woe be unto all of thee, those that walk the path of evil.  For I am your nemesis.¡±


    Jakiikii pointed to the other weapon on display as he said it.  On it was a standard issue micro-plasmatic dynamic fusion pistol, the MDF gun was more commonly called an electron gun.  Mack grabbed it and held it out to Paulie.  ¡°Here, you need to finish your qualifier.  You have been practicing, but now I invited the rangemaster over to see you in action.  She may also be interested in seeing your new toy, but let''s get you rated for heat first.¡±  Paulie nodded, his face scrunching slightly as he replaced Nemesis into its box and took the much smaller weapon from the miriam detective.


    Mack¡¯s expressive grey eyes flicked to something behind him and he turned to see the dainty form of an alien standing behind them.  They were short, even shorter than Mack, with boneless almost tentacle-like limbs and greenish scaly skin.  The newcomer blinked their three red eyes situated to the upper front of their almost triangular head.  Its mouth opened as it spoke, revealing strangely familiar teeth.


    Its voice was a series of bright trilling chirps almost like that of a songbird.  Paulie¡¯s jargon worm translated these sounds into intelligible words, ¡°Ah.. well, well, well.  What have we here?  Another set of troublemakers?¡±  the way she said it was a little less than friendly, though not so far as acutely nasty.


    Jakiikii moved back a little, not exactly afraid but wary looking.  Four of her six bright eyes fixating on this newcomer''s face as she hunched a little.  Paulie had met this sillo¡¯an on several occasions and had come to the decision that he didn''t really like her very much.  But he continued to try to be polite as she was the rangemaster and would be the one that decided if he had the privilege of arming himself or not.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    So despite his misgivings, he squared his shoulders and stuck out a hand in a traditional human greeting.  The older alien reached out and took it in one of her four tentacled hands.  Her skin was cool and rough, the texture reminding him of that time he had gone to a reptile petting zoo as a child and handled a green iguana.  Her four tentacle-like fingers coiled around his own with surprising dexterity and strength, the alien nodding to him and Mack but pointedly ignoring Jakiikii.


    He felt a stir of anger inside his heart, the darker presence of his mind parasite attempting to rile him further, but he batted it away roughly.  Mack spoke, ¡°Hello rangemaster Yols.  Paulie is attempting his final qualifier.  If you would be his official witness?¡±


    Yols cocked her head in an oddly human way.  Her alien face nearly as impassive as her voice as she noted dryly, ¡°Yes.  I will witness.  Though I expect nothing short of perfection.¡±


    Paulie swallowed heavily.  She was harsh but fair in her judgements, he felt a stir of anxiety in his mind as the thought of failing to qualify loomed close.  A very real possibility it might be, but he had trained for this.  He may not have had any weapons training before he had been abducted, but he was better now.  A combined effort from Mack and Jakiikii had seen him transformed from a pistol-toting novice shooter to a honed weapon of destruction and justice.


    He took a deep breath and then nodded to Mack.  ¡°I have got this.  No worries.¡±  The look on the miriam¡¯s face as his neck quills clattered told another story, but the man just patted his upper arm and stepped back from the range area.  Jakiikii gave his other shoulder a squeeze as if to say that she was rooting for him too before she also took several steps back from the open area.


    Paulie hefted the new MDF pistol, its body was sleek and black.  The casing was made of some manner of composite polymer and the barrel itself was composed of a fluted crystal cylinder coated in magnetic coils.  At the end of the short barrel was some manner of focusing array and what he had been told was a flash suppressor, lest the feedback output of the weapon¡¯s discharge blind him.  He knew little about it and how it worked, something about radioactive isotopes and sci-fi mumbo-jumbo.  What he knew was that a pull of the trigger generated an instantaneous reaction between him and whatever he was aiming at.  A beam of superheated air that dissipated almost like a lightning bolt¡¯s plasma trail.


    So he did so, slapping the button on the edge of the booth.  A tone sounded and two metal shields slid out from the edges of the shooting booth in front of him as if to direct his fire forwards.  He rolled his neck and shifted slightly before raising the gun up and out.


    Paulie heard a stifled intake of breath from behind him, but in his hyper-focused state he was unable to tell who had made the noise.  Instead he looked down the sights as a series of targets dropped from the roof and rose from slots in the floor.  He stopped thinking as Jakiikii had drilled into him, he reacted.


    The first target was ignored, the civilian painted on the front was then partially covered from the front with another picture.  This one a vekegh with a savage looking knife covered in greenish blood, he fired at it.  The shot took it in the left temple, he made sure to avoid accidentally hitting the civilian target behind it as the electron piston had a tremendous amount of throughshot.  The gun moved slightly in his hand, but the recoil was minimal.


    Both targets dropped, followed by a series of moving friendlies far in front of a retreating criminal.  It was to simulate a crowded street and he lined up the shot, firing through the tentacles of a thagurn to strike the fleeing target in the lower leg.  It fell and the others continued to move for a moment before the simulation changed again.  He wondered why they used old school moving targets when they may have been able to do the same with holograms or some other techno magic.


    His wandering thoughts almost caused him to miss his next target, the shot flying wide to strike the criminal''s upper shoulder instead of center mass.  He heard a grunt from behind him but ignored it.  He wasn¡¯t going to let one poor shot take him down and in a heartbeat he had drilled another trio of shots through the core of the target, putting it down hard enough to rock the chassis it was embedded in.


    He smiled a little, he was a crack shot and he knew it.  His faster than average reaction speed made many of the supposedly challenging shots near child¡¯s play and by the end of the test he had missed no targets and hit not a single civilian either.  He breathed out as the box let out a tone and the steel blinders slipped back into their places.


    He switched the gun¡¯s core into the idle position and set it once more upon the counter before turning with a wide smile.  ¡°So, how¡¯s my shooting rangemaster?¡±


    The sillo¡¯an female shifted a little on her hooved tentacle-legs.  Her face showing only the slightest of emotions, but her voice dripped sarcasm and disdain even as she gave him a pass.  ¡°Your shooting was nothing short of the kind of thing that I strive to make the rest of this rabble aspire to.  But I saw a few points in there where your gun arm was a little shaky, if you are worried about taking lives for real out in the field then I can direct you to one of the on-site therapists.  Doctor Eeii¡¯cch is a personal friend of mine and would give you a good once over.¡±


    As she signed off on some manner of dataslate page she pressed a series of buttons and then looked to Mack.  ¡°He is approved.  You can issue him a license at the front desk.¡±  And with that she whirled and was gone.  Apparently she wasn¡¯t as interested in Paulie¡¯s new revolver as Mack had supposed.


    Paulie was nearly knocked back onto the countertop as something whirled forwards and wrapped six arms around him.  It was Jakiikii, the termaxxi woman planting her head in the nape of his neck as she gushed and clung to him tightly, ¡°Oh I knew you could do it, Paulie!  That was fantastic!¡±  He glanced down at her and as she made contact he saw that tell-tale flash of pale white come over her again as she glanced back at Mack with a single flexible petal-like eye and then quickly stepped back.


    She brushed off Paulie¡¯s vest as if she had been only meaning to inspect it all along, but Mack looked far from displeased.  In fact, the generally grumpy miriam was smiling wide.  He stepped to Jakiikii¡¯s side and then reached out a hand towards Paulie who took it and shook it.


    He spoke slowly, his sharp teeth showing as the detective¡¯s neck quills chattered.  ¡°You did great, I knew from the moment we met that you were something special.  I wanted to thank you for everything, Paulie.  I mean it.  Because of you I am finally getting to take that *growling-bark* down for good.¡±


    Paulie smiled wide.  He was just happy to be there with people that cared about him like a family was supposed to.  It had never mattered to him that they were not like him in appearance, that they were his friends and cared about him was enough.


    Surprising both of them, Paulie reached out and wrapped them both in a simultaneous hug.  His much taller stature making the movement as easy as leaning on a countertop.  He sniffed a little as the emotions rose to the surface.  ¡°Thanks guys, you two are the best friends I could have ever asked for.  You both saved my life, in many more ways than I can even count.  Everything I do for you will never be enough for saving me, but know that I do it not because I have to.  But because I want to.¡±


    Jakiikii patted his back with two of her arms as she whispered.  ¡°I know you do, Paulie.¡±  He felt happier than he could remember being in a long time and after another moment to recollect himself he let them go.


    Rubbing his eyes, Paulie perked up and then reached over to grab his new hand cannon from its case.  ¡°Well, now that I am fully licensed to carry, what say you two we celebrate how I would back home?¡±


    Jakiikii hopped from foot to foot cutely as she clapped her two lower arms together.  ¡°Oh!  Yes, I want to shoot it again too!¡±


    Paulie nodded.  ¡°Sure thing.  Let me get it loaded up, I want to put a few rounds through it first.¡±  He selected some of the copper jacketed hollow points and loaded them into the gun before flipping the cylinder cover closed and hefting it once more.  He looked back to Mack and Jakiikii and gave them a thumbs up before pressing the button to call for more fresh targets.


    A tone sounded, slightly muffled through his sound dampeners as he lined up on the nearer one and cocking back the hammer.  He closed his eyes for a moment and then braced his arms.  Paulie smiled wide as he pulled the trigger.

 Chapter 12: A Demonstration

    Chapter 12: A Demonstration


    The weapon in Paulie¡¯s hands roared like thunder even through the protective ear coverings he was wearing, this was followed by two sharp cracks in quick succession and the sound of something striking one of the range targets like a meteor.  The recoil bucked the heavy pistol in his grip, but not so much that he was unable to manage it.  A fireball and smoke obscured his vision for a heartbeat, and when it cleared he smiled as he saw the huge hole he had blown clean through the composite target.


    ¡°By the grace of Zalc..¡±  Mack breathed behind him.  ¡°It gets more terrifying every time.  And you say this is the way war is waged back on your planet?  How do your soldiers survive such wounds?¡±


    Paulie shrugged.  ¡°Most of the time they use smaller bullets.  I think?¡±


    Jakiikii looked from the target to the gun in his hand.  ¡°Why?¡±


    Paulie frowned, his eyebrows crinkling as he tried to recall all the military know-how he could remember.  ¡°I think it has something to do with wounding enemies instead of killing them outright.  But you would still see people like police and private military using large calibre weapons..¡±  he hesitated, ¡°And terrorists.¡±


    Mack¡¯s large grey eyes seemed to widen slightly.  ¡°Oh, we know all about terrorists.  You met two the other day if you remember right?¡±


    Paulie lowered the gun as he turned.  ¡°Those cultists?¡±  He felt a stir in his mind as he recalled the two bultesian criminals.  His jargon worm recoiling in remembered horror at the hollowness that had seed to exude from them.


    Jakiikii nodded as Mack responded.  ¡°Yes.  They represent a subsect of violent religious extremists.  Our society is not without violence or flaw, as I am certain you have already noticed.¡±  Paulie frowned and nodded.  Mack¡¯s sensory spines moved with a mild clatter as he leaned forward and whispered in an almost conspiratorial manner, ¡°There are probably about seven rebellions and civil wars going on across the Intercession right now as we speak.¡±


    Paulie was a little taken aback.  ¡°So much for peace and enlightenment then I suppose.¡±


    Mack scrunched his face and shook his head with a sad look.  ¡°I guess not.¡±  Paulie remained silent at that.  He looked inwards, these people may be from a society without want.  But clearly they were not as all powerful as he had been led to think.


    Jakiikii broke their troubled silence as she hopped from foot to foot.  Her hands reaching towards Paulie almost imploringly as she asked with barely contained excitement, ¡°Oh, Paulie!  Can I try it now?  Please?!¡±


    He was forced to chuckle at the termaxxi¡¯s antics, she seemed too sincere to be trying to simply change the subject.  And so he relented, handing her the weapon with a muttered warning, ¡°It has four shots left.  You remember how to use it right?¡±  She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes having a hard time staying focused on one thing in her excitement.  He reached around her second shoulder, placing a hand on one of hers to ease it back from the chamber-gap.  ¡°Remember, keep your hands and fingers clear of the gap.  It has a much better seal than old school western revolvers, but it still puts out enough hot gas to potentially scald your skin.¡±


    She turned her head slightly towards him, her face now only inches from his as he stopped.  Her eyes glowed so bright in the well-lit room, the orange of her iris¡¯s shimmering like gemstones as she looked into his again.  In that moment he felt another small push, like a mental caress and was forced to blink as he shook his head slightly.


    He saw her smile as he took a step back quickly.  He knew she was doing it, but what it was he still didn¡¯t know.  He cleared his throat, the strangely sticky feeling in his mind making him lose focus as he gestured towards the distant targets.  He blinked rapidly as for the briefest of seconds he thought he saw an image of himself in the corner of his mind as if from another¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°You uh, shoot them..  Be careful of the recoil though, Jakiikii.  It is very strong.¡±  He was a bit flustered still, even as he managed to shore up the walls around his mind and the strange feeling vanished.  He nodded to himself slightly, he had felt tipsy, almost as if he had drunk a large glass of alcohol.


    Jakiikii seemed to either not notice, or maybe she just didn¡¯t want to alert Mack who was still standing nearby.  The miriam hadn¡¯t reacted to Paulie¡¯s momentary lapse of composure, though the man was staring out at the distant targets and not at them directly so it was possible he had just not noticed.


    Jakiikii seemed to mutter something to herself that sounded a lot like the word ¡®compatible¡¯ to him before she raised the gun in three of her hands and slapped the target button with a fourth while her two longest arms gripped the edge of the counter for stability.  He watched in fascination as she smiled again, the twin breathing vents on her upper back flaring as she took a deep breath and then fired.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Once again there was a tremendous blast, the sound almost immediately followed by twin cracks as the bullet broke the sound barrier and then its rocket motor kicked in and accelerated it past Mach three.  In the second it took to hit the distant target the bullet was traveling at a truly tremendous velocity well in excess of a kilometer per second.


    With his vantage to the side he was actually able to see the impact without his vision obscured.  The target shuddered and seemed to fold inwards slightly as the flash of the still accelerating bullet smashed a huge hole through the very center of the bullseye.  Once more Jakiikii¡¯s aim was inhumanly accurate, her stability and additional eyes seemingly designed for maximum accuracy with any kind of firearm.


    Not only was her aim true, but she handled the recoil exceptionally well too, likely even better than he himself had.  With both of her secondary and one of her third arms bracing Nemesis, it took her only a moment to get the powerful hand cannon back on target.  Her next shot following while the target was still reeling from the aftermath of the first.


    Once more the target was rocked, a large hole appearing less than a centimeter from the first.  This was followed by two more shots in quick succession, each nearly as on point as the first.  Paulie watched the termaxxi woman as she hopped a little in glee and turned to him.


    ¡°Whoa, did you see that?!¡±  She asked, her skin flashing back and forth between a pale white and dusty tan as her excitement caused her chromatophores to go a little crazy.


    Paulie glanced at a thoroughly impressed looking Mack and nodded.  ¡°Yeah.. I saw that.  That shooting was awesome, look at that.¡±  He spoke, gesturing towards the target.  The entire center was blown out, the four shots having been placed close enough together to practically be touching.


    Mack stepped forwards as Jakiikii placed the gun back down on the bench with a thunk.  ¡°Yes, impressive as always.  If not more so due to the nature of the weapon you were using.¡±


    She flushed that pale white again, clearly a little embarrassed but also pleased by the praise.  She spoke, her raspy voice emanating from deep in her chest even as her dainty mouth opened in a wide smile that slightly exposed her bubblegum pink tongue.  ¡°You really think so?  Oh gosh, I think I liked this version even more than the last one.  The idea of yours to make them rocket assisted to help manage the recoil was pure genius, Paulie!¡±


    Paulie nodded slowly, truth be told he had only asked Ticcik if the idea was possible as he had been thinking of one of his favorite science fiction universes.  And well, he was living in an advanced alien society, if anyone could make rocket bullets work then he had figured it would be them.


    He nodded, a little wary the overstimulated alien woman was going to try and hug him again.  Not that he was against the idea per-se, but he still found the personal contact to be a little awkward in front of others.  Her concepts of personal space didn¡¯t seem to quite match up with his own.  He adjusted his armour and smiled, ¡°Yes.  Though I will fully admit that it was less a suggestion and more a question of possibility.¡±


    Jakiikii glanced towards Mack with at least three of her eyes, the light pink of her sclera catching the light as she muttered and punched Paulie in the shoulder in what he took for a playful manner, ¡°He is always so humble isn¡¯t he?  Humble Paulie.¡±  She teased.


    Paulie wanted to roll his eyes.  His Aunt Margret had used to call him that, he frowned slightly and Jakiikii stopped.  ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Paulie, are you alright?  I didn¡¯t mean to hit you that hard.¡±


    He jerked slightly, giving her a quick look.  He rubbed his arm where she had punched him and murmured, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.  It just reminded me of somebody who I lost a few years ago.¡±


    Jakiikii¡¯s mouth cracked slightly and her lower gill slits flared as if she were about to speak, but Mack interrupted.  ¡°Well, now we know it works at least.  Though I trust you will be taking an electron pistol too?  Can¡¯t ever have too much firepower, huh?¡±


    Paulie didn¡¯t respond, he was a little distracted by the small but gathering crowd of alien peace officers that were showing up on the edges of the periphery.  He felt an arm on his forearm almost immediately as Jakiikii shrank behind him slightly.  Again, that same rage bubbled up in his mind, fueled by the everpresent prodding of his parasite.  He once more determined to get to the bottom of her fear, it must involve officers of the precinct.  Maybe Mack knew?


    He shoved it down with some difficulty and glanced to Mack, ¡°What are they doing here, Mack?¡±


    Mack glanced around at the gathering officers.  Shrugging, he pointed at Paulie, ¡°They could not have failed to hear that quillsplitter of yours.  So I would hazard a guess that they are interested in seeing it in action.¡±  It made sense, Paulie supposed.


    He glanced back towards Jakiikii, the termaxxi was staring all around.  Her six flexible petal-like eyestalks tried to take in everything at once as she hid behind him.  He placed a hand over hers and asked, ¡°I am going to show them what¡¯s up.  Are you okay, Jakiikii?¡±


    He saw the alien woman nod slightly, ¡°Yes.  I-I.. I am just not a fan of crowds.¡±


    Paulie grabbed her hand a bit more forcefully, giving it a hard squeeze that drew her attention to him and him only.  He smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I will give them plenty to look at, they won''t notice you at all.  You don''t have to be afraid when I am here, Jakiikii.¡±  She swallowed heavily and nodded.  ¡°Here, want to see how I reload it?¡±


    As she nodded Paulie took out one of the speed reloaders from the case that Nemesis had arrived in.  He placed three of them on the counter before him as he grabbed a fourth, with a slight grunt of effort he found and then flicked the tilt lever of the weapon.  The gun seemed to break in half as the cylinder and barrel tilted forwards, exposing the five chambers all at once.  He clicked a plunger which ejected the spent cartridges while the used the speed loader to insert in a full five rounds and then clicked it back together all in about three seconds.


    He was a little impressed with himself, all truth be told, he heard some mutterings from behind him.  At least one of the assembled officers muttered something about primitive technology being inferior to their own.  He smirked at that and glanced down slightly at Jakiikii who was still standing next to him.


    ¡°Watch, and learn.  This is how you silence the haters.¡±  He chuckled aloud as he pressed the ¡®call targets¡¯ button and raised the pistol.


    Each shot roared like some ancient beast, the hammer blows of force from the weapons mighty recoil were like unto fists beating upon his body.  The crowd all at once learned what the term ¡®firefight¡¯ truly meant as the double cracks of the bullets joined the orchestra of battle he was composing for them.  He could see through the smoke and the flames as the target was shredded like confetti.  His smile only deepened as he saw Jakiikii out of the corner of his eye, she no longer looked afraid.  No, being there beside him as he stood tall with his weapon in hand, she looked more at peace than he could remember seeing her in a long time.


    Paulie smiled.  Today was not a good day to be on his bad side, and he knew just where to go to take out his growing anger and frustration.  Ooounoo would rue the day she had sent Jual and his cronies to pick her up a ¡®specimen¡¯ from Earth.  And he would be the instrument of her destruction, her Nemesis.

 Chapter 13: An Old Friend

    Chapter 13: An Old Friend


    After a while the watching crowd started to break up, and Paulie himself was grateful for the growing quiet.  His hands had begun to ache from the gun¡¯s powerful recoil and his chest and shoulders were sore from wearing the heavy composite armour.  He was tired and ready for bed, but still, he was happier than he had been in longer than he could well remember.


    He took a minute to replace his weapon in the case and then gave the electron pistol to Mack who holstered the electronic fusion gun and gestured towards the far side of the room.


    Mack led Paulie and Jakiikii back through the range checkpoint where they handed their sound dampeners back to a grumpy looking Mee¡¯dri, the vishu¡¯uie giving them a somewhat gruff once over as she opened the gate to let them pass.  Paulie just gave her a cheerful wave and was rewarded with her breaking into the tiniest of smiles.  Her large mouth didn¡¯t move, but the six tentacles that ringed it twitched ever so slightly into an upright posture indicating a smile.  He nodded to himself as they walked away, he knew she was putting on an act and he was determined to break through the woman¡¯s shell eventually.


    He had the idea that most people were generally good natured, whether they were evolved on Earth or not.  But even he had to admit that his generally live-and-let-live nature was becoming strained by the terrible events of the last few weeks.  Though things were generally looking better by the day as Mack took him under his proverbial wing.


    ¡°Damn bad karma..¡±  Paulie muttered under his breath, the action causing Jakiikii to nudge him gently.


    He glanced at the termaxxi as they exited the large room.  ¡°Are you alright?¡±  She seemed concerned, her bright orange eyes fixated on his own as they tracked every tiny movement on his face.  Her scrutiny did little to deter him now, he had begun to grow used to the intensity with which she seemed to view the world around her.  A shiver passed through his spine, maybe not entirely used to it actually.  Paulie just nodded silently in response.


    Mack led them around a series of corners before taking them to one of the side arming chambers.  He dug around in the outgoing bin and then made a triumphant noise before he tossed Paulie a set of holsters that should attach to his belt and said, ¡°Here, try these on.  I believe that Ticcik Made the red one special for your.. hand cannon.¡±  Mack shook his head a little as his face split in a toothy grin.


    Paulie nodded his thanks, trying on first the one and then the other.  They slipped over his belt just fine and after a second of adjusting his greatcoat, he was holstered up and ready to go.  Jakiikii handed him a standard issue electron pistol, the weapon slipping into the holster at his belt like a glove.  The weapon clicked into place with a slight hum as it seemed to power off.


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s handy I suppose.¡±  Paulie muttered mostly to himself as he did it.


    He started to put the large revolver into its holster as Jakiikii snorted.  ¡°It¡¯s so people don¡¯t shoot themselves in the leg anymore.


    He shook his head and shot a look at Mack, the miriam¡¯s long neck bent as he nodded.  The long sensory spines that ran along the back of his neck from the base of his small skull chattered at the motion.  ¡°Yes.  We did seem to have some problems with that when the new model came out years ago.  So they instigated a recall, but the problem had already bred a certain distrust so they made lockdown holsters.  The only problem now is that it takes the gun a few moments to fully power on before you can use it.¡±


    Paulie shook his head.  ¡°See, that is why electronics are never going to fully replace good old fashioned analog tech.  I have seen the amount of analog technology scattered around this place, so why is that not the same with your weapons?¡±  He was a little confused by the strange nature of the Great Galactic Intercession.  That awkward duality of old and new tech.


    Mack cocked his head as they walked out of the small room and down the hall again.  ¡°What do you mean?  What is odd?  What is strange about the nature of our technology, is it not advanced enough by your standards or something?¡±  The man chuckled as he said it, the slight wheeze of his laugh punctuating the humor of his accusation.


    Paulie raised a single eyebrow, his gaze passing over the miriam detective and then Jakiikii who was on his other side.  He shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know?  The fact that you have holographic projectors but also vacuum tube TVs, some manner of hard-light techno babble magic mixed with old cold-war era analog tech kind of just seems strange to me.¡±


    Jakiikii nudged him with an elbow.  ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t understand everything you just said, but I think I get your point.  I suppose the age-old saying ¡®If it still works then keep it working¡¯ seems to fit here.¡±


    Paulie perked up.  ¡°Oh, that sounds like a saying from Earth.  ¡®If it ain¡¯t broke, don¡¯t fix it¡¯!¡±  He laughed and Jakiikii chuckled in response.


    Mack led them out into a larger room bounded by small cubicle-like office space as he noted, ¡°I am glad your people seem to think the same way.  It is one of the biggest convincing factors to why I wanted you as an aide.  You struck me as a real all-four-feet-on-the-ground type of person, grounded I suppose you could say.¡±  Paulie ducked his head slightly, accepting the compliment without utterance.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Jakiikii and Mack led him through the inner bowels of the huge complex quickly, before he knew it they had left the cramped interior cells of the structure and exited into a much more open atrium-like space.  The high ceiling was glass that showed the deep teal sky, the shadowed crescent of Trellan IX peeked just above the tops of the nearby buildings as they walked quickly through the blue and white tiled chamber.


    At the end of the long room was a large set of glass doors, metal detecting equipment and other sensors that made up the main entrance to the complex.  It was at the front desk that Mack stopped and tapped the small brass clinker to get the on-duty officer¡¯s attention.


    The being that walked their way was tall for an alien, almost as tall as Paulie himself.  Their rose colored skin and fiery ginger hair gave them a strangely sinister appearance.  The two swept-back horns that rose from their skull and blood-red shimmering irises completed the ensemble with the long tufted tail that trailed from the base of their spine made them look disturbingly similar to some manner of demon or succubine entity from ancient lore.


    But they were an alien, and their strangely familiar appearance must have surely been a simple coincidence.


    The tall alien woman approached, he had seen her a few times before, but always at a distance.  Never this close.  And she was gruesome to look at.


    Her face was marred by scars, the largest of which was a savage cut that began under the left side of her mouth and twisted around her neck to disappear under her uniform near her right shoulder.  As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the perpetual frown that the scar caused only seemed to fit her general demeanour as she stalked towards them with all the grace of a jaguar.  Her exposed skin was splotchy with the healed patina of severe radiation burns and the soft whirring of cybernetics could be heard from under her clean pressed uniform, though Paulie could not tell where exactly it was coming from.


    As she reached Mack¡¯s position, the severe looking alien nodded.  Their voice a horrible rasping croak like that of a forty-year smoker, ¡°Hello Lue.¡±  Mack¡¯s normally flat features crinkled into a smile as he cracked a sharp toothed grin.  He nodded to the haggard looking woman as she glanced over towards Paulie.


    She frowned a little more, though it was hard to tell, the faint lines of wrinkles on her smooth skinned forehead seemed to indicate at least some measure of curiosity at his appearance.


    Jakiikii seemed wary of the woman he noticed, not afraid like she seemed to be of others.  But instead simply cautious, the woman may be dangerous.  Paulie wasn¡¯t familiar with her race, but she seemed to have been around the block and seen it all.  At least judging from her somewhat rumpled and battered outer appearance, he might have guessed she had seen more straight up combat than most of the other officers he had met before.


    Mack was the next to speak, his tone formal but much warmer than Paulie might have otherwise expected.  ¡°Hello Aril, it is good to see you.  I need to process a requisition for a personal carry license.  Security license, that is.¡±  He added.


    The way the woman nodded, her eyes lingering on the miriam detective, gave Paulie the distinct impression that the two knew each other well.  And in more than a strictly professional capacity at that.  He felt Jakiikii jab him in the ribs lightly as she leaned close to him.


    One of the termaxxi¡¯s smaller third pair of arms gripped the side of his greatcoat as he leaned his head down to be closer to her level.  She whispered, ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that they used to be an item?¡±  She spoke slowly, confirming his previous suspicions.


    Paulie cracked a wide smile and nodded.  He whispered back, ¡°Yes.  I noticed the way they were talking to each other immediately.  How long was that going on I wonder?¡±  He speculated aloud.


    To his mild surprise, Jakiikii answered.  ¡°Well, they were seeing each other in a friendly capacity for several years before things got more heated.  But I think they knew each other long before that, since childhood potentially.  She is in fact the only one whom I know to call him Lue.¡±


    By now their conspiratorial whisperings had attracted the attention of both Mack and Sergeant Aril, the tall, horned woman giving Jakiikii a friendly smile.  He noticed that the pink-skinned woman¡¯s teeth were odd.  He didn¡¯t seem to have any incisors or canines at all, instead all of her visible teeth looked like some type of grinding molars.  Her kind were herbivores perhaps?


    He jerked slightly as Jakiikii nudged him again and he realised he had been asked a question.  Clearing his throat, he spoke apologetically.  ¡°I am sorry, my mind was wandering.  Can you please repeat that?


    Sergeant Aril gave a knowing look to Mack and asked again, this time a little slower as if she were talking to a dense child.  ¡°Do you know the weapon carry regulations well enough to repeat them should you be asked?¡±  Paulie nodded, opening his mouth to speak.  But she just barreled right on, that raspy, almost buzzing voice denoting the damage she must have taken to her vocal chords when she had gotten her neck injury.  ¡°Okay, good enough for me.  If Lue trusts you enough to handle his prodigy then you must be something special yourself.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t quite sure what the grizzled alien meant, but noticed that Jakiikii¡¯s skin flashed that same pale white as she heard it.  He wondered if there was something he was missing, but before he had the chance to explore it any further, the pink skinned alien reached out and handed him a small sapphire colored lasercard.


    He grabbed it and then jerked again as Sergeant Aril moved like lightning to grip his wrist.  He pulled back sharply and was at once shocked when her grip didn¡¯t break.  In fact her strength was incredible, like an iron vice holding him in place.  ¡°I, uh.. sorry?¡±  He muttered, a little confused.


    Mack took a step closer and placed a hand on Sergeant Aril¡¯s hand, ¡°Oh let him go Ari.  No need to intimidate the poor man.¡±


    Sergeant Aril slowly loosened her grip with an electronic whirring sound allowing Paulie to pull his hand free.  He did so, rubbing his sore wrist as the alien officer looked slowly at Mack and blinked her dark purple eyes at the man.  ¡°Been a while since you called me that, Lue.  You free anytime soon by the way?¡±


    Mack glanced back at Paulie and Jakiikii and seemed to want to nod his head, but he stopped.  ¡°N-no.  Not anytime soon, I have the raid to work on, then the aftermath.  You know that.¡±


    She nodded at Macka as Paulie watched, one hand reaching up to rub the bottom of her square chin right along the ragged scar line.  ¡°Yes, so kind of you to bring me in as one of the wing-leads.  I am sure it has nothing to do with our little..¡±


    Mack cut her off with a frantic wave of his hand as he glanced at Paulie and Jakiikii.  ¡°Eyhh.. for Zalc¡¯s sake woman!  Not the time nor the place for that.  I brought you in because of your experience and you know that.  Now, are we good to move out?¡±  He didn¡¯t exactly seem upset to Paulie¡¯s eyes, but neither was he entirely on board with whatever game the sly woman was playing with him.


    Sergeant Aril leaned back into the desk behind herself, pushing out her chest as she seemed to pout lightly.  ¡°Oh alright.  We will talk later though, count on it.  You are free to go, all the paperwork is in order.¡±  Mack nodded and turned to go, but was stopped as the woman once more moved with a speed that surprised Paulie.  She grabbed the lapels of Mack¡¯s greatcoat and whispered something into the man¡¯s sensory spines that caused his large grey eyes to widen.


    As she released him he smiled and stuttered, ¡°Oh.. y-yes.  I can-n do that, but not tonight I-I really must be going¡±  As they walked away Paulie couldn''t help but notice the man¡¯s flustered movements and hear the strangely tinkling laughter of the strange alien from behind them.  So at odds with the roughness of her voice.


    Jakiikii seemed to mull it over and then asked, ¡°What was that about?¡±


    Mack shook his head, the sensory quills that ran down the back of his long neck chattering as he answered a little too quickly.  ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t worry.  We need to get the two of you back home.  Big day tomorrow.¡±  And with that he rushed through the checkpoint with a quick nod to the alien running it.


    Jakiikii gave Paulie a knowing look and he chuckled before the two of them followed the other man through the doors and out into the night.

 Chapter 14: Companionship

    Chapter 14: Companionship


    Paulie and Jakiikii followed behind Mack as they walked through the winding side streets and alleyways towards the apartment that was their current home.


    As they walked, he took special notice of their surroundings, the normally heavy pressure he had been feeling on his mind was somewhat lessened now as he felt the comforting weight of his armour and Nemesis on his hip.  That nagging feeling of doom that had been lurking at the back of his mind now battened down by the knowledge he could effectively defend himself.


    His worry must have still shown on his face as he soon felt a hand reach up and rest on his shoulder.  Looking over at Jakiikii, she gave him a small smile and asked, ¡°Are you alright, Paulie?  You look very tense.¡±


    Paulie nodded, not sure what to say.  He could have lied, told her that he was worried about the raid, about her.  But the truth was far more complex.


    She continued, her voice lowering slightly as if afraid to be overheard by the surrounding crowd.  ¡°Is it the raid?  I have been on several, and I can assure you that the waiting is the hardest part.  Sitting alone at night, not sure what tomorrow will bring nor where you will be at its end..¡±  He glanced at her.  ¡°I understand is all I am saying.¡±  She finished, her two middle arms raising in a placating gesture even as her upper arm removed itself from his shoulder.


    He had to admit to himself, he was worried.  But not so much about the raid as to his own future.  He had no doubt that his life was in danger, but he had gotten used to the feeling of being hunted.  Of knowing that every day could be his last.  No, what had him really worried was the safety of his friends, Mack.. and Jakiikii.


    He was about to say so when his thoughts were interrupted by Mack suddenly exclaiming, ¡°Well, home sweet home.  Go on in, I need to make a few calls.  Rest well, we will meet again on the morrow.¡±  They were waved towards the doors and just like that, they were inside and alone.


    He sighed heavily as they quickly climbed the stairs to their respective rooms.  ¡°I am not looking forward to tomorrow, but another part of me seems to relish the idea of getting some payback.  Is that wrong?¡±


    Jakiikii looked over at him with her three nearer eyes, her head not moving as she answered.  ¡°No.  Not at all.  Vengeance is the purest form of loyalty, loyalty to oneself.  Loyalty to your friends, it is a simple thing.  To hate.¡±  The venom that filled her voice made him look at her with concern.  He was worried about her as well.


    Paulie frowned.  Maybe she wasn¡¯t the best person to ask after all.  He thought about it, ¡°How do you do it, Jakiikii?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    He gestured into the air directionlessly.  ¡°Keep a positive face on when things look so grim?  I almost never hear you complain, you seem immune to the general bullshit that makes most people rage.  That kind of stuff, you know?¡±  She cocked her head at him.


    ¡°I know not why I am the way I am, if that is what you are asking, Paulie.  It could be due to my donor.¡±  Paulie cocked his head, mouthing the word at her silently.  Jakiikii hesitated and then continued speaking.  ¡°My people, they do not reproduce like many other races.¡±  She paused, seemingly gauging his reaction to the somewhat abrupt subject shift.


    Paulie Nodded slowly.  ¡°Okay?  How so?¡±  He was a little intrigued now in spite of the small part of himself telling him not to pursue the topic.  A small stir in the back of his mind, dark thoughts surfacing that he pushed down with an internal grimace.  She continued as they reached their landing and pushed through the flight door and into the tiled hall beyond.


    Jakiikii seemed to hesitate only briefly before she said, ¡°Well, for one we don¡¯t have separate sexes like most species seem to.¡±


    That made Paulie glance at her again, his inherent curiosity now growing at the comment.


    She continued unabated.  ¡°Instead when a termaxxi decides to reproduce she must acquire a viable genetic packet from another of her race.  Incorporating that within her, she can then look for a donor-mind with which to bond.  It is from this donor¡¯s gestalt psyche that the new instance is based from.¡±  She stopped, having reached their apartments.  ¡°Well, a blending that is.¡±  She muttered to herself, he only just barely heard her.


    Paulie was a little intrigued, and he hesitated to ask.  ¡°Wait, so you are not actually female?  And what do you mean by donor psyche?¡±


    She shook her head, tapping her chest as she reiterated.  ¡°No, I am what would be defined as female, in the general sense.  And a donor psyche is one in whom a termaxxi has..¡±  she flashed pale white again, seemingly embarrassed by the subject.


    Paulie felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere between them, as if he had crossed a line somewhere that there was no going back from.  Despite the fact, he put up his arms and stepped back a pace.  ¡°Hey, wait.. if it¡¯s a touchy subject then I am sorry I asked.  It¡¯s fine really.¡±


    Jakiikii flashed that pale white again and seemed to look at him, though her eyes were not angry.  No, instead they seemed to shine brightly.  Though it must have been his imagination.  She turned from him slightly and took a single step into her room before she stopped, the handle in one hand and her body poised in that moment between entering and leaving.


    She looked back at him again, those shimmering orange eyes making him shiver slightly in spite of himself.  What was it about her that affected him so?


    ¡°You know, I was serious about what I said earlier.  About being alone being the worst part of the waiting.  Sometimes it is better to not spend the night alone, you are welcome to stay with me if you desire.  I could set up the second bed..¡± She started to say, but a rapidly reddening Paulie cut her off with a waved hand.


    ¡°Oh, no.  I¡¯ll be okay, but thanks for the offer.¡±  Was he seeing things or did the termaxxi woman look supremely disappointed?  He continued quickly, ¡°I have a few things I gotta do around the apartment before I go to bed you know?¡±  It was a poor excuse, and he knew it.  Jakiikii just nodded and seemed to mutter to herself before waving at him and bidding him a good night.


    Paulie turned and closed his door behind himself, leaning against it.  His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sweating suddenly.  Why was he so anxious, sure she had only been trying to help him.  Another part of him started to piece the scene together, and he swore to himself.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Dumbass!¡±  He smacked the side of his head.  She had been clearly asking for his company because of the raid tomorrow.  They could get hurt, or worse.  She had likely only wanted to have a friend nearby to help with the stress.  She had mentioned to him more than once how she and her lost termaxxi friend had slept close together in a show of mutual companionship.  That was all it was, a bid for closeness with another being of similar mind.


    He cursed again as he stomped across the room.  What an asshole he had been, thinking impure thoughts about ulterior motivations.  She had said it herself, her race wasn¡¯t even built like he was.  So why had he been afraid she had been asking to¡­


    He sat heavily on the side of the bed and kicked off his shoes.  He felt bad, all she had wanted was some companionship, someone to be close to.  And in his short-sighted monkey brain he had forgotten that she was not in fact a human woman, not somebody who would likely ever see him as more than a close friend.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±  He put his head in his hands for a moment.  It was probably too late for him to go back across the hall and accept now.  She would be curious as to why he had told her no and then changed his mind suddenly.  She would likely ask him what had changed and he couldn''t lie to her.  Not anymore.


    He sat back in his bed and glanced towards the large synthscreen that took up the far wall, the cool sounds of water lapping lazily on pebbles working the stress from his mind even as he finally admitted the truth to himself.


    He seemed to have deeper feelings for the alien woman than he had been willing to admit to himself before.  But their recent experiences had only cemented the idea more and more into his mind.  But it was too late now, the cat was out of the bag and could never be forced inside again.  Paulie closed his eyes and thought of Jakiikii¡¯s smiling face.  Her shining eyes like orange gemstones that seemed to look everywhere at once, always so attentive and full of life.  The cute way she would dance from foot to foot when she got excited, the way her remarkable color shifting skin would flash pale white when she became embarrassed.


    He smiled.  Paulie could not deny his own feelings any longer.  He loved her.  And he wasn¡¯t sure she was even capable of loving him back, not in the way that his heart had begun to desire.


    He cursed softly, ¡°Damn you universe, for putting me in such a place.  Damn you and all the spirits of karma that have banished so far from home to this place.¡±  he beat his fists impotently upon the mattress on either side of him as he said it.  But the universe was silent, no answer nor rebuke came.  He was alone, just like Jakiikii had warned him not to be.


    He took a moment to undress, laying the heavy composite armour and his holstered guns on the table by the kitchen door.  Then he stopped, he unholstered Nemesis and set the large calibre revolver on his bedside table.  He checked the chamber to make sure it was still loaded and then took off his shirt and pants.  It was plenty warm enough in his climate-controlled room for his smallclothes alone.


    Laying his head tiredly upon the synthetic cloth pillows, he soon fell asleep.  His fitful dreams full of terrors and dark shadowy figures that seemed to whisper to each other when he wasn¡¯t listening, that deep ache of homesickness growing like a cancer in the far corners of his embattled mind.


    ***********


    Something jolted Paulie awake, for a bare moment he couldn''t remember where he was or what was happening.  And then his wrist communicator chirped at him insistently again.


    He rolled over groggily, it seemed he had been thrashing around in his sleep again, the mess of his sheets were tangled around his middle almost like chains.  Nearly holding him in place for a moment as he got his bearings back and struggled free of the cloth.


    He was in his apartment, so generously provided on his moderate detective¡¯s aide salary.  It wasn¡¯t much, but it had a kitchen and a bathroom, the far wall was windowless but had a massive synthscreen across it upon which he had instructed it to play a loop of the south Eldeatic Sea.  The red pebble beaches and the smooth teal sky mixed with the endless expanse of dark green water, the sounds of the small waves lapping upon the smooth stones working to sooth his anxiety like nothing else.


    His commie chirped again and he reached for it, clipping it on and pressing the small blue button to accept the call.


    Jakiikii¡¯s six-eyed head appeared on the screen, her smooth mottled brown skin flashing pale white as she exclaimed, ¡°Oh!  Are you naked?!¡±  Notably she didn¡¯t avert her eyes, not all of them at least.


    Paulie looked down and then apologised.  ¡°No, I am just shirtless.  I¡¯m sorry, hang on..¡±  He reached for his shirt, the camera of his wrist worn communicator going all over the place as he quickly slipped it on and looked back at it.


    Jakiikii was still a little wide eyed, but she shook her head slightly and spoke.  Her voice growing more serious as she did so.  ¡°We need to be going soon.  The raid will be starting sometime before Trellan¡¯s apex, and I was hoping I could invite you over for breakfast?¡±  She asked, a little hesitantly.


    Paulie kicked himself mentally.  That was right, she was still probably a little upset about him snubbing her genuine plea for company last night and was testing him to see if he would do it again.


    ¡°Of course, I would love to.¡±  He said, as pleasantly as he could make it.  He must have been right because the termaxxi flushed white again and perked up immediately.  Her entire demeanour changing from slightly dour to barely contained excitement in the flash of a chromatophore.


    Paulie smiled as she cut the link with promises of tasty treats and quickly washed and dressed.  Ten minutes later he was in the hall, knocking on her door with his armour and greatcoat on.  His two pistols strapped to his sides and a newfound feeling of self worth flowing through him.


    As the door opened Jakiikii ushered him inside and closed the door behind him quickly before scampering off towards her own kitchenette area.  She gestured for him to sit and he did, looking around her living quarters as he did so.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he had been in her apartment, but it was the first time he had taken such care to notice how she lived.  Her bed was a mess of sheets piled high in what he could only call a nest, the pillows seemingly lining the bottom of this fabric crater to create quite a cozy looking hollow.


    He looked to the far wall, her own synthscreen was tuned to some unknown jungle-like vista.  The dense miasma of tangled vines and explosive blooms made his eyes swim, but he supposed that Jakiikii with her superhuman perception would have had no trouble navigating such an overgrown maze.


    He looked around and noticed that aside from her bedding and the alien form of the electron rifle leaning up against the nearby wall, she was nearly devoid of personal belongings.  She had no artwork or picture frames, no dresser for excess clothing and no bedside table upon which she could place personal effects.  In fact, he could not so much as recall a single time she had shown ID or personal information other than the XNA print she used at the complex and her room¡¯s lasercard.


    Paulie wasn¡¯t given any real time to reflect on the oddity of the situation before the object of his secret attentions herself strutted proudly from the kitchen with a myriad of dishes clutched in every arm.  He smiled at the sight, she would have made one hell of a waitress back on Earth, her uncanny grace and supernatural coordination would have made her the envy of any serving captain and their crew.


    She reached the table and placed the dishes down in an array before Paulie as she gestured for him to scoot closer to the table.


    As he did so he was about to ask her what she was doing, when she whipped out another stool and planted herself down directly beside him with a small grunt.


    She was close again, close enough that he could smell her.  That strange alien musk, almost earthy but with hints of sweet nectar and spicy herbs.  He smiled at her, her need for close company clearly on display.  And he wasn¡¯t exactly objecting to her nearness either, his own feelings aside, he liked her as a good friend too and wanted to make her comfortable.


    So he gave her a bright smile despite the strange hole that was opening in his middle and asked, ¡°So, what should I try first?¡±


    He watched as she smiled, her dainty mouth cracking open slightly as the very tip of her bright pink tongue poked out.  ¡°Oh, you must try the curgs.  I boiled them last night to remove the skins and then froze them so it was easier to mince them to the proper consistency.


    As she continued to speak about her cooking exploits he saw her face light up more and more.  Her speaking becoming slightly more breathy as her lower torso¡¯s breathing slits flared.  Her eyes alighted on each dish in turn and he realised with a start that she had made food that she herself could not enjoy.


    As a nectarivore, she could only drink fluids, and most of the foods she had prepared for his breakfast feast were solid.  It was at that point that he realised she must have always been preparing dishes like this despite the fact she herself could not enjoy them.  How many times had Jakiikii practiced cooking for others?  And for what purpose, he assumed that it may have been a type of hobby.  Something she could do to pass time perhaps?


    With a small smile, Paulie leaned forwards and placed one of his hands on her shoulder.  The act causing Jakiikii to freeze mid word and switch her attention to him with a slight intake of breath from the vents on her back.  A slight shiver went through her body and for a second he feared he had crossed some unspoken line, but she shook herself and returned his warm look a second later.


    ¡°I am sure everything will be delicious.  And I assume you already checked it for biological compatibility?¡±  She nodded to him and he patted her shoulder again, a flash of white going through her as she shifted on the stool like she was trying to decide which way to run.  ¡°Which one is the curgs?¡±


    Jakiikii giggled, her husky feminine voice striking at Paulie¡¯s heart as she reached for a plate covered in small golden cubes.  ¡°This one here.  W-would you like some syrup?¡±


    He gave her another smile as he grabbed the fork-like utensil she had also provided.


    ¡°Yes, some syrup sounds delightful.¡±


    She seemed to shiver again and then handed him the bottle.  He smiled, despite the longing he felt for her company, he knew that it was improper of him to expect her to feel any more for him than she felt for Mack or any other she might seek safety with.  She was just so damn cute though, and he soon found himself laughing along with her as they delighted in each other''s company before they were called to war.

 Chapter 15: Gearing Up and Moving Out

    Chapter 15: Gearing Up and Moving Out


    That was how Mack found them a little while later, the door knocked loudly and Jakiikii paused mid-sentence, the story she had been telling falling from her lips as she sucked her long pink tongue back into her mouth.  The container of juice she had been sipping from settling down next to his plate as she glanced at Paulie and then crept towards the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±  She asked, a little more cautious than Paulie likely would have been in that moment.


    She straightened and then opened the door as a muffled voice answered her.  ¡°It¡¯s Mack, open the door.¡±


    As she rushed to comply, the older miriam came plodding through the door on their four soft-soled feet.  Mack adjusted his overcoat and looked towards Paulie.  ¡°Oh, you are here too.¡±  His large grey eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn¡¯t seem to remark on anything.


    Paulie nodded, placing his fork on the plate and rotating on his stool to better look at the miriamiam.  He was wearing the same brown overcoat dapper suit, but he looked somehow slightly bulkier.


    It took Paulie a second to realise why.  When he did he just chuckled and gestured to the man, ¡°Hey, are you wearing armour?¡±


    Mack looked down at his chest and then opened his coat, underneath it was what looked like a smaller version of Paulie¡¯s own vest.  It was much lighter clearly, but it would still offer some amount of protection against plasma and low powered kinetics.


    Mack grunted as Jakiikii slapped the vest, the thumping sound prodding the man to say, ¡°Yea.  After hearing about the idea from you it reminded me of combat armour that the military wears.  We have something similar that the special operations officers might wear, but I decided to just have a smaller version of your vest made instead of fully gearing up like them.¡±


    Jakiikii nodded.  ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    Mack smiled, ¡°I had one made for you too, Jakiikii.  If you want it, it likely would interfere with your stealth suit though.¡±


    Paulie shook his head.  ¡°You can¡¯t get a stealthed version?¡±


    Mack indicated in the negative, his sensory spines chattering as his neck swung about.  ¡±Not in the time we have before the assault, no.¡±  He seemed a little on edge, and Paulie was reminded of how important this raid in particular was to the man.  And to him especially.


    He tried to reassure him, but Mack waved it off.  ¡°No, not now.  We need to get moving.¡±


    Jakiikii glanced worriedly between the Censec detective and the food still sat steaming upon the table.  ¡°Wait, I thought the assault wasn¡¯t set to start for another few hours at least.¡±


    Mack smiled widely and looked at Paulie.  His toothy grin held no malice, but it was far from warm as he spoke, ¡°Remember what I said about keeping things a little chaotic.¡±


    Paulie nodded, ¡°Sooo.. we go early?¡±


    Mack nodded.  ¡°Get your stuff.  I already instructed everyone to come in early for a rebriefing.  But that was a while ago.  I wanted to come and get you two myself.¡±  Jakiikii seemed set to argue but settled for a disgruntled huff as she grabbed all six plates at once and took them into the kitchen.


    Her somewhat growling voice reached out from the other room, ¡°I guess we will have to finish the rest of these later.¡±


    Mack looked at Paulie and his brow crinkled in what he now understood to be a questioning look.  Paulie shrugged, ¡°She wanted to cook me breakfast.¡±  Mack nodded slowly, the look that crossed his face unknown to Paulie.


    Jakiikii re-entered the room, her hands now empty as she scooped up her weapon from its place on the wall and then nodded to Mack.  Her bright eyes flashed as her color-shifting skin darkened slightly, ¡°Okay.  I have everything I need.  Paulie?¡±


    She turned several of her flexible petal-like eye stalks towards him as she said it.  He nodded.  ¡°Yes, I am set to go.¡±


    Mack glanced around the room and then back at them, but if he was thinking anything he didn¡¯t say it as he motioned for them to follow and left out the front door.  The walk down the hall was short and quiet, Paulie himself was a bit preoccupied thinking of the fight that lay ahead.  He had never been in a real protracted firefight before and was not exactly excited, though he had to admit that a part of him was still looking forwards to kicking some alien asses.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As the three of them reached the ground floor he was mildly surprised to see them joined by a few familiar faces.  Officer Sasfren and the ever dour Officer Visk among them.  Paulie gave the two of them a wave and Officer Sasfren smiled wide, her expression petals opening up and displaying a light greenish color that he had come to associate with a general sense of wellbeing.  Visk on the other hand simply snorted, the vekegh male turning a cold shoulder to him as they walked around Sasfren and through the main doors.


    He ignored the impolite pink furred otter-alien as he turned his attention back to the doors at the end of the open hall.  He frowned, for the doors were blocked by a large mass that seemed to sit just outside the exit.  It took him a few more steps to understand what he was seeing.


    It was a large armoured vehicle.  One of the only one¡¯s he had seen in his long time in the city so far.  He had seen the occasional ground vehicle, delivery coach and powered lifting device on the crowded market streets.  But he had not seen the same perfusion of personal transportation vehicles like he might have expected to see in a city back home on Earth.


    He supposed that might have had something to do with the terrifically efficient public transportation network that Korscam had.  The great looping tracks that interconnected the city to nearly every other point acting like arteries in a body, the myriad of strange aliens going about their daily business acting as the lifeblood that flooded through these metal veins.


    The comparison to some great living beast felt like an accurate one, he had been in the city long enough to know that it operated in much the same manner.  He looked back at the terrific armoured monster that they approached.  It was half as wide as the narrow street, but looked as if it was made for maneuverability.


    It looked just like the kind of six-wheeled armoured car he might have seen in some bad sci-fi cop show back on Earth.  The sides were painted that same deep blue as the officers'' uniforms that stood beside it and across this was emblazoned falling lines of white alien script and the front was swept into an armoured ramming nose.  Paulie paused and then fished around the inner pocket of his greatcoat for a moment, pulling out the small multitector he had been given the previous day by Mack.


    Aiming the strange device towards the script, he pressed the visual translation software function and watched as it translated the yuuvian script into something much more recognisable.  The text read, ¡®Central Security Vehicle, Please Stand Back¡¯.  Made sense, it was about the equivalent of labeling it ¡®Warning, Police Vehicle¡¯.


    He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to see Jakiikii standing next to him.  ¡°Oh.. yes?¡±  He prompted.


    She grabbed his wrist and gave it a brief tug towards the back of the armoured car.  ¡°Come on, we need to get moving.¡±


    He nodded, replacing the multitector into his inner pocket.  ¡°Okay, what¡¯s the rush, eh?¡±  he chuckled lightly, but quickly stopped as he saw the seriousness of her features.  Those bright shining eyes of hers seeming to bore into his own.  ¡°Okay.. okay.¡±  he said, tossing up his arms as they walked around to the rear of the large vehicle.


    Mack was standing there upon the duracrete roadway.  The road itself around them was strangely clear, Paulie looked both ways curiously.  He craned his neck but saw no sign of civilian activity, they must have cleared the street for some reason.  Maybe the sight of the large, dark, imposing adjudicator vehicle had frightened them?  What might that mean, was there a reason to be fearful of the local Censec forces?  From what he had seen they were generally well received by the locals, treated with a sort of quiet respect and distanced dignity that he had come to appreciate.  It made it easier to walk through crowds anyways, having everyone make a small gap around them.


    Paulie looked into the back of the small, gloomy interior of the vehicle.  The sides were equipped with multispecies bucket seats, the walls covered in some manner of netting or mesh and the roof was bare metal with two large hatches and a single incandescent-looking bulb that flared slightly as he watched.


    He glanced at Jakiikii, ¡°What the hell are we going to do in there, it¡¯s like a sardine can!¡±


    She shrugged.  ¡°Beats getting shot before you can even put it in park.¡±


    Mack snorted at the comment.  ¡°Just get in you two.  We are on the clock, we need to get to the go point in the next few minutes, or we may actually miss the start of the raid.¡±  he paused, giving both of them a hard look.  Thos large grey eyes of his widening slightly as his pupils narrowed.  ¡°And I don¡¯t think either of you want that.  Do you?¡±


    Paulie nodded and then gripped the edge of the opening, his foot landing on the small metal step that served to give access to the raised floor of the compartment¡¯s interior.  But he stopped, a flash of fear bolting through his heart at the thought of being enclosed in darkness again.  Metals walls pressing close, his breathing louder than the furious beating of his own fearful heart.  He felt the psychosomatic pain of healed injuries and the fear of death that came with the threat of confinement.


    He was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest like a runaway steam locomotive¡¯s boiling heart.  He couldn¡¯t do it, the thought of it was too much.  A darkness rose in the back of his mind, the crushing sensation following him from his subconscious to his waking mind like a nightmare of evil thoughts and whispered fears.  He closed his eyes.. and then stopped.


    He felt something grip his shaking hand, and Paulie opened his eyes.  It was Jakiikii, the termaxxi female looking at him with some measure of concern or perhaps worry.  ¡°Paulie, are you alright?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°I.. it¡¯s the dark.  It reminds me of..¡±  He found to his own surprise that he couldn''t finish the statement, instead the words died like blighted grain upon his lips.  The very thought of their utterance like a dark anathema to his mind.  He felt the alien woman grip his hand a little tighter and let out a tiny grunt as he tried to hold himself in check on the turbulent ocean of his roiling inner thoughts.


    He took a deep breath, sucking in a huge lungful of air as he quashed the fear and the dark presence of the parasite all at once.  He opened his eyes and looked into jakiikii¡¯s own.  The light pastel pink of her sclera and the bright reflective orange of her iris seemed to give him a sort of boost, his mind climbing back from the edge of gibbering horror as he nodded jerkily.


    ¡°No.  Not yet.¡±  he muttered to himself.  He was not crazy yet.


    If Jakiikii or Mack heard him they didn¡¯t comment on it.  Instead they simply climbed into the back of the armoured vehicle with him as he settled down beside Jakiikii and Officer Sasfren, the maggastium officer giving him her own version of a supportive glance.


    Paulie nodded back in a professional manner, he felt the fear lance into the corner of his mind again and swallowed heavily.  He was about to try and ignore the seeping of dark emotional undertones that flowed through the subconscious of his mind like thick, rotting tar.  But before he had the opportunity he felt something grab his hand again.


    It was Jakiikii again, and he smiled as he saw her closer middle arm reaching out for his own.  She was a good friend, comforting him because she knew he was hurting.  Being as she was a very social species herself, she may have needed the closeness of the contact as much or even more than he.  But he wasn¡¯t going to complain.  Her hand was warm, and her grip was sure.


    Paulie looked forwards, not seeing the helmeted face of the grim looking peace officer across from him.  Not the dimly lit metal walls of their moving coffin nor the thick green netting that covered it.  He saw the future he was barreling towards, a future in which he no longer had to fear for his life or the life of his friends.

 Chapter 16: It Begins

    Chapter 16: It Begins


    The ride by armoured car was over nearly as soon as it began.  In fact, Paulie had only just begun to come to terms with his situation when Mack pressed a hand to his helmeted head as if trying to hear the tips of his own fingers.


    He must have been listening to internal comms as he turned towards them shortly after and spoke, ¡°Alright.  We are the last team in position, and right on time.  So the assault will be getting underway after a few additional instructions.  As you are with me you won¡¯t have to open any sealed instructions yourselves, but please do listen and heed my instructions.¡±


    Paulie listened like the others, leaning forwards at several points as the man laid it all out on the table.  The plan was somewhat spontaneous, but might have been just crazy enough to work.  It all hedged on the pure element of surprise.  Something they had almost guaranteed to have lost out on, had they not decided to initiate the raid early.  He recalled Mack mentioning something about traitors in their ranks.


    Mack continued speaking even as Paulie reminisced to himself.  ¡°So Ooounoo has more than tripled her personal security.  Expect heavy resistance, she knows we are coming.  Just not when.¡±


    One of the others spoke, their strange chirping language filled with concern.  ¡°How could they possibly know we are coming, I didn¡¯t even know we were coming till this morning when I was told to mount up.¡±


    Mack shook his head.  ¡°We have an internal issue, it is being looked into as we speak by another team.¡±  He paused and his large grey eyes found Paulie again.  The long quills that ran down the back of his neck seemed to move of their own volition once again as he spoke, ¡°This team is considered priority-one.  As such our unit designation is alpha force.¡±


    ¡°Alpha force, sounds like a good gig.¡±  Chuckled another of the officers in the cramped space, one of the strange looking upright-dog aliens.  He wasn¡¯t sure what they were called as he had not had much occasion to interact with them, but their comment seemed to garner a few additional sounds of alien mirth.


    Mack smiled briefly, ¡°Yeah, commendations all around if we pull this off..¡±


    Jakiikii cut him off suddenly, making all eyes turn to her.  ¡°When.. when we.. pull..¡±  She trailed off, her body hunkering as she seemed to press herself into Paulie from his other side.


    He just patted her shoulder and nodded as Mack scowled and nodded.  ¡°When.  We will be meeting up with bravo force, led by Sergeant Aril.  We are going to wait for the main tactical wings to clear the ground floor before moving in on the main objective.¡±


    Paulie frowned.  He had this image in his head of them kicking in doors, lasers and bullets flying all around.  It seemed like Mack had a much more surgical approach in mind.


    He felt Jakiikii lean into him again and grip his hand, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze as Mack continued to explain the basics of their attack plan.  After about another minute and a half he stopped and then tapped the side of his helmet.


    ¡°Alpha leader to all teams.  We are go to initiate in forty seconds.  Please confirm status.¡±  A chorus of affirmatives and blues came across as faint barks from the man¡¯s internal speaker as he nodded and then held up a hand.  ¡°Get set, last checks.  Now is the time to find a busted strap or corroded powercore.  Not inside with sixty assholes shooting at us.¡±  Another set of low chuckling hisses, barks and other alien sounds greeted the comment as Paulie felt the armoured car lurch under his feet.


    They were moving.


    The back of the armoured transport jostled them as the thing blasted across the short space between them and their objective.  He heard the crash of something heavy rebounding off the side of the vehicle next to his head and multiple smaller pinging impacts that sounded like a spray of rocks hitting glass to him.  Another moment later the vehicle slewed to a stop and he thought he could hear gunfire, the sounds of fighting grew much louder as the rear door was unsealed.


    The unknown dog-like alien was the first to jump out, their heavier tactical gear reminding Paulie of SWAT officers or something akin to it.  The alien lifted a bulky looking weapon that Paulie was unfamiliar with and then nodded his head.


    ¡°All clear, move out.  Stay close to armour.¡±  The alien barked.


    Mack slapped Paulie¡¯s knee from across the confined space and moved out quickly.  The rest of the officers followed suit, Paulie himself exiting the back of the car somewhat gracefully.  Much less gracefully than Jakiikii though, she still managed to move like she was gliding on silk even when laden with weapons and gear.


    Their small group hunkered behind the armoured car which had deployed some manner of stabilising legs.  Even as he watched the side of the vehicle, twin plates moved down on hydraulic tracks to cover the tires and undercarriage as well as shielding their legs from potential crossfire.  They slammed into the cracked roadway with twin thuds, the impacts causing the APC to shudder.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The noise picked up even as he stood in the cover of the armoured transport.  He clutched his hand onto his armour and waited silently by Jakiikii¡¯s side.  He had to admit to himself, he was terribly nervous.


    He felt a slight itch in the back of his mind, the dumb worm was squirming again it seemed.  Almost like it had when he had fought the bultesian cultists.  He shoved the feeling down harshly as he slapped again at the mental cage that contained the growing monster.  He thought about the cultists again, why had they been there that day.  It seemed almost too much of a coincidence that members of such a reclusive sect might be placed precisely in the position to assassinate him.  Surely they were not in league with Ooounoo?


    As he thought it he heard the officer next to him speak softly, ¡°Come on, what¡¯s taking them so long?¡±  Clearly Paulie was not the only one feeling the strain of the upcoming conflict.


    He leaned in towards Jakiikii, the slightly shorter alien woman¡¯s head turning up and towards him as he asked her, ¡°So.. we are sticking with Mack the whole time?¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°We are here to cover and assist.  Seeing as neither of us are technically officers, well.. it would not look good on the complex if we were allowed to run around like wingless *chirp*.¡±  Whatever she said didn¡¯t translate, and before he could ask for clarification Mack nodded to himself and then motioned for everyone¡¯s attention.


    The miriam detective pointed at Officer Visk and the as-yet unnamed dog-like alien and made a fist.  ¡°Visk, Geltor.. both of you are taking the points.  Left and right.  Pincer the front entrance.  Bravo force says it¡¯s clear but it pays to be cautious.¡±  He split them up into two groups quickly and then waved forwards.  ¡°Okay, Alpha force.  Move out, double time!¡±


    Paulie soon found himself flowing right behind Jakiikii and Mack as they followed the officer named Geltor around the armoured car towards the large building in the near distance.


    He looked around, eyes wide as he got his first real look at their target.  It was a huge building, the tops of its multi-story structure reaching like some lost monolith towards the teal skies far above.  Towers and strange alien architecture that looked far too organic for his personal taste met his astonished gaze.  From his position he was able to make out details across the face, smoking holes, shattered windows and slagged embrasures that were clearly hidden from the outside but looked to have been opened upon the beginning of the assault.


    There were more of the armoured transports in front of the structure, one of them was smouldering from a large dent on its frontal armour.  But the armour had held and one of the drivers was sitting on the ground receiving medical attention from a grey suited paramedic.


    Paulie swallowed heavily as he saw more than one dark stain on the ground near to the front of the building.  Clearly the fight had been quick but not bloodless.  Mack directed them towards a guarded entrance.  The door had been blown to shattered splinters, three heavily armed tactical squad officers sat in front of it and checked Mack¡¯s credentials as he approached.


    They were waved through and into a small area that looked to have been turned into a makeshift fallback position complete with deployed cover and makeshift firing positions covering the various exit points that led farther into the building.


    Mack looked around a bit and then spotted what he was looking for.  Entering the fallback point was a small group of officers led by a particularly grizzled looking alien woman with sweptback horns and bright pink skin.  It was Sergeant Aril.


    She spotted them about the same time that Mack did.  She raised a hand to signal her troops to halt and walked to them quickly.  In her more tactical gear Paulie could see that her right arm seemed to be a cybernetic replacement, the burnished alloy and composite construction looked purely functional.  As if no thought had been spared towards making the limb aesthetically pleasing.


    ¡°Good to finally see you, what were you waiting till we caught Ooounoo for you as well?¡±  She asked, her bright red eyes flashing with humour as Mack¡¯s face cracked into a smile.


    He replied, ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t think you needed any help.  Getting a little slow, Ari?¡±


    She reached out and punched Mack¡¯s shoulder gently with her real arm, ¡°Not too slow for you I hope.¡±


    Paulie smirked a little as the two spoke a little more quietly.  From his position he couldn¡¯t quite make it out What they were saying, but they both seemed to lean their heads closer together as the discussion picked up a little heat.


    Finally after another few seconds Mack threw up his hands and took a step back.  ¡°I was hoping we would not have that issue.¡±


    The tall nerivith woman stepped closer and gestured towards her team.  ¡°We have to split them up, Lue.  It¡¯s the only way to cover all the ground.  Ooounoo already had a head start, there is every chance that she has already initiated her emergency escape plan by now.  We may have only minutes to get to her!¡±


    Jakiikii gave Paulie a look, ¡°I am not leaving you.¡±  She whispered.  He gave her suited shoulder a quick squeeze and then Mack was speaking to them again.


    The miriam turned to them and pointed to them in turn as he spoke, ¡°Okay, change of plans.  We are splitting into four equal teams, Sergeant Aril will be taking point with Officer Visk and Officer Geltor.  I will head the last detachment.  Orders have been sent to your PCs.¡±  He whirled and then walked to Paulie and Jakiikii.  ¡°You two will be coming with me and Officer Sasfren.  We are going to be doing a level two counter sweep up the right side, ending in the capture of Ooounoo, luck willing.  Failure is not an option.¡±


    Paulie felt the hard knot in his core loosen a little as the man spoke, while the translated barks and whistles were sapped of their emotion he could still feel the conviction and pure unadulterated passion for justice in the alien¡¯s words.  His large grey eyes widened and his mouth was opened wide as he shouted their final directions.


    ¡°Squads, move out.  Hunt down the criminal Ooounoo with extreme zeal.  And if necessary, you are to use lethal force to prevent her from escaping judgement.¡±  Mack slashed a hand towards the distant hall he had chosen for their target.


    Jakiikii jabbed him with an arm, ¡°Arm yourself, we are heading right into the den of the great Kaael.  And you don¡¯t want to be the first one to find out why that is a bad idea unarmed.¡±


    Paulie nodded.  He had not done this as she had, and he was happy for her attentive nature.  He reached under his greatcoat and pulled out Nemesis, the large revolver was heavy in his hands.  But the weight was comforting, like the feeling of a weighted blanket or a loved one¡¯s firm embrace.  It was a weight that bespoke the weapons power, and he felt the keen urge to use it.


    He pushed the sudden bloodthirst down and shook his head slightly.  He settled the weight of the giant revolver more firmly in his hands as he nodded to Jakiikii and moved after Mack and Officer Sasfren.


    They walked across the temporary base and into the dimly lit hall, the world closing off around him as the distant sounds of fighting fell away.  Replaced by the sound of muffled breath, hurried footsteps and the clank of equipment.  It was dark and close, and for a moment in time he felt that new familiar panic start to rise in his chest.


    But then a hand pressed firmly on his shoulder from behind, and a husky feminine voice whispered to him from the gloom.


    ¡°I have your back Paulie, please.. be careful.¡±

 Chapter 17: Hot Sweep

    Chapter 17: Hot Sweep


    Paulie¡¯s breath was short, the adrenaline spiking in his system as they stalked through the halls with Mack and the others.  His armour was a reassuring weight over his heart just as the heft of his revolver gave reassurance to his mind.  He was protected, he was armed, and he was the baddest motherfucker on the entire worldlet.  He flexed his arms and rolled his neck, he was ready for this.  More than ready in fact.


    He needed it.


    That surprised him.  Generally he kept such a tight reign over himself, managing his emotions like a general marshaling troops on the eve of battle.  He was losing control, he could feel it.  A part of him was excited to find out what might happen if he did, but the more rational part of his brain understood that losing control would only lead to disaster.


    Paulie licked suddenly dry lips as Mack and Officer Sasfren signaled to slow and then halted at a closed door.  The hall seemed to cut in two directions at this point.  Mack tapped at the small screen of his wrist computer and then spoke softly under his breath.


    ¡°Which way.. which way?¡±  After a moment the man seemed to come to a decision and pointed them to the right.  It was well that he did so as after no less than twenty meters they entered into a room that seemed to be populated by several frantic looking aliens.


    The nearest one screeched as it saw them, its triangular, furred head swiveling towards its companions.  ¡°Blues!¡±  It screeched in an alien tongue that he intrinsically understood due to the parasite lodged in his grey matter.


    Mack was forced to lunge out of the doorway as a series of loud pops issued from the room.  The brilliant purple orbs of plasma fire sweeping through the space he had only just before been occupying.  The miriam¡¯s reflexes were slow to Paluie¡¯s eyes, but not so slow as the others.  Paulie and Jakiikii thumped to the wall, making room for others of their small force to take cover from the heavy fire being directed their way.  One of the other officers took a grazing hit to their armour that left a charred streak across the bright lettering.


    The wall across from them smouldered and sizzled as the stray shots impacted it and burst like boiling soap bubbles full of wrath and fire.  Drips of melted plaster filling the space with choking smoke, he coughed and covered his mouth with a sleeve.


    One of the other officers muttered something angry and mildly obscene sounding under their breath as they fiddled with their own weapon.  The electron rifle hummed as it was powered on and he watched as Jakiikii lifted her own gun with two arms straight through the wall beside her, the powerful shots piercing through it and barely slowing.  She looked across to Mack and the man nodded his grey head grimly.


    Paulie didn¡¯t have the time to ask what the silent communication meant before the termaxxi seemed to shimmer as if with great heat and vanished.  In the dim light of the hall he was unable to get a fix on her position, but as the fire from the room at first intensified and then died suddenly he had his suspicions as to what she had done.


    Indeed, Mack motioned for them to move forwards and entered the room.  Paulie followed the armoured alien in front of him and had to smirk slightly as he saw the wide smile of the termaxxi as she lounged casually on top of one of the desks.  Her rifle held in two of her six arms.


    She hopped down and walked over to him, the woman¡¯s bright eyes roving around the room independent of each other as she spoke.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I got it handled.¡±


    Paulie had to smile at her comment, she was so confident that it was hard not to assume that she could in fact deal with anything.  But another part of him was worried, what if she got herself into a situation she was unable to handle alone?  He pushed it down and nodded, ¡°Yes.  You certainly did.  Where¡¯s Mack?¡±  He asked suddenly, turning his head to look around the room.


    Officer Sasfren seemed similarly confused.  ¡°He was just here a moment ago.¡±  She hissed in mild consternation, the viltessian officer next to her looking similarly confused.


    Paulie heard a faint scraping sound from the wall next to the farthest desk and as he watched it seemed to break apart and then open into two distinct doors that had blended so seamlessly into the wall that he would never in a million years have seen them.  From under the desk emerged the grey skinned form of Mack, the detective was brushing off his brown greatcoat and stopped as he saw them all staring at him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What?¡±  He seemed to be genuinely confused as to their worry.  ¡°I figured there must have been a secret exit around here.  Why else would they have left this specific room guarded?¡±


    Paulie frowned, the explanation seemed a little too contrived for him to believe it was the whole truth.  But it wasn¡¯t in his current interests to try and expose the man if he did in fact have something to hide from them.  So he just shrugged and walked towards the hole in the wall.


    He reached Mack¡¯s side and whispered to him, ¡°How on Earth did you know that this was here?¡±


    Mack stepped to his side and slapped his upper arm.  ¡°Sometimes things are best left unanswered until they become important to know.¡±  Paulie frowned again but nodded.  The man was telling him to drop it, and he did.  But the small nagging sensation at the back of his mind was not so easily sated and he knew that this would be coming back to bite him in the ass eventually.  He could just feel it.


    They didn¡¯t have time for doubts now though.  Even as they stood gawking at the new development, Ooounoo could be escaping.  Paulie would not let that happen.


    Gesturing towards the opening he asked, ¡°So, are we going or are we just going to stare at it?¡±


    One of the other officers, the viltessian female with a dark red carapace, spoke up suddenly.  ¡°Yeah!¡±  Their hissing shout filling the room and caused a flutter of emotion from the other assembled officers.  The long-limbed alien shouldered her way to the front and nodded respectfully to Mack before he raised an arm, weapon held aloft.  ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move in!¡±


    With another glance at Mack and a sideways look towards Paulie, the blue skinned alien dove into the hole.  The sound of their footsteps echoing in the confined space even as the others moved forwards to follow.  Officer Sasfren¡¯s slithering tail disappearing into that dark hoe even as he watched.


    Jakiikii and Mack stepped up to Paulie¡¯s side as they watched.  ¡°You should go first.¡±  Jakiikii said, hand on Paulie¡¯s shoulder.


    He was a little surprised, he had expected her to want to take point.  But he looked at her and saw the pained expression in her eyes, maybe it was the dark.  Maybe it was the memories of her past, but she had a sort of strangely haunted look in her petaled eye stalks that he had never seen on her face before.  So he put a gentle hand on one of the alien woman¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°I will be right beside you Jakiikii.  We both will.¡±  He said, nodding to Mack.  The miriam detective nodded in agreement and Paulie stepped forwards into the passage before his nerve broke.


    The dark slammed down around him like a black veil, the sensation of being pressed on all sides immediate and horrifying.  Paulie felt his heart quicken as memories of his confinement in a metal coffin were brought unbidden to the forefront of his mind.  His breathing grew heavier and he blinked rapidly as he fumbled for a light or anything to alleviate the crushing dark.  If only he had a flashlight.  And then as if a ray of pure holy light had descended from heaven, a beam stabbed out from behind him and illuminated the dark passage in front of him.


    He glanced over his shoulder and smiled as he saw Jakiikii nod solemnly to him.  She understood, of course she would.  She must have been in far worse scenarios than even he.


    Putting the fear aside, he pushed through the dark as if it were a physical thing.  Arms outstretched as if he could force it back through sheer force of will.  It helped, it must have.  Before he was truly aware of it, they had exited the passage and stood amid piles of crates and glass containers containing what might have been preserved specimens for scientific study or the horribly mutated leavings of some genetic research.  It was hard to tell in the dim flickering light of the other officer¡¯s flashlights.


    Officer Sasfren was already up ahead, the other officers with her were looking around cautiously.  They must have been expecting a trap, but nothing seemed forthcoming.  The room remained dark and silent, the scuffing of boots and the scraping of claws the only sound he could hear.  And if it was quiet to him, it must be near total quietude to the rest of them.


    He cocked his head, a new sound reaching him through the dark.  Winding through the room like a stream through dry rocks, a sort of scuffling clank.  Followed by silence.  It sounded like it was coming from above them.


    He stepped closer to Jakiikii and saw her bright orange eyes were scanning the room as well.  ¡°Did you hear something?¡±  He asked her.


    She shook her angular head slightly.  The small wattles that hung from her chin moving with the motion.  Two of her six eyes turned to him, ¡°Maybe.  But I don¡¯t know.  What do you think it was?¡±


    Mack stepped to their side, speaking loudly enough for the other officers to hear.  ¡°A trap.¡±  Paulie jerked and Sasfren whipped her head around, her dark, pupilless eyes now scanning for threats as her expression petals turned a dark shade of purple.


    The maggastium woman spoke, a multitector in her outstretched hand even as her other arm clutched her MDF rifle.  ¡°We are being watched in all likelihood, the detector is going off.  RF, lidar.. Zalc, even the radiometer is detecting increased levels of radiation.¡± She looked around, they were surrounded by science equipment after all.  The old machinery was likely emitting all manner of signals too.  ¡°There is no way for me to tell where it is coming from.¡±


    From what little of the GGI¡¯s technology that he had gleaned, much of it seemed to rely on some manner of microfusion batteries.  Or maybe aneutronic micro-plants.  He squinted as he tried to remember, his eyes had kind of glazed over that part of his introduction training with the Rozz.  Either way, it was likely that it would output some measure of radiation that would be interfering with the alien¡¯s sensors.


    One of the other CenSec officers seemed to notice something and called out, ¡°Hey, over here.  Some sort of doorway!¡±  Their squealing hiss was loud in the otherwise quiet room, the rest of the officers falling in line with them as they pushed towards the entrance, flashlight beams illuminating slices of the dusty room.


    Paulie was a little shaken, the entire experience was so far out of his realm of comfort that his body was pumping him full of adrenaline and other hormones, which was probably why he noticed the alien before any of the others.  His eyes dilated and his breath caught as for a split second he saw a hatch in a dark corner of the room open.  A malevolent alien face looking out from the shadows to be joined by the nasty barrel of some type of weapon with which he was unfamiliar.


    Even as he opened his mouth to shout, his arm was already moving.  The heavy revolver held in his shaking grip.


    Time seemed to slow, and Paulie pulled the trigger.

 Chapter 18: Rage Uncaging

    Chapter 18: Rage Uncaging


    It was well that Paulie and the others were wearing their special electronic earplugs or the percussion of his revolver going off would likely have deafened them as it reverberated off the metal walls of the enclosed space.  The same couldn''t be said for the armed alien that had been in the process of aiming its gun at Officer Sasfren.  The bullet tore through the thin metal of the opened panel like it wasn¡¯t there and punched a hole straight through it large enough for light to shine through as the rest of the officers turned towards the threat.


    But all they were met with was the wet thud of the twitching body as it tumbled from the opening, several of the officers turning astonished eyes towards Paulie as he realised what had happened consciously.  He took a deep breath, he had acted without thought.  Instinctively, and far quicker than he might have otherwise believed he could.


    Now he shuddered, the adrenaline making his shoulders shake slightly.  That had almost been bad, what if they had managed to get a shot off?  What would have happened if..


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t dwell on it.¡¯  He told himself silently even as the sound of more hatches opening reached his ears.


    Almost immediately, Mack shouted for them to push out of the kill box as hatches swung open all around the room.  It was an ambush!  They must have been waiting for them to get further into the room, but one of them had jumped the gun.  Giving them just enough time to take cover from the rest.


    Officer Sasfren screeched, ¡°Take cover!¡±  And then the air was awash in sparking purple plasma and lashes of molten metal from near misses.  Paulie ducked down behind a box of what looked like thick plastic tubes, the thermal mass of the unknown cargo easily absorbing the plasma fire directed his way as the crackling energies hissed overhead.


    He saw one of the special operations security get hit on their shoulder, the armour plates spitting violently as the ablative coating worked to dissipate the heat and shock.  Still, the viltessian trooper hissed in pain as they fell back to be dragged into cover by one of their fellows while molten drops of alloy dripped from the damaged plate.


    This was bad, they were well and truly pinned down.  Paulie looked around, Jakiikii was attempting to get an angle but amid the chaos of the room and the cacophony of light and sound, the termaxxi woman seemed overwhelmed.


    He tensed and then swallowed heavily, setting his gun down on the floor he tested the weight of the crate next to him.  It was heavy, but not insurmountably so.  A plan formed in the back of his mind, and he smiled.  The bad guys wouldn''t know what hit them.  There was surely no way they knew of his true capabilities, he was called an apocalypser for a reason after all.


    He called over to Jakiikii, ¡°Hey, I am going to make a distraction.  Get ready to shoot!¡±  He saw her look at him, all six eyes focusing on Paulie¡¯s features as the alien woman seemed to freeze slightly.  He supposed that she was as ready as she could be, given that he was about to do something completely ludicrous and stupid.  But as his uncle had once told him in a partially drunken stupor, it is only stupid if it doesn''t work.


    He gripped the large crate with both hands and then with a yell of effort, picked it up and hurled the heavy piece of cover towards one of the open vents.  It was less a direct attack and more-so a distraction to give Jakiikii and the other officers an opening to move into better cover.


    It worked, kind of, the crate smashing the vent door with enough force to slam one of the offending aliens to the ground amid the sound of splintering wood.  Mack had the presence of mind to use the distraction for what it was, the miriam detective leaning out of cover and putting down another of the criminals with a well placed shot to the head.


    Jakiikii leapt for another stack of crates as the other officers looked around in apparent confusion.  Paulie grabbed his revolver and dived to her side, the two of them pressing their backs into the large plasteel container as the intensity of the incoming fire faltered a little.


    He glanced at Jakiikii, her eyes had a sort of wild gleam to them that he was unfamiliar with.  Her breathing slits flared as she took another heavy breath and then spoke in that husky tenor, ¡°I think you caught them off guard with that move.¡±


    He chuckled a little.  ¡°Yeah, them and everyone else it seems.¡±


    Officer Sasfren had already recovered, the maggastium woman shouting directions to her pinned down troops as Mack let off another series of shots with his rifle.


    Paulie had two choices in that moment, he could try and gain a more advantageous position and maybe take one of the thugs by surprise, or maybe he could try and distract them again.  He looked towards Mack, his muscles tensing as he prepared to make a decision.  The wrong choice here could mean injury or death.


    He never got that far though as he heard something large smack into the box next to him and bounce across the floor with a metallic clatter.


    A moment later he was slammed to the ground by a black-suited blur as Jakiikii bore him to the floor while shrieking, ¡°Down!¡±


    Paulie had only time to open his mouth in surprise when there was a loud noise and light filled the room along with a pressure wave that knocked the air from his lungs.  He hit the ground hard enough to bruise, Jakiikii lay slumped across his chest.  The termaxxi woman seemingly dazed as she blinked her pink and orange eyes while one of her secondary arms raised to rub her angular head.  Even with his hearing protection, that had been loud


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    He gripped her shoulders and asked loudly over the ringing in his ears, ¡°Jakiikii, are you alright?!¡±  She nodded after a moment and pushed herself off him allowing Paulie to scramble into a low crouch.


    He seemed much less affected by the concussion of the blast than she had been, he noted as he looked around at all the other officers who were still down.  There was a smouldering mark on the floor where he had been standing only a moment before.  He frowned, his lips pulling back in a snarl as he saw Mack¡¯s still body on the other side of the scorched mark.


    ¡®No!¡¯  Paulie cried internally as he saw a splash of blue near Mack''s unmoving body.  He heard gunfire slash towards him as he broke from cover to rush to the miriam¡¯s side.  It was stupid, it was rash.  But his friend was hurt, and he would allow nothing to get in his way.


    He skidded to a stop, heedless of his surroundings.  Mack was hurt, and hurt badly.  Paulie¡¯s eyes filled with angry tears as he saw the ruined stump of the detective''s leg and the slowly spreading blots of dark blue on his undershirt from fragmentation.  The miriam was still breathing, but he had lost a lot of blood.  Maybe too much.


    ¡°Help, somebody help me!¡±  He shouted, one of the other officers who had managed to drag themselves back up crawled his way.  It was the viltessian, they had cracks in their carapace that leaked streamers of smouldering purple blood that hissed and popped upon exposure to the air.  But they opened a pouch on their lower side and pulled out something that they strapped to the remains of Mack¡¯s leg.


    The insectoid eyes of the creature were dark, but their chittering voice was filled with pain and anger as she spoke, ¡°I have to stabilise his wounds or he will surely perish.¡±


    Paulie nodded numbly and sat back down with a grunt.  He looked around the room, the other officers were stirring, many of them now risen and firing back at the gangsters that surrounded them.


    They were doomed, they were going to die.  Everything he had been through would be for nothing, all the pain.  All the suffering¡­


    Paulie felt something snap in his mind, the feeling of a wall being broken down or perhaps the foundations of his self control shattering as they crumbled and a white hot rage boiled up from below.  They would all die here, but Paulie would make those who hurt him bleed first if he could, he would make them suffer.


    He stood, ramrod straight as he took a breath and closed his eyes.  He let it out explosively and gripped his revolver tightly as he rolled his shoulders.  His eyes snapped open, and he grimaced like a pained animal as he finally let go of his self control.


    Gone was the false veneer of calm that he had projected like a blanket of wellness.  The screen of lies he had worn like a veil to cover the murderous intentions of his soul.  He was wrath.. he was rage.  He was death.


    Lights flashed by and illuminated the dim room in purple and blue strobes as Paulie felt the adrenaline surge in his bloodstream, spittle flying from his lips as he let out a roar of pure, unfettered rage that seemed to shake the small room and caused more than one of the CenSec officers to cower in terror at the sight.  He was Paulie no longer.  In his place was a beast, the fear and horror that had been festering in his heart now released.  Given savage direction by his pain and fueled by the anger that burned like a dying star in his mind.  Without really thinking about what he was doing, Paulie took two long strides forwards and kicked one of the large metal crates hard enough to dent its surface inwards.


    The heavy box was catapulted through the other crates it was stacked atop and impacted one of the thugs that had been sheltering behind with enough force to shatter bones and rupture flesh.


    They died silently amid an explosion of gore as Paulie raised the revolver and fired it twice upon the other enemy that had been revealed.  The huge hand cannon roared its hatred and spat fire, one bullet taking the dark clad heechian in the upper chest.  They were thrown against the wall behind them, the light dying in their eyes as they left a splash of blood that dripped down the wall behind them.


    But Paulie wasn¡¯t looking any longer.  He had already left them behind.  He was fast, far faster and stronger than any of these evil creatures had realised.  He leapt over an entire stack of metal crates and charged a terrified vekegh, the pink furred alien¡¯s breathing slits flaring wide as it let out a horrified scream.  He saw it raise its plasma gun and fire several times.  Paulie grunting as a superheated bolt splashed against his armoured chest, one more passing close enough to singe the skin of his cheek.  Another impacted him right in the center of his chestplate, the high energy impact rocking him back slightly.


    But it was too little too late.  He didn¡¯t even bother to slow as he simply tackled the criminal with enough force to halt its screaming forevermore with the sound of shattering bone.


    As he scrambled back to his feet amid the splatters of gore, he heard more gunfire coming from the opposite side of the room.  It was still dim, but the flashlights of the officers were illuminating the room enough for his widely dilated eyes to see.


    He was breathing heavy and the roar of his own blood pumping filled his ears, alien blood and other fluids dripped from his huge frame, though most of it wasn¡¯t his.  A small part of his mind did register several new cuts and bruises forming on his arms and legs from his wild flight but it was not a concern.  He shook his head with a low growl, dark hair flailing as he looked around the dimly lit room.  Some of the rage bled from him as the red seemed to recede from his vision.  But he was still angry, more than angry enough to kill.


    Paulie checked his gun, still three bullets in their chambers.  More than enough to mop up the remains.  Stalking forwards towards the commotion with much more internal deliberation than he had shown a moment before he rounded another crate to see two more of the thugs firing their weapons towards the still hunkered officers.  His friends were over there, and Jakiikii.


    He gave another shout, this one less primal but no less startling in its volume and potency.  The thugs jolted, one turning his way right as Paulie shot it in the chest.  The flimsy armour it wore did nothing to stop the kinetic projectile, the bullet passing right through them and hitting the alien behind them in the shoulder hard enough to knock the second one to the ground with a chirp of pained surprise.


    Before he could step forwards to finish it off there was a loud hissing snap and the creature¡¯s skull was painted across three meters of concrete floor.  Jakiikii stepped from around the corner, her energy rifle cradled in a four-armed grip.  She waved him over with one of her longer primary arms and he stepped to her side carefully, doing his best to avoid the slowly spreading puddles that the gangsters had become.


    He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn¡¯t get the chance as the termaxxi threw herself at him and let her gun hang by her side as she gripped him fiercely in a five-armed hug, seemingly heedless of the gore that was splashed across his body.  He could feel her shudder as a low keening sound rattled from her chest.  She was likely afraid that Mack might not make it, hell, he was too and he had only known the dour miriam detective for a few weeks.  She had known him for years, he was like a father to her, or the closest thing her species had anyway.


    She continued like that for another few moments, Paulie just reached up and rubbed her upper back gently, taking care not to cover either of her breathing vents near her upper shoulder blades.  He heard more shots as he stood there, but in only another second it was over.  He felt the rage drain from him slowly, the raw emotions being replaced by a deep feeling of anguish that threatened to drag him down into despair.  But he couldn''t let it take him.  He had to be strong for his friends.


    He gripped the termaxxi¡¯s shoulder, fingers brushing her fuzzy neck fur as her eyes slowly swiveled away from her head to look at him.  He swallowed, what did one say in a situation like this.  He had no idea, so he winged it.  ¡°We will get her, Ooounoo won''t get away with this.¡±


    His appeal to vengeance must have been the right choice as he saw steel in her eyes.  The hard look replaced the fearful vulnerability he had seen in them only moments before and she nodded.  Her voice gurgled slightly as she took a deep breath.  ¡°No, she won¡¯t.¡±  She glanced down at his hand on her neck with two of her nearer petal-like eyes and then back to his face.  ¡°We will take her down, together.¡±


    Paulie smiled, that was more like it.  He shivered internally as he saw the murder in her alien expression.  He had spent enough time around the strange woman to have gained a basic understanding of her expressions, and this one was far from pleasant.  He smirked internally, Ooounoo had better look out.  Because if he didn¡¯t kill her, then Jakiikii probably would.  And she would make it hurt.

 Chapter 19: Nobody Escapes Vengeance

    Chapter 19: Nobody Escapes Vengeance


    Jakiikii followed him as Paulie and the termaxxi walked back to where they had left the others.  Officer Sasfren was talking animatedly to the injured viltessian trooper that had worked on Mack.  She seemed angry and scared and though she was hiding it well the flashing blue and yellow of her expression frills was giving her away.  But unlike the last time he had been in a dangerous situation with her, the maggastium officer was not hiding.  No, she held her gun in an iron grip, the expression on her snake-like feline face was hard to read.  But her dull eyes seemed to burn with anger as she whirled towards him and pointed a boneless trifurcated arm at him.


    ¡°You, you stupid.. Eruagh!  I don¡¯t even have words for what I am feeling right now.¡±  She seemed to shudder as the large fleshy petals around her head flared bright scarlet.  Presently they faded to a silky orange and she continued, ¡°I need to send for medical evac right now and don¡¯t have the manpower to press forward.  But I know that you two alone are as close to an unstoppable force as we have available.  I don¡¯t know where you pulled those combat maneuvers from, Paulie.  But I damn near soiled myself, the way you just.. tore them apart¡­¡±  She stopped and turned to the injured insectoid who was still crouching by the motionless Mack.


    ¡°How is he?¡±  Asked Jakiikii, Paulie nodded.  He had been heartbeats from voicing the same question.


    Sasfren shook her head, the petals fading to purple and blue.  ¡°I fear the worst.  We need to get him out of here immediately.  No one life supersedes this mission, but I cannot let him die.¡±  She seemed to choke slightly, the hiss of her voice faltering as she gazed at Mack with unblinking eyes.


    The snake-like alien seemed genuinely torn between her duty to the mission and her obvious fear for Mack¡¯s life.  The other officers could see it too, the viltessian speaking up.  Her chelicerae waving slightly as she spoke from the mouth situated on her upper chest.


    Her slightly clicking accent managed to come through even as the parasite in Paulie¡¯s head translated her words into speech he could immediately recognise.  ¡°He is too badly wounded to move at this time, but I see no reason why he would not survive with emergency care.  Go, I will stay with him until help arrives.¡±


    It was the logical move, she was already injured and likely hurting much more than she was letting on.  He couldn''t exactly read much from her immobile carapace covered head, her nine black eyes like polished onyx gave away nothing.  But he could see the way her arms quivered, the sensory hairs along her limbs trembling as thin trickles of bright purple blood oozed from the cracks in her exoskeleton to hiss and fizz in the open air.  She was in immense pain, likely bleeding internally.  The fact she was even still conscious was impressive.


    Paulie nodded at the injured female¡¯s words.  ¡°I think it¡¯s the best idea we have.  Officer..¡±  He turned to look at Officer Sasfren.  ¡°If we are going to pursue Ooounoo then we need to move now.¡±


    Officer Sasfren hesitated only a moment more before the petals that ringed her head turned green and red.  ¡°Okay, Ie¡¯oes will stay with Mack.  We will move on.¡±  She nodded to the remaining two officers.  ¡°Fall in, with me.¡±  She nodded to him and Jakiikii, the order did not have to be repeated.  She knew that they were with her all the way.


    It took them only a minute to find the room¡¯s exit, but it was locked.  The metal door seemingly impervious to their efforts, it even resisted several heavy kicks from Paulie.  As he was preparing to resign their mission to an ignoble ending one of the officers, a relatively tall makkmakkian with many broken shoulder quills, reached into their pouch and pulled out a small black square.


    Jakiikii grabbed his shoulder and hissed, ¡°Breaching charge, step back Paulie.¡±


    He did as she suggested and turned to the side slightly as Sasfren and the makkmakkian set the charge.  In moments it was done and they motioned for them to hunker, they depressed a small trigger device and the room once more shuddered as the small directed explosive removed the final barrier between them and their mission.


    A small cloud of smoke obscured Paulie¡¯s immediate vision, the same could not be said for Jakiikii.  Her supernatural perception seemed to allow her to see something through the obscuring fog as she fired her weapon through the shattered portal.


    There was a scuffling sound and a thud followed by some answering fire back through the doorway.  But by then she had moved once more into cover.  One of the nearby officers grabbed something that looked like a metal can from their gear and passed it to Jakiikii with a small nod.


    He watched as she twisted something on the top of the device with her smaller hands and then passed it to her longer primary arms.  Winding up, she hurled the small silver canister around the corner of the box she had used for cover and then ducked back out of the way as the small thing rocketed into the other room.


    As curious as he was, he didn¡¯t want a face full of whatever nastiness it represented and so just waited in cover.  Presently, there was a low thudding sound, the noise more like a sharp wall of force than any actual sound he could recognise.  It must have had some much stronger effect on those in the next room as this was almost immediately followed by gurgling screeches of pain and confusion.


    Officer Sasfren seemed to puff herself up and then motioned for Paulie to follow as she stepped through the gap with her weapon raised and ready.  A marked difference from the way she had cowered from danger upon their earlier meeting, and he smiled at that.  Maybe he was being a positive influence on the previously faint-hearted alien.


    At this point it was clear the room was full of hostiles, so he felt pretty comfortable moving in with lethal force.  His gun was held at a low ready as he followed the maggastium officer through the door into that swirling grey smoke.


    For a moment his vision was obscured, but then he was through the stinging vapor, the alien officer next to him scanning the room for threats.  But all of the enemy combatants he could see were down, either dead or so disoriented by the concussion grenade that they were incapable of resisting as they were quickly clapped in restraints by the encroaching officers.


    Paulie¡¯s blood still sang with the simmering fires of his rage, and now in that smokey room with Jakiikii by his side he came to a decision.  No matter what happened, Ooounoo would not escape this place.


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    He looked towards Officer Sasfren who seemed busy dealing with the downed criminals and he grimaced.  Jakiikii gripped his shoulder tightly with one of her smaller arms and as he turned to look at her she spoke, her voice issuing from deep in her chest as her mouth remained set in a frown.  ¡°We need to go now, we cannot tarry any longer.¡±


    He wanted to agree, but surely they would need backup?  He thought it over a second, and then smirked.  No they didn¡¯t.  Between her and him, they were more than a match for any other ten creatures on this planet.  He fancied those odds.


    So Paulie nodded and then motioned to get Sasfren¡¯s attention.  As the maggastium officer looked their way she must have caught on to what they were about to do, her expression petals fading to a muted teal as she just shook her scaled head wordlessly.


    Paulie nodded and then turned to Jakiikii.  ¡°Let¡¯s go.  I am with you all the way, she either leaves in irons or she doesn''t leave at all.¡±  He said, referring to the one who had caused both of them so much suffering.  She wasn¡¯t going to get away even if they were forced to tear this whole city down brick by brick.


    The termaxxi woman didn¡¯t speak as she looked up into his face with eyes that shined like fire opal in the light.  The dark look that crossed her face told him everything he needed to know without words.  And so with only a final glance towards the agitated looking officers behind them, they moved through the brightly lit room.  Side by side and scanning for threats.  Jakiikii¡¯s incredible perception would alert them to any threats faster than even Paulie¡¯s near superman-like reaction speed could counter.


    The corridor led them to a corner, a two-way split.  Both ends seemed to end in doorways, but only one of them was locked.  Figuring that Ooounoo would likely have picked the most secure section, he tried the door a little harder.  But it was no use, the thing had no handle to grip.  No protrusions on which he could gain leverage, it was some sort of bulkhead or something for all he could tell.


    ¡°Need a hand?¡±  Jakiikii¡¯s husky voice asked, and Paulie stepped back a pace as she leveled her gun at the door.


    But Paulie put out a hand to stop her.  ¡°Wait!¡±  And she did, with a look of annoyed resignation on her alien face.  As the skin around her petal-like eye stalks bunched tautly, he continued.  ¡°What if there are hostages or something behind there?  I wouldn¡¯t put it past a piece of slime like Ooounoo to stoop to using human.. er, alien shields.¡±  He shook his head.  He needed to keep in perspective the true gravity of his situation.  He was no longer on Earth, and despite the constant reminders like the low gravity or the crazed menagerie of aliens that he dealt with on the daily, he was still finding it a difficult proposition to really wrap his mind around.


    Jakiikii seemed a little less worried than Paulie, but she complied and lowered her gun all the same.  ¡°Okay then Mr. Altruist.  What do you suggest?¡±


    He smiled at her and then gave the door an experimental slap.  It felt pretty solid, but there was still some give to it.  ¡°I think you are forgetting where I come from.¡±  And without another second of hesitation he took a step back and slammed his heavy booted foot into the door right near to the magnetic locking mechanism.


    If he had been in a movie it would have surely worked.  Instead all that he managed to do was launch himself backwards with a yell, the large human bouncing off the floor as he skidded to a gentle stop along the wall.


    Jakiikii just let out a loud sigh, ¡°Men.¡±  She seemed to mutter.  He wasn¡¯t sure if she had meant it loud enough for him to hear or not, but she followed it up with a short burst of gunfire directly into the scuffed boot print he had left on the partition.  As she turned to look at him he saw her smile, her six eyes all alighting on his face with a barely concealed measure of triumph.  His first instinct was to scoff, but he thought about it.  She was right, they needed to be much more aggressive with their approach.


    She gestured to the door and asked, ¡°So, now want to try it?¡±  Thin streamers of white smoke curled from the perforated door frame and he could smell the acrid stench of melted plastics and scorched metal.


    He nodded.  ¡°My pleasure..¡±  and huffed as he wound up another mighty kick.


    He might have hit the door harder than he strictly needed too, but it had embarrassed him and he had taken that personally.  As the door was sent barreling into the next room amid a cloud of smouldering sparks, he once more found himself slammed to the ground by a dark-suited figure who landed upon his chest.  Jakiikii seemed to be making a habit of it, not that he was really complaining as she had managed to once more lever him out of the line of fire.  Several bright streaks passing through the middle of the hall at roughly chest height.


    These were not the bright flashes of plasma fire though, instead they were eye-searingly bright lines of coherent light.  Laser beams, his mind immediately spoke up.  He quashed the errant thought and then growled as he felt the parasite stir fitfully in the back of his consciousness.  It had been dormant for some time, but now as he peeked through the doorway it seemed to quicken.  To liven up like a cat exposed to catnip.


    Now was not the time, he tried to push it down mentally and faltered in his step as for the first time the jargon worm successfully resisted his effort to push it away.  His falter caused him to pause for a moment, his gun raised as Jakiikii took the other side of the doorway.  One of those impossibly brilliant rays stabbed into his lower abdomen, the force of it mild until the outgassing ablative layer of his armour detonated to protect the softer metallic layers beneath from the superheated beam of pure energetic light.


    It was supposed to save him in a situation like this, and who knew, it probably did.  What it also did was throw him back and into the wall behind him forcefully where he proceeded to lose his breath as the air was knocked from his lungs.  Paulie impacted the wall hard enough to crack the stone facade, chips of masonry spiraling away from him as he slid to the ground, eyes bulging as he tried desperately to suck a breath into paralysed lungs.


    Clearly Jakiikii thought him injured as she threw herself to his side with a cry, the alien woman¡¯s pink tongue poking from her mouth slightly as she pulled at his chestplate to see if the shot had penetrated the thick armoured layer.  He managed to suck in a terrific breath, his chest screaming in pain that must surely have been a cracked rib or two.


    Jakiikii stopped, her movements frozen as he pushed himself shakily to his feet and coughed harshly.


    ¡°Ssshit.. that really hurt..¡±  Paulie groaned, holding his side as a small trickle of melted armour dripped to the floor with a hiss and curl of dark smoke.  A dribble of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he seemed to have bitten his cheek.


    Jakiikii popped up, two of her eyes watching the hall where the fire had come from as the other four remained fixed on him.  ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡±  She seemed at once surprised and confused by that.


    He just nodded.  ¡°And pissed off.  What the hell was that?  It hit like a truck.¡±


    She shook her head as if in disbelief.  ¡°Anti-armour beam weapon.  You should be dead.  And I would have watched you die..¡±  She chirped in distress.


    They didn¡¯t have time to think about the repercussions of their actions so he placed a hand on her cheek and held her gaze for a bare moment, the movement more to calm her than anything.  She seemed to shiver at the touch as he spoke, ¡°But I didn¡¯t.  We need to keep moving, we have to be getting close.¡±  He released her and her head followed his hand for a split second as if trying to prolong the contact.


    She gazed at him and then several of her eyes decided to look elsewhere as she nodded.  ¡°Yes.  You are right, but..¡±  She stopped, sucking in a breath through the breathing vents near her shoulder blades as she nodded again.  She straightened her back and swallowed heavily enough for him to hear it.


    They moved back towards the door and Paulie thought he heard a voice shouting directions faintly before the sound of another doorway closing reached his ears.  He grinned widely as he recognised it.  That had sounded like Ooounoo herself, and she seemed panicked.  His eye twitched as the parasite in his head seemed to move again and he growled low and dangerously at it in his mind.  It stopped, stronger now but still apparently more afraid of him than not.  Looking at Jakiikii he gestured to the doorway that lay just ahead.


    ¡°I will rush low and distract, get ready to move in.  Here, take my spare.  You can use both more effectively than I can anyways.¡±  He pulled his backup electron pistol out and handed the thing to her.  She accepted it with one of her smaller third arms, the weapon powering up with an audible hum as he loaded three more rounds into his revolver slowly.  They were only going to get one good shot at this.


    He gave her a look, one full of meaning and heart.  He wanted to tell her that they would be alright, to lie and tell the termaxxi that Ooounoo would comply immediately and they would finally be free of her.  But a part of him could feel the truth, this was far from over.  Even if they succeeded in taking the thagurn alive, they would have much more work to do before the dark plot they were chasing was finally unraveled.  She returned the look, nothing was said but entire volumes of books could have been written about their unspoken words.


    He was scared, deep down.  But it would not stop him, nor stay his hand at the critical moment.  He took a deep breath before he smiled at the six-eyed alien and then dove for the door with a shout of righteous fury that only just drowned out the fear that threatened to freeze his heart.

 Chapter 20: Mission Complete?

    Chapter 20: Mission Complete?


    The space between him and certain death was as thin as gossamer.  His bold move to dive through the door must have caught the room¡¯s defenders off guard as the flurry of shots directed his way initially flew high and wide.  But luck would not last, and he needed to get to hard cover now.


    He looked around the room rapidly, his eyes taking in the reams of information at a glance.  He determined four separate options in that instant, but which to choose?  The wrong choice could mean death or worse, but he had no time for indecision so he made his choice in that instant.  Paulie lept for a nearby pillar, the bright red lines of laser fire burning glowing craters into the floor as the weapon raced to follow after him.


    He was faster than they had expected though, and he smiled.  Truly his was a great gift, to be born of a world as crushing in its hold as Earth.  For in the light gravity of Gike, he felt superhuman.


    ¡°Look out!¡±  He yelled, then jumped as high and hard as he could at the nearby wall.


    His vigorous shout combined with his surprising agility seemed to once more catch the thugs by surprise as he finally got a better look at them.  There were four, two cowering behind a large planter box filled with purple ferns and a third hiding behind some manner of decorative fountain.  The last one caught the majority of his attention though.


    The last alien was huge, even by his own inflated standards.  Their armoured bulk must have been nearly two and half meters tall and he recognised the armoured hulk as a zyan from his briefings at the precinct.


    The zyan raised its large weapon and tried to follow his movement as he kicked off the wall at the last moment to propel himself directly at the sloxl cowering behind the fountain.  The dazzling laser beams missed him again, but not by much.  He felt the heat of a near miss on his exposed skin as the large armoured alien overcompensated, some of the beams flying wide once again to strike the walls around him with the sharp pops of exploding stone.


    He hit the ground hard enough to jostle his injured ribs and for a split second he just sat there, immobile and nearly defenseless.  Luckily for him his sudden appearance there seemed to have shocked the sloxl into near total paralysis.  He lashed out at it, his clumsy swipe wrenching its gun from numb fingers and shocking it into action.  Its uncomfortably human-like face¡¯s mouth opened into a scream, revealing rows of sharp teeth like the maw of some oceanic horror.  A second attack knocked it out cold, its many-limbed body slumping to the floor as he shook small splatterings of dark maroon blood from his bruised knuckles.


    He heard another shout, shots fired towards the entrance again as Jakiikii made her move.  He rushed out of cover towards the large armoured form of the zyan.  Shots from the other two criminals whipped towards the front of the room as Jakiikii sought the cover of another pillar.  He fired his weapon twice in the direction of them and they ducked behind the solid cover as his wild shots struck the wall behind them with twin crashes.


    He skidded to a stop as the huge armoured bulk of the zyan looked his way.  The creature¡¯s body was wide and covered in supremely thick armoured plates, their head sunken into a sort of chiton gorget that seemed to make it impossible for them to turn their head.  But it mattered little as their head was topped with four equally spaced compound eyes that seemed to look in all directions at once.


    But he knew instinctively that he had this beast¡¯s full attention.


    It bellowed, the sound like unto that of an angry bear.  It made the short hairs on the back of Paulie¡¯s neck stand on end and he had to physically resist the sudden urge to run in terror.  Instead he stood to his feet and dodged to the side as another line of brilliant streaks melted holes in the marble floor where had been lying moments before.


    The gun it wielded was massive, but looked much more fragile than anything he might have considered a heavy weapon back home on Earth.  It gave him an idea, probably a really bad one but an idea nonetheless.


    Two bright blue lines stabbed into the monstrous alien from the other side of the room, their ghostly contrails fizzing in the air like the aftermath of a lightning strike.  The air ionised by the velocity of the MDF rifle¡¯s discharge.  It was Jakiikii!  The zyan roared again as the shots tore straight through its hide like meteors, and ultimately did nothing to slow its rampage.


    ¡°Damn..¡±  He muttered aloud as he aimed his own weapon at the thing¡¯s armoured head.  He fired twice more, the first bullet seemed to carve a shallow groove out of the thick armour before it was directed into the ceiling.  The second hit just under one of the large compound eyes and punched a hole in the thick chiton.  The zyan immediately turned its attention back to him as it vocalised its displeasure with his latest action.


    A shot to the head had not killed it?  ¡®What the hell were they feeding this thing?¡¯  He wondered in his mind.


    Clearly whatever it was it must have been chock full of creatine as the thing hefted one of the decorative benches and ripped it straight off the ground with the sound of screaming metal.  It used this as a club as it tried three times to hit Paulie with this improvised weapon.  He had no idea how intelligent the alien was, but if its rapidly changing tactics were anything to go by..


    He almost finished the thought before he was clipped by the bench.  Paulie yelled in pain as he was sent tumbling into the fountain where the unconscious sloxl still lay, it¡¯s chest rising and falling slowly as it blew bloody bubbles through its broken nose.  He hit the side of the decorative stonework and slumped to the ground, his armour had protected his spine from shattering but only barely.  His breath came in pained gasps, his chest and back were a mass of burning pain.  One of his cracked ribs felt like it had broken fully now, and he fumbled at his belt pouch for one of the painkillers that he knew were in his trauma kit.


    He managed to pop one of the small green pills into his mouth just as the stomping form of the heavy zyan lumbered around the corner and lowered its gun towards him.  It rumbled, the voice that issued from it more akin to the sound of clattering rocks than any actual speech he had heard.  But his parasite translated it anyway.


    ¡°You are not as tough as Ooounoo made you out to be.  I was promised a fight, and you have barely scratched my appetite for slaughter.  Truly you must be a disappointment to your species.¡±  The monster seemed genuinely upset by this.


    Paulie looked up into the face of death and smiled.  He knew something that the large thing didn¡¯t, something it seemed to have forgotten as it focused on him.  It stopped, hesitating as he chuckled and clutched his chest, the pain slowly subsiding as the medicine took effect.


    He let go of his gun and slowly pointed at the alien bodyguard with his right hand.  ¡°Yes, I am a disappointment.  To my family, to my boss.  To dear old Miss Nakima may her black heart rest peacefully in the devil''s hands.  But in your rush to prove your own superiority you seem to have forgotten something..¡±  The big alien seemed to cock its eyes on the top of its immobile head, it might be strong.  But it clearly wasn¡¯t too bright.


    Jakiikii came flying out of cover from the thing¡¯s rear and as the large alien jolted from several impacts on its armoured body, Paulie grabbed his gun and pointed it at the most vulnerable looking part of the thug¡¯s laser weapon.. and shot it.


    He raised his other hand to shield his face and thought about how close he was to a potential bomb.  But by then it was already too late to change his mind.  The large bullet tore into the slightly humming box near to the rear of the laser gun with a sound like an entire bag of chips being run over by a truck.  There was an angry hiss as a single jet of bright white flame issued from the sparking hole and then the weapon tore itself apart in an angry flash of pure violent light.


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    The light was so bright that he could feel his exposed skin burning from the intensity of it, the bones of his hand showing through his flesh like a crude x-ray.  Then the blast wave itself hit, slamming into and over him with enough force to smack his head into the floor.


    Dazed and confused with starry white spots swimming in his eyes, he groaned in pain and rolled up into a sitting position.  A moment later he felt arms supporting him as something soft pressed against his back, supporting him.  He blinked rapidly to clear the tears from his blurred vision and smiled weakly as he saw Jakiikii¡¯s eyes only inches from his own.  He slumped slightly, leaning into the termaxxi¡¯s chest gratefully as she knelt beside him.


    ¡°Oh, hi.¡±  He said a bit stupidly, smiling at the alien woman.


    She shook her head slightly as he spoke and then berated him, ¡°You dumb.. I can¡¯t believe.. was that your plan the whole time!?  I could have told you that it was too dangerous!¡±  She chided him, her husky tenor buzzing its way out of her chest while all six of her eyes scrutinised him intently.


    He nodded his head and glanced at the smoking body of the large zyan.  Its thick armour was cracked and smouldering.  An entire arm, the one that had been holding the weapon, was missing and a fan of dark blood was spread over everything nearby.  Including him.


    ¡°Yeah?  But it was worth it, and now there is nothing between us and..¡±


    She cut him off angrily and her normally mottled skin flashed pure white, emotion flooding her voice as she blurted.  ¡°It wasn¡¯t worth the chance of losing you.¡±


    Paulie gawked.  The termaxxi turned her head slightly, eyes seeming to find other places to look other than his face.  ¡°What?  But.. you have been chasing Ooounoo for years.  Your best friend might still be alive somewhere.¡±  He felt a tickle on the edge of his mind, that now familiar sensation like delicate fingers caressing his thoughts so unlike the harsh stabbing probes of his mental parasite.  He had come to associate the feeling with Jakiikii, he knew that she was somehow responsible for the sensation though not how.


    She shook her head again suddenly, her mouth opening as she let out a heavy breath from the breathing slits on her lower abdomen.  ¡°No, forget I said it.  Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to forget it though, he had seen the look in her eyes as she said it.  She felt something for him, he saw it clearly now.  His own heart sang in equal parts jubilation and despair, for they were still in great danger.  Anything could happen, but what she had said still resonated deep in his heart.  Could there ever be a chance of something greater between them he thought desperately in his mind.


    Paulie crushed the emotion back down, deep alongside his rage and fear.  He would not let anything get between Jakiikii and the mission, not even dreams of a deeper connection between them.  She might have feelings for him that she didn¡¯t want to admit openly, as did he for her.  But she needed the closure that would come with the completion of this mission, and he would be damned to an eternity of sorrow should he let himself be the reason her life¡¯s goal was unfulfilled.


    He reached for her slightly and then stopped himself.  ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time.¡¯  he said internally.  Out loud he spoke, ¡°Okay, help me up, we are this close.  Might as well go all the way, huh?¡±  Her skin paled again, but she seemed to force it back to normal with a moment of effort as she helped to pull him upright.  He wobbled for a second and then found his balance.


    She glanced at him with several eyes, her expression unreadable.  It was possible that she had divined the ulterior meaning of his comment, but if she did then she did not reveal it so casually.  Instead she gestured towards the door at the end of the room.


    ¡°Alright, follow me.¡±


    Paulie did so, the pair of them walking in a sort of tense silence that comes from two close friends that need not words to communicate.  They both knew the danger, and they were prepared to deal with it.  But he got the feeling that neither of them wanted the other here, he would have continued on his own if he had thought there was any chance of convincing Jakiikii to stay behind.  But even as he thought it he realised it would not have been fair.. to her.. to him.. to either of them.


    The door was locked via some manner of scanner and as they reached it Jakiikii snorted.  ¡°Nucleic acid scanner, no way we are getting through that with force.  And this door looks way too heavy for me to shoot through.¡±  She paused, looking all around the room.  ¡°I think I have an idea.¡±


    He watched as she walked over to the still unconscious sloxl, the only living criminal in the room.  She heaved them up and over her shoulder as she slung her gun across her back.  The large alien seemingly no problem for the six-armed woman as she walked gracefully back over to the door.


    Slumping the unconscious alien to the ground, she began grabbing various arms and slapping them against the reader.  It blinked green and gave an angry tone again and again as Paulie was about to comment that maybe they should just go and get some of those breaching charges from the others, when the reader suddenly flashed blue and let out a crystal note.


    Dropping the sloxl, she moved to the side of the door and Paulie moved to the other as it slowly began to open.


    From inside a voice asked hesitantly, ¡°Are they dead?  Is it clear?  Damn it, answer!  I told you that we should have moved already, these..¡±  This was followed by a gasp as Paulie and Jakiikii stormed into the room with weapons raised.


    The room was small but richly furnished.  The walls hung with works of alien art that might not have looked too out of place in any art gallery back on Earth, the floor was rich carpeting that might have been the skin of some titanic creature.  The middle of the room was dominated by an ornate wooden desk covered in a million tiny gemstones set into what looked like unfamiliar star constellations.  And behind the desk sat the ugliest creature that he had ever seen.


    It was the same greenish tentacled monstrosity that he had witnessed on his first horrifying day on the world.  When he had been chased and hunted.  The thagurn¡¯s pitch black eyes were expressionless, but the four thick antennae that hung from the back of their horned head like braids of hair suddenly flared out as the creature screamed and flailed its boneless arms.


    ¡°No, it isn''t possible.  Cargul should have stopped you, how did you get past!?¡±


    Paulie stepped forwards.  The hand cannon in his iron grip shaking slightly from the rage that swirled in his heart.  ¡°It was easy.  Just like this is going to be..¡±


    Ooounoo threw up her arms and buzzed, ¡°No, mercy!  I am unarmed, surely you would not kill a person in cold blood!¡±


    He snorted, she wanted mercy.  He aimed at the large expensive looking sculpture on the corner of her desk and shot it.  The concussion of the blast rocked the alien even as she was pelted painfully with broken shards of terracotta.  Spots of blood appeared on her body as she was cut but the flying shards, her pained whimper sounding much less regal than her shouted and blustering demands a moment before.


    He turned to look at Jakiikii, the termaxxi was seething.  Her skin seemed to ripple slightly as her chromatophores twitched and danced from the strength of her emotion.  He asked, ¡°So, what should we do with it?  Trash like this needs to be taken out by somebody, right?¡±  Jakiikii nodded slowly and took a few steps forward till she stood by Paulie¡¯s side.  He wasn¡¯t really planning to kill Ooounoo.  But if Jakiikii wanted it, then who was he to stop her.


    Jakiikii smiled, a cruel smile that seemed to suck the light from her orange eyes as she spoke slowly and with great deliberation.


    ¡°You have committed the most heinous of crimes, Ooounoo.  Extortion, kidnapping, murder.  You are no more fit to exist than the scum that trickles from a broken culvert on the edge of a scum-sump.  You could serve a thousand life sentences and still be guilty, you are without redemption, Ooounoo.  And it would be far more than you deserve to be put down like a rabid srawk.¡±  With that she raised her gun and pointed it directly at the cowering criminal¡¯s head.


    Paulie tensed, this was it.  This was the moment that decided their future.  As he had said to himself, he would not stand between her and this vengeance.  But he found himself wishing that she would find it in her heart to show some mercy, some humanity.


    His thoughts must have shown on his face as first one and then three more of Jakiikii¡¯s eyes turned to look at him as she tensed again.  She leaned forwards slightly, the fingers on her weapon¡¯s trigger squeezing slightly.  More, and more, a hair¡¯s breadth further and she would sentence the thagurn to that great oblivion forever.  But she stopped, letting out an explosive breath as she leaned back and stood straight.


    The gun she had carried lowered towards the floor and she shook her head.  ¡°Your punishment isn¡¯t worth my soul.  You will live to see your empire rot.¡±


    Paulie found himself smiling, he was happy she had decided to show clemency.  It showed a marked growth, he thought.  The Jakiikii he had originally met those few weeks ago would surely have not hesitated to pull the trigger.  But maybe his talks and presence had influenced her for good, maybe he had shared a little of his humanity with her.


    The thought left his head as Jakiikii took a sudden step forward and struck the woman viciously with the butt of her weapon, Paulie shouting as something whizzed through the air close enough to pull at his hair.


    Ooounoo slumped backwards in her seat before sliding to the ground unconscious as something small and dark slipped from her numb fingers to fall upon the ground.  It seemed that the evil creature had been trying for one last trick.  If he hadn¡¯t been so distracted he might have noticed the small, concealed weapon in time to do something about it himself.  But as the termaxxi turned back towards him, smiling with her eyes, he realised that maybe it was just the right amount of closure that she had been needing.


    She nodded and huffed, ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled then.¡±


    Almost immediately they heard rushing footsteps from outside the open door as an unknown multitude made their way towards them.  He raised his gun and stepped closer to Jakiikii, ready to grab her and jump out of the way if it was enemies.  But there was no need for worry as a familiar scarred nerivith woman burst into the room followed closely by several heavily armoured CenSec officers.


    Sergeant Aril looked from them to the slumped form of Ooounoo and then back to them.  She grunted, her battered features matching the harsh burr of her voice.  ¡°Did you two at least read her her rights?¡±


    Jakkikii just giggled and Paulie smiled too, he couldn¡¯t help it.  Sergeant Aril seemed a little less pleased but muttered to herself something about unprofessional behaviour.  She didn¡¯t really put her heart into it though and he thought he saw the barest hint of a smile tug at the scarred corner of her mouth.


    They watched as the unconscious thagurn was placed in restraints and dragged unceremoniously from the room.  He wanted to say something, but all he could think about was Mack.  He turned to Sergeant Aril and hesitated.  He knew that she was close to the miriam, he should probably be delicate.


    But before he could even form the question, Jakiikii blurted, ¡°Is Mack still alive?¡±

 Chapter 21: Its Never Enough

    Chapter 21: It''s Never Enough


    Paulie winced a little as the brash question seemed to hang in the still air.  ¡®So much for being delicate.¡¯ he thought to himself.


    Sergeant Aril¡¯s pink skinned features darkened slightly as her skin flushed a muted lavender.  Her generally expressionless face twisting slightly, the large scar that ran down it tugging the skin of her cheek and chin as the mask she normally wore slipped a little.


    She took a moment to compose herself as she slowly ran a long-fingered hand through the short orange hair that sprouted from between her swept-back horns.  ¡°I think.. he will be fine.  Eventually.  But..¡±  She snorted and then seemed to compose herself.  ¡°He will be fine, I have seen soldiers stand up from worse injuries than that and go right on killing.¡±


    Paulie nodded to her, a possibly futile attempt to help her justify the words as truth.  From what he could tell, she was very worried.  Worried enough to have cracked the outer shell of stoic strength she most often projected.  He placed a soft hand on Jakiikii¡¯s shoulder and made an attempt to reassure her as well, ¡°Mack will be fine.  He is a fighter, like us.  It would take more than that to put a miriam like him down.¡±  He believed it himself, at least.. he tried to.


    He smiled as he said it, but Jakiikii seemed largely unconvinced.  Maybe she had seen through his flimsy bravado, maybe she just didn¡¯t think that the man was going to pull through alright.  Her worried expression and rapidly flicking eyes gave her the look of a panicked animal.  She looked around the room and at him simultaneously with those six orange eyes and he gripped her shoulder harder.


    ¡°Y-yes-s.  He will be fine.¡±  She parroted, one of her own hands moving to cover his briefly as if she had considered pulling it off.


    Sergeant Aril seemed to nod, accepting the paper-thin agreement for what it was.  A branch to hold onto, however thin.


    He needed to change the subject before one of them broke down completely.  The mission would do, he decided to track things back towards their respective duties.  ¡°So, we have her now.  Ooounoo isn¡¯t going to be getting out of this one.  Where should we look to see if she has any more victims stashed about?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t really that sure he wanted the answer to his question.  But regardless of the fact he needed to know.  He had been told that he was not the only human to have been taken, far from it.  If what he had gleaned was true then there might in fact be dozens of others in need of rescue somewhere in the very building.


    A muted buzz seemed to go through the room, several of the officers including Sergeant Aril checking their commies as they went off in unison.


    Jakiikii and Paulie looked at each other, something was happening.  And judging by the looks the officers were giving each other it must have been big.


    Jakiikii stepped forwards, one of her longer arms holding out Paulie¡¯s electron pistol to him at the same time she spoke to Sergeant Aril.  ¡°Here, take this.  Sergeant, what is happening?¡±


    The nerivith¡¯s face scrunched into a slight scowl, her features twisting more from the scars that marred her otherwise succubine features.  ¡°Well, the news is bad.  It seems that Ooounoo expected the raid, as we suspected.  She took precautions and..¡± She hesitated, ¡°..liquidated her stock, all but one.¡±


    Paulie¡¯s blood turned cold at the words.  Liquidated her stock?  Stock of what?  He had a terrible feeling he knew exactly what the grim woman was talking about.  But before he could ask, he took a single step forwards and was stopped by Jakiikii placing a hand on his armoured chest.


    She shook her head, eyes moving to stay fixed on him as she spoke softly, ¡°Paulie.  There was nothing else we could have done.  She would have done it the instant we attacked regardless, it has happened before.¡±


    The comment was said with the intent to soothe or calm him, and in many circumstances it might have.  But this time, in this circumstance.  It did nothing to cool the white hot spike of anger that stabbed through him.  His mind seemed to burn with the emotion and his fingers tightened on the grip of his guns.  The composite of the MDF pistol creaking under the pressure as he shivered in his rage.


    He tried to push it down, but was met with resistance.  The damnable parasite, it was not only resisting his mental prodding but seemed to be actively bolstering the negative feelings.  It was as if it wanted him to lash out physically, to smash those he loved and break their bones.  He unclenched his hands with difficulty as he hissed, ¡°And how many more of my kind will have to die before this is all over?¡±  He nearly vibrated with the effort it took to contain himself as he warred with his own mind again.


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    Sergeant Aril seemed taken aback, the grizzled looking woman a little worried looking.  The first time he had seen anything approaching fear cross the woman¡¯s face.  She held up a hand, ¡°Well look here now, nobody said anything about them being dead..¡±


    And Paulie continued right on over the top of her as he started walking out of the room.  ¡°I know what you meant.  I don¡¯t care, I need to see.¡±


    Now it was Jakiikii who rushed to his side, her voice pleading as she implored him.  ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±  he glared at her, the anger in his eyes flashed and three of her eyes found somewhere else to look.  He knew he was being harsh, but the rage loosened his tongue and he spoke more bluntly than he would normally have.


    ¡°Oh yeah?  What about your own friend, lost and tortured for all this time.  Would you have not wanted to see her body, to confirm that she even still existed.¡±  He knew as soon as he said it that he had gone a little too far.


    Jakiikii stopped in her tracks and shook her head in disbelief.  ¡°I.. can¡¯t believe that you just said that to me..¡±  Paulie stopped, the anger draining from him to be replaced by a sense of shame for letting the pain he felt hurt her.  He felt a prodding in his mind again, but he batted it aside subconsciously.  He raised a hand but she shook her head, all six of her bright orange and pink eyes lighting him up.  He shrank slightly as she stepped closer to him.  ¡°No, not another word.  You listen to me Paulie.. nobody, and I mean NOBODY.. on this husk of a planet has even the tiniest bit of hatred for Ooounoo like I do.  You think you are mad?  Do you think you know what it was like, to have your universe shattered, to be taken from all that is familiar and safe.  To lose everyone, your only family?¡±


    Her eyes were bright, and Paulie nodded his head sadly after a moment.  He thought of his abduction, of the family he had lost to cancer years before.  Of the many times he had been forced to move as a kid and the hardships he had faced growing up in a system that cared little for his own wellbeing.  He looked down into her face and replied softly.  ¡°Yes.  I know exactly what that feels like, Jakiikii.¡±


    She jerked, the anger in her own eyes fading to be replaced with something else, something softer.  She seemed to war with herself before she let out a shuddering breath through the breathing slits on her lower torso.  ¡°I.. I¡¯m sorry Paulie.  I forgot, yeah..¡±


    He shook his own head as Sergeant Aril stepped to their side tentatively.  Clearly the nerivith officer didn¡¯t want to get in between two apocalypsers in a dispute, but she seemed to overcome her fear quickly as she noted, ¡°I know you two are having a moment of some kind, but we need to keep moving.  Please, if you are both so determined to see the aftermath then we might as well go now.¡±  She looked at first Jakiikii and then to him.  Paulie nodded slowly and held out a hand to Jakiikii.


    She slapped it aside and stepped forwards, wrapping him in a tight six-armed hug that surprised him.  But after a moment he returned the gesture and said to her softly, ¡°I apologise, Jakiikii.  I let my anger for the injustice of the world cloud my mind.  Would you forgive my harsh words?¡±


    She nodded into his shoulder and then wiped some of her eyes on a sleeve.  Stepping back a pace she gestured down the hall.  ¡°Hey, what are friends for?  We should get moving.¡±  She followed Sergeant Aril for a moment before she turned her head to look at Paulie fully.  ¡°Come on Paulie, there isn''t anyone else here for me, I need you.¡±


    She said it with no emotional overtone, but he saw the pleading look in her alien eyes.  She and he may have been born worlds apart, but they were two souls cut from the same cloth.  He needed her and she needed him, and he was finally ready to admit it.  He nodded and rushed to catch up, his heart pounding from more than just the adrenaline of the previous ten minutes.


    Sergeant Aril led them silently through halls and rooms filled with scorch marks and the signs of heavy fighting.  Surely the entire raid must have been costly in terms of both manpower and equipment, he could scarcely believe the scale of it.  It was like something from some nineties action movie, it almost didn¡¯t seem real to him.  But real it was, and it was about to get even more so.


    They stopped in a nearby hall, but this one was slightly different.  More clinical and less ostentatious.  The guards that blocked the way eyed them with heavy suspicion and even after checking out their credentials the alien in charge, a tall vekegh in heavy armour, eyed them as a domestic cat might a bathtub filled with water.


    Finally they were waved past with a hefty verbal warning that they were not to speak of anything they saw or heard beyond that point or they would be incarcerated for a very long time.  Paulie and Jakiikii just nodded warily while Sergeant Aril rolled her ruby red eyes.  The veteran had likely been given that speech dozens of times over her career to the point where it no longer worked to cow her.


    Paulie and the others walked forwards silently, a sort of buzz seeming to fill the air despite the air of unease that settled about them.  Pushing through the door, they entered into a much larger space.


    He looked around, Paulie could see why the building was so cramped on the inside, it must have been making additional space for this huge cavern of a room.  The walls and ceiling were dozens of meters away, and all across the walls were large tubes covered in some sort of medical or industrial equipment.


    It was what was in these tubes though that caused his heart to break in two.


    ¡°There are so many..¡±  Jakiikii said, beating him to it.  Her voice was full of an emotion that Paulie couldn''t glean in that moment.


    Sergeant Aril nodded her head as Paulie looked around the expansive space slowly.  The walls and floor were taken up by what looked like hundreds of great glass coffins full of some pale blue fluid.  Inside many of them he could see floating still shapes.  The unmoving bodies of hundreds of people, a reddish cloud seeming to leak from their eyes and ears to stain this jelly-like fluid.


    He breathed in, but no air came.  He felt weak, the sick of his rising gorge threatening to overtake him as he heaved a little in distress.  His knees wobbled and he started to fall, but something propped him up, a multitude of soft and gentle arms that kept his strength for him.  It was Jakiikii.  He looked at her with eyes numb with sadness and mouthed, ¡®Why?¡¯


    Again, she likely couldn''t read his lips for their difference in speech, but she still seemed to get the meaning of his unuttered word.  She helped him stand straight once more and explained, ¡°There is great evil in this galaxy, Paulie.  And it lives in those that think themselves superior.¡±  She paused, making sure his eyes were on her face as she continued.  ¡°There is great evil in the GGI, and it seeks the subjugation and destruction of all that is fair and kind.  Of every race, and those it cannot.. it destroys.¡±


    The words rang true in his mind and he felt a little of the horror stripped away as it gave way to ice cold anger.  He remembered her hushed words about her own people.  How could anyone do this, this act of barbarism.  It was inhuman, it was a crime against humanity.


    It was then that he was cruelly reminded that despite the familiarity of his settings.  He was not on Earth anymore.  He lamented the memory of home, he didn¡¯t want to be here.  He wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare.


    But he didn¡¯t.  He forced himself to look.  He needed to see, he needed to understand.  The hate that these beings held for his kind, the utter contempt.  It was uncanny, it was monstrous.  It wasn¡¯t enough for these people to simply waste away in some prison, it would never be enough.  They were all monsters of the worst kind.


    And he would be the one who killed the monsters.

 Chapter 22: Who Kills the Killers?

    Chapter 22: Who Kills the Killers?


    Paulie stood shakily, his breathing harsh as he felt his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.  In front of him and all around him was a scene of merciless slaughter.  Tanks full of still bodies, some of them far too small to be adults, lined the walls and center portion of the room.


    He tried to close his eyes, but they would not obey him.  The attraction of the horror seemed to force him to look as if his mind was unable to believe what it was seeing, despite the evidence of his eyes.


    ¡°So many humans..¡±  Jakiikii whispered from next to him.


    He glanced at her in his grief.  She seemed deeply affected too as her mottled skin darkened slightly, maybe not to the same degree that he himself was, having seen such atrocities before.  But certainly more than one might have otherwise suspected for a culture that thought of his kind as mindless animals.  Clearly she knew that wasn¡¯t true now.  And that meant that she was seeing the dead as people for the first time too.  He didn¡¯t envy her, he mourned for her loss keenly too, for her lost friend.


    Paulie had holstered his weapons earlier, and he placed his hand on the large revolver at his side.  It brought him a small measure of comfort imagining that he was pulling it and blowing away the scum that had done this.  But he let go of the weapon as Sergeant Aril strode up to them from the center of the large clinical room.  Her heavy combat boots clicked on the tiled floor as she stopped, long sinuous tail lashing near to the ground behind her.


    She gave him a searching look and then nodded.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how you would take it kid.¡±  She nodded and gave him a solid appraisal.  ¡°You are tough though, as tough as Mack told me you were.  Killed a bultesian in close quarters he said, and that zyan.¡±  She whistled, lavender colored lips pursing.  I¡¯ll tell you what, I think we could really use your help to catch that *trilling*.¡±


    The last word didn¡¯t compute, so he must not have had any frame of reference for it.  ¡°Catch a.. What?¡±


    Jakiikii looked at him with two eyes and stated, ¡°Catch a.. nevermind.  It¡¯s not a really important point anyways.  What she was trying to say was that we are going to be directly involved with the capture of those behind this atrocity.¡±


    Paulie nodded.  ¡°Behind this, yes.  Because she could not have been in it alone, we know about the zen¡¯kkalkians.  They would be a part of a larger operation.¡±  Sergeant Aril seemed a bit unconvinced , but if she had any additional thoughts on it she didn''t speak them.


    Instead she looked at the commie on her wrist, the small device chirping insistently.  Immediately the nerivith woman perked up, ¡°Oh, Mack has been stabilised.  He is going to be okay.¡±  Paulie let out a breath, that was one load off his shoulders at least.  Jakiikii¡¯s eyes perked up, her petal-like eye stalks focusing the attention on Sergeant Aril as she huddled a little closer.


    He gestured to the room¡¯s surroundings as he tried to focus on anything but the horribly still forms that surrounded them.  ¡°What are you going to do here?¡±


    Sergeant Aril shrugged.  ¡°That¡¯s well above my paygrade, kid.  All I can tell you is that this is unlikely to get out to the general public, you heard what they told us at the door.  They are serious, so don¡¯t go around blabbing about this.  Got it?¡±


    Paulie nodded his head slowly and frowned, but his mind was already elsewhere.  He needed to figure out how deep this thing went.  Surely Ooounoo couldn¡¯t have been acting alone in all this, she would have needed general funding.  Connections.  Protection and portmasters, there was too much to this operation for it to be airtight.  And then there was the issue of the mole, somebody in the adjudicator''s complex knew about the raid ahead of time and sent a warning to Ooounoo.


    He whipped his head back towards Jakiikii.  ¡°We need to find the mole!  They will know some of what¡¯s going on!¡±


    The termaxxi shook her head, eyes looking at him intensely.  ¡°The what?  What are you talking about, Paulie?¡±


    He glanced around and then lowered his voice.  There was a dark presence in his thoughts, and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure it was the doing of his parasite this time.  ¡°We have an informant for Ooounoo in the station, the leak.  Mack mentioned something about it.  We need to figure out who it is and get them to talk, outside of official channels.  You know what I mean?¡±


    She glanced about the large room again, sergeant Aril had moved off to go and yell at a group of aliens who were tapping the glass of one of the tubes.  He grimaced, he wanted to leave this place.


    Jakiikii grabbed his hand suddenly and pulled him towards the nearby wall and into the shadow of one of the large support pillars.  She pulled up her wrist communicator and dialed a number, he didn''t see the communication address, not that the falling lines of orange alien text would have meant anything to him if he had.  After another moment there was an answering voice over the line.


    A croaking voice seemed to speak a little warily.  It was Flurn.  ¡°Yes, Jakiikii?  What has happened?¡±


    She spoke quickly.  ¡°We need transportation to the precinct, is there a way you can get a ground car sent to us?¡±


    The oniuh doctor didn¡¯t respond right away.  Then they spoke slowly, their croaking voice issuing from the speaker a little tinny as if they were in an enclosed space suddenly.  ¡°You want.. me to come and get you?  From there?¡±  Paulie frowned, something was off about the alien¡¯s demeanour.  But he just brushed the suspicion off, the strange alien was always like that.  A born coward.


    Jakiikii glanced at him again, the pink of her eyes flashing as she seemed to roll them in her petal-like eyestalks.  ¡°No, not you personally, just tell a junior officer to do it.¡±  There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line.  ¡°But you.. know where to send them?  Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She was silent for a second.  ¡°Okay, just send a message when they are on the way.¡±  And she cut the link.


    She had a troubled look on her face, one that spoke of something wrong.  He tapped her shoulder, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She shook her head slowly and opened her mouth slightly as if to speak.  Despite the fact she didn''t speak using her mouth, her vocal chords were set much deeper in her chest in a way that gave her a sort of buzzing tenor.


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    She didn¡¯t get the chance to speak though as somebody shouted her name from across the room.  They turned, Paulie jerking in mild surprise as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  It was officer Sasfren, and given the deep purple and blue of her expression petals, the news was likely upsetting.


    Jakiikii rushed from the cover of the pillar and he struggled to follow as her agile body covered the distance easily.  His first bound took him completely off the ground as his still twitchy muscles caused him to use too much force.  Several of the nearby officers yelled in surprise as they were not familiar with his apparent superhuman abilities, their croaks and hisses sounding to alert others to his mistake.  He landed hard and skidded to a stop before clambering to his feet more gingerly and nursing a fresh bruise.


    By the time he had reached Jakiikii and Sasfren, there was a smallish gathering of other CenSec officers between him and the two.  The muttering was getting to him and he once more jumped to see what all the commotion was about causing the nearest maggastium officer to flinch back in surprise.  The smaller alien¡¯s frill turned a surprised orange and yellow as Paulie catapulted himself four meters into the air, straight up.


    And then he saw it, what officer Sasfren had called Jakiikii over for.  There in front of the aliens was another tube, this one similar to the others except for the occupant it held.  For inside the strange jelly was suspended a familiar shape, albeit with some minor differences.  It was another termaxxi, their alien body unclothed and covered in sensors and wires.  Jakiikii herself was almost pure white, her skin¡¯s chromatophores seemingly checked out.


    It was hard to tell much more than that as he fell back to the ground with a light thud.  He tapped shoulders and muscled his way forward.  Many of the officers grumbling till they saw the grim look on his face and noticed the ridiculous ease with which he pushed their bodies out of the way.  He was a ship breaking through the ice, the remaining aliens parting from before him to leave him standing at the head of the pack.


    Jakiikii heard the commotion and two of her eyes turned around completely to look at him while her body remained facing the other way.  She was kneeling by the tube, her body shuddering slightly as Sasfren patted her upper back in what looked like a comforting way.


    Stepping closer, he looked into the tube.  He was immediately aware of the lack of blood, slight twitches coming from the trapped alien¡¯s body as they seemed to float perfectly suspended in that strange amalgam.  Tubes and other lines snaked from the base of the cruel prison to their body.  Air intake and out, food and waste.  Monitoring lines and such connected to their every function and he saw that the screen at the face of the machine was still lit blue.  A good sign as all the rest of the tubes pulsed a slow and distressing green.


    He stepped closer and asked the obvious question.  ¡°Is that.. her?¡±


    Jakiikii reached out towards him and he stepped to her side as she used his arm to drag herself upright.  Her breathing slits flared as she let out a long shuddering breath.  ¡°Yes.¡±  It was a whisper, a hiss of barely suppressed agony.  But there was also joy in that single syllable too, and so he smiled despite the pain and horror that he still digested among the ruins of his own emotions.


    He gestured towards the tube.  ¡°That is good.  She looks.. well.  She looks like you.¡±  he said, perhaps a little stupidly, Jakiikii¡¯s pale skin flashed a muted tan for a second as she looked his way with four eyes.


    She scoffed a little.  ¡°Yeah, dummy.  No shit.¡±


    He had not heard her sound like that before, a mixture of distressed and relieved.  She was clearly feeling some manner of heavy stress from the entire ordeal, and now this?  He wanted to say something to comfort her, but was unable to muster the right words.  What had he been told a thousand times while his Aunt Margret lay dying from cancer those years ago?  Comforting lies?  He couldn''t, not to Jakiikii.  So instead he put an arm on her shoulder and smiled as she leaned into him a little.  Offering nothing but quiet companionable support.


    They stayed that way for just a moment before she stood and moved a step back.  ¡°I need to leave.  I can¡¯t be here, seeing her like this..¡±  She shook her head, fuzzy neck ruff brushing his arm.


    Officer Sasfren seemed to understand, the expression petals that framed her snakish features turning a muted green.  ¡°I will make sure that they are given proper treatment.  I won''t let them out of my sight.¡±  She tapped her chest in a formal salute, Jakiikii nodded her head.  All six of her eyes looking all around the large clinical room as if trying to escape.


    Paulie guided her away, she seemed two parts stunned and one part furious.  As if she couldn''t tell whether to be angry or just break down into tears.  He knew what she was feeling, he had felt the same way when he had discovered Margret had cancer.  He had raged against an uncaring universe, against karma, against all the powers he could think of that had let it happen.  It had taken him a long time to come to terms with it, actually.. he wasn¡¯t really sure he ever really had.


    They walked away for a bit, him steering her towards the wall again as he tried to distance them from the more prying eyes around the room.  She seemed to slump a little more, her six bright orange eyes looking all around the room as her nearly white skin started to regain a little color.


    She seemed so vulnerable at that moment, so small.  He wanted more than anything to just wrap her in a hug and never let go.  But would it be stepping too far over their boundaries?  He thought it over for a moment, she clearly seemed to feel stronger about him than he might have otherwise hoped.  Could he take the risk?  Could he afford not to?


    ¡®Screw it.¡¯  He muttered internally, nothing ventured, nothing gained.


    He pulled her close to his chest in a tight embrace that at first saw her whole body tense, all six arms pressing against him as if trying to resist.  But as her six eyes swiveled up to look into his face, the pressure lessened and then broke like the wall of a dam as she reciprocated the embrace.  Hugging him tightly as if he was a flotation device on a raging sea, her life depending on staying above the tossing waves.


    Her desperation slowly seemed to fade, the termaxxi pressing her head into his chest as if she were trying to hide from the world.  He felt her hum, low and long.  The sensation strange as he frowned slightly.  ¡°Wait, are you.. purring?¡±


    Jakiikii¡¯s body was pressed tightly to his and so he felt her tense again slightly as he said it.  Maybe it was his tone, or maybe it was something that she was embarrassed by.  She crushed the second opinion as she asked, ¡°What is that?  It didn¡¯t translate.¡±


    He chuckled lightly.  ¡°It¡¯s nothing, the noise you made.  It was.. it caught me a little off guard.¡±  She glanced up again with two of those flexible eyes.  ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±


    The rumbling burr deepened slightly as she nodded into his chest.  ¡°I was so worried.  I couldn''t think of anything but finding Griilm..¡±  She choked slightly and gripped him tighter with all six arms.  Paulie felt a little water in his eyes as he blinked them rapidly, at the moment she wasn¡¯t an alien.  She was a grieving friend, one he cared for deeply.  He raised a hand and slowly patted her back through the dark bodysuit she wore, that strange tickling at the corners of his mind returning.  He heard her mutter something under her breath, far too low for even his hearing to pick up.


    It took a few minutes, but the color of her skin soon returned to its normal mottled browns and tans.  Her breathing grew more steady and she relaxed, with how close she was pressed into him it was nearly impossible for him to miss it.


    He muttered, ¡°So, Griilm huh?¡±


    Jakiikii¡¯s hands gripped a little tighter.  ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He continued, pressing her gently.  ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.. since.. you were separated?¡±


    Again, she gripped a little tighter again before relaxing, this time her head pushed back from him a little as she spoke.  ¡°Yes.  A long time.¡±


    He bit his lip and then smiled a little slyly as he spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t know termaxxi were so fuzzy like that.¡±  This time Jakiikii did push back from him, breaking slightly from his embrace as all six eyes opened and burned into his face.


    She spluttered, her voice taking on a haughty tone.  ¡°What?  You.. you little perv!¡±


    Paulie just laughed, ¡°Well?  It was hard not to notice it.  I have never seen you wear anything else but that full-body suit, so pardon me for being curious with the chance to see what one of you really looked like!  But I guess I was a little surprised that termaxxi are so fluffy.¡±


    Again, that semi-angry tone.  ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t have been looking.  What would you say if I started talking about how weirdly bald you are under your shirt.  And that tuft of fuzz on your head!¡±  One of her hands reached up to flick his hair, first gripping it and then running through it with a bit more grace.


    He raised an eyebrow.  ¡°I would say that I didn¡¯t know you were keeping track.¡±


    Jakiikii snorted, her lower abdomen¡¯s breathing slits flaring as she spoke again, the anger in her voice taking on a bit of a fake veneer as she tried her best to pretend to still be upset.  But even she couldn''t hide the appraising look her eyes gave him as he smirked again.


    ¡°Well.  I wasn¡¯t.¡±  He chuckled and she stepped back and threw a half-hearted punch into his upper arm.


    Paulie winced in fake pain and gripped it.  ¡°Ouch!  Careful, I¡¯m fragile.¡±


    She frowned, her dainty mouth pursing as she looked him up and down.  But the frown quickly turned to a slight smile as she shook her head.  ¡°I can¡¯t help it, you are just too dumb to be mad at.  Like some kind of zoo animal got loose in the holo-theatre.¡±


    He spread his arms and glanced around.  ¡°Well, you know me.  Always doing the dumb stuff so you don¡¯t have to.¡±  He might have been hitting the nail a little hard on the head, but given their macabre surroundings it seemed only appropriate to lighten the mood.


    Jakiikii seemed to get a bit more serious about that and stepped up to hug him again.  The desperation was gone, replaced with a sort of tenderness.  A hug shared between close friends rather.


    As she did so he thought quietly about the activities of the last few hours.  Had it really been so quick?  He took another deep breath, ¡°We will get to the bottom of this.  Who can stop us right?  They will face our judgement, they are just killers.¡±  She nodded into his arms, her slightly smaller stature making him have to stoop to be on her level.


    She looked him in the eyes again, ¡°Yes.  I know.  But.. are we really just killers too?¡±


    He shook his head.  ¡°No, we are the good guys.¡±


    She pressed close to him again, tensing as she asked softly, ¡°Then who kills the killers?¡±


    Paulie didn''t speak.  He didn''t have an answer.

 Chapter 23: Making a Point

    Chapter 23: Making a Point


    Paulie and Jakiikii slowly moved out of that great and terrible room, the gruesome scene falling behind them as he closed his eyes and sighed.  He tried to scrub the images of the dead from his mind, but the horribly still bodies of those stolen souls kept coming back to him over and over.


    Jakiikii stepped closer to his side, not quite touching, but much closer than would have otherwise been needed.  He understood her concern, she had almost lost Mack, could have lost him.  She had found her best friend suspended in a cruel device and locked away from the world in some sort of.. tubular prison.  Kept in some manner of suspended animation, horribly alive in that strange amniotic jelly.


    They exited the space and walked down the long hall alone, the small group of guards eyeing them suspiciously as the vekegh in charge waved them past.


    The alien muttered, ¡°Remember to keep quiet, ya hear?¡±


    Jakiikii didn¡¯t answer but Paulie gave the man a tired nod.  He gestured down the hall a moment later, ¡°Do you remember the way out?¡±


    The termaxxi next to him nodded, her angular head pointing towards their exit even as two of her flexible eye-stalks pivoted towards him.  Her bright eyes glinted in the overhead lights and he smiled reflexively as she spoke tersely.  ¡°Yes.  It¡¯s that way.¡±  She looked away with an eye and then back towards him with two others.  He kept smiling.  ¡°What?¡±  She asked him, a little self conscious sounding, as if he had pointed out something in her teeth.  She had no teeth though.


    Paulie just shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I feel torn.  On one hand, I am horrified, all those people.. humans, I mean, dead.  But on the other hand.. you found Griilm.  She is alive!¡±


    Jakiikii¡¯s face seemed to darken, her mottled skin flashing a deeper brown for a second as she seemed to lose herself in thought.  She passed a hand over her triangular snout, ¡°Yes.  But it was years ago, what did they do to her in the meantime?  Is she still in there, is that even really her, and not just her body?¡±  She punched the wall with a primary hand, the meaty thud making Paulie wince slightly.  That must have hurt.


    She pulled her hand back with a slight wince and he immediately reached out and took it firmly.  She tried to pull it away from him but while she was strong, many times stronger than the average alien he had found, she was completely at his mercy in this regard as he tensed his high gravity muscles.


    ¡°Let go.¡±  She said, her expression darkening as she seemed to try to pull back.


    ¡°Why.¡±  He asked, stopping her in her tracks.


    She took a second to halt and ceased trying to pry his hands from her own.  Cocking her head slightly, she asked.  ¡°What do you mean, why?¡±


    Paulie sighed internally.  He didn¡¯t want to say it, but he needed to.  ¡°Jakiikii, you are blaming yourself too hard for this.¡±  She glared at him as he said it, and she jerked her arm again.  He let her go this time as she took a step back, hurt radiating from her like heat from a smouldering fire.


    She started talking, ¡°It is my fault.  I know it is, if I hadn¡¯t gone out for food, if I had stayed with her..¡±


    ¡°Then Ooounoo would have taken you both.  And I would never have met you, and Mack would never have met you.  And you would have been gone forever.  And that would have been a true tragedy.¡±  he said quickly, cutting her off.


    Her breathing slits flared as she let out a deep breath, a rumble emanating from deep in her black-suited chest.  ¡°You..¡±  She stopped and then seemed to deflate slightly.  ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    Now it was Paulie¡¯s turn to be a little surprised.  ¡°You know?  What do you mean, that you know that it¡¯s not your fault but you are blaming yourself anyways?


    She nodded, skin flashing pale for a second.


    He shook his head.  ¡°You feel guilty, you.. have survivor''s guilt?  Jakiikii, that¡¯s serious.  Did you ever talk to Mack about this?¡±


    She folded four of her six arms, the middle and smallest pairs respectively as she leaned her shoulder against the same white wall she had assaulted only a moment before.  ¡°No.  Well, yes.. at first.  But I don¡¯t know if he ever really understood what I meant.¡±


    He wanted to tell her he knew what she was feeling, that he could understand.  But he wasn¡¯t really sure that would be fair.  So instead he just shrugged, ¡°Well, at the end of the day you know that he loves you.  You and him are like family, he treats you like a daughter.¡±  She nodded her head sadly at the mention of Mack.


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    ¡°He took care of me when the system wanted to lock me away.  He taught me to speak and to live, but I was always afraid that they would come for me too.  So he trained me to defend myself, to shoot.  And then when enough time had passed, he got me this job as his assistant.¡±


    Paulie smiled.  ¡°Well, he must just have a soft spot for strays then.¡±  She looked at him slowly, ¡°He took me in too.¡±  This comment made her smile a little at least.


    ¡°And I am glad he did.¡±  Jakiikii uncrossed her arms.


    Paulie smiled a little wider, he wanted to hug her again.  But they needed to move.  She must have been thinking the same thing, their outpouring of feelings was nice, but they had things they needed to do and not a lot of time to do them.


    She cleared her breathing vents, the coughing noise catching his attention.  ¡°Well.. we should keep going.  If Flurn sent our pickup when I called him then it should be here soon.¡±  She hesitated on the oniuh¡¯s name again, and he jolted his head a little.


    She had a point, as mysterious as the underlying motive might have been.  They moved on with purpose, small talk and muted conversation occupying them as they tried their best to change the topic back to lighter themes.  Talking of malls and drinks, iced desserts and nutri-cubes.  It took them a few more minutes to get to the main access corridor of the building.  The halls changed back to that off-white textured wallpaper that reminded him of any other soulless corporate head office.  A small taste of the familiar amid the chaos of his new life.


    Jakiikii and Paulie walked to a small group of CenSec officers, the lead one stepped away from the pack, Pualie noticed they looked familiar.  The tall, lanky heechian took a few steps towards them with their long electron rifle held low in a relaxed grip, one other long arm raised in greeting as a grimace split their dog-like features.  It must have constituted a positive display as Officer Geltor greeted them politely.


    ¡°Jakiikii, Paulie!  Terrible news about Mack I heard.  But you got Ooounoo they are saying, knocked her down on her green tentacled ass from what the rumors are saying?¡±  The tall alien¡¯s six eyes blinked all at once, clearly they were waiting to hear the juicy details from them.


    Jakiikii nodded hesitantly and glanced towards Paulie as if asking for his support.  He was reminded that she was not often well treated by the other officers, many of them being cold or even downright hostile to her when Mack wasn¡¯t around.


    He glanced towards the other officers as Jakiikii laid out the short version of the events that had transpired.  She omitted a few details and added a few others that he must not have noticed in the heat of the moment, all in all it was a generally quick but interesting tale.  And the lanky alien man scratched one of his long purple and black mottled ears as he shrugged.


    ¡°Sounds like a snebbing nightmare.  Good work though, you too Paulie.  I guess you turned out to be less of a mindless predator than they said you were huh?¡±  While the statement was likely not made to be meanspirited, it still made him frown.  It reminded him that he was still a stranger here, despite appearances.


    He shrugged and stepped past the man, ¡°Yeah.  I guess not.  Not to you anyways, tell that to Ooounoo¡¯s hired guns.¡±  The heechian¡¯s face paled a little, clearly they must have heard some rumors about Paulie¡¯s berserk rampage and the destruction that followed.


    One of the other alien¡¯s sneered, causing Paulie to stop and turn.  It was a particularly stumpy looking ikkian.  Their small, shrimp-like body was layered in interlocking plates of chitinous armour like a crustacean.  Their beady rainbow colored eyes turned his way on their short stalks as they clicked several pairs of dull pincers on their chest.  ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t do anything, I have heard about you Urenians.  Apocalypsers?  Hah, I don¡¯t believe all the fluff that they say online about how tough you are.¡±


    Paulie didn¡¯t care what the small shrimp alien said or thought.  He wasn¡¯t in need of validation or their respect, and so he was fully prepared to let it go.


    And then the asshole just had to keep talking as they saw their comment elicited no response, their slightly gurgling accent not helped by the strange respirator they wore to keep their gills wet.  ¡°Yeah, keep walking.  You should have been exterminated along with the rest of those dumb *click-hiss*.  You and that termaxxi scum too.¡±  Jakiikii growled low in her chest and at least one other officer began muttering under their breath.


    Great.  Not only was the little shit an asshole, but they were a space racist too it seemed.  To his credit, officer Geltor reprimanded the other trooper.  ¡°Sliss¡¯ssk!  Way out of line, I won¡¯t tolerate that kind of behaviour from one of my officers.¡±


    But Pualie just raised a hand to stop the heechian.  ¡°No, it¡¯s quite alright.¡±  He looked at the offending alien and gave his best creepy smile, making sure not to let the light of it reach his eyes as he narrowed his vision.  ¡°You know, on my home world we have a creature that looks a lot like you, though a little smaller.  We call it a lobster, and they are considered a delicacy amongst my people.¡±  The ikkie looked a little taken aback, but Paulie pushed on.  Making sure to loom over the surrounding aliens, if he was to be feared then he would make sure they had good reason.


    ¡°Yes, we tend to boil them alive as it better preserves the flavour of their terror before we tear them apart with our bare hands.  I do quite enjoy a nice lobster bisque or roll myself, though I have been missing them terribly since I was taken away from my own savage world.¡±  He punctuated it with a decidedly evil leer that sent the offending officer scurrying away in a panic as they let out what was either a scream or the sound of air rapidly releasing from their carapaced body.


    Paulie smiled for real now and threw his head back, laughing perhaps a little too hard.  Officer Geltor looked disturbed, but didn¡¯t comment directly.  Several other officers looked like they were stuck between being sick or impressed, it didn¡¯t seem as though the ¡®good¡¯ officer Sliss¡¯ssk was that popular.  None of the others offered a word in the departed alien¡¯s defense anyway.


    Paulie nodded to Geltor.  ¡°Thanks, but I had everything under control.¡±


    The heechian nodded his angular head, long ears flicking as he just blinked all six eyes at once.  ¡°I can see that.  Was that really necessary?¡±  he asked, a little hesitantly.


    Paulie smiled widely, revealing blunt teeth.  ¡°Of course.  You know what they say?¡±  The other alien shook their head with a jerky motion.  ¡°Never let a good story die from lack of embellishment.¡±


    And with that he gestured towards Jakiikii and walked past the wary looking CenSec officers towards the main atrium.


    As they got a bit farther away Jakiikii muttered, ¡°Thanks Paulie.  I hate people like that, they don¡¯t see the world as it is, instead only as they wish it to be.  They are narrow minded and dull, idiots.¡±  She spat with some mild venom.  He got the distinct impression that she was complaining about more than just the ikkian he had sent scurrying.


    Paulie rubbed a hand through his hair as they passed the last checkpoint, the pair of bored looking officers giving their ident cards quick checks before waving them through tiredly.  As they stepped out onto the sidewalk, he turned to her and asked, ¡°That wasn¡¯t just about that asshole, was it?¡±


    She folded her longest pair of arms while the others continued to fidget.  ¡°No.  It¡¯s been a.. recurrent issue.¡±  Three of her eyes looked his way without her head moving and he raised an eyebrow.  She had spent enough time with him by now to understand what the gesture meant, and so she continued.  ¡°Well, I was always an outcast.  Long before I was taken in, long before I was discovered.  The termaxxi were scattered across the Intercession like a handful of discarded sand.¡±  She seemed to trail off, her husky voice turning to a whisper.


    Paulie stepped closer to her side, ¡°But now you have friends.  Mack, and me.¡±


    Jakiikii gave him a small smile, the bubblegum pink tip of her long hollow tongue peeking from her mouth as she nodded slightly.  Her skin flashed a slightly paler shade and she seemed to appraise him closely.  After a minute she agreed quietly, ¡°Yes.  Yes.. I do.¡±

 Chapter 24: Uncertainty

    Chapter 24: Uncertainty


    Standing there on the sidewalk with his best friend on the whole planet, Paulie looked to his alien companion.  ¡°How long do you think it¡¯s going to take it to get here?¡±


    The termaxxi crossed her middle pair of arms while scratching her chin with one of her longer upper arms.  ¡°It should have been here by now.  That is of course assuming that Flurn actually did know where to send it.¡±


    That made him pause.  ¡°Wait, did Flurn know where to send it?¡±


    Jakiikii seemed to squint several of her eyes.  The flexible petal-like growths they were attached to swiveling his way.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why he would.  I was thinking about that earlier, but I don¡¯t seem to remember Mack bringing him up to date on the details of today¡¯s mission.  And we already had a few field medics here in case things got out of hand.  You know, for obvious reasons he didn¡¯t want to put him in such a high stress environment.¡±  She finished with a snort, her breathing slits flaring.


    They both paused as she seemed to think it over.  ¡°You don¡¯t think that Flurn was..¡±  She looked around as if there was anyone within eavesdropping distance in the deserted lot, ¡°Snooping?¡±


    Paulie shrugged.  The nervous little alien didn¡¯t seem like the type.  ¡°Nah, no way.  I once saw him knock himself out when he accidentally stepped on an old candy bar wrapper.  He is probably the biggest coward in the whole station, no way he would be capable of covertly acting behind anyone¡¯s back.  Mack must have told him.¡±


    Even as he said it he felt a mild tinge of suspicion, that ancient human instinct to mistrust the facts.  Flurn was a coward sure, but he was also incredibly smart.  Smarter maybe than most gave the small oniuh doctor credit for.  Even in his field he was renowned for his medical acumen.


    He thought about it harder, the way the small man was always in the background but rarely spoke.  The beady way his eyes would seem to watch and observe.  Could it be, could that small frog-like alien really be the leak that had almost cost Mack his life?  His fists clenched as the anger started seeping back, and while he succeeded in pressing it back down he noticed once more that it was getting harder and harder to do.  That damn parasite was still fighting him.


    He raised his wrist and started tapping on his communicator, the small watch-like device chirping insistently at him as he input the only other address he could think of off the top of his head.  Jakiikii just watched with mild curiosity as the device buzzed a few more times.  It stopped, the screen changing to a mass of seething darkness, no not darkness.  A myriad of writhing black tentacles or vines filled the view, red spots all turning to look at him through the screen.


    A slurping, slithery voice burbled through the speakers like wet mud sloshing over rotting timber, the sound of it sticking in his brain unpleasantly despite the fact it¡¯s owner was far away.  ¡°This is Rozz.  What do you require, human.¡±  It wasn''t so much a question as it was a demand.


    In response Paulie glanced towards Jakiikii and then asked the slithering mass that was the Complex¡¯s equivalent of a secretary.  He cleared his throat, always a little uncomfortable talking to Rozz.  ¡°Hey.. Rozz.  It¡¯s Paulie, the human as you so put it.¡±  There was no response but he got the distinct impression that the dozens of small red eyes were now glaring at him.  ¡°I was just wondering if a vehicle was dispatched to the raid location to pick me and Jakiikii up yet?¡±


    While Rozz might not have been directly implicated in the raid, they were literally tied into every system and part of the main Adjudicator¡¯s building and would have at least some idea of everything that happened inside.  The thing seemed to be some manner of biological supercomputer from what he had seen.


    This time the words did seem to have an effect on the creature.  Multiple of the Rozz¡¯s tendrils recoiling slightly as they seemed to focus on him more intently.  ¡°This query piques my interest, when was this request to Flurn placed?¡±


    Paulie kicked a small pebble off the sidewalk and stepped out onto the blacktop of the parking lot as he turned and looked at Jakiikii, his wrist raised close to his head so he could get a better look at the screen.  He shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know.  Twenty, maybe twenty five minutes ago?¡±


    Now the withering mass closed in on the screen, a single larger tentacle emerging from the mass to peer at him.  ¡°This is most informative.  Flurn left the complex soon after your vehicles departed.  Almost as if they had some foreknowledge of the event that they should not have.¡±  The larger tentacle blinked, the first time Paulie had seen the thing do so.  ¡°I have detected an encrypted data stream sent from Flurn¡¯s personal computer just before they departed, but it was well hidden and scrubbed.  It will take me some time to attempt to recover the data and the destination.¡±


    Paulie¡¯s eyes flicked back to Jakiikii.  This was looking more and more damning by the second.  He looked at Rozz through the screen as he kicked a pebble with his idle foot, ¡°Are you aware that Mack had suspicions that there was a traitor in the ranks?¡±


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    Rozz was silent for more than the time it would have taken them to simply answer.  After an uncomfortable silence they spoke, that gurgling voice somehow conveying a sense of danger.  ¡°I have detected a string of hidden messages that all seem to have originated from Flurn.  In addition to them there were also two other suspicious departures at the same time, though none of them seemed to have contact with each other.  It is likely they may have been independent agents...¡±  They went silent abruptly.


    Jakiikii had stepped closer to better hear, ¡°And?¡±  She prompted.


    Rozz replied slowly, almost hesitantly.  ¡°There is a problem.¡±


    Paulie was a little taken aback, the quasi-quantum hyper-hivemind that was Rozz never hesitated.  Never outwardly showed emotion, nor fear.  But the alien seemed to show fear now, their many tendrils recoiling in upon themselves as they exclaimed with what to them must have been violent emotion.  ¡°My prying was detected by another.  I must leave, I need to uncover the alternate immediately.  I have dispatched a groundcar to your location, it will be there soon.¡±  Once more the creature seemed to almost hesitate.  Then it spoke, ¡°Be wary, there is foul plotting afoot.¡±  And the link severed.


    Paulie stepped back towards Jakiikii and then looked around the parking lot.  It was conspicuously empty.  No officers, no civilians.  Nothing but the distant sound of crowds and the hissing of the wind over sharp corners.


    Tapping his commie, he asked Jakiikii, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The slightly shorter alien seemed at a loss.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think, Paulie.  I have known Flurn for years.. thought I knew him that is.  Then this?¡±  She covered her head with her upper hands, her eyes folding against her head as she paled.  ¡°My world is crumbling Paulie!¡±  She cried, her normally husky tenor rising in pitch.


    He stepped to her side and placed a comforting hand on her uppermost arm.  ¡°Then let me help you put it back together.¡±


    She uncovered her eyes and nodded slowly, leaning into him a little.  ¡°You..¡±  He felt that tingle around the edges of his mind once more as all six of her eyes closed part of the way.  Her knees wobbled slightly as she seemed to almost pass out, but she caught herself as the tingling in his head went away.


    He gave her a concerned look as he cocked his head slightly.  ¡°Are you okay?  We can take you by the medics office if you are feeling unwell.¡±  It had been a stressful day, they had been shot at and nearly killed more than once.


    But much to his surprise she shivered and then straightened, her voice slurring for just a moment before she regained most of her composure.  ¡°Nno-oO.  I¡¯m.. fine.  Really.  I just, it has been a long day and I am tired and hungry.  I am sure I will feel better after some food and rest.¡±  She said it quickly, almost defensively, but Paulie didn¡¯t want to point it out or antagonise the termaxxi any further.  She had been through a hell of a day, hell, they both had.


    He nodded dumbly instead.  ¡°Yeah.  me too, you want to come over to my place for lunch then?  No reason to eat alone when..¡±  She looked at him, her triangular almost goat-like head swiveling up to see him better.


    She cut him off with a waved arm.  ¡°No, but thank you for that offer.. Paulie.¡±  She heaved a deep breath and he could have sworn he heard her whimper slightly as she gestured to him.  ¡°What I need more than companionship at the moment is sleep.  Truly, that is all.¡±  She paused.  ¡°Oh, I think that¡¯s our ride.¡±


    Paulie turned to see what she had gestured to and indeed from across the barren blacktop he saw a single CenSec groundcar.  A rare sight in the densely packed city of Korscam, most beings seemed to prefer the ample public transportation.  It had gotten here quickly, maybe it had been stationed nearby?  He and Jakiikii were both special cases, not to be mingling with the populace alone and unguarded.  Paulie shook his head and chuckled slightly, the noise making Jakiikii lurch slightly and glance at him surreptitiously with several eyes.


    He pretended not to notice, but man she was acting strange.  He surmised that she really must have been tired, and he could understand why.  After the events of the last hour anyone not made of steel would have been craving the sweet release of unconsciousness.


    A part of him was still worried about Mack, but until the miriam detective was stable there was really nothing Paulie could do.  And as long as there was nothing he could do, he decided not to worry himself overmuch about it.  The police cruiser pulled up next to them and stopped aggressively.  Paulie noted that while it seemed to roll about on wheels much like the armoured cars had, these were different.  Seemingly made out of some dark shimmering material that looked like it was as malleable as rubber but seemed to be solid all the way through and made a peculiar pinging sound as it was compressed slightly under the weight of the vehicle.


    He opened the door and then paused, ushering Jakiikii to enter first.  ¡°Ladies first.¡±  He quipped, smiling widely at her.


    She gave him another curious look and smiled with her eyes as she thanked him.  One of her six arms gripping him as she hoisted herself into the back.  He hopped in behind her and they settled themselves as the car¡¯s unusual driver turned its head to look at them.


    It was an alien Paulie had never seen before.  Its palid skin looked a sickly shade of greyish green, though not knowing its natural state that could have been a glowing endorsement of health instead.  Either way, it clacked its long hooked beak and squawked at them coarsely, ¡°Where am I taking ye?¡±


    He looked at Jakiikii, she looked as tired as he felt.  Her eyes were drooping on their petal-like stalks and her chin rested against her fluffy neck ruff.  He nodded to himself and then gave the address of the new safehouse they had been quartered at.  With this information, the strange avian alien turned up the scanner and stepped on the gas, really hammered it down in fact.  He was pressed into the multi-species bucket seat by the force of the acceleration but as he was in the back of a patrol car there were no seatbelts or other potentially dangerous restraint devices.  So he gripped the sides of the seat and held on as their driver did their best imitation of Nascar and screamed through the nearby streets.


    He had expected the route to be full of people.  The teeming crowds of colorful alien shoppers and day-goers normally choked the city¡¯s narrow streets.  But they were empty, conspicuously so.  At least for a few blocks around the raid, but as they got farther away the crowds began to reassert themselves.  But their psychotic driver switched on their lights and sirens, these crowds quickly seemed to melt out of the road before the rolling pain that hurtled their way.


    The near frantic pace was soon halted as the groundcar slowed to a halt in front of their building.  The driver turned to give them a self satisfied look.  ¡°My apol-geez for the roughness of the transit.  But I was informed by superior to engage the vehicle with all possible haste.  You are in great danger it said.¡±  they stopped at that, looking at them blankly as if expecting Paulie to explain to them why they had been so inconvenienced.  But he just shrugged.


    The officer clacked their sharp beak in frustration and then unlocked the doors remotely.  Waving for them to go, Paulie did so.  Grabbing Jakiikii¡¯s arm to help her out of the vehicle, they only just had time to clear the door before the alien once more slammed on the gas and was gone amid a small cloud of dust and acrid fumes.


    He shook his head and coughed as he covered his mouth.  ¡°Well.  That was unexpected.¡±  he turned and then lurched back as Jakiikii nearly stumbled into him.  ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡±


    She nodded her head and muttered something he couldn''t make out despite his exceptional hearing.  Pointing to the building she muttered again and he slowly helped his exhausted friend as they made their way through the entrance back toward home.

 Chapter 25: Admissions

    Chapter 25: Admissions


    Paulie stumbled up the last flight of stairs, Jakiikii practically hanging off his shoulder.  It wasn¡¯t that her weight was any hindrance to him, in fact under the light gravity of Gike he was sure he could have simply picked the alien female up and carried her to her bed bridal-carry style.  But he was uncertain of the way that might be received, so instead he supported her as she huffed her way up the stairs.


    He had no idea what had happened, one minute she seemed fine and the next she was acting like a barely functioning rag-doll, pressing close to him for support and clinging to him like he was flotsam in a stormy sea.  He attributed the sudden lack of fortitude in his friend to the shock of the day, his own body craved the release of sleep after all that he had been through though it was only mid-afternoon on the world.  His ribs still hurt and the painkillers he had taken earlier were quickly wearing off.  All he wanted to do was take a quick shower, rub on some quickheal and go to sleep.


    But before that, he had a friend to take care of.


    Jakiikii muttered suddenly, ¡°I hope they can revive her.¡±  Paulie patted her back comfortingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Jakiikii.  Griilm will be fine, I am sure they will get her fixed up in no time.  If she is anything like you then she will be fine, you are probably one of the toughest people on the whole planet.¡±


    The termaxxi clung to him a little harder.  Her upper body pressing into his shoulder almost painfully as she laid her head against his shoulder.  ¡°Yes.  I know that, but.. a part of me, a greater part, still feels the loss too strongly.  I should have stayed, I left her again!¡±  She wailed the last part, but he shushed her quickly.  Not out of worry about the noise, the entire floor they were on was unoccupied as per Mack¡¯s instructions to the landlord, but instead in a near-futile attempt to comfort her.


    It didn¡¯t work and instead of quieting the alien it only made her become more emotional.  ¡°Why am I the one who had to go get the food, it was her turn that day!¡±  Another few steps, she scrabbled at his armoured chest, the motion tugging at his greatcoat.  ¡°We were only still there because it seemed so safe, I remember it vividly.  It seemed too good to be true, and it was.  It was probably a trap from the beginning!¡±


    He shook his head.  She was distraught, her breathing coming in labored wheezes, the slits to the lower sides of her torso flaring as she cried.  Paulie was a bit at a loss.  He wasn¡¯t really sure what to do with the traumatised alien woman.  He didn¡¯t want to leave her alone, but then again neither did he want to intrude on her privacy.  He tried to think, what would he have done back on Earth if she had been a close grieving friend?


    Well, he would likely have offered to keep her company if she were a human woman, but she wasn¡¯t human.  Not by a long shot.  He realised with some curiosity that the fact didn¡¯t seem to bother him all that much though.  She was a friend, and one for whom he cared deeply.


    They reached her door and he watched as she fished the small emerald green crystal lasercard from her suit.  The cleverly concealed pockets hidden under the tactical vest she wore over the top.  She tried to put the card in the slot but fumbled it, she managed to catch it with one of her smaller third pair of arms before successfully unlocking the door to her room.  The door loosing a small buzz as it was unlocked.


    She tugged on him strongly as the door opened but he hesitated, digging in his heels as she seemed to want to pull him inside.


    ¡°Come on in, I am not going to bite.¡±  She chuckled and stuck out a few centimeters of her proboscis-like tongue.  ¡°I literally can¡¯t.¡±  She said with a brighter look, but he remained stubbornly in place.


    Shaking his head he responded, ¡°No, but thanks for the invitation.  But I need to get some rest too, and if we sit and talk for a while I don¡¯t think I am going to get much sleep.  Maybe make something to eat, you still have some frubble juice I take it?¡±


    She stepped inside her room backwards, one long arm going to her hip as she waved one of her middle arms at him.  ¡°Sure I do, do you want a glass?¡±  He frowned.  Okay, she was definitely trying to get him to come in.  But a small part of him didn¡¯t really think it was a good idea still


    She seemed to frown now, her normally mottled skin¡¯s chromatophores twitching as she changed her tone with a small exasperated sigh.  ¡°What is wrong with you Paulie?¡±


    He blinked, that was a bit of a different reaction than he had been expecting.  ¡°Uh, what do you mean?¡±  He took a slight involuntary step back as she followed him.


    She waved a hand, all of her previous exhaustion seemingly forgotten as her bright orange pupils narrowed.  ¡°I mean, can you not see me?¡±  He looked at her.  She was quite visible.


    She continued, her words stabbing him in the heart.  ¡°Is it because of what I am?  Who I am?¡±  He opened his mouth to tell her that, but she cut him off with a wave and took another step towards him.  He stood his ground, she seemed mad, but not violently so.  More.. frustrated, than anything.


    He cleared his throat.  He was getting an idea of what she might be talking about, but he wanted to hear her say it.  To confirm it to him what she had hinted at earlier that day.  ¡°I see you.¡±  Paulie told Jakiikii softly.  She stopped, only a step away now.  She still looked tired.. and maybe a little upset.  But no longer angry, no longer afraid.


    She nodded her head.  Those bright eyes of hers shining in the light of the hall.  ¡°You do?  I mean, of course you do.  You have always been there, right on the edge.  But today..¡±  She seemed to kick herself internally.  She whispered, this time barely loud enough for him to overhear even as close as he was.  ¡°Shit, what am I doing?¡±


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    He gave her a small smile and answered the question he was clearly not supposed to have overheard.  ¡°You are doing what you feel is right I can only assume.¡±


    Jakiikii flashed pale and covered her chest with two hands as she straightened quickly.  ¡°Oh!  Your damned super-hearing again..¡±  She seemed to look around, hopping from tri-cloven hoofed foot to foot in that cute way she did when she got excited or nervous.  Finally she stopped and looked at him.  Paulie wanted to tell her something too, but had not been able to find the words to say it.  Maybe now was the time?  He opened his mouth to speak, and then Jakiikii grumbled, ¡°Aww, screw it.¡±


    The alien woman crossed the space between them with a single step, her four lower arms wrapping around his chest as her two longest arms pulled his head down to her face.  And she kissed him.


    The first thing he felt was of course surprise.  That she was kissing him.  That an alien culture would share such an innately intimate concept.  Maybe it was the last vestiges of the shock wearing off, but he found himself almost completely petrified for a moment as she hugged him tighter in that hypnotic embrace.


    Now, Paulie was no stranger to the concept of love.  He had been in relationships before, several times things had even progressed along well past the awkward stage.  But none of them had ever really felt right to him, little things cropped up.  Differences he found difficult to reconcile at the time.  But Jakiikii was different, something about the termaxxi had always caught his attention.  From the very first moment he had seen her, he had almost felt a sort of inexorable pull to her.  Like she had been calling out to him from across the stars, like she knew him.


    And now he was being pulled to her for real, her six strong arms wrapping him in an iron grip that he would have struggled to extricate himself from had he wanted to.  But he didn¡¯t.


    Paulie allowed himself to lean into the shorter alien.  Their differences in biology taking second place as she ran alien fingers through the hair on the back of his head.  She had no lips really to speak of, but her small mouth seemed well matched to his own and as she held him he felt the tip of her long tongue as it poked his own lightly.


    After a moment she seemed to remember that Paulie required his mouth to breathe, unlike her, and she broke the endless loop.


    Paulie had to admit it, in that moment he was breathless.  And it was not for lack of air.  The stirrings in his heart had burst forth into something else, some new emotion he had never really felt this strongly before.  Almost as soon as it happened he felt the parasite stir in his consciousness, the vile leech trying to take some small measure of this energy for itself.  And he fought it away, hoarding his new happiness to himself.


    Almost as if she could sense his thoughts, Jakiikii asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?  Paulie?¡±


    He shook his head, the screams that echoed through his mind were not his own.  ¡°I.. I am just a little surprised.  That¡¯s all.¡±


    She threw up one pair of arms in apparent exasperation.  ¡°Really?  You must be the most thickheaded person I have ever met, figures that I can¡¯t read you like the others..¡±  She muttered, and then froze as he gave her a funny look.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±  He asked, his interest piqued.


    She rolled her shoulders and reached for his head again, but this time instead of pulling it down for a kiss, she instead cradled it like it were a priceless faberge egg.  She hesitated, and then began, ¡°I.. can read people, Paulie.  Their thoughts.¡±  She spoke quickly as he looked at her funny, ¡°Not like their actual thoughts.  More like, impressions.  Feelings.  What they are thinking is layered behind a mask of emotions that I can read if I try hard enough..¡±  She turned his head slightly.  ¡°But not you.¡±


    All at once it clicked.  She was a telepathic empath or something like that, but.. that meant..


    ¡°You were there to let Mack know if I had dangerous intent.¡±  He said, gesturing to her.


    She glanced around, her voice hissing low as if she were afraid they might be overheard.  ¡°What!  I don¡¯t know..¡±  He gave her a pointed look.  ¡°I.. well, the secret¡¯s out of the bag for sure now.¡±  She stood back a bit and crossed her arms, all six of them.  ¡°I guess, you could say that I was there as a bulwark.  And backup in case you decided to go rogue.¡±


    He opened his mouth in mild indignation.  But then closed it immediately after, it was fair.  They hadn¡¯t known him, as far as they knew he had just been an exceptionally intelligent wild animal.  How would he have felt if a New York lion escaped its cage in the zoo and started asking directions back to the African savanna?


    He nodded.  ¡°I understand.¡±


    She seemed a little surprised at that.  ¡°You do?¡±


    He waved at her, ¡°But I am sure you already gleaned that with your.. superpowers.  You probably knew how I felt this whole time, god I am so stupid.  How long did you know how I felt?¡±


    Now it was his turn to look confused as she answered quietly, dancing from foot to foot in her nervousness.  ¡°I uh.. I didn¡¯t.. know, that is.¡±


    Paulie frowned and crossed his own arms as he cocked his head.  His mind was still reeling a bit from the unexpected kiss, but not so fogged as to completely render him inept.  ¡°But I thought you said..¡±  She looked at him, those six bright orange eyes with their bubblegum pink sclera looking at him so imploringly.  She wanted him to understand, no, she needed him to understand.  ¡°You said.  You said, not me.  Why did you say that, you can¡¯t read me you mean?¡±


    Jakiikii nodded her head.  ¡°Your mind is like a wall to me, like those of a fortress.  Their strength, I have never seen another with such mental defenses in all my life.  I will admit that it at first terrified me, in the alley when you saw me.  I realised that I could not read you, and I fled.¡±  She hung her head and he took a small step towards her, but she continued on.  ¡°I told Mack that I ran because I was in danger of being discovered.¡±


    Now that made Paulie pause.  ¡°Wait, you lied?  To Mack?¡±  She nodded, shame and some other emotion warring on her alien features.  ¡°But that means you knew, you knew in the interrogation room that you were unable to read me.¡±  he accused.


    Jakiikii shrank a little and nodded silently again.


    He shook his own head, looking around the empty hall and then back at her.  His arms hung to his sides as he tried to understand.  ¡°But.. why?¡±


    Jakiikii hugged herself tightly.  ¡°Because, they would have killed you if they knew.¡±


    This single admission stabbed him like a dagger to the heart and he stumbled slightly.  Holding the door frame as he realised how close he had truly come to the end.  ¡°You.¡±  He gasped as he finally understood.  ¡°You saved my life then, twice before I even knew you?¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°Yes, I did.¡±  Now he had to know.  He reached out and she took his hand in two of her own, the distance between them shrinking both physically and emotionally.


    ¡°But, why?¡±  Was all Paulie could think to ask the trembling alien.


    Jakiikii smiled, her eyes and mouth all showing her emotions as clear to him now as they would have been on another human.  ¡°Because I knew what you felt like, to be alone and hunted.  To be cast aside simply for what you are, with no consideration for who you were.¡±


    Paulie understood.


    ¡°I.. was you..¡±  he breathed, the depths of emotion bridging the last of the gap that remained between them.


    She nodded, and he pulled her into a desperate hug.  This time initiating the contact was easy.  He felt like they understood each other fully now.  They got along so well, even from the beginning, and now he knew why.  They really were made for each other and in that moment he decided.  There was no more lying to her or himself.


    He pushed her back slightly and wiped a tear from one of her six eyes.  Smiling, he finally admitted it aloud.  ¡°Jakiikii.  I love you.¡±


    She nodded and butted her head into his shoulder as one hand cradled the back of his head.  ¡°I know, I have known for a while.  I might not be able to read your mind, but I have always been able to read your heart.  Because it is the same as mine.¡±


    Paulie broke.  That perfect response melted the cage that had held his heart, and he cried.  He cried for a long time, and Jakiikii cried with him.

 Chapter 26: Wake Up Call

    Chapter 26: Wake Up Call


    The next two days passed in a blur for Paulie.  They were full of long talks with Jakiikii, time spent learning more about their respective cultures and watching strange alien shows while sitting with her on the large bean-bag cushion.  In that time he grew closer to her, but he still had a hard time thinking of her as a girlfriend rather than just a good friend.  Then she would draw him into another kiss and his world would change just a little bit more in her six-armed embrace.


    Sitting on the large bean-bag-like cushion in Jakiikii¡¯s room, she was hugging his wide chest with two arms and resting her angular head in the nape of his neck as they listened to yet another strange alien show.  The television-like device in front of them played some alien historical action movie about something called the battle of Gellor Prime.  It was action packed and violent, a good fit for a lazy morning.


    Jakiikii¡¯s secondary arms sought out his hand again and she took it in her own, her long alien fingers wrapping around his hand tenderly as she seemed to explore his digits with boundless fascination.


    He chuckled at her softly.  ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    She looked up at him without moving her head, one of those petal-like eye stalks turning to glance up into his face.  Her color changing skin paled slightly as she breathed in, her back vents flaring slightly as they were a little blocked by her position lying against him.  ¡°I was.. just thinking about you.¡±


    He smiled at the termaxxi again, turning his gaze from the small alien TV that was sitting against the drab white wall.  Raising a single eyebrow, Paulie asked her, ¡°Oh yeah?  In what manner?¡±  He might have added a bit of a prying to the comment, but he decided that she would tell him if she wanted to.  And no amount of him pressing her would get her to talk if she decided not to.  Something he had discovered quickly after meeting her.


    Jakiikii pushed herself up with a snort, her husky voice emanating from deep in her chest cavity as she turned to him and spoke.  Her face remained somewhat impassive as she looked at him.  ¡°Well, I was thinking about you.¡±  She hesitated, ¡°And me.  And what the future might hold.¡±


    Paulie nodded, he had been thinking about it increasingly too.  He had strong feelings for her, stronger in fact than any he had ever felt for another before that he could recall.


    She continued on, ¡°Well.  My kind are a solitary race, for the most part.  But we do form strong bonds with those that we trust and see as kin.  And I just wanted to tell you that.. well, I think that you are the most compatible person I have ever met.¡±  She flushed pale white for a moment as she said it, but to him it didn¡¯t really sound like an embarrassing admission.  More like a generous compliment.


    So he smiled and thanked her, giving her a small hug.  ¡°Aww, thanks Jakiikii.  That¡¯s really nice, I think you are very compatible too.¡±  She flushed an even paler shade of white that slowly darkened but didn¡¯t fully change back to her normally mottled tone.


    He felt a tickling along the corners of his mind and gave her a half smile.  ¡°I can feel that you know.¡±


    She chirped.  ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, I just...  When you..¡±  She flushed again and he frowned.


    What had he just said?  Did her admission and his nonchalant response have a deeper significance than a simple gesture of mutual goodwill?


    He was about to ask when her commie buzzed at her, his own chirped insistently from his wrist only a moment later.  Answering them, they were both met with two separate faces, she had the pink skinned features of Sergeant Aril while his screen showed the snake-feline features of Officer Sasfren, her expression petals opened wide and displaying a mottling of orange and green.


    Both began speaking at the same time, the onrush of words and implications causing both of them to jump to their feet.  Looking at each other they simply nodded their heads and he rushed to go and put on his shoes as Jakiikii got more details out of Sergeant Aril.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake?!¡±  Paulie panted out as he and Jakiikii sprinted down the long carpeted hall towards the stairwell, the low gravity making him take long, bounding strides.


    Sasfren nodded her triangular head on the small device¡¯s screen, her pupiless eyes staring inexorably into his own.  ¡°Yes, he awoke in the night but fell back into unconsciousness soon after.  But the doctor said it was a good sign and told us not to disturb him until he reawoke.¡±


    Paulie was overjoyed, Mack was awake!  He and Jakiikii tore down the stairs even as he grilled the maggastium for more information.  Sasfren kept shaking her head, her expression petals flashing purple and red as she kept telling him that she would say no more over the link and to get their tails there ASAP.  That was just what Paulie was planning to do.


    The link severed as they burst into the main lobby, the officer standing watch at the bottom of the stairs shouting as they both screamed past him at mach speed.  Several patrons of the building scattered like bowling pins as both Paulie and Jakiikii simply vaulted over their heads like professional gymnasts, the low gravity of the moon doing little to slow or hamper their movements.


    Another moment later and they were forced to skid to a stop, the two CenSec adjudicators stationed in front of the door having been warned of their impending arrival by the guard at the bottom of the stairs.  The left one, one of those weird bee-like creatures that seemed to be covered in green spaghetti, raised several thin, carapace-covered arms in the universal signal to stop.


    ¡°Oi!  Halt I say!¡±  It buzzed at them, the plates of its face grinding together like the legs of a cricket as it spoke with the vibrations produced.  ¡°You are not permitted to leave this facility!¡±


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    The other officer held a traumawand at a low ready, the sillio¡¯an shifting uneasily on its tentacle legs as its strange face grimaced revealing blunt teeth.  Its large, colorful frill flapping partially open in some manner of threatening display.  Its numerous golden hoops and studded piercings jangled as it did so, lessening the effect of the display.


    Jakiikii let out an explosive breath, the vents on her lower abdomen flaring as she spat angrily, ¡°Check again, we were called by Sergeant Aril telling us to come to Kehlkor General immediately.  I believe the words she used were ¡®without delay¡¯.¡±  Paulie gave her a sideways glance, she was bluffing a little.  What the nerivith woman had actually said was to get there as soon as they could manage, but given the look on her face he wasn¡¯t going to be the one to tell her that.


    The other officer finally caught up to them, the one who had been waiting at the bottom of the stairs.  The pink furred vekegh waddled to them on slippered feet, its thick tail slapping against the ground in its consternation.  Paulie glanced at it and then looked again more closely.  He couldn''t help the feeling that the alien looked strangely familiar, but he couldn''t quite place where he might have seen them before.


    Turning his attention back to Jakiikii and the protesting guards, he tapped at his wrist-worn communicator and got Officer Sasfren¡¯s impassive looking features.


    ¡°Yes, what is it now?  Are you on your way yet?¡±  The maggastium asked annoyedly, her scaly lips pulling back into an annoyed scowl to reveal pearly teeth.


    He gestured to the lumpney, the alien¡¯s stilt-like legs clicking on the hard tile flooring as they approached.  ¡°The hotel guards won''t let us leave.¡±


    He heard her voice blast from the small speakers, her hissing chirps translated for him via the parasite lodged deep within his grey matter.  ¡°Oh for the love of..¡±  Her tone changed, becoming at once more commanding and annoyed, ¡°YOU!  These two have immediate and official permission to leave, accompany them to Kehlkor General if you must.  But get them here STAT!¡±  And the link was aggressively and most thoroughly cut.


    He glanced at the green-spaghetti covered bee-on-stilts looking alien.  ¡°Well?  Want me to call her back for additional convincing?¡±


    He suppressed a chuckle as the alien¡¯s antenna drooped and they buzzed quickly, ¡°No, nono.. I am convinced as to the validity of your claims.  If you would please follow me?¡±  They moved to the front door of the building and stepped through as it sighed open automatically, the lumpney putting some real pep in its step.  Officer Sasfren seemed to be making a new name for herself as somebody not to be taken lightly.  Paulie approved.


    Paulie nodded to Jakiikii and motioned for her to go ahead.  She did, following the sillo¡¯an officer as they grumbled and holstered their baton.  It took them only a few hurried steps to get around the corner of the building and out of the sight of the general crowds, even then he received more than one startled glance from random passer-bys.  The crowds of alien shoppers the thronged the streets seemed to offer them a sort of sensory overload cover though.


    The alley was dark, the sky a mere sliver of turquoise overhead as the barest hint of Trellan IX¡¯s colorful aurora peeked from around the corner.  In the back of the alley, near to a large trash receptacle, was a dark vehicle.  One of the ground-car cruisers like the one that had dropped them off after the raid several days before.  The strangely familiar looking vekegh opened the front passenger side and climbed in as the lumpney got into the driver''s seat.  The sillo¡¯an made a grumpy noise and then gestured to the rear.


    ¡°Get in.¡±  It gurgled, its triangular head splitting as their large lipless mouth opened a little.  It almost gave their face a sort of droopy, melting effect.  As if they were supremely tired.  Hell for all Paulie knew of the strange alien¡¯s the officer could have been exhausted and he might never have known.


    He climbed into the rear and offered a helping hand to Jakiikii which she accepted with a small smile and a knowing look.  He knew that she knew he had just wanted an excuse to be nearer to her, but who could blame him.  Her bright eyes shone in the dim half-light of the waning gas giant above like diamonds made of fire.  The almost pearl colored fur of her ruff seemed to shimmer slightly as she sidled up next to him in the back, much closer than was necessary for her mere comfort.


    Paulie placed an arm over her shoulder and she leaned into him with a small rumbling purr.  The sound seeping into his chest, his bones.  The feel of the alien woman pressed close to him was a cool balm for the anger and fear that simmered in his heart.


    He heard the sillo¡¯an speaking, talking about remaining behind to keep its eyes on things.  The lumpney nodded, it seemed to be the one in charge of their little three officer detail.  After another moment to ensure that they were situated, the officer nodded their insectoid head and started the vehicle.  It vibrated slightly and then was still.  From what he had been able to glean from his limited experience of things, the vehicle was powered by some manner of microfusion reactor.  Producing well in excess the energy it may have needed simply to drive.


    It was really quite fascinating, but he wasn¡¯t sure when he might be able to ask specific questions about GGI technologies.  From what he had seen, they tried to largely keep him in the dark on such things.  It made a twisted sort of sense, he was technically still a rogue asset in their eyes.  An intelligent human in a world that thought little of his kind, treated them as unthinking brutes.  He tensed, he would see it change if it took him his whole life.


    He realised that his face must have been showing his anger as Jakiikii headbutted his chin gently and asked, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong, Paulie?¡±


    He swallowed down the hatred with some difficulty.  A slight cackling echoing through the back of his mind as he fought for the control he used to exhibit over himself so easily in the past.  He grunted, ¡°Nothing.  I am worried about Mack is all.¡±  It was true, but not the whole truth, and Jakiikii frowned.  If she could tell he was obfuscating his real emotions then she didn¡¯t comment on it.  She likely understood the value of one¡¯s own internal solace, her own unique abilities notwithstanding.


    The streets were crowded with shoppers and daily-goers.  The wild variety of shapes and colors of aliens made his head swim a little until Jakiikii once more snuggled closer to him and began pointing out different alien species he had not seen before.  She rattled them all off with such confidence, like she had spent a hundred years amongst them.


    He smirked at that, she had, he reminded himself.  Her people lived incredibly long lives, longer than his own measly seventy-to-eighty potential years.  She was already many years his senior, but that didn¡¯t seem to bother her.  He glanced down at her, the delight and strange new love he felt for this alien woman blossoming once more in his chest.  She seemed to notice and slapped him on the chest gently with one of her six arms.


    ¡°What?¡±  She said, a small sigh escaping from her breathing slits.


    He shook his head, a grin splitting his face in spite of him trying to keep his cool.  ¡°Nothing.. you?


    She shook a fist at him.  ¡°Liar.¡±


    He shrugged.  ¡°You got me, I was thinking about how cute your little dangly chin-things are.¡±


    She seemed to look at her own chin and then reached up and poked the end of his nose, causing him to sniff and scrunch his face a bit.  ¡°Not as cute as this little beak of yours, what is it again?¡±


    He rubbed his nose and shook his head.  ¡°My nose, you know that.¡±  He snickered, ¡°You are such a goober sometimes, and I love that.  I love you.¡±  She smiled with her eyes, the small folds of skin that sat atop each flower-petal-like eyestalk wrinkled as she drew slightly closer.


    Her voice lowered conspiratorially as the ground car slowed, ¡°I love you too, but please.. try and keep it a secret while we are in there with Mack.¡±


    He sat a little straighter as the CenSec officers that were their guards opened their doors and exited the car.  ¡°Wait, why?¡±


    She murmured hesitantly, ¡°Because if he finds out so soon we would have to explain what happened, and I might have to tell him I lied.  And I really don¡¯t know if I could ever lie to him again, not now.  Not after what happened.¡±


    It made sense, he nodded his head and wrapped his arms around her.  He pulled her close as the door of the cruiser opened.  Pressing his face close to her head he whispered to her, ¡°I will do as you say.  I would never ask you to lie for me, Jakiikii.  Not to Mack, not to anybody.  I understand why you want to do it this way.¡±


    She nodded her triangular head and blinked rapidly as her eyes moistened.  Clinging to each other for just a second more, they parted and exited the car.  Paulie turned his head to look at her once more briefly before he looked at the large structure ahead of them.  Across a sea of other parked vehicles, one of the few places he had ever seen other cars and personal aerial vehicles, he saw a large edifice of marble and steel.  It was the hospital, even the outside looked clean and clinical.  He had been here once before, but this time the mood was decidedly different.


    He felt a hand snake its way into his own and he squeezed Jakiikii¡¯s fingers gently as she stepped a bit closer to him.  Looking towards the slightly intimidating building with a mild sense of foreboding, he spoke softly while nodding to the other officers.  ¡°Well, here goes nothing.¡±

 Chapter 27: Following the Lead

    Chapter 27 -Following the Lead-


    Paulie tried to remain impassive to the alien woman loping along the clean white hallway beside him in Gike¡¯s much lower than Earth gravity.  Her almost unnaturally graceful movement quite at odds with his own heavy rolling gait.  He tried to ignore the subtle shifting of her hips or the swing of her shoulders as she stepped with impossible grace on those dainty tri-cloven-hooved feet.  She seemed to notice him staring and he snapped his gaze forward, hearing her smirk slightly.


    ¡°Come on Paulie, you can¡¯t possibly find me that interesting.  Eyes front, we are just partners again with a job to do.¡±  She slapped his upper back as she said it in a playful manner, making it hard to remain aloof with her bright orange eyes burning holes into him.


    Oh yes, she would definitely be the death of him in the long run.  He could feel it, but the larger part of him had long since come to terms with the fact he would likely die here and never see the verdant blue jewel of Earth again.  But at least he would not be alone.


    She was right of course.  Mack couldn''t know that she had lied to him, and if the miriam figured out how close they had grown then he would be likely to start asking questions that neither he nor Jakiikii could answer without giving her away.  It wasn¡¯t as if they had fallen in love with each other overnight, no matter what it seemed on the outside.  No, Jakiikii had taken an interest in him nearly the first time she had spotted him, and he had started to feel things for her only days later.


    Of course it took them weeks of living in close proximity and the near death of a close mutual friend for them to finally admit it to each other, the tension breaking like an overstressed cable.  And now that they had Paulie felt happier than he had in years.  Since before Aunt Margret''s passing in fact, she had been the only real light in his life back on Earth.  But now?  Paulie snuck another glancing peek at the termaxxi and smiled thinly.  He had another light to shine through the darkness.


    The two officers had escorted them through the service entrance initially, seemingly in order to keep their twin apocalypser appearances from causing undue stress to the public.  This suited Paulie just fine though.  It was quieter, less packed and not nearly as claustrophobic.  He shivered a little at the thought of being locked in a box, no room to move or breathe.  Just the sound of his own panicked breathing and the smell of his fear.  Jakiikii seemed to notice his growing apprehension and whispered something to him that helped to calm his mind a little.  She had grown so much better at reading his body language, and he hers in return.


    If what she had told him on the night they admitted their feelings was true, and he had no reason to doubt her any longer, then she was a relatively strong telepathic-empath.  She could generally feel the emotions and intent of those around her, but not him.  She had told him that his mind was walled off to her, a fortress that she could not pierce.


    Well the walls were there for a reason, he grimaced as he felt the stirrings in his mind of the slug-like parasite that even now lived deep within his brain.  The jargon worm that had been constantly fighting him, forcing him to claw his way through every dangerous situation and moment ever since that first terrible realisation of his fate on the zen¡¯kkalkian ship.  How he hated it, but it was necessary for his continued existence in the Greater Galactic Intercession.  In fact it seemed that pretty much everyone had a similar parasite lodged deep in their skulls or whatever passed for a brain bucket in their species, they seemed to be perfectly well integrated.  Paulie himself was unsure as to why he was struggling so much with his own.


    He almost chuckled aloud as the thing seemed to quicken and he felt the sudden urge to reach out and strangle the two officers.  He pushed it down, not really sure how much of that was the damn worm and how much was just his own suppressed rage.  But he was worried that he was slowly losing his grip on reality, on what was real and what was a fabrication.  He shook his head, the thoughts draining away like water in sand.


    It took them only another moment to climb the two flights of stairs to Mack¡¯s floor before exiting out into a slightly darkened hallway.  The door to the stairwell protected by a CenSec officer in black and blue armour standing by the wall nearest to the doorway.  Three more stood at various points about the hall, all four of them turning to look their way with differing amounts of suspicion and mistrust.


    There was one that didn¡¯t seem surprised or suspicious of them.  An alien head with pupiless brown eyes poked its head out from the nearest doorway, its large and bright expression petals flared out a dull orange and they waved towards them with a boneless arm.


    ¡°Oh, you are finally here.  Come on, hurry!  He wants to see you two, it¡¯s all he has been asking about for the last hour.¡±  Officer Sasfren shook her snake-like head, semi-feline features looking back to the small room¡¯s only occupant as Paulie and Jakiikii passed close by her into the room.


    There on the small multispecies bed laid Mack.  The alien man looked awful compared to what Paulie was used to seeing in him.  The miriam¡¯s already pale white skin had a sort of sallow, unhealthy look to it.  Thin, spider-webbing veins visible under the surface of his skin near to his head and eyes.  His large eyes were closed and the senior detective seemed to draw slow measured breaths, not struggling, but instead slow and measured.  There was a slight gurgling sound emanating from the sleeping alien¡¯s throat almost akin to a snore.


    Paulie hated to see his friend and mentor in such a state, it must have been hurting Jakiikii even more.  The centauroid alien was like a father figure to her, taking her under his wing when all other hope seemed lost.  He felt a near overwhelming urge to comfort her, to wrap an arm around her fluffy shoulders.  But with a great deal of personal effort he refrained, and it was well he did as in that very moment Mack began to stir.


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    Paulie watched as the miriam rotated his head atop his long, flexible neck and cracked his eyes open.  They seemed to take a moment to focus, and by that time Jakiikii had stepped right up to his bedside.


    The man¡¯s eyes fixed on her and his gaunt features cracked open in a wide, sharp-toothed grin.  ¡°I know you.¡±


    Jakiikii nodded her head and danced from foot to foot as she often did while excited or overwhelmed.  ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.  I am so happy to see you are okay, Mack!¡±  She spoke effusively, her six hands fidgeting all over the place as she seemed to struggle to contain her emotions.


    Paulie was content to let the two of them reconnect for another moment.  Mack seemed to be entirely focused on the termaxxi as she brought him up to date with what had happened after he had been injured rapidly, her voice slowly changing from worried to gloomy.


    Mack seemed to jerk slightly and then asked, ¡°Paulie?  He is here too?¡±


    Jakiikii nodded towards him, ¡°Yeah, Paulie came with me.  Come on, he wants to see you.¡±  She waved three of her arms at him.


    He glanced around the room, Officer Sasfren seemed more preoccupied with watching the hall and Sergeant Aril was nowhere to be seen.  So he nodded and stepped closer, Mack¡¯s large grey eyes gazing at him as he walked around to the front of the strange bed into the other man¡¯s line of sight.


    He gave a little wave and Mack¡¯s wide mouth pursed in thought.  After a moment of tense silence the man reached out an arm towards him and Paulie took hold of it tentatively.  But the recovering miriam¡¯s grip was strong, ¡°Paulie, I heard from some of the others what you did.  For me, for Jakiikii.¡±  He nodded towards Jakiikii, her skin paling slightly in mild embarrassment over the callout, three of her eyes looking at Paulie with an emotion stronger than simple gratitude.


    If Mack picked up on it he didn¡¯t show, instead the man squeezed his hand harder.  ¡°You were there for her when I couldn''t be.  I can¡¯t tell you how much that means to me, Paulie.¡±  The man¡¯s alien voice broke slightly, Paulie¡¯s parasite interpreting the emotional overtones his brain gleaned from the translated speech.


    Paulie choked up a little from the depth of emotions that tinged the other man¡¯s face.  Deep furrows casting shadows over his eyes as he stared at Paulie, imploring him to understand, needing him to understand.


    Instead of trying to formulate some deep emotional response he just nodded his head seriously.  He didn¡¯t think he could speak without breaking his earlier promise to Jakiikii, he would slip up.  Say something that gave them away.  So he just gripped the man¡¯s slim hand and swallowed heavily, trying not to let the wrong emotion show.


    Jakiikii stepped to his side as she wiped an eye on her black-suited sleeve, she was close, but not too close.  He watched as she gestured to Mack, ¡°So, how are you doing?¡±  Her voice was still heavy with her earlier emotion, but it was clear and strong.


    Paulie nodded.  Mack Glanced around the stark room and let out a heavy sigh.  He pulled the blankets back from his lower torso and Jakiikii gasped.  Where his front leg had been, there was now just a bandaged stump sticking out from the light tan gown he wore.  The limb had been removed due to impossible to repair damage it seemed.


    Paulie felt a little cold inside, the thought of losing such a large piece of himself terrifying him in a way he could not easily put into words.  ¡°What, they couldn''t do anything to save it?¡±  He asked, the horror seeping into his voice a little.


    Mack grunted and shifted on the reclining bed.  His smaller rear legs tucked up under him as he moved to cover the terrible sight.  ¡°No.¡±


    It was a simple answer, but it still dragged a small sob from Jakiikii.  The termaxxi woman throwing herself onto the miriam detective as she cried.  ¡°I am so sorry, it¡¯s my fault this happened.¡±


    Paulie frowned at that, but before he could say anything Mack grabbed the distraught alien¡¯s uppermost shoulders and pushed her back gently.  He reached up and brushed a gentle hand over the top of her snout.  ¡°No.. not at all, my little sparrack bloom.  You have never been anything to me but the absolute joy of my life.¡±


    She cried even harder at that and Paulie felt his own eyes moisten.  He shifted a little uncomfortably, he wasn¡¯t really sure if he should have been watching such a personal exchange between the two, but even as he tried to step away Mack spoke up.  ¡°Paulie, stay where you are.  As far as I am concerned you might well be one of the only ones I can really trust.  You have no ulterior motives, you are a stranger to the GGI and its convolutions.  I can¡¯t do what needs to be done in this state, so you will need to be my arms right now.¡±


    Paulie stood ramrod straight and nodded smartly.  ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t let you down, Mack!¡±


    The miriam chuckled even as he soothingly hummed to Jakiikii and patted her back between her breathing vents.  ¡°I know.¡±  Jakiikii had calmed a little and was busy trying to wipe her bright orange and pink eyes as she extricated herself from Mack¡¯s blankets and stood.  She seemed to shuffle unconsciously towards Paulie and once more he had to resist the urge to wrap an arm around the slightly shorter alien female to comfort her.  The urge to protect and shelter her was strong, but he was stronger.  He had to be.


    Mack smiled a little, ¡°Something tells me that you and Jakiikii have something important you might want to tell me.¡±  His large grey eyes narrowed just slightly, as if he were trying to peer through them.


    Paulie glanced over at Jakiikii and froze, did the man know about them?  How could he?  He was a detective after all, had they given away their feelings so readily?  Jakiikii seemed equally alarmed, three of her eyes flicking to his own as he head seemed to shake ever so slightly.


    Mack continued after another tense moment.  ¡°Well?  Did you figure out the leak or not?¡±


    Paulie physically deflated slightly as he let out an explosive breath.  ¡°Oh.. Yeah!  We did, um..¡±  He waved a hand at Jakiikii.  ¡°We actually talked to Rozz about it and they told us that they discovered multiple suspicious members at the complex.¡±  Mack¡¯s eyes narrowed even more, the miriam¡¯s mouth cracking open slightly as if he were about to speak.


    Jakiikii¡¯s skin paled a little and she did that foot-to-foot shuffle, betraying her nerves.  ¡°Yes, we did.  But..¡±  She stopped, unable or unwilling to continue.


    Mack frowned as he snapped, ¡°Well?  Out with it!¡±


    The room seemed to shrink slightly, the air chilling as Paulie prepared himself to tell the man what they had found.  He fixed his eyes on the white tile floor and then mustered his courage, the parasite in his mind seeming to push against his resolve as if trying to undermine him.  Paulie cleared his throat, ¡°Rozz told us everything about the traitor that revealed the raid to Ooounoo.  Their name and the fact that they fled the complex just after we left.¡±  Mack¡¯s eyes implored him to continue, the miriam¡¯s long neck quills chattering slightly as he waited as patiently as a falling meteor.


    ¡°It was Flurn all along, he has been working against you for years it looks like.¡±


    The room was silent, a slight chatter from somewhere outside the room the only sound besides the low humming of electricity and the subtle beeping of Mack¡¯s medical monitoring equipment.


    Jakiikii and Paulie watched as Mack¡¯s face ran through a series of emotions.  Disbelief, shock, anger and then something else.  Something darker and far more terrible than betrayal, it was rage.  The miriam roared out suddenly, the sound causing both Jakiikii and Paulie to jump as Officer Sasfren bolted back through the doorway with her hand on her weapon as if expecting danger.


    ¡°That traitorous bastard!  I will live to see them rot in isolation for the rest of their natural existence!¡±

 Chapter 28: An Important Assignment

    Chapter 28 -An Important Assignment-


    It took Mack several minutes to calm down, all the while his health monitors beeped and chirped angrily.  A pair of nurses rushed into the room, one of them a ponderous moving poorim female, her long shaggy fur hiding all but the barest hint of her form.  She shooed them back as she checked the loudly grumbling Mack, the miriam detective dodging her questions and instruments till she told him that she might just be inclined to call in the doctor if he would not cease his protestations.


    Mack stopped struggling so much and the nurse determined that he was fine, waving them closer and admonishing them for riling the poor man up.  Paulie nodded to the very tall alien as she told them that further disruptions to his recovery would be followed by a revocation of visitation privileges, and then the tall alien nurse shuffled out of the room slowly.


    Mack¡¯s arms were folded under his chest, the way his centuaroid body was reclining on the strangely shaped hospital bed making it the most comfortable position for him.  Nevertheless, he looked grumpy as Paulie and Jakiikii stepped back at his side.  He asked them, ¡°Have you heard news about the urrenia..¡±  He glanced at Paulie, ¡°..humans, we found?¡±


    ¡°I can tell you about that.¡±  A new voice cut into their muted conversation, the tone husky and feminine.  Paulie turned his head but he knew who it was even before he saw the horned alien striding across the room with inhuman grace.


    It was Sergeant Aril, the tall nerivith stalking into the room with Officer Sasfren hot on her heels with that strange slithering gait she had.


    Stopping just at the foot of the bed, the two Central Security adjudicators nodded to Him and Mack in turn as Mack cocked his head. His blue neck spines clattered together a little as he asked the obvious question, ¡°Yes?  Well, out with it then.¡±


    The pink-skinned alien smiled as her blood-red eyes passed over them, the long scar that bisected her face tugging on the corner of her mouth as she smiled to reveal blunt, tombstone-shaped teeth.  ¡°Well, the vast majority of them were indeed..¡±  she glanced at Paulie, but he did his best to remain impassive despite the flare of dark anger he felt in his heart.  She continued, ¡°..deceased.  Though there were two survivors.¡±  She seemed to trail off.


    Mack pursed his grey lips as his large grey eyes focused on the woman.  ¡°Why do I feel like there is a ¡®but¡¯ coming?¡±  Jakiikii seemed to notice Paulie tensing as she gripped one of his hands in her longest arm, the one out of Mack¡¯s line of sight.


    Paulie swallowed audibly as Sergeant Aril nodded slowly.  ¡°Yes, well.. there were complications with their extraction.  We have as of yet been unable to wake them from their medically induced comas.  The doctors are not sure why, they seem in otherwise perfect health.  Albeit a bit on the weakened side from their experiences.  As far as they could tell both should have awoken when they were disconnected and the drugs were purged from their systems.¡°


    Paulie felt a little sick.  But now wasn¡¯t the time to get weak.  Instead, he spoke up in response.  His voice wavered a little but he managed, ¡°What about Griilm?¡±  He felt Jakiikii¡¯s grip on his hand tighten as he said it.  The termaxxi woman tensed, three of her eyes snapping to him.  She might not want to hear it, but he knew she needed to.


    Sergeant Aril seemed to hesitate again, Paulie got the distinct feeling that dealing with potentially emotional news was harder for her than facing a room full of bad guys.  But she cocked her head a little and spoke slowly, ¡°Well.. the condition of the rescued termaxxi has not worsened, exactly.¡±


    ¡®That was it?¡¯  Paulie thought in exasperation silently.


    ¡°What do you mean.. she hasn¡¯t gotten any better?¡±  Jakiikii blurted.


    Sergeant Aril raised her hands, the nerivith woman looking distinctly uncomfortable to be the bearer of bad news again.  ¡°I don¡¯t really know, they are keeping the whole thing really under wraps.  I had to beg a few favors just to even get that much.¡±  She seemed to deflate slightly.  Her proud and self assured posture hunching inwards at her failure.


    Paulie gripped her upper arm gently, taking a single step from the bed as he did so.  ¡°Hey, that¡¯s great to hear.  She isn¡¯t better, but she isn¡¯t worse.  When we thought that she would be.. nevermind.  Right, Jakiikii?¡±  He asked her hesitantly.


    Jakiikii had released his hand at the news, now she turned six eyes to him and shook her head a little as if in disbelief.  ¡°No, that isn¡¯t great news.  It is terrible news.. appalling.. I can¡¯t think of worse news.¡±


    Now that struck a discordant note in Paulie¡¯s mind.  He frowned and asked her seriously and without malicious intent, ¡°Do you really believe that, Jakiikii?¡±


    She seemed to think it over and then shrunk inwards slightly.  ¡°No.  I don¡¯t.¡±


    Mack chose that moment to interject.  He waved a hand weakly towards them all and asked, ¡°Fixed or not, we still have a problem.  Paulie..¡±  Paulie looked at the miriam as his name was uttered with finality.  ¡°..you know what to do.  I am counting on you.¡±


    Paulie nodded.  Mack was being cautious even with the other officers present.  He might not fully trust them in the way he could for Jakiikii or himself maybe.  Paulie made a mental note to ask the man what he thought about Sergeant Aril and Officer Sasfren.  It would be nice to know for absolute sure who he could and should not trust.


    At the moment though he let it go, instead swiveling the conversation more towards the other problem at hand.  He looked at Sergeant Aril and asked, ¡°With Mack in here, who is in charge of the investigation now?¡±


    Officer Sasfren slithered closer and asked, ¡°What investigation, Ooounoo is in custody.  Her illegal smuggling operations are soon to be torn asunder.¡±  Her expression petals flashing a muted blue and yellow as Sergeant Aril answered both of them at once.


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    The grizzled alien woman hunched slightly and answered, ¡°He is talking about the leak.¡±  Mack nodded and Jakiikii looked at her sharply with four eyes, it seemed she was already aware.  Sergeant Aril continued, ¡°I know about the leak.  Mack mentioned there might be a problem before the raid started, but he didn¡¯t tell me that you were privy to that information, Paulie.¡±  She narrowed her blood red eyes at him, long fingered hand stroking a curved horn idly.


    Mack shifted uncomfortably in his bed.  ¡°What I am about to say doesn''t leave this room.¡±  Officer Sasfren shifted uncomfortably and seemed to be on the verge of asking to leave, but Mack pointed to her specifically.  ¡°No, you stay.  Paulie vouched for you after the attack on my apartment, told me that he trusts you.  And that is good enough for me.¡±


    Officer Sasfren¡¯s emotionless face seemed a little withdrawn, the purple that flashed across her petal-frills telling of her mild distress.  ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Paulie nodded as Mack continued speaking as if she had not interjected.  ¡°Yes, and like it or not you are a part of this now.  Who do you think pulled your tail out of the fire on your last disciplinary case?¡±  She shook her snake-like head slightly, pupiless brown eyes fixated on the miriam.  ¡°Yeah, anyways.. we know who the leak was.  Paulie and Jakiikii got the information out of Rozz.¡±


    Paulie saw Mack¡¯s hands clench in anger again, the man¡¯s neck spines chattering as his long neck tensed in his anger.  Sergeant Aril seemed on the verge of asking the man if he was okay, but he waved a hand.  ¡°No, I will tell you about it soon.  But right now I really need to make sure that you are all on board with this.  We need to isolate the leak, Rozz is trustworthy.  I know them, they are on the side of right here.¡±


    Paulie wasn¡¯t so sure how the man could trust the strange alien entity.  He knew almost nothing about the enigmatic hive mind.  Why it functioned as it did, why it was aligned with the Intercession to begin with.  But if Rozz had Mack¡¯s total confidence, then well.. he could stand to be a little more trusting too.


    Instead of voicing his concerns, he instead pointed out a flaw in the miriam detective¡¯s logic.  ¡°That¡¯s all well and good Mack.  But you forgot one thing.¡±


    Mack¡¯s huge grey eyes turned to him, the man¡¯s sallow features darkening.  ¡°And what, pray to zalc, would that be?¡±


    Paulie glanced at Jakiikii and then gestured to the other two CenSec officers, ¡°Well, Aril and Sasfren have clearance of a sorts to do things that I cannot.  How the hell am I supposed to aid in an investigation when I can¡¯t even walk around the city without three guards climbing up my ass?¡±  It was a legitimate concern.  How could he investigate potential traitors if he might have one of them following his every move without knowing it?


    Mack seemed to mull it over, finally, he pointed to Sergeant Aril.  ¡°I don¡¯t know who in the chain of command I can trust.  Maybe we can take this all the way to Alloen, maybe not..¡±


    Now it was Sergeant Aril¡¯s turn to be taken aback.  The woman throwing up her hands as she physically recoiled.  ¡°Whoa.. woah.. Mack.  Let¡¯s be reasonable, you can¡¯t possibly think that the Adjudicator Major is implicated in this?¡±


    Paulie was confused, but Mack broke in before he could ask who this Alloen was.  ¡°No, not at all.  That would be impossible, but I don¡¯t know who else in the chain of command might be.  And you know as well as I do that nothing happens at that level without being scrutinised by at least two dozen officers and legal reps.  If we tried going all the way to the top with this we might as well tell it to the media ourselves, and what do you think that would do to our chances of ever uncovering this whole mess?¡±


    The pink skinned alien swiveled her booted foot on the ground as she hung her head.  ¡°Yeah, you are right of course.  You always were.¡±  She seemed a bit dejected as she said it, a little odd for a woman whose temper was normally as fiery as her bright red hair.


    Mack smiled again, his sharp little teeth flashing in the dim light.  ¡°That¡¯s why you love me though.¡±  He chuckled, the barking hiss being translated into a sensation of mirth by the small parasitic jargon worm inside Paulie¡¯s brain.  With the situation seemingly under control, Mack settled himself further into the sheets of his bed.  His strange semi-upright position necessitated by his centauroid body shape.  ¡°Okay, I am tired now.  You all have your instructions.  Aril, make sure that Paulie¡¯s guard is lightened.  Officer Sasfren, you will escort them home and stand by to assist in any matters as Aril or Paulie require.¡±


    The maggastium woman nodded her head, expression petals turning a solid orange rimed with green.  Sergeant Aril checked her wrist device and gestured to the door.  ¡°It¡¯s about that time anyways.¡±  Paulie nodded slowly as she turned to go.


    Jakiikii spoke up then, ¡°Wait, what about me?¡±


    Mack hesitated.  ¡°I almost lost you once before, Jakiikii..¡±  He warned.


    She shook her head angrily.  ¡°No!  That¡¯s not fair and you know it, you can¡¯t keep me sheltered away forever.  I.. I want to be a part of this.  I need to be a part of this.¡±


    Paulie glanced at her, two of the woman¡¯s eyes were focused on him and he knew he had to say something.  ¡°She would be invaluable, you know her skills better than anyone Mack.  There is no way you can logically justify keeping her out of this.¡±


    Mack¡¯s eyes flicked between them, the pupils narrowing slightly as he cocked his head a little.  He seemed to come to some internal decision and then nodded slowly.  ¡°Okay, but you both are important in this.  Maybe more-so than you realise.  We need to prove this thing the right way.. so, Paulie?¡±  Paulie stiffened a little.  ¡°None of that apocalypser rampage stuff, we need living witnesses.¡±


    Paulie ducked his head, a frown crossing his face as he grumbled.  ¡°It wasn¡¯t like I was trying to..¡±


    Mack waved a hand.  ¡°Yeah, I know.  It¡¯s fine, just.. try to keep it in check.  Okay?¡±  Paulie nodded and Mack folded his arms under the blankets and closed his eyes, opening one of them after a moment as they remained standing around him.  ¡°Well?  Got on with it, I am going back to bed.  All of this scheming has tired me out.¡±  Paulie smiled a little, Officer Sasfren reaching out towards him as Sergeant Aril bade them farewell and walked briskly from the room.


    ¡°I will take you back to your home, if you would like?¡±  Paulie glanced at Jakiikii and the termaxxi nodded her head.


    He smiled, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.  Thanks Officer Sasfren.¡±


    She ducked her head, her lower body making a slight rasping sound as she slithered along beside them out into the hall.  Almost immediately their two guards moved over to intercept them but Officer Sasfren put out her hand to stop them.  ¡°New orders, I am to escort them back.  You two are to return back to the complex for new assignment duty.¡±


    The vekegh looked nonplussed by the order, but the lumpney seemed a little taken aback, their faceplates buzzing as it asked, ¡°Did we do something wrong, sir?¡±


    Sasfren shook her scaled head, expressionless brown eyes turning to glance at Paulie, ¡°No.  You have your orders?¡±  The shaggy green insectoid snapped some version of a salute and started to walk away, the vekegh having to be hissed at before they tore their piercing gaze from Paulie and followed.


    He gave a little sigh, he had nothing against the two.  But it would certainly be nice not to have to worry about being so closely scrutinised at every waking moment.  He gave Jakiikii a look and she smiled at him, the corners of her small mouth curling upwards slightly.


    They followed Officer Sasfren out of the building the same way they had entered, the adjudicator leading them across the small parking lot to another ground car, this one subtly different from the one that had brought them there.  She opened the front door and he noticed that instead of having a seat like he might have expected, it instead had a sort of textured pad.  As Officer Sasfren motioned for them to hop in the back, she slithered her serpentine lower body onto the thing.


    He settled himself into the back, Jakiikii holding the door for him as he sat on the much more familiar seats.  She slid in beside him and almost immediately nestled herself into him.


    ¡°I wanted to do this the whole time we were in there.¡±  She murmured.


    Paulie chuckled as the car began to roll out of the lot.  ¡°Yeah?  Me too, but you told me..¡±  She shushed him, one of her smaller third arms reaching up to cover his lips.


    ¡°I know what I told you.  But I am telling you now, hold me.¡±


    He smiled at her blunt insistence, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her angular head that had her buzzing happily.  He wrapped an arm around her and pulled the woman closer.  ¡°As you wish.¡±  He chuckled as she slapped his chest playfully and then looked out the window as he sat there with her silently.  The colorful streets passed by slowly, aliens of all make and description going about their lives seemingly unaware of the events transpiring all around them.


    A part of him longed for such a simplistic life once more.  But he knew that he had a higher purpose now, there was something rotten afoot on the world of Gike.  And indeed, possibly across far more worlds than that.  He would get to the bottom of it he swore silently to himself, as he did so he thought he heard a subtle growl in the depths of his own mind.  The parasite stirred fitfully as he frowned and suppressed the dark presence it tried to exert upon him.  No, there was no way he would be stopped now.  Too many had died, and with a slight pang of apprehension he realised that many more would likely die in the future if he failed to uncover the truth.