Thrust into another world through cosmic teleportations never to be explained, the SNR student body lives a violent existence of constant warfare--between each other.
The social structures of their previous lives have created bitter rivalries. The dominant side in the struggle up until now are the Laxians, trained fighters equipped with the more advanced weapons. The other side, the Lethurians, are the rebels if you will, outcasts grouped together in the grit of combat, trying to earn respect no matter what the costs...
A good forty miles away from Cave Base 4, at the setting of the first sun, at about the same time Dill was beheaded by Entelliton, a single glider cruised down out of the sky and skidded to a rough stop on the sandy earth. The pilot of the light aircraft, realizing the need for stealth, had carefully landed his ship behind a cluster of boulders, packed up some provisions, and aroused his sleeping companion.
“Ih juit no orodref!” said Hosmosis, shaking Lee Otto, who lie dazed and confused in the glider’s hull.
Lee Otto sat up sharply. “Where the hell am I?! Who the hell are you?! What have you done with my family jew--oh, there they are. I must of dreamed that up.”
“Cumata, cumata,” beckoned Hosmosis, walking briskly awayfrom the glider.
Rising to his feet, Lee Otto tried to use his right arm and found he couldn’t; the deep shoulder slashes, three of them, from the Laxian spear had left his good limb completely limp. “Slow up, Hosmosis, I’m feeling a bit groggy,” said Lee Otto, struggling to catch up with his companion. When Lee Otto finally reached the other, he found Hosmosis squatting down behind a rock. Ahead of the Lethurians, about 400 yards into the distance, was a large building: Laxantion.
“Holy shit, that must be the Laxian fortress,” said Lee Otto. “What’re we doing here?”
“Cumata, cumata!” summoned Hosmosis for the second time.
“Shouldn’t we wait until it gets dark? I mean, we might get ourselves caught...” Lee Otto’s admonition went unheeded--Hosmosis was already darting across an open stretch of sand in the dusky desert twilight towards Laxantion. “Shit,” said Lee Otto, right arm flopping lifelessly as he jogged after his rebel comrade.
To either side of the massive building’s gates, boulders were stacked neatly, forming a semi-compact, protective wall around Laxantion. Into one of the shadowy, gaping crevices Hosmosis darted, disappearing from Lee Otto’s sight. The tracker called out in frustration, completely unaware of the energy balls hurtling down at him. Three of the balls hit their target, and the Lethurian was helplessly paralyzed within seconds. If Lee Otto had had the ability to move either arm, he would surely have rubbed his eyes to be sure what he saw nextwasn’t a mirage.
From out of the Laxantion gate came about twenty firm bodied women. Each carried a Laxian spear or a defensive lance like the men, but wore none of the protective equipment. Clad only in short shorts and tank tops, skin richly tanned by the desert suns and legs silken smooth, the Laxian women surrounded the overly excited Lee Otto, weapons held at the ready.
“He must be a Lethbian with that top,” said a blond haired girl with thick thighs.
“But he’s only a kid; couldn’t be more than ten,” said another female Laxian, poking Lee Otto gently with the trident blades of her spear.
“He smells like llambooty shit,” said a long nosed girl.
“No need to be persnickety, missy,” said the energy ball-enthralled Lethurian.
“He looks like he’s been through a ruff time,” said another blond girl. “Lets take him inside and bathe him.”
“Sounds damn good to me, so lets head on in and--”
Before Lee Otto could finish his reply, a burly mass emerged from the shadows of the boulders, screaming in bizarre tongues. Stricken with terror, some Laxian women broke for the gate while others who were greater in valor, namely the ones with the most energy balls, stood firm against the feral storm that wasHosmosis.
“Iswana nah uruckhai!” screamed the wild Lethurian into the face of a small Laxian girl, grabbing and shaking her until shecried.
It took more than one energy ball to neutralize Hosmosis, and by the time he was finally subdued, every Laxian woman was either in tears or in rage from the bitterly caustic remarks the Lethurian had made at them, in his own language, of course. It was the way he had pronounced and enunciated the insults, not so much what the incoherent bantering actually meant.
“God damnit Hosmosis,” said Lee Otto to his companion, both Lethurians held firmly in place by the invisible energy ball shackles. “I was about to get a bath, but you screwed my chances up! What were you trying to accomplish here in the first place?”
“Ah wuzza wuzzle?” said Hosmosis with an faultless smile.
“What’s going on down there?” called a voice from above the gate. Although Lee Otto couldn’t make his body cringe, he felt likewise; the voice belonged to a man.
Two Laxian men came out from the gate, ready to confront thetrespassers.
“Oh Kevaggot, it was so horrible,” said the long nosed girl, the same one who had commented on Lee Otto’s odor, collapsing onto the taller of the two male Laxians. “The big dark one over there--oh the things he said!”
“It’s a good thing Entelliton left us behind,” saidKevaggot.
The other Laxian man stepped forward. “While these Lethbian spies are still paralyzed, I want you girls to carry them into the dungeon,” he said. This one, a little more than chubby, had a lewd way of speaking that reminded the Lethurians of adangerous snake.
“But Cartman,” said the blond girl with thick thighs. “You said, that if I slept with you, I wouldn’t have to handle theprisoners!”
“We’ll all help carry them to the dungeon,” said Kevaggot, taking charge of the situation.
Lee Otto and Hosmosis exchanged a nervous glance.
* * *
“Give me water!” rasped Lee Otto into the gloomy dungeon corridor, rattling his empty water cup across the cell’s bars until it sounded like machine-gun fire.
“I’m cwumming, I’m cwumming!” said the dungeon key keeper from the other end of the hall, carrying a jug of water from theLaxantion wells.
Lee Otto and Hosmosis had been held in captivity for almost a whole day, and the Laxians had treated them with the utmostinhumanity.
“Swo, you wants swome water?” said the red headed key keeper, taunting the Lethurians with the water jug. He was safely on the other side of the bars, out of Lee Otto’s reach.
“Yes!” wheezed Lee Otto. “You haven’t given us nothing to drink since we got here!”
“Nah frigidarium!” screamed Hosmosis, banging his head onthe stone wall.
“Okway, give mwe your cwup,” said the key keeper.
Lee Otto held out his cup pleadingly, and the Laxian snatched it away. The lisping key keeper filled the cup generously, then purposefully dropped it to the floor, and the precious water seeped away into the dirt.
“Whoops, did I dwu thwat?” said the Laxian with an insidious snicker. “Mwan, I dwon’t knwow abwout you bouys, but I’m thwirsty.” The key keeper put the water jug up to his lips, drained half of it, then splashed the rest over his face.
“You asshole!” fumed the tracker, slamming himself upagainst the bars.
“Well, thwat was your water wation fwor twuday,” said the Laxian, getting ready to leave. “Swee you tomorrwo!”
“Wait a second,” said Lee Otto, softening his tone. “I think I might be a bit taller than you; lets stand back to back.”
“We’ll jwust swee who’s the twaller!” said the key keeper, putting his back up against the dungeon cell bars.
“Narshu dishnacough!” growled Hosmosis, wrapping his meaty arm around the Laxian’s neck and crushing it into the coarse iron bars. The key keeper clawed and bit at the Lethurian arm, trying to scream for help in between gags, but no one came. Hosmosis’ grip proved unbreakable; within two minutes, the wild rebel had choked every bit of life out of the key keeper, and blood trickled out of the unfortunate Laxian’s mouth.
“Golly Hosmosis, all I wanted was the keys,” said Lee Otto, reaching through the bars and snatching the dead key keeper’skey chain.
In an instant, the two Lethurians were out of the cell, the taste of escape in the air. Lee Otto, who had the best aim, armed himself with the strangled key keeper’s Laxian spear and bag of energy balls. Hosmosis took the only other weapon: a long cylinderic object, with a thick mushroom like head on one end, that vibrated like a tazer but didn’t produce a spark. Both Lethurians were equally confused as to why the key keeper had such an object in his possession.
“Lets bust ass out here,” said Lee Otto, heading for thedungeon door.
“Please help me,” said a meek voice as the two fugitives passed by its cell. They didn’t hear him. The armless prisoner, a new arrival in fact, was cruelly chained to the stone wall, where he would spend the rest of his numbered days, neglected, and a feast of flesh for insects and fouler vermin. “Come back...” moaned A11Scrub, the door to the dungeon opening andthen slamming shut.
“Shades, I don’t know how we pulled that off,” said Lee Otto, serving Hosmosis as the glider’s co-pilot.
After leaving the dungeon, the two rebels had run a perilous gauntlet to escape. The women, aroused from their bathing pools by the raucous, had fled before the wrath of Hosmosis and his vile tongue, and Lee Otto had done his best to apologize. Kevaggot and Cartman were easily dispatched by energy balls and the captured Laxian spear, but Sachron proved another matter. Just when the two Lethurians were about to exit Laxantion through the gate, the pudgy Laxian officer appeared and cut off their passage. Sachron, who had arrived the night before, brandished his long Laxian lance, challenging either of the Lethurians to proceed. Lee Otto was out of energy balls.
Hosmosis, activating the strange tazer that had no charge, tackled Sachron and plunged his vibrating weapon up the Laxian’s rear. Taking advantage of the distraction, Lee Otto dealt Sachron a heavy whack across the helmet with his spear, knocking loose the head-protector. With his foe thus exposed, and oddly invigorated by Hosmosis’ penetration, Lee Otto thrusted the spear’s trident of blades down in between the Laxian’s eyes, nearly splitting the head in half.
Presently, the two Lethurians sat comfortably in the bow of the glider, the same one Hosmosis had left carefully hidden outside Laxantion. It was high noon, when both suns were equally above the planet, and a strong wind carried the light aircraft swiftly west at an altitude of about 300 feet.
“Damn, look at that!” said Lee Otto to his companion, pointing to the sand flats floor, far below. A massive worm, a common denizen of these barren parts, was burrowing north at a rapid pace, leaving what looked like a gargantuan mole tunnel from horizon to horizon. “I’m glad we’re not down there with that big ole thing,” said the tracker, flatening the wings to reduce air friction.
“And then what happened to you?” asked Dick, leaning forwardeagerly.
“Well,” said Moe, scratching his head thoughtfully, “after I was abandoned out in the desert, I made the trek back to Cave Base 7, and spent the night there, discovering quite a few intriguing bits of information.”
“Such as?” pried Dick.
“You know that computer we have there but kind of forgot about?” continued Moe. “Well, the downloading is complete! I’ve learned all the Laxian technological secrets, the most notable being a special anathema to energy balls.”
“Explain,” said Dick.
“It’s quite simple,” lectured Moe. “All you have to do would be to coat your clothing with a chemical mixture, its components common on this planet, and then you’d be completely immune tothose energy--”
“Dick !” interrupted Zaius the cyclops, leading Lee Otto and Hosmosis in through the door to Cave Base 2’s small but efficient council room. “Look who’s here.”
“Good to see y’all alive, Dick and--ahhh!” screamed Lee Otto, turning white at the sight of Moe.
“Mordom nah harvisimus!” said Hosmosis, casting himself onto the floor and tearing at his hair fitfully.
“Relax,” said Moe. “I tried to tell you that I wasn’t deadyet.”
“All that aside, how did you two find this place? Did you see our Lethurian Gray Flag for rallying after defeat hanging outside?” asked Dick.
“No, we saw that bright Lethurian Red Flag for victory pride hanging outside,” said Lee Otto.
“Zaius you idiot!” barked Dick, slapping the guileless Lethurian solider. “You were supposed to hang the gray one, notthe red one.”
Before Zaius could concoct a proper excuse for his foolishness, Bull the hefty Lethurian barged into the council room, short of breath. “The whole Laxian invasion force is coming right this way!” he panted. “They must have seen that bright red flag hanging outside.”
“Man the battle stations!” ordered Dick. “We’ve got to make this base a pretty damn durable fortress if we want to live.”
The cave itself was actually quite small, its subterranean wells none to dependable, so it had never been occupied by Lethurians for any length of time. But now, for the few surviving rebels, numbering only a little over a dozen, having been pursued and harassed all over the western desert, Cave Base 2 was the only refuge left.
The Lethurians had a dynamic advantages at this base that Cave Base 4 lacked. Nestled within four jagged peaks, a natural barrier that restricted gliders, Cave Base 2 was a formidable citadel. To either side of the base’s gates, the peaks formed a natural wall, and directly before the entrance, a sheer slope of rock made any ascent an arduous task. At the bottom of this drop off, there was a round, walled in basin that sloped up in the opposite direction. And because of this natural feature, at the present moment the Laxian invasion force of Troopers and the remaining Lethurians were at the same eye-to-eye level, despite the wide pit between the swarm of angry hornets and the rabbits backed into a corner.
“Duck for cover!” ordered Dick, the Laxians flinging their energy balls across the chasm. Most fell short, but a lucky few made it across to the Lethurian line of defense, which was spread out sparsely before the gate.
“Everybody put these on!” shouted Moe, rushing to the front with a bundle of clothing in his arms. To all the Lethurians he distributed a vest, jacket, blanket or table cloth, pretty much any textile he had been able to find, and urged that the material be worn immediately.
“What’s all this green sticky stuff on it?” asked Chubsies, holding up his vest in revulsion.
“It will make energy balls ineffective, because it’s practically the same chemical stuff,” said Moe.
“How’d, you make all these so fast?” asked Dick, astounded.
“When you’re older, I’ll explain it,” said Moe.
“Naexlax na cumata!” cried Hosmosis, pointing to the otherside of the chasm.
The mass of organized Laxian Troopers, numbering close to a 100, gave up the futile bombardment of short falling energy balls and prepared to assault. With Warchingwa the heinous Laxian officer in the lead, the entire force let out a deafening battle cry and charged down the far slope and into the basin.
“Wait till they start climbing this side....” cautionedDick.
Warchingwa cleared the low lying basin and scrambled up the foot of the near slope, a score of the Laxian forerunners at hisheels.
“Now!” commanded Dick.
Chubsies and Bull, the strongest of the surviving Laxians, grabbed long iron levers and pried under two separate heaps of boulders. The piles crumbled, sending an avalanche of heavy rocks onto the ascending Laxians. A hard chunk of earth rolled sharply into Warchingwa’s leg, snapping the bone in half. Howling in pain, the Laxian commander was buried along with more than two dozen Troopers in the rain of debris. Stunned, the rest of Laxian invasion force halted the charge and retreated to the top of the far slope, the Lethurians taunting them the whole time with caustic remarks.
An hour passed. A second charge was mounted by the Laxians, and once again a good number were wiped out by boulders held in reserve. This time though, quite a few Troopers made it to the top of the near slope, flinging their energy balls and slashing with the trident bladed spears. To their utter dismay, the energy balls had no effect on the Lethurians, who wore the special clothing and fought with bestial ferocity. At one point, four heavily armored Laxians engaged Dick all at once, beating him to the ground. Rushing to his comrade’s aide, rapiers held in either hand, Moe stabbed with precision, sending the point of each blade right through the slotted helmets of two Troopers and into their eyes. Dick got to his feet, jabbed the third Laxian in the back of the neck with his knife and slashed the fourth’s legs with a stolen Laxian spear. Clasping hands in gratitude, the two bloodied rebels returned to the battle.
The Laxian Troopers were repulsed a second time, with greater casualties. The invasion force had been cleft in twain; almost fifty dead Laxians, crushed, slashed, and electrocuted, littered the slope, making the basin a pool of blood. Nevertheless, the Lethurians were far from victorious. Chubsies and one eyed Zaius had gone down, trying to ward off too many Laxian spears at once. Bull had broken his jaw, not from fighting, but from tripping on his own accord, and was out of combat. Hosmosis, most durable of the rebels, had taken blow after blow and kept on fighting.
“What do you think they’re doing over there?” asked Dick, bandages securely in place. “They’ve just been sitting over on that side of the chasm for hours.” It was now approaching nightfall, and the Laxians hadn’t stirred since the second melee. Three watch fires had been set across the crest of the near slope, and all surviving Lethurians kept sentinel. Everyone, even Hosmosis, was burdened by the inevitability that the end was at hand.
“I reckon they’ll be camping for the night,” said Lee Otto. “Prolly’ll strike again in the morning.”
“It will probably be the last time, too,” said Dick. “Now that there’s all these rocks and dead bodies on the slope, it’ll be an easier climb with more cover, and we don’t have anythingleft to throw.”
“Must be something we can do...” pondered Lee Otto, watching the second sun crest the western peak of Cave Base 2. “Damn, my head hurts from all those whacks.”
Moe’s eyes went wide and he leapt to his feet. “That’s it!” he said, nearly screaming.
“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Dick.
“The head, we need to cut off the head!” said Moe, pouring out his effusive excitement.
“Who’s head?!” said Dick, agitated.
“Entelliton, the head of the Laxians,” said Moe. “We’llcapture him.”
“And how’re you gonna accomplish that?” asked Lee Otto,skeptically.
“Very carefully, and it will have to wait until nightfall,” said Moe. Without a moments hesitation, the swordsman explained every detail of his risky but worthwhile plan, giving his comrades a glimmer of hope.
Entelliton relaxed in a hot tub, the water warm and bubbling. Surrounding him were three beautiful women, all completely nude and subservient to his every desire. Sipping on a Martini, the Laxian ruler reflected on how good life was, especially now that his enemies were almost crushed toextinction.
A chill breeze suddenly swept through the room, and the hot tub water turned a putrid green. Looking about in horror, he saw that the three women had become decaying corpses, eye balls gone, leaving black and empty sockets. Scrambling from the filthy water, Entelliton watched the three corpses disintegrate into dust and vanish. The door to the room burst open, freezing the wet and scarcely clad Laxian ruler with a bitter cold wind. Standing in the doorway, shoulder height, holding his head in his hands, the eyes red, was Dill.
“Tonight, one of us will kill you,” said the head, bursting into flames. Dill’s body hoisted the burning head, and flung it at Entelliton, the teeth snapping viciously...
“Nooo!” screamed Entelliton, falling out of his cot, his body bathed in cold sweat. “Ah, just a nightmare, just a--” a shadow moved in the tent.
“Having a bad dream, Entelliton?” said Moe, dumping several stolen Laxian energy balls on the enemy ruler.
With Entelliton frozen stiff, Hosmosis and Moe gagged him and dragged him from the tent. Now came the tricky part. It had been easy enough to infiltrate the camp of sleeping Laxians and make it to the ruler’s tent, but it would be exceedingly more difficult to make it back out with the ruler himself in tow. Be that as it may, no Laxian could ever match the Lethurian stealth, and by this trait the two rebel comrades managed to make it out of the enemy camp, unseen, and back up the slope before anyone noticed Entelliton was missing.
Parktaine, having been aroused from sleep in the adjacent tent by his master’s scream, took his time at coming to see what the problem was. Upon seeing an empty tent and evidence of a struggle, the second in command Laxian rushed to the crest of the far slope, and from across the chasm, caught a glimpse of Moe and Hosmosis just as they were carrying Entelliton into Cave Base 4 and shutting the gate. The alarm was given, and the whole camp was roused.
“You think you’ll get some kind of ransom off of me?” said Entelliton, hanging by his wrists, several inches off the cavern floor, tied to a stalacite. “Big shit it will do you.”
“We’re not interested in any ransom, we just want to use you as a hostage so that we can escape or something,” said Dick.
“I sahy wu kell him now,” said Bull, his mouth bandaged.
“Be quiet,” said Dick. “There must be something peaceful wecan negotiate.”
“Kiss my ass, you Lethbian,” said Entelliton, spitting on Dick. Lee Otto moved forward to strike the defiant prisoner, but the Laxian ruler stopped the Lethurian in his tracks with only a menacing glare. “That’s what I thought,” said Entelliton.
“I should remind you that you’re our prisoner and that your life is in our hands,” said Moe, threatening Entelliton with hisrapier.
“And yours are in mine,” said the Laxian ruler. “My men won’t negotiate; they’ll kill you all, every last one of yourejects.”
“Hey guys, the Laxians are preparing an attack right now!” said M’yates, a Lethurian solider who had tended to the wounded rather than doing battle.
“Have fun negotiating!” mocked Entelliton.
“Maybe we will,” said Lee Otto, spitting on the Laxian ruler, then scurrying away.
Outside the gate, it was just as M’yates had said: the Laxians, who had awakened and armed themselves with amazing speed, were all massed on the basin floor, Parktaine at the front, outnumbering the Lethurians by more than five to one. The Troopers were ready for an all out charge to end this war. Up atop the near slope, in front of the gates, where there was nothing left to throw, the sleepy-eyed rebels prepared to make one desperate last stand.
“I saw what happened to Von Gross when he tried to negotiate with Parktaine,” said Dick dubiously. “I just hope that they’ll think us holding their leader hostage will make a more convincing argument. At least I've got this energy ball proof shirt on. Well, here goes.”
“Good luck, Dick,” said Moe.
“Same here, buddy,” said Lee Otto.
“No no jhaba wanka,” said Hosmosis, trying to swat a bug.
Taking a deep breath, Dick started down the hill, unarmed, holding his hands up above his head. “Laxians,” said Dick, his voice cracking. “I come before you weaponless and with terms: your leader, Entelliton, is in our possession. I have but only to say the word and he will be killed.”
“Kill him then!” said Parktaine. “Most of the boys think I’d be a better ruler anyway. C’mon, Laxians, kill them all, killthem--”
A sound, not so far away, stopped everyone dead in their tracks, Laxian and Lethurian alike, sending a chill up the spine. It was a howl, a werekyote howl. Then a second howl, coming from another direction, then a third, and then a whole cacaphony of feral wails from every direction--hundreds of werekyotes. Dick ran back up the slope and, before slamming the gate shut behind him, glimpsed at what happened next.
Pouring into the basin, werekyotes came by the grosses, tearing every living thing in sight to shreds. Some Laxians, so petrified with terror, died standing in place. Others tried to fight the massive animals with their trident bladed spears, but the werekyotes were incredibly quick and knew how to dodge and leap for the throat, or roll prey over on its back to devour the soft under belly. Parktaine, trying to run up the near slope, was overcome by a great male werekyote. The beast’s jaws were so powerful, and teeth so sharp, that it took Parktaine’s head off in one terrific snap. The Laxians had no escape; the werekyotes, close to thousand of them by now, some Troopers may have reckoned in the last moments of their lives, attacked from every direction and the carnage continued.
Back inside Cave Base 2, a nauseous Dick related what hadhappened.
“Great, we’s won, so lets kill that asshole,” said Lee Otto.
“You cowards!” challenged Entelliton, still hanging from the stalacite. “You panzies, you damn fairies! You shit-eating pussies! Go on and kill me while I’m hanging like this; you’re probably afraid to give me a fair fight because you don’t have anymore energy balls. None of you could take me, and you knowit.”
“Hmmm, should we give him a fair fight?” said Moe.
“Who’s going to do it?” asked Dick.
“Don’t look at me!” said Lee Otto, backing off.
“Cumata ya pikachunga!” said Hosmosis, stepping forward,knife held in hand.
“He accepts you challenge,” translated Moe, a twinge of sadness coming over him. He was going to lose his comrade; he knew it. “Hosmosis wants hand to hand knife combat.”
“If you try anything funny, Entelliton, you die,” said Dick, holding up an electric prod.
Moe moved forward, cut the entangled Laxian ruler’s bonds free, handed him a knife, and stepped back. The arena for this fight, if arena it could be called, was a rocky cavern that had a precarious ledge on one end and a fairly low ceiling.
“I've got a bad feeling about this,” said Dick as the fightbegan.
The two combatants, Laxian and Lethurian, slowly circled each other, knives held at the ready, measuring what the other was made of. To the spectators, it seemed like this staring contest would have gone on forever--or become homo-erotic--had not Hosmosis made the first lunge. Entelliton, the quicker of the two, dodged the others jab and plunged his knife in the Lethurian’s chest. Hosmosis, blood geysering from his pectorals, let out a grunt, then collapsed to the floor,lifeless.
“That bastard killed Hosmosis!” screamed Moe in rage.
Ripping his knife free from the defeated Lethurian's body, causing a sickening 'squish' noise, Entelliton confronted the rest of the Lethurians. “Whatcha gonna do now, huh?” he taunted, holding his blade. “How about you tracker boy, do you want piece of me? I didn’t think so. Or what about you, big nose, do youwana try me?!”
Lifting himself slowly off the floor behind Entelliton, dark red blood puddling in all directions, with a look in his eyes that defined vengeance, Hosmosis dove forward and sunk his teeth into the Laxian ruler’s ankle. Entelliton let out a shrill scream, grabbed his ankle, hopped around on one foot in agony, slipped on the ledge, and fell into the black abyss.
“It is finished,” said Hosmosis, looking up at Moe. And with that, the wild Lethurian rolled over on his back and died.
Shining a light over the ledge, illuminating the darkness, the rebels saw that Entelliton hadn’t fallen very far after all. After plunging about forty feet down, the Laxian ruler had impaled himself on a stalagmite; the sharp rock, protruding from his chest, had cracked the spine in half and knocked out several ribs and organs along the way. A ghastly and contorted expression framed his face, forever, and ever, and ever.
After the Lethurians had laid Hosmosis in a temporary resting place, they dared to venture outside. It was darker than ever before; none of the nine moons, and absolutely no stars, could be seen through the blackness. Lee Otto felt a strange sensation that brought him back to the SNR days, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was...something in the air.
“Shine the light down into the basin,” said Dick. Moe did, and the mutilated bodies of a 100 Laxians, some killed by Lethurians but most torn to shreds by werekyotes, stared back up at them. There were no wounded; no one, not even cowards who had played dead, had escaped the animals of the desert. Shining the high powered light to the crest of the far slope, the orangeish eyes of a thousand werekyotes reflected back at them. None made a sound, none moved.
“What the hell is them dogs doing?” whispered Lee Otto.
“Don’t worry, they’re under my control,” said a voice, vaguely familiar to the rebels, who were now bereft of cause.
Coming down the far slope, to the Lethurians astonishment, was D6R9. Not the Crapadroid, but the former person himself. He stopped at the floor of the basin, seemingly not wanting to walk through the massacred Laxians.
“It’s a ghost!” said Lee Otto. “I can see right throughhim.”
“Yes, he is oddly transparent,” agreed Moe.
“No, what you’re seeing is a holographic image,” said D6R9. “If you look behind me, you’ll see my metal body. This allows me to talk to you in your own language.”
“Where’ve you been?” said Dick. “What’s with the dogs?”
“They are my pets, and friends,” answered D6R9. “If not for their dogged persistence tonight, the Laxians would surely have been the victors. I have come to tell you that A11Scrub betrayed the Lethurians, but he repented and is now paying the price, so don’t hold it against him.”
“If I ever get my hands on that Crapadroid...” grumbled LeeOtto.
“Dill, Hadrian, Jerome, and Von Gross all died honorable deaths,” continued D6R9. “Find their bodies, make a shrine of their skulls and relics of their weapons, and never forgetthem.”
“We won’t,” said Dick.
“What about you, aren’t you coming with us?” asked Moe.
“No, I’ve found my place, and it’s with the werekyotes,” said D6R9. “You can’t begin to imagine the amazing things that happen in those dens...but that’s none of your business!”
“O-o-okay,” said Lee Otto, taking a step back.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me; so good bye, for now,” said D6R9. And with that, the bright holographic image disappeared, leaving only the rusty Crapadroid. “Beep beep ‘em beep beep yeah! Zschhhhhhhhh....” it said.
After the werekyotes had gone off in every direction--howling wildly--and D6R9 had rolled off into the unusually dark night, the Lethurians headed inside. As Lee Otto the rear guard was about the close the gates, he later could have sworn that he felt a drop of moisture fall out of the sky and onto his head.
The next morning, when the Lethurians came awake and opened the front door to Cave Base 2, all were awestruck to tears. It had rained hard all night, thoroughly saturating the barren landscape. Flowers, shrubs, plants that offered food, and many other vegetation wonders covered the desert as far as the eye could see. The basin at the bottom of the two slopes, the one where so many Laxians had fallen, had become a crystal clear pool with exotic plants growing from the corpses. And to top off the whole experience of precipitation, at the rising of the second sun, the clouds parted, the mist rose, and a magnificent rainbow stretched from one end of the planet to the other.
“We should make that our new flag!” said Bull.
“Maybe not,” said Dick. “What should we do to celebrate?”
“I’ve got it,” said Lee Otto. “Lets hop on that there glider--I know a great place where we can pick up some real easychicks!”
No comments:
Post a Comment