Alien Manifesto Read online

  As I waited at the rendezvous point, I was getting worried. The feline master should have been here by now. Maybe she had run into trouble. I waited several more tense minutes before I resolved to find out just what was keeping her.

  As I moved down the temple halls, I heard someone approaching, hurriedly. It was the leader’s assistant. I knew I could follow him straight to the leader. Those of his kind were completely submissive to their masters and as a result never far away.

  Deeper and deeper into the temple we went, until we reached a series of natural caves upon which the temple had been built. Grabbing a lit torch, the assistant hurried on. I would have to follow closer to the flickering torch than I liked. Or risk losing my way in the natural blackness of the cave’s winding passages.

  I froze as I heard a feline scream of rage and pain. I am close. As I rounded the next corner, bright lights came on. I ducked back into the shadows thinking I had been discovered. Then I remembered I was cloaked. Whoever it was in that room had no idea I was here.

  The feline master was chained spread eagle on a stone table. I could not begin to guess how she had been captured. The leader was holding a long, thin metal rod that glowed red on the tip, near her head. She screamed again. That thing must be a torture device. I drew my blaster and sighted in the leader, my finger tightening on the firing stud, tight beam on, intending to burn a hole in the back of the leader’s head.

  Then I remembered the feline master’s warning about blasters in the temple, and how they would set off alarms. I would have to do this up close. I holstered my blaster and drew my dagger, positioning myself behind the leader. In one smooth practiced motion, I decloaked with my dagger at the leader’s throat. “Put that thing down,” I growled in his ear in Galactic standard.

  The leader froze and dropped the metal wand and it clattered on the floor. “Now tell your security mechs to decloak NOW,” I hissed as I kicked the leader behind the knees bringing him to the floor. The leader pushed a button on his bracelet and two security mechs decloaked. “Now let the master go” I commanded. “No funny stuff and I might let you live.” I did not intend to do so, but as long as the leader believed I would he might continue to cooperate.

  Once the feline master was free, she disabled the two security mechs leaving just the three of us. The feline master and I realized at the same time that the assistant was missing. He must have slipped out while my attention had been focused on freeing the feline master.

  Damn, they will be on us in minutes. In one gracefully swift stroke, the feline master decapitated the leader with her reacquired feline blade. I let the leader’s body fall to the ground. It hit the floor with a sickening sound, like a huge bag of wet cement, the head rolling to a stop by the wall. To my surprise, the feline master grabbed the severed head as we trotted toward the door. “A trophy,” she explained as we made our way out of the dungeon, toward the temple entrance.

  The feline master had lost her cloaking device and there was not enough power for two to use my cloak. We were fortunate; we had not encountered any security mechs or believers. Soon we were clear of the natural caves leaving only the temple between us and freedom.

  However, our luck soon ran out. A huge, heavily armed security mech stood blocking the way forward, forcing us to retreat in order to avoid detection and activation of its blasters. “Any ideas, Master?” I asked the feline master.

  Just as she was about to answer there was a loud thump ahead of us, in the direction of the security mech. I drew my blaster and prepared to go down fighting.

  “Hold,” hissed the feline master.

  I froze. A good thing I did, as the canine master squeezed past the downed security mech.

  “Thought you guys could use a hand,” he growled in greeting.

  “Your assistance is appreciated but unnecessary,” sniffed the feline master disdainfully.

  “You’re welcome,” woofed the canine in response.

  “The rest of the way is clear, let’s go,” growled the canine master as he disappeared behind the fallen security mech.

  Snarth and the Irishman were waiting for us at the temple entrance, covering our retreat. “Thisss way to the ssship,” Snarth commanded, as we beat a hasty retreat across the courtyard, blasters drawn, and heading for the nearby ship.

  ~

  Later, at Snarth’s estate, after much food and drink, the feline master sprawled out next to me on the dining couch. “Thank you for coming after me, Human Tom. You are no longer my student. You are now my equal and I owe you a life debt.”

  “You would have done the same for me,” I answered sleepily.

  “Let us hope we have the honor of fighting together again,” she purred.

  “Well done, Human Tom,” said Snarth as he pounded me on the back in congratulations. “Well done all of you. Now get sssome sssleep, training ssstartsss at 0400.”

  ~

  0400 came and went several times as the team trained on. With no clear objective, I took pleasure in the company of my teammates and the routine. Snarth’s regeneration must be complete, I thought to myself; watching Snarth rappel down the rock face they had just climbed. The team was functioning as one, operating with the smoothness that only a team of professionals who completely trusted each other could, conquering every obstacle the training field threw at them.

  Following Snarth’s lead, the team headed into the jungle after retrieving their gear when a low flying shuttle appeared, making a beeline for the estate’s main housing compound. All heads turned automatically toward Snarth who was grimacing as only he could.

  “That’sss a galactic council envoy’sss ssshuttle,” Snarth hissed. “Everyone back to the main houssse now, double time. I am taking the ssshuttle back. Meet me in my ssstudy azsss quickly azsss you can. Be on the lookout for othersss. Human Tom, come with me now,” hissed Snarth.

  The team vanished into the jungle, headed for the main house at a dead run. Still, it will be some time before they would get there, I thought as Snarth and I boarded the transport.

  The shuttle’s engines erupted with full power at lift off. We will be at the main house in just a couple of minutes at this rate, I thought as I held on for dear life. Snarth is not holding back. I closed my eyes and felt the braking thrusters fire with relief. Snarth is driving like a crazy son of a bitch. This must be important. Wow! And I thought the bike ride was bad. I marveled at the exhilarating ride, filing one more fact about the enigma that was Snarth away for later contemplation. I wondered why Snarth feared the Galactic Council. But more importantly, what does he need me for?

  When we landed, Snarth and I hurried toward the courtyard at double time. Then at the rear entrance to the courtyard, Snarth paused, composing himself and said, “Human Tom, cloak yourssself and do not interfere until I tell you to. I have inssstructed the sssecurity sssystem to allow you to move around cloaked without sssetting off any alarmsss. However, that meansss we won’t be able to sssee if whoever thisss isss alssso hasss cloaked accomplicesss.” Then Snarth sauntered into the courtyard with his best devil may care attitude.

  I quickly made my way to the center of the room then second-guessing myself I retreated into the only corner that I could see both the exits from, and have the wall to my back. The most unlikely place someone trained in stealth would choose. Here I would wait until Snarth’s signal to uncloak came.

  The mechs had already admitted the visitor into the courtyard. A hooded figure was seated on the eating couch, waiting for Snarth’s arrival. As it threw back the hood, I was surprised to see it was the same species as Snarth. I had never seen Snarth stunned until now. They just stood there looking at each other.

  My skin prickled with the sense of another cloaked figure and I tensed, reaching for my blaster. I felt the soft paw of the feline stealth master stay my draw. Damn it, she had gotten close to me, again. Too close to let me forget about it any time soon. However, I am glad she is here.

  The Irishman and the canine master must not be far be
hind. As if in answer to my thoughts, I felt the hot breath of the cloaked canine master, Rowl as he called himself since his string of professional victories in the fight ring. That meant the Irishman was guarding the door outside. I grinned wickedly. Anyone who tried to get through that door was in for a real fight, I can assure you.

  Finally Snarth spoke. “It’sss been a long time, brother. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “Do I really need a reassson, brother?” said the newcomer.

  “If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared a proper feassst.” Still no sign from Snarth to decloak.

  Suddenly the two brothers lunged toward each other and I felt the restraining paw of Rowl on my shoulder. The two brothers embraced, each pounding on the other’s back. It was not a fight; it was an embrace from one brother to another.

  “Why all the sssecrecy brother?” Snarth asked.

  “I jussst wanted to sssurprissse you, that isss all,” answered the brother with a tentacle-wiggling grin I recognized. Snarth used the same one when he was up to something, something not good. Still no cue to decloak came. There was more to this meeting than met the eye.

  “ssSnarg, ever sssince we were kidsss and you gave me that sssmile, we got into trouble. ssSo let’sss have it, what do you want?” Snarth hissed in a low, menacing voice.

  “Okay, here it isss. Rumor hasss it that you killed the leader of the Cult of Eli. It would ssseem that after hisss death, a full-ssscale riot broke out and the galactic sssecurity mechsss were called in to ressstore order,” he hissed. “Now ordinarily, the Galactic Council would not be involved in sssuch a trivial matter. However, one of the people killed wasss the ssson of a very prominent colleague of mine. And he isss most dissspleasssed with the whole matter. I am here at the behessst of the new intelligence chief AArat.”

  “I don’t do that kind of work anymore,” hissed Snarth angrily.

  “That’s jussst what I told him, brother,” hissed Snarg. “I don’t blame you, not after the way they treated you after your lassst mission. But AArat told me to tell you that he knowsss you have been recruiting from Earth. And he wantsss to remind you how sssevere the penalty for that isss,” said Snarg.

  “Tell AArat I can pay any fine he can legally dream up,” hissed Snarth, angrier than I had ever seen him.

  “Dear brother, he isssn’t going to levy any fine, not thisss time. AArat intendsss to have you jailed then confissscate all of your property. I am here to intercede on your behalf,” said Snarg with a flourish of hands and tentacles, then a bow.

  “You sssee, there isss a very sssimple way out of all thisss messss. It would ssseem that AArat is a believer in the Cult of Eli. He wantsss the artifact, and he wantsss you to give it to him.”

  “I haven’t got it anymore,” said Snarth very carefully maintaining a neutral posture.

  “Be that azsss it may, AArat thinksss you do, or at the very leassst know where it isss,” sniffed Snarg with distaste. “If you give AArat the artifact he will make the evidence he hasss againssst you disssappear.”

  “I sssaid I don’t have it anymore,” hissed Snarth quietly.

  “Then I ssssuggest, dear brother, that you find it again. What isss making my nossse itch ssso?” said Snarg, holding a cloth to his nose, his eyes watering. “Do you have a feline massster here ssSnarth? You know I am terribly allergic.”

  Finally, Snarth gave the signal to decloak and all the team did so at the same instant, already in a defensive posture around Snarth.

  “ssSo it’sss true,” said Snarg as he slowly sized me up.

  “He isss an orphan, no one will missss him,” answered Snarth.

  “What of the one guarding the door?” said Snarg

  “He isss an orphan also, brother.”

  “ssSnarth, I am not here to judge, just verify the factsss. So what ssshall I tell AArat?” asked Snarg.

  “Tell him I do know where the artifact isss. But I cannot, on my honor, tell him itsss location,” answered Snarth, his devil may care attitude returning.

  “Well ssSnarth, for your sssake I hope whoever you sssold it to will sssell it back. AArat isss not one to take no for an anssswer. Watch your back, brother. Well thisss hasss all been fun but I really mussst go, duty callsss.”

  “I will walk you out ssSnarg…brother.” Snarth hissed reproachingly, not wanting his brother’s visit to end on a sour note, again.

  “That’sss all right, I know the way. It hasss been a pleasssure to meet you all.” Then he turned and strode back across the courtyard toward his waiting shuttle.

  “All right everyone, get cleaned up; training ssstartsss at 0400,” hissed Snarth loudly.

  ~

  Later in the solitude of his meditation garden, Snarth pondered on his current predicament. I must tread lightly on the slippery slope AArat has forced me onto, he thought. I know that he will be watching me, tracking my movements, eavesdropping on my communications to see if he can find out whom I sold the artifact to. Then he could jail me and get the artifact in the same play. I should have killed him when I had the chance, thought Snarth regretfully.

  AArat has obviously forgotten that I saved his life on that last mission I did for the Galactic Council, after he fumbled it up. It is just my bad luck that he has managed to worm his way back into the leadership of the intelligence service.

  I wonder how many people he had to blackmail to get there. Surely he has enemies by now, I just need to find out who they are and use them to my advantage. If he is truly a believer of Eli then that in itself is enough to get him thrown out of the service. However, that depends on who his allies are and if they themselves are believers of Eli.

  It would be impossible to say until he found out how deeply the Cult of Eli had penetrated the Galactic Council, Snarth realized. “That’sss just great! Once you finally get free of their liesss sssomething like thisss comesss up and sssucks you right back into the middle again,” he said bitterly, aloud to no one. It was time to tell the team, Snarth realized. I just hope they do not quit and leave me to straighten this all out by myself, he mused as he headed for the gymnasium, as it was 0400.

  ~

  As the team gathered around him, Snarth wondered again how to tell them about his quandary, and how to ask for their help. He decided that the plain and simple truth was the best course.

  “My friendsss,” Snarth began, “I find myssself in need of your help. I have gotten myssself into a sssituation with an old asssociate and enemy. A sssituation hasss arisssen that hasss put me, and by assssociation you, in a very difficult and dangerousss posssition. It ssseemsss that one of my old asssociatesss, AArat, hasss managed to worm hisss way back to the top of the Galactic intelligence ssservice. And azsss you know hasss found out about the artifact. Whether he wantsss if for himssself, or for the Cult of Eli … I can’t be sssure. In either cassse I cannot tell him itsss location. If I do, I will violate my persssonal code of honor and dessstroy a reputation I have ssspent a very long lifetime building. When I recruited each of you I had no idea that my actionsss would lead to thisss. I don’t yet have a plan of action and I am asssking each of you to join me in righting what I believe to be a grave threat. Not only isss it a threat to each of usss but it isss a threat to the entire Galactic government, and through it every civilized being in the galaxy. If you choossse to move on I will underssstand and not hold a grudge. However, I caution each of you that the reach of AArat and hisss assssociatesss isss vassst and encompassssesss every inhabited planet in the galaxy. There will be no place that is sssafe for long and for that I am deeply sssorry. I do think that with your help we can put a ssstop to AArat and the Cult of Eli’s plansss,” finished Snarth with shoulders slumped, his tentacles drooped and still.

  “I for one intend to take them head on,” I declared. “I may be the newcomer but the thought of running turns my stomach. I would rather die standing up on my own two feet having taken as many of those bastards with me as I can.”

  “Count me in,” said the Iri
shman.

  “Me too,” growled Rowl. Because where one went the other was not far behind, such friends were they.

  “I have no better offers at present, so I guess you can count me in too,” mewed the feline master, throwing her hat into the ring as well.

  Snarth bowed from the waist to each of the team members and said, “I pledge my life and fortune to each of you. You have each ssshown the noble character from which you were cassst. I am forever in your debt. Rowl, you are in charge of the team’sss training until I return. I have sssome old friendsss to visssit. Maybe they will have sssome information that I need in order to form a plan of action.”

  Raising his hand to the forthcoming objections Snarth said, “I will be sssafe as long azsss AArat thinksss I might hand over the artifact. And I may be able to lay sssome falssse trailsss in the meantime. However if I don’t return in three daysss I suggest you all ssscatter and find sssome place to hide until I contact you. Be sssure and keep your communicatorsss clossse and trust no one except each other,” cautioned Snarth. “Three daysss should give me enough time to assscertain jussst how deep the Cult of Eli hasss penetrated the Galactic Council, if at all. Until then.” Turning with a swirl of his cape Snarth headed for his now waiting shuttle.

  Rowl wasted no time in trying to train us to exhaustion. As a result, the three days went quickly. Near the end of the third day at the evening meal, as the team was making plans to scatter, Snarth’s shuttle returned.

  A decidedly harried and thinner Snarth made a brief appearance at the dining hall. His only words were that there would be a briefing at 0400 and that he was not to be disturbed until then. His departure left a room full of unasked and unanswered questions; the team would have to wait until morning for their answers.

  Unable to sleep I stared up at the ceiling of my bedchamber, wondering what Snarth had found out and why he looked so haggard after only three days. So intense was my concentration that I almost missed the change in pressure that alerted me to a silently opening door. Without thinking, I leapt up from the bed, activated my cloak, and grabbed my boots and weapons. In a few, smooth, practiced, silent motions I was invisible, silent and waiting for the intruder, blaster drawn.